《Mythran's Master Of All - Continued (Completed!)》 Chapter 17 - Aftermath Ren raised his hands in front of his face. He knew there was no chance he was going to survive an impact like that, especially in his current crippled state, but he tried anyways. The chunk of rock hit his palms and he braced his arms as best he could. Much to his surprise, he caught the rock and was pushed back through the water a good distance. He had absorbed most of the shock that should have killed him.
New Sub Skill!
Your last ditch attempt to save yourself paid off. Block Level 1 (Beginner 0%) (Active) Thanks to your diligence in both Smithing and Mining, your body can absorb high amounts of impact shock. This sub skill under ''Shock Absorption'' lets you attempt to stop or deflect blunt force attacks. Can be combined with a shield for an added bonus. Higher skill levels will increase the amount of force that can be blocked.
"Gah!" Ren shouted and swiped the notice away. It was too late, however. Both he and the chunk of rock began to sink into the river, the rock weighed him down. He let it go but continued to sink. His health bar dropped steadily, as catching the rock had taken all of his remaining stamina. Other chunks of rock splashed into the river around him and Teepo shouted a warning. "Master! The water! It comes!" The loudest rumble Ren had ever heard echoed through the water and he covered his ears. Oh... oh no. Not that! Ren looked up and saw a chunk of rock bigger than he was hit the water... and watched as it was picked up and thrown further down the river. The water rose up and up and he could see waves of it pass by... and then the undertow got him. It picked him up and pushed him along the river''s passage. Only now there wasn''t a river anymore. It filled the cavern as far as Ren could see. Teepo appeared beside him. The water didn''t affect him apparently, since he was just an astral projection. Teepo pointed out a wooden structure. "There, Master! Can you get to it?" Only a quarter of Ren''s health remained, but he nodded and started to swim. He tried to stay with the current to lessen the strain on his weary body. His lungs burned and he regretted that he didn''t take a bigger breath of air on the surface. He got to the wooden structure just as it was torn from it''s base. He used Iron Grip and held on for his life. It bobbed and weaved through the current as he held on and counted in his head. He let one hand go and tried to take a healing potion, but it was swept away in the current. His health bar dropped even further. I''m not going to make it. He thought to himself. If only I''d... Just then, the wooden structure broke the surface of the water. It rolled over and flung Ren into the air. Ren gasped in a huge lungful of air as the structure hit the water again. Thankfully, the side he gripped stayed on top of the water. He let his Iron Grip go and just lay there.
New Sub Skill!
Hold Breath Level 1 (Beginner 0%) (Active) This sub-skill under ''Staying Power'' allows you to hold your breath underwater. Higher skill levels will increase the amount of time breath can be held.
Skill Increase!
Shock Absorption Level 2 (Intermediate 0%) Staying Power Level 2 (Intermediate 0%)
After another deep breath he took a healing potion out and drank it, and did the same with a mana potion. He watched as both his health and mana bars reached a quarter of their respective bars. He laid back and wanted to just float there forever. His vision was once again blocked by notices, however.
Notice!
You have delayed the Summoning of Evil. Due to your incessant digging, the Mole High Priest was too distracted and interrupted his spell of summoning to see what you were doing.
Notice!
Thanks to your hard work digging into the underground reservoir (and weakened it''s structure), the wall burst and flooded the underground cavern that contained the Mole Men. They all drowned. Unfortunately, the Underground City Ruins can no longer be explored as they are completely submerged.
Hidden Quest:
Explore the Underground Ruins. Quest failed!
Quest Update!
The Aurora Expedition Squad Congratulations! You have successfully stopped the spread of evil that had started to permeate the kingdom. Return to Aurora to complete this quest.
Ren let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. He hoped that he was safe while he floated on the water, but he was just too exausted to care much about it if he wasn''t. Despite Teepo''s constant chattering, he fell asleep. ******* "Earthquake! Grab on to something solid!" The captain of the soldiers hollered out when the ground shook. "What the hell''s solid here?!?" Clint hollered back as the wall of the cavern crumbled when he tried to brace himself against it. Rocks and dust fell from the top of the cavern as everyone tried their best to hunker down and ride out the earthquake. The rumbling went on and on and some members of the party got sick and threw up the lunch they''d just ate. The smell didn''t travel far since dust covered everything and absorbed most of the liquid. The shaking and rumbling stopped after a few minutes, then all the players present got a pop-up. A loud groan was heard from most of them, and some cursed fluently.
Quest Update!
The Aurora Expedition Return to Aurora to complete this quest.
"Is anyone injured?" The captain called and dug himself out of some debris. Thankfully, most of the soldiers had used their shields to cover up the healers and clerics in the group. Once everyone was gathered together again, the healers and clerics made their rounds to fix all the minor wounds that the rocks had caused. Ren''s earth rune enchantments had helped immensely by letting the rocks roll off instead of impacting with their full force. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Several minutes passed and they heard a whooshing sound. They couldn''t see what it was, since it was still dark down below in the cavern, but they could definitely hear running water now. Ten minutes later, the water sound was getting louder and seemed to be getting closer as well. Clint looked over the side of the cliff and saw the rushing water in the cavern below. "Well, would you look at that!" He said to get everyone''s attention. "What? What is it?" Tommy asked. "The water''s risin'' like there''s no tomorrow. I reckon it won''t be long before we could probably cross back the way we came." "You''re right." Said the captain. "Men, get that rock untied from the catapult. We can just swim across to attach the line." "Um... that current''s really strong, though." Tommy said with doubt in his voice. "Ha!" The captain blustered. "It''ll be a cold day in Hell when I can''t traverse a lousy river." The players all had a similar look like Tommy''s on their faces, but the soldiers hollered and cheered. They got the rope and handed it to the captain. "Keep a good hold of this rope. Dole it out constantly. I don''t need it to be too slack and get caught in the water. It''ll only drag me down." The soldiers nodded and the captain secured the rope around his waist. He looked at the players that had gathered close, winked at them, and dove off the cliff and into the water. He swam upstream for a bit and then turned towards the other side. He got as far as the first pylon that had held the bridge up and floated down to it. "Ha. That sneaky old bugger." Clint said with admiration. "What?" Tommy asked. "I figured he''d be a gonner if he tried to swim all that way in one go, but he ain''t. He''s leapfrogging across the bridge supports." "Huh?" "He doesn''t have to swim as far or as fast to beat the current of the water." "Oh." Clint just shook his head. He didn''t understand how some people can be around and not have a lick of sense when it comes to doing things that any outdoorsman could do. Clint snorted to himself. He''d just answered his own question. Outdoorsman. Most of these yahoos probably don''t even know what that term means. Clint saw that the captain had made it to the third bridge support when something appeared on the water. It was something quite big and looked to be made of wood. It rushed towards the captain and the support he''d just grabbed onto. "Captain! On your six!" Clint yelled. "Give him some extra slack!" He called back to the soldiers. The captain turned around in the water and saw what approached him. He had barely moments left to react. He did the only thing he could do in that situation, and dove around the pillar towards the side he''d been heading towards and hoped the current caught him before he was crushed. The structure hit the bridge support and a loud crunching sound echoed across the cavern. They heard a scream and thought the worst. The captain must have been hit. The warning had come too late. The wood broke up and splintered around the support and floated down the water, and out of sight. The solders felt disheartened. They''d just lost their leader. What were they going to do now? Some sat down and let their grip on the rope go. A moment later the rope jerked in the hands of the others and some soldiers fell from the force of it''s pull. "Secure that rope, damn you!" Clint yelled at the soldiers. "He''s still tied to it, you fools!" The soldiers hastened to tug the rope back into it''s taught state. Clint looked out over the water to see where the captain''s body might be and saw something surface 30 yards downstream. "There! I see him! He''s waving, too! He''s still alive!" Clint yelled, and the players cheered. Some helped the soldiers and grabbed the rope as well. They pulled and kept the rope taught and slowly the captain made his way back to the pillar, but he was only using one arm to swim. He''d been injured and that must have been the scream they''d heard. The captain only had one more pillar to go to get to the other side; but, if he was injured, should they pull him back all the way? Clint tried to holler a question, but the captain waved him off and pointed towards the other side. "Keep doling out the rope, he''s almost there." Clint said to the soldiers. They nodded and continued. The captain took a lot longer to swim the last divide, but he eventually made it to safety. Everyone let out a sigh of relief as the captain slowly crawled up the other side. With only one arm working, it took a while. He got to the top and inched over the edge and out of sight. A minute later, the captain stood up and waved, reached down and gave two tugs on the rope. The soldiers tied off their end. Now the two sides were connected once again. It didn''t take long for a rope bridge to be slid across the main rope, dragged by a volunteer who shimmied across the rope like a monkey. It made a nice ''v'' shape that was sturdier than anything else that could be cobbled together on such short notice. The captain held up his hand and flashed several hand signals. "A Healer first." One of the soldiers said. The captain must be in real pain if he''s asking for healing before securing the site with soldiers. They asked around and one of the healers still had lots of mana left. The soldier took him over first. The bridge swayed and dipped as they went across, but it didn''t touch the water. It seemed the water''s level had stabilized after that wooden wreckage passed by. The healer disappeared on the other side and the soldier waved the okay signal. Everyone stood and gathered their belongings for the trip across the water. A lot of space was left in between each person to lessen the strain on the ropes, and one by one they crossed the rope bridge to the other side. Now that the current crisis was past, everyone was saddened that they had to return to the city with the mission uncompleted. They hadn''t even gotten that far down into the dungeon. There was going to be a lot of unhappy people in the kingdom when they returned. Clint had stayed behind to make sure everyone had gotten across. He''d already lost one team member, and he wasn''t going to lose another. He laughed at himself. He''d been a lone wolf since he''d started playing this game; and here he was, worried over people that he didn''t even know! He shook his head and walked across the rope bridge. Since he was used to doing such things in real life, he was swiftly across the gap in no time at all. He heard a ruckus ahead and pushed through the crowd to see what it was. To his surprise, it was something he never thought he''d see. There, laying on a makeshift stretcher, was Ren. Chapter 18 - What Happened? Ren opened his eyes and looked up at all the faces staring down at him. ¡°Ahhh!¡± He shouted and jumped. Everyone laughed, and the captain bent down to pat him on the shoulder. ¡°It''s all right, boy. You''re safe now.¡± Ren realized he was out of the water and on solid ground. He took a better look around and could plainly see that they were camped back at the mouth of the cave. ¡°How long...¡± ¡°It''s been about a day.¡± Clint said and sat down next to him. ¡°You were pretty banged up. When the healer was finished an'' you didn''t wake up right away, we were all pretty worried.¡± Ren nodded his head and sat up. ¡°Yeah, you wouldn''t believe what happened...¡± Clint shook his head. ¡°No, don''t say anythin''. You c''n tell us later. Just rest fer now.¡± It was Ren''s turn to shake his head. ¡°No way. I''ve had enough rest to last me a lifetime. I''m not staying in a bed any longer than I have to!¡± He looked Clint over and saw the state of his weapons and armor. ¡°...and I''ve got work to do.¡± Clint laughed at him, but handed over his weapons. Ren worked diligently for a long time, fixing everything that was damaged. The soldiers had stacked their things nearby and Ren did those first. Most of the soldier''s armor and shields were falling apart. He didn''t know how they had gotten into such a state so quickly. He wasn''t gone that long, was he? Some of the other players saw Ren was up and moving around, and came to pay their respects. He was about to tell them they''d have to wait for him to finish with the soldiers equipment before he could start on theirs, but they just asked him how he was doing. Ren was a bit shocked since they never really paid him much attention before. He figured they didn''t really care about him, but he told them he was doing fine. None of them even asked him to fix their stuff. He finished his work with the soldiers equipment and sat down on the ground. He took two mana potions and told everyone he was ready. Everyone came over and formed a line in front of him. They each handed over their things for him to repair in an orderly and patient manner, and talked casually about everything that had happened during the adventure. Ren''s ears perked up at the mention of him falling from the bridge and he listened carefully. He was desperate to find out what had happened afterwards. ¡°Boy, I can''t believe that cave in, huh? What a mess! I mean, just look at our clothes and armor!¡± ¡°Yeah, that dust went everywhere. I really need a bath.¡± ¡°Good thing the soldiers were there to cover the healers... otherwise a few of us would have been in some real trouble.¡± The talking stopped suddenly and Ren looked up from the chest plate he was repairing. Everyone was looking at him. His face and ears turned bright red and he went back to his work. The conversation drifted off to other topics, and some wondered what they were going to do when they got back to the city. Ren wondered that himself. What would he try to learn first? There were so many possibilities. He looked down at his high quality clothing and they were pretty ragged. He would have to stop in at Sally''s place to see what he could do about it before deciding anything else. Some of the players didn''t have any junk drops left to trade for his repairs, but Ren told them it was okay. He was only repairing and not enchanting, anyways. The players were grateful for that and thanked him. He just waved it off. They were headed back to the city and he had tons of stuff already. Ren finished up with the players and went back to where Clint sat. No sooner had his butt hit the ground, when the captain hollered out to the expedition. ¡°Alright, everyone! Now that Ren''s finished we can get moving. Let''s go! Go! Go! Go!¡± Everyone seemed to groan at the enthusiasm in the captain''s voice, and they reluctantly got to their feet. They gathered up their things while the soldiers dismantled the camp. Ren looked around and saw a lot of unhappy faces and wondered what was going on. They''re all just tired, I guess. He thought. Of course, so am I. Ren stood up with Clint and they packed up their bedrolls. It didn''t take long for the soldiers to finish, and they started their trip back to the city. Everyone was silent for a while, but it wasn''t an uncomfortable one. They all just trudged along at a steady pace and no one felt the need to say anything. After a few hours, Clint finally broke the silence. ¡°So... how did you survive the fall?¡± He said. ¡°What? Oh... well... I know this is gonna sound crazy; and you''re not going to believe me, but... on the way down to the bottom, I grabbed onto it''s chest and used it as a cushion to break my fall.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Clint said and stopped walking. Ren walked on, and Clint ran to catch up. ¡°Tell me you didn'' just say that!¡± Some of the other players heard them talking and moved closer to try and get some details. Ren chuckled at Clint''s expression. ¡°I told you that you wouldn''t believe me.¡± ¡°Jeezus, man! Are you nuts? What made you do that?¡± Clint said. Ren shrugged. ¡°Honestly, I don''t really know. It just seemed like a good idea at the time.¡± Clint just shook his head. ¡°Grabbin'' an angry ogre was a good idea at the time?¡± Clint laughed. ¡°What happened when you hit the bottom?¡± ¡°I was knocked out of the game for about a day or so.¡± ¡°Game time?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Nope. Real time.¡± Ren answered. ¡°Oh, man. That''s unbelievable. I can''t believe you didn''t die.¡± Clint looked at Ren closely. ¡°I mean... we all reckoned you actually did kick the bucket.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.Ren shrugged. ¡°I thought I was dead, too... until I woke up.¡± ¡°Then what happened?¡± ¡°According to the game, I was severely hurt and would be crippled for about 5 more days in game unless I got healed. I could barely move at first, but I forced myself to get up and started walking.¡± ¡°What about the ogre?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°The ogre! I was so concerned for myself that I completely forgot about it.¡± Ren smacked himself on the forehead. ¡°I didn''t even loot the body.¡± The players close by laughed, then Clint smiled and pat him on the shoulder. Ren let out a sigh. He was tempted to look up what kind of loot that an ogre would drop, but he didn''t want to torture himself about it too much. How could he have been so stupid? ¡°Don'' worry about it.¡± Clint said. ¡°You had a good excuse. Plus, you wouldn'' have had to go through that if it wasn'' for that asshole.¡± Ren nodded. He thought in silence for a few moments, then something came to him. ¡°Hey, wait a minute. I haven''t seen Tristan around. Is he avoiding me now that I''m awake?¡± It was Clint and Tommy''s turn to be quiet for a minute. They looked at each other, then at Ren. ¡°About that...¡± Clint said. ¡°Tristan ain''t avoidin'' you. He''s ain''t here... at all.¡± ¡°Wha... what? What happened after he tripped me?¡± Clink looked a little dejected. ¡°I attacked him, actually. Damn near shoved his conceited ass right off the cliff so he could follow you.¡± Ren''s insides got warm at the thought. Clint almost did that? For him? That is, people have stood up for him before, but it still made him grateful each and every time. ¡°Then the cap''n of the soldiers intervened. I kinda blew up at him an'' near got my own ass beat for it, but then...¡± Clint stopped and then chuckled. ¡°What?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The cap''n told Tristan to shut up... an'' you know what Tristan''s like. He just kept shoutin''... and the cap''n slapped him!¡± Clint laughed out loud and Tommy joined him. After a minute, they stopped like a switch had been flicked. ¡°Tristan had a shocked look on his face while the captain shouted at him. He ordered the soldiers to put Tristan in chains, to be taken back to Aurora to be tried for treason. Before they could do that, Tristan was covered in this really dark aura... and disappeared.¡± Tommy said. Ren was shocked. ¡°He what? Disappeared?¡± Clint and Tommy nodded and stayed silent. Ren thought about it, and he didn''t know what had happened. Tristan was one of the special One-Of-A-Kind classes. He couldn''t even look up what happened, since no one would actually know. Wow... anything could happen in this game! Ren thought. Over the next two days travelling back to Aurora, they talked off and on about everything else that had happened. Ren continued his story, but didn''t mention Teepo. He thought it was a really good idea to keep him a secret for some reason. It was like something really depended on no one knowing about him. When Ren finally got to the part about the Mole Men and the Underground City, and how it was their objective, everyone was hanging on his every word. He told them that he couldn''t do anything about it, since he''d been so hurt, but they urged him to continue. He told them about digging, and the Mole Men coming to see what he was doing... and then about the explosion the Mole Shaman had caused and broke apart the wall. ¡°So that''s what it was!¡± Clint exclaimed. ¡°Yeah, only it was a dam and not a wall...¡± Ren continued his tale, about almost drowning and then collapsing on the wooden structure. ¡°Ha ha! That''s how the captain got you!¡± Tommy said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The captain was crossing the water when he was almost crushed by this big wooden structure. We heard a scream. We thought it was him, but it must have been you!¡± Tommy grinned. Ren didn''t remember any of that. He only remembered falling asleep on the wood, and then waking up with everyone around him. Nothing in between. ¡°The cap''n saved you, Ren.¡± Clint said. ¡°I... I didn''t realize... I have to go thank him!¡± Ren was about to run up to the front of the expedition, but Clint caught his arm. ¡°It''s okay. Ah reckon he knows. Just havin'' you back with the party was all the thanks he needed.¡± Ren was going to object, but then he decided that Clint was probably right. He could thank the captain on a more personal level, later on. ¡°After all that shaking and stuff, we all got the notice to go back to Aurora to complete the quest.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Yeah, me too. I wonder what we''ll get?¡± Ren said, excitedly. ¡°Probably linched.¡± Clint said. ¡°What? What are you talking about?¡± Ren asked. Just then, the captain called a halt to the march. The scout sent ahead to check the way returned to say there sounded like a riot going on in the city. The gates could be seen in the distance. ¡°Alright, men!¡± The captain shouted... and then blushed. ¡°Ah, and ladies... there seems to be trouble in the city. Stay sharp, and be wary.¡± He pointed to the players. ¡°If there really is a riot going on, do NOT interfere. It''s the soldiers job to keep the peace in the city limits. You will bring up the rear and keep an eye out for any bandits.¡± The players nodded their heads and formed a party behind the ranked soldiers. Ren and the support members formed up at the back. The captain moved to the front of the soldier''s formation, drew his sword and banged his shield with it once. ¡°Company... Double March! To Aurora!¡± He shouted. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± the soldiers screamed as they ran to the city gates. Chapter 19 - Ren... The Hero? Once again, Ren was at the back of the group and couldn''t see what was going on. He had to rely on his other team members to keep watch. It still urked him; but, until he could figure out how to participate... or at least defend himself properly... it really was safer for him to just let his teammates take care of him. Ren kept up with everyone without any difficulty whatsoever since they were only moving at a jogging pace. All that running he did when he mined the ore really helped him out a lot more than he''d thought. The only thing he lacked was overall speed, but that was more because his legs were so short and he literally had to take more steps than anyone else. Little did he realize that if he''d been the same size as the average player, it would almost double his leg length. He''d by far surpass them all and leave them in the dust. The expedition jogged across the last bit of distance to the city gates, all the time wondering what was going on inside. The captain picked up speed and was about to ram his way through the gates when they were flung open and a mob of people engulfed him. The soldiers, so close on his heels, were soon engulfed as well. The shouts and hollering continued unhindered by the introduction of the soldiers. ¡°What do we do?¡± Someone exclaimed as the players came to a halt. ¡°I dunno. He told us to check for bandits, but all I can see is townspeople.¡± ¡°Yeah, what''s going on? I dont think I''ve ever seen this many in one place before.¡± Ren turned to Clint. ¡°What was that you said before? We''re going to get lynched?¡± ¡°Yep. When Tristan tripped ya, the cap''n said tha'' you was the e-ssential member of the party an'' we couldn'' go on withoucha. He said we had to call off the expedition an'' go back to Aurora an'' get someone else to replace ya. Seein'' as how ya was supposta be dead.¡± Clint winked at Ren. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°After Tristan disappeared, we set up camp an'' worked to try an'' get back across the cavern. Then that there rumblin'' happen''d and we got the notice to return to Aurora to complete the quest. If it wasn'' fer tha'' idiot, we''d at least have had a chance... but because of him, we failed.¡± Ren started to talk, but while Clint spoke, the mob had surged forward and engulfed the players. They were completely surrounded. Neither Clint, nor Ren, had seen anything until it was too late. ¡°But Clint...¡± Ren shouted over the mob as they were pushed, pulled, and dragged into the city. ¡°...we didn''t fail!¡± Clint got a bewildered look on his face, like he was trying to decide if Ren really had gone crazy after he''d fallen off the bridge and hit his head or something. The other players were freaking out a little, too. They were being forced into the city but couldn''t fight back because the captain of the soldiers had ordered them not to. They reluctantly let themselves be herded along until the mob deposited them in the city''s square. Ren didn''t see anything that was going on because he was so short... until the crowd around him cleared away. What he saw stunned him a little; but, the rest of the party was in complete and utter shock. It had been a parade. For them. It wasn''t a riot at all, but a celebration! Revelers and jugglers and all kinds of people were laughing and hugging each other. Ren had never seen anything like it before. He got lost in his wonderment until someone on the stage cleared their throat. The expedition turned as one to see the speaker. It was Eric, Lord Of Aurora, who stood at the same podium he''d been at to start their quest. ¡°Congratulations, everyone! Welcome back, and thank you! Your hard work and perserverance has defeated the evil presence that''s been building up and tormenting us for months.¡± All the players and soldiers were dumbfounded. They wondered if it was all a joke being played on them, but Ren had a huge smile plastered on his face. Clint looked at him and knew that Ren wasn''t crazy and what he''d said before had been true. But... how did he know? According to his own story, he was unconscious for most of it! ¡°It''s with great pleasure that I declare this quest completed.¡± Ren got a popup. He assumed every other player got it as well, as they all stopped to read something in mid-air.
The Aurora Expedition
Congratulations! Lord Eric of Aurora praises you. Your party has successfully completed their assigned task. Rewards:You have gained: 5000 XP
Level Up!
You have gained an additional level You are now Level 3 10 stat points automatically allocated
Ability change!
Slow And Steady (Passive) Increases XP required to level by 101 %, and reduces XP gained by 21% Skills gain XP 51% faster
Ren smiled after he closed the info windows and looked around. No one else could believe their eyes. Even the captain and soldiers shuffled their feet and glanced around in a slight panic. They all still thought they''d failed. ¡°Now, as per the conditions set before you left... rewards for contribution points. Since there are too many variables to impart to you I won''t give you the full run down; but, my mage accountants have assured me that the numbers are completely accurate.¡± Ren got another popup.
Contribution Award
Congratulations! You have gained an additional: 5000 XP
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Ren''s jaw dropped open. What? What the heck is this? I got double the XP? How? I didn''t contribute at all to the fighting! Ren closed the window and looked around. Some of the players were high-fiving each other. If he recalled correctly, they were on Selene''s team. They were always out in front. It only made Ren wonder harder as to why he got so much. He tugged on Clint''s cloak to get his attention. ¡°Psst. How much XP did you get from that?¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I got me anotha 1000 XP on toppa the 5000.¡± Clint said and smiled. ¡°Keepin'' an eye on ya an'' the soldiers seems ta have been the best thing fer me this time.¡± Ren just nodded his head and kept quiet. They both looked up when Eric continued to speak. ¡°Ah, and there we go. You''ve all been awarded in accordance to how much you helped the expedition. Now, for the extra bonus award for the most contribution points! I know you''ve all been waiting for this!¡± Eric reached over to one of his staff who passed him three bags. One small, one medium, and one large. ¡°In third place, with 243 points... Healer Montegue!¡± Eric announced. ¡°Come, come! Don''t be shy. It''s just gold.¡± The crowd gasped. A figure wearing traditional healers robes, separated from the players and got up onto the stage. Eric picked up the smallest bag. ¡°There you go. 10 gold for your efforts on the city''s behalf. Spend it well!¡± Healer Montegue took the bag without a word and left the stage. I guess 10 gold isn''t that much for a higher level mage... Ren thought. Can you imagine? 10 gold! ¡°Hmm. You''re welcome.¡± Eric said under his breath, but everyone could clearly hear him and some people laughed. ¡°Well... now on to the second highest contribution point total. In second place, with an astounding 798 points... Selene, The Mistress Of Dance!¡± Selene had stood near the stage the whole time. She haughtily leaped up onto it, did a little pirouette, two skips, and a half twirl to end up right next to Lord Eric with a dazzling display of sparkles behind her. Eric lifted his eyebrows briefly, but didn''t comment about her entrance. He picked up the mid-sized bag and handed it to her with a bit of flourish. ¡°For you, dear lady. 25 gold coins. Both the city, and I, thank you.¡± Selene graciously accepted the bag and bowed to Lord Eric. She spun on her heels, flipped off the stage in a cartwheel and landed right back to where she had stood before, as if she''d never left the spot. Eric lifted his eyebrows again brielfy and turned back to his waiting audience. That''s what they were... an audience... and they were witnessing quite a spectacle so far. People in the crowd whispered about how she must have killed a lot of monsters to get so many points. ¡°Last, but not least... the holder of the highest contribution point total. In first place, with a total of... wait, is this right? Hold on...¡± Eric turned away from the podium and walked over to the other three people on the stage. They conferred with each other while Eric pointed at one of them. The person held out a scroll of parchment that Eric read intently. The crowd''s noise level picked up as people talked among themselves. Something weird was going on. Eric chopped his hand sideways to cut off the people he was talking to. He handed back the scroll, then walked back to the podium. He stood there a moment and took a deep breath before he spoke. ¡°I''m not sure how it was possible for someone to get contribution points of such a high amount on so short a quest, but my mages have assured me again that the numbers are correct. I''ve seen the actual numbers myself now.¡± Eric shook his head in disbelief. ¡°Well... without further ado... the first place winner, with a surprisingly high grand total of 6,451 points... Ren.¡± ( *Authors Note: I was really tempted to end it here on a kind of high note, but then it would have been a bit of a short chapter (just over 1600 words). I don''t want to disappoint you guys like that... so, I''m gonna keep going! *) The various noises from the crowd stopped immediately and there was complete silence. ¡°WWWHHHHHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTT!?!¡± Ren shrieked. Everyone turned and looked at him as his voice echoed around the square. Shock and surprise was on all of their faces. Ren just stood there as his whole body went numb. It''s not true. It can''t be! He thought to himself as the crowd around him came back to life. Lord Eric chuckled. ¡°It seems Ren is even more shocked than the rest of us. This time I''ll have to explain how the numbers came about, I think. Come on up here, Ren.¡± Ren just stood there, dumbfounded. People started waving him forward. Clint grabbed his shoulder and shook him a bit. ¡°C''mon you. You''ve gotta get yerself up on stage, pronto! They ain''t gonna wait ferever, ya know!¡± Clint pushed him and Ren started to walk. The crowd chimed in and started chanting. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°REN!¡± It got louder each time he heard his name. He could have sworn he could even hear the nurses at his bedside chanting, too. It became almost deafening when the soldiers joined in, at the captain''s urging. ¡°Since he''s coming up now, let me explain how the contribution points worked for this quest. There were various levels, in fact. You got points for killing monsters, healing party members, repairing weapons and armor, dealing the most damage, shielding party members, for assisting outside of battles, for assistance in each kill, for not letting any soldiers die - thank you all very much for that by the way, if you help soldiers level up, keeping the morale of the expedition up, and inspiring others.¡± Everyone got really quiet when the long list of requirements was finally revealed for them all to hear. Ren''s pace slowed down and he looked around. They all had a contemplative look on their faces. Ren thought about the list, too. It still didn''t add up. Sure, he repaired the weapons and armor of the whole party... but only a few times. That still wasn''t close to being as high as it actually was. Eric called over the captain of the soldiers and knelt to talk to him. He nodded his head several times, smiled, pat the captain on the shoulder and stood. ¡°A tidbit of info has come to my attention that will shed some light on this amazing contribution total that Ren has.¡± Ren got to the stage and climbed up. Eric waved him over to stand close by. ¡°Ren, it was your job to repair the weapons and armor of the soldiers, correct?¡± Ren nodded but didn''t say anything. ¡°And how many times did you perform that function over the course of the quest?¡± Eric asked. ¡°I''m not really sure, sir. Maybe 5 or 6 times?¡± Eric smiled. ¡°It wasn''t just the soldiers, was it? You did all the party members as well, correct? Also the same number of times?¡± Ren nodded again. Except for Tristan. He never asked. ¡°I see. Since there''s 100 people in the expedition, and you did that 5 or 6 times with both weapons and armor, then that''s anywhere from 1000 to 1200 repairs.¡± The crowd gasped. That little elfling had made that many repairs in such a short time? How was that even possible? ¡°The captain of the guard just told me you also enchanted everything as well. Is that true?¡± Eric said. Ren blushed and his eyes shifted around to see everyone still had their eyes on him. He nodded. ¡°T-t-twice.¡± He stuttered and then mumbled something that Lord Eric didn''t hear. ¡°What was that?¡± He asked. Ren sighed. ¡°I gave them all repaired and enchanted daggers, too.¡± The crowd gasped again. ¡°Do you see it now everyone? If you include all that, the total makes a lot more sense, doesn''t it? His enchanted armor shielded all of his allies, his enchanted weapons hit every single monster that everyone in the expedition either wounded or killed. He single-handedly dealt the most damage! Nearly every attack had his hand in it. He kept morale up because he worked so hard and fixed everyone''s equipment... and he only took their junk as payment!¡± Eric shook his head. ¡°The best part, as far as I am concerned... and I''m sure you''ll all agree... was that it was his fault the quest ended so abruptly.¡± Voices around the square chimed up when they heard that. ¡°His fault?¡± ¡°How did he...¡± ¡°No way!¡± Eric raised his hands to the crowd to quiet them. ¡°I haven''t gotten all the details yet...¡± He glared at Ren to make sure he knew he''d be retelling his story very soon. ¡°...but because of his actions, the evil was stopped and the goal of the quest was completed.¡± ¡°So... for coming in first place in contribution points, I present to you, Ren...¡± He took the large bag from the podium and passed it to Ren. ¡°...my eternal gratitude, a party at my mansion tomorrow night, in your honor of course... and 100 gold coins.¡±
Notice!
Fame Increase! You have gained 1000 fame.
Fame XP and bonuses Unlocked!
While your Fame is above a certain level, additional XP and special bonuses can be gained from doing quests for those that know of your exploits.
¡°Guh... gad!¡± Ren''s eyes bulged out of his head and he collapsed right there on the stage. He had fainted. Chapter 20 - Out Of The Frying Pan Everyone in the city''s square saw Ren faint on the stage. At least, that''s what they assumed when they saw him collapse. Only that wasn''t what happened at all.
System Warning!
Unstable brainwave activity detected. Please logout immediately! If you cannot initiate the logout procedure yourself, you will be automatically logged out in 20 seconds. The delay is to allow the system to initiate the proper connection termination protocols.
The nurses waited for the agonizing 20 seconds to pass so the system could log Ren out. They held their breath and a final notice appeared.
Notice!
IFL (Involuntary Forced Logout) protocol successful.
They unhooked Ren and removed the VR helmet as fast as they could without hurting him. Drool leaked from the corner of his mouth and his regular day nurse, Lucy, wiped it away. "Oh, Ren!" Lucy said, as tears rolled down her face. Another nurse gave him a shot of morphine to get his muscles to relax. The doctor came in afterwards and shook his head. "I think he''s going to be taking a break from the game for a while." ******** A few minutes before at Sid Tec: The CEO of Sid Tec sat at his desk and beamed with pride. He knew that Ren was going to do some great things with his class, but he had no idea he''d be doing them so soon! Both he and his secretary sat still as they watched the live feed through their main server. Ren crossed the stage to accept the contribution award that he''d earned. They listened carefully while Lord Eric and Ren exchanged words, and after Ren received the gold, they watched helplessly as he collapsed. Right away Edward knew that something was terribly wrong. He saw how Ren had fallen. He didn''t just faint. Edward stood and looked his secretary in the eye. "Ms. Stanford. Get Max on the phone. Now." His secretary jumped out of her chair with fear in her eyes. She didn''t fear her boss, who she knew blustered and hollered with the best of them. He was a kind and gentle soul underneath it all. It was Ren she feared for. Mr. Torren wouldn''t have such a cold tone in his voice if things were fine. She rushed out of the office to her desk and had Max on the phone a few seconds later. She listened intently at her boss'' door, but could only hear his side of the conversation. "Max, tell me what... oh... Uh-huh... Dammit, is there anything... God dammit!" Edward hollered and slammed the phone down. Elise Stanford visibly shook at his outburst. He''d never said anything like that before! She sat down at her desk and wondered what her poor little Ren was going through. She missed his cute infectious smile so much! Edward sat down at his desk again. He''d call Max back in a few minutes to apologize. He looked at the monitor and watched as the Lord of Aurora waved the captain of the guard over, who then picked Ren up off the stage and they took him up to the Lord Eric''s mansion. Edward closed his eyes and hoped for the best and that Ren was okay. ******** It wasn''t until several days later, after several anti-seizure medications and antibiotic drugs had been administered, that Ren finally regained consciousness. "Ugh..." "No, Ren. Don''t move. Keep your eyes closed, okay?" Ren nodded and did as he was told. He could feel the IV needles in both of his arms now and the EKG (that monitors his heart) and EEG (that monitors his brain) both started to beep really fast. "It''s okay, sweetie. It''s okay. I''m taking them out now." A woman''s voice said softly. Ren recognized the nurse. Barbara. She was his night nurse. He felt the first needle leave his body and relaxed a little. "We had to wait for you to wake up before we could take them out." She said. Ren tensed up as the second one was removed, then he visibly relaxed and the monitors slowed back to their normal rate. Normal for Ren, that is. His body and brain operated on a different level after all the experiments his parents had performed on him. The machines beeped at about twice the rate that they would for almost anyone else. "How..." Ren croaked. His mouth was so dry it hurt to talk. "How long?" "It''s only been about 4 days." Barbara said as she swabbed, cleaned, and bandaged his arms. Ren opened his eyes when she was done. "Wha... what happened?" "I wasn''t here, but I talked to Lucy at shift change and she told me..." Barbara had to stop and catch her breath to continue. "...she said you had a grand mal seizure." Ren groaned and rubbed his face with both of his hands. He''d been warned when he arrived in the hospital that there was always a chance that he''d have seizures. There was nothing that could be done about it, either. Occasional drug therapy and keeping calm usually let him lead a normal life. Ren laughed at himself at that word. Normal. He''d never been normal once in his life, and never would be normal after everything that he''d gone through. He dropped his hands and looked at Barbara. She had a sad face but a hopeful smile. "I''m okay, Barbara." Ren said. Barbara''s smile got wider. Ren wasn''t enthusiastic enough for her liking, but at least he wasn''t mad at either himself or his situation. She''d been worried about that ever since she found out what had happened. Ren looked around and noticed something was missing. "Barbara, where''s my VR headset?" Barbara''s eyes got wide with surprise. He noticed already? "I''m so sorry, Ren. Doctor''s orders. No VR for a while." Ren squinted his eyes. "How long is ''a while''?" "He didn''t say." Ren closed his eyes and sighed. It''ll take a lot of convincing to get the doctor to give back his VR headset now. He took away the only thing that Ren had been looking forward to doing every single day... just because he''d had one seizure. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Ren didn''t realize it, but a grand mal seizure is like having 10 or 20 small seizures all at the same time. It can physically damage the brain because of the massive electrical activity happening all at once over the whole brain, and not just in specific parts. It''s why grand mal seizures are so dangerous. If they aren''t caught in time, there''s a chance that you could die because your brain can literally forget to tell your body that it''s supposed to keep breathing. Over the next two weeks, Ren did his physical therapy every day, ate regular meals, talked with the nurses, and slept. He got quite bored during that time, however... as there was nothing for him to do all day except lay in bed. He couldn''t remember what he used to do with his time before he started playing F.L.O.W. It seemed like he had always been playing it. The nurses tried their best, but he fell deeper and deeper into depression. He didn''t even want to go out for the day with Lucy that weekend, like they had always done once each month. It was at that point that Lucy had had enough. She stormed into the doctor''s office without knocking. "Doctor Hobbard! Give him back his VR helmet!" Lucy practically shouted at him. "He''s so depressed he barely even talks anymore!" The doctor closed his eyes and sighed. He''d been waiting for this to happen. He knew it was coming and was ready for it. "Ms. Webber, it was the VR that caused the seizure." He said. "What?" Lucy said as her anger evaporated. "The helmet stimulates various processing centers in the brain. When he got that unbelievable award in the game, nearly all the neurons in his head fired at the same time. The EEG lit up like a christmas tree for God''s sake. I actually thought he might have broken it before I reset it." Lucy sat down in the visitor''s chair and hung her head in her hands. "What are we going to do? Every day he''s getting worse. When he does his exercises now, I don''t think he even looks at the physical therapist anymore." "I know." "So... how do we fix this?" Lucy whispered. "We limit his time in the game until we can find a balance between that and the real world for him. We''ll start back at the 4 hour limit we had initially, and go from there. Very, very slowly." Lucy quietly agreed with a nod. She stood and left the office much more sedately than she had entered it. By the time she arrived at the end of the hallway, she had forced herself to smile. She took a deep breath and opened Ren''s door to tell him the good news. Starting tomorrow, he was allowed back in the game. Ren saw his door open and Lucy came in with the biggest fake smile he''d ever seen her wear. You know what they say about smiles? When you''re happy, you smile... and when you smile, you''re happy. I know, it''s funny how that works, but it does. Plus, she''s really pretty and when she smiles at you, even though you know it''s fake, it still makes you feel all tingly inside. He couldn''t help himself and gave her a genuine smile back. He also couldn''t remember the last time he''d smiled like that. Lucy saw his face light up and Ren smiled back at her. Her smile changed to a genuine one as well and she crossed the room to sit at his bedside. She looked him over and saw that he was getting a bit of muscle back on his bones. It wasn''t much, but he was getting his body up to a respectable weight. "Guess what?" She said. "What! Ha, I guessed it." Ren said, deadpan. It was an old joke they''d used a thousand times, but it showed her that he was at least trying to stay positive, despite his situation. "Can you guess what tomorrow is?" Ren wracked his brain about it, but couldn''t come up with anything that he had to do tomorrow. That is, besides the physical therapy and eating, there wasn''t anything else that he was supposed to do. He shook his head no. Lucy smiled. "It''s the day for you to ''Go with the F.L.O.W.'' " Ren''s mouth opened wide in a big ''o''. "You... you''re not kidding me, are you?" That''s Sid Tec''s slogan for their VR game! Did that mean? "I talked to the doctor just a few minutes ago, and he said we can let you go back in for up to 4 hours tomorrow." Ren nodded and agreed quickly, before they changed their minds. Any chance to get back in the game is better than sitting here doing nothing! His grin split his face and Lucy stood to lean over the bed and gave him a big hug. He didn''t squirm this time and hugged her right back. Lucy was a bit shocked because he''d never done that before. He''d always squirmed and tried to stop the hug. Ren turned his face into her flowing blonde hair. "Thank you." He whispered in her ear. Lucy tensed up for a second when Ren spoke. His breath had tickled her ear, and a moment later she let him out of the hug. He let her go and when she stood up, Ren looked at her. She was blushing so hard that her face was beet red, and he kept smiling. "Y-y-you''re welcome." Lucy stammered. It was just a hug! She thought to herself. It didn''t mean anything. Why am I trembling? She sat down at his bedside again when Ren started to talk. "Oh, I can''t wait! It''s been so long!" Ren said to distract her. He hadn''t seen her blush like that before. They''d hugged lots of times and he wondered why this time her reaction was so different. He shrugged mentally. He''d worry about that later. "I don''t know what to do first!" Ren exclaimed. It was the first time Lucy had seen him so excited in weeks. Maybe that''s what she was picking up on? She listened to him talk about the game, and how he hoped he hadn''t missed too much during all the time he''d been logged out of it. She relaxed as Ren babbled on and on and she smiled at him the whole time. He really, really liked this game. Chapter 21 - Into The Fire The next day didn''t come too soon for Ren. He wolfed down his breakfast and he breezed through his physical therapy exercises, much to the shock of the therapist. Only the day before he seemed to struggle to do the simplest things, but today he had so much energy that they had finished early. He had practially power-walked through the whole 100 metres of track! Ren was coated in sweat and completely exausted; but, he was still in a good mood. Today was the day! He got cleaned up as best as he could, and Lucy helped with the rest. She blushed the whole time and it made Ren wonder, once again, why she was reacting this way. He didn''t do or say anything to change her attitude towards him, did he? Ren didn''t think so. He used the bathroom again because he knew that 4 hours was going to be almost a full day in game (which is 6 hours) and he didn''t want to take a break at any time in the middle of his time limit. He finished cleaning up and got back into bed. Lucy passed him his VR headset (she''d hooked everything up while he was in the bathroom). He put it on, thanked her, and layed down. ¡°Flow Login Start¡± Ren fell into the familiar void of the transition phase from login to the virtual world. His body floated there in complete darkness for a moment, and just when he would have passed through, he heard a whirring noise from the headset that he''d not heard before. A popup appeared.
System Warning!
Incomplete Login A variance in the registered user''s brainwave activity has been detected. Recalibration required to continue. Recalibrate: Yes/No
Ren nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± He had figured something like that was going to come up. He continued to float in the darkness and waited. He felt a pinch on the back of his leg. ¡°Ow.¡± He looked down, but as he was in complete darkness, he couldn''t see anything. He felt another pinch on his other leg. He flinched, but didn''t say anything. Another pinch hit him on his thigh, and it hurt a lot more than the others. He winced, but kept quiet. His other thigh got the same, and just as painful. His hands were hit at the same time, as were both his forarms and upper arms. He took a deep breath... and almost screamed as he was severely poked in the lower back with what felt like a giant needle. ¡°Ahhh!¡± He hissed through gritted teeth. It got worse as the needles poked him all the way up his spine to the base of his neck. ¡°Oh... oh, no. No! Not again!!!¡± Ren folded in on himself as the worst pain he''d ever felt stabbed him right through the bottom of his skull and into his brain. He knew that was going to happen; because it had happened to him before... at the hands of his parents. He remembered this pain all too well.
Recalibration Complete. Rebooting...
Blissful numbness overtook him as he drifted into unconsciousness. ******** Lucy watched Ren as he logged in. She turned to the screen and waited for the city to appear, but all that was there was a black screen. She turned back to Ren and watched him closely, but no physical signs were showing. She had missed the popups that Ren had seen. They''d only been there for a moment. She was relieved he didn''t have another seizure, as that was the biggest worry that the staff had about letting him use his VR setup again. She stood there and waited. Minutes passed and nothing happened. She looked back at the screen just in time.
Reboot Complete!
You have successfully logged back in. Welcome to F.L.O.W.
Lucy sighed in relief and sat down to watch Ren as he continued his journey in another world. ******** Ren awoke in a strange bed. A bed?!? He thought. He''d never seen a bed in the game before. What''s going on? He looked around and saw that he was in an ornate and lavishly decorated room. Gold filagree covered almost every surface that he could see. The large desk in the corner, several chairs, a couch, Who has a couch in their bedroom?, and various paintings on the walls. The only things not covered in gold were the sheets on the bed (they were white) and the curtains covering the windows (which were also white). He sat up in bed, and no sooner had he done so, than the door opened and a servant bustled into the room with towels and bed linens. He looked at her curiously and she stopped dead in her tracks. She dropped the linens on the floor and sped from the room. ¡°Master Eric! MASTER ERIC!!!¡± Ren laughed at her reaction. He wondered how many times she''d come into the room over the last few weeks just to see him lying there and not moving. He lifted the blanket covering him and saw that he only wore a dressing gown. He looked around again, but couldn''t see his clothes anywhere. Just then another servant came through the door. ¡°Oh, you''re up. Master Eric will be pleased.¡± She was an older lady, and Ren assumed that was why she had kept her head and didn''t scream her lungs out like the last one did. ¡°Excuse me, Miss. Can you please tell me where my clothes are?¡± She looked at Ren like he had two heads. ¡°In the dresser, of course.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said and blushed. ¡°Thank you.¡± The servant nodded and went through another door. A bathroom was inside! He''d never seen a bathroom in the game, either. Ren stared through the doorway as she proceeded to clean it, even though she must have known that it hadn''t been used in weeks. Perhaps she did it every day and it didn''t matter if it was dirty or not? He asked himself. Ren took this opportunity to get out of bed and went to the dresser. He opened the top drawer, and there were some clothes inside.
Travelling Clothes
This is a full set of travelling clothes
They were not his, however. He stood there for a few minutes because he didn''t know what to do. He didn''t want to wear someone else''s clothes. He was about to call out to the servant in the bathroom when Lord Eric walked in. ¡°Ah! I see you really are up, and that Annabelle hadn''t completely lost her marbles.¡± Eric said and smiled. Ren nodded and bowed his head slightly. ¡°Now, now. None of that! You are a guest in my home. Please, make yourself comfortable.¡± Ren turned around and looked back at the bed, then at the couch, at the table and chairs... Eric laughed. ¡°Come. Sit on the couch and tell me how you are feeling.¡± Ren followed Eric to the couch and sat at the far corner, while Eric sat primly in the center of the left cushion. He saw where Ren sat and laughed again. ¡°I said to make yourself comfortable. Please.¡± Eric said and patted the right cushion. Ren got up and sat in the center, just as Eric had on the other cushion. ¡°There you go. Now... how are you?¡± Ren was about to say he had a severe headache, but just now noticed that it had vanished after he had woken up. It was no longer there. ¡°I''m fine. I had a headache before, but now it''s gone.¡± ¡°Good. Good. I''m glad you''re feeling better. After several days of investigation, I finally got one of your friends to tell me the whole story of your adventure in the bottomless cavern.¡± Eric said while he watched Ren''s reaction. Ren figured he''d have asked a bunch of questions of anyone that was there, so he didn''t need to comment on the Lord''s actions. Eric nodded slightly and continued. ¡°Apparently, it wasn''t bottomless... just very very deep. Much to my joy, actually. If you''d died and didn''t get to use your talents the way you did, the quest would have been delayed for an unknown period of time and then who knows what kind of evil would have been loosed upon my citizens.¡± He reached over and lightly placed his hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Thank you, Ren. You saved the kingdom from a horrible fate.¡± Ren blushed hard at Lord Eric''s words. Ren had never done anything in his life that deserved such high praise. ¡°But, sir... I just did what I would have done in any case. It wasn''t anything special.¡± Eric nodded and took his hand off Ren''s shoulder. ¡°There is a saying in this world that is quite fitting for this context. ''It''s not the person you should be looking to, but to their actions. They speak to you of their true character.'' You may not believe you''ve done a great service to me and my kingdom, but you have nonetheless.¡± Ren just sat there, motionless. Eric smiled and stood. ¡°Now get dressed and meet me in the main dining hall. A servant can show you the way. Dinner awaits!¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Ren stood as well. ¡°Um... sir. About that... I can''t find my clothes.¡± Eric looked over to the dresser to see the open drawer and the pile of clothes inside. He looked back at Ren with a question on his face. Ren blushed again. ¡°Those aren''t the clothes I wore before, sir.¡± ¡°Anabelle!¡± Eric called out to the hallway. ¡°Yes, Master Eric?¡± Anabelle said as she appeared in the doorway. ¡°Where are this man''s clothes?¡± She looked to the dresser and was about to speak. ¡°The clothes he came here in.¡± Eric said. ¡°I... I don''t know, Master Eric.¡± Eric sighed. ¡°Go find them, please. They couldn''t have gotten far by themselves.¡± Anabelle nodded and left the room in a rush. They wouldn''t get far by themselves, no. Ren thought. But I bet they could if they had help. ¡°Until they are found, you can put those on...¡± Eric pointed to the dresser and the clothes inside. ¡°...and at least have dinner while we wait for the safe return of your clothing.¡± Ren nodded acceptance and Lord Eric left the room. Ren shut the door and then walked over to shut the bathroom''s door as well. He wasn''t shy in that respect, since he''d been under the care of the nurses and they''d seen... well, everything... but he didn''t feel like explaining any kind of odd situation that may arise if someone else came into the room and he''s caught half undressed with a woman in the bathroom. He reached for the door and saw the other servant walk back towards the tub she''d been cleaning before. Was she listening in on our conversation? He thought as he shut the door quietly. He went back and put on the clothing from the dresser. He felt a little weird that he wasn''t wearing the clothes that he''d made himself. He knew he must be a little conceited, but he could feel the odd stitch poking him in different places when he moved. Sally was totally right! If you don''t take proper care with your work, shoddy things like this outfit can be made. Even by experts! Which Ren assumed was the case. Who else would make clothes for the Lord of Aurora except a highly paid professional tailor? Ren left the room and looked around. He couldn''t see which way to go, as both sides of the hallway looked identical. There were no distinguishing track marks on the carpet, either. He shrugged his shoulders and turned left. He had a 50/50 shot at it being the direction he needed to go. Those were pretty good odds.
Stat Increase!
You ''re feeling a bit lucky today. Luck +1
Ren laughed at the popup. I guess this really is the right way! Ren made his way downstairs to the main lobby. He turned around in a slow circle, took a deep inhale through his nose, and smiled. It''s thataway! He thought and headed down the side corridor on the right. It didn''t take long for him to find the main dinning room. It was huge. Unlike the room he had started in, this room was all silver brocade. He marvelled at all the details as he walked across the inlaid marble flooring with silver accents. Imagine the time needed to construct such a thing! Not to mention the cost. He finally arrived at the giant table at the far end of the room and noticed the people present. Lord Eric, his wife, the captain of the guard and his wife, and surprisingly enough... Clint. ¡°There''s th'' little rascal, y''all.¡± Clint said as he came around the table to give Ren a big pat on the back. ¡°Howarya feelin''?¡± Ren smiled at him. ¡°Much better now.¡± Ren didn''t feel like he was in a completely different world anymore. If Clint could be here, then so could he. They walked over to the table and sat down. Servants came and went. Ren had never had a 4 course meal before. It was definitely a new experience for him. He observed how everyone at the table ate and watched to see what utensils were to be used for which food dish. After an hour, dinner was finally finished.
New Skill!
Etiquette Level 1 (Beginner 0%) You have successfully learned how to act appropriately in certain social situations Higher levels can determine what class of social functions you may attend in the future
Ren looked at the new skill. He wasn''t sure what he could use it for, but a new skill is a new skill. He wondered how he could level it up, though. If there''s one thing he wasn''t, it''s a social butterfly. ¡°Ha!¡± Ren laughed out loud. Lord Eric looked at him. ¡°Is something funny, Ren?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh... no, sir.¡± Ren replied sheepishly. He didn''t mean to laugh like that. ¡°I just realized something. Not too long ago I was neck deep in an underground river and lost in the dark... and now I''m eating a meal in a mansion.¡± Eric looked at him with surprise on his face. ¡°Ren... that was almost 2 months ago.¡± ¡°W-w-what?¡± Ren said. ¡°You haven''t moved from that bed for 2 months.¡± Eric repeated. ¡°Why else do you think Anabelle was so shocked and upset?¡± He nodded to the side of the room where the servants stood. Ren looked over to her and she nodded. Wow. Two months. ¡°I really did miss a lot, didn''t I?¡± He had completely forgot about the time difference. ¡°Hey, pardner. Don'' worry about it. Ev''ryone''s gonna be so flippin'' happy you''re okay.¡± Ren nodded and sat in silence for a while. The others talked about things that he''d missed and he listened to what they said. He had lost so many opportunities! Lord Eric declared the dinner finished and they all stood to leave. ¡°By the way, the party in your honor will be held this weekend. It will give you a chance to settle back into your life again.¡± Eric said. ¡°We''ve had no luck with finding your clothes, Ren. I''m sorry. I''ll reimburse their value.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°That''s okay. Do you mind if I borrow these until I get a new set?¡± He held up the shirt he was wearing. ¡°You can just keep them.¡± Eric said, then passed Ren a small bag. ¡°Here''s the standard fee for blacksmiths. 15 gold. I know it''s not much when compared to your reward, but you were hired for a job, remember? You completed it well beyond my wildest expectations.¡± Ren didn''t even bother trying to say that he''d been given enough gold already. He just took the sack and added it to his inventory. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Ren bowed slightly. ¡°With your permission, I''ll be leaving now. Thank you very much for taking care of me.¡± Eric waved off Ren''s thanks. ¡°It was the least I could do. Be well, Ren.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir. I''ll be sure to do my best.¡± Eric nodded. Clint and Ren left the dining room together. When they got to the main doors, Clint turned to Ren. ¡°It shore was nice ta see ya again, Ren.¡± He said and gave him a one armed hug. Ren opened his mouth to explain what had happened, about why he''d been gone for so long, but Clint shook his head. ¡°Ah know you''re gonna try ta explain, but it ain'' necessary. We''d all worried ya wouldn'' be back atall... but here ya are. Tha''s all tha'' matters.¡± Clint winked at Ren and left with a wave. Ren waved back. Was Clint there the whole time or was he just visiting occasionally and just happened to be there today? Ren didn''t know... but he had a feeling that this wouldn''t be the last time he''d be seeing ol'' Clint. Ren left the mansion and walked down the street. People waved at him, and he waved back. He wasn''t sure why he was happy about that. It wasn''t like he was used to being popular or anything, but it was nice that people didn''t just ignore him anymore. Perhaps... they might even stop calling him ''boy''! A big grin spread across his face as he walked over to the Artesian District. He definitely needed a new set of clothes and he knew just the place to get them. He had plenty of time left before he had to log out for the day. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn''t notice that a new house had been built in the Housing District. ******** Inside that house: A woman with an ample chest worked diligently at her desk. Her glasses perched atop her head so she could safely bend over without them falling off. She''d already worked for several hours that way, until... ¡°There! All finished!¡± She said happily and lifted up what she had been working on. She held in her hands a set of high quality travelling clothes. They were very crudely sewn together, however... it ruined their value and erased their bonuses. She held it to her face and took a deep breath. ¡°It still smells like him!¡± She said and laughed. ¡°Now where did I put that stuffing?¡± ******** Chapter 22 - Sallys Surprise Ren walked over to Sally''s shop and went inside. He saw her sitting at her work bench sewing some kind of tarp. He looked it over and it covered half the floor. ¡°Excuse me, Miss. What is that you''re working on?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, it''s just a covering tent for my son.¡± Sally didn''t look up or even pay him any attention. Ren walked around the main counter and over to stand beside her, and didn''t trod on the tent. It was a bit difficult to do, but he managed.
Stat Increase!
Agility +1
Ren smiled at Sally and poked her shoulder. ¡°Excuse me again, Miss. I''d like to buy some fabric.¡± Sally looked up and saw Ren standing there. ¡°REN!¡± She threw the tent off of her lap as she jumped up and gathered Ren into a big hug. ¡°Hi, Sally.¡± Ren said, smiling. ¡°You''re back! You''re okay!¡± He couldn''t see her face, as he was tucked under her moderate chest, but it sounded like she was crying. Can game characters cry? Tears hit him on his head and confirmed his suspicion. ¡°You scared me so much!¡± She said as she let him go. ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to.¡± ¡°Well, I guess I can forgive you... as long as you never do it again.¡± She wiped off her eyes with a cloth she''d pulled from somewhere. Ren nodded and she smiled. She reached down and pulled on his clothes. ¡°I take it you need some fabric? What happened to those wonderful clothes you made before?¡± ¡°About that...¡± Ren said and told her the story of what happened that day. She was surprised that he''d just woken up and the first thing he did was come to see her, but he said that he wouldn''t go anywhere else for the world''s best clothing. She laughed and got him another bolt of cloth. He paid her and made a new set of travelling clothes while she went back to work on the tent. He did it a lot faster this time, even though he was still careful and meticulous. He assumed that the more he did it, the easier it would get. His thought was confirmed a moment later.
Stat Increase!
You''ve produced a set of clothes at a much faster speed but still maintained your high standard of quality. Dex +5 Agility +5
Ren smiled and equiped the clothing right there. He asked Sally what to do with the old ones, and she said to put them in the basket under the counter. He does so and sees a bunch of other outfits there, too. He asks what they are for, and she says she sells them to other businesses as rags and scraps. He thinks this is a really good idea, since once clothing is equipped, it stays that size permanently. He went over to her and watched as she worked. He recognized the stitching she used, and observed her technique. She still had a ways to go, so Ren offered to help. She declined at first, saying that it was just mind-numbing, and he laughed and said that he enjoyed that kind as much as any other. Sally laughed too and gave him the materials to work with.
New Quest!
Sally needs to finish the canvas tent. Help her complete the tent before she loses any more time from her other work. Difficulty - D Rewards: ???
Ren was all set to start working, but froze when Sally tried to hand him a huge needle-like tool called an awl. ¡°What''s wrong, dear boy? You look scared to death.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°N-nothing.¡± He took the awl from Sally and felt it''s weight. He turned it over and over in his hands. He ran his finger along it''s edge. He started at the handle and went all the way up to the tip. He shivered uncontrollably for a few moments. When he stopped shaking he took out his smithing hammer. ¡°Ren! What are you doing?!?¡± He held the needletip of the awl to the hammer. ¡°Repair.¡± The awl held a distinctive glow for a moment, and then he passed it to Sally. ¡°Can I see the one you''re using?¡± Ren said and looked at her. Sally was bewildered by his antics, but passed over the one she had without question. He examined it as fully as he did the first one. He didn''t shiver as much this time, and repaired it as well. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°They were pretty old, weren''t they?¡± Ren asked, and Sally nodded. ¡°The both of them had flaws in the metal about halfway to the tip and near the handle. If you''d used either of them for much longer, they''d probably have shattered. But, it''s okay now. I fixed them.¡± Sally knew full well how much damage a misused tool can cause. Ren had just saved her a lot of potential pain and loss of money from all the business she''d have lost while not able to work. She reached over and gave him another hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren blushed. ¡°It was nothing.¡± ¡°No, don''t dismiss it like that. I saw the fear in your eyes. You''ve had a bad experience with large needles, haven''t you?¡± Ren didn''t say anything, but Sally nodded. ¡°I thought as much.¡± She let him go. ¡°You don''t have to do this, you know. I can finish it up myself.¡±
Quest Update!
You can accept Sally''s offer and let her fend for herself. Accept Offer: Yes/No
Ren shook his head. ¡°No, not only do you need my help, but I need to do this.¡± Sally saw the determination on his face and nodded. She passed him one of the awls and sat down. They both worked in silence for about half an hour before Ren asked her what to wear to a party. She said that his current clothes were fine for that. Ren shook his head and told her about the party that the Lord of Aurora was throwing for him at the mansion that weekend. She said she had several patterns for formal wear and would be happy to teach him how to make an outfit that would be suitable for the occasion. Ren smiled and they continued their work for another hour. When they got to the end of the cloth and joined their ends together, they both sighed in relief and laughed. They stood up and stretched. Ren helped Sally as she gathered up the finished canvas tent and packed it into a cart at the back of her shop. They went back inside and sat down to rest.
Quest complete!
You''ve helped Sally finish long before she could have while doing it alone. Reward: You have gained the recipe for Canvas Tent You have earned 100 XP Fame XP Bonus +10%
Ren was surprised. He''d forgotten about the fame bonus. He had an idea, and told Sally he''d be right back. He went out to the tent to examine it.
Sturdy Canvas Tent (Large)
Durability: 800/800 Someone with a bit of fame helped construct this tent. While within it''s walls: Vitality +2
Well, would you look at that! Ren thought as he stared at it for a minute, then went back inside. He sat down beside Sally and she looked at him curiously. He told her he just wanted to check on the tent. She told him it was locked behind the gate at the back of the yard so he didn''t have to worry about it. Ren nodded and asked Sally what she would do if she had some spider''s silk. She told him she''d probably run it through her spinning wheel in the back room and make it into a nice thread. Ren smiled and asked her if she remembered that he''d been on a dungeon quest 2 months ago. When she said yes, he dropped a bundle of spider silk in her lap. ¡°Ren! How did you get so much?!?¡± Ren smiled at her. That bundle was what one spider had dropped. He had 126 more in his inventory; along with 86 fangs, 60 poison glands and more bat wings than he cared to even think about. Sally took the bundle and he followed her into another room. There was a spinning wheel, various tools, and a huge wooden contraption near the wall. Sally sat down next to what looked like a giant comb and ran the bundle of silk through it. While she worked, she told him what she was doing was cleaning it and getting dirt and dust out of the silk. It also gets the big tangles to loosen up. She then ''carded'' it. He knew that sounded weird, but she just pulled it through the bristles of two huge brushes that were almost touching. When she was done of that, she went to the spinning wheel and rolled the end a little and tied it to a spindle, pulled it a bit and wrapped it around a pulley. She started to pump her foot and the big wheel spun. She fed the mass of webbing through the pulley and it was stretched, twisted, and then spun onto the spindle. Sally worked fast; faster than Ren had thought she should have been able to... but seeing as how he hadn''t seen anything like it before, she might have been going slow. He didn''t have to wait long before she had a big spindle full of thread ready, and she passed it to him. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Spool of Spider Silk Thread (Coarse)
Durability 50/50
Ren asked her what it could be used for, and she told him it could be used for anything that regular thread could be used for, except that it was a lot stronger. It can only be used on parts that can''t be seen however, as the quality isn''t that great. Sally muttered something about how she must be getting rusty if she''d accept that as a final product and took the spool back. She ran it through the spinning wheel again, stretched and twisted it to double it''s length, and passed it to Ren.
Spool of Spider Silk Thread (Fine)
Durability 80/80
Ren stared at it, and then at Sally. ¡°Wow!¡± Sally blushed. Ren asked her how much doing that kind of service cost, and she waved him away. He asked what she would normally charge, and she reluctantly said 10 copper. He gave her the money and asked if he could try it himself. She nodded and took him through the whole process again when he got another bundle from his inventory. It took a few tries for him to get it right (and three runs through the spinning wheel), but eventually he produced a spool of thread with the same quality as the one Sally did. Sally nodded at her student when he passed it to her. ¡°Yes!¡± Ren exclaimed in delight.
New Sub Skill!
Spinning Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This sub skill under Tailoring will allow you to take basic materials and produce usable thread Higher levels will allow tougher materials to be used.
¡°Sally, would you mind if I did this for a while? I''ve got a bunch more bundles to do.¡± ¡°Of course not. You help yourself and I''ll go back out front to continue my work.¡± Sally gave him back the first two spools and walked over to the door. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Oh, I will! Thank you!¡± Ren said. Sally left the room and Ren got to work. He took his time and did each bundle slowly, making sure that all the dirt and tangles were out before moving on to the spinning wheel. He stayed that way for a long time. A hundred bundles was a lot to do in one sitting, but he barely even noticed the time pass. He was having too much fun playing out the webbing and producing a high quality thread from something a spider dropped when it died! He finished up 102 spools (including the first two), but kept 25 bundles of spider silk unspun. He wasn''t sure why, but he felt that it would be a good idea to keep some in reserve. Just in case. He''d leveled up his Spinning skill to Intermediate Level 1 (20%) and even got a couple points in Dexterity and Endurance. Doing things in Sally''s shop really helped him boost his skills. ¡°Sally, I''m done!¡± He called out. Sally came in the room and gasped. 100 spools of fine spider silk thread covered the floor. ¡°Ren! How did you... nevermind. I should be used to surprises from you by now.¡± Sally said and laughed. Ren grinned at her. She looked at the floor, at the machine by the far wall, then at the floor again. ¡°Ren, I just had a crazy idea. Can I try something?¡± Ren, a bit bewildered, just nodded. Sally''s face lit up and she started gathering the spools from the floor and took them to the machine. Ren saw what she was doing and helped her. In only a few minutes, Sally had the 100 spools mounted on the back. She took the ends of the threads and put them through a set of rings, through a comb like thing, around a hook like thing on a roller at the front of the machine, then back through a different set of rings, and then tied the ends to 100 empty spools. Sally pumped on a lever over and over and the thread traveled through the machine and spun onto the other spindles. She got them to about even in size, leaving the same amount of thread on each of the 200 spindles. ¡°Now we get to work.¡± She said and smiled. The machine was a loom, she said. It was used in creating bolts of cloth (about 5 feet across and about 120 feet long). You need a lot of thread to do it though, and Sally said she hadn''t done it in years. People just buy the whole cloth now. No one ever gets anything hand-made anymore. Ren was a little saddened by that. Weren''t those the best made items? The time and effort put into something was what gave it it''s value... wasn''t it? Sally continued her instructions as she loaded up something called a ''shuttle'' with one of the two remaining thread spools. It was an oval piece of wood that was pushed along a track between the threads. He wasn''t sure what she meant, but she showed him a moment later. She ran it along it''s track to the other side, pulled the big comb like thing to snug the thread against the fold, and hit a foot pedal. The rings she''d put the thread through earlier switched heights, putting the threads that were up top on the bottom, and the bottom threads on the top. She ran the shuttle back the other way, pulled the comb again and hit the pedal. She did this a few times and Ren was fascinated. She was making cloth right in front of his eyes! She was weaving! Sally continued to work and kept tension on the thread in the shuttle. You could see she was struggling with it, but she never slowed down or stopped to rest. She replaced the spool in the shuttle when it ran out and continued. Ren watched Sally work, still fascinated with the simple but elegant device. It was almost hypnotic the way she operated the machine. A half an hour later, all the thread was gone from most of the the spools and she did a neat little trick with the end of the thread in the shuttle and tied it off, but you couldn''t see where the end was. Sally heaved a big sigh of relief and smiled. "Whew! I haven''t worked that hard in... well, I''ve never worked that hard! This spider silk is really strong and I had to keep the tension on it the whole time or it would have unraveled." She cut off the remaining threads with some difficulty, considering how tough they were, unhooked the bottom roller, and slid off the finished product. She passed it to Ren.
Superb Spider Silk Cloth (1 Bolt)
High Quality! A master tailor put their heart and soul into creating this. The impressively tight weave and durability of the original materials has made this cloth more valuable than the sum of it''s parts. Durability 300/300
¡°S-S-S-Sally!¡± Ren stammered. He didn''t know what to say. ¡°I''m sorry that I used up all of the thread you made, Ren.¡± Sally had misunderstood his reaction. ¡°Are you kidding? This... this is unbelievable! You took what was essentially spider droppings and made something so... so... beautiful... that I''m dumbfounded as to what to say!¡± Sally blushed so hard this time that it filled her face and reached her ears, and Ren thought she might even pass out. Ren hugged her and let her catch her breath. After a few moments he felt she had composed herself and he let her go. She looked almost back to normal. Her ears were still a little red, though. ¡°Thank you, Ren. No one has paid me a compliment like that in years.¡± Ren smiled and hugged the bolt of cloth like it was a big teddy bear. Not that he''d ever had a teddy bear of his own, but he''d seen them on tv enough that he knew how to hold them properly. Sally grinned at him and stood. ¡°Ren, I have another idea...¡± Sally said as she looked down at him with a twinkle in her eye. ¡°If it''s as good as the last one, I''m all for it!¡± Ren said, enthusiastically. Sally took his free hand and led him out to the main shop to her big project desk. She looked around for a few minutes and he watched her patiently. She checked shelves and drawers until she found what she was looking for. ¡°I''ve had these things for ages, and never knew what I could do with them... but now I know.¡± She pulled out a set of plans and passed them to Ren. ¡°I believe that these belong to you, now.¡± Ren looked them over, a light engulfed them, and they disappeared.
New Recipe!
Elven High Court Uniform This recipe will let you make a set of Elven High Court clothing Nobles of Elven houses have worn such clothes for centuries Items Available: High Elf Full Coat (Elegant), High Elf Tunic Shirt (Elegant), High Elf Pants (Elegant), High Elf Belt/Sash (Elegant), High Elf Knee High Boots (Elegant)
Ren almost cried when he read the recipe. It was the perfect thing for a formal gathering. He looked at Sally with tears floating in the corners of his eyes. ¡°You deserve it, Ren.¡± Sally said. Then she shook the bolt of fabric that he held in his hand. ¡°...and I think I know just the fabric to make it from, don''t you?¡± Chapter 23 - The Field With a ton of help from Sally, the system, and a couple more spools of fine spider silk thread he''d gone into the back room to make, Ren finally got the Elven clothing finished. They both stood back and marveled at their creation. He''d gone with a black undertone for the mid-thigh length coat, and put a thick strip of gold brocade at the sleeve cuffs, collar, and shoulders. A thinner strip went down the front where the buttons were, and along the hemline. Surprisingly enough, the system let him choose a tree and leaf style for the brocade, with vine like swirls and green leaves mixed in. He didn''t know those kinds of options were even available. The tunic shirt was of a simpler design compared to the coat, but he settled on a dark green color. It had a gold filigree strip around the collar, down the front along the buttonholes, along the hemline, and on the cuffs. He went with the same color for the pants as the tunic. The pants even had a gold filigree strip down along the outside of the legs. He wasn''t fussy on the sash across the chest option, so he didn''t bother with it and let the system make the belt instead. It was mostly just a regular belt with some Elven decoration on the buckle. His Tailoring main skill and Stitching sub skill were now at Intermediate Level 2. Both the fabric and the thread were extremely difficult to work with. He had gained another few points in Dexterity and Strength, too. He let Sally make the boots, since he had no experience in leatherworking, and he asked her where she had learned it. She told him that her husband had shown her the basics when they were first married, but that he had passed away a long time ago. Ren apologized for bringing it up, and Sally laughed. She said he was a tough man and he died doing what he enjoyed the most. Ren asked what, and she shook her head. She just said that she''d loved him with all her heart and she will always remember all the good memories they had together. He''d also passed on all of his knowledge to their son, Aimus. When Sally was finished, the knee high boots were almost as ornate as the coat, with a black color and tree designs on the sides and on the toes and heels.
Superb Elven High Court Uniform
High Quality! While wearing these clothes you will fit into the daunting realm of High Society with ease. No one will question your right to be there. Durability 300/300 (each piece) Full Set Bonus (5 pieces): +5 to all Stats when worn
Ren''s eyes bulged when he read the popup. +5 to all stats? That''s... amazing! He turned to Sally and gave her yet another hug. ¡°You don''t know how much this means to me.¡± He told her. He really didn''t want to show up at the party dressed... well, normally. ¡°It means just as much to me.¡± She said. ¡°To have someone like you as my student, who enjoys themselves so much and isn''t afraid of hard work, has been the best time of my life.¡± Ren ducked his head so Sally couldn''t see him blush just as hard as she did before, but she knew what he was doing, laughed anyways and ruffled his hair. He looked at the bolt of fabric and saw that they had only used about half a dozen yards or so of fabric to make the whole outfit, even with the boots that needed a double layer just for the soles. Ren went to the back room and got an empty bolt roll. He took the end of the cloth and wrapped it around the new roll. He transfered about half of the bolt of cloth that was left (about 50 feet) to the new roll and cut it off from his roll. ¡°Ren, what are you doing?¡± Ren smiled, secured the cloth on the roll with a couple pins, and handed it to Sally. ¡°REN!¡± She almost shrieked. ¡°No! I can''t take that!¡± Ren kept smiling and holding it out. ¡°If it wasn''t for you, all I''d have is just a big pile of spider web silk that I wouldn''t know what to do with. I know you''re not going to take any more money from me, even if I tried to force you. This is the best way for me to thank you.¡± Sally shook her head. ¡°Ren, do you know how much something like that is worth?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Sally sighed. ¡°You''re just going to leave it here anyways when you go, aren''t you?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Sally reached out and took it gently from his outstretched hand. ¡°T-thank you.¡± Ren didn''t say anything and gathered up all of his things and put them away. He didn''t put on the new outfit though. He wanted to save that for the party in a couple days. He asked Sally if she was going, and she said she wasn''t going to... but if she got to see what he looked like in the new outfit, it would be worth it to go. Ren laughed and said that he''d be happy to see her there, and bid her farewell. Sally waved to him as he left her shop and he stepped around the corner. It was time for him to log out for the day. He figured he must have gone a bit over his time limit, but if anyone was watching, they''d have seen that he had a good excuse as to why he didn''t leave in the middle of all of that. ¡°Logout.¡± Ren waited for the familiar sensation of blackness... that didn''t come. ¡°Huh?¡± Ren took a lungful of air and almost shouted. ¡°I said ''LOGOUT'' ¡± ... and nothing happened. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± ******** Lucy watched as Ren made such beautiful clothes, and didn''t disturb him, even though he was a half hour overdue on his time limit. She watched as he finally left the shop and went into the alley. When he tried to log out the first time and nothing happened, she stood up. When he tried the second time and got the same result, she ran to the doorway and hollered. ¡°Dr. Hobbard!¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°DR. HOBBARD!!!¡± ******** The CEO of Sid Tec was on the phone with the doctor for several minutes. He asked his secretary to connect Max from programming, turning it into a conference call. They talked for a while, but Elise didn''t hear anything. She knew something else must have happened to her poor Ren and she wondered what it was. She was tempted to pick up the extension, but her boss would know right away. The light for her phone would appear on his and he''d know she was listening in. He stepped out of his office and looked at her a moment later. ¡°Call a meeting.¡± He turned around and closed his door. An hour later the CEO, the VP, their secretaries, and the whole section of the Programming Division of the IT department was there. ¡°What can we do?¡± Edward asked. ¡°Not much.¡± Max responded. ¡°What about the IFL protocol? It worked the last time.¡± Edward said. ¡°Yeah, it would work... if there was something wrong.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± The VP asked. ¡°Well, the protocol was designed so that if there was any unstable or irregular brain activity, it would cut off feedback and safely log off the user.¡± ¡°Yeah...and?¡± The VP said. ¡°Well, according to the system, there''s nothing wrong with his connection and the protocol won''t initiate.¡± ¡°Nothing wrong? We have a user trapped in the game!¡± Edward interjected. ¡°There''s no instability in his connection, so there''s no irregular brainwave pattern.¡± Max replied. ¡°Can we cause one?¡± The VP asked. He knew it had been a mistake when someone, who never talks at meetings, opened her mouth. ¡°Excuse me?!?¡± Elise interjected. Everyone at the meeting looked at her. ¡°Are you telling me, that you want to intentionally cause an irregular brainwave pattern and potentially cause brain damage to a young boy who''s been stuck in a hospital and JUST HAD A SEIZURE FROM OUR EQUIPMENT!¡± Edward reached over and placed a hand on his secretary''s shoulder to calm her down. He''d never seen her this riled up before. ¡°I''m pretty sure that wasn''t what he meant, right Jack?¡± Edward said without looking at the VP. ¡°Um, no.¡± He looked around and everyone could see that that was exactly what he''d meant if it could end this crisis before it got out of hand. He was quick to think on his feet, however. ¡°I thought if we... simulated a bad pattern, it would initiate the protocol and we''d be done with this whole mess.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The programming guys folded in on themselves and conferred with their head programmer Max to see if that was a viable option. He poked his head up a few minutes later. ¡°We''ll need to run some simulations, but we''re willing to give it a try.¡± Elise barely stopped herself from launching out of her chair at Max. He saw her flinch. ¡°On A.I. Players, okay? Not real humans.¡± Elise relaxed visibly and Edward called the meeting to a close. He nodded to everyone as they left but stayed sitting at the table himself and motioned for his secretary to remain as well. ¡°What was that?¡± He asked his secretary. ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s just... you''ve read his story. He''s been through so much... and yet he''s still a well adjusted young adult. Now with the game he''s been leading a normal life; in the game I mean, and now this! It''s just a bit too much for one little boy to handle, don''t you think?¡± Edward nodded. ¡°It''s getting to me, too.¡± ******** Ren sat down and perused all the in-game options available to him. He checked everything that he could think about that even remotely resembled his situation, but he didn''t find a single thing about not being able to log out. He assumed this was the first time it happened, and he figured that there''ll be a section there soon. He laughed to himself. It figures, doesn''t it? Ren had been doing a lot of ''first times'' in the game... and now he was making the people who made the game have a ''first time'', too. He laughed again and stood up. Well, there''s no point in worrying about it for now. There''s nothing else I can do here on my end. He thought to himself, but then he realized something he hadn''t thought of. I''m stuck in the game. He looked around and no one was there. ¡°I''m stuck... IN THE GAME!!! WHAAHOOOOO!¡± He yelled and then jumped into the air. Ren calmed himself down and left the alleyway. He decided to see if the old man alchemist wanted any spider poison glands, since he didn''t know what he could do with them. The old man was delighted that Ren had some of them and decided to let Ren in on a little secret. ¡°Normally I don''t speak about things like this, but sometimes... unsavory people come to me occasionally... looking for exactly this kind of product.¡± Ren was intrigued. He assumed there were some bad people around, but he didn''t expect them to be right here under his nose. The old man offered him 10 silver for each gland. Ren handed over 10 poison glands, and threw in 6 venom covered fangs because he thought the old man might want them as well. The old man gave him a nod and a gold coin. He stashed the fangs under the counter and slipped Ren a piece of parchment. Ren looked at it and it glowed, then disappeared.
New Recipe!
Vial of Poison This poison can cause severe pains and significant health loss If left untreated can cause serious harm but nothing permanent Ingredients: 1 Spider Poison Gland, 1 weak poison potion, 1 potency berry
Ren stared at the old man and the old man winked at him. Ren was about to ask what he would need it for when the old man handed over another piece of parchment. Ren looked at it, it glowed and disappeared just like the other one.
New Recipe!
Vial of Antidote Cures most (but not all) poison effects Ingredients: 1 Sunflower, pinch of Balefire Moth dust, 1 weak antidote potion, 1 potency berry
¡°I couldn''t let you go with one and not give you the other, now could I?¡± The old man said and smiled. Ren asked where he could find the sunflowers and moths, and the old man said to head out the north gate, walk about a mile, and that he couldn''t miss it. Ren thanked him and left the shop. A mile wasn''t that far, so Ren decided to walk and enjoy the scenery. He could have run the whole way, but he had a day or so to kill before the party, and figured that this was as good of an opportunity as any. He saw players and NPCs moving around and doing tasks in the city. When people noticed him they waved; he waved back to some, and nodded to others, just to be polite. He went through the north gate and walked a little more than a mile. Then he saw what the old man meant. His jaw dropped open when he beheld the sight. A field of giant sunflowers was there. They swayed in the wind for as far as the eye could see. Ren walked over to the edge of the field and marveled at the sheer size of them. They were taller than he was! He looked around and listened, but he couldn''t hear or see anyone else. He also didn''t see any moths. Ren reached out and plucked a sunflower from the ground. It shrank in size thankfully, and he dropped it into his inventory. He picked a few more and they stacked together, just like the fangs, bat wings and spider parts did. He could store multiples of the same item in each slot. Ren grinned and continued picking. After half an hour, he still hadn''t seen any moths, so he decided to go into the field to look around. He''d picked enough sunflowers to last him a long time. He made his way through the tall flowers but couldn''t see a thing. All he saw were flower stems. He even tried jumping up to look over the tops, but all he could see was more and more sunflowers. He walked for an hour more, then decided that he wasn''t going to find any moths by just bumbling around in the field like that. He didn''t even know what he was supposed to be looking for. He probably should have asked the old man what the moths actually looked like. No sooner had he thought that when he heard a rustling noise. He turned his head so his ear was pointing in the right direction, and he heard it again. He followed the sound of the noise and it grew progressively louder. He slowed down and crept along, trying his best to not make any noise. He got to within a few feet of whatever it was that was making the noise and stopped.
New Skill!
Sneak Level 1 (Beginner 0%) Allows you to quietly move around and produce less noise Higher skill levels will allow you to move quicker and make little to no noise
He wasn''t sure he wanted to see what was going on, but he needed that last ingredient to make the antidote. He steeled himself and pushed through the last few stems. Before him was kind of a clearing. He saw caterpillar like things, about the size of a dog, moving around and munching on fallen sunflowers. There were mounds in the dirt between some of the sunflowers and a few holes. If he didn''t know any better, he would have said the caterpillars came from the holes! He sat down and watched them eat. Ren didn''t feel hungry, even though he hadn''t eaten since he was at the mansion earlier that day. He looked up and saw that the sky had gotten dark. It was too late to walk all the way back to the city, and he still hadn''t gotten the ingredient he needed. He backed away from the clearing and took out a couple yards of spider silk fabric. Ren used his tent recipe, and with the system''s help, made a small one man tent. Sally would probably kill him if she knew he''d used it for something like a tent. It made him smile. He would have laughed, but he was still too close to the caterpillars to make any noise. He had no idea how they''d react if he did. Ren opened up the tent and used the bolt of cloth to prop it up inside. He had tried to use a couple sunflower stems, but they were just too weak to hold anything up. He took out his bedroll, got settled in, and went to sleep. Chapter 24 - A Forgotten Friend Ren felt multiple things poking his legs and woke up startled. When he opened his eyes, one of the dog-sized caterpillars was standing on top of him and eating his tent. ¡°Ahhh!¡± There was no reaction at all from the creature. ¡°Hey! HEY! Stop that!¡± Ren tried to push it, but it didn''t budge at all. He was being slowly trampled under it''s slowly moving legs. A quarter of his health was already gone. Ren shifted his body a little as it moved, and tried to turn to his side. He tried to become a much smaller target. It kind of worked, but the caterpillar''s pointy legs hooked his pants and pinned him to the ground. At least it wasn''t on his legs anymore. With nothing else to do, Ren watched the creature eat. Unlike with the sunflowers, that the caterpillars gobbled up faster than they could chew, this caterpillar took a small bite of the tent and chewed and chewed, until it finally swallowed and took another bite. Ren assumed that the sheer toughness of the fabric was giving the thing a really hard time. He guessed it must have been there nearly all night, since almost half of the tent was now missing. It hadn''t gotten to the bolt of fabric holding the tent up, thank goodness. That would have been a horrible loss! Just then the caterpillar stopped eating, let out a big belch, and turned around. It trampled Ren some more, taking even more of his health, and tried to disappear into a hole right in front of the tent. It didn''t get far, though. It was apparently much fatter now than when it first made the hole, and got stuck most of the way in. It''s backside was sticking out and wiggled helplessly. ¡°Serves you right, you little tent muncher!¡± Ren said and laughed. Ren watched it struggle for a minute and felt a little sympathy for it. It was technically Ren''s fault for giving it such a big meal, even if it wasn''t what Ren had intended the tent to be used for. Even though it''s legs were used to dig, since they were pinned to it''s side, it couldn''t dig at all. ¡°All right, hold on. I''ll help.¡± Ren took out his mining pick and in short order dug the hole a little wider without hurting the caterpillar. He saw that the hole was only a few feet deep. The caterpillar fit into the wider hole easily. It turned around a couple of times. Ren thought it was making sure there was enough room for it, and then it spun a quick cover over the hole. ¡°Hey, you''re welcome!¡± Ren said. Ren looked around but couldn''t see any other caterpillars. What he did see was the remnants of his tent. He sighed and put away his bedroll and the bolt of fabric. He wasn''t sure what to do with the tent. He could probably leave it here and it would get eaten eventually, but he had no idea what it would do to the caterpillars. What if they choked on it or got sick? He gathered what was left of the tent and put it in his inventory. It made him think about the caterpillar he''d just helped. What''s going to happen to it now that it had eaten so much? He''d better stick around to see what the results would be. He hoped all that would happen is the caterpillar would just pop back out to keep eating sunflowers. He could hear some of the others nearby doing just that. Ren knew he had some time to waste anyways, so he took out his alchemy kit and prepared the Vial of Poison recipe. He still had the weak poison potions from his first time at the old man''s place. He got his mortar and pestle and ground up one of the poison glands he had left. He dropped in a potency berry, crushed them together, and poured the mixture into a bowl. He put in the weak poison potion and mixed them together. He very carefully poured it back into the potion bottle.
Vial of Poison
This poison can cause severe pains and significant health loss If left untreated can cause serious harm but nothing permanent Duration of effect: 20 minutes (if untreated)
Ren stared at it... then he thought of something. He took another weak poison potion, and redid the Vial of Poison recipe... but this time he ground up one of the spider''s fangs and threw in another potency berry.
New Recipe!
By mixing different ingredients you have discovered a new recipe. Let your enemies beware!
Vial of Excruciating Pain
This poison can cause extreme pain and significant health loss Causes paralysis for duration, even when treated If left untreated will cause serious harm but nothing permanent Duration of effect: 1 hour (if untreated)
Ren stared at the new potion. Wow. That''s just... nasty. Realizing something else, he took one of his weak antidote potions, ground up a spider''s fang, and threw in a potency berry. He was going to have to gather some more basic ingredients soon. He was almost out.
New Recipe!
By mixing different ingredients you have discovered a new recipe. Play a joke on your friends!
What? That was a weird comment. Ren thought... until he read what it was.
Potion of Paralysis
Causes paralysis for a short duration, even when treated Duration: 20 minutes
Ren smiled. He knew what the comment was for, now. It probably would be a good trick to play on friends... assuming they were really good friends and could take that kind of joke. Ren laughed. It could also be very useful in other situations, too. He made another paralysis potion and then packed up his kit. He''d spend about half the day playing around with alchemy. He only had one potency berry left and wanted to save it for the antidote potion. He sat there and thought about all the things he needed to learn. It really was a daunting task, but if it was easy, he didn''t think he''d want to play it. That was half the fun! He thought. It''s the best feeling in the world when you do something really hard and beat it! Ren''s thoughts were interrupted when he heard a rustling sound. He didn''t know what it was, but it was coming from the hole the caterpillar was in. He must be waking up to eat again. The rustling got louder and Ren watched as something pierced the silk covering. It looked like the caterpillar''s backside and Ren took out the remains of his tent. The least he could do was feed the caterpillar the rest of it, since the tent was no longer of any use. The silk covering tore away and the caterpillar backed out of the hole... and spread it''s wings. ¡°Whaaaatt!¡± Ren said. He had expected the caterpillar and what he got was... well, he didn''t know what it was that he got. It had wings that it spread out to catch the sun, it''s body was covered in thick fur that covered everything. It''s legs were a lot longer and covered in fur, too. It''s head had segmented eyes, with hundreds of facets that reflected it''s surroundings, and huge antennae. It was a bright white color, with designs along the edges of it''s wings. The designs almost looked like... spiders crawling over webs. Ren cut a piece of the tent off and tossed it in front of the creature. It saw the movement and looked over at Ren. He froze. It looked down at what Ren threw, leaned forward, unfurled it''s long tongue and tasted it. It pulled the tongue back and shuffled over to a sunflower. It reached out with one of it''s front legs and hooked a stem. It bent the flower over and stuck it''s tongue out again. Ren could hear a slurping sound. It was sucking up the nectar. Now that it had it''s back to Ren, he could see a distinct design on the wings. It looked like a giant spider! It stayed there, sucking nectar from a bunch of sunflowers until it''s wings had expanded to their full width. The veins in the wings were filled with blood. It flapped them once, then again. It stopped eating and flapped it''s wings really hard. Ren was hit in the face with a gust of wind and knocked onto his back. He watched the thing take off and fly away. He sat there in the sunflower field and gazed in wonder at the spectacular sight. After a moment, Ren stood and looked down at himself. He was covered in some kind of dust, and then he examined it. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
Balefire Moth Dust
The dust from the wings of a Balefire Moth
¡°Hahahaha!¡± Ren laughed. He thought he was going to miss finding this ingredient and would have to come back again sometime. He opened his alchemy kit and took out the tools he thought he needed to gather up as much moth dust as he could. He scraped it off of everything he could see. He took his time because he didn''t want to get any dirt or grime mixed in. If it was contaminated, he didn''t know what kind of effects that would cause to any potions he added it to. He got a few vials worth, added them to his inventory, and packed up his alchemy kit. Ren gathered up the rest of his tent and put it away. He still thought it was useless as it was, and didn''t want to use up any more fabric to repair it, but he also didn''t want to just leave it lying around. Ren started walking back towards the road. He knew in which general direction it was, but he wasn''t sure. He thought to himself how nice it would have been to have someone to tell him which way to go... and he stopped dead in his tracks. ¡°TEEPO!!!!!¡± Ren shouted, and tapped the crown ring. ¡°mumble... ugh... huh? What?¡± ¡°Teepo, I''m so sorry! I completely forgot about you! Summon Teepo!¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, don''t worry about that, master.¡± Teepo said after his spectral beetle form appeared. ¡°But Teepo... I left you all alone, trapped in the ring, for months!¡± Teppo laughed. ¡°Master, my uncle used to not talk to me for years on end. A couple of months is literally nothing. I was sound asleep the whole time, anyways.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Do you remember after the wood structure surfaced during the flood?¡± Teepo asked and Ren nodded. ¡°When you fell asleep, I tried to warn you not to do that in such a damaged state... but when you lost consciousness not long afterwards, my astral form vanished. I assumed you''d call me again when I was needed, and went to sleep.¡± Ren was grateful to the little guy because he didn''t hold Ren in contempt for forgetting about him. Ren promised himself that he would never abandon anyone like that again. ¡°Well, faithful companion...¡± Ren said and Teepo chittered at him in delight. ¡°I need a scout to make sure I''m going the right way.¡± Teepo hopped once. ¡°To the road!¡± He said and pointed to where he thought the road was. Teepo skittered off at once. He had no trouble moving above ground at all. Ren could hear Teepo in his mind, and Teepo wondered at all the sunflowers. Being an underground dweller for most of his life, he had never seen such colors. Ren enjoyed Teepo''s perspective because it had matched his own the first time he saw the field. Ren started walking towards Teepo just before Teepo reached the road and told Ren to follow. Ren ran through the field and caught up to Teepo about 20 minutes later. ¡°Do you want to walk, or ride my shoulder?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Shoulder, please.¡± Teepo said. If he was going to be out and about, he wanted to be up high so he could see even more of the outside world. Ren reached down, picked Teepo up, and placed him on his shoulder. It never crossed Ren''s mind that since Teepo was an astral projection (and didn''t have a physical body) that he shouldn''t have been able to touch him at all. It was getting dark again, and Ren figured he''d have just enough time to make it back to the city before nightfall. He was once told by the old man alchemist that being outside of the city limits at night was not a good idea, unless he was in the safe area. He heartily agreed with that advice and ran all the way back to the north gate. Teepo chittered in delight the whole way. Ren and Teepo got into the city a few minutes before darkness fell across the countryside. With relief, Ren slowed down to a walk while Teepo ran from his left shoulder to his right, and back again, and took in all the sights. Ren could feel what he felt and smiled. He remembered feeling the same way when he first walked through the streets of Aurora. First it was the field of flowers, and now the city streets. The both of them enjoyed it when they experienced something new. This was definitely going to be a grand adventure for the both of them. They headed over to the Leisure District. If Ren was stuck in the game, he was going to need a place to sleep. He came across a nice establishment on the edge of the area. There was a sign hung above the doorway in front, with a bear on his back sleeping on a log. It was the Snoozing Bear Inn. Ren went inside and it was clean and tidy. It wasn''t one of those mixed tavern and inn deals, much to Ren''s relief. He didn''t think he''d be getting much sleep if there was drinking going on for most of the night. He approached the innkeeper at the desk and asked for a room. ¡°That''ll be 10 silver.¡± The innkeeper said without looking up. Ren thought that was a bit excessive, especially since this was a starter city and no one would have the coin to stay overnight with the price that high. He looked at the innkeeper and wondered why he charged so much. ¡°Why is the price so high?¡± Ren inquired. ¡°Huh? Oh, it''s because no one stays here. With what little customers I get, I have to charge more just to break even.¡± He still hadn''t looked up. ¡°Have you thought about advertising? Cheaper prices can draw in more customers, too.¡± ¡°Hey, now... who''re you to question...¡± Then the innkeeper looked up and saw Ren standing there at the counter. ¡°Oh! Excuse me, sir. My apologies. I didn''t realize it was you.¡± What did he mean by that? Ren thought. ¡°Please sir. It''s 10 silver, but I''ll put you in my best room and make sure you''re not disturbed for the whole night.¡± Ren raised his eyebrows. ¡°Ah... and I''ll throw in a nice breakfast, too.¡± Ren smiled and handed over the money. He felt bad for the guy, and he did need a nice place to stay for the night. ¡°Right this way, sir. Right this way.¡± The innkeeper said as he grabbed a big ornate key and came around the desk. He turned and walked up the stairs. Ren followed him and when the innkeeper stopped at the end of the hall, so did he. When the door opened, inside was a nice room. Not too overdone with the details, but it wasn''t barren, either. A comfy bed was in the corner, a chair and desk in the other corner, and a medium sized window in the far wall. A picture of a unicorn was on the wall next to the bed. Ren stared at it, and the innkeeper guessed appropriately what had caught Ren''s attention. ¡°Yes, yes! They''re real! Not just legend!¡± He said and ushered Ren into the room. ¡°Not much is known about their whereabouts, but there''s been rumors floating around for years that they''re most likely in the far off land called Staibel.¡± Ren almost laughed in the innkeeper''s face. Horses were in a stable? Really? He thought and smiled. Teepo chittered loudly on Ren''s shoulder. The innkeeper, ignorant of Ren''s thoughts and Teepo''s presence, fluffed the pillow and straightened up the bed sheets. ¡°There you go, sir. Have a good night''s rest!¡± The innkeeper said as he walked past. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said, then sat on the bed when the door shut. ¡°I wonder when he''ll serve breakfast?¡± Ren shook his head when Teepo said he didn''t know. ¡°Sorry, I didn''t mean to ask that out loud, just wondering. I hope it''s not too early.¡± Ren got up and went to the desk. He got out his alchemy kit and made a Vial of Antidote to counter the Vial of Poison that he had. It was always better to be safe than sorry. Teepo was absolutely fascinated with the kit and Ren explained what all the parts were and what he was doing with them. ¡°Master is a great alchemist!¡± Teepo exclaimed. Ren shook his head and said that he just started to learn the craft, but Teepo wouldn''t take his words at face value. He saw what Ren could do with so few ingredients and that was just plain magic in Teepo''s eyes. Ren smiled and packed the kit away. It was time to go to sleep. He was worried about Teepo disappearing again, but Teepo reminded him that if Ren was just sleeping, then Teepo would stay around. If he was knocked unconscious, however... then Teepo couldn''t keep his astral form. Ren, satisfied that Teepo could keep watch, locked the door and went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. It was time for a party! Chapter 25 - The Party Ren awoke to the sound of Teepo telling him that breakfast was coming. He sat up and heard clattering dishes being brought up the stairs. He hopped out of bed and unlocked the door, then jumped back into bed just as a knock was laid upon his door. ¡°It''s open.¡± Ren said. The door opened and the innkeeper brought in a heaping tray of food. He set it down on the desk and laid out a napkin for Ren to use. ¡°You didn''t have to bring it to the room. I would have gladly come downstairs for breakfast.¡± ¡°It''s no trouble, sir. No trouble at all. It''s just part of the service.¡± The innkeeper said and smiled. Ren knew he was lying, but didn''t call him on it. He didn''t want the innkeeper to think poorly of him. ¡°Thank you very much, sir.¡± The innkeeper bowed slightly and left the room. Ren got out of bed and went over to the desk. He saw porridge, toast, a scrambled egg, a glass of milk, and two pieces of bacon. At least, he hoped it was bacon. He had not seen any pigs in the city... or chickens. Ren shrugged and assumed they either had it delivered, or was by default the setting for ''breakfast'' in the game. In any case, he sat down and gobbled up as much as he could. Teepo told Ren of his adventures around the room and Ren laughed. Teepo added in voices for the furniture and his interactions with them. By the time Ren was finished breakfast, he got the popups for ''Well Rested'' and ''Well Fed'', giving him a +3 bonus to his Vitality and Endurance for the next hour. Ren put Teepo on his shoulder and picked up the tray of dirty dishes. He brought it downstairs to the front desk. ¡°Thanks so much for breakfast, sir.¡± Ren said and placed the tray on the desk. ¡°You didn''t have to bring the tray down. I would''ve gotten it eventually.¡± The innkeeper said. ¡°It was the least I could do for the excellent food.¡± Ren said and put a silver coin on the counter. ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± The innkeeper said and swiped the silver coin away in a flash. ¡°Have yourself a good day, sir!¡± Ren said he''d tell everyone about where he stayed that night and about the excellent service. The innkeeper beamed a smile and waved as Ren left. ******** In the shadows across the street, a lone figure stood watch over the inn. When Ren came out the door and walked down the street, he discreetly followed. He had been told, in no uncertain terms, that he was to not let that little elfling out of his sight. ******** Ren figured the first thing he should do was pop over to the alchemist''s shop and see if the old man needed any sunflowers or Balefire Moth dust. The old man was again delighted at the offer, and paid handsomely for it. Ren told him about his adventure, but left out how tough the tent had been. The old man laughed and slapped his knee. ¡°You had a close one, then.¡± The old man said and had a wicked grin on his face. ¡°Most people just open the holes and scrape the sides.¡± Ren just stared at the old man. ¡°You could have told me that! I spent nearly two days there, waiting!¡± The old man laughed. ¡°I wanted to see what you would do. I expected some kind of a surprise, but letting it eat your tent and getting trampled, just to get some dust? Bwahahaha!¡± Ren couldn''t help himself and laughed, too. Teepo chittered as well. Thinking back on it now, it was pretty funny. They talked a bit more about proper technique and Ren showed him the potions he''d made. The old man was impressed that he''d advanced his learning so much in such a short time. Teepo whispered in Ren''s ear. ¡°Just as I told you! Master is a great alchemist!¡± Ren blushed from both comments and said goodbye to the old man. Ren and Teepo headed out the west gate to go and pick some more basic ingredients. He cleaned the field of herbs again, but remembered there was better herbs in the forest. He hadn''t forgotten that there were wolves in there as well, but he wanted to try. He got near the edge of the forest but couldn''t see or hear anything out of the ordinary. He activated Sneak, and crept into the forest. He got about 20 feet in and saw some fresh potency berries. He picked them gingerly and continued into the forest. ******** A figure that had been following Ren cursed to himself. He went back into town to the little house in the Housing District. ¡°I''m sorry, miss. I lost him in the forest near the west gate.¡± He said. The woman just nodded and paid the man. He walked away at a brisk pace. He was a slippery one. The woman thought. ******** An hour later, Ren had leveled up Sneak several times and had more than enough ingredients to make a lot of potions. He wouldn''t have to come back for a while. He turned around and heard a low growl. Teepo hopped off his shoulder and skittered into the underbrush. Ren reached into his inventory and took out one of his paralyzing potions. ¡°It''s all right, master. He can''t see you.¡± But can he smell me? Ren thought. ¡°Probably, master. It''s sniffing the air. You should move to the tree on your right.¡± Ren did so, and no sooner had he reached the other tree when the wolf pounced on the spot he''d just been. It sniffed the air, turned around, and went back into the forest. That was close! ¡°Not really, master. Your scent is all over this part of the forest. You could have stood right next to that tree and it wouldn''t have found you. Your scent was just strongest at that last spot, since you stayed there the longest.¡± Oh. Thanks, Teepo. ¡°You''re welcome, master.¡± You can still call me Ren, you know. ¡°I know, but it just doesn''t feel right. I''m just too used to saying master, I guess.¡± Ren nodded and sneaked out of the forest while following Teepo. He met no other wolves on the way. When Ren and Teepo, now perched back on Ren''s shoulder, entered the city they saw the city had changed while they were gone. It was covered in people. They saw jugglers and performers all over the place as they made their way into the city square. It was almost as many as when he''d come back from the expedition. Ren smiled and told Teepo it was almost time for the party at the mansion. He told Teepo all about what had happened and how he''d forgotten about him. Teepo was glad that Ren was having a party. He''d never been to a party before. Just as he approached the mansion''s gate, he got a popup that he didn''t expect.
System Warning!
You have been logged into the system for 24 hours Please log off and take a rest This system was not designed for extended use System administrators have been notified of your activity and will be contacting you shortly
Ren nodded and assumed something like this would happen. He stepped over to the wall by the gate and tried to log off again... and nothing happened. He shrugged mentally. There still wasn''t anything that he could do on his end, so Ren would wait to be contacted. He turned and tried to go through the gate and one of the guards stopped him. ¡°Where do you think you''re going, boy?¡± ¡°Huh? To the party, of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why don''t you go back home to your mommy and tell her she wants you.¡± The guard laughed and the other guard joined in. Ren scowled at them. He''d thought he was beyond this kind of treatment, but apparently there were still some in Aurora that didn''t know him by sight. He was about to explain who he was when a large but familiar figure put a gauntlet covered hand on the right shoulder of both guards, with a loud clang. Ren grinned at the new arrival and the guards visibly shook from the impact. ¡°Ren, my boy! Are these newbies giving you trouble?¡± The captain of the soldiers said. ¡°Kind of, sir.¡± ¡°Well, don''t you worry about it. Go on in. The Lord of Aurora is waiting for you in the main hall. You got here just in time. The party is about to start!¡± ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Ren said, saluted, and walked under one of the captain''s extended arms. ¡°As for you two... how could you not know who that man is? He won the contribution prize in the last quest! I think I''m going to have to take a personal interest in your training from now on...¡± Ren laughed and Teepo chittered. I think those guys are in for a surprise. When the captain takes an interest in you... Ren laughed again. Ren walked down the hallway to the main hall, and stepped into an alcove. It was time to try on his new outfit. He equipped it and fluffed his hair up a little. He hoped it would stop others from doing it to him themselves. Teepo was excited as well because he now had much more room to run across the padded shoulders. Ren smiled and walked into the main hall... and gasped. Everything was now a pearlescent white, with huge drapes covering most of the ceiling and walls. Lace and silver brocade accented everything, from the tables along the wall, to the ornate window casings. Ren wondered why they had replaced it all. It looked wonderful before, and he saw it as a waste... but, then he thought that it kept people working, too. He shrugged his shoulders and Teepo almost fell off. Teepo chirped at him. Sorry, Teepo. I''m still getting used to this outfit. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Master looks like a prince, now!¡± Ren blushed and made his way to Lord Eric, who had seen him enter the room and waved him over. ¡°Ren! Wonderful to see you! Love the new outfit. Very fitting for the gala tonight.¡± Eric said. ¡°T-thank you, sir.¡± Ren stammered. ¡°Now, now... don''t be shy. This is the Minister of Finance and his wife, Carmilla. Next to her is Ottomo, the Minister of Trade, and this...¡± He stepped to the side slightly, ¡°...is my daughter, Sophia. She''s just returned from a trip to the neighboring kingdom.¡± Ren nodded to each person as they were introduced, but froze when Eric introduced Sophia. She was beautiful. Long flowing red hair down to her waist, bright blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and light red lips. She looked to be about 16, but since Ren didn''t have a lot of experience in judging the age of game characters, it was just a wild-ass guess. He wasn''t sure how to act at first, but then he remembered an old time show about how to act in polite society if royalty was present. He''d seen it a while ago, but it should work here. He took her hand in his and bowed slightly over it. ¡°It is both a pleasure and an honor to meet you, your highness.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. A hush fell over the group and the princess blushed. ¡°T-t-t-thank you, kind sir.¡± Sophia stammered as Ren let her hand go.
Skill Increase!
Etiquette Level 1 (Beginner 25%)
Ren smiled a pleased smile. Sophia blushed even harder. Lord Eric laughed and the tension broke. ¡°You see? I told you he was one of a kind, didn''t I?¡± He said to the group. They started exchanging small talk and Ren excused himself. He had seen someone that he wanted to talk to. He didn''t notice that Sophia watched him as he walked away. ¡°Hi, Sally.¡± Ren said and she turned around. Tears nearly came to her eyes. ¡°Oh, you look absolutely wonderful, Ren! You look like a prince.¡± Ren raised his eyebrows at that. Teepo had said the same thing. He wondered if the game only had so many compliment settings to give for the outfit, or if he really did look like a prince wearing it. He and Sally talked for a bit and people greeted him as they passed. Ren thought that the outfit''s description that he''d fit right into high society had been completely accurate. Ren excused himself again and walked over to one of the many windows that went from floor to ceiling. He needed a bit of fresh air. When he got close to the window, he could feel something. On a whim, he activated his Enchanted Eyes and nearly gasped. The whole window glowed. He knew there was some kind of enchantment there, so he activated Read Rune. A giant glyph covered the whole window. Ren reached out and touched it... and the glyph shattered. Thankfully, nothing happened to the window; but Ren was instantly aware of his surroundings, and thought several pairs of eyes gazed upon him.
New Rune discovered!
Rune Of Protection This rune grants +10 defense to armor
This time Ren actually did gasp. He looked around, but no one was looking at him this time. He saw salvation from his situation, though. He quickly crossed the room to where his teacher, the enchanter Isaac, stood with a group of people. ¡°My apologies for interrupting, but could I speak to you for a moment, sir? It''s rather important.¡± Ren said. Isaac looked at Ren''s harried expression and nodded. ¡°Of course. I always have time for my novice.¡± The others in his group looked at Ren with renewed interest. ¡°Thank you, sir. Please, excuse us.¡± Ren said and walked back to the window where he''d destroyed the glyph. Issac followed closely behind. When they got to the window, Isaac''s eyes bulged. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I know. I didn''t mean to...¡± ¡°No, you misunderstand. You shouldn''t have been able to break that glyph. It was several orders above your current level.¡± Isaac said. ¡°I figured... it was a giant glyph that covered most of the window...¡± Ren started. ¡°Wait, you could see it all?¡± Isaac asked. ¡°Yeah. I couldn''t read anything from it, though. When I touched it... it broke apart.¡± ¡°Show me your book of runes.¡± Isaac said. Ren took it out and handed it over. Isaac shook his head. ¡°No, don''t hand it to me. I told you that enchanters guard their glyphs with their lives. Just open it to the last used page and tell me what it says, please.¡± Ren did so. ¡°Rune of Protection: +10 defense to armor.¡± Isaac was quiet for a moment and then smiled. ¡°Ren, I was right to choose you as my novice. Now, don''t worry about this window, I''ll take care of it. Go, and mingle with the crowd. This is your party, after all.¡± Ren put his book away and nodded. When he walked away, Issac watched him leave. It''s always surprises with that boy, isn''t it? Isaac shook his head, chuckled, and placed his hand on the window. The glyph reappeared in an instant. He''s going to be something special one day. Ren mingled some more with the other people at the party. He was a bit surprised there wasn''t any kind of dancing, just background music played by a small orchestra. He approached the tables set up at the side of the room and got a nice cool drink from Anabelle. Ren gave her a smile and she smiled back. He noticed there was some copper coins on the table, and knew that Anabelle had been standing there the whole evening and put a silver coin next to her. Her eyes widened at that but she didn''t say anything. Ren smiled wider and walked over to another window. He knew what to expect now and didn''t touch it. He did look at it with his Read Rune, though... and he saw his new rune scattered throughout the pattern.
New Sub Skill!
Decipher Level 1 (Beginner 0%) (Active) You are able to read the runes that you have the basic knowledge of in other glyphs Higher skill levels will make it easier to read other runes in glyphs that you don''t know
Ren closed the popup and got a message notification. He remembered the system warning him not long ago to expect one. He opened it.
New Message!
Hello, Player (Ren). This is the System Administrator. We''ve been aware of your situation and have worked hard to come up with a solution. We believe we''ve found one. If you would come to the housing district, we can get your situation resolved immediately. Thank you.
Ren closed the message and sought out Lord Eric. He thanked Eric for the party and gave his apologies that he had to leave early. Ren had urgent business to attend do and needed to go as soon as possible. Eric nodded and Ren left the hall, and then the mansion. He made his way to the housing district and found a new house had been built there. The message didn''t say what to do once he got there, though. He wasn''t sure if he was supposed to wait for someone else to show up, or if a new popup would appear. ¡°Master!¡± Teepo shouted. ¡°From behind!¡± Ren turned around and saw two men coming towards him. His first instinct was to run, but if this was what the system administer meant, then he''d see what was happening first. When the two men were close enough, they reached out and grabbed Ren''s arms. ¡°Hey! What''re you doing?¡± Ren shouted. ¡°Quiet kid. We''re just doing our jobs.¡± One of them said. ¡°Another one, master!¡± Teepo shouted. ¡°This is for the best.¡± The other man said... and then the third man stabbed Ren in the neck with a needle. ¡°No!¡± Ren tried to struggle; but, the men held him tightly... with some difficulty. ¡°He''s only level 3! Hold him still!¡± One of them said. ¡°Don''t worry, kid. It''ll all be over soon.¡± The man who''d injected him said. Ren concentrated on the man''s face and swore he''d remember who it was that had done this to him. The world faded to black a few moments later.
You have died!
Automatic system logout has been inititated. Countdown to log back in: 05h:59min:40sec
Ren woke up in the real world. ¡°Motherfu-¡± ¡°REN HADDON! Don''t you dare use that kind of language!¡± Barbara shrieked. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s just...¡± ¡°I saw what they did, honey.¡± Barbara said as she removed the VR headset. Her hands were shaking. ¡°Please tell me you recorded it!¡± Ren almost shouted. ¡°Of course we did. Once you were stuck in there, we had to keep tabs on you to make sure you were okay.¡± Barbara said. Ren sighed and leaned back onto the bed... then jumped up like a gopher from it''s hole in the ground. ¡°Boy, do I need the bathroom!¡± He said and ran to use it. ******** Edward Torren was beside himself. ¡°YOU DID WHAT?!?¡± ¡°We killed him.¡± Max said. Edward sat in his chair and put his head in his hands. ¡°Good God! Why would you do such a thing?¡± ¡°We tried several different options. Irregular brain wave patterns, both internal and external, errant code, batched system commands, you name it. We even tried just unplugging the headset. Nothing worked... until one of the tech guys remembered that when you were killed in the game, it automatically logged you out for 6 hours. It seemed like the best option.¡± ¡°The best option?¡± Edward sighed. ¡°We were running out of time.¡± Max said. ¡°He just got the 24 hour logoff notice. We''ve never had anyone stay online that long.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, and even then it was one of the programmers that had put the notice in there as a joke. I mean, come on... anyone at all would need to eat, or use the bathroom, or even just take a break from playing... at some point during the day. Most players even stick to game day time and log off at night.¡± Edward sighed again and lifted his head. ¡°Is the new update ready?¡± ¡°Yessir. The patch is all ready to go. Once Ren was logged off, we sent out a game wide notification to log off for a system update. Now, at any time, you can open a popup and log off manually... bypassing the normal verbal commands. If somehow you still can''t log off, the IFL protocol initiates automatically at the 24 hour limit.¡± Edward stood up. ¡°Good.¡± He looked Max square in the eye. ¡°If you weren''t the best programmer on the planet, I''d fire your ass right now.¡± Max got a worried look on his face when Edward continued. ¡°As a matter of fact... I want the ones who did it on the street in 10 minutes. Consider them fired as of yesterday. Standard severance package still applies, even though I don''t want them to have it. Delete their game accounts and ban their profiles. If you, heaven forbid, had regular players do it... hired or otherwise... then they are to be banned from the game as well.¡± Max was about to protest when Edward held up his hand. ¡°If you even think about saying that I''m being too harsh, or going too far, then I''ll have to reconsider your position as the best programmer.¡± Max kept his mouth shut. ¡°Let''s just hope that there isn''t any video of the incident.¡± Edward said. ¡°I don''t want to see your face for a while. When the system is finished with the upgrade, take a day or two off. Goodbye.¡± Edward said. Max got up and left the office. ******** Chapter 26 - The Hospital The next day the whole staff was there to give him examinations. Despite Ren''s protests that he was fine, they continued well into the afternoon. He didn''t even get to do his physical therapy. Once all the tests were done they let him relax in bed. He was well fed and didn''t feel too resentful about all the poking and proding he''d gone through that day. Luckily, Lucy had been there the whole time and kept him entertained with playful banter, and he kept her entertained with stories about his adventure in the game. He left out how the last session ended, though he suspected that she knew. He had caught her staring at him several times with a worried look on her face. Ren got so mad when he thought about how he was ambushed. Either the system had notified them where he was, or... or the system was used to send him there. That had to be it! Ren thought. He relaxed and decided on a course of action. He would have to contact the company and see how it was possible for the system to be used the way it was. Ren figured the doctor would have the results of the tests in the morning, and settled in for good long sleep. The next day Ren did his physical therapy and when he was done, Lucy told him all the results came back okay. Ren smiled and reminded her that he''d told her he was fine. She still had a worried look, until Ren asked to go out to the mall. Lucy''s face lit up and she went to make the arrangements. Ren always liked Lucy''s smile because it always made him smile, even when he didn''t feel like it... but he felt like it today, so her smile was so much better because of that. They took a taxi to the mall and had their usual trip around the shops. Lucy tried the lacy lingerie trick again to try and tease Ren, but he told her that the blue set would bring out her eyes more than the red one would. Ren laughed as her mouth hung open and she blushed. He rolled his wheelchair towards the food court and she caught up to him. ¡°That wasn''t funny!¡± She said as she took the handles of his wheelchair. ¡°Yes it was! The look on your face! Ha ha ha!¡± Ren turned his face to her. ¡°Turnabout is fair play, you know!¡± He said and grinned. Lucy rolled her eyes and smiled. She was glad that Ren was in such a good mood. She''d heard all the gruesome details from Barbara about what had happened to Ren the night before. She wouldn''t dare watch the video. She''d been shocked and horrified that something like that could happen in a game; but, she knew since it was supposed to be so real, she guessed that crimes there had to happen, too... even if the idea of that made her skin crawl. They got chili cheese fries and gravy this time and sat at one of the tables in the food court. Luckily, they had chairs that Lucy had moved aside for Ren''s wheelchair. They chatted about different things. Lucy talked about her favorite shows and the characters she loved to hate. It made Ren laugh because she could get so involved in something like that. When most of their food was gone, a man approached the table. ¡°Hey there, sweet thing. Wanna have some fun?¡± He said. Both Ren and Lucy looked at him with disgustclearly shown in their expressions. He didn''t take that as a deterrent, however. ¡°Come on... ditch the cripple and be with a real man.¡± He said as he put his hand on the table in front of Ren and tried to push the chair away with his leg. His effort was futile because the wheels were locked and he couldn''t move it that way. ¡°Get lost. I''m not interested. Even if I was alone and you were the last man on earth, I still wouldn''t be interested.¡± Lucy spat at him. ¡°I''d let humanity die.¡± ¡°Aw, come on! Don''t be like that.¡± The man tried to reach for her, but his hand suddenly stopped. Ren had grabbed a hold of his arm. ¡°I believe she said she wasn''t interested.¡± Ren said in an ice cold voice. Lucy was startled to hear such a tone come from him. The man didn''t blink an eye. ¡°Stay outta this, ya runt. This don''t concern you.¡± The man tried to move his arm away, but he couldn''t. Ren had a death grip on it and wasn''t about to let go. They were causing a scene and the other people in the food court were looking at them. ¡°It doesn''t concern you, either. I suggest you leave. Now.¡± Ren squeezed the man''s arm harder. All that working out with the hand exerciser during physical therapy had really paid off. ¡°Let... GO!¡± The man said and twisted his arm out of Ren''s grip. Unfortunately, a loud snap was heard at the same time. When the man looked down, he saw that Ren''s little finger was stuck up at a very bad angle. He put his hands up in surrender, but Lucy lost it. She had seen Ren''s finger, too. ¡°You... you... BASTARD!¡± Lucy yelled and pushed the man in the chest. He fell backwards over a nearby chair and onto the floor. ¡°How dare you hurt him like that!¡± She stepped over to the man and he tried to crawl away. ¡°I didn''t mean it! It just happened!¡± He said, then ducked. Lucy''s foot had almost connected with his head. ¡°Someone call the police! Or mall security! Or anyone!¡± Lucy bellowed. Several people were already on their phones before she spoke. They''d seen Ren''s finger as well. The man tried to crawl away again but a nice bystander, a big burly guy with a beard and mustache, stood by the man''s head. ¡°I don''t think so, buddy. You ain''t goin'' nowhere.¡± The burly guy said and crossed his arms. He wore sunglasses, a red bandana, a blue t-shirt, and loose fitting jeans. He kind of looked like a biker. Lucy thanked the burly guy and turned to Ren. She knelt by his chair and looked at his finger. She was about to straighten it, but Ren stopped her. ¡°Leave it for now. The cops might want some evidence as to what happened. If you fix it before they see it, he might get off with just a warning.¡± ¡°B-but doesn''t it hurt?¡± Lucy asked in a small voice. ¡°Oh, like you wouldn''t believe... but... I''ve felt worse. A lot worse.¡± Ren looked Lucy in the eye. ¡°You know I have.¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°A few more minutes of this is nothing compared to that.¡± Ren said and let the tears well up in his eyes, but didn''t let them fall. Not yet. The police showed up about 20 minutes later. Ren figured that now was the time to let some of his feelings show and tears ran down his face. He didn''t cry, but everyone could see that he was in severe pain. The police got the story from several eye witnesses, that the man was harassing them and that Ren''s finger ended up being broken. Ren told the truth when they got around to questioning him, and the officers could clearly see how broken his finger really was. This was no small matter to be brushed aside, unlike the other times Lucy was harassed. The man was arrested and charged with several counts of assault, and causing bodily harm to a minor. Ren still had another month to go before his birthday. ¡°It was his fault!¡± The man shouted as he was hauled away. ¡°It was HIS fault!¡± The police andthe crowd looked at the man with disgust. The big burly guy had stuck around the whole time and Lucy told him how much she appreciated all of his help and thanked him again. The burly guy ducked his head and scuffed his feet. ¡°It weren''t no trouble, ma''am.¡± He said. Lucy said goodbye and went back to Ren''s side. She knelt down by his chair again. ¡°Are you ready now?¡± Ren nodded and Lucy pulled his finger down and back into place. ¡°Aaaagghhh!¡± Ren hollered and the people around him jumped. Even the big burly guy winced. Ren let the tears flow again. He didn''t have to hold them back this time. Lucy couldn''t set his finger properly until they got back to the hospital, but at least it wasn''t causing extra pain by being at such an odd angle anymore. ¡°Time to go home.¡± Ren said through gritted teeth. The tears stopped on their own eventually. Lucy nodded, gathered up the trash, and tossed it in the garbage. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. They made it back to the hospital without any further incidents. When they got inside, Lucy went into full ''nurse mode'' and Ren was placed gently onto his bed. She took great care to not hurt his hand further. She got the supplies she needed and set to work. In no time at all, she had his finger set up in a splint and had him take some pain medication. He tried to tell her he didn''t need any, but she stared him down and he took it without another word. He spent the rest of the day talking to Lucy and the other nurses. Gossip as good as what happened to them at the mall, spread like wildfire. Different versions had made the rounds and Ren was questioned all day about it. He laughed when he heard the one where he''d jumped out of his wheelchair and punched the guy in the head. It''s too bad that wasn''t true! Ren thought. That would have been a good hero''s moment. Ren kept debunking all the different stories and told the real one so many times that by the time he was supposed to go to bed, he''d already been fast asleep for an hour. The next day, after Ren did his physical therapy, he wondered how he could contact the company. He needed to know how the system was used against him like that. He asked Lucy about it when she came in to give him breakfast. She said that the doctor had the number for Sid Tec and she''d ask him about it. Ren nodded and said he''d wait to talk to the doctor. Ren ate and Lucy took the tray back to the kitchen. A few minutes later the doctor came in and Ren asked about contacting the company. The doctor asked why, and Ren asked if he''d seen the video. The doctor said yes, and Ren explained that the system had sent him a message to go to the spot where it happened, and Ren wanted to know how the system could have been used like that. The doctor was intrigued at Ren''s deductive reasoning and said he''d call the CEO right away. ¡°Don''t forget to send a copy of the video.¡± Ren said to the doctor as he left the room. ******** After talking with the CEO, the doctor sat in his office and tried to decide what he was going to tell Ren. It was quite the pickle the CEO had dropped on him. Telling him the system could be manipulated in that way, but that it was fixed with a new patch and would never happen again. The doctor had misgivings about letting Ren back into the game at all, the first time something bad had happened... but now... he sighed. There really wasn''t anything he could do about it. He''d have to take the CEO''s word on the safety of the system. At least Ren could log out at any time and can''t get trapped in the game anymore. The doctor went back to Ren and pretty much told him everything. How he''d been killed because it was the only way to get him out of the game safely. He told Ren that the CEO had no idea it was happening that way, and when he found out, he had them fired, their accounts deleted, and had them banned from the game. Well, damn. There goes my revenge plans. Ren thought. That''s just going to burn me up inside, knowing I can''t get them back for what they did! Fired? All they got was fired? They killed me, dammit. With a needle! The doctor, unaware of Ren''s thoughts, told him he was free to get back online if he wanted. Ren just nodded and the doctor left his room. Do I want to play today? Ren pondered, then closed his eyes. Teepo. I haven''t forgotten about you... or my promise. Ren went to the bathroom and did his business. He cleaned up and got into bed. He picked up the VR headset and put it on. He didn''t want what happened to him, to happen again. He would have to get stronger. He needed to learn how to be better. ¡°Flow Login Start¡± Ren felt the familiar sensation of transition and appeared in the completely white, wide open area he''d first started the game in.
System Update!
Various bug fixes and updates have occurred since the last time you were logged in. View Update Log: Yes/No
¡°No.¡± Ren said. No matter what it said, he knew what the real update was for... and the ''bug fix'' was actually the company''s attempt to get him out of the system. He looked down at himself and saw that he wore his Elven Court outfit... and the beetle crown was on his finger. Cool. ¡°Summon Teepo!¡± Ren said and tapped the ring with his thumb. Teepo appeared and Ren picked him up. He put Teepo on his shoulder. It was now his regular perch. ¡°M-m-master? Are we...¡± Teepo shuttered. ¡°...in the great beyond?¡± Ren laughed and it echoed in the empty space. ¡°No, Teepo.¡± Ren said, but then stopped. If anything, this would be ''the great beyond'' for Teepo. It was the loading area for the game... but Ren didn''t want to scare the little guy like that. ¡°I''m just waiting to get back to the city.¡± Teepo skittered from one shoulder to the other. ¡°So... so this is... Limbo?¡± ¡°Yes... yes, Teepo! That''s it exactly.¡± Ren smiled at Teepo and Teepo chittered in delight. They both waited to get back to their ''lives''. Instead of Ren fading out of the white expanse as usual and going into the game, this time the game faded in and formed around him instead. He thought it was a bit weird, but figured it was the update that messed things up. When the game came into focus, he realized where he was. He was back in the mansion, in the room he''d first woken up in. That was an odd restore point to have, but he didn''t question it. Ren went to the door of the room, but didn''t open it. He activated Sneak and listened. He could hear nothing on the other side and then opened the door. He still heard nothing and moved down the hall to the left. He knew how to get back to the main hall from there. Teepo hadn''t seen this part of the mansion and was all excited. He stayed on Ren''s shoulder, despite wanting to skittle around on the beautiful tiled floors. Ren chuckled to himself. If he thought he had the time, he''d let Teepo do just that. Ren got to the stairway and he heard noises come from downstairs. He stopped and listened, but he could barely hear people talking. He slowly crept down the stairs, one at a time, and paused on each one. When he was almost at the bottom, a group of four people passed by in the hallway, right below where he stood. They didn''t see him, but he froze anyways. Teepo, go! Teepo jumped down and skittered down the stairs and barely touched them. He disappeared around the corner. Ren waited for a few moments and then Teepo spoke. ¡°Master! The party is still going on!¡± What? How? ¡°I don''t know... but there are still lots of people here and they look like they are performing some type of mating ritual.¡± Ren was shocked when he heard this, and turned off Sneak. Teepo must be seeing things... Ren thought as he walked down the stairs, down the hallway, past some bystanders, and into the main hall. Ren almost laughed when he saw what Teepo had seen. People actually were doing a kind of mating ritual. They were dancing. Ren looked at the crowd of people that were now gathered in the middle of the hall. They''re dancing, Teepo. ¡°That''s what I said, master. A mating ritual.¡± Ren laughed and looked down at Teepo. He wasn''t going to try and explain the differences to Teepo tonight. When he looked up, a young girl with glasses stood in front of him. ¡°Would you care to dance?¡± Rosie the Librarian asked as she held out her hand. Oh, crap. Ren thought. Teepo chittered in laughter. Chapter 27 - The After Party Rosie waggled her hand in front of Ren. ¡°Well, come on. I don''t bite.¡± ¡°I... I can''t dance.¡± Ren admitted to her. ¡°Nonsense. It''s easy. I''ll show you.¡±
New Quest!
Let Rosie Teach You How To Dance Difficulty - E Rewards ???
¡°But... but... but...¡± Ren sighed as Rosie waggled her hand again. ¡°Okay.¡± Rosie squealed in delight, took Ren''s hand, and practically dragged him to the dance area. The got to the edge of the dance floor and Rosie turned to Ren. ¡°Okay, show me what you got.¡± Rosie said. ¡°What? Oh... uh...¡± Ren didn''t know what to do, as he''d never been dancing before, and Teepo told him what to do. Ren put his hands up next to the cheeks on his face and pointed his fingers out towards Rosie. He then squatted a little bit, then skittered to the left about a foot, then skittered to the right about 2 feet and then back to the center. It made Ren think of MC Hammer and Hammer-time. Rosie was having fits of laughter. ¡°What...¡± She laughed. ¡°...was...¡± She doubled over. ¡°...that?!?¡± She took another fit of laughter. ¡°Umm... someone told me that was a proper dance.¡± Ren said and glared down at Teepo. ¡°It worked where I was from.¡± Teepo said to defend himself. ¡°That''s top form dancing!¡± Ren shook his head and Rosie finished laughing. ¡°Okay, so you weren''t lying when you said you couldn''t dance. Got it.¡± Rosie said and waved him closer. ¡°Come here.¡± Ren walked over to her and she took his left hand and placed it on her right hip. She then took his right hand and kept a hold of it with her left. ¡°This is the basic waltz. Move your left foot forward when my right foot moves back, and then your other foot right after. Shuffle to the side, then move back. Follow my lead, okay?¡± Rosie said and Ren nodded. They moved around the floor in a small area, and he got the steps pretty quick. Rosie stopped after a minute and they switched hand placements. ¡°Okay now you lead.¡± Ren looked at her in shock. ¡°Just do the same moves, but you start them and I''ll follow.¡± She said, with complete confidence in him. Ren closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened his eyes and did as she said. They moved around the floor in the same pattern, only Ren was leading the way. He actually did really well, considering it was his first time. He didn''t step on Rosie''s foot once. He was a bit jerky in his movements, however. When they stopped, Rosie was about to tell him he did well, and he held up his hand to stop her. He took another deep breath, activated Sneak, and did the dance again. He swept Rosie off of her feet and propelled her across the dance floor, much to her amazement. Ren was shocked as well. He didn''t think he could apply such a tactic to dancing! It was just a whim on his part, but it worked beautifully. He stepped lightly and quickly, and Rosie had a bit of a hard time keeping up with him. When the song finished, Ren turned Rosie to face him and he bowed to her. ¡°Dear lady, thank you for teaching me how to dance.¡± Rosie was a bit breathless when she replied. ¡°You''re welcome.¡±
Quest complete!
Your debonair style has impressed Rosie beyond belief. Rewards: You can dance +50XP Fame XP Bonus 10%
Neither of them had realized that all the other couples had stopped dancing, until a round of applause spread across the room. Rosie blushed and Ren ducked his head when they saw that they had an audience. Ren took Rosie''s hand and led her off the dance floor, waving occasionally to the crowd with his other hand.
Ability Increase!
Etiquette Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
When they got to the wall, Rosie turned on him. ¡°I thought you said you couldn''t dance!¡± She tried to whisper, but it came out at a normal volume. ¡°I couldn''t. You literally just showed me how to do it.¡± Ren said. ¡°How did you do it so well at the end, then?¡± She fumed. ¡°Rosie, you''re a great teacher. I never... I''ve never danced before.¡± Ren shook his head and said in a small voice. ¡°Ever.¡± Rosie heard the sincerity in his words. ¡°Really?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You''re my first dance partner. In fact, this is the first party like this that I''ve ever been to.¡± ¡°Well... I''m glad I was able to help.¡± Rosie said. She''d been soothed by his truthful admission. ¡°I''m glad, too. Thanks, Rosie. I mean it.¡± Ren said and bowed to her again. Rosie nodded to him and walked towards the crowd at the other side of the room. Ren went over to the refreshments table, and saw that all the coins were gone. He got another drink from Anabelle, and they exchanged smiles again. He went to put another silver on the table, but she grabbed his hand and placed a note in it. It was a bit heavy for just parchment, so he put it in his pocket. She nodded to him and said that the party was almost over. Ren thanked her and drank his drink. He walked out of the hall, down the hallway, and stepped into the same alcove he''d changed his clothes in before the party. He took out the parchment and opened it. Inside was a small key and a set of directions. Teepo came out of the main hall and skittered over to the alcove. ¡°Master can do his own mating dance now!¡± Ren wasn''t sure if Teepo meant the dancing part, or what the key in his hand meant. Ren blushed when he thought about the second option. No. No, I can''t do that. I may be 17, but I''m stuck in this body... Ren thought. I''ll just have to let her down easy. He put Teepo on his shoulder and followed the directions. He kept Sneak on and went back up the stairs and past ''his'' room and down the other side of the hallway. He turned a corner and went up the smaller set of stairs located there. At the top was a small hallway with a set of doors on each side. The note said the second last one and he went to that door. Ren used the key and opened it. Inside was a plush room, filled with pillows and silk. He wasn''t sure where to sit because he couldn''t see any kind of chair anywhere in the room. All that was there were these giant pillows on the floor and on the bed. He shut the door and walked over to one of the big pillows. Teepo jumped off his shoulder, bounced off a nearby pillow and then disappeared behind the bed. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Hey, don''t get lost.¡± Ren said and Teepo chittered in delight. Neither of them had seen anything like this before. A half hour later, the door opened and Anabelle walked in. She didn''t have on her maid''s uniform, though. Ren stared at her frilly nightgown that was practically see-through. He got that feeling... ahem... down there... and Anabelle walked slowly towards him. He stood up when she was close enough to talk. ¡°Uh... wait...¡± Ren tried to say and Anabelle kissed him. ******** The CEO of Sid Tec thought he was having an okay day, until the tech department called. He wondered where his secretary was because she didn''t answer the phone for him. He picked it up after the 8th ring. ¡°Hello. Sid Tec Incorporated. How may I help you?¡± ¡°Boss, you gotta get down here.¡± Max said. ¡°She''s gone nuts.¡± Edward didn''t have any clue what Max meant by that statement, considering there weren''t any women in the tech department. He just shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I''ll be right there.¡± He said and hung up. Edward got up out of his chair and passed by his secretary''s desk. ¡°Hold all my calls, Elise. I''m heading to...¡± He had forgotten she wasn''t there. He figured the phones could handle themselves for a while. Edward got to the tech department a few minutes later. He saw a plastic trash can hit the window; but neither it, nor the window, broke. Reinforced safety glass was a wonderful thing. He saw papers flying about and heard the occasional crashing sound. He assumed a rogue tornado must have gotten in the building somehow to cause such a ruckus. When he arrived at the door to the tech department, he knew it was a lot worse than a tornado. He had found his missing secretary. ******** At the hospital, Lucy sat by and watched Ren dance for the first time in his life, and her heart leaped. He looked so happy! She watched as he exchanged something with the servant. She was bewildered when he stepped into the alcove... and shocked when she saw the key. ¡°Ren... don''t.¡± She sat in silence as Ren went up the two flights of stairs and unlocked the room with all the nice fluffy pillows. Her heart sank when the girl came in a while later and wore almost nothing. She caught her breath when the girl kissed him. ******** Ren wasn''t sure what to do at first; but he let his instincts take over and kissed her back. He was small, but he''d been doing lots of things to make himself stronger and he could manhandle her pretty easily. He pushed her away and tried to talk. ¡°Look, I... I mean you''re nice and...¡± Anabelle kissed him again and he had to hold her away at arms length. ¡°Look, I''ve never... I''ve not... it''s my first time.¡± ¡°You must really want it bad.¡± Anabelle said and tried to wiggle free. ¡°The most anyone''s offered for a night was 15 copper. That was at last night''s party. I''ve never had a silver coin before.¡± Ren let her go in shock. She kissed him again and he maneuvered her around and got her by the arms and pushed her back. ¡°Last night''s party? Hold on... you mean...¡± ¡°You won the bid. For me. For tonight.¡± She said it like it happened every day. As far as Ren knew, it probably had. He turned her around and sat her down on one of the cushions. Anabelle tried to get up, but he held his hand up to stop her. ¡°Are you telling me... that you get paid to... to...¡± Ren couldn''t finish the sentence. ¡°...and Lord Eric knows?¡± ¡°Of course. Why else would he keep such a large staff around? To clean the place? Ha! One maid can do it in a day.¡± Ren sat down on another pillow and sighed. ¡°I''m sorry, but... I misunderstood. I thought they were tips for your hard work in serving people all night.¡± She nodded. ¡°Now I can serve you personally... all night.¡± She said seductively. Ren stood. ¡°No, I won''t treat a woman like that.¡± He reached into his inventory and pulled out a gold coin. ¡°Here.¡± He said in a cold voice. ¡°Tell ''Lord Eric'' that I''m buying your services, every night, for the rest of the year.¡± Anabelle looked at the gold coin in her hand and then looked at Ren. ¡°Are you going to...?¡± ¡°No. Despite what my body may feel, I have too much respect for women to treat you like that.¡± Ren said and bent down to pick something up off the floor. Anabelle couldn''t see what it was, but it looked like Ren put something on his shoulder as he left the room. She hugged the gold coin to her chest and started to weep. She wasn''t sure why. ******** Lucy let out a sigh of relief. That little hussy didn''t get her claws into my Ren. Lucy startled herself with that thought. My Ren? When did he become ''my'' Ren? Something like that can''t happen. I''m his nurse! Lucy looked over to Ren and saw a rather large bulge had formed under his bed sheet. She blushed and looked away quickly. No. It can''t happen! She glanced back. It can''t! ******** Edward tried his best to calm his secretary down, but it didn''t help. ¡°Rotten...¡± Elise kicked another trash can across the room. ¡°... pieces...¡± She picked up a chair and threw it at the cowering techs hidden behind a desk. ¡°...of sh-¡± ¡°ELISE!¡± Edward shouted. ¡°Please calm down!¡± ¡°NO! You know what they did to him, Edward? DO YOU KNOW?!?¡± He knew it was trouble. His secretary never called him by his first name. ¡°They not only killed him... my sweet little Ren... but they used a GOD...¡± She picked up a paper tray and flung it at the wall. It left a dent. ¡°...DAMNED...¡± Elise grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall and smashed it into one of the work computers on the desk. ¡°...NEEDLE!¡± She flung the fire extinguisher across the room. It clanged when it hit the emergency exit door, leaving yet another dent. She must have thrown it a few times, before Edward had shown up. Edward let her rant. He waited until she was exhausted and breathing hard before he spoke. ¡°No, I didn''t know. In fact, they didn''t tell me it had happened until after they''d done it. They''re gone, Elise. I fired them yesterday.¡± ¡°Fired? FIRED? That''s ALL?!?¡± Elise screeched. ¡°No. I deleted their accounts and had them banned for life.¡± Edward said in a normal voice. He could see she was calming down as he spoke. ¡°They''re gone? They can''t hurt him anymore?¡± She said and fell to her knees. ¡°That''s right. They can''t ever get back into the game. He''s safe.¡± Elise dropped onto her side and cried. ******** Chapter 28 - Opportunity Knocks Ren left the fluffy pillow room and closed the door. He activated Sneak again and went down the stairs. He didn''t see or hear anyone at all and continued down the hallway. He made it down the main stairs and out into the lobby. There were some people milling about, but no one paid him any attention. He deactivated Sneak and walked out through the mansion''s doors. He passed the guards without causing an incident. He stepped into the city street and didn''t know where to go. Huh. It''s still too early to go to any shops. Any suggestions, Teepo? ¡°I wouldn''t mind a nice long walk, master.¡± Ren nodded and headed down the street. He hadn''t walked around this side of the city before, so both he and Teepo would be getting a treat. They didn''t see anyone else along the way, but enjoyed the sights nonetheless. A big waterwheel was next to the river, nestled along the riverbank right in front of a dam. The wheel was churning the water quickly. Ren wasn''t sure what they were doing with all that mechanical energy, but he hoped they weren''t wasting it. They walked on and passed the dock. Ren would have said harbor, but there was only room for two small boats. He assumed the river must be shallow for there not to be at least one big ship to be there. Buildings were everywhere and large walls surrounded the city. Ren didn''t walk along the wall, though. If he could, he''d probably walk on top of it. It looked like there was some kind of walkway, but he hadn''t seen any ladders or stairs to get up there. Ren moved on and continued his pretty much random walking until he reached the Artesian District again. The sun was just coming up and he thought he saw someone moving behind one of the buildings. His curiosity got the better of him and he activated Sneak. He followed the shadow behind the building and down an alleyway. Ren watched as the shadow went to a locked gate, jiggled the handle a bit, and then slipped over the top. Ren followed and stood by the gate. He listened and could hear a slight rubbing of cloth. Ren could see quite a bit better in the dark, but now that it was twilight, his vision was just about the same as a normal person. Ren hopped up and grabbed the top of the gate and pulled himself up. He sat on the edge of the wall and realized what the rubbing cloth was. Someone was moving the tent he had helped Sally with! ¡°Hey, what are you doing?!¡± Ren said a bit loudly. The figure turned towards the voice, and Ren saw that it was a man with long brown hair and a disheveled look. He had a scraggly beard and wore clothes that had seen better days. ¡°Get lost.¡± He whispered. ¡°This isn''t any of your business.¡± ¡°Actually, it is my business.¡± Ren said. ¡°I helped Sally make that tent, and I won''t let anyone steal it from her.¡± ¡°Steal it?¡± The man said, a bit shocked. He forgot to keep his voice down and a light went on in Sally''s place. ¡°Now you''ve done it!¡± He snapped at Ren. ¡°I didn''t want to wake her up!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Of course you didn''t want to wake her up. It would be easier to get away if she never knew you were there.¡± ¡°I''m not stealing-¡± They both heard a creak when the back door opened. ¡°What''s going on out here? Who''s making so much noise at the ass-crack of dawn?¡± Sally said. ¡°MOTHER!¡± The man shouted. Mother!?! Thought Ren, surprised. ******** Edward got his secretary back to her desk and she settled down enough to not be crying constantly. ¡°Elise, why are you acting this way? I know Ren had a hard life...¡± ¡°No... you don''t get it. It was my fault!¡± She said and sobbed. ¡°What? Why would you think that?¡± ¡°Because... I had someone follow him for a while... but they lost sight of him earlier that day. I had hoped to find him again... I wanted to keep him safe... my poor little Ren...¡± She said. ¡°...but then...¡± She sobbed harder. ¡°...but then... they killed him!¡± She bawled and Edward handed her another tissue. ¡°You watched the video, didn''t you.¡± Edward said. Elise nodded. ¡°It wasn''t your fault.¡± Edward said and sighed. ¡°Even if you knew something like this was going to happen...¡± ¡°It happened right outside my house!¡± She said and then slapped her hand over her mouth with a clap. ¡°Your house?¡± Edward asked. Elise sighed and nodded. ¡°I had one built in the housing district so I could try and keep tabs on him while he was trapped in the game... but... but... it didn''t work.¡± She said and cried some more. ¡°I failed him!¡± So that was why it''s hit her so hard. Edward thought. She was probably sitting right there when it happened and missed the whole thing. ******** Sally invited both Ren and Aimus inside for some breakfast. They reluctantly followed her into her kitchen and she made them something to eat. Ren apologized for making so much noise, but he thought Aimus was a burglar and didn''t want him robbing her. Sally laughed and Aimus grunted. They both knew Ren really did have Sally''s best interest at heart. ¡°You weren''t supposed to pick up the tent until tomorrow.¡± Sally said to Aimus. Aimus shrugged. ¡°I got away earlier than I expected to... and didn''t find anything on the way to slow me down.¡± Ren turned to Sally with a question on his face, but she answered before he said anything. ¡°Aimus hunts. If he finds any worthy game, he''ll stop traveling and take hours... and sometimes days...¡± Sally said and rolled her eyes. ¡°...tracking whatever it is, to kill it.¡± Ren nodded. Sally asked Aimus how the weather had been back home, and Aimus told her it was almost the same as it was in the city. It didn''t rain once, and it was a few days travel away. They guessed it might be the beginnings of a drought. It sounds dangerous. Ren thought about Aimus''s behavior. It made Ren wonder why he would do that to Sally... and then it clicked. Sally said that her husband had taught everything he knew to her son. Ren thought. She also said that her husband had died doing what he loved... Ren looked at Sally with realization in his eyes. She nodded but didn''t say anything. ¡°How long are you staying?¡± Ren asked. He hoped to learn leatherworking from the only expert around. Aimus smirked at him and stood. ¡°Well, mother... thank you for the meal. I''ll be taking the tent and leaving now.¡± He glanced at Ren with a bit of malice. ¡°I didn''t intend to wake you up so early.¡± ¡°I already apologized!¡± Ren said. Sally laughed and gave Aimus a hug. He was a bit startled, but hugged her back. ¡°Tell Ana I send my love.¡± Sally said. Aimus nodded and turned towards the door. ¡°Wait!¡± Ren said. Sally and Aimus turned to Ren, who had kind of an anguished look on his face. ¡°Take me with you.¡± They were shocked to hear Ren ask something like that. Aimus leaned towards him. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I want to get out of the city for a while. It''s... left a bad taste in my mouth.¡± Ren said. Aimus leaned back and smiled. ¡°Gotten a glimpse of the seedy underbelly, have you?¡± Ren lowered his head and nodded. ¡°Good.¡± Aimus said. Ren looked up and didn''t see pity on either Aimus or Sally''s faces. ¡°You''ve gotten to see what it''s really like here. Mother stays because her business is here. I left as soon as I was able.¡± Aimus said. ¡°My mother likes you for some reason, so I won''t object to you coming along; but it''s not a free ride, either. I expect you to hold up your end.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Ren grinned at him and put a half dozen gold coins on the kitchen table. ¡°Is this enough to start?¡± ¡°To start?!?¡± Aimus said and stared at the coins. Ren put another half dozen on the table. ¡°How about now?¡± ¡°Stop! STOP!¡± Aimus said and shook his head. He reached out and only took 4 of the coins. ¡°I''ll go and buy provisions for the trip.¡± ¡°You''d better stop in to see Beable. He''s had the traps you ordered for two weeks now and wants them out of his shop.¡± Sally said with a smirk on her face. Aimus smiled back at her. ¡°That''s fine. I don''t know what makes him more nervous. The teeth or the wires.¡± Ren was intrigued. Traps? ¡°Oh, it''s definitely the ''snapping his foot off'' part that makes him nervous.¡± Sally said and laughed. Aimus laughed too, and went out the back door. ¡°Ren, he''ll probably be gone for a while.¡± Sally said. ¡°Since I''m up, I might as well go into the shop early. There''s always work to be done.¡± Ren nodded and followed her. He had some work to do, too. They went to the front of the shop and Sally opened for business. Ren asked for the use of one of the back tables, and Sally waved him away. ¡°Of course! You''re my student. Help yourself.¡± Ren went to a table that didn''t have anything on it and pulled out his bolt of spider silk cloth. He took off a couple yards of it and cut out a set of traveling clothes. He used the dye to make them the same as his other set of traveling clothes, sewed the pieces together, and equipped the outfit. The only thing he kept from the uniform were the High Elven boots that Sally had made. They were better and more comfortable than the standard boots. He lost his ''+5 to all stats bonus'' that the uniform gave him, but the new clothes still had the same high durability. Ren smiled. The best armor was the armor that people didn''t know you had. Ren took out the remains of his tent and cut out the template for a coin pouch. He took his time with it, just like he always did, and finished it even quicker than before. The only thing he changed was that he used a folded over piece of spider silk cloth for the drawstring instead of the normal strap of leather. He was a bit shocked at the result, but quite pleased as well.
Superb Spider Silk Coin Vault
High Quality! The impeccable stitching and high durability of the materials has made this more than just a coin pouch. The stitching will never break and it cannot be cut by knives. Cannot be damaged by standard weapons. Binds to owner when equipped (becomes non-tradeable) Durability: 300/300
Ren made 4 more and equipped one of them. He kept one to give to Aimus and left three on the table. He took the thread out of his old coin pouch and tossed the cloth into the box Sally kept under the counter. It was the perfect size for a rag. Ren then turned and watched Sally as she worked. She seemed content as she sat there and her hands never faltered. He didn''t know what she was working on, but she finished whatever it was, put it aside, and picked up more cloth and kept working. Ren turned back to the table and took out his book of runes. He turned to the last page and imprinted the protection rune into his brain. He flipped back to the other runes at the front of the book and pictured each of them combined with the new rune of protection that he had. He felt the book''s pages fill as each new glyph took shape in his mind. When he finished, he flipped through the new pages and marveled at the new glyphs. He had protection glyphs for them all.... like fire, lightning, earth, wind, water... and the best one... Holy Light of Protection: +15 defense against Undead. Ren smiled. There it was. Absolute proof that there was other kinds of magic in this world. Necromancy had to exist for there to be a defense against it! Ren thought. He took out the old buckler shield that he''d scavenged during the expedition and absorbed the old earth rune he''d had on it. He looked back through the pages and found the protection glyph for earth. Ren placed his hand on the buckler and felt a good portion of his mana drain. The glyph etched itself into the wood.
Small Wooden Buckler
This poor quality buckler has been enchanted almost to the point of it''s own destruction. Hand of the Earth: +15 to armor Armor: +5 Durability 20/20
Ren chuckled at the description. The game seemed to come up with some odd things sometimes. He put the buckler away and got another popup.
Ability Increase!
Your ability to enchant has become better than ever before
Enchanting Level 1 (Intermediate 0%)
You can now combine up to 3 runes into a single glyph Higher levels will allow even more runes to be added to each glyph
Ren whooped in surprise. Sally let out a startled ''yip'' and looked over to him. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said, sheepishly. Sally shook her head and went back to work. Ren looked down at his book and it''s pages had doubled in size. He flipped through the book and saw that the single runes he''d had on each page, now had the single rune at the top corner and the double rune glyph he''d made during the expedition at the other corner. The book had rearranged itself! Ren looked at the page, and imagined what three of the same basic runes mixed together would look like. It took a minute for it to be clear in his mind, and the glyph appeared on the page at the bottom corner. Ren smiled. He flipped to each page and did the same thing for each rune. He tried a few other combinations, but like before, some weren''t compatible with each other and didn''t form on the page. Ren turned to the protection runes he''d made earlier and they had shuffled into the top corners of the pages and into smaller versions as well. He imagined glyphs with two basic runes of the same type and one protection, and one basic rune and two protection, just to see what the stat difference would be. There was about 10 points in the difference; so, if he wanted more element power, he sacrificed protection, and the more protection he had, the less element power. There was still some room left on each page and Ren smiled again. He guessed that Intermediate level 5 would give him access to the 4th rune option. Ren took out his enchanted buckler again and absorbed the glyph from it. He turn the pages of his book until he got to the earth one and put his hand on the buckler. Ren felt his mana drain a bit more than the first time. He opened his eyes and saw the glyph etch itself into the face of the wood. The buckler glowed with a dull light... and then shattered with a loud bang into hundreds of splinters of wood. Ren covered his face just in time; but when he looked around, he saw that the wood pieces had covered his table, the floor surrounding him, and most of the cloth projects that were on the next table. ¡°Oops.¡± Chapter 29 - Into The Wild Ren and Sally spent a good half hour cleaning up the mess. Teepo on the other hand, chittered in delight with each new place he found to wedge himself into. Ren apologized to Sally again for messing up her shop, but Sally just shook her head and laughed. Aimus came in just as they had tossed the last of the wood pieces into the hearth of the fireplace. He carried two large bags through the shop and into the back. Ren asked to buy a bolt of fabric from Sally and she handed over her best one. He tried to pay for it and she wouldn''t take it. Ren walked over to the table he''d used and picked up the three coin pouches he''d left there and handed them to Sally. ¡°Ren? What in the world!¡± Sally said when she examined the new pouches. ¡°You shouldn''t use up your fabric for something like this!¡± Ren smiled to himself. He had guessed right that she''d be upset if she thought he was ''wasting'' the fabric. ¡°Don''t worry, I only used scraps.¡± She doesn''t need to know the details of how I got those scraps, though. ¡°I can''t take these.¡± Sally said and tried to hand them back. ¡°I made them for you, to keep or to sell. Plus, now you know what to do with any scraps you might have left when you use your fabric.¡± Sally looked at them closely and commented on how it was quite smart to use the same fabric for the drawstring because it increased the strength and value immensely. Ren blushed a little at the compliment. Aimus came back into the front of the shop and Ren handed him the last one. ¡°What''s this?¡± Aimus said, sceptically. ¡°It''s just... a thank you for letting me tag along.¡± Ren said. Aimus grunted and took the pouch without comment. He saw the ones his mother was holding and assumed Ren had bought it from her. He wasn''t about to reject one of his mother''s products. No matter how expensive it looked, it wouldn''t last long out in the wild. ¡°Come on, boy. We''re wasting daylight.¡± Aimus said and went out the back of the shop. Ren closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He doesn''t know me yet, or how much I hate being called boy. Ren thought and followed Aimus out the back door. The gate was open this time and a horse was hooked up to the cart. ¡°Do you know how to handle something like this?¡± Aimus asked, knowing full well a city boy like Ren wouldn''t know the first thing about driving a cart. ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said with confidence. He went around the cart and checked all the fastenings, took the reins and hopped up onto the driver''s bench. Ren checked that the brake was okay and wasn''t too worn, turned to Aimus and nodded. Aimus had a shocked look on his face and Ren grinned. Sally had come out to stand by the back door. She had watched their little exchange. ¡°You''ll have to get used to that feeling, eventually.¡± Sally said to Aimus, and laughed. Aimus shook his head and got up onto the bench as well. There wasn''t a lot of room, but considering they were both pretty thin, they had room to move around without too much difficulty. ¡°We''re going out the city''s south gate.¡± Aimus said and pointed. He turned to his mother. ¡°I''ll see you again next month.¡± Sally nodded and waved. ¡°Bye, Sally! I learned a lot! See you soon!¡± Ren said and waved before he flicked the reins. The horse clopped out of Sally''s back yard and into the street. Ren stopped the horse and Aimus hopped off and locked Sally''s back gate. He got back on and Ren headed for the south gate. ******** Darkness was everywhere. It would have been difficult for a normal person to see, but Tristan was used to it by now. He''d spent months being tortured; daily whippings, beatings, and starvation. He eventually broke free and fought his way out of the deep caverns of Shargon. He''d only just learned the name a few weeks ago; some poor idiot had stumbled into the caves by accident and had gotten horribly lost. It had happened for the most part because he couldn''t see. Luckily, one of the first new abilities Tristan had gained was night vision. His eyes were almost completely black now, instead of the nice sea blue they had started as. His jet black hair was long and matted. His beautiful white and gold armor was nearly pitch black, with veins of darkness flowing through it. His old glowing sword actually absorbed light now. Tristian clenched his fist and blood flowed from a spike he had planted into his palm. Mana flowed and he felt the familiar drain again. A dark mist appeared and formed into a portal. A small hellhound, little more than a pup, stepped out and the portal closed. He reached down and fed the dog with his blood. Summoning required sacrifice. Tristian remembered how he had gotten there and what he''d had to do to survive. A twisted smile appeared on his face. It was all that little bastard''s fault. ******** Ren drove the cart for most of the day. Aimus was surprised that Ren hadn''t complained once. Not about the jostling, the rough road, the heat, the hard seat, or even about having to stop to feed and water the horse every few hours. How is he not boiling with frustration right now? Aimus thought. Ren was having the time of his life. He''d never been outside the city, except for when he went mining for ore. The scenery was completely different in this direction. There was always something new to see. Some kind of creature, a weird looking tree, or an oddly shaped rock always crept into his vision and caught his attention. The occasional stops to take care of the horse was an opportunity to explore a new area. Ren never went far. He always stayed within sight of the cart. He had no idea what kind of dangers lurked in these spots, but he couldn''t stop himself from roaming around a little. Teepo was in the same situation as Ren. They both shared the love of seeing something new, and Ren would smile when Teepo would point out a beetle shaped bush or poop shaped rock. That all came to a halt when Ren pointed upwards and Teepo saw his very first cloud. He had chittered in surprise and just stood on Ren''s shoulder for hours, not saying a word. Aimus directed Ren to pull the cart into a nice clearing, and they settled in to make camp. Ren got the cart secured properly, and unhooked the horse. He led the horse to a nearby tree and tied the reins to it. It gave the horse a bit of room to move around and graze, if it wanted to, and kind of acted as an early warning system if anything should happen close by. Aimus took out one of the big bags that he''d put in the cart and opened it. Inside was a variety of traps that he''d ordered. Ren looked closely as he unpacked several different types. Aimus took out a length of snare wire and went to the edge of the clearing. He tied it to a tree stump near the road and looped it around various rocks and trees around the clearing, then tied the end to a stick. He pushed the stick into the ground near the cart, and kept tension on it. He then took out a little bell and hung it on the wire next to the stick. Aimus walked back, along the length of wire, hitting it occasionally and the little bell jingled each time. He nodded and walked back to the cart.Stolen novel; please report. Ren looked at one of the traps near the bag. It had a metal frame and wires along the edge, and some kind of mechanism in the center. He turned to Aimus and asked if he minded if Ren looked at it. Aimus shrugged, took a similar trap, and went into the treeline. Ren picked up the trap, moved it''s parts around, felt the tension in the wire, flicked the mechanism in the center a few times, then pushed the metal frame apart until it opened and the middle piece popped up. Ren instinctively knew not to hit the middle piece with his hand, and grabbed a stick that was nearby. He poked the center piece, and the trap sprung closed with a snap and held onto the stick. ¡°Whoa!¡± Ren said, in awe.
New Recipe!
Basic Leg Holding Trap You have learned the plans to make a basic animal trap. It will hold an animal without hurting it. The plans have been added to your crafting list.
Ren picked up another trap and did the same thing. He learned how to make a basic snare trap and a lure trap, too. He wasn''t sure if he liked the snare trap, though. Whatever was caught, if it struggled, the snare would just get tighter and tighter... no matter what part of the animal was in it. It didn''t seem quite right to Ren; but since he had no idea what kind of animals it was used to capture, he wouldn''t pass judgment on it yet. Aimus came back when Ren was done and took the leg trap Ren had examined, and a snare trap. Ren looked at Aimus, but Aimus ignored Ren and left again. Ren took out his bedroll and put it next to the cart. He laid down on it and Teepo moved onto his chest. ¡°It''s a big world, master.¡± Teepo whispered. ¡°It sure is.¡± Ren said in response. The sky grew dark a while later and Aimus returned empty-handed. He laid down on the ground and stared up at the sky. He didn''t even get out a bedroll. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Ren said. Aimus just grunted. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Lucy took off Ren''s VR headset and smiled at him. Ren smiled back and got out of bed. He needed the bathroom. He wasn''t sure if it was because his brain thought he ate, of if it was because he had physically eaten that morning, but it didn''t matter. His body said it needed to go, so he went. When he washed his hands and got back in bed, Lucy asked if he wanted anything to eat. Ren nodded and she went to make him a snack. It would be several hours before supper would be served and Ren didn''t think he could last that long. He was famished. Lucy returned about 10 minutes later with orange juice, a turkey sandwich and some potato chips. Ren thanked her and dug into the food. It didn''t take him long to finish off the sandwich and then he took his time with the chips. He talked to Lucy about what she thought of Aimus and how he and Ren had met. Lucy said that it was really dangerous for Ren to follow someone like that around the town. If he''d been a real criminal, Ren would have been in some serious trouble. Ren nodded but admitted that at the time, he didn''t think about that. It was lucky he didn''t, because then he would have missed Sally''s son and wouldn''t be travelling out of the city. Lucy agreed but warned him to be more careful about strangers in the future. Not everyone would be so nice to him... especially so far away from civilization. Ren nodded again. Lucy debated with herself about mentioning Ren''s encounter with the maid, but decided against it. He''d handled the situation admirably, despite the maid''s attempts to seduce him. Lucy was tempted to tell him to not get into those kinds of situations in the first place, but it really wasn''t her job to monitor his behavior... no matter how much she wanted to keep him safe. Several other nurses visited Ren on their rounds and he enjoyed their company. He used to resent them cuddling him and treating him they way that they do, but he knew that they only really did that because they cared about him. He had surprised some of them when he actively hugged them back. Others had hugged him harder. After supper was served, he used the bathroom quickly and got into bed. Lucy had just left and Barbara came in to tuck Ren in. She gave him an extra squeeze during their hug and Ren laughed. He''d lost count of how many boobs his face had met that day. Barbara passed him his VR headset and he settled in for another day in the game. ******** When Ren ''woke up'' in his bedroll, Teepo was nowhere to be found. Teepo? ¡°Yes, master.¡± Where are you? ¡°Talking with my above ground brethren.¡± That''s what you''re doing, not where you are. Ren thought amused. ¡°Actually, I don''t think I know where I am.¡± Teepo said. Ren shrugged. Are you finished talking? Teepo said that he was. Ren told him to tell his brothers goodbye, and Teepo did. ¡°Summon Teepo!¡± Ren said as quietly as he could. Teepo''s astral projection appeared in front of him. Ren hadn''t seen Aimus on the ground anywhere nearby, but that didn''t mean he could make as much noise as he wanted so early in the morning. Teepo told Ren of his adventures that he had roaming all night and Aimus returned to the camp with two rabbits and a fox. They were a bit larger than the ones in the safe area outside the city''s west gate. Ren assumed since they were out in the wild that they must have been stronger as well. Ren got out of his bedroll and put it away. Aimus took the carcasses over to the cart and put down a piece of tarp. He took out a skinning knife and expertly whipped the knife around one of the rabbits, and the whole pelt popped off in a single piece. Aimus stashed it and Ren stepped closer. ¡°Could you do that a bit more slowly?¡± Ren asked and sat down next to the tarp. Aimus looked at him and shrugged. He grabbed the next rabbit, placed the skinning knife at the base of it''s throat, pulled it down to it''s mid-section, cut around the front leg, then around the back leg, across the top of the body at the tail, around the other back leg, then the front leg, and finished at the throat where he started. The pelt popped off whole and Aimus stashed it. ¡°Can I try it?¡± Ren asked. There was only a fox left, but he''d figured if you were careful, the same cutting pattern could be used no matter how big the animal was. Aimus shrugged again and flipped the knife around in his hand and passed it, hilt first, to Ren. Ren took it, giving the sharp edge the respect it was due, and picked up the fox. Ren took his time, but he followed the same motions he''d seen Aimus do. A few minutes later the fox''s pelt popped off whole.
New Sub Skill!
Skinning Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This sub skill under Leatherworking will allow you to skin animals and gain their pelts. Higher levels will allow you to obtain higher quality pelts and skin more difficult and larger animals.
Ren smiled and passed the pelt to Aimus. Aimus took it and examined it closely. ¡°It''s a little ragged along the outer edges. I wouldn''t have gotten so close to the tail, myself. Other than that, though... I suppose it''s a passable pelt.¡± Ren smiled. Considering it was his very first one, ''passable'' was the best rating Aimus could have given him. Other results could have been ''horrible'', ''disastrous'', ''mangled'', and ''unusable''. Ren smiled wider. Passable was just fine in his eyes. Aimus looked at Ren''s smile and wondered what Ren was thinking. He''d just insulted the kid by saying the pelt was only ''passable''. It was fantastic for a first attempt; but, he didn''t want to give Ren a swelled head by telling him that. Aimus stashed the pelt like he did for the two rabbits and stood up. ¡°Let''s hook up the horse and get going.¡± Ren looked at the carcasses Aimus had left and looted them. He got a rabbit foot from each rabbit and a fox tail from the fox. He wasn''t sure what he could do with them, but it didn''t hurt to take what he found. He could always drop them later if he had to. They got the horse hooked up and back onto the road. Aimus drove this time and Ren didn''t object. He didn''t know the way, anyways. Aimus was shocked again when Ren didn''t say anything about them not having breakfast. Almost anyone he knew would say they wanted to eat something, first thing in the morning. Who was this kid? Why did my mother like him so much? Ren didn''t even object to him driving the cart, even though he had driven it the whole day yesterday. Aimus shook his head slightly and they continued their journey. Chapter 30 - The Wild * (Author''s Note: I''m going away for 5 days starting tonight (Sept 18-22) so no new updates until at least a day after that. I know... I know... I''ve been spoiling you with writing a new chapter every day for over a week now, but I won''t have internet access (or even something to write on) the whole time and I literally can''t post new updates. We''re going to have to wait to see what happens next. Myself included.) * It was about noon when they approached the mountain pass. Ren looked at it, and it was a harrowing path to follow. Dark jagged rocks pointed out everywhere and it didn''t look safe to cross at all. He looked at Aimus with doubt in his eyes. Aimus laughed. ¡°It looks that way on purpose. It keeps people who don''t really want to go from passing through.¡± Ren thought about it. That would be a good deterrent. If people believed it to be impassable, it actually was. Ren looked back at it with this realization in mind and it seemed to be a less daunting task. He grinned. He''d guessed right. Aimus stopped the cart and they got out to take a rest. There wasn''t any spots to do so on the path, so it had to be done here and once again after they''d crossed it. They fed and watered the horse and stretched their legs. Aimus took out a loaf of bread and tossed it to Ren. Ren caught it and broke a small piece off and tossed it back. Aimus had intended to give Ren the whole loaf, but was shocked when he''d only taken a small piece and gave it back. Ren took out his water skin and drank some of it to wash the bread down. Aimus ate the rest of the loaf and took out a piece of jerky he''d brought from home. He motioned to Ren and Ren nodded. He caught it just as easily as he did the loaf of bread and put it in his mouth to chew. By the feel of the jerky, he''d be chewing on it for a while. Aimus took a piece for himself and told Ren to get on the cart. Ren did so and Aimus got on as well. He took the reins and got the horse moving at a slow pace. Even though Aimus knew the mountain pass was passable, it didn''t mean that it wasn''t dangerous. They got about halfway through the mountain pass when Ren felt a familiar pull on his right. His arm had brushed one of the rocks and he knew something was there. ¡°Stop the cart, please.¡± Ren asked Aimus. Aimus did. ¡°What is it? There''s no animals about. Did you see something?¡± ¡°No, I just felt something on the rock face we just passed. Hold on a second. I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and got off the cart. ¡°Don''t go near the cliff''s edge. It''s a long way down from here.¡± Aimus said. Ren nodded. He went back up the path and felt along the rock. He felt the pulse again, but something was off. He activated Enchanting Eyes and a 4 foot section of the rock glowed. It was an enchantment! He activated Read Rune and Decipher, and looked at the glyph that appeared. It took a few minutes, but he saw light, earth, wind, arcane and protection. Once he saw all of them, and how they mixed into the glyph, he put his hand on it and absorbed it. The rock face crumbled and he stepped out of the way. It looked like the face was only about an inch thick because there wasn''t much rock from it''s collapse. Ren turned to Aimus standing next to the cart. ¡°If this is what I think it is, get ready to run.¡± Ren said and went into the small opening. Ren walked for only a minute and saw only a flat wall. Teepo wasn''t scared since he''d been underground his whole life and just rode Ren''s shoulder in silence. Ren activated Read Rune again and saw the same glyph on the wall. He touched it and absorbed it. The wall face collapsed and behind it was another chunk of that strange glowing gem like ore that he''d found a while ago when mining. He took out his mining pick and had the ore out of the wall in seconds. He grabbed it, dropped it into his inventory with the other one and ran for his life. He knew what was coming. Teepo chittered in delight. He liked it when his master ran.
Notice!
You''ve caught the attention of the ''Spirit of Earth''
Ren heard a rumbling behind him. He ran out of the hole and turned to the cart. ¡°Go! GO!!!¡± He shouted and Aimus flicked the reins. The horse started to trot and Ren caught up to them easily. ¡°Faster!¡± Ren said and hopped up onto the seat. He looked back and saw a large portion of the rock face bulge out. A huge rock golem appeared on the trail a moment later. It was made of dark jagged rock, just like the mountain, and looked like it meant to do him some harm. ¡°I said faster!¡± Ren said and smiled. Aimus looked back and saw the rock golem following them. He had heard stories about such creatures, but he''d never seen one in person before. ¡°What did you do!?!¡± Aimus shouted at Ren and flicked the reins again. The horse picked up speed and the cart started to shake. It wasn''t designed to go that fast on this kind of terrain, but Aimus didn''t much care what it was designed to do... he knew what it could do. Ren laughed but didn''t say anything. He looked back at the rock golem again and saw it was keeping up with them, but it wasn''t gaining on them. ¡°I need to borrow one of your traps!¡± Ren said and hopped into the back of the cart. He rummaged through one of the bags Aimus had and pulled out a leg holding trap. He climbed back onto the front seat with the trap in his hand. Ren took out his book of runes and flipped to the right page. He held the glyph in his mind and put his hand on the trap. It glowed and a glyph etched itself on the trigger piece in the center. Ren put his rune book away. ¡°Make sure you keep going when I jump!¡± Ren said and grinned. Aimus looked at him in shock and Ren hopped off the side of the cart. Teepo chittered in delight again and held on to Ren''s shoulder. They rolled a couple of times and came to a stop. He lost a portion of his health but he didn''t think about that. Ren set the trap right on the edge of the path next to the rock face and took off running. He knew he didn''t want to be close to the trap when it went off. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Ren could hear the rock golem tromping behind him and then he heard a snap and a loud grinding sound. Ren stopped running and turned around. What he saw amazed him. His gamble had worked. The rock golem had indeed set off the trap. It now stood on the road, with its leg clearly held on to by what looked like a big hand made of rock. It looked down and saw it was trapped. It tried to pull it''s leg out several times, and just when Ren thought it was going to give up, it''s leg popped off. It looked down again, and then teetered on the side of the cliff. It stuck out it''s arms, but it was too late. It fell over the side and crumbled into a pile of rocks down the cliff face. ¡°Master killed it!¡± Teepo said, happily. Ren got a popup.
Notice!
You have successfully defeated the Spirit of Earth - Greater Rock Golem and evaded capture. Rewards: 200XP Fame XP Bonus: 10%
Ren went over to the trap and his enchanted rock hand was still there. He grinned and touched the trap, absorbing the enchantment. He really liked the ''Grip of the Earth'' glyph he''d made that morning when he''d gained access to the third rune option. He didn''t know it would work like that, though. Maybe it was because of what he''d enchanted? Since it was a trap, it became a trap enchantment? He''d have to experiment later on. Ren picked up the trap and looked down at the ground. He saw a black jaded rock and picked it up.
Notice!
You have found something interesting. A pet rock.
Ren examined it.
Pet Rock
The perfect pet! It does not need to be fed, walked, bathed, or groomed. It will never be disobedient or get sick. It will never die.
Ren laughed at the description. He put the rock away and took off running down the path, much to Teepo''s delight. There were no other trails leading off of it, so he had no worries about getting lost. A half hour later he came out of the mountain pass and met Aimus at the bottom. It looked like he''d been there a while. The horse looked rested and well fed. ¡°I was just about to go searching for your body.¡± Aimus said. Ren laughed and passed him back his trap. It had been beat up pretty badly after being stepped on by a big pile of rocks, but Ren had repaired it easily. Aimus asked what had happened, and Ren said that the enchanted trap had worked. The rock golem got caught and then fell over the side. Aimus commented that he''d heard the rock slide, but assumed it had been Ren falling to his death. Ren laughed again. Aimus wondered how Ren could be so flippant about falling from such a height to his death. Aimus himself wasn''t immune to the heights they''d passed and it made him nervous every time he went through the mountain pass. He packed away the trap Ren had returned to him. What was with this kid? Aimus thought as Ren helped him hook the horse back up to the cart. What Aimus didn''t know was that Ren didn''t fear heights in the game anymore. He knew he could still get seriously hurt or even die; but since he''d survived a fall from so great a height in that underground cavern, the mountain just seemed so small in comparison. They travelled along the road for most of the day and camped at another clearing that night. Aimus repeated the same things he did the last time they had camped overnight, and Ren set out his bedroll. ¡°Don''t go too far, Teepo.¡± Ren said to his little friend. Teepo hopped off his shoulder and disappeared into the sparse bushes. ¡°Of course not, master!¡± Ren chuckled and figured he''d have to summon him again in the ''morning''. He considered logging out for the game''s night, but since all he''d do is sleep in the real world anyways, he tucked himself into his bedroll and went to sleep. Ren awoke to the smell of eggs being cooked. He got out of his bedroll and packed it away. He saw that Aimus had a small fire going and had a small wire mesh over the top of it. The skillet sat on the mesh and sizzled with grease. Ren walked over to the fire and sat down across from Aimus.. who was once again surprised that Ren wasn''t complaining about being woken up that way or about how early it was. His mother was right. He would have to get used to the idea of being surprised by Ren. Aimus took out a small plate. He slid a single egg onto it and handed it to Ren. Ren took it and dumped the egg into his mouth and chewed it up. ¡°Ah... that was delicious. Thanks for breakfast.¡± Ren said and passed the plate back. Aimus looked at Ren sceptically. Was he joking? That was only the first egg I was going to give him! I only have one small plate to eat from. Ren got up and stretched his legs. What Aimus didn''t know was that Ren was training both his Staying Power and his Rationing. They were getting pretty high after a few days of travel. Ren went around the cart and checked to see if everything was okay. Nothing seemed disturbed. He thought about Teepo, who immediately responded that he didn''t know where he was. Ren laughed and said that it was fine and summoned him again. Teepo reappeared at Ren''s feet and he picked Teepo up to put on his shoulder. Aimus ate his breakfast and put out the fire with dirt. He looked over and saw Ren who stood on the other side of the cart, staring out at the wilderness. Aimus shrugged and went to collect anything the traps had caught. What he didn''t know was that Teepo was telling Ren all about his adventures in the underbrush. How he''d seen snakes, spiders (the normal kind, not the monsters found in the caves), and how he''d found a kind of sand oasis... and it had scorpions! Ren smiled. Teepo really was enjoying himself, now that he wasn''t trapped in the ring anymore. Aimus soon returned without any animals. He told Ren that it was always slim pickings in this area, but that it would get better once they reached where he lived, in another half a day or so. They packed up the cart again and moved out. They were almost there. Chapter 31 - The Homestead * (Author''s Note: I got back when I said I would, and now it''s the next day. It was quite difficult to get back into the mood of writing, especially after 5 days of literally mind-numbing waiting in the rain. Yep, that''s right. It rained most of the time, and I wasted most of it just sitting inside and doing nothing but watching television. Greatest... Vacation... Ever! I turned my ''sarcasm filter'' off for that last statement. :) ) * The pair of travelers made good time. They arrived at the home of Aimus and his family well before noon. Aimus guided the horse and cart into a nearby barn and both he and Ren packed everything away properly and put the horse into a pen. Normally a driver would have come with the horse to ensure it''s return, but thanks to Ren and the gold he''d given Aimus, it wasn''t necessary. Aimus had paid a gold coin as a deposit and would pick it up next month upon his return. Teepo jumped wildly about Ren''s shoulders because he could barely contain himself. Ren smiled. All right, all right! Go ahead, Teepo. I''ll call you if I need you. Teepo chittered in delight and leaped off Ren''s shoulder. He hit the pile of hay next to the horse at and disappeared from sight. Aimus and Ren left the barn and went over to the house. Ren heard a squeal of delight and the front door of the house burst open. ¡°Daddy!¡± A little dark haired girl screamed and jumped up into Aimus'' waiting arms. She looked to be about 8 years old. Aimus gave her a big wet kiss on her cheek and she giggled. ¡°How''s my little devil?¡± Aimus asked. ¡°I''m not a devil, dad!¡± She said and squirmed in his arms. Aimus laughed and tickled her. She squealed again and he put her down. She ran back into the house and almost barreled into a raven-haired beauty who''d just stepped into the doorway. ¡°You''re back early.¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t find anything interesting on the way.¡± Aimus said and shrugged. ¡°Didn''t you?¡± She said and looked over at Ren. Aimus smiled. ¡°Ren, this is my beautiful and talented wife, Abigail.¡± Abigail rolled her eyes at the introduction. Ren stepped forward. ¡°It''s a pleasure to met you, ma''am.¡± Aimus turned to his wife. ¡°Abby, this is my mother''s student, Ren.¡± She nodded to Ren as Aimus continued. ¡°He''s seen some of what the city is really like, and wanted to try his hand at country life. He practically begged me to drag him along.¡± Aimus said and grinned. Abigail nodded. ¡°Of course. I greet you, Ren. Welcome, to the Blackmeadow Homestead.¡± They ate lunch and Ren thanked Abigail and Aimus for letting him stay for the month. Aimus reminded him that he''d have to do his share of the chores if he wanted to eat. Ren smiled. He''d still do his fair share, but he didn''t need to eat as much food as he used to. He was going to save a ton of money in the future with not having to buy so much food. There was no need for Abigail and Aimus to know how little he actually needed to eat each day, though. They''d find out soon enough. Ren readily agreed to their terms and they finished lunch. Aimus stood and nodded. Ren stood as well, thanked Abigail for the food and followed Aimus out of the house. Aimus retrieved the pelts they''d harvested during the trip from the barn and Ren followed him into a small shack that was hidden behind the house. Ren was amazed at what he saw. Blades of every kind hung on the walls. Large pruning shears (kind of like giant sissors), grass shears, knives, sickles, hay bailing hooks, sling blades, hatchets, axes, pickaxes, shovels, hoes, spades, brush hooks, trowels, and a bunch of other things that he couldn''t guess the names of because he didn''t know what they were or what they could be used for. There were also normal tools that could be used. Hammers, mallets, and even sledgehammer hung on the wall. Ren asked what one tool was for. It had two spade like ends and a hinge in the center and two long handles. Aimus told him it was a post digging tool that was for digging holes in the ground, for fence posts that had fallen or were knocked over. Aimus went to a small workbench under the lone window and placed the pelts on a rack next to it. He took one of the pelts and grabbed a small set of shears from the wall. He carefully trimmed off the ragged edges all the way around the pelt and made it smooth. ¡°Pelts the way they are now, aren''t much good. They''ll rot and waste away unless they''re treated.¡± Aimus said as he worked. He trimmed all three pelts and took Ren out behind the shed. There was a large wooden trough there, with a cover on it. Aimus handed Ren the pelts and then lifted the cover. A very strong odor hit Ren in the face. ¡°Now toss those in there and stir them around.¡± Ren tossed them in and pushed them down with his hands. The smell was even worse up close. ¡°Don''t use...¡± Aimus tried to say, but Ren stirred the pelts around and had his arms in the mixture up to his elbows. ¡°...your hands.¡± Aimus nodded towards the stick that hung on the back of the shack. ¡°You''re supposed to use the stick.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren went to grab the stick. ¡°No!¡± Aimus said and Ren looked at him. ¡°There''s no need of that now. You did it already.¡± Aimus said and put the cover back down on the trough. ¡°Come on. You had better wash up before that smell sticks to you permanently.¡± Aimus took Ren to a well that was nearby and retrieved a fresh pail of water. He passed Ren a bar of strong smelling soap and Ren lathered up before Aimus poured the water over Ren''s hands and arms. Ren wasn''t sure which smelled worse, though. The soap or the pelt mixture. ¡°It''ll take a few days for them to cure properly, but when they''re done, you''ll have the nicest pelts this side of the mountain.¡± Ren wasn''t sure what to make of that statement. Did that mean there were nicer pelts on the other side of the mountain? Ren thought. Maybe that''s why he travels over the mountain every month. Ren asked what was in that mixture, and Aimus told him it was mostly brine. Ren asked what that was, and Aimus winked at him and said it was mostly animal urine, with some cow droppings, stomach acid, and a few plants and herbs, to help toughen up the leather and fur. Ren gagged and rubbed his hands on his clothing. Aimus laughed while he gathered a few tools, then handed a huge spool of wire to Ren. The spool was really heavy, but Ren didn''t want Aimus to think he couldn''t handle so simple a task. Rather than putting it into his inventory, he hefted it into his arms and followed Aimus around the outer fence of his homestead. Aimus was amazed at the kid. He figured Ren would have done the smart thing and just rolled the big spool of wire, since it was round. Any dirt that ended up on it was easily cleaned off; but no, he was actually carrying it. Ren struggled with it, but he didn''t complain once. Aimus shook his head to himself and walked on. As they moved along, Aimus would stop and fix any breaks in the wire, sometimes cutting a whole section away and replacing it with new wire. Ren felt the strain on his arms and in his back, but he entered his trance like state, Serene State Of Mind, and kept going. It leveled up a few times and it took less mana to maintain. It took hours for them to go all the way around the homestead and they had to take several breaks along the way. By the time they went back to the house, Ren was exhausted and pretty much collapsed next to the barn door. They''d only used up about a quarter of the spool, but Ren didn''t mind. His Strength, Endurance, and Vitality had risen by several points. He''d only been sitting there for a few minutes when Abigail called them in for supper. He stood up and followed Aimus into the house. Ren was looking forward to a good meal. He''d train his Rationing later. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. There were no chores to be done that evening, so Abigail showed him the room that was to be his for the month. Ren thought he would be stuck in a 6 year old''s room; but luckily, the house had a spare room besides the ones that the family was using. He sighed in relief when he climbed into bed. It had been a long day. Ren decided to check on his stats, since it had been a while since he''d last looked at them. His eyes bulged at the numbers. No way!
Status
NameRenLevel3
GenderMaleClassArtificer
RaceElflingFame/Infamy1110 (Locally Known)
Titles
Donan''s Apprentice - 20% stat gain at his shop Sally''s Student - 20% stat gain at her shop Issac''s Novice - 20% stat gain at his shop Lemming - 5% resistance to falls
Health550Mana420
Strength80Dexterity60
Vitality50Agility58
Endurance65Intelligence50
Luck23Wisdom40
Ren was a bit shocked that everything was so high... except for his Wisdom. He understood why it was so low, though. He hadn''t been back to the library since his first visit, when he''d read the books about the elements. Thinking about the library made him think about Rosie, and how she''d taught him how to dance. She''d been as shocked as he was that he''d learned so fast. Ren chuckled silently and drifted off to sleep. ******** Barbara was kind of bored. She just sat there and watched Ren play his game. She kept herself a little busy with makework and checked his vital signs. She made sure the room was at a good temperature so that Ren wasn''t either too cold or too warm. Some other nurses popped in and saw that Ren was sleeping, both in real life and in the game, so they chatted with Barbara about different things. They all soon left and Barbara was once again bored. She wasn''t sure if Ren getting the game was a good thing or not. On the one hand, he was happier and doing more in real life than he''d ever done before. On the other hand, he was spending less and less time with the people that cared the most about him. Barbara wasn''t sure what she could do about it, or even if she should do something about it. Maybe he''ll realize it on his own. Barbara thought. Not long after she thought that, the nurse''s shift change began and Lucy came in a few minutes later. They exchanged pleasantries and Barbara filled Lucy in on what had happened in the game that night. Since two days in the game had passed, it was a lot to talk about. ******** Ren woke up on his own and saw it was still night out. He rubbed his eyes and wondered what time it was. Then it hit him. He had completely forgotten to log off. He tucked himself back into the bed. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off his VR headset and saw Lucy''s smiling face. ¡°Good morning, sleepyhead!¡± She said and laughed. ¡°Morning.¡± Ren said and blushed a little. ¡°Sorry, I forgot what time it was.¡± He handed Lucy the headset. She took it and placed it on the dresser. ¡°You still have time to get to physiotherapy if you hurry.¡± Ren got out of bed and went to the bathroom. When he came out, Lucy had his clothes ready so he could get changed. He did so quickly and walked out of the room. Lucy followed him. ¡°Ren!¡± Lucy said. Ren had forgotten to get in the wheelchair. ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll have breakfast later.¡± Ren said and walked down the hallway and into the physiotherapy room. He did his daily exercises without complaint. When he banged his broken finger on the handle of the walking track, he just grit his teeth and kept going. Ren finished his routine in a reasonable time and wiped the sweat from his face with a towel the therapist had handed him. ¡°You''re doing much better.¡± She said. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°You need to be more careful with that finger or it won''t heal properly.¡± Ren nodded and took a drink of the vitamin enhanced mineral water that was always there for him. He sat back and relaxed. Whew! Another day and another 100 yards. Ren took a deep breath and another mouthful of water. I wonder if they''re going to push me to do more soon? Hopefully, they''ll let me get used to this before adding any more. After another 10 minutes of resting, Ren thanked the therapist and left the room. He went back to his own room and waited for Lucy to come in. The nurse at the desk would page Lucy wherever she was. He always felt a little guilty about that; but since it was the nurse''s job to take care of him, he couldn''t really complain about it. She came in a few minutes later and asked Ren what he wanted for breakfast. He said he wanted the usual and she smiled. It took about 10 minutes for the eggs and toast to be ready and Lucy watched Ren eat his fill. He drank all the apple juice and half of the orange juice. Lucy took the tray back to the kitchen and Ren settled back into bed. Lucy came back into the room and Ren waited for her to hand him the VR headset. Lucy shook her head and pointed to the bathroom. Ren sighed and got out of bed again. He''d forgotten to take a shower after physiotherapy. Lucy called in another nurse to change the sheets on the bed and led Ren into the bathroom. He undressed while she set the temperature of the water by turning the hot and cold knobs to the right settings. She waited a minute to make sure the water was okay for him and then helped him get under the shower head. It was set to a gentle spray so it wouldn''t shock him too much. He lathered up where he could reach and Lucy lathered up what he couldn''t. It had been a regular routine for them ever since he''d first arrived at the hospital. Ren noticed Lucy had looked at his body a bit strangely. He looked himself over to try and see what it was she might have been staring at, but he couldn''t see anything different. He was tempted to ask her what it was she was looking at, but she must have noticed him looking and turned away. He shrugged and rinsed off the last of the soap. He could always ask her later. Ren dried off his front with a towel and Lucy dried off his back. She gave him a bathrobe to put on while she went to get another change of clothes for him. She tried to pass Ren the clothes and Ren took off the robe he wore. Lucy turned away from him. She''d never done that before. She''d seen him naked hundreds of times. Ren wondered why she was acting differently this time. ¡°Lucy...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°Just get dressed.¡± Lucy said. She put the clothes down on the sink and left the bathroom. Boy, is she acting weird or what? Ren thought and changed into the new set of clothes. He went out into his room and climbed back into bed. The sheets smelled like fresh linen with a hint of vanilla. Ren couldn''t tell if it was Stella''s perfume or Bonnie''s hand lotion, though. He never could remember which was which. Ren shrugged mentally and settled down properly. Lucy avoided looking into his eyes as she handed over the VR headset. Ren put it on and relaxed. He was good and ready to play again. Chapter 32 - Is That A Clue? ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± Ren felt the familiar tingling of transition into the game. There was no loading room this time. He assumed there were no new updates since the last time he had been on, and awoke in the spare bedroom of Aimus and Abigail''s house. He got out of bed and saw it was bright and sunny out already. He left the room and went out into the kitchen. Abigail was beside the sink. It looked like she was doing the dishes. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said and sat down at the table. ¡°Good afternoon.¡± Abigail said and nodded at the clock. It was 12:15, just after noon. ¡°Sorry. I overslept.¡± ¡°That''s quite alright. Aimus told me how much you did yesterday. He didn''t mind letting you sleep in a little.¡± Abigail said and dried her hands on her apron. She got a bowl out of the cupboard and went to the big pot of stew that sat on the stove. She filled the bowl with a thick stew and gave it to Ren. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and started to eat. He swallowed a mouthful and asked where Aimus had gone. ¡°Oh, he''s out there somewhere.¡± Abigail said and waved her hand dismissively. ¡°I''m sure he''s putting out some of the new traps he brought back from Aurora.¡± Abigail put a bowl of fresh buns next to Ren then went back to the sink to clean some more dishes. Ren nodded and continued to eat. He took two of the buns and put them into his inventory. Abigail finished the dishes she had been cleaning and sat down at the table with Ren. ¡°So, why did you really come all the way out here?¡± Abigail asked Ren when he was finished with his bowl of stew. ¡°Well... I did want to leave the city for a while... but Sally told me a while ago that her husband had taught their son everything he knew about leatherworking.¡± Ren said truthfully. ¡°I want to learn as much as I can, but I haven''t asked Aimus to teach me yet.¡± ¡°Don''t bother asking him. He''ll just say no. If you follow him around and watch what he does, you''ll pick it up in no time.¡± Abigail said. ¡°Really?¡± Ren said, a bit astonished. Abigail nodded. ¡°If you try to make him teach you, he''ll fight against it as hard as he can and you won''t learn anything; but, if you''re patient and learn on your own by watching him... he''ll show you some of the tricks his father taught him.¡± Ren nodded and pondered her words. He''d already done something similar when he''d learned Skinning. If Aimus'' own wife thought Ren was better off not saying anything, then that''s what he would do. ¡°Thank you for the advice.¡± He said and stood up. Abigail nodded. ¡°Keep an eye out for Ana, would you? She gets up to no good when she knows her father is around. He lets her get away with everything.¡± Ren nodded at Abigail and went out the front door. He wasn''t sure what he should do now, since he didn''t know how long Aimus would be gone for and didn''t want to go anywhere by himself. Ren didn''t know the territory or how to get back to the homestead if he ever got lost. He was about to sit down and go over his inventory when he heard a distinctive shriek of laughter come from the barn. Ren turned around and followed the sound. He was sure that little Ana was playing with the horse. Sure enough, when he stepped into the barn he saw the little girl perched on top of the horse pen and was feeding hay to the horse. ¡°Hey, Ana. What are you doing there?¡± ¡°Feeding Sprinkles.¡± ¡°Sprinkles, is it?¡± Ren said and looked at the horse. It didn''t seem to object to the new name. Of course, Ren didn''t know the horse''s real name, so ''Sprinkles'' might actually be an improvement. Ren chuckled. He sincerely doubted it, though. ¡°How did you come up with such a good name?¡± Ren asked the girl. ¡°It''s in my fav''rite book.¡± ¡°Oh, what book is that?¡± Ren said, just to keep the girl talking. ¡°The live rock book.¡± Ana said. ¡°Live rock?¡± Ren asked. It sounded familiar, but it couldn''t be what he thought it was. ¡°Sure. C''mon. I''ll show you.¡± Ana said and hopped off the side of the pen like she''d been doing it all her life. Ren had watched helplessly as she flipped her legs over the side of the pen and slipped off to land on the ground. He didn''t even have time to react to what he''d just witnessed and she had already skipped out of the barn. Ren ran out and caught up with her just as she entered the house. ¡°Goin'' to my room, ma.¡± Ana said as they passed through the kitchen. Abigail didn''t even look up from the chicken she was chopping up. ¡°Don''t burn the house down.¡± ¡°Very funny, ma.¡± Ana said when she and Ren entered her room. ¡°I lit one little fire.¡± She said and hopped onto her bed and ducked her head under the blanket. ¡°Burn the barn down just once...¡± She shook her head and lifted the edge of her mattress. ¡°...and they never forget about it.¡± Ana said and pulled out what looked like a children''s storybook. It was bright green and had a picture of some kind of pyramid on the front. ¡°Here it is.¡± Ana handed the book to Ren. ¡°The Guide to Infinite Joy.¡± Ren read on the cover. ¡°Yep. It has everything in it. Action. Suspense. Thrills. A love story, but I could do without that part. Boys. Yuck.¡± Ana said and made a weird face. Ren laughed. ¡°Do you mind if I read it?¡± Ren asked Ana. Ana shook her head. Ren sat down on the floor, opened the book with care, and started to read. * It was a story about the first tribe of settlers to the land. They had been searching for enlightenment and riches, but became lost and confused. It took them years to stumble across a magical place that was hidden deep in the forest. When they found the place, they knew it was home and built a small village there. One day, the village elder woke up with his head full of visions. ¡°Build a temple!¡± He commanded the village. Since he was the elder, they did as he said. It took another few years, but they eventually finished it to his liking. The village had prospered over this time and became a good sized city. It melded into the forest and was nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding trees. Other tribes tried to take it away fromthem, but they fought well and defended their home. The elder''s oldest son fell in love with a common girl from one of the tribes they had fought, much to the shock of the rest of his own tribesmen, but he didn''t care what they thought. He ran away with the girl and they were never to be seen again. The elder thought nothing of the scandal and a short time later commanded the tribe to go into the mountains of the nearby land to dig. He didn''t tell them what to dig for; but since he was the elder, they did as he said without question. More years passed and the city prospered again with all the ore and metal they had dug up. Battles rarely happened now that they had superior weapons to the other tribes. One day, one of the tribe stumbled into the city and was covered in cuts and bruises. He collapsed at the foot of the temple. In his hands was a rock. A very special rock. It was a green, gem like rock and it glowed a slight green as well. The elder declared the digging over and took the rock from the tribesman''s bleeding hands. The elder went into the temple and did not return for several days. When he emerged, his hair was solid white and he looked as frail as a twig. He carefully walked down the temple steps. When he got to the bottom, he declared that life was perfect and died on the spot... with a look of pure joy on his face. The tribe was always a superstitious lot; they assumed that since their only elder was now dead, it was because of the temple. They destroyed as much of the temple as they could and the city was soon abandoned. The people merged into the surrounding tribes and the old city was soon lost to history. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. *
Notice!
You have read a book from the Lore Of The Ages Series
Ren flipped back through the book, looking at each of the pictures that had appeared near some of the text. He found the page that mentioned the rock, but no picture was there. He closed the book and saw what he was looking for on the back cover.
Notice!
You have unlocked a Class Sub Skill Hidden Knowledge Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This sub skill under Speed Reading will allow you to distinguish fact from fiction when reading stories about ages past. Higher skill levels will allow more facts to be gained in less time.
¡°You finished that kinda fast. Did you like it?¡± Ana asked. Ren nodded. There was no doubt about it in his mind now. The story really was about what he had first thought. Two slightly similar chunks of ore were sitting in his inventory.
Stat change!
You have gained: Wisdom +2
Ren handed the book to Ana. ¡°Thanks for letting me read it. It was a great story. I learned a lot.¡± Ana smiled and tucked the book back under her mattress. She sat up and smiled at Ren. ¡°What was your favorite part?¡± ¡°The rock. It must have been pretty important for them to search all those years for it.¡± Ana nodded. ¡°My favorite part was the temple. Built right in the middle of that magic spot! I wonder how much is left now...¡± ¡°How old is that story? How long has it been since it was supposed to have happened?¡± Ren said and shrugged. ¡°There''s probably only a slight hill wherever it is now.¡± Ana nodded again. ¡°Yeah, I''ll probably never get to see it... if it''s real at all.¡± Ren nodded and stood up. ¡°I have a couple things I need to do, so I better go. Thanks again for the story.¡± Ana waved and turned to her dresser. Ren left her room and went outside to think. Was that story about one of the chunks I have, or is it about another one? Ren thought as he walked around the barn and sat down in the grass, out of sight of the house. He took out one of the chunks of ore and examined it. He never got around to doing it before and figured now was as good a time as any. ¡°Identify.¡±
????
???? Ore Part 2 of 3
¡°Huh? I can''t identify it.¡± Ren took out the other one and used Identify again.
????
???? Ore Part 3 of 3
¡°At least I only need one more part. Maybe then I can identify it.¡± Ren said. He thought back to the story he''d just read. No way. Ren put the two chunks of ore away. That''s got to be the one I took from the mountain pass, right? He shook his head a moment later. No, it can''t be. Nowhere in the story did it say that anyone went back in to the temple to retrieve the rock. Wherever it is, it''s still there. ¡°MASTER! HELP!¡± Teepo shouted in Ren''s head. ¡°Ow!¡± Ren said and rubbed his temples with his hands. Not so loud, Teepo. Where are you? ¡°I d-d-don''t know, master!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Master, something in here is trying to eat me!¡± Teepo whispered. It''s okay, Teepo. I''ll get you out of there. Ren thought. ¡°Summon Teepo!¡± Ren said and tapped the ring. Ren looked down and Teepo wasn''t there. ¡°Summon Teepo!¡± Ren said and tapped the ring. ¡°Summon Teepo!¡± Ren said and hit the ring with his other palm. ¡°SUMMON TEEPO!¡± Ren shouted and punched the ring... ...and nothing happened. ¡°God DAMMIT!!!¡± Chapter 33 - A Loophole? * (Author''s Note: Well, here it is. With this chapter, I''ll have officially published more chapters than the original story. It''s a huge milestone... and a bit sad that the original author didn''t get to this point himself. I really would have liked to have seen where his story would have actually led. I can only hope that I''ve stayed true to the original author''s intentions, and hopefully continue to bring a version of Ren''s story that you, the fans, can enjoy.) * Ren closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Don''t panic. That''s not going to help. Ren thought and tried to calm himself down. Teepo''s agitation and fear was coming through their link and it wasn''t going to help Ren think clearly. He had an idea about the ring and activated Serene State Of Mind. The physical world faded away and Ren was alone in his thoughts. While he contemplated the problem, he concentrated on the ring and what it actually did. It summoned an astral projection so Teepo could move around in the world, but it was still a connection to Teepo. When Teepo talked, Ren could hear him from both his astral projection and from the ring. That''s it! Ren thought and deactivated Serene State Of Mind. Teepo, I want you to whisper something to me as low as you can. Ren said and stood up. ¡°What should I say?¡± Teepo said. It doesn''t matter. Just say it really softly, okay? Ren concentrated on Teepo''s astral projection and tried to ignore the sound of Teepo''s voice that came from the ring. Teepo whispered something, but Ren couldn''t hear it. A little louder. Teepo whispered again. Ren still didn''t hear anything. Just a bit louder, Teepo. ¡°master.¡± That''s perfect, Teepo. Now... repeat it every couple of seconds, okay? Ren thought. He opened his eyes, saw a field of drying grass, and turned around slowly. ¡°master.¡± ¡°master.¡± ¡°maste...¡± ¡°mast...¡± ¡°mas...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°mas...¡± ¡°maste...¡± ¡°master.¡± Ren had come full circle and was now looking off into the same field he''d started looking at. He smiled. It wasn''t very accurate, but he hoped that as he got closer to Teepo, it would be easier to pick out which direction it came from. Teepo must have gotten really far away if Ren could ''hear'' him clearly for almost half the circle. The loudest part being slightly off to the left of where he now looked.
Stat Change!
Using different skills to find what you''ve lost has made you a little bit wiser. Wisdom +1
Don''t worry, Teepo. I''m coming for you. Find somewhere good to hide and I''ll be there as soon as I can! ¡°Thank you, master. Please hurry.¡± Ren ran to the shed and opened the door. ¡°There must be something in here that I can use!¡± Ren grabbed each and every blade he could reach and held it. As soon as he thought of it as a weapon, though... it vanished into his inventory. ¡°No! There has to be something!¡± He tried each tool he could see as well. He could wield them easily, but just like the blades, as soon as he thought of using it as a weapon, it vanished. ¡°God DAMMIT!!!¡± Ren shouted and emptied his inventory of all the blades and tools he''d unintentionally gathered. He looked forlornly at the pile of useless items and felt despair. What am I going to do? I can''t fight without a weapon! Just then he heard footsteps approach the shed. ¡°What are you doing with my tools?¡± Aimus said and entered the shed. Ren jumped up and nearly tackled Aimus. He''d grabbed Aimus'' coat in such relief that he''d forgotten his own strength and partially ripped the fabric. ¡°You have to help me! My friend is trapped and I can''t use standard weapons! I don''t know what to do!¡± Aimus had never seen Ren so frantic. Ren seemed to always have a cool head and took things in stride. Aimus wasn''t sure if this side of Ren was better or worse than the other. ¡°Hey, it''s okay. Tell me what happened... and who is this friend of yours? I didn''t see anyone else come along with you.¡± Ren didn''t even hesitate to tell Aimus all about how he had found Teepo, became friends, and about their unique situation. Aimus needed all the info he could get if he was to help Ren get Teepo back. ¡°I swore I''d never abandon him again.¡± Ren said and let Aimus'' coat go. ¡°Please help me get him back.¡± Aimus nodded and left the shed. Ren quickly followed him and they went to the house. Aimus told his wife Abigail he''d be gone for a bit and she didn''t even bat an eye. Aimus went into his own room and Ren stopped at the doorway. Aimus used a key he had hung around his neck to open an old trunk that was at the foot of the large bed. There was a surprise inside the trunk. It was a weapons cache. Aimus loaded up on knives. He replaced some that he''d lost and added new ones. One was even the size of a machete. He took another out and tossed it to Ren. ¡°It''s for clearing any vines or other things that get in the way as we travel. There''s no path that way, so we''ll have to make our own.¡± Ren nodded and ran his hand down the side of the blade. The edge was sharp and well tended so he put it into his inventory without having to repair it. Aimus closed the trunk and left the room. Ren got out of the way when Aimus passed and then followed closely behind. They went into the barn and down to the back wall where a large cabinet stood. Aimus opened the cabinet and inside was another weapons cache... only this time it wasn''t knives. Several archery bows were hung with care. Aimus grabbed a long bow and hung it across his left shoulder. He took out a quiver and hung it across the other shoulder. ¡°Now, where did I put that...¡± Aimus searched through the bows but didn''t find what he was looking for. He left the barn and Ren followed. ¡°ANA!¡± He shouted. ¡°It''s by the back gate!¡± Ana said from her bedroom window. She''d been watching them run around. Aimus shook his fist at her and Ana laughed. ¡°She knows she''s not supposed to use it if I''m not around.¡± Aimus said and walked around the back of the house. Aimus got to the gate first. ¡°Here, catch!¡± He said and threw a small bow towards Ren, who automatically reached out to catch it. ¡°But sir! I can''t equip standard weapons...¡± Ren said and caught it. Aimus laughed at Ren''s shocked expression. ¡°WHAAAAAAATT?!?¡± Ren said, astonished. Ren collected himself after a moment. ¡°Identify.¡±
Hunter''s Small Bow Of Stealth
This bow was made by a master craftsman. It was specifically designed to help while hunting, to the point that it almost absorbs sound. When equipped, grants a 5% bonus to any stealth related skills
Ren looked at the bow and thought of using it as a weapon. It didn''t disappear! Ren looked at Aimus, then at the bow, then back to Aimus. ¡°You''re just borrowing it. It''s actually Ana''s.¡± Aimus said and smiled. ¡°That''s right.¡± Ana said. She had come out of the house through the back door. Abigail stood behind her. ¡°I can show you how to use it.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and handed it to her. Ana went to the back gate and took an arrow from the quiver that hung there. She notched it on the bowstring and balanced it on the hand that gripped the middle of the bow. Ana took a deep breath and drew the arrow back to her cheek. She aimed across the field and let the arrow go. A thwok sound echoed back to them a second later and Ren could clearly see that the center of the target had been hit. Ren guessed that the target must have been about 150 feet away. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said and Ana blushed. ¡°That''s my girl!¡± Aimus said, proudly. Ana blushed harder. ¡°I-it''s pretty easy, actually.¡± She said and then waved Ren over. Ren was taught how to stand properly, how to hold the bow right, and how to turn the arrow so that the feathers on the end didn''t hook the string when you let it go. Ren listened closely and did exactly as she said. He shook himself and then did it all again. He took a short walk away and went back to the same spot and did all the same prep work. Ren wanted to make sure he got it right. When he looked at Ana, she nodded. It was time for his first shot. Ren notched the arrow onto the bowstring, balanced the arrow on his fist near the middle of the bow, and pulled the arrow back to his cheek... ...and snapped the string, right where the arrow had been notched. Everyone present had astonished looks on their faces. Something like that shouldn''t have happened. It was then that Ren realized what had happened. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± Ren said and picked up the two pieces of string with his hand. His other hand still held the now useless bow. It was almost straight because the string wasn''t keeping the tension on it anymore. ¡°I didn''t ask how hard I was supposed to pull the arrow back.¡± Aimus looked at Ana, then Ana looked at Abigail, who then looked back at Aimus. The three of them turned at the same time and looked at Ren... then started to laugh. Ren didn''t know what else to do so he just stood there and let them finish. After a few minutes, they dried their eyes and Aimus clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°It''s quite alright. I don''t think we''ve laughed that hard in a long time.¡± Aimus said. ¡°But I broke the bow!¡± Ren said. ¡°I said it was alright. Follow me.¡± Aimus said and Ren followed. They went back into the barn and to the cabinet that held all the bows. Aimus opened it again and knelt on the floor. He took out a large box, stood up, and went back outside. Ren carried the bow outside and stopped when Aimus put the box on the ground. ¡°There''s no room to do this inside.¡± Aimus said and opened the box. A thick rope, a few tools that Ren couldn''t figure out what they were for, and a couple of sticks were inside. Aimus took out the rope and one of the sticks. He motioned for Ren to hand him the bow, and Ren did so. Aimus then tied the rope to one end of the bow, turned it over, and then tied the rope the same way to the other end of the bow. There was quite a bit of rope left, and Aimus took one of the sticks and looped the rope around it. A few quick turns and all the extra rope was twisted around the stick. Aimus continued to twist the stick and more of the rope twisted... and started to pull the ends of the bow together. That is so cool! Ren thought as the bow took it''s shape again. Aimus turned the stick a few more times and held it in his hands. It looked like it could unravel at any moment if he didn''t keep the tension on it. ¡°Grab the string from the box, Ren.¡± Aimus said, with a bit of strain in his voice. Ren looked in the box and saw a spool of string. He took it and pulled out about a foot of string and then the spool was empty. ¡°Uh oh.¡± Ren muttered. ¡°What is it? Come on, I can''t hold this thing all day!¡± Aimus said. There was definitely a strain in his voice this time. Ren looked through the box but couldn''t find another spool. String. String. String. What can I use for... Ren thought. He didn''t know where else to look until he thought of his own inventory. Aha! ¡°Hold it for just another minute, Aimus.¡± Ren said and took out one of the bundles of spider silk he still had. He tied one end to one of the sticks and held on to it with Iron Grip. He started to wrap the spider silk around the stick and stretched it a little. He tried to do the same thing as what the spinning wheel did, but couldn''t spin and twist at the same time. Ren just spun it onto the stick for now. When the bundle was done, he tied the end to the empty spool. He turned the spool with one hand, and twisted the stick with the other. He wasn''t trying to make a really fine thread, but something that could be a good substitute for a bow string. It wasn''t long before he was done. Ren turned back to Aimus who''s face was beet red and was almost out of breath.
Stat Change!
Your application of previous knowledge for a new use has made you a bit smarter. Intelligence +2 Wisdom +2
New Recipe!
Spider Silk Bow String
¡°Sorry it took so long.¡± Ren said and pulled out some of the spider silk string. ¡°Tie...a knot...on the... end.¡± Aimus said through gritted teeth. Ren smiled and grabbed the stick the rope was twisted around, the one that Aimus was having such a hard time with, and used Iron Grip. ¡°I got this. Here''s the string.¡± Aimus nearly collapsed from the exertion when he let the stick go. He looked at Ren with astonishment because Ren held the stick like it was nothing. Aimus took the string and tried to tie a knot in it. ¡°What... the hell... is this stuff?¡± Aimus grunted as he finally got the end twisted arround into a proper knot and pulled it tight. ¡°That''s some spider silk string I just made.¡± Ren said. ¡°There wasn''t enough regular string left.¡± Aimus stood there and stared at Ren. He just MADE it! Aimus thought and blinked a couple times. It feels like it''s made of iron! Aimus took the knotted end of the string and hooked it in the groove on one end of the bow. He measured out a little more than the length of the space to the other end of the bow and used a knife to cut it. It took a minute, but Aimus finally got it cut from the spool and tied a knot on that end as well. He slipped that end into the groove on the other side of the bow that left a bit of slack in the string. ¡°Okay, slowly let the twist out of the rope.¡± Aimus said to Ren. Ren turned the stick a little and the bow caught up the slack in the new bowstring. As the stick was untwisted, the new bowstring took up more and more of the tension of the bow. Eventually, the stick slipped out of the rope because the bow had taken all the strain from it. Aimus untied the rope from both ends of the bow and put everything away in the box, except for the spool of string that he handed to Ren who stashed it in his inventory. Ren picked up the repaired bow.
Strong Hunter''s Small Bow Of Stealth
This bow was made by a master craftsman. It was specifically designed to help while hunting, to the point that it almost absorbs sound. The bowstring is of a superior quality than a normal string and grants more power to the user. When equipped, grants a 5% bonus to any stealth related skills Damage Bonus: +20%
¡°Whoa!¡± Ren said and handed the bow to Aimus. Aimus took the bow and tried to pull it as if it had an arrow in it. He had a hard time at first, but after a couple of tries he did the motion smoothly, and handed it back to Ren. ¡°I''ll have to get some regular string later to put on that, so Ana can use it again.¡± Aimus said and took the box back to the cabinet in the barn. Ren waited for Aimus to return before going to the back of the house where Abigail and Ana waited. ¡°Let''s try shooting again.¡± Aimus said. Ren stepped up to the right position and took the proper stance. He took an arrow from the quiver and notched it on the string, placed it on the fist that held the bow, and pulled the arrow back to his cheek. The string didn''t snap this time and Ren relaxed. He took a deep breath... and careful aim... then let the arrow go. Chapter 34 - In A Hurry The arrow flew through the air and across the field... then missed the target. It was a bit too high. Ren took another arrow and notched it on the bowstring just a tiny bit higher than the last one. He drew the arrow back to his cheek, took careful aim again and let the arrow go. It flew across the field and hit the target near the bottom. ¡°Haha!¡± Ren said and everyone clapped.
Notice!
You have learned a new skill! Archery Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This skill allows you to use a bow and arrow. Higher levels will allow for greater accuracy and to shoot at longer distances.
Ren took another arrow and did it again. He could have let the system do everything for him... like aim and adjust for the wind and the distance... but he wanted to know how to do it, not just shoot randomly and let the system handle it. It''s not that he thought it would be unfair, but he knew that if he had a good handle on the basics of it all, his ability will increase all the more quickly. He loosed all 20 arrows that were in the quiver; and except for the first one, they had all hit the target in some fashion. Ren walked across the field to retrieve the arrows when Teepo called to him. ¡°Master, it''s getting closer!¡± Teepo whispered. Are you well hidden? Ren thought. ¡°I think so.¡± Good. If you think it might find you, try and move around to another spot. I''ll be there as fast as I can. ¡°Okay.¡± I''ll ask you to whipser to me again when I''m a bit closer. Stay safe, Teepo. ¡°I''ll try, master.¡± Teepo said and then went quiet. Ren gathered up the arrows quickly and ran back to the house. He put the arrows in the quiver and hooked it over his right shoulder, and hooked the bow over his left. ¡°We have to go. Now.¡± Aimus nodded and said goodbye to his family. He led Ren across the field that Ren had pointed out as the direction he''d heard Teepo from. They made good time and crossed three similar fields, until they arrived at a dark and dreary forest. ¡°Stay behind me.¡± Aimus said. ¡°It''s not safe in here. At all.¡± Aimus took out his machete like blade and hacked a spot to walk through. Ren took out the one Aimus had given him and followed closely behind. If there was anyone''s advice he would take in this situation, it would be Aimus''. He knew what he was doing and Ren didn''t have the first idea of what to do. Ren watched as Aimus cut through the underbrush and kept going deeper into the forest. It had only been about 20 minutes so far and Aimus looked like he was tiring out already. When they stopped for a break a couple of minutes later, Ren asked if he could do some for a while. Aimus said no at first, but he remembered how easily Ren had held that stick holding the tension on the bow. Aimus nodded and he showed Ren how to properly swing the blade so that it used momentum to hack the underbrush out of the way, and not just brute strength. Strength would definitely help, though. Ren smiled. When their break was over, Ren stepped forward and swiped through the bushes like they were nothing. Ren let out a gleeful laugh and walked at a steady pace, clearing a good sized path through the forest as if he was just taking a nice walk and nothing was in his way at all. Aimus stood stock still and watched Ren rip through the bushes. Ren had gotten a good distance away before Aimus realized that he was being left behind. He caught up to Ren quickly and kept pace with him. An hour later, after several stops to have Teepo do the whispering technique to make sure they were on the right track, they were still walking through the forest. Ren kept swiping away the bushes and vines with ease. How is he doing that? Aimus thought to himself. My arm was nearly numb after only 20 minutes! Aimus shook his head. Is this kid for real? Ren barely felt anything at all in his arm. Using the smithing hammer and the mining pick so often had pretty much desensitized the nerves in his arm. He didn''t even have to use Iron Grip to keep a hold of the blade because his Shock Absorption reduced every impact to nothing. He checked and sharpened the blade every so often; especially after it cut a thick vine, or nicked a nearby tree trunk. He''d only repaired it once, though... and that was only because it was a half dozen points below it''s total and Ren didn''t want to let it get too low. Aimus reached out and touched Ren on the back a few minutes later. Ren stopped immediately and Aimus pulled him down into a crouched position. Ren activated Sneak and turned around. Aimus had a finger to his mouth. Ren didn''t ask what was up, since making noise was not what Aimus wanted him to do. Aimus pointed to a spot a few trees away. Ren looked and saw something about the size of a dog. He couldn''t quite make out what it was since it was half hidden in the underbrush. They waited for about 10 minutes and then the thing backed out of the bushes. It was a giant rat and it had a dead snake in it''s mouth. Ren looked back at Aimus and saw he had a concerned look on his face. They waited there for a good while before the rat finished it''s meal and moved off into the forest. ¡°I was wondering what had happened.¡± Aimus let out a sigh and sat down. ¡°What?¡± Ren said and joined him. ¡°Didn''t you notice that there hasn''t been a single snake, a boar, a bird, a bat, or even large insects while we''ve been walking along?¡± Aimus asked. ¡°No, I didn''t notice. I thought that it was just normal for this kind of forest to be so quiet.¡± Aimus shook his head. ¡°No, I''ve been here quite a few times. My lookout is pretty close to here and it''s never been this quiet. Now I know why.¡± Ren thought about it for a moment. ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°We''re going to be very careful and head over to my lookout. We can see for quite a ways from it. I need to know how far they''ve spread.¡± Aimus said and stood up. ¡°If it is what I think it is, then I''ll need to warn the surrounding settlements.¡± Ren nodded and stood up himself. They moved off into the brush, but didn''t cut it away this time. It took another hour or so for them to reach the place Aimus led them to. They saw several more rats along the way and gave them a wide berth. Luckily, there weren''t any around where they were now and Aimus visibly relaxed. ¡°It''s that one.¡± Aimus said and pointed to a tree that looked just like any other in the area. They were all about 4 feet wide and had a thick, grayish brown bark. Ren walked over to it but couldn''t see any visible marks on it to distinguish it from the other trees. He was about to ask Aimus how he knew it was that one, when Ren had a thought of inspiration and activated Enchanted Eyes. A glyph appeared on the trunk of the tree. He didn''t recognize it, so he activated Read Rune and Decipher. He traced the runes he could see in his mind because he knew it shouldn''t be touched unless he wanted to break it. He recognized 3 of the runes, but the last one... he couldn''t read it, but saw it''s shape clearly.
Notice!
You have learned a new Rune!
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Ren put away the machete like blade and took out his Book Of Runes. He flipped to the last page of the single runes; and sure enough, a new rune was there at the top corner.
Rune Of Warding
This rune grants a +5% chance of not being discovered. Can be combined with other runes or glyphs for extra bonuses.
Ren smiled and turned around, keeping Enchanted Eyes, Read Rune, and Decipher, on. Having the abilities on at the same time drained his mana at a slow but constant rate, but he could now see there were similar glyphs around the area, scattered through the trees. When he looked down, there were some on the ground as well. I wonder how that works? Ren thought and knelt down to look closer at the glyph closest to him. Isn''t the ground only one thing? Aimus watched Ren as he looked at the tree and then took out a book. Aimus looked over Ren''s shoulder, saw the glyphs marked within, and turned away quickly. He didn''t want to be accused of trying to steal someone else''s work. Who would have thought the kid would be an enchanter, too? Aimus thought as Ren bent down to look at the ground. I thought he was only a tailor... ¡°The lookout is up there.¡± Aimus said. Ren put his book away then stood up. He turned his head up, and up, and up. About 40 feet above their heads was a wooden platform that looked like it was precariously balanced on a branch... that didn''t look strong enough to hold the extra weight. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and walked to the tree. He saw that Aimus was taking some of his gear off and securing it properly, so it wouldn''t fall off or shift his balance when he moved. Ren put the small bow and quiver that he carried into his inventory and started to climb the tree. He alternated using Iron Grip and pushing up with his feet. I wonder if there''s an Iron Grip for feet? Ren pondered as he slowly got higher up the side of the tree. Aimus got his things properly tied so he could climb the ladder easier and looked up to see Ren about 30 feet off the ground and clinging to the tree. ¡°Hey! What''re you doing?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ren said, startled out of his thoughts. His foot dislodged from the tree, and since he was in the middle of climbing, he only had one hand secured. He swung out from the tree and his other foot slipped... just as the hand with Iron Grip tore off the bark he''d been holding onto. Aimus was shocked when Ren''s little body swung out from the tree and then plummeted 30 feet to the ground. ¡°Noooo!¡± A second later, Ren hit the ground with a thud. He had landed on his back at first; but because he had swung away from the tree and had hit with such force, his body rebounded and his momentum flipped him over onto his face. Aimus was frozen with shock and didn''t try to rush over to help. There was nothing he could do for the kid now. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren said as he stood up. That fall had taken almost 10% of his health. He brushed himself off as best as he could. He was so relieved that he''d taken the extra time to make such durable clothing. Aimus still stood there in shock, but for a different reason. He''s not dead? Aimus took a step towards Ren. Why isn''t he dead? A fall from that height would kill a normal person! He took a couple more steps. I...I don''t think he''s even broken a limb or anything! But how is that possible? The little bugger even bounced when he hit the ground! Aimus stood in front of Ren and placed his hands on Ren''s shoulders. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Aimus said in a normal voice and let none of his thoughts show on his face. ¡°Yeah. It''s a good thing I didn''t land on my head, though.¡± Ren said and tapped the top of his head. ¡°No helmet.¡± He really is fine! Aimus thought and let Ren go. This kid is amazing. Ren turned around and went back to the tree. ¡°Ren! Wait!¡± Aimus said. ¡°It''s okay. I''ll do it this time.¡± Ren said and started to climb the tree. ¡°No, you don''t understand! There''s a lad-¡± Aimus started to say but Ren cut him off. ¡°I said I can do it!¡± Ren said with determination. He was already 10 feet up the tree. Aimus sighed and walked around the tree to the ladder he''d placed there. It led right up to the platform and to handholds at the top. Aimus climbed the ladder and a few minutes later stood carefully at the top. He turned to the side of the platform, next to the tree, to wait for Ren. ¡°What''re you looking at?¡± Ren said from beside Aimus, trying to see what he saw. Aimus jumped and could have fallen off the platform, but caught his balance before he did. ¡°Ren! You scared the crap out of me! I almost fell!¡± Aimus said, indignantly. ¡°I''d have grabbed you before that happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°What were you looking at?¡± ¡°I was looking for you.¡± Aimus said as he calmed down, but still had a scowl on his face. ¡°How did you get up here so fast?¡± ¡°I''m a quick learner.¡± Ren said, but didn''t elaborate. Aimus shrugged and walked over to the small railing and looked out over the area that could be seen from such a high perch. Ren took this opportunity to talk to Teepo. It had been about a half hour since the last time they did the location finding trick. Teepo, how are you? Ren thought. ¡°I''m fine, master.¡± Teepo said. Teepo, are you still whispering? ¡°Yes, master.¡± Ren smiled. Then I''m pretty close to where you are. ¡°That''s great! How much longer? I''ve had to move a few times so far. I don''t know if I can move safely again.¡± It won''t be much longer, Teepo. I promise. Ren said. Aimus turned to Ren. ¡°It''s not as bad as I thought. I was worried there was a new nest of them in the forest, but I don''t see anything. What direction is your friend?¡± Ren and Teepo did the location finding technique and Ren pointed to the right. ¡°He''s pretty close.¡± Aimus turned as a frown formed on his face. He pushed a hand through his hair. ¡°We can''t go there.¡± Ren looked at Aimus with shock. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°That''s the old burial mound. It''s forbidden to trespass there.¡± Ren squinted his eyes at Aimus, but didn''t say anything as he went to the ladder and started to climb down. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Aimus asked. Ren didn''t respond and kept going down. Considering it was a ladder and not just the side of a bare tree, Ren went down faster than a normal person would in the same situation. He got to the bottom in no time and took out the bow and quiver from his inventory. ¡°Ren! Wait! There''s a reason you can''t go there!¡± Aimus shouted and started to climb down from the platform. I''m coming Teepo... no matter what! Ren thought as he activated Sneak and moved into the underbrush. Chapter 35 - To The Rescue Aimus got to the bottom of the ladder and turned around. ¡°Ren!¡± Aimus unhooked his bow and quiver. ¡°REN!¡± Aimus shouted, but there was no response. ¡°Dammit, this is a bad idea.¡± Aimus said and went into the underbrush himself. 10 minutes later Ren passed between a couple of trees and felt some kind of energy crawl down his spine. It felt like he should run for his life. Something was going to get him! He stopped walking and visibly shook. ¡°No.¡± Ren said and activated Serene State Of Mind. A calmness filled him and he could think rationally again. Ren walked back through the same couple of trees and activated Enchanted Eyes. All the trees glowed with enchantments. Ren activated Read Rune and Decipher and looked at the closest tree. A glyph unlike anything he''d ever seen before was burned into the tree. He couldn''t make heads or tails of it; but, he knew that it was the cause of the irrational fear and need to escape that he suddenly felt. Ren used Dismantle Glyph consciously, reached out and touched the glyph on the tree. It shattered, but Ren didn''t learn a new rune from it. He touched the nearby tree and dismantled that glyph as well. With Serene State of Mind activated, he couldn''t tell if destroying those glyphs had made any difference in the fear feeling, but he didn''t want to take the chance that it didn''t and kept Serene State Of Mind on. His mana fell at a much quicker rate with 4 abilities going, so he took out a mana potion and drank it. It refilled his bar, but since it was a constant drain it didn''t help much. Ren jogged among the trees and touched each glyph in turn, cutting a path through the dense cluster of Terror Trees. Some were absorbed to keep his mana up and others were destroyed so he could try to learn something from it. At the 23rd tree, Dismantle Glyph finally worked to it''s potential.
Notice!
You have learned a new glyph!
Ren stopped to see what it was and took out his Book Of Runes. He flipped to the last page of the single runes section. He was a little shocked to see what it was.
Rune of Terror
This rune causes great fear in anyone that is near. 10% chance to flee in fright. Can be combined with other runes or glyphs for extra bonuses and greater effects.
Ren looked up at the tree he stood beside and stared at the glyph. He counted 10 instances of the Rune of Terror, which guaranteed that anyone near would flee in fright, but the rest of the glyph was just squiggles and scratches. Why would someone go to all the trouble to enchant such horrible things onto so many trees in a forest? Ren thought. It can''t be just a burial ground, can it? What were they really hiding? ¡°Treasure.¡± Teepo said. What? ¡°It''s treasure. I could hear the thing mumbling about protecting the treasure as it chased me.¡± Ren shook his head. I''m going to finish making a path through these things and I''ll be right there. ¡°Thank you, master.¡± You don''t have to thank me, Teepo. You''re my friend. I''ll do everything I can for you. Teepo didn''t say anything more, but Ren could feel the relief and appreciation that Teepo felt. Ren deactivated everything except Enchanted Eyes and jogged along the trees, destroying all the glyphs he could reach. He moved towards the direction Teepo''s voice had come from and stopped when he reached a kind of clearing. A small mound of earth was in the center, covered in vines, tree roots, and moss. Ren looked at the surrounding trees and they all had similar glyphs to the one that had the Rune Of Terror in it. He stepped forward and hit an invisible wall. ¡°Ow!¡± Ren said and rubbed his nose. He reached out and felt something was there. Some kind of barrier blocked the way. Ren''s Enchanted Eyes hadn''t picked it up, though. He activated Read Rune and Decipher to look down at the ground. Glyphs like the one he''d seen in the mountain pass covered the ground, only these ones were more elaborate. It looked like two or three glyphs were overlapped into one whole glyph. Ren didn''t care about getting anything from it so he deactivated Read Rune and Decipher, used Absorb Enchantment, and sucked all the mana from it... or tried to, at least. Ren started to get a headache a minute later and the enchantment was still there. Ren watched his mana bar fill quickly... and then it stopped. Ren kept watching in astonishment as a second mana bar, a green one, overlapped the blue one. The enchantment glyphs slowly disappeared as they were drained and the new mana bar gradually filled up. By the time the wall was down, the new green mana bar was full. Ren sat down and rubbed his head.
Notice!
You have unlocked a Special Class Skill!
New Skill!
Mana Pool This skill allows you to gather mana into a holding pool. It can be used just like regular mana, but won''t be affected by your mana regeneration. Once the pool is drained, any mana use will come from your normal mana source instead.
¡°God, that hurts. It feels like my skull is on fire.¡± ¡°Master! It''s found me!¡± Teepo said. He wasn''t whispering this time. Ren stood up and ran to the mound in the center. Enchanted Eyes showed Ren a glyph near the base and he used Dismantle Glyph on it. A small section of dirt collapsed and Ren jumped into the opening. He slid down a collapsed wall and ended up in a small hallway. He''d completely forgotten about the pain from all the extra mana he carried. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Teepo! I''m here!¡± Ren shouted. ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± Teepo screamed. Ren knocked an arrow into his bow and ran towards the sound of Teepo''s voice. He took two corners and came to a dead end. ¡°No!¡± Ren doubled back and entered a room in the previous hallway and came out the other side. ¡°Teepo!¡± ¡°Reeeeeeeeenn!¡± Teepo hollered. Ren took off down the corridor and ran into a large cavern. Columns and debris were all over the place. It looked to be a natural cave, but it had stone carved walls and stone flooring with intricate details carved into the surface. Ren hopped over a fallen column and saw a ghastly sight. A kind of apparition had cornered Teepo against some kind of altar that was half smashed, but you could still make out that it was intended to make offerings. Right now though... it''s offering was Teepo. ¡°Get away from him!¡± Ren shouted and shot an arrow. It passed through the apparition as if it wasn''t there. ¡°Ren! Help! It... it''s draining.... meeee.......¡± Ren saw that Teepo''s bright blue color was fading and that whisps of his astral projection were being sucked into the apparition like smoke into a vaccuum. Ren didn''t panic, though. He activated Serene State Of Mind and thought about the situation. If it''s an apparition, then it''s a ghost of some kind. If it''s a ghost, then it''s undead. If it''s undead, then... Ren smiled and grabbed another arrow from the quiver and held it in his hand. A glyph appeared on the tip of the arrowhead and Ren notched it to his bow. ¡°Activate.¡± Ren didn''t think he had to say that, but it was better to be safe than sorry. The glyph glowed a bright white and he let the arrow fly. It hit the apparition in the back and a bright flash of white engulfed it. ¡°AaaahhhhhhhHHHHH!¡± It screamed and passed through the altar to get away from what had hit it. It went across the room and passed through the solid wall at the back of the cavern. Teepo ran over to Ren who picked him up. ¡°Hey, how are you, little buddy?¡± Ren said and deactivated Serene State Of Mind. ¡°I''m fine now, Ren. Thank you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Anytime.¡± Ren said. ¡°Think we should find this thing and finish it off?¡± ¡°Oh, definitely!¡± Teepo agreed. ¡°It''ll be nice to let it feel a little bit of how it made me feel, as it hunted me the last few hours.¡± Ren took out all of the arrows and enchanted them with the Glyph of Holy Light. He put them back in the quiver and notched one to his bow. They went over to the solid wall that the apparition went through. Ren used Enchanted Eyes, but didn''t see anything and turned it off. ¡°There''s no way inside.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ve looked for hours and couldn''t even find a crack to squeeze through!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Teepo, you remember how we first met, right?¡± ¡°Yes. It was the best day of my afterlife.¡± ¡°Mine, too.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°Best day I mean, not the afterlife part.¡± Ren took out his mining pick and spun it in his hand. ¡°Who needs a door, right?¡± Teepo chittered in laugher. ¡°Floating through a wall? It''s not going to get away that easily!¡± Ren swung the pick as if he were mining for real and dug a man-sized hole in the wall in only a minute. He put the pick away and entered the room behind the wall. Both Ren and Teepo were bathed in terror. They had to escape! Ren jumped out through the opening he''d made and landed on the floor. Teepo hung on and Ren rolled onto his back. Dammit, I fell for it again! Ren thought and stood up. He used Enchanted Eyes and looked around the inside room. Glyphs covered the walls and floor. ¡°Teepo, you better stay out here for a minute.¡± Ren said and Teepo hopped off his shoulder and onto the side of the opening Ren had made. Ren activated Serene State Of Mind and entered the room, then touched each of the glyphs that he could see and used Dismantle Glyph. A few minutes later, he''d cleared everything that he could reach and went back to the opening to pick up Teepo. Inside the room was a raised platform and on it was a column of rock about 10 feet wide that went right up to the ceiling. Two statues holding shields stood on each side of it. If Ren guessed the distance correctly, they should be right under the main mound of the clearing. Teepo was disappointed that the apparition wasn''t in the room, but Ren pointed out that if this was it''s regular haunt, then it would be back. Teepo agreed. Ren went to look closely at the statues by the column of rock and felt a familiar pulse. No way! Ren thought. NO WAY! A ghostly hand came out of the column of rock, followed by the rest of the apparition. It happened so fast that Ren reacted without thinking, raised his bow, and shot it. The bright light in the small space blinded both Ren and the apparition. ¡°AaaahhhhhhhHHHHH!¡± It screamed and passed back into the column of rock. ¡°I''m sorry!¡± Ren shouted, but he sincerely doubted if the apparition could actually hear him. ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡± Teepo said with a bit of disgust in his voice. ¡°I know who that is.¡± Ren said as he notched another arrow onto his bow. Ren may have known who it used to be, but that didn''t mean that this thing couldn''t still be a real danger to him and to Teepo. Ren got his pick out again and dug at the column. When he got about halfway through, he unearthed a larger chunk of a strange gem like ore that had a slightly green glow. Nestled around it was the apparition. It hugged the stone as if it''s ''life'' depended on it, and as far as Ren could determine, that might actually be true. Ren put his pick and the bow away, and took a handful of arrows from the quiver. ¡°I really am sorry about this.¡± Ren said... and stabbed the apparition with the handful of enchanted arrows. Chapter 36 - Did I Do That? Ren closed his eyes as the bright light engulfed the apparition completely. It screamed for what seemed to be a long time, but was probably only a few seconds. When it stopped, the light didn''t die down, however. Ren slowly opened his eyes and was surprised at what he saw. Before him stood a wizened old man with wrinkled features and a big smile on his face. He wasn''t any taller than Ren was. The picture in Ana''s old storybook, The Guide To Infinite Joy, didn''t do the Elder of the Tribe any justice. The old man opened his mouth and a bunch of weird sounds came out of it. The old man smiled wider, waved, and then faded from sight. Teepo jumped side to side, turned around in a circle, hung his head and sighed. ¡°Teepo! What was that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That was the Dance of Departure. It''s to send souls on their way to the other side.¡± ¡°Is that what happened?¡± ¡°Yes. The holy light you used has cleansed the corrupted soul that had been trapped here for centuries.¡± Teepo said and looked at Ren. ¡°The Elder thanked you for freeing him from his accidental imprisonment and waved goodbye.¡± ¡°You could understand what he said?¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°Of course. Every beetle knows the Core Language.¡± Ren thought he might be lacking in some basic knowledge. ¡°You''ll have to teach me one of these days.¡± ¡°Sure. You only need a year or two to learn the alphabet first.¡± Teepo said. ¡°A...a year or two just for the alphabet?¡± Ren sputtered. ¡°Well, if you know a quicker way to memorize 236 consonants and 53 vowels, and be able to recite them in the proper order...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Lets leave the language lessons alone for a while.¡± Ren said and rolled his eyes. ¡°A long while.¡± Ren put the handful of arrows away and finally had the chance to look at the statues closely. They were made of some kind of metal. Ren didn''t know what kind it was. Smelted? Coated? Bronzed? Ren couldn''t tell, even when he ran his hand along one of the shields. It moved slightly and Ren looked behind the shield and saw that it was just sitting there. It wasn''t a part of the statue. Ren lifted the shield from the statue''s grip; it was heavy, but manageable. It was about 2 feet wide and 2 and a half feet long, with a rounded top and a slightly pointed bottom. Ren put it in his inventory and went to the other statue. It had a similar shield and Ren took that, too. Ren then turned to the chunk of ore that sat in the rock column. He took out his mining pick and quickly dug out the chunk and stashed it in his inventory. Ren turned around and ran for his life. He knew what was coming. Teepo chittered in delight. He knew what was coming, too. He always enjoyed it when Ren ran.
Notice!
You have caught the attention of the ''Spirit of Earth''
Aimus finally got through those damnable terror causing trees. He sat down and tried to catch his breath and ease the terror feeling that filled the area. Aimus had only made it this far once before. It was how he knew that Ren couldn''t go any farther in. The barrier kept people out of the sacred land. Aimus looked around but couldn''t see Ren anywhere. Where is he? Aimus thought. Don''t tell me he turned back and I missed him! Aimus reached out to touch the wall and stumbled forwards. What the...?!? A loud rumbling sound pierced the calm of the clearing. The ground shook and Aimus stood up. He saw a little figure hop out of a hole in the ground and run towards a spot not far from where Aimus now stood. ¡°RUN! They shouldn''t be too fast, but they''re bigger than the other one!¡± Ren said as he ran closer. ¡°What are you... oh sh-¡± BOOOOOM! The side of the mound exploded outwards and two gigantic stone golems climbed out of the crater. They turned and tromped across the clearing towards the fleeing Ren. ¡°Come on! Follow me!¡± Ren said and ran right into the area of terror causing trees, but didn''t slow down. ¡°I''d ask if you had any traps on you, but I don''t think they''d work on these guys!¡± Ren''s voice got higher the further away he went. He had to shout so Aimus could hear him. Aimus ran into the same area Ren did, and felt relief. He didn''t feel the fear anymore. ¡°How in the world did you... No, nevermind. I don''t want to know.¡± Ren laughed and kept running. Aimus followed Ren as the giant stone golems followed them both. Ren and Aimus had to dodge around trees and jump over bushes, but the stone golems just pushed the trees aside if they were in the way. The golems weren''t as tall as the trees so it did take some effort from them to push the trees over. ¡°Apparently fear and terror doesn''t affect them!¡± Ren shouted after peering back to see how far away the golems were. ¡°Why would they be afraid?¡± Aimus shouted back. ¡°They''re rocks!¡± Ren started to laugh and then understood what Aimus had said. ¡°No, they''re not rocks. They''re stone! Stone and mortar!¡± Ren got an image in his mind of the proper glyph and touched the trees he passed. One glyph would never be enough... but using the same tactic as whoever set up that terror forest... it might just work. Ren thought and kept touching trees. Activate! Ren heard a sound like a match being lit and touched another tree. Activate.! Again and again. Activate! Activate! It wasn''t long before they approached the lookout. Aimus tried to get Ren''s attention, but Ren had already veered away from the spot. They ran over towards the direction that Aimus had looked for the rats. Ren looked back at his handiwork. No one was going to be scared of the trees anymore. Ren thought, amused. The stone golems don''t much like it, either. Ren had started a forest fire. The biggest forest fire anyone had seen in a long time. Ren noticed that the golems were slowing down and smiled. The stones can take a lot of heat, but the mortar is another story. Ren didn''t know if something had created the creatures, or if they were just automatically generated out of the surrounding materials... but it didn''t really matter at the moment. Ren lit off a few more trees as he continued to run. Aimus stayed close on his heels. How is he doing that? Aimus thought in bewilderment. Even the best enchanter I know could probably do that many, but not all at once! Ren kept going and touching trees. If he''d only been using his regular mana, he would have had to stop and let it regenerate... but his Mana Pool was a different story. It steadily drained away with each enchantment, but it let Ren do it constantly without having to worry about the cost. ¡°Is there a clearing nearby?¡± Ren shouted to Aimus. ¡°Yeah, just up ahead by the river. Why?¡± ¡°A river?¡± Ren said and a huge smile spread across his face. ¡°That''s perfect!¡± Aimus was about to ask what he meant, but just then Ren slowed down and weaved back and forth. He lit even more trees on fire. They came out of the forest into a small clearing. Ren looked back and saw he had a couple minutes before the golems got to him. The heat from the blazing forest fire was intense, but Ren ignored it. He stopped near the river''s edge and put his hand on the ground. A glyph appeared there and he moved over a couple feet and put his hand on the ground. A glyph appeared there and the first glyph disappeared. ¡°Huh? What gives? Why didn''t it work?¡± Aimus saw what he was doing and told him the secret. ¡°The guy I paid to hide the lookout put stones in the ground. He didn''t enchant the ground itself.¡± Ren slapped himself on the forehead. Of course! That''s how you''d get around the one glyph limitation! Ren looked around quickly, but didn''t see anything that he could enchant (and then bury) in so short a time... but then saw the side of the river itself. There were lots of rocks there. Ren absorbed the glyph he''d just put on the ground and ran over to the river and kept touching rocks along the shore. Ren thought ''trap'' each time he touched a rock''s surface to place a glyph there. Aimus saw Ren working at something and headed across the river. It would at least give them something to stand behind as protection from the forest fire. Ren had a good 20 feet of rocks enchanted then half jumped and half swam across the slightly deep river. Aimus was waiting for him there and Ren pulled himself out of the water on the other side and envisioned another glyph in his mind. Ren smiled again and positioned rocks in the water to be within easy reach. His gamble might not work, but it sure was going to look spectacular. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Ren asked Aimus for his quiver and Ren enchanted 10 of the arrows with a glyph made of 3 Ice runes. Ren had barely finished when the trees he''d set fire to across the river burst apart and two very large, and quite reddish colored, stone golems came into the clearing. Seeing their prey, they stomped forward and reached the river... and activated the ''traps'' Ren had set. A bunch of small rocky hands reached up and grabbed each of the golem''s feet. Ren assumed that the hands weren''t as big because he hadn''t enchanted an actual trap with them. The hands had a hard time holding on to the smooth stones of the golem''s feet, but that wasn''t really their purpose. The trap was only a distraction. Ren reached into the river and touched the half a dozen rocks he''d placed there. He enchanted them with a glyph made up with a rune mixture of 2 Wind and 1 Water, saying ''Activate'' each time. Ren''s mana pool drained away completely and he started using his normal mana. A torrent of water blasted out of the river with each new enchantment and flew across the short space to hit the golems. The positions of the rocks weren''t perfect, but most of the water hit the golems in the chest and legs. The water sizzled and boiled away quickly and a light fog seemed to cover the golems. The water kept flowing out of the river and into the fog, but the sizzling died down quickly. Ren heard a crumbling sound and a stone golem stepped out of the fog. It had broken free of the trap. Aimus drew an arrow back and let it fly. It hit the golem in the neck and ice shot out from the impact. Two more arrows hit the neck nearby and the golem shifted it''s weight to turn away from the arrows... and right into a water stream. The ice thickened and the golem''s head popped right off. ¡°Aimus! The shoulders!¡± Ren said and took out his own bow and arrows. Aimus hit two more in each shoulder and the water expanded the ice from the arrows. The golem''s arms popped off just like the head did. The legs kept coming forward, and Aimus put two more arrows into the hip joint and the water helped the ice spread quickly. The leg popped off a moment later and the torso flopped into the water with only one leg attached. A grinding and snapping sound was heard and the second golem stepped forward. It had seen what had happened to the other one and raised an arm across it''s face, protecting itself... but by then it was already too late. Ren and Aimus knew what to do now. Ren had his arrows enchanted with Ice glyphs by then and handed 5 of them to Aimus. Ren shot the remaining golem in the belly, but the arrow just bounced off and fell into the water. Ren loaded another arrow and took careful aim. The golem took another step and was now halfway across the river. Ren hit the belly again, but this time the arrow hit the mortar joint between the hips and torso. The ice formed and the water spread it, but it didn''t pop off like the other ones did. Ren notched another arrow and shot it into the river in front of the golem''s feet. The water froze instantly in a small area and Ren shot another arrow. Both the golem''s feet were now trapped in ice and Aimus took his time and shot one of the golem''s hip joints with two arrows. Ren reached down, grabbed one of his enchanted rocks, and moved it to spray the golem''s hip. The ice spread quickly and the leg popped off at the joint. Aimus and Ren did the same to the other hip joint, and the torso fell into the water. It still had both arms and could probably drag itself around, but Ren enchanted a few more arrows for Aimus and they took the golem''s arms off as well.
Notice!
You have successfully defeated the Spirit of Earth - Behemoth Stone Guardian (x2) and evaded capture and possible death. Rewards: 1000XP Fame XP Bonus: 10%
¡°Nice work, Ren.¡± Aimus said and pat Ren on the shoulder. ¡°I wasn''t sure what you were doing at first, but once I caught on we handled them rather quickly.¡± ¡°I realized that if I could get the stone and mortar hot enough, the stones would expand and the mortar would loosen. If it was then doused with water, the stones would shrink too quickly for the mortar to adjust. I''d hoped it would become brittle and make the golems easier to fight.¡± Ren explained as he put his bow away. Aimus lifted the last enchanted arrow that he had. ¡°And these?¡± ¡°Ice can seep into the smallest cracks and weaken the stone. When you hit the mortar instead... well, then I knew it was going to be much easier to beat them.¡± Aimus nodded and thought about stepping into the water to gather up as many arrows as he could. He could always make more, but it was better to recover the used ones first. There was no need to make extra work for himself if he didn''t have to. The only problem was Ren''s enchanted stones were still shooting water from the river. Aimus looked up at the fire that had engulfed a good portion of the forest and then at Ren. ¡°Are you thinking what I''m thinking?¡± Aimus said. ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said, deadpan. Aimus looked at him with raised eyebrows. ¡°Ha! Just kidding.¡± Ren chuckled and bent down to pick up 2 of his enchanted rocks. Once out of the water, the flow of the water became smaller. It went from about the size of a fire hose to that of a garden hose. Ren thought about what to do... and then he smiled. Ren crossed the river, avoiding the remains of the rock golems, just in case they might flip over on him or something, and placed one enchanted rock in the river on the other side. He braced it so the stream of water coming out of the river would arc through the air and over towards the trees. The water stream ended about 3/4 of the way to the forest. Ren absorbed all the trap enchantments he''d placed along that side of the river and climbed out of the water. He walked over to where the arc of water hit the ground and put the second rock he held at the end of that. Ren angled the rock to send an arc of water to spray into the trees and the water stream leaped along the path he''d made. Aimus saw what Ren was doing and gathered up the other enchanted rocks. He brought them to Ren who took one and held it inside the arc. Ren turned the stone around and soaked a tree. The fire died down momentarily, just enough for Ren to use his Absorb Enchantment on the ''Breath of Fire'' glyph he had placed there. It worked like a charm! Ren thought and then laughed. He had made a pun. Aimus ran back to the water and carefully picked up the arrows he could get safely. It took a while for them to move into the forest and for Ren to absorb the enchantments he''d placed. Ren had to enchant more rocks the further into the forest they went, so he could maintain the stream of water. They got back to the lookout and saw that it, and the surrounding trees, were spared the brunt of the fire. They kept going and eventually got to the spot where the terror causing trees had been. It was still burning high so Ren decided to just let it burn. He cast the ''Blast of Water'' glyph on nearby trees to stop the fire from spreading back into the places they''d already saved. A constant flow of water, even such a small amount, should keep the place wet enough. Ren would have to come back and destroy them later. Too much water can cause just as much destruction as the fire would. They made their way around the rest of the fire damaged forest and spread water wherever they went. Exhaused and drained, Ren sat down under the lookout. ¡°Whew! I''m glad that''s over.¡± Aimus sat down next to him. ¡°That was fun.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow and looked at Aimus. ¡°The last time I had to handle a forest fire, it had to be done the old fashioned way. Use buckets to wet down everything you owned and hoped the fire passed you by.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren said. ¡°Yeah. It was hard. The feeling to get out there and do something about it was quite strong... but I knew there wasn''t anything that I could do, except to wait for it to be over.¡± Aimus said and shrugged. ¡°Why else do you think I live in the middle of three open fields? It''s not because I like the view.¡± Aimus said and laughed. ¡°I was going to ask why you named your place Blackmeadow Homestead, but I think I just figured it out.¡± Ren said. Aimus nodded and didn''t say anything further. Ren took out some of the food he had in his inventory, including the buns he''d taken from the table at lunch, and shared it with Aimus. They ate in silence and listened to the sound of trickling water. Chapter 37 - Revelation Teepo had clung to Ren''s shoulder the whole time and never said a word. He''d never seen flames like them before and was mesmerized by their dance. The sway the flames had was hypnotic as the wind took it to more and more trees. Teepo felt that the fire hungered for more food and ate to it''s heart''s content... but it was never satisfied and kept eating more and more. Teepo watched in amazement as the forest was devoured by the ceaseless flame. Teepo didn''t even see the fight his friend Ren had been in, since his gaze was locked on the unending flame. When Ren had finished eating, the last of the flames died out and Teepo awoke from the trance he''d been trapped in. ¡°Ren, why is everything so wet? Did it rain?¡± Teepo asked. Huh? Aimus and I put out the fire with water enchantments. You didn''t see us do that? ¡°No, all I saw was the Dancing Flames.¡± Teepo responded. Ren looked at his friend closely. Dancing flames? It almost sounds like a title of some kind. Ren thought. ¡°It is.¡± Teepo said. While Ren sat and rested, Teepo told him a story. * The story was from long ago, and about how the first beetle had stumbled into an old shaman''s tent. It discovered the shaman has used forbidden magics and called forth a creature, the likes of which had never been seen before. In the center of the shaman''s holy area, a being made of pure light floated. The shaman, greedy for the holy light the being possessed, cast spell after spell on the poor creature. It fought for as long as it could, but in the end, the shaman''s will was too strong and his greed was too overpowering... and the creature collapsed in on itself, turned inside out, and became a beast of living fire. The shaman was shocked by this, so much so that the beast broke free of the binding spell and lit the shaman on fire. ¡°You wanted my light so much, then you can have it... for as long as you can keep it.¡± An unearthly voice spoke over the screams of the shaman. The beast turned and ran around the small tent and everything it touched burst into flames. Once everything was burning, it found it had an audience and stood in front of the beetle. ¡°You. What do you want? Did you want my light as well?¡± The voice said ominously and knelt down. The beetle, completely entranced with the way the fire danced and moved of it''s own free will, didn''t hear a word of what the being said. The being reached down and picked up the beetle and held it close. ¡°You''re not afraid of me at all, are you?¡± The being said as the beetle''s legs started to crisp and sizzle from the heat. The beetle, unaware of the being''s presence, continued to stare at the flame as it danced. ¡°So... beautiful...¡± The beetle said. The fire consumed everything in the tent and then the tent itself. The being smiled. ¡°Very well. From this point forward, you and all of your kind shall be my emmisaries.¡± The being said and a glow enveloped the beetle. It''s bright white carapace turned to a dark blue, and it''s legs became able to traverse the flames without harm. The beetle took it''s eyes off the flames that engulfed the tent and looked right at the being that held it. ¡°Whenever you see *Fire*, know that it is me.¡± The being said and put the beetle down. ¡°Tell everyone far and wide that *Fire* is here.¡± The tent dissolved around the pair and neither of them took notice. They now stood in a pile of ash. The beetle did a little dance right on the spot to thank the being, and to the surprised being it looked like dancing flames. The being smiled. ¡°Hm. Yes, that is quite the tribute. Thank you.¡± The beetle chittered in delight and went home. It didn''t know how it as going to let everyone know about *Fire*, since it was just a beetle... but for some reason it wanted to start a family. Generation to generation, the story was passed down beetle to beetle about the Dancing Flames and how they came to be. * Teepo finished the story and Ren sat in silence.
Notice!
You have heard a story from the Lore Of The Ages Series
Well... I think I just gave Dancing Flames a gigantic tribute, don''t you? Ren thought to Teepo. Teepo chittered in delight. "A good portion of the forest was a fitting tribute to Dancing Flames."
Notice!
You have gained Hidden Knowledge about the nature of fire, and provided a suitable tribute to it''s Divine Entity. Knowledge Of Fire Level 1 (Intermediate 0%) Fire affinity and resistance increased by 10%
A stat jump right to intermediate? Ren thought, astonished. He''d gained a level or two of fire knowledge during that whole event but swiped the notices away without reading them. It seemed that each level gives a 1% increase in affinity and resistance; with a bonus for jumping ahead, apparently. Ren looked at his stat for fire knowledge and saw that it was now at 23%. Wow. Aimus stood up. ¡°It would be best to stay here for the night. Even with the fire and most of the smaller creatures eaten by giant rats, there are still things that will come out at night to see what''s been going on. I do not want to be traveling on the ground when that happens.¡± Ren looked up at the darkening sky and agreed. Aimus set a few traps and did the wire trick around the clearing under the lookout. Ren went to each trap and enchanted them with the ''Grip of the Earth'' glyph. Boy, is that thing handy! Ren thought as he did the last one, and recieved a popup.
Stat Change!
Your Enchanting skill has leveled up. Enchanting Level 5 (Intermediate 0%) You can now use 4 runes in a single glyph.
Ren was excited to see that. 4 runes per glyph! Ren had hoped with all the extra enchanting done that day would let him level up. He and Aimus climbed the ladder to the lookout and Ren put his bedroll next to the tree. Aimus tied a rope to the tree and then around Ren''s chest. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.¡°What''s this for?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s just in case you roll over in your sleep. Despite your uncanny ability to bounce when you fall from great heights, I''d prefer you not take the plunge if you don''t have to.¡± Aimus said and smiled. ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°I still don''t have a helmet!¡± Ren and Aimus laughed. Teepo asked Ren what he needed the helmet for, and Ren filled Teepo in on everything that happened. Teepo chittered in laughter when Ren got to the part where he fell while trying to climb. Ren took out his Book of Runes and filled in all the single rune pages with the 4 rune glyph variants. It was getting easier and easier for him to imagine what new glyphs would look like. Once each of the single rune pages was full, he turned to the next section with the protection rune in it. The variants of that were almost mind boggling, but Ren took it in stride and kept working until it was almost full dark. His eyesight allowed him to work longer than a normal human would, but when it got too hard for him to see, he put the book away and tucked himself into his bedroll. Don''t go too far, Teepo. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°I... I think... I''m just going to stick close by, if that''s okay.¡± Teepo said sheepishly. Ren smiled. Sure, Teepo. You don''t have to go exploring if you don''t want to. Teepo clicked in acknowledgement and settled down on Ren''s chest. Ren closed his eyes. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset and was surprised to see most of the nurses from the floor were in his room. Lucy took the set from him and put it on the dresser. Once it was out of the way, Ren was mobbed by the nurses. They hugged and pawed at him and he flopped back and forth between having sets of boobs in his face to scowls and waving fingers. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Ren said when he could catch a breath. ¡°Ren! How could you do that! Setting the forest on fire like that...¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m so glad you''re okay! When those rock things came after you...¡± Lucy said at the same time. ¡°That ghost was scary, wasn''t it? Weren''t you scared?¡± Bonnie added her voice to the chorus. ¡°You saved that poor soul, too!¡± Another nurse said. Ren has only seen her a few times and couldn''t remember her name. He let the nurses talk and he answered their questions as best as he could. In the middle of it all, he turned to Lucy. ¡°Lucy, I was wondering if I could have lunch?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Sure. I''ll be right back.¡± Lucy said and left. Ren pulled himself away from the nurses and managed to go to the bathroom without assistance. He cleaned up and went back to bed. The nurses had stayed and Ren kept talking to them. He had about 3 hours before he needed to log back into the game, but he didn''t tell the nurses that. Lucy came in a few minutes later and Ren ate a nice turkey sandwich on white bread, with a bright red slice of tomato and crispy lettuce. There was just a touch of mayonaise on the lettuce side of the sandwich and it made the sandwich taste that much better. Lucy always makes the best sandwiches! Ren thought and ate the handful of potato chips that were on the side of his plate. Orange juice soon followed and Ren''s lunch was complete. ¡°Thanks alot, Lucy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your sandwiches are always the best.¡± Lucy smiled in response to the thank you, then blushed at the best comment. Ren smiled at her and she blushed a little harder. The other nurses interrputed their conversation when they saw this interaction and decided that Lucy needed a good teasing. ¡°Yes, Lucy... your sandwiches are delicious.¡± Stella said and came around the bed to hug Lucy from the side. ¡°Oh, they''re just heaven!¡± Bonnie said and put the back of her hand to her forehead and tilted her head back, like you see those damsels in distress do in the movies. ¡°Won''t you please make us one, too?¡± The other nurse said as she intertwined her fingers under her chin, tilted her head to the side and batted her eyelashes. ¡°You... you...¡± Lucy began and they all started laughing. It only took a moment for Lucy to laugh as well and Ren joined them, too. They really are like a family. Ren thought. ¡°E-Everyone... I... I want to thank you. I know I don''t say it enough... for all the things you''ve helped me with these last few years. I really do appreciate everything you do for me. If it wasn''t for you... and the way you take care of me...¡± Ren tried to express how he really felt, and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. ¡°I... I don''t know what my life would have been like...¡± Ren said and wiped his eyes before the tears escaped. ¡°T-Thank you.¡± Ren said and blushed. Silence filled the room and Ren looked at each nurse in turn. The nurses slowly approached the bed and when they reached Ren, he could see the tears in the corner of their eyes, too. They hugged him and said that he didn''t have to thank them and that it was their job to take care of him. Ren shook his head no, that taking care of him as a job was one thing... caring for him as a person was another. The tears flowed freely after that, and they all had a good cry. Ren included. The impromptu gathering broke up just as suddenly as it began. ¡°Come on, Denise. We''ve got rounds to do.¡± Stella said as she let go of Ren. Her eyes were red and a bit puffy. Denise nodded and let go of Ren, too. Her eyes were red and just as puffy. They waved as they left. So that''s her name. Ren thought. I''ll have to remember that. Bonnie let go and stood up as well. ¡°I better get back to the nurse''s station myself. I bet the phone is ringing off the hook.¡± She wiped her eyes and left as well. Lucy let her hug go but stayed sitting. ¡°Ren... I...¡± ¡°You''re the one I have to thank the most.¡± Ren said and took her hand in his. ¡°You''ve been here with me every day. You''ve gone through just about everything that I''ve gone through. Out of all the people here, you''re the one that''s been the most important to me.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Lucy looked at Ren. ¡°Ren, I...¡± Lucy stood up and didn''t bother wiping away her tears. ¡°I... I have to go.¡± Lucy turned away from the bed and left the room. Chapter 38 - Theres More Ren was so surprised when Lucy had abruptly left that he didn''t say anything until she had disappeared from view. ¡°Lucy!¡± Ren called out. Lucy must have ignored the shout because she didn''t come back into the room. Ren sat on the bed in bewilderment. What did I say this time to make her act like that? Ren thought. I just wanted to thank her. Ren reclined in the bed and relaxed. He felt wrung out from all the emotional feelings he''d just gone through. Ren took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep without even realizing that he was exhausted. ******** Lucy left Ren''s room and didn''t know what to do with herself. When Ren had thanked her so sincerely, she almost let her emotions take control... and who knew where that would have led. Lucy went to the desk to tell Bonnie that she was going on her lunch break and would be back in an hour. Bonnie logged her out of the sign in sheet and Lucy went into the break room where the nurse''s personal lockers were kept. She picked up her coat, left the break room, and took the elevator to the ground floor. Lucy got out and nearly ran into a big burly man wearing a bandana and sunglasses. ¡°Oh, I''m terribly sorry!¡± Lucy said, flustered. ¡°I nearly ran into you!¡± The big burly man had a large pleased smile on his face. ¡°Tha''s all righ'', ma''am. I wouldn''a minded tha'' too much.¡± He could clearly see that she''d been crying. ¡°An'' you? Are ya alrigh''?¡± Lucy stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the man''s voice. She recognized it immediately. It wasn''t very often that she heard a voice that was quite so unique. ¡°Oh, hi!¡± Lucy said and wasn''t so flustered anymore. ¡°I''m fine. What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Ah jus'' came ta see how Ren was doin''.¡± The burly man said. ¡°He''s doing good.¡± Lucy said, and relaxed. ¡°His finger''s healing nicely.¡± The man nodded. ¡°Tha''s good. When I rememb''r see''n it tha'' time...¡± The man shuttered. ¡°I know...¡± Lucy said and she shuttered, too. She had to change the subject. Thinking about Ren right now was not a good idea. ¡°Say, are you busy right now? I was planning on going out for lunch.¡± The man''s smile grew wider. ¡°Ma''am, I''d be honor''d to accompany ya wherever ya wan'' to go.¡± ******** Ren woke up from his unintentional nap and stretched his arms out. I was more tired than I thought. Ren thought as he yawned and got out of bed. After using the bathroom, he washed his hands and went to the door to his room. He looked out into the hallway but didn''t see anyone. The sound of computer keys being hit constantly echoed down the hallway. Someone''s still at the nurse station. Ren thought. I wonder where Lucy is? Ren looked back down the hallway but still didn''t see anyone else. He shrugged his shoulders, went back into his room, and picked up the VR headset. He climbed into bed and put on the headset. It was about time for him to ''wake up'' in the game anyways. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up and noticed that Teepo was still settled down on his chest. Good morning, Teepo. Congratulations on resisted the temptation to go exporing. Ren thought and smiled. Teepo stood up and stretched his legs. "Good morning." Teepo climbed over the end of the bedroll and onto Ren''s shoulder. Ren opened his bedroll and rolled over onto his knees. He gathered up the bedroll, put it away in his inventory, and untied the rope Aimus had put around his chest. Aimus was standing on the edge of the lookout. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°Well, it''s morning, but I don''t know how good it is.¡± Aimus said and looked down. ¡°We... may have a little problem.¡± Ren walked over to the edge of the platform and looked down. You couldn''t see the ground. All that could be seen were giant rats. Lots and lots of giant rats. A veritable sea of rodentery ebbed and flowed around the tree. ¡°What happened to your early warning system?¡± Ren asked. ¡°They ate it, of course.¡± Aimus said. ¡°Oh. Well that sucks.¡± ¡°Yeah... especially since I picked this tree because it was so far from the others. A platform could fit up here nicely, and I didn''t have to worry about anything crawling over to it from another tree.¡± Ren thought it made sense, but that left them in a bit of a pickle. They couldn''t climb down because there were too many rats below, and they couldn''t climg across a branch to another tree to escape. They''d be devoured pretty quickly if they fell into the mass of rodents. Ren thought about the situation and walked back to the center of the platform. He sat down and looked through his inventory and took out his alchemy kit. Ren made up several Vial of Poison and another Vial of Antidote, just in case. ¡°I don''t know if this is going to work.¡± Ren said and stood up. Aimus stood there in silence. He hadn''t quite seen what Ren had been doing, since his back was turned, but when Ren stood Aimus saw the handful of potion bottles. The liquid inside was a sickly green. Ren walked over to the side and handed one of the bottles to Aimus. It''s contents were a golden color and reflected the sunlight. ¡°That''s an antidote potion, just in case you start feeling sick or anything. I don''t know what the poison is going to do when I drop it. It could slash all over, evaporate, and the vapor could come right back up to us.¡± Aimus nodded and kept a hold of the bottle. Ren took one of the Vial of Poison and let it drop over the side of the lookout. The vial quickly hit a rat and smashed open. It splashed 3 rats in total and they wiggled and squirmed. You couldn''t tell if they were screeching in pain or not because the sounds of all the rats together overwhelmed everything else. It took a few minutes for something to happen, then the 3 rats stopped moving and collapsed. Rats around the three turned immediately to their fallen fellows. Ren was a bit surprised that they would go to help... but that wasn''t what they were doing at all. Ren almost threw up as the 3 rats were torn to shreds by a half dozen or so other rats within only a few seconds. Ren watched on as the rats who had eaten the 3 poisoned ones shivered and shook. A few moments later, they stopped moving and the swarm turned on them as well. Unfortunately, those rats didn''t even shutter when they finished devouring the poisoned ones. ¡°It''ll take forever if you only hit a few with each bottle.¡± Aimus said. Ren nodded and opened one of the poison vials and tried to sprinkle it out. Luckily, he didn''t get it on himself or Aimus when he shook the bottle to get the last few drops out. Tossing the bottles and breaking them wasn''t a good option anymore. Several more rats were hit this time and more of them died; they were then eaten by the ones nearby and those died. The poison was making a dent in the throng below, but not enough to make any difference in the size of the whole pack. ¡°This isn''t working.¡± Ren said as the hole he''d just made in the swarm, with over a dozen dead rats, was filled as if it was never there. Ren looked closely at the rats and thought about what could be done about them. ¡°Why do you think they''re here?¡± Ren asked Aimus when he couldn''t think of anything. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°We''ve had that river unloading into the forest all night. My guess is that they actually do have a nest around here somewhere and now it''s flooded.¡± Ren looked at the rats again. Say, they really are wet. Soaked, even. Ren thought, and then had a really nasty idea. Aimus saw an evil grin spread across Ren''s face and wondered what had caused it. A moment later, Ren pulled out some kind of metal shield and sat down. Where the hell did he get a shield from? Aimus thought as Ren took out his book of runes. Ren turned to the appropriate page and set the glyph in his mind. Ren thought Defense! and placed a hand on the gleaming metal. Oh, this is going to look so cool! Ren thought as the glyph etched itself onto the front of the shield. He put his book away and stood up. ¡°It might not do much, but it''s going to look spectacular!¡± Ren said and held the shield up. It was almost half his size and it had a pattern marked on the front of it. ¡°Activate!¡± The glyph on the shield lit up and Ren held it out over the side of the lookout. ¡°What are you doing!¡± Aimus said. ¡°We could use it to defend ourselves!¡± Aimus said and tried to grab the shield from Ren, who let the shield go before Aimus could take it. The shield fell 50 feet to the forest floor and stayed facing down. When the shield hit the giant rats... the extremely soaked giant rats... the quadruple lightning glyph Ren had placed on it ignited. Bolts of lightning left the shield in a circular arc and struck all the rats that were touching it... and all the rats touching them... and all the rats touching those rats. They were packed together tightly and eventually they were all struck by it. Aimus stood next to Ren, dumbfounded. ¡°What... what...¡± ¡°Water is an excellent conductor of electricity.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°El...elec...¡± Aimus tried to say. Ren shook his head. Right, they wouldn''t know what that is. ¡°Lightning travels easier when things are wet.¡±
Notice!
Stat Increase! Knowledge Of Lightning Level 2 (Beginner 0%) Lightning affinity and resistance increased to 11% Knowledge Of Water Level 3 (Beginner 0%) Water affinity and resistance increased to 12% Intelligence: +1 Wisdom: +1
Ren swiped the notice away and watched as each of the giant rats started bleeding from their eyes. The shield, since the glyph was in constant contact with the wet fur, constantly sent out lightning. Ren had used it as a defensive glyph because he thought that when the shield was touched, the glyph would damage whatever it was that was in contact with it. He didn''t realize that it would keep going if it was constantly touched, though. A squelching pop was heard and Ren had to hold his mouth closed. He didn''t want to throw up. Some of the giant rats'' eyes were literally busting out of their heads. Ren turned away as the popping sound kept going. A louder squelch was heard soon after, but Ren didn''t turn around to see what it was. He didn''t want to know that badly. Teepo, is there some kind of lightning entity like Dancing Flames? ¡°I only know the story about Dancing Flames, Ren. I haven''t heard any others.¡± That''s too bad. Ren thought. If there was some kind of lightning entity as well, this would have made a good tribute to them.
Notice!
You have caught the attention of the Spirit of Lightning
Just then, a giant portal appeared below the lookout and Ren gasped as something the size of a transfer truck stepped out and onto the rats. It looked like a giant rock golem, only it was completely white and made up of balls of lightning. Ren didn''t understand how something like that could even stand, let alone walk around. It turned to see Ren and Aimus standing on the platform. It was at eye level with them. Ren dropped to his knees and grabbed Aimus''s pants and tugged. Aimus followed suit and the creature huffed. Ren thought it was a bit odd, considering it shouldn''t have lungs, but then he caught the thought before it fully formed. Please accept this gift. Ren thought towards the creature. Ren saw the thing look down at all the writhing furry bodies and reached down. Ren thought it was going to scoop up all the giant rats and was surprised when it picked up the shield Ren had enchanted, and sniffed it. It somehow formed a mouth and swallowed the shield. The creature glowed for a second and stepped back into the hole.
Notice!
You have disturbed the slumber of the Spirit of Lightning You were fortunate that your gift was deemed as worthy. It was consumed... instead of you.
¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren said after the portal closed and let out a sigh of relief. ¡°WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?¡± Aimus shouted. ¡°I... I think it was the... the Spirit of Lightning... or... or one of it''s minions.¡± Ren said, quite shaken.
Notice!
Stat Increase! You have gained knowledge related to the nature of lightning and it''s effects. Knowledge Of Lightning Level 5 (Beginner 50%) Lightning affinity and resistance increased to 17%
Now that the shield was removed from the mass of rats below, they stopped moving. It didn''t take long for the smell to reach the platform and it made Ren throw up. He had just made it over to the side of the platform in time, and closed his eyes. Ugh. Boy, the game''s details are unreal. I don''t think I''ve smelled anything that bad in a long time. Ren thought... and then an intense pain hit him right behind his eyes. ¡°Aggghhhh!¡± Ren collapsed on the platform as a memory he thought he''d forgotten came to the forefront of his thoughts. It was the smell. That damned smell permeated his nostrils and he remembered the last time he''d smelled it. His parents had tested some kind of burn prevention medication on him. Not wanting to permanently damage their child''s useful skin, they focused their experiment on the back of his head. It was the perfect spot for any heat based tests, since the skin was a bit tougher there and the nerves were less frequent. The hair also gave immediate visible examples of the effects. It was during one of these experiments that his parents were a little over-zealous in their attempt to test their product. It was quite unfortunate that Ren had to be conscious for all of their experiments. His reactions were his parent''s baseline for the results. The smell of burning hair and melting skin filled his nostrils... ...and then Ren passed out. Chapter 39 - The Cleanup Ren woke up a short while later. He was facing up, had a piece of cloth tied around his face, and his chest was tied to the tree again. Owwww. That really hurt. Ren thought and rubbed his head. It didn''t hurt now, much to his relief. How long have I been out, Teepo? ¡°Hm? I don''t know.¡± Teepo said. Ren looked around but didn''t see his friend. Teepo? Where are you? ¡°I''m right here, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Ren looked down at the ring and remembered that if he lost consciousness, Teepo''s astral form would disappear. ¡°Summon Teepo!¡± Ren said and tapped the ring. Teepo''s astral form appeared in front of Ren and climbed onto his chest. Ren reached out and stroked his carapace. ¡°Sorry about that. I don''t know what happened.¡± ¡°It''s okay. It''s not like you did it on purpose, unlike what a now deceased uncle used to do to me.¡± Teepo said and then chittered in laughter. ¡°I''m so glad he''s dead!¡± Ren smiled. At the time, he''d felt sorry for the beetle he''d stepped on by accident, but once he''d found Teepo and heard his sad tale about his father''s murder and his uncle''s revenge, Ren''s regret had diminished to the point that he didn''t feel sorry at all. Ren untied himself from the tree and stood up. He didn''t feel woozy or anything and walked over to the edge of the platform. Ren looked over the side and saw Aimus collecting pelts from the giant rats. There was a large pile of pelts stacked next to the tree. Aimus must have been skinning them for a while to have that many already. Ren climbed down the ladder and walked over to where Aimus now stood. ¡°So... how are you feeling?¡± Aimus said. ¡°I''m okay. I just had a bad reaction to the smell.¡± Ren said. ¡°I figured. After you... ah... emptied your stomach... and passed out, I put you back beside the tree and covered your nose.¡± ¡°Thanks, Aimus.¡± Aimus shrugged and picked up another rat. It was going to take a long time to skin them all. ¡°If you have a spare skinning knife, I can help.¡± Ren said. Aimus reached behind his back and pulled out another knife. Ren took it and examined it.
Head Knife (Slightly Dull)
This blade is used for skinning. Durability: 20/30
Ren nodded and walked over to the stack of pelts to sit down. Ren took out his blacksmith''s tools and repaired, sharpened, and polished the blade. Ren examined it again.
Head Knife (Extremely Sharp)
A skilled craftsman has sharpened and polished this blade to be an effective tool for skinning. Durability: 40/40
Ren had a big grin on his face and went to the nearest giant rat corpse. Ren watched Aimus as he did the same technique he''d shown Ren with the rabbits. The proportions were slightly different, especially around the head. Ren watched Aimus do 2 more rats and picked one up himself. Ren used the head blade and the proper technique to pop off the rat''s pelt, and it wasn''t even ragged on the edges. A sharpened knife helps a lot, apparently. Ren continued to harvest giant rat pelts, and then looted the remains. Thankfully, the bodies disappeared after being looted. Ren didn''t get much from them, though. Sometimes claws, teeth, or rat tails were left, and a couple copper coins. Ren felt it get easier and easier to make the pelts and their quality increased. After several hours of working hard gathering pelts and loot, Aimus finished cutting off the last pelt and Ren looted the body. They sat down next to the tree and drank some water.
Stat Change!
You''re dilligent and tireless work has allowed you to increase your ability. Skinning Level 5 (Intermediate 25%) This sub skill under Leatherworking allows you to aquire quality pelts from animals.
Yes! Ren thought. My Leatherworking is still only Basic Level 2, but that''s okay. Ren put his water skin away and turned to Aimus. ¡°I need to disenchant all the water glyphs I''ve left in the forest.¡± ¡°I was wondering when you''d remember to do that.¡± Aimus said. ¡°In fact, we probably should have done it before we did all this.¡± Aimus said and motioned to the dozen stacks of pelts next to the tree. ¡°They''re going to be soaked and rotted before we can get them back to the homestead.¡± Ren stood up and grabbed a giant rat pelt and put it in his inventory. To Aimus'' eyes, the pelt just disappeared. ¡°Hey, what did you do?¡± ¡°It''s okay. I''m just putting them away until we get back to your place.¡± Ren said and kept grabbing pelts and stacking them into his inventory. He had no idea how many pelts they had, since he''d lost count after the first 50 or so. When Ren was done storing all the pelts, he counted the slots they took up. ¡°Whew! Over 3 and a half. That''s a lot.¡± Ren said and looked at Aimus, who had a shocked look on his face. ¡°Oh, sorry. There''s 365 pelts.¡± Ren had completely misunderstood the reason for Aimus'' expression. ¡°Ready to go?¡± Ren asked. Aimus stood after a moment and shook his head. I really shouldn''t be so surprised. My mother even warned me to get used to the feeling. ¡°All right, let''s go.¡± It took another hour, but the pair went around the forest and Ren used Dismantle Glyph to remove all the water glyphs. Ren was tempted to leave some of them, just in case the fire somehow restarted, but the ground was soft and made squishing sounds when you stepped on it. I think it''s wet enough. Ren thought and even disenchanted the rocks at the river... and saw how Aimus had looked at them. Ren slipped a few nice sized ones into his inventory to enchant for Aimus later. Their work done, they went back to the lookout to make sure everything was okay and headed back to the homestead. Aimus asked Ren not to cut a path through the underbrush near the lookout. Even though it was enchanted to not be found, if there was a path that led right to it... that would defeat the purpose of hiding it in the first place. Ren agreed and they took their time to get back to the spot they''d had to detour from because of the rats. The journey went much quicker once they reached the nice sized path Ren had cut through the underbrush. Ren and Aimus arrived back at the homestead just as the sun set. Teepo had stayed on Ren''s shoulder the whole time and occasionally asked about the things he saw. Teepo seemed much more timid than he was before this whole incident happened. Ren wasn''t sure if he should encourage his friend to keep going out there and exploring, or keep him close. He didn''t know if there was anything else out there that could hurt Teepo like that apparition did, but it wasn''t good to just stay safe and not do anything, either. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Aimus and Ren went inside the house and had a nice supper with Abigail and Ana. They talked about everything that went on, but Aimus had asked Ren to leave out the whole spirit of lightning thing. It was a subject Aimus did not want to discuss with his wife and child. When supper was done, they said goodnight and went to their respective beds. Ren was tempted to log out for the ''night'', but he''d only be sleeping out there, too. Ren decided to stay logged in and went to sleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Teepo hopped off Ren''s shoulder and onto the little table beside the bed. Ren smiled and closed his eyes. The next ''morning'', Ren greeted Teepo, who had been on the ceiling and looking through the cobwebs in the corner. Ren smiled. He didn''t have to talk to Teepo about maybe trying to explore after all. Ren slid out of the bed, went into the kitchen, and enjoyed eating breakfast with Aimus'' family. Aimus left the house afterwards and Ren followed him outside. ¡°Are you heading out to check your traps today?¡± Ren asked. Aimus didn''t respond until they were outside the little shed behind the barn. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I think you know the answer to that.¡± Aimus opened the door to the shed. ¡°I''ve had just about enough excitement to last me for a while. Haven''t you?¡± Aimus went inside and took a shovel and a pick from the wall. Aimus came back out and handed the pick and shovel to Ren. ¡°I need a bigger trench to treat all the pelts.¡± Aimus said and walked 10 steps away from the shed. ¡°From here....¡± Aimus turned and walked about 30 feet, directly away from the house. ¡°...to here.¡± Ren put the pick down and walked over to where Aimus had said to start digging. Aimus was about to tell Ren that he needed the pick to break up the ground, but Ren pulled out his own pick and made the shovel disappear. ¡°How big do you want it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°About 4 feet across and 4 feet down.¡± Aimus said. This should keep him busy for most of the day. Aimus thought. I need to stop him from getting himself... and me... into any more trouble. Aimus walked over to the barn to get out the tent his mother had made for him. Ren started to dig with the pick. He could have used the one Aimus tried to give him, but since he already had one, it was only fair to use that one instead. Plus, I''m used to the feel of this one. Ren thought and felt the pick dig into the earth easily. Huh. I guess I''m too used to mining in rock. Digging in dirt is just plain easy! Ren smiled. Teepo chittered in delight as the dirt flew past Ren''s shoulder and quickly made a game of dodging the clumps of dirt as they passed by. Aimus got the tent out of the cart and dragged it out of the barn. It wasn''t that the tent was heavy, but just awkward to move around with only one person. Once he got it onto the short grass of the field, it was much more manageable. Aimus dragged the tent out to the middle of the field and unfolded it. When he was finished, he was a bit surprised at the size of it. His mother always did do good work. He''d even shown up early and she''d had it finished already. He''d expected to have to wait at least another day or so for her to complete it. Aimus went back across the field to the barn to get the supporting poles he''d made to use in the tent. He picked up the ends of two of them and dragged them out of the barn. He dropped them beside the unfolded tent and then went back to the barn for another pair. There were 8 in all. ¡°Here, let me help with that.¡± Ren said and picked up the ends of the poles that were dragging on the ground. Aimus didn''t turn around when Ren spoke, and the weight of the poles was cut in half. When they got to where the tent was in the field, Aimus said to put down the poles along a different side. ¡°Thanks for the help, but I thought I asked you to dig a trench?¡± Aimus said. ¡°I''m done. I wasn''t sure where to put the dirt, though. I just left it in a long pile by the trench.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope that''s okay?¡± Aimus'' eyes bulged out of his head. ¡°You''re done?!?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Aimus couldn''t believe it. There''s no way he could have finished it so quickly! Aimus thought. It''s only been about half an hour! Aimus walked back to the barn and around it to the shed. Sure enough, right there for his eyes to see, was a 4 foot wide and 4 foot deep trench, stretching out about 30 feet away. ¡°H...how?¡± Aimus stammered. Ren shrugged. ¡°I worked in the mines for a while. After that... digging dirt like this was easy.¡± Aimus was astonished. Again. This kid... what the hell is he? ¡°What are you?¡± Aimus said. Ren shrugged again. ¡°I''m an Adventurer.¡± That was the game''s key phrase to tell NPCs to explain certain situations and their abilities. ¡°I know that.¡± Aimus said and shook his head. ¡°But, still... you can''t be a normal one.¡± Ren squinted his eyes and stared at Aimus. ¡°I didn''t mean it like that!¡± Aimus said and raised his hands in a calm down gesture to placate Ren before Ren got mad. ¡°I''ve seen adventurers and what they can do. Some of it is amazing... but I''ve never... the things you can do...¡± Aimus put a hand on Ren''s shoulder and Teepo skittered out of the way. ¡°You''re something special, Ren.¡± Ren ducked his head so Aimus wouldn''t see him blush. ¡°In fact, now that I think about it, you''re too special.¡± Aimus said and took his hand off Ren''s shoulder. ¡°You seem to get into situations that... frankly... no one could, or would, be prepared for.¡± Aimus said and sighed. ¡°Up until now the shenanigans have been far enough away from my family that I haven''t said anything, but that last... encounter... was just a bit too much, even for my own love of danger.¡± Aimus walked back to the barn to get the rest of the poles for the tent. Ren followed quickly behind. ¡°There''ll be no more going out into the fields, or into the forest, or doing anything else outside of the homestead for the rest of the month.¡± Aimus got to the barn and turned around. ¡°Let me be clear. If you leave the homestead, at any time or for any reason during the rest of your stay here... you won''t be welcomed back.¡± Ren looked at Aimus and saw his face was deadly serious. ¡°I will not have my family put in danger. When I go out, I make sure it''s far enough away that if anything happens, it won''t get back to them. I can''t let you do anything that might make something dangerous just appear out of thin air!¡± Aimus shook as he remembered the lightning golem. ¡°I don''t want anything that could hurt them to ever get near here. Understood?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Chapter 40 - A Normal Day Ren helped Aimus put all 8 poles into the tent supports and tied ropes to the top ends. Aimus stood at the base of the tent at one corner and walked out diagonally 10 steps, pulled out a giant metal spike with a loop on the top, and hammered it into the ground. This was repeated 3 more times, once at each corner of the tent. Aimus told Ren to stand at the base of the pole and to stop it from sliding, and Aimus took the end of the rope that was tied to the top of the pole. Ren braced himself as the rope was threaded through the loop on the metal spike. With Ren holding the end steady, Aimus pulled on the rope and one corner of the tent lifted up until it''s part of the tent stood up straight. Aimus quickly looped the rope and tied an expert knot in the rope and let it go. ¡°Keep a hold of that pole, kid!¡± Aimus shouted and went to the corner of the tent closest to Ren and grabbed another rope. Ren closed his eyes and tried not to get mad. He still doesn''t know how much I hate being called that. Ren thought and then opened his eyes. ¡°You know, I really hate being called a kid!¡± Ren shouted back. ¡°Ha ha! I know.¡± Aimus said and grinned at Ren. ¡°I just wanted to see how long you''d take it before saying anything.¡± Aimus said and threaded the rope he held through another loop and pulled. Ren shook a fist at Aimus and Teepo chittered in laughter as the tent''s other corner lifted up. Aimus tied another expert knot in the rope around the loop. ¡°Okay, you can let go. Just watch the tent doesn''t flop back towards where they''re tied.¡± Aimus said and went to the other side of the tent to grab another rope. Once it was threaded and Aimus started to pull, Ren ran to the other corner and threaded the rope through the closest loop and pulled as well. The whole side of the tent lifted up. Aimus tied off his rope and came over to Ren. Ren turned around and switched his grip from the rope through the loop to the part going to the loop instead so Aimus would have the end to tie. Ren held the rope just as securely as if he was holding it normally. Iron Grip is the best thing! Ren thought and smiled as he watched Aimus kneel to tie the knot. Aimus didn''t even blink when Ren turned around but held the rope like it was nothing. He knew that the kid was strong and was actually getting used to seeing him do things like that. Aimus finished the knot and Ren let the rope go. They turned around to see their handiwork. The tent still sagged in the middle of each side, but at least the poles there were off the ground. The ropes wouldn''t have to be pulled as hard as the first ones. Aimus and Ren had the 2 sides secured in no time. Ren even successfully learned how to tie the double half-hitch knot himself.
Notice!
You have learned a new skill!
Knot Tying Level 1 (Beginner 0%)
This skill allows you to tie a knot. Higher levels will allow the successful tying of more difficult knots and in different materials.
Ren wasn''t sure what he would need it for at the moment, but a skill was a skill, and was always happy to learn something new. Aimus waved to him and went to the back of the tent. This pole was almost twice the length of the others. They both grabbed the rope and pulled. The end of the tent stood up and made the nice triangle shape that you''d expect a tent to have. Aimus held the rope and Ren tied the end properly. Aimus nodded. ¡°Great. Now the front.¡± They went to the front, did the same thing, and stood back and saw that the tent stood almost 20 feet high. ¡°That''s a big tent.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s it for?¡± ¡°It''s a surprise.¡± Aimus said and walked away. What do you think, Teepo? Ren asked his friend. ¡°It''s too big for us to sleep in. Maybe it''s for animals?¡± Teepo said after thinking about it. That must be it. Ren thought and then followed Aimus back to the house. Lunch should be ready by now. Ren enjoyed a good lunch with Abigal and Ana and went back outside when Aimus said it was time to. Aimus walked over to the barn. Ren went along and Aimus took out a barrel. It must have been filled with something heavy because Aimus was having a hard time with it. Ren helped Aimus tip it up onto the edge of it''s bottom and they half-rolled it to the trench. Aimus went into the shed and got a tool with a long handle and something that looked like a crowbar. Ren had seen the tools before but didn''t know what the long handled one was for. Aimus used the crowbar like tool to open the barrel and put the long handled tool down. Inside was a sludge that looked a lot like white grease. Aimus tipped the barrel over and some of grease like substance spashed out and into the trench. It flowed out slowly, so Aimus rolled the barrel along the trench until it was just about empty. When he got to the end of the trench, he tipped the barrel over and got the last of it out. Aimus brought the barrel over to Ren and put the cover back on it. ¡°Whew. I thought that was going to last me for the rest of the year, and now I''ve used it all in one go!¡± Aimus said and laughed. Ren didn''t know what he meant so he didn''t join in. ¡°Come on, I''ll show you.¡± Aimus said and picked up the long handled tool. He went over to the trench and used the tool to spread out the grease over the soft bed of the trench and across it''s sides. It didn''t look like it could cover everything, but as Aimus worked the grease into the sides, he just spread any extra across the next section of trench. By the time he reached the end of the trench, every surface was covered with it. There was some extra along the bottom, but he just shoved it into the edges of the trench. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Now, we''ve got to wait for it to dry. It should be done by tomorrow.¡± Aimus said. Ren nodded and Aimus took the tools to the shed. Ren followed and handed him the shovel he still had in his inventory. Ren had the basic level for it, but since he barely used it, his skill didn''t level up at all and didn''t get a popup. I''d have to use it a lot to make any kind of difference, probably. I guess that was a drawback of getting my main skill of Mining up so high and then trying to level the sub skill of Shoveling under it. Ren shrugged. I''m sure I''ll get a chance to work on it later. There wasn''t anything else to work on that day, so Ren went into the house to his room, waving to both Abigail and Ana when he passed them. There was still some time left in the day, so he sat down on the bed. Ren felt a bit guilty about doing this, but now that he was alone, his curiosity got the better of him and he took out the largest chunk of the green gem like ore. ¡°Identify.¡±
????
???? Ore Part 1 of 3
What? I still can''t identify it? Ren thought, and put it back into his inventory. I''d hoped when I got all three pieces it would tell me what it was. Teepo perked up at that. ¡°Ren! Why not ask the Sage Of Ages? I heard she''s reappeared.¡± What?!? How did you hear that? Ren thought. Teepo had been trapped in the ring when the contest winners had appeared in the game. ¡°I overheard people talking about it at the party.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Some of the people were upset that she''d shown up late the night before and then wouldn''t make a prediction for them.¡± Really? Ren thought that was a bit odd for a sage to not make a prediction. Wasn''t that their job? ¡°It is, but they said she was all embarrassed at all the attention and left.¡± Teepo said. Interesting. Ren thought, and settled down into bed. It''s something to think about. Thanks, Teepo. ¡°No problem, Ren. Goodnight.¡± Goodnight. Ren thought. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset and Barbara took it from him. ¡°Bathroom!¡± Ren said and slid out of bed. He made it just in time. Barbara laughed because she could hear the force of the pee as it hit the water in the toilet. It went on for a minute or two and Ren came back out. ¡°Washed hands?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said then stopped and turned around. ¡°Forgot to flush.¡± Ren pushed the handle and came back to bed. Barbara smiled. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± No sooner had she said that when Ren''s stomach rumbled so loud that Barbara clearly heard it. ¡°I''ll take that as a ''yes''.¡± Barbara said and laughed. She left the room to get something for Ren to eat. Ren didn''t wonder what it was, since his diet consisted of bland and unseasoned foods. It didn''t matter what Barbara brought back, it''s taste would be almost the same whatever it was. A few minutes later, Barbara came into the room with a tray. Ren''s nose picked up the smell and Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°A hamburger!¡± Ren said when Barbara lifted the cover. ¡°French fries!¡± Ren grabbed one and ate it. ¡°Soda pop, too!¡± Ren exclaimed and took a drink. ¡°Ah... root beer.¡± Ren looked at Barbara with a question in his eyes. ¡°Barbara... how? I''m usually only allowed to eat something like this when I leave the hospital for the day... and even then I get in trouble for it.¡± Barbara shugged. ¡°You''ve been doing so well, even with your finger the way it is. I thought you deserved a treat.¡± ¡°You''re too good to me.¡± Ren said and shoved the burger into his mouth. ¡°Take it easy!¡± Barbara said and shook her head. ¡°No one''s going to steal it from you. Take your time.¡± Ren blushed and spoke with a mouthful of hamburger. ¡°Soowy.¡± The apology didn''t come out right, but Barbara smiled and sat down next to the bed. She sat there and watched Ren eat, making sure he took his time and didn''t choke. It was hard for Ren to do that, though. It tastes so good! Ren thought as he licked some salt from his fingers.The french fries are perfect! After a big drink of pop Ren held his hand over his mouth and turned away from where Barbara sat. *Buuurrrp* ¡°Excuse me.¡± Ren said and turned back to the tray. The meal was finished quickly, even though Ren had taken his time with it. ¡°Oh, Barbara... that was so good!¡± Ren said in appreciation. ¡°Thank you.¡± Barbara rubbed Ren''s head and ruffled his hair. She handed Ren the drink and took the tray away. Ren sipped his root beer slowly and Barbara came back and sat down again. About 10 minutes later, Ren nearly dropped the drink as he dozed off. Barbara was prepared for that and took the drink before it spilled. Barbara waited another couple minutes until Ren''s breathing evened out and was asleep. Barbara tucked Ren into bed and kissed his forehead. ¡°Goodnight, little one.¡± Barbara whispered. ¡°g''night, mom.¡± Ren mumbled. Barbara was startled and looked at Ren closely. She knew Ren was asleep when he started to snore a little. Barbara turned off the lights and sat in the chair by the bed. He called me mom! Barbara thought and blushed a bright red. Chapter 41 - This Is My Life Ren woke up the next morning when someone shook his shoulder. ¡°Wake up, sweetie. It''s time for breakfast.¡± A feminite voice said. ¡°Muhhh... wha? What?¡± Ren said groggily. ¡°It''s time to get up and eat!¡± ¡°Lu...Lucy?¡± Ren said as he untucked himself from the blanket. ¡°Lucy''s off today, Ren.¡± Denise said. ¡°Oh... sorry.¡± Ren said after wiping the sleep out of his eyes. ¡°Hi, Denise.¡± Denise smiled and put a tray in front of Ren. Eggs, toast and orange juice were arranged on the tray... but no bacon. Ren didn''t comment, since Denise isn''t usually the one that makes him breakfast. Lucy always sneaked in a couple pieces of bacon, but he couldn''t expect it every time. Ren ate it and Denise took the tray. ¡°Therapy in 20 minutes.¡± Denise said and left the room. Ren got out of bed and used the bathroom. It took a bit longer this time since he had to go number 2. With only a few minutes to spare, he got changed into his workout clothes and Denise was waiting with his wheelchair. Ren didn''t think he needed it, but it was better to not push himself too hard. Ren got in the chair and Denise took him down the hall to the therapy room. The exercises didn''t take too long, but Ren was still out of breath when he finished the 100 meter walk. The therapist tried desperately to get Ren to jog after that; but when he started to move faster, one of his knees gave out. Ren fell flat on his face. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren said and rolled over onto his back. ¡°That felt the same as it did in the game.¡± Ren rubbed his hands over his face to see if he was bleeding. That would be bad. ¡°What was that?¡± The therapist said as she rushed over to help Ren stand. ¡°Nothing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you get the chair for me, please?¡± Ren examined his hands. Nope, no blood. Whew. ¡°Oh! Right. Just a second.¡± The therapist said and turned around to retrieve the chair that was beside the balance bar near the door. She came back with the chair a moment later and helped Ren into it. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She asked. Ren nodded and dusted off his clothes. That didn''t quite work, so the clothes would have to be washed again. It''s a good thing he had multiple sets of the same outfit. ¡°You did really well today, Ren.¡± The therapist said. Ren looked at her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°...until the end.¡± She unwillingly added. Ren sighed. It''s not her fault that I let her push me into trying to jog. I should have just said I wasn''t ready, even though I thought I was. ¡°I''m sure I''ll be able to do it someday.¡± Ren said, but he didn''t really believe it. What he knew was that he was going to be trapped in this frail little body for the rest of his life. The therapist must have heard a defeated tone in his voice because she sighed as well. ¡°We can only do as much as your body will allow us, Ren. I had hoped since you''ve been doing so well the last few days that it was time to try something a bit harder. I shouldn''t have pushed you before you were ready.¡± She said and handed him his vitamin enhanced mineral water. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°It''s okay. I''d hoped I could do it, too... and I didn''t say no, either.¡± Ren said and took a drink. They sat there for a few minutes and then Ren said he was ready to go back to his room. The therapist agreed and went to get a nurse. When she left the room, Ren punched himself in the leg. Stupid, stupid knee! Ren thought and punched his leg again. Why won''t you work right? Another punch and tears came to his eyes. Why? The therapist came back with Denise, but neither of them said anything about the tears on Ren''s face. They assumed that Ren had hurt himself but wasn''t saying anything about it, but that wasn''t it at all. Ren was just disappointed with himself and his body. Denise pushed the wheelchair out of the room, down the hallway, and into Ren''s room. ¡°I''m not taking a shower today.¡± Ren said as Denise helped him get into bed. ¡°I can''t stand on this leg.¡± He said and punched the offending leg. ¡°REN!¡± Denise said and grabbed his arm before he could punch his leg again. ¡°Stop that! It''s not the leg''s fault.¡± Denise said and sat down on the bed. ¡°It''s not your fault, either.¡± ¡°It... it feels like it is.¡± Ren said in a low whisper. ¡°If it wasn''t for me, my... my parents... wouldn''t have had anyone to experiment on. If I''d never been born... I wouldn''t have had to go through all of that... or all of this.¡± Ren said and waved his arms around the room. ¡°Why did I have to go through all of that then?¡± Ren said. ¡°It doesn''t make sense.¡± The tears flowed again. ¡°Why did they do this to me?¡± Ren started to sob. ¡°I was just a child!¡± Denise took Ren into her arms and hugged him to her chest. Ren grabbed a hold of her fiercely and cried. Denise was surprised at how strong Ren was, but hugged him back just as fiercely. Ren needed someone to hold on to just then, and Denise was only too glad to be that someone. Lucy got to do things like this with Ren every day. It was the first time that Denise actually felt a little jealous of Lucy... and she wasn''t sure how she should feel about that. Ren was a nice kid, but the emotional baggage he carried was a huge weight for anyone to bear, let alone for someone so frail and vulnerable. Denise''s jealous feeling slowly turned to sadness. Lucy also had to deal with all of Ren''s emotional baggage. How did she do that, day in and day out? Denise thought. Just this little bit is tearing my heart out! Denise held Ren for several minutes until his sobs came to a stop. She let him out of the hug and he let her go at the same time. ¡°I''m sorry... I got your outfit all wet.¡± Ren said and tried to wipe off the damp stain with his hand. Normally, Denise would have worn a full bra, but she forgot to do the laundry on the weekend and didn''t have any clean ones. She had to dig in her underwear drawer for something and all she could find was a bustier. It was an underwire, so it had lots of support, but it left the tops of her breasts pushed up a little bit higher than a normal bra would. Denise felt a distinct tingle in her lower regions when Ren grazed her breast several times through the thin fabric of her uniform. A flush crept into the cheeks on her face as Ren continued to try and wipe away the wetness. ¡°It...it''s okay. I got it.¡± Denise said and turned away before Ren could see how much she was blushing. That''s not normal, is it? Denise thought to herself. To get turned on just from that little bit of touching? ¡°I''ll just go and dry it in the break room.¡± Denise said and left the room without looking at Ren. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. The break room? Do they have a dryer or something in there? Ren thought, bewildered. Denise quickly walked to the break room and shut the door. She leaned on the door and tried to catch her breath. Why is my heart beating so fast? Denise thought and put her hand on her chest. Does Lucy feel something like this every day? Denise walked over to the table and grabbed several napkins to dab at the wet spots on her chest. I need to calm down. I can''t go back there looking flustered.Denise thought and sat down. It took several minutes for the wet spots to be absorbed and you could hardly tell where they were. Okay, Denise. Calm yourself. You are a professional! He''s just a kid. Denise thought and took a deep breath. Yes, he''s just a kid... that will be 18 in less than 3 weeks. Denise slapped herself lightly on the face. No! Don''t think that! That doesn''t mean anything! He''s a patient. Denise tried to convince herself. Well, I''m only filling in for today... he''s not normally my patient. Denise slapped herself lightly on the other cheek. No! No, I can''t think that. Plus, if anyone was going to cross that line, it would be Lucy. She''s the one that''s been there for him every day! Just then, two nurses came in to the break room for coffee. They took a cup each from the pot there and sat at the table next to Denise. ¡°Did you hear? Lucy''s dating someone.¡± Stella said. ¡°No way!¡± Bonnie exclaimed. ¡°I didn''t think she even liked guys!¡± The nurses laughed at the joke while the blood in Denise''s face drained away. She was slowly losing all of her arguments. Denise calmed herself again and decided that no matter what, she would never, ever do anything to compromise her job. Her conflict resolved, she went back down to Ren''s room and went inside. Ren sat in the middle of a towel on the bed, with a smile on his face and not a stitch of clothing on. Ren had asked one of the other nurses to get him a water basin, sponge, soap, and cleaning cloths. He couldn''t take a shower, so a sponge bath would have to do. ¡°I need a helping hand.¡± Ren said and held out the sponge to Denise... who promptly turned around and shut the door. ¡°Denise?¡± Ren said as he sat there with the sponge in his outstretched hand. ¡°I need to take a bath!¡± Denise didn''t come back, but Stella and Bonnie came in a minute later. It took some re-positioning and more than a few fumbles with dropped cloths and sponges, but they eventually got it down to a system. Wash, tickle, laugh, scrub, tickle, laugh, lather, wash, tickle, laugh, and dry. Ren wasn''t sure who was doing what most of the time; but by the end he was as clean as he was going to be, and in a fresh set of clothes. The three of them had laughed pretty hard during the whole thing. ¡°Thanks a lot!¡± Ren said. Stella and Bonnie ruffled his hair and gave Ren a kiss on each cheek. ¡°Let us know if you need another bath tomorrow!¡± Stella said. ¡°I think you should skip it, because I''m off tomorrow and I don''t want to miss it!¡± Bonnie said and winked. Ren rolled his eyes and smiled. ¡°Get out of here before I call the decency police!¡± Ren said threw a wash cloth at Bonnie, who caught it easily and tossed it into the water basin. Stella gathered up the other cloths and sponges and put them in the water basin, too. ¡°Bye, Ren!¡± Stella and Bonnie said at the same time, blew him another kiss, and chuckled as they left the room with the water basin. Ren shook his head and settled down into bed. He reached over to the rolling tray that had a laptop on it and pulled it over the bed and across his lap. His email hadn''t been checked in a while and he figured now was a good time. It was mostly spam, but there was a couple from the company that he won the VR headset from, Sid Tec. Ren opened the first one and was surprised by it''s contents.
Dear Mr. Haddon: Due to an error in the system, it was deemed necessary for your avatar to be forcibly removed from the VR experience before any more damage could occur. We can only hope that this event did not sour you on the whole VR system, as it is normally quite an enjoyable experience. As a result of your necessary expulsion, a conditional event triggered by your presence (namely the party in your honor) was delayed by the system so you wouldn''t miss out on any potential experiences that may have occured if you''d been present the entire time. We can only hope that you will continue to use our product and that any footage you may have captured will be disposed of in a timely manner. Thank you for your time. The IT Department.
Ho ho! So they want me to delete any video I may have. Hm... I wonder why. Ren thought and then opened the second message.
Dear Mr. Haddon: Please ignore any and all previous communications from the IT Department, or any representative thereof. Their opinions and actions do not reflect those of the management, nor that of the company as a whole. Actions have been taken to remove any possibility that something like the incident you went through will never happen in the future. An update has been installed and you can log out manually, no matter where you may be, or what your situation is. There is even an option for an external voice command to log you out, should it ever be needed again. Please follow this link for the specific details: hxxps://gowiththeflow.go/updates/no-logout/ We apologize for any and all events that (may) have transpired in regards to you or your account. Sincerely, Edward Sid Torren CEO Sid Tec, Inc.
¡°Ha.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been going back in a lot since then, and I didn''t even know about the external voice logout.¡± Ren shook his head and set up the proper links to the VR headset. Ren was glad Barbara had put it next to the computer, otherwise he would have had to wait for someone to come in and hand it to him. Ren looked down at his knee and sighed. It was swollen a little and he could feel an occasional throb of pain. I won''t be walking anywhere for a while. Ren thought and logged out of his email. There were a couple of personal emails from someone named Elise Stanford, but he didn''t know who that was so he just ignored them for now, and put on the VR headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Chapter 42 - Basic Labor * (Author''s Note: Royal Road Legends servers are having a major maintenance and data migration update tomorrow for several hours, so no new chapter tomorrow. I''ll have one ready for the next day, though.) * (Author''s Note 2: A day off? No way! LOL) * Ren woke up in the spare room of the Blackmeadow Homestead. He pushed off the blanket and sat up. ¡°Teepo?¡± ¡°I''m here, Ren!¡± Teepo said, skittered across the ceiling, and dropped into his lap. ¡°Good morning, Teepo.¡± ¡°Good morning! I''m so glad you''re finally awake!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°Why? I didn''t sleep in that late, did I?¡± Ren said and looked out the window. It wasn''t too bright out, so he knew it was still early in the day. ¡°Since yesterday! Abigail was so worried that you wouldn''t wake up all day, she had Aimus go to the next homestead to get a healer.¡± The door to the spare room opened and in walked someone Ren didn''t recognize. She had long blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail that bobbed when she walked. She looked to be in her 20s and stopped dead when she saw Ren was sitting up in the bed. ¡°Oh! You''re finally awake!¡± She said and turned back to the hallway. ¡°Everyone! He''s awake!¡± She shouted. A moment later several pairs of footsteps clambered down the hallway and three more people came into the room. ¡°We were so worried.¡± Abigail said. ¡°Yeah, my wife was worried.¡± Aimus said and grinned. Abigail slapped his shoulder. ¡°Quiet, you!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m fine. I guess I was just exhausted, even more than I thought I was.¡± Ana came over and hopped up on the end of the bed. ¡°You wouldn''t wake up, no matter how much we shook you.¡± Ren nodded. He knew his body wouldn''t have reacted in any way, no matter what they did. ¡°It was kinda scary.¡± Ana said. Ren reached out and patted her head. ¡°Don''t worry, Ana. I''m okay now.¡± The healer spoke up then. ¡°After I examined you, I didn''t find any injuries that could have caused your unconsciousness... but just to be safe, I tried to heal you.¡± She walked over to a chair that wasn''t there when Ren went to sleep, and sat down on it. ¡°Your body took the mana, so I thought you might have been deeply hurt inside.¡± She looked at Aimus, who nodded. Ren assumed Aimus had to tell her the whole story so she would know how to treat Ren properly. Ren nodded at Aimus when he looked up. ¡°I kept healing you all night.¡± The healer said. ¡°All... night?¡± Ren said. Everyone in the room nodded. Ren reached out to take the healer''s hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said with sincerity. ¡°Thank you very much for taking care of me.¡± Ren said and turned to the others. ¡°That goes for all of you. I really appreciate it.¡± Blushes were seen on all the female faces. ¡°You''re under my protection as long as you''re under my roof. It was only right to have you properly cared for.¡± Aimus said and waved to Ana to follow him as he pulled Abigail back into the kitchen. Ren focused his attention on the healer. ¡°Can I ask your name?¡± ¡°Of... of course. It''s Camilla. Camilla Estevan.¡± Camilla said. Ren raised an eyebrow and glanced at her blonde hair. ¡°It''s my married name.¡± Camilla said and blushed a little. Ren smiled. ¡°Thank you, Camilla.¡± Camilla nodded. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren slipped some coins into the hand he still held. ¡°Wh... what''s this?¡± Camilla stammered. ¡°I''ve always appreciated healers and the work that they do. I''m sure if someone hired you, they would pay you at least that much.¡± Ren said. Camilla looked at the three gold coins. ¡°I... I can''t take this.¡± ¡°It''s not enough, is it? I''ve always been a bad judge of what a proper amount is.¡± Ren said and dropped another coin into Camilla''s hand. ¡°Ren... I came here to help...¡± Camilla whispered. ¡°Oh, you can drive a hard bargan!¡± Ren smiled and dropped another coin with the others and closed her hand with both of his. ¡°But that''s all! I''m not made of money, you know!¡± Camilla was left speechless. Why is he giving me so much? I''m just a low level healer. The reason it took all night was because I had to keep replenishing my mana! Camilla tried to hand the money back, but Ren wouldn''t take it. ¡°No, you''ve more than earned it for taking care of me all night.¡± Ren said and got out of bed. ¡°Don''t insult me by trying to give it back.¡± Ren winked at Camilla, taking the sting out of his last few words. Camilla shook her head and put the money into her inventory. It had taken her weeks to gather enough resources to sell to the local NPCs for a couple of silver coins, and this guy was just giving gold coins away! Ren didn''t know she was an actual player like himself, but he treated everyone the same, no matter who it was, so it didn''t really matter to him. Ren had given her the money because when he''d checked his stats, his Mana Pool was full again. It took a lot of mana to fill it, because he knew how much mana he''d used to empty it, so Ren knew how hard she had worked all night... and she was cute. Ren chuckled. Camilla reminded Ren a lot of Lucy, except Lucy''s hair was much shorter and a brighter blonde. Ren left the room and Camilla followed him. They got into the kitchen and Abigail had a great breakfast ready for them to eat. They all sat down and enjoyed themselves with the food. Conversation was about trivial things, and didn''t concern anything important. Ren smiled as he watched Teepo crawling all over Camilla and she didn''t react at all. Ren almost spit out a mouthful of food when Teepo crawled across her face, but he caught it in time and coughed to cover it up. Teepo! Ren thought as Aimus slapped Ren on the back to ''help'' clear the food from his throat. Teepo chittered in laughter and disappeared under Camilla''s ponytail. Soon after they finished eating, Aimus offered to take Camilla home and she graciously accepted. Ren helped Aimus hook up the horse to the cart and he soon left with Camilla. Ren waved, and not once even hinted about going along. Ren knew perfectly well what leaving the homestead would mean. ** Camilla was curious as to why Ren didn''t offer to escort her, considering he seemed interested in her. He wouldn''t have held her hand for so long if he wasn''t. Camilla had said she got her name from being married, but that was a lie. It was to stop trolls from trying to ''hook up'' with her in the game. It was one of the reasons she''d come so far away from the starter city of Aurora. Ren seemed like a genuine nice guy, though... even if he was a little short for her tastes. Camilla smiled to herself and then put such thoughts out of her mind when the cart pulled out of the homestead. You had to keep a sharp eye out for any predators when you traveled. There wasn''t any time for fantasies. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.** Ren watched as the cart went further and further away, and waved again when Aimus looked back. I bet he''s as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs that I''m going to go off on my own. Ren laughed and Teepo chittered in delight. Don''t worry, Aimus. I intend to stay and learn as much as I can before I have to leave. Ren went to the barn and found a nice piece of rope. He sat down just outside the barn doors and tried tying knots. He didn''t have anything to tie the rope to, but that shouldn''t matter, since he was just practicing. The knots shouldn''t have to be completely tied to count, as long as they could be tied. He sat there for about an hour and leveled up his Knot Tying twice. Ren decided to look up some new knots on the internet when he logged off F.L.O.W., so he could level the skill up faster. Ren stopped practicing when he saw the cart in the distance. Aimus approached the homestead a lot faster than when he left. Aimus arrived with the cart in front of the barn and Ren led them inside. The horse was unhooked and placed into it''s pen. Ren hooked a feed bag on it''s harness and let it much away. Ren turned around and helped Aimus pull the cart to the side of the barn and out of the way. Ren followed Aimus to a small ladder at the end of the barn, behind the cabinet that held the bows. When Ren saw the cabinet, he remembered he still had Ana''s bow in his inventory. ¡°Aimus, you better take this before I forget to give it back.¡± Ren said and handed over Ana''s bow and the quiver with a few arrows in it. Aimus took them from Ren with a smile and put them in their appropriate spots in the cabinet then climbed up the ladder. Ren climbed it as well, and saw that there was a lot of hay, and a huge pile of unfinished lumber. Aimus took one of the planks and tossed it out the hay door in the loft and Ren heard the plank of wood hit the ground. ¡°Won''t that damage them?¡± Ren asked. Aimus just shrugged and threw another one. ¡°There''s bound to be damaged ones anyways. I just cut around it or use another one.¡± Ren shook his head, grabbed a piece of lumber and put it in his inventory. ¡°How many should we take?¡± Ren said as he kept grabbing planks. ¡°Better take it all. We''ve got to make a hatch for the trench.¡± Aimus said and handed Ren another plank. Ren stored it all and climbed down the ladder. Aimus went outside and picked up the two pieces of lumber he''d thrown out and went to the shed behind the barn. A couple hammers and a saw was taken from the shed and Ren followed Aimus out to the trench. Aimus then put the tools and wood down and went back into the barn. He came out with two saw-horses to brace the wood on. Aimus put them down next to the trench and took one of the planks, laid it down like a bridge across the trench, and marked it with a knife. Aimus took several more planks and repeated it along the trench. He marked them all and brought them back to the saw-horses. When compared, all the markings were at the same length. Aimus glanced at Ren who just grinned. Ren had let the system guide where to dig. The trench wouldn''t have been anywhere near straight otherwise. Once one board was cut, they just used it as a template and kept cutting until Aimus decided it was enough for a hatch. The hatch ended up being 8 feet long, twice the amount of the length needed to cross the 4 foot trench, making cutting everything that much easier. 4 boards across (cut in half) and 2 for the ends, and they only needed enough for 4 hatches (the trench was 30 feet and 4 hatches would be 32 feet). With Ren feeding Aimus the lumber, they were cut in no time and laid out in the right shape to be nailed. Aimus handed over some nails and a hammer to Ren and they got to work. Ren took his time with his first attempt, but succeeded without hitting hit thumb or missing the nail completely. Ren knelt beside the finished hatch when he''d completely nailed that side.
New Sub Skill!
You''ve learned a new skill. Nailing Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This sub skill under Woodworking allows you to attach various things to other things using nails. Higher skill levels will allow you to assemble more difficult objects more efficiently.
Ren smiled. I''m pretty sure that this skill will definitely come in handy! The other three hatches were completed quickly and positioned next to the trench. Aimus waved Ren to follow and they went inside the barn. In the middle of the barn, Aimus bent down and wiped some dirt off the ground and revealed a handle. When it was pulled, inside were barrels, the same size as the one that had the grease-like substance in it. Aimus lifted the barrels out one at a time and Ren moved them to make room for the next barrel. They got all 24 of the barrels out and Aimus closed the hatch. He kicked dirt over the handle and you couldn''t even tell there was anything there. ¡°I had planned on doing this yesterday...¡± Aimus said as Ren helped him roll a barrel to the trench. ¡°...but I couldn''t. Someone had the pelts stored away and I couldn''t get them.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Aimus chuckled. ¡°It''s okay. I didn''t want to lug all these things by myself, anyways.¡± ¡°What''s in them?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The same thing in the small tanning pit. It''s a special mixture for treating pelts to make sure they don''t rot away.¡± They got the first barrel to the trench and Aimus pulled out the crowbar like tool. He pried open the barrel and Ren recoiled from the intense smell. ¡°Blah!¡± Ren said and covered his nose. ¡°You''ll get used to it... after a few years.¡± Aimus said and laughed. Aimus tipped the barrel over and the mixture inside sloshed out into the trench. It spilled down the hardened sides and made almost no difference at the bottom. Ren and Aimus repeated this 23 more times and the liquid ended up being just over a foot deep in the bottom of the trench. ¡°Okay, storage guy... toss in the pelts.¡± Aimus said. Ren did so, and Aimus directed him to move along the trench. There was plenty of room, so when Ren had finished putting in the 365 pelts, most of them floated on the surface. Aimus went and got the mixing stick from the back of the shed and pushed the pelts down into the mixture. Ren still had his inventory open and saw something that he didn''t know what to do with, until now. ¡°Aimus, there''s plenty of room... would you mind if I put something in myself?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Aimus looked at Ren and then shrugged. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren smiled and dropped 100 of his 200 leathery bat wings into the mixture. Chapter 43 - Timber! (Author''s Note: As I half-heartedly promised... an extra long chapter (instead of 2) to make up for missing yesterday.) (Author''s Note 2: I''m not liking this ''new'' layout at all. Half of the links and options don''t work. They should have made a dummy site first and fixed all the problems, then imported all the data. Going back and trying to fix it afterwards is not a smart way to do it.) Ren and Aimus dropped the hatches on the trench once all the pelts were submerged. It would take a couple of days for them to cure properly, so Aimus took Ren over to the small tanning pit and the other pelts he had inside. Aimus used the tool to hook each pelt and hung them on the back of the shed. ¡°It''ll take a few hours or so for the pelts to dry.¡± Aimus said as he hung the last one. ¡°While we wait, I need your help with something.¡± Aimus went around to the front of the shack and opened the door. Ren saw Aimus grab a long handled axe, a hatchet, and put the hammers back. Aimus handed the axe, hatchet, and saw to Ren who stored them into inventory. Ren followed Aimus across one of the fields, but stopped when Aimus climbed over the fence. ¡°But... you said...¡± Ren started. ¡°I know what I said.¡± Aimus replied. ¡°Come on. I don''t have all day.¡± Ren sighed and climbed over the fence. As soon as his feet hit the dirt on the other side, Aimus spoke. ¡°Okay. Get out. You''re not welcome here anymore.¡± ¡°Wh-what? But... but you told me...¡± Ren stammered. ¡°Bwahahaha!¡± Aimus guffawed. ¡°I''m just kidding.¡± ¡°What?!? But I thought... the fence...¡± ¡°Naw. I own a few miles out past the fence. I just put it up to make the place seem more like home... and it keeps the bears out.¡± ¡°B-bears?¡± Ren said and looked around the edge of the forest. He regretted giving back Ana''s bow so soon. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Aimus laughed. ¡°There''s no bears around here. They like it better up near the mountains.¡± Ren put his hands on his hips and glared at Aimus. ¡°Did you like that feeling? No? Now you''ve had a taste of what it was like going after you when you took off after your friend.¡± Ren stopped glaring and took his hands off his hips. ¡°Those rats could have swarmed us at any time. That''s why it too me so long to come after you. I had to be really careful not to attract their attention.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°But Teepo was in trouble! I had to go...¡± ¡°Yeah! Ren saved me!¡± Teepo said. Aimus nodded to Ren. ¡°I didn''t say you shouldn''t have... I did this just to teach you to be more mindful of your surroundings. You can''t go running off whenever you feel like it into unknown territory without checking around first. That''s just a recipe for trouble.¡±
Notice!
You have learned a new recipe!
Recipe: Trouble
Run off into an unknown area without checking it out first. This recipe is guaranteed to make Trouble for you and anyone in your vicinity.
¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Ren said and dismissed the popups. ¡°I''m deadly serious. You never know what could...¡± Aimus continued, but Ren just tuned him out. I just received a recipe for Trouble. Ren thought. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Teepo asked. It means I can literally make Trouble anywhere I go that I haven''t been before. ¡°Oh... I guess that could be dangerous.¡± Teepo said. No kidding! I''ll have to be extra careful... and I''ll be depending on you a lot, Teepo. Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°I''ll be more than happy to help!¡± Thanks, Teepo. Aimus finished talking. Ren nodded, even though he had barely heard a word Aimus had said. Ren understood the jist of it. Don''t make Trouble. Aimus asked for the axe and Ren handed it over. The walked into the trees and Aimus picked one that was only about a foot across. Aimus showed Ren how to hold the axe and the correct way to fell a tree. Dig a wedge on one side, in the direction you want it to fall, then go to the other side and dig another wedge, slightly higher, so the weight of the tree would move toward the wedge that was previously cut. The tree would fall that way and then you could clean off the branches to make the log smooth. ¡°Pass me the hatchet.¡± Aimus said. Ren handed it over and Aimus pointed to the next tree. ¡°You can do that one.¡± Aimus said and handed the hatchet back to Ren. ¡°This is about the right size for you to use, right?¡± Ren looked at the hatchet, and then at the tree. ¡°You''ve got to be kidding!¡± Aimus looked at Ren sternly. ¡°Yes.¡± Aimus said and burst out laughing. ¡°The look on your face! Oh, that''s priceless.¡± Aimus chuckled and handed over the long handled axe. ¡°Here. Let''s see if you learned anything.¡± Ren glared at Aimus for a moment as he put the hatchet away, then walked over to the tree. It was a bit smaller around than the one Aimus did, but the technique was still the same. Ren decided to use the same direction that Aimus did for his tree and dug out the first wedge. It went pretty fast, and Ren switched sides on the tree and cut the next wedge above the other one. The tree fell in the right direction a moment later.
Notice!
You have learned a new skill! Chop Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This sub skill under Woodworking will allow you to chop wood in it''s various forms. Higher skill levels will allow faster chopping and deeper cuts each chop.
Ren grinned. ¡°Next.¡± Aimus pointed to several similar trees in the area and Ren promptly chopped them all down. The kid is getting faster with every tree he cuts down.[i] Aimus thought. [i]I know adventurers are supposed to be amazing, but this is getting a bit ridiculous. Once they had 2 dozen trees felled, Aimus asked Ren for the saw. Aimus cleaned off the branches of the first tree and handed the saw to Ren. ¡°Your turn.¡± Ren nodded and sawed off the branches of the second tree. He took his time with it and even managed to get most of the knots off of the log.
Notice!
You have learned a new skill! Saw Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This sub skill under Woodworking will allow you to saw wood in it''s various forms. Higher skill levels will allow faster movement and deeper cuts.
Ren grinned again and moved to the next tree. When all the logs were cleaned and the tops chopped off, Ren had leveled up both skills. Aimus motioned for Ren to follow, and Ren asked what he was doing. ¡°We have to go and get the cart. It would take a long time to haul all of these back otherwise.¡± Aimus said. Ren shook his head and went back to the logs they''d neatly piled. Ren knew there was some kind of trick he could use and opened the system help. It took a few minutes, but he finally found what he had been looking for. Ren smiled and was thankful that he didn''t need to actually lift the things into his inventory, he just selected each log and they popped into a slot into his inventory.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Aimus stood there in shock. How the hell is he doing that?!? Those logs must weigh a couple hundred pounds each! Aimus thought, and managed to close his mouth before Ren saw it gaping open. Ren collected the logs and turned to Aimus. ¡°Is this enough, or do you need more?¡± Aimus blinked a few times. Is he serious? Aimus thought. He wants to carry even more? Aimus sighed. ¡°I want to replace the lumber we used for the hatches. We''ll need a few more trees for that.¡± Aimus said and waved to a patch of similar trees. Ren grinned and got to work. One more level each for his new skills and another 3 dozen trees later, Ren and Aimus headed back to the homestead. Once there, Aimus went into the barn and pulled out a table with a large round saw blade. It looked just like a spinning wheel, except instead of a spool, it had a table. Aimus had Ren drop a log from his inventory and they lifted the end onto the table. ¡°I''ll guide it in, you get over there to the blade and start pumping the pedal.¡± Aimus said. Ren went to the saw blade and started pumping the pedal with his foot. It didn''t take much effort to get the blade spinning, but Ren figured once the tree started going through, it would slow down and get much harder. Ren pumped it faster and Aimus nodded. Aimus pushed the log through and it hit the saw blade. Ren smiled as the tree went through the process easily and a third of it was cut away. Ren stopped pumping and helped carry the larger piece back to the front. This was repeated several times until 6 large planks were left and a 4 large pieces of bark. Ren took out another tree and they kept going. Ren and Aimus fell into a rythym and Teepo hopped off Ren''s shoulder and ran along each log as it went through the saw blade. Ren shook his head at Teepo''s utter disregard for the danger, but then realized even if Teepo somehow tripped or fell, he wouldn''t get hurt by the blade or the fall, since he was just an astral projection. Ren smiled as it actually happened and watched as Teepo slipped off the side of a log and fell into the pile of sawdust by the table. ¡°Ren! I can''t see!¡± Teepo almost shouted. Ren bent down and spread the sawdust out, to see Teepo upside down on the ground. You should be a bit more careful where you step. Ren said and picked Teepo up. ¡°Thanks, Ren!¡± Teepo said as he was placed on his regular perch on Ren''s shoulder. Once all the logs were cut up and they had all the lumber that they could get, Ren had leveled up his Saw twice more and his Endurance went up 2 points as well. Ren loaded the rough lumber into his inventory and went up into the hay loft of the barn. Ren stacked it in the spot they''d taken the other lumber from and ended up with more than twice the amount that was there before. ¡°Hopefully it won''t take too long for it to dry out up there.¡± Aimus said from the bottom of the ladder. ¡°Now that I''ve used up my previous stock, something will come up and I''ll need dry wood and it won''t be ready.¡± Aimus shook his head. ¡°That''s how it usually works, anyways.¡± Aimus chuckled. Ren climbed down the ladder and followed Aimus out of the barn. Ren handed over the saw, axe, and hatchet, and Aimus took them. ¡°Go on into the house until I get back. I have an errand to run.¡± Aimus said and waved to the house. Ren nodded and didn''t argue because he needed the break. What they did that day was fun, but it was also a lot of hard work. Ren went into the house and sat down at the kitchen table. ¡°Aimus said he had an errand to run.¡± Ren told Abigail, who didn''t even turn around when Ren spoke. Abigail must trust Aimus a lot, or it''s happened so much that she doesn''t consider Aimus leaving that important anymore... or maybe a bit of both. Ren thought. ¡°Probably both.¡± Teepo said and jumped onto the table. Abigail put another bowl of homemade buns on the table and Ren helped himself to one. They were quite good and he stashed a couple into his inventory to replace the ones he had shared with Aimus before. About a half an hour later, Aimus came in and Ana came out of her room. Abigail served supper and they enjoyed another nice meal. ¡°It''s a little late to do anything else right now.¡± Aimus said as he looked out at the sightly darkening sky. ¡°It''s better to get an early start than to have a late finish.¡± Ren nodded and thanked Abigail for the meal. ¡°I''ll head to bed then. See you all in the morning.¡± * Aimus nodded and watched Ren leave the kitchen. ¡°Do you think you should go and get the healer again?¡± Abigail said in a quiet voice, once she thought Ren was out of earshot and heard the bedroom door shut. ¡°No, he seemed okay today.¡± Aimus replied in just as quiet a voice. ¡°He worked harder than I could have by myself.¡± Aimus said and chuckled. ¡°The way he cut down those trees, I thought he might even be part beaver!¡± ¡°That''s good. I was so worried... and when the healer kept using her magic... it''s hard not to assume the worst.¡± Abigail said. ¡°I know, honey... but he really is fine.¡± ¡°I''m still checking on him every hour.¡± Abigail said. Aimus shook his head. ¡°All you''re doing is worrying yourself for nothing. He''ll be dead asleep until morning, at least. If he doesn''t wake up again... then you can start worrying again, all right?¡± Abigail nodded. * Ren shut the door to the spare room and went to the bed. Now that he was away from the others, he could admit to himself how tired he was. Ren got into bed and tucked himself under the covers. ¡°Don''t worry, Ren. I''ll keep watch!¡± Teepo said after he came into the room from under the door. Thanks, Teepo... Ren thought as he drifted off to sleep and wondered why Teepo had to squeeze under the door and didn''t just walk through it... ******** Denise had watched Ren as he did the whole lumberjack thing. It had touched something deep inside her. He''s so strong! Denise thought and gazed at the still form lying in the hospital bed next to where she sat. If he was like that in real life... Denise shook her head. No, I don''t have feelings for Ren like that. Look at him, he''s just a child. It would be so wrong to even think about dating him. Where would we go? What would we do together? It''s not like he can drive, or dance, or do anything that a normal guy could do. Denise said and sighed. And that''s the crux of the argument right there, isn''t it? Ren isn''t a normal guy. Denise stood up and walked to the door of Ren''s hospital room. There wasn''t going to be any kind of relationship if anything did happen. Why were all the good guys either taken or off limits? Denise thought as she went to the break room to get another coffee. Full shifts of just sitting there with Ren were even more tiring than doing actual work. How did Lucy do it all the time? I''m almost bored out of my mind. ******** The next morning Ren woke up at the crack of dawn. Shuffling feet could be heard outside of his room and Ren got out of bed. The feet quickly shuffled off down the hall and Ren smiled. They''re still worried about me. Ren thought. ¡°I was worried, too!¡± Teepo said and landed on Ren''s head. ¡°Hey! Cut that out!¡± Ren said out loud and slapped his hand over his mouth. Oops. Teepo chittered in laughter and crawled off Ren''s head and onto his shoulder. Ren opened the door to the spare room and went into the hallway. Clinking dishes could be heard in the kitchen. Ren entered and saw Aimus sitting at the table eating and Abigail doing dishes. How many dishes do they use? She''s doing them all the time! Ren thought and sat down at the table. ¡°Good morning.¡± Aimus nodded in greeting and Abigail turned around to face Ren. ¡°Good morning. Did you sleep well?¡± She said. Ren nodded. ¡°I did. That was a lot of work to do yesterday. I was exhausted.¡± Abigail smiled and whacked Aimus across the head when he tried to open his mouth. ¡°Hey! What was that for?¡± Aimus said and rubbed his head. ¡°Don''t tease the poor boy first thing in the morning.¡± Abigail said and handed a plate to Ren. ¡°At least wait until after lunch.¡± ¡°Yes, dear.¡± Aimus said and rolled his eyes. Ren stiffled a laugh and Teepo chittered in delight. Ren helped himself to a big slice of homemade bread and covered it in strawberry jelly. The bread was still warm from the oven and the jelly was just sweet enough to make Ren''s mouth water. ¡°It''s a minimal breakfast today.¡± Aimus said. ¡°I''ll have to visit the local farms later to pick up some supplies.¡± Ren nodded, finished the piece of bread, and put several gold coins on the table. Ren thanked Abigail for breakfast and left the kitchen. * Aimus turned to Abigail. ¡°You see? He didn''t even ask for another piece of bread.¡± Abigail shook her head. ¡°Is he intentionally starving himself?¡± ¡°I don''t know. He''s been doing things like that ever since I''ve known him. Even on the road traveling here he only ate a single fried egg.¡± Amus stood and looked out the window as Ren entered the barn. ¡°I noticed he''d taken some of your rolls when he gave me one at the lookout.¡± ¡°He did that again yesterday.¡± Abigail said. ¡°It made me wonder if he was poor and starving.¡± Aimus shook his head. ¡°No, you''ve seen that he has plenty of money. I don''t know what he thinks he''s doing.¡± * Ren went into the barn to clean out the cart. The two duffle like bags were still in it. One was significantly empty, and Ren assumed that it was the one that held the traps that Aimus had ordered from the genral store. The other one was still quite full. Ren grabbed both bags and lifted them out of the cart. Ren looked around to see where he could put them, and Aimus came in the barn. ¡°I''ll take them.¡± Aimus said and went to the hidden hatch in the middle of the barn. ¡°I can''t leave these things just lying around for anyone to find.¡± Aimus opened the hatch and gently placed both bags inside. He closed the hatch and kicked dirt over it again to hide it. ¡°Those hides should be good and dry now.¡± Aimus said and went around the barn to the shed out back. The hides were good and dry, considering they''d been hung there for most of the day yesterday and then overnight. Aimus took them down and went into the shed and the small work table there. Aimus put the pelts down on the nearby rack, took the top pelt and put it on the bench. Aimus grabbed a small thin brush and stroked the pelt on the fur side. The hair became fluffy and soft after a few passes. Ren picked up the pelt and felt it. ¡°Wow. Nice.¡± Ren said in admiration. Aimus nodded and did the same thing to the other pelts. ¡°Now, if you wanted to remove the hair, you use this one.¡± Aimus said and grabbed another tool. It looked like a wide razor blade on the end of a handle. Aimus picked up a scrap piece of pelt that was uncombed. ¡°You scrape the hair off the skin, just like shaving.¡± Aimus said and shaved the pelt. The hair just slid off and Ren was amazed. ¡°It''s that easy?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Ha!¡± Aimus laughed. ¡°Easy? It takes years of practice to get this good at it.¡± Aimus stood and handed the piece of pelt and the tool to Ren. Ren smiled and slid the razor across the skin in another line, making sure to take his time and follow the line Aimus made.
Notice!
You have learned a new sub skill. Scudding Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This sub skill of Leatherworking allows you to remove hair from a pelt. Higher skill levels will increase the speed of scudding, and reduce damage to the main skin.
Ren smiled and skinned the rest of the scrap piece of pelt. Aimus shook his head and took the tool. ¡°I have got to stop being surprised by you.¡± Aimus said and hung the tool back above the workbench. ¡°We''ll have lots of that to do tomorrow.¡± Ren nodded and Aimus left the shed. Ren followed and helped Aimus hook up the horse to the cart. ¡°I''ll be back after lunch.¡± Aimus said and then flipped the reins. The horse took the command and trotted off with the empty cart. Ren waved as Aimus left and wondered what he was going to do with himself while Aimus was gone. ¡°Now would be a good time to look for the Sage of Ages.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re right, Teepo. It is a good time.¡± Ren said and opened up the system menu. It didn''t take long for him to not find what he was looking for, though. ¡°I can''t find her. I don''t know what her name is.¡± ¡°Sage of Ages didn''t work?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°No. I have to know what her actual name is if I want to contact her.¡± ¡°Oh... well, I guess you can wait...¡± Teepo said. ¡°No, you''re right. I do have to contact her somehow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hm... if I do it that way...¡± Teepo wondered what Ren meant. ¡°What other way is there?¡± Ren thought for a moment. ¡°The adventurer''s way.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Teepo, I''m going to be... immobile for a little while. No one will be able to wake me.¡± ¡°Like before?¡± Teepo said. ¡°Yes. Only this time I''ll only be gone for a short time. Maybe an hour or so.¡± ¡°You can choose how long you''ll be like that?!?¡± Teepo said, surprised. Ren smiled again. ¡°Yes, I can choose. The last time I actually missed the time when I was supposed to wake up... and that''s why I slept all day.¡± Ren looked around for somewhere to log out safely, and remembered the hay loft. That would be the best spot to hide away so no one would know that his body would be in the same state that it was in before. Ren climbed up there and hid behind the fresh timber planks that were there. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can, Teepo.¡± Ren said and laid down in some hay. ¡°I''ll keep a lookout!¡± Teepo said. Ren nodded and closed his eyes. ¡°Thanks, Teepo.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Chapter 44 - Hard At Work Ren took off the VR headset and set it next to the laptop. ¡°Hi, Denise.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Denise mumbled. She had dozed off in the chair. Ren smiled and went on the internet on the laptop. Searching through the forums and videos, Ren finally found traces of the Sage of Ages. It was mostly complaints, though. Ren shook his head as he read through some of them. It was unfortunate that she either wasn''t good at her job, or the special class was not a good fit for the girl playing her. After a bit more digging, he found the girl''s screen name. ¡°Lara.¡± Ren said and tried to remember what she looked like. Nothing came to mind so he searched for the introduction video for the contest winners. Ren watched it again and saw her. Lara had blonde hair and full sized elfin ears. Ren studied her features so if he saw her in the game, he would know who she was. Ren closed the video and kept searching the message boards. Ren kind of missed this part of his life. He used to spend hours and hours looking for stuff. Nothing important, just occupying his time between physical therapy, meals, and visits from the nurses. Just for fun, he tried to look up Clint, to see how his adventuring was going. Ren found a few posts, but they seemed kind of bland... and then he found the video. Ren stifled a laugh as Clint was thrown off the back of a giant boar. It was about the size of a horse and Clint had a few arrows stuck in it''s flank. Ren watched as Clint told the boar that it wasn''t getting away, in his signature Texas speech, and used a rope lasso to hook around the boar''s neck. It yanked Clint right off his feet and dragged him around a bit. Clint flipped the rope over a stump and the boar tugged at the rope hard enough to make itself stagger. Clint almost lost it then, but a well placed arrow in the ground near the beast''s face made it reel back. Clint took up the slack and hopped onto the boar''s back. The boar bucked and heaved, just like the bulls do in a rodeo, but Clint held on. After a few minutes, the boar tired out and stopped fighting so hard. It eventually stopped completely and stood still. Clint looped the rope in his hand around the other side of the boar''s neck and now had makeshift reins. Clint trotted the boar over to where the video was being filmed. Ren could see that the boar was not happy in the least. Clint slid off the side of the giant boar and held onto the reins tightly. The boar''s bright red eyes were filled with hatred... until Clint tossed it a huge piece of meat. The boar chewed the meat happily and even wagged it''s tail. ¡° ''N tha''s how ya wrangle a steed.¡± Clint said and winked at the camera. Geez, what''s he going to do next? Start a business? Ren thought and scrolled down the page. An add was there, and sure enough, it was Clint advertising in-game steeds. Ren smiled and shook his head. He actually started a ranch in the game to make money! Ren followed the link to Clint''s website and whistled at the prices that were charged. Clint must be really good at domesticating animals. Ren closed the site and went back into the forums and message boards. Ren browsed a bit more at random, not really searching for anything and came across the ''rant'' section. Ren usually didn''t go into that one, because there''s almost never anything good in it, but clicked on it anyways. Ren was right. There was nothing but people arguing over stupid things, like the quality of the sky texture and how the clouds move at the same interval no matter where you were in the game. Ren shook his head again. Why are they arguing over that? There is so much more to the game than how the clouds work in the sky! Ren browsed a bit more and noticed Tristan''s name. Ren clicked on the thread labeled ''Pet Peeves'' and started to read. It was more and more of the same little things; people were picking at things in the game, and how they couldn''t get the higher level items they wanted because they didn''t have enough money. When Ren finally got to Tristan''s post, his eyes widened in surprise.
It won''t be long now.
Soon, all my planning for revenge will come to pass. The little b*st*rd will never know what hit him. He will regret what he did to me.
Ren re-read the post several times. I wonder why he''s so mad. Ren thought, but then he realized something. He doesn''t mean me, does he? Ren clicked Tristan''s name but no other posts popped up. I never did anything to him! Ren closed the laptop and shut his eyes. I wasn''t even there when he disappeared. Ren opened his eyes and looked at Denise sitting in the chair, sound asleep. Ren was a little hungry, but he didn''t want to disturb her. Ren felt guilty enough as it was for making her sit there all day. Ren put on the VR headset and settled down into the bed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren ''woke up'' behind the drying lumber planks in the hayloft, right where he had ''gone to sleep''. ¡°Teepo?¡± ¡°Right here, Ren!¡± Teepo said and skuttled over the top of the lumber. ¡°Is Aimus back yet?¡± ¡°No. You''ve only been asleep for about 2 hours.¡± Teepo said. Ren nodded. That was about the right time difference. Ren had been in the real world for almost a half an hour. Ren picked Teepo up and climbed down the ladder. No sooner had Re stepped out of the barn when he saw a horse and cart approaching the homestead. Well, that''s perfect timing. Ren thought and Teepo chittered in laughter. Aimus came into the homestead and sauntered the horse into the barn. Ren stepped out of the way and followed the cart in. Aimus hopped off the cart and opened the hidden hatch in the middle of the barn.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°We have to be quick, or Ana will see.¡± Aimus said and started unloading the cart. Ren helped and they moved most of it into the hidden area. Aimus closed the hatch and kicked dirt over it again. They unhooked the horse from the cart and put it in it''s pen. ¡°Help me carry this stuff into the house.¡± Aimus said, motioning to the half dozen boxes of vegetables and fruits. Ren put them into his inventory and Aimus shook his head. ¡°You''re spoiling me with all this carrying everything like it was nothing.¡± Aimus clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°Let''s take it in to Abby.¡± Ren nodded and they went into the house to give the produce to Abigail. Abigail told Ren where to put them and Ren complied. The food was stored away easily and their usual hour long task was done in only moments. ¡°Yeah, definitely going to miss that ability when you''re gone.¡± Aimus said as he shut the pantry door. ¡°Did you get everything?¡± Abigail said quietly, and smiled as Aimus nodded and winked. Nothing more was said and Abigail made stew for everyone. Ana came out of her room and sat down at the kitchen table, looking a little depressed. Ren turned to her. ¡°Hi, Ana. Anything wrong?¡± Ana shook her head no but didn''t say anything. Ren noticed Aimus and Abigail as they shared a smile. The stew was ready soon after and Ren enjoyed yet another meal at the Blackmeadow Homestead. There seemed to be something going on; but Ren didn''t ask Aimus about it, since if he wasn''t let into the secret so far, it must be either important or didn''t concern him. Aimus stood and Ren followed him out of the house. ¡°There''s no way we can dry out all of those giant rat pelts at once. We''ll have to do them in stages.¡± Aimus said and walked towards the shed. Aimus picked up a hammer and nails then went to the trench behind the shed. ¡°Grab the stir stick, would you?¡± Ren took the stick and Aimus lifted up the first hatch. ¡°Dig out a few pelts and spread them over the other hatch.¡± Ren did so and fit 10 pelts on the hatch. Aimus closed the one he held and then nailed the pelts on their edges, 4 nails in each. Aimus lifted that hatch and Ren spread 10 more on each of the hatches closest to the open one. Aimus closed that one and then nailed each pelt like the first set. They went to the second last hatch and Aimus held it while Ren took out another ten pelts. 40 pelts in total were set out to dry. ¡°Okay, that''ll take an hour or so.¡± Aimus said as he nailed the last pelt. ¡°I''ve got some basic chores to do, so you''ve got an hour or so free to do what you want.¡± Ren nodded and headed off to the barn, then climbed up into the hayloft. It seemed to be the best spot for privacy. Ren wondered why Ana didn''t use it more often, then he remembered her story about what had happened to the last barn she was allowed to stay in. Ren wasn''t sure how she''d started the fire, but figured that it was why Ana wasn''t allowed to hang out up here anymore. Ren settled down behind the lumber and Teepo hopped off to go explore. Ren opened up the player message system and typed out a message to Lara, the Sage of Ages.
Hi, Lara!
My name''s Ren, and I''m one of the contest winners that won a special class just like you. We also met briefly during the Aurora Expedition. I''m sorry to bother you, but I have a bit of a problem. I''m not asking you for a prediction, or for anything else that will happen in the future. I found something that I can''t identify, and I was reminded that the Sage of Ages was here, and I thought you might know what it was. Please let me know if you can help me with my problem. Thanks for reading this, and I''ll eagerly await your response, if any.
Ren finished typing and sent the message. Ren wasn''t sure how long the system would take to get it to Lara, since he had no idea where she was in the game, or even if she was logged in right then. Ren would probably have to wait for a while to get a response from her. Ren stood up and brushed the hay from his clothes. Now what do I do to waste time until the pelts are dry? I''ve got another hour or so to wait. No sooner had he thought that when he got a popup. It was a message... from Lara.
Hi, Ren.
I''m not a library or a magical item index for you to use whenever you find something you can''t identify. Normally, I wouldn''t even respond to such a request; but since you asked so nicely and you DON''T want to have me predict anything, I''m not adverse to at least looking at whatever it is that you''ve found.
Ren sat back down and smiled. He took his time writing a response.
Hi, Lara.
Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly. I know you''re probably busy and I appreciate you taking the time to listen to my problem. I dug up something a while ago... it was a strange gem like ore that had a slight green glow. I''ve been unable to identify it, and if anyone could tell me what it was, or even where it came from, it would have to be you. You''re the Sage of Ages! You''re one of the most important characters in the game. I''m currently not in Aurora at the moment, and won''t be back for about another 2 weeks. If at all possible, could you meet me at the library there at that time? I know it''s a burden to go back to the starter city, but it''s the only place I''ve been, besides a mine and a homestead several days away. I''ll message you again when I head back, so you''ll know when to meet me. I''d be willing to pay you for your time as well.
Ren finsihed typing and revised it a few times. He hoped he didn''t lay the compliments on too thickly, because that could have the opposite effect than what he wanted, and sent the message. Shortly afterwards, he received a response.
Ren.
You want me to go back to that place? (sigh) Fine. I expect to be compensated well for degrading myself like that. You better have something really good for me to look at, or I''ll never forgive you.
Ren laughed and typed a quick response.
Hi Lara.
Of course! I wouldn''t want to waste your time any more than you would want me to waste it. I''ll message again in 12 game days, or 3 real life days, when I leave here and head back to Aurora. Thanks again for your help!
Ren closed the message system and stood up again. ¡°You contacted the Sage of Ages?¡± Teepo asked and skittered across the ceiling of the barn. Ren nodded. ¡°She''ll meet us at the library when we get back to the city.¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°I can''t wait! I get to meet the Sage of Ages!¡± ¡°REN!¡± Aimus shouted. ¡°HEY, REN!!!¡± Ren went to the ladder and climbed down. ¡°There you are. What were you doing up there?¡± Aimus asked. ¡°Just hanging out with Teepo.¡± Ren said. ¡°No time for that now. The first pelts are dry enough for scudding.¡± Ren nodded and followed Aimus out to the trench and the first hatch. ¡°Mostly, the fur is useless on rat pelts. It''s too rough and coarse. It provides a lot of warmth, though. I''ll probably save a few dozen to make boots, but all the rest are to be cleaned and used for leather.¡± Aimus took the hammer and pulled out the nails on the ten pelts and handed them to Ren, who stacked them into his inventory. They went into the shed and to the workbench inside. Ren took out a pelt and Aimus sat down with the scudding tool. Ren watched Aimus as he carefully scraped the tool across the rough fur and cleaned it down to the dark leather. Aimus did the whole pelt and then held it up to the light. The only holes were where the nails were and Aimus smiled. ¡°Perfect.¡± Aimus said and stood up. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren smiled and took out a pelt himself. Using the tool and going a lot slower than Aimus, since it was the first actual pelt that Ren had done, but when it was finished Ren held it up to the light and it was just as good as the one Aimus had done. Aimus put his hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Keep going. I''ll put out more and then bring in the next batch.¡± Ren nodded and kept working. Aimus would bring in a new stack just as Ren would finish the last pelt of the previous stack and stored it. It seemed to go on forever, but Ren was in his element. Chapter 45 - Decorations When Ren had finished the 305th pelt, leaving 60 with fur for Aimus to make boots from, he got a popup.
Ability Increase!
Your diligent work has raised your Scudding to an unpresidented level. It now takes you almost no time to trim the fur from a pelt.
Scudding Level 1 (Advanced 20%)
This sub skill under Leatherworking allows you to remove fur from a pelt to make good quality leather.
Ren''s eyes boggled at the ability change. My first Advanced level! Ren thought then jumped up and down. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Aimus came into the shack to see Ren jumping up and down. ¡°Hey, I know you''re happy to be done after so long, but you don''t have to over-react like that.¡± Aimus said and dropped the first stack of Ren''s bat wings onto the rack. Teepo came into the shed and congratulated Ren for doing a great job. Teepo had seen the shed a few times already, so he turned around and went off to keep exploring. Don''t go far! Ren smiled at Teepo''s astral projection as it crawled out the door. Ren cleaned the bat wings standing up and was so fast that he had to wait for Aimus to bring in the next batch. Thankfully, since the bat wings were thinner than the pelts, they didn''t take long to dry and the hundred leathery wings were trimmed into good quality leather pieces and Ren stored them all. ¡°Where do you want the rat pelt leather?¡± Ren asked Aimus. Aimus stood still for a moment. ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± Aimus said and rubbed his hand over his scraggly beard. ¡°I''ve never had so many before. I usually just leave them here on the workbench, but that won''t do for so many. Let me think.¡± Ren waited while Aimus thought about the problem. Ren was going to suggest the hay loft, but then they''d be hard to get to when Aimus needed them. The barn didn''t have a lot of room to store so many pelts, either. Aimus sighed. ¡°Remember when I told you that something would come up and I''d need that lumber that I used for the hatches and I wouldn''t have any ready?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If that lumber was dry right now, we could just build a shed to hold the pelts.¡± Aimus said and went into the barn. Ren followed him and watched as Aimus climbed the ladder. ¡°They''re actually not too bad. The top ones can be used right away. If I''d thought about it, I would have had you spread them out instead of stacking them.¡± ¡°Sorry. I should have thought of that myself.¡± Ren said. Aimus waved Ren''s apology away. ¡°Don''t worry about it. Give me a hand and we''ll do it now.¡± Ren climbed the ladder and Ren stored the top layer and helped Aimus spread out all the remaining lumber. Once Aimus was satisfied that the lumber planks would get the most heat and dry out quickly, they climbed down into the barn. ¡°They should be good for tomorrow.¡± Aimus said with hope in his eyes. ¡°What about the tent?¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s lots of room in there.¡± Aimus shook his head. ¡°No, we''ll need that space for something else.¡± Ren raised his eyebrows. ¡°I''ll explain later.¡± Aimus said. ¡°Supper! Get in here or you''re not getting any!¡± Abigail shouted from the house. Aimus laughed. ¡°She''s not kidding. Hurry up! I don''t want to be starving all night and have to wait until morning to eat.¡± Ren smiled and followed Aimus into the house. They sat down at the table and Ana was there. She seemed even more depressed than before; but when Ren tried to talk to her, she wouldn''t say anything. Ren had a hard time trying, though. Every time he ate something on his plate, Abigail pushed something else onto it. Ren liked eating, but even for him it seemed like she was stuffing him like a turkey. Ren held his hand up after the third helping of potatoes. ¡°Thanks for the food, but I''m too full to breathe, let alone eat any more.¡± Ren said. He covered his mouth and turned his head just in time. *BUUUURRRRRPPPP!!!* Everyone had shocked looks on their faces. ¡°I think I have a bit more room, now.¡± Ren said and Ana burst out laughing. Aimus and Abigail joined her as Ren''s face flushed a little red. That was a bit embarrassing, but at least I got Ana to smile. Ren thought and laughed, too. A few moments later, they finished laughing and cleaned up the table. ¡°It''s pretty dark out, so you can head to bed.¡± Aimus said while looking at Ana. Ana sighed as the laughing mood she was in evaporated. ¡°Goodnight!¡± Ren said, and Ana waved as she left the kitchen. ¡°Come with me.¡± Aimus said to Ren and stood. Ren nodded and followed Aimus out to the barn and the secret hatch that Aimus had stored all the packages from his trip to the other farms. Aimus opened it and handed them out to Ren, who stored them. Aimus closed the hatch and kicked dirt over it again. Ren was still amazed that it would disappear so easily... and realized it must be enchanted. Ren activated Enchanted Eyes, and sure enough, the hatch glowed. After Read Rune and Decipher, Ren saw that it was the same glyph that was on the lookout and the trees surrounding it. Ren hadn''t examined the trees after everything else that had happened, but he could clearly make out all the individual runes mixed into it now. Once Ren connected them all together, a popup appeared.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
Notice!
You have learned a new glyph Glyph of Hiding
Ren took out his Book of Runes and looked it up while he followed Aimus out to the tent. It was near the end of the book.
Glyph of Hiding
Will successfully hide a small opening from prying eyes.
Ren looked at it closely. I''m going to have to wait to be able to use that one. Ren thought. It was actually 3 glyphs mixed together, with 5 runes each. That has to be Advanced level, at least. Maybe even Expert! Ren closed the book when he got to the tent and followed Aimus inside. ¡°Unload the packages and bags, please.¡± Aimus said. Ren did so and there was quite the pile in the middle of the tent. ¡°Oh, the hammer. Be right back.¡± Aimus said and left. Ren stood there and wondered what Aimus was doing. Aimus came back a minute later with a hammer, saw, and some nails. ¡°Hand me a few planks, Ren.¡± Ren passed the 8 foot planks to Aimus and watched as Aimus built a table. One plank was cut into 4 equal pieces, then another in half, then took 4 planks for the top. The half cut one was nailed to the 4 full planks on each end, and the 4 small equal pieces were nailed onto those to make legs. A final plank was cut slightly and nailed as a brace across the legs.
New Recipe!
You have learned how to make a basic table.
¡°Another plank, Ren.¡± Aimus said. Ren handed it over and Aimus cut the plank in half, then one piece in half again then nailed the pieces together to make a chair.
New Recipe!
You have learned how to make a basic chair.
Ren asked if he could try, and Aimus shrugged. Ren took a lot longer to make the table, but the chair was easy. Two cuts and then nails. Aimus nodded. ¡°That''s enough tables, but we''ll need a bunch of chairs.¡± Ren got to work and had two dozen chairs done in about half an hour. ¡°Definitely going to miss having you around.¡± Aimus said and clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°That was fine work.¡± Ren blushed. ¡°I''ll be right back with the ladder. Open up those two packages and spread the stuff over the tables.¡± Aimus said and pointed to two big boxes. Ren opened one of the packages and there were party supplies inside. Ren put them on the table, then opened the other one. More supplies were inside. Ren took them out and spread them around the other table. Empty balloons, streamers, noisemakers, crazy hats, and a bunch of other stuff covered the tables. Ren opened a bag of balloons and started to blow a blue balloon up. Ren had it full and tied when Aimus came back in. ¡°Good thinking! Keep going, there''s lots to do!¡± Aimus said and set the ladder up in the middle of the tent. Aimus came over to the table and grabbed a small cardboard thing that was tied together with string. Aimus took it to the top of the ladder and tied it''s hook to the top of the tent. There were several pieces of canvas straps placed all along the edges of the tent and along the spine, with various ones spaced around the top. Ren hadn''t noticed them before, but now that he did, he saw they were in a distinct pattern. ¡°Aimus, is that a-¡± Ren started to say, but Aimus cut him off. ¡°Shhhhh! Don''t say anything. If I know Ana, she''s listening to everything and is on the lookout for anything suspicious.¡± Aimus said and climbed down the ladder and moved it to the next spot. ¡°Why do you think we''re doing all this in the dark?¡± Ren looked around. Hey, it really is dark out. Ren thought, surprised. I guess I''ve gotten so used to my elfling night vision that I didn''t even notice. Aimus and Ren continued to put up decorations and Aimus kept hanging those string wrapped cardboard decorations at each canvas strap. When they were done, Ren stood back to admired their work and Aimus tied all the strings from the cardboard decorations together into one big knot that hung about 8 feet from the ground. ¡°She''s going to be so surprised!¡± Aimus said and clapped Ren on the back. ¡°Come on. Time for bed. Early day tomorrow.¡± Ren nodded and went back into the house as Aimus took the ladder out of the tent and then tied the tent flaps closed. Teepo? ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± I''m going to bed, so be careful wandering around. ¡°I will. See you in the morning.¡± Goodnight. Ren nodded to Abigail as he passed the kitchen and went into the spare room. Ren shut the door and then climbed into bed. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset and Barbara placed it on the rolling table that the laptop was on. ¡°Bathroom?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Bathroom!¡± Ren confirmed and tried to slide out of bed. Barbara caught him just before he put his weight on his collapsed knee. ¡°Whoa, there. Don''t be so hasty.¡± Ren looked down at is knee. It wasn''t swollen anymore, but he could still feel an occasional throb from it. ¡°Oh, I forgot.¡± Ren said, his voice sounded a little down. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°It''s okay, Ren. I got you.¡± Barbara said and smiled. ¡°Thanks, Barbara. I''d be tasting floor again if it wasn''t for you.¡± Barbara looked at him in shock. ¡°You... you tasted the floor?¡± Ren grinned at her as she helped him to the bathroom. ¡°Yeah, when I was at physical therapy and my knee gave out that first time.¡± Barbara helped Ren sit down on the toilet. ¡°Splat!¡± Ren said and clapped his hands together once. ¡°Face first.¡± ¡°That must have hurt.¡± Barbara said and turned around. ¡°Like the dickens!¡± Ren said and smiled. Barbara laughed. ¡°Where did you hear that from?¡± ¡°I can''t remember... but I liked the sound of it. It reminds me of ''A Christmas Carol''.¡± Ren said and flushed the toilet. Barbara turned and helped Ren stand at the sink to wash his hands. ¡°You know that has nothing to do with the saying, right?¡± Barbara said as Ren washed his hands. Ren nodded and Barbara half-carried Ren back to the bed. It would be a week or so before Ren would be able to stand on that leg again, but Barbara didn''t mind. Ren needs me. Barbara thought and Ren settled into bed. ¡°Any chance I could get something to eat? I missed supper.¡± Ren said. Barbara nodded. ¡°Yes, of course. I''ve had it ready for you since I got here a little while ago. I''m sorry Denise didn''t have it ready when you were out before.¡± ¡°She didn''t get in trouble for that, did she?¡± Ren said. ¡°She looked like she needed the nap, so I didn''t wake her.¡± Barbara huffed. ¡°She wasn''t supposed to be sleeping at all.¡± Barbara ruffled Ren''s hair and chuckled when Ren squirmed. ¡°If there''s a next time, make sure you wake her up! She''s supposed to be here to care for you.¡± Ren nodded and Barbara said she''d be right back with something to eat. Ren didn''t have to wait too long and Barbara was back with a bowl of thick stew. A well-buttered slice of thick bread and a piece of apple was on the plate. A glass of apple juice washed it all down and Ren sat back, contented. ¡°Thanks, Barbara.¡± Barbara nodded and took the tray out of the room. Ren turned on the TV and watched it for a little while. There was about 3 hours before he had to log back into the game and he had to pass the time somehow. Barbara came back into the room and sat down next to the bed and watched some TV with Ren. There wasn''t anything on the television, but they passed the time chatting, and enjoying each other''s company. 3 hours later, Ren noticed the time and told Barbara that he had to get back into the game. Barbara nodded. ¡°It should be a nice birthday party for Ana.¡± Ren was surprised. ¡°Ha ha! That''s what it was! I figured out it was a party for her, but I couldn''t figure out why.¡± ¡°Just make sure you have fun, dear.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I will!¡± Ren said and put on the VR headset. ¡°Thanks, Barbara.¡± ¡°Anytime.¡± Barbara said and patted Ren''s arm. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Chapter 46 - The Gift Ren opened his eyes and just lay there for a minute. ¡°Show Status.¡±
Status
Name Ren Level 3
Gender Male Class Artificer
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 1110 (Locally Known)
Titles
Donan''s Apprentice - 20% stat gain at his shop Sally''s Student - 20% stat gain at her shop Issac''s Novice - 20% stat gain at his shop Lemming - 5% resistance to falls
Health 550 Mana 460
Strength 80 Dexterity 60
Vitality 50 Agility 58
Endurance 67 Intelligence 53
Luck 23 Wisdom 46
I didn''t think there was much change... just the few more points in Intelligence, Wisdom, and Endurance. It didn''t hurt to check it, though. Ren thought as he rolled out of the spare room''s bed and went into the kitchen. The night sky was fading as the morning was born. Ren wondered how it actually worked. Was there an actual sun, or was it just a part of the program to get bright every day and dark every night? Ren couldn''t remember looking up at any time and seeing any kind of sun. Ren decided to keep an eye out and see if there was one. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said and sat down at the kitchen table. Aimus nodded and Abigail put a plate with 6 pancakes in front of Ren. ¡°Eat.¡± Abigail said. ¡°Most people just say ''good morning'' back.¡± Ren said and smiled. Abigail smacked Aimus on the head. ¡°Ow! What was that for?¡± Aimus said and rubbed his head. ¡°Say ''good morning''.¡± Abigail smiled and put a plate of pancakes in front of Aimus. Aimus mumbled something and Abigail raised her eyebrows. ¡°Morning! Morning!¡± Aimus said with wide open eyes and Ren laughed. Abigail turned around to get more pancakes and Aimus twirled his finger by his head to signify a crazy person and rolled his eyes. ¡°I saw that.¡± Abigail said without turning around. Aimus grimaced and poured some syrup on his pancakes and passed the small jug to Ren who did the same. Ren had half his stack eaten by the time Ana came out into the kitchen. Ana''s face brightened a bit when the smell hit her. ¡°Is that... syrup?!?¡± Ana said and nearly drooled as she sat down and eyed Ren''s pancakes with envy. A moment later Ana got her own stack with a lit candle in the middle. ¡°Happy Birthday!¡± Abigail, Aimus and Ren said together, even though they hadn''t practiced it at all. Ana''s face lit up and tears welled up at the corner of her eyes. ¡°I thought you forgot.¡± Aimus laughed and Abigail smiled. ¡°Of course we wouldn''t forget. You''re our little angel... despite what your father keeps telling you.¡± ¡°Hey! I only call her a devil when I come home from being away, not all the time!¡± Aimus said in defence. ¡°Once is more than enough, dear.¡± Abigail said and winked. Ana blew out the candle and Abigail took it from the pancakes and poured some syrup on them. Ana gave Abigail sad puppy dog eyes, and Abigail poured more syrup. Ren laughed and Ana dug into her pancakes once they were coated. Ren finished his pancakes and took his and Aimus'' plates to the sink. Abigail nodded and Ren walked around the table to stand near the kitchen doorway. Ren, Aimus and Abigail watched Ana as she enjoyed the rare treat of pancakes and syrup. When Ana was done eating, Aimus spoke. ¡°Shed rules apply for the tent, okay?¡± Aimus said to Ana. ¡°Ren and I filled it with pelts and some tools last night. We''re going to be making another shed to store the pelts properly; but until then, no playing in the tent today.¡± ¡°Awww... that''s the best place! I feel better in there!¡± Ana said and pouted. ¡°Hey, just because it''s your birthday, it doesn''t mean you can flaunt the rules for dangerous places.¡± Aimus said a bit sternly. Ana huffed and crossed her arms. Ren''s smile grew into a grin because he knew exactly why Ana felt better when she spent time inside the tent. It was a Fame special bonus that was added when he had helped Sally complete the tent. Vitality +2 was a buff that anyone would receive while they were surrounded by the canvas walls. ¡°Don''t worry...¡± Aimus said and stood. ¡°...we should have it cleared out just after lunch. You can play in there then.¡± Aimus walked around the table and gave Ana a kiss on the top of her head. ¡°Is that okay?¡± Ana nodded. ¡°I guess I can wait a little longer... but you better hurry up!¡± Ana said and stood herself. ¡°I''ll be watching you.¡± ¡°I know. You''ve been watching me since yesterday.¡± Aimus said and hugged his daughter when she got a shocked look on her face. ¡°You... you knew?¡± ¡°Sweetie, you know I''m a professional hunter. I could feel your eyes practically poking me in the back of the head all day.¡± Aimus said and laughed. Ana blushed, shook her head, and left the kitchen. ¡°You shouldn''t tease her so much.¡± Abigail said. ¡°She''ll get you back some day.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Aimus said. ¡°She''s already a good tracker. I''m trying to get her to work on her hunting skills.¡± ¡°You can''t push her if she doesn''t want to do it.¡± Abigail said and turned around to get Ana''s plate. ¡°She just turned 10.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Aimus shrugged and looked at Ren. ¡°We should go and get those planks. See if they''re dry enough to use.¡± Ren nodded and thanked Abigail for breakfast. Abigail waved and went back to the sink. Aimus left the kitchen and went to the barn. Ren was close behind and climbed the ladder after Aimus. ¡°Yep, they look good. Can you grab them, Ren?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and then loaded the planks into his inventory. They climbed down and went behind the barn to where the other shed was. Aimus asked for the hammer and nails and Ren passed them over. ¡°It will have to be a bit bigger than the old one. All those pelts are going to take up a ton of room.¡± Aimus said and put a mark in the dirt about 5 feet from the shed. ¡°Pass me a plank, Ren.¡± Ren passed one over. ¡°Thanks.¡± Aimus said and placed it flat on the ground and parallel to the shed. ¡°Okay, a few more.¡± Ren handed them over and Aimus laid them out in front of, and beside, where the new shed would be. ¡°It''s just a storage shed, so it won''t be fancy.¡± Aimus said. There were 3 boards across and 2 boards deep. That was almost 24 feet by 16 feet, since there was a little overlap of the boards. Aimus went back to the front of the barn where they''d left the big saw they''d used to cut the logs. Ren handed a plank to Aimus and started pumping the pedal. Aimus pushed the plank through and cut it lengthwise in half. They did that with 15 planks to get 30 halves. Ren stored them and they wnt back behind the barn. Ren passed out 5 pieces of the cut wood, and Aimus put 2 of them end to end and then placed the last one facing up between them and nailed them together. Aimus put 2 more end to end on the other side of the face up plank, making an ''H'' shape, but sideways. Ren passed over 3 more when asked, and Aimus nailed them on the ends of the ''H'', making it two lines with two smaller lined between them. 2 more on each end, then it was an outside wall. Aimus did the same pattern again for the back of the storage shed. The sides were 3 planks, another sideways ''H'' for both sides.When nailed together, it made the full outer frame of the shed exactly 3 planks wide, 2 planks deep, and 1 plank high. It was easy to nail the regular planks to this as all the dimensions were the same length. Aimus left the middle section of the front empty for a doorway. 2 more ''H'' were made for the roof and filled in. A simple door made of planks was hung on the front and it was done.
New Recipe!
You have learned how to make a basic shed.
Ren smiled, but there was no way Aimus needed another shed. I won''t be practicing this recipe for a while, if at all. Ren thought as Aimus tested the door. ¡°Well, it really is just barely functional. Normally I''d put a pitched roof on it, but there''s really no time.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°So, do we pretend to pull the pelts from the tent, and carry them here to the new shed?¡± Aimus nodded. ¡°Have to keep the pretense up.¡± Ren and Aimus went walked to the tent to ''gather'' some pelts to carry back to the new shed. They spent at least an hour pretending to do this. It was getting close to noon and Ana was already nosing around and being impatient. ¡°We''re almost done. Only a few more trips and then we need to get the tools, okay?¡± Aimus said when Ana practically jumped him as he passed by the house. Ana nodded and went back inside. ¡°She''s not going to wait much longer.¡± Ren said. Aimus nodded. ¡°Yeah, she knows something is up... but she doesn''t know what it is yet.¡± Ren smiled. Ana really should be surprised with what Aimus has put together for her. Aimus didn''t go to the tent this time and walked into the barn and to the secret hatch. He opened it and passed out the second duffel bag that he''d had on the trip there. Ren opened it and inside were a few more traps. Aimus took them out and underneath was a cloth wrapped package. Unfortunately, it looked like it was put through a wringer. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Aimus said and sighed. ¡°I should have checked this sooner.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. Aimus handed it to Ren and told him to take it to the tent. Ren went to the tent and saw Aimus go into the house. Ren put the package on one of the tables, and a minute later Aimus came in with Abigail. She walked over to the table Ren had put the package on and opened it. Folded inside was a beautiful blue dress. Ren saw that it had frills and a bow on the back when Abigail lifted it out. Unfortunately, it also had several tears and creases, and several seams were pulled slighty apart. ¡°I''m so sorry, honey.¡± Aimus said, dejected. ¡°It never even occurred to me to take it out of the bag with the traps when I picked it up.¡± Abigail gave a deep sigh. ¡°I guess it can''t be helped.¡± Abigail sand and put the dress down on the table. ¡°She''ll just have to wear her normal clothes for the party.¡± ¡°But... that was her main present from you!¡± Aimus said. ¡°At least the shoes are fine. The dress protected them.¡± Abigail said and took out a pair of shiny black shoes. Ren stepped forward. ¡°Um... maybe I can help.¡± Abigail and Aimus looked at Ren together. ¡°Normally, I think you could, but the rips can''t be mended, even by Sally''s Student.¡± Abigail said and held up a particularly bad spot on the dress. ¡°The fabric itself is pulled apart.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... if you give me enough time... I might be able to come up with something.¡± Ren said. I''m not sure if it will work, but there really isn''t any other option at the moment. ¡°How much time do you need?¡± Aimus said and came to stand by Abigail and took her hand. ¡°I''m hoping... maybe... about an hour?¡± Ren said, without much confidence. ¡°Okay. We''ll give you that hour.¡± Aimus said, then turned to his wife. ¡°I''ve seen this kid do some amazing things... some scary things, too... but it''s the amazing part I''m going to put my hopes on.¡± Abigail had doubt in her eyes, but Aimus lifted her hand to his face and kissed it. ¡°Sweetheart...¡± Aimus said and Abigail blushed a deep red. ¡°Go inside and get the food ready. By the time you''re done, everyone should be here... and Ren should be finished.¡± Abigail looked at Ren once more, and there was still doubt... but she nodded and left the tent. ¡°Okay, Amazing boy! Amaze me!¡± Aimus said and grinned. Ren grimaced. Ren would let the ''kid'' and ''boy'' comments go this time, but only because there was work to be done. Ren took out his portable sewing kit that Sally had given him. It contained everything that he would need for any tailoring work that needed to be done. There was one tool in it that he hadn''t used before. It was called a ripper. Specifically, it''s a seam ripper. Ren took the dress and put it flat on the table. Ren took his time and carefully opened the seam along the frills on the arm. ¡°What are you doin-¡± Aimus tried to say and Ren glared at him. Aimus raised his hands in a surrender gesture. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren got the frill off without tearing it and moved on to the arm itself. The seam came apart and Ren remembered where and how it was put together. The pieces came off slowly at first, but easier as Ren worked. It took about 25 minutes for Ren to get all the pieces apart and layed out across the table. The bow, the belt, the frills, the collar, the arm pieces and the middle part of the dress, then the frilly skirt. There was surprisingly a lot more fabric than Ren had thought at first in the skirt, but as Ren undid the stitches it made sense that there had to be more there than anywhere else. When Ren was done, he got a popup.
Notice!
You have learned a new pattern, Party Dress (Young)
Ren grinned. ¡°Yes! I got it.¡± Ren took out his bolt of spider silk cloth and cut off the right amount. With the system overlaying the new pattern on the cloth, Ren took his time and cut out everything that he needed. Once he had all the parts in the right positions, Ren turned to Aimus. ¡°This is where I''d usually dye them the right color, but I''m not in Sally''s shop.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope white will be okay.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Aimus said and left the tent. Aimus came back in a few minutes later with a half sized barrel. When Aimus opened it, it split in half and inside was a small dying station. Ren''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Mom gave it to me in case I met someone that wanted to take up her trade.¡± Aimus said. Ren raised his head in prayer. ¡°Thanks for thinking ahead, Sally.¡± Ren said and dyed everything the same color as the original dress. Sewing was going to take a little longer than Ren had thought, but nothing could be done about that now. Ren wouldn''t rush and tempt fate by making a mistake or a poor product. Sally would never forgive him if that happened. Ren carefully assembled the parts in the right order and got everything stitched together about 40 minutes later, then looked at the results.
Blue Party Dress (Young)
This is the best dress for a young girl to wear to a party.
Ren grinned and handed the dress to Aimus, who stood there in admiration. ¡°What? It''s done.¡± Ren said. Aimus shook his head. ¡°It''s not that. I can''t believe that you made something like this just by pulling apart the old one. It''s something I thought only my mother could do.¡± Aimus put his hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°She definitely picked the right person for her student.¡± Ren blushed and nodded. ¡°Thanks, Aimus.¡± ¡°No. Thank you, Ren.¡± Aimus said and looked at the dress, then looked outside. Sounds of people moving around could be heard. ¡°How will I...¡± ¡°I have an idea.¡± Ren said and took out the remains of his tent. He cut up the fabric and folded it in half and sewed up the top and bottom, making a big pocket. ¡°Put it in here.¡± Aimus put the dress in and it just fit. Ren closed it and put it over Aimus'' waiting arm, then walked over to the table with the old dress. ¡°The shoes, too.¡± Amus grinned at Ren, took the shoes, and left the tent. Ren cleaned up the mess he''d made and put away the scraps of fabric, along with the package and the old dress pieces. They could probably be sewn together for something, but Ren would leave them as scraps for now. People started to come into the tent and Ren wasn''t standing there alone anymore. It was time for the party. Chapter 47 - The Surprise Ren stood in the tent as people came in. You could see a visible change in their walk and they all took deep breaths when they passed the tent''s entryway. They carried gifts, which Ren assumed were for Ana, and sat at random in the chairs that Ren had made. There was no rhyme or reason for where they ended up sitting. The only consistent thing was that they sat together as a family. Some of the men nodded to others, and some of the women exchanged pleasantries... but there was no intermixing other than that. Ren noticed that quite a few of them were looking towards him, and he moved to the side of the tables. Ren saw their gaze didn''t shift to him when he moved and he realized that it was the tables they were looking at. Ren left the tent and walked quickly to the house. ¡°Is there any food ready? The guests are getting restless, even though they just got here.¡± Ren said when he saw Aimus was waiting anxiously in the kitchen. Aimus waved to the counter and the stacked trays and plates of food. Ren loaded them all into his inventory. There was a large bowl of liquid on the table and Ren looked inside it. If I''m not mistaken, I think that''s punch. ¡°What are you punching?¡± Teepo said. Ren smiled. I''m not punching anything, I just think the drink Abigail will be serving is called ''punch''. ¡°Oh.¡± Teepo said. Where are you? ¡°I''m out by the place where you chopped down all those trees.¡± Teepo responded. You''re going to miss Ana''s party if you don''t get back here. ¡°A party?¡± Teepo said, excitedly. Yeah, there''s a bunch of people here already. I was just about to take out some food to the tent. ¡°Ooo, summon me back, Ren! The party will be over if I have to walk there.¡± Teepo said. ¡°¡± Ren whispered and tapped the ring. Teepo''s astral form appeared at Ren''s feet. Are you going to see for yourself, or do you want to ride in style? ¡°In style, please.¡± Teepo said and Ren picked him up to place on his regular perch. ¡°I always see more from up here.¡± Aimus was still waiting anxiously and didn''t notice Ren''s interactions with Teepo. A moment later a door was opened and Abigail came into the kitchen. ¡°May I present to you, in her most regal outfit... 10 year old Miss Ana!¡± Abigail said and ushered Ana into the kitchen. The dress fit Ana perfectly (as Ren knew it would). There were 2 bows in Ana''s hair that matched the one on the back of the dress. The tails of the bows swished across her shoulders when she turned her head, even only a little bit. Ana stood there with a huge blush on her face. ¡°W-w-ell, say s-something.¡± ¡°My beautiful little girl.¡± Aimus said and knelt by Ana. You could tell that he wanted to hug her, but he didn''t want to crinkle her brand new dress. ¡°Go ahead and hug her. The dress can take it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Trust me.¡± The three looked at him together with doubt on there faces. ¡°You see what I''m wearing? I fell out of a tree wearing it and the only thing that was hurt was my face.¡± Aimus let a grin spread across his face and took Ana into a big hug. The dress bunched up and the frills were squashed a bit. ¡°Aimus-¡± Abigail started to say, but the words cut off when Aimus let Ana go and the dress popped right back into place as if nothing had happened to it. ¡°I told you.¡± Ren said and chuckled. It would take a lot more than a little hug to hurt that fabric. ¡°But.. but how?¡± Abigail said as she knelt and gave Ana a hug, too. ¡°It''s just something Sally came up with when I provided some... unusual silk thread.¡± ¡°It''s amazing!¡± Aimus and Abigail said together and they laughed. ¡°You won''t have to worry about tearing it or having to be too careful while wearing it.¡± Ren said. ¡°The shoes are just shoes, though.¡± ¡°Okay, Ana. We''ve held you up long enough. You can go and play with your friends.¡± Abigail said and Ana ran out the kitchen door. A moment later, Ana ran back in and gave Ren a big hug. Ren wasn''t that much taller than her and Ana''s head fit right over his shoulder when she stood on her tippy-toes. ¡°Thank you!¡± Ana said and let go. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said and pat Ana on the back. ¡°Happy Birthday.¡± Ana giggled, gave Ren a quick kiss on the cheek, and ran out of the kitchen. ¡°Wha-?¡± Ren started to say, then was enveloped in a big hug by Abigail. ¡°Thank you so much, Ren.¡± Abigail said and smothered Ren against her chest. Unlike some of the other chests he''d been pressed against, Abigail had an average sized bustline and Ren''s face fit right between them. She''s... she''s not wearing a bra! Ren thought and Teepo chittered in laughter. Abigail let him go and Ren was blushing harder than he''d ever blushed before. ¡°It... it was nothing.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Aimus said loudly. Ren stopped blushing and looked at Aimus. ¡°What you''ve done here is more important than that.¡± Aimus walked over to stand by his wife and put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°You replaced an important present my wife bought for Ana. She''d saved up for a long time to get enough money to buy that pattern. My mother made that dress for her granddaughter to have on her special day.¡± Aimus shook Ren''s shoulder. ¡°That''s no small thing.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°When I saw what had happened to the dress, my hopes were lost.¡± Abigail said. ¡°There was no way to have Sally make another one, and then it would have been several days just to get it back here even if she''d had another one ready to go.¡± Abigail put her hand on Ren''s other shoulder. Teepo skittered out of the way and onto the top of Ren''s head. ¡°But then you proposed a solution that I didn''t think would work. Even if you''d just replaced the torn pieces, the dress wouldn''t look right with different pieces.¡± Abigail smiled. ¡°But I trusted Aimus and let you work. I distracted Ana by getting her help with the food... then Aimus came in with the brightest blue dress I''d ever seen. It shimmered in the light like a spiderweb! I don''t know how you managed it, but it was a miracle.¡± Ren''s blush was back in full force by this time and Ren nodded. ¡°I couldn''t just use normal fabric, or splice in different pieces. You''re right Abigail, that would have looked awful. I had this amazing cloth with me, though... and once I took apart the other dress and found the pattern, I had to do the very best job I could to make it.¡± Aimus and Abigail smiled down at Ren and let go of his shoulders. ¡°Then I''m glad that I trusted the both of you.¡± Abigail said and turned to hug her husband. ¡°Ana loves her new dress!¡± ¡°It would have been all white if Aimus hadn''t lent me the dying station Sally had given him.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hmm... white might have been nice... but it wouldn''t have gone well with the bows and ribbons in Ana''s hair.¡± Abigail said. ¡°That reminds me.¡± Ren said and pulled out the dying station. ¡°Where do you want me to put this?¡± Aimus shook his head. ¡°Why don''t you just keep it.¡± Ren shook his head and tried to give it back to Aimus. ¡°It''s the first time it''s been used since mother gave it to me all those years ago.¡± Aimus said. ¡°Remember what I told you? Sally said to give it to someone I met that would take up her profession. I don''t think I could find someone better than you for that honor.¡± Ren blushed again and put the dye station back into his inventory. ¡°Thanks, Aimus.¡± Aimus dismissed Ren''s praise with a wave. ¡°I''m sure you''ll put it to good use.¡± Ren nodded then remembered something. ¡°Oh, right! The food. Did you want this bowl of punch brought out to the tent? What about glasses and plates?¡± Ren asked Abigail. Abigail nodded and gave Ren a pile of plates and glasses. Ren stored them all and the punch bowl. There was no need to try and walk with the thing. It was sure to be spilled if Ren tried to carry it normally. Abigail shooed Ren away and Ren went to the tent. Aimus followed right behind and after Ren entered the tent, Aimus called for everyone''s attention. While Aimus thanked everyone for coming, Ren stood behind one of the tables and put out all the food platters and the stack of empty plates. It didn''t take long, and Ren nodded to Aimus once the punch bowl was on the table and the glasses were spread around it. ¡°...and you can put your presents on the table over there if you want. That''s all I''ve got to say for now. Lets eat!¡± Aimus said and everyone clapped. Ren stepped back and watched the throng of people swarm to the table with all the delicious food piled on it. Aimus pulled Ren aside and explained that it wasn''t often that people gathered like this. Ren raised his eyebrows while Aimus said that most families out this far from a big city usually kept to themselves, but the closest ones usually let their kids play with each other when they could. Ren saw Ana run into the tent with several boys and another girl hot on her tail. They laughed and carried on like kids do, and Ren closed his eyes and sighed. Seeing things like that made him wish that he''d had a normal childhood sometimes... and a sharp pain hit him behind his eyes. Ren rubbed his face and told Aimus that he needed a bit of fresh air. Ren left the tent and went to the barn. Aimus had moved the big saw back inside the barn and covered it. Ren climbed the ladder at the back of the barn and unloaded the last couple of planks he still had in his inventory. Ren settled down behind them in the hay and tried to figure out why he kept getting headaches whenever he thought about his childhood... and another throb of pain hit him. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is everything alright, Ren?¡± Teepo said after crawling over Ren''s chest and onto the floor. ¡°Yeah, I''m fine. It''s just a headache.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. A little while later, Ren heard someone moving around in the barn and went to the ladder. Ren saw Aimus taking another package out of the hidden space and went to the horse. Ren didn''t see what it was, but was curious enough to climb down the ladder to see. When Ren hit the ground with his feet, Aimus jumped and turned around at the noise. ¡°Oh, it''s just you, Ren.¡± Aimus said in relief. ¡°I thought it might have been Ana. That would have ruined the surprise.¡± Ren walked over to the horse... only it wasn''t a horse anymore. It was a white unicorn. A gleaming golden horn stuck out of it''s forehead and it''s mane was a big mass of hair. Ren looked at the hooves and they had big clumps of hair on them as well. ¡°What in the world...¡± Ren said. ¡°Ah. It was something I picked up when I was in Aurora. It was thanks to you, actually.¡± Aimus said and smiled. ¡°Really?¡± Ren said, surprised. Teepo crawled up onto Ren'' shoulder. ¡°Yeah. With the gold coins you gave me at mom''s, I went out and bought this little trinket at an enchantment shop.¡± Ren wondered if it was Isaac''s shop that Aimus had gotten it. ¡°It''ll only last two hours and won''t work anymore, but at least Ana can have a few rides on her dream horse.¡± Aimus said and admired the horse/unicorn while he saddled it up properly. ¡°I''m going into the tent now, will you bring the horse in when you hear the shouts?¡± Aimus asked Ren. ¡°Shouts?¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll know it when it happens.¡± Aimus said and winked. ¡°Sure. I''ll be listening.¡± Ren said. Aimus left and Ren stood there holding the reins. Teepo, I don''t want there to be ''Trouble''. Want to go and scout the tent for me? ¡°Of course, Ren!¡± Teepo said and jumped off Ren''s shoulder. Teepo skittered out of the barn and a few minutes later, told Ren what was happening. ¡°Aimus has Ana lifted up to grab the string knot. She''s having a hard time pulling it. Oh, there it goes. Wow.¡± Ren waited for Teepo to continue but Teepo remained quiet. Teepo? Ren heard shouts coming from the tent and led the horse/unicorn out of the barn. TEEPO! ¡°Hm? Oh, sorry, Ren. It was... it was a bunch of little flames all over the tent! All different colors, too! So pretty.¡± Teepo rambled. Teepo, I''m almost to the tent. What''s inside? ¡°It''s done now... it looks like a... monocerus.¡± Teepo said. A what?!? Ren thought. ¡°A monocerus. Like the picture in the inn.¡± Ren laughed. We call it a unicorn. ¡°Why?¡± Teepo asked. Because it only has one horn. Ren replied. ¡°But that''s what ''monocerus'' means. One horn.¡± Ren didn''t know what to say to that... but at least his suspicion that it was a horse decoration was confirmed. Ren wasn''t sure what it was when Aimus had hung all those things at first. It had kind of a horse shape. Ren smiled and entered the tent just as all the oo''s and ahh''s stopped. Aimus turned with Ana still in his arms and her face lit up at the real life unicorn in front of her. ¡°Eeeeeeee!¡± Ana screeched, and several other kids did the same. Aimus barely managed to put Ana down and she was across the tent and on the saddle. Ren laughed as Ana tried to grab the reins from him. ¡°Hold on, now. Let me at least get you out of the tent.¡± Ren said and turned the horse around. All the kids followed Aimus when he walked over to Ren leading the horse. ¡°Don''t leave the field. Don''t run him too hard. You need to share rides with the other kids.¡± Aimus said and took the reins from Ren, who stepped back and out of the way. Ana scowled a little, but nodded. Aimus smiled and handed her the reins. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Thanks, dad!¡± Ana said and was gone across the field. Aimus sighed. ¡°He''s not a race horse!¡± Aimus shouted. Ana laughed and Aimus shook his head. ¡°He might last 10 minutes.¡± Ren passed Aimus a couple of his minor healing potions. ¡°He can go a lot longer than that.¡± Ren said and winked. Aimus smiled at Ren and nodded his thanks. Chapter 48 - Nice Boots Ren watched the kids taking turns riding the ''unicorn'', and the rest of the afternoon passed by quickly. The unicorn changed back at the two hour mark, but since it still had the big gold horn, the kids still treated it like it was still a real unicorn, even though it was now brown and had lost it''s extra hair. By the time the horse was too exausted to move more than a few feet at a time, Aimus called a stop to the festivities and Ana got off the horse. The families thanked Aimus for a great party and gathered up their kids so they could head to their respective homes. Ana waved as each one left and then hugged her dad. ¡°Thanks so much, dad! This was the best birthday ever!¡± Ana gushed. ¡°You''re quite welcome, you little devil.¡± ¡°Dad!¡± Ana let the hug go and punched Aimus in the gut. Aimus exaggerated the ''oof'' and grabbed his stomach. ¡°Angel! You little angel!¡± Aimus chuckled. Ana huffed and walked to the tent. Ana came out a moment later with an armful of presents and went to the house. Aimus took the fake horn off the horse and led it to the barn. Ren got the feed bag, poured a minor healing potion in it, and hooked it over the horse''s head while Aimus secured the pen and took off the saddle. ¡°Thanks again for everything today, Ren.¡± Aimus said. Ren shrugged. ¡°It''s not like I''d just stand around and not help. That wouldn''t be right.¡± Aimus smiled. Most adventurers actually would just stand around and do nothing when given the choice, unlike you, Ren. ¡°On that note, let''s get this place cleaned up!¡± Aimus said and slapped Ren on the back. Ren chuckled. ¡°I stepped right into that, didn''t I?¡± Aimus grinned and they went to the tent to gather up everything. It took about an hour to clean it all and Ren put the decorations back into the boxes they came from. Aimus had to get the ladder again to unhook all the firework decorations he''d hung up the night before. They were one use items so they would have to be thrown out. Ren wasn''t sure where to put them, but Aimus said to just collect them for now and he''d toss them in an old fire pit they sometimes used for campfires. ¡°What about the tent?¡± Ren asked when they were done. ¡°I think I''m going to leave it up for a while.¡± Aimus said. ¡°It really is a nice big tent.¡± Ren nodded and followed Aimus as he carried the ladder out to the barn. Aimus put the ladder inside and walked around the back of the house. Ren followed and Aimus led him about halfway to the treeline to a brick and mortar pit about a foot high and 3 feet wide. ¡°Toss the used fireworks in here.¡± Aimus said and pointed. Ren put them in the fire pit and Aimus went up to the house. Ren followed him into the kitchen. ¡°Honey, we''ve got all the trays of food. Where do you want them?¡± Aimus asked his wife. ¡°Spread them out across the table and the counter. I''ll salvage what I can from them and wash the platters.¡± Abigail said from the sink. Ren spead out the almost empty platters and the half filled punch bowl. Ren took out the stack of dirty plates and went to the sink. ¡°Do you need any help?¡± Abigail turned, looked at Ren, and decided he was sincere in his offer. ¡°No, that''s okay. I can handle a few dishes.¡± Ren put the dishes down and took out all the glasses as well. ¡°Are you sure? An extra pair of hands could be handy.¡± Ren said and smiled. Abigail smiled. ¡°I''ll wash, you dry. The plates go here.¡± Abigail pointed to a cupboard next to the table. ¡°The glasses go here.¡± Abigail pointed to the cupboard above the sink. ¡°I don''t think I can reach that.¡± Ren said a bit dejected. ¡°That''s what the stool is for.¡± Abigail said and kicked a small stool out from under the sink. ¡°Ana helps me sometimes and she can''t reach it, either.¡± Ren nodded and put the stool close enough that he could reach the cupboard but not interfere with Abigail''s movements, and they got to work. With Abigail washing and Ren drying, it didn''t take long to get everything done. ¡°Thank you for your help, Ren.¡± Abigail said. ¡°Now get out of here while I sort out the leftovers.¡± Abigail ruffled Ren''s hair. Ren left the kitchen but didn''t see Aimus anywhere. Teepo? Do you know where Aimus went? ¡°He''s in the new shed.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I followed him in here to see what he was doing.¡± Thanks, Teepo. I''ll be right there. Ren thought and then went to the new shed. Aimus was gathering up a few of the pelts that still had fur on them. ¡°Let me help with that.¡± Ren said and stored the pelts.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I figured I''d make a few pairs of boots while I waited for you.¡± Aimus said. ¡°Apparently, I wasn''t quick enough to do more than a single pair.¡± Aimus chuckled. Ren followed Aimus out of the new shed and over to the old one. Aimus sat down at the workbench. Ren handed over a pelt and watched Aimus flipped the pelt to the flat side and use several wooden cutouts. As soon as Aimus had covered as much of the space as the wooden cut outs allowed, he took a big pair of shears and cut them all out, laying each similar piece together. Once that was done, he took a tool with a rotating wheel on the end and ran it along the pieces, an inch from the edge. It made evenly spaced holes that Aimus said was for sewing the leather together. Aimus took another tool, a skiving blade, to trim the edge of certain parts. Ainus said it was for folding pieces together. Ren noted which pieces were done and what side to trim. Aimus used a beveler on the other sides of the pieces. It was a wedge shaped tool that removed the squared edges if there was any. Aimus took a sewing needle that had a larger than normal hole, and threaded through a leather like thread. Aimus sewed together 2 similar pieces, hiding the stitching between folded ends, then sewed those pieces onto 2 long ones. When he was done, there were 2 pairs of boots without soles. Aimus grabbed a thick hide from the rack and cut out 4 boot soles. Aimus stitched them to the bottom of his boots, and they were done.
Notice!
You have learned a new recipe: Basic Boots
Aimus looked at Ren''s face and recognized the look. It was the same look Aimus had seen on Ren''s face when Aimus had shown him how to make a basic chair. Aimus stood up. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren grinned and sat down. Ren pulled out a pelt and used the same techniques that Aimus had just used and produced boots almost as good as the ones Aimus had made. ¡°I think you need a little more practice.¡± Aimus said. Ren nodded and got to work. As Ren kept making more and more boots, his Leatherworking skill leveled up a few times until the boots he was making were actually better than the ones Aimus had made. ¡°Okay, stop.¡± Aimus said after Ren finished his 40th pair of boots. ¡°People like nice boots. We''re going to have to put some kind of design on them. Cut out the pieces from another pelt.¡± Ren did so and Aimus took Ren''s place at the table. ¡°Some people can be picky over what they want to see on a boot.¡± Aimus explained as he took a small flat tool from the shelf above the bench. ¡°You can get away with some swirls, but flowers are a no-no unless you''re specifically making them for a girl.¡± Aimus took a small wooden mallet and tapped the tool into the leather, over and over. A pattern started to form along the top of the boot piece. There was a nice swirl and groves along the edge but Aimus left a lot of room in between. Aimus put the tool back and got another one with a rounded head. He tapped it seemingly at random in certain spots and filled in a lot of the empty space. He changed tools again and tapped this one in the remaining spaces and it make star patterns. When Aimus was done, a mosaic of swirls, shooting stars, and clouds covered the top third of the boot piece. Aimus did the same on the other piece, but reversed the pattern so that they would match when sewed together. The tips of the boot received a similar pattern, as did the heels. Aimus made the boot and the finished product looked fantastic. A lot better than a normal boot. ¡°How do you decide what pattern to do?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t usually. I''ll just sit down and let inspiration take me.¡± Aimus said. ¡°Want to give it a try?¡± Ren hesitated for a moment and then sat down. He took the same boot part Aimus had started with and then his mind went blank. What do I draw? Ren thought. Teepo hopped down onto the workbench. ¡°Why not draw the Dancing Flames?¡± Dancing Flames? Ren thought. How do I draw fire? ¡°Close your eyes.¡± Teepo said and Ren closed them. ¡°Remember back in the forest. After lighting the trees, how the flames came forth and ate everything in their path. Remember how they rose into the sky. Remember how the wind helped make the fire dance higher and higher.¡± Ren nodded and opened his eyes. He picked up the wooden mallet and different tools and got to work. It took him a while, considering he''d never used anything like these tools before. When Ren was finished, he sat back and heard Aimus whistle. ¡°Well, damn. I''ve never seen anything like that before. You had your eyes closed most of the time.¡± Aimus said. Ren nodded. ¡°I needed to keep the image fresh in my mind.¡± ¡°Well, don''t just sit there!¡± Aimus urged. ¡°Put the boots together.¡± Ren assembled the pieces and when the boots were complete, the scene Ren had made on them was spectacular. Large trees were on the sides and backs of the boots, half consumed. The fire started at the toes, flowed over the middle, rose over the sides, and around the tops of the boots. It was like the fire was alive. Aimus picked up the boots and admired Ren''s handiwork. It was a little rough, especially since it was Ren''s first attempt, but it was also quite beautiful. Aimus put the boots down. ¡°Can you do it again?¡± Ren thought about it for a minute and took out another pelt. The pieces were cut and laid out properly. Ren took a deep breath and tried to recapture the image. Ren did the technique again and when he was finished and assembled the boots, it was still trees and fire, but the scene was slightly different. The fire still started at the toes, but swirled to the right side and ate the trees there, and left the trees on the other side of the boot alone. Aimus picked up the boot and whistled again. ¡°I thought you would just copy the old one. This is excellent work, Ren.¡± Ren blushed a little. ¡°Making the same pattern on a boot would make them less desireable, if anyone could get the same design.¡± Aimus said. ¡°Making each pair of boots with it''s own pattern gives it a unique and desirable quality.¡± Aimus put the boots down and smiled at Ren. ¡°I never thought I''d ever say this to someone outside of the family...¡± Aimus said and smiled at Ren. ¡°...but considering I''ve been thinking of making you my apprentice ever since you did such a fantastic job skinning all those giant rats back at the lookout... I might as well make it official.¡± ¡°Ren, I hereby declare you Son of the Pelt.¡±
Notice!
You have earned a new title: Son of the Pelt
Son of the Pelt
This title grants you the use of a portable Leatherworking crafting station. It contains various tools and equipment for the processing and construction of leather goods. Grants a 20% bonus to skills related to Leatherworking when used.
Ren swiped the popups away and Aimus handed him something that looked like a wooden briefcase. Ren took it gingerly and opened it. Inside was everything that was on the workbench; hand tools, hammers and knives, and two closed compartments. One marked ''Treat'' and the other marked ''Drying''. Ren opened the ''Treat'' one and got the same distinctive smell he expected from a treating mixture. ¡°It''ll only hold a single pelt at a time.¡± Aimus said. ¡°The same goes for the Drying one.¡± Ren closed the Treat compartment and opened the Drying one. There was a single inventory slot inside. ¡°Aimus, I don''t know what to say...¡± Ren said. ¡°I do.¡± Aimus responded and clapped Ren on the back. ¡°Get to work!¡± Aimus said and laughed. Chapter 49 - A Confession Ren used up the rest of the fur pelts to make boots. The designs ranged from little brush fires to massive forest fires. When they were all done and assembled, he got yet another popup. He didn''t dismiss it like he had all the others.
Ability Change!
Leatherworking Level 2 (Intermediate 0%)
¡°Haha. Nice.¡± Ren said. Hey, Teepo. Ren thought and spread out the pairs of boots so Teepo could see the progression from a small fire on the toes to engulfing flames that covered the whole boot. What do you think? ¡°Oooo...¡± Teepo said and just stared at the frozen dancing flames. ¡°Teepo?¡± Ren said out loud. ¡°Oooo...¡± Teepo repeated. Ren took the boots and stored them into inventory. Once they were out of Teepo''s sight, he came out of the trance-like state he was in. ¡°Teepo, are you okay?¡± Ren asked his friend. ¡°Hm? Oh, I''m fine Ren. Why?¡± ¡°You didn''t respond when I showed you all the boots.¡± Ren said. ¡°The boots! The boots were great! I could see the fire dancing!¡± Teepo said, excitedly. ¡°These will definitely help spread the tale of fire!¡±
Notice!
You have assisted the Beetle Decendant Quest to spread the word of Dancing Flames to the masses. Rewards: 200 XP Fame Bonus: +10%
Fire Affinity Increase!
Knowledge of Fire Level 2 (Intermediate 0%) Fire affinity and resistance increased to 24%
Notice!
You have gained a level! You are now Level 4. 10 stat points automatically allocated.
Ability Change!
Slow and Steady (Passive) Increases XP required to level by 102 %, and reduces XP gained by 22% Skills gain XP 52% faster.
Ren wondered how long that was going to keep changing. It seemed that every level he gained, it was going to be a little bit harder to get to the next one. If he gained enough levels, would it eventually cancel his XP gains completely? If that was true, Ren wouldn''t level any more at that point. He wasn''t sure if he liked that, but didn''t know if he should contact the company about it or not. If he complained, would they change his character back to what it was, before he started playing? Ren loved his character class and wouldn''t want it to be fundamentally changed like that. He''d have to think about it for a while before making a decision. Ren looked around but Aimus wasn''t there. Ren had lost track of the time and saw that it was dark out already. ¡°I better get inside. Are you coming, Teepo?¡± Teepo nodded and Ren picked him up. They went inside and Ren asked Aimus where to put all the boots. Aimus said they''d have to make shelves in the new shed for them. Ren nodded and kept them in inventory until then. Ren went to the spare room and Teepo hopped off Ren''s shoulder and onto the bed. ¡°I''ll see you in the morning, Teepo.¡± Ren sand and climbed into the bed. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Teepo said and crawled up the wall.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset and Lucy put it on the table next to the laptop. ¡°Hi, Lucy!¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Good morning, Ren.¡± Lucy said and smiled back. ¡°How are you doing?¡± ¡°I''m doing good. Except for my knee and finger.¡± Ren said, pointing to one and then the other. ¡°I heard about that. I''m sorry I wasn''t here to help you.¡± ¡°Me, too. The floor tastes awful.¡± Ren said and grinned. Lucy laughed. ¡°I''ll just bet it does.¡± ¡°Oh, I need the bathroom. Give me a hand?¡± Ren asked. Lucy nodded and helped Ren out of the bed and half-carried him into the bathroom. Ren sat on the toilet and Lucy turned her head. ¡°Um... it might be a while.¡± Ren said sheepishly. Lucy laughed again. ¡°Just holler when you''re ready.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lucy went out into Ren''s room and shut the bathroom door. About 10 minutes later, Ren hollered. ¡°A little help!¡± Lucy rushed to the door and opened it. Ren was sprawled in front of the sink, hanging on for dear life with both hands. ¡°I slipped off when I tried to pull my pajamas up.¡± Ren said. Ren''s bare butt jiggled when he tried to adjust his grip on the sink. Ren couldn''t get any traction with his good leg because the tiles were smooth and he had thick socks on. Lucy put a hand over her mouth and tried not to giggle like a little schoolgirl. Ren saw her struggling not to laugh and rolled his eyes. ¡°Don''t just stand there.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Lucy said and helped Ren stand. ¡°Thanks, I guess.¡± Ren said and smiled while he washed his hands. ¡°Hey, that was pretty distracting, you know! It''s not my fault you have a cute butt!¡± Lucy said and then slapped her hands over her mouth. ¡°I did not just say that.¡± Lucy whispered. ¡°No, I did NOT just say that.¡± Lucy shook her head in denial. Ren grinned and Lucy''s face flushed a deep red. ¡°Help me get back to bed.¡± Lucy took Ren''s arm and draped it over her shoulder. She had to bend over a little bit, but had no trouble helping Ren get back into bed. ¡°Do you remember that big burly guy that helped us out that day at the mall?¡± Lucy said. Ren nodded. ¡°I had lunch with him the other day.¡± Lucy said and tucked Ren under the blanket. ¡°We went out again yesterday.¡± Ren''s expression closed down. ¡°Oh? And how did that turn out?¡± Lucy sighed. ¡°It was a disaster.¡± Ren was elated inside, but didn''t let his expression change. At least he hoped it didn''t. Lucy looked at Ren and saw a little bit of happiness there, but maybe she was projecting what she thought he would feel. Ren reached out and took Lucy''s hand. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Lucy kept a hold of Ren''s hand and sat down next to the bed. Lucy told Ren all the gory details of how her date had gone horribly wrong. Ren tried to keep a straight face, but when she got to the point where the guy tried to serenade her right in the middle of traffic, Ren lost it and laughed. ¡°I''m...¡± Ren laughed a bit more. ¡°I''m... sorry.¡± Ren said and tried to compose himself. ¡°I know I shouldn''t laugh.¡± Ren said and wiped his eyes. He''d laughed so hard that he started tearing up. ¡°It must have been mortifying for you.¡± Ren said, finally getting his amusement under control. Lucy nodded. ¡°It sure was. I mean... he was a nice guy... and they''re pretty rare these days.¡± Lucy shifted her weight on the chair. ¡°But... he just didn''t seem to know how he was supposed to act on a date.¡± Lucy said and sighed. ¡°Either that, or he was just trying too hard.¡± Ren nodded because that''s what he had assumed. The guy must have tried too hard to impress Lucy and it backfired on him. ¡°It was then that I realized... it''s never felt like that when I was with you.¡± Lucy said in a low voice. ¡°You''ve always treated me like I was a nice, normal person.¡± ¡°But that''s what you are!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve met quite a few people... from doctors to lawyers to nurses of every kind... and I have to say, that you are one of the nicest people I''ve ever known.¡± Ren lifted her hand. ¡°But you aren''t normal. You can''t be! Your smile lights up any room that you go into. Even in my darkest times, your smile has always made me smile... no matter how bad I felt.¡± Ren kissed her hand. ¡°You''ve been the only light I''ve seen in the dark tunnel of my life.¡± Lucy was a bit shocked by Ren''s forwardness. She''d had similar thoughts, but to just plainly state them like that... she would never have the courage... but Ren kept talking. ¡°I don''t plan on wasting any more of my life.¡± Ren gripped Lucy''s hand in both of his. ¡°I had a really bad scare recently, and then I realized something.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know I''m not much to look at in this frail body... and I saw the way you looked at me the other day.¡± Ren lowered his head. ¡°I know there can''t be much of a relationship between us, since I''ve been confined to this bed...¡± Ren said and saw tears building in Lucy''s eyes. ¡°...but you''ve always been there for me.¡± ¡°I know... I know you might not think of me the same way... and this is totally coming out of the blue. You probably think that I''m too young for you, too.... but I''ll be 18 in two weeks... and then I''ll be able to-¡± Ren rambled. Then Lucy kissed him. Lucy only intended it to be a peck on the cheek, to reassure Ren that even though they couldn''t be together, Lucy still liked him. It was just pure luck that Ren had turned his head slightly at the last possible moment. Ren did that in order to make eye contact with Lucy, and he was still talking. The kiss evolved from a quick peck into an impromptu makeout session as Lucy lost all reason. Both Ren and Lucy felt things stir in different parts of their bodies. Ren thought that it was a whole lot different than when he was kissed by the maid after the party. Is it different because this is real? Lucy wasn''t really thinking at all. All she was concerned about was that Ren''s lips felt both soft and firm at the same time, that he was a good kisser, and she was tingling in places that she hadn''t felt anything in a while... and they wanted to be touched. Once that thought had passed through her brain and made it to her hands, she reached out to Ren... and then realized what was going on. Lucy broke the kiss and pushed herself away from the bed. ¡°Ren... I...¡± Lucy tried to talk, but stumbled over her words. ¡°I... don''t think I can work here anymore.¡± Ren was shocked. ¡°What? Why?¡± Lucy shook her head. ¡°I... I can''t explain right now.¡± Lucy said and stood up. ¡°I''ll get you breakfast and then you have physical therapy.¡± Lucy left the room and Ren laid in bed, speechless. Lucy came back with a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. Ren ate in silence and then Lucy got him ready for therapy. Ren went through all the motions and Lucy got him into the wheelchair and dropped him off at the therapy room down the hall. Ren did his regular routine, up until his usual walking time, then the therapist switched to leg and knee exercises designed to help his knee recover properly. Ren was sore and exausted by the time he was finished and rested there in the chair. A few minutes later, the session was over... and Ren''s eyes widened as Stella came in to bring Ren back to his room. ¡°Hi, Sweetie. All finished?¡± Stella asked and Ren nodded. ¡°Great. Lets get you back to your room, okay?¡± Stella pushed Ren at a normal pace back to his room and helped him up into the bed. Ren had sweat a lot today, so Stella got the washing basin again and gave Ren a sponge bath. Stella tried to tease him, but Ren just wasn''t in the mood for it. Stella gave up teasing Ren eventually and finished washing him. Stella dried Ren off with a big towel and got another pair of pajamas for him to change into. Ren settled down into bed and thanked Stella, who nodded and pulled over the rolling table with the laptop and VR headset on it for Ren to use. Ren glanced at it and turned on the television because there was another hour or so before he needed to log back in. Ren wasn''t in the mood to use it right now. Chapter 50 - Some Advise Ren turned off the tv when it was time to log back into the game. ¡°I''ll see you in a few hours.¡± Stella said and smiled. Ren nodded and put on his VR headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the spare room and Teepo was perched on his chest. ¡°Good morning, Teepo.¡± ¡°Morning, Ren. Did you sleep well?¡± Ren shook his head and sat up. ¡°I didn''t sleep at all.¡± ¡°Oh, I''m sorry to hear that. Maybe you should take the day off.¡± Teepo suggested. Ren shook his head again. ¡°No, I''m pretty sure that Aimus has lots for me to do today.¡± Teepo nodded and crawled onto Ren''s shoulder. Ren got out of bed and opened the spare room door. The smell of bacon filled his nostrils. It made Ren a little sad, because if Lucy wasn''t going to be there for him every day, then this would be the only way he would ever smell bacon again. Ren sighed and went into the kitchen. Aimus was at the table finishing his breakfast when Ren sat down. ¡°Morning.¡± Ren said. Aimus raised his eyebrows at Ren''s less than enthusiastic greeting and looked at his wife. Abigail looked just as surprised when she put a plate of food in front of Ren and began to eat as if the food wasn''t really there. Ren ate the eggs and bacon in mere moments as if he couldn''t taste them and thanked Abigail for the meal. Aimus thought about asking what was wrong, but it was better if Ren volunterred the information. If Aimus pried, Ren might not ever say what was bothering him. ¡°Ren, we need to make shelves in the new shack and then replace all the lumber we used up.¡± Aimus said. Ren nodded and left the kitchen. Aimus stood and went over to his wife. ¡°I''ll try and see what''s up, but if he doesn''t take the hint, we may never know if there''s anything wrong.¡± Abigail nodded. ¡°If I was to venture a guess, I''d say it was because he didn''t really meet anyone yesterday at the party.¡± Abigail said and kissed her husband. ¡°I don''t think anyone even introduced themselves to him.¡± Aimus thought about it. Abigail was right. Aimus couldn''t remember one person that even looked at Ren, let alone talked to him all day... except for himself and Ana. Aimus nodded to his wife and left the kitchen. Ren saw Aimus come out of the kitchen and went into the new shed. The remaining pelts were stacked nicely in the available space. There was not a lot of room left for shelves. ¡°We''ll have to stack the leather pelts up to the ceiling.¡± Aimus said when he came into the shed. ¡°It should clear about half the shed for shelves.¡± Ren and Aimus got to work and had the pelts re-stacked to fit in a smaller space. They still took up a good portion of the shed, but at least they got the majority of it against the back wall. ¡°Pass me a plank and the saw.¡± Aimus said, and Ren did. Aimus cut a piece off the end, about 4 inches long, then cut that piece in half. Aimus cut the rest of the plank lengthwise. One piece was 4 inches wide, the other 8 inches. Ren handed over the hammer and nails without being asked and Aimus nailed the 4 inch wide piece to the end of the 8 inch wide piece at a right angle, then nailed the two small pieces he''d cut first to the ends, making a shelf.
Notice!
You have learned a new recipe: Basic Shelf.
¡°Want to give it a try?¡± Aimus asked Ren. Ren sighed and took out a plank. Ren took the saw and was about to start cutting when Aimus spoke. ¡°Stop.¡± Aimus commanded. Ren was startled to hear that tone in Aimus'' voice and looked up. ¡°I won''t have you using my tools in that kind of mood.¡± Aimus said and took the saw. ¡°Tell me what''s going on.¡± Ren just stood there and didn''t say anything. ¡°Is it because people ignored you yesterday?¡± Ren shook his head no. It hadn''t even occured to Ren to lie and say that it was. Aimus sat down on the nearest stack of pelts and patted his hand on the pelt next to it. Ren sighed again and hopped up onto the pelt next to Aimus. ¡°I... I may have messed something up.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really like this girl. I''ve known her for years, and she''s always been by my side, helping me get through things... I only came to realize how I felt about her recently... after that incident at the lookout... and when I tried to tell her how I felt, she... after we kissed... well, she ran away.¡± Aimus nodded and sat in silence for a few minutes. Ren wasn''t sure what to say after that, so he kept quiet as well. ¡°It seems to me that you might have surprised her by trying to tell her too much too soon.¡± ¡°Too soon?¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes. I think you should have taken your time and not sprung it on her all at once. You might have been better off just complimenting her more, or holding her hand longer than usual, or even just keeping eye contact. Women just love that stuff.¡± Aimus said and smiled. ¡°Going slow is usually the better plan.¡± Aimus reached over and put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°But... since you dropped it all on her shoulders in one go, I''m sure it just scared her a little bit. If she really has been by your side for a long time and taken care of you... she should come around eventually.¡± Ren wasn''t sure if he believed Aimus; but since Ren hadn''t had a relationship before, it was best to go with the words of someone that was a lot more experienced than him, so Ren nodded. ¡°Good. Now get off your butt and make me some shelves.¡± Aimus said. Ren hopped off the stack of leather pelts and then blushed a little. ¡°Was it something I said?¡± Aimus asked and stood up. Ren shook his head. He didn''t want to tell Aimus that when he said ''butt'' that it reminded Ren of what Lucy had said about it. Ren blushed harder and then got to work. An hour later, Ren leveled up Sawing once and Woodworking twice, and 15 shelves hung on the walls around the one Aimus had made. Each one was at the right height for the boots to fit with almost no room. Ren took out each pair and set them on the shelves in the order that he''d made the flames grow. When Ren was done, 78 pairs of boots with designs stood on the shelves and Aimus admired them. ¡°You really captured the essence of the forest fire, Ren.¡± Aimus said and tenderly touched the boots. ¡°These are amazing.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope you can get a good price for them.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Aimus said, a bit shocked. ¡°These are your boots, Ren.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± ¡°You didnt think I''d keep these for myself, did you? I''ll sell them, but the profits will be all yours.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°No... that''s not right.¡± Ren said and shook his head. ¡°I wouldn''t have done any of this if you hadn''t let me learn from you.¡± ¡°I guess that''s true... but I also wouldn''t have these at all if you hadn''t been along.¡± Aimus countered. ¡°I might have hunted and caught a few dozen rats eventually, but nothing like this.¡± Aimus waved his hand to indicate the stacks of leather pelts and the boots. Ren took a deep breath. ¡°Okay, how about this... you sell the boots, and we''ll split the profits.¡± Aimus started to protest, but Ren raised his hand. ¡°No, we just agreed that these boots wouldn''t exist at all if either one of us wasn''t there. It''s only fair that we split it, 50/50.¡± Aimus begrudgingly nodded. Ren grinned. ¡°Then that''s settled. Let''s go and get some more wood.¡± Aimus nodded again and they walked across the field to where they''d cleared out a good portion of the trees. Aimus pointed out similar trees to what Ren had cut before and Ren got to work. After 4 dozen trees were felled and the tops cut off, Ren had leveled Chop again. Aimus cleaned the branches off and Ren stored the logs into inventory. They were all close enough in size that they all stacked into the same inventory slot. Aimus and Ren went back to the homestead and they pulled out the saw and table to clean off the logs and cut them into planks. It didn''t take long for them to get the rythym back that they had a few days ago and had all the logs cut into planks. Ren stored them as they came through the saw. Ren gathered the last plank and went into the barn to climb up the ladder into the hay loft. Ren spread the lumber out so that it would dry faster. Ren didn''t want to make the same mistake of stacking them again. Ren came back outside and saw the day was just about over and that his Saw was almost at Intermediate level. Ren was tempted to saw a few more little things to push his skill up just enough, but that could wait until tomorrow. It had been a long day. ¡°Come on, you little beaver.¡± Aimus said and ruffled Ren''s hair. ¡°Let''s get something to eat.¡± Ren tried to straighten his hair, but it was well and truly fluffy now, and sighed. I might as well leave it. It won''t be long before someone else does it. Ren thought and sat down at the kitchen table. Teepo hopped off Ren''s shoulder. ¡°I''m sure it won''t happen again for a while.¡± Teepo said and crawled across the table. Ana walked in to the kitchen from outside a moment later, ruffled Ren''s hair, and giggled. Ren sighed mentally and smiled. Told you. Ren thought and Teepo chittered in laughter. Aimus greeted Abigail with a quick kiss and sat down. Abigail served steak and potatoes and they all enjoyed yet another great meal at the Blackmeadow Homestead. Ren finished his meal first, even though he''d had a lot more food on his plate. Ren sat back and watched the others eat. Ren wished he''d had times like this with his own family and then sighed mentally again. Ha. Ren thought and then said goodnight to Aimus, Abigail and Ana. Ren left the kitchen and walked down the hall to the spare room. Teepo jumped off the table to follow. Can you imagine? Having to sit down to eat with people like my parents? ¡°Your parents? What were they like?¡± Teepo asked as he crawled on the floor next to Ren. Teepo, you don''t want to know about them. Ren thought. They aren''t the kind of people that would want to know about you, either. Or care, now that I think about it. ¡°Sounds like my uncle.¡± Teepo said. ¡°He was a right assh... ah... bad person.¡± Ren shut the spare room door and chuckled. Teepo crawled up the side of the bed and Ren sat down. Well, that''s all under the bridge now. ¡°What does that mean? What bridge?¡± Teepo asked. Ren chuckled. It''s just a saying. It means what happened is all behind us now. ¡°Oh. Why didn''t you just say that, then? It would have made more sense.¡± Teepo said and crawled up the wall to the ceiling. ¡°You''re right.¡± Ren said and chuckled again. ¡°I''m really glad I found you, Teepo.¡± ¡°Me too, Ren.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Teepo.¡± ¡°See you in the morning!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset and put it on the table beside the laptop. ¡°Hi, Stella.¡± So... Lucy didn''t come back yet. Ren thought. ¡°Hey, Sweetie. Are you ready to eat? I know it won''t measure up to steak and potatoes, but at least it will taste good.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back with it.¡± Stella said and left the room. Ren turned on the television just so that there would be something on. Ren wondered why it was always so quiet in the hospital. Ren was in the long term care ward, so the other residents almost never changed. Since they lived there like Ren did, why weren''t they making any noise? There should be other televisions, or radios, or something. Didn''t they have visitors? All these thoughts passed through Ren''s head before Stella came in with a tray. ¡°Here you go. Eat up!¡± Stella said and lifted the cover off the plate with a flourish. A head of broccoli sat on the plate. ¡°Blah!¡± Ren said and almost gagged. Stella laughed. ¡°Just kidding, Sweetie.¡± Stella said and replaced the plate with one full of french fries and gravy, with a slice of salisbury steak on the side. ¡°That wasn''t funny.¡± Ren said and crossed his arms. ¡°Oh, don''t be like that.¡± Stella said and ruffled his hair. ¡°Hurry up and eat before it gets cold.¡± Ren sighed and tasted the fries. They were the mass produced frozen ones, but when smothered in beef gravy, they were actually pretty good. By the time Ren finished the fries and most of the salisbury steak, the joke Stella had played on him was forgotten. ¡°Thanks, Stella. That was good.¡± Ren complimented. ¡°Even for hospital food, right?¡± Stella said and grinned. ¡°Especially for hospital food.¡± Ren responded and grinned, too. Stella took the tray and Ren sat back in the bed. Ren felt doubly full. His mind had been full in the game, and now his body was full in the real world. Ren pat his stomach. It was sticking out a little bit and Ren hoped that his body would digest his meal fast. A big belly feels weird. Ren chuckled at the thought. I''m more used to my smaller body than I thought. Stella came in a little later and sat with Ren and watched some shows together. A couple other nurses came in an hour later because their favorite show was on. Ren couldn''t understand what they saw in that show about a bunch of guys competing for one girl. She dated them all and made out with them all, over and over, until she was down to just two. Ren chuckled as the nurses discussed why their favorite was going to win, and at the other nurses as they called their choice a few names that made Ren laugh harder. ¡°Okay, you bunch... get a move on.¡± Barbara said in a no-nonsense voice from the doorway and pointed a thumb over her shoulder. You could clearly see the twinkle in Barbara''s eyes and a slight smile on her face, so the nurses left quickly but still greeted her as they went by. Stella was the last to leave and she whispered something to Barbara for a minute. Barbara nodded and Stella left. Barbara walked over to the bed and sat down in the chair next to it. Barbara leaned in to whisper in Ren''s ear. ¡°My personal favorite was Chuck, but they gave him the boot 2 shows ago.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Hi, Barbara. It''s nice to see you again.¡± Ren said in a serious and deadpan voice. ¡°It''s been a while. How have you been?¡± ¡°Same old, same old.¡± Barbara responded in the same tone of voice. ¡°I missed you, Ren.¡± ¡°I think I missed you, too.¡± Ren said with an almost straight face... then laughed and grabbed Barbara in a big hug. ¡°I know I did.¡± Ren said in a small voice, and held on. It was Barbara''s turn to be surprised by how strong Ren''s grip was. His physical therapy is coming along well. ¡°B-Barbara...¡± Ren said and Barbara could hear Ren''s voice break up a little. ¡°L-L-Lucy left.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Barbara said in an equally small voice. Barbara didn''t know why Lucy had left on such short notice, but Barbara wouldn''t forgive Lucy for hurting Ren like this. ¡°It''s all right, Ren.¡± ¡°No... no it''s not. It''s my fault.¡± Ren said and let Barbara go. ¡°If it wasn''t for me...¡± ¡°Don''t you dare think that for one second, Ren Haddon!¡± Barbara said in a strict voice. ¡°If it wasn''t for you, none of us would be here in the first place. They''d have only one nurse to maintain all the residents in the day, and a part time care-giver at night... and that''s it.¡± Ren''s eyes widened at the vehemence in Barbara''s tone. ¡°I''d already had my 20 years finished before you came here, Ren. They''d have made me retire 5 years ago if it wasn''t for you.¡± ¡°Barbara...¡± Ren tried to interrupt, but Barbara put a hand on his arm. ¡°No... let me finish.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ve been taking care of you every night since then. Even my husband complains that I spend too much time here with you.¡± Barbara sighed. ¡°I know he''s right, since I haven''t had a night off in 5 years... but I just can''t let myself ignore my duty to be here when you need me.¡± ¡°I didn''t realize...¡± Ren whispered. ¡°You''re like the son I never had, Ren.¡± Barbara said and a tear came to her eye. ¡°You''re kind, and funny, and you treat everyone here as if they were important, and try to spend time with all of us when you can. You even put up with us when we tease you, hang out in your room for no reason, or hug you more than we''re supposed to.¡± Barbara said and chuckled. ¡°I just want you to know that, because of who you are, I''ll always be here when you need me.¡± ¡°Barbara... I...¡± Ren stammered. ¡°...thank you.¡± Ren reached out and hugged Barbara. They held the hug for a while and then Ren leaned back. ¡°How did you do it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°How did you work every night for 5 years?¡± Ren said. Barbara laughed. ¡°Oh, it was easy. I just traded shifts with the other nurses when it was their time to work the night shift, and then traded back when those nights came up.¡± Ren stared at Barbara. ¡°Isn''t that... ah... illegal? I thought you couldn''t work more than 6 days in a row or something.¡± Ren thought he''d heard that on a tv show. ¡°I''m only on the books for the regular shifts. I haven''t broken any laws... officially.¡± Barbara said and winked. Ren shook his head. ¡°I''d tell you to take the next few nights off, but you''re just going to come here anyways, aren''t you?¡± Barbara nodded and smiled. Ren sighed. ¡°I''ve only got about 15 minutes before I need to log back in.¡± ¡°Um hm. You think I don''t know your schedule by now?¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ve been watching you every night for weeks.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°All right. Give me a hand to the bathroom. I better go before I ''have'' to go.¡± Barbara helped Ren to the bathroom and Ren did his business and washed his hands. Barbara acted like a third leg for Ren and they made it back to the bed without incident. Ren settled down and Barbara sat down in the chair. Ren put on the VR headset and relaxed. ¡°Thanks, Barbara.¡± Ren said. ¡°For everything.¡± Barbara pat Ren''s hand. ¡°See you in a few hours.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Chapter 51 - Surprise! Ren woke up in the spare bedroom and Teepo was sitting on his chest. Good morning, Teepo. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Is there anything wrong? Ren asked and sat up. ¡°Except for the broken fence, no. I checked the rest of the house and everything is quiet.¡± Ren looked out the window and saw that dawn was just breaking across the horizon. Broken fence? I wonder if Aimus is up yet. ¡°He is. I saw him through the kitchen window earlier.¡± Teepo said and crawled up onto Ren''s shoulder. Ren nodded, activated Sneak, climbed out of bed, and opened the spare room door. Ren creeped down the hallway and through the kitchen. The house was still dark, but Ren had no trouble seeing and closed the front door once he was outside. Ren listened intently to see if he could find Aimus. Ren heard a clinking sound from over by the old shed and went to see what it was. When Ren stepped close to the door of the shed, Aimus came out with the post digging tool and a shovel. ¡°Hi, Aimus.¡± Ren said and closed the door. Aimus was startled and swung the shovel around at chest height. Thankfully, Ren was a head shorter than normal people and ducked as the shovel swished by his hair. ¡°Hey! Take it easy.¡± Ren said and stood up straight. ¡°It''s just me, Ren.¡± ¡°Jeezus! Don''t scare me like that. I could have taken your head off!¡± Ren smiled and shrugged. ¡°Sorry. I heard you over here and came to see what you were doing.¡± ¡°Something busted my fence over there.¡± Aimus said and pointed. A fence post was torn up and several feet of wire on each side was tangled beyond repair. ¡°Need a hand?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Aimus said and handed Ren the post digging tool and the shovel. Ren stored them and Aimus took out the big roll of wire and a big set of wire cutters. ¡°I''m going to have to buy another one of these when I get back to town.¡± Aimus said and handed the roll of wire to Ren. Ren stored it and followed Aimus over to where the damage was. It didn''t look too bad, but it was a mess. Aimus used the wire cutters and trimmed off the damaged wire from the nearby posts. Aimus did the same with the torn up one and Ren lifted the post out of the way and stored it. Aimus asked for the shovel and Ren handed it over. Aimus worked at it and had the ground almost flat where the post used to be. ¡°I''ll be right back with the new one.¡± Aimus said and left Ren standing there in the dark. Teepo... want to scout around and tell me if anything''s out here with us? ¡°Sure thing, Ren!¡± Teepo said and jumped onto the ground. After looking at the torn up ground, Teepo crawled around until he stopped. Ren wondered if he''d found something when Teepo skittered quickly away in the direction of the forest. Be careful! Ren thought as Teepo disappeared behind a tree. Ren looked down at the ground, but couldn''t see any obvious tracks. Ren did see the pieces of wire Aimus had cut away from the posts and picked one up. Ren looked at it closely and saw small tuffs of fur on the burs. Aimus came back with a new post and put it down by the newly packed dirt. ¡°Aimus. Look at this.¡± Ren said and handed over the piece of wire. Aimus took it, picked off one of the tuffs of black fur, and sniffed it. ¡°No. They can''t be here!¡± Aimus'' face twisted in a snarl. ¡°Dammit.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Wolves.¡± ¡°They had those in the forest around Aurora.¡± Ren said. Aimus barked a laugh. ¡°No, Ren. Normal wolves would never cross the mountain pass to get here.¡± ¡°Then what are they?¡± ¡°Dire Wolves.¡± Aimus said in a dark tone. ¡°They are a much bigger version of a normal wolf.¡± Ren''s eyes widened and searched the edge of the forest. ¡°Don''t worry. Once they hit something like this, they usually back off.¡± Aimus said indicating the fence. ¡°We''ll need to reinforce the posts and check the wire all the way around again, just in case they might have hit somewhere else.¡± Ren nodded and passed over the post digging tool. Aimus made quick work of it and shoved the new post in the hole. ¡°Dammit, I forgot the mallet.¡± Aimus said and rushed off to get it. Ren stood there in the brightening day and was amazed that Aimus could get so flustered. Aimus was always so calm and collected, even when they were being chased by those golems. Ren wondered why Aimus was so shaken up about dire wolves. ¡°It''s because they track by scent, and once they have it, they''ll never stop until they get their prey.¡± Teepo said. Teepo? Where are you? Ren thought to his friend. ¡°Um... maybe a hundred feet in the trees. I followed the tracks I found to here, but there''s a bunch of them here and I can''t find which way the tracks came from.¡± Teepo said. That''s okay, Teepo. I''ll let Aimus know. ¡°I''ll keep scouting then.¡± Okay, but be careful.[i] Ren thought. Aimus came back to where Ren stood, dressed in full hunting gear and a huge mallet. Aimus took the mallet and drove it onto the fence post and pushed it harder into the packed ground until it was about the same height as the other posts. Ren handed over the roll of wire and Aimus wrapped it around the pole on one side, around the new post, and then around the post on the other side. Aimus did this 3 times to cover the space from the top of the post to near the ground. Aimus twisted the ends together and cut the excess off. ¡°Teepo said that about a hundred feet or so into the forest there...¡± Ren said and pointed in the direction that Teepo had been. ¡°...the tracks from here started, but he can''t find where they came from because there were too many.¡± Aimus looked at Ren and Ren felt like Aimus was blaming him. ¡°I swear, I didn''t do anything... or go anywhere... or even say anything about wolves or creatures or anything else.¡± Ren said in defence and raised his hands in surrender. Aimus closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Aimus opened his eyes and smiled. ¡°I know you haven''t. I''ve been keeping a very close eye on you.¡± It was Ren''s turn to smile. ¡°I figured you were, but it doesn''t hurt to defend myself anyways.¡± Aimus passed the tools and wire back to Ren and motioned for Ren to follow. Aimus jogged along the fence and Ren kept up with him. They stopped several times along the way and made minor repairs, but nothing like what was like on the other side of the farm. By the time they got back to the house, half the day had passed. Aimus sat down to rest and Ren stood beside him to unload the tools they''d used. Ren took out the empty roll of wire, the post digging tool, and the wire cutters. When Ren took out the mallet and saw that it was almost as tall as him, he looked at it closely. It was about 4 feet long, including the wooden handle. Most of the head was wooden as well, but it had two large metal caps on the ends. Ren admired the simplicity of it''s design when Teepo called out. ¡°Ren! I found one!¡± ¡°Where, Teepo?¡± Ren said out loud.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°It''s about... a mile away? Maybe a bit less? I have a hard time keeping track of distance with these little legs.¡± ¡°Direction Finder.¡± Ren said to Teepo and they did the direction finding technique they''d used so often before. ¡°Aimus... there''s a dire wolf about a mile in that direction.¡± Ren said to Aimus and pointed about 20 degrees off the main road that led to Aimus'' farm. Aimus nodded and stood up. ¡°Ren! It''s running! I can''t keep up. It looks like... yes, they are definitely chasing something.¡± ¡°Teepo says it''s chasing something.¡± Ren told Aimus who unslung his bow and headed off into the treeline. ¡°Summon Teepo.¡± Ren said and tapped the ring. Teepo appeared at Ren''s feet and Ren picked him up. ¡°Good work, Teepo.¡± ¡°Thanks, Ren.¡± Ren hoped that Aimus found the thing before it found Aimus. Ren gazed at the landscape to see if there was any kind of movement and noticed something in the distance down the road. Ren squinted his eyes and he could barely make out a bright red cloak. Ren walked to the end of the partial road that led to the homestead, and stood beside the main road at the very edge of Aimus'' property. The red cloak came closer, and as Ren stared to try and make out the shape, it waved. Ren waved back and heard something. Ren turned his head to see if he could hear better. ¡°REN!¡± Ren turned to look directly at the figure and it started to run and waved harder. ¡°REN!¡± As the figure got closer, Ren could make out that whoever it was, they were definitely saying his name. Because Ren was looking right at the figure as they ran, Ren just happened to catch movement in the corner of his eye. It was by the treeline, and as Ren tured to stare, a wolf about the size of a pony came through the trees and started running across the clearing to the figure. ¡°NOOOO!¡± Ren said and started running down the road. ¡°BEHIND YOU!!!¡± The figure turned their head and saw the giant wolf coming. They tried to run faster as a bow appeared in their hands. Ren shook his head. [i]They''ll never fire accurately like that! ¡°Just RUN!!!¡± Ren hollered as he got closer. Ren got to within a few hundred feet and the cloaked figure stopped running and turned to face the dire wolf. When the figure drew back the bow to shoot, the hood of the cloak fell down. Ren recognized the spill of blonde hair that followed. Ren would know that hair anywhere. It was Lucy. Ren almost stumbled; but caught himself before he tripped over his own feet, and tried his best to run faster. Ren was tempted to call out her name, but he knew if he did that he would just distract her. Lucy got off a shot and hit the dire wolf in the front leg. It didn''t slow down one bit. She drew another arrow and let it go just as the wolf neared her and scored a hit in the chest... but it didn''t matter. The dire wolf leaped on top of Lucy and pushed her to the ground. One of the dire wolf''s huge paws dug claws into Lucy''s shoulder and the other paw scraped claws down Lucy''s arm. Lucy screamed. ¡°NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!¡± Ren bellowed and charged the last few feet and did the same thing that the dire wolf did. Ren jumped at the last second and tackled the dire wolf around the neck. Thanks to Ren''s momentum, and the fact that Ren still held the big mallet in his hand, it all helped knock the dire wolf off of Lucy. Ren and the dire wolf tumbled over and rolled to a stop only a few feet away. The wolf had caught it''s movement with it''s back paws and stood up. Ren crouched in front of the dire wolf with his hand on the front of the mallet. That little stunt had cost Ren about 5% of his health. A glyph etched itself under Ren''s hand. The dire wolf sniffed and dropped it''s nose to it''s bloody paws. A low growl came out through the creature''s closed jaws and it turned it''s head slightly to look at Lucy. ¡°NO! Come for me!¡± Ren shouted and stood up, holding the mallet near the end of the handle. The dire wolf growled louder, took Ren up on his offer and lunged. Ren smiled and swung upwards with the mallet and hit the underside of the dire wolf''s muzzle. *WHACK*BZZZZT* The mallet hit and a bolt of lightning struck the beast. It yelped and hopped away, shaking it''s head. ¡°Didn''t like that very much, did you?¡± Ren said and stepped towards it. The dire wolf, seeing that Ren was a credible threat, decided to leave with a meal and lunged... but not at Ren. Lucy had stood up and was backing away, but the dire wolf ran towards her. Ren jumped in front of Lucy and the dire wolf took them both to the ground. Lucy was on the bottom, Ren faced her, and the dire wolf had them pinned to the road. It''s loud growl made Lucy cry harder. Ren wondered when the dire wolf was going to bite him and then Ren heard it yelp in surprise. A moment later, it yelped again and it''s weight left Ren''s back. Ren rolled off of Lucy and stood up. An arrow stuck out the side of the dire wolf''s muzzle and ice spread across it''s nose and covered one of it''s eyes... and Teepo covered the other one. Teepo! ¡°I can''t distract it for long!¡± Teepo said as a giant paw swiped at his little body. Teepo dodged and covered the eye again. Ren glanced to the treeline to see Aimus was there with another arrow loaded. Ren nodded and flipped over the mallet to the other side and put his hand on it. Ren hadn''t used the Dark rune before... but Ren figured Gravity should do nicely because he needed to finish this fight before the dire wolf recovered. Another arrow hit the dire wolf on the side of the head and it howled in pain as the ice crossed it''s ears and Ren took the opportunity to attack. Ren jumped forward and swung the mallet as hard as he could to hit the dire wolf on the back. The dire wolf crashed to the ground and Teepo barely held on. The beast shook it''s head and the ice from the first arrow started to melt. Jump, Teepo! Ren thought and swung the mallet again to hit the dire wolf in the head this time. The dire wolf''s head crashed into the ground and left it stunned. Teepo crawled over to Ren and climbed up to Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Don''t just stand there, hit it again!¡± Aimus said and ran aross the clearing to the road. Ren nodded and hit the dire wolf on the head again. It''s head smashed into the road again and left a small crater under the chin. Ren flipped the mallet over. ¡°Stay back.¡± Ren said and swung the mallet down onto the beast''s head again. Lightning bolts coarsed through the body and it shook. Ren held the mallet there for a minute. When Ren thought it was enough, he lifted the mallet and the dire wolf lay still. Ren had a sudden thought. Ren took out the metal shield he had found under the mound in the old temple, and enchanted an old favorite glyph on it. Ren asked for silence and listened for a minute. ¡°Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust. Return to the Earth, from which everything comes.¡± Ren swung the shield with the new glyph and hit the neck of the direwolf. A giant rock hand appeared and grabbed the dire wolf around the neck. There was a loud crack, a little yelp, and then silence again. The giant rock hand dissipated and Ren stood.
Notice!
You have successfully killed a dire wolf. Rewards: 800 XP Fame Bonus: +10%
Notice!
You have made an appropriate tribute to Spirit of Earth.
Earth Affinity Increase!
Knowledge Of Earth Level 3 (Beginner 50%) Earth affinity and resistance increased to 12%
¡°Ren!¡± Aimus said and eyed the shield skeptically. ¡°What made you do that?¡± ¡°I''m not sure... it was just an idea that struck me.¡± Ren said and shrugged. ¡°Plus, it wasn''t dead.¡± Ren pointed to his ears. ¡°It was still breathing.¡± Ren put away the shield and took the enchantments off the mallet and handed it to Aimus. Aimus raised his eyebrows, but took it from Ren without a word. Lucy tried to stand but collapsed to her knees. ¡°Lucy!¡± Ren said and took out the 3 weak healing potions he had left and a weak antidote potion. ¡°Aimus, go and get the healer!¡± Aimus hadn''t heard that strict of a voice come out of Ren before, but nodded and ran back to the homestead to get the horse and cart. Ren fed the potions to Lucy slowly and stored the empty bottles to fill later. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Ren asked. Lucy tried not to sob while the tears ran down her cheeks. ¡°I can''t believe how much this hurts!¡± Lucy exclaimed and lifted one arm. The other arm, where the dire wolf had stabbed the shoulder, stayed immobile. ¡°I''d tell you that you''ll get used to it after a while and can block it out; but because of the state your in, I don''t think you''re going to believe me.¡± Ren said and smiled. Lucy laughed a bit then kept crying. Ren''s healing potions only managed to stop the bleeding, the wounds were still there and looked bad. Aimus passed by with the horse and cart at a full trot. Ren smiled and made a decision that Lucy may not like. ¡°This may hurt a little bit.¡± Ren said. ¡°What... what are you-whoa!¡± Lucy started to say and Ren picked her up in a ''princess'' carry, across the front of his chest with one arm under Lucy''s upper back and one under her knees. ¡°Ren!¡± Lucy said. Lucy''s wounded arm fit easily around Ren''s shoulders and Lucy held on. ¡°How... how are you doing this?¡± Ren winked at Lucy and she blushed. Ren walked slowly down the road. It seemed Ren had run quite a ways to get to Lucy. It took about 10 minutes for Ren to get back to the homestead and as he walked down the small road to the house, Abigail came out with Ana hot on her heels. ¡°The spare room.¡± Ren said and Abigail nodded. ¡°Ana, get the extra blankets and put them on the bed in the spare room.¡± Abigail said and turned to Ren and Lucy. ¡°That arm needs to be propped up and cleaned.¡± Abigail said and then looked at Lucy''s shoulder. ¡°That''s actually not too bad.¡± Ren smiled. Ren could only imagine that this was how Abigail had acted when he''d been ''hurt'' that time. Abigail helped Ren carry Lucy through the house and to the spare room. Lucy was propped up in the bed and Abigail got a good look at Lucy''s leg. ¡°That ankle needs to be healed, too.¡± Abigail said. ¡°Aimus should be back with the healer soon.¡± Ren nodded and turned to Lucy. ¡°Lucy... it''s really great to see you, but... what are you doing here? It''s dangerous to travel alone.¡± Lucy ducked her head. ¡°I saw where you were before... and I''ve been trying to get here for days. I didn''t realize how far away from the main city it was, though.¡± Ren raised his eyebrow and Lucy continued. ¡°After our... ah... little talk... I didn''t know what to do.¡± Lucy said and looked Ren in the eye. ¡°But after I left, I thought about it... and I''ve been fighting how I felt for a while. Nothing can happen right now... but in two weeks... maybe... just maybe... we could do something together.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Well... it''ll be my birthday, so anything you want to do is fine by me.¡± Lucy''s eyes widened. I meant she could come and see me, but I''m pretty sure that''s not what she''s thinking. Ren thought and grinned. Aimus came in with Camilla a few minutes later. Abigail told her what was wrong and Camilla nodded. ¡°I''ll need some space.¡± Camilla said to Ren, who was standing next to the bed. ¡°Not a problem.¡± Ren said and backed away to stand by the wall. ¡°I''ll be right here, Lucy.¡± Camilla glanced his way and Ren smiled to her. Camilla shrugged and sat down in the chair that Ana had brought in for her. ¡°This won''t hurt, but it will probably tingle a lot... like your arm is asleep and when you move it, the blood rushes back into it.¡± ¡°Ugh. I hate that feeling.¡± Lucy said. Camilla laughed. ¡°Everybody does.¡± Chapter 52 - Healing x2 Camilla got to work and her hands glowed. Camilla didn''t touch Lucy''s arm, but the glow reached it and the wounds visibly reduced. After about 10 minutes, Lucy''s arm had no more scars and Camilla sat back. ¡°Whew.¡± Lucy stared down at her arm and was amazed when she shook it and it didn''t hurt. ¡°Is that how it always goes? Healing, I mean?¡± ¡°It depends on the level of the healer. The higher the level, the quicker the healing.¡± Camilla said. ¡°I''m going to have to rest for a bit before tackling your shoulder.¡± Lucy nodded and Camilla got up and went into the kitchen. Abigail and Ana followed her and passed Aimus in the hallway, who stepped forward and shut the door to the spare room. Ren walked over to the chair and sat down. Teepo hopped off Ren''s shoulder to the floor and crawled under the door. ¡°It really is nice to see you, Lucy.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°When you left... I didn''t know if I''d ever see you again.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I couldn''t have run after you if I''d tried.¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°I know... I''m sorry, but I already stepped across the line when we...¡± ¡°Kissed by accident?¡± Ren suggested. ¡°Yes! That''s it exactly. I didn''t intend for that to happen... I mean, I did want to give you a kiss on the cheek... but when you turned your head that little bit, a quick kiss became... something else. I didn''t know what to do, except to get out of there as fast as I could.¡± Ren didn''t say anything, locked eyes with Lucy, and waited. Lucy stared back for a moment before she continued. ¡°Um... yes. I went to the break room and got Stella to fill in for me. I talked to the head nurse, then Doctor Hobbard. He requested I file transfer papers with the HR Department.¡± Lucy said and dropped her gaze. ¡°I didn''t even argue.¡± Lucy looked back at Ren. ¡°Like I said... nothing could ever happen between us as long as I worked there as your nurse, after your birthday or not.¡± Lucy took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°I don''t even know where I''ll end up.¡± ¡°You couldn''t just request another floor or department or something?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Not on such short notice. The least they would let me do is limit how far away I could be sent.¡± ¡°Lucy... I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t realize... well, I didn''t think about it, either. If I''d considered the consequences of telling you how I felt...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m really sorry that I''ve uprooted your life like this. I should have just kept my big mouth shut.¡± ¡°Yes, you should have.¡± Lucy said and pulled her hand from Ren''s grasp. Ren widened his eyes in surprise when Lucy reached out and gently stroked his face. ¡°But this situation was going to come up anyway. You just... hastened it''s appearance.¡± Lucy''s hand moved from Ren''s face and into his hair. ¡°What in the world made you say it?¡± Ren closed his eyes and savored the feel of Lucy''s hand running through his hair. It felt so different from when other people messed with his hair. Ren couldn''t decide if he wanted Lucy to stop. Ever. Ren smiled at that thought. ¡°I''ve always liked you, Lucy. It''s just like you told me... you''re pretty much the only person I know that treats me like I''m normal, despite how I look. We do normal things together. We eat. We talk. We enjoy each other''s company.¡± Ren said and took Lucy''s hand again. ¡°When I almost died in the game again... I realized how important that part of my life was... and how important you were to me.¡± Ren lifted Lucy''s hand to his lips and very lightly kissed it. ¡°You and I have been through a lot together. You''ve held me tight every morning after I went through some of the worst nightmares I ever had.¡± Ren said and put his head down on her hand. ¡°I''ve had to relive horrible things while being treated, and you held my hand the whole time. Your strength carried me through it all.¡± Ren lifted his head and stared at Lucy, who had tears in her eyes. ¡°I don''t want to lose that feeling, Lucy.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, Ren.¡± Lucy said and blinked the tears away. ¡°I won''t be leaving you alone.¡± Lucy smiled. ¡°I''ve stood by you all this time, there''s no reason I have to stop now.¡± Lucy said and then laughed. ¡°You''re going to be so sick of me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Oh, I doubt that.¡± ¡°The healer is coming back.¡± Teepo said as he crawled under the door. Lucy saw Ren turn his head to the door as if listening for something and then Ren let Lucy''s hand go. ¡°The healer''s coming.¡± Ren stood and walked over to the wall. Camilla knocked once, opened the door, and was a little surprised that she didn''t walk in on anything. Camilla shrugged slightly and moved the chair to the other side of the bed, away from the door. Camilla sat down and her hands glowed again as she applied healing to Lucy''s shoulder. When Camilla sat back and sighed, Ren stepped forward and handed her a couple of weak mana potions. Camilla looked shocked that Ren would just hand over something like that. They''re like 30 copper each! Camilla thought as she drank them and Ren took the empty bottles back. ¡°Sorry. I forgot I had them on me the first time.¡± Ren said and shrugged. ¡°Can you do Lucy''s ankle?¡± Camilla nodded. The two potions nearly filled her mana bar. Camilla applied some minor healing to Lucy''s ankle and sat back. Ren looked at Lucy. ¡°Switch places?¡± Lucy nodded and climbed out of bed, good as new. Ren stepped forward and put his last two potions on the small table by the bed. ¡°Those are the last ones I have.¡± Ren said and took off his cloak and shirt. ¡°REN!¡± Lucy gasped. ¡°Why didn''t you say anything?¡± ¡°What? Oh, I wanted you to get healed first.¡± Ren said and laid on the bed face down. A hiss could be heard from the hallway, where Abigail stood and covered Ana''s eyes. ¡°You don''t need to see this, honey.¡± Abigail turned Ana away, pushed Ana into her room, and closed the door. Ren had a giant wolf''s paw print on each of his shoulder blades, made of large purple and black bruises, with indents in the skin where the claws had tried to pierce his clothing. I''m really glad I made new clothing with that spider silk cloth. It''s too bad it doesn''t protect against being crushed, though. Ren thought. It''s a good thing Aimus showed up to help you distract the dire wolf, Teepo. Ren didn''t remember seeing Aimus in the hallway. Teepo, where''s Aimus? ¡°He said he was cleaning up the road where the dire wolf was.¡± Teepo said and crawled up the wall to look out the window. ¡°Looks like he needed the horse and cart.¡± For a wolf the size of a pony? I''m sure he does. Ren thought and chuckled.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Camilla shook her head. ¡°How can you laugh? I can''t believe you stood here all this time while you were this hurt.¡± Ren shrugged and the bruises shifted sickeningly. Abigail turned away, but Lucy and Camilla had distant looks on their faces. ¡°Some bones must have been broken as well.¡± Camilla said and activated her major healing ability. It would drain her mana quickly, but it was better to do more in one sitting than to draw it out. Just as Camilla''s mana was going to go dry, she leveled up and it refilled automatically. ¡°Yes!¡± Camilla said and swiped the popup away. She could allocate her points later. It took another half of her mana bar before the bruises were gone, but Ren''s body kept taking her mana. ¡°Ren, is your health bar full?¡± Camilla asked Ren. ¡°Hm? Yes, it is. You can stop if you want.¡± Ren said and Camilla looked at him with a question on her face. Ren chuckled. ¡°I could take a bit more, but it''s not necessary.¡± Camilla deactivated her ability and lowered her hands. Ren rolled over onto his back. Lucy and Camilla stared at Ren''s abs as he sat up. Ren picked up his shirt and cloak to put them on... completely forgetting that he could just equip them. Ren was oblivious to the two women staring at his flexing muscles and stood up to finish getting dressed. Once Ren flipped the cloak out to set it straight, Lucy and Camilla had stopped staring. Ren pulled out 5 more gold coins and handed them to Camilla. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Again? He''s giving me 5 more gold coins? Who is this guy? Camilla thought and stared at the gold in her hand. ¡°Ren.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Can I talk to you for a minute?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and stepped over to where Lucy stood. Lucy leaned in close to Ren''s ear and put a hand on his shoulder for balance. ¡°That was way more money than what the work was worth.¡± Lucy whispered. Ren smiled and turned his head to put his mouth next to Lucy''s ear. ¡°I know... but I told her last time about how much I appreciate a woman that takes good care of me.¡± Ren whispered and his lip brushed Lucy''s earlobe. Lucy took a deep breath and stepped back. Lucy''s face had a slight red tint to it. Ren turned back to Camilla. ¡°I appreciate you coming so quickly.¡± Ren said and motioned to the 2 weak mana potions. ¡°You can drink those now or keep them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to have to buy some more bottles, though.¡± ¡°You need bottles?¡± Camilla opened her inventory and took out a bunch of empty bottles. ¡°I didn''t know what to do with them.¡± Camilla said and put a dozen bottles on the bed. ¡°It seemed a shame to just toss them when I drank the mana potions, you know?¡± Ren nodded and took the bottles. ¡°Thanks. These will come in handy.¡± Ren looked over at Abigail. ¡°Abigail, is there any chance we could have a late breakfast?¡± Abigail smiled and waved to the kitchen. Ren turned and reached for Lucy''s hand. ¡°Milady, would you care to join me for breakfast?¡± Ren said and bowed slightly. Lucy laughed, shook her head, and reached out to take Ren''s hand. Ren and Lucy walked down the hallway hand in hand. Camilla stood. Well, that figures. Camilla thought and followed the couple into the kitchen. They were served a breakfast of porridge and toast. Aimus came in and had some breakfast himself. Everyone enjoyed a light conversation, except for Aimus who kept quiet during the meal. When Aimus was finished, he stood up. ¡°I''ll take you home now, Camilla.¡± Camilla nodded and thanked Abigail for the food, nodded to Ren and Lucy, and left the kitchen. ¡°Ren, could I speak to you for a moment?¡± Aimus said. Ren stood and followed Aimus out into the yard and then into the barn. ¡°You remember what I told you before? About not leaving my property, no matter the reason?¡± Aimus asked Ren. ¡°But Aimus-¡± Ren started. ¡°No.¡± Aimus held a hand up to cut off Ren''s protest. ¡°You didn''t know it was her when you went to help, did you?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Then you know what that means.¡± Aimus said. Ren nodded. ¡°I asked you not to bring anything here to my family, Ren.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I could argue about that, but it is my fault, isn''t it?¡± Aimus nodded. ¡°I really am sorry, Aimus.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back in about half an hour. Be ready to go.¡± Ren nodded and watched Aimus as he climbed into the cart and left with Camilla. Ren waved and went into the house. ¡°Lucy, we''ll be heading back to Aurora when Aimus comes back.¡± Ren said when he entered the kitchen. Lucy nodded. Teepo! We''re leaving! Ren thought and Teepo skittered across the ceiling and dropped down onto Ren''s shoulder as if he''d never left it. Abigail stood up. ¡°Are you sure? Both you and your friend are welcome to stay. For a few days, at least.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, we really need to get back to the city. I have a few things I need to take care of.¡± Abigail frowned for a moment and then sat back down. ¡°It was really nice meeting you, Lucy.¡± Abigail said and turned to Ren. ¡°Ren, you''ve been a godsend. I was out in the new shed yesterday. There was so many pelts!¡± ¡°I hope they''ll last you a long time.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°The boots should fetch a nice price, too.¡± Lucy''s eyes widened. ¡°Boots?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Come on, I''ll show you. I need to drop off the other ones I still have anyways.¡± Lucy stood and followed Ren behind the house to a shed. Ren went inside and dropped off a saw, hammer, and some nails. Ren closed that door and went to the shed next to that one and Lucy saw a pile of pelts from floor to ceiling. ¡°What in the...?¡± Lucy said. Ren walked to the shelves on the other side of the shed. ¡°...oh, my!¡± Lucy exclaimed. ¡°Ren, did you make all of these?¡± Ren nodded and put another 42 pairs of plain boots on the remaining shelves... then stopped. Ren left the shed and went back to the first shed and got the saw, hammer and nails again. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lucy asked. Ren smiled. ¡°Just an idea.¡± Ren took out the torn up post, cut off the end that was in the dirt and tossed it aside. There was about 5 feet left, so Ren cut 2 feet off the end at a 45 degree angle, took that piece and turned it, then nailed it back to the end. Ren had made an ''L'' shape from the 2 pieces. ¡°Be right back.¡± Ren took off to the barn and grabbed a plank. Ren cut it in half, then cut one half in half again and got a popup.
Sub Skill Increase!
Saw Level 1 (Intermediate 0%) (Active)
A minute later Ren went back to Lucy outside the shed with 2 pieces of wood 2 feet long. Ren nailed the two pieces together in an ''x'' pattern on the top of the ''L'' shaped post, making a stand. Ren flipped it over and put it down. Ren went into the new shed and came back with a plain pair of boots. Ren shoved one boot on the end of the upside down ''L'' and it just fit over the post. Ren smiled. Ren took out his portable crafting station and grabbed the flat tool and a mallet. Ren worked on the leather boot, even though it was already assembled. Ren used several tools to make a pattern of a stormy sky around the top of the boot, with a single lightning bolt down each side. Ren slid the boot off the stand and did the same pattern on the other boot, but left that boot on the stand. ¡°What is it?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°A present for a friend.¡± Ren said and put the stand with the boot on it, in the first shed. Ren put the other finished boot on Aimus'' workbench. ¡°Aimus won''t have to try and make the pattern match on each piece of leather individually anymore. The boot can be put together first and then have the pattern added.¡± Ren said and put back all the tools he had stored during his time at the homestead. Ren shut the shed''s door and heard the horse and cart come down the road. ¡°It''s time.¡± Ren said and went to the house. Abigail and Ana stood in the doorway and Ren walked over to them. Abigail hugged Ren. ¡°Come back to visit anytime.¡± Abigail said and Ren let a sad smile cross his face. Ren wouldn''t be allowed to come back now because he had put Aimus'' family in danger. Ren turned to Ana and bowed his head. Ana ruffled his hair and giggled. Ren chuckled. ¡°Thanks for letting me stay here. I learned a lot! Thanks to your advice, Abigail.¡± Ren said to Abigail, who nodded and hugged her daughter with one arm. ¡°I''m glad it worked.¡± Abigail said as Aimus drove the horse and cart around in a circle to end up in front of the house. Aimus hopped off and came over to Ren. ¡°Give me the portable crafting station, Ren.¡± Ren handed it over without a word and Aimus went back to the cart. Ren turned away from Aimus and sighed. It hurt a lot more than Ren thought it would to have that taken away from him so soon after getting it. ¡°Are you ready to go, Lucy?¡± Ren asked. Lucy nodded and thanked Abigail for her hospitality. Abigail nodded as well and Ana waved. Ren and Lucy went over to the cart and Aimus was already in the driver''s seat. Aimus motioned with his thumb to the back of the cart and Ren nodded. Ren helped Lucy climb up into the back of the cart and got in himself. Ren shifted a couple of small sacks of feed that was for the horse, so both he and Lucy would be comfortable on the long ride. Ren wondered if there was going to be the same number of stops along the way as there was the first time Ren had done this trip with Aimus. I guess we''re going to find out. Ren thought and motioned for Lucy to sit down. ¡°Find out what?¡± Teepo asked as he hopped up onto the front bench. If there will be many stops along the way. Ren sat down on the rearranged feed bags next to Lucy. ¡°Probably more.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The horse looks pretty tired.¡± It has been run a lot today. Ren thought. I''m all out of potions, too. Aimus flicked the reins and the horse trotted out onto the road. The journey back to Aurora began as Ren left the Blackmeadow Homestead for the last time. Chapter 53 - The Trip Back Teepo was right about the horse being tired. In fact, they had to make more stops than they did before. Aimus took several detours and spread the word about the dire wolf showing up at his homestead. No one was sure if there was more than just the one that was killed. There could be several of them, or even a whole pack could be waiting in the woods. Aimus made sure that no one would go looking on their own and planned on forming a ''scout and hunt'' party when he returned. They arrived at the beginning of the mountain pass. It was near dusk and Aimus declared that they were staying overnight. Ren helped Aimus unhook the horse and tied it to the back of the cart. Ren could have let the horse graze for a while, but wanted the horse to keep it''s strength up. Ren gave it a feed bag instead. Once that was done, Ren looked around and Aimus was gone. He must be going to check the traps. Ren thought. ¡°He is.¡± Teepo said. Ren turned around but didn''t see Teepo anywhere. Hey, Teepo... where are you? ¡°On Aimus'' back.¡± Ren chuckled and then climbed into the back of the cart with Lucy. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°While Aimus is checking the animal traps, Teepo hitched a ride on his back.¡± ¡°Teepo''s your little invisible friend, right?¡± Lucy asked and Ren nodded. ¡°You know... I''ve seen you talking and interacting with it, but nothing else comes up on the screen.¡± Lucy said. ¡°It''s like only you can see it.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± Ren said. ¡°We all thought you were just making it up. We checked the machine, and with the company, but there wasn''t anything wrong with the equipment.¡± ¡°It would look like I was crazy.¡± Ren said with a twisted smile. ¡°That''s what the psychologist thought.¡± Lucy said and clapped her hand over her mouth. ¡°I did not just tell you that.¡± ¡°You don''t think I know that already?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°They''ve been calling me a ''basket case'' for years. What''s one more little quirk?¡± ¡°It''s supposed to be privledged information. I don''t know why it just slipped out.¡± Lucy said. ¡°You transfered, remember? You don''t work there anymore.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Teepo''s my friend. He''s been my extra eyes and ears since the first time that I found him. I wouldn''t have gotten through some of this without him.¡± Ren chuckled again. ¡°Of course, like a true friend... some of it I had to go through because of him.¡± ¡°Hey, I really needed help that time!¡± Teepo said. Ren smiled. I''d do it all again in a heartbeat, Teepo. Ren thought for a moment more then asked Lucy a kind of important question that Ren had forgotten to ask before. ¡°Lucy, what level are you?¡± ¡°I''m already at level 12!¡± Lucy said and smiled, proud of her achievement. ¡°I didn''t like killing all those cute little bunny rabbits and foxes...¡± Lucy''s smile vanished. ¡°...but after a while, new ones would appear.¡± Lucy said. ¡°People called it something on the help forums... oh, right! Farming.¡± Lucy smiled again. ¡°It was nothing like ''farming'' at all, but it worked. It only took me a couple of weeks to get this high.¡± Ren turned his head so Lucy wouldn''t see the surprise on his face. How did she make it all the away out here while only a level 12? Ren thought. She should at least be a level 30 to travel by herself. We didn''t let anyone below level 30 come on the Aurora Expedition. Ren turned back once the surprise was gone from his face and looked closely at Lucy''s clothing. Ren noticed that they were a similar type of starter clothes that he received the first time he had entered the game. ¡°The first thing we should do is get you some new clothes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why? What''s wrong with these ones?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°Besides the tears and holes?¡± Ren teased, then ducked when Lucy tried to swat him on the head. Ren grinned when Lucy missed. ¡°Yes, besides that.¡± Lucy said. ¡°They don''t offer you any protection.¡± ¡°You can get clothes for that?¡± Lucy said, surprised. ¡°I thought you needed something like armor to be protected.¡± ¡°Most times, yes.¡± Ren said and nodded. ¡°But... the clothing I''m wearing now is pretty durable. It takes a lot to damage it. The dire wolf''s claws didn''t even punture it.¡± Lucy closed her eyes and shuddered at the memory. ¡°Sorry, Lucy. I didn''t mean to bring it up like that.¡± Ren said in a soft voice. ¡°I just wanted you to remember that the cloth was strong.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lucy opened her eyes. ¡°Where do we get this cloth from? Is it expensive? I don''t have a lot of money.¡± ¡°It''s definitely expensive. In fact, it''s nearly one of a kind.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I know who has some, though... and your money is no good to him.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Actually, he wouldn''t take your money even if you threw it at him.¡± ¡°Then what does he want?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°Who is this guy?¡± Lucy was a little exasperated. ¡°Well... he''s me.¡± Ren said and smiled at Lucy''s expression. Ren wasn''t sure how she managed it, but Lucy looked both mad and happy at the same time. ¡°You shouldn''t tease a woman about clothes, Ren.¡± Lucy said, then smiled. ¡°How do I get the great Ren Haddon to make me some new clothes?¡± ¡°Help me clear a spot in the cart.¡± Ren said and started stacking the feed bags at the front of the cart. I need some room to work.¡± Lucy nodded and helped Ren clear a good sized space and got out of the cart. Ren took out his spool of spider silk fabric and measured out a bit more than what he thought he needed to make a set of travelling clothes. Lucy''s clothes were slightly different, but Ren assumed that it was because they had form-fitted to Lucy''s body just like Ren''s clothes fit him once they were equipped. Ren took out his portable tailoring kit. Ren cut out the pieces of the pattern that he needed from the cloth. When Ren got to the parts for the shirt, he stopped. Going with a crazy idea, Ren opened the plans for the party dress. If Ren scaled the size a little, left off the frilly parts on the shoulders and only used the chest piece, he could subtitute that for the middle of the shirt and sew on the sleeves. A slight flip to the collar would allow the cloak to be attached properly. Ren cut out the new pieces and looked at Lucy''s hooded cloak.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Can I borrow your cloak?¡± Ren asked. Lucy took off the cloak and handed it over. Ren didn''t have to take it apart, he could clearly see where the hood attached to the cloak because it had been seperate pieces and Ren adjusted his new pattern to fit. Ren cut out the new hooded cloak and sat back. ¡°What colors would you like them to be?¡± Ren asked and pulled out the portable dying station. Lucy picked the colors she wanted everything to be and Ren instantly dyed them. Ren sewed all the pieces together with the spider silk thread that he had. When the outfit was finished, Ren got a popup.
Notice!
You have unlocked a new skill. Pattern Making (Beginner 0%) (Active) This skill will allow you to alter existing patterns to fit your needs. Higher skill levels will allow quicker alterations and the possibility of creating completely new patterns without the use of old ones.
Notice!
You have learned a new pattern: Modified Travelling Clothes (Female)
¡°There we go.¡± Ren said and handed the new set of travelling clothes to Lucy. Lucy looked around to see if anyone could see her. ¡°Ren, could you turn around? I need to change.¡± Lucy said and started to take off her boots. ¡°Wait.¡± Ren said. Lucy stopped and looked at him. ¡°As much as I would enjoy being here while you undress...¡± Ren said and cleared his throat. Ren''s voice was a bit deeper when he continued. ¡°You can just put the new clothes into inventory and equip them.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lucy said and reached out a hand to grab Ren''s hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°F-for what?¡± Ren said. ¡°You could have been a total lech and watched me change clothes.¡± Lucy said in a soft voice. ¡°But rather than trying to sneak a peek at me, you were a gentleman.¡± Lucy smiled at Ren with her trademark ''brighten the room'' smile and Ren smiled back. The next moment Lucy was dressed in the new clothes and admired the feel of them. ¡°Ren! It feels so nice! What''s it made of?¡± Lucy said and ran her hands down the silky cloak. ¡°Spider poop.¡± Ren said. Lucy stopped touching the cloth and her mouth fell open. ¡°What did you just say?!?¡± Ren burst out laughing. ¡°S-sorry! I couldn''t help it... the look on your face.¡± Ren laughed for another minute. ¡°It''s only a special cloth made from spider silk thread.¡± Relief spread across Lucy''s face and then anger quickly replaced it. ¡°Ren Haddon! What did I tell you about teasing a woman about her clothes!¡± ¡°I should only do it when it''s funny.¡± Ren said and laughed again. Lucy swatted Ren a few times on the head and arm, but Ren didn''t protest or try to dodge. It was totally worth it. ¡°Hey, Ren. We''re almost back at the clearing.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Teepo just said that Aimus is coming back.¡± Ren said and cleaned up the mess of fabric pieces that were left behind from the pattern. ¡°Let''s spread the feed bags back out so you can sleep on them.¡± ¡°I have a bedroll.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Use that, too.¡± Ren said and they moved the bags around into a bed shape. Lucy took out her bedroll and put it in the back of the cart. ¡°Are you logging out?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I think I should.¡± Lucy said. ¡°It''s going to be a long day out there tomorrow.¡± ¡°I don''t doubt that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll see you when you log back in.¡± Lucy climbed into the back of the cart and into her bedroll. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Lucy.¡± Ren said. Lucy closed her eyes. ¡°Logout.¡± ¡°Here we are, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Ren turned around to where Teepo''s voice came from and watched Aimus come out of the treeline. ¡°No catch, I see.¡± Ren commented. ¡°I had to reset half the traps.¡± Aimus said and walked over to the unused fire pit. Aimus threw a few sticks on it and started a fire. ¡°I''m heading to bed. Goodnight, Aimus.¡± ¡°Night.¡± Aimus said. Teepo hopped off of Aimus and crawled over to Ren, who pulled out his bedroll and set it up on the ground beside the cart, away from the horse and it''s clomping feet. Ren settled down inside the bedroll and Teepo crawled up onto his chest. ¡°Goodnight, Teepo.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Ren drifted off to sleep. Once again, since he would be logging out only to sleep in the real world, it made sense to just stay online to get even more time to sleep. If Ren logged off now, he would only get about 6 hours of sleep, but by staying in the game, he could get up to 12 hours and still have time to stay for another whole game day in the same amount of time. Ren''s mind had adjusted to the time difference and remembered he would have to log off the next night to eat breakfast and then go to physical therapy. Ren slept well and woke up early the next day. Aimus had breakfast cooking and Ren took another fried egg and passed Aimus one of Abigail''s homemade buns. Aimus raised his eyebrows slightly when Ren refused any more food. Ren left the campfire as Aimus kept eating, and hooked the horse up to the cart. Aimus must have removed the feed bag during the night. Ren thought when he had secured the horse. ¡°He did.¡± Teepo said from Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Aimus didn''t sleep at all and kept watch all night.¡± Aimus finished his breakfast and Ren climbed into the front seat of the cart, holding the reins. Aimus climbed in beside him and Ren handed the reins over. Ren was tempted to drive the cart himself, but he had no experience driving it through the mountain pass. Aimus would have an easier time navigating it, even while tired. Ren explained that Lucy would be sleeping for most of the trip and Aimus just nodded. Adventurers can sleep for days on end, apparently. Aimus thought and flicked the reins. The horse trotted out of the clearing and Aimus guided it along the mountain pass. It took a good portion of the day to cross it, but nothing significant happened. When they passed the section that Ren had found that fragment of ore, all that could be seen was a good sized divot in the side of the mountain and some rubble. Ren had cleared the rubble easily and they continued on their journey. They arrived at the bottom of the mountain pass and Aimus stopped at the clearing. The horse didn''t appear tired, but Aimus said they were staying for the night and Ren didn''t protest. It would give him time to make up some more potions to replace all the ones he''d used up. Aimus put out his early warning wire trick, lit a fire, and went to sleep beside it. Ren took out his alchemy kit and started grinding ingredients for the weak health potion. With Lucy around, those would be needed even more often. Ren finished one and took out ingredients for another... then noticed the sunflowers in his inventory. Ren didn''t think he would need 48 more vials of antidote and decided to experiment a little. Ren ground up a sunflower, a health herb, 2 potency berries, and just in case it was needed, added in a pinch of the Balefire Moth dust. Some water to swirl the ingredients together and Ren was done.
New Recipe!
Your ingenuity has allowed you to discover how to make: Healing Potion.
Ren examined it.
Health Potion
This will restore a good portion of your Health when used.
Stat Increase!
Intelligence +1 Wisdom +1
Ren grinned. Nice! No more weak healing potions for us! Ren thought and got to work. Ren made 8 more, and poured the weak one he had made first into a feed bag for the horse, so Ren could use the bottle to make another Health Potion. Of course, the next logical step... Ren thought and repeated the process for the weak mana potion, but added the sunflower and balefire moth dust and the second potency berry.
New Recipe!
Your ingenuity has allowed you to discover how to make: Mana Potion.
Mana Potion
This will restore a good portion of your Mana when used.
Stat Increase!
Intelligence +1 Wisdom +1
Ren smiled as he made 9 more mana potions and used up the last of the bottles Camilla had given him. Unfortunately, Ren was down to 28 sunflowers and had used up 1 of the 3 vials of Balefire Moth dust. Ren would have to make another trip out to the sunflower field to gather more ingredients soon, depending on how quickly they went through the new potions. Ren chuckled to himself. I thought 50 flowers would last me a long time. It was starting to get dark out and Ren tried to tell Aimus he was going to bed early, but Aimus was sound asleep. Ren took out his bedroll and got inside. Ren had things to do in the real world. Goodnight, Teepo. ¡°Goodnight. See you in the morning.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Chapter 54 - Done Travelling Ren took of the VR headset and set it on the rolling table next to the laptop. Ren blinked and wiped his eyes to see Barbara sitting in the chair. ¡°Good morning, Barbara!¡± ¡°Good morning, Ren.¡± ¡°Did you see what happened?¡± Ren asked. Barbara nodded. What happened to Lucy went a long way to Barbara forgiving her for leaving Ren like she did. Barbara smiled. ¡°I was more surprised than you were... I think.¡± Barbara laughed. Ren smiled. ¡°You have no idea! When I found out she''d been playing the game for me...¡± Ren looked at Barbara. ¡°...I mean, it really sucks that she had to leave. I don''t know what''s going to happen here with her gone.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Will I get a new day nurse? Will the other nurses have to do more shifts to cover the empty spot?¡± Barbara patted Ren''s hand. ¡°Don''t worry about any of that. I''m sure that things will settle down and you''ll be back to a regular routine in no time.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You can worry about a new nurse after we get one... assuming one of the other girls doesn''t jump at the chance for the full time spot.¡± Ren nodded and the door to his room opened. ¡°Hi, cutie!¡± Bonnie said. ¡°Hi, Bonnie.¡± Barbara responded before Ren could. ¡°I was talking to Ren.¡± ¡°You were? Color me surprised.¡± Barbara said and chuckled. Ren grinned. ¡°Hi, Bonnie.¡± Bonnie came over to the bed and gave Ren a quick hug. ¡°Don''t pay any attention to that old biddy.¡± Bonnie said and stood. ¡°You''re the only thing in this room I''m going to call ''cute''.¡± ¡°Old biddy, is it?¡± Barbara said and stood. ¡°I''ll have you know I''m only 10 years older than you, missy.¡± ¡°See what I said, Ren.¡± Bonnie grinned. ¡°Oooooold.¡± Ren snorted and laughed. Barbara smiled. ¡°One of these days...¡± Barbara shook a fist at Bonnie. ¡°POW! Right to the moon.¡± Ren laughed harder, but a moment later covered his mouth with a hand and started coughing. Barbara leaned in and massaged Ren''s back and chest while Bonnie grabbed a bottle beside the bed and held it for Ren to drink. The coughing eased once Ren drank a bit of the honey and lemon tea mixture and Ren leaned back in the bed. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren. I didn''t mean to...¡± ¡°Sorry, Ren. I only meant to...¡± Barbara and Bonnie spoke at the same time and they stopped and smiled at each other. ¡°It... it''s okay.¡± Ren said when he caught his breath. At least there wasn''t any blood this time. Ren thought. ¡°I just shouldn''t find you both so funny.¡± Ren smiled. Barbara had a sad smile on her face. Just trying to cheer him up can backfire. ¡°I''ll try to be a bit less funny in the future.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°No, don''t do that.¡± Ren said and touched Bonnie''s arm. ¡°I want you both to keep trying to make me laugh.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°How else will I know I''m getting better?¡± Barbara and Bonnie nodded. Ren turned to look at Barbara. ¡°Thanks for staying up all night.¡± ¡°You''re welcome. I just have to talk to Bonnie for a minute and then I''ll be heading home.¡± Barbara said. ¡°See you tonight.¡± Ren said. Barbara smiled and walked to the door. Bonnie followed and they whispered back and forth for a few minutes. It would be nice to have my elfling ears so I could hear what they were saying. Barbara waved to Ren and left the room. Bonnie came back to the bed and moved the rolling table to the side of the room. ¡°Let''s get you ready for physiotherapy.¡± Bonnie said and helped Ren get changed. ¡°I''ll be right back with breakfast, okay?¡± Ren nodded and sat back in the bed. A few minutes later Bonnie came in with a bowl of porridge and 2 pieces of toast. A glass of milk and a chocolate chip cookie was on the tray and Ren raised an eyebrow. ¡°You can''t have a glass of milk without a cookie.¡± Bonnie said and winked. Breakfast went fast and Bonnie got the wheelchair to take Ren to therapy. Ren did his normal exercise routine and the leg and knee exercises. Ren was tired from the workout and Bonnie brought Ren back to his room. There was already a towel on the bed and Bonnie helped Ren get on it. The sponge bath went by without incident and Bonnie helped Ren put on another set of pyjamas. ¡°Cookie Monster?¡± Ren said and held out the Sesame Street pyjamas. Bonnie laughed. ¡°It seemed appropriate.¡± Ren rolled his eyes and adjusted himself to lie flat in the bed. I haven''t worn these in a long time... and they still fit.[i] Ren sighed mentally and asked Bonnie to pull the rolling table over to the bed. Ren picked up the VR headset and put it on. ¡°See you in a few hours.¡± ¡°I''ll be here.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up and Teepo was still on his chest, but facing the other direction. [i]Good morning, Teepo. Teepo turned around. ¡°Good morning!¡± Teepo said and clung to Ren''s chest as Ren got out of the bedroll and put it away. A strong chicken smell permeated the air. ¡°Anything happen last night?¡± Aimus sat by the fire. ¡°Nothing important. A chicken thought it would be fun to pick at my trip wire about an hour ago.¡±Stolen story; please report. Ren walked over and saw that Aimus had a chicken on a spit across the fire. It looked well and truly cooked. ¡°No wonder I could smell chicken.¡± Ren sat down on the other side of the fire and Teepo crawled up onto Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Help yourself.¡± Aimus said. Ren tore off a chicken leg and ate it in silence. Ren looked at his abilities and saw that his Staying Power was almost at Intermediate level 4, and Rationing was close to getting to Intermediate. Ren smiled. If he rationed a little more, he could level both up before arriving in Aurora. ¡°That was great. Thanks, Aimus.¡± Ren said. Aimus only nodded but didn''t comment. I guess Ren is sticking to his old ways. Abby and I had hoped we''d helped him to stop starving himself. Aimus thought as he watched Ren go back over to the cart. Ren sat down and pulled up the message system. I better message Lara and let her know I''m going to be a little early. Ren sent off a quick message stating that he would be back in Aurora in about 2 days and would like to meet her then. Ren didn''t wait for a response this time and closed the message system. Aimus finished eating and Ren helped hook the horse up to the cart. Aimus had gathered a few pelts while Ren had slept and one was a wolf pelt. Ren raised an eyebrow while holding the pelt up. ¡°If it had been a leg holding trap, It would have gotten away, but instead it found the snare trap where I''d left one of the rabbits. I had to finish it off.¡± Ren nodded and climbed up onto the cart. Ren still wasn''t sure if he liked the snare trap, but it was effective. ¡°Want me to drive for a bit?¡± Ren asked as Aimus climbed up onto the cart to sit beside him. Aimus shrugged and Ren drove the rest of the day. Teepo commented on how some things were different, seeing them again in another direction, and how some things didn''t change even though they had been gone for almost a month. Ren kept the horse at the same pace that Aimus had set and Aimus didn''t complain that Ren was going too slow. Ren got a popup about 9 hours later.
Skill Increase!
Cart Driving Level 3 (Beginner 0%)
Aimus pointed to a clearing 2 hours later. ¡°Might as well stop here for the night.¡± Ren pulled the cart over. Aimus hopped off the cart and helped guide Ren to put it in a good position with the back facing away from the road. The horse was unhooked and then tethered to the back of the cart. Aimus took out the wire he used for the early warning system and Ren perked up. Ren had an idea. ¡°Aimus, would you mind if I come, too? I think I could do a few enchantments to help ward off anything that might come along.¡± Aimus shrugged and Ren followed Aimus as he set up the wire around the edge of the clearing. Ren walked behind and on one tree he put an Immense Terror glyph that was 4 Runes of Terror combined, so each tree Ren enchanted would give a 40% chance to cause fear and to flee. The second tree Ren put a Slight Warding glyph of 4 Runes of Warding. It was only a 20% chance of them not being found, but at least it was something. Ren wished he''d thought of it the other 2 times they''d had to stop overnight. Ren alternated glyphs on each tree he stopped at, and his Mana Pool drained quite a bit. The Mana Pool was down to nearly half by the time Ren was done. ¡°Do you think I should do a few stones and put then towards the road?¡± Ren asked Aimus when they got back to the clearing. ¡°You didn''t have to do so many trees, Ren.¡± Aimus said and sat down. ¡°But... since you did, we''ve got almost complete coverage. You might as well do a couple of rocks to cover the empty space.¡± Ren picked up a few large rocks and moved them into position. 2 Immense Terror glyphs and 1 Slight Warding glyph later and the clearing was completely surrounded. Ren sat down next to Aimus. ¡°Want me to do some of your arrows? You used up the last two ice ones on the dire wolf, didn''t you?¡± Ren asked. Aimus nodded, shrugged, and handed over his quiver. There were 17 arrows left. ¡°Ice or Lightning?¡± Aimus thought about it. ¡°I''d ask for some of both, but I wouldn''t know which ones were which until I shot them.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Oh, that''s easy to fix.¡± Ren took out the portable dying station and dyed an arrow blue. Ren enchanted the tip (that was a small triangle of metal) with a triple ice glyph and put it back in the quiver. Ren took out another arrow, dyed it white, and put a triple lightning glyph on it. Ren thought about trying to put a 4 rune glyph on them, but didn''t want to potentially blow an arrow up by overcharging it. Ren knew a triple would work well and used them. Ren alternated enchantments until all 17 were done and handed the quiver back to Aimus. ¡°Well, damn. I didn''t think a dying station could be used like that.¡± Aimus said and laughed. ¡°It definitely has the right owner now.¡± Ren''s face flushed a little red and he put the dying station away. Ren''s Mana Pool was down to about one third. Ren would be able to recover some of that back when he absorbed the surrounding enchantments in the morning. ¡°I''m heading to bed, Aimus. Goodnight.¡± ¡°Night.¡± Aimus said and lit a fire. Ren took out his bedroll and got in it. Teepo crawled onto Ren''s chest again. Thanks for keeping an eye on me, Teepo. ¡°It''s what friends do. Goodnight, Ren.¡± Goodnight, Teepo. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset and Bonnie put it next to the laptop. ¡°Ready for lunch?¡± Bonnie asked. ¡°Bathroom first.¡± Ren said and Bonnie helped him out of bed and into the bathroom. Ren was tempted to just use the bedpan, but if he didn''t try to keep his stamina up and just stayed in bed, he ws afraid that his health would slowly decline to the point where it was before. Ren didn''t want that to happen because he had worked so hard to get to where he is now. After a quick bathroom break and trip back to bed, Bonnie left to go get lunch. Ren laid in bed and wondered how much longer Lucy would be logged out. Ren wasn''t sure what would happen if they entered the safe zone of the city limits with Lucy still ''unconscious'' in the back of the cart. Bonnie came in with a couple of sandwiches, half of an orange cut into wedges, and a juice box. Ren lifted it and raised an eyebrow. Bonnie smiled. ¡°Sorry. The cafeteria was out of bottles.¡± Ren shrugged and ate the sandwiches. The orange slices soon followed and Ren saved the juice for last. Bonnie took the tray and came back a few minutes later. She sat down next to the bed and discussed how Ren could enjoy playing the game when most of the time it was all long and boring. Ren laughed and said that just being outside and enjoying the scenery was enough to keep him happy. Ren explained that not collapsing from exhaustion every 10 minutes helped, too. Bonnie nodded. For the rest of the 2 and a half hours Ren had to wait before logging back into the game, Ren and Bonnie turned on the television and watched a few game shows. Ren''s favorite was ''That Price Is Wrong!'', while Bonnie preferred ''Take It Or Leave It''. They laughed at some of the contestant''s costumes and wondered if people actually did make it themselves, or if the studio provided them when the audience showed up. Either way, it was an entertaining show. Ren noticed the time and Bonnie handed him the VR headset. ¡°I''m not sure if I''ll be logging out in 3 hours or not. It depends on the situation.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lucy.¡± Bonnie said. Ren nodded. ¡°No problem. I''ll run interference with the doctor if he comes by.¡± Bonnie said and winked. ¡°Thanks, Bonnie.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up and absorbed all of the enchantments he had placed around the clearing. Ren''s Mana Pool was back up to half. It wasn''t much, but any replacement was a good thing. Ren thought about getting a healer to fill it up, but would worry about that after getting to the city. Aimus and Ren got the cart and horse hooked up and set out again. Aimus let Ren drive again and they made it to the city limits just before dark. Ren pulled the cart over before they got to the city''s gate. Ren exlained that he needed to wait for Lucy to wake up before he could enter. Aimus didn''t ask why, just shrugged and helped Ren unload Lucy and set her a good distance away from the road. Aimus went back to the cart and brought over the crafting station. ¡°I believe this is yours.¡± Aimus said and handed it to Ren. ¡°What? But I thought...¡± ¡°I needed it back for a reason.¡± Aimus said. ¡°Open it.¡± Ren set it on the ground and opened it. All the tools were there and nothing was missing. There didn''t seem to be anything added, either. All the tool spots were taken. Ren looked up at Aimus. ¡°Open the Drying compartment.¡± Aimus urged. Ren opened the compartment and saw something in the single inventory slot inside. Ren''s eyes widened at the sight. ¡°It needed 2 days to treat and 2 days to dry. I finished making it just before you woke up, actually. You almost caught me doing it.¡± Ren took it out of the compartment and lifted it up. It was a hooded cloak. Made from a dire wolf pelt. Chapter 55 - Saying Goodbye Ren stared in shock at the shiny black fur that cascaded down the cloak. Aimus had removed the back legs so the cloak would be flat along the bottom edge. Ren turned the hooded cloak around and saw that Aimus had left the skin of the front legs... and the toes of the paws. They would hang down the front when the cloak was fastened. Ren lifted the hood and saw it was the whole upper head of the dire wolf with the teeth still intact.
Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak (High Quality)
This cloak was made by a master craftsman. Extreme care and diligence was used to produce a high quality item from an unlikely source. Durability: 500/500
¡°A-A-Aimus!¡± Ren stammered. ¡°This... I can''t believe...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked in disbelief. ¡°Why are you giving it to me and not keeping it for yourself?¡± ¡°Well... despite all the trouble that seems to follow you wherever you go... you''ve done a lot for me and my family. The leather pelts alone will get us enough money that we won''t have to worry about anything for a very long time.¡± Aimus said and clasped Ren''s shoulder. ¡°The lumber we harvested usually takes me a month to gather, and we did it in a day. We covered the trench and built a new shed and harvested even more lumber.¡± Aimus smiled and let Ren''s shoulder go. ¡°The trench I''ll probably have to bury, since I don''t see myself getting another 300 or so pelts to put in it.¡± Aimus said and laughed. Ren nearly had tears in his eyes when he clasped Aimus'' shoulder in return. Ren thought about giving Aimus a hug instead, but thought that Aimus didn''t look like the hugging type. ¡°I... I really don''t know what to say except... thank you.¡± Ren said and took off his travelling cape and put it into inventory as well as the new hooded cloak. Ren equipped the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and got a popup.
Notice!
You proudly wear the skin of a creature you personally vanquished in battle! Because it was more than 30 levels higher than you, those who see you wear it will be in awe. Fame: +100
Notice!
Due to your high Fame (1000+) you have discovered a hidden power within the cloak. If your Fame drops below the required amount, the skill will automatically deactivate. This cloak grants you a Special Skill while equipped: Aura Level 1 (Beginner 0%) (Active) This produces a menacing effect within a 10 foot radius of you. Small creatures will flee from your sight. Higher levels will increase the distance and allow larger creatures to be affected.
¡°Whu-hoa!¡± Ren half-shouted after the popups. ¡°Aimus... this is amazing!¡± Ren said and did a little walk and turn to show off the new cloak. Teepo had crawled to the center of Ren''s chest after the cloak was equipped. It hung nearly to the bottom of Ren''s feet, so the game must have sized it to fit when Ren put it on. The cloak was quite a bit longer than that before. Ren flipped up the hood to see if it would impair his sight, but the dire wolf''s head only covered his head and cast Ren''s face in a dark shadow. ¡°This is so cool!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°If you like that, then you''re going to love this.¡± Aimus said and handed Ren 8 jet black claws. The claws were about 6 inches long, an inch wide at the base, and had a slight downward curve. ¡°I looted them and some silver coins right after I skinned it.¡± Aimus tried to hand over the silver but Ren shook his head. ¡°Giving me the cloak was enough.¡± Ren said. ¡°The claws? That''s almost too much.¡± Ren smiled and put them in inventory. ¡°Aimus... even if the dire wolf had dropped gold coins, I''d still want you to keep them. If it wasn''t for your well-placed arrows and Teepo''s help... I would have been a quick lunch.¡± Aimus nodded and reluctantly put the money away in the pouch Ren had given him. ¡°That reminds me. I left something in your craft shed for you.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°What?¡± Aimus said, a hint of doubt in his voice. Ren laughed. ¡°No... nothing bad. It''s something that should help you out quite a bit.¡± Ren said. ¡°I left it in the shed just before you came back to the homestead with the horse and cart. It was when took the crafting station back... and I thought for sure you were going to take the title away from me as well.¡± Aimus had a shocked look on his face. ¡°Ren, I... I''m sorry. When I asked for the crafting station, I was only borrowing it. I didn''t tell you why I needed it because it was supposed to be a surprise.¡± Aimus shook his head. ¡°You''ve been worrying about losing the title for the last 4 days, haven''t you?¡± Ren nodded. Aimus took Ren into a quick hug, gave him a squeeze, and let go. Ren had been right. Aimus wasn''t a hugger. ¡°I really am sorry.¡± Aimus repeated. ¡°It''s okay... I''m glad that I was wrong for once.¡± Ren smiled, then remembered something he had forgotten. ¡°Oh, by the way... I forgot to give you this. In all the things happening lately, it completely slipped my mind.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Ren took out the good sized rock he had taken from the river after the forest fire. It only took Ren a couple of seconds to enchanted the rock with a Water Spray glyph of 2 wind and 2 water. ¡°When you want to use it, just tap the glyph. With 2 water and 2 wind, it should be enough to soak any fire that may come up. It''ll keep going unless you disenchant it, or break the surface of the rock. A hammer should do it... or you could just toss it into a river, or use it to fill the trench, or dig a moat around your property and fill it... eventually.¡± Ren chuckled. Aimus looked a little befuddled by all the options Ren had given him. ¡°You can save it for a fire, or just use it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I said, I meant to give it to you before. We could have done all of that... if I hadn''t...¡± Ren dropped his head. Aimus grasped Ren''s shoulder again. ¡°I didn''t expect you to just stand there and let someone get killed. That it turned out to be someone you knew didn''t matter. If I''d arrived in time...¡± Ren put his hand on Aimus'' hand. ¡°Well... how about we share the blame?¡± Ren said. ¡°If you weren''t such a good person...¡± Aimus said. ¡°...and if you weren''t such a hard-ass...¡± Ren countered. They both had a good laugh. ¡°I should go.¡±Aimus said a moment later. ¡°I have to drop off the horse at the stable.¡± Ren walked back to the cart with Aimus. ¡°Thanks again, Aimus. I learned a lot.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know what my father always said?¡± Aimus asked and Ren shook his head. ¡°You know you''re alive when you do something so stupid that it''s both fun and scary at the same time.¡± Ren laughed again. ¡°Yeah, he had a way with words... but he died doing just that. Scared for his life, but having fun the whole time.¡± Aimus said and climbed up into the driver''s seat of the cart. ¡°I miss the old coot sometimes.¡± Ren didn''t say anything, even though he was tempted to find out what it was that Aimus'' father had been doing before he died. ¡°Then I met you.¡± Aimus said and took the reins. ¡°You sorta remind me of him.¡± Aimus smiled. ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Aimus.¡± Aimus flicked the reins and the horse trotted onto the road. Ren pulled the hood back on his cloak and watched the cart pass through the city gate and disappear around the corner of a building. Ren walked back to where Lucy lay in her bedroll and gathered up several rocks. Ren enchanted them with Immense Terror glyphs and placed them around the small space he and Lucy occupied. Teepo had crawled around Ren''s shoulders occasionally to keep an eye out. Ren''s Mana Pool was down to less than a quarter. Ren sat right beside Lucy and activated the special ability that his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak had given him. Ren''s Aura snapped into place and covered a 10 foot radius around him, and Ren wondered again how long he would have to wait before Lucy would log back in. Ren took out his Book of Runes and the metal shield with the Grip of the Earth glyph on it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Teepo asked while crawling around the edge of the protected space. It was the first thing he''d said in a while, but neither Ren nor Teepo were bothered by not talking. Just practicing. Ren absorbed the glyph and flipped through the pages of the book. Ren assumed that had tons of time to waste and started to enchant the basic runes over and over again. It cost almost no mana and Ren could absorb it and enchant another. Ren looked at his Enchanting XP bar and saw it gradually start to climb in miniscule increments. Ren grinned. Double rune Glyphs it is. Ren thought and the bar went up just a little bit faster. The last of Ren''s Mana Pool slowly started to drain. ******** Lucy was in quite a bind. Her suddenly filed transfer papers had thrown months of schedules into disarray. Lucy had been sitting in the HR department since first thing in the morning. Lucy had wasted the whole day in the conference room, listening to the head of the HR department whine about how Lucy had screwed up the only thing that had run properly in the whole hospital... ''The Schedule''. Lucy sighed mentally and hoped that she wouldn''t be too much longer. Lucy was sure that Ren had been waiting for her for quite some time, as it was getting close to the normal shift change upstairs. Lucy still had to go home and eat before she could log back in. Come on... come on! Lucy thought furiously. All you have to do is tell me here I''m being sent. I don''t need to hear all about your damn schedule![\i] ******** Ren stayed there all night guarding Lucy. Teepo had crawled up and settled into the open hood of Ren''s cloak and occasionally would make the circuit around Ren''s shoulders to scout the terrain and return to the hood. Ren didn''t think any small animals had come near them during the night, but some must have because just before dawn, a popup appeared.
Stat Change!
Aura Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
Maybe just having it on all the time works? Ren thought. Ren did one more enchantment and it was enough to empty his Mana Pool completely and got another popup.
Stat Change!
Enchanting Level 6 (Intermediate 0%) Absorb Enchantment Level 1 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren chuckled. [i]I had hoped I could level those up before my Mana Pool was gone. I''ll have to be more careful until I can get it refilled. Ren looked at his Health bar and saw that it was slowly dropping. When was the last time I ate anything? ¡°Yesterday morning.¡± Teepo said instantly. Huh. That long ago? I was pretty close to leveling Staying Power the last time I checked... I wonder when I''ll get-
Stat Change!
Staying Power Level 4 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren chuckled again as dawn broke over the horizon and light filled the space around the city. It reflected off the high walls behind Ren and made the field that much brighter. Ren looked down at the metal shield he held. Ren had been enchanting and disenchanting it all night, but not a single mark was left on it. Ren rubbed his fingers along the gleaming gold metal and his Vision of Impurity didn''t detect any flaws. After all that time in the temple, and nothing happened to it. Ren thought as he took out one of Abigail''s homemade buns and chewed it. Ren could keep leveling up Staying Power, but wanted to at least have a full Health bar when he entered the city. Abigail made it hard to level up Staying Power on the homestead, though. Ren thought and finished the bun. Ren''s Health Bar increased a nice amount and got another popup.
Stat Change!
Rationing Level 1 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren smiled and shifted his gaze to Lucy''s unmoving form. Ren really wanted to get inside the city before anything, or anyone else showed up. Ren took out one of the repaired goblin daggers he had sitting in his inventory since the Aurora Expedition and thought he could train Iron Grip on it. Ren crushed the handle and bent the hilt. Ren sighed and took out his blacksmith hammer. The dagger was repaired and put back into inventory. Ren didn''t want to empty his Mana bar, but it would regenerate anyways, so Ren kept enchanting the shield with glyphs and absorbing them back while he waited. ******** Lucy finally got her assignment from the head of the HR Department. She looked at it and smiled. It wasn''t going to be too bad at all. Lucy thought as she left the conference room. Lucy took a taxi home and grabbed a quick bite to eat on the way. She shouldn''t be eating fast food, but she''d left Ren alone in the game for almost 4 days already and didn''t want to make him wait any longer. Lucy entered her house and locked everything up again. Lucy''s favorite t-shirt and jogging pants were much more comfortable than the skirt and heels she had been wearing all day, and Lucy changed quickly. After sitting down in a reclining chair and putting on the VR helmet, Lucy logged in. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Chapter 56 - Shopping (New Arc) Lucy didn''t care much for the feeling of transition into the virtual world, but hoped she would get used to it after a while. Ren has been doing it for months now, and he hasn''t complained about it once.Lucy woke up in her bedroll, but when she''d gone to ''sleep'', it was in the back of the cart and not on the ground. Lucy panicked a little until she saw Ren sitting beside her. * Ren noticed Lucy wake up and put away the shield. ¡°Good Morning... or, afternoon I guess.¡± Ren said and looked overhead. Ren had finally found out that there actually was a bright ball of light in the sky. It wasn''t blinding to the eye like the real sun, though. ¡°How did everthing go?¡± ¡°Oh, you know how it is. I spent most of the day just waiting for the transfer to go through.¡± Lucy said and sighed. Lucy looked around and noticed they were just outside the city walls. ¡°Where''s Aimus?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°...and why aren''t we inside the city?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Well... your body would change once we went into a safe zone. You''d be like a phantom and nothing could touch you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Actually, I think it would be pretty neat to see if the game would just phase you right out of the cart and let you hang right in the middle of the road.¡± Lucy looked shocked. ¡°What are you talking about? Phase? What''s that?¡± It was Ren''s turn to sigh. ¡°Sorry, I forgot that you''re not too experienced with gaming. You may have seen me do some things, but that doesn''t mean you''d know what it meant.¡± Ren went on to explain how in safe zones, the player would become insubstantial so they couldn''t be hurt. Ren kept talking and gave Lucy a brief overview of the game and how some things worked. ¡°Oh! That reminds me. I haven''t done this before... but I read how to do it.¡± Ren said. ¡°System: Form Party.¡± Ren got a popup.
Notice!
You have requested to form a party of Adventurers. A party is a group of 2 or more Adventurers. Experience is shared among party members at all times (regardless of distance from one another). Benefits and penalties apply to all members. If the group membership drops to a single member, it will be disbanded. Party can be voluntarily disbanded at any time. Do you wish to form a party now? Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Ren answered.
Do you wish to name your party? Yes / No
Ren whispered to Lucy. ¡°Do we want to name our group?¡± Lucy shrugged. Ren thought for a minute and smiled. ¡°Yes.¡± A virtual kepboard popped up and Ren typed in the name.
Please state the name clearly so the system will recognize it.
¡°Virtual Survivors¡± Ren said.
Party formed!
You are now a member of the Virtual Survivors. Do you want to invite more members to join your party? Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡±
Please say ''Invite (insert name here)'' to invite someone to join.
¡°Invite Lucy¡±
Notice!
There are currently 310 players named ''Lucy''. Invite all? Yes / No
Ren''s eyes widened in shock. ¡°No!¡± Ren had no idea that there would be so many Lucy''s in the game and asked Lucy what her user name was. She said ''Lucy'' and Ren asked her to open her status window and tell him what it said under ''Name''. Lucy did so and Ren spoke again. ¡°Invite Lucy 2645¡± Lucy got a popup. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Notice!
You have been sent a Join Party request from a member of the Virtual Survivors. A party is a group of 2 or more Adventurers. Experience is shared among party members at all times (regardless of distance from one another). Benefits and penalties apply to all members. You may leave the party at any time. Join Party? Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Lucy said. Ren grinned when another popup appeared.
Congratulations!
You have successfully formed a party.
¡°Show party status.¡± Ren said.
Party Name:?? Virtual Survivors
Members: Ren Health: 550
Lucy (2645) Health: 150
Lucy asked for the party status herself and blinked. ¡°It''s going to take me a while to catch up to you, isn''t it?¡± Ren shrugged. If he kept working as hard as he usually does, Lucy might not catch up to him. Ever. ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ve been playing for months, remember?¡± Lucy nodded and put away her bedroll. ¡°Oh, just a second.¡± Ren said and opened up the message system. ¡°You remember that gem like ore I found?¡± Lucy nodded again. ¡°I sent a message to the Sage 2 days ago, to see if she could tell me what it was. I need to ask her when we can meet.¡± Ren looked to see if he''d received any messages, but none were waiting for him. Ren sent another quick message to say that he had arrived at the city and could meet at any time. Ren closed it and stood up. Lucy stared at his new cloak. ¡°REN! Where did you get that... that...¡± Lucy stammered and pointed. ¡°The cloak? Aimus made it for me while you were logged out.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Yeah, it was quite a surprise for me, too. I never imagined that something like this could be done.¡± Ren said and turned around in a circle. ¡°It... is a nice and shinky black.¡± Lucy offered as a compliment. Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s okay, Lucy. You don''t have to say you like it or anything.¡± Lucy let relief pass over her face before she could stop herself. Ren chuckled again. ¡°It''s going to take some getting used to.¡± Ren said as he walked around the small area that was protected with enchantments and absorbed them from the stones. ¡°I know it''ll take me a while just to get used to the extra weight.¡± Ren absorbed the last enchantment and smiled. ¡°Now... let''s get inside and see what the city has to offer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know you''ve watched me go through it before, but I''m pretty sure it will be a completely different experience for you now that you''re playing it yourself.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Let''s go.¡± ******** Barbara had just come on shift and sat down next to the bed. Barbara sighed as Ren had skipped supper again. Bonnie said Ren ate a good lunch, so Barbara wasn''t too worried. The thick stew could be warmed in the microwave whenever Ren came back out. Barbara had smiled when Bonnie had told her that Ren had stayed right beside Lucy the whole ''night'' and hadn''t wandered around or did anything except make that shield glow a lot. Barbara wasn''t sure why Ren was doing it, but that didn''t really matter. All that mattered to her was that Ren had shown devotion to Lucy''s protection. I guess he really does like her a lot.Barbara thought as Ren and Lucy entered the city together. ******** Ren and Lucy walked around for a while, just enjoying the sights. Liek Ren had said, He had been around the city before, but Lucy hadn''t seen it at eye level and it was a completely different experience. As they came into the Market District, various stalls were along the street. They browsed the various knick knacks, but nothing caught their attention. Lucy noticed the General Store and Ren laughed at the name. ''General Goode''s General Goods''. ¡°Look at all this stuff!¡± Lucy exclaimed when they came through the door. Ren loked around and saw everything that an adventurer would need. Bedrolls, lanterns, coils of rope, shovels, pickaxes, mining helmets, grappling hooks, money pouches, backpacks for extra inventory slots, tents, wooden poles (Ren assumed for the tents), small knives, various dried foods, barrels (empty), blankets, water flasks, oil flasks, buckets, candles, ladders, various tools, cooking utensils, pots, torches, parchment, ink, quills, capes, cloaks, various clothes, and a display case near the shop clerk full of jewellery and trinkets. A whip hung on the wall next to the counter, but Ren wasn''t sure if it was for sale or for the clerk to defend himself. On the wall behind the clerk hung several bows and quivers. The clerk noticed Ren''s gaze. ¡°An admirer of the bow, young master?¡± The clerk asked. ¡°Kind of. Where did you get them?¡± Ren said. ¡°These fine works of art were constructed by the finest craftsman on ths side of the mountains.¡± Ren asked to see one and the clerk handed over a small one, assuming Ren wanted one to match his size. Ren held his tongue and looked at the bow.
Small Bow
This well crafted bow can be used for various tasks. Durability: 80/80
¡°How much?¡± Ren asked the clerk. ¡°That is a fine piece of equipment. There''s no other like it. For today ony... since you seem like a nice young fellow... 25 gold coins.¡± 25 gold coins!Ren thought as he handed the small bow back to the clerk. No wonder people buy Donan''s chef knives! ¡°I noticed some oil flasks over there.¡± Ren said. ¡°How much are they?¡± Ren asked as Lucy came to the counter and stared at the jewellery inside. ¡°Young master has a good eye. For you... 1 silver coin each.¡± The clerk said. Ren thought about it. ¡°What kind of deal would you give me if I bought 10?¡± The clerk smiled. He always liked a good haggle. ¡°Hm. Well, if I sell you 10, that will leave me a bit short this month for sales... 9 silver.¡± Ren turned slightly to the side and looked out into the street. ¡°If I remember correctly, I thought I saw one of the stalls had oil flasks, too.¡± The clerk jerked his head to the side and turned back quickly. ¡°They aren''t of as good a quality, I assure you.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m sure that may be true... but if I can get more from them, isn''t the cheaper price worth it?¡± Ren looked back at the counter and saw Lucy admire a necklace with a small amulet on it. ¡°How about 8 silver... and I''ll take that necklace for 5 silver.¡± The clerk thought about it for a moment and smiled. ¡°Done.¡±
Notice!
You have unlocked a new skill!
Haggle Level 1 (Beginner 0%)
This skill will allow you to negotiate the price of items from shopkeepers. Higher skill levels will increase your influence and make it easier to haggle with higher priced items.
Ren handed over the money and the clerk got the 10 oil flasks from the back room and gave them to Ren, who stashed them into inventory. The clerk opened the counter and passed Ren the necklace. Lucy''s eyes followed it the entire time. It wasn''t that pretty or flashy, but it had an eerie quality that drew the eye to it. Ren identified it.
Necklace of the Mundane
This necklace has an amulet that is eye catching. It used to be imbued with something, but it has been disenchanted for a long time.
Ren put it into inventory and bought 5 days of cheap rations. It was only 10 silver and Ren didn''t haggle over the price. Ren hadn''t been able to stash much food away while at Aimus'' homestead. Ren smiled. Abigail always made me eat it all. Ren looked back at the bows hanging on the wall. ¡°I''m just curious... can you tell me who the master craftsman was that made such nice bows?¡± The clerk looked at Ren and at the dangerous looking cloak he wore. ¡°I''ll be sure to tell everyone I know where to get nice bows.¡± Ren grinned. The shopkeeper smiled in turn. ¡°It was Mitchell. He has a small shop near the end of the Artesian District. You might not find him there... and his prices are much more expensive than mine. Buying direct from an artist isn''t always the best choice.¡± Ren nodded and got a message popup. ¡°I''ll keep that in mind. Thank you for your help, and the great service. Have a good day!¡± Ren said. The clerk waved as Ren ushered Lucy out into the street. ¡°Ren...¡± Lucy said once they were out on the street. ¡°...what''s the rush?¡± ¡°I just got a message from the Sage.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°She''s waiting at the library and can see us right now.¡± Chapter 57 - The Sage Of Ages Ren hurried Lucy along through the crowd, or at least tried to. The market was packed pretty tightly by now and people kept blocking their path and greeting Ren like they were old friends. It was mostly men interrupting them, but at one point Ren and Lucy passed a group of women. The group was whispering, but with Ren''s ears, he could hear them quite clearly. ¡°Who is that with Ren?¡± ¡°I don''t know... but she would have to be famous, too... right?¡± ¡°No doubt she''s pretty. Maybe Ren goes for that kind of thing?¡± ¡°He wouldn''t be that shallow, would he? He saved the city. I thought he''d be better than that!¡± Ren ignored them and kept going. Teepo chittered in delight at all the people because he had never seen so many gathered in one place before. When they got out of the Market District, Ren heaved a huge sigh because there was almost no one around now. ¡°Ren, why did I just get a popup saying I had gained 10 Fame?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°It''s one of the side effects of making the party, I think.¡± Ren said. Ren rubbed his face with a hand and sighed. ¡°You remember that time... back when I had that seizure?¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°I was getting an award for saving the city from a great evil. It pretty much made me famous here. Almost everyone knows me now.¡± Ren explained. ¡°But...¡± ¡°If I''m famous, and you''re with me, you start to become famous, too.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lucy said. ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Just like in the real world. Famous by association.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Come on, we have to get to the library.¡± Ren and Lucy jogged down the street and along the avenue until they got to the main road. They followed it until they got to the library and went inside. Teepo admired the books in awe. ¡°If I had a real body, I bet those would taste delicious!¡± Ren chuckled because he could almost feel Teepo salivating and licking his mandibles. Lucy asked what was funny and Ren told her how much Teepo wanted to eat the books. Lucy chuckled too and commented that Teepo would definitely be in bug heaven here. There were only a few people at the tables at this time of day and Ren looked around for the Sage. No sign of her could be seen. Ren noticed Rosie sitting at the main desk and waved to her. Rosie waved back, but didn''t have any kind of expression on her face. Ren thought that was a bit odd, but then turned around to look for the Sage again. Once again with no sign of her, Ren opened up the message system and picked Lara''s message. Ren typed a quick response and sent it. A minute later, a side door opened. ¡°Well, don''t just stand there. Hurry up! I don''t have all day to waste here, you know.¡± Lara said. Ren saw that Lara wore a dark grey robe and had the hood up. Ren and Lucy walked forward and entered the hallway behind the door. ¡°This way.¡± Lara said and walked at a fast pace down the hallway. Lara didn''t make much noise, so Ren assumed she had either slippers or soft boots on. Lucy''s boot heels rang with every step and echoed off the walls. Ren almost laughed at that, since you were supposed to be quiet in a library. Ren didn''t say anything about it and followed the two women to the end of the hallway and to the last door. Lara opened it and Lucy went inside. Ren stepped through the doorway and marveled at the sight. Ren had thought that the main room had a lot of books... but this must have been the storage area for the ones people had to ask for, because from floor to ceiling was shelves. Shelves upon shelves covered every inch of the walls and rows upon rows filled the massive room. ¡°Over here.¡± Lara said. Lucy and Ren followed closely behind and Ren kept track of where they were going. If Ren had to leave without guidance, he wanted to know exactly where to go. Getting lost in here probably wouldn''t be that bad, though. There''s lots to read to keep you busy. Ren thought as they approached a giant table in the center of a clearing. ¡°Before you say anything... yes, this is my space. One of the ''perks''...¡± Lara said and rolled her eyes. ¡°... of being the Sage of Ages is that I have personal space in every library in the game.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Ren said and stared at Lara like she was made of gold. Can you imagine? Getting to read every book in every library in the whole game? ¡°That would take a while.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Maybe even a full beetle''s lifetime.¡± How long is that? Ren asked his friend. ¡°About a hundred years or so.¡± Teepo said. Wh-what? I thought... maybe a year... Ren had seen a documentary once and thought that was what they said. Teepo laughed. ¡°We''re barely out of the larval stage after a year. It takes us nearly 3 years just to get out of the egg burrow!¡± Ren shook his head in disbelief and Lara blushed a little. ¡°It''s true.¡± Lara said. ¡°Why else do you think the librarian is in such a bad mood? She hates that I get to share this with her... without her permission.¡± Lara then adopted her meek persona. ¡°A sage is someone that is supposed to have knowledge, while others seek it.¡± Ren and Lucy looked at Lara like she had 2 heads. Ren sincerely hoped that Lara wasn''t crazy. Lara was going to be hard to deal with normally... but a real split personality? Ren sighed mentally. Of course, I''m supposed to be crazy, too. Ren smiled. Lara sighed and dropped her facade. ¡°Everyone thinks that because I''m supposed to know everything, I can tell them what''s going to happen next.¡± Lara shook her head. ¡°Maybe when I''m a much higher level, I''ll be able to do that... make predictions on how things are supposed to go... but until then, I''m pretty much stuck in here.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Why what?¡± Lara responded. ¡°Why are you stuck in here? You can leave whenever you want, can''t you?¡± Ren said. Lara sighed again. ¡°Unfortunately, I could leave... but I''m constantly peppered by everyone about the future. The future! Ha!¡± Lara said. ¡°I can barely get a handle on what''s happening now.¡± Ren looked at her with a puzzled expression. ¡°It''s simple, really. I have the knowledge already... up here.¡± Lara pointed to her head. ¡°But I need something to jog my memory about it. That''s why I need to level up more. The higher my level, the more knowledge I automatically have access to.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°What do you do to jog your memories?¡± Lucy asked, intrigued. ¡°Something I kinda hate.¡± Lara said. ¡°Ren, hand me that stone you wanted me to look at.¡± Ren didn''t correct Lara''s statement and pulled out the first chunk of ore that he''d found out past the mines. It was a good sized chunk and Ren put it on the table. Lara reached out and touched it. Lara closed her eyes and spoke as the chunk glowed a little more than usual. ¡°Cold... so cold... then heat. Burning and melting... broken... flying through the air... hitting the ground...¡± Lara let the gem like ore go and disappeared down one of the aisles. Ren looked at Lucy and Lucy looked back. They stayed looking at each other until Lara came back to the table with a huge roll of several pieces of parchment in her hands. ¡°Move that aside, please.¡± Lara said, pointing to the ore. Ren moved it and Lara unrolled a map. It was a map of the city of Aurora. Lara looked at it for a second and ran her finger across it. ¡°Nope. Too close.¡± Lara flicked the top piece of parchment aside and it rolled up by itself. It wasn''t magic, just that it had been rolled for a long time and reverted back to that shape. Underneath the city map was one of the whole countryside. ¡°Ah, here we go.¡± Lara said and ran her finger across the map in the same direction as she did on the other map. Ren followed her finger as it landed just past the mines. ¡°There.¡± Ren stared at the spot Lara''s finger was. If he remembered correctly, that was exactly where he''d found the chunk of ore. Ren nodded. Lara smiled. ¡°If you''ve tried to identify it, you know it''s only one piece. Right?¡± Ren nodded again and took out another piece and placed it on the table next to the other one. Lara''s eyes widened a little and reached out to touch it. Lara said almost the same thing as she did before, except that she added that the chunk was protected afterwards, and Lara looked at the map again. Lara ran her finger in a similar direction, but then veered off and her finger landed on an island in the water. ¡°It hit there.¡± Lara said. ¡°Then it was taken to here, and carried up to this spot.¡± Lara traced a line across the water, hit the land, then crossed over the land to end up right on the spot in the mountain pass where the hidden cove was. Ren nodded. ¡°That''s... that''s absolutely right.¡± ¡°Of course it is. I know it all. I just needed to remind myself.¡± Lara said a bit smugly. ¡°I don''t suppose you have the last piece, do you?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°As it happens... I do.¡± Ren took out the largest chunk and put it on the table. ¡°It was a meteor.¡± Lara said before she touched it. ¡°It was in the bitter cold of space until it hit the atmosphere ages ago. There was a lot of heat that melted off all the ice it had gathered, but then those chunks broke off.¡± Lara said and motioned to the other pieces. ¡°This one... I''ll just bet that there''s something interesting that happened to it.¡± Lara reached out and touched the ore. It glowed brightly and Lara closed her eyes. Ren and Lucy stood there as the big chunk of ore started to shake on the table. ¡°Lara... I mean, Sage of Ages... maybe you shouldn''t read it.¡± Ren said, worried. Lara didn''t answer and Ren noticed emotions flicker across her face, too fast to recognize. She must be seeing the whole history of what happened around that chunk... Ren thought and reached out to take the chunk. When Ren touched it, it drained all of his mana instantly and glowed a bright green. The other 2 chunks glowed just as brightly and Lara opened her eyes wide. ¡°Let go, Ren.¡± Ren thought about not listening, but since she was the Sage... Ren let go. ¡°It has enough mana now.¡± Lara said and let go as well. The 3 pieces flew together and melded into a single large piece of ore. The green glow faded and it looked like it had never been in pieces at all. Ren and Lucy stared at the meteor. Teepo had been quiet since the main library, but now spoke. ¡°That was cool.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. Teepo answered. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Sorry, Teepo. I was asking the Sage. Ren thought. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You can identify it for yourself now.¡± Lara said. ¡°Identify.¡±
Unearthly Meteoric Ore
Due to it''s presence not being from this realm, it''s properties cannot be defined.
¡°But... what does that mean?¡± Ren asked Lara. ¡°It means... it won''t have any properties that can be identified until it''s made into something.¡± Lara said and pulled up a chair. ¡°Ugh... that thing took all my mana! I feel horrible.¡± Lara said and took out a weak mana potion. ¡°It took all of mine, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°How come you''re not exhausted like I am?¡± Lara said and drank the weak mana potion. ¡°Huh, almost nothing.¡± Lara said and tossed the bottle in a nearby trash can. The glass bottle shattered. ¡°I''ve never let myself get this low before.¡± Ren took out 2 of his mana potions and put them on the table. ¡°Where did you get those?!?¡± Lara said. ¡°I haven''t been able to find good potions anywhere! Everyone has been sold out for weeks. All they have are those things...¡± Lara waved to the trash can. Ren smiled. ¡°I... have my sources.¡± Lara snorted. ¡°Keeping mum, huh? I don''t blame you. People would be chasing you all over if they knew you could get them potions.¡± ¡°You can drink those.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like the bottles back, though.¡± Lara drank the 2 mana potions. ¡°Ah... that''s better.¡± Lara said and handed the empty bottles back to Ren. ¡°You don''t have any more, do you? You still owe me compensation for this appointment.¡± Lara smiled briefly. Ren raised an eyebrow. ¡°I had planned on giving you 5 gold; but, if you''d rather potions...¡± Ren took out 2 more mana potions and put them on the table. Lara didn''t react at all. Ren took out another, and Lara started to smile. Ren sighed. ¡°This is my last one.¡± Ren said and took out another mana potion and put it with the others. ¡°Deal!¡± Lara said and jumped up to take all 4 potions. ¡°Well, you were certainly lucky!¡± Lara said to Ren. ¡°I told you that if it hadn''t been something interesting, I wouldn''t ever forgive you... and I probably would have hated you forever, too.¡± Lara said and grinned. Ren chuckled and Lucy rolled her eyes. ¡°Come on, Ren... we have to go.¡± Lucy said. Ren looked at Lucy and she did that ''head tilted several times to the side'' thing that Ren had seen in many comedy shows. ¡°You''re right, Lucy.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Lara... *ahem*... Sage of Ages, I thank you for allowing me to have an audience in your august presence.¡± Ren said and bowed slightly. ¡°I appreciate all the help you''ve given me.¡± Ren said and stored the meteoric ore. ¡°Have a good day.¡± Lara waved nonchalantly as Ren and Lucy left the table. Lucy led the way until they got to an intersection and Ren pointed along another shelf. Lucy kept walking and Ren followed along. They got back to the door, went down the hallway, and out into the main library. Ren waved to Rosie as he passed by her desk and she waved again, but still had no expression on her face. I guess Rosie really doesn''t like having Lara here. Ren thought as he left the library behind Lucy. ¡°So... what are we going to do now?¡± Lucy said. Ren shrugged. ¡°I need more potion bottles, so we could stop at the Apothocary.¡± Ren suggested. ¡°What about that meteor? Are you going to make something out of it?¡± Lucy asked as they walked down the street to the Artesian District. Ren nodded. ¡°It''s probably going to take a lot of heat to melt it, though... I don''t know if the forge can do it.¡± Ren stopped dead in his tracks. Lucy kept walking for a moment and noticed Ren wasn''t beside her. Lucy turned around and walked back to Ren. ¡°What is it?¡± Lucy asked, because Ren looked like he had tears in his eyes. ¡°I completely forgot.¡± Ren said as a single tear slid from his eye and down his cheek. ¡°I have to go there right away!¡± Ren said and started running. Lucy ran to catch up to Ren. ¡°Go where?¡± Lucy asked. She was already getting tired trying to keep up with Ren''s pace. ¡°Where I should have gone months ago...¡± Ren said and wiped the tear away. ¡°Donan''s.¡± Chapter 58 - The Forge Ren arrived at the building next to Donan''s place and stopped. Lucy almost ran Ren over, but caught herself in time and Lucy ended up giving Ren a quick hug from behind. ¡°Lucy... what do I say?¡± Ren asked in a small voice. Lucy turned Ren around and looked him in the eye. ¡°The truth.¡± ¡°But... but I can''t tell him that I forgot about him! It makes me feel bad just knowing I did forget him... how is Donan going to feel if I tell him that?¡± Ren said, exasperated. Lucy shook her head. ¡°Come on, Ren. If someone did that to you, would you want them to make up excuses?¡± Ren opened his mouth and then closed it. ¡°Yeah, you''re right.¡± Ren sighed and hunched over a little bit. ¡°Plus, I''m a horrible liar.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Yes, you are.¡± Lucy said and turned Ren around. ¡°Now go in there and be honest with him.¡± ¡°You... you''re not coming?¡± Ren stammered and looked over his shoulder. ¡°I''ll be right here if you need me, but this is a moment that should be just between the two of you.¡± Lucy said and tried to give Ren a little shove. Ren didn''t budge, however. He really is a lot stronger than me in here. Lucy thought. Teepo hopped out of Ren''s hood and landed on Lucy''s shoulder. ¡°She''s right.¡± Ren sighed and straightened his back. ¡°Okay. Here I go.¡± Ren walked the rest of the way and then cautiously stepped into Donan''s shop through the double wide entryway. Ren could hear metal being pounded on an anvil and looked over to Donan''s regular working spot. Donan stood there with his back to Ren and was hammering something that Ren couldn''t see clearly. ¡°So... the prodigal hero returns to grace me with his presence.¡± Donan said without turning around. Ren winced at the disappointment that oozed through the room and hit Ren in the face. ¡°I have a really good explanation for not coming sooner, Sir.¡± Ren said in as respectful a voice as he could muster. ¡°Alright then.¡± Donan said and put his hammer down on the anvil. Donan turned around and crossed his arms, making himself an imposing figure. ¡°Let''s hear it.¡± Ren squared his shoulders again. ¡°I forgot.¡± Donan had a shocked look on his face. ¡°You... you forgot?!?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yes, sir. I won''t make excuses. After I woke up in the mansion and several other things happened, I needed to get away from the city for a while. It never even crossed my mind to come and see you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I should have come to you first, to let you know I was leaving for a while.¡± Ren bowed deeply. ¡°All I can offer is my sincere apology, Sir.¡± Donan uncrossed his arms and walked heavily towards Ren. ¡°Did you know that I came to see you while you were healing at the mansion?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No one told me, Sir.¡± Donan snorted. ¡°That doesn''t surprise me. I guess they didn''t tell you that Sally came to visit, either.¡± Ren looked at Donan in surprise. Donan smirked. ¡°Yeah, I didn''t think so. They don''t think of us working folk as real, you know?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''d heard you woke up... and then saw you running around town... but you didn''t come here once.¡± Donan said and scowled down at Ren. ¡°You do realize that I''ve had to do all the work here by myself.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I even had an order for a thousand short swords... that I couldn''t do.¡± Donan said without inflection in his voice. ¡°I didn''t know that... but that''s no excuse. I''ve been negligent in my duties as your apprentice. I''ll do anything you say to try and make it up to you.¡± Ren said. Ren lowered his head again then said something that hurt to have pass his lips. ¡°I... I won''t even protest if you don''t want me to be your apprentice anymore.¡± Ren clenched his teeth so that he wouldn''t start crying in front of Donan. ¡°Well... it would be quite the punishment to take that from you.¡± Donan said. Ren felt a couple tears fall from his face and they hit the floor. Donan reached out a hand to rest on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°That would be too harsh to do to you.¡± Donan said and made Ren stand up. ¡°If my mentor had tried to take that title away from me when I was his apprentice, I''d have hollered and cried and screamed at him for being an idiot.¡± Donan said and grinned. ¡°You wouldn''t do that to my face, would you... but you''d be thinking it.¡± Ren nodded and Donan laughed a big belly laugh. Donan ruffled Ren''s hair. ¡°I know Adventurers need to travel sometimes... and I knew you would come back... eventually.¡± Ren chuckled and took out the 15 gold coins that Lord Eric had paid him for the Aurora Expedition. ¡°This is yours.¡± Ren said and handed over the 15 gold coins. ¡°What''s this? Are you trying to bribe me?¡± Donan said and almost shouted the last word. ¡°No... of course not.¡± Ren said and Donan calmed down. ¡°That''s the fee Lord Eric paid to have a blacksmith along on the Aurora Expedition.¡± Donan tried to hand it back. ¡°No, you earned this. If I hadn''t sent you in the first place, you wouldn''t have been hurt and stuck in the mansion all that time.¡± Ren refused the money. ¡°If you hadn''t sent me, I wouldn''t have learned a ton of new skills that I wouldn''t have learned otherwise. Plus, Lord Eric hired your business and I''m your apprentice. It''s your money.¡± Donan grinned and kept the money. ¡°I''m glad you were honest about it.¡± Ren raised an eyebrow. Donan chuckled. ¡°I had a bet going with all the other shopkeepers that you would tell me about the fee. They bet that you would just keep it and not say anything... and now you''re giving it to me because you believe it''s mine.¡± Donan laughed. ¡°That''s pure honesty right there.¡± Donan turned around and went to a cabinet next to his work station. Donan put the money inside and came back with something he hid behind his back. ¡°Now that that''s out of the way, here you go.¡± Donan said and handed over a sack of gold coins. Ren stared at the gold. ¡°What... what''s this?¡± ¡°You remember all those chef knives you made from your poor quality ingots the last time you were here?¡± Donan asked and Ren nodded. ¡°I sold them all.¡± Ren''s eyes widened as he looked at the gold and then at Donan. ¡°I know you gathered the materials and did the forging; but this is my shop, and I worked hard to sell them all.¡± Donan said. ¡°All your other ingots are still here, btw. I kept half of the profits... some of which was to cover the storage.¡± ¡°That''s only fair, Sir.¡± Ren put the money into his coin pouch and 53 gold was added. Ren now had 1 Platinum, 37 gold, 20 silver, and 25 copper. Donan clapped Ren on the shoulder, but Ren had seen it coming, braced himself and didn''t stumble this time. Donan smiled again. ¡°Now... lets get to work, shall we? A thousand short swords aren''t going to make themselves.¡±
New Quest!
You have to help Donan complete a nearly impossible task. Make 1000 short swords in the alloted time frame. Difficulty: A Rewards: ???? Penalties for Failure: ????
Ren stared at Donan. ¡°What? I thought you said you couldn''t fill it?¡± ¡°I couldn''t... but with you here, I can beat the delivery due date.¡± Donan said and grinned. ¡°When is it?¡± Ren asked, knowing it was going to be ridiculous. ¡°2 days from now.¡± Donan shook Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Come. I''ll show you what to do and we can get to work.¡± ¡°That sounds great... but can you wait for just a minute? I have someone waiting outside.¡± Ren said, sheepishly. Donan let Ren''s shoulder go. ¡°Make sure you tell her you''re going to be busy for a while.¡± Ren stared at Donan. ¡°How... do you know...¡± Donan laughed. ¡°I''ve impressed you with my magical perception powers, haven''t I?¡± Ren nodded. Donan turned around and led Ren over to his work station. Donan had Ren stand in his spot and Donan pointed. Right at Donan''s eye level was a mirror pointed slightly to the left. Ren stepped up in his toes and hoisted himself up a bit and could clearly see the whole shop and most of the street outside... including a patiently waiting Lucy.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Ren laughed. ¡°That''s both smart and sneaky.¡± ¡°Go on and talk to your girl.¡± Donan said and pushed Ren towards the entryway. ¡°We need to get started right away.¡± Ren went outside to Lucy and Teepo. ¡°How did it go?¡± Lucy asked and Ren smiled. ¡°It was torture at first. I even offered to let him take the apprentice title back.¡± Ren said. ¡°What? Why would you do that? That''s like a game enhancer, isn''t it?¡± Lucy asked. Ren nodded. ¡°I just wanted to apologize for forgetting him all this time, and if he didn''t want me as an apprentice anymore, that I''d understand.¡± ¡°Obviously, he refused.¡± Lucy said, confidently. Ren nodded again. ¡°Yep. In fact, I need to get to work. We''ve got a big order due in a couple of days so I''m going to be busy for a while.¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°It figures... but at least it''s working out well.¡± Lucy said and touched Ren''s arm. ¡°I was trying to figure out how to tell you I had to go myself.¡± Ren raised both eyebrows. ¡°I got my new schedule, remember? I have to get a good night''s sleep if I want to make it to work in the morning.¡± Lucy looked around. ¡°It must be after midnight out there.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thanks for showing me around. I had fun shopping, even though we had to cut it short.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Oh yeah! Just a second.¡± Ren said and took out the mundane necklace that he had bought at General Goode''s General Goods. Ren looked at his Mana bar and saw it wouldn''t be enough for what he planned and took out another Mana potion. Lucy looked at it and then at Ren. ¡°I thought you told the Sage that fourth Mana potion was the last one you had?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°She would have taken all of the ones I had if I hadn''t haggled a better price.¡± Ren said and drank it. A fifth of Ren''s mana was restored and Ren took out his Book of Runes. Ren flipped through the book until he got to the protection rune. Ren fixed the 4 rune glyph in his mind and enchanted the necklace. The rune etched itself onto the front of the amulet and Ren smiled when it didn''t explode or melt. Ren identified it.
Notice!
Infusing this amulet with mana has activated the residue of a previous enchantment.
Ren''s eyes widened when it was identified.
Shadow Necklace of Protection
This mundane necklace has been enchanted with a powerful protection glyph. +40% to Defense +10% to all stealth abilities.
Ren grinned and gave the necklace to Lucy. ¡°Ren! I... I can''t accept this. You keep it.¡± Lucy said and tried not to take it. Ren shook his head. ¡°I bought it for you. I enchanted it with protection so that if I''m somehow not around, I can still protect you.¡± Lucy''s face flushed a little red, but she didn''t completely blush as she bent over to let Ren put the necklace around her neck. Teepo took this opportunity to hop off of Lucy''s shoulder and into the hood of Ren''s cloak. Lucy stood up straight and fondled the amulet. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± Lucy said in a soft voice that made Ren''s heart flutter a little, because Lucy''s voice had sounded slightly seductive. Ren got a popup, but ignored it. They stared at each other for a minute, then Lucy broke the silence. ¡°Um... where do I go to log out here?¡± Lucy asked and looked around. She didn''t see an inn anywhere close by. Ren smiled. ¡°This is a safe zone, so you can just sit right here by the building and log off like I used to do.¡± Lucy looked skeptical at first, but then remembered that Ren used to just log off anywhere he wanted to and didn''t even use a bedroll. ¡°You don''t have to worry. I''ll be right inside for the next week, at least.¡± Ren assured Lucy. ¡°Okay.¡± Lucy sat down next to the building. ¡°See you in a few days.¡± ¡°I''ll be here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Logout.¡± Lucy said and Ren watched as her body became immaterial like a ghost. Ren reached out and tried to caress Lucy''s cheek, but his hand went right into her face. Ren pulled his hand back and went inside. There was work to be done. Ren left Lucy''s side and went in to learn how to make a short sword from Donan. Ren felt a little out of practice because it had been so long since he''d forged anything. Ren went to take off the hooded cloak and Teepo hopped out of the hood and onto Ren''s head. Ren put the cloak into inventory and got a popup.
Notice!
The skill Aura Level 3 (Beginner 0%) has been deactivated. This skill cannot be activated again until the basic requirements have been met.
Ha... I forgot I still had that ability on. Ren thought as Teepo crawled down to his shoulder. I guess that''s what the popup window was for. It had leveled up again Donan nodded to Ren and went to the secondary forge that Ren had used before. Ren pumped the bellows as Donan melted 2 blanks he took from a huge bin. Instead of just hammering it into the proper shape, Donan put a stone mold down next to the forge that was in the general shape of a sword. ¡°Hammering the shape out would take too long and would weaken the blade. Some hammering is needed if there''s any impurities in the metal... but otherwise you just melt and pour. Once we get them all done, we can worry about strengthening and sharpening them.¡± Donan said and used his pliers to pick up the cooling blade and dunked it into a barrel of oil. After a few seconds, he took the blade out and it lit on fire. ¡°Still too hot.¡± Donan dunked it again and waited a few more seconds, took it back out, and it didn''t go afire. Donan nodded and flicked the blade over the barrel to shake off the excess oil, then wiped the blade off. ¡°There we go. An unfinished short sword.¡± Donan tossed it into a small pile that was in the middle of the room. ¡°Keep doing that. With the 2 of us working day and night, we might just finish the order.¡± Ren stood there for a minute to think. Half the time we''re melting the blanks, we''re pumping the bellows to keep the heat up... Ren thought then had an idea... or at least modified an idea he''d had before. ¡°Donan... I discovered something while I was away and I wondered if you''d let me do some... experimenting on this forge.¡± Ren said. Donan looked at Ren and shrugged. ¡°As long as you don''t ruin it, or... God''s forbid... break it... you can do what you want with it.¡± Ren grinned and Donan went back to his own forge to continue working. Ren stared at the forge, trying to determine how it was put together. Ren used his tongs to shift things around so he could see what was on the inside. Ren ignored the bellows because they wouldn''t be needed anymore if the experiment was a success. After about 20 minutes of checking over the forge, Ren got a popup.
Notice!
You have learned the plans for constructing a basic forge.
Ren smiled and opened the plans. Yes, the stone bricks needed to be stacked this way and that way to keep the heat concentrated... but if the edge of this brick and this brick were trimmed just a little and then if this one and this one was enchanted with wind, and the side ones were enchanted with fire... When Ren was finished, he got another popup.
Notice!
You have learned the plans for an enchanted forge.
Stat Change!
Intelligence +2
Ren drank another Mana potion and another fifth of his mana was restored. Ren took the smelting apparatus off the top of the forge with thick gloves and put it aside. Ren opened up the end of the forge and used a small shovel to clean out the coals into a bucket. Donan heard the clinking of the coals and turned to see Ren emptying the forge. Donan''s eyes bulged as Ren undid an hour''s hard work of prepping the forge, and then stared as Ren moved the bellows away. Donan forgot to continue working and shook his head in disbelief as Ren used a thick cloth doused in oil to cool off the stone bricks. He''s lucky that cloth didn''t catch on fire. Donan thought as Ren finished wiping off the coal residue from the bricks. Ren needed it to be clean for his idea to work. Ren took the top row of stone bricks to the stone grinding wheel in the corner and ground off the edge just enough so that when placed back on top of the forge, it would point slightly downwards. The stone bricks were designed to withstand really high heat so Ren enchanted quadruple fire rune glyphs on each of the side bricks, and then quadruple wind rune glyphs on the end bricks. Ren placed the sanded down bricks on the top, angled inwards, to keep the heat concentrated and to stop the wind glyphs from blowing the fire everywhere. Ren wasn''t sure if it was really necessary to do that, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Ren really hoped that this worked and leaned over the forge to speak. ¡°Activate.¡± A blast of heat hit Ren and he recoiled in shock. Ren had lost about 10% of his health. I... probably shouldn''t have leaned over so closely to see if it would work. Ren thought.
Stat Change!
Wisdom -2 Luck +1
Ren reached up and touched his face. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren said and looked over at Donan who started to laugh. ¡°That... that might take a while to grow back.¡± Donan said between laughs and pointed to his own eyebrows. Ren reached up and felt his face. Dammit. Yep, they''re all gone. Teepo chittered in laughter when Ren turned to look at him. ¡°Hey... it''s not that funny.¡± Ren said, but both Donan and Teepo kept laughing. Of course, once others were laughing it was hard to not join in. Ren had to laugh with them and they stopped a few moments later. ¡°Okay, okay... that was stupid of me.¡± Ren said. ¡°But I wanted to make sure it worked.¡± ¡°Just use a piece of wood or a set of tongs next time.¡± Donan said and smiled. Ren nodded and put the smelting apparatus back on top of the modified forge. After only a minute it was hot enough for Ren to start smelting. Ren grinned as the blanks he added to the crucible melted slightly quicker than they did with the normal forge and Ren skimmed off miniscule bits of impurities and poured it into the short sword mold. While Ren waited for it to cool slightly, 2 more blanks were put into the smelter. Ren took the short sword with tongs and did the same trick with the oil barrel that Donan did, wiped the blade off and tossed it into the pile. Ren turned around and took the crucible with the same tongs, saw no impurities and poured it into the mold. Donan was still staring at Ren and how fast he was working. ¡°We''ll never finish if you just keep staring at me.¡± Ren said as he dipped another sword into the oil. Donan shook his fist at Ren and made Ren laugh. Soon after that, there was silence, except for the clanking of the swords after being made and Ren activated Serene State of Mind. Ren and Donan worked continuously throughout the night. Teepo had jumped off Ren at some point and had explored the whole shop. When Teepo crawled back onto Ren''s shoulder, Ren heard a shout. ¡°Breakfast!¡± Donan said unexpectedly. Ren was shaken out of Serene State of Mind and took the sandwich that Donan passed him. ¡°Isn''t this your lunch?¡± Ren asked as he bit into the sandwich. Ren hadn''t eaten since the morning before, but didn''t get a Rationing popup. It''ll take a lot longer now that it''s Intermediate, I guess. Ren thought and kept chewing. ¡°Ha! You catch on quick.¡± Donan said and ate a similar sandwich. ¡°We''ll have to stop and eat a proper meal by then, anyways.¡± Donan said. ¡°I''m not as young as I used to be.¡± Ren laughed and almost choked on the sandwich. Donan smacked Ren on the back and Ren swallowed. ¡°Geez, don''t make me laugh when I''m eating.¡± Ren said and Donan laughed. Donan stopped laughing when he got a good look at Ren''s face. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Donan said and left the building. Ren was puzzled at Donan''s abrupt departure. I wonder what''s gotten into him? ¡°Maybe he''s getting the food for lunch?¡± Teepo offered. Ren finished the sandwich and he gained another 40 points. Ha. Almost as good as a weak healing potion. Ren thought as Donan came back into the blacksmith''s shop with someone right behind him. ¡°There. Look.¡± Donan said and the person stepped out from behind him. The man wore a bright white tunic that had a big red cross on it. ¡°Yes, I see. You were right to come and get me as soon as you did.¡± Ren stared at the man as he raised hands to Ren''s face. They glowed and Ren felt that familiar tingle cover his face and some of his neck. Ren watched as his Health bar filled fairly quickly and when it was done, Ren''s Mana Pool started to fill as well. The healer''s eyes widened as Ren absorbed more and more of his mana. After a few more minutes, Ren''s Mana Pool was full and the healer''s hands stopped glowing. ¡°You must have been hurt a lot more than I could see.¡± The healer said. ¡°I told you that it was bad. When it first happened, it was funny and looked okay... but once I saw it in the daylight...¡± ¡°How much?¡± Donan said and reached into his money pouch. ¡°Let''s say 2 gold... but only because it took nearly half of my mana to heal him.¡± Ren stared at the healer as Donan passed over the 2 gold coins. Boy, was Lucy right or what! Ren thought as the healer took the money, nodded to Donan and left. I really, really overpaid that healer, Camilla. Ren thought and smiled. ¡°Thanks, Donan.¡± Ren said and tried to hand over 2 gold. Donan shook his head. ¡°Keep your money. You were hurt in my shop.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I was acting stupid in your shop.¡± ¡°Well, you can just act stupid again.¡± Donan said. Ren looked at Donan in confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I want you to change my forge, too.¡± Donan said and grinned. Chapter 59 - Just In Time Donan used Ren''s forge while Ren made over the other forge that Donan normally used. The process went quicker this time because Donan had already cleaned it out. Ren only had to take it apart, grind the top stone bricks down a little and then enchant it all. Once Ren was done and activated the new forge, keeping his face well away from the opening this time, Ren and Donan switched places and kept working. At lunchtime, Donan called a halt to the work and they went to a nice little house only a block or so away. Ren watched Donan as he made a nice stew and set it to cook on the stove. Teepo, in his usual behavior, crawled over everything and came back when he was done. ¡°Where did you learn to cook?¡± Ren asked. ¡°My sister taught me.¡± Donan said. ¡°I''ve been wanting to learn how to cook for a while now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve had no idea where I''d learn something like that... assuming someone would even teach me.¡± Donan chuckled. ¡°I hear ya.¡± Donan said and sat down. ¡°Sometimes it''s like pulling teeth from a chicken to get people to tell you their secrets.¡± ¡°Secrets?¡± Ren asked. Donan chuckled again. ¡°Of course! If people didn''t keep their secrets, everyone would be able to do their job... and then where would they be?¡± Ren thought about it for a moment. ¡°Out of a job.¡± Donan nodded. ¡°Right. If people didn''t guard what they knew... there''d be no use for them anymore.¡± Ren had a thought and instead of contemplating, simply asked it. ¡°Is that why you didn''t have an apprentice before?¡± Donan smiled and stood up to check the stew. Donan took 2 bowls from the cupboard next to the stove and filled them with stew. Donan turned off the stove and put both bowls on the table with spoons. Donan sat down again and picked up his spoon. Ren didn''t pick up the spoon closest to him and looked at Donan. Donan nodded. Ren smiled and picked up the spoon to eat. They ate in silence and Donan refilled each bowl only once. They finished eating and Donan put the bowls and spoons in the sink. ¡°Thank you, Donan.¡± Neither Ren nor Donan knew what the other had meant for sure. Donan''s nod and Ren''s thank you could have meant 2 different things; but each assumed that what they wanted it to mean was what the other meant, and nothing else needed to be said. With their bellies full they went back to the shop and kept working. By the time the evening came around, they were finished of all the forging. Once all the blades were done, with a hundred extra in case of weakness and breakage, Donan showed Ren how to strengthen the blade by tempering it and then how to sharpen it. They worked halfway through the night to temper and sharpen the required 1000 blades. Donan showed Ren how to make a proper hilt for the short sword and they worked through the rest of the night to attach all 1000 hilts properly. Once that was done, They polished the short swords to increase the durability and it''s effectiveness. At the break of dawn of the third day, Ren helped Donan crate up the weapons. Ren''s woodworking skill came in handy and they finished quickly. No sooner had Ren nailed the last nail in the final crate, when he got a popup.
Quest Complete!
You have successfully completed a nearly impossible task, much to Donan''s satisfaction. Rewards: 9000 XP Fame Bonus: x12%
Ren noticed that the game really did delay any stat change until after a Quest was completed because Ren then got all the ones he had missed during the task. Staying Power was now Intermediate Level 5 and Ren looked at his Health bar. Ren was surprised that it was down to only 55, or 10% of it''s full number of 550. Ren took out a Health potion and recovered 100 points. Normal health potions won''t last long with me, will they? Ren thought as he looked at the other popups.
Stat Change!
Smithing Level 2 (Intermediate 0%) Smelting Level 4 (Intermediate 0%) Blade Forging Level 2 (Intermediate 0%)
Stat Change!
Smelting Level 5 (Intermediate 0%)Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Blade Forging Level 3 (Intermediate 0%)
Stat Change!
Smithing Level 3 (Intermediate 0%) Smelting Level 6 (Intermediate 0%)
Stat Change!
Blade Forging Level 4 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren swiped the rest of the popups away and just looked at his stats. Serene State of Mind finally reached Intermediate Level 1, Smithing was over halfway to Level 4, Smelting was just above Level 6, Blade Forging was at Level 4, and Iron Grip was over Level 2. All Intermediate. Ren didn''t even remember having to use Iron Grip and looked at the tongs he was still holding. The handles were bent a little, and Ren chuckled. Fire Resistance and Affinity increased to 25%, and Ren had gained 3 points in Endurance. Ren had used the main Smithing skill to temper the blades and had leveled it up twice more, while Blade Forging leveled once. Sharpening leveled up 3 times because Ren had to sharpen both sides of the blades. Getting the end of the sword tips sharp without breaking them was the hardest part. Ren had broken a half dozen blades before he learned how to do it right. To Donan''s credit, he didn''t get mad even once, and only gave Ren corrections and tips. Polishing had leveled up once, too. All in all, a good turnout. Even with losing my eyebrows.Ren thought and smiled. There was a loud knock on the entryway to the blacksmith''s shop. A large stern man stood there with a scowl on his face. He squinted his eyes as he noticed the 4 crates. They were quite big and each held 250 short swords, with layers of cloth between each layer of swords to stop them from scuffing each other up. The cloth had been Ren''s idea and Donan had loved it. ¡°I assume that those are mine.¡± The large man said. Donan approached him with a scowl on his own face. ¡°Of course they are!¡± Donan said in a deep base growl. ¡°You don''t think I''d stiff you, do you?¡± ¡°I''d heard that you couldn''t make the deadline.¡± The man said. ¡°Rumors! Lies!¡± Donan huffed. ¡°I''ve never failed at anything in my life!¡± The man turned his head, looked at Ren, and then looked back at Donan. ¡°Very well.¡± The man said and waved to someone behind him. 2 other men came in, almost as big as the first man that had spoken and dropped 2 huge sacks at Donan''s feet. Donan just glanced at them and back at the man. ¡°Are you going to count it, old man?¡± The man said in challenge. ¡°Not in front of you.¡± Donan said and grinned. ¡°I''m not stupid.¡± The man''s gruff facade broke apart and he started laughing. He and Donan hugged quickly and they walked over to Ren as the other 2 men waved 2 other men in and the 4 of them carried out one of the crates. The other 3 crates soon followed the first. ¡°Ren, this is my brother.¡± Donan said. ¡°Nodal, this is Ren.¡± Nodal reached out a shovel-sized hand and Ren shook his hand. ¡°So... this is the famously absent apprentice.¡± Nodal said in a gravelly voice and smiled. Ren ducked his head slightly and nodded. ¡°He was really worried about you, you know.¡± Nodal said. Donan punched Nodal in the arm and Nodal laughed. ¡°What? It''s true.¡± Ren nodded and smiled. Ha... brothers. Kinda friends, kinda enemies.Ren thought and a moment later had a pain right above his right eye. Ow. Ren reached up and rubbed the spot. I think I''m getting a headache. ¡°You''ve been working for 2 days straight... you''re probably really tired and don''t realize it.¡± Teepo suggested. You''re probably right, Teepo. Ren thought. I don''t feel tired, but I think I should go and get some sleep anyways. Nodal and Donan talked for a few minutes and Ren interrupted them. ¡°I''m getting tired, so I''m going to go and lay down for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe for a day or two.¡± Ren smiled. Donan patted Ren on the back and Nodal shook Ren''s hand again. ¡°Thank you.¡± Nodal said and let Ren''s hand go. ¡°Donan just told me that you helped finish the order. A thousand short swords in only 2 days... people will hear of this. I guarantee it.¡±
Notice!
Your name will be spread to the surrounding land. Fame: +50.
Ren laughed. ¡°You''re welcome. It was the least I could do for not being around. If you have a similar order that needs to be done, though... it''ll have to wait.¡± Ren said and put on his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. ¡°See you in a couple days, Donan.¡± Ren left the shop and once he was around the corner, he sat down next to Lucys phantom form and logged out himself. * Ren left the blacksmith''s shop and didn''t notice the stares of the 2 men that stood behind him in awe. Nodal turned to Donan. ¡°Did you see...¡± Donan nodded. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°How... I mean, he''s so small...¡± Nodal said. Donan laughed. ¡°He''s been surprising me since the first day he started working here, Nodal.¡± Donan grabbed Nodal''s arm and hauled him out of the shop. ¡°I''ll get the story from him as soon as he comes back.¡± Donan locked the place up and turned towards his house. ¡°I''ve got a pot of Donna''s stew on the stove. It will only take a minute to heat up.¡± ¡°Donna''s stew?¡± Nodal said and clapped his hands and rubbed them together. ¡°Count me in.¡± ¡°Your men are welcome, too.¡± Donan said. Nodal asked the men if they were hungry, but they said no and agreed to meet up at the west gate in an hour. ¡°Let me tell you a few stories about my apprentice.¡± Donan said and started walking to his house. ¡°There was one time when he went to the mines to get ore...¡± * ******** Ren woke up and did his normal routine of breakfast, physical therapy, and visiting with the nurses. Stella was his nurse today and Ren enjoyed spending time with her. Since Ren had told Donan that he would be out for a couple of days, Ren felt no rush to get back to the game and spent the whole day just doing other things. Ren watched television for a while, just to catch up on the daily shows that he had missed while playing the game. The soap opera that was broadcast every day, that Ren hadn''t watched in about 3 months, had started with the phrase: ¡°Later that same day...¡± and Ren laughed. If Ren remembered correctly, it had been the same day on the show for almost a year. Ren had a nice lunch, took a nap for a few hours, had supper, and then spent even more time visiting with the other nurses on the floor. Word about Lucy being in the game had spread like wildfire. Ren was teased about it relentlessly, but took it all in stride. Ren could only hope that Lucy wasn''t being teased as much as he was, and that Lucy wasn''t having too hard of a time adjusting to the new job. Ren sighed when he thought about not getting to see Lucy every day like he used to. It really was as the old saying goes... you don''t know what you''ve got until it''s gone. Ren stayed offline until the shift change that night. Barbara came in and exchanged words with Stella. When Barbara sat down, Ren filled Barbara in about what had been happening all day and Barbara laughed just like Ren did when he told her about the soap opera. An hour or so later, when the next game day was about to start, Ren told Barbara that he was logging back into the game and would see her in a few hours. Barbara nodded and sat down next to the bed. Ren said the key phrase and entered the virtual world. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Chapter 60 - Donans Teachings Ren woke up in the same spot next to Lucy''s phantom form. Ren saw that he was a bit early and Donan''s shop was still closed. Ren walked over to Sally''s and it was still in darkness, too. Ren kept going down the street and noticed that Issac''s light was on. Ren knocked, just to be polite, and entered Issac''s shop. Issac had his back turned to the door again. Ren didn''t want to disturb Issac, since Ren''s knock hadn''t gotten Issac''s attention, and activated Sneak. Ren creeped across the floor; careful of where the boards looked to be weaker, and avoided stepping on them. Ren saw that Issac was enchanting something and slid around the side of the table and just stood there. The item was a gauntlet. Issac leaned in close to the intricate glyph that was etched onto the back of the metal hand. ¡°Activate.¡± Issac said. The gauntlet glowed for a moment... and then imploded as if it was a soda can and all the air had been sucked out of it. ¡°Ah, dammit.¡± Issac crumpled up the sheet of parchment he had in his hand and threw it across the room and into a pile of similarly crumpled balls of parchment. ¡°I didn''t think Dark Magic could be imbued like that.¡± Ren said and poked the collapsed metal glove with a finger. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Issac jumped away from the table and clutched his chest. ¡°By the love of...¡± Issac shook his head. ¡°Ren! What the hell are you doing?¡± ¡°I came to visit.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s been a while since I''ve been here.¡± Teepo chittered in delight because he always enjoyed when Ren unintentionally scared people. Issac calmed down and came back to the table. ¡°Just a visit?¡± Issac asked. ¡°You don''t have any questions?¡± Ren thought about it.¡°Actually... I do.¡± Something had been nagging at Ren for a while, now. ¡°When you first told me about enchanting, you said that the enchanment was permanent. I figured out how to activate them without hitting them on something, but how do you turn them off?¡± Ren remembered that he and Aimus had worked really hard to soak every tree with water and then disenchant each rune Ren had placed. It seemed like a difficult thing to do... especially if it had to be done each time. The same thing for at the campsite and when Ren was waiting for Lucy. It was a waste of mana, too. You only get back a fraction of what was put into an enchantment when it was absorbed again. ¡°Oh, that? Just say ''Deactivate''.¡± Issac said and took out another sheet of parchment. Ren just stared at Issac as Issac drew another intricate glyph on the paper. ¡°You... you''re not kidding, right? Just saying ''Deactivate'' will stop the enchantment?¡± Issac nodded and kept drawing. Ren thought about it some more. Well, I guess that would make sense if ''Activate'' starts the enchantment without having to touch it. Ren laughed. I should have known it would be that simple.
Stat Change!
You have gained some understanding about basic enchanting. Wisdom +1
¡°Can anyone do it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Activating and Deactivating, I mean?¡± ¡°No. Unless you give whatever you''re enchanting the impression of who you are making it for, only the enchanter can deactivate it.¡± Ren thought about that... and figured he should get a message to Aimus somehow to tell him he can deactivate the water rock Ren had given him and didn''t have to break it to get it to stop. Then another thought occured to Ren. ¡°So... how do rings work?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Hm?¡± Issac said and continued drawing. Ren was watching Issac work, but couldn''t make heads or tails out of whatever it was that Issac was drawing. ¡°Ah. You remember the simple copper ring I gave you?¡± Issac said. Ren nodded, took out the ring, and placed it on the table. ¡°If you just enchant something with defense in mind, it will always be ''on'' and protect the wearer.¡± Issac said and picked up the ring. ¡°If you try to put an offensive component into it, there''s a good chance it will take the finger of whoever''s wearing it.¡± ¡°Really? Why?¡± Ren enquired. ¡°It''s difficult to direct an enchantment once it''s activated.¡± Issac said and Ren nodded. Issac smiled. ¡°I see you''ve had some experience with it, then.¡± Ren nodded again. ¡°An enchantment emanates outwards. On a ring, which is round, it will go outwards, and possibly inwards, in all directions. Some rings are flat on the inside, but the rounded edge of the ring still touches the finger. That''s why protections or enhancements are usually cast on them.¡± Issac said and put the ring down on the table next to Ren, and started drawing again. I guess that''s why Issac had used the fire example when he said if you enchanted something with just ''fire'', whoever wore it would more than likely just light themselves on fire.Ren thought about it. I wonder if it would work if there was a raised flat area on the front of the ring?Ren pondered. ¡°Why not ask?¡± Teepo said. Issac said I should be finding stuff out like this for myself. He''s given me more help than he realizes. Ren thought to Teepo. I''ll do some experimenting with it later. Issac finished his drawing and turned around to get another metal gauntlet. Ren activated Decipher and stared at the drawing. Ren could see the Dark rune mixed throughout, but that was all he could make out. This is definitely at least an Expert glyph.Ren thought. Issac put the gauntlet on the table, stared at the drawing, and placed a hand on it. ¡°What are you trying to do? Increase the impact of a punch or the swing of a weapon?¡± Ren asked. Issac turned his head to stare at Ren as the glyph etched itself on the metal glove. ¡°How did you figure that out?¡± Issac said, a little shocked. Ren shrugged. ¡°I saw the Dark rune in your drawing. Since it manipulates gravity, either you''re making it so that whoever uses the glove can either punch really hard, or swing a sword hard enough to do more damage.¡± ¡°Yes, that''s exactly right.¡± Issac said.
Notice!
You have discerned the nature of an enchantment using only a single clue. Intelligence +1
¡°It''s a special order. I''ve been working on it all night and I can''t get it to work.¡± Issac said. Ren leaned in and stared at the drawing. Nope, still nothing new.¡°Well, I know you aren''t going to tell me what''s in this new glyph... otherwise you''d be giving away some of your best secrets.¡± Ren said and smiled as he stood up straight. ¡°But... if it was me... I''d have a good portion of the runes or glyphs as reinforcement for the glove... maybe a third? Another good portion as protection... not for the person, but for the glove since it''s going to be taking the brunt of the punishment... and the rest as Dark runes or glyphs.¡± Issac stared at Ren like he had never seen him before. ¡°What... what made you come up with that mixture?¡± ¡°If all you put on it was mixes of Dark runes, then that would have been all I saw. It wasn''t. I couldn''t make anything else out, though... so it made me think of what else should be included. I haven''t seen anything even close to what you have here...¡± Ren said and waved at the drawing. ¡°...so I just thought about how I would do it.¡± Ren shrugged again. ¡°If the person is strong enough to use the glove in the first place, then it''s not the hand that needs to be protected. It''s the glove.¡± Issac picked up the piece of parchment with the glyph on it, then crumpled it up and tossed it with the others. Ren watched as the parchment landed near the pile and Issac took out another piece. ¡°You know... you could have just flipped that over and used the other side.¡± Ren said. Issac laughed. ¡°Mindful of my wasteful ways, are you?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I guess someone has to rein in your appetite for destruction. It might as well be me.¡± Issac laughed again and clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°Naming you my novice was a better choice than I could have imagined.¡± Issac said and nodded to the gauntlet. ¡°Go ahead. Dismantle it.¡± Ren stared at Issac, who smiled. ¡°There''s only a slight chance you may learn something from it; but since it''s here in my shop, and I''m letting you do it... I''d say the odds are pretty good.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Ren reached out a hand and touched the metal glove where the enchantment was. The glyph glowed for only a second and then broke apart.
Notice!
You have learned a new glyph: Augment
¡°Was it something good?¡± Issac asked with a smile on his face. Ren took out his Book of Runes and Issac''s eyes widened at it''s doubled size. He''s already past Intermediate Level 5? Ren flipped through the pages and Issac averted his gaze. Issac was sure there wouldn''t be anything in it that he hadn''t seen before, but it was respectful to not stare at another''s hidden work. Ren got to the end of the single rune pages and read the new rune.
Augment
This rune adds +1 to any stat specified at the time of enchantment.
Ren''s eyes bulged and told Issac what it said. ¡°Yes, defintely something good.¡± Issac said. Ren did his glyph imagining and made the double, triple and quadruple rune glyphs to fill the page in only a moment. Issac couldn''t help but stare at how fast Ren had done it and forgot that he wasn''t supposed to be looking into Ren''s book. Ren touched the tarnished copper ring that was still on the table and tried to use the new glyph that combined 4 of the Augment runes. ¡°Ren, don''t!¡± Issac said, but it was too late. The copper ring glowed for only a moment... and then it melted. The smell of burning wood filled the little shop quickly and Issac poured some water on the copper puddle. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°Only certain materials can hold higher level glyphs.¡± Issac shook his head. ¡°That old ring would barely hold a double rune glyph, let alone one with 4.¡± Ren tried to pry the copper from the desk with his fingers, but it was stuck tight. Ren equipped his blacksmith''s belt and used a chisel to pry up the melted metal. Underneath was a black and charred pit about a quarter of an inch deep. Ren stored the copper and the blacksmith''s belt into inventory. ¡°Just be more careful in the future. I''d use iron if you want to do more powerful glyphs on a ring.¡± Issac said and then drew a glyph on the parchment. Ren followed Issac''s movements but still couldn''t tell what it was. Since most of it was made of glyphs Ren hadn''t seen before, he assumed that he wouldn''t learn anything else. Once the glyph was completed, Ren recognized the new rune he had received as well as the Protection and Dark runes. Issac held onto the parchment and placed a hand on the gauntlet. The glyph etched itself onto the metal glove and Issac leaned in closely. Ren, just as curious as Issac, leaned in as well. ¡°Activate.¡± Issac said. The glyph glowed and Issac and Ren watched for the uncoming implosion... that didn''t happen. ¡°Yes!¡± Issac said and raised his hand in the air. ¡°Ren, thank you for helping me figure this out.¡± Issac tried to pick up the glove and it didn''t move. ¡°Ugh.¡± Issac grunted. ¡°Deactivate.¡± Issac picked up the glove and put it into a finely carved wooden case and closed it. ¡°I''m sure I would have figured it out eventually; but your insight into making the glove itself stronger instead of the person wearing it, made it a whole lot easier. Thank you.¡± ¡°They don''t call me your novice for nothing.¡± Ren grinned. Issac looked outside and saw that dawn was apparoaching. ¡°Well, it looks like I spent yet another whole night working.¡± Issac chuckled. ¡°It''s the bane of our existence, isn''t it?¡± Issac said and winked at Ren. ¡°Time. It waits for no man.¡± Issac picked up the box and put a lock on it. ¡°I''ve got to get this sent off right away.¡± Issac said and walked to the front of his shop. Ren followed quickly and stepped out just before Issac shut the front door. ¡°See you later.¡± Ren said and watched Issac walk off down the street. ¡°I probably should have asked him where to send messages.¡± Ren shrugged and turned around. Donan''s shop was open now and Ren hurried over. ¡°Good morning!¡± Ren said. Donan jumped and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Jeezus! Ren where did you come from? No, nevermind. Stop sneaking around and get in here.¡± Donan said and Ren walked over to where Donan stood. ¡°I can''t believe it''s still going.¡± Donan said and bent to look at the bottom of the forge. ¡°It''s still just as hot as it was yesterday.¡± ¡°It''ll stay that way, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... if you have to leave the shop and don''t want to worry about it burning down or something, just say ''Deactivate'' and it''ll stop.¡± Donan got near the forge and said ''Deactivate'' and the fire and wind glyphs turned off. The stones were still hot, but it wasn''t running anymore. ¡°Just say ''Activate'' and it''ll start up again.¡± Ren said. ¡°Activate.¡± Donan said and the forge lit again. ¡°Ren, I didn''t say this before. Good work! This is going to save me so much money in coal and trees.¡± Donan said and grinned. The mention of money reminded Ren of the 2 large sacks that Nodal had given Donan. Ren looked around but didn''t see them. ¡°Where did the money go? I hope no one stole it!¡± Donan laughed and clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°Haha! That was 2 days ago, Ren. I put it away, of course.¡± Ren was relieved to hear that. Jumping in and out of the game at different times really was messing up his perception of time. Ren wasn''t sure how he was going to deal with it. Every fourth day in game he had to be logged out to do his physical therapy. If Ren neglected doing therapy too many times, the doctor would take the VR headset away without question. ¡°I suppose you want your share.¡± Donan said and went to the cupboard. ¡°My share?¡± Ren said. ¡°With the cost of the materials, that includes getting it delivered here from the mines, the use of the shop, my mentor''s cut, and the discount... well, I couldn''t charge my own brother full price for them, could I?¡± Donan said. ¡°There''s still quite a bit left over. I think 15% for an assistant is good enough, don''t you?¡± Donan didn''t turn around. Ren looked at Donan''s back. ¡°Well, if we''re dicussing costs... if I hadn''t changed your forge, you would have had a really hard time trying to make all those short swords.... and keeping up with me.¡± Ren said. Donan half turned towards Ren. ¡°I''ll admit it helped.¡± Donan said, reluctantly. ¡°20%.¡± ¡°If I wasn''t here, though... you wouldn''t have completed the order at all.¡± Ren said. Donan turned the rest of the way to face Ren and crossed his arms. ¡°If you''d been here the whole time, I wouldn''t have had to work so hard to get them all done before they were due.¡± Donan said. ¡°18%.¡± Ren thought for a moment. ¡°Well, that''s true. I''ve already apologized and you''ve accepted it, though... you shouldn''t dock points for that.¡± Donan nodded. ¡°On that note... even though I was here, I didn''t have to work as hard as I did, either... or for as long. If I''d set even a slightly longer pace, we never would have made the deadline.¡± Ren said and smiled. Donan raised his eyebrows. ¡°Come on... you know I''m kidding, Donan!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Not once have I ever failed to give it my all, the whole time I''ve worked here.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Donan smiled. ¡°25%¡± Donan said and tossed an already tied bag of money to Ren. Ren caught the bag and then stared at Donan. ¡°But... but...¡± Ren stammered. ¡°I wanted to see if you would defend yourself.¡± Donan smiled again. ¡°You made a good argument in the end.¡± Ren sighed and Donan laughed. Ren opened the bag and dumped the contents into his coin pouch and tossed the empty bag back to Donan. Ren looked at his coin pouch contents and nearly fainted. Ren had received 1000 gold, which then became 10 Platinum coins. ¡°D-D-Donan!¡± Ren stuttered. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Do the math.¡± Donan said. ¡°1000 short swords at 10 gold each. It''s normally 15 but I gave my brother a 5 gold discount. That makes it 10,000 gold. Half taken away for materials and delivery, 1% of every sale for my mentor, 1000 gold... and that leaves 4,000 gold. Your cut was 25% of that.¡± Ren was left speechless. So... much... gold! ¡°What... what... what am I going to do with it all?¡± Ren finally said. ¡°I''m sure you''ll think of something.¡± Donan said and smiled. ¡°Is... is this normal? Huge orders, I mean?¡± Ren asked. Donan nodded. ¡°Once every few months or so, I get an order for shields, or swords, or daggers. Some things are more expensive than others. Daggers? A gold each. Almost no profit in them. Shields? 7 to 10 gold. Short swords are 15 and long swords are 30. People don''t normally have access to blacksmiths as good as us. Their stuff breaks eventually and they need replacements.¡± Donan said. ¡°Between those orders, I fill anything that''s missing at local armories and stores for a half decent profit. Not as good as selling them direct, but it''s still a good business.¡± ¡°I had no idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I started here, I thought it would be fun to learn everything I could. I didn''t even consider it as a business that made money.¡± Donan laughed and clapped Ren on the shoulder again. ¡°That''s why I liked you, right from the start. You showed me that you had heart and potential. You didn''t think of it as a job at all, did you?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Well, now you know.¡± Donan said. ¡°Want to learn how to make a long sword the normal way, and not cast it?¡± ¡°Can''t I learn both ways?¡± Ren asked, eager to get started. ¡°Of course you can, Ren.¡± Donan said and smiled. ¡°Of course you can.¡± Over the next week, Donan showed Ren how to make everything that could be held in a hand. Daggers, short swords, long swords, great swords, pikes, spears, battle axes, great axes, throwing axes, maces, flails, and even a lance. Lances weren''t used much anymore, but it didn''t hurt to know how to make one anyways. Shields were next, ranging from small bucklers to giant tower shields. Ren learned it all and sucked it up like a sponge. While they had been working, Ren had filled Donan in on everything that had happened while Ren was at the homestead. When Ren got to the part with the dire wolf, Donan stopped working and listened intently as Ren relayed each moment in detail. ¡°I was wondering how you managed to survive.¡± Donan said when Ren finished the story. ¡°You were wondering?¡± Donan nodded. ¡°I noticed your cloak after Nodal came to pick up the short swords and I''ve been curious about it ever since.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you ask?¡± Ren said. Donan smiled. ¡°I figured if I got you talking long enough, you''d eventually tell me about it.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Well, it worked.¡± Donan nodded. ¡°It''s better to have the story offered, instead of nagging for it.¡± Donan said. ¡°It''s a much better story if the teller isn''t reluctant to give the details.¡± It was Ren''s turn to nod. ¡°Now that I think about it, I kinda liked using the mallet. It just... felt right.¡± Ren said. ¡°You wouldn''t happen to have a mold for something similar, do you?¡± Ren asked Donan. ¡°Or where I could maybe make one?¡± Donan shook his head. ¡°The only mold I have is for a bigger normal hammer.¡± ¡°Can I see it?¡± Ren said. Donan got up and went into the back for a few minutes. Donan came back out with a 2 foot by 1 foot stone mold and gave it to Ren. Ren opened it and sure enough, inside was an empty cavity for a hammer that was about twice the size of a normal hammer, with a flat front and a clawed back. There was a metal spacer, so if you wanted a wooden handle instead, you''d put it inside. It didn''t fit Ren''s use very much. Ren would have to find something else that looked closer to what he wanted so it could be modified, or try to make something from scratch. I''ll have to think about that later. Ren thought. There''s something else I want to learn first. ¡°Donan... I''ve been thinking.¡± Ren said. ¡°How do I make armor?¡± Donan grinned. ¡°I''ve been waiting for you to ask that.¡± Another week passed as Donan showed Ren all the different types of armor that could be made and how all the pieces fit together. Lucy only came back in the game for a brief time, and Ren spent several hours with her just walking around the town and pretty much giving Lucy the full tour. After confirming that nothing new was in the Market District, They went back to the blacksmith''s shop and Lucy logged out again. Her new job was taking up all of her time. Ren missed seeing her smile. When Ren told Donan that he had leather pelts, Donan helped Ren make a full set of leather armor. Ren used the dying station to make it a dull red color. Once Ren had the recipe for the full set and could tell where it could be altered, Ren modified it and lined each armor piece with his spider silk cloth after dying it black. It increased the armor''s durability and doubled it''s Defense value. Ren smiled and equipped it. Thick leather boots, leather pants, a leather coat with thick panels on each shoulder, leather gloves, and a leather helmet, but Ren didn''t like how it looked and didn''t equip it. Ren put on his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, with the hood up, and he was fully protected. ¡°Very nice, Ren.¡± Donan said. ¡°You look like an Adventurer. All you''re missing is a weapon.¡± Ren smiled, but Donan couldn''t see it because the hood cast Ren''s face in shadow. Ren put everything into inventory and smiled so Donan could see it. ¡°I have something I want to show you. We''ve been so busy that it slipped my mind until now.¡± Ren said. ¡°You seem to be bad for that.¡± Donan said, teasing. Ren chuckled. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Ren took out the meteoric ore and put it on a bench. Donan stared at it. ¡°I''ve never seen anything like that before.¡± ¡°Really? No old stories or rumors of weird green stones or fire across the sky?¡± Ren asked. Donan shook his head. ¡°You''re gonna love this story, then.¡± Ren said and told Donan the story of the meteor and how Ren found out about it. Chapter 61 - A New Item! Donan sat in silence for a while after Ren told the meteor story. Teepo had been silent, too. Teepo knew some of the story, but not most of it and was just as captured in the tale as Donan had been. Ren wasn''t sure what Donan was thinking about, but Ren didn''t say anything in case Donan needed the silence to think. ¡°If what you said is right... that it was on fire and broke apart... then just trying to smelt it won''t work. It will just absorb the heat and crack again.¡± Donan said. Ren nodded, because he had come to the same conclusion and didn''t know what to do about it. ¡°Then there''s only one solution. You''ll need to make a molten pool of iron and slowly dip it in to melt it.¡± ¡°Won''t that dilute the ore?¡± Ren asked. Donan nodded. ¡°We''ll have to be very careful about the amount of iron we use. Too little, and there won''t be enough molten metal to make a difference. Too much, and it will dissolve and just become an impurity in the iron.¡± ¡°How are we going to find a balance?¡± If Ren understood the problem correctly, this task was going to be a difficult one. Donan waved Ren into the storage area. Ren followed and Donan pointed to a big stack of stone bricks. ¡°Obviously, the forges we have now just won''t do for such a big job.¡± Ren knew how many stone bricks it took to make a normal forge and took 3 times as many, just in case. ¡°It will have to be at least double in size.¡± Donan said and led the way to the middle of the shop and moved the bench that was there with little effort. The bench''s legs made a loud scraping sound as Donan shoved it across the floor and next to the wall of blacksmith tools. ¡°Once it''s built, we''ll have to make a special smelting top for it, to be deep enough for the metal to stay hot enough, but not too shallow that it will spill when we add the meteoric ore.¡± Donan explained. ¡°If my experience is correct, an equal amount of iron to meteoric ore should be enough to do the job.¡± Ren nodded and used the plans for his Modified Enchanted Forge and built it to be just over twice the normal size. Ren had almost taken enough bricks to make it, and only had to go back to get the top ones that needed to be ground down anyways. Once it was completed, Ren enchanted it with double the fire glyphs on the sides and double the wind glyphs on the ends, to ensure that it would produce heat as evenly as possible. If more needed to be enchanted, Ren could always use the top ones that were tilted downwards. Once the big forge was built, Donan and Ren got to work on making a much larger smelting apparatus to cover it. It too a while to figure out how to get one to fit, then to reinforce it enough so that it wouldn''t collapse under the weight of so much molten metal. Hours later, they were finished and had the apparatus mounted safely on the new forge. They stepped back and admired their work. ¡°Is that a monster, or what?¡± Donan said and grinned. Ren wiped sweat off his forehead. ¡°It sure is! I don''t think anyone has ever seen anything like it.¡± Donan nodded. ¡°Well... we might as well fire it up.¡± Donan said and shook his head. ¡°I''m so used to doing so much prep work with coals and oil that just saying ''Activate'' seems like cheat-.¡± The forge lit up at the word ''Activate'' and a blast of heat filled the shop. ¡°Whew!¡± Ren said and stepped back. ¡°I might have overdone it a little with the enchantments.¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Donan said. The smelting apparatus glowed a bright red along the bottom and Donan nodded. ¡°It''s perfect.¡± ¡°Great... now how do we figure out how much iron to use?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That''s the easy part.¡± Donan said and brought over one of the oil barrels they''d used to cool off the short swords. Donan tied a length of rope around the meteoric ore and the barrel cover, then lowered it into the barrel. Donan must have trimmed the cover to fit inside the mouth of the barrel. The oil rose up and coated the inside until it almost reached the top and Donan pulled out the ore and shook it. ¡°This isn''t exact, since some of the oil will stick to what you put in, but it''s close enough to not matter.¡± Donan said and asked Ren to get a pile of his normal quality iron ore bricks. Donan piled what he thought would be enough and lowered it in. The oil didn''t get up to the same level and Ren added more bricks. Once the oil was at the right level, Donan pulled it out and they cleaned off the bricks and the ore. ¡°There we go. A good estimation of how much we need with almost no guessing.¡± Donan said and Ren nodded. They added the iron bricks slowly, letting each one melt in turn. Once all the bricks were in, Donan and Ren skimmed off the imperfections. They let it simmer for a few more minutes and then took the meteoric ore and slowly lowered it into the molten metal. If they slipped now, all of their planning and preparation would mean nothing. The ore slowly began to melt into the molten metal and they lowered it down more. ¡°Easy, now. Be careful.¡± Donan said. Ren nodded and lowered the ore in a bit more. Ren''s arm touched the side of the side of the custom made smelting pot and he hissed, but didn''t jiggle the ore or drop it. Donan heard Ren but didn''t comment. After 5 minutes, all of the meteoric ore was in the smelter and was a nice, flowing liquid and a bright green color. ¡°I''ve never used this ore before, but I think we should only mix it a little bit with the molten iron and then pour. It will give the ore stability, while leaving the majority of the iron in the smelter.¡± Donan suggested. Ren nodded and they stirred it only a few times, and didn''t churn it like a true mixture would need. ¡°Now... what do you want to cast first?¡± Donan asked. Ren didn''t even have to think about it. ¡°A large pickaxe.¡± Donan was going to ask why that and not a sword or something, but then shrugged. Donan got the large pickaxe mold and Ren said to remove the spacer for the wooden handle. Donan widened his eyes. ¡°Ren... no one uses a solid metal pickaxe.¡± Donan said. ¡°The wooden handle helps to absorb the shock of digging.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and smiled. Donan shook his head and did as Ren requested. They poured the molten meteoric ore into the mold and once it flowed out the top they stopped pouring. They watched as the overflow dried and turned into a dull green. ¡°Another minute, I think.¡± Donan said. ¡°Just in case it''s not set inside.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. After another anxious minute, Donan popped the mold and out came a medium green pickaxe with iron swirls throughout. Ren picked it up with his slightly bent tongs and dipped it into the oil barrel. He held it there for a minute and took it out. Ren flicked off the oil and wiped it down. It was a thing of beauty. It looked like marble, except it was green and grey instead of white. ¡°Identify.¡±
Legendary Pickaxe Of Unearthing (Unique)
An ore not of this world has been forged into a digging tool that can cut through the earth like a hot knife through butter. Innate Ability: Mana Absorption - will automatically absorb mana from any source to repair itself. Durability: N/A
¡°Whoa... is this for real?¡± Ren said and marveled at the pickaxe. ¡°Ren!¡± Donan shouted. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°With so much ore out of the smelter, it''s not at an even mix anymore. What else do you want to make before it dissolves?¡± Donan asked. ¡°Oh, right... um... lets do this one again, but I want to modify it a bit.¡± Ren said and stored the pickaxe into inventory. ¡°Modify it? How?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''ll need one of the mace molds. The square one. Then we can pour and I''ll show you.¡± Donan got the square mace mold and Ren put the spacer inside for a wooden handle. They poured the pickaxe mold quickly and then poured the mace mold. Ren let the pickaxe mold set for only a minute and then opened it. ¡°Ren! The head''s not completely set yet!¡± Donan said. ¡°I know.¡± Ren used his tongs to dip the handle of the axe into the oil. ¡°Open the mace mold.¡± Donan opened the mace mold and used his tongs to take it out. It was still mostly a bright orange color and Donan removed the spacer for the handle. Ren gripped the handle of the pickaxe with a gloved hand. The head of the pickaxe was still quite malleable, so Ren jammed the slightly pointed end into the handle hole of the square mace head. It filled the hole easily and Ren tapped the mace head a few times to make sure the metal settled together properly. When it started to cool, Ren stuck it back into the forge and got it hot again. Ren took it out after a few minutes and saw that the seam between the two pieces was nice and closed. Ren waited for a minute or two before dunking it into the oil barrel. ¡°Do you think I should temper it again?¡± Ren asked Donan. ¡°The seam looks clean, so I don''t think it should be necessary.¡± Donan said and smiled. ¡°What made you think of doing something like this?¡± Donan waved at the half-pickaxe, half-hammer. ¡°After we made the first pickaxe, it just hit me that the end would probably fit like a handle... and the only thing you had that was big enough was the mace, so...¡± Ren said. Donan shook his head. ¡°You kids and your crazy ideas.¡± ¡°I was tempted to make plates of it and just attach them to something, but we didn''t have time to do anything else.¡± Ren explained. Donan nodded and looked into the smelter. ¡°Well, it''s a good thing you finished what you did... the last of that ore is pretty much gone.¡± Ren looked into the smelter himself and saw that Donan was right. There was only a small puddle left in the center and then it slowly melted away into the molten iron. ¡°So long, little meteor... but don''t worry. Your story has only just begun.¡± Ren said and Donan chuckled. ¡°Talking to inanimate objects now?¡± Donan said. ¡°Hey... it''s okay to talk to things like that... but if they talk back to you, that''s when you might be in trouble.¡± Ren said and grinned. Donan guffawed and slapped Ren on the back. ¡°That''s true!¡± Now that Ren had a moment to examine it, he looked at what had been created and admired the simplicity of it''s design. I wonder why no one had thought of this before?
Notice!
You have discovered an *UNKNOWN ITEM*, and have earned the priviledge of naming it.
Ren''s eyes widened at the keyboard popup and message. ¡°I get to name it? Wow... that is so cool.¡± Ren said... and then he was stumped. ¡°What the heck am I going to name it?¡± Ren pondered it for a while. ¡°I got it!¡± Ren said and typed in the name. A moment later, another popup appeared.
Great Earthshaking Hammerpick Of Reaping (Heavy, Unique)
An ore not of this world has been forged into an unknown item type. It''s use cannot be defined as it has never been used before. Innate Ability: Mana Absorption - will automatically absorb mana from any source to repair itself. Durability: N/A
¡°Oh... my... GOD!¡± Ren exclaimed. Donan shook his head. ¡°You mean ''gods''.¡± Ren looked at Donan and blinked a few times. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°That''s alright. Just as long as you don''t specifically name one and pray.¡± Donan''s eyes narrowed. ¡°No, I wasn''t praying. I was just excited and it slipped out.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be more careful in the future.¡± Donan nodded. Ren stored the hammerpick and looked at the forge. ¡°You know... now that I''ve got all this iron melted, I''m going to make a few things.¡± Ren opened his Leg Holding Trap recipe and tripled it''s size, so he wouldn''t have to worry about larger creatures escaping the smaller trap. Ren got the big blank mold and make several blanks for the individual pieces, and a rod mold to make the hinges and rivets. Donan watched Ren working and admired Ren''s skill at manipulating the molten metal. Ren made the trap and Donan stared at it. ¡°What are you planning to catch with that?!?¡± Donan exclaimed. ¡°Probably anything bigger than a fox.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m tired of meeting creatures that can pretty much walk over any other trap.¡± Ren remembered that the dire wolf had walked through the woods around Aimus'' homestead and didn''t set off any of the traps there. Ren made another one and put them into inventory. Ren then forged a couple of long swords, a couple of short swords, a couple of medium sized shields, 2 battle axes, and 4 gauntlets. Ren looked back into the forge when he was done and saw there wasn''t much molten iron left. ¡°Donan... do you have any molds for making rings?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Rings? Sure. Just a minute.¡± Donan left his anvil and went into the back room. Donan came back out with several small stone boxes. ¡°Here''s what I have. There hasn''t been much call for them, so I don''t keep them out front.¡± Ren opened them up and looked inside. They were all just regular rounded rings. None with a raised front. ¡°Donan... can one of these be altered? I dont want to try chipping away at it and break it if it can''t.¡± ¡°I don''t see why not. Don''t use your own chisel. Use the small chisels over on the bench under the tools.¡± Donan said and turned back to his anvil. Ren took one of the ring molds and went to the indicated bench. There were several small chisels there and Ren took up one and set the mold down. Ren carefully marked where he needed to cut to get a raised flat surface. Since each half of the mold covered half of the ring, half of each raised edge needed to be cut from each side. Ren got to work. After some cursing and finger sucking when Ren missed the end of the chisel and hit his thumb instead, Ren finished and took the modified mold over to the furnace. Ren took a small crucible to dip into the smelter and had a crazy thought. Oh, this is a really crazy idea. Ren grinned and took out a handful of gold coins and dropped 5 of them into the smelter. ¡°REN!¡± Donan shouted. ¡°Ahh!¡± Ren said and turned around. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Did you just put money into the smelter?!?¡± Donan nearly shouted. ¡°Y-yes.¡± Ren answered. ¡°Why are you throwing money away?¡± ¡°I''m not!¡± Ren said and turned back to the smelter to stir the mixture. ¡°I''m making gold rings.¡± ¡°Gold coins can''t be melted into rings. It''s too soft and...¡± Donan looked into the smelter and Ren had mixed the iron and gold together. ¡°Huh. Look at that.¡± ¡°It was your idea.¡± Ren said to Donan. ¡°I saw there wasn''t much left after I made a few things, and then remembered you saying iron would stabilize the mix... and just using iron for a ring didn''t seem right if I''m going to enchant them.¡± Ren poured the molten gold into the molds, including his modified one and let them set for a few minutes. Ren opened them and they were a dull gold color. Ren poured the molds again and while he waitd for them to cool, polished one of the rings. It became a bright gold color and gleamed in the light. ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said and showed it to Donan. Donan shook his head. ¡°It''s one thing to waste money buying rings... but to use money to make them? That''s a new one.¡± ¡°I was going to use silver at first, but silver doesn''t look as pretty as gold.¡± Ren said and grinned. Ren finished up another pouring and the smelter was empty. Ren ended up with 3 raised platform rings, and 9 regular gold rings. Ren filed down the mold lines on the rings and them polished them to a shine. ¡°Now... what should I enchant them with...¡± Ren said and Donan interrupted him. ¡°It''s getting dark, Ren.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I better head out, then.¡± Ren said and stored the rings. ¡°See you in a couple days, Donan.¡± Donan nodded and Ren walked out of the shop and around the corner to Lucy''s phantom form and sat down. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Chapter 62 - Let Them Eat Cake Ren woke up in the real world. Denise took the VR headset and set it on the rollaway table next to the laptop. ¡°Good morning.¡± Denise said and smiled. Ren smiled back. ¡°Morning.¡± ¡°Are you up for breakfast yet?¡± ¡°Sure. I just have to use the bathroom.¡± Ren said and got out of bed. ¡°Do you need a hand?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Nope, I got this.¡± Ren said and slowly walked to the bathroom. His knee had recovered really well the last two weeks and he''d been walking with it unaided since yesterday afternoon. Ren did his business, washed his hands and then went back to bed. Ren couldn''t stay on the knee for long, but it was definitely getting better. Denise was waiting with breakfast and Ren ate it without comment. Denise had been a little distant since that incident where she had fallen asleep while watching him and he''d missed a meal. Ren had tried his best to try and undo any resentment she may have had against him, but so far Ren hadn''t had any luck with that. No matter how much he tried to tease and cajole, Denise avoided his attempts. She must have gotten in trouble for it. Ren thought as Denise took the tray away. About 15 minutes later, Ren got ready for physical therapy and Denise took him there in a wheelchair. Ren did his regular routine and more leg and knee strengthening exercises. When Ren was done, Denise took him back to his room and Ren got a shower. It was the first time in almost a month that Ren was able to keep himself standing without assistance and reveled in the feeling. After the shower, Denise helped dry Ren off and Ren walked slowly to the bed. A nice shirt and a pair of loose pants was there next to his underwear and socks, instead of a pair of pajamas. ¡°Denise... what''s this?¡± Ren asked, pointing to the outfit. ¡°Just a surprise.¡± Denise said, coyly. Ren narrowed his eyes but Denise laughed. ¡°Just get dressed. You''ll see.¡± Ren shrugged and put on the clothing, with some help. Ren still couldn''t put all of his weight on his knee yet... and didn''t want to undo his recovery by hurting it again. Once Ren was dressed, Denise told him to get back in the wheelchair. Ren''s eyes widened and sat down. Denise smiled and pushed Ren out into the hallway and down to the elevator. ¡°Um... Denise... where are we going?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We aren''t going anywhere.¡± She said and hit the button for the first floor. They got in the elevator and it went to the first floor. When the elevator door opened, Denise pushed Ren down the hallway to the main desk and Ren stared at the beautiful blonde woman that stood there in tight denim jeans and a loose t-shirt. ¡°L-L-Lucy!?!¡± ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Lucy said and handed Ren the sign out papers. ¡°Ready to go?¡± ¡°But... but... but...¡± Ren stammered. ¡°Let me guess... you forgot it was time for our monthly outing, didn''t you?¡± Lucy asked a stunned Ren. Ren just nodded and didn''t try to speak. Lucy pointed to the paper and Ren scribbled his name on it. ¡°Great. Let''s go!¡± Lucy said and took the wheelchair from Denise. ¡°We''ll be back in a few hours.¡± Lucy said to Denise who had a big grin on her face. Lucy and Ren took a cab ride to the mall and when they got out of the cab at the entrance, Ren finally got his mouth to work. ¡°Lucy... I haven''t seen you in real life since...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°I know. I''m sorry I haven''t been able to play the game and see you more often than I have, but I''ve been really busy with the new job.¡± Lucy explained as they entered the mall. ¡°I think they''re working me harder because I messed up the regular schedule... but... just because I''m not working on the floor anymore, doesn''t mean we have to stop doing this.¡± ¡°What are you doing, by the way? You haven''t said.¡± Ren commented. ¡°I''m stuck in the basement lab doing all the bloodwork, tissue, urine, and stool samples... day in and day out.¡± Lucy said. ¡°It''s actually not too bad. They could have sent me across town to the clinic.¡± Lucy said and shivered. ¡°That place... it kinda scares me.¡± Ren raised his eyebrows because Lucy was one of the strongest people he knew. If something scared her, then it was worth being scared of. ¡°Can I ask why?¡± Lucy sighed. ¡°It''s mostly having to deal with all the needles.¡± Lucy said and saw Ren flinch. Lucy stopped pushing the wheelchair to lean in and give Ren a hug from behind and put her head next to his. ¡°Sorry.¡± Lucy said in apology and her breath caressed Ren''s ear and Ren shivered. Lucy hugged Ren a little tighter, misunderstanding the reason for Ren''s reaction. Ren reached up and held Lucy''s arms with his own for a minute and then let them go. Lucy stood up and pushed the wheelchair. ¡°There''s always a chance that some bloodborne disease is still on the contaminated things when people bring them in for recycling.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Hepatitis, HIV... and even Siphilis.¡± Lucy sighed again. ¡°Then there could be any kind of drug residue that people had put in their bodies.¡± Lucy shook her head. ¡°I think I''d quit before working there. It''s stressful enough just doing the lab work.¡± Ren turned his head to look up at Lucy and saw her face. ¡°Now it''s my turn to say I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and put a hand on hers. Lucy looked at Ren and smiled. It wasn''t the ''light up the room'' smile, but Ren would take it. ¡°Like I told you before, something would have come up eventually... and it was better to have it happen sooner rather than later, when it might have compromised my professional life.¡± Lucy said. ¡°If something had happened before I stopped working there, I don''t think anyone would hire me after that.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Ren nodded and let her hand go. They walked through the mall and made a few new discoveries. They talked about how the game seemed to be in much of the same state as the mall, where it''s only once and a while that you would find something new to look at. They passed by the lingerie shop and Ren quickly glanced up at Lucy to see if she was going to tease him again, but Lucy only blushed a little and they kept going. After a few more stops and some more window shopping, they made it to the food court and had a greasy burger and gravy fries. Ren didn''t eat fast, even though he was pretty hungry. Ren watched Lucy as she ate. What Ren didn''t know was that Lucy was eating slow herself because she wanted to watch Ren eat, too. The meal dragged out and when Ren reached his last french fry, Lucy had only one left, too. The french fry and the gravy was cold, but Ren picked it up and slowly brought it to his mouth. Lucy did the same thing and they both finished at the same time. Lucy snickered and Ren snorted and they both started laughing. ¡°You... you were eating slower... because I was...¡± Ren asked between laughs. Lucy nodded. ¡°And you were eating slower because I was!¡± Lucy said and kept laughing. Ren nodded and they enjoyed the shared funny moment together. Lucy looked around and saw that it was getting late. ¡°We better get back. I don''t have as much leeway to keep you out as I used to.¡± Lucy said. Ren nodded again. They cleaned up their table and tossed the garbage in the trash can. They left the food court and went to the front entrance. Lucy called a cab and they waited in silence, but it wasn''t strained or uncomfortable. Lucy placed a hand on Ren''s shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. Ren reached up with his own hand and took Lucy''s hand in his. They stood there and held hands, not saying a word. It was new and exciting; because they weren''t holding hands for comfort, or as an apology. They were holding hands because they wanted to. The cab came and they took it back to the hospital. Lucy took Ren inside and Ren signed back in. They took the elevator up to Ren''s floor and Lucy pushed the chair to Ren''s room. ¡°Lucy... I... had a great time.¡± Ren changed what he was going to say and his face flushed a little red. Lucy was still behind the wheelchair and she leaned down and gave Ren an intimate kiss on the cheek. Ren''s eyes widened at how nice the kiss was and felt something stir deep down. Ren''s enjoyment started to become apparent and Ren felt Lucy''s lips turn from a kiss into a smile. Lucy stood up, reached for the door handle, and opened the door. ¡°HAPPY BIRTHDAY!¡± The nurses shouted. Ren automatically covered himself and a moment later they all laughed at the utter surprise on Ren''s face. Lucy pushed the chair into the room and Ren was swarmed by the nurses. Even the nurses that were supposed to be on night shift and the ones that were off that day were there. Hugs and kisses were thrown with abandon and Ren caught them all. Ren''s poor brain had nearly been on overload with just Lucy''s kiss... and now there were kisses everywhere. Ren''s nose, cheeks, forehead, and chin were covered in lipstick when the nurses were done. Ren was glad that it didn''t make him ''excited'' like Lucy''s did. ¡°I think one of you got me in the eye.¡± Ren said and smiled. Everyone laughed again. Lucy handed over a handi-wipe and Ren cleaned off as much as he could. Barbara pushed through the other nurses and chuckled. ¡°Let me get that for you.¡± ¡°Thanks, Barbara.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. Lucy handed Barbara another handi-wipe and Barbara made short work of the mess everyone had made on Ren''s face. ¡°There, all clean.¡± Ren opened his eyes and looked around at everyone. Balloons and streamers were hung around the room and there was a cake on the rollaway table. Plates, glasses, forks, potato chips, and several bottles of soda pop were on the dresser. ¡°I...¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know what to say.¡± Lucy knelt beside the wheelchair and put an arm around Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Just say what you feel.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve been here for years.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve known most of you for all that time.¡± Ren took a deep breath. ¡°Some of you have seen me at my worst...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°...and some of you have seen me naked.¡± A couple of the nurses snorted laughter and Denise shook her head for a moment then joined in on the laughter. Ren glanced at Lucy, who was still giving him a one arm hug, and saw her blush. ¡°The best part? Not once in all this time has anyone ever made me feel like I was a burden.¡± Ren said and the laughter died down. ¡°I''ve been through a lot these last few years... and you''ve all been here for me.¡± Ren took another deep breath. ¡°I... I couldn''t have asked for better people to take care of me.¡± Ren waved around the room. ¡°You all go above and beyond what I expect you to do... and now this.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I kinda forgot that it was my birthday today.¡± The nurses laughed and Ren reached up and put a hand on Lucy''s arm and whispered. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren shakily stood. ¡°Thank you, everyone.¡± A moment later the nurses swarmed Ren again; but gently this time, and gave him hugs. Some of the nurses ruffled his hair and others squeezed a little hard, but Ren didn''t complain. Ren climbed onto the bed and they sang ''Happy Birthday''. Ren blew out the candles and Barbara started to cut up the cake. ¡°What did you wish for?¡± Stella asked as she took a piece. Ren shook his head and didn''t answer. Everyone had a nice evening of soda, cake, potato chips, and conversation. Ren asked where the doctor was, and Bonnie said Dr. Hobbard would be by later. Dr. Hobbard came in about 20 minutes later and had a small piece of cake and a glass of soda. The doctor mingled for a few minutes, said ''happy birthday'' to Ren and then left. Ren opened the presents he was given and thanked each person for them. The party broke up an hour later and the nurses waved or hugged Ren goodbye before they left. They trickled away in ones and twos until the only ones left were Stella and Lucy. ¡°I''ve got some paperwork I need to do.¡± Stella said and walked to the door. ¡°I''ll be back in an hour or so.¡± Stella winked at Ren and closed the door behind her. Now it was just Lucy that was left. Ren looked at her, and saw Lucy seemed to be a little uncomfortable. ¡°Is anything wrong?¡± ¡°It depends on how you look at things.¡± Lucy said, looked around at the remains of the party and sighed. ¡°Oh... what the hell.¡± Lucy turned the lock on the door and walked over to the bed. ¡°Scoot over a little.¡± Ren moved over and Lucy climbed onto the bed. Ren''s eyes widened as Lucy laid down so that their heads were next to each other on the pillow. Ren turned on his side to face her, and Lucy did the same, then snuggled up to Ren and looked him right in the eyes. Ren opened his mouth to speak and Lucy put a finger on his lips and shook her head. Lucy moved her finger away and put her lips there instead. For several minutes, all they did was lay there and kiss. Ren didn''t have a lot of experience with it, but he moved his jaw when he thought he should move it, flicked his tongue when Lucy flicked hers, and Ren thoroughly enjoyed his very first make-out session. Ren felt tingly from his head to his toes and his body responded appropriately to the situation. Lucy felt the change, since they were snuggled so closely together. Lucy broke the kiss and giggled a little, then covered her mouth in shock. ¡°S-sorry. I''m not laughing at you.¡± Lucy said and kissed Ren quickly. ¡°It''s just... your reaction to my kiss is so... quick and... ah... powerful.¡± Lucy said and blushed a bright red. Ren grinned. ¡°I can''t help it if you have some kind of power over me.¡± Lucy''s face closed down a little. ¡°But... do I?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked, puzzled. ¡°If I was some other girl... would you still react the same way?¡± Lucy asked, remembering Ren and his encounter with the maid in the game. Ren smiled and reached out to run his hand through Lucy''s blonde hair. She had it in a ponytail and Ren undid the clip holding it together. Lucy''s hair fell like a curtain over her shoulder and Ren''s arm and Ren ran his fingers through the freed hair. ¡°Lucy... you are the only one that''s this important to me.¡± Ren said and pushed Lucy''s hair over her ear and Ren caressed the side of Lucy''s face. Lucy closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°You should know by now that I''d be screaming bloody murder if anyone else locked my door and tried to get in the bed with me.¡± Lucy opened her eyes and gave a quick laugh. Ren grinned and Lucy smiled that ''light up the room'' smile. ¡°There''s my favorite smile.¡± Ren said and leaned over to kiss Lucy on the neck. ¡°Birthday wishes really do come true.¡± Chapter 63 - Another Order? Ren nuzzled Lucy''s neck and made her giggle. Ren pushed Lucy''s shoulder a little and Lucy rolled onto her back. Ren was up on an elbow and leaning over Lucy. Ren kissed her on the lips again and slowly reached for the edge of Lucy''s loose fitting t-shirt. Lucy didn''t protest and Ren slipped his hand under the edge of the t-shirt and pulled it gently up and over the mounds of Lucy''s breasts. Ren stopped once he saw Lucy''s bra. ¡°It''s blue.¡± Ren said in awe. Lucy blushed a deep red and nodded. ¡°You... you said... it would bring out the color in my eyes more than red would.¡± Ren looked at Lucy in the eyes and nodded. Ren reached out and ran a hand down the side of Lucy''s face and Lucy closed her eyes. Ren''s hand traveled down Lucy''s neck and over her shoulder. Ren let his fingers play along the shoulder strap and followed it to the main part of the bra. Ren traced the top edge of the bra with his fingertips, barely touching Lucy''s skin along the way. Lucy arched her back and Ren heard her catch her breath as he inadvertently found the edge of the pink part of Lucy''s breast that had peeked out from the bra. Ren leaned in and placed a gentle kiss right next to that spot and Lucy caught her breath again. Ren leaned away, smiled, and ran a finger down to the middle of Lucy''s chest. Ren saw Lucy relax and kept going. Ren traced the slight grove there, down to her belly, and across her belly button. Lucy squirmed a little and Ren had to remember that Lucy was ticklish there. Ren ignored the spot for now and touched the skin at the top of her jeans. Lucy tensed up and Ren took his hand away and grabbed Lucy''s knee. Lucy relaxed again and Ren admired how well Lucy''s jeans fit her. They hugged every curve she had, including between her legs. Ren hadn''t noticed it before; it must have happened when Lucy had pushed herself down the bed, so her head would be at the same height as his. Rather than just shoving his hand in like he wanted to, Ren slid his hand down from Lucy''s knee, along the outside of Lucy''s thigh, and Lucy lifted that knee slightly. Ren found the tiny cell phone in Lucy''s back pocket and continued up to the top of the jeans. Ren pulled his hand around to the front and Lucy''s breathing became ragged. Ren dragged his hand down the front of her leg and back to the knee. Once there, Ren moved his hand to the inside of Lucy''s leg and slowly felt along the inseam of her jeans and approached the promised land. Only an inch away, Lucy took a deep breath but didn''t try to stop Ren. Ren''s heart beat faster and he reached for the spot... *BANG!* ¡°Ow! What the... why is the door locked?¡± Ren snatched his hand away and Lucy rolled out of the bed and pulled down her top as she stood up. Lucy was slightly out of breath, just like Ren. Lucy grabbed the hairclip Ren had put on the bed between them, and fixed her hair up quicker than Ren could see. Lucy grabbed a handi-wipe and tossed it to Ren, who immediately understood and wiped off his lips and face. Lucy did the same to her lips, unlocked the door, and opened it to a disgruntled looking Bonnie. ¡°I was supposed to check and see if Ren wanted anything to eat.¡± Bonnie said and rubbed her nose, then checked her arm. Giggling could be heard from the nurse''s station and Lucy looked over to see several heads poking around the corner, the middle one was Stella. Lucy shook her head and turned around. ¡°Ren, are you hungry?¡± Lucy asked. Ren had stayed on his side to hide what would be quite obvious if he was on his back. ¡°After what I just had? I don''t know if I could survive another taste.¡± Ren said and smiled. Bonnie shrugged. ¡°I''ll check again later, then.¡± Bonnie said and walked away without coming into the room and didn''t see Lucy''s face turned a bright red color. Lucy shut the door and just stood there. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Don''t say it.¡± Ren said and sat up on the bed. ¡°You don''t know what I was going to-¡± Lucy started and Ren cut her off. ¡°It''ll be something along the lines of, ''we went too far'' or ''we shouldn''t do this here'' or ''I can''t believe we just did that''.¡± Ren said in a serious voice. ¡°How...¡± Lucy said. ¡°I had some of the same thoughts.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then...¡± ¡°No. I don''t want to hear those words from you.¡± Lucy''s eyes widened at Ren''s commanding tone. Lucy hadn''t heard Ren use that tone since that man had assaulted them at the mall. ¡°I don''t care what ''could'' have happened. All that matters to me is what ''did'' happen... and I will never regret being allowed to be near you like that.¡± Ren looked down at his hands and opened and closed them repeatedly. ¡°That you''d let me touch you with these hands... and not cringe or flinch when I did...¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Lucy spoke in a soft voice. ¡°It was the best present I''ve ever gotten, Lucy.¡± Ren said then moved over to the side of the bed to sit on the edge, letting his legs hang down. Lucy walked over to the bed and glanced down at Ren''s legs. Ren moved a knee to either side of Lucy''s hips and Lucy stepped close enough to cuddle. ¡°Does that mean you didn''t like my other present?¡± Lucy asked. Ren smiled and glanced at the small box that was placed away from the others. Ren opened it again and took out the wristwatch inside and put it on. It had the game day hours marked on it as well as the regular time. ¡°I''ll treasure it always... just like I treasure you.¡± Ren said. Lucy snorted a laugh and shook her head. ¡°That was pretty corny.¡± Ren cupped the side of Lucy''s face with one hand and pulled Lucy closer with the other. ¡°You bring out the best in me.¡± Ren said and grinned as Lucy had a good feel of just how much ''best'' there was. Lucy blushed hard and then Ren kissed her. During another short make-out session, Ren had rubbed his hands slowly around the bottom edge of the back pockets on Lucy''s jeans, lightly caressing her while they kissed. Lucy stopped the kiss and said that she had to go, and Ren nodded. Ren pulled his hands back to a more respectable position on Lucy''s hips. Ren didn''t try to repeat his earlier attempt to touch Lucy in the front, though. Lucy pulled away from Ren''s hold and started to walk to the door. Ren caught Lucy''s hand and pulled her back. Lucy gave an appropriate little yip when it happened and Ren kissed her again. Lucy was left a little breathless afterwards. ¡°Making out with you was... well, it was amazing.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That last kiss was just in case I have to wait another month before I can kiss you again.¡± Ren said and let Lucy go. Lucy blinked a couple of times and then nodded. ¡°I... um... I''ll see you later, Ren.¡± Lucy said, then walked across the room and opened the door. Ren had watched her walk and smiled. Those jeans are definitely a perfect fit. Ren thought and waved to Lucy when she turned around to shut the door. Ren slid off the bed and went to the dresser and took out a set of pyjamas. Ren needed to use the bathroom and carried his pyjamas with him. Ren hung the pyjamas on the back of the door and used the bathroom. When he was done, Ren washed up and unbuttoned his shirt. Ren winced when the shirt slipped off his shoulder and he caught it before it fell to the floor. Ren turned around and saw his reflection in the mirror over the sink. Small light bruises peppered his back and arms where the nurses had hugged him a little too hard. Ren looked down at his chest and saw a nameplate shaped bruise starting to form. Ren poked it and sighed. It was still worth it to make everyone so happy. Ren thought and finished getting changed, leaving his outfit hanging on the back of the bathroom door. Ren went back into his room and climbed into bed. It had been a long day and Ren was exhausted all of a sudden. It was a good tired, where you knew you were going to feel better after a nice sleep. Ren smiled and drifted off into unconsciousness as he imagined Lucy had come back into the room and wanted to keep making out... and do a few other things. A short time later, Stella came into the room and saw that Ren was fast asleep. Stella had hoped that sending Bonnie in when she did that Bonnie would have caught Ren and Lucy doing something unprofessional, so Stella could tease Lucy relentlessly about it. Bonnie had said they both still had their clothes on, though. Stella sighed. Maybe next time. Stella thought and grinned as she tucked a blanket over Ren and turned off the lights. Barbara''s shift starts soon. She''s going to have an easy night, I think. Barbara came in half an hour later and sat down next to Ren''s bed. Barbara smiled. Ren was so happy today! Barbara thought. I''m glad I could get all the girls in for the party. Ren woke up a few hours later and Barbara gave him a glass of water. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Barbara asked. Ren shook his head and passed back the empty glass. ¡°I was more tired than I thought.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t think I even dreamed this time.¡± Barbara nodded because she remembered some of the dreams Ren had. Those were not good nights for either of them. ¡°How are you feeling now?¡± Barbara asked. Ren took a deep breath and flexed his arms. ¡°Actually, I feel pretty good.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°Are you up for watching a bit of tv?¡± ¡°Sure. Is there anything good on?¡± ¡°Is there ever anything good on?¡± Barbara said and laughed. ¡°Good point.¡± Ren tucked his pillow behind him so he could sit up. ¡°Let''s browse and see what we can find.¡± They surfed the channels for a while and hit a funny clip show. They tried to keep their laughter under control because it was late at night, but some of the things they saw were just too funny to keep it to themselves. After that show, they watched a night-time talk show for a while and when it was over, Barbara turned the television off. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± Barbara said. Ren widened his eyes. ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡± ¡°For letting us throw you a party.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Most teenagers hate birthday parties, and yet every year you don''t complain or get mad when we fuss over you like this.¡± ¡°Barbara...¡± Ren said. ¡°You haven''t played your VR thing since early this morning.¡± Barbara said. ¡°And I thought we''d have a hard time trying to drag you away from it long enough to feed you a piece of cake.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°You haven''t looked for it all day. Not even after the party.¡± Ren''s face flushed red a little when he remembered what he was actually doing after the party. ¡°You didn''t even have to ''stay here'' after we surprised you.¡± Barbara said and put a hand on Ren''s arm. ¡°You could have escaped us by just playing your game. So... thank you.¡± ¡°I have just as much fun spending time with you, as you do with me.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You''d call me an ass in front of everyone if I tried to play a game and ignored everyone that was here.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Now it''s my turn to thank you.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Barbara asked. Ren chuckled. ¡°You think I don''t know that it was you who set all this up?¡± Ren waved at the party decorations. It was Barbara''s turn to widen her eyes. ¡°You wouldn''t let anyone else touch this room without your permission.¡± Barbara smiled and nodded. ¡°So... thank you.¡± Ren said and held Barbara''s hand for a moment before letting it go. ¡°Since I can''t leave the room in the middle of the night so you can gather everything up without me seeing it...¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°...pass me the VR headset and I can get out of your way.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Barbara laughed. ¡°Okay, you caught me.¡± Barbara handed over the VR headset. Ren pushed his pillow flat again and put on the headset. ¡°You''ll only have one in-game day before you have to log back off for therapy, though.¡± Barbara said. Ren nodded. ¡°If you''re gone before I wake up...¡± ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow night.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren entered the game sitting next to Lucy. Ren smiled at Lucy''s still form and crossed his legs. Hey, Teepo! ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± Where are you? ¡°In Donan''s back room. You should see some of the things he has in here.¡± Teepo said. Ren chuckled. That''s okay, Teepo. If it''s something Donan thinks I need to see, I''ll get to see it eventually. Have you been enjoying yourself? ¡°I sure have! There''s so many nooks and crannies in here.¡± Teepo said, excidedly. I''m sorry I''ve been kinda stuck here the last 2 months. ¡°That''s okay. The life of an Adventurer takes turns that no one can expect. It''s why I wanted to come along in the first place.¡± Teepo responded. Thanks, Teepo. You can get back to exploring. ¡°Get back to it? I didn''t stop.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Ren smailed and took out the Legendary Pickaxe. Ren was tempted to try it out. I shouldn''t do anything like that in town... I might get banned. Ren thought. The pickaxe slipped a bit in his hand and Ren frowned. Oh, that just won''t do. No, sir. Ren opened his inventory and looked for his bolt of spider silk cloth. Ren had used more than two thirds of it with the sets of clothes he''d made, then lining the inside of the leather armor, and the tent. The tent! Ren took out the remains of the tent and the portable tailor''s kit. Ren cut up the tent into even strips 2 inches wide until he got to a wide section. Ren looked down at his money pouch and then at Lucy. Ren couldn''t see it, but Lucy only had starting items anyways so Ren used the last of the tent to make another high quality money pouch. Ren still had lots of straps to cover the handle, so Ren took out the portable dying statio and dyed the strips of cloth an appropriate green color. Ren folded the strips of cloth in half lengthwise and sewed it together with the spider silk thread. When Ren was done, he had several really long 1 inch strips of double thick spider silk cloth. Ren wrapped it around the end of the pickaxe handle and tied it. Ren sewed it together to stop the knot from coming loose and slowly wrapped the strip of cloth around the handle at an angle, to overlap each wrap with a little cloth and kept the tension on it. Ren went almost all the way up the handle and stopped. Ren tied it, cut off the excess, and sewed it just like the other end. Ren picked the pickaxe up and felt how the handle sat in his hand, and shook his head. Ren took another long strip and tied it at the top end of the other wrap, sewed it and did counter wraps back down the handle until he got to the bottom and tied it off. A bit of sewing later, and Ren was done. Ren lifted the pickaxe again and it felt perfect.
Notice!
You have used your sewing knowledge to enhance the effectiveness of a superior tool. Intelligence +1
Ren examined the pickaxe to see how it changed.
Legendary Pickaxe Of Unearthing (Unique)
An ore not of this world has been forged into a digging tool that can cut through the earth like a hot knife through butter. A highly durable cloth has been wrapped around the handle to provide a suitable grip. Innate Ability: Mana Absorption - will automatically absorb mana from any source to repair itself. Strong Grip: 50% Bonus to hold on if handle starts to slip. Durability: N/A
Ren smiled and put the pickaxe away. Ren took out his hammerpick and did the same process again. Ren didn''t get another popup, though. I guess doing it twice doesn''t deserve another Intelligence point. Ren put away the hammerpick, the tailor''s kit, and the strips of cloth that were left. Ren sat there for a moment and looked through his inventory.
INVENTORY
Money
Superb Spider Silk Coin Vault
Copper: 25Silver: 20Gold: 40Platinum: 12
Items
Water SkinCrude Iron DaggerTravelling Clothes (HQ)High Elven Uniform (E)
Tailor KitAlchemy KitDye StationCraft Station
Blacksmith BeltLibrary CardBedrollLantern
Rations: 5 DaysLongsword (2)Short Sword (2)Medium Shields (2)
Battle Axe (2)Gauntlets (4)Rings (9)Rings-Modified (3)
Book of RunesSunflowers (20)PickaxeShield (M-Gold)
Spider Fang: 78Spider Silk: 22Poison Gland: 48Rat Claws: 95
Rat Teeth: 120Rat Tails: 150Wooden Shields: 19Iron Daggers: 28
Pet RockBat Wing (I): 100Bat Leather: 70
Supurb Spider Silk Cloth (1 Bolt)Spider Silk Thread: 1/3 Spool
Spider Silk String: 1 SpoolSpider Silk Cloth (sewn strips):3
Spider Silk Cloth (scraps)Cloth (scraps)
Specialty Items
Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak (equipped)Crown of the Beetle King (equipped)
Legendary Pickaxe of UnearthingGreat Earthshaking Hammerpick of Reaping
Leather Armor (equipped)
Potions:
Health: 10Mana: 3Poison (weak): 1Paralysis: 2
Health (weak): 0Mana (weak): 0Fake Poison: 1Antidote (weak): 0
Health Herbs: 120Mana Herbs: 150Poison Herbs: 50Antidote Herbs: 50
Potency Berry: 300
Vials
Poison: 1EX Pain: 1Antidote: 2Moth Dust: 3
Ren chuckled at everything that he had. And this is after giving back all those tools I was holding for Aimus. Ren saw the gold rings and took one out, along with the Book of Runes. Ren flipped through the pages to the Dark rune. After everything Ren had done in the last few game months, he hadn''t gotten one bit stronger. It was time to change that. Ren enchanted the 4 rune glyph on the ring and saw it etch itself into the surface of the ring. It immediately felt heavy in Ren''s hand and Ren smiled when he examined it.
Golden Ring of Encumberance (Uncommon)
This ring will increase the pull of gravity on you by 16%
Ren put it on and took out 5 more rings. Ren enchanted each with the same glyph and put them on after using Identify on them. They were all ''uncommon'' and had similar names; Difficulty, Weight, Unmoving, Resistance, and Hinderance... and gave the same ''bonus''. In total, ''Gravity'' now pulled Ren down at 96%... making him almost twice his normal weight. Ren tried to stand and fell back against the wall. A loud crack came from the wall, but Ren regained his balance before anything else happened. Ren closed his fists and stood up straight. Ren didn''t dare try to take a step. It was taking all he had trying not to collapse to the ground. A little too much to start, I think. Ren thought and absorbed two of the enchantments. Ren felt the pull lessen enough and took a deep breath. That''s better. 4 rings at 16% is... 64%. Ren took a step and his body remembered it clearly. No way! Ren thought. It feels like my real body! Ren took another step, and then another. Ren eventually walked all the way down the street to the closest east gate and came back to the spot beside Lucy. Ren was tired just from that small amount, but he wasn''t giving up.
Notice!
Your hard work has allowed you to overcome a small amount of your burden. Strength +1
Ren grinned. It''s working! For the next hour, Ren walked up and down the street. Once the hour had passed, Ren could walk the whole way to the gate and back at an almost normal pace. Ren also added a point to Endurance and another to Strength. This... is going to take a while. Ren thought. Ren walked past Donan''s door again and Donan hollered. ¡°Ren! Get in here!¡± Ren went inside and Donan stared at him. ¡°Is everything alright? You look like you''re having trouble standing up.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Everything''s fine. I just enchanted a couple of rings and was testing them out.¡± Ren said and held up his hands to show off the rings. Donan shook his head. ¡°You can play on your own time. I just got another big order.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°What is it? Longswords? Pikes?¡± Ren said, excited. ¡°Shields.¡± Donan said. ¡°500 by the end of the week.¡± ¡°Are we casting or forging?¡± Ren asked. ¡°They want forged.¡± Donan said and sighed. ¡°They said the casts were too brittle and didn''t last long, even with repairing.¡± ¡°Is it your brother''s order?¡± ¡°No... so I can at least charge full price.¡± Donan said. Ren thought it out. ¡°If you charge the full 10 gold per shield, half of the cost is for materials and delivery, with 1% for your mentor leaves 1,500. 25% for me... you''re only getting 1,125 gold to keep.¡± Ren said. ¡°If we''re forging, that''s going to be at least triple the time for folding and hammering.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Donan, you''re almost losing money that way.¡± Donan nodded. ¡°Well, the job''s not going to do itself while we just stand here.¡± Ren said and smiled. Donan slapped Ren on the shoulder and Ren went down onto one knee. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°It''s okay, Donan.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°I just wasn''t ready for that.¡± Donan squinted his eyes at Ren and Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve already sent an order to the mine. They said that it''ll take 2 days to get the ore here.¡± ¡°2 days?¡± Ren stared at Donan. ¡°That''s no good. We won''t have enough time left to smelt the ore and forge the shields... not even if we just cast them!¡± Donan nodded. Ren stared at his hands and saw the 6 rings he still wore, 4 of which still had Dark enchantments... and a wickedly neat idea formed in his head. ¡°Donan I need a piece of parchment, preferably a thin one.¡± Ren said. Donan went and got a small piece and handed it to Ren. Ren took it to the bench by the wall and brought out his Book of Runes. Ren flipped to the Dark rune and very carefully drew it on the paper. After several comparisons and slight corrections, Ren had accurately drawn it. Ren put the book away and flipped the parchment over. Unfortunately, the rune couldn''t be seen. ¡°Damn... the paper is too thick.¡± Ren held it up and could slightly see through it but that wasn''t good enough. Ren looked around the shop and thought. A grin spread across Ren''s face as his gaze found the oil quenching barrels. Ren went to the barrel and dipped the tips of his fingers in it. Ren went back to the bench and put the parchment face down and starting from the center, gently rubbed a small amount of oil on the paper with his index finger. The oil soaked in and a few seconds later, Ren could see the middle of the rune. Ren kept gently rubbing outwards from the spot, careful not to tear the paper. Ren had to go back and get a little more oil, but eventually the rune could clearly be seen.
Notice!
You have found an ingenious way of seeing through thick parchment. Intelligence +1 Wisdom +1
Ren dried his hands on a cloth and then imprinted the rune into his mind. Ren took out his Book of Runes and flipped to the page for the Dark rune. Ren took a breath, flipped the next page... and there it was.
Notice!
You have discovered a new rune!
Ren read what it was.
Rune of Antidark
This rune will help lift things out of the Dark. Gravity: -4%
Ren concentrated on the page and made a double, triple, and quadruple glyph appear. Ren turned to Donan and grinned. ¡°I''ll have that ore here as fast as I can.¡± Ren said and put the Book of Runes away. Donan shook his head. ¡°I don''t know what you did there... but you can''t possibly get to the mines and back here with enough ore to make any difference.¡± Ren crumpled the parchment up and tossed it into the trash. ¡°Donan, if I can''t deliver all the ore by tomorrow, it won''t matter if I make it back in time or not.¡± Donan sighed. ¡°Ren, it''s a 2 hour cart ride... and that''s if it''s empty.¡± Ren reached up and put a hand on Donan''s shoulder. ¡°I won''t let you down.¡± ¡°Alright, then. Go.¡± Donan said. ¡°I''ll start working with the blanks I have left.¡± Ren turned to leave and looked back at Donan. ¡°About that. I had an idea.¡± ¡°Another one?¡± Donan chuckled. ¡°Let''s hear it.¡± ¡°Use the big forge and smelt as many blanks as you can fit in the thing. Let it simmer for a while... maybe 4 hours or so... but only skim off some of the impurities, not all of them. Stir it up a lot, too. Once that''s done, pour some into the shield mold.¡± Ren said quickly. ¡°But Ren-¡± Donan''s eyes widened as Ren cut him off. ¡°Let it sit for 10 to 15 seconds to only get hard enough to pick up, grab it with tongs and fold it in half, then half again. You''ll have a wedge shape that will be easy to stick into the forge to heat up and then you can hammer it into a shield shape. If you heat that shield up and fold it again, it should be really strong and durable.¡± Ren said. ¡°What made you...¡± Donan tried to say. ¡°It doesn''t matter how I came up with it. It should cut the forging time in half if we cheat and partially cast them first. Just try it once and see how it comes out. If it doesn''t work, you can always do it the old way.¡± Ren said. ¡°I gotta go. See you tomorrow.¡± Ren walked over to the door. ¡°Oh, just in case Lucy comes in, tell her I''ll be right back.¡± ¡°Lucy?¡± Donan said. ¡°You mean that girl you had in here before.¡± Ren nodded. Donan waved and Ren left the shop. Ren equipped his leather armor and Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. Ren walked faster and pushed himself harder to get to the North Gate. Once Ren reached the gate, he was exhausted. Ren stopped to rest and then remembered something. Teepo... I''m heading out of the city and to the mines to get some ore. Want to come along? ¡°Of course I do!¡± Teepo said excitedly. ¡°Summon Teepo!¡± Ren said and tapped the ring. Teepo appeared at Ren''s feet and Ren picked him up. Teepo hopped out of Ren''s hand and into the hood of his cloak. Ren felt a little better, but figured that the extra weight from the ring enchantments would slow him down too much. Ren sighed and enchanted the 2 blank rings still on his fingers with the new quadruple antidark glyphs.
Golden Ring of Assistance (Uncommon)
This ring will assist you in your travels and reduce the pull of gravity by 16%
Golden Ring of Unburden (Uncommon)
This ring will assist you in your travels and reduce the pull of gravity by 16%
Ren''s encumberance dropped down to only 32% and Ren started to run. The heavy training would have to wait. Teepo chittered in delight because it was always fun when Ren ran. Chapter 64 - Back At The Mines Ren ran for all he was worth and after half an hour his Health bar started to drop slowly. Ren kept running and decided to try training Staying Power. When the Health bar dropped below 25% half an hour later, Ren stopped to rest and got a popup.
Stat Change!
Shock Absorption Level 3 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren was surprised at that. Maybe the extra weight is impacting my body more than I thought it would. Ren thought and checked Staying Power. It was up 30%. Only 70% left to reach Level 6. Ren grinned and took out one of the ration packs he''d bought at the general store. Ren ate a small part and waited. The Health Bar increased by 50 points and Ren ate another part. Ren repeated this until his Health bar was nearly full and Ren put the ration pack away. There was still 2/3 of it left. Ren rested for another few minutes, the Health bar topped up, and Ren took off at a fast jog instead of running all out. 3 hours later Ren reached the mines and slowed to a fast walk. Ren had stopped once to recharge and had 1/3 of a ration pack left, Staying Power, Rationing, and Shock Absorption were close to leveling, and he''d gained 2 points each in Strength and Endurance. Ren stored his Leather Armor and the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak into inventory and Teepo crawled to Ren''s shoulder. Ren walked passed the rest tents and the cafeteria to get to the foreman''s office. Ren knocked and heard a voice invite him in. Ren opened the door and stepped inside. ¡°Ren!¡± Earl the Foreman said and got up from behind the desk to shake Ren''s hand. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I came about the order for Donan''s shop.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh? Did he want to change it?¡± Earl asked. ¡°Not the content, just the time. We need it earlier than 2 days.¡± Earl shook his head. ¡°We can''t get that much ore before then.¡± ¡°That''s why I''m here.¡± Ren said. Earl raised his eyebrows. ¡°Are you going to work for me?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll have enough ore to send to the shop by tomorrow.¡± ¡°That''s not possible.¡± Earl said. ¡°If I''m allowed to do a bit of... alterations to the carts...¡± Ren suggested. ¡°What kind of alterations?¡± ¡°Just an enchantment. It should speed things up for you considerably.¡± Earl thought about that for a minute. ¡°How much are these enchantments going to cost me?¡± Now it was Ren''s turn to think. ¡°Well... if I do increase the whole mine''s production by a half-decent percentage... say, 10%... what would that make you?¡± Earl scowled. Ren suspected that it would be quite the amount of money. The mine was always getting demands for more ore. ¡°How about this...¡± Ren said. ¡°...I''ll enchant the carts and work at the mine, and you wave the ore bill for this shipment.¡± Earl''s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. ¡°You...¡± Earl started to bluster. ¡°If you think...¡± Ren raised his hand to stop Earl before he kept going. ¡°We''re negotiating, right? It''s not like there''s a set price for this kind of arrangement, is there?¡± Earl opened his mouth and then closed it. Ren could almost see the wheels in Earl''s head turning the idea around in his mind. ¡°You did help me out that time.¡± Earl huffed. Ren grinned. ¡°Okay. How about this then... I work at the mine today and tonight for food, I''ll enchant the carts for free - if you get the medic to heal me afterwards, and... how about just waving half the fee?¡± Earl sat back against the desk and thought about it. ¡°Before you answer...¡± Ren added. ¡°The enchantments will stay on the carts until they are removed or the carts are too damaged to hold the enchantment anymore.¡± Earl''s eyes widened at that. ¡°You''d make them permanent?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°But that''s...¡± Earl shook his head. ¡°I''m not going to ask how you can do that.¡± Earl stood up and took Ren''s hand. ¡°You have a deal.¡± Ren shook hands and got a popup.
Stat Change!
Haggle Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
Ren smiled and Earl went back behind the desk. Earl wrote something down on 2 pieces of paper and handed them to Ren. ¡°Give the food one to Unice in the cafeteria. She runs the place. The healer should be in the first tent in the rest area. His name''s Mourn.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and left the office. Ren walked over to the cafeteria and asked for Unice. Ren gave her the note and she nodded. ¡°What can we get you?¡± Unice asked. ¡°A bowl of soup would be great, thanks.¡± Ren said. Unice passed Ren a large bowl. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± Ren said and turned to walk to a table. ¡°You have free reign here and all you want is a bowl of soup?!?¡± Unice said, dumbfounded. Ren nodded and sat down to eat. The heavy soup was still bland but as he ate, he got a popup.
Stat Change!
Rationing Level 2 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren''s health bar filled quickly and when he was finished of the soup, he was at 90% Health. Ren brought the empty bowl back and left the cafeteria. All of the staff just stared in wonder at his retreating form. Ren walked over to the first tent in the rest area and tried to knock on the tent pole. The tent flapped and made almost no noise. ¡°Come in.¡± Ren stepped inside and saw a neat desk and boxes of supplies stacked along the side of the tent. Several cots were there and they were all empty. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± Mourn said. Ren handed him the piece of paper and Mourn nodded. ¡°Do you need me to monitor you?¡± ¡°No, that won''t be necessary. I just need healing afterwards.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Mourn nodded and Ren left the tent. Ren was tempted to run through the mines to look for his friend Fritz, but he knew that Fritz would be coming back up soon anyways. Fritz was a fast miner. Ren walked over to the long line of carts and placed a hand on the back side, right above the metal stopper that the carts needed to stop them from crashing into each other. Ren put the quadruple antidark glyph on it and gave it a push. It moved easily. Ren pushed another cart and it didn''t go as far or as fast as the enchanted one. Teepo took this opportunity to go exploring and hopped off Ren''s shoulder. Hey, don''t go far. We''ll be heading into the mines in a while. Ren thought to his friend as Teepo crawled away. ¡°I''ll be good.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Ren shook his head and kept enchanting carts as several miners passed by with full carts to get to the weighing station. Ren watched them as they unloaded the carts and got paid. One man went to take the first cart Ren had enchanted and his eyes widened as the cart seemed to move a little easier than usual. He looked back at Ren and Ren gave him a ''thumbs up'' gesture. A small smile appeared on the man''s face and he pushed the new cart into the mine. Ren kept going and more miners came out of the cafeteria and the mine to take more carts. Ren had a hard time keeping pace, but a lot of the guys had seen Ren working the forge and they waited patiently for Ren to finish each cart. ¡°Hey! What''s the hold up here?¡± A gruff voice said and Ren grinned. Ren stood up from behind the cart he''d just enchanted and saw a very familiar face with a deep red beard and a bald head. ¡°Ha! I should have known it would be you!¡± Fritz bellowed and stepped over next to Ren. ¡°Hi, Fritz.¡± Ren said and reached out a hand. Fritz reached out and instead of shaking hands he clasped Ren''s forearm and Ren did the same. ¡°Well met.¡± Fritz said. ¡°Sorry it took so long for me to get back. There were some things that happened...¡± Ren started to say. Fritz shook his head and let Ren''s arm go. ¡°I know what it''s like to be an Adventurer.¡± Ren was shocked. ¡°You do?¡± Fritz nodded. ¡°Ah, it was years ago...¡± ¡°AHEM!¡± The weighing foreman said loudly. ¡°Oh, right. Sorry.¡± Ren said and nodded to the man. ¡°Fritz, I have to finish enchanting these carts.¡± Ren said to Fritz.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Fritz nodded. ¡°I''ll be off to eat, then.¡± Fritz walked off to the cafeteria. Ren went back to enchanting the carts. Ren hadn''t realized just how many carts there were in the mines. Ren''s Mana Pool steadily drained as Ren kept enchanting. Ren''s Mana Pool was almost empty when Ren finished the last cart''s enchantment. Ren knew it was the last because he had reached the carts some of the miners had taken when he''d first started enchanting. If Ren''s counting was right, there was just about 110 carts. Ren stood up from the last cart and Fritz was standing there. ¡°Hi, Fritz.¡± Fritz looked at Ren closely. ¡°No jump. I didn''t scare you?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Nope. I''m scare proof.¡± Ren said and smiled. Fritz smiled back. ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren waved for Fritz to follow him and Fritz did, if a bit reluctantly. Ren walked over to one of the tents and went inside. Fritz went in as well and Ren stood there by the cot. ¡°I didn''t want to do this where everyone would see.¡± Ren said. Fritz clenched his hands into fists and leaned in a little, almost into a fighting stance, and waited. Ren saw this and smiled. ¡°Fritz... I''m not going to challenge you or anything.¡± Ren said. Fritz didn''t change his stance or his clenched fists. Ren assumed that this must be Fritz'' default position when he expected something to happen. ¡°I wanted to show you something... away from prying... and possibly jealous, eyes. I want to show you this.¡± Ren said and took out the pickaxe he''d made from meteoric ore. Fritz'' eyes nearly bulged out of his head. ¡°Ren! What... where... how?¡± ¡°It''s a long story.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''ve never seen anything like it before.¡± Fritz said. ¡°I know you haven''t.¡± Ren said, smugly. ¡°What? How would you know what I haven''t seen?¡± ¡°I know exactly what happened to the ore that went into this pickaxe. No dwarves were mentioned in the story.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll fill you in on the whole thing when we get into the mine to work.¡± ¡°Work? You''re working in the mines again?¡± Fritz asked. Ren nodded. ¡°For tonight and tomorrow. Donan needs the shipment by then or we can''t meet an order.¡± ¡°That''s why you''re enchanting the carts.¡± Fritz said. Ren nodded again. ¡°It makes them lighter... as well as anything you put in it.¡± Fritz had a skeptical look on his face. ¡°You find out soon.¡± Ren said. ¡°And you''re using that new pick, are you?¡± Fritz asked. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said and stepped towards Fritz. ¡°You are.¡± Fritz froze as Ren knelt down on one knee and handed Fritz the pickaxe, handle first. ¡°I made a promise to make you a pick you''d be proud to own. I wanted to keep that promise.¡± ¡°Ren... this... no... you...¡± Fritz stammered and slowly reached out to touch the handle. ¡°...you should keep.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Nope. When I found this ore I had no idea what to do with it; but after I had it all and smelted it, the first thing I made was this. For you. I made something else for myself with what was left.¡± Fritz nodded and gripped the handle of the pickaxe. A slight glow covered Fritz as his other hand gripped the pickaxe, too. Fritz marveled at the magnificent tool he now held in his hand and tears came to his eyes. Ren thought that Fritz was probably seeing the popup for it. Ren decided to look at the one he''d gotten for it.
Legendary Pickaxe Of Unearthing (Unique)
An ore not of this world has been forged into a digging tool that can cut through the earth like a hot knife through butter. A highly durable cloth has been wrapped around the handle to provide a suitable grip. Innate Ability: Mana Absorption - will automatically absorb Mana from any source to repair itself. Strong Grip: 50% Bonus to hold on if handle starts to slip. Durability: N/A
¡°Ren.¡± Fritz said. Ren swiped the old popup away and looked at Fritz. Ren didn''t see a dirt covered dwarf in shoddy clothing and old boots anymore... Ren saw a regal figure standing before him. ¡°Normally an act of kindness is it''s own reward. If you''d given me a pickaxe of a higher quality than normal that was made by your own hand, it would have fit the promise you made. But this...¡± Fritz said and shook his head. ¡°I cannot let such a gift go unrewarded.¡± Fritz took his right hand from the pickaxe and raised it at chest height. A bright glow engulfed the hand and a golden staff slowly formed as the glow faded. ¡°For giving me a tool of unequal value...¡± Fritz touched Ren''s shoulder with the staff. ¡°...with a quality far and above that needed for a simple promise.¡± Fritz touched Ren''s other shoulder with the staff. ¡°I hereby declare you... Honorary Dwarf.¡± Ren felt heat engulf his chest and Ren opened his shirt. The medallion that Fritz had given him glowed a deep yellow color and the glow spread to cover Ren. Once it did, the medallion was absorbed into Ren''s chest and the glow faded.
Quest Update!
You have provided Fritz with a high quality pick. Difficulty: D Reward: Kindness is it''s own reward.
Quest Complete!
Fritz was so enamoured of the pickaxe, he cried. Difficulty: A Reward: The title of Honorary Dwarf.
Notice!
You have gained the title of Honorary Dwarf and all that it entails.
Notice!
Your title of Honorary Dwarf has given you access to new skills and abilities. Dwarf Presence, Strong and Wise, Rock Steady, Darkvision, Hardy, and Appraisal.
Stat Change!
Strong and Wise grants you extra bonuses. Wisdom: +10 Strength: +10
Stat Change!
Vision of Impurity Level 5 (Beginner 0%) (Passive) Mining Level 2 (Intermediate 0%) Metal Detection Level 1 (Intermediate 0%) (Passive)
Ren stared at all the popups. ¡°F-F-Fritz!¡± ¡°This is not a title to be taken lightly.¡± Fritz said. ¡°You may stand.¡± Ren stood up and swiped the popups away. ¡°Only once in a generation is this title allowed to be granted.¡± Fritz said in a stern voice. ¡°No one has earned it until now.¡± ¡°But... Fritz!¡± Ren said. ¡°Who... who are you?¡± Fritz smiled. ¡°You will report to Dornrach in 1 month for training.¡± ¡°What? Training?¡± Ren asked. Fritz nodded. ¡°You''re unskilled.¡± Fritz poked Ren hard enough to push him over, but Ren didn''t move. ¡°I''ve got plenty of skil-¡± Fritz swung his staff quick as a flash and whacked Ren on the side of the head. Ren didn''t move, however. ¡°Ow!¡± Ren said and rubbed the spot. Fritz had taken 5% of Ren''s health with that hit. Fritz smiled. ¡°You didn''t even flinch. Good. You''ll learn.¡± Fritz turned around. ¡°You''ll make a good dwarf, Ren.¡± Fritz said as the staff he held vanished in a ball of light. Fritz chuckled and then left. Ren stopped rubbing his head and wondered why he didn''t fall over when Fritz had hit him so hard. Ren would have to look at those skills when he had a chance. Ren walked out of that tent and hollered to Fritz. ¡°Hold on, Fritz. I''ll come with you in a minute.¡± Fritz stopped walking towards the mine carts and crossed his arms. The large pickaxe fit perfectly in the crook of Fritz'' arm. Ren smiled, went into the med tent, and sat down on the nearest cot. ¡°Ready to be patched up, are you?¡± Mourn said. Ren nodded and the healer walked over to kneel beside the cot. Mourn raised his hands and they glowed. Ren felt a little better as his Health Bar filled up completely and then the Mana Pool started to fill. ¡°Mourn, what''s your last name?¡± Ren asked, just to pass the time. ¡°Ingwood. It''s a family name.¡± Mourn said and sighed. ¡°I don''t want to hear any jokes about me, either. I''ve already heard them all.¡± Ren looked at Mourn. ¡°That''s good, because I don''t know any healer jokes.¡± Mourn''s eyes widened. He''s completely serious about healer jokes. Mourn thought and smiled. Kids these days. Mourn''s face turned into a frown as Ren''s body absorbed more and more of his Mana. Mourn''s hands stopped glowing and looked at Ren. ¡°What''s wrong with you?¡± Mourn asked. ¡°Huh? Oh, nothing. You can keep going, though. I can take a lot.¡± Ren said. Mourn''s frown deepened. ¡°I''m an Adventurer.¡± Ren said and Mourn shrugged and activated his Major Healing ability. Ren didn''t like using that phrase, but sometimes it helped that Ren didn''t have to explain some things. Mana Pool was something that Ren wanted to keep a secret. The Mana Pool filled up quickly and once it was done, Mourn dropped his hands. ¡°You''re right, you did need a lot.¡± Mourn said. Ren nodded. ¡°Thanks a lot, Mourn.¡± Ren said and left the med tent. Fritz had stood there and waited until Ren approached. ¡°Did I hurt you that badly?¡± Fritz said and shook his head in sadness. Ren grinned. ¡°Ha! That love tap?¡± Ren laughed and slapped Fritz on the shoulder. ¡°I was just getting my Mana refilled.¡± Fritz grunted and they walked over to the mining carts. Teepo! I''m going into the mine. ¡°I''m in the cafeteria. I can''t make it there in time, so summon me back.¡± Teepo said. ¡°¡± Ren whispered and tapped the ring. Teepo appeared at his feet and Ren picked him up. Ren looked at the other rings on his hands and realized that he felt lighter than normal. Aw, crap. Ren thought. ¡°What is it?¡± Teepo asked. I haven''t felt the extra burden from the rings since I got the Honorary Dwarf title. ¡°Is that bad?¡± Teepo said. Ren sighed. It means I can''t make myself heavier to gain strength. Ren waved Fritz forward when they reached the mining carts and Fritz braced to push the cart like he normally did and the cart jumped forward and nearly got away from him. Fritz looked back at Ren who pushed a cart himself. ¡°I told you they''d be a little lighter.¡± Ren followed Fritz into the mine and as they walked, Ren decided to look at his new abilities. ¡°Show Honorary Dwarf Info.¡±
Honorary Dwarf Skills and Abilities
Dwarf Presence: Dwarves will recognize you as one of their own. Warning: You may need to grow a beard of some kind so Dwarves will not distrust you immediately. Dwarves who shave their beards off are considered ''a little crazy'' in normal Dwarf society. Strong and Wise: (Strong) Strength +10, (Wise) Wisdom +10 Rock Steady: You suffer no penalties from wearing any type of armor. You will always move at the same speed no matter what and are not impeded by any moderate obstruction. Chest deep water, foot deep mud, dense foliage, etc. are no longer considered obstacles. You are also difficult to knock over or trip while you have both feet on the ground. Darkvision: Normally, this would grant clear vision for a limited area at night, but due to your already augmented Elfling vision, you can now see clearly at night (even in pitch blackness) as if it were daytime. Hardy Level 1 (Beginner 0%) (Passive): You have gained some resistance to poison, foreign spells, and foreign spell-like abilities. Higher levels will allow resistance to more powerful poisons, spells, and spell-like abilities. Appraisal Level 1 (Beginner 0%): This skill allows you to determine the worth of non-magical goods and if they contain precious metals and real gems. Higher levels will allow easier appraisals of any goods, precious metals, gemstones, and magic items.
Ren read it all and swiped the popup away. Rock Steady was definitely going to mess up my training idea. ¡°You''ll figure something out Ren... you always do.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren followed Fritz into a different area of the mine. As they walked on, they saw several miners pass by and heard them talking. ¡°Hey, is your cart full?¡± ¡°Yeah, so is yours.¡± ¡°Mine, too... but... it''s not as heavy as it should be.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± ¡°Should we fill them more?¡± One man laughed. ¡°How? They''re already full.¡± ¡°Just go dump them and get back in here.¡± A mine foreman said. ¡°If they''re easier to push, push faster.¡± Ren chuckled. They knew the carts were lighter but didn''t make the leap to the contents being lighter, too. Fritz stopped pushing his cart, moved close to the wall, and glanced at Ren. ¡°It''s pretty far in.¡± Ren said and Fritz nodded. ¡°You won''t have to worry about that now, though.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°You don''t know how tempted I was to try and use that thing myself after I made it... and in town, no less...¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m glad I didn''t, though. Now I get to see what a real master digger can do with it.¡± Fritz nodded and looked at the wall. Fritz hefted the pick a few times to get the weight settled in his hand, then tried to spin it. It didn''t spin in Fritz'' hand at all. Fritz looked back at Ren who laughed again. ¡°You saw the description, right?¡± Ren said and Fritz nodded. ¡°You''re not letting that thing go unless you want to.¡± ¡°I don''t want to.¡± Fritz said, grinned, and swiped at the mine tunnel''s wall. The pickaxe was true to it''s description and cut through the earth like it was butter. Fritz started to chuckle and took another swipe. Fritz'' chuckle turned to outright laughter as he kept swinging and the dirt fell away. Only a moment later and Fritz was already 10 feet into the rock. Fritz'' laughter echoed out through the mine tunnel and out into the main area. All the workers stopped when they heard the maniacal sound Fritz had produced. After a minute they continued working; but the usual quiet was broken by conversation about how no one had ever heard Fritz laugh before, and about how scary it was. Ren laughed and Teepo hopped off and followed Fritz. Make sure he''s not having too much fun, Teepo. Ren thought jokingly at Teepo. Teepo chittered in laughter and disappeared down the tunnel Fritz was digging. Ren hollered up the tunnel that he and Fritz had come down. ¡°We''re going to need someone to shovel down here, fast.¡± Ren took out a normal pickaxe, moved down the tunnel a little, found a good spot, and started digging himself. Another cart was pushed down the tunnel and a man shoveled the dirt Fritz was leaving behind into it. Ren looked at the normal pick he had. ¡°Ha, why not?¡± Ren enchanted it with the quadruple Dark rune to increase gravity''s pull on it, then took off the rings he still wore, and kept working. Ren would have to think of something else to do with them. In the meantime, Ren had a lot of ore to gather for Donan. Then Ren froze. The healer! Ren thought. Mourn. Ingwood. Morning Wood! ¡°Bwahahaha!¡± Ren''s laughter joined Fritz'' as it echoed throughout the mine and Ren kept digging. Chapter 65 - Ore Delivery All the miners worked throughout the day and cartload after cartload was delivered to the weighing station. The miners were happier because they were making the same amount of mony per cart, but were averaging a third more carts per shift. Smiles could be seen on everyone''s faces as the mine''s production rose by 30% at the end of the day. Fritz on the other hand... never stopped digging. Ren would stop his own digging to put an empty cart in front of the holes Fritz dug and take the full cart up for weighing. Each time Ren showed up at the weighing station he''d say ''Fritz'' and the weighing foreman would pay the appropriate fee. Occasionally, Ren would get his own cart filled and say his own name and the foreman would just nod. Not once did it occur to Ren to say ''Fritz'' when he produced his own cart of ore. When the final shift ended and the end of the day whistle blew, Ren had sucessfully filled Donan''s order. With the whole mine working so fast, Ren wouldn''t need to stay overnight to finish it. Fritz came out of his most recent hole with Teepo on his shoulder. Teepo had kept Ren informed about Fritz'' movements and Ren kept the carts in the right spots to stay up with him. Ren started to laugh again as soon as he saw Fritz... or rather, as soon as he saw a Fritz-like shape. Fritz was covered from head to toe in dirt. Not a little bit of dirt, either. It was an inch thick and layered all over. You couldn''t even see the red beard. If Fritz hadn''t smiled when he saw Ren, someone could have assumed it was some kind of dirt golem. ¡°Fritz... if I didn''t know better, I''d say you might have enjoyed yourself a little.¡± Ren said. Fritz shook his head. ¡°Only 2 things are fun for dwarves. Women and ale.¡± Fritz hefted the pickaxe up to his face. It was still a gleaming green and not a speck of dirt was on it. ¡°But... if this were a woman...¡± Fritz said and grinned. Ren laughed again. Teepo hopped over to Ren''s shoulder when he was close enough. Ren and Fritz pushed the carts they''d almost filled, up to the surface and to the weighing station. Ren went first and the weighing forman nodded. Ren stepped aside and Fritz dumped his. The foreman paid him and Fritz turned to go to the cafeteria. ¡°We eat.¡± Ren nodded and followed Fritz to the cafeteria. They both got the stew and a piece of bread each and sat at a table. ¡°Oh, before I forget.¡± Ren said and handed over Fritz'' pay for the day. Fritz stared at the huge amount. ¡°What''s this?¡± ¡°I''ve been taking your carts up for you all day.¡± Ren said. ¡°What? Did you think all the ore you were digging just magically disappeared?¡± ¡°I didn''t think of that at all.¡± Fritz grunted. ¡°I just dug.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You should keep some.¡± Fritz offered and Ren shook his head. ¡°Nope, I''m working for the mine for free today... so if I take anything, it just goes to them instead.¡± Fritz eyes widened. ¡°I saw you didn''t get paid. You agreed to work for free?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I needed to make sure Donan wasn''t losing money on the order and had Earl wave half the ore fees in exchange for enchanting the carts and working for today and tonight.¡± Fritz shook his head. ¡°Ren, you under-value yourself.¡± Fritz stared Ren in the eyes. ¡°Enchantments alone would cost thousands.¡± It was Ren''s turn for his eyes to widen. ¡°Really?¡± Fritz nodded. ¡°I''ll have to be a bit more aggressive in negotiating in the future, I think.¡± Ren said and started eating. Staying Power had leveled up during the day and was now Intermediate Level 6. Ren and Fritz finished eating and Ren stopped Fritz when they left the cafeteria. ¡°If I don''t see you again before I leave... it was nice seeing you again.¡± Ren said. Fritz clasped forearms with Ren again and nodded. ¡°I won''t tell anyone I saw you cry.¡± Ren whispered and started laughing at Fritz'' shocked expression. ¡°If you even think of telling anyone about that... I''ll... I''ll...¡± Fritz swung at Ren''s head with an open hand and Ren ducked, still laughing. ¡°Once in the head was enough, thank you.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Don''t worry, Fritz. I won''t even tell my girlfriend.¡± Fritz'' expression changed immediately to one of intrigue. Dwarves always took proven friends at their word. ¡°Tell me of this woman you have.¡± ¡°Ha! I don''t think so.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s kinda into short guys, and if she sees you...¡± Ren wasn''t quite quick enough this time and Fritz hooked the top of his head. ¡°Ow...¡± Ren said and rubbed his head. "I think your hand felt harder.¡± Fritz chuckled. ¡°Of course it is. I can crush rocks with it.¡± Fritz looked down and picked up a palm-sized rock. Ren saw him strain and grunt, then cracks started to form and a moment later, it broke into shards and Fritz wiped his hands together. ¡°There, see? I crush rock.¡± Ren grinned and picked up a similar rock. ¡°What are you-¡± Fritz words cut off as Ren used Iron Grip and the rock was ground into dust instantly. Fritz'' shocked expression made a dramatic return and Ren wiped off his hand. Fritz didn''t say anything and just stared at him. Ren smiled. ¡°Say, how do I get to Dornrach? Is there a map or something?¡± Fritz slapped a hand over Ren''s mouth to keep him quiet. ¡°Don''t say that name in public. It''s a secret city.¡± Fritz whispered. ¡°You''ll be contacted when it''s time.¡± Ren nodded and Fritz let go. Ren spit out the dirt that Fritz had accidentally shoved in his mouth. ¡°Be well, Ren.¡± Fritz said and walked to the rest tents. ¡°Be well, Fritz.¡± Ren said and went to Earl''s office. Ren arranged to have the ore delivered first thing in the morning and went to a rest tent himself. If he had judged the timing right, Barbara was still on shift and he had plenty of time left before having to go to physical therapy. ******** Ren logged out, spent some time with Barbara. Bonnie had the day shift this time and came in when the shift changed. Ren ate breakfast, did his physical therapy, and took another shower. Bonnie wasn''t much of a talker, and after a short awkward silence Ren said he had to log back in. Bonnie was relieved and Ren settled down to enjoy another great day in the game.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ******** Ren woke up in the rest tent and went outside. Ren looked around and eventually found the horse and cart train that was going to Donan''s shop. Ren found the man who ran it and asked if he could enchant the carts to make them lighter. The man was skeptical at first until Ren enchanted one cart and had the driver move it. After Ren convinced him about how much better it would be for the horses, Ren enchanted the other 14 carts and they departed for the city of Aurora. They made good time and it only took an hour and a half, because they didn''t have to stop and rest the horses as many times as usual, despite the large loads they carried. They arrived at the shop and Ren hopped off the front cart to get Donan, and saw Donan was already waiting by the shed that Donan used to store the ore. ¡°Earl sent a messenger ahead to let me know the shipment was on the way.¡± Donan took Ren into a one armed hug. ¡°I don''t know what you did there, but he only charged be half the usual price!¡± Donan said and gave Ren a little shake. ¡°You must have performed a miracle, Ren. I didn''t think we''d get the ore so soon.¡± Ren shrugged and smiled. ¡°A lot of it was Fritz. He really liked the new pickaxe and dug all day without stopping.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± Donan exclaimed. ¡°You... you... you gave that wonderful pick to Fritz?¡± Ren nodded. Donan shook his head. ¡°Ren... the last thing you should ever do is give a gift so valuable to a dwarf.¡± Ren was shocked to hear this. ¡°Why?¡± Donan sighed. ¡°If I knew you were going to do that, I''d have warned you sooner.¡± Donan said. ¡°Dwarves absolutely love precious things. If it''s shiny, or glows, or has gemstones in it, or magic properties, they want it.¡± Donan said and shook his head. ¡°If you give something like that to them... especially if you made it yourself... they''ll try and recruit you into their Order.¡± Ren stood in silence and watched the carts being unloaded into the shed. ¡°I can see that look on your face, Ren.¡± Donan put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Let me guess. Fritz asked you to go somewhere for training.¡± Ren''s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°I thought so.¡± Donan said and dropped his hand. ¡°You can always say no.¡± ¡°I can?¡± Ren said. ¡°Sure you can. You don''t have to do what they want... and I suspect that what they want is for you to make stuff for them.¡± Donan said and sighed again. ¡°I won''t tell you not to go. It will be a great opporunity... but you have to make sure that they don''t drag you into their petty squabbles or coerce you into joining their army.¡± ¡°A-a-army?¡± ¡°Yes. I''m surprised you don''t know about it. Dwarves are a stand-offish people. They won''t enter someone else''s territory unless invited, and will retaliate if you enter theirs without permission. They amass weapons upon weapons to fight a war that never comes.¡± Donan explained. ¡°If you don''t stand up for yourself when you''re around them, they will suck you under and you''ll be working their forge for the rest of your life.¡± Ren was speechless. I... Is Fritz really like that? Ren shook his head. I can''t believe that''s true. ¡°I''ll do my best to make sure I won''t get tricked into staying.¡± Ren said. Donan shook his head again. ¡°You''ll still go, knowing that they''ll try and keep you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Fritz said I had to go. I''ll honor that... but staying the rest of my life?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°That''s not going to happen. I''ve got too much left to learn.¡± Donan had a sad look on his face. ¡°When are you supposed to go?¡± ¡°In a month.¡± Ren answered. Donan nodded. ¡°Then I better teach you everything I know until then. When we finish these shields by the end of the week, I''ll show you how to make everything from spoons to mining carts.¡± ¡°Mining carts?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Where do you thing Earl got them from?¡± Donan said. While they waited for the ore to finish unloading, Donan took Ren inside and showed him the 50 finished shields. ¡°Your idea worked like a charm. I don''t know how you came up with it, but these shields are thinner and stronger than anything I''ve ever seen before.¡± Donan said and picked one up. It gleamed a dull silver color. ¡°Look what happened when I tried to polish it! It''s almost a silver color!¡± Ren smiled. That''s what happens when you have a rudimentary steel making process. Ren thought. ¡°Now that I''m back, we should be able to smelt twice as fast.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are we making blanks, or are we just going right to the forging?¡± ¡°Blanks. We can use the big square molds. It holds enough metal to make a shield.¡± Donan said. ¡°Let''s get to work.¡±
Notice!
You have been given an opportunity to join a Quest already in progress. Join Quest now? Yes / No
¡°Yes, of course.¡± Ren said.
New Quest!
You must complete the order for 500 shields within the required time limit. Difficulty: B Rewards: ????
They started up all 3 forges and smelted ore in all of them. It took a lot longer to fill the big one, but that was understandable, as it was almost triple the size of a normal forge. After a bit of shifting around and mis-timed pourings, Ren and Donan decided that the big forge would be for smelting ore only, and the other 2 were for forging the shields. Once that was decided they took turns tending the big forge and making shields with the other 2. They worked throughout the day and into the night, but Donan called a stop close to midnight. ¡°I need food and sleep.¡± Donan said. ¡°I don''t know which I want more.¡± ¡°Food for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can sleep later.¡± Donan nodded and brought out a basket with sandwiches, fruit, and orange juice. Ren took a sandwich and some juice. ¡°Thanks, Donan.¡± Donan waved the thanks away and ate a sandwich himself. 2 sandwiches later, Donan yawned and stood up. ¡°Definitely need sleep.¡± Donan turned and walked out of the shop. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Ren said and Donan grunted. Ren closed the basket and got back to work. Thanks to the system''s help, Ren only had to hit the metal a couple of times and it became the proper shield shape. Ren had outpaced Donan, doing 80 shields to his 50, much to Donan''s surprise. Ren felt like he was cheating because he wasn''t doing the majority of the work himself, but Ren also didn''t want to slow down the pace and try to do it by hand, either. Once the order was done Ren would try and do it the right way, but until then, Ren let the system handle the details. Ren worked through the night and took a break at dawn. Ren ate another sandwich and a piece of fruit. Just as Ren finished the sandwich, Donan came in. ¡°Morning.¡± Ren said and started chuckling. Donan stopped walking and looked at him. Ren smiled. ¡°The mines. I found out the healer''s last name.¡± Donan tried not to smile; but he failed, and it snuck out the side of his mouth. ¡°There''s still a couple of sandwiches left.¡± Ren said. ¡°Save them for lunch.¡± Ren nodded and they got to work. It took another 3 days, but they finally finished making the shields. Ren logged out and did his real life chores of eating and therapy and came back in. It took another day to clean the shields up and to attach leather straps for handholds. Donan decided to have them all polished as well and that took yet another day, with Ren staying both nights to finish the tasks. Ren''s Smelting was almost up to Intermediate Level 7. Even with the extra XP gains from working in Donan''s shop, it was still taking a long time to level up. Ren didn''t mind, though. That wasn''t why he was doing it. Ren was doing it because a friend needed his help, and that help was going to be given. When the last shield was packed away in the crates, Ren got a popup.
Quest Complete!
You have helped Donan complete another order. Difficulty: B Rewards: 4000 XP Fame Bonus: 12% Due to your forward thinking and innovation, the ore needed was delivered a full day ahead of schedule, giving you enough time to complete the order. Extra Bonus: 2000 XP
¡°Whew... that''s a relief.¡± Ren said. Donan chuckled. ¡°They''ll be here to pick them up soon. Why don''t you take a few days of and get some rest.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That''s a good idea. I''ll see you later, Donan.¡± Donan waved and Ren left the shop to go around the corner of the building where Lucy''s phantom form still sat. Extra days in here makes it seem like I haven''t seen you in a month, and it''s only been about a week in real life. ¡°Ren, I''ve been right here the whole time.¡± Teepo said as he crawled over the roof of the building and hopped onto Ren''s shoulder. Ren laughed. Sorry Teepo, just talking to Lucy. ¡°She can hear you in her head, too?¡± Teepo asked. No... I''m just pretending she can. ¡°Oh.¡± I''m probably going to sleep for a few days, Teepo. Keep watch, okay? ¡°Will do. See you when you get back.¡± Ren nodded and sat down. If he had timed it right, he should be ''waking up'' for breakfast. ¡°Logout.¡± Chapter 66 - Captain of the Guard ******** Ren ''woke up'' to the best thing in the world. ¡°Lucy?!?¡± Ren said when he took off his VR headset. ¡°Am I dreaming?¡± Lucy laughed. Lucy was wearing another pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt that had some writing on it. Ren blinked a few times and read it. RN: Rescue Ninja! Ren chuckled and looked around. Ren didn''t see anyone else in the room, and the door was shut. Ren sat up and tugged on the t-shirt. ¡°This is true.¡± Ren said. ¡°You definitely snuck into my heart.¡± Lucy''s face flushed a little red and she took Ren''s hand. Lucy leaned in and gave Ren a kiss. Ren kissed back and they stood there for a minute, just touching lips. Ren didn''t try to do any elaborate kissing because he hadn''t brushed his teeth yet and didn''t want to turn Lucy off with his morning breath. Ren broke the kiss and looked at Lucy. ¡°I''m really happy to see you. It''s felt like ages...¡± Ren said. ¡°But... why are you here?¡± Lucy raised her eyebrows. ¡°I can''t just come and see you whenever I want?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Of course you can. Lucy, you could stay here with me forever and I''d be the happiest guy on the planet.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... we''ve known each other a long time. I can see that you''re tense.¡± Lucy sighed and Ren moved over on the bed. Lucy sat down and hunched in on herself. ¡°They''re sending me to the clinic tomorrow.¡± Lucy said. Ren put his arm around Lucy''s shoulders and Lucy leaned in to cuddle. ¡°Why would they do that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve been doing too good of a job with the lab work.¡± Ren raised an eyebrow and stared at her. Lucy chuckled. ¡°It''s been backlogged for months, and since they were making me work double shifts anyway and I didn''t want to be bored out of my mind, I worked... and kept working.¡± Lucy said. ¡°File after file, sample after sample. I did it all.¡± Lucy half-laughed and half-sobbed. ¡°The HR department said they''ve received a bunch of complaints that I was making the other people that work there look bad.¡± Ren scowled and turned away from Lucy. ¡°Those bastards.¡± Lucy looked at Ren in shock. ¡°You go to all the trouble to do a job well and they''re the ones that are in the wrong... but they''ll get rid of you because that''s easier than changing the situation or working harder themselves.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I can''t believe they''d go behind your back like that without talking to you first.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°I mean, I know I was new in the department, but they never said anything to me at all. I just got the notice last night before I left work.¡± ¡°...and it said that they''re sending you to the clinic tomorrow.¡± Ren said. Lucy nodded again. ¡°I don''t want to go there, Ren.¡± Lucy said and tears formed in the corners of her eyes. ¡°The kind of people that go in there...¡± A tear leaked out and rolled down Lucy''s face. ¡°..and I thought the guys at the mall that hit on me were bad, but down there...¡± Ren rubbed Lucy''s back to comfort her. ¡°I received some really good advice recently, and I''m going to give it to you.¡± Ren wiped Lucy''s tear away. ¡°What is it?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°You can always say no.¡± Lucy''s eyes widened. ¡°What? But Ren... if I say no...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Then what, you mean?¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°You won''t know what will happen until you say no.¡± Ren said and wiped a tear from the other side of her face. ¡°They could fire me if I refuse.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''d say the other nurses here would object to that.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°If... say... it somehow got out that you were being forced to work in a dangerous environment... and where you could be assaulted... again...¡± Ren said and Lucy''s eyes widened. ¡°Who... who are you?¡± Lucy asked, jokingly. ¡°Where''s my sweet little Ren?¡± Lucy said and smiled. Ren chuckled. ¡°Oh, he''s here... and he''s pissed.¡± Ren said and slid off the bed. ¡°I won''t let them take you away.¡± Ren said and went to the bathroom to clean up. Ren came back into the room and changed right there in front of Lucy, and didn''t notice her watching him the whole time. Ren''s new watch beeped and he sat in the wheelchair. ¡°Since you''re here... why not take me down the hall to therapy?¡± Lucy nodded and slid off the bed. ¡°It''s time to start Operation: Save Lucy.¡± Ren said. ¡°No ear will be left unbent.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°When a good friend is in trouble, I''ll do everything I can to help them.¡± Lucy walked over to the wheelchair. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± Lucy leaned over and gave Ren a passionate kiss. Lucy broke the kiss a moment later and knelt down. ¡°I''m sorry! I got lipstick on you again.¡± Lucy said and grabbed a handi-wipe. Ren chuckled. ¡°Please, don''t be sorry. A little mess is totally worth it.¡± Lucy cleaned Ren''s face of lipstick smears and placed a light kiss on his lips. ¡°Oh, yeah... totally worth it.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I meant to ask... who''s on day shift today?¡± As soon as Ren asked the question, the door opened and Stella walked in. Stella looked a little disappointed for some reason. ¡°Definitely no unbent ears today.¡± Ren said and laughed at Stella''s perplexed expression. ¡°We have a lot to talk about.¡± Ren said to them. Lucy said goodbye when Ren went into physical therapy and Ren and Stella began the plan in earnest. By the end of the day, the whole hospital knew the story and everyone was gabbing about how Lucy was being railroaded by the lab workers and the HR department. Barbara came in for her shift and she got the full brunt of the story before Ren even got to talk to her. ¡°Those lab people have always been obstinate.¡± Barbara said and sighed. ¡°No one wanted to work in there with them because they''re a close knit bunch and they don''t like outsiders, and usually attack anyone that intrudes in their space.¡± That sounds like the same description Donan gave me for the dwarves. Ren thought. ¡°I''ll talk to Helen in HR. If she doesn''t know this has been going on yet, I''ll fill her in.¡± Barbara took Ren''s hand and clasped it firmly. ¡°You''re a good friend to stick up for Lucy like this.¡± Ren squeezed Barbara''s hand back. ¡°You''re a good friend, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°We all help each other when we can. That''s what friends do.¡± Barbara nodded and Ren leaned back into bed. It had been a long day and he''d missed 4 whole game days again. ¡°There''s things I need to do in the game, Barbara.¡± Ren said and put on the VR headset. ¡°Have fun, dear.¡± Barbara said. Ren nodded. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the game and saw Lucy''s still form sitting there. I''ve done what I can. I can only hope that it helps. Ren stood and stretched. ¡°Hi, Ren. Are you pretending to talk to Lucy again?¡± Teepo asked from the roof of the next building. Ren nodded. Hi, Teepo. Anything happen while I was gone? ¡°No... and Donan''s mad about it, too.¡± Ren widened his eyes. What? Why? ¡°The order is still sitting in the middle of the shop. It hasn''t been picked up yet.¡± Teepo explained. Yeah, that would do it. Ren thought and reached out automatically to catch Teepo when he jumped from the roof. Ren put Teepo on his shoulder and went inside the shop. The forges were cold and there was no sound of a ringing anvil. Ren was so used to hearing metal being struck with a smithing hammer while in the shop, he felt a little unnerved. It wasn''t natural. Ren walked around and went into the back room. Donan sat on an unopened barrel of oil. ¡°Hey, Donan.¡± Donan grunted. ¡°I see all the crates are still here.¡± Ren said and sat down on the floor. Donan grunted again. ¡°They should have picked it up 3 days ago.¡± ¡°Who is the order for?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The city guard.¡± Ren raised an eyebrow. ¡°Want me to go and ask them why they''re late?¡± Donan raised his eyebrows. ¡°They''d throw you in jail if you question them.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I know the captain of the guard. He even saved my life once.¡± Donan smiled, too. ¡°Alright, Ren. Go and see what''s up.¡± Donan said. ¡°You better not get locked up in chains.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Ren stood up. Donan hesitated for a moment and then nodded his head. ¡°Come with me.¡± Ren followed Donan further into the back room and Donan pulled out a small wooden box. ¡°I''ve made every chain and lock in this city.¡± Donan said and preened a little. ¡°Needless to say, everyone loses their keys at some point.¡± Ren nodded. He''d heard that happens in real life as well. ¡°So I made these.¡± Donan said and opened the wooden box. Inside were tiny little tools. Files, hooks, some with twists and some bent in an ''L'' shape, some in an ''F'' shape, and a few ''S'' shapes. There was even a ''U'' shape, and various pieces of wire. All had variants in different thicknesses. Ren had an idea of what they were used for. Donan saw the recognition on Ren''s face and nodded. ¡°Yes. Lockpicking tools. You won''t find a finer set anywhere.¡± Donan said and handed the chest to Ren. Ren stared at Donan. ¡°But... if this is the finest set... why are you giving them to me?¡± ¡°I''ve had them for a while, and if anyone would need such a thing, it would be you.¡± Donan said and shook his head. ¡°I''ve never seen anyone find as much trouble as you do, Ren.¡± Ren nodded. He had definitely found more than his fair share. ¡°Plus, I want you to have these when you go with the dwarves. Just in case they put you somwhere that you need to get out of.¡± Donan stared at Ren and Ren nodded again. ¡°Good!¡± Donan clapped Ren on the shoulder and led Ren out of the back room and shut the door. ¡°You might want to bring something with you to the guard post, to explain why you''re there.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea!¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I know just the thing.¡± Ren said and stored the wooden box into inventory. Ren started his forge and let it heat up for a moment. Ren took several of his normal iron ingots and put them in the smelter. They melted pretty fast and Ren stirred the molten iron quickly, fluffing it up with air. Ren skimmed off some of the impurities that came to the top and let it bubble for several minutes. Ren didn''t have the time to wait for hours to have the mixture be a better quality, but Ren was forging it anyways and it would have to do. Ren got the big blank square mold and poured the molten mixture into it, leaving a little extra on the end to grasp properly. The little end cooled fast and Ren grabbed it with his tongs and took the half molten blank and folded it in half. Ren heated it up again and once it was hot enough, folded it again and again. Ren repeated this several times until he thought it was thick enough to hammer out the shape he wanted. Ren had made the pattern in his head while folding the metal and the shape was a sight o behold when it was done. Ren sharpened and polished it to a gleaming shine and used a strip of his spider silk cloth to wrap around the handle like he did with the pickaxe and his own hammerpick. Ren finished working and lifted the huge battleaxe up. It was double-bladed, one on each side of the handle, a big spike sticking out of the top, had a round center piece and a small spiked mace head on the end of the handle. With the system''s help, Ren had scaled the pattern he made to accomodate the extra iron he''d used for the extra additions and let the system handle the shaping. The captain of the guard was a big man and would need a big weapon. Ren smiled and took out his Book of Runes. What to add... what to add... ah, got it.Ren thought then placed a hand on the center piece of the battleaxe and cast a quadruple protection rune. The glyph etched itself into the metal and Ren used some of his bat leather pieces to make a sheath for it. ¡°Donan, I''m off to the mansion. I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± Ren said, equipped his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, and left the shop without looking around. Donan had been standing right there the whole time and had watched Ren work. Donan had never seen such a thing being made before. Where is he coming up with all these ideas? Donan thought. That kid is amazing! Ren hung the sheath over his shoulder and walked down the street, around the corner, and down that street. While Ren walked he figured he better check his status while he had the chance. ¡°Show Status.¡±
Status
Name Ren Level 4
Gender Male Class Artificer
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 1260 (Locally Known)
Titles
Donan''s Apprentice - 20% stat gain at his shop Sally''s Student - 20% stat gain at her shop Issac''s Novice - 20% stat gain at his shop Lemming - 5% resistance to falls Son of the Pelt - 20% stat gain using craft station Honorary Dwarf - Grants Dwarf Race abilities
Health 583 Mana 571
Strength 92 Dexterity 60
Vitality 50 Agility 58
Endurance 70 Intelligence 64
Luck 24 Wisdom 63
Whew! Some high numbers there now. Ren thought and walked until he came to the mansion and stopped at the guard house behind it. The 2 soldiers standing there came to attention an Ren did as well. ¡°Request permission to see the captain of the guard.¡± Ren said in an even tone. One quard looked to the other and shrugged. ¡°He''s in the back.¡± One said and pointed behind himself with a thumb over his shoulder. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and saluted. ¡°Carry on.¡± Ren said and marched between them. Ren heard them whipser as he passed through the open door to go inside. ¡°Is that kid for real?¡± One said. ¡°Darn right he is. That''s Ren, the hero.¡± The other said. No one was in the entryway and Ren activated Sneak. Ren stepped to the inside of the doorway and out of sight of the 2 soldiers. ¡°What? You''re kidding! That little guy? I heard Ren was supposed to be 6 feet tall and full of muscles.¡± Ren heard a clang. ¡°Hey, watch it with that thing.¡± ¡°Quiet you. Don''t say anything bad about Ren around me... or any of the guys that were on that mission.¡± The other said. ¡°He finished that quest by himself, man! Killed hundreds of Mole Men to boot! He was supposed to just be the blacksmith and not fight at all. If there''s anyone you don''t want to mess with, it''s him.¡± ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡± Clang. ¡°Hey, I said watch it!¡± ¡°Did you see what he was wearing?¡± ¡°Yeah, so?¡± ¡°Where do you think he got it?¡± ¡°Off some merchant.¡± Ren heard a bark of laughter. ¡°Have you ever heard of any merchant... anywhere... that sells dire wolf pelts?¡± Ren walked on when there was no response. Ren felt all warm inside. Having someone defend him like that always made him feel better about everything. It helped Ren believe that he was making a real difference. Ren walked through the empty barracks and to the small office in the back. Why is everything always in the back of buildings? Ren thought. Maybe it was the default setting. Ren knocked on the door and a gruff voice answered. ¡°Enter.¡± Ren opened the door and the captain of the guard sat behind a tiny desk. Ren didn''t know how the captain had managed to get his legs wedged under the thing. ¡°Ren!¡± The captain said and tried to stand up. The desk lifted and nearly tipped over onto the floor. The captain caught it before it fell and Ren picked up the pieces of parchment that had fallen off. ¡°I think you need a bigger desk.¡± Ren said and handed the pieces of parchment over without looking at them. ¡°Ha ha! Yes, I do... but where would I put it? I barely fit in this office myself.¡± The captain said and Ren smiled. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± The captain asked. ¡°I see you''ve done some adventuring already.¡± The captain said and waved at the cloak. Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah... I''ve had some adventures that I could probably have done without.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Ha!¡± The captain said and slapped the desk. A crack appeared in the surface and the captain covered it with a hand. ¡°I came about the shield order.¡± Ren said. The captain nodded. ¡°Ah, I figured as much.¡± The captain said. ¡°As you can see, there''s not a lot of manpower here to pick them up.¡± ¡°I noticed that the barracks were empty. Where is everyone?¡± ¡°Some are out on patrol, but the main bulk of our forces is on loan to King Alamast.¡± Ren raised both eyebrows. ¡°The King?¡± The captain nodded. ¡°He''s playing war games in an area a week away from here and wanted experienced dungeon explorers to test his own men against.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°When did this happen?¡± The captain sighed. ¡°About 2 days after we placed the order.¡± Ren squinted is eyes. ¡°And you didn''t contact the shop because...¡± ¡°I''d hoped they''d be done by then and the men could take the shields with them.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°If we''d cast them, maybe... maybe we''d have had them done... but you said you wanted them forged instead. We barely made the deadline!¡± It was Ren''s turn to sigh. ¡°Then you didn''t show up to get them on time.¡± The captain nodded. ¡°I''m sorry about that. There''s no excuse really. No manpower isn''t a good reason to not complete a contract.¡± ¡°So you have the fee, then?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Of course.¡± The captain said and took out a bag of 100 platinum coins. ¡°It''s right here.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Good. Do you want them delivered?¡± Ren said. ¡°You''d do that?¡± The captain asked. Ren nodded. ¡°I don''t mind carrying them down here.¡± The captain stood and moved the desk out of the way before it tipped over. The captain handed over the money bag to Ren. ¡°I''d really appreciate it, Ren.¡± The captain said. ¡°The men need a good morale boost. New shields will definitely help with that.¡± ¡°What do they need a morale boost for?¡± ¡°We had to hire a bunch of new people from the surrounding lands. Once word got out about how well we did in the dungeon, every city in the country was calling for soldiers to come and train their own men.¡± The captain shook his head. ¡°We couldn''t match the outrageous offers some of them made. The men left in droves.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah... some wouldn''t mind the pay raise... but I wonder what they are thinking now that they''ve been away from home for so long.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll bring the crates down right away.¡± Ren turned to go and stopped. ¡°There was another reason I came here, instead of sending a messenger.¡± Ren unslung the sheath from his shoulder and held it out. ¡°I never did properly thank you for saving me during the expedition.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± The captain said. ¡°Oh, it''s just something that I came up with to thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re a big guy, and I thought you would like a big present.¡± Ren smiled. The captain took the sheath and then pulled out the battle axe. The captain stared at the shining metal and it''s bright silver color. ¡°Ren... I... I can''t take this.¡± ¡°That better not be true.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I don''t know anyone else that''s even close to your size that could lift the thing, let alone be able to use it.¡± Ren turned around. ¡°It''s yours, so you can keep it or not.¡± Ren said and walked out of the office. ¡°I''ll be back with the crates.¡± Ren walked out of the barracks and the guards didn''t say anything. ¡°I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± Ren said as he passed them. Ren went back to Donan''s shop and hoped that what he was going to do would work. If it didn''t, then he''d have to open every crate and take out all the shields to put them into inventory individually. Ren walked over to the first crate and mentally crossed his fingers. Ren selected the crate, just like he had selected the logs on Aimus'' homestead, and then picked ''store into inventory''. The crate disappeared. Ren smiled and selected each of the 9 remaining crates and they went into inventory. Ren waved to Donan and left the shop. Ren went back to the guard house and nodded to the guards. Ren walked through the barracks and into the captain''s office. ¡°Where do you want the crates stored?¡± Ren asked. The captain told Ren to follow him. They went out the back of the building to the next one and into the armory. No one was guarding it, however. The captain opened it and told Ren to put the crates inside. Ren took each crate out of inventory and when Ren was done, the captain walked over to one. Ren took out his blacksmith''s belt and used a tool to open the crate. Inside was 50 dull silver shields that looked just like the battleaxe the captain had strapped to his back. The captain grinned and Ren closed the crate again. ¡°Considering what I think these shields will do for us, we got a great deal... so in return, I''ll make sure that each and every man is told who made these shields.¡± The captain said.
Notice!
The new recruits from the surrounding lands will be informed of who you are, and your exploits. Fame: +50
Ren smiled. ¡°It''s always a pleasure doing business with you.¡± Ren said. The captain led Ren outside and locked up the armory. ¡°Ren... this weapon... I''m not even going to ask how you made it... it''s... well, I don''t know what to do about it.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I feel like that sometimes, too.¡± The captain nodded. ¡°Thank you, Ren. You didn''t have to do this.¡± The captain said and shrugged his shoulders to indicate the battleaxe that hung there. ¡°I know I didn''t have to do it... but you did save my life. I wanted to give you something to remember me by.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll never forget the hero of Aurora.¡± The captain said and lightly tapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°Be safe and take care, Ren.¡± ¡°I will. Say ''hi'' to your wife for me.¡± The captain smiled and nodded. Ren left the guard house and waved to the soldiers as he passed them. ¡°Good day, gentlemen.¡± Ren walked back up the street and delivered the money to Donan. ¡°Ren! How did you... that is... you really did know the captain of the guard!¡± Donan said and laughed. ¡°I said I did, didn''t I?¡± Ren said and laughed, too. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± A voice Ren recognized said from behind him. ¡°Lucy!¡± Ren turned around and gathered Lucy into a hug. ¡°I missed you.¡± Lucy laughed and hugged Ren back. ¡°You just saw me this morning!¡± ¡°Yeah, but that was this morning.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°This is now.¡± Ren let Lucy go and turned to Donan. ¡°Donan, I''m heading out for awhile. Keep an eye on the shop for me.¡± Donan swatted at Ren, and Ren laughed. ¡°Get outta here, you rascal.¡± Donan said and smiled. Chapter 67 - A Quick Encounter Ren turned to leave and Donan held him back. ¡°Just a second, I almost forgot to give you your share, Ren.¡± Donan handed Ren 16 platinum coins and 25 gold coins, and Ren put them in his money pouch. Lucy''s eyes bulged at the amount of money Ren had just received, but didn''t say anything. Ren led Lucy out of the shop and around the corner. ¡°I want to go and check out the bow maker''s place.¡± Ren said. ¡°What was his name...¡± ¡°I think it was Micheal.¡± Lucy offered. Ren shook his head. ¡°I don''t think so. That''s close, but it doesn''t quite sound right.¡± ¡°It''s Mitchell.¡± Teepo said from his improvised perch in Ren''s hood. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°Teepo said the name is Mitchell.¡± Ren and Lucy walked down the street and took the corner at the end of the Artesian District. ¡°It''s supposed to be around here somewhere.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least I remembered the shopkeeper saying is was at the end of the district.¡± Ren chuckled. Lucy giggled and once again put a hand over her mouth. ¡°Damn, I have to stop doing that! It''s so embarassing.¡± Lucy said and Ren laughed. ¡°It''s not funny! Every time I''m around you lately, I get this giddy feeling...¡± Ren hooked Lucy''s arm and pulled her behind one of the small shacks. ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s see if we can help each other with that.¡± Ren said and cast concealment glyphs on a few surrounding rocks. ¡°Come here.¡± Ren pulled Lucy down for a kiss. Teepo ducked into the hood so he wouldn''t be spying on his friend. Lucy knelt so she wouldn''t get a crick in her neck, but now she was slightly shorter than Ren and had to tilt her head up slightly. Hair was ruffled on both sides as they made out for the first time in the game. Ren reached around and grabbed both cheeks of Lucy''s backside. ******** A large popup window appeared on the television screen in Ren''s room at the hospital.
Notice!
Privacy Mode has been automatically engaged. No video or audio may be recorded at this time. Privacy Mode will disengage when proscribed activities have ended.
¡°Aww, it was just getting good.¡± One of the night nurses said. Barbara shook her head. ¡°It''s a good thing the game cuts off like that. Can you imagine how many... questionable... videos could be made this way?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Another nurse said. The other 2 nurses turned to stare at her. ¡°What? You can''t tell me you haven''t seen the computer animated stuff people make these days.¡± ¡°I can tell you that.¡± Barbara said and they all laughed. ¡°This might take a while¡± The nurse said and waved to the screen. "See you later, Barbara.¡± The nurse said and turned to the other one. ¡°Come on, we better get back to the floor.¡± The other nurse nodded, said goodbye herself, and they left Barbara alone to sit in the chair beside Ren''s still form in the bed. Barbara sighed. I know I told him to have fun, but doing that wasn''t what I meant. Barbara stared at the screen and hoped the notice went away soon. ******** Lucy reached around and grabbed the cheeks of Ren''s backside and squeezed. Ren let out a little yip and Lucy laughed. ¡°I''ve been wanting to do that for a while.¡± Lucy said and blushed. ¡°It''s so cute I just want to cuddle it.¡± ¡°Isn''t that supposed to be my line to you?¡± Ren said and gently massaged Lucy''s backside. Lucy rolled her eyes. ¡°That thing''s not cute.¡± Ren stopped rubbing and leaned back to look Lucy in the eyes. ¡°You know what? You''re right.¡± Lucy''s eyes widened at Ren''s words. Lucy had just been joking. ¡°It''s not cute... it''s spectacular.¡± Ren said and cupped Lucy''s face with both hands. Lucy''s face flushed red and Ren kissed her gently. ¡°That day you showed up out of the blue to pick me up for a day at the mall... I thought I was seeing an angel.¡± Ren said and kissed her gently again. ¡°I was so wrapped up in seeing your smiling face that it wasn''t until we were back at the hospital, and alone in my room, that I noticed how tight your jeans were.¡± He really didn''t notice what I was wearing!Lucy thought and blushed really hard, almost turning a bright red. When he didn''t say anything about me wearing the tightest jeans I could find, I thought maybe something was wrong... but he was paying me the best compliment I''ve ever had. Ren was so busy looking at ''me'' that he didn''t see the clothes that I wore for him! ¡°It wasn''t until you walked out of the room that I got the full view...¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°It was wonderful.¡± Lucy''s blush stayed on in full force. ¡°Did you paint those on?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I mean... damn... they were tight.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You wouldn''t believe how long it took Little Ren to calm down afterwards.¡± Lucy snorted a laugh and her blush eased. So he did notice eventually.Lucy thought. Mission accomplished! Ren gave Lucy another quick kiss and pulled her up to stand again. Lucy was still a head taller than Ren in the game, but Ren didn''t mind. Ren hugged Lucy tightly and his chin fit right between her breasts. ¡°Even though I''d like to see how far this could go...¡± Ren said as he looked up and Lucy blushed again. ¡°Trying it in an alley is not the best place I''d like to do that.¡± Ren said and Lucy looked around to see if anyone had seen them. Ren let Lucy go and picked up the rocks and stored them into inventory. They might be needed again in the future. ¡°I really do want to go and see this Mitchell guy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope he''s there.¡± Ren and Lucy walked out of the alley and down the street to the corner. They didn''t see any kind of bow and arrow store and started to walk up the street and there it was. A sign was hung on the front of the building.
The Fletching Bowman
The Best Bows You Can Only Hope To Own!
Lucy tugged on Ren''s arm to get him to stop walking. ¡°I don''t have a good feeling about this place.¡± Lucy whispered. ¡°Can you detect something?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''m not sure. Something is tickling my Rogue''s perception.¡± Lucy answered. Ren nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and turned around to walk back down the street. ¡°Ren! Wait!¡± Lucy said and walked faster to catch up to Ren. ¡°You''re not going in?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said and kept walking. ¡°W-why not?¡± Lucy asked. Ren stopped walking and turned quickly. Lucy bumped into him and then bounced off. Ren caught her before she fell, though. ¡°What the?!?¡± Lucy said. ¡°That almost felt like hitting a brick wall.¡± ¡°More like a rock, actually.¡± Ren corrected. ¡°What?¡± Lucy said, confused. ¡°It''s a new ability a dwarf friend gave to me recently, called Rock Steady. I''m really hard to push over or trip with my feet on the ground.¡± Ren answered. ¡°Oh... that''s actually a nice ability.¡± Lucy said and rubbed her belly where Ren''s elbow had caught her. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ren asked. Lucy nodded. I just lost 50 points of health, but I can''t tell him that. It''ll make him feel bad. Lucy thought. ¡°Why aren''t you going into the bow making place? I thought you wanted to find out how to make a bow?¡± Ren looked up at Lucy and stared intently into her eyes. Lucy started to blush a little. ¡°I trust you, Lucy. I always have.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°If you say something is bothering you about that place, then I want nothing to do with it.¡± ¡°I...¡± Lucy tried to speak but Ren staring at her made her blush harder. ¡°I...I only had a vague feeling, Ren.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That doesn''t matter. I''ve always listened to your advice, and you''ve never let me down.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Plus, if I don''t listen to my girlfriend, who else am I supposed to listen to?¡± Lucy had a shocked look on her face and Ren chuckled. G-g-g-girlfriend?Lucy stammered in her thoughts. I... I thought we were just... just having fun. Ren lightly kissed Lucy''s hand and started walking down the street again, leading Lucy the whole way. Poeple whispered as they passed and Lucy didn''t otice the popups of Fame increases she was getting. Ren led Lucy down the street to the back of the Library and went around to the front. Ren started walking up the steps and Lucy let his hand go. Ren stopped and turned around and saw Lucy''s face. Ren wasn''t sure what he saw there, but knew it wasn''t happiness. Ren stood on the step above Lucy and it put their faces at equal height. Ren reached out to put a hand on Lucy''s face and Lucy leaned back. Ren dropped his hand and sighed. ¡°It''s because I called you my girlfriend, isn''t it?¡± Ren asked but Lucy didn''t say anything. ¡°Lucy... I''ve never had a girlfriend before. You know that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Being around you is so mind-blowing that I don''t know how to act sometimes.¡± Ren sighed again. ¡°We''ve made out a few times and gone on a date. I thought that''s what guys were only supposed to do with a girlfriend.¡± Ren looked Lucy in the eyes. ¡°Was I wrong?¡± Lucy looked back at Ren. ¡°Ren.. I... I don''t...¡± ¡°I guess I was.¡± Ren said and took a deep breath. ¡°I''m sorry, Lucy. I didn''t mean to push my assumptions onto you like that.¡± Ren turned away. ¡°You obviously haven''t thought about me like that at all.¡± Ren said and walked up the stairs to the Library. ¡°I should have kept my big mouth shut about it.¡± ¡°Ren... wait...¡± Lucy half-heartedly said. Ren stopped at the top of the stairs but didn''t go inside. A tear formed at the corner of one eye and Ren wiped it away. I guess it was all just wishful thinking, right Teepo? ¡°I think she really likes you, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Liking me is one thing... considering me as a boyfriend is apparently a completely different thing for her. ¡°eeeeen!¡± Teepo, did you hear that?The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°reeeeeeeen!¡± Now I know I heard that.Ren thought and looked around. ¡°REEEEEEEEEN!¡± A elven woman who wore glasses and had an enormous chest bellowed and tried to tackle Ren on the Library''s steps. Ren''s Rock Steady prevented that, but the woman quickly recovered from her rebound and picked Ren up in a big hug. Ren was half buried in her cleavage and he flailed around, helpless. ¡°You came! YOU CAME!¡± She exclaimed to the heavens. ¡°I sent those emails so long ago that I thought you might have forgotten... but here you are!¡± Elise said and squealed in delight and held Ren out at arm''s length. Ren''s feet were at least a foot from the ground. ¡°I mean, you''re a little late, but what''s a few hours to an everlasting LOVE!!!¡± Elise squealed again and swung Ren around in the air like a child and then buried his head in her cleavage again with another hug. ¡°E-x-c-u-s-e me.¡± Lucy said and tapped Elise on the shoulder. Elise gave Lucy a scowl. ¡°You''re excused.¡± Elise said and squeezed Ren harder. All that could be seen of Ren was the top of his head between Elise''s breasts and his continuously flailing arms. ¡°I''m busy with my love!¡± Lucy grabbed Ren''s legs and gave a quick pull. Ren''s head popped out of Elise''s cleavage and Ren gasped for breath.
Stat Change!
Hold Breath Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
¡°Let... him... go!¡± Lucy said and tugged after each word. Ren felt like he was on one of those old torture devices called a Rack, where they tie your arms and legs on opposite sides of the table and stretch you until your bones break. 3%... 5%... 7%... 10%. With each tug and squeeze, Ren''s Health bar was slowly whitling away. I wonder if that will be a new record.Ren thought. Death by breast. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°This is fun, Ren!¡± Teepo said and the hood flapped up and down as Ren was continuously pulled into Elise''s cleavage and then yanked out again by Lucy. ¡°No! He''s mine!¡± Squeeze. ¡°Mine, I tell you!¡± Squeeze. ¡°He came here for me! Me!¡± Squeeze. ¡°I love him!¡± Elise screamed at Lucy. ¡°You''re not...¡± Tug. ¡°...loving him.¡± Tug. ¡°You''re...¡± Tug. ¡°...killing him!¡± Lucy said. ¡°That''s... not helping!¡± Ren said when he came up for another breath of air. Lucy let go and Ren''s face disappeared into Elise''s cleavage again. Elise grinned and hugged Ren so tightly that Ren lost the breath he was holding and started to turn blue. Lucy came over to stand beside Elise. ¡°Let him go.¡± ¡°No!¡± Elise spat and tried to turn away. Lucy reached out and put a hand on Elise''s shoulder. ¡°Get your hands off my boyfriend. Now.¡± ¡°What are you do-¡± Elise tried to say when Lucy punched her right in the face. Elise was so surprised that she didn''t react at all and was knocked out cold. Lucy held onto Ren as Elise let him go and Elise''s unconscious body slid down to lie on the steps of the Library. Ren hunched over and tried to catch his breath. ¡°L-L-Lucy...¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Ren. My Diplomacy skill wasn''t working so I had to use a Sneak Attack.¡± Ren stood up and rubbed his face to try and get the feeling back into it. ¡°Are... are you kidding?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That... was... awesome!¡± Ren said and tried to laugh, but coughed instead and hunched over again. Lucy blushed at Ren''s comment but immediately patted Ren gently on the back and then switched to massaging his chest. Ren breathed normally a moment later and stood up straight. ¡°I thought your t-shirt was only a joke... but you really are a Rescue Ninja!¡± Ren said with a huge grin on his face. Lucy blushed harder. ¡°Let''s get inside before she wakes up.¡± Lucy said and Ren followed her inside the Library. They pushed through the crowd of people that had gathered and found an unoccupied stall near the back of the main room. Ren and Lucy sat down on opposite sides of the table. Teepo hopped out of Ren''s hood and skittered up the wall. Don''t go far, Teepo. ¡°So... is it true?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°Is what true?¡± ¡°That you came here to meet her.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Of course not! I have no idea who that woman is!¡± Ren said loudly. A loud ¡°Shhhhhhh!¡± was heard and Ren winced. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I think I know who she is.¡± Lucy said. ¡°She said something about sending you emails. What about them?¡± Ren was quiet for a minute. ¡°Well... I think I remember seeing something... but I haven''t checked my email since before my birthday.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was just a couple of emails from the VR company, about when I was trapped in the game.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Wait... I think... yes, there might have been a message from someone... what was that name... Edna? Elaine?¡± ¡°Elise.¡± Lucy said. Ren raised an eyebrow. ¡°That''s it. Elise. I had no idea who that was, so I never opened it.¡± ¡°You didn''t even open it?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°No. Why would I? If you got an email from some random guy, would you open it?¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s not some random woman, Ren.¡± ¡°She... she''s not? Who is she?¡± Ren asked. ¡°She''s the secretary from the VR company.¡± Ren squinted his eyes. ¡°How would you know that?¡± Lucy sighed. ¡°She''s been to the hospital several times with technicians to adjust your VR headset.¡± Ren sat back in the chair. ¡°When did these visits happen? I don''t remember anything about them.¡± ¡°They were usually scheduled for when you were playing the game, or when you were asleep.¡± Lucy said. Ren crossed his arms. ¡°And I wasn''t told because...¡± ¡°Doctor''s orders.¡± Lucy explained. ¡°He didn''t want the knowledge of them making changes to affect how you interacted with the system.¡± ¡°What changes?¡± Ren asked with narrow eyes. ¡°I honestly don''t know.¡± Lucy said and leaned on the table to cross her arms under her chin. ¡°They''d just show up and then asked for access to the equipment.¡± ¡°...and since they actually own the equipment...¡± Ren offered. ¡°No questions were asked about it and no answers were given.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Well, crap.¡± Lucy looked at Ren across the table. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Ren opened the message system and looked for the ''contact system administrator'' option. There wasn''t one. ¡°The system won''t let me contact the system administrator.¡± Lucy sat up straight and did the same thing. ¡°Me, either.¡± Lucy said a minute later. ¡°I wonder when they took that option out?¡± ¡°Probably during that big update that they released after my little incident.¡± Ren said. Lucy winced. Not because it had happened, but that she hadn''t been there when it did. ¡°Well, since we can''t do anything yet... I might as well do what I came in here to do.¡± Ren said and stood. ¡°What''s that?¡± Lucy asked. Ren walked up the aisle and Lucy followed behind. Ren arrived at the main desk and Rosie was sitting there. ¡°Hi, Rosie.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Rosie said and giggled. ¡°I need some help.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll do what I can. What do you need?¡± Rosie asked. ¡°I need a really good book on bow making.¡± Ren said. ¡°Better make that one for basics, and one for advanced.¡± Rosie raised her eyebrows. ¡°I promised someone a while ago that I''d make them a bow, but I don''t know how... or even where to start.¡± Ren explained. ¡°I figured if anyone around here would know what to do about it, it would be you.¡± Rosie blushed and giggled. ¡°Do you have your Library Card?¡± ¡°Of course I do. I never leave home without it.¡± Ren said and pulled it from inventory to hand it over. Rosie smiled, looked at the card, and tilted her head a little. ¡°What was the tenth book you read?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Your card says you''ve read 10 books, but only 9 are from here.¡± Rosie said and looked at Ren. Ren thought for a moment and smiled. ¡°Oh, that! I read an old children''s storybook at a friend''s homestead.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wait... that will record any book I read, and not just the ones I read while I''m in here?¡± Rosie nodded. ¡°That''s pretty cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not as cool as your cloak.¡± Rosie said and giggled. Ren swished it from side to side. ¡°This old thing?¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°The dire wolf didn''t need it anymore.¡± Rosie''s eyes widened. ¡°You... you mean that you...¡± Ren nodded. Rosie squealed and hopped down from her chair and ran around the desk and jumped on Ren to hug him. ¡°You must have been so scared!¡± Rosie said and tears came to her eyes. ¡°You poor thing!¡± Ren chuckled and gave Rosie a quick pat and stepped back, pulling Rosie''s arms off and holding her hands instead. ¡°It wasn''t like that, actually. As you can see, both Lucy and I are fine.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ll tell you the story right after I get a chance to read a book or two.¡± Ren said and let Rosie''s hands go. Rosie nodded and went back behind the desk to climb up into the chair. I''ll send someone for them right away.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and started to turn away, then stopped. ¡°Rosie?¡± ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± ¡°Is there some kind of privacy area? Maybe a closed booth or room that we could use?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Rosie asked. ¡°I''d like to read the book in private so I won''t disturb the other people here, but after I''m done, we can fill you in on all the details about this.¡± Ren said and lifted the front paw of the cloak. ¡°It''s not something to talk about out here, wouldn''t you agree?¡± Ren said and looked around. Rosie looked around herself and nodded. ¡°Here''s the key to room 12 down the hallway. Come and get me when you''re done with the books.¡± Rosie said and handed Ren a small key. Ren nodded. ¡°Thanks, Rosie.¡± Ren said and waved for Lucy to follow him. They went to a familiar door and opened it. They went inside and walked down the hall to room 12 to wait, leaving the door open. ¡°That was quite the show you did there.¡± Lucy said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You were playing the hero pretty good out there to dazzle her.¡± Lucy said and sat down. Ren sat down across from Lucy and smiled. ¡°I wasn''t playing.¡± Ren said and grinned at Lucy''s opened mouth that made a cute ''o'' shape. The attenant came in with a single book and placed it on the table. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and shook the man''s hand, placing a silver coin in it. ¡°Y-you''re welcome, sir.¡± He said and bowed. ¡°I hope you enjoy the book.¡± The man left and shut the door. ¡°Did you just tip that guy?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°He wouldn''t be working here if he didn''t need money.¡± Ren said. ¡°Since he''s not out adventuring, this would have to be his best source of income.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°I was playing the game for a week real time before I earned enough money to get a silver coin.¡± Ren explained. ¡°It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. I just wanted to help him out a bit, is all.¡± Lucy reached over and took Ren''s hand. ¡°You are a really sweet guy.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and looked at the book.
Fletching Mastery
A Comprehensive Guide Longbows, Shortbows, Arrows, Crossbows, Bolts And the Limitations of their Magical Properties Rank: B
Ren stared at the cover. ¡°What is it?¡± Lucy said. ¡°It''s... oh, boy... I''m not even supposed to see the cover of this book, let alone be allowed to read it.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°My library card is only a rank D... and this book is a B.¡± Lucy''s eyes widened. ¡°She must really want to hear the story.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°This might take a while, even with Speed Reading.¡± Ren said and took out the scraps of spider silk cloth he had, the portable dying station, spider silk thread, and the portable tailor''s kit. ¡°You can have some fun with this while you wait.¡± Lucy nodded and started playing with the different colors and sewing things together. Ren opened the book and started to read. The book was about 3 inches thick, Speed Reading kicked in, and Ren flipped the pages faster than normal. An hour later when Ren got about halfway through, Speed Reading hit Level 6 and Ren flipped the pages faster. 45 minutes later, Ren closed the book and sat back. ¡°Well... that was... enlightening.¡± Ren said and got a series of popups.
Notice!
You have read a book beyond your level and understood it''s contents.
Stat Change!
Intelligence +5 Wisdom +5
Notice!
You have learned new skills! Bow Making Level 1 (Beginner 0%) - This skill allows you to construct bows. Arrow Making Level 1 (Beginner 0%) - This skill allows you to construct arrows. Crossbow Making Level 1 (Beginner 0%) - This skill allows you to construct crossbows. Bolt Making Level 1 (Beginner 0%) - This skill allows you to construct crossbow bolts. Higher levels of these skills will allow quicker build times and higher quality products.
Notice!
Your extensive knowledge has given you bonus levels in your new skills! Bow Making Level 3 (Beginner 0%), Arrow Making Level 3 (Beginner 0%), Crossbow Making Level 3 (Beginner 0%), Bolt Making Level 3 (Beginner 0%).
Notice!
You have discovered Hidden Knowledge buried deep within the pages and between the words.
New Rune!
Your skill Hidden Knowledge has allowed you to discover a new rune: Enhancement.
Stat Change!
Hidden Knowledge Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
Ren took out his Book of Runes and flipped to the single runes section and to the last page.
Rune of Enhancement
This rune grants you the ability to enhance 1 aspect of what you enchant at the time of casting. Quality, Toughness, Piercing, Sharpness, Brightness, Speed, etc. can be increased by 5%
Ren took a few moments and made the double, triple and quadruple glyphs for the new rune and put the Book of Runes away. Ren rubbed his eyes and stood up. Ren stretched and walked around the table to stand beside Lucy. ¡°What have you got there?¡± Ren asked. Lucy tried to hide it, but Ren saw what it was. ¡°Lucy...¡± Ren said and gently took it from Lucy''s hands. ¡°I know... it looks horrible!¡± Lucy said and tried to take it back. Ren kept it out of her reach and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Lucy, it''s great.¡± ¡°You''re just saying that.¡± Lucy said. Ren shook his head. ¡°I haven''t seen anything like it before.¡± Ren said and held it up. ¡°It''s wonderful.¡± Lucy looked at Ren and saw the smile and wonder on his face. He likes what I made! ¡°Can I keep it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You want to keep it?¡± Lucy said. ¡°Why? I was just playing around with the cloth...¡± ¡°Well you made it, for one thing... for another, I didn''t know you could make things like this.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I mean, you helped teach me how to sew and I figured you could have fun with the cloth and dying station... but this!¡± Lucy blushed a little and then nodded. ¡°You can keep it.¡± Ren grinned and leaned down to give Lucy a kiss. It turned into another short make out session and Lucy pulled back. ¡°Ren... outside the library when you called me your girlfr-¡± Ren put a finger on Lucy''s lips. ¡°It''s okay.¡± ¡°But I want to explain...¡± Lucy tried to say and Ren shook his head. ¡°I heard what you said when you punched out that woman to save me.¡± Ren said and put the thing Lucy had made on the table, facing them. ¡°Does, ''Get your hands off my boyfriend'', sound familiar?¡± Ren grinned and Lucy blushed harder. ¡°When she grabbed you like that... I couldn''t think straight... and it just slipped out.¡± Lucy said and Ren kissed her again. ¡°That''s why it doesn''t matter what happened before that.¡± Ren said and kissed Lucy''s neck. ¡°Ren... we can''t do anything in here...¡± Lucy said. ¡°We can''t?¡± Ren said. ¡°Why else do you think I asked for a private room? To read a book?¡± Ren chuckled and took out the rocks with concealment runes on them and put them on the table and the floor. ¡°I could read a book anywhere.¡± Ren looked Lucy in the eyes. ¡°What I really wanted to do...¡± Ren said and kissed Lucy like he''d been forcing himself not to do all day. Lucy''s spider silk cloth creation sat on the desk and watched them in silence. It was a miniature version of Ren. Chapter 68 - Another Day, Another Tool Things started to get hot and heavy and Ren tried to take off Lucy''s top. After 2 failed attempts, Ren remembered that there weren''t any buttons and that Lucy had equipped it instead of putting it on. Ren wanted to ask her to unequip it, but how do you bring something like that up? He''d never done this before. Ren stopped kissing Lucy and then tugged at the top. Lucy shook her head no. Ren leaned back and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Ren... this is great and all... but, doesn''t it feel a little off?¡± Lucy said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It... it feels fake. Artificial.¡± Lucy said. ¡°When we kissed in real life, there was this spark...¡± Lucy avoided Ren''s gaze. ¡°...but I don''t feel it in here.¡± Lucy tapped her chest. ¡°You don''t notice the difference?¡± Ren leaned back against the table and thought about it. ¡°You know... VR is supposed to tap into our senses and let us ''feel'' what everything is supposed to be like.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think you''re right. Maybe there''s something being lost in the signal''s transmission from me to you.¡± ¡°Yes... that''s what it is. I can see and feel you here.¡± Lucy said and touched Ren''s hand. ¡°But, it''s not giving me the same feeling in here.¡± Lucy said and held her hand over her heart. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± ¡°You don''t have to be sorry.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°At least, now we know.¡± Lucy looked at Ren, slightly confused. ¡°Know what?¡± ¡°That an electronic relationship would never work.¡± ¡°It wouldn''t?¡± Lucy said. Ren shook his head. ¡°Knowing that it''s fake, and just a computer simulation, just takes all the realness out of it.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I kinda ignored that because I was caught up in the moment.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re very distracting.¡± Lucy''s face flushed a little red. Ren put all the equipment and enchanted rocks back into storage and set Little Ren in his own slot away from everything else. Ren walked around the table and picked up the book. ¡°I''ll be right back with Rosie.¡± Lucy nodded. Ren unlocked the door and went down the hallway, through the door and to the main desk. Ren passed Rosie the book and Rosie passed back his Library card. Rosie asked Ren to wait for a minute and then she got someone to cover the main desk for her. Ren and Rosie went back into room 12 and Ren and Lucy shared the story of the dire wolf and what had happened. Rosie shrieked and shivered when the dire wolf attacked and when Ren tackled it, and cheered when Ren jumped in to take the hit for Lucy and when Ren smacked the dire wolf down. Rosie was enraptured by the tale and never spoke a word until they were finished telling the story. Then the questions started. It became like an interview at a police station, where the investigator grilled suspects until they revealed all their secrets. It had taken another hour to reveal the tale and answer all the questions, but in the end, Rosie was satisfied and content. ¡°That was a great story!¡± Rosie said. ¡°Would you mind if I used it?¡± ¡°For what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Writing a book, of course.¡± Rosie said and beamed a smile. Ren looked at Lucy, who shrugged. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren said and Rosie squealed again and gave him a big hug. ¡°Thank you!¡± Rosie said and let Ren go. ¡°I want to thank you too, Rosie.¡± Ren said. ¡°That book...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°How did you manage that?¡± Rosie giggled. ¡°I checked it out myself.¡± Ren''s eyes widened at that statement. ¡°But... if anything had happened to it, you would have gotten into trouble!¡± Ren said. ¡°There weren''t any good books at your reading level, so I borrowed one that would help you.¡± Rosie said and blushed. ¡°Rosie... you''re a better friend than I deserve.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, I''m not! Wait, that doesn''t sound right. I am? No, that''s not right either.¡± Rosie said and sighed in exasperation. ¡°Ren, how am I supposed to respond to that?!?¡± Ren chuckled and Lucy smiled. ¡°Just say ''thank you''.¡± Ren grinned. Rosie rolled her eyes. ¡°Thank. You.¡± They all laughed and then they left the room. Ren handed over the key and opened the hallway door for the 2 women. Ren and Lucy went out the main door and there was no sign of Elise. It was getting dark and Ren said they should head back to the blacksmith''s shop and the safe zone. Lucy nodded and they walked up the street, took the corner, and went up that street to Donan''s shop. They walked around the corner of the building to the spot they''d used before and sat down. ¡°Thanks for logging in, Lucy. Despite everything that happened, it was a fun day.¡± Ren said. Lucy snorted laughter and Ren chuckled. ¡°You call that fun!¡± Lucy shook her head. ¡°You have a strange idea of what fun is, Ren.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°The best part was that punch! Pow! Right in the kisser.¡± Ren mimicked Lucy''s swing. ¡°How did you see that with your face buried in her chest?¡± Lucy said. ¡°When you let my legs go, it shifted by head back. My mouth and nose were still covered, but I could see your fist making contact.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°What a sight that was.¡± Ren turned to face Lucy. ¡°Thank you for getting me out of a really uncomfortable situation.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you hadn''t been there...¡± Ren shivered. ¡°...who knows what would have happened.¡± Lucy reached out and gave Ren a one armed hug. ¡°Don''t worry, when I log off I''ll see about contacting the company. I''ll have her reported for her behavior and try to make sure she won''t bother you again.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thanks, Lucy.¡± Lucy let Ren go and sat back against the building. ¡°See you later.¡± Ren nodded and Lucy logged out. Ren sat there and stared at Lucy''s phantom form. Ren had gone along with Lucy''s point of view back in the Library about how things had felt different in the game than in the real world; but the truth was, Ren didn''t notice any difference at all. When I kissed Lucy, it felt exactly the same. Ren rubbed the sides of his head with his hands. Maybe that''s what those modifications were for. My headset is so much more sensitive than a normal one. Ren thought. Ren took out the miniature version of himself that Lucy had made and held it in his hands. It was nearly a spitting image of him, the clothes and hair matched his, and it was about 7 inches tall. The only facial features were round eyes made of thread and a piece of thread for the mouth. Ren admired it and all the little details Lucy had put into it. It even has a belt and a cloak! ¡°Ren, I''m getting tired.¡± Teepo said. You''re tired, Teepo? Ren reached into his hood but nothing was there. Where are you? ¡°I''m going down the steps of the Library.¡± Ren slapped himself on the forehead. I''m sorry that I left you there, Teepo! ¡°That''s okay. I finally got to explore the main area, and the upstairs.¡± That''s no reason for me to forget to pick you up when I left. Ren thought. Just a second, I''ll summon you back. Ren turned over the hand that still held the doll. ¡°Summon Teepo!¡± Ren said and tapped the ring on his index finger. Ren looked down and didn''t see Teepo''s astral form anywhere. Teepo? ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± Where are you? ¡°I''m right here.¡± Ren looked at his hand and the doll waved an arm. Ren turned his hand over and looked at the doll again. It was still the same, but Ren could almost feel the life in it. ¡°Teepo?¡± ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes, I''m fine.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It''s just... um.. how do I say this...¡± Ren thought for a moment and took out the metal shield he found in the old temple. Ren leaned the shield against the wall and looked at Teepo. ¡°This might come as a bit of a shock, Teepo.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°What...¡± Teepo started to say and Ren stood Teepo in front of the shield. It''s surface served as a good mirror. ¡°What is that!¡± Teepo said and pointed. The little Ren reflection pointed back to him. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Teepo screamed and tried to run around. Teepo would have skittered away faster than he ever had before... if he still had all of his legs. Since Teepo now only had 2, Teepo flopped onto the ground and flailed helplessly. It reminded Ren of how he had acted when that woman had grabbed him, and he was helpless then, too. Ren sighed and picked Teepo up. ¡°It''s okay, Teepo. Calm down.¡± Ren said and held Teepo so he couldn''t get away or somehow hurt himself. ¡°What?!? How!?!¡± Teepo said. ¡°I don''t know... but maybe it was because I held onto the doll while summoning you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe the spell, or curse, or whatever it is that''s got you trapped in the ring, acted weird with something else touching it while it activated.¡± Teepo calmed down and stopped flailing around. ¡°Can you fix it?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I know this is how you people look, but it''s totally freaking me out! How do you get by with so few limbs?!?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°We manage somehow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Okay, let''s try this.¡± Ren put the doll flat on the ground and stepped away from it. ¡°Summon Teepo!¡± Ren said and tapped the ring with his thumb, like he usually did. The doll didn''t move but Teepo''s astral form appeared at Ren''s feet. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I feel great!¡± Teepo said and lifted up each of his legs and put them to his mouth. ¡°Mwuah. Mwuah. Mwuah!¡± Teepo said and kissed each of his 6 legs. Ren laughed and picked up the doll to put into inventory, along with the metal shield. ¡°That was really weird.¡± Ren said. And no popups, either. Ren thought. Maybe the system doesn''t know how to handle it? Is it a bug? Teepo skittered around Ren''s feet and Ren laughed again. ¡°Alright, come on.¡± Ren said and picked Teepo up and put him into the hood of the cloak. ¡°I need to get some sleep.¡± Ren said and walked down the street towards the closest east gate, then took the corner to go to the Leisure District. It took a while to walk that far; but Ren didn''t mind, and neither did Teepo. They eventually came to the Snoozing Bear Inn that they stayed in once before and saw a poster beside the front door. It was a crudely drawn picture of him and it said that the Hero of Aurora had stayed there. Ren shook his head and stepped inside. It wasn''t the completely empty place that it had been before and there were several people sitting in chairs and talking. Ren walked up to the counter and the innkeeper recognized him immediately. ¡°S-sir! So glad that you''ve come back to stay!¡± The innkeeper said, then leaned forward. ¡°¡± The innkeeper whispered. Ren leaned in himself. ¡°¡± Ren whispered. ¡°¡± The innkeeper said. ¡°¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yes, yes! Right this way! Always the best room in the house for you, the Hero of Aurora!¡± The innkeeper said and ushered Ren up the stairs and to the same room he had been in before. ¡°This is the best room?¡± Ren asked as the innkeeper pushed him inside. ¡°Of course it is.¡± The innkeeper said. ¡°¡± The innkeeper whispered and shut the door. Ren chuckled and looked around the room. Teepo hopped off and landed on the table. The room looked exactly the same. It still has the unicorn picture, too. Ren thought and took off the cloak to store into inventory. Ren did the same with his boots and wriggled his toes. Ren looked back at the door, and then took the chair by the desk and jammed it under the door handle, just in case. Ren climbed into bed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Ren woke up the next morning and got out of bed. Morning, Teepo. Ren thought and took out a dry ration pack and ate the third of it that was left from when he was at the mines. Ren wasn''t hungry, but he had a long day ahead. ¡°Morning, Ren! Did you sleep well?¡± Teepo said. I did. I can''t remember the last time I had a full night''s sleep. Ren thought and then equipped the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. ¡°I''m glad.¡± Teepo hopped off the wall and into Ren''s hood. ¡°Where are we off to today?¡± I need to gather some wood to make a bow, but I have to stop in Donan''s first. I need a saw and an axe. Ren thought and opened the room door. Ren went down the stairs to the main desk and the innkeeper was there, half asleep. Ren activated Sneak and put 5 silver coins on the counter next to the innkeeper''s hand. Ren walked out of the Snoozing Bear Inn and up the street, retracing the same route he had taken to get to the inn from Donan''s place. Donan''s was open and Ren went inside. The sound of ringing metal on an anvil filled the space and Ren greeted it like an old friend. ¡°Good morning, Donan.¡± Ren said. ¡°Morning.¡± Donan replied. ¡°Anything urgent today?¡± Ren asked and Donan shook his head. Teepo climbed onto Ren''s head and Ren stored the cloak back into inventory. ¡°Say, Donan... do you have any saws?¡± Ren asked. Donan perked up at the question. ¡°Yes, I''ve got some in the back.¡± ¡°I need one, or you can teach me how to make one.¡± Ren said. Donan smiled. ¡°I was hoping you''d ask me that.¡± For the next 6 hours, Ren learned how to make every kind of saw blade Donan could think of. Hand saws (for cutting wood), large round saw blades (like the one Aimus had), tree limb saws (long thin blades with teeth on one side), saw blades in the shape of a cylinder with teeth on the ends for cutting holes, hack saw blades (blades with really fine teeth that you held in your hands and rubbed back and forth on metal to cut it), and even those really long tree cutting blades that needed 2 people to operate. Teepo had long since disappeared into Donan''s back room. Whatever Teepo had seen in there definitely had caught Teepo''s attention. Ren had his forge on the whole time and more of the normal iron bars had been bubbling for hours. Ren knew he''d need at least some of it for forging and wanted to be prepared. After Donan couldn''t remember any more blades, Ren had asked about the large saw blade that Aimus had and Donan chuckled. ¡°Can you imagine? Making a table and attaching the saw to it like a big spinning wheel! I nearly pissed myself laughing when he asked me to build it.¡± Donan said. ¡°Did you?¡± Ren asked. Donan shook his head. ¡°No. I''m not a woodworker, Ren. I buy the handles for picks and hammers from the general store.¡± ¡°Oh... okay. Thanks, Donan.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m tempted to track down a woodworker, but you just reminded me that I thought it looked like a spinning wheel, too.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± Donan asked. ¡°Where else? The only place I know that has an actual spinning wheel.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Sally''s.¡± Ren put on the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and asked Donan to tend the molten metal in Ren''s forge. Ren walked over to Sally''s shop and went inside. The bell rang when Ren opened the door. ¡°I''ll be with you in just a minute.¡± Sally said from the back room. Ren stood there and looked at the shop. It had been a while since he''d been in there and Ren smiled. Ren had spent a good portion of his early game time right there at that table. Sally came out from the back room. ¡°What can I do to hel- REN!¡± Sally exclaimed and rushed over to take Ren into a big hug. Ren hugged her back and they just stood there for a few minutes, not saying anything. ¡°I missed you! Aimus was by weeks ago and told me all about what happened.¡± Sally said and let Ren go to hold him at arms length. Sally examined Ren from head to toe and smiled. ¡°At least you look fine after such an ordeal... and you rescued a damsel in distress!¡± Sally beamed. ¡°That''s my little Ren!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I didn''t do it alone. Aimus was there, too.¡± Sally waved that away. ¡°He distracted it from eating you, yes... but you finished it off.¡± Sally lifted one of the front paws still attached to the cloak and looked at it closely. ¡°You still haven''t attached the claws?¡± Ren stared at Sally. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Aimus said he gave you the claws. I figured the first thing you would do would be to put them on the paws.¡± Sally said. ¡°I can do that?!?¡± Ren said, surprised. Sally nodded. ¡°This cloak is really strong, even stronger than our special fabric.¡± Sally explained. ¡°You could just sew them in...¡± Sally slipped her hand inside the paw and poked a finger out through one of the dire wolf toes. ¡°...but they might not stay attached.¡± Ren stood there with his mouth open. Ren had completely forgot about the dire wolf claws Aimus had given him. *(Author''s Note: Technically, so did I, because I missed adding them to Ren''s published Inventory. :) )* ¡°So... what are you doing here?¡± Sally asked. ¡°It''s not just to visit an old woman, is it?¡± Ren shook hmself out of his shocked state and smiled. ¡°I came to get a good look at your spinning wheel.¡± Sally smiled, too. ¡°You know where it is. Help yourself.¡± ¡°Thanks, Sally.¡± Ren said, gave Sally another quick hug, and went into the back room. Ren spent a good 20 minutes examining the spinning wheel and it''s design. Moving all the parts and checking to see where things were supposed to fit and how the spinning wheel really worked. Ren spent extra time at the foot pedal and the mechanism that let Sally spin that big wooden wheel so fast. Ren stood up after he''d seen everything and received a popup.
Notice!
You have learned the plans for making a Spinning Wheel.
Ren grinned and went out to the front of the shop. ¡°Find everything that you wanted, dear?¡± Sally asked. Ren nodded. Sally was sitting behind the main counter and was working on another piece of clothing. ¡°Need any help?¡± Ren asked. Sally shook her head. ¡°I could do this in my sleep.¡± Sally said and they both laughed. Ren didn''t doubt her in the least. ¡°Thanks for letting me just come by out of the blue like this.¡± Ren said and stood beside Sally at the counter. ¡°You''re my student. You can come and go as you please.¡± Sally admonished Ren. ¡°I know, but that doesn''t mean I don''t appreciate you letting me do it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s always nice to see you, Ren.¡± Sally said and ruffled Ren''s hair. Ren hopped up to give her a quick peck on the cheek. ¡°Bye, Sally!¡± Ren said and left the shop. Ren didn''t see Sally''s face had flushed a bright red color. Ren went back to Donan''s shop and went inside to the big bench that had been uncerimoniously shoved under the tool rack after Ren and Donan had built the big forge. Ren hung up the random tools and cleared off a good section to work in. Ren got a big sheet of parchment from Donan and set it on the bench, just so Ren could have a better surface to see the spinning wheel pattern. Ren opened the pattern and the system overlayed it onto the paper. The parts were wood, obviously, but Ren didn''t think would alone would keep the saw from turning when the foot pedal was pushed. Ren substituted metal rods instead, got rid of the spool holder on the end, as it was in the way for what Ren wanted. The foot pedal was attached to a wooden pole attached to the big wheel, and when pushed, the wheel''s own weight would help it keep spinning. Ren kept this idea, but added a smaller wheel and pole. Ren drew on the parchment, showing a small wheel, then drew a larger wheel next to it and a same size wheel inside that, and attached the rod in the same spot on both wheels, so that when one turned, the other turned as well. Ren smiled and drew a smaller wheel behind the first, and a small wheel inside the first, then attached poles to those. Now, when the smallest wheel turned, the inside of the middle wheel turned, but faster, and then that wheel turned the big wheel, the actual saw blade, even faster. Ren made the foot pedal into a hand hold and a lever instead, added braces to hold everything together, and a hand hold for his other hand. Ren stood back and looked at the result. It wasn''t pretty, but it should work like a charm.
Notice!
You have made a new pattern: Hand Powered Circular Saw
Notice!
Your innovation and adaptation has made you that much smarter. Intelligence +2
Ren grinned and got to work. Ren made the saw blade first, as it was the most difficult part. Then the wheels, the braces, and the rods connecting the wheels and holding them in place. It was all made of crude steel. Ren had thought of using wood for some of the parts, but he wanted it to last, and be easily repairable. When Ren was done, he examined it.
Hand Powered Circular Saw
This improvised and dangerous tool can cut wood at an accelerated rate, compared to regular saws.
¡°What the hell is that?!?¡± Donan shouted. Ren turned around and showed Donan what he''d made. ¡°It''s something that''s going to make it so much easier to gather timber.¡± Ren said and grinned. Chapter 69 - To The Bow Trees! Ren borrowed several pieces of wood from Donan and took out the small wooden box Donan had given him. He examined it and checked the hinges. Ren saw how the wood was cut to fit and after a few minutes, learned the wooden box plans and scaled it up in size to made a big version of it. Ren put in all the different saw blades he had made with Donan, then took the time to make an axe and a hatchet, and put those in the box as well. Ren made a smaller box and filled it with nails, adding in a hammer, too. He couldn''t think of what else to take, so he closed the box and put it into inventory with the new hand saw. ¡°Donan, I''m heading out to get some wood for bows. I''ll be back later.¡± Ren said. Teepo, are you coming? ¡°Sure! Be right there.¡± Teepo said and skittered across the ceiling. Ren waited until Teepo was right above and equipped his cloak. Teepo plopped right into the hood an Ren left the shop. Thanks to the book Rosie had let him read, Ren knew exactly where to find the best bow making trees. Ren walked down the street until he came to the main road and went towards the West Gate. As an extra precaution, Ren equipped his leather armor as well. Ren walked out through the West Gate and past the herb field. Ren saw there were still a lot of people ''farming'' for XP. Ren stayed on the road and didn''t venture into the forest. When Ren was 2 hours away from the city, the forest became dark and foreboding. Ren smiled because it didn''t bother him in the least. Knowing that terror can easily be caused by runes, Ren continued walking. About an hour later, the trees thinned out a little and Ren came to a small path. If the description in the book was right, then I need to follow this trail to the grove. Ren stepped off the road and onto the path. Ren followed the trail and didn''t leave it to explore. Teepo had been tempted to do just that but Ren had convinced Teepo to stay with him. Half an hour later, the path opened up and Ren entered a grove of trees. The trees were tall and seemed really flimsy. They swayed when the wind blew and Ren thought he cold hear some of them creak. This is supposed to be the place. Ren thought and took out his powered hand saw and Book of Runes. Ren flipped to the Enhancement rune and concentrated on the quadruple glyph. Torque Ren thought as he touched the first wheel. Speed Ren thought and touched the second one. Razor Sharp Ren thought and touched the sawblade. Ren looked at the contraption he''d made and decided to add one more rune to it. Ren touched the main body. Hardy Each glyph gave a 20% bonus to those attributes. Ren smiled and picked it up. ¡°I hope this works.¡± Ren said out loud. ¡°Cross your fingers, Teepo.¡± Teepo looked down at his legs and crossed the front 2. Ren held the thing steady and used Iron Grip to pump the handle''s lever with his fingers, letting Iron Grip go when the lever hit the handle. Ren kept it going and the blade turned slowly at first. More pumps had the blade going faster. If Ren''s control of Iron Grip hadn''t been so skilled, this would never have worked. Ren turned the machine sideways and the pumping got easier. Ren pumped the handle''s lever faster and faster with his fingers and lost all feeling in them. Ren edged the blade into the closest tree and the blade started to dig into the thin bark. ¡°It''s working!¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s wor-¡± *BANG* The blade jammed itself into the tree about 2 inches in and Ren''s Iron Grip bent the lever and the handle together. If Ren handn''t had a hold of it, it would have flung right out of his hands. ¡°What the heck...¡± Ren said and let go. The blade hung there, suspended in the tree like it was a part of it. Ren walked over to the tree and looked at the cut. The blade was wedged into the tree and didn''t look like it would be moving anytime soon. Ren sighed. ¡°Well... it was a good idea... but not for this.¡± ¡°That''s half-true at least.¡± A voice said. Ren looked around but didn''t see anyone. Teepo. ¡°On it, Ren!¡± Teepo said and jumped out of the hood on Ren''s cloak and skittered off into the grove. ¡°Why is that?¡± Ren asked the voice. ¡°These trees can''t be cut like that.¡± The voice said and laughed. ¡°It takes both care and finesse to bend them to your will.¡± Ren placed a hand on the tree. Weaken. Ren pushed the tree away from where the saw was wedged and the saw fell out of the grove it had been stuck in. Ren held the tree where it was, the grove opened about an inch wide and absorbed the glyph, then placed another. Brittle Ren pushed the tree as hard as he could and a loud crack sounded from the tree. The tree broke apart from the stump and crashed to the ground, it''s branches snapping off as it hit. Ren reached out and absorbed the glyph. The voice had remained quiet during Ren''s little display. ¡°I found him! Here''s over here.¡± Teepo said. Ren turned to where Teepo''s voice was coming from. Down through the grove of trees Ren could see where Teepo was jumping up and down. ¡°And who might you be?¡± Ren asked while facing that direction. ¡°I was so easily caught.¡± The voice sighed and a man stepped out from behind a clump of similar trees to the one Ren had cut. ¡°I''m Mitchell...¡± Mitchell wore light travelling clothes and wore boots that came up to the knee and had rounded leather pads over the knees. Mitchell also had a bow in his hand, but no arrow. ¡°...and this is my grove.¡± Ren heard the determination in the man''s voice and smiled. Ren knew full well that no one owned this land. The book had said so. Anyone who knew of the place was free to come here. ¡°Is it?¡± Ren looked around. ¡°I don''t see your name on it anywhere.¡± ¡°I found it, so I claimed it.¡± Mitchell said and gripped the bow in his hand tighter. ¡°Well, I didn''t have to find it. I knew it was here.¡± Ren said. ¡°So... wouldn''t that give me a better claim to it than you?¡± Mitchell scowled at Ren and Ren smiled. I''m calling your bluff. Ren thought. What are you going to do? ¡°He''s reaching for an arrow, Ren!¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s in his boot!¡±
Notice!
You have entered PVP Mode.
Ren pulled the metal shield out of inventory and Mitchell let lose an arrow. Ren ducked behind the shield and croutched down. The instant the arrow touched the shield, the Grip of the Earth glyph Ren had placed on the shield activated. A rock hand caught the arrow and crushed it. Ren pushed the shield down into the soft earth a little bit and propped it up with the saw that was there, next to Ren on the ground. Ren activated Sneak and slipped off into the trees.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I guess he wasn''t bluffing. Ren thought as he saw another arrow pass and heard the grinding sound of rock. Is he still in the same spot, Teepo? ¡°Yes, Ren. He''s pulling multiple arrows from his back quiver to fire all at once.¡± Teepo responded. Excellent. Thanks, Teepo. Ren moved around the trees in the grove and did his best to stay silent. As Ren creeped over to where Mitchell stood, Ren pulled out one of the raised platform rings from inventory. Ren didn''t want to do any serious harm, or possibly kill Mitchell over a stupid argument that had barely started. Ren placed a finger on the front of the raised part of the ring and enchanted a single lightning rune on it. The rune etched itself into the surface and Ren put it on, facing it outwards. Ren slid over the soft earth the last few feet and came up behind his target. Mitchell turned around at the last second, but the reaction was much too late. Ren already held his fist out. Activate. A tiny lightning bolt shot out and struck Mitchell in the leg. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Mitchell dropped his bow and arrows, then dropped to the ground to grasp his own leg. Ren aimed the ring away from Mitchell. Deactivate. Ren thought. Mitchell''s leg spasmed a few times and Ren stood up. ¡°I only came here to get a few trees.¡± Ren said. ¡°You didn''t have to attack me.¡± ¡°You''re trying to take away my livelihood!¡± Mitchell nearly yelled. Ren laughed. ¡°What? Why would you think that?¡± ¡°I''ve heard about you.¡± Mitchell spat and let go of the knee that had stopped spasming. ¡°The great Ren... Hero of Aurora... stealing everyone''s stuff and calling it his own!¡± Ren was shocked to hear the venom in Mitchell''s voice. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°We''ve all seen how you wormed your way into the Artisan District. Preying on the affections of that poor old woman at the tailor shop.¡± Mitchell said. ¡°Gathering ellicit materials for the apothocary.¡± Mitchell sneered. ¡°Buying your way into the blacksmith''s shop and taking it over! You''ve even got that idiot Issac helping you! We all know what you''ve been doing. Stealing all their hard work!¡± Mitchell tried to crawl away from Ren on his back. ¡°I won''t let you take my secrets, too!¡± Ren watched as Mitchell crawled away and didn''t move to stop him. Mitchell, seeing that his false words had shaken Ren so badly, rolled over and crawled on hands and knees until he was far enough away. That Tristan kid was right. Hitting the little squirt where it would hurt was the best option. Mitchell thought. This Ren guy really cares for those NPCs. Mitchell reached into his other boot and brought out a blowpipe, popped something into the end of it, and turned to Ren. ¡°Ren! Watch out!¡± Teepo said. Ren was so stunned to hear that someone thought he would do such things to people he cared about, he reacted too slowly to do anything but raise a hand to block the attack. A needle-like blow dart struck him right in the palm and Ren felt the immediate sting from it. ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡± Ren screamed and turned his hand towards his face. The little needle had emptied itself into his skin and Ren watched as veins of black poison slowly spread under the skin of his hand. Ren dropped to his knees and a moment later a sharp pain hit him in the neck. ¡°AhhhhhHHH!¡± Ren screamed again. Mitchell had moved back closer than he''d fled, and ended up only 20 feet away from Ren. Hitting a stationary target with a blowpipe at that distance was quite easy for Mitchell. He''d been playing this game for a long time. Ren''s neck was covered in the veins of poison as well and Ren''s vision started to blur. ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo shouted. ¡°Ren! The antidote! Use the antidote!¡± Ren nodded weakly and took out the only Vial of Antidote that he had. Ren drank it and slumped down, sitting on his legs. Ren didn''t move for a minute... and then took a deep breath. ¡°AhhhhhhhHHHHHH!!!!!¡± Ren screamed, pulled the needle-like dart from his hand and grabbed his hammerpick from inventory. Ren lunged at Mitchell, who tried to run, but by that point, it didn''t matter. Ren wasn''t aiming for him, anyways. Ren swung at the ground with all of his might while enchanting the hammer with a quadruple Heavy glyph, barely 10 feet away from Mitchell. Ren''s sole intent was to knock Mitchell off of his feet, and it had worked spectacularly. The 20% heavier hammerpick hit the ground and caused a shockwave to eminate outwards to almost 20 feet. It was only small in scale, shaking the ground barely an inch and a half up and then down again within that space. Mitchell flew off his feet and fell flat on his face, stunned. Ren stomped his feet as he walked over to Mitchell and looked down. Mitchell shook off the stun effect and turned over to watch Ren as he reached up and pulled the needle-like dart from his neck. ¡°Needles.¡± Ren said in a deep gravelly voice. ¡°I really... really... HATE NEEDLES!¡± Ren swung the hammer and hit Mitchell in the chest, forgetting it still had the Heavy enchantment. Mitchell spit out blood as the hammer and shockwave took almost two thirds of his health and gave him Crippled status. Mitchell couldn''t move, and started laughing. That was enough to break Ren out of his angry state. ¡°He... he said you would be a real pushover.¡± Mitchell said. ¡°Easy money... ha. Ha... hahahaha!¡± Ren squinted his eyes. ¡°Who?¡± Mitchell smiled. ¡°Does it matter?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°It does.¡± Mitchell shook his head. Ren smiled and hefted the hammerpick over his head. ¡°All right, all right! It was Tristan, okay! He paid me to set up shop... said you''d come to visit me eventually.¡± Ren eased the hammerpick down to his side. ¡°You never came to the shop, even though I''d seen you around the city a lot.¡± Mitchell said. ¡°Then you show up here out of the blue. I thought I had hit the jackpot.¡± Mitchell chuckled and coughed up blood. ¡°How much did he pay you?¡± Ren asked. Mitchell shook his head. ¡°It doesn''t really matter. It wasn''t near enough.¡± ¡°The next time you see Tristan, tell him something for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°What?¡± Mitchell asked and coughed. ¡°Everything that happened to him, whatever it was... it was all his own fault.¡± Ren said. Mitchell''s eyes widened as Ren swung the hammerpick and hit Mitchell in the chest again.
Notice!
PVP Mode has ended.
I really didn''t want to do that. Ren thought. But in every other game I''ve played, I''d have been stuck in PVP until one of us was eliminated.
Notice!
Congratulations! You have defeated your opponent in One-on-One combat. Rewards: 2000 XP ''It Was My First Time'' Bonus: XP x2 Fame Bonus: 13%
Notice!
You have defeated an opponent 60 levels higher than you. Fame: +100
Level Up!
You have gained a level and are now Level 5. 10 stat points have been allocated automatically.
New Class Skill Unlocked!
Craft Familiar Level 1 (Beginner 0%) - Allows you to create a familiar or companion to accompany you on your journey. Current Limit: 1 Higher levels will grant new recipes and access to new familiars.
New Recipe!
Your class skill Craft Familiar has granted you an automatic recipe: Pack Mule You can now create a walking backpack. It can help you on adventures, or you can leave it at home and it will guard the place for you. However, it is only a backpack and you shouldn''t expect too much from it if you do so.
Ren stared at all the popups and swiped them away. Ren looked down and watched as Mitchell''s body dissolved into nothing and left a stack of 35 gold coins, a low quality short sword, and a dark metal coin Ren hadn''t seen before. Ren picked up the coin and stored the other coins and short sword into inventory. Ren looked at the black coin closely, but couldn''t make out any of the details. Ren wasn''t sure what to do with it, so he put it into his coin pouch.
Notice!
You have found a coin from a hidden currency.
Ren swipped the popup away. ¡°Show coin vault stats.¡±
Superb Spider Silk Coin Vault
Copper: 25Silver: 20Gold: 0Platinum: 26
Shadow: 1
¡°If I''m reading this right, then a Shadow coin is worth 100 platinum.¡± Ren said and stared at the popup. ¡°No, that''s not possible. It must be a mistake! Tristan wouldn''t pay that much just to get to me... would he?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°It must be a seperate value system or something.¡± Ren bent down and picked up Teepo, then gathered up his metal shield and failed attempt at a tree cutting saw. ¡°It should work great as a table saw... if I extent the lever and maybe put the small pulley back in to turn the blade instead of a rod.¡± Teepo wasn''t sure what Ren was talking about, but figured it was safe to just agree, and nodded. ¡°Come on, buddy. We have some trees to chop down.¡± Ren said, put Teepo in the hood of the cloak, and took out a big axe. Chapter 70 - Whaaaaat?!? According to what Ren read in the book, 2 bows could be made from each 14 foot high tree, 3 if they were short bows. The trees were about 6 inches thick, tightly spaced together in clumps, and quite springy. Ren had to be careful while he worked, or he could get seriously hurt. One tree had nearly hit him in the face when it was cut down. The top of the tree had hit the ground, the end popped off the stump, and was flung into the air. Ren cut down 2 dozen trees and cleaned the branches off of them, cleaned twigs off the branches, then stored the branches into inventory. ¡°This should be enough for now.¡± Ren said to Teepo. ¡°I can make a good mix of bows, anyways.¡± Ren gathered the logs into inventory. ¡°Since you can only use the cores of the trees for the bows, it limits how many you can make.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I know what you''re thinking, Teepo... it''s such a waste of wood!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It won''t be wasted, though. Arrows can be made from the parts you have to cut off, and from the branches as well.¡± Ren left the grove and started walking down the path. ¡°You know so much, Ren!¡± Teepo said. Ren shook his head. ¡°I didn''t know any of this before I read ''Fletching Mastery''.¡± Ren said. ¡°The information it held... I know if I took more time with it, I''d have found more things inside.¡± ¡°I wonder what other books Rosie has...¡± Teepo said. Ren stopped walking and stared at Teepo. ¡°I couldn''t do that!¡± Ren said and started walking again. ¡°I mean, it was great that she lent me such a valuable book... but, I couldn''t just ask her to do that.¡± Ren shook his head again. ¡°Rosie could have gotten into so much trouble for letting me borrow that book. She might have even lost her job.¡± ¡°Oh. I guess you shouldn''t ask her for more books, then.¡± Teepo said. Ren chuckled. ¡°I wouldn''t go that far. I still have lots to learn... but, I''m going to stay at my current level until I earn the priviledge to read the better books.¡± Ren explained. ¡°With just one book of B rank, I went up to level 3 in skills I''ve never used before. Can you imagine if I had read a rank A book?¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d probably start at Intermediate. That would definitely feel like cheating to get that high without doing any work.¡± ¡°It would be a lot easier, wouldn''t it?¡± Teepo said. Ren shook his head. ¡°No... because I wouldn''t have used the skills to get to that point. I''m going to have a hard time getting used to making a bow, even with the higher skill.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Because... if I''d done it by hand myself and worked at it, I can get to Level 3 pretty fast. At the moment, I could let the system do it, but I won''t get anywhere near the XP that I should for doing the work myself.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I hope I''ll adapt fast so I can get my body to the point that the skills can be used properly.¡± ¡°I see... if you''d done the work, it would be better... jumping ahead is nice, but you''ll have to work harder now.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Right.¡± Ren said. Ren and Teepo walked back to the road and then they reached it, Ren looked up and down along the road when he reached it and didn''t see anyone. They''d kept a lookout for anyone else that might have been around while Ren walked, but couldn''t find any trace of someone following or observing them. ¡°Think it''s clear.¡± Ren said to Teepo, then took off running back to Aurora. ¡°I don''t want to stay out here too long.¡± Teepo chittered in delight as the hood bounced on Ren''s back as he pumped his arms. Ren was almost running full out, but didn''t push himself too hard. He wanted to be ready in case anyone actually was waiting for him. The Stamina bar drained at a steady rate and 15 minutes later, started eating the Health bar. Thanks to Staying Power the amount of Health being lost wasn''t that big of a deal. They reached the West Gate about 30 minutes later without incident. Ren slowed to a walk when they got to the safe area near the gate. Ren wasn''t surprised that there wasn''t anyone out there, as it was starting to get dark out. Ren went into the city and walked down the main street until he came to the turnoff to the Artisan District, but instead of going to the next one, Ren went down the street that would take him to the middle of the district instead. The street went right through the middle of the Artisan District and Ren got halfway through it and saw no one around. Ren activated Sneak and slipped off the street and behind the close buildings. Most of the buildings were dark and the window shades were closed, but Ren didn''t want to take a chance that someone would see him. After sneaking around a few buildings, Ren came to the back of Mitchell''s store. Teepo, I need a scout. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°Right!¡± Teepo said and hopped over Ren''s shoulder from the hood and onto the ground. Teepo squeezed himself under the door somehow and Ren waited. ¡°It looks clear, Ren.¡± No traps or other surprises? ¡°I don''t see anything, but that doesn''t mean nothing is here.¡± Teepo responded. Ren nodded, then realized Teepo couldn''t see him. Right. Thanks, Teepo. Ren activated Enchanted Eyes and a moment later saw a glyph appear on the door. Ren smiled and activated Decipher and Read Rune. Several Protection and Lightning runes were in it, and a rune Ren didn''t know. Ren was tempted to just absorb the enchantment to recover some of the mana he''d spent earlier, but then thought it would be better to try and learn another rune if he could. Ren used Dismantle Glyph and waited.
Notice!
You have discovered a rune you don''t know.
Ren stared at the popup and took out his Book of Runes. Sure enough, when he flipped to the end of the single rune pages, there was a new rune. No description was on it, however.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Well, that''s kinda weird. Ren thought, then looked at his Read Rune ability.
Read Rune Level 3 (Beginner 25%)
Allows you to read unknown runes and add them to your book of seals.
There''s nothing that says I''d know what they were. Only Dismantle lets me learn what it is automatically. Ren smiled and put the Book of Runes away. He didn''t bother doing his normal ritual of making the double, triple, and quadruple glyphs because he didn''t know what the rune did, and deactivated Read Rune and Decipher. They wouldn''t be needed, but Ren left Enchanted Eyes on. Ren didn''t hear anyone around and took out the small wooden box Donan had given him. After opening the box, Ren examined the door lock. Even though darkness had fallen, everything could still be seen perfectly. Ren took out the flat tool and slid it into the lock. Ren closed his eyes and shimmied the tool around and felt the dimensions of the lock... and realized he had no clue what he was doing. Ren had been so shocked about Donan giving the lockpicking kit to him that he didn''t ask how to use them. Aw, Screw it. Ren thought, and put the lockpicking kit away. ¡°Screw what?¡± Teepo said. Nothing, Teepo. Ren took out a big scrap of cloth and bundled it over a few times, and slid it under the door, right under the hande on the inside. Ren used Iron Grip, crushed the handle, and put it into inventory. A muffled thump was heard and Ren listened intently for almost a minute before deciding no one had heard him crushing the metal handle, or heard the other half of the handle falling onto the floor. The door eased open and Ren slipped inside, closed it, and picked up the handle piece and cloth scrap. ¡°That was cool.¡± Teepo said and Ren smiled. There weren''t any windows in the room so Ren stood up. He grabbed a small box and placed it behind the door to keep it closed. Ren looked around but didn''t see anything interesting. It was just a cot, some dry food supplies, and a pile of tree branches. Ren knelt by the door at the side of the room. Teepo. Teepo skittered under that door and after about 5 minutes, spoke. ¡°All clear.¡± Ren reached for the doorhandle. Any windows? ¡°There''s 2 big windows at the front, but they''re covered.¡± Teepo responded. Ren opened the door and slipped into the front room. It was filled with every kind of bow you could think of. Longbows (5 feet long), shortbows (2 and a half feet long), crossbows of different sizes, hunting bows (long and short), target shooting bows (light and uses simple arrows), recurve bows (ones that bend forward in the middle and then back on the ends) and a bow behind the counter Ren didn''t see in the book. Ren identified it.
Composite Bow
This bow uses a horn for the handle and wood for the ends. It''s not as strong as a normal bow and is vulnerable to water and moisture.
It looks nicer than a normal bow, but that''s all it''s good for. Ren studied it closely and added it''s pattern to his collection. Maybe I can adjust it to make it just as good as a normal bow. Ren looked through the store, but couldn''t find anything incriminating. Dammit! I thought there''d at least be something in here to show the city guards... but it''s completely clean. Enchanted Eyes isn''t picking anything up, either. ¡°Ren... what about this?¡± Teepo said from behind the counter. What is it, Teepo? ¡°There''s a light.¡± Ren bent down behind the counter and didn''t see anything. I don''t see anything, but that might be because I can see normally... if it was dark, I''d probably see it just like you. Ren reached a hand down and Teepo told Ren where to put his hand. Ren felt a very slight cold breeze through the floor and felt around for some kind of handhold. After a minute, his index finger found a knothole near the front of the space under the counter and pulled. A hatch opened up and Ren shook his head after looking inside. I don''t feel so bad about finishing that guy off, now. Ren thought as he gazed at what Teepo had found. It was the body of the ''real'' Mitchell. * ¡°That goddamned piece of SHIT!¡± Tristan shouted. ¡°He took my coin and didn''t even do the job! I''m going to kill that lying piece of garbage.¡± ¡°He did at least attempt to do it. I think that...¡± A voice said from behind Tristan. ¡°Quiet! I don''t pay you to think!¡± The cloaked figure didn''t respond. ¡°I want him found and his belongings searched.¡± Tristan sat down in the chair at the head of the table. ¡°Make sure the people you contact are loyal. We''re still too far away to do this ourselves.¡± Tristan smirked. ¡° ''Mitchell'' better still have that coin... or he''s going to be even sorrier than he thinks he''s going to be.¡± * Ren left the body where it was and closed the hatch. If he had guessed the time right, then the fake Mitchell wouldn''t be back in the game for another 4 hours real time. Ren picked Teepo up, went out the back of the shop, and closed everything up as best as he could. There was nothing to do about the back door, so he just pulled the box behind the door as close as he could and shut it. It hung open a few inches, but that was as close as Ren could get the box without getting his hand caught in the door. Ren walked as fast as he could to the guard house down by the closest east gate and banged on the door. A minute later, the door was opened and a bedraggled soldier stared at the figure he could barely see because it was so dark. The soldier''s mouth dropped open when the light behind him flickered and he caught a glimpse of the figure''s red leather armor nearly completely hidden under a pitch black fur cloak. The soldier froze because all he could really see was a floating head with leather straps hanging from it. ¡°Hi. I''m Ren, and I want to report a murder.¡± Ren said and deactivated Sneak. ¡°D-d-d-did you do it?¡± The soldier asked and the disembodied head shook from side to side. ¡°No, of course not! But... I did find it. Can you please come with me? Or send for someone to come with me and handle this situation? I don''t really know what else to do about it except report it to the city guards.¡± The soldier snapped out of his shock and nodded. ¡°Alvyss! I''m heading to the Captain! You''re on watch.¡± Ren stepped out of the way and the soldier tidied himself up and grabbed a lantern from beside the door and lit it from the one on the table. Ren watched as the soldier took off running down the street and all the way over to Donan''s shop, and then disappeared around the corner to go to the guard house barracks behind the mansion. Ren sat down to wait for the soldier to return, hopefully bringing the captain back with him. A short time later, the captain of the guard came around the same corner with the soldier following close behind. The captain walked at a fast pace and was standing in front of the guardhouse a couple minutes later. ¡°Speak.¡± The captain said. ¡°I''ll tell you all about it as we walk to where the body is.¡± Ren said. The captain raised his eyebrows for a second and then nodded. ¡°Let''s go, Weston.¡± Ren started walking and told the captain and Weston how he''d met Mitchell in the grove, the fight, the confession that it was an assassination attempt, him winning, then coming back here to look for evidence and then finding the real Mitchell. They reached the back of Mitchell''s shop and Ren tried to step forward, but the captain caught his arm. Ren pulled the captain off balance and stopped walking when he realized what was happening. ¡°Stay out here, Ren.¡± The captain said and stood up straight. ¡°Okay. It''s in the main shop under the counter. There''s a hatch with a finger hole.¡± Ren said. The captain nodded and stepped up to the door and saw it was ajar. He looked back at Ren who shrugged. The captain went inside and there was silence. A while later, the captain came out and tried to shut the door, but had the same problem as Ren. ¡°Weston, call in the reserve troops... on my authority.¡± The captain said. ¡°We need to block off this area and then recover the body.¡± Weston took off running again and Ren turned to the captain. ¡°Now what?¡± The captain turned to Ren and sighed. ¡°Ren, you are under arrest for the murder of Mitchell Fletcher.¡± ¡°Whhhaaaaaaaattttt?!?¡± Chapter 71 - A Night In Jail Ren was taken to the guardhouse and then to the Armory out back. ¡°Do you have any weapons on you?¡± The captain asked and Ren nodded. ¡°Okay, hand them over. They''ll be stored here in the Armory until this gets resolved. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I have to. You said that you were at the scene and found the body. No other suspects are here.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I told you, he was an adventurer! We fought. I won. His body...¡± ¡°Faded away, I heard you the first time. Mitchell wasn''t an adventurer, he was a shop owner and has been here for years.¡± The captain said. ¡°His body didn''t fade away.¡± Ren sighed again. ¡°I figured as much. The story Mitchell, the fake one, told me... it had hurt, but I knew it wasn''t true. I came to Mitchell''s shop to see if anything was wrong.¡± The captain made a ''give me'' gesture and Ren took out the crude iron dagger he''d been given with the starting items. The captain nodded, opened a cabinet, and put the dagger inside. ¡°I hope there''s lots of room in there.¡± Ren said then started handing over the 28 small iron daggers he''d repaired and enchanted, leftovers from the Aurora Expedition after he''d given one each to everyone there. The captain''s eyes widened as he put the 29th dagger into the cabinet. ¡°You... you''ve been carrying these this whole time?¡± Ren nodded and tried to pass over a wooden shield. The captain shook his head. ¡°I''m only required to take weapons.¡± Ren put the shield back into inventory and then handed over the 2 short swords, the 2 longswords, and the 2 battleaxes he''d made from the first batch of crude steel. The captain looked at the contents of the cabinet. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Well... I do have another short sword, but it''s low quality.¡± Ren said. ¡°That doesn''t matter. Hand it over.¡± The captain said. ¡°But I got it from the fake Mitchell.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did Mitchell even own a sword?¡± The captain shook his head. ¡°For the moment, I need to secure it.¡± Ren sighed and handed it over. The captain locked the cabinet and then the Armory. He turned to Ren and frowned. ¡°I know you''re a blacksmith, and can use the tools to pretty much do anything with metal... so I want you to promise me you won''t use your tools to escape... or I will have to take them.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Your word?¡± The captain said. ¡°I won''t try to escape.¡± Ren said. ¡°Weston, take Ren to the cell.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren said as Weston took his arm and tried to drag Ren away and he didn''t budge. ¡°I need to leave soon! I''m an Adventurer. I can''t be locked up in a cell! Put me in a room or something!¡± It was the captain''s turn to sigh. ¡°I''m sorry Ren. Until we can get one of Lord Eric''s mages in here to verify your story, you''ll have to stay here in the cell.¡± ¡°But...but... but...¡± Ren stammered and reluctantly went with Weston who''d been trying his best to push Ren along. They went to the mansion and through the back door, down a small staircase, and to a room with metal bars making up the majority of the front wall, and metal bars covering the window. Teepo hopped onto the soldiers shoulder just as Ren was put into the 15 foot square cell. ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Ren said as he was locked in with 3 other people. ¡°You can''t leave me in here like this! I''m innocent!¡± ¡°I''ll see what I can find out.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Be careful. The soldier left the room and shut the door. ¡°Yeah, that''s not gonna work.¡± A voice said from behind him. Ren turned around and saw a man leaning in the corner and another man trying to creep around the edge of the cell on the other side. ¡°All of us are innocent in here.¡± The man said and laughed. ¡°But... but I really am!¡± Ren said. ¡°Like that matters.¡± The other man was pretty close to Ren now, not realizing that Ren could clearly see him in the near darkness of the cell. When the man was close enough to touch, Ren turned to face him and raised his fists. ¡°Just try it.¡± Ren said. The guy had a shocked look on his face and backed away. ¡°Ha! You saw him coming, didn''t you?¡± The leaning man said. Ren half-turned back to the leaning man and keep both of them in view. ¡°Of course he did. He''s an elfling, you idiot.¡± The woman that sat on the bench said. ¡°He can see you when you''re that close to him.¡± Ren could see everything as if it was daytime, actually... but didn''t correct her. There''s no point in giving away his secrets. ¡°Nice.¡± The leaning man said. ¡°We could use a boy with that talent.¡± Ren scowled and took a step forward. The Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak''s given ability Aura touched the 3 people. ¡°Ooooo...¡± The woman said. ¡°Do you feel that? It kinda tingles.¡± The woman purred. ¡°Oh... a little more, please.¡± She said and rubbed her tummy. ¡°Mmmm.¡± Ren felt that she was mocking him and concentrated, pushing his willpower into the ability to create as much fear as possible. He''d never done that before. Normally, Ren just left the Aura on by default.
Stat Change!
Aura Level 4 (Beginner 0%)
Notice!
New sub skill unlocked: Fear Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This sub skill under Aura will cause Fear instead of Awe in those around you. Higher levels will increase the distance the Fear covers.
¡°Yes, that''s the spot.¡± The woman said and laid down on the bench she''d been sitting on. ¡°Hey, kid! What are you doing to Elerlyth!¡± The man who''d tried to sneak up on him said. Hate quickly filled Ren''s thoughts as he shifted his gaze to the man without turning his head, but was still concentrating on his Aura. Another popup appeared.
Notice!
New sub skill unlocked: Hatred Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This sub skill under Aura will grant you stat modifiers against those you hate. Level 1: Strength +1, Endurance +1, Dexterity +1, Agility +1, Intelligence -3, Wisdom -3
Elerlyth started to writhe on the bench and stared at Ren. ¡°Ohhh...¡± The leaning man stepped forward. ¡°Stop whatever it is that you''re doing. Right now, boy!¡± Ren''s anger flared at the boy comment and the man lifted a fist to punch. ¡°I''m warning you.¡± The man threw the punch, but Ren saw it coming and reached up to catch it easily. The man winced when his fist hit the hand and then winced again as Ren''s fingers closed. Ren had no intention of repeating the same mistake he''d made with the fake Mitchell. There would be no fight. ¡°No... I''m warning you.¡± Ren said and started to squeeze with Iron Grip. The man dropped to his knees immediately. ¡°I''m in no mood to play any silly little games. I''m in here for a murder I didn''t commit, and I don''t intend to stay here for long.¡± Ren said and bared his teeth in a grin. ¡°You will leave...¡± Squeeze. ¡°...me... alone.¡± Squeeze. Some of the bones in the man''s hand snapped and he nodded. Ren let him go and he clutched the hand to his chest, but didn''t say anything about it. Ren looked at the other man. ¡°Is that clear?¡± The other man nodded and Ren glanced at the woman, who had a satisfied look on her face. Ren wasn''t sure what had happened with her, but she hadn''t done anything to him yet. He didn''t speak to her but did raise an eyebrow. She smiled and nodded. ¡°I''m Elerlyth, Rogue Extraordinaire.¡± She said and grinned. ¡°That''s Emanon.¡± She waved to the sneaking guy. ¡°Thief and scoundrel. The guy who''s hand you just crushed is Beltach.¡± Ren looked at Beltach and saw him wince in pain. ¡°Guard!¡± Ren shouted. ¡°GUARD!¡± The door to the cell room opened and a soldier stepped in. ¡°Jeezus! What is it?¡± ¡°We need a healer.¡± Ren said. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°Someone''s hurt, obviously.¡± Ren motioned to the man holding his partially crushed hand to his chest. The man obliged and held the hand out. The soldier almost threw up, nodded, and left the room. While they waited for a healer, Ren finally got a chance to look at his cellmates. Emanon the thief wore rags that looked to be badly sewn together, but that was just a facade. Ren recognized the excellent stitching and ease of movement that the outfit gave him. He had basic brown hair and seemed to have a fopish nature. Beltach wore basic traveller''s clothes without the cape. Elerlyth didn''t say what his class was, though. His hair was a dark auburn and he seemed to be in command of the little group. Elerlyth on the other hand, wore a skin tight dark blue leather bustier that pushed her ample breasts up and out to be admired. Black leggings covered her lower half and dark blue leather boots clung to her legs and rose up to the middle of her thighs. Her dark grey skin was offset by the raven blackness of her shoulder length flowing hair, that would probably shine a blue color in the light. Her eyes had bright red pupils, and if Ren had to guess her race, he''d call her a Dark Elf, or even a Drow. He hadn''t seen anyone like her in the game before, but he''d seen plenty of them in other games. A few minutes later, a healer came in and stood near the bars. ¡°Let me see the injury.¡± Ren stepped away from the bars and next to the wall. The man came forward and was barely able to push his hand out between the metal bars. The healer shook his head. ¡°What did you stick this in, a vice? It''s almost completely crushed!¡± The healer said and activated his minor healing ability. It took about 5 minutes for the man''s fingers to finally straighten out and he flexed them. The healer turned to leave and Ren stopped him. ¡°Hold on, he''s not the only one.¡± Ren said. The healer looked around. ¡°I don''t see anyone else hurt.¡± ¡°That''s because I''m hurt inside.¡± Ren said and stepped towards the bars. ¡°I''ll need some major healing.¡± ¡°Ha! You think I''m that stupid? You''re not hurt, and then you''re just going to attack me when I have the cell opened.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m not lying. I really do need healing.¡± Ren''s mana pool was pretty low. ¡°Give it a try and see.¡± The healer scoffed at Ren, but stepped closer to the bars and used his minor healing ability and Ren soaked it up like a sponge. ¡°Huh... I guess you''re right. Just a minute.¡± The healer stepped away and opened the door. ¡°I need the key.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. The soldier handed it over and then shut the door. Beltach stepped away from the bars and Ren stepped forward. The healer opened the cell and Ren came out and sat in the guard chair by the wall, that a guard should have been sitting in. The healer activated his major healing ability and Ren waited as his Mana Pool filled back up. ¡°How are you even walking around?¡± The healer asked as Ren''s Mana Pool finally filled up and the healer stopped healing him. ¡°With my legs.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± ¡°You''re welc-¡± The healer collapsed mid-word right there on the floor. Beltach had whacked him in the head from behind.
Notice!
You have successfully completed the recipe: Trouble.
Aw, crap. ¡°Nice going, kid.¡± Beltach said. ¡°Is anything wrong?¡± Teepo asked. Not really. It''s just the prisoners escaping. ¡°Should I come back?¡± Teepo asked. No, just let me know if anyone''s coming in the outside door or down the stairs. Thanks, Teepo. Elerlyth stepped around Beltach to stand beside the chair Ren sat in and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Mmm. Dire wolf. Very nice.¡± She rubbed her hand up and down the cloak, stroking the fur. ¡°I couldn''t have come up with a better plan myself.¡± Beltach smiled. ¡°That was pure genius.¡± ¡°I could have done it.¡± Emanon said as he stepped out of the cell. Beltach and Elerlyth laughed. ¡°I could have!¡± He said and they laughed harder. A few moments later, Beltach spoke. ¡°I don''t think we''d make it if we broke into the armory to get our stuff back.¡± He said. ¡°It''ll be hard enough killing these idiots to get out of here as it is.¡± ¡°Don''t kill anyone.¡± Ren said and stood. ¡°They may not be my favorite people right now, mainly because they''re being so stupid, but there''s no need to kill them to escape.¡± ¡°Oh? Are you going to stop us?¡± Beltach asked. ¡°If I have to, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°You got lucky with that grab, kid. We''re not in that cell anymore, though.¡± Beltach stood close to Ren, nearly a foot and a half taller and Ren laughed. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± ¡°I''ve been small my whole life. If meeting someone so much bigger intimidated me at all, I''d be a nervous wreck right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do I look scared to you?¡± Elerlyth stopped petting the dire wolf cloak and stepped away from the confrontation. Beltach stared at Ren for a full minute... and then smiled. ¡°You''ve got balls, kid. I like that.¡± Beltach said and tried to slam a hand down on Ren''s shoulder, who saw it coming and turned slightly. The incoming hand missed and Ren held out his fist. Activate A small lightning bolt shot out and struck Beltach in the chest. He stood there and shook as if his body was being hit by a taser. Ren felt a cool hand lay across his neck and a fingernail poked his skin. Ren couldn''t see what it was, but he could feel the tendrils of poison slowly spread through his body. It wasn''t anywhere near as painful as the stuff the fake Mitchell had used, however. ¡°That''s enough, sweetheart.¡± Elerlyth whispered in Ren''s ear. ¡°You should be quite easy to control, now that I''ve got my venom in you.¡± Ren raised an eyebrow to her and she smiled. ¡°You''re really cute, but stop attacking my friend.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I''m not attacking him. I promised myself earlier that there wouldn''t be a fight. I''m just preventing him from starting one.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Point your ring somewhere else.¡± Elerlyth commanded. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and pointed it at Emanon, who didn''t dodge in time and was struck. ¡°No! That''s not what I meant!¡± She shouted. ¡°You should be more specific when you command me.¡± Ren said and put the ring back on Beltach, who had recovered enough to regain his senses, but was still kneeling on the floor. ¡°Please, stop!¡± Elerlyth pleaded. ¡°Okay.¡± Deactivate. ¡°You just had to ask nicely.¡± Ren smiled again at Elerlyth''s shocked expression. ¡°Like I said, I don''t want a fight. That''s how I got into this mess in the first place.¡± Ren went over to Beltach and tried to hand him a Health potion. Beltach just stared at it and Ren put it away. ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Ren said and went over to Emanon. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Emanon nodded and Ren stepped away. He knew the guy was sneaky and didn''t want to give him any opportunity to try anything. ¡°Shall we all get back in the cell, now?¡± The 3 people stared at Ren and he smiled. ¡°I am asking you nicely.¡± Beltach looked at Elerlyth and she shrugged and went into the cell. Emanon followed her and Beltach sighed, got up from the floor and went inside the cell, too. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and shut the door. ¡°Hey! What are you doing?!?¡± Beltach said. ¡°Hm? I told you I didn''t intend to stay here longer than I had to.¡± Ren said and picked up the healer and sat him in the chair. Ren tipped some Health potion into the healer''s mouth and took the key from his pocket. Ren walked over to the cell, unlocked it, stepped inside, and then tossed the key at the feet of the healer. ¡°GUARD!¡± Ren shouted. The soldier came in a moment later. ¡°Shut UP! Why are you hollering so much?¡± Ren pointed to the healer. ¡°He tired himself out healing and I think he dropped the key.¡± The soldier looked down at the floor and there was the key right by the healer''s foot. The soldier did a double take to Ren and the key, then picked the key up and pocketed it. The soldier tried to pick up the healer, but had a difficult time getting under the arm to hold the weight. After some fumbling, the soldier managed to get the healer in a good grip and shuffled out of the room and shut the door. Ren sighed and turned around to the mixed expressions of the other 3 people in the cell. ¡°I''m sorry... but I couldn''t have an escape from jail added to the charges against me.¡± Ren said and shrugged. ¡°Hold on.¡± Emanon said. ¡°You didn''t let us escape because you didn''t want to get into more trouble?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°The last thing I needed was to try and explain how I masterminded an escape and then stayed behind to get caught.¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°You... you were going to stay behind, even if we''d managed to escape?¡± Ren nodded again. ¡°Oh... oh, you naive little darling.¡± Elerlyth said and laughed again. ¡°That won''t make any difference.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°There''s no trial or tribunal or anything like that. We''re brought to a room, sentenced, and then brought back here to serve our sentence, assuming we don''t get hard labour.¡± ¡°You''ve gone through this before, then?¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°Twice... and you know what they say... third time''s the charm.¡± Ren walked over to the bench and sat down next to her. Beltach and Emanon stared at Ren in shock as he crossed the room to sit down, like it meant nothing to approach such beauty. Elerlyth had a similar look, but it was for a different reason. No one had ever approached her like that... like she was normal. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Does it matter?¡± Elerlyth said and chuckled. ¡°Not really... but I''d like to hear the story anyways.¡± Ren reached out and put a hand on hers. ¡°Please. Tell me how you got here.¡± Elerlyth looked down at Ren''s hand and felt the Aura pouring into her. She''d always had an affinity for them since she started playing. She wasn''t sure if it was a secret class skill or what, but this was the first time it had made her feel... well, full. She''d enjoyed feeling people''s fear of her appearance, assuming that she was evil and intended them harm, but it seemed somehow hollow. Now she could feel Ren''s genuine curiosity and ease with how she looked. It was definitely a surprise for her. So much so that she told Ren of how she got there, completely ignoring the fact that she''d tried to poison him earlier. Ren listened to her intently as she relayed what she''d gone through, and how she ended up back in a cell. Ren had been feeding her ability the entire time and when she finished her story, Elerlyth felt quite energized. No one she knew would have willingly held her hand for so long. Of course, he didn''t know he was feeding me, though. She thought and smiled. ¡°That''s... quite the story.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I feel really bad about not letting you go.¡± Elerlyth showed genuine surprise at Ren''s sincerity. ¡°You believe me?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I don''t think I''ve ever met someone else who''s as prone to trouble as I am.¡± ¡°You?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yes, me. Some of the things I''ve been through...¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± Elerlyth said. Ren widened his eyes. ¡°I guess turnabout is fair play.¡± Ren regailed her with the stories of the adventures he''d had and Elerlyth laughed when he told her of how he used to run at any scary thing that happened... and her eyes widened when he got to the rock golem on the mountain. ¡°You defeated a rock golem? By yourself?¡± Elerlyth asked. Ren nodded again. ¡°I couldn''t have done it without the trap I borrowed... but when I met 2 more giant golems later on, the trap wouldn''t work because it was too small.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, I won''t have that problem anymore.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Emanon asked. He''d gotten wrapped up in Ren''s tale. Ren smiled and pulled out the giant leg holding trap he''d made at Donan''s shop and dropped it on the floor. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Emanon said. ¡°That''s the biggest trap I''ve ever seen!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It''s the biggest trap that''s ever been made, so that''s understandable.¡± Elerlyth got off the bench and knelt on the floor. ¡°Did you made this?¡± Ren smiled and nodded. ¡°You''re a blacksmith?¡± She said and Ren nodded again. ¡°But you''re so little.¡± Betrach said. He''d been caught up in Ren''s tale as well. ¡°That''s what everyone says.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I think you''re just right.¡± Ren''s face flushed a little red at her compliment and she sat back on the bench beside Ren, taking his hand again. ¡°Hold on... you said 2 more giant golems?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah... it all came about like this...¡± Ren told the story, and glossed over Aimus'' name and where the homestead was. Ren didn''t want anyone finding out he was there. Nothing was to get back to Aimus and his family. The 3 of them didn''t even blink when he told the dire wolf story, and then called Aimus down to the lowest for taking the crafting station back. Ren chuckled at the vehemence in their cursing. They changed their tune when he revealed how he got the cloak. ¡°No way!¡± Betrach said. Emanon just sat in silence. Elerlyth stroked the cloak as if it were a pet. ¡°I know... I was so surprised.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I didn''t even know this could be done with a pelt.¡± Ren kept going and told them about how things happened since then and how he ended up here, accused of a murder he didn''t do. ¡°So, you did kill a guy, but not the guy they think you did.¡± Emanon said. ¡°Right.¡± Ren answered. ¡°That sucks.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I have to wait for a mage to come and verify my story. If you guys had escaped... I''d have been up shit creek without a paddle.¡± They all laughed. ¡°All right... we''ll forgive you. This time.¡± Betrach said. Emanon nodded and Elerlyth snuggled closer to Ren. ¡°What about you guys? How''d you get in here?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Robbery.¡± Emanon said. ¡°Only a few gold, but a soldier was right there and the guy said I''d taken a platinum. When they couldn''t find a platinum coin on me, I was tossed in here.¡± Betrach didn''t volunteer anything and Ren glanced at Elerlyth. ¡°We don''t know, either.¡± She said. Ren shrugged. ¡°You can keep it to yourself. I was just curious.¡± Betrach huffed. ¡°Affair.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Emanon said. ¡°I was caught having an affair with a woman, okay!¡± Betrach said loudly. ¡°Please tell me it wasn''t with the minister of trade''s wife.¡± Emanon said. ¡°It wasn''t.¡± Betrach said. ¡°It was the minister of finance''s wife.¡± Elerlyth smacked Betrach in the back of the head with her open hand. ¡°You''re such an idiot.¡± She said and grinned. Emanon started laughing, and then they all laughed, Ren included. A short time later, a soldier came in and pointed to Ren. ¡°You. This way.¡± Ren nodded and let Elerlyth''s hand go. The soldier opened the cell, Ren stepped out, and the soldier closed it again. ¡°Good luck.¡± She said then smiled a sad smile. ¡°See you in a little while.¡± She widened her eyes when Ren winked at her, and then he left the room behind the soldier. I''m coming up the stairs, Teepo. ¡°There''s a hallway off the side and there''s a couple of people in the second room.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Good job. Ren thought I''ll be right there. The soldier led the way up the stairs and at the top opened a second door that couldn''t be seen when the outside door was open. They went through that and down the hallway to the second door. The soldier knocked on it and it was opened from the inside. Ren was waved in and ordered to sit down in a chair facing a table. On the other side of the table was Lord Eric in the middle, the captain of the guard on the right, and someone Ren hadn''t seen before on the left. Then the questions began. After a while, Ren had had enough. ¡°I didn''t kill Mitchell, I killed Mitchell!¡± Ren said and stopped. ¡°That didn''t come out right. I mean I killed the fake Mitchell, then found the real one dead.¡± Ren dropped his head. ¡°Geez, no matter how I explain it, it still sounds bad.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Look, I''ve told you the story 3 times already. You keep asking me the same questions. Did the captain show you the short sword I handed over?¡± Lord Eric nodded. Ren looked to the mage. ¡°I''m sure there''s some kind of ownership spell or something, right? What did you find when you examined it?¡± Ren asked the mage. ¡°I didn''t examine it.¡± ¡°What? Why not?¡± ¡°My job is to determine if you are guilty of the crime, not to examine evidence.¡± The mage said. Ren let out a bark of laughter. ¡°Either you are an idiot, or you don''t know what you are doing.¡± The mage stood up. ¡°I won''t stay here and be insulted.¡± Lord Eric put a restraining hand on the mage and glared at Ren. ¡°I''m sure Ren didn''t mean to say such things. He''s under a lot of pressure.¡± The mage huffed and then sat down. ¡°The question is... is Ren telling the truth?¡± The mage nodded. Lord Eric clapped his hands once. ¡°Good. We''re done here. Ren, you are free to leave.¡± Ren stared at the trio. ¡°That''s it?¡± Lord Eric looked at Ren. ¡°What did you expect?¡± Ren opened his mouth and then closed it. Elerlyth was right. They really don''t weigh evidence or look at the facts. All that matters is how they see things. Ren took a breath and spoke. ¡°First off, I''d like all my items back. Second, there''s three slightly innocent people in the cell.¡± ¡°Slightly?¡± Lord Eric said and smiled. ¡°They did the crimes, but there were extenuating circumstances.¡± Ren said. ¡°Really?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If this is your system, then they''ll be convicted of the crimes and punished.¡± ¡°That''s how things work here.¡± The mage said. Ren nodded. ¡°I see that. But... if, just if... someone did steal a few coins, what would they get?¡± ¡°Several days in jail and a fine.¡± ¡°And if it was a platinum coin?¡± ¡°Minimum time for grand theft is 100 days, with option for heavy labor.¡± The captain of the guard offered. ¡°So... if the person that was robbed said it was a platinum coin instead of a few gold coins, how would you know what the truth was if you only ask the accused if they did the crime?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''re assuming the victim lied.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°I am... and you''re assuming the victim told the truth.¡± Ren said. Lord Eric opened his mouth and closed it, just like Ren did. That''s it... just think about that for a minute. Let it stew. Lord Eric sighed. ¡°I assume you have a point to make.¡± ¡°Yes. If you only ask people if they did the crime, and they lie, they''re assumed to be guilty and are punished by the account of the charges... and you don''t look at those charges at all, to see if they''re true or false... or question the witnesses to see if they are lying or telling the truth.¡± Ren said and sat back. Lord Eric looked at Ren and sat back himself. ¡°Very well. I was going to just ignore the charge against you for breaking and entering because you brought the murder to our attention, but since you''re so adamant we question everything, we shall.¡± Lord Eric looked at Ren. ¡°Did you break into Mitchell''s shop.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren answered, truthfully. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I was hunting for evidence.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°I wasn''t sure what to look for at the time. I wanted something to link Mitchell to Tristan... so I guess that was my main goal.¡± After each question, Lord Eric looked at the mage, who nodded. ¡°Alright then.¡± Lord Eric said and clapped his hands once. ¡°You are sentenced to spend the rest of the night in the cell.¡±
Stat Change!
Fame: -10
¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Ren said to Lord Eric, stood up, and bowed. Ren did the same to both the captain and the mage, who was a bit shocked at the display. The captain waved to a soldier who came to take Ren''s arm and lead him out of the room. Ren didn''t move, however. ¡°One more thing.¡± Ren said and smiled when Lord Eric sighed. ¡°How much are the fines for the three people in the cell with me?¡± Lord Eric raised his eyebrows and turned to the captain of the guard. ¡°The thief, if it was a platinum, is a hundred gold and 30 days in shackles at the mines.¡± Ren''s eyes widened at the harsh penalty. ¡°And if it wasn''t a platinum?¡± The captain sighed this time. ¡°Reparations of the amount stolen and the night in the cell.¡± ¡°The other two?¡± ¡°The man is accused of adultery. It''s 30 days in the cell. It would have been longer, but the minister of finance isn''t well liked, and his wife likes him even less.¡± The mage snorted a laugh and covered it up with a cough. ¡°The woman... she''s a special case. We see her a lot.¡± The captain said. ¡°I''m tempted to just throw her in the cell permanently, but you won''t stand for that, would you?¡± Ren shook his head. The captain sighed again. ¡°I''ll let her off this time with a fine of 50 gold and a night in the cell.¡± ¡°I know I''m kind of stepping out of line here... but... would you let the man out as well if I pay the same fine for him as for the woman?¡± The 3 men''s eyes nearly popped out of their heads at Ren''s offer. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± The captain said, dumbfounded. ¡°You just met these people!¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I think they just needed someone to listen to them for once.¡± Lord Eric stood. ¡°Done.¡± Ren walked over to the desk, dragging the soldier with him, and put a platinum coin and 5 gold coins onto the table. ¡°Thank you very much for your time.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Chapter 72 - Sweet Freedom Ren was escorted back to the cell and deposited with the other 3 criminals. Elerlyth still had the sad smile on her face but Ren smiled and sat down next to her again. ¡°How long did they give you?¡± She asked. ¡°For the murder? Nothing. They let me go because I was telling the truth.¡± Ren said. The 3 of them had shocked looks on their faces. ¡°What are you doing back here, then?¡± Emanon said. ¡°I argued with them and I was sentenced to a night in jail for breaking and entering.¡± ¡°You... you argued over not being convicted?¡± Betrach asked. Ren chuckled. ¡°Of course not... I argued about how the system worked.¡± Ren took Elerlyth''s hand again and smiled. ¡°Thanks to you. If you hadn''t pointed out how unbalanced it was, I couldn''t have argued about it.¡± Elerlyth''s face lit up, from both the compliment to her intelligence and Ren''s Aura, then she frowned. ¡°Wait. You''re happy about getting sentenced to a night in jail?¡± She said. ¡°Are you feverish or something?¡± Elerlyth reached for Ren''s head with her other hand and pressed it against his forehead. ¡°No, it feels okay.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I am kinda happy about it, actually. I mean, I can spend the rest of the night in here with you.¡± Ren thought that Elerlyth had blushed a little, but couldn''t really tell. Her skin seemed to get a little darker around the cheeks, but that was it. Ren looked at Emanon and Betrach. ¡°Despite how we all got here, I''m glad I got to meet you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been kinda on my own up until a little while ago and I had no idea that stuff like this happened.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I learned a lot tonight.¡± Betrach snorted and Emanon laughed. Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°You''re actually glad to learn about this?¡± She said and waved her free hand around. ¡°We''re in jail! You might be getting out in the morning, but the rest of us...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I know. You''ve all been kinda shafted by the system.¡± Ren stood up but didn''t let Elerlyth''s hand go. He activated Enchanted Eyes and looked at the window above their heads. There''s the Protection rune... the Glyph of Hiding in Aimus'' barn... wait, the Terror rune? No way! Elerlyth could feel the rush of emotions coming from Ren, wonder, shock, and then anger. No wonder I''ve never heard of any kind of jail break. When people do somehow discover there''s a jail here, when they try to do anything, they''re immediately terrified. There''s another rune there... damn, I can''t make it out. Ren activated Read Rune and Decipher. Okay, I can see the shape, but I don''t recognize it. Ren looked around the cell, didn''t see any other enchantments, and deactivated his activated enchantment abilities. I''m surprised they don''t have some kind of barrier in here, though. Ren shrugged and sat back down. ¡°What is it?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Nothing really. I''m just surprised at how this is all set up.¡± Ren said. He didn''t even try to hide what he was thinking. I felt his surprise just before he sat down and thought he wouldn''t admit it. That''s... refreshing. Elerlyth thought. ¡°You look a little tired, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°Why don''t you lay your head down and take a nap.¡± Elerlyth patted her lap. Ren looked at her in wonder. He''d watched anime where girls let guys do that, but he''d assumed it was something that boyfriends and girlfriends shared, then remembered he had seen other shows where friends did it as well. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve never done that before, but I''ve always wanted to try it.¡± Elerlyth smiled and nodded. Ren scooted around to lay on his back on the bench and used Elerlyth''s lap as a pillow. ¡°Oh, wow... that''s comfy.¡± Ren said and looked up at Elerlyth''s face. ¡°Thank you.¡± Elerlyth chuckled and Ren felt it through her legs. It was a neat feeling. Elerlyth stroked Ren''s hair like she''d stroked the dire wolf cloak and Ren closed his eyes. That feels really nice. Ren thought, took a deep breath, and fell asleep. * Several minutes later, Emanon approached Ren and knelt by his money pouch. Elerlyth kept stroking Ren''s hair and shook her head. ¡°Don''t.¡± She whispered. ¡°He really is as innocent as he looks.¡± ¡°But... but it''s right there!¡± Emanon whispered back. ¡°He''s got to have at least a hundred gold. Look at his clothing.¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter. He''s the only one I''ve ever met that didn''t hate me on sight or shy away from me.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I won''t have him robbed after giving me such a gift.¡± Emanon shrugged and walked back to his side of the cell. ¡°You really like the kid, huh?¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°I don''t know if it''s because of the way he makes me feel, or for treating us like we were normal.¡± She said. ¡°He sat here half the night and just listened. He didn''t judge us, or even say, ''how could you do those things''.¡± Elerlyth continued to stroke Ren''s hair and listened to him breathe. ¡°I think... I think he''s pretty special.¡± Bertach started to laugh and caught himself at Elerlyth''s glare. ¡°Not that kind of special... what special meant years ago. Exceptional. Unique.¡± She looked down at Ren and sighed. ¡°I don''t know who he is in real life; but in here, he''s definitely someone to keep an eye on.¡± * Ren opened his eyes and looked up at Elerlyth''s charming smile and smiled back. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. ¡°How long was I out?¡± ¡°A few hours.¡± Elerlyth said. Ren looked at her in awe. ¡°And you sat here and held onto me the whole time?¡± Elerlyth nodded. Ren reached for her hand and held it. ¡°You didn''t have to do that.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Thank you for taking care of me.¡± In the light, it really did look like Elerlyth blushed, even though her skin didn''t turn red and just went slightly darker. ¡°There''s a soldier coming down the stairs, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren let Elerlyth''s hand go and stood up. He adjusted his cloak and ran his hands through his hair. ¡°How do I look?¡± He asked her. ¡°Like the dashing hero that you are.¡± Elerlyth said and laughed. Ren grinned. ¡°Thanks. That''s exactly the look I was going for.¡± Ren walked over to stand close to the cell door. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Getting ready to leave.¡± Elerlyth looked a bit forelorn, then realized what Ren had said. ¡°But-¡± She started to say and the room''s door opened. ¡°How?¡± Ren tapped his ear, indicating that he heard it, but he meant that Teepo had told him. Ren had kept Teepo out of all the stories he''d told, too. That was a secret Ren intended to keep. Aimus had been an exception to that, and Lucy already knew about it. No one else needed to know. The soldier came over to the cell and opened the door. Teepo was on his shoulder. Ren stepped out and turned around. ¡°Well... don''t just sit there. Are you coming, or what?¡± The 3 of them had shocked looks on their faces, stared at each other, and then stared at Ren. ¡°Come on, you lot.¡± The soldier said. ¡°I''m not holding this door open all day.¡± The 3 of them jumped up and practically ran out of the cell. They stood near the wall, farthest away from the cell door as they could get without looking like they were doing it. Ren chuckled. The room''s door opened again and a different soldier brought in a well dressed man, still in his nightclothes. Emanon stared at the man as he was placed in the cell and the soldier holding the cell door closed it. ¡°Say... isn''t that...¡± Emanon started to say and Ren smiled. ¡°Follow me.¡± The soldier said and the 4 of them did as they were told. Teepo hopped off the soldier''s back and onto Ren''s chest, then crawled up into the hood of the cloak. The soldier went up the stairs, out the back door, and around the guardhouse to the Armory. The captain of the guard stood there. ¡°Good morning!¡± Ren said to the captain, who nodded in response. Ren couldn''t see the stares that Bertach, Emanon, and Elerlyth were giving him; but he could certainly feel them, and smiled again. The captain of the guard opened the Armory and pointed to Ren. ¡°You first.¡± Ren nodded and followed the captain into the Armory and to the cabinet that held his things. Everything was returned, even the low quality short sword that he''d taken from the fake Mitchell. ¡°I still can''t believe you''re doing this.¡± The captain said, and indicated the others waiting outside. Ren shrugged. ¡°It would have bothered me to just leave them rot in jail.¡± The captain shook his head. ¡°You''re really soft at heart, aren''t you?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I thought you were a magnet for trouble before... but now?¡± The captain said. ¡°It''s like you have a recipe for it or something.¡± Ren laughed. That''s because I do. The captain led the way out and Ren stood there as Emanon went next. He came out with a few more rags to his clothes and several bulges that weren''t there before. Elerlyth went next and when she came out, she had a low quality bow and 2 small daggers on her hips. A thin armor plate was hooked around her bustier and 2 small plates were secured at the top of her boots. Ren''s Vision of Impurity could see how weak the iron was and that it had several small cracks around the edges. Elerlyth stood next to Ren and he turned to her as Betrach went into the armory with the captain. ¡°May I?¡± Ren asked Elerlyth and pointed to her chestpiece. Her eyes widened and she looked around. The soldier was watching them as they stood there, but wasn''t looking at them. Emanon was looking longingly at the trees and bushes nearby. You could almost feel his need to go and hide in them. Elerlyth nodded, thinking that Ren was quite bold to ask to touch her breasts in public like this, and she blushed when Ren put a hand behind her back to steady her. When Ren reached for her chest, Elerlyth caught her breath. He''s really going to do it!If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ren ran his hand over the metal and felt all the bumps and scratches on the surface and shook his head mentally. Such shoddy work! How could anyone be happy with producing this garbage? Ren thought then ran his hand across the metal part of the bustier, right at the edge of Elerlyth''s breasts. Her face turned an even darker shade that almost matched her lip color and she could feel how intensely Ren was concentrating on her. Ren didn''t touch Elerlyth''s skin, however. He massaged the metal and felt the imperfections and stress fractures. His eyes widened when he found a fatal flaw in the metal, right at the center of one of the breast pieces. Ren let Elerlyth go and got a popup.
Notice!
You have learned the pattern: Female Light Armor (Breastplate)
¡°Take that off, please.¡± Ren said and pointed to the bustier. ¡°Ren... I''d be happy to... but I can''t do it here.¡± Elerlyth said and blushed harder. Her skin color did match her lip color then. Ren blinked his eyes a few times when he understood what she''d said. Oh... oh my. Silence filled the area they stood in and Emanon and the soldier gaped at Ren and Elerlyth in disbelief. A grin spread across Ren''s face before he could stop it and Elerlyth smiled in return. The captain and Betrach returned and Ren turned to see that he wore a longsword, a short sword, and a cape that was weighed down with something. ¡°Sorry, it took a while to load up the cape.¡± Betrach glanced at the captain, who shrugged. ¡°We had to count them to make sure you didn''t have any stashed anywhere.¡± The captain said, then looked at the soldier staring at Elerlyth and Ren. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ren turned back and winked at Elerlyth. ¡°I was just asking Elerlyth for her breastplate.¡± Elerlyth''s blush had receded by that point and nodded. After unhooking the leather strap on her back, she handed it to Ren. Ren turned back to the captain and held out the breastplate. ¡°Captain, if you would be so kind. Poke your finger right here.¡± Ren said and pointed to the front of the right breast shape. It was the captain''s turn to blush a little. ¡°Please.¡± Ren urged and the captain reached out a hand, used his index finger, and poked a finger right through the metal. ¡°Holy fuck!¡± Betrach said as the metal crumpled. Everyone had shocked looks on their faces, except Ren. ¡°I thought so.¡± Ren said and handed the ruined breastplate back to Elerlyth. She stared at it and then at Ren. ¡°How... how did you know?¡± Elerlyth asked and put the broken breastplate into inventory. ¡°It''s a talent that I have. I can see, and find, the weaknesses in metal.¡± Ren explained. ¡°Whoever sold you that garbage as a piece of armor, that''s supposed to protect you, was a cheat and a liar!¡± Ren''s Aura flared and Elerlyth felt Ren''s vehemence in her defence. She reached out and touched his face. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and drank in how he felt. It made her feel all warm and tingly inside. ¡°If the one who sold you that is anywhere near here, you should report them for selling such things.¡± The captain said. Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°He''s far away from here.¡± The captain nodded and turned to Emanon. ¡°You.¡± He said. ¡°...were telling the truth. We took it upon ourselves to question the person you robbed. They lied about how much you stole.¡± Emanon''s eyes widened and looked at Ren. ¡°Yes, it was Ren who told us to ask the victim.¡± The captain said. ¡°How much is the fine?¡± Emanon asked. ¡°It''s already paid... and you were sentenced to a night in the cell.¡± Emanon stood there in shock as the captan turned to Betrach. ¡°You.¡± He said. ¡°...had better keep your pants on around the minister of finance''s wife. In fact, you should keep your pants on whenever you''re in this city, just so we don''t have to worry about any of the other minister''s wives.¡± ¡°But... 30 days minimum...¡± Betrach said. ¡°Is there a fine instead?¡± The captain nodded. ¡°It''s taken care of.¡± The captain turned to Elerlyth. ¡°As for you... I wanted to keep you here indefinitely.¡± Elerlyth gasped and clutched onto Ren as if her life depended on it. In a sense, it had. ¡°A wiser head prevailed, instead. This was your third time... but as we did overlook some of the circumstances before...¡± The captain said. Elerlyth relaxed but still clung to Ren. ¡°A fine was paid on your behalf and you were sentenced to a night in the cell.¡± Elerlyth''s mouth gaped open and she stared at the captain. ¡°W-w-who would do such a thing?¡± I don''t know anyone here that would bail me out like that! The captain looked at Ren and then so did everyone else. Ren''s face flushed red but he didn''t try to hide or deny it. ¡°R-R-Ren!¡± Elerlyth said and walked around Ren to face him. ¡°How much?!?¡± She said and tried to shake him, but he didn''t move. ¡°How much?!?¡± Ren looked her in the eyes. ¡°I paid 5 gold for Emanon.¡± ¡°I only took three.¡± Emanon said and Betrach slapped him in the back of the head. ¡°Ow!¡± Ren didn''t take his eyes off of Elerlyth. ¡°Like the captain said... you were going to be kept in there, and possibly sentenced to hard labor. I couldn''t allow that. He said a fine of 50 gold would cover it.¡± Elerlyth dropped to her knees, put a hand on the side of Ren''s neck, and stared at him. ¡°I offered the same amount to get Betrach out of the 30 day sentence.¡± Silence filled the space around them for a moment. ¡°A platinum.¡± Elerlyth had wonder in her voice. ¡°You paid a platinum to get us out.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Why?¡± She asked. ¡°Why do such a thing for us? People you barely know?¡± ¡°I like you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really did learn a lot. If I''d never met you, I wouldn''t have known about all of this.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°The way you were being treated didn''t seem fair at all. I had to do something about it.¡± Elerlyth leaned in and kissed Ren. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly. Ren reacted automatically to such an empassioned kiss and hugged her back. Elerlyth could feel Ren''s reaction to her and it fed her ability... which in turn made her more enthusiastic in her kissing, which in turn made Ren react even more. This went on for several minutes and didn''t look like it was going to stop. ¡°AHEM!¡± The captain of the guard said. Elerlyth and Ren broke the kiss at the same time and then started at each other. ¡°That...¡± Elerlyth started to say. ¡°Was...¡± Ren added. ¡°Amazing!¡± The soldier said and everyone looked at him. ¡°What? You couldn''t feel that?¡± Ren looked around and they were all within the 10 foot radius of his Aura. Only the soldier seemed to be affected by it, however. ¡°Sorry, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said and let go of him. ¡°I just... I wanted to thank you properly.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I think I should thank you... and so should he.¡± Ren said and motioned to the soldier. Everyone laughed. ¡°Okay, break it up.¡± The captain said, but he had a smile on his face. ¡°You better get out of here, before I find something else to charge you with.¡± Elerlyth stood and they all nodded. ¡°Ren, you be careful.¡± The captain said. Ren smiled. ¡°Like a virgin on her wedding night.¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh and everyone joined in again. ¡°Come on, come on. Shooo!¡± The captain waved his arms in a ''go away'' motion and the 4 non-soldiers left the mansion''s back courtyard. Ren started walking up the street to Donan''s shop and asked the others to follow. Elerlyth walked beside him and Betrach and Emanon followed close behind. ¡°How? How did you do it?¡± Emanon asked. ¡°How did you get them to listen?¡± ¡°I''m just a good talker, I guess.¡± Ren shrugged and looked at Elerlyth as they walked. ¡°I can''t let you go on your way without replacing that thing you wore.¡± He said and motioned to her chest. ¡°Will you let me make you something to replace it?¡± Elerlyth stared at him. ¡°You want to replace it?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I told you. That someone would give you that and tell you it would protect you... Ugh!¡± Ren said in disgust. ¡°I want to wring his neck, whoever it was.¡± Ren clenched his hands together, pretending it was someone''s neck. ¡°He''s a disgrace to the blacksmith''s profession.¡± Elerlyth reached out and touched Ren''s cheek. ¡°You really do care about that, don''t you?¡± She said and Ren nodded. ¡°It''s not like there''s a vow or anything that you take, but if you are supposed to make things to protect people... the least you can do is do it right.¡± Elerlyth nodded and Ren smiled. He was looking forward to making something new. They got to Donan''s shop a few minutes later and Ren turned to them. ¡°This shouldn''t take too long. Maybe half an hour to an hour.¡± Ren said and handed Elerlyth 5 gold. ¡°Why don''t you go and get something to eat while you wait, and take these mooches with you.¡± Ren grinned at them. ¡°Hey! I resemble that comment!¡± Emanon said. Betrach chuckled. ¡°Yeah, food sounds good. I need to get my Health back up for some reason.¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°We''ll be back in an hour, then.¡± Teepo. Ren thought and took Elerlyth''s hand in his, bent down and kissed it. ¡°On it, Ren. They won''t leave my sight.¡± Teepo said and crawled over the held hands and onto Elerlyth''s shoulder. Ren waved to the trio and went into the shop. * Once they were far enough down the street, Emanon spoke. ¡°We''re not going back, are we?¡± Betrach shook his head. Elerlyth didn''t say anything and kept walking. * Ren smelted some of his high quality iron bars and let it simmer. He stirred it fast to get extra air into it and skimmed off some of the impurities that were left. In between, he worked on the breastplate pattern he''d received from examining the old one. Ren modified it a bit, reinforcing the edges to stop wear and tear, added an armored back and a filagree and leaf pattern to the front with the help of the system (adapted from his High Elven Court Uniform). Teepo had kept Ren appraised of the trio''s whereabouts. They''d even gone to eat. Ren poured out the blank big enough for the shape he needed and started hammering. It didn''t take long to get it to the right shape with the system''s help. When he was done shaping it, he used the dying station to make it the same dark blue color of Elerlyth''s leather pieces. After smelting a single gold coin in a small crucible and adding a bit of steel, he stirred it and then slowly poured it onto the filagree leaf pattern. When Ren was done, he polished it to a shine. ¡°Ah... now there''s a nice piece of work.¡± Donan said and clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°Thanks, Donan.¡± Donan waved the thanks away and went back to his own work. Ren took the new breastplate and stored it into inventory. Teepo. ¡°We''re in the Market District. It looks like we''re heading to the South Gate.¡± Thanks, buddy. I''ll be right there. Ren thought and then took off running. Ren ran down the street to the main road between the North and South gates and took the corner to go south. 10 minutes later, Ren reached the South Gate just as the trio were passing through it. ¡°Hey! Wait!¡± Ren shouted and the trio turned around. ¡°I told you I couldn''t let you leave without a new breastplate.¡± Ren said as he caught up with them and stood still to let his Stamina recover. ¡°How did you find us?¡± Betrach asked, stunned. ¡°Did you enchant us or something?¡± Emanon said, equally stunned. Ren shook his head. ¡°I just figured if you were leaving for good, this would be the way you''d go.¡± Elerlyth looked at Ren like she knew he was lying, and Ren smiled then winked at her. He knows I can tell? Elerlyth thought as Ren approached her. ¡°Elerlyth, please accept this gift as a token of my thanks.¡± Ren said and took out the steel and gold breastplate. Emanon whistled at the high quality workmanship. ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡± Elerlyth asked, perplexed. ¡°Making me feel alive.¡± Ren laughed then grinned. ¡°That kiss was amazing.¡± Elerlyth''s face flushed darker and Ren continued. ¡°My girlfriend is going to kill me for it, though.¡± ¡°Girlfriend?¡± Emanon said. Ren nodded. ¡°We just recently got together... but she doesn''t like how things feel in here. She says it''s too fake for her.¡± ¡°Maybe she has a cheap VR headset, or her settings are off.¡± Betrach suggested. ¡°That''s what I thought, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°You have a real life girlfriend, then.¡± Elerlyth took the breastplate from Ren. Ren nodded. ¡°At least, I hope I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°She only just found out that I thought of her as my girlfriend.¡± ¡°So... you''re not really together in the game?¡± Elerlyth asked as she equipped the new breastplate and the gold filagree stood out like a hologram floating above a dark background. Ren shook his head. ¡°No, when she said she didn''t like the feel of things, I put a stop to it. I don''t want her feelings in here to affect her feelings out there.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Elerlyth said. Ren looked at her in surprise as she took him into a hug. ¡°Because being in an electronic relationship is just fine by me.¡± Elerlyth leaned down and kissed Ren on the lips. Of course, Ren reacted accordingly and got excited that a woman had accepted him for who he was and was kissing him, Elerlyth could feel that Ren felt that way and it matched her feelings exactly, that a man accepted her without judgment and she became more excited and fed on Ren''s feelings. Teepo took their closeness as an opportunity to crawl down Elerlyth''s arm and onto Ren''s shoulder. A few minutes later, Elerlyth felt doubt enter Ren''s thoughts and his excitement ebbed. She kissed him until he broke away and looked at her. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Ren asked. Elerlyth nodded. ¡°Sure, why not?¡± ¡°But... don''t you think...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°That''s it''s cheating?¡± She finished the thought for him. Ren nodded. ¡°There''s a saying some of us live by. What happens in the game...¡± ¡°Stays in the game.¡± Betrach and Emanon said together. ¡°So, what you''re saying is, that no matter what happens in here it doesn''t affect what happens out there.¡± Ren said. ¡°Right. In here, we can do whatever we want. Good, bad, nice, nasty... but it doesn''t change how things are in the real world.¡± Elerlyth replied. ¡°And you were trying to leave without saying goodbye because...¡± Ren added. ¡°We don''t want to owe anyone anything.¡± Betrach said. ¡°You don''t owe me anything.¡± ¡°You bailed us out of jail, man!¡± Emanon said. ¡°Of course we owe you!¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I told you before. Once I knew how you were all getting shafted, I couldn''t just let you stay in that cell. That''s all on me, Emanon.¡± He really believes we owe him nothing. Elerlyth thought. We were sneaking away for no reason. ¡°Like you said... it''s just a game. It''s hard to have fun if you''re stuck in a cell most of the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s a platinum coin between friends?¡± Betrach and Emanon shook their heads in disbelief. Is this guy for real? They both thought. ¡°Come over here for a minute.¡± Elerlyth said and led Ren off the road and walked about 20 feet away from where the 2 men stood. ¡°There''s something I should tell you.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I''ve... I''ve been...¡± ¡°Feeding off my Aura.¡± Ren said and smiled. Elerlyth looked at him in surprise. ¡°So you did know!¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I figured it out when we were talking last night. When I first saw your reaction after I entered the cell, I had no idea what was going on and I thought you were making fun of me or something.¡± Elerlyth tried to respond and Ren shook his head. ¡°Let me finish. Once I sat by you and took your hand, I could almost feel you taking it in. After a while, you looked so much... happier? Pleased?¡± Ren said and shrugged. ¡°Anyways, I knew then that whatever was happening, I was helping you feel better. That was good enough for me.¡± Elerlyth leaned into Ren and put a hand on his face. ¡°I thought I was getting away with stealing from you all night, feeding on you even while you were asleep, but you held my hand for most of the night. On purpose.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said as a tear formed at the corner of her eye and she kissed Ren slowly and tenderly. It was only a brief kiss, but the feelings being shared then were 10 times more intense. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren and Elerlyth said together when the kiss ended, and they both laughed. A moment later, she took a deep breath. ¡°Okay, Ren. Now that I''ve come clean, it''s time for you to come clean, too.¡± Ren looked at Elerlyth in surprise. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Elerlyth asked and pointed right at Teepo. Chapter 73 - Consequences ¡°What is what?¡± Ren asked. Elerlyth got a stern look on her face. ¡°Don''t lie to me, Ren.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°What can you see, exactly?¡± ¡°That''s just it. I don''t see anything.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°I can feel your feelings through it. It''s faint, like something small, but it''s right there.¡± Elerlyth pointed again and Teepo crawled over to Ren''s other shoulder and her finger followed him. ¡°When did you first feel it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°When you sent us off to get something to eat, I felt it move from you and onto me. I didn''t say anything at the time, because I wasn''t sure what was happening; but then it settled on my shoulder and it stayed there. When we kissed just now, it moved back.¡± Elerlyth explained. ¡°So... what is it? A spell? An enchantment? What?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°It''s a secret.¡± Elerlyth''s eyes narrowed. ¡°I haven''t told anyone about it. No one else can see it, only me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why would I tell people stuff like that? They''d think I was crazy.¡± Elerlyth leaned back. ¡°What do you do with it?¡± Ren knew he couldn''t lie. ¡°It keeps a lookout for me. I always know where it is. When you left to go get something to eat, I had a feeling you weren''t coming back, so I tracked you here.¡± ¡°You could have just asked me to stay.¡± Elerlyth said. Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah, that was going to work.¡± She smiled and crossed her arms. It framed her chest nicely. Ren shook his head to stop staring at her cleavage and looked her in the eyes. ¡°I actually have to log out, and there was no way you were going to stick around and wait for me to come back in.¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°You''re right. I''ve got stuff to do.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°So...¡± She said. ¡°So...¡± He said. ¡°I need to get going.¡± They both said and chuckled. Elerlyth leaned in and touched Ren on the neck again. That seemed to be her habit. ¡°I''ll be back to see you again soon.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll be looking forward to it.¡± They kissed briefly and Elerlyth walked away. She turned when she met up with Betrach and Emanon, and Ren waved to them. They waved back and walked down the road. Ren went back into the city and started to run. I am so late! He arrived back at Donan''s shop and walked around the building to where Lucy''s phantom form still sat. Ren sat beside her and tucked his legs in. I''ll probably be gone for a couple of days, Teepo. ¡°Okay. I''ll see you when you get back.¡± Teepo said. Don''t have too much fun without me. Ren thought and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the real world and took off the VR headset. ¡°Good morning, little stud.¡± Stella laughed at Ren''s shocked expression. ¡°Oh...my... God!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°What the hell was I doing?!?¡± ¡°Getting some action on the side, by the looks of it.¡± Stella grinned. Ren put his hands on his head and groaned. ¡°What am I going to do?¡± ¡°Have fun?¡± Stella suggested. Ren dropped his hands and glared at Stella, who put her hands up in a ''surrender'' gesture. ¡°I don''t know what came over me in there.¡± ¡°I''d say little Ren might have been influencing you.¡± ¡°It wasn''t like that.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I was still me, but I felt drawn to her.¡± ¡°She was quite pretty, even with the dark grey skin.¡± Stella said. ¡°No, not like that. I mean, I noticed she was pretty but it was... was... ugh... I can''t think of what it was like.¡± Ren said, exasperated. ¡°A bee with honey?¡± Ren shook his head again. ¡°No... more like... a fly and a spider. I was caught in her web.¡± Ren got out of bed, careful of his weak knee, and went to the bathroom. When he came out, Stella had a change of clothes for him. ¡°You''re about a half hour late for therapy.¡± ¡°I know. I was supposed to log out the night before in the game, but things happened beyond my control.¡± Ren said and changed clothes. ¡°Barbara filled me in on all the illicit details. You nearly gave the poor woman a heart attack.¡± Ren''s mouth gaped open and Stella made him sit in the wheelchair. ¡°Yes, poor Barbara was all in shock from you killing someone, finding a dead body, then getting put in jail!¡± Stella said as she wheeled Ren down the hall. ¡°Then you met those hoodlums...¡± Ren stared at Stella as she went on about his encounter with the trio of criminals. ¡°Then you got them out of jail, too! Poor Barbara was beside herself with worry all night.¡± Stella deposited Ren in the therapy room and left him shocked and dismayed at the mess he''d made in real life. * Lucy got up for work and changed into her uniform. When she checked her phone, she''d received a message saying her transfer to the clinic had been delayed and was pending a review, and she was to report to the lab for the day. Lucy smiled. Thank you, Ren! Lucy thought and called the hospital. She got the number for SID Tec from the nurse at the desk and dialed the company''s tech support. She stayed on hold for 15 minutes and then someone answered. ¡°SID Tec, Tech Department.¡± ¡°Hi, I''d like to report an assault.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, ma''am. This isn''t the police.¡± Lucy sighed. ¡°It happened in the game.¡± There was silence on the phone. ¡°Just a minute.¡± Lucy waited through another 5 minutes of elevator music before the phone was answered again. ¡°Tech Supervisor.¡± ¡°Hi, I''d like to report an assault that happened in the game.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Okay. What was the nature of the assault?¡± The man asked. Lucy ran through the whole incident and how she had dealt with it. ¡°What exactly do you want us to do about it?¡± Lucy sighed again. ¡°I''d like for you to take it seriously and put a stop to it.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, but she didn''t break any of the game''s rules, or laws for that matter.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Lucy said. There was silence for a moment on the line and then the man continued. ¡°You handled the situation well... in my own personal opinion, and not that of the company as a whole. Gamewise? There''s nothing we can do.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I told you. No laws or game rules were broken.¡± ¡°So anyone, at any time, can nearly kill another player and you won''t do anything about it?¡± Lucy asked, flabbergasted. ¡°There''s a PVP option in the game. You may want to enter that to deal with the problem instead... but that''s also my own personal opinion, and does not reflect the policies of the company or any of it''s other employees.¡± ¡°What about... what was it... oh, blocking them?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°Currently, there''s no option for that in the game... at least in the way you mean. You can stop them from sending you messages, but you''d still be able to see and interact with them.¡± ¡°You''ve been a BIG help, thank you very much!¡± Lucy said with as much scorn as she could muster and hung up. Lucy looked at her watch and grabbed her house keys. She still had to get to work, and if she hurried, she''d make it just in time. * The CEO of SID Tec, Edward Torren, hung up the phone and sighed. It just keeps getting better and better, doesn''t it? He stood up and walked round his desk, then sat on the edge. Do I really want to confront her like this? Edward sighed again and a moment later stepped into the outer office. ¡°Elise, can I speak to you for a minute?¡± Elise stopped typing and got up from her desk. Edward went back into his office and Elise followed him and sat in the visitor''s chair. Edward sat on the edge of his desk and faced her.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°I just got off the phone with Max.¡± Elise nodded because she''d connected the call. ¡°He said he just received a... very interesting phone call.¡± Why is he telling me this? Elise thought. ¡°Someone called to report an assault that happened in the game... by you.¡± Edward said. Elise''s eyes widened. ¡°I... I may have gotten a little out of hand, but I would never assault anyone!¡± Edward sighed. ¡°You almost killed Ren, Elise.¡± ¡°WHAT!?!¡± Elise exclaimed. ¡°I had Max pull Ren''s stats for that period, and his health had dropped steadily. If that other woman hadn''t intervened...¡± Elise''s face lost all it''s color as the blood drained from it. ¡°I.. I didn''t mean... I was... I was just so excited that he''d shown up.¡± Edward leaned over and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Almost strangling him wasn''t a good way to thank him.¡± Elise took a deep breath and sat back in the chair as tears came to her eyes. ¡°I''ve messed things up... so badly! First in the tech lab, and now in the game.¡± She said and tears flowed down her cheeks. ¡°You might want to stay away from Ren for a while.¡± Edward suggested. Elise looked at him like he''d just kicked her in the stomach. Edward winced mentally. ¡°I should at least apologize first...¡± Elise said. Edward sighed again. ¡°Elise...¡± ¡°I know... I know... I''m addicted to him!¡± She said. ¡°He''s just so cute and cuddly and strong and smart and...¡± ¡°Elise!¡± Edward nearly shouted. Elise sighed. ¡°Okay... okay. I''ll leave him alone.¡± She said. ¡°Right after I apologize.¡± Edward frowned. Elise held up a hand. ¡°Send in Max with me, or come yourself. The next time Ren logs in, you can escort me, all right?¡± Edward knew she wasn''t going to let this go if he didn''t agree, and he nodded. Whether or not it was going to be a mistake, only time would tell. * Ren did an abbreviated physical therapy session and actually managed to walk a good distance. Once he sat down in the wheelchair to recover, the therapist examined his broken finger. ¡°I think it''s time this came off.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll let the doctor know.¡± Ren looked down at it shrugged. Stella came in and took Ren back to his room. Ren got a shower and changed into a new set of pyjamas. He climbed into bed and laid back. ¡°Stella? Do you have your cell phone?¡± Ren asked. Stella nodded. ¡°Can I borrow it for a minute?¡± Stella''s eyes widened and she unlocked it then handed it over. ¡°Keep it short.¡± Ren nodded and checked her contacts. He found Lucy and hit dial. Lucy''s phone rang a few times. ¡°Voicemail.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hi, Lucy. It''s Ren. Um... something happened in the game... and I don''t know what to do about it. If you could call back, or even come and visit, I want to tell you wha-¡± The phone cut him off. Ren held the phone out to Stella. ¡°Ran out of space.¡± Stella put the phone back into her pocket. ¡°Do you want a late breakfast, or wait for lunch?¡± ¡°I can wait.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want you to do more work than you have to.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°It''s no trouble. We''re here to help you, Ren. If you''re hungry now, I''ll get it for you.¡± Ren reached out and took her hand. ¡°Thanks, Stella. I can wait.¡± She nodded and Ren picked up the remote and turned on the television, then dropped the remote and pulled over the laptop. Ren searched the forums and the net, for anything similar to Elerlyth''s abilities, to try and explain what had happened. Stella brought in lunch and Ren ate it without looking and continued to search. It took hours to dig up everything that could be found about dark elves and drows, and he only found a single obscure reference for a fear eating ability... and then the use of venom to cause such fear. ¡°That''s it!¡± Ren said. ¡°When she said in my ear that I''d be much easier to control with her venom in me, I actually thought she meant because she had her nail in my neck and had poisoned me... it never occured to me that she meant the venom itself would do it!¡± Ren closed the laptop and convinced himself that when he got back in the game, he''d spend some time making potions to replace the ones he''d used... and some of them would be vials of antidote. ¡°Stella? Can I borrow your phone again?¡± * Lucy''s phone vibrated in her pocket and she checked it. Stella again! I''m getting pretty tired of your teasing me about Ren. Lucy thought and put the phone away. * Clint sat behind the desk of his ''office''. It was just a table in the shed on his ranch in real life, but it was his space and that was just fine. His VR mount business had taken off and he had several players in the game taking care of the day to day running of the place, so he could go out adventuring whenever he wanted. He wasn''t hurting for money at all, but then Clint frowned. ¡°Ah wonder when Ren''ll make my new weapons? It''s gettin'' harder n'' harder to git high level mounts ta sell wit th'' piddly one''s ah got now.¡± * Ren''s left ear started to ring and he rubbed it. Someone''s thinking about me. Ren thought. Since his ears almost always rang from tinnitus at random times and for no reason, he always made a joke about someone thinking of him. I wonder who it is? * Tristan was throwing another fit and tossing things around his room. A minute later, he calmed down, sat at his computer, and started typing.
Tristan: What do you mean you can''t find him?
User36: It''s just like I said. We showed up at his respawn point, but he''d already left.
Tristan: Track him down! He couldn''t have gone far!
User36: He''s an experienced Tracker himself. There''s no tracks to follow.
Tristan: ...Fine. Send word out on the Network that I want him found.
User36: Are you sure about that? It''s going to cost you.
Tristan: Just do it... and only pay for real information.
User36: Consider it done. Will keep you updated.
Tristan sat back and rubbed his nose. It won''t cost me as much as it will if I don''t get that coin back. * Ren sat in silence as the doctor unbandaged his pinky finger and then flexed it manually. ¡°Okay, Ren. It looks good. Can you move it for me?¡± Ren lifted his hand up and moved the whole finger. ¡°Now just the tip, if you would.¡± Ren tried to move just the tip, but the whole finger bent instead. Ren tried several times, but his finger always bent both joints. ¡°I can''t do it, Doctor Hobbard.¡± ¡°Good.¡± He said and stood. Ren stared at him and the doctor laughed. ¡°If you''d only moved the tip, there could have been unseen damage to the tendons in the middle knuckle, and we''d probably have to open it up and see if it could be fixed.¡± He chuckled again at Ren''s expression. ¡°Go ahead and do the same exercise with your other hand.¡± Ren lifted his other hand and tried to move just the tip of his pinky finger, but both joints bent instead. ¡°Would you look at that!¡± Ren said and held both hands up and flexed his pinky fingers several times. ¡°That is both weird and cool at the same time.¡± Ren chuckled. Stella laughed and the doctor left the room. ¡°Ready for supper?¡± Stella asked. Ren stopped admiring his fingers and nodded. ¡°Please.¡± Ren ate a quick supper and relaxed. He only had to wait for a few more hours for the shift change. Things needed to be explained to Barbara and Lucy before he could even think about logging back into the game. Ren looked at the television, but wasn''t really watching it. How am I going to explain it? Ren thought. Will Lucy even believe me? Ren got the brilliant idea to edit the footage and make a video compilation of what happened, making sure to leave nothing out. He didn''t want the relationship to end because he lied about something. Ren slowed the video down during the important parts, and left it sped up for the long and boring parts. By the time the video was done, the nurse''s shift had changed and Barbara came into the room and nearly tackled him. It took a long time to convince Barbara of what had really happened, even with the video, and Ren sighed afterwards. His prospects of convincing Lucy weren''t very good. He could only hope that his sincerity and regret for the way things had turned out in the game would be enough for Lucy to forgive him for his behavior. * Lucy sat at a table in the cafeteria to grab a quick bite before heading back to finish the double shift she''d been scheduled to do. She shook her head as she ate a plate of fries and dipped each into the ketchup on the side. Ren''s gotten me used to having gravy fries. Lucy thought as she continued to eat the bland fries. She took out her phone and scrolled through her missed messages. The only ones she hadn''t listened to already were from Stella, and she sighed. Might as well get it over with. Lucy hit play and Ren''s voice came out of her phone. The first message sounded like he was depressed about doing something in the game. Lucy had paid quite a bit of money for the VR headset she''d bought, only to find out later the guy had scammed her for the cheapest model on the market. He''d disappeared with her money and Lucy''s budget had suffered tremendously since. Playing the game was fun in some respects, but she just didn''t get as much out of it as Ren did. Lucy played the second message, and it was a bit more frantic, but still lacked details. She looked at the time and saw it was midnight and shrugged. Ren is probably playing right now... but I guess I could stop in. Lucy thought and finished her meal. She took the long way around the cafeteria to avoid the other lab people, and took the elevator up to Ren''s floor. * Ren and Barbara were watching a late night talk show when Lucy came in. ¡°I''ll just go and grab a snack.¡± Barbara said and left quickly, holding Lucy''s arm as she passed by. Lucy stared at Barbara until the door shut behind her, and then turned to Ren. ¡°Lucy... I...¡± Ren tried to say. ¡°Please, come sit down.¡± Lucy walked to the side of the bed and sat down. ¡°There''s something that I have to tell you.¡± Ren said... and then he did. The whole thing, leaving nothing out. Lucy''s face closed down about halfway through and Ren confirmed that he was in serious trouble. He cued up the video and went through it step by step, just like with Barbara, highlighting the points he wanted to make. Showing Lucy where he''d been repeatedly poked with Elerlyth''s sharp nails. Ren showed the research he''d done with the dark elves and drow, finding the only reference to explain what he believed to have happened. When Ren was done telling the story, he apologized profusely, but Lucy didn''t look like she believed him. ¡°That''s quite the excuse you''ve come up with.¡± Lucy finally said with a voice devoid of all tone. Ren sighed. ¡°Lucy... it''s not an excuse.¡± Lucy looked at him. ¡°All I''m doing is explaining what happened. There''s no excuse for my behavior.¡± Ren said. Lucy nodded.On that part, I agree. ¡°There''s nothing that I can do, except apologize. I can''t take back the things that I''ve done... no matter the cause.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a plan to try and stop it from happening again, but once I go back in the game, I don''t know if I''ll be able to do it.¡± Lucy looked at him again. ¡°Once you go back?¡± ¡°I haven''t logged back in since this happened.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I kinda freaked out when I got out the last time... and I didn''t want to go back in until I talked to you.¡± Lucy''s eyes widened at that. If he logged out this morning, or I guess yesterday morning now, he''s been out for 3 game days already. ¡°I need your help.¡± Ren said. Lucy squinted her eyes at that. ¡°I want to go back in and make some potions to replace the ones I''ve used, but I''m worried I won''t even think about taking an antidote for myself.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Lucy asked. Ren sighed again. ¡°I... I don''t know how to explain it. I''ve never had anything like this happen before.¡± Ren said. ¡°You seem to say that a lot.¡± Lucy commented. Ren nodded. ¡°I do. I''m always breaking new ground with everything... but this was ground I would have rathered not even touch, let alone break.¡± Lucy raised her eyebrows. Ren shook his head. ¡°I just told you that I considered you my girlfriend and then this happened.¡± Ren waved to the screen that still had a close up image of Elerlyth''s nail stuck in Ren''s neck. ¡°Cheating on you, no matter the reason... even though it was just in the game, really is no excuse.¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°I''m just glad that all I did was kiss her.¡± Ren said and his face flushed a little red. ¡°I''ve been saving myself for someone special. Someone that was important to me.¡± Lucy''s eyes widened at that. Ren chuckled. ¡°I know... it''s not like I''ve had tons of opportunities to spread myself around or anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°But I still want my first experience with... ah... being with someone... to be with someone I care about... a lot.¡± It was Lucy''s turn for her face to flush a little red. ¡°At this point, though... unless you help me, I might not get much of a choice in the matter.¡± Lucy took a deep breath and nodded. Ren reached out a hand and Lucy pulled back. He dropped his hand and told Lucy the plan. Lucy said she had to finish her double shift first and Ren nodded. ¡°Just call and let me know when you can go in. I can wait until then.¡± Ren said. Lucy looked at him sceptically, and Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah, I''m kinda addicted to the game... I can do so many things in there that I can''t even imagine out here.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... I''ve jeopardized my relationship with you by not being more careful, and I don''t want to make that mistake again.¡± ¡°I''m going to be exhaused after this shift, so I''ll probably sleep for a while.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Are you okay with it being tomorrow afternoon? That''s a lot of game time you''re missing.¡± Ren didn''t reach for her hand this time, but he nodded. ¡°I can wait for as long as I have to for your help.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Thank you, Lucy.¡± Lucy nodded and stood up. She hesitated for a moment, then took Ren''s hand. He gave it a squeeze and Lucy left. She was a little late getting back from her lunch break. * No one at the lab said anything when Lucy came in late from lunch. Their plan to get rid of her hadn''t worked and they didn''t know what to do with her now. * Ren laid back in the bed and Barbara came in. She saw that Ren looked like he was on the verge of tears and gave him a hug. The rest of the night passed as it always did, except there were no VR visits for Ren and he slept fitfully, tossing and turning. The morning arrived and after the nurse''s shift change, Bonnie came in. Ren did his regular schedule of breakfast, physiotherapy, and a shower; then watched television and waited. Hoping the whole time that his plan would work. Chapter 74 - Miss Woodworker Lucy called the hospital just after 2pm and told Ren she was ready to log in. He gave Lucy a few minutes to get ready and then settled into bed and put on the VR headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the VR world and everything seemed fine. He didn''t feel like he was suffering any effects from anything and smiled. ¡°That''s a relief.¡± ¡°What is?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°I don''t feel any different from normal.¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°That''s good. Say, Ren... why don''t you make up the potions that you used up? The mana potions, specifically.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Ren took out his alchemy kit and made up 7 Mana potions. ¡°Ren... do you have any antidote potions?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°What? Why would I need those?¡± Lucy sighed. ¡°Of course you don''t need them. I need them.¡± ¡°You do?¡± ¡°Of course I do. I''m not as strong as you, and I won''t survive if I don''t have anything to protect me from poison.¡± Ren thought about it for a minute. ¡°You''re right. I should be trying to protect you more.¡± Ren made up one vial of antidote and gave it to Lucy. ¡°There you go. It should help you from almost any poison.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ren!¡± Lucy said and opened the vial. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''m just going to taste it, to see if it''s okay.¡± Lucy said and put it to her lips. ¡°Ugh... that seems a little off.¡± Ren looked at her sceptically. ¡°It''s probably because of the settings in your VR headset.¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°Yeah, I was scammed by this guy into buying the cheapest helmet for the most expensive price.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°Yeah, it was pretty stupid of me to buy it off of F-Bay?, But he had the expensive box, and when it arrived, the cheap one was in it.¡± ¡°Did you complain?¡± ¡°I tried, but the sale was for ''the box and contents, not necessarily for the high quality I believed it would be''. That''s a direct quote from both the seller and F-Bay?.¡± Lucy explained. ¡°Lucy, I''m so sorry.¡± ¡°It''s okay... but what you said could be true. I don''t know.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Here. You try it and see if it tastes okay.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I don''t need to taste it. I know it''s good.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I''ve tasted it before.¡± ¡°Then you''ll know how it should taste, right?¡± Lucy asked. Ren nodded. ¡°Then do what I just did. Slip a little into your mouth and see if it really does taste the same. You''re the only one who can make the comparison.¡± Lucy said sweetly. ¡°You said you wanted to protect me, how will I know it''s any good if you don''t try it for me to make sure?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Fine. Just a sip. I don''t want to waste it.¡± Lucy handed it over and Ren put the vial to his lips. He tipped it up a little and Lucy grabbed Ren''s nose and the end of the vial and tilted it all the way. Ren sputtered and choked a little but he swallowed it involuntarily. Ren knocked her hands away and the bottle hit the ground and broke. (cough) (cough) ¡°What was that for?¡± Ren stood up and tried to spit out the antidote, but he''d already swallowed it. ¡°For your own good.¡± Lucy said, satisfied. ¡°I know you''re mad about Elerlyth, but you don''t have to try and choke me to death!¡± Lucy shrugged. ¡°I didn''t try to choke you at all, even though that sounds like a good idea.¡± Ren stared at her. ¡°Ren, you''re not the first guy to cheat on me, okay?¡± Lucy said and crossed her arms. ¡°I thought you would be different from them.¡± ¡°Lucy... I''m sorry that happened... but I...¡± Ren grabbed his stomach and went pale. ¡°R-Ren?¡± Ren shook his head and turned sideways as a wenching pain doubled him over. Ren opened his mouth to throw up and this black ooze came out. He wretched a few times until nothing else appeared, then stood up again. Lucy walked over to him and rubbed his back. They looked down together at the foot wide puddle of black ooze. ¡°Is that...¡± Lucy said. ¡°A present from Elerlyth.¡± Ren said. ¡°Several in fact.¡± Ren took one of his concealment rocks that he had in inventory, absorbed the glyph, then enchanted it with a glyph of 2 wind and 2 fire. He wasn''t sure if this was necessary, but it didn''t hurt to do it. Ren pointed it at the black puddle. Activate. A blast of fire shot out and hit the puddle. Ren moved it back and forth, making sure to engulf the whole thing. After a few minutes, the puddle was all burned up. [/i]Deactivate.[/i] Ren stored the rock back into inventory. He might need it again later. ¡°Lucy... I...¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You said you needed my help. That''s what friends do.¡± Lucy said and went back to the side of the building. ¡°You''re not staying?¡± Ren asked. Lucy shook her head. ¡°I think I''ve had enough of the game for a while.¡± ¡°But... Lucy...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I understand.¡± Ren walked over to her and knelt in front of her. ¡°I can never apologize enough for hurting you like that.¡± Ren reached out and took Lucy''s hand, and she didn''t pull it away. ¡°I know you''ve probably heard this before; but, I''ll do everything I can to earn your trust back.¡± Lucy nodded. Ren wasn''t sure what she was nodding for, his promise or hearing it again. He didn''t ask her to clarify what she meant, though... and let her hand go. ¡°Thanks again, Lucy.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Lucy said and leaned back against the building. ¡°Logout.¡± Ren stared at Lucy''s phantom form for several minutes, then turned away. Ren walked over to where Mitchell''s shop was, but there were no soldiers, barricades, or even ropes. He walked to the front and there was a ''Closed Until Further Notice'' sign. When he approached it, a popup appeared.
Notice!
This business has recently closed due to unforseen circumstances. You may not enter the premises at this time.
Ren dismissed it and thought for a moment. You can still buy bows at General Goode''s General Goods, but I''m a little suprised the game hasn''t appointed another NPC for this store already. There''s probably a lot of players getting mad about it, especially if they don''t know why it''s closed. He walked around the building and the back door was covered with wood. Ren nodded and walked up the street and noticed an older style building behind Sally''s place. Ren walked up to it and reached for the door handle.
Notice!
This old storage warehouse has long stood empty. Your current standing within the Artesian District is high enough that you have been given the option to buy this property. Current Price: 50 Platinum Coins Purchase Building: Yes / No / Negotiate
Holy crap! 50 platinum?!? Are they serious? Ren thought, then looked at the Negotiate option. There''s an idea. If I can convince them it''s so run down, maybe I can get a better deal. I really need my own place to work. I can''t make bows and things in Donan''s, or even in Sally''s shop. There''s no room. ¡°Negotiate.¡±
Negotiation Initiated.
Please proceed to the small business across the road to continue.
Ren turned around and saw a small business, just like the popup indicated. Ren had walked by it a bunch of times, but never noticed it before. It was just another building. No signs or anything adorned the outside. Ren crossed the street and entered. An old man sat behind the counter. Ren approached him and immediately felt at ease. What was that? Ren activated Enchanted Eyes. Ren looked around and saw that a paperweight on the desk glowed slightly, but couldn''t see any glyphs or runes. It must be on the underside. Ren thought then stopped. No, it needs to be facing outwards. It''s... it''s invisible! ¡°Down the hall, third door on the right.¡± The old man said. Ren looked at him and the old man pointed. ¡°Down that hall.¡± The old man held up 3 fingers. ¡°Third door.¡± Then thumbed to the right. ¡°On the right.¡± Ren was tempted to laugh, but figured the old man might get so mad he''d blow his top or something. He walked down the hall to the third door on the right and knocked. There was no answer, so Ren opened it and went inside. A small table was there with 2 chairs, on opposite sides of each other. Ren sat down to wait. A few minutes later, the door opened.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Sorry, I had to finish what I was working on befo- Ren!¡± Sally said when she stepped into the room. ¡°Sally!¡± Ren stood to give her a hug. ¡°You''re the one that wants to buy my old warehouse?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve been meaning to find my own space for a while. I''ve got so many things that I need to do, and running around to every shop to do them is fun... but I want someplace where I can just work on what I want.¡± Sally sat down and Ren did as well. ¡°Will you be opening a store?¡± Sally asked. Ren thought about it for a minute. ¡°I''m not sure. If I do that, a lot of my time will be taken up with orders for everything. Right now, I just want to make stuff to get better at it. Can I make a storefront later?¡± Sally nodded. ¡°Once you own the property, you can do what you want with it. You can keep it for storage, use it for target practice... which you better not do, since it''s right behind where I sleep... or make a storefront to sell things. This is the Artesian District. You can do what you want. That''s the whole point of this place.¡± ¡°It sounds great!¡± Ren smiled, then put on a straight face. ¡°The price though... 50 platinum? Is that for real?¡± Sally laughed. ¡°Yes, it''s real. It''s so high because we only want serious buyers to even think about coming in here.¡± ¡°You''re serious? 50 platinum... or 5,000 gold... or 500,000 silver... or 50,000,000 copper...¡± Ren said and Sally laughed again. ¡°It''s a great investment. It covers the cost of the land, pays the taxes for 10 years, and it hires Ms. Nacide to do the restoration.¡± ¡°Ms. Nacide? Who''s that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°She''s the local woodworker, of course. You don''t think these buildings build themselves, do you?¡± Actually, I did. Ren thought and smiled. Sally smiled as well. ¡°So... have you decided?¡± ¡°That depends... was this really a negotiation, or was it just you convincing me the price was cheap enough as it was?¡± Ren said and laughed. Sally laughed as well. ¡°I could cut out the restoration and the taxes, but you get a really good deal paying upfront with them... and the place is a shambles.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°No, you''ve convinced me.¡± Ren opened his coin pouch and mentally crossed his fingers to try and take out 50 platinum... and then put the money on the table as the shadow coin disappeared.
Notice!
You no longer have access to Hidden Currency.
Ren sighed in relief mentally and smiled at Sally, who scooped up the money and smiled in return. She stood and reached over to shake Ren''s hand. He stood up as well and shook back. ¡°Welcome to the Artesian District.¡± Sally said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren grinned. They stepped out of the room together and walked down the hallway. Sally walked over to the old man and handed him a platinum coin. A grin spread across his face and he nodded at Sally, then at Ren. They both waved to the old man and he waved back as they left the small business that didn''t have a name. ¡°How long will the restoration take?¡± Ren asked Sally. ¡°About 4 days.¡± A woman''s voice said from beside Ren. He turned and look at her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Ms. Nacide?¡± Ms. Nacide nodded. ¡°Just call me Jen.¡± ¡°Okay, Jen. Only 4 days? Really?¡± Ren looked back at the place. Sally was right, it did look like it was in shambles. It made him wonder what the inside was like. ¡°Sure. These old ones are easy to fix up.¡± Jen said. ¡°Can I discuss it''s design with you?¡± Ren asked. Jen shrugged. ¡°You''ve paid for the work already, so why not?¡± Sally laughed and handed her 4 platinum coins. ¡°You might regret that.¡± Jen looked at her, a bit perplexed. ¡°You''ll see.¡± Sally said and gave Ren a quick hug. ¡°Hey!¡± Ren said and hugged Sally back. ¡°I''m not that bad, am I?¡± ¡°You don''t think you are, no.¡± Sally chuckled and let Ren go. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Bye, Sally.¡± Ren and Jen said together. They smiled at each other for a moment and then Jen waved for Ren to follow her. ¡°My shop''s over this way.¡± Ren followed Jen down the street and around Mitchell''s old shop to a good sized building that sat between the Artesian District and the Housing District. It had a large fenced in area and Jen went inside the building. Ren followed closely behind and stared at all the woodworking tools mounted on pegboards that covered the walls. ¡°How do you know what tools to use?¡± Ren asked, admiring them all. Jen chuckled. ¡°You just do. When you''re making something, you just reach for the right tool for the job. It''s more instinct than practice, but I''m sure if you had years to do it, you''d know what to use, too.¡± Ren smiled. If I work hard at it, maybe only months. He looked around the shop and saw several people working. Some sanding, some cutting, some carving, but there was one thing he didn''t see. ¡°You don''t have a table saw?¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°Table saw. A big circular blade that is mounted under a table, that sticks up so you can cut wood planks with it.¡± Ren said. ¡°What are you talking about? We split the wood the way it''s supposed to be split.¡± Jen said and walked out through a big opening in the side of the building. She pointed to several people standing on platforms. They were hammering large axes into logs to split them into planks. Ren stared at them as they made planks of nearly the same thickness and tossed the odd sized ones to the side with the rounded ends they''d already cut off. ¡°Do... do you have a lot of planks already made?¡± Ren asked and Jen led him to another area where stacks and stacks of slightly different sized planks were piled together. ¡°How do you get them all to fit together as a flat surface when you nail them?¡± Jen looked at him like he had 2 heads. ¡°We pick similar boards, of course.¡± Ren shook his head slightly. There''s nothing I can do about this right now. Ren thought. ¡°Thank you for the grand tour, Jen.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can we look at the plans for my place now?¡± Ren smiled. My own place! Jen nodded and Ren followed her back into the building and into her office. She dug around through piles and piles of large parchment sheets until she found the one she wanted. ¡°Here you go.¡± Jen said and put it on her desk. Ren looked at it, and it really was just a big empty warehouse. A large square building with a slightly pitched roof 2 stories high, and a small third story nearly half the width of the building. Ren examined the plans and got a popup.
Notice!
You have learned the plans for: Warehouse (2 Story, W/Addition)
Ren dismissed the popup and saw that the staircase up to the third floor was too small and steep. ¡°Can we change the stairs?¡± Jen looked at them. ¡°What''s wrong with them?¡± ¡°They''re too small and steep.¡± ¡°You''re small. I think you''d fit.¡± Jen said. Ren glared at her. ¡°You are.¡± Jen said and smiled, taking some of the sting from her comment. Ren huffed and asked for a piece of parchment. ¡°That stuff''s expensive.¡± Jen said and handed over a similar sized piece. Ren handed her a silver coin without thinking. Jen took it with a shocked look on her face and Ren got to work. Using the system''s options menu, he widened the stairs and moved them to the back of the warehouse, making them go up only one floor, to end in a platform that you''d walk halfway across and turn around, then another set of stairs to go up the rest of the way to the third floor. Ren added a wall and doorway at the top, essentially making the third floor a seperate space. ¡°Can you add a second floor?¡± Jen looked at Ren with raised eyebrows. ¡°The space is already there. Can we add extra large supports around the outside walls, with free-standing supports down the middle... here, and here, and here... and just make a new floor on top of it?¡± Ren drew what he meant on the parchment paper and Jen''s eyes widened. ¡°You want us to build a whole floor, a storey high, inside an empty warehouse?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Do you know how much wood that''s going to take?¡± Jen asked. Ren thought about it. ¡°Probably most of the stock you have right now, I think.¡± Jen shook her head. ¡°I can''t empty my business like that. That''s a lot more than 400 gold''s worth.¡± ¡°I thought so.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°What about just making the supports and I can add the floor later?¡± ¡°You''re going to add it yourself?¡± Jen asked, surprised. ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Ren replied. ¡°Once reason could be that you don''t know how.¡± Jen said, and chuckled. ¡°I can learn.¡± Jen looked closely at Ren. ¡°I heard that about you.¡± Ren looked back at her. ¡°I''ve got 4 days of your services ahead of me. I''d like to use them as much as I can.¡± Jen chuckled again. ¡°Okay, Ren. Keep going and show me what you want.¡± Ren nodded and drew out a section of the floor that he wanted bare, and filled with interlocking stones. ¡°What''s that for?¡± Jen asked. ¡°I need to have a spot for a forge, and I don''t want a wood floor around it.¡± ¡°You''re putting in a forge?¡± Jen asked. ¡°What kind of shop are you making?¡± ¡°Do I have to pick?¡± Ren said and grinned. Jen rolled her eyes. ¡°No, but it would make my job a whole lot easier.¡± Jan said. ¡°Now I know what Sally was talking about.¡± They laughed together for a minute and Jen told him to finish his drawing. Ren completed it by adding walls and storage spaces, even using the area under the staircases. When he was done, he carried it with him as he and Jen went out into the street, and they slowly walked over to where Ren''s new place would be, discussing the drawing. ******** Edward Torren''s office phone rang. ¡°We just got a call from the hospital. Ren''s in.¡± Max said. ¡°Why couldn''t you just track his IP or something?¡± Edward asked. ¡°We did, but that doesn''t tell us where he is in the game.¡± ¡°Can''t we track that, too?¡± ¡°Sure, but if we start that code, we''ll get info on where everyone is in the game, then have to filter out everyone else to find him. It was just easier to ask them where he was.¡± Edward sighed. ¡°I want that done later.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°No buts. It should have been done when we selected the winners of the contest.¡± Edward said. ¡°Actually, get me the info on the other winners, too. I want to know where they are.¡± ¡°Are you sure, boss? You don''t think that''s invading their privacy or something?¡± Max asked. ¡°It''s our game... and I want to see what they''ve been doing with the special classes I gave them.¡± ¡°No problem. I''ll have it done by the end of the week.¡± ¡°Thanks, Max.¡± Edward said. ¡°Are you taking Elise in?¡± ¡°If you want me to.¡± It doesn''t sound like you want to. Edward sighed. ¡°No, I guess I better go in myself. Message me Ren''s location and what he''s up to, when I log in.¡± ¡°Sure. Have fun.¡± Edward laughed and hung up. He stood up, walked around his desk to his office door, and stepped out to stand next to Elise. ¡°He''s in.¡± Elise''s face lit up and she smiled. ¡°You''re only going to apologize, right? No grabbing, feeling, or anything like that?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I''ll be good. I promise.¡± ¡°Let''s get to the lounge.¡± Edward said and started walking, with Elise close behind. ******** Ren and Jen walked around the corner of the street and saw 2 people standing in front of his building. Ren kind of recognized the man, and when he got closer to them he definitely recognized the woman, and stopped walking. ¡°I''m sorry to be rude, but...¡± Ren said. ¡°...what do you want?¡± ¡°To offer an apology.¡± Edward said. Ren''s eyes widened and stepped closer. Edward held out his hand. ¡°I''m Edward Torren, CEO of SID Tec.¡± Ren took his hand and shook it. ¡°And this... this is my secretary Elise Stanford.¡± Elise didn''t put out a hand for Ren to shake. He raised an eyebrow and she giggled. Edward looked at her and she coughed and composed herself. ¡°Ren, I''m very sorry for the way I acted.¡± Elise said and dropped her head. ¡°It was inexcusable for me to behave that way.¡± She said. ¡°I know you can''t forgive me for what happened, especially after how things turned out; but, if there''s anything that I can do to make it up to you... I want you to let me know, okay?¡± ¡°You''re not just saying that so I won''t complain, are you?¡± Ren asked. Elise got a shocked look on her face. ¡°Of course not! I...¡± She frowned. ¡°I really am sorry, Ren. I get excited over things easily. When I saw you that day I thought...¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°...it doesn''t matter what I thought. I was wrong and I''m truly sorry.¡± Ren looked at Elise''s sad and slumped figure, and remembered having a similar pose while trying to explain things to Lucy, and sighed. ¡°Apology accepted.¡± Ren said. Elise took a deep breath and sighed herself. ¡°Thank you.¡± Edward put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°The offer goes for myself as well. If there''s anything that I or the company can do to make up for this, please let me know.¡± Ren thought for a minute and got an idea. ¡°Well... there is something...¡± ******** Around 4:00 pm, Lucy sat at her kitchen table and tried to eat a frozen tv dinner. She didn''t bake it in the oven, but used her microwave. The turkey was like rubber and the stuffing was hard as a rock. The potatoes were runny and the corn was burned. Maybe I was a bit hard on him. Lucy thought as she ate the meat and stirred the potatoes, but eventually she just dumped the food in the compost bin and washed out the plastic dish and put that in the recycle bin. There was a knock on her front door and Lucy went to see who it was. The Fed-UPS man was there and Lucy opened the door. ¡°Package for you, ma''am.¡± The Fed-UPS guy said. ¡°I didn''t order anything.¡± Lucy said. The man shrugged. ¡°I just deliver them, ma''am.¡± He held out the clipboard and Lucy signed her name. He bent down and picked up a brown wrapped package and handed it to her. ¡°Have a good day.¡± He said and tipped his hat at her. Lucy took the package inside and closed the door. What is this? She thought and went back to the kitchen table. Lucy grabbed a knife from the cutlery drawer and opened the top. There was an envelope inside and another box. Lucy took out the envelope and opened it. Inside was a rebate check from SID Tec for the cost of a top of the line VR headset, and a typed note apologizing for the mix-up with her old one. Lucy sat down in the chair and stared at it in shock. What... what... Lucy tried to think of how something like this could happen and nothing came to mind. She put the check down and took out the other box and opened that, too. Inside was another typed note, and a brand new high-end VR headset. Lucy almost cried when she read the note.
Lucy, Friends help friends when they can. - Ren
¡°Oh, Ren!¡± ******** Chapter 75 - Its Almost Done Ren worked hard for the next 2 in game days, while Teepo crawled all over the exterior to point out all the damage that needed to be repaired. Jen and her workers eventually stopped asking why he knew what to replace and just moved to the next section when Ren pointed them to it. He learned several tricks of Jen''s woodworking trade and she let it slip where to get the best trees for making lumber planks. Ren tried to pry more details from her but she just shook her head. The building''s outside was finally finished at the end of the second day, and part of the inside was done as well. The stairs weren''t installed yet; but the main floor was made with thick timber planks, and felt solid when walked on. The empty section for the stone inlay was on the right-hand side, and 2 work benches were made along the walls next to it. Ren looked around the place and smiled. This is mine. Ren thought. All mine. Ren waited for everyone to go home and locked the place up when he left. He hung the small golden key around his neck and walked down the street to Donan''s shop and to the building right beside it, where Lucy''s phantom form still sat. Ren sat down next to her and smiled. It''ll be ready soon, and you won''t have to sit out in the open anymore. ¡°There''s nothing wrong with being out in the open.¡± Teepo said from Ren''s shoulder. Ren hadn''t been able to wear the cloak around all the sawdust the last few days. Ren chuckled. Not normally, but sometimes people feel better when we have a roof over our heads and 4 walls to hold it up. ¡°People are a bit strange. If you lived in a cave, you wouldn''t have to worry about walls and a roof.¡± Teepo said. We used to live in caves a long time ago; now, we live in houses. Ren thought. ¡°Is it better?¡± Teepo asked. To some extent, yes. Ren said. Anyways, I have to go for the night. I''ll see you in the morning. Teepo. Ren thought and leaned back against the building. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Goodnight. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren did his usual morning routine of breakfast, therapy, and shower. Denise was on shift today and they made small talk, but Denise kept herself at a distance. Ren wasn''t sure why, but he never questioned Denise about it. It was her business, and Ren didn''t want to intrude. Ren looked up modern table saw tables, and how to guide the wood properly across it without it slipping or cutting crookedly. When the 3 hours of ''night'' was over in the game, Ren logged back in. ******** Hi, Teepo. ¡°Good morning, Ren.¡± Ready to do some more work? ¡°Of course. What''s on the schedule for today?¡± Teepo asked. Making stairs! Ren thought and stood up. He gave a look of longing to Lucy. I better check in with Donan first. He stepped into Donan''s shop and there wasn''t anything that needed to be done. Ren told Donan he''d be right there behind Sally''s if he was needed, and Donan nodded. Ren looked at him and thought he looked a little sad. ¡°Donan, is everything alright?¡± Ren asked. Donan nodded but tried to turn away from Ren, who put out a hand to stop him. ¡°A-a-are you crying?¡± Donan shook his head. ¡°These are tears of joy!¡± He said and grabbed Ren into a back-breaking hug. ¡°My apprentice! Striking out on his own in the big harsh world!¡± Donan said and tears rolled down his face and let Ren go. ¡°Donan! I''m right there, in the next lot behind Sally''s!¡± ¡°Yes, the big harsh world!¡± Donan said and cried. Ren consoled Donan as he pat him on the back. Who''d have thought the big guy had such a soft side to him? Then Ren got a popup he didn''t expect, and his eyes widened.
Notice!
You have lost the title: Donan''s Apprentice.
¡°Don''t forget that I''m your mentor now.¡± Donan said and wiped the tears away. ¡°I get 1% of your sales in metalworks.¡± ¡°I won''t forget, Donan.¡± Ren said. ¡°No matter what... I''ll... I''ll always be your apprentice.¡± Ren said, starting to tear up himself. Donan took Ren into a one armed hug. ¡°You''ll always have a forge here, son.¡± Ren let the tears flow at that last word. Not even his own father had said that word, or any word in fact, with such feeling. ¡°T-thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll never forget the things you taught me.¡± Donan waved the thanks away. ¡°You are your own man now, Ren.¡±
Notice!
You have gained the title: Blacksmith
Notice!
The title ''Blacksmith'' grants you a 5 level bonus to your blacksmith skills. Smithing Level 4 (Advanced 65%), Hammering Level 2 (Advanced 64%), Smelting Level 2 (Advanced 95%), Blade Forging Level 1 (Advanced 60%), Sharpening Level 4 (Advanced 33%), Polishing Level 1 (Advanced 59%). XP Bonus: 5,000 XP Fame Bonus: 14%
¡°You''ve taken what I taught you and have made things I''ve never seen before.¡± Donan grabbed Ren by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. ¡°Show them, Ren! Show all of them what you can do!¡± Ren nodded and wiped the tears away. ¡°I will.¡±
New Quest!
You have been tasked by your mentor to show the world what you can do. No time limit has been set to finish this quest. Difficulty: ????If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Rewards: ????
Ren gathered up all of the iron bars that were stacked in Donan''s shop and left with the promise that when any big orders came in, Ren would be there to help. He walked down the street and around the corner. All the woodworkers were there and Jen was telling them what needed to be done. Ren approached her as she finished giving orders. ¡°There you are! I was just... Ren, are you okay?¡± Jen said. Ren nodded and told her what had just happened. Jen gave him a one arm hug herself. ¡°You were going to have to leave the nest sometime.¡± Ren nodded again. ¡°Look, we''ve got things covered here. Why don''t you just supervise, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and walked inside the building, and got a popup.
Notice!
As a blacksmith, you may order appropriate items directly and they will be delivered to your business.
Ren stared at the popup. I can do that? ¡°Show Orders¡±
Current Orders: None
Items available to be ordered:
ItemAmount OrderedItemAmount Ordered
Paving Stones (1 foot square): 1 S0Stone Bricks: 10 C0
Small Crucible: 1 S 0 Large Crucible: 10 S0
Axe Handle: 5 C 0 Hammer Handle: 3 C 0
Pick Handle: 5 C 0 Hatchet Handle: 3 C 0
Knife Handle: 1 C 0 Mallet Handle: 5 C 0
Large Tongs: 5 C 0 Small Tongs: 3 C 0
Smelting Apparatus: 1 G 0 Parchment Paper: 3 C 0
Ren stopped looking at the list, because it just went on and on. It never occured to him to wonder why Donan never left the shop, except to go home. Apparently, you never have to leave the shop to do anything else. You just had to order things and they were delivered right to the doorstep. You can even order things from the other shop owners at a discount! Ren thought, surprised. I guess... once you''re in, you''re in all the way. Ren glanced through the list again and ordered 300 paving stones, to cover the 15x20 foot space where he''d marked off the spot for his forge, 100 stone bricks to construct the forge, both small and large crucibles, 10 parchment paper, and a smelting apparatus. It was the basics of what he needed to get started. Once he had those, he could make larger items of each because he''d learned the plans already. Ren also ordered 2 blank stone molds. One in a long rectangular shape, the other a square. With those as a base, he can make almost anything he knew the recipe for. Ren hit the order button and a countdown appeared beside each item. ¡°I thought it would all come together.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s that?¡± Jen asked as she stepped into the building. ¡°I just ordered a bunch of stuff for delivery, but it''s all coming in seperately.¡± Jen nodded. ¡°Yeah, it''s hard to coordinate them and have the different things arrive at the same time.¡± ¡°Apparently.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°At least most of it will arrive sometime tomorrow. By the way, I''ll need 7 planks and 5 lengths of 4x4.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Jen asked. ¡°I''m making a big table.¡± Ren said. Jen shrugged and called over one of the workers. He left and Ren asked how much for it all, and Jen shook her head. ¡°I want to see you build this table of yours.¡± Using the tricks he''d learned from watching her workers, Ren trimmed parts of the wood to fit together. He them made a 4x4 rectangular frame, with two 8 foot long pieces, and two 4 foot long ones, with four 4 foot long legs and nailed it together. He attached 4 of the planks across the top, leaving a small space in between each of the planks down the length of the table. Ren pulled out his failed tree cutting saw and Jen nearly shouted in shock. ¡°What in blue blazes is that?!?¡± Jen exclaimed. Ren laughed. ¡°A failed attempt at cutting down trees.¡± Jen looked at it and saw the blue streak where it had jammed in the tree and the heat had discolored the metal. ¡°What... what kind of iron does this?¡± She said and pointed to the blue streak. ¡°The kind I''ll be making for you, hopefully.¡± Ren said and smiled. Jen stared at him as he unhooked the blade from the end and said he''d be right back. Ren went to Donan''s and used the forge to heat up the metal supports and bent them at a 45 degree angle, let the system add the small pulley on the end to the blade, and reattached it. Using some of his Spider Silk String, he wrapped it around the pulley and the second wheel he had the system cut a groove into. Ren would have done it all himself, but he needed it done right away and couldn''t play with it. Ren extended the handle down into a foot pedal and went back over to his place. Jen was still standing there and staring as Ren mounted the re-purposed saw blade under the table with planks and nails, drilling holes for the handles to stick through to hold it secure. Most of the saw blade was sticking up above the table top and Ren grinned at Jen''s shocked expression. ¡°It''s still a 2 person job at the moment; at least, until I can figure out how to power the thing without smashing it to pieces.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll need a log... with bark on it, of course.¡± ¡°Of... of course.¡± Jen said and sent for one. A few minutes later, Ren had the guides made and put on the table saw. The log was brought in and Ren started pumping the saw''s new foot pedal. The blade spun crazily fast and Jen nearly fainted. ¡°Don''t pass out on me now. I''ve seen a smaller one of these work.¡± Ren kind of shouted over the sound of the spinning blade. ¡°Come on, push the log through.¡± Jen and one of the guys that carried the log in, set it on the table and pushed it through the guide and the saw cut through the log like it wasn''t there. Ren grinned and told them to put it on the flat side and to push it through again. They repeated this until it was square. Ren stopped pumping and moved the guide over to only leave room for a thick plank to be cut. ¡°Okay, keep going!¡± Ren shouted and started pumping again. Jen and the guy pushed the log through and a perfect plank was produced when the log went through. They did it again and again, and had 5 planks of the exact same size and 1 slightly thinner one. Ren stopped pumping the pedal, and all the workers that had seen the demonstration came over to marvel at the planks Ren and Jen had made. ¡°It''s dangerous as hell, so you have to be careful of the blade at all times. That''s what the guides are for. The last time I did something like this, it was by hand... and there were some close calls.¡± Ren explained. Jen shook her head at Ren. ¡°Where do you come up with these ideas?¡± ¡°I see a lot of things as an Adventurer. They just have to be adapted to the conditions and limitations here.¡± ¡°You''re going to undermine my business in under a month with this, Ren.¡± Jen said, sadly. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Ren asked, perplexed. ¡°This!¡± Jen said, waving at the table saw. ¡°All you need to do is process a dozen trees to make perfect planks, and everyone will come to you for wood from now on.¡± Ren tried to not be amused, but couldn''t help himself and laughed. ¡°Jen, does this place look like I can run a lumbermill?¡± Jen blinked a few times and looked around. The place was big, 40 feet by 20 feet, but 15 of that 40 was open floor for the forge. ¡°If... when... you add the second floor...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Nope, still no room. If I thought that''s what I''d be doing with my time, I''d have tried to buy a property like yours, with lots of outdoor space to store everything.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°This table saw is for you.¡± Jen''s jaw dropped and the workers all stared at Ren like he was crazy. ¡°You... you''re selling me this thing?!?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Sell? Of course not. I''m giving it to you; but, I''ll expect some good deals on lumber when I need it.¡± Jen started to laugh. ¡°Ren, I''ll give you lumber whenever you need it, if this thing can keep cutting like this.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll pop by to repair it every so often, and to sharpen it if needed.¡± Jen squinted her eyes. ¡°How much will it cost to have you keep doing that?¡± She asked. ¡°It''s not like I can have just anyone come over and repair this contraption.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No cost at all. I''ll maintain it for free.¡± ¡°Maybe you really are crazy.¡± Jen commented and then smiled. ¡°Okay, fine. Free lumber until it looks like I''m losing money, then I''ll charge you for the cost only. Deal?¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Ren said and they shook on it. After the little show, work continued and Ren told Jen she could run her odd sized planks through it to make them all the same size, rather than trying to rebuild her existing stock with new trees. She was surprised you could do that, and then Ren showed her how to make any thickness of plank that she wanted, telling her that she would save a lot of money on making thinner wood for the roofs and interior walls, while leaving the heavy stuff for the actual construction. By the end of the day, Jen had Ren in an almost constant headlock, trying her best to pick his brain for information. The stairs were installed and made with planks re-cut on the table saw. They couldn''t use the ones cut during the demonstration because those needed to dry for a few days. Storage space and cabinets were built underneath the stairs and they finally had access to the third floor again. The floor supports were fixed and replaced with Teepo''s help and direction, and when night came work was ended for the day. The rest of the third floor would have to be completed the next day, and Ren waved as everyone left for the night. It''s almost done, Teepo. ¡°It''s coming out nicely.¡± Teepo said. Thanks to you and your close up view. This would have taken a lot longer if you hadn''t been so good at pointing out everything that was wrong. Ren thought with gratitude to his friend. ¡°It''s what friends do.¡± Teepo said. ¡°We help each other when we can.¡± Ren nodded and picked Teepo up to put on his shoulder. Ren locked up and walked around the corner and up the short side street. Around the building by Donan''s place was where Lucy''s phantom form still sat. Ren croutched beside her and sighed. ¡°I''m sure she''ll come back to see you, Ren.¡± Teepo said. I hope so. Ren thought. I miss her smile. Ren took out his bedroll and set it beside Lucy. He then took out the 5 rocks of concealment and placed them around where they were. He''d never seen anyone come through this way and that''s why he always logged out here, but it didn''t hurt to be extra careful. I''ll see you in the morning, Teepo. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Chapter 76 - Let It Begin Ren popped into the real world for lunch. He''d been told that he was missing too many meals lately and that if he didn''t take better care of himself, his use of VR would be restricted again. It always rubbed Ren the wrong way when he was given ultimatums like that. Choosing to not do something is one thing, but having someone else choose it for you is grating on the nerves. He didn''t want to have his usage restricted again; so here he was, eating more bland soup and trying not to choke on the saltless crackers that were as dry as the Sahara Desert. The best thing about Bonnie being there, was that if Ren didn''t want to talk or anything, she didn''t take it as an insult, and almost preferred to not make small talk. Ren wasn''t sure if she was just uncomfortable with speaking, or just didn''t know what to say. Everyone has their quirks. Ren thought as Bonnie took the tray away. He had a few hours left before he could log back into the game and Ren went online to check his messages. Nothing new popped up, so he went back and read the messages Elise had sent him. Huh. She really did ask me to show up that day. Ren thought. What are the odds that I''d be in the game on that day, and near the library... Ren chuckled. The odds I''d be in the game were almost guaranteed. Ren researched the options that business owners had in the game and marveled at some of them. He already knew about the discount prices from other local businesses, but the spawn point construction and raid funding were pretty sweet. Ren looked at the setup and decided. One spawn point would have to be a personal one for himself on the third floor, and once he had the second floor added in, he''d make one right in the middle of it for any party of adventurers he decided to fund. Ren looked up what an apartment was supposed to look like and frowned. Where the hell am I going to get a couch in the game? Then he stopped. Wait! If I just look up how to make one myself... After several failed attempts to find how to make furniture, he stumbled across and hobby furniture shop. Ren grinned and downloaded all the plans for them. A fancy couch, fancy chair, dresser, sitting table with mirror, and an armoir. I have to remember to order a mirror when I get back in the game. Ren thought. What else can I... Ren was shaken out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. When he looked up, he was surprised by what he saw. Lucy stood there with a fast food bag from President Burger?. Ren closed the laptop, moved the rolling table aside, and did the double hand ''come here'' gesture. Lucy laughed and stepped over to the bed to hand the food to Ren. She knew what was on the lunch menu today and that Ren would have been gagging from it. Ren reached out, ignored the food bag, and gave Lucy a quick hug. ¡°Thank you for coming to see me.¡± Ren said and let her go. It kind of threw Lucy a bit that Ren had reached for her instead of the food. He... he didn''t go for the food first. She thought and handed him the bag. Ren opened the bag and took out the burger and fries to set them on the rollaway table. ¡°Can this day get any better? Two of my favorite things in one day!¡± Ren said as he unwrapped the burger and dumped the fries out onto the wrapper. ¡°A decent meal and a visit from a beautiful woman.¡± Lucy had assumed Ren meant the 2 things were the burger and fries, then started to blush a little and sat down in the chair by the bed. Ren took a bite of the hamburger and moaned in delight. ¡°Oh, yeah... that''s good cow.¡± Lucy snorted a laugh and Ren felt pleased. At least she doesn''t seem to be mad at me. He offered Lucy some of the fries and they ate them together. Ren ate half of the burger and wrapped up what was left to save for later. It was stashed into the cubby hole under the rollaway table and Ren sat back with a satisfied look on his face. ¡°That was great, Lucy.¡± Ren said and rubbed his stomach. ¡°I haven''t felt like this since the last time we went out.¡± They glanced at each other and then looked away. There was an awkward silence, as both of them remembered what actually happened the last time they''d gone out. It had been his birthday and she''d given him quite the unexpected present afterwards. Ren tried to turn things away from that subject and told Lucy all about buying the building, and about setting things up inside. She listened as he went on about his plans for the forge, the second floor, and the third floor apartment. Lucy''s eyes widened at that last bit of information. ¡°You''re making an apartment in the game?¡± Lucy asked. Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, I got the idea when I saw how the third floor was positioned... by itself and almost seperate from the rest of the space. I even changed the stairs for easier access.¡± ¡°But... isn''t it kind of pointless? You can just log out anywhere in safe zones, right?¡± Ren nodded again. ¡°You can; but since I''m making my own space anyways, why not make a nice and comfortable place to stay?¡± He said. ¡°I''ve got the option to do that now, rather than squatting beside a building like I normally do.¡± ¡°Is that where you are now? In your place?¡± Lucy asked. Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I''ve been sitting beside you every time I log out.¡± Lucy was a little shocked to hear this. ¡°Why? You just said...¡± ¡°I''m not just going to leave your avatar alone in there.¡± Ren said. ¡°What kind of man would I be if I did that? After you went to all the trouble of making it to be in there with me.¡± Lucy didn''t know what to say to that. ¡°I didn''t want to say anything until the place was finished, which will hopefully be later on today. I was going to message you about the building...¡± Ren said. ¡°...but I know how busy you are, and I wanted to ask you face to face, anyways.¡± ¡°Ask me what?¡± ¡°To stay in my apartment in the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°With me.¡± Lucy opened and closed her mouth several times before she could find some words to say. ¡°Ren... Ren, I...¡± ¡°It''s all right, Lucy. I don''t expect any kind of answer right away.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I know it''s just a game, and that you said you wanted to take a break from it; but once the idea of making my own space in the game hit me, my first thought was that I wanted to share it with you.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Ren reached out and took Lucy''s hand. ¡°You don''t have to take me up on the offer right away.¡± Ren said and squeezed her hand. ¡°You can just come inside and use it as a log off zone... just so you''re not stuck outside all the time.¡± Ren said let her hand go. ¡°That part will always be available, no matter what you decide. If you change your mind and want to play the game again, it can be your home base.¡± ¡°W-w-what?¡± Lucy stammered. ¡°It''s one of the options that''s available when you own a business.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t know this before, but now that I do... I want you to set it as your spawn point. If anything ever happens to you in the game, your avatar will reappear 6 hours later at my place.¡± ¡°But... but won''t having my avatar there all the time bother you?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°Of course not. It''s the only way I''ve been able to see you every da-.¡± Ren said and then shut his mouth, cutting off his words. ¡°You come and see me every day?¡± Lucy asked and reached for Ren''s hand. Ren nodded. ¡°Even though it''s not ''really'' you, it''s still you in the game.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I miss seeing your smile every day, Lucy.¡± ¡°I... I miss seeing you every day, too.¡± Lucy said and squeezed his hand. Ren''s stomach rumbled loudly and he put his other hand on it. ¡°My stomach misses you too, apparently.¡± Ren and Lucy laughed. ¡°Ren...¡± Lucy said. ¡°...about the package you sent me... how did you do it?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m not giving away trade secrets! You can''t make me.¡± Lucy raised both of her eyebrows, leaned over, and tickled Ren''s armpits. He kicked and thrashed around and Lucy laughed as Ren finally gave in and told her how the company''s CEO and his secretary came into the game to apologize, how sincere the both of them were, and their offer to do something to make up for it. ¡°Ren... you didn''t!¡± Lucy said. Ren nodded. ¡°You... you probably could have had anything... anything at all in the game, or even here in the real world...¡± Ren nodded again. ¡°So why?¡± Ren took Lucy''s hand and smiled. ¡°I keep telling you... over and over again. You''re the most important person in my life. You always have been. I had the opportunity to help you, so I took it.¡± Lucy shook her head. ¡°I should return it to them.¡± ¡°Ha. You can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re not even allowed to sell or give it away.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lucy said, surprised. Ren grinned. ¡°It''s hardcoded with your base pattern. No one else can use it, except you.¡± Lucy sat there, stunned. ¡°It''s just a little idea I came up with to stop scum from scamming people. Mr. Torren loved the idea and had one made for you right away.¡± Ren said. ¡°He wanted to make it for me, but I convinced him that you were a higher priority.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°They want to target normal people. I''m... well, look at me. I''m a special case.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°In fact, no one has even seen me as an official contest winner.¡± Lucy thought back over the course of Ren''s treatment and VR escapades, and Ren was right. The only real video people have seen of him was when he''d first started playing the game and someone had captured that video of him running from the wolves... and even then, it was ''elfling running for his life'', not ''Ren the contest winner flees''. ¡°They''re making the official announcement tomorrow.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s going to be a lot of unhappy black market people, I think.¡± Ren said and grinned. Lucy shook her head. ¡°Ren Haddon, you''re incorrigible.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I have to get back to work. I''ll see you later, okay?¡± ¡°Bye, Lucy.¡± Ren spent the next 2 hours memorizing the plans for furniture. With all the knowledge he''d been gaining in the game, adapting them to work would be simple. When the game night was over and it came time to go back in the game, Ren logged in.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren put away the bedroll and concealment stones. Teepo? ¡°I''m right here, Ren.¡± Anyone come by? Ren thought and reached out to catch Teepo. ¡°No.¡± Ren put Teepo on his shoulder and went to his building. I hope it doesn''t take me too long to get used to this. Ren thought as he unlocked the place. Woodworkers soon flooded it and Jen came over to him. ¡°Well, looks like it''s just the finishing touches left.¡± Jen said. Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, just the walls on the third floor and the window trim everywhere else.¡± ¡°Window trim?¡± Jen asked. Ren smiled. ¡°Just my own touch. I''ll need some wood, by the way. I have a few projects I want to make.¡± ¡°How much wood?¡± Jen asked, sceptically. Ren chuckled. ¡°Not that much. I''ll take a few of your thicker planks and cut them to size. If you have any scrap pieces, I''ll take those, too.¡± ¡°Scrap pieces?¡± Jen asked. ¡°Ren, what are you up to?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Hopefully something neat.¡± Jen shook her head. ¡°I''m going to regret our deal, aren''t I?¡± ¡°Nope. I only want a few planks and all the scraps you can spare. If my ideas work how I think they will, you may want to order some things from me.¡± Her eyes widened slightly. ¡°You''ll see.¡± Ren said as a cart pulled up in front of his building filled with paving stones. ¡°You Ren?¡± The man driving the cart asked briskly. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren answered. ¡°I have your paving stones and bricks here.¡± He said and pointed to the back. ¡°Excellent.¡± ¡°3 gold and 10 silver.¡± Ren handed over the money and the man''s attitude changed immediately. ¡°Thank you very much for your order.¡± The man hopped off the cart and went to the back. Ren followed him and looked inside. The stone bricks were on top and the paving stones were underneath. ¡°We''ll need to set up a hand-to-hand train to get all these in your shop.¡± The man said. Ren shook his head. ¡°No need. I''m an Adventurer.¡± It only took a couple of minutes for Ren to store all the bricks and paving stones into inventory. ¡°Well, would you look at that.¡± The man said, surprised. Ren smiled and thanked him for the prompt delivery, and tipped him a silver coin. ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± The man said and hopped into the cart and drove away. ¡°Do you always tip so heavily?¡± Jen asked. Ren nodded. ¡°Now I definitely regret just giving you wood.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°What''s so funny about me giving you wood?¡± Jen said and Ren laughed again. He calmed down a moment later and went inside to put down the paving stones in the open area of the floor. It took a while, but he eventually had all 300 set properly in the space. Teepo had crawled up onto the ceiling to get a good view as to where to place the stones to keep them straight. Ren had only ordered exactly what he would need to cover the area not covered in wood. He hadn''t realized he might need replacements, or extras for stacking things on, and slapped himself on the forehead. ¡°I''ll order more later.¡± Ren said and set to work building up the forge using the stone bricks, making one slightly larger than the one at Donan''s shop, but not as big as the large forge they''d built. Ren wanted at least some flexibility in what he could do, without overwhelming the limited space that he had. When Ren was done, another cart showed up with the smelting apparatus, both large and small crucibles, and the 2 stone molds he''d ordered. Ren put everything where he wanted it, and still had a large area of stone floor left, but couldn''t remember why he had it that way. Ren set up the smelting apparatus, covered over the holes the smaller device left open, and started up his forge. Once the smelter was hot enough, Ren put in a few normal quality iron bars. The very first thing he needed to do was make a larger smelter to fit the larger forge. He didn''t want to rush this build so he added in a few more iron bars and let it simmer, stirring it occasionally. Ren stacked the rest of the iron bars that he had in inventory under the bench behind the forge, to keep them both handy, and out of the way. One of the workers brought in handfulls of scrap pieces of wood, some with bark still on them, and another with several large planks of wood. One of the workers that were helping to finish the upstairs came to Ren and complained about the heat. Ren stared at them and then looked at the forge with it''s smelter full of molten metal. ¡°I am so sorry!¡± Ren apologized. ¡°I didn''t even think about...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Come with me.¡± He led the young man up the stairs and to the top floor. Ren could clearly see everyone there was sweating profusely and that the opened windows didn''t help at all. Ren took out 8 stone bricks and enchanted 4 with double wind glyphs, and 4 with double ice glyphs, placing the ice glyph bricks in front and facing up, and the wind glyphs behind and facing the room. ¡°I''m sorry. I forgot that with the forge working, and the front wall and door not finished, some of the heat was bound to come up here.¡± ¡°Some of the heat!¡± One girl said. She was only slightly taller than Ren and had similar hair, except it was red in color. She stood there defiantly, while flapping her unbuttoned work shirt open and closed with her hands, giving the surrounding boys a nice and clear view of her sweat dampened undershirt. Ren smiled. ¡°Please accept my apology.¡± Activate. Ice formed on the bricks and the wind bricks kicked in at the same time. A cool breeze filled the loft and everyone sighed in relief. ¡°Thanks, Mister Ren.¡± The girl said and a moment later buttoned the bottom few buttons on her shirt. ¡°I thought I was dying.¡± Ren raised an eyebrow. ¡°Someone could have told me a little sooner.¡± Ren looked around, and most of the boys were quite busy not looking at him, and he chuckled. ¡°This should be enough, but if it''s not, come and get me right away.¡± The girl nodded. ¡°Yes, sir. Thank you.¡± Ren smiled. She called me ''sir''. The workers went back to their tasks, and Ren went downstairs to the pile of wood that had been delivered. It was a large pile; a lot more than what Ren had thought it would be. They''ve been wasting a lot of wood, I guess. Ren sorted out what could be used for what pieces. Legs, braces, decorations, supports, handles, Ren sorted it all. When he was done, someone arrived and delivered his parchment paper. Ren only tipped 3 copper this time, since it was only paper, but the boy nearly shook Ren''s hand off trying to thank him. Ren laughed as the boy ran down the street and then took the parchment paper to the other bench by the forge and placed the roll of paper on it, and then stopped. I forgot to order stuff to write with. Ren thought, then turned around and went outside to find Jen. Luckily, she had some charcoal that she used to mark wood with, and Ren asked to borrow it. She handed it over and Ren went inside to do some drawing. There was still a lot of banging and hammering, sawing and moving around, so Ren entered Serene State of Mind and let all the noise drift away. He opened the pattern he had for a basic table and modified it. Remembering his research on the plans for the bed, he shortened the table legs to the right height and extended them up about 8 feet, added the sides (to hold a kind of mattress he would sew later) and joining rods for the tall posts, then made it double wide. When he was done, a big 4 poster bed was on the parchment with all the measurements and directions on how to make it. Ren moved the parchment aside and then altered the chair recipe he had. He made them plush and twice as big, then modified that recipe to extend it to make a couch. The table recipe was altered again and stood up on it''s end and doors were added. That pattern was altered to make a dresser and drawers. The table pattern was shrunk down and shortened to make an end table. Ren had used up a good portion of the charcoal he''d gotten from Jen, and almost all of the parchment paper he had. When he put down the charcoal, a smattering of applause greeted him. Ren deactivated Serene State of Mind and turned around. A dozen or so young adults, not much older than Ren was in real life, were standing there and clapping. For him. ¡°That was great, Mister Ren!¡± The girl with red hair that he''d met up stairs said. ¡°I''ve never seen anyone draw like that before!¡± Ren''s face flushed a little red. ¡°Um... how long have you...¡± Jen stepped forward a little. ¡°Quite a while, but I was here for the whole thing.¡± She said and laughed. ¡°I tried to get your attention a few times, but it looked like you were in some kind of trance.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I get lost in my work sometimes.¡± ¡°It was amazing!¡± One voice said. ¡°He made those plans so fast!¡± Another replied. ¡°I couldn''t follow his hands, could you?¡± One guy asked. ¡°I can''t wait to tell my friends about this!¡± The red-haired girl said. ¡°Hey, that''s a good idea.¡± A few of them said.
Notice!
Your skills have touched the youth of the area. Your name will be spread to the next generation. Fame: +100
Ren dismissed the popup and tried to hand the charcoal back to Jen. ¡°Thanks for loaning that to me. I''ll buy you another when I buy some for myself.¡± Jen waved it away and told Ren to keep it, as it was being put to good use. ¡°That was your charcoal, Ms. Nacide?¡± The girl asked, and Jen nodded. ¡°Now I really can''t wait to tell my friends!¡± Jen rubbed her hair and the girl ducked away. ¡°Not the hair, Ms. Nacide! You know how hard I work on it.¡± Jen chuckled. ¡°Go on. Get on home. I''ll see you all back at the lumberyard tomorrow.¡± ¡°Just a minute.¡± Ren said and they all stopped. ¡°Jen, can I talk to you for a second?¡± Ren led her across the floor. ¡°Is it okay to give them tips? I don''t know how much you pay them, so if I''m allowed, what do you suggest?¡± ¡°You''re asking me if I should let you tip my students?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°They''re here to learn a trade, not to make money.¡± Jen said. ¡°They all worked so hard to get this place done so fast.¡± Ren looked around and saw the freestanding supports and the cross members that Jen had installed to make putting in the second floor easier. Jen smiled and put a hand on Ren''s arm. ¡°I''m sure they''d appreciate a little spending money, but don''t overdo it.¡± They discussed what to do and then Jen turned around and told the workers to line up in single file. Ren went to the head of the line and palmed a coin in his hand. ¡°Prepare hands for shaking!¡± Jen said. ¡°And... march!¡± Ren shook each of their hands as they passed and gave each of them a coin during each handshake. The girl with red hair was the last in line. ¡°It was nice meeting you, Mister Ren!¡± She said and shook his hand. Ren had the coin in his palm and when they shook hands, she felt it there and her eyes widened. ¡°It was nice meeting you, too.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. Unlike everyone else, who had just closed their fists and kept walking, she looked at her hand and the silver coin there. ¡°Mister Ren!¡± She shouted. ¡°Thank you!¡± She gave Ren a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. Ren blushed. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± The girl danced away down the street and passed the other workers who had heard her shout and had stopped walking. As she passed each of them and showed then her silver coin, they looked down at their own hands and saw the silver coin they held. They were a bit too far away to walk back and thank Ren, so they just shouted and waved. Ren waved back and they all disappeared from sight. ¡°What part of ''don''t overdo it'' didn''t you understand?¡± Jen said and laughed. ¡°Most of them probably won''t even show up tomorrow.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°They really did work hard, though.¡± Jen nodded. ¡°They had a good client.¡± He pulled out 5 gold coins and handed them to Jen. ¡°What''s this for?¡± Jen asked. ¡°They had a good teacher, too.¡± Ren said. Jen shook her head and gave Ren a pat on the shoulder. ¡°If you need any lumber, you know where to find me.¡± ¡°If you need... well, I don''t have anything to provide yet... but if you need that, I''m right here.¡± Jen laughed again, waved goodbye, and walked down the street to follow her students. Ren went into his building and shut the door. If his guess was right, he only had about 4 hours of game time left in the day and went over to the forge. Ren skimmed off some of the impurities from the simmering molten metal and noticed there was no where to put it. He was so used to having everything right there within his reach that he had forgotten he wasn''t in Donan''s shop anymore. Ren sighed and balanced the skimming tool on the edge of the smelting apparatus. Once he was sure it wasn''t going to tip over or spill, Ren got out several stone bricks and made what was essentially a stone trash can to put the scrap metal in. Ren dumped the impure metal into the makeshift trash and stirred up the molten metal. It was a nice even color and Ren smiled. Soon he''d be able to hammer this into the shape of a new holder for the smelter and then... Oh, crap. ¡°What is it, Ren?¡± Teepo said from the ceiling. I just remembered that I need to hammer things out... on an anvil that I don''t have. ¡°Yeah, that would be hard.¡± Ren chuckled. I''ve had so much going on that it slipped my mind. Ren opened the Order menu and ordered a medium-sized anvil (50 G), 10 more paving stones (1 G), 10 more parchment (30 C), and 10 drawing charcoal (10 C). Ren knew he was forgetting something , but couldn''t remember what it was, so he hit order and looked at the delivery times. Everything would be there tomorrow except for the anvil... which would take about a week to arrive. A week! I can''t wait a week. Ren thought. I guess I''ll be taking Donan up on his offer of always having access to a forge in his shop. Ren went over to Donan''s shop and asked to borrow an old anvil after revealing he''d have to wait a week for the new one. He gave Ren one to use until the new one came and asked if there was anything else Ren needed. Ren told Donan he was sure that there was, but couldn''t remember what. Donan laughed and said he''d be there if Ren needed anything else. Ren went back to his building and the anvil was placed in the middle of the open space that was left for it. I knew I left this spot open for a reason. Ren thought and then used the metal in the forge to make a larger smelting apparatus. There was still quite a bit of molten metal left, so Ren tried to think of what else he could make... and then smiled. Ren went back to the bench with the parchment on it and moved the furniture plans aside to reveal a fresh piece of parchment. Ren looked up the plans for the Quick Shot Bow Bracer and opened them. Ren only recently learned the final process he needed to know about how to make the parts. Ren studed the plans and looked at the design. The original maker, whoever it was, definitely had the right idea. Making it a cartridge system with 6 shots each helped with load times, but it still gave the user a large window where they had to change them out and could easily be attacked. Ren modified the bracers to extend to the elbow, covering the whole forearm. The bow part was extended only slightly, and then thickened. Ren made new clips that held 14 shots each, that ran all the way around the bracer, so it ended up being a little thicker than the old ones. He left the bolt feed mechanism alone, because it worked and didn''t jam, but he did reinforce the draw pull lever as it would have to take 5 or even 10 times the strain once the spider silk string on the bow was added. Ren finished the plans, added them to inventory, and went back to the forge. Clint is going to love these. Ren thought and started to pour the molten steel into the big blank mold. Chapter 77 - Making Furniture Ren worked hard for the next hour, making all the parts for the bow bracers. With the system''s help, he took out one of the springy trees he''d harvested that day in the grove, cut off two 1 foot long pieces, and trimmed them down to just the cores that he needed to make the bow parts. It was easy to do because he had a Level 3 in the skills required, but felt a little bad that he needed the system''s help just to do the basic work. Ren ignored his ineptitude for now and concentrated on assembling the bracers. As he put each piece together, Ren enchanted them with what he thought it would need. Strength on the pull lever, Smoothness on the loading mechanism, Durability on the main bracer, and Accuracy on the bow. He''d had just enough metal smelted to make both bracers and 1 cartridge each. There was still some left in the smelter, so Ren used the rest to make tips for bolts that he could make from the scraps of the springy tree pieces he''d cut off from the cores. There was enough metal left for 3 dozen tips and Ren made enough bolts for them to be attached to. He filled the cartridges and loaded them in the bracers and a bolt automatically slid into place to be fired. Ren couldn''t equip them to try them out, because then the system would resize the bracers to fit him. He did step out of the way and pull one of the hand triggers, though. *THWAP!* The bolt shot across the 40 foot room and buried itself into the wall after he''d barely touched the trigger and another bolt slid into place. ¡°Whooaaa!¡± Ren walked across the room and looked at the bolt. Most of it was buried in the wall and Ren went outside to find the end of the bolt sticking out a couple of inches. He went back inside and hammered the bolt out through the hole, went out and got it, then went back inside. And now I have a hole in my wall. Ren thought and chuckled. I just had this place fixed up! Teepo chittered in laughter and Ren plugged the hole in the wall after making a plain wooden bolt and shoving it in the hole, then chiseling off the excess. Ren switched out the smelting apparatus on the forge for the new one he''d made. He could smelt even more metal if he needed to, and Ren wanted to make more cartridges for the bow bracers. He threw in more normal iron bricks and let them stew. Ren clapped his hands together and took out his box of saws and tools. Now, lets make up some furniture. He grabbed the plans and studied them, to make sure he knew what to do, and got to work. Over the next hour, Ren made a bed frame, a dresser, table, and 2 end tables... dying everything a dark brown. He had to stop there, because he had forgotten to go over to Sally''s place to buy supplies. Ren walked down the alley and around to the front of Sally''s shop. He went inside and asked for whatever it was she used for stuffing cushions and things. She sold him cotton batting, and Ren bought several bolts of cloth from her, as well as more thread. Just for the heck of it, he asked her to show him how to make cushions and blankets. Sally laughed and showed him how to make cushions and blankets... and then throw rugs and curtains before he could ask her. Ren thanked Sally profusely and went back to his building to keep working. Ren wasn''t sure what color to make everything, so he went with white for the base color of the fabric. Using his plans for the comfy chair, he made one of them, stuffing the cotton batting under the fabric before sewing it together. When it was done, Ren received a popup.
Notice!
You have unlocked a skill: Upholstery Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This sub skill under Woodworking will allow you to make fabric covered furniture and add stuffing where appropriate to make them more comfortable. Higher levels will allow higher quality goods to be made, and increase the value of items redone in this fashion.
Ren smiled and made another comfy chair, then opened the couch pattern and made that as well. Ren spent half the night sewing everything, including a mattress to fit the bed he''d made. Remembering that he needed to log off for supper, he quickly locked up and went to where Lucy''s avatar sat. He was tempted to just log off in the building, since he would be coming right back in to keep working, but he didn''t want to change his routine... at least, not yet. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren used the bathroom, had a quick meal, and made a half-hearted attempt to engage in conversation. Neither he nor Bonnie wanted to talk, and after a laugh and an apology, Ren logged back into the game. ******** Ren went back inside his building and saw that the metal had simmered long enough, and skimmed off some of the impurities. Using the plans for the quick shot bow bracer, he remembered making a set of small springs for the cartridges and with the help of the system, enlarged the spring to be about 6 inches high and 4 inches wide, then made 4 dozen of them. A box spring mattress was then made to put underneath the cotton batting mattress he''d sewn before logging out, and put them on the bed. Once that was done, he decided that pillows would be needed, red to contrast the white, and made several varieties. Long, short, thin, thick, and used up all the cotton batting that he had left. Ren made a throw rug to put in front of the couch and covers for the table, end tables, and center of the couch. He made curtains for the windows, too. Blankets were next, as they were the easiest to make and Ren had left them for last. He made them red as well, and put them on the bed. He stood back and saw all that he''d made and was quite happy with how they had turned out. After storing everything, Ren took it all upstairs and set out the couch with pillows, the 2 comfy chairs, and the throw rug where he thought they should be, remembering the apartment layouts he''d seen online. He went into the bedroom and put the bed, end tables, armoir, and dresser out... and then remembered what it was he''d forgotten to order. Ren opened his Order menu and picked a large mirror for 10 gold. It would arrive the day before the anvil. He hung the curtains over the windows and declared it done. Ren looked at the open space in the middle of the floor and walked over to it. He knelt down and opened the Business Menu. He placed a hand down on the floor and chose the personal spawn point option. A large magical circle appeared and burned itself into the wood... and a moment later, healed itself and disappeared. Ren smiled. ¡°Set Spawn Point.¡±
Notice!
You have selected to change your spawn point from (Safe Zone: MANSION) to (Safe Zone: UNDEFINED). Spawn Point cannot be set at this time.
Ren was surprised that it was undefined... and then slapped himself on the forehead. How could I have forgotten that? ¡°Set Business name.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Notice!
You have chosen to set your business name. Please type in the name now.
A virtual keyboard appeared and Ren typed the name in.
Business name set. Please state the name so the system will recognize it.
¡°Master of All, Jack Of None.¡± Ren said and smiled.
Do you wish to activate your storefront? Yes / No
¡°No.¡±
Notice!
Your business has been registered as non-active. You may activate it at any time by entering the Business Menu and choosing that option.
Ren smiled again. It should work this time. ¡°Set Spawn Point.¡±
Notice!
You have selected to change your spawn point from Safe Zone: (MANSION) to Safe Zone: (MASTER OF ALL, JACK OF NONE). Confirm: Yes / No.
¡°Yes.¡±
Spawn point set!
Whenever you die, you will appear in this spot after the respawn timer expires.
Ren nodded and put the rest of the pillows from his inventory onto the bed and smiled. When he left the bedroom, he saw that there was nothing in the part he''d designated as the ''bathroom''. He''d have to try and find out where to get furnishings for that. The only place he had seen anything like that, had been in the mansion. Ren put the table he''d made in the kitchen and covered it with a red cloth. He couldn''t make any cabinets until he found out what he needed to cook in the game. Satisfied that everything else looked fine and his spawn point was set, he picked up the cooling stones he''d set out that day for the workers, closed the bedroom door and then the apartment door. He went downstairs and surveyed his space. This is so great! Ren thought. ¡°What is?¡± Teepo asked as he crawled inside through an open space under the rafters. My own space! I''ve never had a place to call my own before. ¡°Me, either.¡± Teepo said. You haven''t? ¡°No. My father was quite protective of me, and after he died, my uncle made sure I would never go anywhere again.¡± Then we are just going to have to change that. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°How?¡± By making you a space to have as your own, of course. Teepo didn''t say anything else, but Ren could feel the surprise coming from him. Don''t worry, Teepo. When I''m done, you''re going to call this place home, too. ¡°T-t-thank you, Ren.¡± You don''t have to thank me! The least I can do is make you feel at home. If it wasn''t for you, this place would still be covered in workers trying to find the parts to fix and replace. ¡°I was just helping you...¡± Teepo said. Of course you were. That''s what friends do. Now I''m going to help you back. Ren went to the edge of the paving stones at the back of the building. He pulled up 4 of the 1 foot square stones in the floor he''d made for the forge and anvil, then took out a pick and shovel. ¡°I better make a box first, to carry the dirt.¡± Ren made a box from the scraps of wood that was left from making the furniture and got to work. He kept filling the box with dirt and taking it behind the building to dump it out. Ren dug down on an angle under his wooden floor for about 10 feet, until he hit rock. He used the pick to dig down a lot further and cleaned out a nice wide area, then dug a whole bunch of cubby holes and pathways. Ren would have to remember to go online and find some nice mazes to make for Teepo. He was always exploring, so finding his way through a maze should be fun for him. When Ren was done, there was a huge pile of dirt behind his building, but he knew there would be and had spread it out along the full length of the building. He wasn''t sure what to do with it, except maybe borrow a cart and have it dumped outside the city or something. Ren poured out some metal and made a frame to set the 4 paving stones into. He cut a sliver off one of the paving stones, just enough for Teepo to slip through, and set the frame, then the stones back into place. Teepo had crawled all the way down from the ceiling by that time and Ren smiled at his friend. ¡°It''s not much right now... so I''ll be adding things later that you might like... but at least there''s a nice cool place for you to go when you want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks, Ren.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said and Teepo skittered through the hole he''d cut for him and disappeared into his new cave. ¡°Now... I''ve got some more bow bracer cartridges to make. A dozen or so should be enough. I can''t leave Clint hanging anymore!¡± Ren got to work and made a dozen more cartridges, 14 in total. He used the rest of the springy log that he''d made the bow pieces from, to make crossbow bolt bodies. Once he had several hundred made, he forged the tips and attached them. Ren poured out the remaining metal into the 2 molds he had and let them cool, then turned off the forge. He wasn''t sure what kind of offensive punch Clint wanted, so he enchanted 14 of the bolts with Ice glyphs, dyed them blue and loaded a cartridge with them, then 14 with Lightning glyphs, made them black and loaded another cartridge, then Fire, dying them red, and Light (Holy) making them white. After doing almost 60 enchantments, Enchanting had only gone up 5%. Ren still had 15% more to go before he''d reach Level 7. ¡°Well, nothing''s worth doing unless it was hard.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s a good outlook to have.¡± A woman''s voice said from behind him. Ren smiled and then turned around. ¡°Hi, Lucy.¡± ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± ¡°I''m glad you decided to move your avatar inside.¡± Ren said and approached her. ¡°Ren, why are you covered dirt?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ren looked down at himself. His clothes were filthy. ¡°I was doing a little digging for Teepo.¡± Lucy chuckled. ¡°That looks like a lot more than a little digging.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°What can I say? I do get enthusiastic over things.¡± Ren equipped his old travelling clothes and then re-equipped his spider silk ones. Both he and the clothes were now clean. The system was great for things like that. ¡°I''ve got the spawn point set up!¡± Ren said, enthusiastically. ¡°Ren... about that...¡± Ren held up a hand. ¡°All I''m offering right now is the spawn point. Like I told you before, no matter what you may decide to do in the future, you can always use it.¡± Lucy looked like she was going to say something, but then closed her mouth without speaking. ¡°Come on, I''ll show you where it is.¡± Ren said and took her hand without thinking. Lucy felt his grip and widened her eyes. This new VR headset definitely makes everything feel a lot more real. Ren led Lucy up the stairs and to the apartment. He opened the door and pulled Lucy inside. She let go of his hand and nearly shouted. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How... when...?¡± Lucy looked around the apartment and was stunned at how nice it looked. ¡°Where did all this stuff come from?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I made it, of course. I didn''t know if things like these could be bought in the game, so I built them.¡± ¡°You... you built them?¡± Lucy asked and she sat down on the couch. It was plush and soft and she sank into the feel of it and sighed. ¡°Yeah. I looked up how to make furniture online; then using that knowledge, I applied the techniques I''ve learned in the game to make them. What you''re sitting on is just a large, stretched out chair with upholstery on it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You made this...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°The chairs are just as nice. I really like how they turned out.¡± ¡°I... I do, too.¡± Lucy said with an expression on her face that Ren couldn''t read. ¡°The spawn point is in here.¡± Ren said and waved Lucy over to the bedroom door. She stood up and came over to where Ren was, and he watched Lucy''s face as he opened the door. Shock and surprise passed over her face and Ren smiled. He had hoped she''d have this kind of reaction. ¡°You... you... you really made all of this?¡± Lucy stammered. Ren eased her in with a hand on her waist and she shuffled into the bedroom. ¡°I''ve got a mirror on order. It''ll be in by the end of the game week, and I''ll make a sitting table for it.¡± Lucy stumbled around the beautiful bedroom. She''d always wanted a room like this, but could never afford it. She sat down on the bed, a little stunned. ¡°I know the wood is just plain. I haven''t had the time to learn how to carve anything yet. Once I do, I''ll be able to add some nice scroll work to the legs and the headboard.¡± Ren said and rubbed the wood. ¡°Ren... this place...¡± Lucy tried to talk and Ren came over to sit beside her. ¡°I know I probably should have set the spawn point in the living room, but I didn''t want anyone but us to access it. This seemed like the best spot.¡± ¡°That''s not...¡± Lucy swallowed. ¡°Ren. I could only dream of having furniture like this.¡± She said and took his hand. ¡°And here you are, making an apartment with everything I''ve always wanted in it.¡± ¡°Well, the bathroom is still empty right now, and the kitchen only has a table...¡± Ren tried to explain. Lucy shook her head. ¡°Ren... you did all this for me, didn''t you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve always wanted a place of my own; but since I didn''t really know what I would want, I figured if I had all the things you''ve told me about, that I''d be happy with it.¡± ¡°Are you?¡± Lucy asked. Ren squeezed her hand. ¡°I was happy with it, satisfied it had turned out so well... until I saw your face when I opened the bedroom door.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Now... I''m ecstatic about it.¡± Lucy looked at Ren and saw the sincerity there. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Go ahead and set your spawn point.¡± Lucy attempted to, but stopped when she saw the name of the business. ¡°Is that?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I thought the play on words was a nice touch.¡± ¡°It is...¡± Lucy leaned closer. ¡°...but not as nice a touch as this.¡± Lucy whispered and kissed him. Ren heartily agreed. Chapter 78 - A New Friend The kiss turned from a quick one into a more passionate one, and Lucy''s heart started to flutter. It definitely feels a lot more real. She thought as Ren raised a hand to stroke her face. She closed her eyes and let herself go a little crazy and eased herself down onto the bed, pushing Ren ahead of her. He didn''t hesitate like he did after his birthday party, and caressed both of Lucy''s breasts. Ren was glad that he''d modified her outfit with the party dress top, because the cloth had formed around her breasts to give them support... that wasn''t needed while she was leaning over him. The cloth became quite soft and Ren had free reign over feeling all of Lucy''s curves. He massaged her thouroughly while they made out and Lucy made a few sounds that Ren hadn''t heard her make before, and it drove him a little crazy, too. Ren let go of her breasts and pulled on one of her supporting arms, and Lucy toppled onto her side. He quickly rolled over on top and Lucy gave one of those little ''yips'' and Ren smiled. He kissed her again and ran one of his hands along her thigh. The pants of the travelling clothes weren''t as tight as her jeans had been, but the spider silk cloth was much softer and Ren took advantage of that. He switched to the inside of her thigh and slowly eased his way to her forbidden place. Unlike the last time, Ren didn''t tease or stop. He put his hand there and Lucy tensed up, but didn''t say no and when he started to rub it in slow circles, she moaned. Ren had to stop kissing Lucy so he could concentrate on her down there, and Lucy''s breathing sped up. He kept rubbing her there, and Lucy started shifting her hips to let the motion go more freely. Her eyes were closed and Ren nuzzled the side of her neck. ¡°Ren...¡± Lucy said. ¡°Ren... i.... lo...¡± Her breath became faster. Ren sped up his hand movements and she could barely speak. ¡°Ren...... i... lo...... lo.......... Logout!¡± Lucy said when she finally caught her breath. Lucy''s avatar became like a phantom and Ren''s hand slipped through her and landed on the bed. ¡°Ah... dammit.¡± Ren said and sat up. ******** Lucy took off the VR headset and tried to calm down. ¡°Oh... my... God!¡± She said and looked down at herself. Her jogging pants were damp in the front and she got out of the chair. ¡°That was... that was... what the hell...¡± She said and cleaned herself up and changed clothes. ¡°It felt like he was really touching me there.¡± ******** Ren gave her an in game hour, what he thought was enough time in the real world, to see if she would come back in. ¡°I hope I didn''t scare her off again.¡± He said and stood up, gazing at Lucy''s phantom form on his bed. Ren closed the bedroom door, then the apartment door, and went downstairs to his workshop. ¡°Now what do I...¡± Ren cut off his own words when he saw the bracers on his work bench. ¡°Right.¡± Ren opened the messaging system and chose Clint from his friends list. He typed up a quick message, giving Clint directions to his building, and said that he had new bracers made for him. Ren closed the messaging system and looked around the shop. He''d left his box of tools out after all the funiture making, his tailor''s kit on the other bench, and some of his blacksmithing tools. Ren shook his head. ¡°I have to clean this place up.¡± Ren put everything away and the place was all nice and tidy when he was done. He even stored Clint''s bracers. Ren didn''t know what to do now. On a whim, he looked through his recipes and found one that he had completely forgotten about. One he had received when he''d leveled up. He turned on the forge and added several iron bars then went to his work bench. He pulled out his last piece of parchment and started to draw. The basic design of the Pack Mule wasn''t a good one. The decription he''d read was quite true. It really was only a backpack. It had arms and legs, but they were made of cloth and seemed to be too weak to keep a steady pace, or to lift things out when asked. Reinforcement was needed. Rather than having the backpack standing up vertically, he put it on it''s back, horizontally. The cloth legs would never hold it up in this position, and Ren had an idea. Teepo? Can I talk to you for a minute? ¡°Sure, Ren.¡± Teepo said and a couple of minutes later, crawled out through the slot Ren had made in the floor''s paving stone by the wall. ¡°What''s going on?¡± I need your help again. Ren thought and smiled. ¡°For what?¡± Teepo said and Ren picked him up and put him on the bench. I need a model for reference. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Teepo said and crawled over the parchment.¡±What''s this?¡± It''s called a Pack Mule... but I don''t like how it looks, or what it can barely do. The first thing I thought of when I wanted to switch the legs, was you. ¡°But Ren... I can''t go very fast. These are too short!¡± Teepo said and lifted one up to show Ren. Ren nodded. At that size, yeah... but, if they were... about 6 times that size? He could feel Teepo''s surprise at that thought. ¡°I''ve got to see that!¡± Teepo held out his leg for Ren to study. Ren chuckled and drew out the basic shape of Teepo''s leg, and used the system to make it 6 times the size. It was almost the right size for the backpack, so Ren had to scale it down a little to fit. Once that was done, He copied it 5 times and positioned them around the backpack, and it kinda looked like a beetle. Ren reinforced the backpack with metal to hold the legs in place, and to keep the strain off of the fabric. He''d be using up quite a bit of spider silk fabric to make it, but it would be worth it. Ren wasn''t sure how many inventory slots it would have, so he made the backpack thicker and put metal bands around it to hold it in place. Ren noticed the arms it had, and replaced then with longer metal ones like the legs, but kept the softer cloth hands and only reinforced those with metal strips. He assumed since the backpack would be using magic to move, that replacing almost everything with metal, rivets, and hinges, that it would still work. Ren finished drawing and Teepo marveled at how much the new backpack looked like him. Ren emptied the small thin mold of the steel he''d left in it and poured new steel into it. Not letting it set, Ren hammered out long strips to use for the supports and reinforcements. He poured it again and again, then hammered out 6 copies of the leg pieces he needed, then riveted them together with the system''s help. Once they were done, he made the 2 arms, and then just for the heck of it, made 2 thin strips for antennae. If it was going to look like a beetle anyways, he might as well go all the way with it. Ren poured out the last of the metal from the smelter into the big mold, after removing what he''d poured into it before. On a whim, he hammered out a breastplate, making it a lot different than the one he''d made for Elerlyth. Ren made it white, and added a fire motif to it, starting at the waist and getting more intense as it reached the top of the breastplate, and it engulfed the rounded parts. Ren extended it down slightly to partially cover the waist, but it didn''t restrict movement. He took off the smelter and opened up the ends of the forge, took the other large piece of steel he had and heated it up. Once it was a nice molten color, but not to the point of being a liquid, he took it out and cut it in half. Ren hammered it out into a flat plate that would hang off the side of the breastplate to cover the hips and tops of the thighs. He did the same with piece he had cut off and then attached them to the breatplate with hinges. He lined everything with spider silk cloth to make it easily wearable and not chaffe when you moved. Ren stored it and turned off the forge.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Ren cut out the parts of the backpack that he''d need from spider silk cloth and sewed it together around the metal bands, that looked more like a kind of skeleton, and added the legs, arms, and antennae with pompom like ends made out of bundled cloth. He dyed everything black and when it was finished, Ren stood back and admired his handiwork. Teepo admired it, too. ¡°That really does look like me.¡± Teepo said and crawled over it. ¡°Except for the arms. What are they for?¡± It''s to reach into the backpack and to pass out things that are asked for. Teepo looked into the opening at the top. ¡°How will it know what it''s grabbing? I don''t see any eyes in there.¡± Ren chuckled. I''m just going to assume that it will only grab what I ask for, and not have to sort through everything first. Ren examined the design he''d made, and then the original, to make sure he didn''t forget anything. It was all there. He looked at the directions on the original plans, on how to activate the backpack. His eyes widened at the requirements. ¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°What is it?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I was wondering why it wasn''t up and walking around... and now I know.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I need to ''feed'' it gold worth the cost of the materials to make it...¡± ¡°That''s not too bad...¡± Teepo said. ¡°...and a pint of my blood.¡± ¡°W-w-what?!?¡± Teepo exclaimed. ¡°That''s what it says.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°It needs to have a physical bond with me in order to become ''alive'' and serve as a familiar.¡± Teepo skittered off the backpack and looked at Ren. ¡°Are you going to do it?¡± Ren sat down on the floor. I really should make some stools to sit on. ¡°Ren?¡± ¡°Yes, Teepo?¡± ¡°Are you going to?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°If I want to keep getting better in my class skills as an Artificer, I''ll have to do it.¡± He said and crossed his legs. ¡°If I stop now, I won''t advance as quickly... but... I don''t know what doing this will lead me to.¡± Ren shook his head and stood. ¡°No, I won''t be indecisive now. I made my choice. The only way to go is forward.¡± Ren took out a dagger and placed a hand on the bug-shaped backpack. ¡°Activate.¡±
Notice!
You have chosen to activate a familiar: Pack Mule (Modified). Please deposit the correct amount of value.
A small opening appeared on the backpack, right over it''s center. It kind of looked like a small portal that funneled right into the backpack. Ren reached into his coin pouch and then floundered over how much to put in. I know the spider silk cloth is expensive, and I used a lot to make the thing, so at least 30 gold for that... but the steel has never been sold around here as steel. What value should it have? Ren thought for a moment. Ah, screw it. He thought and put in a platinum coin. The small portal closed and Ren got another popup.
Notice!
You must include a pint of blood to complete Activation. Please deposit the correct amount now.
Another small portal appeared closer to the backpack''s head and Ren used the dagger to slice his hand open across the palm. Blood dripped out and Ren carefully squeezed his hand over the portal. It took a few minutes, but eventually the portal closed and Ren wrapped his hand in a scrap of cloth and drank some Health potion. He''d have to get someone to heal the wound later.
Notice!
All ingredients have been collected and you have constructed a suitable body. Your familiar will now be infused with your will. Please place a hand on the familiar when ready. Do not remove your hand under any circumstances.
Ren''s eyes widened at that last sentence as he gripped one of the straps that he''d sewn on it''s back, with the hand that didn''t have Teepo''s ring on it. Ren didn''t want to make that mistake again. A slight glow encompassed the backpack as two thirds of Ren''s Mana Pool drained away. ¡°Come on... come on! You can do it!¡± Ren said to the backpack and the glow became brighter. It started to shake and the strap started to slip from his hand and Ren used Iron Grip to hold on. It was the hand with the wound, and unknown to Ren, it tore open and more blood seeped through the cloth and into the strap. Just in case, Ren pushed the rest of his Mana Pool into the backpack and then shut his eyes. The glow was too bright for him to see now. A moment later, the backpack stopped shaking and Ren slowly opened his eyes. He saw a leg lift slightly, then an antannae flex.
Notice!
Congratulations! You have successfully created a familiar! Due to your high quality materials, crafting skills, excessive value added, and extra mana infusion, your familiar will be loyal to you until the end of time.
Ren blinked at the description and then dismissed the popup. The backpack shifted all of it''s legs and then slowly lifted itself off the table. It shook for a moment, as if it had never stood up before. Ren smiled. I''m watching it''s first steps right now. It took a step, and then another... then lifted each leg in turn, almost as if it was unsure of why it had multiple legs. Ren still had a hold of the strap, and let it go. He reached out and rubbed it on the ''head''. ¡°Hi, there. I''m Ren.¡± The backpack turned at Ren''s voice and hunched back on it''s legs, tipping it''s ''head'' up to look at Ren. It''s antennae whipped around and Ren was glad he''d added the pompom like ends. Thin steel strips whipping around like that would hurt if they were unprotected. ¡°I should probably give you a name.¡± Ren said and the backpack nodded. ¡°I was thinking along the lines of ''Shellshock''.¡± The backpack shook back and forth. ¡°That''s a no, then.¡± The backpack nodded. ¡°Teepo, what do you think?¡± ¡°Mantica?¡± The backpack shook back and forth again. ¡°I think I''m overthinking this.¡± Ren said and looked at his new friend. ¡° I made you a lot bigger than a backpack, so you''re more like a rucksack. Maybe a name appropriate for that? Hey! How about ''Ruck''?¡± The backpack nodded and reached out a hand. Ren laughed and shook it. ¡°It''s nice to meet you, Ruck.¡± Ruck skittered back and forth, knocking things off of the work bench and Ren kept laughing. ¡°All right, get off of there before you wreck the place.¡± Ruck hopped off the table and it''s legs clacked on the paving stones. ¡°No leaving the building without my permission, okay?¡± Ruck put up a hand and gave Ren a thumbs up. ¡°Ruck, can I see how much you can hold?¡± Ren asked his new friend, who opened his back and Ren looked inside. There were 28 inventory slots and Ren whistled. ¡°I wonder if they stack like mine?¡± Ren took out 5 of his Health Potions and passed them to Ruck, who put them in the same slot. ¡°Ha ha! That''s great!¡± Ren said and handed over 5 Mana potions, all of the daggers, wooden shields, potion ingredients, and all the animal parts that he still had in inventory. That took up 18 of the slots, and Ren asked Ruck to walk around and see if it was too much for him to carry. Ruck walked around and made another thumbs up gesture. ¡°Okay, Ruck... hand me a... rat tail!¡± Ren asked and Ruck passed him a rat tail a second later. He didn''t have to search for it or anything. Ren smiled. ¡°Mana potion!¡± Ruck passed one over. ¡°Sunfower!¡± And a sunflower was handed over. ¡°Thank you, Ruck.¡± Ren said, passed the things back, and walked away a little bit. ¡°Oh, I think I''m hurt!¡± Ren said and held out his hand. Ruck skuttled over and handed Ren a Health potion. ¡°Thank you very much, Ruck.¡± Ren pretended to drink some and passed it back. Ren looked around and wondered where he could put it. ¡°I''ll need to get some more wood to make you a cabinet to stay in.¡± Ren said and opened the Order Menu. He chose Jen as the contact and ordered a dozen more planks. When he closed the order, he saw Ruck was kind of dancing. ¡°You like that idea, do you?¡± Ren asked and Ruck nodded. ¡°It''ll be delivered tomorrow. For now, I guess you can just hang out.¡± Ruck nodded again, skittered across the floor, and crawled up the wall. It got about 5 feet off the floor and then stood as if it hung there. Ren and Teepo stared at Ruck in surprise. ¡°I didn''t know it could do that.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Neither did I.¡± Ren said as a popup appeared. It was a message from Clint. He was coming by to visit tomorrow. Chapter 79 - Can You Cook? Ren closed Clint''s message and looked at his hand. Now''s as good a time as any. Ren opened the Business menu and searched. Healing... healing... ah, injuries. Ren clicked it and entered ''minor injury (cut across hand), may require major healing, no rush'', and pushed enter. ¡°I wonder how long...¡± Ren started to say when there was a knock on the door. He walked over and opened it, to see a young healer standing there. ¡°Is someone injured?¡± He asked, and seemed a bit nervous. Ren held up his blood soaked bandage and the healer''s face drained of blood and looked like he was going to faint. ¡°I take it you''re a trainee?¡± Ren asked. The healer nodded. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± Ren stepped back, ushered the healer inside, and shut the door. The healer looked around and saw that it was mostly just open space, except for the anvil and forge, 2 work benches, and a backpack hanging on the opposite wall. ¡°This... is a nice place you have here.¡± The healer said. Ren laughed. ¡°Yes, it is. I haven''t had a chance to make any more furniture, though. Just a second.¡± Ren said and went upstairs to the third floor and put a comfy chair into inventory. He went back downstairs to the waiting healer. ¡°What''s your name?¡± He asked and pulled out the chair for the healer to sit on. The healer stared at the chair and Ren motioned for him to sit. ¡°Ah... it''s Percy, sir.¡± He said and sat. ¡°Say, that''s really comfy.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Well, Healer Percy... I''ve got a minor wound on my hand, but I''ll need major healing internally.¡± Percy''s eyes widened at that. ¡°I''ve never heard of anything like that before.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m an Adventurer.¡± Percy looked at Ren. ¡°So?¡± Ren nodded. He''s not an NPC then. ¡°Trust me, I need lots of mana.¡± Percy shrugged. ¡°Whatever you say, sir.¡± Ren undid his makeshift bandage and held his hand out for Percy to look at, who swooned at the slash across Ren''s palm. ¡°W-what did you do? Cut yourself with a knife?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That''s exactly what I did.¡± Percy shook his head and used Minor Healing on it. It took about 10 minutes, but Ren''s hand didn''t even have a mark on it afterwards. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°How''s your mana holding up?¡± Percy looked at his Mana bar and sighed. ¡°It''s about half gone.¡± ¡°You''re just starting this class, aren''t you?¡± Ren asked. Percy nodded. ¡°I didn''t like any of the other professions.¡± Ren lifted an eyebrow. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I''m not into the whole fighting thing, but I like helping people. I thought if I put my mind to it, that I could do it.¡± ¡°Not liking the sight of blood might make this a bad choice of a job for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°How did you...¡± Percy tried to say and then stopped. ¡°Of course you noticed. How long have you played?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I don''t really remember anymore. There''s 4 days in here while only one happens in real life. I''ve crossed in and out so many times that it''s all just jumbled together.¡± Percy looked at Ren like he was crazy, and Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah, that sounds kinda nuts. If I looked at the logs, I''m sure I can find out the day I started, but it doesn''t really matter.¡± ¡°What level are you?¡± Percy asked. Ren smiled. ¡°That doesn''t matter, either. All I''m doing is having fun and enjoying myself.¡± Ren said and took out a Mana potion. Percy''s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. ¡°You have Mana potions?!?¡± Ren handed it over. ¡°Only a few.¡± He said. ¡°Just drink a little bit at a time, until it fills your Mana bar.¡± Percy sipped it, and 2 sips later, he nodded. ¡°Activate your Major Healing ability, please.¡± Ren said and held his hand out again. Percy shrugged and activated his ''once a day'' Major Healing ability, and watched as his Mana bar fell drastically. ¡°How are you doing that?¡± Percy asked as Ren''s body absorbed it all. Ren chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Keep drinking.¡± Percy drank the Mana potion slowly, keeping his Mana bar at an even spot, and Ren absorbed the Mana pouring into him, and watched as his Mana Pool filled up. When it was finally full, he had Percy finish the potion and Ren took the bottle back. ¡°I can''t believe you took all of that! How hurt were you? How are you walking around?¡± Percy said. ¡°I was asked that last question before. The answer is still the same. With my legs.¡± Ren said and laughed. Percy shook his head. ¡°You''re a strange one, sir.¡± You''re not the only one to think that. Ren thought and smiled. ¡°How much do I owe you?¡± ¡°The base price for minor healing is a silver. A major is usually 20 to 50 silver, depending on how bad the wound is.¡± Ren handed over a gold coin and Percy''s eyes bulged again. ¡°S-sir! This is way too much! I''m only an entry level healer!¡± Percy exclaimed. Ren put a hand on Percy''s shoulder. ¡°You came over right away, even though I said there was no rush... and I assume that you only get to keep a small portion of the fee, right?¡± Percy nodded. ¡°Then consider the rest as a tip.¡±
Notice!
Your excessive spending has earned you the title: A Fool And His Money
Ren looked at the popup and dismissed it. He''d have to see what it meant later. ¡°Thank you, sir! If you ever need anything else, just let me know!¡± Percy said and stood up. He was a head taller than Ren and reached out to shake hands. Ren smiled again. ¡°I''ll do that.¡±
Notice!
You now have a contact at the Hospital. Various related options have been added to the Business Menu.
Ren led Percy back to the door, and waved as Percy left. Okay, now to look at that new title. ¡°Show info for title: A Fool And His Money.¡±
Title: A Fool And His Money
All goods are still the same price, but everyone you meet will require a 5% gratuity for whatever they sell you. More may be given, but it''s effectiveness won''t increase, no matter the amount. Rewards: Bonus XP, Extra Perks Penalties if Unpaid: Fame Loss / Infamy Gain
¡°Well, crap.¡± Ren said and sat in the chair. ¡°What is it?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°You know I''ve been pretty generous in tipping people, right?¡± Teepo nodded. ¡°I''ve just been awarded a title that will either be a big help, or a big hindurance.¡± Ren said and told Teepo about it. ¡°I can see how that could be bad... but, if you just keep doing what you''re doing...¡± Teepo said. Ren nodded. ¡°Right, I was going to do that anyways. What''s the point of having money if I don''t spend it?¡± ¡°Since you feel that way, you could always buy me something shiny!¡± Teepo said and Ren laughed. ¡°The next time I''m out somewhere special, I promise to get you something really nice.¡± Ren said to his friend. ¡°I can''t wait!¡± Teepo said, excitedly.
New Quest!
You have promised to find something for your good friend, Teepo. Depending on what it is, there could be both benefits or drawbacks. Difficulty: D Rewards: ???? Penalties: ????
Ren dismissed the popup and looked at Teepo, concentrating on not sending his thoughts. What in the world do I buy for an incorporeal spirit that they''re going to like? Ren shook his head and smiled. I''ll worry about that when the time comes. Ren got out of the chair and stored it into inventory. He took it back upstairs and put it right back where he got it from. Ren turned around and looked at the kitchen and it''s complete emptiness. I really do need some kind of appliances in there, but I didn''t see anything like that in the business menu. Ren thought. Maybe I just haven''t met the right people yet?If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Thinking of that, it reminded Ren about the bathroom, and only seeing something like it at the mansion. Ren looked out the window and saw there was plenty of time left in the day, so he went downstairs and put on his cloak. I''m heading to the mansion, Teepo. Want to come along? Ren asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Teepo said. Ren picked him up and deposited him into the hood. ¡°I should probably leave a note for Lucy, in case she logs back in while I''m gone.¡± Ren said and took out a scrap piece of cloth and wrote a note telling Lucy where he was going and why. He stuck it to the inside of the door, so she''d see it when she tried to leave. Ren opened the door and turned around. ¡°I''ll be back in a little while, Ruck.¡± Ruck waved and Ren left the building, locking it behind him. Ren walked around the corner and down the street until he came to the main road to the West Gate, then turned and walked down that street to the mansion. He wasn''t sure if he should go in the front, or look for some kind of side entrance. He definitely didn''t want to go in the back door, and walked around to the front. He''d try the main door first, then see if there was a service entrance or something. Ren walked up the steps and saw there weren''t any guards on duty. He thought that was a little odd, but then remembered that most of the city''s soldiers were off playing war for King Alamast and that the rest were busy patroling along the walls to guard the city. Ren went inside and looked around. He knew that down the right side hallway was the dining room and meeting hall, so he tried the left side. There were several doors, just like the other hallway, and Ren tried some of them. Most were locked, except for the one on the end. Teepo. ¡°On it!¡± Teepo hopped out of the hood and slid under the door. ¡°It''s the kitchen!¡± Teepo said. ¡°4 people are in here, making food.¡± Thanks, buddy. Ren thought, stored his cloak into inventory, and opened the door. The smell of cooking food filled his nostrils and he took a deep breath. ¡°Oh, that smells good.¡± Ren said and entered the kitchen, shutting the door behind him. He saw several people chopping vegetables and one person stirring a huge pot. If his guess was correct, judging by the smell, it was chicken soup. ¡°I can''t remember the last time I had a good meal.¡± ¡°Hey! What are you doing in here?¡± A man asked and Ren turned to look at him. ¡°You''re not part of the kitchen staff!¡± The man walked over to another door and opened it. ¡°Guard!¡± Ren wasn''t sure what to do. A tall blonde woman entered the kitchen, from what looked like a pantry, and saw Ren. She walked over to the man who had hollered for the guard and slapped the back of his head. ¡°You idiot! Of course he''s part of the kitchen staff!¡± The woman said. ¡°Ow! You don''t have to hit me so hard, Donna! I didn''t know.¡± The man said. ¡°You didn''t even let him answer before you called for the guard, did you?¡± Donna said and the man ducked his head. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°That''s alright.¡± She said and sighed. ¡°Go back to work, please.¡± ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± The man walked over to a table and went back to kneading dough. A guard showed up a minute later, Donna apologized for disturbing him, and handed over a small pastry. The guard stuffed it in his mouth, nodded, and left. Ren had watched the whole exchange and didn''t say a word. Donna came over and asked him to follow her. They left the kitchen, she unlocked the next door in the hallway, and ushered Ren into her office. She shut the door and sat down behind a desk and motioned for Ren to sit as well. ¡°What brings you here, Ren?¡± ¡°You know me?¡± Ren asked. Donna chuckled. ¡°Of course I do. You used to work for my brother, Donan.¡± Ren looked at her in shock. ¡°You''re Donan''s little sister?¡± Donna chuckled again. ¡°Yes, little sister... by like 5 minutes.¡± Ren chuckled, too. It was a small distinction, but an important one. Especially to Donan. ¡°So, what''s with the visit?¡± She asked. ¡°When I was here last, I remember seeing things in the bathroom, like a sink and tub, and wondered where to get them.¡± ¡°That''s it?¡± Donna raised her euebrows. Ren nodded. ¡°I wasn''t sure who to ask, and I was just wandering around. The kitchen was the first unlocked door I''ve found so far.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry if I caused you any trouble.¡± Donna waved his apology away. ¡°Tait always calls for the guard. I think this was the first time he had a legitimate reason, though.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Thanks for coming to my rescue.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wasn''t sure what to do.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Donna said. ¡°You''re going to have to keep up the charade.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''ve never been a liar, and I''m not going to start now.¡± Donna stood up and walked around her desk. ¡°I think I have an apron that will fit you.¡± Ren''s eyes widened slightly and then he smiled. ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± Donna didn''t have an apron that would fit, but Ren took one that she did have, got the pattern, and quickly sewed one up from some of the cloth he''d bought to cover furniture. Donna had stared at him the whole time he worked. It had only taken 5 minutes to make an apron because it was only a simple pattern. She led him into the kitchen and put him with the chopping vegetables section. She handed him a knife and told him to watch the others to learn what to do. Ren nodded and watched for several minutes. It seems simple enough. Ren thought and then examined the blade he held.
Dull Chopping Knife
This blade is used for chopping. Durability: 20/30
Ren identified the other knives his 3 companions held and shook his head. No, that just won''t do. Ren stepped away from the table and looked at Donna, who was watching him. He held up a finger and pointed to the blade. Donna smiled and nodded. Ren stepped out into the hallway and took out his blacksmith belt. He repaired the blade, sharpened it, polished it to a shine, and examined it again. With his skills now at the Advanced level, it took only a minute.
Deadly Chopping Knife
This blade is extremely sharp and is used for chopping. Durability 40/40
Ren grinned and went back into the kitchen. He chopped up a carrot, and the 3 other choppers stared at him as he made short work of it with such a sharp blade. Ren smiled at them as they handed over their blades. He stepped out into the hall again to sharpen and polish the blades, went back into the kitchen and handed them back. Ren warning the workers that the blades were very sharp, and that they needed to be careful. They nodded and everyone at the table chopped various vegetables to put into the soup. With the sharper blades being used, the task was done quickly, and Ren got a popup.
Stat Change!
Chop Level 7 (Beginner 0%)
No way! Chopping vegetables increases Chop under Woodworking? You have got to be kidding me! That''s a cross-linked skill? Ren thought. That''s amazing! Ren put the knife down and Donna led him over to the baking table where Tait was still kneading dough. ¡°Sorry about earlier.¡± Tait said. ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Ren replied. ¡°You were just watching out for everyone in the kitchen.¡± Tait nodded and showed Ren how to knead the dough properly. Once it was done, Tait cut it up into small portions, rolled the portions into a ball, and put them on a big baking tray. Ren helped with this and the tray was nearly filled by the time they ran out of dough to add. Tait took the tray and put it into the oven behind the table. ¡°They cook fast, because the oven is so hot.¡± Tait said as he lifted a huge bowl onto the table. ¡°If you time it right, you can get a mix done just as the rolls are ready to come out.¡± Ren nodded and watched as Tait put in all the ingredients he needed to make the dough. He sifted everything together, then added in water slowly, kneading between each pour. The mixture became dough eventually and Tait dumped it onto the flour covered table. Tait turned around and took out the freshly baked rolls and smiled. They were a nice golden brown on the top. ¡°Grab the brush and bowl.¡± Tait said and pointed. Ren picked up the bowl and nearly spilled the liquid butter inside. ¡°Oops... I almost made a mess.¡± He said, carefully dipped the brush into the butter, and handed the brush to Tait, who quickly brushed the liquid butter over the tops of the rolls and the smell filled the kitchen. Ren put the bowl back where it was and Tait told him to start kneading the dough. Ren dipped his hands in the flour and started to knead. Ren was pretty strong, so he kneaded really fast. ¡°How many times do you have to do it?¡± Ren asked Tait, who just stood there and stared at how easily Ren was kneading. ¡°Um... just until it''s mixed together well. Usually 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how big of a batch you''re making.¡± Tait said, surprised. ¡°I''ve never done this before. Is it mixed up yet?¡± Ren asked, and Tait nodded. Ren got another popup.
Notice!
You have learned a new recipe: Baked Bread Rolls
Only 2 minutes! Tait thought. He did it in 2 minutes! Tait put another tray on the table and they both made rolls. They did this several more times and Ren started to get the hang of when the mixture was actually done. This is fun! Ren thought, getting into the grove of mix, knead, roll and bake. Tait stood back and watched as Ren took over and did everything. By the fourth batch of doing it alone, Ren had to wait for the last tray of rolls to come out of the oven before he could put in the next one. ¡°I think that''s enough rolls for today.¡± Donna said and took one to taste. It was one of the rolls Ren had made alone. She chewed it for a minute, swallowed, then nodded. ¡°Yes!¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for showing me how to make rolls!¡± He said to Tait, who stood there with a blank expression on his face. What is with this guy? Tait thought as Ren walked away. He looks like he actually enjoyed that! ¡°What''s next?¡± Ren asked, enthusiastically. Donna smiled and took Ren into a quick one arm hug and let him go. ¡°I can see why Donan likes you.¡± She said and took Ren around the kitchen, showing him all the different things that they made in the run of a day. Ren did everything Donna asked him to, and once he started actually cooking things, he got a popup.
Notice!
You have unlocked a skill: Cooking Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This skill will allow you to cook basic meals for consumption. Food restores Health and maintains Vitality. Higher skill levels will allow better quality dishes to be made and potentially offer special bonuses.
When night rolled around, Teepo had explored every nook and cranny he could find. By the time evening supper had been served in the mansion, Ren had participated in more different tasks than he''d ever done in a single day before. He cooked several things on the stove, baked in the oven, made pastries, helped decorate a cake, and so many little things that he leveled up Cooking twice. Ren helped clean up the place and then put away all the ingredients to be used for the next day. It took a lot more time for the prep work to be done than it did for making the actual food, but Ren didn''t mind that at all. Once everyone had left for the night, Donna led Ren back to her office. ¡°You did a great job today, Ren.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°It was fun! I don''t remember the last time I learned so much in so short a time.¡± Donna smiled. ¡°Well, would you like to learn more?¡± ¡°I would!¡± Ren said, but then his face went from enthusiastic to blank. ¡°Um... I''ve got a couple of things being delivered tomorrow at my building, and a friend is stopping in sometime during the day...¡± Ren said. ¡°I see.¡± Donna said. ¡°I''ll come by as soon as I can tomorrow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t have anything planned for the rest of the week, until the mirror and anvil are delivered.¡± Donna''s eyes widened at all of Ren''s exceptions. ¡°I''ll be all yours for 4 days, between tomorrow and the end of the week. All day, every day.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d really like to learn everything I can.¡± Donna thought about it for a few minutes. ¡°All right. If you can get here early enough tomorrow, and stay for 4 straight days... I''ll teach you.¡±
New Quest!
You have promised to learn everything you can from Donna in a short period of time. The sooner you get started, the more you will learn. Difficulty: B Rewards: ????
Ren hopped out of the chair and reached over to shake Donna''s hand. ¡°Thank you!¡± Ren said. ¡°You won''t regret this.¡± He turned around and opened the office door. ¡°Wait.¡± Donna said, and Ren looked back at her. ¡°I asked around, and no one knows where the things in the bathrooms came from. Everyone says that they''ve just always been there.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thanks for letting me know. See you tomorrow.¡± He said, left the office, and equipped his cloak. Teepo hopped into the hood and Ren exited the mansion through the front door. I hope Clint comes over early tomorrow. Ren thought as he walked home. I don''t think Donna is someone you should keep waiting for too long. Ren arrived at his building and let himself in. ¡°Hi, Ruck.¡± Ruck waved, then raised it''s hands up in a ''what''s going on'' gesture. Ren chuckled. ¡°Sorry, I got caught up learning how to cook some things and was gone longer than I thought I''d be.¡± Ruck did the ''thumbs up'' gesture and Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll be going back for a few days; starting late tomorrow.¡± Ruck dropped it''s hands and looked forlorn, if that was possible for a backpack. Ren walked over to it. ¡°Hey, don''t worry.¡± Ren said and pat it on the head. ¡°I''m really going to need your help soon.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I''ll be heading to the dwarf city next week, I don''t know how long I''ll be gone, and I''ll need someone to help carry my stuff.¡± Ren said. Ruck gave the ''okay'' signal. ¡°Thanks, Ruck.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren walked over to the paving stone entrance to Teepo''s place and leaned over. Teepo hopped off and crawled out of sight. Goodnight, Teepo. ¡°Goodnight, Ren. See you in the morning.¡± Ren went upstairs and into the apartment. He shut the door and went into the bedroom. Lucy''s phantom form lay there on the bed and Ren crawled into bed next to her, laying on his side. ¡°Hey, guess what?¡± Ren asked Lucy''s phantom form. ¡°We''re spending our first night together in my apartment.¡± He said and rolled onto his back, tucking his hands behind his head. ¡°It''s too bad you have no idea that it''s happening.¡± Ren smiled and closed his eyes. ¡°Goodnight, Lucy.¡± Chapter 80 - Bow Bracers Ren slept well and woke up next to the woman he had wanted to really be there. ¡°Maybe next time.¡± He said and slid off the bed. Ren stretched and then left the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Ren took out a ration pack and ate half of it. He''d worked all evening yesterday in a kitchen, and still didn''t eat a thing. Ren laughed as he went downstairs. I was surrounded by tasty food, and not once did I think about eating! Ren equipped his cloak when he got to the main floor. Morning, Teepo. ¡°Good morning, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Morning, Ruck.¡± Ruck waved and Ren went over to Teepo''s place. Teepo crawled out and Ren picked him up. ¡°Did you have a good rest?¡± Teepo asked. Ren nodded and put Teepo into the hood. I did, actually. I think having my own place is relaxing. Ren thought. It''s not like I was worrying about anything before, but it all just seems so much better, you know? ¡°I do.¡± Teepo said. ¡°My place is great! You did a lot of work down there, Ren. Thank you.¡± Ren chuckled. I told you before, Teepo. You don''t have to thank me. I actually liked making it for you. Ren opened the messaging system and didn''t see any new messages. He was tempted to send another one to Clint, to see how far away he was, but decided that Clint would be there when he got there. Ren walked over to the door and unlocked it. He poked his head outside, just for the heck of it, and saw someone pulling a cart around the corner at the end of the street. They were having a difficult time with it and Ren went out to help. He ran over and saw it was the red-haired girl from the lumber mill. ¡°Need a hand?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Ahhh!¡± The girl said and jumped. Ren stopped himself before he laughed, but Teepo chittered in delight. I didn''t even have Sneak on. Ren thought and smiled. ¡°W-where''d you come from?¡± She asked with a hand on her chest. Ren thumbed over his shoulder to his building. ¡°I just looked out my door and saw you might need some help.¡± ¡°Oh. S-sure, Mister Ren.¡± The girl said. ¡°I could use some help.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Ren said and gently moved the young woman out of the way and grabbed the handholds for the cart. ¡°Where are you headed?¡± ¡°Y-y-your place.¡± She said and blushed a little. ¡°First.¡± ¡°Well then... first stop, my place!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Climb aboard!¡± The girl had a shocked look on her face. ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Come on, I can''t wait here all day!¡± Ren said. The girl reluctantly climbed onto the cart with Ren''s help, and sat where the driver would be if there was a horse. Ren smiled. I guess I''m the horse today. ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said and glanced back to see she had a good grip on the seat. Ready, Teepo? ¡°You bet!¡± Teepo said and chittered a laugh. Ren enchanted the cart with a quadruple Antidark glyph and ran, pulling the cart behind him. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± The girl shrieked, and just as she finished they were there. ¡°What... what was that?!?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Sorry, I didn''t realize I''d be quite that fast.¡± The red-haird girl shook her head and climbed down. She took a folded piece of parchment out of her pocket and marked Ren''s name off the list. She only had a few names on it. ¡°A dozen planks for you.¡± She said. Ren went around to the back of the cart and put a dozen planks into inventory, opened his door, then placed them just inside and locked up. ¡°How much do I owe you?¡± Ren asked when he went back to the cart. The girl shook her head again. ¡°Nothing. The boss said you get free lumber for a while.¡± Ren smiled and passed her 10 copper, just in case his new title decided that free didn''t quite mean free in the same respect that he did. ¡°M-Mister Ren! I can''t take this!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°You''ve got a hard job, today.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re doing it all alone, too. That''s the least I can give you for such an early delivery.¡± The girl opened her mouth, shrugged, and put the coins into a pocket. ¡°Where to next?¡± ¡°W-what?¡± She asked. ¡°I can''t let you take all this around by yourself, not if I can help.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you serious?¡± She said, surprised. ¡°With me pulling the cart, your deliveries should go by fast.¡± The girl came over to Ren and put a hand on his arm. ¡°You really do want to help me, don''t you?¡± She said in a soft voice. ¡°None of the guys back at the lumber yard wanted to.¡± She whispered. ¡°Of course I want to help.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I can''t just stand by and watch while a young lady struggles. You need help, and I''m only too happy to provide it.¡± ¡°It''s... it''s Jhulune, not young lady.¡± She said and blushed a little. Ren smiled and held out a hand. ¡°It''s nice to meet you, Jhulune.¡± She shook Ren''s hand and blushed. ¡°T-thanks, Mister Ren.¡± ¡°No need for the Mister. It''s just Ren.¡± ¡°O-o-okay, R-Ren.¡± Jhulune said and blushed really hard. ¡°Climb aboard.¡± Ren said and helped her up to the seat. ¡°Now, where are we headed?¡± ¡°A building behind the Library. 6 planks and 2 posts.¡± ¡°I''ll try not to run too fast.¡± Ren said. ¡°Awww...¡± Teepo said and Ren chuckled. ¡°Hold on!¡± Ren ran and dragged the cart behind him. He didn''t go full out this time, and slowed way down when he reached the corner of the street, then picked up speed again. It was early enough that there was no one on the street, so Ren didn''t feel bad about running so fast. They arrived at the building and Jhulune made the second delivery. ¡°Say, why don''t you have a horse?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Oh, the horse is sick.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°We''re still waiting for the healer.¡± ¡°That''s awful.¡± Ren said. ¡°Any idea what happened?¡± Ren said as he started running for the next stop in the Market District. Jhulune shook her head, then realized that Ren couldn''t see her and she smiled. ¡°No. It was out grazing yesterday, and last night it became sick and the boss called a healer.¡± They arrived at the Market District and made another delivery. The cart was nearly empty now and there was only 1 delivery left. ¡°And you decided that taking a cart full of wood, without a horse, was a good idea?¡± Ren said and laughed as he ran down the street until he came to the North Gate / South Gate street, and took the corner to go north. Jhulune wondered how Ren could run like this, pulling a cart, and could still carry on a conversation. He''s even laughing! She thought. I was exhausted just pulling the cart down to the corner by the mill! They passed the Town Square and went west on West Gate street for 2 blocks, then made the final delivery. ¡°Whew! Finished.¡± Jhulune said and pretended to wipe sweat from her forehead. Ren laughed. ¡°Are you tired? If you want, you can rest in the back while I take the cart to the mill.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°Okay!¡± Jhulune said and climbed into the back. ¡°Go slow so I can take a nice nap!¡± She said and laughed. Ren shook his head. ¡°I know you''re only joking... but...¡± Ren pulled out a length of cloth and bundled it up into a makeshift bed. ¡°It''s only proper to treat you like a lady.¡± Jhulune had a surprised look on her face as she sat down onto the cloth. Ren went to the front of the cart and took the handholds. ¡°Here we go.¡± Ren said and gently pulled the cart at a good walking pace up the curving side street. He avoided any divots and bumps that he could see and it took about 20 minutes to get back to the mill. ¡°I''m not sure where this is supposed to go.¡± Ren said to one of the workers that had stared at him pulling the cart with Jhulune in the back. The worker pointed to a small stable across the street and Ren took the cart there. If I didn''t know any better, I''d say they''re a little jealous that it wasn''t them pulling the cart. Ren thought and smiled as he passed them. ¡°We have arrived at your destination, My lady.¡± Ren said loudly, and looked around. He saw a scowl on a few faces. Oh, yeah. Definitely jealous. Ren walked around to the back of the cart and held a hand out for Jhulune to take. She took Ren''s hand and stepped down from the cart. Her face was a deep red and she tried her best to not look at anyone as she folded up the cloth Ren had put in the cart for her to rest on. ¡°T-thank you, R-Ren.¡± Jhulune said and handed him the folded cloth. Ren bowed. ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± Ren said leaned towards her. ¡°I didn''t mean to embarrass you, but they should know to help a lady when they can.¡± Ren whispered and leaned back to see that the color of Jhulune''s face now matched that of her hair. That was quite an accomplishment. He thought and grinned. ¡°O-o-okay.¡± Jhulune said and looked around. Everyone watched her and Ren as they stood there by the stable. Ren turned away from her and saw the horse, laying on it''s side. A worker was trying to get it to drink water.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Would you mind if I took a look at the horse?¡± Ren asked. Jhulune looked surprised. ¡°Are you a healer, too?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No... but if that horse ate something to make it sick, then there is something I can do to help.¡± Jhulune looked at the other worker, who shrugged. ¡°Go ahead.¡± She said. Ren stepped into the stable and looked at the horse''s neck. Nothing there. He kept looking and eventually made it to the horse''s belly. There. It was the telltale dark veins of poison he''d seen several times already. They were only faint, thankfully. ¡°I think it ate some poison herbs by mistake.¡± Ren said and sat down. ¡°Maybe an antidote potion will help.¡± He pulled out his Alchemy kit and Jhulune and the worker stared at him in shock as he made up a weak antidote potion. ¡°He won''t eat or drink.¡± The worker said. ¡°Well... he will if you know how to tempt him...¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren put the Alchemy kit and antidote potion into inventory, stepped around Jhulune, and ran full out. ¡°Wheee!¡± Teepo shouted. Ren wasn''t sure if he heard other people shouting or not, but it didn''t matter right then. 2 minutes later, he was in the mansion and knocked on Donna''s office door. ¡°Come in.¡± Ren opened the door and cut right to the chase. ¡°Hi, Donna. I need one of your sweet pastries, please. A horse is sick and won''t eat. I want to put an antidote potion in it.¡± Her eyes widened at Ren''s appearance and sudden request. Donna stood up and nodded. ¡°Anything else?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No. I''ll be back soon to work, even if I have to tell my friend to cancel his visit.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Donna said and went into the kitchen. She came back with several pastries. ¡°Just in case one isn''t enough.¡± Ren stored them in inventory and grinned. ¡°Thanks, Donna!¡± He gave her a quick hug and took off running. ¡°At least walk until you get outside!¡± Donna said to Ren''s disappearing figure. Ren was already out the front door and Donna heard his response before it closed. ¡°Sorry!¡± Donna chuckled. He''s just like Donan described. Ren ran back to the stable and came to a stop when he got to Jhulune, who was waiting for him. ¡°I got it.¡± Ren said and took out a pastry. Jhulune''s eyes widened at the sweet in Ren''s hand. ¡°Where did you get that?¡± She asked. ¡°From the mansion''s kitchen.¡± Ren said and took out the antidote potion, and didn''t notice the shocked look on Jhulune''s face. Ren slowly added the antidote to the pastry, and it could only hold about half of the potion. Ren smiled. Thanks again, Donna! He thought and passed the pastry to Jhulune. ¡°Don''t eat it.¡± Ren said and smiled again. Jhulune rolled her eyes and Ren took out another pastry and filled it with the rest of the antidote, and stored the bottle. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± Ren took both pastries, walked around the horse to it''s head, and knelt down. The horse didn''t move at all, even though Ren was so close. He took one of the pastries and slowly passed it near the horse''s nose. Only a little, then a bit more, then closer. The horse''s nose twitched and sniffed. Ren smiled. He moved the pastry side to side and the horse moved it''s nose to follow. Ren gave the pastry to the worker who held it in their open palm. The horse''s tongue swiped the pastry off the open hand and into the horse''s mouth. Ren passed over the next one, and the horse did it again. ¡°Now we wait.¡± Ren said and stood. ¡°What''s going on here?¡± Jen asked as she approached the stable and the growing crowd. ¡°I heard about your horse being sick; so, I thought I''d try and help.¡± Ren answered. ¡°A professional will be here this afternoon.¡± Jen said with her hands on her hips. ¡°Boss!¡± Jhulune said. ¡°What? He''s not a healer.¡± ¡°No, but he did make an antidote potion!¡± Jhulune said, exasperated. ¡°He did?¡± Jen stared at him, and Ren nodded. ¡°I recognized the dark veins on the horse''s belly. I think it ate some poison herbs by mistake.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Jen said, mollified. ¡°All we need to do now is wai-¡± Ren tried to say when the horse half-jumped up and then stood. There were a couple of shouts and Jhulune gave Ren a hug. ¡°You did it, Ren!¡± Jen looked at him with raised eyebrows, and Ren smiled. ¡°He should still be looked at.¡± Ren said. ¡°He definitely needs healing after being sick all night.¡± Jen nodded and Ren started to walk away. Jhulune caught up to him a moment later and walked with him. ¡°Thanks a lot, Mist... ah, Ren.¡± ¡°I''ve never been a horse pulling a cart before.¡± Ren said and smiled at Jhulune''s surprised expression. ¡°It was fun.¡± They kept walking. ¡°Besides, I think you''ll be getting a lot more offers to help from now on.¡± Ren said and nodded to the other workers that watched them walking down the street. Jhulune looked around and most of them averted their gazes, and she blushed. ¡°You better get back to work, before the boss get mad.¡± Ren said and grinned. Jhulune nodded and stopped walking. Ren did too, and turned around. ¡°R-Ren... um... would... ah... would you...¡± Jhulune stammered, and Ren held up a hand. ¡°I''m tempted to let you finish, just so you''d know that you can ask something like that of a boy and not be embarrassed.¡± Ren said and Jhulune blushed. ¡°But... I don''t want you to be embarrassed.¡± He said. ¡°I''m already seeing someone.¡± Jhulune sighed and nodded. Ren took her hand. ¡°You''re gonna break some hearts, Jhulune. I can see that clearly.¡± Ren said and waved at the guys waiting for her. ¡°I''m a little sorry that the first one won''t be mine.¡± Ren said and grinned. Jhulune was quiet for a minute and then smiled. ¡°S-s-she''s a lucky girl.¡± ¡°That''s what I keep telling her!¡± Ren exclaimed. Jhulune laughed and nodded. Ren waved to her as she walked away and he saw the face of several guys light up when she smiled at them. Yep, she''s a heartbreaker. Ren walked around the corner and down the street to his building. He unlocked the door, but didn''t open it because he could hear something coming down the street. Ren turned around and saw a big warhorse clomping down the street, and on it''s back was Clint. Ren waved and Clint waved back. The warhorse sauntered over and Clint slid off the saddle. ¡°Howya doin'' Ren?¡± ¡°I''m fine. It''s nice to see you after so long.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Yeah, ah was just wondrin th'' other day about when you''d be makin'' me new bracers, an'' then ah got yer message.¡± He said. ¡°Came ''ere as fas'' as ah could.¡± Ren opened the door to his building. ¡°I appreciate that, Clint... but, I''m not sure what we can do with your mount.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t have a stall or anything. Maybe tie it up out back?¡± Clint shook his head. ¡°No need. She''ll stay righ'' ''ere by th'' door ifin ah tell her to.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s great!¡± He stepped through the doorway and then stepped back. ¡°Does she like sweets?¡± Clint''s eyes widened as Ren handed over a pastry. ¡°I''m saving the last one.¡± Ren said and went inside. Clint''s mount had frozen stiff when it had caught the scent of the sweet. ¡°Ah don'' normally give ya things like this, but bein'' as how it''s from Ren.¡± Clint said and held the pastry out to his mount. It very gently reached out and plucked the sweet from Clint''s outstretched hand and then slowly moved it around the inside of it''s mouth. The warhorse shivered as the sugar hit it''s system and it chewed the pastry slowly... and neighed in delight as the pastry dissolved and the horse swallowed it. Clint rubbed it on the head. ¡°Ya see? Tha''s why ah don'' give ya these things.¡± Clint said and laughed. ¡°Ah reckon Ren''s yer favrite now, huh?¡± The warhorse nodded and Clint laughed again. ¡°Stay ''ere by th'' door, okay?¡± The warhorse nodded again and Clint went inside, and saw Ren coming down the stairs. Clint looked around and only saw the forge, anvil, stack of wood, and a backpack on the wall. ¡°Tis a mite empty.¡± Ren nodded and pulled out 2 comfy chairs from inventory. ¡°I haven''t had a chance to make any furniture to put down here yet.¡± Ren said and sat down, inviting Clint to sit in the other one. ¡°How have you been?¡± ¡°Ah been doin'' fine. Mah business has been goin'' steady fer a while now.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah was glad ta hear from ya, an'' tha'' yer doin'' well, too.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Not yet. I haven''t opened a storefront or anything. I literally just bought the place a couple days ago, real time.¡± ¡°No kiddin''?¡± Clint said and grinned. ¡°Then it looks a lot better''n ah thought.¡± ¡°Ha. Ha. Ha.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Very funny.¡± Clint chuckled. ¡°Since ah saw you come down wit these, ah assume ya got more up there?¡± ¡°Just a couch in the living room. A bed, end tables, and a dresser in the bedroom. Table for the kitchen.¡± ¡°Sounds like yer makin'' an apartmen'' up there.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I figure since this is my own place, I might as well make it my own place.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°That didn''t come out right. What I meant is, I can come here to work, but I also wanted a place to live.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Ah getcha. Havin'' yer own space ta go to, is always a good thing.¡± They sat in silence for a minute and Ren started to laugh. ¡°Whahso funny?¡± Clint asked. ¡°I''ve been trying to delay showing you them; but it''s killing you, isn''t it?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°How canya tell?¡± ¡°You''ve been fidgeting ever since you sat down.¡± ¡°Alrigh''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Hand''em over.¡± Ren opened his inventory and took out the bow bracers. Clint whistled as Ren handed them over. ¡°Ren... these shure are beauties.¡± ¡°I didn''t know what color you wanted them, so I just left the main bracer a dull silver. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Tis more''n okay!¡± Clint said and equipped them, then sat back in the chair in shock. ¡°Did ya look at these stats?¡±
Quick Shot Bow Bracer (Upgraded - High Quality)
Strength +10 Dexterity +10
Accuracy +50% Piercing +10%
Critical Hit +30% Damage Bonus: +50%
Durability 550/550
How''d ya do it?¡± Clint asked as he examined them. ¡°Just some secret ingredients and a few enchantments.¡± Ren said. ¡°I should probably tell you that I upgraded the cartridges, too.¡± ¡°Whadaya mean?¡± ¡°They''re 14 shots each, now. Pop one out and see.¡± Clint took out the cartridge and most of the outside of the bracer came off in his hand. ¡°What? How?¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I remember how many times you had to change the things out during the battles in the cave, and I wanted to give you a little more time before you had to switch them out for new ones.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Clint tried to say as he put the clip back into the bracer. ¡°I know, I know... 2 cartridges isn''t enough. I didn''t know what kind of offensive punch you wanted, so I made these for you.¡± Ren took out the 4 cartridges with the color-coded bolts. ¡°This one''s Lightning, here''s Fire, Holy in case you meet any undead, and Ice. That one''s always a favorite.¡± Clint sat there, stunned into silence. ¡°The bolts have steel tips, too... and you know that damage is boosted by your stats. The basic bolts should do anywhere from 25 to 75 damage each, depending on where you hit and your stat bonuses. That''s a lowball count by the way. Since you''re a range weapons expert, it''s probably a lot higher than that. Also, it''ll be about 25% higher for the enchanted ones. I only enchanted 4 cartridges full of special bolts, though. I''m not made of mana, you know!¡± Ren said and laughed at Clint''s face. ¡°Okay, okay! I''m sorry that I''m teasing you so much. Here''s the rest of the cartridges I made.¡± Ren said and pulled out the other 8 cartridges of bolts and stacked them on the floor, 14 in total. ¡°Ren... ah... ah don'' know how I can thank ya enough fer this!¡± Clint said and shook his head. ¡°How much do ah owe ya?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°REN!¡± ¡°You''re money''s no good, Clint. I should have had these made for you a while ago.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, I only just learned how to make a bow... but, the first thing I did was make these with that knowledge. I''m sorry it took so long.¡± ¡°Ren... yer crazy if''n ya think I''m not gonna pay fer all these!¡± ¡°I won''t take any money for them.¡± Clint sat in silence for a minute, and then had an idea. ¡°If''n ya won''t take mah money... then by God, I''ll give ya a mount!¡± ¡°A-a what?¡± ¡°A mount! Just like Izabeal!¡± ¡°Clint, I really don''t think...¡± ¡°Ren! Ya''ll givin'' me a fortune in weapons an'' ammo. Yer takin'' a mount, whetha ya like it er not!¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Okay... but Izabeal is way too big for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, I thought she was too big for you.¡± Clint laughed. ¡°She thinks she''s too big fer me, too.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Ah''ll find somethin'' fer ya. Don'' you worry ''bout it none.¡± Clint said. ¡°If you''re going to give me a mount, you''d better deliver it at the end of the game week. I''m leaving next week, and I don''t know how long I''ll be gone.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Ah''ll have it here.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Now, pick up all your stuff!¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°I can''t believe you''re such a slob, leaving this mess on my new floor.¡± Clint guffawed, stood up, and stored everything into inventory. ¡°Ren, ah don'' see no mark o'' yours on these things.¡± ¡°Mark of mine?¡± ¡°Ya know... somethin'' that someone would see an then they''d know it was you that made it.¡± Clint said. ¡°Oh. I never thought of doing that, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll look into how to make one.¡± Ren stood up. ¡°Thanks for the idea.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Clint...¡± Ren said and stepped forward with his arms open... and Clint punched him in the shoulder. ¡°Ow!¡± Ren said and rubbed his arm. ¡°What was that for?¡± ¡°Fer trying ta hug me. They ain'' nothin'' wrong with it, but ah don'' swing tha'' way.¡± ¡°You don''t... swing that...¡± Ren started laughing. ¡°Whahso funny now?¡± Clint asked. ¡°It... it was just a hug!¡± Ren said between laughs. ¡°I wasn''t... I wasn''t making a pass at you or anything.¡± ¡°Oh. Sorry.¡± Clint said, a little embarrassed. ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren waved his apology away. ¡°I don''t think there''s anything wrong with it, either... but I am firmly on the ''liking girls'' side of the fence.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Trust me.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Ah better git goin''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah got a few things to pick up before ah head home.¡± Ren led Clint to the door and opened it. ¡°It was nice seeing you again, Clint.¡± ¡°Ah reckon it really was nice fer ya.¡± Clint said and grinned. ¡°Get outta here, you old cowpoke.¡± Ren said. Clint stopped in the threshold of the door and put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Ya''ll be safe, and take care, Ren.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You, too.¡± Clint walked over to his mount, climbed up the stirrups, and sat in the saddle. ¡°Bye, Izabeal!¡± Ren said and waved. Izabeal nodded her head and Clint laughed as he guided her in a 180 degree turn and then down the street. He kicked her into a trot and then they disappeared around a corner. Ren went back inside and grabbed the 2 comfy chairs. He took them upstairs to his apartment and put them back where they were. He opened the bedroom door, and Lucy''s phantom form was still there on the bed. Ren walked over to the end table and took out a big piece of cloth, dyed it bright blue and put it on the table. He wrote a quick note on the cloth and put the last pastry he had on it. ¡°If she wakes up while I''m gone, she''ll have a nice treat to tide her over until I get back.¡± Ren left the apartment and then locked up the building. ¡°Teepo, we''ve got some cooking to do!¡± Ren said and took off running down the street. ¡°Wheee!¡± Teepo said as people and buildings whizzed by. He always enjoyed it when Ren ran. Chapter 81 - Cooking Up A Storm Ren ran to the front of the mansion and a single guard was at the front door. Teepo hopped onto Ren''s head as the cloak was unequipped and Ren put on the apron. ¡°Kitchen staff.¡± Ren said and the guard nodded. Ren entered the mansion and went down the left hall and knocked on Donna''s office door. There was no answer, so Ren entered the kitchen to the hustle and bustle of making a meal. By the smell, it was eggs and bacon. Ren slapped his hands together lightly and then dove in to help where he could. Donna came into the kitchen about an hour later, disappointed that Ren hadn''t shown up to tell her he could start work, and was surprised to see that Ren was flipping bacon and cooking toast at the same time. Donna walked over to Tait, who was finishing up making a tray of rolls. ¡°What''s going on?¡± She asked him. ¡°He showed up over an hour ago and started helping Sandra with the eggs. He had a hard time judging when to flip them, but once he saw how we made them scrambled, he pretty much took over.¡± Donna''s eyes widened at that. ¡°Took over?¡± Tait nodded. ¡°He can whip those eggs like they were nothing. I don''t know how he does it! My arm kills me after a single bowl. He''s already finished the scrambled eggs for the garrison and now he''s moved on to do the fried eggs and bacon.¡± ¡°Where''s Sandra and Alina?¡± Donna asked. ¡°Ren''s handling everything really well, so they took a break.¡± Donna shook her head and walked over to Ren. ¡°Having fun?¡± Ren looked at her and flipped the bacon without looking. ¡°Am I! This is great!¡± He said and flipped the toast over. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Making a sandwich.¡± Donna stood back and watched as Ren used the butter brush to coat one side of the toast, dropped a few pieces of bacon on it, then a fried egg, and another buttered piece of toast. He put it on a plate, cut it into 4 pieces almost before Donna could see him move the knife, and he put it on the food service window into the main dining room. One of the maids took the sandwich right away and another maid took her place. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Donna asked. ¡°I can''t make them fast enough.¡± Ren said, finished another sandwich, and passed it out. ¡°Everyone loves them.¡± ¡°I don''t understand. How do they even know you can make them?¡± Ren''s face flushed a little red. ¡°That was my fault.¡± He said. ¡°I took a break and made one for myself. I cut it in 4 and ate a piece, then so did Alina.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Then Anabelle saw it and wanted to try it...¡± ¡°Anabelle?¡± Donna asked. Ren finished another sandwich and handed it to the waiting maid, who waved to Donna and blushed slightly at Ren. ¡°Oh.¡± Donna said. ¡°Once someone saw what she had... well, you know the rest.¡± Ren said. Donna nodded. She knew full well that news of something new on the menu would travel fast through the mansion. Ren finished another sandwich and passed it out. ¡°Only one more, Ren.¡± Anabelle said when she came back to the window. Ren nodded and did the sandwich up. ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said and smiled as he handed it to Anabelle, who blushed again as she took the sandwich. Ren scraped off the bacon residue and toast crumbs from the grill-like surface and wiped it down with a damp cloth. ¡°Is there something going on between you two?¡± Donna asked as she looked at Ren. Ren shook his head. ¡°Not really. We had a slight misunderstanding at a party once, and an awkward situation afterwards.¡± Donna raised her eyebrows. ¡°Don''t worry. I handled it properly...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°...at least, I hope I did.¡± Donna nodded. It wasn''t her business what people working for her did in their personal lives, unless it interferes with work. ¡°As long as it won''t disrupt my kitchen.¡± ¡°It won''t.¡± ¡°Where did you learn to make that?¡± Donna asked. ¡°Someone I care about used to make it for me once a week. When I saw what was for breakfast, I remembered it and thought, why not?¡± Ren said. A maid came to the window. ¡°More rolls, please.¡± Tait handed out a basket of freshly buttered rolls to her. ¡°Thanks.¡± She said and smiled at him. Tait smiled back and watched her cross the room to deliver the rolls to a table near the window. ¡°I think someone''s got a major crush going.¡± Alina said as she came back into the kitchen with Sandra right behind her. It was Tait''s turn for his face to flush a little red, and they giggled at him. ¡°That''s enough teasing of the poor man.¡± Donna said and pat Tait on the shoulder. ¡°Let''s all get to work, shall we?¡± She said. ¡°Lunch isn''t going to make itself.¡± Everyone nodded and got to work. The day passed quickly and Ren learned that the basic meals were always the same. Eggs for breakfast, soup for lunch, and meat of some kind for supper. The side dishes and desserts on the other hand, constantly changed. Fresh food was delivered every day, and there was no storage options at all. The food was mostly eaten during meals, but any leftovers were mulched for the local farmers, taken by the staff, given to the soldiers, or just tossed out. Ren was glad that there wasn''t much wasted. The evening came and he helped clean up the kitchen and set up the ingredients needed for the next day''s meals. Ren gathered Teepo up from the main hall and left the mansion. After a quick run to his building, he dropped off Teepo, said goodnight to him and Ruck, and went upstairs to the apartment. Ren went into the bedroom and saw that the sweet pastry was still there, along with the note. Ren smiled. ¡°I''m sure she''ll come back in eventually.¡± He settled down on the bed. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren ate an actual breakfast of porridge and milk, did his physical therapy session, had a shower, and half-enjoyed some teasing from Stella. Sometimes she could push it a little too far, but she had restrained herself today. Ren settled into bed and put on the VR headset. ¡°See you at lunch.¡± He said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren went back to work at the kitchen for 3 more days, coming back to the building each night to make furniture before logging off to eat in the real world and to take care of business. Ren made an 8 foot high by 8 foot wide cabinet for Ruck, stools and chairs for the first floor, and at the end of the fourth day, Ren''s Cooking skill had increased to Level 5, and Chop went to Level 8. Doing different cooking tasks has really pumped my skills up. Ren thought. Of course, chopping up 250 pounds of potatoes, 100 pounds of carrots, and 50 pounds of turnips, might have helped a little bit. Ren chuckled. After clean up and prepping for the next day, Ren said goodbye to everyone as they left the kitchen. They said goodbye and that it was nice meeting him. When everyone was gone, Donna asked Ren to come into her office and sat him down in the visitor''s chair. She sat behind her desk and folded her hands on top. ¡°Ren.¡± Donna said. ¡°Once again, you did a great job.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Is your head getting all jumbled with recipes yet?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Is it ever! You do so many different things every day. It''s almost a bit too much to keep track of.¡± ¡°I can make it easier for you.¡± Donna reached into a drawer and put a thick book on her desk. She crossed her hands over it and leaned towards Ren. ¡°This is a special Cook Book.¡± Ren''s eyes widened and she nodded. ¡°It''ll organize and store any recipes you learn, or that someone tells you about.¡± Donna said. ¡°I only have the one, though. I intended to give it to Sandra, as she''s the senior assistant in the kitchen.¡± ¡°You should give it to her, then.¡± Ren said and Donna had a surprised look on her face. ¡°I''m not here to steal anyone''s else''s hard work.¡± Ren said and let a slightly crooked smile appear on his face. The fake Mitchell''s words still stung, even though they weren''t true. Ren thought. ¡°I''m only here to learn how to cook.¡± Donna stood up and came around the desk to sit on the edge of it, right in front of Ren. She put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Are you sure? This will make it so much easier for you.¡± Donna said and picked up the book. Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°If it was so easy to learn, wouldn''t everyone be doing it?¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Where''s the fun in that?¡± Donna nodded and walked back around the desk to put the book back into the drawer it came from. ¡°Donan was right about you.¡± She said and took a big wooden box off the shelf behind where she stood. ¡°He said that you were determined to learn as much as you could, no matter how difficult the task.¡± Donna put the wooden box on the desk. ¡°I had my doubts, but after watching you work these last few days, you almost had me convinced... and then you turned down the book.¡± Ren stared at her with wide eyes. ¡°Yes, it was a test.¡± Donna chuckled. ¡°If you''d taken the book, you''d have had access to a very limited list of recipes. You would have been very happy with that, then never learned another thing about cooking, or try to pass it on to someone else.¡± ¡°Y-you''re kidding!¡± Ren said, surprised. Donna shook her head. ¡°It''s the only way for cooks in this profession to ensure that the people they teach won''t try to teach others what they learn, once they know a couple of recipes.¡± Ren thought about it for a minute. ¡°So, what you''re saying is... you don''t want people to just dabble with it; you want to make real cooks, that can actually cook.¡± She smiled and nodded. ¡°Does... does that mean I qualify for the real cook part?¡± Ren asked. Donna slid the large wooden box over to Ren. ¡°Normally, I''d wait a month or so before giving this to a worthy student, but you''ve proven to me that you''re not just dabbling. You''ve introduced some innovative meals here that everyone likes.¡± Donna said. ¡°The ''pancakes'' alone were a huge success.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Ren smiled. He''d looked up the recipe on the internet and was surprised that it was so simple. They didn''t have anything like maple syrup, but the recipe said that butter and strawberries were good, too. Ren opened the wooden box and it was full of cooking items. 1 large pot, 1 small pot, a frying pan, utencils for cooking, silverware, 1 place setting of dishes (a plate, a bowl, a cup, and a saucer), various spices, a small grate to put over a fire, and a fire starting kit. It had pretty much everything needed to cook outdoors. ¡°Donna... this...¡± Ren said, kind of at a loss for words. ¡°It''s too early for me to take this, isn''t it?¡± Donna widened her eyes. ¡°I mean... I barely learned how to cook in a fully decked out kitchen. I don''t have any experience with this.¡± Ren said and waved at the box. ¡°That''s the whole point of it, Ren.¡± Donna laughed. ¡°So you can learn!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°All right. I understand.¡± He said. ¡°Thank you, Donna.¡± Ren said and stored it into inventory. ¡°Don''t forget this.¡± Donna said and tossed Ren a book that was the same size as the Book of Runes he had. ¡°What...¡± Ren said and examined it.
The Traveller''s Cook Book
This book will automatically save any food recipes you learn.
¡°Donna, no!¡± Ren exclaimed, but when he didn''t feel any different, he relaxed. ¡°Oh, I thought...¡± Donna laughed for a full minute before she could calm down. ¡°The look on your face... oh, that was priceless.¡± She said and put a gentle hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°You were really shocked when you thought you wouldn''t learn anything else about cooking, weren''t you?¡± Ren nodded and stored the book in his inventory. ¡°That''s all the proof you''ll ever need that you''re the right person to have this, Ren.¡± Donna said. Ren smiled. ¡°You could have just hugged me or something, instead of scaring me like that!¡± Donna laughed again and gave him a huge hug. Despite wearing an apron and a slightly stiff white shirt, she succeeded in half-burying Ren''s face between her breasts, and then let him go. ¡°There, is that better?¡± Ren nodded, and then his face flushed a little red. Donna wasn''t wearing a bra. ¡°T-thank you, Donna.¡± Ren said. ¡°For everything.¡± ¡°You just worked for 4 and a half days straight, in a boiling hot kitchen, for no pay.¡± Donna said and shook her head. ¡°I''m the one who should be thanking you, Ren.¡± It was Ren''s turn to shake his head. ¡°You put up with me for 4 and a half days, trying to learn everything that I could. I''m the one who has to thank you.¡± They both stared at each other for a moment and then laughed together. ¡°All right, let''s just say we both got something out of this and call it a day.¡± Donna said an put out a hand for Ren to shake. Ren took it and smiled. ¡°Agreed.¡±
Quest Complete!
You have successfully learned all that you could from Donna in such a short a time. Difficulty: B Rewards: 3000 XP, Portable Cooking Kit Fame Bonus: 15%
¡°I really do wish I could stay longer, Donna.¡± Ren said after dismissing the popup. ¡°I know you do, Ren.¡± Donna said and smiled. ¡°You can come back whenever you want.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡± He said, then tilted his head. ¡°You just want a free worker whenever I''m in town, don''t you?¡± Donna laughed. ¡°Guilty!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Goodbye, Donna.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren. Take care.¡± Ren nodded and left the office, equipping his cloak on the way to the front door. He met Teepo at the lobby entrance. All done exploring, Teepo? ¡°Yep! I left no cranny uncrannied.¡± Teepo said and hopped in the hood of Ren''s cloak. Ren chuckled as he stepped out into the street and then ran back to his building. He went inside and shut the door behind him. ¡°Home sweet home.¡± Ren said and knocked on Ruck''s cabinet. ¡°I''m back. Thanks for waiting up. Goodnight.¡± Ruck knocked back twice in confirmation and Ren went over to Teepo''s place. Goodnight, Teepo. See you in the morning. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Teepo said as he hopped off and went through the opening in the paving stone. Ren went upstairs and the sweet pastry was still on the end table with the note. He got into bed and relaxed. ******** Ren logged out to eat breakfast, do his physical therapy, and to spend some time visiting with the nurses. He had 3 hours or so to go before he would log back in, but he didn''t waste it. Ren looked up how tubs were made and was surprised when he found out there were cast iron ones. He started to laugh as he read up on how to make one. It''s so easy! Ren thought. I don''t even have to do it the way they show. He looked up cast iron stoves and shook his head. How could I have been so stupid? I should have looked this up ages ago. Ren settled into bed and logged back into the game. ******** Ren ran downstairs, put the smelter on the forge, and started it up. Ren put in a few normal bars and waited for them to melt. Once they were molten, he threw in the last of the normal iron bars that he had and filled the smelter almost to the brim. ¡°Maybe I should have made the bigger forge.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I''m glad I went with the paving stone floor, otherwise I wouldn''t be able to do this.¡± Ren set out the stone bricks that he had into a 6 foot by 9 foot rectangle in front of the forge, then stirred up the molten metal. He let the smelter simmer for a while and went outside to gather up some of the dirt that he''d dug up while making Teepo''s cave. Ren went back and forth, making quite a large pile inside. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Teepo asked when he came out and saw Ren making a big mound of dirt near his place. ¡°I''m making a tub... and a sink... no, 2 sinks... and then possibly a stove.¡± Ren said and slapped the mound of dirt quite hard to pack it tightly together. Ren didn''t have an actual recipe for a tub, so he hoped that the system would let him use a heavily modified ''shovel'' recipe instead. Teepo crawled over the mound and pointed out parts that needed to be packed better. There was a knock on the door and Ren went to see who it was. A delivery man brought in a large, thin wooden crate, and set it on the floor next to the door. ¡°Your mirror, sir.¡± The man said. ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said and handed the man 11 gold. 10 for the mirror, and 1 for the tip. ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± The man said. ¡°If you need any other glass work done, just let me know.¡± ¡°I''ll do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s your name?¡± ¡°Medius, sir.¡± ¡°You can call me Ren.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Medius said. Ren chuckled. ¡°Thanks for the prompt delivery.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, sir. Have a good day.¡± ¡°You, too.¡± Ren said as Medius left.
Notice!
You have made a contact at the glassworks factory. Extra options are now available in the Business and Order menus.
Ren smiled and went back to packing the mound of dirt into a tub like shape, only it was upside down. Once that was done, Ren made a small one in the shape of a bathroom sink and one for a kitchen sink, both upside down as well. Teepo crawled up Ren''s leg and perched on his shoulder. If this idea works, the metal will form on the outside of the mounds to make the right shape. Ren thought as he skimmed off a few impurities from the molten metal and stirred it slowly. It won''t be long, now. Ren walked around the mound of dirt that the tub would be made on and cleaned up the edges. There. The metal should sit right down onto the paving stones. Ren thought and smiled. Of course, that''s assuming I can lift the partially molten cast over the top of it. There was another knock on his door and Ren went to see who it was. The young boy that had delivered some parchment paper over a week ago, was back and had 10 more sheets and 10 pieces of charcoal for drawing. Ren looked at the boy, who seemed to be out of breath. ¡°I ordered those last week. They were supposed to be delivered the next day.¡± The boy nodded. ¡°Sorry, sir.¡± ¡°You''re not going to give me a reason why?¡± Ren asked. The boy opened his mouth and then shook his head. ¡°It must have been important if you don''t want to tell me.¡± The boy''s eyes widened at Ren''s statement. ¡°I''ll take those.¡± Ren said, took the roll of parchment papers and charcoal, then stored them into inventory. He handed over 44 copper in payment. 30 for the paper, 10 for the charcoal, and 4 for the tip. The boy stared at the money in his hand. ¡°M-mister... it''s a week late! You shouldn''t tip me for that!¡± He said and tried to hand the 4 copper back. Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m sure a lot of your customers might be mad about the delay, but I''m not. I wasn''t home anyways, so it worked out well.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also noticed that you ran all the way here. You''re not wasting any more time, are you?¡± The boy shook his head. ¡°Good! Now get out of here and go make your other deliveries.¡± ¡°Thanks, mister! See ya!¡± The boy took off running down the street with the pack on his back shaking back and forth. There goes a boy after my own heart. Ren thought and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Mine, too!¡± Ren closed the door and went back to the forge. I think it''s time, Teepo. Ren poured the molten metal into the 6 foot by 9 foot area he''d surrounded with stone bricks in front of the forge. Using the skimming tool, he tried to push the molten metal into the rectangular shape. ¡°Damn. I need another pair of hands.¡± Ren said. Ruck came out of his cabinet, crawled across the floor right after Ren spoke, and gave Ren a ''thumbs up'' signal. Ren chuckled. ¡°Ruck, you''re just in time. Can you pour the smelter for me, please?¡± Ruck nodded and climbed around the back of the forge and used his arms to tip the smelter forward. Now that Ren had both arms free, he spread the molten metal and it filled the space up to about an inch. ¡°That''s enough, Ruck.¡± Ren said and Ruck tipped the smelter back to stop the flow of metal. Ren waited only a minute and moved one of the bricks away from the metal cast. It was starting to cool and Ren grinned. ¡°Perfect!¡± He moved another brick, took out his spare tongs and grabbed the slightly molten slab and lifted it up. It started to warp and bend and Ren flicked it, just like it was a sheet he wanted to cover a bed with, and the metal flopped onto the mound of dirt. Since the underside was cooling and the outside was still mostly molten, it slowly eased down into the shape that Ren wanted. Using the tongs and the skimming tool, Ren pushed the corners down to the floor. In a moment of inspiration, Ren took out one of the wind stones he''d made and used it on the metal to help it cool in the proper shape. It eventually turned from the red molten color to a dull grey. ¡°Ha ha! Sweet!¡± Ren shouted and Ruck clapped. ¡°I couldn''t have done that without your help. Thanks, Ruck.¡± Ruck gave the ''okay'' signal and then climbed down off the forge. Ren rubbed Ruck on the head and went to the workbench with the high quality iron bars under it. Ren grabbed a handful and tossed them in the almost empty smelter. ¡°I won''t need as much metal for the sinks.¡± Ren said and moved the stone bricks to make a smaller rectangle, only 3 feet by 4 feet. He had some time while the metal simmered, so he went over to the crate and opened it. The mirror was a 3 foot square and Ren smiled. ¡°It''s just the right size.¡± Ren closed the crate and went to one of the work benches, and pulled up a stool to sit on. He opened up the table design, thinned the legs and made them longer, and added a drawer from the dresser across the middle. Ren then shrunk the same drawer and added three of them on each side, then put a piece of plank on the back to hold the mirror. ¡°Nice.¡± Ren looked at what wood he had left, and there was only 2 planks. ¡°A quick run to the lumber mill, I think.¡± He said and Teepo chittered in delight. Ren chuckled and turned around. ¡°Hey, Ruck. Want to come along?¡± Ruck gave the ''thumbs up'' gesture and crawled over to the door. ¡°Climb aboard.¡± Ren said and thumb-pointed to his back. Ruck crawled up and tucked his back legs around Ren''s waist, his middle legs around Ren''s chest, and then his front legs over Ren''s shoulders. Ren glanced back and saw that Ruck was a little too low to see properly and would probably be kicked when Ren ran. ¡°Can you shimmy up a little bit, Ruck? I don''t want to kick you when I run.¡± Ruck moved up about 6 inches and Ren smiled. ¡°Even the balance feels better. Can you see okay?¡± Ruck gave another ''thumbs up'' gesture. ¡°Great. Let''s go.¡± Ren said and opened the door. Ren took a deep breath, closed the door behind him, and took off running. He ran the other way this time, as it was Ruck''s first journey out of the building. He ran down 2 blocks, around the corner, up 2 blocks, around that corner and past the Housing District. They arrived at the lumber mill and Ren got a popup.
Stat Change!
Running Level 2 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren bought 2 dozen more planks, even though he was supposed to get the wood for free, and tipped appropriately. Ren passed the planks to Ruck, who stored them easily. He waved to Jhulune, who waved back enthusiastically and came over to talk, and Ren asked how the horse was. Jhulune said the horse was doing fine and that the healer said that giving the horse an antidote potion was the best thing to do, because it might not have lived otherwise. ¡°I''m glad to hear that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You saved our horse, Ren.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Anyone could have done it. I''m just glad I was there to help.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°Say, I like your backpack.¡± ¡°Thanks. This is Ruck. Ruck, this is Jhulune.¡± Ruck reached out to shake hands, and Jhulune''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°R-R-Ren! Your... your backpack has hands!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Of course it does. How else is Ruck supposed to pass me stuff?¡± Jhulune still looked a little shocked but she reached a hand out slowly and Ruck shook her hand. ¡°It... it''s nice to meet you.¡± Jhulune said, and Ruck gave her a ''thumbs up'' gesture. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°Yeah, Ruck impresses me, too.¡± A few other workers came over and Ren introduced Ruck to them and they all had pretty much the same reactions as Jhulune. After a few minutes of chatting, Ren spoke. ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got my forge going and I don''t want to leave it for too long. I''ll see you later!¡± ¡°See you.¡± Jhulune said and waved. Ren and Ruck waved back and Jhulune laughed. ¡°I won''t be getting used to that anytime soon.¡± Ren laughed and started running. He went back and checked the forge, skimmed off some impurities and stirred the metal. ¡°It''s still going to be a little while. How about a quick trip around the city?¡± Ruck gave the ''okay'' gesture and the three friends went for a run around the main streets of Aurora. It''s just another day in the game. Ren thought and smiled at all the people staring at him as he ran by.
Fame Increase!
The citizens of Aurora have seen you running and carrying a backpack. They assume you are training for an important mission. Fame: +100
Ha! I think they''re right. Ren thought and kept running. Chapter 82 - Gathering Supplies Ren ended his run back at his building and went inside. ¡°I actually don''t remember the last time I just went out for a run.¡± Ruck let go of Ren and climbed down to the floor. ¡°I''m just going to make the sinks, then maybe a stove.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I say stove, but it''s just a metal box that you can cook things on.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t like the idea of burning wood like they do in the mansion''s kitchen, though. I''ll try and do something like the forge, but without the wind. I only need enough heat to cook, not to melt metal.¡± Ren walked over to the smelter and saw that it was ready. ¡°After I put these down to set, I''m heading out to the sunflower field to gather more ingredients. I''m almost out of both flowers and Balefire Moth dust.¡± Ren poured the molten metal into the 4 foot by 3 foot area he''d marked off with stone bricks until it was almost an inch thick. He waited for a minute and then used his tongs to pick it up and put it on the smallest mound, to make a small sink for the bathroom. The ends were pushed down with the skimming tool and tongs, and Ren pulled out a wind stone to help it set. Once it cooled off a little, Ren moved the stone bricks to make it a 4x6 area, and repeated the same process to cover the kitchen sink mold. Right now, they''re just window dressing and not actually functional. Ren thought. I''ll have to figure out what to do to change that... or find someone else who knows how to set them up. He went to the steel tub and kicked it lightly. It made a nice dull thud and Ren smiled as he picked it up and it slid off the dirt mound. When it was flipped over, there was still dirt residue in it and he brought the tub out behind the building. Ren took out one of the Ice enchanted stone bricks he had in inventory and absorbed the enchantment, then put a Water Spray glyph of 2 Water runes and 2 Wind runes on it. Ren washed out the tub and dried it with some cloth scraps, and put the deactivated Water Spray stone brink into inventory. It would be needed again soon. Ren went back inside and saw the sinks still needed time to cool off. He was tempted to soak them anyways, but didn''t want to take the chance that they would crack from rapid cooling. Ren poured the last of the metal into the big blank mold he had, and turned off the forge. ¡°I''m heading out to the field now. Are you coming, Ruck? You''ve only got a dozen sunflowers stored. I want to top that inventory slot off if I can, and maybe fill another.¡± Ruck gave a ''thumbs up'' gesture and Ren turned around for him to climb up again. Ready for another run, Teepo? ¡°Always!¡± Teepo said, excitedly. Ren left the building and locked the door. He walked around to the old man Apothocary''s shop and bought 2 dozen glass bottles. They were 5 copper each, so Ren paid him 120 copper for the bottles and tipped 6 copper. The old man laughed at Ren. ¡°Store owners aren''t supposed to take tips.¡± He slid the extra copper back across the counter. ¡°Oh, sorry. I didn''t know.¡± Ren said and accepted the coins back. ¡°That''s quite alright.¡± The old man said. ¡°I just hope you haven''t lost too much money from that mistake.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°How much is too much?¡± The old man laughed and then Ren left the shop. ¡°Here we go!¡± He took off running down the street until he hit the North Gate / South Gate street and turned north. Three blocks later they passed the guardhouse at the North Gate and Ren waved to the soldiers stationed there. He kept going, and about 10 minutes later, slowed his pace to let his Stamina recover. Ren wasn''t really in any rush, as the anvil wouldn''t be delivered until tomorrow, but he needed to make that sitting table for Lucy. She''d always wanted one with a nice big mirror. Now she''ll have one. Ren thought. When she comes back into the game. When the Stamina bar filled up, Ren took off running again and Teepo chitterd in delight. Ren wasn''t sure why Teepo liked it so much when he ran; but if he could give Teepo a little more happiness in his astral life, Ren didn''t mind running whenever he could. The trio arrived at the sunflower field at about noon, and Ren went into the field. It had been a while since he''d been there and he couldn''t find the spot where he''d harvested them from the roadside. Ren took out his woodworking toolbox from inventory, brought out a large pair of shears, then stored the box again. ¡°Okay, Ruck. You grab one and pull a little bit, so I''ll know which one you have. I''ll cut it off with the shears and say ''now'', then you can store it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sound good?¡± Ruck gave the ''okay'' gesture and Ren bent over slightly to reach the bottom of the stems. ¡°Go!¡± Ruck grabbed the closest one and pulled it towards Ren, who saw the stem shift. He clipped it off with the large pair of shears. ¡°Now.¡± Ruck stored it and then the next stem moved. They went slowly at first, until they got into a rhythm, and then went faster and faster. Eventually, Ren didn''t have to say ''now'', as Ruck found out that if he pulled a little harder and Ren cut them off, they popped up into his hands and then he stored them right away. To an outside observer, It looked like Ren was mowing the sunflowers down. Each one he cut disappeared almost immediately and then he cut the next one. Although he was hunched over to reach the bottom of the stems, Ren walked at a normal pace. They really were quite an efficient team. Ruck tapped Ren on the shoulder after not grabbing another flower. ¡°Are we done?¡± Ren asked. Ruck gave the ''thumbs up'' gesture. It had taken about half an hour to gather nearly 200 sunflowers. ¡°It should last a while. Now to get some Balefire Moth Dust.¡± Ren took out the woodworking tool box, put the shears inside, and stored it again. He activated Sneak and crept into the field of sunflowers. He eventually came to the clearing where the caterpillars gathered and Ren found a broken open den. He checked around for anything suspicious, then asked Teepo to check the hole. ¡°All clear.¡± Teepo said and Ren slid into it. There was tons of moth dust there and Ren filled 10 more bottles, making what he had an even dozen. It only used a pinch for each potion, but it adds up eventually. 12 bottles full should last a long time as well. He handed them to Ruck for storage. Ren climbed out of the hole and crept away until he thought he was far enough away from the nest, deactivated Sneak, and then started to run. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Teepo shouted and the sunflowers whipped by Ren''s head and Ruck kept his hands out to the sides, hitting the sunflowers. It didn''t slow Ren down, as his Rock Steady kept him going at the same speed. Ren emerged from the field and laughed as he was covered in a shower of sunflower petals. He turned around and saw Ruck''s hands had made a clear path through the sunflowers, tearing off the petals that he could reach. ¡°That was neat! Thanks, Ruck.¡± Ruck gave the ''thumbs up'' gesture and Ren started to run down the road. They got back to the city 2 hours after leaving it and Ren took the road through the North Gate until he hit the street to the West Gate. He took that corner and went out the West Gate to gather more basic ingredients while he had the chance. It didn''t take long to get his Herb Aura to Level 5 and gathered enough Health and Mana herbs to have 2 full inventory slots each, then topped off his Poison herbs and Antidote herbs to 99 each. ¡°Hey, Ruck... I think you''re almost full!¡± Ren said and Ruck gave the ''okay'' gesture. Ren went back into the city and ran back to his building. He went inside and let Ruck crawl down. ¡°How did you like your first time outside of the city?¡± Ren asked. Ruck gave the ''thumbs up'' gesture. ¡°I''d hoped you''d like it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I usually don''t go a lot of places, but for the last little while, I''ve spent more time outside the city than I have in it... and I''ll be going again soon.¡± Ruck pointed to himself and then at Ren. ¡°Yes, I want you to come. I really can''t carry everything by myself anymore.¡± Ruck gave the ''okay'' gesture and Ren smiled. ¡°Thanks, Ruck.¡± Ruck waved and went to his cabinet. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. I need those planks we got from the mill.¡± Ren said, and Ruck stacked them on the floor next to the other 2 that were still there on the floor. ¡°Thanks, Ruck.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Ruck gave the ''thumbs up'' gesture and shut the doors of his cabinet behind himself. ¡°What do you think he does in there?¡± Teepo asked. Anything he wants to. Ren thought. It''s his space. Just like you have yours. Ren walked over to the sinks he made and found they had cooled off. He took both of them out back and rinsed them out, then dried them like he did with the tub. Ren stored them and went back inside. ¡°Now to build that sitting table for Lucy.¡± Ren opened up the plans he''d made earlier and got to work. It took a while, especially all the small pieces for all the drawers, but eventually Ren finished it. He dyed it a dark brown like the other furniture and attached the mirror. He made a small stool to sit on, stored it and the sitting table, then went upstairs to the apartment and put it in the bedroom. It fit perfectly in the space that was left and Ren could see himself in the mirror. ¡°I really hope she likes it.¡± He said and turned to look at Lucy''s phantom form on the bed. ¡°There''s going to be a tub and sink in the bathroom, too.¡± Ren said to her, then went into the bathroom and took out the tub. He''d made the bottom flat so it sat well on the floor, but then, it was just a big metal trough in the middle of the floor. ¡°Hm. Should I build it into the wall or make it a free-standing one?¡± Ren looked at the walls. ¡°Free standing I think.¡± Ren put the tub back into inventory and went downstairs to the pile of wood. He took out his woodworking tool box and the tub, then built a box for it to sit in. Next was the bathroom sink and Ren made a simple square for it and to hang it on the wall. He stored them again and went back upstairs to the bathroom and attached the wooden square to the wall and set the sink in it. ¡°I should have ordered a small mirror for in here as well.¡± Ren said and shrugged. He didn''t order one now, as he wouldn''t be here to receive it. He took the tub out next and positioned it slightly away from the opposite wall, under the lone window, so it didn''t dominate the space. It was tempting to make a shower in the corner, but Ren needed to work out how to get the water out of the room first. Ren rubbed his hand on the tub''s surface and realized that water would probably turn if it was in contact with the metal too long, assuming the game was programmed that way. He examined the tub and it''s dimensions. ¡°Yeah, it should work.¡± Ren took out his bolt of Spider Silk Cloth and measured out enough to make a cozy for the inside of the tub. Using the plans he''d made of the tub, it was easy to adapt it to a pattern for sewing. There wasn''t much fabric left in the roll, but Ren didn''t mind. He''d put it to good use since he''d received it from Sally. Ren cut out the pieces he needed, dyed them red, and took his time sewing it inside out. He used Spider Silk Thread and pulled the stitches really tight. The edges of the fabric and the stitches would be underneath when it was flipped, and he put the liner into the tub. ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said and then made a small one for the bathroom sink. ¡°It''s almost gone.¡± Ren said when he held up the nearly empty bolt of cloth. ¡°I hope there''s enough for the kitchen one.¡± He left the bathroom, then the bedroom, and entered the kitchen. There was a single window there as well and Ren went to it. ¡°Here is the best place, I believe.¡± Ren modified the end table recipe he had and made a hole for the sink to sit in. He put it at a good height, then made it right there, attaching it to the wall. Ren used up the last of the Spider Silk Cloth to line the kitchen sink and stored the empty roll into inventory. Once again he was tempted to just make a whole countertop, but seeing as he didn''t know how much room he needed to leave for the ''appliances'' he intended to make, doing a countertop now would be foolish. Ren left the kitchen after cleaning up the sawdust, and went downstairs. ¡°It''s all slowly coming together.¡± He said and smiled, then stopped. He looked around and realized that there wasn''t a lick of lighting anywhere. Ren started to laugh and he told Teepo, who started to laugh, too. Ren walked over to Ruck''s cabinet and knocked. ¡°I''m heading to the general store to pick up some lanterns. Want to come along?¡± Ren stepped back and Ruck came out and closed the cabinet''s door. ¡°Hop on.¡± Ruck climbed onto Ren''s back and they left the building. Ren looked around and saw it was past suppertime in the game and ran as fast as he could. If he was lucky, he should catch Beable before he locked up for the night. Ren ran pretty hard, draining his Stamina bar quickly, but he reached the Market District in time and stopped at General Goode''s General Goods as Beable reached the door to lock it. ¡°Ha ha! You''re lucky! I was just about to lock up.¡± Beable said and held the door for Ren. ¡°Thanks for not shutting the door in my face.¡± Ren said and smiled. Beable laughed and shut the door. ¡°What can I get for you?¡± He asked and locked the door. ¡°A couple of lanterns. I need them to light up my place... assuming you don''t have something better?¡± Ren asked, hopeful. Beable smiled. ¡°Wait here.¡± Ren waited and Beable came back with what looked like an Aladdin''s lamp. ¡°Unlike a lantern that only lasts 6 hours on one flask of oil, this lasts for 12 hours on half that.¡± ¡°Sounds good. How much?¡± ¡°Only 5 silver.¡± ¡°Okay... what''s wrong with it?¡± Ren asked as his Vision of Impurity saw several flaws in the metal. ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°A lantern cost a gold coin, right?¡± Beable nodded. ¡°So, if this is so much better, and also so much cheaper, there''s got to be a drawback.¡± Ren reasoned. Beable sighed. ¡°It gets really hot.¡± ¡°How hot?¡± ¡°Enough to catch wood on fire after a few hours.¡± Beable said. ¡°And you were going to sell me that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Are you trying to lose customers?¡± Beable sighed again. ¡°I paid for these before they were delivered, then I found out how badly they were made. I''m losing a lot of money if I don''t sell them.¡± ¡°How many did you buy?¡± ¡°A hundred.¡± Beable said, dejected. ¡°I''m taking a loss selling them for only 5 silver, too.¡± ¡°Have you sold any yet?¡± Beable shook his head. ¡°You''re the only one who''s been interested in something besides a lantern.¡± Ren sighed. He really hated when people were scammed out of their money. ¡°Look, I''ll take the lot... if you throw in a flask of oil for each and an empty barrel.¡± Beable had a shocked look on his face for a moment and then squinted his eyes. ¡°You''re not going to sell them yourself, are you?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No. You''re right. They''re terrible lamps.¡± Ren reached out and squeezed the tip of the lantern in his fingers, right where he saw a flaw, and it crumpled. Beable winced. ¡°A flask of oil for each is too much.¡± Beable said. ¡°How about half that, and 2 empty barrels. I''m overstocked on those, anyways.¡± Ren thought about it for a minute. ¡°Deal.¡± Beable smiled as they shook hands. ¡°You''re a lifesaver.¡± He said. ¡°Do you want them delivered?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I''m leaving soon and won''t be home. I''ll take everything now.¡± Beable got a surprised look on his face and then shrugged. ¡°This way.¡± Ren followed Beable into his back room and saw stacks of boxes and crates. The amount of money he''s got tied up in stock is just staggering. Ren thought as they made their way to a stack near the back of the room. ¡°These are the crates of lamps.¡± Beable said, putting the damage lamp in the top crate and banging it shut. ¡°There''s 20 of them in each crate.¡± He pointed to another smaller stack. ¡°That''s the oil flasks, 10 in each.¡± Ren stored the 5 crates of lamps into inventory, then with 5 crates of oil flasks. Beable shook his head in disbelief. ¡°You Adventurers sure are something.¡± He said and turned around. Ren followed him back out to the front of the store and to a pile of empty barrels. Ren took 2 and stored them. When he looked around, he saw the grappling hook. ¡°How much is that?¡± Ren asked and pointed. ¡°70 silver.¡± Beable said without thinking. ¡°Ah... I mean, it''s 1 gold. Yes, 1 gold coin.¡± Ren laughed and then handed over 6 gold. 5 for the bad lamps, and 1 for the grappling hook. Beable looked at Ren with an expression that Ren couldn''t discern what it meant, and then Beable smiled. ¡°It''s always nice doing business with you.¡±
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Ren dismissed the popup and smiled back at Beable. ¡°I was just about to say the same thing.¡± Ren said and Beable nodded, then let him out of the shop. ¡°Have a good day.¡± Ren said and waved, then ran up the street. He got back to his building and let himself inside. ¡°Hey, Ruck... I''m sorry I didn''t ask while we were there, but Beable was in a hurry to close the shop... was there anything in there that you wanted?¡± Ruck crawled off of Ren''s back and shook from side to side, and Teepo hopped off Ren''s shoulder. ¡°If you think of anything you do want for your cabinet, let me know.¡± Ruck gave Ren an ''okay'' gesture. Ren nodded and then took out one of the empty barrels. He examined it closely, opened the top and felt the metal bands, and discovered the pattern for it. Ren used his new dwarf skill Appraisal and determined that the barrel in it''s current condition was worth a little more than the cost of the materials, about 50 copper. He took out the other barrel and used Appraisal on that one as well. Ren brought over a stool, and took out the 5 crates of lamps he just bought and stacked them on the floor in front of him. Ren opened the top crate, picked a lamp up, and used Appraisal on it. It was made of copper. With his Vision of Impurity picking out the flaws in the metal, all Ren could do was determine how much it actually was worth, and not what Beable had paid for it. It came out to be 8 silver for the first one. He repeated this process and used Appraisal on every one of the 100 lamps. When he''d gotten about halfway through, Appraisal went to Level 2 and he noticed something in the copper. Is that... traces of gold? Ren thought, and his Vision of Impurity went to Level 6. Yes, definitely traces of gold. No wonder the copper was weak! Ren kept appraising the lamps and they ranged from 3 silver for the really bad ones to 10 silver for a few that only had a couple of flaws. Ren kept those lamps out. When all the lamps had Appraisal used on them, he examined the lamps he''d put aside and discovered the pattern for it. It was a good design, with the wick at the top and the thick bottom. Ren thought. When the copper wasn''t too weak to hold the heat, that is. Ren had the bright idea to smelt them down, but it was getting late and he didn''t want to start another project that would keep him up all night. ¡°Goodnight, Ruck.¡± Ren said and Ruck waved. Goodnight, Teepo. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Teepo said and crawled into his place under the floor. Ren went upstairs and into the bedroom. The sweet pastry was still there, but it had been there for almost an in-game week. Ren took the pastry and the note, then realized he didn''t know what to do with them, as he didn''t have anywhere to throw them out. ¡°I need to make a trash can or something.¡± Ren said and stored the pastry and note in inventory. He climbed up onto the bed and laid down next to Lucy. ¡°Goodnight, Lucy.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren logged out for lunch and Stella teased him about sleeping with Lucy, and Ren rolled his eyes. He tried his best to tell her that they were sleeping in the same bed, but weren''t sleeping together. Stella laughed and served him lunch. Ren ate and watched a few game shows on television. The watch Lucy had given him beeped and Ren looked at it. Yep, the night is just about over. Ren thought. ¡°See you at supper, Stella.¡± Ren said and put on the VR headset. My anvil will be delivered today! ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Chapter 83 - A New Mount Ren woke up and got out of bed. ¡°Ah! Another day and more to do.¡± He said and stretched. He left the apartment, went downstairs, saw the remains of his work from the night before and shook his head. ¡°I should have pulled them apart last night when I took them out and examined them.¡± Ren sat down on the stool and pulled out each lamp, taking them apart and pulling out the wick. He was surprised the wick went all the way down the spout and then coiled around at the bottom of the lamp. ¡°No wonder they burn for so long. It takes a long time for the oil to travel all the way up the wick to burn.¡± Ren noticed that the rivets holding on the handle were iron, and used his blacksmith''s tools to pop them out, leaving only the copper and traces of gold for smelting. Ren turned on the forge and waited for the smelting apparatus to heat up. Once it was hot enough, Ren broke up the lamps one by one and put them into the smelter. The lamps were pretty thin, but after about 50 of them, the smelter was nearly full. Ren didn''t stir the mixture, as he knew that the slight gold impurities would sink to the bottom. The molten copper simmered for a while and when some impurities came to the surface, they were skimmed off and put in the stone receptical by the forge. Ren looked into it and saw that the bottom was barely covered, and smiled. ¡°It''s going to take a while to fill that up.¡± Ren watched the smelter, and then wondered what he was going to do with the copper when it was ready. The 2 blank molds I have are too thick to be practical to use for copper. What can I use... He thought and then kicked one of the stone bricks he still had set out for making the sinks. That''s a great idea! Ren stored all of the bricks that were still out, then set them into a 1 foot square, the exact size of a paving stone. I''ll have to watch the thickness. Too thin and I''ll have the same problem as the lamps, too thick and it''ll be difficult to work with. Ren poured out some of the copper and let it fill the improvised mold, but only to about a quarter of an inch. He let it cool and took out a piece of charcoal to mark how high to fill the space. As it was so thin, the copper cooled quickly and Ren popped it out and set it aside. It came out to be just the right thickness. He repeated this process, filling the mold up to the line he''d made and kept making 1 foot by 1 foot squares of copper. When the smelter was about half empty, he added more of the lamps and let them melt, skimmed off any impurities if they appeared, then kept pouring squares of copper. Ren eventually used up all of the lamps and waited for them to melt. He equipped his blacksmith''s belt and decided that with these squares of copper, he was going to make that lamp recipe. No impurities came to the surface and he smiled. Ren poured the next square and waited for it to almost completely cool, took it to the anvil and hammered out a lamp. He wasn''t used to working with metal that was so soft, so the first one was pretty much mashed into shape, and Ren laughed. ¡°This is definitely going to take some practice to get right.¡± Ren said and poured another square, then tossed the mangled lamp into the smelter. He worked for another half hour, just pouring and trying to make lamps. After the tenth one, he successfully had the technique down and the eleventh lamp came out perfect. ¡°Ha! I did it!¡± Ren said and held up the lamp and his Vision of Impurity couldn''t detect any flaws. He took out one of the 10 flasks of oil that he had purchased a while ago, rather than open one of the 5 crates he picked up yesterday. He poured just under half of a flask of oil into the lamp and that almost filled it. Ren dipped the whole wick into the oil, let it absorb as much as it could, then slid the wick up the spout of the lamp. He put the cover on top and took out one of the Ice glyph stones, absorbed the enchantment, and put a single Fire rune on it. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± Ren said, activated the Fire rune for an instant, and lit the lamp. It caught immediately and stayed lit. He set it on the stool he had sat on before and waited. It didn''t flicker or go out. ¡°Yes!¡± Ren exclaimed. He made another one, and then looked at the design. ¡°You know, this could be easily adapted to hang on a wall or from a ceiling.¡± Ren took out a piece of parchment and played with the lamp''s design, moved the opening from the top to the front of the lamp, under the spout, then straightened out the spout. He added two pieces on each side so that it could be nailed to the wall. ¡°There. One wall mounted top loading lamp.¡± Ren said, then made 6 of them. He took one, loaded it with oil, and soaked the wick. It was a little harder to slip the wick up the spout because of the position of the opening, but Ren managed to get it settled. He nailed it to the wall next to the stairs and lit it. The spout was far enough away from the wall that there was no danger of fire catching, and the lamp itself didn''t get hot because the spout was well away from the base and the oil inside. The only thing burning was the oil at the tip of the wick. Ren nodded and went up to the apartment and mounted 2 of the wall lamps in the bedroom, 1 in the bathroom, and 2 in the living room. He sat down on the couch and noticed that there was literally nothing to look at but a blank wall. Ren laughed and took out a bunch of the stone bricks that he''d used as a mold for the tub and built a small fireplace. It was just a stack of bricks at the back, then a row in front and up the sides, then he turned the top row of bricks so that half stuck out and added another row across top to hold them in place. Once it was braced properly, he put a single brick on the bottom and enchanted it with a double Fire glyph, thinking about Lucy using it. Ren activated it to see if the flame was big enough, and smiled. It was perfect and he deactivated it. He''d build a mantle for it later. Ren went back downstairs and poured out the last of the copper from the smelter, making several more copper squares. He stopped pouring when his Vision of Impurity let him see there was only gold left in the smelter. Ren took out a gold coin and examined it. He saw that it wasn''t just gold. There was a bit of iron in it to make it stronger, and it was stamped with where it was from and who made it. Ren didn''t get a recipe to make it, either. ¡°No copying coins, then. Should I make my own?¡± Ren asked himself, then shook his head. ¡°No, I''m better off just making square slivers of it, I think.¡± He took out a stone brick and a chisel, then gouged out a half inch deep grove in the stone''s surface, about an inch wide and 2 inches long. Using the small crucible, Ren poured small amounts of molten gold into the small space, and used a Wind stone to cool the metal and popped it out by hitting the stone lightly with a hammer. Ren repeated this until all the molten gold was used up. Ren scraped the inside of the smelter with the skimming tool to make sure all the gold was out of it. The last thing he needed was more contaminates while he smelted things. Ren turned off the forge and looked around. He had 15 slivers of unmarked gold, 60 one foot squares of copper, and enough lamps to light the building... until the second floor is done. Ren took the box he used to move dirt and filled it with the dirt that he''d used to make the molds for the tub and sinks. Once that was all dumped back outside, Ren went inside and didn''t know what to do with all the dirt bits left on the paving stones. ¡°Do they even have brooms in the game?¡± Ren asked out loud, then opened the Order menu. He searched for a while but couldn''t find anything. ¡°You''d think the general store would have a broom, but it doesn''t.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I''ll try to remember to make one later, but for now... Wind power it is.¡± He took out 2 stones he''d already had enchanted with Wind, but they weren''t anywhere near strong enough, so he absorbed them and enchanted a quadruple Wind glyph on each and activated them. He blew the dirt across the floor and guided it to the entrance to Teepo''s place. Once it was off the paving stones, it could be shoveled. Ren moved one of the 4 paving stones out of the holder he''d made for them and blew the dirt into the hole. Teepo came over to see what Ren was doing. The small amount of extra dirt made no difference to the entrance, as it was only dirt anyways, so Ren didn''t bother shoveling it away. Teepo crawled out of the hole and asked what was going on. Ren filled him in on what he''d been doing as Teepo crawled up onto his shoulder. Ren put the paving stone back, then he stood up to look at the floor. ¡°Yep. Nice and clean.¡± Ren said and then there was a knock on the front door. He walked over to the door and opened it. A dwarf stood there and nodded to Ren, and Ren nodded back. The dwarf stood there and looked at Ren from head to toe. He scowled a little, as if he didn''t like what he was seeing. Ren stared back, and saw that he was about 4 feet tall with a full head of long brown hair, mustache, and beard. He wore heavy plate armor covered in a kind of poncho, had a shield strapped to his back, and a large double-headed battleaxe hanging from a belt tied around the poncho. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I have your anvil.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Oh! That''s great!¡± Ren said and stepped back. ¡°Please bring it in.¡± The dwarf picked up his dufflebag and came inside. Ren looked around outside, but didn''t see anyone else or any kind of cart, then shrugged and shut the door. He turned around and went to where he had the borrowed anvil and stored it. ¡°You can put it here.¡± Ren said and pointed to the spot he''d just cleared. The dwarf opened up his dufflebag and took out an anvil that was only a foot long and didn''t have a stand. ¡°What is that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s the anvil you ordered.¡± The dwarf said and put it down in the designated spot. ¡°No... it isn''t.¡± ¡°Yes it is. You ordered the small anvil.¡± ¡°No, I did not.¡± Ren said and opened his Order menu. ¡°I clearly ordered the medium anvil. It comes with a stand. That is not a medium sized anvil.¡± Ren closed the menu and frowned. ¡°What am I supposed to use that for?¡± The dwarf shrugged. ¡°This is your anvil. You can do what you want with it.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m sorry. That is not the anvil I ordered, and I won''t accept it.¡± ¡°So... you are denying payment for the goods delivered.¡± The dwarf said, getting mad. Ren started to get mad himself. ¡°You aren''t listening. You haven''t delivered what I ordered. I''m not going to pay you for something that isn''t mine.¡± The dwarf inched his hand towards his batteaxe. ¡°I wouldn''t do that if I were you.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is my shop, and I won''t have any unruly behavior in it.¡± ¡°Then pay me what I am due.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I might have paid you a compliment if you''d had my anvil, or even an excuse that it''s delivery was delayed... but as it stands right now, I don''t owe you anything.¡± Ren said. The dwarf pulled his battle axe out of it''s holder. ¡°Don''t make me do this.¡± Ren said. The dwarf gripped the batteaxe in both hands and readied himself. Ren sighed as the dwarf charged. ¡°You''re BARRED!¡± Ren said and opened the door. A wave of magic picked up the dwarf and ushered him out the door and tossed him into the street. A few people were walking by and stared at the dwarf as he picked himself up and dusted off his poncho. Ren gathered up the dwarf''s dufflebag and the small anvil and went back to the open door. ¡°So you are too cowardly and weak to fight for yourself.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Ha...hahaha!¡± Ren laughed at the dwarf. ¡°Fight you? What for? Because you''re being stupid and not listening?¡± Ren said and stepped up to the edge of the protection barrier. ¡°It''s like you''re intentionally trying to provoke me. Are you doing this on purpose?¡± Ren asked, and the dwarf''s eyes widened. ¡°That would be the best explanation for your behavior.¡± The dwarf clamped his mouth shut, and Ren nodded. ¡°I thought so.¡± He tossed the small anvil to the dwarf, who caught it easily because he was barely 10 feet away. Ren tossed the dufflebag the same distance to land beside the dwarf, who''s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You can just take yourself back to wherever you came from.¡± Ren said and turned around. ¡°I''m cancelling my order.¡± Ren walked back to the doorway of his building. ¡°I''d rather try to buy an old anvil from a friend, than buy one from you.¡± The dwarf looked around at the people staring at him and frowned. It wasn''t supposed to happen like this! The dwarf thought as Ren went inside and closed the door. The dwarf walked over to the building, or at least tried to. He hit the edge of the protective barrier that surrounded the place, and bounced back. What am I supposed to do now? Ren sighed as he closed the door, and then put the borrowed anvil back in its place. ¡°Maybe Donan really will sell me this old anvil.¡± Ren thought. I''ll worry about that when I get back. He stood there for several minutes, thinking about what to do next. There was another knock on the door and Ren wondered who it was. He knew it wasn''t the dwarf again, because being barred meant staying about 5 feet away from the building, so he walked over to the door and opened it.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Clint!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Howya doin''?¡± Clint asked. ¡°I just had an unruly dwarf in here, trying to pawn off a tiny anvil on me.¡± Clint laughed. ¡°Ah reckon ya gave''im th'' boot, righ'' quick.¡± ¡°Darn tootin''.¡± Ren said and grinned. Clint slapped a hand on Ren''s shoulder and guffawed. ¡°Tha''s good. If''n you let''em git away wit anythin'', they''d be all over ya b''fore ya knew it.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°So, does this mean you brought me something?¡± Clint chuckled. ¡°Ah''m tempted ta let ya stew fer a while, like ya did ta me... but ah gotta get back to th'' ranch.¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°Normally I wouldn''t mind waiting, but I''m trying to get everything done before I leave.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Ah remember ya sayin'' somethin'' abou'' tha''.¡± He said and pulled Ren outside. ¡°Ah got yer surprise righ'' here.¡± Ren stepped out and saw a horse coming down the street, pulling a large cart. ¡°Hi, Izabeal.¡± Ren said to Clint''s mount standing by the building, and the warhorse nodded. They waited for a few minutes, while the cart driver turned around in the street and then backed up to stop near where they stood. ¡°What is that?¡± Ren said, as he heard an impact from the inside of the large crate on the back of the cart, which rocked. ¡°Yer gonna lov''it!¡± Clint exclaimed. ¡°She''s all trained up an everythin''.¡± There was another impact and the crate rocked harder. ¡°You trained her like this?¡± Ren asked, perplexed. Clint laughed. ¡°Nah, ah did it all in a big pen. She''s jus'' mad about bein'' in tha cage fer so long.¡± He walked Ren over to the back of the cart and Ren looked inside through one of the airholes. ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Ren said and looked again. ¡°Are you serious, Clint?¡± ¡°Ah shore am.¡± He said to Ren. ¡°Boys!¡± 2 men hopped off from the front of the cart and came around to the back. With Clint and Ren''s help, they got the crate off the cart and onto the ground. ¡°Ya better step back a bit. She''s a might territorial.¡± Ren stepped back about 6 feet from the end of the crate and Clint nodded. The 2 men pried off the side of the crate that was facing Ren. It fell open, landed a foot from Ren, and the creature stepped halfway out. ¡°What is that?!?¡± Teepo asked, surprised. It was the largest Bighorn Ram that Ren had ever seen. It was nearly 5 feet tall, was quite muscular in the legs. The huge horns protruded from the sides of the head, came forward at least 6 inches, then wrapped around in nearly a full circle. The ram looked around at it''s surroundings and noticed Ren staring at it. The ram pawed the ground and huffed. It''s a bighorn ram, Teepo. ¡°Back away!¡± One of the men said. ¡°No.¡± Ren said and stood his ground. ¡°I''ve run from lots of things before; but lately I''ve been learning that I can choose what to do... and right now, I choose to stand my ground.¡± ¡°Don''t challenge her!¡± The other man said, but it was too late. The ram dropped her head and charged. As she was only 3 feet away, she didn''t have much room to get a good run and Ren caught her by the horns and stopped her. She tried to push, but Ren''s dwarf ability Rock Steady kept him planted and Ren leaned into her and pushed her back. There was silence on the street as everyone saw Ren move the bighorn ram back a few inches. The ram was just as surprised as the spectators were and stopped trying to push. Ren let her go and she stepped back and lifted her head. She eyed Ren and huffed. ¡°Git outta there! She''s gonna ram!¡± Clint said. Ren smiled and shook his head. The ram reared up and tilted it''s head forward. It took a moment to get all that weight moving towards Ren, but then she pivoted and dove for Ren''s head, trying to smash with her horns. Ren''s hammerpick appeared in front of his face and her head hit that instead. A gong sounded and a small shockwave emanated from the hammerpick. The ram stepped back, dazed and a little confused. Clint started laughing and the 2 men with him wondered what was happening. ¡°Ren...¡± Clint said between guffaws. ¡°Ah was a little worried ya weren'' gonna be able ta handle ''er.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°So was I at first, but then I remembered what I could do.¡± The ram looked at Ren and huffed again. ¡°Stop.¡± Ren said in a commanding voice. The ram hesitated for a moment, shook it''s head and reared up again. Ren sighed. ¡°I don''t want to hurt you!¡± Ren said as the ram tried to slam into his head again with her horns. Ren held up the hammerpick and another gong sounded as she bounced off of it and then nearly collapsed. ¡°Stop!¡± Ren commanded again. The ram stumbled a bit, then knelt at his feet. Ren reached out a hand and ruffled the fur between her horns.
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Word of your encounter today will be spread quickly, and will be added to the tale of your accomplishments. Fame: +50
¡°Ah knew ya''d love ''er!¡± Clint said and came over to pat Ren on the back. ¡°She''s jus'' righ'' fer ya.¡± ¡°Where did you find her?¡± ¡°Now tha''s a good story. Ah heard o'' this odd female ram tha'' had horns like a male, was bigger''n ''em, and she took over a herd.¡± Ren widened his eyes. ¡°Females can do that?¡± Clint laughed. ¡°They ain'' supposed ta, but ah guess this one ''ere is special.¡± Ren looked her over and saw she already had a saddle on, and had the bit in her mouth that the reins were attached to. ¡°What''s her name?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Ya can name ''er yerself.¡± Ren thought about it for a minute as the Ram regained it''s senses. It tensed up as it noticed Ren was stroking its head between it''s horns. Ren felt the change and stopped petting her. ¡°I''m supposed to name you, but all I can come up with are girl''s names.¡± Ren said, then told the ram the names he came up with, and it shook it''s head after each one. Ren smiled. ¡°Well, we''ll just have to go for the only one I haven''t tried yet, and you''ve definitely shown the right characteristics for it.¡± The ram looked at him right in the eye, and he thought she would shake her head no again. ¡°Princess.¡± The ram kept looking at him and Ren smiled. ¡°Princess it is.¡± Clint said he had just as much trouble naming his mount, and Ren laughed. ¡°I''m not going to ask how long it took you to come up with ''Izabeal''.¡± The warhorse neighed behind them and Clint laughed. ¡°Ah long while.¡± Ren turned to the ram. ¡°Hi, Princess. I''m Ren.¡± The ram tilted her head a bit but didn''t react. Ren smiled again and turned back to Clint. ¡°Now, what do I do? I don''t have a stall or anything ready for her.¡± Clint slapped the side of the crate. ¡°Tha''s wha'' this is fer.¡± Ren widened his eyes. ¡°Jus'' take tha top off, put a couple hinges on tha''...¡± Clint said and pointed to the side of the crate on the ground. ¡°...and take off a few of th'' boards from th'' sides.¡± Ren looked at it, and then nodded. ¡°Thanks, Clint. That should work really well.¡± Clint nodded and told the 2 men they could head out with the horse and cart, then went over to Izabeal and climbed up on her back. ¡°Have fun!¡± Ren laughed and waved goodbye to them as they sauntered down the street. ¡°Well, Princess.¡± Ren said and looked at the bighorn ram. ¡°Why don''t we go inside and I can get you settled in.¡± The ram looked like it widened it''s eyes at Ren''s statement, and Ren stored the side of the crate into inventory and then the crate itself. ¡°Come on. I''m not leaving you outside.¡± Ren said and tugged on the reins. The ram looked around and then followed Ren into the building. Everyone on the street continued to stare at Ren as he led the large creature into his building. Ren shut the door and led the ram across the floor and to the back corner, beside Ruck''s cabinet. ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± Ren told the ram and he took out the crate. Using his hammer, he took off the top of the crate and every second board on the sides. Ren pushed the crate into the corner and looked at the floor of the crate. There was some straw and a few leaves, but after the trip there was hardly anything left that was suitable for the ram to sleep on. ¡°That''s all you have to rest on?¡± Ren said and shook his head. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He wrapped the end of the reins around one of the boards in the side of the crate and walked over to the anvil. Ren stored it and then left his building and went to Sally''s shop. After buying nearly half of her stock of cotton batting, Sally was so surprised that she didn''t even ask what he wanted it for. Ren left her shop and went to Donan''s. He gave back the anvil and thanked Donan profusely for it''s use. Donan asked if he got the new one and Ren shook his head, then told Donan what had happened. ¡°A dwarf?!?¡± Donan said. ¡°Did they change delivery men, I wonder?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It''s supposed to be a human delivery man. I know the guy. I''ve bought his anvils for years, and he is not a dwarf. He also wouldn''t send one, as he hates them with a passion.¡± Donan said. ¡°Oh... then I don''t know what''s going on.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope the real delivery man shows up soon.¡± Donan offered to send the guy a personal message, and Ren said that it could wait. He''d be leaving for the dwarven city soon. Ren said goodbye to Donan and walked back to his building. Out of habit, he walked through the alleyway that he and Lucy used to use to log out. ¡°Ren! There''s someone on the roof!¡± Teepo said. Ren jumped forward and turned around. The dwarf was there and saw that Ren had detected him somehow.
Notice!
You have entered PvNPC mode!
The dwarf took the battleaxe in his hands and then jumped. Ren pulled out the metal shield he''d taken from the old temple and as the battleaxe struck it, the Grip of Earth enchantment generated a rock hand. It reached out, grabbed the battle axe, and tried to crush it. The dwarf''s full weight landed on the shield and Ren shoved him off. The dwarf lost his grip on the axe, as the rock hand still held onto it and had the axe handle slightly bent. The dwarf stood about 3 feet away, unarmed. He had a shocked look on his face, and Ren stood up. ¡°What. Do. You. Want.¡± Ren said in a deep voice. The dwarf shook himself out of the shock he felt and took out his own shield. Ren smiled, lifted the arm with the shield on it, thought Deactivate and then caught the handle of the falling battle axe, letting it slip down until his hand hit the end of the handle right under double blades. He shifted his grip to hold the center piece that connected the 2 blades to each other and to the handle. ¡°This looks ruined.¡± Ren said. ¡°It can be fix-¡± The dwarf tried to say, then Ren used Iron Grip on it and crushed the center piece he was holding. The battleaxe broke apart into pieces as the 2 blades and the handle fell seperately to the ground. ¡°What. Do. You. Want.¡± Ren said and took out his hammerpick. The dwarf pulled out a dagger and hunkered down behind his shield and Ren sighed. ¡°I hope there''s no bad consequences when I finish this.¡± Ren stepped forward, guarding his flank with the shield, and swung the hammerpick down onto the dwarf''s shield. The hammerpick still had the Dark (or Gravity) glyph, and it knocked the shield to the ground and left a hammerpick-sized dent in it. The impact generated a small shockwave, but the dwarf''s body only moved back and forth slightly. He wasn''t knocked back or moved his feet at all. His face however, still had a shocked look as he stared at the practically ruined shield on the ground. ¡°I won''t ask again.¡± Ren said, and the dwarf dropped his dagger and knelt. ¡°I was sent to test you.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°To see if you were worthy to learn our ways.¡± Ren tilted his head slightly. ¡°And what ways are those? Useless taunting? Starting fights for no reason? Ambushing?¡± The dwarf nodded. ¡°The ways of war.¡± Ren looked at him with a frown. ¡°So... you did all this for nothing.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°Obviously, I didn''t pass your tests. You didn''t succeed at all.¡± The dwarf smiled. ¡°You passed, with flying colors. You''ll make a fine dwarf.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Not if I have to do stuff like this.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Fight stupid fights.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to finish this, and it seems like such a waste.¡± He sighed. ¡°How will you tell them I passed if you''re dead?¡± ¡°D-dead?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°This fight doesn''t end until one of us is dead.¡± The dwarf held up his hands in surrender. ¡°I surrender! I surrender!¡± Ren didn''t get a popup, shrugged, and lifted the hammerpick. ¡°You have to accept it!¡± The dwarf exclaimed. Ren lowered the hammerpick. ¡°And if I do?¡± ¡°You win.¡± ¡°I want a promise first.¡± Ren said. ¡°A-a what?¡± ¡°A promise. If I accept your surrender, I never want to do another useless fight like this with you.¡± The dwarf nodded. ¡°Then, I accept your surrender.¡±
Notice!
PvNPC mode has ended.
Notice!
Congratulations! You have defeated your opponent in One-on-One combat. Rewards: 1000 XP Fame Bonus: 16%
Notice!
You have defeated an opponent 30 levels higher than you. Fame: +50
¡°Huh... would you look at that. It worked.¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°I thought I had to kill you to end the fight.¡± The dwarf stood. ¡°I''m glad you didn''t have to.¡± He said and sighed. ¡°That was a close one. They said you were only a low level!¡± Ren looked at him and squinted his eyes. ¡°So you thought you''d have an easy time beating me and making me surrender?¡± Ren asked. The dwarf''s eyes widened and stepped back. ¡°Hey, I surrendered, didn''t I?¡± ¡°Only because you had to.¡± The dwarf nodded. ¡°Now what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Now we can go to the dwarf city.¡± ¡°What? Right now?¡± The dwarf nodded and bent down to pick up the pieces of his battleaxe. He carried them down the alleyway and dropped them next to the building he''d jumped from. Ren followed him with the shield and hammerpick still equipped. The dwarf climbed up the building and a moment later, tossed down his duffelbag. It landed with a heavy thud and the dwarf jumped down. He put the battleaxe pieces inside the bag and looked at Ren. ¡°You''re going to want to pack or something, right?¡± The dwarf asked. Ren nodded and told the dwarf to walk in front of him back to Ren''s building. They walked there and Ren went inside. He stored the shield and hammerpick and knocked on Ruck''s cabinet. ¡°It''s time to go.¡± Ruck came out and shut the door. Ren pat him on the head and then looked at his mount. Ren ran to the door and looked outside. ¡°Hey! Can I bring a mount?¡± The dwarf was a bit surprised by the request, but he was told to let Ren bring what he wanted, and nodded. ¡°Sweet.¡± Ren went back inside and went to Princess. ¡°Hey, I''m leaving for a while, and I''ll need your help.¡± Ren said and untied her reins from the crate. ¡°I''m allowed to take a mount, and I want you to come with me.¡± The ram looked at him with wide eyes and Ren chuckled. ¡°Yes, I''m asking. I''m not going to order you. That wouldn''t be fair to either of us.¡± Ren turned around and stored the crate, the unattached gate, and the top he''d removed. He didn''t know what kind of situations he''d be getting into while traveling, so he figured he better take as much with him as he could. ¡°Like I said, I need your help. I''ll have to get you something to eat for the journey, too.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Damn, I thought I''d have more time to deal with everything!¡± Ren looked around to see if there was anything he was forgetting, and didn''t notice anything that he needed to take, except for the wood. He stored that, and saw he had enough stones in inventory to make a forge, he still had 2 dozen springy trees (and tons of branches) so he could work on making bows, he had money, and Ruck had all of his potion ingredients. Ren dropped off the 5 crates of oil and left them beside the 5 empty crates that the lanterns had come in. ¡°Hm... anything else?¡± Ren took one more look around and then he thought of something he had almost forgotten. Ren ran upstairs and into the apartment, then the bedroom. Lucy''s phantom form still lay there and Ren sat beside her. He took out a piece of parchment paper and wrote out a note, saying what was going on and where he was going, that he had wanted to see her and tell her it all in person, but he had to leave suddenly. He wrote that he would miss her, and that he would leave the building key for her so she could always return, not to lose it, and he would get the key back from her when he returned. He signed the note and left it on the end table, folding it so that it was prominent and would be easily seen, and left the key on it. Ren pretended to stroke her face and then left the apartment. He went downstairs, took the bighorn ram''s reins, and asked Ruck to climb up onto his back. Ren led his mount to the door and then stepped outside. A new adventure was about to begin. Chapter 84 - The Journey Starts Ren walked out past the protective barrier and met the dwarf. ¡°I never did ask your name.¡± ¡°It''s Gausen.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I''m the ambassador for this city.¡± Ren stopped walking and stared at the dwarf. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± He said in disbelief. ¡°You''re the ambassador?!?¡± Gausen nodded. ¡°You don''t get out much, do you?¡± Ren asked. The dwarf shook his head. ¡°I just got the job before coming here.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°I don''t know if I should be honored to be your first contact, or glad that you didn''t succeed in beating me up first.¡± Gausen laughed. ¡°Go with the honored part. Despite my spectacular loss, it was a good fight.¡± It was Ren''s turn to shake his head. ¡°Should I ride my mount?¡± ¡°No... and before we leave, you better take this.¡± Gausen said and opened the dufflebag. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren said, a little wary. The dwarf had difficulty digging out a medium sized anvil and the stand for it from the bag. ¡°What the hell?¡± Gausen was a little out of breath when he spoke. ¡°We had someone pick it up on the way here. It seemed like the best way to meet you and conduct the test.¡± Ren shook his head again. ¡°Why did you make it so difficult on yourself? You showed up early anyways. I wasn''t expecting you for at least another few days.¡± Gausen smiled. ¡°That''s why we always show up early, to catch people unprepared to meet us.¡± Ren stored the anvil and stand into inventory. ¡°You''re not going to put it in your shop?¡± ¡°No. Let''s get going.¡± Gausen shrugged. ¡°This way.¡± Ren followed the dwarf down a side street to the main road by the Artesian District, but instead of turning west, Gausen turned east. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Ren asked. Gausen half turned and smiled. ¡°It''s a surprise.¡± It''s not that much of a surprise. Ren thought and followed Gausen. ¡°Why not?¡± Teepo asked. You''ll see in a minute. Ren thought to his friend. They reached one of the east gates and went through it. ¡°Oh, I see what you mean.¡± Teepo said. It was the dockyard. The group walked down to the first dock and then along the wooden walkway. Princess'' hooves sounded loud on the wood as the group walked around other people that were working on the dock, loading and unloading ships. When they got to the end of the dock, Ren saw what it was that they''d be traveling in, and shook his head. ¡°Seriously?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We''re going across the water in that?¡± ¡°What? Did you think we made things for ourselves the same size as everyone else?¡± Gausen said and laughed as he walked over the gangplank onto a dwarven ship. It looked exactly like the regular ships that were tied along the dock, the only difference... it was half the size. ¡°Where will I be staying?¡± Ren asked. ¡°There''s a small cabin for you in the back.¡± ¡°What about my mount?¡± Ren stopped walking at the end of the gangplank. ¡°I''m sure we can find room in the hold for it.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, but no.¡± Ren said. ¡°W-what?¡± Gausen said, surprised. ¡°I won''t leave my mount all alone in the hold for the trip.¡± ¡°Why not? It''s just a mount.¡± ¡°No, she isn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s my mount and she''s staying with me.¡± Gausen looked at Ren like he was crazy. ¡°You... you want to keep your mount in your cabin with you?¡± He asked, shaking his head. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± ¡°That depends... how long is the voyage?¡± ¡°I can''t tell you that. Dwarf secret.¡± Gausen answered. Ren smiled. ¡°Then, yes... I want to keep her with me.¡± ¡°I''ll ask the captain.¡± ¡°I can wait.¡± Ren said. Gausen went onto the ship and disappeared into the interior as Ren waited. Princess looked at him, and he shrugged. ¡°I literally just got you. Putting you in the hold for however long we''ll be on the boat, would be both cruel and negligent on my part.¡± Princess huffed and nodded. ¡°I''m glad that you agree.¡± Ren said and smiled. Gausen came back with an odd look on his face. ¡°The captain said that he doesn''t want animals in his cabins... but if you''re so worried about it, you can stay in the hold with it.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said and laughed at Gausen''s shocked look. ¡°Did you think I''d demand the captain accept my terms or I''d refuse to go?¡± Gausen nodded. ¡°I''m not that full of myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll stay in the hold, if there''s room.¡± Gausen looked at Ren and believed. ¡°You really are crazy, aren''t you?¡± Ren laughed and led Princess up the gangplank and asked where to get to the hold. Gausen led him to the front of the ship to a big square opening. A group of dwarves were lowering a large pallet of goods down into the ship, using a single pulley. ¡°You really should have a second pulley on that.¡± Ren said and tied Princess to the side of the boat, out of everyone''s way. ¡°I''m going to help them load, then get you settled, okay?¡± Princess huffed and Ren pat her neck. ¡°Let''s get this done!¡± Ren said and walked over to the empty pallet that they just pulled up out of the hold. He enchanted it with an Antidark rune, making it and anything they load on it 16% lighter, and joined the line of dwarves loading the pallet. Once the deckmaster waved that the pallet couldn''t hold anything else, Ren joined the ones holding the rope. The dwarves were all surprised at how much lighter the load seemed to be with only one more person on the rope, but they didn''t question it and the work went that much faster. After all the supplies were loaded and stored properly to balance the ship on open water, Ren led Princess onto the pallet and got on himself. He gripped the rope to keep his balance and the dwarves lowered him and his mount into the hold. Ren disenchanted the pallet and stepped off with Princess, then asked the holdmaster where he should put his mount''s crate. The holdmaster led Ren to a dark corner of the hold and said he could do whatever he wanted there. Ren thanked him and the dwarf looked at him like he was crazy, then walked away. Ren chuckled and took out the crate that was to be Princess'' home and slid it next to the wall. ¡°Ruck, do you want to hang on the wall or something for a while? I need to be able to move freely while I work.¡± Ren said. Ruck gave him an ''okay'' gesture and crawled off his back and then over to the wall next to the crate. ¡°You can look around if you want, but just be careful if you do.¡± Ruck gave the ''thumbs up'' gesture but stayed on the wall. Ren examined the wall that the crate was up against, and since the ship was curved on the outside and the wall he was examining was vertical, he assumed it wasn''t an outside wall and could nail into it. Ren took out some wood and made braces to attach to the wall and to the crate, to stop it from moving when the ship rocked back and forth... which it would undoubtedly do when they were out on the water. Once that was done, Ren took out some cloth, sewed up a giant pillow, and stuffed it with cotton batting. When it was nice and fluffy, he sewed it closed and placed it inside the crate. Princess had watched as Ren worked and didn''t move, even though Ren had neglected to tie her onto anything. When he put the pillow inside the crate, Princess looked at him. ¡°I know it''s just a pillow, but at least you don''t have to lay down on mangled straw... or just the bare wood.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go ahead. Try it.¡± Princess gently stepped into the crate and turned around. She pawed it a little with her hoof, careful to not tear the cloth, then folded her legs and plunked down onto it. Ren laughed. ¡°I''m glad you like it.¡± He then made one for himself, after modifying his bed design to remove the posts and headboard, leaving just enough space for the stuffed mattress. He didn''t have the resources to make a bedspring. Ren laughed again. I''m getting spoiled if the first thing I thought is that I don''t have a proper bed to sleep in. Ren stood back and surveyed his work. ¡°That''s not too bad.¡± He said, then turned to Princess. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Princess huffed and nodded. ¡°I''ll go see what''s for lunch.¡± Ren said and walked around the hold. ¡°There were a dozen dwarves down here, and they didn''t go up on the pallet lift before we came down... so I know there''s a hatch or something around.¡± Teepo? Want to take a look while I search, too? ¡°Sure, Ren.¡± Teepo said and hopped off his shoulder. ¡°Then I can explore the ship.¡± They searched the hold from end to end, but couldn''t find anything. ¡°I know there''s something I''m missing.¡± Ren said, then slapped his forehead. He activated Enchanted Eyes, then laughed. Hidden entryways were all along the hold. After activating both Read Rune and Decipher, he saw the Warding rune to help hide the opening, the Protection rune, the same rune he saw in the jail cell (he still didn''t know what it was), and another one he didn''t know. Ren concentrated on the nearest hidden opening. ¡°Deactivate.¡± He was surprised when it actually disappeared. ¡°Ha. Go figure.¡± Hey, Teepo. I found a way out. Teepo skittered over and Ren picked him up. I''ll drop you off at the top of the stairs. ¡°Thanks, Ren.¡± Ren stepped into the opening and climbed a couple steps, then turned and concentrated on the enchantment. ¡°Activate.¡± and the wall appeared again. ¡°Neat.¡± Ren said and climbed the rest of the steep but shallow stairs and arrived up on deck through one of the many portholes in the side of the main cabin area. He put Teepo on the wall and Teepo skittered away. Don''t get lost! ¡°Lost? Me?¡± Teepo chittered in laughter as he crawled into a crack in the wall. Ren shook his head and walked around. Dwarves were working hard to get the ship ready to sail again. He offered to help, but they told him that he didn''t know anything about how to handle a ship. Ren couldn''t argue with that, then went inside the main cabin area. The first dwarf he came across, he asked where the kitchen was. The dwarf just pointed and kept going. Ren shrugged and followed the path the dwarf pointed. Even though the ship looked small on the outside, there was surprisingly a large amount of space inside. It took Ren a few tries of locked doors, but he eventually found the room where meals were served.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Ren walked over to the serving window that looked like the one in the mansion, and saw a female dwarf working in the kitchen. She had her brown hair tied back into a braid, and it went all the way down to her ankles. Unlike the male dwarves that Ren had seen so far, she was actually well-proportioned for her size and was only slightly stocky. Her chest however, was quite large in comparison to her 4 foot tall body. It was quite a contrast, Ren had to admit to himself, as he saw that her apron hugged those curves closely. She wore a fancy green dress under the apron, much to Ren''s surprise. Most kitchen workers wore shirts and pants for the ease of movement. Ren thought. ¡°Pardon me, but can I ask you a question?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Obviously, you can.¡± She said. ¡°You just did.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay... are you serving lunch, what is it, and can I have enough for 2 people?¡± She looked at Ren with raised eyebrows. ¡°No, nothing, and no.¡± She said, answering his questions in order. Ren chuckled again. ¡°Nothing for lunch. Got it. Is there any chance I could get something to eat, then? I didn''t buy any food before coming to the ship.¡± He pulled out the 3 dry rations packs that he had bought weeks ago. ¡°These are all I have.¡± The dwarf frowned. If Ren''s guess was correct, she should automatically hate these things as a cook. She huffed. ¡°Fine. What would you like?¡± Ren smiled. She sounded a lot like Princess when she huffed like that. ¡°I''d ask you what you have ready, but since you just said you don''t have anything ready... I have a better idea. Do you think it would be okay if I came into the kitchen to have a look?¡± The female dwarf opened her mouth and looked like she was about to rant and rave at Ren, until Ren pulled out his apron and put it on. Her eyes widened and she closed her mouth, because the apron he now wore matched her own. She told him to come to the next door in the hallway and that she''d let him in. ¡°Thanks!¡± Ren said and walked around to the kitchen''s door and knocked. She let him in and he looked around. ¡°This is nice.¡± He walked over to the large stove and saw that it was the same as the one at the mansion, and it took up nearly half of the wall in the tiny kitchen. ¡°How in the world did you get this thing in here?¡± Ren asked and then looked at her. ¡°You''re burning wood on a ship?¡± The female dwarf laughed. ¡°How else are we supposed to get heat to cook? Wood is what we can burn in it.¡± Ren reached out and felt the stove. It was cold and Ren smiled. ¡°Well.. it would depend on if you had access to an enchanter.¡± The female dwarf looked at Ren like he was crazy. I''ve been getting that look a lot lately. ¡°We''re only a small merchant ship. We could barely afford the cost of the stove when the ship was built.¡± She said. ¡°We could probably afford an enchantment now, but why? Wood is pretty much free.¡± Ren opened up the bottom tray of the stove and started taking out the wood. He''d done it several times a day at the mansion to clean it out, since no one else wanted to do it. Ren smiled as he thought about the girls ganging up on Tait to make him do it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Obviously, I''m removing the wood.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you the only cook on the ship?¡± The female dwarf nodded. ¡°May I ask your name?¡± Ren asked as he glanced at her. She looked a little flustered for a moment, and waved a hand in front of her face a few times. ¡°N-N-Nathalia.¡± Ren smiled and cleared out the last piece of wood, then stored all of the wood into inventory to get it out of the way. Thinking about the mansion, he remembered that Donna wouldn''t let him alter the stove in their kitchen because she didn''t think changing it would be of enough benefit to matter; and the royal woodcutters would lose their jobs. Ren didn''t want to cost anyone their job, so he didn''t do it. That wasn''t a worry here, since it was a ship, and it would just be one less thing for the dwarves to do when they hit land. Ren took out three stone bricks, enchanted them with a double Fire rune glyph, and concentrated hard on Nathalia. He placed them into the bottom tray where he''d removed the wood. ¡°Come here, please.¡± Nathalia caught her breath. How can he be so forward! She thought. First he asks me my given name, and now he wants me to approach him as he kneels on the floor! Ren waved her forward, but Nathalia shook her head. Ren wasn''t sure what was wrong, but seeing that she was a little uncomfortable, he stood and stepped away from the stove. ¡°My apologies.¡± Ren said and bowed slightly. Nathalia gasped. And now he''s giving me Honor! She thought, shocked. Who is this man?!? Ren still wasn''t sure what was going on. ¡°If you go to the stove and say ''Activate'', the stones will light and heat the stove.¡± ¡°W-w-what?!?¡± Nathalia said and leaned on the table she stood next to. Now he''s giving me an expensive gift! She waved her hand in front of her face again and tried her best to not pass out. I''m only 30! For a man to be doing such things for me so soon... I... I... don''t know what to do! ¡°I''ve enchanted it so you won''t need wood.¡± Ren said. ¡°To turn it off, say ''Deactivate''.¡± Ren stood there and waited for Nathalia to recover from whatever it was she was going through. ¡°Are you all right?¡± He asked after a few minutes. ¡°I... I''m fine. Thank you.¡± Nathalia said and smiled. Ren relaxed. She seems to be over it, whatever it was. Nathalia went to the stove and said ''Activate''. The stones lit and the flames burned high enough to warm the stove almost immediately. She bent over to open the stove''s door, and as blast of heat hit her in the face, she smiled. ¡°It''s hot already, and I didn''t even have to stoke it!¡± Nathalia said, excitedly. ¡°You never have to stoke it.¡± Ren said and smiled at Nathalia''s shocked expression. ¡°W-w-what did you say?¡± ¡°As long as you don''t damage the stones, or remove them from the stove, they''ll work for as long as you want them to.¡± Nathalia''s mouth fell open as she stared at Ren, who chuckled. ¡°I didn''t put a time limit on them, so you can keep saying the commands and it will work.¡± Not that I know how to put a time limit on them, anyways. Ren thought. ¡°You''re serious? They''ll always work?¡± She asked, dumbfounded. Ren nodded. Nathalia stood up and stepped close to Ren. In one swift motion, she stood up on the tips of her toes, wrapped her arms around Ren''s neck, and kissed him. Oh, crap. ¡°What is it?¡± Teepo asked. Another woman is kissing me. Ren thought and held his hands out in a ''I''m not touching her'' gesture, knowing full well that someone... namely Stella... was watching the game feed right now. He also did not kiss her back in any way. ¡°Way to go, Ren!¡± Teepo, this isn''t a time to celebrate! ¡°Oh... I thought you''d be happy about it.¡± If I didn''t have a girlfriend, I probably would be happy about it. Ren thought. Nathalia wasn''t wearing a bra, and Ren could feel a lot of her through her green dress, the thin aprons they wore, and his shirt. There''s apparently a shortage of bras in this game. Ren thought and Teepo chittered in laughter. A moment later, Nathalia broke the kiss and stepped back with a deep red blush on her face. ¡°Thank you very much for the gift.¡± She said and ducked her head slightly. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can help yourself to... anything... in the kitchen.¡± Nathalia said and held her hands together in front of her waist, and turned slightly from side to side. Ren didn''t know what to say to that, and after what he thought was a really long awkward pause, he looked around the kitchen to see what they had in stock. ¡°There''s not a lot here for a quick meal.¡± Ren said and looked at Nathalia. ¡°You only make big meals, don''t you?¡± She nodded. ¡°What are you making for supper?¡± ¡°I''ve got a side of boar in the pantry, and I''d planned on mashed potatoes. They''re hard to peel and take forever to do, so that''s what I was doing when you showed up.¡± Ren looked at the table she stood near and nodded. There was a half dozen peeled potatoes and a pile next to that, chopped up. ¡°I''m sorry that I interruped you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like to make something up, if you don''t mind my intrusion.¡± Nathalia shook her head and smiled. ¡°I don''t mind at all.¡± Ren went over to her and grabbed a large cookie sheet from the rack above the cabinet by the table the potatoes were on. He put the cookie sheet down on the table, as there was still lots of room left. Ren reached for a knife on the rack and examined it. He nodded and started to peel potatoes, then chopped them up into slices. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Making one of my favorite things.¡± Ren said and chopped the slices into french fries. ¡°I can''t cook them like I want to, at least not yet, but baking them works almost as well.¡± She watched him work and studied what he was doing. He can cut them up so fast! Ren filled the cookie sheet with them, sprinkled a bit of seasoning on them, and put them in the stove. ¡°They''re pretty thin, so it won''t take long before I have to flip them.¡± Nathalia stared at him again like he was crazy, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry. There''s a method to my madness.¡± A few minutes later, Ren took out the sheet and used a spatula to flip them, added a bit more seasoning, and put them back in. After another few minutes, he took out the pan and the french fries were a nice golden brown. Ren stirred them up a little, then grabbed a big bowl from the shelf under the table. He slid the fries into the bowl, ate one, and then held the bowl out to Nathalia. ¡°Want to try them?¡± Ren asked and watched her face as she tried to reach for one. Now we''re sharing food! She thought. Ren saw consternation, curiosity, denial, longing, and a few other emotions that went by too fast to read. Nathalia eventually made up her mind, and took one. Her face lit up and she ate it quickly, then took another one. ¡°They''re delicious!¡± They''re not as good as deep frying them, but I haven''t found a good oil to use for frying. Ren thought as Nathalia took another french fry. ¡°What are they called?¡± She asked. ¡°Fries.¡± Ren said. ¡°F-fries. Fries. Fries!¡± Nathalia said and took another. ¡°I have to take these to my friend, but I''ll be right back.¡± Nathalia looked a little sad, but nodded. ¡°I''ll make more.¡± Ren said. She smiled and went back to work peeling potatoes. Ren took the big bowl of fries to the hold and gave it to Princess. She looked at it skeptically, until Ren took one and ate it. ¡°Mmm, delicious!¡± He said and rubbed his belly. She sniffed them, gave one a lick... and then tried to eat the bowl. ¡°Hold on! HOLD ON!¡± Ren said, laughing. ¡°Take your time! Please, don''t eat the bowl. I''ll bring more later.¡± Princess ate the fries at a pace that she considered slow, but Ren pretty much saw her suck the things into her mouth and they were gone. He laughed again, shook his head, and picked up the bowl. After looking for teeth marks, he left the hold and went back to the kitchen. Ren knocked on the door and Nathalia let him in. He put the bowl on the floor next to the door and went to work. He made another batch of fries for Nathalia, that she ate while Ren helped her peel and chop up the potatoes. When they were all chopped up, she brought out a giant pot and tied a rope to it, then opened a window. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Getting water for the potatoes.¡± Ren stared at her. ¡°You... you''re getting water... from outside of the ship?!?¡± ¡°Where else would I get it?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren looked at the sink and saw the tap. She followed his gaze and chuckled. ¡°Where do you think the water in that comes from?¡± She asked and laughed at Ren''s expression. ¡°You don''t travel on ships much, do you?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°This is my first time.¡± Nathalia looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I don''t know if I should tell you that you''re going to have a great time, or warn you that you might be sick as a dog.¡± ¡°I''m voting for having a great time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I get a vote, right?¡± He laughed. Nathalia shook her head. ¡°You really are crazy.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You go back to peeling, I''ll fill the pot.¡± She shrugged and handed Ren the rope and pot. She always had trouble pulling the pot back in anyways. Ren took out another raised platform ring and placed a finger on the front of it, enchanting it with a quadruple Water glyph. He put it on and held it over the pot. Activate. Water poured out of the ring and filled the pot and a moment later Ren gave the second command. Deactivate. ¡°Where do you want it?¡± Ren asked. Nathalia looked at him with surprise on her face. She''d only looked away for a minute and he''d already brought a full pot of water up from outside. ¡°On the stove, please.¡± Ren put it there and the water slowly started to heat up. Looking at the pot with his Vision of Impurity, he saw a flaw in the metal near the top. He examined the pot and was surprised that it had barely any durability left. Ren took out his blacksmith''s hammer and held it to the pot. ¡°¡± He whispered. The pot glowed for a moment and was fixed. It made Ren wonder what else needed repairs so badly. Using his Vision of Impurity and examining everything he could see or find, he repaired anything that needed it. Nathalia had watched Ren out of the corner of her eye the whole time, as he went around and touched everything in the kitchen. She''d almost protested out loud several times as he dug out every single piece of metal he could find. No one has ever touched all of my things like that! She thought and tried to get mad about it, but as she watched him, she couldn''t bring herself to hate him. He took out each item, gently ran his hands on it, almost caressing it, and held onto it for only a moment. She thought she saw a few things glow, but she dismissed that, because she was straining her eyes trying to watch him and assumed that her eyes were playing tricks on her. When Ren was done repairing everything, he made up another batch of french fries for Princess, and then another for the captain. The potatoes finished boiling. He didn''t even ask Nathalia if she wanted him to do it, he just grabbed the strainer and set it over the sink, took the big pot of potatoes, and drained them. Even though he''d only worked in the mansion''s kitchen for just over 4 days, He''d done it so often that it was almost automatic. He reached for the potato masher and made short work of the boiled potatoes. ¡°Milk?¡± Ren asked a shocked Nathalia. He didn''t even blink as he mashed those potatoes! How did he do that so fast? She thought and pointed to the pantry. Ren found the milk and grabbed a slab of butter from the pantry, too. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Making mashed potatoes.¡± Ren said. Milk and butter? In potatoes? She thought and frowned. Ren chopped up the butter and mashed the potatoes a little, then poured in a good amount of milk. He pumped his hand up and down, mashing and mixing at the same time, and soon the potatoes were a white fluffy mass that looked like clouds. Ren grabbed a spoon from the rack hanging over the table and scooped out a little bit. ¡°Here. Try this.¡± Ren said and held the spoon out for her. Nathalia blushed a little, and held her mouth open. Ren fed her some of the mashed potatoes and saw her face light up. ¡°That''s really good!¡± She said. ¡°When I saw you put on your apron, I figured you knew how to help out in a kitchen; but, I had no idea that you knew how to cook!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m just learning, so I can only do a few things.¡± The boat rocked from side to side and Nathalia stumbled. She would have fallen onto the hot stove, but Ren caught her and pulled her away from being burned. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Nathalia nodded as the boat steadied. ¡°We''re casting off.¡± She said, and blushed as she realized that Ren had caught her before she realized she was even falling. He''s so gallant! Ren let her go and she held onto the table. ¡°I have to get the side of boar into the stove for supper.¡± She said. He nodded and went to get it. He came back carrying it and put it on the table, like it weighed nothing. He''s so strong. She thought and started to wave a hand in front of her face again. ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren said and Nathalia nodded. ¡°Don''t forget to give the fries to the captain.¡± Nathalia nodded again. ¡°Thank you for all your help.¡± Ren nodded, waved, and left the kitchen. I hope Princess isn''t too shaken up right now. He thought. I should have been there for the cast off, but I didn''t even know we were leaving so soon. You''d think they would have made an announcement or something! Ren got back into the hold and Princess was calm as can be and he smiled. ¡°Are you ready for more fries?¡± Ren asked and she bleated loudly. ¡°Okay, okay! Here.¡± He said and laughed as he passed her the bowl full of fries. Chapter 85 - A Taste Of Dwarf Life ¡°You might enjoy those more if you took your time.¡± Ren said and Princess looked at him with about half of the big bowl''s fries sticking out of her mouth. ¡°Don''t get mad at me, it''s just a suggestion.¡± She tried to huff and a pile of fries popped out of her mouth and back into the bowl. Ren laughed as Princess tried her best to get those fries back into her mouth before chewing what she had first. He waited until she finished the fries and then she licked the bowl clean. ¡°You didn''t have to lick it clean. I was going to wash it anyways.¡± Ren said, and laughed at her stern look. ¡°I''m going topside for a while. Now that we''re actually going out to sea, I''m going out to see where we''re going.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That sounded weird, even to me.¡± He said and chuckled. ¡°I''ll see you later, Princess. Do you want to come, Ruck?¡± Ruck shook back and forth in a ''no'' gesture. ¡°Okay. See you later.¡± Ren went up on deck and used his water ring to rinse out the bowl over the side of the ship. I''ll give it a proper washing the next time I''m in the kitchen. Ren thought as he looked at the open water. He wondered how far he had to go in the ship to get to the dwarven city, then decided to go for a walk around the deck of the ship. He stayed out of everyone''s way, until he came to one dwarf that looked like he needed help to secure a loose rope. He was straining to hold it and tie the end at the same time. Ren grabbed on and held it taut, and the dwarf looked at him like he was crazy, shrugged and tied a knot on the end. The dwarf nodded and Ren nodded back, then kept walking around the deck. He didn''t see the other 2 dwarves that had come over to help, standing there staring at him as he walked away. Ren came around the main cabin area and saw a group of dwarves standing in a circle near the back of the main deck. They were hollering and goading the 2 dwarves that they surrounded. Ren approached the group and could easily see. Ren was 4 foot 7 inches; he pretty much towered over nearly every dwarf on the ship, since they ranged from 3 feet 6 inches tall to 4 feet 3 inches tall. They were all talking at once, but Ren picked up details here and there. One of the dwarfs had dipped a mop into the other dwarf''s bucket that was supposed to be only for brushes. Ren shook his head slightly and walked on. He climbed the few stairs to the back deck where the steering wheel was. The dwarf holding the wheel had watched Ren as he approached and Ren nodded. The dwarf''s eyes widened slightly and nodded back. Ren walked to the very back of the ship and stared at the coastline as it drifted away. He smiled at how wrong that statement was. It was Ren that was drifting away from everything that he knew. I hope this was a good decision. Ren thought. ¡°Of course it was.¡± Teepo said and Ren looked down over the back of the ship. Teepo was clinging to the side of the large rudder. What the hell are you doing down there? Ren thought, flabbergasted. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Just checking everything out.¡± Ren shook his head. Geez, Teepo! What if you fell off? ¡°You''d save me.¡± Teepo said and crawled back onto the side of the ship. Ren looked at his friend and smiled. Yeah, if I couldn''t just summon you, I''d get you out of there somehow. Teepo crawled all the way up the side of the ship then up Ren''s arm to perch on the shoulder. Explored the rest of the ship, have you? ¡°I did. There''s a lot of spaces I haven''t been in yet, but I found out where they all are.¡± Ren smiled and looked at the receding land. Tell me about it. Teepo filled Ren in on all the rooms he''d found, how many dwarves were on the ship, where the captain''s cabin was, how to get to the rowing deck, and the engine room. Did you say engine room? ¡°Yeah. It''s right next to where I just was. I heard the dwarf that was cleaning the rowing deck say that they needed to get the oars ready for when they next get to a dock.¡± They don''t use the oars all the time? Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Dwarves rowing all the time? No, they just do that around the dock.¡± Why? ¡°Why row when you can just let the water move you?¡± Okay, this I have to see. Ren thought. ¡°I can take you there.¡± Teepo offered. No, I think I''ll go through ''official channels'' for this. The last thing I need is to be kicked off the ship, or worse, prosecuted for stealing secrets. ¡°Oh. That would be bad.¡± Teepo said. Ren nodded and turned around to walk down the other side of the ship, but only took three steps and stopped short when another dwarf stood in front of him. He had a short mohawk of black hair and the sides of his head and chin were shaved clean, except for the part around his mouth. He had a big bushy mustache connected to a large tuft of beard on the end of the chin. He had a wicked tattoo of a snake that started at his temple, ran around his ear, down his neck and shoulder, and around his bicep. He was both muscular and stocky; and pretty much naked, except for a loincloth and leather pouches on the sides of his hips. He also wore boots with thick soles. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Ren asked. The dwarf didn''t say anything. Ren stepped to the side to try and go around him and the dwarf stepped to the side as well. The group of dwarves that he''d passed on the lower deck slowly surrounded them, and started goading them. ¡°Don''t do this.¡± Ren warned him. ¡°Your on my nice clean deck.¡± The dwarf said. Ren didn''t look down, as it was an invitation to get punched. Plus, he''d walked all along one side of the ship and from what he''d seen, the deck was anything but clean.
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You have entered PvNPC mode!
¡°I guess I don''t have any choice in the matter.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°At least I don''t have to kill you.¡± The dwarf''s eyes widened at Ren''s words, then closed as Ren''s right hand fist struck the side of his face. The dwarf''s head spun to the left, but his body didn''t move at all. He spit out some blood and started to turn his head back. Ren hit the dwarf with his left fist, then the right again, kicked the dwarf in the gut, put a knee under the dwarf''s face, then brought an elbow down on the back of the dwarf''s head, smashing the head both in the front and in the back at the same time. Silence engulfed the onlookers as the dwarf Ren had beaten to a pulp, with almost no effort, slid to the deck and didn''t move.
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PvNPC mode has ended.
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Congratulations! You have defeated your opponent in One-on-One combat. Rewards: 500 XP Fame Bonus: 17%
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You have defeated an opponent 15 levels higher than you. Fame: +25
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You have unlocked a skill: Unarmed Combat
Ren dismissed the popups and looked at his hands. That actually worked. Ren thought. I figured using a weapon would probably be against the rules, but just using my hands... that was new. One of the dwarves stepped forward and Ren saw that it was Gausen. ¡°I tried to convince him not to do it.¡± Gausen said and laughed, and then everyone else broke into cheers. ¡°Even after I told everyone what happened during your test, he still wanted to see how strong you were.¡± ¡°I assume you also told him how I hated useless fights.¡± Ren said. Gausen nodded. ¡°I did... but was this one useless?¡± He motioned to the spectators. Ren saw that they were all discussing how he''d destroyed his opponent without even getting hit once. Some were even trying to duplicate his moves. Ren shook his head a little and Gausen stepped close. ¡°Where did you learn to fight like that?¡± Gausen asked and the crowd fell silent again. ¡°MMA.¡± Ren said without thinking. He''d watched shows about it a lot over the years, dreaming that someday he''d be well enough to try it. ¡°Ememay...¡± Gausen said, grabbed Ren''s arm and lifted it into the air. ¡°I give you the winner! Ren of House Ememay!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Ren said, but it was too late. The dwarves swarmed him, patting him on the back and arms, congratulating him on a victory that his House could be proud of. Oh, crap. ¡°What is it?¡± Teepo asked. If I''m reading this situation right... and I''m sorry to say that I believe I''m right... I''ve just been declared a member of a Dwarven House ¡°Isn''t that a good thing?¡± Probably, except that the Dwarven House of Ememay doesn''t actually exist. ¡°It does now.¡± Teepo said. What? ¡°You''ve beaten a representative of another House in Honorable combat. It grants you the right to either join that House as the new representative, stay with your old House, or claim and establish another House.¡± Teepo... how do you know all of this? Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Dwarves spend as much time in caves and dungeons as beetles do. We share the same living space most of the time. You tend to learn a few things about each other over time.¡± Ren shook his head mentally. You and I are going to have a long talk later. ¡°About what?¡± Sharing information. Just then a bell rang twice, and after a moment rang twice more, and 2 of the dwarves picked up the one Ren fought and dragged him between them, laughing. The rest followed them and walked to the main cabin area.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°What are the bells for?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Supper.¡± Gausen said. ¡°I hear we''re having boar tonight!¡± He joined the flow of dwarves, and Ren followed him as they all went inside, down the hall, and into the dining room. It''s more like a cafeteria than a dining room. Ren thought as he entered. Except for the 6 waitresses at the front of the room. Everyone started sitting down, but Ren didn''t see any order or pattern as groups of dwarves sat together. He followed Gausen to the second table closest to the front of the room, near the serving window, and sat down on Gausen''s left. Other dwarves sat down across from them and stared at Ren like he was crazy. The first table remained empty, however. Ren quickly glanced at the dwarf sitting next to him on his left and saw the dwarf was staring daggers at him. Gausen noticed the stares of the others and followed their gaze to Ren, and his eyes widened. ¡°Why are you sitting there?¡± Gausen asked. ¡°I''m... waiting to get something to eat?¡± Ren said, perplexed. Gausen started to say something, then changed it. ¡°It''s too late to move now.¡± He said and stood. Ren followed suit and so did all the other dwarves. The captain of the ship came into the room. He was the tallest dwarf Ren had seen yet, at a whopping 4 feet 5 inches. He wore the traditional captain''s hat, a half cloak over one shoulder, and had a blonde dwarf on his arm. She was only 3 feet 8 inches tall, however... so, he was quite a bit taller and stockier in comparison. As the couple passed each table, the dwarves nodded to the captain. When they passed the table Ren was at, he nodded to the captain as well. The captain noticed the change in seating arrangements and raised his eyebrows at Gausen, who shrugged slightly. It''s not like you could miss seeing Ren, no matter where he sat. Gausen thought. He''s even taller than the captain! The captain and his companion sat at the front table and once they were settled, everyone else sat down. People started talking once the captain waved permission for the servers to begin handing out the plates of food. Gausen turned to Ren. ¡°You were supposed to sit at the visitor''s table.¡± Gausen said and nodded to a small empty table at the back of the room. ¡°Oh. I''m sorry. I didn''t know.¡± Ren said and tried to stand. ¡°Sit down.¡± Gausen said. ¡°I told you that it was too late to move.¡± Ren sat back down. ¡°How badly did I mess up?¡± Gausen sighed. ¡°Normally, your declaration that your House is better than all the others, would be challenged by the lowest House first.¡± Ren stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°But seeing as how you''re only a visitor, and apparently don''t know anything of our ways, perhaps just the Main House will need to be fought.¡± Gausen said. The waitress put a plate of food in front of Gausen and she stopped when she saw Ren sitting in the next spot. She looked at the dwarf that was supposed to be sitting there, then back at Ren, then at the dwarf. Ren took the plate from her frozen hand and passed it to the dwarf that was supposed to get it first. ¡°Please continue serving the others.¡± Ren said to her. ¡°I''ll wait.¡± Gasps could be heard from the next table as shock spread throughout the room. ¡°Did he just...¡± ¡°Why would he...¡± ¡°I think he''s crazy...¡± The waitress looked at Gausen, who nodded. she continued to serve everyone else at the table and went back to wait at the serving window. ¡°What did I do now?¡± Ren asked Gausen in a whisper. Gausen sighed. ¡°You declared you were the highest House by sitting here, and then you declared that your Honor was greater than everyone else''s by forgoing being served before everyone else.¡± ¡°But... I was going to be served last before. Why is it different?¡± ¡°You chose it.¡± Gausen said. ¡°If you''d sat at the end table, you deserved to be served last, as that was your station. After your declaration to be the best, then choosing to go last, means your Honor won''t suffer for it.¡± ¡°Okay. That makes sense, I think.¡± Ren said. Gausen put a hand to the top of his nose and shook his head. ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± Another waitress served large mugs of a dark liquid to all of the dwarves and not to Ren. 4 to serve the food, 2 for drinks. Ren thought as he waited. No one touched the food or the drinks. Once everyone was served both food and drink, Ren still hadn''t been served and he looked around. Everyone had looks of disbelief on their faces, including the captain. Ren was going to ask what was going on when Nathalia came into the dining room carrying a plate of food and a mug of dark ale. She came over to his side of the table and stood beside him. Ren looked up at her and smiled. ¡°Thank you, Nathalia.¡± He said and took the plate and mug from her and put it on the table. More gasps were heard and shock spread through the room as a deep red blush blossomed on Nathalia''s face. I''m not asking what I did wrong this time. Ren thought. ¡°You didn''t do anything wrong.¡± Teepo said. That''s good to know. Ren relaxed for a moment. ¡°All you did was declare your intention to court her.¡± W-w-w-what?!? Ren widened his eyes and stared at Nathalia. ¡°You used her given name in public, and in front of High House witnesses.¡± Oh... crap. No one said a word as Nathalia gave a slight nod and left the dining room. Now what do I do? Ren thought. ¡°Once the captain gives permission, you can eat.¡± Teepo suggested. That''s not what I meant! ¡°I know!¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. *(Author''s Note: This is where I would have stopped the chapter. Carry on! LOL)* ¡°Ahem!¡± The captain cleared his throat. ¡°Now that we''ve all been served... some in much better ways than others...¡± The captain said and looked at Ren. ¡°...let''s eat!¡± With the silence and shock broken, everyone started to eat. Almost right away, there were declarations of excellent food and wondering what had changed to make it taste so good. Ren didn''t say anything and ate quietly, slipping some of the meat into inventory. The meat was nice and tender, and the mashed potatoes were still nice and fluffy. He picked up the mug of dark liquid and sniffed it. It had a nice oaken smell and Ren tasted it. The flavor burst in his mouth and he took a couple of big swallows. ¡°Ah! That''s good stuff!¡± Ren said loudly without thinking, and put the half empty mug down. Everyone fell silent again and stared at him. He felt something building in his belly and put a hand on it. Is this what I think- Ren''s thought was interrupted as he opened his mouth. *BUUUURRRRP!!!* It was really loud in the quiet room and a moment later, there was a snicker a table away... and then a deluge of laughter covered everyone. Even Ren had to laugh. ¡°That was a good one!¡± Gausen said and followed Ren''s burp with one of his own. Of course, this started a contest to see who could get as loud as Ren. No one could quite get to the same level, though. Mead was continuously served as the meal went on, and then a large plate of food was served to each table. Everyone stared at the plates as if they didn''t know what to do with them, and almost all of the dwarves looked to the captain, who picked up each french fry and ate it. Ren wasn''t hungry, but he didn''t want to insult Nathalia by not eating any, so he helped himself to them. Everyone grabbed a fry and ate it, then their faces lit up just like Nathalia''s did when she had tasted it the first time. They dug into the fries with declarations of masterpieces and food from the gods. Ren chuckled and let the dwarves at his table finish off the plate. If he had been counting, Gausen would have been the one to eat the most. Ren pushed his chair slightly back from the table and looked at the captain, who was already in that position. Soon everyone else had pushed back from the tables and the captain stood. ¡°I''d like to thank our passenger for the captain''s gift of these delicious ''fries''.¡± He said and raised his mug to Ren, and everyone stared at him again. Ren raised his mug as well and waited. ¡°I''d like to propose a toast. To good food! A great cook! And more MEAD!¡± The captain declared and took a drink. Ren and everyone else took a drink as well. The gathering soon devolved into a simple drinking game, consisting of how much more you could drink than anyone else. Ren didn''t quite play and stayed out of the main area where the heaviest drinkers were. A half an hour later, a dwarf approached him. ¡°You! You besmirched my House''s name!¡± The dwarf said and swayed from side to side. The boat was in calm water so Ren knew that it was the alcohol and not the waves that made the dwarf sway. ¡°I...¡± *burp* ¡°...demand you...¡± *hic* ¡°...face me. I challen-¡± Another dwarf slapped a hand over the drunk dwarf''s mouth to stop him from finishing what he wanted to say. ¡°He''s a bit out of it, sir. Can you forgive him?¡± The second dwarf said and bowed slightly. Ren bowed slightly himself and the dwarf had a happy face for a moment, then dragged his friend away. ¡°What did I tell you about biting off more than you can chew?¡± The second dwarf said to his friend and then led his friend out of the dining room. ¡°The captain, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. ¡°That was nice of you.¡± The captain said from beside him. Ren nodded without turning around and took another mouthful of mead. ¡°I heard about the fight on the deck.¡± He said and sat in the chair beside Ren. ¡°You could tear old Rugzak apart with those moves.¡± Ren nodded again. ¡°You''re not really into the whole drinking until you pass out thing, are you?¡± The captain asked. Ren laughed and looked at him. ¡°This is my first time drinking, actually.¡± The captain''s eyebrows rose. ¡°You''re handling your alcohol well, if that''s the case.¡± ¡°I''m trying my best to not get falling down drunk.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve seen enough of that from my father.¡± The captain nodded. ¡°Those ''fries'' were great, by the way. I tried to thank you earlier, but you weren''t in your cabin.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Yeah, I''ve been all around the ship. It''s my first time on one, you see.¡± The captain laughed. ¡°No point in saying that you''re handling that quite well, either.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I told Nathalia that if I had a choice between enjoying it or being sick, I was choosing enjoyment.¡± The captain winced when Ren said Nathalia''s name. ¡°Sorry. I''m not used to all of your customs.¡± Ren said and looked at the captain. ¡°I assume you''re the member of the High House that was the witness?¡± The captains eyes widened at that. ¡°How did you... no, it''s a logical deduction, isn''t it? I wouldn''t have the ship if I was of a lower House. I''d be working on it.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Well, I''ve got to get back to my cabin.¡± The captain said and stood. ¡°Captain''s business to deal with.¡± Ren laughed and raised his mug. ¡°If only all captain''s business was as pleasant.¡± The captain slapped a hand on Ren''s shoulder and laughed hard. When he was done, he downed the last of his mead, nodded to Ren, and left the dining room with a smile on his face. I better go, too. Ren thought and stood up. He downed the last of the mead in his mug and went over to the serving window. The kitchen was dark and Ren put the mug on a tray that would hold it still, and stop it from sliding if the boat rocked. He left the room, and avoided the dwarves that tried to stop him from going. Ren got to the hold and sat down on his bed. He was really glad that he wasn''t feeling the effects of the alcohol that he''d drunk since supper, and handed Princess all the meat that he''d snuck off of his plate during the meal. She took her time chewing each piece and Ren felt peaceful, listening to her chew. ¡°I''m glad you all came along.¡± Ren said as he fed Princess the last piece of meat. ¡°I''m going to sleep for a while.¡± He said and laid down on the bed. Then hopped up and pulled out the 4 concealing rocks that he still had, and then took out a stone brick, enchanted it with a glyph of 4 Terror runes, and placed the 5 of them around the little corner they were in. ¡°Stay in here, please... until I come back, alright?¡± Ren lay back down on the bed. ¡°Teepo, you''re in charge. Keep a look out.¡± Ren said. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset and looked at a very happy Stella. ¡°You just can''t keep your hands off the ladies, can you?¡± Stella said and laughed. Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Hey, you saw what happened! I never touched her. Not even when she kissed me!¡± Ren said. ¡°I actually didn''t even think about doing it, to be honest.¡± Stella grinned at him. ¡°Yeah, I saw that little Ren didn''t react.¡± ¡°Stella!¡± She laughed and Ren got out of bed to use the bathroom. ¡°Is there anything that you won''t tease people about?¡± She thought about that while Ren did his business and came back out and climbed in bed. ¡°No.¡± Ren rolled his eyes and she smiled. ¡°You''re just in time for supper.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ll be right back with it.¡± Ren pulled the rollaway table over, cleared the laptop off of it, and got it ready to receive the tray. Stella came into the room kind of sideways, carrying the tray in front of her. She shuffled like a crab over to the bed and Ren wondered what she was doing. When she stood beside the bed, she turned with the tray in her hands and Ren saw that there was ham, cut just like it was for the dwarf meal, white fluffy mashed potatoes, and a big mug of rootbeer. His jaw fell open. ¡°Stella...¡± Ren started to say, until he looked up at her. She had a few pieces of paper taped together, with a crudely drawn set of gigantic boobs in a tight green dress and apron. ¡°Stella!¡± Ren exclaimed and smiled. Stella started laughing, and put the tray down on the rollaway table, then kept laughing as Ren tried to grab the drawing. ¡°I was gonna thank you for going to all the trouble, too!¡± Ren said and grinned. He managed to hook the edge of the paper and pulled. ¡°Oh, Ren! You''ve ravaged me!¡± Stella said and put a hand to her chest. Ren bundled up the drawing and tossed it at her. ¡°Get out of here, you!¡± Ren shook his fist at her and laughed. ¡°One of these days I''ll get you back!¡± Stella picked up the paper ball and laughed as she left Ren alone to eat. He took his time and finished everything, then slowly sipped the rootbeer. He didn''t want to guzzle such a good drink. Stella came in and saw Ren was nearly finished and watched the television while she waited. Normally she would have sat beside him while he ate, but she had teased him a bit too much this time and didn''t want to keep pushing her luck. It''s just so much fun! She thought and smiled. Ren saw Stella smile and smiled himself. He always overacted his reactions to her little schemes, mainly because she seemed to like it so much. They enjoyed spending the next hour together, then the shift changed and Barbara came in. Stella stuck around a little longer than usual as Ren filled Barbara in on what had been happening and Stella added her bits to it as well. Barbara laughed as she heard the goings on and then laughed harder at Ren''s mistaken courtship of the dwarf cook. ¡°Ren... you''re just too good of a person!¡± Barbara said and ruffled his hair. ¡°It''s not your fault it''s been taken as a marriage proposal.¡± ¡°See, Stella! I told you!¡± Ren said and Stella laughed. ¡°Sure, Loverboy. Keep telling yourself that!¡± Stella said and ruffled his hair, too. ¡°I better go. Have a good night you, two.¡± ¡°Bye, Stella.¡± Ren and Barbara said together and they laughed again. ¡°You''re definitely having quite the adventure, Ren.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I know! Who''d have thought that dwarves would own a ship!¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, I can show it to you!¡± Ren said and dug out the laptop. He pulled up the saved footage from that afternoon and queued up the right spot and turned the laptop so Barbara could see it. ¡°It''s so small.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Is it safe?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It''s actually a lot bigger than it looks.¡± He said. ¡°I actually feel tall with them around.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°I can see the appeal.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If it wasn''t for all the dominance fights, it would be a really nice place.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°Everything has benefits and drawbacks, Ren.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m having fun so it''s not too bad. That last fight I had... I think they won''t challenge me much now.¡± ¡°I don''t like fighting. I think it''s both pointless and useless.¡± Barbara said. ¡°That''s what I told them!¡± Ren said and grinned. Barbara smiled. ¡°At least you''ve used it to stop more fights.¡± Ren nodded again. ¡°I certainly hope so. I''ve only got one more to fight, assuming the Main House challenges my sitting at the head table above them.¡± Barbara put a hand on Ren''s arm. ¡°If they don''t come to their senses, don''t hold back like you did with that other one.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Barbara...¡± Barbara shook her head. ¡°You''re kind of trapped in this now. If it comes down to a fight, and even though I''d hate for it to happen, it probably will anyways... you make sure you win, Ren.¡± Ren took her hand in his. ¡°I... I''ll make short work of them if I have to. I promise.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Barbara said, squeezed Ren''s hand, and changed the subject. ¡°I think we''re missing Big Sister! Change the channel to 36.¡± Ren chuckled and changed the channel. Barbara really loves her reality shows. Big Sister actually was on, and they settled in to enjoy the show. They watched as the women competed for the top spot in the condo, and held hands the whole time. Chapter 86 - A Misunderstanding Ren watched television with Barbara for another hour and a half then his watched beeped. ¡°I better get back in before they think I''m passed out drunk.¡± Ren said then laughed at Barbara''s shocked expression. ¡°I didn''t actually get drunk, Barbara.¡± He said and set up the video of the meal and the party. ¡°You can watch it yourself if you want proof.¡± Barbara shook her head, but eyed the laptop. Ren smiled. ¡°Goodnight, Barbara.¡± ¡°Night, Ren.¡± She said and slid the laptop over to watch the video. Ren put on the VR headset and got comfortable in the bed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the hold of the ship. Princess was still in her crate, Ruck was still on the wall, and Teepo was on his chest. ¡°Good morning, everyone.¡± Ren said and Teepo held on as Ren sat up, then crawled up onto his shoulder. ¡°Morning!¡± Teepo said. Ruck waved, and Princess huffed. Ren stood up and stretched. The hold was dark but at least it wasn''t damp. ¡°I should probably let you stretch your legs, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°Feel like a short walk?¡± Princess looked at him, stepped out of her crate, took 3 steps, turned around and went right back into the crate. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ren asked her. She shook a little and he noticed the saddle. ¡°Oh! I''m so sorry, Princess!¡± Ren said and stepped forward. ¡°Let me take that off of you.¡± She stood there and Ren undid the saddle and stored it into inventory. He undid the harness around her face that held the reins and stored it as well. Ren rubbed the spots where the straps were, and Princess stared at him like he was crazy. ¡°I''m getting that look a lot on this trip.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I''m going to go and try to find something for breakfast.¡± Princess huffed and Ruck gave the ''okay'' gesture. If Ren didn''t know any better, he would say that Ruck looked like he was sick. ¡°Are you feeling alright, Ruck?¡± Ren asked. Ruck held out a hand and did the ''so/so'' gesture. ¡°I''m sorry, Ruck.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not sure what I can do to help.¡± Ruck held out both hands and shrugged. Ren went over to him and pat his side. ¡°You''ll just have to tough it out... and if I think of anything, I''ll let you know.¡± Ruck gave the ''thumbs up'' gesture and Ren stepped over the guarding stones he had put out the night before. He went to the closest hidden opening and went up on deck. It was still dark out and he went into the main cabin area, down the hall, and into the dining room. He saw Nathalia working in the kitchen and walked over to the serving window. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said and Nathalia ignored him. ¡°Um... what''s for breakfast?¡± She glanced at him and huffed. Ren smiled. She really did sound like Princess when she did that. ¡°Can I come into the kitchen? I can help you make breakfast.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia dropped her knife onto the table and looked at him. She looks mad. ¡°You have some nerve showing up here.¡± Nathalia said. Ren looked at her in surprise. ¡°If this is about me saying your name last night...¡± Nathalia huffed loudly. ¡°No! I accepted that!¡± ¡°Then what''s wrong?¡± Ren asked, curious. ¡°What''s wrong? What''s wrong?!?¡± She said, building up a head of steam to start a good rant. Ren braced himself for the onslaught. ¡°I showed up at your cabin last night and knocked on the door. When you didn''t answer, I thought you were being shy.¡± She said and glared at him. ¡°I poured my heart out, telling you how this was all so sudden, and how I didn''t expect a man to show interest in me for at least another 10 years, and how great you are, and strong, and handsome, and smart, and a good cook.¡± Ren was impressed she could say so much in a single breath. ¡°But then you didn''t say a word! I was so embarrassed!¡± Nathalia said and covered her face with her hands. ¡°I stood there for an hour trying to get you to talk to me, and you never did!¡± She said, and tears came to her eyes. She wiped them away, but they were quickly replaced with several more. ¡°How you could do that to me!¡± Nathalia cried. ¡°Then you show up here like nothing happened!¡± She sobbed. ¡°How can you do this to me!¡± Ren was so shocked to hear what she went through, that he didn''t say anything for a minute as Nathalia cried. He shook himself out of the shock and tried to console her. ¡°Nathalia.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nathalia, please listen.¡± ¡°Don''t say my name so casually like that! Not after last night!¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Please, Na... ah...¡± Ren stumbled. Better go with the tried and true method. Ren thought and continued. ¡°My Lady... please listen.¡± Nathalia caught her breath at Ren''s last words. He... he... he''s given me a title in his House! She thought in shock. ¡°I wasn''t in my cabin last night.¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened at his words. ¡°B-b-but... I thought... you...¡± Then she squinted her eyes. ¡°You mean you... you were... with someone else?¡± Ren looked at her in shock. ¡°Of course I wasn''t!¡± Ren vehemently denied her accusation. ¡°Then what...¡± She started to say. ¡°I spent the night in the hold.¡± Ren said. ¡°In the HOLD?!?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I was told when I boarded the ship, that if I was so worried about my mount, I should stay in the hold with her.¡± Nathalia had a shocked look on her face. ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°I''ve been sleeping in the hold, and not in my cabin.¡± Ren said. ¡°Actually, I don''t even know where my cabin is.¡± Nathalia looked like she was going to start crying again. ¡°Come into the kitchen.¡± She said in a soft voice. Ren nodded and went out into the hall and saw that the kitchen door was already opened. He stepped inside the kitchen and shut the door. He was immediately taken into a bone crushing hug; and since Ren loved hugs, he automatically hugged her back. ¡°I thought... I thought you were spurning me.¡± Nathalia said and the tears flowed down her face and onto Ren''s shirt. ¡°And right after your declaration!¡± She said and sobbed. ¡°About that, I''m actually seeing someone...¡± Ren said. Nathalia continued to hiccup and cry, and continued to talk, ignoring what he''d said. ¡°I thought... I thought I''d lost all of my Honor!¡± ¡°I''m really sorry you had to go through all of that.¡± Ren said and pat her on the back. ¡°I didn''t mean to embarrass you.¡± ¡°You are a good man after all!¡± Nathalia said and buried her head on his chest and cried. ¡°I called you so many nasty names!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''d have deserved every single one of those if I''d done what you thought I did.¡± Since they were hugging so close, Ren felt it when Nathalia froze. She lifted her head and looked him right in the eyes. ¡°You''re not mad?¡± ¡°Why would I be?¡± Ren asked. Nathalia got a worried look on her face. ¡°Some... some people might have heard me last night.¡± Ren clamped his mouth closed, but he couldn''t hold it in and laughed out loud. She looked at him like he was crazy and Ren laughed harder. Nathalia started to smile and her tears stopped. ¡°That must have been a sight to see!¡± Ren said, wiping away tears from laughing so hard. ¡°You standing in front of my door, calling be down to the lowest for ignoring you... and I wasn''t even there to stop you!¡± Nathalia started to laugh as well. It made her feel happy that he didn''t hate her for that. They laughed together for a few minutes and then Ren broke the hug. He stepped back from her and smiled. ¡°Natha... ah... My Lady, please accept my sincere apology for last night.¡± Ren said and bowed to her. He... he''s doing it again! Nathalia thought. I''m so blessed to have so much Honor! ¡°I think you''ve fallen a bit behind in making breakfast.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°May I offer you a hand?¡± Nathalia nodded and they got to work cracking open eggs and slicing the loaves of bread. Ren was a bit surprised that it was only scrambled eggs and toast. ¡°Na... My Lady, is there no bacon?¡± ¡°Bacon? Where would I get that?¡± She said and laughed. ¡°We''re on a ship!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If I remember correctly, you cooked a side of boar last night.¡± Nathalia nodded and told him it was in the pantry. Ren looked inside and there was clumps of half-fatty uncooked meat and smiled. He took it out and put it on the table. ¡°That''s just the fat I cut off before I cooked the meat.¡± She said. ¡°It''s not bacon.¡± Ren grinned at her and took a sharp knife, sliced the meat into appropriately sized chunks and then into thin strips. Nathalia stared at him as he threw the improvised bacon on the grill-like surface and it started to sizzle. ¡°You really are crazy.¡± She said and smiled. Ren winked at her and she blushed. He whipped the eggs for her and she marveled at his speed. He added milk and butter; just like he did with the potatoes, and it nearly doubled the amount of scrambled eggs they could make.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°You''re amazing!¡± Nathalia said as he cooked up the scrambled eggs. ¡°You shouldn''t have said that.¡± Ren said and grinned at her surprised expression. ¡°You should have saved it... because I''m going to show you a sandwich I make sometimes.¡± He said. ¡°You''re gonna love it.¡± Nathalia did love the sandwich, and agreed that she should have saved her ''amazing'' comment for it. ¡°I told you so.¡± Ren said and laughed. Unlike the supper the night before, breakfast was a lot less formal and dwarves ate when they came in, instead of waiting for the captain. Ren found out it was like that because the captain didn''t usually attend breakfast. Nathalia made up a special tray for the waitress to take to the captain''s cabin and Ren made up a couple of sandwiches to put with it. Ren stayed in the kitchen for the whole meal and helped Nathalia clean everything up afterwards. ¡°I''ve been meaning to ask you something...¡± Nathalia said when they were all done. Ren looked at her and took off his apron to store into inventory. ¡°The first time you were in here... when you... fondled almost everything I own...¡± Nathalia said and blushed slightly. ¡°...did... did you do something to my things?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If your asking me if I fixed everything I could get my hands on, then yes.¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened at Ren''s words. ¡°So it really was you!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°As I was using my pots and pans, they all gleamed like they were brand new.¡± She said, her voice full of surprise. ¡°I wasn''t sure what was going on... but it was you.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°When I filled the big pot with water, I noticed it was weak and about to break, then fixed it.¡± He said. ¡°Of course, that made me wonder what else you might have that needed repairs, so I checked everything I could find.¡± Nathalia reached out a hand and put it on Ren''s arm. ¡°You''ve saved me a fortune in replacements. I was so worried that what I had wasn''t going to last another trip.¡± She sighed. ¡°There''s a few blacksmiths on board, but they charge a lot of money to fix even the smallest things.¡± She placed a hand on her chest and Ren saw a small bump under the cloth of her dress, between her breasts. ¡°May I see it?¡± Nathalia caught her breath for a moment and then relaxed. He has the right to know of my family. She reached behind her neck, undid the clasp, and pulled out a tarnished locket from around her neck. She passed it to him and Ren held it in his hand to examine it, and his face flushed a little red. It''s... quite warm. Ren thought, and carefully opened it. Inside the locket was two old and faded pictures, one on each side. A man on one side, and a woman on the other. Nathalia pointed to the man. ¡°That''s my Da.¡± She said with warmth in her voice, and unconciously stroked her dress. ¡°He was a great man.¡± ¡°He made that for you?¡± Ren asked and touched the cloth. It was frayed at the seams and the cloth was worn in spots, probably from excessive wearing. Nathalia smiled and nodded. ¡°People came from all over to have him make something for them.¡± Then her face turned from happiness to sadness. ¡°He passed away not long after making this for me.¡± Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡± Ren said with sympathy in his voice. ¡°I wondered why you wore such a fancy dress all the time... it was his final gift.¡± Nathalia nodded again and pointed to the other picture. ¡°That''s my Ma.¡± ¡°She''s a striking woman.¡± Ren commented and let Nathalia''s arm go to hold the locket in both hands. Nathalia chuckled. ¡°It''s an old picture. Her hair has a bit of gray in it now.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°You look just like her.¡± Ren said innocently, and she blushed a little at his implied compliment. ¡°You said before that someone charged you a lot to repair this?¡± Ren asked. Nathalia nodded. Ren opened and closed the locket carefully, and felt that the hinge was loose, and his Vision of Impurity picked out small cracks in the finish.
Notice!
You have learned the plans for: Locket (Hinged)
¡°When did you have it repaired?¡± He asked. ¡°Last week.¡± She said. Ren widened his eyes. ¡°Just last week?¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°If you''d said a few months ago, or a year, I''d understand it''s condition... but last week?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°How much did he charge you?¡± Nathalia was a bit surprised at Ren''s sudden interest in her finances, but she accepted that they''d be sharing a lot more than that soon. ¡°Tegwen charged me 15 gold.¡± Ren''s mouth dropped open. ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± He said and closed the locket. ¡°To charge so much and not even fix it properly!¡± Ren took out his blacksmith hammer. ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± Nathalia asked and tried to take the locket back. She didn''t want him to damage her family heirloom by using such a large hammer on it. Tegwen had only used a tiny hammer! She thought. Ren held it above her reach and held the hammer to it. ¡°REPAIR!¡± Ren exclaimed loudly and poured Mana into his hammer. He hadn''t done that before, but it had felt like the right thing to do at the moment. The locket, and the gold chain that it was attached to, were encompassed in a bright glow. Nathalia turned her face away until the glow faded. When she turned back, Ren handed her a gleaming golden locket, and her mouth formed a little ''o'' in surprise. She opened it and felt how much stronger it was, then gasped at the faded pictures... only they weren''t faded anymore. The pictures looked like they''d been taken yesterday, and Nathalia stared at Ren in shock. ¡°People who scam others makes me so mad.¡± Ren said and put his hammer away. ¡°As if people haven''t worked hard enough for their money in the first place, and then thieves steal it from you by claiming to fix things.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I''m sorry I wasn''t here to do this for you, before you wasted your money.¡± Nathalia blinked a few times, then responded. ¡°I... I didn''t know I was wasting my money by having something I loved fixed.¡± Ren had a surprised look on his face, then put his hands on both of Nathalia''s shoulders. ¡°Nathalia! That''s not what I meant!¡± Nathalia trembled a little, in both pleasure and shock from the use of her name in such a tone, and also from the emotion in Ren''s voice. ¡°It was a waste for a bad repair job, not that it wasn''t worth fixing!¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°In fact, here.¡± Ren let her shoulders go, grabbed both of her hands to cup them together, then gave her 15 gold. ¡°I''m sorry if you took what I said the wrong way, Nathalia. I hope you can forgive me.¡± Nathalia stared at the gold in her cupped hands and didn''t know what to say. ¡°I... I''ll be going now.¡± Ren said, and picked up Princess'' bowl filled with scrambled eggs and bacon. He opened the kitchen door and stepped out into the hallway. ¡°W-wait...¡± Nathalia said, but Ren was already gone. I really have to watch what I say from now on. Ren thought as he walked out of the main cabin area and onto the deck. He went into the hold and ignored the slight terror feeling as he stepped over his improvised protection, and gave Princess the big bowl of eggs and bacon. She dug into it with abandon and Ren chuckled. He was tempted to warn her again, but shook his head and went back up on the deck of the ship. Ren walked all around the ship this time, and didn''t see a trace of land anywhere. We''re really out to sea, Teepo. Ren thought. I don''t even know which way to go to get back. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You could always ask the captain. I''m sure he''d tell you.¡± Ren nodded. Actually, now that you mention the captain... I forgot to ask him about showing me the engine room. ¡°Now''s a good a time as any.¡± Teepo said and Ren nodded again. They went inside and went to the captain''s cabin, and Ren knocked. He waited for a while, and then the blonde answered the door. ¡°My apologies for disturbing you.¡± Ren said and bowed slightly. ¡°Is the captain available?¡± The blonde had a slightly shocked look on her face, bowed back, and then promptly shut the door. Okay, Teepo... what did I do wrong this time? Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You gave Honor to the captain''s companion, even though she wasn''t with him.¡± I wasn''t supposed to? Ren thought. ¡°It''s not expected to even acknowledge her presence if he''s not around.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''ve given her quite a shock, I think.¡± A minute later, the door opened and the captain looked at Ren. ¡°That explains it.¡± Ren widened his eyes and the captain laughed. ¡°Lily could barely tell me someone was at the door.¡± The captain waved into the cabin and Ren looked inside. Lily sat on the side of the bed and stared at the wall. ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to cause any trouble.¡± Ren said. ¡°Miss, please accept my apology.¡± Lily''s mouth opened and closed a few times, but she didn''t say anything. The captain stepped out of his cabin and shut the door behind him. ¡°Yes, that definitely explains it.¡± He said and laughed. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I was wondering if I could get a tour of the engine room.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-wh-what?¡± ¡°The engine room. I''d like to see how the ship is moving, if I could.¡± ¡°We row.¡± The captain said in an even monotone. Ren chuckled. ¡°If you''d told me that before we left shore, I''d have believed you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now that I''ve seen how many people are actually on the ship, I know there''s not a single soul on the rowing deck.¡± The captain looked at Ren with an appraising eye, then shook his head. ¡°I''m sorry, but no.¡± ¡°Okay. Thanks for your time.¡± Ren said and started to walk away. ¡°Wait!¡± The captain said and Ren turned around. ¡°You''re not going to protest about my unfairness? Or claim how I''m keeping secrets from you? Or challenge me to a fight?¡± Ren laughed and shook his head. ¡°I don''t need to see it that badly. I was just curious as to how it worked.¡± Ren said and waved. ¡°Sorry to have bothered you.¡± ¡°He really is crazy.¡± The captain said and went back into his cabin to try and convince his wife that Ren wasn''t interested in her. Ren walked down the hallway and a door across the hall from the dining room opened. Several dwarves stepped out into the hallway and blocked his path. ¡°In here, please.¡± The tall one said. Teepo. ¡°On it, Ren!¡± Teepo said and hopped off his shoulder and crawled into the room. ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked the men. ¡°Someone has a quarrel with you that needs to be settled.¡± The tall one waved to the room. ¡°There''s 3 other dwarves in here, and they all have weapons.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. ¡°And if I refuse your generous invitation?¡± Ren asked. The dwarves had surprised looks on their faces and then turned to each other. ¡°No one''s ever refused a challenge before.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°Should we call the captain?¡± Ren stood there with his arms crossed and let them bicker. A dwarf stuck a head out of the room. ¡°What''s taking so long?¡± He said and the others filled him in. He looked at Ren. ¡°Are you refusing a challenge?¡± Ren uncrossed his arms. ¡°What challenge?¡± The dwarf looked at the other three. ¡°You didn''t issue the challenge?¡± ¡°I told him someone had a quarrel with him and it needed to be settled.¡± The tall one said. ¡°That''s not a challenge.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s telling me someone wants to challenge me.¡± The dwarves all had surprised looks on their faces. ¡°You know what? He''s right.¡± One of them said. ¡°Yeah, we''ve been doing this so long, it never occurred to us we might be doing it wrong.¡± The other one said. The new dwarf laughed. ¡°Tegwen, get out here and issue your challenge.¡± Ren perked up at hearing that name. Another dwarf came out of the room. He had light brown hair, a full beard and mustache, and a perpetual scowl on his face that made him look like he was mad all the time. He wore thick brown leather armor, and carried what looked like a giant meat tenderizer in his right hand. It was a maul, but had a bunch of short spikes on the flat ends. That looks pretty cool. Ren thought, admiring the hammer. Tegwen also had a large slab of stone strapped to his left arm as a shield, and it had a big spike sticking out of it''s center. ¡°I challenge you to a trial by combat! You''ve stolen my intended woman!¡± Ren looked at him with a raised eyebrow. That wasn''t what I had expected as a reason. He thought. ¡°What is your answer?¡± One of the other dwarves said. Ren looked around. ¡°What are the rules?¡± They all looked at each other, then back at Ren. ¡°You fight.¡± One said. ¡°Weapons and armor are allowed.¡± The other said. ¡°No killing.¡± The tall one said. ¡°What about interference? You aren''t going to jump on me when I crush this guy, are you?¡± They all had shocked looks on their faces. ¡°We''d never do that! We''d lose our Honor.¡± They all said together. Ren nodded. ¡°Then I accept your challenge.¡±
Notice!
You have entered PvNPC Special Mode: Duel
A bell rang throughout the ship 3 times quickly, a moment later 2 more times, then once more. The ship was filled with the clamor of booted feet and shouts as every dwarf on the ship came together to enter the room. Tegwen and the other dwarves went into the room and Ren stepped close to the wall to let everyone else pass. Nathalia came out of the kitchen, saw him, and came over. ¡°C-c-come and sit with me.¡± She asked and blushed a little. She''d never asked a man to sit with her before, but he''d done such a wonderful job on her family heirloom that she felt a little bold where he was concerned. ¡°We haven''t had a duel on the ship before.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You go on ahead. I''ll be right in.¡± Nathalia reached out and squeezed Ren''s hand for a second and then went inside the room. I''m glad she''s forgiven me. Ren thought as the captain and his companion were the last to pass him in the hallway. Well, it''s official. I''m the tallest person on the ship. Ren chuckled, waited for another minute, then Teepo spoke. ¡°They''re all seated, Ren... except for one dwarf that''s wearing leather armor.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought, then entered the room himself. Chapter 87 - The Duel Ren saw that the room was lined with bleachers on one side, and they were full of dwarves. All of them were talking excitedly as Ren stepped to the middle of the room where Tegwen stood. A hush fell over the crowd. Gausen stood up and came over to Ren and Tegwen, and turned around to face the crowd. ¡°A Trial By Combat challenge has been issued and accepted.¡± He said and held out a hand near Tegwen. ¡°The challenger declares that his intended woman has been stolen.¡± He held a hand out near Ren. ¡°The accused has accepted the challenge.¡± Gausen dropped both hands. ¡°Weapons and armor are allowed and encouraged.¡± He said and turned back to face Ren and Tegwen. ¡°Death is not. You will fight until one of you declares he surrenders, or is unconscious and unable to do so.¡± Both Ren and Tegwen nodded. ¡°Take your positions.¡± Tegwen walked away about 10 paces and turned back to face Ren. ¡°I will win your heart, Nathalia!¡± Tegwen shouted and pointed his weapon at her. ¡°Whaaaaaaatttt!?!¡± Nathalia shouted back. ¡°Do the same thing.¡± Gausen whispered to Ren, who nodded and took 10 paces and turned around. He didn''t get into a ready position however. ¡°If I may speak?¡± Ren asked. Gausen nodded. ¡°You have that right.¡± Ren spoke loudly so that everyone could hear him clearly. ¡°I know nothing of your culture.¡± He said, and a single gasp was heard. ¡°I''ve only known one dwarf, and none of this...¡± Ren said and waved at the ship. ¡°...had ever come up in conversation. I didn''t know that acting politely would cause so much trouble.¡± Ren said, then he froze in shock. Goddammit! ¡°What is it?¡± Teepo said from the ceiling. I completely forgot about my recipe for Trouble! ¡°Ha... ha ha... hahaha¡± Teepo chittered in laughter so hard, he shook himself from his hold on the ceiling. His astral form fell down to the floor on his back, then bounced Teepo from his back to his front. Teepo stood up shakily on his legs. ¡°Oops.¡± Teepo said then skittered across the floor and under the bleachers. Ren clamped his mouth shut to stop himself from laughing, because he''d made that same fall and it had ended the same way. A moment later, Ren took a deep breath and spoke. ¡°I want to apologize to all of you for any indescretions that may have come up from my ignorance, especially to you, Nathalia.¡± Ren said to several more gasps from the crowd. I wonder if that''s the default response? I''ve been hearing it a lot. ¡°When this duel is over, I''d like to find out as much about your people and culture as I can, before we reach wherever we''re going.¡± He was looking at her as he spoke, and she nodded. Ren shifted his gaze to the crowd. ¡°If you''ve all heard Gausen''s story of my encounter with him, then you know that I hate fighting for no reason. I believe it''s both pointless and serves no purpose.¡± There were a few mutters of disagreement, and a few more telling them to shut up and listen. ¡°On the other hand, I was given some wise advice recently.¡± Ren continued. ¡°I was told that if I was ever challenged again, that I shouldn''t hold back anymore.¡± Several gasps and mutters of disbelief spread through the crowd. ¡°That person told me to go all out... and I''m going to.¡± Ren said and equipped his blood red leather armor, but without the gloves. Louder gasps and mutters were heard and Ren smiled, then equipped his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. ¡°Ahhh!¡± The captain''s companion screamed, and several other women joined her. Half of the dwarves in the bleachers stood to try and get a closer look, then were quickly dragged down to sit again. Ren flipped up the hood to cover his face in shadow and the captain''s companion half-screamed and then fainted. The captain tried to revive her, but was unsuccessful. When asked later what had happened, she claimed that it looked like the wolf had eaten Ren''s head. Ren had the Beetle Crown ring and 2 raised platform rings on his hand so far, then put his last raised platform ring on the same hand and added a ring on each of the fingers on his other hand. He absorbed the enchantments he''d placed on the rings he''d made, and then enchanted one raised platform ring with a quadruple Lightning glyph, the middle one with the Water Spray glyph (2 wind and 2 water runes), and then had a nasty thought. He enchanted the last one with the Immense Terror glyph (4 Terror runes) while concentrating on his Aura ability, and felt a connection form.
Notice!
You have unlocked a hidden class ability: Connection Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This ability will allow a connection to be made between 2 different items with similar properties. Higher levels will allow more connections to be made with mutiple items, for longer periods of time.
Notice!
You have formed a temporary connection between an enchantment and another item''s granted ability. Aura has been boosted to Level 1 (Intermediate 0%). Area of effect: 20 foot radius. Duration of connection: 2 minutes.
Oh, that''s cool. Ren thought, then enchanted the 4 single rings on his other hand with quadruple Protection rune glyphs, giving him a 160% bonus to his Defense. His Mana Pool dropped considerably, putting him down to only a quarter of it left. Ren then equipped his golden metal shield with the Grip of the Earth enchantment on his left hand with the protection rings, and then equipped his Great Earthshaking Hammerpick Of Reaping in his right hand. Another woman fainted and the man near her did his best to revive her quickly, so they could see the upcoming fight. Ren concentrated on his Aura ability and pumped it with Fear. Gausen visibly shook from the effect, but it didn''t show on his face. Tegwen on the other hand, was sweating profusely. A good portion of the bleachers closest to Ren trembled with fear, and some of the women were visibly crying. ¡°Okay, I''m ready.¡± Ren said in a gravelly voice to a completely silent room. ¡°B-b-begin.¡± Gausen said and ran for his chair, trying to get as far away from Ren as he could. Tegwen readied his shield and spun his maul, waiting for Ren to attack. Ren smiled, realized that no one could see his face at all, and laughed. It echoed in the room and Ren started to run at Tegwen, who dropped his maul and gripped something behind the shield. The center spike on the shield shot towards Ren, and was soon followed by several others. Ren stopped running and held his shield at the ready. He was about halfway to where Tegwen stood. At the first impact, his shield generated the big rock hand and caught the projectile. The others hit the rock hand and it started to crumble. Deactivate. Activate. Ren thought quickly, as more impacts hit the shield. He stored the hammerpick and looked at his Lightning ring. Not yet. He looked at the Water Spray ring and smiled. Oh, that''s just nasty. Ren pointed his fist down and activated the Water Spray ring. A spray of water splashed under his shield and sloshed across the floor. Ren counted to 5, deactivated it, then activated the Lightning ring. A moment later, several yells were heard and Ren glanced around his shield. Tegwen, and 7 dwarves on the bottom row of bleachers who hadn''t lifted their feet in time to avoid the deluge of water, were held in place by small bolts of lightning being conducted by all the water on the floor. They all twitched visibly and Ren deactivated the Lightning ring. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Ren said in apology. They all collapsed to the floor stunned, including Tegwen who couldn''t keep firing in the state he was in. Ren used his Water Spray ring and soaked Tegwen from head to foot, pulled out a stone brick and enchanted it with a quadruple Ice glyph.
Notice!
Your temporary connection between items has been lost.
¡°Here, catch!¡± Ren said and tossed the stone brick at Tegwen, who had recovered from the shock and stood, and he automatically caught it without thinking. Tegwen''s arms and chest were almost instantly covered in spreading ice. ¡°Argh!¡± Tegwen grunted as the ice spread to his neck and waist. Ren could see that he had a repeating crossbow mounted behind his stone shield and used Water Spray ring again, making the ice thicker. ¡°You should have kept firing, or grabbed your maul.¡± Ren said and equipped his hammerpick. He hefted it high overhead and then swung it almost sideways at the stone slab shield/crossbow combination. Since it was frozen in place because of the ice, the intitial impact from the blow caused cracks to form all along the stone shield''s surface. In the same instant, the shockwave from the impact shattered the shield to pieces. It didn''t stop the hammerpick in the least. The crossbow fell to the floor and Ren continued his swing up and around his head, then down to smash the crossbow as well, embedding the front half into the floor. The shockwave from that impact lifted the surrounding floorboards and rippled them for a good 10 feet, then they stayed that way. Ren had looked away for a moment while smashing the crossbow, and Tegwen had used something to melt the ice from most of his chest. Tegwen dropped the Ice enchanted stone brick, it froze his boots in place, and he grabbed his maul. ¡°I''ll kill you!¡± Tegwen said and swung the maul at Ren''s face. Ren put up the shield and the Grip of the Earth rock hand caught the maul easily. Ren pulled the maul out of Tegwen''s hand, stored the hammerpick, and grabbed the handle of the maul.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Deactivate. Ren thought and then examined the maul. He got the plans for it, then stored his shield. ¡°I thought this was a nice maul when I first saw it... but I see there''s a flaw in it''s design.¡± Tegwen looked at Ren with loathing for calling down his hard work. ¡°What''s that?¡± Tegwen spat at Ren, who smiled and gripped both sides of the maul''s dual heads. ¡°It met me.¡± Ren said and used Iron Grip to crush both ends and let the pieces fall. ¡°Surrender.¡± Tegwen bared his teeth at Ren. ¡°Never!¡± Ren stepped away slightly. ¡°I''m sorry that you have to be my example.¡± Tegwen looked at Ren with hatred. ¡°Example of what?¡± He then kicked Tegwen in the chest. Since Tegwen had both feet stuck in ice, he fell onto his back with a loud thud, completely stunned. Ren had kicked him straight back so that the trapped legs wouldn''t be broken. Maiming his opponent like that might not be against the rules, but it would have been a bit too cruel for Ren to cripple someone in a fight for no reason. He knew good and well what being crippled felt like, and wouldn''t wish that on anyone. He walked over and took out the anvil he had in inventory and put it on Tegwen''s chest. Ren waited for Tegwen to recover slightly before speaking. ¡°Surrender.¡± Tegwen shook his head and Ren enchanted a single enhancement rune on it. Heavy. It pushed the air from Tegwen''s chest. He shook his head again and Ren absorbed the enchantment, let Tegwen breathe, then used a double enhancement rune glyph while thinking ''heavy''. Tegwen grunted and shook his head again. ¡°Fine.¡± Ren said and absorbed the glyph. He skipped the triple glyph and used the quadruple enhancement glyph instead, thought ''heavy'', and then sat on the anvil himself. Ren figured that if he wasn''t touching the floor, and all of his weight was only on the anvil... it would add that weight, and everything he carried in inventory, to the anvil. Tegwen turned blue a minute later, then passed out. Ren hopped off the anvil, stored it, his cloak, and his armor into inventory. He deactivated the Immense Terror ring and listened to Tegwen''s breathing. ¡°He''s unconscious.¡± Ren said and turned to Gausen. ¡°That means I win, right?¡± They all just sat there, with surprise on their faces. ¡°He''s not dead.¡± Ren said and rolled his eyes. He activated the Water Spray ring quickly several times to splash Tegwen''s face. Tegwen spit and sputtered a minute later. ¡°See? He''s fine.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°He''s going to have a sore chest for a while, though.¡± Someone started laughing and then it spread through the crowd. Gausen got up from his chair and cautiously approached Ren, but didn''t feel that fear anymore, and relaxed. He grabbed Ren''s hand and lifted it. ¡°The winner, and rightful courter to the chosen Maiden!¡± Gausen said. ¡°Ren! Of House Ememay!¡±
Notice!
PvNPC Special Mode: Duel has ended.
Notice!
Congratulations! You have defeated your opponent in One-on-One combat. Rewards: 1500 XP Fame Bonus: 17%
Notice!
You have defeated an opponent 45 levels higher than you. Fame: +75
Notice!
The (Unregistered) Dwarven House of Ememay has gained: Influence +50
The crowd erupted in cheers and Ren was soon swarmed with congratulations and pats on the back. He was engulfed in another bone crushing hug by Nathalia that he automatically returned. Ren looked down at her and despite everyone else talking, she took a deep breath and let a stream of words come out of her mouth that Ren could still clearly hear. ¡°How did you do all of that? It was so scary! You killed a Dire Wolf? What kind of weapon was that? That was a nice shield! Where did you get that ring? Can I touch the pelt? I liked your leather armor!¡± Ren laughed. He still found it funny that she could say so much on a single breath and as a single sentence. ¡°Hold on... hold on!¡± Ren said and broke the hug, still laughing. Nathalia looked at him with wide eyes as she realized something. ¡°Your name''s Ren!¡± She exclaimed, then put a hand over her mouth in surprise, because she''d said his given name out loud and in public... and then everyone laughed. ¡°I think you''re allowed to say it, now that you know it.¡± Gausen said and laughed, too. The crowd moved away some, and talked about how it had all turned out. No one was leaving, however. ¡°That was quite the show.¡± Gausen clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°It''s the first time I''ve seen an anvil used like that.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I did my best in the fight, since it was only until submission or unconsciousness.¡± Tegwen came over to where Ren stood. ¡°It was a good fight. Sorry I didn''t surrender.¡± He said and rubbed his chest. ¡°I was so caught up in my bloodlust that I couldn''t surrender. No hard feelings?¡± He put out a hand and Ren looked at it. ¡°That depends.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are your repair skills really so bad that you could hardly fix a locket?¡± The people around them froze at Ren''s words and quiet decended on the group. Tegwen stared at Nathalia and she started to blush in embarrassment. ¡°No! Don''t you dare look at her!¡± Ren commanded with venom in his voice. Tegwen snapped his gaze away from her. Unbeknownst to Ren, his command was now considered law, because he was now her official courter. Tegwen was no longer allowed to look at Nathalia. ¡°She didn''t know you did such a poor job until I saw it earlier today and told her.¡± Ren said and calmed himself down. ¡°You even charged her an outrageous amount.¡± Tegwen looked at Ren. ¡°Are you accusing me of something?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I''m just stating facts.¡± The spectators watched the exchange like a tennis match. First Ren, then Tegwen, then Ren, then Tegwen. ¡°I''ll repair it again if it needs it.¡± Tegwen said. ¡°You''re kidding me, right? I just said you did a poor job.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Plus, I took care of it myself.¡± He looked at Nathalia and smiled. ¡°It won''t need to be repaired ever again.¡± Once again, gasps could be heard from the growing crowd. Yeah, that''s definitely a default response. Ren thought. ¡°He''s joking right?¡± ¡°That can''t be true, can it?¡± ¡°He wins one fight and he thinks we''ll believe anything he says.¡± ¡°He''s pulling our legs.¡± Ren tuned it all out as the captain of the boat came over. His companion was still being attended to by one of the waitresses. ¡°Can you show us this locket?¡± The captain asked Nathalia. She looked at Ren, and he nodded. ¡°You don''t have to see it open, though.¡± Ren said to the captain. ¡°It''s Na... the Lady''s secret to keep and share if she wishes.¡± More gasps and mutters from the crowd were heard. The waitress taking care of the captain''s companion nearly fainted herself. She already has the title of Lady! She thought. It was also the same thought that everyone else there had. Nathalia blushed at Ren''s words, publicly confirming her title, and hooked the gold chain with her thumb and pulled the locket out from the front of her dress. The captain had to blink a few times from the brightness of the gleaming golden locket, then leaned in to examine it closely. ¡°He''s right.¡± The captain said, standing up straight. ¡°It''s flawless.¡± Of course I''m right. Ren thought. I saw the Durability stat when I repaired it. It''s N/A, or Not Available. It will never wear out. At the captain''s declaration, everyone wanted to see it. Nathalia looked both uncomfortable and pleased with all of the attention. No one dared reach out to touch it, though. During this little exchange, Tegwen had slipped away, unnoticed. Once everyone else had seen it up close, Ren got another popup.
Notice!
Word of the first Treasure of The House of Ememay has spread. Influence +50
Ren leaned in close to Nathalia. ¡°I really am in a relationship with someone right now.¡± Ren said. Nathalia nodded. ¡°I heard you the first time you told me.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow. Nathalia reached up and rubbed it, and made Ren laugh. Nathalia smiled. ¡°Men are expected to have fun before the marriage ceremony.¡± ¡°M-m-marriage ceremony?¡± Ren stammered. Nathalia nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± She said. ¡°A year of courting, a year of engagement, and then the marriage ceremony.¡± Ren stared at her. ¡°I know! It''s so sudden, isn''t it? We don''t have much time to get ready!¡± Nathalia said and beamed a huge smile at Ren. She... she''s serious! Ren thought. ¡°Of course she is.¡± Teepo said from over by the hole Ren had made in the floor. ¡°It really is kind of a rush. Normally, she''d have to prepare for a year first to get ready to be courted by a man.¡± No way! Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°It''s true. You''ve skipped a whole year of her training... that''s why she didn''t know how to handle your advances.¡± But... I didn''t know they were advances at the time! Ren thought. ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re in it for the long haul now.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Lucy is going to kill me when she finds out. Ren sighed as he looked over at the captain surveying the damage done to the floor. ¡°I have to go help the captain.¡± Nathalia looked up and him. ¡°I''ll come, too.¡± Ren nodded and led her over to the large dent and rippled planks he''d left in the floor. Another dwarf was there, talking to the captain. ¡°It''s a good thing we reinforced this room.¡± He said and tapped the floor with his boot. ¡°Otherwise, we''d have lost the floor. At least.¡± ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I held back as much as I could.¡± They both looked at Ren with wide eyes. ¡°I thought you said you weren''t going to hold back.¡± The captain said. ¡°Against my opponent.¡± Ren said. ¡°The ship didn''t do anything to me.¡± Ren knelt down and looked at the indent in the floor. Most of the crossbow was still wedged into the metal underfloor, and Teepo crawled up onto Ren''s shoulder. ¡°What can we do about this, Hevaz?¡± The captain said to the dwarf. ¡°I''m not sure how we''re going to get that out of there.¡± Hevaz said. ¡°We could build-¡± He stopped talking when Ren reached out to grab the crossbow. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Hevaz asked. ¡°Helping.¡± Ren grabbed the crossbow with both hands, as close to the floor as he could and enchanted it with Smoothness. He braced himself, used Iron Grip, and pulled. There was a sound of grinding metal for a moment, the wood of the crossbow started to splinter, then it popped out of the floor. The captain, Hevaz, and Nathalia stared at him. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Hevaz asked. ¡°Even Groggot couldn''t pull it out.¡± He said and thumbed over his shoulder to a slightly hunched over dwarf that was all muscles. ¡°He must have loosened it.¡± Ren said and nodded to Groggot, and Groggot nodded back. Ren absorbed the enchantment and handed the damaged crossbow to Hevaz. Ren took out his blacksmith hammer and felt around the indent and saw where it needed to be fixed. He couldn''t detect any other flaws, besides the ones he had added. ¡°Did you install this floor?¡± He asked Hevaz, who nodded. ¡°It''s really nice work.¡± The dwarf preened at the compliment and Ren held his hammer against the metal. ¡°Repair.¡± The metal glowed in the area that Ren had felt out and was concentrating on, and it reformed itself into it''s proper form a minute later.
Stat Change!
Repair Level 4 (Intermediate 0%)
¡°My Lord!¡± Nathalia yelled in delight and gave Ren a quick hug, then let go. ¡°You''re amazing!¡± ¡°You''re just saying that because you like my cooking.¡± Ren said and she laughed. ¡°Of course I do!¡± She said and then blushed a little. ¡°That''s not all I like, though.¡± Hevaz went over and stomped on the floor where the hole had been. ¡°It''s like it never happened!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Those are the best repairs.¡± Hevaz nodded in agreement and then looked at Ren. ¡°I''ve heard of Adventurers doing things like this... but seeing it in person is something else.¡± ¡°I hear that a lot.¡± Ren said and smiled. He looked at the rippled wood around the hole and frowned. He saw how far out it went and shook his head. ¡°I really am sorry I ruined this nice floor.¡± ¡°That''s what it''s here for.¡± The captain said. ¡°You gave it a great christening!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m glad I''ve done at least one thing right so far.¡± The captain laughed. ¡°At least we won''t be using this room again for a while.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°All the other House representatives have withdrawn their protests.¡± Ren had a surprised look on his face as he stared at the captain. ¡°Did you expect to have more fights like this one?¡± The captain said and waved at the damaged room. Water still sloshed around from his Water Spray ring, and several dwarves were pushing it with mops into drains on the sides of the room. ¡°Actually, I did.¡± Ren said. The captain laughed again. ¡°You shouldn''t.¡± He said. ¡°Some of them were knocked out with your shocking water trick. When they woke up, all the House representatives agreed that since you are the sole representative for your House, you have the right to sit at the main table.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for telling me.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± The captain said and laughed again. ¡°You definitely gave us all something to talk about!¡± Chapter 88 - Teach Me, Nathalia The captain waved at a group that was standing apart from everyone. They came over right away and pulled out various woodworking tools to deal with the floor. Ren offered to help, but they told him that they had enough hands to do the work. It should only take a few hours and he would only be in the way. Ren nodded and left the dueling room. Nathalia followed close behind. Once he was out in the hallway and away from the crowd, he turned to Nathalia. ¡°I really do want to find out what I can about your culture.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve made too many mistakes up until now.¡± He chuckled. ¡°One would have been too many!¡± He sighed. ¡°I''ve stumbled around in ignorance and messed things up pretty badly.¡± Nathalia reached out and put a hand on his arm. ¡°I''ll help you in any way I can.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll help with what I can, too.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought. If I hadn''t been so distracted by everything I could have asked you all about this. ¡°It''s kind of my fault, too.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I could have told you some things before we even got on the boat, and then after, but I was distracted by everything, too.¡± Ren smiled. We make a good pair, you and I, Teepo. Ren thought with amusement. ¡°Do we ever!¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ve had more fun now than I ever had when I was alive.¡± ¡°Why don''t we start your lessons right now?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I have to start making supper and I could use a hand. We can talk while we work.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That sounds like a great idea.¡± They went into the kitchen and Ren''s initiation into dwarf culture began. Nathalia told him about proper seating arrangements, to not address any woman by her given name unless he was expressing interest in her, to not insult anyone or they will challenge you, and it went on and on for hours as they made supper. Today it was soup. They chopped up a variety of vegetables like turnips, potatoes, carrots, onions, and beets. The meat was chicken this time, and Ren had to watch Nathalia as she showed him how dwarves prepared the chicken to add to the soup. Once it was all done and set on the stove to simmer until supper, Ren had the idea to make rolls instead of cutting up more bread. Nathalia watched in astonishment as Ren quickly made up a batch of dough, cut it up and rolled the pieces into balls and put them on a large cookie sheet. He stuck them in the oven and made another batch while he waited for them to cook. He also put a slab of butter in a bowl, then put it on the stove to melt. ¡°Why are you doing the dough like that?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I''ve seen breadmakers work before, but why are you making the loaves so small?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°They aren''t loaves of bread. They''re called rolls.¡± She looked at him like he was crazy and Ren laughed. ¡°Just wait and see.¡± Ren stood there with another tray ready for the oven. He pulled out the baked rolls and put in the next batch. The butter was melted and he brushed it over the rolls, letting the butter sink in and then broke them apart and put them into several bowls. ¡°What do you do with them?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren laughed. ¡°Eat them, of course.¡± Ren took a bowl of soup, grabbed a roll and broke it open. He dipped it into the soup, let it soak up some of the broth, and then ate it. ¡°We do that with normal bread.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I thought so. Rolls are just a little easier to handle than a big piece of bread.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to worry about it breaking apart when you dip it in the soup, either.¡± ¡°I think we should do both, just in case they don''t like these ''rolls''.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m not trying to change how you cook things.¡± He said. ¡°It was just an idea.¡± They cut up enough bread to make a stack for each table, and Ren made a bowl of rolls for each table, too. ¡°If no one eats them, I''ll take them myself. I don''t want to waste any food if I don''t have to.¡± Nathalia continued his lesson in dwarf culture as they let the soup cook and waited for supper to begin. When she got to how the Houses were set up, Ren had her repeat it a few times so he could get it right. There was a Lord and Lady at the top, Prince and Princess the next step down (usually the Lord and Lady''s children and their children''s spouses, or adoptions in rare cases), then Commoners. If there was a military part of the House, Knights and Warriors were above Commoners. There could also be associates, like Councilors and Ambassadors. A Priest was also assigned by The Order. ¡°So... does that mean I''m the Lord of my House?¡± Ren said. Nathalia nodded and her face flushed a little red. ¡°And she''s the Lady.¡± Teepo said from the top of a nearby cabinet. What?!? Ren thought in shock. ¡°I told you before that you were in this for the long haul. You''re getting married in 2 years. You''ve called her Lady several times, and won the right to officially court her in a public duel. She''s now the Lady of your Dwarf House.¡± And I can''t deny it, or claim ignorance or anything, can I? Ren thought. ¡°No. According to dwarf law, you''re already betrothed.¡± Teepo sighed. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± Ren sighed mentally. It''s okay Teepo. It''s my own fault for not finding out what I could before coming on this trip. Ren thought to his friend. I''ll just try my best to not make this situation worse. Ren smiled at Nathalia. ¡°If I''m the Lord of my House, then that means...¡± Nathalia nodded and her face flushed completely red. They stood in silence for a few minutes, then the supper bell rang. ¡°Let''s get to work.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re not going out to eat?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren shook his head and helped her dish out all of the bowls of soup to the waitresses. During a lull in the serving, while the dwarves ate the first bowl, she turned to Ren. ¡°Why aren''t you out there and sitting in your proper spot?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°To be honest, I''d rather stay in here with you, and out of the way of everyone else.¡± Ren said. Nathalia nodded and turned around quickly so Ren wouldn''t see her blush. They worked for another hour feeding the crew and when supper was over, the crew had another drinking game. Ren ignored them and helped Nathalia clean up the kitchen and listened to her talk about everything that she could think of that Ren might need to know. When everything was put away, Ren picked up the food he''d made for Princess, and Teepo hopped onto his shoulder. They left the kitchen and Nathalia stopped Ren in the hallway. ¡°There... there''s a lot more that you need to know.¡± She said. ¡°If... if you wanted to... my cabin...¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°I''m sorry, but I need to tend to my mount. She''s been alone most of the day.¡± He said. ¡°Can we continue my education tomorrow?¡± Nathalia''s face fell slightly. ¡°Of course.¡± She nodded. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said. He walked down the hall and avoided contact with the dwarves still hanging around the dining room. ¡°Ren, I think she really wanted you to go to her cabin.¡± Teepo said. I know. Ren thought as he left the main cabin area and entered the stairway to the hold. Remember when I said that I didn''t want to make this situation worse? ¡°Yeah.¡± Going to her cabin late at night would definitely make things worse for me. ¡°I''m sure she wouldn''t have thrown herself at you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She just wanted to touch your pelt!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Teepo! Ren thought and shook his head as he entered the hold. It was pretty dark, but it didn''t bother Ren as he could see as if it was daytime. Then he realized that Princess couldn''t see like him and had been sitting in the dark each night. Ren shook his head again and stepped over his protective barrier. ¡°I''m sorry I left you in the dark, Princess.¡± Ren took out the lantern he''d gotten in his starter kit, prepped it, and lit it. He was glad that it came with a hook to hang on things, and he hung it on one of the rafters near the ceiling of the hold. He reached the rafter easily, since it was a hold made for dwarves. The lantern lit up a circle about 20 feet wide. Ren watched as it swung back and forth slowly, and then faster, and then slowly again. ¡°It must be rough water to rock the boat... so... much...¡± Ren said and then looked at Ruck. He had slid down a little from where he was before. Ren went over and took him from the wall.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I''m sorry, Ruck. I know what''s wrong now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you hold onto me for a few minutes?¡± Ruck gave a weak thumbs up gesture and Ren slid Ruck around to his back. Ruck wrapped his legs around Ren''s chest. ¡°It won''t take long.¡± Ren said and took out some wood. He made a cabinet, just slightly bigger than Ruck, and added a hinged door. Ren took out his Spider Silk String and attached it to the 4 corners of the top of the cabinet, then tied the ends together into a single point about 2 feet above the cabinet. Ren hammered the end of the Spider Silk String into a rafter near the ceiling, leaving room for the cabinet to freely swing back and forth without hitting anything. ¡°Here you go, Ruck.¡± Ren said and opened the cabinet. ¡°This will let you stay still while the boat moves around you.¡± Ren took Ruck from his back and turned him around so that his legs could touch the back of the cabinet. Once Ren let Ruck go inside the cabinet, it started to sway just like the lantern and Ren could see Ruck felt better right away. ¡°You''re just sea-sick.¡± Ren said. ¡°This should help.¡± Ruck gave an ''okay'' gesture and Ren closed the cabinet. Princess had watched Ren while he worked and had an odd look on her face. ¡°Sorry! Here''s your supper.¡± Ren put a big bowl of soup on the floor and a plate of rolls. She sniffed the rolls and turned her head. ¡°Come on! They''re bread, just smaller!¡± Ren said. He took one, pulled it apart, and ate it. ¡°See? Bread.¡± Princess ignored the rolls and ate the thick soup. Ren laughed. ¡°None of the dwarves liked the rolls, either.¡± He said and took a roll from inventory to eat. Ren had 94 rolls left in inventory. He laughed. I''ll be eating them for a while. He''d been so busy cooking and learning that he''d forgotten to eat a good meal himself, and ate another roll. Ren sat down on the bed, then layed down on his back to get comfortable. I''m going to sleep now, Teepo. I''ll see you in the morning. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± ¡°Goodnight everyone.¡± Ren said. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren was out earlier than usual and spent some time with Barbara before the shift change. They talked about the fight and she congratulated him on how he had ended it so quickly. He thanked her for the advice and they discussed his problems with the whole marriage thing. Barbara didn''t know what he could do about it, but told him that since it wouldn''t be for another 2 years, Ren shouldn''t worry too much about it. Ren didn''t have the heart to remind her that it was only 6 months in real life. Bonnie came in during shift change and Barbara filled her in on what happened overnight and Ren watched television. He had breakfast and did his physical therapy session. The therapist congratulated him on walking a full 30 metres. Ren was exhausted, but forced himself to get a shower. He climbed into bed after that and promptly fell asleep. * Ren opened his eyes and saw he was in the dark room again. He got out of bed and huddled in the corner, in the only spot he could squeeze into, between the cold machines. He looked around but didn''t see anyone, and he relaxed. They haven''t found me yet. He thought in relief, then froze as he heard several footfalls. ¡°Yes, I''ve done extensive testing.¡± A woman''s voice said. ¡°But is it valid?¡± A man''s voice said. The woman laughed. ¡°Of course. You know I maintain perfect lab protocols.¡± She said. ¡°You wrote them.¡± Ren could see the door from where he crouched and 2 pairs of feet blocked the little bit of light that was in the hallway. The door handle turned slightly and clicked, then turned and clicked again. ¡°It''s locked.¡± The woman said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren took a shallow breath. ¡°I know you''re in there.¡± The man said. ¡°I''ve come to see you.¡± Ren started to breathe faster and faster. No. ¡°Your mother is getting the key now.¡± No... no... Ren began to hyperventilate as he heard footsteps, then the key slip into the lock. The door opened and the man and woman stepped into the room. ¡°Son? Your father is here to see you. Isn''t that nice?¡± No... no... no... no... He walked over to where Ren was hiding. His father knew that was the only spot Ren could get into, and reached a hand for him. ¡°NOOOOOO!¡± * ¡°NOOOOOO!¡± Ren screamed as he woke up and covered his face with his arms. Poor Bonnie was startled out of her chair and nearly fell to the floor. She caught herself on the bed and stood up. ¡°Ren? It was just a dream.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°Ren?¡± Ren was still hyperventilating and tried to calm down. It took several minutes for his heartbeat to slow down to it''s normal rate and Ren uncovered his face. ¡°I... I''m fine, Bonnie.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± She asked. ¡°That seemed like a bad one.¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± Ren said, when his breath was even again, and he looked at his watch. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Bonnie asked. ¡°I''m late.¡± Ren said and pointed to his watch. ¡°I''ve missed breakfast in the game already.¡± Bonnie laughed. ¡°You just had a bad dream and all you can think about is that you''ve missed playing your game?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Barbara and I filled you in on what''s been going on. If I stay out too long, something bad is bound to happen.¡± Bonnie nodded. ¡°Okay, but you know I have to add this to your sheet.¡± She said and walked over to the pile of sheets hanging by the door in a clear holder. ¡°You haven''t had one in a while, that''s good.¡± She took out the top sheet and filled in the next spot on the paper. ¡°Which one was it this time?¡± ¡°The locked door one.¡± Ren sighed and climbed out of bed. He needed to use the bathroom before he logged back in. Bonnie added the dream info to the sheet, and smiled as Ren went back to bed. ¡°Are you sure you want to play so soon after that?¡± Bonnie asked. Ren nodded. ¡°See you in a couple of hours.¡± Ren put on the VR headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the hold of the ship and felt something laying in the bed with him. He glanced down and saw the top of Nathalia''s head on his chest. Her body half covered his, and she had a leg draped across his leg, and her long braid was draped across them both. Ren could hear her breathing was nice and even, and knew that she was asleep. He took a deep breath to speak and then he heard her breathing change. He waited a moment more and then spoke. ¡°Nathalia... why are you in my bed?¡± She looked up at him and smiled. ¡°When you didn''t show up to help with breakfast, I thought something might be wrong. When I was done in the kitchen, I came down here to look for you.¡± She said and looked back down to his chest so Ren could only see the top of her head again. ¡°When I saw you sleeping here, I came over to wake you... and I felt that same thing that you did during the duel.¡± Ren''s eyes widened at her words when she continued. ¡°I knew you would never hurt me, so I fought the feeling and stepped next to the bed. I felt so relieved... and suddenly exhausted.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You looked so peaceful, and the bed looked so soft and comfortable... I... I just couldn''t help myself.¡± Ren could feel her blush through his shirt. ¡°I think we should get up, don''t you?¡± Ren said. Nathalia nodded and sat up, dragging her braid across his chest. ¡°R...R...¡± She took a quick breath. ¡°Ren... what kind of fabric is this?¡± She asked and ran a hand over the cloth of his shirt sleeve. ¡°It''s Spider Silk.¡± ¡°Spider Silk? Really?¡± She said, surprised. ¡°I''ve only ever seen Royal clothing made from it, and the weave wasn''t anywhere near this good.¡± ¡°I know a great tailor in Aurora that made the cloth for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Her name''s Sally, of Sally''s Tailor Shop.¡± ¡°Is she the one you''re involved with?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren laughed and shook his head. ¡°No. She''s just a nice old lady.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I can tell you all about Lucy, if you want.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I don''t really want to know.¡± She said. ¡°You have 2 years to sow your wild oats, then after the ceremony, you''re all mine.¡± ¡°Nathalia...¡± Ren tried to speak. ¡°I don''t want to hear it.¡± Nathalia shook her head again. ¡°I''ve told you about how it all works. The both of us have commitments we have to fulfill now.¡± She said and sighed. ¡°What is my mother going to say?¡± ¡°Your mother?¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°After a few more years on the ship and I earned enough money, I was to return to her for a few years to work for the House, then I was to enter training for a year to prepare for courtship.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked. She nodded again. ¡°After that, each House would send a likely candidate for the trials. Once that was done, I would be matched up with the one who would best benefit my House.¡± She said. ¡°I might have been able to avoid all of this if I''d been trained properly... but now? Now I have to leave the ship when we get to port and try to explain to Ma what''s happened.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°If you were so worried about that, why have you been cozying up to me the last couple of days?¡± Nathalia dropped her head slightly and smiled sheepishly. ¡°I wasn''t worried about it at first. All the attention you were giving me was really flattering. The lavish and expensive gifts... it felt like I was being treated like royalty.¡± She said, then looked at Ren. ¡°You''re really handsome, and strong, and... and I... I wanted to pretend for a while.¡± Ren stared at her with shock in his eyes. ¡°I know it was foolish!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°But... it wasn''t until after I taught you some of our culture last night that it started to hit me. I realized all of the things I was going to have to do, all the things that would have to change, now that you''re my official courter and I didn''t have 6 years to get ready first.¡± Ren took her hand. ¡°I''ve messed up your life with all of this, haven''t I?¡± Ren said. ¡°Nathalia, I''m really sorry.¡± Nathalia squeezed his hand. ¡°It''s both of our faults for letting it get this far.¡± She said and sighed. ¡°You''ll have to petition the Dwarven Council as soon as we get to Dornrach.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Nathalia rolled her eyes. ¡°To register your House, of course.¡± She said and let his hand go. Ren thought about it for a minute. ¡°What if I don''t register?¡± ¡°They''ll send for you... and probably charge you for the crime of not petitioning them.¡± ¡°It''s a crime?¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°You''ve been using an unregistered House, and made claims on it''s name.¡± ¡°I didn''t!¡± Ren exclaimed. She put a hand on his arm. ¡°It doesn''t matter how it happened. All that matters is that it did.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Okay, so I register my House, then what?¡± Nathlia shook her head. ¡°No, you have to petition for the registration.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°What happens if they refuse?¡± ¡°Everything you''ve done in that House''s name will be undone, and-¡± Nathalia stopped speaking and looked at Ren. They both had shocked looks on their faces, then they both smiled. ¡°We''ll be out of all of this!¡± They said together, and laughed. For the next week, All Ren did was make meals, eat rolls, learn about dwarf culture, and take care of his mount. He was busy all the time as he and Nathalia tried to come up with ways to get his petition rejected. Using a different name, filling it in wrong, giving it to the wrong House, and Nathalia even suggested she talk to her mother, who knew one of the council members that might be able to get it rejected. No one bothered them as they worked. When they were seen together talking, everyone believed that they were preparing to get Ren''s House in order. Surprisingly enough to both of them, they had a lot in common and enjoyed a lot of the same things. The time flew by before either of them knew it, and Ren had increased his Cooking to Level 7, and Chop to Level 9. Dwarves ate lots of vegetables. The ship approached the bay where the main port was and Ren was up on deck with Teepo on his shoulder. They both stared at the mountain range that went as far as the eye could see. Teepo... are you seeing what I''m seeing? ¡°I think so. Are you seeing more mountains than sky?¡± Teepo asked. Yeah. ¡°Then I see it, too.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It looks like it goes on forever.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s something, isn''t it?¡± The captain said. ¡°It sure is!¡± Ren said, then noticed something. The ship was sailing straight for the mountain range and wasn''t slowing down. ¡°Um... captain?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I don''t see an opening for the ship.¡± ¡°You don''t?¡± The captain asked, surprised. ¡°How have you been getting into the hold every day?¡± Ren looked at the captain like he was crazy. ¡°You''ve got to be kidding me!¡± The captain laughed at his expression. Ren activated Enchanted Eyes and one of the mountains in the mountain range glowed. A whole damn mountain! Ren thought. ¡°Wow.¡± Chapter 89 - House Neram As the tiny ship approached the massive wall of mountains, Ren could see that there wasn''t a shore of any kind. No beaches, outcroppings, or anything of the sort. The whole mountain range ended in mile high sheer cliffs. The water was a deep blue right up to them, showing that it was just as deep here as it was out in the sea. Ren shook his head slightly as the ship''s bow was about to hit the cliff''s face and then the mountain disappeared. ¡°They don''t have to leave it until the last minute, do they?¡± Ren asked the captain. The captain laughed. ¡°No... but it gets the blood pumping, doesn''t it?¡± Ren nodded. Not for the reason you think, though. Ren thought. The amount of Mana needed to make that illusion solid... it''s... mind numbing. The ship sailed into the mountain wide gulf that was cut through the cliff. Ren looked up and could barely make out the top. It was quite a humbling sight. Someone had to dig all this out! Ren thought, and the ship continued on through the opening for several miles. When they came to the other side, the mountains tapered off into rolling hills, and then into a gigantic bay. At the end of the bay was a city that was at least 3 times the size of Aurora. There were battlements built all around it. He couldn''t tell how thick the walls were, but they looked massive from this distance. Smaller ships and boats peppered the shoreline and the bay, and one of the biggest docks Ren had seen so far, was set off to the side. Isn''t this great! Ren thought. A whole new city to explore. ¡°I know!¡± Teepo said, excitedly. ¡°I can''t wait!¡± Now that they were close to the middle of the bay, Ren turned around to get a look at the mountains from this side, and saw what was on the side of the rolling hills that he didn''t see on the way in. Ren and Teepo stared at all of the animals grazing on some of the steep slopes. Oh, crap! Ren thought. ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± Teepo said. The hills were covered in bighorn rams. ¡°I''ll be in the hold.¡± Ren said and quickly left his spot at the railing. The captain stared at him as Ren disappeared into a porthole. What''s gotten into him? Ren went into the hold and over to his designated spot. Most of the hold was still full of crates, but most of them were empty now. Ren picked up his protective barrier stones and stored them into inventory, and knocked on Ruck''s cabinet. ¡°Ruck? We''re here.¡± Ren looked at Princess. ¡°I''m sorry, Princess... but I have to get you prepped as a mount.¡± She looked at him with doubt in her eyes. ¡°I know it''s sudden, but I just saw...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Look, it will be much better if everyone sees you as a mount right away. Trust me.¡± Princess huffed and gave a slight nod. ¡°Thank you.¡± She stepped out of the crate and Ren put her saddle on, securing it snugly, but not tightly. He didn''t have to ride her, he just had to let everyone know that she should be ridden... and not eaten. Ren shuddered. ¡°If only I''d known... no, that''s not true. It''s not like I would leave you somewhere and hope you''d be looked after.¡± Ren said to Princess, looking her in the eyes. ¡°You''re my responsibility, and I promise to take good care of you.¡± He said then put on the rein harness over Princess'' face as she closed her eyes. He made sure the harness didn''t snag her fur, or pushed the fur in front of her eyes. Once that was done, Ren closed up her crate and stored it in inventory. Ruck had opened his cabinet and it still swung slightly in the calm water. Ren smiled. At least he''s feeling better. ¡°Climb aboard!¡± Ren said and turned around to let Ruck grab onto him. Ren used his wood hammer to dig out the nail holding the Spider String to the rafter, closed the cabinet, and stored it. The lantern and bed were next. Ren looked around and didn''t see anything else that was his, and nodded. ¡°I think that''s everything.¡± The ship hit something and Ren grabbed Princess'' reins. Her hooves started to slide a little bit on the smooth wood floor and Ren grabbed her saddle, too. ¡°Dammit! I forgot to tell the captain that he needs to warn people when the ship docks and undocks!¡± A minute later, several dwarves came into the hold and started gathering up the empty crates. Ren didn''t offer to help this time. One of his lessons was to not offer unneeded assistance to dwarves that didn''t ask for it. It made Ren smile, considering that was exactly how he''d gotten into this mess in the first place. Ren waited patiently as the pallet was lowered into the hold, and the holdmaster directed the dwarves in the proper way to load the empty crates onto it. They did several loads of empty crates to get them out of the way, and then moved on to the ones that held trade goods. Groggot came into the hold then, and Ren greeted him properly. Not with a hello, a nod, or even a wave; but a low grunt. That way, it didn''t interfere with whatever the dwarves were doing at the time. It was a way of showing respect to good workers that you knew, without insulting them. Groggot grunted back and went about his job. He picked up the heavier crates easily and the holdmaster guided him to the right spot. Groggot was hunched over slightly and was all muscles; when he picked up the bigger crates, he literally couldn''t see anything in front of him. Everyone got out of his way. The hold was completely cleared eventually and then the holdmaster told Ren it was his turn. Ren led Princess over to the pallet, enchanted it with Antidark, then got on. They were lifted from the hold and Ren absorbed the enchantment from the pallet and stepped onto the deck with Princess. He led her over to the gangplank and off of the ship. He had agreed to meet Nathalia here, and would wait for as long as he had to, for her to get ready. ¡°Ruck? Can I put you on Princess'' saddle? I''m going to see Nathalia''s mother, and I can''t show up with a backpack.¡± Ruck gave a quick ''thumbs up'' gesture and Ren slipped him off and put him on the saddle. Princess didn''t grunt or huff and Ren smiled. ¡°Thanks, Princess.¡± Their plan required Nathalia to play along with his petition, and gather up all of her things. It was going to take a while. It might have been a small kitchen, but it had also been quite full. He''d asked if she wanted him to take everything himself, as he still had lots of room in inventory, but she said that they needed the spectacle of her actually leaving the ship to make everyone think they really wanted to establish a new house. Ren did take the fire stones from the stove, however. Even though only he and Nathalia could use them, he didn''t want to just leave them lying around. Nathalia told the captain about having to leave, and he gratiously offered to leave the cook position open, in case Ren''s petition for registration was denied. The ship wouldn''t be leaving on another trip for 2 weeks, anyways. An hour later, mostly everyone else was off the ship, except for a few of the deckhands that were cleaning up all the mess. Nathalia came out of the main cabin area, carrying a big box. Several other dwarves came out behind her, pushing 2 foot wide carts filled with medium sized boxes. Ren''s eyes widened as they pulled the carts down the gangplank, and the boxes slid from side to side as the cart bumped over the slats. Nathalia had a smile on her face as she saw Ren standing on the dock, and came over to him. ¡°Your arms are empty!¡± She said and handed him the heavy box. Ren laughed and stored it before she could blink. The dwarves dropped the 20 or so boxes on the dock and took the carts back to the ship. Ren and Nathalia stood on the dock until the dwarves helping her went back inside the ship. Once Ren couldn''t see them anymore, he stored all the boxes into inventory and she shook her head. ¡°You weren''t kidding, were you?¡± Nathalia asked and Ren shook his head. ¡°I said it would have been faster, but you wanted a ''spectacle''.¡± Ren did the ''air quotes'' gesture and grinned. Nathalia laughed. ¡°All right, come on.¡± She said. ¡°It''s time you met my mother.¡± Ren nodded and followed Nathalia along the dock, carefully leading Princess along and trying his best to not disturb any of the dwarves working on the dock. It was a lot harder than it sounded. Dwarves were everywhere. Ren was glad that the ship had arrived just as another had cleared the slip and the berth they got was only 2 ships away from the mainland. They didn''t have far to walk to be on solid ground. They came to the end of the dock and Ren stepped onto the dirt. ¡°A new land to explore.¡± Ren said and smiled. Nathalia laughed. ¡°New to you.¡± ¡°And to me.¡± Teepo said. Nathalia walked along the street and through the warehouses lining both sides. They made their way up to the main gates of the battlement situated closest to the docks. Ren had been right in his assessment when he''d first seen them. They were massive structures, and now he could see that they were nearly a hundred feet wide and 50 feet high. ¡°You could fit 10 carts on top of that, side by side, and still have room to walk around them!¡± Ren said in awe. The Warrior standing guard at the gate laughed. ¡°Aye, and probably twice that at the Main Keep.¡± Ren looked at him in surprise. ¡°Really?¡± The Warrior nodded. ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. The Warrior smiled. ¡°Please tell me you don''t like making outrageously big things.¡± Nathalia said to Ren. Ren grinned and the Warrior laughed. ¡°Come on...¡± She said. ¡°Ma''s waiting for me.¡± They walked on and both Ren and Teepo tried their best not to do the whole rubberneck tourist bit, but there was just so much stuff to look at. Ren''s pace started to slow down as he kept seeing more and more things, and Teepo pointed out things that interested him. Nathalia noticed Ren wasn''t following as closely as he should, and blushed when she took his hand to lead him through the streets. I''m holding a man''s hand in public! Nathalia thought and tried her best to ignore the glances that Ren was attracting from bystanders. He was by far one of the tallest people there. Once they got far enough away from the main trading area, the buildings spread out a bit more and went from 3 and 4 stories, to 1 and 2 stories. Ren stared at everything he could see. ¡°This place is great!¡± Ren exclaimed. It took a while, but they eventually came to a large property quite a ways from the main street. It was enclosed in a miniature version of a battlement, only about 8 feet high. No other buildings were around it at all. It kind of stood out from everything else in the city, as it hadn''t been maintained well. The 2 foot wide moat surrounding it was dry as a bone, and was a bit overgrown with weeds and vines. They approached the small drawbridge that was so old, it had embedded itself in the ground years ago from people walking on it. By the looks of it, it no longer functioned anyways. Now it was just a pile of planks crossing a hole. Nathalia led Ren to the gate and turned to him. ¡°You remember what to do?¡± She asked. Ren nodded. Nathalia let go of Ren''s hand and opened the gate. It creaked so loudly that Ren thought the hinges were going to let go; but it swung open all the way and Nathalia stepped inside. Ren led Princess into the small courtyard and Nathalia shut the gate. Ren winced this time as he was on the side with the hinges and could see them grinding together. Go, Teepo! Ren thought and Teepo leaped from Ren''s shoulder and skittered as fast as his little legs could carry him into the house. Ren didn''t want to let his recipe for Trouble to get any ingredients. Nathalia led Ren around the side of the main house to another small area with a trough and stand to tie mounts to. A small stable was there, but it was empty. It looked like it hadn''t been used in a long time.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can, okay?¡± Ren said to Princess and Ruck, then tied the reins to the stand. Ren looked at the trough and the wood was cracked in several places. He doubted it would hold any water at all, then he remembered he still had the big bowl that he had been using to feed Princess and took it out of inventory. ¡°Hey! I was looking for that!¡± Nathalia said, surprised. ¡°Oh... sorry.¡± Ren said, sheepishly. ¡°I''ve been using it and didn''t get a chance to bring it back after breakfast this morning.¡± Ren said and used his Water Spray ring to rinse it out, then filled it with water. He put it in front of Princess and she took a drink. ¡°You''ve been using it to feed your mount?!?¡± Nathalia almost yelled. ¡°If I say yes, will you be mad?¡± Nathalia growled. ¡°Do you know how much that bowl cost?¡± Ren bent down and used Appraisal. ¡°I''d say about 2 gold, give or take a few silver.¡± ¡°Yes! 2 gold coins!¡± She said, exasperated. Ren walked over to Nathalia and handed her 2 gold, 10 silver. ¡°I''m sorry if I''ve upset you.¡± He said. ¡°Please buy another bowl to replace it.¡± Nathalia looked at the money in her hand. ¡°You... you can''t keep doing that.¡± ¡°Doing what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Trying to solve problems with money.¡± Nathalia said. Ren widened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t mean to offend you.¡± Nathalia closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. ¡°I''m not offended.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°I just want you to know that throwing money at something won''t magically fix it.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I understand. Do you want the bowl back?¡± ¡°No, you might as well keep it.¡± She said. ¡°You''ve paid me for it.¡± Ren winced. He''d heard that tone before. It usually meant someone was angry and they were trying to hide it. ¡°I really am sorry.¡± Nathalia took a deep breath. ¡°I know you are. Come inside. Ma is probably wondering what''s taking me so long.¡± Ren nodded and followed her to the front door of the house. It was only a single storey high and covered most of the lot it was on. The battlement walls surrounding it nearly touched the back 2 corners. The only extra space was what Ren had already seen. The front courtyard and the stable on the side. Teepo? ¡°I looked in every room. There''s no one here, except one woman in the main room. There''s a huge kitchen, 2 closets, 3 giant bedrooms, and a door that leads to stone stairs going down.¡± Teepo said. Great work, Teepo! ¡°Thanks, Ren. I''m going down the stairs now.¡± Be careful. Ren thought as Nathalia opened the front door. ¡°Ma?¡± She said as they stepped inside. ¡°In here, dear.¡± A woman''s voice said. ¡°She''s in the main room.¡± Nathalia whispered. ¡°You know what to do.¡± Ren nodded. They''d gone over the proper protocol a dozen times. When presenting an introduction gift to the Lady of a House, you always pay respects first. If you meet standing, then a deep bow is needed. Sitting, a one leg kneel. Ren just hoped the gift he had was enough. Nathalia walked into the main room and her mother sat in a stiff wooden chair, her back straight and her hair done up in a braid, just like her daughter. She wore a thin white chiffon dress, and a small white belt around her waist. She looks just like her daughter. Ren thought. Only she''s a little thinner, and she has some gray hair. ¡°Hello, Ma.¡± Nathalia said and went over to her. She gave her mother a quick hug, and a kiss on the cheek, then stepped to the side. ¡°And who''s this?¡± Her mother said and glanced at her daughter. ¡°You''re a little young to be courted.¡± She whispered. Ren could hear her clearly, and held back a smile. He took a few steps forward, and knelt on one knee. ¡°I am Ren, of an Unregistered House, and I present to you, the Lady of House Neram, a gift commensurate of your worth.¡± Ren took out 2 of the golden band rings that he hadn''t equipped yet, but had enchanted with an Augment Glyph (4 runes of Augment). One granted a +4 to Vitality, and the other +4 to Strength. Ren held them out to her in the palm of his hand. Nathalia''s mother''s eyes widened at the gold rings. After talking with Nathalia all week, and hearing that her mother''s only regrets were that she felt weak and wasn''t as young as she used to be, giving her rings to help alleviate that seemed like the best gift he could give her. Nathalia''s mother reached out and picked up the rings. ¡°Are these really what I think...¡± She started to say, and then clamped her mouth shut before she broke protocol completely. She slipped the Vitality ring onto her right hand, and when it resized to fit her, she took a deep breath and looked at Ren. She put the Strength ring on the next finger. ¡°As the Lady of this House, I find your gifts... acceptable.¡± She said and smiled. Ren relaxed for a moment, then took a deep breath himself. This is the hard part. He thought, then spoke. ¡°I come before you, to seek guidance. Through my own ignorance, I have courted your daughter.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was also challenged, and in front of High House witnesses, won a duel to become her official courter.¡± Nathalia''s mother''s face showed surprise, and Ren continued. ¡°My ignorance is no excuse, I accept that; but seeing as I am not physically a dwarf, and my House is Unregistered... I humbly request your assistance to have my petition for registration be denied.¡± Her face was shocked and she turned to her daughter, who nodded. ¡°What you''re requesting is quite unorthodox.¡± She said and frowned. ¡°It''s the only way to undo everything that''s happened, Ma.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°I can''t leave the ship yet. We still owe too much to do that.¡± ¡°But this man...¡± ¡°Can''t be locked in a marriage that he doesn''t want.¡± Nathalia''s mother turned back to Ren. ¡°Is this true?¡± She asked. ¡°You''ve been playing with my daughter''s affections and now you are spurning her?¡± Ren''s eyes widened. What do I say? This wasn''t a part of the protocol! ¡°Mother!¡± Nathalia yelled. ¡°What?¡± Her mother yelled back. ¡°It''s not like that! We... we haven''t... it''s not like that!¡± Her mother relaxed slightly. ¡°Then tell me what happened.¡± Nathalia and Ren told her the whole story, how it began quite innocently, then how things snowballed into a duel. Then they told her about Nathalia''s realization that neither she nor Ren wanted to go through with it, and then the hatching of the plan. When they were finished, Nathalia''s mother sat in silence. Several minutes passed and she didn''t say anything. Ren still knelt and Nathalia still stood beside the chair, both unmoving. Her mother nodded. ¡°Wait here.¡± She said, then tried to stand up quickly and turn right, but she''d forgotten about the rings Ren had given her. When she pushed herself out of the chair with her left arm and legs like she usually did, her extra strength let her pop out of it as if she had hopped. ¡°Whoop!¡± She exclaimed. She lost her footing, twisted around and fell backwards, arms windmilling. Ren caught her easily, since he had been kneeling only a step away in front of the chair. She ended up sitting on Ren''s knee, with an arm draped around his shoulders, with one of his hands on her upper back and the other hand on her leg. ¡°Mother!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°Yes, dear. I''m fine.¡± She said. ¡°Apparently, I don''t know my own strength.¡± She started to laugh and then stopped. Her eyes drifted down to where Ren''s hand was on her thigh, and her face flushed a little red when she realized she was sitting on a man''s thigh, and that man was holding her in a very manly way, for the first time in over 12 years. ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± She said and her blush filled her face. Ren thought she might pass out and shifted his stabilizing hand from her thigh to under both of her legs. He stood up and cupped Nathalia''s mother to his chest. ¡°Oh My!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Put my mother down.¡± ¡°Her face turned red so fast after that fall, I thought she was going to pass out.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re supposed to level out the flow of blood when that happens.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°That''s not why she was blushing.¡± He''s holding me like I weigh nothing! Her mother thought. Ren looked at Nathalia with a question on his face. ¡°Then why...¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°She''s a woman... and if my guess is right... and I sincerely hope it is... she hasn''t had a man touch her like that in about a decade.¡± Ren looked down in surprise at Nathalia''s mother, who looked up at him with embarrassment, and a little bit of longing. ¡°I''m terribly sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I over-reacted.¡± ¡°So did I...¡± She said. ¡°...I think.¡± She continued to blush. Ren put her down gently, standing her on her feet, and found out she was the same height as her daughter at 4 foot even. Ren was a head taller than both of them. ¡°If I was in my right mind, I wouldn''t help you.¡± Nathalia''s mother said. ¡°Mother!¡± Her mother smiled mischievously. ¡°I think he would make a very fine courter.¡± Nathalia''s mouth fell open. ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Don''t worry, dear. I''m going to help you.¡± She said and then turned to Ren. ¡°I only have 2 conditions.¡± Ren didn''t say anything and crossed his arms. Teepo? What have you found? ¡°There''s a keep down here, Ren. A big one.¡± Teepo said. Really? ¡°The house is sitting on the entrance. It goes on for about half a mile below ground.¡± That is pretty big. Ren thought. How''s the condition? ¡°Terrible. Walls have collapsed, ceilings have caved in. There''s really big spiders and some bats. It''s actually really dangerous down here. I don''t think it''s been touched in decades.¡± It hasn''t. Ren thought. Her father was a tailor. ¡°That figures. It kills me to see a place like this waste away.¡± Teepo said, disgusted. Me, too. What are the chances I can fix it? ¡°Slim and none... and Slim left town.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Ren smiled. ¡°Just kidding. If you can get a good stonemason or something, then dig out the rooms above and fix them before trying to clear the lower levels...¡± Hm. I understand. Have you found anything shiny? Teepo chittered in laughter again. ¡°How did you know?¡± You''re in a dungeon surrounded by spiders and bats, and you''re in a good mood. ¡°Ha ha... I haven''t seen anything really good... but there''s veins of gold behind some of these fallen walls.¡± Excellent. ¡°What are your conditions?¡± Ren said to Nathalia''s mother. ¡°One... You pay a proper tribute, as a dowery for my daughter.¡± ¡°Mother, no!¡± Nathalia yelled. ¡°You can''t ask him to-¡± ¡°And the second?¡± Ren asked. ¡°When she is ready in 6 years, you come back and petition to be her courter.¡± Ren looked at Nathalia''s mother and knew she was scheming for something, and Ren''s Haggling ability engaged. I see. Ren thought. ¡°What would you consider a proper tribute to pay?¡± He asked. ¡°How much do you have?¡± She asked coyly. ¡°By the gods, Mother! Have you no shame?¡± Nathalia asked. Her mother laughed. ¡°Relax, dear. He knows what I''m doing, don''t you?¡± Ren nodded and smiled. Nathalia looked back and forth between them and didn''t know what to say. ¡°Well... rather than offer you money...¡± Ren said to her mother''s wide eyes. ¡°...I''ll offer to repair this place.¡± Nathalia gasped. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You... you don''t know how big this place is.¡± ¡°If you''re referring to the size of the battlements outside, I know they''re supposed to be on top of a structure at least... what? Half a mile high?¡± Nathalia and her mother''s mouths dropped open in shock. ¡°I''ve seen the outside of this place. It''s practically crumbling. The inside? Something this old... there''d be walls collapsed and ceilings caved in, I think.¡± ¡°How... how....¡± Nathalia''s mother said. Ren shrugged. ¡°I''ll need to talk to a stonemason first, of course. I''d be scared to touch anything without consulting an expert.¡± ¡°You''d really do it?¡± Nathalia''s mother said in disbelief. ¡°You''d try to repair the Keep?¡± ¡°That''s what you want, isn''t it?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I was wondering why you''d want Nathalia working back home for 3 years after saving up money while working on a ship. There''s not 3 years of work to what I''ve seen so far. There had to be a lot more to this place.¡± Nathalia''s mother turned to her. ¡°Are you sure you don''t want to keep him trapped in an engagement?¡± Nathalia opened and closed her mouth, but didn''t say anything. ¡°You''re right.¡± Her mother said. ¡°I''ve borrowed money to try and maintain this place all these years, but it''s been too much for me to handle. Nathalia was kind enough to take a job on a ship to try and earn enough money to pay back what I owe.¡± ¡°What we owe.¡± Nathalia said. Her mother smiled. ¡°You see? She takes on the family''s problems as if they were her own.¡± ¡°If you accept repairing the keep as the first condition, then all you''d have to worry about is paying back the money, right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Why?!?¡± Nathalia and her mother said together, looked at each other, then back to Ren. ¡°Why would you do this for us?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I really have messed up your life''s plan for the next handful of years. I want to do what I can to fix that.¡± Ren said, then smiled. ¡°I''m also going to need somewhere to live while I''m here.¡± Both Nathalia and her mother blushed slightly. A man living here after so long! ¡°I can''t ask you to let me live here in the house.¡± Ren said. ¡°The keep on the other hand? I can stay there... once I clean it up a little.¡± Nathalia''s mother looked at Ren. ¡°I''ll agree to the change of the first condition.¡± She said. ¡°I won''t budge on the second.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Actually... your second condition isn''t valid anymore.¡± ¡°What!¡± She said. Ren looked at Nathalia. ¡°Your second condition was based on her working for 3 years on the ship to save up to fix the keep, then 3 years here working on the keep itself.¡± Her mother nodded. ¡°But now... I''m fixing the keep.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Plus, I''ve already petitioned to be a courter to your daughter. We''re trying to undo that, remember?¡± Her mother looked at him, trying to see where she was getting screwed over, but she couldn''t see it. She stepped forward and put out a hand for Ren to shake. He didn''t take it however. ¡°I can''t agree yet.¡± Ren said to her shocked expression and she dropped her hand. ¡°While I''m fixing the place, I''m bound to find something valuable. What should we do with it?¡± Both Nathalia and her mother stared at Ren again. ¡°What?!?¡± Her mother asked. ¡°I''ll eventually get really deep. There''s monsters down there. If I kill them, who gets the loot?¡± ¡°You do, of course. If they are your kills, you get the spoils.¡± Her mother said. Ren nodded. ¡°That''s fair. What if I find something in one of the rooms? Do I get to keep it, do you keep it, do we sell it, fix it, split it?¡± Her mother huffed. ¡°Just take everything that''s not mine, dammit!¡± She said and stuck out her hand again. Ren smiled and took her hand. Instead of shaking it, he turned it towards his face and bent over to place a kiss on the front of her fingers. It was proper protocol, after all. ¡°It''s an Honor to work for your House, My Lady.¡±
New Quest!
You have entered a contract with House Neram to rebuild Neram Keep. You will remain in Lady Narhilda Neram''s employ until the contract is fulfilled. No time limit has been set to complete this quest. Rewards: Immediate Dissolution of House Ememay, ????
Narhilda blushed a deep red as she looked into Ren''s eyes. ¡°I-I-I''ll have the improper paperwork filed right away.¡± She stammered.
Quest Update!
House Ememay has been disbanded! Influence Lost! Honor Lost!
Notice!
You have been fined by the Dwarven Council for using a false House name! Fine Amount: 100 gold coins Fines can be paid at the Main Keep. Time Limit: 1 day.
Well... crap. Ren thought. Chapter 90 - The Fine Ren let Nathalia''s mother''s hand go and she saw the change in Ren''s face. ¡°What is it?¡± Narhilda asked. Ren shook his head. She had enough to worry about without knowing he''d been given a fine. Narhilda looked at him for a moment more and once again told them to wait there. She left the main room and Ren waited for her to return. ¡°Okay, what is it?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I''ll need directions to the Main Keep. I''ve been given a fine for using a false House name.¡± ¡°How could they do that?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Ma just said she''d file the paperwork.¡± ¡°I''m an Adventurer. I guess once I accepted her condition, it was automatic.¡± ¡°That still doesn''t sound...¡± Nathalia started to say when her mother came back into the room. ¡°It''s done.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°It was just a formality, really. Now that you''re working for me, you can''t have your own House.¡± They both looked at her in surprise. ¡°What?¡± She asked. ¡°You couldn''t just tell us that?¡± Nathalia said, exasperated. ¡°As soon as I thought of it, I tried to stand up... and you saw what happened.¡± Narhilda said as her face flushed a little red again. ¡°I was a little distracted.¡± She glanced at Ren. ¡°Ma.¡± ¡°Yes, dear?¡± ¡°You can file paperwork from here?¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°Your father had the Sending Stone installed ages ago. Connects right to the Main Keep''s filing room. He needed a way to bill the Nobility without bothering them with the petty details.¡± ¡°Sending Stone?¡± Ren asked, intrigued. ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°It connects to another stone just like it at the Main Keep. You activate it, and when you speak, someone else hears it as if you were standing right next to them.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°No way!¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°It works for 5 minutes at a time, but it''s only one way.¡± She said. ¡°Once an hour, it can be used.¡± ¡°That''s a great thing!¡± Ren said, then thought about it for a minute. ¡°I wonder what the range is...¡± ¡°From here to the Main Keep at least.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°About 2 miles.¡± Ren whistled. It was the first time he''d heard of anything in the game that would let you talk to someone that wasn''t standing right next to you. ¡°Can I see it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t think that''s a good idea.¡± Narhilda said and blushed slightly. ¡°It''s... in my bedroom.¡± Ren blinked a few times. ¡°Ma, stop teasing him.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°She hasn''t slept in that room since Da... left.¡± ¡°Oh, you''re no fun, dear.¡± Narhilda smiled. ¡°My bedroom is this way.¡± She said to Ren and bat her eyelashes, then walked down the hallway. I''m really glad I sent Teepo in first. Ren thought and followed her. This woman would have definitely been trouble, otherwise. ¡°That''s what I''m here for.¡± Teepo said. Everything going alright? ¡°Kind of. I think... yes, I found where all of the spiders are coming from.¡± Let me guess. One of the walls in the lower Keep opened up into a cavern and there''s a giant nest at the end of it. ¡°How did you know that?¡± Teepo asked, surprised. They had to come from somewhere. Ren thought. At least it''s not actually inside the Keep. ¡°Here it is.¡± Narhilda said and showed Ren a huge workbench. At the top corner, under what looked like thick glass, was a stone tablet. A single marking was on it and Ren wondered what it was. He activated his Enchanted Eyes, Read Rune, and Decipher to examine it. The tablet didn''t glow, but Ren didn''t really expect it to. Nathalia''s mother had said that she''d just used it. and it would be another hour before it could be used again. Ren stepped close and examined it closely. He was about to say that he didn''t know what it was, then he realized what it meant, and smiled.
Stat Change!
Decipher Level 3 (Beginner 0%)
Ren deactivated his abilities and turned around. ¡°Thank you very much for allowing me to see such a great item up close, My Lady.¡± ¡°You''re quite welcome.¡± Narhilda said and led Ren out of the old bedroom. It''s so nice to finally hear my title in a man''s voice. She thought as they went back out into the main room to where Nathalia waited. ¡°Was it everything you expected?¡± Nathalia asked. She hadn''t gone in the bedroom herself because she just wasn''t interested in seeing something that was used for filing paperwork. Ren nodded. ¡°It was quite the sight.¡± Nathalia''s mother turned around and grabbed Ren''s arm with both of her hands and smiled. ¡°You will be staying for supper.¡± It wasn''t a question, but Nathalia shook her head. ¡°Ren wanted to visit the Main Keep before it gets dark. If we leave now, we can be back by tonight.¡± Her mother pouted and let Ren''s arm go. Yes, she''d definitely be trouble. Ren thought. Hey, Teepo. I''m going to the Main Keep. I think I should have my best scout along. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I''m your only scout!¡± That''s what I said. Ren smiled and Teepo chittered again Nathalia gave her mother a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. ¡°We''ll be back as soon as we can, and we''ll eat something then, okay?¡± Her mother nodded and held her hand out to Ren with a huge smile on her face. ¡°Ma! He doesn''t have to do that every time!¡± Nathalia said, a little exasperated. Ren took her mother''s hand and bent over it. He didn''t kiss it, though. Outside of a contract negotiation it meant something slightly different. Ren let her hand go and her mother winked at him. ¡°Let''s get out of here before she gets you to rub her feet or something.¡± Nathalia said, and laughed when her mother tried to swat at her. They left her mother in the main room and left the house. ¡°Alright, summon me back.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s no way I can crawl all the way back right now.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Okay. Hold on. Ren thought and then tried something he hadn''t thought of before. Summon Teepo! He thought and tapped the ring. An instant later, Teepo materialized at his feet and crawled up to Ren''s shoulder. Ha ha! It worked! ¡°What did?¡± Teepo asked. I didn''t say it out loud when I summoned you! ¡°Really?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I heard you the same as I usually do.¡± It''ll be easier to keep you a secret if I don''t have to speak when I call. ¡°Good idea.¡± Teepo said as Ren followed Nathalia out to the courtyard. ¡°You don''t need your mount and backpack, do you?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°It''s a long walk there and back.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, but I better drop off your boxes first.¡± Nathalia had a shocked look on her face. ¡°I completely forgot about them!¡± She said and put a hand on his arm. ¡°You''ve been carrying them around this whole time, and didn''t say anything?¡± ¡°When was I supposed to get a word in?¡± Ren grinned and Nathalia swatted him on the arm. ¡°You can put them in the stable for now. It might not look it, but it''s pretty solid.¡± She said. Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He walked over to the stable and unloaded the boxes inside. They were stacked neatly and Ren turned around to face Princess and Ruck. ¡°I''m going to the Main Keep a couple of miles away.¡± He said and Princess looked at him. ¡°No, I don''t need a ride. I just wanted to let you know where I was going and that I''ll be back later tonight.¡± Ruck gave a quick ''thumbs up'' gesture and Princess huffed. ¡°See you in a little while.¡± Ren said and came back to the courtyard. Nathalia looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°Did you just explain where you were going to your mount?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I just got her before getting on the ship to come here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be leaving for a while and I don''t want her to worry.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nathalia shook her head and laughed. ¡°Let''s go.¡± The walked back towards the city and it didn''t take as long this time. Both Ren and Teepo had seen most of it on the way to Nathalia''s house, so Ren walked at a good pace. After about 15 minutes, Nathalia asked him to slow down. She was slightly out of breath and Ren stopped to let her recover a little. ¡°I could carry you.¡± Ren offered. Nathalia stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°I... I''m fine. Thank you.¡± Ren looked around while he waited and didn''t notice the blush that spread across Nathalia''s face, as she remembered how Ren had held her mother after that slip and fall. I can''t believe I''m actually jealous of my mother! She thought, then told Ren she was ready. They continued to walk at a more moderate pace and made their way back to the main part of the city. Once there, they had to slow down because of all the dwarves in the streets, and it took that much longer to get to the Main Keep. They finally arrived and had to wait in line to get to the door. Ren looked ahead to see what the hold up was, and saw Warriors were searching the men that went inside. He was glad that he hadn''t equipped his leather armor or his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. They might get confiscated, and Ren wouldn''t like it if that happened. Soon it was their turn, and after giving Ren a quick pat down to check for weapons, they were admitted. They didn''t check Nathalia. It was against dwarf law to physically assault a woman in such a manner. She could have carried a battle axe strapped to her back and they wouldn''t even blink twice at her. Nathalia led Ren to the big desk in the lobby, and they waited for their turn again. When the one in front of them moved off, they stepped forward and the female dwarf behind the desk took a deep breath and spoke. ¡°Petitions, Registrations, Complaints, Records, Fines, Administration, Taxes, Armory.¡± She took another deep breath. ¡°Dwarf Rites, Military, Education, Agriculture, Foreign Office, General Information.¡± She said, almost blue in the face, and took another deep breath. ¡°Fines, please.¡± Ren said and smiled. I bet Nathalia could say all of that in a single breath. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°That''s a sucker bet.¡± ¡°Ninth door, second hall to the right.¡± She said and pointed. Ren and Nathalia walked over to the indicated hallway and then down to the ninth door, with ''Fines'' written on it in fancy letters. Teepo. Ren thought and Teepo hopped off his shoulder and slipped under the door. ¡°There''s just a really fat dwarf and a desk, Ren.¡± Thanks. Ren looked at Nathalia. ¡°You don''t have to come in with me.¡± ¡°Yes I do. It''s partly my fault.¡± She said. ¡°No, it wasn''t. The fake House name started after my first fight on the deck.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°That didn''t count. You didn''t gain Influence until the duel, remember? That was for me.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Just... don''t say anything, okay?¡± Nathalia looked at him in surprise. ¡°Please.¡± Ren pleaded and put a hand on her arm. ¡°I''ll explain why you shouldn''t speak right afterwards, okay?¡± She reluctantly nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and knocked on the door. There wasn''t a window or anything for the person inside to see who was in the hallway, so knocking was the only way they''d know. ¡°Come in.¡± A deep voice said. Ren opened the door and stepped inside. A dwarf, who was bigger around than he was tall, sat behind a huge desk. He had a full head of red hair, a fluffy mustache and full beard. He''d shaved the chin part of the beard and then braided the sides. It was an odd look, considering it let you clearly see his triple chin. Ren knew this was supposed go bad for him, when he confirmed there were no chairs on this side of the desk. Teepo dropped from the wall onto Ren''s shoulder as Nathalia shut the door. ¡°Name.¡± The fat dwarf said. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. The false House claim.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Congratulations! You''re the first one this year.¡± Ren didn''t respond, as that would only invite comments that he didn''t want to hear, or have to answer. The dwarf stopped smiling when he saw the amount of the fine. ¡°That high? This can''t be right.¡± He said and then shrugged. ¡°There must be a reason for it.¡± He turned around in his chair to a Sending Stone and touched it. Ren activated Enchanted Eyes and saw the stone glow. ¡°Balbold, I''ve got the false House claim here. About the fine... is that right? Why so much?¡± The dwarf said, then sat back and the stone stopped glowing. A minute later, it glowed again. ¡°Gurndim, as far as I know, it''s right. Thanyur himself signed off on it.¡± The fat dwarf froze, which was quite the feat considering the size of him, and the stone stopped glowing. He sat that way for several minutes, then turned around. ¡°Well, then. 100 gold coins is the fine.¡± The dwarf said as Nathalia half-gasped and caught herself. The dwarf handed over three slips of paper. ¡°Here''s the contract for labor in the mines, the garnished wages form, and the indentured servant living quarters form. Sign on the bottom, please.¡± ¡°Can''t I just pay the fine?¡± Ren asked and deactivated Enchanted Eyes. Gurndim looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°W-w-what did you say?¡± ¡°I want to pay the fine.¡± ¡°That''s what these are for. It should take you about 6 months to pay it.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°No, I mean right now.¡± Ren said and smiled at Gurndim''s shocked expression. ¡°I want to pay the fine right now.¡± Gurndim''s mouth opened and closed several times before he could make himself speak. ¡°You...¡± He swallowed. ¡°You want to pay the fine, in full, right now?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That''s never happened before.¡± Gurndim said in disbelief. ¡°I have to talk to my supervisor.¡± He stood, or Ren assumed he stood, as his height didn''t change at all. He stepped to the side of his office to the wall, knocked on a picture frame and waited. The picture slid into the wall and another dwarf''s face appeared in the hole. ¡°What is it? I''m busy.¡± He said. ¡°I have a claimant that wants to pay his fine.¡± Gurndim said. ¡°Then just give him the forms. That''s what they''re for.¡± He said and started to slide the picture back into place. Gurndim put his hand out and stopped it. ¡°He wants to pay it right now.¡± The supervisor had a shocked look on his face. ¡°You''re pulling my leg! No one pays fines right away.¡± ¡°This one wants to.¡± Gurndim said. ¡°Just a minute.¡± The supervisor said. Gurndim moved his hand and the picture slid closed. A few minutes later, the picture opened again. ¡°Take the money. It''s form 1138.¡± Gurndim looked shocked. ¡°We have a form for that?!?¡± The supervisor nodded. ¡°I just found that out myself.¡± He said and slid the picture closed. Gurndim walked back to his desk, sat down and shook his head. ¡°I didn''t know we could handle actual money.¡± He reached into his desk and searched for a few minutes. ¡°Well, would you look at that!¡± He said as he pulled out the form and smiled. ¡°It''s real!¡± Ren smiled. It''s always nice to get pleasure out of your work. Gurndim filled out the form and handed it to Ren. ¡°Just sign there, and there, and initial here.¡± He said and pointed to 3 different spots. Ren didn''t sign it right away, though. He stood there and read it all first. He wanted to make sure that he wasn''t signing up for anything he didn''t want to sign up for. It took a while, and Gurndim started to get impatient. Ren finished it, signed the 2 spots, and then initialed the last. He handed it back to Gurndim who checked Ren''s signatures and initials, then nodded. ¡°Payment, please.¡± ¡°Do you want the hundred coins, or will a platinum coin do?¡± Ren asked. Gurndim''s mouth dropped open and Ren smiled as he handed over a platinum coin.
Notice!
You have paid your fine in full before the deadline. As this has never happened before, word will spread quickly about your accomplishment. Influence: +50 Fame: +100
Ren turned around and saw that Nathalia had the exact same expression on her face. He led her from the room and glanced back. Gurndim still sat there with his mouth open, staring at the coin in his hand. Ren smiled and shut the door. ¡°That went better than I expected.¡± Ren said. ¡°R-R-Ren!¡± Nathalia stammered. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You... you..... you paid your fine!¡± She exclaimed and then covered her mouth. Ren chuckled. ¡°Come on. Let''s go outside to talk.¡± Nathalia nodded and they went outside. Once they were far enough away from prying ears, Ren turned to her. ¡°Of course I paid the fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°No one does that!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Everyone works it off. No one actually pays it!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Sorry, but I''m going to be too busy to worry about working off a fine that was completely outrageous.¡± ¡°But... but you paid it! If you thought it was outrageous... then why would you do that?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Think about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°What better way was there to get rid of me, than to send me off to work in the mines for 6 months?¡± Nathalia stared at Ren in surprise. ¡°I know it seems a little selfish of me to think someone would want me out of the way; but, I literally just got here. No one knows I''m here... except for everyone on the ship.¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened. ¡°Then that means...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°After everything that happened on the ship, someone still holds a grudge against me.¡± Chapter 91 - The Date Ren and Nathalia went back to House Neram to get something to eat. Her mother was waiting for them with a large meal set out on the kitchen table. Nathalia was surprised by everything that her mother had prepared in the time they had been gone from the house. Teepo took this opportunity to go back down into the Keep. He would have plenty of time to explore everything during the night and wanted to get back to it. I''ll be asleep soon, though... so I won''t be able to summon you back until the morning. Be careful, buddy. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°I will.¡± Teepo said. Have fun. The trio sat down to eat and enjoyed sharing stories of their adventures. Ren had been so busy learning dwarf culture, he never had a chance to actually talk with Nathalia about normal things. Her mother, Narhilda, also enjoyed the stories, as she hadn''t seen her daughter in several weeks and was always up for some good gossip. They all laughed and talked, and just enjoyed each other''s company. The time came, however, when Ren had to log out. He hoped that since he was now an employee of House Neram, that it would be a safe zone. It was his biggest worry at the moment. The last thing he needed was to log out and leave his body unguarded, especially in a land far and away from his spawn point. ¡°Thank you for the fantastic meal, My Lady.¡± Ren said and stood. ¡°I better get downstairs.¡± ¡°Oh, nonsense!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°You said it yourself. You don''t want to touch anything down there without talking to a stonemason first.¡± ¡°Then I''ll be outside in the stable.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nathalia, is he always this stubborn?¡± She asked her daughter. ¡°Well, rather than stay in his cabin, he slept in the hold of the ship for the whole trip.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°So, yes... he''s that stubborn.¡± ¡°What?¡± Her mother said and looked at Ren. ¡°You slept in the hold?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°When I boarded the ship, I was told if I was worried about my mount, I could just stay in the hold with her.¡± Narhilda looked at him like he was crazy, and Ren laughed. ¡°I just got her, so I didn''t want to leave her alone for too long.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I won''t have it. We have 3 bedrooms. Nathalia has hers, and I''ve been staying in the spare room. You are more than welcome to stay in my old bedroom.¡± Ren was about to protest, but Narhilda held up a hand. ¡°I will not have a retainer of mine stay in the stable with an animal, no matter how much they may care about it.¡± She said. ¡°You will stay in the house. For tonight, at least.¡± Ren closed his mouth and nodded. ¡°Excellent! I''ve also thought of a stonemason that you can consult with. I''ll write up a proper letter of introduction for you in the morning.¡± Narhilda said and stood. ¡°Please, make yourself at home. You know where the bedroom is.¡± She waved down the hallway. ¡°I''m going to bed myself.¡± She smiled. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren gave a slight bow. ¡°Goodnight, My Lady.¡± Narhilda''s face flushed slightly red at Ren''s use of her title, and at the thought of having a man under her roof after so long. She walked down the hall towards the last door and closed it behind her. Ren turned to Nathalia to see her slightly blushing as well. ¡°Nathalia, what...¡± ¡°I''d better get to bed, too.¡± She said and abrupty stood. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said and watched as Nathalia walked quickly past where he stood and then down the hall to the door opposite where he would be sleeping. Ren waited until she entered her room and then activated Sneak to go outside to the stable. He took out the food he had easily stored during the meal and served it to Princess. Ren cleaned up the stable as best as he could to make room for Princess'' crate. He put the crate in the back corner, so she could see out if she wanted, but would also have privacy from prying eyes. ¡°Ruck, do you want to come in the house, or do you want a cabinet put up out here?¡± Ruck pointed to the wall next to Princess'' crate and Ren smiled. He made another nice sized cabinet, rather than sticking Ruck back into the little one Ren had made for use on the ship. Once it was done and nailed into place, Ruck hopped off of Princess'' saddle and came over. He opened the door, gave Ren a ''thumbs up'' gesture and closed the door. ¡°I''m glad you like it.¡± Ren said and smiled. He fluffed up the mattress in Princess'' crate and went over to untie her reins. Ren made a dramatic wave to the crate. ¡°Princess, your abode is ready.¡± She took 2 steps and then stopped. ¡°Oh right! Sorry.¡± Ren took off her saddle and the rein harness from her face, and stored them. She walked past him and into the stable, turned around inside her crate, and plunked down. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said and closed the stable door. Now that the essentials were done, he went back inside the house. Ren crept as quietly as he could down the hallway and into the old bedroom. He shut the door and went over to the bed. Everything inside the house was well maintained, unlike the outside. Even in this old bedroom that wasn''t being used anymore, things seemed to be in good condition. Unable to restrain his curiosity, Ren looked around the room to see what he could find. He didn''t rummage or search it; that would have been bad behavior for a guest. He did look at things on the surface, however. Nothing of note could be found, until his gaze found the large workbench. The top was still cleared of everything except for the Sending Stone; but the shelf underneath could clearly be seen. It was full of parchment papers, stacked haphazardly. Some of them were folded, and some of them were rolled. Most were just laid out flat and had slid and mixed together. It irked Ren that someone could do all that work and then not put them away properly. He sighed and pulled out everything from the shelf. The least he could do was organize the thing. Ren assumed that they were all documents used for the filing and billing of contracts, since he knew that Nathalia''s father had worked for years making clothes for everyone that could pay the fees. Once he started sorting, though... he found out what the papers actually were. Patterns! Ren thought in astonishment. Hundreds of patterns! Ren went through them, drinking them all in. Dresses! Pants! Shirts! Outfits of every kind! There were commoner''s clothes, priest and monk robes, barmaid outfits, maid outfits, Royal Court clothing, durable miner''s clothes... the list went on and on. They were all styled for dwarves, but that didn''t really matter. Only a slight alteration would make them adaptable for anyone to wear. Ren organized them as he went along, absorbing and copying the patterns. When he was nearly done, he started in on the rolled up ones. Carefully opening them, he copied their patterns as well and stored them back in the workbench properly. When he got to the last one, he opened it and gasped. It just happened to be the last thing Nathalia''s father had made for her. The fancy party dress that she never took off. Ren studied it carefully and took his time, admiring the detail and finesse needed to craft such a fantastic piece of clothing. Her father wasn''t just a great tailor. He was a Master Tailor! Ren thought. If I''m reading these right... everyone from a King to a Commoner has worn his clothes. Ren rolled the last pattern back up gently and placed it on the shelf, seperate from the other patterns. It was too special to just mix it with the others. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Notice!
You have observed the complete works of a Master Tailor. Despite the fact that you didn''t learn them under his tutelage, his talent to convey his teachings through his work will last throughout the ages. Your understanding of the importance of his impact on society has accelerated your Tailoring Skill well beyond your physical works up to this point. Tailoring Level 1 (Advanced 0%)
Ren sat on the floor and stared at the popup. Holy crap! ¡°What is it?¡± Teepo asked, concerned. Oh, sorry Teepo. I just... I found all of Nathalia''s father''s tailoring patterns. ¡°I guess there must have been a lot.¡± Teepo said. Ren chuckled. Only a few hundred. ¡°No wonder you''re so shocked.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You love patterns!¡± Ren smiled and stepped away from the work bench. It definitely looked well organized now. I''m heading to bed now, Teepo. Goodnight. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Ren went to the bed and sat down on it. It felt kind of odd that he hadn''t had to climb up onto a bed since he boarded the dwarf ship back in Aurora. Ren laid back on the bed and got comfortable. ¡°I''m actually normal-sized here.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset and set it aside, then couldn''t believe his eyes. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes. ¡°I died and went to heaven, didn''t I?¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I can see an angel!¡± Lucy laughed. ¡°You sure have! Look at my wings.¡± She said and turned around. Ren saw that she was wearing his favorite pair of jeans and grinned. ¡°They''re beautiful.¡± Lucy turned back around and saw his grin, and grinned herself. ¡°Hurry up, lazy butt! Get your ass out of bed.¡± Ren laughed and did as she said. He got a quick shower, then dressed in the best clothing for an outing to the mall. Loose pants and a nice shirt that Lucy liked. When Lucy left to get the wheelchair, Ren grabbed a small box from his cubbyhole in the rollaway table and stashed it in his coat pocket. Lucy came into the room and Ren sat in the wheelchair. ¡°I can''t believe it''s our monthly date again.¡± Ren said and smiled. Lucy pushed the chair down the hall and into the elevator. ¡°That''s because when I picked you up for your birthday, it was a special occasion. It didn''t count as our real outing.¡± ¡°Lucky me!¡± Ren said as the elevator stopped at the bottom floor. They went over to the main desk and Ren signed out. They left the hospital and waited for a taxi. ¡°That note you left for me in the game was a long one.¡± Lucy said. ¡°I had a lot to explain.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m just sorry you didn''t get to come with me.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°Stella has been keeping me ''updated''.¡± She said and laughed. ¡°That''s the polite version, by the way.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Oh, I know. You should have seen her while it was happening.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I swear, she feeds on our embarrassment or something!¡± Lucy laughed, too. ¡°She''s terrible.¡± ¡°Are my ears burning?¡± Stella said as she stepped up beside them. ¡°We were just discussing your incredible tact and discretion.¡± Lucy said and Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Ha. Ha.¡± Stella said and smiled. ¡°I''m glad you two are still getting along.¡± ¡°It''s all thanks to your constant pestering, Stella.¡± Lucy said and smiled. ¡°We might have drifted apart if you hadn''t been keeping us constantly thinking of each other.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°I''m glad I could help.¡± A taxi pulled up to the curb in front of where they stood. ¡°I''d offer to let you take this one, but it has room for the wheelchair.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s alright. I don''t want you waiting outside for any longer than you have to be.¡± Ren stood so Lucy could fold the chair up to put it in the trunk. Stella held onto him while he waited. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and Stella bent down and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. ¡°What was that for?¡± Ren asked and put a hand over the spot. ¡°Just because.¡± Stella said and winked. ¡°You lucky dog.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I know! It''s my second time seeing Lucy this month.¡± Stella laughed and shook her head a little. ¡°Sweetie, you''re going to have fun today.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I always enjoy spending time with her.¡± Lucy came over and took Ren''s arm. ¡°We''re ready.¡± ¡°Bye, Stella.¡± Ren and Lucy said. Stella waved to them as the taxi pulled away from the curb. They passed another taxi as they left the hospital''s driveway, and Ren was glad that Stella didn''t have to wait any longer for her taxi. Lucy took Ren''s hand and he smiled. He didn''t have long to enjoy the feeling however; barely 10 minutes later, the taxi stopped at the curb in front of a nice little one storey house. It was white and had yellow trim and shutters, a small white picket fence, and a small yard. It was in a nice neighborhood, too. Ren looked around, but he didn''t recognize anything. They''d driven to the mall so many times in a taxi, that Ren hadn''t been paying attention to where they were actually going. ¡°Lucy?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Shh.¡± She said and got out. Lucy had the wheelchair ready a minute later, and Ren climbed out of the taxi and sat in the chair. She paid the driver and the taxi pulled away. Lucy pushed the chair up to the small front step and then unlocked the door. ¡°Welcome to my home, Ren.¡± Ren had a shocked look on his face. ¡°Lucy, you... you brought me to your home?¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°But... but...¡± Ren stammered and then shook his head. ¡°I don''t know what to say.¡± Lucy smiled. ¡°You don''t have to say anything. Just come in.¡± Ren smiled and stood up. He walked inside and Lucy pulled in the empty chair. She motioned for him to sit again and he shook his head. ¡°I''d rather see this on my feet, if that''s okay.¡± Lucy put the chair in the living room and Ren slowly walked around the house. 2 bedrooms, a small kitchen, living room and one bathroom for the whole house. It was decorated well, at least in Ren''s opinion anyways. Once he saw how everything was set up, he started to laugh. ¡°What is it?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°This looks like my apartment in the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Look, the couch and 2 chairs. The table in the kitchen, the bedroom with end tables and dresser. I have a cabinet instead of a closet, though... and your second bedroom is my bathroom; but other than that, it''s pretty damn close.¡± Ren said and sat on the couch. Lucy looked around and then sat down next to him. ¡°You know what? You''re right.¡± She said and laughed. Ren smiled and took her hand. ¡°Thank you for bringing me here.¡± Lucy squeezed his hand. ¡°This isn''t all. I''ve got dinner ready.¡± Ren widened his eyes. ¡°You cooked me dinner?¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°It''s nothing fancy...¡± ¡°Like that would matter!¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Fancy shmancy! Bring on the food!¡± ¡°Come into the kitchen.¡± Ren went into the kitchen and sat where Lucy told him to. She served a delicious meal of baked chicken legs, and potatoes made just as Ren liked them. Nice and fluffy with milk and butter whipped in. They ate and talked about how things have been going for both of them. Lucy learned to not overdo her lab work, and slowed her pace. Ren had learned that being himself in a different culture could have long lasting consequences, almost far beyond his control. ¡°You really are too good, you know!¡± Lucy said and laughed. ¡°Imagine... enchanting a stove got you engaged!¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°I know, right? Who would have thought that just being nice would cause so much trouble.¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°I can only imagine what would have happened if I''d been able to come along.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m sure some of it might have been different; but based on how they treat women, they might have just ignored everything you would have done.¡± Lucy smiled. ¡°That would have been nice. I could lay one on that little hussy, trying to muscle in on my man!¡± She said and shook her fist. Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I don''t know. She might be small, but she could have given you a good fight.¡± ¡°Ren Haddon! Are you doubting my protection skills?¡± Lucy said in mock anger. ¡°Of course not! I''m just doubting you can swing that low. She''s almost 2 feet shorter than you!¡± Ren said and laughed. Lucy laughed, too. Ren ate a lot during the meal, but he didn''t fill himself up. He was a little worried that he''d get too tired to spend time with Lucy, if his stomach was full. Lucy started to clean up the dishes and wrapped up the leftovers. When she was done, they went into the living room and sat on the couch. Ren sat back and rubbed his belly. ¡°That was great, Lucy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really miss your meals at the hospital.¡± ¡°I miss getting to cook for you, too.¡± Lucy said. ¡°When it''s just me, it doesn''t feel right, you know?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°But... is that all you miss?¡± Lucy asked, with a bit of pleading in her eyes. Ren shook his head. ¡°You know I miss seeing your smile every day.¡± Ren said. ¡°I tell you that every time I see you.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I... I miss hearing you laugh.¡± Ren reached up and undid the bow in her ponytail, then ran his hand through her hair. ¡°I miss the color of your hair when the sunlight hits it at just the right angle... and it makes you look like you have a halo.¡± Lucy closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. ¡°I miss having your beautiful face be the first thing that I see in the morning, when I wake up.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. He tasted a bit of salt, as he''d caught a tear as it escaped the corner of Lucy''s eye. ¡°Honestly, it''s all the little things that I miss the most.¡± Ren said and leaned his head against Lucy''s. ¡°I miss you.¡± Lucy turned her head and gave Ren a kiss on the lips. ¡°I miss being the one you see first thing every morning when you wake up.¡± She said. ¡°I miss how you can make me smile. I miss how you can make me laugh. I miss making meals for you.¡± She said and sighed. ¡°You were so much of my life, Ren... and now... now it just seems so... empty.¡± She smiled. ¡°I miss you.¡± Ren put his arms around her and Lucy snuggled into him. ¡°I work and come home. I eat. I sleep. I go back to work.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Rinse, and repeat.¡± Ren chuckled and Lucy felt his amusement and pulled away to look him in the eyes. ¡°That sounds exactly like me.¡± Ren said to her surprised expression. ¡°I play the game. I eat. I sleep. I log back in.¡± He said. ¡°Rinse, and repeat.¡± ¡°You enjoy playing that game.¡± Lucy said. ¡°I''ve only been logging out to eat and do therapy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I... I don''t have any other reasons to log out.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Ren smiled and stroked her hair again. ¡°What I''m saying is... I''m using the game to distract myself... from you.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Lucy said and kissed him passionately. Chapter 92 - Oh, Baby! (Explicit Content) Lucy and Ren made out for a few minutes, sprawled out on the couch. Neither of them remembered how they ended up laying down, but by that point it didn''t matter. They were nearly lost in the feeling of touching each other. They stopped kissing to catch their breath, and Lucy looked down to see a large protrusion trying it''s best to escape Ren''s loose fitting pants. She ran her hand quickly over it and Ren caught his breath. ¡°Oh...¡± She felt how hard he was and she smiled. He''s this excited from just kissing me! She thought and gently got up from the couch. ¡°Lucy...¡± Ren said with longing in his voice. She reached down and pulled him up to stand. She led him into her bedroom and sat him on the bed. She went back and shut the bedroom door, then turned around and slipped off the blouse she wore and Ren saw that she was wearing the blue bra. ¡°It really does bring out your eyes.¡± Ren said, and Lucy''s heart leaped. He''s still just seeing me... even with my shirt off! Lucy thought and undid the zipper of her jeans. ¡°Wait.¡± Ren said and Lucy stopped. ¡°But-¡± Lucy tried to say. ¡°Turn around and take them off.¡± Ren said and smiled. Lucy blushed and turned around. I thought he was going to tell me to stop. She thought and unbuttoned the top button and peeled the jeans down. Ren sat on the bed and watched as some of the promised land was revealed. Lucy peeled the jeans down over her wonderful behind and bent over to get them off. ¡°Oh... my...¡± Ren said. Lucy stood up after flipping off the jeans into the corner, then turned around. She blushed again when she saw that the bulge in Ren''s pants looked like it was actually bigger. Lucy walked over to the bed and Ren stood up to take off his shirt. He undid his pants and let them slide to the floor. Lucy tried not to look, but his manhood stood out almost as if he wasn''t wearing any underwear at all. She shifted her gaze to Ren and he was staring at her in the eyes, and not at her breasts. It''s time to change that. She thought and unhooked her bra. Ren''s eyes widened at the perfect shape of Lucy''s breasts. The nipples were the size of a dime, and the areolas were the size of dollar coins. They were pink, round and firm, and protruded out about half an inch. ¡°Lucy... they''re perfect.¡± Ren said and looked her in the eyes again. Lucy had always been self conscious of her large nipples; and bought thick bras, and even pasties, to keep them restrained. She''d even had one boyfriend complain they were too big and that she should have them fixed, or get implants to offset their size. Ren didn''t need a written invitation and reached over to touch the tip of her nipple. Lucy''s breath went a little faster and Ren cupped her breast with a hand and kissed the nipple. Her breath caught as he sucked on it. She ran her hands through his hair as he played and pulled on one, and then did the same to the other. After a minute, Ren stopped and sat down on the bed. Lucy looked at him. ¡°Sorry, my knee hurts.¡± ¡°Ren, I''m sorry! I forgot!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°F-for what?¡± ¡°For forgetting I''m like this.¡± Ren said and tapped his knee lightly. ¡°Oh, sweetheart!¡± Lucy said and gently pushed him to lay back on the bed and kissed him. Ren felt her breasts and discovered that they were just as firm hanging down as they were when she was standing up. She kissed him on the lips, on the chin, then kept kissing him down his chest, and to his waist. Lucy got to the top of his underwear and Ren spoke. ¡°Lucy... there''s something you should know... I''m... well, down there I''m...¡± Lucy pulled his underwear off and saw what Ren was talking about. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren covered himself and tried to move away, but Lucy held him in place with her hands. Ren was embarrassed that he was so out of proportion down there, compared to the rest of him. He was also completely devoid of hair. ¡°My... my parents... when they did all those experiments on me... some of them... it... it made my penis...¡± ¡°Fantastic!¡± Lucy said. ¡°W-w-what?¡± Ren stammered. ¡°I''ve never seen a more handsome penis.¡± Lucy said, then blushed as she realized what she''d just said. ¡°I mean... I''m a nurse. I''ve seen hundreds of penises.¡± Ren nodded.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Lucy smiled. ¡°I''ve even seen yours; but never at... full mast.¡± She said and blushed. And he''s circumsized. She thought. It''ll make some things easier. ¡°You... you aren''t turned off by it? It''s not too big?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I think it''s just perfect.¡± Lucy said and Ren smiled. He was going to say something else, until Lucy flicked out her tongue and quickly touched the throbbing skin. He froze at the sensation and if he didn''t know any better, it felt like he actually got harder. I didn''t think that was possib- Ren''s thought was interrupted as Lucy took a long lick from the base of his penis to the tip. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Ren said and looked at Lucy. She stared at him as she licked the shaft once more and his breath quickened. She grasped his penis with her hand and lifted it slightly. Ren''s eyes widened as Lucy slipped the tip into her mouth. ¡°Good god!¡± Lucy worked the shaft as she slipped the tip of his penis in and out of her mouth. Her tongue flicked the edges of the tip as she worked her mouth further and further down the shaft. Ren closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her mouth. ¡°Lucy...¡± Ren said. ¡°...if you...¡± He caught his breath. ¡°If you keep going...¡± Ren said and looked at her. ¡°...like that...¡± Lucy looked at him as she finally got his penis all the way down her throat and touched his belly with her top lip. ¡°I''m gonna...¡± Lucy slipped it out of her mouth, smiled, and took a deep breath. Ren smiled back. ¡°Thank-¡± Lucy jammed his penis down her throat and held it there. ¡°Oh my GOD!¡± Ren yelled and had no choice but to let himself go. It seemed to go on forever, but was only about 15 seconds. Lucy felt him stop spasming and slid Ren''s penis out of her mouth, making sure to swallow so nothing could escape. A bit more came to the tip, and Lucy licked it off. ¡°Oh, god... don''t do that yet.¡± Ren said and Lucy chuckled. She reached out and touched the silky skin lightly, and Ren winced. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Lucy asked, concerned. ¡°Hell, no... I''m just afraid I''ll go again.¡± Ren said through gritted teeth. ¡°Really?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Just give me a minute.¡± His reactions are really turning me on! Lucy thought and smiled. Ren did a breathing exercise and calmed down. His penis didn''t get any softer, however. It was still thick and hard, and quite ready to continue. Ren knew if Lucy kept going, he''d be spent and wouldn''t be any good for anything else, so he decided to stall. ¡°Your turn.¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°W-what?¡± Lucy asked, surprised. ¡°Get up here and let me return the favor.¡± Lucy stared at him as he tugged her hands and she stood up. ¡°Lay down, please.¡± Lucy climbed onto the bed and rolled over. ¡°You... you really don''t...¡± Ren eased her underwear down over her hips and saw that Lucy was just as hairless as he was. ¡°Wow.¡± Lucy blushed a little at his comment. She''d spent a lot of time getting ready down there, and was really happy all that work had been worth it. Ren positioned himself so he was half on his side and half laying down (to keep the pressure off his penis) and eased Lucy''s legs apart. Ren kissed her thigh and kept kissing his way up her leg until he came to the area she''d worked so hard to ''clean up''. Lucy caught her breath, waiting for the sensations to start, and Ren skipped it to start down the other thigh. He glanced at her and she glared at him. He smiled, blew her a kiss, then leaned in to kiss her other set of lips. Lucy moaned in appreciation as Ren kissed her there as if he was kissing her mouth. He did that for several minutes, then switched to Lucy''s tactic of licking from the base to the tip. Her breath came faster and faster as Ren licked and sucked different parts. He stayed there for about 10 minutes and her breathing evened out but was still fast. I''m missing something. Ren thought and smiled. He moved his mouth to the top of her opening and lightly sucked, then put a fingertip inside her. He had to push, because she was so tight, and her breath caught. He slid the fingertip out, then jammed two fingers in as far as he could and that was enough. Lucy grabbed the back of his head and held him on her opening as she came. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± She said as all her muscles tensed up. Ren took it all into his mouth and swallowed. He sucked a bit more and another small squirt came out and he swallowed again. Ren kept sucking and playing, and Lucy kept a hold of him and kept cumming. About 5 minutes later, she let Ren''s head go and laid back on the bed. Ren gave her another lick and she writhed on the bed. ¡°Don''t...¡± Lucy said and shivered. ¡°Good god...¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I''ve never... so much... god, that was...¡± ¡°Amazingly mind-blowing?¡± Ren offered and Lucy nodded without lifting her head. ¡°Now you know how I felt after your performance.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°It was awesome.¡± Ren climbed up the bed and looked at Lucy, and she looked at him. ¡°We can stop for a while... if you need a rest.¡± Ren said, and Lucy laughed. ¡°I was about to say the same thing to you.¡± She said and kissed him. Ren pulled back from the kiss and glanced down. Lucy looked as well and saw he was still rock hard and throbbing. ¡°I need to deal with this little problem.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Little!¡± Lucy said and shook her head. ¡°Come here.¡± She took Ren into a hug and rolled him on top of her. After a bit of fumbling and shifting of positions, Ren was ready for entry. He kissed her and slid down a bit. Ren was tempted to tease her a little, and just rub her a little with his penis, but he guessed that she''d get mad if he did. He slid the tip inside and Lucy caught her breath again. ¡°So... tight.¡± Ren said and slid the tip out again. It took a few tries, but Lucy''s body made enough room for Ren to fit in completely and she wrapped her legs around him. God! He''s so big! Oh, god! Lucy then lost all thought as Ren started moving. He slid in and out slowly and Lucy''s body gripped him hard. Ren took his time, and slowly, oh so slowly, worked in and out. Lucy could feel the pressure building, as with each stroke, Ren touched that spot in her. ¡°Oh... oh...... oh........¡± Lucy squealed each time he filled her up. Ren felt her trying to urge him to go faster, but he knew if he did that, he wouldn''t last at all with her holding onto him so tightly. ¡°Close...¡± Lucy whispered and Ren kept moving in and out. Lucy''s breath evened out again. Ren didn''t stop, but he knew he needed something... and he threw caution to the wind and jammed himself hard into her. It only took 3 good slams and Lucy clamped down hard on him and she came, bucking underneath him. ¡°AhhhhhhhHH!¡± Lucy hollered. She kept cumming, and Ren couldn''t hold it anymore and came, too. ¡°AhhhhhhhHH!¡± Ren hollered with her. After they both stopped twitching from another mind-blowing orgasm, Lucy opened her legs and Ren slid out then rolled off of her. ¡°Wow.¡± They said at the same time, then looked at each other and smiled. A moment later, Ren''s smile vanished and he looked down at Lucy''s belly. ¡°Lucy! I... I came...¡± Lucy put a hand on his chin and moved his head to face her. ¡°It''s okay.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I''m on the pill.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°I wanted your first time to be real.¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t want anything between us, not even a thin piece of plastic.¡± Ren leaned over and gently kissed her. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Lucy said and kissed him back. Chapter 93 - Unexpected Visitors Ren had spent a wonderful evening with Lucy, but it eventually came time to get Ren back to the hospital. Lucy called a taxi and it wouldn''t be there for a while, so they waited in the living room for it to arrive. Another make out session began in ernest. Ren caressed the side of Lucy''s face and drank in the feel of her lips on his. He opened his eyes to see her reaction and caught a glimpse of his wheelchair. Ren broke the kiss, much to Lucy''s dismay. He looked at his coat on the wheelchair, and it reminded him of the present he had for Lucy. Ren gave her another quick kiss and stood up. He walked over to the coat to get the small package out of the pocket, then went back to the couch and sat down. ¡°I know it''s a little early, but your schedule is pretty hectic. I figured if I was going to get you something for your birthday, I''d better give it to you now.¡± ¡°Ren! You shouldn''t buy-¡± Lucy tried to say and Ren held up a hand. ¡°It''s only something small.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I wasn''t sure what to get you at first, but then an idea struck me.¡± Ren took the small package from behind his back and handed it to Lucy. ¡°Before you tell me to send it back, it''s non-refundable.¡± Lucy had looked at him with just that thought in mind and she laughed. ¡°You do know me pretty well, don''t you?¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°Or I totally misread what this gift means.¡± Lucy smiled and opened the package. Inside was a jewellery box and Lucy froze; then she noticed it was slightly longer than a ring box, and relaxed. She opened it and gasped. ¡°Ren!¡± Lucy exclaimed. ¡°H-how?¡± Ren smiled and took out the amulet and chain he''d bought online. It was identical to the one he had bought for her in the game. Ren even had the same Protection glyph acid etched onto the surface of this one, that he''d put on the one in the game. Lucy lifted her hair and Ren hooked the clasp. He leaned back and watched Lucy stroke it. ¡°Happy Early Birthday, Lucy.¡± ¡°You really shouldn''t have, Ren...¡± Lucy said. ¡°...but, thank you.¡± They kissed, and it started to turn into yet another make out session, when they heard a horn blow from outside. ¡°That''s our ride.¡± Lucy said. Ren nodded and gave her a quick kiss. Lucy took the wheelchair outside and Ren sat in it. She locked her house up and pushed him to the curb and the waiting taxi. Ren climbed in the back and the wheelchair was stored in the trunk. Lucy joined him in the backseat a moment later and they went back to the hospital, holding hands the whole way. Ren signed back in at the main desk and Lucy took him up to his floor. When they entered Ren''s room, Barbara was there. ¡°Hi, you two!¡± Barbara said. ¡°Looks like dinner went well.¡± ¡°It was delicious!¡± Ren said, stood up, and went to the bed and his waiting pajamas. ¡°Hi, Barbara. It''s been awhile.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Since Ren''s birthday.¡± Barbara said. ¡°That was a great party.¡± Lucy and Ren nodded, then Ren changed clothes. When he started to undo his pants, both Lucy and Barbara looked away. ¡°Anything good on tv?¡± Lucy asked Barbara, slightly blushing. ¡°No, but I''m sure I can find something.¡± They watched television as Ren finished changing. He put away his nice clothes and climbed up into bed. Once he got comfortable, a loud yawn escaped before he could catch it. ¡°Poor thing, you''re exhausted.¡± Barbara said and turned the television''s volume down. ¡°Barbara, I''m so tired that you could crank that thing all the way up and I''d sleep right through it.¡± Ren said and laughed. He waved Lucy over and she came to his bedside. Taking her hand, he spoke. ¡°Thank you for tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°The meal was great... and the dessert was... phenominal.¡± Lucy raised her eyebrows. But I didn''t serve dessert... oh. He... he means me! She thought and blushed as Ren grinned. Lucy reached up and stroked the amulet. ¡°It... it was my pleasure.¡± Barbara stood up and moved her hands in a shoo away gesture. ¡°Okay, break it up! Ren needs his beauty sleep.¡± Lucy and Ren laughed for a moment and then Lucy leaned down to give Ren a goodbye kiss. ¡°I''ll see you later...¡± She said and gave him a hug. ¡°...sweetheart.¡± Lucy whispered in his ear and Ren shivered slightly. ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± Ren said. Lucy leaned back to stand and just happened to glance down at his waist and saw how much Ren hoped to see her again. ¡°I''ll try my best.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Bye, Barbara. Take good care of him.¡± Barbara snorted a laugh. ¡°Like you have to tell me that!¡± Lucy laughed. ¡°Sorry. Preaching to the choir, I know.¡± Lucy walked to the door and grabbed the wheelchair. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Bye, Angel.¡± Ren said and grinned. Lucy winked at him and left. ¡°Who''s Angel?¡± Barbara asked and Ren chuckled. ¡°Sorry, inside joke.¡± Ren explained what he''d said when Lucy had picked him up and Barbara laughed. ¡°Are you sleeping here or in the game?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°You really do look tired.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m wiped out...¡± Ren said. ¡°It was definitely worth missing two game days to spend the afternoon and evening with Lucy.¡± He looked at his watch. ¡°...but I''ve got another 6 hours of night in the game. I better go in and use it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or I could stay here and you can wake me in about an hour.¡± ¡°No, you''re right. Get in there and get some sleep.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Goodnight, Barbara. See you in the morning.¡± ¡°Goodnight Ren.¡± Ren pulled the rollaway table over and put on the VR headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the game and didn''t notice anything different. Teepo? ¡°Ren! You''re back!¡± Teepo said and plopped down on his chest. Hey, buddy. Sorry about that. I got caught up in some things and couldn''t get back as soon as I thought I could. Ren thought. Is everything all right? ¡°Besides the 2 Warrior dwarves in the main room, everything is just peachy.¡± What?!? ¡°They showed up here yesterday, looking for you. I didn''t know they were here until I came back out of the keep last night.¡± Do you know what they want? ¡°Yes. They want you. Apparently, you were supposed to report to the garrison yesterday morning.¡± Ren looked at Teepo in shock. I wasn''t supposed to do anything of the sort! Ren shook his head. You''ve been with me most of the time, Teepo. No one... not one person... has told me to report to the garrison. ¡°I know.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I don''t know why they think you should.¡± Me, either. Ren thought. Should I go out there now? ¡°No. They''re asleep. They cleared out the main room enough to sleep on the floor.¡± Ren relaxed. That''s good. Ren thought. I need to get some sleep. ¡°But... didn''t you just...¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Ren shook his head. I didn''t sleep at all. I have to sleep now, while I can. ¡°Okay. Goodnight.¡± Ren closed his eyes. I''ll see you soon. Ren slept for the rest of the night and woke up in the morning. He sat up and stretched. Are they up yet? ¡°Good morning to you, too.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Ren chuckled and slipped out of bed. ¡°Yes, they''re up.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m in the kitchen, watching them.¡± Nathalia and her mother? ¡°Both are here, with deep scowls on their faces.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They don''t appreciate having the Warriors here at all.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Ren had activated Sneak when he''d come into the house 2 days before, so he didn''t need to activate it again. He crept to the door and listened. He couldn''t hear anyone talking, so he stood and deactivated Sneak. Ren opened the door and closed it loudly. ¡°They''ve stood up, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Ren walked down the hall, and appeared at the opening to the main room. ¡°Good morning, My La- Who are you?¡± Ren said with as much indignation as he could muster, and took a fighting stance. One of the Warriors stepped out of the kitchen and into the main room to hand Ren a piece of parchment. Ren glanced at it and then at the Warrior, who sighed. He wore full plate heavy armor, an paired battle axes on his back. ¡°It''s a summons. You are to report to the garrison immediately.¡± The Warrior said. ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why do I have to report to the garrison?¡± ¡°You just do.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I don''t think so. I''m not under your orders, or anyone else''s.¡± The Warrior frowned, and it make him look demented. Ren stopped himself from smiling and kept his fighting stance. The Warrior turned to the other one. ¡°What do I do now?¡± He asked, and the other one shrugged. ¡°No one''s ever refused a summons before.¡± The other one said. ¡°Why don''t you contact the Dwarf Ambassador for Aurora.¡± Ren suggested. ¡°There''s no need for that.¡± Nathalia''s mother said. ¡°I''ve already sent for him. Again.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°I sent a messenger right after they showed up on my doorstep.¡± She said and waved to the Warriors. ¡°He didn''t come. I sent another this morning.¡± No help on that front, then. ¡°We could just take him.¡± The Warrior in front of Ren said. ¡°No, you can''t.¡± Ren said in a deep voice. The Warrior smiled. ¡°Is that a challenge I hear?¡± ¡°It would be if I thought that would get you out of here quicker; but I know you''d just piss and moan about it, after I put you on the floor.¡± The Warrior''s smile turned into a scowl and he took a step forward. ¡°Darohm.¡± The other Warrior said and Darohm stopped. ¡°We can wait a little longer for this Ambassador to show up.¡± Darohm nodded and Ren relaxed out of his fighting stance. ¡°Ignore these fools and come eat.¡± Narhilda said and pointed to a chair by the table. Ren nodded to her and started to walk by Darohm, and noticed a smile spread across the dwarf''s face. ¡°Duck!¡± Teepo said. Ren ducked the incoming blow, grabbed the dwarf''s arm, turned and knelt, yanking the dwarf over his shoulder. The Warrior hit the floor with a dull thud and a slight crunch, and his head popped up a little. Ren punched him in the forehead and slammed the dwarf''s head back into the floor and heard another crunch. Ren hoped, slightly, that it was the floor that cracked and not the dwarf''s skull. Ren stood up and looked at the 3 astonished faces staring at him. ¡°He swung first.¡± Ren said and smiled.
Notice!
You have defended your Honor from an attempted sneak attack. Influence: +10 Honor: +10
Ren stepped around the dwarf''s unconscious body and sat at the table. He didn''t need to eat at the moment, but he also didn''t want to insult the Lady of the House. Ren gathered some food on his plate and ate in silence. When he was finished, Ren asked if they had fed his mount. ¡°I tried, but it wouldn''t touch anything I gave it.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Oh, no!¡± Ren gathered up the choicest cuts of meat and a few vegetables. ¡°She hasn''t eaten in 2 days!¡± He said and rushed out of the kitchen. * The Warrior still sitting at the table stood up; but Nathalia''s mother, Narhilda, stopped him with a glare. ¡°You are not going to pester him while under my roof.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°The next time one of your underlings tries to hurt him, Maldir... you... will... regret it.¡± Maldir opened his mouth to tell her that her Influence was much to low to do anything; but closed his mouth as a similar glare from her daughter met his eyes. * Ren ran outside, around the corner of the house and into the stable. He slid to a stop at the edge of Princess'' crate. She lay on her side and her head was hanging off the pillow, her tongue slightly sticking out. Ren looked at the bowl and winced. ¡°I''m so sorry, Princess!¡± Ren said and dumped the bowl of bone dry horse feed out and halfway across the floor as he flicked his hand. He gently put the meat and some vegetables into the bowl and held it in front of her face, but got no reaction. ¡°No... please, no!¡± Ren said and checked to see if she was breathing. It was shallow, but it was consistent. Ren took out a Healing Potion and tipped her head up enough that he could pour it down her throat safely, without choking her. He closed her mouth and waited. Her chest moved out as she took a deep breath and then she opened her eyes. ¡°I''m so glad to see you.¡± Ren said and a tear almost escaped the corner of his eye. ¡°I''m sorry that I was away and couldn''t feed you properly.¡± He said and sat down on the floor to pet her neck. ¡°I should have made sure that Nathalia knew to give you actual food, and not any of that garbage.¡± Ren said indignantly, waving his other hand at the mess he''d made on the floor. He held up the bowl with the nice pieces of meat and vegetables in his hands, and her eyes widened. ¡°I know... but it''s the best I could come up with.¡± Princess huffed and rolled herself up to get her legs under her, then stood. Ren stood as well and she started to eat. She chewed slowly, making Ren stand there and hold the bowl for her, but Ren didn''t mind. He really did feel bad about what happened. She eventually finished and Ren rinsed out the bowl and gave her water. Ren rubbed the side of her face and she stopped drinking to look at him. ¡°I really am sorry, Princess.¡± Ren said and gave her a hug around the neck, and she froze. ¡°I''ll do my best to take better care of you from now on.¡± He said and let her go. ¡°I have to go back into the house for now, and I might have to go away for the day, but I promise that I''ll be back tonight to feed you personally.¡± She huffed and plunked down on her mattress. ¡°Thanks for your permission.¡± Ren said and smiled, then walked over to Ruck''s cabinet and knocked. ¡°Sorry to bother you, Ruck... but I might need your help later.¡± Ruck knocked back and Ren smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and went back inside the house and into the kitchen. The Warrior he''d punched into the floor was standing, mostly, behind the Warrior that still sat at the kitchen table. He was mumbling something about how sucker punches were supposed to work. Ren tuned him out and smiled. I told you he''d piss and moan about it. Ren thought, and Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren was about to sit down again, when there was a knock on the door. ¡°I''ll get it.¡± Ren said and went to the front door. Teepo. Teepo hopped off Ren''s shoulder and onto the floor, then squeezed under the door. ¡°It''s Gausen. He''s alone.¡± Teepo said. Ren opened the door and greeted Gausen, then asked him to come into the kitchen. The pair walked into the kitchen and Lady Neram, Nathalia''s mother, filled them both in on what happened and Gausen asked the Warrior for the summons. He handed it over and Gausen looked at it for a minute. ¡°It appears that you''ve been drafted.¡± Gausen said to Ren. ¡°Ha... hahaha.... hahahahaha!¡± Ren laughed maniacally. Everyone stared at him as he kept laughing and tried to talk. ¡°That''s just... Ha haha....¡± Ren wiped the tears away from laughing so hard. ¡°...sheer stupidity.¡± He finally got out and kept laughing. ¡°Is there something wrong with him?¡± Maldir asked Narhilda in a whisper. ¡°I don''t know.¡± She said and shook her head. ¡°He should be upset or angry... not laughing.¡± Ren eased his laughing, took the piece of parchment from Gausen, and read it.
Notice!
Despite not being a dwarf, you have been Drafted. Report to the Garrison immediately for training.
¡°An Elfling being drafted into the Dwarf Army!¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Spread the word!¡± He said and pointed to the 2 warriors. ¡°Let it be forever known that I, Ren, having only just arrived in the dwarven lands, has become the first non-dwarf in the dwarf-only military!¡± Ren said and started laughing again.
Notice!
Your declaration will be spread far and wide! As the trailblazer for all future draftees from other races, your name will be written into the Annals of Dwarven History. Your acceptance of the situation has also given you Honor. Influence: +1000 Honor: +500 Fame: +1000
Notice!
Your fame has spread to foreign lands. You are now Well Known! You have gained a Special Skill: Aura Level 1 (Beginner 0%) Your presence is such as those near you will be in awe of you and your accomplishments. Higher levels will spread your presence for a further distance (current distance: 10 foot radius). Can be combined with items and similar abilities to increase both potency and distance.
New Title!
You have received a title to signify your new status in Dwarf society. Ren, The First. You have gained a Special Sub Skill: Command (Beginner 0%) This sub skill under Aura will allow you to lead a group and issue orders. Higher levels will allow a larger Command Radius, and generate loyalty from those under your command. You have gained a Special Sub Skill: Camaraderie (Beginner 0%) This sub skill under Aura allows mutual trust and friendship to easily build among people who spend a lot of time together. Higher levels will allow a larger Camaraderie Radius, and grants XP bonuses when fighting in a group of 2 or more.
Narhilda, Lady Neram of House Neram, gasped. ¡°Mother, what is it?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°It''s... I didn''t expect...¡± She shook her head. ¡°What is it n-¡± Maldir started to speak and looked at her, then his eyes widened. He suddenly stood up, and gave a slight bow. ¡°My apologies for being discourteous.¡± ¡°Get. Out.¡± Narhilda said with a hint of scorn in her voice. Maldir and Darohm left the kitchen quickly and went out the front door. ¡°Mother! What was that?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I can answer that, I think.¡± Ren said, and everyone turned to him. ¡°I''m Lady Neram''s retainer now. As long as I am under her employ, I am a part of House Neram. Any Influence I gain while a member, I believe she will also gain.¡± Nathalia turned back to her and her mother nodded. ¡°He''s right. As the only male in this House, it''s upon his shoulders that the gaining of Influence rests upon.¡± Ren looked at her in surprise. ¡°You mean... all these years your husband has been gone...¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°This House''s Influence and Honor have been worn away to almost nothing.¡± She said and sighed. ¡°I didn''t know it would work this way when we made our contract.¡± Narhilda said and smiled. ¡°Apparently, you mean a lot more to this House than any of us realized.¡± Ren sat down at the kitchen table and folded his hands under his chin, to think about what he was going to do. ¡°Ren?¡± Nathalia said and put a hand on his arm. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Whoever did this, they got me good, didn''t they?¡± Gausen looked at Ren. ¡°What did you say?¡± Ren told him about the fine, and then about actually paying money for it. Gausen''s face went from surprised, to shocked, to disbelief. ¡°You paid your fine?!?¡± Gausen said, and Ren laughed. ¡°Yes, and someone didn''t like that one bit.¡± Ren said. ¡°And now this.¡± He held out the piece of parchment. ¡°But they made a huge mistake. This won''t get me out of the way.¡± Ren said and bared his teeth in a big grin. ¡°All this will do is give me a bigger hammer to hit them with!¡± Chapter 94 - A New Uniform Ren stood up from the table. ¡°I guess I better head to the Garrison.¡± Ren said and turned to Gausen. ¡°Thanks for coming by and not really doing anything.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°Hey! That was an Imperial Order! I''m only an Ambassador to a foreign city. I can''t do anything about it!¡± Gausen said, a bit heatedly. Ren clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°I know. I was just teasing you.¡± Gausen frowned. ¡°You have a strange sense of humor.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You have no idea.¡± He said and turned to Nathalia and her mother, Narhilda. ¡°I don''t know what the situation will be like when I get to the Garrison, but I should be back by tonight.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°You can''t go dressed like that.¡± Ren looked down at himself. He wore his Spider Silk Cloth Traveller''s Clothes (High Quality). ¡°What''s wrong with it?¡± She shook her head. ¡°You''ll lose Honor faster than water through a broken dam if you show up like that.¡± She said, then sighed. ¡°I know just the thing that you''ll need. It may take a few minutes to find, but I''ll be back.¡± Narhilda left the kitchen and walked through the main room and down the hallway. Ren heard a door open, and a moment later, a loud shriek. Ren ran as fast as he could and was at the open door a moment later, to see Narhilda kneeling on the floor of her old bedroom. She was in front of the workbench, crying. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked as he knelt beside her and Nathalia came into the room behind him. Narhilda pointed to the neat and tidy shelf of patterns, and between sobs, told Ren how she had left her husband''s old workbench the way it was, because it was the last thing he''d touched before he died. Ren reached out and rubbed her back, consolingly. ¡°My Lady, I''m terribly sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°This was my fault. The first night I spent in here, I saw the shelf of mixed up papers, and it bothered me that it was such a mess. I thought... I thought that the least I could do to repay your kind hospitality, was to straighten it up for you.¡± Narhilda looked at him with tears in her eyes. Ren pulled out a scrap piece of cloth from inventory and wiped her face with it. ¡°In my ignorance, I thought they were just bills and contracts, and started to sort them. It was then that I realized what they actually were.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I saw that they were patterns, I was consumed with them.¡± Narhilda''s face was filled with shock. ¡°You... you read them?!?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I did. When I was done and had them all put away properly, I knew your husband wasn''t just a great man like your daughter had told me.¡± Ren said. ¡°He was a Master Tailor.¡± Nathalia gasped. ¡°Ma, is that true?¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°I knew he was a great tailor and that everyone wanted him to make them something... but a Master Tailor?¡± Nathalia walked over to the bed and sat down. ¡°I never knew that.¡± Narhilda took the cloth Ren held for her and wiped away another bout of tears. ¡°It''s not something that comes up in normal conversation, dear.¡± She said and then laughed a little. ¡°How would that go? Good morning, Nathalia honey. Your dead father was a Master Tailor. I just thought you should know. Eat some breakfast.¡± Ren snorted a laugh and Nathalia smiled. ¡°Okay, I guess it wouldn''t just come up... but you could have told me once I was older.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It didn''t really matter after the House lost most of it''s Influence.¡± Narhilda said and sighed. ¡°It just wasn''t as important as keeping this place running.¡± Nathalia nodded, and Narhilda turned back to Ren. ¡°So... you read them.¡± She said. ¡°What did you think?¡± ¡°I think that if he were alive today, there wouldn''t be a single dwarf that wouldn''t own a piece of his clothing.¡± Narhilda caught her breath. ¡°You... you understood what he was doing!¡± Ren nodded. ¡°The patterns, once I had them sorted and organized, told me exactly what his intentions were.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± Narhilda said and stood up. ¡°Find the ''Dwarf Recruit Uniform'' in there.¡± She said and waved to the organized parchment paper stacks. ¡°You have my permission to use the workbench to make it.¡± Ren stood up and pulled a bolt of white cloth from inventory. He measured out the proper length, cut it off, then started to cut out the pieces he needed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°I''m making the Dwarf Recruit Uniform like you asked.¡± Ren said, but didn''t stop cutting out pieces. ¡°But... you didn''t take out the pattern yet!¡± She said. Ren smiled. ¡°There''s no need. I memorized them all.¡± Gasps were heard from behind him, but he ignored it. Definitely a default response. He thought and finished cutting out the pieces. ¡°There are hundreds of patterns! How could you...¡± Narhilda''s eyes widened as Ren took out the portable dying station and dyed the cloth pieces to be the mottled grey of the uniform. He stored it again and began to sew. He took his time, as this was his first attempt at making one of Lord Neram''s creations, and he wanted to do it justice. When he was finished, he stepped back and examined it.
Dwarf Recruit Uniform (High Quality)
This uniform designed by Lord Neram is both practical and functional. Due to the care and professionalism used in it''s construction and the impeccable stitching by Ren the First, this garment will last much longer than a regular uniform. Durability: 150/150
Narhilda stepped over to examine it herself, and tears came back to her eyes as she ran her hand over the fabric. ¡°He would have been so proud to have had a student like you.¡± She said and wiped her tears away with the cloth Ren had given her. ¡°You are a great Tailor yourself.¡±
Notice!
A Master Tailor''s wife has recognized that you are a Tailor in your own right. You have gained the title: Tailor
Notice!
The title of ''Tailor'' grants you a 5 level bonus to your Tailoring skills. Tailoring Level 6 (Advanced 0%), Bag Craft Level 7 (Beginner 50%), Stitching Level 7 (Intermediate 50%), Cloth Repair Level 2 (Intermediate 0%), Spinning Level 6 (Intermediate 20%) XP Bonus: 5,000 XP Fame Bonus: 29%
¡°My Lady... I don''t deser-¡± Ren tried to say and Narhilda put a finger over his lips. ¡°If you are going to continue my husband''s work, you will be recognized as a Tailor.¡± She said and turned to the workbench, slid open a small compartment and took out something. She turned back to Ren. ¡°He would want you to have this.¡± Narhilda said and passed him an old sewing needle. Ren froze. It was nearly twice the size of a normal needle, with a huge loop at the top. ¡°What is it?¡± She asked, perplexed at Ren''s reaction. Ren shook his head and closed his eyes, to do a breathing exercise. I can do this. I can do this! ¡°You can do this, Ren!¡± Teepo encouraged. Ren opened his eyes and held his hand out. Narhilda gently placed the needle in his hand and Ren shook slightly. He took a deep breath and examined it.
Master Tailor Sewing Needle
This needle can be used like a normal needle, but is intended for Cloth Repair.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. With a high enough skill level (Intermediate or higher), the Master Tailor Sewing Needle can be held against a piece of clothing, and the command of ¡°Repair!¡± will restore it to it''s original state.
¡°My...My Lady!¡± Ren said in surprise. ¡°I... this...¡± He shook his head. ¡°Thank you, My Lady. I will use this well.¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°I know you will.¡± Ren turned towards the bed where Nathalia still sat, and walked over to her. She looked up at him and smiled. Ren put a hand on her shoulder and smiled back. ¡°What are you...¡± Nathalia started to say and Ren held the Master Tailor Sewing Needle against her dress. ¡°Repair!¡± The cloth of the dress was enveloped in a soft golden glow for a few moments, and Ren watched as all the frays reformed, the worn spots filled back in, and the slight tears knit together. The glow faded and Nathalia looked down at her dress in shock. ¡°Ren!¡± She shouted and jumped up to give him a bone crushing hug. She let him go and tears came to her eyes as well, and Ren gave her a piece of cloth to wipe them. Ren stored the needle in inventory, until he got the chance to put it in the Portable Tailor''s Kit. ¡°I thought... I thought I was going to... have to... throw it out and replace it!¡± Nathalia said and cried. Ren rubbed her back like he''d rubbed her mother''s. Narhilda came over and gave her daughter a hug. A few more minutes passed and Narhilda looked at Ren, then waved to the uniform. ¡°Please, put it on.¡± Ren took the uniform and equipped it. Once on, it resized to fit him. It had an undershirt, slightly form-fitting pants, an overcoat that tied in laces down the front to hold it closed, and a belt sash around the waist. The uniform had thick pads on the shoulders, back, elbows and thighs. He''d even made the boots, and everything was a mottled grey. Ren flexed his arms and turned side to side, to show the ease of movement and the functionality. Narhilda let go of her daughter and gave Ren a hug. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± She said and ducked her head against his chest so her tears wouldn''t stain the new uniform. ¡°My husband lives on... in you.¡±
Optional Quest!
You have been tasked to spread the word of the dwarf Master Tailor, Lord Neram. Make his name and House mean something again! Rewards: +30% Influence gain while working for House Neram.
¡°I''m honored to be a symbol of his legacy.¡± Ren said and Narhilda sobbed. Another minute or so passed, and she calmed down and wiped her eyes. ¡°My daughter was right. You''re a good man.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Are you sure you don''t want to marry her?¡± ¡°Ma...¡± Nathalia said and rolled her eyes. ¡°We''ve been through this.¡± Narhilda reached up and put a hand on the side of Ren''s face. ¡°If I was 40 years younger...¡± ¡°Mother!¡± Nathalia exclaimed and her mother laughed. ¡°My Lady.¡± Ren said and took her hand from his face and bent over it. ¡°My heart and love belongs to another, but I appreciate your compliment just the same.¡± Narhilda''s face flushed a deep red, and Ren let her hand go. ¡°I really must get going.¡± Ren said to both of them. ¡°I believe ''report to the Garrison immediately'' means I should get there as soon as I can.¡± Both women nodded to him, he bowed slightly back to them. ¡°Before I leave, however... there is one thing I''ve been meaning to do, and it slipped my mind until now.¡± Ren activated his new personal Aura ability, and then equipped his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak.
Notice!
You have equipped an item that has a similar ability to your own. Your personal Aura distance has doubled! Current Distance: 20 foot radius.
¡°Oh...¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Oh my...¡± Her mother Narhilda said. ¡°Can I?¡± They said together, then reached out to stroke the dire wolf pelt. They stepped close and cuddled it. ¡°It''s real...¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I told you I saw it on the ship.¡± Nathalia said to her mother. ¡°To kill something so dangerous...¡± Her mother said, and looked at Ren with admiration. Ren smiled and stepped back from them, dragging the cloak from their hands. ¡°Good day.¡± He said and left the room. Ren walked up the hallway and met Gausen in the main room. ¡°What was all that about?¡± Gausen said, turning around. ¡°You''ve been in there for half... an... hour.¡± His eyes widened when he saw what Ren was wearing and stopped talking. ¡°I just needed a change of clothes. Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren turned around and went out the front door. Gausen caught up to him in the courtyard and tried his best to ignore the dire wolf cloak. ¡°I looked for you all over the ship when we docked.¡± Gausen said. ¡°I don''t mean to insult you, but that wasn''t very smart.¡± Ren said and smiled as he opened the front gate. ¡°There''s only 2 places that I could have been on the ship. The kitchen or the hold... and since we were docking, the kitchen was closed. The only place left was the hold.¡± Gausen stopped and turned around as Ren closed the gate. ¡°Okay, you got me there.¡± Gausen said. Ren stood still and concentrated on his Command ability and his Dire Wolf Hood Cloak, and turned around to face the 2 Warriors, who had slightly surprised looks on their faces. Let''s see if this works. Ren thought. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Ren commanded them. The Warriors nodded and led the way down the street, and Ren smiled. ¡°I was supposed to take you to the Garrison myself.¡± Gausen said. Ren looked at him with raised eyebrows, and Gausen laughed. ¡°It''s true. The whole point of this trip was to get you some training.¡± Gausen shook his head. ¡°It was supposed to be specialized, to allow you freedom of movement and flexibility in what you wanted to study... but now... you''re going into the general population.¡± ¡°So, what you''re saying is... I was supposed to go to the Garrison anyways.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for telling me beforehand.¡± ¡°You were a little busy with your fiance.¡± Gausen said in his defence. ¡°You didn''t even come to any meals after that first night.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I might have earned a seat at the table, but I had no idea what I was dealing with. I made sure I stayed out of the way until I learned what I could and couldn''t do around your people.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not her fiance anymore, either.¡± They walked in silence after that and then arrived at the main part of the city. Ren looked around at the way everything was laid out. This was his fourth time passing through (once to Nathalia''s House, to the Main Keep and back, and now to the Garrison) and Ren noticed that it was a really inefficient way to have things set up. He didn''t say anything to Gausen, mainly because he didn''t want to insult their culture by pointing out how things should be. Dwarves were set in their ways; suggesting they change something about the way they live, was not a good idea... unless they were drunk, then it didn''t matter. Instead of turning to the Main Keep, as Ren had expected, they turned to the east instead and continued to the outskirts of the city. They walked over some more rolling hills until they came to a large one. When they got to the top of it, Ren saw what the Garrison actually looked like. ¡°Holy crap!¡± For almost as far as the eye could see, was battlements. Walls and walls of battlements. Each one walled off a section for something, but Ren wasn''t high enough to see inside them. He could see that gates connected sections together, however... and marveled at the whole thing. ¡°Where in the world did you get this much stone and mortar?¡± Ren said and half-walked, half-stumbled down the hill then stopped dead. ¡°No way! NO WAY!¡± Ren turned to Gausen. ¡°This is what you did with the mountain that used to block the bay!¡± ¡°What else were we supposed to do with that much stone?¡± Gausen said and laughed. Ren shook his head and jogged down the hill to catch up to the Warriors that hadn''t slowed down when Ren did. Gausen continued to just walk and he caught up to them just as they arrived at the outer gate. They weren''t challenged by the guards stationed there and were let inside. The walls were 50 feet high, just like they were by the bay. The gate was made from planks of wood that were about a foot thick and covered with metal straps. There were gates on every side of the 100 foot square area. Ren followed the Warriors straight forward through 3 more gates of similar sized areas and then 2 to the right. The area they entered was quite different from the others Ren had seen, as it was much larger and encompassed nearly an entire field by itself. It was filled with roped off sections, and to Ren''s surprise, had a full sized obstacle course. Ren did a double take because he had assumed that since everything else was dwarf-sized, the obstacle course would be, too. He followed the dwarf warriors to a door off to the side, and they knocked. Teepo, go! Ren thought and Teepo hopped out of the hood and skittered under the door. I wonder why they don''t use windows? ¡°They''re too weak to take an axe or a crossbow bolt.¡± Teepo offered. ¡°There''s just a dwarf and a desk, again.¡± Ren smiled. Thanks, Teepo. The dwarf inside told them to come in and the 4 of them entered the room. A dwarf sat behind a desk and looked at the new occupants of his office. ¡°We''ve brought the recruit.¡± Maldir said. Ren came to attention. He knew how to act, at least inititally. Once he started training, it was all new territory. He''d have to wing it and watch what he said. ¡°Sir! I was drafted, sir!¡± The dwarf stood up and Ren smiled. He was exactly Ren''s height. ¡°Did I do something amusing, Recruit?¡± ¡°Sir! No, sir! I''m just glad to finally meet someone of your stature, sir!¡± The dwarf chuckled and walked around the desk, then sat on the edge with one leg up. ¡°I like your uniform, Recruit.¡± ¡°Sir, Thank you, sir!¡± ¡°Even from here I can tell it''s high quality. Where did you get it?¡± ¡°Sir! Master Tailor Lord Neram of House Neram, sir!¡± ¡°How much was it?¡± Ren looked down at the uniform and used Appraisal. ¡°Sir! This uniform cost 15 gold, sir.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sir! The Military would get a nominal discount if you bought in bulk. I''m sure the price would drop to 10 gold, and possibly 7 gold if enough were ordered, sir!¡±
Quest Update!
You have informed the Commander of the Garrison about the origin of your uniform, and he will let everyone know that High Quality Uniforms can be ordered from House Neram. Rewards: Influence: +100 Influence Bonus: +30% Possible Tailoring Contract
¡°I also noticed your cloak. That''s not standard issue.¡± ¡°Sir, no sir! Even though it''s not against regulations, I will remove it if you require it, sir!¡± The dwarf shook his head. ¡°No, you can keep it on. It might inspire some of the other Recruits to try to do better.¡± ¡°Sir! I''ll do my best to be a good example, sir!¡± Ren said as Teepo crawled up his back and into the hood. ¡°I''m glad we have at least one Recruit that knows what he''s doing.¡± The Commander said. ¡°Orders.¡± Ren handed over his draft notice and the Commander read it, then frowned, and put it on his desk. Gausen stepped forward and handed the Commander a piece of parchment, too. The dwarf read it and his frown turned into a scowl. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± He said to Gausen. ¡°Those are supposed to be Ren''s orders, sir.¡± Gausen said. The Commander closed his eyes and sighed. He opened them and picked up the draft notice, then looked at Gausen''s note. He shook his head, put the draft notice back on the desk and tore up Gausen''s note. ¡°You... why...¡± Gausen didn''t know what to say after that. ¡°I hate complications.¡± The Commander said. ¡°I''ll allow him to leave at night, but that''s all. None of that other crap will fly in my Garrison. He''s to be back here by daybreak, or he''ll be sent for... and he won''t want that.¡± The Commander looked at Ren. ¡°Isn''t that right?¡± ¡°Sir! I didn''t want to see these two the first time they came to get me. I definitely don''t want to see them again, sir!¡± The Commander nodded. ¡°Good. You''re to report to Division A-113.¡± He turned to Maldir. ¡°Show him where to go.¡± He turned to Darhom. ¡°Go back to your post.¡± He turned to Gausen. ¡°You may leave.¡± Gausen looked at the Commander with surprise. ¡°But... but... I''m his assigned Ambassador!¡± ¡°Are you offering to volunteer and stay?¡± The Commander asked. The blood drained from Gausen''s face and he shook his head. ¡°Then your job here is done. You''ve delivered your note. Have a good day.¡± The Commander motioned to the door and Gausen had no choice but to leave. Once he was gone, the Commander turned to the two Warriors and Ren. ¡°Carry out your orders.¡± ¡°Sir, yes sir!¡± The three of them said and left the Commander''s office. Chapter 95 - The First Day Ren was led out of that area and into another on the right side, making his position 3 areas in and 3 areas right. He had to remember that, otherwise he''d be hopelessly lost. Inside the new area was a group of Recruits, 11 in all, standing in a row. A Knight stood in front of the row and was berating one unfortunate soul with how untidy he was. Ren didn''t smile, as that would have been disrespectful to both the Knight and the dwarf being berated. He did switch his concentration from his Command Aura ability to his Camaraderie Aura, though. ¡°Here''s the latest Recruit, Ghomhan.¡± Maldir said to the Knight. ¡°Great. Just great!¡± He said, waving his arms at the others. ¡°Like I don''t have enough problems with this many!¡± Maldir chuckled. ¡°Hey, you can take it up with the Commander. He said A-113.¡± Ghomhan sighed. ¡°Fine. It''s not like I can refuse.¡± He turned to Ren. ¡°Recruit! Fall in!¡±
Notice!
You have been given the temporary title: Recruit. This title will allow passage in and out of select areas of the Garrison.
¡°Sir, yes sir!¡± Ren said, walked to the end of the line of dwarves, and stood at attention. He thought one of the dwarfs had a familiar hunch, but he didn''t want to take the chance of looking to make sure. Ghomhan leaned in close to Maldir. ¡°What''s with the cloak? Is he trying to show off?¡± Maldir shook his head. ¡°No idea, but the Commander said it was okay... and that he can leave at sunset, but has to be back by daybreak.¡± ¡°He what?!?¡± Ghomhan said in surprise. ¡°You heard me. He can go home at night.¡± Ghomhan shook his head. ¡°The other Recruits are gonna love that!¡± ¡°I''m sure they will.¡± Maldir said and grinned. ¡°Have fun.¡± Maldir left through the gate and Ghomhan turned to the Recruits. ¡°As I was saying, before I was interrupted...¡± He said and glanced at Ren, who didn''t react in the least. ¡°For the next 3 weeks, we''ll be doing training in various weapons, hand-to-hand combat, strength training, endurance training, and finally, the obstacle course.¡± He walked from one end of the line to the other. ¡°You will do your best! If that''s not good enough, you will do better!¡± He said and walked to the center of the line. ¡°Do you get me?!?¡± ¡°Sir, yes sir!¡± Most of the Recruits shouted. Ren''s shout was the loudest. Two of the dwarfs only said ''Yes, sir'' and weren''t enthusiastic about it. Ren shook his head mentally. They are just asking for this. Ren thought as Ghomhan pulled both Recruits out of line and stood them next to each other, then hollered into their shocked faces. ¡°The first word and the last word I want to hear out of your stinking pie holes, will be SIR!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± They said together, and Ghomhan sighed. ¡°Didn''t you just hear me? First word SIR, last word SIR. Repeat it!¡± ¡°Sir. Yes, sir!¡± ¡°That''s better, Recruits! Get back in line!¡± The two dwarfs did and Ghomhan continued. ¡°Now that I''ve gotten that out of the way, do any of you have any kind of combat training?¡± Ren put his hand up and Ghoman looked at him. ¡°This isn''t a school classroom, Recruit! Put your hand down! Speak up!¡± ¡°Sir! Does knowing some moves, but not practicing them count? Sir!¡± ¡°Not really, no.¡± ¡°Sir! Then no, sir!¡± Ghomhan sighed again. ¡°Basics it is.¡± He said. ¡°Hit the dirt! Give me 10 push-ups!¡± Ren half-hopped and fell forward. ¡°Whee!¡± Teepo said as the hood flipped up and then back. Ren did the 10 push-ups and stood up again. He glanced around and saw several dwarves were still trying to get to the ground. He noticed only one dwarf had finished almost as fast as he did. Ren looked at him and smiled. He thought he''d recognized that hunch. Ren grunted a low grunt and Groggot turned and grunted back. ¡°That''s pathetic!¡± Ghomhan said as everyone eventually did the 10 push-ups and stood again. ¡°Spread out! Arm''s width! 10 Jumping Jacks!¡± Both Ren and Groggot finished quickly, almost shaking the ground as they jumped. Groggot was a big muscular dwarf and Ren carried a lot of weight. Ren tried his best to keep the smile from his face, but as he lost that battle, Ghomhan noticed it and came over to him and got in his face. ¡°Are you having fun, Recruit?¡± ¡°Sir, yes sir!¡± Ghomhan had a surprised look on his face, then squinted his eyes. ¡°If you''re having so much fun, why don''t you run laps around the training area.¡± He said and pointed. ¡°There''s a track. Follow it.¡± ¡°Sir! How many laps? Sir!¡± Ren asked. ¡°Just run until I tell you to stop.¡± That should wipe the smile off his face. ¡°Sir! Yes, sir!¡± Ren said, stepped around the Knight, and took off running. Ren figured the Knight wanted to make an example of him, so he didn''t run full out like he wanted to. He''d only last about 15 minutes that way; so he jogged at a fast pace, and his stamina bar started to drop very slowly. Ren''s smile became a grin as he finished a lap around the training area, then another, then another. Ghomhan stared as Ren ran around the training area like it was nothing. All the other Recruits stared as well, and watched Ren run for about 10 minutes. ¡°How is he doing that?¡± One said. ¡°I''d be winded just walking over there.¡± Another said. ¡°Is he someone special, maybe?¡± ¡°He''s an Adventurer.¡± Groggot grumbled and everyone shifted their stares to him. ¡°You can talk?!¡± Someone said, and several dwarves laughed. ¡°That''s enough, Recruits.¡± Ghomhan said and hollered to Ren. ¡°Fall in!¡± Ren sprinted to finish the last lap and joined the other Recruits at the line. I could have run full out the whole time after all. Ren thought and felt Teepo''s slight disappointment that he hadn''t. Don''t worry, little buddy. I''ll be running back to House Neram tonight. ¡°Yay!¡± Teepo chittered in delight and Ren kept the smile on his face. Well, that didn''t work. Ghomhan thought. I think he actually enjoyed it! He shook his head. ¡°Okay... has anyone held a weapon before?¡± ¡°Sir, yes sir!¡± Ren and Groggot said. Everyone else was silent. Ghomhan pointed to Groggot. ¡°What were they?¡± Groggot thought for a minute. ¡°Sir. Sword. Shield. Axe. Pike. Sir.¡± Ghomhan smiled. ¡°Excellent! A shield isn''t a weapon, though.¡± ¡°Sir! It depends on how you use it, sir!¡± Ren and Groggot said together, and they both smiled as the other dwarves tried not to laugh. Ghomhan nodded. ¡°Good! You''re thinking beyond an item''s intended usage!¡± He said and looked at Ren. ¡°You! Which weapons have you held?¡± ¡°Sir! All of them, sir!¡± Everyone turned to stare at Ren, and he fought hard to not smile again. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ghomhan said. ¡°You''ve held every weapon?¡± ¡°Sir! Yes, sir.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Sir! With my hands, sir!¡± Ren said, completely serious. The dwarves couldn''t help themselves and did chuckle out loud. Ghomhan stared them into silence and turned to Ren. ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Sir! No, sir! I answered both honestly and truthfully, sir!¡± Ren said. Ghomhan took a deep breath. ¡°Then... while using your hands, how did you hold every weapon?¡± ¡°Sir! I''m a Blacksmith, sir!¡± Ren said and several dwarves gasped. ¡°What!?!¡± Ghomhan nearly shouted. ¡°Why the hell are you here? You should be in the crafter''s section!¡± ¡°Sir! I was drafted, sir!¡± Ren answered. Everyone went quiet after hearing that. ¡°Drafted.¡± Ghomhan said after a moment. ¡°There hasn''t been a drafted member since... damn, I can''t remember the last time someone was drafted.¡± He took another breath. ¡°I assume the Commander knows?¡± ¡°Sir! Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Then there''s nothing I can do about it.¡± Ghomhan said. ¡°I assume that''s why you can leave at night?¡± ¡°Sir! Yes, sir! I have to go to work, sir!¡± Mutters escaped the mouths of the dwarves, but Ghomhan ignored them. ¡°You''re leaving here to go and work, then coming back here in the morning for training?¡± ¡°Sir! Yes, sir!¡± Ghomhan shook his head. ¡°I don''t envy you, Recruit. Let me know when you can find the time to sleep.¡± ¡°Sir! When we break for supper, sir!¡± Ren responded. ¡°Ha.. hahaha!¡± Ghomhan laughed, and several dwarves joined him, then Ghomhan turned his laugh off like a switch and was deadly serious. ¡°That''s enough fun and games, Recruits! We''ve wasted a good portion of the day already!¡± He said and smiled wickedly. ¡°Get your sorry asses in gear! I want a hundred laps around the track before supper! Move it! Move it! Move it!¡± Ren took off like a shot after the word ''hundred'' and Teepo chittered in delight. Ren was already around the track once before Groggot joined him and Ren slowed his pace down to stay together. They fell into a steady pattern of pumping arms and legs, then kept going. ¡°Blacksmith, huh?¡± Groggot said. Ren grunted. ¡°Thought you were a cook.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Groggot glanced at him. ¡°I like learning new things.¡± Groggot grunted. ¡°You know why I''m here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why are you here, and not on the ship?¡± ¡°Bored.¡± Groggot said. ¡°I hear ya.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°This place must seem like a piece of cake compared to the ship.¡± Groggot grunted. ¡°I hate being bored, too.¡± Ren said and kept running. They lapped all the other dwarves a dozen times over, and Ren shouted encouragement to them each time, and the dwarves groaned each time as he passed. ¡°Don''t think about it, just do it!¡± ¡°Don''t go for speed, go for distance!¡± ¡°Match your run to your breath, not your breath to your run!¡± ¡°A steady pace, wins the race!¡± Ren changed tactics halfway through and they started to laugh instead. ¡°I think we all have the runs!¡± ¡°If running was easy, they''d call it mining!¡± ¡°Pretend your wife is chasing you!¡± ¡°Running won''t kill you! You''ll pass out first!¡± Ren had saved the best for last, and had Groggot in stitches from laughing so hard. ¡°Why is everyone chasing me?!?¡± Ren said and Teepo chittered in delight. Ren and Groggot finished their laps and stepped off the track to keep shouting encouragement to the others. Ren had run the extra lap, just so he would finish at the same time as Groggot. Some dwarfs, as they passed the pair, yelled that laughing was making it harder for them. ¡°We know!¡± They said at the same time and laughed. ¡°Don''t stop! Keep going!¡± Ren said and waved them on. ¡°We can''t make fun of you all day!¡± Ghomhan had stayed off to the side to watch it all play out. I think he might be better off here than in the crafting section after all. He thought and let the running laps exercise go for another half an hour and called it. ¡°All right, Recruits! Fall in!¡± One dwarf had only run about 15 laps so far, but he was really overweight and his legs were a lot shorter than everyone else''s. He nearly collapsed at Ghomhan''s call and Ren rushed over to catch him. ¡°I got you.¡± Ren said and helped the dwarf over to stand in the line and held him in place. ¡°Suppertime.¡± Ghomhan said and then the bell rang. All the dwarves, except for Groggot, Ren, and the one he held up, dropped exhaused to the ground. Ghomhan laughed. ¡°You''ve only got an hour for supper. Don''t waste it by just laying around.¡± He said and walked across the area and to a gate on the right. It opened and the smell of food filled the area and several dwarf''s stomachs rumbled. Mess Hall is 3 in, 4 right. Ren thought. ¡°Hey, are you all right?¡± Ren asked the dwarf he held, and the dwarf shook his head. ¡°Groggot, hold him for me, please.¡± Groggot stepped over and held the dwarf easily. Ren took out a Health potion. ¡°Drink some of this.¡± Ren said and poured a good portion of the potion into the dwarf''s mouth. He swallowed it gratefully and Ren nodded to Groggot, who let go. The dwarf stood on his own, but was still a little shaky. ¡°You can make it to the Mess Hall. Ease off the meat a little, and go for more vegetables. You''ll feel better, trust me.¡± Ren said and the dwarf nodded and hobbled away. Ren looked at the half-gone potion and shrugged. He gave a mouthfull of it to each of the other dwarves and when it was empty, stored it. Thankfully it was enough to get them on their feet and Ren ushered them to the Mess Hall. ¡°Are you really going to sleep?¡± Groggot asked. ¡°I am. I could use a guard, too. The job''s yours if you want it... after you eat, of course.¡± Groggot grunted and went to the Mess Hall. Ren sat down near one of the several sand pits and leaned back to wait. He didn''t have to wait long, as Groggot brought out a tray of food and sat beside him. Ren smiled and closed his eyes. He hoped a quick nap would be enough. If his guess was right, something will be waiting for him back at House Neram, and he''ll be busy for most of the night. Ren closed his eyes and fell asleep. 50 minutes later, Ren felt a nudge on his shoulder. He rolled away from it immediately and up into a half-kneeling crouch with his fists at the ready. ¡°I''m up! I''m UP!¡± Ren said and blinked a few times. A few of the dwarfs chuckled, but Groggot only grunted. ¡°Good reaction time.¡± Ghomhan the Knight said as he walked over to where Ren was. ¡°You might be dead if it was a fatal blow, but other than that...¡± ¡°Sir! Thank you, sir!¡± Ren said automatically. ¡°That didn''t require a response, Recruit.¡± ¡°Sir! Sorry, sir!¡± Ghomhan nodded. ¡°Now that you''re awake, we can get started on some basic weapon attacks.¡± He turned and pointed to two dwarfs. ¡°You and you. Go to that gate...¡± He pointed to the gate behind him. ¡°...and bring out the training dummies.¡± They nodded and went to the indicated gate. They opened it and inside was training equipment. There was everything from wooden dummies to spinning weapon racks. The Recruits stared at it all. ¡°Hurry up! Move it! Move it! Move it!¡± Ghomhan commanded. The two Recruits pulled out a pair of training dummies and he told them where to set them up. They were simple and a little crude, but functioned as an adequate substitute for an opponent. It didn''t attack back, but that was beside the point. It was about 5 feet tall and hung from a wooden scaffold. Ren walked over and examined it closely. He moved all the parts that could be moved, namely the arms and legs and all the joints, and even checked to see if the stand was as secure as it should be. When Ren was done, he got a popup.
Notice!
You have learned the recipe for: Training Dummy (Human Analog) This fully functional wooden dummy is a non-lethal substitute for a real oppponent.
Ren started to smile, then caught himself. I really have to hide my enjoyment better. Ren thought and stepped back as more training dummies were set up in a line, about 5 feet apart. Once all 12 were completed, Ghomhan stepped in front of them. ¡°These will be your friends. You will care for them. You will love them.¡± Ghomhan said and smiled an evil grin. ¡°And you will kill them.¡± He said. ¡°I will teach you how to hit them, where to hit them, and how hard to hit them. You need to get the most effect from your strike, or you''re just wasting energy.¡± Everyone listened with attention. ¡°Normally, we''d be going right into one-on-one and hand-to-hand combat training, but as almost all of you are lacking in even holding a weapon, we''ll start with this.¡± Ghomhan said and went into the training supplies area and came out with a large wooden chest. He put it down at the end of the line of training dummies. ¡°Everyone step forward and select a weapon. You will practice with this weapon, using overhead strikes, on the training dummies.¡± Ghomhan looked at each dwarf as they stepped forward and told them to always use the same strike, until their body gets used to the motion. One that happened, he''d teach them another strike. Groggot was halfway down the line and when it came to his turn, he picked up several things, but his over-sized hands covered so much of the handles that he gave up and stepped aside to let everyone else grab a weapon. Ren had intentionally waited until last, so he could break the news to Ghomhan about his problem. Ren saw Groggot''s unhappy expression and made a decision. ¡°Sir! I have a solution to Groggot''s problem, sir!¡± Both Groggot and Ghomhan the Knight looked at Ren in surprise. ¡°What problem is that, Recruit?¡± Ghomhan asked. ¡°Sir! Groggot''s hands are too manly for these small weapons, sir!¡± Groggot''s mouth dropped open and he looked at his hands. ¡°They''re too manly?¡± He said and flexed his massive hands several times. ¡°They''re too manly!¡± Groggot said and grinned. Ghomhan ignored the outburst and looked at Ren. ¡°Your solution, Recruit?¡± ¡°Sir! A bigger weapon, sir!¡± ¡°And where are you going to get such a weapon?¡± Ghomhan asked. ¡°Sir! If I may speak to Recruit Groggot? Sir!¡± Ghomhan waved slightly. ¡°Groggot, what weapon would you like, but couldn''t get in your size?¡± Ren asked him. He thought about it for a minute. ¡°Battle axe.¡± Gasps came from the other dwarves, as only really strong people could wield a battle axe effectively in a fight. Ren smiled. ¡°Well, my friend... it just so happens...¡± Ren pulled out one of the two steel battle axes that he''d made while at Donan''s, using up the last of his normal iron bars. The battle axe gleamed silver in the waning sunlight. ¡°I have one that should be just the right size for you.¡± Everyone''s eyes popped out of their heads in shock. The large double-headed battle axe was nearly 3 feet across, and had 2 half-moon blades attached to a 4 foot long handle. When stood on it''s end, it was as tall as Groggot. ¡°They let you in here with that!?!¡± Ghomhan said, shocked. Ren snapped back to attention. ¡°Sir! I wasn''t asked, sir!¡± Ghomhan started to laugh, and then everyone joined in, even Ren. After a minute, Ghomhan looked at Ren. ¡°They let you come in here and didn''t even bother to check you for weapons.¡± He gave another bark of laughter. ¡°I''m not even going to ask what else you have.¡± He said and shook his head, then pointed a finger to Groggot. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren spun the Battle Axe in his hand and held the handle out to Groggot, who looked at Ren with astonishment. ¡°You... you''re just going to give this to me?¡± Groggot asked in wonder. ¡°I can''t have a guard that''s weaponless, can I?¡± Ren said and grinned. Groggot took the handle gently, and his hand fit around it perfectly. Ren let it go and Groggot had to catch the full weight with his other hand to balanced it out. Once he did, he stepped back and swung it a few times with both arms, then with each arm alone. Groggot laughed a little and started to swing more vigorously. ¡°That''s enough.¡± Ghomhan said, and Groggot stopped the next swing before it started. ¡°Okay, Recruit. Your turn. Pick a weapon.¡± ¡°Sir! I can''t, sir!¡± Ren said. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ghomhan said. ¡°Are you refusing my order?¡± ¡°Sir! No, sir! I just can''t complete your order, sir!¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t equip standard weapons, sir!¡± Ghomhan sighed. ¡°Why do they always stick me with the misfits?¡± He said then stopped. ¡°You said you''ve held every weapon before.¡± ¡°Sir! I''ve held every weapon that can be made by a smith, sir!¡± Ren responded. ¡°I don''t suppose you have a non-standard weapon on you, do you?¡± Ghomhan asked. ¡°Sir! Of course I do, sir!¡± The other dwarves chuckled. ¡°Show it to me, please.¡± Ren took out his hammerpick and nearly everyone gasped except Groggot, who had seen it before. ¡°Hand it over.¡± ¡°Sir! No, sir!¡± Ren said and stored it. ¡°EXCUSE ME?¡± ¡°Sir! No one touches it but me, sir!¡± Ghomhan stood up and stalked over to Ren. ¡°What if I throw you in the brig for refusing an order?¡± ¡°Sir! If that''s your decision, it will have to wait. It''s getting dark, sir!¡± ¡°So what?!?¡± ¡°Sir! I have to leave at dusk, sir!¡± ¡°Not if you''re in the brig you don''t!¡± Ghomhan nearly shouted. ¡°Sir! With all due respect, you cannot countermand the Commander''s orders. Sir!¡± Ghomhan opened his mouth to say that he could... and then closed it. ¡°Sir! You can still brig me in the morning, sir!¡± ¡°I''ll do just that! Be back here at dawn.¡± Ghomhan said with a scowl. ¡°Get out of my sight.¡± ¡°Sir! Yes, sir!¡± Ren said and walked over to the gate. He followed the proper path to leave out the main gate that faced the road to Dornrach, and once outside, started running. Teepo didn''t enjoy it as much this time. Chapter 96 - The First Order Ren ran all the way back to the main city, then took the turn to get back to House Neram. He ran at full speed and his Stamina bar dropped steadily. Ren made it back to the House long before the bar could empty and entered the gate. He waved to Princess and told her he''d be right out with something to eat. She huffed and Ren entered the house. The smell of food assailed his nostrils and his stomach rumbled. He walked into the main room and then into the kitchen, to see a large spread of food. ¡°Good evening, Lady Neram.¡± Ren said to Narhilda, then bowed slightly to Nathalia. ¡°Ren! Welcome home.¡± Narhilda said and beamed a smile at him. ¡°Hi, R-Ren.¡± Nathalia said without blushing, and smiled. Ren walked over to the table to gather some food for Princess. ¡°You''re getting better at being able to say my name.¡± Ren said to Nathalia and smiled himself. He took some meat, vegetables, and a piece of pie. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He said to their surprised faces and went back outside to the stable. Ren served Princess the meat and vegetables first, then rinsed the bowl. He gave her some water after that, and then the piece of pie. She ate it delicately, slowly chewing it and enjoying every moment of flavor. Ren gave her more water and told her he had to go eat himself and went inside to the kitchen. Ren sat down at the table and started eating, ignoring the looks of the two women staring at him. He didn''t want to explain, yet again, that he was taking care of the mount first. They ate in silence for several minutes, and then Narhilda spoke. ¡°I had an interesting visit from a messenger, just after lunch today.¡± Narhilda said and looked at Ren. ¡°Something about an order of uniforms for the military.¡± She said and held up a folded piece of parchment that had already been opened. Ren smiled. So, I did guess right. Ren thought. ¡°May I see it?¡± Narhilda passed it to him and he read it, then grinned.
New Quest!
The military has heard of House Neram''s High Quality Uniforms and has decided they need proof. You must complete 100 uniforms in 2 days. Rewards: 1000 XP 1000 Gold Coins (Quoted Purchase Price for a small order 10gc each) Influence: +100 Honor: +50
¡°You wouldn''t know anything about it, would you?¡± Narhilda asked, slyly. ¡°Of course I would.¡± Ren said. ¡°The Commander noticed your husband''s uniform design and asked me about it.¡± ¡°And?¡± She prodded. ¡°I told him it cost 15 gold... and that the military would get a discount to 10 if they ordered some... and if they ordered in bulk, it might drop to 7.¡± Narhilda and her daughter caught their breath. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°A military contract?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''m going to assume that this is a test at the 10 gold level. If it''s completed...¡± Narhilda sat back in her chair. ¡°We''d be set to provide the uniforms for the whole military.¡± ¡°Possibly.¡± Ren said. ¡°It all depends on if you still have some of your husband''s bolts of cloth or not.¡± Narhilda grinned and stood. ¡°Follow me.¡± Ren stood and followed her to her old bedroom. She opened the closet, and there were bolts upon bolts of plain white cloth that filled the whole closet. ¡°My husband was a bit of a packrat.¡± ¡°This is wonderful!¡± Ren said and picked Narhilda up in a hug and swung her around in almost a full circle. He put her down and she started to swoon. ¡°Oh! I''m sorry!¡± Ren said. ¡°I got too excited.¡± Ren picked her up just like he did when she had slipped and fallen after they''d first met, cupped her to his chest, walked over to the bed and laid her down on it. ¡°Just lay there and relax.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got work to do.¡± Narhilda nodded and dozily watched him as he worked. Ren took out a bolt of cloth and saw that even though it had been stored in a closet, it''s quality was actually a little better than the cloth he had. He must have made it himself! Ren thought and started cutting out the uniform pieces that he needed to sew the pattern. Since he''d already done it before, it was just slightly easier this time. Rather than sew this one up, Ren kept cutting out uniform pieces. He used up the whole bolt of cloth and had enough pieces to make 30 uniforms. Ren took out the dying station and dyed everything a mottled grey, then sat and sewed each and every piece together to make full uniforms. When he was done of those 30... he slapped himself on the forehead. Just dye the bolt of cloth first, you idiot! Ren thought and Teepo chittered in laughter. He dyed 2 bolts of cloth mottled grey, cut out the pieces for 30 more uniforms, and sewed them. It went much faster when he didn''t have to dye each piece of cloth. After each uniform he made, he got faster and faster. Ren cut out the pieces needed from the last bolt of cloth, and was only 10 uniforms shy. He cut off enough from another bolt of cloth for the 10 uniforms he was missing, then made those. Ren thought he could make them just a little bit better, and he sewed the House Neram name on every label, adding his own in small letters underneath. He then had the brilliant idea to make a uniform for a Warrior, a Knight, and a Commander, and smiled. Ren dyed the cloth a mottled black and made the 3 uniforms, spending extra time and care with the Commander''s. He knew that the Commander would appreciate a uniform of a higher quality that would last longer. When Ren was finished, he sat back and smiled. It had only taken most of the night, and Ren stored all of the uniforms into inventory. He yawned and stretched. ¡°....mhmmn.... come to bed... darling...¡± Ren froze, and slowly turned around. Narhilda was laying on her side, and her face was partially buried in a pillow. It looked like she was asleep. ¡°...mgh... up all... night..... sleep....¡± Ren got up from where he sat and slowly walked across the room to leave, but Narhilda''s body shifted slightly and her face fell into the pillow. He waited a moment, then sighed. I can''t leave her like that. Ren thought and went to the bed. He leaned over it, grabbed Narhilda''s shoulder, gently pulled her out of the pillow, and heard her take a breath. Whew... she really was suffocating! Ren thought. She could have died! He rolled her onto her back and she grabbed his hand on her shoulder. ¡°...don''t... Thern... work done...¡± Narhilda said and snuggled her head down on his hand. Now what do I do? Ren thought. ¡°Whisper to her that you''ll be to bed soon. You only have a little bit more to do.¡± I can''t do that! ¡°Why not? She thinks you''re her dead husband... I think.¡± Ren sighed. I hope this works. Ren leaned in close to Narhilda''s ear and whispered what Teepo had told him to. Narhilda turned her head slightly, and kissed Ren''s hand. ¡°...love....you...¡± Then her body lost all of its tension and she started to snore. Ren slipped his hand from her now loose grip, activated Sneak, and left the room. That was close! Ren thought in relief. Thanks for the advice, Teepo. ¡°No problem.¡± I better head out before it gets too late... or too early, I guess. Ren thought and smiled. He made a pit stop at the kitchen table and stored quite a bit food into inventory. He wasn''t sure how long he would be kept in the brig; but it was better to assume at least the rest of the day, just to be safe. Ren took a lot more than he actually needed, but he didn''t know what kind of situations he was going to get in now and it was better to be prepared for anything. If I can get you in there beforehand, it shouldn''t be too bad. ¡°I''ll do what I can to help.¡± Teepo said. Ren nodded and left the house. He fed Princess some of the food he had, bid her farewell until the next night, then left House Neram and closed the gate. Ren deactivated Sneak and started to run. Teepo enjoyed it this time, as Ren was in a better mood, too. I wonder if I can get some sleep in the brig? Ren thought as he left the main city and came to the outskirts. He passed the rolling hills and then over the large one before the Garrison. Ren could see the sunrise and smiled. Just in time. Ren sprinted the last bit of distance and slowed down as the guard at the gate opened it for him. Ren went inside, then followed the pattern. 3 in, 3 right. Ren walked over to the Commander''s office and knocked. ¡°Enter.¡± Ren opened the door, stepped inside, and shut the door. ¡°Sir! Recruit reporting as ordered, sir!¡± The Commander chuckled. ¡°You don''t have to report to me every morning. Just show up in your designated squad area.¡± ¡°Sir! Yes, sir!¡± Ren said. ¡°I have a delivery, sir!¡± The Commander lifted his eyebrows slightly. ¡°You don''t mean...¡± ¡°Sir! House Neram thanks you for you order, sir!¡± Ren pulled out 100 folded uniforms from inventory and stacked them on the desk. ¡°By the gods! How did you...¡± The Commander started to ask, then changed what he was going to say. ¡°You worked all night, didn''t you?¡± ¡°Sir! Yes, sir!¡± Ren said. ¡°I made you something as well, sir!¡± The Commander''s eyes widened at Ren''s words, then he frowned. ¡°I''m not in the habit of accepting bribes, Recruit.¡± ¡°Sir! No, sir!¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Just examples of my work, sir!¡± Ren pulled out the Warrior Uniform first, then the Knight Uniform. Ren waited a moment for him to look at them, then gave him the Commander''s Uniform. Ren kept the smile on his face as he watched the Commander compare the one he wore with the brand new one Ren had made for him. ¡°How much extra for these?¡± He asked. ¡°Sir! I can''t in good conscience charge you for examples, sir!¡± Ren said. ¡°Just like my own uniform, these are the first of their kind that I''ve made. They are not for sale, but you can keep them, sir!¡± The Commander looked at Ren like he was crazy, then voiced that opinion. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± He asked. ¡°Sir! Most people think so, sir!¡± The Commander shook his head and laughed. ¡°All right. I''ll accept these ''examples'' of yours.¡± He reached into a drawer and passed Ren a small coin bag. ¡°This is for the uniforms.¡±
Quest Complete!
The military has accepted the proof you have provided of House Neram''s High Quality Uniforms.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Rewards: 1000 XP 1000 Gold Coins (10 Platinum coins) Influence: +100 Honor: +50
¡°Sir! Thank you, sir!¡± ¡°Dismissed.¡± Ren left the Commander''s office and followed the pattern back to the main gate, as that was the only spot he''d seen any dwarves. He approached one of the guards and asked where the brig was. He told Ren it was 6F5L, and couldn''t miss it. Ren grunted and assumed the name was actually directions, then went 6 areas forward, and 5 areas left, and arrived at the brig. It was a building inside the walled off area. There was only 1 gate to the whole area, and only 1 door into the building, without a handle. No guards were posted outside, either. Teepo, you''re up! Ren thought and Teepo hopped out of the hood and slipped under the door. ¡°There''s 10 dwarves, and another door. Going under.¡± Ren stood there and waited several minutes. ¡°Just a single guard at a desk inside and a bunch of individual cells. 3 dwarf prisoners, too.¡± Thanks a lot, Teepo. Ren thought and knocked. He heard several sliding pieces of metal clank together and the door opened. ¡°Sir! This Recruit has been confined to the brig, by order of Ghomhan the Knight, sir!¡± ¡°Knock that off, you fool. I''m not an officer.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I work for a living.¡± Ren smiled and the dwarf stepped back to let Ren walk inside. He saw the 10 dwarves wore identical mottled black outfits, and some wore plate armor over half of their torso. That''s an interesting design. Ren thought. He recognized one of the dwarfs, as one of the pair of Warriors that had picked him up the day before. ¡°It didn''t take you long to get sent here.¡± Darohm said and laughed. ¡°I would have been in here yesterday, but I had to go to work first.¡± Ren said and the other dwarves laughed, too.
Stat Change!
Camaraderie Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
¡°Follow me.¡± The dwarf that opened the door said, then led him through the second door and to the guard sitting at a table. ¡°This guy says Ghomhan ordered him to the brig.¡± The dwarf thumbed at Ren. ¡°Name and Unit?¡± ¡°Recruit Ren, A-113.¡± Ren said. ¡°Put him in cell 2. It was just cleaned.¡± The dwarf grunted and took Ren to the second cell in the row and opened the door. The cell was stone inside and the door was the same as the iron bar one at the mansion. Ren stepped inside and the dwarf shut the door with a clang, and walked away. He didn''t lock it? Ren looked at the door. Actually, there''s no lock to lock! Ren activated Enchanted Eyes and saw why. Read Rune and Decipher let Ren know that the same runes were on the jail cell back in Aurora. I still don''t know what that last rune... oh! Ren thought. Spell Resistance! He smiled. I don''t know why I didn''t think of that before. Ren looked around at the damp cell. They must have just dumped a bunch of water in here to ''clean'' it. He took out some scraps of cloth and dried off a spot on the bench. He sat down and took out his Book of Runes, flipped through the single rune pages to near the end, and saw that he had been right.
Rune of Resist Spell
This rune grants a 5% chance to resist spell effects.
Sweet! Ren thought, and did his glyph ritual of making the double, triple and quadruple versions. He could just do the quad, but he wanted to be thorough in his Enchanting. Some things might only be able to take a double or triple glyph. Ren then turned another page to the rune he''d seen on the sending stone.
Dwarven Rune: Speak
This rune allows instant communication (one way) between paired stones. Time Limit: 5 minutes, once per hour.
Ren did the same ritual, and filled the page. He didn''t know if doing that would make any difference; since it seemed like it had set perameters, but figured it was good practice anyways. He flipped back another 2 pages and saw the 2 runes he still didn''t know, one that he''d picked up at Mitchell''s business from the door, and one from the hidden passsages in the dwarf ship''s hold. The one from the hold could be either ''illusion'' or ''solid'', but Ren didn''t know how he could test that. He also had no clue what the one he found at Mitchell''s was. Ren closed the book and sat back. He was tired, but after that run to the Garrison, he was kind of wired. He thought of Groggot''s happy expression with the battle axe and smiled. He took out a few pieces of bat leather and made up an appropriate sized sheath for it, and an adjustable strap to go across the chest. When Ren was done of that, he got a popup.
Stat Change!
Stitching Level 8 (Intermediate 0%)
I must have been right on the cusp of leveling that up, after sewing all those uniforms. Ren yawned and stretched then looked around. Okay, now I''m tired. There wasn''t anything to sleep on, except the floor and maybe the bench. Considering that both were still soaked, that wasn''t going to happen. Ren pulled out his bed from inventory and it barely fit in the available space. He made himself comfortable on it, and fell fast asleep. * ¡°Where the hell is he?¡± Ghomhan nearly shouted. Dawn had passed nearly 2 hours ago and there was no sign of Ren. The other Recruits shrugged their shoulders. There was no way for them to know where Ren actually was, since they were in the barracks all night. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ghomhan stomped his feet the entire time he walked to the brig. ¡°He''s never going to see the light of day again!¡± He came to the brig area and knocked on the door. It opened and he stepped inside, ignored the dwarves, and entered the second door. ¡°I''ll need a 2 man pickup team. I have an errant Recruit.¡± ¡°Name and Unit?¡± ¡°Recruit Ren, A-113.¡± The guard looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°What do you need a pickup team for? He''s been here since the crack of dawn.¡± ¡°Whaaaatt!¡± Ghomhan said, surprised. ¡°He got here just after I came on shift.¡± The guard said. ¡°Tall fellow. Fluffy hair. Dire wolf cloak.¡± Ghomhan nodded slightly. ¡°He''s in cell 2.¡± Ghomhan walked down the aisle and looked in cell 2, and sure enough, saw that Ren was there... and was sound asleep. Ghomhan huffed and turned around. ¡°Keep him here until I say otherwise.¡± He told the guard as he walked past. ¡°Does it work any other way?¡± The guard said and chuckled. * ¡°Thern!¡± Narhilda said and sat up in bed, wide awake. She looked around, and rubbed her shoulder where she could have sworn he''d touched her last night, then sighed. ¡°It... it was just... a dream...¡± She said, and tears came to her eyes. ¡°I miss you so much...¡± * *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* Ren woke up in the bed, then sat up to look at the guard. ¡°Breakfast.¡± The guard said, holding a metal tray with what looked like porridge in a lumpy pile. If Ren''s guess was right, it was watered horse feed. ¡°No, thank you. I brought my own.¡± Ren said and pulled out a plate of food. The guard stared at Ren as he ate, and the smell of good food soon filled the brig. ¡°Hey! What smells so good?¡± ¡°I don''t want to eat this gruel!¡± ¡°I''ll have what he''s having!¡± The three other prisoners shouted. ¡°Keep it down, you mongrels!¡± The guard shouted back, then turned to Ren. ¡°You shouldn''t have that in here.¡± The guard said. ¡°Or the bed.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°Come on... gimmie some of that!¡± One of the prisoners shouted, and the guard disappeared from Ren''s doorway. A splat was heard and a shout, then the guard came back with the empty tray. Ren smiled and slid off the bed. He stored it in inventory, and motioned to the tray in the guard''s hand. The guard held it out. ¡°I''m sure the men on duty might like a bit of home cooking.¡± Ren said and filled the tray with cooked meats and hearty vegetables. The guard stared down at the big pile of food and then stared at Ren. ¡°I''m sorry... I don''t have anything for dessert. I forgot to bring pie.¡± The guard shook his head and walked away. He heard the brig''s door open and the shouts of ''where did you get that?'', ''damn, this is good'', and ''I liked him right away''. Ren chuckled. How much do you want to bet that was the Sucker-punch Guy? Ren thought to Teepo. ¡°Nothing. You''d win that bet.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I can see him.¡± Ren smiled and pulled out one of the medium-sized steel shields he had in inventory, and took out his Book of Runes. He flipped to the Resist Spell Rune page, fixed the glyph of double runes in his mind and put the book away. Ren was tempted to do the quadruple one, but it used up too much Mana too quickly, and he didn''t have that much left in his Mana Pool. The double was only a fraction of the cost, and by absorbing the enchantment again, he could recoup some of the used Mana. Sometimes quantity had a quality all on it''s own. I might as well do some Enchanting level grinding while I''m just sitting here. Ren thought and got to work. * Later that afternoon, after all of his urgent paperwork was done, the Commander donned his new uniform and was surprised at the superb stitching and how well it fit. He flexed his arms and twisted around, and the uniform didn''t impede his movement in the least. He dropped his arms, the cloth fell back to it''s original form, and it wasn''t wrinkled at all. ¡°Damn, that guy''s a good tailor.¡± The Commander said. ¡°I wonder how his training is coming along?¡± * Ghomhan was working hard to get the Recruits to do a simple overhead strike. He''d tried his best to get them to do it right the night before, but after Recruit Ren had left, they seemed to lose all of their energy. Even that big lummox Groggot isn''t trying very hard. Ghomhan thought. ¡°Put your backs into it, Recruits! Those dummies aren''t going to kill themselves!¡± * Ren had emptied his Mana Pool, and most of his Mana bar several times, before he finally got a popup.
Stat Change!
Enchanting Level 8 (Intermediate 0%) Absorb Enchantment Level 3 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren sat back on the bench. It only took 50 enchantments to get the 5% I needed to get to Enchanting Level 7, then another 1000 to get to Level 8. Ren stored the shield and had an idea. He stood up and walked to the door of his cell. ¡°Guard?¡± Ren said. He didn''t have to shout, as he could see the edge of the table from where he stood, and the guard was sitting behind it. Ren heard the chair move and the guard came over. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Is there any chance I could get a medic? With a major healing ability?¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I''m an Adventurer. I''d just like to get patched up a little.¡± The guard nodded and went to the door. He came back a moment later. ¡°They''ll be here in about 10 minutes or so.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, then had an idea. Using his comfy chair plans, he scaled it down slightly and cut the wood for it. ¡°What are you doing in there?¡± The guard asked. ¡°Making a chair.¡± Ren replied and nailed the chair together. The guard stood there and watched Ren as he took out some cloth, dyed it blue, then sewed up the Upholstery for the chair and attached it properly. It had only taken about 20 minutes to make. ¡°A female healer coming in.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. ¡°Where''s the patient?¡± A woman''s voice asked. ¡°Right here.¡± The guard said. A female dwarf stepped up to the door and smiled. ¡°Hello, soldier. I hear you have a boo-boo.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m an Adventurer. I always have a boo-boo.¡± ¡°You''re just my type, then!¡± She said and then frowned. ¡°You aren''t going to try anything, are you?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Nope. I have a girlfriend.¡± It took her a moment to get what he meant, then laughed. She waggled her hand at him with an iron ring on it. ¡°Married.¡± The soldier opened the cell door and let the healer in. Ren waved to the chair and she sat. ¡°Ooh, this is a nice chair.¡± She said and made herself comfortable. ¡°Now, what seems to be the problem?¡± ¡°I just need some Major Healing, if that''s okay?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Major Healing?¡± She said, then looked Ren over. ¡°I don''t see any large wounds.¡± Ren held a hand out to her. ¡°Trust me, I can take a lot of Mana.¡± ¡°All right, but it seems like a waste to use it.¡± She said, actvated her ability, and widened her eyes as Ren sat there and absorbed it. ¡°You weren''t kidding!¡± She said, and kept pouring Mana into him. It only took about 10 minutes, and his Mana bar filled up. ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± Ren said and gave her a slight bow. Her eyes widened slightly at his gesture and giving her Honor. ¡°Ma''am? Are you busy after this?¡± ¡°I thought you said you wouldn''t try anything?¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Medically, I meant.¡± Ren said and smiled back. ¡°This far from the front, you''re only the second patient we''ve had today.¡± ¡°I have an idea that I''d like to try, and I was wondering if you would help me with it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That would depend on your idea.¡± ¡°I''ve been enchanting, and it uses up a lot of Mana. If you would keep healing me with your Minor Healing, it would keep me from draining my own Mana.¡± ¡°You''re an Enchanter?!?¡± She said, surprised. Ren nodded. ¡°I suppose I could help a fellow professional.¡± Ren smiled and pulled the bench out a little so he could turn around. He took out the steel shield again and his Book of Runes. He looked up the Resist Spell rune, then fixed the quadruple glyph in his mind, and stored the book again. It should only take 500 enchantments with the quadruple glyph. Ren thought, then glanced over his shoulder at the healer. ¡°Ready?¡± She nodded and held her hands near his back. ¡°Go.¡± Ren said and enchanted the shield. The healer activated her Minor Healing. Enchanting was still draining Ren''s Mana Pool, but only marginally. The constant influx of Mana let him go all out. He''d enchant a glyph, then absorb it, about every 5 seconds. Ren had dismissed the first popup he got after 500 enchantments, then handed the healer a Mana potion. When he got the second popup after another 1000 enchantments, he stopped. It had taken just over 2 hours to achieve what he wanted.
Stat Change!
Enchanting Level 1 (Advanced 0%)
Notice!
You have reached Advanced in Enchanting. You now have the ability to combine 2 seperate glyphs into one.
Whoa! Ren thought. I expected to get a fifth rune to add to a glyph, not a double glyph! He sat in silence while waiting for his Mana Pool to fill up that last little bit. Without him constantly draining it, it only took another 15 minutes to fill. He stored the shield and turned to the healer. ¡°Thank you very much for your help!¡± She dropped her hands, and looked tired. Ren gave her another Mana potion and she drank it. He stored the empty bottles and smiled. ¡°That actually worked out better than I thought.¡± Ren said to her. ¡°I''d like to properly thank you, if I could.¡± She looked at him oddly, and he chuckled. ¡°I meant that I will enchant something for you, if you want.¡± She had a surprised look on her face, then smiled. ¡°I''m sorry, I don''t have anything on me for you to enchant.¡± Ren glanced down at the iron ring on her finger. She followed his gaze and laughed. ¡°I guess I do.¡± She slipped it off her finger and carefully handed it over. ¡°That''s very precious to me. Please be careful with it.¡± Ren nodded. He rubbed his fingers over the iron ring to detect any flaws, and found that it was well crafted. Flat on the inside and rounded on the outside. Ren put a fingertip on the inside of the ring, and enchanted a glyph with 4 Augment runes (each rune gives +1 to a single stat) and thought, Wisdom. The glyph etched itself on the inside of the ring, and Ren handed it back to her. She took it and put it on her finger, and her eyes widened. ¡°T-t-thank you.¡± She stammered. ¡°It was the least I could do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks again for your help.¡± She got up and walked over to the cell door. ¡°I''m leaving now.¡± She said to the guard. Ren looked out the window and saw it was getting dark out. The guard opened the door and the healer stepped out. ¡°I''m leaving too.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°Commander''s orders. I''ll be back at dawn.¡± Ren picked up the chair and handed it to the surprised guard. ¡°You can have that.¡± He said and stepped out of the cell. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Chapter 97 - The Commander Knows All Ren ran back to the city, then to House Neram. He went to the stable to feed his mount. He hadn''t handed over all of the food to the guard, and fed Princess what was left. Ren gave her some water and went inside. The smell of food greeted him and he entered the kitchen. ¡°Lady Neram.¡± Ren said, then turned and bowed slightly to her daughter, Nathalia. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± She said without stuttering. Ren grinned. ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°How was your second day of training?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°I spent the day in the brig.¡± ¡°You WHAT!?!¡± Mother and daughter said together. ¡°I spent the day in the brig.¡± Ren repeated, then started eating. ¡°Why?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°The Knight that was training me, wanted me to hand over my weapon. I said no.¡± ¡°The one you used during the duel on the ship?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren nodded. ¡°No one touches it, except me.¡± ¡°He sent you to the brig for refusing an order.¡± Her mother said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t blame him, though. I was kind of insubordinate.¡± ¡°In sub what?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren smiled. ¡°I talked back to him.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± They ate in silence and Ren turned to Narhilda. ¡°No messengers today?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Were you expecting any?¡± ¡°Yes and no.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I only delivered the uniforms this morning.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Mother and daughter said together again. Ren laughed for a minute, then answered. ¡°I finished the order just before I left this morning. I figured I''d better bring it, rather than wait for the whole 2 days.¡± He said. ¡°That reminds me. Here''s the payment.¡± Ren handed Narhilda the small coin sack with 10 platinum in it. She opened it and gasped. ¡°Ren! I can''t take this! You earned it!¡± She said and tried to hand it back. Ren shook his head. ¡°This was an order for House Neram. I work for House Neram. It''s money I made for the House.¡± Narhilda sighed and accepted Ren''s explanation. ¡°At least take a share.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Keep it for room and board, for myself and my mount... and for all the food I''ve been taking.¡± Ren said, smiled, and yawned. ¡°You''re working yourself too hard, Ren.¡± Narhilda said. Ren laughed. ¡°That wasn''t hard; it was just time consuming.¡± He said. ¡°If there''s no new orders, I can get some sleep.¡± ¡°You haven''t slept?¡± Her daughter asked. ¡°I did have a bit of a nap this morning in the brig, but that was only for a few hours. I could use a little more.¡± ¡°Then get to bed!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I won''t have you work yourself to the bone and not sleep!¡± She stood up and grabbed Ren by one of his pointy ears and pulled him from the table. ¡°I made that mistake with my husband... I won''t make it again!¡± ¡°Ow!¡± Ren exclaimed, but didn''t try to pull from Narhilda''s grip. She had a firm hold of his ear; but Ren only had to walk beside her with his head tilted to the side, so she wasn''t pulling on it too hard. Narhilda led him to her old bedroom and let his ear go when he sat on the bed. ¡°Go ahead and make yourself comfortable.¡± She said and crossed her arms under her chest. She was still wearing the thin white chiffon dress, and despite trying not to look, Ren could clearly see she wasn''t wearing anything underneath. Yes, definitely a lack of bras in this game. Ren thought and lay back on the bed. Teepo chittered in laughter and hopped out of the hood and onto the wall. Narhilda came over to the bed and saw that Ren''s ear was quite red where she had grabbed it. ¡°Oh! I''m so sorry, Ren.¡± She said and gently rubbed the outside, then the inside of his ear. ¡°I was a bit too enthusiastic in trying to motivate you.¡± Ren felt her soft caress on his ear and closed his eyes. That actually feels really good. Ren thought and sighed. ¡°I had this dream last night...¡± Narhilda said. ¡°...after I fell asleep watching you work.¡± She smiled. ¡°It was about my husband. You must have reminded me of him.¡± Narhilda stopped rubbing Ren''s ear. ¡°It was the first time I''ve slept in this bed since he passed away.¡± Ren opened his eyes. ¡°I''m sorry... I didn''t mean to...¡± He tried to say. Narhilda smiled. ¡°That''s okay. Even though I was really sad when I woke up in this bed... having you here, and carrying on his work...¡± She said and took his hand. ¡°...it''s helping me deal with the loss.¡± Ren looked at her in surprise. ¡°You... you mean... after 12 years...¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°It''s why I wear this dress. I''m still in mourning.¡± ¡°My Lady...¡± Ren squeezed her hand. ¡°...I''ve been digging all of this up... first with organizing the workbench, then with the tailoring order... and it''s been hurting you.¡± He said. ¡°I''m really sorry.¡± Narhilda smiled again. ¡°I said it was okay.¡± She lifted Ren''s hand to her cheek and rubbed it like a cat would. ¡°You''ve been a balm to this old lady''s broken heart.¡± She let his hand go and stepped away from the bed. ¡°Now get some sleep, young man! You have another long day in jail tomorrow!¡± Narhilda said and laughed. She left the room and shut the door. Thern was a lucky man. Ren thought. Goodnight, Teepo. ¡°Goodnight Ren.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren did his regular routine of breakfast, physical therapy, and shower, then told Bonnie he might not be out for lunch. He looked at his watch and saw he still had about 4 hours left to the game night. Plenty of time to get some actual sleep. Ren thought, then logged back in. ******** Ren slept for the full 4 hours and got up, and Teepo hitched a ride in the hood of the cloak. Ren grabbed some breakfast, making sure to take enough for the guards. He went out to the stable and fed Princess, pet her a few times (much to her dismay) then ran all out to make it to the Garrison before daybreak. Teepo chittered in delight the whole way. Ren came to the Garrison, they let him in, and he followed the directions to the brig. The door opened before he could knock and he stepped inside. The Warriors were all there, holding empty trays and Ren laughed. ¡°All right, line up and be prepared to be amazed!¡± He said and handed out appropriate portions to them, this time with pieces of pie. They clapped him on the back as he passed them and the guard opened the second door.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°You''re almost late.¡± He said and motioned for Ren to go inside. Teepo hopped out of the hood and stationed himself on the wall above the door, so he could see anyone coming into the building. ¡°Sorry. Food distribution delay.¡± Ren joked and stepped past the guard, filled the empty tray on the guard''s desk, and noticed that the chair Ren had made yesterday wasn''t there. I thought he''d be sitting on that. Ren thought and shrugged mentally, then walked to cell 2. The guard opened it and Ren stepped inside. ¡°The wife told me to tell you that she ''loves'' that chair.¡± The guard said, and rolled his eyes. Ren laughed. ¡°If I thought you were going to bring it home, I''d have made you another one.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The guard asked, surprised. ¡°I thought you were going to keep it here to sit on.¡± ¡°That''s not allowed.¡± He said. ¡°Something about ''a comfortable soldier is a lazy soldier''.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Ren said and the guard went back to his desk after shutting the door. Ren took out enough materials and made another slightly small blue chair. It still took 20 minutes, but seeing as he wasn''t trying to mass produce the things, it would take a long time to level up... even at the Beginner stage. ¡°Guard?¡± Ren said. The guard came over and looked at the blue chair. ¡°How much?¡± He asked. ¡°That depends on how much you have.¡± Ren said and laughed at the guard''s expression. ¡°I''m just kidding. I can''t have your wife suffer with only a single chair.¡± ¡°How did you know she...¡± Ren laughed again. ¡°You can ''confiscate'' this one, too.¡± The guard laughed, nodded, and took the chair. Ren made another blue chair, full-sized this time, for himself. He didn''t want to pull the bed out again, after being told the day before that he shouldn''t have it. Ren sat in the chair and slumped down in it. Ah... gotta love comfy chairs. Ren thought, then started to doze off. It was about an hour or so later, when he heard metal on metal and woke up. *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* Ren hopped out of the chair, fists at the ready. ¡°I''m up! I''m UP!¡± The guard laughed. ¡°Get out of here. The Commander wants to see you.¡± He said and opened the cell door. Ren left the cell, grunted to the Warriors in the outer area, and Teepo dropped into the hood of the cloak. * ¡°You asked to see me, sir?¡± Ghomhan said, stepping into the Commander''s office. ¡°How''s Recruit Ren''s training going?¡± The Commander asked with a smile on his face. Ghomhan''s eyes widened a bit. ¡°Fine, sir.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The Commander said and stopped smiling. ¡°As far as I know, he''s been in the brig since yesterday morning. It''s a little hard to train someone in there.¡± Ghomhan tried not to get mad, but couldn''t help himself. ¡°If that little snitch has been telling tales-¡± ¡°Belay that!¡± The Commander slapped his desk and interrupted Ghomhan''s tirade before it began. ¡°He hasn''t told me, or anyone else for that matter, a single thing.¡± Ghomhan took a deep breath to calm down. ¡°Sorry, sir. He refused an order, then was insubordinate. I ordered him confined to the brig.¡± The Commander folded his hands under his chin. ¡°For how long?¡± ¡°Until he follows the order, sir.¡± * Ren left the brig and followed the pattern back to the Commander''s office, then knocked. ¡°Enter.¡± Ren opened the door and was surprised to see his training officer, Ghomhan the Knight, standing there at attention. Ren joined him and stood at attention as well. ¡°Sir! Reporting as ordered, sir!¡± Ren said. The Commander smiled. ¡°It seems there''s been a little problem between the two of you.¡± He said and looked at both of them. ¡°I''ve heard several versions so far... but they all end at the same point.¡± He looked at Ren. ¡°You were issued an order and refused to comply.¡± ¡°Sir, yes sir! I was ordered to hand over my special, one of a kind, non-standard weapon. I refused to do so. No one can touch it but me, sir!¡± Ren said. ¡°What if I ordered you to hand it over?¡± ¡°Sir! I''d still refuse, sir. If you wish to hear the story of how I acquired it, I''d be happy to oblige, sir!¡± The Commander sat back in his chair and folded his arms. ¡°Alright, Recruit. Dazzle me.¡± Ren went through the whole story, from finding the first chunk and a rock golem (and running from it), the second chunk and a greater rock golem (then defeating it), and finally the third piece at the temple, the phantom, and having to successfully fight 2 greater stone golems. He skimmed over the dire wolf story, only giving sparse details (As he didn''t want Aimus mentioned anywhere), then about getting help from the Sage of Ages. ¡°You know the Sage of Ages?!?¡± Ghomhan nearly shouted, and the Commander''s eyes widened. Ren nodded and told them how she helped him construct the meteor, then ended with getting Donan''s help to smelt the thing into the pickaxe and hammerpick. ¡°Well, damn... that did dazzle me.¡± The Commander said and laughed, then looked at Ghomhan. ¡°I don''t have to override your order, do I?¡± ¡°No, sir. I formally rescind my order.¡± The Commander smiled. ¡°Good.¡± He looked at Ren. ¡°I''d like to see it, if I may.¡± ¡°Sir! Of course, sir!¡± Ren said and took out the hammerpick. It had a slight green glow that you couldn''t quite see in sunlight. ¡°Sir! Just enjoy it with your eyes, sir!¡±
Stat Change!
Aura level 2 (Beginner 0%)
The Commander laughed again and admired the green marbled surface for several minutes. ¡°That is definitely a non-standard weapon.¡± He said and looked at Ren and Ghomhan. ¡°Now that that''s settled, you''re Dismissed.¡± Ghomhan stepped out of the office and Ren followed him. They stepped close to the gate to their designated area, and Ren turned to Ghomhan. ¡°Sir! I don''t know how he found out. I didn''t say anything, sir!¡± Ghomhan glanced at Ren. ¡°I thought you did, but the Commander told me you didn''t.¡± He said and opened the gate. ¡°I don''t know how he finds these things out... but I hope we won''t have any more conflicts like this, for him to find out about.¡± ¡°Sir! I hope that too, sir!¡± Ren replied, then saw the surprised faces of the other Recruits when they heard his voice. He was surrounded by them a moment later, then bombarded with questions about the brig. Ren laughed and answered as many as he could, then Ghomhan spoke. ¡°Recruits! It''s time to do some exercises! Spread out! Jumping Jacks until you faint! Move it! Move it! Move it!¡± Ghomhan said and moved the ones that were too close to other Recruits to do them safely. They all started to exercise and Ren paced himself this time. It wasn''t like he couldn''t do them fast, but he didn''t want to show off, either. Teepo had fun bouncing in the hood, anyways. After 10 minutes, Ghomhan told them to rest and walked away, then nearly all of the other Recruits collapsed. Ren walked over to Groggot and gave him the sheath for the battle axe. Groggot just stared at him like he was crazy. Ren laughed and told him that most people don''t normally carry weapons in their hands all the time, unlike what Groggot had just done... doing all of those jumping jacks while still holding his battle axe. Groggot tried to argue that he liked his weapon enough to hold it all the time, and Ren laughed again.
Stat Change!
Camaraderie Level 3 (Beginner 0%)
Since my Aura is on all the time, it''ll just keep leveling as long as I''m around people. Ren thought and fought not to smile. Ghomhan came back over to the Recruits and saw they were still on the ground. ¡°You''re already on the ground, so were switching to push-ups! Move it! Move it! Move it!¡± Ghomhan said and the Recruits groaned. ¡°Sir! I''d like to offer some motivation, sir!¡± Ren said, and switched from the Camaraderie Aura to the Command Aura. Ghomhan nodded, and Ren took out the rest of the pieces of pie that he had. They were suppposed to be for the guards at the brig so they could have dessert with supper, but Ren could use them to motivate the other Recruits instead. He took out a scrap piece of cloth and put a single piece of pie in front of each Recruit. ¡°10 push-ups! Come on! Just 10! Your reward? Pie!¡± Ren said and walked back and forth. ¡°I put it just out of reach for a reason! Do your 10, get pie! Fail... and your pie gets eaten by Groggot!¡± The other dwarves looked at Groggot, who had a huge smile on his face. ¡°I love pie!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You hear that? Groggot wants YOUR pie! Don''t let him eat it! Come on! Only 10 push-ups!¡± It took a while. A few dwarfs finished pretty fast; but they all eventually did their 10 push-ups, and after a short rest, really enjoyed their pie. The rest of the day went by pretty fast after that. With Ren''s food motivation idea, and constant pestering from their training instructor, everyone finished the day exhausted. They were also quite happy with their accomplishments. Ren had even slept for the whole hour at suppertime.
Stat Change!
Command Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
Ren noticed it was getting dark, bid everyone farewell, and headed out. He made it back to House Neram, fed Princess, and went inside. He was greeted with a pair of nearly identical smiling faces. They look more like twins than mother and daughter. Ren thought and smiled back. He sat down at the table and they ate a great meal. When they were done, Narhilda took out another piece of parchment. ¡°Can you guess what this is?¡± She said and waved it back and forth a few times. ¡°In my professional opinion, I''d say it''s an order for a thousand Warrior uniforms.¡± Ren said. Narhilda and Nathalia''s mouths dropped open. ¡°How could you possibly know that?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren shrugged. ¡°I expected something like it yesterday. When it didn''t come, I assumed it was just a matter of time.¡± ¡°Do you think it''s another test?¡± Narhilda asked. Ren nodded. ¡°Definitely. May I see it?¡± She handed the order over, and Ren read it.
New Quest!
You have impressed the Commander with your High Quality uniforms. Now he wants to test your speed. You must complete 1000 Warrior uniforms by the end of the week. Rewards: 5000 XP 70 Platinum Coins (Quoted cost for bulk orders 7gc each) Influence: 500 Honor: 100
Ren grinned. ¡°I better get to work.¡± He said and stood up. ¡°What about sleep?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°You know how I feel about that...¡± Ren walked over and took her hand, bending over it. ¡°My Lady, I slept well today. I even got out of the brig early.¡± Her eyes widened at that. ¡°So that''s why...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I figured the order would come, now that I wasn''t locked up.¡± Narhilda huffed. ¡°Okay, fine!¡± She said then smiled. ¡°Go to work.¡± Ren let go of her hand, and smiled. ¡°As you command, My Lady.¡± Chapter 98 - Hello, Ruck! Ren worked all night and finished 150 Warrior uniforms, gaining 3 points each in Dexterity and Agility, because they required a bit more hand movements to construct than the basic Recruit uniforms. He was definitely getting faster with each uniform completed, and even had Stitching up to Level 5 (Intermediate). His main Tailoring skill was only up 10%, though... and that was including the 100 he''d made 2 nights before. Ren had discovered that trying to grind skills after reaching Advanced level takes a lot of time and work. He ate breakfast, fed Princess, and headed to the Garrison. When he reached his squad''s area, he saw a table with various food items on it and smiled. I guess my Command Aura won''t be needed today. Ren thought and switched to Camaraderie Aura instead. The squad finally learned the overhead strike, with Groggot actually splitting his dummy in half, from chest to groin, with the battle axe. After several congratulations and some applause, he was given another dummy. Ren had squashed his dummy using the hammerpick with his first swing, and just hung around to watch and shout encouragement to the others. Ghomhan taught them the thrust movement next. Groggot was having trouble with that, until Ren suggested he turn the battle axe around and use the knob on the handle instead. Groggot practiced it for a while, getting the hang of the balance using the battle axe backwards, but then Ren told him he could combine the moves. Groggot grinned as he used an overhead strike, slid his hand up the handle, flipped the battle axe around, and jammed the knob into the dummy''s face, shattering it. Groggot needed another dummy after that. They finished yet another day full of exercises and food rewards, and Ren leveled his main Aura skill and Camaraderie again. He headed back to House Neram when it got dark, fed Princess, then went inside and ate himself. They talked and enjoyed each other''s company during the meal, and Ren realized something that he''d been missing. He stood up from the table when the meal was done and walked over to where Nathalia sat. He knelt on one knee beside her, so that they were face to face. ¡°I''m sorry I haven''t been spending any time with you, like we were on the ship.¡± Ren said to her surprised face. ¡°I''ve been so busy with everything that''s been going on, that I''ve been unintentionally ignoring you.¡± Nathalia''s face flushed a little red. ¡°Ren, that''s okay. You''re the man of the House now... you have a lot of responsibilities.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°That''s no reason to ignore good friends.¡± He said and took her hand. ¡°I do consider you a good friend. If it wasn''t for you, I''d be in a bunch more trouble.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°It was because of me you got in loads of trouble.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s what friends do. We get into trouble, and then help each other get out of it.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°It sounds so reasonable when you say it like that.¡± ¡°That''s because it happens to me a lot.¡± Ren said and grinned, then let her hand go. Nathalia laughed, and her mother joined her. ¡°You''ve surprised me by not kicking and screaming about all of this, actually.¡± Her mother said. ¡°We''ve pretty much caught you up in our troubles.¡± ¡°I kind of let myself be caught.¡± Ren said and stood. ¡°You''re letting me stay here, the least I can do is help you as much as I can.¡± He looked around at all of the food that was left on the table, and shook his head. ¡°I''m not going to need as much of this now. What are we going to do with it all?¡± Narhilda chuckled and stood. ¡°We usually give anything that''s left back to the farm next door. That''s where we get a lot of the ingredients, anyways.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That sounds fair... but it''s a shame that we can''t keep such good food for more than a day...¡± Then he had an idea. He''d meant to make one when he was back at his business, but never got around to it. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren went outside to the stable on the side of the house and took out enough wood to make a big crate. He changed the plans to a rectangle about 4 feet high, 3 feet wide and 2 deep, added shelves with holes for airflow, then made a box to sit on the bottom. He put air holes in that as well, and before closing it, put in a stone enchanted with a double Ice rune, and one with a double Wind rune facing it. Ren closed the box and activated the enchantments. A nice cool breeze came out of the box, and he attached it to the bottom of the crate. A hinged door was made and he was done. It was a little crude, since it wasn''t made of metal like he wanted it to be originally, but it worked. He stored it and went back inside, picked a good spot for it, out of the way but still accessible, and placed it there. ¡°What is it?¡± Narhilda and Nathalia asked. ¡°It''s something to help keep the food from spoiling, and let it be stored for days on end.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re joking!¡± Nathalia said and jumped out of her chair to open the crate''s door. The cool air inside hit her face and she smiled. ¡°Ma! It''s true!¡± Narhilda came over and felt the nice cool air, then shook her head. ¡°Is there anything you can''t do?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I can''t fly... yet.¡± They all laughed. ¡°I''m sure you''ll figure that one out, too.¡± Nathalia said and closed the door. ¡°Lets put some of this food away.¡± Ren helped them clear the table and most of the dishes actually fit in the available space. He bid the two women goodnight, and went to Narhilda''s old bedroom. I''ve got to go for about an hour or so, Teepo. Ren thought. I''ll be back soon to keep working. ¡°See you in a little bit, then.¡± Teepo said and hopped out of his hood and onto the wall. He skittered up onto the ceiling and took up a watch position. Ren settled onto the bed and relaxed. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren had a quick supper and used the bathroom. He liked it when Bonnie was working, as she didn''t pester him if he was busy. Before climbing back into bed, he gave her a quick hug. ¡°Thanks, Bonnie.¡± ¡°W-what for?¡± She said, a little surprised at his sudden affection. ¡°Just for being you.¡± Ren said and climbed into bed. He didn''t notice the slight blush Bonnie had as he put on the VR headset and got comfortable. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren had only been out for about 15 minutes, so he only lost an hour of game time. Only 11 hours left! Ren thought and got to work. An hour later, he had an amazing thought. Ren was really surprised that he hadn''t thought of it before. He stopped working and activated Sneak, then went out to the stable and Ruck''s cabinet. He very lightly knocked, trying not to wake Princess. Ruck opened the door and Ren motioned for him to climb up. Ruck did and Ren closed the cabinet and went back into the house. Once back in the old bedroom, Ren had Ruck climb off. ¡°Ruck, I''ve had a neat idea. I''ve been working hard to make uniforms for the military, but it''s taking longer than I''d like to do it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need your help.¡± Ruck gave the ''okay'' gesture and Ren smiled. ¡°Great!¡± Ren drew up the cut out pattern for the uniform, so Ruck could easily see what to do and how to do it. He made wood cutouts for the parts, so Ruck could trace the outlines, then gave Ruck a pair of shears and a bolt of cloth. ¡°Take your time at first. Get used to the feel of the shears as they cut the cloth. Don''t rush. The more you do, the more you''ll be able to do.¡± Ren advised Ruck and let him get to work. Ren had cut out and sewn 2 uniforms before Ruck had finished cutting out one set of uniform parts. Ren checked Ruck''s work and grinned at how straight the cuts were, and he didn''t have to fix anything at all. ¡°Nice job!¡± Ren said and pat Ruck on the back. ¡°Keep going! We''ve got a lot of work to do tonight!¡± Ruck gave Ren the ''thumbs up'' gesture and Ren sewed up the pieces into another uniform. They kept that pace all night. Ren did another 150 uniforms, but for every 2 Ren did, Ruck had cut out one and Ren sewed it up. That was an extra 75 uniforms Ren had to sew, making the total 225 for the night, and a grand total of 375. Ren sat down on the bed, a little tired. He''d gained another 3 points each for Dexterity and Agility, leveled Stitching up to Level 9, and even gained 2 points in Endurance. ¡°Whew... that was a lot!¡± Ren said and pat Ruck again. ¡°You did a great job, Ruck. Thank you.¡± Ruck gave a ''thumbs up'' gesture and Ren stored all the uniforms into inventory. ¡°I''ve got to get back to the Garrison. Want me to take you back to your cabinet?¡± Ruck shook back and forth, clearly indicating ''no''. He pointed to himself and then at the bolts of cloth. Ren widened his eyes.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You want to keep going?¡± Ren asked, surprised. Ruck gave the ''thumbs up'' gesture again and Ren grinned. ¡°That''ll be a huge help, Ruck!¡± Ren said, picked Ruck up and gave him a hug. It was a little awkward because of all the legs, and Ruck hugged him back. ¡°We might even be finished by tomorrow night!¡± Ren put Ruck down and let him get to work. ¡°See you tonight.¡± Ruck waved and Ren went to the kitchen to eat breakfast. He got some food for Princess and fed her, too. After a quick sprint to the Garrison, Ren got a popup.
Stat Change!
Running Level 3 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren did another day''s training, doing all of the tasks assigned to the squad easily. Ren was almost at the point that he started to think that the dwarves could learn more from him than he could from them. He slept during supper and then when it got dark, he ran back to House Neram to continue working. When Ren entered the main room of the house however, he was pounced upon by two very afraid women. He caught them with one in each of his arms, and they grabbed him in similar bone crushing hugs. Ren was almost overwhelmed by the sheer amount of flesh being pressed against him, and feeling it through their thin clothing. Both women were also talking at the same time, nearly in hysterics, one in each of his ears. Ren languished for a moment, in both agony and pleasure, then finally got a word in. ¡°Ladies! Please!¡± Ren pleaded. ¡°My delicate ears can only take so much!¡± Narhilda and her daughter Nathalia quieted down, with mutters of apology. Ren rubbed their backs in an attempt to calm them down. ¡°I''m sorry for yelling.¡± Ren said in apology. ¡°Now tell me what''s gotten you all worked up.¡± Ren said, and they both started talking again. ¡°Wait, wait! One at a time, please.¡± Ren looked at Narhilda. ¡°My Lady, you first.¡± Narhilda sighed. ¡°I went into my old bedroom this afternoon, to clean and maybe make up the bed... and I saw this thing crawling around and eating all of my husband''s fabric!¡± Narhilda said, nearly screeching. ¡°Then I screamed.¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°I heard Ma scream, and went to see what was going on... and I saw something, too!¡± She said and shuddered. ¡°I screamed, and then we barricaded the door.¡± ¡°It''s been moving around and bumping things in there, ever since.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Oh, my poor heart! It''s eating all of my husbands things!¡± Ren held the two women closely and they quieted down again. ¡°I''m really sorry about this.¡± Ren said and they looked up at him. ¡°Once again, this is all my fault.¡± Narhilda and Nathalia had surprise on their faces and Ren smiled sheepishly. ¡°I left in a hurry this morning and didn''t get a chance to tell you what was going on.¡± Ren said. ¡°He''s not eating your husband''s things, My Lady. He''s storing them for me.¡± Ren felt it as the two women he held, gasped together. ¡°I haven''t had the chance to introduce you.¡± Ren said, and gently let the two women go. ¡°Let me just go and get him.¡± Ren walked down the hallway and saw the pile of furniture and things in front of the door. He smiled and stored them all, rather than trying to move them back to where they came from. He opened the door and saw Ruck was still working. ¡°Hi, Ruck.¡± Ren said and walked over to him. ¡°Interesting day, huh?¡± Ruck shook up and down, clearly nodding. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Ren said and saw Ruck was just finishing up another pattern. He waited until the pattern was done and Ruck stored the pieces. ¡°I want you to come and meet the people we''re staying with.¡± Ruck gave the ''okay'' gesture and Ren told him to climb on. Ruck did so and Ren went back out to the main room and to the waiting women. ¡°Aaahh!¡± They screamed. ¡°It''s attached itself to you!¡± Nathalia said and started throwing things at Ren. He blocked them easily and shouted for her to stop. ¡°It''s okay!¡± Ren said, holding his hands up in a surrender gesture. ¡°Nathalia...¡± He said, then turned to her mother. ¡°Narhilda...¡± Narhilda caught her breath. He knows my first name! ¡°I''d like you both to meet Ruck. He''s my friend, and he''s been helping me.¡± Ren stepped over to where the two women stood. ¡°You don''t have to be afraid. He''s my backpack, and he carries a lot of my stuff for me.¡± ¡°H-h-how is this possible?¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I saw it walking around!¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s one of my special class skills. Once I reached Level 5 not too long ago, I could create a familiar.¡± ¡°You''re only level 5!?!¡± They said together, astonished. They also had similar thoughts. All the things he can do, and he''s only Level 5. What''s he going to be like in the future? ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I have a long way to go, and Ruck is helping me get there.¡± Ruck waved to them and they jumped a little. ¡°It really is okay! He won''t hurt you.¡± Ren said. ¡°¡± Ren whispered. Ruck pulled out 2 giant sunflowers, one in each hand. The flowers were nearly as tall as Nathalia and her mother, and the tops were as big as their heads. ¡°An introductory gift, from Ruck to you.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia gingerly stepped close to take one. ¡°I''ve never seen a sunflower so big!¡± She said and took a big sniff. ¡°I can almost smell the sunlight!¡± Narhilda came over as well and took the other one. She put it to her face and sniffed, then her eyes widened. ¡°It really does smell like that!¡± She looked at Ruck. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ruck waved to her and she smiled. ¡°When I made him, instead of giving him 2 weak little cloth legs like he was supposed to have, I had the bright idea of designing him like a bug, with 6 legs instead. He became a lot more stable that way... and I wanted to make him strong.¡± Ren explained, and reached out to put a hand on each woman''s shoulder, and squeezed slightly. ¡°I''m really sorry he unintentionally scared you.¡± Ruck reached out himself and pat each woman on the head twice, and they started to laugh. ¡°Well, I guess we did over-react a little bit.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Over-react? We ran around like panicked little girls!¡± Nathalia said and laughed. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I can feel the bruises already.¡± ¡°Aww!¡± Nathalia said and rubbed Ren''s side where she''d grabbed him earlier. ¡°Did we really hurt you?¡± Ren shook his head and smiled. ¡°The both of you give really good hugs, though.¡± Nathalia poked Ren in the side. ¡°Don''t tease us like that.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Sorry.¡± He said and laughed. ¡°Okay, you two... break it up.¡± Her mother said. ¡°Or I''m going to start planning the wedding.¡± Ren and Nathalia looked at her with shocked faces, and Narhilda laughed. ¡°I''m going to remember that look for a while!¡± She said and walked out of the main room, then turned around to look at them. ¡°Don''t forget to put the furniture back where it''s supposed to go, Ren. Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight, My Lady.¡± ¡°Night, Ma.¡± Narhilda waved and Ruck waved back. She shook her head and muttered. ¡°That''s going to take some getting used to.¡± Then walked down the hallway to her bedroom. Ren turned to Nathalia. ¡°There''s still a lot I don''t know about the Houses. About how they''re set up, or what they control, or-¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°I get it. You need my help again.¡± Ren nodded and she smiled. ¡°Just like old times?¡± ¡°Old times was only a week ago!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Thanks to Ruck, I''ve got a lot of things to sew, and you can keep me company if you want.¡± He said, then waggled his eyebrows up and down. ¡° ''Come into my parlour'', said the spider to the fly.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°I''m already caught up in the web, I might as well let you drain me of information.¡± Ren laughed and Nathalia told him where to put the furniture he''d stored into inventory, then they entered her mother''s old bedroom. Ruck climbed down and put out the cut pieces for 200 uniforms. ¡°Ruck! You''re amazing!¡± Ren said. ¡°We only need another 425 to complete the order!¡± Ruck gave the ''okay'' gesture and started cutting up more fabric for sewing. Nathalia sat on the bed and Ren started sewing up the pieces. Now that he wasn''t cutting them out himself, making uniforms went a lot faster. Ren had averaged about 5 minutes per uniform, cutting them out and sewing. He was down to just over 3 minutes with just having to sew the pieces together. Nathalia marveled at how fast Ren was going, then started to fill Ren in on the Houses and how they fit together. About how they started out as just family names, then grew into almost corporations, with mergers, contracts, and even hostile takeovers. Ren listened to it all and drank it in. He followed the details that Nathalia was giving him, and traced them back to the members on the ship. Out of all of them, there were only 3 major House representatives on the ship. The captain, Gausen the Ambassador, and the engineer, Hevaz. Ren kept working and thought about it. ¡°Where does Tegwen fit in there?¡± ¡°Tegwen? Why are you mentioning him?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°He''s the only one that had a major beef with me on the ship. Over you, I might add.¡± Ren said and smiled. Nathalia blushed a little. ¡°I had no idea he even thought of me that way.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t think we even exchanged 3 words in the 6 months that I''ve been on the ship.¡± Ren widened his eyes and glanced at her. ¡°That doesn''t make sense.¡± He said and looked back at his sewing. ¡°I could understand his infatuation with you, if you''d spent some time with him...¡± Ren pondered and kept sewing, almost without paying attention. ¡°Was he just after your great looks, or is there something else I''m missing?¡± Ren was so busy wondering about the problem, that he didn''t notice the deep blush that had blossomed on Nathalia''s face as he spoke. She took several deep breaths and calmed down. There''s a lot that you''re missing, Ren. You don''t even realize that you''ve given me two very high class compliments, without even thinking about it. Nathalia thought as Ren kept working. ¡°Is he a Prince?¡± Ren asked after a few minutes of silence. Nathalia had lost her blush by then, and nodded when Ren glanced at her. ¡°What House is he in?¡± ¡°House Faldihr. They''re a major trading partner.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I think... I think I just figured it out.¡± ¡°Figured what out?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°The head of the House is his father, Thanyur Faldihr.¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°And?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Remember my fine? My outrageously high 100 gold fine?¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°It was approved by Thanyur.¡± Ren kept working as Nathalia sat there in shock. ¡°No, that can''t be right.¡± Nathalia said a minute later. ¡°It can''t be...¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ren asked as he finished another uniform and looked at Nathalia, and saw the tears she had in her eyes. Ren dropped the uniform, sat on the bed, and took her into a hug. ¡°No! It''s not your fault, Nathalia!¡± He said and hugged her tightly. ¡°It''s not your fault.¡± Ren said and let her out of the hug to wipe her eyes with a scrap piece of cloth. ¡°The issue with you was solved after the duel.¡± He said and took her hand. ¡°It''s my fault! I insulted his repair work right after that, remember?¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened, and Ren nodded. ¡°He must have been really angry that I said his work was so poor...¡± Ren said. ¡°...but he wouldn''t challenge me again; not right after I''d finished the duel so quickly.¡± He smiled. ¡°He must have had his father arrange the higher fine, then when that didn''t get me sent to the mines, they had me drafted.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°To go through so much...¡± She said and squeezed Ren''s hand. ¡°I''m so sorry, Ren.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m going to do the best that I can with what I''ve been dealt.¡± He said. ¡°For now, that means I''ll be living with 2 women and sewing my fingers off.¡± Nathalia snorted a laugh. ¡°I can''t even offer to help.¡± She said. ¡°I never could get the hang of it.¡± ¡°That''s okay. You''ve given me as much help as you could.¡± Ren said and bent over the hand he still held, giving her the same gesture of Honor he gave her mother, and Nathalia caught her breath. ¡°It''s getting late, though. You better head to bed.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. ¡°I''ve got a lot more uniforms to make before morning, and I''ve kept you up too long as it is.¡± Nathalia nodded and stood. Ren stood as well, and she gave him a nice gentle hug, unlike her usual bone crushing ones. ¡°You really are a good man, Ren.¡± She said and left the bedroom. Ren finished 300 uniforms during the night, and got Stitching up to Level 1 (Advanced), and a few more points in Dexterity and Agility. Ruck kept cutting out pieces, and Ren set out enough bolts of cloth for him to cut out enough for the remaining 325 uniforms. ¡°I have to head out, Ruck. Thanks a lot for your help! I couldn''t have done all of these without you.¡± Ren said. ¡°At this pace, we really will be done tomorrow night.¡± Ruck gave the ''thumbs up'' gesture and Ren left the bedroom to get some breakfast. He ate, fed Princess, and started running as hard as he could to the Garrison. ¡°Wheee!¡± Teepo said from his perch in Ren''s hood. He''d stayed there the whole night while Ren had worked. ¡°Just another wonderful day in the game!¡± Ren said and grinned. Chapter 99 - House Faldihr Ren arrived at the Garrison and proceeded to his training area, only to see that no one was there. Even Ghomhan, who was there all the time, was nowhere to be found. Ren went back to the previous area, walked over to the Commander''s office, and knocked. ¡°Enter.¡± Ren entered the office and stood at attention. ¡°What can I do for you today, Recruit?¡± ¡°Sir! No one is in my designated area, sir!¡± ¡°There''s a good reason for that.¡± The Commander said. ¡°It''s your day off.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Ren said, perplexed. The Commander smiled. ¡°I guess you did miss that part of the Recruit speech. You get one day off, every week.¡± ¡°Sir! We get a day off, sir?¡± Ren asked. The Commander nodded slightly. ¡°We give it to you during the week, and not on the weekend, so that you Recruits don''t go drinking all night and then don''t show up the next day.¡± ¡°Sir! I thought Recruits had to stay here, all day, every day. Sir!¡± The Commander laughed. ¡°We say that to give you all a sense of being stuck in this together. Your squad is your life. You train together, you bunk together, you eat together.¡± He said. ¡°When you do well, we reward you together, then give you time off together.¡± Ren thought about it. That does make sense, assuming you like the people you''re assigned to. ¡°I suppose you missed the part where you get paid as well?¡± The Commander asked. ¡°We get paid?¡± Ren asked, surprised. The Commander laughed at Ren''s expression, and didn''t comment on his lack of ''sir''. ¡°We aren''t slave drivers. You''re doing a job for the common good, you get paid when working on that job.¡± He said. ¡°You should have gotten it last night just before you hit the bunk.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Sir, I left at dusk last night... about an hour before the end of the army''s actual day, sir.¡± The Commander sighed. ¡°You''re giving me complications, Recruit. I hate complications.¡± ¡°Sir! I''m sorry, sir!¡± The Commander put 2 gold coins on the desk. ¡°When Ghomhan pays you tomorrow, you can pay me back.¡± ¡°Sir! Thank you for the kind gesture, but I can wait, sir!¡± Ren said, sincerely. The Commander looked at him like he was crazy, and Ren smiled. ¡°Sir. I''m not hurting for money. Waiting a day won''t make a difference for me, sir.¡± The Commander took the gold coins off the table. ¡°Is there anything else, Recruit?¡± ¡°Sir! No, sir!¡± ¡°Dismissed.¡± Ren saluted and left the office. He grinned and quickly made his way back to the main gate and then started to run. ¡°I''ve got the day off!¡± Ren said and started to laugh. ¡°I can have those uniforms done by tonight!¡± Teepo chittered in delight all the way back to House Neram. Ren activated Sneak and went inside to find out that Narhilda, and her daughter Nathalia, were still asleep. He entered the old bedroom and shut the door. Once inside, he greeted Ruck and went to work. An hour later, Ren heard both women get up, and about an hour after that, he got a popup.
Stat Change!
Sneak Level 7 (Beginner 0%)
Ren smiled and kept working. He had about a hundred uniforms done so far. At noon, there was a knock on the front door. Ren still had Sneak on, and crept over to the bedroom door. He opened it slightly to hear an arrogant man trying to invite himself in. Ren scowled and opened the bedroom door, deactivated Sneak, and walked right up behind Nathalia, who had opened the front door. She turned to Ren, surprised at his unexpected appearance... and Tegwen saw Ren at the same time. The blood drained from his face and he started to stutter. ¡°Son, what is it?¡± Thanyur said and got down out of his fancy coach. ¡°Have you arranged a meeting with Narhilda or not?¡± Nathalia''s head whipped around as she gasped. To use my mother''s name so casually! Ren smiled. I''m not sure how well he does in business, but he''s definitely an idiot when it comes to social graces. Ren thought as Thanyur approached the doorway. At least I had the excuse of ignorance at first. This idiot knows it all and is ignoring it. ¡°F-father!¡± Tegwen said. ¡°She won''t let me in the house.¡± ¡°Step aside.¡± Thanyur said to Nathalia''s startled face. ¡°Men have business here.¡± ¡°No, you don''t.¡± Ren said as he switched to his Command Aura. ¡°I won''t let anyone come into this House that would speak to a woman like that.¡± ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± Thanyur asked. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Ren said, with derision in his voice. ¡°You''re the arrogant fool that gave me a hundred gold coin fine, and tried to have me sent to the mines for 6 months. When that didn''t work, you had me drafted into the army, just so you and your son would have access to this House without my interference.¡± Ren heard a gasp from the kitchen, and a plate as it hit the floor and shattered. Thanyur looked like he was getting angry and his face flushed red. Tegwen tried to calm his father down, but he''d let his bloodlust get the better of him. ¡°Listen, you! I''ve worked for years to weaken this House enough to take it over! A merger now is it''s best option! I won''t let someone like you come in here and mess it all up on me now!¡± Ren grinned. Here it comes. ¡°I challenge you to a duel!¡± Thanyur said before his son could stop him. ¡°My House champion against yours!¡± ¡°Father, no!¡± Tegwen shouted, but it was too late. Thanyur smiled wickedly. He knew the idiot didn''t have a House, because that''s why the fine went through. He can''t accept the duel for House Champions. ¡°House Neram accepts your challenge.¡± Ren said with a grin. ¡°Ren, don''t!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°W-w-what?!?¡± Thanyur said in surprise. ¡°But I thought...¡± ¡°When my unregistered House petition was rejected, Lady Neram, in her infinite wisdom, hired me on the spot.¡± Ren stepped forward around Nathalia and said to Thanyur''s shocked face. Thanyur was nearly a foot lower than him. ¡°I am the man of this House, and I will not stand idly by and watch you try to take advantage of these women.¡± Thanyur shook his head. ¡°No... I... I withdra-¡± Ren lightly backhanded Thanyur in the face. ¡°You have no Honor.¡± Ren said to several gasps. ¡°To prey upon a grieving woman in her time of need, withering her House''s Influence and Honor away, just so you can take it over?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°If there''s one thing I hate, it''s someone who takes advantage of people.¡± Ren grabbed Thanyur by his collar and lifted him up to face height, nearly choking him. ¡°Call your House Champion. Right now.¡± Ren said and let Thanyur go, who then stumbled and fell to the ground. Tegwen went to help his father stand back up. ¡°And you... thinking you had any right to Nathalia, just because your father was manipulating things behind the scenes.¡± Ren said in disgust to Tegwen. ¡°I thought you were only angry because I said your repair work was so poor; but you were also angry that I became a rival and was messing up your plans, too.¡± Nathalia caught her breath, Ren turned slightly, then reached out a hand to put on her shoulder. ¡°If it had just been Tegwen here, I would have known it was only because of me... but if his father is here to negotiate with your mother...¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Nathalia nodded her understanding. ¡°So, call your Champion.¡± Ren said as he turned back to Thanyur. ¡°We''ll do the duel right there.¡± He said and pointed to the street. Thanyur had fully recovered from the manhandling Ren had given him. ¡°Tegwen, send the footman to get Brohnik Stonepike. He''s needed to defend House Faldihr''s Honor.¡± By this time, Narhilda had joined Nathalia at the doorway and Ren crossed his arms and stood in front of them to wait, switching his Command Aura to just Aura, and concentrated hard on it. Thanyur and Tegwen moved away to the edge of the property, near the gate. ¡°Ren... you shouldn''t have accepted the duel.¡± Narhilda said. Ren glanced at her. ¡°The rules are different when it''s House Champions.¡± ¡°Are weapons still allowed?¡± Ren asked. Narhilda nodded. ¡°Then I''ll end this quickly.¡± ¡°It would be best if you did that.¡± Nathalia said in a low voice, with her head lowered. ¡°Why are you sad?¡± ¡°House Champion duels... are to the death.¡± She said to Ren''s horror. When he recovered from the shock, he replaced his Immense Terror glyph (of 4 Terror runes) with a double glyph he called Screaming Terror (8 runes of Terror). After that, Ren sighed as he realized Terror wouldn''t work well in this instance and absorbed the Lightning glyph (of 4 Lightning runes) on the other ring. He then enchanted it with a double glyph of the same, making it 8 Lightning runes in total. ¡°Tell me everything you know about this duel ritual, Nathalia.¡± Ren asked her quietly. About 10 minutes later, a cart with 2 dwarfs arrived. It was being pulled by a pony that was identical to the 2 attached to the fancy coach. The dwarf, Ren assumed was Brohnik, climbed down and walked over to where Thanyur and Tegwen stood. They exchanged some words, and Brohnik walked towards Ren, pausing only slightly when he hit the 20 foot radius of his Aura. He wore full plate armor from head to foot, and carried a longsword in one hand and a tower shield in the other. It was the first time Ren had to tilt his head slightly up, as Brohnik was about 3 inches taller and came to a stop in front of him. ¡°I''m really sorry I''m meeting you under these circumstances.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hopefully this will be over quickly.¡± Brohnik motioned to the street, and they walked side by side, well away from the cart and fancy coach. They stopped walking and Ren turned back to look at Thanyur. ¡°What are the stakes?¡± Ren asked. Thanyur let an evil smile spread across his face. ¡°If my Champion wins, I get House Neram and everything inside it.¡± ¡°And if I win?¡± ¡°Ha! That''s not going to happen. Brohnik has never lost a fight!¡± Thanyur said and laughed. ¡°Humor me. If I somehow win?¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll leave them alone.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Not good enough. If you win and get everything they have, why not the other way around?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If I win, you have to give your House to them.¡± Everyone gasped. ¡°That.. that''s outrageous!¡± Thanyur shouted. ¡°I know it is.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Now you know how Lady Neram and her daughter feels.¡± Thanyur opened his mouth to give Ren a hot retort, but Tegwen stopped him. ¡°How about this instead?¡± Ren said, reasonably. ¡°We take death off the table and fight to submission instead. If I win, you pay all of House Neram''s debts. You must leave us alone, and not take revenge or swear a blood feud or anything of the sort against House Neram... and I get an honorable discharge from the Army.¡± Thanyur smiled. ¡°Sorry, it''s always to the death. That''s not negotiable as it''s part of the Rites. I''ll accept paying the debts, about no retaliations, and the discharge from the army. Although, you''ll be dead; so that''s pretty much automatic anyways.¡± Ren sighed and turned to Brohnik. ¡°You''ve heard the terms. Do you accept?¡± Brohnik widened his eyes. ¡°Why are you asking me?¡± ¡°I want you to die with Honor, not by these idiots foolish plan.¡± Ren said and thumbed over his shoulder. Brohnik nodded. ¡°I know of your water trick.¡± He said and tapped his boots with his sword. Ren glanced down and saw metal spikes on the bottom and extra cloth padding over the edges. ¡°I accept the duel.¡±
Notice!
You have entered PvNPC Special Mode: Champion Duel. This battle is to the death. Rewards: 5000 XP Influence: +100 Honor: +50 Penalties if Failed: Influence: -100
They took 10 steps away from each other, and turned. ¡°Ren! Aren''t you going to wear your armor and shield?¡± Nathalia asked from the courtyard. Ren shook his head. ¡°There''s no need.¡± Her mother Narhilda, stepped into the street nearby, but far enough away to not get caught in the coming battle. Since she was the Lady of the House that was in dispute, it fell to her to officiate. ¡°Begin!¡± Ren activated his double glyph Lightning Ring, and a 4 inch wide bolt of lightning shot out and hit Brohnik in the chest. It instantly melted the armor plate that he wore, which burned a hole through most of his chest. Brohnik didn''t even have time to scream in pain, as it only took a moment to happen. Ren deactivated the ring and Brohnik''s body fell to the ground with a clang. Ren walked over to the body and knelt beside it. ¡°I really am sorry it had to come to this.¡± He said and closed Brohnik''s eyes with his fingers. ¡°But... your sacrifice will usher in a new age for House Neram.¡± Ren folded Brohnik''s hands over the chest, so that the sword pointed downwards and the shield covered the chest wound. Ren took out 2 silver coins from his coin pouch and placed them on the dead man''s eyes. ¡°The ride with the Ferryman is on me, Fallen Champion.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go with Honor.¡±
Notice!
You have performed the proper Death Rites for a warrior that has fallen in battle. Influence: +50 Honor: +50
Notice!
PvNPC Special Mode: Champion Duel has ended. Rewards: 5000 XP Fame Bonus: +29% Influence: +100 Honor: +50
Notice!
You have defeated an opponent 50 levels higher than you. Fame: +100
Ren stood up and watched in surprise as the body was enveloped in a bright glow for a few moments, then it vanished. That... was unexpected. Ren thought and then turned to see the shocked looks on everyone''s faces. ¡°Metal conducts lightning much better than water does.¡± Ren said, then Nathalia ran out and gave him a bone crushing hug. Once again, she was in hysterics, but from joy this time. Her mother, Narhilda, stood at the side of the street. She didn''t know what to do, and seemed to be at a loss for words. Thanyur started to stalk towards Ren, who in turn pointed a finger at him. ¡°You agreed!¡± Ren said, menacingly. ¡°Keep your word, Thanyur Faldihr!¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Or your Honor and Influence will be forfeit!¡± Thanyur stopped walking with a shocked look on his face. No one''s invoked that clause in years! Tegwen came forward and grabbed his father by the arm. ¡°It''s over, father. He defeated our House Champion.¡± Tegwen said. ¡°We have to go.¡± Thanyur looked like he wanted to argue, but his son dragged him back to the fancy coach and put him inside. Once it was on it''s way, Tegwen climbed into the other cart and left as well. Ren led Nathalia back to the gate and stood in front of her mother, Narhilda. ¡°My Lady, I''m sorry that such a display had to take place in front of your eyes.¡± Ren said, bowing his head. Narhilda reached out a hand and lifted his head. ¡°My shining white knight.¡± She said, tears in her eyes. ¡°You came into my life, on the heels of my daughter, and reminded me of the things that I''ve lost. You''ve taken over my husband''s work, and gave it meaning again.¡± Narhilda said and reached a hand for her daughter. ¡°You''ve reminded me of the things I still have.¡± She said as the tears flowed freely. ¡°Now you''ve given me back the only thing that... I''ve been trying so hard... to keep from losing all these years.¡± Narhilda started to sob. Ren took her into a hug and let her cry. She gripped him tightly and she continued to weep for several minutes. Ren whispered sweet words into her hair as she soaked his uniform with her tears. He kept repeating that everything would be okay, that nothing else was going to happen, that her House would be strong again, and that people will know her husband''s name far and wide. Narhilda eventually calmed down and Ren let her go. He gave her a scrap piece of cloth to wipe her face, then he smiled. ¡°You know, if I wasn''t seeing someone already... and if you were 40 years younger...¡± Ren said to her and grinned. ¡°Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. Her mother laughed, took Ren''s hand in hers, and smiled. ¡°I know you''re only joking, but I appreciate the compliment just the same.¡± Ren smiled as his own words were repeated to him, and he bent over Narhilda''s hand. ¡°Now that this has all been settled, I''ve got a lot of uniforms to make.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. They went inside and shut the gate, locking it this time, as they didn''t want any more unwanted visitors. Ren worked hard for the rest of the day, and with Ruck''s help, finished the uniform order just before nightfall. He got 2 more points in Dexterity and Agility, and 1 in Endurance. He still had 3 more days to make the delivery, but since it was a speed test anyways, what better way was there to impress them with speed than by finishing early? Ren stored all the uniforms, helped Ruck back into his cabinet, then ran all out to the Garrison. Teepo chittered the whole way. Ren went to the Commander''s office and knocked. ¡°Enter.¡± ¡°Sir! House Neram thanks you for your order, sir!¡± Ren said, then looked around. ¡°Where should I put them? They won''t all fit in here, sir.¡± The Commander stood up from behind his desk. ¡°It''s not nice to joke with a commanding officer, Recruit!¡± Ren started pulling out uniforms and stacked them on the floor. He made a pile about the width of the desk, and when it got to about chest height, the Commander told him to stop. ¡°Alright, alright! I believe you.¡± He said and sat down. ¡°Take them to 8F4R, and come back here.¡± Ren followed the directions and dropped off the 1000 Warrior uniforms at the Garrison''s uniform dispensary, then backtracked to the Commander''s office about 20 minutes later, and knocked. ¡°Enter.¡± Ren entered and stood at attention. ¡°Sir! Delivery completed, sir.¡± The Commander nodded and handed Ren a medium-sized bag with 70 platinum coins.
Quest Complete!
You have impressed the military with your prompt delivery of 1000 Warrior uniforms, well before the set deadline. Rewards: 5000 XP Fame Bonus: 30% Efficiency Bonus: 20% 70 Platinum Coins (Quoted cost for bulk orders 7gc each) Influence: 500 Honor: 100
¡°Sir! Thank you, sir!¡± Ren said and saluted. The Commander saluted back. ¡°Dismissed.¡± Ren left the Commanders office and went back to the main gate. He ran as hard as he could back to House Neram. He fed Princess, and went inside to eat himself. Ren could feel the warmth and welcome that Nathalia, and her mother Narhilda, gave him as he entered the kitchen. He still felt bad about the duel, but he enjoyed a great meal anyways, and afterwards Ren told them he''d completed the order. Much to both women''s surprise, he handed over the sack of 70 platinum coins. Narhilda accepted the bag graciously, then took out 10 coins and gave them back to Ren. He tried to refuse, but she pulled the puppy dog face on him. She had the ''big sad eyes, and curled up bottom lip'' look perfected, and he tried his best not to laugh. Ren eventually gave in and took the coins. ¡°I might be 80 years old, but my feminine wiles still work!¡± Narhilda said and laughed. ¡°Actually, I think you''re just too darned cute to refuse.¡± Ren said and grinned. She opened her mouth, blushed, then closed it as her daughter Nathalia, laughed. ¡°I really have to get to bed, though.¡± Ren said and yawned. ¡°It''s been a long day.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Narhilda said, still slightly blushing. ¡°Night, Ren.¡± Her daughter Nathalia said. Ren nodded to them both and went to the old bedroom. I''ll be gone for a little bit, Teepo, then I''ll be back to sleep. Ren thought and lay down on the bed to get comfortable. Goodnight. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Chapter 100 - Discharged Ren logged out and had breakfast, did his physical therapy session, and had a shower. Denise was there today and they talked for a while about all the things that had happened, and Ren told her about his deep regret over the outcome the duel. ¡°I was so eager to prove that I could defeat their champion, that I didn''t even consider the rules might have been different.¡± Ren said. ¡°Barbara told me all about it.¡± Denise said. ¡°She also said you handled it well.¡± ¡°I finished it as quickly as I could.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If he''d been wearing leather armor, or if the rules had said hand-to-hand and no weapons, it could have been a long and dragged-out fight.¡± Denise nodded herself. ¡°You''ve fixed a lot of problems with that one fight, though.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I did... and my discharge should be coming sometime today, too.¡± He said. ¡°I know this might sound hard to believe, but it''s actually started to get boring being in the army every day. It''s too easy.¡± Denise put a hand on his arm. ¡°Now you''ve done it!¡± She said and laughed. ¡°You''ve cursed yourself! It''s going to be really difficult now!¡± Ren laughed and they spent a bit more time together watching a morning show. When his watch beeped, Ren looked at it. ¡°I better get back in.¡± Ren said. ¡°It might be my last day in the army.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± Denise said as he got comfortable in the bed. ¡°Don''t I always?¡± Ren asked, and put on the VR headset as Denise laughed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren activated Sneak and left the old bedroom. He crept down the hall, through the main room and into the kitchen. He ate a quick breakfast, got some food for Princess, and went out to the stable to feed her. Once that was done, he ran as hard as he could to the Garrison. He made it to his designated area right on time and Ghomhan paid him the 2 gold coins he was owed. Ren spent another slightly boring morning training at the Garrison. He felt like he was wasting his time, when he could be doing so many other things. His training Knight, Ghomhan, kept everyone doing the same things, and even Groggot was getting to the point that he was bored, too. Ren wasn''t sure if there was anything that he could do about the situation, as he didn''t want to cause any more trouble that would be brought to the Commander''s attention. While waiting for the rest of the Recruits to finish yet another series of running laps, he took the time to look at his status. ¡°Show Status.¡± Ren whispered, so he wouldn''t attract attention.
Status
Name Ren Level 5
Gender Male Class Artificer
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 3000 (Well Known)
Dwarven Lands:
Influence 1970 Honor 760
Titles
Blacksmith Tailor Sally''s Student - 20% stat gain at her shop Issac''s Novice - 20% stat gain at his shop Lemming - 5% resistance to falls Son of the Pelt - 20% stat gain using craft station Honorary Dwarf - Grants Dwarf Race abilities A Fool And His Money - Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks Ren, The First - Grants Command and Camaraderie sub skills under Aura (Personal) Recruit (Temporary) - allows passage in and out of the Garrison, and certain areas inside
Health 597 Mana 652
Strength 92 Dexterity 73
Vitality 50 Agility 71
Endurance 75 Intelligence 73
Luck 24 Wisdom 72
Ren had another thought. He hadn''t looked at his Skills in a while, and figured that now was as good a time as any. ¡°Show Skills, minus Zero levels.¡± He''d made that mistake before, showing all the skills he had access to, but hadn''t learned yet. Ren wanted to know what he''d been doing, not what he could possibly do. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Skill List
Skill Levels: Beginner (1-9), Intermediate (1-9), Advanced (1-9), Expert (1-9), Master
Main Skill:
Alchemy Level 6 (Beginner 20%) Able to make various potions
Sub Skills:
Herb Lore Identify Lets you identify herbs and their uses
Herb Aura Level 5 (Beginner 0%) Herbs will glow slightly when you are near them
Main Skill:
Archery Level 1 (Beginner 75%) Can shoot various bows
Sub Skills:
Bow Making Level 3 (Beginner 0%) Allows you to construct bows
Arrow Making Level 3 (Beginner 0%) Allows you to construct arrows
Crossbow Making Level 3 (Beginner 10%) Allows you to construct crossbows
Bolt Making Level 4 (Beginner 96%) Allows you to construct crossbow bolts
Main Skill:
Appraisal Level 2 (Beginner 60%) Allows you to determine the worth of non-magical goods and if they contain precious metals and real gems
Main Skill:
Aura (Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak) Level 4 (Beginner 0%) 10 foot radius, menacing feeling, small creatures flee
Aura (Personal) Level 3 (Beginner 30%) Your presence is such as those near you will be in awe of you and your accomplishments. Current distance: 10 foot radius
Sub Skills:
Command Level 2 (Beginner 20%) Allows you to lead a group and issue orders. Higher levels will allow a larger Command radius, and generate loyalty from those under your command
Camaraderie Level 4 (Beginner 0%) Allows mutual trust and friendship to easily build among people who spend a lot of time together. Higher levels will allow a larger Camaraderie Radius, and grants XP bonuses when fighting in a group of 2 or more
Main Skill:
Cart Driving Level 3 (Beginner 70%) Can handle horses to some extent and drive a cart
Main Skill:
Craft Familiar Level 1 (Beginner 25%) Allows you to create a familiar / companion to accompany you on your journey. Higher levels will grant new recipes and access to new familiars. Current Limit: 1
Main Skill:
Cooking Level 7 (Beginner 0%) Can cook various meals
Sub Skills:
Chop Level 9 (Beginner 0%) Can chop various things
Main Skill:
Connection Level 1 (Beginner 50%) Allows a connection to be made between 2 different items with similar properties
Main Skill:
Enchanting Level 1 (Advanced 0%) Enchant items with runes or glyphs
Sub Skills:
Read Rune Level 3 (Beginner 30%) Allows you to read unknown runes and add them to your Book of Runes
Dismantle Glyph Level 5 (Beginner 50%) Allows you to destroy a glyph with the chance of learning a rune from it
Absorb Enchantment Level 4 (Intermediate 50%) Allows you to remove an enchantment by absorbing it, refilling a portion of your mana in the process. Current Rate: 25% of original cost
Enchanted Eyes Level 4 (Beginner 20%) Enchantments in the area will give off a slight glow
Decipher Level 3 (Beginner 10%) You can read runes you know in other glyphs, with a chance to find new runes
Main Skill:
Etiquette Level 2 (Beginner 95%) Allows proper behavior around nobility
Main Skill:
Fall Resistance Level 1 (Beginner 25%) Reduces fall damage by 5% (total 10 with Lemming Title), Reduces chance of being crippled from falls by 5%
Main Skill:
Haggle Level 2 (Beginner 95%) Can negotiate price of items and higher levels gain easier haggle of high price items
Main Skill:
Hardy Level 2 (Beginner 0%) You have gained some resistance to poison, foreign spells, and foreign spell-like abilities
Main Skill:
Identify Level 1 (Intermediate 15%) Can identify most items and their magic properties
Main Skill:
Iron Grip Level 2 (Intermediate 60%) Grip things with unnatural strength. Any item you hold cannot be knocked from your grasp. Showing this skill can cause intimidation or fear in witnesses. Cost: 5 Mana/Second
Main Skill:
Knot Tying Level 3 (Beginner 25%) Able to tie knots
Main Skill:
Leatherworking Level 2 (Intermediate 10%) Manipulate leather pieces to make various items
Sub Skills:
Skinning Level 5 (Intermediate 25%) Allows you to skin animals and gain their pelts
Tanning Level 5 (Beginner 0%) Treat pelts for curing
Scudding Level 1 (Advanced 20%) Remove hair from pelts
Stitching Level 1 (Advanced 10%) Able to attach cloth or leather together with threat and string
Main Skill:
Metal Detection Level 1 (Intermediate 10%) This skill lets you detect metals nearby. Nearby metals will give off a pulse when you focus. Higher levels will grant longer range of detection. Current Range: 30 foot radius
Main Skill:
Mining Level 2 (Intermediate 0%) Ability to mine various items from the ground
Main Skill:
Pattern Making Level 2 (Beginner 90%) This skill will allow you to alter existing patterns to fit your needs
Main Skill:
Rationing Level 2 (Intermediate 0%) Reduces the amount of food needed to replenish Health
Main Skill:
Repair Level 4 (Intermediate 0%) Able to repair things
Sub Skills:
Metal Repair Level 4 (Intermediate 10%) Repair metals easily
Cloth Repair Level 2 (Intermediate 0%) Repair clothing items easily
Main Skill:
Running Level 3 (Intermediate 0%) Ability to run
Main Skill:
Serene State Of Mind Level 1 (Intermediate 10%) (Passive) 15% reduction to pain received, 15% chance to resist mind altering effects; (Active) Completely removes mind altering effects, ignores all pain incurred on the body 15 Mana/Second
Main Skill:
Shock Absorption Level 3 (Intermediate 75%) 25% Reduction to all effects caused by hitting (or being hit by) solid and blunt objects; such as stun effects, damage, numbness, dizziness, etc. Stackable with other skills or effects
Sub Skills:
Block Level 1 (Beginner 95%) May attempt to stop or deflect blunt force attacks, can combine with a shield for added bonuses
Main Skill:
Smithing Level 4 (Advanced 65%) Able to shape metal
Sub Skills:
Hammering Level 2 (Advanced 64%) Hammer metal into various shapes
Smelting Level 2 (Advanced 95%) Can melt scrap metal and ore into usable materials
Blade Forging Level 1 (Advanced 60%) Able to forge various blades
Sharpening Level 4 (Advanced 35%) Able to sharpen anything with an edge
Polishing Level 1 (Advanced 60%) Adds shine and durability to objects
Main Skill:
Sneak Level 7 (Beginner 0%) Move with little to no noise in certain areas
Main Skill:
Speed Reading Level 6 (Beginner 0%)(Passive) Able to read books quickly and still retain the knowledge
Sub Skills:
Knowledge Of Earth Level 3 (Beginner 50%) Earth affinity and resistance increased by 12%
Knowledge Of Fire Level 2 (Intermediate 0%) Fire affinity and resistance increased by 25%
Knowledge Of Water Level 2 (Beginner 0%) Water affinity and resistance increased by 11%
Knowledge Of Wind Level 1 (Beginner 0%) Wind affinity and resistance increased by 10%
Knowledge Of Light (Holy) Level 1 (Beginner 0%) Light affinity and resistance increased by 10%
Knowledge Of Dark (Gravity) Level 2 (Beginner 0%) Dark affinity and resistance increased by 11%
Knowledge Of Ice Level 1 (Beginner 0%) Ice affinity and resistance increased by 10%
Knowledge Of Lightning Level 5 (Beginner 0%) Lightning affinity and resistance increased by 17%
Knowledge Of Arcane (Void) Level 1 (Beginner 0%) Arcane affinity and resistance increased by 10%
Hidden Knowledge Level 2 (Beginner 0%) Lets you discover facts hidden within the things you read
Main Skill:
Staying Power Level 6 (Intermediate 10%) Reduces Health Loss by 25%
Sub Skills:
Hold Breath Level 2 (Beginner 25%) Able to hold breath
Main Skill:
Tailoring Level 6 (Advanced 30%) The ability to construct clothing from patterns
Sub Skills:
Bag Craft Level 7 (Beginner 50%) Allows construction of pouches
Stitching Level 1 (Advanced 10%) Able to attach cloth or leather together with thread and string
Cloth Repair Level 2 (Intermediate 0%) Repair clothing
Spinning Level 6 (Intermediate 20%) Spin various materials into usable thread
Main Skill:
Unarmed Combat Level 1 (Beginner 20%) Can fight without weapons
Main Skill:
Vision of Impurity Level 6 (Beginner 50%) Can see weaknesses in all metal, and with Smithing can hammer them out
Main Skill:
Woodworking Level 6 (Beginner 95%) Able to make things with wood
Sub Skills:
Nailing Level 6 (Beginner 50%) Attach wood and possibly other things together with nails
Chop Level 9 (Beginner 0%) Can chop various things
Saw Level 1 (Intermediate 10%) Can cut wood with various sawing tools
Upholstery Level 1 (Beginner 40%) Can cover wood with fabric and stuffing to make items more comfortable. Higher levels also increase and item''s value
Non-Leveling Skills:
Dark Vision Normally, this would grant clear vision for a limited area at night, but due to your already augmented Elfling vision, you can now see clearly at night (even in pitch blackness) as if it were daytime
Rock Steady You suffer no penalties from wearing any type of armor. You will always move at the same speed no matter what and are not impeded by any moderate obstruction. Chest deep water, foot deep mud, dense foliage, etc. are no longer considered obstacles. You are also difficult to knock over or trip while you have both feet on the ground.
Slow and Steady Increases the XP required to level up by 104% and reduces exp gained by 24%. When leveling, 10 stat points will be gained instead of 5. Skills gain XP 54% faster
Strong and Wise (Strong) Strength +10, (Wise) Wisdom +10
Ren stared at the list of all the things he''s done and shook his head. I can''t believe I''ve done so much, and there''s still a lot left for me to learn! Ren thought, then dismissed the popups. A Warrior entered the training area and looked around. He saw Ren sitting off to the side and came over. ¡°Recruit Ren, the Commander wants to see you.¡± The Warrior said and started to walk away. Ren stood up and followed him to the Commander''s office in the next area. The Warrior knocked on the door once and opened it, without waiting for the ''Enter'' command. ¡°Sir! Recruit Ren as you requested, sir.¡± The Warrior said and left. ¡°Well, Recruit... it seems as if your services are no longer required.¡± The Commander said and handed Ren a piece of parchment. On it was a set of orders, releasing Ren from active duty. ¡°Even though you haven''t finished the 3 week basic training course, or been officially indoctrinated into the Army, these are your release papers.¡± Ren read the parchment and got a popup.
Notice!
You have been given an Honorable Discharge from the Dwarf Army. Temporary Title: ''Recruit'' lost!
Ren stored the parchment into inventory and looked at the Commander. ¡°I''m not sure how you managed to do that, but I''m very disappointed in you.¡± The Commander said. ¡°You could have been a huge asset to our cause; but instead, you''re back to being just a civilian.¡± Ren frowned and thought about what the Commander had said. ¡°Sir! Permission to speak freely, sir!¡± The Commander sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. ¡°You''re not in my army anymore, so you can drop the ''sir''.¡± He said with a little bit of disgust in his voice. ¡°Sir, if what you just told me is right... then Recruits can quit anytime they want before they take the Oath of Service?¡± Ren asked. The Commander frowned. ¡°They''d lose some Honor for not fulfilling a promise; but yes, they can quit at any time before taking the Oath.¡± I''m going to try and get Groggot out of here, before he gets trapped in a job he''s going to hate so much because of boredom. Ren thought and smiled. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Ren said and saluted. ¡°You don''t have to do that, either.¡± The Commander said, but saluted back when Ren held it in place. ¡°It was an Honor meeting you, sir.¡± Ren said and left the Commander''s office. He equipped his Travelling Clothes and went back to the training area to talk to Groggot. After several failed attempts to convince Groggot to give up the service, Ren told him that he had 2 more weeks to change his mind, and bid him farewell. Ren said goodbye to the other Recruits, and then to Ghomhan the Knight. Ren turned around and walked to the gate, and just as he reached to open it, a klaxxon sounded. ¡°Recruits! Fall in! Move it! Move it! Move it!¡± Ghomhan hollered. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ren asked as the Recruits formed a line by the gate. ¡°Evacuation to the bunker.¡± Ghomhan said and opened the gate. ¡°Forward, march!¡± Ren followed them into the next area and saw that all gates were now open. ¡°Ghomhan, what''s really going on?¡± Ghomhan sighed. ¡°Trouble at the front. We evacuate to the bunker before the catapults start firing.¡± ¡°Catapults!?!¡± Ren nearly shouted. Ghomhan nodded and pointed up. ¡°On the battlements. They''re just barely strong enough to reach the front lines of attack.¡± Ren looked up. ¡°Where are the stairs?¡± Ghomhan looked at Ren like he was crazy. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Where are the stairs? I gotta see this!¡± Ren said, excitedly. ¡°4F3R, but you''ll never get up there.¡± Ghomhan said. ¡°Warriors only.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Ren said and turned around. ¡°Groggot!¡± He said. ¡°Are you bored yet?¡± Groggot nodded slightly. ¡°Then follow me, my friend. We have to see what''s happening!¡± ¡°He can''t do that.¡± Ghomhan said. ¡°He has to get to the bunker.¡± ¡°What if this is just an exercise?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Is he under orders, or is this just procedure?¡± Ghomhan sighed. ¡°It''s just procedure.¡± ¡°I''m going up, Groggot! You can come if you want to!¡± Ren said and ran towards the open gate of 4F3R. Ren went inside and there was a huge set of stairs there, but no guards. He could hear running footsteps, though. Ren started to climb up the 50 feet of stairs and Groggot joined him when he reached the first platform. Ren smiled and they jogged up to the top. Once there, they saw a sight they''d never seen before. What looked like a thousand dwarves, swarmed over the battlements. All of them carried some type of weapon, but most were crossbows of some kind. Some tended the catapults positioned at certain junctions that were wider than the others, about every sixth crossing. Ren concentrated on his Command Aura and ran forward. Groggot followed closely behind. It only took about 10 minutes for Ren and Groggot to reach what the dwarves called ''The Front'', and they stopped at the last battlement, surrounded by dwarves. The dwarves paid them no attention, however. Ren saw a huge open field that was several miles across, and nearly a mile long, and ended at a thick forest. The field was pitted with craters and debris, and some of the craters were filled with what looked like rancid water. Ren stared at the foot shaped divots in the ground near some of the craters, and followed the path right up to the battlement he stood on. The foot shaped divots were about 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. ¡°No way.¡± Ren said. ¡°No WAY!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Groggot asked. Ren put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Giants, my friend.¡± Ren said. ¡°Giants.¡± Groggot grinned and pulled the battle axe from it''s sheath on his back. The klaxxon sounded again and everyone froze; except for Ren and Groggot, who almost shook in anticipation. Ren heard a rustling in the trees and a giant, about 20 feet tall, stepped out of the trees and saw the dwarf wall. It leaned back and bellowed some kind of war cry, then started to run. It wore scraps of leather that were barely sewn together. ¡°Fire!¡± someone said and Ren watched as catapult after catapult launched their loads against the fast moving giant. ¡°He''s not even trying to dodge.¡± Groggot said, as flaming rocks landed close to the giant''s path. ¡°He doesn''t have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°He''s moving too fast for the catapults to range on him.¡± Each shot fell short, or went a bit too long, and the giant kept coming. ¡°Stairs!¡± Ren shouted to the nearest dwarf. ¡°Where are the stairs?¡± The dwarf looked at him in surprise, but felt Ren''s Command Aura, and pointed. ¡°Groggot, let''s go! We don''t have much time!¡± Ren said and ran for the stairway, making it down to the ground as the giant was about halfway across the field. The gates were barricaded, but Ren saw a dwarf sized door near the edge of the wall. He ran for it and tried the handle... but it was locked. ¡°We don''t have time for this!¡± Ren said, pulled out his hammerpick, and smashed the door to pieces. Ren and Groggot ran outside to the startled looks of about a hundred dwarves in full plate armor, crouched behind barricades. ¡°Don''t mind us, we''re just passing through.¡± Ren said and jumped over the series of barricades that were arrayed in front of the main gate, on this side of the Garrison. ¡°Groggot, gather up as much debris as you can. Nothing heavy.¡± Ren said and pulled out one of the giant leg-holding traps he''d made. It looked just like a bear trap, but it didn''t have any teeth. He set the trap and hammered the giant spike into the ground to hold it in place. Ren could see the giant coming, shifted the trap over slightly, and tossed some dirt over the ends of it. ¡°Groggot! Hurry!¡± Groggot came over with plenty of debris, and Ren placed most of it around the trap, to make it look like part of the landscape. ¡°Lay down here.¡± Ren said to Groggot, then covered most of him with light debris and some dirt. ¡°When the giant hits that trap, he''s going to fall... and probably be really pissed off.¡± Ren said. ¡°Come out swinging!¡± Groggot nodded and Ren went to the other side of the trap, equipped his red leather armor, and laid down to cover himself as well. Then waited. A minute later, thunderous impacts could be heard and the giant''s footfalls shook some of the debris off the trap. Nothing to do about that now. Ren thought. It''s almost here. The catapults stopped firing because the impacts were getting close to their own troops, and in the next moment, the giant tried to run by Ren, stepped on the trap, which clamped onto it''s boot. ¡°Raaargghhh!¡± The giant yelled, then it face-planted into the ground, and it''s ankle snapped. Ren jumped up, equipped the Great Earthshaking Hammerpick of Reaping, and lunged at the fallen giant. Groggot was right there with him and they started swinging. Using Ghomhan''s overhead strike, Groggot severed a hand, then almost took the giant''s whole arm. Surprisingly, there wasn''t a lot of blood. Ren on the other hand, tried to smash it''s head, but it raised a hand to ward off the blow. Ren crushed that hand, and the shockwave shattered the elbow, but it was enough to deflect the killing blow. The giant bellowed and tried to roll over, but it''s leg was caught and Ren heard the grinding bones as it struggled. It swung it''s tenderized fleshy hand at Ren, who ducked it easily. Groggot took that opportunity to slice open the giant''s side, then flipped the battle axe around and jammed the end into the open wound. ¡°Raaargghhh!¡± It bellowed again and rolled over to try and get Groggot, the one who had severely hurt it. Ren absorbed the quadruple Dark rune glyph from the hammerpick, and put the double glyph of Dark runes on it 5 seconds later. Ren hefted the hammerpick over his head and brought it down as hard as he could, to smash the giant''s skull. Everyone nearby heard the sickening sound of bone crunching, but the giant kept bellowing and fighting. Groggot dodged the giant''s flailing stump, and swung his battle axe to slice open the giant''s throat. It gurgled as it tried to keep bellowing and swung at Groggot again. Ren took pity on it and took another swing at it''s head. Another bone crunch was heard as the skull collapsed, and the giant was silent after that.
Notice!
Congratulations! You have killed a (Demented) Giant! Feared throughout the wilderness, it is a mindless creature that feeds upon the flesh of anything that it catches. Knowledge of this half-starved giant is kept secret from the general population, as it is the bane of the Dwarf Army. Rewards: 5000 XP Fame Bonus: +30%
Level up!
You are now Level 6! 10 stat points automatically allocated.
Ability Change!
Slow and Steady: XP required to level up +105%, XP gains reduced by 25% (Capped). When leveling, 10 stat points will be gained instead of 5. Skills gain XP 55% faster
Notice!
You have put your life on the line to protect the dwarves and their homeland, for no other reason than because you could. Influence: +500 Honor: +500
Notice!
You have defeated a creature 110 levels higher than you. Fame: +250
Notice!
You have gained a new title: Giant Smasher This title grants you: Strength +20, Deep Impact Level 1 (Beginner 0%), and Skull Cracker.
Ren dismissed the popups and switched from his Command Aura to his Camaraderie Aura. He stood there by the giant''s body with Groggot and they looked at each other. Neither of the two had a trace of blood on them, and after a minute, a single dwarf cheered... and that was soon followed by hollers and cheers from every single dwarf that could see the battlefield. Groggot stepped around the giant''s body and clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°That was fun!¡± Groggot said, loudly. ¡°That''s my motto.¡± Ren said and laughed, as they were surrounded by armored dwarves and congratulated. A few minutes later, a hush fell over the crowd as they made a path for someone to walk through. The Commander stepped up to them and shook his head. ¡°I should have you arrested for interfering with a military operation.¡± The Commander said to Ren, and looked at the mangled body of the giant. ¡°Seeing as how you''ve helped us with our little problem, though... I think I''ll overlook it this time.¡± He said, then motioned to the giant''s 21 foot long corpse. ¡°As long as you don''t tell anyone about this.¡± Ren smiled and walked over to the giant''s trapped foot, opened the leg-holding trap, and pulled it from the ground. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± The Commander nearly shouted. ¡°This?¡± Ren held up the giant trap. ¡°It''s a giant leg-holding trap.¡± He said. ¡°Or... I guess it''s now a giant leg, holding trap.¡± Ren grinned and stored it. The Commander looked at Ren. ¡°Where did you get it?¡± ¡°I made it, of course.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± The Commander said, shocked. ¡°How did a Tailor make that?¡± ¡°I''m a Blacksmith, too.¡± Ren said, and most of the gathered dwarfs gasped. Hearing a group of men gasp is a little weird. Ren thought. ¡°You''re a Tailor?¡± Groggot asked, surprised, and Ren grunted.
Quest Update!
Your Mentor Donan, told you to show the world what you can do. You''ve taken the first step on that journey. Rewards: Fame +500 1000 XP Fame Bonus: +38%
I forgot all about that Quest, actually. Ren thought and dismissed the popup. He looked down and remembered that he should loot the body. Ren knelt and did that, finding 20 gold coins, a giant pocket watch, a clump of brown hair tied in a ribbon, and a pair of high quality boots (giant-size). What''s a savage creature doing with these things? Ren thought and stood up to give Groggot the 20 gold coins. Groggot tried to refuse, but Ren told him that they couldn''t split the boots or the watch and clump of hair, so giving him the gold seemed the only fair thing to do. ¡°That leaves you with just the junk!¡± Groggot argued and tried to hand 10 of the coins back. Ren shook his head. ¡°That''s okay, Groggot. I love junk.¡± Groggot sighed and kept the money. The Commander stepped forward and looked at Ren in the eyes. ¡°The military wants to buy that trap.¡± ¡°Sorry, it''s not for sale.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only have two.¡± ¡°You have two?!?¡± He said, shocked. ¡°I told you the story about fighting the two greater stone golems.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I swore when I made the traps that I''d never go anywhere without them.¡± ¡°Then... can you make more?¡± The Commander asked. Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I''m sorry. I have a lot of work to do before I can even think about setting up another forge.¡± He said. ¡°I even forgot to bring my high quality iron ingots.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''ll have to mine more ore and then smelt it, or maybe I''ll just buy some.¡± ¡°What if I provided the facilities and the metal? Could you do it then?¡± The Commander asked, with a bit of twinkle in his eyes. I''m glad Donan warned me about this. Ren thought. ¡°I''m sorry, but no.¡± Ren said. ¡°The forge needs to be set up a certain way; and the smelter isn''t standard, either.¡± The Commander frowned, trying to detect a lie; but since everything Ren had said was the truth, he couldn''t call Ren a liar. Ren saw that The Commander was trying his best to catch Ren at something, just so he could keep Ren at the Garrison. ¡°All right...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''ll sell you one.¡± Ren looked around at the dwarves in the crowd. ¡°I can''t let you face giants like you''ve been doing, now that you know how much easier it can be.¡± The dwarves cheered again and the Commander waved them to silence. ¡°How much?¡± He asked. ¡°200 gold.¡± Ren said. The dwarves gasped again. ¡°There''s about 120 gold in iron alone, not to mention the work that had to go into it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, once you have it... I''m sure your blacksmiths can get the plans for it, then duplicate it.¡± The Commander looked at Ren, nodded slightly, and handed over 2 platinum coins. Ren''s eyes widened slightly as he''d thought they would have to go all the way back to the Commander''s office to get the money. Ren pulled out the trap he''d stored into inventory, and put it on the ground. ¡°Now that you''ve seen how effective it can be... you''re going to need some big strong dwarfs to carry the thing to the right spot, and hammer in the spike to hold it.¡± Ren said and clapped Groggot on the shoulder. ¡°Otherwise, you''re just giving the next giant something big to kick you with.¡± Several dwarfs laughed, including Groggot. ¡°I better get out of here, before I''m drafted again.¡± Ren said and even more dwarfs laughed. Ren nodded to the Commander and walked over to the busted out door. Ren Appraised it at 2 gold and walked back to the Commander, holding out 2 gold coins. ¡°Sorry about the door.¡± Ren said and put the 2 gold in the Commander''s hand. Ren walked back to the Garrison and through the busted door. He didn''t go up the stairs, though. Ren held his head up high, concentrated on his personal Aura, and smiled as he walked through the throng of dwarves coming to see the aftermath of the battle. Ren walked all the way through the Garrison to the main gate to Dornrach. He nodded slightly to the guards there, who opened the gate for him. Ren took a deep breath as he stepped outside the gate and it closed behind him. You''ve been quiet this whole time, Teepo. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°Yeah.¡± You don''t have anything to say about all of this? Ren started to run. ¡°I wanted to wait until we were alone.¡± We can''t get any more alone than this... so, what did you think? ¡°That... was... AWESOME!¡± Teepo shouted and then chittered in delight. Ren laughed and then ran all the way back to House Neram. He came to the gate and saw that it was locked. Ren smiled, looked around to make sure no one was around, then climbed the 8 foot wall easily. Most of the mortar was missing from a lot of the bricks, and it made great handholds. I''ll be fixing this outside wall first. Ren thought. It''s way too easy to get in this way. Ren hopped off the other side and crossed the courtyard. He entered the house and heard 2 female voices talking, and shut the door. ¡°I''m back early.¡± Ren said, walked into the main room, and saw that Nathalia and her mother sat at the kitchen table. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°Good afternoon, Ren.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I like your red leather armor.¡± ¡°Thank you, My Lady.¡± ¡°The discharge came today, then?¡± She said. ¡°It did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I assume that means...¡± Narhilda held up several pieces of parchment. ¡°These are notices that all of House Neram''s debts have been settled.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s fantastic.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Nathalia and I were just discussing something very important.¡± ¡°Oh? What was that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What we were going to do with you.¡± ¡°My...My Lady?¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°Well, with all of the House''s debts gone, that part of our contract with you is null and void.¡± Ren widened his eyes. I didn''t receive a notice about it, though! Ren thought. ¡°And have you come to a decision?¡± Ren asked. Both women nodded slightly and Narhilda shuffled the parchment papers a bit. She took a folded one out from underneath the small stack and stood up. She waved Ren over and handed him the parchment paper. Ren held it in his hand, but didn''t look at it. I don''t want to read it. He thought. If it''s a paper ending our contract, or an eviction notice... I... I don''t know what I''m going to do. I dont want to leave here. Ren closed his eyes and took a deep breath. I have to read it, or I''ll always wonder what it said. He opened his eyes and unfolded the parchment paper to read it. It was a note of recommendation to see a stonemason from the Guild. ¡°My... My Lady!¡± Ren said, surprised. Narhilda laughed. ¡°I told you he''d think we were kicking him out if you did it like this, Ma.¡± Nathalia said, a little unhappily, and shook her head. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren. She''s getting to be a terrible tease, lately.¡± ¡°I... I''m sorry...¡± Narhilda said and kept laughing. ¡°I couldn''t... be sure...¡± She said, and then eased her laughing to a stop. ¡°But... the look on your face... it let me know that you care as much about staying here, as we do about having you stay here.¡± Narhilda stepped close to Ren and took his hand. ¡°I wanted you to know that neither I, nor my daughter, would ever ask you to leave, Ren.¡± Ren squeezed her hand slightly. ¡°After everything you''ve done for us...¡± Narhilda said. ¡°...this will always be a home for you, whether you need it or not.¡±
Notice!
A new Spawn Point is available to you. Activate now? Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, and smiled as a medium-sized spawn point appeared in the main room. ¡°Even though you were only teasing, it made me realize how much I wanted to stay here, for as long as I''m in dwarven lands.¡± He walked over to stand on the spawn point. ¡°Set Spawn Point.¡±
Notice!
You have selected to change your spawn point from Safe Zone: (MASTER OF ALL, JACK OF NONE) to Safe Zone: (HOUSE NERAM). Confirm: Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡±
Spawn Point Set!
Whenever you die, you will appear on this spot after the respawn timer expires.
¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Both of you, for letting me come into your home like this.¡± Both women came over and gave him a hug, as a second key formed around Ren''s neck. ¡°It''s as much your home as it is ours, now.¡± Narhilda said and Nathalia nodded, then both held out their hands for him. Ren took Nathalia''s hand, stepped in close and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. She widened her eyes and put a hand on the spot; then he did the same to her mother Narhilda, who blushed slightly and lowered her head a little, to try and hide it. I guess they only expected me to kiss their hands; but that''s not part of the Acceptance ritual. Ren thought and smiled. He held up the piece of parchment. ¡°If you will excuse me, I have an appointment I need to get to.¡± He said, bowed slightly, and walked through the main room to leave the house. ¡°You definitely surprised them, that''s for sure.¡± Teepo said. Why is that? Ren thought and started to run to the main part of the city. ¡°Well, if my knowledge of Dwarf Mourning Rites is still right, that was the first kiss Narhilda''s had in the 12 years since her husband died.¡± Ren nearly stumbled, but caught himself and kept running. You''re joking! ¡°No. She''s got another 3 years before she can even announce that she''s no longer mourning.¡± Wow... that''s a long time to not have someone kiss you. Ren thought. I have a hard time waiting only a few weeks to kiss my girlfriend! Teepo chittered in laughter and Ren entered the main city. He took the corner and went in the opposite direction that he''d go to arrive at the Garrison. He made it to the Stonemason''s Guild and came to a stop outside. Ren admired the structure, as he was sure that was the intent of building the thing. It almost defied gravity with the way some of the terraces were set up, and the balcony at the top was halfway over the street. Ren walked up to the doorman and showed him the parchment. The doorman told Ren where to go and opened the door to let Ren step inside. The lobby was just as outrageous as the outside and Ren smiled. They definitely know their stone masonry. Ren thought and followed the doorman''s directions. No one stopped him from walking anywhere he wanted. Ren was tempted to just wander around and see what he could find; but Narhilda had gone to all the trouble to set this meeting up, and Ren didn''t want to disappoint her by slacking off. He found the door he was looking for and knocked. ¡°Come in, my good man.¡± A hearty voice said and Ren opened the door. ¡°I heard you coming down the hallway.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Sit, sit!¡± He waved to what looked like a hard wooden chair. ¡°I''ll be with you in just a minute.¡± Ren walked over to the chair and looked at it. That is not a good chair. Ren thought and moved it out of the way, replaced it with the big comfy one that he''d made in the brig, then sat down. He watched the dwarf play with little stone blocks, as he tried his best to stack them without having them topple over. He wasn''t having any success with it, however. ¡°Bah!¡± The dwarf said and pushed the blocks off to the side and then looked at Ren. ¡°I''ll get it one of these da... where did that chair come from?¡± ¡°Me.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Well, at least it looks better than that monstrocity.¡± The dwarf said, waving at the offending chair. ¡°Worst 10 gold I ever spent.¡± Ren widened his eyes. I might pay 2 copper for it, but that''s only if I wanted it for firewood. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°About House Neram...¡± Ren said. ¡°Ah, yes. You want to hire me to work on it.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I''d rather learn from you.¡± The dwarf''s eyes widened. ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± ¡°I''d like to learn your trade.¡± Ren said. ¡°Get. Out.¡± The dwarf said, angry. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I can pay...¡± The dwarf stood. ¡°I was willing to see you as a favor to Lady Neram, because we were old school friends, but I won''t sit here and be insulted!¡± Ren stood as well. ¡°How did I insult you?¡± The dwarf scowled. ¡°Asking me, a High Tier Professional, to teach!¡± He said and huffed. ¡°As if I''d reduce myself to teach a commoner all of my tricks... ah, techniques. Techniques!¡± Ren stored his chair and slid the ugly wooden one back to it''s place. ¡°My apologies for unintentionally insulting you.¡± Ren said and stepped away from the desk. ¡°Before I leave, however... do you know of anyone who would be willing to... reduce themselves to my... commoner status?¡± The dwarf clamped his mouth shut and Ren pulled the comfy blue chair out again. ¡°I''d be willing to... ah... forget that I left this chair here... if, somehow... I might have found a name somewhere...¡± Ren hedged and slid the chair forward. The dwarf looked at the chair, then at Ren, then at the chair again. He took a piece of parchment from his desk, wrote something on it, and held it out. Ren walked over and took the parchment and put it in a pocket. ¡°Now... where did I leave that really comfy chair?¡± Ren said and turned around to walk out of the room. He got to the door, opened it and stepped into the hall. ¡°Nope, it''s not in here.¡± Ren looked at the dwarf, and saw that he was already slumped in the chair. Ren closed the door and took out the piece of paper. He smiled and left the Stonemason Guild''s building. He walked a half dozen streets over, and came to a run down 1 storey building. Dust covered everything, and there were stone bricks everywhere. Stacks and stacks of them filled the courtyard, and Ren saw several people moving around, also covered in dust. Some were even carving stones into different shapes. ¡°Yes, I definitely like this place much better.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Me, too!¡± Teepo said and hopped out of the hood, and skittered across the courtyard. Chapter 101 - A Taste of Stone Ren opened the small gate to the courtyard, after storing both his leather armor and the Dire Wolf Hoofed Cloak. The radius of Aura dropped back to just 10 feet, and Ren walked over to the building. Got anything for me, Teepo? Ren thought. ¡°There''s just a few people working. One dwarf is standing behind a big workbench, looking at some kind of plans. I''m going to assume he''s the stonemason.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Do you think I should knock? ¡°Nobody would hear it over all the racket, so no.¡± Ren opened the front door and stepped inside. A cloud of dust enveloped him and he held his breath, stepped back outside, and took out a piece of scrap cloth to tie over his face. Ren went back in and made his way over to the large workbench, and to the 4 foot 2 inch tall dwarf that stood there. ¡°Sorry to bother you...¡± Ren had to yell over the pounding of hammers on chisels. ¡°...but I was wondering if I could learn a few things from you.¡± The dwarf shook his head. ¡°I can''t teach anything today.¡± He said. ¡°I need to get this finished by tonight.¡± He waved at the plans. Ren leaned over and examined them, and saw that it was for an ornate fireplace, carved from stone.
Notice!
You have learned the plans for: Stone Fireplace (Ornate)
¡°What seems to be the problem?¡± Ren asked, trying to see where the trouble was. ¡°This.¡± The dwarf said, and pointed to the stone female figure on each side of the fireplace. ¡°There''s no problem with the carvings themselves, even a novice can do that. It''s the thinness of the neck. Once we get to that point, the head snaps off every time.¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°I assume you tried to use mortar to reattach the head?¡± The dwarf nodded. ¡°It looks horrendous, but it sets properly and is stronger than the original... then the neck breaks off at the chest.¡± The dwarf shook his head. ¡°Why the client would want human females is beyond me.¡± That statement could be said by every race about every other race, though. Ren thought. ¡°What if you cast it instead of carving it?¡± ¡°What if I what?¡± ¡°Cast it. It''s done in blacksmithing all the time. You cut out a mold from stone and pour molten metal inside and let it cool. Pop open the mold, and you''re done.¡± ¡°Do you see a forge anywhere around here?¡± The dwarf laughed. ¡°Metal would conduct the heat too much.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I didn''t mean for you to use metal... use mortar instead. You''ll need to cover the inside of the stone mold with oil or something, just so the mortar won''t stick to it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Other than that, it should work.¡±
Notice!
You have adapted knowledge from one trade to be used in another. Intelligence: +1 Wisdom: +1
The dwarf looked at Ren like he was crazy, and then with an appraising eye. He clapped Ren on the shoulder and grinned. ¡°Come! Let us try your crazy idea!¡± Ren told him how he needed to leave the whole bottom open to pour the mortar in, and how to make the stone sides interlock so that they lined up. It only took about half an hour for the stonemason to carve out the front of the female figure into a stone slab, then he did the back of the female figure on a similar slab. He covered the inside with some kind of powder (Ren found out later that it was just chalk dust) and put the 2 sides together, and Ren tied a piece of rope around them. They took the finished mold and went to the mortar maker. They had a good-sized batch of mortar made, and carefully poured it into the mold. The stonemason tapped it several times on the side to get it to settle into all the crevices. ¡°Now we wait.¡± He said, smiled, and put out a hand for Ren to shake. ¡°Barnar Slatebreaker, at your service.¡± ¡°It''s nice to meet you. I''m Ren.¡± ¡°Well, Ren... I still can''t teach you anything today.¡± Barnar said. Ren smiled. ¡°I''d like to just hang around, if that''s okay.¡± Barnar smiled. ¡°As long as you lend a hand where it''s needed, you can stay as long as you want.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I''ve got to finish the main body of the fireplace.¡± Barnar said. ¡°Have a look around for about half an hour. This should be dry by then.¡± Ren nodded slightly and Barnar went back to the half-finished fireplace. Ren walked around and saw the different parts that went into stonemasonry. The gatherers, sorters, trimmers, carvers, stone grinders, mortar makers, and finally the assemblers. He''s going to have to find a spot for casting now. Ren thought, amused. ¡°This place is great!¡± Teepo said. ¡°So many nice cubby holes!¡± I like it, too. Ren thought and smiled. They''re all working hard, but it''s not really a job. It''s more of a passion, I think. After another quick walk-through, Ren decided to help out at the stone grinding station. They even had the same mortar and pestle that he used in his Alchemy kit. There were several sets and only 2 people were working, so Ren joined them and started grinding.
New Sub Skill!
Stone Grinding Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This sub skill under Stonemasonry allows you to grind small stones into powder. Higher levels will allow larger stones to be ground, and faster grinding.
After about 20 minutes, Ren found out that it was limestone and sand being ground into powder for the mortar. Once the right balance of ingredients was made, you just added enough water to make a paste, and it became hard as rock when it dried.
Notice!
You have learned the recipe: Mortar (Stonelaying)
Ren heard a shout from across the room, and went to see what it was. Barnar had opened the mold and had popped out a perfect mortar casting of the female figure. He grabbed Ren around the neck, bent him over, then ruffled his hair. ¡°You crazy genius!¡± Barnar said. ¡°There''s small lines on the sides, but that''s easily cleaned off.¡± He smiled. ¡°Do you know how much time and money you''ve saved me today?¡± ¡°Enough to pay for you to teach me?¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Ha!¡± Barnar said and let Ren go. ¡°That and more, my friend! That and more.¡± Ren smiled and went back to the stone grinding table after that. An hour later, he gained a point in Strength and leveled up Stone Grinding to Level 2. At that point, the other 2 people told him to stop because they had enough, and laughed when Ren looked at them with disappointment on his face. ¡°I''m sure they need more stackers.¡± One of them said. Ren thanked them for letting him help and he went over to the stackers. He watched them to see if there was any kind of trick or pattern, but they were just stacking similar bricks together. He helped them for an hour and then they had everything stacked and had to wait for the sorters to bring over another bunch. Ren then went to the sorters and watched as they picked through all the different stones, but couldn''t tell how they were determining which stone was good and which one was bad. He asked one of the workers, and they shook their head. ¡°You just know.¡± Ren smiled, because he knew what that meant. It was a special skill, kind of like his Metal Detection that Fritz had taught him. Ren walked over to the trimmers next and watched them for a while, but didn''t ask to join them. He''d have to learn a bit more about that before he could help. Ren glanced outside and saw that it was getting dark.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Teepo, I''m heading home! Ren said. Are you coming? ¡°Sure... just a minute.¡± Teepo said and Ren turned around to watch him pop out from between two stacks of stone bricks. He skittered over to Ren and then climbed up to his shoulder. Ren walked over to Barnar and said goodbye. ¡°Come back anytime, my friend!¡± Barnar said and Ren left. Ren switched out his clothes momentarily to shake the dust off of them, and when he equipped them again, both Ren and the clothes were clean. He took off the cloth that covered his face and then equipped his cloak. Teepo climbed into the hood and Ren ran as fast as he could back to House Neram. He fed Princess and went inside to enjoy a great meal. Once that was done, Narhilda sat back and looked at Ren with a question on her face. ¡°Ren, did anything happen today?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°Sure. I learned about the different steps that needed to be done before stone bricks are ready to be used, and then how to grind limestone and sand into powder.¡± Ren responded. ¡°How did you learn that?¡± She asked, surprised. ¡°I spent the evening at Barnar Slatebreaker''s.¡± Narhilda frowned. ¡°I thought you were going to consult with the Stonemason''s Guild?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°The man you set up the appointment with, advised me to find someone else to learn from.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She said and pulled out a rolled piece of parchment. It looked like it had a round wax seal, that was broken open. ¡°I had another messenger visit today.¡± Narhilda said and unrolled the parchment. ¡°I thought it was really odd that my old friend wasn''t going to work on the House, but wanted to try and order... oh, what was it...¡± She ran her finger down the parchment. ¡°...here it is...¡± Narhilda looked at Ren. ¡°30 really comfy blue chairs.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I was wondering where I''d left that chair.¡± Ren said, continuing the charade. Narhilda shook her head. ¡°That''s why I asked you what had happened today. How in the world did this comfy chair come up?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°While I was consulting with your friend, I didn''t like the chair he had there; so I used my own to sit on. While we talked, I just happened to come across a name of someone that could help me, and forgot the chair when I left the office.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that would explain it.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Did you really make it? He said the chair came from you.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I made it while I was in the brig at the Garrison. The benches in there are horrible, and they wouldn''t let me use my bed again.¡± ¡°You had a bed in jail?!?¡± Narhilda asked, surprised. ¡°Is that the same one you had in the hold?¡± Her daughter Nathalia asked. Ren nodded slightly again. ¡°It just barely fit.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°Ma, it''s a really comfy bed. If the chair was half as nice as that was...¡± ¡°He was already asleep in the chair by the time I got to the door of his office.¡± Ren said and the three of them laughed. ¡°Will you be making them?¡± Narhilda asked. Ren shook his head. ¡°Not right now.¡± He said and yawned. ¡°On the advice of an intelligent woman... I have to get some sleep.¡± Narhilda''s face flushed slightly red and she smiled. ¡°Then get yourself to bed! You won''t be getting any sleep just sitting there.¡± Ren grinned and bowed to both women. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± They said, almost at the same time. Ren left the kitchen and walked through the main room to the hallway. Ren entered the old bedroom and lay down on the bed. I''ll be out for a bit, Teepo. Ren thought and got comfortable. See you when I get back. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Teepo said and crawled onto his chest. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the helmet and Denise was there to put it on the rollaway table. ¡°Bathroom!¡± Ren exclaimed and Denise tried not to laugh as he scrambled to get to the bathroom before it was too late. ¡°Go easy there, Speedy Gonzalez!¡± She said. ¡°You don''t want to damage that knee again.¡± Ren nodded and left the bathroom door open. ¡°My back teeth are floating!¡± He said and Denise laughed as, what sounded like a fire hose, hit the water in the toilet. ¡°Ahhhh....¡± A minute passed and the sound eased down to a trickle, and Ren flushed. He washed his hands and came out to climb back into bed. ¡°Boy, did you ever need to go!¡± Denise said and grinned. Ren settled down into bed and grinned himself. ¡°I don''t know how the VR system does it; but once I''m out, everything I should have done during the time I was in, hits me all at once.¡± ¡°You''re lucky it wasn''t a number 2.¡± Denise said. ¡°You might not have made it.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thankfully, that hasn''t happened. I''ve been really careful about that.¡± He said and looked at her. ¡°Your job is hard enough as it is, without having to deal with cleaning that up.¡± Denise put a hand on his arm. ¡°You''re really sweet, worrying about something like that.¡± ¡°That''s me. I''m just made of sugar! I can''t even go out in the rain because I might melt.¡± Ren said and laughed. Denise laughed, too. ¡°Okay, Mister Funny Man. Are you ready for some grub?¡± ¡°I could eat.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Assuming it''s actual food, and not a bowl of boiled water and celery.¡± He said and half-gagged. ¡°Blah!¡± Denise laughed. ¡°I apologized for that, you little frigger!¡± She said and tickled him under his arms. ¡°It''s not my fault the soup mix stuck together and sat on the bottom of the pot, and I didn''t have time to make anything else.¡± ¡°St-stop!¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°Or I''ll have to go again!¡± Denise stopped tickling him and smiled. ¡°I check expiry dates all the time now.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Then it was a sad, and a happy day for stomachs everywhere.¡± ¡°Quiet, you!¡± She said and shook her fist at him, and laughed. ¡°I''ll be back with sandwiches. Sandwiches!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''ll be here.¡± He turned on the television to watch a game show while he waited. It didn''t take long, and Denise came back with several sandwiches cut into 4 pieces. One was egg salad and the other one was cold cuts. A small glass of pop was on the side, and Ren took his time eating it all. He saved the pop for last, as that was the best part. ¡°That was good, Denise. Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Looks like I''m just in time to visit.¡± Lucy said, as she entered the room. ¡°Lucy!¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I can''t just come by and visit whenever I want to?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Of course you can!¡± Denise smiled. ¡°I''ll take the tray back to the break room.¡± She said, picked up the tray, and winked at Ren. ¡°This might take me an hour or so.¡± Ren smiled and Denise left the room. Lucy shut the door, locked it, and came over to the bed. Ren was already sitting up, so he shifted over a little to make enough room for Lucy to sit down, too. ¡°Hello, Angel.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Are you really just here to see me?¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°After I had you over for dinner last week, I... I can''t stop thinking about you.¡± Ren cupped the side of her face with his hand and leaned in to kiss her gently. ¡°Root beer?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°Sorry, I just ate. I''ll go brush my teeth.¡± Ren said, and started to get out of the bed. Lucy stopped him with a hand on his arm. ¡°It''s okay. I like root beer.¡± She said as her face flushed a little red. ¡°It''s great, that''s for sure; but, not as great as this.¡± Ren said and lightly ran a thumb over Lucy''s lips. ¡°That''s the best thing in the world.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lucy said and kissed him. They started making out, caressing each other''s faces and kissing like there was no tomorrow. Lucy moved over a little, and she eased Ren back onto the bed. They kept kissing and Ren''s arm ended up half-jammed under Lucy''s weight. He didn''t notice however, as his concentration was completely focused on how great Lucy felt as she nuzzled his neck. Lucy didn''t notice, either... and when she shifted her weight to get more comfortable, it shifted Ren as well. *POP* Ren froze as a familiar sensation was felt in his elbow. It was the same feeling he''d had in his knee when he''d collapsed in physiotherapy. Lucy kept kissing him, and he responded in kind a moment later, but she started to notice that he was only using one hand, when he had been using two only a few minutes before. ¡°Ren, what is it?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°It''s nothing.¡± He said and tried to kiss her. ¡°Don''t lie to me.¡± She said and sat up. ¡°I can always tell, you know that.¡± Ren sighed, then used his still functioning arm to sit himself up... and his left arm flopped over the edge of the bed, the joint clearly out of place. ¡°REN! Oh my god!¡± Lucy exclaimed and got off the bed. ¡°It''s okay, Lucy.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s probably just dislocated.¡± He tried to pick it up with his good hand, but she bat the good hand away, and examined Ren''s elbow as tears came to her eyes. She eased the arm onto the bed and felt around the joint. She wiped her eyes and went to the door, unlocked it, and hollered for the doctor. She came back to the bed and the tears flowed freely. ¡°I''m... I''m so sorry, Ren!¡± Lucy said and started to sob. ¡°I told you it''s okay, Lucy.¡± Ren said. ¡°It doesn''t even hurt.¡± Lucy cried and wiped more tears away. ¡°That usually means... the... the nerve is pinched.¡± Lucy sniffed. ¡°Can you move your fingers?¡± Ren looked down at his arm, and as the ring finger twitched a little bit, he mentally cursed at it. The doctor and Denise came in and saw the state of Ren''s arm. The doctor gave a stern look to both Denise and Lucy, and examined Ren''s elbow. He checked Ren''s pulse, and felt that it was weak. ¡°Can you move your fingers?¡± Ren mentally cursed his hand again and shook his head. ¡°Nurse, get the sedatives. An immediate Reduction is necessary. We''ll worry about the possible nerve damage after it''s properly set.¡± ¡°I don''t need sedatives.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is no time to be brave.¡± The doctor said. ¡°I''d rather be awake, if that''s okay.¡± The doctor sighed. ¡°Nurse, a hand please.¡± Denise stepped forward and Ren laid back in the bed. She held his upper arm steady, and the doctor felt around the now swollen elbow. He nodded to Denise and she gripped hard. Ren winced as the doctor gently turned his forearm back and forth slowly, and then the elbow popped back into place. The doctor checked that it was properly set, and checked Ren''s pulse at his wrist. ¡°That''s better.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°You''re lucky, Ren. We won''t need surgery.¡± ¡°I''ll get the sling and the wheelchair.¡± Denise said and left the room. ¡°I''ll call X-ray and get the room ready.¡± Doctor Hobbard said and left as well. Lucy had stood off to the side and didn''t say a word until the doctor left. ¡°Ren... I... I''m so sorry!¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and flexed his fingers a little. ¡°See? Getting better already.¡± Lucy sobbed and came over to the bed. ¡°I hurt you so badly, just from being around you.¡± She said and wiped more tears away. ¡°I shouldn''t... I can''t be doing this to you, Ren.¡± ¡°Lucy, don''t!¡± ¡°Ren... I can''t... I can''t see you anymore.¡± Lucy said and cried. Ren reached out and put a hand on her face. ¡°Please, Lucy... don''t leave me!¡± Ren said as tears came to his eyes. ¡°I love you!¡± Lucy held his hand on her face and rubbed it like a cat. ¡°I love you, too... but, I won''t hurt you like this anymore.¡± She said. ¡° I can''t let myself hurt you like this.¡± Lucy took his hand from her face. ¡°G-g-goodbye, R-Ren.¡± ¡°Lucy!¡± Ren hollered, but she ignored him and left the room. A moment later, Denise came in with the wheelchair and arm sling. She gently placed Ren''s arm in the sling, and Ren climbed out of bed and into the wheelchair. Denise tried her best to ignore his quiet tears as she pushed the wheelchair to the elevator to take Ren to X-ray. She gave Ren a tissue to wipe his face once they got there, and it didn''t take long to confirm the doctor''s prognosis. His elbow was damaged, but wouldn''t need surgery. After only a few weeks in a sling, and some physical therapy, would have the elbow back to almost full function. ¡°What do you mean, almost?¡± Ren asked the doctor. ¡°Any kind of damage like this, there''s going to be consequences.¡± Doctor Hobbard said. ¡°In this case, your arm won''t completely straighten anymore.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Thanks, doctor.¡± Doctor Hobbard pat Ren on the head and told Denise to take him back to his room. She did, and Ren climbed into bed, with a little difficulty. ¡°Is there anything I can do for you?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I''d like to be alone for a while.¡± Ren said. Denise nodded and took the wheelchair back to the nurse''s station as Ren let the tears flow again. A few minutes later, he wiped his eyes and glanced at the rollaway table, and on it was the only escape Ren had for his troubles. He pulled the rollaway table over and picked up his VR headset. He had a hard time getting it on with only one hand, but he managed it eventually and laid back on the bed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± Chapter 102 - Not You, Too! Ren woke up in the game and looked down at his arm. Relief filled him as he flexed his hand and bent the elbow with ease. He definitely felt a whole lot better in the game. At least in the game, my body is normal. Ren thought. If only Lucy played more, she''d see what I can really be like, if my body wasn''t so messed up in real life. Ren widened his eyes at a realization. That''s it! He opened the messaging system and sent Lucy an impassioned email. He explained that his arm was fine and that only a few weeks of therapy would have him using it again. Ren also told her that his game avatar worked fine as well, so there wasn''t any actual nerve damage. He apologized for what had happened, stating that it was his body''s fault and not hers at all, and that he''d like to see her again. If she couldn''t bring herself to see him in real life, then maybe she could see him in the game instead. Ren sent the message and sighed. I hope that''s enough to make her re-think her decision. Ren thought, then got out of bed. Teepo? ¡°I''m in the kitchen.¡± What''s going on? ¡°Something you''re probably not going to be happy about.¡± What is it? More Warriors? ¡°Nothing like that.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Just come and see.¡± Ren opened the door and went out into the hallway, then into the main room. He didn''t notice anything out of the ordinary, and went to the kitchen. When he passed the doorway, Teepo dropped into the hood of his cloak. ¡°You''re up early.¡± Narhilda said and smiled at Ren. ¡°It''s still dark out.¡± Ren sat down at the table, opposite Nathalia, who he saw had an unhappy expression. ¡°I couldn''t sleep.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Did we wake you?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I just woke up.¡± He said, then looked at the two women. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Narhilda sighed. ¡°Something else has come up, that my daughter and I forgot about in all the excitement.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I have to leave for my courtship training.¡± Nathalia said. Ren stared at her. ¡°You''re leaving?¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°The convent is about a day''s travel away, along the mountain range. It''s near the summit of Mount Vongurhm.¡± Ren opened his mouth, then shut it. A moment later, he spoke. ¡°If I wasn''t awake, you were just going to leave without saying goodbye, weren''t you?¡± A tear formed in the corner of her eye, and she wiped it away before it fell. ¡°I''d have to. The caravan leaves in an hour.¡± Ren put his elbows on the table and covered his face with his hands. ¡°If I remember correctly, it takes a year for courtship training.¡± He said. ¡°Are you really going to be gone for a whole year?¡± Nathalia''s face went from unhappy to dismayed. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, that''s just great.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°First my girlfriend leaves me, and now you''re leaving, too.¡± Ren dropped his hands. ¡°This is turning out to be just a wonderful day, isn''t it?¡± ¡°Your... your girlfriend left you?¡± Nathalia said, surprised. Ren let a crooked smile spread across his face. ¡°Yeah, we just broke up.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve sent her a message trying to change her mind, but I doubt she''d even look at it right now.¡± ¡°Ren, I''m really sorry.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°So am I.¡± Ren said and the smile slipped from his face. ¡°I''m sorry, too.¡± Her mother Narhilda said. ¡°The arrangements were made years ago, to delay Nathalia''s enrollment until House Neram was in order. When our debts were paid, a notice was sent to the convent; then one of the convent''s caretakers showed up here last night, about an hour after you went to bed.¡± Ren nodded slightly. That figures. Ren thought, not really surprised. When it rains, it pours. ¡°Are you taking any bags with you?¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I can''t even wear this.¡± She said and tugged on the edge of the dress. ¡°What?!?¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Everything will be provided for me.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°What about your locket?¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened. ¡°I... I forgot about that!¡± She said. ¡°I''ll have to leave that, too.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°That''s not right.¡± Nathalia took out the locket and her mother gasped. ¡°Where did you get that?¡± Narhilda asked.¡±What happened to your old one?¡± ¡°This is the old one.¡± Nathalia smiled and caressed the locket. ¡°Ren fixed it for me.¡± She unhooked the clasp and passed it to her mother. ¡°Hold onto this for me, until I come back.¡± Narhilda took the locket and opened it, then caught her breath. A tear came to her eye and she rubbed a finger over the perfect portrait of her husband. ¡°It looks like it''s brand new.¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°It won''t have to be repaired ever again.¡± She said and smiled at Ren. Narhilda put it around her neck and hooked the clasp. She pulled out the collar of the white chiffon dress she wore, and tucked the locket underneath; wearing the locket just like her daughter did. ¡°I''ll keep it safe.¡± She said and pat it. You could clearly see it''s outline through the thin fabric of her dress. Everyone was quiet for a minute, and then Ren stood up. ¡°Well, there''s only one thing that can be done about this.¡± Ren said and walked around the table. Nathalia''s eyes widened at him as he approached her, and Ren held out a hand to her. ¡°May I have this dance?¡± ¡°W-w-w-what?¡± Nathalia stammered, surprised beyond belief. ¡°The proper send off would have been a party in your Honor; but seeing as we only have about half an hour before you have to leave...¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°The only thing I can think to do is this.¡± Nathalia reached out to take Ren''s hand and he gently helped her stand. ¡°I... I don''t know any...¡± She said and blushed, embarrassed. ¡°That''s all right. It''s easy. I''ll show you.¡± Ren said and showed her the basic steps. ¡°I don''t know if I can...¡± ¡°Just follow my lead.¡± Ren grinned and activated Sneak, then concentrated on his Etiquette ability. He took her left hand in his right, and he put her right hand on his shoulder. Ren stepped in close to her and put his left hand on her lower back. ¡°But... there''s no music.¡± Nathalia said and tried to not blush again. Ren turned his head to Narhilda. ¡°My Lady... hum the House Neram anthem, please.¡± Narhilda smiled and hummed the anthem, and Ren danced with Nathalia. He led her around the main room, stepping lightly and slowly at first; then when he saw that Nathalia was following him easily, he went faster. He added in a small spin here and there, and kept dancing. When Narhilda finished humming, he stepped forward and braced his knee, then dipped Nathalia backwards over it. She gave a little yip and gripped his shoulder tightly, as her braid flipped around and landed on the floor. Ren stood and brought Nathalia up to stand with him. Ren stepped back from her, still holding her hand. He bowed deeply over it, and Nathalia blushed a little. ¡°Thank you for the dance.¡± Ren said and stood up. Nathalia gripped his hand hard. ¡°Thank you, Ren. That was... magnificent.¡± Narhilda clapped and came over to them. ¡°That was beautiful, Ren!¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Where did you learn to dance so regally?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Ren smiled. ¡°A nice librarian showed me the basic moves at a party once. I just took it from there.¡± ¡°I hope they teach something like that at the convent.¡± Narhilda said and hugged her daughter. ¡°It''s going to be a bit empty here with you gone.¡± ¡°I feel the same.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''m going to have a little room all to myself, but I''m going to miss eating supper with you.¡± She put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Both of you.¡± Ren stepped forward and gave her a hug. ¡°I''m going to miss seeing you every day.¡± Nathalia hugged him back, and after a few moments, she let him go. ¡°Will we be allowed to visit?¡± Ren asked. Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I won''t be able to come home for a visit, either.¡± ¡°For the whole year? Why?¡± Ren asked, perplexed. ¡°It''s to make her more receptible to men.¡± Narhilda said. Ren looked at her mother in surprise. ¡°After so long without a single man anywhere near her, she''ll be both eager and willing to be courted.¡± Ren reached out and cupped the side of Nathalia''s face. She closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°I know it''s not my place to question another society''s beliefs...¡± Ren said and let his hand fall. ¡°...but to deny contact like that for a year... it''s almost torture.¡± ¡°That''s the way it''s always been done, Ren.¡± Narhilda said. Ren thought for a moment. ¡°What about letters?¡± Narhilda smiled. ¡°Yes, letters are acceptable.¡± Ren smiled, too. ¡°What about Sending Stones?¡± ¡°I don''t see why not... but there''s no Sending Stone at the convent... for personal use, anyways.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Perfect.¡± ¡°What is?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°If the convent is a day''s travel away, and there''s a Sending Stone there...¡± Ren said. ¡°...then the range can be amplified.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Narhilda asked. Ren took out 2 stone bricks from inventory and his Book of Runes. He flipped to the Dwarf Rune: Speak, and set the quadruple glyph in his mind. He put the 2 stone bricks side by side, then placed a hand on them, touching both. I hope this works. Ren thought, then dumped a pile of Mana from his Mana Pool into enchanting both stones at the same time, concentrating on Connection. It took nearly a quarter of his Mana Pool, and the stone bricks glowed a bright blue for a few moments. The double glyphs etched themselves into the faces of the stones and the glow faded. ¡°You''re an Enchanter?!?¡± They said at the same time and looked at each other. ¡°I thought you just had those fire bricks on you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°The ones you put in the stove.¡± ¡°He has fire bricks?¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Wait, what are those?¡± ¡°Apparently, they''re bricks he enchanted himself to spew fire.¡± Nathalia said and shook her head. ¡°Just so you know, I''m a Blacksmith, too.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°You''re what?!?¡± They said together. Ren chuckled. ¡°I know how to do a lot of things.¡± He said. ¡°All that matters right now, is that Nathalia needs a way to talk to us.¡± Ren pointed to one of the stone bricks. ¡°I''m hoping that this will work. If it doesn''t reach all the way, I''ll figure something else out.¡± Nathalia put a hand on his arm. ¡°Ren, you don''t have to do that.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I know, but there''s no way I''m letting your mother go a whole year without hearing your voice.¡± ¡°Just my mother?¡± Nathalia asked, her voice full of hope. Ren grinned. ¡°Yep.¡± Nathalia''s mouth fell open, she dropped her hand, then her face fell into a frown. ¡°You... don''t want to hear from me?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Of course I do... but, I''ll be right there with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°W-w-what?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ve been meaning to dig up some more ore.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°What better place is there, than a mountain so far away from where everyone else is digging?¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Nathalia tried to speak, but was at a loss for words. ¡°The least I can do is escort you on your journey.¡± Nathalia opened her mouth to speak, and Ren put a finger on her lips. ¡°I''ve got to test the Sending Stones anyways.¡± He said. ¡°As we go along, I''ll have Narhilda use the stone every hour. If I get to a point that they don''t work, I can mark the spot and maybe set up a relay.¡± ¡°A... a what?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°If my guess is correct, each stone sends to the other, no matter how many are in the circuit. If one set of 2 can''t reach that far, then maybe a bunch in a row might do the trick.¡± Nathalia looked at him like he was crazy, and Ren laughed. ¡°Don''t worry about the details.¡± Ren said. ¡°For now... I''m coming along... mainly because I want to make sure that nothing happens to you.¡± Nathalia put a hand on his arm again. ¡°You don''t have to, but... thank you, Ren.¡± ¡°You don''t have to thank me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Friends help each other when they can.¡± She squeezed his arm and let it go. ¡°Yes, we do.¡± ¡°So, you''re both leaving me here all alone?¡± Narhilda said with a sad look on her face. Ren turned to her and took her into a hug. ¡°I''m not leaving you.¡± He said, and rubbed her back to console her. ¡°I''m just gathering some resources.¡± He leaned back and looked her in the eyes. ¡°I''ll be back before you know it.¡± ¡°I don''t know...¡± Narhilda said and smiled. ¡°...you''ve been a really big part of our lives lately.¡± Ren smiled himself and let her go. ¡°I see you both in the same way.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t know what I''d do with myself, if I didn''t have you in my life.¡± Narhilda and Nathalia''s faces flushed a little red, then there was a loud bang of metal on wood. ¡°That''ll be the gate.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I''ll get it.¡± Ren said and left the two women in the main room. He went outside and opened the gate, to see a large caravan of 20 or so carts being pulled by ponies. He saw some women walking alongside the carts, armed for battle. ¡°We''re here to pick up a new convert.¡± A female dwarf said, and handed Ren a simple brown robe. He examined it and got the recipe for it. It was just a piece of cloth with arm holes cut into it, that wrapped around the body, but Ren stored the pattern anyways. Ren bowed slightly to the female dwarf, and her eyes widened slightly. ¡°I''ll go and get her.¡± Ren said and went back inside the house to give Nathalia the robe. He passed it to her and turned his back, to wait for her to change. A few minutes later, she tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around. The robe fit her nicely, and the ties highlighted her tiny waist and emphasized her chest to prominence. Ren''s eyes traveled from the top of Nathalia''s head, down to her feet, and then back up to her eyes. ¡°You can make any outfit look spectacular.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even a basic robe.¡± He turned to her mother, and didn''t see Nathalia blush a bright red. She turned away from him to try and hide it. ¡°My Lady, don''t forget. Every hour.¡± Ren said and picked up one of the Sending Stone bricks. ¡°We need to know if they''ll work or not.¡± Narhilda nodded and touched the stone to speak, and then both stones glowed. ¡°I''ll remember.¡± ¡°I''ll remember.¡± ¡°Hey! It really worked!¡± ¡°Hey! It really worked!¡± ¡°Does my voice really sound like that?¡± ¡°Does my voice really sound like that?¡± Narhilda took her hand off the stone and they stopped glowing, then she grinned. ¡°Well, we know they work this closely.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Do that again in an hour. I''ll respond right after.¡± Narhilda nodded and Ren took her hand. ¡°My Lady, I''ll be back as soon as I can. Probably in a couple of days.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll take good care of your daughter.¡± ¡°You better!¡± She said and smiled. ¡°She''s the only one I have.¡± Ren bent over her hand and let it go. ¡°We better get out there, before they send in a search party.¡± He said to Nathalia, and she laughed. ¡°All right.¡± Nathalia said and hugged her mother. ¡°Goodbye, Ma. I''ll see you in a year.¡± ¡°Goodbye, dear.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I''d tell you to have fun, but I know where you''re going.¡± She said and laughed. Nathalia sighed and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Yes, it''s going to be a barrel of laughs.¡± Nathalia said and Ren snorted a laugh. He raided the icebox and took enough food for several people, to last for about a week. He turned to Narhilda and held several gold coins in his hand. ¡°I''ve taken a lot of food.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is this enough to replace it?¡± Narhilda smiled and closed his hand over the coins, stepped close, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. ¡°Take all that you need, dear.¡± ¡°Thank you, My Lady.¡± Ren said and bowed to her. He took Nathalia''s hand and led her out to the courtyard. ¡°Just a second.¡± Ren said and went into the stable. ¡°Hey, Ruck...¡± Ren said and knocked on the cabinet. ¡°I''m going on a short trip. Do you want to come along? I might need some of the things you''re carrying.¡± The cabinet opened and Ruck came out with a ''thumbs up'' gesture. Ren turned around and Ruck climbed up onto his back. Ren concentrated on his Camaraderie Aura and turned to his mount. ¡°What about you, Princess?¡± Ren said and rubbed her neck. ¡°Feel like a trip of a few days?¡± Princess huffed and stood up. ¡°Great! I''m glad you want to get some fresh air.¡± Ren said and put her saddle and harness on her. She looked at him and he laughed. ¡°No, I''m not going to ride you.¡± Ren said, stored her crate, and led her out to the courtyard. Nathalia looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°What?¡± Ren asked. Nathalia shook her head and opened the gate. The female dwarf was still standing there, and saw Ren coming out with a mount. ¡°I''m sorry, but he can''t come with you.¡± The female dwarf said. ¡°That defeats the whole purpose of your training.¡± Ren led Princess out of the courtyard and turned to lock the gate behind him. ¡°I''m not going with her to the convent.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m going mining. Hopefully, I''ll find something nice and shiny.¡± The female dwarf looked at him like he was crazy, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll be traveling alongside your caravan, if that''s okay?¡± The female dwarf frowned at him. She knew he was lying about something, but couldn''t detect what it was. ¡°If you can keep up, then be my guest.¡± Ren reached out and took her hand, and bent over it slightly. ¡°Thank you, Ma''am.¡± The female dwarf''s face flushed a little red and Ren let her hand go. ¡°Um... well... ah...¡± She stammered. ¡°Why don''t you climb up into the cart, so the caravan can be on it''s way?¡± Ren suggested. ¡°Ah... yes... yes, that''s right.¡± She said and turned to Nathalia. ¡°Climb aboard. We need to go.¡± Nathalia smiled at Ren, then climbed up into the closest cart. There were several women in the back, and they helped her up. She sat down and introduced herself to the other women. The female dwarf climbed into the driver''s seat of the front cart. ¡°Roll out!¡± She shouted, and the carts started to move. There was lots of room on the street for Ren to walk alongside the cart that Nathalia was on, and he easily kept pace with it. They made their way along the back roads and once they got close to entering the main part of Dornrach, they turned and followed the road that went along in the same direction as the mountain range on this side of the city. I really should have found a map or something. Ren thought. I wonder if there''s a road on the other side of the city, too. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°When would you have found a map? You''ve been going non-stop since we got here.¡± Ren chuckled. Yeah, I guess I can''t beat myself up over that. He thought. I don''t even know if there''s a Library here. ¡°I''m sure there is, somewhere.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Good luck finding it, though.¡± Why? ¡°Dwarves aren''t known for sharing knowledge like that.¡± Ren smiled again. I got a taste of that in that stonemason''s plush office. Ren thought. He was genuinely insulted that I wanted to learn from him! Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°He was an extreme case. I would have warned you about it beforehand, otherwise.¡± What do you think about this situation? Ren thought to his friend. ¡°I''d say we are in for some interesting times.¡± Ren widened his eyes. Why do you think that? ¡°Well, we''re in a caravan that''s full of women, who are on their way to spend an entire year with other women, to learn how to be courted by a man. Once we get there, we''re going to be near a building that has hundreds of other women who haven''t seen a man in nearly a year.¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°This is going to be fun!¡± Oh, crap. Ren thought, and Teepo kept chittering in laughter. Chapter 103 - In All Honesty The caravan moved through the countryside for an hour, and the Sending Stone that Ren had secured to Princess'' saddle glowed blue. ¡°How''s everything going?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°I hope they haven''t tackled you and tied you up in one of the carts.¡± She said and laughed. ¡°You''re quite the prize, you know.¡± The stone stopped glowing and Ren looked at it. What am I going to say to that? Ren thought. Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°Tease her back, of course.¡± Ren grinned and touched the stone. It glowed and he spoke. ¡°They wouldn''t do that, My Lady. I already told them that if anyone was going to tie me up and keep me, it would be you.¡± Ren took his hand off the stone and it stopped glowing. ¡°I can''t wait for her response!¡± Teepo said. Ren chuckled. Me, either. He thought, then glanced at the cart he was walking beside. Everyone was staring at him; even Nathalia, and Ren nodded to them. They all gasped and turned away, slightly scandalized over an unknown man giving them Honor, and Nathalia smiled. Ren smiled back and bowed to her, and she turned away to hide her face as it flushed a little red. The caravan went along for a while, and Ren found that even the country roads were well maintained and in good condition. They were also wide enough for 2 carts to pass side-by-side easily. ¡°We''re at the hour limit.¡± Teepo said. How can you tell? ¡°I counted.¡± Oh. Well, good work. Keep going. Ren thought, and a few minutes later the Sending Stone glowed blue again. ¡°Um... I''m just checking in to see if this works...¡± Narhilda said, then continued in a soft whisper that only Ren could hear. ¡°...and if I thought I could get away with it, I would.¡± Ren''s eyes widened for a moment, and then he smiled. Well, damn. I expected her to tease me again, not tell me she really wants to keep me. ¡°What are you going to say?¡± Teepo asked. Ren thought about it for a minute, as he slowed his pace down a little, to get between the carts. I''m going to be honest, actually. Ren thought and reached out to touch the stone. It glowed blue and Ren spoke. ¡°My Lady...¡± Ren said, sincerely. ¡°...you don''t know how tempted I am right now.¡± He said. ¡°After breaking up with my girlfriend, I''m... well, I''m devastated.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Comfort from a good woman would be more welcome than I believe I deserve.¡± The stone''s glow faded and Ren looked around to make sure no one had heard him. He kept the same pace to stay between the carts and continued walking. ¡°We''re coming up on the hour.¡± Teepo said again. Ren looked at the stone and it glowed blue. ¡°What about my daughter?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°If... if you... it should be from her.¡± She said. ¡°She has strong feelings for you. She''s young... and almost ready for a man.¡± The stone''s glow faded, and Ren reached out to touch the stone. ¡°My Lady... I care about your daughter a lot; but, getting married isn''t something that I want right now... and it''s something that every dwarf woman near my age, not only wants, but needs.¡± Ren said. ¡°I... I can''t be that man for her.¡± The stone''s glow faded and Ren walked on. ¡°Is that how you really feel?¡± Teepo asked. Ren sighed. Yes. Marriage isn''t something I''ve even considered. I only just got a girlfriend... well, had a girlfriend... recently. Marriage is way too big a step for me. ¡°So, does that mean you''d want to be with Nathalia if marriage wasn''t involved?¡± Teepo asked. Ren was silent for a minute. Actually, if I''m being completely honest with myself, and if Lucy wasn''t in the picture... then yes. I''d see her as a good match, actually. ¡°Then tell her to give this convent thing up and go home.¡± W-what? Ren thought, surprised. ¡°Tell her how you feel. What''s the worst that could happen?¡± Teepo said. ¡°She''d say no, right?¡± Ren didn''t respond for a few minutes. I don''t have any right to tell her how to live her life... Ren thought. ...and I want to get back with Lucy. ¡°Why?¡± Why what? ¡°Why do you want to get back with her?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°She broke up with you, didn''t she?¡± Yes. ¡°I''m not going to ask why, because that doesn''t matter. Not really. She did it, and it broke your heart.¡± Ren let a few tears come to his eyes. Yes. ¡°Then tell Nathalia, who cares a lot about you by the way, how you feel. How you really feel.¡± I... I can''t. Ren thought. The last time I did that... it was great, and I thought everything was going so well... and then... ¡°Nathalia''s not Lucy, Ren.¡± I know. Ren sighed. They are almost complete physical opposites, actually. Ren thought. Lucy is over a foot taller than me, has shoulder length blonde hair, and blue eyes. Nathalia is 7 inches shorter than me, her braid goes down to her ankles, and she has hazel eyes. ¡°Yeah, they are opposites, aren''t they?¡± Teepo said. Ren nodded. I love Lucy, though. ¡°Then ignore everything I just said.¡± W-w-what? Ren thought in surprise. ¡°Nothing I can say will convince you to move on.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re going to have to make that decision for yourself.¡± Ren sighed and kept walking. Teepo didn''t say anything else until the hour was up, and let Ren know. The stone glowed and Ren listened. ¡°Marriage isn''t so bad, Ren.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°You''d have 2 years, after this one, before you''d have to go through with it.¡± She said. ¡°And what grown adults do with each other until then...¡± The stone''s glow faded and Ren touched it to make it glow again. ¡°I never asked what you actually learn at the convent. Why does it take a year? Why not 6 months, or 10 days? What do you do there that takes that long for a woman to be ready for a man?¡± Another hour passed and the stone glowed again. ¡°We aren''t allowed to say.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°What I can tell you, is that what is learned there, will benefit a woman for the rest of her life.¡± She sighed. ¡°I''m not convincing you, am I?¡± The glow faded and Ren touched it. ¡°No, My Lady. I just don''t understand your culture. I know all about it, but I can''t reason with it, if that makes any sense.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I don''t want to mess up her life again, by interfering with what she has to do.¡± The stone''s glow faded and the caravan continued for another hour. They came to a stop and formed a protective circle in a rest area on the side of the road. The stone glowed again and Ren waited to hear what Narhilda would say. ¡°Ren... I... I''m sorry.¡± She said. ¡°It''s our way.¡± The stone''s glow faded. Ren touched it. ¡°I know, My Lady.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I know.¡± The glow faded again as Ren watched all the women climbed down from the carts and stretch. Some went for a walk, and some started prepping several cooking fires. Ren kept off to the side, well away from the circled carts. He didn''t want to disturb the women protecting it, but then he saw that the ones delegated to cook were trying to use damp wood to start the fires. Ren sighed and led Princess over to the circled carts, and the well-armed women stared at him. Ren tied Princess to the closest cart, and approached a woman who was trying her best to light a fire.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Ma''am?¡± Ren said in as soft a voice as he could, so he wouldn''t startle her. It didn''t work, though. ¡°Gah!¡± She exclaimed, and dropped the stone and flint she was using, right into the poorly stacked wood. She stepped away from him and Ren sighed. He bent down and pulled the wood apart, picked up the stone and flint, and put them well away from where he was. Ren went back to the spot they picked for a fire, and took out one of the stone bricks he''d used in the stove on the ship. He nestled it underneath the pile, fixed it so the heat would keep the wood burning for a lot longer, and activated the enchantment. The fire lit immediately and a billow of white smoke puffed out. The wood dried not long after that and Ren stepped away from the fire, without saying a word. Some of the women gathered around the fire and watched as he did the same thing for the other 5 fires they had set up. He''d had to enchant 3 more stone bricks, but he still had plenty of them left to make a forge. If he need more, he knew just the place to get them, anyways. Ren walked back to where he tied Princess, and Nathalia was standing there. ¡°That was really nice of you.¡± She said. Ren smiled. ¡°I saw how they were struggling with trying to light damp wood.¡± He said and shook his head. ¡°I hope one of the things they teach is how to set a cooking fire properly.¡± ¡°Probably, but if they had those neat fire bricks, they wouldn''t need to set a fire at all, would they?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Or someone like you that can operate them all.¡± Nathalia widened her eyes. ¡°You didn''t.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I can''t be around all the time. They''ll need someone to help them put out the fires when they''re done.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°Don''t worry, I made it look like I lit them normally.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I had a hard enough time being engaged to one pretty woman, what in the world would I do with over a hundred of them?¡± Nathalia opened her mouth, then shook her head and closed it. She reached a hand out to put on his arm, but a well-armed female dwarf coughed nearby, and she dropped it. ¡°You have to watch what you say, remember? Calling me pretty is not a good thing to say here.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You are pretty. It''s not like I''m exaggerating or anything... or worse, lying.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, if I''d said you looked manly...¡± Nathalia winced slightly. ¡°See? You knew I was lying.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I can go through a whole list of things I like about you, if you want.¡± ¡°You really could, couldn''t you?¡± She asked. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°The best part is your eyes.¡± Nathalia didn''t wince at all, and then she smiled. My eyes? He likes my eyes the best! ¡°The little gold specks really attract the eye.¡± Ren said. ¡°Next is your hair.¡± ¡°My hair?¡± Nathalia asked, surprised. Not my chest? ¡°I''ve never seen hair as long as yours.¡± ¡°What... what''s next on your list?¡± She asked, knowing it had to be her chest. What else is there? ¡°That''s a difficult one.¡± Ren said and thought about it. ¡°I think it''s a tie between two things.¡± Aha! Here it comes... ¡°Your smile and your hugs.¡± Nathalia was shocked that she didn''t detect a lie at all. ¡°But...¡± She leaned in close to whisper. ¡°What about my chest?¡± She said and blushed really hard. Why am I saying such things to him? She thought, then continued. ¡°Don''t... don''t you like it?¡± Ren glanced down at it, then back at her face. ¡°Nathalia...¡± He whispered. ¡°You know they''re amazing.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°They aren''t what I see when I look at you, though.¡± Nathalia''s mouth fell open in surprise. ¡°I love Lucy... and I don''t think that will change. She''s my first love... and she''ll always be special to me...¡± Ren said. ¡°...but... a friend made me admit to myself that if you weren''t locked into your culture''s ways, with courtship and marriage and everything else...¡± Ren stepped close to her. Despite a very loud cough from the well-armed female dwarf standing nearby, Ren whispered in her ear. ¡°I''d be all over you, like melted butter on mashed potatoes.¡± Nathalia caught her breath and shivered, as Ren had told her the absolute truth. Oh... oh my... Nathalia thought a moment later. She reached up and put a hand on the side of his face. ¡°AHEM!¡± The female dwarf said loudly, but Nathalia ignored her. ¡°Ren... I... you don''t know how much I... I wish...¡± She sighed. ¡°...I wish I could...¡± ¡°Like I told your mother...¡± Ren said and took her hand from his face. ¡°...I can''t be the man that you need, Nathalia. I can''t mess up your life by getting trapped into marriage again.¡± ¡°You talked to my mother about it?¡± Nathalia asked, surprised. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°On the way here, actually.¡± ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°She tried to convince me to marry you, when I told her how much Lucy hurt me.¡± ¡°It didn''t work.¡± Nathalia said. Ren shook his head. ¡°I told her that I knew all about your culture and social background, but that I didn''t understand it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Where I come from, just giving someone a gift isn''t reason enough to get engaged.¡± ¡°It''s our way.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°That''s what your mother said.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°And she told me what you learn at the convent will benefit you for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°Ren... I...¡± Nathalia tried to say. ¡°If we were engaged, we could...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°My friend convinced me that I should tell you how I felt about you. He said that the worst thing that could happen if I asked you to give up the convent thing and go back home, was that you''d say no.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°But... I think the worst thing that could happen, would be if you said yes.¡± Nathalia looked at him with wide eyes as Ren bent over her hand and kissed it lightly. Several gasps were heard as Ren did the ''interested, but knows his place'' gesture. Ren let her hand go and stood up straight. ¡°I hope you can find a man that''s worthy of being by your side.¡± Ren said. Nathalia stepped in close, reached up around Ren''s neck, and pulled him down into a kiss. ******** ¡°Oh, no.¡± Denise said. She took out her cell phone and dialed Lucy. She knew the number because she''d had to ask a lot of questions about doing Lucy''s old job. ¡°Come on, Lucy. Pick up!¡± * Lucy looked at her phone and saw that it was Denise. She sighed and answered. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Lucy! You aren''t going to believe this...¡± Denise said, and explained what was happening with Ren. The tears started again, and Lucy wiped them away. ¡°He''s better off having a relationship in the game.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Denise asked. ¡°She''s not even real!¡± ¡°It''s real to him.¡± ¡°Lucy... if you think it''s better for him to have a relationship with someone in the game, just because he can be hurt so easily in real life... then why aren''t you trying to be that woman for him?¡± Lucy sighed. ¡°I hurt him, Denise. I hurt him so easily, and were were just...¡± She said and put a hand on her forehead. ¡°...when we do other things, what if I... if I...¡± ¡°So what?¡± Denise said. ¡°You love him, don''t you?¡± Lucy nodded and then realized Denise couldn''t see her. ¡°Yes, I do... but... I can''t even look at him now, without remembering the sight of his arm nearly hanging off.¡± Lucy shuttered. ¡°I''m a nurse, and I''ve seen similar things before; but, seeing someone you love like that... and knowing you did it...¡± ¡°He told you it was okay, right?¡± ¡°It''s not okay!¡± Lucy exclaimed. ¡°Just a little bit more pressure, he could have lost the arm, Denise! You know that.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Denise sighed. ¡°But he''s devastated. He even asked me to leave him alone... and he never does that. He always spends time with us.¡± Denise said. ¡°He''s going to jump on the first stable relationship he can get his hands on if you don''t stop him... or even give him hope that you might get back together.¡± Lucy shook her head, forgetting that Denise still couldn''t see her. ¡°It''s better if he does find someone else. I can''t... I can''t even look at him after what I did, let alone think about being his girlfriend again.¡± ¡°I''m really sorry you feel that way, Lucy.¡± Denise sighed again. ¡°I won''t bother you about this again.¡± ¡°Bye, Denise.¡± ¡°Bye, Lucy.¡± * Denise hung up her cell phone and put it away. ¡°Well, you''re on your own now, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°Good luck.¡± ******** Ren reacted instinctively and hugged her, then her quick kiss turned into a full blown passionate one, and both of their bodies reacted accordingly. Nathalia felt Ren''s bulge growing on her lower belly and Ren felt the tips of her breasts poke him in the chest. They stayed like that for a minute or two, making out, until Nathalia let her arms slide away from his neck and down his chest. Ren stopped kissing her and stood up straight. ¡°I''ve found a worthy man...¡± Nathalia said. ¡°...he just doesn''t realize it, yet.¡± Ren started to speak and she put a finger to his lips. ¡°I know you don''t really want to get married, and I know you''re not going to wait a year for me, either.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°On the other hand, we both know that this could be the best thing that either of us has ever had, marriage or no marriage.¡± She looked at Ren in the eyes and took her finger away from his mouth. ¡°Tell me that isn''t true.¡± Ren opened his mouth; but didn''t say anything, because she would know it if he lied. He closed his mouth and Nathalia smiled at his reaction. ¡°Do you remember what I told you before?¡± She asked. ¡°About you being able to do anything you wanted until the marriage ceremony?¡± Ren nodded, not doing it slightly like he was supposed to. ¡°I didn''t just mean with other women, you know.¡± Ren looked at her with surprise on his face. ¡°What... what are you saying?¡± ¡°I''m going to do something that no dwarf woman has ever done before.¡± Nathalia said, and took Ren''s hand. She knelt on one knee and looked up to Ren''s startled face. ¡°Will you marry me, Ren?¡± Several women gasped, one nearly screamed, and then it was quiet again. ¡°But... but... what about the convent? Your training? Finding other suitors?¡± ¡°Who else is going to measure up to you?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Where in the world am I going to find another Ren?¡± Ren didn''t know how to answer that, and then he got a message notice. He opened it, and read it. It was Lucy''s response. As he read it to the end a second time, several tears tried to escape; but Ren shut his eyes and stopped them, then closed the message and looked at Nathalia. ¡°Yes, Nathalia. I will marry you.¡±
Notice!
You have willingly entered a binding legal contract of marriage with Nathalia Neram. You have 1 year to provide her with a suitable living space, and all amenities required to fulfill her duties as your wife. Rewards: Nathalia Neram (Wife) Nathalia Neram has been granted: Aura (Personal) Inheritance: House Neram (+Treasures), House Neram Keep
Notice!
Retainer contract with House Neram has been nullified.
Notice!
Your acceptance of Nathalia Neram''s proposal has granted her the title: Nathalia, The First. She now has both Command and Camaraderie Auras, similar to yours. While together, your Aura abilities will combine and increase both in distance and in level.
¡°Oh... wow.¡± Ren said and helped Nathalia stand. His Aura went out to 30 feet now, and he could almost feel the people in it. ¡°Ren, what just happened? I''ve got a title now? Nathalia, The First?¡± ¡°You were right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your proposal was the first one, ever.¡± ¡°I thought... I mean I never heard of another woman proposing; but, I really was the first one ever?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I''ve also got Aura, Command, and Camaraderie.¡± She said, surprised. ¡°This is so weird.¡± Ren looked at her and smiled. ¡°You said this could be the best thing to happen for the both of us.¡± Ren pulled her close. ¡°Guess what?¡± She looked at him in the eyes and smiled back. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Ren said and kissed her, to the sound of several more gasps. Chapter 104 - Camping Out Ren and Nathalia kissed each other for a few minutes, until the female dwarf that picked Nathalia up at House Neram, stomped over. ¡°What''s going on over here?¡± She said. Ren turned his head to look at her, and saw that several women around them had fainted from his public display of affection. He let Nathalia go and turned towards the female dwarf when she came to a stop near them. ¡°She proposed!¡± One blushing woman said. ¡°Oh, my nerves.¡± She said and fanned her face with a hand. ¡°I''ve seen people kiss before... but that...¡± She sat down on the ground. ¡°Oh, my...¡± ¡°I told you that having him come along would defeat the whole purpose.¡± The female dwarf said to Nathalia. ¡°Please accept my sincere apologies.¡± Ren said, and bowed to her. All the women gasped at the same time, even the well-armed women guarding the caravan. ¡°I didn''t intend for this to happen; but since it has, I''ll do my best to live up to my responsibilities.¡± Ren said and stood up straight. The female dwarf stared at him with wide eyes for several moments, before speaking. ¡°W-well... see that you do.¡± She said and kind of wobbled as she walked away. Another female came over to help her, staring in surprise at Ren. ¡°That was laying it on a little thick, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Sorry, but I had to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand. ¡°It''s not out of hand now? You''re back to being engaged!¡± I know! Ren thought. I don''t know what came over me to accept her proposal like that... after I read what Lucy wrote... telling me she''d never touch me again... I just... her over-reaction made me over-react. ¡°I''d say!¡± Teepo said. ¡°I only wanted you to sow some oats, not buy the farm.¡± Ren smiled and turned back to Nathalia. ¡°I really do need to gather some ore and things.¡± He said. ¡°I think we should stick with the caravan until we''re near the convent, then veer off into the mountains.¡± ¡°That sounds good.¡± Nathalia said and looked down at herself. ¡°I won''t be needing this robe anymore. My training has been cancelled.¡± She said and laughed. ¡°It''s starting to get itchy, too. I didn''t bring any spare clothes with me, though.¡± ¡°Let me help you with that.¡± Ren said and walked over to a clear area. He took out some wood and built a table. He set it on the ground and took out enough fabric for what he wanted to make. He cut out the pieces, dyed them to the right color, and sewed them together. Nathalia''s eyes widened as he finished, and Ren turned to her. ¡°Your clothing, My Lady.¡± Ren said, and held out an exact copy of the dress her father had made for her. ¡°Ren... Ren, I... you really did memorize all of Da''s work.¡± Nathalia said in wonder, and took the dress. Ren flipped the table up on it''s end and draped a large piece of fabric over it, making it into a changing room for Nathalia. He held open the edge of the fabric, and she stepped inside. A few minutes later, she came out wearing the dress, and carried the robe in her hand. ¡°It''s perfect.¡± Nathalia said and gave Ren a hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, then stored the cloth and table. ¡°W-w-what are you doing?¡± The female dwarf leading the caravan said as she came back over. ¡°I don''t need training anymore.¡± Nathalia said and handed the robe to the female dwarf. The smell of food filled the area and a lot of women''s stomachs rumbled. ¡°I''ll still be coming along for a while, but I''ll be with my fiance, not in a cart.¡± Nathalia said, and took Ren''s hand. The female dwarf looked at their hands, then at their faces, and sighed. ¡°Fine. I hope you can keep up while walking in that dress.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°She won''t be walking.¡± He said and went over to where Princess was still tied to one of the carts. He tightened the saddle a little, and pat the side of Princess'' neck. ¡°My Lady will be riding in style.¡± Everyone stared at him in surprise, even Princess. Ren turned to her and whispered. ¡°It''s okay. She''s really light.¡± Ren enchanted the saddle with a double glyph, one for Enhancement (Ren chose Toughness) so the saddle could survive the enchantment, and Antidark to make anything that sat on the saddle lighter. Princess nodded and Ren smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± Nathalia came over to Ren and looked at his mount. ¡°You''re going to let me ride her?¡± She said and pat Princess on the other side of her neck. ¡°She''s quite the noble mount.¡± Princess stood a little straighter and almost preened. Ren smiled. ¡°That she is; and yes, you''re going to ride her.¡± ¡°I haven''t ridden since I was a teenager.¡± ¡°It''ll come back to you.¡± Ren said. Nathalia looked down at her dress. ¡°I think side-saddle would be best.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°We can worry about that when the caravan moves out again.¡± He said and looked around. ¡°Everyone''s eating at the moment.¡± Nathalia looked as well. ¡°Should we join them?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''ve brought enough food for about a week. We can eat some of that, if you''d like.¡± ¡°I would.¡± Ren took out the table and the same piece of cloth he''d used before, and set out several plates of food. He made 2 chairs quickly, and they sat down to eat. When the other women started to gather everything up half an hour later, Ren stored the remaining food, chairs, table, and cloth. He and Nathalia walked over to Princess and Ren untied her from the cart. He led them both towards the road and waited by the side. They didn''t notice when the Sending Stone started to glow, until they heard Narhilda''s voice. ¡°This is just another test. I hope everything is okay.¡± Narhilda said and the stone stopped glowing. Ren looked at Nathalia and smiled. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Nathalia pat his arm and touched the stone, then told her mother what had happened. 5 minutes wasn''t long, and the stone stopped glowing before Nathalia could finish the whole story. ¡°I think she got enough of that to get the gist of what happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°The next time we hear from her, she''ll either be overjoyed or angry.¡± ¡°Why angry?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I kinda jumped the gun.¡± Ren said. ¡°After I explained to her why I wouldn''t, or shouldn''t, marry you... and then I accepted your proposal.¡± He shook his head. ¡°It was a rash decision, and I didn''t think about the consequences.¡± Ren cupped the side of her face. ¡°Nathalia, it might have been rash, but I did make the decision. My friend once told me that I was in this for the long haul, and with you by my side, I am.¡± Nathalia put a hand over Ren''s. ¡°You''ve also broken new ground by doing something that no one has ever done before. Your name will be written into the Annals of Dwarf History... right next to mine.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren nodded and dropped his hand. ¡°That''s... really nice.¡± Nathalia said and her face flushed a little red.
Notice!
Lucy (2645) has voluntarily left your party, Virtual Survivors.
Warning!
You are the only remaining member of your party, Virtual Survivors. It will be disbanded unless you invite more party members. Invite new party members now? Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and looked at Nathalia. ¡°Invite Nathalia Neram.¡± Ren said.
Notice!
You have invited an NPC to join your party. Confirm? Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ren, you''re inviting me to join your party?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I want you to benefit as much as you can from being with me.¡± ¡°Ren... I... I don''t know what to say.¡± ¡°Just say ''yes''.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Yes.¡± Nathalia said and smiled back. A slight golden glow covered her from head to foot. ¡°Ren? What''s happening?¡± She said and looked at her hands. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think you''re just getting an upgrade.¡± ¡°I''m what?!?¡± Nathalia said, shocked. The glow faded a moment later and she looked at him in consternation. ¡°Ren, I don''t feel any different.¡± ¡°Of course not. You''re still you.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I believe all that glow did was give you access to an inventory, and probably unlocked your Level to let you gain experience, just like I do.¡± Nathalia looked at Ren in surprise. ¡°I... I can hold stuff like you do now?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± Nathalia gave Ren a hug. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Ren hugged her back. ¡°I''m glad you''re not angry about it.¡± ¡°Why would I be angry?¡± She asked. ¡°I didn''t even ask you what you wanted to do. I just sprung that on you...¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°Kind of like asking you to marry me?¡± Ren opened his mouth to say something, then smiled instead. ¡°We make quite a pair, don''t we?¡± ¡°We sure do.¡± Nathalia said and kissed him. ¡°Ahem!¡± One of the well-armed female dwarfs said and they broke the kiss. ¡°The fires you started won''t go out.¡± She said and pointed. Several women were trying to put out the fires by pouring water on them. ¡°Nathalia, why don''t you help them deal with that?¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I better stay here, so I won''t disturb the caravan any more than I already have.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren watched as Nathalia and the female dwarf went to each fire and Nathalia put it out, expertly hiding the enchanted bricks, then stored them into inventory. She came back a few minutes later and smiled. ¡°This inventory thing is great!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°How much can it hold?¡± ¡°That depends on what you want to carry.¡± Ren said. ¡°A pound of feathers or a pound of bricks.¡± Nathalia looked at him like he was crazy, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Ren, that''s the same thing! They''re both a pound!¡± ¡°They are; but, there''s going to be a lot of feathers making up a pound. I don''t know how much you can hold in each slot, so a pound of feathers will take up a lot more room, whereas a pile of bricks takes only a single slot.¡± ¡°Ah... I see.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°How you store things is just as important as storing them in the first place.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Exactly.¡± Ren said and motioned towards Princess. ¡°I better help you mount up. The caravan''s leaving.¡± Ren helped Nathalia climb up onto Princess'' saddle and hooked one of her feet into the stirrup on the side her legs were on. The carts in the caravan started to move and Ren waited until the last one passed him. He glanced around the site to make sure nothing was left behind, and led Princess up the road. Ren looked at Nathalia sitting side-saddle on Princess, and smiled. She looks like a Queen sitting on her throne. Ren thought. ¡°She probably feels that way, too.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Everyone''s looking at her in awe.¡± Ren looked at the caravan, and sure enough, nearly everyone that could see, or lean out to see, was staring at Nathalia. At least they aren''t staring at me for a change! Ren thought, and Teepo chittered in laughter. The caravan moved on for about 45 minutes and the Sending Stone glowed again. ¡°He did it! I can''t believe he did it! You aren''t pulling my leg, are you? He really said yes?¡± Narhilda said in a single breath. ¡°Hold on... you asked HIM?!?¡± Ren chuckled. I guess that''s where Nathalia got that ability. He thought as Nathalia touched the stone. She started talking, taking up the story where she''d left off before, and finished just as the stone''s glow faded. The caravan went on for another hour, and Nathalia and her mother spoke to each other again. When the next hour approached, the glow started again and then in the middle of a sentence, stopped working. ¡°We found the cut off point. We''re about 10 hours away from the city.¡± Ren said and stopped walking. ¡°We''re about an hour or so from the convent, too.¡± Nathalia said, and she waved to the women in the caravan. Some waved back to her, and Ren waved to them. That wasn''t against social protocol, but most of them fanned their faces with their hands and turned away. Ren saw two women wave back, and he smiled. He turned Princess around and walked back about 20 feet. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren said to Nathalia, and pointed to the stone. Teepo, scout for me. Ren thought. Maybe a hundred feet or so. Far enough to not be seen from the road, but not too far to get back to it quickly. ¡°You got it, buddy!¡± Teepo said and hopped out of the hood and skittered into the underbrush by the roadside. Nathalia touched the stone and spoke. ¡°Sorry Ma, we hit the spot where the Sending Stone won''t work anymore. We''ve stopped here, and I assume will be making camp.¡± Nathalia said and Ren nodded. ¡°We''ll talk to you again in an hour.¡± The stone''s glow faded and Nathalia smiled. ¡°Things have changed so fast that I didn''t even ask where we were going to stay.¡± ¡°Don''t worry. I have an idea about that.¡± Ren said. Nathalia looked at him with her head tilted slightly. ¡°Where were you going to stay if I wasn''t here?¡± ¡°The same place, just a lot smaller.¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened at his words and Ren smiled. ¡°You''ll see.¡± ¡°All clear, Ren!¡± Teepo said. ¡°No snakes, spiders, or even frogs!¡± What about other large animals? ¡°Those were the large animals!¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Thanks, we''re coming in. Ren thought and led Princess off of the road and through the underbrush, careful to not leave any tracks. He went in about a hundred feet and found Teepo in the middle of an open area, with some trees scattered around, almost at random.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°This looks like a good spot.¡± Ren said and helped Nathalia dismount. ¡°How are you? Is anything sore from the long ride?¡± ¡°I didn''t want to say anything...¡± Nathalia said. ¡°...but that saddle wasn''t designed for riding like that.¡± She rubbed her backside and winced a little. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I should have made you a cushion or something.¡± ¡°Ren, everything that happens isn''t your fault.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You can''t think of every possibility for every situation that could possibly ever happen! You''d go crazy!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, it''s nerve-wracking for sure.¡± Nathalia looked at him in surprise. ¡°You... you''ve been doing that?¡± Ren gave her a half-smile. ¡°Oh, you poor thing.¡± Nathalia said, and gave him a bone-cracking hug. ¡°After everything you''ve gone through...¡± She let the hug go and reached up to run a hand through his hair. ¡°I''d tell you to not worry so much, but you''re going to anyways.¡± Ren looked at her with a single raised eyebrow. Nathalia reached up and rubbed it with her thumb, just like she did the last time he''d done it in front of her, and it made Ren laugh again. ¡°I better get camp set up.¡± Ren said. ¡°What can I do?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°You can watch and be pretty.¡± Ren grinned. Nathalia snorted a laugh. ¡°I''ll need your help soon.¡± Ren said and took out enough fabric to make a half-sized Canvas Tent. He added a cloth floor, since he didn''t have enough wood left. He dyed the tent grey and quickly sewed up the pieces, to finish making the exterior. Several poles were needed, and the 2 dozen springy trees he still had in inventory wouldn''t do. Ren looked around, and noticed that if he had enough rope, he could use the local trees as supports instead. Nathalia helped as he got three of the top corners of the tent tied off, but then he ran out of rope. The Spider Silk String! Ren thought and took out the string he would be using for bows, and used that for the last corner and tied it off. He put small piles of stone bricks inside each corner of the 10 foot square tent, to hold it steady, and two of the springy trees to hold up the pointed top of the tent. They weren''t load bearing, so they didn''t bend and sway, as the ropes held the tent steady. ¡°There!¡± Ren said and stepped back outside to admire the finished tent. ¡°A palace fit for a king!¡± Nathalia chuckled, took the Sending Stone from Princess'' saddle, and stepped inside. Ren followed her, took out his bed and placed it near the wall of the tent, and left enough room behind it to walk. He took out the table and chairs, and put them just inside and to the right of the front flap. ¡°Is this a good spot?¡± Ren asked Nathalia. ¡°Maybe a little more to the right.¡± She said. ¡°If you sit on that side, you''re back will be to the flap.¡± Ren moved the table over, closer to the side of the tent, and Nathalia nodded. Ren glanced outside and saw that it was getting dark. ¡°I better set up some protection.¡± Ren said and went outside. He took out Princess'' crate and set it right beside the tent. He fluffed the mattress and stepped aside to let Princess enter. She stopped beside him, Ren undid the saddle and harness, then stored them. She went inside and turned around, then plopped down on the mattress. One of the seams started to tear and Ren took out his Master Tailor Sewing Needle and used Repair on the mattress. It glowed for a moment and repaired itself. ¡°That is so cool.¡± Ren said and put the needle away. He pat Princess on the neck and took out Ruck''s small cabinet. He nailed it to the outside of Princess'' crate and opened the door. ¡°I know its tight, but I won''t leave you out in the open.¡± Ren said and turned around. Ruck climbed into the cabinet and gave Ren an ''okay'' gesture. ¡°Hold on, Ruck.¡± Ren said as Ruck tried to close the cabinet. ¡°I just had a really weird idea.¡± Ren stepped back a little. ¡°Invite Ruck to party Virtual Survivors.¡±
Notice!
You have invited Ruck (RENFamiliar001NPC) to join your party. Confirm: Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Ruck did several different hand gestures, from ''thumbs up'' to what Ren thought was ''jazz hands'', and Ren laughed. ¡°I think just an ''okay'' sign should do it.¡± Ruck gave Ren an ''okay'' sign on each hand. He was enveloped in a golden glow for only a moment and then it stopped. Ren reached out a hand and pat him on the head. ¡°I''d say you can Level up now, my friend.¡± Ruck gave him a ''thumbs up'' gesture and closed his cabinet. Ren stepped back and looked at Princess. ¡°Why stop now, right?¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°The system''s letting me do all sorts of crazy things.¡± Ren asked Princess to stand, put the saddle on her, and sent the party invite. Princess huffed, was enveloped in a golden glow for a few moments, and Ren saw the saddle grow a saddlebag on each side, and the glow faded. He took off the saddle and she plopped back down onto the mattress. He took out her bowl and fed her some food. Teepo? Are you busy? ¡°Nope.¡± How far away are you? ¡°About 10 feet.¡± Teepo said and Ren turned to the sound of his voice, and saw Teepo walking along the rope to the tent. Perfect timing! Ren thought and sent Teepo a party invite. He was enveloped in a golden glow for a moment and the glow faded. ¡°Thanks, Ren.¡± You don''t need to thank me, Teepo. Ren shook his head. I just wish I''d thought of this sooner. ¡°It''s like Nathalia said earlier. You can''t think of everything, all the time.¡± Teepo said. It''d be nice if I could! Ren snorted a laugh and then grinned. I think this is the coolest Party of Adventurers anyone''s ever had! He thought. I love the stuff I can do with my class! With that done, Ren took the 4 rocks he had left and set them up in front of the tent. He absorbed one of the light concealment enchantments and tried to replace it with a double glyph. The stone cracked and crumbled. Damn. Stone bricks it is. Ren enchanted double glyphs of Concealment (8 Runes of Warding, 5% chance of not being discovered for each rune) on 4 stone bricks, placing them in front of the tent. Then he enchanted 2 stone bricks with Screaming Terror, (8 Runes of Terror, 10% chance of fear and fleeing for each rune), then dug a little dirt to place those at an angle, pointing upwards at about 10 degrees and slightly away from each other. Ren had put them in front of the tent opening so that if anything approached, even from the trees, they''d be hit by the area of effect. He stepped behind his line of defense and thought, Activate, and Ren heard several clawed feet scramble away as fast as they could. I better put one on each other side, just in case. Ren thought and did that. He checked his Enchanting skill and saw it was up to 10% of Level 1, and half of his Mana Pool was gone. I''m going to need some healing soon. Ren thought. I''m burning through the Mana Pool a lot faster with these double glyphs of 8 runes. He walked around the tent to make sure that it was as secure as it could be. Teepo? Anything out there? ¡°Nope. We hit paydirt with how clear this area is.¡± Teepo said from the top of the tent. Sweet. Ren thought. Are you staying out? ¡°Yeah. I''ll be able to warn you if I see anything.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I assume you''ll be staying up all night?¡± Teepo said and chittered in delight. Teepo! ¡°What?¡± I''ll be on guard! I won''t have time for that. ¡°You might want to consult with Nathalia first.¡± Why? ¡°She might have other plans for you.¡± Teepo said, wisely. ¡°This will be the first night you''ll be spending with each other, alone.¡± Oh. Ren thought. I... ah... don''t think I''m ready for anything like that to happen yet. ¡°It''s too soon, huh?¡± Ren nodded. I''d say! As much as I''d like for someone to hold me, and tell me it''ll all be okay... I still have things that I need to do. ¡°Well, good luck.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re not the only one allowed to do what they want before the wedding ceremony, you know.¡± Ren sighed mentally, then entered the tent. Nathalia was sitting on the bed, waiting for him. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Hi, Nathalia.¡± Nathalia pat the bed beside her. ¡°Come and sit for a while. You must be exhausted.¡± Ren smiled. That''s an old trick. He thought and walked over to kneel in front of her. ¡°I''m an Adventurer, and I have to log out for a little while.¡± Ren pulled out the pair of armor gauntlets he''d made a long time ago, and enchanted them with double Augment glyphs, concentrating on Strength. Each glove would now give her a +8 to her Strength. ¡°Put these on.¡± Ren said and handed them to her. ¡°Ren! What are you doing?¡± ¡°Armoring you up, of course.¡± She opened her mouth to speak, but then shook her head and put the gauntlets on. They shrunk to fit her hands and she caught her breath as she gained +16 to her Strength and +44 to her Health. ¡°Ren... I...¡± Ren pulled out a short sword, enchanted it with a double glyph of Lightning (8 Lightning Runes), and handed it to her. Nathalia''s eyes widened as she took the blade. ¡°Wh-what''s this for?¡± ¡°Just in case.¡± Ren said, then pulled out the full breastplate he''d made, and enchanted it with double Protection Glyphs (8 Protection runes, +10% to Defense each), and gave her that, too. ¡°Ren!¡± Nathalia said, shocked. ¡°Where did you get all of this?¡± ¡°I made them a long time ago.¡± Ren said. ¡°I never got a chance to use them until now.¡± ¡°I can''t... I can''t accept these things, Ren!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°This is worth... a... a fortune!¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°These are just things. They aren''t worth as much to me as you are.¡± He said. ¡°If you''re going to be near me, you will be protected.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Please, put it on.¡± Nathalia sighed and equipped the breastplate. It formed itself around her voluminous chest and covered her from just below the waist to her neck. Ren smiled and took out a medium shield, enchanted it with the same double Protection glyphs as the breastplate, and gave it to her as well. ¡°I''ll be able to make the rest for you, once I get a forge set up and running back at the Keep.¡± ¡°The rest?¡± Nathalia said, surprised. ¡°The rest of the armor for your arms, back, and legs.¡± ¡°Ren, why aren''t you making it for yourself?¡± ¡°I would have...¡± Ren said and held his hands out to cup imaginary breasts on himself, and grinned. ¡°...but a breastplate like that wouldn''t fit me.¡± Nathalia snorted a laugh and then shook her head. ¡°All right, I''m all armored up. Now what do I do?¡± ¡°When you swing that sword, if it hits anything, it''ll shock the heck out of it.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you hold it there long enough, or keep swinging for that matter, you''ll kill whatever it is... hopefully.¡± ¡°Are... are you expecting us to be attacked?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m just preparing for the worst, and hoping for the best.¡± Ren climbed onto the bed and laid down. ¡°I''ll be gone for about an hour, maybe longer.¡± Ren said, as Nathalia stood up. ¡°See you soon.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset with his good arm, and ignored the look that Denise gave him. ¡°Is supper ready?¡± Denise nodded. ¡°I''ll go get it.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren ate in silence as Denise crossed her arms and stared a hole through him. When he was finished, he looked at her. ¡°Go ahead and say it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re an idiot.¡± Ren sighed and rubbed his face with his good hand. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°That''s it? You know?¡± Ren nodded and dropped his hands. ¡°What else is there to say? I tried so hard to get out of the engagement when it happened by accident the first time... and then this time I jumped in with both feet, knowing full well what it meant.¡± Denise sat in the chair by the bed. ¡°Ren, I thought you loved Lucy.¡± ¡°I do!¡± Ren said. ¡°I really do.¡± ¡°Then how could you do this to her?¡± ¡°Do this to her?¡± Ren said, nearly shouting. ¡°You read what she wrote, Denise!¡± ¡°You just took it the wrong way...¡± ¡°She said... she said that she couldn''t bring herself to look at me anymore. That she''d never... never touch me again... not even in the game.¡± Ren said, taking several deep breaths to calm down. He couldn''t let himself get worked up, or things could get bad for him. ¡°How am I supposed to take that the wrong way?¡± ¡°She only meant for right now.¡± Denise said. ¡°She just needs time to deal with this, Ren.¡± ¡°I messaged her, explaining about the accident... and you read her response.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I should have tried to go and see her.¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°No one else is insured to take you out, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°Stella''s doing the course in her spare time; but that''s assuming the insurance company will let you leave again, and that Lucy would open the door if you showed up.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked. Denise sighed. ¡°Doctor Hobbard wasn''t impressed with us ignoring the rules with you, Ren. The first thing he did was report your injury.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Well, crap.¡± ¡°We''re all subject to review.¡± Denise nodded. ¡°Stella, Bonnie and I are new at this... so that''ll buy us a little leeway... but, there''s not going to be a lot of happy people here on the hospital board, or at the insurance company.¡± ¡°Denise, I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and put a hand on her arm. ¡°It''s not like it''s your fault.¡± Denise said and smiled. ¡°We''re just going to have to be a lot more careful from now on.¡± ¡°I know what that means.¡± Ren sighed and took his hand back. ¡°No more visitors for a while, no outside trips, and constant monitoring.¡± ¡°For the first little while.¡± Denise said. Ren nodded and pulled over the laptop. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Just looking stuff up.¡± ¡°You''re not going to do anything crazy, like message Lucy again, are you?¡± Denise asked. Ren shook his head. ¡°No, you''re right. I should leave her alone for a while.¡± Ren said, and checked for a mortar recipe. He found one that was the same as the one in the game. ¡°What about your... fiance?¡± Denise said the last word with a bit of venom. ¡°What about her?¡± Ren said. I wonder... He looked up another recipe. ¡°Are you going to break it off with her?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°You''re not?!?¡± Denise said, surprised. ¡°I can''t. You saw the popup just like I did. It''s a legally binding contract. I couldn''t get out of it even if I wanted to.¡± ¡°Ren! It''s just a game!¡± ¡°Yes, it is... and it''s so much better than my real life, it''s not funny.¡± Ren found what he wanted and smiled. Oh, that''s awesome... and so easy! ¡°It''s not real!¡± Denise said and lightly pat the arm that was in a sling. ¡°This is real!¡± Ren sucked in a deep breath and pulled his arm out of her reach. Denise had a shocked look on her face. ¡°I... I''m sorry, Ren. I didn''t mean...¡± ¡°I know what you meant.¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°You weren''t listening to what I was saying.¡± ¡°I was, and I heard you loud and clear.¡± Ren said. ¡°If it''s just a game, why are you so worried about it? Can''t I just play it however I want? What''s it to you?¡± ¡°You can''t get emotionally invested in fake people, Ren.¡± ¡°Why not? Aren''t there just as many fake people here in the real world?¡± Denise opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. ¡°Right.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°People act all nice and normal when others are around, but get them alone and they are completely different people.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve had personal experience with that.¡± Denise tried to speak and Ren held a hand up to her. ¡°I know everyone isn''t like like my parents¡± Ren said. ¡°But there are a lot of them who are, to some degree.¡± Denise sighed. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± ¡°For what? Trying to push on me your belief that the game is bad for my emotional health?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°People say things all the time, and then act differently when certain things happen.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''m getting tired of it, to be honest.¡± Denise looked at him in surprise. ¡°I made a decision in the game, Denise. It was a rash one, with a lot of consequences; but, it was my decision. I made it.¡± Ren said and looked at her. ¡°I''m going to see it through, no matter what.¡± Ren reached for the VR headset an had a difficult time getting it on. Denise stood up and reached over to help. ¡°I got it, thank you.¡± Ren said and Denise sat back down. He pulled it into place and got comforable. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up to see Nathalia''s back. She stood in a fighting stance, her sword ready and waiting. ¡°Nathalia?¡± ¡°Shhh!¡± She said, then whispered. ¡°There''s something out there.¡± Ren climbed off the bed and equipped his armor and hammerpick. Teepo? ¡°It can''t find the tent, but it knows something is here.¡± What is it? ¡°A giant boar.¡± Ren stepped around Nathalia and activated Sneak. He slipped out of the tent and over the protective barrier he''d set up. ¡°On the left.¡± Teepo said. Ren looked that way and saw a shape the size of a horse move through the trees. Ren stepped quickly to one of the trees that the tent was tied to and glanced around it. He saw the giant boar sniffing the ground where they''d passed earlier that night. Dammit, I forgot to go back and muddle the scent. Ren thought, then activated his Terror ring and pointed it at the beast. It froze then turned around to look right at Ren. Oh, crap! The beast ran full out over the short distance and Ren rolled out of the way, just in time for the boar to hit the tree and snap it off where Ren''s head used to be. The boar spun around from the impact and Ren deactivated the ring. The tent flapped a little after losing one of the main support lines. The boar looked around again, and started sniffing. It''s drawn to the terror! Ren thought, shocked. How is that possible? ¡°I''ve got no idea.¡± Teepo said. ¡°This is my first giant boar.¡± Ren slinked around to another tree, much farther away from the tent. He didn''t want a repeat of that last encounter. Ren aimed carefully and activated his Lightning ring. The 4 inch bolt hit the flank of the beast and it yelped and jumped around. He couldn''t hit it reliably now, so he deactivated it and activated his Water Spray ring. He covered the ground that the boar was jumping around on and one of the boar''s hooves slipped on a wet rock. It fell down and it''s legs splayed out in a star pattern. Ren ran over to it, soaking it, then activated the Lightning ring again. He hit it squarely in the eye and the bolt boiled it instantaneously and it popped. ¡°SQWUUEEEE!¡± It bellowed. Without missing a beat, Ren deactivated the rings and swung the hammerpick into it''s skull. The boar shook it''s head from side to side, and Ren whacked it again. This thing is tough! Ren thought, then heard clomping hooves. ¡°Move!¡± Nathalia said. Ren dove out of the way and Princess slammed her large horned head into the giant boar''s skull. The boar stopped squealing and slumped to the ground. Nathalia climbed down from the saddle and pat Princess on the neck. ¡°Keep attacking it!¡± ¡°Yes, My Lady.¡± Ren whacked it a few more times, Nathalia stuck her sword into it''s side several times, shocking it, then Princess took another run at it. The boar rolled over onto it''s side, unconscious. ¡°What does it take to kill this thing?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Lightning''s not doing much.¡± Ren absorbed the Heavy enchantment from his hammerpick, and replaced it with a double glyph of Earth (8 runes in total), remembering the shape of Tegwen''s maul with all the spikes on it. The head of the hammerpick formed a large rock protrusion covered in spikes and Ren smiled. ¡°Mother Earth wants you back.¡± He said to the boar, and with all of his strength, slammed the Earth enchanted hammerpick into the skull of the boar. A loud crack was heard and the boar started convulsing. Ren swung again and crushed the skull completely, with a sickening thud. Ren flicked the hammerpick slightly and thought, Deactivate, and the rocky end dissolved.
Notice!
The ''Spirit of Earth'' has accepted your generous tribute. Knowledge Of Earth Level 4 (Beginner 0%) - Earth affinity and resistance is now 13%
Notice!
Your party fought well and has defeated a creature far beyond all of your levels, combined. Rewards: 5000 XP Fame Bonus: +38% Camaraderie Bonus: 14% (5% Base x2, + 1% Per Extra Party Member Present)
Ren wondered at the extra 2%, since he only saw Princess and Nathalia, then he turned around and saw Ruck was standing there with Teepo on his back. Then he was tackled by Nathalia and gripped in a bone crushing hug. ¡°I was so scared!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ve never ridden into battle before!¡± ¡°You did great.¡± Ren said and looked at Princess. ¡°So did you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Thank you all for coming to my rescue.¡± ¡°All?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren chuckled. ¡°I think it''s time we were all formally introduced.¡± He said. ¡°You all know Nathalia.¡± He walked over to Ruck. ¡°This is Ruck.¡± He stepped to his mount and pat her neck. ¡°This is Princess.¡± ¡°You named your mount Princess?!?¡± Nathalia exclaimed in shock. ¡°She named herself actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was the only one she liked.¡± ¡°Oh... well, I guess that''s okay.¡± Nathalia said. Ren looked at her for a moment, then his eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Nathalia, I didn''t realize...¡± Ren said and stepped over to her to take her hand. ¡°You''re Lady of House Neram''s daughter, which makes you...¡± ¡°A Princess.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Even I missed that one!¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He let her hand go and walked over to Teepo. ¡°This is Teepo.¡± Nathalia squinted her eyes. ¡°You just said that was Ruck.¡± Ren picked Teepo up and held him out. ¡°This is Teepo.¡± Nathalia looked at him like he was crazy, and Ren laughed. ¡°I''ve got to get used to that look.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve had Teepo for a long time. He''s my best friend. He''s also my eyes and ears as my scout.¡± ¡°You''re serious? There''s something there, in your hand?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren nodded, Princess huffed and nodded, and Ruck gave a ''thumbs up'' gesture. ¡°You can see him too, Ruck?¡± She asked, and he gave another ''thumbs up''. Nathalia looked at everyone. ¡°It''s nice to meet you all.¡± Ren put Teepo in the hood of his cloak, then stored the giant boar''s carcass. ¡°Did any of you get notices that you leveled up?¡± Ruck put up a hand, and so did Nathalia. Princess huffed. ¡°Me.¡± Teepo said, and chittered in delight. ¡°Let''s get back to the tent, and I''ll give you all a crash course in what to do.¡± Ren smiled, took Nathalia by the hand, and led the Virtual Survivors back to the tent. Chapter 105 - Whats Everyone Doing? The group gathered in the tent and Ren gave them a quick rundown of what they could do. Before spending any of their ability points, they''d have to choose a class. This didn''t apply to Princess and Ruck, as she was a Mount and he was a Familiar; but Teepo for some reason, had access to the Scout class. Ren told him to pick it, as he already benefited from a lot of the Scout abilities anyways. Nathalia on the other hand, didn''t know what she should choose. She wanted to give Ren as much help as she could, and asked him what he needed most. ¡°Oh, no... I''m not forcing you to do anything like that. It doesn''t matter what I think I need.¡± Ren said and pat her hand. ¡°What matters is what you think you will need.¡± Nathalia thought about it. ¡°I want to help protect my House. I''ve been on the sidelines for far too long, and I don''t want to be a burden anymore.¡± ¡°Then, if my knowledge of dwarf culture is as good as you and Teepo have been teaching me...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Your choice is either a Fighter, where you can gain general fighting skills; or you can pick Warden, that gives you specific skills to be the last line of defence, to be used when the House gets attacked.¡± ¡°I think... I think I''d like to be a Warden.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Then choose it.¡± She did and her eyes widened. She must be looking at the popups for her class. Ren thought and waited for her to finish. She dismissed the popups and smiled. ¡°I''ve got weapon fighting, shield use, armor proficiency, and a few other things.¡± Nathalia said and took Ren''s hand in hers. ¡°I''ve even got a Minor Healing ability!¡± Ren squeezed her hand. ¡°That''s great!¡± He said. ¡°I''d hoped you''d get something like that.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you say so?¡± ¡°I told you... I didn''t want to influence your choice. You''re going to have that class for a long time.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I didn''t want you stuck with something you didn''t want, or that you only took for me because I might need it.¡± ¡°You need healing?¡± Nathalia said, surprised and checked Ren over quickly to look for any wounds. ¡°I''m not hurt.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°My Mana Pool just needs to be refilled.¡± ¡°I can do that for you?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes, and it''ll help you level up that skill, too.¡± Nathalia smiled and activated her Minor Healing ability. Since she was holding Ren''s hand, it started to add to his Mana Pool right away. It was slow going, but while she did that, Ren helped Teepo assign stat points to benefit the skills that he would need. Ren found out Teepo had leveled up several times. Nathalia''s Mana ran out and she looked a little tired. Ren gave her a Mana potion and told her to sip it until her Mana bar was full.
Stat Change!
Camaraderie Level 5 (Beginner 0%)
The Sending Stone activated and they listened to Narhilda congratulating them and welcoming Ren to the family, even though it wouldn''t be official until the ceremony in 2 years. The glow faded and Nathalia touched it and told her mother all about joining Ren''s Adventurer party. When the glow faded, She continued to heal Ren as he helped Ruck assign stat points, because he''d leveled up several times as well.
Stat Change!
Due to your familiar''s new ability to gain levels, it has increased your skill level as well. Craft Familiar Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
If that''s right, then for every 4 levels Ruck goes up, I''ll go up a basic level in Craft Familiar. Ren thought. No doubt that''ll change once it gets to Intermediate, though. Ren turned to Princess, and figured he''d try something that should work. ¡°Access Mount Stats.¡± A window popped up in front of Ren and it showed Princess had leveled a few times as well. They all started at Level 0. Ren thought. And their XP requirements for levels must also be low. Players might have gone from Level 1 to 3, but they''re all nearly to Level 6. ¡°It''ll let me assign your points for you.¡± He said to Princess. ¡°I assume because I have fingers.¡± Princess huffed and Ren smiled. ¡°So... what would you like?¡± He asked. ¡°Put it all in Strength? Endurance? Spread them out?¡± Princess just looked at him. ¡°I''ll read each stat, and you huff or pat the floor with your hoof, to tell me where to put the point, and how many. How''s that?¡± Princess huffed. Ren ran through the options and she put half the points into Strength, and the rest into Intelligence. It was kind of an odd choice, but he did it for her and she was happy with it. Ren turned to Nathalia and smiled. ¡°Your turn.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nathalia asked, after drinking a little more potion. ¡°I''ll help you assign your points.¡± ¡°There''s no need. It''s automatic.¡± She said. ¡°Really?¡± Ren said. ¡°So is mine.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°That''s another thing we have in common.¡± ******** The CEO of Sid TEC was a little beside himself. ¡°Elise, get Max on the phone.¡± He said to his intercom. ¡°Right away, sir.¡± Elise said. The phone rang on an internal line a minute later. ¡°Hey, boss.¡± ¡°Max, are you seeing this?¡± ¡°Seeing what?¡± ¡°One of the contest winners, Ren, invited NPCs into his party.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Can he do that?¡± ¡°Sure. It''s an equal opportunity system. No one knows you can invite NPCs, though. It takes a really smart cookie to figure it out.¡± ¡°So, he''s not breaking any game rules, then?¡± ¡°Nope. You designed that character class. I just put it in the game for you.¡± Max laughed. ¡°He hasn''t even gotten to the good stuff yet.¡± Edward smiled. ¡°Right, right. I just thought it might be a little over-powered that he can have a whole party of NPCs.¡± Max chuckled. ¡°You''ve seen what these preliminary A.I.s are made of. They are notoriously hard to manipulate. That code is tight. If Ren''s managed to wiggle his way into their sub-routines enough to convince them to join a party, then he''s definitely something special.¡± Max said. ¡°In fact, he should have some kind of achievement for doing that.¡± ¡°I think he''s getting quite enough perks in the game.¡± Edward said and chuckled himself.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Whatever you say, boss.¡± Max said and smiled, even though Edward couldn''t see it. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°About this Tristan kid...¡± ¡°Yeah, we''ve been monitoring him like you asked. He hasn''t done anything outrageous yet, but we can see something is coming.¡± Max said. ¡°I assume you''ve been throwing in the roadblocks.¡± ¡°Of course. He''s getting frustrated, though. Each member of his little posse are sending complaints in every day.¡± Edward smiled. ¡°That was a great idea you had about hiding that Mitchell guy.¡± ¡°I know, right? He''s right there under their noses, and they don''t have a clue.¡± Max said and laughed. ¡°Just by changing his call function from Mitchell to Michael, and they''re running around looking for the wrong guy! Best delay tactic I''ve ever had. They even sent him out to look for himself once!¡± Edward laughed, too. ¡°The others are all behaving normally. Well... within their class abilities, that is.¡± Max said. ¡°All right. Thanks Max.¡± ¡°Anytime, boss.¡± * Elise stared at the feed she was siphoning from the system. It had only taken a little tweak to duplicate the boss'' screen. It was the only way she could think of to keep an eye on Ren, and not raise a bunch of flags in the system. My little Ren is engaged to be married. Elise sighed as she stroked the tiny screen. Oh, how I wish it was me! * Barbara, Ren''s night nurse, got ready to go to work. Her husband wasn''t happy with her again, but that was to be expected. He was on a doctor ordered diet, and she''d made him eat his salad before giving him dessert. She looked at the clock and grabbed her car keys from the rack by the door. It was coming up on shift change at the hospital and she wanted to be there, just in case Ren needed her. * Lucy dug into a big bag of low salt potato chips. She wore a pair of baggy jogging pants and a loose fitting t-shirt, sat on the couch, and mindlessly watched television. After what had happened with Ren, it had been... politely... suggested to her by Doctor Hobbard, that she take a few days leave to let the incident blow over, and to pull herself together. She''d cashed in one of her three weeks of vacation instead, and now she had absolutely nothing to do for a whole week. ******** ¡°What do you mean we can''t get in there?¡± Tristan said. ¡°It''s the starter city, for cripes sakes!¡± ¡°I don''t know what to tell you.¡± The hooded underling said. ¡°When we approach the newbie areas around the gates, we get a notification telling us that as outlaws, we''ll be either arrested or shot if we enter.¡± ¡°They can''t do that!¡± ¡°Why not? We are outlaws. They don''t want us anywhere near the newbs.¡± Tristan scowled and sat down behind the desk. ¡°The information I paid good money for, said that Mitchell is in there. I want that marker back!¡± Tristan said and smashed his gauntleted fist into the desk, shattering it into splinters. This enchanted glove is awesome! He thought and kicked the remains of the desk out of the way. ¡°I didn''t want to do this, but I guess I have no choice.¡± Tristan sighed. ¡°Contact that Dark Elf you know, and tell her I have a job for her.¡± ¡°You know she''s not cheap.¡± ¡°Just do it!¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± Emanon said and smiled as he left the room. * ¡°Dude! Where can I get bracers like those?¡± Tommy asked as he shot another arrow at the pile of snakes slithering towards the group. It hit one snake in the belly, but it kept coming. ¡°Ha! Sorry, buddy. These''re one-ofa-kind, special builds!¡± Clint said and killed another snake with a single bolt. He''d switched out the special enchanted ones for the basic ones, once he realized just how easy the snakes were to kill. He was also really glad he''d invested in another 1000 bolts to refill the 10 normal cartridges. They ran out fast in horde groups like this. ¡°Come on, man! I''m losing ground!¡± Billy said. ¡°Shoot faster!¡± Clint laughed, went to rapid fire, and killed 15 snakes that were closing in on his party member. He went back to single shots and kept the mass of snakes at bay while his friends recovered their stamina. ¡°I can''t believe how easy you got it now.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Tell me about it!¡± Billy said. ¡°Maybe I should switch my class when I get the chance.¡± ¡°Ah reckon that''d be a might sorry thing ta do.¡± Clint said and kept firing. ¡°Ya''d lose all yer XP an yer skills.¡± ¡°But, look at you go!¡± Billy said, and stepped back up to Clint''s side. He started firing again and Clint popped out his empty clips and put in new ones. ¡°I wanna do that!¡± Billy said and missed the next snake he shot at. ¡°Dammit!¡± ¡°Watch yer flank, Billyboy!¡± Clint said as he shot a snake sneaking up on Billy. ¡°An'' yer front.¡± He said and shot the snake Billy had missed. ¡°Ren made these all special like fer me, an'' I don'' think he''d make ''em fer jus'' anybody.¡± ¡°Ren made those?¡± Tommy asked and took his place on Clint''s other side. He opened fire and the tide of snakes started to ebb, and he smiled. ¡°Does he make bows, too?¡± * Ren got everyone squared away and tied the loose rope to the trunk of the same tree that the giant boar had broken. Princess was back in her crate, Ruck was in his cabinet, and Teepo was on top of the tent. He was trying out one of his new Scout abilities, Spot. Ren didn''t think Teepo would find anything, but Teepo was having fun keeping lookout anyways, so it didn''t hurt for him to keep using Spot continuously. Ren went back into the tent and saw that Nathalia had stored all of her equipment. She was looking at the bottom of her dress in consternation. There was a large slit, cut from the hem and nearly all the way to her waist. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked. Nathalia jumped a little and yipped. ¡°Ren! You scared me!¡± She said and her dress slipped open and Ren saw one of her well defined legs, right up to her hip. Nathalia blushed and tried to close the slit. ¡°Sorry, I still have Sneak on.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had to cut the fabric with my sword, so I could ride your mount properly. During the charge, it... it must have split like this.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I didn''t notice it until now.¡± Ren took out the Master Tailor''s Sewing Needle. ¡°Let me repair your dress.¡± ¡°No!¡± She said. ¡°No... it''s okay. I can... I can fix it myself.¡± ¡°Nathalia...¡± Ren smiled and walked over to her, and she shied away a little. ¡°...just hold it closed and I''ll fix it.¡± He knelt in front of her, well away from the opening she was trying to keep closed. ¡°I promise not to look.¡± He said, reached out a hand to touch the dress, and closed his eyes. ¡°See? I''m not looking.¡± ¡°What... what if I wanted you to look...¡± Ren froze for only a second, and then smiled. ¡°I''d say that in the middle of the wilderness wouldn''t be the best place for... ah... things... to happen.¡± ¡°But... but... we vanquished a powerful foe in battle!¡± Nathalia said and grabbed Ren''s hand with both of hers, letting her dress flop open. ¡°I''ve never felt more...¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I''ve never felt like this before.¡± Ren stood up, with his eyes still closed. ¡°Yeah, it''s quite a rush.¡± ¡°My blood feels like it''s boiling.¡± Nathalia said, took another deep breath, and stepped close to him. ¡°I... I want you, Ren.¡± She said in a seductive, almost raspy, voice. ¡°Nathalia... I...¡± Ren opened his eyes, saw the longing on Nathalia''s face, and swallowed. ¡°I''m... I''m not ready.¡± She smiled sweetly, sighed, and gave Ren a gentle hug. He hugged her back and she ducked her head down onto his chest. ¡°It''s okay, Ren.¡± Nathalia said as her body quivered from his touch. ¡°I won''t pressure you.¡± ¡°Nathalia...¡± ¡°You don''t have to explain.¡± She said. ¡°I know you''re not lying.¡± Nathalia broke the hug and smiled. ¡°It really is okay.¡± She took another breath. ¡°It''s my job to wait; and I''ll always be right here waiting for you.¡± It was Ren''s turn to take a deep breath. ¡°Thank you, Nathalia.¡± He said and cupped the side of her face with his hand. ¡°You don''t know how much that means to me.¡± Nathalia leaned into his hand. ¡°I think I do.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°But... I''m going to try and get some sleep now.¡± She turned her head and kissed his hand lightly. ¡°It''ll be light soon, so I think you should be on guard duty until then, don''t you?¡± Ren nodded and took his hand from her face. ¡°I''ll walk around the edge of the trees and make sure nothing bothers you.¡± Nathalia nodded and Ren put the hand holding the Master Tailor''s Sewing Needle on her shoulder. ¡°Repair.¡± The dress was repaired and he stored the needle in inventory. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and walked over to sit down on the bed. ¡°I should only need a few hours.¡± Ren nodded and left the tent. * Nathalia climbed onto the bed and curled up into a fetal position. By the gods, I want him so bad! She thought. When everyone was here, this feeling was so easy to ignore... but... when he came in, and my dress was open like that... and I remembered how he fought that giant boar... Her body quivered in anticipation. He... he wasn''t scared or anything! She held herself still and hoped that a few hours would be enough to calm herself down. I can''t lose control like that again. I''m a woman. A strong woman! Nathalia took a deep breath. I won''t let my feelings for him drive him away. * Find anything Teepo? ¡°Yep. There''s lots of squirrels trying their best to get back to their trees.¡± Ren smiled. Keep a good eye out... I''m going to walk the perimeter and see if there''s anything I can find. ¡°I''ll warn you if anything''s coming.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Ren stepped over the barrier and walked until he could see the road. Ren looked both ways to see if there was anything moving, but didn''t see anything at all. He walked to the left, parallel to the road, back towards Dornrach for a few minutes. Still seeing nothing, he walked into the underbrush and all the way back towards the tent, then passed it and kept going for another few minutes, then headed to the road. There''s no good trees here, either. Ren thought. ¡°There''s a forest back about 4 hours.¡± Teepo suggested. I don''t remember seeing that. ¡°That''s because you were too busy staring at Nathalia.¡± Teepo said. I was not! Ren thought as he walked back to the tent. I was just making sure she wasn''t slipping off the saddle, and trying to keep an eye out for Trouble at the same time. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Every 10 seconds.¡± I haven''t been here before. I had to keep looking around! ¡°I know.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m just teasing you.¡± I can live without that, thank you! Ren thought, and Teepo chittered in delight. Ren made it back to the tent without incident, and went inside to get a chair. He saw that Nathalia was lying motionless on the bed, and breathing evenly. Ren left the tent and put the chair right behind the protective barrier he''d set up, and sat down. Once Nathalia gets enough sleep, I''ll be checking out the mountains behind us. Ren thought. ¡°She''ll be out for a few hours. Do you want me to scout ahead?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I''ll be able to get pretty far now.¡± You just want to show off. Ren smiled. Just be careful. Teepo chittered in delight and climbed across the rope to the nearby tree. He climbed halfway down, jumped to the ground, and then skittered away at about twice as fast as he used to. Go for it, buddy! Ren thought as Teepo''s form disappeared from sight. Chapter 106 - A Good Discovery Ren had several hours to kill, so he figured now was a good opportunity to go over some of Lord Neram''s patterns. They were all designed for dwarves; but Ren knew that with just a few tweaks here and there, they were easily adaptable for other humanoids to wear as well. He opened each pattern and studied it, altered it and saved the copy, keeping the original intact, and opened the next one. After 3 patterns, he got a popup.
Stat Change!
Pattern Making Level 3 (Beginner 0%)
I only had 10% left to level that; so if it took 3 patterns, then on average, it''s about 3% to 5%, depending on the alterations. If I have that right, then it''ll only take 25 patterns, give or take, to go up each Beginner level. Ren smiled and continued to work. He kept an eye out for anything happening, but a good portion of his concentration was on the patterns. He sat there for nearly 4 hours, and altered 120 more patterns past the first, and almost had Pattern Making up to level 8 {it was currently at Level 7 (Beginner 80%)}. Only 5 more patterns and I''ll level it up. Ren thought, then heard Nathalia roll over in the bed and get up. Ren stood as well and brought the chair into the tent. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said, put the chair by the table, and took out a few plates of food. ¡°Good morning.¡± Nathalia said, in an even voice. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Ren asked. Nathalia nodded slightly and came over to sit at the table. ¡°I didn''t get much sleep.¡± Ren reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You can go back to bed. Breakfast can wait.¡± Nathalia stiffened for a moment and then relaxed. ¡°That sounds great, but you''ve got some mountaineering to do.¡± She said and put a hand on his. ¡°If you want to get any mining done today, you better head out as soon as you can.¡± ¡°You''re right.¡± Ren said and sat down opposite her. ¡°In fact, I should leave most of the food with you.¡± He said and took out all the plates of food he had in inventory. ¡°I''m going to need the extra room if I''m going mining.¡± Nathalia looked at all the food. ¡°You really did take enough to last the week.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I wasn''t sure how long I was going to be out here, so I brought enough that if I rationed, it would last a long time.¡± ¡°I don''t know if I should be sad that I''m messing up your plans, or happy that I''m not stuck in that place and away from you.¡± ¡°Be happy.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I was tempted to sit on the mountainside during meal times to eat, and wave at you through the windows.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°You would, wouldn''t you?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Once or twice, at least. I wouldn''t want you to get in trouble or anything.¡± She reached out to put a hand on his. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°What are you than-¡± Nathalia squeezed his hand and interrputed him. ¡°You were going to keep me company, and make sure my mother was still in contact with me.¡± Ren opened his mouth slightly, closed it, then nodded. ¡°You''re a really good man, Ren.¡± Nathalia said and started eating. Ren joined her and they ate in silence. It wasn''t uncomfortable, though. He glanced at her several minutes later, and caught her staring. Nathalia blushed a little, and Ren winked at her. She snorted a laugh and Ren chuckled. They finished eating and Nathalia stored both the full plates of food and the empty ones. ¡°I don''t know how long I''ll be gone, so I want to give you something.¡± Ren took off one of his Protection rings and absorbed the enchantment. He then took out his remaining unequipped gold ring and held the both of them in one hand and placed a single finger on the inside of each one. Ren brought the double glyph he''d made for the Dwarf Rune: Speak, to his mind, then concentrated on his Connection ability, and enchanted the rings. It took a minute for the Mana to soak into the rings, and then they stopped glowing. Ren put his ring back on his index finger and stood up to walk around the table, and knelt in front of Nathalia. ¡°With this, you''ll be able to contact me once an hour.¡± Nathalia looked at Ren in surprise. ¡°You''re giving me a ring?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°The rune is on the inside, so you''re always touching it. All you have to do is think that you want to speak to me, just like you would if you were using the big Sending Stone. I''ll hear you on mine and can respond.¡± ¡°Ren, I... you''re too generous.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I won''t have you here with no way to contact me.¡± ¡°You''re not going to be that far away.¡± ¡°Right. So if you need me for anything, anything at all, I''ll come running.¡± ¡°Ren, I don''t want you at my beck and call.¡± Nathalia said and shook her head. ¡°That''s too bad, because these things work both ways.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If I need you, you''d better come running.¡± ¡°What could you need me for?¡± ¡°I''m going to be in a deep, dark hole, mining.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might need an emergency bone breaking hug.¡± Nathalia snorted a laugh. Ren held the ring out. ¡°Nathalia, will you stay in contact with me?¡± Her face flushed a little red at the intimacy of the moment, and held her hand out. ¡°I will.¡± Ren slipped the ring onto her index finger, matching it''s position to his own. It shrank to fit her finger and she smiled as she admired it''s gleaming gold surface. ¡°I better get going.¡± Ren said and stood. Nathalia stood as well and followed him to the tent flap. ¡°You''d better be careful, Ren!¡± Nathalia said and stood on her tippy toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, then waggled her hand in front of him. ¡°I expect a call every hour to make sure you''re okay, mister!¡± Just then the Sending Stone brick started glowing and her mother''s voice came out of it. ¡°You better be up and eating breakfast by now, sleepyheads! Or I''m gonna come over there and drag you both out of bed!¡± Nathalia had a shocked look on her face, at the image that scenario had produced, and Ren started to laugh. ¡°You can break the news to her that I only stood guard...¡± He said. ¡°...and I didn''t take advantage of you.¡± Ren kissed Nathalia quickly on the lips. ¡°Tell your mother I said ''Hi''.¡± Ren left the tent and gave a bowl of food to Princess. She dug in with aplumb and Ren smiled.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°I''ll be back tonight to feed you again.¡± Ren knocked on Ruck''s cabinet. ¡°I need you to hold a few more things for me, Ruck.¡± Ruck opened the cabinet and Ren passed him the 2 dozen springy trees, minus the two holding up the tent, the extra weapons he had, and all the bolts of cloth. Ruck ended up being completely full and Ren nearly empty of extra things that he didn''t need to use right away. ¡°Thanks, Ruck. I won''t leave you carrying that for long.¡± Ruck gave Ren the ''okay'' gesture and closed the cabinet. Ren looked in the direction that Teepo had gone. Hey, Teepo. How far did you get? ¡°I''m halfway up the slope.¡± Teepo said. Ren chuckled. Sweet! Ren thought as he started to run. I assume you checked the area before going up so high? ¡°Of course. It''s clear right up to where I am right now.¡± He said. ¡°Plus, I can see quite a ways from this vantage point.¡± I''ll be there in a bit. Ren thought and kept his pace at a good level, only draining his Stamina slowly. By the time he got to the mountain half an hour later, his Stamina was only down by a quarter. Teepo? ¡°Over here.¡± Teepo said. Ren looked around and saw Teepo jumping up and down a good ways up the slope. Ren half-walked-half-climbed up to Teepo, being careful of where to step, and focused on Metal Detection. He felt a few pulses, but they were really weak and Ren knew there wouldn''t be much there, ore-wise. He stopped where Teepo was, and there was a small crack in the side of the slope. Let me guess. There''s a nice little cave inside. ¡°You betcha!¡± Teepo said and chittered in delight as he slipped inside the crack. ¡°It''s great!¡± How far in? ¡°Only about 10 feet or so to an outcropping, then it really opens up.¡± Ren took out his mining pick, walked about 10 feet away from the crack, and started digging. He didn''t make his normal sized hole, though. The hole was only about 3 feet wide and 5 feet high. Once he was in about 2 feet, he dug it out enough to swing the pick like normal. Ren went back outside, cut a piece of fabric to fit over the hole, dyed it a color as close to the rock as he could get it, and nailed it in place on the top 2 corners and down one side. He took out a stone brick, stepped inside the hole, and tucked the last corner of the fabric in to put the brick on it. That should stop prying eyes. Ren thought. Assuming anyone cared to look for it. He stopped. I better let Nathalia know. The ring glowed slightly, and Ren spoke. ¡°Hi, Nathalia. I just got to the mountain and made an entrance, part way up the slope. I covered it in fabric to hide it, though. I didn''t want to leave it open, because it could probably be seen pretty far away if I did. I''ll guide you to it, if I need your help.¡± Ren said and the glow faded. He waited a moment and it glowed again. ¡°If you call, I''ll be there as fast as I can.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It''s pretty far if it took you this long to get there. Take care, okay?¡± The glow faded and Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll be as careful as I can be while having thousands of tons of mountain on top of me.¡± Ren said and chuckled. He noticed that the ring had glowed again when he spoke. No way! A moment later, it glowed again. ¡°Ren? I heard you!¡± Nathalia said in surprise. ¡°I thought these things were only supposed to work once an hour?¡± The glow faded and Ren was surprised. ¡°I guess when I combined multiple runes when I enchanted them, instead of increasing the distance, it must have increased the usage.¡± ¡°That''s so great!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°We don''t have to wait a whole hour, worrying if the other person is okay!¡± She said and sighed a moment later. ¡°Now I have to decide if I want to tell Ma.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You don''t have to; but it''s better for her to know, for the same reason you just gave me.¡± ¡°All right, I guess I better tell her.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°You still have to be careful, though!¡± She said. ¡°Call me again when... if... you take a break.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°If I take a break, I''ll call right away. Talk to you later, Nathalia.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± The ring stopped glowing and Ren started to dig again. He dug over to where Teepo had said that the outcropping was and Ren felt the pick break through the rock wall. He stepped out into the small area and over to where Teepo was waiting for him. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren said, and it echoed back to him half a dozen times. ¡°I told you it really opened up.¡± ¡°You weren''t kidding, Teepo!¡± The cave was about a mile long, and about half that wide. With Ren''s perfect night vision, he could see in the nearly total darkness easily. Ren stood in awe of the natural wonder. The outcropping he stood on was only about 10 feet from the floor of the cave. Ren decided that he didn''t want to jump down every time or have to climb back up when he wanted to leave, so he used his pick to dig a 4 foot wide ramp opening in the rock. He misjudged it a little and it ended about 6 inches above the floor, so he dug it out to match as closely as he could get it. ¡°You know, caves are usually filled with bats and things.¡± Ren said to Teepo. ¡°Usually, but there''s no openings to this one.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Look up.¡± Ren looked up and about a hundred feet up, saw that the ceiling had a few stalactites, but otherwise it was completely bare. ¡°If there was any kind of opening, it would be covered in bats.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Teepo, I just made an opening.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°If they can somehow find that, it would still take a long time for them to populate the place.¡± ¡°I''ll take your word for it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Teepo is smart, Teepo is wise.¡± Teepo said. Ren laughed and it echoed across the cave. ¡°Come on, Teepo the Wise.¡± Ren said and picked Teepo up. ¡°Let''s take a good look around.¡± * ¡°I can''t believe this works so well.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°He''s an amazing man, dear.¡± The stone''s glow faded and a moment later, Nathalia touched it to speak. ¡°He''s more amazing than that.¡± She told her mother. ¡°He keeps surprising me with everything he can do.¡± She ran a hand over the armored breastplate. ¡°The things he''s given me to protect me... it''s worth more than any other woman has ever received as courting gifts... and he said he''d make more for me when he builds a forge!¡± ¡°I knew I was right when I said he''d make a good courter.¡± Her mother said. ¡°You just have to look at what having him around has done for us and the House! When he joins the family officially in 2 years... our House will continue to live on, with a real man at it''s head again.¡± * ¡°This place is enormous.¡± Ren said and approached the wall of the cave on the other side. It only took about 20 minutes to cross the wide open space. He''d only felt a few small pulses of iron ore in the floor during the walk. There was barely any stalagmites or anything inside, either. ¡°I''d better go along the walls and see if I can find something to dig up in here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want this to be a complete bust.¡± He walked along the wall and got about a third of the way back to the entrance and felt a really strong pulse. It wasn''t iron, though. ¡°Ooo, right here.¡± Ren said and started to dig. About 15 feet in, he hit a huge vein of gold, and smiled. Ren dug it out and followed it for a good hundred feet before it petered out to only a trickle. He went back and dug out all of the surrounding rock to make sure he got all the main ore pieces that he could find. When he was done, he''d almost filled 4 slots with ore pieces. ¡°If I had crates, I could fill them with ore first, and then store the crates instead.¡± Ren said. ¡°I should go back to that forest and harvest some trees, but cutting planks takes a while and then a couple of days to dry.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I''m just going to fill my inventory as much as possible and go to House Neram. I''ll rent a cart or something and come back... maybe with crates already made.¡± Ren looked at his communication ring. * ¡°Ma...¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Right now, we don''t have any income at all. You can''t order things for the ceremony without-¡± ¡°Hi, Nathalia. I found a bit of ore, but it wasn''t what I was looking for. I''m going to keep looking for a while, and if I find a good haul of iron, I''ll call again and let you know I''ll be late for supper.¡± Both the ring and the stone stopped glowing. A moment later, the stone glowed. ¡°Is Ren there? I thought you were touching the stone to talk, dear.¡± Narhilda said. Nathalia looked at her hand, and the ring Ren made for her was touching the Sending Stone. I have to remember to tell him! She thought. He''ll be so happy! She took her hand off the stone and thought of talking to Ren. The ring glowed and she spoke. ¡°I''m going to hope you find something! The food can be ready anytime, you know that. See you later.¡± Nathalia touched the Sending Stone with her other hand and told her mother what had happened. ¡°He''ll be so happy!¡± Her mother said. ¡°That''s what I thought, too!¡± * Ren walked all around the perimeter of the cave and only found a few spots with iron ore. He ended his walk at the far side of the cave, opposite the entrance. ¡°I know I''m missing something.¡± Ren said. ¡°For this cave to exist, there has to be a reason.¡± Ren wracked his brain, but couldn''t come up with anything. He sat down and felt something jab his thigh. That''s odd. I''m wearing my leather armor. I shouldn''t feel something jab me so much. Ren moved his leg away from the spot, but it just looked like a rock. He shifted aside and was poked in the other leg. ¡°Dammit!¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°I don''t see anything! Do you, Teepo?¡± ¡°No.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Maybe you should try using a lantern or something.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea!¡± Ren said and took out his old lantern. He filled it with oil and lit it. ¡°It might show us something that can only be... HOLY CRAP!¡± The lantern normally would only light up about 30 feet, but small bits of reflective surfaces that were embedded in the rocks, spread it out to nearly three times that. ¡°Teepo! Tell me that''s not what I think it is.¡± Ren said to his friend. ¡°That''s not what you think it is.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s not?!?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°Ha ha, it is.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You told me to tell you it wasn''t, though.¡± Ren rolled his eyes and knelt on the floor, close to one of the reflective surfaces that had poked his leg when he sat on it. It was the edge of a clear, uncut diamond crystal, about the size of his fist. ¡°Diamonds!¡± Chapter 107 - Back To House Neram Ren put down the lantern and carefully dug out the diamond crystal with his pick, then examined it.
Rough Diamond Crystal (Clear)
This diamond crystal can be cleaned and refined into a diamond of considerable value by a Gemcutter. The higher the skill of the craftsman, the higher the quality and worth of the finished product.
¡°Sweet!¡± Ren said and dug up a few more and stored them. He saw that as long as the size was about the same, they''d go into the same slot. That didn''t stop him from digging up as much as he could, however. By the time he had cleared the surface of the 30 foot area he''d been in, he had 12 slots going, with several diamond crystals in each. Ren tried digging down a little, and found there was even more diamond crystals. He picked up another one to examine, and got the same popup as before. He had the bright idea to use Appraisal on it, but it said that the unrefined diamond crystal ''couldn''t be appraised at this time''. Ren shrugged and kept digging. After several hours (and lamp refills), Ren had dug down only about 10 feet. He''d shoveled the dirt and rocks into piles along the edge of the 30 foot area, so he could push it back into the hole when he was done, but he kept finding more and more diamond crystals. He dug a ramp out of the hole and up to the floor, and walked back to the cave entrance. All those rocks that he''d stepped on while checking the place out, reflected back the light of his lantern. ¡°This place is just full of them.¡± Ren said, and Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°I just hope the ones that I broke can still be salvaged.¡± In his enthusiasm, he hadn''t been as careful as he should have been while digging down into the ground. He''d smashed a few with direct hits, and broke several others before realizing what he was digging into. He dug at a snail''s pace after that. That''s why it took so long to dig out such a small area. Ren squeezed out through the opening he''d dug in the cave wall, picked up the stone holding the cloth closed, and nailed the cloth into place. He wasn''t going to be back until he could find a better way to carry the diamond crystals, and that might take a while. ¡°I could keep digging, but if I find any that are different sizes to the ones I''m carrying, I can''t take them. All of my slots are taken up.¡± Ren had a dozen or so diamond crystals in each slot, though. ¡°I hope there''s a Gemcutter somewhere in Dornrach.¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There should be. I''ve seen jewels on a few different things so far.¡± Ren thought back as he picked his way down the steep slope, but didn''t remember seeing anything. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°In the market that we passed through the first time, coming from the ship.¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± Ren said. ¡°You pointed out a big shiny piece of silver in one of the stalls.¡± ¡°That was it.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It had a nice emerald in the center, but the peddler didn''t look like he was getting anyone interested in it.¡± ¡°How could you tell?¡± Ren asked. ¡°He pointed to it several times as we passed, and the dwarves walking by turned away.¡± ¡°I think we''ll have to pay him a visit, then. If only just to see where he got the emerald.¡± Ren said, reached the bottom of the slope, and started running. ¡°I better tell Nathalia I''m coming back.¡± The ring glowed slightly. ¡°Hi, Nathalia. I''m on my way now. I''ll be at the tent in about 15 minutes.¡± ¡°Only 15 minutes? It took you half an hour before.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I wasn''t running full out before.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you soon.¡± The glow faded and Ren poured on the speed. Teepo chittered in delight and Ren smiled. ******** Gloria Rayford was not in a good mood. It was nearing 11pm and she''d just got the transmission on the client''s VW Bug attached. Normally she enjoyed working alone; but the thing had been a real bitch to hold in place, and tighten the bolts at the same time. She slid out from under the car on the rolling dolly to rub her aching muscles. Both of her arms were sore now and grimaced as she worked out a nasty knot from one of them. I''ll have to skip my workout tonight. Gloria thought and stood up. At least I don''t have to study for that stupid engineering exam. She snorted a laugh. I could tell you the torque needed to tighten a bolt on a V8 in my sleep! Gloria walked over to the bathroom and washed up as much as she could. She always had that last little bit of grime under the ends of her short nails, that you just couldn''t get rid of no matter what you did. She dried off and locked the shop up. If I wasn''t allowed to work overtime like this, I''d never be able to afford the tuition fees. Gloria thought and hopped into her beat up ''69 Mustang. She never made the mistake of restoring it to what it should look like, though. It would have been stolen faster than I could say ''gone in 60 seconds''. Gloria chuckled and pat the dash. ¡°Who needs to look good to work well, right baby?¡± She asked the car and turned the key. The engine turned over immediately and it purred as Gloria fed her some fuel. ¡°That''s it girl... take a big drink.¡± Gloria shoved the car into gear, and peeled the tires as she left the parking lot. Once on the street, she slowed down to a respectable speed. The last thing she needed was another ticket. After a short 15 minute drive, she pulled into the apartment complex. It was run down, and sometimes the heat gave out, or the water was a little brown; but it was the best she could get on her paycheck, still eat, and go to school. She parked in her spot and walked up the three flights of stairs to her place. She unlocked the door, went inside, and set the deadbolt. After taking off her coveralls and changing into a pair of shorts and a clean t-shirt, Gloria sat down at her computer and checked her emails. Looks like I better login tonight. She thought as she read the dozen emails she''d gotten while at work. She didn''t bother responding to the emails; as she could easily send messages in the game, and it only took a quarter of the time. Gloria sat in the old recliner that she''d scavenged from the sidewalk and put on the cheapest VR headset available on the market. Once she''d figured out how to change the thing to work just as well as the high end set, she''d made a nice profit on the black market, and enough to start her engineering degree. That was a year ago. Now that the company changed the settings for one permanent user only, refurbishing the headsets had dried up overnight. I might as well make some in-game currency. Gloria thought. There''s surprisingly a lot you can have people do for you, for so little money. She smiled. I wonder what kind of job ''Emanon'' has for ''Elerlyth'' tonight? ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren arrived back and the tent and Nathalia had supper ready. She gave him a quick hug and they sat down to eat. Ren told her about his find, and asked her if she knew of any Gemcutters. She shook her head. ¡°I''ve never heard of one.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Da was only a tailor, and didn''t make jewellery or anything like that.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I didn''t see anything like that in the patterns I went through and modified, either.¡± He said. ¡°If your father did work with jewellery, he didn''t write it down on them.¡± Nathalia look at Ren in wonder. ¡°I still find it hard to believe that you have all of Da''s work up there.¡± Nathalia said and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°Despite you contantly providing me with proof.¡± She said and chuckled. She never ruffles my hair, and just runs her hand through it. Ren thought. Unlike everyone else. He smiled at her. ¡°Well, when I find something that really interests me, I devote a lot of time to it, if I can.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°You don''t have to tell me twice.¡± She said. ¡°How many rolls did you make that time?¡± ¡°Over a hundred.¡± Ren said and laughed, too. ¡°I was pretty sick of bread by the end of the week.¡± Nathalia looked at him in surprise. ¡°You... you ate them all?¡± She asked. ¡°I thought you fed them to your mount.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°She didn''t like them any more than you did.¡± They heard Princess huff and they laughed together. ¡°I better feed her, too. Be right back.¡± Ren said and took some food out to Princess, then came back into the tent. ¡°I think we better pack up.¡± Nathalia widened her eyes. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°My inventory''s full, and I don''t have much wood left to make a single crate, let alone enough to carry what I want.¡± ¡°I could take some of it.¡± Nathalia offered. Ren thought about it for a minute. ¡°I''ll need 4 slots, I think.¡± He looked into his inventory. ¡°I''ll give you all of the small diamond crystals I have.¡± Ren emptied 5 slots, one more than he thought he needed, and Nathalia stored them easily. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I... I''m fine.¡± She said. ¡°It''s not too heavy?¡± ¡°I can do it.¡± Ren smiled and gave her a hug. ¡°That''s my girl.¡± Nathalia''s face flushed a little red and hugged him back. They broke the hug a minute later, and Ren stored the bed and the 2 springy trees holding up the top of the tent. The table was next, after Nathalia took the Sending Stone brick and the chairs, and they went outside. Ren untied the ropes and string from the trees, leaving them attached to the tent. He stored the tent and went to Princess, leading her out of the crate and putting on her harness and saddle, freeing up 2 more slots. He stored her food bowl in a saddlebag, seeing there were 4 slots on each side. He gave the reins to Nathalia and knocked on Ruck''s cabinet. ¡°Hi, Ruck. Hand me the springy trees, please.¡± Ruck did so with relief and Ren smiled as he turned around. ¡°Hop on.¡± Ruck climbed on and Ren turned around to store the crate. He walked over to the protection barrier and stored the 2 Screaming Terror stones in one slot, and the 4 Warding stones of Concealment in the last slot. Ren walked to the other 3 stones he''d set around where the tent was, and stored them as well. ¡°I think that''s everything.¡± Ren said, then looked at Princess. ¡°Or not. Just a minute.¡± Ren took out the table and some cloth, a bit of stuffing, and made a big comfy pillow for Nathalia to sit on. He stored the table again and took the pillow to Princess and put it on the saddle, then sewed a strap around it to tie it securely, and sewed it to the saddle to stop it from slipping. Nathalia passed him the Sending Stone brick and he attached that as well. ¡°My Lady.¡± Ren said and knelt on one knee, to let Nathalia use that knee as a step. She put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. ¡°Thank you, kind sir.¡± Nathalia climbed up and sat side-saddle, then sighed at the comfort from the pillow. Then the reduced weight from the glyph enchanted on the saddle took effect and she smiled again. Ren was tempted to unload some things into Princess'' new saddlebags, but figured with Nathalia and the added weight from the diamond crystals she carried, even with it reduced, was more than enough for Princess to carry all at once.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Everyone ready?¡± Ren asked. There were nods all around and he led Princess out of the clearing, and then had a thought. He went back and activated his Water Spray ring and gave a good rinse to the whole area, hopefully wiping away any trace that they were there. Ren led them to the road, and once there, he headed towards Dornrach. ¡°If we pick up the pace a little, we can be back in the city by nightfall.¡± Ren said. Nathalia agreed, as long as the mount wasn''t pushing herself too much, and Princess huffed. He smiled and pat Princess on the neck. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said and walked at a fast pace, making sure to not push Princess too hard. ¡°Nathalia, you should call your mother and let her know we''re coming back early.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± She said and touched the stone as Ren led them down the road. * Gloria (Elerlyth, The Dark Elf) was still in a bad mood. Emanon''s in-game message had given her the details of the job, and she didn''t like it at all. How in the world am I supposed to find this Mitchell guy, who could be hiding anywhere in a whole city? She thought in exasperation. I''m really tempted to tell him to take this stupid job and shove it! Elerlyth replied to the message and said she''d take the job provisionally... she''d go to the city, sure... and if she happened to find Mitchell, she''d accept the job. That way, she didn''t suffer any repercussions if she didn''t manage to find him. The last thing she wanted was to gain a reputation for not completing jobs. She sent the message off and waited. A minute later, her idea was agreed to and she confirmed receipt. Maybe I''ll look up that cute little elfling. She thought and caressed the shiny breastplate she never took off. She''d lost count of how many offers to buy, and threats, she''d had about it. Ren was just a doll, to make this for me! * Ren and the Virtual Survivors made good time, and hit Dornrach''s city limits just after nightfall. He led Princess to the intersection and then up the main street to the turnoff to the road for House Neram. It only took about 20 minutes to get to the gate of the house, and Ren unlocked it. ¡°Home Sweet Home.¡± Ren said and brought Princess into the courtyard and then shut the gate behind them. He locked it and then helped Nathalia get down from the saddle. ¡°The pillow worked great, Ren!¡± Nathalia said, turned around to show Ren her backside, and pat it a few times. ¡°It''s only slightly sore; but that''s just from sitting so long, not from the saddle.¡± ¡°It definitely looks fine.¡± Ren said, then grinned as Nathalia blushed a little and turned to face him. ¡°R-Ren!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You... you shouldn''t say such things... in public.¡± Ren stepped close and leaned down a little. ¡°You''re right.¡± He whispered in her ear. ¡°I should wait until we''re inside before telling you that your backside looks fine.¡± Nathalia blushed and Ren smiled as he stepped around her to lead Princess to the stable, then took out the crate and set it back where it was before. Ren undid the Sending Stone from where he had it tied and stored it. He took Princess'' bowl from the saddlebag, set it on the ground, then undid the saddle and harness. Ren handed the saddle and harness to Ruck, who stored them. Ruck climbed down to go to his cabinet, and Ren saw that he was riding really low on his legs. ¡°Ruck? If you''re carrying too much, just pile it in the corner there.¡± Ren said and pointed to the corner by the cabinet. ¡°You don''t have to carry all of my stuff, all of the time.¡± Ruck gave Ren the ''okay'' gesture and unloaded all the bolts of cloth Ren had given him, stacking them neatly. When he was done, he wasn''t nearly as low as he was before, waved, and then went into the cabinet. Princess entered her crate and plopped down. Ren pat her neck and smiled. ¡°You did great today.¡± Ren said and rubbed the spots where the harness had dug in a little. ¡°I''ll make you something nice for breakfast.¡± Princess huffed and Ren put the last of the food he had in inventory into her bowl. He closed the stable door and saw that Nathalia had already gone in. He went inside as well and saw the two women talking in the kitchen. Ren walked through the main room and into the kitchen. Narhilda saw him, put a hand on Nathalia''s arm to end their conversation, and walked around the table. Ren watched her approach; and when she stepped close to hug him, he saw tears in her eyes and he hugged her back. ¡°T-t-thank you, Ren.¡± Narhilda said and ducked her head as she started to cry. ¡°You don''t know...¡± Sob. ¡°...how much...¡± Sniff. ¡°...this means to me.¡± Ren looked over her head at Nathalia. She pointed to him, then herself, and pretended to tie a knot in the air. He nodded and smiled. ¡°I have some idea.¡± Ren said and took out a scrap of cloth to wipe Narhilda''s eyes. ¡°Getting married means a lot more here, than it does where I come from.¡± He said, leaned back and dabbed her eyes. ¡°I also don''t have a lot of time to provide everything that I need to.¡± ¡°D-don''t worry. You''ll do just f-fine.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I''d do a lot better if you know a good Gemcutter.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m sorry, I don''t.¡± She said and took a deep breath. ¡°I''m also sorry I broke down like that.¡± Narhilda smiled and let Ren out of the hug. ¡°It''s just... you saved this House... and knowing that my daughter has found a man like you...¡± She took his hand in both of hers. ¡°...most of my worries have disappeared.¡± Ren wiped the last of her tears off her face and stored the scrap of cloth. ¡°I''m glad I could be of service.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°You''re not providing a service...¡± She let his hand go and cupped his face with both of her hands. ¡°...you''re just being who you are.¡± She rubbed his cheeks with her thumbs for a moment and let his face go. ¡°Everything that''s happened to me and my family, is the result of your kindness.¡± Narhilda smiled. ¡°I don''t think we can ever repay you.¡± Ren smiled and cupped her face just like she did to his, and rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs. ¡°I think giving me your daughter, and accepting me into the family, is more than enough payment.¡± He said and gave her a quick, light kiss, on the lips. ¡°It''s much more than I ever expected when I came here.¡± Narhilda blushed a bright red. ¡°You... how did you know... the ritual... that you were supposed to kiss me like that... to cancel my Honor debt to you?¡± She said and turned to her daughter. ¡°I didn''t tell him, Ma.¡± Nathalia said and held up her hands in surrender. ¡°I knew you didn''t want to be let off the hook so easily.¡± She turned to Ren. ¡°How did you know?¡± Ren smiled a crooked smile and shook his head, as Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You could have made her your servant for years, you know.¡± Teepo said. I know... and now she knows that I know, too. Ren thought. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Narhilda said and gave him a bone crushing hug. ¡°You shouldn''t have done that.¡± She shook her head and her braid flopped back and forth. ¡°I wanted to do penance for you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I know you did.¡± Narhilda let him go with surprise on her face. ¡°Then why?¡± ¡°I have the upmost respect for women.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I learned that a woman works harder, faster, and better, than I ever could.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I was practically raised by the best group of women there ever could be.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t have any woman reduced from a Lady of the House to a servant, just because she believes she owes me something.¡± ¡°You... you really believe that.¡± Narhilda said, surprised. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I fell in love with one of those women.¡± ¡°Lucy, you mean?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°She took care of you?¡± Ren nodded. ******** Barbara sat riveted to the television screen. ¡°I can''t believe he told them about Lucy!¡± ¡°Shhh!¡± The other night nurse said. ******** It had taken Elerlyth nearly all day to get back to the starter city of Aurora. When she approached the newbie area around the West gate, she didn''t get a popup to warn her away. She smiled and entered the gate. ¡°If I remember right, he spent time near the blacksmith''s shop.¡± Elerlyth said and made her way over there. As she approached Donan''s shop, she could see that everything was closed up for the night. ¡°Damn, I''m too late.¡± She walked around and saw all the other shops in the Artesian District were closed as well. ¡°I better get a room for the night.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I won''t find him now.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don''t even know where he stays at night.¡± * Ren didn''t explain why he needed a group of women to take care of him; he just said that it was Adventurer''s business, and they let it drop. ¡°Actually, I have to go and take care of some Adventurer''s business right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I shouldn''t be long.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Then again, depending on how things go, I might be out until morning.¡± Nathalia and her mother nodded. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said and bowed slightly to both of them. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Nathalia said, and her mother waved. Ren walked through the main room and down the hallway. He entered Narhilda''s old bedroom and shut the door. * ¡°You see?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°He''s been avoiding me since last night.¡± She sighed. ¡°I think I might have scared him a little, with how forward I was.¡± Her mother smiled and walked over to her. ¡°Dear, I think you''re missing his motivation completely.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°He''s not scared of how you feel about him, he''s scared of how he feels about you.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Narhilda put a hand on her daughter''s arm. ¡°He''s afraid that if he lets himself feel anything for you, he''ll be betraying how he feels about Lucy.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Just give him some time, dear.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°He''ll come to see that there''s all kinds of love, and that he can love someone new, without changing the old love that he has for someone else.¡± ¡°But... how does that work?¡± Narhilda chuckled. ¡°Everyone is different. It''s not possible to love them all the same.¡± * Ren had stood just inside the bedroom door and heard every word Nathalia and her mother had said. Is that true, Teepo? Ren thought. Can you love more than one person? ¡°Sure.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s just like Narhilda said. Everyone is different. The love you can feel for one person, wouldn''t be the same as what you feel for someone else.¡± I can''t love 2 people at the same time, though. ¡°You love Lucy, right?¡± Teepo asked and Ren nodded. ¡°Who else takes care of you?¡± Barbara, Stella, Bonnie, and Denise. ¡°Do you love Barbara?¡± Actually, yes. She''s like the mother I never had. Ren thought and went to the bed. ¡°There you go.¡± What? ¡°That''s 2 different kinds of love right there.¡± Ren froze as he climbed onto the bed. Hey, you''re right! He thought as he flopped onto his back on the bed and Teepo jumped out of the hood. I do love Lucy... and Barbara... but it''s not the same. ¡°You said Lucy was your first love, and will always have a special place in your heart; but that doesn''t mean that no one else can have a place, too.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''ve got a big heart, Ren. Lucy didn''t fill it up. She''s just the only part that you can see right now.¡± Ren smiled. Teepo is smart. Teepo is wise. ¡°Darn right, mister!¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Ren grinned. See you in a few hours, buddy. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren reached up to take the VR headset off, but Barbara beat him to it and smiled. ¡°You''ve had quite the eventful day, young man.¡± Barbara said and smiled. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Barbara... Lucy and I...¡± ¡°I know.¡± She said and put a hand on his good arm. ¡°I saw the X-rays.¡± Ren widened is eyes. ¡°Nurses need to be told what condition the people they are caring for are in.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Can you tell me how it happened?¡± Ren told her how it came about, and how it wasn''t Lucy''s fault, and that he blames himself for not paying more attention. ¡°Ren. It actually was Lucy''s fault.¡± ¡°Barbara! How can you-¡± ¡°It''s our job to look after you. She''s done it for just as long as I have, and I''d never... ever... put you in that kind of position for you to get hurt.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Ren, the least... the least... she could have done was have you sit up before doing anything.¡± Ren opened his mouth to speak, but Barbara kept going. ¡°She didn''t, though. She forgot to treat you with the respect you deserved, and she hurt you by mistake.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I think she shocked herself with how easily it could happen, even though she knew you could be hurt, and then made another bad decision right afterwards.¡± ¡°Then you...¡± ¡°I know you love each other, but sometimes...¡± Barbara sighed and had a sad look on her face. ¡°...sometimes things don''t work out right, and you just have to say goodbye.¡± ¡°But... Barbara...¡± ¡°I know. She''s hurting, too.¡± Barbara said. ¡°For her, it only just happened today, but you... you''re working on your third day already.¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°I''m saying that you''ll get over her much faster by playing the game.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°She knows this, too.¡± ¡°What!?!¡± ¡°She told Denise that it would be better for you to find someone in the game instead.¡± Barbara said. ¡°She... she did?¡± Ren said, down-hearted. ¡°I guess it''s a good thing that I''m already engaged.¡± Barbara sat down and smiled. ¡°I saw that, too.¡± She said. ¡°It was Denise''s fault, actually.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°When she saw what was going on with that dwarf, she called Lucy.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°She didn''t know what Lucy would do, though. She was just as shocked at Lucy''s message as you were.¡± Ren blinked a few times, and remembered his confrontation with Denise. ¡°So... that''s why she acted the way she did.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°She doesn''t think having an electronic relationship would be good for you, despite all the other nurses telling her that it would help.¡± ¡°You... you all told her that?¡± Ren asked, surprised. Barbara nodded again. ¡°People meet online all the time. Electronic dating services make tons of money. Texting, emails, voice chats, and now VR. It''s a new age, Ren.¡± ¡°Barbara... Nathalia isn''t...¡± Ren''s face flushed red a little. ¡°She''s... not re-¡± Barbara put a hand over his mouth. ¡°How does she make you feel, Ren?¡± Barbara asked and took her hand back. Ren thought about it. ¡°I enjoy her company. She makes me laugh, sometimes for no reason. We can sit together and not say a word, and the silence is never uncomfortable.¡± He said. ¡°When I''m with her... she... she makes me want to be a better man.¡± ¡°Then you can''t get any more real than that.¡± She said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Does it really matter if she''s an electronic person, or just somone controlling that electronic person?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Either way, she''s still an electronic person.¡± Ren opened his mouth, and then closed it. ¡°Well, damn.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Barbara exclaimed. Ren grinned and reached out his good hand. ¡°A friend pointed something out to me, recently.¡± ¡°What''s that, potty-mouth?¡± Barbara smiled and took his hand. Ren chuckled. ¡°He told me that there''s all kinds of love, and then he asked me about you.¡± Barbara blushed slightly. ¡°And what did you say?¡± ¡°I told him that you were like the mother I never had...¡± Ren said. ¡°...and that I love you.¡± Tears came to Barbara''s eyes. She tried to hold them back, but she couldn''t. ¡°Ren...¡± Barbara said, wiping some of the tears away, but missing a bunch of others. ¡°You''re like the son I never had... and I love you, too.¡± Barbara stood and tried to give Ren a hug without putting pressure on his bad arm; but after they tried and failed a couple of times, they eventually ended up laughing and she gave him an awkward one armed hug. ¡°I''ll give you the hug you deserve in a few weeks when we get that bum wing working again.¡± Barbara said and chuckled. ¡°By the way, I think your favorite actress is on the late show tonight.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Ren said. ¡°Is she still with her girlfriend, or back with her ex-husband?¡± ¡°Both I think.¡± Barbara said. ¡°No way!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Let''s put it on and check, shall we?¡± Barbara asked and turned the television to the right channel. They watched the show, and the actress came out to roaring applause and the host of the show roasted her for a good 10 minutes before getting the scoop on her personal life. Ren and Barbara watched in fascination. Chapter 108 - Ordering Stuff Ren watched that show and 2 commercials, before yawning. ¡°Okay, mister. Sleepy-time.¡± Barbara said. Ren smiled. ¡°I think I better log in, that way I can get another 8 hours, instead of the 2 I''d get staying here.¡± ¡°You could skip the next game day...¡± Barbara said, then frowned. ¡°...no, you''d still only have 5 hours here if you did that.¡± ¡°The time difference is a little weird, I know.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I do get more sleep in the game than here, though. It''s really funny how that works.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°As long as you get your rest, that''s all that matters.¡± ¡°I''ll do my best.¡± Ren said. ¡°You always do.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°Pull over the rollaway table for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to use the laptop for a minute.¡± Barbara positioned the table over the bed and Ren checked his email. ¡°Bah. Nothing but spam.¡± He opened a new message window and typed one for Lucy. It took about 10 minutes, and considering he only had one hand, that was fast. He sent it and moved the table aside. Barbara helped him put on the VR headset and Ren got as comfortable as he could. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nathalia may be cute as a button...¡± Barbara said and tickled him a little. ¡°...but you need to sleep!¡± ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± The television changed to the VR input immediately, and the laptop started recording. ¡°Sleep well, Little Prince.¡± Barbara said. ******** Ren woke up and found that he wasn''t alone in the bed. How did she know? Ren thought. ¡°How did who know what?¡± Teepo asked from the ceiling, then chittered in laughter. ¡°That sounded weird.¡± Ren smiled. Somehow, Barbara knew Nathalia would be in the bed with me. ¡°So she takes care of you, and she''s smart.¡± Teepo said. Is she ever! Ren thought with amusement. How long has Nathalia been here? ¡°Almost right after you left.¡± Nathalia was on her side, with her head on the pillow next to him, her arms crossed in front of her chest, and her knees were bent slightly towards him. She got as close as she could without actually touching me. Ren thought. He shifted his weight a little bit, and Nathalia''s eyes opened. ¡°You''re back.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I still need to sleep, though.¡± He said and lifted an arm over her head. Nathalia''s eyes widened and Ren motioned for her to scoot closer. She didn''t need a second invitation and slid over to cuddle on his chest. He draped his arm around her and his hand ended up near her hip. They both took a deep breath and exhaled together. ¡°Goodnight, Nathalia.¡± Ren said. She tilted her head up to look at him, and Ren gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Nathalia''s eyes widened slightly, and then she smiled. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Nathalia said, and ducked her head back onto his chest. * Elerlyth had passed by this inn several times during her previous visits, but this was the first time she''d noticed a picture of Ren by the front door. She went inside and saw the innkeeper was having a hard time keeping up with the orders of ale. When he came back to the desk to deal with her, he saw her dark skin and shook slightly. Elerlyth smiled. Mmm. There''s the fear. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I saw the picture of the Hero of Aurora, saying that he was here.¡± The innkeeper''s eyes widened. ¡°Yes. Yes! He''s stayed here twice! Said it was the best inn he''d ever stayed in.¡± More likely the only inn he''d ever stayed in. Elerlyth thought. ¡°I''d like a room, then.¡± The innkeeper reached for a key. ¡°His room.¡± The innkeeper nodded and changed the key he reached for. Elerlyth followed him all the way up the stairs and to the last door. ¡°The best room in the house.¡± He said and opened the door. ¡°That''ll be 5 silver, but you can pay in the morning.¡± Elerlyth stepped by the innkeeper and grazed his neck with one of her nails. ¡°Ow!¡± The innkeeper said and grabbed his neck. Fear flooded the room and Elerlyth drank it in. ¡°I''m sure a... better arrangement... can be made in my case.¡± She said and smiled. The innkeeper nodded several times and put the key on the desk. He left the room and shut the door behind him. Elerlyth walked around and smelled a few things. The bed, the desk, and even the floor; but she couldn''t get a trace of him. It''s been too long, I guess. She thought and walked over to the picture hanging on the wall. What''s a unicorn picture doing in here? She lifted it off the wall, but there wasn''t anything behind it. She shrugged and put it back, then hopped onto the bed. I''m sure I''ll find the little elfling tomorrow. She thought, and drifted off to sleep. * Ren woke up to the smell of cooking bacon. He took in a deep breath through his nose and sighed. Nathalia chuckled and Ren smiled down at her. ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to wake you.¡± Ren said and she looked up at him. ¡°I smelled something really good, and took a deep breath. I couldn''t help myself.¡± ¡°I hope you mean me, and not some strips of frying fat.¡± Nathalia said, indignantly... then let a grin spread across her face. Ren laughed and his chest shook her a little. He let her out of the half-hug he''d held her in all night, and slid part way off the bed, then leaned back over it to put his face right next to hers. ¡°Nope, frying fat.¡± He said, gave her a quick kiss on her nose to distract her, then leaned away so her swat at his head would miss. Ren stood up and Teepo chittered in laughter as Nathalia tried to climb over the bed to get Ren, then slipped. She almost slid off the side of the bed, but caught herself on the edge. Unfortunately, her dress didn''t stop sliding, made it partway up her legs, and kept going. Ren''s eyes widened as Nathalia tried to catch the dress with one hand, and still hold herself steady with the other. She rolled upside down and nearly fell to the floor, but Ren caught her as she slid off the bed. He had one arm behind her back and one under her knees. Nathalia''s arm was draped across his shoulders, and Ren cupped her to his chest as he lifted her. ¡°That was a close one.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Nathalia nodded and smiled. ¡°I guess... I guess I don''t have to be jealous of my mother anymore.¡± Ren looked at her in surprise. ¡°You were jealous of her?¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°When she fell that time, and you thought she was fainting and picked her up.¡± She said. ¡°I... I wanted it to be me.¡± She said and blushed a little. ¡°Nathalia.¡± Ren said and she looked at him in the eyes. ¡°You don''t have to be jealous.¡± He bent down slightly and put her legs down, stood Nathalia on her feet, and stood up himself. ¡°I won''t be doing this with your mother.¡± He leaned down and kissed her. Nathalia ran her hands up Ren''s chest while they kissed, and hugged him around the neck. Ren ran his hands down her back and hugged her waist. They broke apart a minute later, both slightly out of breath. ¡°That was...¡± Nathalia said. ¡°...wow.¡± ¡°Okay, I have to admit... that was a little better than bacon.¡± Ren said and grinned. Nathalia snorted a laugh and swatted his arm. He didn''t dodge this time, though. He caught her hand after she hit him and bent over it. ¡°My Lady, will you join me for breakfast?¡± Nathalia reached her other hand up and lightly stroked his face. ¡°Yes, I will.¡± Ren turned and stuck out his elbow for Nathalia to take, and they went out to the kitchen to have breakfast. Teepo dropped into Ren''s hood as they passed. * ¡°What do you mean, he''s not here?!?¡± Elerlyth nearly shouted. ¡°It''s just like I said. He''s not here.¡± Donan said and smiled. ¡°Been gone for weeks, actually.¡± ¡°Where is he now?¡± She asked. ¡°No idea.¡± Elerlyth scowled. She knew that was almost a lie. ¡°You know where he went, though. Don''t you?¡± Donan''s smile slipped and he nodded. ¡°Then where?¡± ¡°He went to the dwarf lands.¡± Donan said, and smiled at Elerlyth''s surprised face. ¡°H-h-how?¡± ¡°He got on a boat. It left.¡± ¡°I meant...¡± Elerlyth huffed. ¡°...how was he allowed to go to the dwarf lands?¡± ¡°He was invited, of course.¡± Donan said. ¡°There''s no other way.¡± That sneaky little bugger! Elerlyth thought in admiration. Gaining access to the most lucrative area of the game! She paced back and forth. There''s rumors all over the net about entire fields of emeralds, overflowing rivers of gold, and even creatures that are unheard of anywhere else in the game. She stopped pacing and faced Donan. ¡°Who invited him?¡± ¡°A dwarf, obviously.¡± Elerlyth scowled. ¡°A name.¡± Donan shook his head. ¡°You don''t need to know that.¡± She took a step towards him and he shook his head again. ¡°You know the rules.¡± Donan said. ¡°Break them and you''ll be Barred.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°When will he be back?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± He said and smiled. Dammit, that''s the truth. Elerlyth thought. ¡°Thanks for your help.¡± ¡°Anytime.¡± Donan said. ¡°Any ''friend'' of Ren''s... only gets so many free passes.¡± Elerlyth nodded her understanding, and left the shop. She walked down the street and around the corner, and went to Mitchell''s old shop. It was all boarded up and the popup said that it was only temporarily closed, even though it had been closed since the last time she was there. Elerlyth checked around, but there was no sign that the fake Mitchell had been back there at all. She sighed and started her search of every nook and cranny that she could find in the city. I really wish Ren had been here. Elerlyth thought, with a little sorrow. I''m feeding more than normal, but it still feels like I''m starving! * Ren had an enjoyable breakfast with Nathalia and her mother, Narhilda. One of the highlights was when they told him about using the Sending Stone and the Sending Ring together. ¡°Hold on, they work together?!?¡± Ren asked. Nathalia nodded. ¡°I don''t know if you need someone to touch both at the same time, or if they just have to be touching each other.¡± ¡°We can play with them later.¡± Ren waved her concerns away. ¡°What matters is that they can work like that!¡± Ren said happily. The two women glanced at each other and grinned. They all finished eating and Ren spoke. ¡°I need to go and get some more stone bricks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got some plans that I need a lot of bricks for.¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°Do you need any of the smaller diamond crystals?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Yeah, actually. That''s a good idea.¡± He said. ¡°Just a couple should do.¡± Nathalia gave him a couple small ones and he put them in inventory. ¡°I was going to stop in the market as well. There''s something there that might lead me to a Gemcutter.¡± Ren explained and turned to Nathalia. ¡°Do you want to come along?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I''ve got a few things I need to take care of.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said, made 3 egg, bacon and toast sandwiches, and stored them. He stood up and walked around the table. Ren took out 2 platinum coins and placed them in Nathalia''s hand. ¡°Here.¡± He said to her shocked face. ¡°Just in case you need to buy anything.¡± Ren gave her a kiss on the cheek, waved to her mother, and left the house. * ¡°Did he just...?¡± Nathalia asked, and stared at the two platinum coins. Narhilda grinned and nodded. ¡°I can''t believe it.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°He just gave me...¡± ¡°Spending money!¡± Her mother laughed with joy. ¡°Enough to put a down payment on your own house, and he gave it to you... for spending money! Ha ha ha!¡± Narhilda said, and her chest started to get sore from laughing so hard. * Ren went to the stable, gave a sandwich to Princess, and she gobbled it down. ¡°I''d tell you to take it easy, but I''d be wasting my breath.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''re just going to do what you want anyways.¡± He gave her another sandwich. ¡°I''m heading into the city, and might not be back for a while.¡± Princess ate the second sandwich a little slower, but it didn''t make any difference. It was gone before Ren had finished speaking. ¡°See you later.¡± He said then turned to the cabinet. ¡°Bye, Ruck.¡± Ruck knocked and Ren left the stable. He went out the gate, making sure it was locked behind him, and started to run. He was in the main city about 5 minutes later and slowed to a walk. ¡°Where was that vendor?¡± Ren asked Teepo. ¡°Two streets over, towards the docks.¡± Ren went that way, and after he walked down the street once, Teepo spotted the vendor. ¡°There he is.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s the third stall on the left.¡± Ah, I see him. Ren thought and walked over to that side of the street. He didn''t walk right up to the vendor, though. That wasn''t how the game was played. Ren walked at a leisurely pace and passed the stall, and the vendor called out to him.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°You! You there!¡± The dwarf said. Ren turned to him. ¡°You look like a man with a discerning eye.¡± Ren looked around at the other dwarfs passing by, and then pointed to himself. ¡°Yes, you!¡± The dwarf nearly shouted, and Ren smiled. He''s going to try and milk me for all of my money, isn''t he? ¡°Does a monocerus only have one horn?¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°Of course he is!¡± Ren avoided the other dwarfs walking by and made his way to the stall. He looked at the... well, knick-knacks was what they were... and then looked at the vendor. ¡°What have you got?¡± Ren asked, and the dwarf''s eyes lit up. I finally got one! Yuncith thought. A genuine customer! He went through the whole speech he''d prepared for just such and occasion, and Ren stood there, absorbing it all. Yuncith described everything he had on the table, pointing to each thing as he mentioned it. Ren followed along, and noticed there were a couple of innovative things that he actually would be interested in buying. Yuncith saw Ren''s interest and poured on the salesmanship charm. ¡°So, which one would you like?¡± Yuncith asked. Ren looked them over, appraised everything at about 5 gold coins (total), and then looked at some of the things the vendor had hanging up. Right behind his head, was the large piece of silver with the emerald in the center. Teepo was right, the thing was cut well and glinted in the sunlight. ¡°What about that?¡± Ren asked. Yuncith''s mouth dropped open. You''ve got to be kidding me! He thought. I''ve been stuck with that thing for ages, and this guy shows up out of the blue and asks me about it?!? He closed his mouth and turned to the piece. ¡°This, my friend, is a genuine silver brocade serving tray, used by the King himself!¡± Yuncith said. ¡°Only the richest foods have ever touched it''s surface.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s with the rock in the center? It''d be hard to put food on that, I think.¡± Yuncith''s eyes widened at that. ¡°How would you know? Are you a cook?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I can cook, but I don''t have that title, yet.¡± The food tray tactic won''t work then. Yuncith thought. Plan B. ¡°Now, I was told that''s what it was; but you''re right. I don''t think it was for food, either. It was probably used as a serving tray for the Queen''s hairbrushes.¡± ¡°Ooo, good one!¡± Teepo said and Ren smiled. ¡°May I see it?¡± Ren asked. The vendor squinted his eyes in suspicion. ¡°If you''re worried I''ll run off with it, I''ll buy everything on your table first.¡± Ren said. Yuncith''s mouth fell open again. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°That depends...¡± Ren said as his Haggle skill kicked in. ¡°...on how much you''re going to fleece me.¡± ¡°Ha... hahaha!¡± Yuncith guffawed. ¡°I like you.¡± He said, then stopped laughing. ¡°10 gold.¡± ¡°10! That''s highway robbery.¡± Ren said. ¡°2.¡± ¡°2! That''s an insult to peddlers everywhere.¡± Yuncith said. ¡°8.¡± ¡°Geez, do you want my first born? 4.¡±
Stat Change!
Haggle Level 3 (Beginner 0%)
¡°Bah! Keep your first born. 7.¡± Ren looked down at the wares, then back at the dwarf. ¡°Alright, alright! I know when I''ve been beaten. You''ve convinced me.¡± Ren reached out a hand to shake. ¡°6 gold.¡± Yuncith grinned. ¡°Done!¡± He said and pulled out a box and used a hand to slide all of the things into it, clanking everything together. Ren didn''t hear anything break, however. He handed over 6 gold, got the box in return, and stored it. ¡°The tray, please.¡± Ren said. Yuncith handed it over with a smile, and Ren examined it.
Basic Silver Serving Tray (Modified)
This tray has been modified to hold a gem of considerable size.
Ren ran his fingers over it, and his Vision of Impurity picked out several flaws where the silver wasn''t quite mixed with the iron. It weaken the tray only slightly. He used Appraisal on it, and saw that the ''gem'' was only a piece of colored glass, and the tray itself was only worth a few silver. Ren sighed and handed it back. ¡°No thanks.¡± He said and turned away. ¡°Wait!¡± The vendor said, and Ren turned back. ¡°Don''t you want it?¡± Ren shook his head and leaned in to whisper. ¡°It''s fake.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Yuncith said in surprise. ¡°It''s barely worth 3 silver, and that''s just for the tray.¡± Ren said. ¡°The gem is just colored glass.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± The vendor asked. ¡°It''s cut really well, but it''s not polished.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I assume because glass won''t hold the same shine as a real gem.¡± He looked at the vendor. ¡°Did you cut it?¡± Yuncith scowled. ¡°What if I did?¡± Ren looked around and kept whispering. ¡°I''m looking for a good Gemcutter.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I found something, and I want it cut properly.¡± Ren said. ¡°Only a highly skilled Gemcutter can do it.¡± ¡°You''re... not with the military, are you?¡± Yuncith asked. ¡°I was.¡± Ren said, honestly. ¡°It was 99% ''this is boring'' and 1% ''Holy Crap!''.¡± The vendor clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°That it was.¡± He said. ¡°That it was.¡± Yuncith looked around and asked Ren to step back. He came around himself and pulled a lever beside the stall, and it folded down on itself and then up into the wall. ¡°That was neat!¡± Ren said. ¡°You gotta show me how that worked.¡± He said to the vendor and Yuncith laughed. ¡°Later.¡± He said and started walking. ¡°Come with me.¡± Ren followed the vendor down the street and behind the stalls to a row of housing. They walked down the row about halfway, and the dwarf stopped at a door. Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°On it!¡± Teepo said and hopped out of the hood and skittered into the house. Yuncith unlocked the door and stepped inside. Ren looked at all the houses up and down the street, and then back to the one the dwarf was going into. ¡°How do you tell them apart? They''re all identical.¡± Ren said, stalling for time. Yuncith laughed again. ¡°You count them at first, then you just know.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± Ren said. ¡°All Clear!¡± Teepo said. ¡°4 rooms. A workshop, kitchen, living room, and bedroom.¡± Thanks, Teepo. The vendor waved him in and Ren went inside. Yuncith shut the door and walked down the hallway to a door. He unlocked it with 3 different keys in 3 different locks, and then opened it. Ren followed the vendor inside, and discovered that the room was covered in shelves, filled with the same knick-knacks he''d just bought a box of. This is the workshop. Ren thought as Teepo crawled back into the hood. Yuncith went over to his workbench and sat down. Ren couldn''t resist trying to look and walked over to see what he was doing. The vendor opened a tiny little vise and took out what he was working on. Ren caught a glimpse of red before the dwarf dropped it into a drawer. ¡°What''s this ''something'' you''ve found?¡± Yuncith asked. Ren pulled out the smallest diamond crystal that he had, about 2 inches in diameter, and handed it over. The dwarf snatched it and slipped a goggle over one eye. It looked like a monocular lens (mo-nock-you-lar, or tiny telescope), and he examined the diamond crystal. ¡°Nice.¡± Yuncith said. ¡°Very nice.¡± He looked at Ren and the eye behind the goggle was 3 times the size of his normal one. ¡°Good clarity, no impurities.¡± The vendor said. ¡°Where did you say you got it?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I didn''t.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Yuncith said. ¡°I knew I liked you.¡± He turned to his workbench and melted something that looked like wax. He set the crystal in it, then blew on it to let it set. He picked up a tiny chisel and hammer, and looked at the crystal. After a few taps, the sides of the crystal fell away onto the workbench, making a point. He picked up something like a file, and used it on the tips of the cuts, grinding down the ends and making facets. The wax-like substance was heated again and the crystal was flipped over to the top. Yuncith filed the edges down to make facets there, and then he was done. He heated the thing again and the finished diamond popped right out. ¡°There you go.¡± He said and handed the diamond to Ren, who examined it.
Diamond - Round Cut (Poor Quality)
This diamond was treated roughly and it''s quality has suffered for it.
Ren appraised the diamond and it was only worth 10 gold. He sighed, and reached for the other pieces that had been cut off. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± The dwarf said and hid the pieces under his hand. ¡°I was taking my property back.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± ¡°Are you going to steal from me, after ruining a gem like this?¡± Ren said. ¡°I wasn''t stealing it. It''s garbage.¡± He said. Ren stared at him and switched his Camaraderie Aura to Command. ¡°Return my property, sir.¡± ¡°I cut it off, it''s mine.¡± Yuncith said, defiantly. Ren sighed, and switched to his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak''s Fear ability instead. ¡°You don''t want to do this.¡± The dwarf started to shake from fear, but wouldn''t lift his hand. Ren activated his Screaming Terror ring and the dwarf jumped off his stool and yelled. He scampered into a corner and cowered there. Ren picked up the pieces the dwarf had cut off, and swept the diamond dust into a piece of scrap cloth, added the pieces and tied it. Ren deactivated the ring and the dwarf stopped cowering. ¡°You can''t to that!¡± The dwarf yelled. ¡°Where can I get tools like these?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''m not telling you anything, you thief!¡± Ren scowled at the dwarf. ¡°Let''s let the military decide which of us is the thief.¡± Yuncith''s face showed shock. ¡°W-w-what?¡± ¡°I have no problem with telling the military all about this.¡± Ren said, and motioned to the setup the dwarf had. ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°I''d think twice about challenging me.¡± Ren said calmly and switched his Aura back to Command. ¡°I''ve beaten House Faldihr''s Champion.¡± ¡°That... that was you?¡± The dwarf said in shock. Ren grinned, baring his teeth. ¡°Well... ah... I guess we don''t have to... tell anyone about this.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°That would be best for you, yes.¡± Ren said, and switched to his Camaraderie Aura. ¡°Since our... business is done... I''ll... I''ll show you out.¡± Yuncith said. ¡°Just a minute.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I asked before, where can I get tools like these?¡± The dwarf scowled at him. ¡°You wouldn''t know how to use them.¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I like tools.¡± He said and stepped away from the desk as the dwarf approached it. Yuncith opened a drawer and it held a small case. ¡°100 gold.¡± He said, and Ren saw he wasn''t going to barter with a gold cost that high. Ren untied the scrap cloth and took out one of the pieces. ¡°What about this instead?¡± He asked, and waved it back and forth. The dwarf''s eyes followed it, and then nodded. Ren put the piece on the workbench, and the dwarf handed him the small case. Yuncith led him out of the room and then to the front door. Ren stepped outside and turned his head to look at the vendor. ¡°It seems I''ve already forgotten which house you live in.¡± Ren said, stored the tool case, and stepped into the street. ¡°They all look the same, you see.¡± The dwarf smiled slightly and then shut the door. Ren walked down the street to get back to the main road. He had to get back there to follow the directions he knew to Barnar''s place. Ren didn''t run, however. ¡°That was intense.¡± Teepo said. Yeah. I think he really would have challenged me. ¡°Nice work with the Auras. You''re getting good at using them.¡± I still had to use the ring, though. ¡°Better that than your fists.¡± Yeah. They arrived at Barnar''s and as soon as Ren opened the door and stepped inside, he was greeted by several people. Ren waved to them, as they wouldn''t hear him grunt like he should, and made his way around the various work stations to the main workbench. Barnar saw him approach and jumped up. ¡°Ren!¡± He said and took Ren into a hug. ¡°Come to give me more crazy ideas?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Actually, I need some stone bricks. A lot of them, actually.¡± ¡°Good! I always like more business.¡± Barnar said. ¡°By the way, here''s your cut.¡± He said and dug a sack of coins out of his workbench drawer and handed it to Ren. ¡°My what?¡± ¡°Your cut.¡± Barnar said and grinned. ¡°I sold 4 fireplaces just today!¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I used your idea to make mortar figures for all of them.¡± He said. ¡°I wasn''t kidding when I told you that you''d saved me a ton of money and time.¡± Ren looked at him in surprise, and Barnar laughed. ¡°My friend, once we carve one figure, we never have to carve that figure again. We had several clients put a rush order in, and they paid a huge bonus.¡± Barnar pointed to the sack. ¡°That''s your cut from each figure''s use.¡± Ren opened the coin bag he held, and it was full of gold. ¡°Barnar! There''s like 30 gold in here!¡± ¡°35, actually.¡± ¡°You... you didn''t have to...¡± ¡°It was your idea!¡± Barnar exclaimed and clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°I might have run with it, but it''s all you, my friend.¡± Ren clapped him back on the shoulder. ¡°Thank you.¡± Barnar waved the thanks away. ¡°It used to take a week to make a fireplace, now we can do it in a day!¡± ¡°I hope you don''t run out of customers.¡± Ren smiled and dumped the 35 gold into his coin pouch. Barnar grinned. ¡°Not possible. Even if I put one in every home in the city, they''d all want a second one.¡± Ren laughed and handed the empty coin sack back. ¡°That''s good.¡± ¡°Now, you say you want some stone bricks?¡± Barnar asked. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Paving stones, too... if you have them.¡± Barnar shook his head. ¡°I don''t do industrial. You''ll need to go to House Longore for those. They should sell you some.¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Down the street about 3 blocks.¡± Barnar said. ¡°What do you mean, ''should'' sell me some?¡± ¡°It''s industrial. You''ll need to order a lot for them to even look at you.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I got that covered.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Barnar said, looked at Ren like he was crazy, then smiled. ¡°How many stone bricks do you need? They''re 8 copper each.¡± ¡°I think 200 should do it.¡± Barnar''s eyes widened. ¡°Are you covering a floor the hard way?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, but I do use them to build stuff.¡± ¡°Gotcha.¡± He said. ¡°16 silver.¡± Ren took out the money and handed it over. ¡°Do you want to take them now, or have them delivered?¡± ¡°Delivered, please.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t carry anything else at the moment.¡± ¡°You... you were going to carry them?¡± Barnar asked. ¡°I''m an Adventurer. I can carry a lot.¡± Ren said and smiled. Barnar nodded. ¡°Where''s the delivery to?¡± ¡°House Neram.¡± Barnar wrote it down. ¡°Is tomorrow okay? I''ve got fireplaces to finish today.¡± ¡°Tomorrow''s great, Barnar. Thanks.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Barnar said. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Actually, yeah. You wouldn''t happen to know a good Gemcutter, would you?¡± ¡°No, sorry.¡± Barnar said. ¡°Actually, I don''t know if there''s still one around or not.¡± ¡°Is there one working for the King and Queen?¡± Barnar opened his mouth, then frowned. ¡°I''ll find out.¡± ¡°Thanks, Barnar.¡± Ren said, started to walk away and turned back. ¡°Say, do I need an appointment to see House Longore?¡± ¡°Nope. You can knock if the guard isn''t standing outside, too.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you later.¡± Barnar waved and Ren waved at the workers as he left. He walked down the street 3 blocks and there was a big sign for House Longore. Teepo. ¡°This might take a while.¡± Teepo said as he saw the size of the place. For now, just check the rooms that can be seen when you go through the door. We can check the other rooms later. ¡°Gotcha.¡± Teepo said and hopped out of the hood and skittered up the steps and under the door. There was a guard there, and he noticed Ren. ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°I need some paving stones, and I heard that House Longore was the best place to get them.¡± Ren said. ¡°It is.¡± The guard said. ¡°Then yes, you can help me.¡± The guard stepped over to the door and unlocked it. Ren waited for Teepo''s ''All Clear'' before stepping forward. The guard opened the door and Ren went up the steps to enter the main lobby. A desk was there and Ren walked over to it. A female dwarf was behind the desk, and she looked like she was just under 3 feet tall. She was actually short for a dwarf, which Ren didn''t think was possible, and most of her height was from her torso. ¡°Can I help you?¡± She asked in a squeaky voice. ¡°I''m sure you can, Ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need some paving stones and was told this was where I should go to get them.¡± She looked Ren up and down, and tilted her head to the side. ¡°I''m sorry, but we don''t do driveways or courtyards.¡± She said. ¡°You''ve got some Influence, but not enough to justify a big order.¡± Ren scrutinized her as well. She was well dressed and wore an iron ring on the same finger as that healer in the brig did. It marked her as married; whether she actually was or not, is another story. Her hair was short and as red as red can be. ¡°Can I ask why Influence is used as a gauge for the order size?¡± She smiled. ¡°When you have enough Influence, your lands and titles reflect it. Then we know you actually need a lot of paving stones.¡± Ren crossed his arms. ¡°How many stones does my Influence tell you I need?¡± ¡°Only about 200.¡± She squeaked. ¡°We don''t do orders that small.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and she giggled. ¡°That''s cute!¡± She said, then clapped a hand over her mouth. Ren smiled. ¡°What if I told you that I needed a thousand paving stones?¡± ¡°That''s the minimum order we have, but I can tell your lying.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°That''s because what I actually need is about 3,000.¡± She started to talk, Ren assumed to tell him he was lying again, and then her mouth dropped open. ¡°You... you really need...¡± ¡°It''s 2,800, but I''m allowing for breakage, worn corners, and divots.¡± ¡°Just... just a moment.¡± She said and walked down a small set of stairs to the floor and crossed the floor to knock on an office door to the right of the desk. Ren looked away, so he wouldn''t see inside. Teepo, did you check the office on the right? ¡°Yes.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s a female dwarf inside. I''m checking the others down the hall, just in case.¡± Thanks, Teepo. ¡°Excuse me, sir.¡± The tiny dwarf said. Ren turned to look at her and smiled. ¡°Right this way.¡± Ren had to walk really slow to follow her to the office. Once inside, Ren saw a beautiful blonde dwarf sitting behind a large ornate desk. The tiny dwarf bowed slightly to the woman, then had a hard time when she dragged the door shut behind her as she left. ¡°Please be seated.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ma''am.¡± Ren said and sat. The blonde dwarf smiled. ¡°Ms. Longore is fine.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°You''re...¡± ¡°Yes, I''m that Longore.¡± Ren stood, and then bowed slightly. ¡°My apologies for not greeting you properly.¡± She chuckled. ¡°It''s quite all right.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve had to relax the strict protocol when I took this office.¡± ¡°Then... why did you take the office?¡± Ren asked as he sat again. ¡°Most men don''t even think about it.¡± She said. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± ¡°A woman of your stature should always be shown the proper respect.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re... pardon my frankness... intentionally losing Honor.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°I''ve spent some time with a Lady of a House that has lost nearly all of her Honor, because over the years, men have simply been ignoring her. If you''re sitting here, and letting it wear yours away, then you must have a reason.¡± She smiled. ¡°You''re nothing like the normal clients we get.¡± ¡°And you''re trying to change the subject.¡± Ren said, and she grinned. ¡°But that''s understandable, and I respect your decision to not let a perfect stranger know one of your secrets.¡± He smiled. ¡°Ms. Longore, I''d like to order 3,000 paving stones, please.¡± She took out a form from her desk. ¡°This is the standard structured payment form.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Sorry. I''ve been through something like this before. I''ll pay right now, immediately, in coins.¡± Ms. Longore had a shocked look on her face. ¡°You''re definitely not like any of our other clients.¡± She put the form away and took out another. She filled it out and handed it to Ren, who took his time in reading it. When he was done, he looked at her and saw she had a huge smile on her face. Ren signed it and passed it back. ¡°50 gold, please.¡± Ren handed the money over. ¡°When can they be delivered?¡± ¡°We have nearly twice that many in stock. When would you like it?¡± ¡°Tomorrow would be great, Ms. Longore.¡± ¡°Please, call me Syudora.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''d never call you by your first name in public, Ms. Longore... even with your relaxed protocol.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I''m already engaged.¡± ¡°Another one escapes my fiendish trap!¡± Syudora laughed and stood as she reached out a hand. ¡°It was nice meeting you, Mister...?¡± Ren stood and took her hand, and smiled as he bent over it. ¡°Please make the delivery to House Neram, Ms. Longore.¡± ¡°I can''t even get your name?¡± She said, with laughter in her voice. ¡°For the delivery?¡± Ren stood up. ¡°I''ll be there to receive it.¡± ¡°You''re good.¡± She said. ¡°You know how to play ''the game''.¡± ¡°I''ve had a lot of practice.¡± Ren said, walked over to the door, and opened it. ¡°Goodbye, Ms. Longore.¡± Ren stepped out of the office and walked over to the desk. Teepo stood on it''s edge, and Ren reached out to rest a hand on the shiny wood. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± Ren said, as Teepo crawled up his arm. ¡°You''re welcome, sir.¡± The tiny dwarf squeaked. ¡°Come back anytime.¡± Ren left the building and the guard held the door for him. Ren walked down the stairs and then down the street. I wonder where the mines are? ¡°Why?¡± They''ve got tons of what I need. ¡°Iron ore?¡± Some of that, sure... and something much, much better. ¡°Gold?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Because we have lots of gold ore, and access to more in the Keep.¡± You''ll see what I mean. Ren thought as he walked. I need to ask Barnar where he gets his limestone and sand, though. ¡°You mean...¡± I''m going to need a lot of mortar for the above ground part of the Keep. ¡°You could just hire Barnar and his crew.¡± Ren stopped walking and grinned. Teepo, that''s a brilliant idea! Ren thought and ran the rest of the way back to Barnar''s shop. With his whole crew working, they could have the above ground walls repaired in no time! Ren entered the shop and was greeted again. He waved more energetically and made his way over to Barnar and the workbench. ¡°Hi, Barnar.¡± ¡°Hi, Ren. Long time, no see.¡± Barnar said and snickered. Ren grinned. ¡°What are you doing tomorrow?¡± ¡°Delivering your stone bricks.¡± ¡°Yes, and if you''re interested... I have a job for you and your crew.¡± Chapter 109 - Trading For Ideas Ren discussed what he needed Barnar and his workers to do, and Barnar was reluctant to have his people just slapping mortar on walls. ¡°I''m teaching them to be artists, Ren.¡± Barnar said. ¡°Of course you are. I wouldn''t expect anything else.¡± Ren said, and the Haggle skill kicked in again. He smiled and continued. ¡°I want that for the walls.¡± ¡°You what?¡± ¡°Make them as ornate and decorated as you can. They need some rebuilding anyways, why not go all out?¡± Ren grinned and looked around. ¡°Like those columns.¡± ¡°What about them?¡± Barnar asked. ¡°Can you make a corner mold of it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°So that it will sit against the outside corner of the wall, but it looks like it is the corner?¡± Barnar looked at Ren like he was crazy. ¡°You''re saying... it doesn''t have to be the corner, just fit over it and look like it is.¡± ¡°Exactly! As long as it looks like it is. With your expertise, no one will know it''s not.¡± ¡°You really are crazy!¡± Barnar said and grinned. ¡°Come and show me what you want.¡± Ren showed him that he could make a mold of just the bottom piece, a mold of the top piece, and then a 1 foot section of the middle. ¡°Why just a 1 foot section?¡± Barnar asked. Ren smiled. ¡°That way, you can make multiple copies and stack them, since they''d all be identical. Also, they''re not too heavy to move, or break under their own weight.¡± Barnar''s eyes widened. ¡°Well, damn.¡± He said. ¡°That''s... you''re a genius!¡± He grabbed Ren around the shoulders. ¡°If this works...¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Use House Neram as an example. Once everyone can see what you can really do with walls, everyone will want you to work for them.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Barnar exclaimed. ¡°Everyone already wants me to work for them.¡± ¡°Sure, they do; but, how often have you walked up to a House and cringed when you saw the plain stone and mortar outside? On every... single... House.¡± Barnar gave Ren a crooked grin. ¡°So, you do have a stonemason''s eye.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It bothers me every time I go back to House Neram, to see it the way it is.¡± Ren put a hand on Barnar''s arm. ¡°Make it as outrageous as you can. Add the front half of columns about every 10 feet or so, swirls along the tops of the walls to join them together.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Like I said, go all out.¡± ¡°What about the battlements?¡± ¡°Don''t put any details on them, just smooth them over. A good layer of mortar, after repairing them of course. Do everything else underneath.¡± ¡°The walls are going to be a little plain inside those 10 foot sections.¡± ¡°I''ve got an idea about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll need one of your carvers to help me make a mold, though.¡± ¡°Ms. Alreane!¡± Barnar called across the room. ¡°We''re going to make a ton of money.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°That''s not counting the Influence you''ll gain, either.¡± Barnar looked at Ren in surprise. ¡°I... I didn''t even think of that.¡± ¡°You''re going to have to.¡± Ren looked around. ¡°This isn''t going to be enough room for you to work if this takes off.¡± Barnar grinned, too. ¡°I''ve got a good stake on most of the block behind me.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± ¡°What do you need, Mr. Slatebreaker?¡± Ms. Alreane said as she came over to where Ren and Barnar stood. ¡°This man needs your carving expertise. Treat him well.¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± She said. ¡°My station is right over here.¡± She walked away and Ren followed her to her workbench. Ren saw all the clutter there and smiled. ¡°I''m sorry, we''re going to need more room than that.¡± Ren said and motioned at the tabletop. ¡°About this much.¡± Ren said and made a circle with his arms, nearly touching his fingertips. ¡°2 feet round. Got it.¡± She said, then quickly cleared everything off the desk and put it away. Ren assumed each item went where it was supposed to go, as the movements seemed practiced and easy. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°It''s going to be a negative relief, so I can use it as a mold and make copies.¡± Ms. Alreane smiled. ¡°I''ve been wanting to try that!¡± She saw Ren''s surprise and chuckled. ¡°I meant the mold part, not the relief carving. I can do that with my eyes closed.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Great.¡± ¡°So, what''s your idea?¡± She asked. ¡°A House Crest.¡± ¡°A...a...what?¡± Ren grinned and took out a big piece of parchment. ¡°I''ll show you.¡± He said, and much to her surprise, he drew out exactly what he wanted. ¡°I''ve been thinking about a Maker''s Mark, ever since a friend mentioned it to me.¡± Ren said and handed over the drawing. ¡°It should make a great House Crest.¡± ¡°You''re really good.¡± She said, looking at the drawing. ¡°Grab me a good slab, would you?¡± Ren walked over to the stack and took a few minutes to find one that could be used. He re-stacked the pile, brought over the one he chose, and set it gently on the desk. ¡°You moved those like they were nothing!¡± Ms. Alreane said, surprised. ¡°It takes me 10 minutes to get one of those to my desk!¡± ¡°I can bring more over, if you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°That would be really nice, actually.¡± ¡°Do you want to pick the ones you want, or do you just want a stack?¡± ¡°A... a stack, please.¡± She said, surprised. Ren still had a slot open, and stored a dozen slabs, walked back to her desk, and stacked them right there beside it. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, with admiration in her eyes. ¡°I won''t have to lift anything for the rest of the month.¡± Ren waved her thanks away. ¡°When I''m here, I told Barnar that I''d help out where I can.¡± Ms. Alreane smiled and nodded slightly, then got to work. She was quick with her chisel and hammer, and groved tools, and files. Ren only had a basic design drawn, but she rounded everything and made it all stand out, albeit in reverse. When she was done, Ren stored the plan with the others he had in inventory, and they took the relief carving over to the corner of the room that was now dedicated to making molds. It was treated with chalk dust and then filled with mortar. ¡°You''ve got it down to an efficient system. Excellent work.¡± Ren said and the dwarves smiled. Once the mortar was set 15 minutes later, they popped it out of the mold and looked at it. ¡°Ooo.¡± Everyone said, and Ren smiled. ¡°You designed that, Ren?¡± Barnar said as he came over to see what they were doing. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°I like the flow.¡± He said. ¡°I assume you were going for as much symmetry as you could?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I was trying to get as much as I could into it, to show what I could do, without overdoing it.¡± ¡°Well, you definitely succeeded.¡± Barnar said, and looked at it. ¡°This is what you want in every blank section?¡± ¡°I do. You can fill the mold as many times as you need to; but once the job is done, I''d like the mold sent to me, please.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Barnar said. ¡°It''s yours, after all.¡± Ren smiled and stored the crest. ¡°Of course, once people see that House Neram has a House Crest...¡± ¡°Ha! Hahaha!¡± Barnar laughed and clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°Yes! They''ll all want something designed, and made special for them, too!¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Your ideas have a way of blooming into more and more things, my friend! Will you be by often to pick up your cut for everything that''s going to come from all of this?¡± ¡°You''d better just send it directly to House Neram.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to be busy for the next little while.¡± ¡°Of course, my friend.¡± Barnar said, then looked at him with his eyebrows raised. ¡°Are there any other ideas in that big brain of yours?¡± ¡°Well...¡± Ren said, and Barnar laughed a full throated laugh. * Elerlyth was tired of searching. After half of the city was looked into, there was no sign that the fake Mitchell had been there, at any time. ¡°Ugh...¡± She said and sat on the steps of the library. ¡°I''m really glad I didn''t take the job officially.¡± Elerlyth looked up at the sky. ¡°It''s just after noon.¡± She sighed. ¡°I better go back to the inn and get some sleep before nightfall.¡± She stood up and walked back to the Leisure District. ¡°I''ve got that engineering exam in real life, first thing in the morning.¡± * After helping the workers grind up a bunch more powder for the mortar, Ren left the stone workshop, and ran as fast as he could back to House Neram. He needed to tell Nathalia and her mother everything that was going to happen tomorrow. He looked down at the ring, but didn''t want to disturb Nathalia with the details. He''d just have to repeat them once he got to the house, anyways. * ¡°I think we should go purple for everything.¡± Narhilda said and beamed a smile at her daughter. ¡°Ma... we can''t just make all the decisions without consulting Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Why not?¡± She said. ¡°He''s not going to care. He''s a man.¡± Nathalia snorted a laugh. ¡°You don''t know him as well as I thought you did, if you believe that.¡± * Ren arrived at House Neram and unlocked the gate. He closed it behind him, locked it again, and waved to Princess. She nodded, and Ren went inside the house. ¡°Good afternoon, Ladies.¡± Ren said as he approached the kitchen table. It was covered in pieces of cloth and types of fabric, in all different colors. ¡°Can I ask what''s going on?¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°Of course. Ma is trying to convince me to use purple for everything at the ceremony.¡± ¡°That''s not a good idea.¡± Ren said, then smiled at Narhilda''s surprised expression. ¡°If everything was purple, nothing would stand out.¡± He said and sat down. ¡°Now, if you went red for the carpet... white for the accents and drapes, and red for the streamers.¡± Ren looked at Narhilda. ¡°Those are streamers, right?¡± She nodded and Ren continued. ¡°You could put large bows or something on the backs of the seats.¡± Ren looked at the plans. ¡°Are there balloons?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Nathalia smiled and nodded. ¡°I''d suggest a mix of white and red, in two large bundles, with a single purple in each one.¡± Ren said. ¡°One bundle for me, one for her, with the purple ones tied together. Nathalia can wear a purple dress, and maybe some silver armor. I can be in purple as well, and in half, or full plate armor.¡± He said. ¡°We can decide on the designs later. After the ceremony, we release the balloons and reveal the tied purple ones as they float together.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Narhilda said. ¡° Ren, I think you broke her.¡± Nathalia said and laughed. ¡°What?¡± Ren said and turned to Narhilda. ¡°Wouldn''t that be great?¡± ¡°It... it would, actually.¡± She said, impressed. ¡°You''ve thought about this?¡± ¡°I think about everything.¡± Ren said and shrugged. ¡°We don''t have to go with that, though; but it gives you something to build off of, in any case.¡± ¡°You just keep amazing me, Ren.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''ll love this then.¡± Ren said and dropped 35 gold onto the table. ¡°What''s that for?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°Freelance work for House Slatebreaker. It''ll keep coming for as long as they use my ideas. That''s going to be for a while, assuming they go where I think they''re going to go with it.¡± ¡°Ren, are you giving us the money that you''ve earned for your own work?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°No, I''m giving the money I''ve earned for the House, to the House.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Her mother started to protest. Ren held up a hand. ¡°It''s not like I need it right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a lot of work to do, and I can''t be worrying about little trickles of money coming to the House that I have to gather all the time.¡± Ren walked over to Narhilda. ¡°Until the military contract comes in, this is all I can earn for the House.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I know it''s not much, but at least everyone will know about House Neram soon.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ve hired House Slatebreaker to work on the outside of House Neram.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± They said together. ¡°Well, I was going to do it all myself, but Teepo had the brilliant idea to have a whole crew of people work on it.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I worked out a reasonable cost for the work.¡± ¡°How are we going to pay...¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Are you kidding? We''re going to be their ''Show House''. All I have to pay for is labor.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You... you can''t pay for everything!¡± ¡°Why not? This is my House now, right?¡± Nathalia opened her mouth to protest, but Ren was right. ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Then I''ll spend my money how I want.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ve got to start work on this place as soon as possible. Tomorrow seemed like ''soon'' enough to me.¡± ¡°T-t-tomorrow!¡± Narhilda said. Ren grinned. ¡°I''ve got 200 stone bricks and 3,000 paving stones being delivered tomorrow.¡± ¡°3... 3.... 3,000!¡± Narhilda said, shocked. ¡°I''ve got an idea, and I need a lot of them for it.¡± Ren said. ¡°By the way, where are the mines?¡± Nathalia blinked a few times, then spoke. ¡°It''s... it''s just a mile or so out of the city, the opposite way than the convent.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and walked over to her to give her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I should be back for supper.¡± He bowed to Narhilda. ¡°My Lady.¡± Then left the kitchen and then the house. * ¡°What does he want at the mines?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°Ore, probably... assuming they''d sell him anything.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°What do you think of his plans for the ceremony?¡± ¡°I think they''re perfect.¡± Her mother said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Nathalia said and smiled. ¡°Just like him.¡± * Ren ran as fast as he could through the main city, then took the corner to go the other way along the mountain range. It didn''t take long for him to come to the mines. He slowed down and looked at the spectacle. ¡°Teepo! Are you seeing this?¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I''m surprised that everyone can''t see it.¡± It wasn''t just a series of mines. Nearly a quarter of another mountain was completely dug away. ¡°How... how many dwarves are here working off debts?¡± ¡°All of them.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I meant an actual number, but I get what you mean.¡± Ren said. ¡°No wonder paying money is so strange to them. They expect everyone to work here!¡± He approached the main gate to the mine compound, and the guard standing in front of a small shack, brandished his axe. ¡°Work Permit.¡± He asked. ¡°I don''t have one.¡± Ren said, and the guard looked surprised. ¡°What are you doing here, then?¡± ¡°I''d like to make a purchase, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is the foreman, or whoever runs the place available? I didn''t make an appointment.¡± ¡°Just a moment.¡± The guard stepped inside the little shack and spoke. He waited for a minute, nodded, and came back out. ¡°Someone will come for you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and looked around. I''d say this looks exactly like the mines near Aurora. ¡°It does.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s good, since it''s way too big for me to explore before you go in.¡± Agreed. We''ll just have to be careful. A few minutes later, a male dwarf drove a small cart and pony up to the gate. ¡°Is that him?¡± The dwarf asked the guard. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Open the gate.¡± The gate opened and the dwarf waved Ren over, and he climbed up to sit beside the dwarf in the front. ¡°You could get in the back.¡± ¡°No, thanks. I like to see where I''m going.¡± Ren said. The dwarf gave him a half-smile and flicked the reins. The pony took off at a trot and they drove down the road. ¡°What is it you want here?¡± ¡°A couple of things.¡± Ren said. ¡°What are the pickings like?¡± The dwarf looked at him with raised eyebrows. ¡°How big are the chunks of ore?¡± ¡°About 2 fists.¡± ¡°That''s not bad.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You''ve got some good veins going.¡± The dwarf smiled. ¡°You mine?¡± ¡°Do boars pee in the woods?¡± The dwarf laughed and pulled the cart to a stop at the foreman''s office. Teepo hopped out of Ren''s hood and went into the office. ¡°Just a dwarf and a desk.¡± Thanks. ¡°The boss is in there.¡± Ren hopped down off the cart and knocked on the office door. ¡°Enter.¡± Ren opened the door and Teepo dropped into his hood. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°That depends. How''s the iron ore yield per day?¡± ¡°About 3 tons.¡± ¡°That''s all?¡± The foreman scowled. ¡°Are you accusing...¡± ¡°No, sir. I''ve just worked at a mine before, and their yield is nearly double that.¡± The foreman waved to the chair in front of his desk. ¡°What are they doing different?¡± ¡°I can''t say, sir. I don''t know how you are running things.¡± Ren said and sat. The foreman squinted his eyes. ¡°I don''t even know you, and you''re asking to see my books?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Just a tour would be good, and maybe answer a few of my questions.¡± ¡°And why would I do that?¡± ¡°I''d like to buy a large amount of iron ore, but I need to see if you can produce enough for me.¡± ¡°3 tons a day isn''t enough?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If you could give me the whole 3 tons, then 2 days of your yield would be enough. I think.¡± The foreman looked at Ren with an appraising eye. ¡°What makes you think I can''t do that?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Sir, the last mine I was at had over 5 tons of yield a day, and was still behind in their orders.¡± The foreman smiled. ¡°So, you do know what you''re talking about.¡± ¡°I won''t claim to know everything, but I did do a lot around to pick up some tricks.¡± ¡°Allright, I''ll give you a tour.¡± The foreman took Ren around the place, and Teepo checked everything out. ¡°Yeah, it''s identical.¡± Teepo said, after the tour. Good work, Teepo. They went back to the foreman''s office and sat down. ¡°So, what did you think.¡± ¡°There''s some room for improvement.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Ren smiled and sat back in the chair. ¡°That depends on how much yield you want out of the mines.¡± The foreman folded his hands on his desk. ¡°I want double, at least. Only 3 tons a day is killing my overhead.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I can double it right now, with just a few changes.¡± ¡°No one can just double production with only a few changes.¡± The foreman said. ¡°Are you trying to pull a scam on me?¡± Ren switched his Aura to Command, stood up, and glared at the foreman. ¡°Don''t you dare accuse me of such a thing.¡± Ren said and grit his teeth. ¡°What I''m trying to do is help you.¡± He said and tried to calm down. ¡°Take it easy.¡± The foreman said. ¡°Don''t get all riled up over it.¡± ¡°You were questioning my Honor, sir.¡± The foreman''s eyes widened at Ren''s serious tone. ¡°I... I was just... joking. Yes, joking.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t... I don''t believe you.¡± ¡°Why? You can tell if I''m lying, can''t you?¡± Ren said. The foreman nodded. ¡°Have I lied about anything I''ve said so far?¡± ¡°No; but just because you believe it''s true, doesn''t mean that it is.¡± Ren sat back down at the foreman''s words and thought about it. I think he''s right. Ren thought. Just because one thing is the truth to me, doesn''t mean it''s the truth for everyone else. ¡°Don''t go questioning your beliefs, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The truth is the truth. He''s riling you up on purpose.¡± What?!? ¡°He''s trying to put you in a bad negotiating position, so you''ll give him everything he wants, without him having to give you anything.¡± Ren smiled, but grimaced mentally. And I fell for it. ¡°Not quite.¡± Teepo said. ¡°He didn''t expect you to pull the Honor card.¡± What do you mean? ¡°He actually did question your Honor, and you called him on it.¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°He was pretty surprised that he lost Honor because of it, too.¡± Thanks, Teepo. ¡°Now that that''s settled...¡± Ren said, and saw that the foreman relaxed. ¡°I saw the giant pile of silt the miners are leaving behind.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± Ren''s Haggle skill kicked in again. ¡°It''s taking up a huge area that could be easily mined. You need to get rid of it.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to do that? There''s literally nowhere else to put it.¡± ¡°I''ll take it.¡± ¡°You''ll what?!?¡± ¡°My House has a huge area behind it, nearly twice the size of the spot you''re using now. It can easily hold it all.¡± ¡°And I''d have to ship it to you, right?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, sir. I''ll have it removed from your property, free of charge.¡± ¡°Why?¡± The foreman asked. ¡°It really will help you to have it out of the way. You can expand the mines to nearly twice their size.¡± The foreman snorted. ¡°Fine. If you can take it, you can have it.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Was that your idea? Doubling the mine''s size?¡± Ren shook his head again. ¡°Of course not. It''s going to cost you a lot to develop that properly. Tracks, carts, and time. My ideas will get you both a profit and a yield increase much faster than that.¡± The foreman squinted his eyes. ¡°Then what can I do?¡± ¡°I saw the kind of food you''ve been serving the miners.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s horrible.¡± ¡°It''s the cheapest food I could get.¡± The foreman said. ¡°Do you know how much it costs to feed this many workers, two meals a day?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That shouldn''t matter.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± ¡°Before I tell you what you can do, I want 8 tons of iron ore delivered to House Neram.¡± ¡°8 tons of ore!¡± The foreman shouted. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°My idea is cheap at that price, sir.¡± ¡°Tell me first.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I wasn''t born yesterday.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll only need it in quarter ton doses, since I can''t handle the whole amount at once anyways.¡± ¡°Well, that is a lot more reasonable.¡± The foreman said. ¡°At least give me something.¡± ¡°You shouldn''t be providing the food at all.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± ¡°My idea removes that cost from you entirely.¡± ¡°Well, damn... you''re right.¡± The foreman said. ¡°That''s worth a lot more than 8 tons of ore.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Alright, 8 tons of ore for the idea, delivered in quarter ton doses, each day until the 8 tons is delivered.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°What''s the idea?¡± ¡°Are you paying the kitchen staff a fair wage?¡± The foreman grunted. ¡°You shouldn''t have to pay them, either.¡± Ren said and smiled at the foreman''s reaction. ¡°The cafeteria should be a fully seperate part of your operation. You shouldn''t be looking after it at all.¡± ¡°Keep going.¡± ¡°I''d tell you to sell the cafeteria to the workers, but that just puts them right back under you. Just give it to them.¡± ¡°You''re crazy.¡± ¡°I''ve been told that.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°But, if you give it to them, they will work for themselves and not for you. No more paying their wages, ever.¡± The foreman''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Where will they get their money?¡± ¡°From the miners.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± ¡°The cafeteria can charge the miners for food.¡± ¡°That... that''s outrageous!¡± ¡°Not really. Food''s relatively cheap, per person. You''re spending money hand over fist buying all of it... but just one person? 5 to 10 copper a meal. A good meal.¡± ¡°You''re right.¡± The foreman said. ¡°The amount they''d pay for food is actually really small, even when deducted from paying their debt.¡± ¡°So why shouldn''t I just keep the cafeteria and the money myself?¡± ¡°You want to get rid of the headaches, remember? Let the cooks deal with complaints, the menu, and buying supplies. It''ll be their business after all.¡± ¡°So... is that all? It''s a great idea, and I will make a profit without buying food, but I don''t see a yield increase.¡± ¡°That''s easy.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Just pay more for the ore they dig.¡± ¡°You''re out of your mind.¡± The foreman said in shock. ¡°I''m trying to save money, not spend it!¡± ¡°You''re investing, actually. I saw how much the weigh scales pay out. It''s almost half of what they paid at the mine I worked at.¡± The foreman shook his head. ¡°I can''t do it.¡± ¡°It''s just an idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°With the cafeteria serving much better food, and miners buying that food, you''ve got an opportunity to increase how much work they do.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Good food makes happy people. More money for their work makes happy people. Happy people work harder.¡± ¡°That''s a bit simple, isn''t it?¡± Ren chuckled again. ¡°Of course it is. I expect the miners to scream and holler about having to pay for their own food... until they hear about increased wages. Believe me. Not one worker at the mine I was at complained about anything.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± The foreman asked. ¡°That''s not enough? I gave you the last idea for free, just to make the other ideas work better.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s up to you to use them or not.¡± Ren thought for a moment. ¡°Well, you could hire a second blacksmith.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°To have 2 blacksmiths, obviously.¡± The foreman sighed. ¡°You know I''m trying to save money, right?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I had another idea, but it''s not free.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Do you know a good, and honest, Gemcutter?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Actually... I do. He''s my brother-in-law.¡± The foreman said. ¡°He hasn''t done it in years, though.¡± ¡°That''s fine. Can you arrange a meeting?¡± ¡°What''s your idea?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°The mines should be running 24 hours a day, non-stop.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± The foreman shouted. ¡°How... how would that work?¡± ¡°Easily. You have a huge workforce that''s having a hard time moving around. I saw miners waiting in line to unload their carts. That shouldn''t happen. Split the workforce into 3 equal parts, and the day into 3 parts, 8 hours each. Each section works their part of the day. They''ll be well fed, well rested, and happy because of the higher wage.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Trust me. They''ll be begging you to work every second shift, so they can work off their debt faster.¡± The foreman sat there in shock for several minutes, then spoke. ¡°You... you... you''re a genius!¡± He said. ¡°Crazy as a loon, but a genius!¡± Ren laughed and the foreman laughed, too. ¡°Alright, I''ll send my brother-in-law over to House Neram, with the first part of your iron ore tomorrow.¡± The foreman said and stood. He held out a hand and Ren shook it. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, opened the door to leave, then turned around. ¡°Say, you wouldn''t know where I could rent a cart and horse, do you?¡± ¡°Bwahahahaha!¡± The foreman guffawed, and Ren left the office without an answer. * The foreman laughed and laughed. ¡°He... hahaha... agreed to take... haha... several thousand tons... of silt and... hahaha..... doesn''t even have.... a cart! Bwahahahaha!¡± * I''m glad I could make him happy. Ren thought. I wonder what he thought was so funny? ¡°I don''t know.¡± Teepo said as Ren walked over to the guard on duty at the gate. ¡°Did you find what you were looking for?¡± The guard asked as he opened the gate. ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re going to be seeing me a lot, or carts I send.¡± The guard nodded. ¡°We''re always pleased to do business.¡± Ren stepped outside of the gate and the guard shut it. ¡°Pardon me for asking, but are you hungry?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°Now that you mention it, I am.¡± The guard said. ¡°They only had porridge at the cafeteria for breakfast.¡± Ren smiled and pulled out the last egg, bacon and toast sandwich and gave it to the surprised guard. ¡°Hopefully, the food situation will change around here, soon.¡± Ren said and started to run down the road. The guard stared at him until he disappeared from sight, then looked at the sandwich. The guard smelled it, smiled, and took a huge bite. ¡°That''s a good sandwich.¡± Chapter 110 - General Information Ren switched his Command Aura back to Camaraderie, and ran back to the main city area. When he went to take the turn onto the main road to House Neram, he had a thought. You know what, Teepo? ¡°What, Ren?¡± I''m getting tired of having to ask people where everything is. Ren turned towards the Main Keep. It''s time I got some answers. Ren ran to the keep and then stood in line, and found it wasn''t as long as before. They''re probably getting ready to go home for supper. ¡°I''d say so.¡± Teepo said. ¡°In their rush, the guards are barely checking people.¡± Ren looked around, and he was the last in line. I''m either just going to make it, or just miss it. He stepped up to the guard, who barely pat him, and then shut the gate with a clang. Whew, that was close. It didn''t take long for Ren to get to the reception desk, and when he got there, he spoke before the female dwarf could start her rundown of the departments. ¡°General Information, please.¡± She smiled, and pointed to the right. ¡°First door on the left.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and went to the indicated door. Teepo, you''re up. Teepo hopped out of the hood and slipped under the door. A moment later, he sighed. ¡°Crap.¡± What is it? ¡°Do you remember what the back room of the Library looked like?¡± Ren thought about it. Yeah, why? ¡°That''s what this looks like.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s a short hallway, I assume to get past the other offices, but the room at the end has to be a good portion of this side of the Main Keep.¡± I''m surprised this isn''t Records, then. ¡°It probably is.¡± Teepo said. ¡°General Information would need access to the records, I think.¡± That makes sense. Ren thought, opened the door, and stepped into the hallway. Is there a desk or anything? ¡°Not that I can see. Just a minute.¡± Teepo said and climbed up the wall to get a better look. ¡°Okay, I see one. It''s about 30 feet in, surrounded by shelves.¡± Get to the ceiling if you can, then you can see down into the rows of shelves, rather than trying to look in each row. ¡°Got it.¡± Teepo said, and skittered up the wall to the ceiling. He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, and chittered in laughter as he made it to the desk a minute later. Teepo positioned himself on one of the lights and hung above the dwarf''s head, about 50 feet up. ¡°I''m here. All clear so far.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought then opened the door at the end of the hallway and entered the General Information / Records room. He walked the 30 feet to the desk and saw a female dwarf sitting there, about halfway through reading a book. She wore glasses, had short brown hair, and surprisingly, wore a set of Traveller''s Clothes (without the cape). ¡°Pardon me, Ma''am.¡± Ren said in a soft voice, and startled her out of her book. ¡°Ahh!¡± She squealed, and dropped the book. It hit the desk and flopped closed. She looked at it and sighed. ¡°I lost my place.¡± ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Ren smiled and reached for the book. ¡°May I?¡± She nodded slightly and Ren picked it up. A hard cover romance novel. He thought and flipped through the pages to where he thought she''d read to, and handed it back. ¡°I think that''s pretty close to where you were.¡± She took it and read a little, then flipped forward about 10 pages. ¡°That was close, thank you.¡± She looked on her desk, lifting things. Ren guessed what it was she was looking for and took out a scrap piece of cloth. He folded it and stitched it into a long strip and handed it to her. ¡°You can use this until you find your actual bookmark.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s just a scrap piece of cloth, but it should work.¡± She looked at him in surprise. ¡°T-thank you.¡± She took it and placed it in the book and closed it. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°Well, I came here for General Information; but considering the look of the place, I assume it''s Records, too.¡± She nodded. ¡°You''re right, it''s both.¡± Good guess, Teepo! ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°So what do you want to know?¡± She asked, and waved to a chair. ¡°Everything.¡± Ren said and sat. ¡°E-e-everything?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Sorry, personal joke. I need to know where I can rent a horse and cart, where to file a land claim, if there is a Library of some kind, where to buy lots of wood...¡± ¡°Wait, wait!¡± She said and chuckled. ¡°You weren''t kidding.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Okay, just a minute.¡± She opened a drawer and took out a directory. Ren stared at it as she put it on the desk. She saw his reaction and laughed. ¡°I can''t give you this, you know.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Not even a copy?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I''d lose my job, assuming they didn''t charge me with giving away dwarf secrets.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Why would they do that? It''s just general knowledge, isn''t it? A list of local businesses and Houses, and what they sell?¡± She nodded slightly. ¡°It is, but you have to ask for it. To ask for it, you have to come here to the Main Keep.¡± ¡°That''s a little odd, but it explains why there isn''t a map by the docks telling everyone where everything is.¡± ¡°A map?¡± She asked. ¡°I have that, too.¡± She said and turned around to take out a roll of parchment from a nearby shelf. ¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said as she unrolled a huge map of the city, with everything marked. Teepo! Ren thought, and as the female dwarf bent over the map, Teepo dropped from the ceiling and Ren reached out to catch him. Can you help me memorize it? ¡°I sure can.¡± They studied it closely for about 10 minutes. Ren ran his hand over the surface and traced his route from the docks to House Neram. The land boundaries were clearly marked and Ren smiled. There were no other Houses anywhere near House Neram and the land itself was actually 2 square miles in size. He had plenty of space for all that silt, and for his idea. ¡°You wouldn''t happen to have the plans for House Neram, and House Neram Keep, do you?¡± ¡°Every plan for every House is here. Why?¡± ¡°It''s my House, and I have to fix it up. Frankly, its a mess. Walls and ceilings collapsed, probably floors, too. I need to know what it looks like.¡± She walked down an aisle and disappeared around a corner. She came back a few minutes later with a bundle of parchment rolls. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Can I make copies of these?¡± ¡°Those are the copies. We keep multiples on file at all times.¡± ¡°Well, that''s great. How much do I owe you for these?¡± ¡°Nothing. It''s covered in House Neram''s taxes.¡± ¡°Oh. Well, thank you.¡± Ren said and stored them in the slot where the sandwiches were, and returned to examining the map. ¡°Library... Library...¡± Ren said, scanning the city. He found the lumber yard and stables, but the Library escaped his eye. ¡°Here.¡± The female dwarf pointed to a tiny little building, completely surrounded by Houses. You were right again, Teepo. Ren thought. No wonder I couldn''t see it! Teepo chittered in delight. I think I''ve got a good handle on where everything is now. Ren thought. How about you, Teepo? ¡°I can guide you when you need it.¡± Awesome. Ren thought, then looked at the female dwarf. ¡°Thank you for showing me this.¡± He said. ¡°Now, where can I file a land claim? Or do I have to?¡± ¡°Where is this land?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I know this is a stupid question to ask; but, do you have a bigger map of the countryside?¡± She grinned. ¡°Yep, that''s a stupid question.¡± She said and grabbed another roll of parchment from the shelf behind her. She unfurled it, and Ren followed the road out of the city towards the convent. With Teepo''s help, he estimated where the mountain was. ¡°Right about here.¡± ¡°Well, you''re lucky. That''s out past where anyone else has any kind of claims.¡± ¡°That''s good.¡± ¡°Why do you want it?¡± ¡°Well, if I have to give you a reason, it''s where my fiance and I fought a giant boar together.¡± The female dwarf''s eyes widened. ¡°You... you... did you really fight... the Deathgore?¡± ¡°The what?¡± ¡°The Deathgore.¡± She said and sat down, shocked. ¡°You fought the Deathgore... and lived.¡± ¡°Is that it''s name, or it''s type?¡± ¡°It''s the name. There''s only the one.¡± ¡°Oh...¡± Ren said, a little sad. ¡°I feel a little bad about killing it, then.¡± ¡°YOU KILLED IT?!?¡± The female dwarf yelled, and her voice echoed through the room. ¡°With my party''s help.¡± Ren said. ¡°By the gods!¡± She said and fanned her face with her hand. ¡°You killed it.¡± After a few minutes, the shock wore off and she stood up. ¡°Everyone will know what you''ve done, sir.¡± She took out a form from her desk and filled some of it out. ¡°Please tell me how it happened.¡± Ren shrugged and told her how they had camped for the night, far enough away from the road to be safe, but not too far to get back quickly, and during the night, something found them. He went out to investigate, and was attacked by a giant boar. It broke a tree in half, then he attacked it back. He told the female dwarf about how his fiance Nathalia, came riding in on his Bighorn Ram mount, to headbutt the boar and stunned it. ¡°You have a giant ram as a mount?!?¡± She said, surprised. ¡°How?¡± ¡°It was a gift from a friend.¡± Ren said, then finished the story with the following attacks and the crushing of the boar''s head. She filled in the rest of the form, and handed it to Ren.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Sign here, please.¡± She said. ¡°This is your sworn account of what happened, and it will be logged into the archives for all to see.¡± Ren signed it and handed it back. ¡°You don''t need proof or anything?¡± ¡°I can tell if you''re lying.¡± She said. ¡°But, an eyewitness would be... BY THE GODS!¡± She screamed as Ren pulled out the giant boar''s body from inventory and put in on the floor. ¡°Is this proof enough?¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°You really did it! I''m seeing it, but I don''t believe it...¡± She said and came around the desk. ¡°Can I touch it?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just watch the head. It''s a little... squishy.¡± She snorted a laugh and pet the fur of the boar. ¡°Oh, my...¡± She almost purred. After a minute she stopped petting it and looked at Ren. ¡°You''re already engaged, too.¡± She said and sighed. Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m already taken, yes.¡± ¡°Oh, well.¡± She walked back around the desk, and Ren stored the giant boar''s body again. She filled out a second form, Ren assumed was a witness statement, and rolled them up together. She walked over to a huge filing cabinet and opened a drawer. After checking the forms over again, she smiled. ¡°Well, Mr. Ren...¡± ¡°It''s just Ren, Ma''am.¡± ¡°Well, just Ren.¡± She said and grinned. ¡°Welcome to the Hall Of Records.¡± She dropped the rolls of parchment into the drawer and shut it.
Notice!
You have registered your account of killing the Deathgore of Legend. Witness verified. The tale of your party''s feat will be told to children for years to come. Influence: +1000 Honor: +500 Fame: +1000
¡°Ma''am... I...¡± Ren stammered. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It''s everyone else that should thank you.¡± She said and came back to the desk. ¡°That thing has killed so many of us...¡± She shook her head, then bowed slightly to Ren.
Notice!
You have gained Honor: +10
¡°I''m going to tell your story to every person I know.¡± She sat down at the desk, then looked at the map again. ¡°You indicated this area?¡± She said and pointed. Ren nodded slightly and she took out another form. She filled some of it out, then looked back at the map. ¡°The standard registration fee is 10 gold for a square mile of open terrain.¡± She said. ¡°You''re not getting much usable land there, though.¡± Ren looked at the map, and the mountain was about twice that, and about half a mile from the road. He measured out 5 miles, covering the mountain he wanted, a mountain on each side, and the land up to the road. It was all water on the other side of the mountain range, so he''d own some of that as well. ¡°You''d better give me these 10 square miles, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°From the road there and out over the water. I don''t want to get out there and discover that I missed the spot that I want.¡± The female dwarf''s mouth fell open. ¡°Are... are you kidding? That''s a month and a half of working in the mines!¡± ¡°You''re right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I better take the 5 square miles on the other side of the road, too.¡± Ren pulled out a platinum coin and 50 gold coins, and placed them on the desk. ¡°By the GODS!¡± She exclaimed and looked at the coins, then at Ren, then back at the coins. ¡°I... I''ve never seen...¡± She said, and picked the platinum coin up like it was made of glass and would break if she breathed on it. Ren didn''t say anything and let her just sit there and enjoy it. After about 10 minutes, she put the coin down and finished filling out the form. Ren signed it and she rolled the form up, put the coins into a sack after counting them, and tied the sack and parchment roll together. She went to the same filing cabinet and dropped the rolled parchment and money inside.
Notice!
You have registered a land claim in the Main Keep. You now own 15 square miles of open terrain, far outside the city.
The female dwarf opened the drawer underneath the one she put the form in, and took out a piece of rolled parchment. She came back to the desk and handed it to Ren. He opened it and read it.
Land Deed
This Deed indicates ownership of 15 square miles of land (Map Included). Copies can be purchased at the Hall Of Records for 1 gold coin. Note: A permanent structure must be built on it within 1 year.
Notice!
Your aquisition of such a large plot of land has gained you Influence. Influence: +1500
¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I register another land claim?¡± The female dwarf shook her head. ¡°You''ll have to wait until next year.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow and she chuckled. ¡°Only one claim each year.¡± She said. ¡°Usually it takes that long to pay it off, so it''s never been changed.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess I should have asked about it first.¡± ¡°I''d have thrown you out of here if you''d asked me first.¡± She laughed. ¡°I think you''re crazy already. That would have been completely outrageous.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll have to wait, then.¡± He took out the bundle of House Neram plans, put the deed inside, then stored them again. ¡°You only have to wait for a few months.¡± She said. ¡°Just until the Council goes back into session.¡± Ren stood up. ¡°Thank you for all of your help, today.¡± He said and bowed slightly to her. She had a surprised look on her face for a moment, then she smiled. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± She said. ¡°It was a pleasure meeting you.¡± Ren took out another gold coin. He put it on her desk, holding it on it''s edge, then flicked it with his finger. It spun in place for several seconds and then fell over. He did it again, but hit it a little harder and the coin slid across the desk towards the female dwarf, spinning the whole time. It came to a stop in front of her and she picked it up. ¡°What''s this?¡± She said, with a slight frown, looking like she might get angry. ¡°We''re not allowed to...¡± ¡°It''s just a nice toy for you to play with, if you want.¡± Ren said and smiled as he turned away. ¡°It spins nicely, doesn''t it?¡± He said and walked away from the desk towards the door. * She watched him go out the door, and didn''t call him back to take his ''toy''. She chuckled and spun the coin on her desk. ¡°Who would have thought?¡± She said and spun the coin again. ¡°To come up with such a simple way to tip someone, without actually tipping them, or insulting them...¡± She shook her head and sighed. ¡°...and he''s taken.¡± * Ren left the Main Keep, quite happy with how things were turning out. He walked down the street and took the turn to go to the lumber yard. 5 minutes later, he was at the main desk. The receptionist looked at Ren and smiled. ¡°How can I help you?¡± ¡°I''d like to order some planks, a few 4x4s, and nails.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s no problem.¡± She said. ¡°How many would you like?¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°It would depend on how thick and wide the planks are.¡± ¡°We have several widths and thicknesses.¡± She said. ¡°Would you like to see?¡± ¡°I would, thank you.¡± ¡°This way.¡± Ren followed her and she took him into the main warehouse. ¡°Here we have the 1 foot wide, the 8 inch, the 4 inch, and the 2 inch.¡± She said, and pointed to each stack. ¡°Everything is 8 feet long.¡± Ren looked at them and saw they were all 1 inch thick. ¡°Can I ask the price?¡± ¡°The foot wides are a copper each. The others are multiples per copper. Three 8''s for 2 copper, Three 4''s for 1 copper, and five 2''s per copper.¡± ¡°I don''t know how big the rooms I''m trying to fix are, or how wide the floors are.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think I better play it safe and order 10,000 of the foot wides.¡± She gasped. ¡°Are you serious? You want 10,000 foot wide planks?¡± ¡°At a copper each, that''s only 1 gold coin; but, you''re right. I''ll need something for the edges. Better add in 900 of the 4''s for a silver coin.¡± She stared at him and blinked a couple of times. ¡°I... I think we only have about 5,000 of the foot wides in stock.¡± ¡°That''s fine. I won''t need them all at once, anyways. Why don''t you just deliver 1,000 to House Neram tomorrow, with a half dozen or so 4x4s and a crate of nails. I doubt I''ll go through them before the end of the week, so you can deliver another 1,000 planks then, and each week afterwards.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wouldn''t want you to go through all of your stock, and have nothing to sell when someone else comes in.¡± ¡°That''s very kind of you, sir.¡± ¡°I''ve got other things going on, so I won''t need them all right away.¡± Ren said, then looked at her. ¡°Does the cost go up because you have to get workers out to harvest more trees?¡± ¡°It does a little, but we''ve never had an order of your size before.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Would another gold or two cover that?¡± She looked at him in shock. ¡°You want to pay more?¡± ¡°If it''ll help you get the work done.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re crazy.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s what everyone says.¡± She smiled. ¡°Alright, let''s go back to the main desk and fill out the forms.¡± Ren followed her to the desk. She sat down and took out 2 forms, as Ren walked around to the front of the desk and put 3 gold coins on the top. ¡°You''re paying for it?¡± She said, surprised. I think everyone will be shocked that I want to pay for things. It''s so ingrained into their society to work off their debt, that no one even questions the logic anymore. Ren thought and smiled as she put one of the forms away then filled out the other. Ren signed it and she took the 3 gold coins. ¡°Thank you for your order, sir.¡± She said and beamed a smile at him. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said and smiled back. ¡°I might need more than that, but I''ll wait until I go through what I''ve ordered first before ordering anything else.¡± She had a surprised look on her face, as Ren left the office. He walked down the street, and over 2 blocks to the stable. He knocked on the office door and was surprised to see it had a window. A hand waved him inside and he entered. ¡°Be with you in just a minute.¡± A female voice said. Ren looked at her and admired her clothing. It was a classic riding outfit, with the beige pants, red overcoat, and black hat. Is it just me, or does the majority of these businesses have women running things? ¡°It''s not just you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They either have a better head for business, or can deal with customers easier.¡± I''d agree with both of those. Ren thought as the female in question tried her best to pull a nail out of the top of her desk. ¡°Ugh!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Can I offer to help, without you taking it as an advance?¡± Ren asked. She snorted a laugh and waggled a hand out for him to see the iron ring on her hand. ¡°Married.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Then please, allow me to help.¡± She let the hammer go and stepped aside. Ren looked at the mess she''d made of her desk. ¡°Were you trying to fix it, or break it?¡± He asked and grinned at her. ¡°Fix it.¡± She said. ¡°My hand keeps slipping, and the wood is thick and hard.¡± It was Ren''s turn to snort a laugh and he clamped his mouth shut, so he wouldn''t laugh out loud. Teepo had no such problem; he chittered in laughter, and rolled around in the hood. ¡°Is everything all right?¡± She asked as she saw Ren''s expression. He took a deep breath and smiled. ¡°Yes, I''m fine.¡± Ren said, and easily popped the bent nail out of the desk''s top. He turned the nail on it''s side, and hit it with the hammer twice to straighten it out, then nailed it into the hole he''d just pried it out of. She marveled at Ren''s skill, and handed over a few more nails. ¡°You might as well do the rest.¡± She said. ¡°Please.¡± Ren examined the desk and saw where the nails needed to be, and nailed the desk''s top down in seconds. ¡°Where were you 10 minutes ago?¡± She said in surprise. ¡°Ordering wood and nails, actually.¡± Ren said, then smiled as he saw she was only 2 inches shorter than him. ¡°That''s oddly appropriate.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Now that you''ve fixed my desk, what can I do for you?¡± ¡°I''d like to rent a cart, or several carts, and horses to pull them... and maybe workers to drive them, and do basic labor. Shoveling dirt in and out of the carts.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t want much, do you?¡± She said and laughed. Ren shrugged. ¡°I figure you''d know people that can drive the carts safely, and can handle the horses properly. The work would last a few weeks, depending on the number of carts, trips to the mine, how many hours they work per day...¡± ¡°Okay, okay!¡± She said and laughed again. ¡°You''ve obviously thought about it. How many carts and drivers do you want?¡± ¡°How much is the rental?¡± ¡°It''s a gold a day for each cart and pony. That includes feed and a driver.¡± She said. ¡°How many carts do you have?¡± ¡°At the moment, 6 of them.¡± ¡°Can you spare them all?¡± ¡°All!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Sure. If I have 6 carts, and they only did 2 trips an hour for 8 hours, that''s almost a hundred cartloads of dirt a day.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Will the driver be willing to shovel? What about an extra worker?¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°With 2 people working, I might get 3 loads an hour per cart...¡± ¡°WAIT!¡± She shouted. Ren looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she smiled. ¡°You''re serious? You want to rent 6 carts a day at a gold each?¡± Ren nodded slightly and she stared at him. ¡°I can get another worker for each cart, as long as you don''t mind women working for you.¡± ¡°Of course I don''t mind.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do I pay you the gold each day, or the driver?¡± ¡°You pay me for the cart and driver, but for the extra labor, you pay them.¡± She said. ¡°When can they start?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Is tomorrow too soon?¡± Her mouth dropped open. ¡°Ah...¡± ¡°It''s okay if tomorrow''s no good.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want them to start as soon as possible, though.¡± ¡°I... I think I can get everything ready for tomorrow.¡± ¡°That would be great!¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Send them to House Neram. I assume it''ll be after breakfast?¡± She nodded slightly. ¡°They have families to take care of before going to work.¡± ¡°That''s not a problem.¡± Ren said. ¡°They can even leave early to go home and make supper for their families, too.¡± She looked at him like he was crazy, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m not trying to work them to death, Ma''am. I just want as much as I can get from them in the limited time available.¡± Ren said. She took out 2 forms and Ren smiled. ¡°Just the contract is fine, Ma''am. I''ll pay for a month upfront.¡± ¡°A-a-a month?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Is a day off each week, okay? I don''t want them to get overworked.¡± ¡°A... a day off a week is reasonable.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Ren smiled as she filled out the single form. He signed it and handed her 2 platinum coins. She stared at them and looked back at Ren. ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± Ren said and took 1 platinum coin back, then handed her 100 gold coins. ¡°I keep forgetting that people might not have change.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°That''s enough for 3 extra days, just in case I need them longer.¡± She stared in shock at the pile of money on her desk. ¡°Make sure you tell the drivers and extra workers that I pay well for a good day''s work.¡± Ren said. ¡°I... I will.¡± She said as Ren left her office. That went well. Ren thought as he walked out to the street. It''s all coming together, Teepo! ¡°It sure is, Ren.¡± Teepo said as Ren started to run. I better get back to House Neram for supper. Ren thought. I need to fill Nathalia and Narhilda in on everything I did today. ¡°Do you think they''re going to like what you have planned?¡± Teepo asked. With the silt from the mines? ¡°Yeah.¡± Teepo said. I''ll have it far enough away from the house that they won''t even notice. Ren thought then ran all the way back to House Neram, and went inside to have a great meal with his fiance and her mother. Ren told them all about what had happened since he''d left that afternoon. His deal with the mine, hiring the carts, buying the wood, and visiting the Main Keep for information and buying the land around the mountain. ¡°You did all that this afternoon?¡± Nathalia said, surprised. ¡°I might have done a bit more, but I wanted to get back here to enjoy a wonderful meal with 2 beautiful women.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I definitely didn''t want to miss spending this time with you.¡± Both Nathalia and her mother blushed a little at Ren''s truthful admission. ¡°Things are going to be hectic around here for a while, with all the things I have planned....¡± Ren said. ¡°...but I won''t sacrifice time with you to do it.¡± He said and stood. ¡°Of course, now that I''ve said that... I have to get to bed.¡± Narhilda laughed. ¡°Sleep needs some of your time, too.¡± ¡°Only enough to keep me going.¡± Ren said. ¡°Any more than that is a waste.¡± Nathalia stood up and held out a hand to Ren. ¡°Goodnight, Ma.¡± ¡°Goodnight, dear.¡± Ren took Nathalia''s hand and bowed slightly to her mother. ¡°Goodnight, My Lady.¡± ¡°Goodnight, dear.¡± Narhilda said and smiled. They walked through the main room and down the hall to the old bedroom. Nathalia led Ren inside and to the bed, then went back and shut the door. ¡°I really do need to sleep for about 4 hours, then I need to take care of some Adventurer''s business, probably for the rest of the night.¡± Ren said to Nathalia as she came over to the bed. ¡°I know.¡± She said and crawled onto the bed and laid down almost in the same spot as before. Ren smiled and crawled over beside her and laid down himself. Nathalia cuddled into his chest and Ren gave her a half-hug and let his hand rest on her hip. They both took a deep breath and exhaled together. Teepo, wake me in 4 hours if I''m not up. ¡°Sure thing, Ren.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia lifted her head to look at him, and he kissed her. She reached up and stroked the side of his face for a moment, and then broke the kiss. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± She said and cuddled into his chest again. Chapter 111 - Getting Ready ¡°Ren...¡± Teepo whispered, then waited 10 seconds. ¡°Ren...¡± Teepo said in a normal voice, and waited 10 more seconds. ¡°REN!¡± Teepo shouted and chittered in delight as Ren sat up in the bed, sitting Nathalia up with him. ¡°I''m up!¡± Ren said and blinked his eyes a few times. ¡°Shhhhh!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Nathalia''s still asleep.¡± Ren looked at her in his half-hug, still sound asleep. He smiled as he lay her back down on the bed, far enough away that she wouldn''t accidentially touch him after he logged out. Ren lay down himself, and looked at Teepo. See you in the morning. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** ¡°Good morning.¡± Barbara said as she lifted off the VR headset. ¡°Barbara? I thought I might have missed you when I slept in.¡± ¡°It''s just about at shift change, so you almost did.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°You definitely did a lot last night.¡± ¡°I know!¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s still so much more to do!¡± He said and the door to his room opened. ¡°Hey there, little stud.¡± Stella said as she came into the room. ¡°Stella!¡± Barbara said, slightly scandalized. ¡°Sorry, Barbara. Just joking with him.¡± Stella said and turned to Ren. ¡°You''ve had quite the time lately, haven''t you?¡± ¡°I sure have.¡± Ren said. ¡°It feels like a while ago, though.¡± He said and his eyes widened. ¡°Wow Barbara, you were right.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°She almost always is.¡± ¡°What do you mean, ''almost''?¡± Barbara said and everyone laughed. ¡°I guess that''s my cue to go.¡± ¡°Thanks, Barbara.¡± Ren said. ¡°For everything.¡± Barbara nodded and held his hand for a moment. ¡°Don''t let her bully you, Ren.¡± Barbara smiled and glanced at Stella, who rolled her eyes. ¡°If you thought I could reign in her wicked ways, Barbara...¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°...you''re sadly mistaken.¡± ¡°Okay, enough Stella bashing.¡± Stella said. ¡°Ren, get into that bathroom and do your business and I''ll get breakfast ready.¡± She said. ¡°Therapy in half an hour.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Ren said and slid out of the bed. He avoided banging his elbow and went into the bathroom. * ¡°I heard the gist of the story, but can you tell me what actually happened as we go to the breakroom?¡± Stella asked Barbara. ¡°It''s quite the mess.¡± Barbara said. ¡°When Lucy visited yesterday...¡± * Ren came out of the bathroom about 10 minutes later, and climbed back into bed. It was a lot harder to do with only one arm, but at least he was going to start working with it today. It''s pretty stiff already, and it''s only been a day. Ren thought, then watched television until Stella brought in breakfast. ¡°I think I''m getting spoiled with the food in the game.¡± Ren said and looked at the porridge and apple slices. ¡°You know what they say... ''Just because it''s good for you, doesn''t mean it won''t taste good''.¡± ¡°But... I ate a pound of bacon in the game. A whole pound!¡± Ren said, and Stella laughed. ¡°This isn''t going to taste that good. Sorry.¡± Ren grinned and started eating. ¡°Hey, this tastes like apple pie!¡± ¡°I''d hoped you''d like it.¡± She said. ¡°It''s great! Thanks.¡± Ren said and took his time eating. Stella sat down next to the bed and waited for him to finish. When he was done, she took the tray and came back with the wheelchair. She took him to down the hall to therapy and the therapist nearly had a conniption fit when she saw the state of his arm. ¡°No no no... this just won''t do!¡± She said and had Ren move from the wheelchair to a chair without arm rests. ¡°Can you make a fist?¡± Ren closed his hand almost all the way and she sighed. ¡°It''s going to be a hard three weeks ahead for you, Ren.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°When has it been an easy week?¡± She opened her mouth to respond, then smiled. ¡°Point taken.¡± She said. ¡°Let''s get to work.¡± She did as many single finger and hand exercises that Ren could stand. His hand and arm were sore, but at least he didn''t have to walk this time. ¡°Okay, time for your walk.¡± She said when the hand exercises were done. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°We can''t ignore your knee just because your elbow is a priority.¡± Ren sighed and walked the 100 feet. Now both his arm and leg were sore, and he complained about it. ¡°Good!¡± The therapist said. ¡°Sore means it''s healing.¡± Ren rolled his eyes. ¡°It feels like it''s healing fast, if that''s the case.¡± She laughed and Stella came in to take him back to his room. He carefully got undressed and hopped in the shower, which took nearly twice as long because he only had one arm to use. Stella offered to help and waggled her eyebrows up and down. It made Ren laugh, but he declined and did it himself. He did let her dry him off, however; since it was really hard to hold a towel with only one hand and still reach all the spots that needed drying. He got dressed, Stella put the sling back on his arm, and he climbed back into bed. She sat beside the bed and put a hand on his good arm.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°So, do you want to talk about it?¡± She asked and Ren nodded. * Lucy woke up on the couch, with a sore neck. ¡°Ugh.¡± She said and rubbed it. ¡°I should have gone to bed instead of watching television all night.¡± She looked down and saw the remains of the potato chips spilled on the floor. ¡°Dammit.¡± She picked up as much as she could and put them back in the bag, then tossed the chips into the compost bin and the bag in the garbage. She got the vaccuum out and cleaned up the crumbs on the floor and the couch, then put it away. Breakfast was next, and she made a poor man''s grilled cheese with 2 pieces of toast and a slice of cheese, then microwaved it. ¡°The breakfast of champions.¡± She said, then froze. That''s one of Ren''s favorite sayings. She thought and sighed. She sat down at her computer to check her email. After sorting through lots of spam, she found one from Ren. I should just delete it without reading it. She thought. He''s just going to be begging me to go out with him again. She sighed, and decided it was better to read it and then ignore it, then to never know what it said at all.
Dear Lucy,
I know you don''t really want to hear from me, especially after the message you sent to me in the game; but after talking with Barbara, I decided that it was better for me to get my feelings out in the open. I know you don''t believe me when I tell you what happened was okay, and that I''m fine. I also know, now, that saying that only makes things worse for you. I''m sorry that you''re suffering a lot more from my accident than I am, and there''s nothing that I can say or do to change that. You feel how you feel, and that''s how it is. As for me... I won''t get to see your smiling face anymore. I won''t get to hear you laugh, or see your angel''s wings. That makes me feel really sad. (I''m ignoring the fact that I''ll never feel your soft lips on mine again, because I really don''t want to think about that right now). I''m not trying to guilt trip you. That''s not why I''m writing this. I''m writing this because I want you to know something. If you feel like you have to leave me, I''m not going to beg you to stay. It''s your decision, and I won''t force you to do anything against your will. You know how I feel about things like that. What happened may be hard to forget, but don''t you ever... ever... think that I don''t love you, or for a single minute believe that I''d forget about you. I''ve learned so much from you, Lucy. You''re the woman that saved my life, and the reason that I survived. You''ve made me strong, stronger than I ever thought I could be. But sometimes, things just don''t work out right, and you have to say goodbye. It hurts so much to say that to you, especially since I don''t want to say goodbye at all; but, I have to face reality... and so do you. I am who I am, and that''s all I can ever be. I''ve come to accept that; and maybe someday, I hope you can, too.
With Everlasting Love, Ren
¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lucy wiped the tears away, took a deep breath, and sighed. She turned off her computer and stood up. ¡°I think... I think I have some Rocky Road Ice Cream in the freezer.¡± * ¡°Miserable piece of goddamn shit!¡± Gloria shouted. ¡°The nerve of that professor! Making me wear a hat so my hair wouldn''t distract the other students during the exam! Arrrgghh!¡± Gloria exclaimed and punched her dashboard, leaving a small dent. ¡°Oh! Sorry, girl.¡± She said and rubbed the dash. ¡°I''m just so mad at myself for actually wearing the hat, and not punching the smug bastard in the face.¡± Gloria started the car and squealed the tires all the way out of the college''s parking lot. ¡°If he doesn''t give me full marks on that exam...¡± * Stella had listened to Ren tell her about everything that was going on. It was pretty much the same thing that everyone else had said. She could feel he was really hurting over Lucy, though. ¡°First loves are always the most painful.¡± Stella said and squeezed Ren''s arm. ¡°The first time you make yourself so vulnerable, it also hurts the worst when it goes bad.¡± Ren took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°It does, and I''m really glad I''ve got all of you to help take care of me.¡± ¡°Oh, not just us.¡± Stella said and smiled. ¡°I saw that cute little dwarf snuggling up to you the other night.¡± ¡°You mean Nathalia?¡± Ren asked, and Stella nodded. ¡°She''s my fiance, and she cares about me.¡± ¡°I''m sure she does.¡± She said and waggled her eyebrows. Ren chuckled. ¡°No, I''ve avoided that for now. I told her I wasn''t ready.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why what?¡± ¡°Why aren''t you ready?¡± ¡°I... I don''t know if I should... I mean, I know my body reacts here while in the game, but if I do something like that...¡± ¡°Oh... oh, I see.¡± Stella said and smiled. ¡°It''s a good thing this didn''t come up when Barbara was here. She''d be horrified, I think.¡± ¡°Stella!¡± Stella laughed. ¡°There''s a simple solution, really.¡± Ren looked around. ¡°The bedpan?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Too obvious. You''d look pretty weird with that tucked under the sheets, trying to catch anything that might come out.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°A condom, of course.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°A condom?¡± Then he thought about it. ¡°Um, I... I don''t have any.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°It''s kind of hard for you to pop out to the drug store and pick up a pack.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also don''t know what... ah... size...¡± He tried to say and his face flushed a little red from embarrassment. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll take care of it.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ll grab several sizes, just in case.¡± Ren took her hand and squeezed it. ¡°Stella, I... I don''t know what to say... except, thank you.¡± She squeezed his hand back and let it go. ¡°I''d say it''s part of the job, but I''m pretty sure buying prophylactics isn''t in my contract.¡± She said. ¡°I''d say it is, but it''s just not worded that way.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°It''s probably, ''items necessary for bodily functions''.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°More than likely.¡± Ren''s watch beeped and he looked at it. ¡°I better log in. I''ve got tons of deliveries today.¡± She helped him get settled on the bed and put on the VR headset. ¡°See you at supper.¡± Stella said and Ren nodded. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± * Gloria pulled into the garage parking lot and slammed on the brakes. The car slid sideways and she hit the gas to straighten out at the last second. The car slipped into the parking spot and came to a stop. She locked up and went in to work. ¡°Hey, Frank.¡± ¡°Gloria, I told you not to do that with client cars around.¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°Sorry, Frank.¡± She said, and then told him all about the exam and the professor while she put on her overalls. Frank nodded at all the right times. ¡°He just doesn''t understand!¡± Gloria said. ¡°This is who I am!¡± Frank nodded again and looked Gloria over for the umpteenth time. She was 20 years old and about 5 foot 7 inches tall. She was a little thin, but had good muscles, a decent-sized chest, and most of a head of hair. Frank smiled. He thought of Gloria as one of those old time punk rockers, with a third of her head shaved on most of the left side. Her hair was a bright bubblegum pink with blue streaks, teased almost into a puffball and combed over to the right. A piercing was in her nose, and 6 piercings were in each ear from her lobes to halfway up the outside edge. ¡°Not everyone can see past the flashy exterior.¡± Gloria looked at him with a scowl. ¡°Hey, don''t get mad at me.¡± Frank said. ¡°I can.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± She sighed. ¡°It just...¡± ¡°...puts your panties in a twist.¡± He said and grinned. Gloria laughed and nodded. ¡°Well, you can take your frustrations out on that old Chevy Cavalier. It''s springs are shot.¡± ¡°Nice!¡± She said and went over to the car lift. ¡°Where''s Mr. Spanner?¡± ¡°Over in the corner.¡± Frank said and pointed. ¡°Scott tried to use it today, and nearly broke his hand.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Gloria chuckled and went over to pick up the 3 foot long double open-ended wrench. ¡°That''s because he doesn''t treat Mr. Spanner with the proper respect.¡± She went back to the lift and jammed the wrench up and under the top of the spring, to use it as a lever to pry the spring out. ¡°We''ve got some work to do, Mr. Spanner.¡± Gloria said and grabbed the airtool, and started to loosen the bolts holding the suspension on the car. ¡°I''ve got some aggression to work out!¡± ******** Ren woke up in the game and it was still slightly dark out. Hey, Teepo. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Anything happen while I was out? ¡°Not a thing.¡± Ren relaxed and looked at Nathalia. She was turned on her side again, facing him. How much time do I have before breakfast? ¡°About an hour.¡± Deliveries won''t start until after that, so I''ve got about 2 hours to get some more sleep. Ren thought and shifted closer to Nathalia and whispered in her ear. ¡°Roll over.¡± She half-opened her eyes to see Ren smiling at her. She smiled back and then rolled over to face away from him. He put an arm around her waist and gently pulled her close to spoon with her. She was just the right height that they fit together perfectly. Nathalia gripped his arm tightly at first, and then relaxed. Ren kissed the side of her neck, and she giggled. I''ll have to remember she''s ticklish there. Ren thought and closed his eyes. Wake me up if I''m not up already, Teepo. ¡°Sure.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Have a good nap.¡± Thanks, buddy. Ren thought, and took a deep breath. He exhaled and then immediately fell asleep. Chapter 112 - Deliveries Is that vanilla I smell? Ren opened his eyes and saw his face was nestled into a mass of brown hair. He took a deep inhale through his nose. Yeah, definitely vanilla. Nathalia tensed up slightly and Ren smiled. ¡°Sorry, I didn''t mean to wake you. I just smelled something really good and had to take a deep breath.¡± Ren said. ¡°I couldn''t help myself; and before you ask... yes, I meant you.¡± He saw that Nathalia still had a hold of his arm, and when he tried to take his arm away, she held on tightly. ¡°Just a few more minutes.¡± She said softly, and Ren smiled. Teepo, how much time left? ¡°About 10 minutes.¡± Thanks. Ren thought, then cuddled in a little tighter. They both took a breath and exhaled together. * ¡°They still aren''t up.¡± Narhilda said, perplexed. She''d had breakfast ready for nearly an hour now, and Ren usually came running long before this. ¡°I''m tempted to go in there and drag them out of bed, but Nathalia made it perfectly clear that I wasn''t allowed to do that.¡± Narhilda snorted a laugh. ¡°Imagine, not being allowed to do something in my own house.¡± * Barnar and his workers had all the carts loaded up and ready to go. ¡°This is going to be fun!¡± He said, and the workers cheered. ¡°Let''s go!¡± * The female dwarf running the stables had worked all night to get all 6 carts ready for work. The drivers had readily agreed to do some shoveling, once they found out that it was extra pay. She had found 2 extra workers for each cart, too. Once word had gotten out that she needed workers to shovel, and that they didn''t have to show up until after breakfast and could leave early for supper, they practically begged her for spots on the carts. Shoveling was easy money, apparently. * The lumber yard was scrambling to finish filling the carts they had to deliver the 1,000 planks of lumber to House Neram. ¡°They''re not all going to fit, Ma''am.¡± The foreman said to the receptionist. She rolled her eyes at him and then smiled. ¡°Send them in a train. Spread them out so that it looks like there''s a constant flow of carts. When the first one comes back, fill it, and send it out again.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea!¡± The foreman said. ¡°I guess that''s why you run the place, Ma''am.¡± * The caravan of carts delivering ore to various businesses and Houses left the mines in a single row. The eighth one was tasked to House Neram, with it''s quota of a quarter ton of ore. * ¡°Time''s up.¡± Teepo said and crawled over to the door. ¡°Everything should be coming soon.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought and shifted away from Nathalia a little. ¡°Just a little longer.¡± She said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I''d love to stay in here all day with you, Nathalia...¡± He said as he rolled her onto her back, and she kept a hold of his arm. ¡°...but I''ve got a lot of work to do.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°I know. I just...¡± Ren leaned in and kissed her. She let his arm go and put her hands on the sides of his face. Ren gently slid a hand up along her side and stopped when his thumb rested along the underside of her breast. Nathalia took in a quick breath and Ren broke the kiss. ¡°I really would like to stay here, but I can hear a pile of carts already at the gate.¡± Ren started to move away and Nathalia grabbed the hand that had almost cupped her breast, lifted it, and placed it on top. Ren''s eyes widened as he felt how happy she was that he was touching her. She closed her eyes as he moved his hand slightly from side to side, and kneaded her breast with his fingers. Nathalia took in another breath and arched her back. It pushed her chest into his hand and Ren smiled. He let her breast go a moment later, and cupped the side of her face. She opened her eyes and he gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Okay, now I really have to go.¡± Ren said, stood up, and glanced down at himself. It was Nathalia''s turn for her eyes to widen, as she saw how happy Ren was that she''d let him touch her. A loud bang of metal on wood resounded through the house. ¡°I''ll get it!¡± Ren shouted and then he bowed to Nathalia. ¡°My Lady.¡± He quickly turned and left the room to go and answer the gate. Teepo dropped into his hood as he passed. * ¡°Oh... my...¡± Nathalia whispered, then curled into a ball and shivered with anticipation. * Ren ran through the hallway and the main room, into the kitchen. ¡°Sorry, My Lady, we over-slept.¡± ¡°Over-slept. Uh huh.¡± Narhilda laughed. Ren smiled, took her hand and bent over it. ¡°Thank you for making breakfast. I''ll be in soon to grab a bite to eat.¡± Ren ran through the main room and out the front door. He stopped in the courtyard and put a hand near the hood of his cloak. Teepo. Teepo climbed onto his hand and Ren tossed him up into the air, about 15 feet. ¡°It looks like it''s mostly Barnar''s group.¡± Teepo said as Ren caught him. ¡°Toss me again.¡± Ren threw him a little higher this time and Teepo confirmed it was Barnar''s group, and that there were more carts coming, several miles down the road. Thanks, Teepo. ¡°Anytime. That was kinda fun, actually.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren smiled and opened the gate. ¡°Barnar! You''re here bright and early.¡± Barnar clapped Ren on the shoulder and grinned. ¡°You''ve inspired me, Ren. I''ve got to get these horrible walls fixed!¡± ¡°I tried to warn you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You can set up your workspace right over here.¡± Ren said and pointed to a good sized area just off the road. Barnar told his workers where to set things up and turned back to Ren. ¡°Where do you want your bricks?¡± Barnar asked. ¡°I''m going to make a spot out back.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need extra room, more than I could get inside the Keep. It would be safer if I did it above ground, too.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Making several forges.¡± ¡°Yes, definitely better to do that out here.¡± He said. ¡°Where do I send the cart?¡± Ren walked over to the side of the walled off house and pointed. ¡°About a hundred feet behind the house.¡± Barnar looked at the uneven ground. ¡°I don''t think so, my friend.¡± Ren looked down as well. ¡°Oh, right! I needed to make a path.¡± He said and took out his hammerpick. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Barnar asked, and stared at it. ¡°This? It''s my Great Earthshaking Hammerpick of Reaping.¡± ¡°That''s it''s name? What does it do?¡± ¡°I''ve only ever used the hammer part to squish things.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s about time that I used the other end.¡± He walked over to the road and picked a good spot, let the system draw a straight line to where he wanted to go, then jammed the sharp end of the hammerpick into the ground. ¡°Be right back.¡± Ren said and started to run. ¡°By the gods!¡± Barnar exclaimed as Ren dragged the hammerpick through the dirt and tore up about 6 inches of it. Ren ran about the length of a football field, turned around and ran back. The earth parted for the hammerpick like it was water, and Ren ran back and forth for about 5 minutes. He stopped and looked at the 10 foot wide dug up path that he''d made. ¡°How in the world... no, don''t tell me.¡± Barnar said. ¡°You made that, didn''t you?¡± He pointed to the hammerpick. ¡°Yep.¡± Ren responded. ¡°You''ve made it worse with all the churned up dirt, though.¡± Barnar shook his head. ¡°It would have been difficult with the uneven ground, but with all that mulched up, the cart will never get through.¡± ¡°I was just making the path.¡± Ren grinned, stored the hammerpick, and took out a shovel. ¡°Now I''ve got to clean it.¡± It took another 10 minutes, and Ren had all the loose dirt shoved to the sides and left a nice and flat dirt path. Ren got to the end and waved. ¡°Damn, that is a nice path.¡± Barnar said and waved the cart and pony forward. It easily went down the improvised road and dropped off the 200 stone bricks that Ren had ordered. It had plenty of room to turn around and came back with Ren right behind it. ¡°Your crew are almost set up.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t wait to see what the outer wall is going to look like when you''re finished.¡± ¡°You''re not sticking around to help?¡± Barnar asked. ¡°I''d like to, but there''s too much other stuff going on.¡± Ren turned at the sound of another round of carts coming. ¡°Speaking of which...¡± The carts were from House Longore and were full of the paving stones Ren had ordered. ¡°Perfect timing!¡± Ren said to the head cart and the driver smiled. ¡°Go all the way to the end and unload, please.¡± The driver nodded and turned in to drive up the improvised road. The next cart pulled in, and Ren told them to go almost to the end and unload. He told each cart where to unload, and by the time the tenth (and last) cart was in front of him, he helped them unload right there by the roadside. The first cart finished and came down the road. Ren stood back and held out a silver coin to the driver. ¡°Thank you for the extra work of unloading.¡± He said and the driver''s eyes widened, then took the coin. Ren repeated this for all the other drivers, even the one he''d helped. Each driver had wide eyes, but still took the coin anyways. ¡°You know, you didn''t have to pay them for unloading.¡± Barnar half-whispered, once the last driver had left. Ren smiled. ¡°I know, but when I order more things, they''ll be the first to come when I call.¡± Barnar smiled, too. ¡°You''ve always got your big brain thinking ahead, huh?¡± ¡°I try to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I still forget things, though.¡± He looked over Barnar''s shoulder and saw another group of 5 carts, widely spread apart, come up the road. ¡°If my guess is right, I''ll bet that''s my lumber.¡± When the carts were close enough, Ren looked inside the first cart and saw that it really was the lumber. It looked to be about a hundred planks, and Ren told the driver to unload in the courtyard. He said the same thing to the driver of the second cart a minute later. A minute after that, the third cart came and Ren told it to go to the end of the improvised road. When the driver of the first cart finished unloading, he mounted up and rode away quickly. They must be going back for another load. Ren thought as the fourth cart came and he sent it down the road as well. The second driver mounted up and left, just as quickly as the first driver. He past the fifth driver about a hundred feet away from where Ren stood, and Ren told him to unload at the end of the road. As soon as the cart took the turn, Ren started to place the paving stones. Since they were exactly 1 foot across, 10 fit perfectly into the space he''d dug out. ¡°Sweet!¡± Ren said and turned to Barnar. ¡°When the lumber carts come back, can you send them down the road?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and kept laying the paving stones. It was taking longer because he didn''t have an open slot, and then Ren slapped himself on the forehead. He ran back to the house and took out the crest he''d made that first time with the mold, and hung it on the front gate. He put a couple of nails around it to stop it from sliding, and smiled. He ran back to the road and stored the stack of paving stones, then dropped one after the other in a row. He criss-crossed the road over and over, laying each row of paving stones. They interlocked, so he didn''t even have to worry about using mortar or even packing them in with dirt. The work went much faster after that. He got about a hundred feet in and a different cart appeared. Ren dropped the last paving stone he had in inventory onto the road, and ran over to see who it was. ¡°Someone rented carts and workers here?¡± The female driver asked. ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, what''s the job?¡± She asked, looking around. ¡°You''ve got lots of things going on here, but I don''t see where 6 carts and 18 people shoveling would be needed.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s because I''m having stuff moved to here, not from here.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± She said. ¡°Where do we go?¡± ¡°The mines.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll ride along for the first time, if that''s okay?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She said. ¡°Hop in.¡± ¡°Can you hold on for a minute? I need to get my fiance out here.¡± Ren said and the driver nodded. He ran back inside the house and called for Nathalia. He made a few egg, bacon, and toast sandwiches and stored them into inventory. Ren went outside and gave one to Princess. ¡°Sorry, I almost forgot to feed you.¡± Ren said, then went back inside to get Nathalia. She came out of the old bedroom a moment later and Ren told her what he wanted. ¡°Ren, I don''t have any idea what you''re doing.¡± She said. ¡°How can I direct people?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°There''s only a few carts of lumber coming, and a cart of iron ore. Just send them down the road.¡± ¡°What road?¡± ¡°The one I''ve got partially built beside the Keep.¡± ¡°You... you built a road...¡± ¡°It was the only way to get the silt from the mines to where I need it.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°I just have to go with the carts to the mines the first time, to show them where to dig, and then where to drop the silt off.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nathalia said, then had a thought. ¡°Why didn''t you just use the ring to ask me to come out?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I forgot.¡± She snorted a laugh and her mother joined her. Ren took Nathalia''s hand and switched his Camaraderie Aura to just Aura, and asked her to do the same. ¡°Come on, I''ll introduce you.¡± Her face flushed a little red and she nodded. They went out past the gate and stopped in front of Barnar. ¡°Everyone...¡± Ren said and they all stopped working and turned to look at him. ¡°I''d like to introduce the Princess of House Neram, and my fiance, Nathalia Neram.¡± A few of the workers clapped, and Barnar took Nathalia''s hand and bent over it. ¡°It''s an Honor to meet you.¡± He said and straightened up, then leaned in close. ¡°You know, your fiance is crazy.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°Yes, it''s part of his charm.¡± Barnar let her hand go and looked at Ren. ¡°You caught yourself a good one, there.¡± ¡°I''d like to say that I did, but she caught me, actually.¡± Ren laughed at Barnar''s shocked face. ¡°You don''t mean?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Yes, she proposed to me.¡± Several tools and stones were dropped in the silence that followed Ren''s words. Gasps were also heard, and workers quickly picked up the dropped tools. ¡°She''ll be in charge while I go on a short trip to the mines.¡± Ren said and turned to Nathalia. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as possible.¡± He said, stepped close, and gave her a kiss on the lips. Another tool was dropped, and then several oo''s and ah''s were heard, mostly from the 6 carts of married women. Ren broke the kiss, walked over to the lead cart, and climbed into the back. ¡°Let''s roll.¡± Ren said and the driver turned the cart around and galloped down the road. The other 5 carts followed them and they quickly disappeared from sight. * ¡°You''ve got a special one there, Ma''am.¡± Barnar said to Nathalia. ¡°I know.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I know.¡± * The cart Ren was in, took the corner and passed the cart of ore going to House Neram. There were 2 people in it and it was loaded with ore. ¡°I just missed it.¡± Ren said, and about 5 minutes later, they arrived at the mine''s gate. He hopped out and walked over to the guard. ¡°Hi, again.¡± Ren said. ¡°Good morning.¡± The guard said, then looked around. ¡°Say, you don''t happen to have...¡± Ren grinned and handed over one of the sandwiches he''d made and the guard opened the gate without even checking the carts. ¡°They''ll be coming and going a lot over the next few weeks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hopefully, we''ll be out of your way as soon as possible.¡± The guard nodded and Ren hopped back into the cart, and directed them to the mountain of silt that was off to the side of the mines. ¡°By the gods!¡± One of the women said. ¡°We can''t move that!¡± Ren had all the women get out of the carts and gathered them together. ¡°I know this looks like a lot...¡± ¡°It doesn''t just look like a lot, it is a lot!¡± Another woman said. Ren chuckled. ¡°It looks that way now, but once you start shoveling it... every little bit is a little bit taken away. Trust me, it won''t take long. With all of you great women working, you''ll make short work of this.¡± ¡°I don''t know...¡± The first cart driver said. Ren looked at each woman in the eyes until he had looked at them all. ¡°I don''t want all of you shoveling all of the time.¡± He said. ¡°With 2 workers, half of you can stay here and fill the carts, and the other half can stay at House Neram to empty the carts.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you say that before?¡± One woman said. ¡°You could have saved some of us a trip out here.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It wouldn''t be fair to leave the same group here all day. If we have an 8 hour day, I''d like you to switch spots at 4 hours.¡± ¡°Well, that would be fair.¡± Another woman said. ¡°It saves the extra wear and tear on the carts as well. They''ll move faster, making more trips without the extra person on board.¡± Ren said. ¡°And you''ll have a good 15 minute rest between each cart load.¡± ¡°Hey, that does make it a lot easier.¡± Someone else said. ¡°I don''t want you to work hard, I want you to work well. The more you do, the more that gets done.¡± ¡°We can still leave early to make supper, right?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°That''s the schedule. The carts bring you after breakfast, then take you back an hour before supper.¡± He said. ¡°I assume an hour is long enough?¡± Most women agreed. ¡°Are there any questions?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Can we stay longer?¡± One of the extra workers asked. ¡°You can stay as long as you want.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m paying for the cartloads, not the time it takes to move them.¡± ¡°I guess that''s fair, too.¡± One of the drivers said. ¡°Let me make this clear.¡± Ren said and everyone looked at him. ¡°Don''t hurt yourselves trying to fill carts as fast as you can. Take your time, fill them, then rest until the cart comes back. The same goes for unloading. Take your time, empty it, then rest until it comes back.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your cart is the one you came in. For the next few weeks, that''s your team.¡± He smiled. ¡°Look around you. This place is filled with men, digging silt up to make this pile bigger. I want you to show them what a real woman can do.¡± The women gathered smiled and a few chuckled. One cheered and another lifted her shovel above her head. Ren saw the state it was in, and mentally shook his head. ¡°Everyone, please hold out your shovels.¡± Ren said and everyone did. He pulled out his blacksmith''s hammer and repaired each one, much to every single woman''s surprise. ¡°My grandpa''s shovel!¡± One woman exclaimed. ¡°It looks brand new!¡± ¡°I''ll keep repairing them when it''s needed.¡± Ren said. ¡°For free.¡± Nearly everyone gasped and Ren smiled. ¡°You''re working for me, I won''t have you using damaged equipment.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Can I bring another shovel?¡± ¡°Quiet, Mari.¡± ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Yes, you can bring another shovel for me to fix.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Actually, I''ll repair your clothing if it needs it, too.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Hey, he''s really nice.¡± ¡°He''s already engaged.¡± ¡°You''re married, Mari.¡± ¡°Dammit.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Let''s get to work, shall we?¡± He said and took out his own shovel. Ren helped fill each cart up to a safe, and respectable height. ¡°Keep it at this level, please.¡± He said when they were all done. ¡°It''s the best for weight and balance. Don''t over-fill it.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°He really knows what he''s doing.¡± ¡°You''re still married, Mari.¡± ¡°Dammit.¡± ¡°Have you decided who''s staying first?¡± Ren asked. ¡°One person from each cart.¡± Six Women stayed there in a group, and Ren stepped over to them. ¡°I''ll have a guard sent over to keep an eye out, if that''s okay?¡± ¡°We''d appreciate that, sir.¡± A woman that had been in the first cart with him, said. ¡°No problem.¡± Ren climbed into the cart and asked to stop at the foreman''s office. The cart stopped there and Ren hopped out and knocked on the door. ¡°It''s open.¡± Ren opened the door and the foreman smiled. ¡°You found a cart.¡± Ren smiled back. ¡°Six, actually. I was wondering if a guard could be assigned to the silt pile.¡± ¡°They make regular patrols.¡± ¡°I know, but I''d like one exclusively, to stand there and keep watch.¡± Ren said. ¡°What about the guard at the gate?¡± ¡°Well...¡± The foreman hedged. Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll pay his salary for as long as I need him, and the hours are from after breakfast until an hour before supper.¡± The foreman''s eyes widened. ¡°Are you serious? You''ll pay him to watch the dirt for only 9 hours?¡± ¡°As long as he''s trustworthy.¡± The foreman snorted. ¡°I wouldn''t hire anyone that wasn''t trustworthy.¡± ¡°Excellent. You just need someone to take over at the gate.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll let him know on the way out.¡± The foreman waved acknowledgement. Ren turned to leave and then turned back. ¡°Have you thought about my cafeteria idea?¡± The foreman nodded slightly. ¡°I''ll need to think about it for a while.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you decide to go with it, I know a great cook that can teach the staff.¡± ¡°You?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I could, but my fiance is a much better cook.¡± ¡°I''ll keep it in mind.¡± ¡°That''s what good ideas are for.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Have a good day.¡± Ren shut the door and climbed into the cart. ¡°Onward!¡± he said and pointed. The driver laughed and drove the cart over to the gate. The guard opened the gate and Ren had the driver stop the cart by the guard. ¡°Are you interested in a job?¡± Ren asked. The guard raised his eyebrows. ¡°You''ll still be here and standing guard, but not at the gate. You''ll be over by the mountain of silt, where my workers are waiting to fill these carts.¡± ¡°Sounds easy.¡± The guard said. ¡°Your job is to guard six women from any advancing men from the mines.¡± Ren said in a seriuos tone. The guard stood straight and nodded.
Notice!
You have gained Honor: +10
¡°I''d be Honored, sir.¡± ¡°I''ll pay your salary, and the hours are from after breakfast until an hour before supper. Every day for several weeks, with 1 day off each week.¡± The guard saluted and he saluted back. Ren heard footsteps as they approached, and smiled. ¡°I believe that is your replacement for the gate.¡± Ren said and another guard came over. ¡°You''re relieved.¡± The new guard said. ¡°I stand relieved.¡± The old guard said, nodded slightly to Ren, and ran down the road to his new station. Ren looked at the new guard. ¡°These carts will be coming and going from here, several times an hour.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Would you like a sandwich?¡± Ren asked him. The guard blinked and then shook his head. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Ren turned to the driver. ¡°House Neram, please.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± She said and flicked the reins. The pony trotted down the road, and led it''s 5 companions along behind it. 10 minutes later, they arrived back at House Neram and Ren told the driver to go down the road, and to be careful. The cart went down the road and Ren didn''t feel the bump at the point where he''d stopped laying the paving stones. Ren looked down to see that the road was finished. What the? Ren thought and a minute later, the cart reached the end of the road. He got out and told the cart driver to turn the cart around, and to shovel the silt out onto the ground at the end of the road. Each cart did the same, unloading the extra worker as well. Ren spread the silt out over a large area to show the workers what to do with each cart. ¡°But sir...¡± One woman said. ¡°...you''ll run out of room here at the end of the road, in a day or so. With so much silt coming...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry. I''m putting it here, but it''s not staying here.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°You''ll see... eventually.¡± Ren said and left the six women to ponder at his words. He saw the pile of ore to the side, and that the rest of the lumber had been delivered. There was a crate of nails and the 4x4s, too. Ren lifted the crate of nails and the women gasped as he carried it down the road and brought it into the courtyard. Nathalia came out of the house and saw Ren carrying the crate. ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t know that you-¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I didn''t tell you about it, so how could you have known?¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren put the crate down and took her into a hug. ¡°You can''t expect to know what I''m thinking, Nathalia.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Even I don''t know what I''m thinking sometimes.¡± She laughed. ¡°That I believe.¡± He gave her a quick kiss on the nose. ¡°Who finished the road?¡± Ren asked. ¡°When I left, it was only a third done.¡± Nathalia blushed a little. ¡°When you left with the carts, I saw it wasn''t done. Barnar told me what you were doing, so I did that, too.¡± Ren widened his eyes. ¡°You stored a stack and dropped them into place?¡± She nodded and Ren grinned. ¡°Thank you so much, Nathalia.¡± He said and kissed her on the lips. ¡°I was worried about the carts having to go from the paved part to the dirt, and you saved me from that.¡± ¡°It... it was nothing.¡± She said, then Ren looked at her with a raised eyebrow. She smiled and rubbed it with her thumb to make Ren laugh. ¡°You''re still carrying all those diamond crystals, too.¡± Ren said and she nodded slightly. ¡°It''s been making me stronger.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said and snuggled her a little. ¡°Ahem.¡± Ren broke the hug, and stepped back to see Narhilda standing at the door to the house. ¡°There''s someone here to see you, Ren.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°He says he''s the mine foreman''s brother-in-law.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Ren said. ¡°He was in the cart I passed when I left.¡± Ren walked over to Narhilda and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Thanks for keeping him company for me.¡± He walked passed her and into the house. * Narhilda put a hand on her cheek. ¡°That wasn''t part of any ritual I know.¡± She said and blushed a little as she smiled. ¡°I wonder if we should register a new one.¡± ¡°Ma...¡± Nathalia said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It doesn''t mean the same to him as it does to you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°He really was only thanking you.¡± ¡°I know, dear.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°But it''s nice to dream, isn''t it?¡± Nathalia walked over to her mother and gave her a hug. ¡°Not with my husband, it''s not.¡± ¡°He''s not your husband yet.¡± Narhilda said, and laughed at her daughter''s shocked expression. ¡°Oh, stop acting so surprised. I''m just joking.¡± ¡°It''s hard to tell sometimes.¡± ¡°I know! Isn''t it fun?¡± * Ren went into the kitchen and saw a dwarf sitting at the table. As he walked over, he saw the dwarf had a salt-and-pepper beard and mustache, and a completely shaved head. Ren sat down on the other side of the table to face him. ¡°Hi, I''m Ren. I asked for you.¡± ¡°I''m Dorcot.¡± The dwarf smiled. ¡°You have need of my various and fabled skills.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°What do you need cut?¡± Ren took out the mangled diamond and passed it to Dorcot. The dwarf winced at the horrible job that was done to it, and examined it. ¡°Yuncith!¡± The dwarf spat, and stood to throw the gem across the kitchen. ¡°Wait!¡± Ren nearly shouted and Dorcot stopped. ¡°I took it to him to try and get it cut, and he tried to scam me out of the pieces he''d cut off.¡± Ren took out the tied cloth and opened it, revealing 3 pieces and the dust. ¡°If I''d known beforehand, I would have thrown the crystal into the ocean, rather than let him butcher it.¡± Dorcot sat down and grunted. He looked at the gem again and kept wincing as he turned it to see all the damage done. ¡°Do you have somewhere I can work?¡± Ren smiled and led the dwarf to the old bedroom and the huge workbench. ¡°Very nice.¡± He said, sat at the desk, and pulled out a kit similar to the one Yuncith had sold Ren. He took out a small piece of that wax like substance, warmed it up with a flame, and placed the mangled stone in it. ¡°You''re going to lose a lot of the weight.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°Make it gleam like it should.¡± The dwarf smiled and got to work. Ren watched closely as Dorcot used various tools and files, and slowly worked the stone into a smaller shape. When he was done, he popped the stone out of the holding material and passed it to Ren.
Diamond - Round Cut (High Quality)
This diamond was cut by an Expert Gemcutter, and it''s quality reflects that.
Ren appraised it at 50 gold coins and smiled. ¡°This is beautiful, sir.¡± The dwarf grinned. ¡°It is, but it''s only half the size of what it should be.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Can you do anything with the pieces?¡± The dwarf worked for another 15 minutes, and gave Ren a small handful of tiny diamonds, each worth a gold coin. ¡°What about the dust?¡± Dorcot shook his head. ¡°It''s only good for polishing, if attached to a thick cloth.¡± ¡°You can polish things with it?¡± Ren asked, surprised. Dorcot smiled and took out a piece of cloth from his kit. He unrolled it and it glittered in the light. ¡°Anything with an edge can be polished and sharpened, if done carefully.¡± ¡°How did you get the dust to stick to the cloth?¡± ¡°Just give the cloth a quick rub with oil, and sprinkle the dust on it. When it dries, you''ve got a polishing cloth.¡± ¡°Sir, you are a rare find.¡± Ren said and handed back the tiny diamonds. ¡°What are these for?¡± Dorcot asked. ¡°That''s 15 gold worth!¡± ¡°A payment for more work.¡± ¡°More work?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°A lot more, since I''m going to be busy doing my own work for a while.¡± ¡°How many of these do you have?¡± Ren took out the handful of small diamond crystals that Nathalia had given him and the dwarf''s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. ¡°W-w-where did you get those?¡± He stammered ¡°I dug them up.¡± Dorcot''s eyes squinted. Ren smiled. ¡°From the ground, that I own. I have the deed and everything.¡± The dwarf relaxed and went back to work. It didn''t take long for him to cut up the diamonds into proper shapes. Ren asked him why he chose some shapes for some stones, and different shapes for the others. ¡°It''s the shape of the crystal. Rounder ones, use a round cut. Chunks? Use the square cut. Long ones? Rectangular.¡± Dorcot shrugged. ¡°You could just cut them all the same, but then you''d have a bunch of similar shaped gemstones and a gigantic pile of small ones. Where''s the beauty in that?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.¡± Dorcot''s eyes widened and then he grinned, too. ¡°It surely is.¡± The dwarf gathered up the dust from all the work he did, into the same cloth Ren had used before. There was a large pile of small diamonds, and a pile of oddly shaped ones as well. They were all different cuts, and Ren was already seeing himself smelting metal to set them into. ¡°I really do have work to do, despite my slacking off in here with you.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°Are you busy today?¡± Dorcot shook his head. ¡°The wife is out working, the kids are off on their own, and I''m just sitting at home doing nothing.¡± ¡°How would you like to do something instead?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I''ve got a one storey building to make out back. If you give me a hand, I''ll give you something really nice to dig your Gemcutting teeth into.¡± ¡°Ha... if it''s more of them things, I could do those in my sleep.¡± Ren grinned and pulled out one of the fist-sized ones he had in inventory. ¡°Holy CRAP!¡± ¡°Those were my words exactly when I found it.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°So... are you interested?¡± ¡°Sir, I''d give you one of my kids to work on that!¡± ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Your help is good enough.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Dorcot asked. ¡°I''m not too fond of Garmon. He''s becoming a pompous ass.¡± Ren laughed and stored the diamond crystal. ¡°Yeah, I''m sure.¡± Chapter 113 - A Job Offer Ren led Dorcot out into the courtyard and to the stack of lumber there. ¡°Do you want me to carry some of that?¡± Dorcot asked. ¡°No, this is for something else.¡± Ren said, then used a couple of planks and made a good sized crate, with a small section inside. ¡°Be right back.¡± He said and went into the old bedroom and put in the cut diamonds into the small section, and then filled the crate with several slots of odd-sized diamond crystals. Ren stored the crate in an empty slot and was tempted to make a bunch more crates, but that would have to wait. He went back outside and then stored the crate of nails. ¡°So, you''re an Adventurer.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°I''ve definitely had some adventures, that''s for sure.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You can tell me some while we work.¡± ¡°If it''ll help pass the time.¡± Ren said and Dorcot followed Ren out to the road and then to the end of it. Ren laid out the size of the building he wanted and Dorcot scratched his bald head. ¡°You''re covering nearly 50 feet of road, you know.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I need the paving stones for the floor, and rather than tear them up and dig another spot for them, it''s just easier to build over the road.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± Dorcot said and started moving the boards they''d need for the walls, all along the planks Ren had used to show what he wanted. Ren did the same on the other side and then added in the 4x4s as supports for the corners and the roof. ¡°Are you doing a pitched roof?¡± Dorcot asked and Ren nodded. They added extra lumber for the roof in seperate stacks, along the sides. ¡°I assume you have some woodworking tools?¡± Ren grinned and took out his large woodworking toolbox and opened it. Dorcot whistled. ¡°Yeah, I think that might be enough.¡± He said and laughed. They made all the walls first, in 8 foot sections, for the entire building. With the 2 of them working at it, it only took an hour and they were finished of the walls. They were stood up and nailed together, leaving room for a door and a large entryway where the silt was continuously being dumped. The 4x4 supports for the roof and cross braces, were next. If Ren hadn''t had a second pair of hands, he wasn''t sure if he could have held them in place and still nailed both ends without dropping something. Knowing they needed three 8 foot length boards to cross the distance, they make triangle trusses to support the roof. 3 planks across, half a plank high, and 2 planks down on an angle on each side, made the shape that they needed. They nailed planks between each other plank to add extra support, and cross members to hold the triangle shape. It ended up using 12 planks for each truss, and they made 31 of them, spaced a foot and a half apart. They were positioned all along the center support as trusses, and once they were secured, it was a simple matter to run planks all along the roof and nail them in place. Once they were done 2 hours later, Ren made a door and hung it in the spot they''d left for it. He stepped back and smiled. ¡°Now there''s a nice piece of workmanship.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to Dorcot. ¡°Thank you for your help, Dorcot.¡± Dorcot took his outstretched hand and shook it. ¡°It was nice to get my hands dirty again.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t remember the last time I got to do something like this.¡± Ren let the handshake go and turned to him. ¡°Why is that?¡± Dorcot shrugged. ¡°I was in high demand for a while, found a good wife and married into her House. I had clients like you wouldn''t believe.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°The King and Queen.¡± Dorcot snorted. ¡°Not hard to guess, huh?¡± He smiled. ¡°The thing is, once you cut up everything that they had, there''s wasn''t anything left to cut anymore.¡± Dorcot sighed. ¡°I had a few Gemcutting jobs afterwards, but that was years ago. I''ve just been sitting around most of the time and doing odd jobs. The wife''s been working as a secretary for House Longore ever since.¡± Ren''s eyes widened as he remembered the tiny little dwarf with the squeaky voice. ¡°She''s your wife?¡± Dorcot nodded. ¡°Cutest little thing I ever saw.¡± ¡°I won''t argue with you there.¡± Ren smiled. I could, but I won''t. ¡°Is House Longore your House?¡± Dorcot shook his head. ¡°No, we''re commoners in House Lodur. They own the mines, and a good portion of the countryside down that way. My wife''s brother was really fortunate to get the foreman''s job at the mine.¡± He said. ¡°It''s not very often that commoners like us get high ranked positions in Houses like that.¡± ¡°That''s for sure.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s really hard for the lower class to get good jobs, with most of them taken by main family members.¡± Ren nodded slightly, then put a hand on Dorcot''s shoulder. ¡°Well, my friend. I made you a promise, didn''t I?¡± Dorcot''s eyes widened and then his smile matched it. Ren grabbed some of the lumber planks and a 4x4. He cut the 4x4 into 2 foot pieces to make the legs of a workbench, then added several drawers on one side and a large one across the center, just like the sitting table he''d made for Lucy back at his apartment. When Ren thought of Lucy, he paused working for a minute, sighed, and kept going. He added a back section for tools and things to be hung, and then several shelves. When the workbench was finished, he made a chair for Dorcot to sit on, and then stored them. ¡°Damn, boy... did you just make a workbench from memory?¡± ¡°Kind of.¡± Ren said. ¡°I added in extra drawers and the back for tools. I wasn''t sure what you''d need, so I gave you several options.¡± Dorcot shook his head. ¡°People would pay a good amount of money for a custom made workbench.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ve got way too much on my plate to take a bite of something else right now.¡± Dorcot chuckled. ¡°I saw.¡± He said and waved a hand at everything going on. ¡°Come inside, and I can get you set up.¡± Ren said and opened the door to his new workshop. It was 45 feet long, 24 feet wide, and easily expandable as everything was made in sections. Ren walked over to the far corner, well away from where he would be building his forges. He took the desk and chair out of inventory and placed them near the wall. ¡°How do you want this set up?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''re the expert.¡± ¡°Against the wall in the corner is fine.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°I don''t know why you''re going through all this trouble, just to let me cut up one diamond crystal.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Dorcot, I''ve told you some of the trouble I''ve been in. This is no trouble at all.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Dorgot chuckled, sat in the chair, and waggled his fingers in a ''gimmie'' gesture. ¡°Hand it over.¡± Ren took out the fist-sized diamond crystal and handed it over. Dorcot examined it and whistled. ¡°By the gods. Where did you get this?¡± He asked. ¡°It''s perfect!¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I can''t tell you yet.¡± Dorcot looked at him. ¡°It is from land that I own, but I''m keeping it a secret for now.¡± Dorcot nodded slightly. ¡°I''ll stop prying, then.¡± ¡°Take your time, Dorcot.¡± Ren said. ¡°Show me what you''ve got.¡± Dorcot grinned. ¡°I might not have used my skills in years, but it''s something that you never forget.¡± Ren nodded slightly and went outside to the pile of stone bricks that he''d ordered from Barnar, and stored them. Ren ran to the work area Barnar had set up to see how the progress on the exterior wall was coming along. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said as he saw half the crew making mortar and the other half were cleaning the old mortar from the wall. Several stones slid out when this happened and they were replaced with others that were freshly cut and covered in mortar. ¡°You guys are great!¡± Ren exclaimed and several workers laughed. ¡°I wish I had the time to help.¡± He said to Barnar, who was standing at his customary workbench and looked at Ren''s latest idea. ¡°I haven''t doubted any of your ideas so far...¡± Barnar said to Ren. ¡°...but this...¡± He said and waved a hand at the extra large cake icing bag. ¡°I don''t know what to think of it.¡± ¡°This is the only idea I''ve had that you''re going to question?¡± Ren laughed and Barnar joined him. ¡°I''ll get Narhilda out here, and she can show you what to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s the one who taught her daughter, and her daughter taught me.¡± ¡°Okay, but I''ll only believe it when I see it.¡± Barnar said, sceptically. Ren went inside the house and asked Narhilda to come out and show the stonemason how to use the cake icing bag. Narhilda agreed, smiled, and held her hand out for Ren to take. Her daughter sighed and rolled her eyes. ¡°Just humor her, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°She''s in a playful mood today.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren smiled and took Narhilda''s hand. ¡°My Lady. This way, please.¡± She giggled as Ren led her out of the kitchen. He concentrated on his Aura, and Narhilda caught her breath. They walked out through the gate and over to the stonemason''s work area, and several workers turned their heads to watch as they passed. ¡°Barnar, I''d like to introduce you to the Lady of the House.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lady Neram, this is Barnar Slatebreaker.¡± Barnar turned to look at her, and he inhaled a deep breath. Ren let Narhilda''s hand go and stepped aside. Barnar stepped close, gently took her hand and bent over it. ¡°Lady Neram, it is both an Honor and a pleasure to meet you.¡± Narhilda''s eyes widened and she blushed slightly. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you as well.¡± Barnar reluctantly let her hand go and motioned to the extra large icing bag. ¡°Ren says this will fill cracks in the mortar, without having to remove the whole stone.¡± He said. ¡°Can you show me how it works, Lady Neram?¡± ¡°Of course I can.¡± She said and stepped to the workbench to show Barnar how to properly fill and squeeze the bag, to get the most use out of the contents. ¡°I''ll leave you to it.¡± Ren said and Barnar quickly shooed him away behind Narhilda''s back. Ren smiled as he went back to his workshop to make the forge that he needed. That was unexpected. ¡°Tell me about it!¡± Teepo exclaimed. ¡°He just met her, and he''s already sweet on her!¡± * ¡°Lady Neram... you''re an expert cook, aren''t you?¡± Barnar said, and she nodded slightly. ¡°I learned from the best teacher I could have had when I was young.¡± She said. ¡°My mother.¡± ¡°Then your House is truly blessed.¡± Barnar said, then continued boldly. ¡°Both with talent and with beauty.¡± Narhilda took a quick inhale of breath, and then sighed. ¡°Mr. Slatebreaker...¡± ¡°Barnar, please.¡± Her eyes widened at him giving her permission to use his given name. ¡°Barnar.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°As you can see, I''m still in mourning. I''ve got another 3 years before...¡± ¡°Lady Neram.¡± Barnar said. ¡°Having to wait 3 years is nothing, compared to meeting a woman like you.¡± Narhilda blushed and kept smiling. * Ren built a normal-sized forge at the far end of the workshop, using about 20 bricks, and enchanted it with the same glyphs as before. He could have used the double glyphs that he had access to, but he didn''t know if that would change how the forge itself worked, so it was safer to go with what he knew. He attached the smelting apparatus he''d bought in Aurora. He''d had it stored since he''d had to make a larger one for the bigger forge back at his business. Ren activated the forge and ran outside to grab several pieces of ore and ran back to add them to the smelter. He took out the 2 molds that he had, one square blank and one long and thin blank, and put them aside. He took out several stone bricks and put them on the floor in front of the forge, to make a 1 foot long trench, an inch wide. He checked if the ore was melted and skimmed off some of the impurities. He ran outside and grabbed several more pieces of iron ore and put them in the smelter, until it was nearly full. He waited until it melted and skimmed of the rest of the impurities and poured out some into the trench he had on the floor. He took out a wind brick and cooled it off, used his tongs to take the 1 foot long, 1 inch wide iron bar and put it aside, then poured another. Ren repeated this process, grabbing more and more ore, smelting it into small iron bars, until he ran out of ore and had several hundred, 1 foot long and 1 inch wide iron bars.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Well, that went faster than I thought.¡± Ren said when he poured the last of the smelted iron into the improvised mold and deactivated the forge. ¡°This should be enough to start, though.¡± Dorcot turned around and looked at Ren. ¡°To start what?¡± ¡°Repairing the Keep.¡± ¡°You could just get the Stonemason and his crew to do that.¡± Dorcot said. Ren shook his head. ¡°It''s too dangerous to have a bunch of people down there, tearing up the walls.¡± ¡°But it''s not too dangerous for just you?¡± Dorcot said and chuckled. ¡°I know what I can do, and what I can risk, without hurting anyone else.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t have a mistake that I might make, potentially hurt or kill someone else.¡± ¡°That''s an honorable outlook to have.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°You''re going to increase the time needed to repair it like that, though.¡± ¡°That depends on if my idea works or not.¡± Dorcot nodded. ¡°Then I hope it does.¡± He said, then waved Ren to come over. ¡°I''m just about done.¡± Ren walked over and looked at the gleaming diamond gemstone that sat in the middle of the workbench. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°It came out well.¡± Dorcot chuckled and gave it one last polish with his diamond dust encrusted cloth. ¡°Even I have to admit that.¡± ¡°You said, ''It came out well''?¡± Ren repeated, surprised. ¡°You barely lost any of it''s weight!¡± Dorcot laughed. ¡°I thought it would be a shame to cut the thing up into smaller pieces.¡± He said. ¡°Once I started adding the facets, it just came to me to make it a diamond oval instead of any other cut.¡± Ren picked it up and examined it.
Diamond - Oval (Large - Expert Quality)
This diamond was cut and polished with exquisite care by an expert Gemcutter.
Ren used Appraisal on it, and nearly dropped it. ¡°It... it''s worth... 50 platinum!¡± Dorcot laughed again. ¡°Good luck selling it, though. No one that I know of would buy it... and that includes the King and Queen.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Don''t worry about that, my friend.¡± Ren said. He didn''t tell the dwarf that one of the standard options he had as a business owner, was to sell items back to the system at a 10% loss. No one ever did it, since losing 10 gold for every 100 was a bit too much to lose on every sale. It would definitely add up to a lot of lost money if Ren kept doing that; but, there wasn''t anywhere else to sell them anyway. Ren stored the diamond oval and looked at the pieces on the workbench. ¡°Are you going to finish those?¡± Ren said and indicated the pieces. Dorcot shrugged and made short work of them. Ren took out the cloth that held the other diamond dust, Dorcot swept the new dust into it, and Ren tied it up again and stored it. He picked up the half dozen diamonds and handed them to Dorcot, who added them to his pile and then handed all of them back to Ren. ¡°You better take these.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°I can''t sell them, either.¡± ¡°I''ll use them as accents or something.¡± Ren said, and handed him 20 gold. ¡°By the gods, what''s this for?¡± ¡°You just sold me those diamonds.¡± Ren said. ¡°Less 10%, of course.¡± Dorcot opened his mouth to protest, then changed what he was going to say. ¡°You''re crazy.¡±
New title!
You have impressed enough of the locals with your eccentricities and have earned the title: Crazy Like A Fox
Ren laughed. ¡°I''ve been hearing that a lot.¡± He put a hand on Dorcot''s shoulder. ¡°Wait here for a few minutes, will you?¡± Dorcot nodded slightly and Ren handed him a 3 inch diamond crystal. ¡°You can play with that until I come back.¡± He said to Dorcot''s surprised face and left the workshop. Ren walked back towards the house. ¡°Show info for title: Crazy Like A Fox.¡±
Crazy Like A Fox
Everyone knows that extremely intelligent people are a little crazy. Some believe that crazy people are actually wise. Your ideas have changed the way people look at things, which makes you a rare combination of both. This title grants you: Intelligence: +20 Wisdom: +20
Ren walked to the front of the house and saw that Narhilda was now showing the workers how to use the icing bag. Ren had made a half-dozen yesterday, after Barnar had asked him if he had any other ideas in his ''big brain''. Narhilda is busy... I better ask Nathalia. ¡°Ask her what?¡± Teepo asked. About offering Dorcot a position in our House. ¡°Well, it''s not without precedent.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Are you offering it to just him, or to his whole family?¡± I don''t know. Ren thought as he walked through the gate at the front of the house. That''s why I wanted to talk to Narhilda. She''s the Lady of the House. Accepting Dorcot as a retainer is something she should have the final say in. ¡°I agree.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I wonder what she''ll say.¡± I''ll talk to Nathalia and get some idea. Ren opened the front door and smelled something delicious. He took a deep breath in through his nose and exhaled through his mouth; then creeped through the main room and into the kitchen. He came up behind Nathalia and slowly slid his arms around her to catch the bowl she had in her hands. ¡°Is that vanilla I smell?¡± Ren whispered in Nathalia''s ear. ¡°AH!¡± She exclaimed and dropped the bowl. Ren caught it easily and set it on the table, then hugged her from behind. ¡°REN! You scared me!¡± Nathalia said and punched one of the arms holding her. ¡°Sorry.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°I''ve still got Sneak on.¡± ¡°You''re not sorry at all.¡± She said, then leaned back into him. ¡°You don''t have to sneak up to get a hug, you know.¡± ¡°I do if I want to do this.¡± Ren said and kissed the side of her neck. Nathalia giggled and shivered. ¡°Don''t... don''t.¡± She said, and tried not to laugh. ¡°I''m trying to make pastries.¡± ¡°I''m not stopping you.¡± Ren said and rested his chin on her shoulder. ¡°I can''t reach the cookie sheet now.¡± Nathalia said and put down the spoon she was using, and turned around in his arms to face him. ¡°You''re going to have to reach for it.¡± She said in a sultry voice, then smiled. Ren started to reach for the cookie sheet, but since it was now behind where Nathalia stood, she had to lean back over the table as he leaned forward. She snaked her arms around his neck to hang on, and then one of her legs wrapped around his to keep her balance. Ren''s finger touched the cookie sheet and he hooked it with a fingertip. ¡°Ahem.¡± Ren and Nathalia looked to where the voice was, and saw Narhilda standing there with her arms crossed. ¡°I''d ask you what you think you''re doing, but it''s pretty obvious from where I''m standing.¡± Ren looked down at Nathalia and saw that she was practically laying on the table, and had her leg and arms wrapped tightly around him; and he was leaning on top of her, with an arm around her back. ¡°You''re cooking.¡± Narhilda said and snorted a laugh. Ren started to laugh and stood up, and dragged the cookie sheet over. Nathalia held on and stood up, then laughed as well. ¡°That''s right, Ma.¡± Narhilda came over to the table and looked at the bowl. ¡°Pastries.¡± She said. ¡°Are they for the workers?¡± Nathalia nodded slightly and turned around to roll out the dough. She did, folded it over, and rolled it out again. ¡°You''ve got perfect timing.¡± Ren said to Narhilda, and Nathalia chuckled. ¡°That could be argued.¡± She said as her face flushed a little red. Ren kissed Nathalia''s cheek and walked around the table. ¡°I meant for what I had come in here for.¡± Nathalia looked at Ren in surprise. ¡°You came in here to do that to my mother?!?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°No, I actually came in here to talk.¡± ¡°About what?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°What does it entail to have someone from another House to either work for, or join, another House?¡± ¡°I take it you want to offer Mr. Gurihm a job?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°His current House can issue a temporary work order, and until a job is finished, they can work for as long as there''s work.¡± ¡°What are the strings?¡± Ren asked as he watched Nathalia cut up the dough into squares. She added a spoonful of apple filling, folded them over, and crimped the edges. ¡°The what?¡± ¡°Strings.¡± Ren said, turning back to her mother. ¡°Conditions set by the House for allowing the work order.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Yes, there''s conditions. The House gets a large percentage of any wages paid, usually up to 40%, and they have to live in the House''s district and commute to the new job.¡± ¡°Geez, 40%?¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s kind of ridiculous.¡± ¡°It can be higher, but most Houses want the income from outside jobs, so they usually drop that to around 30%.¡± Ren thought about it for a minute. ¡°What about transfering or joining another House?¡± ¡°That''s a little more complicated.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°You''d have to petition the House, stating the job required to be filled, then pay an amount equal to a year''s work that they would have done if they''d stayed.¡± ¡°He doesn''t work, except for some odd jobs, so that''s no problem.¡± Ren said. ¡°What about his family?¡± ¡°If it was a woman, she automatically takes the family with her.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°If it''s a man, he''d have to petition his House for her to go with him. Then they can choose if any children go with them.¡± She said. ¡°Houses really are like small businesses. You can have members of the same commoner family in different Houses. It''s not the same for the royalty, though. Only men can marry into a family there, royal or not, and they take the family''s last name.¡± Ren smiled. He knew that part. ¡°With your permission, I''d like to offer a job, and a possible transfer to House Neram.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°We''ve never had anyone who wanted to come and live in this district before.¡± ¡°I wondered why your lot was 2 square miles and nothing else was on it.¡± Narhilda chuckled. ¡°What was it my husband used to say, Nathalia?¡± ¡°Being a tailor wasn''t as flashy as all the other professions. Who wants to live next to a tailor?¡± Nathalia said and put the pastries in the oven. ¡°I do.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Actually, I bought the building right behind a tailor back in Aurora.¡± ¡°You did?¡± She asked. ¡°It was her old storage space.¡± Ren said. ¡°It also cost 50 platinum.¡± Nathalia''s mouth dropped open and she stared at Ren. ¡°By the gods!¡± Her mother exclaimed. ¡°50 platinum! That''s... that''s...¡± ¡°Outrageously expensive.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I could buy a good chunk of the countryside here for that.¡± Neither woman said anything and Ren took out the large diamond oval that Dorcot had cut for him. ¡°Or I could buy this.¡± He said and held it up. The gem gleamed in the sunlight, making multiple colors fly across the room. ¡°Is that real?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°It sure is.¡± Ren said and handed it to her. ¡°Dorcot cut it for me.¡± Narhilda leaned in to look at the gem as her daughter held it. ¡°This is what you want to hire him for?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''ve got all these diamond crystals, that I can''t do anything with until they''re cut. I''m too busy right now to do anything with them myself.¡± ¡°Then go ahead and invite him.¡± Narhilda said and took the gem from Nathalia. ¡°His skills should not be wasted.¡± ¡°That was my thought, too.¡± Ren said as she handed him the diamond. ¡°I''ll go and ask him.¡± He said, stored the gem, then bowed to Narhilda. ¡°My Lady.¡± He turned to Nathalia and bowed. ¡°My Lady.¡± Ren left the house and ran back to the workshop. * ¡°How many of those does he have?¡± Narhilda asked her daughter. ¡°His inventory is full, so he has a lot.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Narhilda fanned her face with her hand. ¡°That''s not counting... what did he say? Oh, right.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°A mountain full of them.¡± ¡°Oh... my...¡± Narhilda nearly collapsed into the chair. * Ren entered the workshop and walked over to the workbench he''d made for Dorcot. ¡°Finished already?¡± Ren asked and Dorcot handed over the cut gem. Ren appraised it at 10 platinum, stored it, and smiled. ¡°Dorcot, after your help building my workshop, I''d like to offer you a job as a general laborer.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, but no.¡± Ren blinked a few times. ¡°Can I ask why?¡± ¡°House Lodur is the richest House on this side of the water. I thought joining it would have been the best thing for me, and it was for a while; but, look how it turned out.¡± He said. ¡°They''re already taking 35% of my wife''s income, because they ''couldn''t find her a job'' in her own House. She''s been a receptionist for years now, and we''re barely making ends meet. I won''t give them 35% of what I''d make if I worked, too.¡± Ren looked at the 6 small diamonds on the workbench and smiled. ¡°What if I offered you more than that?¡± ¡°I told you, they''re already-¡± Dorcot started to say, then stopped speaking when Ren raised a hand. ¡°I meant, I''d like to offer you a position in House Neram. As in, I want you to transfer here.¡± Dorcot''s mouth fell open. He didn''t say anything for a full minute, shook his head, and smiled. ¡°You''re kidding, right? There hasn''t been a transfer out of House Lodur in as long as I can remember.¡± ¡°I''m not kidding. I was just discussing it with Lady Neram. That''s what took me so long.¡± Ren said. ¡°She told me to go ahead and make the offer, because she didn''t want your skills to be wasted.¡± Dorcot sat in silence for another minute. ¡°She really said that?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I told her that I had the same thought, too.¡± ¡°But... what about my wife, and her job?¡± ¡°You''ll have to petition for her to come with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°She can keep her job, but we''ll re-negotiate her contract. 35% isn''t good for House Neram.¡± ¡°And what amount would be good?¡± Dorcot asked, with squinted eyes. ¡°Somewhere around 1%. I don''t think I can go any lower than that.¡± Dorcot stared at Ren like he was crazy, and Ren laughed. ¡°You''ve seen this.¡± He said and took out the large diamond oval. ¡°I don''t really need to garnish your wife''s wages for the House, do I?¡± Dorcot smiled. ¡°I guess not.¡± He said. ¡°What about the kids?¡± ¡°You can choose if you want them to come along or not.¡± Ren smiled and stored the gem again. ¡°If they have good paying jobs with the House, or marriage prospects, or kids of their own...¡± Dorcot nodded slightly. ¡°Or I could approach your wife and petition for her to join, and the rest of the family will have to come along.¡± Ren said. Dorcot''s eyes widened and he shook his head. ¡°No, no... you''re right. If I do this... it''ll be me, and possibly my wife. Not the kids. They have lives of their own.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You don''t have to accept right away. Go home, discuss it with your wife, and let me know.¡± ¡°How long do I have to decide?¡± Ren put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°This isn''t a decision to make quickly. Take your time.¡± Dorcot nodded and stood. ¡°I''ll go and talk to my wife, and see what she says.¡± ¡°That''s all I can ask.¡± Ren said. ¡°By the way, how many of those diamond crystals do you have?¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to know?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t want to influence your decision.¡± Dorcot nodded slightly. ¡°It will influence my decision; but, if you only have a few more hidden away...¡± ¡°Well, okay...¡± Ren said and took out the crate he''d filled with diamond crystals. He opened the crate and it was filled to the top. ¡°...I have a few.¡± ¡°BY THE GODS!¡± Dorcot said and picked up a 4 inch wide diamond crystal in each hand. ¡°By the gods...¡± He looked at Ren with a maniacal glint in his eye. ¡°I''ll be back in an hour.¡± Ren followed Dorcot to the door and watched him walk down the paving stone road. When he got to the main road and took the corner into the city, he was passed by 6 carts, that carried 2 women each. ¡°It must be close to supper.¡± Ren thought as the carts pulled up in front on the workshop. The women all helped to empty the carts and then they all stood by their carts. ¡°Shovels, please.¡± Ren said and they held them out for him to inspect and repair. He did so, and as he walked along, he examined their clothes as well. He took out the Master Tailor''s Sewing Needle and used Repair all of the clothes. They oo''d and ah''d as their clothes repaired themselves, and had smiles from ear to ear when Ren was finished. ¡°I saw that you all did a wonderful job today.¡± Ren said, and beamed a smile at them. ¡°Do you see the pile there?¡± He said and pointed. ¡°Nearly 200 cart loads in just 8 hours.¡± Ren could almost feel it as pride filled the women. ¡°That''s outstanding!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°I''m glad that you listened to my advice, and took your time.¡± ¡°It was easy, sir.¡± ¡°I work harder in my kitchen.¡± ¡°He has nice hair.¡± ¡°You''re still married, Mari.¡± ¡°Dammit.¡± Ren chuckled and approached the first cart. Ren handed the driver 2 gold coins, and she gasped. ¡°Sir! This...¡± ¡°Oh, right! Sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just a minute.¡± He ran back to the house and into the stable, and stored one of the bolts of cloth. He ran back to the group of women, and they had surprised looks on their faces. ¡°What?¡± ¡°How... how fast can you run?¡± One woman asked. ¡°You can get to town in about 5 minutes.¡± Teepo offered. Thanks, Teepo. ¡°I can get to the main city in about 5 minutes.¡± Ren said, and heard several gasps. He pulled the table he had at the campsite out of inventory, and put the bolt of cloth on it. He cut out 18 coin pouches and sewed them up in only a few minutes, and gave one to each woman. ¡°I keep forgetting that a lot of people can''t make change.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Now you can.¡± ¡°Wh-what!?!¡± Most of them said. Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s a coin pouch. You put in what you have.¡± He took the 2 gold he gave the first woman and put it in her pouch. ¡°Then if you want silver or copper, just reach in...¡± He did, and pulled out 2 silver and a handful of copper. ¡°This way, you won''t have to worry about carrying change around anymore.¡± The women just stared at him like he was crazy, and Ren chuckled. He didn''t realize that they''d never even had change to worry about before. ¡°Equip the coin pouches, please.¡± Ren said and they did, and the pouches appeared at their hips. He went along and gave 2 gold coins to each woman and told them to put it in the pouch. When he was done, he stepped back and grinned at all the shocked faces. ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope to see you all again tomorrow.¡± Chapter 114 - End Of The Day Ren watched all the slightly dazed women climb into the carts. They all waved as the carts turned around, and Ren waved back. ¡°You paid them a lot for the work they did.¡± Teepo said, but Ren could feel his amusement. ¡°It wasn''t even for a full day!¡± Ren chuckled and stored the bolt of cloth and the table. It works out to only 6 silver per cartload, per person. Ren put the table inside the workshop, then walked back outside and around the huge pile of silt that had been dumped beside it. ¡°I think a basic laborer only makes a gold every 2 days.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°That''s why it would have taken you 6 months to work off that 100 gold fine.¡± Yeah, that would have sucked so bad. Ren thought as he made sure he couldn''t be seen from the house. I''m glad they discovered that they had the option to let me pay in actual money. ¡°Me, too. 6 months in a mine isn''t my idea of fun.¡± I thought you liked being underground. ¡°I do, but once you''ve seen one mine tunnel, you''ve seen them all.¡± Ren chuckled again and took out his portable Leatherworking Crafting station. Yeah, there''s not much variation in them... unless you''re following Fritz. ¡°Yeah! That was fun!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°I don''t know how he saw anything with his face covered in dirt like that, but he made the best twisting and turning tunnel I''ve ever seen!¡± Ren laughed as he took off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. It was the first time he''d done so since he''d left the starter city of Aurora. Ren examined it closely, and followed the stitching pattern, the cuts and folds, and paid special attention to the hood. Once he was done, he received the pattern for it. He could now trace where the cuts for the original pelt was and smiled. Ren equipped it again and took out the body of the giant boar. He traced the same cut pattern over it, making sure to see where he had to skin it before using a knife. This was one time he didn''t want to make a mistake. He had the system highlight the lines, and was tempted to include the lower jaw, but decided against it. Just like with his hood, only the top of the head and the teeth would be left. Those tusks are going to be a problem, though. Ren thought. The hood can''t support the weight without something inside. He took out the skinning knife from the Leatherworking crafting station and very carefully started to skin the giant beast, following the lines he''d had the system highlight for him. It took nearly half an hour to finish, as Ren had spent extra time on the head, but he removed the pelt completely and grinned. He went over the pelt again with shears, making sure that all the edges were clean and straight, then he opened the Treat compartment on the crafting station and added the pelt to it. Ren put the tools back into the crafting station, closed it, and stored it. Ren looked at the skinned body for a minute, tying to decide if he wanted to loot it, then grinned. You know, a boar is really just a giant pig, and this giant boar has a lot of meat on it. ¡°Hey, Mister Bacon Man!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You''re in hog heaven, now!¡± Ren laughed, stored the giant boar, then his Sending Ring started to glow. ¡°R-R-Ren... please come... I... need your help.¡± Nathalia said, with sadness in her voice. ¡°I''m... I''m in my room.¡± The ring stopped glowing and Ren thought about her and ran to the house. The ring glowed again and he spoke. ¡°I''ll be right there.¡± Ren was through the front gate a second later, then the front door of the house. He glanced in the kitchen and saw Barnar watching Narhilda cooking, and then opened Nathalia''s bedroom door. She stood there wearing just a thin slip, and tears ran down her face. Ren stepped into the room and shut the door. He walked over to her and took her into a hug. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked in a soft voice, trying his best to ignore the feel of her body next to his, while she wore next to nothing. Nathalia sniffed and Ren took out a scrap of cloth to wipe her eyes. ¡°Mom... had the bright idea... that since I was engaged, I needed to wear different clothes... every once in a while.¡± Nathalia said, trying not to sob. ¡°In my haste to do just that, I took off the dress Da made for me and set it aside.¡± Ren nodded his understanding. ¡°I tried on several things, but I haven''t... I haven''t worn anything else in years.¡± Nathalia said and Ren wiped her eyes again. ¡°Nothing really fits anymore.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll make you a new wardrobe.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ren...¡± Nathalia half-laughed-half-cried. ¡°...but... I''m not concerned about that right now.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± Nathalia stepped out of his hug, turned to the side, and waved at the bed. It was covered in clothes, and right on top of the pile were 2 identical fancy green dresses. ¡°You know Da''s work too well.¡± Nathalia said and tried to hold the tears back. ¡°I don''t know what to do. I... I can''t tell which is which.¡± ¡°Nathalia...¡± ¡°You know how much the dress means to me, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°Is there anything you can do?¡± ¡°Of course there''s something I can do.¡± Ren said, walked over to the bed, and picked up the sleeve of the dress on the right. He smiled and passed it to her. ¡°This is your father''s.¡± Shock spread across Nathalia face as she stared at Ren, and then at the dress. ¡°H-h-how?¡± ¡°The key is the stitching.¡± Ren said. ¡°I learned how to sew cloth from a couple of different people, using different stitches for different things. If I''d studied under your father, I would have learned how to stitch from him. It would have been nearly impossible to tell the difference, then.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren stepped over to her and held up the sleeve of his shirt. ¡°I have an even stitch over everything.¡± Ren said, showing Nathalia the stitch pattern. ¡°I like things to be as even as possible.¡± He said, then reached out to hold up the sleeve of the green dress. ¡°Your father adds a second stitch for every four that he does.¡± Nathalia looked and compared the stitching. ¡°You... you''re right!¡± She said, surprised. ¡°I see the double stitch over every forth one!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Then you don''t have to worry about mixing them up anymore.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed and grabbed him into a bone crushing hug. ¡°Thank you!¡± *Kiss.* ¡°Thank you!¡± *Kiss.* ¡°Thank you!¡± *Kiss.* Ren hugged her back, and once again, tried his best to ignore her body pressed against his. With only the thin slip she wore and his thin shirt between their chests, however... he wasn''t successful at all. Nathalia''s eyes widened as she felt the appearance of Little Ren through her thin slip, and her body reacted from it being pressed against her. Ren felt the tips of her breasts poke him in the chest, and his eyes widened, too. They looked at each other in the eyes for a second, and then they kissed. Ren rubbed her back as they made out, and Nathalia held on and tried to not collapse from the overwhelming feelings that rushed through her. They stayed locked together for several minutes, enjoying the embrace, and the touch of each other. There was a knock on the door, and it shattered their shared moment. They broke the kiss and listened. ¡°Supper.¡± Narhilda said. When Ren heard her walk away, he spoke. ¡°I''ll let you get dressed.¡± Nathalia smiled and stood on her tippy toes to give Ren a quick kiss on the nose. ¡°Okay.¡± She said, then didn''t let go. Ren stood there for a moment and raised a single eyebrow. Nathalia chuckled as she had to let go of the hug to rub his eyebrow with her thumb. Ren laughed as he slipped out of her grip and she tried to catch him. ¡°You really can stay while I change.¡± Nathalia said as her face flushed a little red. ¡°I''d like that.¡± Ren said and stepped close to her again. ¡°But if I did stay, we''d never get to supper.¡± Nathalia grinned as Ren gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°See you in a few minutes.¡± He said and left the bedroom. Ren walked through the main room and into the kitchen, then saw that Barnar had left. ¡°Where did Barnar go?¡± Ren asked as he sat down at the table. ¡°He took bowls of stew out to the workers.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°And a few loaves of freshly baked bread.¡± ¡°Thank you for making so much extra.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I know we discussed the possibility of making food for everyone yesterday, but it was so hectic today that I completely forgot to ask you about it.¡± Narhilda waved his concerns away. ¡°I wasn''t going to have all these people working on the walls here, and not feed them.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That was my thought, too.¡± Narhilda chuckled. ¡°That''s twice we''ve had similar thoughts.¡± ¡°You know what they say. Great minds think alike.¡± ¡°I don''t think our minds are quite as alike as you believe.¡± Narhilda gave Ren an appraising look and smiled. ¡°Where do you get your ideas from?¡± ¡°From all over.¡± Ren said honestly. ¡°One thing leads to another, usually.¡± ¡°What about the icing bag?¡± ¡°That one was easy. I watched Nathalia make a cake on the ship, and when I saw what the mortar was like as the workers slapped it on bricks, it looked like they were icing them like a cake.¡± Narhilda laughed and Nathalia came out of the bedroom in the fancy green dress. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± ¡°Ren just told me he came up with using an icing bag for mortar, because it looked like Barnar''s workers were icing the stone bricks!¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°That''s a neat way to get an idea.¡± She said, kissed Ren on the cheek, and sat down next to him at the table. ¡°I assume it worked?¡± ¡°Like a charm!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°You just have to clean off the excess mortar. From both sides, as it turns out.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I take it you didn''t have someone on the other side like I suggested?¡± Narhilda shook her head and smiled. ¡°We were all so busy watching how well it worked, we didn''t even think about the other side.¡± ¡°That must have been a pain to clean up.¡± Ren said. ¡°How long did it take?¡± ¡°About 10 minutes. With a chisel.¡± They all laughed and then enjoyed another meal of good food and great company. When they were done, Ren asked where the pastries were. ¡°They''re cooling in the icebox.¡± Nathalia said and got up to get them. She pulled out the cookie sheet full of them and Ren grabbed a plate. ¡°Can I take some out to the workers?¡± He asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Leave some for us, though.¡± Ren took exactly enough so that each worker would get one. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and turned to go. ¡°Wait!¡± Nathalia said and he turned back. She reached back into the icebox and took out a huge bowl of whipped cream. ¡°I almost forgot the topping.¡± She put a small spoonful on each one, with a little twist to her hand, and they all had a nice pointed top and swirl afterwards. ¡°That was great!¡± He grinned at her and Nathalia grinned back. Ren went outside to give the desserts to the workers. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± They all greeted him and he held out the desserts. ¡°There''s only enough for one each! No stealing!¡± Ren said and they laughed. ¡°You think that''s funny now.¡± He said. ¡°Wait until you taste them.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°This is delicious!¡± ¡°I want another one, and I haven''t even finished this one yet.¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Ren said and grinned as he emptied the plate. Everyone had one, except Barnar. Ren put a hand on his arm. ¡°I didn''t take one for you.¡± Barnar kind of looked like a puppy that had just been kicked. ¡°I thought you''d want to come inside and have one, instead.¡± Ren said, and smiled as Barnar''s face lit up. He led Barnar inside the house and to the kitchen. ¡°I need one more.¡± Ren said, and had Barnar sit at the table next to Narhilda. ¡°Better make that two. I forgot myself.¡± He said and sat next to Nathalia. Everyone laughed at his words. Nathalia took 4 more and did the little twist with her hand to make the whipped cream pop up. She passed one to her mother, one to Barnar, put one in front of herself, and then turned to Ren. She wiggled her finger in a ''come here'' gesture and Ren leaned in close. Nathalia picked up the last one and held it out for Ren to eat. He took a bite, then another, and they stared at each other the whole time. One last bite finished it, and Nathalia leaned in close herself. ¡°You''ve got a bit of whipped cream on your mouth.¡± She said in a soft voice. ¡°Where?¡± Ren said and reached up to wipe it off. Nathalia caught his hand and smiled. ¡°I''ll get it.¡± She said and gently kissed the side of his mouth, then licked the cream off of her lips as she leaned back. Ren smiled at her and picked up her pastry. ¡°My Lady, your dessert.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Nathalia smiled and leaned in to eat it, just like Ren did. When she finished, there was a bit of whipped cream left on her top lip. ¡°It seems you''ve got some on your mouth, too.¡± Ren said, then kissed her top lip to get it. It worked, but he now had some on his lip again. He tried to lick it off like Nathalia had licked hers off, but he missed it and Nathalia laughed. ¡°Let me.¡± She said, kissed him again, then licked her lips. ¡°I think I got it all.¡± ¡°Not quite.¡± Ren said and held up the hand that had held the pastry. A bit of whipped cream was on his index finger and thumb. Nathalia took his hand and put the tip of his finger in her mouth and sucked off the whipped cream. She slowly pulled it out, then did the same thing with his thumb. ¡°That''s so cute.¡± Narhilda whispered, but the table was small and everyone heard her speak. Nathalia and Ren turned at the same time to look at her, and saw her holding a hand over her heart. Ren glanced at Barnar, and he just sat there with a surprised look on his face. Neither of them had touched their pastries. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I got a little distracted for some reason, and I forgot where I was.¡± Nathalia laughed and then her mother joined in. Barnar shook his head and then smiled. ¡°Ah, to be distracted.¡± He said and glanced and Narhilda, who noticed the glance and blushed slightly. Ren chuckled. ¡°There''s quite a lot around here to be distracted by.¡± ¡°That there is, my friend.¡± Barnar grinned, ate his pastry in 2 bites, and turned to Narhilda. ¡°Lady Neram, I must get back to work.¡± He stood up, took her hand, and bent over it. ¡°If you will excuse me?¡± Narhilda nodded slightly, Barnar let her had go, and he turned to Ren. ¡°There''s barely an hour left before full dark.¡± Ren nodded slightly himself. ¡°I''ll join you.¡± He said. ¡°Then I have some Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± ¡°Then let''s go!¡± Barnar grinned. ¡°There''s more work to be done!¡± Ren stood up, took Nathalia''s hand, and bent over it. ¡°My Lady, I can''t let this opportunity pass. I''ll be back soon.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly, and Ren let her hand go. Barnar walked around the table and Ren followed him. They left the house and went through the gate. * ¡°By the gods, mother!¡± Nathalia said after the two men left the house. Narhilda blushed and then smiled. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°But you still have...¡± ¡°3 more years. I told him that.¡± ¡°Then what was...¡± ¡°He said 3 years was nothing to wait, compared to meeting me.¡± Nathalia stood up and walked over to where her mother sat, and gave her a big hug. ¡°I want to tell you to stay alone forever, because of Dad.¡± She said and Narhilda half-laughed-half-cried, just like Nathalia did when she''d mixed up the dress her father had made. ¡°But really, I''m just happy for you.¡± Nathalia said, then leaned back and looked at her mother in the eyes. ¡°This is all thanks to Ren, you know.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°If it wasn''t for him...¡± * Ren finally had a chance to look at what the workers were actually doing. He saw they''d set up scaffolding to reach up to the top of the battlements. Ren examined the scaffolding closely and got the plans for it. Then he watched as they mixed up some mortar and used the icing bags to fill the exposed cracks. Another worker had a bucket of mortar and covered over the section of wall that was just filled. Ren looked down the length of the front wall, and saw that nearly all of it was done. ¡°Barnar, your crew has covered almost the whole 200 feet of wall here.¡± Ren said, amazed. ¡°In just one day!¡± Barnar chuckled. ¡°It''s because of your icing bag, my friend.¡± He said and waved to the workers. ¡°Once we put someone on the other side to scrape off the excess, all that needed to be done was to cover it all.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m glad it''s working so well.¡± ¡°It would have been completely finished if we''d started out this morning using it.¡± Ren chuckled himself. ¡°You didn''t believe it would work until Lady Neram came out here to show you herself.¡± Barnar grinned and took Ren into a one arm hug. ¡°Thanks for that.¡± He said. ¡°I might not have met her, otherwise.¡± ¡°I''m sure she would have been out to see it when it was finished.¡± Ren said. Barnar let him go and then pat his shoulder. ¡°I''m glad I didn''t have to wait!¡± He said. ¡°She has so much talent!¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren said. ¡°And being just as beautiful as her daughter wasn''t a factor at all.¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Barnar said and clapped Ren on the same shoulder. ¡°It didn''t hurt!¡± Ren laughed and gathered up all the dirty dishes left over from the stew Barnar had given the workers. When that was done, Ren asked Barnar to show him how to cut stones. He took Ren over to the carving section and showed him the basics of stonemasonry. It took nearly the whole hour for Ren to get the hang of using a chisel and hammer to shape a stone. It was frustrating, especially since he was so used to getting the hang of things right away. When Ren finally finished working on the practice stone Barnar had given him, he put the tools down and stepped back.
New Skill!
You have worked hard to understand how to properly shape a stone for use in any situation, and have unlocked a new skill: Stone Cutting
¡°Show info for skill: Stone Cutting.¡± Ren said.
Stone Cutting Level 1 (Beginner 0%)
This sub skill under Stonemasonry allows the alteration of stones into various shapes using simple tools. Higher levels will allow quicker shaping, and make more difficult cuts much easier.
Ren smiled and turned to Barnar. ¡°Thanks for showing me the proper way to do it.¡± He said. ¡°I can see I''ve got a lot of work ahead of me with this skill.¡± Barnar clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Would you have it any other way?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°If it was easy, everyone would do it.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Barnar said, let Ren''s shoulder go, and turned to his crew. ¡°Alright everyone! Use what you have and cover up your stations!¡± The workers complied quickly, and slapped the last of their mortar onto the wall. The 6 large mortar icing bags were rinsed out and put on the mortar making table, then everything was covered in cloth. Ren watched them work, and stayed out of the way of their efficient movements. ¡°Barnar.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want me to pay them now, or wait until the job is finished?¡± ¡°That''s up to you.¡± He said. ¡°Now, I think.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°At the rate they''re going, it should be finished in about 5 days.¡± ¡°That''s assuming we don''t get any orders while we''re here.¡± Barnar said. ¡°You didn''t bring any extra work here today?¡± Ren asked and looked around. ¡°Of course I did.¡± Barnar said and laughed. ¡°It doesn''t count if you didn''t see it, though.¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°Everyone, gather ''round.¡± Barnar said to the workers. Ren gave each of them 3 gold coins, and several tried to give it back. ¡°You''ve all worked hard today.¡± Ren said. ¡°You deserve to be compensated for that.¡± They reluctantly took the money and Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll see you all tomorrow; unless you have complications tonight, with either the ale or the women.¡± Most of the workers laughed, a couple high-fived, and if Ren wasn''t mistaken, one woman blushed a little. He turned to Barnar and nodded slightly. ¡°Get out of here, you mooches.¡± Barnar said and they all laughed again as they climbed into the nearly empty carts they''d brought most of their working materials in. Barnar shook Ren''s hand. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± Ren said, then watched Barnar climb into the last cart. They all drove away and Ren went inside the courtyard and shut the gate, locking it. He stopped in the stable to feed Princess some of the stew. She had a hard time with it, since the food was floating in liquid, so Ren held a plate over it and dumped out most of the water. ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said, and Princess had a much easier time trying to eat. I''m just sitting here, I might as well check my stats. Ren thought. ¡°Show Status.¡±
Status
Name Ren Level 6
Gender Male Class Artificer/Noble
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 4750 (Well Known)
Dwarven Lands:
Influence 4570 Honor 1780
Titles
Blacksmith - Grants 5 Level Bonus to Blacksmith Skills Tailor - Grants 5 Level Bonus to Tailoring Skills Sally''s Student - 20% stat gain at her shop Issac''s Novice - 20% stat gain at his shop Lemming - 5% resistance to falls Son of the Pelt - 20% stat gain using craft station Honorary Dwarf - Grants Dwarf Race abilities A Fool And His Money - Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks Ren, The First - Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras Crazy Like A Fox - Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Health 668 Mana 864
Strength 113 Dexterity 73
Vitality 55 Agility 71
Endurance 75 Intelligence 96
Luck 24 Wisdom 96
Ren smiled and handed Princess a piece of bread to chew on while he rinsed her dish and gave her fresh water. ¡°Goodnight, you two.¡± Ruck knocked on the cabinet and Ren went inside to the kitchen. No one was around, so he took out the dirty dishes he had in inventory and washed them in the sink. He had an odd thought that he was missing something, and his eyes widened at the water tap he''d used without thinking about it. Ren knelt and opened the cabinet under the sink. Inside were 2 small pipes and one large one. He assumed the large one was for the drain, so the other two had to be for the tap. The pipes disappeared into the floor and Ren closed the cabinet. I''ll have to check that out when I start fixing the Keep below. Ren thought as he put the clean dishes back in the cupboards they were taken from. He left the kitchen, through the main room, and down the hallway to Narhilda''s old bedroom. Ren opened the door and found Nathalia inside on the bed. He saw she was still wearing the fancy green dress, and laid on her side, propped up on an elbow. He shut the door and Teepo hopped out of the hood and onto the wall. Ren walked over to the bed and climbed onto it. ¡°I do have to log out.¡± Ren said as he laid down next to Nathalia, and propped himself up onto his elbow, copying her pose and faced her. ¡°I know.¡± She said and reached out a hand to cup his face. ¡°I just like being here with you.¡± Ren smiled, took her hand from his face and held it out slightly, then kissed the inside of her wrist. Nathalia shivered slightly from the feel of his lips on her soft skin. ¡°I like having you here, too.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. ¡°I think waking up next to you is the best way to start my day.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Nathalia said and turned to lay on her back. Ren copied her again and put his head on the pillow next to hers. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia nodded. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren started to take off the VR headset, and Stella lifted it off for him. ¡°Hey, little stud.¡± She said and smiled. Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Hi, Stella.¡± She put the VR headset on the dresser, next to the laptop, and Ren slid out of the bed. ¡°What''s for supper?¡± He asked as he went to the bathroom. ¡°Surprisingly enough, stew.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s just sliced bread and not freshly baked, though.¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Ren laughed as he used the bathroom then washed his hands. He came back out and climbed up into bed. Stella stood by to catch him, just in case he slipped. ¡°I''ll go get it.¡± She said, once Ren got settled. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and changed the television station, just to have something on while he ate. Stella came back in a minute later with the food tray and put it on the rollaway table. Ren took his time eating and finished it all. ¡°That was great, Stella.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± She said and took the tray away. She was back a minute later and put the laptop and VR headset back on the rollaway table. She sat down next to the bed and leaned in. ¡°I went out during my break to pick up a few of those things that we discussed earlier.¡± ¡°You mean condoms?¡± Stella nodded. ¡°I got several sizes. Once you find one that fits, you''ll be able to do what you want in the game, and not have to worry about any... mess... that might happen.¡± Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°Stella, I don''t know how to thank you for doing this for me.¡± ¡°You just did.¡± She said and handed Ren 5 foil packs. ¡°You''ll want to make another visit to the bathroom, I think.¡± Ren slipped the condoms into his pyjama pocket and smiled. ¡°I do need to use the bathroom again.¡± He said and slid out of bed. Ren went into the bathroom and closed the door until it was almost shut. Stella walked over to stand by the wall on the side of the opening. Ren took out the 5 condoms and looked at the sizes; Small, medium, medium wide, large, and large wide. Ren looked down at himself and sighed as he picked the large. He opened the package and tried to slip the condom on. Of course, once he touched himself there, it didn''t take long for Little Ren to stand at attention. Ren unfurled the condom a little, and tried to get it over the end, but it felt too tight. ¡°Stella.¡± ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± ¡°Um... is it supposed to be this tight?¡± ¡°Kind of.¡± Stella said. ¡°Are you trying the medium?¡± ¡°No, the large.¡± ¡°You... you started... with the large?¡± Stella said, surprised. I''ve seen his bulge a few times, but I never imagined... She thought, then shook her head. Lucy, what were you thinking! You had him and let him go! Ren''s face flushed a little red, and spoke a moment later. ¡°Should I try the wide instead?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± Ren struggled a little, but pulled the large one off. His hands were now covered in lubrication and he washed them in the sink. He opened the large wide package and tried slipping that on. It fit a little better, but he could only get it down an inch or so. ¡°Does it fit?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Kind of.¡± Ren said. ¡°Only by about an inch.¡± He sighed again as he saw the tip of himself turn a dark red. ¡°No, it''s still too tight.¡± He said and pulled it off before it caused any damage. Stella took in a deep breath and exhaled. ¡°I''ll have to make another trip.¡± Ren cleaned himself up and then washed his hands again, then pulled up his pyjamas. ¡°Stella, what do I do with the used ones?¡± ¡°Are you dressed?¡± She asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Stella opened the door and came in. Ren had put the two used ones on the edge of the sink. She made a bundle of toilet paper and scooped up the used condoms with it. She folded it over, slipped the bundle into her pocket and took the other 3 packages and put them in her other pocket. She put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Stella, I-¡± Ren tried to say, but Stella shook her head. ¡°Don''t worry, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll pop in tomorrow at breakfast with better ones.¡± ¡°But... if I wasn''t...¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Stella said in a stern voice. ¡°There''s nothing wrong with you.¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Everyone is different.¡± She said with a normal tone. ¡°No one... no one... is the same. We all have different sized parts.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I said to not worry about it.¡± Stella ruffled his hair and led him back to the bed. ¡°What you need to worry about is keeping your hands off that cute little dwarf for the next 2 game days.¡± Ren smiled as he climbed into bed and settled in. ¡°I''ll do my best.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Do better than that!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°She''s pretty irresistable.¡± Stella helped him put on the VR headset. ¡°I''m sure she thinks the same about you, little stud.¡± Ren laughed, and Stella sat down to finish out her shift. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± Chapter 115 - The Next Morning Ren ''woke up'' in the game, and looked at Nathalia. He''d only been out for an hour, so he still had about 8 hours left until morning. He shifted over a little bit to get closer to her, and she opened her eyes. ¡°Hey, beautiful.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hi.¡± Nathalia said, and her face flushed a little red at Ren''s compliment. He held an arm up and she turned onto her side, moved in close, and cuddled into his chest. He half-hugged her again, just like he did before, and rested his hand on her hip. They both took in a deep breath and exhaled together. ¡°This feels so nice.¡± Nathalia said and looked up at Ren. ¡°It really does.¡± Ren said, cupped the side of her face with his other hand, and gently kissed her lips. Nathalia caressed his abdomen as the kiss went on a little longer than Ren had intended, then Little Ren made another appearance. The edge of her hand brushed the top of the bulge and Ren took in a breath through his nose. Nathalia broke the kiss and ducked her head down onto his chest, and stared at what she''d accidentally touched. ¡°G-goodnight, R-Ren.¡± Nathalia said in a slightly shaky voice. ¡°Goodnight, Nathalia.¡± Ren said, and smiled as he drifted off to sleep. The bulge stayed around for a while, and she looked at it the entire time. She tried to look at something else... anything else... but, her eyes were always drawn right back to it. I have to resist. Nathalia thought. No matter how much I want to see it, I have to resist! When the bulge eventually went away, she relaxed and sighed, then drifted off to sleep herself. * Dorcot was having a hard time trying to have a conversation with his wife. She''d always been a bit stubborn, and it was one of the qualities that had drawn him to her; but sometimes it got in the way, like now. ¡°Sugarplum! Please...¡± ¡°No! I won''t hear another word!¡± She squeaked at him. ¡°This is my House. I''ve lived here all my life. I''ve raised 3 children here, and 10 grandchildren! I won''t turn my back on it now, just because someone is tempting you away by waving a few stones in front of your face.¡± ¡°Baby, please...¡± Dorcot pleaded. ¡°I said no!¡± She whirled around and pointed a finger in his face. Dorcot was over a foot taller than her, so that was quite an accomplishment. ¡°And you''re not allowed to accept the position, either.¡± She dropped her finger and put her hands on her hips. ¡°I''m fine with you working there, but you aren''t leaving my House.¡± Dorcot knelt in front of her on one knee, and took one of the hands from her hip. ¡°My little Lambchop.¡± Angeilin couldn''t stop herself from smiling, as Dorcot called her by the private nickname he only used when they were ''alone''. ¡°You know how I feel about that...¡± He said. ¡°...but I''ve never asked you to try and change it, have I?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I''ve sat by and watched your House take so much of your hard earned money all these years.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°If you want to stay in this House, I won''t argue with you about it.¡± He reached into his pocket and put 7 gold coins into her hand. ¡°What... what''s this?!?¡± ¡°I did a job today.¡± Dorgot said and let the hand go, and she almost dropped it. ¡°That''s 35% of what I earned.¡± ¡°J-j-j-just for today?¡± Angeilin stammered. He nodded and pulled out the 13 gold coins he had left. ¡°Here''s the rest of it.¡± He said and passed it to her. She had to cup her arms together to hold it all. ¡°By the gods!¡± She squeaked in shock. ¡°That''s what I said after he offered me a job.¡± ¡°If you made this... every day...¡± She said. More than a month''s wages in only a day! ¡°No, you''re right. This is your House.¡± He said. ¡°We''ll stay.¡± ¡°But...¡± Dorcot leaned over and gave his diminutive wife a passionate kiss. She dropped the pile of coins, and they clattered across the floor as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The two of them stayed that way for a couple of minutes, and then Dorcot broke the kiss. ¡°It''s getting late.¡± He said. ¡°Are you coming to bed?¡± Angeilin nodded slightly. He hasn''t kissed me like that in years! Dorcot smiled at her, and picked Angeilin up in the classic ''princess carry'', with a hand behind her back and one under her knees. She gave a squeaky ''yip'' and hugged his neck tighter. He carried her into their tiny bedroom, which was in their tiny house, that sat on the tiny lot assigned by her House decades before. Dorcot closed the door with his foot, and squeaky giggles were heard a moment later. The money that scattered across the floor had been completely forgotten. * Ren woke up in bed, and saw that Nathalia had draped herself across his chest. One arm had worked itself up under the one he was hugging her with, and her other arm had a good grip on his opposite shoulder. Half of her body was on top of him, and one of her legs was across both of his. Since she was wearing a dress, it was like he was covered in a blanket. Ren didn''t move; mainly because it did feel really nice, and he didn''t want to wake her up. That thought was short lived, however. Nathalia''s even breaths stopped, she took in a deep breath, then exhaled. She compressed all of her muscles at once, essentially giving Ren a full body hug, and then she sighed. Ren lifted his free arm and the one he had on her hip, and gave her a hug back. She froze for a moment and then lifted her head to look at him. ¡°Oh, you''re awake.¡± Nathalia said and let his shoulder go, then pulled her leg back. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why are you pulling away?¡± ¡°I... I thought... well, I was practically laying on top of you.¡± ¡°Yeah, and?¡± ¡°You don''t think that was a bit too much touching?¡± Nathalia asked, and then took a deep breath. ¡°I mean, you were asleep, and I couldn''t help myself, and I wanted to hug you, but you were laying down and I couldn''t wrap my arms around you and I wanted to hold you close, so I-¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Nathalia...¡± He said and held onto her. ¡°Darling, it''s okay.¡± Nathalia looked at Ren in surprise. ¡°R-really?¡± He called me Darling! ¡°We have some time before we have to get up.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let me enjoy holding you close for just a little while longer.¡± Nathalia beamed a smile and draped herself back over Ren and snuggled down. She took in another breath and sighed. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren chuckled again, then ran a hand along the side of her face. ¡°Nathalia, you don''t have to thank me.¡± He said, and she looked up at him. ¡°I think we''re both getting more out of this, than either of us believes the other is getting.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°Lucy hurt me a lot when she left, and you were right there for me.¡± Ren said and cupped the side of her face. ¡°I don''t know what I would have done, if...¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, I won''t guess about that.¡± He said. ¡°You gave me something to hold on to, when I thought I was losing everything.¡± He smiled. ¡°And I grabbed on with both hands.¡± Ren gave Nathalia a quick kiss, and let her face go. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It was the same for me.¡± Nathalia said and smiled. ¡°I''d met this great guy, got engaged, spent more time with him than any other man in my life, and then developed a great friendship. Then we had the engagement nullified, you saved the House, and then I was sent to a convent... and I wouldn''t get to see you again for a whole year!¡± She said. ¡°I was nearly heart-broken.¡± She sighed. ¡°When you decided to escort me along the way, and told me you''d be right there for me the whole time, I... I went a little crazy I think.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°Something came over me, and I took a chance on you... then when you actually said yes, I was over the moon!¡± She gave Ren a quick kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°We make quite the pair.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°We sure do.¡± Nathalia said, took Ren''s hand and intertwined her fingers in his, then held on. He pulled their clasped hands up onto his chest and held them over his heart. Nathalia ducked her head down onto Ren''s chest, and snuggled into him. They both took deep breaths and exhaled together. * Dorcot was making breakfast for his wife. It was only eggs and toast, but at least they had enough money now so that things weren''t so tight. If they rationed it out, they''d have a really good month before they had to go back and scrape out a living on her paycheck alone. Angeilin opened the bedroom door and came out to the kitchen. She sat down at the table and rested her head on her crossed arms. ¡°I''m still exhausted.¡± Angeilin yawned. ¡°I didn''t get a lot of sleep last night.¡± Dorcot put a plate of eggs and toast on the table in front of her, and her eyes widened. ¡°What''s this?¡± She asked, surprised. ¡°I couldn''t sleep myself, so I got up early and made you breakfast.¡± Dorcot said, and sat across from her to eat. ¡°We''ve got a bit of extra money right now, so I might head over to the farm and pick up a few things.¡± Angeilin sat up straight and dug into the food, then froze. ¡°The money!¡± She looked frantically over the floor but couldn''t see anything. Dorcot laughed. ¡°I picked it up already.¡± He said and put 7 gold coins on the table. ¡°You better take that to the Main House before... ah... it get''s dropped again.¡± Angeilin blushed a deep red and nodded slightly. She tucked the money into her pocket and looked at her husband. ¡°What came over you last night?¡± She asked and kept eating. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Dorcot shrugged. ¡°I was really happy, and when I took your hand and got close to you, I just...¡± He smiled. ¡°...I couldn''t help myself.¡± Angeilin smiled and ducked her head a little. They finished eating breakfast and Dorcot cleared away the dishes. ¡°Dorcot.¡± ¡°Yes, Sugarplum?¡± Dorcot asked as he started washing the dishes from the night before. ¡°Will you be stopping by House Neram while you''re out today?¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She said and hopped out of the chair. If he makes as much today as he did yesterday... ¡°I was supposed to go back last night to give him my answer.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°What are you going to say?¡± ¡°No, of course.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Honey, you''re right. You won''t leave, and I can''t go without you.¡± ¡°But, the job...¡± ¡°You know why I won''t work for anyone else.¡± He said, stopped washing the dishes, and turned around. ¡°Look at your pockets. They''re overflowing... and you have to give the House a week and a half''s worth of wages, just because you aren''t working for them.¡± Dorcot sighed. ¡°I was tempted to just keep it myself and not tell you; but I''ve never hidden anything from you for the whole time we''ve been together, and I wasn''t going to start now.¡± ¡°Dorcot... do it just for a week... and then-¡± ¡°Then what?¡± He said and walked over to her, and knelt. ¡°Let''s assume I get paid 20 gold a day for the next 6 days. That''s 120 gold, Angeilin... and the House will get 42 of that. 42!¡± He said and raised his hands in the air for a second, then looked her in the eyes. ¡°I''m not a greedy man. When I was making a lot of money, I didn''t think twice about giving money to the House.¡± Dorcot took her hand and smiled. ¡°But when I lost my job, did they help us out? Did they help me find a job? Did they give you one?¡± ¡°There weren''t any jobs available, Dorcot.¡± Angeilin tried to defend her House. ¡°For 20 years?¡± Angeilin sighed. ¡°I''m tired of the House bleeding us dry, for no reason other than they can.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°And I''m tired of hearing this old argument.¡± She said. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°I have to get to work.¡± Angeilin slowly pulled her hand from Dorcot''s grasp. ¡°I''ll see you tonight.¡± ¡°Of course, Sugarplum.¡± He said and gave her a kiss. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Angeilin said and left the tiny house. She walked down the street several blocks to the Main House, to drop off the garnished wages. * ¡°Hey, Ren. It''s almost time.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I was just in the kitchen, and Narhilda is reheating the stew.¡± Thanks, buddy. Ren thought, then rubbed Nathalia''s back a little. ¡°Time to get up.¡± Nathalia wiggled a little and cuddled closer. ¡°If you don''t want to eat stew for breakfast, you need to let me up.¡± Nathalia lifted her head and smiled at him. ¡°Why should I care what I eat, when I have you like this?¡± ¡°You have me locked up pretty tight.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°But I have a key.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Nathalia said and gave him a kiss. ¡°What exactly is this ke-eeeahhH!¡± Ren had pinched her butt. Nathalia jumped up and rolled over Ren to his other side, and let his hand go. ¡°Ren!¡± She said, faced towards him, and rubbed a hand on her backside. ¡°You didn''t have to pinch me.¡± Ren slid close to her and smiled. ¡°I gave you fair warning.¡± He said and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Let me help you with that.¡± Ren reached for where he''d pinched her. ¡°I''m sorry if it hurt.¡± He gently ran his hand in slow circles over her cheek and she closed her eyes. Ren took that opportunity to lean in and nuzzle her neck. Nathalia giggled and he moved up to her earlobe. ¡°Mmmm....¡± Nathalia said and hugged Ren with one hand, then ran her other hand through his hair. ¡°You''re doing a great job making breakfast.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Ren stopped nuzzling her ear and leaned back. ¡°I want to make french toast for breakfast.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you say so!¡± Nathalia gave him a quick kiss and pushed him away. She rolled of the bed and stood up. ¡°What are you waiting for? Get up, mister!¡± Ren laughed and rolled off the bed to stand up himself, and Nathalia practically dragged him into the kitchen. ¡°Stop whatever you''re doing, Ma.¡± Nathalia said and grinned. ¡°Ren''s making french toast.¡± ¡°Ooo.¡± Narhilda said and smiled as she stepped away from the stove. ¡°Have at it.¡± Ren shook his head as Narhilda joined her daughter at the kitchen table and he set everything up to cook one of their favorite breakfast dishes. ¡°I''m starting to regret that I showed you this on the ship, Nathalia.¡± He said and smiled. She laughed and her mother joined in. ¡°That''s a lie.¡± Ren grinned and winked at her. A short time later, he had several pieces done up and set them on the table. ¡°You''ve shown me how you do it, but I still can''t get them as fluffy as you do.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°These taste better, too.¡± Ren laughed as he made a few more pieces of french toast. ¡°They always taste better because you don''t have to cook them.¡± ¡°That, too.¡± Nathalia said between mouthfuls. * ¡°Okay, people. Load up.¡± Barnar said to his crew. Everyone had actually shown up on time. Some of them staggered a little, but that was to be expected. Barnar smiled. ¡°Come on, the carts aren''t going to load themselves!¡± * ¡°What do you mean, you''re garnishing more of my wages?¡± Angeilin squeaked to the clerk at the desk. ¡°You just handed in 7 gold coins. That''s nearly a week and a half''s wages.¡± ¡°I know that, and I told you how I got it. So why?¡± ¡°You''ve obviously been hoarding it from the House.¡± Angeilin widened her eyes. ¡°Are you questioning my Honor?!?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You... YOU...¡± Angeilin yelled, and several other clerks looked their way. ¡°Calm down, please.¡± The dwarf said, and looked around. ¡°You are an IDIOT!¡± Angeilin yelled. ¡°I''ve defended this House for years. YEARS!¡± She skreeched. ¡°I''ve argued with my husband for decades, over you taking my pay.¡± She said, calming down a little when one of the guards came over to see what the disturbance was. Angeilin pointed a finger at the clerk. ¡°This idiot just questioned my Honor, right here in the Main House!¡± The guard looked surprised, and turned to stare at the clerk with stern eyes. ¡°You really are an idiot.¡± ¡°What''s going on over here?¡± The manager said as he approached. The guard filled him in and the manager sighed. ¡°Ma''am, what can we do to make this up to you?¡± Angeilin looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°I think... I think my husband was right.¡± She said. ¡°This... man... questioned my Honor, over money of all things, and you want to make it up to me?¡± Angeilin took a deep breath to calm down. ¡°If I was a man, he''d be challenged and I''d get my Honor back.¡± She said to the manager''s surprised face. ¡°How will you make that up to me?¡± The manager opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then sighed. ¡°Exactly.¡± Angeilin said, disgusted. ¡°He''s a member of the Main Family. Nothing will happen to him because of this.¡± She said. ¡°He increased the garnish on my wages to 45%, and since he''s a Main family member and you''re not... you can''t even stop it.¡± The manager nodded slightly. ¡°Then, there is something you can do for me.¡± ¡°What is it, Ma''am?¡± ¡°You are granting my husband''s release from the House, and also his petition for my release to go with him.¡± ¡°W-w-what?¡± ¡°I will not stand by and let you take nearly half of my money, for NO REASON!¡± Angeilin screetched. ¡°After all these years, and all the money you''ve taken from me...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I''ll have no more of it.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Get the forms.¡± She squeaked. ¡°I want to sign them right now.¡± The manager left to get the forms, and Angeilin looked at the smug clerk. ¡°As for you.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°My husband won''t like hearing about how I''ve been treated here today.¡± ¡°Like that matters.¡± The clerk said. ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± The guard said, and the clerk looked at him in shock. ¡°I''ll not have you speak in that tone in front of this woman.¡± ¡°And what are you going to do about it?¡± ¡°Unlike her, I can challenge you, sir.¡± The clerk''s eyes bulged, and he sputtered several times. The manager came back with the forms and saw the state of the clerk. ¡°What happened now?¡± The clerk stopped sputtering and glared at the guard. ¡°This... this guard...¡± ¡°I''m also submitting my resignation.¡± The clerk and manager stared at him, then the guard felt a tiny hand touch his. He looked down at Angeilin and she smiled. ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± She said. ¡°It''s bad enough that they''re losing me and my husband.¡± The guard smiled at her. ¡°You''re right.¡± He said. ¡°It is bad, especially since it''s people like him...¡± The guard waved to the clerk. ¡°...are the ones that are running this place, and not people like you.¡± ¡°What about your family?¡± Angeilin asked. ¡°I haven''t found anyone to share that Honor with.¡± Angeilin nodded slightly and turned to the manager. ¡°Are they filled out?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He said and handed them to her. She read them and then frowned. ¡°What''s this gold penalty?¡± ¡°Your husband needs to compensate the House for a year''s work.¡± Angeilin chuckled, and it sounded like glasses tinkling. ¡°Sir, he hasn''t worked a job in nearly 20 years. He owes you nothing for not working next year, too.¡± The manager looked at her with surprise on his face. ¡°But... everyone works.¡± Angeilin chuckled again. ¡°He told me that there was no point for him to work, because you''d be taking the money anyways.¡± She smiled. ¡°You can check your records, but he''s never paid anything... until today. You''ve seen how it''s turned out.¡± The manager sighed and took the form back, scratched out the gold penalty, and put his initials by the correction. ¡°Bring this back after he signs it.¡± The manager said and handed it to her. Angeilin smiled. ¡°I''m his wife. I can sign in his name if he isn''t here.¡± She scribbled her signature on the form and then looked at the one meant for her. Since it was a spousal support form, there was no penalty and she grinned as she signed it and handed both forms to the manager. He checked them over and saw an empty space on one. ¡°What House are you going to, Ma''am.¡± ¡°Is that required?¡± She asked, and the manager nodded slightly. ¡°House Neram offered my husband a job.¡± The manager filled in the name, added his initials, and turned to the guard. ¡°I''ll be right back with your form.¡± They watched as the manager walked away. The clerk didn''t say anything else to them and sat there in silence. Angeilin looked up at the guard. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± The guard smiled at her. ¡°Do you think House Neram is hiring?¡± She smiled back. ¡°I can almost guarantee it.¡± The manager came back with the form for the guard. The poor man stared at the gold penalty, shook his head, and signed it. The manager checked it was in order, put his initials on it, and looked at the guard. ¡°You have a week to arrange payment.¡± He said to the guard and turned to face them both. ¡°I''m sorry that this incident happened, and I''m sorry that we''ve lost 2 good workers because of it. If you change you-¡± Angeilin stared at the manager and he stopped speaking. ¡°My husband is a great worker.¡± She said, proudly. ¡°He just doesn''t want to work for this House.¡± Angeilin turned and walked to the door. ¡°Neither do I.¡± She said and a tear came to her eye. ¡°Not anymore.¡± The guard followed her, and once she was outside the building and had walked half a block, he knelt and held her as she cried. She was done after a few minutes, and he let her go. ¡°I... I''m sorry.¡± Angeilin said, wiping her tears away with her hand. ¡°It just hit me... what I just did.¡± The guard chuckled. ¡°I''m still waiting for it to hit me.¡± Angeilin snorted a laugh and then smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± The guard waved her thanks away. ¡°Where are you headed?¡± ¡°House Neram.¡± She said. ¡°Hopefully I can catch my husband there, before he turns the job down.¡± ¡°I''d like to accompany you, if I may?¡± Angeilin nodded slightly. ¡°I''d appreciate the company.¡± They walked down the street several blocks, until they came to the main road. They followed that for several blocks as well, and then took the turn to go to House Neram. ¡°I hope we can catch him!¡± Angeilin said and tried to walk faster. ¡°Ma''am, you shouldn''t push yourself too hard.¡± The guard said. ¡°Are you saying I can''t do it?¡± ¡°No, Ma''am. I''m saying you''ll be too exhausted to talk, if you rush.¡± She sighed and nodded slightly. ¡°You''re right. We''ll get there when we get there.¡± Just then, they heard several carts approach from behind. They stopped walking and turned around to see 12 carts being pulled by ponies, coming up the road. The lead cart slowed down and the others passed it. ¡°Are you headed to House Neram?¡± The female driver asked. There was a woman beside her and a woman in the back. ¡°How did you know?¡± Angeilin asked. The driver laughed. ¡°There''s nothing else out this way.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Hop in. I''ll give you a lift.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Angeilin and the guard said together, and he helped her climb up into the back. * Ren had made several stacks of french toast, more than enough for all of Barnar''s workers. If Ren''s guess was right, some of them were going to need extra food this morning. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He said and took several pieces of french toast out to Princess. ¡°There you go.¡± He''d barely gotten his hand out of the way before she gobbled it down. Ren stood back and glared at her. ¡°Hey, now!¡± He said sternly. ¡°That wasn''t nice.¡± She bleated loudly and put her nose next to the bowl. ¡°No, I need to say something first.¡± Ren said and concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°I am not your servant. I am taking care of you because you are mine. You will treat me with respect.¡± Princess ducked her head and huffed, then lay her head down next to the bowl. Ren took a deep breath and sighed. He stepped over to her and pat her neck. ¡°You''re a big girl. You can eat without trying to take my hand off.¡± She huffed and closed her eyes. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°That''s fine.¡± He walked over to the stable door. ¡°I''ve been spoiling you a little too much, with all this great tasting food.¡± He said. ¡°It''s been more than you can handle, so I''ll only give you what you need to eat from now on.¡± Ren opened the door and stepped out. *BLEAT* Ren turned around and looked at her. ¡°What?¡± Princess nodded and huffed, and pushed the bowl away with her nose. ¡°You''ll be more careful from now on?¡± She nodded and huffed again. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and went back over to the bowl. ¡°If this happens again, I''ll start treating you like an actual mount.¡± He said and looked her in the eye. ¡°You won''t like that.¡± Princess shook her head and Ren dropped 3 more pieces of french toast in the bowl. He moved the bowl back to where she liked it, and Princess picked a piece up with her lips and chewed it slowly. ¡°I said you needed to be careful about biting me when I feed you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once you have it in front of you, you can eat it however you like.¡± Princess sucked the piece into her mouth, swallowed, then jammed her face into the bowl. ¡°You won''t enjoy it as much like that, though.¡± Ren said and left the stable. He heard several carts coming up the road and ran inside to tell Nathalia and her mother that he was going to be busy for a while. Nathalia kissed him and he ran back outside. Feel like another ride, Teepo? ¡°Yeah!¡± Teepo said and climbed onto Ren''s hand. Ren tossed Teepo up about 20 feet and Teepo confirmed that it was a mix of carts, both Barnar''s and the rented ones. Thanks, Teepo. Ren unlocked the main gate, and left it open. The stonemason workers needed easy access, and he didn''t want to stand there all day and have to keep unlocking it, just to let them inside. He went out to the main road and walked over to the road he''d made himself. As the carts passed, Ren greeted everyone. Some waved, some smiled, and one woman winked at him. The other woman in the cart smacked her in the back of the head. Ren tried not to smile as the last cart came by and he greeted the women. The cart came to a stop, however; and a guard from another House got out of the back, and he helped someone else climb down. Ren recognized her immediately and stepped over to her. He reached down for her hand and bent over it. ¡°Ma''am.¡± Ren said, let her hand go, and stood up straight. ¡°It''s a pleasure to see you again.¡± Angeilin blushed slightly at his formal greeting and it made her forget what she wanted to say. ¡°Are you here because of my offer to your husband?¡± ¡°Yes. Yes, I am.¡± She said, trying to regain her composure. Ren knelt on one knee so he could look her in the face without her having to constantly look up to him. ¡°May I ask what you decided?¡± Angeilin reached out her hand for Ren to take again. ¡°We accept.¡± Chapter 116 - A Bit Too Much ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said, let her hand go, then looked around. ¡°Where''s Dorcot?¡± He asked as the carts he''d rented headed to the mines, and Barnar''s workers uncovered everything. ¡°He''s not here already?¡± Angeilin asked. ¡°He said he''d be coming here... oh!¡± She said. ¡°He was going to visit the farm first!¡± ¡°I''m sure he''ll be here soon.¡± Ren said and smiled, then looked up at the guard beside her. ¡°I know I might be a little intimidating sometimes; but, was it necessary to bring a guard with you?¡± Angeilin chuckled, and Ren could swear it sounded like glasses tinkling together. ¡°I didn''t bring a guard... okay, I did... but he wasn''t escorting me... no, I guess he did...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Relax. Take a deep breath.¡± He said. ¡°Start from the beginning.¡± Angeilin took a deep breath, and started over. ¡°It all started this morning when Dorcot and I argued...¡± Ren listened to her story, nodded slightly several times, and then frowned when she told him about her encounter at the Lodur Main House. When she got to the part about how the manager had handled things, or hadn''t handled things, he scowled. Ren didn''t say anything, and Angeilin told him how the guard had tried to defend her Honor and then resigned in protest. Ren gently put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I''m terribly sorry, Ma''am.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°If I''d known paying your husband would cause so much... trouble... ah, dammit.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± She squeaked. ¡°It''s nothing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just a little recipe that keeps biting me in the ass.¡± Angeilin covered her mouth with a hand to try and stop herself from snorting in laughter. ¡°Thank you for telling me all about this.¡± Ren said, stood up from his kneeling position, and held a hand out to the guard. ¡°Thank you for keeping her safe and trying to protect her, especially from your own House.¡± The guard took the offered hand and Ren shook it. ¡°I''m Honored to meet a man with both fortitude and courage.¡± Ren said, and the guard''s eyes widened. ¡°Sir... you... you didn''t have to...¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Ren said and let the guard''s hand go. ¡°I''d like to hire you right away.¡± ¡°Sir, I''d greatly appreciate that.¡± The guard said. ¡°But... I''ve got a large debt now with House Lodur... that has to be settled by the end of the week.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and looked down at Angeilin. ¡°I hope it''s going to help me with your situation as well.¡± ¡°H-how?¡± Angeilin asked. ¡°I''ll wait until Dorcot gets here to explain.¡± Ren said and motioned down the road. Angeilin and the guard turned around and didn''t see anything. ¡°What are you...¡± Angeilin started to say, and saw a figure appear in the distance. ¡°Is that...?¡± She looked back at Ren. ¡°Is that Dorcot?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°He''ll be here in a couple of minutes.¡± Thanks for spotting him, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Teepo said. They waited patiently as Dorcot came close enough to see his wife standing there, and he ran the rest of the way. He stopped when he got to where she was and knelt down, slightly out of breath. ¡°What... are you... doing here?¡± Dorcot said between gasped breaths. ¡°You shouldn''t run like that, Sugarbear.¡± Angeilin said and clapped her hands over her mouth. She turned to look at Ren, who had his head turned away before she''d seen him, and he started to whistle. She then turned the other way and looked at the guard. He''d taken Ren''s not so subtle hint and had his head turned away as well. Angeilin smiled and looked back at her husband. ¡°It might take a while to explain.¡± She said, and they listened to her story. Dorcot''s face flushed red when she got to the clerk''s insult; when she talked about the manager, he visibly shook. When the guard''s part came, Dorcot relaxed slightly, but his face stayed red. Angeilin finished her story, with Ren''s accepting them, and Dorcot stood. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He said and turned away. ¡°Wait!¡± Angeilin shrieked. Dorcot stopped and dropped his head slightly. She turned to Ren. ¡°Sir, you have an idea?¡± Ren stepped forward and put a hand on Dorcot''s shoulder. ¡°Dorcot, I''m just as... enraged... as you are over your wife''s treatment.¡± Ren said, and Dorcot sighed at the truth of Ren''s words. ¡°I''ve got a better idea than starting a House to House challenge, though.¡± Dorcot turned to Ren. ¡°You do?¡± He said surprised. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Come inside, and I''ll explain to everyone at the same time.¡± Dorcot nodded, took his wife''s hand and Ren led them inside the house after switching his Command Aura back to his main Aura. The group met in the kitchen, to keep everything informal, and Angeilin''s story was relayed to Narhilda and Nathalia. They reacted even more strongly than Dorcot had, and it took Ren several minutes to calm them down. Once everything was out in the open, he told them his idea. Dorcot wasn''t happy with it, as it didn''t involve beheading the clerk, but after some convincing, he agreed. Ren gathered everyone in the main room and they went to their proper places. Narhilda sat in her chair, as was right for the Lady of the House. Nathalia stood on her right side, since she was the Princess, and Ren stood on Nathalia''s right as he was her courter. Dorcot, Angeilin and the guard stood before them. Ren stepped forward and knelt in front of Narhilda. ¡°My Lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°May I present to you, the first subjects to petition for residency in your district.¡± ¡°You may.¡± Ren stood and walked over to Dorcot. ¡°This man was offered a job as a general laborer. Near chaos ensued.¡± Ren tried not to sigh, and continued. ¡°His petition to leave his old House was granted, and he now has nowhere to live.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°My Lady, I''d like to amend the job offer, if I may.¡± ¡°What job does he qualify for?¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Royal Gemcutter, My Lady.¡± Three gasps were heard, and subsequently ignored. ¡°Very well.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I''ve seen his skill. Your job offer is amended.¡± ¡°Thank you, My Lady.¡± Ren stepped next to Angeilin. ¡°This woman is his wife. She''s supported their family for decades. Her House garnished those wages, but they raised a substantial family from her hard work. She has nowhere to live.¡± ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°She currently works at House Longore as a receptionist. Her current contract states she must tithe 45% of her wages to the House.¡± ¡°That just won''t do.¡± Narhilda scowled. ¡°What do you recommend?¡± ¡°Alteration of the contract upon your acceptance of her into this House.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Narhilda said and gave a stern look to Angeilin. ¡°This House demands a full 1% of your wages if you work for someone else.¡± ¡°WHAAAAT?!?¡± Angeilin squeaked, then clamped a hand over her mouth. ¡°Sorry.¡± Narhilda smiled, turned to Ren and nodded slightly. He stepped over to the guard. ¡°This man showed outstanding Honor in verbally defending a woman he didn''t know, against a member of his own House''s Main Family, and at the cost of his job. He also has nowhere to live. I''d like to offer him a position as a House Guard. It''s only at the front gate for now, and as a possible escort when needed.¡± ¡°We do seem to be expanding rather quickly.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°House Guards are definitely a necessity.¡± She looked at each person in turn. ¡°Kneel, please.¡± They three petitioners knelt and Narhilda stood. ¡°Joining a House is no small task.¡± She said and approached them. ¡°This is a new endeavor for all of us.¡± Narhilda smiled. ¡°Recite the Pledge.¡± Dorcot, Angeilin and the guard spoke together. ¡°I renounce all ties to other Houses, and all contracts to them are null and void. I devote myself entirely to the well being of this House, and will strive to help it in any way I can; until such time that I am dismissed for cause, taken away by circumstances beyond my control, or feel unfit to fulfill my duties. Our breath, our blood, our very lives, are yours. We swear this upon our Honor.¡± Narhilda held her hand out to each person, and they placed a quick kiss upon her fingers. She stepped back and looked at them. ¡°Rise, citizens of House Neram.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Dorcot, Angeilin, and Wohrum.¡± She grinned as they stood. ¡°Welcome home!¡± ******** Stella was at the corner store again, and trying to decide if she should get the XL or XXL prophylactics. Without actually seeing how big it was, I''m kinda flying blind here. She thought, perplexed. ¡°Hey, Big Sis!¡± Stella turned around and saw her younger brother coming towards her. ¡°Scott!¡± She said and took him into a quick hug. ¡°I haven''t seen you in ages.¡± ¡°Yeah, it''s been really busy at the garage.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°You should pop by and see the place.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Uh huh. Like I''d be caught dead around all that grease and dirt!¡± Scott smiled. ¡°Hey, it''s not that bad.¡± Stella grabbed his hand and held it up to his face. ¡°It''s not?¡± She said and chuckled. The tips of his fingers were nearly black. ¡°Okay, you got me there.¡± Scott said, then looked at the shelf his sister stood beside. ¡°Oh my god.¡± He said and covered his face. Stella laughed and led him by the arm to another aisle. ¡°It''s alright, Mister Delicate Sensibilities. You can open your eyes now.¡± Scott smiled as he dropped the hand covering his eyes. ¡°What were you doing there?¡± Stella rolled her eyes. ¡°Take a guess.¡± ¡°Stella!¡± She laughed again. ¡°Come on! You can''t tell me you don''t buy them.¡± Then she looked at him closely. ¡°You''d better tell me that you do buy them!¡± ¡°Yes, I use protection.¡± Scott said. ¡°I''m not stupid.¡± Stella smiled and put a hand on his arm. ¡°I''m glad.¡± ¡°Well, this just became super-awkward.¡± Scott said and grinned. ¡°I really don''t want to talk about my sex life with my sister, for Pete''s sake.¡± ¡°I''m a nurse, so Pete''s okay with it.¡± Stella responded and Scott groaned. She hooked an arm through his. ¡°That reminds me... how''s it going with that girl you told me about?¡± ¡°It''s not.¡± Scott laughed. ¡°Gloria turned me down flat.¡± ¡°What?¡± Stella said, surprised. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She gave me this weird excuse about how I was just trying to ''play on the wild side'' with her, and wasn''t really serious about it.¡± ¡°Were you?¡± Stella asked. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°Were you just playing on the wild side, or were you serious?¡± Scott looked at his sister with raised eyebrows. ¡°You know you''re supposed to be on my side, right?¡± Stella laughed. ¡°I am; but if you weren''t serious, she''d pick up on that right away.¡± He opened his mouth to defend himself, and Stella shook her head and smiled. ¡°She saw right through you, little brother.¡± Scott closed his mouth and smiled. ¡°Yeah, she did.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, there''s plenty of fish in the sea.¡± Stella said. ¡°Some even have their natural hair color, too!¡± Scott laughed. ¡°Thanks, sis.¡± He said. ¡°I''m just gonna grab a snack before heading home.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Stella said and gave him another quick hug. ¡°Make sure it''s healthy!¡± ¡°Nachos and cheese are healthy.¡± Scott said. ¡°It''s got both the bread and dairy food groups in it.¡± ¡°I could argue with you about the nutritional value of rib-sticking cheese.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°But I won''t... not tonight.¡± She grinned. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Bye, Stella.¡± Scott said and walked down the aisle to head over to the counter. Stella went back over to the aisle she was in before, looked at the options, and grabbed a pack each of XL and XXL prophylactics. ¡°My ''extra expenses'' report this month is going to be a doozy.¡± She said and grinned. * After the formal indoctrination, Ren made a new cloth guard outfit for Wohrum, in House Neram''s style, and red in color. He commandeered one of the rented carts and sent Dorcot and Wohrum to House Lodur. I wonder how surprised they are going to be at Dorcot''s old House when he shows up. Ren thought as he went outside to the courtyard to build 10 more crates, the same size as the other one he''d made.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. * ¡°I''m so glad that you accepted us into your House, My Lady.¡± Angeilin squeaked and drank some of the tea she''d been offered. I''m drinking tea with a Lady and a Princess! She thought and tried not to shiver from happiness. Narhilda smiled. ¡°Please, it''s Narhilda... in private, at least.¡± Angeilin''s eyes widened. ¡°Yes, My La... ah... N-N-Narhilda.¡± Narhilda chuckled. ¡°I''ve only been called ''Lady'' over the last few weeks.¡± She said. ¡°And that''s all because of Ren. Before that, I hadn''t heard that title since my husband died 12 years ago.¡± ¡°I''m sorry to hear that, My L... Narhilda.¡± ¡°What are you planning on doing now?¡± Nathalia chimed in. ¡°I''m going to keep my job.¡± Angeilin said. ¡°I''m really good at it, and I practically run the place when Lady Longore isn''t there.¡± ¡°That''s great.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I''m glad you''re doing something that you want to do.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Angeilin said, then lowered her head. ¡°You didn''t have to reduce the garnish on my wages by so much, My... Narhilda.¡± ¡°By law, I can''t go lower than 1%.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Otherwise I would.¡± She put a hand on Angeilin''s arm. ¡°Your money is yours. The 1% will be used for maintenance on your house.¡± ¡°My... my house?¡± Narhilda had a shocked look on her face for a moment. ¡°Oops.¡± * Ren filled the crates up with diamond crystals, and stored them in the same slot. He now had nearly half of his slots open, and looked at all the gold ore he still had. Ren ran over to his workshop and piled it all inside, right next to the forge. There was quite a lot of it, but at least he had cleared several more slots. I''d better smelt it soon, though. Ren thought, then walked over to the far corner of the workshop. He unloaded nearly everything extra that he carried. All of his portable workstations, the 2 dozen springy trees, the woodworking toolbox, the box of knick-knacks he''d bought, all of his extra clothes, the spare stone bricks he''d enchanted back at the campsite by the mountain diamond mine, and anything else that wasn''t essential. Ren walked over to the paving stone floor and unloaded the 180 stone bricks he still had in inventory. He then went outside and dropped off the campsite tent. When he was done, Ren felt absolutely buoyant. I didn''t realize how much weight I''d been carrying all this time. Ren thought. ¡°The only time you put anything down, was when you handed things off to Ruck.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren grinned. Wait until you see what I''m picking up next. Ren thought and ran back inside the house. He came to a stop in the main room and walked into the kitchen. ¡°Sorry for interrupting.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nathalia, can you bring out the french toast to Barnar and his crew?¡± ¡°Of course, Ren.¡± She said and stood. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and tried to give her a quick kiss. Nathalia had a different idea and held on to him instead. They kissed for a full minute, then Nathalia broke the kiss and let him go. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± ¡°I sure am.¡± He grinned and took off running. * ¡°That was so sweet!¡± Angeilin said, and turned to Narhilda. ¡°Is it always like that?¡± Nathalia chuckled as she piled the warmed up french toast onto several plates. Narhilda nodded. ¡°Yes, it''s getting to be a regular thing.¡± She said as her daughter left the kitchen. Once she was gone, Narhilda leaned in close to Angeilin. ¡°I nearly walked in on them yesterday.¡± ¡°You didn''t!¡± Angeilin squeaked. Narhilda smiled. ¡°He nearly had her laying across the counter, right there.¡± She said and pointed. ¡°I wonder....¡± Angeilin said. ¡°...was it because of him?¡± ¡°What was?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°Oh, Dorcot...¡± Angeilin squeaked. ¡°...he got... frisky last night.¡± ¡°Let me guess.¡± Narhilda chuckled. ¡°It was right after he left here.¡± ¡°It was!¡± Narhilda smiled crookedly. ¡°I take it he was... ah... more...¡± Angeilin let her teacup go, as she was shaking too much. ¡°Like we were teenagers again!¡± They both laughed. * Ren arrived at the spot where the house was supposed to be. ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± In front of Ren was a tiny little house, squeezed between two really large buildings. There was a tiny yard and a small white fence. Ren walked all the way around it in about 15 seconds. ¡°They live here?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Oh, well.¡± He took out his mining pick and dug all around the tiny house and down far enough to see if it was attached to anything. It wasn''t, and Ren looked in one of the windows to see where the kitchen was, then dug along underneath the house to see where the pipes to the sink went. He didn''t hit anything, so he knew it was all self-contained. Ren went back to the front of the house and dug up the fence. He selected it and stored it in inventory. ¡°I''m tempted to take the lawn, too.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Anything on this lot is theirs.¡± Ren grinned, took out a shovel and pried up the edge of the lawn, then rolled it up and stored it. Remind me which way it goes, Teepo. ¡°Sure.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s a good thing I barely have anything left in inventory.¡± Ren said, touched the building, and selected ''store in inventory''. The house disappeared and Ren fell to his knees. ¡°Dammit... that''s... really... really heavy.¡± He took a deep breath and stood up. The house had taken only a single slot, but it grayed out 4 dozen others. It''s a good thing no burden will slow my speed. Ren thought. That doesn''t mean it''s not freaking heavy, though! ¡°You could have hired movers or something.¡± Teepo said as Ren started walking. I could have, but how would they have moved the house without destroying it? Ren thought. I think... I think this is different from a normal burden. ¡°No, really?¡± Teepo chittered in worry. ¡°Ren, you''re carrying a house!¡± It''s okay, Teepo. I can do this. ¡°I know you can, Ren.¡± Teepo said in encouragement. ¡°I know you can!¡± Thanks, buddy. Ren walked normally, but there was no way he was going to try and run. It took him about 20 minutes to get back to the main road, and he''d gained 2 points in Strength and 1 in Endurance. Ren took the corner to go up the long road to get back to House Neram, and sighed at the long distance yet to go. ¡°It''s only a few miles, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You can stop and take a break.¡± Actually, I can''t. Ren thought. My Stamina is still dropping steadily, even when I stand still. ¡°Oh... well, you better hurry up then.¡± Teepo said and Ren chuckled. I would if I could. Ren thought and trudged along at a slow walk. I would if I could. * The driver of the cart stopped in the spot for deliveries to House Lodur and parked there. ¡°I was told to wait and bring you back.¡± Dorcot and Wohrum hopped out of the back and picked up a large sack each. ¡°Thanks.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°This shouldn''t take long.¡± Dorcot and Wohrum carried the heavy sacks into the Main House of Lodur and stood in line. When it came to their turn, a clerk at the end motioned for them to come over. Dorcot shook his head. ¡°We''re waiting... for him.¡± Dorcot said in a mean voice, and pointed to the clerk that has insulted his wife. The dwarf behind them went to the free clerk and Dorcot waited patiently. Three more dwarfs were served before the clerk in question had finally finished with the dwarf he was trying to serve. Dorcot stepped up to the desk and looked at the clerk in the eye. ¡°Get. Your. Manager.¡± The clerk left the desk, and came back a minute later with the manager. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± The manager asked, then he saw the old House Guard standing behind Dorcot, wearing a color of uniform he hadn''t seen before. The manager rubbed his forehead and sighed. ¡°Please, don''t do this.¡± Dorcot smiled and pointed to the clerk. ¡°This idiot insulted my wife, right here, in the House that she loves.¡± He said. ¡°She''s worked for you, for years, and never once complained! Then this fool literally gave her no choice but to leave!¡± Dorcot snarled. ¡°I want to wring his little neck as hard as I can, and then laugh when it snaps.¡± He said. ¡°I want to step on his arms and legs, just to enjoy the sound of his crunching bones.¡± Silence filled the Main House and everyone was looking at Dorcot. ¡°Please, don''t do this.¡± The manager said, as the clerk shook in terror. Dorgot looked with scorn at the manager. ¡°Thanks to a very convincing argument, by both my wife and my new House, do you know what I''m going to do?¡± The manager shook his head, but glanced at the clerk. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°W-w-what?!?¡± The manager exclaimed. ¡°I won''t reduce myself to his level, or cause a duel between House Champions that would only get yours killed, for no other reason than he''s an idiot.¡± Dorcot said and motioned to the clerk. ¡°I won''t sully my hands with either him, or this House any longer.¡± He said, then turned to address the crowd staring at him. ¡°My wife has more Honor in her little pinky finger, than he has in his whole body.¡± Gasps were heard, and Dorcot ignored them, and turned to look at the clerk. ¡°If you ever... ever... come near my wife again, or say anything bad against her... for any reason... I''ll throw away all of my Honor, and grind you into dust.¡± ¡°Witnessed.¡± ¡°Seconded.¡± ¡°I wanna see that!¡± ¡°Me, too. That guy is an idiot.¡± ¡°I''ve said my piece.¡± Dorcot smiled. ¡°Now for the main event.¡± He stepped aside and Wohrum stepped up. ¡°I''m here to arrange payment of my gold penalty.¡± The manager moved the chair from the desk, that the clerk that was sitting in, out of the way. ¡°Here''s the mandatory indentured servant form...¡± ¡°No, I said payment.¡± Wohrum said. ¡°I''m here to pay it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I want to pay it. All of it. Right now.¡± ¡°But... everyone works it off!¡± ¡°Not anymore.¡± Wohrum said to several more gasps. ¡°W-w-well, then.¡± The manager said and took out another form. ¡°That will be... 200 gold coins.¡± Wohrum grinned and hefted his sack onto the desk. ¡°Here''s a hundred.¡± He said and turned to let Dorcot drop the other sack. ¡°Here''s the other hundred.¡± A short scream was heard, and then a thud soon after. The manager looked at the sacks like they were playing a joke on him. Wohrum untied one of the sacks and the gold spilled out onto the desk. ¡°You can count it if you want, but it''s all there.¡± The manager stared at them in shock as he handed over the form. Wohrum signed it and handed it back. ¡°Have yourself a good day.¡± He said then turned to Dorcot. ¡°After you, sir.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Dorcot said and the pair left the Main House, and were followed by the eyes of everyone that was still conscious. Dorcot and Wohrum climbed into the cart, and it took off at a fast trot, back to House Neram. * ¡°Al... most... there.¡± Ren huffed as he slowly stepped along the road. His Stamina bar had run out 20 minutes before and his Health had steadily dropped ever since. He''d gained 3 more points in Strength and another in Endurance, though. ¡°Come on, Ren... you can do it!¡± Teepo nearly shouted. ¡°It''s right there!¡± Ren struggled the last few feet, as he reached the spot where he had decided to put the house. I just hope they like it here. Ren thought, then looked at the spot. ¡°Dammit. I forgot to clear it out.¡± ¡°Just put it on the road for now. No one''s coming.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°Good... idea.¡± Ren said and took the house from inventory and let the system place it, so that it was on a flat surface, then collapsed to his knees in relief. ¡°Holy crap.¡± Ren said and let his Stamina bar recover a little bit. He stood up and pulled out his hammerpick. ¡°I have to do this quick.¡± Ren set the plow end into the ground about a foot from the edge of the road, and ran back and forth until a lot big enough to hold the house was dug up. He took out the shovel and used up his Stamina bar again, clearing the lot out to be flat. ¡°Whew.¡± ¡°Ren there''s a cart coming!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Crap!¡± Ren ran to the road and stored the house again. ¡°Teepo, remind me to never do this again.¡± ¡°Ren, never do this again.¡± Teepo said and tried not to chitter in laughter. Ren laughed and nearly fell down. ¡°Geez, don''t make me laugh.¡± Ren huffed and stumbled to the dug up lot. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± Ren took the house out and set it right in the exact spot it needed to go. Ren knelt and took several deep breaths. His Stamina bar started to slowly refill and he took out the rolled up lawn. ¡°The other way, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Right, right.¡± Ren said and walked to the other side of the house and unrolled the lawn. It just fit in the last bit of space he''d dug up. The cart drove by while Ren stamped the lawn down into place. ¡°By the GODS!¡± Dorcot shouted as he stared at the tiny house. Ren didn''t hear the shout, and took out the fence to put it where it needed to go. He used the end of his hammerpick to poke holes in the earth for the fence posts, then slid the fence into place. Ren walked to the road and turned back to look at it. ¡°I think that''s perfect.¡± Ren said, then his vision went blurry, and he sat down. ¡°Teepo, I''m kinda tired.¡± ¡°Ren, don''t lay down!¡± Teepo said. Ren looked at his Health bar and it was just about gone, with only a couple of points left. ¡°I''m just going to rest here for a while.¡± He said and tried to lay down, but sprawled out on the road instead. ¡°Ren! Not on the ROAD!¡± Teepo shouted, but it was too late. Ren didn''t respond to his plea. * The cart stopped at House Neram and Dorcot and Wohrum got out. Dorcot knocked on the door first, then ran inside the house and into the kitchen. ¡°Sugarplum! You''ve got to see this!¡± He said. ¡°What is it?¡± Angeilin asked and she wrapped her arms around Dorcot''s neck as he picked her up. He ran back outside and out through the gate. Nathalia and Narhilda walked out behind them. When they got outside the gate, however... they ran, too. ******** ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Barbara said. ¡°What were you thinking?¡± She looked at him laying in bed and his breathing was nice and steady. She''d checked his vitals and everything seemed to be normal. Barbara shook her head. ¡°You''re trying to do too much!¡± * Lucy was sick of staying at home all day, and decided to go out. She hadn''t been to a bar in months, but it didn''t take her long to convince Stella to come along. She put on her best party dress, a bit of perfume that only had a slight smell of vanilla, and 3 inch high heels. She heard a horn outside and grabbed her coat and purse. * Stella sat in the taxi and waited for Lucy to come out of her house. I hope she doesn''t do what I think she''s going to do. Stella thought. I''ll try to stop her, if I can. * Gloria sat at her computer and growled. I can''t believe I only got a 75% on that engineering exam! She looked through the answers for 20 minutes, and grimaced. I did really well on the math questions, but that rat bastard professor red marked every single one of the written answers to the essay questions... and I can''t even complain about it, because he''s the one that sets the questions and the answers! She looked at her VR headset and frowned. As Elerlyth, I searched every corner I could find in the starter city, and I didn''t find a trace of that Mitchell guy anywhere. She sighed. If Ren had been there, I''m sure I would have found Mitchell easily... or at least had fun while I searched. I hope Ren is having fun, wherever he is. Gloria looked back at her computer and had a thought that she hadn''t had before. She typed up a search pattern macro in about 15 minutes, and set it to look for ''Ren'', ''VR'' and ''Game'', logged into the VR forum server, and let it go. I could have used one of my old search macros, but I like redoing them for the practice. * Lucy was having the time of her life. She''d forgotten how fun it was to just go out and do something. Stella on the other hand, was having a hard time trying to reign Lucy in. ¡°Lucy, you don''t have to dance with every guy that asks!¡± Stella said. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Lucy, you''re a nurse. You know why.¡± Lucy laughed. She''d had quite a bit to drink. ¡°I haven''t been a nurse since I started working in the lab.¡± ¡°Lucy...¡± Stella sighed. ¡°...you''re still a nurse.¡± ¡°Not for another week and a half, I''m not!¡± She said and then someone caught her eye. ¡°Hey, I know him!¡± ¡°Don''t call him over!¡± Stella said. ¡°Hey! Over here!¡± Lucy said and waved. The big burly man walked over and stood by their table. ¡°Hey, Lucy. Howarya?¡± ¡°I''m good! Wanna dance?¡± Lucy asked and stood up. ¡°Always.¡± Stella grabbed her arm. ¡°Lucy, who is he?¡± ¡°It''s okay, Stella. I''ve dated him before.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Stella, this is Clint. Clint, Stella.¡± ¡°Ma''am.¡± Stella nodded to him, and Lucy danced away with Clint hot on her tail. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± * ¡°He''s fine.¡± Doctor Hobbard said. ¡°Look at the screen.¡± Barbara turned and saw the feed was still coming through. Several figured were standing around Ren. The screen hadn''t gone black, and no popups had appeared. According to the game, nothing was wrong. ¡°He probably just exhausted his game body.¡± He said. ¡°Otherwise, he''d have logged out himself.¡± Doctor Hobbard put a hand on Barbara''s arm. ¡°Let him sleep. If he''s not awake by morning, we can log him out ourselves and see if anything''s wrong.¡± ¡°But... shouldn''t we do that now?¡± Barbara asked, concerned. The doctor shook his head. ¡°We have to wait for them to move him to a safe zone.¡± ¡°A what?¡± The doctor chuckled. ¡°I know more about this game now than I know about my children.¡± He said. ¡°That''s one of the reasons I''ve allowed his unlimited use of the VR system. If he''s not in a safe zone when he logs out, he can be hurt and possibly die; but in a safe zone, nothing can hurt him.¡± He looked at Barbara. ¡°You should know all of this.¡± Barbara sighed. ¡°Sorry, I guess I''m not thinking straight.¡± She said and looked at Ren. ¡°Okay, doctor. If you think it''s best to wait.¡± Barbara said, worry in her voice. Doctor Hobbard smiled. ¡°He just needs rest, and he should get plenty of it in there.¡± * Lucy didn''t come back to the table after several songs, and Stella was getting worried. She''d lost sight of Lucy only a few minutes ago, then looked at Lucy''s purse and coat on the chair and sighed. Stella picked them up and searched the whole bar, both bathrooms, and even asked the bouncer to check out back. Stella took out her cell phone and dialed Lucy''s phone, and cursed when Lucy''s purse rang. ¡°Dammit, Lucy!¡± ******** ¡°I''m out of healing.¡± Nathalia said, concern in her voice. ¡°What should we do?¡± Wohrum the House Neram Guard asked. ¡°We can''t let anything happen to him.¡± Narhilda stepped forward. ¡°Let''s get him inside.¡± ¡°How?¡± Dorcot asked. ¡°I don''t want to risk carrying him if he''s hurt.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± The guard said. ¡°The cart!¡± Angeilin squeaked and pointed to a cart that came off the road Ren had made. ¡°Great idea, Sugarplum!¡± Dorcot waved to the driver and she pulled over. ¡°By the gods! What happened?¡± They all pointed to the tiny house. ¡°He built the house?¡± Dorcot laughed for a moment, then stopped. ¡°No, he... he... carried it here.¡± ¡°He WHAT?!?¡± Nathalia concentrated on her Command Aura. ¡°Let''s get him loaded in the back and take him to the house.¡± She said. ¡°Dorcot, his chest and arms. Wohrum, his legs.¡± Nathalia stood and glared at them. ¡°Be. Careful.¡± ¡°You don''t have to tell us that, Ma''am.¡± Dorcot bent down and gripped Ren under the arms, and Wohrum grabbed his knees. They lifted together and Ren sagged between them. He was gently placed in the back of the cart and the driver walked the pony all the way over to the house. A group of sad people followed it. When they entered the courtyard, Nathalia had an idea. They got Ren into the house and settled him in Narhilda''s old bedroom. Everyone left Nathalia alone with him, and tears came to her eyes. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± ******** Gloria waited for an hour and the search came up with nothing. She thought that was odd, considering there should be some record of him on it somewhere. Ren plays the game. There should be an account of his posts and comments! She closed the VR server window and looked at her internet browser. Maybe I''m over-thinking this. Gloria opened her browser and just typed ''Ren'' into the search bar. There were several thousand results, and she shook her head, and clicked the ''pictures only'' option. Her screen was filled with different images that had nothing to do with what she wanted, and she scrolled down several pages. ¡°Ugh... nothi-¡± Gloria stopped talking as she saw his face staring back at her. She clicked on the picture and it opened in a new window. His hair wasn''t as fluffy, but it was definitely him. There wasn''t any information on the image except his name, Ren Haddon. I can''t believe he used his real name in the game! Gloria shook her head and closed the image. She went back to the browser and typed in his name. When the results appeared, her eyes widened. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Chapter 117 - Repercussions Ren opened his eyes and groaned. ¡°Ugh... I wonder if this is what a hangover feels like.¡±
Notice!
Time until full recovery from over-exertion: 2 hours 20 Min (Game Time) or 35 Min (Real Time).
¡°REN!¡± Teepo and Nathalia hollered together, and Nathalia leaned over the bed with Teepo on her shoulder. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said and smiled, then noticed he was under a heavy blanket. ¡°You''re okay!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Of course I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why wouldn''t I be?¡± ¡°Don''t... don''t you remember what happened?¡± Nathalia asked, concerned. Ren closed his eyes and thought back to what happened. ¡°I carried Dorcot''s house to the new lot... then I felt really tired, and fell asleep.¡± ¡°You didn''t fall asleep, Ren.¡± Nathalia said and sighed. ¡°You collapsed in the middle of the road.¡± ¡°I did?¡± Ren opened his eyes and looked around. ¡°How did I get to the bedroom?¡± ¡°We carried you, of course.¡± Dorcot stepped into the bedroom after hearing Nathalia''s shout. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Exhausted.¡± Ren said and rubbed his eyes. ¡°It feels like I didn''t sleep at all.¡± Everyone piled into the room to gather around the bed. Narhilda put a hand on his forehead and smiled. ¡°We didn''t know what to do.¡± Nathalia said and sat on the bed. ¡°I used up my healing right away, then had you carried back to the house.¡± She sighed. ¡°If I hadn''t thought of Ruck... and had him feed me Mana potions to keep healing you... I don''t know if you''d have made it long enough for the healer to get here.¡± Ruck popped his head up over the edge of the bed and pat Ren''s arm. ¡°Hi, Ruck.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for helping Nathalia.¡± Ruck gave a ''thumbs up'' gesture. ¡°Hold on...¡± Ren said. ¡°Long enough for the healer? How long was I out?¡± ¡°You collapsed a little while after breakfast...¡± Nathalia said. ¡°...yesterday. It''s just after suppertime today.¡± ¡°Almost 2 days?¡± Ren tried to move under the blanket and Nathalia held him down, Narhilda put a hand on his shoulder to help. ¡°Where do you think you''re going?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°I''ve got work to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, you don''t.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°The only thing you have to do right now, is rest.¡± ¡°But...¡± Nathalia stood and glared at him. ¡°Don''t make me order you, Ren.¡±
Notice!
Time until full recovery from over-exertion: 2 hours (Game Time) or 30 Min (Real Time).
Ren let a crooked smile cross his face. ¡°I''m tempted to see what would happen if you did order me.¡± He said, then grinned at Nathalia''s surprised expression. ¡°I''m not going to defy you, though.¡± Ren yawned, sank back into the bed, and closed his eyes. ¡°I love you... too much... to make you mad.¡± He said in a low voice, then started to snore. Everyone had shocked looks on their faces, then Nathalia recovered and leaned in to give Ren a kiss. ¡°I love you, too.¡± ******** Lucy woke up with the worst hangover she''s ever had. She rubbed her eyes, felt a stinging sensation, and then looked at her hands. They were covered in makeup; base, eyeliner, and mascara. ¡°Ugh... I didn''t even wash my face.¡± She said and threw off the covers. She stood up next to the bed, and when her bare feet hit the cold wood of the floor, she froze. Her bedroom was supposed to have carpet on the floor. She looked down to see dark hardwood flooring, and noticed that she still wore her party dress. It was in disheveled state, and partially turned to the side. ¡°Oh, god.¡± She said and adjusted it to face forwards again, and jumped when there was a knock on the bedroom door. ¡°OW!¡± Lucy grabbed the sides of her head and closed her eyes. ¡°Ah reckon yer up.¡± Clint said and opened the door. He only wore a pair of jeans, and had a small towel over his shoulder. He carried a tray in his hands, with toast, eggs, orange juice, and a tall glass full of a red liquid. ¡°Howarya feelin''?¡± ¡°Horrible.¡± She said, then stared at Clint. ¡°Oh my GOD!¡± Lucy sat down on the bed and started to cry. Clint put the tray down and came over to her. ¡°Hey!¡± He said as he sat, and she pulled away from him. ¡°Lucy.¡± She looked at him with tears in her eyes. ¡°Nothin'' happened.¡± Clint said and smiled. ¡°Ah''m not tha'' kinda guy.¡± Lucy checked to see that she still wore her underwear, and sighed in relief. ¡°Then... how did I...¡± ¡°We were at tha bar, an dancin''.¡± He said. ¡°Bes'' time ah''ve had in a while.¡± Clint smiled. ¡°Yer tha bes'' comp''ny. Afta a few songs, though... ya asked ta leave.¡± Lucy stared at him as he spoke. ¡°Ah got ya in my truck easy ''nough... but when ah drove outta the parkin'' lot, ah asked ya where ta go... an saw ya was out like ah light.¡± ¡°Oh my god.¡± Lucy covered her face with her hands. ¡°Ah reckon ya hadn'' been out in a while, an hit th'' bottle a little hard.¡± Clint said. ¡°Tis a good thing it were me tha ya met...¡± Lucy groaned. ¡°Ah got ya up tha elevator easy, an tucked ya inta bed.¡± Lucy dropped her hands from her face and whipped her head around to look at the bed. ¡°Ah slept ontha couch.¡± Clint chuckled. ¡°Ah toldja ah wasn'' tha kinda guy.¡± Lucy turned back to look at Clint. ¡°Clint... I...¡± ¡°Hey, it''s awlrigh''.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Ah was jus'' lookin'' out fer a friend.¡± Lucy sighed. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Wan'' some breakfast?¡± Clint said and got the tray. ¡°What''s that?¡± Lucy asked and pointed to the tall glass of red liquid. ¡°This here is ma grandpappy''s secret recipe fer hangovers.¡± Clint said and smiled. ¡°Tamato juice, tabasco sauce, worchestershire sauce, raw egg-¡± Lucy''s face turned green and she put a hand over her mouth. ¡°Bathroom!¡± Clint pointed and Lucy ran. She threw up several times, and flushed the toilet afterwards. ¡°Sorry, Lucy.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah shouldn''t ah offered ya tha ingredients like tha''.¡± ¡°It... it''s okay.¡± Lucy said as she came out of the bathroom. ¡°I think I needed to get that up anyways.¡± Clint smiled and held out the tray. Lucy turned a little green, shook her head, then looked around for her coat and purse. ¡°Whatcha lookin'' fer?¡± Clint asked. ¡°My coat and purse.¡± ¡°Ya didn'' have ''em when we left.¡± Lucy''s eyes widened as she realized where they were. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± She said. ¡°Clint, can I use your phone?¡± * Stella hadn''t sleep well. She got up and had a bowl of cereal, just to get something in her stomach. ¡°Blah.¡± She said as she swallowed the milk. ¡°That''s not going to sit well.¡± She went to the sink and held her hand over the cereal and dumped the milk. She sat back down at her breakfast nook and continued to eat. Several minutes later, her cell phone vibrated and she picked it up. ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°Stella? It''s Lucy.¡± ¡°Well, well! Good morning, Slutbunny!¡± Lucy groaned and Stella grinned. It took her all night to come up with the proper response for when Lucy called. ¡°Stella, it''s not like that.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ve got your purse and coat here, and I assume your house keys.¡± She said. ¡°You couldn''t go home, and you''re calling me from a different number. What''s it not like?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Lucy sighed. ¡°I didn''t sleep with him, okay? It didn''t happen.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Like that matters.¡± ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± ¡°You wanted it to.¡± ¡°No I didn''t!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Stella asked. ¡°You went out to a bar, danced with every guy in the place, got drunk, and then you went home with a guy.¡± She sighed. ¡°You obviously wanted something to happen.¡± Lucy was quiet on the phone. ¡°Look, I''m not judging you.¡± Stella said, then chuckled. ¡°Okay, I am; but I don''t have any right to tell you how you live your life.¡± She said. ¡°I tried my best to help you last night, and you gave me the slip. I assume it was on purpose, because you left your cell phone.¡± Stella sighed. ¡°I was so mad when I tried to call you and your purse rang.¡± ¡°Stella, I-¡± ¡°Let me finish.¡± Stella said. ¡°Something really bad could have happened to you after you left... and there would have been no way to find you.¡± Stella sighed. ¡°I wouldn''t even know where to start looking.¡± ¡°I told you his name...¡± ¡°Really? His NAME?¡± Stella laughed. ¡°How would I know if it was real or not? It was dark, too. I couldn''t describe him in the least.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ve said what I wanted to say, Lucy. I won''t lecture you anymore.¡± Stella said. ¡°You can come by and pick up your things.¡± She looked at the clock. ¡°I''ve got to be at the hospital in an hour, though. So anytime within the next 45 minutes would be good.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Bye, Lucy.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± * 15 minutes later, Lucy knocked on the front door of Stella''s house. Stella answered, already dressed for work. She looked over Lucy''s shoulder at the big pickup truck that idled at the side of the street. ¡°Don''t say it.¡± Lucy said. Stella looked at her and smiled. ¡°Lucy, I told you I was done lecturing you.¡± She said and handed her the purse and coat she''d come for. Stella put on her own coat and then her shoes. ¡°Do you want a lift?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°No, thanks.¡± Stella grinned. ¡°I''ve had my share of awkward silences this week. I''m going to walk.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Thanks, Stella.¡± ¡°For what? ¡°Not saying ''I told you so''.¡± ¡°Lucy...¡± Stella sighed. ¡°...if you can''t tell the difference between good natured carrying on, and comments about caring about what happens to you...¡± Stella locked her door and walked towards the road. ¡°...then you don''t know me very well.¡± Lucy stood in silence and watched as Stella walk down the road. Clint hit the horn and Lucy walked to the truck. She opened the door and climbed in. ¡°Take me home, Clint.¡± ¡°Whateva ya say, darlin''.¡± Lucy looked at him sharply. ¡°I''m not your ''darling''.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Clint chuckled. ¡°It''s jus'' a sayin''. Ah didn'' mean nothin'' by it.¡± ¡°Then why say it?¡± Lucy asked. Clint didn''t have a good answer for her, so he pulled away from the curb to take her home. Lucy turned her head to face out the passenger window. Stella was right. Lucy thought. This is an awkward silence. ******** Ren woke up with the familiar feeling of Nathalia draped over him, only this time they were under a blanket.
Notice!
Time until full recovery from over-exertion: 15 minutes (Game Time) or 3 Min 45 Sec (Real Time).
He moved his hand along her hip, but didn''t feel the dress she usually wore. He took in a deep breath and Nathalia stirred. ¡°Hi.¡± She said and looked at him. ¡°Hi, beautiful.¡± Ren said and kissed her lightly. Teepo skittered across the ceiling and Ren looked up at him. Hi, Teepo. Ren thought. Thanks for always watching out for me. ¡°Anytime, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I just wish I could do more.¡± What you do already isn''t enough? Ren thought and smiled. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I''ll be fine; but, I think you should ask me what I''m not feeling.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''m not feeling your dress.¡± Nathalia blushed a little and ducked her head. ¡°It was kind of hot with the dress on under the blanket, so I''m just in my slip.¡± Ren slid his hand along her hip, then hooked his thumb under the top edge of her underwear, and she froze. ¡°I''m not feeling the slip, either.¡± Nathalia tried to move around, but the blanket was restricting her movement too much. She sat up and the blanket fell away. Her slip had ridden up above her waist and was tangled underneath her chest. Nathalia looked down at herself, and blushed as she grabbed the end of it to try and pull it down to cover herself. Ren reached out a hand to stop her. ¡°Nathalia, it''s okay.¡± ¡°But... Ren, I didn''t mean to...¡± ¡°You don''t have to be embarrassed.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Why don''t I just make us even?¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Ren stored the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and his set of Traveller''s Clothes into inventory, leaving him in only a pair of Spider Silk Cloth underwear. ¡°There.¡± He said. ¡°Now we''re both only wearing underclothes.¡± Nathalia stared at Ren''s muscular body, and visibly shook. He took her hand and pulled her back down to his chest, then covered them both in the blanket, up to their necks. ¡°I still need to rest for a little while longer, then I have some Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± Ren said as Nathalia held onto his chest. He half-hugged her and rested his hand on her hip, and she snuggled down under the blanket and shivered. ¡°Are you a little cold now?¡± Ren asked. Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I''m not cold... I just... I''m happy that I get to hold you this close.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I know the feeling.¡± He said as Little Ren started to make an appearance. She looked at him. ¡°You do?¡± ¡°Nathalia... if you hadn''t noticed, whenever I hold you close, we get... ah... a visitor.¡± Ren glanced down at himself and the bulge in the blanket. ¡°Every time we touch, I''ve been trying my best to not cover you from head to toe in kisses.¡± Her eyes widened at his confession, and then she smiled. ¡°Me, too.¡± She said, then looked down at him herself. As she was under the blanket, Nathalia had a much better view of what was happening. Since Ren was only wearing a thin pair of underwear, she got a really good view. She shivered again and Ren saw where her face was pointed. ¡°Nathalia, my face is up here.¡± ¡°W-w-what?¡± She said and turned to him. ¡°I hope you don''t want me just for that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Nathalia said and kissed him. ¡°I love you, and it''s a part of you.¡± She said and blushed a little. ¡°Can you blame me if I want to see all of you?¡± ¡°I love you, too...¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°...and I can''t blame you, because I want to see all of you, too.¡± Nathalia blushed and Ren kissed her. She moved a hand to cup the side of his face and Ren did the same to her. They stayed that way for several minutes, and then Ren got another popup.
Notice!
Recovery complete!
Ren broke the kiss and sighed. ¡°Now I have Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± Nathalia wiggled her body back and forth a little and Ren laughed. ¡°You really should get some sleep.¡± Ren said and pulled away slightly. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± ¡°All right.¡± She sighed and pulled away herself. ¡°I''ll be here.¡± ¡°By the gods, I hope so.¡± Ren said to her surprised face. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren started to take off the VR headset and Barbara took it off the rest of the way. ¡°Hi, Barbara!¡± Ren said. ¡°Hey, there.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You''re okay.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I just over-exerted myself.¡± ¡°Ren! You picked up a HOUSE!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah, I know it was stupid... now.¡± Barbara snorted a laugh. ¡°You know it now?¡± She shook her head. ¡°What were you thinking?¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m never doing that again.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Barbara put a hand on his arm. ¡°You had me so worried.¡± ¡°Sorry, Barbara.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I''d known...¡± ¡°Well, you do now.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°At least you got some much needed rest.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If only that were true.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It was like I closed my eyes one second, and then the next, it was almost 2 days later.¡± Barbara sighed. ¡°I hate it when that happens.¡± ¡°You, too?¡± She nodded. ¡°You''re asleep, but don''t sleep at all. Your brain just shuts off, and then it''s on again.¡± ¡°That''s it, exactly.¡± Ren said. ¡°There was nothing in between, despite how long I was asleep.¡± ¡°You''re still exhausted, arent you?¡± Barbara asked. Ren nodded, and then yawned. ¡°I do need the bathroom, though.¡± He said and slid out of bed. Barbara pulled the rollaway table out of the way, just in time for Ren to miss it with his sore elbow. ¡°Watch that elbow, mister.¡± Barbara said. Ren yawned again. ¡°Sorry.¡± He said and walked into the bathroom. ¡°Not as sorry as you''ll be if you bang it.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I bet it''s pretty sore already.¡± Ren did his business quickly and washed his hands. ¡°I don''t really notice it anymore.¡± He said and climbed into bed with a little bit of difficulty, then yawned when he laid back on the pillow. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You''ll defintely wake up in therapy.¡± Ren groaned. ¡°Can I skip it today?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I swear I''ll sleep when I log back in.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°Sure you will. I saw what was going on before you logged off.¡± Ren''s face flushed a little red, and she put a hand on his arm. ¡°You really do need to rest for a while, just like she said.¡± ¡°But... the game said I was fully recovered.¡± Ren said. ¡°You saw the popup, didn''t you?¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°You''re physically recovered, yes... but mentally?¡± Ren yawned again and Barbara chuckled. ¡°I''ll talk to the doctor.¡± ¡°Thanks, Barbara.¡± Ren said and settled in the bed. ¡°You''re the best.¡± * Stella got in to work just on time and made it to the breakroom without having to talk to anyone. She took off her coat and changed her shoes, and adjusted her uniform to make sure it was straight. She looked in the little mirror above the sink in the tiny bathroom and smiled. Even though you were out late last night, you''re still gorgeous! Stella thought and laughed at herself. Time to work! She assembled a nice breakfast of eggs and toast, then slipped in 2 pieces of bacon. He just loves bacon, for some reason. * Ren watched television and dozed a little bit. He tried hard to not go to sleep, since breakfast would be served soon. Bonnie tried too hard sometimes; but Ren couldn''t convince her that he was happy with something simple, like cereal and juice. The room to Ren''s door opened and Stella walked in with a tray. The room was filled with a delicious smell and Ren sat up in bed. ¡°Stella!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He took in a deep breath through his nose. ¡°And is that what I think it is?¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Good morning to you, too.¡± She said. ¡°Hi, Barbara.¡± ¡°Hi, Stella.¡± Barbara said and stood up. ¡°Switched shifts with Bonnie?¡± Stella nodded and put the tray on the rollaway table. ¡°Thanks for sticking around until I made breakfast.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s no trouble.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ll spend as much time with Ren as he needs.¡± ¡°Fangs, boof of vou.¡± Ren said as he chewed on a piece of bacon and had half of a piece of toast sticking out of his mouth. Barbara and Stella looked at him and laughed. ¡°Take it easy there, you glutton.¡± Barbara said. ¡°We''re not going to steal it on you.¡± Ren finished chewing and swallowed. ¡°Are you sure? This is good stuff!¡± He said and bit off another piece of bacon. ¡°You were supposed to save that for last.¡± Stella said. ¡°No evidence must be left!¡± Ren said, shoved the rest of it in his mouth, and kept chewing. ¡°And on that high note, I''m off.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Bye, Barbara. See you tonight.¡± Ren said as he used a fork to cut off a piece of egg. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± She said and Stella walked to the door with Barbara. They stood there for several minutes as they exchanged information. Barbara''s eyes widened and shook her head, nodded and left the room. Stella walked over to the bed and waited for Ren to finish eating, and took the tray. ¡°I''ll be back in a bit.¡± Stella said. ¡°That was delicious, Stella.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Did you even taste it?¡± She asked, and laughed as she left the room. Stella went to the breakroom and Barbara was there, sitting at the table. ¡°I can''t believe Lucy would do that.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You and me both.¡± Stella said and put the dirty dishes in the sink and the tray back on the counter. Barbara put a hand on her arm when she sat down. ¡°Did she tell you any details?¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°No, and I didn''t ask.¡± She said. ¡°I can''t believe how stupid...¡± Barbara pat her arm and pulled her hand back. ¡°She hasn''t been thinking straight for a while.¡± Stella sighed. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Do you think...¡± Barbara said. ¡°No.¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°Lucy needs to work things out for herself. All we can do is offer advice when we can, and hope for the best.¡± Barbara nodded and stood. ¡°I need to tell Doctor Hobbard that Ren is skipping therapy today. He''s exhausted.¡± ¡°I thought he slept all night?¡± Stella asked. ¡°He did, but it was an empty sleep. Brain off, brain on.¡± ¡°Oh, I hate it when that happens.¡± Stella said. ¡°What a waste of time! Why go to sleep at all?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°That''s something else we share.¡± She said. ¡°See you tonight.¡± ¡°Bye, Barbara.¡± Stella said and stood. Barbara stopped and turned around. ¡°Stella, don''t tell Ren about this. He... doesn''t need to know.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°He doesn''t even ask about Lucy, so don''t worry about it.¡± Barbara nodded and waved as she left. Stella left the dishes in the sink and went back to Ren''s room. Now that his belly was full of good food, Ren was quite happy. He watched television mindlessly, thinking about what he had to do in the game. Stella came back into the room and shut the door. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± She asked. ¡°Tired.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°I hear you''re getting out of doing therapy today.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I promised to catch up on sleep when I log back in.¡± ¡°You lucky dog.¡± ¡°I know!¡± Chapter 117 A - The Condom (Some Explicit Content) Stella walked over to the bed and handed him 2 foil wrapped packs. ¡°You should use the bathroom first.¡± Ren took the packs and slid out of the bed. ¡°Good idea.¡± He went into the bathroom and pushed the door until it was almost closed and Stella stood beside the opening. Ren opened the XL one and started to slide it on. It went down about 2 inches, but then he became fully erect and it got stuck. It wouldn''t move down further or move off. ¡°Dammit.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I started to put the XL on, and when I... ah... stood at attention...¡± Ren sighed again. ¡°It''s stuck.¡± Stella took in a deep breath and exhaled. I''m a professional. I can do this. ¡°Ren, I''m going to have to come in to see it.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just... don''t laugh.¡± ¡°Ren, I won''t laugh.¡± Stella said and opened the door, then closed it and set the lock. ¡°I''m more concerned than anything else.¡± She said. ¡°You can turn around.¡± Ren turned to face her, and she saw the size of him. ¡°Good lord.¡± Stella said and knelt. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I should have waited until it was... full... before trying it.¡± He said. ¡°At least the tip isn''t changing color, like it did with the last one.¡± Stella put a hand on his arm. ¡°I''m going to have to touch it. Is that okay?¡± Ren got a worried expression on his face. ¡°Um... I... ah... don''t know what will happen if you touch it now.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Stella asked. Ren sighed again. ¡°It''s... really sensitive.¡± Stella''s eyes widened. ¡°Oh.¡± She said. ¡°You could ''go'' if I do.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That might help, actually.¡± Stella said. Ren shook his head. ¡°No, it won''t.¡± Stella stared at him. ¡°You''re a repeater?¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°You can keep going, even after you ''go'', without... loss of function.¡± Stella explained. ¡°Is that what it''s called?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That''s what I call it.¡± ¡°You''ve seen it before?¡± Stella nodded. ¡°I have.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I shouldn''t be telling you this, but... he was the best boyfriend I ever had.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°He was like a machine.¡± She said. ¡°He kept going and going, on and on, until I was done.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Stella sighed. ¡°If he hadn''t moved away for another job, I''d have married him.¡± ¡°Stella... I didn''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°What are you sorry for?¡± ¡°I''ve brought up bad memories for you.¡± ¡°Bad memories? Not on your life.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°It always brings a warm feeling to my heart when I think about him.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said and looked down at himself. He was still hard, and he sighed. ¡°Stella, don''t hate me if I do go, okay?¡± ¡°Ren, I could never hate you.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°I might not have taken care of you every day like Lucy, but I''ve seen what you went through.¡± She let his arm go. ¡°I don''t know everything that your parents did to you, but I''ve seen some of the results.¡± She said. ¡°Even if something does happen, it''s just a body''s normal reaction to being touched there.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ren took in a deep breath. ¡°The death of the universe, asteroids hitting the Earth, the moon explodes.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°I''m trying to distract myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to have a pretty woman pull a condom off of me. I need to be distracted.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°I''d tell you to close your eyes, but that might make it worse.¡± Ren nodded and grit his teeth. ¡°Go ahead.¡± It was Stella''s turn to take a deep breath. She gently reached out and touched the condom on the side of his member and there was no reaction. She smiled and pinched the edge of the condom and gave it a little tug. Ren took in a breath, but the condom didn''t move. ¡°The long way, then.¡± Stella said and looked at Ren. ¡°I have to touch the skin.¡± Ren nodded and held his breath as Stella put a hand on each side of him and her soft fingertips were placed around his member and on the end of the condom. She pulled her fingertips towards her and hooked the condom''s edge. Ren let his breath out and took another. She did it again and the edge of the condom rolled over. She did the same motion again and Ren hissed. ¡°It''s coming.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m trying not to.¡± Ren responded. Stella chuckled and rolled the condom up a bit more. ¡°Only another inch.¡± ¡°Stella... I don''t know if I can...¡± ¡°It''s okay, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We''re playing with a ticking time bomb here.¡± Stella chuckled, and waved at him. ¡°It''s going to go off. We''re just counting down to when it happens.¡± Ren chuckled, too. ¡°All right.¡± He said. ¡°Run your fingers down the side.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Believe me, it''s the quickest way.¡± Ren said. ¡°I almost went when your fingertips touched it the first time.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''ll take me a minute or two if I do it myself, instead of a few seconds if you do.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°Please, I need your help.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I finish going, I won''t be able to do anything for a few seconds, and then you can get it off.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°It''s going to be a lot, so don''t take it off too soon.¡± Ren said and braced himself against the sink. Stella''s eyes widened, and she nodded as she moved to the side. ¡°You know I''m going to tease you about this for the rest of your life, right?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Stella, I wouldn''t have it any other way.¡± She smiled. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Ren looked at her in surprise. ¡°I think you could blow on it and I''d go.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Don''t tempt me.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ren, you''ve got one of the best ones I''ve ever seen.¡± Stella said. ¡°And you''re a repeater.¡± ¡°But... you work here... we can''t...¡± ¡°Date?¡± Stella laughed. ¡°I wouldn''t want to have a relationship, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I told you. This is just a body''s normal function. There''s nothing wrong with that. If it ever did happen, a little playing between friends is okay.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I can see how much being like this bothers you.¡± Stella said, motioning at his throbbing member. ¡°You''re embarrassed and self-conscious about it, and you shouldn''t be. All I''m doing is offering to help again, if you ever need it.¡± She didn''t gently stroke the side like Ren thought she would. Stella gripped his member tightly with her hand, and gave it 2 little squeezes. ¡°Good lord!¡± Ren said and gripped the sink with his good hand. He started ejaculating, then kept spasming, and the condom started to fill up. ¡°You weren''t kidding, were you?¡± Stella said as Ren kept going. About 20 seconds later, she let him go and Ren relaxed. She watched the spasms as they died out, and she rolled the condom off the rest of the way, being careful to keep the contents from spilling out. ¡°It came off.¡± ¡°It certainly felt like it!¡± Ren said after catching his breath, then looked at her. ¡°Where did you learn to do that?¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Stella said as she emptied the nearly full condom in the toilet and flushed it. ¡°Best boyfriend ever.¡± Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°He was a lucky man.¡± ¡°It''s too bad he didn''t know that.¡± She said as she wrapped the condom in toilet paper and stuffed it in her pocket. ¡°Then he was a fool.¡± Ren said and turned to her. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don''t thank me yet.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''ve got to try the XXL.¡± ¡°Give me a few minutes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought you said...¡± ¡°Yeah, I can go again. Right now.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Stella said. ¡°And just as much?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Then Lucy was a fool, too.¡± Ren smiled crookedly. ¡°It''s not like I could have forced her to stay.¡± He said. ¡°She''d hate me if I tried.¡± Stella put a hand on his arm. ¡°That''s why I didn''t beg my boyfriend to stay.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Are our love lives messed up, or what?¡± He asked, then looked down at himself. It was a little softer and he smiled. ¡°I guess I could have just talked about Lucy.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Keep talking, mister.¡± Stella said and handed him the XXL foil pack. ¡°We''ve only got one more to try.¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t see a XXXL.¡± Ren sighed and opened the pack. He slid it on and he became erect again. It was a little tight, but Stella checked it and smiled. ¡°It''s supposed to be a little tight, to desensitize you a little bit.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s a perfect fit.¡± ¡°Stella... I... to do all of this for me...¡± Ren tried to explain, then shook his head. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I''m happy to help.¡± Stella said and took him into a hug. ¡°It''s what friends do.¡± ¡°Don''t hug so...¡± Ren stood still as his body spasmed half a dozen times. He took a deep breath and blushed when he looked at Stella. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°It''s okay, Ren. That was my fault.¡± She said and let him out of the hug. ¡°Sometimes, I don''t know my own strength.¡± Stella laughed, and Ren shook his head again and laughed, too. They cleaned everything up in the bathroom, and Ren went back to bed. ¡°I''ve got the rest of the pack in my coat. I''ll be right back.¡± Stella said and left. She came back a few minutes later and handed Ren the box. ¡°Now you can have fun in the game, and you won''t have to worry about making a mess out here.¡± Ren slipped another condom on, leaving extra room at the end, just in case. ¡°Thanks again, Stella.¡± ¡°Anytime, little stud.¡± Chapter 118 - Back To Work Stella helped Ren put on his VR headset. ¡°Make sure you stay in bed and get some rest.¡± Stella said. ¡°I will.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you at lunch.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the game and Nathalia was right there waiting. She lifted the blanket and Ren joined her under it. She put an arm over his chest and pulled herself to him. ¡°You stayed awake and waited for me?¡± Ren asked. Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°I''ll always wait for you.¡± He caressed her face and kissed her. ¡°If it''s okay with you, I''d like to stay here in bed.¡± ¡°Anything you want is fine with me.¡± She said and started to snuggle down on his chest. Ren put a hand out and stopped her. ¡°Nathalia? Can you slide up here?¡± Ren said and pat the pillow. ¡°I want to fall asleep while I look at you.¡± Nathalia''s heart leaped, and she smiled as she moved up to put her head on the pillow. Ren turned towards her and just stared at her eyes. Nathalia blushed a little at Ren''s intense stare, then stared right back. ¡°I have a lot to do...¡± Ren said. ¡°...but I promised I''d stay in bed and rest some more.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°I told mom to take care of the workers, and we''ll handle any other details later, when you''re better.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Thank you for taking care of everythi-PRINCESS!¡± Ren exclaimed and sat up in bed. ¡°By the gods, I''ve missed feeding her 3 times!¡± Ren started to roll out of bed and Nathalia caught his arm. ¡°REN!¡± Nathalia shouted, and Ren turned to her. ¡°She''s been fed regularly, and with normal food, not horse feed.¡± Ren sighed and relaxed, then slid back over to her. ¡°You remembered.¡± He said and pulled the blanket back over them. Nathalia chuckled. ¡°After the last time we did it wrong, and you almost lost her... Ma and I promised ourselves that we''d take care of her, if anything happened to you.¡± Ren put a hand on the side of her face and traced her jawline. ¡°Thank you.¡± Nathalia ran a hand through Ren''s hair, and straightened it a little. ¡°Ma''s been paying the wages, too.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°But... that''s...¡± ¡°A platinum a day, for 2 days.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You haven''t told us what you want to pay Dorcot, though.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''ve been paying him with parts of the diamond crystals he cuts for me, then I have him sell them back to me minus 10% of their worth.¡± Nathalia looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°Why in the world are you doing that?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I didn''t plan it that way; but it happened twice in a row. Once he told me that he''d have a hard time selling them, I figured buying them back would be the best way to keep him happy. He gets to do the work he wants, and I get bunches of tiny diamonds.¡± ¡°Why the 10%?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s what I can sell them for as a business owner.¡± Nathalia raised her eyebrows. ¡°So, you''re not making any money off of them?¡± ¡°Besides the resale value, no.¡± ¡°Why are you doing that?¡± ¡°Nathalia, I''ve got a mountain full of diamond crystals. I don''t need to make money anymore.¡± Ren said. ¡°Until it runs out. Then I might need to think about making money.¡± ¡°That could take years!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''m not planning on going anywhere.¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened. ¡°But... the ship...¡± ¡°Already left, if Teepo''s timing is right.¡± Teepo skittered into the room. ¡°Are you questioning my counting?¡± Of course not, Teepo. Ren thought with amusement. You''ve been keeping me on time for everything around here. ¡°Good.¡± Teepo said and skittered up the wall. ¡°Teepo is smart.¡± Teepo is wise. ¡°The captain was holding the cook''s position open for me.¡± Nathalia said. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Which he would have had to fill, when you didn''t go back to load your things on the ship.¡± ¡°I should have sent word to him...¡± ¡°When?¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°We''ve all been so busy...¡± Ren turned his head towards the ceiling. That reminds me... Teepo, can you tell Ruck to go to the workshop and pick up my Portable Leatherworking Crafting Station? Teepo turned around and skittered down the wall and out the top of the doorway. ¡°You got it.¡± Ren turned his head back towards Nathalia, then gave her a quick kiss. ¡°What did I ever do to deserve you?¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°I was going to ask you the same thing.¡± She said and gave him a quick kiss back. ¡°Well, I''m awesome... so that''s your reason right there.¡± Ren said and laughed when Nathalia winced a little. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You thought you were lying when you said that.¡± ¡°I was.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°No, you weren''t.¡± ¡°Nathalia...¡± ¡°Ren. Believe me... the things you''ve done...¡± She said. ¡°...the latest, and the most stupid by the way, moving that house all by yourself...¡± Nathalia looked him in the eyes. ¡°Everything you do is awesome.¡± Ren stared at her, and didn''t know what to say. There was a knock on the bedroom door and Ren smiled. ¡°That''s for me.¡± He said and tossed the blanket off himself. ¡°Be right back.¡± Ren got out of bed and opened the door. He took the Portable Leatherworking Crafting Station from Ruck and stepped out into the hallway and shut the door. ¡°Thanks, Ruck.¡± Ren knelt and opened the station, then transferred the pelt from the Treat compartment to the Drying compartment. Ren stored the crafting station into his own inventory and then looked at Ruck. ¡°Remind me to show you how to mix up replacement potions.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t want you running out, okay?¡± Ruck gave Ren an ''okay'' gesture and Ren stood up. Ruck pat his leg to get his attention. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked, and Ruck took out each of Ren''s portable stations and kits. Ren stored them all and grinned. ¡°Thanks a lot, Ruck!¡± Ren said and bent to give him a hug. ¡°I never even thought of asking you to do that.¡± Ruck gave a ''thumbs up'' gesture and Ren laughed. ¡°I should have lots of wood outside now... I''ll make you a nice big cabinet to stay in.¡± Ruck clapped twice, then turned and walked to the front door. He waved and Ren waved back as he opened the door and left. Narhilda came out into the hallway to see what was going on, and saw Ren standing there in just his underwear. ¡°By the gods!¡± She exclaimed, and waved a hand in front of her face. Ren looked down at himself. ¡°Oops.¡± He said, then opened the door to the old bedroom. ¡°Sorry, I''ll go back to bed.¡± He stepped inside and closed the door. ¡°What was that all about?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Ruck was dropping off my portable crafting stations...¡± Ren said, then crawled into bed and under the blanket. ¡°...and your mother just saw me in my underwear.¡± ¡°You better not be thinking about working in- SHE WHAT?!?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°She must have seen Ruck going by. When she came into the hallway... there I was.¡± Nathalia shook her head and smiled. ¡°You must have given her a heart attack.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I was tempted to go over and help her; but that would have made things worse, I think.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°Definitely.¡± She said. ¡°If you''d walked over to her dressed like that... okay, undressed like that...¡± Ren grinned and settled down in the bed on his side, to face Nathalia. He gave a big yawn and stretched a bit. Nathalia leaned in and gave him a kiss. ¡°Sleep well.¡± She said. ¡°You, too.¡± Ren said, and looked at her until he drifted off to sleep. Nathalia watched him until then, and fell asleep herself soon afterwards. Ren spent the rest of the day in bed, actually resting. He woke up to the smell of cooking food, and opened his eyes. He was looking at Nathalia''s peaceful face as she slept. She stayed in here all day with me. Ren thought. ¡°She did.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I can even tell you that she kept her hands to herself.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter, and Ren smiled. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought and reached a hand out and used a fingertip to tickle the tip of Nathalia''s nose. ¡°, .¡± Ren whispered and she opened her eyes. ¡°Supper time.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°We could just stay in here.¡± ¡°I''d like to, but we have to eat.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then I have Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°All right.¡± She said and flipped the blanket off and sat up. Ren wasn''t sure how it was possible, but her slip had gotten even more tangled up during their extra long nap, and was actually compressing her chest slightly, and the bottom part of one of her breasts was uncovered.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. Nathalia looked down at herself and her eyes widened. She covered herself with an arm automatically and Ren turned away just as fast. He stood up and equipped his Traveller''s Clothes (without the cape) and Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. ¡°Sorry for looking.¡± Ren said as he smiled. ¡°But... to be fair, it was quite the sight.¡± Nathalia blushed as she unequipped the slip, removing the tangle; then equipped the slip again and the fancy green dress. ¡°Okay, you can look.¡± Ren turned around and held out a hand. ¡°My Lady.¡± Nathalia took the offered hand and Ren helped her stand. They went out of the bedroom, through the main room, and into the kitchen. Narhilda was there preparing steaks and mashed potatoes. ¡°That smells good.¡± Ren said, held a chair out for Nathalia, then sat himself. ¡°Did you have a good nap?¡± Narhilda asked as she put a plate of food in front of her daughter, and then in front of Ren. ¡°I did.¡± Ren said, and smiled. ¡°I''m dying to get back to work, though.¡± Narhilda and Nathalia froze and stared at him. ¡°What?¡± He asked, looking at them both. ¡°Ren. You almost did.¡± Nathalia said. Ren opened his mouth, then grinned. ¡°I swear I won''t do anything that stupid in the future.¡± They relaxed at the truth in his words, and afterwards had an enjoyable meal. Ren took one of the steaks and some potatoes out to Princess. She was quite happy to see him, and gave him several licks on the face. ¡°I''m okay!¡± Ren laughed, and Princess calmed down. He put the food in her bowl and she ate it without gobbling anything. He pat the side of her neck. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Princess nodded and huffed, then Ren stood and smiled. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Ren went back inside and to the kitchen. ¡°I''m heading to bed again.¡± Narhilda nodded and Nathalia gave him a kiss. ¡°See you soon.¡± Ren went into the bedroom and laid down on the bed. Be right back, Teepo. ¡°I''ll be here.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren popped out of VR to eat a quick lunch, and enjoyed watching a game show with Stella. When that was done, he checked his email and found nothing but spam. Ren told Stella that he''d be out for supper, and she helped him put on the VR headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren logged back in and woke up on the bed. He saw he was alone and then hopped out of the bed. ¡°Okay. I''ve got stuff to do.¡± Ren said and caught Teepo when he jumped from the ceiling. Teepo crawled into the hood and then Ren went out into the main room and into the kitchen. He saw Nathalia and her mother were standing over the land layout of House Neram. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We''re trying to decide where to start building.¡± ¡°Building what?¡± ¡°A Main House.¡± ¡°I thought this was the Main House.¡± Ren said. Narhilda shook her head. ¡°My grandfather never had the resources to build anything like an actual House.¡± She said and sighed. ¡°His whole family spent everything they had to build this Keep first.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°I grew up playing on some of the lower levels.¡± Ren sat down and stared at her. ¡°That must have been something.¡± She laughed. ¡°You can''t imagine what it was like back then.¡± Narhilda smiled. ¡°Dad dragged me down into the depths of each new room and showed me things I''d never seen before.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I hope that you''ll be able to do that again soon.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°I''ll be starting work on the Keep within the next few days.¡± ¡°But... what about the House?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°Don''t pick a spot yet.¡± Ren said and looked at Nathalia. ¡°I''ll need your help tomorrow with something.¡± ¡°Of course I''ll help.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°With what, exactly?¡± ¡°It''s a surprise.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°At least, I hope it''ll be a surprise. It all depends on if it''s available or not.¡± ¡°If what''s available?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren shook his head and stood. ¡°Tomorrow.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± She asked. ¡°To work, of course.¡± ¡°Work!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°It''s nighttime! You need to go to bed!¡± Ren grinned and gave her a passionate kiss. It left her a little breathless when he was done. ¡°I''ve slept enough for now.¡± Ren pulled out 20 platinum and put it on the table, and looked at Narhilda. ¡°My Lady, please take what I owe you, and then keep paying the workers.¡± He said and stepped away from the table. ¡°Let me know when you need more.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m going to be much too busy to keep track of it all.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You know what? I think you''re right.¡± Ren said. ¡°We should build the Main House first.¡± Narhilda looked at him in surprise. ¡°We should hire a secretary or something to help.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ll also need a nice barracks for the guards while they''re on duty, too.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry. I''m jumping ahead a bit.¡± Ren turned to Nathalia. ¡°Nathalia, I''ll see you at breakfast.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren left the kitchen, walked through the main room, and out the front door. He unlocked the gate, opened it, then stopped. ¡°This first, I think.¡± Ren examined it and moved all the parts, and got the plans for it. He took out his blacksmith''s hammer and repaired it, then looked down at the tiny drawbridge and scowled. ¡°I really should have fixed this a long time ago.¡± Ren took out his mining pick and carefully followed the edge of the drawbridge, digging the end up. When he tried to lift it, however... it didn''t move. ¡°Damn.¡± Ren went back to the side by the gate and examined the hinges with his eyes and fingers. ¡°Yeah, rusted solid.¡± He took out his blacksmith''s hammer and concentrated on all the damage that he could see, then imagined the damage that he couldn''t see. ¡°Repair!¡± Ren said and the entire draw bridge glowed for several moments. When it was done, Ren easily lifted it into place and examined how everything worked. He got the plans for it as well, and then set it back down. It didn''t sit well, now that the ground was uneven. Ren lifted it again and dug out enough room for stone bricks to be placed along the edge of the small moat. He put the drawbridge back down and it sat flush with the ground again. ¡°That''ll do for now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll replace it soon.¡± He stepped back away from it and saw the front of the battlement walls. ¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said and stared at the masterful work that he beheld. When he''d told Barnar to go all out, he figured a few things, here and there; but the entire wall was covered in filigree, leaves, swirls, figures dancing, columns, and even decorative arch supports under the edge of the battlement. In the middle of each section was Ren''s Maker''s Mark, which was now House Neram''s Crest. Ren grinned and walked around the side to see it was done as well. ¡°This looks great!¡± He said and ran to the other side to see it was a clean white wall, making it about halfway done. ¡°Way to go, Barnar.¡± Ren ran up the road he''d made and saw the pile of silt was getting near the roof of the workshop, and it covered a good portion of the land beside it. There was also a huge pile of iron ore. Ren frowned. That''s a lot more than three quarters of a ton of ore. Ren thought. That''s 3 full tons, or my name isn''t Ren. He filled a slot with iron ore chunks and walked around the workshop to look on the other side. When he got there, he saw about 3000 planks of lumber. Ren stored enough to nearly fill a slot, and went into the workshop. He checked to see that all of his stuff was there, and noticed a crate of diamond crystals was missing. Ren stored everything, looked over at Dorcot''s desk, and saw where the missing crate was. Ren walked over to the desk and saw over 60 diamonds of all different cuts. They were on the shelves, in the open drawers, and crowded on the workbench''s top. Ren pulled out some lumber and made a half-sized crate, then put all of the cut diamonds in it. He took out the crate he''d modified before and opened it to take out the few cut diamonds that were in there, and added them to the new crate. Ren stored the old crate and it stacked with the other crates he had, freeing up a slot and stored the medium crate of cut diamonds. Ren made another medium crate, and left it next to Dorcot''s workbench. Ren noticed the long middle drawer was open as well, and looked inside. There were hundreds of small diamonds, worth 1 gold coin each. ¡°Dorcot must have worked for 3 days straight.¡± Ren said and stored the diamonds. They filled 4 slots, making it 396 diamonds, that included the 22 he had before. ¡°Damn, that''s awesome work.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I owe him 336 gold so far.¡± Ren walked over to the huge stack of bricks that he''d left on the paving stones and squinted his eyes. ¡°I''m going to need to angle it, I think.¡± He said. ¡°But if I do that... I''ll need a chute. No, two chutes. One big one for the length of the opening, and one for the other side.¡± He went to the forge and turned it on. He waited for a minute for it to get hot, then put in a few chunks of ore. When they melted, he threw in several more and skimmed off the impurities. Now that no one was around, Ren flung the end of the skimming tool out the 20 foot opening he''d left in the workshop''s wall. The molten impurities spread out in the air and hit the gigantic pile of silt, then hissed as they cooled. Ren added more ore, and kept skimming and throwing the impurities into the silt. Ren stirred the molten metal and let it sit for a while. ¡°Okay. Floor mold.¡± Ren said and took a pile of bricks and made the shape he wanted. It was just a long flat square, about 22 feet wide and 5 feet long, to cover the distance to where he needed it to go. ¡°I could probably make it in sections, but where''s the fun in that?¡± Ren smiled and checked the molten metal. ¡°Almost time.¡± Ren ran back to the house and into the stable. Ren crept by Princess and knocked lightly on Ruck''s cabinet. Ruck opened it and Ren motioned for him to climb on. Ruck did so, and Ren left the stable. Once outside, he ran back to the workshop and the forge. ¡°I need your help pouring again, Ruck.¡± Ren said as Ruck climbed down and gave Ren an ''okay'' gesture. Ruck climbed up the wall behind the forge and stepped across to stand on it behind the smelting apparatus. Ren nodded, and Ruck poured it out slowly, and Ren used the skimming tool to spread the molten metal over the whole mold. It had taken almost all of what had been smelted, but the mold was filled high enough and Ren told Ruck to stop. Ren went back to the smelter and slowly filled it with ore again. ¡°Take a break, Ruck. I''ve got to build the biggest almost-forge ever.¡± Ruck lifted his hands in an ''I don''t know'' gesture and Ren chuckled. ¡°Well, it doesn''t have to be as hot as a forge, since I''m not smelting, but it has to be about 20 feet wide to hold enough to be worth the time using it.¡± Ruck made the same gesture again and Ren smiled. ¡°You''ll see.¡± Ren went over to the opening and stored all the remaining bricks. He then built a 21 foot long wedge-shaped ramp out of wood, to go from a foot from the opening he''d left in the wall (that was about 4 feet off the ground), to a spot 10 feet away (about 2 feet off the ground). It completely crossed the 10 foot paving stone road Ren had built the workshop over. Ren then modified his forge recipe, making it 20 and a half feet wide and 11 feet long, so the 20 foot opening on one side was facing the 20 foot opening in the wall, and the other side faced into the shop. He used up most of the stone bricks he had left to build the giant oven. It took a while to enchant, but Ren eventually finished and looked at the floor mold. ¡°That looks cool enough.¡± Ren said and slid a brick out of the way and lifted the huge piece of steel. He piled a few bricks up as a makeshift anvil, and bent up a foot of steel on each side, so that one end faced out, and the other end fit inside the end of the oven facing the wall opening. He put it in place and nailed it to the wall, and braced the end by the oven with planks and nailed it in place there, too. ¡°Whew. Okay, half done.¡± Ren went to the floor mold and adjusted it so that the sides tapered down from 22 feet wide on one side to only 4 feet wide on the other, and it was 1 foot long. ¡°Ruck, ready to pour again?¡± Ruck gave a ''thumbs up'' gesture and Ren smoothed out the molten metal into the floor mold. ¡°That''s got it. Thanks, Ruck.¡± Ren said and Ruck stopped pouring. ¡°While we wait for that to cool, I better work on something else.¡± He took out his Portable Leatherworking Crafting Station and opened the Drying compartment. He took out the giant boar pelt and felt it. ¡°Nice and dry.¡± Ren recalled the sewing pattern for his own cloak and repeated it exactly, right up until he got to the hood part. He stopped sewing and went to the smelter. He picked up the long thin mold and filled it, then waited for a minute and opened it. The molten metal was just starting to cool and he took out his hammer. ¡°I really should have bought an anvil.¡± Ren said, then slapped himself in the forehead. ¡°Dammit, I do have an anvil. The one I used to defeat Tegwen.¡± He opened his inventory and searched. ¡°Where is... ah, there it is.¡± Ren said and pulled out the anvil and stand. He''d missed it because while it was attached to the stand, it became harder to see in the single inventory slot. After a quite a few hammer blows, Ren finished what he wanted and held up a metal arch. ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said and took out a wind stone to try and help it cool. ¡°Not good enough.¡± He looked in his inventory and smiled. He made a small crate without a top, poured in 2 of the 6 oil flasks he had left, and dipped the metal arch into it. It sizzled for a moment an Ren took it out. ¡°That''s better.¡± He took it over to the giant boar cloak and set it inside the hood. ¡°Just 2 more things.¡± He went back to the forge and used the stirring tool to pick up a good dollop of molten metal, went back to the cloak and put a drop on the underside of the boar''s tusk, held it against the metal band, stuck the hot end of the tool on the other side of the band to partially melt the metal, stored the tool, and then hammered 3 nails through the metal and into the horn. Ren went back to the forge and got another dollop of molten metal and used it on the nail heads. He spread it out and used the wind stone to cool it. He repeated the process for the tusk on the other side and stepped back to let it set. After about 10 minutes, Ren checked the floor mold and saw it was done and popped it out. He went to the anvil and bent a foot up on the short ends of the metal piece, so it would fit in the opening on this side of the oven and then funnel down into a 2 foot opening. Ren secured it with nails by the oven, then built a small brace for the 2 foot wide end of the chute to rest on. He nailed the chute to the brace, then nailed the brace to the floor. ¡°Well! That''s done.¡± Ren said and looked at it. ¡°It''s quite the odd looking thing.¡± ¡°An angled forge?¡± Teepo said. ¡°Yeah, that''s really odd.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°There''s a method to my madness.¡± ¡°Then impress me, oh great maniac.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Just watch.¡± Ren said and concentrated on the oven. ¡°Activate.¡± The whole 20 foot wide and 11 foot long oven lit and hit Ren with a blast of heat. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren said and stepped away to rub his face. ¡°You definitely showed me your madness there.¡± Teepo chittered in delight. Ren laughed and took out some cloth and sewed up a large sack, about 3 feet long and 2 feet wide. He set it on the floor, placed the open end under the chute, and went outside to the silt pile. Ren took out his shovel and shovelled a huge pile onto the chute on this side. It slid down the smooth metal easily and into the oven. Ren kept going along the whole length of the 20 foot chute and the silt slid easily into the oven. ¡°The silt has already been crushed to get any traces of iron ore out of it¡± Ren said and stopped shovelling. ¡°It really is mine waste, but it''s full of the stuff that''s perfect for making something I found the recipe for.¡± Ren said and went back inside the workshop. He stayed back from the opening and watched as the silt slowly rolled down the incline and was baked and dried. The resulting powder rolled down the chute at the end and into the sack. It was almost full and Ren made another sack to replace it, then made 2 more as the next one filled up, too. ¡°What recipe was that?¡± ¡°I checked to make sure the recipe for mortar was the same, and it was.¡± Ren sewed up the top of the first sack and replaced the second with an empty. ¡°The next step up from mortar...¡± Ren said and sewed up the top of the second sack. ¡°...was cement.¡± Chapter 119 - A New Title Ren ended up with 32 bags of powder and stored them in inventory after turning off the oven. He''d had just enough fabric in the bolt of cloth he had in inventory to make the rest of the bags. He could have made more sacks, but he''d used some of it to make coin pouches for the female workers. Of course, that reminded him to make more coin pouches. Ren ran back to the stable and stored all the bolts of cloth there, went back to the workshop and made several dozen high quality coin pouches of various colors. ¡°I''m going to have to hire more general labourers to shovel silt into the oven, and to gather the powder into sacks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can get 40 sacks from a single bolt of cloth, so with the 5 bolts that I have left, that''s 200 sacks.¡± Ren checked the giant boar cloak and the metal arch was cooled off. He folded over the edge of the pelt and sewed the metal arch into the rim of the hood, so that when it was flipped up, the tusks didn''t flop around, or hit the wearer in the head. Ren tested it by holding the cloak at arms length and flipping the hood up, and the metal arch kept the tusks pointed in the right direction. ¡°Sweet.¡± Ren said and stored the cloak. His Leatherworking was now Level 2 (Intermediate 50%), and his Stitching was at Level 1 (Advanced 15%). That had only gone up 5%, even with the size of the boar and the difficulty, and with the 20% bonus for using the portable crafting station. ¡°That''s going to take a lot to level up.¡± Ren looked at the oven and the sacks he needed to make. ¡°I''m going to have to buy more fabric.¡± He was tempted to use the high quality bolts of cloth still stored in Narhilda''s old bedroom closet, but Ren had earmarked them for army uniforms. That assumed the army got off their butts soon and hired House Neram with a regular contract. Ren grinned. He''d be spending a few days in the brig if he''d said something like that to the Commander of the Garrison. Ren stored the Portable Leatherworking Crafting Station and then used up 4 bolts of cloth to make 160 sacks, then stacked them beside the exit chute of the oven. He took out a bit more cloth and sewed up a sack 1 foot square, and unloaded all the 1 gold cost diamonds into it, tied it shut, and store it. His Stitching was now at Level 1 (Advanced 16%). ¡°Yeah, a lot of time to level up.¡± Ren said, then went to the forge. He changed the mold layout on the floor to make several rows 10 feet long and an inch wide, then ran out of bricks. ¡°That''s good enough.¡± He said and nodded to Ruck, who started pouring the molten metal. Ren used the skimming tool to spread the metal along the molds and they were soon filled. He took out the 4 wind bricks that he had and set them on the ends of the molds to let the steel cool. After a few minutes, Ren popped the bars out and had Ruck pour again. They repeated this process twice more and Ren had a dozen 10 foot long and 1 inch wide steel bars. There was still about a quarter of the smelter full of molten steel, and he added more iron ore to fill it. After more impurities were skimmed off, Ruck poured it out into the big blank mold several times. Ren took each one and hammered out the rest of the pieces for a set of armor plate for Nathalia, to match the elaborate breastplate he''d made for her. 2 nice shoulder pieces, thigh high metal boots, and a pair of upper arm coverings. It nearly emptied the forge, and Ren eyed the huge pile of gold ore. ¡°Oh, why not?¡± Ren said and added in the gold ore, with 1 piece of iron ore for every 3 gold. Once it was smelted, Ruck filled the big blank mold several times and Ren hammered out a set of full plate armor for himself. He had about half of his Mana Pool left after enchanting all the stones in the giant oven, and set to work enchanting the armor pieces he''d forged. He enchanted them with double glyphs (8 runes total) with Protection for now. Ren could always modify the enchantments later, and probably would. He took out some fabric, and dyed it black, then used one of Lord Neram''s patterns to sew a skin tight bodysuit to fit under the armor. Once that was done, he equipped the bodysuit and put on the gold armor pieces; minus the armored gloves. Ren still needed access to his rings. Teepo whistled. ¡°You look awesome, Ren.¡± ¡°Thanks, Teepo.¡± Ren had Ruck pour out the last bit of gold/iron mix into the big mold. He''d think of what to do with it later. He tossed in several chunks of iron ore. ¡°That''s great Ruck. You''ve been a big help.¡± Ren said, and Ruck gave him a ''thumbs up'' gesture and climbed down off the forge. He waved to Ren and left the workshop. Ren then sewed up a skintight bodysuit for Nathalia, enchanted her armor pieces with Protection glyphs, polished them to a shine, and then thought about how he''d give it to her. ¡°I think it would be better in a box, rather than handing it to her as a bunch of pieces.¡± Ren said, then pulled out enough wood to make a long box, just over 4 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 2 feet deep. He built it and got a popup.
Stat Change!
Woodworking Level 7 (Beginner 0%)
Ren dyed the box red and laid the bodysuit in first, set the armor pieces in the proper spots, then noticed something was missing. ¡°I forgot a helm of some kind.¡± He said, then had an idea. ¡°Maybe a big tiara instead.¡± Ren checked the molten metal and skimmed off some impurities, and stirred it vigourously. ¡°I''m almost out of time.¡± He said, then took out the medium crate of cut diamonds. Ren chose several different ones, to try and decide which one would be best in the center. ¡°Oval is definitely the best for the center, because it doesn''t have the long pointy end underneath.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Imagine equipping a tiara and then having the diamond embed itself into your forehead!¡± ¡°You''d become a diamond monocerus.¡± Teepo said, then chittered in laughter. Ren laughed and picked a good-sized oval, about 3 inches across, and set it aside. He picked 2 smaller ones about 1 inch across, to put on either side of the big one, and stored the crate. He concentrated on Nathalia and enchanted the big oval with a quadruple glyph of Lightning, one of the smaller ones with Water, and the other small one with Terror, to match his rings. Ren checked the molten metal, and it looked good enough. He poured it into the long thin mold, let it set for a moment, took it out and folded it in half. He used a chisel to cut comb-like teeth in the ends so that Nathalia could slip it into her hair, then hammered the metal lightly into the proper rounded shape. Ren placed it face up on the anvil. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± Ren took the big oval diamond and put a dollop of molten metal on the tiara and pushed the diamond down into the surface, making sure the enchantment was facing in the right direction. He repeated this with the two smaller diamond ovals and smiled. He was tempted to set a bunch of the little diamonds around the big ovals, but the metal was cooling too quickly to do that. He''d have to find a good jeweller somewhere to teach him how to do this properly. Ren left it on the anvil to cool and poured the last of the molten metal into the long thin mold and deactivated the forge. Ren walked over to the opening in the wall, and saw it was getting light out. He took out enough lumber to make a partition wall around Dorcot''s workbench, leaving him a lot of room for both the big crate of diamond crystals and to move around. If there was going to be other people in here, he didn''t want them to bother Dorcot while he worked. Ren went back to the anvil and the tiara was cooled off. He put it in the box with the armor pieces, covered it in cloth, then placed the Giant Boar Hooded Cloak on top. He closed the box and stored it. ¡°I really hope she likes it.¡± Ren said and left the workshop to go back to the house. ¡°If she doesn''t die from the shock, she''s going to love it.¡± Teepo said. Ren grinned and walked down the road to the front gate. The metal didn''t grind at all anymore and Ren locked it behind him, then pulled the rope to close the drawbridge and tied it off. He walked into the house and saw that no one was in the kitchen, and went to the old bedroom. Nathalia was there on the bed, still dressed. Ren walked over beside the bed, and Teepo hopped out of the hood. How much time before breakfast? Ren thought. ¡°About an hour.¡± Ren laid down on the bed and Nathalia stirred, then looked at him. ¡°Good morning.¡± She said. ¡°Good morning, beautiful.¡± Nathalia blinked a few times and then sat up in the bed. ¡°What in the world are you wearing?¡± ¡°This thing?¡± Ren said and lifted his armored arms. ¡°It''s just something I threw together.¡± Nathalia opened her mouth to speak and then looked at him. ¡°You really just made that tonight?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I finished making something else, and decided I needed something better than leather armor.¡± She reached out a hand and stroked the gold metal. ¡°It''s wonderful.¡± ¡°Wait until I polish it. You won''t be able to look at it without hurting your eyes.¡± Ren said and grinned. Nathalia chuckled and laid back down. ¡°Are you leaving it on?¡± Ren nodded slightly again. ¡°There''s only about an hour left before breakfast, and I want to get used to wearing it.¡± He said. ¡°Then I''ll need you to come with me to the Main Keep.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She said and tried to slide closer. The full plate mail stopped her from cuddling close, though. ¡°You''re not going to wear it all the time, are you?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren chuckled. ¡°No, it''s just for when I go out in public.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She said and took his unarmored hand. ¡°I like cuddling you.¡± ¡°I like being cuddled by you.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You can recharge me, if you feel like it.¡± Nathalia smiled and used her healing several times over the hour, as they both lay there and watched each other until breakfast. They got up and went out to the kitchen when it was time, and Teepo tagged along. Narhilda stared at Ren''s golden armor, then grinned. ¡°I think you might be over-reacting to me seeing you in your underwear.¡± Ren and Nathalia laughed and sat down at the table. They enjoyed a good breakfast and then Ren took some food out to Princess and fed her. He went back inside and went to the kitchen table. He knelt by Nathalia''s chair and took her hand. ¡°My Lady, this is the year for courting gifts, and I''ve made something that I hope will please you.¡± Ren said formally. Nathalia''s eyes widened as Ren asked her to come into the main room, as there wasn''t room in the kitchen for it. She nodded, Ren stood up, and helped her stand as well. ¡°This way.¡± Ren said and led her into the main room. He looked at the couch, and it wasn''t a good spot. ¡°You can use my chair.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Mother?¡± Nathalia said and turned around ¡°It''s okay.¡± She said. ¡°I think this is a special occasion.¡± Nathalia smiled and nodded. Ren grinned and sat her in the chair. When she was comfortable, Ren took out the large red wooden box and placed it on the floor in front of her. ¡°Please accept this humble gift, that I made with my own hands.¡± Nathalia reached a hand out and stroked the red wood. ¡°Any gift from you, is more than any woman deserves.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I accept your humble, hand-made gift.¡± Narhilda stepped close to stand over her daughter''s shoulder to get a good look. When Nathalia opened the crate, they both gasped and Narhilda gripped the back of the chair to stop herself from collapsing. ¡°By the GODS, Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°When... when did you do this?¡± ¡°It took a couple of days to treat; which, either fortunately or unfortunately, I was unconscious for the most part.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m just glad I had Ruck drop off my crafting stations the other night and set it to dry. I made it last night while you were alseep.¡± ¡°This is what you did all last night?¡± Nathalia asked, stunned. Ren smiled. ¡°Well, in between a bunch of other stuff I did.¡± He said. ¡°I needed to wait between projects, and did this up.¡± She stared at him in surprise. ¡°You... you made this... masterpiece... in between other projects?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I told you I had a lot of work to do.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Nathalia shook her head. ¡°Ren, you shouldn''t have.¡± She said and lifted out the Giant Boar Hooded Cloak. ¡°This is too much!¡± ¡°You can''t turn it down, Nathalia.¡± Ren smirked. ¡°You already accepted my humble hand-made gift.¡± Nathalia opened her mouth to protest, then smiled. ¡°That''s why all the formality.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I couldn''t take the chance that you''d say no.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Nathalia said and stood. ¡°I don''t know what to say.¡± ¡°Don''t say anything yet.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°That''s not all that''s in the box.¡± ¡°It''s not?¡± Ren motioned to the box and Nathalia reached in and lifted the cloth. ¡°By the GODS!¡± Nathalia sat back in the chair in shock. ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°I said I did other projects last night.¡± Nathalia stared at the gleaming steel armor and was left speechless. Ren knelt by the box and pointed to the empty spaces. ¡°I already gave you the breastplate and the gauntlets.¡± Ren said. ¡°So I made these to match.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia said, and tears came to her eyes. ¡°When you said... when you told me you''d make me more pieces when you made a forge... I didn''t expect...¡± ¡°That makes the gift even more special when its unexpected.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m heading to the Main Keep.¡± Ren said and stood. ¡°I wanted you to be as impressive to everyone else, as you are to me.¡± Nathalia dried her tears of joy and stood. She took a deep breath and smiled. ¡°Very well.¡± Ren handed her the black bodysuit and Nathalia equipped it. It replaced her slip and then she stored the fancy green dress her father made for her. Ren handed her each armor piece and she equipped each in turn, then added the breastplate she still had in inventory. Nathalia left the gauntlets off, just like Ren did. ¡°You have your sword; but, I thought you might want some of the same options that I have.¡± Ren took the tiara out of the box and showed it to Nathalia. ¡°The middle one is a Lightning enchantment, similar to my ring.¡± Ren pointed to his own raised platform ring. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°This one is Screaming Terror, to help make your enemies fear you.¡± Ren said and pointed to his other ring. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°This one I call Water Spray, and it''s like my Water Spray ring as well.¡± He pointed to the last ring. ¡°You''ve seen them used in battle.¡± Ren said and looked at her. ¡°Just concentrate on which you want to use, and say Activate.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I... I can''t...¡± Ren turned to face her. ¡°I know you may not need any of this right now; but by the gods, you will have the option of using them if you ever do need them!¡± Nathalia put a hand on Ren''s hand that held the tiara. ¡°I''ve never used anything like this before.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Just point your pretty face at something, and think ''lightning activate''. Then watch it explode.¡± He placed the tiara in Nathalia''s hand and she equipped it. It spanned Nathalia''s forehead and the ends were dug into her braided hair. ¡°Now the cloak.¡± Nathalia equipped it and gasped. Ren''s Aura spread out to 40 feet, and he assumed Nathalia''s did, too. ¡°I''d hoped it would work just like my cloak.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Ren, I...¡± She stepped close to him and looked him the eye. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren bent slightly and kissed her. They heard a sob and turned to see Narhilda crying. ¡°My little girl is growing up.¡± ¡°Ma.¡± Nathalia said and went to her to give her a hug. ¡°I''m still your little girl.¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°You look so regal.¡± She said and turned to Ren. ¡°You both do.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. ¡°That''s the look I was going for.¡± ¡°You were?¡± Narhilda asked. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It''s like I told Nathalia. I want people to be impressed when they see us.¡± Narhilda looked at his gold armor, and Nathalia''s gleaming steel armor. ¡°You''re definitely impressive.¡± She said. ¡°But... why is yours so dull compared to my daughters?¡± ¡°I want everyone to see her, and ignore me.¡± Ren said grinned. ¡°Who''s going to look at me with Nathalia in the room?¡± Nathalia''s mouth dropped open and Narhilda chuckled. ¡°You''re right.¡± Her mother said. ¡°She''s quite the sight to behold.¡± ¡°That''s what I told her.¡± Ren said and saw Nathalia blush slightly, then winked at her. She remembered her slip being tangled up in bed and the blush filled her face. Ren reached out a hand to Narhilda. ¡°May I see the rings I gave you?¡± Narhilda held her hand out and Ren took the Strength ring off, absorbed the enchantment and enchanted it with a double glyph (8 runes of Augment) and thought Strength. He put it back on her finger and her eyes widened. He did the same for the Vitality ring and she took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°By the gods, Ren!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°You''re too good to us.¡± Ren smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek, much to her surprise. ¡°The better I get, the better the House gets.¡± Narhilda stood on her tippy toes and gave Ren a kiss on the cheek back, much to his surprise. ¡°Yes, we definitely need to register a new ritual.¡± ¡°Mother...¡± ¡°What? I really liked that.¡± ¡°I know you did.¡± Nathalia said, and smiled. ¡°A bit too much, I think.¡± Her mother grinned. ¡°It''s so nice to have a man around the House.¡± Nathalia rolled her eyes. ¡°Come on, Ren. She''s getting into one of her moods.¡± Ren chuckled and nodded slightly. ¡°We''ll be back later, My Lady.¡± ¡°See you then.¡± Narhilda said and waved. Ren and Nathalia left the house and he let her open the gate to see her reaction. She unlocked it and didn''t notice the lock opened smoothly, then yanked on it hard, to open it. ¡°Whoaaaa!¡± Nathalia said as the gate flew open easily and she whipped around and nearly fell. Ren caught her easily and held onto her. ¡°Before I forget to tell you, I fixed the gate.¡± Nathalia looked at him with her mouth in a little ''o'', then scowled. ¡°You did that on purpose.¡± Ren grinned and kissed her. He broke the kiss a minute later, and she smiled. ¡°I''m still mad.¡± ¡°I know.¡± He said and let her go. ¡°My Lady, after you.¡± Nathalia turned and then stopped. ¡°What in the world?¡± She said. ¡°The drawbridge is up!¡± ¡°I couldn''t stop at the gate, could I?¡± Ren chuckled and untied the rope holding the drawbridge up and let it out slowly to lower it. ¡°I''ll be replacing it later; but for now, it works.¡± He walked over to her and took her hand. They walked across the drawbridge to the road and turned to walk to town. ¡°What''s that?¡± Ren said and stopped walking. He saw a crowd gathered around in front of Dorcot''s tiny house. Teepo! Go! ¡°On it!¡± Teepo jumped out of the hood and skittered as fast as he could down the road. ¡°Oh, that?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It''s just a little surprise for you.¡± Ren looked at her and raised a single eyebrow. She automatically reached up to rub it with her thumb and Ren chuckled. ¡°Ren, you''re not going to believe this.¡± Teepo said. What is it? Ren thought. ¡°It''s nothing bad, so your Trouble recipe won''t kick in.¡± Ren relaxed and started walking again. As they approached the crowd, several people turned and gasped. Of course, once someone pointed them out, everyone else turned around to stare at Ren in his gold armor and Nathalia in her gleaming steel armor. ¡°Concentrate on your main Aura ability, Nathalia.¡± Ren whispered, and Nathalia nodded slightly. When they were close enough, the crowd parted like water and several of the workers nodded. Ren gained 30 Honor, and dismissed the popups as he saw what the crowd was staring at. On the other side of Dorcot''s house, out of view of House Neram, was a statue in a little courtyard. They''d even put several benches and hedges along the outside. The whole thing would be in clear view when you came up the road, and Ren stared at the statue in the center. It was a half-sized statue of Ren, bent over and carrying a house on his back. He read the inscription and gasped at the popups he received.
New title!
You have earned a new title: Atlas This title is given to those that can carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, and grants the bearer: Inventory (Modified), Strength: +20, Vitality: +20
Notice!
Your accomplishment of moving an entire house (and all of it''s contents) by yourself, without damaging them, has spread to the general population. Influence: +1000 Honor: +1000 Fame: +1000
Notice!
Your Influence has reached an unprecedented level (5000+). You are now considered a Warrior by all that see you.
Notice!
Your Fame has reached an unprecedented level (5000+). You are now: Renown.
¡°By the GODS!¡± Ren said. ¡°I told you that you wouldn''t believe it.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter as he crawled up Ren''s Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and into the hood. ¡°Who... who did this?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Barnar.¡± Dorcot said as he and Angeilin came out of their house. ¡°I offered to pay for it, but he said it was something that he had to do.¡± ¡°I can''t believe...¡± ¡°You can''t believe it?¡± Dorcot said and laughed. ¡°You carried my wife''s house over 8 miles, all by yourself.¡± ¡°You''re amazing, sir.¡± Angeilin squeaked, and her face flushed a little red. ¡°And you look very dashing.¡± Ren looked at her and smiled. ¡°Thank you, Ma''am.¡± He said, then looked at Dorcot. ¡°I cleaned up your desk of all the... clutter.¡± Dorcot chuckled. ¡°Yes, it was quite cluttered.¡± Ren took out a coin pouch and handed it to him. ¡°Equip this, please.¡± Dorcot did and Ren slipped him 4 coins without showing him what they were. ¡°I built a temporary wall around your work area and left you an empty crate for the... clutter.¡± Dorcot nodded and put the coins in his new coin pouch and then gasped. ¡°By the gods!¡± ¡°That''s a gold for every small one in the drawer, and enough to cover any you do today.¡± Dorcot shook his head. ¡°You really are crazy.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°That''s what everyone says.¡± He said and heard several carts coming up the road. ¡°I think that''s everyone coming to work.¡± He turned around and counted the carts as they passed. Each one had a driver and 2 workers, and they all nodded to Ren. He dismissed the popups automatically. When he got to a dozen, he stopped counting. ¡°What''s going on?¡± ¡°The word''s gotten around that you pay well for a good day''s work.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°More carts show up every day to go to the mines.¡±
Stat Change!
Aura (Personal) Level 4 (Beginner 0%)
¡°Wow.¡± Ren said as workers kept nodding to him and Nathalia. When he saw several carts from Barnar''s shop, he waved to them. One pulled over and Ren grinned as Barnar hopped out of the back. ¡°Barnar, what were you thinking?¡± Ren said and waved at the statue. ¡°It''s great, isn''t it?¡± Barnar said and walked over to the statue. ¡°I even got the window frames right.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Barnar grinned. ¡°I can''t convince you to take it down, can I?¡± Barnar shook his head. ¡°I can''t. It''s already registered at the Main Keep as a ''noticable feature''.¡± ¡°You didn''t!¡± Ren exclaimed. Barnar smiled. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said, then shrugged. ¡°I hope people can get used to looking at me all the time.¡± ¡°I haven''t.¡± Nathalia said, immediately. ¡°You''re a delight every time.¡± Ren looked at her, and then around at the crowd. Several slight nods met his gaze. ¡°We have to go.¡± Nathalia said and tugged on Ren''s hand. ¡°We need to get to the Main Keep.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Ren said. ¡°See you all later.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± Angeilin squeaked as Ren and Nathalia started to walk down the road. The last cart in the line pulled over and the three women stared at Ren and Nathalia. ¡°Sir, Ma''am.¡± The driver said, slightly embarrassed. ¡°I''d like to offer my cart and pony if you need a ride.¡± Ren looked at her and smiled. It was the driver of the cart he''d ridden in to the mines the first time. ¡°Thank you for the offer.¡± Ren said, then turned to Nathalia. ¡°Would you rather walk, or ride?¡± ¡°I''m tempted to walk, just to spend the extra time with you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°But the faster we get there, the faster you can spring yet another surprise on me.¡± Ren grinned and turned to the driver. ¡°We''d appreciate the ride. Thank you.¡± They went around to the back and Ren helped Nathalia climb in and climbed in himself. He greeted the other two women and sat down. The cart turned round and took them to the Main Keep. Ren and Nathalia climbed down and the driver offered to stay. Ren shook his head. ¡°Thanks, but I don''t know how long we''ll be here.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°We''ll find our way back later.¡± The driver nodded slightly and pulled away. Ren took Nathalia''s hand again and walked up to stand in the line to get in the Main Keep. The guard by the gate waved them forward when he saw them standng there. Some of the dwarves in line started to protest, until one of them got a good look at Nathalia and her Giant Boar Hooded Cloak. ¡°Deathgore!¡± They said and pointed. Everyone turned and looked at her. Nathalia didn''t blush from embarrassment at all of the attention, and Ren felt quite proud of her. She looked at him in surprise as she picked up on it, and Ren grinned. Our Aura''s are getting more in tune. Ren thought as they entered the Main Keep. He kept a hold of her hand and didn''t get in line, and went to the General Information door and opened it. When he looked around, he saw that everyone was staring at Nathalia and smiled. They entered the hallway and Ren shut the door. He led Nathalia to the other door and stopped. Teepo. Teepo hopped out of the hood and landed on the wall, then squeezed through the opening at the top of the door. ¡°The one taking care of the records was really amazed about us killing the Deathgore.¡± Ren told Nathalia. ¡°She might want to... ah... pet it for a while.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°Like when I saw your cloak up close for the first time?¡± She said and ran her hand over the soft black fur. Ren smiled. ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Okay, I''ll be ready.¡± She said. ¡°All clear, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Thanks. Ren opened the door and walked into the room, still holding Nathalia''s hand. ¡°By the gods!¡± They heard someone yell. Ren smiled. ¡°I think she knows we''re here.¡± Nathalia smiled, too. ¡°Then let''s not disappoint her.¡± Ren grinned and they walked through the aisle until they came to the spot with the desk. The female dwarf was sitting there with a look of pure shock on her face. ¡°You... you...¡± She said and pointed to the Giant Boar Hooded Cloak. ¡°I had to honor the Deathgore properly.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now everywhere Nathalia goes, they''ll know its death isn''t just a story or a rumor.¡± The female dwarf stood. ¡°May I?¡± She asked. Nathalia nodded and the female dwarf ran around the desk and snuggled into the cloak. Nathalia felt amusement and chuckled a little. ¡°Is this how you felt when I was doing that?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± Ren said. He waited until the female dwarf sighed and walked back around the desk, before speaking again. ¡°My fiance and I want to file a land claim.¡± Ren said and Nathalia took in a sharp breath. ¡°Figured that out, did you?¡± The female dwarf smiled. Ren chuckled and she turned around and took out the two maps, one for the city and one for the countryside. ¡°The city one first.¡± Ren said and she unrolled it for him. He pointed to House Neram and the 2 square miles it owned. ¡°I see a lot of open land there.¡± The female dwarf nodded slightly. ¡°It''s on the outskirts of the city, so there''s not a lot of demand for it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°There is now.¡± He said and traced his finger the 5 miles down the side road to reach the main road of the city, then went the other way and made a square 10 miles long and 5 miles wide. ¡°What''s land near the city go for these days?¡± He asked. ¡°About a hundred gold a square mile.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Nathalia gasped. ¡°Can two different plots of land be registered at the same time, under the same deed?¡± The female dwarf grinned. ¡°Damn, you''re good.¡± Ren grinned himself. ¡°I''ve had a bit of time to think about it.¡± She unrolled the countryside one and Ren put his finger on the plot he owned, which was already added to the map. He moved his finger up and down the mountain range and along that whole side of the map. ¡°I''d say the rest of the countryside should be enough, I think.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Nathalia and the female dwarf yelled together in shock. ¡°It''s only about 900 square miles.¡± Ren said. ¡°That leaves a mile between the new plot and the convent, and 2 miles between it and Dornrach.¡± The two women stared at him. ¡°It''s only 90 platinum.¡± Ren said. ¡°ONLY 90 PLATINUM!¡± They yelled together. ¡°It''s 50 platinum for the lot around House Neram, why are you upset over another 90?¡± They both clamped their mouths shut and Ren smiled. ¡°Be right back.¡± Ren said and stepped around the edge of the shelf and walked a little ways away. He took out the crate of cut diamonds and selected a half-dozen good sized ones and sold them to the system at a 10% discount, making 155 platinum. Ren stored the crate again and walked back. Nathalia and the female dwarf were still staring at him. ¡°You can do up the deed now.¡± He said and put 140 platinum on the desk. ¡°By the gods.¡± The female dwarf said and sat back. ¡°I''ll... um... just give me a minute.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Take all the time that you need.¡± Chapter 120 - A Library? It took the female dwarf several minutes to recover enough to do the proper paperwork, and Ren sewed up a sack to put the coins in. She counted the coins out and added them to the sack, tied it to the paperwork, and dropped it into the filing cabinet.
Notice!
You have registered a land claim at the Main Keep. You now co-own 900 square miles of unclaimed land from the outskirts of Dornrach to near the land border of Convent Vongurhm, and 50 square miles of registered city land within Dornrach''s city limits.
The female dwarf opened the bottom cabinet and took out 2 rolls of parchment. She came over to the desk and handed one to Ren and one to Nathalia. Ren opened his and read it.
Land Deed
This Deed indicates co-ownership of 900 square miles of unclaimed land (Map Included), and 50 square miles of city land (Map Included). Copies can be purchased at the Hall Of Records for 1 gold coin. Note: A permanent structure must be built on both sections within 1 year.
Notice!
Your aquisition of such an expansive plot of land has gained you Influence. Influence: +95,000 (100 Influence per square mile)
Notice!
Your Influence has reached an unprecedented level (20,000+). You are now considered a Knight by all that see you.
Notice!
Your Influence has reached an unprecedented level (80,000+). You are now considered a Prince by all that see you. Aura Bonus: +2 levels. Aura (Personal) is now Level 6 (Beginner 0%)
Ren heard Nathalia gasp, and saw her pull out a chair from her inventory and she sat down. He turned to her and knelt. ¡°Did you get...¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°I... Ren...¡± She swallowed then waited a moment to regain her composure. ¡°I was a princess because I was the daughter of the Lady of House Neram, but... I guess it was in name only... because now...¡± Ren took her hand. ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± She nodded slightly again and took several deep breaths. Ren turned towards the female dwarf. ¡°I knew I''d gain a pile of Influence for buying so much land, but I never thought...¡± The female dwarf smiled. ¡°Yes, your highness?¡± Ren motioned to her and she chuckled. ¡°You can always rescind your claim.¡± She said and grinned. ¡°And forefit any money paid.¡± Ren''s eyes widened at her, and then shook his head. ¡°Or not pay taxes for a year.¡± The female dwarf said, and leaned over the map. ¡°For your particular lots... let''s see...¡± She counted up the square miles he had. ¡°1 gold for the unclaimed land per year, and 2 for the city limits.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow, and she smiled. ¡°You want to know why are the taxes so low?¡± The female dwarf asked, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It''s simple, really. Our economy can''t support a high taxation rate.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°People can only buy so much land with what they make. If they somehow do manage to get a loan, they have to work it off before taking possession. That doesn''t include building a house on it, either. It''s a lot of money right off the bat.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Unfortunately, most of the land reverts back to the Kingdom before the debts are paid.¡± ¡°So, all that land I just bought was previously owned?¡± The female dwarf shook her head. ¡°Only the land within the city limits. The land out here...¡± She said and pointed. ¡°...really is unclaimed.¡± ¡°Then what about the city land?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Is there anyone living there right now?¡± She nodded slightly. ¡°People have been renting the land there from us.¡± She smiled. ¡°A big farm about a mile from you.¡± ¡°That''s the farm we get our food from.¡± Nathalia said, finally recovered from the shock. ¡°Nonyar and Magdhal''s Farm.¡± ¡°Congratulations. You''ve become their new landlord.¡± The female dwarf said. ¡°We already have a couple of residents.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°The more the merrier.¡± ¡°If word gets around that you''re looking for tenants, you might get flooded with petitions for residency.¡± ¡°We''re planning on building a Main House first.¡± Ren said. ¡°You wouldn''t happen to have the plans for that, do you?¡± ¡°There''s another stupid question.¡± The female dwarf said and laughed, and Ren joined her. She turned around and rummaged through another shelf. ¡°Another one?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°The last time I was here, I asked if she had a map.¡± Nathalia snorted a laugh and the female dwarf turned around with a big grin on her face. ¡°Isn''t he just a jewel?¡± Nathalia nodded slightly and squeezed Ren''s hand, then let it go. The female dwarf showed Ren the plans for a Main House, and he studied them. Once he learned them, he smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Do you want a copy?¡± She asked. Ren shrugged. ¡°Sure, why not.¡± He said and dug out a gold coin. ¡°Say, I better pay 5 years of taxes while I''m at it.¡± ¡°W-w-what?!?¡± Ren took out another 50 platinum and 75 gold. ¡°I was only going to pay this years, then I was tempted to pay 10 years; but I''ve only got enough left on me to cover 5 years.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I guess people don''t prepay their taxes.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°They don''t want to pay it when it''s due!¡± The female dwarf said, and Ren laughed. She took the money, filled out another form, and dropped both into the filing cabinet. While Ren waited, he stored the deed and copy of the Main House plans and remembered his inventory had been modified. He examined it and saw he didn''t have any more slots than he had already. ¡°Show info on Inventory (Modified)¡±
Inventory (Modified)
Your normal slot carrying capacity (99) has been increased (199).
Ren stared at the popup as the female dwarf came back to her desk and sat down. ¡°Will there be anything else, your highness?¡± Ren closed the popup and looked at her. ¡°Now that you''ve reminded me, can we subdivide the land any way we want? Or is there a set pattern? Do we lease it, or can we deed it? Do we lose Influence if we do? What about-¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Stop! STOP!¡± The female dwarf said and then laughed. ¡°You apparently have questions.¡± Nathalia laughed and Ren grinned. The female dwarf opened a drawer in her desk, took out a small pamphlet, and handed it to him. ¡°The answers to your questions are in there.¡± She said. ¡°Only about land ownership, though.¡± He took it and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Anything else, your highness?¡± Ren thought about it and shook his head. ¡°Not that I can think of.¡± ¡°Thank the gods!¡± Nathalia exclaimed, stood up, then stored the chair. ¡°I don''t know if I can take another one of your surprises today!¡± ¡°What other surprises did he give you?¡± Nathalia fluttered the cloak out and motioned to her armor. The female dwarf stared at her in surprise. ¡°He gave you all of that TODAY?¡± Ren chuckled and looked at the female dwarf. ¡°You don''t happen to need a replacement for that ''toy'' I left here the last time, do you?¡± The female dwarf laughed, shook her head, and took out the gold coin Ren had given her. She spun it on the desk and smiled. ¡°Let me know when you want a replacement.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. The female dwarf looked at Ren curiously. I thought he would be different than those other ''nobles'' that want people to bow to them. She thought and took Ren''s hand. I better do it. I don''t want to lose Hon- Ren bent over her hand in a show of respect, and her eyes widened as he gave her Honor instead. He let her hand go and turned around. Teepo dropped from the ceiling and was caught by Ren''s outstretched hands. He crawled up into the hood as Ren walked with Nathalia down the aisle to the exit. * She''s one lucky woman. The female dwarf thought and spun the coin again. * Ren opened the door for Nathalia and they walked down the hallway. He stopped at the other door and turned to her. ¡°You gathered a lot of attention when we came in here, because of your beauty and prowess.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re really going to get it now.¡± ¡°And you''re not?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren leaned in close and whispered in her ear. ¡°With you in the room, I''m practically invisible.¡± ¡°Ren, that''s not true.¡± Nathalia put a hand on his chestplate and put her head against his. ¡°You stand out just as much as I do.¡± Ren leaned back to look her in the eyes. ¡°Who looks at the moon, when they can see the sun?¡± Nathalia smiled as she recognized part of the Devotion ritual. ¡°Without the moon, the sun has no reason to shine.¡± Ren gave her a light kiss on the lips and stepped back to take her hand. ¡°Concentrate on your Aura ability again.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly and Ren opened the door. They were greeted with gasps and stares as they walked across the large lobby area. Several dwarfs pointed openly at them, and hushed conversations ensued. The 2 guards on duty inside the Main Keep, opened the front doors as Ren and Nathalia approached it and nodded. Ren led Nathalia outside the building and they were greeted with the same kind of reception outside as they''d had inside. Ren kept walking while holding Nathalia''s hand, and the guard opened the exit gate and let them through, and nodded as they passed. Once outside, they walked down the road, and most of the dwarves that they passed, all glanced their way. ¡°Can I stop concentrating now?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I think I''m getting a headache.¡± ¡°Sorry, Nathalia. I should have told you that after we were outside the gate.¡± Nathalia sighed as the strength of her Aura dropped. It was still there; just not as noticable. She looked at Ren. ¡°You''re still concentrating on it, aren''t you?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I''m trying to train it.¡± ¡°Train it?¡± ¡°The longer you concentrate on it, the more it will level up.¡± ¡°Then maybe I should...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, you''re right. Don''t try and do it all at once.¡± ¡°But you are.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I''m me.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I can ignore a lot of pain.¡± ¡°So it hurts you eventually, too? Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I think it''s from over-use; like a muscle that you exercised too much.¡± ¡°That''s what it feels like!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I was trying to come up with something to compare it to.¡± She looked around. ¡°Um, Ren... where are we going?¡± ¡°To the Library.¡± ¡°The what?¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°You don''t know what a library is?¡± ¡°I know what it is, you nut.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°We don''t have one here.¡± Ren grinned and stopped in front of a small alleyway. Another job for you, buddy. ¡°One is pleased to serve.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter as he hopped out of the hood, then skittered down the alleyway. ¡°What if I told you that there actually was one?¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°I''ve lived here all my life. I''ve never even heard that there was a Library in Dornrach, let alone seen it.¡± ¡°It''s just a small room and a female dwarf sitting behind a desk.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren smiled and walked down the alleyway, and pulled Nathalia with him. ¡°Why are we going through this alley?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°The street corner is just around the building.¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to the Library.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°Ren, I-¡± Her words cut off as she saw a small 1 storey building, barely bigger than the main room of House Neram. ¡°What the?¡± Ren knocked and waited for a response. ¡°You may enter.¡± Ren opened the door and entered. Nathalia stumbled in after him. There were stacks and stacks of books from floor to ceiling. There wasn''t any shelves at all, just books. Ren had to turn sideways part way down the space he was walking in, to avoid knocking over one of the stacks. They arrived at the back of the room and came to a stop at a small desk and the female dwarf that sat there stared at them. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m looking for a book on dwarf runes.¡± The female dwarf smiled. ¡°Library card, please.¡± Ren handed his over and the female dwarf examined it. She looked at Ren and then frowned. ¡°I''m sorry, sir.¡± She said with regret, and held the Library card out to him. ¡°You''re only a Rank D reader. Everything in here is Rank B or higher.¡± Ren stared at her with wide eyes. Holy crap! Rank B and higher only! He sighed and took his card back. ¡°Sorry for wasting your time.¡± ¡°It''s no trouble.¡± The female dwarf smiled again. ¡°You''re the first visitor I''ve had in decades.¡± Ren held a hand out to her and she took it. He bent over it and smiled at her quick inhale of breath. ¡°I''m pleased to be the first in so long.¡± The female dwarf waved a hand in front of her face when Ren let her hand go. He turned to leave and she spoke. ¡°Wait.¡± Ren stopped and turned around. ¡°I may have something.¡± She said and stood. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren and Nathalia stood there and waited as the female dwarf disappeared around the stacks of books. Teepo? ¡°She''s going into a tiny bedroom at the left of the room.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s stacks of books there, too.¡± A few minutes later, the female dwarf came back and handed Ren a brightly colored children''s book. ¡°This isn''t actually a part of the Library.¡± She said. ¡°I saw you''ve read another child''s story, and remembered that I still had one of my own.¡± Ren took it from her gently and read the cover.
Brunhilda and the Water Sprite
Her Further Adventures in the Land of Giants
¡°May I read it?¡± Ren asked before opening it. The female dwarf nodded slightly and Ren smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± He opened the cover and saw that it was a picture book and had a few words on the bottom of each image. Ren took his time examining each picture and then read the text underneath. Even doing that, it only took a few minutes for the book to be finished, and he closed the cover.
Notice!
You have read a story from the Lore Of The Ages Series
Notice!
Your Hidden Knowledge skill has allowed you to find secret information in this book. You have learned the Dwarf Rune: Illuminate, and a name: Kytal
¡°Thank you very much, Ma''am.¡± Ren said and handed the book back. ¡°You are quite welcome, young man.¡± The female dwarf said. ¡°It''s so nice to finally meet someone who respects books as much as I do.¡± Ren looked at the stacks and stacks of books and then back at her, with a raised eyebrow. The female dwarf giggled and then had a shocked look on her face. ¡°Did... did I... just giggle?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I sometimes have that effect when I use my awesome eyebrow powers.¡± Both Nathalia and the female dwarf giggled at the same time, and then they stared at each other. ¡°It''s true?¡± The female dwarf asked Nathalia. ¡°So far.¡± She said and grinned at Ren''s surprised expression. The female dwarf snorted a laugh and sat down behind her desk. ¡°They may look disorganized, but everything is in perfect order and in perfect condition.¡± She said. ¡°I can''t afford to put up all the shelves needed for everything, let alone find the space to put up the shelves in the first place.¡± ¡°I could.¡± Ren said and the two women looked at him. ¡°Now that I see what''s needed, I''d like to offer to build the shelves, so you can put these treasures where they belong.¡± The female dwarf looked at Nathalia. ¡°Is he crazy?¡± ¡°So far.¡± Nathalia said and laughed. The female dwarf looked at Ren. ¡°I can''t pay you.¡± ¡°Ma''am, I wouldn''t accept any money from you, even if you offered it.¡± ¡°What?¡± She said, surprised. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°For one, I don''t need it.¡± Ren said. ¡°For another, it''s something I''d like to do... for the books.¡± She had a surprised expression on her face for a moment, and then she grinned. ¡°You sir, have a deal.¡±
New Quest!
You have volunteered to build enough shelves to hold all of the books contained in the Library. No time limit has been set to complete this quest. Rewards: 1000 XP, ????
¡°I''ll have it done as soon as possible.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to head home for now to take care of a couple things, but I''ll be back with enough wood for the shelves.¡± The female dwarf nodded slightly and smiled. ¡°I''m looking forward to it.¡± Ren and Nathalia walked across the room and reached the door. Teepo dropped into the hood of Ren''s cloak and Ren opened the door. Nathalia stepped passed him and he shut the door behind him. He took her hand and they walked down the alley and out onto the street. Once there, they made it to the main road and walked all the way back to House Neram. Carts filled with silt passed them constantly and Ren grinned at all the hard work everyone was doing for House Neram. As they approached the house, there was still a crowd gathered near the statue. A lot of them stared at him and Nathalia as they passed. Ren nodded slightly to them and he led Nathalia to the gate. Barnar''s group were working on the blank side now, and several waved at Ren. He waved back and led Nathalia through the gate and into the courtyard. He shut the gate behind them and locked it. Nathalia looked at him in surprise and Ren smiled. ¡°I''ve got Adventurer''s business to do, and I don''t want any unexpected visitors while I''m out.¡± Ren explained. ¡°Are you expecting any?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, but it''s better to be safe than sorry.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly and they entered the house. ¡°Ma! We''re back.¡± Nathalia said and Ren followed her through the main room and into the kitchen. ¡°Did you have a good ti- By The Gods, Nathalia!¡± Narhilda ran over to her and gave her a hug. ¡°H-how?¡± Nathalia nodded at Ren. ¡°He bought a bit of land for us.¡± Narhilda raised her eyebrows, and Nathalia chuckled. ¡°Okay, he bought a LOT of land.¡± Nathalia said. Narhilda looked at Ren and he smiled. ¡°How much land?¡± ¡°You don''t want to know that right now.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ll tell you later.¡± Narhilda nodded slightly. ¡°So, what are you up to now?¡± She asked Ren. ¡°I''ve got some Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also have something for the both of you to do.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren cleaned off the kitchen table and took the giant boar''s carcass from inventory. ¡°I''ve got a little bit of ham and bacon for you to harvest.¡± ¡°We...we''re going to eat it?!?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Why not? Boar is a rare meat I hear.¡± He said. ¡°Don''t cut it apart or throw it away once all the meat is off of it, though. I want it back.¡± ¡°There''s not enough room in the icebox for this much meat.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll make a bigger one.¡± He walked out of the kitchen. ¡°Make sure there''s lots of bacon!¡± He said and walked down the hallway to the bedroom. Teepo hopped out and Ren climbed onto the bed. I''ll see you in a little bit, Teepo. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Logout.¡± Chapter 121 - Building Shelves Ren lifted off the VR headset and Barbara took it from him. ¡°Barbara? What are you... oh, crap.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°Yes, Ren. You spent the night working in the game and missed supper. It''s 10pm right now.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I logged in after lunch, I spent the day sleeping. It''s messed up my timing.¡± ¡°Sleep does that, sometimes.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ve kept the food warm for you, though.¡± ¡°Thanks, Barbara.¡± Ren said and Barbara went to get it. He watched television until she returned with the tray and he ate supper quietly. ¡°I''d suggest you sleep tonight in the game, though.¡± Barbara looked at Ren sternly. ¡°You''ve got therapy in the morning, and Doctor Hobbard won''t let you skip it twice in a row.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll be there.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°I like your new metal suit.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, it''s pretty cool.¡± He said. ¡°I''m going to change the enchantments on some of the pieces, or modify them at least.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I think the Protection it has now isn''t versatile enough, and I need something else.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°It''s always good to be prepared.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I try to plan for everything I can think of, but...¡± She sat down next to the bed. ¡°You shouldn''t worry too much about things.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Go in there and have fun playing the game. That''s what it''s for.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''m having almost as much fun watching you, as you are playing it.¡± ¡°Then be prepared to be amazed!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Like the Librarian is going to be.¡± ¡°Ooo, what do you have planned?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°You''ll see.¡± Ren said and motioned for the VR headset. ¡°So will everyone else.¡± ¡°Go get ''em, tiger.¡± Barbara said and put it on him. Ren laughed. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the bed alone and rolled off the side to stand up. ¡°Coming, Teepo?¡± ¡°Always.¡± Teepo said and hopped into the cloak''s hood. Ren opened the bedroom door and walked out through the hallway, then into the main room and into the kitchen. ¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said as he saw all of the plates, bowls, platters, and cooking pans that covered every available space in the kitchen. ¡°Hi, darling.¡± Nathalia said and came over to him. Ren leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°You''ve both been busy.¡± Ren said. ¡°This?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°We''re about half-way done.¡± ¡°Half-way?!?¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°Ren. The giant boar was bigger than a full-sized horse.¡± Nathalia said and chuckled. ¡°There''s a lot of meat.¡± Her mother Narhilda opened the oven and pulled out another cooking pan, dumped out the contents onto a platter piled high with meat already, and filled it with raw meat to put back in the oven. ¡°I didn''t think...¡± Ren shook his head and smiled. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He went out into the courtyard and built a new icebox. It was nearly 4 times the size of the old one, with a lot more shelves and several more enchanted stones with both Ice and Wind runes. It was dyed to match the kitchen table, and Ren went back inside the house and moved the old one aside, and put the new one in it''s place. He loaded all of the plates of cooked meat into it, then the bowls and platters. The icebox was now half full. ¡°Did you send someone to buy more plates?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Better.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°We sent word to the farm that we had a pile of extra meat, and let the workers out there know that supper would be served here, and they could bring their families.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Ren''s eyes widened as he looked at her. ¡°Everyone will be eating in here?¡± Narhilda laughed. ¡°Not in here.¡± She said and waved at the kitchen. ¡°We need a big strapping man, who''s handy with a hammer and nails, to make a bunch of tables out in the field across the road.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll do it right away, My Lady.¡± He said and left the kitchen, walked outside, and gathered up the pile of wood that was there. He unlocked the gate and went across the road, and examined the ground. ¡°It''s a little uneven.¡± Ren took out his hammerpick and did his lot clearing technique to make a space 100 feet by 100 feet, then cleaned it with his shovel. ¡°Much better.¡± Ren said as he took out a pile of wood and made 40 tables, 8 feet long and 4 feet wide. They were put in 5 rows of 8 tables at a right angle to the road, leaving a good amount of walking space around them. If they had 8 people per table, 4 per side, that was enough seating for 320 people. Ren then made 320 chairs and leveled up Woodworking twice, and Saw once. Since he was making chairs anyway, he finally got the chance to make the 30 comfy chairs that the Stonemason''s Guild tried to order, and stored them. He put the normal chairs in the right spots around the arranged tables. Once that was done, Ren made one long table that was 64 feet long and put it parallel to the road, so food could be placed on one side and then taken buffet style from the other. Ren looked at the tables and frowned. He''d dyed them all dark brown, but they looked plain without tablecloths. He ran back across the road and into the kitchen. ¡°I''ve got to run to town and buy some more cloth.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s quite a bit left in the closet.¡± Narhilda said and put another pile of meat in the oven. Ren shook his head. ¡°I won''t use such great fabric for simple tablecloths. It should be saved for something important.¡± Narhilda looked at Ren and smiled. ¡°You''re right, of course.¡± Ren smiled back. ¡°My Lady, do you still have that request from the Stonemason''s Guild?¡± Narhilda nodded slightly and took off her apron. ¡°I''ll go and get it.¡± She said and left the kitchen. ¡°How''s the table building coming along?¡± Nathalia asked as she put another platter into the icebox. ¡°It''s not.¡± Ren said, then laughed at her surprised expression. ¡°It''s already done. That''s why I need the tablecloths.¡± He smiled. ¡°The chairs are done, too.¡± ¡°Chairs?¡± Narhilda asked as she came back into the kitchen and handed Ren the piece of parchment. ¡°Once I started making tables, I figured people would want somewhere to sit while they ate.¡± He said and stored the parchment. ¡°That makes sense.¡± She said. ¡°I was just going to put the food out for people to get it themselves.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°There''s a long table for that, too.¡± ¡°There is?¡± ¡°You can go look if you want.¡± Ren said and turned around. ¡°I''ll be back soon.¡± He left the kitchen and the house, then closed the gate behind him to lock it. Ready, Teepo? Ren thought. ¡°Am I ever!¡± Teepo said, and Ren ran as hard as he could down the road. ¡°Wheee!¡± Teepo chittered in delight as the hood bounced him up and down. The small crowd around the statue watched Ren as he ran by, quick as a flash. ¡°Was that?¡± ¡°Did you see?¡± ¡°He''s pretty fast.¡± ¡°He''s in full plate armor!¡± ¡°How can he run like that?¡± Some of the carts passing the other way to go to House Neram slowed down to watch Ren run by, and he chuckled. He made it back to the main part of the city a few minutes later and slowed down. He avoided the street with all the market stalls, as he didn''t want to deal with haggling at the moment. Ren went several blocks over and stopped at the end of the street. Teepo, same deal. The main lobby, and anything that can be seen from there. ¡°Give me a couple of minutes.¡± Teepo said and hopped out of the hood. He skittered down the street and past the guard. Ren stood there on the corner and waited patiently. After several minutes, Teepo spoke. ¡°It''s the same setup as House Longore. Main lobby and desk, offices off the hallway behind. 2 guards this time. One inside, one out.¡± Excellent. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought and walked down the street to the House and up the steps. The guard opened the door for him and nodded. Ren dismissed the Honor gain popup and stepped inside. He walked over to the reception desk and asked to see some of the fabric they had for sale. ¡°Of course, sir.¡± The female dwarf said and pulled out several different kinds of colors and weaves. ¡°We have basic cloth, strong weave for toughness, thin weave for breathability...¡± ¡°How much is a bolt of basic cloth?¡± ¡°3 silver.¡± ¡°Do you have a tight weave, that can hold something like sand?¡± ¡°We do. It''s 6 silver.¡± ¡°I''ll take 3 bolts of the basic cloth, and 100 bolts of the tight weave.¡± Ren said. ¡°White, please.¡± ¡°Did... did you just say... a hundred?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It should be enough for my immediate needs, but I might be back for more.¡± ¡°M-m-more?¡± ¡°Do you have that many in stock?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ll have to check.¡± She said and stood. ¡°Please wait here.¡± Teepo, can you follow her? ¡°I can.¡± Teepo said and Ren saw him skitter across the ceiling after the female dwarf''s retreating figure. Several minutes passed and then Teepo spoke. ¡°She''s talking to the textile foreman.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They''ve only got 20 in stock... and they''re arguing over putting a rush on tight weave over the normal cloth.¡± Damn. Ren thought. I had hoped they''d have more.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°It''s not like you can sit there and sew the sacks yourself.¡± Not exclusively, no. Ren thought. I can do it while waiting for other things to be done, though. ¡°The foreman''s going to task 2 of the 10 looms they have to the tight weave you want. It''ll take 2 days for the full order.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought. Come on back. The female dwarf came back to the reception desk and Teepo was on her shoulder. He hopped off and landed on the desk. Ren put his hand on the desk''s top and Teepo crawled up his arm. ¡°We don''t have that many, sir.¡± She said. ¡°We''ll have that many in a couple of days, though.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll take the 3 basic, and any tight weave that you do have in stock, and you can deliver the remainder to House Neram in a couple of days, when you get them made.¡± The female dwarf smiled and reached into a drawer. Ren pulled out 6 gold and 9 silver and put it on the desk. She took out the order form, and Ren signed it as she took the money. She left the desk again and went in the back. Ren waited about 10 minutes and she came back with a worker that pushed a small cart filled with bolts of cloth. ¡°Do you have a cart outside, sir?¡± She asked. ¡°No, I''m an Adventurer. I''ll carry them.¡± Ren said, and then stored the 20 bolts of tight weave cloth, and 3 bolts of basic cloth. ¡°Thank you for your order, sir.¡± Ren nodded slightly and left. He walked over several blocks to the lumberyard and walked inside. The female dwarf there recognized him right away and stood. ¡°Is there a problem with your order, sir?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Of course not.¡± He said and approached the desk. ¡°In fact, you''ve delivered more than the promised amount for this week.¡± She smiled. ¡°When we sent the end of week delivery, the workers noticed all the contruction and we rushed the next delivery.¡± ¡°That won''t put you behind, will it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, sir. We''ve brought in extra workers to handle the demand.¡± ¡°Can you bring in more?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve got a big project that needs taking care of immediately.¡± The female dwarf put a hand on her chin. ¡°What kind of project?¡± ¡°I''ve got a 1 storey building, about 50 feet by 50 feet, that needs another level built on top of it.¡± Ren thought about how many books there were at the Library, and changed his mind. ¡°Better make that 2 levels, and possibly a third, depending on how things turn out.¡± ¡°When would you like a crew sent?¡± ¡°Is now too soon?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Now?¡± She asked. ¡°I said I''d have it done as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Let me go and talk to the foreman.¡± ¡°I''d appreciate that, thank you.¡± Ren said. Teepo. Teepo hopped out of the hood and followed the female dwarf out the back. ¡°She''s talking to him, and asking if there''s a crew available for heavy construction.¡± Teepo said. ¡°He''s nodding and pointing to several people.¡± Ren smiled and waited patiently. ¡°They''re gathering together materials and loading some carts.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m coming back.¡± The female dwarf came back with Teepo on her shoulder and smiled. ¡°It seems we do have a crew.¡± She said and sat down at the desk. ¡°It''s a big job you''ve requested, and on short notice.¡± She pulled out an order form and looked at Ren. ¡°Is there a limit to how many workers you want?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°If more hands will get it done faster, and without getting in each other''s way...¡± She nodded. ¡°Then I''ll hire them.¡± Ren said. ¡°How much for all the materials and extra labor?¡± ¡°We have 10 people available right now, and it''s a gold each per day.¡± She said. ¡°Heavy labor is more expensive than basic labor.¡± ¡°That''s understandable.¡± Ren said. ¡°What about the materials?¡± ¡°It''s another 15 gold.¡± She said. ¡°The extra long supports for crossing the distance are more expensive.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said, handed her 25 gold, and signed the work order. ¡°Can I ride with them? I need to show them where to go.¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± She stood up and walked down the hallway again. The female dwarf came back a minute later and smiled. ¡°They''ll meet you out front.¡± Ren reached a hand out to her and she took it. ¡°Thank you very much for your help.¡± He said and bent over it. Teepo crawled across and up into the hood. ¡°Y-you''re welcome.¡± She said, a little flustered. Ren left the building and waited a few minutes for the line of carts to come around to the front. They pulled over and Ren climbed onto the seat next to the driver. He gave the driver directions and the driver took him to where he wanted to go, then shook his head then they arrived at the alley. ¡°We can just go around.¡± He said. ¡°You''d just be coming up the other end of the alley to get to the building.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Okay.¡± The driver flicked the reins and led the train of carts down the alley and came to a stop in front of the small building. ¡°Hey, there is a building here!¡± Ren chuckled and hopped off the cart. ¡°No one comes down here, so you can set up what you need right here.¡± The driver nodded and the couple of workers in the back hopped out as well and started to unload everything. The other 4 carts started to do the same thing and Ren went into the building. He made his way though the stacks of books to the desk at the back of the room. ¡°Why, hello there!¡± The female dwarf said and smiled at Ren. ¡°How are you going to work while wearing your fancy armor?¡± ¡°The same way I do while not wearing it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Carefully.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Alright, let''s get to work.¡± ¡°Ma''am?¡± The female dwarf stood up and grinned. ¡°You don''t think I''d let you touch these books without my supervision, did you?¡± ¡°No, Ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was hoping you''d tell me where to start, since I don''t know your filing system; but I don''t expect you to help build anything.¡± ¡°Why?¡± She said and scowled. ¡°Because I''m a woman?¡± ¡°No, Ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°Some of the best workers I know are women.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°You have to tell me what books are going where, how high to make the shelves, if you want them floor to ceiling, which way to point the freestanding shelves so you can see them, and then sort the books to put on the shelves. You won''t have the time to help build anything.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Then that''s okay.¡± Ren smiled, too. ¡°So, where does the filing system start?¡± The female dwarf walked to the right and Ren followed her over to the wall. ¡°Right here.¡± She said and pointed to the book on the very bottom of the floor to ceiling stack. ¡°It''s alphabetized and catagorized.¡± ¡°How do you reach the books at the top?¡± Ren asked and looked up the 8 feet to the ceiling. She smiled, went back to her desk, and came back carrying the chair she was sitting in. ¡°The most versatile piece of furniture ever invented.¡± She put it down on the floor in front of the stack and Ren climbed up onto it. ¡°I''d like to try something, if I may?¡± Ren reached up and touched the top book, then stored it. He stored each book in the stack until he got down to about 4 feet. He looked into his inventory and saw that they''d all stacked into the same slot. That could be good or bad. Ren thought and pulled out a book from the slot and put it on the stack, then again and again. ¡°They''re in the right order.¡± The female dwarf said and smiled. Ren didn''t tell her they were actually in reverse order of how they were stored. First in, last out. Ren stored enough stacks to clear a 10 foot section, then the female dwarf told him how high to make the shelves. Ren modified his cabinet recipe and took off the doors, and was fortunate that there was enough room for a cabinet with 7 shelves at 8 feet long, and there was 7 stacks of books that were almost 8 feet high. Ren didn''t have to cut the wood at all and assembled the cabinet. He took the books from his inventory and put them on the shelves, starting with the bottom shelf and working his way up until he''d filled the shelves. ¡°That''s perfect!¡± The female dwarf exclaimed. Ren kept repeating this process, only taking enough stacks of books to fill the next cabinet of shelves. He heard banging and saws and things happening outside, but the female dwarf didn''t mention hearing anything, so Ren finished the whole row of cabinets along the length of the building, and turned to the female dwarf. ¡°Six cabinets fill the length of the room.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s one row done.¡± He turned to the next stack. ¡°Where does your filing system go to now?¡± ¡°Back down the end.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought it would be right here.¡± He said and pointed to the stack they stood next to. The female dwarf shook her head. ¡°I couldn''t keep track if I alternated them.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°No problem.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll keep everything single sided.¡± They walked down the aisle and to the next row of stacks. Ren kept working and finished that row of cabinets, and then another. He ran out of wood and told the female dwarf he''d be back in a little while when he picked up more wood. She waved at him and marveled at all the nice shelves she had. Ren went outside the small building, and when he turned around, saw that it wasn''t so small anymore. The frame was already up and half of the second floor was already covered. The foreman walked over to him. ¡°Where did you want the stairs?¡± The foreman asked and showed Ren the basic plans. ¡°Right here. 4 feet wide, at the back of the building.¡± Ren took out a piece of charcoal and drew what he wanted, and drew in the small bedroom at the back. The stairs would only fit where the female dwarf''s desk was, and would end above her bedroom. ¡°Put the stairs to the next level beside that in the other direction.¡± Ren drew in where to put them. ¡°Hold off on the main floor for now. I''ve got to clear it out before you can add them.¡± ¡°Thanks for letting us know.¡± The foreman said and turned back to supervise the crew. Ren took off running and ran all the way back to House Neram. He ignored the stares from everyone he passed and ran up the road he''d made, and to his workshop. The pile of lumber on the side was still there, and Ren stored piles and piles of lumber, filling 10 slots in his inventory to their modified capacity of 199 items. With almost 2000 planks he felt that would be enough to make the shelves, assuming his count of 7 stacks per 10 feet was accurate. Ren looked around and noticed that the tent was gone. ¡°Someone took my tent!¡± Ren said, surprised. One of the women that was on break from shoveling silt came over. ¡°Your highness? The guards are using it.¡± ¡°What guards?¡± ¡°The House Neram guards.¡± She said. ¡°It''s on the other side of the house.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for telling me.¡± He started to walk away, then turned back to her. ¡°How did you know about the tent?¡± ¡°My husband is one of the guards.¡± ¡°I thought Wohrum wasn''t married.¡± The woman chuckled. ¡°He''s not. I''m married to his best friend, Golir.¡± Ren looked at her in surprise. ¡°Will you be moving here?¡± She nodded her head slightly. ¡°As soon as the loan is approved.¡± Ren''s face lost all of it''s expression. He took in a deep breath and stepped over to her. ¡°How much is the loan for?¡± ¡°I-it''s for 40 gold.¡± She said and dropped her head. ¡°Don''t do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look at me, please.¡± She looked up with surprise on her face. ¡°Where are you getting the loan from?¡± Ren asked. ¡°H-House Lodur.¡± She said. ¡°I-it''s the only place to get loans.¡± Ren frowned at her words. ¡°Please cancel your petition for a loan.¡± He said. ¡°I will not have people going into debt to move here, then have to work for months somewhere else, just to have a basic living requirement!¡± Ren handed her 40 gold as several other women came over. ¡°I''ll try and get a crew out here tomorrow to build houses.¡± He said and turned away from her. Ren ran down the road and then towards the city. * ¡°By the gods!¡± ¡°Did he just...¡± ¡°I can''t believe...¡± ¡°He''s really generous.¡± The other women kept talking, but Golir''s wife just stood there in shock, and didn''t say a word as she stared at the pile of gold in her hands. * Ren turned around and ran back up the road and towards the group of women that had gathered around Golir''s wife. He slowed down and walked over to her. She held the money out towards him. ¡°Sorry, I nearly forgot...¡± Ren said and took the money back, and heard several gasps from the other women. He pulled out a coin pouch. ¡°You''re going to need this.¡± He handed it to her and told her to equip it. When she did, he gave her the 40 gold coins back, and she put it in the coin pouch without saying a word. Ren smiled and stepped away, gave her a nod, then turned and ran down the road again. * ¡°I thought he was taking it back!¡± ¡°I thought that, too.¡± ¡°I can''t believe he gave it to her again, like the shock from the first time wasn''t enough.¡± Golir''s wife stood there in shock, and watched Ren''s figure run down the road until he disappeared from sight. * Ren went to the tables and took out the 3 bolts of basic cloth and dyed them red, measured and then cut it to the proper length to cover the tables. Once that was done, Ren ran back to the main part of town, and stopped at the Stonemason''s Guild. The guard opened the door for him without asking him what he wanted or where he was going. Ren went inside and up to the floor where the office of the dwarf that Narhilda had arranged for him to see the first time. He knocked on the door and the dwarf told him to come in. When he saw Ren''s armor, he nearly choked on the piece of bread he was eating. Ren saw that the ugly chair was still in front of his desk, but saw a blue tint on the one behind the desk. ¡°Y-y-yes, yes¡± *cough* ¡°Please come in.¡± *cough* The dwarf said and wiped the crumbs off of his desk. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± Ren took out the piece of parchment and held it out. ¡°I''ve got that delivery for you.¡± The dwarf sat up straight in the chair. ¡°Really?¡± He said. ¡°Excellent. Excellent.¡± He looked at Ren expectantly. ¡°How much?¡± Ren''s Haggle skill kicked in, he smiled, then looked at the ugly chair. ¡°That one was 10 gold, wasn''t it?¡± The dwarf looked at the offending chair. ¡°Yes, the piece of trash was 10 gold.¡± ¡°The chair I lost around here somwhere would be much better, if someone had found it.¡± ¡°Yes, much better.¡± ¡°Then wouldn''t double that...¡± Ren motioned to the chair. ¡°...be fair?¡± ¡°Double?¡± The dwarf shook his head. ¡°No, no... not that much. It''s a nice chair... assuming someone found it.¡± He said. ¡°Perhaps... it''s worth the same as that one.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Surely you jest. I sat in that once. I can still feel it.¡± The dwarf laughed. ¡°I do, too!¡± ¡°How about we split the difference.¡± Ren said. ¡°15 gold per chair.¡± The dwarf squinted his eyes, looked back at the offending chair, and smiled. ¡°Deal.¡± Ren took the 30 chairs out from inventory and the dwarf handed him 450 gold. ¡°A pleasure doing business with you.¡± Ren said and opened the office door. He turned around and the dwarf was already laying aross the chairs. Ren grinned, shut the door, and walked downstairs. He left the Stonemason''s Guild and ran over to the Library. The second floor was completely closed in and Ren nodded slightly to the foreman, who nodded slightly back. Ren worked the rest of the day storing books and building cabinet shelves. He was running out of room and had to push the shelves together. He''d made it about halfway across the room when he saw the female dwarf yawn. ¡°Ma''am? Why don''t you head to bed.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll finish this row and then come back tomorrow to keep working.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea, young man.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°Goodnight.¡± She went around several stacks and Ren walked out to the workmen that were starting to pack up. ¡°I''ve got the room for the stairs now.¡± Ren told the foreman. ¡°Sorry, but the day''s over. We''re all heading home.¡± He said. ¡°We can come back tomorrow and finish them.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Dont worry about it. I''ll finish them myself.¡± ¡°Are you sure? It''s no trouble to come back.¡± ¡°Actually, it might be.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I''d like to hire you and your crew to build a house or two out at House Neram.¡± ¡°A house or two?¡± The foreman asked, squinting a little. He''d detected a slight lie. ¡°Okay, a dozen or so.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re crazy.¡± The foreman said and smiled. ¡°That''s what everyone says.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°Alright, we''ll head out there tomorrow.¡± The foreman said. ¡°Do you want them all to be the same house?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Different, if possible.¡± ¡°Oh, it''s possible, but it''ll cost ya.¡± Ren grinned and pulled out a couple of platinum coins to show the foreman. ¡°I''m good for it.¡± The foreman whistled and then grinned himself. ¡°I''ll bring 2 crews.¡± Chapter 122 - A Banquet Ren went back inside the Library and built the last cabinet for that row, put the books on it, and moved it over with the others. When that was done, he looked at the space where the female dwarf''s desk was, and then at the ceiling. He smiled and climbed up onto the desk, and let the system show him where the stairs would go. He took out a bolt of the tight weave fabric, measured out enough to cover a wide enough area, and sewed up a giant bag. Ren stepped inside it and nailed it to the ceiling, all along the edge of the hole he needed to cut. He cut out the rectangular hole for the stairs, and stored the piece before it fell. He took down the giant bag he''d made to catch the sawdust and bundled it up to store it. Once that was done, Ren measured out the length and width of the available space, stored the desk, and made the stairs to go up to the next floor. He went up them and saw that it was just a big empty space, and had another set of stairs. He went up those as well, and saw another big empty space. There were no windows, as the building was nestled so tightly between the surrounding buildings that you couldn''t see out the windows if they were there. I hope she likes it. Ren thought, then went down the stairs to the second floor and made several simple tables and chairs. He went down to the first floor, exited the building, and made sure the door was locked before he left. He took off running and Teepo chittered in delight. They made it back to House Neram about 10 minutes later, and Ren slowed down at the sight that met him. 3 dozen carts lined the side of the road, and Ren walked over to the picnic area he''d made earlier. Nearly every seat was filled; people were chatting and enjoying themselves as children ran around the tables. ¡°There he is!¡± Someone shouted and the chatter died down as everyone turned to look at him. A cheer went up, then another, and people started clapping. Nathalia came out of the house gate, wearing her fancy green dress, and carried another plate of food over to the serving table. She saw him and grinned. ¡°What''s all this?¡± Ren asked and motioned at the practically full gathering. ¡°I better let Dorcot explain that.¡± Nathalia said and waved to the dwarf. Dorcot stood up after kissing his wife Angeilin, and came over to where Ren stood. ¡°Dorcot? What''s going on?¡± ¡°Well...¡± Dorcot started to say, then grinned. ¡°...I went to visit my brother-in-law at the mines the other day.¡± Ren looked at him expectantly, and he continued. ¡°When I told him about what happened with Angeilin, he was pretty angry.¡± Dorgot said. ¡°Then I told him about your plan to handle the situation...¡± ¡°And?¡± Ren prodded. ¡°...he decided that your ideas for the mine were pure genius.¡± ¡°He didn''t!¡± Dorcot nodded. ¡°He doubled the amount paid per cartload, changed the day to three 8 hour shifts, and brought in high quality food for the miners to eat.¡± Ren rubbed his forehead. ¡°He didn''t give the cafeteria to the cooks, did he?¡± Dorcot looked at Ren strangely. ¡°Was he supposed to?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It was supposed to be a money saving idea, not a money draining idea.¡± He sighed. ¡°Is he at least charging the miners for the food?¡± ¡°What?!?¡± Dorcot exclaimed. ¡°I''ll take that as a no.¡± Ren said and shook his head. ¡°Your brother-in-law is probably going to be looking for a new job soon.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°House Lodur will be losing money. He''ll be to blame, even though they''re my ideas.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°He was mad about the way his sister Angeilin was treated; but by using your ideas, he''s nearly tripled the mine''s production capacity.¡± ¡°Is that why I''ve gotten a ton of ore a day, instead of a quarter ton?¡± Ren asked, and Dorcot nodded. ¡°He even got a raise out of it.¡± ¡°Maybe it''s not as bad as I thought, then.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I assume a lot of these people are from the mines?¡± Dorcot nodded slightly. ¡°First shift ended an hour ago, and they came here to thank you; only to find a banquet waiting for them.¡± ¡°We sent the rented carts to pick up their families.¡± Nathalia said and took Ren''s hand. ¡°Why don''t you come and sit down.¡± She said, pulled him over to a table, and took out a plate full of bacon from inventory. ¡°I''ve got something here that you really love.¡± Ren took the plate of bacon from her, put it on the table, then turned to look her in the eyes. ¡°I sure do.¡± He said and took Nathalia into hug, and gave her a passionate kiss. Whistles and cat-calls soon followed, and several children nearby pretended to gag and throw up. Ren broke the kiss and stepped back from Nathalia. ¡°Everyone, I''d like to make a toast.¡± Ren said and the noise quieted. He picked up a particularly large piece of bacon from the plate and held it up. ¡°To the Deathgore!¡± He said, and everyone stopped what they were doing, and stared at him in surprise. Ren took a bite of bacon and smiled. ¡°He''s delicious!¡± Someone chuckled, then another, and then laughter filled the space. Nathalia gave him a caress on the cheek with her hand, then went back inside to get more food. Ren ate a good portion of the bacon on his plate, then noticed several kids were staring at it. He held the plate out to them and smiled. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren said. The kids grabbed a few pieces each and started running around. ¡°I''m the Deathgore!¡± One kid said and stuck 2 pieces of bacon in his mouth. He pretended they were tusks, and started running around. ¡°It''s the Deathgore! Kill it!¡± Another boy said and tried to take the bacon as he chased the first boy. ¡°I eat Deathgore for breakfast!¡± A little girl said as she ate a piece of bacon herself. Ren chuckled as he watched them play, then felt a little tired. He grabbed a bit of food and stood up. Several dwarves waved to him and he waved back, then left the banquet to feed Princess in the stable. He pat her neck and then rubbed her behind the ears. ¡°I really should take you out for a run or something.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve been cooped up in here too long, I think.¡± Princess huffed and Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll see what I can do for you.¡± She nodded and Ren went into the house. He walked into the kitchen to see Nathalia and her mother dishing out more food. He walked up behind Nathalia and gave her a hug. ¡°I''m really lucky to have found a woman like you.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. Nathalia put the plate down and hugged his arms. ¡°You''re doing all this work for people you don''t even know.¡± ¡°Oh? What about me?¡± Narhilda asked as she grinned at them. Ren chuckled and let Nathalia go. He walked over to Narhilda and took her into a hug. ¡°If you hadn''t raised such a wonderful daughter, Narhilda...¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss on the cheek as well. ¡°...I don''t know where I''d be right now.¡± Narhilda looked him in the eyes, and her face flushed a little red at the intensity she saw there. Ren let her go and walked over to Nathalia and cupped the side of her face with his hand. ¡°I''m pretty tired, so I''m going to bed.¡± Ren said and gave her a tender kiss on the lips. ¡°I really need to sleep.¡± ¡°I''ll be there as soon as I can.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''m sure the party won''t go on for much longer.¡± ¡°I''m glad I forgot to order ale, then.¡± Ren chuckled as he left the kitchen and went to the old bedroom. Teepo jumped to the wall and stayed by the top of the doorway. Ren stored his armor and cloak, leaving himself in only his underwear and climbed into the bed under the blanket. Goodnight, Teepo. Ren thought as he settled down and drifted off to sleep. About an hour later, Ren felt the bed move and the blanket he was under lifted up briefly. He opened his eyes and turned his head to Nathalia, then took her into a half-hug as she snuggled her head on his shoulder. They both took a deep breath, exhaled together, and fell asleep. Ren woke up the next morning and looked at Nathalia as she lay beside him. Morning, Teepo. ¡°Good morning, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''ve still got 2 hours before breakfast.¡± Thanks. Ren thought, then yawned. A bit more sleep might be good. ¡°I''ll wake you when breakfast is ready.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Thanks, buddy. Ren thought and drifted off to sleep again. Teepo woke Ren up when breakfast was ready, and Ren woke Nathalia. They equipped clothes and went out to the kitchen to eat. Ren held Nathalia''s chair for her then sat down himself. ¡°Let me guess what''s for breakfast.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Fried eggs and ham.¡± ¡°What gave you your first clue?¡± Narhilda said and put plates in front of her daughter and Ren. ¡°Was it the eggs or the ham?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The all-encompassing smell of ham, of course.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°Nearly 8 hours straight of cooking boar definitely left the house with quite the smell.¡± ¡°It''s not just the house.¡± Ren said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°You always smell really good...¡± Ren said as he dug into the food. ¡°...but, last night?¡± He smiled. ¡°It was really hard trying to not nibble on you.¡± ¡°You wanted to nibble on me?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Why didn''t you?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°If I was so irresistable, why did you resist?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''d rather you be conscious if I did that.¡± ¡°I''m sure I would have woken up.¡± She said. Ren put a hand on hers, and looked at her in the eyes. ¡°I won''t ever do anything to you without your permission or knowledge.¡± Nathalia leaned close to him. ¡°.¡± She whispered in his ear and then took a small nibble of Ren''s earlobe. He shivered slightly, and Nathalia smiled as she leaned away to keep eating. Her mother joined them at the table and they enjoyed a nice breakfast together. When breakfast was done, Ren took some food out to Princess and fed her. He remembered to tell Narhilda and Nathalia about the construction workers that were coming to House Neram, and went back inside the house to let them know. ¡°I''ve hired a work crew to come out here and build some houses.¡± Ren said. ¡°You what?¡± Nathalia asked, surprised. ¡°I hired them to work on the library yesterday, came back here to get some wood, and met Golir''s wife.¡± Ren said. ¡°She told me that her and her husband were applying for a loan to move here.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren looked at Nathalia in surprise. ¡°You knew?¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°They told us when Ma accepted their petition for residency.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I guess it never occured to you to tell them we''d pay for it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Having somewhere to live is a basic living requirement. Her husband came here to work for us.¡± ¡°Yes, and?¡± ¡°I will not have people go into debt, and have to work that debt off somewhere else, just to move here.¡± ¡°But...¡± Nathalia had a confused look on her face. ¡°...that''s how it''s always been done.¡± ¡°Not here.¡± Ren said and stood. ¡°Not any more.¡± He turned to Narhilda. ¡°My Lady, I will pay to build a house for anyone that wants to move here.¡± Narhilda had a surprised look on her face. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°My Lady, I will not budge on this.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll pick a spot 2 miles down the road, and consult the foreman I hired, to make a nice place for people to live.¡± ¡°Ren, that''s not on House Neram''s land.¡± Ren looked at Nathalia and she shrugged. ¡°We were so busy, I forgot to tell her how much land you bought.¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°House Neram owns 50 square miles of land in the city limits, with this Keep in the middle.¡± Ren said. ¡°What?!?¡± Narhilda exclaimed. ¡°Is that what made you a Prince?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Buying the 900 square miles from here to the convent did that.¡± ¡°By the GODS!¡± Narhilda said and slumped in the chair. ¡°By the gods.¡± ¡°If you don''t want the housing this close to the Keep, I''ll have it built outside the city limits.¡± Narhilda blinked a few times. ¡°No, no...¡± She waved her hand a few times. ¡°...down the road is fine.¡± ¡°Thank you, My Lady.¡± Ren said and stepped away from the table. ¡°Please let petitioners know that basic housing will be provided for free, or at least the materials needed if they want to build it themselves.¡± ¡°O-of couse, Ren.¡± Ren walked out of the kitchen and Nathalia caught up to him in the main room. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I should have told you my thoughts on this.¡± Ren said, took her into a hug. ¡°Things have been happening here a certain way for a long time, and I''ve seen the injustice of some of it.¡± He said. ¡°The indentured servant contract is the worst. Making people work where you tell them to, until you tell them they''re done; but if it takes too long, and I''m sure it''s designed that way, they lose what they were trying to get in the first place, and have to repeat the process.¡± Ren shook his head after he leaned back to look her in the eyes. ¡°I won''t have that happen here, Nathalia. Not if I can change it.¡± Ren''s gaze was intense as he spoke. ¡°I will change it. Right here. The ''status quo'' will no longer be ''debt to pay''.¡± He kissed her lightly, let her go, and equipped his armor and cloak. ¡°I''ll be at the Library, if you need me before I get back.¡± Coming, Teepo? ¡°Like you have to ask.¡± Teepo said and dropped into the hood from the ceiling. Ren left the house and held a hand out for Teepo. He tossed his friend up and Teepo told him there was a guard at the gate, and that a train of carts was coming up the road. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought, concentrated on his Aura ability, and walked over to the gate to unlock it. He walked out through it and the guard came to attention. Ren didn''t recognize him, and assumed this was Golir. ¡°Good morning, your highness.¡± Golir said. ¡°Good morning, Golir.¡± Ren said, walked across the drawbridge, and then over to the road that went up to the workshop. He didn''t notice that Golir''s eyes widened at the fact that Ren knew his name. Ren stood on the corner and waved the carts to a stop. ¡°Sorry for stopping you on your way to work.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I need several workers for a bit of sewing work, and for shoveling.¡± Seven women, all from different carts, put up their hands. Ren nodded slightly to them and they climbed down out of their respective carts. ¡°How many crews are left short?¡± Ren asked. Two of the drivers lifted their hands. He pointed to the one closest to him. ¡°Can your second worker go to the other cart? I''ll need a driver for the day.¡± The second worker talked to the other cart driver and they waved them over. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, then turned to the seven women. ¡°How many of you can sew?¡± Three raised their hands. ¡°How many can sew really well? That is, a ''bag holding sand'' well?¡± Only one held up her hand and Ren smiled. ¡°Please follow me to my workshop.¡± Ren led the 7 women to his workshop and opened the door for them. They walked inside and looked around. All that was there was a big stone fireplace, a forge, and a walled off area. ¡°It''s not much of a workshop.¡± One woman said. Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve been busy.¡± He showed them the giant oven and told them what it was for. They stared at the tilted contraption as Ren explained how it worked, and showed them how to position each bag under the chute, then to sew it shut and stack them at the side of the room ¡°This I gotta see.¡± The same woman said. Ren chuckled again and asked them to step back, then concentrated on the oven. Activate. He thought and snapped his fingers for dramatic effect. The oven lit and a blast of heat hit them all. ¡°Woo-eee!¡± She said. ¡°I''ll need 3 of you to shovel small amounts all along the length of the metal on the other side. I''ll show you how.¡± Ren said at the look of worry on their faces. ¡°I''ll need you...¡± He said to the one woman who could sew. ¡°...to sew sacks, and to sew the tops when they are full.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°The last 3 are in here to catch the powder in the sacks and stack them along the wall.¡± They all nodded slightly and Ren smiled. ¡°Don''t worry, it''s quite easy.¡± Ren ran them through the process and they got the hang of it quickly. Ren told them to take their time, to rotate who shovels, and that the bags didn''t have to be lifted. They could be dragged across the wood floor easily to be piled by the wall. He took out 19 of the bolts of tight weave fabric and stacked them by the door. ¡°Please take your time. It''s not a race... and by the gods, be careful.¡± Ren walked over to Dorcot''s section and saw that he had a good amount of gems done. Ren left the workshop and walked down the road to the cart. It was perfect timing, as the foreman and the 5 carts pulled up to House Neram. Ren waved to him and told him to follow down the road 2 miles. They got to the spot Ren had picked and then took a bit of time to work out the best way to make houses and have them easily accessible to the road. ¡°Let''s just do a subdivision.¡± Ren said. ¡°A what?¡± Ren took out a piece of parchment and drew a line. ¡°This is the main road.¡± Ren said and pointed to the main road. He drew a line perpendicular to it, about an inch long, and then drew a rectangle. ¡°We can have the houses here face away from each other, but face the road they are on, then more houses can be built on the other side of the road.¡± ¡°So they''re in their own little loop, but still attached to the road.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°We''ve got lots of space here. They can have a good yard, in the front and in the back, and still be close enough to the neighbors if help is needed.¡± ¡°Good thinking.¡± The foreman said. ¡°Are you still sticking with 12 houses?¡± ¡°Well...¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°If you can keep building them, I can keep paying you for it.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± The foreman said and laughed. ¡°You''re the best client I''ve ever had.¡± Ren handed him 3 platinum and a coin pouch. ¡°That should be enough for the 12 houses, to start.¡± The foreman equipped the pouch, put the coins in it, and turned around. ¡°Okay, boys! Let''s get to work!¡± The crew pulled out pickaxes from the carts and did the same technique that Ren had done for both Dorcot''s house and to make the buffet area. The workers dug out a spot with the pickaxes, then cleaned it out with shovels to make it flat. Then they started to build a house on it. ¡°I''ll leave you to it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back in a little while.¡± The foreman waved and Ren got in the cart. ¡°To the Library.¡± He said and the driver looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°You can take me to the city for now, and I''ll give you directions when we get there.¡± The female dwarf nodded slightly and flicked the reins. Ren directed her to the Library after they got to the city''s main area, and the driver was just as shocked as the foreman was that a library was actually there. Ren went inside and heard loud tromping above his head. Teepo! Ren thought and waited while Teepo went to the back of the room and up the wall by the stairs. ¡°It''s just the Librarian.¡± Ren followed Teepo up the stairs and saw the Librarian as she tromped over the floor and hopped onto a chair. She sat on the table for a moment, and then rolled over the end and landed on her feet. She turned around and saw Ren. ¡°YOU!¡± She yelled and ran over to him. Ren braced himself and the female dwarf took him into a giant hug. ¡°Ow!¡± She said and let Ren go. ¡°Your armor''s hard.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Sorry, it''s supposed to be like that.¡± ¡°How did you do all of this?¡± She asked and looked around. ¡°I''ve never had this much open space before.¡± ¡°Did you go upstairs yet?¡± Ren asked and pointed to the other set of stairs. ¡°THERE''S MORE?!?¡± She screamed and disappeared up the stairs. Ren heard more tromping for a minute, and then there was a loud bang. Ren ran up the stairs to see what happened, and the female dwarf was laying down in the middle of the floor, laughing. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°All right?¡± She sniggered. ¡°ALL RIGHT?!?¡± She rolled up and off the floor and came over to Ren. ¡°Your highness, I don''t know why you did this.¡± She said and waved at the empty room. ¡°I''ve lived in this little hovel all of my life, surrounded by books. Not once have I had the room to dance like that.¡± ¡°That was dancing?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Dancing. Flailing. Tripping.¡± The female dwarf said and laughed. ¡°It''s all the same.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I guess you like my idea then.¡± ¡°Nope, I hate it.¡± She said and laughed really hard at Ren''s surprised expression, and grabbed her belly. ¡°Oh... oh... I have to remember that look.¡± She said after a few minutes of laughing. ¡°That was priceless!¡± Ren rolled his eyes and she laughed again. ¡°Shall we get back to work?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded slightly. Now that she had all this extra room, she decided to spread out her collection a little. Ren kept building more and more cabinets to hold everything. By about 3pm, Ren had made the final cabinet that was needed to hold the last stack of books.
Stat Change!
Woodworking Level 1 (Intermediate 0%)
Nailing Level 7 (Beginner 0%)
Ren stored the cabinet and took it to the second floor and put it in the spot the female dwarf told him to. ¡°Well, that was the last of the books.¡± Ren said and sat down in a chair. The female dwarf look at him and laughed. ¡°The last of the books?¡± She said and gave Ren an evil grin. ¡°That''s just what I had out for display.¡± Chapter 123 - Youve Been Shelved Ren looked at the Librarian and smiled. I guess that''s why I didn''t get a popup for completing the quest. Ren thought as he stood. ¡°Where are the rest of them?¡± The female dwarf smiled and walked down to the first floor. Ren followed her until she stood by the stairs. The Librarian looked around and frowned. ¡°Where''s my desk?¡± Ren walked around her, pulled the desk out from inventory, and placed it beside the stairs. Even with the books on shelves, there wasn''t much room left to move around. It looked a lot better, though. The female dwarf rummaged through her desk and pulled out an old rusted key from a drawer. ¡°If you can find where I''ve hidden them, I''ll give you a prize.¡± Ren perked up at the offer. ¡°Do I get to read one of these books?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± She said and chuckled. ¡°I won''t compromise the reading system by letting you check one of these out.¡± ¡°Then what''s the prize?¡± ¡°You''ll have to find the books to find out.¡± ¡°I accept your challenge, Ma''am.¡± Ren said. Teepo! ¡°Nothing yet.¡± Teepo said and skittered across the floor. Ren activated Enchanted Eyes and looked around the main floor himself. He didn''t see anything, either. If there''s nothing out here... Ren thought and went back to the Librarian still standing by the stairs. ¡°May I check your sleeping area?¡± The female dwarf smiled, then nodded slightly. Teepo, give it a look. Ren thought and walked over to the area in question. ¡°Nothing but a bed and books, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Checking under the bed now.¡± Ren moved aside the drape covering the doorway, to see more stacks of books. Ren ignored them, walked over to the bed, and knelt. Nothing showed up with Enchanted Eyes as he looked underneath it. He did see Teepo turning around in a circle, however. What is it, buddy? ¡°There''s something here.¡± Teepo said. ¡°My new Search skill says so, but I don''t actually see anything.¡± Come on out. Ren thought. This should be enough to qualify as finding the books. Ren picked Teepo up and went back out to the Librarian and smiled. ¡°The entrance is under the bed.¡± The female dwarf''s eyes widened at Ren''s words. ¡°Well, damn.¡± She walked over to her sleeping area. ¡°I don''t know how you found it.¡± She said and moved aside a small picture on the wall, to reveal a keyhole. ¡°But you did, so you get the prize.¡± She inserted the key and turned it. Ren barely heard a click and the bed lifted straight up to the ceiling. There wasn''t a sound, and it revealed a small opening and a ladder going down. Go Teepo! Ren thought and Teepo slipped into the hole. ¡°I''ll answer any one question that you have.¡± She said. Ren turned to her with a smirk. ¡°I wonder what you know about Kytal?¡± ¡°K-K-Kytal?¡± The female dwarf looked at Ren in surprise. ¡°How do you know that name?¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You have to tell me what you know.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± She sighed. ¡°A bargain is a bargain.¡± She turned the key the other way and the bed dropped back down to cover the opening. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren asked. ¡°This may take a while.¡± The female dwarf said. ¡°That doesn''t mean I can''t work while you talk.¡± Ren said. The Librarian opened her mouth to speak, then shrugged and turned the key again to reveal the ladder. ¡°It''s just crates, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Lots and lots of crates.¡± Ren climbed down and stepped away from the ladder. Teepo was right. Crates filled the space, so much so that Ren couldn''t move any farther into the room. The female dwarf climbed down and squeezed into the available space next to the ladder. ¡°They''ve been down here in storage for as long as I can remember.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve never had any room to take them out.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°You might get a good portion of these to fit on the third floor.¡± He said. ¡°If we move the shelves a little closer together on the first and second floors... I could squeeze in another row of cabinets.¡± ¡°That''s an idea.¡± She said. ¡°Once we do that and fill the third floor, there should be enough room down here to make the rest of the shelves that would be needed.¡± ¡°I don''t know...¡± The Librarian said. ¡°...there''s a lot of crates down here.¡± ¡°If it comes to it, I''ll get a work crew out here to make another floor upstairs.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you''re sure...¡± The female dwarf said. ¡°We won''t know until we do it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are they in any kind of order?¡± She shook her head. ¡°They''re completely unsorted.¡± ¡°That''s both good and bad.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Good that I can do this.¡± He said and stored a dozen crates. ¡°Bad that I can make cabinets for them, but you''ll need to shift the books around on all the other shelves to sort them properly.¡± The female dwarf waved her hand. ¡°Don''t worry about that part.¡± She said. ¡°Once they''re up on shelves, I can sort them first and then worry about integrating them into the collection.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± They went back upstairs and Ren shifted the cabinet shelves over a little bit, and moved a row of cabinets from the second floor down to the first, then shifted the cabinets on the second floor over, and had room for 2 more rows of cabinet shelves. He built them, filled most of them with unsorted books, and left a couple of cabinets empty between the sorted and unsorted section. The movement space could be used later for mixing them together. They went upstairs and Ren built enough cabinet shelves to fill all of the available space. While he worked, the Librarian filled him in on everything she knew about Kytal. She was the female Deity of Water, and that everyone associated her with destruction because of how she can wear away everything; even stone. She was also known for flexibility, conformity, and for testing those that knew of her. The female dwarf told Ren that not much was known about her actual powers, but it was rumored that she had once taken human form. She had laid waste to the half of the world with a tidal wave, that covered an entire continent, because of how she was treated. By the time the Librarian was done speaking, Ren had used up nearly all of the wood he had, and then he took out the crates of books. ¡°Don''t worry about sorting them.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°Just get them on the shelves for now.¡± Ren nodded slightly and loaded as many books onto the shelves as he could, without damaging them. He made several more trips down to the underground storage and loaded up more crates to take back to the third floor. He filled all the shelves he''d built, and still had several more crates in inventory. ¡°I need to go and get more wood.¡± Ren said, and the Librarian nodded slightly. She''d already started sorting the books, and Ren left her to it. He went outside and the driver of the cart was there, kind of dozing off. ¡°I''m sorry, it''s taking a lot longer than I thought to complete this job.¡± Ren said, and smiled at the driver as she woke up completely. ¡°Where to?¡± She asked, and Ren told her to go to the lumberyard. She took him there and he ordered another 20,000 wood planks, 2,000 4x4s, and several crates of nails. He took what the lumberyard had available, paid 50 gold for the order, then had the driver take him to House Longore. Ren walked up the steps and the guard opened the door for him. Once inside, he was greeted with a squeak. ¡°Your highness!¡± Angeilin said. ¡°Ma''am.¡± Ren walked over to the desk. ¡°It''s nice to see you.¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± She said. ¡°I''d ask you what you''re doing here, but obviously you want to order more paving stones.¡± ¡°Only another 20,000 or so.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°To start.¡± ¡°20... thousand?¡± She squeaked. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''m having houses built, and they need roads.¡± ¡°Do you want to talk to the Lady?¡± Angeilin asked. ¡°I''d like to order through you, if that''s okay?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She said and smiled as she took out an order form. ¡°We''ve already had production going at an accelerated rate because you bought half of our stock the last time.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If I''d realized I''d only have enough to make a single road, I would have ordered more.¡± ¡°You needed more?¡± Angeilin asked. ¡°I had to build my workshop over the road because I''d used them up, so yeah, I could have used a lot more.¡± He said and smiled. Angeilin chuckled and filled out the form. ¡°20,000 paving stones to be delivered, with an open end contract for more, when needed.¡± She said, and handed Ren the form. ¡°It''ll take several days, possibly a week.¡± He signed it and passed it back. ¡°That''s fine.¡± ¡°That''ll be 2 platinum, 50 gold.¡± She said, and didn''t question Ren about payment options. He grinned and handed her the payment, and she put it into her desk. ¡°Thank you, Ma''am.¡± Ren gave her a slight bow. ¡°Y-you''re welcome, your highness.¡± Angeilin squeaked in surprise. Ren left the building and told the driver to take him back to the Library. She did so, and Ren went inside and up to the third floor. He filled all of the available space with cabinets and then went back down into the storage area to gather up more crates of books. He made multiple trips and filled all the available cabinet shelves with books. Once that was done, Ren went down into the storage area under the Library, and made more cabinets down there, and filled those as well. He made it to the other side of the room and filled that with cabinets, too. It took nearly all day, but Ren finally put the last book from the last crate, onto a shelf right at the back of the room. It was a little tight in there, as he''d had to put the shelves a lot closer together so they would fit. Ren sighed and went back up into the female dwarf''s bedroom. He looked at the books there, but since the Librarian didn''t mention them, Ren didn''t think they were included in the deal he''d made. He went up the 2 flights of stairs and to the third floor. ¡°Ma''am?¡± Ren said and the Librarian turned to look at him. ¡°I''m done of the storage area.¡± ¡°You''re WHAT?¡± She hollered and then half-ran-half-stumbled down the 2 flights of stairs and Ren heard her shout. He waited for a few minutes and then heard her clomping feet as she ran back up the stairs. Ren braced himself as she tried to tackle him into a hug again.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Ow!¡± ¡°My armor is still hard, Ma''am.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°You did it!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°I can''t believe you did it!¡±
Quest Complete!
You have successfully built enough shelves for the Library to hold all of it''s books. Rewards: 1000 XP Fame Bonus: +57%
¡°I may have built the shelves, but you''re going to have to sort all of these books.¡± Ren said and smiled. The Librarian chuckled. ¡°All I need is time, my boy.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve left a couple of cabinets on the second floor unfilled. When you start shifting things around, you''ll have a little extra space for everything.¡± ¡°That''s great, your highness.¡± The female dwarf said. ¡°Can you wait here for a little while?¡± Ren nodded slightly and the Librarian went down the stairs. She was gone for about 10 minutes, and when she came back, she had a medium-sized crate in her hands. The female dwarf struggled with it and Ren ran over to help her. ¡°Ma''am.¡± Ren said and took it from her. ¡°I could have carried that for you.¡± ¡°Then how could I surprise you with it?¡± She said between breaths. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I came across these last night, after you left.¡± The female dwarf said. ¡°I thought if you actually did make me enough shelves, this would make a good reward.¡± So that''s what the 4 question marks were for when the quest popup appeared. Ren thought and looked into the crate. At first glance, he counted nearly 50 books. He looked at her in shock. ¡°You''re giving me these?¡± ¡°No, silly.¡± The librarian laughed. ¡°That wouldn''t bring your Library Card level up at all.¡± She smiled. ¡°You can read them.¡± ¡°These are Rank D?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Some of them don''t even have a rank...¡± She said. ¡°...and since reading increases your rank...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Thank you, Ma''am.¡± The female dwarf pat his hand. ¡°Let''s go down to one of those nice tables you made on the second floor and read for a while.¡± ¡°That''d be great!¡± Ren said and followed the Librarian down to the second floor. He took out several books and picked out a few that looked interesting. He read them, and enjoyed the stories, but he didn''t find any Hidden Knowledge in them. The Librarian yawned and Ren looked at her. ¡°Is it that late already?¡± Ren said and put the book he''d just finished reading, into the box. ¡°I better go.¡± ¡°You don''t want to keep reading?¡± She asked. Ren grinned. ¡°Of course I do.¡± He said and stood. ¡°I''ve got other commitments that need to be taken care of, though.¡± She nodded slightly and had kind of a sad expression on her face. ¡°I''ll be back sometime tomorrow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been slowly handing tasks off to others, so I should be able to sneak away and get back here.¡± The female dwarf smiled and nodded slightly. ¡°Do you want this brought anywhere?¡± Ren motioned to the box. ¡°No. If you''re coming back tomorrow, you can just leave it there.¡± Ren looked at the box and then around at the shelves. ¡°I think I''d rather you keep it in your bedroom. Just leaving it out like this isn''t right.¡± The female dwarf grinned. ¡°I''m glad you think so.¡± She said and stood, the put the book she was reading on a shelf. ¡°You can carry it down, then.¡± Ren picked it up and followed her to the main floor, and over to her sleeping area. ¡°Right here by the doorway is fine.¡± She said and pointed. Ren put it there and turned to her. ¡°Do you want me to make you a door?¡± ¡°No, thanks.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve never slept with one, and it would feel kind of weird with one now.¡± She walked with Ren down the aisle to the front door. She put a hand on his arm and he turned to her. ¡°Thank you so much, your highness.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°You''ve done me a great service.¡± Ren smiled, took her hand, and bent over it. ¡°It was my pleasure, Ma''am.¡± He said and left the building. The cart was waiting there in the alley, and Ren climbed up next to the driver. ¡°House Neram, please.¡± The driver flicked the reins and the cart rolled down the street. They made it back to House Neram quickly, and Ren saw that a house was already built, and a second lot was already dug. The cart came to a stop at the road to the workshop and Ren gave the driver 3 gold. ¡°But, sir...¡± ¡°You waited for me all day, and never complained once that you had to do that.¡± Ren said as he climbed down, then he walked around the cart and examined it. He moved all the parts that could be moved, and checked the wheels. ¡°What are you doing?¡± The driver asked as she watched Ren. ¡°Seeing what goes into making a cart.¡± Ren said and then got the plans when he examined how the pony was attached. ¡°I thought you were checking for damage or something.¡± The driver asked. ¡°I was doing that, too.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Thank you for your help today.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± She said. Ren waved as she drove up the road to the workshop, he assumed to pick up passengers. He turned towards House Neram and saw the once blank side was completely covered in details. Ren looked at the wall, and saw that it''s details were different from the work that was done to the front. He walked over to where Barnar had set up his workspace and saw that the work crew was packing everything up. ¡°Ren!¡± Barnar said and came over to him. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I think you went as far overboard as I thought you would.¡± Ren said and laughed. Barnar clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°You knew I was going to have fun, didn''t you?¡± ¡°With a canvas this size?¡± Ren said and waved to the 200 foot length of the front wall. ¡°I''d be disappointed if you didn''t have fun with it... and it''s 3 other sides.¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Barnar said and let Ren''s shoulder go. ¡°I enjoyed it almost as much as I enjoyed spending time with the Lady of the House.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°I envy you, my friend.¡± ¡°You don''t have to envy me too much.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°3 years isn''t that long to wait.¡± Barnar put out a hand for Ren to shake. ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± He said as Ren shook his hand. ¡°I hope I''ll see you again soon.¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± Ren said. ¡°You still owe me a lesson or two.¡± Barnar chuckled. ¡°You know the basics well enough. The real expertise comes from practice, my friend.¡± ¡°It sure does.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°So, what do I owe you for the work?¡± Barnar shook his head. ¡°We agreed that I''d let you pay for the workers and for the materials.¡± ¡°I know, but Barnar...¡± Ren looked back at the battlements. ¡°...this turned out to be a lot more than either of us envisioned.¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Barnar smiled. ¡°A deal is a deal.¡± ¡°Okay, my friend.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I at least give you a bonus for finishing early?¡± ¡°Well...¡± Barnar hedged. ¡°...everyone did work a lot harder for you than they have for anyone else.¡± Ren pulled out a platinum coin and handed it to Barnar. ¡°A 5 gold bonus for everyone.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°It''s not even 2 days pay.¡± Ren said, and smiled as Barnar took it. ¡°I''d say to tell them to have fun, but I think that''ll happen anyways.¡± Barnar smiled. ¡°I can guarantee it.¡± He said. ¡°Take care of yourself, Ren.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I will, Barnar.¡± Barnar walked over to one of the carts that were being loaded and helped the workers finish. He climbed up into it, and all the workers waved as they drove away. Ren waved to them, and when they were far enough away, he turned towards the gate to the house and walked over to it. Wohrum was standing guard this time. ¡°Welcome home, your highness.¡± ¡°Thanks, Wohrum.¡± Ren went to walk by, and Wohrum coughed. ¡°Yes, Wohrum?¡± ¡°Sir, I''d like to know how I can pay you back.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Sir, you gave me the 200 gold for the work penalty when I left House Lodur.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°That''s a lot of debt.¡± He said and sighed. ¡°It''s about a year at the mines.¡± ¡°House Lodur''s mines.¡± Wohrum nodded slightly. ¡°I told Lady Neram that I won''t have anyone go into debt to move here.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t owe me anything.¡± ¡°But sir...¡± ¡°The money shouldn''t have to be paid in the first place.¡± Ren said and frowned. ¡°Making someone work for that long, for free, is horrible.¡± Wohrum''s eyes widened at the disgust in Ren''s voice. ¡°I hope you''re taking your pay, at least.¡± ¡°I haven''t been paid yet, sir. It hasn''t been a full week.¡± ¡°Sorry, Wohrum.¡± Ren said and gave him a platinum coin. ¡°Here''s 10 weeks pay.¡± Wohrum stared at the coin. ¡°But, sir...¡± ¡°Dammit, I keep forgetting.¡± Ren said and handed him a coin pouch. ¡°Equip that and put the coin in it.¡± Wohrum equipped the pouch, put the coin in it, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Now you can take out anything you need.¡± Ren said. ¡°While I''m at it, and before I forget, where''s Golir?¡± ¡°In the tent with his wife, sir.¡± Wohrum said. ¡°You won''t be living in the tent after tomorrow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your house should be done by then.¡± ¡°M-m-my house, sir?¡± Wohrum asked. Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°You didn''t think I''d let you stay in a tent, did you?¡± Wohrum smiled. ¡°The thought had crossed my mind, sir.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve spent a few nights in a tent. It''s fine for visits, but nothing beats the comforts of a good bed.¡± Wohrum nodded. ¡°I hope you won''t mind staying by yourself tonight.¡± Ren said and walked around the side of House Neram''s battlement wall to where the tent had been set up. He wasn''t sure where they got the poles, but it didn''t really matter at this point. Ren walked over to the tent and stopped at the flap. How am I supposed to... He sighed. ¡°Knock. Knock.¡± Ren said, and then heard some movement. A minute later, the flap opened and Golir''s wife was there. ¡°Y-your highness.¡± She stammered. ¡°I''m sorry for bothering you, but your house is ready.¡± ¡°M-m-my HOUSE?!?¡± ¡°I told you yesterday I''d try to have a crew sent out.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°What''s going- Sir!¡± Golir said when he saw Ren was at the flap. ¡°I was just telling your wife that her house was done.¡± ¡°H-h-her HOUSE?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If you''d like to come with me?¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Golir said. ¡°Elean, gather our things.¡± ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Ren said. ¡°Step out, please.¡± The couple stepped out of the tent and Ren walked around and pulled up the 6 spikes holding it down. He selected it and stored it in inventory. ¡°By the gods!¡± Elean exclaimed. Ren smiled. ¡°It''s just a couple of miles down the road.¡± He said and started walking. Golir took his wife''s hand and they followed a short distance behind, far enough back to talk freely without Ren hearing them. * ¡°I thought the statue was a figure of speech or something.¡± Elean said to her husband. Golir shook his head. ¡°No, it''s really true.¡± He said. ¡°Wohrum told me his highness almost died doing it.¡± She was quiet for a moment. ¡°Why did he even do it?¡± Golir smiled. ¡°The way I heard it, he did it just to see if he could.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Elean said. ¡°That''s... an amazingly stupid reason.¡± * The couple was back kind of far, but Ren''s hearing was quite exceptional and he had heard every word, and so had Teepo. ¡°A-amazingly s-stupid!¡± Teepo was chittering in laughter, and Ren clamped his own mouth shut to try and not laugh himself. Ren led the couple down the main road to the new housing area. The road into the housing area was marked, but nothing was dug up. He stopped walking and waited for Golir and Elean to catch up. ¡°There''s no actual road yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m having paving stones delivered, starting tomorrow.¡± He walked along the marked road and over to the rectangle. The house was clearly visible, and both the front and back yards were marked as well. Ren stepped up to the dwelling and got a popup.
New Dwelling!
As the land owner, you now have a permanent structure built on your land.
Notice!
You have yet to assign an occupant to this dwelling. Do you wish to assign an occupant now?
¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and a virtual keyboard appeared in front of him.
Please enter the names and / or Player IDs now.
Ren asked them to spell their names and he entered them into the system. He got another popup that asked for confirmation. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and a small key appeared around Golir''s and Elean''s necks. They grabbed them and held on tight. ¡°It''s true! It''s our house!¡± Elean said and gave her husband a kiss. She broke it a moment later and turned to Ren. ¡°Sir... I... thank you so much.¡± She took out the 40 gold that Ren had given her and Ren took it. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You reminded me that I wanted to do this.¡± ¡°Sir, I don''t know how I can repay you.¡± Golir said. ¡°My wife has been wanting a house of her own since she was a little girl.¡± ¡°You gave up your lives somewhere else and moved here. That''s payment enough.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, that reminds me.¡± He said and gave Golir a coin pouch, and then a platinum coin. ¡°Here''s 10 weeks pay.¡± ¡°10 weeks!¡± Golir exclaimed. ¡°I''ve only been here 2 days!¡± ¡°You''re not thinking about leaving already, are you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, sir.¡± Golir said and looked at his wife. ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°I don''t know if they have furniture or anything inside.¡± Ren said. ¡°After you go in and look, let me know.¡± ¡°You aren''t coming in?¡± Elean asked. Ren shook his head. ¡°Not for your first time entering your house.¡± He looked at Golir. ¡°That''s something special between a husband and wife.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Golir said and turned to his wife, and took her hand. Ren stepped away to give them some space. ¡°Walls do not a home make; Caring is what is needed.¡± Golir said. ¡°A roof does not cover us; Devotion is our shelter.¡± Elean responded. ¡°A house alone is nothing; Love brings us together.¡± Golir said. ¡°I will dwell here; and build a home with you.¡± They said together, then walked over to the door. Golir opened it and Elean stepped inside. He followed her inside and shut the door. Ren got to work and made a bed, just as comfy as the one he still carried, a table and 4 chairs, a couch, and 2 comfy chairs. He made covers for everything, but left them white, as he didn''t know what colors Elean would like. When he was done, Ren stored everything and then took out the tent. He put the tent on the lawn, and only had to wait a couple more minutes for the front door to open. They came back outside, and Elean''s hair was a little messed up and Golir had a smile on his face. ¡°I take it the ''kiss in every room'' ritual was successful?¡± Ren asked, then tried his best not to grin as Elean blushed and Golir looked proud of himself. ¡°Yes, a... a kiss...¡± Elean looked at her husband like she''d never seen him before. ¡°...in every room.¡± Golir grinned and preened a little. Ren chuckled. ¡°Was there furniture inside?¡± He shook his head. ¡°It was as bare as old Mother Hubbard''s cupboard.¡± He said. ¡°Elean, can you get our things from inside the tent?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She said and went into the tent. ¡°I''d like to give you a house-warming gift.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sir, you''ve given us so much already...¡± Ren waved his comment away. ¡°It''s just something I whipped together while you two were... busy.¡± Elean came out of the tent carrying blankets and pillows, and had another blush on her face. Ren looked away to save her some embarrassment, and walked to the house. ¡°Can you show me inside?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Golir said, and opened the door for him. ¡°The main room.¡± Ren dropped off the couch and 2 comfy chairs. ¡°The kitchen.¡± Golir said, and Ren dropped off the table and 4 chairs. ¡°One bedroom.¡± ¡°Is this your room?¡± Ren asked, and Golir shook his head. ¡°It''s the next door.¡± Golir opened the door and Ren dropped off the comfy bed. Elean''s eyes had widened each time she came in the house with their meager possessions, and saw yet another piece of furniture. When Ren was done, she stared at him. ¡°You... made all of that... just now?¡± She asked. Ren smiled. ¡°I would have made end tables, but I ran out of time.¡± Elean''s mouth dropped open and Ren chuckled. ¡°I hope you enjoy your first night in your own home together.¡± Ren said and bowed slightly to them both. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren left the house, stored the tent, and ran over to House Neram. He dropped it off back where it was, nodded slightly to Wohrum, and closed the gate behind him to lock it. Ren went inside and had a great supper of boar and potatoes. He told Nathalia and her mother about Golir and Elean''s first time in the house. After a lot of speculation and good cheer, the meal ended and Ren took some food out to Princess. He went back inside and told Nathalia that he had Adventurer''s business to take care of, and would be gone for a little while. Ren kissed her goodnight and went into the old bedroom. I''ll see you when I get back, Teepo. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren had breakfast and did his therapy session, took a shower and climbed back into bed. ¡°I''ll see you at lunch, Denise.¡± Ren said and put on the VR headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the bed and Nathalia was there. He took off his armor and cloak, and climbed in under the blanket with her. She stirred a little bit, but she stopped moving as he spooned in behind her and hugged her around the waist. She grabbed his arms tightly, and Ren drifted off to sleep. Chapter 124 - Caught Ren woke up with Nathalia practically wrapped around him, and he smiled. He took in a deep breath and she woke up as well. She pulled back from him and smiled. ¡°Good morning.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Good morning, beautiful.¡± Ren said and gave her a long, slow kiss. ¡°I''ve got a lot to do today.¡± ¡°Do you?¡± She asked. ¡°Is this different from every other day?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll take a break, don''t worry.¡± ¡°Will it be with me?¡± Nathalia asked, her eyes full of hope. ¡°If you can stand to have me around, sure.¡± Ren said and grinned. Nathalia snorted a laugh, and Ren kissed her on the nose. ¡°Once I get the first level built, I''ll have to let it dry anyways.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°I''m making the Main House today.¡± ¡°Not that.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°The ''let it dry'' part.¡± ¡°I''ll be casting it.¡± ¡°C-c-casting it?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''ll build a big mold for the walls, and then fill it. Pop it apart when it dries, and the first floor is done.¡± He said. ¡°I''m tempted to just make a whole side and add the floor in later, though.¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened at Ren''s words. ¡°You''re serious?¡± She asked. ¡°You''re really going to mold the Main House instead of just building it?¡± ¡°It''s the best way to test my recipe.¡± Ren said. ¡°Above ground, anyways.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Won''t that take a lot more wood than building it?¡± ¡°At first....¡± Ren said. ¡°...but, the wooden walls can be reused as many times as I want.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°I hope it works as well as you think.¡± ¡°It should. I just need a bunch more rebar for the walls. At the moment I only have enough for one wall.¡± ¡°You better get to work, then.¡± She said and sat up. ¡°I''d rather eat breatfast with my favorite fiance, if that''s okay.¡± He said and sat up, too. Nathalia chuckled. ¡°I''m your only fiance.¡± She stopped laughing and looked at Ren. ¡°I better be your only fiance.¡± ¡°Hey, I thought I was allowed to do whatever I wanted before the wedding?¡± Ren said and grinned as Nathalia swatted him on the head. ¡°Just because you''re allowed, doesn''t mean I want you to...¡± She said and took him into a hug. ¡°...and I don''t want you to.¡± Ren hugged her back, then nuzzled her neck to make her giggle. ¡°Where in the world would I find someone to compare to you?¡± * Elerlyth was quite frustrated. She''d been all over Aurora, again, looking for Mitchell. There was still no sign of him, and she sighed. Even her ''questionable'' contacts hadn''t come up with anything. It''s like he just dropped off the earth! She thought, and then froze. Oh, no way! She ran back to the Snoozing Bear inn, went up the stairs and entered her room, then flopped down onto the bed. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Gloria took off the VR headset and got out of the recliner. ¡°Those sneaky buggers!¡± She said with both venom and admiration in her voice as she sat down next to her computer. She pulled up her old hack file for the VR headset and grinned. ¡°If my guess is right...¡± Half an hour later, her probes and searches dug up the information she wanted. ¡°Ha! Hahaha!¡± Gloria laughed. ¡°It wouldn''t have worked if it was the old system; but when they changed to one permanent user per helmet...¡± She grinned. ¡°...tracking him down this way was easy.¡± She looked at the Call ID her hack had given her. ¡°Right, Mitchell? Or should I say, Micheal.¡± * ¡°Oh crap!¡± Max, the head programmer at Sid TEC said. The program he had monitoring ''Mitchell'' had just lit up like a christmas tree. ¡°Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. CRAP!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°CRAP ON TOAST!¡± * Gloria loaded the information she needed into her navigation hack and patched it into the VR headset. ¡°Go ahead, tech guys.¡± She said. ¡°You can change Mitchell''s Call ID as many times as you want.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''ve got his code pattern now.¡± She went back to her recliner and put on the VR headset. ¡°Easy money.¡± She said and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± * Max was trying his best to undo whatever it was that had happened, but it was too late. He''d suffered a data breach and couldn''t track it. After another few minutes, he gave up and called the boss. ¡°Sorry, sir.¡± Max said. ¡°They''ve found him.¡± ¡°Is he online?¡± Edward asked. ¡°Unfortunately.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Edward said. ¡°Can we warn him?¡± ¡°No. It''s buffered. He doesn''t get anything right now.¡± ¡°Well, unbuffer it and get him back in the system.¡± ¡°By then it''ll be too late.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Edward asked. ¡°They''ll already have him.¡± ******** Ren had a great breakfast with two of his favorite people, and then fed Princess. He went out through the gate, and Golir greeted him with a huge grin on his face. Ren greeted him back, and walked across the drawbridge, then up the road to his workshop. Carts were already arriving and dropping off workers. Ren had them all stop and he repaired the equipment and clothing of everyone that needed it, apologized for not doing it sooner, and then entered his workshop. He came to a stop when he saw what was there. Nearly the whole floor was covered in standing sacks of cement. ¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said, then started storing them into inventory. He had about half of them stored when the door to the workshop opened. The same group of 7 women stepped inside and stopped when they saw him. Ren turned around to look at the group. ¡°Ma''am.¡± Ren said and bowed slightly to the first woman, then repeated that with each woman in turn. ¡°You''ve done a lot more than I had expected.¡± He said and waved to the sacks he''d yet to store. ¡°I thought I asked you to take your time.¡± ¡°We did.¡± One woman said. ¡°We''ve changed it to only 2 of us shovel, and 4 of us gather the sacks. We can keep a constant flow of powder and sacks going this way.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s great.¡± He said and then stored the rest of the sacks, and started up the forge and tossed in a few pieces of ore. ¡°You''ve impressed me with getting so much done.¡± Ren said. ¡°210 sacks is a lot to do in a single day.¡± Ren walked over to them, handed each woman a coin pouch to equip, and then gave them 2 gold coins and 10 silver each. ¡°Sir, this is...¡± ¡°Only a silver for shoveling, filling, and sewing each sack.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s quite the bargain for me.¡± The women looked at him like he was crazy, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Don''t just stand there staring at me.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°You''ve got work to do!¡± The women laughed and picked who would be shoveling first. Ren tossed more ore into the forge and eventually filled it. He skimmed off some of the impurities and then stirred it quickly. Ren heard something clink in Dorcot''s work area and he walked over to it. ¡°Good morning, Dorcot.¡± Ren said to the dwarf. ¡°Morning!¡± Dorcot said. ¡°Look at my latest creation!¡± Ren looked over his shoulder and saw a diamond in the shape of a ball. ¡°Wow.¡± Dorcot grinned. ¡°That''s what I said when I got to the bottom of the crate!¡± He chuckled. ¡°I saw this beauty sitting there and it just begged me to do this.¡± He handed it to Ren, who appraised it at nearly 75 platinum. Ren shook his head. ¡°Dorcot, you really do good work.¡± Ren said, then counted the facets. ¡°You must have a lot of small ones left after this.¡± Dorcot opened the middle drawer and it was almost completely filled. ¡°I was about to go to the house and ask you to take them.¡± Ren looked at him. ¡°How long have you been here?¡± ¡°About an hour or so.¡± ¡°You''ve been here since before breakfast?¡± Dorcot nodded slightly. ¡°I always get up early to see Angeilin off to work.¡± He said. ¡°Even though we''re closer to where she has to go, it''s still a long walk.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°That''ll be the next thing on my list.¡± ¡°Your list?¡± ¡°Things I''ve been meaning to do to get everything running properly round here.¡± ¡°I bet it''s a long list.¡± Dorcot said and smiled. ¡°It gets longer every day.¡± Ren said and chuckled. He took all of the 1 gold coin diamonds from Dorcot''s desk drawer, and put them into inventory to count them. They took up just over 4 slots. ¡°856.¡± Ren said, then took out the sack he''d made to hold the small diamonds, and dumped the new diamonds into it to join their brothers and sisters. It was nearly full. ¡°I think I''m going to need a bigger sack.¡± Dorcot laughed and Ren smiled as he took out the half-sized crate of cut diamonds he had in inventory, and put the diamonds into the full-sized crate. Ren added the ones that filled the half-sized crate beside Dorcot to it, then stored the crate. ¡°I''m not sure what I can do with all of these, as some of the cuts aren''t useful for what I want.¡± Ren said, then looked at Dorcot. ¡°You''ve cut gems for royalty, do you know a good jeweller or jewel setter?¡± Dorcot smiled. ¡°Want to recruit another craftsman, do you?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''d like to learn about it, actually.¡± ¡°That''ll be hard, since Orimihr Juldor''s been working in the mines for about 5 years.¡± ¡°5 years?!?¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Why so long?¡± ¡°He used to work for one of the Main Houses, and one day, their entire jewellery collection disappeared.¡± Ren''s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Yeah, it was suspicious to be sure.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°A sword, 2 rings, a tiara, a necklace, and a set of armor was taken. Emeralds, rubies, and diamonds adorned them all.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Any clues about who would do such a thing?¡± Dorcot shrugged. ¡°It was so long ago, I doubt even the people who were there would remember the details now.¡± He said. ¡°All I know is that Delthid was so angry, that he quit in protest over it.¡± ¡°Delthid?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Delthid Kulduhr''s the blacksmith who made the items that were stolen.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°He''d perfected his forging technique on that sword. It only took 5 forgings to craft it.¡±
Running Quest Update!
Your mentor Donan tasked you to find the Master Smith that can make a legendary sword with only 5 forgings. You''ve now learned his name: Delthid Kulduhr. Find him and learn his secrets.
Ren stared at the popup, and Dorcot chuckled. ¡°I was shocked when I heard that, too.¡± He said. ¡°Can you imagine? Only 5 forgings!¡± ¡°It''s a surprise, all right.¡± Ren said as he dismissed the popup. ¡°Any chance you know where he is now?¡± Dorcot laughed. ¡°Are you kidding? He''s been missing for nearly 5 years.¡± Ren blinked a few times. That''s a little convenient. ¡°It sure is.¡± Teepo said. Do you know anything about it, Teepo? ¡°No, Ren. This is all new to me.¡± I guess you can''t know everything, Mr. Smart and Wise. Ren teased his friend. ¡°Bite me.¡± Teepo said indignantly. Ren snorted a laugh and clapped Dorcot on the shoulder. ¡°Are you going to take a few days off, or do you want to keep working?¡± ¡°This isn''t work, Ren.¡± Dorcot grinned. ¡°This is fun!¡± Ren took out another crate of diamond crystals and opened it. It was the crate that had the largest crystals that he''d dug up. Some were nearly 2 fists in size. ¡°By the gods, Ren.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°How many crates do you have?¡± ¡°Only 8 more. These are the biggest ones I found.¡± Ren said and motioned to the crate. ¡°I can always go and get more if you want.¡± ¡°No... no...¡± Dorgot shook his head as he stared at the crystals. ¡°I think... I think I''d die if you found any bigger ones.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Go ahead and have fun.¡± There was a knock at the door and Ren went to answer it. It was the delivery of the rest of the fabric and Ren went outside and stored all of the rolls. He thanked them for the prompt delivery, and asked if they wanted a toy to play with. He showed them what it was, and 3 of the 5 drivers laughed. Ren spun it on the back of the cart in front, and they watched the coin spin. He asked again and they all declined the toy and left. Ren ran down to the stable and knocked on Ruck''s cabinet. ¡°I need your help again, Ruck.¡± Ren said. The cabinet opened and he climbed up onto Ren''s back. Ren ran back to the workshop and deposited all the rolls of fabric by the door. The woman doing the sewing stared at all of the bolts of fabric. ¡°I''ll be helping in a minute.¡± Ren said, and saw relief on her face. He turned to the opening in the side of the building and asked the women shoveling to come inside. Ren asked Dorcot to join him, waited for the powder to finish coming down the chute and into the sacks waiting for it, then spoke. ¡°Don''t be frightened.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like to introduce my friend, Ruck.¡± The gathered people looked around and then at Ren. ¡°He''s my backpack.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Wave to the nice people, Ruck.¡± Ruck waved an arm at them and one of the women gasped. ¡°It''s okay. He won''t hurt anyone. He''s my helper.¡± ¡°Your helper?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°He can move around on his legs, pass me things, and even cut fabric.¡± ¡°That... that''s great!¡± The woman who was sewing said. ¡°I wish I had a helper to do that.¡± ¡°He''s definitely gotten me through a couple of tough jobs.¡± Ren said. ¡°You said he can walk around.¡± Another woman said. ¡°Where are his legs?¡± Ren pat the legs wrapped around his waist. ¡°I designed him like a beetle.¡± ¡°He''s got 6 legs?¡± Another one asked. ¡°Ruck, you can climb down.¡± Ren said. Ruck climbed down from Ren''s back and walked in front of him. ¡°That''s pretty neat.¡± One woman said and knelt. ¡°It''s nice to meet you, Ruck.¡± Ruck reached out a hand to shake, and the woman chuckled as she took it. Ruck turned her hand to face his head, stepped close, then bent over her hand slightly. Several women gasped and the one who received Honor had a shocked look on her face. ¡°Well, isn''t that a sight.¡± Dorcot said and laughed. ¡°Even your backpack has proper manners.¡± Several women started to laugh as well, and it didn''t take long for them all to kneel and be greeted by Ruck. ¡°Let''s get to work, Ruck.¡± Ren said. Ruck gave the ''okay'' gesture and walked to the end of the room and climbed up the wall, then stepped over to the forge. Ren followed him over and flipped the 4 wind stones up on their ends so they pointed towards the ceiling. He had Ruck pour the smelter into the four 10 foot long molds that were still on the floor and Ren spread the molten steel out. He flipped the wind stones back down and walked over to help sew sacks. Ren repeated this process for about 6 hours, adding more ore to the smelter, pouring more molds, and sewing more sacks. ¡°Break time, Ruck.¡± Ren said when the smelter was almost empty again. He added more ore and filled it up and let it simmer. ¡°I''m going to spend a bit of time with Nathalia.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back in about a half hour or so.¡± Ruck waved and Ren smiled. ¡°You could come over here and help me cut fabric.¡± The woman who was doing the sewing said. Ruck gave a ''thumbs up'' gesture and he climbed down off the forge and skittered over to where she sat. Ren left the workshop and walked down the road to the house. It seemed kind of odd to not see Barnar and his crew working on the outside of the Keep. Ren nodded slightly to Golir and went through the gate and into the house. ¡°Nathalia?¡± ¡°I''m in the kitchen.¡± Ren walked through the main room and into the kitchen. He took a breath in through his nose. ¡°Is that cheese?¡± Nathalia turned around and held a plate of cheese and sliced bread. ¡°Did you see me coming?¡± Ren asked. Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I assumed if you were going to take a break, it would be around noon.¡± Ren smiled as she came towards him. ¡°Where should we sit?¡± He asked. ¡°There''s room on the couch.¡± She said. ¡°If we sit really close.¡± ¡°That might make it harder to eat.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might be too busy staring at you.¡± Nathalia grinned. ¡°I''ll risk it.¡± * Elerlyth had her quarry well in hand. It had been child''s play to secure him, as he''d never once suspected that she knew who he really was. Elerlyth had borrowed a cart to get him to where he was to be delivered. She pulled up to where the directions had said to go, and climbed down. She tied off the horse on the post there, and reached for the squirming sack in the back. It hit her arm and she punched it. She heard a grunt, grabbed the sack, and dragged it out onto the ground. ¡°Hey! Not so rough!¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°You haven''t seen rough yet.¡± She said and dragged him across the ground to the door of the small shack. She knocked 3 times, then once, then 3 more times. It opened and a sword was thrust out to stop an inch from her chest. ¡°Is that really necessary?¡± She asked the hooded figure. ¡°How else would I know to come here, if I wasn''t invited?¡± The sword dropped away, and the hooded figure stepped back. Elerlyth dragged the sack inside and the hooded figure shut the door behind her. She waited as he passed by and opened the other door. Inside was a set of stairs and Elerlyth grinned. ¡°Okay, now it''s going to be rough.¡± She said and proceeded to drag the sack down the stairs. ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Dammit.¡± ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Geez.¡± ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°For god''s sake, stop!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Elerlyth said as she stood at the bottom of the stairs. ¡°About time.¡± Another hooded figure said. ¡°I thought you''d never find him.¡± ¡°Once I knew where to look, it was just a matter of time.¡± She said. ¡°He''s waiting inside.¡± ¡°Lead the way, Emanon.¡± ¡°Hey, you know his number one rule. No names.¡± ¡°That''s a stupid rule.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Especially since you all know each other.¡± Emanon smiled inside the hood. ¡°But no one else does.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Elerlyth said and rolled her eyes. ¡°Lets go.¡± He led the way into the next room and opened the door there. A chair was positioned in front of a desk, and pieces of wood were scattered across the floor. Elerlyth dragged the sack into the room and several hooded figures picked the sack up and sat it in the chair. Emanon flicked out a knife and cut the sack. ¡°Hey, that''s my good sacking sack!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°I''ll pay you for it.¡± Tristan said, and tossed her a gold coin. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°It was worth more than-¡± ¡°QUIET!¡± One of the hooded figures said, and Elerlyth frowned as yet another sword was held out towards her. ¡°I didn''t come here to be threatened.¡± She scowled at the hooded figure. ¡°No, you were delivering a package.¡± Tristan said and pulled the sack down to reveal Micheal. ¡°The wrong package, apparently.¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°I wouldn''t be here if it wasn''t the real target.¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t even accept the job until I was sure it was him.¡± Tristan looked at Emanon, who nodded. ¡°Can you confirm...¡± Elerlyth opened the message system and sent Emanon the info on the Call ID switch. ¡°Son of a...¡± Emanon started to say. ¡°His Call ID''s been changed. This really is ''Mitchell''.¡± Tristan let an evil grin spread across his face and stepped up to Mitchell. ¡°You failed to do a simple job, Mitchell.¡± ¡°Simple? Are you an idiot?¡± Mitchell laughed. ¡°He tore me apart like I was nothing.¡± Tristan laughed, too. ¡°He was only Level 2 during the expedition. You''re lying.¡± ¡°No, he isn''t.¡± Elerlyth said, then covered her mouth. Tristan looked at her. ¡°So, we have a lie detector, do we?¡± Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°No. I can... feel his fear a little bit. It dropped when you asked about the fight.¡± ¡°Good enough.¡± Tristan said and turned back to Mitchell. ¡°You took a marker for it, and never brought it back.¡± Mitchell nodded. ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°Obviously, I don''t have it.¡± Mitchell said. ¡°I went back to where he killed me, and it wasn''t there.¡± He frowned. ¡°He must have taken it when he took my short sword.¡± ¡°Goddammit!¡± Tristan said, and punched Mitchell in the face, mulching it. He''d used the hand with the enchanted glove, and dismissed the popup about killing a party member. Silence filled the room as he took several deep breaths. ¡°Sir, that wasn''t necessary.¡± One of the hooded figures said, and Tristan turned to him. ¡°I''ll decide what''s necessary here.¡± Tristan said, calming down. ¡°I need to find that marker.¡± He turned to Elerlyth. ¡°You''ve done a good job by bringing me that.¡± He motioned to the slumped body that was starting to fizzle away. ¡°I need you to find someone else.¡± Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°You didn''t say this was going to be an execution.¡± She said. ¡°I wouldn''t have taken the job if you had.¡± Tristan smiled and pulled out a sack of gold coins. ¡°I didn''t pay you for the job yet.¡± He said and opened the sack to reveal about 100 gold. ¡°I''ll double this if you can find him for me.¡± Elerlyth looked at the gold with disgust. ¡°Keep it.¡± She said. ¡°I may be a thief and a scoundrel, but I''m not a killer. Doing it in fights or battles, or even during missions is one thing; but not... this.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tristan said. ¡°I''ll triple it.¡± Elerlyth scowled at him. ¡°Who do you want so bad that you''d spend 300 gold to find?¡± ¡°A little asswipe that''s been a thorn in my side, for nearly as long as I''ve played.¡± ¡°Does this asswipe have a name?¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Tristan said. ¡°His name is Ren.¡± Elerlyth''s eyes widened slightly, and then pulled her sword out from inventory, swiped away the one that held her at bay and jabbed her sword into Tristan''s chest. If she''d thrusted first, it might have worked; however, Tristan had seen her move for the kill and he''d grabbed her sword before it was an inch deep into his chest. ¡°You will not hurt him.¡± Elerlyth said and pushed harder. The sword moved slightly, but Tristan had a hold of it with his enchanted glove. He smiled and made a fist with the glove, crushed the end of the sword, and pulled it from his chest and Elerlyth''s grasp. ¡°You know him.¡± Tristan said with a maniacal gleam in his eye, then jumped forward and punched Elerlyth in the chest, right below the mounds on her breastplate. ¡°UGHH!¡± Elerlyth grunted and was pushed into the wall several feet away, then bounced off. Tristan looked at his glove and then at her breastplate. ¡°Very nice.¡± He said and knelt by her to examine the shape of his knuckles in the metal. ¡°I haven''t met anyone that survived it before.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Elerlyth said and tossed a palm-sized black spider onto Tristan''s face. ¡°AhhhhhHHHH!¡± Tristan screamed and jumped away. ¡°Get it off! Get it OFF!¡± One of the hooded figures tried to help him, but when the spider felt hands grab it by it''s body, it clamped it''s enlarged jaws down on Tristan''s nose. ¡°AAAAHHHHHHHHH!¡± Tristan screamed at the pain, then venom pumped into his face. Elerlyth stumbled to her feet and thin hands grabbed her around the waist. She started to fight them off, but could barely move from the pain she was in. ¡°It''s me.¡± Emanon whispered and helped carry her to the door. ¡°Now get out of here.¡± He shoved her out the door and shut it. Elerlyth got to her feet again and walked as fast as she could to the stairs. She climbed them on hands and knees, and struggled the whole way. Once at the top, she pushed open the door to the outside, stepped out, and closed it behind her. She jammed a dagger between the door and the frame, essentially nailing it shut. She made it to the cart, untied the horse, and climbed into the driver''s seat. Elerlyth looked at her Health bar and sighed. It had dropped dangerously low. ¡°I really hope Hailey hasn''t used her Major Healing yet today.¡± Elerlyth said as she flicked the reins. The cart took off down the road and no one came out to follow her. * Ren had enjoyed spending some quality time with Nathalia on the couch. They''d only had one piece of bread and a piece of cheese each, before the makeout session had started. The half hour break was over before Ren knew it, and he grinned as he walked back to the workshop. We never did get back to the bread and cheese. Ren thought. ¡°You were too busy nibbling on her ear, that''s why!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren laughed and entered the workshop, then continued his pattern of Ruck pouring molten metal into molds, sew sacks while they cool, store the metal bars, Ruck pouring again, sew more sacks, smelt more ore, and repeat. He did this for 2 more hours, and then used the last of the molten metal to make a large metal liner, in the shape of a bowl, to be placed inside the back of a cart. He then went outside and made a cart for the metal bowl to fit in, and Ren secured it with nails all along the edge, leaving the bowl part nice and shiny. * ¡°You''re really lucky, Elerlyth.¡± Hailey said. ¡°If I hadn''t been home...¡± Elerlyth nodded as she got out of the bed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Hailey asked. ¡°Leaving.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°No, you''re not. You''re still hurt.¡± Hailey said. ¡°My ability for Major Healing only brought you up to half...¡± She pointed to Elerlyth''s breastplate. ¡°...and you really should take that off.¡± Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°This thing saved my life.¡± He saved my life. Hailey laughed. ¡°Elerlyth, we die all the time.¡± Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°Not like this we don''t. I never want to be in that kind of situation again.¡± Hailey''s eyes widened. ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°I''m saying that the Dark Elf Mercenary is retired.¡± Elerlyth said and walked out of the room. * Once the modified cart was built, Ren gathered up more of the freshly delivered lumber and went inside to find Narhilda. He asked Nathalia where her mother was, and she told him that she was in her bedroom. Ren walked down the hallway to the door at the end, and knocked. ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°My Lady, are you all right?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± Narhilda said. Ren leaned on the wall near the door. ¡°It''s okay if you''re not.¡± A moment later the door opened and Narhilda stood there with tears in her eyes. Ren opened his arms and she stepped into them. ¡°Everything is happening so fast.¡± She said and more tears flowed. ¡°I have to be the Head of a House.¡± Narhilda sobbed. ¡°I have so much responsibility now... and I''ve never had it before.¡± ¡°Shhh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know it''s a lot to deal with.¡± He leaned back and looked her in the eyes. ¡°Nathalia and I are here for you, Narhilda.¡± ¡°All these life changing decisions... people moving here... where to build everything...¡± Narhilda shook her head. ¡°I don''t know if I can do it.¡± Ren wiped her tears away and smiled. ¡°Narhilda, you''ve been doing everything right so far. Why are you doubting yourself now?¡± She sniffed and walked back into her room, then came back with a roll of parchment. ¡°What''s this?¡± Ren said as she handed it to him. ¡°It''s an injunction from the Dwarf Council.¡± She said. ¡°All work and petitions for residency currently taking place, are to cease until they can review our House''s legitimacy properly.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°I thought they were on break...¡± ¡°They are.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°...and when will this review happen?¡± ¡°When the council goes back into session.¡± She said. ¡°In 3 months.¡± ¡°Well, crap.¡± ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Nathalia asked as she came down the hallway. ¡°The same thing we''ve been doing.¡± Ren said and smiled at them. ¡°We''re going to show them how to do everything right.¡± Chapter 125 - There She Is! Ren, Nathalia, and her mother Narhilda, decided the Main House should be a mile up the road. That way, anyone who had business with House Neram would stop at the Main House, and those that wanted to visit the family, would come out to the Keep. Ren went outside and stored the modified cart, then ran down the road to the spot they''d chosen. He did the lot clearing technique, but unlike all the other Houses, he set it about 200 feet back from the road. He even made courtyard out front, with lots of space for people and their carts. Ren also didn''t want people to have to climb stairs to get inside, either. He dropped the floor''s level so it would feel more welcoming. Ren didn''t think he had a lot of time, so he built the 2 storey wooden mold as quickly as he could, and covered it in handholds and ladders. He made the main supporting internal walls with doorways and left all the connecting walls out; because he wanted to change them as well. He placed rebar inside all the walls, and since the walls were 8 feet high and the rebar was 10, he had lots of extra to jam into the ground and still leave some to work with. Ren ran back to his forge and smelted a bit more ore. He took out his big crucible from inventory and filled it, then stored the crucible. He ran back to the Main House and made wooden supports all along the inside walls, then built a wooden floor on the second level. He left space for several stairways, then used dollops of molten metal to attach rebar to the walls, across the wooden floor, and attached them to the other walls. Ren started mixing cement in the modified cart. Since he''d never done it before, it took several tries for him to get the mix right. Once he did, he set about filling the entire first floor''s walls with it, then covered the second story''s wooden floor and all of the rebar. Even though he''d built the mold to include the walls for the second floor, he couldn''t fill them yet. He''d have to wait a day for the first floor''s walls to dry, and the floor enough to walk on. Ren crossed his fingers and hoped that the accelerated time in the game also accelerated the drying time. He ran back to the workshop and dropped off the empty sacks for the workers to fill again. Ren ran to the house and told Nathalia that he had to pop over to the Library, and would probably be there until supper. She was tempted to go with him, but wanted to stay there with her mother. He kissed Nathalia goodbye and ran as hard as he could down the road. No one paid him any attention, and he smiled. I guess my running isn''t as big of a deal anymore. Ren thought. ¡°It is for me!¡± Teepo said and chittered in delight as the hood bounced him around. Why do you think I run? Ren thought in amusement. They made it into the main city a few minutes later and Ren went to the Library. He went inside, stopped to listen, and went up to the third floor to where he''d heard shuffling feet. ¡°Good evening, Ma''am.¡± Ren said, as his head crossed the threshhold of the stairway to the third floor. ¡°Good evening, your highness.¡± The female dwarf said. ¡°Making any progress?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Only one shelf so far.¡± She said and pointed to the top shelf of the cabinet she was standing in front of. ¡°It''s not the lack of space that''s making it difficult.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°It''s having to look through all the shelves to find the books I need to put in order, then make room for them without messing everything else up.¡± Ren thought about it for a minute. ¡°Are you putting them in alphabetical order?¡± The female dwarf nodded. ¡°Then I can help.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I''ll go through all the unsorted books on the shelved and gather all the ''a'' books I find. You can sort them and put them on the shelves.¡± ¡°What about the books already on the shelves?¡± She said and waved to them. ¡°You''ve forgotten the couple of empty ones downstairs.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll go and get them.¡± She nodded slightly, and Ren went to the second floor to store the 2 empty cabinets of shelves. He went back to the third floor, and moved two of the cabinets out of the way, and put the two blank ones in their place. He then went through all of the shelves of unsorted books to find all of the books starting with ''a'', then went back and loaded up the empty shelves with them. There was still plenty of space, and Ren asked her to open the storage area and he could look there as well. She did so, and Ren searched all of the books and gathered everything that started with an ''a'', then deposited them on the third floor. Ren repeated this process several times and was up to ''d'' when Teepo told him that it was nearly suppertime. ¡°I''m sorry Ma''am, but I have to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s almost time for supper.¡± ¡°What? Oh.¡± The female dwarf said. ¡°I guess you better go, then.¡± Ren walked over to her and took her hand, bent over it, and smiled. ¡°I''ll try to come back as soon as I can. I can''t promise it''ll be tomorrow; but I''ll do my best to make sure that it is.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Why don''t you take that box of books with you? I''m sure you can read one or two tonight after supper.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''d be more than happy to; but, I''ve got other things to do tonight...¡± Ren grinned. ¡°...like sleep. If I take the books with me, sleeping isn''t what I''d be doing.¡± The Librarian smiled, yawned, then laughed. ¡°Yes, I know that feeling!¡± Ren laughed and bid her a good night. He ran all the way over to Barnar''s and caught him and his crew packing up for the night. Ren ordered another 200 bricks to be delivered the next day. He paid for them and then ran all the way back to House Neram to enjoy a nice supper. * It had taken another 2 hours for Elerlyth''s health to fully recover. She''d thought about splurging a little on some minor Health potions to try and speed things up; but they would only give her 50 points of Health each, which she''d gain in about 15 minutes anyways. Her armor dug into her ribs a little, but it didn''t bother her too much. It served as a reminder of what could have happened if she hadn''t been wearing it. Elerlyth debated heavily about messaging Ren, to tell him what Tristan was up to. She sat down at the table in her small, one room house. It had cost her nearly a hundred gold to hire the local woodworkers to come all the way out to the middle of nowhere and build the place for her. It would have been a lot more than that, for transport costs and labor, but Elerlyth had convinced them it was better that they only charged her for the materials, rather than lose their lives. She smiled. Like she had told Tristan, she never would have killed them; but, Fear was always a great motivator. The house was snuggled into the foliage, inside a huge forest. If you didn''t know where to look, you would never find it. It didn''t take much convincing to have the workers forget that it was there. She let the smile fade away and then sighed. ¡°I feel so bad about what I did to him.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I''m pretty sure it would have worn off by now, so I don''t know if he''ll even look at anything I send him.¡± She made her decision and stood up. ¡°There''s only one thing that I can do, to make him hear me out.¡± She walked over to her bed and lay down. ¡°Logout.¡± * Tristan was pissed beyond anything he''d ever felt before. ¡°That rotten... stinking... BITCH!¡± He shouted and punched a hole in the wall of the little shack. Even though he was so angry that he could barely see straight, he was also glad that he''d set his spawn point to be in the next room the night before. ¡°She was working for him the whole time, wasn''t she?¡± Tristan spat at Emanon, who shook his head. ¡°She''s an independent contractor, sir.¡± Emanon said. ¡°She works for anyone willing to pay the fee.¡± ¡°She knows him!¡± Tristan ranted as he paced the room. ¡°She knows a lot of people, sir.¡± ¡°She killed me, you stupid prick!¡± Tristan said and punched another hole in the wall. ¡°With a goddamned spider!¡± ¡°To be fair, it was a big spider, sir.¡± One of the other 2 hooded figures said. ¡°It withered and dissolved right after you did.¡± ¡°Thank god.¡± The other hooded figure said and shivered like something had crawled up his back. ¡°I fucking hate spiders!¡± Emanon smiled inside the hood, but no one was looking at him. ¡°Contact her again! I want her to find Ren as soon as possible.¡± Tristan said. Emanon frowned. ¡°No.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Tristan said and whirled to face him. ¡°I''m not going to contact her.¡± Emanon shook his head. ¡°You didn''t pay her for the job she did, and then you lost it and tried to kill her.¡± He said and sighed. ¡°If word gets around about how you treated her...¡± Tristan sat down at his desk. ¡°FUUUCK!¡± ¡°...it''ll undo all the behind the scenes bridge building you''ve been doing.¡± Emanon said. Tristan plunked his head down on the desk and sighed. ¡°Fine.¡± A moment later he picked up his head and looked at his 3 remaining hooded figures. ¡°He doesn''t know I''m looking for him now, he should be easy to find.¡± He said. ¡°Post guards near the Aurora city gates, and tell them to look for Ren.¡± Tristan stood up and tossed a gold coin to each hooded figure. ¡°Better yet, give a silver coin for any information about where he is.¡± * During the next hour, Ren had a great supper, and told Nathalia and her mother about the Library, and how well the Main House was coming along. They were surprised at how fast he was making it, and even more surprised that he''d have the second floor walls and ceiling finished the next night. After spending that quality time with the both of them, Ren told them he had some Adventurer''s business to take care of. He said his goodnight''s to them both and went to bed. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset and Denise took it from him. ¡°It seems things have settled down for you.¡± Denise said with a smirk. Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Yeah, it''s settled all right. The Dwarf Council, or House Lodur actually, is trying to railroad me.¡± ¡°Well, you are shaking things up a lot for them.¡± She said. ¡°You''ve been throwing money around like it''s water from a fountain.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I know.¡± He said, then shook his head. ¡°They had this great and powerful society, with all these rules and rituals, and now it''s devolved into businesses trying to screw the little guy out of their money, and for no reason.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°There''s so much money available for those that go out and find it, but the Houses have strangled any desire for them to even try to do it.¡± ¡°This is really bothering you, isn''t it?¡± Denise asked as she sat down. Ren nodded. ¡°They have so much potential as a people, Denise. Expert craftsmen are working at jobs they shouldn''t even think about, let alone do.¡± He sat up in the bed. ¡°I found a gemcutter that was bitter and reclusive because he didn''t want to work just to have his money taken by a House that had treated his family unfairly for years.¡± Ren rubbed his head with his good hand for a moment, then stopped and smiled. ¡°You saw him in the workshop. He didn''t even ask me to pay him for the gems he cut, because he was having too much fun!¡± Denise nodded. ¡°All the craftsmen should be like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look at Barnar. He was content with making fireplaces, but he wasn''t passionate about it. When I gave him a few ideas, his face lit up, and he started thinking of what he could do with it.¡± She nodded again and smiled. ¡°They''ve been stuck in drudgery, wallowing in paying debts they can''t pay, and working jobs for no money. If they want to leave or change jobs, they have to pay a year''s wages to do it.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Nearly all the money in the entire city is going to House Lodur... and since they own the mines where nearly everyone works... for free... no one thought about changing things.¡± He grinned. ¡°Until now.¡± ¡°I guess that means you''re going to keep ignoring the order?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Saw that, did you?¡± Ren smiled. She nodded. ¡°That''s going to stir up a lot of trouble.¡± Ren nodded and got out of bed. ¡°It sure is.¡± He said and walked into the bathroom. ¡°I figure if I have a recipe for Trouble, I should use it against people that deserve it.¡± Ren used the bathroom and came back out. ¡°Let them feel what it''s like for once.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°You just don''t want it to happen to you, you little frigger.¡± Ren climbed into bed. ¡°That might have a bit of truth to it.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°I''ll go and get supper ready.¡± Denise said and stood up. ¡°I wasn''t sure if you''d be out right away or not.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I was tempted to keep working for a little longer; but, I didn''t want to mess up that badly again.¡± ¡°I might be a little while.¡± She said and walked over to open the room''s door. ¡°I''m not going anywhere.¡± Ren chuckled. Denise rolled her eyes. ¡°I meant, are you going to be alright?¡± ¡°Sure I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°Who''s going to hurt me in here?¡± She nodded and left the room. Ren changed the television to another channel to find something to watch. A few minutes later, the door to his room opened and then shut again. ¡°Well, that was quick.¡± Ren said and turned his head towards the door, then froze. A woman he''d never met before stood there. She had bubblegum pink hair with blue streaks, partially shaved off on the left side. Her nose was pierced, as well as a half-dozen piercings in the ear he could see. She wore tight blue jeans that were covered in rips, and a loose black t-shirt that hung only on one shoulder. It revealed a red lacy bra, and Ren squinted at her. ¡°Elerlyth?!?¡± Ren said, surprised. Gloria stood there in shock. How... how... She thought. Oh my god! How? ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, wait...how did you find me?¡± Gloria shook her head and came close to the bed. She reached behind her back to grab something, but Ren didn''t cringe away from her, like she thought he would. When she brought her hand back out front, her hand held several crumpled flowers. Ren''s eyes widened in surprise as she handed the flowers to him. ¡°They got a bit squished when I snuck into the ward.¡± Gloria, said and sat down in the chair beside the bed. ¡°I looked you up online.¡± ¡°Elerlyth...¡± ¡°How do you know that''s me?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°I look completely different.¡± Ren reached a hand for her face. ¡°May I?¡± She nodded and Ren traced a finger across her eyebrow, then down the bridge of her nose. He moved his hand to the side of her face, and gently traced her jawline from her earlobe to her chin. Gloria closed her eyes at his soft touch, and took a deep breath. ¡°I''d recognize that face anywhere.¡± Ren said and pulled his hand back. Gloria opened her eyes at the loss of his touch. ¡°Why are you here?¡± He asked. She sighed. ¡°I came to warn you.¡± Ren raised an eyebrow and Gloria smiled. ¡°So, that''s not just a game feature.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, it''s all me... if I wasn''t like this.¡± He said and waved to the sling and the bed. ¡°I saw some of the things that happened to you.¡± Gloria said, then a tear came to her eye. ¡°I''m really sorry for what I did to you in the game.¡± ¡°Yeah, it was pretty bad.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I''d logged out, I could clearly see what was happening, but in the game, I was under your spell.¡± Gloria laughed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That''s not how my venom was supposed to work.¡± She said. ¡°I-i-it''s not?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°But... I thought...¡± ¡°People are afraid of me in real life, almost immediately. They almost never give me a chance before judging me.¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°Except for those that want a freak to date, or are just humoring me like I''m in a phase or something.¡± She looked Ren in the eyes. ¡°When I logged into F.L.O.W. for the first time, it gave me a special class, and a special ability. Like you already know, I can feed off of fear. The venom I inject just makes more of what I need faster, and I feed on it.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Gloria nodded. ¡°You were the first person I''ve ever met in the game, that didn''t either fear or hate me immediately. Then I felt your Fear Aura. It was...¡± She shuddered. ¡°I''m going to be honest with you, Ren. It was delicious.¡± Ren tried not to smile, but he couldn''t help himself and let it show. I was delicious! Gloria smiled, too. ¡°Then you... pumped it up somehow? I don''t know...¡± She shook her head. ¡°You were right when you said I looked full the next day. My ability was satisfied for the first time.¡± Ren put a hand out for her to hold, and she took it. ¡°It wasn''t just the fear, either. I could feel nearly everything that you felt. Surprise, curiosity, worry. All of it.¡± ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then that means...¡± ¡°Yeah. All it does is amplify feelings. It doesn''t create them.¡± Gloria said. ¡°What you were feeling was real. It was just pumped up so I could feed on it.¡± ¡°So...¡± Ren said. ¡°Noticing how beautiful you are, and being turned on by you, was all me.¡± He said. ¡°Damn.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Gloria said. ¡°What happens in the game, stays in-¡± ¡°No, it doesn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''re sitting in my hospital room, trying to warn me about something happening in the game.¡± She opened her mouth to protest, then shut it. ¡°You''re right.¡± ¡°What happened then caused me a few problems...¡± Ren said. ¡°...but, it doesn''t matter much now.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°My girlfriend and I broke up.¡± ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡± She said. ¡°I hope it wasn''t...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, we got through that; then something else happened.¡± Ren lifted his arm in the sling. ¡°She couldn''t deal with it.¡± ¡°I''d ask what happened, but I don''t want you to relive it.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± He said. ¡°Speaking of bad things happening, I''ve done some bad things...¡± Gloria said. ¡°...I''ve even told you a lot of them.¡± He nodded for her to continue. ¡°This last thing, I didn''t know it had anything to do with you until it was too late.¡± ¡°Tell me what happened.¡± Ren commanded, and Gloria told him the whole story. Ren gripped her hand harder and harder as her story continued, and she winced when she got to Tristan punching her in the chest. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said, and loosened his grip. ¡°I work out when I can.¡± He said to her surprise, then rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand. ¡°Keep going.¡± Gloria stared at their clasped hands, and finished the story about Tristan wanting him because of the marker, tossing the venomous spider on Tristan''s face, and Emanon helping her escape at the end. Ren didn''t try to hide the grin on his face when Gloria looked up at him. ¡°Elerlyth...¡± ¡°It''s Gloria, actually.¡± She said and then covered her mouth with her free hand. ¡°I did not just tell you my real name.¡± Gloria shook her head. ¡°That was a fake name. My real name is Samantha. Yes, it''s Samantha.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Okay, ''Samantha''.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Because of me, he''s on a rampage to find you.¡± ¡°For three things, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°One: You defended me at great risk to yourself, nearly costing you your life.¡± He kept rubbing his thumb over her held hand. ¡°Second: You wiped the smug look off that twit''s face with your attack, and probably killed him.¡± ¡°Oh, he definitely died.¡± Gloria said, her eyes twinkling. ¡°One of the guys there tried to grab the spider and take it from his face.¡± ¡°How stupid can they be?¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°That''s the last thing you want to do to any spider, let alone venomous ones.¡± Gloria nodded. ¡°It clamped it''s jaws down immediately, and he screamed like a little girl.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Please, please tell me you have it on video!¡± She grinned. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Gloria let his hand go to take out her cell phone. Ren motioned for the rollaway table, and they exchanged contact info. Gloria forwarded him the video, and they started watching it together. She turned to him as she dragged Mitchell down the stairs, and smiled as Ren chuckled at each thump Mitchell''s head made on every step. ¡°What was the third reason you''re thanking me?¡± She asked as she watched his reactions. ¡°You told me why that dirtbag is still after me.¡± Ren said and winced at Mitchell''s death. ¡°I told you about him before, about how he''s been trying his best to ''get back at me''.¡± His eyes widened at Elerlyth''s assault and then he grinned at the spider. He... he''s not revolted by it. Gloria thought, as Ren kept talking. ¡°Now I know he has a legitimate reason.¡± He said as the clip ended with her getting away. ¡°I have to wonder if he knows why it''s so important.¡± ¡°And you do?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°If he knew, though... he''d have a lot more people after me.¡± ¡°Then what is it?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m sorry, Gloria. There''s no need for you to know; unless you have one.¡± Gloria shook her head. ¡°I don''t; but, I did come here...¡± ¡°This information could be worth a lot of money to the right person.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Gloria''s eyes widened at Ren''s admission. ¡°How much?¡± ¡°Well, I guess I could tell you.¡± Ren said, and Gloria leaned in close to him. He leaned in as well and whispered. ¡°About a hundred platinum coins worth.¡± She turned her head quickly. ¡°Wh-¡± Then their lips met by accident. Gloria''s lips were puckered from speaking, and Ren''s mouth was in a little ''o'' shape from her sudden movement. Their lips fit together perfectly, and they stared at each other for several moments. Gloria broke the kiss, then leaned back in the chair. Ren''s heart was beating faster than normal, and Gloria''s face flushed a little red. ¡°Sorry.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I didn''t mean to... I mean, I meant to turn and speak, but...¡± She looked at Ren, who was sitting there in shock. So, he is like them, after all. Gloria thought. Shocked that he kissed the freak. ¡°Well, say something!¡± Gloria snapped. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really do like you for real.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± She asked, surprised. ¡°I was kind of in denial about liking you in the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was a while ago, and you know how people can forget some things after a bit of time has passed.¡± Gloria nodded. ¡°You just reminded me of how much I enjoyed your company.¡± Ren said. She frowned. ¡°Only from a kiss?¡± Ren shook his head and moved his hand to reveal a significant bulge under the blanket. Gloria blinked her eyes a few times as she stared at it. ¡°So that''s not just a game feature, either.¡± Gloria said then looked back up at Ren. ¡°You... you''re like that... just from a kiss?¡± ¡°Beautiful women seem to affect me the most.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I hope you won''t be insulted if I tell you that you''re more beautiful in real life.¡± Gloria took in a deep breath. ¡°You''re just saying that.¡± She said and put a hand over her heart. ¡°Have you seen my hair? My piercings? My clothes?¡± ¡°Gloria... Samantha... Elerlyth...¡± Ren reached out and took her other hand. ¡°Paying a woman an honest compliment isn''t something I''d lie about.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°The fallout from lying is always worse than the lie itself.¡± ¡°So you really...¡± Gloria caught her breath. ¡°...you think I''m beautiful?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°A good friend once told me that I shouldn''t hide how I feel about people.¡± He looked at her seriously. ¡°I was angry about you injecting me so many times with your venom.¡± Gloria blushed. ¡°It wasn''t working, and I thought you might have had a natural resistance to it or something.¡± She explained. ¡°Each time I injected you, I kept expecting that instant rush of fear that I get from everyone else... and it never came.¡± Gloria looked back at him seriously, too. ¡°All I felt was caring, concern, and... ah...¡± She glanced down at his bulge. ¡°...excitement.¡± Ren smirked. ¡°I now know it''s because you''re pretty irresistable.¡± ¡°You resisted well enough.¡± She said. Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Yeah, my lips resisted... all over yours, if I recall... a lot.¡± Gloria grinned. ¡°Okay, you got me there.¡± She noticed the time on Ren''s watch. ¡°Dammit! I gotta go. Your supper is going to be done soon.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I... might have... arranged for the stove to be unplugged in the breakroom.¡± ¡°Gloria!¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I needed to make sure I had the time to see you.¡± Gloria said and stood. ¡°See you around, short stuff.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Ren said, and Gloria looked at him. ¡°I''d warn you that Tristan will be after you, but I''m pretty sure he''s too focused on me to bother with you.¡± He said. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Gloria said and shrugged. ¡°I''ve always been a mercenary; but, now that I''ve retired...¡± ¡°You retired?¡± Ren asked, surprised. Gloria nodded. ¡°I don''t want to meet another Tristan for as long as I live.¡± She said. ¡°Once was enough.¡± ¡°Well, I can''t guarantee you''ll never see him again; but if you need a job, I need someone to watch my building in Aurora while I''m gone.¡± Gloria snorted a laugh. ¡°From pay-for-hire mercenary to security guard, all in one day.¡± ¡°You don''t have to do it.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°It''s just an offer.¡± ¡°How much is the salary?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°How much do you want?¡± ¡°A gold a day.¡± ¡°That''s all?¡± Ren asked. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°You''re not going to be able to do much with only a single gold coin a day.¡± Ren said. ¡°A couple good meals, maybe a few potions, and then a bed for the night at a good inn.¡± ¡°Fine, then.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Make it 10 gold a day.¡± ¡°10 gold sounds more reasonable.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. She shook it and grinned. ¡°Sucker! I would have gone down to 5.¡± ¡°I should say that to you, then.¡± Ren said and grinned back. ¡°I would have gone as high as 50.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Gloria said, just as the door to Ren''s room opened. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Denise asked with scorn in her voice. She carried a tray of food in her hands. ¡°Me?¡± Gloria said as she let Ren''s hand go. ¡°I was just leaving.¡± ¡°Now wait just a minute!¡± Denise said, but Gloria slipped out past her and ran down the corridor. It was in the opposite direction from the nurse''s station, so Denise couldn''t holler for help. She turned back into the room and glared at Ren. ¡°Ren! Who was that?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°She gave me several different names.¡± Denise huffed. ¡°Well, she''s easily identified, anyways.¡± ¡°That''s good.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want her put on my visitors list.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± ¡°I think she liked ''Samantha'' the best of the names she said.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You can put that down as her name for now.¡± ¡°You can''t have visitors yet...¡± Ren looked at the tray. ¡°Is that my supper? It smells good.¡± ¡°But...¡± He moved the laptop aside and motioned for the tray to be put down. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren started eating and ignored the indignant stare Denise was giving him. * That was close! Gloria thought, as she ran down the emergency stairs. When she got to the bottom, she used the key and opened the door without setting off the alarm. She calmly walked down the hallway, then into the rear storage area of the basement and to an old man that sat there in a small folding chair. ¡°Thanks, Billy.¡± Gloria said, and handed him the key and a 10 dollar bill. ¡°Anytime.¡± The old man said and smiled. ¡°I''m always happy to help young love blossom.¡± ¡°We''re not...¡± Gloria started to respond, then smiled. ¡°...yeah, thanks.¡± The old man waved to her as she went out the loading bay door. I can''t believe I kissed him! Gloria thought as she crossed the parking lot to her car. It started out innocently as an accident... She hopped in her car and peeled rubber out of the parking lot. ...but, screw me if that kiss didn''t feel just like it did in the game! * Ren ate in complete silence, and he thought it was quite peaceful. Denise on the other hand, was almost livid by the time he was finished. ¡°Are you all done?¡± She asked, almost with as much scorn in her voice as she had while talking to Gloria. ¡°I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was great. Thank you.¡± Denise took the tray and kept glaring at him. ¡°Yes?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Are you going to explain...¡± ¡°What''s there to explain?¡± Ren asked. ¡°She was here, you came in, she left.¡± He smiled. ¡°You saw what I saw. There wasn''t much else.¡± Denise opened her mouth, scowled, and then left to take the tray back. Ren pulled the laptop over and opened an email. He typed up something and sent it off. * Gloria had just pulled into her parking spot at home when her cell phone beeped. She turned the car off and checked the message.
Samantha, (LOL)
It was nice to meet you again for the first time. Thanks for giving me a fourth reason to thank you for your visit. (KISS, KISS) (BIG GRIN)
¡°You little shit!¡± Gloria said and laughed. She typed up a response and sent it. * Ren''s instant messenger beeped and he looked at Gloria''s response.
Hey, short stuff.
I hope you don''t think that meant anything. It was an accident! It wasn''t a real kiss!
Ren grinned and typed another message. * Gloria was still looking at her phone when another message popped up.
Hi, sweet cheeks!
It had to be real. Little Ren doesn''t make an appearance otherwise. If he says it''s real, and I say it''s real, you''re outvoted 2 to 1. (LOL)
¡°Okay. Time to rumble.¡± She said and typed furiously. * Ren waited for her response, and wasn''t disappointed.
Look here, squirt!
I am the woman, and whatever I say, goes! If we''re counting body parts, I''ve got you outvoted 3 to 1, mister!
*
I looked, Boobilicious!
You brought it up, and since we''re counting them, then I''ve got YOU outvoted 4 to 1. If you hadn''t noticed, there were 3 things standing at attention tonight, and only one of them was on me. BTW, red looks really good on you. (GRIN)
Gloria looked down and saw her t-shirt was hanging a little lower than she had intended, and it showed off the top of her bra. She looked a little lower, and sure enough, her t-shirt was popping out a little. ¡°You cocky little shit.¡± She grinned. ¡°He got me again.¡± *
Okay, mister smart aleck!
You got a visit from me and a little show. I hope you''re happy, because that''ll be the last.
*
Don''t be hatin'', baby! (LOL)
I''m having the nurses put Samantha on my visitor''s list, so I hope that won''t be the last time I see you.
*
Hey,
Are you serious?
*
Yes,
It was nice to have someone, besides no one, come and see me... despite my restrictions of no visitors for a while, and your illegal entry.
*
Ha!
How would you know if it was illegal?
*
Please,
I''ve been all over this floor. I know the only exit down there is the emergency exit. I''m not going to ask how you did it, because I honestly don''t want to know. All I care about, is that you took the time out of your day to come and see me. That means a lot to me, despite how we met the first time.
*
Short Stuff,
I didn''t think you''d even look at a message if I sent it, and I thought it was too important to not tell you about it.
*
Samantha,
What you told me was really important. That''s why I thanked you, and offered you a job. An easy, well paid job. I''m still mad about the venom, though... so, it''s also a job that you''re going to hate by the end of the week. (LOL)
Gloria snorted a laugh. *
You little shit!
You''re right. Standing guard on an empty building is going to suck balls.
*
LOL
Who said it was empty?
*
Hold on,
It''s not empty? I just assumed since you weren''t there, you took everything with you.
*
Well,
I took what I could; but, I couldn''t take everything.
*
So,
What''s in it?
*
(WINK)
You''ll find out.
Gloria rolled her eyes. *
Ugh...
It''s not porn or anything, is it?
Ren snorted a laugh. *
No,
It''s not really something that you can sell.
*
Okay,
Now I really have to know.
*
Sure,
Just log in and I''ll send you the info. I''m logging in myself in a few minutes.
*
Dammit!
Why didn''t you say so! We just wasted... over an hour of gametime!
*
LOL
A woman after my own heart. ''See'' you inside.
Gloria hopped out of the car, locked it, and went up to her apartment. The weekends were always the best time for her to relax. Frank hated weekends with a passion, but she sometimes convinced him to let her work Saturdays at the garage. Not this weekend though. She locked her front door and went into her bedroom. * Ren logged out of the instant messenger program and pushed the laptop aside to reach for the VR headset. He was tempted to wait for Denise to come back; but settled into the bed instead, and slipped the headset on with a bit of difficulty. He managed to do it, like he always does, and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the bed alone again, and got up to sit at the big workbench in the old bedroom. He opened the messaging system and the business owner system, then waited. ******** Gloria changed from her street clothes into a set of cammo print pyjamas and slid onto her recliner. She picked up her VR headset and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Elerlyth woke up in the bed of her one room house and sighed. She always felt so much better in the game, and at the same time, so much worse. Her hunger continued to gnaw at her constantly. She rolled out of bed and stood up, then slouched slightly to stop her armor from digging in too much. Elerlyth walked over to the table and sat down, and opened the messaging system.
Elerlyth: Hey, I''m in.
Ren: Hey, Gorgeous.
Elerlyth: Don''t be a dick.
Ren: LOL Sorry, I thought we were continuing our conversation.
Elerlyth: We are, just don''t patronize me.
Ren: Elerlyth, I''m not... nevermind.
Elerlyth: Let''s get to it, shall we?
Ren: (Sigh) If I was there, this would be a lot easier.
Elerlyth: But you''re not here. Which reminds me, when are you coming back?
Ren: Officially? I''m not planning on hopping on a boat anytime soon.
Elerlyth: Why is that?
Ren: I''m engaged to be married.
Elerlyth: Hey, what did I say about not being a dick?
Ren: I''m not being a dick, I''m telling you the truth.
Elerlyth: ...
Ren: A woman I know proposed, and I said yes.
Elerlyth: You''re serious?
Ren: Yeah. A year of courting, then a year of engagement, then the wedding ceremony.
Elerlyth: Wait, wait. What are you talking about?
Ren: It''s the dwarf marriage ritual.
Elerlyth: You''re getting married. To a dwarf.
Ren: Yeah.
Elerlyth: Is she real?
Ren: What do you mean?
Elerlyth: Is she like me, a person in real life, or just part of the game?
Ren: She''s a part of the game.
Elerlyth: Hahahahaha!
Ren: What?
Elerlyth: They sucked you in good, didn''t they?
Ren: Who?
Elerlyth: The system programmers, of course.
Ren: What are you talking about?
Elerlyth: Come on! You don''t think that you just happened to meet this great dwarf out of the blue?
Ren: But I did.
Elerlyth: Don''t be an ignorant dick.
Ren: Hey! That''s uncalled for.
Elerlyth: (Sigh) Ren, they''ve caught you in a logic loop.
Ren: What are you talking about?
Elerlyth: (Shakes Head) Nevermind. You''ll figure it out yourself.
Ren: ...
Elerlyth: So, is the job still up for grabs?
Ren: Yes, I gave my word.
Elerlyth: I''m sorry I''m spraying your fantasy with a bit of harsh reality.
Ren: You''ve seen what my reality is like.
Elerlyth: Yeah, you''ve got it pretty sweet.
Ren: WHAT?!?
Elerlyth: You don''t have to shout, I''m right here.
Ren: Why do you think I have it ''sweet''?
Elerlyth: You can stay in bed all day and not work.
Ren: You... you think I''d choose this life?
Elerlyth: Wouldn''t you?
Ren: ...... that you could ask me that, means you didn''t read enough about what happened to me.
Elerlyth: Oh, boo hoo. Poor you.
Ren: Hey, why are you acting like this?
Elerlyth: I''m supposed to be your in-game girlfriend, remember?
Ren: Ha... hahaha. Oh, you''re a barrel of laughs.
Elerlyth: Don''t be a total dick.
Ren: When was the last time I saw you in the game?
Elerlyth: ...
Ren: Exactly. We definitely have chemistry, but nothing happens when the ingredients never mix.
Elerlyth: (Sigh) Okay, I wasn''t around. I had stuff to do.
Ren: I know, so did I. So much has happened since then.
Elerlyth: You have no idea.
Ren: Things might have turned out differently if you hadn''t left.
Elerlyth: That''s for sure.
Ren: I''m sorry things aren''t turning out well for you.
Elerlyth: You win the prize for the understatement of the year.
Ren: Do you still want the job?
Elerlyth: Yes. I definitely need the money.
Ren: Okay, just a second.
Ren switched to the business owner menu and selected ''Hire Security'', then selected ''Head'', and sent the request to Elerlyth. * Elerlyth saw the popup, and her eyes widened at the job offer. She really did need the money, so she clicked accept. She got a new title of ''Head Security: MoAJoN'' added to her status window, and it gave her the right to patrol around and inside the building. A small key appeared around her neck, beside her own house key.
Ren: There, it''s done.
Elerlyth: Thanks.
Ren: You''re welcome.
Elerlyth: Ren... how are you going to pay me? You''re... well, I don''t know where you are.
Ren: Business owners have access to electronic transfers.
Elerlyth: Really? I didn''t know that.
Ren: Uh huh. I guess you want to get an advance.
Elerlyth: Hey, I don''t want your charity!
Ren: LOL You''re kidding, right? I want you to work and earn the money.
Elerlyth: So, I''m not trustworthy enough to get an advance?
Ren: Elerlyth! Goddammit! Stop it!
Elerlyth: Make me, asshat!
Ren: Your wish is my command.
Elerlyth: What do you mean? How are you-
Elerlyth gasped when she got a popup.
Notice!
You have received an electronic transfer of 3 platinum coins.
Elerlyth: Ren! What are you doing?
Ren: You wanted an advance. Is a month''s pay not enough? How about 2 months?
* Ren typed up another transfer, and saw he was getting low on platinum. He took out the crate of diamonds and picked out 3 dozen of the oddest-shaped ones that he wouldn''t use, even if he knew what to do with them, and sold them for 1250 platinum. * Elerlyth started to cry when she got another popup.
Notice!
You have received an electronic transfer of 6 platinum coins.
Elerlyth: Please, Ren. Please stop!
Ren: Elerlyth, do you really think I care about money so much, that I''d hurt my friends by not giving it to them if they need it?
Elerlyth: I''m... I''m sorry, Ren.
Ren: Is that enough? Will this make you stop hating me for whatever you think I''ve done to you?
Elerlyth wiped her eyes and kept typing.
Elerlyth: It''s not what you''ve done... it''s... it''s what you haven''t done.
Ren: What are you talking about?
Elerlyth: Ren... I.... I''m starving.
Ren: You''re WHAT?
Elerlyth: It''s my ability! Nothing does any good. I''ve tried everything. Everything, Ren! I''m hungry all the time! It''s... I think it''s eating me up inside.
Ren: Elerlyth, get to my shop and wait for me there.
Elerlyth: W-what? Why would that help me?
Ren: Because I''ll be there as soon as I can.
Elerlyth: How far away are you?
Ren: I''m about 2 weeks away by boat.
Elerlyth: I... I think... I can go that long.
Ren: Don''t worry, Elerlyth. I''ll be there much sooner than that.
Elerlyth: How? Why?
Ren: You need my help!
Elerlyth: After everything I''ve done...
Ren: If I''d actually cared about any of that, I would have called for the nurse right away when you showed up.
Elerlyth: Okay, I can be there by the morning.
Ren: I''ll try my best to be there by tomorrow night, or the next morning.
Elerlyth: Ren... I... thank you.
Ren: Don''t thank me until I get there. I have to go now. I''ve got a lot of work to do.
Ren: Message me when you get there, okay? Goodbye, Elerlyth.
Elerlyth: Goodbye, Ren.
* Ren closed the opened menus and left the bedroom. Sneak was still on, so he crept up the hallway and saw that both Nathalia and Narhilda had gone to bed already. Ren frowned. Nathalia had spent every night with him for the last several nights, and tonight she wasn''t there. He crept back down the hallway and opened her door. She was sleep on the bed and Ren closed the door. He went to his bedroom door and wrote a note that explained where he''d gone. He left the house and went up to his workshop. He gathered up enough wood for what he wanted, 4x4s and timber planks, some 4 inch wide lumber, enough paving stones, and then stopped. ¡°Dammit, I need windows!¡± Ren said, then thought about it. He hoped the glassworks had them, and would get Nathalia to order them for him. He examined his inventory, then examined the plans. ¡°Yeah, it''s enough.¡± He stepped into the workshop and saw all of the bags of cement there, then looked at his inventory. ¡°Not enough room to hold them.¡± He gathered up enough to clear the way to the wall, then stacked them on top of each other in a square of 5 x 5 bags, then put them up as far as he could reach. It cleared a good portion of the floor, so he did it again several times. He cleared the whole floor, except for the 15 feet x 5 feet section the stacks took up. Ren nodded and then left the workshop to go to the stable. He knocked gently and Ruck came out. ¡°I need your help again, but it''s a lot harder this time.¡± He turned around and Ruck climbed up after giving the ''okay'' gesture. ¡°Princess?¡± She stirred and looked at him. ¡°Feel like going for a run back to the mountain?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''d like your company, if you want to come.¡± Princess huffed and stood. Ren stored her crate and smiled. ¡°Don''t worry, no saddle or harness. It''s just us running.¡± She huffed and nodded. They walked out of the stable and Princess'' hoof clacked on the paving stone. ¡°Dammit.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°Princess, just a second.¡± He whipped out some fabric and sewed up 4 booties for her to wear. She looked at them and shook her head. ¡°It''s just until we get out of the yard.¡± Ren said, and she shook her head again. ¡°I''ll have to carry you, then.¡± He said and grinned. Princess saw it, then held a hoof out. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren put them on her and she was a little unsteady, but they made it outside and he took them off of her. ¡°Let''s go!¡± He said and they took off running. Ren set a good jogging pace so that they would make good time going all the way out to the diamond mine, and not drain his Stamina too fast. With that Vitality boost, his Stamina Bar had increased as well, so he could run that much farther by pacing himself. It had taken 10 hours by cart, but they had made it in just under 6 hours. If Ren had pushed it, they might have done 5, or even 4, but then he''d have to wait for his Stamina Bar to replenish, and the time lost there wasn''t worth the extra effort. They made it back to the spot where the tent was, and saw it was still a relatively flat area. Ren took out the hammerpick and cleared the 40 feet by 20 feet he needed, then got to building. With Ruck''s help holding things to nail, Ren had the basic frame structure up by morning. ¡°At least we got the hard part done.¡± Ren said to Ruck, and shook his hand. ¡°Let''s get the walls up.¡± Ruck gave the ''thumbs up'' gesture and Ren handed him a hammer and a pile of nails to put in inventory. ¡°Just a second, Ruck. Nathalia should be up by...¡± The Sending Ring started to glow and Ren smiled. ¡°By the gods, Ren! What''s all of this in the note?¡± ¡°Just something that I have to do.¡± ¡°You''ve told me about Elerlyth, Ren. She''s not a good person.¡± ¡°Just because you do bad things, doesn''t make you a bad person.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°Yes, it does.¡± ¡°I can''t let her starve.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Don''t worry, Nathalia. I''ll be back.¡± Ren said. ¡°Only I can do this.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°Okay, what do you need?¡± Ren gave her the description for the windows and had her go into town, under escort, to get them. In the meantime, Ren and Ruck got to work attaching the timber planks to the framework to make the outer walls. It took about half the day; but they got the outside walls, minus the windows, finished. They even had the stairs up to the third floor, and the apartment walls finished by the time the cart came with the windows. With Teepo''s Spot ability, Ren ran out to the road and waited for the cart to come to a stop. Nathalia was there in the cart with the windows, and so was the guard, Golir. ¡°You didn''t have to come, Nathalia.¡± ¡°My future husband is about to go and meet an old girlfriend, to feed her emotions. By the gods, I had to come!¡± Ren grinned and helped her down from the cart, then the guard passed him the windows to store. ¡°Is the cart staying?¡± The driver nodded. ¡°I was hired for the day, so I''ll wait here.¡± ¡°The terrain isn''t good for a cart and pony, so waiting here would be better.¡± She nodded and got off the cart to unhook the pony and let it graze in the sparce grass. Ren took Nathalia''s hand and the guard followed them into the underbrush and along the path they''d taken before, right up to the clearing the tent used to be in. ¡°By the GODS!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°Ren! You did all of this in so short a time?¡± ¡°We do good work. Don''t we, Ruck?¡± Ren said and grinned as Ruck did the ''so so'' gesture. ¡°Come on, we''ve got windows to attach.¡± Ren handed Ruck the three small windows to put in the upstairs, and Ren handled the two on the bottom floor. Once that was done, Ren made the door, and shut it.
Notice!
As the land owner, you now have a permanent structure (Warehouse - 2 Storey w/Addition) built on your land.
Ren smiled, and added in the business name, and when asked to activate the storefront, he selected no. ¡°Wait here.¡± He said to Nathalia, Golir, Princess, and Ruck. Ren went inside and up to the third floor, and used his business owner ability to make a spawn point. When that was done, he was tempted to select it as a spawn point, just to see what the system would do with 2 identical buildings and 2 identical spawn points. Ren shook his head and opened the business menu. He went into the new sub-menu he now had access to, and selected ''Transfer Portal''.
Notice!
You have selected to create a Transfer Portal between your 2 businesses. Requires - Fame Status: Renown Total cost to build portal: 100 platinum coins, 2000 Mana. Confirm portal creation? Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and heard a rumbling in the living room of the apartment. He went out to see what it was. A bright yellow sphere appeared there. Ren stepped close and got the popup for inserting the money. He did that, then another popup asked him to put his hand inside. When he did, it nearly drained his Mana Pool completely and closed.
Notice!
You have met the Fame requirement. Please input the name of the Transfer Portal user.
Ren put in his name and the system closed, and then the portal disappeared. He looked around and nothing else appeared. ¡°Crap! Don''t tell me it didn''t-¡± His words were interrupted as a popup appeared.
Portal format complete!
You can now use the portal as if it were an actual doorway. Warning: Only the registered portal user can enter. All others will be immediately destroyed.
Ren looked down at his ring. ¡°Teepo... you better go back inside... just in case.¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± Teepo said. ¡°See you on the other side.¡± Ren chuckled and Teepo dissolved and entered the ring. Ren ran downstairs and told Nathalia that it had worked and that he was leaving, and would be back as soon as possible. She kissed him goodbye and Ren went back up to the portal, and got a message notification. He read it and nodded. Elerlyth had arrived late at the other shop and he had finished early. ¡°Here goes everything.¡± Ren said and stepped through the portal. Chapter 126 - A Little Too Much Ren stepped out of the portal, and looked around. He really was in the old living room. The couch and comfy chairs were there and Ren stepped away from the portal entrance. He built a crate around the portal that was big enough to step into without stepping into the portal. He didn''t want anyone to accidentally hit the portal edge and be killed. ¡°I have to remember to do the same thing back on the other side.¡± Ren said and walked out of the living room and down the stairs. When he got about halfway down to the first floor, he heard a gasp and ran the rest of the way. ¡°You really came!¡± Elerlyth said as she collapsed to her knees. ¡°You really came.¡± Ren went over to her and held out a hand. She took it and sighed. ¡°Good god, that''s... thank you, Ren.¡± She said and smiled at him. ¡°Is there any particular flavor you want?¡± Ren said as he saw her skin flush to a darker color. ¡°Or is my personal Aura good enough?¡± ¡°Um... Fear, please.¡± She said, a bit sheepishly. Ren concentrated on the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak''s Fear Aura, and Elerlyth sighed. ¡°Mmm... yeah, that''s the spot...¡± She closed her eyes. Ren grinned as he used his Connection ability, and activated his Screaming Terror ring to boost the Fear Aura. He dismissed the 2 minute time limit popup. ¡°OH MY GOD!¡± Elerlyth yelled and opened her eyes to stare at Ren. ¡°What the hell is that?!?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s just a little something I came up with while I''ve been away.¡± ¡°You needed to produce Fear?¡± Elerlyth asked, surprised. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°To scare people, of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°It works most of the time.¡± ¡°I''d love to have something like that.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°It wouldn''t do you any good.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°You told me that feeding on others wasn''t doing anything for you.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°Yeah, I don''t know why. No matter how much fear I cause, I can''t enjoy it anymore.¡± ¡°Maybe you''re just getting tired of having everyone be afraid of you.¡± Ren suggested. Elerlyth looked down at him. Ren was a foot shorter than her, and he had to look up. ¡°We''re both going to get sore necks if we just stand here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He let her hand go, and she took in a sharp breath. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Elerlyth nodded but didn''t speak. ¡°I''m just going up to the living room to grab the couch. 20 seconds, tops.¡± Ren ran as fast as he could up to the apartment, stored the couch and was back in just over 10 seconds. He noticed her color had drained a little bit. He took out the couch and set it on the floor, between the stairs and the door. He sat in the corner of the couch and put his arm on the back. Elerlyth looked at him with raised eyebrows. ¡°I''m just getting comfortable.¡± Ren said, then pat the seat next to him. ¡°No teasing or hanky panky, I promise.¡± Elerlyth walked over to the couch and sat down right beside him, and held out a hand. Ren took it and she sighed. The Connection cut out soon afterwards, and her eyes widened. He smiled and made another Connection and she sat back. ¡°Just snuggle in.¡± Ren said. ¡°Contact makes it better, doesn''t it?¡± She nodded and shifted a bit to the side. ¡°Elerlyth, why are you being so reluctant?¡± ¡°I''m trying my best to fight how much I want you, okay!¡± Elerlyth said and turned to glare at him. ¡°You don''t know what it''s been like to eat so much and starve at the same time!¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Ren said, and his eyes turned dark. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°I don''t really like to talk about it.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°One of the reasons I''m so thin in real life, is because I have that problem. No matter how much I eat, my body doesn''t metabolize food like it''s supposed to.¡± ¡°I... I didn''t know.¡± Elerlyth said in a soft voice. ¡°I drink specially designed supplements all the time, just to get the nutrients my body needs.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not perfect, and the food plan I''m on uses supplements, too... but, I''m always hungry.¡± ¡°Ren... I...¡± ¡°When you told me that''s what was wrong with you, I came as fast as I could.¡± Elerlyth took his hand in both of hers and held on. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and snuggled into the crook of his arm. Ren hugged her with his other arm, and they sat there for several minutes in silence. ¡°So...¡± Ren said. ¡°...do you want to tell me what you''ve been up to all this time?¡± Elerlyth chuckled. ¡°I was going to ask you that.¡± They sat like that for about 2 hours, telling stories about what had happened to them. Of course, once it started, Ren would tell her about one incident, then Elerlyth would tell one to try and be better than his. This continued until Ren got to the giant boar, Deathgore. ¡°Okay, you win.¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°You win!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''d say it''s more degrees of winning.¡± ¡°We''ve both survived some crazy things, sure...¡± Elerlyth turned and looked at him. ¡°...but a legendary giant boar, the size of a freaking horse?¡± She shook her head. ¡°That takes the cake!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Yeah, it was pretty neat.¡± ¡°Neat?¡± Elerlyth looked at Ren like he was crazy. ¡°It was drawn to Fear!¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, that kind of reminds me...¡± ¡°Don''t you dare say it!¡± She glared at him, but Ren saw the twinkle in her eyes. ¡°...of you.¡± Ren started to laugh as Elerlyth slapped him several times on the parts of his arms and legs that she could reach with her hand, and her other hand held onto his the whole time. ¡°You...¡± *slap* ¡°...did not...¡± *slap* ¡°...just compare me...¡± *slap* ¡°...to a...¡± *slap* ¡°...giant PIG!¡± *slap* Ren had tears in his eyes as he laughed, and his Fear Aura faded as he lost his concentration. Elerlyth could clearly feel his amusement and enjoyment of her company, so she ceased her relentless attack and leaned back against him. ¡°I hope you learned your lesson.¡± Elerlyth said and smiled. ¡°I sure did.¡± Ren said as he snorted laugh. ¡°You hit like a girl.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Elerlyth said and cupped a hand close to her chest. ¡°What did you just say, mister?¡± ¡°I was saying that you were taking it easy on me.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I expected...¡± Elerlyth opened her hand and a palm-sized spider hopped out of it and onto Ren''s chest. Elerlyth''s eyes widened as not a trace of fear escaped Ren at the spider''s sudden appearance. All she felt was curiosity and caring. ¡°Hey, little guy.¡± Ren said and put a hand on his chest for the spider to crawl onto. ¡°Did you kill Tristan for me?¡± The spider crawled onto his hand and he picked it up to look at it. ¡°You did, didn''t you?¡± Elerlyth stared at Ren as he let the spider crawl onto his face and then up into his hair. ¡°Ren... how are you doing that?¡± ¡°Doing what?¡± ¡°My spiders always attack.¡± ¡°Were you trying to kill me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then I had nothing to worry about.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I spent a lot of time hiding in places with spiders. If you leave them alone, they leave you alone.¡± ¡°It''s crawling all over you!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Doesn''t that bother you?¡± ¡°If it gets into my clothing, yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s a danger I might hurt it when I move.¡± She stared at Ren like she''d never see him before. ¡°You''re crazy.¡± ¡°I''ve been told that.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°It seems to be a popular opinion.¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh. ¡°I saw you generate it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Does it have a time limit before it dissolves?¡± ¡°About 5 minutes.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°It usually gets squished long before that, though.¡± ¡°That''s a neat ability.¡± ¡°It''s a spell, actually.¡± ¡°No way!¡± He said, surprised. Elerlyth nodded. ¡°I got it when I hit level 50.¡± She smiled. ¡°It was only the size of my thumb then, though.¡± ¡°What level are you now?¡± Ren asked. ¡°85.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± She asked, curious. ¡°I hit Level 6, not that long ago.¡± He said, to her shocked expression. ¡°I''ll be leveling up faster, now that my Fame bonus is a lot bigger.¡± Elerlyth stared at him with an open mouth. ¡°What?¡± ¡°After all this time, and the things you''ve done...¡± Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°...and you''re still only Level 6.¡± ¡°Honestly, my level doesn''t bother me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The things I can do far surpasses my level.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Ren eased her off of his chest and took out his blacksmith''s hammer and held it against her breastplate. Elerlyth turned slightly towards him. ¡°What are you-¡± ¡°Repair.¡± Ren said, and the breastplate was engulfed in a glow for a moment. The dent in the front popped out and the breastplate''s Durability was restored. Elerlyth''s took in a deep breath and it didn''t dig in anymore. She ran her free hand over the spot where it was, and frowned. ¡°I kinda wanted to keep that.¡± She said. ¡°Elerlyth, you don''t need the constant reminder of what happened.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s bad enough it happened in the first place, but you don''t have to suffer all the time because of it.¡± He looked at the breastplate and put his hammer away. ¡°I might as well replace the enchantment, too.¡± Ren reached out a hand to her chest. Elerlyth''s eyes widened and she caught her breath. ¡°Can you take it off? I don''t want my enchantment to affect anything else you might be wearing.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Elerlyth said, unequipped it, and took it out from inventory. Her breasts dropped down some, as most of the support and push-up effect they had was from the breastplate. She only wore a thin fabric top underneath, dark blue in color, and it had a scoop neck low enough that Ren got quite a good look. He tried to not stare at her breasts in their natural state; but since she was right there beside him, he had a close up view of them, and couldn''t help himself.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°My face is up here, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said and grinned. ¡°Hmm? Oh, sorry!¡± Ren said, and took the breastplate. ¡°You''re very distracting.¡± He put the breastplate on his lap, looked down at it, and put his free hand on it. ¡°You just like the color of my skin.¡± She said and rolled her eyes. ¡°Everyone that''s not too afraid to speak, tells me it''s ''exotic''.¡± ¡°The color?¡± Ren frowned as he concentrated on the breastplate, and absorbed the enchantment. ¡°I was staring at the wonderful shapes, actually.¡± Since Elerlyth had a firm grip on his hand, she felt everything he felt. She got the confusion, and then admiration, and started to blush from the truth in Ren''s words. He enchanted it with a double glyph of Protection (8 runes total) and the double glyph etched itself into the metal. ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said, as happiness filled him, and he passed it back to her. ¡°T-thank you.¡± Elerlyth said and stored the breastplate into inventory. She didn''t equip it again, however. Ren raised his eyebrow and she smiled. ¡°I''ve been wearing it constantly since it was damaged. I need a bit of a break from it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m not going to argue for putting it on... until you want to go outside.¡± ¡°That''s good.¡± Elerlyth said and pushed Ren back into the corner of the couch. ¡°Because you''d lose.¡± She said, turned slightly around, and snuggled down into the crook of his arm. She rested her head on his shoulder, and it gave Ren a clear view all the way down her top. He could actually count how many muscles she had on her abdomen. ¡°Um, Elerlyth...¡± She crossed her free arm underneath her chest to grab his hand. It lifted her breasts and pushed them together. ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± She said and looked at his face. It was flushing a little red, and she smiled. Ren swallowed audibly. ¡°I''m engaged to be married.¡± ¡°You told me that already.¡± She said, and shifted slightly, making herself jiggle a little. ¡°That''s 2 years away, game-time.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''re allowed to do anything you want before then, right?¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m right here, Ren.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You can''t use having a girlfriend in real life as an excuse anymore.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Ren, I can feel how much you want me.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Both here...¡± She took one of her hands off of his and put it over her heart. ¡°...and here.¡± She moved her elbow slightly, and nudged Ren''s prominent bulge. ¡°But...¡± Elerlyth looked at him longingly. ¡°You''re like a giant buffet for me, Ren.¡± She said and turned towards him. ¡°All these strong emotions you''re feeling... fear, wanting, worry, excitement, happiness, nervousness... even love.¡± ¡°You... you can feel that?¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°I know you love her...¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°...and that you don''t care if she''s real or not.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m not asking to replace her, Ren.¡± ¡°What are you asking me, Elerlyth?¡± ¡°I want you to feed me.¡± ¡°I''m doing that.¡± Ren said, then his eyes widened. ¡°Dammit, sorry.¡± He made the Connection with his Screaming Terror ring and his cloak''s Fear Aura. Elerlyth sighed and snuggled down farther, resting the back of her arm across his bulge. ¡°Good god, that''s...¡± She licked her lips seductively. ¡°...scrumptious.¡± She purred as she writhed back and forth, and rubbed him with her arm. ¡°Elerlyth...¡± Ren said, and caught his breath as she wiggled her arm. ¡°I...¡± He looked at her. ¡°I... need to give you a new sword.¡± He said, and slipped out from underneath her. Elerlyth still held his hand, however. ¡°To replace the one you lost.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She said, and sat up. ¡°Do you have it on you?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I have to make it.¡± Elerlyth got a worried look on her face. ¡°You have to let my hand go, don''t you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''ll only be for a short while.¡± Elerlyth felt the truth in his words and she sighed. ¡°I''ll wait right here, then.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Ren said and stepped close. ¡°I''m not going to let you starve, but I can''t be here all the time for you, either.¡± ¡°I know... it''s just...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m so irresistible, you can''t help yourself.¡± Elerlyth snorted. ¡°Don''t get full of yourself, mister.¡± She said. She felt his self-mockery and pulled him close. ¡°Don''t sell yourself short, either.¡± ¡°Was that a shot at making fun of my height?¡± Ren asked and smiled. She shook her head and looked him in the eye. ¡°You''re trying really hard to distract me.¡± ¡°I have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m having just as much trouble as you were at first.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''m trying to keep my hands to myself.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Elerlyth slid forward on the couch so she sat right in front of him, and his face was only a few inches higher than hers. ¡°You don''t have to keep your hands to yourself.¡± She lifted the hand she held, and tried to put it on her chest. Ren stopped letting her move his hand, just short of touching her, and her grip slipped off and she looked at him in surprise. ¡°I''ll make you that sword now.¡± Ren said, and the forge across the room lit up with a whoosh. ¡°I can''t wear the cloak while I work.¡± He unequipped the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and her eyes lost a bit of their shine. ¡°I should move the couch closer, as my Aura only goes out 10 feet.¡± Elerlyth nodded and stood up. Ren stored the couch and moved it over closer to the forge, but away from the openings. He put the couch down and faced it towards the forge and anvil, so Elerlyth could watch him work. She sat down on the edge of the couch and watched as Ren put several high quality iron bricks into the large smelter. They melted pretty fast and Ren added more. He stirred it up quickly, and walked over to the couch. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Ren asked, concerned. ¡°I''m okay.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Are you still all horny and willing to throw yourself on me?¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh. ¡°Not really.¡± Ren smiled and held out a hand to her. ¡°I''m glad.¡± She took it and smiled. He sat down and she looked at him in appreciation. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°That you were drunk?¡± Ren asked. Elerlyth nodded. ¡°You were acting like an alcoholic that had just gone on a bender.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d hoped that removing the source, you''d sober up a little.¡± Elerlyth squeezed his hand. ¡°You could have taken advantage of me so easily there.¡± She smiled. ¡°I really, really wanted you to.¡± ¡°I never would have guessed that.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°You''re so hard to read sometimes.¡± She snorted a laugh. ¡°What did I tell you about being a dick?¡± ¡°That if you don''t use it well, it''s a waste?¡± Ren said and grinned. Elerlyth laughed. ¡°Okay, that''s true.¡± She said. ¡°But... since you didn''t use yours...¡± Ren leaned into her. ¡°If anything did happen, the last thing I''d want is for you to be too drunk to enjoy it.¡± Elerlyth''s eyes widened as Ren spoke the truth. ¡°I thought...¡± She started to say, and Ren interrupted her. ¡°I''m engaged, yeah.¡± He said. ¡°But... I''ve been told by several people, that there can be all kinds of love. When Lucy and I broke up, I thought I was losing everything, then Nathalia was there to save me.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°It''s okay. I know what you think about it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°If it is a logic loop, it''s a damn good one.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m living an entire different life in here, Elerlyth. In the Dwarven Kingdom, I''m the tall one. Everyone is starting to look up to me, both literally and figuratively. I''m becoming the example to set for change.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Please, let me finish.¡± Elerlyth nodded and he continued. ¡°I can do things in here that I couldn''t even dream of doing in real life. I meet new people, I make friends...¡± She winced slightly and Ren smiled. ¡°I make friends, Elerlyth... and not just NPCs.¡± He looked at her. ¡°People I never would have met if I wasn''t playing this game.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Like you.¡± Elerlyth looked at him. ¡°Even after how we met, you found out I was in trouble in here, and came to visit me in the real world to warn me.¡± Ren said and gripped her hand. ¡°If that''s not friendship, I don''t know what is.¡± Elerlyth felt a trickle of the appreciation flooding into her, and she smiled crookedly. ¡°You''re not getting it all, are you?¡± Ren said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Without my cloak, you''re only getting a little bit from me.¡± ¡°How...¡± ¡°Your skin is starting to lose it''s dark color.¡± Elerlyth looked down and saw the same thing Ren did. ¡°I guess I''ve been hungry for so long, I need bigger meals.¡± ¡°I''d offer to let you inject me; but I''ve had enough of that in real life and I don''t want it in here, either.¡± Ren stood up and equipped the cloak, concentrating on the Fear Aura. ¡°Is that better?¡± Elerlyth nodded and Ren sat down again. ¡°I won''t do the boost, though.¡± ¡°Now that we know the effects...¡± She said. ¡°...we can be careful.¡± ¡°We''ll have to go slow, and see how things turn out.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s that saying? Everything is good in moderation?¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°I don''t want to spend time with you here, and have you drunk all the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think you''re a fantastic person, and I''d like to get to know you for who you are.¡± He grinned. ¡°Not what you''d be willing to do when you''re drunk.¡± Elerlyth licked her lips and let a grin spread across her face. ¡°Who said I wanted you only when I was drunk?¡± ¡°What-¡± Ren started to say, and Elerlyth kissed him passionately and took him into a hug. Ren reacted automatically, and hugged then kissed her back. Elerlyth felt intense excitement from Ren, and a bit of naughtiness, then regret, and remorse, then excitement again. She fed on everything he felt, because he wasn''t holding anything back, or trying to hide anything. Elerlyth felt Ren offering all of his emotions up for her to consume, and her heart leaped. Of course, it made her very excited and her body responded in kind. Ren felt the tips of her breasts poke him in the chest, and he let the surprise and pleasure of the feel of her touching him flood into her. Elerlyth drank it all in and she moaned in pleasure and satisfaction. This lasted for several minutes, and Ren almost forgot what he was supposed to be doing. Elerlyth felt his indecision and she broke the kiss, but kept the hug. ¡°The metal''s ready, isn''t it?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Unfortunately.¡± She chuckled and let her arms slide down his chest. ¡°You''d better tend to it, then.¡± ¡°How do you feel?¡± Ren said, and she felt concern. ¡°I...¡± She took a breath. ¡°I feel good, actually.¡± Ren looked at her, and smiled. ¡°Your skin color''s back in full force, too.¡± Elerlyth looked at her hands in surprise. ¡°Hey, it is!¡± Ren stood up and walked over to the forge. ¡°You''re not drunk, either.¡± ¡°What?¡± He took out several stone bricks and made a mold on the floor. ¡°You''re not writhing around like a cat with cream.¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh. ¡°Is that how you see yourself?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I seem to remember someone telling me that I was ''delicious''.¡± She smiled. ¡°Yeah, in a moment of weakness.¡± He shrugged as he looked at the mold. ¡°How big of a sword do you want?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°I have to pour the metal for the sword, and depending on how big you want it, I need to add more for the folding process.¡± ¡°Oh... um... my old one was about this long.¡± Elerlyth said and held her arms out about 4 feet apart. ¡°It was this wide.¡± She said and held her fingertips about 3 inches wide. ¡°Do you want a similar one?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow and she chuckled. ¡°Just make one you think I''d like.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You''re the blacksmith.¡± He nodded and poured some of the molten metal into the mold. Once it was up to the point he needed, he stopped pouring and let it cool a little.
Stat Change!
Smelting Level 3 (Advanced 0%)
It took a couple of minutes for the metal to cool, and once it was safe to pick up with his tongs, he opened up the side of the forge and put the blank inside. Once it was hot enough, he took it out and went to the anvil. He hammered it enough to fold it in half and put it back in the forge. He took it out and hammered it flat, and put it back in. Once it was hot enough, he took it out and hammered it enough to fold it again. He repeated this about a dozen times, and Elerlyth watched him in fascination the entire time. He''s not taking any breaks! He just keeps going! Elerlyth thought as Ren hammered out the final shape, and stuck it back in the forge. Once it was hot enough, he quenched the blade in the barrel of oil. Ren took it out and smiled when it didn''t light on fire. He took it to the workbench, added a hilt, then sharpened it to a fine edge. After a good polishing, he walked back over to Elerlyth and saw her shocked expression. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked, concerned. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°You just... for an hour...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I''m pretty good at metal forging.¡± ¡°I know you''re a blacksmith.¡± Elerlyth said and rolled her eyes. ¡°I''m just amazed you didn''t take any breaks.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It needed my undivided attention. If I''d stopped at any point, this might not have turned out so well.¡± He held up the blade, and it gleamed. ¡°Oh... my...¡± Elerlyth''s eyes shone as she stared at the blade. ¡°You just have to decide what you want it enchanted with.¡± Ren said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Easy, there.¡± Ren said and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Take a breath. Do you want Earth, Lightning, Fire, Ice, Wind, or Water?¡± He asked. ¡°I could make it lighter or heavier, too.¡± Elerlyth looked at him with a blank stare. ¡°What were the options again?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Hold this for a minute.¡± He said and passed it to her. She took it by the hilt and it dropped to the floor, and dragged her hand with it. ¡°Lighter it is.¡± Ren said and took it back, and enchanted it with a double glyph of Antidark (8 runes total) and it made the blade 32% lighter. He handed to back to her and smiled. ¡°It''s lighter, but when you swing it, it''ll still have the same force as if it was still heavy.¡± Elerlyth lifted it and held it out. ¡°It''s still pretty heavy.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You''ll get stronger.¡± She walked over to the middle of the open floor area and started swinging. Ren turned back to the forge and changed the mold on the floor to more of a square shape, then poured more molten metal into it. He let it cool for a minute and used the forge to fold it a few times. Ren poured the mold several times and made a pair of boots, a pair of gauntlets, and shoulder pieces, all with the same pattern he''d put on her breastplate. When he was done of them all, he dyed the pieces dark blue just like the breastplate, and then used his small crucible to smelt a bit of actual gold and covered the details in it. He then enchanted the pieces with double glyphs of Protection, and polished everything. What Elerlyth currently wore wouldn''t be suitable for the armor pieces to fit, and would replace what she had on. Ren modified the bodysuit pattern he had and put strategic cutouts in certain areas, to highlight the parts that he thought Elerlyth would want to showcase. ¡°You were right!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°It took over 3 hours and I''m exhausted...¡± She said and grinned. ¡°...but, I just gained a point of Strength!¡± ¡°Try lifting a house sometime.¡± Ren said under his breath, and chuckled. ¡°What did you say?¡± Elerlyth came over to the workbench. ¡°You lifted a HOUSE!¡± Ren looked at her and smiled. ¡°I forgot you can hear just as well as I can.¡± ¡°Okay, mister. Spill it!¡± She said and held her sword at the ready. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll tell you all about it while you put this on.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°It''s the bodysuit for your set of armor.¡± ¡°My WHAT?¡± ¡°I can''t have my Head Guard walk around with just a breastplate and a sword.¡± Ren explained. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Just put this on.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please.¡± Elerlyth looked at it, and sighed. ¡°Fine.¡± She took it and equipped it. It replaced her thin fabric top but not her pants. The cloth was a tight weave and she ran a hand over it. ¡°Is that a pattern of...¡± ¡°Webs.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ve left the top open the same as your old one so it doesn''t interfere with the breastplate, and there''s cutouts at your hips.¡± Elerlyth looked at Ren with raised eyebrows. ¡°What?¡± He asked. ¡°Are they necessary?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You''ll see.¡± He said, and handed her the gauntlets, the thigh-high boots, and the shoulder pieces. She saw the missing piece and equipped her breastplate from inventory. ¡°Oh my god.¡± Elerlyth said as she looked down at herself. ¡°Please tell me you have a mirror!¡± Ren grinned and went upstairs, stored the sitting table from the bedroom, and came back downstairs. He placed it at the bottom of the stairs and Elerlyth stared at herself in the mirror. She turned side to side, and the cutouts highlighted her hips perfectly. The boots stopped at the top of her thighs and the gauntlets covered her forearms, elbows, and part of her upper arms. The shoulder pieces accented the breastplate perfectly, and the gold traced along the details made it look like it was floating above the armor. The web pattern in the bodysuit let her skin show through just enough to be suggestive, but covered everything more than her normal clothes did. ¡°So, do you like it?¡± Ren asked, and Elerlyth could feel his satisfaction, because he knew she loved it. She turned around to face him, and stepped in close. ¡°I was going to joke about it being the worst piece of junk I''ve ever seen...¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°...but it''s honestly the most wonderful thing I''ve ever seen.¡± She unequipped her gauntlets and ran her hands along the sides of his face, then gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. Her fingers tingled with the intensity that tiny touch sent through her, and she felt a similar reaction from Ren. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Not yet it isn''t...¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°...but it will be.¡± She said and gently kissed him again. Chapter 127 - I Can Explain The gentle kiss went on for a minute and Elerlyth''s hands moved from Ren''s face down to his neck. He caught her hands before she could scratch him, and she pulled away from the kiss. ¡°Don''t you trust me?¡± She asked coyly, as she felt a little distrust and a lot of amusement from him. ¡°You wouldn''t like me so much if I did.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I really would be a sucker then.¡± ¡°Darn right.¡± Elerlyth said and smiled. ¡°I don''t waste my time with people like that.¡± Ren slid his grip from her wrists to her hands, and Elerlyth felt some sorrow from him. ¡°It''s getting dark, and I have to go soon.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know.¡± She said, and sighed. ¡°Plus, there''s only tonight and tomorrow, and I''ve got to get to school.¡± ¡°School?¡± Ren asked. Elerlyth nodded. ¡°I''ve got engineering classes at the college all morning, and at noon I work at the garage for a full shift.¡± ¡°No wonder you said I had it easy.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You must be exhausted all the time.¡± ¡°You have no idea.¡± Elerlyth said and walked over to the couch, and dragged Ren along. She unequipped all the armor pieces, but left on the webbed bodysuit and sat down. Ren sat down in the corner and opened his arms. Elerlyth snuggled into him and sighed. ¡°I love my work.¡± She said as she felt Ren''s concern and worry about her. ¡°But the school thing bothers the hell out of me.¡± She rested her head on his shoulder and looked at him. ¡°The professor is the worst. All he does is pick on me because of how I look, and I can''t complain because I need the credit for his class if I want an engineering degree.¡± ¡°I''m sorry I can''t help you with that.¡± Ren stroked her hair and tried not to stroke anything else. Elerlyth felt his sadness, and then his indecision about touching her. ¡°You can touch me if you want to.¡± She said and her face flushed a slightly darker color. ¡°I''m not drunk on your awesomeness, either.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I know you aren''t.¡± He moved his hand from her hair to her face, and traced the same parts that he did in real life, to show her that he saw her. She felt his determination, and realized what he was doing. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I don''t want to start something right now, that I know won''t stop.¡± Her eyes widened as she felt his ambition to do just that. ¡°Once I decide to do something, I go all in.¡± Ren saw her face flush darker, and he laughed. ¡°That was both sincere, and could be taken another way.¡± ¡°So could that.¡± Elerlyth said, and chuckled as Ren realized what he''d said, and she felt his embarrassment. ¡°That''s not what I...¡± Ren looked at her, and she grinned. ¡°...all right. You can feel how I feel. You know I want to. All double meanings aside.¡± She nodded, and he cupped the side of her face. ¡°Do you think you can make it through the whole night without me here?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Answer me honestly.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good.¡± He said and moved her over slightly, then stood up. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± ¡°But... I thought...¡± ¡°If you''d lied and said you couldn''t live without me if I left, I''d have left just to see if you were right.¡± Elerlyth''s eyes widened. ¡°You''d have left me to die?¡± ¡°No, I''m not a heartless wretch.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''d be gone for about 20 minutes, then come back to see if you were okay.¡± Relief flooded through her. ¡°Don''t tease me like that.¡± ¡°I told you before, Elerlyth. I won''t let you starve.¡± Ren said and leaned in close. ¡°But we both know there''s a difference between eating to live, and enjoying what you eat.¡± He kissed her, and flooded her with how he felt. Glad that she was honest, happy that he could help her, regret that he was leaving for a short time and was probably in a lot of trouble, and pleasure from the feeling of her skin on his. She moaned as she drank it all in, and a moment later, Ren broke the kiss. Elerlyth blinked a few times and then smiled. ¡°Yeah. There''s a huge difference.¡± ¡°I have to go and talk to Nathalia, and then log out for a few minutes. I could be gone for half an hour, or for 2 hours.¡± He said as he held her hand. ¡°I''ll try for the sooner, but you should plan for the latter.¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°I''ll see you soon.¡± She said and moved over to the corner of the couch to where Ren had sat, and pulled her legs up. She felt his admiration again as he looked at her. Ren shook his head and smiled. ¡°I appreciate beauty when I see it; but damn, Elerlyth... I could stand here and stare at you all night.¡± She felt the truth in his words and her face flushed darker. ¡°You better go, short stuff.¡± Elerlyth let his hand go and she smiled. ¡°Or you won''t be leaving at all.¡± Ren nodded and walked towards the stairs. ¡°By the way, this is a Safe Zone. You can log out here and not worry about what happens to your avatar.¡± He went up the stairs to the landing and turned to wave at her. She waved back and he ran up the rest of the stairs. * He really is delicious! Elerlyth thought and shivered as she remembered that last kiss. He doesn''t hide anything from me at all. He gave me everything he had willingly! She rested her head on the back of the couch and waited for Ren to return. He''s so sweet, it almost hurts to use him like this! * Ren went into the apartment and to the living room. He took out a piece of wood and cut off 2 pieces and nailed one to the inside of the cabinet door, closed it behind him, and nailed it shut from the inside. ¡°I need to buy a couple of locks.¡± Ren said and stepped through the portal. It really was just like a doorway, and he appeared in his new living room without any noticeable passage of time. ¡°Hello, Ren.¡± Nathalia said, and he walked around the portal to see where she was. She sat in a comfy chair, with her arms crossed under her chest.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Hi, Nathalia.¡± He said and looked around. ¡°Where''s Ruck and Golir?¡± ¡°Ruck is downstairs and hanging on the wall for some reason.¡± Nathalia shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I sent Golir home with the cart.¡± ¡°He left you here alone?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I ordered him to go home to his wife.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You''ve given me great armor and weapons to protect myself with. I hardly need a guard while I''m inside.¡± Ren took out some wood to build a cabinet around the portal. ¡°You''ve been gone a while.¡± She said, and tapped a foot on the floor. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and built the cabinet the same size as the other one, added the small piece of wood on the inside and closed it. ¡°She was a lot worse off than I thought she was.¡± He said and turned the cabinet so the door was on the right side, so when he walked through, he''d face the door on the other side of the portal. ¡°So she wasn''t faking it?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°W-what?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°I was worried it was just a ruse to get you to go to her.¡± She said. Ren smiled. ¡°I would have been back here right away, if that was the case.¡± ¡°Would you?¡± ¡°Nathalia...¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°Did you have sex with her?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren walked over to her, knelt, and held a hand out to her. She took it and he looked her in the eyes. ¡°I''m not going to lie to you, Nathalia. I kissed her a few times, and she wanted me to do more than that.¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I wanted to do more than that.¡± Nathalia took in a deep breath herself and exhaled. ¡°Why didn''t you?¡± ¡°I wanted to talk to you first.¡± ¡°Why?¡± She asked. ¡°If you want to do it, I can''t stop you.¡± ¡°Nathalia...¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Nathalia huffed. ¡°Go and have fun with her.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± She asked. ¡°You just told me you want to.¡± ¡°Nathalia, I love you.¡± Ren said, sincerely. ¡°Before I do anything else, with anyone else, I want to share myself completely with you first.¡± Her eyes widened as her heart beat faster. ¡°What... what are you saying?¡± ¡°I''m asking you to sleep with me.¡± ¡°We''ve slept in the same bed...¡± ¡°Not last night, we didn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was kind of hurt when I woke up and you weren''t there.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°I... had something to do... and fell asleep.¡± ¡°It''s okay; but it meant I couldn''t tell you what was going on, and I had to leave you a note.¡± ¡°I''m sorry I wasn''t there.¡± Nathalia said and gripped his hand tighter. ¡°Even though I promised I would always be waiting there for you.¡± ¡°I said it was okay.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I just missed seeing your pretty face when I woke up.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°I felt the same way when I woke up. I saw you weren''t there and I was sad; then I realized where I was, and ran to your room. That''s when I saw the note on the door.¡± ¡°Do you want to know what''s funny?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I was about to use the Sending Ring to call you this morning, and it lit up because you called me.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°It would have been sooner, but you wrote a whole story for me to read first.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I didn''t want to leave you there, not knowing everything that I was going to do.¡± ¡°Including her.¡± He nodded. ¡°It''s just like I told you in the note. Elerlyth and I have a certain chemistry when we''re together. It makes the both of us a little nuts for each other.¡± ¡°I know what that''s like.¡± Nathalia said and stood up. ¡°I''ve been fighting myself so much when you''re around. I just... I just want to be with you.¡± ¡°I''ve been doing that, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been fighting so long that I''m kind of punch drunk.¡± ¡°What''s that mean?¡± Nathalia asked, perplexed. ¡°It means that it''s become automatic to just keep fighting, and not give in.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°And now?¡± ¡°I told you. I won''t do anything with anyone else, before being with you.¡± Nathalia smiled coyly. ¡°So... if I don''t do anything with you...¡± Ren''s eyes widened and she stepped in close. ¡°...I can keep you all to myself.¡± Nathalia ran a hand through his hair, and Ren took her into a hug. ¡°You''re the only one who does that, you know.¡± He said. ¡°Does what?¡± She said and hugged him around the neck. ¡°You run your fingers through my hair, but never ruffle it like everyone else does.¡± ¡°That''s because you hate it when that happens.¡± Nathalia said and smiled. ¡°By the gods, I love you so much.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want you so bad my teeth hurt.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°The feeling is mutual, then.¡± She leaned in and Ren leaned down, and they shared a passionate kiss for a minute. Ren remembered something he had to do, and broke the kiss. ¡°I''m sorry, Nathalia. I have Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± ¡°That figures!¡± Nathalia said, and grinned. ¡°We finally give in to our feelings for each other, and you have to go.¡± ¡°I shouldn''t be long. I just have a bit of explaining to do with a good friend.¡± ¡°All right.¡± She said and sighed. ¡°I''ll be waiting.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I don''t want you waiting here.¡± He stepped back and took her hand and picked up the chair. ¡°My Lady, please come with me.¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened, but she let him lead her into the other room. He put the chair down and then took out the old comfy bed they''d slept in a few times together. ¡°Is that?¡± ¡°The same bed I had on the ship, that you sneaked into that first time... and slept in right here, on this spot.¡± Nathalia looked at him in surprise. ¡°Is that why...¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It''s the only reason I''ve kept the bed this long, and carried it around with me everywhere I went. I knew I''d be building here, and since this was where I was so close to giving in the first time, this was where I wanted the bed to stay.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± She said and gave him a kiss. ¡°You''re so sweet.¡± ¡°I hope you still think that after tonight.¡± Ren said, then leaned in to whisper in her ear what he wanted to do to her. Nathalia gripped his shoulder to steady herself, and shivered in anticipation. He waited for a moment to give her time to recover, and stepped away. ¡°I''ll be quick.¡± ¡°By the gods, I hope not.¡± Nathalia said and shivered again. ¡°I meant about the Adventurer''s business.¡± Ren chuckled and climbed onto the bed. ¡°See you soon.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly and Ren leaned back in the bed. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren started to take off the VR headset and Barbara was there to help. ¡°Hey, you.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Hi, Barbara!¡± Ren said. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°Not as good as you, apparently.¡± She said and laughed. ¡°Two women, and no venom this time.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I promised Elerlyth I''d feed her willingly.¡± ¡°More like eagerly.¡± Barbara said and grinned herself. ¡°She really pushes your buttons, doesn''t she?¡± ¡°We''ve got chemistry, that''s for sure.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°Like oil and fire.¡± ¡°And you''re the oil.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Be careful she doesn''t use you all up.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I think I''m the only one who lets her feed so openly like that. I''m pretty sure she wants to swallow me whole, but I''m trying to get her to pace herself.¡± He chuckled. ¡°It''s hard, but if she can get it under control, it won''t take up so much of her thoughts. Or her time.¡± ¡°You''re really too nice, you know.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You could have just let her starve.¡± ¡°Yeah, and it would kill something inside me if I did that.¡± Ren said and got out of bed. ¡°Knowing I could have helped her and then let her wither away?¡± He shook his head as he walked to the bathroom. ¡°I think I''d lose an important part of myself if that happened.¡± Ren shut the door and used the bathroom, cleaned himself up and pulled a foil packet from his pajama pocket. He opened it, slipped it on, and left a lot of extra room at the end. He washed his hands again and left the bathroom. Ren climbed back into bed and looked at Barbara. ¡°Did Denise put Samantha on my visitor''s list?¡± Ren asked. Barbara nodded. ¡°How did that come about, by the way?¡± ¡°I invited her to come and see me, but I completely forgot I wasn''t allowed to have visitors.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Denise was pretty mad.¡± ¡°I''d say.¡± Barbara said and smiled. ¡°It took her almost 10 minutes to write the name on the sheet.¡± ¡°It did?¡± Ren''s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She kept going on and on about what the girl looked like.¡± Barbara grinned. ¡°You really know how to pick them, Ren.¡± He raised a single eyebrow and Barbara chuckled. ¡°Pink hair with blue streaks, torn up clothing, so many piercings Denise lost count...¡± Barbara said and smiled. ¡°...she was beside herself telling me all about it.¡± ¡°She must have missed seeing the part of Samantha''s head that was shaved.¡± Ren said and grinned. Barbara snorted a laugh, and put a hand on Ren''s arm. ¡°I would have heard all about it in detail if she saw that!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I really do have to apologize for the visit. I didn''t know she was going to show up today.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°I assumed as much, and Denise did eventually calm down.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Well!¡± Barbara said and clapped her hands once. ¡°You can''t keep that cute little Nathalia waiting!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I told her I''d be back soon.¡± ¡°Do you need protection?¡± ¡°W-w-what?!?¡± Ren said, shocked. ¡°I don''t want you to be embarrassed about it, Ren.¡± Barbara pat his hand. ¡°You''re a man now. This was bound to come up.¡± ¡°B-Barbara... I... I don''t want to talk about it.¡± ¡°Oh, pish-posh!¡± She said. ¡°I''m a nurse. If you need help...¡± Ren blushed a deep red. ¡°S-S-S-Stella h-h-helped m-me already.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Barbara said and smiled. ¡°I was a little worried at first, but she''s been doing a fantastic job taking care of you.¡± Ren nodded sheepishly as his blush faded. ¡°Don''t worry, I won''t mention it again.¡± Barbara said as she passed him his VR headset, then helped him put it on. ¡°With Stella helping you, you''re in good hands.¡± ¡°F-f-flow L-login Start.¡± Ren stuttered, and a popup appeared.
Notice!
Voice Command not recognized. (Invalid Error #452826) Please repeat.
Ren took a deep breath and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Chapter 128 - One After The Other (Explicit Content) Ren woke up on the bed and propped himself on his elbows. He looked around, but all he saw was an empty room. The comfy chair was missing. ¡°Nathalia?¡± ¡°Ren!¡± She said from the room that should be the bathroom. ¡°Close your eyes!¡± ¡°They''re closed.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. He heard soft footsteps enter the bedroom and he waited. ¡°O-okay.¡± Nathalia said, shyly. ¡°You can open them.¡± Ren opened his eyes and they kept opening until they were as wide as they could possibly be. ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren said as he stared at her. ¡°By the gods, Nathalia... you''re beautiful.¡± She stood in the doorway of the bathroom, wearing a completely see-through negligee, and a small pair of underwear. Her hair was undone from the braid, and the curly mass flowed out and around her like a curtain. Nathalia''s face was completely red as she tried to not cover herself, since he could see she was trying her best to keep her arms at her side. Ren hopped out of bed and quickly went over to her. ¡°This is what you were making last night?¡± He asked, and took her into a hug. Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°You know I''m terrible at sewing.¡± She said. ¡°I worked on it for so long, that I fell asleep.¡± ¡°Darling, you didn''t have to do that.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss. ¡°I''m very happy that you did, though.¡± Nathalia''s blush stayed in full force as he hugged her closely, and she felt how happy he really was. Her breath caught and Ren smiled at her. ¡°Do you like it?¡± She asked. ¡°I love it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not because of what I can see, but because of what you went through to make it for me.¡± Nathalia reached a hand up and stroked his face. ¡°I wanted our first time together to be memorable.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I had the same thought; but, I didn''t make a see-through outfit to wear for you.¡± She grinned. ¡°I wouldn''t mind seeing that.¡± ¡°If you have any of that fabric left...¡± Ren suggested. Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I used up almost all of it, trying to make this.¡± Ren gave her a quick kiss. ¡°I hope you''ll be happy with just nudity.¡± ¡°That depends on if you mean it, or if it''s just sex.¡± She asked. ¡°If all I wanted from you was sex, you''d already be on the bed and I''d be inside you.¡± Nathalia shivered at the truth in Ren''s words, and she smiled. ¡°You don''t know how much that means to me.¡± ¡°You''re wrong.¡± Ren said and picked her up. Nathalia grabbed him around the neck, and he carried her to the bed. ¡°I know exactly how much it means to you.¡± He laid her down on the comfy mattress and smiled. ¡°Because it means just as much to me.¡± Ren stored his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak into inventory, and followed it with his Travelling Clothes. He stood there above her with only a pair of Spider Silk underwear on, and Nathalia could clearly see how happy he was. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Yes, Nathalia?¡± ¡°Don''t make me wait anymore.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''m sorry, but you have to.¡± ¡°W-w-what?¡± She said, surprised. Ren laid down beside her and gave her a kiss. ¡°I am going to take my time with you.¡± He ran a finger down her neck and along the frills across the opening above her chest. Nathalia arched her back and pushed her breasts out for him, but he didn''t grab them like he wanted to. He used a single finger to trace the edge of her breast and then up to the middle, where a very prominent nipple awaited his touch. Instead of pinching it or rubbing it, he still used a single finger to trace the areola''s edge and then the nipple itself. Nathalia''s breath sped up when he touched her there and he moved his hand over to her other breast and repeated the same movements. ¡°By the gods, Ren... please...¡± She whispered. ¡°I''ve been so good for so long.¡± Ren smiled and slipped a hand under the end of the negligee and slid it up and over the soft mounds of flesh, and Nathalia took in a deep breath. He gave her a passionate kiss, then kissed her neck, and she giggled. He worked his way down the middle of her chest, paused for a moment, then dove for her right nipple. ¡°Ohhhhh....¡± Nathalia moaned as Ren sucked and licked her there. He used a hand to massage her and work a good amount of flesh up and into his mouth. He moved his hand away, and the flesh slowly pulled it''s way out of his mouth. When it came to only her nipple left between his lips, he sucked hard for a second, there was a popping sound, and the breast popped free. ¡°By the gods...¡± Nathalia whispered. Ren repeated this with her other breast and it nearly drove her wild. ¡°Please, Ren... please...¡± She begged. Ren smiled and moved down to her waist. ¡°Yes... oh, yes...¡± Ren hooked the edge of her underwear with his fingers, and slipped the thin fabric down her legs and off completely. He handed the underwear to Nathalia so she could put them into inventory, and she tossed them onto the floor. ¡°You''re going to need those later.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t care!¡± She said, nearly mad with desire. ¡°Hurry!¡± ¡°Your wish is my command, My Lady.¡± Ren said and moved away and down to her waist. He eased her legs apart. Only a small tuft of hair was above her opening, and Ren smiled. ¡°W-what... what are you...¡± He dove his face into the space between her legs, and Nathalia gasped. She writhed around as Ren kissed her there as passionately as he had kissed her mouth earlier. ¡°Some... something... Ren... there''s something...¡± She started to buck and twitch and Ren kept going. It didn''t take long before Nathalia''s legs clamped down on his head and she screamed. ¡°AHHHHHHHH!!!!¡± Ren kept licking her and she kept going, over and over. Her screams settled down eventually into a constant moan. He gave her one last kiss there, and she tensed up for a moment and then her legs fell away from his head. Ren moved back up the bed, and lay by her side. ¡°Nathalia, are you okay?¡± ¡°W-w-w-w-what?¡± She said, and tried to focus on Ren''s face. Her eyes didn''t quite work yet, though. ¡°I''m going to give you a few minutes to recover before I keep going.¡± Nathalia blinked several times and turned her head to look at him. ¡°You... want to... keep... going?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I do, but I think you''ve had enough for a few minutes.¡± She nodded vigorously and then closed her eyes. ¡°I never knew... Ren, that was... by the gods...¡± Ren lay there and waited for several minutes until Nathalia''s breathing evened out and she could see him properly. ¡°Ready for Round 2?¡± Ren asked. Nathalia''s eyes widened as she looked down at herself. ¡°Are you going to... kiss me there... again?¡± She asked, and licked her lips. Ren smiled and shook his head. ¡°I had something else in mind.¡± He got up and knelt on the bed, and stored his underwear. Nathalia''s breath stopped as she saw Ren''s throbbing member in it''s entirety, for the first time. ¡°By the gods!¡± She gasped and started breathing again. ¡°It''s...¡± ¡°Yeah, I know...¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s quite bi-¡± ¡°...beautiful.¡± Nathalia whispered, and Ren looked at her in surprise. She looked at him with desire. ¡°Can I touch it?¡± ¡°You can do anything you want to it.¡± He said and grinned. Nathalia sat up, then reached out a hand to caress the silky skin. Both Ren and Nathalia shivered at the gentle touch. She moved her hand over the tip and around the edge, then used her other hand to grasp it firmly. ¡°If I''d known...¡± Nathalia said and moved her hands slowly along the shaft. ¡°...I wouldn''t have held myself back for so long.¡± She leaned in and put her face right next to the tip, and looked up at him. ¡°I''ve never done this before, Ren.¡± She stuck out her tongue and licked the front of the tip. ¡°If I do something wrong...¡± Ren chuckled, and Nathalia felt it through his member. ¡°Darling, you can''t do anything wrong.¡± Nathalia nodded and put the tip into her mouth. She sucked it like Ren had sucked on her nipples, and she tried her best to get as much of it into her mouth as she could. He couldn''t hear her breathe, so he tugged on her hair a little, and pulled her away from him. ¡°You need to breathe through your nose.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or you might pass out.¡± She nodded and tried again. He could feel her breath through her nose and she got about half of it in, then she had to stop and backed off again. ¡°How... how is it?¡± She asked and looked at him. ¡°Honey, I don''t know if I can last much longer if you keep going.¡± Nathalia smiled and slipped his member back into her mouth and kept sucking. Ren closed his eyes as she moved in and out, and got faster with each movement. He began moving his hips in time with her, then opened his eyes. ¡°Almost...¡± Ren said, and she looked up at him. He nodded and she stopped moving and let him go in her mouth. Ren spasmed over and over, and Nathalia''s eyes widened. It was a bit too much for her to hold, so she slid her mouth off of his member, and everything spilled out and onto the bed. Ren kept going for another few seconds, and then the spasms eased off. ¡°Nathalia, are you okay?¡± Ren asked, concerned. He took out a scrap piece of cloth and knelt in front of her, avoiding the mess he''d made. ¡°There was a lot more than I thought there was going to be.¡± He wiped her mouth and chin off, then a bit on her leg and put the cloth over the mess. ¡°You made me go so much.¡± Nathalia blushed a little and Ren kissed her. She was surprised for a moment, and then she closed her eyes and kissed him back. A minute later, he broke the kiss and looked at her. ¡°I hope you''re ready.¡± Ren said, and eased Nathalia back down onto the bed. ¡°I''ve been ready for weeks, Ren.¡± She said and blushed. ¡°Are you?¡± His eyes glanced down, and Nathalia followed it. Her eyes widened at his throbbing member. ¡°Did... did it get bigger?¡± ¡°You did a great job.¡± Ren said as he positioned himself near her opening. He rubbed the tip of his member over her, and Nathalia caught her breath. He did this several times, and she started to writhe on the bed. ¡°Please...¡± Nathalia whispered. ¡°...I''ve waited so long...¡± Ren slid the tip inside of her and she stopped breathing. He slid it back out and she started breathing again. He slid the tip back in and her breath sped up, and he slid it back out. Nathalia moaned and looked at Ren with longing. He gave her a kiss, and slid himself about half-way in. ¡°Oh... oh... by the gods...¡± Ren pulled almost all the way back out, then jammed himself all the way in. ¡°Agh!¡± Nathalia winced, and Ren just held her close and didn''t move. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked. Nathalia didn''t say anything; but she nodded slightly. ¡°I love you, Nathalia.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± She said, and Ren kissed her. She kissed him back, and he pulled out most of the way. He had to fight against her body to get himself all the way back in, because she was gripping him so tightly. Ren started to move slowly in and out, and Nathalia moaned as his movements rubbed her just the right way. He took his time and kept moving slowly, and Nathalia''s breath kept getting faster and faster. Ren didn''t go any faster, though. He wanted this to last as long as possible. It took about 15 minutes for him to get her to the point where he thought she was ready, and she looked at him with wild eyes. ¡°Ren... I''m close... so close... please, please go faster....¡± Nathalia pleaded. He smiled at her, but didn''t go any faster. ¡°By the gods! P...please... uh... uh....uh..uh.uh.uh...¡± It only took another 2 strokes and she clamped her legs around him, grabbed his hair with both hands and kissed him. She screamed into his mouth through the kiss and Ren kept moving slowly. She broke the kiss about 15 seconds later, but didn''t let his hair go. ¡°St-stop.¡± She whispered. Ren stopped moving, she relaxed, and her legs let him out of their death grip; but she kept a hold of his hair. She took several deep breaths and looked at him. ¡°Is it always like that?¡± She asked. ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is my first time doing it as an Adventurer.¡± Nathalia''s eyes bulged out of her head as she stared at him. ¡°Your... your first time...¡± ¡°I told you I wanted to be with you first.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia pulled him into another passionate kiss. Ren moved slightly and Nathalia froze. He broke the kiss. ¡°Are you all right?¡± She nodded. ¡°Don''t... don''t move yet.¡± ¡°Is it sore?¡± Ren asked concerned. Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I just... I could go again... and I want us to go together.¡± ¡°I could pull out...¡± Ren suggested, and he felt her body hold him tighter. ¡°Don''t you dare!¡± Nathalia said, let his hair go, and ran her fingers through it to straighten it. ¡°I''m sorry, I needed something to hold on to.¡± ¡°I wasn''t complaining.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°That didn''t hurt?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°It did, but I ignored it.¡± Ren said to her surprised expression. ¡°If you need something to hold on to, go ahead.¡± She took several deep breaths. ¡°Okay, I think I''m ready.¡± Ren slid himself out of her and she caught her breath again. ¡°By the gods, Ren...¡± Nathalia stared at him. ¡°...don''t go slow.¡± ¡°Then you better get a good grip, my love.¡± Nathalia reached up and laced her hands in his hair. Ren grinned and then pushed himself hard into her. She gripped his hair as he pounded her over and over, non-stop. ¡°By the... by the.... by the GODS!¡± Nathalia yelled as she came again, and Ren kept going. ¡°Oh... oh... oh... Ren... oh...¡± He kept driving himself into her again and again, and Nathalia came twice more. He felt himself getting close, and his rhythm started to falter. ¡°Darling... I''m... I''m close...¡± Ren said, and his breath sped up. ¡°M-m-me... t-t-too......¡± Nathalia grunted. Their eyes widened at the same time. ¡°Now!¡± They said together, and Nathalia clamped her legs around Ren to hold him inside, and Ren grabbed her shoulders to hold her close. They kissed each other as they both spasmed. Ren let himself go completely; Nathalia felt his release deep inside of her and came again. Her body gripped Ren''s member harder than it had before, and Ren came again himself. They repeated this cycle for nearly a full minute, before Nathalia lost all feeling in her limbs and she let Ren go. He pulled himself out of her, and she wiggled a little from the loss of contact. Ren rolled off of her and took several deep breaths. ¡°Wow.¡± They said at the same time, and turned their heads to look at each other. Since they both had surprised expressions on their faces, they both saw each others surprise, and then they started to laugh. ¡°Ha hahaha!¡± They laughed together and Nathalia put a hand on her belly from laughing so hard, and she winced. Ren stopped laughing and rolled over to look at her abdomen. ¡°Are you all right?¡± He asked, and touched her gently. Nathalia didn''t wince this time, but he thought she might be hiding it. ¡°Nathalia, I''m sorry I hurt you.¡± Nathalia laughed and Ren looked at her. ¡°Ren, I''m not hurt.¡± She said and caressed his face. ¡°Yes, I''m sore, and I''m going to be really sore tomorrow.¡± She grinned. ¡°If I thought you could keep going, I''d do it again.¡± ¡°You shouldn''t have said that.¡± Ren said and got up on his knees, and his member was still rock hard. ¡°By the gods, Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°How?¡± Ren smiled crookedly. ¡°I can keep going, no matter how many times I finish.¡± She looked at him. ¡°I... I can''t take it like this right now...¡± Ren grinned. ¡°My love, don''t worry. I''ll be gentle.¡± He said and picked her up. She gave a little yip of surprise and he took her into a hug. He kissed her gently for several moments, then asked her to get on her knees and turn around. Nathalia did as he asked, and Ren eased her head down onto the bed. ¡°Ren... this is... really embarrassing.¡± She said and blushed as she looked back at him over her shoulder. Her hair cascaded across her back and onto the bed. ¡°Nathalia, you shouldn''t be embarrassed.¡± Ren said and looked at the paradise presented to him. ¡°You''re absolutely beautiful.¡± He stroked her opening with his fingers and she started to moan. Ren was surprised to find that Nathalia was tight again when he slipped 2 fingers inside of her. He searched around and when he found the right spot, he waddled forward enough to easily enter her. Ren brushed his tip against her opening, and she pushed herself back onto him, and she gasped. ¡°By the gods, it feels bigger this way!¡± Nathalia said, then stopped talking as Ren eased backwards and then forwards again. He went agonizingly slow at first, and rather than pound her like he did before, he set a good rhythm and kept it. Not too fast that it might hurt her, but not too slow that she''d get angry. Ren kept going like that and Nathalia''s breath became faster and faster. She didn''t tell him to slow down, or to go faster, so he knew he had the best pace for her. He remembered that spot he had found earlier and moved himself slightly to change the angle, then hit that spot for her. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia said. *hits spot* ¡°I love you!¡± *hits spot* ¡°I love you!¡± *hits spot* ¡°I LOVE YOU!¡± *hits spot* ¡°AhhhhhhHHHHHH!!!!¡± She screamed and reached back for his hands, and Ren grabbed them. She pulled hard on his arms, and her body clenched tightly onto his member. He stopped moving and came inside of her again.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°By the GODS!¡± Ren exclaimed, and spasmed several times more. Nathalia let his hands go, slid off of him, and down onto the bed. She rested on her side, and he could see that she was breathing hard. Ren took several deep breaths himself and then lay down beside her. He kissed the tip of her nose, and Nathalia smiled. ¡°That was...¡± She started to say. ¡°So much better than bacon.¡± Ren said and grinned. Nathalia started laughing and he joined her. They lay there for a little while, and Ren ran his hand through the huge curtain of her hair. ¡°Thank you for taking your hair out of the braid.¡± Ren said as he played with it. ¡°It''s really nice seeing your hair like that.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''ve been wanting to see it unleashed since I met you.¡± ¡°I hope you don''t expect it every time.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It takes forever to braid it again.¡± Ren tossed the part he was playing with over her shoulder. ¡°I think seeing it once is enough.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I don''t know if my heart could survive seeing you like this all the time.¡± Nathalia smiled herself. ¡°I was going to say the same thing about you.¡± She said and cupped the side of his face and gave him a kiss. ¡°You''re everything a woman could ever ask for.¡±
Notice!
You have earned a new title: Prince Charming! You personify the vision of a woman''s ideal man, both romantically and physically. You will automatically draw the attention of impressionable women within your Aura''s radius. Aura (Personal) Bonus: +5 levels
Stat Change!
Aura (Personal) Level 2 (Intermediate 0%) - Current distance: 15 feet
Ren''s eyes widened at the popups. ¡°Nathalia...¡± ¡°You''re rich, you''re handsome, and...¡± Nathalia looked down at his still throbbing member. ¡°...you can satisfy any desire.¡± She reached down, stroked him lightly, and Ren caught his breath. She looked back at his face and smiled crookedly. ¡°I knew you weren''t lying when you said you could keep going.¡± She moved her hand faster and Ren stared at her. ¡°I didn''t really need proof, but here it is.¡± Nathalia said and picked up the scrap piece of cloth from the bed to hold over the tip. ¡°N-Nathalia!¡± Ren stammered, as he ejaculated into the cloth. They stared at each other as she kept stroking him and he kept ejaculating. She stopped stroking and leaned in to kiss him. Ren cupped the side of her face, and she broke the kiss to lean back. ¡°You''re too much man for only me to hold, Ren.¡± Ren blinked a few times. ¡°Nathalia...¡± ¡°You''ve satisfied me more than I thought I could ever be, my love.¡± Nathalia said, balled up the cloth and set it aside. ¡°My body feels weak and I''m exhausted, but you... you could keep going, on and on.¡± She sighed and closed her eyes. ¡°I''m sorry that I''m not enough woman for you.¡± Ren moved the hand from her face to her shoulder, and shook her a little. ¡°Nathalia, you''re more woman than I deserve.¡± He took her hand from his face and put it over his heart. ¡°If I do end up sleeping with someone else, please... please understand...¡± Ren pleaded. ¡°...that it''s just sex. You''re the one that I love.¡± Nathalia opened her eyes at the truth in his words, and saw his sincerity. ¡°Ren, what we just-¡± ¡°No, Nathalia.¡± He shook his head. ¡°What we just did... sharing ourselves like this... we were making love, and proving to each other how we felt.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren gave her a light and gentle kiss on the lips. ¡°I told you before. If all I wanted was sex from you, I''d have used you and probably tossed you aside long ago.¡± Nathalia snorted a laugh. ¡°I wouldn''t have been that easy to conquer.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I seem to recall a smitten young maiden who wanted to ''pet'' my dire wolf cloak.¡± Nathalia grinned, too. ¡°I couldn''t help it if your prowess impressed me way back then, before I got to know you.¡± He gently massaged one of her breasts and she sighed. ¡°I was impressed by you as well.¡± Ren said. ¡°So confident and sure of yourself, cooking for a ship full of men.¡± He smiled. ¡°I honestly don''t know why they weren''t all begging for your attention, or fighting each other to get to you.¡± Nathalia chuckled, and her breast jiggled in Ren''s hand. ¡°Probably because I was confident and sure of myself.¡± Ren let her breast go and raised both of his eyebrows. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You''re the only person to ever come up and talk to me like you did.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You treated me like a person, and not something to be won or ignored.¡± Ren smirked. ¡°Then that''s the first time I''ve ever ridden in a ship full of fools.¡± Nathalia laughed, and Ren ran a hand down her arm and took her hand in his. Her eyes widened as he got a serious look on his face. ¡°Thankfully, I''m not one of the fools.¡± Ren said. ¡°My Lady, both I and this body are yours, to do with as you wish.¡± He said, and kissed the inside of her wrist. ¡°My lands, my wealth, and my subjects, are yours to command.¡± Nathalia gasped as Ren performed part of the wedding ceremony. ¡°Ren... you can''t...¡± ¡°I want to prove to you that all I''ll do with anyone else, is just sex; no matter what other feelings might develop.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I''m with you, though; you will always have all of me.¡± Nathalia cooed a little, and then smiled. ¡°My Lord, both I and this body are yours, to do with as you wish.¡± She lifted his hand and kissed the inside of his wrist. ¡°Your lands, your wealth, and your subjects, are mine to command.¡±
Notice!
You have agreed to share your Superb Spider Silk Coin Vault with Nathalia Neram. Confirm: Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Everything I have is yours.¡± Nathalia gasped as a new key appeared around her neck next to the House Neram key; then she saw the amount of money Ren had, and that she now had access to. ¡°By the gods, Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°You... you could have bought... everything.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m sure I''d be limited to a certain amount.¡± He said. ¡°I haven''t hit that limit yet, though.¡± Nathalia shook her head in disbelief. ¡°You really are too nice for your own good.¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s a popular opinion.¡± Ren smirked and took her hand again. ¡°If there''s anything you need, anything at all...¡± Nathalia sat up and her see-through negligee slid down to cover her breasts again and she looked at it. ¡°It doesn''t hide anything at all.¡± She said and chuckled. Ren sat up next to her and took her into a one armed hug. ¡°It''s not supposed to.¡± He said, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°You wanted to turn me on, and it worked like a charm.¡± Nathalia looked down at him. ¡°Even after all this talking, you''re still ready to go.¡± ¡°I''m right beside someone I love very much, and she''s practically naked.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''m trying really hard to not go all over you while I sit here.¡± Her eyes widened at him and Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re pretty damn sexy, you know.¡± Nathalia blushed slightly and smiled. ¡°I think you''re late for a date with a certain dark-skinned emotion drinker.¡± ¡°What?¡± He said, surprised. Nathalia laughed. ¡°You forgot that you need to go and feed Elerlyth again?¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess I better go.¡± He took his arm away from Nathalia and stood up beside the bed. He reached out a hand to her, she took it, and he helped her stand. He cupped the sides of her face with both of his hands and gave her a gentle kiss. ¡°Try and get some sleep.¡± Ren said, and stepped back. ¡°We''ll should be able to head back to the city in the morning.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You''re not going to stay here and keep feeding her?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m hoping that I can feed her so much tonight that she can go for a while without it.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ll see you in the morning.¡± ¡°I love you, Nathalia.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± She said, then gave him a kiss. Ren equipped his Travelling Clothes and his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, then turned towards the doorway. ¡°Ren.¡± Nathalia said, and he turned back. ¡°You have my permission to have sex with her.¡± Ren''s eyes widened at her words. ¡°Nathalia...¡± ¡°If you come back here in the morning and tell me you love her, though...¡± Nathalia scowled at him. ¡°...I''ll kill you.¡± Ren concentrated on his personal Aura and took her into a hug. ¡°My Love, I''d kill myself before I''d hurt you like that.¡± He said and kissed her passionately for a moment. He broke the kiss and stepped back. ¡°Goodnight, My Love.¡± He bowed to Nathalia deeply, heard her gasp, then he walked into the living room. He opened the cabinet, stepped inside, and nailed it shut. He turned to the portal and stepped through it. He took the nails out far enough to open the door, then stepped out to shut it. Ren walked out of the apartment and then down the stairs to the landing. ¡°You''re back.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren smiled. She was still sitting in the same spot, but her head was resting on the back of the couch so she could look up the stairs. ¡°I said I would be.¡± Ren came down the rest of the way and stepped over in front of the couch. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Terrible.¡± Elerlyth said, then smiled. ¡°You, on the other hand, are positively glowing.¡± Ren grinned and Elerlyth chuckled. ¡°Was she really that good?¡± ¡°Better.¡± He said and sat down on the couch by her feet. ¡°It was my first time in the game.¡± Elerlyth grinned. ¡°You busted a nut, didn''t you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°How many times?¡± She asked curious. ¡°I lost count.¡± He said, and grinned at Elerlyth''s shocked expression. ¡°I was there for an hour and a half. It was a lot.¡± ¡°An... an hour... and a half...¡± Elerlyth stammered. ¡°We didn''t do it for the whole time. Nathalia was sore after a while, so we had to take breaks and change positions.¡± Ren explained. ¡°Plus, I wanted to take my time.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°You must have wrecked her.¡± ¡°I was careful.¡± Ren said. ¡°Actually, now that I think about it, I better go and take care of something. I''ll be right back.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset and set it down on the rollaway table. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Barbara said, but didn''t comment on anything she had seen. ¡°Hey, Barbara.¡± Ren said, and carefully slid out of the bed. ¡°Bathroom break.¡± She nodded and looked away as Ren kind of waddled to the bathroom. He shut the door and eased his pajamas out and down to reveal a very full condom. I''m glad I left all that extra room. Ren thought and gently eased the condom off and did what Stella had shown him to do. He emptied it and flushed the contents, wrapped the used condom in toilet paper, and put it back in his pocket. He cleaned himself off, used the bathroom, then opened another foil packet and slipped the condom on. He left a little more room at the end, just in case, and washed his hands. He left the bathroom and climbed back into bed. Barbara helped him put the VR headset back on and Ren settled down on the bed. ¡°Thanks, Barbara.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** ¡°That was fast.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I just needed to use the bathroom.¡± Ren said and looked at her. ¡°Your skin lost some of it''s color already.¡± She nodded. ¡°What you gave me lasted a while, though.¡± Ren reached a hand out to her and she took it, gratefully. Elerlyth sighed as Ren''s emotions flooded into her. ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± Elerlyth said, as Ren thought about the things he did, and the feelings he experienced while doing them. He sent everything to her, and she licked her lips. ¡°Good god, Ren.¡± ¡°Are you getting enough?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I know memories aren''t as powerful as experiencing it first hand.¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°I sincerely doubt she''d want me standing there holding your hand, while you plow into her, Ren.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Oh, I can guarantee that.¡± He said and looked at her. ¡°Nathalia''s pretty possessive.¡± Elerlyth grinned. ¡°I can feel that.¡± Ren closed his eyes and pictured Nathalia''s hair as it cascaded across the bed and how he felt when he saw it. Ren opened his eyes to look at Elerlyth when she caught her breath. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ren asked, and he sent concern to her. Elerlyth nodded after a moment. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I just remembered the single best moment I experienced.¡± Elerlyth''s eyes narrowed. ¡°It doesn''t feel like that.¡± Ren grinned as he understood what she meant. ¡°It wasn''t having an orgasm, Elerlyth. I remembered Nathalia''s hair as it rolled across the bed.¡± She looked at him with surprise on her face, and he blushed a little. ¡°I knew you loved her, but you really love her.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°She''s been the best thing that''s happened to me in here.¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°So far.¡± She took his hand and pulled it towards herself. Ren didn''t stop her this time, though. She could feel is trepidation, his guilt, his admiration of her, his love for Nathalia, and he was horny. So very, very horny. ¡°It seems your little adventure with Nathalia has let a monster loose.¡± Elerlyth said and placed Ren''s hand onto her breast, and held it there with her hand. Her nipple popped out immediately at Ren''s touch, and she caught her breath. It''s never done that before! Elerlyth thought, as she moved her legs out of Ren''s way. He slid close to her and used his free hand to rub along her thigh, hip, abdomen, and cupped her other breast. That nipple popped out too, and Elerlyth''s eyes widened. ¡°This isn''t a romantic relationship, Elerlyth.¡± Ren said as he eased her back into the corner of the couch. ¡°I want to feed you so well that you won''t have to worry about it for a while.¡± Elerlyth could feel his determination to do just that, and Ren''s concern over her well-being. She also knew he was telling the truth. ¡°I''m just using you for sex, Elerlyth.¡± Ren said and massaged her breasts. ¡°Nathalia was right. I wanted to keep going with her for as long as I could, but I didn''t want to hurt her.¡± Elerlyth could feel everything Ren felt, and she drank it all in. His regret that Nathalia was right, his sorrow that he has to turn to someone else to satisfy himself, disappointment in himself, wanting to let himself do it, and reckless abandon. ¡°You''re going to be my Nathalia surrogate.¡± Ren leaned in and gave her a kiss. ¡°I''m going to do you until you beg me to stop...¡± He said and grinned. ¡°...and then I''m going to keep going.¡± Elerlyth''s skin flushed a darker color, and she shivered from the intense feelings coming from Ren. She felt her ability open up, wider than it had ever been before. Ren stood up and pinched the webbed bodysuit. ¡°Off, please.¡± ¡°Now, just a minute...¡± Ren switched to his Command Aura and Elerlyth stared at him. ¡°I''ve only got 10 hours left before morning, and I intend to use them all.¡± ¡°T-t-ten HOURS?!?¡± Elerlyth looked at him like he was crazy, and Ren laughed. ¡°I know that look.¡± He said. ¡°Don''t worry. I''m going to hate myself so much by morning that you won''t be able to eat it all.¡± Elerlyth frowned at him as she could already feel the self-hatred starting. ¡°Don''t you dare hate yourself!¡± She said vehemently. Ren was so shocked that his concentration slipped and the Command Aura faded. She pushed him off and she stood up. ¡°You''re offering yourself up as food, goddammit!¡± Elerlyth fumed at him. ¡°You''re giving me everything you have! I can feel it all, Ren!¡± She said, grabbed him by his shirt, and moved him around to sit on the couch, and pushed him into the corner. ¡°You''re trying so hard to convince yourself that you''re doing something bad, and that Nathalia won''t want to spend time with you afterwards!¡± Elerlyth closed her eyes and let her anger subside. She took a deep breath and continued. ¡°Ren, you''ve just figured out that sex unlocks the most intense feelings that anyone can have, and you want to give that to me!¡± She paced back and forth in front of him, and he stared at her. ¡°Now I can feel your admiration.¡± Elerlyth said as she kept walking. ¡°If anyone should be mad, it''s me!¡± She turned to him and tears came to her eyes. ¡°I''m the one using you, Ren.¡± She knelt and put her hands on his knees. ¡°I want to suck every single emotion out of you!¡± Ren put a hand on her face and she felt his acceptance, and willingness to let her do it. ¡°You''re actually happy to do it.¡± Elerlyth said as the tears ran down her cheeks. ¡°Ren, how can you let me do that?¡± Ren slid forward and spread his legs to either side of Elerlyth''s body. With him sitting and her kneeling, their faces were at the same height. He put his other hand on her face. ¡°I was trying to take the blame for this, you idiot.¡± Ren said, and she felt his admonishment and amusement. Elerlyth laughed through her tears and Ren wiped them off of her face. ¡°I thought if I took control and used you to satisfy myself, you wouldn''t feel so guilty about all of this.¡± ¡°You are such a stupidly sweet fool.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I''ve been hearing that a lot.¡± Ren grinned. She chuckled and shook her head. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± ¡°I think we should agree to share the blame.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°We should also hate ourselves a little bit...¡± Ren said. ¡°...and then fuck like bunnies.¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh. ¡°That sounds really odd coming from you.¡± ¡°Okay then.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You should say it.¡± She leaned in close to his face. ¡°Ren...¡± Elerlyth whispered in a sultry voice. ¡°...I want to fuck like bunnies.¡± Ren shivered a little as she said it, and Elerlyth smiled as she felt how she made him feel. ¡°You''re so delicious!¡± She purred and gave him a kiss. Ren let her feel everything that he felt, and she opened her mouth to let their tongues intertwine. She felt his excitement, and need, a little bit of self-hate, longing, regret, enjoyment, and pleasure. There were tons of other emotions mixed in, but she was a bit too busy to care and drank them all in. They stayed that way for several minutes, until Ren remembered he only had 10 hours left. He broke the kiss and looked at Elerlyth. Her eyes were closed and she licked her lips. Ren let satisfaction flow into her, and she opened her eyes. ¡°It''s not going to be that easy to feed me.¡± Elerlyth said and stood. She moved in close to him and spread her legs a little. It gave Ren a great up close view of her bodysuit''s crotch, and he looked up at her. She stored the bodysuit and stood in front of him completely naked. Ren looked at her from her head to her toes. Elerlyth felt his admiration and appreciation of her muscular form, and then Ren looked up to her face. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Elerlyth said and grinned. ¡°It''s not going to lick itself.¡± Ren chuckled, leaned forward, and kissed her opening. Elerlyth took in a sharp breath and Ren reached his hands around her and cupped the cheeks of her firm ass. He used his tongue to tease and lick her, sucked her a little and he looked up at her. Elerlyth was staring at him with wide eyes, because she could feel how much he was enjoying tasting her this way. Ren let her feel how much pleasing her was pleasing him, and Elerlyth put her hands on his head. She ground herself into his face, thrusting slightly, and moaned as he continued to work her with his mouth and tongue. Ren let his teeth graze her sensitive spot, all of her muscles tensed up, and she came. ¡°Oooohhh god!¡± Elerlyth said and Ren kept licking her. Her whole body shook several times and she started to collapse. Ren stopped sucking on her and caught her as she tried to slump to the floor. He picked her up easily and turned around to lay her down on the couch. ¡°Ren... god, that was... you enjoyed it more than I did!¡± Elerlyth said, shocked. ¡°I felt it all. I fed on it all.¡± She shook her head and reached a hand out to him. ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much.¡± ¡°Don''t thank me yet, Elerlyth.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve only just begun.¡± ¡°What are you... ooohhhhh!¡± She said as Ren flipped her leg over his shoulder and he dove back into her with his mouth. ¡°Ren... god...¡± He kept working her with his mouth for a few minutes, then got a finger involved. Elerlyth felt his joy in pleasing her, and his pleasure from feeding her freely. She drank it all down and her eyes widened as her ability leveled up. ¡°Ren! My ability! It... OH GOD!¡± Elerlyth yelled as Ren found her spot and used it relentlessly. She closed her eyes and grabbed onto the couch to stop herself from writhing around. Ren sucked on her and flicked her special spot, and Elerlyth came again, and again, and again. ¡°Guuhhhhhhod!¡± All her muscles tensed up again and again and she started to convulse from how much pleasure Ren was getting from giving her pleasure. Elerlyth drank his emotions, and drank, and drank. She stopped moving and let the couch go, and lay there motionless. Ren stopped touching her and slid out from under her leg. ¡°Elerlyth, are you still with me?¡± Ren asked, and grinned as she gave him the middle finger. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± She said and took several deep breaths, then she shook her head. ¡°How...how are you doing that?¡± ¡°Doing what? Having fun?¡± Ren asked. Elerlyth nodded. ¡°Seeing you trying so hard to not writhe around, trying to not let yourself go, is really fun.¡± ¡°You bastard.¡± She said and glared at him. ¡°I''m in pain here, and you think it''s fun?¡± Elerlyth stopped breathing and was almost overwhelmed with the flood of concern coming from Ren, but she drank it down and then caught her breath. ¡°I''m sorry!¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought you''d really like it if I kept going.¡± Elerlyth sat up and kissed him. ¡°I''m okay.¡± She said, and drank the huge deluge of relief flowing from him. Oh my god! He... he can produce so much... and it''s all just him! No boosts or venom! She thought and then smiled. ¡°I think it''s time I returned the favor.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Do you need time to rest?¡± Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°Switch places with me.¡± Ren stood up and Elerlyth slid off the couch and knelt on the floor. Ren stored his clothing and Elerlyth stared at him for a moment, then pat the couch. ¡°Sit.¡± Ren sat on the edge of the couch, and Elerlyth spread his legs. She took several deep breaths and looked at his throbbing member. I can do this. Elerlyth thought. It just looks big. She leaned forward and took the tip into her mouth and moaned at the silky feeling of him in her mouth. She flicked her tongue and slowly started to move up and down on the shaft. She breathed through her nose and kept going. She looked up at him, and saw he was watching her intently. Elerlyth felt him pouring the feelings into her and she worked harder to get him all in. She almost got there and her gag reflex kicked in. She pulled out fast and swallowed, trying to not throw up. She felt appreciation flood into her as Ren smiled at her. ¡°I''d ask you to keep trying, but I want you to have fun.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Choking is not fun.¡± ¡°I can do it!¡± Elerlyth said, and tried to take him back into her mouth. ¡°No.¡± Ren said, and she felt his determination and concern. ¡°I won''t let you choke, just so I can feel your lips against my body.¡± ¡°But, you really want that!¡± Elerlyth said. Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t care what I want.¡± He said and stood up. ¡°Right now I care about what you want.¡± Ren picked her up easily and she gave a little yip of surprise. ¡°How strong are you?¡± Elerlyth asked. Ren held her close, slid her down slowly, then positioned himself in front of her opening. ¡°Strong enough.¡± He pulled her down quickly and jammed himself inside of her. ¡°Holy FUCK!¡± Elerlyth yelled as Ren caught her and pounded her up and down as hard and as fast as he thought she could take it. She put her hands on his shoulders to hold on, and Ren kept standing up and pounded her hard. ¡°Oh...oh...oh...oh....ohh.....ohhhHHHH!¡± Elerlyth gripped his shoulders tightly and came. Ren felt her go, and Elerlyth felt his resolve to make her come as much as he could. Her eyes widened as he fulfilled that resolve, and she came over and over again. She drank it all down, more and more pleasure from the both of them, and then his rhythm started to change. ¡°I''m.... close...¡± Elerlyth licked her lips. This is it! She thought. The only moment that someone really lets all their feelings sh- Her thoughts were interrupted as an orgasm caught her unawares, and her body clamped down on Ren, and it made him orgasm, too. He stopped moving, and Elerlyth opened her ability all the way and drank everything down. They held each other close, as Ren continued to stand there and hold her up. Elerlyth took several breaths and looked him in the eyes, as he stared at her. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± She whispered and leaned down to kiss him. ¡°I was so hungry that I took it all.¡± ¡°I know.¡± He said. ¡°I felt it.¡± ¡°W-w-what?!?¡± Elerlyth said, shocked. ¡°How? How can you still talk? When I use my ability... my full ability... there''s... there''s usually nothing left.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You gave me the clue earlier when you said that I figured out the full power of emotions when in situations like this.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Think back, Elerlyth. Did my emotions become stronger when we came together, than they are normally?¡± She thought about it, and then her eyes widened. ¡°No! It''s the same!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ve been completely open with you, Elerlyth. I haven''t held anything back at all.¡± ¡°I know... I could feel that... but there''s still always a reserve hidden for when people let everything go.¡± ¡°Most times, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not me, though.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because, my sweet little devil... I don''t have to stop.¡± ¡°What...OHHhhhHHH!¡± Ren picked her up and started pounding her again. He kept going, for over an hour, standing there and pounding Elerlyth until she begged him to stop feeding her, that she couldn''t take any more. Ren stopped and moved over to the couch. ¡°Do you remember what I told you earlier?¡± Ren asked as he laid her on her back, still inside of her. ¡°I told you I''d do you, until you begged me to stop.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± She said. ¡°And what did I tell you I''d do after that?¡± Elerlyth''s eyes widened as Ren pulled out most of the way. ¡°When I begged... you... you''d keep goinnNNGGGGG!¡± She gripped the couch as Ren kept going and made her feed, over and over again. He switched positions, angles, which way she faced, but he never stopped having sex with her until the morning. When sunlight shone in through the window, Ren made Elerlyth orgasm again. ¡°Elerlyth, it''s morning.¡± Ren said, and pulled out of her. She writhed at the removal of something she had come to think was a part of her. She stared at Ren as he stood up. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Ren asked. Elerlyth took a deep breath, stood up herself, and winced. ¡°I''m fucking sore, you asshole!¡± She said and punched him in the mouth as hard as she could. Ren''s head whipped to the side, but he didn''t move otherwise. Elerlyth''s eyes widened as Ren turned his head back to look at her. Relief flooded into her from him, and then happiness. ¡°I''m really glad you''re feeling better.¡± Ren said and equipped his clothing. Elerlyth''s mouth dropped open in surprise. ¡°I just punched you in the mouth! Aren''t you going to fight back?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Of course not. I deserved it.¡± Elerlyth made another fist and punched him as hard as she could again, with the same result. More relief and happiness flooded into her. ¡°Fight me, you little shit!¡± She punched him with her other fist, and Ren''s head whipped the other way. Amusement and happiness came back at her, and she started to shake. ¡°I''m not going to fight someone I worked so hard to make better, Elerlyth.¡± Ren said, and she felt his consternation. She went to punch him again and he held a hand up to catch it, swung her around and pulled her down into a dip, as if they had been dancing. ¡°Your ability should be at a high enough level now that you can choose when you want to feed, and not suffer like you have been.¡± Ren said, and she looked back at him in shock. ¡°You can message me at any time, and I''ll meet you here to feed you.¡± ¡°But... but... our fight...¡± Ren stood her up. ¡°I accept.¡± He got the notification of PVP mode, and dismissed it. She put up her fists to fight and Ren smiled. ¡°I concede.¡± Elerlyth got a popup and she dismissed it. ¡°I didn''t get any XP!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Level 6, remember?¡± He said and took both of her hands and cupped them together. ¡°Keep them like that.¡± He said and took out a handful of platinum coins and piled them in her hands. ¡°Consolation prize.¡± Elerlyth looked at Ren, then at the pile of coins. ¡°I''ll expect a message from you in a few days.¡± Ren said and walked up the stairs. ¡°Bye, Elerlyth.¡± She stood there in shock, and completely naked. Ren came back down and walked over to her. ¡°You might want to get dressed.¡± He said and took her hand. ¡°I know you''re gorgeous and everything; but, I don''t think flashing everyone is a good idea.¡± She knew he was telling the truth about her being gorgeous, and her mouth dropped open. He let her hand go and started to laugh as he went up the stairs. He waved to her and she still stood there in shock. Ren went into the apartment and to the portal in the living room. ¡°I better take care of business first.¡± Ren said, logged out, and cleaned himself up. He donned another condom and logged back in. Chapter 129 - Back To The House After spending an hour and a half satisfying Nathalia, and the rest of the night feeding Elerlyth, Ren was feeling pretty good. ¡°Show info on new title: Prince Charming.¡±
Prince Charming
You personify the vision of a woman''s ideal man, both romantically and physically. You will automatically draw the attention of impressionable women within your Aura''s radius. Aura (Personal) Bonus: +5 levels
¡°My personal Aura is now out to 15 feet; but with my Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak equipped, it''s at 25 feet.¡± Ren said and smiled. He went through the portal back to the Dwarven Kingdom and went into the bedroom. Nathalia was there asleep. Summon Teepo! Ren thought, and Teepo appeared at his feet. Hi, Teepo. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Are we back in Aurora?¡± No, it''s still the Dwarven Kingdom. Ren thought. I fed Elerlyth the whole time and forgot to summon you, actually. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°It must have been some feeding for you to forget me!¡± It sure was. Ren smiled. Nearly 10 hours of it. ¡°Wow.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Is she still hungry?¡± No, and she won''t be for a while. Ren thought. I told her to message me when she needs another feeding, though. ¡°That''s good.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re a good man, Ren.¡± That''s what she said, too. Ren thought and picked Teepo up. He walked out of the living room and looked into the bedroom. He saw Nathalia asleep on the bed, and tilted his head. You know, since I''m here at the mountain, I should gather up a few more crates worth of crystals. Ren walked over to the bed and knelt. ¡°Nathalia?¡± He said. ¡°Are you awake?¡± Nathalia stirred and rolled over to look at him. ¡°Muh... I... I am now.¡± She said and rubbed her eyes. ¡°You can go back to sleep if you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m thinking I should gather some more diamond crystals.¡± Nathalia lay back down on her side. ¡°M''kay.¡± Ren leaned in and kissed her cheek. She cupped the side of his face and then she fell asleep. Ren stood and crept out of the apartment and went downstairs. He walked over to where Ruck hung on the wall. ¡°Hey, Ruck.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m heading to the mountain to gather more diamond crystals. Want to come along?¡± Ruck hopped off the wall and climbed up onto Ren''s back. Ren left the building and made sure the door was locked. He took out the several stone bricks he had enchanted with concealment and terror, and set them around the building. Ren took off running towards the mountain and was there in about 10 minutes. ¡°It''s definitely a lot faster running full out.¡± Ren said and went to the spot he had covered in fabric. He popped the nails out and slid inside, putting a brick down to hold the flap closed. Ren went inside and down to the floor of the giant cave. He took out the lantern and only filled it a quarter of the way. ¡°Only an hour and a bit for gathering crystals.¡± Ren said, took out his hammerpick, and looked at the large open area. ¡°I hope this works.¡± He said and stuck the hammerpick''s plow end into the ground. He walked slowly and watched as the pick cut through the ground easily, and stirred up the diamond crystals, but didn''t break them. Ren grinned and looked at Ruck. ¡°Feel like doing some gathering?¡± Ruck climbed down and Ren nodded to him, then made several crates. ¡°Just toss them in, Ruck. They''re pretty durable.¡± Ruck gave a ''thumbs up'' gesture and Ren took off running and dragged the hammerpick behind him. Ruck moved along behind and gathered up as many crystals as he could and tossed them in the available crates. He didn''t sort them at all, so they were all mixed together. Ren limited himself to a small area at first, cleared the crystals, then moved to a new area. He''d had to make a few more crates to hold everything he''d dug up, and then the lantern''s light went out. ¡°Okay, time''s up!¡± Ren said and tossed the last few crystals into the crate. He closed all the crates and stored them. He now had 18 crates full and Ren smiled. He looked around, and all that could be seen was dug up dirt. ¡°Perfect.¡± He said and Ruck climbed up onto his back. Ren ran over to the opening, and slipped out through the fabric and nailed it shut again. He took off running and made it back to the warehouse 10 minutes later and went inside. He went upstairs and Nathalia was sitting there, looking pretty. ¡°Hi, beautiful.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°Let''s go home.¡± Her eyes widened, but she took his hand and he helped her stand. ¡°Okay, but it''ll be slow.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± Ren asked, then he shook his head. ¡°Never mind. I didn''t see Princess outside.¡± ¡°She went back to the house in the back of the cart.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Ren exclaimed. Nathalia laughed. ¡°You should have seen her face light up when I told her to get in! She hopped up into the back and stood there like a queen on a throne.¡± She said. ¡°The cart pulled away and she didn''t shake or move at all, even though the cart rocked back and forth.¡± ¡°She was supposed to be your mount for going back.¡± Nathalia frowned.¡±You didn''t know I was coming, how could she have been meant for me?¡± He smiled. ¡°I took her here for a run; but when you showed up, she should have stayed for you.¡± Nathalia shrugged. ¡°We''ll make due without her.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Yes, we will.¡± Ren said, took her hand, and led her out of the apartment and down the stairs. They went outside, Ren made sure the door was locked, and they walked through the woods and to the road. Nathalia started to walk and Ren held her hand. She turned around and looked at him. ¡°I thought we were walking.¡± Ren shook his head and took out enough wood to make a cart. He built it fast, but changed the horse hookup into just a bar across for him to hold, like a rickshaw. Nathalia looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°Ren, we don''t have a pony, or your mount.¡± She said, then smiled. ¡°What are we going to do? Wish it forward?¡± ¡°My Lady.¡± Ren said and took her hand to help her up onto the driver''s seat, only it was lower and more comfortable, with a plush seat. ¡°Ruck, I''ll need room to move. Climb into the back and hold on, please.¡± Ruck did so and Ren walked to the front of the cart. ¡°What are you... no... no you aren''t!¡± Nathalia said in surprise. Ren slid into the spot for the horse and put his hands on the bar. ¡°You might want to hold on, My Lady.¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened as she gripped the handholds, and Ren turned around. ¡°Here we go!¡± Ren started off slowly, so it wouldn''t be such a shock to Nathalia, and then he poured on the speed. He had to pace himself, since he had a long way to go, but he pushed himself to try and get his Endurance up without draining his Stamina too much. They made it back to Dornrach just over 5 hours later, and Ren gained 3 points in Endurance. He dragged the cart up to House Neram, despite Nathalia''s protests about having a proper entrance. ¡°The mine carts have seen me already.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Who''s left? The guards? They''ve seen me do a lot more than this.¡± The guard opened the gate for Ren, and he nodded slightly at Wohrum as he passed. Ren stopped in the courtyard and helped Nathalia get down. ¡°I can''t believe you did that.¡± She said and gave him a kiss. ¡°I''d tell you that was amazing, but you won''t believe me.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You know me pretty well.¡± Nathalia snorted and walked into the house, and Ren followed. They ate breakfast and Ren went out to give Princess her food. He was tempted to get mad at her, but it was the first time she''d gotten to ride in a cart. He pat her neck and went back inside to tell Nathalia and her mother that he was going to pour the second story of the Main House. Ren ran up to the workshop and opened the door. He was greeted with an entire floor covered in cement bags. ¡°You... are... awesome!¡± Ren said to the women working. They turned to him and a couple of them blushed. He leaned out the opening and said it to the ones outside. He went around to them and repaired their clothing, then their equipment. He gathered a couple hundred sacks and walked over to Dorcot''s area. ¡°Hello, my friend.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren!¡± He said and stood. ¡°You were gone all day yesterday. Is everything all right?¡± ¡°Everything''s great.¡± Ren said. ¡°A friend just needed my help.¡± ¡°You''re always good to your friends.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°I''ve got another crate done for you.¡± Ren grasped Dorcot''s shoulder. ¡°I hope you''re not just doing them just to do them.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°This isn''t a job for you anymore.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t need the money. Have fun. Relax. Do what you want.¡± ¡°When I get tired of Gemcutting, I''ll take a break.¡± Dorcot said and grinned. ¡°In a year or two.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Okay, then this should keep you busy.¡± He took out one of the unsorted crates of diamond crystals. ¡°I have no idea what''s in this. It could be anything, and any size.¡± Dorcot''s eyes widened. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Ren could see that Dorcot was practically drooling to get into it and Ren opened it. ¡°Ha ha hahaha!¡± Dorcot said and started picking through the crate. He selected several odd-sized ones and went back to his workbench. Ren took the pile of 1 gold coin diamonds from the middle drawer and passed Dorcot 10 platinum coins for them and for the ones he''d taken before. Dorcot didn''t even look at the money and Ren smiled. That''s right, my friend. Ren thought as he left Dorcot alone to play. Have fun. It''s the best feeling in the world. Ren asked the women if they were getting paid and they nodded. ¡°You''re not telling the Lady of the House it''s a lower amount, are you?¡± Several of them blushed slightly and Ren sighed. ¡°You know how much I value your hard work.¡± He looked at them. ¡°Why won''t you take your due?¡± ¡°It''s too much, sir.¡± One woman said. ¡°We... we don''t know what to do with it all!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I won''t force you to take money you deserve.¡± The women relaxed at Ren''s admission. ¡°Remind me to give you all a nice shiny toy later, okay?¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Ren nodded slightly and left the workshop. He ran down the road he made, then down the main road to the Main House mold. He mixed up more and more cement and filled the walls for the second floor. Ren was tempted to build the roof out of cement and rebar, but he wanted the roof to have a distinctive triangle shape. It would take another day for the mold to set, so Ren left there and dropped off the empty sacks at the workshop. He picked up several hundred paving stones and ran back to the Main House, and filled in the parts of the courtyard that carts would be traveling on, or would be parked. Once that was done, he went back to the workshop and picked up the 200 stone bricks, then ran back to the Main House and built several square pots, and the border for hedges. He used the bricks up and then ran back to House Neram. He told Nathalia that he was going to the library for a few hours, and would be back later. ¡°You can stay until supper if you want.¡± She said, and Ren shook his head. ¡°I''d rather spend some time with you.¡± ¡°I can''t monopolize your time like that, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You''ve got too much to do.¡± He walked over to her. ¡°I''ll never be too busy to spend time with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I made that mistake when I first got here. I''m never going to do that again.¡± Nathalia kissed him. ¡°Then I''ll be right here waiting for you.¡± Ren grinned at her, and left the house. He walked to the gate and turned to Wohrum. ¡°Do you know any other people that are trustworthy, not tied to any House, and either have, or want Guard training?¡± ¡°I may know a few people, sir.¡± ¡°Then put out the word.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°House Neram is looking for a few good people.¡± Wohrum nodded slightly. ¡°I will, sir.¡± Ren ran down the road as fast as he could, made it to the city 5 minutes later, and Teepo had chittered in delight the whole way. Ren went to the Library, and continued his work. The Librarian didn''t ask him why he''d missed a day, but he offered the explanation anyways. Her slightly cold expression warmed and she was more friendly towards him after that. He worked for 3 hours and Teepo told him it was time to go. Ren had gotten E, F, and G done. He would have had more, but it took longer to shift everything around to make the room he needed to add the new letters. He bid the Librarian good day, and ran over to Barnar''s place to order another 1000 stone bricks. Ren was tempted to order more, but he didn''t want a lot of extra stuff hanging around and not be used. Ren ran back to House Neram and slowed down when he came to the gate. He walked inside and into the house. It was time to spend some quality time with his fiance, and he took her into the main room and they sat down to wait for supper to be ready. Ren discussed with Nathalia what kind of outfits that she wanted for her new wardrobe. Once he started drawing out some different patterns on parchment, she was completely engrossed in telling Ren what she wanted. They stayed there for several hours, and Ren made nearly a dozen plans for outfits. Her mother Narhilda called them for supper and Ren gathered everything up and stored it. They went into the kitchen and sat down to enjoy a nice meal. The meal ended and Ren was about to go and take care of some Adventurer''s business, when there was a knock on the door, and Ren went to answer it. Teepo. Teepo hopped onto the wall and slipped outside through the opening in the door frame. ¡°It''s the guard from the mines.¡± Thanks. Ren thought, opened the door, and smiled. ¡°Perfect timing.¡± The guard looked at Ren in surprise, his hand still held up to knock again. ¡°I was just thinking it was time for your salary.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sorry I haven''t been out to pay you before now. I''ve been really busy.¡± The guard smiled. ¡°I can see that.¡± Ren pulled out a coin pouch. ¡°Do you need one of these?¡± The guard moved his tunic to the side and Ren saw he already had one. Ren stored the pouch and passed the guard a platinum coin. ¡°Here''s 10 weeks pay, at 10 gold per week.¡± The guard stared at Ren and then at the coin. ¡°T-thank you, sir.¡± The guard said and put the coin into his pouch. ¡°It... it was real?¡± The guard said, then turned and walked away without saying goodbye. Ren shrugged and closed the door. He went back into the kitchen and told Nathalia and her mother that he had some Adventurer''s business to take care off for a while, and would be back in about 4 hours or so. Nathalia kissed him and Ren went to the old bedroom. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren ate breakfast, did his physical therapy session, took a shower and used the bathroom. He was tempted to stay out for a while, but he wanted to catch up on his sleep, and logged back into the game. ******** Ren woke up and Nathalia was there beside him. He unequipped his clothes and climbed into bed under the blankets. Teepo slipped out of the room under the door, and he heard giggling soon after. Chapter 130 - Barracks? Gloria jammed on the brakes and slid her mustang sideways into a parking space. It had taken her years to perfect the move, and she''d blown a tire once or twice; but, now she could park in a space that was just big enough for the car to fit. She laughed as she remembered the one time she had to wait for someone else to leave, because she didn''t have enough room to pull the car back out. She grabbed her backpack, locked the doors, and ran to her class. She avoided several near collisions and slipped into the classroom and sat at the back of the room. She hoped that asshat professor didn''t call on her again today. Gloria laughed mentally. Like I''d be that lucky! She thought, and of course, that made her think about the 10 hour long marathon session of Ren feeding her avatar Elerlyth''s ability. That cocky little bastard! Gloria thought. My whole plan to suck his emotions dry in one go didn''t work at all. She frowned. I''d taken some precautions in real life, with a towel and extra thick pad; but when I logged out, everything was completely soaked! Gloria sighed. It took me an hour to clean up the mess on my recliner. She looked around, and no one was paying her any attention. I guess I could just cover it in plastic. Gloria thought, then the professor came into the classroom. His eyes scanned the waiting students; they found her bright pink hair easily, and he smiled. Fuck. Gloria thought, and sighed mentally. ******** Ren woke up at Teepo''s prompting for breakfast. He slid the covers down a little and looked at Nathalia''s sleeping form. She''s so beautiful. Ren thought and stroked the side of her face. Nathalia opened her eyes and put a hand on his and snuggled it. ¡°Good morning, beautiful.¡± Ren said. ¡°Good morning yourself, handsome.¡± Nathalia said and smiled. ¡°Teepo says it''s time for breakfast.¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened. ¡°I hope that he...¡± ¡°...left the room before we started last night.¡± Ren finished for her. ¡°Of course Teepo left us alone.¡± He said and gave her a kiss. ¡°The only one that gets to see you like this, is me.¡± Nathalia smiled and sat up. ¡°You seem to enjoy looking at me a lot.¡± ¡°No wonder!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You keep telling me that I''m amazing, but have you looked in a mirror?¡± ¡°All the time.¡± She said and chuckled. ¡°Trying to see what you see.¡± Ren sat up and took her into a hug. ¡°Just imagine you''re looking at the most beautiful thing you''ve ever seen, and that the love they have for you, fills your heart.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Nathalia gave him a kiss, that started to go on to other things. *cough* ¡°Breakfast.¡± *cough* Teepo said. ¡°Narhilda is pacing back and forth in the kitchen. She might be coming to you soon.¡± Ren stopped what he was doing, and Nathalia sighed. ¡°Teepo says Narhilda is getting restless.¡± ¡°All right. All right!¡± She said and pushed the blanket off. ¡°Let''s go eat.¡± Ren chuckled and stood up, equipped his clothing, and held a hand out to her. He helped her stand, and she equipped her underwear, slip, and fancy green dress. He pulled Nathalia to him and put his free hand on the side of her neck, then ran a finger gently over her skin. She giggled, put her chin on his hand and lifted her shoulder, to trap the hand where it was. ¡°Stop that!¡± Nathalia said and smiled. She lifted her chin and pushed his hand away with one of hers. Ren gave her a quick kiss, led her out of the bedroom, and into the main room. Narhilda had just made the decision to come and wake them up, and nearly ran into them. ¡°There you are!¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I thought you''d stay in bed forever.¡± ¡°It wasn''t for lack of trying.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia smacked his arm. ¡°What?¡± He said and grinned. ¡°I didn''t want to get out of bed. Did you?¡± Nathalia blushed, and her mother laughed. ¡°Don''t make me get a bucket of water to separate you two!¡± Narhilda said and laughed. ¡°I''ve got the last of the boar warming in the oven.¡± She looked at Ren with a sad look. ¡°There''s only a little bit of bacon left.¡± Ren turned to Nathalia, whispered in her ear, and nibbled her earlobe. She laughed and pushed him away. ¡°I guess I''ll settle for bacon, then.¡± Ren said and smiled. Narhilda smiled and shook her head, then went back into the kitchen. Ren and Nathalia followed her and they all ate a great meal. Afterwards, Narhilda asked what Ren wanted to do with the giant boar''s remains. ¡°I completely forgot about that!¡± Ren said and went to the pantry where it was kept, and looted it.
Notice!
You have looted a Legendary Creature! Unfortunately, it''s desiccated state has reduced the amount of loot that could be found. Loot: Legendary Hooves of Speed, Potion of Giant Strength (x1), Potion of Major Healing (x1), 5 Platinum
¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia came over to him. What was left of the giant boar''s body dissolved away and he left the pantry. ¡°What is it?¡± She asked, and Ren showed her what he''d found. ¡°Imagine what you could have gotten if we hadn''t eaten it.¡± Ren had a look of surprise on his face for a moment, then he shook his head. ¡°No, we got so much more out of the boar by sharing it like we did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t beat myself up over not looting it right away.¡± He looked at Nathalia. ¡°I needed to take the pelt for you, anyways.¡± He handed her 2 platinum coins. ¡°What''s this?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Your part of the loot, obviously.¡± ¡°Ren, you killed it!¡± ¡°With help from my party members. If you hadn''t shown up when you did...¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve earned it.¡± Nathalia smiled and nodded. ¡°What are you going to do today?¡± ¡°Build a barracks for the guards.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think I''ll put it behind the Main House.¡± ¡°A barracks?¡± Her mother asked. ¡°Why do we need a barracks?¡± ¡°I can''t let the guards work out of my old tent, My Lady.¡± ¡°I thought they had houses now?¡± Narhilda asked, and Ren smacked himself in the head with his hand. ¡°Dammit! I forgot to assign Wohrum the second house!¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°It''s okay, Ren. I did that.¡± Ren turned to her and took her into a hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and kissed her. ¡°I don''t know what I''d do without you.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°Probably find another wife.¡± Ren let the hug go and put his hands on the sides of her face. ¡°Don''t joke about that.¡± He said, seriously. ¡°I know I was reluctant at first...¡± ¡°Reluctant? You had it annulled.¡± Nathalia said and smiled. ¡°Yes, I was scared, and I didn''t want to jump into anything with someone I just met.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°When you asked me to marry you on the way to the convent, though... we''d gotten to know each other pretty well.¡± He said. ¡°I still don''t understand your culture properly, but I know a lot about it.¡± Ren gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. ¡°I''ve avoided doing anything that another woman might take as a sign of interest from me.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Nathalia''s eyes widened. ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°I won''t ever look for, or find, another wife.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re it.¡± He grinned. ¡°You''re the one.¡± She kissed him deeply. ¡°I feel the same way about you.¡± ¡°You''re not going to stand here in my kitchen and paw at each other all day, are you?¡± Narhilda asked and laughed. Nathalia rolled her eyes. ¡°No, Ma.¡± ¡°I don''t know...¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°...it''s pretty tempting to hold you in my arms all day.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°She''d chase us out of here with her big wooden spoon long before then.¡± ¡°It''s a ladle!¡± Narhilda said and shook the big ladle at them. Ren held his hands up in surrender. ¡°I''m going, I''m going!¡± He turned and gave Nathalia a kiss. ¡°Hey!¡± Narhilda yelled. ¡°Get out of here, you scoundrel!¡± Ren laughed and took off running. He went up to the workshop and gathered up enough wood for what he wanted, and then down to the small stable in House Neram''s courtyard. He fed Princess, asked Ruck to come with him, and then ran all the way to the Main House. * ¡°You don''t have to tease him so much.¡± Nathalia said as she walked over to the kitchen table. Her mother grinned. ¡°He enjoys it, dear.¡± She said and started clearing up the dishes. Nathalia helped her clean up and they sat down at the table. ¡°Did you decide what to do for the ceremony?¡± Nathalia asked. Narhilda nodded. ¡°I''m going to go with Ren''s ideas, with a few changes.¡± ¡°Oh? What are you changing?¡± ¡°That depends on if you can get some more spending money from him.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Ma...¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°He''s already got a stipend from Barnar''s Stoneworks coming here every week.¡± She looked at her mother and squinted her eyes. ¡°Please tell me you haven''t spent it all.¡± Narhilda laughed. ¡°Of course not, dear. I put it in the chest, along with the rest of the money he''s given us.¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°Good. With all of the debts paid, anything we get from him should be used for the wedding ceremony.¡± ¡°But there''s so much!¡± Her mother said. ¡°All that platinum just sitting there, begging to be spent.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°You know the dowry is supposed to be any money given to me or the House during the courtship.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Narhilda said, then looked at her daughter and sighed. ¡°I forgot to ask Ren for more money to cover the wages of everyone working.¡± ¡°He gave me some last night.¡± Nathalia said and took out 20 platinum. ¡°It should be enough for another few weeks.¡± ¡°We definitely need a secretary.¡± Narhilda said as she took the money. ¡°I''m having a hard time keeping track of it all.¡± ¡°Of course you are, Ma.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°He has almost 50 workers shoveling silt for him.¡± Narhilda smiled. ¡°That''s because they all like the sight of actual gold, and not a piece of parchment saying they paid on their debt.¡± * Ren couldn''t build the roof yet, as the cement needed to dry until later that day, so he dug a 5 foot wide path from the courtyard of the Main House and around the back. He stopped about 30 feet away from the incomplete Main House. I better make the plans for the barracks, so I''ll know how big to make the lot. Ren thought, and opened his plans for the Warehouse (2 storey w/ Addition). He changed the apartment in the warehouse to remove the bathroom and made the living room smaller, making the apartment a square instead of a rectangle. He copied the new apartment layout 6 times, and added them to the back of the first floor, with a hallway between them. He dropped the roof down to make the building only a single floor. When he was done, it was a 40 foot by 40 foot square, with a flat roof, 6 apartments in the back and a 10 foot x 40 foot open area at the front. Ren saved the plans as Barracks (6), and got to work. He dug the 40 foot by 40 foot lot with the hammerpick, then cleared it with a shovel. With Ruck''s help, and with only having it a single floor, they were done in just under 6 hours. ¡°Awesome!¡± Ren said and high-fived Ruck. ¡°Want to give me a hand making the furniture?¡± Ruck gave the ''okay'' gesture and they went inside to fill the 6 apartments with beds, couches, chairs, and tables. When they were done, Ren got a popup.
Stat Change!
Upholstery Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
¡°Come on, Ruck.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s finish the Main House.¡± They went over to it, and Ren disassembled the wooden mold. A dark gray structure, 2 stories high, greeted him. Ren laid out the wood needed to make the trusses for the pitched roof, then he and Ruck nailed everything together and Ren stored them. Ren built the sets of stairs needed to reach the second floor, because he''d removed all the ladders he''d made when he took apart the mold. They went upstairs and put the trusses in place, and nailed planks that were dyed red across them to complete the roof. Ren checked the dimensions of all the windows and wrote it down, along with how many he needed. Ren went outside and did the same for the barracks, counting and measuring the windows, to make sure that they were a standard size. Once that was done, he asked Ruck if he wanted to go to the city with him to order the windows, and Ruck shook his body back and forth. Ren took him back to the stable and he climbed into his cabinet. ¡°Thanks a lot for your help today, Ruck.¡± Ren said, and Ruck gave him a ''thumbs up'' gesture and closed the door. Ren went inside and told Nathalia that he needed to order more windows and was stopping at the Library while he was there. She kissed him goodbye, and he ran to the city. The business with the windows was only a Minor House, so Ren didn''t have to deal with all the formality. He ordered all the windows he would need for the two buildings and was tempted to order more. He decided against it, since he wasn''t sure what he''d be building next, and paid in gold coins. There wasn''t any issue at all with that, and no one questioned him about it. He ran over to the Library and helped gather all of the ''H'' and ''I'' books, and then Teepo told him that he had to go. Ren bid the Librarian a good day, and ran to the textile House. He bought a bolt of see-through fabric, a bolt of lace, a bolt of frills, and then ordered another hundred bolts of tight weave cloth. The hundred tight weave bolts would be delivered in a week, so he paid in coins again and then ran back home and went inside. Ren sat down and enjoyed another meal with his fiance and her mother, told them he had Adventurer''s business to take care of, and would be back after a while. He went to the old bedroom and lay down on the bed. ¡°See you in a little while, Teepo.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Stella helped Ren take off the VR headset and smiled at him. ¡°Hey, little stud.¡± ¡°Hi, Stella!¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re looking particularly happy today.¡± Stella said and grinned. Ren laughed. ¡°I guess Barbara told you about seeing a blue screen for most of the night.¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°She was pretty bored, so yeah... she told me all about it.¡± ¡°It''s not like I can disable the privacy settings.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s built into the game to stop people from filming it.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°I know. I looked into it.¡± Ren raised an eyebrow at her and she laughed. ¡°I wanted to see how it was handled.¡± She said. ¡°What? You mean sex?¡± Ren asked. Stella nodded. ¡°I''m curious about it.¡± She said. ¡°Moving from physical stimulation to mental stimulation makes me wonder if anything is lost in the translation.¡± ¡°I''d let you use my VR headset, but it''s been pattern-coded for me.¡± Ren said, then had an idea. ¡°Do you want me to get you a set?¡± He offered. ¡°You could log in then, and try it yourself.¡± Stella looked at him. ¡°You know, that''s a pretty good idea.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°As long as you''re offering to be my little guinea pig.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You helped me out a lot before.¡± He said. ¡°It''s been a godsend, Stella.¡± She grinned. ¡°Almost 12 hours worth of blue screen told me that, Ren.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°That reminds me. I better use the bathroom.¡± He dug into his cubbyhole and took out another foil package. ¡°I''m trying to catch up on sleep in the game, but Nathalia just can''t keep her hands off of me.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Stella said, as Ren went into the bathroom. ¡°It''s all her. Riiiight.¡± Ren laughed as he used the bathroom, cleaned up, and came back out. ¡°Can you take care of these for me?¡± Ren said and handed her several toilet paper wrapped packages. ¡°Depending on how things go, I might have another one for you by suppertime.¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°You know you can go in them several times before you have to change them.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I even leave lots of extra room for that.¡± ¡°That''s good. I thought you might be wasting them.¡± Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°I wouldn''t do that after all the trouble you went through to get them for me.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°Get back in bed, and I''ll bring you lunch, okay?¡± Stella said. ¡°You betcha.¡± Ren said and climbed into bed. ¡°I''m actually kinda hungry.¡± Stella went to get his meal, and Ren used the laptop to send a message to the company and asked for another helmet, so a nurse could examine him while inside the game. Knowing they would want something in exchange, Ren thought about an incentive that they would like. He smiled as he offered to send them footage of him in real life, to compare to what he was like in the game. He mentioned that it could help them open the medical demographic, and he would offer proof that it worked. Ren sent it off and pushed the laptop aside as Stella came in with his meal. He ate it all, she moved the tray out of the way, and helped Ren put on the VR headset. ¡°Thanks, Stella.¡± ¡°Anytime, little stud.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the bed, and Nathalia stood beside it, wearing just her slip. Ren grinned and stored his clothes. ¡°I really need to get some sleep, My Love.¡± He said, jokingly. Nathalia heard the lie and chuckled. She climbed on top of him and lay down so her face was right in front of his. ¡°We can sleep later.¡± She said and kissed him. He reached a hand for her neck and she caught it. ¡°No you don''t, mister.¡± Nathalia said and he let her push his hand back to the bed, and she held it there. ¡°No tickling this time.¡± ¡°No?¡± Ren said and ran his free hand up her thigh. ¡°You might regret that decision later.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°No tickling my neck, then.¡± ¡°As you command, My Lady.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ******** Gloria drove at a moderate speed down the road, and pulled into the garage to do another shift at work. She parked sedately and locked the doors before going inside. ¡°Hey, Gloria.¡± ¡°Hi, Frank.¡± Gloria said and went in the back to change into clean coveralls. She came back out dressed for work and went into the office. ¡°Whatcha got for me today?¡± ¡°The best thing in the world!¡± Frank grinned. ¡°The transmission blew in a Ford Focus.¡± Gloria started to laugh and Frank joined her. They laughed for a minute or two and then Gloria spoke. ¡°All right, I''ll do it.¡± She said. ¡°Did you pull the replacement out of stock?¡± ¡°It''s already prepped and sitting beside the car.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you put it in, then?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°You could have saved me the trouble.¡± ¡°Because I know how much you love transmissions.¡± Gloria rolled her eyes at him and he chuckled. ¡°Scott will be in after 2 if you need a hand.¡± ¡°Naw, I got it.¡± She said and went into the garage, then saw the car. ¡°Hey, Frank!¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°You didn''t tell me it was purple!¡± Gloria said, and laughed again. ¡°I wanted it to be a surprise.¡± ¡°God, the stupidity of some people.¡± She said, and that made her think of Ren, and how he''d acted while feeding her. Dammit, why can''t I stop thinking about him? She thought and pulled over a rolling dolly. Gloria laid down on it and slid herself underneath the car that was the garage''s bread and butter. Frank would have been out of business years ago, if car companies stopped making lemons. Gloria thought as she started to unbolt the transmission. Chapter 131 - A Different Job Elise Stanford sat at her desk, sorting through all of the spam emails, complaints, solicitations, account updates, and everything else that was sent in electronic form to Sid Tec on a daily basis. She''d gotten to the point that sorting was almost automatic, and she barely paid it any attention at all. Everything was going smoothly until a particular email caught her eye. She''d clicked it and sorted it into ''personal'' without reading the subject, but now her eyes widened as she saw who the sender was. Ren! Why are you contacting us? Elise thought as she read the header, then clicked on it to read. Her eyes widened as she read what Ren proposed, and then she smiled. It''s very crude and not worded well, but I understand what you want. She moved the message window aside and typed up a proper proposal, referring to Ren''s email to get the details. She expanded on it slightly, giving more details, like filming Ren''s physical therapy sessions, and footage of his bed-ridden state. The little darling even offered his own personal recordings of him in the game! Elise thought with joy. I''ll have access to thousands of hours of him! She took several deep breaths to calm down. Get a hold of yourself, Elise! She admonished herself. Finish the proposal first. She finished it, read it over twice to make sure it was professional enough, and printed it off. She put it into a folder and stood up. Okay, girl! This is it! She took another deep breath and smiled. Now sell this idea like your life depended on it! Elise walked over to the office door and knocked. ¡°Come in.¡± Edward said. ¡°Hello, sir.¡± Elise said and walked slowly into his office. ¡°Sorry to bother you, but I just received an interesting proposal from one of the contest winners.¡± Edward sighed. ¡°Please tell me it''s not another petition from that dancing swordswoman for her own show.¡± ¡°It''s Mistress of Dance, and it''s not sir.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s from Mr. Haddon.¡± Edward''s eyes widened. ¡°Really?¡± He said surprised. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I think it''s better if you read about it, sir.¡± Elise said and handed Edward the folder. He took the couple of pages out of the folder and read. He scowled, smiled, raised his eyebrows, frowned, then grinned. ¡°The little bugger is a genius!¡± Edward said when he was done reading. ¡°Using the VR as a medical device to test motor responses, then using the recordings to stimulate the brain in real life!¡± He stood up and stared at his secretary. ¡°The implications are phenomenal!¡± ¡°I thought so too, sir.¡± Elise said. ¡°That''s why I brought it to you right away.¡± ¡°You''ve done this company a great service, Ms. Stanford!¡± Edward said and walked around his desk to take Elise into a hug. ¡°A great service!¡± ¡°T-thank you, sir.¡± Elise said, surprised at the familiarity. Edward let her go and walked behind his desk. ¡°How many units did he... hmm... only the one?¡± He shook his head. ¡°You''d better send a crate. They''ve got several nurses there, as well as the doctor.¡± Edward sat down in his chair. ¡°There''s only Ren and one nurse that''s agreed to do it so far, but if they can get me some good results...¡± Elise nodded. ¡°What about the film equipment?¡± ¡°Yes, take a crew over to set everything up, and use the automated cameras.¡± Edward said, then stopped. ¡°Elise, are you going to be okay going over there again?¡± She smiled. ¡°Sir, I''ve been there several times already.¡± ¡°Not since that incident.¡± He said. ¡°I was forgiven for that, and you''ll note I''ve only logged into the game a few times since then.¡± ¡°Yes, you''ve been restraining yourself quite well.¡± Edward smiled. ¡°But now you''re going back into the lion''s den.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°I could have done without the fight to the death reference, sir.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Edward grinned. ¡°Gather everything up and head over there.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Elise said and left Edward''s office. She printed off a copy of the proposal for Ren and called the tech department. I get to see him again! In person! Elise thought excitedly, as she arranged for everything that would be needed at the hospital. ******** Ren actually had a good night''s sleep this time. He woke up about 4 hours before sunrise, and slid out of bed. Nathalia stirred and opened her eyes, because his pervasive warmth was now missing. ¡°Where do you think you''re going?¡± She said sleepily, and rubbed her eyes. Ren tucked the blanket back over her. ¡°It''s time I started working on the Keep.¡± ¡°You''ve got a year to do it.¡± She said. ¡°You can let it go another day.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve only let it go this long because I needed to get the techniques down.¡± He stroked the side of her face. ¡°Go back to sleep, My Love. I''ll see you at breakfast.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Give me a kiss before you go.¡± Ren gave her a kiss on the lips. ¡°Not there.¡± Nathalia said and grinned. Ren chuckled and climbed back into bed. An hour later, Ren got dressed and crept out of the house and through the front gate. No one was around, so he had the entire place to himself. Just like the old days! Ren thought as he ran to the workshop. It''s getting downright crowded here now. ¡°That''s because there''s usually so many workers and carts moving around.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You can barely move along this road, there''s so many.¡± Ren chuckled. Yeah, who would have thought a side project would turn into a huge operation like this. Ren chuckled. I thought I''d made the oven too big to handle it all when I started. He shook his head and went inside the workshop. I''m tempted to make another oven, just to handle the load! ¡°I''d tell you to pace yourself with starting more projects, but that''s not you at all.¡± Teepo said. ¡°All I''ll do is encourage you as much as I can.¡± Thanks, buddy. Ren thought, and went over to the forge. He started it up and smelted some ore, then picked up 4 of the paving tiles a few steps away, next to the wall and away from any prying eyes. Ren dug up the dirt underneath, like he did back in Aurora to make Teepo''s living area, then used the smelter to make the same metal braces to hold the stones in place. He put it together and placed it over the hole, and you couldn''t tell it was there at all. Perfect. Ren thought and deactivated the forge. ¡°Why are you hiding the entrance?¡± Teepo asked. I don''t want everyone to know I''m repairing the Keep. ¡°Why not?¡± Because they may try to stop me. Ren thought. If I don''t finish fixing it before the year is up, I won''t complete the promise made to Nathalia, or meet the requirements for the contract. ¡°Oh right.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If you don''t meet it...¡± It would be bad for me, and could be bad for her. ¡°Then get your lazy butt to work!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Sir! Yes, sir! Ren thought and built half a dozen large wooden crates to gather the dirt in. He lifted the paving stone entryway, and got inside. Ren dug down on an angle, until he was down about 20 feet, then dug out an area about 10 feet square and 7 feet high. He''d filled one of the crates with dirt already, and went back to the surface to dump it behind the gigantic pile of silt that was there. He went back underground and closed the entryway behind him. Ren went back to the open area he''d cleared and started to dig back towards House Neram, and put the dirt into the crates. He dug a path through the ground all the way back to House Neram Keep. I think we''re getting close, Teepo. ¡°I''d say so.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The dirt''s well packed here.¡± Ren dug a little more, and then stopped when the mining pick hit stone. He cleared away as much dirt as he could, and revealed about 20 feet of wall and crumbling stone. Damn, it''s a lot worse than I thought. ¡°You''re clearing away the dirt that''s probably holding it together.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I assume you''re going to dig down?¡± Ren nodded. It''s the best way. Ren responded. Then I can do the entire bottom floor first, let it set, then build up from there. I can worry about the inside once it''s all done. He took out the plans for House Neram Keep and examined them. Yeah, if I dig along here, like a set of staircases, except instead of stairs it''ll be ramps... Ren made a square motion with his finger and moved it downwards. I''ll get to the bottom in... about 8 hours. ¡°You''re not going to get there by just standing here.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Hop to it!¡± Ren laughed and started digging the staircase ramps, and each fourth landing brought him back in contact with the wall. He had to stop several times to build temporary walls to cover breaches and collapses in the stonework. The last thing he wanted right now was any unexpected visitors. After about 2 hours of digging, Teepo told him he''d have to empty the crates one last time before the workers started to show up. Ren nodded and ran all the way back up to the top of the dirt staircase ramp, went down the tunnel to the workshop, and climbed out of the hidden entryway. He went out back and dumped the 6 large crates of dirt, then went back inside and built a wall across the room to Dorcot''s section, cutting the forge off from view completely. Ren had just added the door when someone came into the workshop.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Hi, Dorcot.¡± Ren said. ¡°How''s your wife?¡± ¡°Still cute.¡± Dorcot said and chuckled. ¡°She''s also really happy.¡± ¡°It couldn''t be because you''re happy, is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Nope.¡± He said and laughed. ¡°It''s probably because we''ve been spending more of our time together... in the bedroom.¡± ¡°I hear that.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°A happy wife is a happy life.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Dorcot said and clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°I''ll have to remember to tell Angeilin that!¡± He said and pulled Ren over to his workbench. ¡°Now that I have you here, I''ve found something neat in that crate you let me poke through.¡± ¡°Oh? What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°This.¡± Dorgot opened one of the drawers and Ren stared at the giant oval ruby sitting there. ¡°It was near the bottom, hidden under piles of smaller crystals.¡± Ren picked it up and marveled at it''s deep red color. ¡°I see you already cut it.¡± Dorcot nodded. ¡°Finding these is really rare.¡± He said. ¡°I spent nearly all day yesterday working on it.¡± Ren used Appraisal on it, and it came back as ''N/A''. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°It''s priceless!¡± ¡°That''s what I thought when I finished cutting it.¡± Dorcot said. Ren shook his head. ¡°I mean, I appraised it and there''s no price.¡± ¡°Maybe you need to practice that more.¡± Dorcot chuckled. ¡°It''s worth about 150 platinum.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Yeah, I do need to practice that more.¡± He said and stored the gem. ¡°I assume you''re going to keep the pieces you cut off and not sell them to me?¡± Dorcot nodded. ¡°I''ve got an idea for Angeilin''s wedding anniversary, and they''d make a nice addition to it.¡± ¡°When is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Next month.¡± ¡°If you need any blacksmithing done, let me know.¡± Ren offered. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I have to go and eat breakfast.¡± Ren said at Teepo''s prompting. ¡°Talk to you later.¡± ¡°See ya.¡± Dorcot said and sat down at his workbench. Ren left the workshop and went into the house. He had another great breakfast with two of his favorite people and rubbed his belly afterwards. He looked at Nathalia, and then her mother. ¡°I sometimes can''t believe how lucky I am to have ended up here with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°The both of you.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°We were just talking about that before you came in here.¡± She said. ¡°About how lucky we were that you ended up here with us.¡± Ren leaned close and gave her a kiss. ¡°I could argue over who''s luckier in this relationship.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°But, we''re all just lucky and I''ll leave it at that.¡± ¡°That''s good, because you''d lose that argument.¡± Nathalia said and grinned. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°When there''s two people in a relationship, there''s the one who''s always right, and the other is the man.¡± Nathalia and her mother had surprised looks on their faces for a moment, and then they started to laugh. Ren laughed, too. * The guard from the mines entered the plush and ornate office. He glanced around with his eyes to try and drink in all of the gold detailing. There''s literally a fortune in here! He thought as he approached the over-sized desk in the center of the room. ¡°You may speak.¡± The Lord of House Lodur commanded his guard. The guard looked at the other 4 faces around the desk. All the highest members of the House were there. ¡°It... it''s true.¡± The guard held up the platinum coin Ren had given him. ¡°Not only is he paying higher wages, he''s also ignoring your work stoppage order.¡± The guard said, then sighed mentally. He felt a little guilty about informing his Lord about what was going on, but he was still a retainer for House Lodur, no matter who else paid his wages. One of the 4 faces scowled and turned to the Lord of the House. ¡°I thought you said he was a good law abiding citizen?¡± The Lord chuckled. ¡°He is, but this tactic didn''t seem to work.¡± He turned to look at the men gathered around him. ¡°Send the same notice to every Major and Minor House. House Neram is to get nothing else from them.¡± He sat back in the chair. ¡°They don''t have to give any money back, since we''re only reviewing the purchases, not canceling them.¡± He turned to the dwarf on the end. ¡°Get me a messenger.¡± The group dispersed and the Lord dismissed the guard. Such rabble. He thought. So easily swayed by money. The Lord of House Lodur wrote out a note on a piece of parchment. The messenger came in and waited until the Lord was done. The parchment was rolled up, and a wax seal was placed on it. ¡°Deliver that to the Commander of the Garrison.¡± The Lord told the messenger. ¡°Immediately.¡± The messenger bowed deeply and ran out of the office. * After feeding Princess, Ren was back underground and kept digging the staircase ramp. He dug for another hour, and filled the crates that he had. ¡°Damn, now what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If you want to hide the extra dirt, maybe you could dig out the moat around the Keep.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°Teepo! That''s a fantastic idea!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Once the pile is high enough, no one will notice!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°That''s what I''m here for. Brilliant ideas.¡± Ren laughed and ran back up to the surface. He left the workshop and walked over to the back of the Keep. I can only go down about 5 or 6 feet, but I can make it 8 feet wide, the same width as the drawbridge. Ren used his hammerpick to dredge up the 8 feet of moat, then shoveled it out to pile the dirt on the other side, away from the 200 feet of stone wall. He repeated this several times and got the pile of dirt up to about 5 feet high. Ren only dug the moat out at the back of the keep, and not all the way around. He took out the large crates of dirt and dumped them onto the piles of dirt and it didn''t make any difference. Awesome! Ren thought then went back into the workshop and started the forge. He smelted up some ore and let it simmer, then slipped into the hidden passageway. He ran down the path and then down the staircase ramps to keep digging. Once the crates were full again, he went back out to dump them, in plain view. No one paid him any attention and he went back and repeated this, over and over. During the day, he used the smelted ore to make 6 sets of full plate armor, dyed red. Ren mounted a 3 inch diamond oval in the center of each chest piece and enchanted it with Protection. He was tempted to enchant every piece of the armor; but his Mana Pool had emptied after he''d enchanted Elerlyth''s armor, and he kept forgetting to get Nathalia to recharge it for him. Ren continued to dig and eventually reached the bottom of the Keep, nearly half a mile down. With the extra running around it had taken him 12 hours and not 8, but Ren accepted that as the price to pay for trying to hide what he was doing. ¡°Things are going to go faster now.¡± Ren said and ran back to the surface, and saw people were packing up to leave. He ran to the end of the road, and had each cart stop. He repaired their clothing and equipment, and they all thanked him profusely. ¡°It''s the least I can do for all your hard work.¡± Ren said to each of the workers. ¡°Have a good night.¡± When they were all gone, he dumped out the large crates of dirt onto the pile and went inside the house to enjoy another meal. After he fed Princess, he went back inside to talk to Nathalia. ¡°I''ve got some Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°I''ll see you in a few hours.¡± ¡°Actually, I was going to delay going.¡± He said. ¡°Maybe for about an hour.¡± ¡°Well! Don''t just sit there, mister!¡± She stood up and grinned. ¡°We''ve only got an hour!¡± Ren took her hand and they went to the bedroom. 50 minutes later, Ren tucked Nathalia under the blanket and lay down beside her. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren slipped off the VR headset and was met by a sight he didn''t expect. ¡°Ms. Stanford!¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He looked at his watch. ¡°It''s after 6pm!¡± Elise smiled at him. ¡°The boss loved your proposal.¡± She said and handed him a copy of it. Ren took the proposal and read it. His eyes got wider and wider as he read all of it, then he looked at Elise in surprise. ¡°Where did this come from?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What I sent...¡± ¡°...would have been rejected without being looked at.¡± Elise said. ¡°I took the liberty to pad what you wrote, and made it presentable.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It worked.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°He thought it was a great idea.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Don''t worry, everything is being taken care of.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Who are all these people?¡± Ren waved at the crew setting things up, and Stella watched them closely. ¡°They''re just the setup crew.¡± She said. ¡°Voice controlled automated cameras, recorders, and storage devices.¡± ¡°C-c-cameras?¡± ¡°Voice controlled automated cameras.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°No one will be sitting here watching you.¡± She said. ¡°They only record when you, Mr. Haddon, speak the command.¡± She said. ¡°We''re installing a microframe to store it all, too. Your laptop will be a terminal access point for it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We''re doing the physical therapy room next.¡± Elise said excitedly. ¡°New footage every day of how you improve while using the VR headset!¡± ¡°But...¡± Elise turned and waved a worker over. He carried a crate of something in his hands. ¡°The boss liked your idea so much, he sent over 6 VR headsets.¡± Elise smiled as Ren''s mouth dropped open. ¡°No way!¡± ¡°You were right about the medical aspect, and you''re going to be our main data point.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°The VR recordings, analytics, and real life footage is going to be a treasure trove of data for the tech team.¡± Ren looked at her, then sighed. ¡°I guess... I guess it''s okay.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Elise grinned. ¡°You just have to say ''camera record'' to turn everything on, and ''camera off'' to stop it. You''ll see a red light when it''s on.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thanks for coming over so quickly.¡± He said. ¡°I expected a response after a few days, at least... not after a few hours.¡± She chuckled. ¡°The boss doesn''t want to wait on this. When someone gives him a great idea, he jumps on it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Yeah, I know a few people like that.¡± ¡°Do you mind if I sit down?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please, sit.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and sat regally in the chair. Her business jacket popped open and her large breasts jiggled, then shook side to side. Ren could clearly see her white bra through the white fabric of her blouse. He didn''t stare at her chest, however. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± Ren said. ¡°Bathroom break.¡± She nodded and Ren slid out of the bed and went into the bathroom. He cleaned himself up and went back into the room. ¡°W-what happened to your arm?¡± Elise asked as she finally noticed the white sling. ¡°Oh, this?¡± Ren said and lifted the arm in a sling. ¡°It was just a dislocated elbow.¡± She winced as Ren climbed back into bed with a little difficulty. ¡°I''m sorry to hear you were hurt.¡± Elise said, and Ren saw she really was sorry. ¡°It''s okay.¡± He said. ¡°It''ll be better in a couple of weeks.¡± ¡°You''re so brave.¡± ¡°It''s more like battle fatigue.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°So much happens to me all the time, that this is just another little thing I have to deal with.¡± ¡°That kind of sounds like me at my job.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°I do so many things during the run of a day, that I don''t even really pay attention to them anymore.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Yeah, that''s what it''s like!¡± He said. ¡°When I broke my finger a month or so ago, I pretty much just ignored it.¡± ¡°You broke your finger?¡± Elise asked, surprised. ¡°How?¡± Ren went into the story of how it happened, and he watched Elise''s reactions. If I had Elerlyth''s ability, I''d be able to feel what she''s feeling. Ren thought, then smiled when he got to the part about the guy being arrested and Elise''s face broke into a huge grin. She put a hand gently on his arm. ¡°At least he should think twice about approaching someone like that.¡± Elise said. ¡°What happened with your finger after that?¡± ¡°Lucy had to set it back into place, of course.¡± Elise cringed and tightened her hand on his arm for a moment, then relaxed. ¡°I''m glad you''re okay after all of that.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said, then saw the crew packing up. ¡°I think your workers are done.¡± Elise nodded, pat his arm, and stood up. ¡°None of the cameras will work until we get the tech guys back to the lab tomorrow.¡± She said. ¡°It should all be up and running tomorrow around noon, though. I hope.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, trying to get stuff done by a certain time is all I''ve been doing in the game.¡± Elise grinned. ¡°Well, on the plus side the VR headsets will work just fine.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said, then looked at the crate. ¡°Can the nurses take them home, or are they locked to here?¡± ¡°They''re just standard units, so they can be used anywhere.¡± Elise said. ¡°Nice.¡± ¡°What about the software?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Are you developing something exclusively for the medical aspect?¡± Elise turned to her, a little surprised. ¡°We are, actually.¡± She said. ¡°Can I assume you''re Stella?¡± Stella''s eyes widened. ¡°How did you know that?¡± Elise nodded towards Ren. ¡°You were part of the proposal for the medical research.¡± ¡°W-w-what?!?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Apparently, he didn''t discuss it with you yet.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I was about to, but when I took off the VR headset, there you were.¡± ¡°Ren, what did you do?¡± Stella asked, and Ren handed her the proposal. She read it, and flipped the page, and read that. She flipped the page back and read the whole thing through again. ¡°That''s brilliant.¡± Stella said with admiration to Ren. ¡°I got the idea from you, Stella.¡± Ren said. ¡°Elise ran with it, though.¡± Elise blushed a little. He called me by my first name! ¡°Okay, then. You''re both brilliant.¡± Stella said. ¡°I hope I''m granted access to the data.¡± ¡°Access?¡± Elise laughed. ¡°It''s your data.¡± Stella''s eyes widened. ¡°You mean...¡± ¡°This project is yours. And Ren''s, of course.¡± Elise said. ¡°We''re just setting up the tech for you.¡± Stella stood there in shock, with her mouth hanging open. ¡°We hope you can give us some good results soon.¡± Elise said and turned to Ren. ¡°Thank you for bringing this aspect of the technology to our attention.¡± Ren reached a hand out to her, and she took it. ¡°That''s me.¡± He said and shook her hand. ¡°I''m just full of ideas.¡± Elise grinned. ¡°Well, keep them coming!¡± She said and let his hand go. ¡°I''ll send a message when the mainframe is tied in for the cameras.¡± Elise waved as she left the room. Ren and Stella waited and stared at each other for a minute, then started laughing. ¡°Keep them coming!¡± They said at the same time and then laughed harder. After a few minutes, and a few wiped away tears, Stella sat down next to the bed. ¡°Ren, thank you.¡± Stella said, sincerely. ¡°You don''t have to-¡± Ren started, but Stella cut him off. ¡°I''ve dreamed about something like this my whole life.¡± Stella said. ¡°Being involved with a project like this... it could have medical ramifications that could help thousands of people...¡± She shook her head. ¡°Ren.¡± Stella said and took his hand. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, then grinned. ¡°I thought you might have been joking before about me being your guinea pig; but, now I have to be.¡± ¡°Yeah, you''re stuck with me now!¡± Stella said and grinned. Chapter 132 - The Hole Stella opened the crate of VR headsets and stacked them in the closet, as the crate alone wouldn''t fit. ¡°I''ll take one of these home tonight and calibrate it properly.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll message you when I get it up and running.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Don''t forget to set the protocols for ''Administrator'' when you log in.¡± He reminded her. ¡°Otherwise, it''ll just shunt you right into the game.¡± ¡°I''ll remember.¡± Stella said, then she looked at Ren. ¡°So, did you notice that woman was staring a hole through you?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, but she''s got the hots for me, so I expected it.¡± ¡°She''s ''got the hots'' for you?¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°Where did you pick that up?¡± ¡°Some old tv show.¡± He said. She shook her head. ¡°The things you remember.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I know. I don''t know where it all comes from, either.¡± She smirked. ¡°I better go and grab your supper. I''ll be right back.¡± Ren nodded and changed the television channel to find something to watch while he ate. * Elise pulled out her data recovery pad and checked the download. Only another few minutes! She thought, as the tech crew set up the series of motion sensors and automatic cameras. ¡°How''s it coming along?¡± ¡°Nearly finished.¡± One of the techs said. ¡°This will be the most extensive mapping we''ve ever done.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°We''re not just modeling for a game character here, it''s for medical research. It has to be extensive.¡± The tech guy nodded. ¡°That''s why we brought the extra gear.¡± He said and waved to the second microframe and it''s additional storage. ¡°It''s not as powerful as the mainframes back at the company, but it''s leaps and bounds above anything the public has.¡± ¡°I assume all protocols have been set?¡± Elise asked. ¡°This has to be kept under wraps, or another company might scoop it out from under us.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± He said and handed her the administration key on a thumb drive. ¡°Only you and the boss have access to this data.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, as the tech guy turned around and finished the last installation and packed everything up. Her data pad beeped and she smiled as she looked at it. Thank you, Ren! Elise thought, then turned to the tech crew. ¡°We''re finished here.¡± * Stella brought Ren his supper, and as he ate, they talked about what kind of testing they needed to do first. ¡°Alpha testing is usually the hardest part.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow. ¡°It''s not beta testing?¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°Preliminary tests are always alpha. We need a baseline of stats before starting the beta phase.¡± ¡°Do I have to call you co-director or something?¡± Ren asked. ¡°When I order you to, yes.¡± Stella said and grinned. Ren laughed and then finished his meal. Stella moved the tray out of the way and smiled. ¡°Get some sleep.¡± She said. ¡°With the way you''re going, you''ll have that Keep fixed up in no time.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Ren said. ¡°If I skimp on how I want to do it, it''ll still take me about a hundred days.¡± Stella frowned. ¡°Why so long?¡± ¡°The Keep is about half a mile down, Stella. 260 floors worth.¡± ¡°Why did they go so deep?¡± She asked. ¡°Because they could, I guess.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Well, good luck with that.¡± She said and helped him put on the VR headset. ¡°Bye, Stella.¡± Ren said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the game and Nathalia was sound asleep beside him. He slid under the covers, and was tempted to snuggle up to her, but he didn''t want to wake her up. So, he laid down as close to her as he could and went to sleep. About 2 hours later, he felt a hand on his chest and he opened his eyes. ¡°Hey, beautiful.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°How long have you been back?¡± ¡°About 2 hours, I think.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you wake me?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I wanted to snuggle with you, but you were sound asleep. I didn''t want to be so selfish.¡± Nathalia slid close to him and snuggled. ¡°Apparently, I''m that selfish.¡± She said and laughed. ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Making you happy is one of the greatest joys that I have.¡± Nathalia gave him a kiss and rested her head on his chest. ¡°You''re too good to me.¡± ¡°That''s my job.¡± Ren said and stroked her shoulder. ¡°Goodnight, My Love.¡± ¡°Goodnight, my Sweet Prince.¡± They both drifted back to sleep a few minutes later. * The Commander of the Garrison was not a happy man. He looked at the crumpled up parchment and scowled. ¡°Rotten piece of...¡± The Commander stopped what he was about to say and sighed, then took out a piece of parchment and wrote up the order. He folded it up, opened a drawer in his desk, and touched the Sending Stone inside. ¡°I need a runner.¡± Two minutes later, there was a knock on his office door. ¡°Come.¡± The door opened and a thin dwarf entered. ¡°Take this to the Brig.¡± The thin dwarf took the folded parchment and shut the office door when he left. ¡°I really hate complications.¡± The Commander said and leaned back in his chair. * The runner made it to the Brig only 2 minutes later and knocked. He handed the parchment to the Warrior that answered the door, then took off running. The Warrior shut the door, went through the inside door, and passed it to the guard sitting at his desk. The guard unfolded it, read it, and scowled. ¡°I didn''t think I''d see him again.¡± The guard said and stood up to go to the door. He opened it and looked outside. ¡°Maldir! Darohm!¡± He said, and the two dwarfs stood. The guard waved the parchment. ¡°Can you guess where you''re going?¡± * Two hours later, there was a loud banging on the House Neram gate. Since it had been repaired, it was quite loud and rang throughout the house. Ren woke instantly, slid out of bed, and equipped his clothes and cloak. Teepo! Ren thought and Teepo fell into the hood as Ren entered the hallway. He ran to the front door, opened it and went into the courtyard, then picked Teepo up and tossed him into the air. ¡°It''s the 2 warriors that came to get you that first time.¡± Dammit, they''re early. Ren thought and went to the gate, but didn''t open it. ¡°State your business.¡± Ren said, knowing full well why they were there. ¡°We''re here to arrest Ren Neram.¡± Maldir said. Ren grinned. ¡°You''ll have to wait for a few minutes.¡± ¡°We know it''s you, so open the door.¡± Darohm said. ¡°I''ve got to tell my family where I''m going.¡± Ren said. ¡°Be right back.¡± He ran back into the house. * ¡°Wait!¡± Maldir said and looked at Darohm. ¡°He''s gone, isn''t he?¡± ¡°Do you mean completely? As in he left, or he just went back inside?¡± ¡°Both.¡± ¡°Inside is my guess. We''d hear anything else.¡± Maldir crossed his arms to wait. * Ren walked into the hallway and saw Nathalia and her mother were standing there, waiting for him. ¡°What is it?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I''m being arrested.¡± Ren said. ¡°For what?¡± He looked at Narhilda, and she sighed. ¡°You''ve been waiting for this, haven''t you?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''d hoped I''d have a bit more time, though.¡± He turned into the main room, and went to the kitchen. He gathered enough food for a week, just in case. He could try training his Staying Power, but he wanted to keep his Health full, and he knew he wouldn''t get what he needed to survive where he was going. Nathalia and Narhilda came into the kitchen behind him. ¡°What do we do?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren finished storing the food he needed and turned to her. ¡°You should feed Princess twice a day, and make sure Ruck comes out of his cabinet once a day. He''s a bit of a hermit.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°I meant about you!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°My Love, I''m going to be fine.¡± He said and then turned to her mother, Narhilda. ¡°You, on the other hand, need to file a document with the Hall Of Records for me.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Narhilda said. Ren took out a piece of parchment, wrote out a few things, and passed it to her. She read it and stared at him. ¡°Ren, you can''t!¡± Narhilda exclaimed in surprise. ¡°Yes, I can.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren went to her and took her into a hug. ¡°Please, file it before they can stop it.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Narhilda nodded slightly, and ran into the old bedroom to use the Sending Stone there. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Making sure that I get my say.¡± ¡°Ren... you... you shouldn''t...¡± ¡°I''ve got no choice.¡± Ren gave her a passionate kiss. ¡°I''m going to miss seeing you every time I open my eyes.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I won''t be gone long. Maybe a week, depending on when my request gets noticed.¡± ¡°I miss you already.¡± She said. Ren cupped the side of her face. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± He said. ¡°I''m always by your side.¡± Nathalia hugged him and Narhilda came out of the bedroom. ¡°Okay, it''s been submitted.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and looked at Nathalia. ¡°I''ll try to call you when I get there.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± She said, surprised. Ren lifted his hand and wagged the finger with the Sending Ring. ¡°I''m not going to go for that long without hearing your sweet and tender voice.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°I forgot all about that.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Now who''s getting forgetful?¡± There was another loud bang at the gate, and Ren sighed. ¡°I''ve spent too much time saying goodbye, apparently.¡± He hugged and kissed Nathalia, and then kissed her mother on the cheek. ¡°I''ll see you soon.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± Narhilda said. Nathalia walked Ren to the front door. ¡°Goodbye, My Love.¡± She said and kissed him again. ¡°Goodbye, My Love.¡± Ren said, concentrated on his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak''s Fear Aura, and used Connection to activate his Screaming Terror Ring. He then walked over to the gate and opened it. Maldir and Darohm stood there shaking. ¡°Sorry, guys.¡± Ren said and they moved away from him. ¡°I was saying goodbye to my wife.¡± Ren heard Nathalia take in a deep breath, and he shut the gate as he left. Ren looked around. ¡°What? No cart?¡± Maldir looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°There hasn''t been a cart available to rent for a week. They''re all off doing something, somewhere.¡± Ren laughed. If you''d waited until daylight, you''d know where they all are. The trio walked down the road and back to the main part of the city. Ren kept making a new Connection between his Fear Aura and his Screaming Terror ring. They took the corner to go out towards the Garrison. It took a while, since they were walking, but Ren didn''t mind. He''d be spending more time locked up than he wanted to; but it couldn''t be helped, so he didn''t complain about spending more time outdoors. ¡°We''ll be out soon.¡± Teepo said. What''s this ''we''? Ren thought with amusement. You can leave whenever you want! ¡°I could, but where''s the fun in that?¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You know, you could take off running and beat them to the Garrison.¡± Assuming they don''t use their weapons on me, you mean. Ren thought. I think running from an arrest is considered ''fleeing''. ¡°They''d never catch you.¡± Ren snorted a laugh, and the two Warriors looked at him. He shook his head and they looked away. It''s tempting, I''ll admit. Ren thought with amusement. But it''s better for me to just go with it. ¡°Okay.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You always have the option, though.¡± They approached the gate to the Garrison and they had to stop, so the guards could check Ren for weapons. When he approached, Ren made another Connection to his Screaming Terror ring and the guard froze. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren said. ¡°Check me for weapons.¡± ¡°Just let us through.¡± Maldir said. ¡°He''s going in the hole anyways.¡± The guard''s eyes widened. ¡°That''s a first.¡± He said and stepped back. ¡°A Prince going in the Hole.¡± The other guard waved them through and the trio went into the Garrison, and followed the pattern to the Brig. When they entered the area for it, Ren got a popup.
Stat Change!
Aura (Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak) Level 5 (Beginner 0%) Fear Level 3 (Beginner 0%) Connection Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
The door to the Brig opened when they approached, and Ren switched to his Camaraderie Aura. Maldir and Darohm sighed, and followed Ren inside. ¡°Hey, fellas.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hey! You''re back!¡± One Warrior said. ¡°What did you do now?¡± ¡°Something bad enough to send me to the Hole, apparently.¡± The Warrior whistled. ¡°Good luck, man.¡± He said. ¡°Goooood luck.¡± Ren grinned, and the second door was opened for him. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I''m sorry about this.¡± The guard said and stood up. ¡°I''ve got my orders.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± The guard led Ren and the two Warriors to the back of the Brig, and opened the last cell with a key. He stepped inside and used another key in a spot on the wall, then the floor tilted down into a ramp. Teepo! Teepo hopped out of the hood and skittered down the ramp. The guard motioned for Ren to follow, but Ren needed to stall. ¡°How does your wife like the chairs?¡± Ren asked. ¡°She can''t stop talking about them!¡± The guard smiled. ¡°All of her friends want to know where she got them.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°She must have said it was a secret.¡± The guard put a finger on the tip of his nose. ¡°You got it in one!¡± He laughed. ¡°She was pretty sad when I told her you got released.¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°All clear, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s just a big holding pen, full of dwarves.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought and then started to walk. The guard led them down the ramp and around the corner, to a large iron cage across the hallway. The guard opened it with yet another key, and Ren walked through it. The guard turned to Maldir and Darohm. ¡°I''ve got it from here.¡± They nodded and went back up the ramp. The guard shut the cage door and Ren followed him down the rest of the hallway and to another door. Ren couldn''t tell if it was the same key as the first one, but since it was just a door, he assumed it was. ¡°I really am sorry.¡± The guard said as he opened the door. ¡°Watch your back.¡± Ren nodded slightly and entered the room. It was a small room, with one of the walls missing. A Warrior stood there, dressed in the same half-plate armor Ren had seen before. He waved Ren towards the opening and Ren walked over to it, and stopped. There was a 100 foot by 100 foot square room dug out of the ground, and if Ren''s guess was right, there was about 300 dwarves in it. A 5 foot wide walkway was around the top edge, with Warriors spaced every 20 feet. Teepo, you didn''t say there was a fighting ring here! Ren thought. ¡°Surprise!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. Teepo! My Trouble Recipe! ¡°Yeah, I told you it was a holding pen.¡± Teepo said. Ren sighed. I''ll have to put on a show now. A really fat dwarf sat behind a desk in a similar room across the Hole, and everyone turned to him as he spoke. ¡°A new contestant has been chosen! Now taking bets!¡± He hollered and laughed. ¡°The tall blonde is unknown and unproven! 10 to 1 odds against!¡± Ren looked at him. ¡°Against what?¡± He hollered back. ¡°That you make it to the ring!¡± ¡°I''ll take that bet!¡± Ren hollered. ¡°A platinum for me reaching it!¡± The fat dwarf laughed again. ¡°You''d need to present actual money, not a fantas-By the GODS!¡± He exclaimed as Ren held up a shiny platinum coin. The entire place fell silent as every pair of eyes turned to the fat dwarf for a moment, and then over to look at Ren''s hand. Chatter soon started, mostly about if it was real or not, and Ren smiled. ¡°Oh, it''s real!¡± Ren said and put the coin away, then took out two handfuls of gold. ¡°Is this better?¡± A near riot broke out at the sight of all the gold Ren had in his hands, and the Warriors rattled their poleaxes on the floor. The dwarves in the room settled down and the fat dwarf''s face was turning purple. I can''t cover that bet! He thought, and looked around at the Warriors. An evil thought crossed his mind and he smiled. ¡°Unproven contestants can''t bet!¡± He said. ¡°You need to get to the ring first.¡± ¡°You can''t cover the bet, can you?¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°How will that change when I bet on myself winning my first match?¡± All the dwarves looked at the fat dwarf, including a lot of the Warriors. The fat dwarf''s face turned purple again. Dammit, I can''t reply or they''ll know it''s a lie! He thought furiously for a minute, then made a decision. ¡°Confiscate his coin pouch.¡± The fat dwarf said to the Warriors. ¡°Don''t just stand there! Do it!¡± Ren switched his Camaraderie Aura to his cloak''s Fear Aura, then used Connection to activate his Screaming Terror ring. Nearly all the dwarves near the edge of the room moved away from Ren, and stopped right at the 25 foot mark of Ren''s Aura. ¡°If anyone tries to steal my money, I will kill them.¡± Ren said, scanning the crowd, then looked right at the fat dwarf. ¡°Then I might kill you for ordering it.¡± Ren saw a slight nod from the fat dwarf and heard the Warrior come up behind him. ¡°Wait... wait...¡± Teepo said. ¡°Duck!¡± Ren ducked and the end of the poleaxe swept across the space where Ren''s head was, and Ren turned around. He punched the Warrior with all of his strength in the side of the chest. The Warrior grunted, grasped his side, and dropped the weapon. The punch had taken half of the Warrior''s Health Bar. The poleaxe clattered to the floor, and everyone thought Ren would grab for it; Ren had another idea, however. ¡°What did I JUST SAY?¡± He yelled, grabbed the Warrior by the head, and pulled it down to smash the Warrior''s face with a knee, taking another quarter of his Health bar. The Warrior grabbed his own face with both hands because of the pain, and stood up straight. Ren grasped the Warrior by the neck with a single hand. ¡°You dishonor your profession!¡± Ren said. ¡°So I''m only a little sorry I have to do this.¡± He used Iron Grip and crushed the Warrior''s neck, snapping it. A hush fell over the spectators as Ren easily held the body at arm''s length. He unhooked the half-plate mail and let it fall to the floor, then removed every weapon he could find. Ren then grabbed the man''s coin pouch, tore it from the inert body, and dropped the coin pouch on the floor as well. He used his free hand to grab the body by the top of it''s pants, and picked it up to hoist over his head. Ren lightly tossed the body down into the 100 foot square room, and it landed at the edge of the 25 foot space his Aura had made in the crowd.
Notice!
You have gained Influence: +100
Ren pointed at the fat dwarf and yelled. ¡°Who are YOU to steal MY MONEY?!?¡± ¡°GET HIM!¡± The fat dwarf ordered the Warriors around him, but none of them moved. ¡°I said get him! GET HIM!¡± ¡°He defended himself from a sneak attack.¡± One Warrior said. ¡°It was dishonorable to attack like that, especially with a weapon.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Another said. ¡°The intention was to steal, and possibly kill.¡± ¡°The newcomer kept his word.¡± Another one said. ¡°He has Honor.¡± ¡°He stripped the body before putting it into the Hole...¡± One close to the opening said. ¡°...keeping the weapons and armor out of the hands of the prisoners.¡± ¡°He might keep them himself, though.¡± Another said, and all of the Warriors looked at Ren, to see him as he kicked the items back towards the doorway he''d entered. Ren then jumped down the 10 feet to the Hole''s floor easily, and his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak fluttered behind him. ¡°He didn''t give himself an unfair advantage over the others. He''s kept it fair.¡± One Warrior said, and Ren looked at him. His Armor was more ornate than normal, and Ren assumed he must be the senior guard. ¡°Quite Honorable.¡±
Notice!
You have gained Honor: +10
Ren smiled and kept using Connection to activate his Screaming Terror ring and combine with his Fear Aura. All the dwarves cleared the 25 foot area around him, and Ren easily walked to the center of the room to the 20 foot square ring dug into the floor, then looked at the fat dwarf. ¡°Now what?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°What are you changing the odds to? It was 10 to 1 before, and you couldn''t cover it. Will it be 5 to 1? 1 to 2? 1 to 10? How will you try to get my money now?¡± No one spoke as the fat dwarf''s face turned purple from rage. ¡°Bring in the next opponent!¡± The fat dwarf yelled. The dwarves around the ring parted and a slumped over dwarf, nearly as tall as Ren, moved towards the ring, then stopped at the 25 foot mark because of Ren''s Aura. Ren nodded slightly to him and let the Connection to the ring end. The dwarves crowed around the 20 foot square ring and the big dwarf stepped into it. Everyone looked back at the fat dwarf, and waited for what he was going to say. ¡°First fight of the newcomer.¡± The fat dwarf said, then sighed. ¡°Odds are 1 to 5.¡± Most of the dwarves laughed as Ren''s prediction came true. The big dwarf that Ren was going to fight scowled. ¡°I''m supposed to be the one to beat.¡± He grunted. Ren looked at the fat dwarf in the room above the Hole. ¡°A platinum on the big guy.¡± He said and pointed to his opponent. The crowd stopped laughing and looked at the fat dwarf. ¡°You have to win your first fight to bet.¡± The fat dwarf said. An uproar from the dwarves in the Hole had the Warriors banging their poleaxes to call for quiet. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren turned to the big dwarf in the ring. ¡°10 gold coins to concede, right now.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± The big guy said and Ren handed him the money. ¡°I concede.¡± He said, and no one spoke as the big dwarf stepped out of the ring. The fat dwarf rolled out of his chair. ¡°Next opponent!¡± A little squirt of a dwarf stepped bravely into the ring. Everyone looked at the fat dwarf, to find out the odds. ¡°Odds are 1 to 2.¡± Everyone looked at Ren. ¡°A platinum for him to win.¡± Ren said, and pointed to his opponent. ¡°Not accepted.¡± The fat dwarf said. ¡°You didn''t fight yet.¡± The crowd of dwarves let another uproar escape and the Warriors didn''t try to calm them down this time. ¡°ANY OTHER BETS?¡± The fat dwarf yelled. When no one spoke, he sighed. ¡°Fight.¡± ¡°I concede.¡± Ren said, and the dwarves laughed. His opponent stared at the Warrior next to the fat dwarf as he tossed a gold coin near his feet. ¡°He won. The House always pays a gold for winning when there''s no bets.¡± The Warrior said over the fat dwarf''s protests, then tossed one to Ren as well for his previous win. ¡°NEXT OPPONENT!¡± The fat dwarf said, and Ren switched from his Fear Aura to Camaraderie Aura then stepped out of the ring. Another dwarf stepped into the ring to fight the little guy, and the crowd yelled and hollered encouragement. The fat dwarf smiled. ¡°Odds are 2 to 5¡± ¡°5 platinum on the big guy, and 10 platinum on the little guy.¡± Ren yelled. Everyone was quiet as the fat dwarf''s face turned purple again. ¡°NOT ACCEPTED!¡± The fat dwarf hollered so loudly that he popped the top button on his tunic. ¡°BE QUIET!¡± The fat dwarf sat back in his chair and took several breaths. ¡°Any other bets?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Everyone else here bets a single gold coin on the big guy, and 2 gold coins on the little guy.¡± All the dwarves stared at him, as he continued. ¡°They''ve all just accepted a temporary loan from me for it.¡± ¡°AGREED!¡± They all said together. ¡°But... but...¡± The fat dwarf stammered. ¡°I can''t...¡± The Warrior looked at Ren and nodded slightly. Ren stepped forward and gave the Warrior 9 platinum to cover the bets. ¡°Any... other... bets...¡± The fat dwarf said. ¡°Fight.¡± ¡°I concede.¡± The big guy said, and everyone cheered. The Warrior started to hand out the winnings to everyone, and the fat dwarf sat there in silence. Each and every dwarf came over to Ren and handed him 2 gold coins of the 5 they''d received for winning the bet. They nodded and thanked him for the loan, and Ren dismissed all the Honor gain popups. At the end, he''d gained another 3000 Honor and was now considered an Honorable Prince. ¡°You... you''ve ruined me...¡± The fat dwarf said and slumped down in his seat. ¡°I was tempted to kill you for trying to rob me.¡± Ren said. ¡°When you wouldn''t accept any of my bets, though...¡± He grinned. ¡°...I figured letting all these men that you''ve been scamming, win your money instead.¡± The fat dwarf sighed and looked around at the Hole, what he thought as his domain, and stood. He waddled around the big chair and to the big door behind it. A Warrior opened the door and the fat dwarf turned sideways to get through it. Once he was gone, all the dwarves looked around at each other. ¡°What do we do now?¡± One of them asked. ¡°All we do here is fight.¡± Ren started to laugh and some of them looked at him. ¡°Why are you laughing?¡± Another dwarf asked. ¡°I didn''t do this to stop the fighting.¡± Ren said. ¡°I did it to stop that guy from taking any more money from you.¡± ¡°So what do we do?¡± He asked. ¡°The fat guy usually took care of it all.¡± ¡°I''d say you can keep doing that, but I have a better idea.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Why not have a tournament?¡± Chapter 133 - That Was Quick The fat dwarf waddled up the ramp and came out into another section of the Garrison. ¡°Damn him!¡± He said as he approached his desk. ¡°I''ve lost nearly all of the money I''ve gathered since I''ve been here, and on a single bet!¡± He sat down and opened a drawer, then touched a sending stone. ¡°It''s Khirbor Tarum. I don''t know what he did for you to send him here, but he''s cleaned me out.¡± The fat dwarf said. ¡°You didn''t say he''d be stinking rich!¡± The Sending Stone glowed. ¡°He outbid you, did he?¡± The voice laughed. ¡°He''s smarter than I thought. I''ll increase your loan by a few more platinum to cover any losses.¡± The fat dwarf sat there and fumed. ¡°A few platinum!¡± He slammed the drawer shut because the Sending Stone couldn''t be used for another hour. ¡°I wish I only needed a few more platinum.¡± * It took about an hour for Ren to work out how to break up 300 fighters into divisions. It ended up with 12 men in each division, and Ren offered a gold coin for winning that part. The 25 winners would be divided into 5 man sections, and those 5 winners would get 3 gold each, and the second place would get 1. Those 10 fighters would fight in pairs, with 5 winners getting 5 gold; and all the dwarves would vote for a wild card fighter to make a total of 6. They would fight in pairs, and 3 winners would be left and get 10 gold each. If they still wanted to fight after that, Ren said it would be a Round Robin, 2 loss elimination fight. The winner gets 30 gold, second place, 20 gold, and third 10 gold. He''d drawn it all up on a large piece of parchment so everyone could see how it went. All the dwarves thought it was a great idea, then someone mentioned that they wanted to bet on their favorite fighters to win. Of course, then that brought up how they would keep track of it all, and Ren walked over to the Warrior that stood beside the fat dwarf''s huge chair. ¡°Your Lord''s skills are needed again.¡± Ren said. ¡°As long as you tell him his odds should be based on the facts.¡± The Warrior smiled and nodded slightly. He went to the Warrior by the door, and the Warrior left. Ren stood there and waited, until the door opened and the fat dwarf slid through the opening sideways and waddled over to his seat. ¡°So now I''m working for you.¡± The fat dwarf said as he sat. ¡°No one is working for me here.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m just trying my best to deal with the situation.¡± ¡°You''ve dealt with it well so far! I''m broke!¡± The fat dwarf said. ¡°I can fix that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oho! Going to throw money at me, are you?¡± He scoffed. Ren laughed. ¡°Of course not.¡± ¡°Then what are you going to do?¡± ¡°I''m going to let you run the betting.¡± The fat dwarf laughed. ¡°I just told you, I''m broke. I can''t cover any bets!¡± ¡°You''re broke right now, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°You won''t stay that way, however.¡± The fat dwarf looked at Ren like he was crazy, and Ren grinned. ¡°You''ve been changing the odds for each fight to make sure you get more than you pay out.¡± Ren said. ¡°You shouldn''t do that.¡± Ren said as his Haggle skill activated. ¡°Then what...¡± The fat dwarf tried to speak, and Ren cut him off. ¡°When you take the bets, charge 5% for it.¡± Ren said. ¡°By the time everyone bets, and you give me 4%, you should have a good balance going.¡± ¡°I thought you didn''t want me taking their money?¡± The fat dwarf asked. ¡°1% for your cut.¡± ¡°I didn''t want you to scam them out of their money. Charging for your services isn''t a scam, unless you overcharge, or don''t provide the service.¡± Ren said. ¡°3%.¡± The fat dwarf frowned and then thought about it. ¡°Well, I guess that''s fair.¡± He said. ¡°2%.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Alright, show me this ''tournament'' you''ve planned out.¡± It took another 20 minutes to explain it all. Once Ren was done, the fat dwarf beamed a smile at him. ¡°That''s brilliant!¡± The fat dwarf said. ¡°The bets will grow exponentially by the end of the tournament!¡± ¡°It''s the best of both worlds.¡± Ren said and nodded slightly. ¡°Everyone gets to fight, and has a chance at some gold; then they spend that gold to bet on the other fighters.¡± He said. ¡°Not counting the guards, of course.¡± ¡°And the House gets 5% of it all, not counting the lost bets!¡± The fat dwarf exclaimed, then looked at Ren. ¡°I don''t see your name on any of the lists here.¡± ¡°I''m providing the prizes this first time.¡± Ren said. ¡°It wouldn''t be fair for me to fight.¡± ¡°Will you be making bets?¡± The fat dwarf scowled at the prospect of losing all of his prospective gains. Ren shook his head. ¡°You saw how that turned out last time.¡± The fat dwarf smiled. ¡°Well then!¡± He said in a much better mood. ¡°Let''s get this started!¡± ¡°It''ll take 2 days to do it all.¡± Ren said and pointed to the chart he''d drawn up. ¡°The first day are the prelims and the first round. The second day is semi-finals, finals, and the Round Robin.¡± ¡°Good, good.¡± The fat dwarf said and clapped his hands twice. ¡°Make it so!¡± The dwarves all sorted themselves into the groups needed, without any prompting from the Warriors guarding them. ¡°Aaaaaaaand... FIGHT!¡± The fat dwarf said and everyone started letting punches fly. Ren was the only one not participating, so he stood next to the wall of the pit and watched the spectacle. He thought about talking to Nathalia and his Sending Ring glowed slightly. ¡°Hello, My Love.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°Ren.¡± Nathalia whispered back. ¡°We just finished breakfast. How are you?¡± ¡°I''m okay, but I don''t know when I''ll be able to talk to you directly again. It''s really crowded here in the Hole.¡± ¡°The Hole? What''s that?¡± ¡°An underground fighting pit.¡± Ren answered. ¡°By the gods, why did they put you there?¡± ¡°The Council apparently wants me out of the way, probably permanently.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren! What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I''m going to hope that my request is sent to the Council by tomorrow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got Adventurer''s business to take care of tomorrow night, and I don''t think they''ll let me leave to go to a Safe Zone.¡± ¡°What can I do to help?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I''m really glad you asked.¡± Ren said. ¡°First, take command of one of the rented carts and go to the Library. Let the Librarian know where I am.¡± He smiled. ¡°She''ll get really upset if I miss yet another day without some kind of explanation.¡± ¡°Okay. What else?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Go back to the main Keep and to the Hall of Records. Ask the attendant if she got the request, and to forward it to where it needs to go if she hasn''t done it already.¡± ¡°I''ll leave right away.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Ma, I''m running an errand for Ren!¡± ¡°Thank you for this.¡± Ren said. ¡°Anything you need, let me know.¡± She said. ¡°Ma says ''Hi''.¡± ¡°Tell her I''ll be back to give her another kiss on the cheek soon.¡± ¡°I''m not going to tell her that!¡± Nathalia said and laughed. ¡°You''ve kissed her enough already.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°She didn''t tell you to say that.¡± ¡°No, she wants to register a ''kiss on the cheek'' as a new ritual.¡± ¡°If she wants to, that''s okay.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m going to keep doing it anyways.¡± ¡°You''re spoiling her, you know.¡± ¡°I can''t help it. I love you so much, it''s spilling over onto her.¡± ¡°I am definitely not telling her that!¡± Nathalia laughed again. ¡°Dammit, I better go. One of the fights is ending.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might call tomorrow, if I can find some privacy somewhere.¡± ¡°I''ll hope for that. Talk to you soon.¡± ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± The ring''s glow faded, and Ren watched some of the dwarfs as they dragged unconscious dwarfs from the designated fighting areas. He assumed they were friends, otherwise he really didn''t want to know.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Teepo, are you seeing this? Ren thought to his friend. ¡°I sure am!¡± Teepo said from his perch on the ceiling. ¡°The only other time I''ve seen this many dwarves fighting each other was during the Great Divide.¡± The what? ¡°The Dwarf Civil War.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It all started when the King chose a common girl to marry.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. No way! ¡°I know, right?¡± Teepo chuckled. ¡°The poor sap fell in love with the farmer''s daughter. They''d been friends since they were kids; and when the Crown fell to him, he chose her as his wife.¡± Oh, no... Ren shook his head in disbelief. ¡°All the Major Houses were in an uproar over the insult, and all the Minor Houses loved it.¡± Which caused the Great Divide. ¡°You got it!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Brothers against brothers, fathers against sons.¡± What about wives, sisters, and daughters? ¡°They weren''t allowed to fight.¡± Holy crap! Ren thought in surprise. They couldn''t have been happy! ¡°That''s why the Great Divide is also called the Great Silence.¡± No! Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°50 years of not hearing a single female voice.¡± Fifty... fifty years... ¡°While all this fighting is going on, I can tell you what I know about it.¡± Teepo offered. I''d appreciate that, Teepo. Thanks. For about half of the day, Teepo gave Ren an interesting history lesson, that he hoped no one would ever repeat. When Teepo said that it was all that he knew, Ren got a popup.
Notice!
You have heard a story from the Lore Of The Ages Series
Teepo, how long ago did the Great Divide end? Ren thought. ¡°About 100 years ago.¡± Then that means... ¡°The current King is their grandson.¡± Ren watched the last of the preliminary round fights end, and gave each of the winners a gold coin. After a short rest, the first round of actual fighting began and the bets started. Since everyone had gold to spend, they spent it. Lots of it was lost foolishly, but Ren couldn''t do anything about that. More and more dwarves gathered around him as the day wore on, and Ren got another popup.
Stat Change!
Camaraderie Aura Level 6 (Beginner 0%)
Ren smiled as the last fight of the day ended, and he gave the winner 3 gold and the second place winner 1 gold, and congratulated them both. ¡°Excellent!¡± The fat dwarf yelled. ¡°Get some rest! Tomorrow will be the last 2 rounds, and the Round Robin!¡± He got up out of his chair and waddled out of the room. Ren walked over to the Warrior that stood there and collected his take for the night. He walked back to where he''d stood before, and was tempted to take some things out to work on them; but, he didn''t want to reveal that he could do that. He was surprised they weren''t served breakfast or supper that day, though. Now that he had the chance to really look, he saw that some of the dwarves in the crowd were a little thin. I hope they aren''t intentionally starving them. Ren thought. Not that I can really do anything about that, either. I only brought enough food for me to eat for a week, and that''s not nearly enough for a single meal for 300 people. Ren looked up at the Warrior standing on the ledge just over 5 feet above his head, then turned around to talk to him. ¡°I''d like to ask you a question.¡± Ren said to him. ¡°When''s supper?¡± The Warrior chuckled. ¡°You get fed every 2 days, just like everyone else.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°That''s not enough to live on.¡± ¡°You don''t live here.¡± The Warrior said. ¡°You survive here.¡± ¡°A half decent meal is only 2 copper.¡± Ren said, and held out a gold coin. ¡°Is there any chance I can buy enough stew for everyone here to have a bowl?¡± The Warrior raised his eyebrows. ¡°Why do you care about all these other people?¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I don''t.¡± He said. ¡°I also don''t want to be beaten up if only I get extra food to eat.¡± Several dwarfs nearby laughed, and the Warrior nodded. Ren flipped up the coin to him and the Warrior smiled. ¡°I wouldn''t do this normally, but you''ve made me 3 gold so far.¡± ¡°That''s the best feeling, isn''t it?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Hoping to get something, then having it happen, despite the odds against it.¡± The Warrior nodded slightly, and walked over to the room Ren had entered through. About an hour later, several cooks came into the room and started passing out bowls of stew to everyone. Ren got in line and took a bowl for himself, despite the fact he had tons of food in inventory. When he went back to where he had stood before, the big dwarf that he was supposed to have fought in his first match was waiting there for him. He had a bowl of stew in his hands, and was licking his fingers after slipping a big piece of meat into his mouth. ¡°I hear I have you to thank for this.¡± He grunted. ¡°Ha!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Like I told the guard, I didn''t want everyone trying to kill me to get some of my stew.¡± The big dwarf grinned back as Ren stood beside him and leaned on the wall. They ate in silence and dumped the broth into their mouths when all the bigger chunks were gone. ¡°You''re alright.¡± The big dwarf said. ¡°You don''t happen to know someone named Groggot, do you?¡± Ren asked, then smiled at the big dwarf''s reaction. ¡°Ha ha!¡± The big dwarf laughed. ¡°You''re Ren!¡± A hush fell over the crowd that had gathered near the two, while they ate. ¡°You beat House Faldihr''s champion with a single blow!¡± One of the other dwarves said, then he frowned. ¡°I thought you''d be taller.¡± ¡°I can honestly say I''ve never heard that before.¡± Ren said, and several of the dwarves laughed. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Another one asked. ¡°You''re the first Prince I''ve met.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I could debate the Prince part, but I ended up here because I was paying people fair wages for their work, and the Council had me arrested for it.¡± ¡°No way!¡± ¡°That''s horrible!¡± ¡°Those bastards!¡± ¡°Better here than the stockade.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''d be too much of a spectacle if I was in a stockade.¡± He said. ¡°They want me out of the way, not on display.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± The big dwarf said. ¡°I''m Croggart. Groggot''s older brother.¡± ¡°I thought you looked familiar.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Croggart nodded slightly. ¡°They got me after I punched a Lodur loudmouth in the head.¡± He said and scowled. ¡°The little prick kissed my sister, before he even spoke her name!¡± All the dwarves that heard this clenched their fists and growled, and Ren knew that was one of the highest insults to give to a woman. ¡°Tell me you knocked him out!¡± Ren said, angrily. Croggart grinned. ¡°He was on the floor for half an hour before the healer showed up.¡± Ren laughed, then clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Nice.¡± ¡°LIGHTS OUT!¡± One of the Warriors said. ¡°Time for bed.¡± Croggart said, then sat down right where he stood. Ren looked around, and everyone pretty much did the same thing. A few tried to get spots near the wall, but were quickly pushed away. Ren would have to remember to stay by the wall, or he''d lose the spot he was in. He was glad that this was the game night that happens during the real life night, or he would have been in serious trouble. Ren sat down and tried to not look anyone in the eyes. The room became almost deathly quiet as all of the lights were extinguished. Now that the lights were out, several Warriors climbed down into the pit on small ladders. They went over to the body of the one who had attacked Ren, picked it up, and carried it out. Ren could see everything as clear as day, and he stayed awake the entire night. He''d forgotten how boring it was to sit down and do absolutely nothing. * Elerlyth was bored out of her mind. All she did was walk around and guard an empty warehouse. She explored everything inside, and found a big cabinet in the living room of the apartment upstairs. ¡°It''s nicer than my place in the real world.¡± She said and laughed. ¡°I wonder where he got all this nice furniture?¡± Elerlyth went into the bedroom and laid down on the bed. ¡°Oh! Now that''s comfy.¡± She said and settled down and stared up at the ceiling. ¡°Making easy money sure is boring.¡± She threaded her fingers together and put them over her abdomen. ¡°Ha... the little shit was right! I do hate this job.¡± She ran her hands over the armor she wore. ¡°Damn nice armor, though.¡± She took a deep breath and smiled. ¡°It''s been 3 days, and I still can''t believe I''m not ''hungry''.¡± * The night crawled past slowly, and Ren looked up at Teepo. Hey, Teepo? Do you know any other stories? Teepo laughed. ¡°I know a few.¡± Can you tell me some of them? I feel like I''m wasting my time just sitting here. ¡°Sure, Ren.¡± Teepo said and then started to tell Ren tales about everything. Beetle Warriors, forest nymphs, goblins, and anything else that Teepo just randomly thought of. After several hours of this, Ren thought of something. Do you know anything about giants? ¡°I''m sorry. I''ve never met any giants, or heard any stories about them.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s not a lot of room underground for people so big.¡± It was a long shot anyways. Ren sighed mentally. Can you keep talking? I''m trying hard to not fall asleep here. He thought. ¡°Of course!¡± Teepo said and skittered around in circles. ¡°I can even talk REALLY LOUD if you want me to.¡± Ren grinned. I''ll let you know if I need that, thanks. Teepo continued to talk until the morning and Ren had heard so much, that he didn''t remember any of it. He apologized to Teepo for wasting his time, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°It kept you awake, didn''t it?¡± Ren smiled and the Warriors came back into the Hole. They lit all of the lights and the cooks brought in breakfast. Everyone ate, and a few minutes afterwards the fat dwarf came into the room. ¡°Well! Let''s get things going!¡± He said as he sat in his chair, and then several other dwarfs came into the room behind him. They didn''t have chairs, however. The winners from the fights the previous day gathered into the designated spots and faced off against each other. One of them was Croggart, and everyone placed bets for their favorite fighters. Ren didn''t watch the bouts, though. He watched the dwarves that stood behind the fat dwarf''s chair. They must be here for a reason. ¡°I think they are betting on the fights.¡± Teepo said as he skittered over to the room the fat dwarf was in. ¡°Yeah, definitely betting.¡± A lot? Ren thought. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°If a platinum is a lot, yeah.¡± Keep a tab on them, Teepo. Ren thought. Let me know what the total bids were. The fighting went on for half of the day, and the fighters were whittled down to 5 winners. Ren paid them 5 gold each, and then the entire group of prisoners voted on who would fight in the wild card spot. It was hotly debated, but they eventually picked the most popular fighter from the previous round that didn''t win. The final round was fought, and the 3 winners earned 10 gold each. They decided that a Round Robin should happen, and the fighters fought their matches. It took a while, as these fighters could take punch after punch without showing any signs of weakening. Of course, Croggart was the top winner, and the other 2 came in second and third. Ren paid them their prizes of 30, 20, and 10 gold respectively. Everyone clapped, and none harder than the fat dwarf himself. ¡°The first Brawlers Tournament comes to a close! Congratulations to the winners!¡± The fat dwarf said and stood up. Ren took this opportunity to go over to the Warrior to receive his cut of the bets. The Warrior handed it over and Ren counted it. Teepo, how much did the new dwarfs bet? ¡°If my counting is correct, it was about 350 gold.¡± Teepo said. Ren looked at the Warrior and them motioned to the new people. ¡°Did they bet?¡± ¡°Yes, they bet.¡± He said and sighed, as he couldn''t lie without losing Honor. Ren turned to the fat dwarf. ¡°We had an agreement.¡± ¡°That only covers bets from the prisoners.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°I said all bets, and you agreed.¡± ¡°What''s he talking about, Khirbor?¡± One of the dwarves asked. ¡°Nothing. Nothing.¡± Khirbor said and waved them towards the door. ¡°It was a split of the profits from charging for the bets.¡± Ren said as they walked to the door. ¡°This tournament was my idea.¡± ¡°Don''t listen to him. He''s a prisoner here. He has no Hon-¡± ¡°I challenge you, Khirbor!¡± Ren hollered at the group of dwarves, and everyone fell silent. ¡°You are a liar and a cheat, claiming my idea as your own, then not fulfilling your agreement with me.¡± ¡°You''re a prisoner, you can''t issue challenges!¡± The fat dwarf said and turned to squeeze through the door. ¡°Actually, he can.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°You were about to say he doesn''t have Honor, but he clearly does. If you also didn''t pay him part of his agreed cut of the profits...¡± ¡°None of it''s true, I tell you!¡± He said. ¡°It was all my idea!¡± The dwarf winced and then scowled. ¡°I knew there was a reason you were sent here to manage this.¡± He said. ¡°You belong here.¡± ¡°Either accept the challenge, or lose whatever Honor you have.¡± The fat dwarf glared, and turned to Ren. ¡°Fine. I accept.¡± Chapter 134 - And The Winner Is...
Notice!
You have entered PvNPC Mode: Duel
Ren watched as the fat dwarf waddled over to the edge of the Hole where Ren stood. Six Warriors came over with several sets of ladders and braced them against the wall. The fat dwarf walked down them, and they bent considerably. Once he was on the floor of the Hole with Ren, the Warriors gathered up the ladders and went back to their positions. ¡°You are the challenger.¡± The fat dwarf, Khirbor said. ¡°You choose the rules.¡± ¡°No weapons, since that''s the rule here in the Hole.¡± Ren said, then looked around. ¡°Submission or unconsciousness to win.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± The fat dwarf said. ¡°I forego the substitute challenger rule.¡± ¡°As do I.¡± Ren said. ¡°Witnessed.¡± A Warrior said. ¡°What are the conditions?¡± ¡°If I win, I''m free to leave.¡± Ren said. ¡°I get reparations for the scammed gold, all future cuts will be forwarded to House Neram, and I''m taking Croggart with me.¡± ¡°And if I win?¡± Khirbor asked. ¡°I''ll pay you 50 platinum.¡± ¡°By the gods, he''s crazy!¡± ¡°He doesn''t have 50 platinum!¡± ¡°He didn''t lie, though.¡± ¡°Why are you doing this for me?¡± Croggart asked. ¡°You''re Groggot''s brother.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s reason enough.¡± Croggart snorted a laugh, and nodded slightly. The fat dwarf waddled over to the 20 foot square depression in the middle of the room, and Ren followed him. They stood on either side of it, and Khirbor smiled. ¡°You made a mistake when you set the rules.¡± The fat dwarf said as he threw off his clothing. ¡°You didn''t mention armor! I''m not fat you fool! This is all muscle and metal!¡± He laughed when he revealed a set of full plate iron armor, then put on armored gauntlets. ¡°You''re right, I didn''t mention armor.¡± Ren said, then equipped his set of golden steel plate armor. ¡°But I''m no fool.¡± Gasps were heard around the room, especially from Khirbor. ¡°Where did that come from?!?¡± ¡°Didn''t you know I was an Adventurer?¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m sure your contact at House Lodur told you all about me.¡± The gasps were followed by growls. ¡°So it was a setup!¡± ¡°He was right!¡± ¡°Those bastards!¡± ¡°The rules and conditions have been set.¡± A Warrior said. ¡°FIGHT!¡± The fat dwarf waddled forward and Ren stared at him. ¡°You can barely move?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I thought you were playing along with your cover.¡± Khirbor grinned. ¡°I was.¡± He ran towards Ren easily, and Ren grinned as a huge fist swung for his head. He grabbed it, turned and yanked it over his shoulder. The fat dwarf had a lot of momentum at that point, so he sailed over Ren''s back and landed several feet away with the sound of a few clangs of metal. Khirbor put his armored hand down and felt the dirt floor. ¡°What?!?¡± He said in surprise, then looked over at Ren, who held the gauntlet and half of an armored arm. ¡°Iron is really weak if grabbed properly.¡± Ren said, crushed the metal in his hands, then tossed it aside. ¡°How did you...¡± Khirbor said. ¡°I''m a blacksmith.¡± Ren said. ¡°I could take your armor apart with my eyes closed.¡± The fat dwarf scowled and stood. ¡°I will have that 50 platinum!¡± He said and started to stomp his feet when he walked. Ren felt the tremors, and raised an eyebrow. Teepo, is this a special attack? ¡°Probably.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ve seen something similar; but that was a Royal Steed with Thunder Stomp.¡± What does it do? ¡°Crushes anything it steps on.¡± Then I won''t stay on the ground. Ren thought, and ran back towards the wall. The dwarves got out of the way, and he took off running. He heard gasps of surprise and hollers of support as he crossed the distance in only a second and then jumped into the air to deliver a classic clothesline move. Ren saw shock on Khirbor''s face for a split second and Ren''s arm hit the chest plate. He tackled the fat dwarf to the ground with a resounding crash of metal on metal. Ren stood and looked at Khirbor trying to right himself. An arm-sized dent was in the chest plate, and Ren shook his head. ¡°Whoever made that wasn''t using enough metal.¡± Ren said and punched the chest piece near each shoulder where his Vision of Impurity said there were flaws in the metal. ¡°It''s too brittle to take many impacts.¡± The spots he''d punched crumbled, and Ren picked up the chest plate. He used Enchanted Eyes, Read Rune and Decipher. There wasn''t anything on the metal at all. ¡°You don''t even have any enchantments on your armor.¡± Ren shook his head again. ¡°Why did you accept a challenge without proper equipment?¡± ¡°I thought I had an overwhelming advantage, you idiot!¡± The fat dwarf spat. ¡°Prisoners aren''t supposed to have full plate armor!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°So you''re just as short-sighted as you are arrogant.¡± He leaned in and stared at the dwarf. ¡°You should always think ahead about how things might turn out. If you had, you''d have chosen the substitute fighter.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Then I wouldn''t have been able to do this.¡± Ren said and punched all the weak spots of the armor. It crumbled and Ren picked up each piece, then crushed it. The dwarf was left with a loose-fitting piece of cloth around his body. ¡°Do you submit?¡± ¡°I''m not finished yet! That''s just armor!¡± Khirbor rolled out of reach and stood up. Now that the armor didn''t impede him, he moved much faster. He was only 2 inches shorter than Ren; but nearly 5 times Ren''s size, and it was all muscle. Ren unequipped his golden steel armor, and silence fell across the room. The fat dwarf grinned. ¡°Ha! You''re a bigger fool than I realized!¡± He said and stepped forward. ¡°Only fools give up their advantage like that!¡± Ren stood there and pointed to the cheek on the left side of his face. Khirbor''s face flushed purple and he hauled off and punched Ren in the face. Ren''s head didn''t whip to the side from the impact, and Ren started to laugh. ¡°I know women who can hit harder than that!¡± Ren said, and he let the fat dwarf punch him over and over. He watched his own Health bar drop down to 95%. Khirbor''s punches got weaker and weaker, however; and Ren smiled. Ren made a fist with his right hand, and lifted it over his head, then did the classic windmill motion. All eyes watched the clenched fist make 2 circles, then Ren stepped forward and slammed the fat dwarf under the chin with an uppercut. Khirbor was knocked out instantly, thanks to Ren''s Skull Cracker ability, that granted a 20% chance to Stun immediately. Ren followed through with the punch and Khirbor''s massive unconscious body lifted 2 feet into the air, and dropped to the ground on his back, with a loud thud.
Notice!
Congratulations! You have defeated your opponent in hand-to-hand combat. Rewards: 1000 XP Fame Bonus: 58%
Notice!
You have defeated an opponent 100 Levels higher than you. Fame: +1000 Because Khirbor Tarum was a Prince of House Tarum, and you soundly defeated him in front of more than 350 witnesses (including members of his own family), you have gained both Honor and Influence. Influence: +1000 Honor: +1000
Notice!
PvNPC Mode has ended.
After a moment of silence, cheers erupted and Croggart grabbed Ren in a bear hug, then lifted him up onto his shoulder. Well, I said I had to put on a show. Ren thought, and Teepo chittered in laughter. * Elerlyth woke up in the comfy bed and stretched. ¡°I really have to ask where he got this bed.¡± She sat up and got a familiar feeling in her abdomen. Elerlyth rubbed it and sighed. ¡°Damn.¡± She said and lay back down. ¡°And only 2 hours left before sunrise.¡± She opened the message system and typed up a quick message. ¡°He''ll never get here before I have to log out, though.¡± * While everyone celebrated, Ren received a message from Elerlyth. Crap. Ren thought, then tapped Croggart on the shoulder to be let down. Ren and Croggart walked over to the 4 dwarfs that still stood in the fat dwarf''s observation room. ¡°I hope I can count on you to make him keep his word.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°You should have no worry on that account.¡± The dwarf that had confronted Khirbor earlier said. ¡°It will be taken care of.¡± He took out a piece of parchment and wrote several sentences on it, and handed it to Ren, along with 7 gold. ¡°Your release papers.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± Ren asked, surprised. The dwarf nodded slightly. ¡°The Lord of the House is our father.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°My apologies for not greeting you properly.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Princes don''t have to greet each other.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°New to the life are you?¡± ¡°Yeah, by about a week.¡± The dwarves around them laughed, and Ren laughed, too. A minute later, the dwarf spoke again. ¡°You''re free to go.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and nodded slightly to Croggart and walked across the Hole to the Brig''s entrance. Ren received several nods and pats on the back. Teepo dropped down into the hood as Ren passed, and the Warrior on the Brig side put a ladder down. Ren and Croggart climbed it and went out the door. A Warrior let them through the cage across the hallway, and when they approached where the ramp was supposed to be, there was just a blank wall. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Croggart asked. Ren looked around and frowned. ¡°Knock, maybe?¡± He said and walked to the wall. When he was next to it, it dropped automatically. ¡°That''s neat.¡± ¡°Forget that!¡± Croggart exclaimed. ¡°We''re getting out!¡± Ren laughed as Croggart didn''t wait for the ramp to finish dropping and climbed up it and ran for the cell''s door, then hollered for the guard. Ren walked up the ramp at a leisurely pace and by the time he got to the cage door, the guard was there. ¡°What the hell?¡± He asked, then Ren held up the release papers. The guard grinned. ¡°We just can''t seem to hold you here!¡± He opened the door and Ren led Croggart out of the Brig and through the path to the main gate of the Garrison. ¡°How do you know where to go to get out?¡± Croggart asked and looked around. ¡°All these things look the same!¡± ¡°I spent a week here.¡± Ren said. ¡°A couple days of that in the Brig.¡± Croggart laughed. ¡°No wonder my brother likes you.¡± ¡°Not enough to quit the army, though.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I asked him to come with me when I got my Honorable Discharge.¡± Croggart shook his head. ¡°Well, he wanted an adventure.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°He doesn''t know what he''s been missing.¡± Croggart clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°I''ll tell him.¡± They passed out through the front gate and Ren told him he had to stop and send a message. Ren typed up an apology, telling Elerlyth where he had been. She messaged back and said that she had to log out in just under 2 hours and to not bother trying. He responded that he would try anyways, and she should wait for as long as she could. She thanked him and Ren closed the message system. ¡°What was it?¡± ¡°A friend needs my help, and I have to get to her.¡± ¡°How long?¡± ¡°2 hours.¡± ¡°What are we waiting for? Let''s run!¡± Croggart said and Ren grinned as they took off running. It took about half an hour to get all the way back to House Neram and Ren went into the house, ignoring the surprised look on Golir the guard''s face. ¡°Nathalia!¡± Ren hollered and she came out of his bedroom. ¡°Ren!¡± She ran to him and he kissed her deeply. ¡°I can''t stay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Elerlyth messaged and I have to get to her as soon as possible.¡± Narhilda came out of her bedroom and smiled. ¡°Ren.¡± He went to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I''ll be back soon.¡± She nodded slightly and Ren kissed Nathalia again. ¡°Who''s this?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°Groggot''s older brother. I''ll explain later. Bye!¡± Ren said and left the house and went to the stable. ¡°Princess! I need your help!¡± She hopped up and stepped out of her crate. Ren stored it and smiled. ¡°Ruck! You, too!¡± Ruck opened his cabinet and crawled out and onto Ren''s back. ¡°By the gods! What''s that?!?¡± Croggart exclaimed. ¡°No time to explain.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ruck, saddle and harness, please!¡± Ren put the saddle and harness on Princess when Ruck passed them to him, and tightened everything securely. ¡°Princess, I have a present for you.¡± Ren took out the Legendary Hooves of Speed, and Princess huffed and nodded her head quickly. Ren opened her inventory and dropped the hooves inside. ¡°Equip them, please.¡± Ren said, and Princess'' hooves changed color from black to a bright gold color. She took in a deep breath and looked at them. She bleated in delight and licked Ren''s face. ¡°Don''t thank me yet.¡± He said. ¡°I have to ride you.¡± Princess stopped mid-lick and looked at him. Ren laughed. ¡°It''s okay, I have the solution for that.¡± He said and took out the potion of Giant Strength. ¡°Drink this.¡± Ren said and poured it into her bowl. She drank it eagerly and was encompassed in a blue glow for a few moments. She stood up to her full height and nodded to Ren. He stored the bowl and climbed up into the saddle easily. Princess didn''t sag at all from the weight. ¡°There''s a tent beside the House if you want to stay for the night, or I can give you a house to live in, if you want to move here.¡± Ren said to Croggart''s shocked face, then Nathalia came outside and Ren turned to her. ¡°I''ll be back sometime tomorrow, My Love.¡± ¡°I''ll be here.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I''ll fix the front gate when I get back.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Fix the what?¡± ¡°Princess! Go!¡± Ren said and Princess took off running. There was a blur and a loud bang, followed by a wood crunching sound. The remains of the gate flew into the air as it shattered, and the splinters scattered across the road like it had exploded. Ren didn''t see Golir jump aside at the crash; because he was too busy holding on to the reins. ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Ren laughed as Princess covered the several miles to the city in about 30 seconds. He was glad there wasn''t anything traveling on the roads, as he didn''t think Princess would even bother trying to go around anything she met. Teepo was stunned completely speechless at the unrelenting speed that he was traveling at. It took about 20 minutes for them to arrive at the warehouse by the mountain. Ren pulled Princess to a stop before she overshot the spot. ¡°Easy girl.¡± Ren said as she breathed really hard. ¡°The potion must have worn off.¡± He slid off the saddle and Princess nearly collapsed in relief. ¡°You did great!¡± Ren said, and kissed her muzzle. Princess froze solid and stared at Ren. ¡°Thank you!¡± He said, not noticing her reaction as he removed the saddle and harness for Ruck to store. He led Princess inside the warehouse and took out her crate. She settled down onto the cushion and Ren took out her bowl and filled it with food. He opened the small cabinet mounted on the side and Ruck climbed into it. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± Ren said and ran up the stairs. He took the nails out of the cabinet door and asked Teepo to get back in the ring. Teepo stayed quiet as he dissolved, and Ren waited for a moment, then stepped through the portal. He opened the cabinet on the other side and concentrated on his Fear Aura. * ¡°Ohhh...¡± Elerlyth let the moan slip before she could stop herself. He''s here. She put a hand on her abdomen. He''s really here! * Ren heard a woman''s voice, and went into the bedroom. He saw that Elerlyth''s skin was a light ashen color, and he let his concern for her flow out. She drank it in eagerly, and smiled. ¡°I don''t know how you did it...¡± ¡°I told you I''d come as fast as I could.¡± Ren said and grinned. Elerlyth felt his amusement at making a pun, and she grinned, too. ¡°We''ve only got an hour and 15 minutes left.¡± ¡°Plenty of time to screw your brains out.¡± He waggled his eyebrows up and down. Elerlyth laughed and stored her armor and bodysuit into inventory. Ren stored his clothing, but kept the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak on, so she could keep feeding on the Fear. He went to the bed and stood beside it, already ready for the encounter. ¡°It hit you harder this time, didn''t it?¡± Ren asked, then ran his hands along her thighs and pulled her over to the edge of the bed. He let his admiration of her, and then sorrow for how she looked, flow into her. ¡°It did.¡± Elerlyth said and nodded. ¡°I went three whole days and nights with nothing at all, and then it felt like a black hole was sucking me in.¡± She sighed. ¡°I was tempted to log out just so I wouldn''t feel it.¡± Ren shook his head as he slipped himself inside of her. ¡°You''d get it a lot worse when you logged back in.¡± He said, and Elerlyth caught her breath as he started to move. ¡°When I fell that first time into that nearly bottomless pit and logged back in, it was almost too much to handle.¡± Ren thought a little about how he felt at that time, and she stopped breathing. ¡°Good god, Ren! That''s how you felt?¡± Elerlyth asked, then she started breathing again. ¡°Some of it.¡± He smiled and kept moving. ¡°And I thought I felt bad with this ability... oh, a little to the... yeah, right there...¡± Elerlyth licked her lips. ¡°I... I still have no idea why you taste so good.¡± She said, then put her hands on his shoulders and pulled herself up to look him in the eyes. ¡°Thank you for getting to me so fast.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think you like how I taste so much because I''m both able, and willing to feed you. Plus, I don''t suffer the same consequences as the others who''ve tried.¡± Elerlyth nodded, and Ren went faster and her eyes widened. ¡°I had to use a set of magic hooves and a Potion of Giant Strength to get here.¡± Ren explained. ¡°20 minutes to get here, and the trip back will take about 5 hours.¡± ¡°You used a what and a what?¡± Elerlyth asked surprised, then closed her eyes as Ren hit his stride. Ren chuckled. ¡°The hooves were for my mount, and I gave her the Potion of Giant Strength so she could hold my weight for such a long time.¡± Elerlyth''s breath went faster and faster, and so did Ren. She fed on his enjoyment that she was getting so much enjoyment from him, his worry that he almost missed this visit, and happiness that he''d made it in time. ¡°Close... so.... Ohhhhh!¡± Elerlyth wrapped her legs and arms around Ren, and they finished together. She let her own feelings go this time, and Ren saw them pass over her face as they stared at each other. She admired him for doing this for her, appreciation for how he''d worked so hard for her, and then gratitude for doing the impossible to get to her in so short a time. Ren let her feel how he liked that he didn''t have to be gentle, didn''t have to hold back, and didn''t have to be careful if he didn''t want to be. He then reciprocated the same emotions she had back to her; admiration, appreciation, and gratitude. Elerlyth drank it all down. She spent a few minutes drinking in the afterglow they shared as well, then she let him go and lay back on the bed. ¡°You''re... you''re... indescribable!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You know that, right?¡± ¡°Indescribable is a description.¡± Ren chuckled as she snorted a laugh, and Elerlyth smacked his arm a few times. ¡°Can I assume you''re feeling better?¡± ¡°A lot better!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You do good work.¡± ¡°That?¡± Ren said. ¡°That was foreplay.¡± He grinned. ¡°I''ve got you for almost another hour yet!¡± ¡°You cheeky little shit!¡± Elerlyth said and grinned herself as Ren dove for her chest. Ren fed her his strong emotions for another hour, and then they both had to log out. ¡°I''ll see you tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°That is, real life tonight. Or 2 days game-time.¡± ¡°You better be back here!¡± She chuckled. ¡°This time was only a light snack.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I barely got started, and now it''s over.¡± She grinned as she shook her head. ¡°I don''t know who''s getting more out of this. Me or you!¡± ¡°Neither.¡± Ren said and glanced down at himself. ¡°Little Ren''s got it the best.¡± Elerlyth laughed and leaned over to give Little Ren a kiss, then leaned back and gave Ren a kiss. ¡°Until the next time.¡± ¡°Bye, Elerlyth.¡± Ren said. ¡°Logout.¡± They said together. ******** Ren took off the VR headset and Bonnie helped him put it on the rollaway table. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± ¡°Good morning, Bonnie!¡± Ren said, a little excitedly. ¡°It''s nice to see you. How have you been?¡± Bonnie stared at him with her eyes slightly widened, and Ren smiled. ¡°Sorry, I''m a little worked up.¡± He said. Bonnie smiled crookedly. ¡°I saw.¡± She said and motioned to the now blank television screen. ¡°20 minutes of blue screen here is 80 minutes of ''activity'' in there.¡± Ren blushed a little and Bonnie chuckled. ¡°Stella explained it all to me the other day.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°I''m not going to say anything about it, okay?¡± ¡°Thanks, Bonnie.¡± Ren said in relief, then changed the subject. ¡°What''s for breakfast?¡± ¡°Homemade porridge with raisins, and freshly squeezed orange juice.¡± ¡°That sounds great!¡± Ren said. ¡°I like raisins.¡± Bonnie looked at him quizzically. He usually complains when I make something extra like that. She thought. ¡°I''ll just go and get it ready.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and changed the channel on the television. When Bonnie left the room, he went into the bathroom and cleaned himself up after his blue screen activity. * Gloria was out of the recliner and getting breakfast herself. She was a little sick of ToasterTarts, but she had bought a ton of them when the bulk store had a huge sale. They also had icing the same color as her hair, bubblegum pink. It even had blue sparkles like her blue streaks. That sure was great of him to get to me so quickly! Gloria thought, then remembered what he''d said he did to get to her. She frowned and went to her computer. She brought up the forum and info pages, and started looking for magic hooves. There were several different sets, but only one was for speed. Her eyes widened. ¡°It''s a Legendary Item!¡± Gloria looked at the value and dropped her ToasterTart. ¡°He... he...¡± She shook her head and looked up the Giant Strength potion. It was also a very rare item, and she looked at the value. ¡°How could he... he wasted...¡± Gloria took a deep breath. ¡°Good god!¡± She slumped back in her chair. ¡°He... he used them for me!¡± She blinked her eyes really fast to stop the tears before they started. * Ren enjoyed a great breakfast and thanked Bonnie for it. He went to physical therapy, sweat a lot, then took a shower afterwards. After getting changed and climbing back into bed, Ren had a strange thought. He pulled the laptop closer and sent a quick message. * Gloria had calmed down and taken a shower. She got out of the bathroom just as her cell phone beeped, because it received a text message. She dried her hair with a towel and checked the phone. ¡°What kind of fool would text me so early in the morning?¡± Gloria asked, then read the message.
Samantha! I hope you have a great day crunching numbers and scraping knuckles. - Ren
Gloria shook her head and smiled. ¡°A stupidly sweet fool, apparently.¡± * Ren put on the VR headset with a little help from Bonnie, and he relaxed in the bed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Chapter 135 - A Farmer Visits Ren woke up in the comfy bed and looked over at Elerlyth''s phantom form. ¡°Okay, I''ve got 2 days to get back here. If I allow for the 5 hours travel time each way, and almost 2 hours I''ll be logged out for lunch, that''s 12 hours out of 48.¡± He got out of bed and equipped his clothing. ¡°I''ll have 36 hours to work on things I have to do, assuming I don''t sleep for some of that.¡± He walked into the living room and into the cabinet. He nailed it shut and stepped through the portal. He nailed that cabinet shut and ran downstairs. Summon Teepo! Ren thought and Teepo appeared at his feet. ¡°How are you feeling, buddy?¡± He asked his friend. ¡°I... I...¡± Teepo stammered. ¡°I''m fine, now.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I think you enjoyed going that fast a little too much, huh?¡± ¡°I didn''t know anything could go that fast!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°Hi, Princess. Feeling better?¡± Ren asked. She huffed and nodded. He put some food in her bowl and she gobbled it up. He gave her some more and Ren ate some himself. He knocked on Ruck''s little cabinet that was attached to Princess'' crate. ¡°I''m heading out.¡± Ren said, and Ruck came out and climbed onto his back. Ren closed the cabinet and Princess got out of the crate. Ren stored it and put the saddle and harness on her, but didn''t tighten them. He led her outside and locked the door of the warehouse. They went to the road, and once on the flat surface, he could see that Princess was raring to go. Her breath was pumping through her nose faster than normal, and she was pawing her hooves. ¡°Okay, but only 2 miles!¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You can go 2 that way...¡± He said and pointed towards the city. ¡°...then 2 this way.¡± He said and pointed towards the convent. ¡°I''ll be running myself, so you''ll have lots of time to run.¡± Princess huffed and nodded several times. ¡°Teepo? I assume you want a ringside seat.¡± ¡°I sure do!¡± Teepo said and hopped out of the hood and onto the saddle. ¡°Be careful.¡± Ren said to Princess and scratched her chin. ¡°There might be carts traveling from the convent.¡± Princess nodded again and Ren tied the reins to the saddle. ¡°Oka-¡± She took off like a shot and Ren laughed as Teepo yelled. ¡°WHHHEEEEE!!!¡± Ren had guessed right that she wouldn''t be anywhere near as fast without the giant strength, but it was still a significant velocity. Ren started to run himself and Princess passed him several times over the next few minutes. He waved her down on the sixth pass and she slowed down to trot beside him. ¡°Time for a break.¡± Ren said, and fed her some food as he ran. She ate it eagerly as her Stamina bar refilled. ¡°You don''t have to run full out every time.¡± He tried to explain, but Princess huffed and he gave up. ¡°Okay, but I won''t wait for you if you get too tired to keep going.¡± Princess nodded and took off again, and they repeated this process over and over again until Ren was about an hour outside the city. He took out his land deeds and the attached maps to see if he was still on the land he owned. He went to the side of the road and dug out a good sized lot, laid down paving stones, and built an 8 foot high, 10 foot by 10 foot single storey building/room with Ruck''s help. It didn''t take long, and Ren got the popup for a new dwelling that fulfilled his Land Owner duties. He didn''t know who to assign as the occupant, so he left it blank for now. He took out some stones and enchanted them with Warding runes for a chance of concealment, then continued to run back to Dornrach''s city limits. Even though it was light out, Ren had to take Princess'' reins and hold onto her so she wouldn''t run anyone over. They made it back to House Neram in just over 5 hours. ¡°Hi, Wohrum.¡± Ren said as he passed through the gaping hole that used to be the gate. The guard nodded slightly, and Ren led Princess to the stable as Teepo jumped onto his arm and crawled up it and into the hood. There was still about 5 hours left before nighttime, so Ren took out Princess'' crate and put it back where it used to be. He took off her saddle and harness and handed them to Ruck, who stored them and climbed off Ren''s back to open the big cabinet by the wall. ¡°Thanks, both of you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You did great.¡± Ruck waved, and Princess huffed. Ren turned to her and straightened the fur that was ruffled from her running so fast. ¡°You can''t go running without me around.¡± He said and she looked at him. ¡°Now that you''ve got a taste for it, I know you really want to.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll make you a nice track out back. With obstacles and everything.¡± Princess bleated her dismay, and Ren grinned. ¡°Yes, you can go through them if you want.¡± He pat her neck and she huffed. Ren took out her bowl and gave her more food, then left the stable and went to where Wohrum stood. ¡°Sorry you had to stand guard.¡± Wohrum shrugged. ¡°Without the gate to lock, someone has to be on watch constantly.¡± ¡°I should have told Nathalia to raise the drawbridge.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You mean it works?¡± Wohrum asked, surprised. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I fixed it a couple of days ago when I was up early.¡± He said. ¡°I''m glad you''re here now, though.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± ¡°Now I can repair the gate and not worry about anyone coming by while I''m smelting in the workshop.¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Wohrun said and stood at attention. Ren frowned and looked at the side of the road. Even with the 8 foot moat, there''s still about 5 feet of space. He thought, and smiled. ¡°Would you like to have somewhere to sit instead of standing here all the time?¡± ¡°I don''t know, sir.¡± Wohrum said. ¡°Standing at attention is the best way to beat the tedium.¡± ¡°I do remember the guard at the Brig mentioning that a comfortable soldier is a lazy soldier.¡± ¡°Exactly, sir.¡± Wohrum said. ¡°If I''m comfortable, I''ll fall asleep faster than your mount nearly ran over Golir.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Is he okay? I didn''t think he was standing close enough to the gate to be hurt.¡± ¡°He''s fine.¡± Wohrum said. ¡°He jumped out of the way, and landed in the ditch.¡± ¡°I honestly didn''t see him.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tell him I''m sorry, if you see him before I do.¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Ren looked around. ¡°Who cleaned up the pieces?¡± ¡°Lady Neram''s daughter, sir.¡± I''ll have to thank her properly. Ren thought, went into the house, and stopped just inside the front door. ¡°Nathalia? Narhilda?¡± ¡°REN!¡± He heard from two similar voices. Nathalia and her mother came out of the kitchen, and Ren stepped into the main room to meet them. He took them both into a hug at the same time, and they hugged him back. ¡°How did it go?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I made it in time.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was close, though. She was pretty bad.¡± ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°I have to meet her again tomorrow night to feed her properly.¡± Ren said and let the two women go. ¡°I was only there an hour before we had to deal with Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°Was that enough until tomorrow night?¡± Nathalia asked, concerned. ¡°She''ll be gone until then, so it should be fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll leave a little early myself so I can be there on time.¡± ¡°You''re so good to do all of this for her.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°All this trouble...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve had trouble before. This isn''t it.¡± ¡°Supper will be ready in a couple of hours.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and kissed her on the cheek, then turned to Nathalia. ¡°Thank you for cleaning up what was left of the gate.¡± ¡°I can''t believe you did that!¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°I tried to tell Ma about it; but she didn''t believe me until I showed her where the sound had come from.¡± ¡°You really rammed the gate with a ram!¡± Narhilda said and shook her head. ¡°I was going to replace it anyways.¡± Ren laughed and took Nathalia''s hand. ¡°I''m going to the workshop to make the new one.¡± Narhilda nodded and turned around to go back into the kitchen. ¡°See you when you''re done.¡± Ren pulled Nathalia close, and stared at her. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± She said and they kissed passionately. After several minutes, Nathalia broke the kiss and smiled. ¡°You''ll never get the gate built if you keep this going.¡± Ren smiled, too. ¡°I thought it was more important to kiss you first.¡± ¡°You''ve done that.¡± Nathalia said and laughed. ¡°Get going!¡± ¡°Yes, My Lady.¡± Ren said, kissed her again, and left the house. He walked by Wohrum and spoke. ¡°I''ll be back in about an hour with the new gate.¡± ¡°I''ll be here, sir.¡± Wohrum said. Ren ran up to the workshop and stopped just outside. He looked at the piles of wood, brick and paving stones he had, and frowned. Teepo, those piles look like they are the same size, and it''s been 2 days. Teepo looked at them. ¡°Yes, there''s nothing new since you took some of them.¡± I''ll have to make the rounds and see what''s up. Ren thought. I''m pretty sure I know what it is, though. Ren looked around, and noticed that there was only 6 people shoveling silt. He went inside the workshop and saw no one was there. He sighed and started the forge, then tossed in some ore. While he smelted metal until it was nearly to the top, he stacked up all the bags of cement powder into 5 bag square piles, 5 feet high. He was running out of room for them, but that was okay; several hundred bags would be used later that night. Ren stirred the molten metal quickly, and decided that he''d need a huge mold to make the gate door. He laid out enough stone bricks to make a huge square area; and because he wanted the gate door thick, he topped off the smelter and skimmed off some of the impurities.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Ren took out the several bolts of special fabric he''d bought and opened the bodysuit pattern. He removed the top part of the arms, the top part of the thighs, and the top of the chest to leave a center piece. He replaced the normal fabric with the see-through fabric, added frills along the edges of the arm and leg pieces. He added lace across the chest area and the hips, to cover over everything. Once that was done, he cut the various fabric types into pieces that he needed, and put them together to be sewed. He dyed everything red and assembled everything. He stored his creation and saved the pattern, then checked the smelter. It needed only a little more time, so he decided to check his status. ¡°Show Status.¡± Ren said and looked at the popup.
Status
Name Ren Level 6
Gender Male Class Artificer/Noble
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 6750 (Renown)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 101,570 (Prince) Honor 7020 (Honorable)
Titles
Blacksmith - Grants 5 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills Tailor - Grants 5 level bonus to Tailoring Skills Sally''s Student - 20% stat gain at her shop Issac''s Novice - 20% stat gain at his shop Lemming - 5% resistance to falls Son of the Pelt - 20% stat gain using craft station Honorary Dwarf - Grants Dwarf Race abilities A Fool And His Money - Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks Ren, The First - Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras Crazy Like A Fox - Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20 Atlas - Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20 Prince Charming - Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Health 806 Mana 864
Strength 138 Dexterity 73
Vitality 75 Agility 71
Endurance 80 Intelligence 96
Luck 24 Wisdom 96
¡°Not bad. Not bad at all.¡± Ren said, then closed the popup. He checked his XP and saw that he was close to reaching Level 7. ¡°I wonder if I''ll get anything?¡± He asked himself. ¡°It kinda sucks there''s no help file or info for my special one-of-a-kind class; but, I''m not going to complain. I love it!¡± The metal looked like it was mixed enough to be used, so Ren poured the entire thing out into the mold on the floor. He didn''t have a forge big enough to smelt it again, so he settled for just casting and hammering it once, relying heavily on the system to do the detail work, like the reinforced hinges and border. He finished it, dyed it red, and put more ore into the forge to smelt. It was filled again, and left to simmer. Ren ran down to where the gate used to be, removed the old hinges and used repair on the metal casing, then hung the new gate. Wohrum stared at the metal, and when the gate was shut, he knocked on it. The gate gave a nice even ring when struck. ¡°Perfect.¡± Ren said as he opened it, and grinned. ¡°Sir? What kind of metal is that?¡± ¡°It''s the same metal as your armor.¡± Ren said and turned to Wohrum. ¡°I don''t have any armor, sir.¡± ¡°Yes, you do.¡± Ren said and took out one of the 6 sets of armor that he had in inventory. Wohrum stopped breathing for a moment, as Ren presented him with a set of red gleaming steel armor. ¡°S-s-sir!¡± Wohrum said, saluted, and equipped the various pieces. ¡°Only the jewel in the chest plate has Protection on it right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you say... jewel?¡± Wohrum asked, then stared at the diamond oval sticking out of the chest plate. ¡°Is that a DIAMOND?!?¡± ¡°Shhh!¡± Ren said, and waved him to be quiet. ¡°People don''t need to know that.¡± ¡°Sorry, sir. It''s just...¡± ¡°It''s expensive, I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°So are the ones on the other 5 sets of armor.¡± ¡°The other 5 sets of armor?¡± ¡°One is for Golir, and I made 4 more, in case you found someone else to be guards.¡± ¡°I did, sir.¡± Wohrum said. ¡°2 of the people I talked to the other day showed up yesterday, and took the oath.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said. ¡°Are they staying in the barracks?¡± ¡°Barracks?¡± ¡°Oh, right. I didn''t finish it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Never mind. I built new barracks behind the Main House, but there''s no windows in it, yet.¡± ¡°I saw the building there, but I didn''t know what it was.¡± ¡°It''s supposed to be somewhere for you to work out of.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll have it properly equipped with weapons and workout materials when I get the chance.¡± ¡°That sounds great, sir.¡± Ren looked down at Wohrum''s belt and saw he only had a short sword. ¡°Do you want another short sword, or a longsword?¡± ¡°A longsword would be great, sir.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and went into the stable and had Ruck pass him one of the 2 longswords. He took out some bat leather and sewed up a sheath and strap for it, both for a belt and across the back. Ren went back to the gate and gave it to Wohrum. ¡°There you go.¡± Wohrum stared at Ren for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°I better get inside. There''s only a few hours left before night.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight, sir.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren stepped into the courtyard. ¡°You can head home, too. I''m pulling up the drawbridge.¡± ¡°Of course, sir. Thank you.¡± Wohrum said, and started to walk down the road. Ren pulled up the drawbridge, secured it, then shut the gate with a clang. Is that a nice sound or what? ¡°Yeah, good and solid.¡± Teepo said. ¡°With the reinforced walls and the new gate, this place is pretty secure.¡± It''s going to be a lot more secure before I''m done. Ren thought and entered the house. He sat at the table and enjoyed another meal, and told them about building another building on his land and completing his land owner obligations. They finished the meal and Ren heard something banging on the drawbridge. ¡°I''ll get it.¡± He said and went out to the gate, then tossed Teepo into the air. ¡°Its a dwarf I''ve never seen before.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m dropping the drawbridge!¡± Ren said. ¡°Step away, please.¡± Ren waited for a moment and tossed Teepo again. ¡°He''s on the road.¡± Teepo said and Ren caught him. Thanks. Ren let the drawbridge down and then opened the gate, before it could be banged on. ¡°I see I''ve got new overlords.¡± The dwarf said, angrily. ¡°I went down to the Main Keep, stood in line for an hour, and when I finally got to the Taxes department, they told me I wasted my time.¡± Ren thought about who in the world it could be, and then he remembered the names Nathalia had said. ¡°Nonyar?¡± He asked. ¡°Did I say that right?¡± ¡°So, you do know the names of your chattel!¡± Ren scowled at him, concentrated on his Command Aura, and unconsciously made a Connection to his Screaming Terror ring. ¡°My WHAT?!?¡± The farmer backed away, and Ren clenched his fists. ¡°Did you just accuse me of KEEPING SLAVES?!?¡± ¡°What''s all this yelling about?¡± Nathalia asked as she came out of the house and hit the edge of Ren''s Aura. ¡°By the gods, Ren! What are you doing?¡± Ren took several deep breaths and calmed down. ¡°This... man...¡± He said and shook his head. ¡°I don''t want to say it again.¡± He pointed at the dwarf. ¡°You can tell her what you said.¡± The farmer shook his head. ¡°I won''t speak like that to a woman.¡± Ren barked a laugh. ¡°You have some Honor left, then.¡± The farmer frowned. ¡°Are you questioning...¡± ¡°QUIET!¡± Nathalia shouted, and both men looked at her. ¡°Nonyar, what did you say?¡± Nonyar sighed. ¡°I called him an overlord, and my family his...¡± ¡°His what?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°...his chattel.¡± Nathalia gasped and put a hand over her heart. ¡°Nonyar! How could you!¡± The farmer dropped his head. ¡°Ren''s the best thing that''s ever happened to us!¡± She said, shocked. ¡°To accuse him of slavery...¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Nonyar said. ¡°Don''t apologize to me.¡± Nathalia frowned. ¡°Apologize to my husband!¡± Ren''s Connection ended and the farmer relaxed. ¡°I''m sorry, your highness.¡± Nonyar said, and looked at Ren, who nodded slightly. ¡°What''s this all about?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Taxes.¡± Ren said. ¡°He found out that we own his land when he went to pay the taxes today.¡± ¡°Today?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°They aren''t due until next month.¡± ¡°This is last years.¡± The farmer said. ¡°It needs to be paid before the next bill is due.¡± He held a hand out with 6 gold coins in it. ¡°Your farm is only 3 square miles?¡± Ren asked, surprised. It looked bigger than that on the map. Ren thought as the farmer nodded slightly. ¡°There''s only enough of us to work one, though.¡± ¡°Why keep it then?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why are you paying for 3 square miles if you''re only working one?¡± ¡°It''s prime farm land. I worked for a year and a half in the mines for it. I''m not giving it up!¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can keep your money. I already paid the taxes for 5 years, anyways.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± ¡°I paid the taxes.¡± Ren looked at Nathalia. ¡°People really don''t pay anything beforehand?¡± ¡°No.¡± She said. ¡°We were behind a few years, too.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me?¡± ¡°You settled all of our debts, remember?¡± ¡°Oh. Right.¡± Ren said and looked back at the farmer. ¡°Did you have to take out a loan for that?¡± He said, and motioned to the gold the farmer still held in his hand. Nonyar shook his head. ¡°We''ve been scrimping and saving for months.¡± ¡°Who do you sell food to?¡± ¡°The mines and the Garrison, mostly.¡± The farmer said. ¡°Nearly all the farms do. They both need a lot of food.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°There must be lots of farms on the other side of the mines.¡± ¡°There are.¡± The farmer said. ¡°One farm even has a big plow that''s pulled by 6 ponies, and can do a whole square mile in a day.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°I''ll have to think about this for a while.¡± He said. ¡°I''m sure I''ll come up with something.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Nonyar asked. ¡°Your farming problem.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I think of anything, I''ll let you know.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Have a good night.¡± Ren said and shut the gate with a solid clang, then pat the metal. ¡°That is definitely a great sound.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You just shut the gate in his face.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Once I took away his reason for being here, he didn''t know how to end the conversation.¡± Nathalia looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You saw how he held the gold coins in his hand. He was going to throw them at me.¡± She opened her mouth to say something, then she closed it. ¡°You''re right. I think he was.¡± Ren gasped and put a hand on his chest. ¡°I was right! You can''t take it back!¡± He said and grinned. ¡°You said I was right!¡± ¡°Don''t get used to that feeling.¡± Nathalia said and laughed. ¡°I''ve still got some metal in the smelter I need to pour. I''ll be inside in a little while.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°See you soon.¡± Nathalia said and went into the house. Ren tossed Teepo up into the air. ¡°All clear. The farmer''s gone.¡± Ren caught him, went out through the gate, and shut it behind him. He ran to the workshop and for about an hour, Ren poured floor molds for swords and shields. He didn''t have the time to forge them again, so he just left them piled beside the forge and turned it off. Ren went back down to the house, pulled up the drawbridge, and closed the gate to lock it. He went into the house and stopped just inside the door. The place was silent. I spent too much time working. Ren thought. If I go into the bedroom now, I''d have to wake Nathalia up just to tell her I have Adventurer''s business to take care of. He stepped into the main room and stood in the corner. Here''s as good a place as any. ¡°.¡± Ren whispered. ******** Ren took off his VR headset and Bonnie put it aside. ¡°I bet you''re hungry again.¡± She said. Ren smiled. ¡°I could eat.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Bonnie said and went to go get Ren''s lunch. * Gloria sat in the classroom and waited for the bell to ring. Only a few more minutes! She despised this course so much that it hurt to think about it. The professor berated her constantly, gave her poor grades for no reason, and picked her to answer questions when he knew she hated it. I only need this one course credit, and I can move on to the next stage. She thought and sighed. It''s too bad this asshat isn''t more like Ren. He''d be able to deal with me properly! Gloria''s eyes widened at that last thought; because she now remembered how Ren had dealt with her earlier that morning, and she blushed slightly. * Ren enjoyed lunch and thanked Bonnie for her hard work. She smiled and helped him put on the VR headset. ¡°Have fun.¡± Bonnie said. Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m too tired to have fun.¡± He said and yawned. ¡°See you at supper.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren crept down the hallway and into the old bedroom he normally slept in. There were two lumps under the blanket on the bed, however; and his eyes widened. Ren slipped the blanket down and saw that Nathalia, and her mother Narhilda, were sound asleep. He thought it was odd that they were in the same bed, but also on opposite sides and facing each other. Ren walked around the bed to Nathalia''s side. ¡°Nathalia.¡± Ren whispered, and she opened one eye to look at him. ¡°Move over.¡± ¡°Thismyside.¡± Nathalia whispered back half-asleep. ¡°Climb over.¡± Ren sighed and stored his clothing, then equipped his armor''s bodysuit because it wouldn''t catch on anything. He slid in under the blanket, over Nathalia''s shoulder, and settled down in the middle of the bed. It wasn''t really a comfortable position, laying on his back with his arms crossed in front. He tried his best to not touch anything; but, then Nathalia tugged on his arm. Ren looked at her, and she had both eyes open and a look of longing on her face. He smiled, lifted an arm to put around her shoulders, and she snuggled in to his chest. That''s a little bette- Ren''s thought was interrupted when there was a tug on his other arm, and he turned to look at Narhilda. She had a similar look of longing on her face, and Ren''s eyes widened for a moment; then he smiled at her, lifted his other arm to put around her shoulders, and she snuggled in to his chest, too. I guess when I was taken away like that, it was a bit hard for them to deal with. ¡°I know I''d be devastated if you were taken away from me.¡± Teepo said as he skittered up the wall and onto the ceiling. I feel the same way about you, Teepo. Ren thought. No matter how many new friends I make, you''ll always be my best friend. ¡°Thanks, Ren.¡± Goodnight, Teepo. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. Chapter 136 - It Still Floats Ren slept the rest of the night, despite his desire to do more work. He opened his eyes and remembered where he was; in bed and being snuggled on both sides by a beautiful woman. He felt Narhilda move slightly and he looked at her. She lifted her head and looked back at him. ¡°I''m glad you coming home yesterday wasn''t just a dream.¡± Narhilda said and smiled. ¡°I thought that for a while, too.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''m so glad you''re really here.¡± Ren chuckled and it shook both women slightly. ¡°I''d have dug my way out of there to get back here.¡± He said. ¡°Especially if I''d known you''d be in here waiting for me.¡± Nathalia, and her mother Narhilda, laughed. ¡°Don''t expect this to happen again.¡± Narhilda said and blushed a little. ¡°I just... when you were taken like that...¡± She sighed. ¡°I spent the last 2 nights in here because Nathalia missed having someone else in the bed.¡± Narhilda smiled. ¡°Of course, I missed you almost as much... and with all the things you''ve been doing, I...¡± She shook her head. ¡°How can you do so much?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°I''m barely keeping track of everything!¡± Ren squeezed her shoulders. ¡°I''m sorry about dumping all of this on you, Narhilda.¡± He apologized. ¡°I want you to hire someone to help take care of it.¡± Then he thought about it. ¡°Okay, maybe two someones.¡± Narhilda chuckled. ¡°You''re finally realizing how much you''ve got going.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°The revenue from the Hole should help some.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°While I was there, I arranged a better way for the fighting to happen.¡± Ren explained. ¡°I''ll tell you all about it over breakfast.¡± ¡°Can''t... can''t we just lay here a while longer?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°We were asleep for most of it, and didn''t... that is... you''re really here...¡± ¡°I think I can spare another half an hour.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°If you''re lucky.¡± She got a surprised look on her face, and Ren laughed. ¡°I''m kidding.¡± He said and kissed her. ¡°I''ll stay here for as long as you want.¡± She sighed and put her head back on his chest. Narhilda tried to pull away to sit up. ¡°I''ll leave, so you...¡± Ren held onto her shoulder, and her eyes widened. ¡°We''re just cuddling, Narhilda.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t mind providing comfort to you as well, as long as you know it can''t go any further than that.¡± Narhilda smiled and nodded slightly, then lay back down to cuddle his chest. ¡°I''ve forgotten how nice it was to have a man to cuddle.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°I haven''t forgotten it; but I sure missed it when I couldn''t do it.¡± Ren hugged them both tightly, and they sighed. Teepo? Make sure we''re awake in an hour. ¡°You got it.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, buddy. Ren thought, and just lay there, being cuddled. ******** ¡°He''s becoming quite the Casanova.¡± Bonnie said, then shook her head. ¡°I wonder what Lucy would think about all of this.¡± * During her lunch break, Elise finally got the chance to review some of the thousands of hours of game footage Ren had made available to her. She watched in horror at his first encounter with wolves while gathering herbs, then smiled at his ingenuity with crafting clothes and potions. Her mouth dropped open as she watched The Smith Trials, and his determination to complete them. I... I knew he was something special when I met him... but this... Elise thought as she continued to watch Ren''s adventures. ¡°Ahem.¡± Elise put the tablet down on her desk and looked at her boss. ¡°Yes, sir?¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Edward asked. ¡°I''ve been reviewing the footage Mr. Haddon gave us access to in the proposal.¡± Elise said. ¡°Have you seen some of it?¡± She asked. ¡°The things he went through, just after starting the game...¡± Edward smiled. ¡°I''ve seen some of it, yes.¡± ¡°The differences in his VR body and his real life one are significant, even right after logging in.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°If we can get the VR technology and the medical field integrated like he thinks...¡± ¡°Yes, it''ll be a breakthrough unlike anything anyone has ever done before.¡± Edward said. Elise nodded, then looked at the clock. ¡°I nearly forgot to eat lunch!¡± She took out a small brown bag with a couple of sandwiches in it, and started to eat. ¡°Don''t worry, sir. I''m not using company time to look at the footage.¡± She said after swallowing a bite of sandwich. ¡°Lunch was the first opportunity I''ve had today.¡± Edward chuckled. ¡°I wasn''t worried about your time management, Ms. Stanford.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°You don''t have to worry about that, either.¡± She said. ¡°You saw the report and footage from the installation.¡± Edward nodded. ¡°You handled that quite well. I was impressed at your restraint.¡± ¡°I do have some willpower, sir.¡± She said and chuckled. ¡°I went into the lion''s den and found a cute little kitten.¡± He laughed. ¡°Okay, Ms. Stanford. I''ll leave you to it.¡± Elise picked up the tablet and kept watching. This is the best show, ever! She thought, then froze. Oh, my god! Elise dropped her sandwich back into the bag it came from and she typed up the proposal. It''ll take months to edit it all, and change some of the scenes a little to fit a good narration... but... this could be the best show ever! ******** Teepo woke Ren up an hour later, and he opened his eyes. Both women were lightly sleeping and he smiled. How many men would pay a fortune to be where I am right now? ¡°3?¡± Teepo asked, and Ren chuckled, which shook Nathalia and Narhilda. They sighed and took in deep breaths. Ren let their shoulders go and rubbed their backs. They wiggled a little, fighting his gentle prompting to get up. He kept a hand on Narhilda''s back, and moved his other hand down to Nathalia''s hip. She snuggled closer, and Ren smiled. ¡°Nathalia.¡± Ren whispered, and made a pinching motion with his fingers. ¡°Don''t make me use the key again.¡± Her eyes popped open and she sat bolt upright to glare at him. ¡°Don''t you dare!¡± Ren laughed, and Narhilda sat up as well. ¡°By the gods, you''re loud.¡± Narhilda sighed and rubbed her eyes. ¡°I''ll make breakfast.¡± ¡°Let me do that, My Lady.¡± Ren said and sat up, too. ¡°Rest here, and I''ll come and get you when it''s ready.¡± ¡°You''re so sweet.¡± She said and laid back down. Ren turned to Nathalia. ¡°You can sleep a little while longer if you want.¡± She nodded, kissed him, and laid back down as well. Ren climbed out of the bed and tucked the blanket back over them. He went out to the kitchen and made french toast for everyone, including Princess. He went back into the bedroom about a half an hour later with two serving trays. ¡°What''s this?¡± Nathalia asked as she rolled over in the bed. Narhilda smelled her favorite food and sat up in the bed. ¡°It''s french toast!¡± ¡°I know what it is, Ma.¡± Nathalia said and chuckled. ¡°I meant this.¡± She waved to the two serving trays of food. ¡°I''m serving you breakfast in bed.¡± Ren said and put a tray of french toast, apple slices, and juice in front of each of them. ¡°I made a lot, just in case you were hungry.¡± While they ate, Ren told them all about his adventure in the Hole and that he was still charged with disobeying a Council edict, but was out on bail. They asked what bail was, and he explained that it was when you arranged to be released before going to court. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Keep working, of course.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°What are they going to do?¡± Ren asked and grinned. ¡°Arrest me again for the same charge?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°They can do that?¡± ¡°If they catch you at it.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Then they won''t catch me at it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll be sneaky.¡± Nathalia smiled coyly. ¡°Can I convince you to relax for a day or two?¡± Ren walked over to her and knelt by the bed. ¡°I promise I''ll take the whole day off tomorrow... and spend it with you.¡± Nathalia kissed him and grinned. ¡°I''ll hold you to that.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Narhilda said, and smiled crookedly. Ren went to her side of the bed and knelt. ¡°I promise to spend as much time as I can today... working on the Keep.¡± Narhilda snorted a laugh. ¡°You''re always so practical.¡± Ren grinned and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I need to make a run to the city to check on all my missing deliveries, so I''ll see you both later.¡± They nodded, and Ren took their food trays. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°I''m cleaning up first.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ll take care of that.¡± She said. ¡°You get going right now.¡± ¡°But..¡± ¡°I''ll ban you from my kitchen, if you don''t drop those trays.¡± Narhilda squinted her eyes at him. Ren''s eyes widened, and he put the trays back down. ¡°Yes, My Lady.¡± He took her hand, bent over it, then left the bedroom. * When he shut the door, Nathalia turned on her mother. ¡°What was that all about?¡± She asked. ¡°That was kind of mean of you.¡± Narhilda sighed. ¡°Haven''t you noticed? He''s doing everything himself.¡± ¡°Yeah, but that''s how he is.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°He shouldn''t have to do everything by himself.¡± Her mother said. ¡°He does too much as it is!¡± She raised her hands in the air in exasperation. ¡°He''s so busy making things for everyone else, he''s forgotten how to just live for himself.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Nathalia sighed and took her mother''s hand. ¡°I''ll make sure he doesn''t work on anything tomorrow.¡± * Ren had stood in the hallway to equip his Travelling Clothes and Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, and heard everything that Nathalia and her mother had said. Is that true, Teepo? Ren asked his friend, then walked down the hallway. Am I doing too much for everyone? ¡°Of course you are.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°But, that''s what makes you, you.¡± Ren walked out the front door and went to the stable to feed Princess. ¡°If you weren''t helping people, what would you be doing?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°How would you learn all the great things you''ve learned, if you didn''t help people?¡± Yeah, you''re right. Ren thought. If all I did were things for myself, I''d never learn anything new. ¡°That would be a complete shame, not to mention a waste of time.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re doing things because it''s fun... so keep doing them! You can do what you want.¡± Ren took a deep breath and smiled. You''re right, Teepo. I''m going to do what I want to do, and if I want to make things for everyone, then that''s what I''m going to do! ¡°Darn right.¡± Teepo said. Ren chuckled and pat Princess, then left the stable. He tossed Teepo in the air to check for what was outside the gate, and Teepo said Golir was standing guard. ¡°Drawbridge coming down!¡± Ren said, and untied it and let it down slowly. He opened the gate and Golir stood there with surprise on his face. ¡°There''s a new gate?¡± ¡°Yeah, I made it yesterday.¡± Ren said and shut it with a resounding clang. ¡°Doesn''t it sound nice?¡± Golir raised his eyebrows for a moment and then nodded slightly. Ren smiled and stepped over to him. ¡°I''m sorry for ramming through the old one.¡± Ren apologized. ¡°Wohrum told me last night you had to jump out of the way.¡± ¡°I didn''t have to.¡± Golir chuckled. ¡°That was just my reflexes trying to escape impending death.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I knew you weren''t close enough to be hit, but I''m sorry anyways.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± ¡°Let me make it up to you.¡± Ren said and took out another set of gleaming red full plate armor. ¡°I gave Wohrum his last night.¡± Golir equipped it and grinned. ¡°Sir, it fits perfectly.¡± ¡°What about your sword?¡± ¡°Family heirloom, sir.¡± Golir said, as he took it out of the sheath with reverence. ¡°My grandfather... he... when he died...¡± ¡°He used that sword during the Great Divide, didn''t he?¡± Golir''s eyes widened. ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡°A good friend told me all about the Dwarf Civil War.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Your grandfather would have been about your age at the time, I think.¡± ¡°Sir! He was!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°May I?¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Golir handed it over and Ren examined it. The sword was old and rusted, chipped really badly along one edge, and the pommel was worn smooth. It was still strong and sturdy, though. ¡°That''s a nice blade.¡± Ren said and handed it back. ¡°I thought about having it repaired, but Pappy told me all the stories about how he got all the nicks and chips. I don''t want to lose those memories.¡± ¡°I''m glad I didn''t offer to repair or sharpen it, then.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''d like to give it a good polish, though. If that''s okay?¡± Golir nodded slightly and handed the blade back to Ren. He polished it as hard as he could, and removed nearly all of the rust from the blade, and added a lot of Durability to it. Ren wrapped one of the straps of Spider Silk Cloth he''d sewn up when making the handles for his own weapon, and sewed it tight.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°By the gods!¡± Golir exclaimed and looked at the shiny metal. ¡°It''s magic!¡± That prompted Ren to use Enchanted Eyes and saw it glow. He used Read Rune and Decipher and saw a blue rune appear on the metal. ¡°Hold this for a moment.¡± Ren said and took out his Book of Runes, and flipped to where the new rune would have appeared. He held it out for Golir to see. ¡°What does this say?¡± ¡°That''s my grandfather''s emblem!¡± Golir said. ¡°He said it gave him the ability to pierce the hardest beast''s skin.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Did he tell you what it was called?¡± Golir nodded. ¡°It says, ''Spear''.¡± Then the blade in Golir''s hand shot out to 6 feet in length and nearly clipped Ren in the forehead as it swished through his hair. Both men had shocked looks on their faces. The blade had become a spear. ¡°By the gods! I''m sorry, sir!¡± Golir said and looked at the new weapon in his hands. ¡°How in the world?¡± About 10 seconds passed, and the spear shrank back into a short sword. Ren took it gently from Golir and pointed it away from either of them. ¡°Spear.¡± Ren said, and nothing happened. He looked at it and the rune no longer glowed. ¡°We''ll have to wait for it to recharge I guess.¡± He said and handed it back to Golir. ¡°Recharge?¡± ¡°If my guess is right, after an hour, it''ll be able to do that again.¡± Ren said and deactivated his active abilities. ¡°Amazing!¡± Golir said. ¡°I never knew my grandfather meant what he said literally. I thought it was just a battlecry or something!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, you''d be surprised what you can learn from old stories.¡± Golir nodded slightly and looked at Ren. ¡°Thank you very much for showing me this, sir.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Thank your grandfather. He must have put it to good use to come back from that battle, then raise a family.¡± ¡°That he did, sir.¡± Golir smiled. ¡°That he did.¡± ¡°I''m heading into the city for a while. See you later.¡± Ren took off running and Teepo didn''t chitter in delight. Sorry, buddy. Ren thought. There''s no way I can run like Princess. ¡°That''s okay.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I think I overdosed on speed, anyways.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± Overdosing on speed means something different where Adventurer''s come from. Ren thought, then explained it to Teepo. ¡°I don''t know whether to laugh or cry.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It was funny for the double meaning, but now that I know what you meant, I feel bad about all the Adventurers doing that.¡± Ren nodded as he slowed down in the middle part of town. He went to Barnar''s place first, and found out the reason deliveries weren''t going to House Neram. ¡°We can''t defy the Council, Ren.¡± Barnar said. ¡°You can''t, no.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I already have.¡± ¡°They told us to keep the money from your order, too.¡± Barnar said and tried to hand it back to Ren, but Ren shook his head. ¡°I wont hurt the other businesses by taking back the money I already paid.¡± ¡°We aren''t fulfilling our contract!¡± Barnar exclaimed and the nearby workers cowered a little and tried to not look at Ren. ¡°I''m sorry that the Council is hurting you like this.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m canceling my order.¡± Barnar took in a sharp breath. ¡°Ren!¡± He tried to hand back the money again and Ren shook his head. ¡°I canceled it, so you can keep the money.¡± Ren looked around. ¡°Can I pick up the House Neram crest mold?¡± Barnar huffed out a breath and pointed to the corner where the molds were made. ¡°Help yourself.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and went over to the area and stored the mold. ¡°Do you need any mortar?¡± A worker asked and then winced. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± She said and blushed in embarrassment. Ren smiled and put a hand on her arm. ¡°It''s okay. I''m hoping this will all be worked out soon, and we can all get back to working normally.¡± She smiled at him and nodded slightly. Ren waved to Barnar and the workers he could see and left to go to the lumberyard. He told them the same thing when they tried to give him a refund for the undelivered materials, since they were breaking the contract. Ren canceled the order, and they kept the money as well. The place for the windows was next and he repeated the process. Ren went to the stables and the female dwarf there wouldn''t even lift her head to look at him, when he entered her office. She also tried to give the money back, then got tears in her eyes as Ren canceled the contract, and she got to keep the money by default. ¡°You.. you can''t do that!¡± She said, nearly sobbing. ¡°You paid so much, and now you''re getting nothing in return!¡± Ren took her hand and bent over it. ¡°I believe your tears are worth more to me than the money.¡± He said. ¡°Thank you for all your hard work.¡± She actually did start sobbing then, and Ren left the office. His next stop was House Longore, and the paving stones. No sooner had he entered the lobby, when he heard a squeak of surprise and the patter of tiny feet as Angeilin ran over to him. She waved him to kneel down and he was taken into the smallest and cutest hug he''d ever gotten. ¡°I''m so sorry, your highness.¡± She said and let him out of the hug. ¡°I tried my best to sneak more stones to another address and transfer them over, but the workers wouldn''t even drop them close to your property.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ma''am.¡± ¡°Why aren''t you wearing your nice armor?¡± She asked. ¡°I''m keeping things casual today.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°You aren''t though.¡± Angeilin blushed a little. ¡°Dorcot''s taking me out for a boat ride after work.¡± ¡°You can rent boats?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Rent?¡± Angeilin chuckled, and it still sounded like glasses tinkling to Ren. ¡°He bought one.¡± ¡°Can you tell me from where?¡± Ren asked, and she told him where to go. ¡°Thank you, Angei... Ma''am.¡± Angeilin laughed. ¡°It''s okay. We''re almost family.¡± She said. ¡°We sent in the petition a few days ago to change our last names.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Angeilin... you... you didn''t have to...¡± ¡°You''ve shown me how things really are, and how unfair I''ve been to Dorcot all these years.¡± Angeilin said. ¡°We pledged to House Neram, and you took us in without question.¡± She said. ¡°We''re more than pleased to change our family name to match someone so honorable.¡± ¡°I don''t know what to say.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can say congratulations.¡± Angeilin said and laughed. ¡°Congratulations.¡± ¡°Now that that''s out of the way, I guess you''re here for a refund because we aren''t fulfilling the contract.¡± Ren shook his head and told her he was canceling the order, and they got to keep the money. Angeilin shook her head. ¡°I won''t accept that.¡± ¡°Is Lady Longore in?¡± Ren asked, and smiled at her surprised expression. ¡°Angeilin, I won''t have the Council''s decision hurt all of the businesses that I deal with, by making them lose Honor for no reason.¡± ¡°But... you...¡± Angeilin started to argue, then sighed as her resolve melted at the sincerity in Ren''s eyes. ¡°Okay.¡± She said. ¡°Fine. I''ll accept the cancellation.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and bent over her hand. ¡°Have fun tonight.¡± He stood up and left her standing there in the lobby. Ren ran to the Library and knocked, but there was no answer. He entered the building, since the door was unlocked, and crept over to the staircase, and got a popup.
Stat Change!
Sneak Level 8 (Beginner 0%)
Teepo. ¡°On it.¡± Teepo said and hopped out of the hood and went into the sleeping area. She wasn''t there, and Teepo skittered up the wall by the stairs to search the other floors. ¡°Second floor, third table.¡± Thanks. Ren deactivated Sneak and walked up the stairs, making quite a bit of noise. ¡°She heard you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s me.¡± Ren said. ¡°The shelf builder.¡± ¡°Your HIGHNESS!¡± The Librarian yelled, and Ren heard her clomping feet quickly cross the floor. He braced himself and caught her into a hug at the top of the stairs. ¡°When she told me you''d been arrested... I thought... I thought...¡± The female dwarf started to cry. ¡°...I''d never see you again!¡± Ren smiled and pat her back. ¡°If I thought I wouldn''t be back, I''d have had my wife tell you that.¡± She sobbed a few times and Ren gave her a piece of scrap cloth to wipe her face. ¡°But... you were sent to the HOLE!¡± Ren''s eyes widened, because she knew what it was. ¡°I arranged for an early release.¡± She shook her head. ¡°They never release prisoners until they either serve a sentence, or are sent somewhere else.¡± Ren smiled and gently let himself out of the hug. ¡°You could say they sent me home.¡± ¡°I''m not going to ask how you did that.¡± She said as her crying slowed down. ¡°I just changed how everything was handled.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now they even pay me for it.¡± It was the Librarian''s turn for her eyes to widen, and then she started to laugh. ¡°You... you... hahaha!¡± Ren let her laugh until she calmed down. ¡°You did the same thing here.¡± She said. ¡°You changed how everything was handled. I have access to everything now.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''m sorry I haven''t been around to help.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s okay.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°I''ve been sorting in the mornings and reading in the evenings.¡± ¡°I''m glad that you''re taking your time and enjoying yourself.¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± She said. ¡°I''ve been kind of in a slump for years, and now I''m all excited over books again!¡± ¡°When I have time, so am I.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can learn so many things.¡± ¡°I''m done sorting for today. Do you want to read something?¡± ¡°I do. In fact, a good book would have served me well in the Hole.¡± Ren said. ¡°A good friend told me all about the Great Divide instead.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Nope. I''ve got all these facts and figures floating around in my head.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°The names are the worst, though.¡± He laughed. ¡°Pronouncing them was harder than a freshly cut diamond!¡± ¡°Show me.¡± She said, seriously. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°Tell me some of it.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°Sit.¡± She commanded and pointed to a nearby chair. ¡°Where should I start?¡± Ren asked and sat down. ¡°House Greentree.¡± She sat down beside him. Ren thought back to what Teepo had told him, then nodded. ¡°Okay. There was this young girl named Annette...¡± For the next hour, Ren told the female dwarf all about House Greentree, it''s lineage and it''s role in the Dwarf Civil War. She asked him questions about it, and he answered them as best as he could. Teepo tried to give him some answers, but Ren told Teepo that he needed to do it himself. When the Librarian finished with her questions, she nodded to him, and he gained 10 Honor. ¡°Give me your Library card.¡± Ren handed it over and she took it downstairs. She came back several minutes later and handed it to him. He examined it and his eyes widened.
Library Car Holder - Ren
Rank C Books Read: 112 Earth Elemental Magic (D), Fire Elemental Magic (D), Water Elemental Magic (D), Wind Elemental Magic (D), Light Elemental Magic ?, Dark Elemental Magic?, Ice Elemental Magic?, Lightning Elemental Magic?, Arcane Elemental Magic?, The Guide to Endless Joy (Children), Fletching Mastery(B), Bruhilda and the Water Sprite (Children), The War - Civil War - Great Divide (Compendium) (A).
¡°Ma''am! What''s this?¡± Ren asked surprised. ¡°I''m sorry, I can''t give you more credit than that.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°There''s only a hundred books in the Civil War Compendium.¡± Ren''s mouth dropped open, and she laughed. ¡°Your highness, you just told me about 20 books worth of information, and I confirmed that you know the little details as well.¡± The female dwarf smiled. ¡°I assume that if I asked about House Lokmorn...¡± ¡°I could tell you they had 3 sons, 2 of which married into the Royal family.¡± Ren said automatically. ¡°By the gods...¡± ¡°You see?¡± She grinned. ¡°You know the whole thing.¡± ¡°Ma''am... I... thank you.¡± She waved his thanks away. ¡°Whoever taught you all of that really knows his stuff.¡± ¡°He sure does.¡± Ren said. Thanks, Teepo. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Teepo chittered humbly. ¡°Now, about reading another book...¡± The Librarian said. ¡°I''m sorry, but I have to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have an urgent appointment that I need to get to before dark.¡± She sighed and nodded. ¡°Try not to wait so long between visits, okay?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I kind of didn''t have much choice the last few days.¡± ¡°Okay, you get a pass for that.¡± She said. ¡°I know what the Hole is like.¡± ¡°You do?¡± She nodded slightly. ¡°I''m allowed to visit my brother once a month.¡± Ren stood up. ¡°Hopefully, it should be better there now.¡± ¡°Only if they stopped the unfair betting.¡± ¡°They did.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°It''s all fair odds now.¡± She stood up and gave him a hug. ¡°I''ll ask him about you.¡± ¡°Just ask him if the stew was good.¡± Ren said as he walked towards the stairs. ¡°He''ll know who I am.¡± Ren walked down the stairs and towards the doors, and turned to wave at her. She waved back and Ren left the building, then jogged down to the docks. He went to the building that Angeilin had said sold boats. He went inside and saw it was a huge warehouse, with a pool in the center that went out into the harbor. ¡°That''s pretty cool.¡± Ren said, and a Shipwright came over. ¡°What can I help you with?¡± ¡°How big are the boats you have for sale?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That depends. Can you sail?¡± ¡°Not a bit.¡± ¡°Then I have some nice rowboats out back.¡± He said and grinned. Ren chuckled. ¡°Sorry, I''m more interested in big boats that need a crew. I won''t be sailing it myself.¡± ¡°Are you thinking of going into the shipping business?¡± The Shipwright asked. ¡°You''d have to register and apply for permits from the Shipper''s Guild.¡± ¡°I shouldn''t have to register if it''s personal property I''m moving.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or doing it for fun.¡± ¡°Fun, eh?¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I haven''t met a lot of you before 2 days ago when I had another guy come in here and buy a big boat to go out on the water.¡± ¡°What do you have available?¡± Ren asked, and the Shipwright took him out to the dock through a small doorway and showed him one of the biggest ships Ren had ever seen. ¡°That''s even bigger than a normal-sized ship!¡± ¡°Noticed that, did you?¡± The Shipwright laughed. ¡°I was trying to compete with the Humans and Elves, but the damn thing is too heavy to move fast enough to compete.¡± He sighed. ¡°I sunk a few platinum into it trying to make it lighter; but once you put cargo on it, it bottoms out in the harbor.¡± ¡°How''s the engine?¡± Ren asked, admiring the hull. ¡°The what?¡± The Shipwright looked around, but no one was there. ¡°How do you know about that?¡± ¡°I came here on a ship, and it had an engine, too. It made great time crossing the ocean.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± He said. ¡°As long as you don''t tell anyone about it.¡± ¡°You''re only the second person I''ve talked to about it, and the other person was the captain of the ship I came here on.¡± The Shipwright nodded slightly. ¡°So... the engine?¡± ¡°Fastest on the market.¡± ¡°I''ll take it.¡± ¡°You don''t even know the price.¡± ¡°How much do you want for it?¡± ¡°30 platinum.¡± The Shipwright said, jokingly. Ren reached into his coin vault and started counting out platinum. ¡°I was only joking!¡± The Shipwright said. ¡°It''s not worth that much.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Ren said and used Appraisal on it. It was worth just under 5 platinum. ¡°How much?¡± ¡°8 Platinum.¡± ¡°I assume you''re charging for all the work that still needs to be done on it?¡± The Shipwright nodded. ¡°I''ve got to finish the cabins inside.¡± ¡°How long will that take?¡± ¡°About a month.¡± ¡°How many are done already?¡± ¡°Only 4. There''s 6 more, counting the engineer''s bunk and the cook''s.¡± ¡°I''d offer to help, but I''m too busy at the moment.¡± Ren said and handed over the 8 platinum. The Shipwright left to get the deed and Ren admired the thing. I''ll finally get to see the engine. Ren thought, and after a minute, the Shipwright was back and handed Ren the deed. He stored it and spoke. ¡°I''ll see you in a month.¡± Ren said and started to walk away. ¡°Wait!¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I''m Ren, from House Neram.¡± The Shipwright''s mouth fell open in shock and he started to stammer. ¡°No...no...not y-y-you...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Let me guess. You got an edict, too.¡± The dwarf nodded. ¡°Then everything is okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°It said to stop deliveries, not stop sales.¡± He grinned. ¡°You''re not delivering it at all. It''s staying right here.¡± The Shipwright''s face lit up. ¡°You''re right!¡± He said and grinned. ¡°See you next month!¡± Ren left the building and ran all the way back to House Neram. How''s my time, Teepo? ¡°You''ve got about 4 hours before you have to leave.¡± Perfect! Ren thought, and nodded slightly to Wohrum as he unlocked the gate to let Ren in. ¡°Leave it open, I''m leaving again.¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Wohrum said and left the gate open. Ren went inside and told Nathalia and her mother about everything that was happening, then came back outside. ¡°You can shut it now.¡± Ren said as he ran by and up the road to the workshop. He went inside and over to Dorcot''s workbench. ¡°Hi, Dorcot.¡± ¡°Hey, Ren! How are you?¡± He asked. ¡°Prison has been good to you, I guess.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°They liked me so much they kicked me out.¡± Dorcot laughed. Ren looked at the bench and saw it was covered in diamond dust. ¡°You shouldn''t leave all of that out.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''ll get all over everything.¡± Dorcot turned in his chair and Ren saw he was covered from chest to thigh in diamond dust, and Ren shook his head. ¡°Angeilin won''t be happy if you show up for her looking like that.¡± Dorcot''s mouth dropped open and he stood up to shake it off. ¡°By the gods, I forgot!¡± He said and looked down at his clothing. ¡°I''m a complete mess.¡± Ren chuckled and took out some fabric, then sewed up a kind of suit, based on one of Lord Neram''s designs. He dyed it black, and made the lapels red and added a red handkerchief to the pocket. Dorcot had stood there in shock as Ren made an outfit appear like magic. ¡°Get those clothes off and put this on.¡± Ren said. ¡°Be right back.¡± He ran outside and waited for one of the carts from the mine to finish unloading. ¡°I need to hire you to drive a couple of friends to the dock, then go back and pick them up later if they need it.¡± The driver looked at him in surprise. ¡°I''d like to, but I''m getting 2 gold a day to haul this stuff from the mines.¡± She said. ¡°If I leave, my friends won''t get paid.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Since I''m paying you, that''s okay. I can guarantee you''ll still get paid.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°You''re Mr. Ren?¡± She looked at him. ¡°Where''s your gold armor?¡± He chuckled. ¡°I left it off today.¡± ¡°Well, I guess I can...¡± ¡°Great!¡± Ren said and went to the back of the cart, and sewed up a nice plush cover for the back, dyed blue. ¡°What are you... oh, that''s pretty.¡± She said as Ren spread it out and nailed it to the sides. ¡°Hey!¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°I''ll fix it later, or make you a new cart and I''ll keep this one.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t need another cart, but I''ll find a use for it.¡± She just stared at him as he rambled and Ren hopped out of the back and went into the workshop. Dorcot had changed and he looked fantastic. ¡°She should love that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, wait!¡± He went to the workbench and picked two nice oval diamonds and enchanted them with double glyphs of Antidark (8 runes total). He sewed up 2 pillows with holes cut out of them, attached a strap, and stuffed them with cotton. He dyed them red, slipped in the diamonds, and sewed the pillows shut. Ren went back out to Dorcot and passed him the 2 improvised life vests. ¡°When you go out on the water, put these on and tie them. They''ll let you float on the water if you fall in.¡± Dorcot stared at the bright red pillows and Ren chuckled. ¡°One is for you, and the other is for Angeilin.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your cart is waiting outside.¡± ¡°My what?¡± ¡°Your cart! Go! Go!¡± Ren shooed Dorcot out of the workshop and then helped him climb in the back. He sat down on the plush interior and Ren turned to the driver. ¡°His wife is the receptionist at House Longore. Pick her up and take them to the docks.¡± Ren handed her a gold coin. ¡°Hurry! You want to catch her before she leaves.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The driver said and flicked the reins. Ren didn''t watch them go, or notice the women as they stood there and stared at him. He ran back inside and went down the secret passageway to the Keep. He ran all the way to the bottom and started to dig out the bottom few floors. He cleared out 4 feet of dirt from around the entire Keep, about 30 feet high and for the full 800 feet around it. He took out the cart he mixed cement in, made some, and then jammed the 1 foot long, 1 inch wide iron bars every few feet into the wall after dipping the ends in the cement. Ren left about 4 inches sticking out, and covered the entire area that he''d dug out. He took out the pieces of the mold he''d made for the Main House and used the pieces of wood to construct a wooden wall that touched all the iron bars sticking out of the stone wall. He used fresh lumber to cover the rest of the 800 feet with wood as well. Once that was done, he made up tons of cement and poured it into the thin one sided mold, covering all of the iron bars and filling it to the top. How''s my time, Teepo? ¡°You''re just about out.¡± I''m just about done, too. Ren thought and poured the last bit of cement from the cart into the mold. Whew! Ren stored the cart and climbed down the handholds and looked up at his handiwork. 30 feet filled with cement in just under 4 hours is pretty good. ¡°Okay, you''re out of time.¡± ¡°Dammit!¡± Ren ran over to the ramp staircase and up to the surface. He came out of the workshop and ran down to the house. He was through the gate before Wohrum even had a chance to say anything. ¡°Nathalia? Narhilda?¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got to go, or I won''t make it in time.¡± They came into the hallway from the kitchen and Nathalia went to hug him. ¡°Ren! You''re covered in dirt!¡± He looked down at himself and chuckled. ¡°Sorry.¡± He unequipped the clothing and equipped it again. Nathalia hugged him and he gave her a kiss. ¡°I''ll be back sometime in the morning.¡± ¡°I''ll be here.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I didn''t see Croggart today.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°He said he needed to talk to his sister and brother about something.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Make sure you keep the gate locked while I''m gone.¡± He said and kissed Narhilda on the cheek. ¡°Are you expecting trouble?¡± She asked. ¡°I am these days.¡± He said. ¡°At least I didn''t build anything openly.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I told you before. I''m fixing the Keep.¡± ¡°How? You were outside.¡± Ren winked at her. ¡°You''re fixing it from OUTSIDE?!?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s the safest way. I''m doing the outside first, and then I''ll worry about the interior.¡± ¡°You''re crazy.¡± Narhilda said, and then smiled. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± He kissed Nathalia again and ran out of the house to the stable. ¡°Princess, I''m going for another ru-.¡± She was by his side in an instant and Ren laughed. ¡°Just a second. You need your saddle and harness.¡± He got them from Ruck, who didn''t want to go this time. ¡°Okay. I''ll see you tomorrow.¡± Ren said, stored Princess'' crate, and Ruck gave him an ''okay'' gesture. Ren put the saddle and harness on Princess and they left the courtyard at a normal pace. Once they were out of the gate, Ren told Wohrum to not open the gate for anyone, and to let the other guards know. Ren took off running and Princess ran beside him. Once they went through the city and got to the road to the warehouse, Ren let her go and she ran as fast as she could. They did the same routine that they did the last time, and Princess kept slowing down to let Ren feed her and let her Stamina bar refill, then she kept running full out. They made it to the warehouse in just under 5 hours and Ren took out Princess'' crate. She got inside and Ren went upstairs to the portal. He went through it and came out of the cabinet on the other side. ¡°There you are.¡± A familiar woman''s voice said. Ren sighed and walked to the bedroom, then stopped in the doorway. ¡°Who the hell is she, and why is she laying in my bed?¡± Lucy asked. Chapter 137 - Cat Fight! ¡°She''s my Head of Security for this building.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren, who is this stuck up bitch?¡± Elerlyth said, and thumbed her finger at Lucy. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Lucy said, angrily. ¡°Who are you to call me a bitch?¡± ¡°Elerlyth, this is Lucy.¡± Ren said. ¡°YOU!¡± They both said together, and Elerlyth rolled out of bed. ¡°You''re the one that...¡± They continued, then stopped to glare at each other. Ren turned his head to listen, and thought he could hear growling. He looked back at the two women, only a foot of distance separating them, and they hissed at each other. Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Did you just...¡± Elerlyth stored her armor and smiled. ¡°I''m going to take it easy on you, Blondie.¡± Lucy scowled and punched her in the face. Elerlyth staggered back a little, rubbed the spot and then tackled Lucy into the wall. They bounced off the wall and onto the bed. Elerlyth jabbed Lucy in the gut and she grunted, grabbed Elerlyth by the hair, and yanked her to the side. They rolled off the bed and onto the floor. Lucy ended up on top and grinned. She let loose with another punch and Elerlyth moved her head, and Lucy''s fist hit the floor. ¡°Ah, dammit! Stay still!¡± She said, and pulled Elerlyth''s hair taught. ¡°Got you now!¡± She punched her in the face and Elerlyth started to laugh. ¡°What level are you? 20?¡± ¡°I''m Level 36, thank you very muuuuuch!¡± Lucy said as Elerlyth bucked her off easily. She landed on the floor and Elerlyth grabbed her by the ankle and stood. ¡°I''m Level 85, toots.¡± She said, yanked hard and picked Lucy up from the floor, and flipped her onto the bed. Lucy bounced off and hit the other wall again. She landed on the floor and rolled up into a crouch. ¡°Oh, it''s on now, you skank!¡± Lucy exclaimed and jumped at Elerlyth, taking her to the floor. They rolled around biting and scratching each other. Ren stood there, and he could hear ''raanrr'' and hissing, then frowned. What the hell is going on? He sat down and opened the help screen. What do I... fighting... fighting... After a minute of searching, he found out what was wrong. Son of a... Ren sighed mentally, and opened the business menu. He scrolled down the various options and opened the sub-menu under altercations, then unchecked the ''cat fight'' option. It was set to ''on'' by default. Ren shook his head, as there wasn''t a ''stop fight'' button. He closed the menu and help screen, then stood up as he concentrated on his Command Aura, then connected to his Screaming Terror ring. ¡°That''s ENOUGH!¡± Ren yelled, and the two women stopped mid-roll and stared at him. Lucy had the end of Elerlyth''s hair in her mouth, and her arms wrapped around Elerlyth''s neck. Elerlyth had a hold of Lucy''s arm and her teeth were digging in, while her legs had one of Lucy''s legs pinned to the floor. ¡°Now let each other go. Slowly.¡± Lucy spit out the end of Elerlyth''s hair, then let her out of the death grip she was in; Ren saw a gleam in Elerlyth''s eye, and spoke. ¡°Elerlyth.¡± She took in a breath through her nose, then opened her mouth and sighed. ¡°Aww, it was just getting good.¡± Elerlyth said, and let Lucy go as well. Lucy snorted a laugh and stood up. ¡°I was getting the upper hand.¡± Elerlyth rolled her eyes and stood up, too. ¡°I was playing with you, Barbie.¡± Lucy frowned and then rubbed her arms. ¡°Ren, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Elerlyth said and licked her lips. ¡°That''s a new flavor.¡± Ren chuckled and let the Connection lapse. ¡°It''s something new that I learned yesterday.¡± ¡°Do tell!¡± Elerlyth said and sat on the bed. ¡°Later.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lucy, why are you here?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked. ¡°You asked me to live here.¡± ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°You didn''t say yes, we broke up, and you left my party.¡± He said and rubbed his face. ¡°Did you even set this place as your spawn point?¡± Lucy opened her mouth to argue, but she couldn''t. ¡°No.¡± She waved at the furniture. ¡°You said you made all of this for me.¡± ¡°I said I made it from the descriptions you gave me, so you could have your dream bedroom.¡± Ren said. ¡°We never even slept here.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t think me laying beside your phantom form counts, either.¡± ¡°You know you really hurt him badly when you broke it off with him.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°If he hadn''t had Nathalia to grab onto...¡± Lucy sat down on the bed. ¡°I know. I...¡± She sighed. ¡°I didn''t handle that whole situation well.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°There''s an understatement if I ever heard one.¡± ¡°Hey, I was hurting, too!¡± Lucy said. ¡°When I dislocated your elbow-¡± ¡°YOU DID THAT?¡± Elerlyth hollered. ¡°How... how could you!¡± Lucy winced, and felt despair fill her. ¡°I told you it was an accident Elerlyth.¡± Ren said and walked over to the bed. ¡°You didn''t say it was her fault!¡± She said, and motioned to Lucy. ¡°I''m not going to argue over who is to blame.¡± Ren said. ¡°Me, Lucy, my body, bad luck, or whatever.¡± He sighed. ¡°It happened. That''s it. It''s over.¡± ¡°You''re going to be in a sling for weeks!¡± Lucy said. Ren scowled at her, and concentrated on his Command Aura again. ¡°I said drop it. I don''t want to hear any more about it.¡± Lucy took in a deep breath, let it out, and nodded. ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now... why are you here, Lucy?¡± ¡°Bonnie called me.¡± Lucy said. ¡°She told me about what''s been going on.¡± Ren closed his eyes and shook his head. ¡°Thanks a lot, Bonnie.¡± ¡°What are you doing with a mother and daughter in bed?¡± Lucy asked Ren. ¡°Cuddling, of course.¡± ¡°You''re not even going to deny it?¡± Lucy said, surprised. ¡°You slept with a mother and a daughter at the SAME TIME!¡± Elerlyth sat there and watched everything, drinking it all in. This is so great! She thought and savored all of the different flavors she was tasting. Ren opened his eyes and looked at Lucy. ¡°We''ve been friends for a long time, Lucy. Have I ever... ever... done anything for you to accuse me of something like that?¡± Lucy opened her mouth to say that he did, but he didn''t. ¡°No.¡± ¡°So, why did you just assume I was having sex with both of them?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Lucy said and hung her head. ¡°It might be because she went home with some guy at a bar last week.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°She''s looking for an excuse to get mad at you instead.¡± Lucy looked at her in surprise. ¡°How do you know about...¡± She looked at Ren, and he had a single eyebrow raised. She sighed. ¡°I went out and got drunk, okay? I danced and I partied. I met that big burly guy that helped us at the mall that time, and I... I went home with him.¡± Ren dropped his eyebrow. ¡°Did you sleep with him?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lucy shook her head. ¡°He could have, and I wouldn''t have either known or cared, at the time.¡± She sighed. ¡°The next morning, though.... oh, god.¡± She put her head in her hands and shook a little. ¡°If Clint wasn''t such a nice guy...¡± ¡°CLINT?¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°His name''s Clint?¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°He drove me home, and was a complete gentleman.¡± ¡°Did he have a heavy southern drawl, almost to the point you can''t make it out? A cowboy hat? Has a ranch?¡± Lucy dropped her hands and looked at Ren. ¡°How do you know all of that?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I thought I was meeting people from all over the world; but apparently, the world is a lot smaller than I thought.¡± ¡°You know him.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°He''s one of my friends here in the game.¡± He said. ¡°I even made him new weapons, and he gave me a mount.¡± ¡°It could have been a lot worse then.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°She almost had drunk sex with your friend.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°Elerlyth, you''re not helping.¡± Lucy turned to her. ¡°That reminds me! You poisoned him, and he fawned all over you! Now you''re here with him again.¡± She looked back at Ren. ¡°Has she been sticking you with her nails and using her venom on you?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°She tries occasionally; but, catching her at it is kind of fun.¡± Lucy''s eyes widened. ¡°You''re serious?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Is she your girlfriend now?¡± Elerlyth snorted. ¡°You wish, Blondie.¡± She said and grinned. ¡°That would make it easier for you to hate him, wouldn''t it?¡± ¡°I don''t want to hate him!¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°Liar liar, pants on fire.¡± Lucy scowled. ¡°Now see here...¡± ¡°He just feeds me all of the emotions he can muster.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°He''s been nothing but loyal, considerate, and giving. He gives so much of himself... both willingly and freely... and you can''t stand it.¡± She said and grinned. ¡°You hate that it''s with someone else, instead of you.¡± Lucy''s mouth fell open as she stared at Elerlyth. ¡°I''ll wait downstairs.¡± Elerlyth said and stood up. ¡°I''m sure you have things to talk about that you don''t want me to hear.¡± ¡°If you stand under the apartment, my Aura will still reach you.¡± Ren said as she passed by. Elerlyth put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Thank you.¡± She left the room and Ren sat down on the bed. ¡°So.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s right.¡± Lucy said. ¡°I''m trying so hard to find a reason to hate you, to make our break up easier.¡± ¡°I''m sure I could tell you some things to make you hate me.¡± ¡°Don''t.¡± Lucy said and put a hand on his arm. ¡°Even if they''re true, don''t make things easier for me.¡± ¡°Lucy...¡± ¡°I... I love you, Ren... but... I think... I think I fell in love with the idea of you, and not who you really were.¡± Ren closed his eyes. ¡°Don''t.¡± ¡°Let me finish.¡± Ren nodded, and she continued. ¡°Taking care of you was all I did for years, and I loved it. You needed me so much, and I needed you. It wasn''t... it wasn''t a healthy way to start a relationship.¡± He looked at her. ¡°I know what you''re saying.¡± ¡°Do you?¡± Ren nodded again. ¡°You''re saying that if we''d met somewhere else, or anywhere else at all, you wouldn''t have given me a second look.¡± It was Lucy''s turn to nod. ¡°We spent so much time together, that feelings were eventually going to develop. This time it was romantic; but, it could easily have been contempt... or hatred.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°This is the ''lets be friends'' speech, isn''t it?¡± Lucy smiled. ¡°I''m trying to work towards it, yeah.¡± ¡°You know that never works, right?¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°It''s like... I''m sorry, you''re favorite pet died. Let''s have it stuffed so you can keep looking at it; but, you can never play with it again.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Lucy said, surprised. ¡°I''ve said ''lets be friends'' to lots of... oh.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°How many of them have you talked to lately? None, right?¡± Lucy didn''t say anything. ¡°Yeah, being constantly reminded of what they can''t have would surely make them great friends.¡± Ren said. ¡°Every time I see you, I remember our lives together. I remember everything you''ve done for me. It''s just too bad for me that you''ve convinced yourself that it''s not enough to base a relationship on.¡± Lucy sighed. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Why would you come in here, acting like you did, if all you wanted from me was friendship?¡± Lucy kept quiet. ¡°Yeah, Elerlyth is right. Despite what you say, you are trying your best to hate me... and all I ever did was give you everything I had.¡± Ren stood up. ¡°I know you need time to sort out your feelings, and that''s okay. You should know that it hurts me when I look at you, because I can''t take you in my arms like I''ve always wanted to. Here in the game, I''m how I should be in the real world. This body is strong, and I can do anything I want in here.¡± ¡°Ren, I know it can be addicting...¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Addicting? Having a body I can run in for hours, instead of one where I can barely walk? Are you kidding me?¡± He took out a stone brick and passed it to Lucy. ¡°Hold this.¡± She took it and held onto it. ¡°Rub it with your hands. How does it feel? Rough? Coarse? Heavy?¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°It feels real enough.¡± Ren said and took it from her. He held the brick with both hands, used Iron Grip on it, and crushed it into powder. ¡°This isn''t addicting, Lucy. I know it''s not real; but, I honestly don''t care. It''s the most fun I''ve ever had in my life.¡± She looked at him in surprise. ¡°I wanted to share all of this with you. I wanted you to experience it with me. I wanted to live the life I should be living in the real world. I really, really wanted the ''me'' in here to be the ''us'' in here.¡± ¡°Then do it.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Do me, right here on the bed.¡± She said and stored her clothes, leaving just her underwear on and no bra. Ren sighed. ¡°Get out.¡± ¡°W-w-what?¡± Lucy asked, surprised. ¡°Put your clothes back on, and get out.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Ren concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Lucy. Be. Quiet.¡± Lucy clamped her mouth shut and stared at him. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you that I''m not like any other man you''ve ever been with? I''m not going to be like those assholes who treat you like dirt, just because you expect me to act like them.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°I can''t believe you thought I''d just use you like that.¡± He paced back and forth. ¡°Do you hate yourself so much that you want me to treat you like trash?¡± Ren stopped pacing and looked at her. ¡°If you''re going to keep expecting me to do that, then I never want to see you again.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°GET! DRESSED!¡± Ren yelled, and Lucy equipped her clothes. ¡°That''s better.¡± He said and sighed. ¡°Do you even care about how much you just hurt me with that little stunt? You give me another glimpse of heaven, knowing full well that I wouldn''t... I WOULDN''T... do to you what any other guy would do, if you took off your clothes in front of them.¡± ¡°So... so you''ve moved on already.¡± Lucy said. ¡°You''re making it pretty damn easy to.¡± Ren said. ¡°The breakup, your message, leaving me alone in the game for months, then showing up here out of the blue, and now this whole conversation.¡± He scowled. ¡°If you''d fought half as hard trying to keep us together as you are trying to keep us apart, I''d be groveling at your feet and licking your goddamn shoes.¡± ¡°You seem to be cursing a lot now.¡± Lucy observed. Ren shook his head. ¡°I was going to drop the f-bomb a few times, but I''m trying my best to keep things civil... which is really hard when you demean yourself by shoving your breasts at me.¡± Lucy blushed. ¡°I was trying to make a point.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Oh, you made a point all right. 2 of them, actually... and they went right into my heart and tore it open.¡± He shook his head again. ¡°I''ve thrown myself at an NPC because of you, and you know what? I love her. It''s not the same love that I have for you, but it''s love just the same.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Ren, she''s not real.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Ren barked a laugh. ¡°Neither are you.¡± ¡°W-w-what?¡± ¡°The way you''ve been acting, the way you''ve been treating me; you''re not the Lucy I fell in love with. Where''s the strong and independent woman I admire so much? Where''s your passion? Where''s your joy?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°You know what? I think you''re right. I think... I think I fell in love with an ideal. I love the woman I thought you were, not who you actually are.¡± Lucy looked at Ren in shock. ¡°What... what are you saying?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m saying, we both fell in love with what we wanted, not what was there.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Don''t you see? This is perfect.¡± Ren said. ¡°We don''t have to agonize over each other anymore.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Now we can go back to being just friends, and my heart doesn''t have to bleed every time I see your smile.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Don''t worry, it doesn''t actually bleed. Those are just words I use to say how much it used to hurt.¡± ¡°U-used to?¡± ¡°That''s what you want, isn''t it? To only be friends again?¡± Ren asked. Lucy nodded. ¡°Maybe starting over, or even going back to the way things used to be?¡± Lucy nodded again. ¡°Then it''s settled.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ll go back to how things were before any of this stuff happened.¡± He looked at her with sorrow on his face. ¡°I''m really sorry, though. I can''t have friends coming in here whenever they want, especially without an invitation.¡± Ren opened the business menu and removed Lucy''s access. Her eyes widened as the little key disappeared from her neck. ¡°It''s okay, though.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°Come with me, please.¡± Lucy took his hand without thinking and he pulled her to her feet. Ren led her out of the apartment and downstairs. ¡°Elerlyth? I''m just going over to the Housing District. I''ll be right back.¡± ¡°Sure, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said and smiled. Ren took Lucy down the street to the corner, and then up a block to the Housing District. He walked over to an empty lot, several spots away from the lone house in the district, and got a popup to buy a house. Ren dismissed it and pushed Lucy forward so she would get it instead. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°I''m buying you a house.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re what?!?¡± ¡°They come with their own spawn point, so you can have your own private one.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Lucy, pick one that you like.¡± She sighed and flipped through them, then chose the most expensive one. This should show him that I can''t be pawned off! She thought, and a small portal appeared. ¡°How much is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°15 platinum.¡± Lucy said, and grinned evilly. Ren took out the money and went to put it in. Lucy grabbed his hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Paying for it.¡± Then Ren smacked himself in the forehead. ¡°Damn, you''re right.¡± Lucy nodded and let his hand go. Yes, it''s way to much to spend on a house! Ren took out another platinum. ¡°I nearly forgot the gratuity.¡± He said and dropped 16 platinum into the portal. ¡°No!¡± Lucy said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ren, you just spent 15 platinum for a house! A freaking HOUSE!¡± ¡°16, actually.¡± Ren said and grinned, then turned to see a large group of people coming down the street. ¡°Here comes the crew to build it.¡± When Jen was close enough, she started to laugh. ¡°I''d hoped it would be you.¡± Ren chuckled, and pointed to Lucy. ¡°It''s her house, actually.¡± Jen nodded. ¡°Gotcha.¡± She said. ¡°I was going to ask you why you got the ''all the bells and whistles'' model.¡± ¡°Well, she has expensive tastes.¡± Jen grinned. ¡°It''ll be done in half an hour.¡± ¡°That soon?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°It''s all prefabricated.¡± She said. ¡°We just put it up and nail it together.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°You must have a pile of pieces ready.¡± ¡°Not really. With that table saw you gave us, we''ve been ahead on all of our orders, so we can pretty much make anything right away.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m glad it''s working out for you.¡± ¡°It''s getting a little dull, though.¡± Jen said. ¡°Hint, hint.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll go and fix that right now.¡± He said and then ran down the street. ¡°Holy crap! Look at him run!¡± Jen said, surprised. Lucy stood there in shock as Ren flew down the street and disappeared into the lumberyard. He''s gotten really fast. About 5 minutes later, Ren ran back to where Lucy and Jen stood. ¡°All fixed, sharpened and polished.¡± ¡°Thank you, kind sir.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, Ma''am.¡± ¡°Ma''am?¡± Jen laughed. ¡°Who do I look like? Your grandma?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Sorry, that''s how you''re supposed to greet women in public in the Dwarven Kingdom, even if you know their names.¡± ¡°Is that where you''ve been all this time?¡± Jen asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°Is it nice there?¡± ¡°It used to be.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m trying to make it nice again.¡± ¡°That''s a lofty goal.¡± ¡°Not if you do it one step at a time, Jen.¡± She nodded, and turned to Lucy. ¡°Your key will appear when the house is finished.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Jen laughed. ¡°No. Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°A platinum tip was quite the incentive to come over right away.¡± Lucy pointed at Ren. ¡°It''s his money.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Ren said and took out a black pouch. He tossed several handfuls of coins into it and gave it to Lucy. ¡°What''s this?¡± ¡°An apology for things not working out.¡± ¡°You''re buying me off?¡± ¡°That you would even think that...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°You know my motto, Lucy. Friends help friends when they can.¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°I''m really glad we''re back to being friends.¡± ¡°You are?¡± ¡°Yeah. Now I don''t have to feel so bad about ignoring you.¡± Ren said to her surprised face. ¡°Go buy yourself something nice.¡± He pointed to the coin pouch and turned away from her. ¡°Bye.¡± Ren said and walked back to his business. * ¡°What was that all about?¡± Jen asked. ¡°We broke up.¡± Lucy said as an explanation. ¡°That''s no reason to treat him like that.¡± ¡°What do you know about it?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°Not a thing.¡± Jen smiled. ¡°He''s just a nice kid that Sally took under her wing, when he had nothing. Now he''s buying his old girlfriend a house. A very expensive house actually; and not once did he say it was too much, or tried to convince you to get a cheaper one.¡± Lucy looked back where Ren had gone and sighed. She looked at the coin pouch, equipped it, and gasped. There was 125 platinum in it. * Ren entered his building and Elerlyth was still standing there in the middle of the floor. ¡°Can your feeding wait for a little while? I have to log out and eat supper.¡± Elerlyth walked over to him and took him into a hug. Ren''s head nestled on her chest like it was meant to be there, and he sighed. She held him like that for a couple of minutes, not saying anything. She could feel everything he felt, though. All the swirling emotions coming from him brought tears to her eyes. She wiped them away and then leaned back to look him in the eyes. ¡°Of course it can wait, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Go and take care of what you need to.¡± ¡°Thanks, Elerlyth.¡± He let her go and stepped back. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren slipped off the VR headset and glared at Bonnie. ¡°Sorry, Ren. I called her and asked if she knew what was going on.¡± ¡°That was not your call to make, Bonnie.¡± ¡°Ren, she loves you...¡± ¡°Not enough to stay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I assume you heard all of that?¡± Bonnie nodded. ¡°Then I want you to remember something.¡± Ren said and slid out of bed. ¡°It''s not any of your business what I do in my personal life.¡± ¡°Ren, I was just...¡± ¡°None. Of. Your. Business.¡± He said, then went to the bathroom to take care of some other business. He came back out and Bonnie was still there. ¡°With everything I''ve got going on, I really didn''t need to deal with Lucy today.¡± ¡°I didn''t think she would...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I know I''m out a little early today, but can I get something for supper, please?¡± Bonnie nodded and went for the door. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and climbed back into bed. He took a deep breath and checked his email. There was the message from Elise Stanford stating that the cameras were now voice activated and hooked to the main servers, and that the other proposal was pending approval, but was sure to be a hit. He frowned. What other proposal? Ren thought, and sent a message back asking about it. Only a few minutes later, he got another message and Elise told him about the television show proposal, and that they were just working out the soundtrack for the pilot episode. A television show? About me? He sent off another email asking what it would be called, and how much he would be making from it. She messaged back that they didn''t have a name yet, and Ren stared at the number of zeros on the proposal. Ren sent her the name of his business in the game, and asked if the money was the final price. She sent back that the name was perfect, and it connected with the game. She also said that the money was for the pilot only, and if the series was picked up, it would be much more than that. Ren sat back and stared at the message. He took several deep breaths and calmed down. He sent a message back and said he was happy that she was so intelligent to have come up with the show idea on the spur of the moment like that, and thanked her for her hard work. She messaged back her thanks as well, and said she''d be happy to consult him about the show if it gets picked up. He responded that he''d be happy to help in any way he could, thanked her again, and couldn''t wait to hear from her about it. Bonnie came in with his supper and he ate in silence. That was the way it was normally; but this time, it was an uncomfortable silence. * Elise was nearly jumping out of her chair with excitement. He loved my show idea! She thought, then calmed down. I was worried that he''d fight the whole thing, and wouldn''t let us use the footage. She closed her email and sat back. Quitting time. She thought, as the clock struck 6pm. She picked up the tablet and went home. I''ve got some Ren researching to do! * Ren finished eating and Bonnie took the tray away. When she came back, Ren apologized. ¡°Bonnie, I''m sorry. I over-reacted a bit.¡± He said and rubbed his forehead. ¡°I''d nearly had her out of my mind, and now it''s all right there in my face.¡± Bonnie put a hand on his arm. ¡°I''m sorry, too.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I was just concerned over how you''ve been behaving.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thanks, but I''m not morally corrupt enough to sleep with a mother and her daughter at the same time, and in the same bed.¡± ¡°But you were in the same bed with them.¡± Bonnie said. Ren smiled. ¡°It actually is possible for a man to sleep in the same bed with a woman, and not touch her like that.¡± Bonnie chuckled. ¡°You don''t know a lot of men, though.¡± ¡°If you were here in the bed with me, I wouldn''t touch you like that. Unless I had your permission, of course.¡± Bonnie''s eyes widened at Ren''s admission. ¡°Me... in the bed... with you?¡± ¡°That was supposed to be an example of my virtuous nature...¡± Ren explained. ¡°...but, it came out as an invitation to sleep with me.¡± He said, and ducked his head slightly. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°No, it''s okay.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°You''re cute and all, but I like a lot of muscles on a man.¡± ¡°Bonnie! You''re one of those people!¡± Ren said, and pointed. ¡°You like men only for their body!¡± Bonnie laughed. Ren smiled. ¡°Hand me the VR headset. I''ve got a feeding to administer to a patient.¡± Bonnie shook her head. ¡°You be careful around her, Ren.¡± Ren nodded, and Bonnie helped him put on the VR headset. ¡°I''m keeping my eyes on her.¡± Ren said. ¡°And a few other things.¡± Bonnie snorted. ¡°Very funny.¡± Ren settled back in the bed and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren saw Elerlyth was still standing there, waiting for him. ¡°You could have gone upstairs.¡± She held a hand out to him. ¡°I felt like waiting.¡± He took her hand and she led him upstairs. ¡°Elerlyth, I''m... I don''t...¡± Elerlyth chuckled. ¡°I think we should just cuddle for a while, if that''s okay?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That sounds great, Elerlyth.¡± He said, and unequipped his clothing to block Bonnie from seeing anything. Elerlyth stored her clothing as well and she climbed onto the bed. Ren took out a roll of fabric and made a quick blanket to cover them, and got onto the bed himself. Elerlyth opened her arms, and Ren slid in close to her. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and Ren snuggled down on her chest. ¡°Go ahead, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said, and he looked at her. ¡°I know you want to.¡± A single tear escaped the corner of his eye, and rolled down his cheek. ¡°But... I...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± She said, and lightly kissed his forehead. ¡°Let it out.¡± Ren''s face crumbled, and he let the tears flow freely. He put his head down on Elerlyth''s chest and held onto her tightly as he cried. A part of Ren''s heart that Elerlyth hadn''t felt before, burst open and her eyes widened. She tried to block some of it, but she wasn''t prepared for the sheer amount of emotion coming out of him. Elerlyth tried her best to swallow it all; but it was too much for her ability to take and she drowned just as much as Ren did in everything that he felt. Her eyes flowed with tears as they were lost in the sea of emotions. They both stayed like that for half an hour, before Elerlyth came back to her own senses and took control of her ability. It had leveled up several times while she was drowning, and she took several deep breaths. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her ability. Come on, girl! Elerlyth thought. This isn''t more than you can handle! Eat! Eat it all! It took several minutes for her to get a handle on absorbing so much, but she managed it somehow and started to fill herself up. Ren started to calm down after that, and it was easier for her to manage. Elerlyth gasped as her ability leveled again, and went from Intermediate Level 9 to Advanced Level 1. It left a gaping hole for the emotions to dump into, and she drank down everything Ren was feeling. After another half an hour, the emotions slowed down and Ren sniffed a few times. He propped himself up on an elbow and took out several scrap pieces of cloth to wipe off his face. When he tried to wipe off Elerlyth''s chest, she spoke. ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Elerlyth... I just... my tears...¡± ¡°Ren, it''s a small price to pay. You needed someone to hold you.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''m just really glad that it was me.¡± Ren took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Me, too.¡± He said. ¡°I could feel you taking it from me, just as if we were... you know.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°You did?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I don''t know how your ability works; but it''s great.¡± He said. ¡°You know all those feelings I felt?¡± Elerlyth nodded for him to continue. ¡°They''re still there, and I can let them lose again.¡± Her eyes widened, and Ren grinned. ¡°Don''t worry, I can deal with them easier now.¡± Ren reached a hand out and cupped the side of her face. ¡°I came all this way to help you, and then you ended up helping me instead.¡± He smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You just gave me the feeding of a lifetime, and you''re thanking me.¡± Elerlyth laughed. Ren laughed, too. ¡°I''m pretty sure you could just poke my Lucy complex a bit and I''ll gush it all out again.¡± Elerlyth got a serious look on her face. ¡°Ren, I might have egged things on a little bit today...¡± ¡°A little?¡± She snorted a laugh. ¡°All right, a lot... but, I did it because you needed to get it out of your system.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Well, it worked.¡± He said. ¡°Now that I think about it, how did you know Lucy went out to a bar?¡± ¡°I found out about it in a kind of weird way, actually.¡± Elerlyth grinned. ¡°Stella''s brother works at the garage I work at, and he told me all about it.¡± ¡°Why would he do that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°He thought I''d get off on knowing women still get drunk at bars, and sleep with random men.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°What an asshole!¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°That''s exactly what I called him!¡± Ren laughed and he gave her the scraps of cloth to wipe her chest off. She started to move the cloth around, then glanced at Ren to see if he was staring at her chest while she cleaned up. He was still looking at her face, however. She finished wiping the dampness off and then lifted the blanket. ¡°My ability leveled to Advanced and I''m getting hungry again.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I don''t think you''re in the mood to keep feeding me properly, though.¡± She put the blanket down. ¡°I''m laying here completely naked in the bed with you, and no reaction.¡± ¡°Elerlyth.¡± Ren said. She looked at him. ¡°I could just stare at you in the eyes and I''ll get hard as a rock.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°It''s not just your body that turns me on.¡± Ren said. ¡°Chemistry doesn''t mean purely physical.¡± Elerlyth had a surprised look on her face. ¡°Want me to prove it?¡± She nodded without thinking, and Ren got out of the bed. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Inside of you, in about 5 minutes.¡± Her eyes widened as he stood there, and looked her in the eyes. ¡°You''re a wonderful person, Elerlyth. You''re both kind and smart.¡± Elerlyth glanced down and saw Ren growing, and looked back at him. ¡°You can be a real bitch to those that piss you off, or hurt your friends.¡± He said and became fully erect. ¡°But to your friends? You''re the best thing that''s ever happened to them.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elerlyth got a tear in her eye as she fed on the pure and innocent emotions he was feeling. There were no dirty feelings at all in them, even though she knew he wanted to have sex with her. She lifted the blanket and he joined her in the bed. ¡°Yeah.¡± She wiped the tear away. ¡°You gave me proof.¡± For the rest of the night, he kept giving her more proof that it was her he was having sex with, and not her body. She fed very well on everything that he had. The next morning, they got out of bed and equipped their clothing. Elerlyth stretched a bit, and looked around. ¡°You really made all of this furniture?¡± She asked. Ren nodded. ¡°Can you... can you make me something?¡± ¡°What would you like?¡± ¡°I really like that sitting table.¡± Elerlyth said, and blushed a little. ¡°And the bed.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll have to order the mirror, but I can make the rest easily.¡± ¡°How long...¡± ¡°About 20 minutes.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± She said, surprised. ¡°Not a week or two?¡± ¡°A week? Maybe if I had to do a thousand.¡± Ren chuckled at her expression. ¡°I make them one at a time.¡± Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°You''re amazing.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''re just saying that because I can go all night, and not get tired or have to stop.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, that''s why you''re amazing.¡± He laughed. ¡°Let''s go downstairs and I''ll make the bed and table for you.¡± They went downstairs and sure enough, after 20 minutes, Elerlyth had a sitting table and a bed with a mattress ready. Ren told her to wait for a minute, and went upstairs and got the sitting table with the mirror. He gave that to her instead of the one he''d just made and she looked at him in surprise. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°I don''t mind waiting for the mirror.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You''re going to get more enjoyment out of it than I am, anyways.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She stored the bed and the sitting table and walked over to stand by him. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve got 2 days to go before morning, so go out there and have fun.¡± ¡°What about guard duty?¡± Ren laughed and pulled her down into a dip. ¡°I''ve tortured you enough with just sitting here and waiting.¡± He kissed the tip of her nose and stood her up again. ¡°Message me if you need my help.¡± Elerlyth smiled and rubbed her abdomen. ¡°I''m quite well fed, Ren.¡± Ren chuckled, and put a hand over the one on her belly. ¡°I meant with fighting or something; but, keep that in mind, too.¡± ¡°You''d help me with stuff like that?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°If I can, sure.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''ll consider it.¡± Ren activated Sneak and ran by her. When she turned around, he was gone. She looked around and Ren poked her sides. ¡°Yip!¡± Elerlyth let out, and jumped from surprise. ¡°You ass!¡± She turned around and punched him in the arm. Ren laughed. ¡°You''re not the only one with Sneak, you know.¡± She put her hands on her hips. ¡°Okay, you snuck up on me. Now get out of here, or I''ll challenge you again!¡± ¡°25 platinum wasn''t enough?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Do you need more that badly?¡± Elerlyth snorted. ¡°I don''t know what to do with it all, so it''s just been sitting in my coin pouch.¡± ¡°You could buy a better set of armor.¡± ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°This stuff is worth a fortune! I couldn''t buy a better set if I tried.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°It looks awesome on you, too.¡± ¡°Yeah, you did a really good job on it.¡± She said and equipped it. ¡°Actually, I have something else that would look awesome on you, too.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah? What is it? A helmet? A super shield?¡± Ren pulled out the see-through and lace outfit (with frills) he''d made the other day, and Elerlyth looked at it in surprise. ¡°Where the hell did you get that?¡± She asked, and took it from his hand. ¡°It''s so soft!¡± She ran it through her hands and looked at the lace covering the essential bits. They could be lifted and you''d see what was underneath. ¡°Ren, please tell me where you got this!¡± ¡°It''s a secret!¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°See you later.¡± She stared at him and he walked to the door. ¡°REN!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I made it, of course.¡± Elerlyth looked at it, and then back at Ren. ¡°Do you have anything else?¡± She asked as hope filled her face. He laughed and left the building. Ren went over to Donan''s shop, was greeted with a bone-breaking hug, and a hand that ruffled his hair. He apologized for not visiting earlier, and told Donan that he hadn''t sold anything yet, but gave him 10 platinum for when he did start selling things. Donan tried to give it back, and Ren refused, claiming that he''d rather give a bunch now, rather than a few gold here and there over the next few years. Donan gave him another hug and pat on the head, then Ren left the shop. He went to Sally''s Shop next, and was also greeted with a bone-breaking hug. She tried her best to get him to stay and tell her all about his adventures, but he apologized and said that this was just a quick visit. He had to get back home before his fiance and her mother started to worry. Sally let him out of the hug and stepped back. She looked at him with an appraising eye, and smiled. ¡°I guess I can''t call you my Student anymore.¡±
Notice!
You have lost the title: Sally''s Student, and all related benefits.
Ren looked at her. ¡°I''ll always be your student, Sally.¡± He said and took her hand, bent over it, and lightly kissed it. ¡°Thank you for setting me on the path.¡± Sally blushed a deep red and waved a hand in front of her face. ¡°Oh, dear me.¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ren asked, and helped her to a chair. ¡°I''m fine.¡± She said, and smiled. ¡°You''re just a little too much for this old heart to handle.¡± Ren''s eyes widened and then he smiled. ¡°If you were a few years younger, and I wasn''t seeing someone...¡± Sally laughed. ¡°You''ve certainly gotten fresh while you were away!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Yeah. I''ve had some things happen, and I might have picked up a bad habit or two.¡± ¡°You should be a bit more careful with the frail at heart like myself.¡± She said, then winked. ¡°If you were a few years older, and I didn''t love my deceased husband so much.¡± ¡°There you go!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You''re only as young as you feel.¡± Sally grinned. ¡°You said this was a quick visit, so you have a reason for being here.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m looking for outfits for a wife, bride, fiance, and probably just a general wardrobe.¡± Her eyes widened, then she chuckled. ¡°You''re not looking for much, then.¡± He smiled. ¡°I really am in a bit of a rush.¡± ¡°Okay, come over here.¡± Ren followed Sally to her main workbench and she started looking through all of the patterns and things she had, then handed various things to Ren. He gathered them into a pile and waited until Sally said she was done. ¡°That''s everything I have of what you described.¡± ¡°How much...¡± Sally shook her head. ¡°I''m sharing things with a fellow Tailor.¡± Ren sighed, and looked through the patterns. He memorized them all, and then he looked at Sally. ¡°These are fantastic, Sally.¡± Ren said. ¡°The cuts are impeccable.¡± ¡°You can take them if you want.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°No need. I''ve got them all up here now.¡± He pointed to his forehead. Her eyes widened. ¡°You''ve definitely learned a lot, then.¡± He nodded. ¡°I''ll share a few of Lord Neram''s works with you, if that''s okay?¡± ¡°Sure, Ren.¡± Sally said, and her eyes widened at some of the things Ren drew out for her. ¡°He... he was a Master Tailor, too?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°His wife gave me this.¡± He took out the Master Tailor''s Sewing Needle and showed it to her. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Sally said. ¡°You can repair clothes by touching them!¡± ¡°I''ve used it a lot.¡± He said. Sally laughed. ¡°I can imagine.¡± Ren touched her dress with it. ¡°Repair.¡± It glowed for a moment and then reformed itself and looked brand new. Sally looked at it and took several breaths. ¡°I''m glad I''m already sitting down.¡± ¡°All right, I think I''ve given you a few too many shocks today.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Thanks a lot for the patterns, Sally. I''ll come back in a few days and share more of Lord Neram''s work with you.¡± ¡°That would be great, Ren. Thank you.¡±
Running Quest Update!
You have spread the word of Lord Neram''s work to a new land! People from far and wide will hear his name, and associate it with well made clothing. Influence: +10,000
Notice!
You have gained Honor for increasing House Neram''s Influence. Honor: +1000
Ren dismissed the popups, then bought several bolts of cloth to replace the ones he used. He thanked her and left the shop. He ran back to his building and went inside. Elerlyth was nowhere to be found, so he went upstairs to the apartment and into the cabinet. He nailed it shut and stepped through the portal, then nailed that cabinet shut as well, and ran downstairs. He fed Princess breakfast, and summoned Teepo. Ren ate some food himself, and stored Princess'' crate when she left it. He led her outside and locked the place up, then started to run. I am so late! Ren thought, and kept running. Chapter 138 - Time To Relax Ren pushed himself a little harder than he should, and it drained his Stamina faster than he wanted. He had to slow down and let it recover, then ran at his normal pace again. The food he was feeding Princess was almost gone, and he warned her that she wouldn''t make it if she kept running full out. She slowed down and ran beside him after that, and they made it back to House Neram around 2pm. He had 6 hours left of daylight to spend with Nathalia. She''s not going to be happy! Ren thought as he approached the gate. Golir, and a dwarf he didn''t know, stood guard on either side of it. The new dwarf looked woefully inadequate standing next to Golir in full plate mail. ¡°Good afternoon, sir.¡± Golir said and saluted. Ren returned the salute and looked at the second guard. ¡°This is Broxor.¡± Ren held out a hand, and Broxor shook it after a moment of hesitation. ¡°Sorry for not meeting you sooner, but I''ve been busy.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve been assigned a house, I assume?¡± ¡°Sir! Of course I have, sir. Thank you, sir!¡± ¡°At ease.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°We don''t go all formal here, unless we''re trying to impress visitors.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Ren took out a set of armor and gave it to Broxor. ¡°But, sir... I haven''t earned that, yet.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I hope you won''t have to ''earn'' it; but I''d rather you have it, before anything happens.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Broxor said and equipped it. ¡°I''ve got some swords and shields made, but I still have to forge them several times before they can be used.¡± The guards nodded slightly. ¡°That won''t happen today, as I promised the wife I''d spend it with her.¡± Golir grinned and opened the gate. ¡°You shouldn''t keep her waiting then, sir.¡± ¡°Good day, gentlemen.¡± Ren said and led Princess into the courtyard. He took her to the small stable and set her crate in its proper position. She got in it and Ren put the last of the food he had in her bowl. He went inside the house and heard movement in the kitchen. ¡°Nathalia?¡± Ren heard a dish clatter and then running feet. He caught her as she leaped at him. ¡°You''re back!¡± She said and hugged him tightly. ¡°I''m sorry I''m late.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d intended to leave during the night and be back here by morning, but...¡± He took a deep breath, and continued. ¡°Lucy showed up before I could feed Elerlyth, they had a fight, then Lucy and I had a long talk.¡± He sighed. ¡°After that, it took an hour or so before I could feed Elerlyth, then her ability leveled. I didn''t finish feeding her until this morning.¡± ¡°You don''t have to explain everything to me.¡± Nathalia said. Ren kissed her lightly. ¡°I''m not going to lie to you, Nathalia.¡± He said. ¡°Either by distorting the truth or by not telling you something. I want to be honest with you, and I want you to know what''s going on.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She said and kissed him again. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°I visited my blacksmith mentor, Donan. It didn''t take long, and I paid a tithe to him. Then I went to Sally''s Shop to visit her.¡± ¡°She''s the one that taught you to sew clothes.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Right. I showed her some of the things your father was working on.¡± ¡°That''s what that was!¡± Narhilda said and came over to Ren and Nathalia. ¡°10,000 Influence!¡± She shook her head. ¡°I was so shocked, I nearly passed out!¡± Ren opened his arms and hugged her, too. ¡°Luckily, I was right there to catch her.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°We didn''t know what was going on.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said, and kissed both of them on the cheek in apology. ¡°I had no idea that telling Sally about Lord Neram would do that.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''d have warned you, at least.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°You''re doing great things for this House, and on your day off, too!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I picked up some things from Sally as well; but I promised to spend the day with Nathalia, and that''s what I''m going to do.¡± ¡°You''re down to only half the day, now.¡± Nathalia said, and smiled crookedly. ¡°Well...¡± Ren started, then winked at her. ¡°...I don''t have Adventurer''s business tonight.¡± Her eyes lit up and she grinned. ¡°I won''t have to sleep alone for a few hours while you''re gone!¡± Ren glanced at Narhilda. ¡°You haven''t been sleeping alone at all.¡± He said and chuckled. She ran a hand through his hair. ¡°That doesn''t count, mister.¡± He grinned. ¡°Some people think it does.¡± Narhilda snorted a laugh. ¡°I know some of them. If they knew I''d spent the night in the same bed as my daughter and her fiance...¡± She shook her head. ¡°...the scandal that would cause!¡± ¡°Even though all we did was sleep?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°And cuddled.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t forget to mention the best part.¡± ¡°Oh, you!¡± Nathalia said and swatted him on the arm. ¡°You just liked that you had 2 women in your bed!¡± ¡°Two beautiful women, that I love very much.¡± Ren said. Both Nathalia and her mother Narhilda, blushed slightly at Ren''s truthful statement. ¡°Now. What do you want to do, My Love?¡± Ren asked Nathalia. ¡°I''m all yours.¡± ¡°Well... I was thinking...¡± It started out with a cook-off, and it evolved into a bit of a food fight. At that point Narhilda got involved trying to stop them, and the three of them got quite messy. They laughed, carried on, and just had fun. After a while, they finished their dishes and Ren won handily with his creation of hamburgers and french fries. Of course, he had to teach them how to make it afterwards. They all cleaned up the kitchen and Ren and Nathalia went into the old bedroom. Ren drew out one of the patterns he got from Sally, that he slightly modified, and showed Nathalia one of the current styles of dress for royal wear. She admired it for it''s simplicity and it''s regalness, and Ren took out a bolt of fabric from the closet to made it for her. ¡°You''re not supposed to work on your day off.¡± Nathalia said. Ren put the bolt of cloth on the workbench and turned to her. ¡°Making a hundred uniforms for the army is work.¡± He cupped the side of her face and kissed her gently. ¡°Making you something pretty to wear...¡± Ren took her into a hug. ¡°...that will hug you like my arms are hugging you...¡± Ren stared at her. ¡°...that''s not work. That''s pure joy.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Nathalia said and kissed him. They stayed that way for several minutes, and Ren broke the kiss. ¡°You just have to decide on the color.¡± ¡°Surprise me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Rainbow it is.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°What? That would be a surprise, wouldn''t it?¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°Red, then.¡± ¡°Yes, My Love. Red it is.¡± He cut the fabric easily and dyed it red, then cut out the pieces he needed. He assembled them and sewed them together, added the thick ribbon of lace around the waist and left that white, then added white trim around the bottom and the cut out for the cleavage. He made a huge ribbon bow for the back to attach to the waist, and then stood back. ¡°Ren! It''s beautiful.¡± ¡°Can you try it on for me?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Nathalia stored her father''s dress and stood there in just her slip. ¡°Every time I see you like that, it still surprises me.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Nathalia asked, and looked down at herself. ¡°I told you before.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have you looked in the mirror? You''re amazing.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°Ren, they''re just boobs.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You know I don''t see them when I look at you; but they''re amazing, too.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°You have a man looking at you in only a thin slip and small pair of underwear... and you''re completely comfortable with it.¡± She looked at him. ¡°You''re my fiance.¡± ¡°Even so.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''re not afraid to reveal yourself like this, when I know full well that most women usually hide as much of themselves as they can, under almost any circumstances.¡± ¡°Is that what it''s like where you come from?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Even looking at a woman for too long makes them think you''re a creep.¡± ¡°That... must make it hard to find someone you like.¡± He laughed. ¡°Does it ever.¡± Nathalia took the dress and equipped it. It shrank to fit her, and she stood still to look at it. ¡°Where''s the mirror?¡± Ren asked. ¡°My room.¡± Ren took her hand and led her to her room. He looked for the mirror and stood Nathalia in front of it. ¡°By the gods.¡± Nathalia said, as a regally dressed Lady faced her. ¡°Who is that woman?¡± ¡°My Love, that''s the woman I see when I look at you.¡± Tears came to her eyes as she turned to Ren. ¡°Th-th-thank y-you!¡± Nathalia said and hugged him, crying onto his clothes because she didn''t want to get anything on the new dress. When she calmed down, she turned back to the mirror. Ren walked out of her room and into the kitchen. ¡°Narhilda, you need to see this.¡± Ren said, and took her hand to lead her to Nathalia''s room. Once inside, she gasped; Nathalia turned to her and smiled. ¡°You''re so beautiful!¡± Narhilda said and started crying. ¡°I''d hug you, but I don''t want to ruin such a pretty dress!¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren said and held up the Master Tailor''s Sewing Needle. ¡°I can fix it.¡± Narhilda ran to Nathalia and they started sobbing, hugging, commenting on the dress, and crying some more. ¡°You see? It''s all rumpled and wrinkled.¡± Narhilda said as she finally let her daughter out of the hug. Ren walked over to them and touched the dress with the needle. ¡°Repair.¡± The dress glowed for a moment and reformed into it''s perfect state. Nathalia stored it and equipped her fancy green dress again. ¡°You can leave it on if you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s made to wear. I adapted it from Sally''s design to use Lord Neram''s techniques.¡± Narhilda stared at Ren. ¡°You what?¡± ¡°I changed it so that it can be used as fluently as Lord Neram''s clothing.¡± ¡°That... that shouldn''t be possible.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°His clothing was designed with his techniques. You shouldn''t be able to...¡± She shook her head. ¡°You''re amazing, Ren.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ve been hearing that a lot.¡± Narhilda shook her head again. ¡°Don''t you understand? It shouldn''t work for other clothes.¡± She said. ¡°I knew you deserved the Tailor title, but this...¡± She waved at the dress that Nathalia had equipped again. ¡°...even my husband couldn''t do it!¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Running Quest Update!
You have shown an influential member of society what you can do. Reward: 1000 XP Fame Bonus: 68%
¡°Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I feel funny.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and left the room, shutting the door behind him. He ran outside and into the stable, out of sight. He picked Teepo out of the hood and looked at him. ¡°What is it, buddy?¡± ¡°I... leveled... up to... 10.¡± Teepo said and started to shake. Ren held his hands cupped as if he was catching something. Teepo stood in the center and his body started to glow brightly. ¡°R-R-Ren! What''s happening?¡± Ren could only stare as Teepo shouted in anguish, then he heard a bone cracking sound. Teepo''s little body collapsed and stopped moving. The glow faded and Ren froze in shock. ¡°Teepo!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°TEEPO!¡± Ruck came out of his cabinet, and Princess came out of her crate. Ren dropped to his knees and held the inert body close. ¡°Teepo.¡± He heard another bone cracking sound, and the beetle carapace split open slightly. A bright light escaped through the crack, and little legs followed it. 2 more legs joined them, and pushed the split apart. The carapace fell away and dissolved, and left a nearly identical beetle in it''s place. ¡°Teepo?¡± ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Sorry for scaring you.¡± ¡°Scaring me?¡± Ren said. ¡°You nearly broke my heart!¡± ¡°I didn''t die, thank the Fire Dancer.¡± Teepo chittered in surprise. ¡°It gave me a present!¡± ¡°A... a present?¡± ¡°I didn''t know this, but It noticed me because of you! It wants me to keep spreading It''s word!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°Watch this!¡± Teepo''s carapace split from his mid-section and down his back, and folded up. A large pair of wings slid out and started to beat furiously. A moment later, Teepo took off and flew. ¡°HOLY CRAP!¡± Ren yelled. Thankfully, he was safely shut away in the stable and no one heard him shout. Teepo flew around Ren''s head and then went to the ceiling. He stuck out his front legs, grabbed onto the ceiling, and flipped over to land. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°I know, right? It''s AWESOME!¡± Teepo let the ceiling go and fell until he was a foot from the floor. He deployed his wings, flipped right side up, and took off flying again. ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Ren could feel his joy and grinned. ¡°I guess you won''t need a ride anymore.¡± Ren said, and Teepo flew over to hover near his face. ¡°I still need a ride, Ren.¡± Teepo said, and then his wings started to slow down. ¡°My Stamina bar is running out.¡± Ren held his hands out, and Teepo landed in them. ¡°If you pace yourself, you''ll be able to go longer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I still have to assign my stat points.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Where should I put them?¡± ¡°If you want to fly longer, you''ll need Vitality.¡± Ren advised. ¡°Your Stamina bar will increase with each point.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Teepo said and put the 5 points into Vitality. ¡°Hey, it worked!¡± He said and took off again. ¡°Easy, buddy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Make sure you have somewhere to land before your Stamina runs out.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Teepo said, and slowed his speed down from humming bird to butterfly. ¡°How''s that?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If you''re going slow enough, the Stamina bar will regenerate slowly. If you stop, it''ll regenerate faster.¡± ¡°Thanks, Ren.¡± Teepo said and came in for a landing. ¡°Fire Dancer told me what to do.¡± ¡°I''m listening.¡± ¡°You have to tell people the story. As many people as possible, and as quickly as possible.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°Can I ask why?¡± ¡°It''s dying.¡± ¡°No!¡± Teepo nodded. ¡°It wants as many people to hear of it before it''s gone.¡± Ren stood up. ¡°Consider it done.¡± ¡°But... what about spending the day with Nathalia?¡± ¡°I''m still going to do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Princess? Did you level up?¡± She nodded and Ren opened her stat window. ¡°Strength?¡± Princess pawed the ground twice. ¡°Vitality?¡± She pawed the ground 3 times. ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Ren said and closed the window. ¡°Ruck?¡± He gave the ''thumbs up'' gesture, then the ''okay'' gesture, and Ren nodded. ¡°Let me know if you need any advice about it.¡± Ren said and Ruck pat his leg. ¡°I''ll see you both later.¡± He turned and left the stable and went inside. He saw that Nathalia and her mother were still talking about the dress, so he went into the old bedroom and took out his Elven High Court Uniform pattern, and adapted it to be the same as Nathalia''s new dress, with an undershirt instead of showing off his own cleavage. Ren chuckled as he cut more fabric, dyed it red and made the pieces needed. He finished it and equipped it, to replace his Travelling Clothes. The Durability was really low in comparison, but the outfit looked a lot nicer with the red cloth and white border. Even the lace sash around his waist looked really good. Ren kept his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak on as well. He took out a bunch of scrap cloth, cut it into 100 strips, folded them and sewed them together, dyed them red, and recalled the fire patterns he''d carved into the leather of all those boots he''d made for Aimus. Ren embroidered them onto the cloth bookmarks and stored them. Once that was done, he went into Nathalia''s bedroom, and she saw him in the mirror. She gasped, and turned around to look at him with her own eyes. ¡°Ren! You... you look...¡± ¡°Like a matching set.¡± He said, and walked over to her. Narhilda stepped out of the way and back enough to see the two of them together. ¡°You really do look like you belong together.¡± She said and started crying. Ren walked over to her and hugged her. ¡°Your husband would be so proud of how you''ve raised her.¡± Ren said, and Narhilda sobbed harder. He stood there for a few minutes and let Narhilda cry herself out. When she started sniffing, he gave her some cloth to wipe her face, and he repaired his clothing. Ren walked back to Nathalia and smiled. ¡°My Lady, I need to go to the Library for a very important reason.¡± Nathalia started to open her mouth to protest, and he kissed her. A moment later, he broke the kiss. ¡°I won''t be working there today, so equip your cloak and come with me.¡± ¡°I might need a little more convincing than that.¡± She smiled. Ren chuckled and kissed her again. After a few minutes, they said goodbye to Narhilda, left the house, and went out into the courtyard. There was a cart there, but without a pony. They walked over to it and a note was attached.
Ren, We bought the driver a new cart, so you can keep this one. - Dorcot
Ren smiled and looked at Nathalia. ¡°Wait right here.¡± She nodded, and Ren went into the stable. He went to Princess. ¡°I have a big favor to ask.¡± Princess stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry. Ren laughed. ¡°No, I won''t ask you to carry me until I dump everything I''m carrying.¡± He said. ¡°I''d like for you to pull a cart.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It''ll make you stronger.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Your Endurance could go up.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I''ll make you french fries for supp-¡± BANG! Princess rammed the stable door and was standing next to the cart before Ren could finish the sentence. He laughed and walked out to where Nathalia stood. ¡°You''re making her do this?¡± She asked. ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°French fries are.¡± Nathalia laughed and pet Princess'' neck as Ren hooked her up to the cart. He walked over to face Princess. ¡°I promise I won''t flick the reins, as long as you go at a normal pace in the city.¡± She snorted. ¡°Yes, we can go fast until we get there.¡± Princess huffed and Ren helped Nathalia climb up to the driver''s seat. He was tempted to let her ride in the back, but if Princess was going to run fast, Nathalia needed the handholds. Ren led the cart over to the gate and opened it. Wohrum and the second guard he didn''t know was there. ¡°Sir.¡± Wohrum said. ¡°This is Kharpik.¡± ¡°Sir! It''s nice to finally meet you, sir!¡± ¡°At ease.¡± Ren said. ¡°We only go formal when visitors are here.¡± ¡°Understood, sir.¡± Ren took out the set of armor, and gave it to Kharpik. He equipped it without a word and nodded. Ren dismissed the 10 Honor gain popup, and told him the same thing he told the other guards about weapons and shields being available soon. Ren led Princess out to the road and positioned her to face the right direction, then turned back to the guards. ¡°No one gets through that gate.¡± Ren said, and the guards nodded slightly. ¡°We''ll be back in an hour or so.¡± He walked around to face Princess. ¡°Take it slow at first. You''ve never pulled a cart before. Get used to the balance, okay? I don''t want you to get hurt because you rushed.¡± She huffed and nodded slightly. Ren pat her neck and climbed up beside Nathalia. ¡°You should hold on, My Love.¡± Ren said to Nathalia, and she grabbed the two handholds. He tugged the reins slightly, and Princess walked a little bit. It took her a minute to get a stride going; but once she got a feel for the weight, she picked up the pace. A mile down the road, she ran. The cart shook as Princess essentially dragged it behind her. Ren and Nathalia hung on as the last few miles to the city passed quickly. Princess slowed down as she neared the city, and Ren guided her with little tugs on the reins for right and left. Dwarves stared at them as they passed. Princess followed the directions without fault, and Ren asked her to stop beside the Library. Ren hopped down and walked in front of Princess. ¡°That was great.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stay here, please. Don''t go anywhere.¡± He looked at her. ¡°If anyone tries to take you or hurt you, you stomp them and run them over, okay?¡± Princess huffed. ¡°You don''t have to kill them, but it''s okay if you do.¡± She nodded and Ren helped Nathalia down out of the cart, then checked their clothes to see they had survived the trip unscathed. He took her hand, asked her to concentrate on her personal Aura, and led her into the Library. ¡°Your Highness!¡± The Librarian said as the door opened and Ren led Nathalia inside. ¡°And Your Highness.¡± ¡°Ma''am.¡± ¡°What can I do for you today?¡± ¡°I was wondering.¡± Ren said. ¡°How does someone publish a story?¡± The Librarian''s eyes lit up. ¡°Ooo, do you have a book that no one has?¡± ¡°It''s not a book yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like to make it one, though.¡± ¡°Can you tell me what it''s about?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Can you make it into a book?¡± The Librarian smiled. ¡°If the story''s good enough.¡± ¡°Let''s go upstairs and have a seat.¡± Ren said. ¡°This may take a while.¡± The trio went upstairs to the second floor and sat down, and Ren told them the tale of the Fire Dancer. Nathalia and the Librarian sat in silence as he recited the entire thing from memory, and Teepo didn''t have to help him at all. When he was done, he got a popup.
Running Quest Update!
You have spread the word of the birth of Fire Dancer, Deity of the Fire Element. Rewards: 50 XP
¡°So.¡± Ren said. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°It''s a great story, but...¡± The Librarian said. ¡°...it''s not enough for a book.¡± ¡°It''s not long enough?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°What if I add another story?¡± ¡°Possibly.¡± The female dwarf said. ¡°Tell me.¡± Ren told her about the Battle of the Deathgore. When he got to Nathalia''s participation, he let Nathalia tell it. The librarian stared at them, then she looked at Nathalia''s cloak. ¡°That''s it, isn''t it?¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°May I?¡± Nathalia grinned, and nodded slightly again. The Librarian came around and felt the pelt and sighed. After a minute, she sat back down. ¡°Do you have anything else?¡± Ren told her of the dire wolf and the cloak he now wore as well. ¡°I think... I think that might be enough.¡± She went downstairs and didn''t come back for a while. Ren started to get worried, and then the Librarian came up the stairs. ¡°Yes, it was enough.¡± She walked over to them and gently placed a book on the table. ¡°All it needs is a title.¡± Ren thought about it for a minute. ¡°How about... Fire, Fear, and Death.¡± He said. ¡°Tale of the Fire Dancer, Fear of the Dire Wolf, and Death of the Deathgore.¡± The book glowed for a moment, and the words Ren said etched themselves onto the cover in gold. His name appeared underneath the subtitle as the Author, and he picked it up. He flipped through the pages, and everything he had said was in there. ¡°This is fantastic!¡± Ren said. ¡°What Rank is it?¡± ¡°You can choose that now.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°There''s some adult themes in it, though.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''d say C for this version.¡± A large C appeared on the spine of the book. ¡°How can I get copies?¡± ¡°How many do you want?¡± ¡°I''d say a thousand, but I don''t know how much copies are.¡± Ren said. ¡°A... a thousand? Why so many?¡± ¡°I want as many people to read it as possible.¡± ¡°That many copies won''t be necessary.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Each Library only needs one copy of a book. Once it''s in the Archive, any copies that are needed can be produced.¡± She said to Ren''s surprised face. ¡°It''s why you never have to wait for a book to be returned to the Library to read it yourself.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said. ¡°Then... 10 copies would be good.¡± ¡°They''re a gold each.¡± She said, and Ren gave her 10 gold. ¡°I''ll need the original, too.¡± Ren handed her the book and she disappeared down the stairs. 10 minutes later, she came back with 11 books.
Running Quest Update!
You have spread the word of the birth of Fire Dancer, Deity of the Fire Element. Rewards: 5000 XP Knowledge Of Fire Level 7 (Intermediate 0%) Fire affinity and resistance increased to 35%
¡°The original.¡± She said and handed Ren the golden-lettered book. He stored it and she handed him the silver-lettered copies. ¡°Just give a copy to a Library, and they can make as many copies that they need for people to read them.¡± ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Ren said, then had another idea. ¡°Can the Tale of the Fire Dancer be a children''s book?¡± The Librarian''s eyes widened, and then she grinned. ¡°You know what? It''s a great tale about greed and how it corrupts. Sit right there, and I''ll be back.¡± She disappeared again, and 20 minutes later, she came back with 11 copies of a colorful children''s book. ¡°Here you go.¡± She put them on the table. The top one was golden-lettered and Ren stored it, then he handed a copy to Nathalia to flip through and he did the same. ¡°I... I can''t believe...¡± Ren said. The pictures showed every scene the story had brought to his mind, and the simple text lines at the bottom of each page told the story in detail. ¡°It''s wonderful!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. The Librarian chuckled. ¡°I''m always shocked at how they come out, too.¡± Ren handed her another 10 gold and stored all of the books.
Running Quest Update!
You have spread the word of the birth of Fire Dancer, Deity of the Fire Element. Rewards: 3000 XP Knowledge Of Fire Level 1 (Advanced 0%) Fire affinity and resistance increased to 45%
Level Up!
You have gained a level and are now Level 7! New Familiar Recipe unlocked: Arbalest - Sentient Crossbow
¡°I don''t know how I can thank you for this.¡± Ren said. The Librarian laughed. ¡°It''s one of the main functions of the Library.¡± She said. ¡°I even put a copy of each into my Archive.¡± Ren stood up and gave her a hug. The Librarian sighed, and a moment later he let her go. ¡°I''d like for you to make a copy for anyone that wants one. For free.¡± Ren said. ¡°Put a copy in the front window.¡± ¡°I can''t give them away!¡± The Librarian said. ¡°It costs almost that much to produce them.¡± Ren smiled and took out 5 platinum. ¡°Here''s enough to cover 500 copies.¡± Her mouth dropped open. ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I''d also like to make a donation to the Library, for it''s operation, maintenance, and maybe a salary for it''s owner.¡± The Librarian stopped breathing. Ren pat her on the back and she started again. ¡°You''re crazy.¡± ¡°I sure am.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Will you accept it?¡± She took a deep breath and looked at Nathalia, who nodded. ¡°Who am I to deny a Prince and his Princess?¡± ¡°Do you have a coin pouch?¡± The Librarian nodded and Ren gave her 50 platinum. She sat down and fanned her face. Ren heard her whispering something over and over. ¡°By the gods... by the gods... by the gods... by the gods... by the gods.¡± ¡°You''ll be okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just don''t give it all to your brother in the Hole.¡± The Librarian looked at Ren for a minute, then she calmed down and smiled. ¡°I... I might give him one. To see his reaction.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''ll be a sight, that''s for sure.¡± She laughed and sat up straight. ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡± She looked at Nathalia. ¡°Highnesses.¡± Nathalia laughed and stood up. ¡°I think my husband has done quite enough here today.¡± She reached a hand out and Ren took it. ¡°Ma''am.¡± Ren said and bowed to her. They started to walk away, and Ren remembered something. ¡°I almost forgot!¡± He said and took out the 100 embroidered cloth bookmarks. ¡°You can keep these for the books, or let people use them.¡± The Librarian took the pile of cloth bookmarks and stared at the spectacle. She fanned them out and saw the growing fire consume the forest. ¡°These are beautiful.¡± ¡°They''re yours, so you can do what you want with them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have a good day.¡± Ren and Nathalia went outside and no bodies were around Princess, so he assumed she didn''t kill anyone. He helped Nathalia climb onto the cart and then got on himself. He led Princess back out of the main part of the city, and she ran as hard as she could back to House Neram. She slowed down just before the gate and Ren had her stop right in front. He climbed down and Wohrum opened the gate for him to lead Princess and the cart inside. The gate closed behind them, and Ren helped Nathalia down. She pat Princess as Ren unhooked the cart, and waited while Ren took Princess into the stable. ¡°That was great, Princess.¡± Ren said, and she nosed her bowl. He chuckled. ¡°I already made them for you.¡± He said and dumped a huge pile of french fries into the bowl. She dug in and fries flew all over the place and Ren laughed, then left her to enjoy them. ¡°What now, My Love?¡± Ren asked Nathalia. ¡°How about we go inside and sit on the couch? We haven''t had a chance to talk in a while.¡± Ren gave her a quick kiss. ¡°I''d like nothing better.¡± For the rest of the day, Ren and Nathalia enjoyed each other''s company. Chapter 139 - Task Complete Ren had Nathalia recharge his Mana Pool while they spent the last few hours together, then had a great supper with her mother, and let Narhilda know what had been going on. He let her read the children''s book, as it was short and didn''t take long. He didn''t get a popup for an increase for Fire Affinity, and figured he''d need more than one person to read it to increase it, now that it was at the Advanced level. Narhilda said she''d tell everyone she knows the story, and Ren did get a popup for a 1% increase. As long as people will hear about it, I get the bonus. Ren thought. I guess it''s the potential that matters, and not necessarily the actual passing of knowledge. ¡°The food was delicious, Narhilda.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It was no trouble.¡± She said. ¡°I really enjoy cooking.¡± ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t help today, Ma.¡± Nathalia said. Her mother snorted. ¡°I wasn''t going to steal you away from your date day just to cook supper, dear.¡± ¡°I was only in the next room.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Narhilda grinned. ¡°I can''t remember ever hearing you giggle so much!¡± ¡°Blame him!¡± Nathalia said and chuckled. ¡°He wouldn''t stop tickling me.¡± ¡°I can''t help it if I like the sound of you laughing.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You don''t have to force it, though.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll laugh as much as you want.¡± ¡°Where''s the fun in that?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''d rather make you laugh.¡± ¡°Okay, you two.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Go on. I''ll clean up.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Her daughter said. ¡°It''ll go faster if we all help.¡± ¡°No, no. You''ve got stuff you need to take care of.¡± Ren stood up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Nathalia stood and kissed her other cheek. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Narhilda said, then waved them away. ¡°Shoo!¡± Ren laughed and took Nathalia''s hand and led her to the old bedroom. He spent half an hour playing with her, then an hour pleasing her. He told her what he was planning to do, and she nodded. Nathalia was exhausted and fell asleep right afterwards, and Ren slipped out of bed. He equipped his Travellers Clothes and Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, and snuck out of the bedroom and then into the kitchen. He stored a pile of food, then crept out of the house. Once outside, he opened the message system and sent a message to someone he needed help from. Ren asked to meet, and he got a response right away. She would meet him in 3 hours at the Library in Aurora. He confirmed the appointment, closed the message system, and went into the stable. ¡°Princess.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I need another cart ride.¡± He held out a choice piece of cut meat and Princess sniffed it, appreciatively. She huffed and Ren put it in her bowl. When she finished eating, he stored the bowl and crate, then led her out of the stable. Once the cart was enchanted with a double glyph of Antidark, Princess was hooked up to it. Ren led her out of the courtyard and closed the gate behind him, making sure it was locked. ¡°The weight''s going to be different this time.¡± Ren said. ¡°Start slow and adjust to it, then you can pour on the speed.¡± She nodded, and he climbed into the driver''s seat. ¡°Okay.¡± Princess trotted at first, and noticed that Ren was right. She huffed and moved side to side a little, then she ran. It was a little faster this time to the city, since the weight was nearly a third less than what it was. At the main part of the city, Ren saw that no one was around and he told Princess she could go a little faster. She went into a fast trot, and they got to the other road in no time and Princess poured on the speed. They stopped every 20 minutes, so Ren could give her food and water, but it only took an hour and a half to get back to the warehouse. Ren thanked her for working so hard, unhooked her from the cart, and brought her inside the warehouse. He took out her crate and bowl, and gave Princess more food. He opened her stat window while she ate, and smiled. ¡°Your Strength and Endurance are both gaining ground.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m proud of you.¡± Princess blew a raspberry and Ren chuckled. ¡°No, I''m not going to say ''I told you so''.¡± She huffed and Ren rubbed her neck. ¡°I''ll be back in a few hours.¡± He said, and went upstairs. Teepo, I''ll summon you on the other side. ¡°See you then.¡± Teepo said and dissolved back into the ring. Ren opened the cabinet, nailed it shut from inside, then stepped through the portal. He opened the other cabinet and nailed that shut, then summoned Teepo. He appeared at Ren''s feet and flew up to land in Ren''s hood. ¡°That is so cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°It sure is!¡± Teepo said. ¡°I can still run and jump, but flying will surely help with my scouting!¡± Ren nodded and went downstairs. The place was empty and Ren opened the door and locked it behind him. He walked down the street and around the corner. He didn''t notice the man standing 3 buildings away, watching him. * When Ren was out of sight, the man slipped around the corner and walked as fast as he could, without actually running, up to the north gate. Being this late, no one was there watching things, so he just walked out of the gate. A hundred feet away near the treeline, a hooded figure stood. ¡°You have the money?¡± The man said. ¡°You have information?¡± The hooded figure held up a silver coin. ¡°I''ve been watching the place all afternoon and evening.¡± The hooded figure held up another silver and the man grinned. ¡°He just left the building and is walking towards the center of the city. He wasn''t running, so he had no clue I saw him.¡± ¡°Do you know where he''s going?¡± The man smiled. ¡°There''s only 2 places open at this time of night.¡± He said. ¡°The Jiggly Puff, and the Library.¡± The hooded figure pretended to toss the money, and the man jerked in place to catch it. The hooded figure chuckled, then actually tossed the coins. The man grabbed one, then scrambled to get the second one as it rolled away across the ground. The hooded figure opened the message system and sent off a quick group message.
He''s in the Library.
* Ren went into the Library and looked around. No one was there, except the receptionist. He walked closer and saw who it was. ¡°Rosie!¡± Ren said, and her face lit up. ¡°I''m really glad you''re here.¡± He said, then frowned. ¡°Hold on, why are you here at night?¡± ¡°That''s easy to explain.¡± Rosie chuckled. ¡°The night Librarian wanted a night off.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°This makes my visit so much better.¡± Rosie giggled and blushed a little. ¡°You flatterer.¡± ¡°That''s not flattery, that''s the truth.¡± He said. ¡°I was worried I''d have to explain a whole bunch of things to someone I didn''t know.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Rosie said. ¡°Like what?¡± Ren took out a copy of the children''s book and gave it to her. ¡°This for one.¡± She took it and flipped through it. ¡°You''re submitting a book?¡± ¡°Two, actually.¡± Ren said and took out a copy of the other book. ¡°Could you add them to the Archive for me?¡± ¡°Ren, I''d be happy to.¡± ¡°Thanks, Rosie.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Rosie disappeared behind the desk for a couple of minutes and came back empty handed. ¡°There, all done.¡± ¡°Well, not quite.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I know it costs a gold for a copy of a book if you want to keep it, so I want you to give them away for free and I''ll pay for the copies.¡± Rosie''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Ren, we get hundreds of people in here a day!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Not everyone will want a copy, but I''d like you to put a copy of each in the front window and offer them for free.¡± ¡°Why in the world do you want me to do that?¡± ¡°I need the Tale of the Fire Dancer to reach as many people as possible, and as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°Well, okay.¡± Rosie said. ¡°I hope you''ve got deep pockets.¡± Ren passed her 5 platinum. ¡°This will cover the first 500 copies that you give away.¡±
Running Quest Update!
You have spread the word of the birth of Fire Dancer, Deity of the Fire Element. Rewards: 10,000 XP Knowledge Of Fire Level 5 (Advanced 0%) Fire affinity and resistance increased to 50%
Rosie stared at the money. ¡°You... you were serious?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''d also like to make a donation to the Library, to help with maintenance, upkeep and maybe a huge pay bump for the Librarian that I''m giving it to.¡± Rosie stopped looking the money, and stared at Ren. ¡°Y-y-you''re crazy!¡± Ren snorted laugh. ¡°I don''t know why everyone says that.¡± Rosie put a hand over her mouth and started laughing. ¡°All right! I''ll accept a donation, in the name of the Library.¡± Ren put 10 platinum on her desk, then 10 more, then 10 more, and didn''t stop until there was 100 platinum. Rosie stopped breathing. Ren ran around the desk, rubbed her back, and told her to take deep breaths. She caught her breath a moment later and grabbed the desk to stop herself from fainting. ¡°You... you... you have really deep pockets!¡± Ren kept rubbing her back and laughed. Rosie eventually calmed down, and she turned to him. ¡°You''re not supposed to be behind the desk.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± Ren said walked back around to the front. ¡°I saw you needed help, and I...¡± Rosie came around the desk and stood in front of him. She was almost exactly Ren''s height and she stared at him in the eyes, then took him into a hug. He hugged her back automatically. Ren hadn''t hugged anyone that was the same height as him before, and it was a very intimate moment. ¡°Thank you.¡± Rosie said, and then kissed him briefly. She let him out of the hug and stepped back. Ren stood there with surprise on his face. ¡°Rosie...¡± Ren started. ¡°You''re so sweet that I couldn''t resist.¡± She giggled. ¡°...I''m engaged to be married.¡± Ren finished. ¡°That''s okay.¡± She said and went back behind her desk. ¡°It was just a thank you kiss.¡± Ren didn''t know what to say to that, and she smiled. ¡°That was me thanking you personally.¡± Rosie said. ¡°The Library on the other hand...¡± She smiled. ¡°...would like to thank the most generous Patron it''s ever had.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
New Title!
Your generosity to the Library has been recognized, and you''ve been awarded a title: Patron of Knowledge. This title grants you a 5 level Bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge. You have also been granted access to restricted areas of the Library.
Stat Change!
Speed Reading Level 2 (Intermediate 40%) Hidden Knowledge Level 7 (Beginner 0%)
¡°Rosie!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°There''s coffee in the break room, Mr. Patron.¡± Rosie grinned. ¡°Care to join me for a cup?¡± ¡°But...¡± She came out from behind the desk again and hollered to someone at the back of the main room. ¡°I''m taking my break!¡± ¡°Okay, Rosie.¡± A wizened old lady came out from behind a small desk and hobbled up the aisle to the main desk. It took her a while, and Rosie waited for her to sit down. ¡°15 minutes.¡± ¡°I know, Grandma.¡± Rosie said. ¡°Come on, Ren.¡± Ren followed her to the hallway on the side, and they entered the first door on the right. Inside was a nice break room with a small kitchenette and a plate of pastries. ¡°I didn''t know they had coffee here.¡± ¡°It''s new.¡± Rosie said and poured a cup for herself and one for Ren. ¡°I came in here the other day, right after we hired a new helper, and poof!¡± She sat down at the small table. ¡°The helper said it was called ''coffee'', and we''ve been drinking it ever since.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Who is it?¡± Rosie waved Ren''s question away. ¡°Just some guy. He had a pile of books with him, and donated them to the Library when he asked for a job, so we hired him on the spot.¡± I wonder how he got coffee to appear here. Ren thought and tasted it. ¡°Wow, that''s strong.¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot!¡± Rosie said, and opened one of the cupboards. ¡°Crugar and seam.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I think you mean ''sugar and cream''.¡± Rosie shrugged, and Ren put some sugar in his cup to take some of the bitterness away. ¡°What are you doing here, by the way?¡± Rosie asked. ¡°You could have dropped the books off anytime.¡± ¡°I''m here to meet someone.¡± Ren said. Teepo? ¡°About an hour.¡± Teepo said. Thanks. Ren thought. ¡°She should be here in about an hour.¡± ¡°Can I go exploring?¡± Teepo asked. Be careful and don''t exert yourself. Teepo took off from the hood and slid out through the edge of the doorway. ¡°Wheee!¡± Rosie sighed. ¡°It''s her, isn''t it?¡± Ren smiled and nodded. ¡°Why don''t you like her?¡± Her eyes widened for a moment, and then she smiled. ¡°It was that easy to see, was it?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Only to everyone that knows you.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don''t like her.¡± Rosie chuckled. ¡°There''s something about her that rubs me the wrong way whenever I see her.¡± ¡°I''ve heard of something like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know about love at first sight?¡± Rosie nodded. ¡°This is hate at first sight.¡± He said. ¡°For some unknown reason, you just automatically hate them.¡± She nodded. ¡°Yes! She didn''t do or say anything to me, and yet I hated her instantly.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Chemistry between people can work the other way, too. It doesn''t have to be positive.¡± ¡°I''m glad that didn''t happen to us.¡± Rosie grinned. ¡°All the fun we would have missed!¡± ¡°You asked me to dance, remember?¡± He said. ¡°I was terrified until you showed me a few moves.¡± ¡°I still can''t believe that was your first time.¡± Rosie shook her head. ¡°You moved like you were floating on air.¡± ¡°It was an ability called Sneak, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°Some Adventurers have access to it.¡± She chuckled. ¡°So you cheated!¡± Ren chuckled, too. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Sneak.¡± Rosie said. ¡°I''ll have to remember to ask my dance partners about that, the next time I go to a party.¡± ¡°Have there been many since the last one?¡± Rosie shook her head. ¡°There hasn''t been a lot of activity at all around here.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I wonder why.¡± ¡°There''s been a lot more shady characters around than usual, too.¡± She finished her coffee and put the cup on the counter. Ren handed his cup to her, and she put it next to the other one. ¡°Something is going on, that''s for sure.¡± ¡°Are you being careful walking home?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t want anything happening to you.¡± ¡°I only live up the street.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''ll stick around and walk you home if you want me to.¡± ¡°See?¡± Rosie giggled. ¡°I told you that you were too sweet.¡± ¡°It''s not my fault that I care about what happens to my friends.¡± She put a hand on his arm. ¡°Thanks; but, I''ll be walking Grandma home. She''ll keep me company.¡± She left the break room and pointed down the hallway. ¡°You can wait for her at her desk.¡± Rosie said and rolled her eyes. ¡°Thank you, Rosie.¡± Ren said, and tried not to laugh. ¡°See you on the way out.¡± She waved and left him in the hallway. Teepo? Where are you, buddy? ¡°I''m in the back room.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Resting on top of a shelf, near the desk in the middle.¡± I''ll be right there. Ren thought and walked down the hallway to the door at the end. He entered the room and closed the door, then walked down the aisle to the desk near the center of the room. There wasn''t anywhere for him to sit, so he made a chair to sit in and waited. Ren was tempted to pull some of the books off the shelf nearby and try his Speed Reading out, but he didn''t want to abuse his new access privileges like that. He put a single finger on the raised surface of his Water Spray ring, and absorbed the enchantment, then cast it again and absorbed it. 45 minutes, and 450 enchantments later, he''d raised his Advanced Enchanting Level 1 from 20% to 43%. I definitely need to get a healer to help grind that skill up higher. Ren thought, then cast a double glyph of Water Spray (8 runes total). His Mana Pool was only down by a quarter. All in all, I could keep going, but she should be here any moment. Ren heard a door open, and footsteps came up along one of the aisles. Since they all led to the desk, when she came up to it and saw Ren sitting there, she was surprised. ¡°How did you get in here?¡± The Sage of Ages asked. ¡°Through the door.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Ha. Ha. That''s so funny, I''ll laugh tomorrow.¡± Lara said, and sat down. ¡°Where did that chair come from?¡± ¡°Well, that''s a long story.¡± Ren said. ¡°First off, the chairs have to like each other enough to reproduce...¡± Lara snorted a laugh. ¡°I hope you''re not trying to be funny.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± Ren said in a gravelly voice, then crunched his face up and hunched down. ¡°Do or do not. There is no try.¡± Lara burst out laughing. ¡°How long have you been waiting to say that?¡± ¡°About 3 years.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°Congratulations. You got me in a good mood.¡± She said. ¡°What can I do for you this time?¡± ¡°That depends on how many libraries you have access to.¡± ¡°All of them.¡± ¡°A number, please.¡± Ren said. Lara looked at him skeptically. ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± ¡°Lara... I mean Sage of Ages... I won''t tell anyone how many libraries are actually in the game if you don''t want me to. I also didn''t ask you where they were, just how many.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She sighed. ¡°Including this one, there''s 8.¡± ¡°I have enough copies, then.¡± ¡°Of what?¡± Ren took out the 9 copies he had left of each book. ¡°I''d like you to deliver a copy of each book to the libraries you have access to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Really.¡± Lara said. ¡°I came all this way to meet you, and what you want is for me to deliver books?¡± ¡°All this way?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°All you did was step through a portal.¡± She looked at him in surprise. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°I''m a business owner. I made a duplicate business in the Dwarven Kingdom and opened a portal to here.¡± Lara''s eyes widened for a moment, then she shut them. A few minutes later, she sighed and opened her eyes. ¡°Of course it would work that way.¡± She shook her head. ¡°How did you make the connection to me being able to do that?¡± ¡°When you told me you had a ''space'' that was yours in every Library, I always kept it in mind. When I made my own portal, it clicked.¡± ¡°You''re one smart cookie.¡± ¡°You''re going to change that opinion in a minute.¡± ¡°Yeah, why?¡± ¡°When you give the books to the libraries, I want a copy displayed in the window and any that people want are to be given away for free.¡± Lara barked a laugh. ¡°That''s not going to happen.¡± ¡°I didn''t say they wouldn''t get paid for them, I just want them given to anyone that wants them at no charge.¡± ¡°You''re going to pay for the copies, then?¡± Ren nodded and put 5 platinum on the desk. ¡°Whoa.¡± Lara said and picked up the 5 coins. ¡°This will get you...¡± She thought for a moment. ¡°...about 35 copies of each book at each Library.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s only for one Library.¡± Lara''s mouth dropped open. ¡°You''re crazy!¡± He laughed. ¡°I told you your opinion of me would change.¡± ¡°Ren, you''re out of your mind.¡± Lara said. ¡°To give away 35 platinum for books that people might not want...¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Once they hear the word free, people will take one just because they can.¡± She snorted a laugh. ¡°You''re right about that.¡± ¡°So.¡± Ren said. ¡°Will you do it?¡± ¡°What''s in it for me?¡± Lara asked. ¡°What do you want?¡± She smiled. ¡°I want... the biggest diamond that you can find... right here, in my hand... then I''ll do anything that you want.¡± Ren reached a hand out and she took it. He shook it and smiled. ¡°Deal.¡± He said, then let an evil grin cross his face. ¡°Now you have to do anything I want.¡± Lara had a shocked look on her face for a moment, then she scowled. ¡°You rotten, dirty-minded, perverted little-¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Ren interrupted her. ¡°If I was even half-way dirty-minded like that, you''d be all mine, Sage of Ages.¡± Her mouth dropped open, and he grinned. ¡°You agreed to do anything that I wanted. Anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lucky for you, I''m actually a nice guy.¡± Lara closed her mouth and frowned. ¡°Our ''deal'' is only good if you give me a diamond.¡± She said. ¡°The biggest that you could find.¡± ¡°And the money equivalent isn''t the same thing, is it?¡± Ren asked. She shook her head. ¡°Nope. I want one big honking diamond siting right here.¡± Lara said, let his handshake go, and held her hand cupped to catch something. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and walked out of the room and into the hallway. He took out one of the crates that had the different-sized diamonds in it, and he rummaged around until he found the biggest one in the crate. It would fit in her hand nicely. As a bit of a joke, Ren took out the sack of 1 gold coin diamonds and moved them around. He ''found'' one and took it out of the bag, then stored the crate and bag again. He appraised the big diamond at 40 platinum, slipped it into a pocket, and went back into the room where the Sage of Ages waited. She sat there at the table with her hand out, and Ren walked over to her. ¡°This is the biggest I could find in the sack I have.¡± He said and put the diamond on her palm. She closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Oh my god.¡± Lara said, dropped the diamond onto the table, and walked over to a shelf. She pulled out a map with nothing marked on it, except ocean and land. She ran her finger across it, and stopped right under a mountain peak. ¡°You have a diamond mine. Right there.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You saw the diamond was cut from a bigger one, didn''t you?¡± Lara nodded. ¡°I saw it pushed up to where it sat for hundreds of years, saw you dig it up and keep it for a while, then a dwarf... Dorcot the Gemcutter... cut it for you.¡± She traced back along the shoreline, then up about 6 miles and stopped. ¡°Right there.¡± She let the map roll up and sat down. ¡°No wonder you can give platinum away to libraries so nonchalantly.¡± ¡°They were just worthless crystals until I found Dorcot.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, though...¡± ¡°Okay, give me the biggest one you''ve found.¡± Lara said, and held her hand out. ¡°I already did.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I told you it was the biggest I could find in the sack I have.¡± Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. ¡°NO!¡± Lara took a deep breath and sat back. ¡°I can''t believe you got me to help you, for only a single gold coin diamond.¡± Ren held his mouth shut to stop from laughing. Lara sighed and stood up. ¡°All right. Give me the rest of the money, and I''ll make the trips.¡± Ren snorted, then couldn''t stop himself from laughing anymore. He guffawed and held his belly, and a few tears came to his eyes. ¡°Oh... oh, that face...¡± Ren said, once he caught his breath after laughing so hard. ¡°I''m sorry, but that was funny!¡± ¡°What was?¡± ¡°I... I had to play a joke... you... you agreed to such a broken deal, that I... I had to show you... how broken...¡± Ren calmed down and took several deep breaths. ¡°You... you tricked me?¡± Lara asked. Ren nodded and held his hand up with his fingers apart about an inch. ¡°A little bit.¡± Lara scowled and stomped her foot. ¡°That''s not funny!¡± ¡°That is the diamond I found in the sack.¡± Ren said, and pointed to the small gleaming stone. ¡°The sack wasn''t the first place I looked, though.¡± Ren reached into his pocket and took out a palm-sized, round-cut, diamond. Lara plunked down onto her chair and stared at it. He walked around the table and took her hand, then placed the stone in it. ¡°I never cheat people on deals.¡± Ren said. ¡°40 platinum.¡± Lara said. ¡°It''s worth 40 platinum.¡± He nodded. ¡°I lose 10% when I sell it to the system, though.¡± ¡°Ren, people would pay more than that if they knew!¡± He nodded again. ¡°That''s why they don''t know.¡± ¡°You''re intentionally not selling them to people?¡± ¡°I know they''d spend more than they could afford to get them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d smash them all before I''d let people hurt themselves, or others, over it.¡± ¡°You''re a good man, Ren.¡± Lara said, and smiled. ¡°A complete fool and totally crazy; but, you''re a good man.¡± ¡°Do you want the money in separate coin pouches?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No. I think I can count to five, seven times.¡± ¡°Are you sure? You''ve had quite the shock.¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°Don''t be an ass.¡± Ren handed her 30 more platinum, and she stored 7 copies each of the books. He picked up the small diamond and held it out to her. ¡°Don''t forget this one.¡± ¡°I won''t be forgetting that one for a while.¡± Lara shook her head and stored it.
Notice!
You have gained the willing co-operation of a Sage and have unlocked a hidden ability: Dedicated Sage. You can call upon the Dedicated Sage at any time, and they must help you in any way they can.
Lara walked away and went through the same door that she''d come out of. Over the next 10 minutes, Ren got a series of popups.
Running Quest Update!
You have spread the word of the birth of Fire Dancer, Deity of the Fire Element. Rewards: 3,000 XP Knowledge Of Fire Level 8 (Advanced 0%) Fire affinity and resistance increased to 55%
Running Quest Update!
You have spread the word of the birth of Fire Dancer, Deity of the Fire Element. Rewards: 5,000 XP Knowledge Of Fire Level 1 (Expert 0%) Fire affinity and resistance increased to 60%
Running Quest Update!
You have spread the word of the birth of Fire Dancer, Deity of the Fire Element. Rewards: 2,000 XP Knowledge Of Fire Level 2 (Expert 0%) Fire affinity and resistance increased to 65%
Running Quest Update!
You have spread the word of the birth of Fire Dancer, Deity of the Fire Element. Rewards: 5,000 XP Knowledge Of Fire Level 4 (Expert 0%) Fire affinity and resistance increased to 75%
Running Quest Update!
You have spread the word of the birth of Fire Dancer, Deity of the Fire Element. Rewards: 5,000 XP Knowledge Of Fire Level 6 (Expert 0%) Fire affinity and resistance increased to 85%
Running Quest Update!
You have spread the word of the birth of Fire Dancer, Deity of the Fire Element. Rewards: 4,000 XP Knowledge Of Fire Level 8 (Expert 0%) Fire affinity and resistance increased to 93%
Level up!
You have gained a level and are now: Level 8.
Running Quest Update!
You have spread the word of the birth of Fire Dancer, Deity of the Fire Element. Rewards: 5,000 XP Knowledge Of Fire (Master) Fire affinity and resistance 100%
Notice!
You have maxed out your Fire affinity and resistance stat. It no longer costs you Mana to use Fire-based enchantments.
Whoa! Ren thought, and then the entire room went completely dark. Even Ren couldn''t see with his perfect night vision. There was a flicker of light about a foot in front of him, as a small flame appeared. It grew and grew until it formed a portal big enough for Ren to step through. Holy CRAP! Ren thought. ¡°It''s Fire Dancer.¡± Teepo chittered in delight and landed in Ren''s hood. ¡°I can hear it!¡± It''s a portal, though. Ren thought. You better... ¡°It''s okay, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Fire Dancer is waiting for us.¡± Ren nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped into the portal. * The portal closed behind Ren and the darkness dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. A minute later, Lara came back into the room through the same door she''d left it. ¡°Okay, Ren. It''s done. They all know about...¡± She looked around. ¡°Where the hell did he go?¡± Lara took a breath to not scream curses at him, and tasted sulfur and ash. Her eyes widened and she sat down at her table. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lara said, and put her head in her hands. ¡°What did you do?!?¡± Chapter 140 - The Fire Realm Four hooded figures came into the library and fanned out. ¡°I''m tired of waiting.¡± The lead figure said. ¡°Find him.¡± They looked through all the areas they could see, but there was no sign of him. The lead figure went to the reception desk and stood in front of Rosie. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The little pip-squeak that came in here 2 hours ago.¡± Rosie shook her head. ¡°I''m sorry, I can''t help you.¡± The figure turned to the other three. ¡°Go in the back and search.¡± ¡°You aren''t allowed to do that.¡± Rosie said. ¡°That''s a restricted area.¡± ¡°Like I care about your restrictions.¡± The figure said and pulled out a sword. ¡°I have her covered. Go!¡± Rosie stood up. ¡°Did you just pull a weapon out while INSIDE THE LIBRARY?!?¡± The hooded figures stopped moving at Rosie''s bellow. ¡°This is a place of LEARNING!¡± Her face turned beet red from anger. ¡°Leave now, or I''ll MAKE you leave!¡± The hooded figures laughed, then started moving towards the hallway. ¡°You''re BARRED!¡± Rosie shouted. The front door of the Library flew open, and the hooded figures were grabbed by an invisible force. They were unceremoniously dragged to the door across tables and chairs, then tossed out into the street. The 4 figures landed in a pile, battered and bruised. Rosie came over to the doorway, stood with her hands on her hips, and glared at them. ¡°If you can''t behave like civilized people, then you won''t be treated like civilized people.¡± Rosie said. ¡°The soldiers have been notified of your transgression, so I suggest you don''t stick around. Unless you want to see what happens next.¡± The figures sorted themselves out of the pile and stood. The sound of rattling armor could be heard approaching from just up the street, and the 4 figures ran the other way. * Ren and Teepo appeared in an area neither of them had ever seen before. Everything was fire. The land, the trees, the bushes... everything was made of fire. Ren turned around and the portal had closed. ¡°Well, I guess we won''t be going back that way.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Fire Dancer is really happy!¡± ¡°I''d ask you were we should go, but since neither of us have been here before...¡± ¡°Just walk straight ahead...¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°...and follow the yellow fire road.¡± Ren looked down and sure enough, he was standing on a yellow fire road. He knelt down and ran his hands in the fire. ¡°It kinda feels like liquid jello.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°It''s a type of dessert Adventurers eat sometimes.¡± ¡°They eat fire?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, the fire just feels like the melting dessert.¡± He thought about it. ¡°Actually, there are fire-eaters, but it''s just a trick.¡± ¡°Whew! I''m glad.¡± Teepo relaxed. ¡°Fire Dancer wouldn''t be happy to hear about Adventurers eating her creations.¡± ¡°No, I wouldn''t.¡± A loud disembodied voice said. ¡°I would be displeased if they did.¡± Ren started walking down the road and saw various creatures through the trees. Rabbits and foxes mostly, but the odd thing was, they were made of fire. They still moved and acted like real creatures, but their bodies were fire instead of meat and bone. ¡°Neat.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m glad you like them.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°You made them all?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Did you make this realm for yourself?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren came to the end of the road, and about a football field away, was a mountain of fire. It shifted slightly, and Ren saw a good portion of it move, then a humanoid shape stood up. It took a step and the ground shook. It crushed trees and bushes and animals alike as it walked the short distance to where Ren stood. When it was close enough, he guessed it was about 200 feet tall. ¡°That is so cool!¡± Ren said. ¡°You... aren''t afraid?¡± Fire Dancer asked, surprised. ¡°I''m the Deity of Fire, and you''re not afraid.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m immune to fire.¡± ¡°I could still crush you.¡± ¡°I have no doubt that you could kill me at any time that you want.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s not why you brought me here, though. Is it?¡± The behemoth fire being bellowed a laugh. ¡°No. Like I told your little companion, I''m dying.¡± Ren took in a deep breath, then sighed. ¡°I felt really sad when he told me that.¡± ¡°You did, didn''t you?¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Teepo told me how you came here, and what happened to you... and now, after all this time being trapped and not able to go home, you''re dying.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t help but feel sad.¡± Pieces of the fire being''s body started to fall off. When a piece would hit the ground, it would become a bunny rabbit or a fox that would run away, a bush, a tree, then one big piece became a wolf that stood there and growled at Ren. He didn''t pay it any attention, however. A boar was next, and when it took off, the wolf chased it. Large boulders appeared then rolled away, pushed by some unseen force. A bear and 2 cubs were next. Ren stared in awe as nearly an entire forest and part of a mountain was born from the fire being''s crumbling body. When all of the pieces had finally fallen off, what was revealed was a woman. Unlike all of her creations, the fire she was made of was under translucent skin and burned a bright orange. Her eyes glowed brightly as she smiled at him. She was 5 foot 5, perfectly proportioned, and was also completely naked. Ren dropped to one knee and bowed his head. ¡°I didn''t realize you weren''t wearing clothing.¡± He said and blushed a little. Fire Dancer laughed. ¡°I couldn''t wear clothing if I tried.¡± She said, in a pleasantly female voice. ¡°They would burn up instantly.¡± ¡°I could try to make you something...¡± Ren offered. ¡°It''s quite alright.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Please stand and look at me.¡± ¡°But... I''ll look and... I don''t want to offend you.¡± She put a hand on his face. ¡°You could never offend me, dear one.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°I brought you here to thank you.¡± She said and lifted his face to her. ¡°That was an ingenious idea to spread the knowledge of me so quickly.¡± She kept lifting, and Ren had no choice but to stand before her. ¡°I only wish it had happened years ago, when it might have saved me.¡± Now that he was close enough to examine her, Ren saw that pieces of her were missing. A small chunk from her arm, a finger from the hand touching his face, one of her ears, and a piece of her shoulder. Ren couldn''t help himself as he touched those parts of her. ¡°You''re not dying.¡± Ren said, and a tear came to his eye. ¡°You''re being eaten away.¡± Fire Dancer had a surprised look on her face for a moment, then she smiled. ¡°Yes, dear one. That''s exactly right. The longer I''ve been trapped here, the more I wasted away.¡± She sighed. ¡°I tried to make a place for myself, and it worked for a little while; but, time has not been kind to me.¡± ¡°Goddess?¡± Teepo whispered. ¡°Yes, little Disciple?¡± ¡°Is there nothing we can do?¡± Teepo said. ¡°Ren is a great Adventurer, and he''s done so many amazing things!¡± ¡°Your devotion to me has kept my flame burning for many years.¡± Fire Dancer smiled. ¡°Your use of the friendship you have with this man to help me, was more than I could have asked of you.¡± She shook her head. ¡°To achieve so much in so short a time...¡± ¡°Is there nothing I can do?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ll do anything in my power to help, if I can.¡± Fire dancer looked at Ren, tilted her head, and smiled coyly. ¡°I believe you just had a similar deal with the Sage of Ages.¡± Ren thought about it for a moment, then his eyes widened. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°I''ve been waiting centuries for someone to achieve Affinity with me.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Even someone at 99% would burn up instantly when they stepped into this realm.¡± ¡°That''s happened before.¡± Ren said. She nodded. ¡°He was so close; but, he was impatient and getting on in years. He decided he couldn''t wait any longer, and opened a portal himself.¡± Ren took her into a hug. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Since he was 4 foot 7, and she was 5 foot 5, his head fit right under her chin. Fire Dancer was surprised at first, then she hugged him back. ¡°You mortals and your customs.¡± ¡°I can''t help myself sometimes.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m a hugger.¡± She laughed, and ran a hand through his hair. His eyes widened as she played with it a little, then ran her hand back over it to settle it down. ¡°It''s so soft and fluffy.¡± Fire Dancer said in wonder. ¡°I''ve never touched hair before.¡± ¡°You haven-¡± Ren stopped mid-word, and he grinned. ¡°Right. Fire Goddess. Burns everything.¡± Fire Dancer laughed. ¡°Teepo, is he always like this?¡± ¡°Yes, Goddess.¡± Teepo said. ¡°He treats everyone the same.¡± She cupped the side of Ren''s face. ¡°If only I''d found you years ago.¡± She said. ¡°Having someone like you by my side would have made all these years more bearable.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''m sorry, but I''m engaged to be married.¡± ¡°I know. Teepo has told me all about it.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°A new Fire Dancer must be made. One that can survive here.¡± She said. ¡°I will not allow everything that I have created to die with me.¡± Fire Dancer looked at Ren, pleadingly. ¡°Please, Ren. Save them. Save them all.¡± ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± ¡°I''m not asking for a commitment, dear one.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Only for a share of your affections.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Ren! Say yes!¡± Teepo urged. ¡°She''s a Goddess! Save her!¡± ¡°Teepo.¡± Fire Dancer said, and Teepo quieted. She reached into Ren''s hood and picked Teepo up. ¡°This is not a decision to be made lightly.¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°If you wish, you may discuss it with Nathalia.¡± ¡°But...¡± Fire Dancer let Ren out of the hug and waved an arm. A portal appeared 30 feet away. ¡°Go to her. Talk about it.¡± She said and put Teepo back in the hood. ¡°I''ve waited centuries for you. A little while longer won''t hurt too much.¡± Ren stared at her, as she put a hand on her thigh. He moved the hand aside gently, and watched as another small piece of fire within her shrank away, and left a space under her skin empty. He nodded and walked over to the portal and stepped through it. He was in pitch blackness again, and when it vanished, he was in the old bedroom in House Neram. Nathalia was there, asleep in the bed. Ren walked over to her and knelt. How in the world am I going to explain this? ¡°Tell the truth, of course.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You told her you wouldn''t ever lie to her.¡± Ren sighed and woke Nathalia up. He explained what was happening, and what the Goddess of Fire was asking of him, and Nathalia''s eyes nearly bulged out of her head. ¡°You... you''ve been asked.... by a Deity... to... to...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Do you love her?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then you have my permission.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°A Goddess... an ACTUAL Goddess... wants you to save as much of her as you can. I wouldn''t be able to live with myself if I let all of the Fire die in this world.¡± Ren took in a deep breath. ¡°Nathalia...¡± She kissed him deeply, and Ren''s body reacted almost instantly. ¡°There.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You''re ready.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You better be thinking of me the whole time.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''d rather keep my experiences with you, my own personal Goddess, separate.¡± Nathalia caught her breath. ¡°Ren! I just got a...¡± He kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around him. A minute later, he broke the kiss and stood. ¡°I''ll be back tomorrow, My Love.¡± ¡°I''ll always be here waiting for you, My Love.¡± Ren turned around and the room blacked out again. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Nathalia let out a startled scream. ¡°It''s just the portal, Nathalia.¡± Ren said. ¡°The light will return when it''s closed.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± The portal appeared and Ren stepped through it. * A moment later, the darkness dissipated and Nathalia sighed. ¡°The things he gets wrapped up in.¡± She said, and shook her head. ¡°I swear, trouble finds him wherever he goes.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. * Ren appeared in the fire realm, and he walked over to Fire Dancer. ¡°My future wife is fine with me ''rescuing'' a Goddess of Fire.¡± Fire Dancer smiled. ¡°I''m glad that she''s a practical woman.¡± ¡°Nathalia is definitely more than I deserve.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m really lucky I have her.¡± ¡°Almost as lucky as I was in finding you.¡± She said. ¡°To think you achieved what so many others have tried and failed at.¡± She looked at him. ¡°You''re amazing.¡± ¡°You shouldn''t have said that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now you aren''t going to know what to say when we''re finished.¡± ¡°When we''re finished?¡± She asked, perplexed. ¡°Can you make a bed please?¡± Ren asked. Fire Dancer made one, and Ren asked for a small building around it. ¡°Are you trying to make a private space?¡± Ren nodded. Fire Dancer smiled. ¡°This is all me, you know. Parts of me. I created it all.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like a bit of privacy anyway.¡± She shrugged and made a room around the bed. Teepo ¡°Standing guard.¡± Teepo said and flew to the roof of the building and landed. Ren picked Fire Dancer up in a ''princess carry'', with one arm behind her back and one under her knees. ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± She exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°I''m going to rock your world.¡± Ren said, carried her into the room, and shut the door. 10 hours later, Fire Dancer didn''t know what to say. ¡°I can''t... you... how...¡± Ren laughed. ¡°See? You should have saved the ''amazing'' comment.¡± Fire Dancer laughed. ¡°Yes, you''re right.¡± She said, then looked down at him. ¡°You can keep going, can''t you?¡± ¡°If you want me to, yes.¡± She put a hand on her abdomen. ¡°I''m sure you''ve achieved what I had intended, dear one.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow and Fire Dancer chuckled. ¡°That''s so cute!¡± She said and kissed his eyebrow. ¡°Now that the work is done, though...¡± ¡°There''s a saying where I come from.¡± Ren said. ¡°All work and no play...¡± Fire Dancer grinned. ¡°Oh, I like that thought!¡± After another 5 hours, Fire Dancer asked him to stop. ¡°I... I think...¡± She gripped her stomach. ¡°...yes, it''s time.¡± Ren looked at her with concern, and she gave him a kiss on the lips. ¡°Thank you very much, Father of Fire.¡± She said, and Ren dismissed the popup without reading it. Fire Dancer screamed as the fire under her skin burned hotter, and swirled around like a firestorm. It turned a deep red color from the bright orange it was, then slowly collapsed down into her abdomen. She stopped moving and her eyes stopped glowing. The fire inside of her kept getting smaller and smaller quickly, and Ren stared at it because he realized what it was. ¡°Oh, crap!¡± He pulled out the shield he''d gotten from the temple, rolled out of bed and ducked behind it. Fly, Teepo! Fly! A few seconds later, the swirling fire collapsed to a single point of light, then exploded. The bed, building, 30 feet of ground, trees, road and bushes disappeared in a flash of light and Ren was thrown a hundred feet into the air. Thankfully, the shield combined with his Shock Absorption and Block abilities allowed him to survive the blast, but he lost half of his Health in the process. He equipped his armor while flying through the air, and twisted himself around almost enough to get the shield under him. Ren impacted the ground nearly 150 feet away and lost another quarter of his Health. T-T-Teepo? Are you okay? Ren thought, and rubbed his head. ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Teepo said, and flew down to land on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°I was far enough away that I only got the shock wave.¡± Ren stood up and staggered. ¡°Damn.¡± He said, and sat back down. ¡°Ren! Look!¡± He looked to where the room used to be, and a 30 foot ball of fire was there. Ren stood up and ran, and ignored the pain he was in. He got to the ball of fire, and couldn''t see inside. He took a deep breath and stepped into the swirling mass of flames. ¡°It really is like liquid jello.¡± Ren said and pushed his way to the center. ¡°Teepo can you see in here?¡± ¡°A little.¡± Teepo said. ¡°To the left. A little more. Okay, we''re in the middle.¡± Ren knelt down, felt around, and found a small form. He picked it up and carried it back out of the flames, guided by Teepo. Once outside, Ren looked down to see a baby. ¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said, then the baby''s color turned from yellow to orange, then started to go to red. ¡°No!¡± Ren turned back towards the ball of fire and held the baby in his arms, then stepped halfway into it, covering the lower half of the baby with fire, but leaving it''s face out in the air. The baby''s color changed back to orange, then slowly flickered yellow. ¡°It''s not enough.¡± Ren said. ¡°What does fire need to eat?¡± His eyes widened and he took out a piece of lumber. It burned up instantly, and he scowled. ¡°Dammit, now what?¡± He thought. ¡°Air! Fire needs air to breathe!¡± Ren put his finger in the baby''s mouth to check for any obstructions, then performed CPR. A few seconds passed, and the baby started crying. ¡°That''s it! Cry!¡± Ren said and held the baby up. ¡°Daddy''s proud of you!¡± He froze at his words and then he looked at the baby. She had the same color eyes as him. ¡°I''m... I''m a father.¡± ¡°Wwwaaaa!¡± The baby cried, and Ren saw her color had become a little more yellow. ¡°Now what... oh! Oil!¡± Ren held the baby in one arm and took out a flask of oil. It immediately burst into flames and the flask broke apart. ¡°Goddammit!¡± The baby stopped crying and giggled. Ren looked at her and smiled. ¡°Was it the flask you found funny, or me cursing?¡± The baby grabbed a finger on his hand. ¡°Me, huh?¡± Ren said. ¡°Okay.¡± He took out another flask of oil, it burst as well, and Ren let a string of curses out that the baby found absolutely hilarious. He held her out with both hands and smiled. ¡°Daddy''s little girl likes a potty mouth!¡± He said, and did a raspberry on her tummy. She laughed and laughed as he did it over and over. The ball of fire shrank slightly and Ren kept the baby half in it. Once he had a moment to think about food, he smacked himself in the forehead and the baby laughed again. Ren turned the shield around and absorbed the Grip of Earth enchantment from it, then enchanted it with a double Wind glyph (8 runes total). The baby''s color went instantly to bright yellow and Ren laughed. ¡°Yes! There we go.¡± He said, then watched as the baby grew into a toddler, and the ball of fire shrank a little more. It was down to 28 feet across, and Ren didn''t know what to do when it was gone. Over the next 2 hours, the fireball continued to shrink as the toddler grew into a child. Ren told her stories to pass the time, and Teepo helped with stories about her mother. 6 hours later when the child grew into a teenager, Ren had his hands full as he tried to keep her in the fireball. It was now down to 25 feet across. ¡°Honey, please.¡± Ren said, trying to convince her to stay in the fire. ¡°I don''t want you to starve.¡± ¡°Daaaaaaad.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°You don''t need to babysit me. I''m almost as old as you are.¡± Ren concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Get back in here, or I''ll turn off the shield.¡± She huffed. ¡°Fine.¡± She walked back into the flames. ¡°There, happy?¡± Ren walked to her and gave her a hug. She was almost as tall as him now. ¡°Your mother didn''t say anything at the time because you came along so fast; but, I promised myself that I''d take care of you until you could take care of yourself.¡± ¡°I can take care of myself.¡± She said, indignantly. ¡°Not yet you can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let me show you some things.¡± Over the next week, she grew into a fine young woman. Ren was surprised his Health bar didn''t drop, even though he hadn''t eaten the whole time he was there. He''d taught her the basics of everything he knew about fighting, construction, blacksmithing, and everything else she wanted to learn. She couldn''t enchant, though; however much she tried. She was now slightly taller than her mother, and the fireball was down to only 5 feet across. ¡°Dad, why are we staying in the fire?¡± She asked. ¡°I know it''s to feed me, but I can eat when I want now.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If you want the truth, I don''t know.¡± She looked at him with surprise on her face. ¡°You... you really don''t know?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''ve told you the story. Your mother and I never got to talk about what would happen afterwards.¡± ¡°Then why...¡± Ren took her hand. ¡°If you want to know what I believe... I think this is the last gift your mother could give you.¡± He said. ¡°Teepo and I found you in the center of it.¡± ¡°You called?¡± Teepo said and flew over. ¡°Uncle Teepo!¡± She said and held her hands out for him to land. ¡°What did you see this time?¡± ¡°You wouldn''t believe it!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I saw fire!¡± She snorted a laugh, scratched his carapace, and Teepo''s back leg twitched back and forth. ¡°I''m not doing that for you, Teepo.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°You''re enjoying it way too much.¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°Guilty.¡± She chuckled and held Teepo out to Ren, who put Teepo into the hood. Ren looked at the fireball and sighed. ¡°What is it, dad?¡± ¡°Your mother... her gift is almost gone.¡± ¡°Dad.¡± She got a serious look on her face. ¡°I never asked you this before; but, did you love mom?¡± ¡°I''ll tell you the same thing she told me.¡± Ren cupped her face. ¡°If she''d found me years ago, everything I''ve done would have made a difference for her, possibly saved her, and made her time here more bearable.¡± He said. ¡°If that had happened, I''m sure I''d have loved her just as much as I love you.¡± ¡°Oh, dad!¡± She said, and hugged him. ¡°I''m sure she''d have loved you, too.¡± ¡°I know she would have.¡± Ren said as he was engulfed in her arms, then chuckled because his head fit under her chin. ¡°You''re getting too tall for me to hug you properly.¡± She laughed as she let him go. ¡°Would you rather I knelt?¡± She asked and went down on one knee. ¡°How''s that?¡± Ren took her into a hug and kissed her forehead. ¡°Yes, honey. That''s perfect.¡± ¡°You''re going to have to leave soon, aren''t you?¡± She asked, and looked up at him. ¡°I''m sure something is going to happen when the fireball is gone.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know what, though.¡± ¡°Should I be scared?¡± She asked. Ren laughed. ¡°You''re the daughter of the Goddess of Fire. You don''t have to be afraid of anything.¡± ¡°But... but what about... water?¡± She asked, then shivered. He stroked her face. ¡°I told you how to handle that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go hot. Burn for all you''re worth! Water is only wet because you let it be. When you''re hot enough, it can never touch you.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Watch.¡± He let her out of the hug, stepped out of the fireball, and walked several feet away. He pointed his Water Spray ring down the road and activated it for a second. Water gushed out for a moment, then instantly evaporated. Her mouth fell open. ¡°DAD!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You... you...¡± She swallowed. ¡°You had that on you this whole time?¡± Ren walked back over to her. ¡°I don''t need to keep it, but it''s come in handy a few times.¡± ¡°You could have killed mother... or me... at any time.¡± She said in shock. He took her into a hug. ¡°I''d never do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I could have found a way for her to return to where she came from, I''d have done that.¡± ¡°But... if you did that, then I...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Don''t second guess things that have already happened, or things you can''t change.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Look to what you can do, and what can be done.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I met your mother, we shared a wonderful time together, and here you are.¡± Ren said. ¡°A fine young woman. Strong, independent, and willful.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You can still tell me what to do.¡± ¡°Only because I care about you and you care about me.¡± He said. ¡°Just remember that no matter what happens, I''ll always be ready to help you if you need it.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°Thanks, dad.¡± ¡°And you''re not allowed to date until you''re at least 200.¡± ¡°Daaaaad!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m joking; but, you know how it is. You can''t invite people here without them being immune to fire, and you can''t go visit the other realm without everyone trying to kill you.¡± She sighed. ¡°I know, dad.¡± He stroked her face. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll think of something.¡± ¡°He always does.¡± Teepo offered. ¡°It''s not always good, though.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, wood and oil burns when engulfed in fire. Go figure.¡± She laughed as she remembered him doing that several times as she grew up. ¡°I can''t believe you used to curse like a sailor at me.¡± ¡°I distinctly remember a particular young lady that loved a potty mouth and couldn''t stop laughing.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ve matured a little since then.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°My little girl is growing u-.¡± His words were interrupted when the fireball shrank quickly. ¡°Stay in it!¡± He said to her and she walked to the center. The fireball shrank down slowly, until it came to a point of light about an inch across. When it stopped shrinking, Ren sighed in relief. ¡°Now what?¡± She asked. ¡°Take it.¡± Ren said. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°If I''m right, that''s the gift your mother left you. Take it in your hand.¡± She looked at Ren for a moment, sighed and gently put a hand under the point of light. When she touched it, it glowed for a moment, then entered her chest. ¡°D-d-dad. I feel funny.¡± ¡°It''s okay, honey. Don''t fight it.¡± Ren said. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaled, and was engulfed in a bright glow. A moment later, the glow faded and she opened her eyes. They were no longer a copy of his own, and glowed just like her mother''s did. The fire under her skin turned from a bright yellow to a bit of orange and yellow tips. She was also nearly 6 feet tall. ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± She said. ¡°Mother... she loved me...¡± ¡°Of course she did. You''re a part of her.¡± Ren said. ¡°A part of both of us.¡± ¡°I know.¡± She said, and looked around with her new eyes. A few foxes and bunnies came over to her, and she held a hand out to them. They changed to liquid fire and slid up her arm. The flame flowed over her body and formed itself into a blouse and pants. ¡°Is that better, dad?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I was naked in front of you all this time, and you never said anything.¡± ¡°I guess she left you her memories.¡± Ren came over to her, and gave her a hug. ¡°I honestly didn''t notice.¡± ¡°She really regretted not getting to spend more time with you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It was enough to make you, so she was happy at the end.¡± His daughter smiled. ¡°She really was.¡± She let the hug go and held a hand out. Ren took it and she led him down the yellow fire road to the point he''d first entered the realm. ¡°Thank you so much, Dad.¡± She let his hand go, and gave Ren a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Thanks, Uncle Teepo.¡± She kissed his carapace, then smiled as Teepo chittered in delight. She waved her arm and a portal appeared. Ren motioned for her to bend close and he kissed her forehead. ¡°If you ever need my help, or want to talk, or just want to scratch Teepo''s back...¡± She laughed and stood up straight. ¡°I''ll send a portal right away.¡± Ren smiled, and bowed to her. ¡°Dad!¡± ¡°What?¡± You''re my father! You don''t have to bow!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I have to pay the proper respect to the Deity of Fire, honey.¡± She grinned and took him into a hug. With her hand behind his back, she formed a small bundle of fire and tucked it into his cloak. ¡°Bye, Dad. Bye, Teepo.¡± She let Ren out of the hug. ¡°Bye, Fire Dancer.¡± Ren said, walked through the portal. * ¡°Hey! Who turned out the lights?¡± Lara asked. A portal made of fire appeared in front of her in the darkness, and Ren stepped out of it. ¡°Ren! Where were you?¡± ¡°Sorry, Lara... ah... Sage of Ages.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t realize I''d be gone that long.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Lara asked. ¡°I just got back from delivering your books, and you weren''t here.¡± Ren stared at her. Teepo! Then that means... ¡°The last week and a half was only a few minutes here.¡± Ren sat down in his chair in shock. No wonder time wasn''t kind to Fire Dancer! ¡°Are you all right?¡± Lara asked. Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, I''m fine.¡± He said and sat there for a few minutes. ¡°It''s already been 2 weeks since we left there, Ren.¡± Teepo said, sadly. I know, Teepo. Ren thought. I know. He took a deep breath, sighed, and looked at Lara. ¡°Thank you for all of your help, Lara.¡± She snorted a laugh. ¡°I kind of don''t have a choice now.¡± ¡°What do you... oh, right.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ll try to not bug you too much.¡± Lara sat down and grinned. ¡°Yeah, that''s not going to happen.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± He asked. ¡°Sage of Ages, remember?¡± She said and laughed. ¡°Every little bit of info you want, you''re going to bother me with it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, I promise to limit myself in that regard. Is that better?¡± Lara closed her eyes. ¡°Yeah, that''s more reasonable.¡± He looked at her. ¡°Can you tell the future?¡± She pointed a finger at him and opened her eyes. ¡°Ha!¡± Ren rolled his eyes. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Lara said. ¡°It was a logical question; and no, I can''t see the future.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°I can see possibilities.¡± She said. ¡°If I saw the future, then everything that''s happening now is set in stone and nothing can change it.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°So. Are you going to tell me what happened?¡± Lara asked. ¡°When I smelled sulfur and ash, I saw where it came from.¡± ¡°You know those books I had you deliver?¡± Ren asked, and Lara nodded. ¡°The Deity of Fire liked them so much she wanted to see me.¡± Lara''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Oh... my... god!¡± She closed her eyes. ¡°Fire... fire everywhere. Why aren''t you burning? There''s a... a mountain of fire... it... oh my god!¡± She opened her eyes. ¡°Don''t say anything else!¡± Lara said. ¡°I don''t want to know what happened after it stood up.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lara sighed. ¡°How all of that happened in only a minute...¡± She shook her head. ¡°Is there anything else I can help you with?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°Let''s hear it.¡± ¡°Tell me where Delthid Kulduhr, the Legendary Smith is.¡± Lara opened her mouth to speak, then unrolled the map with only water and land on it. She ran her finger from the water, through the city, and by Ren''s estimation, to the Garrison. She went past that and into the wilderness about a thousand miles. ¡°He''s right there.¡± ¡°Ren, that''s the Land of Giants.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I appreciate your help, Lara.¡± ¡°Sure, Ren. No problem.¡± She said. ¡°I hope you can find him.¡± ¡°I should, eventually.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I''m too busy to chase down a thief right now, though.¡± Lara''s eyes widened. ¡°He has the Legendary Armor and Sword.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Bye, Lara.¡± She waved at him and he left the room. * ¡°How is he finding all of this stuff?¡± Lara asked herself, then tapped her forehead a few times. ¡°If I could fight, I''d level up and get better at this class.¡± She sighed. ¡°No one wants a low level know-it-all-later magic user in their... party...¡± She jumped up and ran out of the room. * ¡°Hi, Rosie.¡± Ren said as he left the hallway. ¡°REN!¡± Rosie hollered, and her grandmother hissed at her. ¡°No one''s here, Grandma.¡± He walked over to her. ¡°What''s up?¡± ¡°4 hooded figures were here looking for you.¡± Rosie said. ¡°One of them pulled a sword out!¡± ¡°No way!¡± Rosie nodded. ¡°Of course, I kicked them out after that.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m glad.¡± He said. ¡°You can''t have people like that in a Library.¡± She grinned. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°You understand how important these books are.¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just sorry I''ve been too busy to read anything lately.¡± Rosie nodded. ¡°I get that way sometimes, too.¡± She said, then put a serious look on her face. ¡°You be careful when you go outside, okay?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I didn''t know you cared.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Rosie said, surprised. ¡°I''m just kidding. I know you do.¡± He took her into a hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± Rosie hugged him back and sighed. ¡°You seem different.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked, and let the hug go. ¡°How?¡± ¡°You''re happier.¡± Ren was surprised for a moment, then he smiled. ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Can you tell me what happened in there?¡± Rosie asked. Ren shook his head as he understood what she meant. ¡°Nothing happened between me and the Sage of Ages.¡± Rosie beamed a smile. ¡°I knew you had better taste than that!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± He said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Bye, Rosie.¡± She put a hand on her cheek, and blushed. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± He left the library and walked up the street. Feel like scouting a bit, Teepo? ¡°Always.¡± Teepo took off and flew up the next street and hovered there. ¡°Yeah, they''re hiding between the buildings on either side of the street.¡± Should I avoid them or have some fun? Ren asked his friend. ¡°I''d say fun.¡± Teepo said and landed on the corner of a building. ¡°I see 2 swords, a knife, and a whip.¡± Armor it is. Ren thought and equipped his gold full plate armor, took out a bolt of cloth, dyed it back, and cut off a piece to make a poncho. It covered him from neck to foot, and he grinned as he walked around the corner and down the street. ¡°Third building.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They see you. Almost... almost... duck!¡± Ren ducked and rolled to the right as the whip snapped where his head used to be. He ended up kneeling next to one of the hooded figures and Ren punched him in the privates. The hooded figure gave a squeak, grabbed himself and dropped his sword, then bent over. Ren stood and gave him a knee to the face, then turned to the other hooded figure. The guy lunged with the knife to stab, and Ren let him come close. The knife hit the armor and broke off at the handle. Ren smiled and grabbed the guy''s hand, twisted it around and put the arm in a lock behind the guy''s back. ¡°Ah... ah... ah!¡± The guy said. Ren recognized the voice, and leaned in close. ¡°Hello there, Emanon.¡± ¡°No, it''s not me.¡± He said, then shook his head at what he just said. ¡°Sorry for the nut-punch, Beltach.¡± Ren said and he pulled both of their hoods down. ¡°S''okay¡± Beltach said when he caught his breath. ¡°S''good shot.¡± Ren chuckled and the other two came across the street. ¡°This is just business, Ren.¡± Emanon said, slipped another knife into his hand, and stabbed backwards. Ren pushed him towards the two new people and Beltach rolled out of the way. ¡°Now!¡± The guy with the whip tossed a potion at Ren and he held an arm over his face. The bottle smashed and Ren was covered in fire. ¡°Oh, no!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Fire! My... only... weakness!¡± He said, and fell to his knees dramatically. ¡°Goodbye, cruel world!¡± He said and shook his fists in the air as Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Geezus, get a load of this guy.¡± The whip guy said. ¡°Over-act much?¡± The hooded figure with the sword laughed. ¡°It''s just an immolation potion. It covers you in fire and sucks all the air out of your lungs. It''s not an incinerate potion that could burn you to death.¡± Ren stopped acting and looked at him. ¡°Ooo, where can I buy them?¡± ¡°I know a guy.¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°That one was 10 gold.¡± ¡°That''s not too bad. I want a couple of bottles.¡± Ren said and stood. ¡°Better yet, I''d like to meet the one who made it.¡± ¡°That''ll cost ya.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I''ll give you a finder''s fee.¡± ¡°Sweet.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The whip guy said. ¡°We''re supposed to be kidnapping him, not making deals with him!¡± ¡°Who said I couldn''t make deals with him?¡± Beltach shook his head. ¡°Have any of you noticed that the potion isn''t doing what it''s supposed to do?¡± The fire was sucked away and Ren smiled as he knocked on his own armor. ¡°Protection.¡± ¡°Well, shit.¡± The sword guy said. ¡°Do we have anything else?¡± The whip guy asked. ¡°We shouldn''t have needed anything else.¡± Emanon said, and sighed as he took out another dagger. ¡°We''ll have to do this the hard way.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Ren said as the group got ready to fight. ¡°You''re taking me to Tristan, right?¡± The 4 guys looked at each other in surprise, and Emanon turned to Ren. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said, as Teepo landed on his shoulder. ¡°I''ll come along peacefully.¡± Chapter 141 - The Showdown Lara was shocked as she watched the confrontation that Ren had been in. She had covered her mouth and stifled her scream when they threw the potion of fire on him and he started to yell. She got mad when the guy with the sword started laughing, then gasped when Ren stood up unhurt and the fire was sucked away. Lara stared as the group led Ren up the street. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. ¡°You are such an idiot, Tristan!¡± Lara said, and opened the message system. ¡°Come on, Ren. Answer!¡± * Ren concentrated on his Camaraderie Aura when he got a message popup. ¡°Hey, guys? Can we stop for minute? I got a message.¡± Emanon shrugged. ¡°As long as you''re not calling for help or anything.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, it''s personal.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren read Lara''s message that it was Tristan, and he responded that he knew, and it was why he was going. She was surprised for a moment, then smiled as she asked to form a party with him. He sent her a party invite, and she accepted. She wished him good luck, and Ren closed the message system. * ¡°Virtual Survivors, huh?¡± Lara said, and laughed as she walked back to the Library. ¡°Nice one.¡± * ¡°Who was it?¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°It was just a join party request.¡± Emanon chuckled. ¡°I get those all the freaking time!¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Beltach said. ¡°Newbs are always trying to grab on to us.¡± According to my level, I''m still technically a newb. Ren thought as he smiled. The group led Ren out of the West Gate and to a waiting cart. ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Ren said and climbed in the back without being asked. ¡°We''ll get wherever it is a lot faster this way.¡± Emanon looked at Beltach, then at Ren. ¡°You almost sound eager to go.¡± ¡°I am!¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°He''s been after me for a while, so I figure it''s about time I dealt with him.¡± The sword guy chuckled as he climbed in the back with Ren. ¡°Do you even know him? He''s crazy powerful, man.¡± ¡°I heard him once say he was level 150.¡± The whip guy said and got on the driver''s seat. ¡°Whoa.¡± Sword guy said. ¡°How much grinding did he do in Shargon Caverns?¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± Beltach said as he and Emanon got in the back as well. ¡°You know he hates it when you talk about him behind his back.¡± ¡°It''s better than talking about him in front of his face.¡± The whip guy said. ¡°Look at what happened to Mitchell.¡± Emanon shook for a second. ¡°Geez, don''t remind me of that.¡± He stuck his tongue out and gagged. ¡°I''m glad the body dissolved afterwards.¡± ¡°The squelching noise was the worst.¡± Beltach said. ¡°The programmers are sick, man. Totally sick.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I think they''re doing a fantastic job, myself.¡± The sword guy grinned. ¡°Yeah, the Jiggly Puff is awesome.¡± ¡°The what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The Jiggly Puff!¡± Sword guy said. ¡°It''s a strip club in the Adult''s Only section of Aurora.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Aw, man! You don''t know what you''re missing!¡± Sword guy said. ¡°It''s by players, for players. For a few copper you can see the show. A few silver, and you see the whole show.¡± ¡°And for a gold, you can have the show.¡± Beltach said. ¡°They only have a few outfits, though. Barmaid. Debutante. Peasant girl.¡± ¡°Yeah, but the girls!¡± Emanon said. ¡°Candace is my favorite.¡± He said and held his hands out in front of his chest to show how big her boobs were. The other guys laughed, but Ren stayed quiet. Emanon turned to him. ¡°You don''t like them that big?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh, I like all of them. Big or small.¡± Ren said. Beltach smiled. ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°I''m just wondering what they do with the money they make.¡± ¡°Who cares?¡± Sword guy said. ¡°They make tons of gold a night. They could buy anything they want!¡± The rest of the trip passed by quickly with guy banter. They talked about the last few missions Tristan had sent them on, and Ren listened intently. He knew there was another layer to everything, but this was an inside look at the underbelly of game society. Weapon running, gambling, prostitution, you name it; it was in the game. Ren mentally shook his head. The programmers have done an even more thorough job than I thought. A few hours later, the cart pulled up to the small shack that Elerlyth had visited, and everyone got out. The whip guy tied the horse to the stand there, but didn''t unhook the cart. ¡°You can''t leave it like that.¡± Ren said and undid the cart. The horse neyed at him, and he pat it. Ren looked around, and there wasn''t a trough. He sighed and made a small one, nailed it tight, and poured water from his water flask into it. He added part of a Health potion, just in case the horse hadn''t been fed, and turned to look at the guys he came with. They stood there and stared at him. ¡°What?¡± Emanon shook his head. ¡°Nothing. Let''s go inside.¡± Beltach knocked on the door and it opened. A sword was thrust at him, and he knocked it aside with his own sword, and punched the hooded figure in the chest. ¡°Aw, damn! That hurt!¡± The hooded figure said. ¡°I told you to stop doing that, you idiot.¡± Beltach said. ¡°Do we look like intruders to you?¡± The hooded figure didn''t say anything, as the rest of them passed by. They led Ren down the stairs and into Tristan''s office. ¡°Ha! I finally got you!¡± Tristan said and stood up from behind his desk. He wore full plate armor and a pleased expression. ¡°I''ve been waiting a long time for this.¡± ¡°I don''t know why.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was all your own fault.¡± ¡°No it wasn''t!¡± Tristan yelled. ¡°If you''d given me my book!¡± Ren rolled his eyes. ¡°It was my book. I earned it. I used it.¡± ¡°Then I lost all my fame because of you!¡± Tristan said. ¡°Ha!¡± Ren barked a laugh. ¡°You tripped me, let me fall into a nearly bottomless pit, and almost ended the mission prematurely.¡± ¡°What do you mean, ''almost''?¡± Tristan frowned. ¡°We had to turn back because of you.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Nope. I finished that mission, and we all went home to a hero''s welcome. There was a parade and everything.¡± Tristan stood there and stared at Ren in shock. ¡°The Lord Of Aurora even threw a party in my honor.¡± Ren said. ¡°You... you...¡± Tristan''s face turned beet red; and he started to shake. ¡°I went through hell because of you, and they threw you a PARTY!?!¡± ¡°He''s gonna blow his top!¡± Whip guy said and waved his arms in the air. ¡°Everybody run!¡± Sword guy and Beltach started to laugh, and Tristan turned to them. Whip guy''s outburst did the trick, though. Tristan calmed down, and he smiled as he turned back to Ren. ¡°You''re antagonizing me on purpose.¡± Tristan said. Ren smiled. ¡°Angry people make stupid mistakes when they fight.¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Tristan said. ¡°You almost got me.¡± He said and flexed his fingers, then smiled. Ren glanced down at the gauntlet Elerlyth had described. That is the gauntlet I helped Issac enchant. ¡°I''m going to enjoy this.¡± Tristan said and grinned as Ren got a popup.
Notice!
You have entered PvP Mode.
¡°Not in here!¡± Emanon said, but it was too late. Tristan lunged at Ren, who turned to the side and let Tristan almost pass, grabbed him by the chest plate, and shoved him into the wall 2 feet away. The wood cracked and Tristan leaned against it. ¡°Not bad.¡± Tristan said, then kicked out with an armored foot. Ren caught it and absorbed the impact.
Stat Change!
Block Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
Tristan''s eyes widened as Ren twisted the foot around, and he had no choice but to turn with it. Now that Tristan was facing away from him, Ren dropped the foot and stepped forward to punch Tristan in the back of the head. Ren''s fist connected and it jammed Tristan''s face into the splintered wood. ¡°Argh!¡± Tristan grunted and then twisted around, and tried to catch Ren in a roundhouse punch. Ren stepped away and took a fighting stance. Tristan smiled and pulled a sword out of inventory. ¡°I know you can''t use weapons!¡± He said and swung the sword. Ren pulled out his shield and blocked the swing. Tristan swung several more times, and Ren blocked them easily, as the shield was half of his own height. Tristan stopped swinging and thrust forward quickly. Ren ducked down, deflected the sword up, and punched Tristan in the gut while concentrating on his Deep Impact ability that causes internal injuries to an opponent. A resounding clang was heard as Tristan''s feet lifted off the floor briefly, and he grunted. Tristan put his hand on the shield and brought a knee up into Ren''s chest. Another clang was heard and Ren leaned back from the impact. Tristan, seeing Ren was completely open, cast Fireball and hit Ren in the face. It engulfed Ren''s head completely and Tristan laughed. ¡°How do you like the taste of that, you little bastard!¡± Tristan said, and walked back towards his desk as Ren put his hands to his face. ¡°Uh, boss?¡± The whip guy said. ¡°Um... that''s not going to work.¡± ¡°What?¡± Tristan said, as Ren started to laugh. ¡°We used that immolation potion, and it didn''t work. His armor has protection from it.¡± Ren stood up with a grin on his face as the fire was sucked away. He held the shield to face Tristan and activated it. A gale force wind hit Tristan and threw him over the desk and into the other wall. Ren held him there, suspended above the floor, and walked over to him. ¡°How does that taste?¡± Ren asked, and Tristan grimaced at him. Ren deactivated the shield and grabbed Tristan''s chest plate and flipped him over and slammed him onto the desk, then through it and into the floor. The desk shattered and sprayed everyone there with splinters of wood. ¡°Geezus! They''re destroying the place!¡± Sword guy said, and tried to pick the splinters out of his cloak. Tristan swiftly kicked Ren in the forehead, then rolled away enough to stand. Ren shook his head, and Tristan grinned. ¡°Smile!¡± Tristan said and punched as hard as he could with Issac''s enchanted gauntlet. Ren saw it coming, though. He thought Dismantle Glyph, caught the gauntlet with a bare hand, and the enchantment was destroyed. The punch stopped dead, thanks to the combination of his Rock Steady, Shock Absorption, and Block abilities. ¡°Like this?¡± Ren said, and smiled as he got a couple of popups.
Stat Change!
Shock Absorption Level 4 (Intermediate 0%)
Notice!
You have learned a new rune: Damage +10.
Everyone stopped moving, and silence filled the room. ¡°What?¡± Tristan exclaimed. ¡°How can you do that?¡± He asked and pulled his fist back. ¡°No one can stop my punches!¡± Tristan punched as hard as he could, and Ren easily blocked it again. ¡°No! No no no!¡± He said as he kept punching, and Ren kept blocking them.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°I bet that was expensive.¡± Ren said. Tristan stepped away from him, and looked at the gauntlet. ¡°It was 3 platinum coins.¡± He said and punched the wall. It bounced off and Tristan gripped his hand. ¡°What did you do to it?!?¡± ¡°I''ve learned a few things since we met last.¡± Ren grinned and held his fist out to them. ¡°Oh, crap!¡± Beltach said, and braced for the lightning bolt. Ren chuckled, shook his head, and let loose the Water Spray. ¡°Ahhglugglugglug!¡± Tristan said as the huge jet of water slammed him across the room and into Emanon. They fell to the floor and Ren turned the spray onto Beltach, Whip guy, and Sword guy. He kept it on them until the floor was covered in several inches of water. Ren stood on Tristan''s chair and grinned. ¡°NOOO!¡± Tristan yelled, and Ren used his Screaming Terror ring. ¡°AhhhhhHHHHH!¡± They all screamed, and flailed in the deepening water. Ren let them suffer for a few minutes, then deactivated both rings. ¡°Submit.¡± Ren said and held his fist down to the water. ¡°You can go to hel- AHHHHHH!¡± Tristan said as Ren activated his Lightning ring for a moment. The others twitched and tried to get back to their feet in the foot deep water. ¡°Stay where you are, or I keep this on.¡± Ren said, and motioned to his Lightning ring. Emanon, Beltach and the other 2 settled back into the water. Tristan scowled at Ren, and moved his hand under the water. A portal opened a moment later, and a hellhound jumped out and landed in the water. ¡°You''re dead now!¡± Tristan said, pointed to Ren, and the hellhound growled. ¡°Call him off, Tristan.¡± Ren said, and stepped down into the water. ¡°I don''t want to kill him.¡± ¡°Ha! He was born in the depths of Hell itself! Nothing you can do can hurt him!¡± Tristan turned to the hellhound. ¡°ATTACK!¡± The hellhound barked once and lunged at Ren, who was ready for the attack. He caught the poor beast by the throat and held it at arms length. ¡°Call him off, Tristan.¡± Ren said, as the hellhound tore the poncho he wore into shreds and revealed his gold-colored full plate armor. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Sword guy said. ¡°Where the hell did he get THAT?!?¡± ¡°I''d say he made it.¡± Emanon said. ¡°He''s a blacksmith.¡± ¡°No way!¡± ¡°QUIET!¡± Tristan hollered. ¡°Get him!¡± The group stood up, and Ren winced as the hellhound finally realized that Ren wasn''t wearing gauntlets and tore long scrapes across his wrist and hand. Ren punched it in the head and it stopped moving. ¡°NOOO!¡± Tristan hollered and threw his sword. Ren deflected it aside with his shield, and the sword stuck into the wall behind him. No one came over to attack because Ren still held the unconscious hellhound in front of him. ¡°So, you do care for something after all.¡± Ren said and tossed the hellhound to Tristan, who caught it and held it close. ¡°Oh, I care alright.¡± Tristan said. ¡°I cared so much about getting rid of you, that I made a deal with something.¡± ¡°Ren! Tristan''s sword!¡± Teepo said, and Ren turned around to see a cloud of shadow form from the hilt of Tristan''s sword. He stepped back enough, and hoped he was out of reach from whatever was coming out of it. ¡°Good god, Tristan!¡± Emanon stared at the cloud as it formed into a 7 foot tall Shadow Demon. ¡°You let it loose without touching the sword! It doesn''t have to listen to you anymore!¡± Tristan''s eyes widened as the creature bellowed. ¡°Rrraaaawwwrrrr!¡± Ren took out his hammerpick and enchanted it with a double glyph of Light (8 runes total). The demon jumped and Ren swung at it, hitting it in the head. It flew across the room and hit the wall as a blob. It slid to the floor and then formed itself into the 7 foot tall Shadow Demon again. Now what? Ren thought. Wait... wait... I know this... The demon ran at Ren and slammed him into the opposite wall. 2 daggers whipped by Ren''s head and hit the wall. ¡°Sorry.¡± Emanon said. ¡°It''s hard to hit.¡± Ren stored his hammerpick since he couldn''t swing it against the wall like he was, and punched the thing in the head twice. It didn''t seem to be affected very much, so he tried punching it in the chest. The Shadow Demon pulled it''s head back and head-butted Ren into the wall. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren said as his head got stuck. The Shadow Demon pulled it''s fist back to punch, and then it''s arm was cut off by Beltach''s sword. He followed through with a stab to the creature''s chest and the sword slid through like nothing was there. Beltach tried to pull the sword back, but it was now stuck in the creature and he let it go. ¡°Dammit, that was my favorite sword!¡± He said as a knife hit the creature in the head and stuck there. ¡°That was your only sword.¡± Emanon said, as the Whip guy used his whip to wrap around the Shadow Demon''s neck. He pulled and the shadow''s head popped off and fell to the floor. ¡°That''s why it''s my favorite.¡± Beltach said. ¡°Nice shot.¡± The shadow body walked around a bit, then dissolved into a puddle. Beltach''s sword clattered to the floor, but he didn''t take the chance to go near the puddle to pick it up. The Shadow Demon''s cut-off parts became puddles and they reformed into a single puddle with the body puddle. The Shadow Demon started to regrow itself out of it. ¡°Beltach.¡± Ren said. Beltach grabbed him by the chest and pulled him from the wall. Ren grunted as his cheek scraped on the wood. ¡°Thanks.¡± He absorbed the Gail Force Wind enchantment from his shield, and remembered the Illuminate rune he''d learned from that children''s storybook. He took a few moments to imagine what a quadruple glyph would look like, then enchanted a double glyph (8 runes total) on the shield. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± Emanon said, as the Shadow Demon was almost reformed. ¡°Cover your eyes!¡± Ren said, and ducked behind the shield. Activate! The entire shield lit up like the sun itself, and the Shadow Demon screamed. Even from behind the shield, Ren could barely see anything. I think this shield is amplifying it! Ren thought. Teepo, can you see? ¡°No, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s too bright for me.¡± The Shadow Demon''s screams went on for a few minutes, then they eventually got quieter. Ren lifted his ear above the edge of the shield and listened. Even though he couldn''t hear anything from the creature, he didn''t deactivate the shield. Ren stood up and walked to where the puddle was. He moved it around with his foot, heard another little scream, and got a popup.
Notice!
You have defeated a Shadow Demon! Rewards: 5,000 XP Fame Bonus: 68%
All that was left was a small pile of ash, and Ren deactivated the shield. ¡°That was GREAT!¡± Beltach said and picked up his sword. ¡°I thought we were dead!¡± ¡°What the hell was that?!?¡± Tristan yelled. ¡°You just incinerated my Shadow Demon!¡± ¡°Shut up, you fool!¡± Emanon said and grabbed Tristan by the neck. ¡°What the hell were you thinking, letting that thing out in here?¡± ¡°He was winning! I had to do something!¡± Ren looked at Tristan''s sword and used Enchanted Eyes. It''s enchanted with something, but I can''t read it. ¡°Ren, you shouldn''t.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s evil magic.¡± Ren nodded, and rather than using Disassemble Glyph where there was a chance he would learn a new rune, he just absorbed the mana instead. For fun, he enchanted it with Enhancement runes and chose ''Blunt''. Ren tried not to laugh while thinking about the next time Tristan tried to stab someone with it. Emanon shook Tristan. ¡°I joined your little group because you promised I''d be rich.¡± He said. ¡°I went along with this little adventure of yours because you said we''d be rich if we got that marker back for you.¡± He let Tristan go. ¡°Killing him won''t get the marker back.¡± ¡°I can''t give the marker back.¡± Ren said. ¡°W-what?¡± Tristan exclaimed. ¡°But you have it!¡± ¡°If you happen to have another marker I can use, I can give it back.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± Emanon asked. Ren smiled. ¡°It''s stuck in my inventory. Since I didn''t receive it as part of a ''job'', I can''t take it out unless I have another one.¡± The sword guy looked around at the others. ¡°No one else?¡± He sighed and stepped over to Ren. ¡°I better get this back.¡± He took out a shadow coin and handed it to Ren. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren put it in inventory, then slid it into his coin vault from there.
Notice!
You now have access to a hidden currency!
Ren smiled, and transferred 2 new shadow coins to his inventory, leaving the other in his coin vault. ¡°Yes! I got it!¡± Ren said, and took out the 2 shadow coins. He gave one to the sword guy, who stashed it into his inventory. ¡°Is this what you want?¡± Ren asked, then held up the shadow coin. ¡°Yes.¡± Tristan said. ¡°Then what''s the magic word?¡± Tristan scowled. ¡°Give it to me or I''ll kill-OW!¡± Emanon smacked Tristan in the back of the head. ¡°Are you really such an asshole?¡± ¡°You''ve got to be kidding me!¡± Tristan said and held the limp body of his dog up. ¡°He killed my dog!¡± ¡°He''s unconscious, you idiot.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°He''s not dead.¡± ¡°Shut up, you!¡± Tristan said, and the dog started to stir. He laid it down on the floor and pet it. ¡°Hey, Cujo.¡± Tristan said, as the dog opened it''s eyes. ¡°Thanks for your help.¡± A portal opened, the hellhound licked his hand, and stepped through it. ¡°See?¡± Ren said. ¡°I told you I didn''t want to kill it.¡± Tristan stood up and held a hand out. ¡°Give me the marker.¡± ¡°I''ll hand it over... if you say the magic word.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Magic word?¡± Beltach asked, and looked at Emanon. He shrugged and looked at Tristan. ¡°Okay, fine!¡± Tristan said and scowled. ¡°Please.¡± Ren took 2 steps forward and put the coin in Emanon''s hand. ¡°Hey! What are you doing?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°You need to let Emanon hold that for you.¡± Ren said and took out his hammerpick. ¡°We aren''t finished.¡± He held the shield over his eyes and activated it. It blinded everyone, and he enchanted the hammerpick with Earth runes. The hammerpick formed giant stone spikes on it''s hammer end, Ren deactivated the shield, and swung the hammerpick into Tristan''s chest plate. It smashed him through the wall he stood near, and the shock wave from the impact shattered his armor before he hit the floor in the other room. ¡°You''re not the only one that''s been waiting for this.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is for punching Elerlyth for no reason.¡± He swung the hammerpick into Tristan''s abdomen, right at the spot Elerlyth had been punched. Tristan''s breath was knocked out of him and several pieces of his armor flew off from the shock wave. ¡°This is for trying to punch the blacksmith.¡± Ren said and crushed his hand with the hammerpick. ¡°Aaahhh!¡± Tristan screamed and clutched the mangled hand to his chest. ¡°This is for tripping me.¡± Ren said and smashed Tristan''s foot, crushing the metal armor into the flesh, and the shock wave crumbled the armor on his legs. ¡°Grrrr!¡± Tristan gritted his teeth. * ¡°Good god, man! Stop him!¡± Beltach said from the other room. ¡°Ren''s not fighting anymore! He''s torturing him.¡± Emanon put a hand on Beltach''s shoulder. ¡°They''re in PvP, remember?¡± Beltach took a breath and nodded. ¡°It has to end, one way or the other.¡± * ¡°Go ahead! Do it!¡± Tristan said. ¡°I''ve still got a good foot and a hand! Crush them! I''ve been through worse!¡± Ren leaned over him and grinned. ¡°So have I.¡± Tristan''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°I''m not that cruel, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m tempted to hurt you for poisoning the lumberyard''s horse: but I''m tired of having to deal with you and all your stupid schemes.¡± Tristan clamped his mouth shut and didn''t say anything. ¡°Not going to deny it, huh?¡± Ren said and shook his head. ¡°If you ever come near me or anyone I care about ever again, I''ll do worse than kill you.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Tristan barked. ¡°What''s worse than dying?¡± Ren turned the hammerpick around to use the plow end, and sighed. ¡°Wishing you were dead.¡± He swung the hammerpick down and jabbed Tristan through the heart.
Notice!
You have successfully defeated your opponent in one-on-one combat. Rewards: 1500 XP Fame Bonus: 68%
Notice!
You have defeated an opponent 160 levels higher than you! Fame: +2000
Notice!
PvP Mode has ended.
Hidden Quest Complete!
You have defeated your sworn Nemesis! Rewards: 10,000 XP Fame Bonus: 88%
Holy crap! Ren thought. No wonder Tristan wanted me so bad! He took his hammerpick out of the body and after a moment, it dissolved. There was a pile of gold, a set of expensive clothes, and a needle. Ren took a deep breath and picked it up. He dropped a needle. Ren shook his head. He dropped a freaking needle! He thought, then examined it.
Family Heir Loom: Sewing Needle (Unique)
This needle was used by the head seamstress for King Alamast of the Human Kingdom, and his Consort, Lady Eleanor.
Ren was tempted to use Iron Grip on it and crush it to powder, but changed his mind and stored it. He turned away and walked out of the room. He stopped in the doorway. ¡°You guys can split the rest of the loot.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Sword guy said. ¡°I remember Tristan saying he was supposed to make you rich.¡± Ren said and pointed to the pile of gold. ¡°I''d say that''s a good start.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Whip guy said and went into the room to gather the loot. ¡°You''re a good guy!¡± Ren smiled crookedly. ¡°I''ve done some questionable things.¡± ¡°We all have.¡± Emanon said. ¡°I still haven''t apologized to Elerlyth.¡± ¡°You helped her when she needed it the most.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think she''d punch you if you told her you were sorry for that.¡± Emanon laughed. ¡°Yeah, she would.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Sword guy said after whip guy gave him his cut of the money. ¡°We''re heading to the Jiggly Puff. Want to come along?¡± He grinned. ¡°Tristan''s paying.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''ll hitch a ride back to town, but that''s all I''ll need. Thanks.¡± ¡°Your loss, man.¡± Sword guy said as they all walked out of the mangled hideout and up the stairs. Ren hooked the horse back up to the cart, and they headed back to Aurora. I might even make it back home before morning. Ren thought during the quiet ride back to town. When they approached the city gates, Ren asked them to stop, and he got out. ¡°Have fun you guys.¡± ¡°You bet your ass we will!¡± Sword guy said, then remembered the deal Ren had asked about earlier. ¡°You can send a message to ''ididntseenothing'', no spaces or apostrophes, when you want those potions.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Ren said, and waved as the cart entered the city. He ran through the West Gate and up the street that led to his business. He was about to open the door when he got a message.
Lara: Hi, Ren. Thanks for all the XP. (big grin)
Ren chuckled and messaged her back.
Ren: You knew, didn''t you?
Lara: Ha! (points finger) Every bit of info you want to know about!
Ren: LOL Okay, talk to you later.
Lara: You''re not going to ask about Tristan?
Ren: (shakes head) I know he''s not gone. Bye, Lara.
Lara: Bye, Ren.
Ren closed the message system and entered his building. Once inside, he was tempted to log out, but that would eat up even more of his time, so he ran upstairs and into the living room. He had Teepo go back into the ring and Ren stepped through the portal. He summoned Teepo again, ran downstairs and woke Princess up. ¡°Sorry, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d let you sleep longer, but I need to get back home.¡± She huffed and got out of the crate. Ren stored it and took her outside to hook up the cart. ¡°Oh, before I forget.¡± Ren said and opened her stat window. ¡°You''ve leveled 10 times and have 50 points to spend!¡± Princess nodded and he grinned as she picked where to put them. Most went into Strength and Vitality, and some went into Endurance and a few points went to Agility. Ren closed the window and climbed into the cart. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Ren said, and Princess took off like a shot. ¡°Wheeee!¡± Teepo said as they sped down the road. During the trip, Ren finally got a chance to look at the popup he''d dismissed in the fire realm.
Notice!
You have gained a new title: Father of Fire. This title grants you the abilities: Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation.
¡°Show info for Absorb Fire.¡±
Absorb Fire (Master):
This ability allows you to absorb fire in any of it''s natural forms. The resultant energy can be used to heal or recharge Mana.
¡°Natural fire?¡± Ren pondered. ¡°I guess that means no cheating with fire runes.¡± He said. ¡°Unless I light things on fire with them.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Show info for Fire Manipulation.¡±
Fire Manipulation Level 1 (Beginner 0%):
This ability lets you change fire into different shapes, and also direct it''s movement. Higher levels will allow greater manipulation of larger amounts of fire.
¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said, and the cart came to a stop. He got out and fed Princess food and water, got back in and they kept going. It only took an hour to get back to the city, and Ren had her stop at the housing subdivision. All 12 of the houses were built. ¡°They finished early.¡± Ren said, and asked Princess to keep going. He thanked Princess as she came to a stop in front of House Neram, and Ren got off the cart. He unlocked the gate and led Princess inside. ¡°How''s my time, Teepo?¡± ¡°You''ve got about an hour before breakfast.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said as he unhooked the cart. ¡°I made it back in time.¡± He led Princess into the stable and put her crate back where it was. She got inside and plunked down on the cushion. Ren fed her and left the stable. He went into the house, crept down the hallway to the old bedroom, and went inside. There were 2 lumps again, and Ren smiled as he stored his armor and put on his Travelling Clothes for a second, then equipped the bodysuit again. He went around to Nathalia''s side of the bed and lifted the blanket. She stirred a little, and he slid in over her shoulder and settled down between Nathalia and her mother. They looked at him, and he opened both of his arms to hug them both. They snuggled down onto his chest and sighed. Ren held them close, and drifted off to sleep. Chapter 142 - Fire Good! ¡°FIRE!¡± Teepo yelled. Ren was awake instantly and sat up. Since his arms were hugging Nathalia and her mother, he dragged them into a sitting position, too. ¡°Wha...?¡± Nathalia said. Ren threw off the blanket and hopped out of bed. He landed on the floor, and in the fire. ¡°What do I do? What do I...¡± He looked down and saw the flames didn''t light him on fire. ¡°Right! I have that ability now.¡± Ren brought his hands down, ran them through the flames, and started to absorb them. It didn''t take long, and the fire in the bedroom was out. Thankfully, it was just the area rug on the floor that was burned, and the stone floor underneath was undamaged. ¡°Teepo! What happened?¡± Ren asked his friend. ¡°I was in the hall watching the front door, and I saw the flickering light reflecting on the walls.¡± ¡°How long was I asleep?¡± ¡°About 10 minutes.¡± Ren frowned, and he looked down. ¡°How did a fire get started in here?¡± ¡°On it!¡± Teepo said, and skittered around the floor, under the workbench, then under the bed. ¡°Ren! It''s under here!¡± ¡°Ladies, please stand for a minute.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia and her mother stood up. He stored the bed into inventory and revealed Teepo standing about 2 feet away from a small blob of fire, barely 3 inches in size. It made a sound like wood popping in a fire, and Ren knelt down. ¡°Hey, there.¡± Ren said in a gentle voice. ¡°Don''t be scared.¡± He held a hand down to the floor, palm up. ¡°It''s okay. No one''s going to hurt you.¡± The ball of fire rolled side to side a couple of times, then rolled over to Ren''s hand. It stopped and 4 little stubs of flame popped out of it like legs, then it poked Ren''s hand. He heard a low whistle, and the blob of fire climbed onto his hand. ¡°There we go.¡± Ren said, and stood up slowly. ¡°Where did you come from?¡± ¡°Isn''t it obvious?¡± Teepo said. ¡°It hitched a ride from the fire realm.¡± Ren looked at the fire blob closely, and turned his head to the side. ¡°I never saw anything like this there.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Teepo said. ¡°But, it''s made of fire. It had to come from there.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, but how?¡± He examined the creature.
Baby Fire Elemental
This tiny flame has been given life by the Deity of Fire, as a gift for the Father Of Fire. It will eventually grow into a Guardian suitable to protect his august presence.
Ren smiled. ¡°It''s from Fire Dancer.¡± The little ball of flame grew brighter. ¡°So you finally found it.¡± A disembodied voice said, and Ren stored his bodysuit. ¡°REN!¡± Nathalia yelled. ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± ¡°Stopping anyone else from seeing or hearing anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Adventurer''s business.¡± Nathalia sighed and nodded. ¡°Put your clothes back on, Dad!¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°I''m blocking everything.¡± ¡°I didn''t get a chance to explain about you, Fire Dancer.¡± Ren said, and sighed as he equipped his bodysuit again. ¡°Sorry.¡± She said. ¡°You getting naked like that, threw me for a minute.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That happens sometimes.¡± He said. ¡°Thank you for the gift.¡± ¡°I had to give you something for everything that you''ve done.¡± ¡°You being here was a gift bigger than I thought I''d ever have.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°This...¡± He held the baby elemental up. ¡°...wasn''t necessary; but, I really like it.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± She said, pleased. ¡°Nathalia.¡± Ren turned to her. ¡°When I went to rescue Fire Dancer, things turned out a little different than I thought they would.¡± He said, then explained what had happened. ¡°By the gods...¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Yes?¡± Fire Dancer responded. Nathalia''s mouth dropped open, and she didn''t know what to say. ¡°I... I...¡± ¡°Honey, don''t tease her.¡± Ren said, and took Nathalia into a hug. ¡°Finding out you''re my daughter was enough of a shock, I think.¡± Fire Dancer chuckled. ¡°Sorry, dad. I couldn''t resist.¡± ¡°She... she''s got your sense of humor.¡± Nathalia said a minute later, and looked at Ren with wonder. ¡°You have a daughter, and she''s the Goddess of Fire.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I... I need to sit down... for a day or two.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren helped her to where the bed was supposed to be, and he took it out of inventory. Nathalia sat on the bed, and Ren looked at Narhilda, who just stared at him. ¡°Narhilda? Are you okay?¡± She didn''t respond and Ren went to her. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and took her into a hug. ¡°I know it''s a lot to take in at once.¡± ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°Come and sit by Nathalia.¡± Ren led her over to sit beside her daughter. ¡°We can talk about it later.¡± Narhilda nodded and sat in silence, while Ren continued his conversation with Fire Dancer. ¡°How are you, honey?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''m fine.¡± She said. ¡°I miss you and Uncle Teepo, though.¡± ¡°Do you have to do the whole ''booming voice'' thing?¡± ¡°It helps with the ambiance.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Is that better?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It doesn''t matter to me, but Nathalia and Narhilda are kind of shell-shocked right now.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Yeah, I understand.¡± She chuckled. ¡°It''s like seeing your dad naked.¡± ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It was automatic for me to try and keep you hidden.¡± ¡°You didn''t have to unhide yourself, though!¡± She laughed, and after a moment, Ren changed the subject. ¡°I was wondering how I was going to contact you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought about lighting a huge fire for you.¡± ¡°Yeah, that would have gotten my attention.¡± She said, and Ren could hear the amusement in her voice. ¡°You can just use the fire elemental, though.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren said and held the little thing closely. ¡°That''s really cool.¡± He said and tickled it. It made a sound like a pile of burning wood crackling in a fire, and Ren grinned. ¡°I needed a way to contact you anyways, so I killed two birds with one stone.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t find it before now.¡± He said sadly. ¡°It''s only been hours here, but it''s been years for you.¡± ¡°I''ve been watching you.¡± She said. ¡°It''s like a slow moving painting. Every time I look, only a little bit has changed.¡± He nodded again. ¡°Is everything going okay there?¡± Fire Dancer sighed. ¡°Actually, there''s a group of old elementals that have been causing unrest at the outskirts of my realm.¡± ¡°Do you want me to come and deal with them?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve got it for now, dad.¡± ¡°If they so much as lay a hand on you...¡± Ren growled. ¡°...I''ll come over there and kill them all.¡± Fire Dancer chuckled. ¡°You would, wouldn''t you?¡± ¡°In an instant.¡± He said. ¡°No one touches my daughter.¡± ¡°Thanks, dad.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to go.¡± She said. ¡°Goodbye, dad. Bye, Uncle Teepo.¡± ¡°Bye, Goddess!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°You can call me at any time, Fire Dancer.¡± Ren said. ¡°So don''t be afraid to, okay?¡± ¡°Me? Afraid?¡± She laughed. ¡°Not at all. No sir.¡± ¡°That''s my girl.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Goodbye, honey.¡± The little fire elemental dimmed down and Ren put it on his shoulder. He walked over to the bed and knelt down in front of the two shocked women. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just breathe. Take it easy.¡± ¡°You... you...¡± Narhilda said, and swallowed audibly. ¡°You were naked!¡± Ren and Nathalia stared at her for a few seconds, and then they started laughing because Narhilda had completely missed meeting the Deity of Fire from the shock of seeing Ren without his clothes. Narhilda joined them in laughter a moment later, and Ren leaned in to hug them both. They laughed for a few minutes together, and Ren let them go. ¡°I had intended to tell you everything over breakfast...¡± He started to say, then was interrupted. ¡°...naked?¡± Narhilda asked, and kept laughing at Ren''s surprised expression. ¡°I... I guess I would have had to.¡± He said, and his face flushed a little red. Nathalia hugged him. ¡°I''m glad it didn''t come to that.¡± She said and let him go. ¡°I don''t know if Ma could take it.¡± ¡°Now that I''m kind of over the shock, I can take it.¡± She said, defiantly. ¡°I can take it all!¡± Ren clamped his mouth shut; but couldn''t help himself, and snorted a laugh. ¡°What''s so funny about that?¡± Narhilda said and frowned. ¡°I''m sure I could take anything you showed me.¡± Nathalia grinned. ¡°Ma.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Never mind.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°Come on. Since were up, we might as well get breakfast started.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Narhilda said, and Ren helped them both stand. They went into the kitchen and started to make breakfast. The baby fire elemental jumped off Ren''s shoulder and tried to get in the oven when Narhilda opened it to put the food in. Ren had caught it before it could light anything else on fire, though. ¡°Hey, take it easy.¡± Ren said and held it close. ¡°Are you cold?¡± He got no reaction. ¡°Hungry?¡± The flame changed color slightly and Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll be outside trying to feed it.¡± He said, then went out into the courtyard. Teepo flew out behind them and landed on Ren''s other shoulder. Ren put the baby fire elemental on the paving stone and took out a piece of wood. He broke it up into small pieces and sat down. ¡°Try this.¡± Ren said, and put some splinters in front of the elemental. It grabbed the splinters and shoved them inside of itself. They stuck out it''s back, or Ren assumed it was the back, and after a minute, the fire elemental consumed the wood and burned a little hotter. Ren smiled and handed it a slightly bigger piece. It tried to fit it in, but the piece was just too big and all that happened was it caught fire. Ren picked the piece up and broke it again, then handed the pieces back. ¡°I''m sure when you get bigger, you''ll be able to eat normally.¡± Ren said, then his eyes widened. ¡°You were trying to eat the rug, but it was too big for you and it caught fire.¡± The fire elemental''s color changed slightly, and Ren grinned. He kept feeding it splinters of wood for an hour, until Nathalia came out to get him for breakfast. Ren let it finish the splinter and picked it up. ¡°Don''t go jumping off, okay?¡± Ren said as he went inside. ¡°You''ll cause fires like that.¡± Ren ate breakfast, and tried to not blush as Narhilda kept glancing over the table, and waited for him to take his clothes off again, just so she could prove that she could take it. Nathalia asked him what he was going to do today, and he said he would be working on the Keep, and then probably a track for Princess to run on. ¡°Ren, that will be out in plain view of everyone.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Only if they''re looking.¡± She shook her head. ¡°No building anything outside, okay?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Okay.¡± He said and got up from the table. ¡°I''ll be back in a few hours.¡± Nathalia kissed him goodbye and he went out to his workshop. Ren was disappointed that no one was working the silt anymore, and he gathered up all of the remaining bags of cement. He turned on the forge and threw a few pieces of ore into the smelter. The fire elemental crawled down Ren''s arm and near the forge. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren said, and the elemental hopped into it. It laid down and stretched out like it was sunbathing. ¡°So you were cold, but didn''t realize it.¡± It wiggled a little limb, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Don''t leave there until I come back, okay?¡± It wiggled the same limb as Ren filled the smelter with ore. He went down the secret passageway and ran all the way to the bottom of the Keep. Once there, he took apart the bottom 16 feet of the wooden mold from the entire Keep, and saw the cement was set. He went up to the top of the cement partition he''d made and dug out the next 30 feet of dirt and let it fall into the space down below, rather than crate it and take it to the surface. Now that he had enough room to work and a set method, he made more cement and used up the last of his 1 foot long, 1 inch wide rebar to make the next mold, then put the wooden wall back around the Keep. Ren filled it with cement and left it there to dry for the day. Ren went back up to the forge and made more 1 foot long rebar. While doing that, he reforged the swords and shields he''d made a few days before. After folding the metal and forging them a dozen times, he sharpened and polished them. He stored them and then smelted more rebar. There was a knock on the workshop''s door and Ren went to answer it. ¡°Nathalia? You don''t have to knock.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was checking to see if you were there.¡± She said. ¡°Come to the house.¡± ¡°Sure. Just give me a minute.¡± Ren went back to the forge and was about to pour out the molten metal, then had another idea. He took out the giant ruby he had and enchanted it with a double glyph of Illuminate (8 runes total), then took out his gold armor chest piece. My shield worked like a charm with this on it. Ren thought. I hope a piece of gold armor works just as well. He smiled. I really like my Grip of the Earth enchantment, and want to get it back on my shield as soon as possible. Ren poured out some of the metal into his hand and played with it a little. ¡°That feels so weird.¡± He said, then felt the metal start to cool and slapped it on the chest plate, then set the ruby right in the center. He moved it around a little to get it to sit securely, and used his fingers to pull some of the molten metal over the edges, almost like claws. Ren absorbed the heat from the molten metal carefully, so the metal wouldn''t crack from the rapid cooling, and stored the chest plate. He picked up the baby fire elemental from inside the forge, turned it off, and followed Nathalia down to the house. Once inside, they went to the kitchen and saw Narhilda sitting at the table, a piece of parchment in front of her. ¡°You got what you wanted, Ren.¡± She said and handed it to him. ¡°It''ll be this afternoon.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Ren said and took the piece of parchment. ¡°Well, would you look at that.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°A month and a half early, too.¡± * ¡°What the hell is this?¡± The Lord of House Lodur asked the other 3 members of the ''real'' Dwarf Council, and held out a crumpled scroll. The Lord of House Breakwater chuckled. ¡°It''s a summons to an emergency meeting of the Dwarf Council.¡± He said. ¡°We all got them.¡± ¡°I know what it is.¡± The Lord of House Lodur scowled. ¡°I''m asking you why it even exists!¡± ¡°Obviously, someone has been doing their homework.¡± The Lord of House Greentree said. ¡°No one has used the Right to Challenge in hundreds of years.¡± ¡°How do we stop it?¡± The Lord of House Faldihr, Thanyur said. Breakwater chuckled again. ¡°Stop it? It''s happening this afternoon. We couldn''t get messengers out fast enough to counter the summons.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Lodur said. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°You didn''t read it all, did you?¡± Breakwater said and pointed to his own scroll. ¡°This went out to every House, Major and Minor, and not just to the member Houses of the Council.¡± Lodur sat down. ¡°That means...¡± ¡°Instead of our usual Quorum, where we meet the minimum members needed for a decision, we''ll have a Plenum with a complete assembly of members.¡± Greentree said. ¡°Everyone gets to vote today.¡± ¡°Dammit!¡± Thanyur Faldihr exclaimed. ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¡°The only thing we can do.¡± Lodur said, and turned to the Commander of the Garrison. ¡°Send in the troops.¡± The Commander nodded, turned around, and left the small Council chamber quickly. He stepped out of the building and got in the waiting carriage, then touched a Sending Stone mounted inside. ¡°A need a Battalion assembled right now. Full Battle Rattle. Use the recruits if you have to.¡± The Commander said and sat back as the stone stopped glowing. ¡°Sir! Right away, sir!¡± A voice said and the stone stopped glowing again. ¡°The Garrison.¡± The Commander said to the driver. The carriage took off at a full run down the street and other carts had to swerve to get out of the way. ¡°I really, really hate complications.¡± The Commander said and sighed. The carriage pulled up to the Garrison 10 minutes later, and the ponies pulling it were exhausted. The Commander climbed out and saw the troops assembling on either side of the road. Four hundred men should be enough for the Council''s show of force. He thought, and watched the men get handed swords and shields. I hope the guy doesn''t do anything foolish, like try to run. Chapter 143 - Send In The Troops There was a loud banging on the gate, that sounded like metal on metal. Ren ran out and Teepo flew up to see. ¡°It''s Croggart, Ren!¡± Teepo said, then chittered in laughter. ¡°He''s using one of the guards to knock on the gate.¡± Ren snorted a laugh and opened it. ¡°Hey, Croggart.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can put...¡± He looked to see who it was. ¡°...Broxor down.¡± Croggart dropped Broxor to his feet with a scowl. ¡°I ran all this way to see you, and the fool said that he wasn''t going to bother you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I told them to not let anyone in.¡± ¡°That doesn''t mean they shouldn''t tell you someone is here.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You''re right.¡± He took out 2 stone bricks and enchanted them at the same time with a quadruple glyph of the Dwarf rune: Speak. He made a small holder for it out of wood, and nailed it to the outside wall where the guards stand. ¡°It''s a Sending Stone. Just touch it and speak, and we''ll hear it in the house.¡± Ren said to Broxor. Croggart and Broxor stood there and stared at Ren. ¡°What?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You just made a Sending Stone.¡± Broxor said. ¡°It takes days for the mages to make a pair.¡± Ren looked at him. ¡°You know some mages?¡± Broxor nodded. ¡°My sister and her husband. They''re both mages for the Council.¡± He said. ¡°It took them months to make connections for all the House Lords to the Council Chamber.¡± Croggart scowled. ¡°We''re wasting time!¡± He said. ¡°I went to the Garrison to talk to my brother again, and saw a Battalion of troops marching double-time.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°They didn''t!¡± Croggart nodded. ¡°I asked one of the lead soldiers, and they said they were marching for House Neram.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°They won''t have an easy time trying to take me.¡± He turned to Broxor. ¡°Get everyone from the houses to come here to the House, and have the other guards meet me in the courtyard.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Broxor said, and took off running. ¡°Where''s your sister?¡± Ren asked Croggart. ¡°In the house next to Golir and his wife.¡± ¡°Get her back here.¡± Ren said. ¡°How long do I have?¡± ¡°Maybe an hour.¡± He said. ¡°They might take a break.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°That might be enough time... if I hurry.¡± He went into the house and dropped off the sending stone, then told Nathalia and her mother what was going on. He ran to his workshop next and told Dorcot what was going on. Ren smelted up some ore and took out several springy trees. He stirred the metal quickly, then divided up the trees for what he needed. He opened up Clint''s bow bracer recipe and made a mold on the floor for 2 of them, nearly 4 times the size. He changed the trigger to the back instead of being held in the palm, and expanded the capacity to hold a hundred 1 foot long bolts. He added a standing mount and a shield to guard the shooter, and poured the molds.
Stat Change!
Pattern Making Level 8 (Beginner 0%)
Ren let the system handle the details and only had to hammer the pieces a couple of times. He enchanted them with the same enchantments as he did with Clint''s, for smoothness, durability, and toughness; then added a metal bow string instead of Spider Silk. They were assembled quickly and Ren filled the two cartridges with a hundred foot long bolts, stored them. He could make more bolts if he needed them; but sincerely hoped that they wouldn''t be needed. He ran outside and picked up the last bundle of stone bricks that he had, and a huge pile of wood. Once he had them in inventory, he ran down to the road and saw that Broxor had the other 3 guards in full armor guiding their families into the house. Once they were inside, Ren heard a rumbling sound. Teepo! Teepo took off and flew straight up. ¡°It''s the army!¡± He said, then chittered in worry. ¡°They have a siege tower.¡± Ren grinned. It''s okay, Teepo. He thought. I''ll take care of it. ¡°How?¡± They only work if you can get close enough to use them. Ren thought and took out his hammerpick. He ran down the road a little and dug up a 2 foot wide part of the road and stored the paving tiles. He dug out 2 trenches a foot deep and 11 inches wide, then gently placed the tiles back on the road. It looked fine, and stepping on one wasn''t going to make it collapse; but if any significant weight was put on it, it would crumble. Ren ran back to House Neram and dug up the 8 foot moat, 2 feet deep. He had to rush, since he had to dig it all the way around the Keep, then filled it with his Water Spray ring. The moat would work so much better with oil in it. Ren thought. ¡°Why''s that?¡± Teepo asked as he came in for another landing to recharge his Stamina bar. Then I could light it on fire. ¡°Doesn''t oil float?¡± Ren opened his mouth to say something, grinned, and ran into the house. He came back out with half a barrel of oil and poured it into the water. The baby fire elemental tried to follow the oil and Ren caught it. ¡°You can have the barrel.¡± Ren said and it hopped inside, then rolled around in the oil like a cat with catnip. He chuckled as he carried the barrel into the courtyard, closed the gate, and pulled up the drawbridge. Ren turned around to face the men standing there, and switched to his Command Aura. His 4 guards, Wohrum, Golir, Broxor, and Kharpik; as well as Croggart and Dorcot, waited for him to speak. ¡°The army is coming.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know what their intentions are; but considering they brought a tower to get over the battlement, I doubt it''s just a social visit.¡± The men chuckled. ¡°I could be wrong.¡± Ren said. ¡°They could be here to stop me from getting to the hearing in time, and I lose my chance to confront the Council in front of witnesses.¡± ¡°Is that what all this is about?¡± Kharpik asked. ¡°I have to assume so, since this happened right after the Houses received the summons.¡± The men nodded slightly. ¡°I''m sure some of you will know some of the soldiers.¡± Ren said and paced in front of them. ¡°I''m sure I''ll know some of them, too.¡± He sighed. ¡°But, if they attack me and my home here, and all the people we''re trying to keep safe...¡± ¡°Then all bets are off.¡± Croggart said, and Ren smiled. ¡°Exactly.¡± Ren said and stopped walking to face them again. ¡°What''s ours is ours! We''re building a life here. A good life!¡± He said. ¡°No one will take it from us!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Croggart, Dorcot.¡± Ren said and took out the last 2 sets of red steel armor that he had. ¡°If you''re going to help defend, I won''t have you stand here without protection.¡± ¡°I don''t need armor.¡± Croggart said and pounded his chest. ¡°Thick skin.¡± ¡°I know you''re not guards; but, you should wear it anyways.¡± They both tried to say no, but Ren shook his head. ¡°You can keep it or sell it afterwards, I don''t care.¡± He said. ¡°But you will wear it for this battle, or you can go inside and wait with the women and children.¡± Croggart looked like he was going to get mad, then he burst out laughing. ¡°All right, that was a good argument.¡± They put on their suits of armor and Ren did as well. He handed each man a sword if they wanted it, and enchanted them with Fire and Damage glyphs; then handed them shields with his favorite Grip of the Earth glyphs. Ren took out a bunch of lumber, and stacked them into bonfire sized piles. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Dorcot asked. ¡°Making Mana reserves.¡± Ren said, then lit one on fire. Once it started burning, Ren absorbed some of the flames and recharged his Mana Pool. The sound of the troops was getting closer, so Ren climbed up onto the battlement and set 4 stone bricks into each space along the walls, to get good coverage of the surrounding area. He enchanted some with Screaming Terror, some with Fire, some with Water, and every second one with Wind. The battlement wall was nearly 4 feet wide, so Ren had lots of room to set up his 2 giant bow bracers with stand near the corner of the Keep. ¡°What are those things?¡± Wohrum asked and climbed up onto the battlement wall. ¡°Giant automatic crossbows.¡± Ren said. ¡°They only have 100 bolts in them, though. I''m sorry I didn''t have time to make more cartridges.¡± He said to the shocked faces that stared at him. ¡°I''ll show you how they work.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The men climbed up and he gave them a quick rundown of what to do. Single shot, triple shot, and full auto were the options available. He also popped the cartridge off to show the size of the bolts inside. ¡°By the gods!¡± Dorcot said. ¡°You could run a man through with those!¡± ¡°If they don''t have armor.¡± Golir said. ¡°They have armor.¡± Croggart said. ¡°Then make the shots count.¡± Ren said. ¡°We don''t have time for target practice, though.¡± ¡°There they are.¡± Teepo said, and Ren turned to see the approaching army. It was an impressive sight, seeing all those dwarves marching together. ¡°How many do you think?¡± Broxor asked. ¡°It''s a standard Battalion.¡± Croggart said. ¡°So it''s 400 men, not counting the command structure.¡± ¡°We are going to get creamed.¡± Kharpik said. ¡°Stop that thought!¡± Ren nearly shouted. ¡°If it''s a fight they want, it''s a fight they''ll get.¡± ¡°But... look at them! There''s hundreds of them, and only 7 of us!¡± ¡°Yeah, the poor bastards are outnumbered.¡± Croggart said, and smacked his metal fists together. ¡°I feel kinda sorry for ''em.¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°They won''t know what hit them.¡± * The Commander was tired. He''d been a patsy for the Council for too many years and was getting sick of it all. If this turned out the way he thought it would... ¡°Sir! We can see the battlement of the Keep. We think.¡± ¡°What do you mean, you think?¡± The Commander said. ¡°Is it a battlement or not?¡± ¡°We can''t be sure, sir.¡± The Knight said. ¡°First of all, it''s mostly white.¡± ¡°It''s WHAT?!?¡± ¡°White, sir.¡± He said. ¡°You should see it for yourself.¡± The Commander got out of his carriage and walked to the front of the formation. When he got there, he was surprised at the sight. Sure enough, the stone battlement that they expected was white, and had things all over it. ¡°What are the things...¡± ¡°Columns, designs, vines, leaves, stone figures in various poses, and odd groups of the same symbols every 10 feet.¡± ¡°Scout report?¡± The Knight nodded slightly. ¡°He got within 50 feet, and saw several armored people on the battlement... along with 2 weapons we''ve never seen before.¡± The Commander snorted a laugh. ¡°I can just imagine.¡± He said. ¡°He''s the one that sold us the Giant Leg Holding Trap.¡± ¡°This looks more like a crossbow, but it''s nearly 3 feet long, sir.¡± ¡°It''s WHAT?¡± ¡°That was my reaction as well, sir.¡± The Knight said. ¡°It''s a good thing the troops are all wearing armor.¡± ¡°That won''t matter if they''re shot in the face.¡± The Commander said. ¡°A 3 foot crossbow would have a bolt... nearly a foot long.¡± The Knight''s eyes widened for a moment, and then he nodded slightly. ¡°It''s too bad all the houses we passed, and the Main House, were empty.¡± He said. ¡°Hostages would have helped a lot.¡± ¡°Yes, they would have helped.¡± The Commander sighed. ¡°It would have helped piss him off.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°He doesn''t seem the type that would take kindly to anyone messing with his people.¡± ¡°I understand, sir.¡± ¡°Send 2 squads of troops up behind the siege tower.¡± The Commander said. ¡°The quicker we show him we can get inside to get him, the quicker he can surrender.¡± The Knight left to give the order, and the Commander looked to the battlement. The next move is yours. * ¡°Here it comes!¡± Golir said, and Ren took out one of the 15 slivers of gold he''d smelted back in Aurora before he came here. He''d made them in case he met anyone that didn''t take coins, but never expected that just a gold coin would be hard to find in the general population. He took out his Book of Runes and flipped through them to find the ones he wanted. He formed a glyph in his mind, it added itself to his book, and Ren enchanted a double glyph on the 1 inch wide and 2 inch long sliver of gold. It etched itself on the surface. ¡°Let''s see how they like this.¡± Ren said, thought Activate, and a flaming spear appeared in his hand. ¡°By the GODS!¡± Golir exclaimed. ¡°How far is that? 300 feet? 350?¡± Ren said, took the proper stance, and threw the spear as hard as he could. He''d never thrown a spear before, so he let the system guide his hand. It flew up high into the air, as it had along way to go, and then it came down to hit the very top of the tower. Ren dismissed the popup for gaining Spear Throwing Level 1, as it smashed the railing and plank there, and cracked the ladder in behind as it stuck into the wood. The wood caught fire immediately, but the spear was only thin. The 2 Dwarf runes of Spear wore off, and it became a sliver of gold again. It had done it''s job, and the wood started to burn. * ¡°By the gods, did you see that?¡± The Knight said. ¡°He hit the siege tower from over 300 feet away!¡± The Commander nodded slightly, then frowned. Why isn''t he throwing another one? * ¡°Do that again!¡± Croggart said and clapped Ren on the shoulder with a clang of metal. ¡°That was amazing!¡± ¡°I will if they have another one.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It did what I wanted it to.¡± He said. ¡°Look.¡± The dwarves had been pushing the tower slowly at first; but now, they were running for all they were worth. They got to the part Ren had dug up earlier, the weight of the tower made the trenches collapse, and it was like hitting the brakes. The front wheels jammed into the trench and the tower fell forwards, smashed into the road and broke into several pieces. The dwarves pushing it were flung over it and several behind tripped over the dwarves in front and they ended in a pile. With the added wind from running, and the rush of air from breaking apart, the flames burst out and lit everything on fire. Thankfully, the dwarves weren''t that flammable, and they beat the flames out of their clothes. They didn''t know what to do then, though. Croggart saw their dilemma and yelled. ¡°YOU CAN GO HOME NOW!¡± ¡°If only it was that easy.¡± Ren laughed. * ¡°What do we do now?¡± The Warriors asked the Knight. ¡°We reform, take out our weapons, and find a way into the Keep.¡± ¡°But sir! The tower is...¡± ¡°We don''t need a tower!¡± The Knight said. ¡°We''ll do it like the old days! Reform!¡± The Warriors reformed and the Knight smiled. ¡°Charge!¡± * ¡°What the hell are they doing?¡± The Commander asked. ¡°I think he''s trying to complete his mission, sir.¡± The Knight said. The Commander rubbed his temples. ¡°Must I continuously suffer the decisions of fools?¡± ¡°Excuse me, sir?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± He said. ¡°FORM UP!¡± He bellowed and everyone did as he ordered. ¡°Forward, MARCH!¡± * ¡°Damn, you were right.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°They''re all coming now.¡± The tower group was close enough to see their faces. ¡°HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!¡± Ren yelled, and the dwarves stopped. ¡°I could have had you shot long before you got this close.¡± He said and pat the giant bow bracer. ¡°I don''t want to hurt you if I don''t have to.¡± ¡°Do your worst!¡± The Knight spat at him. Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay.¡± He thought and pointed his fist at them, and activated his Screaming Terror ring. Three quarters of the group dropped their weapons and screamed as they scattered. The Knight turned on them. ¡°Get back here, you deserters!¡± He yelled, but they didn''t listen. Once the scattered dwarves were far enough away, they calmed down and collapsed from the exertion of running in full plate mail. ¡°Want me to keep going?¡± Ren asked. The Knight raised his sword. ¡°Charggglll!¡± Ren hit him with the Water Spray ring, and drenched the remaining dwarves. * ¡°Sir! Are you seeing this?¡± The Knight beside the Commander asked. ¡°Yes, I see it.¡± The Commander said. He''s taking on 2 squads by himself, and he''s not even on the ground. He thought. ¡°Double Time! Hut Hut Hut!¡± He said and the group doubled their pace. ¡°Sir! What about the crossbows?¡± ¡°He''ll only get a couple of shots off with them before we hit the Keep.¡± * Ren gave the dwarves below him several quick shots from his Lightning ring once they were wet enough, and they fell unconscious. ¡°Ren! They''re coming fast!¡± Croggart said. ¡°Golir. 10 bolts into the ground in front of them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now.¡± Golir opened up with the quick fire option and put 10 bolts into the ground right in front of the formation. The ones in front stumbled over the sudden appearance of foot long bolts at their feet, and the first few rows of dwarves tripped over them. The formation broke apart slightly. * ¡°HALT!¡± The Commander yelled and they came to a stop. ¡°Crossbowmen!¡± Several squads of dwarfs carrying crossbows stepped forward and formed up in two ranks, the front row knelt and they all took aim. ¡°Ready!¡± The Commander said. ¡°FIRE!¡± * ¡°Ren! Crossbow bolts!¡± Teepo said. Ren concentrated on all of the wind glyphs he''d cast on every second stone. Activate! He thought, and 20 gale force winds shot out to create a wind barrier that covered nearly the whole Keep on that side. Ren hadn''t had the time to go all the way around the Keep with them. * The Commander watched in surprise as every bolt that was fired flew off in different directions when they got close enough to the Keep. He let the crossbowmen load and fire again, but they had the same result the second time. ¡°Cease fire.¡± He said. * ¡°What do you think they''ll try next?¡± Dorcot asked. ¡°If it was me, I''d rush us.¡± Wohrum said. ¡°Overwhelm with numbers.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I think so, too.¡± He said, and picked up a Fire enchanted stone brick. ¡°We''d all be wrong, though.¡± He activated the enchantment and lit the now completely spread out oil in the 8 foot wide moat. It lit up with a whoosh, and covered the whole space with 6 foot high flames. * The whole formation came to a stop 100 feet away, and without orders to do so. ¡°I didn''t call a halt!¡± The Commander said. ¡°March!¡± The formation started to march, but the dwarves in the front started sweating. When they were 50 feet away, Ren concentrated on the remaining enchanted stone bricks and spoke. ¡°Activate.¡± 12 stones with Fire enchantments shot out a geyser of flame over the heads of the dwarves. 12 stones enchanted with Water Spray gushed out and soaked them, and 12 stones enchanted with Screaming Terror hit them at the same time. Some dwarves ducked from the flames, others were washed away with the water, but most just dropped their weapons and screamed. The entire formation dissolved and they scattered. Even the dwarves not affected by the terror ran, because they didn''t want to be electrocuted like the dwarves still unconscious on the ground. * The Commander watched in shock as his entire Battalion broke apart, except for a few that were out on the fringes of the impact area. * Ren looked around and saw the Commander and a Knight standing off to the side of the battlefield, then at what his enchantments had wrought. He sighed and shook his head. ¡°They sent them here to take you, or to keep you here as a prisoner.¡± Croggart said. ¡°You were just defending yourself.¡± He said. ¡°Defending us.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren nodded slightly and jumped down to recharge his Mana Pool. ¡°That doesn''t mean I have to like it.¡± He said. ¡°The dwarves were just following orders. It''s not their fault the orders were both ridiculous, and cost them Honor.¡± He finished recharging his Mana Pool and climbed back up on top of the battlement. Ren switched his Command Aura to Fear, and formed a Connection to his Screaming Terror ring and walked to the edge of the wall. ¡°Geezus, I hate that feeling.¡± Croggart said, and rubbed his arms to try and get the feeling of ants crawling on his skin to go away. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going over to talk to the Commander.¡± He deactivated the stone brick enchantments, and jumped. * The Commander watched as a gold-colored armored figure jumped down into the flaming moat. The flames were only about 3 feet tall by this point, so the Commander saw as the oil splashed the figure and his clothes. The figure walked through the flames as if it was nothing, then stepped up and out of the moat, covered in flames. * ¡°By the gods, he just jumped into the moat!¡± Dorcot exclaimed. ¡°Now he''s on fire!¡± The 6 men watched in surprise as Ren walked down the road a little ways. * Croggart was shaken out of his surprise by an impending attack on Ren, and yelled. ¡°On your RIGHT!¡± Ren side-stepped the incoming sword easily, as Teepo had already warned him. The dwarf held a shield up and Ren punched it as hard as he could. The shield shattered, and broke the dwarf''s arm from the impact. The dwarf dropped the sword and grabbed the arm. Ren walked on as the flames he was covered in burned up the oil and went out. He was attacked several more times, mostly as an after thought by fleeing dwarves. With Teepo''s help and his trusty hammerpick and shield, Ren easily dispatched anyone stupid enough to come near to him. Ren went over to the Commander, saw the shocked look on his face, then stored the hammerpick and shield. The Knight with him stepped in front and tried to swing a sword, but Ren caught it easily and used Iron Grip to crush it. They both let it go, and it dropped to the ground. The Knight tried to punch him in the face, Ren grabbed his arm, and flung him away without thinking. ¡°Anything else?¡± Ren asked, then 3 crossbow bolts bounced off of Ren''s armor. He turned and ran at the trio of dwarves at full speed, used a classic clothes-line move on two of the dwarfs, and took them to the ground. It knocked the breath out of them and the third dwarf turned to try to shoot at Ren again. The dwarf hadn''t reloaded, so Ren stood up and grabbed the dwarf by his chest plate, used Iron Grip and crushed it. ¡°Don''t.¡± Ren said, and let go of the ruined chest plate. The dwarf dropped the crossbow and backed away. Ren kicked the crossbow away, then walked back over to the Commander. ¡°I assume the Council sent you.¡± The Commander nodded. ¡°Capture or contain?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Both.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°They''re so desperate to keep everything for themselves that they''d have you compromise all of your soldier''s Honor for this.¡± ¡°Do you expect them to just step aside and give it all to you?¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Ren barked a laugh. ¡°Why the hell would I want this?¡± He said, and waved at all of the fleeing dwarves. ¡°I''m fighting the Council because stuff like this shouldn''t have happened at all.¡± The Commander sighed. ¡°So, are you done?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I have a Council meeting to get to.¡± The Commander nodded slightly. ¡°Yes.¡± He said. ¡°I surrender.¡± Chapter 144 - The Council Ren stared at the multiple popups he received after the Commander''s surrender.
Notice!
You have soundly defeated an entire Battalion of troops. As this has never happened before, you have been granted XP for every member of the Battalion (462) as if you had dueled them personally. Rewards: Commander (x1): 10,000 XP; Senior Knight (x1): 5,000 XP; Knight (x20): 3,000 XP; Senior Warrior (x40): 2,000 XP; Basic Warrior (x400): 1,000 XP Total XP Gained: 555,000 XP Fame Bonus: 88% Influence: +231,000 (500 per member average) Honor: +46,200 (100 per member average)
Notice!
Because of your high Influence (338,970) and Honor (54,230), everyone will now see you as a Prestigious Lord.
Notice!
For defeating your first army in battle, you have been granted a Fame bonus. Fame: +9240 (20 per member)
Notice!
You have maxed your Fame at 10,000. You are now Revered. Your extra Fame has been converted to XP, and you have been granted a 10 Level Bonus to all Auras. Fame to XP: 79,900 (1 Fame = 10 XP)
Notice!
You kept a cool head during a major crisis, and inspired those around you. Command Aura Bonus: +5% XP, plus 1% per Player/NPC under your command (7). Total Gained: 66,600 XP
Running Quest Update!
You have shown an influential member of society (and hundreds of witnesses) what you can do, much to their surprise and horror. Rewards: 10,000 XP Fame Bonus: 100%
Notice!
Because you gained more than 1,000,000 XP from a single action, you have earned the top spot on the ''XP Gain'' Leader Board. Your game handle: REN, and your total: 1,068,650 XP, have been posted to the main website and the public forum. Grants +5 Levels to personal Aura. Aura (Personal) Level 8 (Advanced 30%) Your presence is such as those near you will be in awe of you and your accomplishments. Current distance: 20 foot radius
Level Up!
You have gained 17 levels and are now Level 25. 170 Stat Points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: Special Class Rune - Store Spell Class Skill: Artisan (grants 5 levels to Appraisal, make things look more expensive, with higher quality and value) Special Class Skill: Retain Essence (can absorb an enchantment, then transfer it onto another item) Class Skill: Intense Student (doubles all knowledge abilities when inside a Library) Special Class Skill: Craft Construct (unlike a familiar, it is only semi-sentient. Limit: 2) Craft Construct/Familiar Recipe: Homunculus (Humanoid) Craft Construct/Familiar Recipe: Homunculus (Iron Defender) Craft Familiar Recipe: Dedicated Servant Crafter Special Class Skill: Artificer Knowledge (grants 5 levels to Appraisal, can tell what kind of magic is in an item) Class Skill: Improved Toughness (you are now much harder to hurt) Special Class Skill: Improved Homunculi (grants +1 Familiar, sneak attack, weapon proficiency, automatic spell storage on creations) Special Class Skill: Craft Wand (Can make wands that cast spells: 50 charges. Spells Known: Fireball, Minor Healing) Special Class Rune: Holding (grants +5 slots of storage) You can view the individual gains per level in the Level Up Menu.
Notice!
Your familiar is now Level 26, and it grants you a +5 to your Craft Familiar skill. Craft Familiar Level 7 (Beginner 90%)
Ren dismissed the popups, and stood there in shock. I never imagined... ¡°Ren, are you okay?¡± Teepo asked as he landed on Ren''s shoulder. I''m fine, Teepo. Ren thought, then turned to the men still on the battlement wall. ¡°Get me several lengths of rope, and gather up all the Knights you can find here. Tie them up, and then together.¡± He turned back to the Commander. ¡°I''m sorry about this.¡± The Commander nodded slightly. ¡°So am I.¡± He said. ¡°If I''d known...¡± ¡°You''d still have come, but you''d have brought a catapult or two.¡± ¡°At least.¡± The Commander smiled. Ren took out some rope and tied the Commander''s wrists. ¡°I''ve had an idea about those, by the way.¡± The Commander shook his head. ¡°Don''t tell me yet.¡± He said. ¡°If I''m not removed from my post for this epic failure... you and I have a lot to discuss.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Don''t worry, Commander. I''ll tell the assembly it wasn''t your fault. You were just following illegal orders that you couldn''t refuse.¡± The Commander''s eyes widened at the truth in Ren''s words. ¡°How do you know that?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Would you normally have a Battalion march and assault a Minor House?¡± He shook his head again. ¡°A squad is usually enough.¡± The Commander looked around. ¡°I''d have brought a Regiment or even a Brigade for this.¡± ¡°It wouldn''t have made much difference.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°If you''d taken more time to gather forces, I would have more time to make better defenses.¡± ¡°Better defenses?¡± He asked, surprised. ¡°What? You think this is all I''d have done if I knew you were coming?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''d have had fire traps all over the place. Spiked pit traps. Trenches. Leg holding traps by the dozens.¡± ¡°We''d have seen those giant things a mile away.¡± The Commander said. Ren laughed. ¡°Normal-sized ones, about a foot across. Covered in dirt. You''d never see them.¡± ¡°Covered... in dirt...¡± ¡°Don''t tell me you''ve got those huge things just sitting out in the middle of the field.¡± Ren said, and the Commander looked away. ¡°How many?¡± ¡°2 dozen. Right across the width of the field.¡± ¡°Did you leave space between them for the catapults shots to land?¡± He shook his head. ¡°You must set half of them off every time.¡± Ren said. He nodded. ¡°You''re right, Commander. We will have a lot to discuss after this.¡± ¡°We''ve got them all, Ren!¡± Croggart said, and brought over the end of a rope. ¡°Counted them myself.¡± Ren tied the Commander near the end of the rope Croggart had, and nodded. ¡°Did you clean them of weapons?¡± ¡°Nope. I even gave them back the swords and shields that they dropped.¡± Croggart said, then guffawed. ¡°Of course I took their weapons.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I had to ask.¡± Croggart nodded slightly. ¡°What do you want us to do with them now?¡± ¡°I''ll bring the cart out and you can tie them to it. I''ll be taking them to the meeting.¡± ¡°What about all the Warriors?¡± ¡°You can round them up after I''m gone.¡± Ren said. ¡°But just in case they decide to regroup and attack again, I''ll show you and the guards how to use the protections on the battlement walls.¡± Croggart smiled. ¡°That would be great.¡± ¡°The automatic crossbows are still loaded, too.¡± Ren said, then went inside to get the nice plush cart and brought it out to Croggart. ¡°I''ve got to go in the house and get ready for the meeting.¡± Croggart nodded and Ren went inside the house. It was a little crowded with all the people in the main room, so Ren stepped to the middle of the room and concentrated on his personal Aura. ¡°It''s okay, everyone.¡± Ren said. ¡°The danger is over now that the army''s Battalion surrendered.¡± ¡°They WHAT?!?¡± Most of the people exclaimed. ¡°After a short battle, the Commander came to his senses.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ve captured the officers, and I''m taking them to the council meeting after I get changed.¡± A few people congratulated him, and the rest sat there in silence. Nathalia came over to him and kissed him passionately. ¡°I don''t know what you did, but I gained 8 levels, Major Healing, a Mana shield, and this.¡± Nathalia held up her fist, and four cat like claws made of Mana, grew out of her knuckles. They were bright blue and were about 3 inches long. ¡°They look sharp.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can tell me more later.¡± He smiled. ¡°We have to get ready for the meeting.¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°Ma, we have to get ready.¡± Narhilda came out of the kitchen and passed some plates of food to the guests. ¡°I''m not going.¡± Ren turned to her. ¡°My Lady, you have to come.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I have to stay and take care of everyone.¡± ¡°My Lady...¡± Ren said. ¡°...I''ll make you something nice to wear.¡± Narhilda looked at him. ¡°I can''t wear anything else.¡± She said. ¡°I''m in mourning.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ve got an idea about that.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± She said, her face full of hope. Ren took the two women into the old bedroom and he modified a different royal dress, and added the pattern for the white chiffon dress, so it would fit underneath it. He dyed it red to match both his clothing and Nathalia''s dress, added the white parts where appropriate, then sewed it up, but left out the white chiffon parts. ¡°Put this on.¡± Ren said and handed it to Narhilda. Narhilda put the dress on, and it fit over her mourning dress easily. The white chiffon became the under-skirting for the royal dress, and she marveled at it. ¡°With this, you''re still wearing your mourning dress and can still honor your husband''s memory.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°You''re amazing!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Now will you come to the meeting?¡± ¡°Of course, dear.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I have to show this off!¡± Nathalia chuckled and equipped her own dress. ¡°Should I leave the cloak on, too?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Yes. We''re going to give the council a show. With our combined Auras, we can cover the whole building.¡± Nathalia smiled and Ren stored his armor, then equipped his red royal suit to match the two women. ¡°I think that''s everything.¡± He said, and asked Nathalia to concentrate on her personal Aura. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren told Narhilda to walk in front, since she was the Lady of the House, and he held out his elbow for Nathalia to take. They walked out of the bedroom and were greeted with silence. ¡°We''re leaving for the council meeting.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Please stay and enjoy the food. We''ll be back in a few hours.¡± There were several nods and Narhilda turned and walked out of the house. Ren and Nathalia followed her out into the courtyard. ¡°The cart is out on the road.¡± Ren said. ¡°The officers are tied to it.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Narhilda exclaimed. ¡°How could you do-¡± ¡°Mother!¡± Nathalia exclaimed right back. ¡°It''s just for show, My Lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°They are prisoners, and I''m returning them to the council.¡± Narhilda sighed. ¡°Very well.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t like this, though.¡± ¡°Neither do I.¡± Ren said. ¡°But it''s necessary.¡± She nodded slightly and Ren led the two women out to the cart. The loud chatter Ren could hear stopped as everyone caught sight of Lady Narhilda, and then Ren and Nathalia. The two women climbed into the back of the plush cart and settled down for the trip. All of the dwarves stared at them and they held their heads up high. Ren smiled and ran back into the courtyard to get the baby fire elemental from the oil barrel. It had eaten all the remaining oil and was sitting on the bottom. ¡°Hey, there!¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you full?¡± It''s color changed slightly and he picked it up and tucked it into the hood of his cloak, then went into the stable to get Princess. ¡°Hi, there.¡± Ren said and opened her stat window. ¡°Wow, 15 levels!¡± She huffed and stood up. Ren helped her assign her 75 stat points and he could almost see her muscles getting bigger. He knocked on Ruck''s cabinet.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Are you okay in there?¡± Ren asked. The cabinet door opened and Ruck stepped out. ¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said as he saw Ruck was almost double in size. ¡°Let me guess. One of your perks was double capacity.¡± Ruck gave the ''thumbs up'' gesture and Ren smiled wistfully. ¡°You''re not going to fit on my back anymore.¡± Ruck pat Ren''s leg and ran across the stable, up the wall, and across the ceiling to end back above Ren. ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''d say you''re nearly as fast as me, now.¡± He turned to Princess. ¡°I need a ride to the Main Keep.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re towing soldiers behind, too... actually, you know what? We should put them in a cart, too.¡± He took Princess out of the stable and out to the road. ¡°By the gods! Look at that ram!¡± One of the Knights said. ¡°It''s gigantic!¡± Another said. ¡°Look! Golden hooves, too!¡± No one told them to be quiet, so they kept talking as Ren hooked Princess up to the front of the cart. Ren went back into the courtyard and took some of the lumber he''d piled up and made a really long 2 wheeled cart. He changed the front so it could be attached to the other cart, and added benches inside so the soldiers had somewhere to sit. Ren enchanted it with a double glyph of Antidark (8 runes total), pulled it out to the road, and the prisoners stared at it. ¡°Did he have that this whole time?¡± ¡°He knew he''d win.¡± ¡°How do I get out of this chickenshit outfit?¡± ¡°You secure that shit, soldier!¡± The senior Knight said. ¡°Untie them from the cart and move them aside, please.¡± Ren said to Croggart, Dorcot, and the guards. They did so, and Ren put the long cart in the right spot then attached it so it would swivel when they turned the front cart. ¡°Okay, put them inside and tie them to the front and sides.¡± Ren said and ran up to the workshop. He started the forge and smelted up a little bit of gold and iron ore. He stirred it quickly, and since there wasn''t a lot, he added a bit more gold ore. Ren opened up his locket pattern, and edited it. He took off the front and enlarged it to be about 4 inches long. He took one of the crates of diamonds and picked out 3 similar-sized oval ones. Ren was tempted to give them a basic enchantment, but then he had an idea. He took out the plans he made for the House Neram crest mold and set the design in his mind. He placed a hand on the diamond oval and enchanted it, thinking that he wanted everyone to know what it meant. Ren felt a Mana drain, and looked at the stone as the House Neram crest etched itself onto the surface of the diamond.
Hidden Class Skill Unlocked!
Your ingenuity has given you the ability: Enchant Design. You can create designs and enchant them onto objects. You can imbue these designs with Mana for various effects.
Ren''s eyes widened after he dismissed the popup and examined the diamond.
House Neram Diamond
This diamond has been enchanted with the crest of House Neram. It grants the wearer: Aura (House Neram). Distance: 10 feet. Can combine with other Auras or effects to increase both distance and effectiveness.
¡°That is so cool!¡± Ren said and enchanted the other two diamonds. He poured out enough molten metal and let the system form it into 3 pendants, then set the diamonds into them. He took one, equipped it, and dismissed the popup. He turned off the forge and ran back down to the cart and the waiting men. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said and pointed to his pendant. ¡°I got distracted making this.¡± ¡°You... you just...¡± ¡°Come into the courtyard, and I''ll show you how to use the enchantments.¡± Ren said to Croggart and Dorcot, then motioned for the guards to come, too. They followed him and he assigned Croggart all of the Wind stones, Dorcot the Water, Wohrum the Terror, Kharpik the Fire, Golir to one automatic crossbow, and Broxor to the other one. ¡°You shouldn''t need them; but if you have any trouble gathering up the Warriors, let lose with what you have.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then shut the gate and pull up the drawbridge.¡± They nodded and Ren went back outside to the waiting prisoners. ¡°I''m not bringing a guard, because I''m going to trust your Honor-bound surrender.¡± He said to the Commander. ¡°It''ll be a short ride, so you better hold on.¡± The Commander''s eyes widened as Ren grinned and went to the front cart. He climbed in the back and presented a diamond pendant to Lady Neram, and to Nathalia. ¡°Ren, they''re beautiful.¡± Narhilda said as she put hers on, and Nathalia nodded slightly as she equipped hers. ¡°They match their owners, then.¡± Ren said, kissed them both on the cheek, and told them to hold on. He jumped down to the ground, walked around to the front of the cart, and looked at Princess. ¡°It''s heavy, even with the lightness enchantments. Go slow until you feel it out, then you can run.¡± Princess huffed and nodded, and Ren pat her, then climbed into the driver''s seat. ¡°Okay.¡± Princess leaned forward and pulled, then the carts started to roll. Ren heard her hooves scrape the road, then she got them going at a good speed, then she ran. There were shouts of ''slow down'' and ''by the gods'', but Ren ignored them. They made it to the city a couple minutes later and Princess slowed down. She took the corner slowly and the extra long cart made it around without any trouble. Everyone got out of the way of such a large cart, and stared at all of the soldiers in the back. They got to the Main keep a few minutes later and Ren pulled up to the gate, and concentrated on his personal Aura and pendant. ¡°Where can I park this thing?¡± The guard just stared at him. Ren turned to the other guard. ¡°Parking?¡± ¡°There isn''t any.¡± He said. ¡°No one ever brings a cart.¡± ¡°I wasn''t going to make these men walk all the way here.¡± Ren said and motioned to the soldiers tied in the back. ¡°I''ll just put it over there.¡± He said and Princess walked over to the spot. Ren climbed down and tied the reins to a small tree, then turned to Princess to whisper. ¡°I normally wouldn''t tie you, but I don''t want them to think you''re going to run free.¡± Princess huffed. ¡°Yes, if anyone tries to hurt or take you, run them over.¡± Ren said and undid the straps holding her to the cart and left them laying there so it looked like she was still attached. Princess nodded and Ren pat her neck, then went to the back of the front cart to help Nathalia and her mother climb down. ¡°That was quite the ride.¡± Narhilda said, and her daughter laughed. Ren stood on the back of the front cart and saw the soldiers sitting there in shock. ¡°How the hell did it do that?¡± The Commander asked as Ren untied the ropes holding everyone to the sides of the cart. He walked around to the back and untied the end and helped everyone get out. ¡°She''s my mount.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s strong and fast.¡± The Commander shook his head. ¡°I''ve never seen a ram do any such thing as I''ve seen today.¡± ¡°That''s because she had to pull so much weight.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You should see her when she runs normally.¡± Narhilda and Nathalia walked over to him. ¡°We should get inside.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°There''s a long line, though.¡± ¡°Concentrate on your Aura and the pendant.¡± Ren said and he felt her Aura sync with his, and turned to Narhilda. ¡°Think about the pendant. Remember it''s beauty.¡± Narhilda looked at it and closed her eyes. ¡°Now think of House Neram, and what it means to you.¡± Ren said, and a minute later, Narhilda''s eyes opened as her Aura matched Ren''s and Nathalia''s. ¡°By the gods!¡± She said as Ren''s Aura went out to over 75 feet. Ren smiled. ¡°My Lady, please take the lead.¡± Narhilda grinned and started to walk. Ren held an elbow out for Nathalia to take, and followed her mother past the line and into the Main Keep. He held the rope tightly, and pulled the soldiers behind them. Once inside everyone stopped to look at them and the line of prisoners tied together. They walked unimpeded down the left hallway to the last door and a guard there opened it for them. ¡°You can''t take them in there with you.¡± The guard said. ¡°House Members only.¡± Ren was ready for this argument. ¡°Since they attacked my House, and I defeated them, I took them into custody. They are under House Neram''s protection until I release them.¡± The guard opened his mouth to protest, but then he shrugged and waved them through. The procession entered the large meeting hall and the noise slowly died as the House members got a look at what had entered the room. Lady Neram ignored all the stares and walked over to her section. It was small, as she was only a Minor House, but there was enough room for her to sit in the main chair, Nathalia to stand beside her, and for Ren to get the other 22 people into the area by storing the rest of the seats. He didn''t untie anyone, however. ¡°You are prisoners under my command.¡± Ren told them. ¡°Do. Not. Nod.¡± Half an hour later, the last House members entered the chamber and everyone sat. The Council entered the chamber and everyone nodded to them, except for everyone in the House Neram section. The Council members all looked over to where they should have gotten more Honor, and saw the large number of people in that section. Someone started to ask why House Neram had so many retainers and no one else was allowed, then Ren held the rope up and all of the prisoners'' hands raised slightly as well. There was an outburst of talk and accusations, and the head of the Council tapped a hammer onto a stone tablet. ¡°Order will be maintained.¡± The head of House Lodur said. ¡°House Neram, you have not paid the proper Honor requirement to the Council.¡± ¡°That''s because you don''t deserve it.¡± Lady Neram said. ¡°I will not nod to arrogant fools, just because they believe I should.¡± Gasps were heard around the chamber at Lady Neram''s truthful words. Lord Lodur''s eyes widened at the blatant snub, and was tempted to censure her for it. ¡°Go ahead.¡± She said. ¡°Censure me. Show everyone here you''re just as big of a fool as they all know you are.¡± More gasps were heard and Ren smiled as conversations stared and became so loud that it was hard to make anything out. Lord Lodur coughed and put the hammer down. ¡°We are all gathered here today...¡± Lord Lodur said. ¡°...for the trial of Ren Neram.¡± The room burst with new conversations about the subject, and Ren chuckled and leaned down to whisper in Lady Neram''s ear. ¡°That''s pretty slick of them.¡± He said. She nodded. ¡°It''s sure to waste nearly all of the afternoon.¡± ¡°It''s too bad it won''t work.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go ahead, My Lady.¡± Lady Neram stood, and everyone looked at her. She smiled and spoke. ¡°I challenge your right to put Ren on trial for disobeying an illegally issued Council Edict.¡± The entire room fell silent, and the Council members all had shocked faces. ¡°Can she do that?¡± ¡°I thought there was going to be a trial?¡± ¡°Shhh! It''s just getting good.¡± ¡°Smack them down!¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°I don''t care, I just want to see someone smacked down!¡± Lord Lodur tapped the hammer on the stone tablet again. ¡°Order. Order!¡± He said, and the place grew quiet. ¡°Do you have any proof of that, Lady Neram?¡± She chuckled. ¡°Of course I do.¡± She said and took out the order. She read it through, and no one spoke. ¡°Now that you have heard the ridiculous terms of their cease work order, you should also know that the Council was NOT IN SESSION when it was issued.¡± ¡°Hey, she''s right!¡± ¡°They announced the break over a month ago. I''d forgotten about that.¡± Lord Lodur tapped the hammer again. ¡°The Council doesn''t have to be in session to issue edicts.¡± ¡°Since when?¡± Someone shouted. ¡°Order!¡± Lord Lodur said. ¡°What I''d like to know, is how many of the Council actually voted for this?¡± Lady Neram held the edict up. Several Council members looked around at the other members, and everyone saw doubt on their faces. ¡°No one is going to admit that this was just a plot to hurt House Neram, and in turn, every business that we dealt with?¡± Lady Neram asked. ¡°The Honor they lost because you wouldn''t allow them to complete their contracts on time.¡± She shook her head. ¡°How were you going to give that back?¡± No one on the Council spoke, and Lady Neram laughed. ¡°How arrogant you are.¡± She said. ¡°I''m so glad that Ren was so Honorable that he went to every business we dealt with and canceled his orders; just so they wouldn''t lose any more Honor, or the fees he''d paid.¡± Most of the House members gasped; but, the ones that Ren had dealt with all nodded slightly. ¡°They all wanted to give him a refund, especially the ones where he''d paid for extra workers to help cover the orders.¡± Lady Neram smiled at the reactions from the crowd. ¡°Ren paid a good wage for an honest day''s work, and that burned you up inside.¡± She said to Lord Lodur. ¡°Didn''t it?¡± He frowned but didn''t say anything. ¡°We knew it was you, Lord Lodur, because we got the notice almost right after Ren paid one of your guards 10 weeks salary for guarding his workers shoveling silt at the mines.¡± Lady Neram said, and looked at the other Council members. ¡°How many of you have been unhappy that gold... actual gold coins, and not debt payment notices... was starting to seep back into the economy?¡± The other House members started agreeing that actual money was going around now, and Lord Lodur scowled. ¡°Order! ORDER!¡± He said and slammed the hammer into the stone tablet. It broke and he didn''t know what to use the hammer on anymore, and dropped it. ¡°All of that is just hearsay and conjecture.¡± He said when he calmed down a little. ¡°Unless you have some actual evidence, the Council will ignore your protest.¡± Lady Neram laughed. ¡°Really? You speak for the entire Council, and you didn''t even ask them what they think.¡± Lord Lodur''s eyes widened as she blatantly pointed out his mistake. ¡°You should have at least pretended to confer about it, you idiot.¡± ¡°Now, that''s enough!¡± He said. ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Lady Neram said. ¡°I want it put to an open vote. If the majority of Houses here believe you are an honest and honorable man, and can do no wrong, then you have nothing to worry about.¡± She said and grinned. ¡°But, if they believe that Ren is the one who''s honest and honorable, and that you are running the Council like your own personal plaything... if you are issuing edicts without the entire Council''s knowledge illegally, and out of session, then that will be quite apparent.¡± ¡°I run the Council here, Lady Neram.¡± Lord Lodur said. ¡°Not you. I''m the one that can call a vote, and I''m not going to.¡± Several gasps were heard and conversations started up again. Lord Lodur picked up the hammer and hit the desk. It made a dull thud and he sighed. ¡°Well, then.¡± Lady Neram said. ¡°You leave me no choice.¡± She turned to Ren and nodded slightly. He motioned for the soldiers to back out of the House Neram space and then led the whole group of prisoners to the center of the chamber floor. ¡°These soldiers you ordered to... what was it? Oh, right. You ordered them to ''Capture and Contain'' Ren so he couldn''t make this meeting today, even though it was Ren that made this emergency meeting happen in the first place.¡± Half of the people in the chamber stood at those words, and stared at the Council. ¡°You sent 2 whole squads to detain him?¡± Lady Longore asked. ¡°2 squads? Are you kidding?¡± Lady Neram laughed. ¡°These are the top officers of the Battalion they sent.¡± ¡°Inadmissible!¡± Lord Faldihr said. ¡°There''s no proof that we sent...¡± Several Council members turned to stare at him, and he frowned. ¡°Commander.¡± Lady Neram said. ¡°As a prisoner, you are Honor-bound to answer truthfully.¡± ¡°You are not allowed to question people in this chamber without my permission!¡± Lord Lodur exclaimed, and everyone stared at him. ¡°Really?¡± Lady Neram asked. ¡°As far as I know, according to the law, I can interview my prisoners anywhere I wish.¡± Lord Lodur clamped his mouth shut. ¡°Commander, who told you to come and get Ren?¡± The Commander pointed to Lodur, Faldihr, Greentree, and Breakwater... then the chamber nearly exploded at the audacity of the Council members sending the military to assault a House. ¡°QUIET!¡± Lord Lodur shouted. ¡°WE run this PLACE! Not YOU!¡± He turned to Lady Neram. ¡°I''m placing you under arrest for accusing the Council of illegal activities.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Lady Neram said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you''d said ''the Council is arresting me'', then I couldn''t say anything.¡± She grinned. ¡°But you said ''I''m arresting you'', and it gives me the option to challenge you.¡± His mouth dropped open. ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°Lord Lodur, I challenge you.¡± Lady Neram said. ¡°I accept.¡± He said. ¡°I opt for a replacement champion.¡± They said together. Lady Neram nodded slightly to Ren, who brought the soldiers back to the House Neram section. Lord Lodur turned and nodded slightly to someone behind him and the dwarf left the room at a run. ¡°The arena will be ready shortly.¡± Lord Lodur said. ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Lady Neram said. ¡°Right here on the chamber floor will be fine.¡± ¡°If you choose the venue, I chose the conditions.¡± She nodded. ¡°No armor, weapons...¡± Lord Lodur grinned. ¡°...or projectile enchantments.¡± ¡°Submission or unconsciousness¡± Lady Neram said, then turned to Ren. ¡°He did what you said.¡± ¡°You played your part well.¡± Ren said and kissed her on the cheek, then kissed Nathalia on the lips. He equipped his Travelling Clothes, left his cloak on, and stepped down to the floor and concentrated on his Fear Aura. ¡°Hey, you''re already breaking the rules!¡± Lord Lodur accused. ¡°My Aura isn''t a projectile weapon.¡± Ren said, and grinned as Lord Lodur had to agree. A few minutes later, a dwarf, if he could be called that, stepped into the chamber and walked over to stand across from Ren. He was about a foot taller than Ren and his fists were nearly the size of Ren''s head. ¡°By the gods!¡± Someone exclaimed. Ren didn''t turn around to see who it was, because it didn''t matter. The big guy wasn''t phased at all by Ren''s Fear Aura, so Ren closed his eyes, and switched to his Hatred and used Connection to add his Screaming Terror ring to it. ¡°By the GODS! Do you feel that?¡± Someone exclaimed, and Ren thought it was the same voice. ¡°I''m sorry we had to meet like this.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not.¡± He said, and smashed his fists together. ¡°I heard you were a good fighter.¡± ¡°I''d rather be fighting for fun; but I''m fighting for something important this time.¡± Ren said, and the big guy grinned. He nodded and Ren nodded back.
Notice!
You have entered PvNPC Special Mode: Duel
¡°Begin!¡± Lord Lodur said and the big guy swung a meaty fist at Ren''s head. Ren dodged easily and punched the guy in the side. He grunted and elbowed Ren in the head, and it whipped to the side. Ren turned around and tried to kick the big guy, but it was caught and the big guy picked him up and slammed him into the floor. Ren bounced off the floor and the big guy kicked him into the podium the Council was sitting at. ¡°Argh!¡± Ren grunted as he hit the solid stone base. The big guy walked over and Ren kicked out at one of his legs and connected. The big guy''s leg slid out from underneath him and he toppled forward. Ren slid to the side and the big guy hit the Council''s desk face first and made a dent. Ren swung his elbow backwards and hit the back of the big guy''s head and shoved his face through the wood. The big guy got his head stuck, and Ren grabbed his leg and hauled him out of the desk. The big guy looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°What did you do that for?¡± He asked. ¡°You had me.¡± ¡°I don''t want you to lose because your ears are too big.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Ha!¡± The big guy said and cracked his knuckles as he stood up. He took a fighting stance and lunged at Ren, who ducked and ran to the Council''s desk. Ren hopped on top of it, turned around, then jumped and grabbed the big guy around the neck. Ren''s momentum carried them forward and he jammed the guy''s head into the hard floor. The guy''s forehead bounced off the wood and he was dazed for a moment. Ren knelt on one knee and punched the back of the guy''s head as hard as he could, and the guy grunted as his nose smashed into the floor. The big guy grabbed Ren''s foot and pulled, and he fell back as the big guy stood up. He punched Ren in the face, then swung him by his foot into the Council''s desk, and shattered the front of it. He grinned and stepped back to let Ren climb out of the rubble. Ren smiled and took off at a run, hooked the big guy''s chest in a tackle and brought him to the floor. Ren knelt on him and punched his face several times, until his Skull Cracker ability''s 20% chance to Stun kicked in. He rolled the big guy over and stepped across his back to straddle it, then picked the guy up and rested the big guy''s armpits on his knees. Ren grabbed him under the chin, then sat down on his lower back, pressing the big guy into a Camel Clutch. The guy immediately snapped out of the stun because of the pain, and started waving his arms. Ren pulled a little harder and the big guy grunted in pain. ¡°Submit!¡± Ren said, and the big guy shook his head slightly. Ren leaned back and pulled harder. ¡°AhhhHHH! I submit! I submit!¡± The big guy said.
Notice!
You have defeated your opponent in Hand-To-Hand combat. Rewards: 1700 XP Influence: +2500 Honor: +1000
Notice!
You have defeated an opponent 90 levels higher than you. Fame: +1650
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP (x10): 16,500
Notice!
PvNPC Special Mode: Duel, has ended.
Ren let him go immediately and switched to his Camaraderie Aura. The entire chamber was deathly silent as Ren helped the guy stand up. He took out the three quarter full Health potion he''d fed the horse with, and shared it with the big guy. ¡°That was a good fight.¡± The big guy said and took a drink. ¡°What the hell kind of move was that?¡± Ren smiled and took a drink. ¡°It''s called a ''Camel Clutch'', and it''s really painful if applied properly.¡± ¡°You don''t have to tell me that!¡± The big guy said and laughed as he rubbed his lower back. ¡°I''m gonna feel that tomorrow.¡± ¡°Just like I''m going to feel your fist in my face.¡± Ren said and rubbed it and passed the potion back. ¡°Damn, you hit hard!¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± The big guy clapped Ren on the shoulder and finished the potion. ¡°That was the point!¡± Ren laughed, and then looked around. He saw everyone''s hands in the air. ¡°Motion to dismiss all charges has been carried.¡± Lord Lodur said in a sad voice. ¡°What?¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re free to go.¡± Lord Greentree said. ¡°So go.¡± Ren looked at the Council member''s clothing and frowned. ¡°Annette would be so disappointed in you.¡± He said. ¡°After all the hard work she did to make this Council a fair and honest forum.¡± Lord Greentree had a shocked look on his face, and Ren turned to the big guy. ¡°Come on over to House Neram sometime.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can have a few fights for fun.¡± ¡°As long as you show me how to do that move.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°And after I recover.¡± Ren nodded slightly and walked back to House Neram''s section. ¡°What about the illegal order to attack a House?¡± Ren asked Nathalia in a whisper, as he equipped his red royal suit. ¡°They''re voting now.¡± She whispered back. Lady Neram raised her hand and so did nearly everyone else. ¡°The order is hereby nullified and no consequences will be dealt to the Commander and his troops.¡± Lord Lodur grumbled. Ren leaned forward. ¡°My Lady, perhaps...¡± Lady Neram nodded slightly and stood. ¡°I motion for the Council seats to be audited, and any wrong doings by Council members should make their seats invalid; with elections to be held next year for replacements.¡± ¡°Seconded.¡± ¡°All in favor?¡± A Council member dressed in blue on the end said. Once again, nearly everyone raised their hands and Ren grinned. Lord Lodur got up from the desk and left the room. Lord Faldihr followed him a moment later. ¡°Motion carried.¡± The room erupted in shouts and cheers, and Ren hugged Nathalia. Lady Neram turned to them and hugged them both. ¡°We aren''t out of this yet.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°They still have a stranglehold on the economy with all the debts still owed in labor.¡± Ren nodded slightly as he turned to untie the Commander and his Knights. ¡°They do have a stranglehold for now; but by the time the contracted labor is over, no one will want to work into debt again.¡± The Commander nodded to him, and Ren nodded back. ¡°I''ll probably see you in a few days.¡± Ren said to him. ¡°I''ve got a good deal going on expensive armor and enchantments.¡± The Commander chuckled, nodded slightly, and led his troops out of the chamber. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Let''s go home.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°That sounds great.¡± She said, and Ren held out his elbows for them to take. They grabbed on and he led both of them out of the chamber. Chapter 145 - Picked Up Ren had Nathalia and Narhilda on his arms as he left the Council chamber, and everyone watched them go. Several people nodded to them, and Lady Narhilda smiled and gave nods back. They went outside and the guards at the gate held it open for them. Once outside, Ren took the two women over to Princess and helped them get in the front cart. He unhooked the back cart and stored it. A few gasps were heard and Ren turned around and smiled at them. ¡°Adventurers can do great things.¡± Ren said and went to the front of the cart, then hooked Princess up to it. ¡°Take it slow until we''re out of the main city, okay?¡± Princess nodded and Ren took the reins and climbed up into the driver''s seat. They left the Main Keep behind and made it back to House Neram several minutes later. Ren slowed down at the sight of about a hundred Warriors gathered in front of House Neram Keep. They weren''t on the road, so Ren had Princess drive right into the courtyard with the cart. He climbed down and helped Nathalia and her mother climb down, too. They went inside as Ren unhooked Princess, walked her into the stable, and fed her some food. He went back out to the courtyard to talk to the guards. ¡°How did everything go?¡± Ren asked them. ¡°Great!¡± Golir said. ¡°Croggart and Dorcot rounded up the stragglers pretty fast.¡± He smiled and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°They''ve just been standing there.¡± Ren smiled himself. ¡°They''re waiting for orders, I think.¡± He said and went outside to talk to Croggart and Dorcot. ¡°I hear you did well.¡± They nodded. ¡°It was just like herding sheep.¡± Croggart said. ¡°By the way, I hate sheep farming.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I saw all the farms on the mountainside on the way into the bay.¡± Croggart nodded slightly. ¡°Yeah, my family has one of them, near the bottom.¡± He shook his head sadly. ¡°It''s not the life for me.¡± ¡°Are they a part of a House?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Croggart said. ¡°I left it years ago, and took my little sister with me.¡± ¡°What about Groggot?¡± ¡°He left not long after I did.¡± Croggart said. ¡°Signed on to a ship, and was bored out of his mind again.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah, boredom sucks.¡± ¡°Speaking of Groggot.¡± Croggart said. ¡°Guess who we found?¡± ¡°No way!¡± Ren said and Groggot stepped forward from the group of Warriors, and still wore his recruit uniform. ¡°They were using recruits, too?¡± ¡°50 of them.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°No armor, and only a sword; no shield. Except for this guy.¡± He pointed to Groggot, who carried a battle axe as tall as himself. ¡°I''m sorry you got caught up in all of this, Groggot.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not.¡± Groggot said. ¡°You weren''t kidding about the adventure stuff.¡± He grinned. ¡°How the hell did you get a regiment sent out to capture you?¡± ¡°Over-active imaginations of the Council, I think.¡± Ren said, concentrated on his Command Aura, House Neram pendant, and made a Connection to his Screaming Terror ring. He turned to the gathered Warriors, and several of them stepped back. ¡°Your Commander surrendered to me, so I won this battle.¡± He said. ¡°I released him and the other officers at the Council meeting, so I''m going to do the same to you.¡± The Warriors all had surprised looks on their faces. ¡°This shouldn''t have happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°None of you should have been here.¡± He shook his head. ¡°If you meet any of the missing soldiers, tell them that; and to go back to the Garrison.¡± The Warriors all looked at each other, and Croggart grabbed his brother''s arm. ¡°Don''t just stand there!¡± Ren nearly shouted. ¡°About FACE! MARCH! DOUBLE-TIME!¡± Ren shouted. ¡°MOVE IT! MOVE IT! MOVE IT!¡± The Warriors all turned towards the city and trotted away. ¡°What about you, Groggot?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Are you sticking with fighting Giants?¡± ¡°I haven''t finished training yet.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°My offer is still open.¡± Groggot nodded slightly, and Croggart smacking him in the back of the head. ¡°You don''t have to be so stubborn.¡± Croggart said. ¡°I''ll come visit the rat cage when you want.¡± Groggot laughed. ¡°It''s more of a mouse trap.¡± ¡°That''s what I said.¡± ¡°I better go.¡± Groggot said. ¡°See you later.¡± He nodded to Ren. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± Ren said and Groggot ran after the Warriors that were marching away. ¡°Now what?¡± Dorcot asked. ¡°Well, you could stay here and have a nice meal.¡± Ren said. ¡°My wife and her mother are great cooks.¡± ¡°I heard you''re pretty handy in the kitchen yourself.¡± ¡°I don''t like to brag.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Come on. Lets go inside.¡± ¡°What about the armor?¡± Croggart asked. ¡°We barely got to use it.¡± He said. ¡°Do you want it back?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I could melt it down and reforge it, but if I''m doing that anyways, it''s just as easy to make it new.¡± Ren told the guards to keep an eye out; but, they didn''t all need to be on duty now. He went into the house and was introduced to everyone. Teepo flew around their heads as Ren talked to them. The most interesting one of the group of people was Croggart''s sister, Ereka. She was 3 feet and 10 inches tall; was only 22 years old, and had shoulder-length blonde hair. She used to be a secretary for House Lodur; until the incident with Croggart came up, and she lost her job over it. ¡°Have you met Lady Narhilda and my fiance Nathalia?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Only briefly, sir.¡± She said in a soothing voice. Ren held a hand out to her, and she took it. ¡°Please allow me to introduce you to them.¡± Ren said. She blushed a little, and nodded slightly. He took her into the kitchen and told Narhilda and Nathalia about her, then asked her to tell her story in greater detail. ¡°Why, sir?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°We''ve been looking for someone to help run House Neram''s accounts.¡± Lady Neram said. ¡°You''re the first person we''ve met that hasn''t been tied to another House or already had a job that they didn''t want to leave.¡± Ereka frowned a little. ¡°So, you''re saying that if someone else had come along, you''d be offering them the job instead?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No. We''re saying that you were first, and you get the top spot. Head Secretary, Lead Assistant, or Head of Accounts. You can call it what you want.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°I can name my job?¡± Lady Neram nodded slightly. ¡°The House hasn''t needed someone with your skills before.¡± She said. ¡°When my husband was alive, he took care of everything.¡± ¡°I... I see.¡± ¡°Perhaps you do.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll be handling payments, wages, incoming money, appointments, ordering things we need, keeping records, and pretty much everything else that we might be too busy to do ourselves.¡± Ereka smiled. ¡°It sounds like fun.¡± ¡°I knew I liked you the moment I met you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Having fun while you work is the best feeling!¡± She nodded. ¡°When can I start?¡± Narhilda grinned at her. ¡°Is last week too early?¡± Everyone laughed. After a bit of chit-chat, Ren led her back into the main room and went back into the kitchen to help make supper for everyone. It was decided to eat inside, as most of the picnic area Ren had made was quite the mess after the battle. There wasn''t much actual damage, just lots of knocked over tables and chairs from all the fleeing dwarves. They enjoyed supper, and the impromptu gathering broke up afterwards. Lady Neram bid everyone a good night, and sighed as the door shut behind the last guest as they left. ¡°I think that was more exhausting than the Council meeting today!¡± Narhilda said and laughed. Ren was sitting on the couch, and nodded slightly. Nathalia sat down on his lap and kissed him. ¡°You were wonderful today.¡± She gushed, and Ren smiled. ¡°I would have had you out there, if I''d needed more help.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It was more important that you were in here and kept your mother from strangling some of the guests, though.¡± Narhilda snorted a laugh. ¡°That little boy was running around like he owned the place, and she didn''t do a single thing to stop him.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°Thankfully, we''d gotten all the precious things stored in Ma''s and my room, right before everyone came in.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I guess that means I''m going to have another chaperoned night of sleep.¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I''ll be staying out here in the main room.¡± ¡°No, you''re not.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s plenty of room in that huge bed.¡± ¡°But what about... you know...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I think Nathalia''s had enough of me pawing at her.¡± ¡°I have not!¡± She exclaimed, then blushed as she realized what she''d said. ¡°I was kidding.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I''ve got Adventurer''s business to take care of tonight.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°Oh, all right.¡± She got out of Ren''s lap and stood up. ¡°Let''s get you out of that dress, Ma.¡± ¡°I''m not so decrepit that I can''t undress myself.¡± Narhilda said, then grinned as her daughter rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course not.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Extra hands just help it go faster.¡± Narhilda nodded slightly and went into the hallway to go to the old bedroom. ¡°See you later.¡± Nathalia said and kissed Ren briefly and left him alone in the main room. He took out a paving stone and several stone bricks, set them up into a pen, and enchanted two of the sides with fire runes. Ren reached into his hood to grab the baby fire elemental, then activated the enchantment. The baby fire elemental hopped into the pen and stretched out to luxuriate in the heat. ¡°I''ll feed you soon.¡± Ren whispered, and rubbed it''s back. He heard a crackling fire and smiled. ¡°Stay inside.¡± It''s color changed slightly for a moment, and he grinned. Ren looked around at the disheveled state of the main room, and decided to clean it. He even put some things into the pen for the baby to eat. It took about an hour, and because he was using Sneak, no one heard him as he worked. Ren sat back down and sighed. I better check my status. Ren thought. I need to see what it gave me. ¡°Show status.¡± He whispered.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Status
Name Ren Level 25
Gender Male Class Artificer/Noble
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 341,470 (Lord) Honor 55,250 (Prestigious)
Titles
Blacksmith - Grants 5 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills Tailor - Grants 5 level bonus to Tailoring Skills Issac''s Novice - 20% stat gain at his shop Lemming - 5% resistance to falls Son of the Pelt - 20% stat gain using craft station Honorary Dwarf - Grants Dwarf Race abilities A Fool And His Money - Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks Ren, The First - Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras Crazy Like A Fox - Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20 Atlas - Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20 Prince Charming - Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal) Patron Of Knowledge - Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge Skills Father Of Fire: Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Health 971 Mana 1134
Strength 158 Dexterity 93
Vitality 97 Agility 91
Endurance 98 Intelligence 126
Luck 34 Wisdom 126
It''s getting too big to see on one screen! Ren thought as he scrolled it slightly. I wonder if there''s a limit to the number of titles you can get? He closed the popup, then remembered about his class restriction for leveling. Oh, crap! He thought. What if I was supposed to get more levels from that battle? ¡°Show info for Slow and Steady.¡± Ren whispered.
Slow and Steady (Passive)
The XP required to level up is increased by 110% (Capped). XP gains are reduced by 25% (Capped). Skills gain XP 60% faster (Capped). 10 stat points will be gained for each level instead of 5.
I''m glad it didn''t screw me out of a ton of XP. Ren thought, then smiled. Although, 25% of over half a million points is still a lot; but, at least my Fame bonus is maxed at 100%, so my gain is actually 75%. Ren sat back in relief. I''ll see you in a few hours, Teepo. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Barbara helped take off the headset and smiled at him. ¡°Hey, you.¡± She said. ¡°You did a great job.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I felt bad that I sprung such a huge trap for only a few hundred troops.¡± Barbara snorted a laugh and shook her head. ¡°Only a few hundred, he says.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Bathroom break.¡± He got out of bed and went to the bathroom to take care of business. When he came back out, Denise was there talking to Barbara. Ren climbed into bed and pulled over the laptop, and slipped a small bundle of toilet paper into his cubbyhole on the rollaway table. He went back to the footage of when he was in the Library with the Sage of Ages, and had her deliver the books. He waited, and the screen went black. A portal opened, there was a blue flicker for a few seconds, and he was in Nathalia''s room. His eyes widened as he stepped back into the portal, there was a blue screen for about 30 seconds, and then he was back in the library. Ren watched the clip again, slowing it down frame by frame, and there was nothing at all about the fire realm, or about him fathering a child with the Goddess of Fire. Ren sat back and smiled. No one knows! He thought. Denise served him breakfast, and he went to physical therapy in a great mood. Talk about a huge secret! * The head programmer, Max, was not a happy camper. He''d gotten the power drain warning last night; but, it was only a temporary thing and lasted barely 30 seconds. Once he got into work and started digging, however... things changed. He''d traced it down to the secondary backup server and pulled up the usage logs. Yeah, there it is. Max thought as he looked at the 300% jump CPU usage, and the subsequent power drain. What the hell was going on for those 30 seconds? * Ren got back from his therapy session and took a shower. It was a lot harder than normal, since he only had one usable arm and it was almost as sore as his dislocated elbow. I know therapy is supposed to help; but, dammit if all I want to do is sit still and not move afterwards. * Using the usage logs, Max followed the trail all the way to the main server hub and dug through the code. He found the video reference file ID number, and followed that back to his own tracking program for watching the contest winner''s movements. ¡°Son of a bitch.¡± Max said and sighed. ¡°Why didn''t I check here first?¡± He pulled up the time sequence in the general area of the power surge, and only one of the players had a weird portal appear. He watched the same video as Ren, and frowned. ¡°That shouldn''t happen.¡± Max said, and pulled up the raw footage from the backup server. It was uncompressed and not encoded. He hated leaving it that way, because anyone could watch it if they knew where to find it. It was the only way to verify what was going on in the game. He watched the actual footage, and there wasn''t a blue screen at all. He saw 30 seconds of something, then ran it at game speed, then saw 2 minutes of something all on fire. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Max thought and pulled the raw footage into a video editor. Even going frame by frame, he could barely make out what was going on, but when he realized what he was actually seeing, he froze. ¡°No way.¡± Max said, and then did something he never did at work. He cursed and yelled at the same time. ¡°NO FUCKING WAY!¡± Everyone in the tech department looked at him with surprise. ¡°Sorry folks.¡± He said as he stood, and put his hands up in surrender. ¡°I just got a little excited.¡± Several people laughed. ¡°There''s a first.¡± Someone said, and another person snickered a laugh. Max sat down and transferred the new video file to a thumb drive. He typed furiously for about 10 minutes, sighed, then left the tech department. * Ren finished his shower, and tried to dry off. His arm was still sore and didn''t work right. Ren sighed and asked Denise to help dry off. ¡°I wouldn''t bother you if I didn''t need the help.¡± Ren said. Denise rolled her eyes. ¡°I''m sorry, okay? How many more times do I have to apologize for the way I acted?¡± ¡°Only a few dozen more.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I should be happy by then.¡± ¡°I could always poke your elbow again, you know.¡± Denise snorted a laugh. ¡°This time on purpose.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°The whole thing with Lucy set me on edge, and I was more defensive than usual.¡± He said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He handed her a towel. ¡°Help, please.¡± Denise nodded and it only took a few minutes with the two of them working, to finish drying everything. ¡°Thanks, Denise.¡± Ren said, and put on a set of pajamas. He went out to his bed and climbed up into it. She helped him get settled and held out his VR headset. ¡°Have fun in there.¡± Denise said, and his eyes widened for a moment. ¡°Damn! Bathroom break.¡± Ren said and slid a hand into his cubbyhole to palm a foil packet. He got out of bed and went to the bathroom. He flushed the toilet and came back to the bed and climbed in again. ¡°Okay, now I''m ready.¡± Denise smiled and helped him put the headset on. ¡°See you at lunch.¡± Ren said and logged back into the game. * ¡°You''ll need to be a little sneakier than that if you want to keep things from me.¡± Denise smiled and reached into the cubbyhole Ren was using, and took out a foil packet. ¡°They make noise when they crinkle.¡± * ¡°What is it you''re showing me again?¡± Edward Torren, the CEO of Sid Tec, asked Max. Max sighed and slowed the video down to a single frame. He zoomed it in, and it was full of digital boxes, but you could clearly see someone holding a baby up high next to a large fireball. Max pointed to the baby. ¡°That.¡± ¡°It''s a baby.¡± Edward said. ¡°No, sir.¡± Max said. ¡°That is a randomly generated AI that was not programmed by me, or anyone else in the tech department.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°I wrote the Fire Deity scenario.¡± Max said. ¡°She was supposed to degrade down to almost nothing, and the fire realm was supposed to lose it''s restriction of no entry unless you have 100% immunity. Once it was down to players only needing 10% immunity, portals were supposed to open up in random fields in the game so players could go there and farm higher level experience.¡± ¡°What about the Fire Deity?¡± Edward asked. ¡°If enough players enter the realm, she starts to regain her abilities and the fire resistance raises up.¡± ¡°You made it a progressive level?¡± Max nodded. ¡°The more people playing it, the more resistance you need, and the bigger creatures that are generated.¡± ¡°And bigger XP rewards.¡± Edward said. ¡°So, what happened?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± ¡°What?¡± Max shrugged. ¡°All I know is, Ren got in there somehow. Now the Fire Deity is at about half-strength, and the fire realm still has the 100% restriction.¡± ¡°So what''s the new AI for?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± ¡°You don''t know a lot.¡± Edward said and frowned. Max chuckled. ¡°As soon as I saw it, I came right here after checking a few things. This is the raw footage, and that is the only clear image in the whole 2 minutes that was captured.¡± ¡°2 minutes? How did he mess up your whole scenario in only 2 minutes?¡± Max shook his head. ¡°I''ll keep digging, but the only reason I found this is because the system drew a ton of power for the 30 seconds it needed to create a new AI.¡± ¡°Are you going to delete it?¡± Edward asked. ¡°I can''t.¡± Max said. ¡°According to the system, there''s no new AI... and I can''t find one in the logs.¡± ¡°Well, shit.¡± ¡°Succinctly put, boss.¡± * Elise walked into the office and saw Mr. Torren''s office door was shut. She shrugged and sat down at her desk. She started her day in a very good mood, because she''d spent nearly the whole night watching footage of Ren as he progressed through the game. She''d intended to only watch it for a few hours, but it had been so addicting that she couldn''t help but keep watching until the next thing happened. He''s such a great person! Elise thought, as she automatically sorted through the piles of emails the company had received during the night. ******** Ren got up from the couch and stored his red royal suit, and equipped his armor''s bodysuit. Anything happen, Teepo? ¡°Everything''s quiet.¡± Teepo said. You don''t have to stay up all the time, Teepo. ¡°I might as well do something.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I could go back in the ring, but I kinda forget everything when I''m in there.¡± Ren nodded slightly. I understand. See you in the morning. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Ren crept down the hallway and into the old bedroom, and saw two lumps under the blanket. They were on their sides, but close together. He knew he wasn''t going to be able to slip between them to hug like he did the last 2 times, so Ren went to the side at their backs and lifted the blanket just enough to slide in. He cuddled in close, and put an arm over them. The one in front grabbed onto the arm and held it tight against her abdomen. Ren hugged them both as he drifted off to sleep. ******** Sera Loris ran back up to her room after forcing herself to eat brunch. She pretended to slam her bedroom door, and walked over to her closet. ¡°Dammit, Mother!¡± Sera exclaimed. ¡°You know how much I hate it when your ''friends'' come over!¡± She said to herself, because she''d never say such things to her mother''s face. Sera looked in the mirror and admired the latest fashion as it hugged her well-toned body. She was only 21, but she worked hard to maintain her figure. She looked like a Miss Universe contestant with her flowing red hair halfway down her back. No plastic surgery needed for this chick! Sera thought, then smiled as she opened her closet door and stepped into her VR studio. Every piece of equipment ever invented for the VR industry was there, even the free-floating magnetic couch. The jewel of her collection was the new Sid Tec VR headset, specifically designed to be used for F.L.O.W., and she grinned as she remembered her last venture into the VR world. ¡°I''m sure the company will love my new show idea.¡± Sera said, picked up the headset, and walked over to the mainframe installed in the corner. ¡°I better get that video I recorded edited right away.¡± She picked up her cell phone and speed-dialed her contact at the television studio''s editing department. ¡°Hi, John.¡± ¡°Yeah, sent it this morning.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Yes, standard package.¡± ¡°Hold on, what did you say?¡± ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± ¡°They can''t do that!¡± Sera hung up the phone and threw it across the room. ¡°Son of a BITCH!¡± * Sid Tec''s secretary, Elise Stanford, was elated with joy because she had just hung up the phone with the television studio. ¡°They bought the pilot for Ren''s show!¡± She hopped up and ran into her boss'' office. ¡°Sir! They bought it!¡± ¡°Bought what?¡± Edward asked, perplexed. ¡°Mr. Haddon''s show idea, sir!¡± Elise said, and had to stop herself from jumping up and down. ¡°That, Ms. Stanford...¡± Edward smiled. ¡°...is wonderful news!¡± * Lisa Everet stepped off the city bus and tried to avoid all the stares. She always hated it when people stared at her, and undressed her with their eyes. He said to try and think positive thoughts. She sighed. I''d like to shove a positive thought right up his ass! Lisa stopped walking and smiled. Does that count as a positive thought? She kept walking down the street and around the corner. She''d lived in this neighborhood since her family had moved here when she was in kindergarten 13 years ago (making her 18), and it still hadn''t changed one bit. Lisa was depressed because not one thing had changed in her life in all that time. She went into the house, and her mother tried to get her to talk about her visit to the psychiatrist. ¡°Maybe later.¡± Lisa said, and went upstairs. She entered her bedroom and looked at her meager shelf of third-hand books she''d picked up at flea markets and swap meets. She loved books; but, they were expensive and hard for her to get. Lisa wasn''t allowed to work anymore because of the frequent anger outbursts she was prone to, and the court ordered therapy sessions were pure torture for her. She sighed, then looked at her 3 year old computer, and at the oldest VR headset ever made. ¡°Okay, something finally changed in my life.¡± She said, and sat down in the chair at the desk. She regretted having to log out of F.L.O.W. again, but her mother warned her that if she missed another appointment with the psychiatrist, Lisa wouldn''t be allowed online for a week. ¡°At least in the game, I can do what I want.¡± She said as she put on the VR headset. It had cost her almost as much as she had paid for the VR headset in the first place, to get that punk girl to mod it for her 6 months ago. It was well worth the money, though. After that, everything felt so real! Lisa thought. It''s still going to be nighttime in the game; but, the time of the day doesn''t matter when you''re inside most of the time anyways. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Lara, the Sage of Ages, woke up in the ''space'' made available to her at the Library. The closet was small; but it let her go to any Library in the game. She just picked it from the menu and opened the door. She gasped when she got all the XP notices from Ren''s battle. ¡°Good god!¡± Lara exclaimed, as she leveled up 30 times, and it unlocked a Secret Class Skill bonus for nearly every level. She got the notice that her Fame had maxed out at 10,000; the extra Fame converted to XP, and she leveled up twice more. Tears came to her eyes as her brain was flooded with new information. Chapter 146 - Running Errands Ren woke up that morning and was pretty happy with the way things turned out. He actually got a good night''s sleep despite not being in bed the whole time. Maybe snuggling with two nearly identical women was growing on him. He wasn''t sure if that was a good thing or not and chuckled mentally; but, he wasn''t going to complain about it. He was tempted to see if Narhilda was just as ticklish as Nathalia, but he figured it was better if he didn''t know. Being as it was morning, his body reacted the way that any man''s body does when they wake up; Little Ren made an appearance and could potentially make a nuisance of himself if Ren wasn''t careful. Good morning, Teepo. Ren thought. Anything happen? ¡°No, everything is good.¡± Teepo said from the hallway. Thanks for always looking out for me. ¡°It''s what I do.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°You apparently need someone to do it.¡± Boy, do I! Ren thought in amusement. The blanket had moved down enough that Ren noticed it was Narhilda that he had snuggled in behind, and not his fiance Nathalia. He wasn''t sure if he could do anything about that, considering they were all huddled so closely together anyways. It was mostly his fault for not checking properly before getting into bed; but he shrugged, as it didn''t really matter much. Ren loved them both, and had agreed to comfort Narhilda if she needed it. He eased his hand away from Nathalia''s grasp over her abdomen, and she stirred slightly. ¡°It''s time to get up.¡± Ren said to the two sleeping beauties. ¡°Just five more minutes.¡± Nathalia whispered. ¡°Mmm... yes... five more minutes... Thern.¡± Narhilda said as she wiggled slightly against Ren, who froze. Now he really didn''t know what to do. If Narhilda thought he was her dead husband, then Ren wasn''t sure what else she would do with him so close; but, then he remembered the last time this happened and took Teepo''s advice again. I hope this works. Ren thought, then stroked Narhilda''s neck and she giggled. ¡°Don''t do... that.¡± Narhilda said, still half-asleep. ¡°We can''t... do anything... with our daughter... in the bed.¡± ¡°Then you better get up and make breakfast.¡± Ren whispered in her ear. ¡°Or I''ll keep going.¡± Narhilda moaned appreciatively. ¡°It''s... really tempting... but we agreed we wouldn''t... until she got her own room...¡± Ren slid back away from her, giving her space to move. Narhilda turned to him with her eyes still partially closed, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°Keep the bed... warm for me... sweetheart.¡± She said, then rolled away and climbed over her daughter and out of the bed. Narhilda stumbled to the door of the bedroom. ¡°I really could use... a few more minutes of sleep...¡± She said as she opened the bedroom door, then turned back to the bed, bleary-eyed and blinked a few times. ¡°The food will be ready... in half an hour.¡± She said and left the room. That was close. Ren thought, then slid across the empty space to spoon behind Nathalia. She grabbed onto his arm again, and held him close. He kissed the back of her neck and she turned her head to him with her eyes still partially closed, just like her mother''s had been. ¡°We can''t... mom... in bed...¡± Nathalia whispered. ¡°She''s making breakfast.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ve got half an hour.¡± ¡°That''s not enough time.¡± Nathalia smiled as she opened her eyes. ¡°It''s enough to please you... I think.¡± He said. ¡°I may have to skip a few steps, though.¡± Nathalia chuckled as she woke up fully. ¡°I believe I can deal with my disappointment.¡± Half an hour later, they went out to eat breakfast and saw Narhilda as she stretched and yawned. Ren and Nathalia sat down with her mother and enjoyed another great meal. Ren thanked Narhilda for going through all the trouble of making meals all the time, and she laughed. ¡°I enjoy it, dear.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°It''s my passion. If you weren''t here, I''d be making it all regardless.¡± ¡°Well, my stomach and I want to thank you anyways.¡± Ren said, and grinned. She laughed, and Nathalia joined her. After a minute, she turned to Ren. ¡°What are you going to do today?¡± ¡°I''ve got to work on the Keep for a few hours, but I''m nearly out of cement powder.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder if I can hire the carts again?¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°Now that the edict has been canceled, I''m sure there''s a few businesses that will jump at the chance to earn some more money from you.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Oh, I should get those windows first!¡± He said and stood up. ¡°If I can finish the Main House today, Ereka will have a nice place to work.¡± ¡°Ren, just get Ereka to order them.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°How?¡± He asked. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. ¡°You''re right. We''ll need to hire a couple of messengers.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''d better look into getting a healer or two as well. Find out what their requirements are, and I''ll have a medical building built beside the Main House.¡± Narhilda sighed. ¡°Ren, you''ve taken on a lot more than only one person can handle.¡± He smiled and walked over to her. ¡°That''s why I''m really glad that I found such wonderful women to take care of me.¡± He gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I can drop these little ideas of mine off on you and I don''t have to worry about it anymore.¡± Narhilda snorted a laugh as Ren went to Nathalia and knelt by her to give her a kiss on the lips. ¡°I''ll be back with the windows soon.¡± ¡°I''ll go out and feed Princess if you want.¡± She offered. ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''ll just take me a minute.¡± He said and gathered up some food. He kissed her again, and left the kitchen. He noticed the little stone pen he''d made for the baby fire elemental on the small table in the main room and went over to it. He took out several small scraps of cloth, deactivated the fire runes, and dropped the cloth inside. The fire elemental barely had the cloth inside itself and it was gone. ¡°A little too easy for you to eat, was it?¡± Ren asked and it''s color changed slightly. He took out a scrap piece of spider silk cloth that he still had, cut it into little squares, and dropped one into the pen. The baby fire elemental picked it up and shoved it inside its body and nothing happened. It hunkered down and burned really bright for a moment, and the square was a little smaller. It repeated this several times and eventually the square disappeared. ¡°How was that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Tasty?¡± The fire elemental''s color changed slightly and Ren sprinkled a pile of squares around the pen. ¡°Don''t try to eat them all at once.¡± Ren cautioned. ¡°If you had that much trouble with a single square...¡± He shook his head. ¡°...take your time with them.¡± He activated one of the bricks so that there would still be fire inside the pen, but it didn''t cover the whole area. ¡°Have fun.¡± Ren said and left the house with Teepo flying over his shoulder. * ¡°I had another dream about your father.¡± Narhilda said when Ren closed the front door. ¡°Really?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°That''s the second or third time now, isn''t it?¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°This one felt even more real than the last one.¡± She said. ¡°When I got up, I could have sworn I kissed him good morning.¡± ¡°The poor pillow!¡± Nathalia said and laughed. ¡°I bet you slobbered all over it!¡± Narhilda threw a dish towel at her daughter and laughed, too. * Ren took a deep breath and smiled. I think this is going to be a great day! He thought and went into the stable to feed Princess. Once that was done, he went to the gate and opened it. Teepo had already told him it was just Wohrum standing guard. ¡°Good morning, sir.¡± He said. ¡°Morning.¡± Ren responded and shut the gate behind him. ¡°Can I ask why you''re here so early, and alone?¡± Wohrum chuckled. ¡°Of course, sir. Since there''s 4 of us, we broke up the shifts into three 8 hour ones, then each man gets every second day off.¡± ¡°So...¡± Ren started. ¡°...there will always be someone on guard duty, but also always under-strength.¡± Wohrum''s face froze as he realized what Ren was saying. ¡°Sir, we thought that as long as someone was here...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°We''ll just have to hire more people to make up the difference.¡± He said. ¡°There shouldn''t be any more trouble; but, I don''t want only a single guard here to deal with anything that might come up, if it''s necessary.¡± ¡°Sorry, sir.¡± Wohrum said. ¡°We should have consulted you before changing things.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it for now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Keep the 3 shifts, but change them to 7am to 3pm, 3pm to 11pm, and 11pm to 7am... assuming those aren''t the times you already have.¡± ¡°It will be done, sir.¡± Ren nodded slightly and took off running. Teepo flew beside him until his Stamina started to drain, then he landed to let it recharge, and took off again. Are you getting anything by doing that? Ren asked his friend as they got to the main part of the city. ¡°Yeah, my Strength and Endurance have increased a point each already.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m not really sure how that works, considering this is just an astral projection; but, it''s working so I''m not going to complain about it.¡± ¡°I had the same thought when I woke up in bed with Nathalia and her mother.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I mean, about it working and not complaining, not the astral projection part.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Waking up in bed with 2 women is definitely better than alone, that''s for sure.¡± Ren raised an eyebrow. Teepo! That sounds like experience talking. ¡°I was the Prince of my people, Ren. I had a staff that handled how many women I could have every night.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They took shifts.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. And here I am, with Stella calling me ''little stud''! If she only knew who the real little stud was! Teepo chittered in delight. Ren arrived at the window making place and they had the windows he had ordered before ready for him to pick them up. He paid for them and stored them, and no one questioned his ability to do it, or were surprised when it happened. He stopped by the lumberyard and picked up a bunch of lumber from them, paid for it, and stored as much as he could. He had them deliver the rest, and increased his order. He met the foreman and asked him about building more houses, and possibly a medical building. The foreman mentioned that since no one was trying to stop Ren from building things, he really should make a place of worship for his subjects to attend if they wished. ¡°You know, that''s actually a really good idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°How much is that going to cost?¡± ¡°A few platinum.¡± The foreman said. ¡°The windows are the expensive part.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°No, no. That won''t do.¡± He said. ¡°Do you happen to have the plans for one?¡± The foreman chuckled. ¡°I heard you like to ask stupid questions.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°You know the clerk in the Hall of Records, don''t you?¡± ¡°I should.¡± He said. ¡°She''s my wife''s sister.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I bet you hear a lot of interesting things.¡± The foreman chuckled. ¡°Like about some fool that fought and killed the Deathgore? Or bought half the countryside on the other side of the city? Stuff like that?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah, things like that.¡± ¡°Nope, she doesn''t say a word.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°Come out back to my workbench. I''ve got the plans there.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and spent about half an hour redesigning the Church to fit what Ren thought the layout should be like. Once he allowed for each of the elements he knew of from enchanting, the Church was nearly double in size, and had certain rooms set aside for worshipers. The foreman shook his head as he saw what Ren intended. ¡°You''re going to have a lot of unhappy people, I think.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± ¡°What if they want to worship different deities at the same time?¡± ¡°That''s what the main room is for.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°If they just have general prayers, they can go there. If they have anything specific, they can go here.¡± He pointed to a room with 9 doors, one for each element. ¡°It''s not like there''s going to be a line or anything.¡± The foreman chuckled. ¡°That''s true.¡± He said. ¡°There''s barely anyone showing up at the Main Keep to worship anymore.¡± ¡°The Main Keep is the Church inside the city?¡± The foreman nodded. ¡°The lines to get in there are too long to just go and worship anymore.¡± Ren frowned again. ¡°Okay, then. Double this in size.¡± ¡°W-what?!?¡± ¡°Once word gets around that they don''t have to wait in line to worship at House Neram, I think there''s going to be a lot of visitors that will want to just come and see it.¡± The foreman nodded slightly again. ¡°You''ve got a point.¡± ¡°How long to get this built?¡± ¡°If I take all three crews that I have, 1 heavy and 2 normal, we could have it done in about three days.¡± He said. ¡°The windows, though...¡± ¡°I''ve got the dimensions, so I''ll worry about the windows.¡± Ren said. ¡°Get on this right away.¡± He said and handed the foreman 10 platinum. ¡°If it comes out to more than that, let me know.¡± ¡°With this much, we might have it done in two days.¡± The foreman said and laughed. Ren left him and went back to the Minor House that made windows. They told Ren it would be a week for each window, and since Ren needed 20 of them, that was not a good deal at all. ¡°I''ll be back.¡± Ren said, and ran all the way to House Neram to get Ruck''s help. They ran over to the Main House and Ren gave Ruck the windows for the upper floor, and he installed the ones on the lower floor. They were finished barely 10 minutes later. ¡°Good job, Ruck!¡± Ren said and gave him a high-five. ¡°Can you install the windows for the barracks for me? I have to go and get Ereka and see what kind of office she wants.¡± Ruck gave an ''okay'' gesture and Ren gave him the windows, then ran over to the housing development. Ren looked at the different houses and smiled. 5 of them were lived in and he remembered Croggart saying his was next to Golir''s. Ren approached and got a popup stating that Croggart and Ereka were the current occupants. He smiled, went to the door, and knocked. Several minutes passed and then the door opened. Ereka stood there in a thin white slip, and the sun caught her shoulder-length flowing blonde hair at just the right angle, and it looked like her hair was on fire. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said, before he could help himself. ¡°Your hair looks like it''s made of fire.¡± Ereka''s face flushed slightly red, and she smiled. ¡°T-thank you, your highness.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve never heard that kind of compliment before.¡± She tilted her head slightly. ¡°It was a compliment, wasn''t it?¡± ¡°Most definitely.¡± Ren said and thought about his daughter. The happiness showed on his face as he continued. ¡°I''ve spent some time around a lot of fire recently, and your hair reminds me of my time there.¡± Ereka''s face blushed a deep red, as she saw both admiration and happiness in Ren''s smile. ¡°Is... is there something I can help you with, your highness?¡± ¡°I''m sorry to bother you so early.¡± Ren said, apologetically. ¡°I just installed the windows in the Main House and I need your input for what kind of office you want.¡± Ereka''s face lit up. ¡°The Main House is ready?¡± She said and stepped out onto her step. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Ren glanced down at her thin slip and smiled; it left almost nothing to the imagination because it clung to her body like a second skin, and made it seem like it was see-through. He quickly looked back at her face, however; and didn''t examine the slip closely to see if it was actually see-through or not. ¡°You might want to consider putting on some clothing first.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I know you''re in a rush to get to work, but still...¡± Ereka looked down at herself and blushed so hard, Ren thought she was going to faint. He took her hand in one of his, and braced her back with the other. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ren asked, concerned. ¡°You look like you might faint.¡± ¡°Y-y-yes, I''m f-f-fine.¡± Ereka stammered, and shook slightly. ¡°I just... I''m... I''m practically naked in front of a strange man, that I''ve only just met!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Being called strange is a new one for me; people usually just call me crazy.¡± Ereka got a shocked look on her face. ¡°I''m sorry, your highness!¡± She said and tried to bow, but with Ren so close and holding her hand, it came off as only a slight twisting motion. ¡°I didn''t mean it like that!¡± ¡°That''s quite all right.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I was making a joke.¡± He said and turned Ereka around to face her front door. ¡°I''ll wait right here while you get dressed.¡± ¡°Yes! Right! I need to get dressed!¡± Ereka said, then scrambled into the house and left the front door open. Ren reached in and closed the door, so she wouldn''t be embarrassed about leaving it open. She came back to the door a few minutes later, and opened it. She froze when she realized what she''d done, but it wasn''t what Ren had thought. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± Ereka exclaimed. ¡°I should have invited you in, and not made you wait on the front step!¡± ¡°That''s okay. I''ve done my fair share of waiting for things.¡± He said, and saw she had on a conservative skirt of red cloth and a white blouse. Her white slip could be clearly seen under it. ¡°But... but you''re a Lord!¡± Ereka said. ¡°You shouldn''t have to wait for anything!¡± ¡°If only that were true.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Shall we go? It''s only a short walk.¡± Ereka nodded and they walked down the dirt road of the housing subdivision to get to the main road. Ren noticed she was shivering slightly. ¡°Are you cold?¡± He asked, concerned. She shook her head. ¡°No, I''m still embarrassed about being seen in only my slip.¡± Ereka blushed slightly. ¡°I know it wasn''t completely my fault.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I am sorry to have put you in that situation, though. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?¡± Ereka stopped walking and looked at him. ¡°You can say my name.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ren stopped as well, and turned to her. ¡°If you say my name, I won''t be all nervous about you seeing me like that.¡± ¡°I can''t do that.¡± He said. ¡°If I say your name in public, then I''ll be declaring my intent to court you formally.¡± Ereka shook her head. ¡°Not if I agree that it''s only so we''ll get to know each other better.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and she smiled crookedly. ¡°I didn''t know you could agree that the use of a woman''s formal name wasn''t a declaration of intent.¡± He said. ¡°Most people don''t hold with it.¡± Ereka said. ¡°It''s one of the older laws.¡± ¡°So, no doing it in public where anyone else can hear. Got it.¡± Ren said, and Ereka held out her hand. He took it, and bent over it formally. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you, Ereka.¡± She blushed a deep red and shook slightly. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''m pretty sure I did that right.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°It was perfect.¡± She said and let his hand go. ¡°Having a Lord bend over my hand like that is just a little hard to handle.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Being regarded as a Lord is only a recent development.¡± He said. ¡°Sometimes I don''t know my own strength.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Ereka laughed and they kept walking. After a short time, they arrived at the Main House and Ren took her inside. ¡°It''s so empty.¡± She said. ¡°I thought you said it was done?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You said it was done; I said I finally put the windows in.¡± Ereka opened her mouth to say something, then she smiled. ¡°Okay, what do you want me to do?¡± Ren took out the Main House plans and showed her the way it was normally set up. ¡°I don''t like how everything is so closed off.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll leave the reception desk where it is, so they can see out the front door; but the offices crowd everything out. What do you think about moving this here, and this here?¡± Ren had pointed to two of the offices that were supposed to be right off the main lobby, and put them at the back of the room instead. ¡°That would give you lots of room here.¡± Ereka said and pointed to the lobby. ¡°But what about Lady Neram? Shouldn''t her office be right there?¡± She pointed to the spot right behind the reception desk. ¡°If you move that, where will she run everything?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If she decides to come here to work, which I doubt, she''ll have a good portion of the top floor to herself.¡± ¡°W-w-what?¡± Ereka asked, surprised. ¡°What about the meeting and living rooms?¡± Ren pointed to the space around the staircases. ¡°The living room can be in the open area here in the large hallway, to make things less formal; and the meeting room fits right here next to her office.¡± ¡°That''s quite the departure from how thing are supposed to look.¡± Ereka said. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I don''t want things to be like they should be.¡± He explained. ¡°I want them to work better than that.¡± She smiled. ¡°I think I''m really going to like working here.¡± ¡°You better.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°You''re going to be ordering everything to fill the place.¡± Ereka chuckled. ¡°Then where''s my office?¡± ¡°Pick one.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or better yet, I''m building the walls anyways; just tell me what you want.¡± ¡°You''re building the walls?¡± She asked with her eyes widened. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It''s quicker this way.¡± He said. ¡°We don''t have to wait for a work crew or anything.¡± ¡°Then I want this whole corner.¡± She said jokingly, and pointed to the back left of the bottom floor. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want a single door, or a double door?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°That''s a lot of space. I assume you''re going to need the room for filing things, and perhaps a nice couch.¡± He said. ¡°I should move the document storage here, then.¡± He pointed to a spot by the corner she''d indicated. ¡°I''ll add another door there so you''ll have easy access, instead of going into the hallway.¡± ¡°Y-you''re crazy!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°See? I told you that''s what people usually called me.¡± Ereka looked at him for a moment, and then laughed. ¡°I was kidding about needing the whole corner.¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re going to be spending a lot of time here, I think. I want you to be comfortable.¡± She nodded slightly and smiled. ¡°Then I''m definitely going to like it here.¡± Ren built the walls to her office and to the document storage area, then added the connecting doors. Ereka stood there and watched him work the entire time. When he was finished, he got a popop.
Stat Change!
Woodworking Level 2 (Intermediate 0%) Nailing Level 1 (Intermediate 0%)
¡°This should be enough for you to get started.¡± Ren said as he turned to her. ¡°How big do you want your desk? How many drawers? What color? What kind of chair?¡± ¡°Wait. Wait!¡± Ereka exclaimed. ¡°Don''t I have to order it?¡± ¡°You can if you want to...¡± Ren said. ¡°...but I can make you a custom desk right now, instead of waiting a week or so.¡± Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him. ¡°Are... are you serious?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''ve done enough woodworking now that I can make things pretty fast.¡± ¡°Can you show me the design?¡± Ren smiled and took out a blank piece of parchment and drew out a basic desk while holding the parchment against the wall. ¡°Normally, I just do all of this in my head.¡± He said, then added several drawers on the side, and one across the middle. ¡°I made a sitting table once, and I adapt that design as I need it.¡± ¡°That''s amazing!¡± Ereka said, then she looked at him. ¡°Hold on! You made a sitting table?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Nice big mirror on the back of it, a comfy stool, and several drawers.¡± ¡°Oh, I really want one of those!¡± She said, then sighed. ¡°I could never afford one, though.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re not going to have to worry about money ever again.¡± ¡°W-w-what?¡± Ereka asked, surprised. Ren grinned. ¡°You didn''t think we''d have you working for free, did you?¡± ¡°I... I didn''t think about it, actually.¡± Ereka said, and blushed slightly. ¡°I was so happy that I could work, that it never even crossed my mind.¡± ¡°There''s another reason why I liked you right from the start.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Do you have a coin pouch?¡± Ereka shook her head, and Ren held several out to her and let her pick a color. She took a red one and equipped it. He gave her several platinum coins, and she didn''t even blink as she put them in the pouch. They finished designing the desk and Ren had it built about 20 minutes later. He made a nice comfy chair for her to sit in and put it behind the desk. ¡°I''ve got to go back into the city for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not sure where to hire messengers from, though.¡± ¡°There''s a Guild downtown.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I know a few people there.¡± ¡°I don''t remember anything about a messenger''s guild on the map of the city.¡± Ereka chuckled. ¡°That''s because it''s under the Shipper''s Guild.¡± ¡°Let me guess why.¡± Ren said. ¡°Because they ship information.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Ereka said, and chuckled. ¡°They got a lock on the market a hundred years ago after they hired a bunch of kids to run errands.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Do you feel up for a trip to town?¡± He asked. ¡°I''m tempted to stop in there by myself; but, you''re going to be the one using them.¡± Ereka looked around for a moment. ¡°Don''t you want me to stay here and work?¡± ¡°It''ll be hard for you to order things without someone here to carry out those orders.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I want people to know that it''s you handling things here for us.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Everyone should know that House Lodur made a huge mistake letting someone like you go.¡± Ren said and grinned as Ereka''s face flushed a little red at the compliment. ¡°So, come on.¡± He ushered her out of the Main House. ¡°Show these people what you''re made of.¡± They walked over to House Neram, and Wohrum opened the gate. Ren hooked Princess up to the cart, then helped Ereka climb into the back. He told her to hold on and led Princess out to the road. ¡°You know the drill.¡± He told Princess. ¡°Easy at first.¡± She huffed, and Ren climbed into the driver''s seat. ¡°Okay.¡± Princess trotted for about 30 seconds and then took off like a bolt from a crossbow. Teepo chittered in delight, and Ren could hear Ereka laughing in the back.
Stat Change!
Cart Driving Level 4 (Beginner 0%)
Ren had Princess come to a stop at the main street and turned around to look at Ereka. ¡°First stop! Shipper''s Guild.¡± ¡°That was the most uncomfortable, comfortable ride I''ve ever had.¡± She laughed and shook her head. ¡°I''m not even going to ask how you did that.¡± Ren grinned and hopped down. ¡°She is pretty special.¡± He said and pat Princess. ¡°I''ll wait here for you.¡± He helped Ereka climb down out of the back of the cart. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°I shouldn''t be long.¡± She was back out a few minutes later with 2 young men. Both were about 4 feet 5 inches tall, thin as rails, and barely had beards started. Ren helped Ereka climb into the back of the cart and the 2 men climbed in with her. They sat down near the middle and she chuckled. ¡°You''d better hold onto the sides or something.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Or you''ll be kissing the street in a minute.¡± The two young men shrugged and didn''t take her advice. Ren smiled and walked around to the front of the cart. ¡°You''ve been challenged.¡± He whispered to Princess. ¡°Just a short burst.¡± Ren said and she nodded. He climbed up into the driver''s seat. ¡°Okay.¡± She took off like a shot for a second, and then stopped at the end of the street. Ren turned around and saw Ereka was alone in the back of the cart; and she was laughing so hard she was crying. The two young men were sitting on the ground in front of the Shipper''s Guild and had confused looks on their faces. Ren chuckled and passed Ereka a piece of scrap cloth to wipe her face. ¡°T-t-thank y-you.¡± She dabbed at the tears on her face. ¡°By the gods that was funny!¡± She said between laughs. ¡°The looks on their faces!¡± Ren waved them forward and the two young men ran over to the cart and climbed in. ¡°The Library.¡± Ren said to Princess, and she took off at a more leisurely pace. They arrived there a few minutes later and Ren climbed down and walked to the back to hold a hand out for Ereka. ¡°Ma''am, there''s someone I''d like you to meet.¡± She had a surprised look on her face for a moment, then nodded slightly and took Ren''s hand as he helped her down to the ground. ¡°We''ll be right back.¡± Ren said to the two messengers and he led Ereka inside the Library. ¡°What is this place?¡± Ereka asked when Ren held the door for her, and she froze as she saw all of the shelves of books before her. ¡°NO WAY!¡± She shouted. ¡°It''s a LIBRARY!?!¡± ¡°Who''s making all that noise inside my Libra-YOUR HIGHNESS!¡± The Librarian exclaimed as she caught sight of Ren. He braced for the impact as she ran towards him, and caught her as she threw herself at him. She gave him a big hug and Ren chuckled as he gave her a hug back. ¡°You''re lucky I''m wearing only my clothes today.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re not wearing your armor.¡± The female dwarf said. ¡°I knew I wouldn''t hurt myself like the last time.¡± ¡°Did you even notice if I had armor on today before you started running?¡± Ren asked, then smiled as he saw her eyes widen. ¡°I didn''t think so.¡± ¡°It all worked out, didn''t it?¡± She said and chuckled. ¡°Who''s this you''ve brought with you?¡± ¡°Ma''am, this is Ma''am.¡± Ren said, and turned to Ereka. ¡°Ma''am, this is Ma''am.¡± He said and turned back to the Librarian. Both the Librarian and Ereka looked at him with identical surprised expressions, and then they burst out laughing. ¡°Oh... oh... by the gods...¡± The Librarian said. ¡°That... that sounded so...¡± ¡°...outrageously stupid!¡± Ereka finished for her, and they laughed as Ren stood there and grinned at them. ¡°Hey, I didn''t make up the rules.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°Plus, I don''t even know your name.¡± He said to the Librarian, then held up a hand. ¡°I''m not asking for it.¡± He said quickly, before she could get the wrong idea. ¡°He''s always so careful.¡± The Librarian said, then turned to Ereka with a hand extended. ¡°Hi, I''m Dorhaline.¡± ¡°I''m Ereka.¡± Ereka responded, and shook the offered hand. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I''ve got the Main House closed in with windows finally; so I figure before I built shelves for books, I better have her...¡± He indicated Ereka. ¡°...meet you and find out what books she''d need, besides copies of the laws and codes needed to run the place.¡± The Librarian nodded. ¡°You''re in luck. I''m running a special on stuffy books this week.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If I can get a volume discount, that would be nice.¡± The Librarian chuckled, too. ¡°Like you''d need that.¡± She said, then turned to Ereka. ¡°He made a huge donation to the Library... after building all of these shelves for it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ereka said and looked at Ren. ¡°That''s... very interesting.¡± ¡°I think that''s my cue to run an errand while you two discuss what books are needed for the Main House.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll want a couple of copies of my own books, too.¡± ¡°Y-y-you''re own books?¡± Ereka asked, surprised. Ren nodded slightly and turned to the Librarian. ¡°Don''t limit her choices to just the stuffy books. She''ll want some kind of reading material while she''s there.¡± ¡°That would depend on her Library Card.¡± Ereka grinned and took out her card. ¡°My mother gave that to me when I had to leave the House.¡± The Librarian looked at it and grinned. ¡°It''s a real pleasure to meet you, Ereka.¡± ¡°I''m not even going to ask what her rating is.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I''ll be back in a little while.¡± * The Librarian waved at him absently and took Ereka over to the desk by the stairs. ¡°The only other person I''ve seen in here is his fiance.¡± She pointed a thumb at Ren, who had just left through the door. ¡°I''m actually surprised she lets him out of her sight.¡± Ereka said, then leaned forward to whisper. ¡°I''m having a hard time keeping my hands off of him.¡± She shook her head. ¡°He''s just so... so...¡± ¡°Ideal?¡± The Librarian offered. Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°Yes! There''s just something about him...¡± ¡°I''m not fighting the feeling too hard, as you clearly saw.¡± The Librarian smiled. ¡°I know nothing will happen, though.¡± She sighed. ¡°I''m just a little too old for him. His fiance is over 10 years younger than me.¡± Ereka smiled. ¡°If that''s the case, then I''m way too young for him. His fiance is almost 10 years older than me.¡± ¡°Well, then!¡± The Librarian chuckled. ¡°We can indulge a little bit and not have to worry.¡± Ereka shook her head. ¡°I can''t. I haven''t even gone for training yet.¡± She said. ¡°I wouldn''t even know how to tease him.¡± ¡°I can give you a few pointers while making copies of the books.¡± The Librarian said, conspiratorially. ¡°The first thing you can do is wear something really suggestive.¡± Ereka looked at her and blushed slightly. ¡°Actually, something like that happened this morning.¡± ¡°Oh! Do tell!¡± The Librarian said and grinned. ¡°I''m always in the mood to hear something like that!¡± * Ren went to the cart and asked the two men in the back if they wanted to wait here, or go with him to the stables. They voted to stay and climbed out with a bit of relief on their faces. Ren climbed into the driver''s seat and left them standing beside the Library. It didn''t take long to get to the stables from there and Ren pretended to tie Princess to a post outside. ¡°I''ll just be a minute.¡± Ren said to her and pat her neck. She huffed and he went inside to try and hire a few carts. He knocked on the office door and she told him to come in without looking up. ¡°Your Highness!¡± The female dwarf exclaimed when he opened the door to her office and she glanced up to see who it was. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I''d like to hire some carts and extra workers.¡± Ren said. ¡°That is, assuming you have any available.¡± She took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I''m sorry, but they''re all out at the moment.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow and she chuckled. ¡°Apparently, someone had been monopolizing all of the free carts that were available for rent. Suddenly a bunch of carts became available and they were snatched up faster than copper coins dropped in the middle of a group of kids.¡± Ren laughed for a moment, then spoke. ¡°I''m glad you weren''t stuck with them just sitting here.¡± She nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°Now I feel bad that I don''t have anything for you.¡± ¡°You don''t have to feel bad about that.¡± He smiled. ¡°I could still use the extra workers, though.¡± ¡°Really? Even without the carts?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I still need someone to shovel the silt.¡± ¡°Hold on, I''ll get the list.¡± She said and rummaged through her desk and came out with a list. ¡°How many of them do you need?¡± ¡°A dozen should do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might need more if I change the setup I have slightly.¡± He looked at the list. ¡°Is one of them the woman that sewed sacks for me the last time?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± She said. ¡°Can you describe her?¡± Ren told her what the woman looked like and she smiled. ¡°That''s Dorathy. I''ll see if she''s available to work.¡± ¡°Normally, I''d want them there today; but it''s a bit too late for them to get any work done.¡± ¡°It''s not even noon yet.¡± She said, slightly surprised. ¡°By the time I went around and gathered them all, then brought them back to House Neram to work, they''d only have a few hours before I''d have to gather them up and take them back home again.¡± She opened her mouth to say something, then changed what she wanted to say. ¡°I guess that''s true.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll go around and pick them up in the morning, right after breakfast.¡± ¡°That would be great, Your Highness.¡± Ren bid her a good day, left the office, and went to Princess. ¡°Let''s go to Barnar''s.¡± He climbed up to the driver''s seat and Princess took him to Barnar''s Stoneworks. He left Princess at the side of the road because he didn''t want her exposed to all the stone dust or noise inside. ¡°REN!¡± Barnar yelled and ran over to him. He took Ren into a one-arm hug and grinned. ¡°You beat the Council! I couldn''t believe it.¡± He said and shook his head. ¡°Then you beat House Lodur''s Champion, too!¡± ¡°I don''t know about that.¡± Ren said and grinned back. ¡°He beat me up pretty good.¡± ¡°Haha!¡± Barnar guffawed. ¡°You won, that''s what matters!¡± Ren nodded slightly and Barnar let him out of the hug. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I want to order another 2000 stone bricks.¡± Barnar smiled. ¡°I''d hoped you''d be back to get them.¡± He said and led Ren out back to a stack of bricks that covered a good portion of the room behind the building. ¡°You didn''t stop gathering them even after the work stoppage order.¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°Of course I didn''t.¡± Barnar said. ¡°Even if they upheld their decision to screw us all over, you''d be back to buy them eventually.¡± ¡°Thanks, Barnar.¡± Barnar waved the thanks away and Ren paid for the bricks. Barnar tried to refuse the money; but his own values stopped him from giving the bricks away. Ren filled several inventory slots with them and asked for the rest to be delivered later. ¡°They''ll be beside your workshop tomorrow.¡± Barnar said. Ren looked around and saw that the mold part of the shop that was only in a small corner, was now nearly half of the shop''s available space. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ren asked and motioned to all of the activity. ¡°The word''s gotten around about what House Neram looks like.¡± Barnar said. ¡°We''re all working harder than ever before.¡± ¡°I don''t know if I should congratulate you, or feel sorry that you have to work so hard.¡± Ren said, then smiled. ¡°Both!¡± Barnar said and clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°Your ideas are spreading, my friend.¡± Ren nodded slightly and bid him farewell, then left the building. He gathered Princess and went back to the Library. The two messengers were still standing there and Ren pulled over next to them. ¡°You can get back in.¡± Ren said. ¡°We should be leaving in a minute.¡± They climbed into the back and Ren went into the Library. There was no sign of the two women when he entered the building, though. Teepo. Ren thought. Let''s assume they''re upstairs. ¡°Gotcha.¡± Teepo said and took off flying, and zipped up the stairway. ¡°Yeah, they''re at a table reading a book.¡± Thanks. Ren walked over to the stairs and made more noise than he normally would. ¡°There he is!¡± The Librarian said when she saw Ren''s head appear on the second floor as he came up the stairs. ¡°We were wondering where you''d run off to.¡± ¡°I went to rent some carts at the stables, but they didn''t have any.¡± Ren said. ¡°So I went to pick up some stone bricks.¡± The Librarian put one of the bookmarks Ren had made into the book she was reading and closed it. Ereka did the same, and held the book to her chest. Ren recognized the silver lettering of a copy of his book. ¡°Did you get everything you need?¡± Ren asked and looked around. ¡°I don''t see any extra books or boxes.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°They''re downstairs.¡± She said. ¡°They were too heavy to bring up here, only to have them brought back down again.¡± The Librarian took her book and slid it onto a nearby shelf and walked down the stairs. Ren motioned for Ereka to go ahead of him, and he followed them both down the stairs. ¡°There they are.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°Good luck carrying them out. They''re blasted heavy.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I had a hard time fitting the thick volumes into so few boxes.¡± Six large boxes were behind her desk and Ren stored them easily. ¡°How much were they?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Ereka already paid for them.¡± The Librarian said, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Ready to go?¡± He said to Ereka, and she nodded slightly. Ren took the Librarian''s hand and bent over it, then walked ahead of Ereka towards the door. She frowned a little, until he got to the door and held it open for her. Ereka smiled at him as she passed by, then she turned to wave at the Librarian. Ren helped Ereka climb into the back of the cart, then he got in the driver''s seat. ¡°Let''s go home.¡± He said, and Princess took off. They made it back to House Neram Keep several minutes later and Ren helped Ereka climb down. The two men jumped down and practically kissed the road. Ereka chuckled and turned to Ren. ¡°I thought I was going back to the Main House to work?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°You are.¡± Ren said. ¡°We just have to talk to Lady Neram first.¡± Wohrum opened the gate for them, and Ren turned to the messengers. ¡°We''ll be right back.¡± The two men nodded and Ren led Ereka inside and into the house. ¡°Nathalia?¡± Ren spoke into the main room. ¡°We''re in the kitchen.¡± She responded, and they went through the main room and into the kitchen. Ren inhaled a breath through his nose and smiled. ¡°Is that pastries I smell?¡± He said, and walked over to Nathalia and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He reached for one and she slapped his hand. ¡°No touching!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°They''re for dessert.¡± Ren stood behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. ¡°What if I had another idea for dessert?¡± He asked, and nibbled on her earlobe. Nathalia leaned back against him and sighed. ¡°Ren.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°We have company.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ren stopped kissing Nathalia''s earlobe, then turned his head to Ereka. He saw she was blushing slightly, and he let Nathalia go. ¡°My apologies.¡± Ren said, then bowed slightly to Ereka, who gasped. ¡°I forgot where I was for a minute.¡± ¡°It''s okay, dear.¡± Narhilda said to Ereka. ¡°I stopped him in time.¡± She chuckled. ¡°He usually has my daughter practically laying on the counter by now.¡± ¡°Mother!¡± Nathalia said, then turned to Ereka. ¡°That''s not true.¡± ¡°I remember coming in here and seeing exactly that.¡± Narhilda chuckled as her daughter blushed. ¡°I have to admit it was only once, though.¡± Ren chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Don''t mind her.¡± He said to Ereka. ¡°She has an odd sense of humor.¡± ¡°Is this why you wanted to come in here and talk to her?¡± Ereka asked. Ren grinned. ¡°Although that''s a good reason, that''s not why.¡± He said. ¡°My Lady, that thing I mentioned this morning?¡± ¡°What? Oh, right.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°We were thinking of hiring a permanent healer, maybe two, and want to build a medical building for them. How would we go about doing that?¡± Ereka looked at her in surprise. ¡°My Lady, none of the other Houses have dedicated healers.¡± ¡°We know.¡± ¡°Would they have to be bonded with the Guild, or will anyone with the ability do?¡± ¡°Anyone with the ability, assuming we aren''t stealing them from somewhere else.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once they get settled, we''ll pay the fees to get them registered in the Guild if it''s necessary.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± Ereka asked, surprised. ¡°You''d really do that?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is all new for us here.¡± He waved his hand to include everyone. ¡°We''re building everything almost from scratch. There''s going to be growing pains.¡± ¡°I''d ask you where you''re getting all the money, but I don''t know if I want to know.¡± Ereka said. ¡°This all seems too good to be true.¡± Narhilda and Nathalia laughed. ¡°You don''t have to tell us that!¡± They said together, and Ereka laughed as well. ¡°You''re going to be handling a lot of the money, so knowing where it comes from is okay; as long as you don''t tell anyone about it.¡± Ren said. Ereka nodded and Ren took out the first diamond he ever had Dorcot cut. It was only worth 10 platinum, but Ren held it out to her. ¡°By the gods! I''ve never seen a diamond that big before!¡± Ereka said, then looked at it with an odd expression. ¡°It''s only worth 10 platinum, though.¡± She said, perplexed. ¡°You spent more than that just today.¡± Ren smiled and moved over beside the kitchen table and took out one of the crates of diamonds Dorcot had cut for him, and opened it for Ereka to look inside. Nathalia and Narhilda came over to look inside as well, and they all froze in shock. It was filled with diamonds of various sizes and cuts. More than any of them had ever heard of, let alone seen with their own eyes. ¡°By the gods...¡± Ereka whispered. ¡°There''s... there''s thousands of platinum coins worth here!¡± ¡°In this crate, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re all different sizes, though.¡± He took out another crate of the biggest diamonds he''d had cut, and opened it for them to look inside. ¡°I... I need... to sit down.¡± Ereka said, and pulled out a chair from the table to sit down. Nathalia and Narhilda sat down a moment later themselves. ¡°How... how did you...¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have them, and 18 crates of uncut ones.¡± ¡°Eighteen crates!¡± The three women said at the same time. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''ve got 3 cut ones and 18 uncut. It comes out to be a little less than that, since the crystals lose some of the mass when they''re cut. That''s not counting the one up at the workshop. I really should change it out for a fresh one.¡± He said. ¡°I''m sure Dorcot finished it the other day.¡± ¡°If... if people knew...¡± Ereka said. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°That''s why I don''t tell people.¡± He looked through the odd-sized crate and picked out a diamond oval half of the size as the one he wore. ¡°You''re going to want one of these.¡± Ereka shook her head. ¡°No, sir.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t want a diamond that big.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m not giving it to you.¡± He said and enchanted it with the House Neram crest. ¡°I''m giving a House representative a badge of office.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± Ereka said and stood up to receive it. ¡°I can mount it like a pendant.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or as a locket. I don''t know the plans for any other kind of jewelry.¡± ¡°Would... would a brooch do?¡± Ereka said and took out her family''s brooch. It wasn''t an heirloom; it was just really old. Ren''s eyes widened as he took it from her gently. He used Enchanted Eyes on it, but didn''t see any enchantments. He examined it closely and didn''t wince when he saw the size of the pin on the back. He got the plans for it and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, then looked at Ereka. ¡°I know it''s really old and you might want to keep it that way; but, I can repair it if you want.¡± ¡°Could you?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°I''ve been meaning to get it fixed for a while, but with everything that happened...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It would be an honor to restore it.¡± He said and took out his blacksmith''s hammer and poured Mana into it. ¡°Repair.¡± The brooch glowed brightly for a few moments, and when the glow faded, Ereka gasped at the gleaming golden brooch. ¡°Oh, sir!¡± She exclaimed and hopped out of the chair and took Ren into a hug, then gave him several kisses on the cheek. ¡°Thank you!¡± *kiss* ¡°Thank you!¡± *kiss* ¡°Thank you!¡± *kiss* Ren''s eyes widened slightly as she held on tightly. ¡°It was no trouble.¡± Ereka let the hug go and grinned. ¡°No trouble, he says!¡± She turned to the two women that still sat at the table. ¡°Is he always like this?¡± Both women nodded and smiled. Ren handed the brooch to Ereka and turned to Lady Neram. ¡°We should give one of the Sending Stones to her.¡± Ren said. ¡°That way, if anyone needs anything, they can contact the other.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I''ll go and get it.¡± ¡°You''re giving me a Sending Stone?¡± Ereka asked, surprised. ¡°You''ll need to stay in contact with anyone here, if there''s no one there with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, you''re going to have the messengers stationed at the Main House. If anyone here needs to send a message anywhere, it''ll be through you.¡± Narhilda came back out with the pair and handed one of the stones to Ereka. ¡°You know how these work, right?¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°Touch it and think of who you''re sending to, and the mate glows and they hear you.¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°Right. We might call you for something, or you might call here to set up appointments and things.¡± She said. ¡°It''ll come in handy.¡± ¡°I''m sure it will.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I better get to it, then.¡± Ren nodded slightly, closed up the crates, and stored them again. ¡°I''ll have your House brooch done soon.¡± ¡°That would be great, sir!¡± Ereka said enthusiastically, and beamed a smile at him. ¡°Shall we go?¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow and she chuckled. He turned to Nathalia and her mother. ¡°I''m heading to the mines for a minute, then into the city to where the windows are made.¡± Ren said. ¡°They said it''ll take a week for a stained glass window. I can''t wait 20 weeks for the Church windows.¡± ¡°Did you say ''Church''?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren nodded. ¡°I''m having one built across the road from the Main House.¡± ¡°For which god?¡± Narhilda asked and frowned. ¡°You didn''t even consult me about it.¡± Ren walked over to her and knelt. ¡°My Lady, I wouldn''t insult you, or the god you worship, like that.¡± He said and took her hand. ¡°It''s a Church for all 9 of them.¡± ¡°A-a-all of them?¡± Narhilda asked, shocked. ¡°You''re building a Church for all of them?¡± ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s still a single building; but it''s huge and each god has their own designated worship area.¡± Narhilda got over the initial shock, then smiled. ¡°You really are a sweet and considerate man, dear.¡± Ren stood up and kissed her cheek. ¡°Thank you, My Lady.¡± He turned and bent over to kiss Nathalia on the lips. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can; but, it''ll probably be around suppertime.¡± ¡°Go ahead and take a pastry then.¡± Nathalia said and gave him a hug. ¡°I can''t make you wait that long to taste it.¡± ¡°I already tasted the dessert I really wanted.¡± He said and kissed her other ear. She blushed slightly and then spoke as she let him go. ¡°See you soon, My Love.¡± ¡°Bye, My Love.¡± Ren left the house and held the door for Ereka. ¡°I could get used to that.¡± She said as she passed him. ¡°I wouldn''t if I were you.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°You might not be seeing a lot of me for a while.¡± ¡°Why? Are you going somewhere?¡± Ereka asked. Ren shook his head. ¡°No, but I''ve got a lot of work to do.¡± She smiled. ¡°There''s always work to do, if you''re not careful.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I''ve been pretty darn careless, then.¡± Ereka grinned as they walked through the gate. ¡°And I''ve been way too careful this last year.¡± ¡°I guess that means we balance each other out.¡± Ren said, helped her get in the back of the cart, then turned to the two messengers. ¡°We''re just going 2 miles down the road to the Main House.¡± He said. ¡°You can ride or you can run.¡± ¡°Run.¡± They said together, and Ren laughed as he climbed into the driver''s seat. ¡°Let''s go.¡± He said to Princess, and they took off. A minute later, Ren dropped off Ereka and the boxes of books, in her office. As he built 2 cabinet shelves, he told Ereka that he wanted a huge pile of lumber ordered; and also 20,000 paving stones to start. He put the cabinet shelves next to the wall as the two messengers came into the lobby. ¡°Are the books in order?¡± Ren asked as he opened one of the boxes. ¡°That''s all right.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''ll get them up on the shelves and sorted.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let me know if you need any more shelves built.¡± ¡°I will.¡± She said. ¡°Thank you.¡± He nodded slightly and went out to the lobby to the two messengers. He made 2 comfy chairs for them and they sat down. ¡°Don''t get too comfortable.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°She''s got a couple of errands for you to run.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll have a room built for you by tomorrow.¡± ¡°That''s not necessary, sir.¡± One said. ¡°We shouldn''t be here long enough to need our own space.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°You''ll have it anyways.¡± He said then left the Main House. ¡°Okay, Princess. You''ve been constrained for far too long by only running short distances.¡± Ren said and climbed into the driver''s seat. ¡°We''re going to the mines.¡± Chapter 147 - Setting Things Up Ren was about to tell Princess to go when Teepo spoke. ¡°Wait!¡± Teepo exclaimed. ¡°Ruck''s waving to us!¡± Ren turned and saw Ruck skittering towards the cart. ¡°Hi, Ruck. You''re finished already?¡± Ruck came to a stop by the cart and gave Ren a ''thumbs up'' gesture. ¡°I''m making a quick run out to the mines, then into town. Want to come along?¡± Ruck shook his body back and forth in a clear ''no'' gesture. ¡°Hop in. I''ll take you back to the house.¡± Ren said, and Ruck climbed into the back of the cart. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Princess took off and a minute later stopped in front of the gate. ¡°I''m just dropping off a passenger.¡± Ren said to Wohrum, who opened the gate and Ruck hopped out of the cart. ¡°I''ll make you a bigger cabinet when I get back.¡± Ruck gave the ''okay'' gesture and Ren had Princess turn the cart around, then she took off running. After about 15 minutes, they arrived at the mines and Ren pretended to tie Princess and the cart to a post by the mine gate. ¡°I''m just going in to see the foreman.¡± Ren said, and the guard opened the gate for him. He went inside and over to the foreman''s office, and knocked. A different voice than he expected told him to come in. When he opened the door, the man behind the desk snarled. ¡°You!¡± The fat dwarf from the Hole said. ¡°You cost me everything!¡± ¡°No, you cost you everything.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I just happened to be there when it happened.¡± ¡°Get the hell out of here before I have the guards shoot you!¡± He nearly shouted. ¡°Here they will follow my orders without question!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and stepped back. ¡°Tell your boss I was only going to spend a few hundred platinum anyways.¡± He shut the door and quickly ran around the office. It only took the fat dwarf a minute, but he got out from behind the desk and waddled to the door. He must have gotten new armor. Ren thought. When the fat dwarf opened the door, Ren clearly heard him sigh. ¡°I don''t know why I even tried to catch him.¡± He said. ¡°Even if he was actually telling the truth.¡± The door shut and Ren ran over to where the huge pile of silt was. It was a lot smaller than it used to be, but Ren could clearly see a new pile replacing the silt that had been moved to House Neram. He snuck over behind the guard that stood there. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± Ren said, and the guard jumped. ¡°AAAHH!¡± He shouted and turned around. ¡°It must be lonely, standing out here day after day, with no one to guard.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least you won''t have that problem anymore.¡± The guard stared at him in surprise. ¡°Yes, you''re fired.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can keep the money I paid you, though. Good luck finding work.¡± He walked by the guard and towards the road. ¡°It seems House Lodur is getting rid of anyone that''s dealt with me in the past.¡± The guard watched Ren walk all the way back to the mine gate. ¡°It seems I can''t do any business here after all.¡± Ren said to the guard at the gate. ¡°The new foreman wants to have me shot.¡± The guard held the gate open, and Ren went to the cart and climbed in. ¡°To the city!¡± Ren said, and Princess ran for all she was worth. Teepo chittered in delight the whole way. They made it there in about 12 minutes and Ren told her to go to the Minor House where the windows were made. He left her and the cart by the road, and went inside. After some tense negotiations and a nominal fee, Ren was allowed into the workroom to see the process of window making; under the vow to not reveal what he saw there to anyone else. Once he saw the process, however... he was less than impressed. ¡°You... have got to be kidding me.¡± Ren said to the workman. ¡°That''s it? That''s all there is to it?¡± The old workman looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°Son, it takes years to perfect the technique of making glass.¡± ¡°My apologies for seeming to make light of it.¡± Ren said, and bowed slightly to make amends. ¡°I just meant I was surprised that all you needed was a fire hot enough to melt sand, turn it into liquid, then pour it into molds.¡± He smiled. ¡°If it''s not too much trouble, I''d like to learn the glass blowing part if you''ll show me.¡± ¡°The what?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''ll let you get back to your work. Thank you for your time.¡± He left the workroom and then left the building. I should have known it would be that simple. Ren thought as he climbed into the driver''s seat of the cart. ¡°Home, please.¡± Princess took her time leaving the city, then poured on the speed. They were home a few minutes later, Ren led her into the courtyard, and unhooked the cart. ¡°Thank you for doing this.¡± Ren said and rubbed her face. ¡°You''ve been so good to haul everything around.¡± He looked at her big horns and had a neat idea. ¡°Princess? Do you mind if I touch your horns?¡± She blew a raspberry and Ren laughed. ¡°Please? I just had a cool idea and I need to know their shape.¡± She took in a deep breath, and then let it out in a long huff. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and slid his hands around the base of the right horn. She tilted her head to the side a bit to make it easier for him, and he smiled as he ran his hands around the long curve of bone and ended at the tip. Ren closed his eyes and memorized the shape and feel of it, then did the same movements with his hands to the other horn, and memorized the shape and feel of it as well. ¡°Actually, now that I''m doing this... I might as well go all the way.¡± Ren said. He ran his hands along Princess'' muzzle, over her forehead, over her ears, chin, and neck. Ren didn''t notice that Princess had frozen stiff at his caresses, and he kept moving his hands down both of her front legs to the hooves. He moved to the side and hugged her around the chest and moved down along her back. He did the back legs to the hooves and closed his eyes again. ¡°Yeah, that''s got it.¡± Ren said, opened his eyes to look at Princess, then went to her head and scratched the sides of her chin. ¡°Thanks for standing so still for me.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I''ll have another nice gift for you soon, Princess!¡± Princess just stood there and stared at him, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, I think I''ve bothered you enough for today.¡± He said, walked out of the stable, and went up to his workshop. ¡°First thing''s first.¡± Ren said, and started up the forge. He put some gold and iron ore into the smelter and stirred it up. He walked over to Dorcot''s workbench and saw that he was right. The crate he had left was already done, so Ren switched it out for one full of uncut diamonds. He emptied the drawer full of 1 gold coin diamonds, left 8 platinum coins on the workbench, then had to make another sack to hold the diamonds. ¡°I really have to find a way to use these things.¡± Ren said, stored the two sacks, and went back to the smelter. ¡°That looks good.¡± He said and opened the brooch plans he''d gotten from Ereka, and modified it to hold a diamond. Ren poured a little of the molten metal into his hand and went to the anvil. He folded the metal a few times and then let the system make it into a brooch. He put another dollop of molten metal on it and set the diamond he''d enchanted with the House Neram crest onto it. ¡°Perfect.¡± Ren said, then made a dozen brooches, enchanted similar-sized diamonds with the House Neram crest, and set them into the metal. He stored them and refilled the forge with gold and iron ore until it was nearly full. He went over to the oven and took off the chute he''d made for the cement powder, placed it on the floor, and took out a stone brick. After enchanting the brick with a single Wind rune and 7 Fire runes, he activated it and heat up the center of the chute to a bright red color, nearly to the molten state. Ren used his chisel to cut the metal and made one long chute into two. He took the two halves to the anvil and used his Fire brick to heat the metal again, then re-bent it so the powder would go into sacks. He reattached the two chutes to the oven, so a sack could be filled from each, and it still covered the whole space coming out of the oven.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°With that, I''ve doubled the production.¡± Ren said and unloaded all of the empty sacks that he''d used up. He nodded and went down through his secret passage to the bottom of the Keep and checked the next stage. It had sat for an extra day, but it was also twice the size of the first one he''d done. In total, he''d covered about 90 floors in cement so far. Ren removed the wooden mold in sections, just as he did for the first part, and stored them. He started digging around the next set of floors and let the dirt drop into the space he had just taken the mold from. Ren was tempted to pack it in tighter, but figured it''s own weight would do that well enough. He moved tons of dirt from above to below as he moved along. When he came to the first corner, Teepo spoke up. ¡°Ren, we''re coming up on the breech in the wall where the spider cave is.¡± Teepo said. ¡°How big is it?¡± ¡°The hole is about 20 feet around.¡± ¡°That''s not too bad.¡± Ren said. ¡°The cave opening on the other hand, is about 30 feet high and nearly 100 feet wide, and exposes a huge part of the Keep on that side.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said and stopped digging. ¡°That might be a problem.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I''d say so.¡± He said. ¡°Unless you can somehow build a wall before you build a wall.¡± ¡°Actually, I can.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll go back to the surface and make a wall 96 feet long and 28 feet high, with an angle at the top to lean against the Keep and the end closed off. Once it''s in place, the cave and the Keep will be separated. We can clean out the Keep once I fix the hole in the stone wall.¡± ¡°What about the outside wall?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I kind of have an idea about that.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ll make a door in the end of it.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°So we can go hunting in the cave.¡± ¡°You really are crazy.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I never said I wasn''t when people accused me of it.¡± Ren chuckled and turned around to dig the other way. Once he got around the Keep to the other side of where Teepo said the cave was, he stopped and went back up to the surface. He stored his clothes and equipped them again, to clean both them and himself up. Ren went to the forge and checked the molten metal. ¡°Yeah, that''s good.¡± He said and poured some into the blank mold. After letting it set for a minute, he took it to the anvil and folded it a dozen times, reheated it every time and hammered it out. He stuck it back into the forge and opened his full plate mail plans, and altered them to the dimensions he''d made from measuring Princess. Ren took out the red-hot metal and hammered out a chest plate for her. With his Blacksmithing skills at the Advanced Level, it didn''t take long to make the entire suit for her. He even made a back plate with a saddle built in so Princess wouldn''t have to deal with straps and buckles digging into her anymore. Ren had saved the helm for last, as the system didn''t have anything like her horns available. I''m going to have to make them completely by hand. He thought and smiled. Actually, I really can make them by hand! He hammered the metal out a dozen times, just like the other pieces, then heat it in the forge to the point where it was soft and malleable. Ren used his hands and formed the metal into the proper shape and ran his hands over the surface to absorb the heat from it evenly. When he was done, he held it up to examine it, and grinned at the popup he received.
Bighorn Ram Helm (Unique)
This helm was made by the hands of an artisan blacksmith, Ren the First. It has been so well crafted, and with such exquisite care, that hammer marks cannot be seen on it''s surface. Can be worn by: Mount Only Durability: 1000/1000
Ren enchanted it with a double glyph of Augment (8 runes total) to give the wearer Intelligence +8. He checked the helm again; it was now the ''Bighorn Ram Helm of Learning'' and he stored it. He emptied the smelter of the remaining molten metal by pouring it into the big stone mold, then popped it out and tossed it into the pile of gold ore beside the forge. Ren filled the smelter with iron ore only and let that simmer for a while, then built a second forge next to the first, and another beside that one. Ren turned around and built one that was the same size as the three of them combined; but modified the design so that he could remove a single brick, and anything inside would pour out onto the floor. Ren checked the molten metal and stirred it, skimmed off some of the impurities, and made a smelting apparatus for both of the other same-sized forges. Ren didn''t need one for the big forge, as that was going to be used for making glass only. All he needed was sand. Lots and lots of sand. Ren got the other 2 forges going and smelting iron ore, then used the metal in the first one to make 1 foot long by 1 inch wide steel rebar. When it was nearly empty, Ren refilled it and started using the molten metal from the other 2. Once he''d refilled those, he had nearly a thousand more bars made. ¡°How''s my time, Teepo?¡± ¡°You''ve got about an hour before supper''s ready.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and let the metal simmer for a while. He went outside and dropped off most of the stone bricks he still had in inventory, then set about building the 28 foot tall, 96 foot long wall he needed. It took a while to get the frame built; but once that was done, it was easy to add the planks and fill it in. A door was added at the end, and then the angle part was built. He added braces and supports all along the wall because he knew they would be needed for protection against any spiders that might want to get back in, then added spots to secure it to the Keep. The last thing he did was cut out small spaces along the length of it so you could see what was coming. ¡°Suppertime.¡± Teepo said. Perfect timing! Ren thought and reached out to store the wall, then stopped. I better wait, just in case it does the same thing to me as Dorcot''s house. He turned and went down to the gate to see Broxor standing guard. ¡°Good evening, sir.¡± Broxor said. ¡°Good evening.¡± Ren said, then stopped beside the guard. ¡°Is there any chance I could make an appointment with your sister? I''d like to learn some spells.¡± Broxor looked at Ren like he was crazy. ¡°I''m sorry, sir.¡± He said. ¡°My sister trained in magic for most of her life. Years of grueling work to learn everything she knows. I don''t think she''d come all the way out here just to give you lessons.¡± Broxor''s eyes widened as he realized what he''d said. ¡°I meant no offense, sir.¡± ¡°It didn''t hurt to ask.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°By the way, were you paid yet?¡± ¡°No, sir.¡± Broxor said. ¡°I assumed it wouldn''t be until the end of the week.¡± ¡°I''d usually pay for a bunch of weeks work right away, but we''ve hired someone to take care of everything. She''s at the Main House. You can tell her to pay you early this week.¡± Ren started to walk away, then turned back. ¡°The Barracks are done as well. I just have to get an armory ordered to store all the weapons and shields.¡± ¡°That''s great, sir.¡± Broxor said. ¡°The tent is starting to smell.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It wasn''t intended to be used this long.¡± He waved at the guard and went inside the house. Ren went to the Sending Stone for the Main House and touched it. ¡°Hi, Ereka, it''s Ren. If you''re there, a guard or two might pop by tomorrow to pick up their pay for this week. I know it''s early, but pay it anyways. It''s 10 gold a week for the guards.¡± ¡°Yes, Ren. I''m still here. You caught me as I was about to leave.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''ll pay the guards early this time, but it''ll be a regular schedule from now on.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wouldn''t have it any other way... except I already paid Wohrum and Golir for 10 weeks, and they''ve worked almost 2 so far... so you don''t have to pay them again until then.¡± Ren waited for a minute, and Ereka didn''t respond. ¡°Are you still there?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If you are, I may have forgotten to tell you that these Sending Stones work better than normal ones.¡± ¡°R-R-R-R-R-REN! YOU HAVE CONTINUOUS SENDING STONES!!!¡± Ereka shouted. Ren took his hand off the Sending Stone and leaned into the kitchen. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± He said to Nathalia, who was laughing as she helped her mother Narhilda serve the plates of food. ¡°I didn''t tell her when I gave it to her, either.¡± Narhilda said, trying not to laugh herself. Ren went back to the sending stone and touched it. ¡°Yes, they can keep going.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve used them so often that I didn''t even think about telling you they were different.¡± After a minute, Ereka responded. ¡°I''m really glad I didn''t find that out while someone else was here.¡± She said. ¡°Otherwise this secret would be out.¡± ¡°What secret?¡± ¡°That you have these stones!¡± Ereka said, exasperated. ¡°If people knew they could get them...¡± ¡°How would they get them?¡± Ren asked, and Ereka didn''t know what to say. ¡°Exactly. Only a select few know they even exist right now.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''ll try to not use them if clients or residents are here.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If they see something here that they can''t get anywhere...¡± ¡°I... I see.¡± ¡°By the way, your salary is 60 gold a week.¡± Ren said, then corrected himself. ¡°Sorry, I meant 10 gold a day, with a day off if you want.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°You''re already earning it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°By the way, can you find out if I can buy a weapon armory for the Barracks, or if I have to build one? Tomorrow that is, not right now. Thanks.¡± He said. ¡°I have your brooch done and will drop it off in the morning. Goodnight.¡± ¡°G-goodnight.¡± Ereka said and Ren took his hand off the Sending Stone. He went into the kitchen and sat down to eat. ¡°What else can we do to send the poor thing into shock?¡± Narhilda said, and Ren laughed. ¡°I''m sure something else we take as normal, will send her into fits when she finds out.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren reached a hand over to caress the side of her face. ¡°That''s definitely true.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know I''m amazed every time I come in here and see your smiling face.¡± Narhilda made a fake gagging noise, and Ren turned to her. ¡°My Lady, I hope you realize that your face is nearly identical to your daughter''s.¡± Narhilda''s mouth made that little ''o'' shape. ¡°Ren! You finally made Ma speechless!¡± Nathalia said and laughed. They ate supper together and then had pastries and cream for dessert. Ren took some food out to Princess, and when she was done, he told her he had a surprise for her. Princess looked at him with concern, and he laughed. ¡°I''m not going to measure you again.¡± Ren said and placed a pastry in her bowl. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Princess inhaled it and he didn''t think she even tasted it. He shook his head. ¡°You know, it would taste better of you chewed it, even only a little bit.¡± Ren said, then built a wall with a door around Ruck''s cabinet, making his own little space with the cabinet inside. He knocked and Ruck opened the cabinet. ¡°I made you a bigger cabinet.¡± Ren said and showed Ruck the new door. ¡°Do you want to keep this one, too?¡± Ren asked and tapped on the old cabinet. Ruck gave a ''thumbs up'' gesture, and came out of his cabinet. Ren left him there and shut the door. He turned to walk away, then tossed another pastry into the air to Princess. She caught it in her mouth and stared at Ren as she chewed it exactly once, then swallowed it. Ren laughed and waved as he left the stable. He went back inside the house and told Nathalia that he had some Adventurer''s business to take care of, but it would only be an hour or so. She kissed him and went to the old bedroom, and Ren sat on the couch in the main room. He looked at the baby fire elemental on the table and smiled. There was still several squares of Spider Silk Cloth left, and it was lounging in the flames he''d left on. ¡°I''m glad you''re happy.¡± He said to it, and tickled it''s back. The flame''s color changed slightly and he leaned back to relax. See you in a bit, Teepo. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Chapter 148 - Holy Crap! Ren took off the VR headset and asked Denise for a quick lunch. ¡°Eager to get back to your two little honeys, are you?¡± She asked and smiled. ¡°Yep.¡± Ren said smugly. ¡°Assuming they''re both in the bed, that is.¡± ¡°I can almost guarantee it.¡± Denise said and left to get lunch. Ren went to the bathroom to check to see if everything was okay, and it was so he went back to bed and waited. He didn''t have to wait long, and Denise came back in with a bowl of soup and a couple of pieces of bread. ¡°I think the game is spoiling you with all the food you''re allowed to eat.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I know it is.¡± He said and started eating. ¡°I haven''t even tried to train my Staying Power skill at all.¡± Denise grinned. ¡°I''ve seen a few minutes of blue screen already today.¡± ¡°Staying Power is being able to go longer without food, not how long I can have sex.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°That blue screen was only to make Nathalia happy, anyways.¡± Denise''s grin faded to only a smile. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I only had enough time to please her. Barely. We didn''t even get around to my turn.¡± Ren said, and dipped a piece of bread into the broth of the soup. ¡°It normally takes an hour or so; but, that''s only because I have to limit myself.¡± He took the bread out and sucked it into his mouth. ¡°Hey! Did you add salt to this?¡± Denise was kind of speechless, so she only nodded. ¡°You could get in trouble if the dietitian found out about it.¡± Ren said and dipped in the other piece of bread. She recovered from her surprise, and smiled. ¡°You''re allowed so much salt a day, smart-aleck.¡± Denise sat down. ¡°We have a chart to keep track of it and everything.¡± Ren chuckled as he ate the other piece of bread, then drank the glass of supplement. ¡°Thanks for the food, Denise.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± She said and took the tray. ¡°I''ll see you at supper.¡± Ren nodded and picked up the VR headset, then stopped. He pulled the laptop over instead and checked his emails. He deleted the spam without even reading the headers, and then noticed a new email from Elise Stanford, the secretary from Sid Tec. Ren opened it and his heart started racing. Denise came in and saw Ren in a kind of panic state, rushed to his bedside, and pushed the rollaway table aside. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°They bought the pilot for my show.¡± Ren said, flabbergasted. ¡°I can''t believe they actually bought it.¡± ¡°Who bought your what?!?¡± Denise asked, confused. ¡°The television station.¡± Ren said. ¡°When the Sid Tec guys were here, I let them take a copy of my game footage. The company''s secretary, Elise, made a television series proposal for it... and the station bought it.¡± Denise sat down and stared at him. ¡°What... what...¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°It''s okay, Denise.¡± He said, to reassure her. ¡°It''s all just editing and adding music at this point. At least, that''s what Elise said in her email.¡± Ren pointed to the laptop. ¡°She''ll be sending over a registered package with the check.¡± ¡°C-c-check?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s only for the pilot; but if it gets a favorable review from the sample audience, it could get picked up for a series.¡± ¡°Oh my god.¡± Denise said, shocked. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Holy crap.¡± They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Ren looked around. ¡°I better respond to her that I got the email and will wait for the package.¡± He said, then did so after Denise pulled the rollaway table back over to him. ¡°I better log in and get some rest. I''m going to have a long day tomorrow.¡± ¡°Do you mean here tomorrow?¡± Denise asked and waved at the room. ¡°Or there tomorrow?¡± She pointed to the VR headset. ¡°Both.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°Help me with it, please.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Denise said and helped him put it on. He laid back and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± Ren said, and his body became still. * ¡°I hope you realize what this is going to mean.¡± Denise said to Ren''s inert form. ¡°The hospital tried so hard all these years to keep you out of the media.¡± She said and sighed. ¡°And now you practically throw yourself in their sights.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch and blinked a few times. Hi, Teepo. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re a little late. It''s been an hour and a half.¡± Thanks. Ren thought, then stood up. See you in the morning. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Ren walked down the hallway and opened the old bedroom door. He crept inside and switched his clothes for his armor''s bodysuit and climbed into the bed. He didn''t even bother checking who he was next to, even though he had decided that morning he should. Ren''s back was to whoever it was, as the two women were on their sides again. A woman''s arm went around his chest, and another went partially around his waist. Ren hugged both of the arms close and drifted off to sleep. * ¡°What do you mean it didn''t work out like we planned?¡± A figure covered in a black cloud said. ¡°We spent months setting everything up!¡± The Shadow Weaver, Talon laughed. ¡°You didn''t plan on having Tristan drive his crazy train all over everything.¡± The black cloud covered figure raised it''s arms in exasperation; or at least, that''s what Talon assumed happened, as the cloud changed it''s shape to look like that. ¡°You were supposed to keep him under wraps.¡± Talon shrugged. ¡°Who could have guessed that he''d find his Nemesis so fast, and then that Nemesis would beat the hell out of him?¡± The figure laughed. ¡°I''ve watched that footage a hundred times!¡± He said. ¡°Tristan put up a good fight at first, but once that... weapon... came out...¡± He turned to the side, and the cloud nearly revealed his true form. ¡°Tristan had that coming for a while.¡± Talon tried to look at the black cloud covered figure without looking, as he didn''t want to get in trouble again for snooping where he wasn''t wanted. ¡°Is he really only level 6?¡± Talon shook his head. ¡°No, if I was to hazard a guess, just from his Strength alone he''s got to be about 150. At least.¡± He speculated. ¡°That armor alone is worth a fortune.¡± ¡°Yes, I know. Full fire protection is quite nice to have.¡± The figure said. ¡°I don''t suppose he could be hired to make another set?¡± Talon shook his head. ¡°The business is there, but there''s no storefront.¡± He said. ¡°I could message him and see if he could do it on the side if you want.¡± Talon smiled. ¡°Of course, that''s assuming you could afford to buy the armor in the first place.¡± ¡°No, we don''t want him to know that there''s people in the game that can afford armor like that.¡± The figure said. ¡°The less he knows, the better.¡± He turned back to face Talon. ¡°It''s a shame all those contacts Tristan made were lost.¡± ¡°They weren''t lost.¡± Talon said. ¡°I went to each one before Tristan did, and told them to humor him.¡± He grinned. ¡°I did the real deals after he''d left.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The figure rushed to Talon and put his black cloud covered hands on Talon''s shoulders. ¡°That''s wonderful news, Shadow Weaver! Wonderful news!¡± Talon felt his avatar body lose it''s heat and his Health started to drop. He didn''t say anything, however. ¡°Go ahead and get the ball rolling.¡± The figure said and let Talon go. ¡°It''s about time we cause a little bit of a ruckus.¡± Talon stood there in silence as he waited for the figure to leave the room. Once he was gone, Talon rubbed his shoulders where the figure''s hands had been. ¡°Goddammit, that hurt.¡± * Ren woke up in the bed, and blinked a few times. Good morning, Teepo. ¡°Morning, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Nothing happened while you were asleep.¡± Thanks, buddy. Ren thought, and looked at the 2 female arms he still hugged to his chest. He let them go and turned onto his back to see who was behind him under the blanket. It was Nathalia, and Ren smiled as he turned to face her. He gently kissed the tip of her nose, and she wiggled it slightly. He very softly reached a hand to touch her forehead, then ran it along the side of her face and along her chin. Since he had been concentrating on his hand, he didn''t notice that Nathalia had opened her eyes and was staring at him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Nathalia whispered. ¡°Enjoying the view.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°Then I just had to touch you.¡± ¡°There''s other things you could touch.¡± She suggested, and took his hand from her face and caressed her ample chest with it. ¡°Darling...¡± Ren leaned in close and whispered in her ear. ¡°...are you suggesting what I think you''re suggesting?¡± ¡°No.¡± Nathalia breathed back, and moved his hand down to her abdomen after gently moving her mother''s arm out of the way. ¡°I''m telling you.¡± She slid his hand between her legs, and Ren''s eyes widened as he discovered that she wasn''t wearing any underwear under her slip. Nathalia continuously kissed him as he played with her, and it didn''t take long for her to finish. She clamped her legs together to stop his hand from moving, but he''d learned long ago that just because his hand was ''trapped'' like that, his fingers weren''t. He kept her going for a few minutes more, and when she shook her head, he slid his hand away from her sensitive area and she relaxed. ¡°By... by the... the gods...¡± Nathalia whispered. ¡°That... that...¡± ¡°...really got you going.¡± Ren whispered and licked his fingers. ¡°I might have to store the bed to clean it.¡± Nathalia blushed a bright red, and Ren tried not to laugh at her embarrassment. He kissed her to distract himself; and while he did that, she reached down and touched the bulge in his bodysuit. He grabbed her hand and shook his head. ¡°You know what will happen if you do that.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I make a lot more of that than you do.¡± Nathalia kissed him and smiled. ¡°I''ll take care of it.¡± She whispered in his ear and sucked on his earlobe. She pinched the bodysuit slightly, and Ren stored it to get it out of the way. Nathalia lightly pushed him onto his back, and then she disappeared under the blanket. Ren closed his eyes and held the blanket tightly as Nathalia pleased him. It didn''t take long; just as it hadn''t taken long with Nathalia, and Ren finished quickly. She came out from under the blanket a few minutes later, and Ren gave her a piece of cloth to help with the clean up. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Nathalia whispered. ¡°I got it all.¡± ¡°By the gods, I love you.¡± Ren said, and kissed her. They froze like that as they both realized that Ren had spoken without whispering, and they both glanced over to the other occupant of the bed. They sighed in relief as they saw that Narhilda was still asleep. ¡°I better go.¡± Ren whispered and equipped his clothing. ¡°If I don''t, I won''t be able to stop myself.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t try too hard to stop you, either.¡± Nathalia whispered back, and kissed him again. Ren slid out of the bed, and then out of the room. Teepo? Teepo flew over to land on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Yeah, Ren?¡± I think I''m becoming a sex addict. Ren thought as he went into the main room, and then into the kitchen. How long does something like that usually take to happen? ¡°I wouldn''t know.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I''ve always been one.¡± Ren snorted a laugh and took out the cookware he needed to make breakfast. He worked diligently for almost an hour and had breakfast ready just in time. Nathalia and her mother came into the kitchen and sat down at the table. ¡°We could smell them all the way down the hall.¡± Nathalia said and took a piece of french toast from the stack. ¡°I had to knock Ma out of the way to get here first.¡± ¡°She tried to.¡± Narhilda smiled and took a piece for herself and coated it in butter. ¡°I''m no pushover, though.¡± Ren grinned and sat down. ¡°It''s so much fun to eat a meal with two intelligent and beautiful women.¡± Narhilda wagged a half-eaten piece of french toast at him. ¡°Are you being sarcastic?¡± She asked and swallowed the bite she had in her mouth. ¡°I know you''re telling the truth, but it could be taken another way.¡± Ren put down the piece of french toast he was about to eat, stood up, and walked around to Narhilda''s side of the table. ¡°My Lady.¡± Ren said and knelt beside her chair. ¡°I''d never joke about something like that.¡± He took her hand in his and bent over it. ¡°I really do have fun each and every time we all sit down together to have something to eat.¡± ¡°R-Ren.¡± Narhilda said as her face flushed a little red. ¡°You don''t have to go all formal to answer a simple question.¡± ¡°I didn''t want you to have any doubt about my honest statement.¡± ¡°I didn''t doubt it...¡± She started, and Ren stood while still holding her hand. ¡°My Lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve taken me into your home, and made me feel as if I''ve always belonged here.¡± He smiled. ¡°When I go out, in my mind I don''t think, ''I better get back to House Neram'', like I did at first.¡± Ren helped her stand. ¡°What I think and say is, ''I need to go home''.¡± He bent slightly and took her into a hug. ¡°I want you to know how Honored I''ve been this whole time, that you accepted me the way you have.¡±
Notice!
You have declared that your Honor gains have been the responsibility of Lady Neram. As you have stated she is the cause and you wouldn''t have gathered it otherwise, half of your Honor will be transferred to her; as will half of all future Honor gains. Current Honor: 55, 250. Transfer half (27,625) of current Honor now? Confirm: Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°You need to know what it means to me.¡± Narhilda gasped as half of Ren''s Honor was transferred to her. ¡°REN!¡± She yelled in shock. ¡°What did you DO?!?¡± ¡°My Lady.¡± Ren leaned back and looked her in the face, and saw tears form in her eyes. ¡°I gave you only what was due.¡± ¡°Oh, REN!¡± Narhilda burst out crying, and hugged him tightly. ¡°You... you sweet... sweet fool.¡± She sputtered between bouts of crying and gasping. ¡°It''s... it''s nearly... 5 times what... my husband had... when he died.¡± Ren held her as she continued to cry. Nathalia stood up and came around the table. ¡°What happened?¡± She asked, and joined the hug. ¡°He... he...¡± Narhilda tried to say. ¡°I gave her half of my Honor.¡± Ren said. ¡°And half of all future Honor I may get.¡± ¡°W-wh-what?!?¡± Both women said together. ¡°All the things I''ve done here, it was all with your help.¡± Ren kissed each of them on the cheek. ¡°If Narhilda hadn''t accepted me into the House, though... none of it could have happened.¡± They stood there in a triple hug for several minutes, and Ren held them close. ¡°We... we should... finish breakfast.¡± Narhilda said as she calmed down. Nathalia smiled and kissed her mother on the cheek. ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Ren let them out of the hug, and they all sat back down in their seats to finish eating. After breakfast, Ren took several pieces out to Princess, who gobbled them up faster than Ren could put them in her bowl. He eventually just tossed them to her one at a time and she had to take her time that way. ¡°We''ve got a lot of running around to do this morning.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I want you to do it in style.¡± He took out the pieces of armor and gave each piece to her. ¡°Equip them, please.¡± Princess put on each piece, and once she wore everything, the golden colored armor matched her hooves perfectly. ¡°The best piece for last.¡± Ren said and took out the custom made helm, then looked at the bare metal of the forehead. ¡°Dammit, I forgot to add the diamond crest!¡± He said and stored the helm again. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Princess huffed and Ren ran from the stable and to the gate. Teepo told him who was on guard, and Ren opened the gate to see that Kharpik was there. ¡°Good morning, sir.¡± Kharpik said. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°Leave it open. I''ll be right back.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Ren ran to the workshop and went inside to grab a dollop of molten metal to make a mount for a diamond. He took out one of the crates of diamonds and picked a nice oval, then enchanted it with the House Neram crest, granting the wearer a House Neram Aura with a 10 foot radius. Ren grabbed some of the molten metal, and took out the helm from inventory. He went to set the enchanted diamond, and saw the House Neram crest was backwards. Ren frowned, then flipped the diamond oval over. ¡°Well, would you look at that.¡± Ren said, then set the diamond onto the helm. ¡°With the right diamond, you can see the reverse of what you enchant.¡± He ran his hands along the metal and absorbed the heat; so the metal would be cool when he handed the helm to Princess. He stored the helm and ran back down the road, through the gate, and into the stable. ¡°Okay, it''s ready.¡± Ren said, and took out the helm again. ¡°Here you go.¡± Princess equipped it, and her eyes widened as she got a popup. A moment later, it was Ren''s turn for his eyes to widen as he got a popup, too.
Notice!
Your mount''s Intelligence stat is high enough to establish a basic mental connection with you, as if she were a familiar or a construct. WARNING! Once the link is established, it cannot be undone; except upon the mount''s death. Do you wish to initiate this link? Confirm: Yes / No
Ren looked at Princess. ¡°Do you want me to?¡± Princess stared back at him for a full minute before she slowly nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, then felt a sharp pain poke him in the forehead and into his brain. ¡°OW!¡± He hollered and rubbed his head. ¡°Why does it have to feel like a god...damn... NEEDLE?!?¡± Princess winced and shook her head slightly, as she''d gotten the same treatment as Ren. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ren asked and pat her neck. ....wwwwwwhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttt.... ....dddddddddddddiiiiiiddddddddddd........ yyyyyyoooooooouuuu....... ....dddddddddooooooooooo...... ttttttoooooooooo...... mmmmmmeeeeeeee....... ¡°Holy crap!¡± Chapter 149 - Start Shoveling Ren stared at Princess for a moment, then held a hand up to get her to stop. ¡°Hold on for a minute.¡± He said and placed a hand on her chest plate and enchanted it with the same double glyph of Intelligence (8 runes total) that was on the helm. He did it again on top leg piece on her front leg, then tried to enchant the bottom piece, and he ran out of Mana. ¡°I''ll be right back!¡± Ren ran into the house and into the kitchen to where Nathalia was helping her mother clean up. ¡°My Love, can you use your Major Healing on me? I''m out of Mana.¡± ¡°Of course, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°It''s only a once per day, though.¡± ¡°I''ll try and not burn through it so quickly.¡± Ren said. ¡°I did a lot of work yesterday, and forgot to ask you to use your Minor Healing to recharge it.¡± Nathalia shook her head and came over to him. ¡°You always forget to take care of yourself.¡± ¡°It''s not my fault that sometimes I-¡± ¡°I''ll take care of you.¡± Nathalia said and put her hands on the sides of his neck. ¡°Anything that you need.¡± Her hands glowed and Mana poured into Ren''s body. His eyes widened as his normal Mana bar filled quickly, then his entire Mana Pool filled in only a few moments, and he felt completely energized. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said, took Nathalia into a tight hug, and kissed her passionately. The kiss lasted longer than the healing did, and they stopped only because Narhilda tapped each of them on the shoulders. ¡°I assume you needed the recharge for a reason?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes! Right!¡± Ren let Nathalia go. ¡°I''ll fill you in!¡± He said as he ran out of the kitchen, and then out of the house. * ¡°That man...¡± Narhilda shook her head. ¡°He''d forget to eat if we didn''t make him.¡± ¡°Ma.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°If we didn''t feed him such great tasting food, he''d be eating those dry ration packs that he showed me on the ship.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Her mother looked at her in surprise. ¡°He used to only eat to live.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°He never made meals for himself. Ever.¡± ¡°That poor man.¡± Narhilda put a hand on her daughter''s arm. ¡°He doesn''t realize there''s more to food than just eating it.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°Do you think...¡± She started to say one thing, then changed it to another. ¡°Is he ready?¡± Narhilda shook her head. ¡°Not yet.¡± She said. ¡°He''s got too many things to deal with right now. Once things get settled down to a normal routine, he will be able to dedicate enough time to us so we can show him what food can really do.¡± * Ren went back to the stable and over to Princess. He looked at the armor and frowned, then enchanted the top of the back leg with the Intelligence Augment double glyph, then the bottom piece. Ren absorbed the one on the front leg top piece and replaced it with a double glyph of Protection (8 runes total), then put Strength on the bottom piece. He did the same for the other front leg, Protection and Strength, then enchanted her other back leg''s top and bottom pieces with Intelligence. He enchanted her back plate with Antidark, making anything she carried 32% lighter. When he was done, he opened her stat window. Princess now had another 40 points added to her Intelligence stat, and Ren''s eyes widened as he discovered the armor as a full set added another 10 points to all of her stats. He closed the window and looked at her. ¡°Okay, Princess. Let''s try this again.¡± Ren said. ...yes..... me..... princess..... ¡°I know you can understand me.¡± Ren tilted his head to the side. ¡°I had hoped giving you so much Intelligence would help with...¡± ....hard...... think....... to.... human...... Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Oh! I''m sorry.¡± He said and rubbed her neck, as that was the only thing not completely covered in gold metal. ¡°I didn''t even think about the differences between us as a barrier.¡± Princess huffed, and Ren felt her amusement a little. ...you.... don''t..... see...... difference....... Ren shook his head. ¡°I always treat friends the same.¡± ...other...... friends.... not.... pull....... carts...... Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s because they physically can''t.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve pulled a cart a bunch of times myself.¡± He turned around and pointed to the courtyard. ¡°I even have my own, right there.¡± .... your.... words....... are...... true........ ¡°I''d still be using it if it wasn''t for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You really have been a big help.¡± ....if..... not........for....... hooves...... Ren shook his head. ¡°I''d still have asked you to pull that much weight without those Legendary Hooves of Speed.¡± He said. ¡°If I thought you weren''t strong enough to handle it, I wouldn''t have asked at all.¡± Princess was quiet for a minute. .....thank..... you...... for...... gifts........ ¡°Do you mean the nice new armor, or the tasty treats?¡± Ren asked, amused. .....both..... Ren laughed. ¡°It''s the least I can do.¡± He said. ¡°Now that the restrictions are off of me, I can work openly again. I''ll make your track today.¡± ....not..... nececc....neccc..... Princess huffed in resignation. ....not.... needed........ ¡°Of course it''s not needed.¡± Ren pat her neck. ¡°The extra food and armor aren''t ''needed'' either.¡± He said. ¡°I want you to have your own space, where you can run as hard, and as fast, as you can.¡± He grinned. ¡°And bust some things up with these.¡± He pointed to her golden horns, and she bleated in pleasure. .....much.... gratitude...... help...... from..... shock..... ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I had half a mind to add Damage or something to them at first.¡± He said. ¡°I''m glad that I went with Intelligence instead.¡± He scratched her chin absently. ¡°You can do enough damage by yourself, anyways.¡± ...yes..... helped...... big....... boar....... Ren smiled. ¡°You sure did. If you hadn''t hit it right then, I didn''t know what I was going to do.¡± ....happy..... help...... Ren stepped back. ¡°I''m really happy you can help, too.¡± He smiled. ¡°Ready for a bit more running around the countryside and picking up passengers?¡± Princess nodded. .... will..... help....... ¡°I might have to attach the big cart on the back, depending on how many workers I get today.¡± .....feel..... stronger....... ¡°I added more Strength, gave you some Protection, and made anything you carry lighter.¡± Ren said. ¡°Normally, I wouldn''t add Strength, because now it''ll be harder for you to get stronger on your own; but your armor is heavy, and I''ve seen what heavy armor can do to someone that''s not strong enough to handle it.¡± Ren led her out to the cart and hooked her up, only this time he attached it to her back plate instead. ....no..... straps........ Princess thought with a question. ¡°Nope.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I hated that the straps dug into you like they did.¡± He went to her head and attached the reins to the helm. ¡°It''s just for show.¡± He said. ¡°I know you don''t need direction at all, but if people saw you running without anyone holding the reins, they''d assume you were out of control and would panic.¡± ....under..... understand....... ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I put the House Neram crest on your helm, too. Can you close your eyes for a moment?¡± Princess blinked a few times, then closed her eyes. Ren concentrated on his Aura, and the House Neram pendant that he always wore, and used his Connection ability. His Aura jumped out to 45 feet (20 for personal, 15 for the dire wolf cloak, and 10 for the House Neram crest pendant) and he asked Princess to think about the crest; about her time spent in the stable, eating great food, and spending time with friends. Her Aura snapped together with his, and Princess'' eyes opened wide as her Aura jumped out to 55 feet, matching Ren''s expanded Aura with Princess'' added to it. ....amazing...... Ren chuckled. ¡°You might get a headache after a while, so you don''t have to keep concentrating on it.¡± He said. ¡°I just wanted you to feel what it was like.¡± ......felt...... different..... before..... Ren held up the hand with the Screaming Terror ring. ¡°I can boost it, if you want.¡± ....try.... please..... He used his Connection ability again, activated the Screaming Terror ring, and saw Princess'' eyes widen. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ren asked. .....never..... better...... He looked at her. ¡°You like causing Fear in others.¡± .....way..... of.... life...... Ren smiled. ¡°Then I''ll keep it on until we get to the city.¡± He said. ¡°I can''t be scaring the people I''m trying to get to work for me.¡± Princess bleated a laugh. ....may..... work..... faster.... Ren chuckled. ¡°You can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar.¡± ....don''t.... know.... saying.....This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°The carrot or the stick? Pat them or kick them?¡± Ren asked as he led her over to the gate. ....human.... speech..... weird..... Ren laughed. ¡°All it means is, I can get more workers... better workers... by treating them well, than I would if I was mean.¡± ....ah.... understand.... now.... Teepo? ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± Can you check to see what''s on the other side of the gate for me? ¡°Why not get Princess to check?¡± Teepo asked. Ren frowned. Teepo, what''s wrong? ¡°Nothing.¡± Teepo took off and checked. ¡°It''s Wohrum.¡± Teepo came in for a landing, and Ren picked him up. Teepo. You''re my best friend. Tell me what''s bothering you. ¡°I''m supposed to be the only one you can talk to in your head.¡± Ren smiled and scratched the back of Teepo''s head. I know this is a new development, but it doesn''t mean you''re being replaced. ¡°But it''s not a new development.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Ruck is your familiar. He can do it, too.¡± Ren''s eyes widened as Teepo''s words surprised him. Ruck can talk to me in my head? Ren thought. Why doesn''t he? ¡°He chooses not to because he didn''t want to interfere with our conversations.¡± Teepo explained. ¡°He''s been really good about it, actually.¡± Ren stood there and didn''t say anything. Why didn''t you tell me this before? ¡°It didn''t matter before.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Ruck is pretty reclusive. Being in your head was a bit too much for him to handle, so he keeps his thoughts to himself. If you didn''t make him come out to help, he''d just stay in his cabinet all the time.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said out loud and sighed. ¡°I could have been talking with him this whole time.¡± ¡°You have been talking with him this whole time.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You made all those mouth noises and everything.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, but I could have heard his responses.¡± ¡°You saw them.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''d only get the same responses in your head if he did speak like that.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess you''re right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to have a conversation with him about this later.¡± ¡°Good luck with that.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You know what he''s like.¡± Ren opened the gate, greeted Wohrum, and took Princess out to the road. ¡°Yeah, I know what he''s like.¡± He said and equipped his gold colored armor to match Princess, climbed up to the driver''s seat of the cart, and picked up the reins. ¡°The stables.¡± Princess started slow to get the feel of the new weight, both on her and in the cart, and after a minute, she took off running. Ren thought she had actually gotten a little faster. ¡°Yes, she''s a little faster.¡± Teepo chittered in delight. They approached the city and Ren let the Connection to his Screaming Terror ring lapse and Princess slowed down. They got to the stables a couple of minutes later and Ren went inside to the office. ¡°Come in, Your Highness.¡± The female dwarf said before Ren could knock. He opened the door and she was standing there, waiting for him. ¡°I felt you approach.¡± She rubbed her arms through her red jacket. ¡°It was just like in the Council chamber.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I figured it was about time that people start to realize that House Neram is not to be ignored like it has been.¡± She nodded slightly. ¡°You''ve definitely got a lot of people talking.¡± She handed him the list of workers and their addresses. ¡°It''s after breakfast, so they should be ready for you to pick them up.¡± ¡°Thank you very much for your help.¡± Ren said and took out several gold coins to give to her. She shook her head and politely refused. ¡°You paid me a huge amount the last time; then canceled the contract so that neither I, nor my House, would lose Honor. Giving you names and addresses for good workers is the least I can do to thank you.¡± ¡°Ma''am.¡± Ren took her hand and bent over it. ¡°I hope we can do business again in the future.¡± She blushed at the Honor gain, then she chuckled. ¡°Unless you have a dozen or so carts I can hook my spare ponies to, you''re not going to get a rented cart for a long time.¡± Ren looked up at her, still bent over her hand. ¡°That''s all that''s stopping you?¡± She nodded slightly, and Ren grinned. ¡°How much to rent the horses, drivers, and the workers to take care of them?¡± He asked. ¡°For... well, for as long as I want them?¡± ¡°W-w-what?¡± ¡°I''ve got a transportation problem.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. ¡°I''m starting to get residents living near House Neram, but it''s pretty far from the city. They have to leave their houses before breakfast to get to work.¡± ¡°So you want them to ride a pony?¡± She asked, surprised. Ren chuckled. ¡°No, I want them to have access to a cart.¡± He looked around. ¡°Actually, I was thinking of building a stable like this, but I don''t know where to get horses.¡± The female dwarf smiled. ¡°Then you''re in luck.¡± She said. ¡°You''re looking at the local breeder.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her. ¡°Is there a contract for breeding, or can anyone do it?¡± He let a smile spread across his face. Her face flushed a little red at first; but as his smile grew, her blush deepened. ¡°H-h-horses.¡± She stammered, flustered. ¡°I... breed horses. Just horses.¡± Ren let his eyebrow drop and grinned. ¡°Then, can I rent your spares, with the option to buy new ones? Or do you want to sell the spares?¡± ¡°You can rent some for now, and I''ll sell them to you when you hire a good staff to take care of them.¡± ¡°I''d rather it if you hired them for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then you''ll know the horses are being taken care of properly.¡± The female dwarf smiled. ¡°That is an excellent idea, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Do you have the plans for the stable? Or do I need to go to the Main Keep?¡± ¡°I''m supposed to tell you to go to the Main Keep to get them.¡± She said and sat down. ¡°It costs a gold coin for every copy.¡± ¡°I know. I''ve gotten a few copies of plans from them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to assume I can''t get the stable plans for that, though.¡± The female dwarf chuckled. ¡°Without it being your main building? It''ll be a bit more; maybe 10 gold or more, assuming they let you have the plans.¡± She said. ¡°They''re pretty stingy about things like that.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I tried getting a copy of the city map and was politely and firmly refused.¡± ¡°You actually tried to get a map of the city!¡± She laughed as she dug out the plans for the stable, and put them on her desk. ¡°If there''s one thing the Council doesn''t want, is for people to know where everything is.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Why is information that should be general knowledge, held like secrets?¡± ¡°Isn''t it obvious?¡± She asked back. ¡°They want you to go to them. For everything.¡± Ren put a gold coin on the desk and leaned over to examine the several pieces of parchment the plans covered. It didn''t take long before he had them memorized, and he stood up straight. ¡°Aren''t you going to take them?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said and tapped his temple. ¡°Thank you.¡± She picked up the gold coin and tried to hand it back. ¡°But you didn''t take a copy!¡± ¡°Yes I did.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s just in my head and not on paper.¡± Her mouth dropped open, and Ren grinned. ¡°Yes, it''s a loophole.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I show you another?¡± She nodded, and Ren took out a platinum coin. ¡°No! You''re not paying me...¡± She started to say, and Ren interrupted her. ¡°It''s a shiny new toy.¡± Ren said, then spun it on the desk. ¡°Hours of fun, until you get bored with it.¡± He said, then spun it and left it there. ¡°Have fun playing with it.¡± She watched the coin spin, and Ren opened her office door to leave. ¡°I''ll send a messenger over when I get the stable built.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then you can send over the workers and horses.¡± He shut the door and left the female dwarf alone in her tiny office. * She sat there with shock on her face, as the coin finally stopped spinning and landed face up. She stared at the face of the dragon, and it''s frozen gaze stared back at her. ¡°A... a toy...¡± She said. ¡°He''s giving them away... as toys...¡± * Ren went to Princess and looked at the list of names and addresses, then was surprised when he got a popup.
New Quest!
You have to gather the workers quickly in order for them to get a full day of work done in time to be home for supper. Rewards: 100 XP per worker, if they finish their work today. Penalty for Failure: No XP, No Bonuses, and a chance workers will not return tomorrow.
¡°Princess! We have a Quest!¡± Ren said and climbed into the drivers seat, and told her the first address. ¡°Let''s go!¡± They went to each address on the list, and picked up each worker. Thankfully, there was enough room in the cart for the 12 women to fit, albeit a bit snugly. Ren had warned each of them that it was only temporary, and he''d have a bigger cart tomorrow; assuming he didn''t have the stable built by then and multiple carts ready. They made it back to House Neram quickly, and Ren drove the cart up to the workshop. Ren hopped down and ran around to the back of the cart. ¡°It''s an easy job today.¡± Ren said and helped each woman climb out. ¡°I just need some of you to shovel silt from the pile into the opening on the side of the building.¡± ¡°Some of us did that before.¡± One woman said, and 4 of the women raised their hands. ¡°The others were busy today and couldn''t make it.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I changed it slightly inside.¡± He said. ¡°Two bags can be filled at the same time now.¡± ¡°That''s much better!¡± Dorathy said. ¡°Can I get Ruck to help this time, too?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll go check.¡± * A few of the women looked to the ones that had done it before. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± One of them said. ¡°This is easier than cleaning out a cow stall.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± A woman said. ¡°I had heard it was easy money...¡± ¡°We take turns, too. Half shovel for a while and the others bag, while Dorathy sews them shut.¡± She said. ¡°Then we switch.¡± ¡°Is he slow or something?¡± Another one asked. Dorathy stepped over to her and got in her face. ¡°Don''t you dare say such things!¡± ¡°Why is he throwing his money away like this?¡± ¡°He''s a kind and generous person.¡± Dorathy said and stepped back, calming down a little. ¡°And he''s not throwing the money away. We were hired to do the work that he obviously can''t do himself.¡± ¡°He can''t shovel?¡± Another woman snorted. ¡°Of course he can shovel! Did you see the huge pile of dirt over there?¡± They all looked to see the 5 to 6 foot tall mounds of dirt all along the whole back of the Keep. ¡°He''s just too busy to do this kind of work.¡± Princess huffed and they all turned to look at her. ¡°Just look at that!¡± Dorathy said. ¡°Doesn''t that show you how considerate he is? He took the time to make armor for his mount, and it even matches his own!¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°You''ll see things differently by the end of the day. Trust me.¡± Dorathy said, then turned to wait for Ren to come back. ¡°By the way, don''t be frightened. Ruck is a walking backpack that looks like a giant beetle.¡± ¡°Ruck''s a WHAT?!?¡± Several women said together, and Dorathy laughed. * Ren ran to the stable and knocked on the door to Ruck''s area. ¡°Hey, Ruck. Dorathy, the woman you helped sew up those sacks, wants to know if you can help her again.¡± Ruck opened the door and gave Ren the ''okay'' gesture. ¡°I really do feel bad you can''t ride on my back anymore.¡± Ren said as they left the stable. Ruck pat him on the leg and pointed. Ren nodded and they ran up to the workshop. He was surprised that no one gasped as Ruck appeared, though. He got everyone positioned, made sure they knew what to do, and started the oven. ¡°By the GODS!¡± One woman exclaimed, and several other women chuckled. ¡°What?¡± She asked. ¡°No one is surprised it just lit up like that? He didn''t light it! Where''s the stoking? Where''s the wood burning smell?¡± ¡°It obviously doesn''t need any of that.¡± One woman said. ¡°I''ve seen something like it.¡± She turned to look at Ren. ¡°It''s enchanted, isn''t it?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Yes. No wood or fuel needed.¡± She smiled and turned back to the woman who had exclaimed. ¡°It''s just like the stone torches in the Main Keep.¡± She said. ¡°Someone activates them, and poof! Fire.¡± ¡°Oh. Okay.¡± The woman who exclaimed said. ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± ¡°All right, everyone, let''s get to work!¡± Dorathy said and the women outside started shoveling. Ren left them to it and went to his room with the forges. He took out a paving stone and dug out a 2 inch square from it''s surface with a chisel, using his Stonemasonry skill. He dismissed the popup that he''d gotten Level 1 in it, and kept working. He took his time and let the system highlight where to cut. When he was done, he had 100 of the little squares cut out of the 2 foot by 2 foot surface, leaving a slight divide between each square. They were only half an inch deep, so when he poured in the molten metal, it didn''t take much to fill them all. Ren spread the metal out with his hand to make sure it was even, and absorbed the heat from it. He enchanted each of them with the House Neram crest, granting it the House Neram 10 foot Aura. Ren knelt on the floor and tipped the mold over, letting the hundred metal squares fall out. He gathered them up, stored them, and went out to where the women were working. They had several dozen sacks done already and he smiled. ¡°You''re all doing great work.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± He left the workshop and led Princess back to the stable by the house and unhooked the cart. ¡°I''ll need your help again, before supper.¡± Ren said and dropped several pieces of french toast into her bowl. ....bribe..... accepted..... Ren chuckled and left the stable, then ran to the Main House. He went inside and to Ereka''s office, then knocked on the door. ¡°You don''t have to knock.¡± Ereka said, and Ren opened the door. ¡°It''s your House, after all. You built it.¡± Ren smiled, and noticed she wore the same red skirt and white blouse. ¡°Is this your professional outfit?¡± He said and motioned to her clothing. Ereka got a surprised look on her face, looked down at herself, then pat several places with her hands, trying to find something. ¡°Is there something wrong with it?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You look great.¡± Ereka stopped patting her clothing; with one hand on her breast and the other on her hip, then looked at Ren. ¡°I was just wondering if we''ll make that the official uniform for working here.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She said and dropped her hands. ¡°If you''re going to do that, a nice suit top would be a good idea.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± Ren asked, curious. ¡°So the men and women would match, of course.¡± ¡°Then that''s what we''ll do.¡± Ren said, and took out some fabric. He made her a red suit top, like a blazer, and added the white edge along it. He handed it to her a few minutes later, then made her a skirt to match. ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said, and handed that to her as well. ¡°If I can get around to it, I''ll have several copies made.¡± Ereka stood there and marveled at how quickly Ren had made her a new set of clothing. ¡°I thought you were a blacksmith.¡± ¡°I can do lots of things.¡± Ren said, and took out the House Neram brooch he had made for her. ¡°Before I forget, here''s the House Neram brooch.¡± Ereka gasped as Ren handed her the diamond brooch. ¡°It''s... it''s beautiful.¡± ¡°Put it on.¡± Ren said, then taught her how to activate it herself. Since he was standing right there, it matched up with his and she sat down. ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± Ereka said and clutched the brooch. Ren smiled and attached several of the House Neram metal squares he''d made around the office. He proceeded to put them all around the Main House and went back to Ereka''s office. ¡°If you liked that...¡± Ren grinned. ¡°...you''re going to love this.¡± he concentrated on all of the small metal squares with the House Neram enchantments. Activate! He''d put 50 squares all over the Main House, and with Ren activating them himself, they combined into a single Aura and went out 500 feet. ¡°By the GODS!¡± Ereka said in shock. Chapter 150 - It Comes Ereka tried to speak. ¡°What... what...¡± ¡°I set them so they will constantly emit the House Neram Aura.¡± Ren said and held up one of the little squares. ¡°Anyone wearing a House Neram brooch, and are concentrating on their own Aura, will meld with it automatically.¡± She stared at him. ¡°I''ve never heard of anything like that before!¡± ¡°That''s because I just came up with it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I have to say, though...¡± He looked around. ¡°...it feels really nice in here now.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It''s only out to 500 feet.¡± Ren said. ¡°So you have to be kind of close to feel it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Actually, you know what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I think I''m going to spread them all over House Neram''s land.¡± Ereka''s mouth opened in surprise. ¡°How... how many of them do you have?¡± ¡°Only another 50 right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can make a hundred of them every couple of minutes. They only take a bit of Mana to enchant.¡± She didn''t say anything else, as she was in too much shock to speak. ¡°I better make that space for the messengers.¡± Ren said, walked over to behind where the lobby was supposed to be, then stored his armor and put on his Travelling Clothes. He built the walls around a 12 foot by 20 foot area; then made 2 comfy couches dyed red (then stored one), 2 coffee tables (then stored one), and moved the 2 comfy chairs he''d made the day before into the room and made another (and stored it). He added a door to the side facing Ereka''s office, and got a popup.
House Neram task complete!
You have made a nice space for the retainers of House Neram to relax in. As a member of House Neram, you have earned an appropriate reward. Rewards: 100 XP Influence: +20 Honor: +10, Lady Neram +10
¡°That''s pretty neat.¡± Ren said, went to the lobby and made a desk and chair for a receptionist, then dyed them brown. He placed a hand on the front of the desk and imagined the House Neram crest covering most of the surface, and it etched itself into the wood. He didn''t activate it, as he only wanted the design in the wood. With that finished, he went to Ereka''s office. Ren opened the door without knocking, saw Ereka hanging from one of the book shelves, and walked over to stand behind her. ¡°Need some help?¡± ¡°YIP!¡± Ereka exclaimed in surprise, her hand slipped, and she fell. Ren caught her easily in a princess carry, with an arm behind her back and one under her knees, and smiled at her. ¡°I''d ask you what you thought you were doing, but I''ve pretty much figured out you were trying to put a heavy book up on a shelf that you couldn''t reach.¡± Ereka blushed a little and nodded slightly. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t make you a little ladder.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°Y-yes, I''m fine.¡± She said. ¡°You just scared me.¡± Ren could feel her embarrassment, and then her embarrassment changed to attraction. A very strong attraction, especially since he was holding her so close. He let amusement of the situation and appreciation for her, flow back to her; and Ereka''s eyes widened. ¡°I... I can feel that!¡± She said, then the realization of what that meant hit her. Ren felt her horror as she put a hand over her mouth. ¡°By the gods! You can feel what I feel, too!¡± ¡°Not all of it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Only strong feelings come through. It''s one of the side effects of sharing an Aura.¡± ¡°T-t-turn it off.¡± Ereka''s face flushed a deep red as her embarrassment overwhelmed everything else she was feeling. She covered her face with both of her hands. ¡°I don''t have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can do that by not thinking about your brooch.¡± ¡°I... I... I can''t!¡± She admitted. ¡°It''s so wonderful and pretty!¡± Ereka opened her hands and looked at Ren. ¡°You made it for me.¡± She sighed, and dropped her hands. ¡°I''ve never been given anything like it before.¡± ¡°I told you I wasn''t giving you a gift...¡± Ereka chuckled. ¡°Please, your highness.¡± She said. ¡°I might not have had my training yet, but any woman would practically fall all over you if you gave them a diamond that big!¡± Ren''s eyes widened, and she felt his surprise. ¡°You really don''t understand how attractive you are?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°You''re handsome, rich, strong, and can defeat House Champions twice your size with only your bare hands!¡± Ren''s surprise eased into acceptance, and she smiled. ¡°Don''t even get me started on the beasts you''ve fought.¡± ¡°The wolf and boar aren''t the only things I''ve fought.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°They weren''t even the biggest.¡± Ereka''s mouth dropped open. ¡°I''m not really one to tell tales about myself.¡± He explained. ¡°I have a few times, but only because the situation demanded it.¡± She put a hand on his chest. ¡°So you''re humble, too?¡± Ren chuckled as he felt her feelings go back to mainly attraction. ¡°It''s more like I want to keep living, and not relive the past.¡± ¡°Forward and onward?¡± Ereka suggested. ¡°It''s the only way to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you could go back and change things, wouldn''t where you are now not have happened?¡± She opened her mouth, then closed it. ¡°Right.¡± Ren said. ¡°If now didn''t happen, you wouldn''t know you should go back and change things, which would stop you from going back and changing things, making you end up here anyways.¡± She stared at him for a few minutes, and when he felt her admiration take over from the attraction, she spoke. ¡°You can put me down now.¡± Ereka said, and smiled. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren smiled back and stood her on her feet. ¡°I kind of forgot I was holding you while we were talking.¡± ¡°I noticed.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Can you make me that ladder?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said and made her a 4 foot tall ladder, with a straight up half that would go against the cabinet of shelves, and an angled part that she could walk up. It had only taken about five minutes as it was a very simple design. He slid it over to the shelves of books and motioned to it. ¡°You may now ascend to the heights you require.¡± Ereka laughed. ¡°Thank you, your highness.¡± She said and picked up another book. She took the steps one at a time up the half-ladder and her behind wiggled back and forth quite attractively. Ren was standing right there, so he got an up close view of Ereka in her tight skirt; and since he always appreciated beauty wherever he saw it, Ereka felt it strongly through their shared Aura. Ereka''s face flushed slightly red, but only because she felt pleasure from being appreciated in that way. She wasn''t sure why she liked that she could make a man like Ren think about her by just walking up a ladder like that; but at the moment, she didn''t really care. What mattered was that she could feel that Ren really appreciated it. Of course, Ren felt that she was pleased at his reaction. ¡°I better get back to the workshop.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I''ve got more things to make.¡± ¡°What about the enchantments?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°Are you leaving them on?¡± ¡°Yes. Now that they''re in place here, I won''t have to think about them anymore.¡± ¡°When will they turn off?¡± ¡°They won''t.¡± Ren said, and took out the comfy couch and placed it against the wall. ¡°Is this a good spot for the couch?¡± ¡°The enchantments won''t turn off?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°Wait, what did you say?¡± She turned around on the top of the ladder and looked at the couch. ¡°When did you make that?!?¡± ¡°When I made one for the messenger''s waiting room.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, is here okay?¡± She looked at him and didn''t say anything. ¡°I''ll leave it here for now.¡± Ren said and took out the comfy chair he''d made and put it in near the couch, and put the coffee table between them. ¡°If you want them moved later, let me know... or get the messengers to move them.¡± Ren said as the messengers came in. ¡°Yes! The messengers.¡± Ereka said, and came down the ladder a little too fast. She stumbled on the last step and Ren quickly slid over to her and caught her before she could land on the floor. She looked up at him in surprise as he leaned over her, and held her as if he were dipping her after a dance. ¡°You need to be a little more careful, Ereka.¡± Ren said, and lifted her back to her feet. She felt his deep concern, and she nodded slightly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± She said before thinking, then blushed as Ren smiled. Even if she hadn''t said anything, he''d felt her hope. He bowed slightly to her, made her blush a little more, and he left the office. ¡°This is your waiting area.¡± Ren said to the two messengers, and pointed to the room he''d built. ¡°The door is on this side.¡± ¡°We really don''t need...¡± ¡°You''ve said.¡± Ren responded. ¡°It''s there for you to use.¡± He walked to the door of the Main House and went outside. He walked around the Barracks and placed another 25 House Neram enchanted steel squares in and around it, then activated them. They joined the Main House Aura and it spread out to 750 feet. ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said and ran out to the road and back towards House Neram Keep. * He... he''s gone. Ereka thought in relief as Ren left the Main House Aura''s area of effect. She sat down at her desk and laid her head down on her arms. By the gods, I''m so embarrassed! She took several deep breaths; and after a few moments, she composed herself and sat up straight. Get yourself together, girl! You''ve got work to do! Ereka stood up and went out of her office and saw the room Ren had built. She shook her head and walked over to it and opened the door. The two messengers were lounging on the couch. ¡°I''ve got a couple of errands for you.¡± Ereka said and took out the two rolls of parchment she''d made up the night before. She handed one to the first messenger. ¡°Take this to the Main Keep and give it to the receptionist. She''ll know what to do with it.¡± Ereka said and gave him a gold coin. ¡°You don''t have to wait for a response.¡± ¡°Ma''am.¡± He said and walked past her and ran out of the house. She handed the second scroll to the other messenger. ¡°Take that to the crafting section of the Garrison and give it to the attendant.¡± Ereka said and gave him 2 gold coins. ¡°It''s 11F10R. You''ll need to wait for the answer, though.¡± ¡°Ma''am.¡± He left just as quickly as the first messenger did and she closed the door to their area and went to her office. ¡°They''re both going to be gone for a while.¡± Ereka said and sat down on the couch. She was tempted to put more books on the shelves; but she looked at the ladder Ren had built, and it made her remember feeling his appreciation as she walked up it. Her face flushed a little red and she put her head down onto the back of the couch. I can only imagine what it must feel like to sleep with him, while sharing feelings like that! Ereka thought, as her face turned completely red; then she fainted. * Ren went into the house and told Nathalia and her mother what had been happening with Princess. They were both shocked and surprised that it had happened, but they came to accept it pretty fast as something Ren should have expected.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± He asked. Nathalia chuckled. ¡°We''re supposed to expect the unexpected.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°But then it''s not unexpected.¡± He said. ¡°It''s just expected.¡± Narhilda laughed. ¡°Exactly!¡± Ren opened his mouth to say something, and then smiled instead. He told them about the House Neram steel squares he''d made, and showed it to them. ¡°You have to put these around the house!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°The Aura around the Main House and the Barracks is out to 750 feet.¡± ¡°I meant this house.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I intended to cover all of House Neram''s land with them; but I can do this place first.¡± He stood up and spread the last 25 squares he had around the house, and activated them. ¡°Okay, it''s done.¡± ¡°It feels just like it did at the Council chamber.¡± Narhilda said a minute later, as she concentrated on her House Neram pendant. Ren came into the kitchen and sat down. He could feel their amusement and wonder. ¡°It''s a lot bigger than it was at the Council chamber.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s out to 250 feet.¡± ¡°It really is amazing.¡± Nathalia said, and they all sat there in silence for about 10 minutes while she recharged Ren with her Minor healing. ¡°I''m starting to get a headache from it, though.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Narhilda said. Ren felt their Aura''s disconnect and smiled. ¡°The more you do it, the longer it will work before it starts bothering you.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I don''t want to have a constant headache from it.¡± ¡°You''ll only merge your Aura if you''re concentrating on it.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°I''ll be in the workshop making things.¡± He kissed Nathalia on the lips and stroked the side of her face. ¡°I''ll be back for supper, after I drop the workers off.¡± ¡°Take them some pastries.¡± Nathalia suggested. ¡°I''m sure they would appreciate them.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Ren said and went to the ice box and took out a big plate of them. ¡°Nathalia, can you do the cream topping for me?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Nathalia said and used a spoon to do the little twisting motion. ¡°I still can''t get that motion right.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°When I do it, it just looks like a blob of cream.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°It just takes patience and a gentle hand.¡± ¡°I have both of those.¡± Ren said, and raised an eyebrow at her. She blushed a little at what he meant, and then he smiled. ¡°What you have that I don''t, is a talent for it.¡± ¡°If you could take the time to learn properly, instead of trying to burn through everything so fast...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yes, time. I have everything but time.¡± ¡°You''re going to have to make some.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°You need a break!¡± ¡°I was just...¡± ¡°I mean more than half a day with my daughter.¡± She said. ¡°You need help!¡± Ren looked at her, and he smiled. ¡°Yes, you''re right.¡± He said. ¡°I need to make some help for myself, to give me more time.¡± ¡°That''s not what I...¡± Narhilda stopped talking as Ren bent to give her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Thank you for reminding me.¡± He said and stored the plate of pastries. ¡°See you both tonight.¡± He left the house and ran up to the workshop. ¡°Can you stop shoveling and come inside for a few minutes, please?¡± He said to the women shoveling, and they stopped and Ren opened the door of the workshop for them. They went inside and Ren followed them, then shut the door. It was a little crowded in there, with all of the bags of cement powder that were there. ¡°We were just going to send for you.¡± Dorathy said and pointed to Ruck. ¡°We''re almost out of room.¡± Ren looked at the state of their clothes and equipment, then repaired everything that he saw. While he did that, the last of the powder came through the chute and only partially filled the two bags just placed there. ¡°It''s time for a break.¡± Ren said and took out the plate of pastries. ¡°What is THAT?¡± One woman asked loudly. ¡°It''s a plate of pastries.¡± Ren said and handed the plate to Dorathy. ¡°They''re supposed to be for dessert, but my fiance made a bunch of them. She told me to bring some up to you.¡± ¡°She''s a great woman.¡± Dorathy said, then crammed one into her mouth. ¡°Mey melm im mor moumh!¡± ¡°I''ll try one, but I won''t like it.¡± The loud woman said and delicately took one from the plate. She took a small lick of the whipped cream on top, and her eyes widened. She took another lick and fought her urge to smile. She took a bite of the pastry itself and her knees shook slightly. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You look a little unsteady.¡± ¡°I''m... I''m fine.¡± She said. ¡°I may need to... sit down.¡± She sat down on a sack of cement powder and stared at the half-eaten pastry. ¡°How... how can it taste so... so good?¡± The other women had stood there and watched her reaction, then took their own pastries and tasted them. Several had almost the same reaction, and sat down on cement sacks. ¡°Oh... my...¡± ¡°Once you''ve had time to eat...¡± Ren looked at them. ¡°...and recovered, there''s more silt to shovel and bag.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°We''ll get to it right... after...¡± She took another one and handed the plate around. There was enough for one more pastry each, and Ren stored the empty plate. He went around and stored all the sacks he could take without disturbing the women, then went into his forge room. Now that Ren had the time to examine what he''d unlocked from the big battle, he looked for a specific recipe. There it is. He thought and opened the one for Craft Familiar - Dedicated Servant Crafter. When he read the ingredients, he frowned. Clay? It''s made from clay? Ren shook his head. No, clay would definitely melt if it was near any of these forges. He read the process, and it was very similar to Ruck''s, except for molding the body from clay first, rather than sewing it together. He remembered how much more expensive it was to modify Ruck like he did, so if he did the same thing with this familiar, it was bound to cost a lot more. The only humanoid recipe Ren had to replace it, was the wooden training dummy he''d learned when he had trained at the Garrison. He''d checked the Homunculus Humanoid recipe, and that wanted clay, too. Of course, he didn''t want a blank wooden face, either. He poured out more molten metal into his paving stone mold for the 100 squares, while he thought about the problem. Ren smiled as he figured out what to do. He quickly enchanted the 100 squares with the House Neram crest, stored them, and left the forge room. He saw that the women were already back to work and nodded slightly as he passed them. Ren ran down to the main road and then towards the city. It took him 5 minutes to get there, and he slowed down to go to Barnar''s Stoneworks. He entered and was greeted by several workers. He greeted them back and found Barnar at his usual spot beside the workbench. ¡°I need a bit of help.¡± Ren said. ¡°We both do.¡± Barnar responded, and motioned to the table. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Some rich fool wants a tower built. Out of stone bricks.¡± ¡°So what''s the problem?¡± Ren asked. Barnar looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°A tower that size...¡± He said and pointed to the plans. ¡°...would collapse under it''s own weight.¡± He sighed. ¡°The amount of mortar needed only adds to the weight.¡± ¡°What about cross supports?¡± Ren examined the plans and stored them. ¡°Oh, I see what you mean.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Barnar asked, surprised. ¡°There''s too much room between floors. The walls won''t hold together when you add the upper floors.¡± Ren said. ¡°The stairway will stay intact, but the outside wall doesn''t have any support.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°Who designed it?¡± ¡°The eldest son from House Breakwater.¡± Barnar chuckled. ¡°He fancies himself a designer of strong buildings.¡± Ren chuckled, too. ¡°I assume you''re not allowed to change it?¡± Barnar tapped the tip of his nose. ¡°How much is he paying you, if you don''t mind my asking?¡± ¡°10 platinum.¡± Barnar said. ¡°Plus labor.¡± Ren whistled. ¡°That''s a lot for a basic tower.¡± He said. ¡°If you could use the battlement design...¡± Barnar nodded. ¡°Yes, an outside supporting wall would do wonders.¡± ¡°How long do you have to make it?¡± ¡°A month.¡± ¡°Do you get a bonus for finishing it early?¡± Ren asked, and Barnar nodded slightly. ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°Come up to the Main House at House Neram when you deliver the rest of my bricks.¡± He said. ¡°I have something to show you.¡± ¡°It''s going to be mind-blowing, isn''t it?¡± Barnar asked. ¡°It''s going to change the world.¡± ¡°Why are you telling me about it, then?¡± Barnar asked. ¡°Why not do the job for me and take all the credit for yourself?¡± ¡°I don''t have the time to build anything else.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m swamped. That''s why I''m here.¡± ¡°I can''t spare anyone to go and work for you.¡± Barnar said. ¡°I''m swamped, too.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I only need to borrow them for about 20 minutes. I need a carving of a face made.¡± ¡°Ms. Alreane!¡± Barnar hollered over his shoulder. ¡°Your skills are needed!¡± ¡°Thank the gods!¡± Annera Alreane said as she came over to them. ¡°Pouring molds all day is getting boring.¡± She led Ren over to her workbench and Ren told her he needed a carving of a human face, then a mold made of it. He described the face he wanted, and she carved for about 10 minutes. ¡°How does that look?¡± She asked, and Ren picked it up and examined it. ¡°It''s perfect.¡± Ren said. They went to the mold making side of the work area, and she made him a mold for it. He dug out a coin to give her. ¡°I don''t want your money.¡± She said, with a smile on her face. ¡°That was the most enjoyment I''ve had all day!¡± ¡°I''m not paying you for anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just found a nice shiny toy for you to play with.¡± He spun the coin on mold making table. ¡°Thanks for your help.¡± He said and left her there. * She looked down when he was gone, and her eyes widened as the coin had stopped spinning. A dragon''s face stared at her from the surface of the platinum coin and she caught her breath. She picked up the coin and ran out to the front of the Stoneworks, but Ren was already gone. * Ren ran as hard as he could and made it back to the workshop. He went inside and nodded slightly at the working women, gave Ruck a pat on the back, then walked passed to go to the forge room. He heard a noise from Dorcot''s area and he popped his head in there. ¡°Are you bored yet?¡± Ren asked, and Dorcot chuckled. ¡°Bored?¡± He asked back. ¡°I''ve never had so much fun in my life.¡± ¡°I take it the date with the wife went well?¡± Dorcot grinned. ¡°Thanks to your... what was it? Life jackets.¡± ¡°Don''t tell me that she...¡± ¡°It was me.¡± Dorcot grinned. ¡°I started to row the boat out and hooked the side of the dock with the paddle. I banged the end of the boat against the dock; then when I tried to pull the paddle free... splash! In I went.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It didn''t put a damper on the mood, then.¡± Dorcot snorted a laugh. ¡°Once she stopped laughing, which took about 10 minutes, she let me back in the boat and we had a great time.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be building a stable today, so hopefully you''ll have access to your own cart and horse tomorrow.¡± ¡°My own cart and horse?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It''ll stay at the stable, obviously, but it''ll be assigned to you so it''ll always be there.¡± ¡°Why are you doing that for me?¡± ¡°It''s not just for you.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Everyone will have access to a cart... eventually.¡± ¡°But I''m first?¡± ¡°You and Angeilin, yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°It bothers me that you both have to get up so early every morning, and she has to walk all that way to work.¡± ¡°So, you really have been thinking about it.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°I thought you might have forgotten.¡± Ren went over to him. ¡°A lot of things have happened, but I''m getting on top of things, now.¡± He took out one of the brooches he''d made. ¡°One of these is yours, if you want it.¡± Dorcot took it and examined it, and his eyes widened. ¡°Does this do what I think it does?¡± Ren nodded slightly, and told him how to activate it, and what would happen if he wore it. ¡°Ren.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± ¡°I''d say I was sorry I didn''t think of this sooner, but I''m pretty sure I wasn''t able to do this any sooner than I did.¡± ¡°I hear that.¡± He said and motioned to the workbench. ¡°Who would have thought that after all these years, I''d be doing everything that I enjoy.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I''m not even going to comment about lumping your wife in that statement.¡± Dorcot laughed. ¡°Yes, her too.¡± He said. ¡°We''ve been a couple ever since we were kids.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Dorcot nodded slightly. ¡°We weren''t allowed to date until she was of age, and I couldn''t court her until we''d both done our training and trials...¡± Ren''s eyes widened at what that implied. ¡°Yes, we''ve loved each other for all of our lives; and have been sleeping together since we were teenagers.¡± ¡°I thought that...¡± ¡°We snuck around, of course.¡± Dorcot said and chuckled. ¡°We couldn''t wait.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m really glad that you''re getting along so well.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°I''ve got work to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Keep having fun.¡± ¡°You should be having fun, too.¡± ¡°I am having fun.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Ren went to the forge room and opened his plans for the Dedicated Servant Crafter, and added in the articulated wooden training dummy instead, changed the wood to metal, reinforced the attachments, then added armor to everything. It would be even more effective protection because it wouldn''t be equipped at all, but an actual part of the familiar. It would cut down on the amount of enchantments Ren could do, but that was okay. Once it was finished, Ren made a large mold on the floor and filled it with molten metal. He let it cool slightly, then picked it up and went to the anvil. He folded it a dozen times, then let the system form it into the head shape. He took out the face mold he''d had made at Barnar''s Stoneworks, filled it, then flipped it over onto the head piece. Ren waited for a minute for the metal to cool enough, and took the face mold off. He used his Absorb Fire ability, that let him absorb fire in any of it''s forms, and sucked out all the heat still in the metal. He grinned at the face that stared back at him, and Ren proceeded to make the rest of the dedicated servant. He enchanted each piece with strength and protection, just like he did with Princess'' armor, and used the absorbed heat from the metal to maintain his Mana Pool. When all the pieces were done, Ren assembled them into the proper shape. He was tempted to dye them red to match the armor of the guards, but he thought it looked better as bare metal. Ren stood over the still form and concentrated on it. ¡°Activate.¡±
Notice!
You have chosen to activate a familiar: Dedicated Servant Crafter (Heavily Modified) Please deposit the correct amount of value.
A small portal appeared near the center of the chest, and Ren threw in 10 platinum, and a diamond worth 30 platinum. The portal closed and he got another popup.
Notice!
Due to the size of the familiar and the value, 2 pints of blood are required to complete the Activation. Please deposit the correct amount now.
Another portal opened above the forehead, and Ren took out his hammerpick and sliced his palm open. He squeezed his hand over the portal, and it took about 10 minutes for enough to be gathered, and the portal closed. Ren wrapped his hand in a piece of cloth and got another popup.
Notice!
All ingredients have been collected and you have constructed a suitable body. Your familiar will now be infused with your will. Please place a hand on the familiar when ready. Do not remove your hand under any circumstances.
Ren grabbed the construct by one of it''s hands, and held on. He felt his Mana Pool drain away, and his eyes widened. It''s not enough! He stood up and plunged his hand into the molten metal just as his Mana bar had almost emptied, and he started absorbing the heat to keep his Mana bar going. The familiar started to glow and Ren relaxed. It took another pile of Mana, and when he noticed that his Mana bar wasn''t dropping anymore, he stopped absorbing heat. He tried to take his hand out of the smelter, but the metal was molded around his hand. ¡°Crap.¡± Ren said, then looked down at the familiar as it started to shake. ¡°Come on, you can do it! Wake up!¡± He said, and used Iron Grip to keep a hold of the hand. The glow got really bright and Ren closed his eyes. It''s just like last time with Ruck. He thought, and after a minute, the figure stopped shaking and Ren opened his eyes as the glow faded. Ren felt the fingers he held flex, let Iron Grip go, but still held the hand.
Notice!
You have successfully created a familiar! Due to your high quality materials, crafting skills, excessive value added, and continuous Mana infusion, your new familiar will be loyal to you without end and will serve you even after it no longer functions.
Ren didn''t know how to take that last popup, but he dismissed it as he noticed the face blink it''s eyes. It took a breath, which was kind of weird since it was all metal, but Ren ignored it as the head turned to him. ¡°Hello, Ren.¡± ¡°HOLY CRAP!¡± Ren shouted. ¡°Is that my name?¡± The familiar asked. It squeezed it''s eyes for a moment. ¡°No, you were just surprised. It''s understandable.¡± It looked down at the hand Ren held, and shook it. ¡°Thank you for making me.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was going to give you a funny name, because of who you look like, but I think a more fitting name is needed.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°How do you like ''Tee-one''?¡± ¡°Does that mean I am an improved version of the original ''Tee''?¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d used his likeness because having a servant that looked like him was supposed be fun; but you''re going to be much better than that. I can tell.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ll serve you well, Ren.¡± Ren helped him to stand and smiled. Tee-one smiled back at him, and Ren grinned. He''d never seen Tristan smile like that before. Chapter 151 - Get To Work! ¡°Tee-one, this is Teepo.¡± Ren said and motioned to his shoulder. ¡°Can you see him?¡± ¡°I can.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Hello, Teepo.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± ¡°It''s nice to meet you, too.¡± Tee-one said, and looked at Ren. ¡°What do you want me to make first?¡± ¡°You were just born.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like for you to meet some more people first.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Do you want to add me to your party as well?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You''re already anticipating what I want.¡± He said, and sent the party invite. Tee-one accepted, and Ren got a popup.
Notice!
Your party, Virtual Survivors, has reached the limit of available members (7).
¡°We need to wait for a few minutes.¡± Ren said and motioned to his hand in the hardened metal. ¡°I kind of got it stuck making you.¡± He took out the stone brick that he had enchanted with a single Wind rune and 7 Fire runes, that he''d used to heat up and cut the chute in half. He used it to blast the metal around his hand and used his Fire Manipulation ability to distribute the heat down to his fingers. It took about 5 minutes for it to soften enough for Ren to pull his hand out. Ren set the brick on the top of the smelter and left it to melt the metal. He was glad he hadn''t touched the bottom of the smelter, so there was still molten metal underneath the cooled portion. It was just going to take a while to smelt it again. ¡°Come with me.¡± Ren said, opened the door to the forge room, and stepped out. Tee-one followed him and a woman gasped when she saw him. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Everyone, this is Tee-one. He''s going to be working here from now on.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± The gasping woman said. ¡°He''s as tall as you, and all metal!¡± Tee-one walked over to her and took her hand. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± He said and bent over it. She gasped again, and several women chuckled. He repeated this for each woman, and then knelt by Ruck. ¡°Hello, brother Ruck.¡± They gave each other a hug, and Tee-one went back to where Ren stood. ¡°Over here is Dorcot.¡± Ren said and walked into Dorcot''s section. ¡°Dorcot, this is Tee-one.¡± Dorcot held out a hand and Tee-one shook it. ¡°I really have to stop being amazed at what you do.¡± He said, then shook his head. ¡°No, even if I knew you could do something like this... I''d still be amazed.¡± ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Likewise.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°He''s going to be working here, and helping me with everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which reminds me.¡± He said. ¡°Dorcot? Where''s your brother-in-law?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I went out to the mines and there''s a new foreman.¡± ¡°No!¡± Dorcot''s eyes widened. ¡°They couldn''t!¡± He stood up. ¡°They didn''t!¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°The new foreman is the fat dwarf from the Hole.¡± Dorcot frowned. ¡°I have to go.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°When you find him, tell him to come and see me.¡± Dorcot looked at him. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°For a job, of course.¡± ¡°He''s an administrator, Ren.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°He can''t do general labor.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''d planned on him keeping the same job he already had, actually.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°I own a whole string of mountains up along the coast.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re just sitting there. I''m sure he should know how to find out if there something inside them.¡± Dorcot grabbed Ren''s shoulders and held on tightly. ¡°I''ll tell him as soon as I find him!¡± ¡°You better get going then.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Don''t run the whole way, though.¡± Dorcot laughed and let go, then left the workshop. Ren motioned for Tee-one to follow, and they left the workshop as well. He led his new familiar down to the house and stopped at the guard. ¡°Golir, this is Tee-one.¡± Ren said. ¡°He''ll be working here from now on.¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Golir said. ¡°I''ll let the other guards know.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and went through the gate. Tee-one went in and followed Ren into the stable. ...who... this... ¡°Princess, this is Tee-one.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tee-one, this is Princess.¡± Tee-one knelt in front of her and picked up a hoof. ¡°It is an honor to meet you.¡± ...good... manners... ¡°Thank you.¡± Tee-one said. Ren looked at him. ¡°You can hear her?¡± Tee-one shook his head as he let Princess'' hoof go. ¡°You can, and I can hear her through you.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I forgot that my familiars have a mental connection with me.¡± Tee-one nodded slightly. ¡°We can keep our thoughts separate, even though we are only extensions of you.¡± Ren put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You''re not ''only'' an extension of me. You are your own separate identity.¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°It''s nice to think so.¡± ¡°You''ll see.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°There''s 2 more people you need to meet.¡± He led Tee-one out of the stable and into the house. He noticed the stone pen, and cut up a few more squares of Spider Silk Cloth for the baby fire elemental. Tee-one looked into the pen and watched as the elemental tried to eat. He picked up one of the squares, and crumpled it a little bit, then dropped it into the pen. The baby grabbed it and shoved it inside of itself and then it changed color slightly. ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Ren said and crumpled up the other squares. ¡°It''s been having a hard time eating them.¡± ¡°It''s probably delicious, but a little too hardy for one so young.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Removing some of the Durability seemed like the right thing to do.¡± Ren put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°See? You are separate. I didn''t think of that.¡± He smiled and turned around. ¡°Nathalia?¡± ¡°In here.¡± She said from the kitchen. ¡°Can you guess what we''re doing?¡± Ren walked into the kitchen and gave her a hug from behind. ¡°Being beautiful?¡± He asked, and she laughed. ¡°No, silly.¡± She said and turned her head to kiss him. ¡°We''re baking bread.¡± Ren smiled and looked over her shoulder and saw that she was kneading a huge pile of dough. ¡°Do you need a hand?¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°Thanks to being a part of your party, my stats have jumped higher than I ever imagined they could be.¡± ¡°Speaking of my party, I''d like to introduce a new member.¡± Ren let her out of the hug, and she turned around to see the metal figure standing behind Ren. ¡°This is Tee-one.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Tee-one said, and bowed slightly. Ren walked over to Narhilda. ¡°Tee-one, this is Lady Neram, Head of House Neram.¡± ¡°My Lady.¡± Ren walked back to Nathalia. ¡°This is her daughter, my fiance, Nathalia.¡± ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Where did he come from?¡± ¡°I made him.¡± Ren said. ¡°You reminded me that I could make more help. He''s my familiar.¡± ¡°This was what you meant?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''m not done, though.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve got two more constructs I can make, but they''ll only be semi-sentient.¡± He looked at the recipe. ¡°Actually, according to the recipes, I can make a 2 foot tall humanoid, or a 3 foot tall metal dog.¡± ¡°Dog.¡± Narhilda and Nathalia said at the same time. ¡°A dog would be nice.¡± Tee-one offered. ¡°An extra pair of hands wouldn''t hurt, but a dog can guard you.¡± ¡°I didn''t actually put it to a vote, but...¡± Ren chucked. ¡°...I guess I''m outvoted anyways.¡± The two women laughed and Tee-one smiled. ¡°We better get to it.¡± Ren said, and kissed Nathalia before leaving the kitchen. He left the house and Tee-one followed closely behind him. * ¡°That was kind of scary.¡± Narhilda said. Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°Did you vote for the dog just because it was better than the chance of having another one of... that... walking around?¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°Me, too.¡± * Ren went back to the workshop and into the forge room. ¡°I don''t have to show you how to work these, do I?¡± Tee-one shook his head. ¡°You gave me the necessary knowledge when you made me.¡± He said and tapped his temple. ¡°Dedicated Servant Crafter.¡± ¡°It''s easy, anyways.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was harder when I only had the one forge; but with three going, I''ve always got a constant flow of metal going.¡± ¡°What shall I make?¡± ¡°I need 10 suits of full plate armor.¡± Ren said and took out his portable dye station. ¡°Dyed a mottled gray.¡± ¡°For the Garrison.¡± Tee-one said. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I need to have something ready for when I go and visit.¡± He said. ¡°I''m tempted to only cast the pieces, but that wouldn''t be fair. Fold each piece three times before making them.¡± ¡°It shall be done.¡± ¡°How many slots do you have in inventory?¡± Ren asked. ¡°100, with double capacity.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Pop outside to the pile of iron ore and fill half of your inventory. You can keep the smelters full while using them.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve had them simmering since yesterday, so the steel content is really high.¡± He knocked on Tee-one''s armor. ¡°As you can see.¡± ¡°Yes, you did an excellent job.¡± ¡°That reminds me.¡± Ren said, and concentrated on the Minor Healing spell he now had access to. He put a hand on Tee-one''s chest, and poured some Mana into him. ¡°There you go.¡± Tee-one closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. ¡°You gave me Minor Healing?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It''s only one use, but you can cast it yourself.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be making some wands with it, so you won''t have to worry about being damaged and not getting fixed.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, even though I know the spell, I can''t cast it. That''s why I need wands.¡± Tee-one nodded slightly, and went outside to gather the ore. Ren checked the smelter he''d left all that hardened steel in, and it was almost melted again. Thanks to his 100% Fire immunity and affinity, he reached into the smelter and lifted out the chunks of metal that hadn''t melted yet. He put them into the forge itself and let it sit there, then stirred the molten metal while he waited. Ren checked the pieces, and they were like jello, so he put them back into the smelter and they broke up easily. Tee-one came back in and Ren stepped aside for him to get to work, and Tee-one refilled the first forge''s smelter with ore. Ren took out another paving stone and used his Stonemasonry ability to carve 1 inch deep, 1 inch wide, 11 inch long troughs in the stone. He actually made 40 troughs in the 2 foot by 2 foot paving stone by the time he was done, and smiled at his handiwork. Ren opened the Wand recipe, and saw that he needed something for the tips to hold the Store Spell rune, and went to Dorcot''s area. He took out the crate of odd-sized diamonds and searched for as many 1 inch wide diamonds as he could find. It didn''t matter about the shape, as long as it had a flat surface for the rune to sit in. He found 40 of them eventually, and used his Appraisal skill on each one. They were worth anywhere from 1 platinum to 5 platinum. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°No one will be able to afford these wands.¡± He went back into the forge room and poured some molten metal out of the third forge into his new wand mold. He ran his hand over it and absorbed most of the heat from one of the wands, leaving the tip a bright reddish yellow. Ren popped it out of the mold, and then took a diamond that he had chosen, and dipped it into the smelter full of molten metal. He quickly placed the diamond onto the tip of the wand and it fit perfectly. He used his finger to move some of the molten metal to ensure the diamond was held securely, then absorbed the heat. He enchanted the flat edge of the diamond with the Store Spell rune, and added the Minor Healing spell to it. It took about a tenth of his Mana Pool to do it, but when it was done, he examined it.
Superior Wand of Minor Healing
This wand was created by the artisan blacksmith, Ren the First. Number of Charges: 50 Durability: 200/200
Ren used Appraisal on it, and saw it was worth 3 platinum coins. He stored it and repeated the process, refilling his Mana by absorbing the heat from the metal of each wand. Ren made 19 more wands of Minor Healing, then switched to making Fireball wands for the other 20. Since it didn''t cost him Mana for fire-based spells anymore, he refilled his Mana Pool with the excess heat. He turned around and watched Tee-one work for a few minutes, and liked what he saw. It was efficient, fast, and well done. When Tee-one completed the first set of armor, Ren interrupted him. ¡°That''s great, Tee-one.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got the wands ready.¡± Ren said and gave him 2 Minor Healing wands, and 2 Fireball ones. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°My skill ''Improved Homunculi'' says that you have weapon proficiency. Do you want a sword and a shield, or 2 swords?¡± ¡°2 swords.¡± Tee-one said without having to think about it. Ren nodded slightly and handed him 2 swords. Tee-one stored them and Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll figure out how you can practice with them later.¡± ¡°I have no doubt about that.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You are always thinking.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah, I''m definitely guilty of that.¡± Tee-one looked down at Ren''s hand. ¡°You are also guilty of forgetting to take care of yourself.¡± Ren looked down at the wrapped hand and smiled. He took out one of the Minor Healing wands and used a charge on his hand. He took off the bandage and there wasn''t a mark. ¡°Well, now we know it works.¡± He said and put a hand on the wand and put a little more Mana into it, to replace the charge and stored the wand again. ¡°You didn''t have to empty the wand before you can recharge it?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m not casting the spell, only adding it to the wand.¡± ¡°That''s an odd distinction.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I have the ability to learn spells, but can''t use them unless I have a wand.¡± ¡°Yes, quite odd.¡± ¡°It''s how my class works, I think.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I could cast spells, I wouldn''t build things to cast them for me.¡± ¡°You don''t know for sure?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°There''s no information available for my special class.¡± He clapped Tee-one on the shoulder. ¡°I''m not going to complain.¡± He said. ¡°I''d have been trying to rush through everything to get access to making you as fast as I could; and it wouldn''t have worked. If I hadn''t gone through everything I''ve gone through...¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Well, I''ve got a stable to build, and a track to make for Princess to run on.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Tee-one said, and got back to work. Ren went out to the main room, and stored all of the cement powder sacks the women had filled. ¡°You''re all doing a fantastic job.¡± Ren praised them. ¡°I''ve never seen so many sacks done at once.¡± He said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Several women blushed at his praise, and Dorathy chuckled. ¡°You''re going a little overboard with the flattery, your highness.¡± She said. ¡°It''s just grunt work.¡± ¡°That may be true, but I couldn''t do anywhere near this amount by myself.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I just hope you are going to accept your normal pay, and not deny yourselves like last time.¡± ¡°It''s still too much money, sir.¡± One woman said. ¡°A silver a sack? For each of us? We''ve done nearly 300 so far, and the day is only half-gone!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I can honestly say that you''re the first group of people I''ve ever met that didn''t want to get paid for the work they do.¡± Several women blushed, and Dorathy laughed. ¡°It''s because we think the work is too easy.¡± She said. ¡°Much easier than tending house, or the cows, or even our children.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Ren grinned. ¡°What''s the world coming to, if shoveling silt is easier than raising a child?¡± She snorted a laugh and a few of the women laughed, too. Ren looked at them. ¡°Please, accept the proper payment; or I''ll give you that toy I promised.¡± ¡°A toy?¡± One woman asked. ¡°Can we see it?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°It''s a parting gift.¡± He said. ¡°Once I give it to you, I''ll probably never see you again.¡± ¡°You... you want to... see us again?¡± She asked, a little flustered. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I enjoy having good people work for me. If they enjoy the work, they work more; and the more they do, the more they get paid.¡± ¡°So that''s why you''re paying a silver coin for a sack.¡± Another woman said. ¡°You want us to work harder.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I want you to work better.¡± He said. ¡°You''re already doing twice what you did before, only because I split the chute; but you''ve doubled that because you''re enjoying yourselves.¡± ¡°You''re right.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°We''ve just been talking about things, and enjoying the company. Working is just... something we''re doing.¡± Ren walked over to her and knelt. ¡°That''s it exactly.¡± He said and took her hand and bent over it. ¡°When you enjoy yourself, it''s not work anymore.¡± Dorathy blushed slightly as Ren let her hand go, then he stood up. ¡°I''ll be back in to gather everyone in a few hours, so I can get you home in time to make supper.¡± ¡°T-thank you.¡± She said. Ren left the workshop and went outside. He saw the large wall he''d made to put over the hole in the side of the Keep to block out the spiders. ¡°I really have to get down there and do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You need that stable built.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Right.¡± Ren said, then ran down to the road, and then over half a mile. ¡°This looks like a good spot.¡± He said, as it was well away from the Keep, and Dorcot''s house, but close enough to the both of those and the housing development, that it was only a couple of minutes to walk. Ren opened the stable plans, and didn''t change anything. He reproduced it exactly as the plans said, and set out all of the wood he needed for the frame, after clearing and digging out the lot. Since he didn''t have an extra set of hands to help hold things, he made it in sections on the ground, and added braces so when he stood the pieces up, they would be straight and he would only have to nail them together. It took a little longer that way, but he wasn''t going to bother anyone else with it; because they were just as busy as he was. Ren heard several carts approaching on the road an hour later, and he stopped working to look around and see who it was. ¡°Barnar!¡± Ren said and ran to the road. ¡°I figured you were too busy to come out this early.¡± ¡°I took a break.¡± He said and climbed down out of the cart, and told the driver to keep going to drop off the stone bricks. ¡°I wanted to see what it was that you made.¡± ¡°You already passed it.¡± Ren chuckled and pointed down the road. ¡°The Main House is a mile and a half back that way.¡± ¡°The Main House?¡± Barnar asked. ¡°I saw a big building, and felt something when I passed by.¡± He said. ¡°But it didn''t look like a Main House.¡± ¡°I really should get a sign made.¡± ¡°It would help.¡± Barnar said and motioned at the pieces of wall ready to be stood up. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Making a stable.¡± ¡°You don''t have any horses.¡± ¡°Not yet, no.¡± Barnar shook his head. ¡°You''re really building your own town out here?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°No. It''s just the things people need to live. Houses. Transportation. A Church.¡± ¡°A Church?¡± Barnar asked. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Across the road from the Main House.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll show you.¡± He led Barnar back down the road and to the Main House. The outer frame of the Church was almost completely up, and Ren grinned. ¡°That''s the Church.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Barnar said. ¡°It''s huge!¡± ¡°It didn''t start out that way.¡± Ren said. ¡°But once I started changing things, it became a big deal.¡± Barnar chuckled and turned around. ¡°Now tell me what this is.¡± ¡°That is the Main House.¡± Ren said and walked over to it. ¡°Go ahead and feel it.¡± ¡°Why is it dark gray?¡± He asked, then ran his hand over it. ¡°It feels like mortar, but not as rough.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°That''s because there''s not much sand in this.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It''s called cement.¡± ¡°How did you cut pieces this big?¡± Barnar motioned to the mold lines, misunderstanding their meaning. ¡°I didn''t cut anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°This was poured into a mold right where it stands.¡± Barnar''s hand froze on the wall and he stared at Ren. ¡°W-w-what did you say?¡± ¡°I made a mold for the wall, about 4 inches thick, put in metal bars, and then filled it with a mortar like putty.¡± Barnar''s mouth fell open. ¡°I told you it would change your world.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I had to make the first floor, let it set for a day, then made the second level with a floor.¡± He looked up. ¡°The roof is wood, though.¡± ¡°The prince''s design...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Easily made if you use metal bars inside the walls as reinforcement, and made from a mold.¡± ¡°By the gods, Ren!¡± Barnar looked at the building. ¡°Have a look around.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got to ask the Head Assistant about a couple of things.¡± He left Barnar outside and went into the Main House. Ereka''s office door was open, and Ren went to it. He saw 2 healers standing next to Ereka, who was sitting on the couch. He rushed over to her, and she felt his deep concern for her welfare. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked the healers as he knelt beside her and took her hand. ¡°Is she okay?¡± ¡°I... I''m fine.¡± Ereka said, and blushed at the intensity of his emotions. ¡°We came in a short while ago, and found her passed out on the couch.¡± One of the women said. ¡°She apparently fainted.¡± ¡°This was my fault, wasn''t it?¡± Ren asked, and Ereka felt his deep regret. ¡°No!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°I just...¡± Ren felt her embarrassment and he smiled. ¡°It''s okay.¡± He said and turned to the healers. ¡°Are you bound by oaths to not divulge information?¡± They both nodded slightly. ¡°We''re not a part of the guild yet, so we haven''t taken the final Oath of Devotion.¡± One said. ¡°All of our other oaths are in full effect.¡± Ren turned back to Ereka. ¡°Go ahead. Tell me what happened.¡± She tried a few times to tell him what happened, and he felt her exasperation. He squeezed her hand and smiled. ¡°I promise to not judge you, or anything that you say.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or hold it against you.¡± Ereka sighed. ¡°After you left here this morning, I...¡± She looked at the two healers for a second, then back at Ren. ¡°...I thought about sharing the Aura, and... and sleeping with you.¡± Ren''s eyes widened for a moment, then he tilted his head slightly. ¡°That''s a neat idea.¡± He said, and she felt his curiosity and that he was intrigued. ¡°Sharing feelings like that, and then sleeping with someone...¡± Ereka nodded. ¡°I... ah... fainted thinking about it.¡± She felt his surprise; then Ren remembered she was only 22 and hadn''t had her training yet, and she felt his understanding flow into her. She blinked at him a few times. ¡°You''re not angry.¡± She said, surprised. ¡°Why would I be angry that a woman was fantasizing about sleeping with me?¡± Ren chuckled, and Ereka felt he was really flattered. ¡°I''m actually really flattered.¡± ¡°I... I know.¡± Ren felt her surprise, and smiled. ¡°Coming here to the Dwarf Kingdom has been the best thing I''ve ever done.¡± He explained. ¡°Where I come from, people usually look down on me, because I''m so short.¡± Ereka let her shock flow out without trying to stop it. ¡°How can they do that?!?¡± He laughed. ¡°In this land, I''m one of the tallest people here; there, I''m one of the shortest.¡± ¡°But... but... you''re a Lord!¡± ¡°Only here.¡± He said. ¡°Influence and Honor means very little to anyone else.¡± Ereka clamped her mouth shut to stop her hot retort, but Ren felt her anger. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and bent over her hand. ¡°You''d defend me, even though we''ve only just recently come to know each other better.¡± ¡°Y-you''re welcome.¡± She said, flustered. Ren let her hand go and stood up. ¡°Can I assume you''re here at her request?¡± He said to the healers. Both healers nodded slightly. ¡°The messenger arrived this morning at the Keep. They sent word to the medical wing for anyone willing to join a House, and that they were welcome to come here to House Neram.¡± ¡°I assume she asked for one, or both, of you by name.¡± One healer smiled. ¡°We''re old friends.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°I''ve known Artrude since we were kids on neighboring farms.¡± ¡°By the gods, I hate raising sheep.¡± She said, and grinned when Ereka laughed. ¡°You and me both.¡± Ereka said and stood up. ¡°I was so glad to get a job that didn''t involve climbing part of a mountain looking for lost sheep.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Every. Single. Day.¡± Artrude chuckled. ¡°I was right there beside you.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°When I found out they wanted a healer full time, I thought of you immediately.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°And your associate?¡± ¡°This is Malenka.¡± ¡°Artrude! You can''t give my name away like that!¡± Malenka said. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Artrude gave her friend a one-armed hug. ¡°Not only will he be our Lord, his fiance is the daughter of Lady Neram.¡± Malenka''s eyes widened as she stared at Ren. ¡°You''ll understand once we''re sworn into the House.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Speaking of that, you aren''t leaving another House to come here, are you?¡± ¡°And if we are?¡± Artrude asked. ¡°If you are, we''ll send a messenger over to your old House with enough money to cover the one year wage penalty, and then you can be sworn in.¡± Malenka''s mouth dropped open. ¡°He''s crazy!¡± ¡°Malenka!¡± Ereka and Artrude said together. ¡°Didn''t I tell you, Ereka?¡± Ren laughed, as she looked at him in surprise. ¡°Everyone sees me as crazy.¡± ¡°You seem to be quite accepting at the insult.¡± Artrude said, and shook her head as Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°I don''t consider it an insult.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wear it as a badge of honor.¡± The three women gasped, and Ren smiled. ¡°I usually get that response, too.¡± He said, and looked at Artrude. ¡°I want you to tell Ereka what requirements you''ll need for a fully stocked medical building.¡± Her mouth dropped open and Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I get that one a lot, too.¡± He said. ¡°I''m serious, though. Anything at all that you need, I''ll either provide, or buy for you.¡± Ren said, and took out a handful of platinum coins to give to Ereka. ¡°I haven''t spent everything you gave me the last time yet.¡± ¡°You will.¡± Ren said. ¡°Send a messenger to the stables in the city in 2 hours, and tell the woman in the office that the stable is built.¡± ¡°You''ve built a stable?¡± ¡°Mostly.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just have to stand the pieces up and nail them together.¡± ¡°And what is it for?¡± ¡°Horses and carts, obviously.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°They''ll be available for House Neram residents to use, with certain ones reserved for people I designate.¡± He said. ¡°The first one is for Dorcot and his wife, Angeilin. The second is for the Main House. The third is for the medical staff. The rest can be first come first served for now.¡± ¡°How... how many?¡± ¡°Only a dozen to start. I think.¡± Ren said. ¡°Rentals of the horses, buying the supplies, stuff like that. The staff will be full hires; but, I don''t think they''ll be joining House Neram. They will only be working for us.¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°You can ask when you send the messenger.¡± Ereka looked at him and didn''t say anything. ¡°She''s going to hire them in my stead, so you don''t have to worry about any of that.¡± Ren said. ¡°She wants to make sure the horses get treated well, and taken care of. I figured letting her deal with it would be okay.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Ren smiled and turned to Artrude. ¡°When you decide what size building you''ll need, and what to put in it; like living space, apartments, or anything at all... let Ereka know. She can contact the house and they''ll let me know. I can''t promise I''ll get to it today, and the work crews are busy building the Church across the road; but, it will get done as soon as possible.¡± The women stared at him. ¡°Or you can go and pick a house. There''s half a dozen empty ones in the sub-division, so you''ve got a bit of a choice. I''m having more built after a few days, once the crews are available.¡± Ren turned back to Ereka. ¡°Any word about the armory?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Not yet. I told the messenger to stay for a response.¡± Ereka said. ¡°It might be a while.¡± Ren nodded slightly and looked at Artrude. ¡°What''s a healer''s pay, by the way?¡± ¡°Paid?¡± She snorted a laugh. ¡°Healers get free room and board, and provide healing when needed.¡± ¡°No pay?¡± Ren frowned. ¡°That''s not how I do things here.¡± He said. ¡°I''m tempted to pay you the same as a guard.¡± He looked at Ereka. ¡°What do you think? 10 gold a week, with a day off?¡± ¡°That sounds good.¡± She said. Ren smiled. ¡°You know, maybe a cafeteria or a restaurant might be a good idea.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll have to talk with my fiance and her mother about it.¡± He stepped back and bowed slightly to the three of them. ¡°If you''ll excuse me, I have work I need to do.¡± ¡°O-o-of course.¡± Ereka stammered. ¡°See you later.¡± Ren said, and left the office, then out the lobby door. * ¡°By the gods.¡± Artrude said and sat down on the couch. ¡°Is he really crazy?¡± Ereka shook her head and sat down next to her friend. ¡°I think... I think it''s just everyone''s reaction to him... and his ideas.¡± ¡°Imagine! Paying a healer!¡± Artrude chuckled and rubbed her hand over the couch. ¡°This is a really comfy couch.¡± ¡°Ren made it.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Really?¡± Artrude asked. ¡°He''s got talent then.¡± ¡°He made this, too.¡± Ereka said and pointed to the brooch. ¡°And before you ask; yes, it''s real and not fake.¡± ¡°Will we get one, too?¡± Malenka asked and sat down in the comfy chair in front of the desk. ¡°This is a nice chair!¡± ¡°He made that, too. And the desk. And the building we''re in.¡± Ereka said, and the two healers looked at her in surprise. ¡°You''ll probably get a brooch, too.¡± Even though I don''t want you to. She thought, selfishly. * Ren met Barnar out behind the House as he marveled at the entire structure. ¡°You have got to tell me how you did it!¡± Barnar exclaimed as he finally noticed Ren standing beside him. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said, and explained making the rebar, the wooden mold, then pouring the cement into the mold. ¡°Then you did the upper floor?¡± He asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°Amazing!¡± ¡°It takes longer than building with wood at first.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once the mold is done, you can take it apart and use it to do the next floor. It takes a day to harden enough to stand on, and a week or so for it to set completely.¡± ¡°You''ve put me out of business.¡± Barnar said. ¡°I''m ruined.¡± ¡°Barnar.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Would I have shared so many things with you, if what I wanted was to run you out of business?¡± Barnar opened his mouth to speak, and stared at Ren. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°To help, of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had intended to keep this secret to myself.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you?¡± Barnar asked. ¡°You need it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t leave your Influence or Honor suffer, if I can help it.¡± ¡°Ren, I can''t build this.¡± Barnar said. ¡°I don''t have rebar, whatever that is. I don''t have wood to make the mold. By the gods, I can''t even mix huge amounts of cement like you can!¡± He sighed. ¡°I''m turning the job down.¡± ¡°Barnar, don''t!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll give you everything you need!¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± Barnar said. ¡°You''ve shown me that my profession is now obsolete.¡± ¡°I HAVE NOT!¡± Ren yelled, and Barnar''s eyes widened. ¡°Do you see any other buildings around here that looks like this?¡± Barnar looked around. ¡°No.¡± ¡°That''s because it''s a pain in the butt to make it this way.¡± Ren said. ¡°And I don''t have that much cement powder. I''m using it to repair House Neram''s Keep. I really can''t take the time to do another job.¡± ¡°You can''t do the job yourself, but you can make the parts to give to me?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I can make the parts needed between some of the other things that I''m doing, but I can''t dedicate time to it exclusively.¡± Barnar nodded. ¡°Then I''m going to refuse your generous offer, and the job.¡± ¡°Barnar.¡± ¡°Ren, I can''t do what you do.¡± He said. ¡°Even if I could do what you do, I wouldn''t do what you do.¡± ¡°You looked inside through the windows, didn''t you?¡± Barnar nodded. ¡°Did you see any stone brick fireplaces? Stone figures? Pillars?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Do you really think I could do what you and your crew did to the top of the Keep?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What about picking out the right stones? What about assembling them to build all of the things you make?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I don''t know how to do any of that!¡± Barnar looked at him. ¡°I thought you''d be happy to learn about this; not be devastated.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t keep it a secret.¡± ¡°It''s not a secret anymore.¡± Barnar said. ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can tell anyone you want. People are going to notice the building is different when they see it up close; or care what it''s made of. I won''t be building anything like this for anyone else.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because if everyone had it, it wouldn''t be unique.¡± Ren said and turned away. ¡°I''ll check to see if your delivery cart left already, and if it did, I''ll give you a ride home myself.¡± Barnar didn''t say anything, and Ren ran up the road to the house. The delivery cart was coming down the road from the workshop, and he told them to pick Barnar up at the Main House. Ren ran down the road to where he had the stable pieces laid out, stood them up in the right spots, and nailed them all together. He went inside and built the stalls for the horses, then the office walls, and a desk and chair. There was a knock on the door and Ren opened it to see several workers. ¡°That was fast.¡± Ren commented. ¡°Take look around and find out what you need, then order it at the Main House.¡± He said. ¡°If you''ve got the horses with you, get the hay and things you need in the stalls first.¡± ¡°We know how to do our jobs.¡± A male dwarf in the group said, indignantly. Ren concentrated on his Command Aura and frowned. ¡°I didn''t say you didn''t.¡± He said. ¡°I merely stated what to do IF you had the horses with you.¡± Ren looked at the dwarf. ¡°Do you have the horses with you?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then why did you comment?¡± Ren held up a hand. ¡°Never mind. I don''t want to know.¡± He said. ¡°If you have an attitude like that around the normal residents here, you won''t have a job if I find out about it.¡± ¡°That''s a little harsh.¡± He said. ¡°I thought you were supposed to be nice, and a bit of a pushover.¡± Ren closed his eyes, used his Connection ability, and activated his Screaming Terror ring. ¡°I''m not going to ask you where you heard that.¡± Ren said and opened his eyes. ¡°I''m not in a good mood, because I had a fight with a friend over something stupid. Do not piss me off right now.¡± The male dwarf nodded, and Ren deactivated the Screaming Terror ring, then ran his hands through his own hair. ¡°My apologies to you all.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you do your jobs, and do them well, you''ll get paid more than a fair wage. There will be residents using the carts and horses daily; sometimes several times a day. You will be courteous to them, and give them the respect they deserve. If they don''t give you the same respect, tell me, or someone at the Main House; they will tell me and I''ll talk to any offenders.¡± Ren looked at the male dwarf that commented earlier. ¡°Do not talk back to them indignantly or dismissively, or argue, or the gods forbid, raise a hand to them. For that matter, that goes for the horses, too. No one but you, or the drivers, touches the horses without supervision or direction. If they ask to visit the animals, or want to pat them, allow it... after telling them, nicely, what to do and not to do.¡± The group stared at him, and Ren smiled. ¡°Also, if any of you mistreat or hurt the horses in your care, you''d better hope I don''t find out about it.¡± Ren walked past them and then turned around. ¡°Is there a manager here as well?¡± A female dwarf raised her hand. ¡°That would be me, sir.¡± Ren switched to his personal Aura and walked over to her. He took her hand, and bent over it. ¡°I leave this building and it''s contents, to your care.¡± She blushed deeply at the Honor gain, and nodded slightly. ¡°T-thank you, sir.¡± ¡°Take good care of it.¡± Ren said, and let her hand go. ¡°Sir.¡± She said. ¡°What about the carts?¡± ¡°I''ll have several made by tomorrow morning.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Right now, I have to take some workers home, so they can make supper for their families.¡± ¡°That''s... really nice of you.¡± She said. Ren looked at her, and then at the other workers. ¡°How many of you need to, or would like to, do the same?¡± Three of the women raised their hands, including the new manager. ¡°I''ll pick you up on the way by.¡± Ren said. ¡°In about 10 minutes.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± The manager said. Ren chuckled. ¡°One of the first things I agreed to before hiring anyone, was if they needed time to spend breakfast at home before coming to work, and time to go home to make supper for their families, then rides will be provided.¡± He motioned to the stables. ¡°Welcome to your job.¡± ¡°Does that mean we can all leave early?¡± The male dwarf asked. ¡°Quiet!¡± Someone said to him, and he shrugged. ¡°It''s a good question.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Is your job finished? Are the horses in their stalls? Are they fed and watered?¡± ¡°No.¡± The male dwarf said. ¡°We just got here.¡± ¡°If you can get that done in the next 10 minutes without making a mess, then yes; you can go home with the women that need to leave to tend to their families.¡± The male dwarf frowned. ¡°So we have to do their work for them.¡± Ren turned to him. ¡°No. You don''t have to do their work. It''s just work that has to be done. You don''t have to work here at all.¡± ¡°Are you firing me?¡± The male dwarf puffed out his chest. ¡°By the gods, Ogshorn! Shut UP!¡± Another male dwarf said. ¡°He beat House Lodur''s Champion, you fool!¡± ¡°I''m not firing you.¡± Ren said. ¡°But if you don''t drop the attitude, you won''t be welcome anywhere on House Neram lands.¡± ¡°You can''t do that.¡± Ogshorn said. ¡°Only the Head of a House can.¡± Ren smiled and held up his fist and thought of Nathalia. Everyone backed away, and Ogshorn put up his fists to fight. ¡°Darling.¡± Ren said, as his ring glowed. The gathered dwarves froze in shock as Ren had called Ogshorn ''darling''. ¡°Can you ask your mother to ban Ogshorn...¡± He turned to the manager. ¡°What''s his last name?¡± It took her a moment to recover from the shock. ¡°Flatchen, sir.¡± ¡°Ogshorn Flatchen.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, My Love.¡± Nathalia''s voice said from the ring, and Ren watched the reactions as all the dwarves realized he was using something they''d never seen before; a Sending Ring. Their mouths dropped open and they stared at him. No one gasped, however. I think I''m losing my touch. Ren thought. They didn''t gasp. Teepo chittered in laughter, and Ren waited for a minute. ¡°She''s doing it now.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You''re not going to ask why?¡± Ren asked her, and everyone gasped. There we go. ¡°Why?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Do you want me to?¡± ¡°I''ll tell you about it later, when I get home for supper.¡± ¡°See you then.¡± She said, and the glow faded. Ren unclenched his fist and smiled. ¡°Any moment now.¡± ¡°What''s this?¡± Ogshorn asked. ¡°I''d say it''s a popup saying you have to leave, or you''ll lose all your Honor.¡± ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°You did this.¡± Ren said. ¡°Causing trouble for no reason. Delaying these women from getting home to feed their families.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You should also know that when your Honor is gone, you''ll be forcibly removed.¡± ¡°You and what army?¡± He spat. Ren chuckled, and stepped aside. ¡°You obviously have no idea.¡± A few moments later, the dwarf''s eyes widened as House Neram''s magic protection picked him up off the ground, and he was carried gently to the road. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Ogshorn asked as he was dumped onto the paving stones. He tried to walk back to the stable and hit the invisible barrier. ¡°Hey! What did you do?¡± ¡°I told you that you wouldn''t be welcome on House Neram lands.¡± Ren said, and turned to the crowd. ¡°Does anyone know why he was trying to provoke me?¡± The male dwarf that told Ogshorn to shut up, stepped forward. ¡°His brother was one of the soldiers that came here. After hearing what happened... he hasn''t been the same.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I felt really bad that it happened.¡± He sighed. ¡°The Council forced my hand, and the battalion was caught in the middle.¡± ¡°So you didn''t want to massacre them like that?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I didn''t massacre anyone. No one was killed. Unfortunately, I had to show them what things could be like, and scare the hell out of them.¡± The male dwarf chuckled. ¡°You definitely did that.¡± He said. ¡°Almost all of the recruits that were there, quit.¡± ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You really are, aren''t you?¡± The female manager asked. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°That wasn''t my goal. I wanted them to see what it could be like to come up against a House on their own land, and violate their rights.¡± ¡°So that''s why!¡± She exclaimed. Ren looked at her. ¡°What are they telling people?¡± ¡°That you were a criminal and they were taking you in legally.¡± ¡°Even after they rescinded their illegal orders?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What illegal orders?¡± ¡°So, no one besides the people in the Council chamber know what happened.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''ll have to fix that.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I''m going to tell everyone what really happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°Right after I get you home.¡± ¡°Yes, I forgot.¡± She said. ¡°We''ll get the horses settled right away.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and turned to the male dwarf. ¡°Can you deal with him?¡± He pointed at Ogshorn, who was still yelling at the barrier. ¡°I don''t want to humiliate him any more than he already has been.¡± The male dwarf nodded slightly, and ran out to his friend. ¡°I''ll be back soon.¡± Ren left them standing there, then ran up the road to House Neram. He went inside and hooked Princess up to the cart, and then attached the large cart. Ren made some cushions for the benches, and led Princess out to the road and then up to the workshop. ¡°Okay, time to go.¡± Ren said to the women shoveling, and he went inside to tell the women baging the cement powder the same thing. They all gathered together, and Ren turned to the woman who had spoken earlier. ¡°How many sacks?¡± ¡°625!¡± She said automatically, then covered her mouth. Everyone chuckled, as they had no way to downplay how many sacks they''d done, like they''d planned. Ren gave each of them 6 gold and 25 silver coins, and a couple of them a coin pouch to put the money in. ¡°I really couldn''t have done that many alone. Thank you.¡± Ren said, then repaired all of their clothing and equipment. ¡°Load up.¡± He went out with them and helped the women climb into the back of the large cart. ¡°I''m picking up a couple passengers down at the stable.¡± ¡°There''s a stable?¡± A woman asked. Ren nodded slightly and walked around to get in the driver''s seat. ¡°Slowly. We have to stop soon.¡± Princess huffed and trotted down the road easily and then half a mile down the main road to the stable. Ren climbed down to gather the last three passengers, helped them get in the back, and asked them their addresses. He told everyone to hold on, and climbed back into the driver''s seat. ¡°A good pace this time.¡± Princess ran at a good pace, which was quite fast; but, not so fast that it scared the women in the back. Ren delivered them all back to their houses, and got the popup completing the quest.
Quest Complete!
You have delivered the workers home in time to make supper for their families. Rewards: 1200 XP (100 XP per worker, 12 workers). Influence: +120 Honor: +50, Lady Neram +50
Ren closed the popup, stored the large cart, and told Princess to not waste any more time as he climbed into the driver''s seat of the small cart. She blew a raspberry, and ran as fast as she could. They both could feel each other''s pleasure that she could run so fast with him in the cart. They got back to House Neram a few minutes later and Ren unhooked the cart and led her to the stable. ¡°I''ll have your track made before supper.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope you''ll like it.¡± ...have... fun... Ren chuckled. ¡°It''ll be fun to make, and to destroy.¡± He left her and ran around the Keep, then up behind the workshop about 300 feet. ¡°Here''s a good starting point.¡± Ren took out his hammerpick and set it into the ground. ¡°Ready!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Steady!¡± Ren bent down and grinned. ¡°GO!¡± Teepo shouted. Ren took off running, and dragged the hammerpick behind him. Chapter 152 - Finish The Day Ren ran as hard and as fast as he could. It was a good flat area mostly, until he came to an outcropping of rocks. He came to a stop and looked at them. ¡°I''d say they''d make a good obstacle course.¡± It took about 15 minutes for him to dig a few of the large ones up and move them around. He liked it, because he could move them around every day, so Princess would have to learn new ways to avoid them, and not just get bored running on the same track all the time. Once that was done, he dug a track through the area. Princess'' hooves when she ran only spread out 2 feet, so he only needed 4 runs with the hammerpick to make it a good width. She''d have to jump one large rock, run around 2 others, and for fun, Ren put a sharp corner in the track. If she was careful, she could get around the corner if she slowed down enough. Ren moved on from there and ran for another mile, adding twists and turns, and he came to a hill. ¡°Oh, that''s just mean.¡± Ren said, and took out his mining pick and dug down and through the hill. He''d had to make the hole quite a bit larger than he normally would, as Princess was 5 feet tall and he didn''t want her to feel crowded when she ran through the tunnel. Ren put a hinged door in the middle, so she could smash it and not worry about the impact; but as it was in the middle of the hill, she had to go through it and didn''t know it wasn''t solid. He came out the other side of the hill, and added a gradual turn to go back parallel to the main road. He found more large rocks and made several wooden barriers for her to smash through, some solid, some hinged, so Princess wouldn''t know which ones were which. Ren kept going and saw there wasn''t much for him to use as an obstacle, as the land was flat again, so he made a few. He dug a crater and used his Water Spray ring to fill it with water. It was only a foot deep, but Princess should either run through it or jump. Ren moved on and dug several trenches a couple feet across. If she was careful and slowed down, she could step over them without having to stop. He used the dirt from the holes to make small ramps and added wood barriers between them. Ren added a long gradual turn and headed back to House Neram. When he was half-way back, he dug a long trench for her to run through, and added short hinged barriers along the way. She could jump them or smash them; it was her choice. With the added turns, you didn''t know what was coming next. Ren ran the rest of the way flat out, straight as an arrow, to give Princess a good long run, and ended the track back where he had started, about 300 feet from the back of his workshop. He had to run it himself 3 more times to make the track between the obstacles a good width for her, then he was done. ¡°That''s got it.¡± Ren said, and went into the workshop. He turned off the oven and went into the forge room. ¡°Hi, Tee-one. How''s it going?¡± ¡°I''m nearly done, Ren.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m tempted to make a crate for each armor set, just so they''d be kept together.¡± ¡°That would be a good idea.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°As it is now, I have similar pieces in the same slots.¡± Ren nodded and went out to the main workshop to make 10 long crates, just like the one he''d made for Nathalia''s armor, and added a cloth lining. He went back into the forge room and watched Tee-one hammer the last piece. He set it aside, and Ren absorbed the heat from it, then used the dye station to make it a mottled gray. ¡°Let''s get them loaded into the crates.¡± Ren said, and Tee-one stored the piece. They went out to the main room of the workshop, and Tee-one took out the chest pieces to put one in each of the crates. Ren went behind him and enchanted the chest pieces with a glyph of 4 runes of Protection, granting a 40% bonus to Defense. ¡°Suppertime.¡± Teepo said, and then Ren''s Sending Ring glowed. ¡°Supper''s ready, Darling.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''m just finishing up at the workshop.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be there in a couple of minutes.¡± The ring''s glow faded, and Ren watched as Tee-one placed each piece into the crates. ¡°It''ll go faster if you put every piece of a set of armor into one crate, then move on to the next.¡± Ren suggested. ¡°You''re using up more time by doing just the one piece and going to each crate every time.¡± Tee-one frowned. ¡°I was emptying each slot by priority. Chest, back, arms, legs, gauntlets, boots.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I know what you were doing.¡± He said. ¡°If you were only doing one or 2 sets, that would be more efficient; but with 10, and having to walk around all the crates?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Taking one piece from each slot and putting it together is much faster.¡± Tee-one looked at him. ¡°You seem to want things done quickly.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Normally, it wouldn''t bother me; but, I''ve come to learn where to cut corners and make more efficient use of my time.¡± ¡°I''m sorry if I''m wasting your time.¡± Tee-one said. Ren walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You''re not wasting my time, Tee-one.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''re wasting your own.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It''s okay, my friend.¡± He said. ¡°You only just came to exist today. You''ve got a lot to learn.¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°What should I make next?¡± ¡°I need 4 sets of House Neram Guard armor, dyed red. I''ll set the gems of protection myself later.¡± ¡°That won''t take all night.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°You can make the 1 foot long, 1 inch wide rebar I need to keep fixing the Keep.¡± Ren said. ¡°And a few dozen 10 feet long, 1 inch wide ones for the openings in the walls.¡± Ren thought for a moment. ¡°I''m not sure how big the holes in some of the floors are, though.¡± ¡°You''re thinking of making a grid of rebar for them?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It would be the easiest way. Lay the grid down an inch or so above the floor, with rebar pieces through the floor just like I''m doing with the walls, brace the underside of the floor with wood, and remove certain stones from the floor to help fill it with cement.¡± He said. ¡°Assuming there''s not a hole there for me to use already.¡± ¡°How would you be adding the wood underneath the floor?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°You can''t be in two places at once.¡± ¡°I kind of can.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''d planned on Ruck helping me, actually. He can crawl up walls and ceilings, and is pretty strong now.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I''ll worry about the inside of the Keep, once the outside is finished.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll see you in the morning.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said and left the workshop. He ran down to the house and greeted Broxor, closed the gate, and locked it. He stored his clothing for a moment and equipped them again to clean up, and went inside to enjoy some conversation and good food. * ¡°I can''t believe he did that to me!¡± Ogshorn said. ¡°You idiot.¡± His friend said. ¡°Not only did you lose a great job, but you got banned from all of his lands.¡± ¡°He had it coming!¡± His wife said, and smacked Ogshorn on the head. ¡°You stupid...¡± *smack* ¡°...foolish...¡± *smack* ¡°...nincompoop!¡± ¡°Hey. Hey!¡± Ogshorn covered his head, to no avail. His wife had always been a good shot. ¡°I had to say something to him! Look at what he did to my brother!¡± His wife rolled her eyes. ¡°I''ve heard the story more times than you have.¡± She said, and swung again. ¡°But now I''ve heard the real one.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Bah!¡± Ogshorn said. ¡°He''s lying.¡± ¡°No, he wasn''t.¡± His friend said. ¡°We were all there. We heard it with our own ears.¡± ¡°Just because he believes that...¡± ¡°Shut your stupid mouth hole!¡± His wife said. ¡°This was supposed to be our chance of getting out of debt!¡± Ogshorn sighed. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°With only me working, we''re going to fall behind. Again.¡± She said. ¡°I hate working the mines.¡± Ogshorn said. ¡°You should have been thinking of that before!¡± ¡°I know I messed up!¡± He said. ¡°Stop hitting me!¡± His wife stopped mid-swing, and let her hand drop. ¡°You could just sign up for the mines instead.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± ¡°It''s better than nothing; and you''re going to have to work there anyways.¡± His wife said. ¡°You''re better off getting a head start.¡± Ogshorn sighed again. ¡°If I don''t find anything else in a few days, I''ll go to the mines.¡± His wife nodded slightly. ¡°I''ll see if I can get an advance at work.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Ogshorn said. ¡°From him? I don''t think so.¡± ¡°He''s not mean to people that don''t provoke him.¡± His friend said. ¡°You should see the statue of him up the road a ways.¡± ¡°He has a statue of himself?!?¡± Ogshorn exclaimed. ¡°Ha! I knew he was full of himself.¡± ¡°You are a fool.¡± His wife said. ¡°The statue was in dedication to his efforts for carrying a worker''s house 8 miles, so they would have somewhere to live! A whole HOUSE! By HIMSELF!¡± ¡°Okay, now that''s the biggest lie I''ve heard toda-¡± *SLAP* His wife clipped him across the face with her open hand. ¡°I''ve had enough of you trying to justify your actions.¡± She said. ¡°If you say one more word about it, you''ll be sleeping on the couch for the rest of the week.¡± Ogshorn looked at her in surprise. ¡°You''re taking his side? You''re my wife! You should always be on my side!¡± She didn''t say anything, and went to the bedroom. A minute later, she came out and put a blanket and a pillow on the couch. ¡°Yes, I am your wife. I am on your side. But you have acted in a way that will hurt this family.¡± She said. ¡°If you had listened to me when I said to be quiet, or when Hanholm told you to shut up...¡± She sighed. ¡°We can make do for a while, but you know the taxes are coming up next month.¡± Ogshorn frowned. He had forgotten about the taxes; and they were behind several years. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°I know you are.¡± She said and walked to the bedroom door. ¡°Goodnight.¡± She shut it, and Hanholm waited a minute before speaking. ¡°You really don''t know when to be quiet, do you?¡± ¡°You be quiet.¡± Ogshorn said. ¡°You should have defended me!¡± Hanholm snorted a laugh. ¡°I wouldn''t have defended you, even if I thought you had a leg to stand on.¡± ¡°Some friend you are!¡± ¡°You felt what he did!¡± Hanholm said. ¡°That was some scary stuff right there!¡± ¡°I wasn''t scared!¡± ¡°Liar.¡± Hanholm smiled. ¡°I was scared out of my wits... and when he lifted his fist like that...¡± He shook his head. ¡°...I thought you were dead.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Then he called you ''darling''.¡± Ogshorn smiled. ¡°Yeah, that was a shock.¡± ¡°It wasn''t as shocking as seeing his Sending Ring!¡± ¡°Where do you think he got it?¡± ¡°How would I know?¡± Hanholm asked. ¡°I''ve only seen a Sending Stone twice in my life... and both times it was at the Main Keep.¡± ¡°It could be worth a fortune.¡± Ogshorn said. ¡°No.¡± Hanholm said. ¡°No, no, no.¡± ¡°Come on, he''s got a ring on every finger! Is he going to miss just one?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hanholm said. ¡°He''ll miss it, and he''ll come right for us.¡± Ogshorn snorted a laugh. ¡°He won''t know it''s us.¡± ¡°We''ll never get close enough to touch it.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Ogshorn said. ¡°You saw how he treated the manager.¡± ¡°Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no! You can''t mean...¡± Ogshorn nodded. ¡°Get a hold of Delilah.¡± ¡°I''m not going to that part of the city.¡± Hanholm shook his head. ¡°No way.¡± ¡°Don''t make me call on our oath.¡± Ogshorn looked at Hanholm sternly. ¡°Fine.¡± Hanholm sighed. ¡°I''ll see if I can find her.¡± * Ren had just finished eating, when he finally got around to telling Nathalia and her mother about some of the things he''d made that day. ¡°You made wands?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°Actual wands? Wands that cast spells?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I only know Minor Healing and Fireball spells, though.¡± ¡°How many did you make?¡± ¡°Only 40.¡± Ren said and picked up his plate to take to the sink. ¡°20 Minor Healing, and 20 Fireball.¡± Narhilda stared at him as he took her plate, and then Nathalia''s to the sink. ¡°Can you show us one?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Show you?¡± Ren asked, and took out two of each to give to her. ¡°I made these for you.¡± ¡°By the gods, Ren!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°You used DIAMONDS for the focus head!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°They work, too.¡± He held up his healed hand. ¡°Healed me right up.¡± ¡°How... how much?¡± Nathalia asked, as she put the wands on the table and stared at them. ¡°If you include the spells, and the materials...¡± Ren pondered, then he remembered the diamonds he''d used. ¡°I''d say they''re worth 3 to 8 platinum each.¡± ¡°You''ll never sell them for that!¡± Narhilda exclaimed. ¡°How could you waste such valuable diamonds on making wands?¡± ¡°Would they be worth the price if they''re rechargeable?¡± Ren asked. Her mouth dropped open, and she didn''t speak. ¡°You can recharge them?¡± Nathalia asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°I already recharged the one I used earlier.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± She said, amazed. ¡°Reusable wands.¡± ¡°You didn''t examine it.¡± He said. ¡°They also have 50 charges.¡± Nathalia''s mouth dropped open, and matched her mothers. Ren chuckled and gave Nathalia a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I''ve got some Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± Ren said, and went into the main room to sit on the couch. ¡°I''ll be back in a few hours.¡± He sat back and Teepo took off to land on the ceiling. See you in a bit, Teepo. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren ate a good meal; and that was saying something, when you consider it was hospital food. He checked himself in the bathroom, and everything was fine; so he got back into bed. I should ask Stella for another pack. Ren thought. I''ve burned through most of this box already. Ren chuckled mentally. It''s hard to believe that I was celibate my whole life, then I had sex just once; and now I have it all the time. He smiled. It''s only virtual, so I don''t think regular people count it; but I do. Ren waited for Denise to come back in and smiled again. Then again, some normal people do count it. ¡°Am I going to see another blue screen?¡± Denise asked, and helped him put on the VR headset. ¡°Probably.¡± Ren said. ¡°I found a way to share feelings with the one I sleep with, so we can feel what the other person feels.¡± Denise didn''t respond as he settled into the bed and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± * Oh...my... god! Denise thought. Did he just... no, he didn''t just say... I can''t believe... he couldn''t have... oh my god! She sat down next to the bed in shock. Every woman''s dream! * Ren woke up on the couch, and saw that the two women had gone to bed. He hadn''t expected them to stay up to wait for him, since it was really late. I''m back, Teepo. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo. Ren thought. I hope you''re not jealous of Tee-one. ¡°I was at first.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Then I thought you were naming him as a better version of me.¡± I wouldn''t do that! Ren thought, surprised. You would be so hurt if I did that! ¡°I know.¡± Teepo said. ¡°When I saw you cast Tristan''s face onto it, I was skeptical; but then you called it Tee-one.¡± Ren shook his head. I was going to call it ''Jerkface''. Ren chuckled mentally. So that every time I called to him, or asked him for something, I''d be calling Tristan ''Jerkface''. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Oh, that would have been funny!¡± I know. Ren smiled. But when it came out so well, I changed it to T1; Tristan1 or Tee-one. A much better version of that jerkface. ¡°I agree. Tee-one is a much better Tristan than Tristan is.¡± Ren nodded slightly. He could never replace you, though. ¡°Thanks, Ren.¡± Ren looked at the baby fire elemental''s pen, and smiled. ¡°Well, look at you.¡± He whispered, and tickled it''s back. ¡°You''ve gotten bigger.¡± It was now 4 inches across, and Ren smiled when he heard a crackling fire as he tickled it. He took out more Spider Silk Cloth scraps, cut them up, and crumpled them to put in the pen. ¡°I''ll need to make you a bigger pen, soon.¡± Ren said and stood up. He stretched and yawned, and went down to the old bedroom. My body seems to be adjusting to day and night here. Ren thought. I actually do feel tired. ¡°After what you did today, you should be.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You made an entire stable, by yourself, in 3 hours.¡± I wasn''t happy doing it, like I usually am. Ren sighed. Not after seeing Barnar like that. ¡°Don''t worry, Ren.¡± Teepo consoled him. ¡°He just needs time to deal with it.¡± Ren opened the door and crept into the room. There was a lump on either side of the bed, and Ren stored his clothing. He had forgotten to equip his armor''s bodysuit, and it left him with just his underwear on. He slid in under the blanket and settled down between the two women. He felt a woman''s hand touch his chest from both sides, and he lifted his arms. Nathalia snuggled in on one side, and Narhilda snuggled in on the other. ¡°I''m sorry for the way I acted after supper.¡± Narhilda said sheepishly, and looked up at him. ¡°I have no right to question your decisions about making things like that.¡± Ren kissed her forehead. ¡°This is your House, Narhilda. You can question anything you want.¡± ¡°You''re not mad?¡± She asked. ¡°Why would I be?¡± ¡°I.. I raised my voice... to the man of the House.¡± She ducked her head. ¡°Over material things.¡± Ren hugged her close. ¡°If you didn''t raise your voice every so often, I''d be worried there was something wrong with you.¡± She snorted a laugh and then kept laughing. ¡°Okay, I deserved that.¡± ¡°See? I told you.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren turned his head to face her. ¡°She was so worried you were angry at her, that she practically begged to stay in here tonight to apologize to you.¡± ¡°I did not!¡± Narhilda exclaimed. ¡°I merely asked repeatedly until you gave in.¡± Ren chuckled, and it shook the two women slightly. ¡°I think we all need a good night''s sleep.¡± ¡°So do I.¡± Nathalia said, gave Ren a kiss on the lips, and ducked her head down on his chest. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren responded. Chapter 152A - Both (Explicit Content) Ren turned to say goodnight to Narhilda, and she lifted her face to say it as well, and they touched lips briefly. Her eyes widened and she pulled away, then put a hand on her mouth. ¡°It was you.¡± Narhilda said, surprised. ¡°My dream... I thought it was a dream... I kissed Thern when I got out of bed.¡± Nathalia lifted her head, and looked at Ren. ¡°It wasn''t Thern. It was you that I kissed.¡± Narhilda said, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Why? Why would you do that?¡± She asked. ¡°Why let me think it was my dead husband?¡± ¡°You were half-asleep.¡± Ren said. ¡°You were talking to me as if I was Thern.¡± He sighed. ¡°I wasn''t sure what you were going to do, if you thought I was him.¡± ¡°I... I wouldn''t have...¡± It was Ren''s turn to speak sheepishly. ¡°You were... making yourself available to me.¡± He said. ¡°You... um... rubbed your behind on my... ah...¡± Narhilda got a shocked look on her face. ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I didn''t.¡± She said. ¡°I wouldn''t.¡± ¡°Mother.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You were half-asleep. If you thought Ren really was...¡± ¡°No.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°If I was going to do that, I wouldn''t be pretending to be half-asleep. I''d just do it.¡± ¡°Mother!¡± ¡°You know I would!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I would never play a game where he thinks I''m only sleeping with him, just because I believe he''s my dead husband!¡± She said. ¡°I''d want him to know it was me because I wanted him.¡± She turned to him. ¡°Ren, it was you that first time, wasn''t it? When I fell asleep watching you making uniforms.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°You''d nearly passed out, and I placed you on the bed. After a few hours, you were half-asleep again, and thought I was Thern, keeping you up all night while making clothes.¡± Narhilda''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Then...¡± ¡°You asked me to come to bed and sleep with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I pretended to be Thern, and told you I''d be to bed later.¡± He said. ¡°You fell asleep, and I got out of there.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°I think having me around, and doing the things he did, is bringing up all your old memories of him.¡± Ren responded. ¡°No.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Why did you leave? Why didn''t you do it?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°Take advantage of me!¡± She said. ¡°Any man with half a mind would have jumped at the chance.¡± ¡°Mother!¡± ¡°Not once, but twice.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°You could have had me both times; and quite easily, apparently.¡± She said. ¡°I never would have known the difference.¡± Ren put a hand on her face. ¡°I didn''t take advantage of you, for the same reason you just gave.¡± He smiled. ¡°I wouldn''t want you to think I was your dead husband, if I was going to sleep with you.¡± He said. ¡°I''d want you to know it was me.¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°I would definitely want to know it was you, too.¡± ¡°Then I want you to do something for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Concentrate on your House Neram pendant.¡± Narhilda closed her eyes, and Ren looked at Nathalia. ¡°You, too.¡± ¡°It gives me a headache after a while.¡± She said and concentrated as well. ¡°You''re not going to worry a whole lot about that in a minute.¡± Ren said, and unequipped his underwear. He concentrated on his Aura and the pendant, and felt their Auras sync up. ¡°It''s just like earlier today.¡± Narhilda said, and Ren took Nathalia into a hug and kissed her passionately. ¡°What do you... oh my!¡± Narhilda laid down on her back beside them, as Ren caressed one of Nathalia''s breasts with a hand. He picked her up easily and laid her down next to her mother. ¡°You''d better brace yourselves.¡± Ren said, then slid under the blanket, and in between Nathalia''s legs. He started working her with his mouth, and Nathalia flailed her arms around until it hit another hand. She slid her hand into that hand, and held on. Her mother was just as taken by the feelings Ren was feeding her, and the feelings her daughter was feeling. Nathalia was getting close, and Ren could feel her need, her passion, and it meshed with his perfectly. He could also feel Narhilda laying there, and going along for the ride. He waited for only a moment, then plunged 2 fingers inside of Nathalia and made her go. He kept her going, over and over, for several minutes, and they were all taken away with the feelings of each other. He felt her mother finally lose her self control, and she went a little as well. ¡°Oh.... oh.... by the gods...¡± Narhilda said, then looked at Ren as he came out from under the blanket. ¡°Do you do that... every.. time?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said, and saw her face get a little sad, and the feelings that went with it. ¡°I usually take my time.¡± He said, and felt the joy flow back... and then a tinge of jealousy. Narhilda put a hand over her mouth. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I shouldn''t... I shouldn''t be jealous!¡± She tried to get out of the bed, but Nathalia held onto her hand. Ren looked at Nathalia, and she nodded slightly. ¡°You don''t have to be jealous anymore.¡± She said, as Ren lifted the thin slip Narhilda had on. ¡°What...¡± Ren plunged his face down between her legs, and kissed her there. ¡°OH!¡± Narhilda hollered, then Ren started to work her with his mouth. ¡°You... you can''t... oh... oh... oh! By the GODS!¡± Narhilda went, probably for the first time in over a decade, and her body bucked and shook. Ren stopped to let her recover. ¡°Did... did you feel that?¡± Nathalia asked Ren, who nodded slightly. ¡°That was so... powerful.¡± ¡°Narhilda, are you all right?¡± Ren asked her, as they could feel her bliss at finally achieving release. ¡°Mmm... ummm... I... I don''t know...¡± Narhilda blinked at Ren a few times, trying to clear the afterglow. ¡°That was...¡± Ren moved Nathalia aside enough to lay down on his back. ¡°There was no way that I was going to do something like this with Nathalia... sharing our feelings, I mean... and let you suffer while you lay next to us; or worse, in the next room.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°You did last night.¡± Narhilda said. Ren and Nathalia looked at her. ¡°We thought you were asleep.¡± Narhilda snorted a laugh. ¡°Really?¡± She asked. ¡°Who could sleep while you went down on each other?¡± She chuckled. ¡°The slurping noises alone would have woken anyone up.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Do you think I didn''t know what you''ve been doing in this bed?¡± She asked. ¡°I could hear you from my room.¡± ¡°We... ah...¡± ¡°You never thought about it.¡± Narhilda said and chuckled. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Now that this is all out in the open...¡± Nathalia said. ¡°...what do we do about it?¡± ¡°I know what the first thing I want to do is.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I want to see it.¡± Ren looked at her, and she felt his concern over it. ¡°Take off the blanket.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Let me see the prize Nathalia has.¡± He slid the blanket off, and Narhilda''s eyes nearly bulged out of her head. ¡°It''s Mjolnir!¡± (mee-yol-neer) ¡°That''s what I said!¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°When I first saw it, anyways.¡± Narhilda moved down to examine it closely. ¡°By the gods, Ren!¡± ¡°I know.¡± He said. ¡°It''s too bi-¡± ¡°You''re magnificent!¡± Narhilda said, grabbed it by the shaft, and slipped her mouth over the tip. Ren''s eyes widened as he didn''t even have a chance to say no, or to protest. After a moment, he accepted the exchange of oral stimulation; then he let the feelings Narhilda was making in him, flow out to both of them. Of course, this made Narhilda all the more voracious in her movements. Ren watched in surprise, as she barely made any sounds; then she went all the way down on him, and her top lip met the skin of his abdomen. ¡°By the gods, Narhilda!¡± Ren said. ¡°If you keep doing that, I''m going to...¡± She slid her mouth off of him, and smiled. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°It''s your turn after all.¡± ¡°But...¡± Narhilda plunged her mouth back over Ren to sheath him completely, and he looked at Nathalia. He could feel her sorrow at not being able to do that for him, and he let all the love he felt for her come out. She turned to him with surprise on her face, then kissed him passionately. A moment later, he went; and Narhilda caught it all. Or, at least, she thought she did. When she tried to slide her mouth off of Ren, he went again and her eyes widened. ¡°I think you caught something big.¡± Nathalia said, and Narhilda snorted a laugh as amusement filled the feelings everyone was sharing. She didn''t choke, however; and Ren was impressed. ¡°Slowly.¡± Ren said, and Narhilda slid up to the tip, and she put a hand around his shaft. He went again just from her gentle touch, and she took it all. Narhilda lifted her mouth off of him, and glanced at his face. ¡°How can you go so much?¡± She asked. ¡°I''ve never heard of such a thing.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''m special.¡± She looked at his throbbing member, and gave the tip a quick lick. A bit shot out at her and she caught it in her mouth. ¡°By the gods, I''ll keep going if you do that again.¡± Ren said, and he felt how pleased she was about that. ¡°You really like that you can affect me so much?¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°I''m an 80 year old woman, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°To think that I can make a handsome young man like you so excited from just my touch...¡± She closed her eyes and shivered. ¡°...it makes me very happy.¡± Ren cupped the side of her face briefly. ¡°You''re not an old woman, Narhilda.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve seen the picture in the locket. You''re just as beautiful now, as you were then.¡± Narhilda sighed, and lifted her slip off over her head. ¡°Look at these!¡± She said, and lifted them with her hands. ¡°See how much they sa-¡± ¡°By the gods!¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re wonderful!¡± ¡°W-what?¡± He used both hands and massaged them, and played with the engorged tips. Narhilda moaned appreciatively. ¡°I''ve seen them through your thin white chiffon dress.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... oh... my.¡± He suckled one tip, and then the other. Narhilda ran her hands through his hair as he played with her breasts, and she felt how much he enjoyed them. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I... I...¡± Ren could feel a wall around her heart that started to crumble. ¡°I... I can''t deny it anymore!¡± She lay on top of him, and the wall around her heart disappeared. ¡°I love you!¡± Ren''s eyes widened as she kissed him passionately on the lips, and he felt all the love she''d been storing away, and hiding from him, pour into their shared Aura. ¡°Make... make love to me, Ren!¡± She pleaded as she straddled him. He felt her damp warmth on his member. ¡°Please! Don''t make me wait any longer!¡± She moved herself forward and back along the shaft, and moaned. ¡°By the gods... oh... by the gods...¡± Ren grabbed her hips and stopped her movement. ¡°Narhilda... I...¡± He rolled over and put Narhilda on the bed, and he ended up above her. ¡°I love Nathalia.¡± He said, and the two women felt the wall in part of Ren''s heart start to crumble. ¡°But I love you, too.¡± The wall crumbled, and they felt how he felt. The love he had for each of them was different, but he loved them both. ¡°I''m not sure how it happened, but I fell in love with you somewhere along the way.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I did, I saw that you and Nathalia are like two sides of the same coin.¡± He slipped the tip of his member inside of her, and she gasped. ¡°I can''t describe why I think you''re like that, but once I saw how the two of you fit together, I...¡± He shook his head. ¡°When you let me into your lives like you have, I...¡± Ren slid in further, and Nathalia caught her breath. ¡°I don''t have the words to describe how you made me feel.¡± He pulled out nearly all the way, and she wrapped her legs around him. ¡°By the gods, don''t stop!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Now that you''re finally here, I can''t let you go!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I was just making a little room.¡± He said, and jammed himself inside of her, over halfway in, and her body clamped down on him. ¡°Aaahhhh... oh... OH!¡± He worked himself slowly in and out, and her body made room for him. It took a while before he could get a rhythm going; but once he did, Narhilda was overwhelmed with the sensations and floated away with all the feelings they were sharing. They stared at each other intensely for several minutes, and they could feel when the other was close. ¡°You... go when I... oh... by the...¡± Narhilda tried to say, and ran her hands through his hair. Everyone knew what she wanted, as they could feel her desperation to finish together. ¡°By... by the GODS!¡± She gripped Ren''s hair tightly as he jammed himself inside of her one last time; and they went together. She bucked and twitched, and Ren spasmed with her. Nathalia lay beside them, and had went herself. After a minute, Ren started to pull out, and Narhilda held onto him tightly. ¡°Just... hold me, Ren. Like this, for a little while.¡± Narhilda said, and blushed deeply. ¡°This feeling... you inside of me... I don''t... I don''t want this moment to end.¡± ¡°Narhilda...¡± Ren smiled, then gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Who said this was going to end?¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°I... I thought... we just... together, and... that it was over.¡± Ren picked her up easily, and she let out a little yip of surprise. ¡°My dear, we''re just getting started.¡± He kissed her as he slid himself out of her, and he felt her need to have it back inside; so he eased her over to kneel on the bed, and entered her again. ¡°By the GODS!¡± Narhilda said, as Ren had his way with her again. She went several times before he went himself, and she collapsed on the bed when he pulled out. ¡°Oh... oh, Ren... you...¡± She rubbed herself, and spasmed again. ¡°By the gods, you''ve... how can you make me... so much...¡± She had a hard time catching her breath. ¡°It feels so good!¡± ¡°With us sharing our feelings like this...¡± Ren said. ¡°...I know how good it feels.¡± He smiled. ¡°And I know how much you''re hurting.¡± ¡°No! I love it!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°It will let me remember you.¡± Ren pulled out a Minor Healing wand and pointed between her legs, and then at her head; then did the same to Nathalia. ¡°Lay back and relax, Narhilda.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve neglected Nathalia a little too much.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°No, you keep going.¡± She said. ¡°I can feel everything from the both of you.¡± ¡°She needs a break.¡± Ren said. ¡°The healing will help with the aches, but it won''t give her back any Stamina.¡± Nathalia looked at Narhilda, and she nodded slightly. ¡°Okay, but it''s only a short break.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°About 15 minutes, if how much we practiced pays off.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°It will.¡± Ren laid down on the bed with his feet up to the headboard, and Nathalia slid down to position her head by his member. She rolled on top of him, straddled his face, and took him into her mouth. Narhilda stared at them as they pleased each other orally at the same time, and then the feelings hit her. She closed her eyes and rode along with them as they built up pressure in each other. Ren was in the perfect position to reach between Narhilda''s legs, so he slid a finger inside of her. She gasped; and Ren and Nathalia felt it together, and they worked harder on each other. He worked Narhilda with his finger, then 2 fingers, and found that special spot in her. Narhilda went, Ren went, and Nathalia went; all at the same time. ¡°By the GODS!¡± Narhilda yelled for all of them, as she was the only one who didn''t have something in her mouth. Ren and Nathalia separated, and he knelt on the bed. ¡°Now it''s time to have some fun.¡± He said. Narhilda stared at him, and he proceeded to please both women over and over, for several hours. He used up one of the Minor Healing wands and when he was finished, he lay between them and they snuggled down onto his chest. ¡°I never thought this would happen.¡± Ren said. ¡°I... I can''t believe that I...¡± He shook his head. ¡°I told someone that I wasn''t morally corrupt enough to sleep with the both of you, at the same time, and in the same bed; but I guess I am.¡± The two women felt his regret that he could do such things with the both of them, but they poured their love and acceptance into him and he smiled. ¡°I guess... I guess we can be morally corrupt together.¡± Ren said, and then lay there, thinking about what had happened. Chapter 153 - Print That After sharing their Auras for a while, Ren started getting caught in a kind of feedback loop; The more he felt, the more feelings he was getting back. ¡°By the gods.¡± He said, as he stared at the two women. ¡°I love you both.¡± The two women looked at each other, then at Ren. ¡°I don''t know when it happened, and the love I have for Nathalia is different than the love I have for you, Narhilda.¡± He explained. ¡°I can feel how much you each love me, now...¡± He said. ¡°...and I can''t help but love you both back even more!¡± Nathalia ran her hand through his hair, and Ren closed his eyes at the sensation. He didn''t see that her hand glowed for a moment, and he fell into a deep sleep before he even realized what was happening. ¡°He''ll be out for about half an hour.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I can''t guarantee any more than that.¡± Narhilda nodded and slid out of the bed, and Nathalia followed her. They went into the kitchen, and Narhilda sat down at the table. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± She said. ¡°I... I really...¡± She put her hands over her face. ¡°I really love him.¡± ¡°So do I.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°And he loves us both.¡± Narhilda nodded slightly. ¡°He does. He genuinely loves us both for who we are.¡± ¡°I think... I think we should tell him.¡± ¡°No!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°We can''t!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°If we tell him... you know what will happen.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°Yes. The deal will be done, and you''ll have to pay the price you agreed to, all those years ago.¡± ¡°If he had said something, even a week ago, this might not be so hard for me.¡± Narhilda sighed. ¡°But... I''m greedy for this life now.¡± She looked at Nathalia. ¡°I don''t want to give it up.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°I know you don''t.¡± She said. ¡°You and I have shared more than even Ren realizes.¡± ¡°Yes, you''ve been so good to me.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Your devotion has been the only constant that I''ve had in this life.¡± Nathalia smiled and walked over to where Narhilda sat. ¡°It has been an Honor serving you all these years, My Lady.¡± Narhilda chuckled. ¡°I know that''s the truth, but you know you don''t need to keep the charade going when we''re alone.¡± ¡°He really does need to know.¡± Nathalia knelt. ¡°It''s going to eat him up inside, loving the both of us so strongly.¡± ¡°I... I know.¡± Narhilda said, and started to cry silently. ¡°But I... I''m not...¡± The tears flowed quickly. ¡°He may never forgive either of us, if he finds out that I''m not your real mother.¡± * Teepo had stopped his patrol of the house when he''d heard the two women talking, and diverted to the kitchen to see what was going on. He''d heard every word and tried to get Ren''s attention. ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo said. ¡°REN!¡± He yelled, but to no avail. Ren wouldn''t wake up. * ¡°We better get back to bed.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°The sleep spell is only a temporary thing. Ren''s so strong, he might be able to fight it.¡± Narhilda nodded, and the two women went back to the bedroom and slid into bed. Ren didn''t move at all, and they draped his arms around them, so he wouldn''t notice anything was different. They nodded slightly at each other, and snuggled down onto his chest. * Ren woke up the next morning with a bit of a headache, and tried to rub his head; but since he had two armfuls of women, he couldn''t do what he wanted. Imagine if I had this problem all the time. ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo exclaimed. What is it, Teepo? ¡°I... I have something... something important... to tell you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I don''t know what you''re going to think of it, though.¡± It''s okay, Teepo. No matter what it is you have to say, just say it. Ren thought. If you''ve become so flustered over telling me, then I know it''s important. Teepo sighed, and told Ren exactly what he had witnessed the night before in the kitchen. Ren''s eyes widened as he was told everything, and he closed his eyes. I... well, damn. Ren thought. I thought it was a little odd that they were nearly exactly alike, but I thought it was just good genetics. Ren opened his eyes and looked at Nathalia, then at her ''mother'' Narhilda. Now I wonder which one is the real one. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Well, if Nathalia is the real one, then she''s the heir of House Neram and I''ll be marrying into the family. If Narhilda is the real one, then she''s the heir and I''ll be marrying... well, just a normal woman and not the princess of House Neram. ¡°Oh. Right.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I hadn''t thought about that.¡± That''s okay. Ren thought. You''ve done the important part. You''ve let me know the truth. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Now that you know.¡± Nothing. Ren chuckled, and the two women stirred. If they don''t want me to ''know'', then I''ll play along until they feel like they can trust me with it; then hopefully tell me what the consequences are. ¡°I''ll help in any way I can.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, buddy. Ren thought and the two women lifted their heads. ¡°Good morning, beautiful.¡± They looked at each other, then back at him. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Ren chuckled again. ¡°I''m really glad you asked that.¡± He said, and kissed Nathalia on the lips. ¡°I''m also glad that neither of you thought, ''oh, he meant her'' or ''oh, he means me''.¡± He kissed Narhilda on the lips, too. Both women had surprised looks on their faces. ¡°So.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which one of us is making breakfast?¡± They looked at him, and he smiled. ¡°No offers?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Okay. Eggs and toast it is.¡± He said and stood up with the blanket. He hopped off the bed and flipped the blanket over them and smiled. ¡°Go back to sleep.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll come and get you when it''s ready.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Yes, My Love?¡± ¡°Are you feeling okay?¡± ¡°Never better.¡± Ren said, and walked around the bed to her side. ¡°I just woke up in bed with 2 beautiful women, who didn''t know which one I was talking to.¡± He kissed Nathalia again, and caressed her cheek. ¡°I can''t think of a better way to wake up... well... okay, I can.¡± He chuckled and stood up. ¡°But we''d never leave the bed and would probably starve to death.¡± Nathalia laughed, and Narhilda''s mouth fell open. Ren walked around the bed, and knelt beside Narhilda. ¡°I love you, but I can''t... I can''t let those feelings show... unless we''re alone.¡± Ren said, caressed her cheek, and kissed her gently. ¡°In the bedroom, I''ll let myself go; but everywhere else, I have to keep you at a distance.¡± Narhilda looked a little sad, and nodded slightly. ¡°That... that would be for the best.¡± ¡°Don''t be sad about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m the one that''s going to be tortured by not being able to touch you all day; even though I want to, and know I shouldn''t.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°What about me?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You I can touch.¡± He said. ¡°And I will. Every single time I get the chance.¡± She snorted a laugh. ¡°You''re pretty sure of yourself.¡± ¡°You''re my fiance.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to be spending the rest of my life with you.¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened as his words rang true. ¡°You...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If I can''t be sure about that, what can I be sure about?¡± She didn''t know what to say to that, and Ren stood. ¡°I''ll get breakfast ready.¡± He left the room and went to the kitchen. Eggs and toast was the easiest thing to make, so he finished it pretty quickly; then made enough to feed Princess, too. He made the serving trays up and brought them into the bedroom. ¡°Here we go.¡± Ren said. ¡°Breakfast in bed with two of my favorite women.¡± They looked at him, and he smiled. ¡°Yeah, I suck at hiding the truth.¡± Ren said, and they laughed. ¡°You two are my favorite women.¡± They nodded and started to eat. ¡°You''re not joining us?¡± Nathalia asked, between mouthfuls of egg. Ren shook his head. ¡°I''ve got too much to do today.¡± She nodded slightly, and Ren walked to the bedroom door. ¡°I''ll keep you informed, assuming I remember to.¡± Ren said, and held up the Sending Ring. ¡°Otherwise, I could be gone until tonight.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± Nathalia said and took a bite of toast. Ren raised a single eyebrow. ¡°I always do.¡± He said, and he saw her blush slightly. ¡°See you both later.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± They said together. He left the room and shut the door. Do you think I laid it on a little too thick? ¡°We could just stand here and listen to find out.¡± Teepo suggested as he landed on Ren''s shoulder. Ren shook his head. I''d rather not know for now. He thought, and ran out of the house. He fed Princess, and told her the track was ready. ...run... later... Ren chuckled. ¡°I was just telling you it was there.¡± He said. ¡°When you want to go for a run, let me know; and I''ll come and get you.¡± ...very... well... Ren left the stable and went over to the gate. ¡°It''s Kharpik.¡± Teepo said and landed again. ¡°When do you think we can get more guards?¡± I''ll say we''ll have to beat them away with a stick once the book comes out. ¡°What book?¡± Teepo asked, as Ren opened the gate and greeted the guard. The Chronicles of Ren: Adventures in The Dwarven Kingdom. ¡°That sounds like a great book.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I guess we''ll be visiting the Library today?¡± Ren nodded. I''ll be doing the same deal I did with the other 2 books.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Oh, boy!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren chuckled as he ran to the stable. Yeah, and I''m tempted to edit out some of the scary stuff, just so I can leave the rating off the book. ¡°And then?¡± I''ll give a copy to everyone. Ren thought, and stopped when he reached the open area in front of the stable, then started making carts. ¡°You''re going to give everyone a copy?¡± Ren nodded. I was upset when I learned that the Council has been white-washing the whole thing, and made me out to be the bad guy. He thought. I am not going to let their version of events be the only one that people hear about. He kept working and had several carts built by the time Dorcot and Angeilin came over, holding hands. ¡°Good morning, your highness!¡± Angeilin squeaked. ¡°You''re up early.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Actually, I think you''re up late.¡± She grinned and looked at Dorcot. ¡°It''s his fault.¡± Ren held up a hand, then dropped to his knees. ¡°I don''t want to know!¡± He covered his face. ¡°Don''t tell me he... he...¡± ¡°Not that!¡± Angeilin laughed, letting out the sound of tinkling glass. ¡°Dorcot found my brother yesterday, and invited him to stay at the house.¡± Ren peeked out through his hands. ¡°So... so he didn''t...¡± She smacked Ren on the shoulder. ¡°Stop that.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I couldn''t help but tease you.¡± Angeilin shook her head. ¡°You''ve seen the size of the house! We couldn''t... we... ah... with my brother there, we...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You don''t have to say it out loud.¡± She looked sternly at Ren. ¡°You shouldn''t tease a woman about such things.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°No, Ma''am.¡± He said. ¡°I''m just in a good mood today.¡± ¡°I can see that.¡± Angeilin said, then looked at the carts. ¡°Is one of those...¡± ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I was just finishing this one up.¡± He put a hand on the side of the cart, and imagined the House Neram crest appearing on both sides. The crest etched itself into the wood, and Ren activated it. ¡°There.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now anyone wearing the House Neram crest will get bonuses for doing work in it, as long as that work benefits the House.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± One of the workers said, as they came over to the cart. ¡°That''s really neat how the symbol just appeared.¡± Ren looked at the woman, and saw she wore basic clothing. It was a bit stylish, with a pattern in the fabric; but it was just a cheap pair of tight pants and a thin blouse that were quite badly sewn in a hurry. She had somehow managed to push her chest up close to her neck for some reason, and was nearly falling out of the dress slip she wore underneath her unbuttoned blouse as she bent over to look at the House Neram crest. ¡°Please get a horse hooked up to the cart right away.¡± Ren said to her, and she turned to him. She twirled a finger in her long brown hair and smiled; then ran the hand from her curled hair, down across her chest, and to her waist. She frowned slightly, because Ren had looked at her in the face the entire time. They both stood up, and she found that Ren was nearly 5 inches taller than her. He concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Right away means right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know this is your first day here, so do I need to get another worker?¡± ¡°No, no.¡± She said, and bowed slightly. Ren dismissed the popup without looking at it. ¡°I''ll get the horse right away.¡± She walked back into the stable, and Ren turned back to Angeilin and Dorcot. ¡°It should only be a minute.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Angeilin said. ¡°That woman is trouble.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°Thank you for telling me, but I know.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve met someone like her before.¡± ¡°You have?¡± Dorcot asked, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°She''ll treat me all nice at first, to try and get as much from me as she can, before leaving without a word.¡± Angeilin put a hand on his arm. ¡°She hurt you?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°At first.¡± He said. ¡°Now we''re really good friends.¡± Their eyes widened. ¡°You... you''re friends with her?¡± He grinned. ¡°She''s actually a really great woman; once you get past her gruff exterior.¡± Dorcot looked at the woman as she brought out a horse. ¡°This one isn''t like that.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t be lucky enough to meet two of them.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Not in this lifetime.¡± Dorcot put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Yes, my friend. Enjoy what you have.¡± ¡°You don''t have to tell me twice.¡± Ren said and watched as the woman hooked the pony to the cart. ¡°There we are, sirs and madam.¡± She said and smiled at them. ¡°You need to keep practicing.¡± Ren said, and told her to watch as he went over everything and secured it properly. ¡°The horse would work itself free eventually if you don''t make sure the straps are tight.¡± He said. ¡°But not too tight that the animal is hurt.¡± She looked at him in surprise, and he smiled. ¡°I''ve done this a few times.¡± Ren said, and turned to the stable. ¡°Ready for a driver.¡± He said and sewed up a cushion for them to use in the back. He put a hand out to Angeilin, helped her climb up into the back, and she settled down comfortably on the cushion. ¡°I could get used to this.¡± Angeilin squeaked, and Ren grinned as Dorcot climbed into the back with her. ¡°Riding in style is nice.¡± ¡°You can get used to it.¡± Ren said. ¡°This will be your cart from now on.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It will always be available for you to use.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Just tell the driver when they need to come and get you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren waved her thanks away. ¡°It should have been available a while ago.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve just had so much other stuff happen...¡± Angeilin chuckled. ¡°Yes, I''ve heard.¡± ¡°Have a great day at work.¡± Ren said and looked at the driver. ¡°Go ahead.¡± The driver waved and flicked the reins, then the cart left the stable''s lot, and went down the road. ¡°You treat some of the people here really nice.¡± The woman said and held out a hand. ¡°Hi, I''m Delilah.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and her face flushed a little red as she realized that he knew the social custom she''d just thrown at him. ¡°I''m sorry, Ma''am.¡± Ren said, and stepped away. ¡°I won''t enter a relationship with you.¡± ¡°W-wh-what?¡± She stammered badly, trying to sound shocked. ¡°I just... I was introducing myself!¡± ¡°My apologies.¡± Ren said, and bowed slightly to her. ¡°If you will excuse me, I have work to do.¡± He enchanted the House Neram crest on the other 3 carts he''d made, activated them, and turned to the stable. ¡°Can I get 3 more horses and drivers, please?¡± Workers came over and hooked up the horses, and Ren gave the drivers the addresses of the workers that needed a ride. ¡°Drop them off up the road at House Neram Keep.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s a 300 foot long road beside it, and a workshop at the end of that. Bring them there, please.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± They said, climbed into the carts, and left the stable. ¡°I''ve got to visit the Main House.¡± Ren said. ¡°If they haven''t decided on the details for the medical building, I''ll be back to make more carts.¡± ¡°A medical building?!?¡± One of the workers asked. ¡°I''ve already hired 2 dedicated healers.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just have to make somewhere for them to work.¡± ¡°But... but... no one has their own medical building.¡± Another one said. ¡°That''s right.¡± Ren said. ¡°But I want anyone that works or lives here to have access to help if they need it, rather than send for someone, or have to go all the way to the city for it.¡± ¡°That''s... that''s amazing.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I didn''t want anyone moving here without providing basic living requirements.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Ren turned to the woman who spoke. ¡°Free medical care and free housing.¡± ¡°I saw the big building on the way by.¡± She said. ¡°The thing out back looked like a Barracks.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The big building is the Main House, and that is a Barracks behind it.¡± He said. ¡°But that''s for the House Neram guards.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She said. ¡°Then where...¡± ¡°I''m having houses built.¡± Ren pointed. ¡°There''s only a dozen so far, but more will be started in a few days.¡± ¡°Did you say a house?¡± Someone said, and a woman gasped. ¡°You''re giving away houses?!?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Nearly half of them are full already.¡± He said, then thought. ¡°Or over half. It depends on if the healers took a couple for themselves.¡± ¡°You''re crazy.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I hear that a lot.¡± He waved and started to walk towards the Main House. Delilah stepped in front of him. ¡°Did I hear you say that if someone moves here...¡± ¡°When someone joins the House, they get a house.¡± Ren said, and tilted his head as he looked at her. ¡°A job as well, if they need it.¡± ¡°I... I have a job...¡± She said. Ren grinned. ¡°I know you do.¡± Delilah looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°What... what do you mean?¡± Ren leaned in and whispered in her ear. ¡°Whoever provided you with clothing to come out here and pretend to be someone who works around horses, doesn''t have a clue how to make proper clothing.¡± Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him. ¡°You... you know that I...¡± Ren smiled and leaned back. ¡°Why aren''t you upset, or having me kicked out like-¡± She clapped a hand over her mouth, and Ren grinned. ¡°Yeah, I thought so.¡± Ren said. ¡°It would have been better to wait a week before coming here.¡± He sighed. ¡°I wouldn''t have been suspicious at all.¡± He said. ¡°I''d have just thought you were scraping money together, and barely had enough to get the clothing made.¡± ¡°Boy, did I blow this job.¡± Delilah sighed. ¡°What was your cut?¡± She snorted a laugh. ¡°Half of the value of that pretty ring of yours.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± Ren said and lifted a hand to her. ¡°This one?¡± He pointed to the pinky finger, and she nodded. He slipped it off and held it out between his thumb and forefinger, then crushed it. ¡°Ahh!¡± She gasped as she reached for it, then let her hand drop. ¡°How could you!¡± ¡°Is it worth a lot now?¡± Ren chuckled, as she shook her head with a tear in her eye. ¡°It''s worthless.¡± ¡°That''s how much only one of them is worth.¡± He said. ¡°They only work if you have both of them.¡± She stared at him, and didn''t say anything. ¡°He didn''t tell you that?¡± Ren said, then shook his head. ¡°He didn''t know that to tell you.¡± She nodded slightly. ¡°Well, unless you''ve got another normal job to get to, you''re welcome to stay here and keep working.¡± ¡°W-what?!?¡± ¡°I''m a big believer in second chances.¡± He said. ¡°If you work well, you get paid well.¡± ¡°I... I have another... ah...¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I hope it goes better for you than this one did.¡± ¡°You''re not going to turn me in?¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°I was trying to rob you!¡± ¡°You were?¡± Ren looked around. ¡°I thought we were just talking.¡± Her mouth dropped open again. ¡°Be safe, and take care.¡± Ren said, and smiled. She turned around and started to walk away. Ren took out a gold coin and enchanted it with Screaming Terror, thinking of Delilah. ¡°Hey.¡± Ren said, and tossed the coin to her when she turned around. ¡°You can give Ogshorn that, and tell him it was all you could get.¡± She slipped the coin into a pocket. ¡°I assume you have a message for him?¡± ¡°When he has the coin in his hand, say ''activate''.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°He''ll know what it means.¡± Delilah nodded slightly and walked away down the road. He repaired the ring and enchanted it with Protection again. She didn''t have a clue that it wasn''t the Sending Ring. Ren thought as he made another cart, dyed it white and enchanted it with the House Neram crest, then turned to the workers. ¡°This cart is reserved for the medical staff.¡± Ren said. ¡°No one but the healers can use it.¡± They nodded, and Ren switched to his personal Aura; then he ran down the road to the Main House. He went inside and to Ereka''s office. He knocked, and she laughed. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you...¡± Ren opened the door, and grinned as he felt her amusement. He saw she wore the outfit he''d made the day before, and he let her feel how pleased he was about that. ¡°As many times as I come in here?¡± Ren said, and she blushed slightly as she felt how much he liked seeing her wearing his clothes. ¡°Sir...¡± Ren raised a hand. ¡°I''m always going to knock, unless you get rid of the door.¡± He said. ¡°Then I''ll knock on the door frame.¡± Ereka laughed again. ¡°All right, I''ll stop telling you to stop.¡± ¡°She learns a valuable lesson!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°And it only took 2 days!¡± She shook her head, as she felt his amusement. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°Did the healers decide what kind of building they wanted? Did they pick a house? Any word about the armory?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, and yes.¡± Ereka said, and Ren grinned. ¡°Here''s the plans for the building.¡± She said and handed him several sheets of parchment. ¡°They picked the house closest to the spot for the medical building.¡± ¡°House?¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re living together?¡± Ereka looked at him as she felt his surprise. ¡°Is that a problem?¡± Ren felt her indignation start to flow. ¡°Of course not.¡± He grinned. ¡°People can love whoever they want. It''s really none of my business, anyways.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She said. ¡°Okay, then.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°You''re a little jealous of them.¡± He said, then felt her utter surprise. ¡°I... I''m not!¡± He held up a hand. ¡°Not of them specifically.¡± He said. ¡°Of having someone to be with.¡± ¡°I...¡± Ereka blushed slightly. ¡°I''m not supposed to worry about any of that yet.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°When are you supposed to worry about it?¡± She opened her mouth, then closed it. ¡°I don''t know.¡± ¡°Then do what you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can worry over it, or be content that you don''t have to worry about it.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°I''m saying...¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°...when the time comes, you''re not going to have a problem finding someone to fawn over you.¡± Ereka felt his sincerity, and she blushed. ¡°Now.¡± Ren said. ¡°The armory?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She said. ¡°The crafters at the Garrison will have it built by the end of the week.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been carrying these weapons and shields around for a while.¡± ¡°How many?¡± ¡°More than I''ll probably ever need.¡± Ren chuckled, waved to her, and turned to leave the office. ¡°I''ll begin the medical building when I get back from the Library.¡± ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± ¡°More than likely.¡± Ren said as he got to the door. ¡°Despite being so busy, I''m still coming here to find things out.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Bye, Ereka.¡± Ren ran out of the building and poured on the speed when he hit the main road. I hope they start delivering the paving stones soon. Ren thought. I need to finish the lot around the Main House. And the Barracks. And the road in the housing sub-division. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Narhilda was right. You are doing more than one person can.¡± Ren laughed. I''m happy about that, though! * Ereka felt how happy Ren was just as he passed the Aura''s outer limit. ¡°How can anyone feel so happy?¡± She sat down and waved a hand in front of her face. ¡°He''s... by the gods... his fiance is so lucky!¡± * Ren went to the Library, and told the Librarian what he wanted, and she hugged him so hard, he thought he was going to stop breathing. She let him go, and they sat down as Ren laid the entire tale of his encounters with the Council and it''s members; starting with Tegwen''s duel on the ship and ending with the Council telling people a different version of events. ¡°Dammit, can you hold the book there for a bit?¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to head to the Main Keep to get something.¡± The Librarian nodded, and Ren ran to the Main Keep. He went inside and to the General Information desk, which was also the Hall of Records, and was greeted warmly by the female dwarf there. Ren asked her for the transcript of the last Council meeting, and she handed him several copies of that, and the Council''s edicts. Ren asked to register a new ritual, and he wrote it out on a piece of parchment. He folded it and handed it to her. He paid the fee and she dropped it into the magic filing cabinet. A moment later, she brought a letter of notice. Ren read it, and grinned.
Congratulations!
You have registered a new ritual for thanking someone. Word of it, and it''s origin, will spread quickly. It will change how people deal with each other in many different situations. Influence: +10,000 Honor: +5,000; Lady Neram +5,000
Ren walked around the desk to the female dwarf, and she looked up at him. ¡°Thank you very much for all of your help.¡± Ren said, and took her hand. She smiled as he bent down, but her mouth dropped open as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°But... but...¡± She put a hand on her cheek where he''d kissed her. ¡°By the gods!¡± Ren walked back around the desk, and bowed deeply to her. ¡°Good day, Ma''am.¡± She stared at him as he left the room * ¡°He... he just...¡± She rubbed her face. ¡°How in the world did he...¡± She went to the cabinet and looked at a copy of what he''d written. ¡°By the gods.¡± She said and sat down. ¡°He... he made it an Honor to do!¡± * Ren ran back to the Library and added all the information the Hall of Records had given him, and the Librarian nearly fell out of her chair when she saw it all. She had no idea that the Council had been that corrupt. Ren had the book made, and gave her a hundred platinum to make as many copies of the book as she could, and as quickly as possible. She told him it would take an hour for that many books, and Ren ran back to the house to pick up his own cart that he could pull himself. He went back and waited as the books were copied, and picked them up to add to the cart. The book itself didn''t have a rating; as the Librarian had helped him leave out the details that would require it to be rated. Ren went along the streets and gave a book to everyone he could see. He left one at every business, and one on every doorstep. It took another 2 hours to do that, but once he was done, he only had 20 or so left. He stored the books, and then the cart. ¡°Let''s go home, Teepo.¡± Ren said, and ran back to House Neram. ¡°I''ve got more work to do.¡± Chapter 154 - Hello, Doggie! Ren stopped running when he got to the Main House, and saw that the Church was nearly done. He went over to the foreman and asked about the heavy work crew, and if they were available to start another job. Ren showed the foreman the plans for the medical building, and the heavy work crew was sent across the road and down several hundred feet to clear a lot, then to build the frame. ¡°Boy, you''ve sure got a lot going on here.¡± The foreman commented, and Ren smiled. ¡°More than I ever thought I''d be doing when I came here.¡± Ren said, paid for the extra work, and for another dozen houses to be built in the sub-division. ¡°Yeah, you are definitely one of my favorite clients.¡± ¡°That''s because I''m too busy to build it all myself.¡± Ren laughed, and walked across the road to the Main House. He went inside and over to Ereka''s office at the back of the building. He knocked, and opened the door as Ereka chuckled. ¡°Hello, your highness.¡± She said. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said, and he saw that her friend, the healer Artrude, was there. ¡°I''m sorry if I''m intruding.¡± Ereka shook her head. ¡°We were just catching up on everything that''s been going on in our lives.¡± ¡°Or what hasn''t been going on in our lives.¡± Artrude laughed. ¡°Neither of us has had a job in a while.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°This really has been a blessing from the gods.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ve got the heavy work crew working on building the frame for the medical building as we speak.¡± He said. ¡°When the Church is done, the other two crews will go there to work on it.¡± ¡°That''s fantastic!¡± Artrude said. ¡°I can''t wait to start setting things up.¡± Ren turned to Ereka. ¡°You better start ordering the things they''ll need.¡± ¡°I did that yesterday.¡± She snorted a laugh. ¡°Right after they were sworn in.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said, and she felt he really was. ¡°I''ve been in Command mode for too long.¡± He sat down on the comfy chair, and rubbed his face with his hands. ¡°Everywhere I go, I tell people what to do.¡± ¡°You... you don''t like that much, do you?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I shouldn''t have to tell people to work, or to do a job.¡± He said. ¡°They should want to.¡± He sighed. ¡°It was all so much easier when I did everything myself.¡± Ereka laughed. ¡°You didn''t have so much to do before.¡± She said. ¡°How many buildings do you have now? 20?¡± ¡°About that many so far.¡± Ren said. ¡°More than half are houses, though.¡± She nodded. ¡°You still need people to look after them.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°That reminds me. We''ll need a receptionist to deal with people.¡± ¡°Is... isn''t that my job?¡± ¡°I meant to greet them and send them to you.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You can''t be in here working, and sitting out front greeting people.¡± ¡°I can do both.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°You''re the Head Assistant. You run the place now.¡± He said. ¡°Find someone you like to sit at the front desk.¡± ¡°I''d be happy to do that.¡± Artrude said. ¡°Malenka and I can even take turns.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°You two are the dedicated healers.¡± He said. ¡°I can''t have you be a receptionist, too.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± She asked. ¡°Do you think I can''t handle working two jobs?¡± ¡°You can''t do both at the same time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure you''re perfectly capable; but if anything came up, we''d be out a receptionist while you dealt with the situation.¡± Artrude opened her mouth to argue, then sighed. ¡°Yes, you''re right.¡± She said. ¡°It just gets boring sitting around and waiting for someone to get hurt.¡± She put a hand over her mouth. ¡°That sounded much less horrible in my head.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I hope you are completely bored in that respect.¡± She looked at him and smiled. ¡°Yes. I do, too.¡± Ren waved at the bookshelves. ¡°There''s a few books here to read, and there''s a Library in the city.¡± ¡°There''s a Library?¡± Artrude asked, surprised. Ereka laughed. ¡°I was going to say I was just as surprised, but I was actually shocked almost senseless when he took me to it.¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°He didn''t even tell me what it was before we went inside.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Where''s the fun in spoiling the surprise?¡± She rolled her eyes at him. ¡°At least I get along well with the Librarian.¡± ¡°What''s she like?¡± Artrude asked. ¡°How do you know she''s a woman?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Ereka would have told me all about him, if it was a man.¡± ¡°Artrude!¡± She laughed at Ereka''s shocked expression. ¡°You would have.¡± ¡°Yes, I would.¡± Ereka sighed. ¡°You''re not supposed to tell other people about it, though.¡± Artrude put a hand on her arm. ¡°I''m sure he knows.¡± She turned to Ren. ¡°Don''t you?¡± ¡°Knows what?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°That women talk about men in private, just as much as men talk about women in private.¡± ¡°I do now.¡± Ren said, and then laughed at their surprised faces. ¡°I suspected it, but you''ve confirmed it for me.¡± They stared at him, and he pulled out a copy of his new book to give to Ereka. ¡°I have something for you to read when you get the chance.¡± She read the cover, and caught her breath. ¡°By the gods, how did you...¡± Ereka shook her head. ¡°No, don''t tell me.¡± She said. ¡°You did the same thing you did with your other books.¡± ¡°Yes, but I also did one better.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had 10,000 copies made and gave them away.¡± ¡°YOU WHAT?!?¡± ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a couple of copies for here.¡± He took out 2 more copies and put them on her desk. ¡°You... you...¡± Ereka was glad she had stayed sitting down. ¡°You spent...¡± ¡°I had to.¡± Ren said. ¡°No one knew what actually happened here, or with the Council.¡± ¡°Can I have a copy?¡± Artrude asked, and Ren handed her a copy from inventory. She opened it, flipped to a random page about a third of the way in, and read a little bit. Ren stood there in silence, and waited. ¡°By the gods!¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°Your fiance proposed to YOU?¡± ¡°She even got a title from that.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Nathalia the First.¡± ¡°Oh, my.¡± Ereka said and laid her head on the back of the couch. ¡°I didn''t know that a woman could do that.¡± ¡°No one did.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hence her title.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Artrude said. ¡°Ereka, I''ll see you later.¡± She stood up and smiled at Ren. ¡°I''ve got some reading I need to do.¡± ¡°Before you leave...¡± Ren took out 4 Minor Healing wands. ¡°Two of them are for you; give the other two to Malenka.¡± ¡°What... what...¡± ¡°They''re wands of Minor Healing.¡± Ren said. ¡°I suggest keeping them on you at all times.¡± He handed her 2 coin pouches as well. ¡°I have Fireball wands, if you want one.¡± Artrude''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Um... no, your highness. We... we have a vow... to do no harm.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I thought so.¡± He took out two brooches. ¡°These signify that you''re a part of House Neram.¡± Artrude took them gently, and looked at Ren. ¡°You''re giving us... by the gods, this is a fortune...¡± ¡°You took that better than Lady Neram did.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°She nearly shouted at me for ''wasting'' diamonds.¡± ¡°I didn''t want to say...¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah, I know you''re thinking it.¡± ¡°I... I''ll see you later, Ereka.¡± Artrude said, and left the building. Ren waited for her to close the Main House''s front door, before he turned to Ereka. ¡°Can I ask why you''re so jealous of her?¡± Ereka gasped. ¡°I thought I hid that!¡± ¡°I got a spike of it when I took out the brooches.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''re doing a good job suppressing it otherwise.¡± Ereka sighed. ¡°I didn''t want her to... to share Auras...¡± ¡°Yes, it''s quite the rush to share feelings.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t tell her how to activate the brooch because the only place she''ll be working is the medical building.¡± He smiled. ¡°I will tell her once it''s built, though.¡± He said. ¡°I want her and Malenka to get the bonuses while working for the House.¡± ¡°It''s not that.¡± Ereka said, then blushed. ¡°I... I didn''t... I... I don''t want her sharing your Aura.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. His eyes widened as he felt her embarrassment, and her jealousy was let free. Ereka put a hand over the brooch. ¡°I''ve never felt feelings as strongly as you.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t know how you can feel so much.¡± ¡°Ereka.¡± Ren said. ¡°I...¡± He stopped concentrating on the House pendant, and dropped out of the Aura link. ¡°I''m sorry. I guess I''ve been overwhelming you...¡± Ereka caught her breath. ¡°Oh, you stopped!¡± She started to hyperventilate. ¡°Please, can you join again? I... I already miss it.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°What do you do when I leave?¡± ¡°I wait patiently until you come back, or pass by.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Those little bursts of emotions have been...¡± She sighed. ¡°...like glimpses of heaven.¡± Ren walked over to the couch and knelt. ¡°Then I''m really sorry I''ve put you through this.¡± She looked at him. ¡°I can''t feel if that''s true or not.¡± He put a hand on her knee. ¡°Don''t tell me you''re ignoring your ability to tell if I''m speaking the truth.¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Ereka said. ¡°But it was so much easier when I could just feel it from you.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''ll have to stop sharing my Aura when I come here.¡± ¡°No, please.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''ll be good. I won''t be jealous of anyone!¡± ¡°When do you go for your training?¡± ¡°It was arranged for my twenty-fifth birthday.¡± She said. ¡°When you come back from that, I''ll share my Aura with you again.¡± ¡°I can''t wait that long!¡± Ereka exclaimed. ¡°You... you can''t deny that it... it feels so good.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°If I had thought for a moment that you couldn''t handle it...¡± He sighed again. ¡°I wouldn''t have told you how to activate it.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°You would have kept it a secret?¡± Ren nodded slightly again. ¡°The last thing I want is to affect people this way.¡± He said. ¡°It''s supposed to be a benefit, not a hindrance to bear.¡± Ereka put a hand on his. ¡°It''s not a hindrance.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I don''t have to share your feelings to tell you''re desperate to feel it again.¡± She opened her mouth to protest, then closed it. ¡°By the gods, you''re right.¡± She said. ¡°I''m... I''m acting like a star-struck, foolish little girl.¡± She put her hands over her face and started to sob. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said, and sat on the couch beside her. ¡°This is my fault.¡± He took out a piece of cloth, moved her hands out of the way, and dried her tears. ¡°I''ll be much more careful about this kind of situation in the future.¡± ¡°What... what do you mean?¡± ¡°I''m only going to share my Aura with those closest to me, and not just anyone wearing the House Neram Crest.¡± The tears welled up in her eyes, and Ren took her into a hug. She cried on his shoulder, and he rubbed her back. ¡°Yes, I definitely need to be more careful.¡± He held her like that for several minutes, and she held him tightly the entire time. She eventually calmed down, and let him out of the hug. ¡°I don''t know what came over me.¡± Ereka said, and Ren gave her the cloth. ¡°I''ve never... I mean, I''ve cried over a man before, after that incident, but this...¡± She motioned to her eyes. ¡°Even then, I didn''t cry this much.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''d say you''ve been getting a lot more from sharing my Aura than either of us thought.¡± She looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You mean...¡± ¡°You''re probably going to feel things a little more intensely for a while.¡± ¡°Oh... oh my.¡± He smiled. ¡°Yeah, that''s not what my fiance''s going to say.¡± Ereka had a shocked look on her face. ¡°You can''t tell her!¡± She grabbed Ren''s shoulders and shook him slightly. ¡°She''ll kill me if she finds out!¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°She''ll do no such thing.¡± He said and took Ereka''s hands from his shoulders and held them. ¡°If anything, she''ll feel sorry you had to go through this.¡± He smiled again. ¡°At least we caught it in time.¡± Ren stood up. ¡°Who knows what would have happened if you''d kept drowning in my emotions.¡± Ereka took a deep breath and stood. ¡°I''ll resign if you tell her.¡± ¡°You can try.¡± Ren said to her surprised face. ¡°You''d have to do something completely outrageous to lose your job.¡± She stepped close. ¡°I could-¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said and stepped back. ¡°It''s bad enough I caused this to happen, without you kissing me on purpose, just to get yourself fired.¡± ¡°What if I want to kiss you anyway?¡± Ereka said. ¡°What if I want to throw away my career, and ruin my life; just for one kiss from you?¡± Ren looked at her with concern on his face, and didn''t know what to say. ¡°No, I won''t do it.¡± She said. ¡°I really want to, but I won''t.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not worth everything that you''d lose.¡± ¡°No, you''re not.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You''re worth a lot more than that.¡± Ren''s mouth fell open, and she laughed. ¡°It''s not because you''re strong, handsome and rich, either.¡± Ereka said. ¡°It''s because you care so much for people.¡± She put a hand on the side of his face. ¡°Despite only knowing them for several days.¡± She let her hand drop, and Ren saw her slip into her professional mode. ¡°Is there anything else I can help you with, your highness?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Is there somewhere I can order sand, or do I just go down to the shoreline and get it myself?¡± ¡°Sand?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Making sand castles.¡± Ren said, and she winced slightly. ¡°I have an experiment I need to do.¡± ¡°I''ll send a messenger right away.¡± She said. ¡°How much do you need?¡± ¡°Probably about a ton.¡± Ren said, and Ereka''s eyes widened. ¡°I''ll know if I need more, once I start playing with it.¡± Ereka opened her mouth to respond; but she heard the truth in his words, and only nodded slightly. ¡°Have it delivered to the workshop up behind the Keep.¡± Ren said walked over to the door. ¡°I really am sorry about this.¡± He said and pointed to his House Neram pendant, then turned and left the office. * Ereka went out to the area Ren had made for the messengers, and told one to head to the docks to talk to one of the workmen about sand, and to get back to her as soon as possible. She handed him a gold coin, and went back to her office. She laid down on the couch and held the piece of cloth Ren had given her, to her face. I''m never going to feel his feelings again! She thought, and cried. * Ren ran down the road and up to the workshop, and concentrated on his House Neram pendant again. He waved to the women shoveling outside, and went inside. He greeted the women working there as well; then pat Ruck, who was helping Dorathy again. After that, he went into the forge room. ¡°Hi, Tee-one.¡± Ren said. ¡°Want to help me make a new construct?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ve kept the smelters full.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t see the armor crates in the main room.¡± ¡°I stored them just before the workers showed up.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°They wouldn''t have had any room to work, otherwise.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Thanks.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll take them from you.¡± Tee-one handed the crates over and Ren stored them, then opened the Iron Defender recipe, and looked at it. ¡°Wow.¡± He said. ¡°Retractable razors in the jaw like a bear trap. The claws in the paws, too.¡± He frowned. ¡°I don''t like how open the insides are.¡± He said, opened the armor design he''d made for Princess, and added it to the recipe. ¡°That''s better.¡± He looked at his Improved Homunculi ability, and frowned. ¡°How can a dog have a weapon proficiency?¡± ¡°I assume because of it''s jaws and claws.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Of course.¡± Ren smacked himself in the forehead. ¡°I was thinking actual weapons, not weapons they would already have.¡± He made one more change to the design, and gave the improved plans to Tee-one, and they started pouring out the metal needed. They folded the metal a dozen times for each piece, and with the two of them working, it didn''t take long to have all the pieces needed to make two constructs. He enchanted each piece with Strength and Protection, just like he did with Tee-one. ¡°Why build one when you can build two at twice the price?¡± Ren said as he assembled the pieces together and dyed them pitch black. He took out a diamond crate and picked 2 similar sized ones, worth about 20 platinum each for the payment. Then he found 4 ovals the right size for the eyes, dyed them red, and set them into place in both of the heads. ¡°I don''t know if this will work.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might only be able to do one, then have to wait and do the other later.¡± ¡°Why not put a pile of metal inside the forge and keep absorbing the heat from it?¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°It''ll keep melting, and you can keep a steady flow of Mana going.¡± ¡°That is an excellent idea, Teepo!¡± Ren said, and picked up the huge chunk of gold steel from the pile of gold ore beside the forge, and slipped it inside the large forge he hadn''t used yet. Ren activated it, the heat from the double glyphs blasted the metal, and it softened almost immediately. ¡°Here goes.¡± Ren looked at the first construct. ¡°Activate Construct.¡±
Notice!
You have chosen to activate a construct: Iron Defender (Armored). Unlike familiars, they are only semi-sentient and will only follow basic commands. Please insert the correct value now.
A small portal appeared over the chest, and Ren put in 5 platinum coins and the diamond worth 20 platinum. It closed and he got another popup.
Notice!
Constructs only require a small amount of blood (one quarter of a pint) to create a bond. Please insert the correct value now.
A portal opened over the constructs head, and Ren took out his hammerpick to cut his palm. It didn''t take long to get the amount needed, and he wrapped the hand when the portal closed.
Notice!
All ingredients have been gathered and you have built a suitable body. Place a hand on the construct to infuse it with your will and finish the bond.
Ren looked at the popup, and wondered why it didn''t have the warning about not removing his hand. His Mana pool dropped by a third, and the construct glowed for only a moment. It''s leg twitched, and then the tail wagged.
Congratulations!
Your construct is now ready for you to enjoy.
Ren frowned at the popup. Nothing about the excessive value or anything? He thought, as the dog hopped up and looked at Ren with glowing red eyes, then it barked. It sounded like grinding metal. name. name. name. name. name. It started to jump around, while it waited for Ren to name it. ¡°You''re pretty riled up.¡± Ren said, then smiled. ¡°How about ''Riley''?¡± It barked and kept jumping around. ¡°Riley, sit.¡± Ren said, and the dog sat down. ¡°Wait there.¡± The dog sat and Ren repeated the same process for the second dog, thinking ''female'' the entire time. It got up and looked at Ren with the same glowing red eyes. name. It sat down and waited. ¡°You''re staying quiet.¡± Ren said, then smiled again. ¡°How about ''Stacy''?¡± She gave a low bark and looked at him. ¡°Riley, come here.¡± Ren said and the metal dog came over to him. ¡°Sit.¡± He said, and the dog sat. Ren knelt and put a hand on the dog''s chest, gave it a Minor Healing spell, then did the same for Stacy. ¡°Stacy, I''d like you to meet Riley. Riley, this is your mate, Stacy.¡± She turned to the dog, and they rubbed muzzles. Ren heard the sound of scraping metal, and smiled. ¡°Don''t bite anyone. Don''t scratch anyone. Don''t jump on anyone.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t attack unless I say.¡± He said. ¡°Be careful. Stay close. Help each other.¡± Both dogs turned their heads to the side in confusion. ¡°That''s too complicated. Right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stay together.¡± They barked, and Ren pointed to himself. ¡°I''m Ren.¡± He pointed to his shoulder. ¡°This is Teepo.¡± He pointed to Tee-one. ¡°That''s Tee-one.¡± The dogs looked at each one in turn, and then back at Ren. ¡°Follow me.¡± He took the dogs out to meet Ruck, and the women gasped at the dark metal dogs. ¡°This is Riley, and this is Stacy.¡± Dorcot came over to greet them, and told Ren that his brother-in-law was waiting at Dorcot''s place for him. Ren nodded slightly and took the dogs down to the house. They greeted Golir, who nodded slightly at them and opened the gate for them to pass. Ren''s Aura merged with the one around the house and he went inside to introduce Riley and Stacy to Nathalia and Narhilda. The two women stared at the dogs as Ren introduced them back, and then he took the dogs out to the stable to introduce them to Princess. * Narhilda put a hand over her heart. ¡°By the gods, I thought asking for a dog would be less scary.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°Those glowing red eyes...¡± She shivered. ¡°...and he made 2 of them.¡± ¡°Should we tell him they scare us?¡± ¡°We don''t have to.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°He felt it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Narhilda looked down at the pendant she had been practicing to use, and then felt Ren''s sadness fill the Aura their shared. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± * Ren felt sad that his new friends scared Nathalia and Narhilda so much, but pushed that feeling aside as he felt regret from the two women. He watched as the dogs greeted Princess, and was fascinated. They sat in front of her, side by side, and touched noses to her briefly. ...hello... new... guards... ¡°Actually, that''s a great idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°Riley. Stacy.¡± The two dogs looked at him. ¡°Stay. Guard Princess.¡± Ren smiled as the two dogs barked together. ¡°You can run around the courtyard during the day, but do not leave it.¡± He said. ¡°Stay in here at night.¡± Ren walked out of the stable, and left the door open enough for the dogs to go in and out. He ran up to the workshop and made another 40 wands, and told Tee-one to keep making rebar. If he keeps going, I''ll have enough for a good portion of the Keep in a few days. Ren thought then ran down the road to the stable. Once there, he placed several enchanted steel squares around it and activated them. He built several more carts and enchanted them with the House Neram crest; then counted the ponies, and made one more cart to make it an even 10. He moved the carts over to the spot where they were stored until used, and grinned at the popup.
Notice!
You have completed a task for House Neram, that will greatly improve the comfort and mobility of the residents. Influence: +1000 Honor: +150 ; Lady Neram: +150
Not too bad. Ren thought, then went over to the Church to see how things were progressing. He was quite happy with the result as he went into each room and checked to see it was all up to specifications, then he grinned. Now all I need is the stained glass windows. Ren thought, and looked at the Main House down the road. He walked down to the road, and stopped as he thought of Nathalia. ¡°Nathalia, could you call the Main House and ask about the sand I ordered?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She said immediately, and then told him there was a cart coming shortly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and walked back to the workshop. Chapter 155 - Its Mine! Ren stopped in the housing sub-division, and went to Artrude''s house. He didn''t know which one it was, as all 6 of the houses on that side were ''close'' to where the medical building was being built; but since he knew that Wohrum was in the first house, it narrowed the choices down. Ren walked along them and dismissed the popups until he got to the last house and it said Artrude and Malenka lived there. He went to the door and knocked. A minute later, Artrude opened the door. ¡°Your highness!¡± She exclaimed, and closed the book she was reading. ¡°Please come in.¡± ¡°That''s not necess-¡± Ren started to say, and she stepped forward to put an arm around him. ¡°You''re our very first visitor!¡± Artrude said, and guided him inside. ¡°I''m sorry that we don''t have any furniture to let you sit down.¡± Ren looked at her with surprise on his face. ¡°Damn, I knew I was forgetting something.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I was supposed to order furniture for the houses.¡± It was her turn to look at him in surprise. ¡°You gave us a house, and you want to give us furniture, too?¡± ¡°It was supposed to already have furniture in it, before you moved in.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve just had so much going on that...¡± ¡°I know!¡± Artrude laughed and held up the book. ¡°I''m about halfway through.¡± He walked into the main room and Ren looked around. It was nearly completely bare, except for 2 bedrolls on the floor in the bedroom. ¡°I''m terribly sorry you''ve had to sleep like that.¡± Ren said, then took out enough wood to make them a large bed, and sewed up a mattress for them to sleep on. It took about 20 minutes, and Artrude stared at him the whole time. ¡°You really did make everything in the Main House.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I like making things.¡± She rolled up the bedrolls and moved them aside and Ren put the big bed into the bedroom. ¡°Thank you very much, your highness.¡± Artrude said and sat down. ¡°Ooo, that''s comfy.¡± ¡°You can contact Ereka for any furniture you need.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll pay for it.¡± ¡°Your highness.¡± Artrude said. ¡°You shouldn''t be giving all of this away for free.¡± She touched the brooch she wore. ¡°It''s more than any of us have ever had before.¡± ¡°Oh! That reminds me of why I came here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t throw out the wands when they''re empty.¡± Artrude looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°Even if they were made of wood, I would never throw out something like that.¡± She said. ¡°Even etched like it is, the diamond is worth a few platinum.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It''s worth a lot more than that.¡± He said. ¡°The wands are rechargeable.¡± Artrude dropped the book she held, and it hit the floor with a resounding thud. ¡°What... what did you say?¡± ¡°The wands can be recharged.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think it''s because I used expensive diamonds as the focus element.¡± Artrude got up from the bed and dug through one of the bedrolls to pull out one of the wands Ren had given her. She used it on herself, and then put her hand on the face of the diamond. She poured Mana into it, and the diamond glowed for a moment, and she gasped. ¡°By the gods! It works!¡± She sat back down on the bed and held the wand in her hand. ¡°You... you made a... a rechargeable wand!¡± BANG! The front door slammed open and Malenka hopped into the house, twirling around and holding up her brooch. ¡°I love you!¡± Malenka said, and did a pirouette. ¡°I looooove yoooou!¡± She said, came to a stop at the bedroom doorway, and planted a huge kiss on the diamond. She froze with her lips still on the brooch, as she saw Ren standing there. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± She screamed and tossed the brooch into the air. Ren caught it easily as she fell to the floor onto her behind. ¡°Malenka.¡± Artrude said, trying not to laugh. ¡°We have a visitor.¡± ¡°That... that wasn''t what it looked like!¡± Malenka said to Ren. He smiled and held a hand out to her. After a moment, she took it and he helped her stand. ¡°It looked like you were having some fun dancing around.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wasn''t that what I saw?¡± She blushed slightly, and nodded. He handed the brooch to her and smiled. ¡°I''m glad you''re enjoying it.¡± ¡°I am!¡± She exclaimed, and held it close. ¡°It''s wonderful!¡± Artrude chuckled. ¡°The young and impressionable.¡± ¡°You''re only a year older than me!¡± Malenka responded, then held the brooch out in front of her face. ¡°It sparkles so much.¡± Her eyes gleamed in pleasure. ¡°I''ve never seen anything like it.¡± Artrude stood up and went over to her. ¡°I''m wearing one just like it.¡± ¡°Yeah, but that''s yours.¡± Malenka said. ¡°This one''s mine. Aaaaallll mine!¡± ¡°If you''re reacting this strongly from the brooch, I don''t know if I should give you the wands.¡± Artrude said with a smile on her face. ¡°THE WHAT?!?¡± ¡°Wands.¡± She said and held up the Minor Healing wand she had in her hand. The 1 inch wide diamond on the tip shimmered. ¡°Oooo!¡± Malenka stared at it. Artrude moved it from side to side, and Malenka''s head followed the movements. ¡°She''s just like a crow when something shiny is in front of her.¡± Artrude said to Ren, then laughed as she handed the wand to Malenka. ¡°It''s a Minor Healing wand! With 50 charges!¡± She scrambled to hold the wand, and put on the brooch, and dance around, all at the same time. ¡°Hold on!¡± Artrude said. ¡°You''re going to hurt yourself if you keep going like that.¡± ¡°That''s okay!¡± Malenka said. ¡°I''ve got a MINOR HEALING WAND!¡± Artrude took the brooch and attached it to Malenka''s white tunic. ¡°There.¡± She said. ¡°Go have fun.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Malenka took off out the still open front door and Ren and Artrude laughed as she bounced around outside. ¡°If I didn''t know she was 25, I''d swear she was only 12.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°The short red hair and freckles kind of adds to that image.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Artrude grinned. ¡°She''s so cute.¡± ¡°How long have you been together?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Since our training at the convent last year.¡± Artrude said, then put a hand over her mouth. ¡°By the gods, I did not just tell you that!¡± Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°It''s okay.¡± He said. ¡°I won''t tell anyone.¡± Artrude shook her head. ¡°It was me who wasn''t supposed to tell anyone.¡± She sighed. ¡°We''ll pack our things and go back to the Main Keep''s reserve medical staff.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why are you leaving?¡± She looked at Ren like he was crazy. ¡°We''ve been kicked out of 2 different Houses when they found out we were...¡± ¡°This House isn''t like other Houses.¡± Ren squeezed her arm. ¡°I don''t know how the other residents might react; but if anyone says anything bad to you about it, let me know.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°People that love each other, shouldn''t have to worry about what other people think.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sometimes just being together causes so much trouble; you don''t need others interfering in your life, too.¡± ¡°You sound like you''ve had experience with that.¡± Artrude said, and put a hand on his hand that was still on her arm. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Yeah. My first real relationship.¡± He said. ¡°Boy, did it blow up and fall apart fast.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Despite all the ''help'' I got from friends.¡± Artrude chuckled. ¡°Yes, well-meaning people can make a big mess even bigger.¡± Ren nodded and made a table, and two chairs quickly. ¡°There''s a cart reserved for the medical staff at the stables down the road.¡± He said as he put the table and chairs in the kitchen, then made a couch. ¡°It''s white, so you''ll know which one to use.¡± ¡°Your highness, thank you.¡± Artrude said. ¡°We thought... well, we thought any place would be better than being stuck in the reserves at the Main Keep.¡± She said. ¡°If we''d known there was a House like this, we''d have been begging at your door to let us in.¡± Ren laughed and finished the couch. ¡°I''ve been trying to make a place where people can go and work for the enjoyment of it; not because they have to, or need to.¡± He looked at her. ¡°This and the mattress will have to stay white, until I get the dying station from my workshop.¡± ¡°White''s just fine, your highness.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Then never mind.¡± ¡°You''ve delivered your messages, and made us some great furniture. Is there anything else you can do for us?¡± Artrude asked, then laughed. Ren laughed, too. ¡°I can''t help myself sometimes.¡± He said. ¡°I''m just glad you''re not taking all of this as flirting or an engagement proposal.¡± ¡°Who said I wasn''t?¡± She asked, and Ren''s mouth fell open and his eyes widened. ¡°By the gods, I have to remember that face.¡± Artrude grinned. Ren sighed in relief and she snorted a laugh. ¡°Don''t worry, your highness. I''m well and truly in love with that little vixen traipsing around in the yard.¡± ¡°I''d like to hear the story of how you got together later.¡± Ren said. ¡°Right now, I''ve got to get back to work.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Artrude said. ¡°I''ve kept you here for much longer than either of us intended.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s hard to leave when you enjoy someone''s company.¡± ¡°It is, isn''t it?¡± Ren took out a copy of his other 2 books and gave them to her. ¡°Since you seem to enjoy reading, you might want to read these as well.¡± He said, then bowed slightly to her. ¡°Goodbye Ma''am.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Artrude snorted a laugh. ¡°You can call me by my name, your highness. You know it won''t count.¡± ¡°Then you can use mine for the same reason.¡± Ren said. ¡°But only in private. We can''t have anyone else think I''m giving you offense.¡± ¡°Of course, your hi... ahem...¡± ¡°Have a good day, Artrude.¡± ¡°You too, Ren.¡± Ren left the house, and was nearly tackled by Malenka as she jumped at him. He caught her in his arms and she hugged him around the neck. ¡°Thank you, your highness!¡± She said and kissed him on the lips, then let him go and danced away. He heard laughing from the front door of the house, and he turned around. ¡°You faced the champion of House Faldihr without batting an eye, and yet when a woman kisses you unexpectedly...¡± ¡°That''s because I knew how to handle myself in the fight.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°How am I supposed to handle that?¡± He waved at Malenka as she continued to dance around. ¡°The same way I do.¡± Artrude said, and Ren''s face flushed a little red. ¡°Not like that!¡± She said, and her face flushed red, too. ¡°Take it as the compliment that it is, and move on.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and smiled. ¡°Yes, Ma''am. I was definitely complimented.¡± Artrude laughed, and Ren waved to her as he ran out of the sub-division and down the road. He went into the stables, and looked at the horses. He saw they were well-fed and watered, and knocked on the office door. ¡°Come in.¡± The manager said, and Ren entered. ¡°What can I do for you, your highness?¡± ¡°I''m just checking in to see if you''ve got everything you need.¡± He said. ¡°If you don''t, send someone over to the Main House and they can order anything you need.¡± ¡°That''s... that''s mighty generous of you.¡± She said. ¡°You''re providing an essential service to the House.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want you to have everything you need.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Ren left the office and saw that a female worker was dithering. He walked over to her and she looked at him, with surprise on her face. ¡°Is everything all right?¡± Ren asked her, and he saw she was shaking slightly. ¡°Relax. Take a deep breath.¡± She did as he said and breathed deeply, then let it out. ¡°Can you tell me what''s bothering you?¡± ¡°I''ve... I''ve been trying to build up the... the courage to... talk to you.¡± She glanced at his face and then lowered her head. ¡°Don''t do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please, look at me.¡± She lifted her head and looked at him. ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± Ren said, as he concentrated on his Camaraderie Aura. ¡°It must be important for you to be acting this way.¡± She looked around and saw that the other workers were busy doing their work tending the horses, and weren''t paying them any attention. ¡°Sir, I... I was wondering...¡± Ren waited patiently for her to continue. ¡°I... could I... have an... an... advance on my pay?¡± Ren smiled. He had been worried that she was going to confess undying love or something. ¡°How much would you like?¡± She looked at him in shock. ¡°You... you''re going to give it to me?¡± ¡°Of course I''ll give it to you.¡± ¡°Don''t you want to know what it''s for?¡± She asked. ¡°If I had to take a guess, I''d say you''re worried about the taxes next month.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or some other bills that are due.¡± He took out a coin pouch. ¡°Do you need a coin pouch?¡± She nodded and Ren let her pick one. She took a purple one, as it matched the belt she wore. ¡°Now. How much do you need?¡± ¡°A... about 10 gold, sir.¡± She said. ¡°That''s two weeks pay.¡± She got a frantic look in her eyes as she continued. ¡°I''ll work twice as hard! I''ll even stay late and come in early to make it up, sir!¡± ¡°There''s no need for any extra effort on your part.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s like I said before. As long as you do a good job, you''ll get paid well.¡± He took out 20 gold and handed it to her. She stared at the pile of coins. ¡°Sir, I... I can''t work for the next month with no income.¡± She tried to hand some of it back. ¡°You said you wanted 2 weeks pay. That''s two weeks pay.¡± ¡°It''s WHAT?!?¡± ¡°Everyone seems to misunderstand when I tell them that I ''pay well''.¡± Ren laughed and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I hope you can stop worrying about money for a while.¡± She stared at him as he stepped away, bowed slightly to her, and watched him as he ran down the road. She hadn''t even noticed the Honor gain until she blinked her eyes a few times, and she gasped. Ren ran down the road and stopped at Dorcot''s place, then knocked on the door. ¡°I''m coming, I''m coming!¡± A gruff voice said and opened the door. ¡°There you are!¡± He said and stepped back. ¡°I''ve been waiting all day.¡± Ren smiled and stepped inside. ¡°I''ve been kind of busy.¡± He said, and took out the book. ¡°You might want to read this when you get the chance, and you''ll have some idea why.¡± The mine foreman took the book and read the cover. ¡°Is this what I think it is?¡± ¡°Yes. You''re in there, too.¡± ¡°I''m going to be famous!¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I don''t know your name, so you''re just ''the mine foreman''.¡± ¡°Well, crap.¡± He said. ¡°Fame is so fleeting.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Sorry. I can''t have the ten thousand copies reprinted if you do tell me your name.¡± ¡°Did you say ten... ten thousand copies?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I gave almost all of them away, too.¡± ¡°Geez, you really are crazy.¡± Ren laughed again. ¡°Yeah, that''s a popular opinion.¡± The mine foreman led Ren to the kitchen and the tiny table there, and they sat down. ¡°I hear you might have a job for me.¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you still bound to House Lodur?¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± He laughed. ¡°Once they found out the new production ideas were all yours, I was shoved out the door faster than dirt on a broom.¡± ¡°How much was the one year penalty fine?¡± Ren asked. He smiled crookedly. ¡°You don''t want to know.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I don''t understand how they got away with doing that.¡± He said. ¡°How in the world did a contract like that get approved?¡± ¡°The Council voted on it, of course.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I bet it wasn''t the whole Council.¡± The foreman chuckled. ¡°No one objected, because it made people want to stay. If they left, they were required to pay or work the mines; either way, House Lodur got a cut and everyone made money.¡± Ren shook his head again. ¡°I don''t do things that way.¡± ¡°That''s good to know.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°Running the mines is one thing, working in them is another.¡± ¡°Yeah, Dorcot told me you weren''t a general laborer.¡± The mine foreman snorted a laugh. ¡°I blew my knees out while mining years ago.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°They healed wrong.¡± ¡°You''re a smart one.¡± He said. ¡°I couldn''t get to a healer.¡± The mine foreman shook his head. ¡°At the time I had to crawl nearly half a mile before one of the other miners found me.¡± ¡°They made you foreman after that.¡± He nodded slightly. ¡°Once I was foreman, I hired a dedicated healer right away, and had the men given regular checks.¡± He said. ¡°No one goes in the mines alone, either.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''m glad.¡± He said. ¡°I own several mountains along the coast.¡± He took out the land deed, and the attached map to show the mine foreman the mountain range. ¡°Several mountains, he says.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°That''s the whole ridge, nearly all the way to the convent.¡± ¡°I don''t know if you want to join House Neram or not.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you don''t, this is just a job you''ll be hired to do.¡± ¡°That sounds fine.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°I''m kind of sick of House politics.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Me, too.¡± He pointed to the first mountain in the ridge, right where he had built the little shack. ¡°I''ve got a feeling about this one.¡± ¡°What''s the feeling tell you?¡± The foreman asked, curious. ¡°Iron.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lots and lots of iron.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The mine foreman asked. ¡°I''ve had survey crews out that way. They didn''t find anything.¡± Ren sat back. ¡°So that''s why House Lodur didn''t buy them all.¡± He said. ¡°That''s been bugging me for a while.¡± ¡°They had all the money, why didn''t they buy all the land?¡± Ren nodded slightly, and the mine foreman smiled. ¡°Why would they spend all that money, and pay taxes on all that land, if there wasn''t anything on it worth the money?¡± He asked. ¡°Easy. Less headaches.¡± Ren tilted his head slightly, and the foreman snorted another laugh. ¡°You can''t imagine the complaints and problems they''ve had from having the mines so close to their residents.¡± ¡°They should have kept them separate, like I''m going to.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I assume you know some people to go out there and scout?¡± He nodded slightly. ¡°I even know a few people in the Mining Guild, so we can get the permits needed to start digging.¡± ¡°How much is that going to cost?¡± ¡°Probably a few platinum.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°Not for the permits, though. Those are free.¡± He said. ¡°It''s to pay the Guild Members for letting us mine there without their input on how to do things.¡± ¡°If we''re paying the money anyways, then get permits for everything.¡± Ren grinned and ran a finger all along the ridge, right up to the three mountains with the diamond mine in the center. ¡°I want it all nice and legal.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± The mine foreman said and held out a hand. Ren shook it, and handed him 100 platinum. ¡°I''ll leave this in your hands.¡± Ren said. ¡°Get another building made behind the shed I have there. Use the shed as a guard station, then add a gate. Hire miners to dig a large main tunnel down into the center of the mountain. I''ll work on getting rails and carts made as soon as I can.¡± The foreman smiled. ¡°You can''t have too much of that 8 tons left.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m burning through it pretty fast. When I went to the mines to buy more, that''s when I found out you weren''t there, and told Dorcot.¡± He nodded slightly. ¡°He found me in the tavern down by the docks.¡± He grinned. ¡°It took me a day to sober up.¡± ¡°As long as you keep it casual, or drink on your own time, I won''t bother you about it.¡± He nodded slightly. ¡°I''m going to be too busy to drink.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need that ore.¡± ¡°What if the mountain doesn''t have it?¡± ¡°It will, but you can check the next mountain.¡± Ren said. ¡°You never know. We might get lucky.¡± The mine foreman chuckled. ¡°It''s about time something good happened around here.¡± ¡°Wait here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll get you something else you''re going to need.¡± ¡°It''s too late in the day to get things started anyways.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll be here.¡± Ren walked out of the house, then ran up to the workshop. He saw the women stop shoveling, and he waited for them to go inside. He followed them and asked how many bags. ¡°Only 500 today.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°We ran out of fabric.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I forgot to order more.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± She said. ¡°Tomorrow''s our day off.¡± ¡°I''ll have more fabric, or a huge pile of empty sacks by then.¡± Ren paid them their money, and repaired their clothing and equipment. ¡°I can''t believe you can do that.¡± One woman said. ¡°I''m tempted to wear something different every day just so you''ll repair it for me.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°The last time I had a bunch of workers, they brought different shovels every day, too.¡± She laughed. ¡°So I wouldn''t be abusing your hospitality then?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''ll fix and repair anything you need me to.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll have to draw the line at a low cut dress and high heeled shoes, though.¡± Another woman snorted a laugh. ¡°You look pretty wearing them, but you''d kill yourself trying to shovel!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Exactly.¡± He said. ¡°There''s a few more carts, so it won''t take long to get you home.¡± He bid them a good day, and they filed out of the workshop to head to the stables. Ren went into the forge room, and Tee-one was there. ¡°How is everything?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Boring.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°There''s only so much rebar one can make before they go numb.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Sorry, I should have asked you to make something else.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Ren leaned in close, and whispered. ¡°A Ballista.¡± Tee-one''s eyes widened, then he smiled. ¡°There might be enough iron ore left for that.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°We can''t make it solely out of metal.¡± He said. ¡°Not until the new mine is up and running.¡± ¡°We''re getting a new mine?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°I can''t wait!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°That was the same thought I had.¡± ¡°How long?¡± ¡°He didn''t say.¡± Ren said and took out the paving stone he''d made the 100 small square cut outs on. He filled it and absorbed the heat, added the energy to his Mana Pool, and brought it up to three quarters full. Ren concentrated on the Sending Glyph (of 4 Sending Runes) and the House Neram crest design, and touched two of the steel squares with the fingers of the same hand, and enchanted them. It took a tenth of his Mana Pool, but it worked as the design etched itself into the surface of the metal. ¡°Yes!¡± Ren exclaimed, then repeated the process six more times, emptying his Mana Pool. He did it 3 more times and emptied his Mana bar as well. He now had 10 sets of Sending Squares with the House Neram crest on them, and stored each pair in their own slot. He took out a piece of wood, and cut out 10 spots to put the Sending Squares in, and stored that, too. ¡°Tee-one, use some of the gold ore in the smelters, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Give it a good mix.¡± He took out the plans he''d made for the large automatic crossbows he''d made for the walls of House Neram Keep, and enlarged it to 15 feet across. He had a few springy trees left, so he gave them to Tee-one to use as ammo for the Ballista. You could get two 6 foot long bolts from each tree, so there would be enough ammo for a good demonstration. Ren left the bow part metal, as well as the braces and reinforcement; but, the majority of the body was solid wood. He even added cart wheels to the front to make it easier to move around, and for fun added a horse attachment on the back. ¡°Go ahead and get started making the metal parts for this.¡± Ren said, and gave the plans to Tee-one. ¡°I''ve got some Sending Squares to deliver.¡± ¡°This is going to be fun!¡± Tee-one said and tossed some of the gold ore into the smelter. Ren left him there and ran down to Dorcot''s house. He gave one of the Sending Squares to the mine foreman, and told him how they worked. ¡°By the gods, man! Where the hell did you get them?¡± ¡°I want to keep that a secret.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Needless to say, you can contact the Main House whenever you need something.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You''re going to put the Messenger Guild out of business.¡± ¡°That would never happen.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°There''s too many places to cover to give everyone a Sending Square, then everyone else a Sending Square. You''d need rooms of them to contact everyone.¡± He opened his mouth, and smiled. ¡°Yeah, you''re right.¡± ¡°Don''t sound so amazed.¡± Ren laughed and left the house. He ran down the road and stopped concentrating on his Aura as he approached the Main House''s Aura. He went inside the Aura and then inside the Main House, walked to Ereka''s office, and knocked on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± She said, and he opened the door. She looked up from the book she was reading, and a big smile spread across her face. ¡°Hello, your highness.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just came here to fill you in on something, and to drop something off.¡± He told her about his deal with the mine foreman, and he attached the piece of wood he cut the spots out of, to the wall next to where Ereka sat. He put the Sending Square into the last slot, and wrote ''Mine'' under it. ¡°Who are you giving the other ones to?¡± Ereka asked. Ren wrote ''Medical'' under the first slot, ''Stables'' under the second, and ''Barracks'' under the third. ¡°I''m tempted to give one to each of the businesses we deal with.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to save them for when more things are built instead.¡± He slid the pairs of Sending Squares into the slots. ¡°The manager of the stables already left, so we''ll have to wait until tomorrow to give her one.¡± He stepped away, then went back and wrote ''Church'' under the second to last one. ¡°I almost forgot that one.¡± She looked at the Sending Squares, and wondered what crazy ideas he would think of next. ¡°You might as well head home yourself.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s only...¡± ¡°About an hour.¡± Teepo said. ¡°...about an hour before supper anyways.¡± Ereka shook her head. ¡°Croggart hasn''t been back since the battle.¡± She said. ¡°I''m just sitting at home alone.¡± Ren put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°When he comes back, offer him one of the Sending Squares.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°That way, he can stay in contact with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°As long as he''s not more than 10 hours away by cart.¡± ¡°10 hours by cart?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°That''s their range?¡± Ren nodded slightly and took his hand back. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight, your highness....¡± She said. ¡°...and thank you.¡± Ren left her office and walked out of the Main House, then ran for House Neram Keep and back to the workshop. He had an artillery weapon to make. Chapter 156 - You Didnt! Ren ran to the workshop and went inside to find Tee-one was hammering a piece of metal for one of the braces. Ren laid out some stone bricks to make a 20 foot long mold for the metal of the bow. He poured it out to the proper thickness, leaving a little extra for the folding process. Ren didn''t stop at 12 folds this time; because he wanted to make sure this was the strongest metal he''d ever made. After 20 folds, Ren finished the bow part, then made the cable to keep the tension on it. He hadn''t made an actual steel cable before, but he knew it was wrapped just like rope. After setting out several long molds only an eighth of an inch wide, he poured out the molten metal and absorbed the heat from it to recharge his Mana Pool. Ren picked up the long strands and dipped the end into the smelter for an instant, to make the end solid; then used Iron Grip to twist the strands together to make a steel cable. Once he had it twisted tight for the entire length, he dipped the other end into the smelter to hold it together, then smiled. ¡°That came out better than I thought.¡± Ren said, then he and Tee-one built the main wooden body (with the wheels and horse hookup) in the main workshop, to attach the metal pieces to. ¡°Okay, here we go.¡± He said, then enchanted the bow with an Enhancement glyph (8 runes total) and thought ''Springy'' and ''Tough'', enchanted the moving parts with Smoothness, the trigger with Strength, and increased the Durability of the wooden body. The cartridge didn''t have to be enchanted, as all it did was hold the 6 foot long bolts. The springs inside he added Toughness and Springy to, though; then loaded it with the 20 metal tipped bolts Tee-one had made, and slipped it into the mechanism of the Ballista. Ren had used his Artisan skill the entire time, so the thing looked like it was made of solid gold. ¡°Isn''t that beautiful?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s shiny, that for sure.¡± Teepo said. ¡°And you didn''t even polish it.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Ren said, then polished it. When he was done, the Ballista gleamed in the reflected light from the open door of the forge room. Ren stored it, and smiled. ¡°I bet the Commander is going to be impressed.¡± ¡°If he can stop staring at it.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You''re giving them a weapon they''ve never seen before.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°They''ve seen it.¡± He said. ¡°It just wasn''t this big.¡± ¡°What do you want me to make next?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°How about you make a nice house for yourself?¡± Ren suggested. ¡°There''s lots of room behind the workshop.¡± He said. ¡°Just don''t build on Princess'' track.¡± ¡°I don''t need a house, Ren.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''m a Dedicated Servant Crafter. All I do is build.¡± ¡°That''s not true.¡± Ren said. ¡°You wouldn''t have weapon proficiency, otherwise.¡± Tee-one nodded slightly, and Ren handed him copies of the books he''d made. ¡°For now, build your knowledge.¡± Tee-one looked at Ren in surprise, then smiled. ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± ¡°I''ll see you in the morning.¡± Ren said, left the workshop, and went to the house. He went inside and touched the Sending Stone for the Main House. ¡°Hi, Ereka, this is Ren.¡± He said. ¡°Can you order a thousand more bolts of tight weave fabric tomorrow? Also, I haven''t talked to the people in the houses, but I''m thinking you should order furniture for them all. Tables, chairs, and beds, anything they would need.¡± Ren said. ¡°For yourself and Croggart, too.¡± ¡°You''re spending more money than you have coming in.¡± Ereka said. ¡°That''s not a good way to run things.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I expect to run at a deficit for about 3 years before turning any kind of profit from all of this.¡± Ereka laughed. ¡°You definitely have the deficit part down pat.¡± ¡°I never did see that sand.¡± Ren said. ¡°Was there a problem ordering it?¡± ¡°No. It should have been there by now.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°I better run down the road and try to find it.¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± She said. ¡°You enjoy your supper.¡± ¡°No you can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°You will not go out at night alone. Your brothers would never forgive me if anything happened to you.¡± ¡°I''m a big girl, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I can take care of myself.¡± ¡°I''m not questioning your abilities, I''m questioning your safety.¡± ¡°I walk home alone every night.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Well, almost every night.¡± She sighed. ¡°Okay, once. I actually sleep here on the couch, now.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I know it''s comfy, but you should sleep in a proper bed.¡± She nodded slightly, forgetting he couldn''t see her. ¡°I''ll go home soon.¡± ¡°And I''ll run down the road.¡± Ren said. ¡°Talk to you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said, then went into the kitchen and Nathalia and Narhilda sat at the table, waiting for him. ¡°I need to take a quick run down the road. If I don''t see anyone, I''ll be back in 10 minutes.¡± ¡°And if you do see someone?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°It''ll be 15 minutes.¡± ¡°How can you be sure?¡± ¡°Because no matter what happened, I''ll deal with it quickly and be back here to spend this time with you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren went to Nathalia and kissed her on the lips. ¡°I''ll be back before you know it.¡± He went to Narhilda and she looked at him expectantly. He smiled, took her hand and he bent over. Her face fell for an instant, as she assumed he was doing the normal greeting, then he kissed her cheek. ¡°Be right back.¡± He said, left the kitchen, then the house. * Narhilda sat there with shock on her face, then reached up and touched her cheek where Ren had kissed her. ¡°What is it?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°He... he made that an Honor ritual.¡± ¡°He WHAT?!?¡± ¡°He just gave me 50 Honor.¡± ¡°50? How in the...¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°He must have registered it.¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°I joked about it too much.¡± She said. ¡°He took it seriously.¡± * Ren ran down the road all the way to the city, and didn''t see anything. ¡°I thought for sure the cart would have broken down or something.¡± He said and turned around. He started to run back and Teepo hollered. ¡°On the RIGHT!¡± Ren rolled left, and ended on his hands and knees as several crossbow bolts whizzed by his head. He saw several dwarves get up out of small piles of dirt scattered by the road. He activated his Screaming Terror Ring and pointed it at them, then equipped his bodysuit and armor. Most of them started hollering and running around, and he concentrated on his Fear Aura. ¡°Behind you!¡± Teepo exclaimed, and Ren tried to roll out of the way, but a sword came down on his back and made a clang against the armor plate. Ren grunted from the impact and felt the sword slide off the armor. ¡°Another one!¡± Teepo said. Ren fell to his side and sprayed his assailants with his Water Spray ring. ¡°Ha.¡± One of the dwarfs said. ¡°Your little tricks won''t work.¡± He lifted the sword over his head and Ren kicked him in the groin. He let the sword go, and it fell onto his own shoulder and slid down his back. ¡°ArrggghhHH!¡± The dwarf screamed, and knelt as he tried to clutch his groin and shoulder at the same time. The other dwarf ignored this and swung a large maul at Ren''s head. Ren caught it, absorbed the impact, and used Iron Grip to crush the end. The dwarf let the mangled weapon go, and Ren threw it at his face. The dwarf was stunned immediately, and fell onto his back. His face was quite mangled from the crumpled metal. Ren stood up, smashed his fist into the other dwarf''s face, and heard bone crunch. The dwarf didn''t pass out, but he wasn''t trying to fight, either. ¡°Bolts!¡± Teepo said, and Ren took out his shield and turned to deflect them. He enchanted it with his Grip of the Earth enchantment, and it caught the bolts as they impacted the surface. He saw the 6 dwarves try to reload quickly, and Ren stood up to face them. Let''s see how they like a blast of light. Ren thought, and concentrated on the ruby enchanted with Illuminate runes he''d placed on his chest plate. Activate! A searing beam of red light, the size of Ren''s head, shot out and hit the closest dwarf in the arm. Ren had expected a bright flash and not a beam, but the result was something he hadn''t expected. The dwarf''s arm burst into flame and started to crisp immediately. ¡°AHHHHHH!!!¡± He screamed as he dropped to the ground and grabbed his arm, and screamed again when he did.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Whoa!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Turn your chest to the others, Ren!¡± Ren didn''t need to be told twice, and turned quickly to give each of the dwarves a taste of, what Ren assumed, must be a laser of some kind. He caught a couple of them in the face, and they fell to the ground clutching their faces. Ren got one in the chest, and the last 2 in the back. They all fell to the ground, and hollered in pain. He deactivated the beam, turned to the two dwarfs closest to him, and grabbed them by their clothing. Ren picked them up easily and carried them over to the 6 crossbowmen and dropped them in the middle. He proceeded to gather the others, and piled them together to tie them up. After searching them and removing their weapons, he didn''t find anything that said who had sent them. ¡°Who sent you?¡± Ren asked one of the burn victims. ¡°By the gods, man! Get us to a healer!¡± One of them exclaimed. ¡°As soon as you tell me who sent you.¡± ¡°We don''t know!¡± Another dwarf said. Ren sighed and took out his hammerpick. ¡°I''m getting tired of being ambushed.¡± Ren said. ¡°And just so you know, I only need one of you alive to question.¡± He lifted the hammerpick slowly over his head and aimed at one of their heads. ¡°Who''s first?¡± He started to swing. ¡°STOP!¡± One of the dwarfs shouted. ¡°Shut up!¡± Another dwarf said. ¡°They''ll kill us if we say anything!¡± ¡°Do you want to die later, or right now?¡± The dwarf asked. ¡°They didn''t tell us he was crazy!¡± ¡°Kill me!¡± The dwarf with the crisped arm said. ¡°By the gods, the pain is unbearable!¡± Ren took out a wand and pointed it at him. ¡°He''s really going to do it! Aahhhh!¡± One of them said, and tried to get away; but Ren had tied their feet and hands together, so the dwarf just rolled around on the ground as he couldn''t get away from his companions. Ren used the Minor Healing wand on the dwarf''s arm, and the dwarf sighed in relief. He used another 15 charges, and the arm looked a lot healthier. Ren shot a couple of Minor Healing spells at each of them, just to stop the constant moaning. ¡°It was House Lodur.¡± ¡°Ren! 20 feet to the left!¡± Teepo said, as a dwarf stood up and started to run away from them. Ren stored the hammerpick and wand, then took off after him. He caught up to the dwarf easily, and tackled him to the ground. Ren punched him in the lower back twice, right where his kidneys would be. He heard two low grunts and the dwarf gripped his sides. Ren picked him up easily and carried him back to the others. ¡°You know, I think I''m insulted.¡± Ren said and dropped the last dwarf in front of the tied up group. ¡°I single-handedly defeated an entire Battalion of troops, and this time they sent only 9 of you?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I really hope you aren''t an elite troop of fighters.¡± One of them laughed. ¡°We thought we were.¡± Ren tied the last dwarf up. ¡°Where''s the cart of sand?¡± ¡°The what?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°The cart of sand.¡± He said. ¡°The one you stopped to set up this ambush.¡± ¡°We told the driver the order was canceled.¡± Ren had been looking at the dwarves, and saw one of them wince. He picked up the dwarf who spoke, and dragged the others to half-stand with him. ¡°What. Did. You. Do.¡± Ren shook him, and the other dwarves were shaken as well. ¡°Nothing!¡± ¡°What part of ''I don''t need you all alive'', don''t you understand?¡± Ren growled at him, then turned towards the road and dragged the entire group behind him. He heard several of them beg for mercy as he easily pulled them onto the paving stones. Ren let the dwarf go and he fell to the road. ¡°I don''t like doing this.¡± Ren said. ¡°Fighting like this is stupid.¡± He knelt in front of the group. ¡°Apparently some of you don''t mind dying.¡± ¡°I don''t want to die.¡± One of them moaned. ¡°Then tell me what happened.¡± ¡°We stopped the cart, but the driver wouldn''t give it to us.¡± ¡°Tell me you didn''t...¡± ¡°It was him.¡± The dwarf motioned to the dwarf that Ren had dragged everyone behind. ¡°He was supposed to only tie the driver up.¡± ¡°The orders were ''no witnesses''.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°They meant for the assault, not for everyone we met.¡± Ren took a deep breath. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°About a hundred feet that way.¡± The other dwarf said, and pointed off the side of the road. Ren stood up and walked into the underbrush. * ¡°Okay, he''s gone. Let''s go!¡± ¡°How are we supposed to go anywhere like this?¡± ¡°Stand up and walk, you idiot.¡± ¡°Anyone got a knife?¡± * Ren ran for about a hundred feet, and found the cart. He slowed down when he saw the body, and fell to his knees as tears came to his eyes. The young woman was quite pretty, and at least her clothes were intact. Her lips were a dark blue, and he saw hand prints on the woman''s neck. Ren clenched his hands into fists and stood. He ran as fast as he could, and saw the group trying to walk away. He jumped in mid-air and kicked the dwarf closest to him with both feet, and hit him in the back. The dwarf smashed into the group and they fell to the ground in a heap. ¡°You.¡± Ren walked over to them. ¡°You killed that poor girl!¡± He grabbed two of them by the chest and picked them up. Since they were tied so closely together, he ended up picking them all up. Some of them yelled because the ropes cut into their bodies, but Ren didn''t care. He lifted them over his head, then let them drop onto the paving stones. He didn''t even feel bad for the ones on the bottom as their faces smashed into the stone. Ren heard bones break, and looked at the group. He found the dwarf that one of them had said did it, and grabbed him by the neck. ¡°How do you like it, you piece of scum?¡± Ren said and squeezed his hand. The dwarf choked and his eyes bulged out of his head as he stared at Ren. Ren stood up, dragged the dwarf with him, along with the others. ¡°I could break your neck so easily.¡± Ren said, to the dwarf''s shocked face. ¡°But I won''t, because you need to be alive for them to hang you.¡± Ren said and let the dwarf go. ¡°I hope you all enjoy your last few hours of life.¡± ¡°We didn''t kill her!¡± One of them said. ¡°You were there, and didn''t stop him.¡± Ren said. ¡°You also didn''t help her afterwards.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You left that poor girl out in the middle of nowhere.¡± ¡°We''d have told-¡± ¡°Who?¡± Ren said. ¡°Who would you tell that would bother to come out here and deal with this?¡± The dwarf closed his mouth. ¡°Exactly.¡± Ren said and took out the large cart he''d made. He picked up the tied up dwarves and tossed them in the back. He climbed in and tied them to the side of the cart, and hopped down. He went to the spot with the cart, and looked around. There was a bunch of tracks, so leaving her there to preserve the crime scene was pointless. He picked her up gently and took her to the road. He laid the body in the back, then sewed up a cushion for her to rest on, then put her on it. ¡°I hope you all can get a good look at her.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look at what greed and stupidity has done.¡± He walked around to the front of the large cart and made a handhold for himself. He sat down on the ground and wiped the tears away, then thought of Nathalia. ¡°My... My Lo... v... e...¡± Ren''s voice broke up as he tried to speak. ¡°I''m... I''m going to be a little later than I thought.¡± He said, and told her what had happened. ¡°I''m so sorry, Ren.¡± Nathalia said when he was finished. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I''m taking them to the Main Keep first, to get their identities and to register the crime; then I''m taking them to the Garrison.¡± ¡°If they really are one of the Garrison''s units...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°The Commander didn''t order this, though.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°They aren''t wearing their uniforms.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s against regulations to take it off, even while at home.¡± ¡°So that''s why you always wore it.¡± Nathalia said, then caught her breath. ¡°I''m sorry, I''m distracting you.¡± She said. ¡°Get going. You might catch them before they close the gates for the night.¡± ¡°The mood I''m in right now, I''ll just smash the gate down and go inside anyways.¡± He stood up and started pulling the cart. Once he had it moving, he picked up the speed and kept a good pace going. ¡°We''ll wait here for you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You can go to bed, My Love.¡± Ren said. ¡°This could take a while.¡± ¡°We''ll go to bed, but we''re still going to wait up.¡± She said. ¡°See you soon.¡± Ren ran through the main part of the city and along the main road towards the Main Keep. They arrived there 10 minutes later, and Ren pulled the cart right up to the gate. ¡°You can''t take that inside.¡± One of the guards said. Ren concentrated on his Command Aura, and connected his Screaming Terror ring. ¡°Open. The. Gate.¡± Ren said through gritted teeth. ¡°These men murdered a young woman, and I am taking them to face justice.¡± ¡°Only Jogloch did. We were only there.¡± One of them said. The guard went around and saw the bundle of men in the back, and froze as he saw the young woman''s body, laid out regally on a soft cushion. ¡°Open the GATE!¡± The guard yelled, and the gate was opened. The guard escorted Ren and the cart inside, and people leaving the Main Keep stepped aside, and gasped as they saw what was in the back. The main doors of the Keep were opened as the guard and Ren approached them, and Ren pulled the cart into the lobby. Everyone stood still as they saw a sight they never thought they''d see, a large cart in the lobby, that hauled the body of a young woman and her killers. ¡°Get the Scroll Mage.¡± The guard said to the receptionist before she could state the departments. She touched a Sending Stone and asked for the Scroll Mage to come to the lobby right away. The guard turned to Ren. ¡°Her main ability is Identifier.¡± He explained. ¡°She can''t remember any spells at all because she knows all of this information and there''s no room for anything else.¡± ¡°So she uses scrolls for everything.¡± The guard nodded slightly. ¡°She even has a scribe to keep writing her spells out for her.¡± Ren took the opportunity to give the guard all of the weapons and things his assailants had on them, and a minute later, he saw the Scroll Mage come down the hallway on the right side of the lobby. She was 4 feet, 5 inches tall, and had a 4 foot tall girl following her. ¡°What is it?¡± The Scroll Mage asked, and the guard had a tear in his eye. ¡°A young woman''s body, and her killers.¡± The Scroll Mage gasped, and ran around the cart. ¡°Oh, no!¡± She said, and hugged the body. ¡°Poor, poor Gellian. Her father is going to be devastated.¡± She looked into the pile of men tied in the back. ¡°Jogloch! You are a horrible man! She hadn''t even gone for her training yet!¡± ¡°See? We didn''t kill her.¡± ¡°Ren is right! You were there! You didn''t stop him, or even object when it happened!¡± Ren saw the scribe writing everything down. ¡°Ask who told them to attack me.¡± ¡°It was the Lord of House Lodur, the piece of garbage.¡± The Scroll Mage said to Ren. ¡°Your book brought to light how corrupt the Council has been, and he wanted to get back at you the only way he could.¡± She looked back at the men. ¡°You''re not going to get away with saying the orders were illegal and you weren''t at fault.¡± She said. ¡°You all knew exactly what you were doing.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It was all for only a few platinum coins.¡± Everyone gasped. ¡°Her life was worth a lot more than a few measly platinum coins.¡± Ren said, and held the tears back. ¡°It definitely was.¡± The Scroll Mage said. ¡°She was a member of the Royal Family.¡± Everyone froze, and the men in the cart started to plead for mercy and their innocence. ¡°Shut up!¡± The guard said. ¡°You hurt us with all of your lies!¡± He turned to Ren. ¡°Tell us what happened.¡± Ren glanced at the Scroll Mage, who smiled, and Ren told the story of what happened, and how he came to find the body. ¡°If I had come across that scene...¡± The Scroll Mage put a hand on Ren''s arm. ¡°...I''d have killed them and not thought twice about it.¡± ¡°I wanted to.¡± Ren said. ¡°By the gods, I wanted to grind them into the dirt!¡± He exclaimed, then took a deep breath. ¡°But if I did that, then there wouldn''t be an end to them coming after me... or justice for Gellian.¡± ¡°There will be both justice and an end; for these men and for the Lord of House Lodur.¡± She said. ¡°You have seen to that.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and put a hand on her hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Don''t thank me for this.¡± She waved at the mess in front of them. ¡°This is going to shake the very foundation of our culture.¡± Ren nodded slightly again. ¡°Exposing the corruption of the Council was easy, compared to this.¡± The Scroll Mage whispered into her scribe''s ear, and the scribe took out a fresh piece of parchment and wrote something on it. She rolled it up, sealed it, and handed it to the Scroll Mage. The scribe wrote something else on another piece of parchment, and handed it to the Scroll Mage as well. ¡°Give this to Lady Neram.¡± The Scroll Mage said, and handed Ren the sealed scroll. ¡°It will destroy itself if anyone but her opens it.¡± Ren stored it and the Scroll Mage handed Ren the second piece of parchment. It was a Spell of Major Healing. ¡°You''re going to need that.¡± She said, and turned to the cart. ¡°You can leave the cart and it''s contents here.¡± ¡°Shouldn''t I...¡± She shook her head. ¡°The Garrison isn''t equipped to handle this.¡± ¡°Ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I will leave this in your more than capable hands.¡± ¡°No, I can''t give you any more spells.¡± ¡°You sound like...¡± ¡°I''m not a Sage.¡± She said and walked over to him. ¡°I''m an Identifier. I can identify everything.¡± She leaned in close and whispered. ¡°Prince Charming, the Father of Fire.¡± Ren''s eyes widened, and she stepped back. ¡°This situation will be dealt with.¡± The Scroll Mage said. ¡°If you will excuse me.¡± Ren said, and bowed slightly. He heard several gasps, and ignored them. ¡°It was a pleasure meeting you.¡± She said, as Ren walked away. * The Scroll Mage smiled. ¡°It was quite a pleasure indeed.¡± She turned to the guard. ¡°Get the shackles.¡± * Ren left the Main Keep and walked out through the gate. Once he was on the road, he ran for all that he was worth. Teepo didn''t say anything, though. Ren didn''t stop at the spot where the cart of sand was, but continued to run home to House Neram. Chapter 157 - Fire Bad! Ren barely acknowledged the guard as he went through the gate to House Neram Keep. He locked it and went inside the house, then checked the baby fire elemental. It was 5 inches across now, and Ren smiled as he made some more crumpled squares of Spider Silk Cloth to put in the pen. He opened the message system and sent a message to Elerlyth about meeting early, then went to the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat. Ren went to the old bedroom, and Nathalia and Narhilda watched him enter the room. He stored his armor and bodysuit, then crawled into the bed between them. ¡°It''s okay, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You can let it out, now.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I can''t.¡± He said and looked at her. ¡°I have to hold it in.¡± ¡°We''re here for you.¡± Narhilda said as their Auras merged. ¡°We can handle it.¡± Ren chuckled as a tear came to his eye. ¡°If I can''t handle it, how are you going to?¡± He hugged them close. ¡°I''ll suffer until I can get a hold of Elerlyth.¡± ¡°How can she handle what we can''t?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren smiled. ¡°I don''t think she can handle it either; but, at least she can absorb as much of it as she can.¡± ¡°You shouldn''t let it eat you up inside.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°It wasn''t your fault.¡± ¡°Tell that to Gellian.¡± Ren said, then took out the scroll the Scroll Mage had given him. ¡°The Scroll Mage gave me this to give to you.¡± Narhilda''s eyes widened. ¡°Why would she...¡± She took it and put it on the small table by the bed. ¡°I''ll look at it in the morning.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren started to say, and she shook her head. ¡°I can''t do anything about it until then, no matter what it is.¡± She snuggled down into the bed and onto Ren''s chest, and Nathalia did the same on his other side. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren felt their auras fade and he sighed as he rubbed their backs, then drifted off to sleep. ******** Barbara stared at the television screen. ¡°Did he just crawl into bed with 2 women?¡± She glanced at his still form in the bed. ¡°You''re becoming quite the Casanova.¡± She looked back at the screen. ¡°I just hope it doesn''t bite you in the ass.¡± ******** It had taken Talon all day to contact everyone involved; but since he didn''t know their game IDs, he couldn''t just message them. He had to rely on relays and message drop off points. Talon finally tracked the last guy down and sighed as he left the house. ¡°I''m the Shadow Weaver, I shouldn''t have to do all this work out in the open.¡± He said, and walked down the alley behind the house. A beggar came over to him. ¡°Spare a coin, mister?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Talon said, and reached to his side. He took out a gold coin, and the beggar''s eyes lit up. Talon held it up high, and the beggar pretended to reach for it; unfortunately, he had ignored Talon''s other hand, and a dagger appeared in it. He slit the beggar''s throat, and the beggar gagged. ¡°Damn, I keep forgetting that doesn''t work all the time.¡± Talon said and jammed the dagger into the beggar''s heart. The body collapsed to the ground and Talon waited for it to dissolve. He picked up the several gold coins, a helmet, and a shadow marker. ¡°Some mother-fucker''s always trying to ice-skate uphill.¡± Talon said, and left the alley. ******** Gloria was exhausted. She''d had to stay late to finish a rush job, and didn''t get home until nearly midnight. She got out of the shower, wrapped herself in a big towel, and dried her hair with another one. She went into her room and checked her computer, and saw she''d missed an email. She opened it and stared at it''s contents. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± She said. ¡°They can''t!¡± She typed furiously, and checked her other contacts. It didn''t take long, and she found out it was true. ¡°I wasn''t going to log in tonight.¡± She sighed. ¡°I guess I have to, now.¡± She stayed in the big towel, sat back on her recliner, and picked up her VR headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Elerlyth woke up on her bed, and blinked at all of the in-game messages. ¡°Damn, everyone wants me to work.¡± She flipped through them quickly, deleted some without reading them, and hit one from Emanon. She read it and sighed. ¡°Why would they hit the starter city?¡± She asked, then her eyes widened as she saw the message from Ren. ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°It can''t be because of him!¡± She read Ren''s message, and her heart pained. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elerlyth sent a reply, but didn''t expect a response until morning. She got out of bed and gathered her things, checked herself in the sitting table mirror, and left her little cottage. I hope I can get there before it starts! She thought as she ran through the woods. * Ren woke up when he got Elerlyth''s message, and Teepo told him he''d only been in bed for an hour. He gently moved the two women off of him, slid down the bed between them, and out from under the blanket onto the floor. Sometimes I''m sorry they are such heavy sleepers. Ren thought and put on his Travelling Clothes and Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. He used Sneak to leave the bedroom and went down the hallway. He went into the kitchen and gathered some of the pastries, and a pile of normal food. He left a note on the kitchen table and put more food into the baby fire elemental''s pen. Once those tasks were done, he went out of the house and into the stable. ¡°Hi, Riley. Hi, Stacy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to need Princess for a while.¡± He went over to them and pat their heads. ¡°Guard the front door of the house.¡± They nodded slightly and went out to stand on either side of the front door of the house. ¡°Princess.¡± Ren said and put some food in her bowl. ¡°I need a ride to the warehouse again.¡± ...about... time... She thought as she ate the food. Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I haven''t seen Elerlyth in a while.¡± Princess huffed and Ren stored her crate and bowl, then led her into the courtyard to hook her to the cart. ¡°I better drop some things off.¡± Ren said and went back into the stable to unload the 16 crates of uncut diamond crystals. When he came back out, he went to the guard dogs. ¡°Open.¡± The guard dogs opened their mouths and Ren knelt. He took out a Fireball wand and slid it into Stacy''s mouth and it clicked into place at the back of her throat. He did the same thing to Riley, but with a Minor Healing wand instead. That slight modification he''d made to their design worked like a charm. ¡°Close¡± Ren said, and the dogs closed their mouths. ¡°Stacy, you''re the offense if it''s needed. Defend the house and the women inside.¡± She nodded and Ren looked at Riley. ¡°Riley, you''re the support. Your main purpose is to heal Stacy and anyone else that needs it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Defend.¡± He growled slightly, and Ren smiled. ¡°Yes, you can still attack when it''s necessary.¡± He pat them on the head again, then led Princess to the gate and opened it. ¡°Hello, Broxor. I''ll be gone for a while. Probably all night and some of tomorrow.¡± Ren said as he passed by. ¡°Standard orders.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Broxor said, as he shut and locked the gate. ¡°No one in or out.¡± Ren nodded slightly and climbed into the driver''s seat of the cart. ¡°Okay.¡± Princess trotted down the road a little, then took off running. * Half an hour later, a fist pounded on Ren''s business door in Aurora. ¡°Open up, you little shit!¡± Selene, the Mistress of Dance shouted. It had cost her quite a bit of money, and a date with her contact at the television station, to find out who had the new show contract. She remembered what it was like to kiss the lowly worker, and nearly gagged again. It tasted like I licked the inside of an ashtray! Selene shivered at the thought. I would have just flashed him my chest if I''d known. She banged on the door again. In fact, I can still taste it! She stepped away from the door. Wait a minute. I shouldn''t taste that in here. A puff of smoke passed by her and her party members, and she looked around. ¡°What''s going on?¡± She asked the 6 people with her, and a few of them shrugged. ¡°Well, don''t just stand there!¡± She nearly shouted at them. ¡°Go and see what it is!¡± One of them laughed. ¡°By the smell and the smoke, I''d say it''s a fire.¡± ¡°Why would anyone have a fire here?¡± She asked. ¡°We''re in the middle of a city.¡± ¡°Maybe it''s a cookout?¡± One of them suggested, and sniffed the air. ¡°I think I can smell bacon.¡± * Elerlyth was thankful that Hailey still had the cart and horse hidden for her. Even though she''d paid her to take care of them, Hailey wasn''t a big believer in animal rights in games. Elerlyth snorted. Neither was I, until I started hanging around Ren. She thought. He cares so much about everything, that you can''t help but care about things yourself. She flicked the reins to egg the horse on. I should be there soon, Ren.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. * Talon headed out across the countryside. He wanted to be well away before the raid parties moved in. Hitting everywhere at once is a big deal. He thought. There''s no way I want to be associated with it, even though it was my idea. He slipped into another shadow and jumped another 50 feet forward. He had never gotten used to the feeling of disconnection as he stepped between places like that, but the ability itself was the best thing he''d ever seen. * Ren arrived at the warehouse and unhooked Princess from the cart, and led her inside. He took out her crate and she got inside. He put her bowl down and dropped a few pastries in it. ...heaven... Ren pat her neck and left her to enjoy them. He went upstairs and opened the cabinet to step through the portal. ¡°I''ll summon you as soon as I''m on the other side, Teepo.¡± Ren said, then Teepo dissolved into the ring. He stepped through the portal and summoned Teepo, then heard banging on the front door. Ren ran out of the apartment and down the stairs. That can''t be Elerlyth. Ren thought as he went to the door. She has a key! Teepo slipped out through the space under the doorway. ¡°It''s a group of 7 people, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I don''t know who they are, but there''s smoke everywhere.¡± ¡°Please!¡± *cough* *cough* ¡°Open the door!¡± *cough* ¡°I''ll forgive you!¡± I''ll have to take the chance with my Trouble recipe. Ren thought as he opened the door, and Selene and her party scrambled inside. He shut the door to stop any more smoke from coming in. The group coughed and bent over, then sat down on the floor. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ren asked, as they huddled together. ¡°Everything''s on fire!¡± Selene said in a raspy voice, then coughed several times. ¡°I''ve been banging on your door for nearly 20 minutes!¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just got here.¡± ¡°You just... oh my god! You have a portal!¡± ¡°Business owner only.¡± He said immediately. ¡°I''ll buy your business!¡± She said, then coughed. ¡°I''ve got 20 platinum on me, but I can get more if I log out first.¡± ¡°It cost 50 platinum just for the building.¡± Ren said, then laughed at her surprised expression. ¡°It was double that for the portal.¡± ¡°How... how long will it take you to pay the bank back after borrowing so much?¡± Ren looked at her with his head tilted slightly to the side. ¡°There''s a bank?¡± Selene''s mouth dropped open, and she stared at Ren like she''d never seen him before; then she started coughing and retching. Ren took out a wand of Minor Healing and used up the last of it''s charges on the group. They all visibly relaxed as their coughing fits stopped. He stored the empty wand, and reached for the door handle. ¡°Stay here.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a Safe Zone.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± One of the group said. ¡°Dying is one thing, but burning to death is not something I want to experience.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Another one said. ¡°Wait!¡± Selene said. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°To fight the fire.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± She asked. ¡°I don''t see you carrying a fire hose!¡± Ren lifted his fist and smiled. ¡°I''ve got one right here.¡± He opened the door and stepped out into the thick smoke, and shut the door behind him. He took out a piece of cloth and tied it around his face; then equipped his full plate armor. Let''s go, Teepo! Ren thought, then ran off in search of the closest fire. * ¡°Oh, no!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I''m too late!¡± She had just come out of the thick forest near the West Gate, and saw all the billowing smoke that covered nearly half of the city. She drove the horse and cart into the trees and tied the horse to a nearby branch. She did a messy job of trying to cover the cart with loose branches, then ran for the gate on foot. When she was close enough, she saw several groups of people waiting to go inside, and she snuck closer. * ¡°It won''t be long now.¡± One of the men said. ¡°I can''t wait to get my hands on some of the loot!¡± ¡°You idiot.¡± A man next to him said. ¡°This is the starter city. I doubt there''s a platinum coin among them.¡± The man frowned. ¡°Then why are you here?¡± The other man laughed. ¡°I wanna see it all burn.¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± The leader of the group said. ¡°We all have our reasons to be here.¡± ¡°Money.¡± ¡°Jiggly Puff.¡± ¡°Jiggly Puff.¡± ¡°Jiggly Puff.¡± ¡°Horse.¡± Everyone turned to look at the guy. ¡°What? I want a horse.¡± He looked at the staring faces. ¡°To ride.¡± The men kept staring, and he sighed. ¡°On it''s back, you sick fucks.¡± * Elerlyth slipped by them and no one noticed her. She went through the gate and saw that the smoke covered a good portion of what she could see. I hope you get here soon, Ren. She thought as she tied a piece of cloth around her face, then moved into the thick smoke. * Is there anyone inside, Teepo? Ren asked, as he grabbed onto another burning building and absorbed the fire. His Mana Pool was almost full, and he used his Fire Manipulation ability to draw the fire to him.
Stat Change!
Fire Manipulation Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
I expect that to go up a lot tonight. Ren thought, as he absorbed more of the fire. ¡°Ren, there''s someone in here. Second floor. First room. There''s lots of fire and she''s... you better hurry.¡± Ren took out his hammerpick and used the plow side to swipe at the wall. By the sound of Teepo''s voice, he didn''t have the time to look for the door. Ren pushed through the damaged wall easily and saw the stairs, then ran up them to the spot Teepo had said. Ren walked through the flames and absorbed them. He found the woman huddled in the corner, with her arms over her head. Her skin was burned and mangled, and she cried softly. Ren took out the empty wand and used nearly all of his Mana Pool to fill it with Major Healing spells. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said to the frightened woman, and knelt in front of her. ¡°I won''t let the fire hurt you.¡± He used the Major Healing wand on her several times, and her arms healed. She gasped, and dropped her arms. ¡°Am I dead?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, just healed.¡± ¡°Where did the fire go?¡± She asked, and looked around the room. ¡°It blocked me in here and I couldn''t escape.¡± ¡°I took care of it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you stand?¡± She nodded and Ren held out a hand to help her stand. ¡°I can smell smoke! It''s still on fire!¡± She almost shouted, and Ren nodded as he pat her hand. ¡°I came in here because you needed my help first.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll take care of the rest of the fire right now.¡± She watched as Ren left the room and he absorbed the fire. Everything was damaged, but at least it wasn''t burned away and could be repaired or replaced. He went back up the stairs to her, and saw she was standing there, in shock. ¡°It''s all gone now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know!¡± She exclaimed and started crying again. ¡°I lost everything!¡± Ren took her hand and led her out of the room. ¡°I meant the fire.¡± He said. ¡°Your home seems a little crispy, but it''s still standing, so that can be fixed.¡± She marveled at how little actual damage there was. ¡°How... how...¡± ¡°Let''s get you to a Safe Zone first.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can worry about everything else later.¡± * Elerlyth ran for all that she was worth towards Ren''s business. She saw one of the street torches fall over, and the fire jumped across the street and lit another house on fire. She jumped over the fallen post and ran up the street. She took the corner and was surprised to see that even though there was smoke everywhere, none of the buildings in the Artesian District were on fire. Elerlyth pushed that thought aside and ran over to Ren''s place. She opened the door and was greeted by 15 people standing in the main room. ¡°Are you the... no, just another refugee.¡± A man said and sat down on the floor. ¡°I hope the soldiers get here, soon. I''m starving.¡± ¡°You just ate!¡± A woman standing near him said. ¡°If that boy hadn''t saved us...¡± ¡°What boy?¡± Elerlyth asked the woman. ¡°That cute blond-haired boy.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°He brought us here and gave us something to eat.¡± ¡°Where did he go?¡± ¡°He''s out fighting the fire.¡± Selene said and rolled her eyes. ¡°I can''t believe how stupid he is, risking his life like that, and only for...¡± She looked around at the people, and stepped close to whisper to Elerlyth. ¡°They''re only NPCs. Why would he do that?¡± ¡°For the same reason he let you in here.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°He doesn''t want to see anyone die needlessly.¡± Selene looked at Elerlyth like she was crazy. ¡°I could understand that for the players.¡± She said. ¡°But... aren''t the others easily replaceable?¡± Elerlyth snorted. ¡°Has anyone opened Mitchell''s shop yet? No? Was he easily replaceable, then?¡± Selene closed her mouth, and Elerlyth turned to go back outside. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I need to find him.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°He needs to know what''s going on.¡± ¡°Just stand here for a few minutes.¡± Selene said. ¡°He brings another one every few min-¡± The door opened and Ren led a man inside. ¡°I know it''s a little crowded, but it''s the only Safe Zone I own.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed and took him into a tight hug. Their armor clanged together and Ren chuckled. ¡°That feels really weird with the both of us in armor.¡± Ren said as he hugged her back. ¡°I''m glad you made it.¡± ¡°I came as fast as I could.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You need to know something about all of this.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and she kissed it. Several people gasped, and Selene stood there with shock on her face. ¡°I knew something must be going on.¡± Ren said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It''s a Fire Sale.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°You know. A fire sale. As in, ''everything must go''.¡± ¡°By the gods, are you serious?¡± Ren said. ¡°Who... who would do that to these poor people?¡± ¡°I don''t know who ordered it, but there''s several groups of looters waiting outside the West Gate.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I can only assume that there''s more at the North and South gates, too.¡± ¡°Dammit, I can''t fight the fire and save people, and fight the looters at the same time!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°There''s only one of me!¡± ¡°There might only be one of you...¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°...but you aren''t alone.¡± Ren''s eyes widened for a moment, and then he smiled. ¡°Oh, you are brilliant!¡± Ren said and kissed her. Several more gasps were heard, and Elerlyth reveled in the feelings of joy and appreciation Ren poured into her. Good god, he''s so happy! She thought as they kept kissing and she fed. They stayed like that for a minute, until they heard someone cough. ¡°Ahem.¡± Selene said. ¡°You apparently have an idea?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ren said, after breaking the kiss. ¡°I, as the owner of a business in danger, hereby grant a Quest.¡± Selene''s mouth dropped open again. ¡°I task you to defeat the hooligans that plan on looting the city, while the fire is being dealt with.¡± Ren said, as he got a popup. He typed furiously for a minute, then the popup closed. ¡°You will earn XP and gold for every looter that you defeat, regardless of if you die or not.¡± The players gathered together gasped. ¡°We always lose XP and money for dying!¡± ¡°Not this time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know if you can get back here in time if you do have to respawn.¡± He walked over to the middle of the floor and placed a hand on it. A large glowing circle appeared on the floor, and was covered in ancient writing. ¡°This is a temporary spawn point, and is only valid for 2 days.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll even add a Running Quest, so that if the fire event part is over, you can still earn XP and gold for tracking down the looters later.¡± ¡°Geezus, can he do that?¡± One of the players asked. ¡°It''s his quest, man. I think he''s got a lot of leeway here.¡± ¡°Yes, before you ask, it scales. The more you defeat, the more you make.¡± Two of the players high-fived each other. ¡°Do not kill innocents or townspeople.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or an equal amount of XP and money will be forfeit.¡± ¡°No random killing. Got it.¡± One of the men said and took out his sword. ¡°I''m not that high of a level, but I''m sure I''ll take one or two of the looters with me.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°That''s the spirit.¡± He said then looked around. ¡°Who''s going to accept the Quest?¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± One of them said. ¡°You mean it''s just us? No one else will get a piece?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Right. It''s all yours.¡± He said. ¡°This is a Special Quest, only for those present.¡± ¡°Oh, man. This is going to be sweet!¡± Another popup appeared, and Ren watched as 10 players joined the quest. He looked at Selene, and she sighed. ¡°Yes, I''ll do it.¡± The popup closed and Ren concentrated on his Command Aura as he grinned. ¡°Quest runners! Line up!¡± They did so, and Ren repaired all of their equipment and clothing. ¡°Good lord, you can repair everything!¡± One girl said, surprised. Ren chuckled. ¡°As a bonus for this Quest, I grant you a sword and a shield, to use in my name.¡± He went to each person and offered them a sword and a shield, and enchanted them with a glyph of the House Neram crest and 3 Antidark runes. Ren activated the enchantments, then spoke. ¡°Set your spawn point, and go out there to make those looters pay for doing this to you and the city!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± They set their spawn point, and filed out of the front door. ¡°Ren.¡± Selene said and held out the shield. ¡°I can''t use this.¡± ¡°Oh! Right.¡± Ren said and stored it. ¡°Sorry, I forgot.¡± He took out another sword, enchanted and activated it, and handed it to her. ¡°I... I wasn''t asking for...¡± ¡°I can''t let you go out there with only one new sword.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Plus, I expect everyone to sell them afterwards.¡± ¡°I can almost guarantee it for my party.¡± Selene laughed. ¡°They can''t seem to keep their hands on nice things when they get them.¡± Ren held the door open for her. ¡°Do me proud.¡± Selene glanced at Elerlyth, then looked Ren up and down. ¡°I''ll think about it.¡± She said and went out into the night. ¡°Why didn''t you accept the quest?¡± Ren asked Elerlyth as they stepped out into the street. ¡°I''m staying right by your side.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You need someone to watch your back once the looting starts.¡± Ren put a hand on the side of her face. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I felt some of those wonderful emotions of yours.¡± Elerlyth said and smiled. ¡°You''re really enjoying the whole hero thing.¡± ¡°I can''t help it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Helping people is awesome!¡± ¡°Then let''s keep going.¡± Elerlyth said and took his hand. ¡°There''s a whole city for you to help.¡± Ren grinned and they ran down the street, hand-in-hand, to find someone else to help. Chapter 158 - Youre Mine ¡°Do you think this is good enough?¡± One of the players asked. ¡°I can barely see, what do you think everyone else is going to see?¡± ¡°Then it''s good enough for me.¡± ¡°Go! Go! GO!¡± The leader of the group said. ¡°The soldiers are fighting the fire! GO!¡± The looters entered the city in a group, hoping their overwhelming numbers would discourage any resistance; unfortunately for them, they didn''t realize there would be armed resistance. ¡°FIRE!¡± Someone shouted. ¡°Of course there''s fire, you idiots! We started i-Gurglll.¡± His words were cut off by an arrow in the throat, and several others were hit in the chest and arms. ¡°Take cover!¡± Someone else shouted, and the group of looters scattered around the surrounding buildings; which was exactly what Selene had planned. Two of the men ran a little ways away from the main group. ¡°Geezus! Who''s firing at us? The soldiers are supposed to be on the other side of the city fighting the fire!¡± ¡°They are.¡± A woman''s voice said, and ran the looter through the chest with the sword Ren had given her. ¡°Holy shit! You killed Mark!¡± The other man said, then didn''t speak again as a sword was jammed into his mouth. Selene pulled the swords free from her targets, then looked at the blades. ¡°Well, damn. I''m going to have to thank him for giving me two of them.¡± She looted the bodies, and turned to the alley behind her. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Three players followed her into the smoke to wreak as much havoc on the looters as they could. * Ren ignored the Influence, Honor, and XP gain popups he was getting. ¡°Good god, Ren!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed when she saw Ren absorb the fire trying to crawl across the street. ¡°Where the hell did you get that ability?!?¡± ¡°It''s a long story.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or a short one, depending on your perspective.¡± She looked at him with raised eyebrows. ¡°I''m a little too busy to explain right now.¡± Ren said as he crashed through the door into another burning building. * ¡°Hey, where''s Kevin?¡± ¡°How would I know?¡± A man said as he used his sword to chop at the door to a shop in the Market District. ¡°I''m not his mother.¡± The other man sighed. ¡°He''s supposed to be watching our backs.¡± ¡°Maybe he found something to break this stupid door down.¡± The man said, as his sword bounced off the door again. ¡°Dammit, why isn''t this working?¡± A dark figure came around the corner. ¡°It''s because the businesses are protected.¡± He said, and swung his sword at the sword the other man held. He knocked it away easily and the man backed up. ¡°Hey, man.¡± The looter said, then glanced at his companion. ¡°I''m just looking for... geez, don''t just stand there! Attack him!¡± His companion was startled for a moment, then took a fighting stance. He swung his sword and it was easily deflected by the shield the dark figure held. ¡°I barely felt that.¡± The dark figure said. ¡°This shield is great.¡± The man swung again, and the dark figure parried it, turned to the side to expose his opponent''s unguarded side, and jabbed with the sword into his gut. The man grunted, and dropped his sword. The dark figure pulled out his sword and swung it up and across the man''s chest as the man bent over, slicing him from his abdomen to his shoulder. The body fell to the ground, and the unarmed man turned and started to run; right into the low level fighter''s outstretched sword. The man looked down at seeing himself impaled, then collapsed to the ground. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± The low level fighter asked. ¡°Loot them.¡± ¡°No way!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°We can do that?¡± ¡°We killed them, didn''t we?¡± The dark figure said as the body below him dissolved and he picked up a couple of gold coins and a sword. ¡°That''s so cool.¡± The low level fighter looked down and saw 5 gold coins and a pair of high quality boots. ¡°Hey, I got more gold than you.¡± He said. ¡°Are we splitting?¡± The dark figure shook his head. ¡°You keep what you kill.¡± ¡°Dude, you rock.¡± The low level fighter picked up the money and then equipped the boots. ¡°These are awesome!¡± He said. ¡°My Stamina just went up! Why would he loot if he already had such great boots?¡± The dark figure laughed. ¡°He probably looted them from somewhere.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The low level fighter said. ¡°Do I have to give them back?¡± ¡°Who would you give them back to?¡± The dark figure asked. ¡°He wouldn''t tell you where he got them, even if he was still alive.¡± The low level fighter looked at him. ¡°Come on.¡± The dark figure said. ¡°There''s more fun to be had.¡± * The more looters Selene dispatched, the more she liked her new swords. They are so light! She thought as she did a pirouette and easily sliced the head off of a looter. But they cut like a broadsword! She ran after one of the fleeing looters and skipped off the side of a building to lunge at his back, driving both swords through him. She stood up and dragged the body to a kneeling position, slid her swords out, and the man grunted. She smiled as she crossed the swords on his neck, then pulled quickly to decapitate the body. Yes, I am definitely going to thank him. Selene thought and flicked the blades out to the sides. She looted the body and ran down an alley, as she''d heard a commotion on the next street. She had ordered the ones following her to keep going as she dealt with the scouts. At least, she assumed they were scouts. The looters seemed to be organized at first, but now it was more like a skirmish fight. Selene smiled. She was at her best in a skirmish fight. * ¡°Thanks for letting me come along.¡± The low level fighter said as they crept down an alley. The dark figure chuckled. ¡°If it comes down to it, I''ll use you as bait to draw them out.¡± The low level fighter laughed. ¡°Hey, I''ve already killed 3 more than I ever thought I would.¡± He said. ¡°I''m just running on pure luck right now!¡± ¡°I''d say these swords and shields have something to do with that.¡± ¡°They sure do!¡± The low level fighter said. ¡°I don''t know where he got them, but I''m sure he could have sold them for a lot.¡± He said. ¡°Instead of giving them to us, that is.¡± The dark figure examined the sword. They are worth a lot. He thought. Why would he just give such treasures away? * ¡°There''s another one.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Coming down the street on the left.¡± ¡°Teepo says left.¡± Ren said to Elerlyth and she disappeared in the smoke. He heard a muffled yell, and Elerlyth came back to his side. ¡°They''re definitely getting into the heart of the city now.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Are you sure you want to keep bringing people back to your place?¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Ren nodded. ¡°It really is the only place I know that''s both safe, and not on fire.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Not on fire, I mean.¡± ¡°The businesses are protected from things like that.¡± Ren said as they finally got back to the Artesian District. ¡°It''s automatic, and not even an option to turn on or off.¡± Elerlyth frowned. ¡°Then how are they going to loot things?¡± Ren sighed as he put another rescued person inside his business. ¡°The businesses are protected, but none of the other buildings are.¡± He said. ¡°Neither are the people.¡± Elerlyth gasped. ¡°You don''t mean...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Even if they only had a single gold each... if you kill a thousand people...¡± ¡°Those bastards!¡± Ren grinned as took her into a hug, and their armor clanged again. ¡°Is that a glimmer of good I see?¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh. ¡°I just don''t want this place to become a ghost town.¡± ¡°We''d better go to the mansion next.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure a lot of people might have headed there.¡± ¡°You''ll never get them all back here.¡± ¡°I want to see if they have room for anyone else we may rescue.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I can''t fit anyone else inside.¡± They ran down the 2 blocks to the main street that went out through the West Gate, and Teepo told them to stop before they got to the intersection. Ren and Elerlyth peeked around the corner of the building. ¡°Holy crap.¡± Ren whispered, as he saw nearly 2 dozen looters coming down the street. Teepo flew down the street and past the mansion. ¡°They''re a block away from the town square.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s full of townspeople.¡± ¡°Teepo says the town square is full of people.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can''t let the looters get there.¡± ¡°Ren, I know I told you that you weren''t alone; but, even I can''t handle fighting that many people at once.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°We won''t have to.¡± He said. ¡°Walk in front of me until I tell you to stop.¡± Elerlyth looked at him for a moment, then nodded and walked out from around the corner of the building. Ren followed close behind her. ¡°The middle of the street.¡± Ren whispered. Elerlyth moved to the middle of the street and kept walking. Several looters noticed her coming and stopped to look at her. When she got beside the mansion, Ren spoke. ¡°Stop here.¡± He said, and waited until a large puff of smoke provided a suitable cover, and took out his demonstration project for the dwarf army. ¡°Boy, are they going to be surprised.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°I''m just standing here.¡± ¡°I''m sure that''s quite a surprise for them.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I meant this.¡± Elerlyth turned around and froze. ¡°What the HELL is THAT?!?¡± She exclaimed as she saw the 15 foot wide artillery weapon. ¡°It''s an Automatic Ballista.¡± Ren said, and she stared at him. ¡°I built it to show the dwarf army, but I guess I can demonstrate it here instead.¡± ¡°REN!¡± ¡°You''d better step aside.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your hollering got their attention.¡± She hopped to the side and turned around to see the looters had started to run toward them with weapons drawn. ¡°I''ve only got 24 shots.¡± Ren said, and lifted the back of the Ballista to look through the sights. ¡°You might not want to see this.¡± He said, and pulled the trigger. The first 6 foot bolt shot out and flew across the 3 block distance in an instant and hit one of the looters in the chest, skewered him, and the man behind him, and the next man''s arm, and then slammed into a building, holding them off of the ground. The looters froze at the sight, but Ren didn''t give them time to respond and traversed the Ballista across the front of the group to let 8 more bolts skewer the looters. When he was done, there was no one left standing. He dismissed the popups for the XP gains without looking at them. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You just... oh my god!¡± ¡°Well, it works.¡± Ren said, then heard several cheers. He stored the Ballista and turned to the side and saw several soldiers staring at him, and a lot more townspeople yelling their thanks. Ren waved to them, and ran over to the carnage he had willingly unleashed. He looted the bodies, and dislodged the bolts from the buildings and ground they were stuck in. He repaired the tips and stored them to load back into the Ballista when he got the chance. ¡°Hello, Ren.¡± Lara, the Sage of Ages said as she came through the crowd. ¡°Sage of Ages.¡± Ren said, and bowed slightly to her. ¡°You''re spending too much time in the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± Lara said, and bowed slightly back to him. ¡°It''s affecting your normal behavior.¡± ¡°It''s nice to see you, too.¡± Ren smiled, then asked what had been bugging him. ¡°Why don''t they have everyone inside the mansion?¡± He asked. ¡°There''s more than enough room.¡± ¡°Lord Eric ordered the doors locked and barricaded when the fires started.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°You can''t break the door down, either.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I saw the protections placed on the windows, too.¡± ¡°You need to set up your Ballista on that cross street.¡± Lara said and pointed across the square. ¡°The groups from the South Gate will be coming up both streets in about 7 minutes.¡± Ren nodded and he ran over to the spot to set it up. He loaded the bolts back into the cartridge, and several people gasped. Lara reached out and touched the weapon, and closed her eyes. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± She opened her eyes. ¡°You... you... Tee-one!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Yeah, there''s been a few developments since the last time I saw you.¡± ¡°You made him a party member.¡± Lara shook her head. ¡°How in the world did they let you add a familiar as a party member?¡± ¡°I don''t have a clue.¡± Ren said. ¡°It might be because of my class, though.¡± Lara stepped over to him, and took his hand. She closed her eyes for a moment and nodded. ¡°Yes, it''s a hidden class perk.¡± She let his hand go. ¡°You weren''t expected to have anyone accept you into a party until your level was a lot higher, so they added making your own party an option.¡± ¡°That''s good to know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I filled all the spots already, though.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I can''t even add you to mine.¡± ¡°You were going to give me an XP boost, were you?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. Lara laughed. ¡°He''s been getting along just fine XP wise.¡± Elerlyth frowned as she looked at Lara. ¡°Now I''m sorry that I''ve been worrying about it.¡± Ren pulled Elerlyth down close. ¡°I''m not.¡± He said, and gave her a quick kiss. Elerlyth felt how much he liked that she was worried about him, and she cupped the sides of his face and kissed him back. ¡°I''m sorry to break this up, but you have targets.¡± Lara said, and pointed. ¡°That''s not too far away?¡± Elerlyth asked. Ren laughed as he put his hand on the trigger. ¡°If I tilted this back, it can go about 1200 yards, or 3600 feet.¡± She stared at him as he shot 6 bolts at the looters coming down the street. They were packed much closer together, so it didn''t take long for the group to be decimated. Ren turned the Ballista to face down the other street, then shot 10 more bolts. ¡°It can shoot for two thirds of a MILE?¡± Elerlyth asked, when he was done shooting. Ren nodded then looked at Lara, who nodded back and he stored the weapon. ¡°We need to recover the bolts.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only have 8 left.¡± ¡°You won''t need them.¡± Lara said. ¡°Your quest players are doing a great job sweeping up the stragglers.¡± ¡°I might not need them right now; but, I will need them.¡± Ren turned to Elerlyth. ¡°Let''s go.¡± ¡°Wait for a minute, Ren.¡± Lara said. ¡°Elerlyth, you can go ahead. A few looters are looting Ren''s loot.¡± ¡°That''s a lot of loots.¡± Elerlyth commented, and ran ahead. Lara turned to Ren. ¡°Stay away from Selene.¡± Lara said. ¡°Selene?¡± Ren frowned. ¡°Why would I be near her?¡± ¡°She''s going to be appreciative of the swords you gave her.¡± Lara said. ¡°Really, really appreciative.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°I''d say you were kidding, but I know you aren''t.¡± He said. ¡°I promise that no matter what, I will not get involved with her in any way.¡± ¡°That''s good.¡± Lara sighed. ¡°Not only is she a horrible person, she''ll destroy your reputation; and then you if she gets her claws in you.¡± ¡°You don''t have to keep convincing me.¡± Ren took her hand, and smiled. ¡°I don''t doubt your word in the least.¡± Lara looked down at their clasped hands, her eyes widened and she stepped close. ¡°By the way, I never did thank you for all the XP from destroying that Battalion.¡± She leaned in to whisper. ¡°I leveled up so many times, that it unlocked a bunch of my abilities.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tee-one was-.¡± Lara let his hand go, then grabbed the sides of his face, and kissed him square on the lips. Little Ren reacted from the passion Lara was stirring in Ren, and a minute later, she broke the kiss. ¡°You should know that nothing can happen between us for a while.¡± Lara said and glanced down. ¡°Despite knowing exactly what''s waiting for me, it''s not our time yet.¡± Ren stared at her with his mouth open in surprise, and she chuckled. ¡°No, I won''t tell you when it will be our time.¡± Lara said. ¡°You need to experience several other things before I can even fit in the picture you''ve drawn for yourself.¡± She reached a hand to his face and closed his mouth. ¡°You need to go. Elerlyth''s waiting for you.¡± Ren nodded and started to walk away, then turned back to look at her again. Lara gave him a little wave, and he gave her a little wave back, then he turned and ran down the street. * Lara walked calmly through the crowd, and down the street to the Library. She went inside, down the hallway, and into the back storage room. She walked to her closet, went inside, and sat down in the chair Ren had made. Oh, my god! Lara thought as she wrapped her arms around herself. She started to shiver at remembering Ren taking her hand. She''d seen they had a relationship in that brief moment, and she had surprised herself when she''d kissed him like that; but, then she saw it all. From the start to the finish, she remembered everything that they went through. Every kiss, every love-making session, every fight. Tears came to her eyes as she felt all of the love she had for him, for the entire two years they would be together. * Ren picked up and repaired the bolts from the two spots, and Elerlyth gave him the loot she had gathered on his behalf. ¡°Now what?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°We could go and hunt some looters.¡± Ren suggested. ¡°But Lara said the Quest was going well.¡± ¡°I felt what you were like when you came down the street.¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°What did the Sage of Ages tell you?¡± ¡°She told me to stay away from Selene, because she was bad news.¡± ¡°That was blatantly obvious.¡± ¡°Then Lara kissed me, and said that it wasn''t time for us to be together yet.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°That little vixen!¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Ren chuckled and took her hand. ¡°She said there wasn''t room for her in the ''picture I''d drawn for myself''.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°It means, there''s only so much room in my heart for the people I care about.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s kind of full right now.¡± Elerlyth felt how much he cared about her flood into her, and she smiled as she gorged on the amount. ¡°Let''s get back to your place.¡± She said. ¡°We can take the townspeople to the town square where the soldiers are guarding them.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Ren said, and they ran the 4 blocks to the business, then escorted the townspeople to the town square to meet friends and family. Elerlyth fed on all the strong feelings of happiness from Ren. The soldiers started to pester Ren about the Ballista, so she pulled him away and they ran down a side street. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s hard to break away from a conversation like that.¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°You could just say, ''I have to go''.¡± Ren looked at her with surprise on his face, then smiled. ¡°See? I told you that you were brilliant.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Let''s go and see if we can find any more fires to put out.¡± ¡°You''re just full of great ideas today!¡± Ren said. Teepo? Any smoke pillars? ¡°Three streets ahead of you, towards the North Gate, and on the right.¡± Teepo said, from about 150 feet up. ¡°It''s a small park, and the buildings around it.¡± Ren took Elerlyth''s hand. ¡°I''ve got a hot one!¡± She looked at him, and he grinned. ¡°And a fire, too!¡± Ren said, and Elerlyth laughed as they ran up the street and into the night. Chapter 159 - Its Over For the next 3 hours, after the encounter in the town square, Ren worked hard to quell all of the persistent fires, with Elerlyth protecting him and Teepo scouting. Nearly every home was damaged in some way, and Ren was a little worried that a lot of the homes would need to be torn down and replaced. Unfortunately, he came across an entire row of homes that were so close together and next to the wall, that the fire could spread no further and had consumed them almost completely. Ren built a small cart to hold the remains of a man and a woman that he''d found, and covered them with a large piece of cloth. He pulled the cart to the town square and turned it over to the soldiers, since he didn''t know what else to do with it. Ren told them where he''d found them, and hoped that they could be identified so that their families could be told. Elerlyth took his hand and led him up the street towards the Artesian District, his happy mood dampened just as much as the fire now was. The soldiers had saved the homes around the Market District, and the Leisure District was barely touched. Smoke permeated the air, and soot covered everything. Ren walked normally, and Elerlyth kept an eye out in case there was any looters still around. When they got to the corner to go down the street his business was on, he looked up the street and saw the Housing District. ¡°We better check the Housing District.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m pretty sure the houses there are far enough away from anything that was close to the fires; but, it''s better to be safe than sorry.¡± ¡°You''re not doing it just to check on Lucy, are you?¡± Elerlyth asked. Ren sighed. ¡°I care about what happens to her, but there''s at least one other house there.¡± ¡°As long as you''re honest to yourself about your reasons.¡± She said, and Ren smiled. ¡°You know how I feel about her, Elerlyth.¡± Ren said as they walked the rest of the way to the Housing District. ¡°I''ve got no reason to lie to you about it.¡± ¡°I''m not trying to poke your Lucy complex, Ren.¡± Elerlyth put an arm around his shoulders. ¡°I can feel how anxious you are, though.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Yeah.¡± When they got to the district, he wasn''t surprised to see only the two houses there. He checked the closest one first, and there was no answer. There was a light on inside, and he frowned. Teepo? Ren thought, and Teepo flew down and landed on the door frame. He squeezed into the crack and Ren waited for a minute. ¡°There''s someone in here.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It looks like she''s collapsed on the floor.¡± Ren used his Iron Grip to crush the door handle, pushed the door open, and ran inside. He went into the living room and saw a woman face down on the floor. He rolled her over and was surprised to see Elise, the secretary from Sid Tec. Ren looked at her chest, and it wasn''t moving so he laid her on her back. He tilted her head back, and performed CPR on her. It was difficult to find a good spot to do the chest compressions, since her chest was so big; but once he had undone the top half of her blouse, he managed to get the heels of his hands wedged between her breasts. He blew air into her mouth, and repeated the chest compressions several times. He blew air into her mouth again, and she started coughing. Ren tasted smoke and ash, and she opened her eyes. ¡°Ugh... what... what happened?¡± Elise asked. ¡°What do you remember?¡± Ren asked ¡°I was engulfed in smoke outside, and found my way back inside... then... then... I don''t know.¡± Elise rubbed her chest where he had worked on her, then she blinked a few times as she stared at Ren. ¡°Am I dead?¡± She asked, and Ren smiled. ¡°Far from it.¡± He said. ¡°Your chest is sore because I had to perform CPR to revive you.¡± Elise gasped and put a hand on her mouth. His... his lips were on mine, and I missed it! Ren took out his Major Healing wand and used it on her. Elise felt better instantly, and her eyes widened. ¡°You saved me.¡± She looked at him in wonder. ¡°Now you''ve healed me.¡± ¡°It''s all in a day''s work, Ma''am.¡± Elise got up from the floor, but stayed on her knees. She was the same height as Ren like that, and she wrapped her arms around him. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Elise said in a silky voice, and leaned close to kiss him gently. She hissed slightly as the top of her exposed chest touched the hot metal of his armor, but she kissed him anyways. Elise let him out of the hug and leaned back, then looked down to see her top was undone. She put a hand on the slight burn and winced. ¡°Your armor is quite hot.¡± Elise said. ¡°I seem to have burned myself.¡± ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± Ren said, and took out a Minor Healing wand and used it on the burn. ¡°There. Is that better?¡± ¡°Yes, that''s much better.¡± Elise said, and ran her hand through his hair. ¡°My little hero.¡± Ren blinked at her a few times, and didn''t know what to say; then he heard Elerlyth cough. ¡°Sorry to interrupt, but ''your little hero'' needs to get his butt down the street to check the other house.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m glad you''re feeling better...¡± Ren said to Elise. ¡°...but, I have to go.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Thank you again for saving me.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll... I''ll call you tomorrow.¡± ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ve got the fire out now. You should be safe if you stay inside.¡± ¡°I meant I''d call about the show.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°We have a lot to discuss.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Ren said and walked to the doorway. ¡°I''ll look forward to hearing from you.¡± Elise waved and Ren followed Elerlyth out to the front door, and Ren repaired the door handle and shut it after Teepo flew out through it. * Elise stood up, then sat down on the couch. ¡°I finally got to kiss him.¡± She sighed as she touched her lips, then looked down at her half-open blouse. She ran a hand over the soft exposed skin and smiled. ¡°I think... I think almost dying was worth it.¡± * ¡°Did you have fun fondling those huge melons?¡± Elerlyth asked teasingly, and Ren''s face flushed a little red. She fed on his feeling of embarrassment; but, she felt guilty about doing so. I shouldn''t tease him like that. She reached out a hand and rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°I''m sorry. I know you didn''t do that.¡± Her eyes widened as she almost choked on the flood of relief that came from him. ¡°I wasn''t even thinking about what could have happened when I opened her blouse like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just needed to get access to her chest.¡± Elerlyth smiled as the embarrassment came back. He looked at her and grinned. ¡°Boy, did that sound horrible or what?¡± ¡°It did, but I know what you meant.¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°I watched you. You were very respectable.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Now that I think about it... I wonder what kind of back problems she has.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°With that much weight on her front, it''s got to put a lot of strain on her back muscles.¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh. ¡°Leave it to you to wonder what her back feels like, while thinking about her breasts.¡± Ren laughed, and they walked up to the front door of the other house. Teepo. Teepo went inside and flew around to check everything. ¡°There''s no one here.¡± ¡°Teepo says it''s empty.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s get back to the business.¡± Elerlyth nodded and they walked down the street and around the lumberyard to get back to the business. * ¡°We haven''t found anyone else in a while.¡± The low level fighter said. ¡°Should we head back to where we got the quest?¡± ¡°Yes, that''s a good idea.¡± The dark figure said. ¡°We might find someone else along the way.¡± * Selene looked at her party members. ¡°Well, it seems none of you managed to kill yourselves.¡± Several of them laughed. ¡°Yeah, we tried really hard, too.¡± One of the said. ¡°I''m down to about half of my Health.¡± ¡°I wanted to see if I could still get the XP if I did die.¡± Another said. ¡°I''ve got 10% Health left.¡± ¡°I could kill you, and we can find out.¡± The guy laughed. ¡°No killing innocents, remember?¡± ¡°You''re not innocent.¡± His friend said. ¡°You spend a good portion of your normal game time at the Jiggly Puff.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°You only know that because you''re right there beside me.¡± ¡°I didn''t claim to be innocent, you mook.¡± An arrow shot out from an alley and swiped by Selene''s head, clipping her hair. Several strands fell to the ground and she whipped around, furious. ¡°You just messed up my HAIR!¡± She yelled and charged the figure that had fired at her. He started to run, but she caught him easily and sliced the back of his leg. He dropped to the ground, and she did a cartwheel over him, stabbed his back with the swords, and landed at his head. ¡°You can''t kill me!¡± He said. ¡°I know things!¡± Selene had a manic look in her eyes as she lifted both swords. ¡°Hey! I said I know who did it! Arrest me! I''ll tell you every-GLLGGG!!¡± His words were cut off, along with the top of his head. The swords were embedded into the ground several inches, and she worked them from side to side and pulled them free. ¡°No one touches my hair.¡± Selene said, and calmed down. She looted the body and picked up a dozen gold coins, and a small black disc. What the hell is this? She thought as she put the coins in her coin pouch, then put the shadow marker into her inventory. That''s the worst loot I''ve picked up tonight. * The last 2 quest players had hidden out in an abandoned building for most of the night. ¡°Did you see how many of them there were?¡± One guy said. ¡°Yeah.¡± The other guy said. ¡°I can''t believe we accepted this quest.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± The guy said. ¡°But we got a sword and shield out of it, and we didn''t have to do anything!¡± The other guy grinned. ¡°I''m sure we can sell them for a lot.¡± ¡°Sell them? Are you joking?¡± The guy asked. ¡°You can''t find stuff like this anywhere.¡± ¡°Yeah, and someone will pay a lot to get it.¡± The guy snorted a laugh. ¡°You''d sell your mother if she was in here.¡± The other guy punched him in the face. ¡°Hey, she doesn''t do that anymore!¡± ¡°Geezus! It was a joke, man!¡± The guy said. ¡°I meant you''d sell her away, not sell her like that.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The other guy said. ¡°That wasn''t funny.¡± They heard wood creak and went on alert. The other guy pointed to the back of the room and the doorway, and they crept in separate directions towards the opening. They saw a lone guy, beaten and pretty trashed, push open the mangled door. He stumbled in and dropped to the floor. ¡°I... I made it.¡± He said. ¡°At least... at least one of us... got away... from that... thing...¡± The two guys looked at each other and went into the room. ¡°He... help...¡± The hurt guy said. ¡°I''ll... I''ll pay...¡± The other guy grinned. ¡°Yes, you will.¡± He stabbed the hurt guy in the chest with the sword. The body slumped to the floor and then a moment later, it dissolved. Several gold and silver coins appeared, and a sword.
Quest Complete!
You have successfully completed the Special Quest. Please return to SAFE ZONE: Master Of All Jack Of None to receive the appropriate rewards.
¡°Nice.¡± ¡°Hey, we''re splitting right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The other guy said and handed half of the money to his friend. ¡°We''ll sell this tomorrow.¡± He said and picked up the sword. It looked like a great quality blade, and expensive; but it only had a third of the durability of the sword that boy had given him. ¡°Let''s get back to that warehouse.¡± * Selene got the popup and grinned. ¡°We did it!¡± She said to her party, they cheered, and then headed towards the warehouse. * The dark figure grinned at the popup. ¡°Well, you did it.¡± ¡°YEAH!¡± The low level fighter yelled. ¡°I lived! I LIVED!¡± ¡°Yes, Kenny.¡± Stan laughed. ¡°You lived.¡± * Ren got the popup stating that the quest was complete, and he grinned as he opened the door to the warehouse. ¡°They did it!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°They really did it.¡± Elerlyth hugged him quickly as she went by. ¡°They should be back here, soon.¡± Ren nodded, and opened the Quest popup to see who did what, and set appropriate amounts of money and XP for them. He gave a bonus for killing the first and last looter, the most kills, and then added a bonus for surviving. Ren sewed up sacks, put the right amount of money in them for each person, then put them on the workbench. He moved the workbench over in front of the stairs, and waited for the quest runners to arrive. * ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± A hooded figure said. ¡°I thought the city would be completely on fire by now.¡± ¡°It should be.¡± Another hooded figure said as he looked closely at the distant city. ¡°I see lots of smoke.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it''s not covering more of the city than it was half an hour ago.¡± ¡°You don''t think they got it under control, do you?¡± The other hooded figure sighed. ¡°How would they do that?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± The first hooded figure said. ¡°The first thing we arranged was getting the water tower emptied.¡± ¡°Now that''s just mean.¡± The other hooded figure laughed. ¡°They must have been running around like chickens with their heads cut off.¡± ¡°I expect so.¡± The first one said. ¡°This wouldn''t have worked if the King wasn''t doing all those war games so far away.¡± ¡°God bless little miracles.¡± The other said. ¡°Getting them to do it for a month was a stroke of genius.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The first one said, then looked back at the city. ¡°Unfortunately, it doesn''t look like it worked.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± The other asked. ¡°They could still be fighting the fire.¡± ¡°None of the ''looters'' has come out yet.¡± ¡°They... could be taking their time.¡± The first one laughed. ¡°Even if they did take their time, some of them would have come out about an hour ago.¡± The other one sighed. ¡°This was supposed to be a model demonstration of how to sack a city.¡± ¡°We''ll have to think of something else now.¡± The first one said. ¡°Word about this will spread, and since it looks like they beat it somehow, other cities will be warned.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± The first one said. ¡°Let''s go. There''s no point in staying around here anymore.¡± They turned away from their failed experiment and headed off into the woods. 10 minutes later, they came out of the woods and weren''t wearing their hooded cloaks anymore. They went to the waiting carriage, and climbed inside. ¡°Back to the castle.¡± Lord Eddlemere told the driver, and the carriage drove away. Neither he, nor his aide, were in a good mood. * Ren had waited for all 11 of the quest runners to return before saying anything. He still wore his gold colored armor, and Selene''s eyes had nearly bulged out of her head when she had seen it. Ren regretted that he hadn''t taken it off; but since he had forgotten he was wearing it, there was nothing he could do about it now. He concentrated on his Command Aura, and paced back and forth in front of the workbench. ¡°Congratulations to all of you!¡± He said to the people standing before him. ¡°You successfully held off the looters, so that I and the soldiers could contain the fire, and save the townspeople.¡± Several of the players grinned. ¡°I''m glad that none of you actually had to take me up on the offer to use the spawn point.¡± ¡°It wasn''t for lack of trying!¡± One of the guys said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll heal you after the quest is resolved.¡± ¡°Sweet!¡± ¡°You''re a healer?¡± Another one asked. ¡°Is that why you didn''t go and fight?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I''m not a healer; and I didn''t fight with you because I was busy fighting the fire.¡± ¡°He''s probably too short to swing a sword anyways.¡± One of them whispered, but Ren had heard him and looked right at him. ¡°You''re half-right.¡± Ren said to him. ¡°I''ll let you think about which half is actually true.¡± Everyone looked at the guy Ren was looking at. ¡°What did you say?¡± Someone asked. ¡°Geez, man. Don''t piss the guy off before he gives out the rewards.¡± ¡°QUIET!¡± Elerlyth shouted, and let her fear ability loose. ¡°Sorry.¡± Several people said, and Ren continued to pace. ¡°You all did well in hunting down the looters, and I commend you all.¡± Ren said. ¡°I declare this Quest... complete.¡± The players stared straight ahead, and most grinned as they saw the XP they received. ¡°You''ve been granted XP for each looter that you dispatched, extra XP for multiple kills, and...¡± Ren looked at Selene. ¡°...for the most kills.¡± She smiled sweetly at him and he continued to pace back and forth. ¡°I even granted XP for surviving, for the first kill... and for the last kill.¡± Ren said. ¡°I honestly didn''t expect that one to pay off right away.¡± Someone chuckled and Ren smiled. ¡°I figured a day or 2 at least.¡± He looked at the guy who laughed. ¡°I''m glad I didn''t have to wait. Good job.¡± The guy nodded, and Ren walked over to the workbench to pick up some of the sacks of money. ¡°In these sacks is an amount of money, commensurate to your contribution to the Quest. I hope you enjoy the spoils of your hard work.¡± He turned around and presented it to each person in turn, then went back and picked up most of the rest and gave them to the others, leaving Selene for last. He went to the bench and picked up the largest sack and gave it to her. ¡°You didn''t have to wait for everyone to get theirs.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°You can open them.¡± The players opened them and were surprised as the amounts ranged from 20 gold to 100 gold. He wasn''t counting Selene, as she had made much more than that. ¡°Good god, man! Are you crazy?¡± One of the players asked, and Ren laughed. ¡°I''ve been told that on occasion.¡± ¡°20 gold.¡± The guy said. ¡°I didn''t even kill anyone!¡± ¡°Everyone got 20 gold for staying alive...¡± Ren said. ¡°...and 10 gold for every looter.¡± Selene hadn''t opened her sack, and she stared at him. He... he gave me... ¡°Now, before you go.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s something I want to ask you.¡± The group looked at him, and he slid a shadow coin from his coin vault into his inventory, and held it up. ¡°Did anyone find any of these?¡± Ren asked, and Elerlyth took in a sharp breath. He didn''t look at her, however; as he saw three of the players raise their hands. ¡°What are they?¡± One of them asked. ¡°It''s a marker.¡± Ren said. ¡°Bad people use them to hire players to do bad things.¡± He explained. ¡°When the job is finished, they bring the marker back and get paid for the job.¡± ¡°No way!¡± They said. ¡°We... we''ve got... evil markers.¡± ¡°The markers themselves aren''t evil.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°They just pass hands after something bad happens.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s a relief.¡± He said. ¡°What do we do with them?¡± ¡°You can give them to me.¡± ¡°You want to cash in the markers?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Even if I knew where to do that, and I don''t, they know who they were given to. No one can ''cash them in'' now.¡± ¡°That sucks.¡± One of the others said. ¡°So it''s dead loot.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, it''s not.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll buy them from you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The guy asked. ¡°How much?¡± ¡°I''d offer 10 gold, but that''s less than what you got for participating.¡± Ren turned to Elerlyth. ¡°If I found, say, a nice pair of boots on someone. What would they be worth?¡± ¡°About 25 gold, if they boosted stats.¡± ¡°I got those!¡± Kenny said, and held out a foot. A few people laughed, including Ren. ¡°How about 30 gold then? As if you found a really nice pair of boots like Kenny did.¡± ¡°I guess that''s fair.¡± The three players stepped forward and Ren paid them for the shadow coins. He stored them in inventory and grinned. ¡°Thank you all for everything.¡± Ren said, then used his Major Healing Wand on them. They all stared in wonder at the diamond tipped metal bar. ¡°Have a good night.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Well... what''s left of it, anyways.¡± The players started to leave, and one turned around. ¡°When''s the next quest?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''ll see if I can come up with something in a few days.¡± ¡°Great!¡± He said and filed out the door with the others. Selene still stood there holding her large sack of coins. ¡°You could have just given me a couple of platinum.¡± Selene said. ¡°Yeah, that would look great.¡± Ren said. ¡°You with the smallest sack of coins.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Okay, yes. I agree. A large sack of gold coins looks a lot better.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Now that the quest is done, why are you still here?¡± ¡°I wanted to thank you.¡± She purred and tried to step close. Ren stepped back and smiled. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Selene frowned mentally, but she didn''t let it show on her face. Why isn''t he fawning over me like everyone else does? She thought. I even used my sexy voice! ¡°Yes, I have a marker, too.¡± She took it out and held it up. ¡°I won''t take 30 gold for it, though.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and she didn''t react in the least. ¡°I know it''s worth a lot more to you than that.¡± Selene said and smiled. Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Really? That''s your argument for more money?¡± Ren opened his inventory and transferred a pile of shadow coins to it and took them out. ¡°I''ve got tons of them.¡± Selene stared open-mouthed at the enormous pile of them that he had. I... I completely misread his expressions! ¡°I really do feel sorry that they found the markers instead of an item or loot drop.¡± Ren stored the coins and looked at Selene. ¡°You can keep it if you want.¡± Selene sighed. ¡°No, you''re right. 30 gold is better than that thing taking up a whole inventory slot by itself.¡± She handed it over to him and he paid her the 30 gold. ¡°Thanks for doing a great job tonight.¡± Ren said and walked over to open the door. ¡°I have to get to bed, though.¡± Selene nodded and walked outside. ¡°I''ll contact you later about an armor commission.¡± She said, looking him up and down. Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll consider it if I ever get around to opening my business.¡± He said, and shut the door gently, but firmly. Chapter 160 - Until Shes Full Once the door was closed, Ren got a popup.
Notice!
You have unlocked a new ability: Quest Giver This ability lets you start and end quests (Major, Minor, Special, Running, and Limited). As an owner of a business on 2 different continents, you can set the parameters to fit your needs at the time the quest is given, in both Kingdoms.
¡°That''s cool.¡± Ren said, and told Elerlyth about the new ability. She looked at him with raised eyebrows. ¡°You''ve already thought of a way to abuse that, haven''t you?¡± Elerlyth asked. Ren nodded. ¡°Of course I have.¡± She laughed. ¡°I''m not going to ask.¡± Ren took her hand and they went upstairs to the apartment. Ren stored his armor and bodysuit, and noticed the pile of shadow coins. He transferred them back into his coin vault, and changed most of them back into platinum coins. He kept a few as shadow coins, just so he could keep his access to the hidden currency. He climbed into bed, and Elerlyth took off her armor and bodysuit to climb into bed as well. ¡°Go ahead and ask.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know it''s been bugging you.¡± ¡°What''s the show Miss Golden Globes is going to call you about tomorrow?¡± ¡°Miss Golden Globes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to remember that.¡± He smiled. ¡°That''s a good one.¡± ¡°Come on, spill it.¡± She said. Ren told her about the show proposal, that the pilot was bought by the television network, and that he''d be a consultant. ¡°No way.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You...¡± She swallowed audibly. ¡°...are going to have a show on television.¡± ¡°It''s just a pilot.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least, that''s what Elise said in her email. It''s going to be shown to a target audience first, then aired once. When they get the ratings after a couple of days, then they''ll decide if it''s good enough to be picked up for a series.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± She looked at him with a serious face. ¡°Do you think they''ll need a tech person?¡± He looked at her. ¡°They have a whole department of tech people at Sid Tec.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure they''ve got everyone they need.¡± Her face fell and she sighed. ¡°Actually, that reminds me of something I meant to ask you about.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s only just happened, so don''t get mad at me.¡± He said, and she nodded. ¡°One of the nurses and I were hired to conduct medical experiments, to test the limits and viability of the VR headsets as rehabilitation tools.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Elerlyth yelled. ¡°Could you speak up? I didn''t hear you.¡± Ren chuckled as she smacked him. ¡°I remember you telling me about modding the old helmets.¡± He said. ¡°I haven''t mentioned you to Stella yet, but I''ll be seeing her tomorrow morning for her regular shift. I''ll talk to her about getting you added onto the project.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°You want me to come and work for you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s right up your alley, too.¡± ¡°But I... I don''t have my degree yet.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t think we''ll need a full engineer.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, it''s not like it''ll be full time.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I know what your schedule is like; and I know what my schedule is like.¡± He smiled. ¡°My nurse Stella only works with me every third day. We''re not going to be working on this all the time.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°You sound disappointed.¡± Ren lay back. ¡°I thought you''d be excited about it.¡± ¡°It sounds like a great project, but... I''ll have to think about it.¡± How''s my time, Teepo? ¡°You''ve got a few hours before you have to leave, assuming you want to get home before breakfast.¡± I do. Thanks. Ren looked at Elerlyth. ¡°I''ve only got a few hours before I have to go.¡± He said. ¡°Will that be enough for you?¡± ¡°I''ve been feeding this whole time.¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°I''m pretty full.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°Then... why did you come to bed?¡± ¡°You''ve been hiding something from me.¡± She said. ¡°I felt a touch of it when we found that man and woman in the ashes.¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°The reason I messaged you.¡± Elerlyth nodded, and pulled him in close to get as much skin contact as possible. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Ren opened his mouth and his heart, and told her the story, then let everything he''d been holding in out. Elerlyth stopped breathing from the tidal wave of guilt and sorrow, and kissed him, and didn''t even try to pace herself. Ren held her tight and made love to her, frantic for her to take everything she could from him. He did her over and over, for nearly an hour, and she gorged on everything he felt and leveled her ability again. They both went several times, and when the tiredness of barely sleeping for 2 days hit him, Ren finished once more, and lay beside her. ¡°It wasn''t your fault.¡± Elerlyth said, and kissed him softly. ¡°It could have been anyone. It could have been no one.¡± She said, and stroked the side of his face when he turned to face her. ¡°They were coming for you anyways.¡± Ren opened his mouth to argue, but then he thought about it. ¡°I still think it''s kind of my fault; but, I guess you''re right. It was... it was bad timing that she was making a delivery right then.¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°Really horrible timing.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and cupped the side of her face. ¡°You''ve helped me again.¡± ¡°I''m more than happy to.¡± Elerlyth licked her lips and sighed. ¡°You have so much to give me that I can''t help myself.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I was actually pretty desperate for you to take as much of it from me as you could.¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°I felt that, too.¡± ¡°You handled it all really well.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought you might have had trouble with it.¡± ¡°And you wanted to give it to me, anyway?¡± Ren nodded, and she smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Elerlyth said and kissed him. ¡°You trusted me enough to handle your problem.¡± ¡°Nathalia and Narhilda wanted me to share it with them, though.¡± Ren said, and Elerlyth''s eyes widened. ¡°How would they do that?¡± She asked. ¡°They don''t have my ability, do they?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I discovered a trick to share Auras, and we can feel the other person''s strong feelings.¡± Elerlyth looked at him with surprise on her face. ¡°You''re just telling me this now?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± ¡°Why didn''t you tell me before?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°We could have been feeling each other''s feelings this whole time.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It only works for people who understand the importance of House Neram.¡± Ren said, and took out the pendant from around his neck. ¡°Good god! What the hell is that?¡± She asked, and held the 3 inch diamond pendant in her hand. ¡°It''s huge!¡± Ren pointed to the design etched onto the surface. ¡°This is the House Neram crest.¡± He explained. ¡°When you wear it, and concentrate on what House Neram means to you, it lets your Aura merge with someone else who is also concentrating on their own copy of the crest.¡± ¡°That... that''s...¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Kind of dangerous, actually.¡± Ren said, then explained about how Ereka had reacted to having access to his strong feelings. ¡°You unleashed your gushing emotions on that poor girl?¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°Ren, you have to be careful about things like that.¡± He nodded. ¡°I know. I decided to only share my Aura with those I care about.¡± ¡°Can you make me one?¡± ¡°I could give you one, but it wouldn''t work for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have any reference about what House Neram means to you.¡± ¡°Why does it have to be only House Neram?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Can''t you just enchant it with whatever design you want, as long as it''s about something you and that other person shared?¡± Ren stared at her with wide eyes. ¡°I... I...¡± ¡°You didn''t think about it at all after you made it, did you?¡± She grinned. ¡°That''s all you seem to do. You make something, then move on.¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I don''t know why I''m so surprised.¡± He gave her a quick kiss. ¡°You are brilliant, after all.¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°You can say that as many times as you want, it won''t make it true.¡± ¡°Elerlyth.¡± Ren said, seriously. ¡°How often do you think I meet someone who is smart enough to earn an engineering degree in their spare time?¡± She felt his sincerity, and fed on it. ¡°I won''t argue about it.¡± ¡°That''s because you can''t.¡± He laughed. ¡°Okay, I think I know a design that I can enchant.¡± ¡°Are you going to make me one of these?¡± Elerlyth held up the pendant, and Ren took out one of the brooches. ¡°Would this satisfy you instead?¡± Her eyes sparkled at the brooch, and she nodded. Ren absorbed the old enchantment, and thought about the design he had in mind. He combined it with the Enhancement rune, thought Distance and enchanted the diamond. A tenth of his Mana Pool drained away, and he looked at it. A spider etched itself onto the surface, and a glyph of Enhancement runes appeared on it''s back. Ren examined it, and smiled.
Brooch of the Spider
This brooch was made, and enchanted, by Ren the First. It grants the wearer: Aura (Spider). Distance: 18 feet. Can combine with other Auras or effects to increase both distance and effectiveness.
Ren handed the brooch to Elerlyth, and she examined it herself. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± She said, kissed him, then looked down at herself. ¡°I apparently don''t have anywhere to pin it.¡± He reached out and lightly pinched the tip of one of her breasts, and she laughed. ¡°I don''t think so, mister.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°This body is in pristine condition. I''m not piercing anything.¡± She smiled. ¡°It would make wearing my clothes and armor difficult, too.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It was just an idea.¡± ¡°You''re not becoming one of those people, are you?¡± ¡°What ''people'' is that?¡± ¡°Someone who only wants to see how odd I am.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°You know I don''t see you like that.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°It''s... it''s a sore spot for me.¡± ¡°I have no doubt that it would be sore for a while, if you went through with it.¡± Ren said, intentionally twisting what she meant, then kissed the tip of her breast that he had pinched. She laughed as his tongue tickled it a little. ¡°So, what do I do with it?¡± Elerlyth asked, and held out the brooch. Ren took out another one, absorbed the old enchantment, then enchanted it with the same one he had used on Elerlyth''s brooch. ¡°You can just hold it in your hand.¡± He said. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± She looked at him for a moment, then closed her eyes. ¡°Remember when we were together, and you showed me your ability to create a spider.¡± Elerlyth took in a sharp breath and opened her eyes. ¡°You...¡± ¡°I made it something that only you and I could ever share.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± She took a deep breath, and closed them again. ¡°Remember how that felt. Us together like that, then you using your ability.¡± Elerlyth''s new Aura (Spider) sprung into place, and Ren nodded. ¡°That''s it. Keep thinking of that feeling.¡± Ren concentrated on his own brooch, and thought of the same thing. His new Aura (Spider) sprung into place, and Elerlyth caught her breath as the two Auras merged. She felt his feelings, and felt him feeling her feelings, and she fed on them. With their Auras merged, it created a kind of self-charging battery of emotions. ¡°Oh. My. GOD!¡± Elerlyth yelled and opened her eyes. She grabbed him with her free hand, and kissed him. She felt what he felt, then felt how she felt through him, and how much he enjoyed knowing how she felt. Elerlyth broke the kiss and stared at him. ¡°Inside of me! Right NOW!¡± Ren obliged without hesitation, but thought about teasing her. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Elerlyth felt his brief amusement, and his reaction to feeling her reaction to that amusement. She clamped her legs and arms around him, and kissed him passionately. For another 2 hours, she reveled in the sensations they shared, and fed so well that her ability leveled again. ¡°I... I can''t take any more, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said, and let him go. ¡°Good god, that was...¡± She checked her ability. ¡°My ability is almost at Expert!¡± Ren lay beside her, and grinned. ¡°I''ll have that at Master in a month.¡± Elerlyth reached a hand over to him, and rubbed his chest. ¡°That''s why you''re doing this, isn''t it?¡± She asked as she felt his feelings, and Ren nodded. ¡°Besides being with a woman like you; which is awesome, by the way...¡± He grinned. ¡°...I want to see what you can do when it''s full.¡± ¡°You''re too good to me.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You could be working on your own abilities, instead of all the time you''re spending with me.¡± ¡°You''re right.¡± Ren said and got out of bed. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Ren felt her indignation, and let that feeling and his amusement, flood back. Elerlyth grabbed her abdomen. ¡°I can''t take it, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I''m more full than I''ve ever been.¡± Ren stopped concentrating on the Aura (Spider). ¡°Is that better?¡± Elerlyth relaxed. ¡°Thank you.¡± He chuckled and put on his Travelling Clothes, pinned the brooch to his shirt, and equipped the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. ¡°I''ve got to go.¡± ¡°You''re really leaving me?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°I thought you were joking.¡± Ren walked around the bed and knelt beside her. ¡°If I leave now, I can get back to House Neram before breakfast.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I thought...¡± ¡°I was joking about you being right.¡± Ren said, and kissed her. She reached a hand up and held onto him. They made out like that, and she could feel how happy he was that she was doing it because she wanted to, and not because she needed to feed. Elerlyth broke the kiss, and Ren leaned back. ¡°I wish I could feed on that feeling.¡± She said. ¡°It''s so pure that it hurts to feel it and not be able to.¡± Ren grinned and ran a hand through her hair. ¡°Remember that feeling. When you start coming down off of your feeding high, you''ll still be able to ''taste'' it.¡± Elerlyth nodded and closed her eyes. ¡°Yes... okay. I''ve got it, I think.¡± She opened her eyes and looked at him. ¡°I guess I won''t see you for a few days.¡± ¡°4, if my calculations are right.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''ll be another real time overnight game night by then.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°I don''t think I can make it tomorrow night.¡± ¡°Then 8 days, assuming you can''t get back online before then... or feel yourself getting hungry for little old me.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Then I''ll come when you call.¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°I really can''t thank you enough for everything you''ve done for me.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I was going to say the same thing to you.¡± She grinned back. ¡°So, is Little Ren still getting the most out of all of this?¡± ¡°It''s a hot debate.¡± He kissed her again. ¡°I''ll see yo-¡± *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* ¡°That''s the front door.¡± They said together, and Ren smiled as he stood up. ¡°I''ll see who it is.¡± He said. Teepo. Ren thought, then went downstairs. ¡°On it.¡± Teepo came out of his living space and flew over to land on the door just as Ren reached the first floor. Teepo squeezed out under the door. ¡°It''s several soldiers, Ren.¡± Do they look angry? Ren thought. ¡°No.¡± Teepo said and flew up to see their faces. ¡°They look a little happy, actually.¡± Ren went over to the door and opened it, just as the soldier was about to knock again. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Lord Eric orders your presence at the mansion.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t remember joining the army.¡± The soldier looked at him like he was crazy. There''s that look again. Ren thought in amusement, and Teepo chittered in laughter and landed on his shoulder. ¡°Lord Eric... requests... you attend to him at the mansion.¡± Another soldier said. ¡°That''s better.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll just be a minute.¡± He said and shut the door in their surprised faces. He ran up the stairs and to the bedroom. ¡°Elerlyth, I''ve been summoned to the mansion by Lord Eric.¡± She got out of bed and felt Ren''s appreciation of her nude form, then smiled and equipped her bodysuit and armor. ¡°Let''s go.¡± ¡°I have to pop through the portal to tell Nathalia what''s going on, and that I''ll be a little late getting back.¡± Teepo dissolved into the ring and Ren went into the living room, followed by Elerlyth. ¡°I''d really like to go through that with you.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren smiled. ¡°If I can figure out a way to do it, I''ll let you know.¡± He said. ¡°As it is, you''d be killed instantly if you tried.¡± Elerlyth nodded and Ren stepped through the portal and concentrated on talking to Nathalia. * Nathalia was standing in front of the ornate door, when she noticed her Sending Ring started to glow. She clenched her fist and covered it with her other hand. She looked around as Ren''s voice came out as if he were standing right there with her. ¡°I''m really sorry for bothering you so early.¡± Ren said. ¡°But I''ve been summoned to the mansion by Lord Eric. There was a fire in the city last night, and I helped deal with it. I''ll explain more later.¡± ¡°Can''t talk. Busy.¡± Nathalia said, and sighed in relief because no one else had been around to hear. * Ren looked at the ring, and frowned. Something must be going on. He thought. I wonder if it has anything to do with that scroll? He stepped back through the portal and nailed the cabinet shut. ¡°Ready?¡± Elerlyth asked. Ren nodded. ¡°Let''s go have an audience with the high and mighty Lord Eric.¡± Elerlyth snorted. ¡°You better not say anything like that while in the mansion.¡± She advised. ¡°You know some of the spells they have in there.¡± Ren nodded and they walked down the stairs together. He opened the door and let Elerlyth step out ahead of him, closed and locked the door, and concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Lead on.¡± The soldiers recognized a command voice, and led the way down the street before they even realized Ren wasn''t someone that should be able to command them. Ren and Elerlyth followed closely behind and looked around at the city. Now that it was daylight, a lot more of the details could be seen. Fire had pretty much touched everything; from the paving stones to the buildings, and to people and their clothing. ¡°It''s sad, isn''t it?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°There''s so much damage from the fire.¡± ¡°That depends on your perspective.¡± Ren said. ¡°You could also say that there''s so much left after the fire.¡± She glanced at him. ¡°What would you actually say?¡± ¡°My first thought was that the fire had touched everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°So that''s how I see it.¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°You always have a neat perspective on things.¡± ¡°It''s because I''m so short.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I have a completely different angle to see things from.¡± She put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close, and Ren looked up at her face as they walked together behind the soldiers. ¡°Although, to be fair, it doesn''t matter what angle I see you from, you''re still beautiful.¡± Elerlyth glanced down at him, and smiled as she felt the truth from him. ¡°You might be a little biased.¡± ¡°A little?¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow and laughed. The soldiers didn''t comment about the conversation they were overhearing, but they were in awe that such a little man could talk to such a dangerous creature and not cringe. Elerlyth could feel their fear and awe, though. I can''t even enjoy it. Elerlyth thought, looked down at Ren, and grinned. You''re really doing a job on me, aren''t you? They walked to the mansion and Ren noticed that the townspeople were gone. ¡°I wonder where...¡± Ren started to say, when the front doors of the mansion opened. ¡°...never mind.¡± He saw that the place was packed full of townspeople, who noticed him and started to cheer. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Your adoring public awaits you, little hero.¡± Elerlyth said and grinned. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. Chapter 161 - Hello, My Lord ¡°Elerlyth, what do I do?¡± Ren whispered, and she stepped in front of him, blocking him from view of the doorway. ¡°Equip your armor and play to the crowd.¡± She whispered back. ¡°Most of them haven''t seen what it looks like in the daytime.¡± Ren smiled at her, and did as she said; then he concentrated on his personal Aura for all he was worth. ¡°Ready.¡± Elerlyth stepped around him to follow, and Ren walked into the mansion. The crowd parted as much as they could to allow Ren to pass by. Some of them nodded their respect, others pat his shoulder, he shook some of their hands, and some only reached out to run their hands over his cloak. Everyone stepped back and avoided looking at Elerlyth, however. She smiled and bared her teeth, then heard several of them gasp. Oh, I wish I could feed on that! Elerlyth thought, as they walked down the hallway on the right to the large ball room, where they held the large parties. The door was opened, and Ren was surprised that there was no one inside. What a waste of space. Ren thought as they were ushered into the large, and practically empty room. An ornate throne was positioned at the far end, and various members of the aristocracy lined the sides of the red carpet that went up to where Lord Eric sat. Ren had been introduced to the Finance Minister and his wife before, but he didn''t know any of the other ministers at all. Ren laughed mentally. Who''d have thought I''d be worried that I didn''t know all of the ministers from the surrounding countryside? ¡°Most people don''t even meet the Lord controlling where they live.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°And you''ve been here how many times?¡± Ren smiled as he approached the throne, and stopped the expected 30 feet away. He saw Lord Eric''s brief reaction to seeing Elerlyth walking behind him, and smiled. Lord Eric got his face under control before he spoke. ¡°I bid you, welcome!¡± Lord Eric exclaimed. ¡°The Hero of Aurora!¡± A popup appeared in front of Ren, and he blinked at it.
Notice!
Your accomplishments have been publicly acknowledged by Lord Eric, of the Principality of Aurora. You have been granted a new title: Hero of Aurora. This title grants you 10 levels to Etiquette, Fame: +5000, +5 levels to all Auras.
Notice!
Your excess Fame has been converted to XP. 5,000 Fame x 10 = 50,000 XP
Level Up x 2!
You have gained 2 levels, and are now level 27. 20 stat points (10 per level) have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: Elemental Grenade (Skill), Take Them Down (Party Ability)
Ren''s eyes widened slightly as he felt his Aura expand, and several people standing along the red carpet took in a deep breath. With Ren concentrating on his personal Aura, and wearing his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, they combined for an overall effect of 70 feet. The people had felt it as he passed by, but now it nearly covered the entire room. I need to remember to look at my gains later. Ren thought, as Lord Eric continued to speak. ¡°In thanks for your service to Aurora and it''s citizens, I have seen fit to grant you a Knighthood in my Principality of Aurora.¡± Lord Eric motioned to the side of the room, and one of the maids brought over a large scroll to Ren. It was Anabelle, the maid he''d almost had an encounter with after the party Lord Eric had thrown in his honor. She handed Ren the scroll, and he watched her as she stepped around him to stand slightly behind Elerlyth. ¡°You get a title, and ownership of a small County near the outskirts to the west of the city. It''s only 50 square miles, and only has one small village; but, it''s all yours. You may do whatever you wish with it.¡± Lord Eric smiled. ¡°Unfortunately, you''ll need to build a home to live in. There''s nothing suitable for a Knight to stay in... with his new maid.¡± Ren''s eyes widened as he glanced back at Anabelle, then back to face Lord Eric. ¡°Normally, there''s a census taken of the population, to see who would be willing to serve under a freshly minted Knight; but, when she learned it was for you, she volunteered immediately.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°Before you say anything, this is a gift that can''t be returned.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Not that I have any say in the matter.¡± He waved to the people that had crowded into the doorways of the room, and they cheered. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Ren sighed, opened the scroll, and read it.
Land Deed for the County of Walin
This deed grants you the ownership of fifty (50) square miles of claimed and unclaimed land on the border of the Principality of Aurora (map included). Copies can be obtained at the Library for 1 gold.
New title!
You have earned a new title: Lord This title is earned when 1,000 square miles (or more) is owned in any Kingdom. Within your lands, you have the ability: Word Of Law - anything you say will be considered law in the eyes of your citizens. This title also grants you: Etiquette +10 Levels; +10,000 Fame; +10 to all Auras; and Instant Recognition from anyone within your Aura''s radius.
Notice!
Your excess Fame has been converted to XP. 10,000 Fame x 10 = 100,000 XP
Level Up x 2!
You have gained 2 levels, and are now level 29. 20 stat points (10 per level) have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: Hail Of Arrows (Skill), Tricks Of The Trade (Party Ability)
Ren gasped as he felt a tingling sensation, and looked at himself. He was enveloped in a soft golden glow for a moment, his Aura jumped out to 90 feet, and everyone''s eyes widened as they all now recognized him as a Lord. ¡°What... what is this?¡± Lord Eric asked as he stood up. ¡°I... I only granted you a Knighthood!¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Ren flexed his hands, and smiled. ¡°It appears that if you own enough land, you earn the title.¡± Lord Eric''s mouth dropped open. ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°Thanks to your generous gift that can''t be returned, I now own over a thousand square miles of land.¡± Lord Eric sat down on the throne. ¡°This... this can''t be happening...¡± He said and looked at Ren. ¡°You''re the thirteenth Lord.¡± ¡°I''m the what?¡± ¡°The thirteenth Lord. Our governing body has been deadlocked for decades because there''s 12 of us. Six on each side.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°You can break the tie.¡± Ren looked down at the scroll. ¡°I really can''t give this back, can I?¡± ¡°You can toss it in the ocean if you want, for all the good that would do you.¡± Lord Eric laughed. ¡°Once you become a Lord, nothing can change it.¡± ¡°Crap.¡± ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°What do you plan on doing now?¡± ¡°I''ll get back to you about that.¡± Ren said, and nodded politely. ¡°Thank you for honoring me today.¡± Lord Eric nodded back to Ren, and Ren turned around and walked out of the room, with Elerlyth and Anabelle the maid following close behind. People bowed to him as he passed, and Ren nodded to them in return. Once they were outside the building, Ren stopped when a delicate hand tapped him on the shoulder. ¡°My Lord.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°My things are still in my room upstairs.¡± Ren blinked at her a few times. ¡°Yes. Right. Okay.¡± He said. ¡°Is it all packed?¡± Anabelle nodded, and Ren looked at Elerlyth. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said, then looked at Anabelle. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Anabelle went back inside and Ren followed her up to her room. ¡°It isn''t much.¡± She said as she opened the door. ¡°Only a few boxes. It will be a lot to carry at once.¡± Ren saw 6 boxes and stored them easily. ¡°What about the furniture?¡± Anabelle shook her head. ¡°Everything I own is in the boxes, My Lord.¡± ¡°Then we can leave.¡± Ren said, and she led the way back down the stairs. They went outside to where Elerlyth waited, and Ren walked up the street, and back to his business. He held the door for the two women, and they went inside. ¡°Lord Eric asked a good question.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Ren took out enough wood to make a couch, and didn''t speak for about 10 minutes. When he was finished of the couch, he sat down in the middle of it. ¡°I don''t know what I''m going to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°For the first time... I... I really have no idea what to do next.¡± Elerlyth walked over and sat beside him. She cupped the side of his face and smiled. ¡°Well, the first thing you should do is stop trying to figure out what to do.¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°You''re over-thinking too much.¡± Elerlyth said, and leaned in to gently kiss him. She leaned back a minute later and smiled. ¡°That''s better.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Like I could think of anything else with you doing that.¡± ¡°I know.¡± She said and grinned back at him. ¡°Take a deep breath. In. Out. In. Out.¡± Ren followed her instructions. ¡°Okay.¡± He said. ¡°No over-thinking.¡± Elerlyth nodded and he spoke. ¡°I need to go to my new County to see the state it''s in.¡± Ren said, then looked at Anabelle. ¡°Then I need to find out what to do with you.¡± ¡°I am yours to command, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said and looked around. ¡°This looks a little sparse, but I suppose I could stay here.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°This is supposed to be my workshop and store front. The living area is upstairs.¡± ¡°Will I be staying there, then?¡± Anabelle asked. Ren sighed and rubbed his head. ¡°You can''t. I use that living space when I''m here.¡± ¡°Then where...¡± ¡°I got it!¡± Ren hopped up from the couch. ¡°Come with me.¡± He waited for Elerlyth to stand, stored the couch, then walked out the front door before either woman could ask where he was going. They followed him and saw that Ren was going to the Housing District. ¡°Ren! What are you doing?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°You can''t buy her a house!¡± ¡°I think My Lord can do what he wants.¡± Anabelle said in a neutral voice. ¡°It''s okay, Elerlyth.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve got an idea.¡± He went to the other side of the Housing District and went along to each lot, 7 in total, and bought the basic 2 storey house, but expanded it''s size to fill each lot. He looked through the options, and removed a lot of the internal rooms, and added extra bedrooms instead. He paid the right amount with a large gratuity, and waited. A few minutes later, Jen and a whole bunch of her crew came down the street. ¡°Ha! You again.¡± Jen said, as she came close. ¡°You''re coming up in the world.¡± ¡°Hi, Jen.¡± Ren said. ¡°It is possible to make the whole row of houses one building?¡± Jen opened the popup for the orders. ¡°Why you sneaky little bugger.¡± Ren grinned and she laughed. ¡°Yes, we can have it be one building.¡± Jen said. ¡°It''ll take a little longer that way, though.¡± ¡°That''s no problem.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a bit of traveling to do and won''t be back for a few hours anyways.¡± Jen nodded. ¡°Yes, it should be done by then.¡± Ren looked at the crew, and they already had one of the prefabbed end walls standing in place. ¡°Thank you for coming over so fast.¡± ¡°I had to.¡± Jen said. ¡°I want to get this finished before the orders for repairing the rest of the city comes in.¡± ¡°Who''s paying for all of that?¡± Ren asked, curiously. ¡°Taxpayers of course.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°Can you let me know how much it''s going to be?¡± Jen looked at Ren in surprise. ¡°I... I don''t know if I''m allowed.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve got the survey crews out and making the assessment. I''m supposed to submit it to the mansion by noon.¡± Ren took her hand and leaned in close. She looked down at him and he smiled at her. ¡°I''d consider it a personal favor.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have a token of appreciation, if you''ll accept it.¡± He let her hand go and took the couch out of inventory. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Jen said as she sat on it. ¡°This is really comfy.¡± ¡°I''m getting faster at making them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can make 2 matching chairs for it.¡± Jen looked at him and smiled slyly. ¡°Are you trying to bribe me, Mister Lord?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I''m just sharing things with a fellow shop owner.¡± Jen stood up and looked back at the couch. ¡°I won''t promise anything.¡± She said. ¡°But... if I get an estimate that... say... was a lot more than the townspeople could handle...¡± ¡°Then I would be greatly appreciative for anything you might share with me.¡± Jen nodded, and Ren turned to Anabelle. ¡°You''re welcome to stay here and wait for the Refugee Center to be built, or you can wait back at my business.¡± ¡°At your business, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Wait, did you say Refugee Center?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I bought the whole side of the Housing District and filled the lots. There should be enough beds and rooms for a good portion of the city.¡± Anabelle stared at him. ¡°How is that possible?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°There''s only one large living room and kitchen at one end; the rest of the space of both first and second floors is all bedrooms full of beds.¡± ¡°It''s quite the idea.¡± Jen said. ¡°I never thought there was enough room to make this large of a structure still left inside the city.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Technically, you''re right and there isn''t; but you''ve allowed me to join the houses together to make it a single structure.¡± ¡°Your taxes, though...¡± ¡°Can I pay you for that?¡± ¡°That would be too easy.¡± Jen laughed. ¡°You''ll need to make an appointment to see the Minister of Finance to pay the taxes.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thanks, Jen. I''ll see you later.¡± ¡°More than likely.¡± Jen said and waved as Ren led Elerlyth and Anabelle back to the warehouse. Ren opened the door and they went inside. He ran up the stairs, Teepo dissolved into the ring, and Ren went through the portal. He went downstairs and fed Princess, gave her a few more pastries, and went back upstairs and through the portal. Ren nailed the cabinet shut, summoned Teepo to put on his shoulder, and ran down to the waiting women. ¡°I have to go, so don''t leave the building.¡± Ren said to Anabelle. ¡°The door will lock and you won''t be able to get back in.¡± Anabelle nodded, and Ren looked over at the workbench he''d left food out on. It was almost empty, so he added more food and looked at Anabelle. ¡°Help yourself to the food. You can relax on the couch or in the chairs upstairs, but do not sleep in the bed.¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°I want to tell you something before you go.¡± She said. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For not saying ''no, I don''t want her''.¡± Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°I honestly didn''t even consider saying no.¡± Anabelle took a deep breath, let it out, and smiled. ¡°Then... thank you again, My Lord.¡± Ren smiled and left the building, taking Elerlyth''s hand as he passed by her. Once they were outside and had walked down the street, she spoke. ¡°She''s really grateful to you.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°She wants to thank you...¡± Elerlyth smiled crookedly. ¡°...privately.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Then why...¡± ¡°I told you about what happened after the party that time.¡± Ren explained. ¡°She''s the maid.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°That makes sense, then.¡± She chuckled. ¡°She''s not just horny for you. She''s grateful and horny.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Come on. If we hurry, we might find a cart and horse to rent.¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°I know something you don''t know.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± He asked. ¡°I stashed a horse and cart in the woods outside the West Gate.¡± ¡°Then let''s run instead.¡± Ren grinned and they ran for the West Gate of the city. They made it to the spot about 10 minutes later, and Ren helped her uncover the cart. He fed and watered the horse, and checked to see that everything was in good condition. They climbed in and Ren drove the cart into the countryside. He was disappointed in the lack of get up and go that the horse displayed, but he figured he was spoiled with the way Princess could handle the same load. ¡°Yeah, we''re both definitely spoiled.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I can barely feel the wind in my hair.¡± Ren snorted a laugh, then had to tell Elerlyth why he laughed. ¡°It''s not as funny if you have to explain it.¡± He said. ¡°It loses something.¡± ¡°Yeah, sense.¡± Elerlyth said, then laughed. Ren grinned and flicked the reins again. If they were lucky, they could get there in only a couple of hours. If they were really lucky, he wouldn''t find anything wrong and would be back a couple of hours after that. What are the odds of that, Teepo? ¡°3 to 1.¡± Teepo said. Actually, that''s pretty good. Ren thought. How did you come up with those numbers? ¡°I made them up.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Chapter 162 - To The Village After about an hour of driving the horse a little hard, Ren stopped the cart to give the horse a rest. ¡°Why are we stopping?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Aren''t we almost there?¡± ¡°We''re almost to the edge of the County, but the village is on the other side of it; right on the border to the next Principality.¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°Whoever had the bright idea to build it right along the edge, and spread out to boot, was an idiot.¡± ¡°It could have been randomly generated.¡± Elerlyth said. Ren chuckled. ¡°Then the algorithm used is completely flawed. The village is made in three rows, a quarter of a mile long. There''s no wall surrounding it. There''s no river nearby... and the villagers have to travel a mile to get to the farmland they need to use, just to feed themselves.¡± ¡°Okay, even I have to admit that''s pretty stupid.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Oh, it gets better.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s a population of 796 people, and 646 of that is in the village. The other 150 is spread out over the 50 square miles.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°I''m not done.¡± He said. ¡°There''s 2300 chickens, 1100 cows, and 300 pigs.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°How do they feed them all?¡± ¡°They don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s also 13 butchers, and... get this... 61 bakers.¡± Elerlyth''s eyes widened. ¡°Chicken Pot Pie.¡± Ren laughed again. ¡°That''s my guess from the numbers of production.¡± He said. ¡°The fields grow wheat; half to make dough and half to feed the chickens. Keep three quarters of the chickens for eggs; use half of those eggs to eat and grow the other half, then chop up the chickens that are left.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± She said. ¡°They must be sick of eating chicken!¡± ¡°Assuming they don''t change how they cook it, yeah.¡± Ren said, then looked at the horse. ¡°Okay, I think we can head out now.¡± They went to the cart and climbed in. ¡°Why don''t you drive.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to check my stats.¡± Elerlyth nodded and took the reins. ¡°Show Status.¡± Ren said, and looked at the popup.
Status
Name Ren Level 29
Gender Male Class Artificer/Lord
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 355,590 (Lord) Honor 42,825 (Prominent)
Titles
Blacksmith Grants 5 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills
Tailor Grants 5 level bonus to Tailoring Skills
Issac''s Novice 20% stat gain at his shop
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Health 1026 Mana 1197
Strength 169 Dexterity 97
Vitality 103 Agility 93
Endurance 101 Intelligence 133
Luck 34 Wisdom 133
¡°I got 2 new titles. ''Hero of Aurora'' and ''Lord''. They give me +5 and +10 levels to my Aura.¡± He said. ¡°It''s out to 90 feet, now... without combining it with anything. ¡± ¡°That''s pretty far.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Mine''s still only 10 feet, and it''s nearly at Expert.¡± She frowned. ¡°Check the info on your Auras.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Show info for Auras.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Aura Info
Main Skill:
Aura (Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak) Level 3 (Expert 52%) Menacing feeling, small creatures flee. Current distance: 40 foot radius
Aura (Personal) (Master) Your presence is such as those near you will be in awe of you and your accomplishments. Current distance: 50 foot radius
Sub Skills:
Camaraderie Level 4 (Expert 51%) Allows mutual trust and friendship to easily build among people who spend a lot of time together. Higher levels will allow a larger Camaraderie Radius, and grants XP bonuses when fighting in a group of 2 or more. Current distance: 40 foot radius
Command Level 9 (Advanced 60%) Allows you to lead a group and issue orders. Higher levels will allow a larger Command radius, and generate loyalty from those under your command. Current distance: 25 foot radius
Fear Level 1 (Expert 21%) Causes Fear instead of Awe in those around you. Current distance: 40 foot radius
Hatred Level 8 (Advanced 20%) Grants Temporary stat modifiers - Level 10: Strength +15, Endurance +15, Dexterity +15, Agility +15, Intelligence -20, Wisdom -20
House Neram Level 6 (Advanced 88%) People recognize you as a member of House Neram. Current distance: 25 foot radius
Spider Level 7 (Intermediate 80%) Special: Only usable with another Spider Aura to create an emotional link. Current distance: 15 foot radius
¡°Well, that explains a lot.¡± Ren said. ¡°My personal Aura is now at the Master Level with 50 feet, and my cloak is at Expert at 40 feet.¡± Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°Damn, I wonder if there''s something wrong with mine?¡± ¡°I doubt it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m a special one-of-a-kind class, remember? I''m probably the odd one here.¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°That''s probably true.¡± She said. ¡°It''s not like we have anyone else we can compare ourselves to.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°You''re the only one of your kind?¡± She nodded. ¡°So far. I haven''t seen, or heard, of anyone else that chose this race.¡± ¡°I haven''t seen any other player crafters, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re quite the pair.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Ain''t that the truth.¡± Ren said. ¡°An elfling Lord and a dark elf emotion siphon.¡± He grinned. ¡°We should be trying to kill each other, not sleeping together.¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°I did try to kill you, remember? First with the venom, and then the duel.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°The first was a mistake, the second was pretty funny.¡± ¡°Oh? You thought it was funny?¡± He nodded. ¡°The look on your face when I conceded was priceless.¡± She snorted a laugh. ¡°It wasn''t priceless. You gave me 25 platinum afterwards.¡± Ren waved that away. ¡°I can give you more if you want it.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I still have 20 platinum left, and I''ve been spending it left and right.¡± He grinned. ¡°I''m glad.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± She asked, curious. ¡°You know my philosophy. You should be working for fun, not playing to work.¡± ¡°It sounds good in theory, but if you remove the economy from the game, what''s the reason to play?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s the fun part. If there''s no money, what would you do with all the time you''d be spending working?¡± She opened her mouth, then closed it. ¡°What have you been doing, now that you don''t have to guard the warehouse?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve been going on adventures.¡± She said, then glanced at him. ¡°For the loot drops to see what I can find.¡± ¡°There you go.¡± He grinned. ¡°You''re not worrying about the money, you want to find something nice or unique.¡± Elerlyth nodded and concentrated on the road. ¡°It seems like I just did this.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°What? Driving the cart?¡± ¡°Yeah, and down this road, too.¡± She said, then clamped her mouth shut. ¡°Aha!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°I''ve found your hideout!¡± Elerlyth sighed and pulled the horse to a stop. ¡°Okay. Okay!¡± She said. ¡°My cottage is about a mile or so into the woods there.¡± She pointed into the trees. ¡°Why did you stop the cart?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Don''t... don''t you want to see it?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t want to intrude on your personal space, though.¡± Elerlyth looked at him with raised eyebrows, and he put a hand on her arm. ¡°That''s your space.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I don''t need to share your feelings to know that it''s the space you go to when you want to relax, or to leave all of this behind and forget about everything for a while.¡± Elerlyth felt his sincerity. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s for the best anyways.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± ¡°Well, I''d probably be so overcome with happiness that I was in your private space, that I''d want to christen the bed with you, despite it probably being inadequate for the task.¡± Ren said, and waggled his eyebrows. ¡°Yes, my little bed definitely would not survive an encounter with you.¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh. ¡°Not to mention we wouldn''t have the time to spare, either.¡± She flicked the reins and the horse started to trot down the road. ¡°It''s not my fault that I lose track of time when we''re together.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, wait. Yes, it is.¡± He grinned. ¡°I honestly don''t care what time it is, and don''t stop until Teepo reminds me of the time.¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°You really could just keep going, and not stop?¡± ¡°If I didn''t have to take breaks to eat and sleep, yeah.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Your body is a wonderland.¡± She turned to him and stared. ¡°I know I''m irresistible; but keep your eyes on the road, please.¡± He chuckled, and she faced forward again. ¡°You really believe that.¡± Elerlyth said, in wonder. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have you seen yourself naked?¡± She nodded and he smiled. ¡°Good lord, woman! My hands ache when we''re together, because I can''t hold onto you for as long as I''d like to.¡± Elerlyth''s face flushed a little darker, and Ren smiled. ¡°It''s a good thing I like you so much.¡± She glanced at him, and he smiled wickedly. ¡°You owe me for several months in back taxes.¡± ¡°I WHAT?!?¡± ¡°It''s on my land.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You didn''t think the system kept track of that stuff, did you?¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°It''s a secret hideout. No one is supposed to even know about it.¡± She sighed. ¡°Why would I go and pay taxes on it?¡± ¡°It''s okay. You don''t have to worry about it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I know the owner. He''s pretty generous when it comes to things like that.¡± Elerlyth laughed and shook her head. ¡°You''re going to pay it for me, aren''t you?¡± ¡°Did you really have to ask that?¡± She shook her head again and kept driving. They drove for another 10 minutes, and Ren told her to slow down. ¡°We''re coming up on the farmland.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s just past these trees.¡± They came out of the trees and they were greeted by fields upon fields of wheat, for as far as their eyes could see. ¡°Wow.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°That''s a lot of wheat.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He said. ¡°I wonder how they harvest it?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± She said. ¡°I''m not a farm girl.¡± ¡°Urban all the way, huh?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Damn right.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Places like these are nice to visit, but I wouldn''t want to live here.¡± ¡°It would be a simpler life.¡± He commented. ¡°Boring you mean.¡± She responded, and he chuckled. They looked at all the fields as they passed by, and didn''t speak again until they came to the outskirts of Goagan village. Teepo, you''re up. Ren thought, and Teepo took off down the road to examine the village. ¡°That''s so neat.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°It''s like a little piece of you just flew away.¡± ¡°Having a scout is great!¡± Ren said. ¡°Teepo has helped me out of a few sticky spots.¡± ¡°He''s definitely got your back.¡± She said. Ren nodded. ¡°I don''t know what I would do without his constant help.¡± ¡°Probably the same thing everyone else does. Stick your nose into places you shouldn''t go.¡± ¡°I don''t doubt that.¡± He laughed. ¡°Even with Teepo''s help, it still happens.¡± ¡°From what I can see, everything is clear, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s a few villagers around, but there doesn''t seem to be a lot of activity.¡± Thanks, buddy. We''re coming in now. ¡°Teepo says it''s clear as far as he can see.¡± Elerlyth flicked the reins and the horse trotted into the village. Two minutes later, they were at the other side of the village, and standing at the border to the next Principality. ¡°That is the oddest thing I have ever seen.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I know why the village stops right here.¡± He stared up the 200 foot cliff. There were no roads, stairs, ropes, or even anywhere to climb; as the surface was completely sheer and free of any blemish whatsoever. ¡°This... changes what I had in mind.¡± Ren said and looked to the left for a minute, then to the right for another minute. Teepo? I can''t tell if the cliff tapers off. Can you use your Spot ability? ¡°I already did.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It goes on for a few miles both ways.¡± ¡°I had wondered if there was any trade with the next Principality; but with this thing in the way...¡± Ren waved at the cliff face. ¡°I know there isn''t.¡± ¡°It''s only 50 square miles, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I doubt they have anything worth trading that they aren''t using for themselves.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Okay, lets go and see if we can find the village elders. Or a mayor. Or something.¡± ¡°That info wasn''t in with the other stats?¡± Elerlyth asked, and Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m hoping it was left out by mistake.¡± He said. ¡°But by the looks of things...¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh as they looked at the straw and mud huts. ¡°Yeah, definitely no mayor.¡± ¡°I''d say ''split up and start knocking on doors'', but I don''t want to lose sight of you.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with a question on her face. ¡°Yes, I know you can handle yourself; but that doesn''t mean I want you to be here alone, either.¡± She put a hand on his arm. ¡°Let''s start looking.¡± Ren nodded and they went to the closest hut. Teepo scouted inside, and said there was no one there. This pattern continued until Teepo finally saw someone walking down the road. Ren turned towards the figure, and the figure stopped right at the 90 foot limit of Ren''s Aura. The woman was a little on the plump side, and had shoulder-length black hair. Ren took a step towards her, and she turned around and started to walk away. ¡°Wait!¡± Ren said, and ran towards her. She started to run as well, but Ren easily caught up to her. ¡°I just want to ask a few questions.¡± The woman sighed and turned around. Her face was slightly distorted, and one eye was a little lower than the other one. Or, at least that''s what Ren assumed, as she had her head tilted to the side so that both eyes were at the same level. Her mouth was also a little crooked, and when she spoke, it was slightly slurred. ¡°Caln I help youl?¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m the new Lord of this County. Is there a mayor or village elder I can speak to?¡± ¡°Slure.¡± The woman said, speaking slowly. ¡°Youl want Pabby. Slhe''s at the farlm.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± Ren asked, and the woman looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°Thlere''s only one farlm. Itsa mile thlat way.¡± She pointed to the only road out of the village. Ren handed her a copper coin. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± The woman stared at the copper coin as Ren and Elerlyth went back to the horse and cart. He let Elerlyth drive again; and as the cart turned around, Ren saw that the woman still stood there. She had the copper coin in her hand and stared at it like she''d never seen one before. ¡°I think you broke her.¡± Elerlyth commented as they left the village. ¡°I didn''t mean to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Copper is the lowest form of currency I have.¡± ¡°Imagine what would have happened if you''d given her a gold coin instead.¡± Elerlyth chuckled. ¡°Her head might have exploded.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°That''s always a possibility.¡± He said. ¡°Everyone seems to react differently to money.¡± ¡°Not just money.¡± Elerlyth grinned. ¡°We''re both still wearing our fancy armor.¡± Ren looked down at himself, then back at her and smiled. ¡°She wanted to get as far away from us as her legs could carry her.¡± She said. ¡°We were just too fast for her to get away from to hide.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I don''t know if it was because we''re new, or because she didn''t want to talk.¡± ¡°Both, I think.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I could barely make out anything she said.¡± ¡°I heard every word just fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve had lots of practice with that kind of thing.¡± Elerlyth let one of her hands go from holding the reins, took his hand in hers, and squeezed it. ¡°We''re looking for Patty.¡± He said, and pointed to a small trail going off the road. ¡°I''m going to assume that will lead us to the farmhouse.¡± She let his hand go, and directed the horse up the trail. It didn''t take long to get to the house, and they saw that a good portion of the field was harvested. Elerlyth tied the horse to the post there, and Ren filled the trough with water. Without thinking about it, he turned around and knocked on the front door of the house. ¡°Ren, no!¡± Teepo shouted. ¡°I haven''t scouted-¡± The front door opened, and a beautiful blonde-haired woman stood there. Ren stared at her with wide eyes as the sunlight hit her hair just right, and it glowed like she had a halo. ¡°Can I help you, My Lord?¡± The woman said, and Ren''s mouth dropped open in shock. A slightly older version of Lucy stood in front of him. If Lucy had had an older sister, this was exactly as Ren had imagined she would look and sound like. ¡°Oh, for fuck''s sake!¡± Elerlyth said, exasperated. Chapter 163 - Patty Cake ¡°We don''t hold to that kind of language here.¡± The woman said, sternly. ******** ¡°Oh my GOD!¡± Barbara exclaimed when she saw what the woman looked like, then covered her mouth. She looked around, then relaxed as she remembered she''d shut Ren''s door after Denise had left. What... what is everyone going to think? Barbara thought as she looked at Ren''s still form on the bed. ******** ¡°I''d say I''m sorry, but I''m not.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You''ve messed everything up!¡± ¡°I did no such thing.¡± The woman said in her defense, as she lost her stern expression. ¡°You didn''t have to ''do'' anything.¡± Elerlyth waved a hand around at the field. ¡°Just being here was enough!¡± The woman''s face started to crumble, and tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. ¡°That''s just fucking great!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°Now you''re turning on the waterworks!¡± She stepped in front of Ren, who was still standing there, frozen in shock. ¡°Please, listen to me.¡± Elerlyth pleaded and took him into a hug. ¡°Don''t look at her, Ren.¡± Ren looked up at Elerlyth with wide eyes. ¡°But...¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°It''s not her. It''s what the game thinks is your ideal version of her.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Remember when I told you that the game tries it''s best to lock you into logic loops?¡± Ren blinked at her and nodded. ¡°This is the biggest one I''ve ever seen it create.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I thought the loop you were already in with the dwarves was bad enough; but this...¡± She shook her head and cupped the side of his face with a hand. ¡°Don''t get caught up in it, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Play the game. Have fun. Don''t... don''t do this.¡± Ren put a hand on her hand that cupped his face, lifted it slightly, and kissed the inside of her wrist. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and let her hand go. ¡°I''m okay now.¡± ¡°Are you sure...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Don''t worry. I can handle this.¡± Elerlyth let him out of the hug and stepped aside. ¡°My apologies for the display.¡± Ren said to the woman, who had let a couple of tears run down her cheeks. ¡°Seeing a woman of your caliber has thrown our normal behavior out the window.¡± He stepped forward and gave the woman a scrap piece of cloth to dry her eyes. ¡°Wh-what''s this?¡± She asked, taking the cloth with her thumb and forefinger. ¡°It''s a piece of cloth to dry your eyes with.¡± She looked at him with shock on her face. ¡°You waste cloth by doing that?!?¡± ¡°It''s not a waste of cloth in my opinion.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It gets to touch your face and dry your tears.¡± The woman''s eyes widened, and Elerlyth sighed. Ren turned to face Elerlyth, winked, and turned back to the woman. ¡°I''m the new Lord of this County.¡± Ren said. ¡°I plan on improving things a little, but I need to find the village elder, Patty. Can you tell me where...¡± ¡°I''m Patty.¡± She said. ¡°It''s nice to meet you, Patty.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was told that I need to build a house for myself. Where would you recommend I do that?¡± ¡°You''re the Lord.¡± She said. ¡°You can build it anywhere you want.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''d rather not build it where it would interfere with the village.¡± ¡°You''re the only person I''ve ever met that cares what happens to the village.¡± Patty said. ¡°That doesn''t live here already.¡± ¡°I won''t be here a lot.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least, I''m not planning on being here a lot.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Patty said. ¡°I was worried you were going to come in here and change everything to how you want things to be run.¡± Ren glanced quickly at Elerlyth, and saw her grin. ¡°I''m not planning on making any changes right now.¡± He said. ¡°I haven''t even seen how everything is set up yet.¡± Patty crossed her arms under her chest, and looked at him. ¡°You''re going to come in here, to the village I grew up in, and tell me how to run it?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know how to do your job.¡± Patty nodded. ¡°That''s good.¡± She said. ¡°If you tried to do that, I''d quit and you''d have to do it all yourself.¡± ¡°I definitely don''t want that to happen.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You''re too valuable to waste like that.¡± Patty blushed a little at the compliment. ¡°So, where can I build a house?¡± ¡°Anywhere in the mile of space between here and the village.¡± Patty said. ¡°It''s all open and can''t be used for anything anyways.¡± ¡°Then that''s perfect.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± He turned away and walked over to the horse and cart. ¡°Wait!¡± Patty said, and came out of the shack. ¡°I... I can... show you around...¡± She said and her face flushed slightly red. ¡°Normally, I''d like that very much.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to get going, though.¡± A look of disappointment passed across Patty''s face. ¡°I''ll be back in a few days.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''d be happy to take a tour then.¡± ¡°It''s a date!¡± Patty said happily, and Elerlyth snorted a laugh. Ren untied the horse, climbed into the driver''s seat, and Elerlyth climbed up beside him. Patty waved to them as the cart went down the road. ¡°You handled that a lot better than I thought you would.¡± Elerlyth said when they got back to the road. Ren turned the cart towards the village and flicked the reins. ¡°Thanks to your warning.¡± Ren said and pulled the cart over. ¡°This looks like a good spot.¡± ¡°Hold on, you''re going to build a house right now?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, I''m building the mold for it.¡± She looked at him oddly, and he grinned. ¡°Just sit there and look gorgeous.¡± Ren said. ¡°This won''t take long.¡± After storing his armor and equipping his Travelling Clothes, Ren walked over to the side of the road and took out his hammerpick. He stuck the plow end into the ground, and ran as fast as he could. He made a 6 foot wide road 30 feet long, then a lot the size of the Main House he''d built for House Neram. He cleared it out with a shovel, took out the wood pieces he had stored, and assembled them into the 2 storey wooden mold. ¡°You''ve been carrying all of that around with you this whole time?¡± Elerlyth asked, surprised. Ren laughed as he nailed the last piece up. ¡°This is only the parts I used for the Main House.¡± He said. ¡°I''m still carrying the rest of the mold I''ve been using around the Keep.¡± Elerlyth''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Ren, that''s not... how can you carry so much?¡± ¡°Practice.¡± Ren said, then laughed at her scowl. ¡°I''m just really strong.¡± ¡°I know it''s not normally something people discuss.¡± Elerlyth said, then looked at him. ¡°But I have to know. What is your Strength stat?¡± ¡°169.¡± ¡°It''s WHAT?!?¡± Elerlyth yelled. ¡°You... you...¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°But you''re only level 29!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°While everyone has been out level grinding, I''ve been skill grinding.¡± ¡°That still doesn''t explain that outrageous number!¡± ¡°It''s really only 129, but I''ve got 2 titles that give me +20 Strength each.¡± ¡°How many titles do you have?¡± She asked. ¡°I know Hero of Aurora and Lord didn''t give you the Strength bonuses.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Ren looked at his status again and counted. ¡°16.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Elerlyth stared at him. ¡°Ren, people might have one, or maybe two; if they are really lucky. How the hell did you get so many?¡± ¡°I guess I''m just lucky.¡± He laughed. ¡°By the way... before you ask... my Luck stat is 34.¡± ¡°Mine''s 12.¡± Elerlyth said in a soft voice. ¡°Only 12.¡± ¡°I told you before; I can''t assign my stat points when I level.¡± Ren said and took out the modified cart he''d made for mixing cement. ¡°You can.¡± She nodded. ¡°Yeah, but I''ve been pumping up my Dexterity and Agility.¡± He nodded. ¡°I figured you would.¡± Ren said and mixed up a batch of cement. ¡°How''s the sword working out?¡± ¡°I''m not hindered by it at all, now.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°You were right. The more I use it, the easier it gets.¡± ¡°Do you want me to change the enchantment?¡± Ren asked as he set the rebar and then poured the cart full of cement into part of the first level of the mold. ¡°No, thanks.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I want to get used to it first.¡± Ren mixed up another batch of cement. ¡°When you change your mind, message me and let me know what you want.¡± For the next half an hour, Ren mixed cement and talked to Elerlyth about some of the ideas he''d come up with for the village. The biggest idea was a battlement wall, and Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°Do you really think Patty will let you put a wall up around the village?¡± ¡°It''s not like she has a say.¡± Ren said. ¡°And I''m not putting it around the village.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°I''m going to defend my territory to the best of my ability.¡± ¡°You''ve got to be kidding me!¡± Elerlyth said, surprised. ¡°You''re going to build a wall around the 50 square miles of the whole County?!?¡± ¡°I''ll need dirt for the middle of the wall, so I''m making a moat, too.¡± ¡°You''re crazy!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°A wall that long is going to take... a... a... really long time to build!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°A bit too many variables for you to count, was it?¡± She clamped her mouth shut. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and heat up the ends of the rebar with his Fire enchanted stone brick, and attached the rebar to make the floor on the second level. ¡°It will take a while to build, especially if I''m doing it by myself.¡± Ren made another batch of cement and covered the floor with it. ¡°I''ll look into hiring a crew, though.¡± ¡°I''m sitting here watching you work, and I''m still surprised that you can do all of that.¡± Elerlyth commented. It''s kind of turning me on, too. ¡°It''s going so fast because I already know what I''m doing.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It took nearly a day to make all of this the first time, not counting the rebar. Once you have all the parts, though...¡± ¡°You just have to wait for it to dry.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Ren said as he finished spreading the cement over the second level''s floor, and climbed down. ¡°I have to wait for this part to dry before I can pour the second floor''s walls, then I have to build the rafters out of wood.¡± ¡°What made you think of building this, instead of a copy of your warehouse?¡± ¡°I''m only allowed one version of my business in each Kingdom. It would be neat to have one in each County, but I can see the portal system being abused so badly that it would break the game.¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°Everyone would have a business in every town, city and spot they wanted to quick travel to.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Ren said and climbed up on the cart beside Elerlyth. ¡°Everywhere would be full of buildings that people would use for personal travel.¡± He picked up the reins, went to turn the cart around, and saw the woman from the village walking towards him. Ren waited for her to get close and spoke. ¡°If you''re heading to the farm, we can give you a lift.¡± ¡°Thlank youl.¡± The woman said, and Ren hopped down to help her climb into the back of the cart. He got back in the driver''s seat, turned the cart around, and headed back to the farm path. They went up the path, and Ren pulled the cart to a stop in front of the house. He hopped down and helped the woman climb out. ¡°Thlank youl agailn.¡± She said, and held out the copper coin to him. Ren folded her hand back over it. ¡°You can keep that.¡± He said and climbed back onto the cart. ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Blye.¡± The woman said, and the cart drove down the path. * The woman walked over to the shack and knocked. Patty opened the door and smiled. ¡°Unice! What are you doing here?¡± She held out the coin to Patty, who took it. ¡°He gave it to you, didn''t he?¡± The woman nodded, and Patty walked over to the rickety table and the small jar there. She put the coin inside and heard it clink against it''s fellows. ¡°Thank you so much, Unice.¡± Patty said. ¡°At this rate, we''ll have that new shovel in no time!¡± ¡°Whlat aboult hilm?¡± The woman asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Patty said. ¡°He could be a great asset, or he could ruin everything we''ve built here.¡± ¡°Asslet.¡± ¡°I hope so, Unice.¡± Patty said. ¡°I really hope so!¡± * ¡°I''m glad that''s over.¡± Elerlyth said as they hit the road again, and Ren flicked the reins to egg the horse on. ¡°It might be over for you, but I''ve got to come back here and start working.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°What was it you told me earlier? You should be working for fun, not playing the game to work.¡± Ren glanced at her, then smiled. ¡°Okay, I deserved that.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''ll see if I can hire a crew, but I sincerely doubt that they would want to come all the way out here to work.¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°Ren, I don''t think anyone in their right mind would be willing to travel all the way out here to work every day.¡± ¡°Just me, then.¡± He said and laughed. She put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You know what I meant.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''d have to build them something temporary to live in first, then hire them.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°I''ll get right on that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Later.¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°The procrastinator''s meeting was postponed, too.¡± Ren chuckled, then kept driving the cart. After a short while, he stopped the cart at the spot where Elerlyth had said her hideout was. ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked. ¡°I''m letting myself off so you can stash this wherever it needs to go.¡± Elerlyth opened her mouth, then smiled. ¡°I was thinking of heading all the way back to the city with you first, then coming back here.¡± Ren reached up and took her hand. ¡°I can''t have you travel all that way for nothing.¡± Elerlyth climbed down from the cart and stored her armor. ¡°I wasn''t going to do it for nothing.¡± His eyes widened as she kissed him. ¡°Elerlyth...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°I...¡± She kissed him again and he stopped fighting the urges he had. He picked her up and went to the back of the cart. Ren unhooked the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak from around his neck, and laid it fur side up in the back, then put Elerlyth on it. They stored their clothing and Ren ran his hands along her slender muscular legs, and she felt how much pleasure he was getting from it. He proceeded to please her, and she nearly cried as he took his time. He moved so slowly, that it drove her crazy, and she tried to take control. Ren held her down and she couldn''t move. She felt trapped, and started to panic a little, but he kept holding onto her and moving, and she felt the pressure build faster than it had before. Her body tensed up as she finished unexpectedly, and spasmed several times and clamped her legs around Ren, who kept moving slowly. ¡°Please... please go faster...¡± Elerlyth begged. ¡°I can''t... I can''t take it...¡± Ren let her arms go and knelt, put her legs on his shoulders, and took her advice. He went as fast as he could, and she gasped as she went again because she felt his ferocity. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± Elerlyth yelled, as Ren went and she went again herself. He lay down beside her afterwards, and she stared at him. ¡°You''ve never... like that... with me before.¡± She said as she tried to calm down. ¡°You''ve always fed on my emotions before.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened. He smiled and cupped the side of her face. ¡°I wanted you to have an experience without having that particular ability interfering.¡± Elerlyth opened her mouth to speak, and he kissed her. ¡°I know you could still feel the emotions, but your ability couldn''t... take the edge off of them. I wanted you to feel them in their raw form.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Thank you.¡± He smiled. ¡°You let me get my frustrations out.¡± ¡°I''m always glad to help.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°My body, however...¡± Ren touched her there gently, and she winced. He took out a Minor Healing wand and used it on the area, then touched her again. Ren smiled as she didn''t wince. ¡°There, all better.¡± He said and kissed her. ¡°Where can I get one of those?¡± Elerlyth asked, and Ren handed it to her. ¡°It''s only a Minor Healing wand, but it still works wonders.¡± ¡°I saw you use it a lot during the fire rescue.¡± She said, and examined it. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This wand has 49 charges left.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Because I just used one.¡± ¡°I wasn''t counting last night, but I know you used it a bunch of times.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°What makes you think it''s the same wand?¡± ¡°You have more of them?!?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I made them.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± He laughed. ¡°A lot has happened since the last time we saw each other.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Elerlyth hugged the wand to her bare chest. ¡°This thing is worth a fortune.¡± ¡°You don''t know the half of it.¡± He grinned, and she felt his mischievousness. ¡°Well, don''t just lay there.¡± She said. ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°I don''t know if I should tell you.¡± He said. ¡°It''s kind of a big deal.¡± Elerlyth smacked him on the chest. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Okay, okay!¡± He laughed. ¡°It''s rechargeable.¡± Her mouth dropped open and she looked at the wand, then at Ren, then back at the wand. She picked it up and held it at arms length above her face. ¡°You made a rechargeable wand.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Do... do you know what this means?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Of course I do.¡± He said. ¡°You saw it last night, and just now.¡± ¡°Anyone can be a magic user.¡± She said in reverence, then looked at him. ¡°Please tell me you have different ones.¡± ¡°I only know three spells so far.¡± Ren said. ¡°Minor Healing, Major Healing, and Fireball.¡± ¡°You have a FIREBALL wand?!?¡± He took one out and gave it to her. Elerlyth pulled the two wands to her chest, and hugged them. ¡°Oh, my god. Oh my GOD!¡± She rolled from side to side for a moment, stored the wands, then hugged him. ¡°I LOVE YOU!¡± She yelled, then froze solid. She let him out of the hug and she had a shocked look on her face. ¡°I... I didn''t mean...¡± ¡°I know what you meant.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°People say things they normally wouldn''t say when they get excited like that, while trying to thank someone.¡± ¡°Yes! That''s right.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I... I love that you can do these amazing things.¡± ¡°I''m glad I could make you so happy.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Don''t forget to keep them and I''ll recharge them when you need me to.¡± He stood up and equipped his Travelling Clothes. ¡°I better get going.¡± Elerlyth nodded, then stood up to equip her bodysuit and armor. Ren stored the cloak to clean it, and equipped it. ¡°Thank you for the wands.¡± Elerlyth said as she climbed down out of the back of the cart. ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± Ren climbed down out of the cart and saw that she seemed a little awkward and uncomfortable. He took her hand and lifted it to his lips, then kissed it softly. ¡°I''ll see you next week.¡± She nodded, but didn''t say anything. ¡°Bye, Elerlyth.¡± Ren said, then started to run. * Elerlyth watched him for a minute, before dropping to her knees. ¡°Why did I say that?¡± She asked herself and covered her face with her hands. ¡°Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!¡± She berated herself. ¡°Now he''s going to think I''m in love with him.¡± She sighed, dropped her hands, and stood up. She climbed into the driver''s seat of the cart and drove it slowly down the road, then turned off into the woods at what seemed like a random spot. There was no trail or anything, but that was the way she and Hailey wanted it. ¡°What am I going to do?¡± Elerlyth asked herself. ¡°I know he said that he understood what I meant; but, I said the words, despite what I meant when I said them.¡± She sighed. ¡°I can''t take them back.¡± * Ren ran for all he was worth. She told me she loved me. He thought. I know she was just thanking me, but I can''t believe she told me she loved me! He kept running and then came to a stop. Oh, crap. ¡°What?¡± Teepo asked. Nathalia''s going to kill me. ¡°Why?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°She said you better not come home and tell her that you love Elerlyth. She didn''t say anything about Elerlyth loving you.¡± That''s kind of splitting hairs. Ren thought then started running again. ¡°I''d tell you not to tell her, but you''re going to anyways.¡± Of course I''m going to tell her. Ren thought. I told her I''d never lie to her about any of this. ¡°Your recipe for Trouble doesn''t need a lot of ingredients, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You saw that today.¡± She''s definitely going to hate that part of this story. Ren kept running down the road. If I''m lucky, she''ll only yell at me for an hour or so. ¡°And if you''re unlucky?¡± Teepo asked. Healers can regrow limbs, right? ¡°That depends. Does Little Ren count as a limb?¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Chapter 164 - Remember Me? It took about 2 hours for Ren to get back to a part of the road that he recognized. Unlike the horse, he could run a lot faster and didn''t have to stop and rest if he kept himself at a good pace. He detoured into the forest to the springy tree grove, and was surprised that there was no evidence that he''d taken any of the trees from the last time he''d been there. I think this grove regenerates. Ren thought. With his Strength so high, it only took 2 chops (one on each side) to cut through the 6 inch thick springy trees. He laughed as he harvested nearly half of the grove over the next hour. Ren ended up with 5 inventory slots full, with 995 trees, and had leveled his Chop skill to Intermediate Level 9. When he stopped to think about the math, he realized if he chopped down another hundred trees, he would level the skill to Advanced. He took another 7 minutes, because the trees were a little farther apart, and got the popup he wanted.
Stat Change!
Chop Level 1 (Advanced 0%)
Ren looked around and smiled. I''m really tempted to keep going, but I have to get back to the city. He took off running and was back at the road in no time, then ran towards the city of Aurora. Since it was a 3 hour walk to the grove, he ran the distance in just under half an hour and stopped at the West Gate. He quickly made 2 comfy chairs, then ran through the gates. I don''t know why there''s still no guards at the gates. Ren thought. You''d think after last night, there would at least be one lookout. ¡°Maybe they''re short-handed?¡± Teepo offered. They are playing those war games with King Alamast. Ren thought. I''m surprised the Captain of the Guard didn''t hire new people. ¡°If any of them were around to see what happened last night, they might not want to get hired.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. A few minutes later, Ren was back at his business and went inside. He didn''t see Anabelle, so he went upstairs to the apartment. He saw she was asleep on the couch, and didn''t want to disturb her, so he shut the door and crept back downstairs. I might as well go and see if the Refugee Center is finished. He thought, and left the business to run up the street and over to the Housing District. When he got there, he was amazed as a 2 storey building, the entire length of the district, stood before him. He ran to the street on that side, and saw Jen standing there. The couch was missing, however. ¡°I was just about to come over and see you.¡± Jen said. ¡°The crew is finishing up the interior walls.¡± ¡°What about the furniture?¡± ¡°It''ll be delivered over the next couple of days.¡± She said. ¡°We had enough in stock for a single house, but this...¡± She waved at the monstrosity. ¡°...is going to take a while.¡± ¡°As long as part of it is livable right now.¡± Jen nodded. ¡°We furnished the end with the living room and kitchen.¡± ¡°That''s great.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope she likes it.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°My maid.¡± ¡°You bought half of the District for the MAID?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°No, she''s just going to be staying here until I can get a house built in my County.¡± ¡°Oh. That''s okay then.¡± ¡°It''s a Refugee Center. People are going to be living here.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I pay a little extra, can the crew put a rush on the beds?¡± Jen raised her eyebrows. ¡°The mansion is full of people without somewhere to stay. I''d like to get them over here as soon as possible.¡± ¡°You don''t need to pay extra.¡± Jen said, and sighed. ¡°We have to do it anyways; but, I was going to start work on the repairs for the city first.¡± Ren took out the 2 comfy chairs he''d made and put them beside each other, facing the Refugee Center. ¡°Please, have a seat and fill me in about the situation.¡± He sat in one, and Jen reluctantly sat in the other. She relaxed when her butt hit the comfy surface, and she smiled as she crossed her long legs. ¡°Did you get the assessment back?¡± Ren asked as he looked at the Refugee Center. ¡°About half an hour ago.¡± Jen said. ¡°Thankfully, some of the damage was superficial. The survey crew said some of it looked weird, though.¡± ¡°Weird how?¡± ¡°Like the fire had crawled across the surface of the wood, left scars, but didn''t burn it.¡± That was me. Ren thought. ¡°I wouldn''t worry about that.¡± He smiled. ¡°As long as the damage was minimal, it should be easy to fix.¡± Jen nodded. ¡°Even with that, it''s...¡± She sighed. ¡°The townspeople will take years paying for it.¡± Ren took her hand and held onto it, then continued to look at the Refugee Center. ¡°Tell me you haven''t submitted the assessment yet.¡± Jen looked at the hand he held, then at him. ¡°I shouldn''t tell you.¡± She said. ¡°You''re an Adventurer. You won''t be staying here.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I built a business here. I''ll be opening the storefront soon, with all new products for sale.¡± Jen used her free hand to stroke the fabric of the chair. ¡°I don''t think people can afford your merchandise.¡± Ren chuckled as he looked at her. ¡°You mean the chairs?¡± Jen nodded. ¡°I was thinking a silver coin each.¡± Jen''s mouth dropped open. ¡°But... but... they look so expensive!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s one of my skills.¡± ¡°You''re crazy to sell them so cheap.¡± ¡°I''ve been called crazy a lot.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°But that price covers the materials and the labor.¡± ¡°With no markup?¡± Jen shook her head. ¡°You shouldn''t under-sell yourself.¡± ¡°This is just to get people in the door.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Then they can see the expensive things.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Jen grinned back. ¡°Door-busters.¡± ¡°Bingo.¡± Ren said. ¡°With some of the things I can offer, these chairs are just chicken feed.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Jen said, then looked around. No one was there, so she turned back to him and leaned in close to whisper. I can''t wait to see his reaction! She thought. ¡°The assessment was nearly 300 platinum.¡± She waited anxiously for his outburst, that never came. He''s not surprised in the least! She thought, surprised by his non-reaction. He... he didn''t tense up... or twitch... or anything! ¡°Is that all?¡± Ren asked, and Jen''s eyes widened. ¡°Can I pay you for it now?¡± ¡°Wh-wh-wh-WHAT?!?¡± ¡°Shh! We''re supposed to be discussing this quietly.¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°You''re serious!¡± Jen gripped his hand tightly. ¡°You can''t be serious!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Jen took a deep breath, then relaxed. ¡°You''d really pay for it. You''d pay for it all?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°You really are crazy.¡± She said. ¡°To spend so much...¡± ¡°It''s only money.¡± ¡°They''ll never be able to pay it back.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I don''t remember saying it was a loan or anything.¡± ¡°Okay, now I know you''re pulling my leg.¡± Jen let his hand go, then stared at him. ¡°It''s not nice to tease a woman like that.¡± Ren turned away from her and took out a red coin pouch, and shoveled handfuls of platinum coins into it. He examined it several times, and when he hit 300 platinum, he stopped and pulled the red coin pouch closed. He turned back to Jen and smiled. ¡°I never tease a woman about serious things like this.¡± Ren said and handed Jen the coin pouch. She stared at it, and then at Ren. ¡°You... you...¡± Jen swallowed audibly. ¡°You didn''t... you can''t!¡± Ren stood up. ¡°I hope you enjoy the chairs.¡± ¡°W-wait.¡± Jen said. ¡°I... I...¡± She looked at him. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°I care about what happens to people.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I can help, then I will.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Jen said. ¡°This... this...¡± She shook her head. ¡°You''ll never have to pay for anything you order from me ever again.¡± ¡°What if I ordered two hundred thousand planks, and wanted to hire a dozen crews to build 600 houses, starting tomorrow?¡± Jen''s mouth dropped open in shock, and Ren laughed. ¡°Please be more careful about what you offer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I could abuse your gratitude so much that your business would be run into the ground before you knew it.¡±Stolen novel; please report. ¡°You''re right.¡± Jen said and sighed. ¡°Making an offer like that was a mistake.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°A discount, then.¡± She said, and Ren shook his head. ¡°You''re going to be too busy to do anything, for anyone, over the next... what? Two weeks or so?¡± Jen nodded. ¡°I''d suggest training up another crew or two, to help with all the work.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not to mention you should double, or even triple, the tree harvesters you have.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Jen said and stood. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± Ren waved her thanks away. ¡°It''s no trouble.¡± ¡°You just gave away 300 platinum, that you''ll never get back or see again, and it''s no trouble.¡± Jen laughed. ¡°What in the world do you class as trouble?¡± ¡°Believe me...¡± Ren grinned. ¡°...you don''t want to know.¡± Several workers came out of the Refugee Center and Jen turned to them. ¡°Good work, everyone!¡± Jen said, and the crew congratulated themselves. ¡°Ren!¡± An 18 year old girl, only slightly taller than him, with red hair styled just like his, pushed through the other workers and ran over to him. She gave him a big hug, and Ren hugged her back. ¡°Hi, Jhulune.¡± Ren said. ¡°Long time, no see.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± She said, and let him out of the hug. ¡°I saw you last night.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t remember seeing you.¡± ¡°You were a little busy using that... whatever it was... to take out those looters.¡± ¡°You were in the town square?¡± Jhulune nodded. ¡°I had my eyes covered for most of it, though.¡± ¡°I didn''t think...¡± Ren said, shook his head, and took her hand. ¡°I''m sorry if it was too violent for you.¡± ¡°It wasn''t too violent for me.¡± She laughed, and squeezed his hand. ¡°It was too violent for my mother. It was her hands covering my eyes.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''m glad she at least tried to protect your tender sensibilities.¡± Jhulune snorted a laugh. ¡°She had her own eyes shut the whole time, too.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± A guy coughed as he came through the crowd to stand beside Jhulune. He looked down at Jhulune and Ren''s clasped hands, and tried not to frown. ¡°Brian!¡± Jhulune turned to look at him, but kept a hold of Ren''s hand. ¡°This is Ren.¡± She said. ¡°He''s the one that saved us last night!¡± ¡°I know who he is.¡± Brian said. ¡°I was at the ceremony this morning, too.¡± ¡°A Knighthood!¡± Jhulune said, and turned back to Ren. ¡°It''s going to be so neat seeing you forming ranks with the regular soldiers!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You got a commission in the army. That''s what a Knighthood means.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jhulune nodded. ¡°It''s a parcel of land given in exchange for service to the King.¡± ¡°Why that sneaky little basta-.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Jen shouted, and Jhulune laughed. Ren glanced at Jen. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°No, you''re not.¡± Jen said, and he grinned. ¡°Not a bit. He was getting rid of me.¡± ¡°Why would he do that?¡± Jhulune asked. ¡°You just saved the city, and nearly everyone in it!¡± Ren looked back at Jhulune. ¡°You just answered your own question.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°No way!¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Out of sight, out of mind.¡± He said. ¡°It was my name the people were chanting last night and this morning, not his.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m going to assume he doesn''t want anyone to realize that he had put you all in danger last night, by not letting you into the mansion.¡± Jhulune''s mouth fell open, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I wouldn''t have had to come and save you at all, if he hadn''t locked the mansion up.¡± Jhulune shook her head. ¡°How did you know to come, then?¡± ¡°I didn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had been rescuing people for a while, then ran out of space at my business to hold them. I went to the mansion to see if they could take them in.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Jhulune said, and started to shake. Ren moved her over to one of the chairs and sat her down. She still had a hold of his hand, and squeezed it tightly. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, as a tear came to her eye. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Ren gave her a piece of cloth to dry her eyes. ¡°It''s okay.¡± He said. ¡°I got there in time.¡± ¡°But if you hadn''t shown up... we... I...¡± ¡°Don''t think like that.¡± Ren said and knelt in front of her. ¡°I did make it. I did get rid of the looters. I did stop the fire before it took everything.¡± Jhulune took a deep breath, and nodded. ¡°And now you''ve given me somewhere to sleep.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Your house?¡± She nodded. ¡°We got out in time; but, it''s pretty much gone.¡± Ren looked at Jen. ¡°Can you rebuild her house first?¡± Jen nodded, and Ren grinned. ¡°You won''t have to stay here for long.¡± He told Jhulune. ¡°W-w-what do you mean?¡± ¡°She''s already had quite the shock, Ren. Do you think she can take another?¡± Jen said. ¡°I''m still reeling from it myself.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°This will be a good shock, though.¡± ¡°What?¡± Jhulune asked, and gripped Ren''s hand tighter. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I''ve already paid for the repairs to the city.¡± Ren said, and nearly everyone gasped. Jhulune was barely coherent as she spoke. ¡°Wh-w-wh-w-wh-what?!?¡± ¡°I came into a lot of money recently, and took a wild guess about how much it would cost to fix everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°I gave it to Jen just before you came out, and she said it was enough.¡± ¡°You can''t be serious!¡± Jhulune said. ¡°That''s... that''s...¡± ¡°300 platinum coins.¡± Jen held up the coin pouch. ¡°A little bit over what the survey crew told me.¡± ¡°OH MY GOD!¡± Jhulune hollered, and in one swift motion pulled on Ren''s hand that held hers, wrapped her free hand around his neck, and kissed him. Ren looked at her in surprise as nearly everyone gasped again, and Brian got over the shock of that much money after a few seconds. ¡°Hey!¡± Brian exclaimed, and Jhulune broke the kiss. ¡°Sorry, Brian.¡± Jhulune said, and blushed. ¡°I had to thank him for buying me a house!¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°I had to thank you for buying half of the city a new house.¡± Ren still had his lips slightly puckered, then he smiled. ¡°You''re quite welcome, Jhulune.¡± ¡°I bet that was the most expensive kiss in history!¡± One of the crew said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Another said. ¡°I wonder if it was worth it?¡± ¡°Shut it!¡± Brian said, as he turned to face the two guys who spoke. Ren stood up and pulled on Jhulune''s hand to get her to stand up as well. He pulled a little harder than he should have, and she fell in close to him and he caught her in a hug. Jhulune''s blush turned to a deep red and held onto him tightly, as he whispered in her ear so only she could hear. ¡°It was.¡± Ren let her go after making sure she could still stand, and looked at Jen. ¡°I''ve got to go, but if you could think about my order and let me know when it might be possible to fill, I''d appreciate it.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Jen said. ¡°You were serious? You want 600 homes built?¡± The crew stared at him, and Ren nodded. ¡°I''m tempted to add a retaining wall to that, but I need to decide how high to make it first.¡± Her mouth dropped open, and he laughed. ¡°Why else do you think I said I didn''t want a discount?¡± ¡°We''re going to be working for you again?¡± Jhulune asked. ¡°Hopefully.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once the city is finished, of course.¡± ¡°I... I''d be happy to!¡± Jhulune said, and several people laughed. ¡°We can worry about the details later.¡± Ren said and looked at the crew. ¡°Thank you all for your hard work.¡± He said. ¡°Now keep going and make the beds.¡± Most of the crew stared at him, and he grinned. ¡°There''s still an hour before quitting time.¡± Jen said, and they groaned. ¡°Is it okay to tip them again?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Only if you don''t overdo it again.¡± ¡°Is a gold coin overdoing it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jen sighed. ¡°Then I''m sorry in advance.¡± Ren smirked at her, and gave them all a gold coin. Jen shook her head. ¡°Good lord, what did I just say?¡± Ren laughed, concentrated on his Command Aura, and turned to them. ¡°You''ve got a lot of work ahead of you to repair the city.¡± He said. ¡°I know you are all up to the task.¡± He waved at the huge building behind them. ¡°You''ll have Aurora back to it''s glory in no time!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°You said it!¡± ¡°Let''s make those beds!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Most of the crew turned around, grabbed more supplies, and went back inside the Refugee Center. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Jen asked. ¡°Even I wanted to go and make them.¡± ¡°It''s my inspiring presence.¡± Ren said and switched to his personal Aura. ¡°Sometimes, people can''t resist it.¡± Jhulune gave him a hug and whispered in his ear. ¡°Some of us are trying really hard to.¡± She let him out of the hug and stepped back. ¡°Thank you...¡± A smile spread across her face. ¡°...for everything.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Bye, Jhulune.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± She said, walked towards the Refugee Center, and picked up some more supplies herself before going inside. Brian followed closely behind her and did the same thing. Ren turned to Jen. ¡°Is it okay to go to the mansion and tell the people about this place?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jen said. ¡°There should be enough beds for the people that need them.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and Jen shook her head. ¡°You can stop it with the gushing gratitude routine.¡± She said. ¡°You''re not going to seduce me like that.¡± ¡°I wasn''t trying...¡± Ren started to say, then changed tactics. ¡°What would seduce you?¡± Jen stared at him. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I was just thanking you and you took it as an advance.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I''m curious. What would you consider an attempt to seduce you?¡± She stared at him, and clamped her mouth shut. ¡°Shall I try blindly?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''m not trying to seduce you, by the way.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve got more than enough action in that regard; but, you''ve piqued my interest.¡± Jen took in a deep breath, but kept her mouth shut. ¡°Would telling you that I made an exact duplicate of the warehouse you restored, in another kingdom count?¡± ¡°You... you built...¡± ¡°With my own two hands.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also built a 48 foot long and 24 foot wide workshop with help from a friend, and built the walls inside.¡± He said. ¡°Then I made a huge 2 storey building. By myself.¡± Jen stared at him with wide eyes, and Ren continued. ¡°I even used a new technique.¡± He said. ¡°I made a mold out of wood for the walls, added metal rods in the middle, and filled the space with liquid rock.¡± Jen started to breathe heavily and put a hand over her heart, then sat down on one of the chairs. ¡°When I took the mold apart, the walls were harder than the rock they were made from. I built the massive roof rafters and mounted them all by myself, 2 stories above the ground.¡± Ren leaned close to her and whispered. ¡°It was all me, bare hands, and luck. No safety lines, either. Then I made the roof.¡± ¡°St-stop...¡± Jen said. I can''t take it! Oh, god, that... that''s so... so manly! Ren knelt in front of her. ¡°As you can see, giving you gratitude, or tipping your students, was not an attempt to seduce you.¡± He said and took her hand. She grasped it tightly, and stared at him. ¡°If I put my mind to it, I can usually come up with something a little more creative than ''thank you''.¡± ¡°I...¡± Jen took a breath and tried to calm down. ¡°I believe you.¡± Ren stood up and tried to let go of her hand; but, she held onto it as her face flushed a little red. ¡°K-k-kiss me.¡± Ren looked at her with a single raised eyebrow, and she smiled. ¡°Now that you''ve satisfied your curiosity...¡± She blushed a little more. ¡°...let me satisfy mine.¡± She tugged on his hand. ¡°I only saw you as this cute boy, making things happen around you, sometimes unintentionally... but... but now...¡± Ren leaned in close. ¡°As long as you know, nothing will happen after this.¡± ¡°Of course it won''t.¡± Jen said. ¡°I don''t want anything else. Just... just a kiss.¡± With Jen sitting down and him standing, Ren was only a few inches taller than her. He shook the hand she still held, and she let him go. He gently cupped the sides of her face, as if he was holding a fragile butterfly, and she closed her eyes as he kissed her. Several seconds later, her eyes flew open. Oh... oh my god! Jen thought, as she went. Ren felt her tense up, and stopped kissing her. He stepped back, thinking she didn''t like it, and she grabbed at him desperately with a hand. ¡°You... you can''t just... leave me like this.¡± Jen said, and he glanced down at her other hand, and saw she held her hand over a growing wet spot in her pants. ¡°I''ll take you home to change.¡± Ren said, and took out a bolt of cloth, cut a good portion off, and stored the bolt. He wrapped Jen in the cloth, picked her up and stored the chairs. ¡°Where do you live?¡± ¡°L-l-lumber mill.¡± Jen stammered at Ren''s show of strength, then held onto his shoulders. He ran down the street and around the corner, and took her inside the lumber mill. Ren put her down and she grabbed onto the cloth. ¡°I... I''ll be right back.¡± ¡°Bring me back any soiled clothing.¡± Ren said, and Jen stared at him. ¡°I''ll clean and repair it.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°O-okay.¡± She disappeared around a wall and Ren took out the two comfy chairs he''d made for her, then waited until she came back. She wore a similar pair of pants and clutched a small bundle of cloth to her chest. ¡°H-here.¡± Jen said, slightly embarrassed. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said, then stored the clothing into his inventory. ¡°I''m an Adventurer.¡± He took out the pair of pants and gave them back to her. ¡°Hey!¡± Jen nearly shouted. ¡°You can''t keep my underwear!¡± ¡°Your wh-what?¡± ¡°My underwear was there, too!¡± Ren opened his inventory, and sure enough, there was a dainty pair of underwear. ¡°My sincere apologies.¡± He said and took them out. ¡°I didn''t realize you gave me two things.¡± ¡°That... that''s okay.¡± Jen said. Ren took out his Master Tailor Sewing Needle. He used Repair on both items, and they reformed themselves and looked brand new. ¡°Oh my god!¡± Jen said, and held the pants and underwear up to marvel at them. ¡°They''re brand new!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I better check the table saw while I''m here.¡± He went over to it, and used Repair again, and got a popup.
Stat Change!
Repair Level 5 (Intermediate 0%) Metal Repair Level 5 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren sharpened and polished the blade, and went back to Jen. ¡°I''m sorry things... ah... went a little farther than I thought they would.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Jen said. ¡°Who would have thought something like that would happen, just from a kiss?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You were turned on a lot more than I thought you were.¡± Jen snorted a laugh. ¡°You pushed nearly all of my buttons, that''s for sure.¡± He grinned and held up his hands in surrender. ¡°I''m not going to try and guess what the last few buttons are.¡± Jen laughed and took him into a hug. ¡°You just keep doing what you''re doing.¡± She said. ¡°You''ll find the rest of them eventually.¡± Ren widened his eyes at her, and she ran her hands through his hair. ¡°Get out of here.¡± Jen said. ¡°Before I ask you to tell me what else you''ve been building.¡± Ren took her hand, bent over it, and placed a light kiss on it. ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± He left the lumberyard and ran down the street. * Once he was a hundred feet away, Jen took a deep breath and sat down on one of the chairs. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± She sighed. ¡°Why did I say all of that to him out loud?¡± She rubbed her hands over her face. ¡°Thoughts like that are fine... but...¡± She shook her head, then stopped moving her hands and took in a breath through her nose. They smell like him. Chapter 165 - For The People ¡°You know Jen wanted you to stay and keep talking, right?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Yeah, that''s why I left.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I need to get to the mansion and let the people know they have actual beds to sleep in.¡± ¡°You could have slept in Jen''s bed.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Teepo. No teasing me about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I took teasing her a little too far.¡± ¡°She was pretty receptive to your charms.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I think you caught her off-guard.¡± ¡°No doubt.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°Once I realized she liked handy men...¡± ¡°She was putty in your hands.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°More like molten metal.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have a feeling she''d give me a run for my money in bed.¡± ¡°300 platinum wasn''t enough of a run for her?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I''d say that definitely got the ball rolling.¡± Ren said, and came around the corner to the mansion. He went to the front door and the soldiers stationed there stared at him. He walked up to the door and opened it himself. The lobby and hallways were still full of people, and they were pretty loud with everyone talking at once. The ones closest to the door looked at him. How do I get everyone''s attention? ¡°Use the Water Spray ring.¡± Teepo said, and chittered in laughter again. ¡°That will get their attention.¡± And piss them off. Ren smiled. A non-invasive way would be better. ¡°Then just stand here.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Look.¡± Ren did as he said, and the ones closest to the door had turned and told the next people, and the word spread to everyone quickly, and soon everyone was looking at him. Damn, it worked. Thanks, Teepo. ¡°Like I did anything.¡± Teepo said. You made me stay still and not act like a yelling fool. Ren thought, and he felt Teepo''s gratitude. Once it was quiet enough, Ren spoke. ¡°Everyone! If I could have your attention, please!¡± Ren spoke loudly, and it carried in the high ceiling room. ¡°I bought half of the Housing District this morning, and had a Refugee Center built on the land. It''s mostly finished, with the exception the beds are being made right now. It''s just rooms and beds, and it only has one kitchen and living room; but, at least it will be somewhere you can actually lay in a bed until the city is repaired.¡± ¡°How long is that going to take?¡± ¡°Ms. Nacide said about 2 weeks.¡± ¡°We can''t wait 2 weeks!¡± Someone shouted. ¡°2 weeks is to have all of it repaired.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to assume that as each of the houses are fixed or built, you''ll be able to return to them.¡± ¡°That''s not too bad.¡± Someone said. ¡°It would be nice to sleep on a bed, instead of the floor again.¡± Someone else said. ¡°Yeah, this floor is harder than my wife''s baked bread.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The wife said, a slap was heard, and several people laughed. ¡°Gather your things, if you have any with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°By the time you walk up to the Housing District, all of the beds should be ready for you.¡± People started to walk towards the door and Ren stepped aside to let them pass. He smiled and nodded to each one as they spoke to him. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°This was nice of you.¡± ¡°Come and visit me.¡± Ren blinked at the woman, as she blew him a kiss and kept walking. ¡°I think you''re drawing a lot more attention than you usually do.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Since I can see everyone, I know it''s not the Trouble recipe.¡± I think it''s my Prince Charming title; but it''s not like I have a choice what some random woman will do. Ren thought, then nodded at the next person to speak to him. I can reduce the size of my Aura by storing the cloak; but my personal Aura is at 50 feet now, and it''s always on. I can concentrate on different aspects of it, but that''s it. ¡°I''m starting to be surprised you don''t have a trail of women following you wherever you go.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You know quite a lot of them now.¡± Ren smiled. That would be a little daunting. He thought. I''d be like a Pied Piper for women. ¡°A pied what?¡± Ren told Teepo the story of the Pied Piper, who was hired to lure all of the rats out of a city by blowing a flute, and when the city didn''t pay, instead of sending the rats back, he lured the children away instead. Teepo was quiet for a few minutes as more people passed and greeted Ren. ¡°Oh, I get it now. Little Ren is the flute.¡± Teepo said, and Ren coughed and sputtered. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Rosie asked as she stepped out of line. ¡°I... I''m fine.¡± Ren said, and cleared his throat. ¡°My throat is just a little dry.¡± ¡°I can get you a glass of water, if you need one.¡± She offered as her grandmother stepped out of line, too. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m okay now.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Rosie smiled, then put a serious look on her face. ¡°You''ve done so much for the city.¡± Ren looked at her with concern on his face. ¡°Please tell me you didn''t lose your house.¡± ¡°We didn''t, thanks to you.¡± Rosie smiled. ¡°There''s still damage, though. We lost the front door for some reason...¡± Rosie gave Ren a stern look, and his face flushed a little red. ¡°...and one of the rooms upstairs is gone; but the books in the study are fine, and we weren''t home.¡± Ren tried to remember which house it was, but he''d worked on so many of them that it was just a blur. ¡°Wait, how did you know the door was because of me?¡± ¡°I was walking Grandmother home from the Library, and saw you down the street.¡± Rosie said. ¡°I didn''t come over and say anything, because you were so busy.¡± ¡°You could have said something.¡± He said. ¡°I''d have replaced the door for you at least.¡± Rosie chuckled. ¡°I couldn''t let Grandmother stay in a house missing her room.¡± Ren turned to her Grandmother. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t get there sooner.¡± ¡°You stopped the house from burning down, sonny.¡± The woman laughed. ¡°And we weren''t in it, so it''s all good.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°I''m really glad you weren''t home.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was at a few homes where people were.¡± ¡°We know.¡± She said, and turned around as the group of people Ren had personally saved came over. ¡°We really can''t thank you enough.¡± A woman said. ¡°You rescued us, healed others, and then brought us to safety.¡± ¡°I was glad to help.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now you''re giving us shelter.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You''ve done so much for us already. What''s left for you to do?¡± ¡°I... really shouldn''t say...¡± Ren hedged. ¡°Okay, now you have to tell us.¡± Rosie said. ¡°Don''t make me ask you twice.¡± Ren smiled sheepishly. ¡°While I was talking to Ms. Nacide, she told me that the repairs would be coming out of the townspeople''s taxes.¡± Everyone stopped walking, and turned to look at him with shock on their faces. ¡°It''s WHAT?!?¡± Rosie yelled. ¡°The money is supposed to come out of your taxes.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°You''d never be able to pay for the repairs that way, though.¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Rosie exclaimed. ¡°This much damage... it... it must be...¡± ¡°A few hundred platinum.¡± Ren tried to whisper, but with everyone so close, they all heard him clearly. Several gasps followed his statement, and one woman fainted. ¡°Oh my god.¡± Rosie said, shocked. ¡°What... what will we do?¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it. It''s all okay.¡± Ren told them. ¡°I took care of it.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Rosie yelled again. ¡°I paid the repair fees already.¡± Ren explained. ¡°No one will need to...¡± He looked around as everything went quiet and silence filled the space. The people stared at him and his face flushed a little red again. ¡°You paid...¡± Rosie took a deep breath and continued. ¡°You paid a few hundred platinum to fix the city.¡± She said. ¡°Why would you do that?¡± ¡°I didn''t want the townspeople to suffer higher taxes that they can''t afford, especially right after this disaster.¡± Ren said. ¡°Getting through the fire was bad enough, but if you had to pay for it, too...¡± He shook his head. ¡°I couldn''t let that happen.¡±
Notice!
You have told the general populace about your outrageous generosity. Not only are they grateful to you, but word of this will spread like wildfire. Fame: +10,000
Notice!
Your excess Fame has been converted to XP. 10,000 Fame x 10 = 100,000 XP
Level up!
You have gained a level and are now Level 30. 10 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked a new skill: Craft Wondrous Item
¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Rosie said, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him passionately. Several men hollered for him to ''go for it'', and a few women sighed at the public display of affection. ¡°I wish you''d kiss me like that.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°They make a cute couple.¡± ¡°Granny looks like she''s getting mad.¡± Rosie''s Grandmother tapped Rosie on the shoulder, and Rosie broke the kiss and let Ren go. ¡°My turn.¡± The old lady said, and grabbed Ren by the neck and kissed him. ¡°Ewww!¡± ¡°Oh, my god!¡± ¡°I think I''m going to throw up!¡± ¡°It''s disgusting, but I can''t look away!¡± The kiss only lasted for a moment, then the old lady let Ren go. He stared at her, and she laughed. ¡°I still got it.¡± She said, waddled out the door on her cane, and slowly walked down the steps. Teepo had chittered in laughter the entire time. ¡°I''m so sorry, Ren.¡± Rosie said. ¡°I knew she wanted to thank you, but I didn''t realize...¡± She looked at Ren, who still had a shocked look on his face. ¡°Ren?¡± Rosie put a hand on his face. ¡°REN!¡± He blinked his eyes a few times, and looked at her. ¡°I think you better walk with me to the shelter.¡± Rosie said. ¡°You''ve had quite a shock.¡± ¡°I can''t...¡± Ren said. ¡°I... ah...¡± Rosie giggled. ¡°Is the Hero of Aurora afraid of an old woman?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m not afraid of her.¡± He said. ¡°I''m afraid if she gets her hands on me, she might keep going.¡± Rosie laughed. ¡°That''s always been a danger.¡± He looked at the old woman, who was part way down the steps, and shook his head. ¡°I don''t doubt that.¡± Ren grinned and took out the latest book he had made about his adventures in the Dwarven Kingdom, and gave it to Rosie. ¡°You made another book?¡± Rosie asked, surprised. Ren nodded. ¡°This is a copy for you. I''m going over to the Library to put one in.¡± ¡°Don''t.¡± Rosie said. ¡°The Head Librarian is there, and she''s really strict about submission guidelines.¡± ¡°I take it she doesn''t want non-ranked books in her library.¡± Rosie nodded. ¡°I''ll add this one tomorrow when I go in to work, and give it a provisional ''D''.¡± ¡°Thanks, Rosie.¡± He said. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Rosie said. He took out another copy of the book and handed it to her. ¡°You can put this one in and keep that one.¡± Rosie took the second copy and looked at him. ¡°Ren, I... I don''t want you to think about my Grandmother, when... when you remember kissing me.¡± She smiled. ¡°And you will remember it.¡± She said sternly. ¡°Before I go, I better give you this, just in case.¡± ¡°Wha-¡± Ren tried to say, but Rosie gave him another kiss and cut off his words. When the kiss ended a few moments later, he spoke. ¡°You know you could have just said, ''forget about Grandma''.¡± ¡°Where''s the fun in that?¡± Rosie said and giggled as she blushed. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Bye, Rosie.¡± She ran down the mansion''s stairs and caught up to her Grandmother easily, as she had just reached the bottom of the stairs herself. Ren smiled at them as they walked slowly up the street. That was surprising. ¡°Which part?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°The cute girl kissing you, or the old woman slobbering on you with lips like shoe leather?¡± Both. Ren thought, and grinned. The rest of the people left the mansion, and Ren went inside. ¡°It seems downright empty in here now.¡± He said and walked down the left side hallway and knocked on Donna''s office door. ¡°Enter.¡± Ren opened the door and Donna looked up at him. ¡°Ren!¡± Donna said, stood up, and came around the desk. ¡°I thought I felt you come into the mansion.¡± She took him into a hug, and Ren smiled. She wore a loose fitting shirt made of a thin weave fabric, so his face slid in between her breasts easily and pushed them aside. Ren''s face flushed a little red as he looked up at her. ¡°Thank you for saving so many people.¡± She said and gave him a squeeze. His cheeks pushed her breasts aside a little more, and he hugged her back. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m always glad to help.¡± ¡°Is that why you''re here?¡± Donna asked. ¡°I can always use a good worker in the kitchen.¡± Ren tried to shake his head, but it was wedged pretty tight in her chest. They''re really nice and warm. He thought, then spoke. ¡°I came in here to find out what the food situation was like, and to see if I could hire a cook or two to make meals for the refugees.¡± ¡°We were doing that already.¡± Donna said and laughed, and her breasts jiggled against his face. The thin fabric didn''t restrain them in the least. ¡°We''ll have breakfast ready on time, don''t worry.¡± ¡°I just sent the refugees to the building I had Jen make in the Housing District.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can your assistants deliver the food there?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Donna said, then frowned. ¡°Wait a minute. How did they all fit in a single house?¡± ¡°I bought half of the District, not a single lot.¡± Ren chuckled, and her breasts shook slightly. ¡°Jen let me make the whole space one building.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Donna said. ¡°That''s...¡± She gave him another squeeze. ¡°You''re a genius.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I do have my moments.¡± She laughed, and her breasts slapped against the sides of his face. ¡°More than a few.¡± Donna said. ¡°You''re a Lord now.¡± ¡°Yeah. Lord Eric gave me a Knighthood to get me out of the public eye, and didn''t realize it would make me a Lord instead.¡± ¡°It''s good that you escaped his plans for you... but... now you''re exempt from service.¡± Donna said, kind of sadly. ¡°I''m what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Exempt.¡± She said. ¡°Nobility never serves in the military. They think it''s beneath them, and passed the by-law so they wouldn''t have to serve.¡± She said with a trace of hostility. ¡°I was drafted into the dwarf army when I went to the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± Ren said. ¡°Y-you were?¡± Donna asked. He''s a real service man! She thought, surprised. ¡°Tell me you have your military uniform with you.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please put it on.¡± Donna said, and let him out of the hug. ¡°As a favor for me.¡± She stepped back. ¡°I''d really like to see it.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said, and equipped his dwarf recruit uniform. She looked him up and down, and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Donna said, and took him into another tight hug. ¡°To know you were responsible enough to do military service.¡± She grinned. ¡°I''m proud of you.¡± She looked him in the eyes. ¡°I assume you''ve been honorably discharged?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said as he nodded, and it rubbed her chest. She finally noticed his slightly compressed face jammed between her breasts, and she blushed a little. ¡°I''m... I''m sorry, Ren.¡± Donna said and let her arms drop. It eased the pressure being applied against his face. ¡°I didn''t realize...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said, and kept hugging her. ¡°You didn''t hear me complain, did you?¡± ¡°You cheeky little...¡± Donna laughed and her chest jiggled, but since she wasn''t squeezing them while hugging Ren with her arms, he didn''t feel it as much. ¡°I only intended to give you a hug, not let you... ah...¡± ¡°Enjoy the feeling of your wonderful chest against my face?¡± Ren suggested, and she smiled warmly at him. ¡°Yes, that.¡± Donna said softly, and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°Ren?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°How do you get your hair so fluffy?¡± She asked, then wrapped her arms around him again. ¡°It''s always been like that.¡± Ren said, snuggled into her chest, and sighed. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Donna whispered, turned her head to the side, and rested it on top of Ren''s. ¡°Nearly every woman I try to talk to, or get into a questionable situation with, thinks I''m trying to make a pass at them, or trying to sleep with them. It''s... it''s really nice to just hug someone and not worry about that.¡± ¡°Who said you didn''t have to worry about it?¡± Donna asked, and lifted her head as Ren looked up at her. Her face was flushed a little red, and her lips were slightly puckered. Before he knew what was happening, she had picked him up and sat him on her desk. Even Princess, a mount designed to hold my weight, can barely lift me! Ren thought, completely shocked that Donna was so strong. ¡°Donna... I''m... I''m engaged...¡± ¡°That means you''re not married yet.¡± Donna said and grinned. ¡°Perfect.¡± She stepped close to him, pushing his legs to the side. With her standing up and Ren sitting on the desk, his face was at the same height as hers. ¡°Donna! What are you...¡± ¡°You''re all mine right now, soldier!¡± Donna said, grabbed his tunic tightly, and kissed him. Chapter 165A - Maam! Yes, Maam! (Explicit Content) Ren put a hand on each of her shoulders and gently pushed her away, breaking the kiss. Donna''s face was full of surprise that Ren could push her away like that so easily. She still held onto his tunic, however. ¡°Donna! I''m engaged!¡± Ren exclaimed. Donna got over her surprise, and chuckled. ¡°That''s the worst excuse I''ve ever heard.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Ren looked at her in shock. ¡°I know all about dwarf marriages, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°The man can sleep with whoever he wants to before the marriage ceremony.¡± His mouth dropped open. ¡°H-how...¡± ¡°I''ve known Fritz for almost as long as Donan.¡± Donna said. ¡°When I found out he didn''t want to serve in the military, we... drifted apart.¡± She shook her head. ¡°If there''s one thing I can''t stand, is someone who ignores their duty.¡± Donna let his tunic go, and Ren relaxed; until she started to unbutton her shirt. ¡°Donna, don''t.¡± He grabbed her hands and stopped their movements. ¡°Ren.¡± She said as she looked at her immovable hands. ¡°I need you to do your duty as a man.¡± His eyes widened as she started to push against his hands and got another button undone. ¡°What... what about Donan?¡± ¡°What about him?¡± Donna asked. ¡°My brother doesn''t have a say in who I take to my bed.¡± She laughed. ¡°I''d pound him into the ground if he tried.¡± ¡°Donna... I...¡± ¡°Please, Ren.¡± She said, and stopped struggling against him. ¡°I''ve been alone for a long time.¡± She sighed and let her hands drop away from her shirt, and he let them go. ¡°Do you know how hard it is, when you''re with someone, and you have to be so careful when you touch them so they won''t get hurt?¡± Ren took one of her hands and interlaced his fingers with hers. ¡°I was on the other side of that coin before I became an Adventurer.¡± Donna squeezed his hand, and Ren squeezed back. She squeezed harder, and so did he. They both kept squeezing, and their eyes widened at the same time as their hands started to hurt. ¡°I''m really tempted to use Iron Grip right now.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I want to use Iron Grip, too!¡± Donna said, much to Ren''s surprise. She got a manic gleam in her eye. ¡°At the same time!¡± She said. ¡°1... 2... 3... Go!¡± They both used Iron Grip and tried to crush the other person''s hand. Donna started to laugh as nothing happened. ¡°Oh god, Ren!¡± Donna said, and ran her free hand through his hair. ¡°You''re amazing!¡± ¡°You''re just saying tha-¡± Ren''s words were cut off as Donna pulled him close and kissed him again. She was enthusiastic about it, and he couldn''t help himself and kissed her back. They held their hands in an Iron Grip until she broke the kiss. ¡°My time''s almost up.¡± Donna said, and looked at their gripped hands. ¡°Mine''s not.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Release in 3... 2... 1.¡± He opened his hand at the same time as Donna, then they flexed their fingers and smiled at each other. ¡°You... you have to show me what else you can do.¡± Donna said, took a hold of Ren''s hand, and placed it between her legs. His eyes widened as he felt that she was completely soaked there. He glanced at the spot, but couldn''t see anything. The dark colored pants she wore seemed to hide it. Ren moved his fingers a little and Donna took in a sharp breath. ¡°Ah... oh....¡± She gasped. ¡°Do... do your duty, soldier.¡± ¡°Ma''am! Yes, Ma''am!¡± Ren said, getting into the mood Donna was setting. He stored the uniform, leaving himself in just his underwear, and Donna scowled and pulled his hand away from her. ¡°You are out of uniform, soldier! Drop and give me 20!¡± Ren looked at the floor of the small office. ¡°Ma''am! There''s no room for me to do that, Ma''am.¡± ¡°Then make room!¡± Ren slid off of the desk, stored it, then dropped to the floor and did 20 push ups in 10 seconds. He hopped up and stood at attention as Donna stared at him. ¡°Did you just...¡± She shook her head. ¡°...only 10 seconds...¡± ¡°Shall I continue?¡± Ren asked. Donna nodded. ¡°Morning routine! Go!¡± Ren proceeded to do all the calisthenics that he did in the dwarf army in record time, and Donna''s eyes glowed with delight. ¡°You weren''t lying about being in the service.¡± Donna said, both surprised and relieved. ¡°You weren''t... you weren''t trying to fake it just so I would like you better.¡± ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Ren asked, curious. ¡°I didn''t even know you liked military men until you told me.¡± ¡°Men do all sorts of things to make women like them, Ren.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± He asked, and put the desk back. ¡°Like doing a half hour exercise routine in 5 minutes, without breaking a sweat.¡± ¡°That?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°That was easy, even with all the weight I''m carrying.¡± ¡°Then impress me, soldier!¡± Donna said. ¡°Hold on. Did you say, ''all the weight you were carrying''?¡± Ren gave her a general rundown of what he had stored in inventory, and she stared at him. ¡°How are you still walking upright? Even I... I couldn''t...¡± She shook her head. ¡°It doesn''t matter. My challenge still stands. Show me something only you can do!¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Ren reached up and grabbed a hold of her shirt at the shoulders, pulled it apart like it was tissue paper, and revealed her luscious breasts. He did the same to her pants before she knew what was happening, and she stood there in only her underwear, just like Ren. ¡°Does that count?¡± He asked, and Donna shivered as she put a hand between her legs. ¡°Y-y-yes.¡± She said, and started rubbing herself. ¡°Oh, god... yes, it counts!¡± Ren grabbed her hand and stopped her movements. ¡°Ma''am! Let me do that, Ma''am!¡± Donna''s eyes widened slightly, and she nodded. ¡°Permission granted.¡± Ren knelt in front of her and slipped the pair of underwear down her legs, then as he stood again, he picked her up easily and laid her on the desk. Donna gave that little yip of surprise, even though she knew Ren was as strong as her. Her 6 foot tall frame wouldn''t fit on the desk, however; so he slid her close to himself so her head and back rested on the wood, and he supported her bottom half. Ren knelt again and spread her legs, was greeted by a golden bush, then kissed her other set of lips. Donna gasped and grabbed the sides of his head, and ground herself against his mouth as he continued to make out with her down there. Less than a minute later, she went, and Ren tried his best to swallow it all. It was quite a lot, especially since Ren didn''t stop his movements. Donna''s legs started to shake as she continued to go, and Ren held onto her as he kept working her over. He licked her up and down, sucked and played, and Donna kept going. ¡°Oh... oh GOD!¡± Donna exclaimed, as she wrapped her legs around his back. She went once more, clenched all of her muscles at once, then collapsed. Her legs fell limply to the sides and she lost the strong grip she''d had on the sides of his head. Ren stood up and looked at her. ¡°Ma''am, I''m tempted to keep going, but you seem to need a break, Ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I request permission for the return of oral stimulation.¡± ¡°P-p-permission g-g-granted.¡± Donna stammered. Ren picked her up, turned her around, and laid her down so her back and behind were on the desk, but her head hung in the air towards him. He stored his underwear, revealing himself, and Donna stopped breathing. ¡°It... it''s so...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a bit too bi-¡± ¡°...perfect!¡± She said and gave him a lick. His member throbbed from the warmth of her tongue, and she smiled as she gripped his behind and pulled him in close. She licked him a few times, then opened her mouth. Ren positioned himself for her, and slid inside as she pulled. He didn''t have to do anything else, as she did all the work. He looked at her body and realized that her breasts didn''t really have tips, and he wondered what was up with that. He started to play with one of them, then leaned over and started to suckle. A few seconds later, the large tip popped into his mouth and he sucked on it. That was neat. Ren thought, and did the same thing to Donna''s other breast. Retractable nipples! Donna sucked and licked his member as she moved him in and out of her mouth, and Ren could feel the pressure building. He could see her neck expand as she pulled him closer each time and his member went further and further down her throat. ¡°I''m... I''m close.¡± ¡°Mhwa-huh.¡± Donna mumbled and kept pulling him in and out slowly. Ren was tempted to go faster, but this was her fantasy; he didn''t want to ruin it for her by doing more than she wanted. Donna felt his member start to throb continually, and she quickly pulled him in tight and held him there. Her bottom lip touched his abdomen, and Ren went. Donna''s eyes widened as Ren kept going down her throat. She held him for several more seconds, then had no choice but to pull him out, so she could take a breath. ¡°Mwhaa!¡± Donna exclaimed, as she took a breath finally. Ren kept going and splashed some on her face, and then on her chest. ¡°It just keeps coming out!¡± Donna said, and gripped his member with both of her hands. Ren gasped as she stroked him vigorously, and he went again; he shot it over her head, chest, and abdomen, to land on her thigh. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Donna said and stopped stroking him. ¡°You''re magnificent!¡± She started to clean him off with her tongue, her own face, then her chest. Ren took out a scrap piece of cloth and helped wipe some of it up. ¡°This was great!¡± Donna said. ¡°I never imagined... it... it''s like a dream come true!¡± ¡°Ma''am! I''m not finished, Ma''am.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± She asked. ¡°You just finished! We have to... wait... for...¡± Donna looked at Ren who was still rock hard. ¡°That''s not possible!¡± Ren picked her up and stood her on her feet. He climbed up onto the desk and sat down, then picked her up again and held her close. Donna''s eyes widened as he positioned himself for entry. ¡°Ma''am! Request permission to enter foreign territory, Ma''am.¡± She gripped his shoulders and smiled at him, with a gleam in her eyes. ¡°Permission granted, soldier.¡± Ren eased her down onto his member, and Donna caught her breath. ¡°Oh GOD!¡± Donna said, and her body gripped Ren tightly. He was only part way in, so he lifted her up and moved her down again, going in further. ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± She breathed and stared at him as he did it again, getting her down a little farther. ¡°I... I can''t take...¡± Ren lifted her once more, then jammed her down onto himself. ¡°Aahhhh!¡± Donna exclaimed as she threw her head back, and moaned. Ren tried to lift her again; but she leaned forward and pushed him to lay back on the desk, as she got her knees situated on either side of him. Once again, he didn''t have to move as Donna started rocking her hips forward and back, stroking him in and out with just that motion. She stared at him as she pleased herself, and he stared back. ¡°You... you really... are a... woman''s DREAM!¡± Donna yelled as she went. Her body gripped Ren tightly, and he fought his body to stop it from releasing so soon. ¡°Oh, god... go... go, please... I...¡± She put a hand on her abdomen. ¡°I can feel your body needs to!¡± She rocked her body again, and Ren stopped fighting and let himself go. He grabbed her hips and jammed himself up and inside of her as hard and as fast as he could. ¡°OH MY GOD!!!¡± Donna screamed, as the orgasm hit her unexpectedly, and Ren went with her. He didn''t stop pumping, however; and they kept going together, over and over. She leaned in and kissed him, and he kept pumping into her. She screamed into his mouth as another powerful orgasm caught her, and Ren spasmed inside of her again. He held onto her, jammed tightly inside, and Donna collapsed on top of him. She broke the kiss a moment later, and laid her forehead on the desk beside him. They were both breathing heavily, and neither of them wanted to move just yet. ¡°Ren, I...¡± Donna tried to catch her breath, and after another minute, she did. ¡°Just so you know, I''m not going to profess undying love for you.¡± She said. ¡°But... but...¡± She swallowed. ¡°Holy fuck!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was the first time that I... that... I didn''t hold back.¡± He said. ¡°I used all of my Strength and Stamina.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Donna whispered, and kissed his cheek. ¡°To think that the perfect man was right there in front of me, and I never knew it until now.¡± ¡°Donna, I...¡± ¡°I know, Ren.¡± Donna said. ¡°I know you love Nathalia.¡± She cupped the side of his face. ¡°I''d never ask you to leave her. That would be too cruel to the both of you.¡± She leaned back onto her knees, and tried to slide up and off of him. Her body didn''t want to let Ren go, and held onto him tightly. Donna spasmed again, and so did Ren. They each closed their eyes and tried to block out the sensations, and she finally disengaged. Ren went again, and covered her opening and her stomach. ¡°I can''t believe you can keep going like that.¡± Donna said, and stood up in front of the desk. She cleaned herself off with the scrap piece of cloth, and leaned down to lick Ren clean. ¡°Oh, god... not yet!¡± Ren said, but it was too late. He went again, covered her face, and Donna laughed. ¡°Yes, you are definitely a woman''s dream.¡± She said and wiped off her face. ¡°You can go just from my tongue touching you.¡± ¡°You''ve got a great tongue.¡± Ren said, then took in a sharp breath as Donna slipped her mouth over him. He fought hard to keep the next spasm to himself, and she fought hard to make him give it to her. Ren knew it was a losing battle, and he finally admitted defeat and went in her mouth. She took it all easily, and when his member stopped throbbing, she slid her mouth off of him. ¡°Ren... I know this is going to sound crazy; but...¡± Donna sighed. ¡°I want you to keep coming to see me.¡± ¡°Donna, you know I...¡± She nodded. ¡°Now that we know we have someone else we can let ourselves be with, and not worry about injury or pain... I... I don''t want to lose that.¡± She went to her desk and took out another shirt and pair of pants, and put them on. Ren equipped his dwarf recruit uniform and sat up. She came back around the desk and looked at him. ¡°We''ve just had the best sex either of us has ever had.¡± Donna said. ¡°I want that to continue.¡± She smiled and stepped close. ¡°I need it to continue.¡± Ren didn''t say anything as she ran a hand through his hair, then she leaned in to kiss him. Chapter 166 - Castle Panic Donna broke the kiss and looked at Ren. ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± ¡°I think I better get out of here before this keeps going.¡± He said and slid off the desk. ¡°I''m tempted to just keep you here...¡± Donna said. ¡°...but, I know Adventurers need their space. All right, I''ll let you off the hook this time.¡± She said, and smiled coyly. ¡°The next time you are in Aurora, though...¡± She handed him a small piece of parchment with her address on it. ¡°You had better come and see me.¡± ¡°I don''t think my fiance would like that very much.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s a dwarf, Ren.¡± Donna said. ¡°She honestly won''t care what you do until you''re married.¡± Ren opened his mouth to protest, and Donna shook her head. ¡°It doesn''t matter what she may have told you.¡± She said. ¡°Their culture expects men to ''have fun'' with anything, and everything, they can get their hands on.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You don''t mind being used like that?¡± ¡°Ren, you don''t realize how long I''ve waited to find a man like you.¡± ¡°There''s hundreds of soldiers...¡± ¡°Those little panzies?¡± Donna snorted a laugh. ¡°I doubt a whole squad of them could measure up to you.¡± ¡°The captain of the-¡± ¡°He''s the worst.¡± Donna said. ¡°Despite the fact that he''s been married to a wonderful woman for years, all of his strength is in brute fighting, and only for short periods of time.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You try and have him empty a cart full of sacks of potatoes, or mix a hundred pounds of flour and sugar together, and he can''t do it.¡± Ren''s eyes widened, and she continued. ¡°You can.¡± Donna said. ¡°I watched you do that several times during the time you worked here. You did everything so easily.¡± She smiled again. ¡°I liked you right away... and not just because of that. You didn''t complain once. Not once. No matter what kind of job I gave you, you were enthusiastic about it.¡± ¡°I like to work.¡± ¡°Yes, you do. You did your duty.¡± Donna said. ¡°Even then, I thought you would make an excellent soldier. You followed orders quickly and efficiently, and did your best no matter what.¡± She smiled. ¡°Now I want you to do that for me.¡± ¡°Donna, I...¡± ¡°Please, Ren.¡± Donna said, and knelt in front of him. ¡°Fulfill the duty a lonely woman needs you to fill.¡± ¡°Donna.¡± Ren said. He was several inches taller than her now. ¡°You know I can''t be there for you when you need...¡± ¡°Even if it''s just once a month.¡± Donna said. ¡°You''ll be like a soldier on long deployments in foreign lands, returning every so often to a woman that waits deperately for you.¡± ¡°I...¡± Ren took in a deep breath. ¡°I''ll talk to Nathalia. If she says it''s okay...¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Donna said. A tear came to her eye and she hugged him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren wiped the tear away. ¡°You''re already happy, but I haven''t even...¡± ¡°She''ll say yes.¡± Donna grinned. ¡°I guarantee it.¡± ¡°What if I come back and tell you that she said no?¡± ¡°Then I''ll know you''re lying.¡± Donna laughed. ¡°I''m serious. She really won''t care.¡± Ren cupped the sides of her face and leaned in close. ¡°I won''t promise anything.¡± He said, then gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. He felt her shiver slightly, and he leaned back. ¡°That... that was...¡± Donna licked her lips and sighed as she let him out of the hug. ¡°I... I''ll see you when you get back.¡± Ren nodded and stepped away. ¡°Don''t... don''t forget to wear the uniform.¡± Donna said, and smiled. ¡°I won''t.¡± Ren said, equipped his Travelling Clothes to replace the dwarf recruit uniform he wore, and left the office. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Teepo said as Ren came into the hallway, and equipped the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. ¡°I heard all of that.¡± What do you think? ¡°I think Donna is right, and that Nathalia won''t care. I also think we need to find some way to stop your Aura from affecting more people.¡± Ren nodded. By itself, it just creates awe in those around me... with my Prince Charming title, though... ¡°Women are revealing their hidden desires.¡± Yeah. Ren thought. I don''t know how to stop it. ¡°You should check into that when you have to leave for the night.¡± Teepo said. Holy crap! Ren thought. I have to leave for the night! He ran out through the front doors of the mansion and up the street. Several people waved to him, and he waved back as he passed. He made it back to his business a minute later, and as he went inside, he saw a small piece of wood outside the door that he hadn''t seen there before. He ran up the stairs, and saw Anabelle sitting on the couch. ¡°Hi, Anabelle.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry I left you here all alone for most of the day.¡± ¡°That''s all right.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I was asleep for most of it, anyways.¡± ¡°You were up all night with the townspeople, weren''t you?¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°There was a lot of them to be fed and taken care of.¡± ¡°The Refugee Center is finished, and I sent the townspeople from the mansion there. You can head over there if you want to.¡± Anabelle shook her head. ¡°No, thank you.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll just... sit here for the night.¡± Ren walked over to her. ¡°I have to go, so I won''t be able to keep you company.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± She said. ¡°I''m pretty much always alone anyways.¡± ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I... I''d like to talk to you more about it, but I really do have to go.¡± He took out her 6 boxes of things and stacked them beside the couch. ¡°You can stay on the couch, since I won''t be here.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll have a nice place ready in my County in about a week.¡± ¡°That''s nice.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Will that be where I''ll be staying?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll need someone there to take care of everything.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You don''t think I''d let you stay as a maid, pretending to clean everything, do you?¡± Anabelle''s mouth dropped open in surprise, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I know it comes as a bit of a shock, but I''m not going to be paying you to sit on your butt and look pretty.¡± ¡°You... you''re going to... pay me?¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I wasn''t planning on you surviving on air and good intentions.¡± Anabelle opened her mouth to respond, and he shook his head. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your old way of life is over.¡± She closed her mouth, and frowned a little. ¡°Before you say anything; what I mean is, you won''t be selling your companionship for a few coins.¡± ¡°I''ll be completely dependent on you, then.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Of course not. You''ll be completely dependent on yourself.¡± He said. ¡°Do you have a coin purse?¡± Anabelle shook her head, Ren took out a pile of them, and she picked a blue one. He slipped a platinum coin in it and gave it to her. She equipped it, looked inside, and gasped loudly. ¡°There.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now you''re dependent only upon yourself.¡± ¡°But... but you gave it to me...¡± ¡°That''s right. Gave. Not paid. Not loaned. Gave.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I have to leave.¡± He walked over to the cabinet and opened it, revealing the portal inside. ¡°Do not enter the portal, under any circumstances, as it will kill anyone but me instantly.¡± Teepo dissolved into the ring and Ren smiled. ¡°Also, the next time you leave the building, do not prop the door open so you can get back in.¡± Anabelle''s mouth dropped open in shock. How did he know? ¡°It''s not a good idea; because then anyone can get in, not just you.¡± She nodded, and Ren smiled. ¡°If you leave, stay at the Refugee Center, or at an Inn. The coin pouch converts to any currency you need. I might be back tomorrow, or a few days from now. There''s still food downstairs, or you can call a messenger. Do not bring any ''companions'' here, or invite them over. See you later, Anabelle.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. She gave him a little wave and Ren closed the cabinet door and nailed it shut. He stepped through the portal and closed the cabinet and nailed that shut as well. Ren thought about Nathalia and his Sending Ring glowed. ¡°Nathalia?¡± Ren whispered. ¡°Ren! Finally!¡± Nathalia whispered back. ¡°I''ve been trying to get you for over an hour.¡± ¡°I got held up in Aurora.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll explain in person when I get home.¡± ¡°I... I''m not there.¡± Nathalia whispered. ¡°I''m at the castle.¡± ¡°There''s a castle?¡± Nathalia snorted a laugh. ¡°Where else would a ruler live?¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°It''s behind the Main Keep.¡± ¡°Nathalia.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been to the Main Keep several times now. I would have remembered seeing a castle.¡± ¡°Not if it''s behind an enchanted wall.¡± ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Shhh!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Keep it down.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°How do I get in?¡± ¡°W-what? Get in?¡± ¡°Yeah. I want to see you.¡± ¡°I don''t know, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°There''s certain things going on that...¡± She sighed. ¡°...I can''t tell you about.¡± ¡°When I get back to the house, I''ll see if Narhilda can fill me in.¡± ¡°She''s here, too.¡± Ren didn''t say anything. ¡°Ren? Are you still there?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Yes, I''m here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be there in an hour.¡± ¡°Ren, you... you can''t just barge into the Royal Castle.¡± ¡°Watch me.¡± He said. ¡°My fiance is in there for some reason, and can''t tell me what''s going on.¡± ¡°You won''t get by the barrier.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that part.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I haven''t met an invisible wall yet that can defeat me.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°Okay, I''ll see if I can get a guard to go out and wait for you.¡± ¡°I''ll be there as fast as Princess'' legs can carry me.¡± ¡°See you then.¡± She whispered, and the ring stopped glowing. Ren summoned Teepo, and went downstairs to Princess. ¡°Hi, Princess.¡± Ren said. ...hello... lord... ¡°You can tell, too.¡± He said and put some food in her dish. ¡°I need a ride back to House Neram.¡± ...very... well... She thought, sucked the food into her mouth, and swallowed it without chewing. ...let... us... depart... ¡°You could have eaten...¡± ...feel... urgent... Ren sighed and scratched her neck. ¡°Okay. Let''s go.¡± He stored her bowl and crate, then led her outside to attach her to the cart. ¡°I haven''t got much food left, but I do have a Health potion left.¡± ...add... to food... ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Ren said, and took her to the road. ¡°I''ll do that when we stop.¡± He climbed into the driver''s seat and took the reins. ¡°Okay.¡± Princess started to trot, then ran at a good pace. After several stops with food and potion, they made it to House Neram just over an hour and a half later. ¡°I''m sorry, sir!¡± Golir said as the cart came to a stop, and saluted. ¡°When the Royal Carriage came for them, we...¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± Ren said, then led Princess into the courtyard, unhooked the cart, and brought her into the stable. He put the crate back where it came from, and Princess got in it. He took out her bowl and put in the last of the pastries he had in inventory. ¡°Thank you, Princess.¡± ...welcome... Ren went back out to the courtyard and frowned. He ran to the gate. ¡°Where''s Riley and Stacy?¡± ¡°Sir! They fought the guards, and they... they were taken, sir.¡± Ren scowled, and concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°What happened to my orders?¡± He asked, irate. ¡°No one goes in! No one goes out!¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Who was on duty?¡± ¡°Broxor, sir.¡± ¡°Tell him he can finish the rest of the week he was paid for; but, he will no longer be a guard after that. Confiscate his armor, sword and shield.¡± ¡°But sir! You can''t fight the Royal-¡± ¡°Do you want to join him?¡± Ren asked, concentrated on his Fear Aura and connected his Screaming Terror ring. ¡°You don''t work for them! You work for me!¡± He nearly shouted. ¡°Broxor didn''t even activate the defenses, did he?¡± Golir didn''t say anything, as he trembled slightly. ¡°Get this straight right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I give an order, there are NO EXCEPTIONS unless I give them! None! DO YOU GET ME?!?¡± ¡°Sir! Yes, sir!¡± ¡°When I say no one goes in, I mean NO ONE. I don''t care if it''s the Royal Guard, a Battalion of troops, or even the King himself.¡± Ren poked Golir in the chest with a finger, and it pushed Golir back slightly. ¡°You were hired to protect Lady Neram and Nathalia. You aren''t supposed to be here to step aside when someone shows up.¡± He took another deep breath and tried to calm down. ¡°Do. Your. JOB.¡± Ren turned around and walked towards the house. ¡°By the gods, do I have to do EVERYTHING MYSELF?!?¡± Ren went inside and checked on the baby fire elemental. ¡°Hey, there.¡± Ren said, happily. ¡°What a life you have right now.¡± He said and sat down, took out some more spider silk cloth scraps, and cut them up. He crumpled a few pieces only slightly, and put them in the pen, then added a few pieces that weren''t crumpled. Ren reached in and rubbed it''s back, and he heard a crackling fire. He sighed, and stood. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± Ren left the house and out through the gate, shut and locked it, and turned to Golir. ¡°I was going to repeat my orders, just to make them perfectly clear; but since the people you were supposed to be protecting aren''t here, don''t worry about it.¡± Ren said, and placed a hand on the gate. ¡°You can go home and spend some quality time with your wife.¡± Golir nodded slightly, backed away, and started to walk down the road. Ren imagined the Screaming Terror glyph covering the entire front of the gate and poured Mana into it. It took the same amount as it did when he enchanted something small, and he smiled. He took out a piece of wood, and used a Fireball wand on it. He used his Fire Manipulation and Absorb Fire abilities and refilled his Mana Pool, then filled the charge on the wand, since Fire based use of Mana didn''t cost him anything. Ren ran up to the workshop and went inside. ¡°Hi, Tee-one.¡± ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± ¡°Did you finish the books?¡± ¡°Yes. You''ve had some interesting adventures.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I hope you can tell me more.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Ren said. ¡°For now, why don''t you make some bows for me.¡± He took out 398 springy trees and gave them to Tee-one. ¡°Use a hundred for longbows, 200 for bows, and the rest for short bows.¡± ¡°That''s a lot of bows.¡± ¡°I''d do it myself, but I''ve got to get to the Royal Castle.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°I see you still have some molten metal left.¡± ¡°I took the lump you left in the glass forge and put it back in the smelter.¡± ¡°I forgot about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°We better just let it simmer. I don''t know when we''ll get... any... more...¡± He slapped himself in the forehead. ¡°Ugh. I''ve got a huge pile of smelted high quality iron bricks just sitting back at my other business.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I''ll grab them the next time I go.¡± ¡°That would be a good idea.¡± ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Bye, Tee-one.¡± Ren said and left the workshop. He ran down the road and then activated the gate''s Screaming Terror enchantment. I''m tempted to go all the way around the Keep and place stone bricks with Terror runes, but I don''t have time. Ren thought, and ran down the road. 10 minutes later, he stood on the road just outside the Main Keep and looked around. He didn''t see anything, then activated Enchanted Eyes and his mouth dropped open. An invisible wall over 300 feet high and 600 feet wide, was behind the Main Keep. Ren looked at the ground, and didn''t see any kind of road to get there. Do I go through the Main Keep or what? ¡°I''d say so.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I can''t Spot a way in at all.¡± I''ll get in line, then. Ren thought as he concentrated on his House Neram Aura, and his Aura jumped from 90 feet out to 115 feet. He still had an hour before supper, so there was still a line to get in. Ren started to walk over to it, and everyone turned to look at him as his Aura passed over them. Huh. It works here, too. Ren thought. They all recognize me as a Lord. ¡°Right this way, sir.¡± One of the guards said, and Ren walked around the line and through the gate. No one said anything, or objected, and Ren walked by them all. It was eerily silent, though. I wonder what''s going on? Ren thought, as the door to the Main Keep was opened for him. He stepped into the lobby and no one was talking, not even the receptionist. A guard stepped away from the wall and approached Ren. ¡°Right this way, sir.¡± The guard said to Ren, and then started to walk away. Ren followed the guard down the right side hallway where the General Information and Fine rooms were, and Teepo took off flying ahead. They walked all the way down to the end of the hallway, and Ren saw a glowing door in the wall. You''ll have to wait until the door opens, Teepo. ¡°What door?¡± The guard stopped by the wall and a moment later, a door appeared. It was hidden like the doors in the hold of the ship. Ren thought. ¡°They do that on land?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°That''s a good way to hide something.¡± Ren nodded slightly as the door opened. Teepo flew in right away and the guard stepped through and held the door. ¡°It''s just a hallway so far.¡± Teepo said. Ren stepped through the doorway, and the guard shut the door. Ren looked back, and the door disappeared on this side. That''s kind of pointless. If you''re on this side, you''d know there''s a door here. ¡°Not if you got into the castle by some other means.¡± Like I was going to do, you mean. Ren thought in amusement. Yeah, I''d have no clue there would be a door down this hallway. The guard walked down the hallway, and it went on for a while. ¡°Uh oh.¡± Teepo said. What is it? ¡°Nothing.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Just a gigantic lobby with 2 huge staircases, and about 30 doors.¡± It might be better to wait until we know where we''re going. ¡°Okay.¡± Teepo said and flew back over to the hallway. The guard walked out of the hallway and into the lobby, and Ren saw what Teepo was talking about. He let out a low whistle, as the lobby alone was bigger than anything Ren had ever seen before. I think their Hall Of Records would fit in here. He thought. ¡°And then some.¡± Teepo said as he landed on Ren''s shoulder. The guard ignored everyone in the lobby and walked across the open area and started to ascend the stairs. Ren followed closely behind him, and when they got to the top of the stairs the guard turned to the left and walked down to the end of the balcony. Teepo, you''re up. Ren thought, and Teepo took off and flew under the door. The guard opened the door, and Ren glanced down into the lobby. ¡°How many people are here?¡± Ren asked. ¡°All of them.¡± The guard said. ¡°Through here, please.¡± Ren waited for a moment, and Teepo said it was all clear; so he walked through the doorway into another hallway loaded with doors. Crap. Ren thought, and looked at the guard. ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°Last one on the left, sir.¡± The guard said and closed the door. Ren heard the lock click and sighed. ¡°She''s in here.¡± Teepo said. Can you check the other rooms for Narhilda? ¡°Sure.¡± Teepo said, came out from under Nathalia''s door and slipped into the next room. ¡°No.¡± Who is it? ¡°I don''t know. It''s a female dwarf.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She''s quietly crying.¡± Keep looking, Teepo. ¡°Okay.¡± Teepo said, and Ren walked down the hallway and to Nathalia''s door. He knocked lightly, and she opened it. ¡°Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed, then covered her mouth. ¡°Get in here.¡± She whispered. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ren asked when she shut the door. ¡°The King was notified about Gellian''s death.¡± Nathalia whispered. ¡°He... he wasn''t happy.¡± ¡°Neither was I when I found out.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°She was his niece...¡± She sighed. ¡°...and heir.¡± ¡°She wasn''t just a member of the royal family, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°She was the next in line for the throne.¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°It''s quite the mess.¡± ¡°So why is everyone here?¡± Ren asked, then held up a hand. ¡°Ignore that.¡± He said. ¡°I''d rather know why you and Narhilda are here.¡± ¡°The King ordered an immediate trial for her killers.¡± ¡°They took you to get to me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That''s stupid. I''d have come if they''d asked.¡± ¡°I... I can''t tell you why I''m here.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren took her into a hug. ¡°It''s okay. I''m here now.¡± He said. ¡°Can I at least ask why we''re locked up?¡± ¡°It''s to stop us from escaping.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Nathalia looked at him in surprise. ¡°You can''t leave.¡± ¡°I''m not leaving.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to go look for my dogs.¡± ¡°Those things!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°They attacked the Royal Guard!¡± ¡°That''s what I told them to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Defend the house.¡± ¡°What!?!¡± ¡°They were doing their jobs and protecting you.¡± He said. ¡°And they were taken for it.¡± ¡°You''ll never find them.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°This place is huge.¡± ¡°Just watch me.¡± Ren said and opened the door to her room. ¡°If you need me...¡± Ren held up the hand with the Sending Ring. ¡°Get back here!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You can''t just go wandering around! If the guards catch you...¡± ¡°What are they going to do? Lock me up?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Don''t worry. I''m good at sneaking around.¡± ¡°Ren! What about your Aura?¡± He shrugged. ¡°It''s not like I can hide it now. It''s over a hundred feet now.¡± ¡°I... I thought you were just standing in the hallway, waiting to knock.¡± Nathalia said. Ren shook his head. ¡°I came right to the door and knocked.¡± ¡°Then don''t bother sneaking around.¡± She sighed. ¡°Someone will know you''re coming.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said, and clenched his fist. ¡°They''ve made the same mistake that the Council did.¡± ¡°What mistake was that?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Underestimating me.¡± Ren said, and shut her room door. Chapter 167 - Found Them Ren walked down the hallway and Teepo came out from under the last door. ¡°All the rooms are empty, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Narhilda isn''t here. It''s just the other woman.¡± That would have been too easy. Ren thought. I''ll look for her once I find Riley and Stacy. He sat down on the floor in a meditation pose. I''ve never done this before, but I should be able to sense where Riley and Stacy are. Ren closed his eyes and concentrated on Riley. He got an intense feeling of anger and growling, and a general direction, but that was it. He''s too mad to get a good response. Ren thought, then switched to Stacy. He got a low growl, but a very clear picture of where they were. It looked like some kind of alchemy laboratory, and Ren got the distinct feeling of which way to go. I''m here in the castle and I''ll be there as soon as I can, Stacy! He thought to her, and her growl eased slightly. Ren opened his eyes and stood up. He hadn''t ended his connection to Stacy, so rather than trying to remember where to go, he could follow the connection to her. He equipped his bodysuit and armor, and took out his shield, but didn''t take out his hammerpick. ¡°I better check some things first.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°Show info for Elemental Grenades.¡±
Elemental Grenades Level 1 (Beginner 0%)
You can create miniature grenades that can be thrown, and will detonate within 5 feet of a target you designate. Will not damage you or party members, as it is a Mana generated effect. Current Limit: 2. Blast Radius: 10 feet. Please Note: If holding an object while using this skill, it becomes the grenade instead. The object will explode when thrown and damage anyone within the blast radius, friend or foe alike. Higher levels will allow more grenades to be made for a single action.
¡°Sweet.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°Show info for Take Them Down.¡±
Take Them Down (Party Ability) Level 1 (Beginner 0%)
Temporarily provides your party members with the ''Killing Blow'' Ability (30% Chance of 1 Hit Kill) for their first attack, and can perform a second attack immediately at no cost to Stamina. The second attack does not benefit from the ''Killing Blow'' ability. Mana Cost: 30 Mana/second. Time of Effect: 10 seconds. Higher levels will increase the time of effect and reduce the Mana cost.
¡°Aw.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I could have chain attacked as many times as I wanted.¡± He sighed. ¡°What else was there? Oh, right. Show info for Hail of Arrows.¡±
Hail Of Arrows Level 1 (Beginner 0%)
Magically doubles any projectile fired within your Aura. Cost: 10 Mana per projectile. Higher levels will increase the projectiles created, and reduces the cost in Mana.
¡°Show info for Tricks of the Trade.¡±
Tricks of the Trade (Party Ability)
You may join another party, as long as you are not the party leader. You help any party you are a part of make the most of its abilities, increasing the damage and duration of all status effects that party members (or you) generate. Mana Cost: 50 Mana/second. Time limit: 10 seconds.
¡°Show info for Opportunity Knocks.¡±
Opportunity Knocks (Party Ability)
Party members can deal double damage within your Command radius for 10 seconds. Mana Cost: 100 Mana.
¡°Whoa.¡± Ren whispered after reading the popups. ¡°The designers definitely wanted me to be an essential party member, that''s for sure.¡± He said. ¡°Show info for Craft Wondrous Item.¡±
Craft Wondrous Item Level 1 (Beginner 0%)
Your various skills and abilities allow you to create marvels of ingenuity, almost as if by magic. Recipes Known: 1. Boots of Striding and Leaping (Cloth) - Increases run speed by 25%, can jump 2 times the normal distance. Higher levels will grant new recipes, if you don''t discover or create them on your own.
Ren opened the recipe right away and looked at it. ¡°Those aren''t boots. They''re socks!¡± He read the procedure through, and smiled. ¡°Oh, that''s cool.¡± He activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability, chose the recipe Boots of Striding and Leaping, and a small golden platform appeared in front of him.
Please place the boots you created on the platform for conversion.
Ren grinned, took off his armored boots that had each been enchanted with double glyphs of Protection (8 runes total), and put them on the platform. The boots were enveloped in a golden glow for about a minute, much longer than the few seconds that the recipe called for, then the glow faded. Ren picked up the boots, and the platform faded away.
Notice!
Due to the high quality and craftsmanship of the original materials, and the enchantments they contained, the item produced is far in excess of the original recipe''s guidelines.
When Ren examined the boots, his mouth dropped open.
Armored Boots of Rampage
These boots grant the ability: Unstoppable. Running Speed: x2. Jump Distance: x3.
¡°S-s-show info for Unstoppable.¡± Ren stammered. I knew using armored boots would change it a little, but I didn''t expect this!
Unstoppable (Complimentary Ability)
Your movements know no bounds! Similar to Rock Steady, you will always move at the same speed no matter what, and are not impeded by any moderate obstruction. Chest deep water, foot deep mud, dense foliage, etc. are no longer considered obstacles while walking. You are also difficult to knock over or trip while you have both feet on the ground. When combined with Rock Steady, you can run instead of walk, and can no longer be tripped or knocked over if both feet are on the ground.
¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said, then grinned as he equipped the boots. ¡°This... might be fun.¡± He walked over to the door that led to the balcony, and knocked. A moment later, a voice answered. ¡°What is it?¡± The guard asked. ¡°Open the door.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, I can''t do that.¡± He said. ¡°Once you''re in the holding area, you have to stay there.¡± ¡°You didn''t tell me that when you brought me here.¡± Ren responded. ¡°That''s not my job.¡± The guard said. ¡°Open this door, or I''ll pick the lock.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ha!¡± The guard said. ¡°It''s enchanted. You can''t pick it.¡± Ren looked down, and since he still had Enchanted Eyes activated, he saw that the lock glowed. He touched it and used Dismantle Glyph on it.
Notice!
A rune you had previously found is now known to you: Sealed - 20% chance this entryway cannot be entered by any means.
So that''s what the rune on Mitchell''s door was. Ren thought and smiled. ¡°It''s not enchanted.¡± Ren said and took a step back from the door. The guard took in a sharp breath, because he knew Ren wasn''t lying. ¡°It''s supposed to be!¡± The guard said and leaned closely to look. Ren took a step forward and kicked the door handle as hard as he could. He had intended to kick the door open and hit the guard in the head; but his foot smashed through the door instead. The door handle bounced off of the guard''s forehead and stunned him; thanks to Ren''s Skull Cracker ability (20% chance to stun, with a hit to the head using bare hands or a weapon), and the guard fell backwards onto the floor unconscious. Ren pulled his foot back, and the door swung out with nothing holding it closed. The door stopped when it hit the guard''s foot, and Ren stepped out of the holding area. He dragged the guard over and sat him in front of the door to hold it closed. Ren saw the door handle and picked it up. ¡°A guard''s coming up the stairs!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Hey! What are you doing?¡± The guard asked as he saw Ren standing beside the unconscious guard. ¡°I was checking to see if he was okay.¡± Ren said and knelt by the guard. ¡°What happened?¡± The other guard asked, and came over to the door. Ren held up the door handle. ¡°I believe this hit him in the forehead.¡± ¡°How the hell did that happen?¡± ¡°Like this.¡± Ren said, and stood as he swung the door handle into the guard''s forehead. A ''thunk'' was heard as the metal impacted the guard''s skull, and Ren caught him by his tunic and sat him right next to the first guard.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I should put them inside, but I don''t want anyone thinking Nathalia or the other woman are responsible. ¡°You could enchant some stones with Warding.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°Make the guards harder to see.¡± That is an excellent idea, Teepo! Ren thought, and took out 4 bricks and enchanted them with double glyphs of Warding (8 runes total). He put two right in front of the guards, giving them each a 40% chance of not being discovered, then put the other 2 bricks in front of those, giving everything behind them an extra 40% chance of not being discovered. Ren tied up the guards and put a piece of cloth in their mouths to keep them quiet; then walked across the balcony, and down the huge staircase to the lobby floor. Thankfully, no one else was nearby or had seen the altercation between Ren and the two guards. He followed the connection he had to Stacy to the right of the stairs and down another hallway. Once he got to the door he needed to go through, he examined it to see if there were any enchantments. There wasn''t any on the door or handle, so Ren tried to turn it as Teepo slid under the door. It was locked, and Ren used Iron Grip to crush the handle and pulled it off. ¡°Clear. It''s a hallway. One door at the end, several on the sides.¡± Teepo said. Ren opened the door, held the handle back in place, and used Repair. He closed the door and walked down the hallway to the end and ignored the other doors he passed. This place is huge. Ren thought, as Teepo slid under the door at the end. How does anyone find anything in here? ¡°There''s 2 dwarf guards standing by a door on the left of the room. A female dwarf is sitting at a table in the middle and writing something.¡± Can you see what it is? ¡°It''s... it''s a drawing of Riley.¡± Ren took a deep breath and held it, squared his shoulders, and concentrated on his Command Aura. He opened the door, walked into the room like he owned the place, and believed he had every right to be there. The dwarf sitting at the table looked up as he approached. ¡°What can I do for you, My Lord?¡± She asked, then smiled as she saw him up close. He''s so handsome! She thought, and noticed his golden-colored armor. Such pretty metal! Ren tapped her drawing and smiled at her. ¡°Yes, they were brought in this morning.¡± She said. ¡°The Alchemist said he''d never seen anything like them before.¡± She caught her breath as she saw his cloak. Oh... oh my... is that... dire wolf fur? ¡°I''d like to see them, please.¡± Ren said, letting the breath he held out. ¡°I... I...¡± She glanced at the 2 guards. ¡°I can''t take visitors into the lab, My Lord.¡± ¡°I''m not a visitor.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m their owner.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± She blinked at him a few times. ¡°They are my dogs, and I came here to get them back.¡± ¡°You... you can''t!¡± She said. ¡°They attacked the Royal Guard!¡± ¡°That''s because the Royal Guard trespassed on my land, and captured Lady Neram and my fiance while I was gone.¡± Ren said. ¡°They did nothing wrong.¡± He... he believes that! She thought, and shook her head. ¡°I''m still sorry. No matter how many times you ask, I can''t let you into the lab.¡± ¡°I wasn''t asking.¡± Ren said, then an intense pain pierced his brain. He grabbed his head and concentrated on it, and saw Stacy was being hurt, and hurt badly. ¡°He''s hurting her!¡± Ren exclaimed, and the female dwarf''s eyes widened as he used his Elemental Grenade ability to generate a Fire Grenade in each hand. Ren turned around and threw the grenades at the 2 guards, and they detonated 5 feet away from them. The guards were engulfed in two 10 foot fireballs and Ren ran at them with his fists at the ready. ¡°Agghh-Guh!¡± The guards half-yelled, half-choked as Ren smashed his fists in their faces, and jammed their heads against the wall behind them. ¡°S-S-STOP!¡± The female dwarf yelled and started to run towards him, but Ren had already disabled the guards and they fell to the floor. He put a hand on the door and used the ability again, and stepped aside. Activate! The door exploded and rained splinters of wood over everything. The female dwarf had been close enough that the blast picked her up slightly and she fell to the floor unconscious. Ren stepped into the alchemy lab and saw a dwarf crouched beside a table, that had Stacy strapped to it, and part of her leg was dissolved away. ¡°You ROTTEN piece of FUCKING GARBAGE!¡± Ren yelled as he grabbed the alchemist by the back of his neck and picked him up. ¡°She did nothing to YOU, and you HURT HER!!!¡± Ren threw the dwarf across the room and into a wall of shelves full of empty glass jars and vials. The shelves broke apart as the dwarf hit them, and the glass jars shattered as the dwarf and shelves fell to the floor. Ren broke the straps on the table to free Stacy, and he cupped the side of her head when she whined. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren said, as he felt gratitude from her. ¡°I''ll make you all better.¡± He took out his blacksmithing hammer, held it to her leg, and poured Mana into it. ¡°REPAIR!¡± He yelled. Stacy''s entire body was engulfed in a soft golden glow, and her leg filled out to where it had been before. She flexed her paw and moved her leg. When she didn''t feel pain, she wagged her tail and it hit the table she was on, denting the wood. ¡°You''re a good girl!¡± Ren said and hugged her. ¡°You did great.¡± He leaned back. ¡°Open.¡± Stacy opened her mouth and Ren saw that the wand was missing. ¡°Close.¡± Ren said, and she closed her mouth. ¡°Come.¡± He turned around and went to the cage that held Riley. Ren saw that he had scratches across his body, and several dents. Thanks to his Vision of Impurity, he couldn''t see any flaws besides them, though. ¡°You did well, too.¡± Ren said, and saw that the iron bars of the cage had several flaws. He used Iron Grip to crush several of the iron bars, then tore apart the cage.
Stat Change!
Vision Of Impurity Level 7 (Beginner 0%)
Ren used Repair on him, and Riley''s body was nice and smooth again. ¡°Open.¡± Ren said, and saw Riley''s wand was missing, too. ¡°Close.¡± When he noticed the dogs had expended their Minor Healing innate spells, he put a hand on both of them and infused them with Major Healing instead. ¡°That should help you a lot better.¡± Ren said and pat their heads. They gave him a soft bark, and he smiled. ¡°Follow.¡± He said, and walked over to the dwarf, who had started to dig out of the pile of glass shards and wood. Ren grabbed his tunic, lifted him out of the pile, and shook him to get all of the glass off of him. ¡°Why were you hurting her like that?¡± Ren asked, and shook the dwarf again. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I... I''ve never seen metal like that before.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I had to test it!¡± ¡°They are NOT things to perform experiments on, you ignorant FUCK!¡± Ren yelled and shook the dwarf again. ¡°Didn''t you see them moving? Didn''t you hear them growling and whining?¡± ¡°Of... of course I did! They''re wonderful mechanisms!¡± ¡°Then why hurt them? What possible purpose did it serve?¡± ¡°I was... I was ordered by the King to find out what they were made of, and to make them myself if I could!¡± ¡°And you decided an acid potion was the BEST way to do that?!?¡± The dwarf didn''t say anything, and Ren grinned. ¡°You know what? I think I want to know what YOU are made of.¡± He said, and carried the dwarf over to the table Stacy had been strapped to. ¡°No! NOOO!¡± The dwarf screamed and struggled as Ren tied him to the table. ¡°Please! They''re just things! I''m alive! ALIVE!¡± ¡°So are they.¡± Ren said and picked up the vial of acid. The dwarf struggled and the ropes pulled tighter. Ren smiled as he had found a good use for his Knot Tying skill. He held the vial over the dwarf''s leg, and tipped it slightly. ¡°By the gods, please stop!¡± The dwarf pleaded. ¡°I... I can help you!¡± Ren stopped with the acid near the edge of the vial. ¡°Oh?¡± He asked. ¡°How could you possibly help me to make up for hurting my dogs like this?¡± The dwarf looked around the lab, breathed quickly, and nodded. ¡°There. On my workbench.¡± Ren straightened the vial and turned around to look. He saw a thick book there, put the vial down, then walked over to the workbench to read the cover.
Alchemy Of The Ages
The Expert Guide To Potions, Elixirs, and Tonics
¡°I''ll give it to you, if you let me live.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Why can''t I just take it myself right now?¡± Ren asked. The dwarf laughed. ¡°You''re an Adventurer. You should already know that if you steal it, it''s just a book, and the information within will erase itself.¡± That''s... good information to know. Ren thought as he took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Stacy whined slightly, and he pat her. ¡°Very well.¡± He said. ¡°You have my word that I won''t kill you over this.¡± The dwarf relaxed, and sighed at the truth in Ren''s words. ¡°You may have the book.¡± Ren saw the book glow slightly blue for a second, and he picked it up.
Book of Advanced Alchemy Skills
Create Elixir, Create Tonic, Create Vial, Decipher Ingredients Would you like to learn these skills? Confirm: Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and the book glowed brightly, then the glow enveloped him.
Notice!
You have gained access to a book from the Lore Of The Ages series. Alchemy of the Ages is well beyond your Alchemy skill level, so a Boost has been granted as a reward for finding such a rare and valuable book. Alchemy Level 1 (Advanced 0%), Herb Aura Level 1 (Advanced 0%)
The book dissolved and the glow faded away a moment later.
Notice!
You have learned the following Alchemy sub skills: Create Elixir Level 1 (Intermediate 0%) - Elixirs grant permanent stat bonuses Create Tonic Level 1 (Intermediate 0%) - Tonics grant temporary boosts to abilities Create Vial Level 1 (Intermediate 0%) - Vials are more concentrated potions Decipher Ingredients Level 1 (Intermediate 0%) - You can now determine what ingredients make up a potion, given enough time and access to the proper equipment.
Notice!
Thanks to your Hidden Knowledge skill, you have discovered a hidden sub skill.
New Sub Skill!
Ingredient Substitute - You can change out ingredients with similar properties, that don''t normally go in your potions.
Notice!
You have learned new recipes: Potion of Major Healing, Potion of Giant Strength, Tonic of Speed, Tonic of Invulnerability, Vial of Invisibility, Vial of Acid, Elixir of Knowledge, Elixir of Vitality, Elixir of Life
¡°By... by the gods!¡± Ren said as he dismissed the popups, then turned to the dwarf. ¡°You had that book just laying around, out in the open?!? Are you crazy?¡± The dwarf laughed. ¡°I told you. It''s worthless unless given to someone.¡± Ren shook his head and walked over to the table the dwarf was tied to, and Riley and Stacy followed him. ¡°Stay.¡± He told the dogs. ¡°Watch. Attack if he moves.¡± Ren went out to the guards and tied them up, then checked the female dwarf. She was a little bloody from all of the wood splinters, but she was still alive and breathing normally. He tied her up and gagged her, picked out all of the splinters he could see, then used the Major Healing wand on her. She woke up and looked at him with wide eyes, and started to panic. ¡°I''m not going to hurt you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only came for my dogs.¡± The female dwarf relaxed as she heard the truth, and Ren went to the door to the hallway. He took out his Book of Runes, found the Sealed rune, and did his mental trick of making the double, triple and quadruple glyphs. They appeared on the page and he concentrated on the triple glyph, then enchanted the door with a double glyph of Sealed (6 runes total). Each rune granted a 20% chance that the entryway couldn''t be entered by any means, but when Ren examined it, it was maxed at 100%. I guess there''s no point in letting it be 120% entry proof. Ren thought, then went to the desk in the center of the room. He looked at the drawings the female dwarf had made, and admired them. ¡°You can draw well.¡± Ren said to her and took out a Fireball wand. ¡°I don''t suppose you know what happened to the ones they took from my dogs, do you?¡± The female dwarf shook her head, and Ren shot a fireball at the desk. It immediately burst into flames and the dry parchment was consumed in seconds. The female dwarf started crying, and Ren went over to her and knelt. He dried her eyes with a piece of cloth, and smiled. ¡°I told you I wouldn''t hurt you.¡± He said. ¡°The alchemist on the other hand...¡± ¡°Mummggll!¡± She mumbled, and Ren took out the gag. ¡°Don''t kill him! He''s my father!¡± ¡°I already gave my word that I wouldn''t kill him.¡± Ren said, and she sighed. ¡°T-thank you.¡± She said and a few more tears came out of her eyes in relief. ¡°He still has to pay for what he''s done, though.¡± Ren said, and put the gag back in her mouth. She mumbled a yell, but Ren ignored her and went back into the alchemy lab. * The female dwarf heard bones crack and muffled screams, and she cried and sobbed. This went on for several minutes, and then there was silence. No! He... he said he wouldn''t kill him! She thought in desperation. What kind of monster would... would break their word like that! * Ren came out of the lab and walked over to her. ¡°I didn''t break my word.¡± He said. ¡°He''s just passed out. I didn''t kill him.¡± The female dwarf stared at him as he picked her up, and brought her into the lab. He pulled over a chair and put it by the table her father was strapped to, and sat her in it. Her eyes watered, and she cried as she saw her father''s mangled fingers. ¡°I couldn''t let him hurt anything else, like he did with my dogs.¡± Ren said, then sighed. ¡°If you think that taking him to a healer will fix them, they are already healed.¡± She gasped into the gag and sobbed. ¡°It... it really hurt something inside of me to do this.¡± Ren said, his voice full of sadness. ¡°I didn''t know that I could... that I could do something like this...¡± The female dwarf looked at him, hearing the truth in his words. ¡°I know what his life is going to be like, you see.¡± Ren took out a stack of platinum coins and put them on the table. ¡°Take him away from here. Let him live a comfortable life away from all of this.¡± She kept crying, and looked away from Ren to stare at her father. Chapter 168 - An Old Friend
Notice!
Due to your dishonorable actions, you have lost Honor. Honor: -10,000
Ren walked away from the table, stored his shield, and went back over to the workbench. He searched it and found several more recipes; Healing Potion, Mana Potion, Vial of Health Regeneration, and Vial of Mana Regeneration. He looked at all of the recipes he had, then looked at the shelf of ingredients above the workbench. Nothing was labeled, so he activated his Decipher Ingredients ability and picked a bottle up. He identified it as Eye of Newt, appraised it, and put it back... then figured he would probably never find these ingredients anywhere else. He glanced back at the dwarf on the table, and sadness filled him. How could I do that? Ren asked himself, then took out the half-sized crate he had previously stored diamonds in. ¡°You didn''t have much choice.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If you didn''t want him experimenting again, it was either disable his hands, or... or take them.¡± Ren took in a deep breath and let it out, and tried to stop himself from shaking at the thought of actually removing someone''s hands. He shook the thought out of his head and put the half-crate on the workbench. Ren picked up the bottle of Eye of Newt, and took half of it; put it in one of his own spare bottles, then put the ingredient back on the shelf. He put the part he''d taken into the half-crate, then kept picking up each bottle, used Decipher Ingredient and Appraisal, then took half and put it in the crate. This continued for nearly 20 minutes, and Ren had half of all the ingredients in the crate. When he was done, his Decipher Ingredients and Identify skills were both at Intermediate Level 2, and Appraisal was up to Intermediate level 5. He''d used cloth between the layers so that nothing would break, then stored the half-crate into inventory. He left a few more platinum on the workbench, then walked over to the dogs who still watched the dwarf on the table. ¡°Come.¡± Ren said, and left the female dwarf there to tend to her unconscious father. He had left her hands tied in front of her, so she shouldn''t have any trouble doing that. He picked up the guards and carried them over to the still burning table in the middle of the room. After he absorbed the fire and regenerated the Mana he''d used, he sat one of the guards on the desk and left the other one on the floor. Ren held onto the one on the desk, and activated his Water Spray ring to douse the guard in the face. A few moments later, the guard revived and blinked the water out of his eyes. ¡°Where do they keep the prisoners?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°Go to he-ggllluugggg!¡± The guard said as Ren sprayed him again. ¡°It''s a simple question.¡± Ren said and deactivated the ring. ¡°I already know about the holding area. Where else would they take a prisoner?¡± ¡°Th-the holding area! There is nowhere else, you idiot! Why would we need 2 places to hold people?!?¡± Ren frowned at the guard, but it did make sense. ¡°Where''s Lady Neram, then?¡± ¡°How would I know that?¡± The guard asked, exasperated. ¡°This is my duty station!¡± Ren put a gag in the guard''s mouth and sat him on the floor. Now what? ¡°We could look through all the other doors...¡± Teepo suggested, and Ren laughed. If we had a month or two. Ren thought. It''s nearly supper time. I''ve got to get to a Safe Zone and log out afterwards. ¡°Then there''s really only one thing you can do.¡± What''s that? ¡°Cause a big enough of a ruckus to get everyone''s attention.¡± Teepo, I couldn''t... I mean... I... I''m supposed to be sneaking around! ¡°That worked for Stacy and Riley, but only because you could follow your connection to them.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Narhilda, on the other hand...¡± You''re right. She could be anywhere. Ren thought. Okay, I''m going to try and ask a few people first, but if that doesn''t work, I''ll... ¡°Have some fun and wreck the place.¡± Teepo said. * ¡°Is everything set for the trial in the morning?¡± The King asked. ¡°Of course it is, Your Eminence.¡± His advisor said. ¡°I told you to stop calling me that.¡± ¡°Of course, Your Eminence.¡± The advisor repeated. The King sighed. ¡°By the gods, I had forgotten how much I hate this place.¡± ¡°You''ve been gone a long time, ''Your Eminence''.¡± A woman''s voice said from across the room. The King turned to look at her and sighed again as he saw the two guards that stood beside the woman. They weren''t for protection, however; they were to stop her from leaving again. ¡°Yes.¡± The King said. ¡°Just like you.¡± He frowned. ¡°Have you enjoyed living your life away from the castle?¡± ¡°I have, actually.¡± The woman said. ¡°Despite being away from the castle for over 20 years, these last 3 months have been worth every second.¡± ¡°I can''t believe you''ve been living such a charade for all this time.¡± He shook his head. ¡°And right under the nose of the guards, soldiers, and nobility.¡± ¡°It was easy, really.¡± She snorted a laugh. ¡°Once I was away from here, no one even cared who I was.¡± ¡°I know all about how you got away.¡± The King said. ¡°I''ve got the chamber maid that arranged your escape in the holding area.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± The King walked over to her. ¡°Once I talked to her personally, she told me all of the details.¡± ¡°Why would you lock her up?¡± The woman asked. ¡°I ordered her to help me!¡± The King smiled. ¡°I''m the King. I can do whatever I want.¡± ¡°If you have to say that you''re the king to justify your actions, then you''re not really a king.¡± ¡°I don''t want to be King, remember?¡± He walked back across the room. ¡°It was all just the luck of birth.¡± ¡°If I''d known at the time how you would turn out...¡± The woman shook her head. ¡°...I wouldn''t have let the Council interfere with your education.¡± ¡°Mother.¡± The King sighed. ¡°Let it go.¡± ¡°Now that you''re back, you should know what the Council has been doing while you were gone.¡± ¡°I don''t care what they''ve been doing.¡± The King said. ¡°Don''t you understand? I''d give up the throne in a second if I could.¡± ¡°If you let the Council continue the way it''s been going... in another 50 years, there won''t be a King; or even a Kingdom anymore.¡± ¡°So what?!?¡± The King exclaimed, finally letting his feelings out. ¡°I wouldn''t be here in this mess if they''d already succeeded!¡± ¡°WHAT!?!¡± ¡°Why else do you think Gellian was working for a sand merchant?¡± The King sighed. ¡°I arranged it before I left.¡± ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°And now an innocent girl, who I tried to save from all of this...¡± The King waved his hand at the opulent room. ¡°...is dead. By bad luck or happenstance, it doesn''t matter. She''s still gone.¡± ¡°Did they tell you how it happened?¡± The woman asked. The King shook his head. ¡°No, and you aren''t going to either.¡± ¡°You need to know...¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± The King said. ¡°I will not have your words prejudice my thinking any more.¡± The woman clamped her mouth shut. ¡°That''s better.¡± He said, then sat down to rub his face with his hands. ¡°I loved her as if she was my own daughter.¡± ¡°Not enough to stay and protect her.¡± The woman said. ¡°Or to take her with you when you left.¡± The King sighed again. ¡°Yes, it''s all my fault. Isn''t it, Mother?¡± ¡°Not all of it.¡± She responded. ¡°Most of it, now that I know that you intentionally gave the Council free reign.¡± The King stopped rubbing his face and stood up. ¡°This will all be settled in the morning.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The woman laughed. ¡°How is that possible?¡± She asked. ¡°The murderers will be hung until they''re dead. How does that fix all the rest of the Kingdom''s problems?¡± ¡°That''s not my concern.¡± The King said as he walked to the door of the large room. A guard opened it to let him pass through. ¡°You''re the King!¡± The woman nearly yelled. ¡°This should all be your concern!¡± He didn''t say anything in response, and left the room. The guard stepped out to follow, and shut the door behind him. ¡°That went as well as I expected.¡± The advisor said, and the woman sighed. She walked over to a chair and sat down, as the guards followed her. She glanced at them and shook her head. ¡°It''s not really necessary to have the guards follow me inside the royal apartments.¡± She said. ¡°The King ordered...¡± ¡°That King?¡± She pointed to the closed door. ¡°The one who said that none of this was his concern?¡± The advisor sighed himself. ¡°Yes. Despite his behavior, he''s still the King.¡± She put a hand on her abdomen. ¡°I honestly wish I could have had more children.¡± ¡°So do I, Narhilda.¡± Dural, Advisor to the Throne, said as he went to the door and opened it. ¡°So do I.¡± * Ren turned off the Sealed enchantment on the hallway door and opened it. Riley and Stacy walked out, he stepped out behind them, and shut the door. He activated the enchantment again and walked down the hallway. When he got to the door at the end, he looked at Riley and Stacy. ¡°Stay close. Don''t attack unless I say so. No killing.¡± Ren got the distinct feeling of grudging acceptance, and he smiled. He opened the door into the next hallway and the dogs stayed by his sides. He walked down the hallway and into the lobby, then asked several people if they knew where Lady Neram was. No one had any idea where she was, and several of them were visibly afraid of the dogs, so he went to the 4 guards that were stationed between the huge staircases.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. This place should have a general information desk or something. Ren thought as he approached them. ¡°They probably wouldn''t tell you anyway.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You know how they like to keep information to themselves.¡± Ren sighed mentally, and made eye contact with a guard. ¡°Where is Lady Neram?¡± ¡°Who?¡± The guard asked and smiled smugly. Ren concentrated on his Command Aura and reached a hand out. He grabbed the guard by his tunic, picked him up, and held him at arm''s length. ¡°Don''t be flippant with me. I''m not in the mood for it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I asked you a simple question.¡± The other guards started to reach for their weapons, and Riley and Stacy growled loudly. ¡°I wouldn''t do that if I were you.¡± Ren said to the guards. ¡°They''re pissed about you taking them. Don''t give them an excuse to bite your faces off.¡± Ren heard the dog''s razor sharp teeth pop out with a solid metal sound, and he grinned as the guards moved their hands back to their sides and away from the hilts of their weapons. ¡°That''s better.¡± Ren looked at the guard that he still held at arms length, about 6 inches from the floor. ¡°If you lie to me again and say you don''t know, you''ll find out what the floor tastes like through broken teeth.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where is Lady Neram?¡± The guard swallowed visibly, and took in a breath. ¡°Go to he-aaahhHH!¡± His words were cut off as Ren turned him upside down and smashed his face into the floor. Ren lifted him up and did it again, then turned him back upright. Several of the guard''s teeth were missing, and his face was a bloody mess. ¡°I''m getting tired of repeating myself.¡± Ren said, and the other people in the lobby stopped talking and watched the scene he was making. I guess I''m taking your advice after all, Teepo. Ren thought, concentrated on his personal Aura, and shook the guard. ¡°What is wrong with you people?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You all keep your godsdamned mouths shut over the simplest things, and for no reason!¡± He tossed the guard into the other 3 guards standing there, and they caught him for the most part. Two of them lost their balance, and leaned back against the wall to stop themselves from falling and dropping the guard they''d just caught. ¡°When I came here, I had no idea what was going on!¡± Ren said, quite loudly. ¡°I got caught up in a huge mess with the Council, then eventually exposed them for what they''ve been doing.¡± Ren turned around and addressed the growing crowd. ¡°Can you guess what the rest of you did about it?¡± No one said anything, and Ren grinned. ¡°Exactly! You did NOTHING!¡± Ren shouted. ¡°You''ve KNOWN for years, haven''t you? It''s become normal for you to ignore the injustice that''s been happening!¡± ¡°That''s enough.¡± One of the guards said. ¡°You''re under arrest.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°For speaking my mind? For telling the truth? WHAT?¡± ¡°For assaulting a Royal Guard!¡± The guard said, getting angry. ¡°Really?¡± Ren laughed at him. ¡°You''re going to arrest me for keeping my word? For doing what I said I would do if he kept lying to my face, and in front of witnesses?¡± Several of the dwarves gasped, and the guard looked over Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Ren, there''s more guards coming down a hallway on the left.¡± Thanks, Teepo. ¡°It doesn''t matter how it happened, you did assault him.¡± ¡°And YOU trespassed on House Neram land, KIDNAPPED Lady Neram and my fiance, then you took my dogs when they tried their best to STOP YOU!¡± More gasps were heard, and Ren was about to keep talking when another voice spoke. ¡°Ren of House Neram, you are under arrest for treason against the crown.¡± Ren turned around to see about a dozen guards, half of them with crossbows, and the Knight leading them was holding the fireball wand from Stacy''s mouth. ¡°I hope you''ve come to return my property.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s my dog''s wand you stole.¡± Silence filled the lobby as everyone heard the truth in Ren''s words. ¡°He gave his dog a wand?¡± ¡°How can the dog use it? It doesn''t have hands!¡± ¡°The Royal Guard are thieves!¡± ¡°QUIET!¡± The Knight said. ¡°The dogs attacked us...¡± ¡°We heard!¡± Someone said. ¡°You''re supposed to up uphold the law, not ignore it.¡± ¡°Step back!¡± The Knight said, and the crowd started to part. Here goes everything. Ren thought, and concentrated on the wand the Knight held. Wait... wait... Activate! The wand shot off a fireball, and it hit Ren square in the chest. ¡°AaahhhhHHHH!¡± Ren yelled, jumped backwards, and fell to the floor as he was engulfed in flames. A woman screamed and several people turned away. ¡°By the gods, they''ve shot him!¡± Someone shouted, and a few of the dwarves started to panic. ¡°S-s-someone! Get some water or something!¡± Ren continued to roll around on the floor, clutching his face. Teepo are they getting close? ¡°Yeah, they''re moving the people back and coming over.¡± Teepo said. ¡°3 on the left, 4 on the right.¡± Tell me when. Ren thought, and for the first time ever, equipped his golden-colored helm and absorbed the fire. ¡°You can stand, in 3... 2... 1... NOW!¡± ¡°You SHOT ME!¡± Ren hopped up and grabbed 2 of the guards on the left, picked them up, and kicked the third lightly in the chest; but it still sent the guard across the floor. Ren swung the guards he held around, and threw them into the 4 guards on the right. He equipped his shield as several crossbow bolts whizzed by, and Ren deflected several more. ¡°Stop firing, you fools!¡± Ren shouted. ¡°You''ll hit the people!¡± Another crossbow bolt bounced off of the shield and Ren ran at them as fast as he could, with the shield held in front of him. He wanted to stop them from firing into the crowd, but had completely forgotten that he was wearing his new boots. Ren smashed into them much faster than he had intended; two of the crossbowmen bounced off of his shield, one was caught in the Grip of Earth enchantment, and two more were trampled as Ren ran over them. The last one stared as Ren came to a stop, deactivated the enchantment on the shield to release the guard, and turned around. ¡°On the left!¡± Teepo shouted, as another fireball hit Ren in the side, and Ren pretended to fall to the right, away from it. He clutched his side as the fireball engulfed him, and heard the Knight laugh. ¡°Even with your armor, you''re not so tough against fireballs.¡± He said smugly as he walked over to Ren on the floor, and shot a fireball every couple of seconds. I guess I didn''t have to activate the wand prematurely. Ren thought. He was going to shoot me with it anyway. The Knight stepped close and waited for the fire to dissipate before firing again. ¡°What the hell is going on out here?!?¡± A stern voice asked. ¡°I''m just subduing a prisoner.¡± The Knight said. ¡°With a fireball wand?!?¡± The voice asked. ¡°Where did you even get that?¡± ¡°He stole it!¡± A voice from the crowd said. ¡°From him!¡± One of the dwarfs in front pointed to Ren on the ground. ¡°I didn''t steal it!¡± The Knight turned to the dwarf. ¡°We were attacked!¡± ¡°It''s still stealing.¡± The dwarf muttered. ¡°Give me that.¡± The voice said, and the Knight frowned. ¡°I acquired it in battle.¡± He said. ¡°By right of conquest...¡± ¡°Hand. It. Over.¡± The Knight passed him the wand and the dwarf looked down at Ren. ¡°Are you done?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± Ren said. ¡°I could use a bit more cooking on my left side; but I can make do without it.¡± The dwarf with the stern voice smiled. ¡°Lady Neram said you had a weird sense of humor.¡± ¡°You know where she is?¡± Ren asked. ¡°She''s in the royal apartments.¡± The dwarf said, then looked around. ¡°Is that what this is all about?¡± ¡°Part of it.¡± Ren said. ¡°No one would tell me anything.¡± He stood up and realized he was about 5 inches taller than everyone else, thanks to the thick soles of his boots. ¡°You''re a big one.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I could make a rude joke about that line, but I''d rather go see Lady Neram.¡± ¡°You can''t, you''re a prisoner.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°This idiot claimed, without proof, that I committed treason against the crown.¡± He stuck a thumb out to indicate the Knight. ¡°I was hit by a fireball, then when I attacked, non-lethally by the way, they opened fire with crossbows and then more fireballs.¡± Ren looked around. ¡°Is anyone hurt?¡± Several of the guards raised their hands, and Ren ignored them. ¡°Is any civilian injured? There were a lot of crossbows flying around.¡± He said, and no one spoke up. ¡°Thank the gods.¡± ¡°I''d ask you what happened, but I''d rather get an independent version first.¡± The dwarf said, and went to the crowd. He came back a few minutes later, and looked at the Knight. ¡°You have some explaining to do.¡± The Knight scowled. ¡°I don''t answer to you.¡± ¡°Then go answer to whoever.¡± The dwarf waved a hand in front of the Knight''s face, and the Knight held out a hand for the wand. The dwarf shook his head. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± ¡°It''s mine.¡± The Knight said. ¡°Where''s the Minor Healing wand?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If you have the Fireball one, you must have the other.¡± ¡°I gave it to the Medical Wing.¡± The Knight said, and the other dwarf winced slightly. ¡°For a people with an Honor based society, you sure have a lot of people who lie.¡± Ren said. ¡°How is he even a Knight?¡± ¡°Inherited Honor.¡± The dwarf with the stern voice said, then turned to the guards that were still standing. ¡°Take the others to the Medical Wing of the Main Keep.¡± The guards gathered up the injured and left the lobby. ¡°As for you...¡± The dwarf turned to the Knight. ¡°You will return the stolen property.¡± ¡°You can give it to the Medical Wing.¡± Ren said, then pointed at the Knight. ¡°...as long as he doesn''t get to keep it.¡± ¡°Hand it over.¡± The dwarf with the stern voice said. ¡°Right now.¡± The Knight pulled out the wand from behind his back and handed it to the dwarf. ¡°This isn''t over.¡± He said, then walked away down the hallway he had come from. The dwarf sighed and turned to Ren. ¡°He''s always been a trouble-maker.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I bet he started out leading a regiment or something.¡± The dwarf nodded slightly. ¡°Yes, and now he''s down to a Knight. It won''t be long before he''s only a Warrior.¡± ¡°I honestly don''t care where he ends up.¡± Ren said. ¡°Take me to the royal apartments.¡± ¡°It''s really odd to talk to someone in full plate armor.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°This way.¡± He walked down the hallway to the left of the staircase, and Ren followed until he got to where Riley and Stacy still held the 4 guards at bay. ¡°Come.¡± Ren said, and they ran over to him as he followed the dwarf into another hallway to the end. They went through that door, and to another set of staircases after Teepo gave the all clear. They climbed up the stairs and down yet another hallway, then arrived at a door with 2 guards in front of it. Teepo slipped inside and Ren felt his relief and surprise. ¡°She''s here with 2 guards!¡± Teepo exclaimed. ¡°Open the door.¡± The dwarf said, and one of the guards opened the door. ¡°By the gods, leave me alone!¡± Narhilda said, as she threw a pillow at the open door. Ren caught it and stepped inside. ¡°What''s this? Now you''re sending in gold... armored... REN!¡± She ran across the expanse of the room, and Ren stored his armor and dropped the pillow in time to receive her bone-crunching hug. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said, as he held her close. The two guards ran over as well, to stand beside them. They scowled down at the two metal dogs. ¡°Thank you, Dural.¡± Narhilda said to the dwarf. ¡°Don''t thank me.¡± Dural shook his head. ¡°He was making quite the scene in the lobby.¡± ¡°He was?¡± Narhilda said, surprised. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°To find you, of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I tried asking politely, then more guards showed up.. and... well...¡± ¡°Things got out of hand.¡± Narhilda said, and Ren nodded. She turned to Dural. ¡°I know I can''t ask...¡± Dural turned to the guards. ¡°We can wait in the hall, while Lady Neram discusses need to know information.¡± The guards looked at each other, nodded slightly to Dural, and stepped outside the door and turned to face it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Narhilda said. Dural leaned close. ¡°It will only work for a short time, then I will have to let them back in.¡± She nodded slightly and he left the room, turned to face the door just like the guards, and closed it. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Narhilda said, and kissed him passionately. Since Ren was only wearing his bodysuit, she felt his reaction to her, and she broke the kiss. ¡°We... we can''t...¡± ¡°Just because I''m ready, doesn''t mean it has to happen.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°If that was the case, I''d be doing it all the time.¡± Narhilda smiled and took his hand to lead him to sit on one of the many couches in the apartment. ¡°How did you get here?¡± Narhilda asked, still holding his hand. Ren told her about how he''d contacted Nathalia with his Sending Ring after coming through the portal, and found out they were here; but she wouldn''t tell him anything about it so he came to see her himself. ¡°She''s always been loyal to me, without fault.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Keep going.¡± Ren explained about finding the dogs missing, coming to the castle, getting locked up, and then going to the alchemist''s lab. She gasped when she heard what had happened to the dogs, and how it had hurt Ren, and she went quiet as he told her about the encounter with the alchemist. ¡°How... how could you?!?¡± Narhilda asked, and put a hand over her mouth. ¡°I''ve known him for decades. He was a good man! He didn''t mean anything by experimenting on your toys!¡± Ren let her hand go and stood up. ¡°They are not toys! Or things! Or wonderful mechanisms to experiment on!¡± He nearly yelled at her, then clenched his fists as he tried to calm down. ¡°The same thing happened to me when I was younger, Narhilda.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I felt Stacy''s pain similar to mine, I... it brought back a lot of the memories I''d suppressed about my own experiences.¡± Narhilda reached a hand out and held his wrist. ¡°Sit. Please.¡± She said, and Ren sat back down. ¡°I didn''t know that you...¡± ¡°It''s not something I ever... ever... wanted to talk about.¡± Ren said sadly. ¡°The things they... they did to me... all in the name of research.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I... I snapped, Narhilda. I did something... something I never thought I''d do to someone else.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Narhilda started to cry, as she felt the truth in his words. ¡°That... that still doesn''t justify what you did today.¡± ¡°Do you think I don''t know that?¡± Ren asked, pain clearly on his face. ¡°I crushed that man''s fingers, Narhilda! Over and over! I was so mad that I... at the end I... I held them in an Iron Grip and healed them.¡± The tears were streaming down her face as Ren kept talking. ¡°I left them a pile of money, so he could live comfortably for the rest of his days; but no matter what I do or say, I can''t take back what I''ve done.¡± Narhilda nodded slightly, and Ren looked down at his hands. ¡°What do I do now?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The only thing you can do.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Confess in open court, and face the punishment.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Narhilda nodded slightly. ¡°If you let this go, and people find out about what you did...¡± ¡°I''ve already lost 10,000 Honor, Narhilda.¡± Ren said, and she gasped. ¡°If I admit it in open court...¡± ¡°You''ll probably lose the rest.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°It''s the chance you''ll have to take.¡± Ren sighed, and nodded slightly. ¡°You''re right. I... I''ll do it at the start of the trial in the morning.¡± Narhilda took his hand again and held it tightly. ¡°Ren.¡± She took a breath. ¡°Ren, I... I have something... something you need to know about.¡± ¡°Is it about you not being Nathalia''s real mother?¡± Ren asked, and Narhilda froze in shock. ¡°How... how did you...¡± ¡°Teepo told me the morning after he overheard you and Nathalia talking in the kitchen.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was a bit of a surprise, but... think back.¡± He looked at her. ¡°I''ve always treated you like a woman, and you''ve always treated me like the man of the house.¡± Narhilda opened her mouth in surprise, and then she smiled. ¡°After I admitted to myself, and to you, that I loved you... I... I realized that it felt like I''ve been living with 2 wives this whole time.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I thought it was weird having those kinds of feelings for you, but...¡± She took him into a hug and kissed him. He didn''t fight the feeling this time, and kissed her back just as passionately as she was kissing him. Ren caressed her breast and she moaned in appreciation, then laid back on the couch. He kept making out with her, and things started to get hot and heavy; then a knock on the door shattered their moment, and they froze. ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± Narhilda said, as Ren sat up. ¡°I... I almost lost myself there.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. Narhilda sat up as the door to the apartment burst open, and a bald red-bearded dwarf stalked into the room. ¡°FRITZ!¡± Ren yelled, and stood up to greet the dwarf who had sent him to the Dwarven Kingdom. Ren hadn''t seen him in several months; not since the last time he was at the mines back in Aurora. ¡°What are you doing her-ghwah!¡± A fist connected with Ren''s face and cut off his words. ¡°What are you doing to my mother?!?¡± Fritz asked, fists at the ready. ¡°WHHHHAAAAATTTT???!!!???¡± Chapter 169 - No. Just no. Fritz punched Ren in the face again, and Narhilda stood up to get between them. ¡°FRITZ!¡± She yelled. ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± ¡°I''m asking Ren a simple question.¡± Fritz said, and punched Ren in the face again. ¡°What.¡± *punch* ¡°Are.¡± *punch* ¡°You.¡± *punch* ¡°Doing.¡± *punch* ¡°To.¡± *punch* ¡°My.¡± *punch* ¡°MOTHER!¡± Ren was frozen in shock. He let Fritz pound his face over and over, and didn''t even try to defend himself. Narhilda stepped in front of Fritz, who had to stop punching or he would have hit her. ¡°You have NO RIGHT to do that to Ren!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°The guards told me how she greeted you.¡± Fritz said to Ren. ¡°Like... like...¡± He shook his head. ¡°I can''t say it!¡± ¡°Sheb... shebs your mobber?¡± Ren mumbled. His mouth and lips had started to swell almost as soon as Fritz had started punching, and he could barely talk. He''d also lost a quarter of his Health bar. ¡°Yes, she''s my mother.¡± Fritz said, and scowled. ¡°Hold on.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°How do you know each other?¡± ¡°I was the one who sent him here.¡± Fritz said, then stared at Ren''s distorted face. ¡°Apparently that was a mistake.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°Ren has been the best thing that''s ever happened to this Kingdom!¡± She said. ¡°He''s been living with Nathalia and I for only three months, and he''s done more for everyone here than YOU ever did!¡± Fritz barked a laugh. ¡°He was supposed to be stationed at the Garrison, and not interact with the general population at all; let alone live with my runaway mother and her personal maid.¡± Ren''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Youb nebber tolb me blat!¡± He sighed and took out his Major Healing wand and used it on his face. It healed the damage Fritz had done, and refilled the Health bar. ¡°You never told me that.¡± Ren said clearly, now that his mouth was healed. ¡°Gausen was supposed to take you there when the ship arrived.¡± Fritz said. ¡°He even had your orders.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''d already been drafted into the army by then.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Fritz yelled. ¡°Elflings can''t... can''t...¡± ¡°Oh, I was drafted.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks to the Council.¡± Fritz held up his hands. ¡°I don''t want to know.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ren asked. ¡°This place... by the gods, this place...¡± He shook his head. ¡°The things they did, and then got away with!¡± Fritz covered his ears. ¡°No, I don''t want your words to influence me.¡± ¡°How about the truth then?¡± Ren said and took out a copy of his new book. ¡°Go ahead. Take a read through it, and see what''s actually been going on here in your homeland.¡± Fritz took the book, opened it to the middle, then tore it in half. The book split right down the binding and Fritz tossed the two halves across the room. ¡°I don''t want to KNOW!¡± He hollered. ¡°The King will.¡± Ren said. ¡°As soon as I see him at the trial tomorrow morning, I''m going to give him a copy.¡± He grinned. ¡°He''ll want to know what the Council has been doing while he''s been gone.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Narhilda started to say, then Fritz laughed. ¡°I''m the King.¡± Fritz said. Ren blinked his eyes a few times, then looked at Narhilda, back to Fritz, then at Narhilda again. ¡°Holy crap.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You... you''re not... are you serious?¡± Ren asked, surprised. He looked back at Fritz. ¡°You''re the King?¡± ¡°Yes, Ren. I''m the King.¡± ¡°If I was prone to cursing, I''d be letting a stream of them go right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°What the hell, Fritz? Why would you let your homeland suffer and fall apart like this?¡± ¡°I didn''t ask for your opinion, so you can keep it to yourself.¡± ¡°How else are you supposed to fix things, if people can''t tell you what to fix?¡± Ren asked. ¡°He doesn''t want to fix things, Ren.¡± Narhilda said, and sighed. ¡°He gave the Council free reign when he left.¡± ¡°Well, crap.¡± Ren said, thought about it, then chuckled. ¡°I thought I''d get everything straightened out when the King finally found out about what''s been going on; but, instead I find out that all he really wants to do is live in denial.¡± ¡°Denial is a nice place.¡± Fritz said. ¡°No one''s there. No one bothers you. There''s no problems to deal with. You can do what you want, and not have to worry about anything.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you renounce the throne, then?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''ve already abdicated the responsibility.¡± ¡°He can''t.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°If he''d gotten married to that nice girl 20 years ago, then he could have.¡± Fritz groaned. ¡°Yes, mother. An arranged marriage to a woman I barely knew was just what I wanted for myself.¡± Narhilda rolled her eyes. ¡°You would get to know her, you fool.¡± She said. ¡°Why else do you think the courtship and engagement times are so long?¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°So that''s why!¡± Narhilda chuckled. ¡°Yes, Ren. It''s so a man and a woman can get to know one another before sharing their lives together.¡± ¡°And making a home for her to live in?¡± ¡°So you can prove you can provide for her, if she doesn''t, or can''t, work.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°And if the marriage ceremony isn''t completed for some reason, she has a home she can stay in; or can sell for the time she spent being courted.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Ren said. ¡°It really is like a business contract, isn''t it?¡± ¡°That''s why I said no.¡± Fritz said. ¡°There wasn''t passion or excitement. It was just... here''s your future wife. Make sure you have kids.¡± Narhilda snorted a laugh. ¡°It''s your duty as the ruling monarch to have children.¡± Fritz looked at her. ¡°I already told you that I didn''t want to subject another child to this.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You''ve let the Council fill your head with vile and venom about the monarchy.¡± He looked at her. ¡°You''re one to talk. You left, remember?¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°After your father passed away, and you took the throne, it was made quite clear to me that I wasn''t needed anymore.¡± ¡°Who told you that?¡± ¡°The Council, of course.¡± Fritz shook his head. ¡°Stop! STOP!¡± He hollered. ¡°I told you I don''t want you influencing my thoughts anymore!¡± ¡°You are an ASS!¡± Ren said. ¡°Why did you come back, if all you''re going to do is say that you don''t want to know? Why are you even here?¡± ¡°I came back for Gellian.¡± ¡°I guess that means you''ll be leaving right after the trial.¡± Fritz nodded, and Ren shook his head. ¡°I thought you were a better man than this, Fritz.¡± ¡°I thought you were, too.¡± Fritz said, and glanced at his mother. ¡°I think it''s about time we had ''The Talk''.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°There comes a time in a man''s life when he gets these urges...¡± ¡°No... nonono...¡± Fritz covered his ears. ¡°It''s a frantic time... and women start becoming more attractive and appealing...¡± Ren laughed.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Nonono!¡± ¡°Fritz.¡± Ren said, and pulled on one of the hands that covered Fritz''s ear. ¡°Fritz. What your mother does, or doesn''t do, is none of your business.¡± ¡°She''s my mother!¡± ¡°Yeah. Your mother. Not your wife. Not your daughter. Mother.¡± Ren said. ¡°Responsibility goes downhill, just like Inheritance.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Can you imagine what the world would be like if children were responsible for their parent''s actions?¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Fritz said, seriously. ¡°She is my mother.¡± ¡°Uh huh. You''ve already said that several times.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought you didn''t want to know what''s been going on?¡± Ren responded. ¡°Why do you even care what any of us do?¡± Fritz opened his mouth, then didn''t know what to say. ¡°That''s right.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t be angry about your mother''s actions in a Kingdom that''s falling apart, because you don''t care about what happens to it.¡± He sighed. ¡°Why don''t you just ignore it, like you''re ignoring everything else?¡± Fritz closed his mouth and turned towards the door. ¡°Fine.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t know anything, and nothing is happening.¡± He stopped when he noticed Riley and Stacy. ¡°What are they doing here?¡± ¡°They''re my dogs.¡± Ren said, a little angry. ¡°Dogs you ordered to be experimented on!¡± ¡°They could be great assets to the Dwarf Kingdom.¡± ¡°You mean the Kingdom that you don''t care about?¡± Ren asked. ¡°They could have been assets, sure.¡± He said. ¡°If you had asked about them.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Not now, though.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°The alchemist burned a huge hole in Stacy''s leg with an acid potion, Fritz.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re not getting them to experiment on again.¡± Fritz frowned, then repeated the phrase he''d said before. ¡°I don''t know anything, and nothing is happening.¡± He stepped through the open door, and a guard closed it. Ren and Narhilda once again had a little privacy. ¡°So... you were the Queen.¡± Ren said, and turned to her. ¡°Yes. Then I was the Queen Mother; but I left this life behind 20 years ago, Ren.¡± Narhilda sighed. ¡°Don''t... don''t hate me for... for keeping it from you.¡± ¡°Why in the world would I hate you?¡± Ren asked, as he took her into a tight hug. ¡°Now, you need to forget about making that payment you needed to make if you told me about all of this.¡± Narhilda gasped. ¡°You know about that, too?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Yes, and you don''t have to pay it.¡± ¡°W-what?!?¡± ¡°You didn''t tell me anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... but... you know!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°I''ve become quite the deal analyzer over the last few months, Narhilda.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You didn''t tell me about it, so the deal you struck, with whoever it was, is still valid. As long as you don''t tell me any of the details...¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Narhilda kissed him, and when Ren broke the kiss a minute later, she spoke again. ¡°You make me feel like I''m 50 again!¡± ¡°Then my job here is done.¡± Ren said, then laughed as Narhilda got a surprised look on her face. ¡°I need to go.¡± He let her out of the hug. ¡°Adventurer''s business. I need to get to a Safe Zone.¡± ¡°This is a Safe Zone.¡± Narhilda said. Ren''s eyes widened as a spawn point appeared in the middle of the living area. ¡°Well, that makes things a lot easier.¡± He said. ¡°I thought I would have to go all the way back to House Neram.¡± Narhilda shook her head. ¡°You''d never get out of the castle.¡± ¡°Is that a challenge?¡± Ren asked with a raised eyebrow. She chuckled. ¡°No, it''s a warning.¡± She said, seriously. ¡°They''d hunt you down if you left now.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Okay, then.¡± He walked over to one of the many couches and sat down. ¡°You should go to bed instead.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I''ll stay out here with the guards.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± He said. ¡°I''d rather be right here so they can see where I am.¡± Ren looked at Riley and Stacy. ¡°Guard Narhilda.¡± They gave a soft bark each and came over to stand on either side of her. ¡°R-R-Ren!¡± Narhilda stammered. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to be afraid of them.¡± ¡°But... but they''re so scary!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°That''s the whole point of them being guards, Narhilda.¡± She looked at him with surprise on her face. ¡°You made them like this on purpose?¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°Aren''t they wonderful?¡± Narhilda took a deep breath, then nodded slightly. Ren smiled, because he knew she did that so she wouldn''t have to lie to him. ¡°The guards won''t be happy that they''ve been replaced.¡± She said. Ren grinned. ¡°You''ll have to tell me what happens when I get back.¡± She nodded slightly again, and Ren got up from the couch and knelt in front of the dogs. ¡°Open.¡± He said, and they opened their mouths. Ren put a Fireball Wand in each of them. ¡°Close.¡± The dogs closed their mouths, and Ren received a distinct feeling of satisfaction from Riley. ¡°Be careful.¡± Ren said, and they nodded their heads. He looked up at Narhilda, and she blushed slightly. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± He asked her. ¡°I''m thinking that I wish it was you that I met when I left the castle, and not Thern.¡± ¡°Don''t think such things.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you hadn''t met Thern and loved him, you...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Everything you''ve gone through has brought you to this point. All you can do is go forward.¡± Narhilda caressed the side of his face. ¡°I don''t know how you can love an old woman like me.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I have a soft spot for older women, apparently.¡± Narhilda chuckled. ¡°Get going. You''re wasting time. Do your business and get back here.¡± Ren slipped off his Sending Ring and gave it to her. ¡°Talk to Nathalia, tell her I found you, and tell her about everything else that''s happened tonight.¡± Narhilda''s eyes widened, and Ren nodded. ¡°Yes, about the alchemist, too.¡± He sat back down on the couch and got comfortable. ¡°Is it possible to have supper delivered to House Neram for my mount, Princess?¡± He asked. ¡°Breakfast, too.¡± ¡°I''ll see what I can do.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°She may have to do without.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. See you soon, Teepo. Keep a lookout. ¡°I will. Bye, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren slipped off the VR headset and Barbara was there to take it from him. ¡°You... you have a LOT of explaining to do!¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Can I at least use the bathroom first?¡± Barbara opened her mouth to protest, then sighed. ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± He slid out of bed and went to the bathroom, used it after cleaning himself up, then washed his hands and went back to bed. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let it rip.¡± Barbara looked at him sternly for a moment, then her expression changed. Her face grew sad and tears appeared in her eyes. She wiped them away, and sat down next to the bed. ¡°Ren... you... I can''t believe...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said, and rubbed his face with one hand. ¡°I... I don''t believe it myself.¡± ¡°It''s a problem that has to be dealt with.¡± Barbara said. ¡°The psychiatrist will be here at shift change in an hour.¡± Ren looked at his watch. ¡°Damn, I logged out early.¡± ¡°That''s what you''re worried about?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°I could have made up some potions, or went back to Nathalia in the holding area.¡± Barbara shook her head. ¡°You''re not going back in.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got to eat, do physiotherapy, and get a shower.¡± ¡°No, Ren. I mean you''re not going back in. The psychiatrist said you need to deal with a few issues first.¡± Ren slapped himself in the forehead. ¡°Well, fu-¡± ¡°REN!¡± ¡°Sorry, Barbara.¡± Ren apologized, then sighed. ¡°You know what it''s like for me to talk to her.¡± ¡°You have to now.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Your... actions... had to be logged and registered, remember?¡± She sighed. ¡°It was the most awkward report I''ve ever filled out.¡± Ren held out a hand, and Barbara took it. ¡°I''m sorry I put you through that.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Barbara asked, surprised. ¡°What about you? What about that poor man?¡± Ren squeezed her hand. ¡°He was hurting my dogs. I had to stop him.¡± ¡°You didn''t stop him, Ren. You disabled him.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± He said. ¡°I feel horrible about it.¡± ¡°Even though you know it''s just a game and isn''t real?¡± Barbara asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°I didn''t know I had that kind of thing in me, Barbara.¡± He said. ¡°I... did you hear me talking to Narhilda?¡± ¡°Some of it.¡± Ren pulled the laptop close and called up the footage. He edited it so that all the relevant points were there, then played the video for Barbara. ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± Ren went back and added in the alchemist footage, and how it came about. He saved the file, then left it open and ready to play for when the psychiatrist came. ¡°I could make you breakfast, if you don''t want to wait.¡± Barbara offered, and Ren shook his head. ¡°I''d rather just spend the time with you, if that''s okay?¡± He asked. She nodded as she smiled and picked up the television remote. ¡°There''s not much on this early in the morning.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°A little mind-numbing boob-tube is just what the doctor ordered.¡± ¡°Boob-tube.¡± Barbara shook her head. ¡°You have got to stop watching those old television programs.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± ¡°Because these days, it means something a little different.¡± Ren''s eyes widened slightly as he understood what she meant. ¡°I''ll stop saying it, then.¡± They waited for the shift change, then Stella came in, followed closely by the psychiatrist. ¡°Okay, tell me what happened!¡± The psychiatrist said enthusiastically as she sat in the chair by the bed. ¡°Spill it! I want to know all the details!¡± Ren sighed and slid the laptop over to her, hit play on the video, and looked at Stella. ¡°She should be busy for a while.¡± He said. ¡°What''s for breakfast?¡± ¡°Patient''s choice.¡± Stella said, and grinned as she knew what his response would be. ¡°Eggs, bacon and toast sandwich.¡± Ren said as he grinned back. ¡°And what would you like to drink? ¡°Orange juice that''s been freshly squeezed, from oranges just picked from the tree and stuffed in a plastic bag that''s sold on a street corner by a happy Mexican-American.¡± ¡°We have freshly concentrated.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°There is something else; but, it can wait until after physiotherapy.¡± ¡°Okay, I''ll be right back.¡± Stella said, and Barbara followed her out of the room. * By the time the two nurses arrived at the break room, Barbara had given Stella a quick overview of what had happened. ¡°Wow.¡± Stella said as she made Ren''s breakfast. ¡°He really crushed the man''s fingers?¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°The act itself was blue screened, but it showed his hands afterwards.¡± Stella flipped the eggs. ¡°Poor Ren.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Barbara. You know what he''s been through. To see his dogs being used like that...¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°He must have remembered some of what happened to him.¡± Barbara gasped, and put a hand on her chest. ¡°I was so concerned over him doing it, and how it would affect him; but, I never thought about it from his perspective like that.¡± ¡°You should.¡± Stella said, and buttered the toast after flipping the bacon. ¡°Everything he does is based on his experiences.¡± ¡°You almost sound like a psychologist.¡± ¡°It''s not a dirty word, Barbara.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Everyone needs help every once and a while.¡± ¡°You, too?¡± Stella nodded as she assembled two sandwiches. ¡°I''ve had my fair share of appointments.¡± ¡°Can I ask what about?¡± ¡°Ren, of course.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Stella poured out the orange juice and added a glass of supplement. ¡°We all have to deal with things in our own way.¡± She said. ¡°Then help others when we can.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°You picked that up from Ren, just like I did.¡± Stella smiled back and picked up the tray. ¡°Thanks for filling me in.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll watch the video myself later.¡± ¡°I don''t envy you today.¡± Barbara stood up and held the door to the break room. ¡°Ren''s always a handful when Suzie is here.¡± Stella grinned as she passed. ¡°If she wasn''t so enthusiastic about hearing all the gory details, and excited when Ren actually tells her things...¡± She shook her head. ¡°He''d be a lot more open to her.¡± ¡°Maybe we should tell her that?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Stella said as she started to walk down the hallway. ¡°She hugged me, and thanked me for ''sharing''.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°Bye, Stella.¡± ¡°Bye, Barbara. See you tonight.¡± * Ren sat in silence while Suzie watched the video he''d made for her. He glanced at her excited face, and sighed mentally. If she wasn''t so happy to hear about my misery... Stella opened the room door and Ren was greeted with a luscious smell. ¡°Oh, baby!¡± Ren said before he could help himself, and Suzie looked at him with twinkling eyes. She closed the laptop and folded her hands in front of her. ¡°So.¡± Suzie leaned back in the chair. ¡°How does that smell make you feel?¡± Aw, crap. He thought, as she smiled. Chapter 170 - Suzie Like! Ren didn''t enjoy his sandwich. He felt as grilled as the bacon with Suzie the psychiatrist analyzing everything that he did and said; and what he didn''t say. ¡°You''ve got an unhealthy association with bacon.¡± She said, when he finished eating. ¡°Not any more.¡± Ren said and pushed the plate away. ¡°You''ve well and truly cured me of wanting bacon for a while.¡± ¡°Was it the way the pigs are treated while alive that bothered you, or the method of slaughter?¡± Suzie asked, genuinely curious. ¡°Both.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for filling me in about how bacon is made, while I was chewing on it.¡± ¡°You''re welcome!¡± She said, and made a note on a memo pad she had made appear out of thin air. Ren had been speaking sarcastically; but she apparently lost her ability to pick up subtle conversation clues in her excitement. He glanced at Stella, who had stood near the door, and tried her best not to laugh at him. Ren drank the supplement and followed it with the orange juice to clear the taste out of his mouth. ¡°Now...¡± Suzie began, as Stella took the tray away. ¡°...about this video.¡± ¡°I don''t know what I can tell you.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°The video pretty much covers everything that happened.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Suzie said. ¡°But I want you to go back to that moment.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°The exact moment when you felt Stacy''s pain.¡± Ren groaned, and closed his eyes. He used the technique she''d taught him when he first started seeing her, in order to clear his mind. ¡°I went through this several times already.¡± He said. ¡°Almost every time I close my eyes.¡± ¡°You only have to do it once more.¡± Suzie said. ¡°Relax. Take a deep breath. Let it out slowly.¡± Ren did so, and relaxed. ¡°Listen to the sound of my voice.¡± Suzie said. ¡°How soothing and relaxing it is. Listen to the tones and the tremble in my words. Concentrate on what you hear, not what I say.¡± Ren took in another breath and let it out slowly. ¡°You are one with your mind, and your mind is one with you.¡± Suzie said the hypnotic catch phrase, and Ren went completely limp. ¡°Ren, can you hear me?¡± Suzie asked, and he nodded. ¡°Nothing you say will bother you, or make you uncomfortable. It''s all just a dream, and can''t hurt you.¡± She said. ¡°Do you understand?¡± Ren nodded again. ¡°I need you to tell me what happened.¡± Suzie said. ¡°I went to the lab to get my dogs back. While I was talking to the woman, I felt a stabbing pain in my head, just like when dad did the bone marrow extraction on my hips.¡± Stella took in a sharp breath. ¡°It hurt. God, did it hurt!¡± Ren started to squirm, and Suzie took his hand. ¡°It''s just a dream, Ren. You''re only looking at it, not feeling it. Nothing is hurting you.¡± Ren stopped squirming, and relaxed again. ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Almost eight.¡± Ren said, his voice a slightly higher pitch. ¡°My birthday is next week. Mom said I might get a puppy if I''m good today.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°They put metal rods in my head.¡± Ren said and scratched his head in a few spots. ¡°It''s itchy.¡± ¡°It''s not itchy now.¡± Suzie said, and he stopped scratching. ¡°They didn''t let me sleep like I wanted to.¡± Ren said, and started to shiver. ¡°The metal table was cold.¡± ¡°It''s a nice warm table now.¡± Suzie said, and he stopped shivering. ¡°The big needle...¡± Ren started shaking. ¡°It''s okay, Ren.¡± Suzie said. ¡°The needle isn''t going to hurt, remember?¡± Ren sighed and relaxed. ¡°I was on my belly, and they stuck it in my back.¡± He said. ¡°It took a while to fill it.¡± ¡°That''s normal.¡± Suzie said. ¡°What happened next?¡± ¡°Then they got another needle and filled that, too.¡± Ren said, and Stella gasped. Suzie looked at her, and Stella held up a hand in silent apology. ¡°Then they did the other hip and filled 2 more needles.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was sick for 2 months after that.¡± He started to cry. ¡°I missed my birthday, and didn''t get a puppy; even though I was good and never screamed once.¡± ¡°You were a good boy.¡± Suzie said, and Ren''s tears eased. ¡°Now, go back to the alchemist''s lab. What happened when you tied him to the table?¡± Ren''s demeanor changed. ¡°I was so angry!¡± He gripped Suzie''s hand tightly, and she winced. ¡°It''s okay, Ren.¡± Suzie said, through gritted teeth. ¡°You''re not angry now.¡± He relaxed again and eased his grip. Suzie pulled her hand away and held it close. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Stella whispered. ¡°Do you want me to get you an ice pack?¡± Suzie nodded and Stella left the room quickly. She came back a minute later with a wrap and an ice pack. ¡°Then what happened?¡± Suzie asked Ren. ¡°I told him I couldn''t let him hurt anyone else like he hurt me.¡± Ren said. ¡°He didn''t understand what I meant, but I didn''t care. I gripped his fingers and squeezed. Two of them broke right away. I had to use Iron Grip to break the others.¡± ¡°What''s Iron Grip?¡± She asked. ¡°It''s an ability that lets me hold on to anything, or lets me crush things.¡± Ren answered. ¡°I used it today to hurt.¡± Ren started to cry again. ¡°I shouldn''t hurt people.¡± ¡°It''s okay, Ren.¡± Suzie said, as she clutched the ice pack to her hurt hand. ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Ren said and clenched his fists. ¡°I wasn''t thinking straight. I used my healing wand to heal him and broke his fingers again.¡± He took in a deep breath. ¡°I got the bright idea that if I held his hand while the fingers were broken, then they would stay that way if I healed them.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°How did that make you feel?¡± ¡°Satisfied.¡± Ren said. ¡°He couldn''t hurt anyone else.¡± ¡°Then what did you do?¡± ¡°The other hand, of course.¡± He said. ¡°One good hand can still be used, and I didn''t want that to happen.¡± ¡°You were methodical.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It was the only way.¡± ¡°You could have killed him instead.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°He bought his life with the book.¡± ¡°What kind of life did he buy with mangled hands?¡± ¡°A different one.¡± Ren said. ¡°And that''s what I gave him.¡± ¡°Then what happened?¡± ¡°I brought the daughter in to prove he wasn''t dead and dropped a pile of money on the table.¡± ¡°Did you think the money would make up for what you did?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nothing can make up for it.¡± He sighed. ¡°I''ll probably be sent to prison for a few years, or even to the mines.¡± ¡°You could just kill them all and not worry about it.¡± Suzie suggested, and Ren got a shocked look on his face. ¡°I couldn''t do that!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°I care about them too much to just... just... wipe them out like that.¡± ¡°You couldn''t torture a man before today, either.¡± ¡°That wasn''t torture.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I didn''t ask him any questions, despite having tons for him; but, I know what real torture is like.¡± He shivered. ¡°No, that wasn''t torture.¡± ¡°Can you tell me about what you think is real torture?¡± Suzie asked, and Ren took in a sharp breath, then started to shake. He clamped his mouth shut and his muscles started to twitch. ¡°No! It''s okay, Ren! Nothing is happening! Everything is fine! Forget I asked you about it!¡± Suzie said frantically. Stella had come over to the bed to help Ren deal with the seizure; then Ren''s twitching eased down to nothing a minute later, and his body relaxed. He breathed as if he was in a deep sleep. ¡°Ren, you aren''t going to remember anything that happened while you talked to me.¡± Suzie said. ¡°When I clap my hands, you''ll wake up feeling refreshed, and all you''ll remember is the sound of my voice, and not what I said.¡± Ren nodded, and Suzie looked at her hands. She still had the ice pack wrap around her hand, and she looked at Stella, who nodded and clapped her hands once. Ren blinked his eyes a few times and looked around. ¡°Don''t tell me I dozed off during our session again.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m really sorry, Suzie.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Suzie said. ¡°My voice is a bit too soothing for my own good.¡± ¡°You do have a wonderful voice.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I could just lay here all day and listen to it.¡± ¡°Lay here and sleep all day, you mean.¡± She said, and he chuckled. ¡°I guess that would be the outcome.¡± Ren said, then looked at his watch. ¡°Stella, I have to get ready to go to physiotherapy.¡± ¡°I''ve got your outfit ready in the top drawer.¡± Stella said. ¡°We''ll give you a bit of privacy to let you get changed.¡± Suzie said and stood up, holding her hurt hand behind her. ¡°It was nice seeing you again, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll be back in a few days to check up on you.¡± ¡°I can''t wait.¡± Ren said, slid out of bed, and walked over to the dresser. Suzie left the room and Stella followed her. * Once they were far enough away from Ren''s room, Stella turned to her. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± ¡°I was so close this time!¡± Suzie said, excitedly. ¡°Whenever I get on the subject of his experiments during our sessions, he always reacts like he did at the end.¡± ¡°You gave him a seizure!¡± Stella accused. ¡°I didn''t give him one.¡± Suzie said. ¡°His body reacted in the only way it''s been programmed to.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Suzie grinned. ¡°Why do you think he never talks about what his parents did to him?¡± She asked, and Stella shrugged slightly. ¡°It''s because he can''t! Whatever conditioning they did to him, his body goes into shock whenever he tries to remember!¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Stella said. ¡°What... what can we do to help him?¡± ¡°The same thing we always do.¡± Suzie said. ¡°Take each day as it comes, deal with the problems, and move on to the next.¡± ¡°What about what happened?¡± Stella asked. ¡°He really did ruin that man''s hands.¡± Suzie waved it away. ¡°Ren''s fine. He really regrets that it happened, and he knows now that it''s possible for him to do something so dark.¡± She smiled. ¡°He''s really growing into a proper adult!¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Is that your standard response to shock?¡± Suzie asked. ¡°I''d like to talk to you about that!¡± ¡°No.¡± Stella rolled her eyes. ¡°What do you mean about Ren growing into a ''proper adult''? Suzie put a hand on Stella''s arm. ¡°Everyone has darkness in them, Stella!¡± She said, and shook Stella slightly. ¡°We have all done things that were questionable. Speeding, stealing a candy bar, kissing a man who''s not your boyfriend or husband, having inappropriate thoughts about strangling someone.¡± Stella looked at her, and Suzie grinned. ¡°Yes! That thought right there!¡± Suzie said and pointed at Stella with her hurt hand. ¡°We all have them. Everyone does! Some of us go through with these thoughts, while a lot of people suppress them.¡± She said. ¡°I was worried that Ren was too good for his own good; but now, I can rest assured.¡± ¡°You are a weird person, Suzie.¡± Stella said, and smiled. ¡°Ha!¡± Suzie said. ¡°It''s good to let some things out.¡± She gave Stella a half-hug, then gave her the ice pack wrap. ¡°How''s your hand?¡± Stella asked. ¡°It''s okay, now.¡± Suzie said and flexed her fingers. ¡°He''s got quite the grip.¡± ¡°He practices every day.¡± Stella said. ¡°I better get back in there.¡± She smiled. ¡°He''s probably stuck getting dressed with his elbow not working completely.¡± Suzie nodded. ¡°I''ll see you again in a few days, Stella.¡± She said, then walked down the hallway. ¡°Bye, Suzie.¡± * Ren had indeed gotten stuck trying to put on the long sleeved t-shirt. He was about to holler for Stella, when she came into the room. She smiled at him and helped get his arm unstuck, then got the shirt on right. ¡°Why did you pick a long sleeved t-shirt?¡± Ren asked her, as he sat in the wheelchair. ¡°The physiotherapist said we needed to keep pressure on that elbow for the session today.¡± ¡°Oh, great.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is going to be so much fun!¡± Stella laughed as she pushed him down the hallway. ¡°You do realize we are trying to help you, right?¡± ¡°I know you are.¡± He smiled. ¡°It''s just that... some days... I don''t want to deal with it, you know?¡± ¡°If we don''t keep you moving every day...¡± ¡°Yeah, I don''t want to go back to being confined to the bed again.¡± He said. ¡°Then you know what I''m going to say.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Suck it up, princess.¡± ¡°You got it!¡± Stella laughed, then opened the door to the physiotherapy room and wheeled him in. Ren was finished after nearly an hour of grueling exercises, and Stella took him back to the room. Spoiler : See Chapter 170A Ren got into bed after his shower, and got comfortable as Stella sat in the chair beside the bed. ¡°When I asked you what you wanted for breakfast...¡± She smiled. ¡°...you said there was something else that you wanted, and would tell me after therapy. What was it?¡± Ren held up the empty box of condoms, and Stella chuckled. ¡°I take it you''ve had a lot of blue screens lately.¡± ¡°More than I thought I would.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is there any chance...¡± ¡°I brought a couple of boxes with me today.¡± ¡°Stella, you''re a life saver.¡± He sighed in relief. ¡°I can''t imagine the mess if I...¡± ¡°That''s what they''re for.¡± She said. ¡°It''s still messy; but, at least it''s contained.¡± Ren gave her the empty box and the tissue wrapped packages. ¡°Was there anything else?¡± ¡°One more thing.¡± He said. ¡°Barbara told you what I... what I did.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°I don''t know how I could have done that.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was so... so...¡± ¡°Normal.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°I talked to Suzie before she left.¡± Stella said. ¡°She told me that she had been worried that you were too good for your own good; but, now that she''s seen what happened and you told her why...¡± She smiled. ¡°She said that you are finally growing into a proper adult.¡± ¡°And what do you think about it?¡± He asked. ¡°I think it was a horrible thing for you to go through.¡± Stella said. ¡°Out of all the things to happen so far, this was the worst one for you.¡± Ren nodded as a tear appeared in the corners of his eyes. ¡°What I wanted from you...¡± He took in a breath and let it out. ¡°...was to tell me that I... that I wasn''t a monster.¡± Stella leaned in and took him into a gentle hug. ¡°You are not a monster, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I would have been, though.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Stella let him out of the hug and leaned back. ¡°If they had been my dogs, I''d have done to him what he did to them.¡± Ren''s eyes widened, and she grinned. ¡°Tell me I''m a monster.¡± He pointed a finger at her. ¡°Ma-ma-ma-monster!¡± He yelled in mock horror. Stella grinned as she grabbed his hand, then pretended to bite on his finger and closed her mouth over it. ¡°Grrrr!¡± She growled and moved her head slightly from side to side. Ren laughed. ¡°S-stop.¡± He said as her tongue flicked against his finger. ¡°That tickles!¡± I''ll have to remember that. Stella thought, then stopped flicking her tongue and laid it against his finger. He stopped laughing and relaxed; then he caught his breath as she slid the finger out of her mouth with her lips still closed over it, and he felt his body react to the sensation. Stella smiled as she saw his wide eyes, and glanced at the blanket covering him. ¡°I think somebody liked that.¡± ¡°N-n-not me.¡± Ren said to try and deny it; but, the evidence was plain to see. Stella grinned as she got his VR headset. ¡°You''ve only got about an hour before visitors are allowed into the hospital.¡± She said. ¡°That delivery man should be here with the package not long after that.¡± ¡°That gives me 4 hours.¡± Ren said. ¡°It should be enough time for the trial.¡± ¡°If it''s not, I''ll have to log you out forcefully.¡± Stella warned him. ¡°None of us can accept the package on your behalf.¡± ¡°I''ll be sure to get to the Safe Zone before then.¡± Ren said, then took her hand. ¡°Thanks for making me feel better, Stella.¡± ¡°Anytime, little stud.¡± Stella helped him put on the headset and he settled into the bed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Chapter 170A - Shower (Slightly Explicit) ¡°You really worked up a sweat today.¡± She said, and helped him peel off his soaked clothing. ¡°Ugh.¡± Ren grunted as his sore arm popped out of the long sleeved t-shirt. ¡°Okay, I''m glad I had the t-shirt on.¡± He rubbed the elbow and winced. ¡°I couldn''t have done the whole hour without it.¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Stella smiled, set the water temperature, and Ren got in the shower. He reached for the soap and winced again as his arm didn''t quite work with his muscles so weak. ¡°Goddammit.¡± He said, and let his hand drop. ¡°Do you want me to help?¡± Stella asked. ¡°You''ve gone above and beyond your normal job by helping me with everything so far.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t ask you to help me wash in the shower, too.¡± ¡°You don''t have to ask.¡± Stella said and smiled. ¡°It actually is part of my job to keep you clean and healthy.¡± Ren took in a breath and let it out. ¡°Even my good arm is too sore to reach where I need to.¡± Stella locked the bathroom door, then started to take off her pants. Ren turned away quickly. ¡°Ren.¡± She said. ¡°You don''t have to look away.¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± He said. ¡°If I see you taking off your clothes... I''ll... I''ll get excited.¡± ¡°You know what I believe about things like that.¡± Stella said, and hung her pants on a hanger on the back of the bathroom door, then took off her shirt. ¡°It''s just the body''s normal reaction to stimuli.¡± Ren turned back to her, and his eyes widened at what she was wearing. The small black bra matched her hair color and was mostly just lace and an under-wire. It showed off her b-cup (34 inch) chest nicely. Her underwear on the other hand, was solid cloth and barely covered her. ¡°Oh... my.¡± Ren said, and the stimuli Stella had given him was immediately apparent. She chuckled as she unhooked the bra''s front clasp and revealed that her chest didn''t need the support at all, and was quite perky. She laid the bra on the back of the toilet and reached for her underwear. ¡°Wait.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s just a... ¡°Turn around and take them off.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She turned around to face away from him, hooked the edge of her underwear with her thumbs, and slowly pulled them down. She bent at the waist and didn''t bend her knees at all as she brought the underwear to the floor. ¡°Good god.¡± Ren said, both shocked and surprised; then pleased and happy to see the spectacular sight before him. ¡°You must be beating men away with a stick!¡± ¡°Not a stick.¡± Stella stood up and smiled. ¡°With my mind.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren asked as Stella got in the shower with him. ¡°In my experience, most men are intimidated by an intelligent woman.¡± Stella said. ¡°They say that they aren''t, but they are.¡± She smiled. ¡°Turn around and I''ll wash your back.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and turned around. Stella picked up the soap and got a good lather going, then scrubbed his back. ¡°Oh, that feels great!¡± He said, as she massaged the muscles as she washed him. ¡°You were saying?¡± ¡°Right.¡± She said. ¡°If I play a little dumb, they''re all over me.¡± Ren held out his arm and she scrubbed and massaged it, too. ¡°Once I tell them what I do, they lose interest pretty fast.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked and held out the other arm. ¡°I don''t know for sure.¡± Stella said. ¡°I think it''s because as a nurse, I get to see other men naked.¡± ¡°That''s a stupid reason.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Imagine if women judged men like that.¡± He said, as Stella moved on to do his legs. ¡°Hey, you''ve seen porn! I''m not interested in you anymore.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Stella laughed. ¡°I can just imagine the looks on their faces, if a woman ever said that to them.¡± She finished his legs and stood up. ¡°Turn around.¡± Ren turned around and Stella lathered up his chest and neck, did his underarms, then she knelt in front of him. ¡°Um, I... ah...I can do that part.¡± He said, and blushed slightly. ¡°There''s no way you can reach your feet.¡± Stella smirked a smile at him as she looked up. Ren blushed hard as he realized he''d made an assumption that he probably shouldn''t have. ¡°I... I''m sorry.¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°You are so easy to tease!¡± Ren shook his head and chuckled as he braced himself against the wall. He put a hand on her shoulder for support, then lifted a foot. Stella scrubbed it, then he lifted the other one. She stood up straight and handed him the soap. ¡°Go ahead and try.¡± Stella grinned. Ren tried to get some lather going, but he just couldn''t do it with his arm so sore. He handed the soap back to her and sighed. ¡°Please, help.¡± ¡°It will be your pleasure.¡± Stella said, and laughed at Ren''s surprised face. She lathered her hands up and knelt again. Since he was fully erect, it was quite easy for her to wash his private area. He put his hands on her shoulders for support, and she scrubbed him well. ¡°Stella...¡± Ren said. ¡°...I... I can''t...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Stella said. ¡°Let me help you.¡± She had already cleaned the tip and rinsed it off, so she slipped her mouth over it, and Ren gasped. ¡°Oh, god!¡± He said, as she worked him over with her mouth and hands. Whatever it was that she was doing, he''d never felt anything like it. That seemed a bit odd, considering he''d had women use their mouths on him before; but, even though it felt differently, it also felt absolutely amazing. ¡°Ste-e-ella!¡± Ren said as he felt he was about to go. Stella stopped sucking and pulled it out of her mouth. She stared up at him as she opened her mouth wide and stuck out her tongue, then stroked him as fast as she could. ¡°So... pretty...¡± Ren said, as he stared down at her, then he went. Stella had positioned herself perfectly, as she caught it all and swallowed with her mouth open. Ren kept going and she kept stroking, and she took it all. Stella let his member go, and Ren spasmed a little more. It was still resting on her tongue, even though she wasn''t holding it there anymore, and she kissed the tip to suck off the last little bit that was there. ¡°How do you feel?¡± She asked. ¡°Stella... I...¡± Ren blinked at her. ¡°Holy crap!¡± She laughed. ¡°That''s not really a feeling.¡± ¡°It was wonderful!¡± Ren said. ¡°Good god, it was wonderful.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°You''ve been holding that in for a while, it seems like.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°It was only a couple of hours game time, and a couple of hours here.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Then, why was it so much?¡± ¡°Probably because it has never felt like that before.¡± ¡°Never?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°It feels different with every woman, but.. damn... you''re very skilled.¡± Stella smiled as she stood up. ¡°Thank you.¡± He put a hand on her arm. ¡°No.¡± He said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Come on.¡± Stella said. ¡°Let''s get ourselves dried off.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°But what about you?¡± ¡°What about me what?¡± ¡°I need to return the favor.¡± She smiled. ¡°If we had a bit more time, I''d take you up on that offer.¡± ¡°I''m not in a rush to go anywhere.¡± Ren said. ¡°No?¡± Stella asked. ¡°You don''t have any pressing matters to attend to in the game?¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Oh, crap! Right, right!¡± He tried to scramble out of the shower, and Stella caught him as he started to fall. ¡°Easy there, Speedy Gonzales.¡± ¡°The trial! My mount! Narhilda and Nathalia!¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°You need to dry off and get dressed first.¡± She said. ¡°You almost put yourself out of commission.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren took in a deep breath. ¡°I''m okay now.¡± He looked down and saw that when he had reached out to grab onto something with his good hand, he had taken a hold of her breast. Ren looked up at her face, and he didn''t see any outrage or misunderstanding there. He got his feet under himself, let her breast go, and smiled. ¡°You are an amazing woman, Stella.¡± Ren said and stepped out of the shower. ¡°You''re just realizing that now?¡± She asked as she stepped out of the shower as well, and grabbed a towel. Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I''ve known it for a while; but, I''ve just never said it out loud.¡± Stella started to dry him off. ¡°I think you''re pretty amazing, too.¡± She finished drying him and handed him some clothes so he could get dressed while she dried herself off. ¡°I''m sorry I couldn''t help.¡± Ren said and waved at the now wet towels. Stella smiled. ¡°I''m the nurse, Ren.¡± She said and put her bra back on. Ren watched her as she stepped into her panties that she''d left on the floor, then bent over to touch them. She leaned her head to the side and looked back at him. ¡°Please tell me you''re teasing me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Because if you stay like that, I could go again just from looking at you.¡± Stella glanced down at him and could see the bulge was still there in his clothing. ¡°I don''t know if I''m teasing you or not.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve never had anyone look at me like that before.¡± Ren walked over to her and knelt as she started to pull up her underwear. He caught her hands and stopped her movement, then he kissed her between her legs. She let her underwear go and put her hands on the floor to brace herself as Ren held onto her hips and sucked on her. ¡°Oh... OH!¡± Stella went, and he kept sucking. It gushed out and into his mouth, then ran down her thighs. She twitched and shook as she went again, then Ren stopped working her with his mouth. ¡°I guess I actually did have the time to spare.¡± Ren said as he dried Stella off with one of the towels, then dried off his mouth. She had a slightly difficult time standing up, then turned around to face him. ¡°What have you been doing in that game?!?¡± Stella asked, with a huge grin on her face. ¡°Apparently something right.¡± Ren grinned back, and she shook her head. ¡°I thought you were learning skills and how to make things.¡± Stella said and she took the towel from Ren, finished drying herself, and put on her underwear. ¡°I am.¡± He said. ¡°I made you go, didn''t I?¡± Stella laughed as she put on her shirt, then her pants. She unlocked the door, and they left the bathroom. Chapter 171 - Now They Know Ren woke up on the couch and looked around, and saw Narhilda curled up on the couch beside him. She was close enough to almost touch, but not quite. Riley and Stacy sat in front of her, facing away from her and towards the door. Teepo? ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Did I miss anything? ¡°Surprisingly, no.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I figured the guards would have come back in by now, but they''ve stayed outside.¡± I think Fritz doesn''t want them to know if anything goes on, either. Ren thought and smiled. Probably so they won''t tell him about it. ¡°Yeah.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Who would have thought that Fritz the Miner would turn out to be Fritz the Absentee King.¡± No kidding! Ren thought. I thought being in love with his mother was enough of a shock. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°What are the odds that you''d end up on a ship, and meet the one person that would lead you to someone that the entire Kingdom had been looking for, for the last 2 decades?¡± With my Trouble recipe? I think I was guaranteed to find her. Ren chuckled mentally. Look at how much trouble it''s stirred up since I got here. ¡°Wow.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I never thought of it like that.¡± Ren reached a hand out and stroked her face. I wouldn''t change a thing, though. He thought as Narhilda stirred and then looked at him. ¡°You''re back.¡± She whispered, sat up, then stretched like a cat with her arms and legs sticking out straight, and her back arched. Ren picked her up, sat her on his lap, and she wrapped her arms around him. They looked into each others eyes, and he kissed her gently. ¡°I can''t stay long.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe 4 hours. I have more Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± ¡°You might get to see the whole trial.¡± Narhilda said, and snuggled into his neck. ¡°We''ve got an hour to waste before we''ll be escorted to the Council chamber.¡± ¡°How''s Nathalia?¡± ¡°She''s so relieved that you found me.¡± Narhilda said, and held up the hand with Ren''s Sending Ring on one of the fingers. It was a bit too big for her, and she slipped it off to give back to him. ¡°I told her everything, just like you wanted.¡± ¡°What did she say?¡± Ren asked and put the ring back on. ¡°She... she said that she was surprised you hadn''t crushed his skull, instead of his hands.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I made the deal to save his life, and got some great skills from it.¡± He looked at her. ¡°I assume Nathalia knows the man?¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°She''s been my personal maid since she was 10.¡± Ren held up a hand. ¡°Fritz said she was your personal maid; but, you shouldn''t tell me the details. Remember?¡± He said. ¡°You don''t want to end your deal yet, do you?¡± ¡°By the gods, no!¡± Narhilda said, and nuzzled his neck. ¡°I... I can''t give you up. Not now.¡± ¡°I''m really tempted to please you, right here and now.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I feel guilty enough that I''m here, and Nathalia''s in the holding area.¡± Narhilda kissed his neck again, and leaned back. ¡°About that...¡± The apartment door opened, and Nathalia came in. ¡°...I told Dural I''d need my personal maid, so I could get ready before going to the trial.¡± Ren held Narhilda close with one arm, then stood up from the couch. She gave a little yip of surprise and held on tightly, as Ren held his other arm out to Nathalia. She ran across the remaining distance and hugged him and Narhilda at the same time, as tears formed in her eyes. ¡°I''m so glad you''re both okay!¡± Nathalia said. Ren kissed her, and she sighed when he broke it. ¡°It''s been a long night without you next to me.¡± ¡°Narhilda said we have an hour before we have to leave.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I allow 15 minutes to get ready before that, then I''ve got the both of you for 45 minutes.¡± He bent and picked Nathalia up with his other arm in a fireman''s carry, over his shoulder. She yelped in surprise, and he laughed as he carried the two of them over to the bedroom. ¡°It might be enough time.¡± Ren said, and closed the bedroom door. They had barely made it in time, as they scrambled to get dressed. For Ren and Nathalia, it was just a simple matter of equipping the appropriate clothing, but Narhilda had to get dressed the old fashioned way. Luckily, Nathalia had stored the dresses Ren had made for them, and they got Narhilda ready in record time. ¡°I think that''s it.¡± Nathalia said, and adjusted the large bow on Narhilda''s back that matched her own. ¡°Not quite.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think we should match Auras, too.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°You don''t think that''s going to disrupt the proceedings?¡± ¡°I''m going to disturb them regardless.¡± Ren said, and lifted the pendant. ¡°My Aura is out to 115 feet while I''m concentrating on the House Neram crest.¡± ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± Narhilda said, as her Aura merged with Ren''s. ¡°I... give me a minute.¡± She took several deep breaths as she felt the people passing through the Aura. ¡°How do you do this all the time?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t.¡± He said. ¡°This is new to me, too.¡± ¡°Still...¡± She said, and pointed to the floor. ¡°There''s someone there.¡± Then pointed to the door. ¡°2 guards are there.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If I''d known having someone else share my Aura would let me feel everyone in it, I''d have had Nathalia come with me last night.¡± Nathalia concentrated on her Aura and the House Neram pendant, and gasped as the Aura jumped out to 165 feet and felt there was 15 other people within it''s radius. ¡°You increased your Aura.¡± Ren said, and looked at Nathalia. She nodded. ¡°I''ve been using my personal Aura constantly, and adding the House Neram pendant once and a while.¡± Ren gave her a hug, then a quick kiss. ¡°By the gods, don''t do that!¡± Nathalia said, and grinned as the Aura was filled with her amusement and longing for it to continue. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren said, then turned to Narhilda. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Narhilda shook her head, and her amusement joined Nathalia''s. ¡°Kissing you normally is hard enough for me to take!¡± ¡°Okay, then. I''ll keep my lips to myself.¡± Ren laughed, then knelt to look at Riley and Stacy. ¡°Behave. Keep guarding Narhilda.¡± They gave a soft bark and took up positions beside her. ¡°This really isn''t necessary.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I''ll have guards as escorts.¡± ¡°Not your own guards.¡± Ren said. ¡°Riley and Stacy are yours today.¡± She nodded, and he felt the same grudging acceptance in the Aura as he''d felt from Riley and Stacy. That''s pretty cool. Ren thought as Teepo flew into the room and landed on his shoulder. ¡°They''re coming down the hallway.¡± A moment later, Ren felt several people pass into his Aura''s radius. They stopped briefly, then continued.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Who do you think it is?¡± Nathalia asked as she took up her position behind Narhilda, and Ren took his position beside Nathalia. ¡°It''s Fritz and Dural, with 2 more guards.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Fritz, Dural, and two guards, according to Teepo.¡± Ren said. ¡°Brace for impact.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Narhilda asked, and Ren shook his head. ¡°Wait.¡± He said, then the apartment door opened. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± Fritz asked. ¡°I felt your Aura yesterday! It wasn''t this big!¡± Ren smiled as Narhilda''s understanding flowed into the Aura. ¡°I''ve learned a few things.¡± Ren said, and Fritz shook his head. ¡°I can''t have you disrupt the Council chamber like this.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Everyone will be looking at you, and not at the accused.¡± ¡°It''s not like I can turn it off.¡± Fritz lifted a sleeve and showed Ren an iron band, with several dwarf markings on it. ¡°This was the best investment I''ve ever made.¡± ¡°What the heck is it?¡± Ren asked, as he tried his best to decipher the markings. ¡°It''s an engraved spell to stop my Aura.¡± Ren''s mouth dropped open. ¡°By the gods, Fritz! Tell me where to get one!¡± Fritz looked at him. ¡°You''re not going to like the cost.¡± Ren looked back at his serious face. ¡°What did you do?¡± Fritz smiled a little sadly. ¡°I can''t have children.¡± Narhilda gasped, and shock filled the Aura. ¡°FRITZ!¡± She yelled. ¡°By the gods, WHY?!?¡± ¡°I told you before.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t want to bring a child into this.¡± Narhilda started to swoon, and Ren stepped close to hold her steady. ¡°Take it easy.¡± Ren whispered to her. ¡°Calm down. Relax.¡± She took several deep breaths, then sighed as a tear came to her eye. ¡°Oh, Fritz.¡± ¡°I knew you''d take it like this.¡± Fritz said. ¡°That''s why I didn''t tell you.¡± ¡°You did it before you left.¡± Ren said, and he nodded. ¡°I never planned on coming back.¡± Fritz said, and silence filled the room. Narhilda took another deep breath, squared her shoulders, and Ren felt resolve in the Aura. ¡°Escort us to the Council chamber.¡± She commanded, then waved to the door. The 4 dwarfs turned around as one, and Fritz took several steps before he realized that Narhilda had commanded him. He had followed her order automatically without thinking about it; but it was too late to undo that mistake, so Fritz kept walking. Everyone was silent as they walked all the way back through the castle and into the Main Keep. They passed several dwarfs, who shuffled aside and waited until they passed. They all bowed to the King, and Fritz was on the verge of being outright angry by the time they''d made it to the Council chamber. Fritz snapped at the guard opening the door, because he hadn''t been as fast as the guard on the other door. Ren didn''t say anything, but he let his surprise flow into the Aura. Nathalia glanced at him, and he shook his head. They went to the designated area for House Neram, and everyone in the chamber stared at them. Once again it was a full Council meeting, then Ren noticed something was different. He stepped close to Nathalia and whispered. ¡°Why is there a cloth wall?¡± He asked her, as quietly as he could. ¡°You''ll see in a few minutes.¡± Nathalia whispered back. Teepo! Ren thought, and Teepo quickly flew over to the cloth curtain and slipped under it. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Ren, it''s a hangman''s gallows... and by the looks of it, the whole city is here to watch.¡± Ren took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. I can''t judge them. I can''t judge them. ¡°Why?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°You know they''re guilty.¡± I meant a society that glorifies capital punishment, before they even have a trial for the criminals. ¡°Oh.¡± The King took the center seat on the Council bench, and the council came out of a door at the back. Ren''s eyes widened as he saw the Lord of House Lodur lead the group to the Council bench, who then sat down beside Fritz. ¡°We''re not going to see justice today.¡± Ren whispered. Fritz nodded slightly at a guard who stood at the side of the room, who then pulled a rope. The cloth wall fell to the floor, and revealed that most of the wall was gone, that the gallows had been added in the courtyard, and the population of the city was standing there. Fritz nodded to Dural the Advisor, who stood and started to speak. ¡°Before we get started.¡± Dural said. ¡°The King would like to thank you all for coming today, to witness the punishment of criminals who are too dangerous to stay among our society.¡± ¡°Like we had a choice!¡± A lone voice said from the crowd. ¡°Quiet!¡± A guard said, and Dural continued. ¡°Thanks to the skills of the Scroll Sage, the criminals were brought to justice and will face their execution today.¡± He nodded to another guard, and the criminals were brought out to stand under the gallows. ¡°I thought this was supposed to be a trial.¡± Ren said without whispering. ¡°The trial was held in closed session last night.¡± Dural said. ¡°They were found guilty and sentenced to hang.¡± ¡°Then why is Lord Lodur still sitting on the council? He should have a rope around his neck, too.¡± ¡°He was found innocent of...¡± ¡°The Scroll Sage identified him as the one who ordered the attack on me.¡± ¡°Yes, she did.¡± Dural said, a little sadly. ¡°He was not complicit in the young girl''s murder, however.¡± ¡°You have got to be KIDDING me!¡± Ren yelled. ¡°How many times do I have to point out his crimes before someone does something about it?¡± ¡°That is a matter for another time.¡± Dural said. ¡°Of COURSE it IS!¡± Ren yelled. ¡°But, before you continue with this travesty of justice, I''d like to confess to something.¡± ¡°Ren, don''t!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Not now!¡± ¡°It''s okay, My Lady.¡± Ren said to her. ¡°Unlike these pompous fools, I have Honor enough to admit my crime.¡± The entire population went quiet at the truth in Ren''s words. ¡°Last night, when I came here to rescue the two women I care about, I discovered my familiar constructs were being experimented on. I felt their pain, and I lost it. I assaulted 2 guards, trashed part of the alchemy lab, then crushed the alchemist''s fingers. On both hands.¡± Gasps were heard around the chamber. ¡°By the time I was done, I had ensured that he couldn''t hurt anyone else like he''d hurt my dogs, and me.¡± No one spoke, as they all knew he had spoken the truth. The silence dragged on, and Ren looked around. ¡°If this was a normal court, or if I believed for one second that it had any sense of decency or justice, I''d throw myself upon it''s mercy.¡± Ren spat. ¡°But you people disgust me!¡± He nearly shouted. ¡°I ruined a man''s future, destroyed his career as if it was nothing, and I felt so terrible about it that I came here today to admit it publicly, just so I could face my punishment like a man.¡± The silence was so thick that even the huge crowd outside could hear every word that Ren said. ¡°But you... YOU...¡± Ren shouted, then took a deep breath and continued. ¡°You all avoid your responsibility as if it was something you should have a choice about.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I thought this society was going to be the pinnacle of culture! A shining example of how things should be done!¡± They all stared at him, and he laughed. ¡°I came here with high hopes and expectations, and guess what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You have failed in nearly all of them.¡± He reached a hand over and took Nathalia''s hand in his, then put his other hand on Narhilda''s shoulder. ¡°I''ve done my best to help you all, to start changing things, and to show you how great of a place this used to be... and what it could be again.¡± He felt the love and support from Nathalia and Narhilda, and he let his hands drop away from them. ¡°But, I see now that the corruption here runs deep. A little too deep for an outsider like me to stop, or even change.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°So, here I am. I stand before you, with a crime confessed publicly.¡± He said. ¡°What''s next?¡± Dural looked at Ren like he was crazy, then shook his head. ¡°This isn''t the time for...¡± ¡°Guilty!¡± Lord Lodur yelled, and smiled as Lord Faldihr seconded him. Lord Greentree sighed and continued the ''guilty'' verdict. It was unanimous. ¡°Shall we go right to the sentencing?¡± One of the Council members said. ¡°Very well.¡± Lord Lodur grinned. ¡°Ren of House Neram, I sentence you-¡± ¡°Hold!¡± A young voice said from across the chamber. ¡°Father, no!¡± A female dwarf said, and he pat her hand. ¡°It''s alright.¡± He said and stood up. The dwarf looked to be about 30 years old, had a full head of dark brown hair that flowed down into a mustache and beard. You could barely see his mouth as he spoke. ¡°I was content to just sit here and let him take whatever punishment the Council would hand out.¡± He said. ¡°But I can''t, as his words have stung me to the core.¡± ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Lord Lodur said. ¡°What right do you have to speak?¡± ¡°I''m the Alchemist.¡± The young dwarf said, and gasps spread around the chamber. ¡°No way!¡± Teepo exclaimed, and Ren stood there in shock. ¡°That''s not possible!¡± Fritz exclaimed. ¡°The Alchemist is nearly 110 years old!¡± ¡°I''m still a hundred and ten.¡± The Alchemist said. ¡°I just look like I''m 30.¡± Fritz shook his head. ¡°No, I don''t believe it.¡± The Alchemist pointed at Ren. ¡°This man is both Honorable and truthful in his words.¡± So that''s why I didn''t lose any more Honor. Ren thought. ¡°He burst into my lab and discovered me experimenting on his ''dogs''. Then he crushed my hands.¡± ¡°But... but you''re using them to point!¡± Someone said, and the Alchemist chuckled. ¡°That''s right.¡± He said. ¡°I discovered a recipe decades ago, and I''ve been working hard the last 50 years to get the last two ingredients that I needed.¡± ¡°What recipe?¡± Fritz asked. ¡°The Legendary Elixir of Restoration.¡± Everyone''s mouths dropped open in surprise. It took several minutes for someone to speak. ¡°That... that''s just a myth.¡± A voice in the chamber said, and the Alchemist shook his head. ¡°No, it''s real.¡± He said. ¡°Unfortunately, only one could be made.¡± He looked at his daughter, who smiled at him and took his hand. ¡°I had intended to make it for my daughter; but no matter how hard I tried, it was taking too long to get the last ingredients.¡± ¡°What were they?¡± ¡°One was platinum.¡± The Alchemist said, then looked at Ren. ¡°You left out part of your confession, young man.¡± He said and turned to the Council. ¡°He''d left me more platinum coins than I''d ever seen in my life.¡± ¡°Why did he do that?¡± One of the Council members asked. The daughter spoke up. ¡°He said to take father away from all of this, and let him live a comfortable life.¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°With the purchase of half of my basic ingredients...¡± The Alchemist smiled at Ren. ¡°...it came to 167 platinum.¡± Everyone froze solid at the outrageous amount of money. ¡°With that and the 65 platinum I''d already gathered, it was enough to empower the Elixir.¡± ¡°What was the last ingredient?¡± Ren asked, curious. ¡°A good reason to drink it.¡± The Alchemist smiled. ¡°You gave me one, so I drank it.¡± ¡°If you had enough money, can you make another?¡± Lord Lodur asked. ¡°No, thank the gods!¡± The Alchemist said. ¡°I''d used up all of the rare ingredients it had taken nearly my whole life to gather.¡± He scowled at Lord Lodur. ¡°Not that I''d ever make anything for you, anyways.¡± ¡°Get to the point!¡± Lord Lodur said, angry. ¡°If he hadn''t done what he did, I wouldn''t have finished my life''s work.¡± The Alchemist said. ¡°What he did was horrendous, and it was more painful than anything I''ve ever felt before; but, he should face punishment with the knowledge that I don''t hold what he did against him.¡± ¡°I do!¡± The daughter said. ¡°My father shouldn''t have had to go through that!¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± He said. ¡°No! He could have just given you the money without hurting you.¡± The Alchemist laughed and squeezed her hand. ¡°He wouldn''t have given me the money otherwise.¡± ¡°Yes I would.¡± Ren said, and everyone gasped, including the Alchemist. ¡°W-what?!?¡± ¡°Before all of this...¡± Ren waved to Riley and Stacy. ¡°...if I''d known you needed the money for something so important, I''d have given it to you.¡± ¡°You''re crazy!¡± Someone shouted, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve been called that on occasion.¡± ¡°ENOUGH!¡± Lord Lodur hollered. He didn''t pound the hammer, as they hadn''t gotten a new stone slab for it yet. ¡°Ren of House Neram!¡± He said and grinned. ¡°I sentence you to 3 years of hard labor in the mines!¡± Chapter 172 - Is That All? ¡°Three years in the mines? Okay.¡± Ren asked. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said. ¡°I''m glad you didn''t specify which mines, so I''ll sign a contract with myself for indentured servitude in my own mines.¡± Gasps were heard from both inside and outside of the chamber, and Lord Lodur''s mouth dropped open. ¡°That''s right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I started up my own set of mines, where people can work to get paid a decent wage, work decent hours, and will eat decent food.¡± Lord Lodur scowled at Ren. ¡°Yes, I tried to get your mines changed, to help the people that worked there. It was great for a while, until you found out the ideas were mine. You not only changed everything back to the way things were, but you got rid of the best mine foreman you ever had.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I was even getting rid of the mountain-sized pile of silt you have there, for free.¡± Several more gasps were heard, but Ren thought he heard a few voices saying it was true, and they were paid more money than they''d ever had before. ¡°I''m sorry, I''m rambling a bit.¡± Ren said. ¡°To make a long story short, I accept your sentence.¡± He looked out through the open wall. ¡°And I hope to see a lot of new workers there.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Thanyur Faldihr said to Lord Lodur. ¡°You can''t just let him do that!¡± Lord Lodur opened his mouth to speak, but another voice cut him off. ¡°Ren is right.¡± Fritz said. ¡°The sentence was 3 years in the mines. Not House Lodur''s mines.¡± ¡°That''s right!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°You tell them, Your Eminence!¡± Fritz stood and looked into the crowd to see who had said that; but couldn''t find them, and sat back down. ¡°Three years is not a just sentence, however.¡± Fritz said. ¡°Taking into account your service to the Crown...¡± He looked at the young Alchemist who was still standing. ¡°...and for making it possible for a valuable member of the court to be restored to his youth...¡± He said. ¡°...I will reduce the sentence to 3 months.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Lord Lodur shouted. ¡°You can''t do THAT!¡± Fritz looked at his old trusted friend. ¡°I really have been lax in my duties, if you can shout like that in my ear.¡± Lord Lodur had a surprised look on his face for a moment, then clamped his mouth shut. Fritz turned to look at the criminals. ¡°Now that that unpleasantness is out of the way.¡± Fritz said. ¡°For murdering, or aiding in the murder, of the next ruling member of the Royal Family, you are hereby sentenced to death by hanging.¡± The guard went along and tied a noose around each of the men''s necks, then nodded slightly back at Fritz. ¡°As is your right, is there any last words you would like to say before the sentence is carried out?¡± Dural asked. ¡°It was all Lord Lodur''s idea.¡± One of them said. ¡°We were only supposed to kill Ren.¡± Another said. ¡°I didn''t do it, I tell you!¡± Jogloch shouted, and nearly everyone winced. None of the others said anything, and Fritz nodded to the hangman, who pulled a lever and the floor of the gallows opened up. The men dropped several feet, and hung by their necks. It took a long time for the men to stop moving and twitching, so their Health bars must have been pretty big. A few minutes after the last one stopped twitching, the hangman looted them and handed the contents to a man in the front row. He had tears in his eyes, and nodded slightly to the hangman. ¡°Justice has been served.¡± Dural said. ¡°Long Live The King.¡± ¡°Long Live The King.¡± The audience said automatically, and Ren felt it wasn''t a sentiment that they believed in the least. The noise and chatter of the people picked up, both inside and outside the chamber. Ren looked around and it seemed that everyone was getting ready to leave. ¡°One more thing.¡± Fritz said into the chamber, and everyone stopped moving as things became quiet again. ¡°Unfortunately, because of certain events that have happened...¡± He looked at Ren. ¡°...or that came about because of your presence here...¡± Fritz said. ¡°When your 3 month sentence is up, you will have one month to finish your tasks, gather your things, and be gone from this land.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°At that point, I will rescind your invitation to be here.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Narhilda and Nathalia said at the same time. Several people in the chamber, and a lot more in the crowd, were upset by these words. Ren took Nathalia''s hand again, and put his other hand on Narhilda''s shoulder, then squeezed them both slightly. ¡°I am the ruling monarch!¡± Fritz nearly yelled. ¡°If Ren hadn''t been here, none of this would have happened!¡± Everyone fell quiet. ¡°That''s right.¡± Fritz said. ¡°His stumbling around blindly in our society has cost this land it''s next ruler.¡± ¡°I object to that statement!¡± Narhilda exclaimed, infuriated at Fritz. ¡°It''s you that''s cost us our next ruler!¡± She clamped a hand over her mouth and stopped speaking, but it was too late. People from both inside the chamber and out in the general populace starting asking questions about what she meant. ¡°I... I didn''t mean to...¡± Narhilda whispered. ¡°You might as well tell them now.¡± Fritz said. ¡°Our King...¡± Narhilda sighed. ¡°...cannot have children.¡± After a brief moment of silence, an uproar began. Several Council members smirked at the implications, and others had shocked looks on their faces, just like the rest of the people in the Council chamber. Guards shouted for quiet, but it wasn''t helping. ¡°How can we be quiet?¡± ¡°He''s doomed us!¡± ¡°What will we do without an heir to the throne?¡± ¡°You''ll do the smart thing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Begin a search. Trace the Royal Family back a few of generations. Look at brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and even distant cousins if necessary.¡± Everyone looked at him. ¡°Isn''t that obvious?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The King is unfit to rule, so a replacement must be found.¡± Gasps and murmurs permeated the crowd. ¡°If the King can''t provide an heir, then someone must be found to do so.¡± Ren looked around. ¡°Until then, you have someone who can shepard the throne right here.¡± Everyone stared at him in shock as he asked Narhilda to stand. ¡°W-w-what?!?¡± Narhilda stared at Ren as well. ¡°You were the Queen. Then the Queen Mother.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you see anyone else that fits the definition of a monarch here?¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Would you rather Fritz stay in power, and abandon the people again?¡± Ren whispered to her, and she sighed. She took several deep breaths, then stood up. ¡°Very well.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I will resume the throne from my barren son, until a suitable heir can be found or made.¡± ¡°You... you... you can''t do that!¡± Lord Lodur exclaimed. ¡°The Council will decide who the next heir will be!¡± ¡°EXCUSE ME?¡± Narhilda hollered in her best indignant royalty voice. ¡°I believe the Royal Family will decide who will be the Royal Heir. The Council does NOT have that ability, you spineless worm!¡± Lord Lodur sputtered in shock. ¡°N-n-now s-see here, you strumpet!¡± He said, and everyone gasped. Fritz stood up and grabbed Lord Lodur by the back of the neck. ¡°That is enough!¡± Fritz said. ¡°Calling any woman that in public is both shameful and disrespectful.¡± Fritz lifted Lord Lodur up, forcing him to stand. ¡°But that woman is my mother!¡± Lord Lodur looked at Fritz, then back at Lady Neram. ¡°My... my apologies.¡± ¡°I''d challenge him over this, but he can just call his Champion.¡± Ren said. ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Fritz said, and looked at the guard beside the back door to the chamber. ¡°Bring in the Scroll Mage.¡±Stolen novel; please report. The guard opened the door and called the Scroll Mage. She came into the chamber and stood in the middle of the floor. ¡°Let''s have Lord Lodur''s trial right now.¡± Fritz said, and everyone fell silent. Ren on the other hand, had a huge grin on his face and chuckled slightly. ¡°Madam Mage.¡± Fritz said. ¡°Who ordered the attack on Ren, of House Neram?¡± ¡°Lord Lodur.¡± ¡°Why did he do that?¡± ¡°He''s a vindictive bastard and wanted Ren dead, because he couldn''t stand that Ren had undermined his plans, and had revealed some of how twisted and corrupted the Council has become.¡± ¡°What else was there?¡± ¡°Thanyur Faldihr tried to take over House Neram to destroy your mother.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Fritz sputtered. ¡°They have been wearing away House Neram''s Honor and Influence since Thern Neram''s death over 12 years ago. They almost had it to the point where just a simple signature by Lady Neram would have given them everything.¡± Everyone stared at the Scroll Mage as she continued. ¡°If it wasn''t for Ren''s timely and fortunate intervention, your mother would be Thanyur''s personal indentured servant right now.¡± ¡°What... what does that mean?¡± Fritz asked her. ¡°It means they knew who she was, and would have taken the remainder of the Royal Family as personal servants and hostages, ensuring the Council''s rule and the destruction of the monarchy.¡± ¡°I really have been a fool all these years, haven''t I?¡± Fritz asked her. ¡°Yes, Your Eminence.¡± The Scroll Mage said. ¡°The Council has groomed you to ignore their plots since you were a child.¡± Gasps spread around the chamber, and Fritz sighed. ¡°Then I really am unfit to rule.¡± He looked at his mother. ¡°I appoint you Steward of the Throne, and may the gods have mercy on you.¡± Narhilda nodded, and Fritz looked at Lord Lodur. ¡°For your hiring of an assassination squad, and attempted murder of a noble, then contributing to the murder of a member of the Royal Family, I sentence you to hang until you are dead.¡± ¡°You can''t do this!¡± Lord Lodur said. ¡°This wasn''t a trial! It was a farce!¡± He started to struggle, but Fritz had a good hold on his neck. ¡°I call challenge! I call CHALLENGE!¡± ¡°I''m sorry, but that won''t work this time.¡± Fritz said as he walked Lord Lodur over to the gallows. ¡°Criminals would get off with little to no sentences, by having a big and powerful Champion fight for them.¡± ¡°But... but it''s the LAW!¡± ¡°No, it''s a Council edict.¡± Fritz said, and nodded slightly to the guard who reset the platform and then tied a noose around Lord Lodur''s neck. ¡°I don''t remember signing anything like that into law.¡± ¡°Please... Fritz... you can''t do this...¡± Lord Lodur pleaded. ¡°I helped raise you.¡± Fritz stepped back and looked at the man he''d known for nearly all of his 45 years of life. ¡°According to my mother, that was the problem.¡± He walked away and back to the Council bench, then sat down. ¡°As my final act as ruler, I declare that the sentence be carried out, and the loot to be given to the intended victim; Ren of House Neram.¡± Fritz picked up the hammer and slammed it into the desk, shattering the wood. The guard pulled the lever, and Lord Lodur hung until he was dead. The guard picked up a large sack, looted the body, and put the items inside. He carried it across the chamber floor and up to where Ren stood, handed it to him, then returned to his position by the gallows. No one spoke the entire time, and Ren stored the sack without looking in it. ¡°I... I believe that concludes... the events for today.¡± Dural said. ¡°Long Li... ah...¡± His face flushed a little red. ¡°Good day, everyone.¡± The crowd started to disperse immediately, with loud conversation permeating the air, and the Council chamber filled with voices as well. There was some dissent to what had happened, mostly from Lord Lodur''s family; but, the majority of the people gathered thought it was a just punishment, and about time. Ren agreed with the majority, wholeheartedly. Lady Neram stood up to greet the members of the Major and Minor Houses that came over to talk to her, and Ren and Nathalia stood there and waited. ¡°Ren, you have to go.¡± Teepo said, half an hour later. Thanks for reminding me, Teepo. Ren thought and leaned close to whisper in Narhilda''s ear. She nodded slightly and bid everyone a farewell. She led Ren, Nathalia, the two dogs, and 4 guards out of the Council chamber and back through the passage to the castle. After the long return trip to the royal apartments, Narhilda ordered the guards to stand outside and shut the door on them. ¡°By the gods, why did you do that?!?¡± Narhilda asked Ren. ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°I''m the Steward of the Throne!¡± ¡°Yeah. And?¡± ¡°I can''t leave the castle now!¡± Narhilda exclaimed, then Ren took her into a hug. ¡°You weren''t going to be allowed to leave the castle anyways.¡± He said, and she opened her mouth to protest, then closed it. ¡°Did you really think they''d let you go, after finding you after all these years?¡± Narhilda pulled out of the hug and started to pace. ¡°Ren, you don''t understand.¡± She said, and walked faster. ¡°Now I''ll have to rule the Kingdom. The KINGDOM!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''ve done it before.¡± ¡°No, I haven''t!¡± She nearly yelled, then sighed. ¡°My father ruled, then Fritz'' father ruled when we were married. When he passed away, Fritz took the crown. I was only the Queen.¡± ¡°Narhilda.¡± Ren said, and took her arm to stop her from pacing. ¡°You''ve never been an ''only'' anything.¡± She sighed. ¡°I... yes, I know.¡± ¡°You have an Advisor already, that you know and trust. You''ll have a new Council, hopefully, within the next month and a half.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve got this.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Narhilda said, and hugged him tightly. ¡°What am I going to do about you?¡± ¡°I wouldn''t worry about that.¡± He said. ¡°I won''t ruin your image for long. I''ll be gone in 4 months, remember?¡± ¡°Ruin my image!¡± She said, then started to cry. ¡°Ren, you''ll be GONE in 4 months! I won''t get to see you again!¡± Ren held her close. ¡°I''m really sorry about that.¡± He said. ¡°But you''re not going to be seeing a whole lot of me anyways. You need to run an entire Kingdom, and there''s not going to be a lot of room for me while you do that.¡± ¡°I... I...¡± Narhilda couldn''t say anything else, and she ducked her head down and kept sobbing. After a few minutes, she calmed down and composed herself as she let him out of the hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°How often does a man have a beautiful woman cry over him?¡± ¡°At... at least twice.¡± Nathalia said and started to cry, and Ren took her into a hug. He kissed her tears, then kissed her lips. ¡°By the gods, I love you so much!¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said, and stroked her face. ¡°My own personal goddess.¡± Nathalia snorted a laugh through her tears and ducked her head down and sobbed onto his chest, just as Narhilda had done. After another few minutes, she finished and let him out of the hug. ¡°I''m going to be gone for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°Possibly a few days.¡± Both women nodded, and Ren knelt to face the two dogs. ¡°Stay with Narhilda. Guard and Protect Narhilda and Nathalia.¡± They gave soft barks, and Ren pat them on their heads. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± ¡°I can''t promise we''ll be here when you get back.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Things are going to be hectic here for a while.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and took out two steel squares. He enchanted them with glyphs of the Sending Rune, and gave one to each of them. ¡°So you can contact each other when you need to.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Narhilda said, and hugged him. ¡°You''re always thinking of others before yourself.¡± Nathalia said as she hugged him, too. ¡°Not this time.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If I keep you both happy, then I''m happy.¡± Nathalia kissed him, then Narhilda kissed him. ¡°I''ll see you soon.¡± He let them go, walked over to the couch, and sat down. Bye, Teepo. ¡°Bye, Ren. I''ll give you a full report when you get back.¡± Teepo said. I''d expect nothing less from my best scout. Ren thought in amusement. ¡°We''ve had this conversation before.¡± Teepo said, and chittered in laughter. ¡°I''m your only scout.¡± That''s what I said. The best. Ren thought. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren started to slip off the VR headset and Stella helped him. ¡°Boy, you''ve got a good harem going.¡± She said and grinned. ¡°Hey, I''ve only slept with a few women.¡± Ren said, reluctant to say exactly how many, without giving away the existence of Fire Dancer. ¡°I''m not counting only the women you''ve slept with.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Barbara was right, you''re becoming quite the little Casanova.¡± ¡°She said that?!?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°Yeah.¡± Stella said. ¡°Right after she told me about you kissing a teenage girl in front of her boyfriend, and making her boss... what was it she said? Oh, right. Have an embarrassing public reaction to your seduction.¡± Ren blushed at that description, and Stella laughed. ¡°You''ve got to be more careful about things like that.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°To be fair, Jhulune kissed me in front of her boyfriend, or at least someone she''s dating... and the boss accused me of trying to seduce her, and I had to prove that if I actually tried, she would know it.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Stella barked a laugh. ¡°I''m glad that it worked for you.¡± She said. ¡°If you''d tried and failed miserably...¡± She shook her head. ¡°It''s better to not think about that result.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Did Barbara happen to mention the cook?¡± ¡°The cook?¡± Stella asked. ¡°No, she didn''t. When did that happen?¡± Ren told her when and she went to the chart on the wall. She flipped the page and saw what had happened. ¡°Barbara was on a bathroom break.¡± Stella said. ¡°I think she would have been angry if she saw you sleeping with someone else.¡± She grinned. ¡°Besides the women you''re already sleeping with, that is.¡± ¡°I hope not.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The cook was something else.¡± ¡°Ooo, tell me.¡± Stella got a gleam in her eyes, and Ren grinned as he relayed the details. ¡°She has Iron Grip, too?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Then yeah; she must have to be really careful.¡± ¡°I completely understood her perspective, too.¡± Ren said, and motioned to himself. ¡°So do I, little stud.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°So do I.¡± There was a knock on the room''s door, and Stella and Ren looked at the door as it opened. ¡°Hi, Ren! Hi, Stella!¡± Elise Stanford, the secretary from Sid Tec, said as she walked into the room wearing a blue-colored business suit coat, black skirt, and white blouse. ¡°Elise!¡± Stella said, surprised. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°It''s nice to see you, too.¡± Elise said and laughed. ¡°I brought over the check from the television studio.¡± She said, then put her briefcase on the dresser by the wall. ¡°I was going to send a delivery man at first; but since I had to come over for a minor server update anyways, I brought it myself.¡± Elise opened her briefcase and took out a thumb drive. She plugged it into the micro-server and went back to the briefcase. ¡°Here it is.¡± She said, and took out a thick envelope to hand to Ren. ¡°Why is it so big?¡± Ren asked as he took it. ¡°Open it and find out.¡± Elise said and grinned. He opened it and slid out 2 smaller envelopes, and he could clearly see that they were both checks. He pushed them aside and slid out several papers that were stapled together. He read some of it, then started to have a panic attack. Stella went into action and removed the cause, laid him back on the bed and stared at Ren''s eyes. ¡°Ren! I''m right here. Look into my eyes.¡± Stella said. ¡°Focus on them. That''s it. Breathe. In. Out. In. Out.¡± She said. ¡°Use your relaxation technique.¡± Ren started to calm down, and took Stella''s hand. His breathing evened out to a steady rhythm, and he smiled as he squeezed her hand. ¡°Thanks, Stella.¡± ¡°What... what happened?¡± Elise said, shocked. ¡°Ren was having a panic attack.¡± Stella said. ¡°Oh, god. I''m so sorry.¡± ¡°What was in that letter?¡± Stella asked, and Ren responded. ¡°It''s a contract for the first season of a television series.¡± He said. ¡°I got it late last night.¡± Elise said. ¡°The producers at the television station showed the preliminary footage to their staff, and they loved it. They told me that they didn''t want to wait for the pilot to air to buy it, in case another station tried to buy it out from under them.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Stella said, then looked at Ren. ¡°A pilot is one thing.¡± She said. ¡°That can flop or not, and sometimes no one will even see it.¡± She held his hand and sighed. ¡°A whole season?¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°They are going to promote it as much as they can to get the views to justify the expense.¡± ¡°You... you mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes, Ren. Everyone will know who you are.¡± Stella said. ¡°The hospital''s very own television star.¡± Chapter 173 - Let Me Drive ¡°I''m going to be a television star.¡± Ren said, blinked his eyes a few times, and stared at Stella. ¡°That''s right.¡± Stella said. ¡°Even though it''s all computer generated, it still looks just like you.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said, then looked at Elise. ¡°What do I have to do?¡± Elise came over to him and sat by the bed. ¡°You don''t have to do anything, except cash the check.¡± She said. ¡°Both checks, actually.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and she fought her urge to giggle out loud. ¡°The first is yours regardless, because it''s for the pilot; but, when you cash the second one... you agree to the purchase of your likeness, and the rights to the footage for 1 year.¡± ¡°What about consulting?¡± Ren asked. ¡°There''s a few things in there that... ah... people shouldn''t see.¡± ¡°Don''t worry. They''re buying the rights, but it''s still your show.¡± Elise grinned. ¡°It''s for network television, so anything questionable will be cut, and any cursing will either be dubbed or bleeped.¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°You might have to visit the studio for dubbing some of the lines. During some of the action scenes, it''s hard to make out what you''re saying.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I think for first few months I played, most of it was, ''aaaaahhhhhHH!!''.¡± Stella and Elise laughed. ¡°Well, I guess you better get dressed.¡± Stella said. ¡°These checks aren''t going to cash themselves.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren asked. ¡°How can I...¡± ¡°You don''t think I sit at home and do nothing when I''m not here, do you?¡± Stella asked, and smiled. ¡°I got certified by the hospital board yesterday.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said, and started to slide out of the bed. Stella helped him, and led him over to the bathroom instead of to the dresser. He looked at her, and she glanced down between his legs and raised her eyebrows. ¡°Can you bring me my clothes?¡± Ren asked, taking the hint. ¡°I''ll use the bathroom first and then get changed.¡± ¡°Sure, Ren.¡± Stella smiled. He went into the bathroom to clean himself up as she went to the dresser to get him a good outfit to wear. She knocked on the bathroom door a couple of minutes later, then went in when Ren said he was ready. She helped him put on a nice shirt and a pair of pants, then they went back out into the room. ¡°You look very handsome.¡± Elise said to him, then her briefcase beeped. She got up and checked her info pad, and nodded. ¡°The update is done.¡± She said, and took the thumb drive out of the micro-server. ¡°That went a lot faster than I thought it would.¡± She said, a little disappointed. ¡°It took nearly half an hour back at the company.¡± Ren sat down in the wheelchair that Stella had left by the door after therapy. ¡°You wanted an excuse to stick around.¡± He said, and smiled at Elise. She looked at him in surprise for a moment, then smiled back as she closed her briefcase. ¡°Was it that obvious?¡± She asked. ¡°If I was blind, I think it would still have been obvious.¡± Ren said and laughed. Elise shook her head in resignation. ¡°I shouldn''t be trying so hard to spend time with you, should I?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°You don''t have to try so hard.¡± He said. ¡°And you don''t need to make up excuses to visit, either.¡± Elise blinked her eyes at him a couple of times. ¡°You''re right.¡± She said, then sighed. ¡°I can''t expect you to put up with-¡± ¡°You can just come over.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t mind having visitors.¡± ¡°Are... are you serious?¡± Elise asked, surprised. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°You kind of scared me a little when we first met, and then there was that incident.¡± He smiled at her, as she blushed. ¡°But, you seemed genuinely sorry that it happened.¡± He said. ¡°I''m all about giving people second chances.¡± He looked down at himself. ¡°I''m prime example number one that second chances are good to have.¡± Elise nodded, and was filled with both relief and joy. He actually wants me to come and visit him! ¡°Or better yet, pop online in a month.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back in Aurora by then.¡± ¡°A month?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Why after so long?¡± ¡°I have to serve hard labor in the mines for 3 months.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Then I have to leave the Dwarven Kingdom a month after that.¡± Elise''s mouth dropped open. ¡°You... you have to serve... hard labor in the MINES?!?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It''s okay. I tricked the Council by telling them I''ll be working in my own mines, rather than the perpetual slave mines for House Lodur.¡± ¡°Good god, Ren.¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I''d be happy to explain, assuming you have a vehicle with a large trunk.¡± ¡°Ren, we can''t impose ourselves on her like that.¡± Stella said as she gathered up the two checks and gave them to him. ¡°No, it''s quite all right.¡± Elise said, then smiled. ¡°I''ve got something better than a large trunk, though.¡± After Stella filled out the day release form and Ren signed it, they went out to the parking lot to Elise''s vehicle. ¡°You have a Hummer H2!¡± Ren said in surprise. ¡°And it''s yellow!¡± Elise laughed and went around to the back. ¡°It was either this, or drive one of those big transfer trucks.¡± Stella pushed Ren in the wheelchair to follow her to the back as well, and Elise opened the storage area. ¡°Why''s that?¡± Ren asked curiously, as he stood up and Stella and Elise lifted the wheelchair into the back. It didn''t even have to be collapsed, as there was tons of room. Once the available straps were attached to it, Elise shut the door. ¡°I''m 6 feet, 2 inches tall, not counting the heels.¡± Elise said, and did a little back kick to show the 3 inch heels. ¡°I got tired of having to take my shoes off and slide the seat all the way back, just so I could fit into a car.¡± She walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. ¡°I was even getting tennis elbow from having my arms bent so much as I gripped the steering wheel.¡± ¡°Yeah, that would suck.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stella? A hand, please.¡± Stella helped Ren climb up the couple of feet into the front seat. She buckled him in, and he relaxed in the giant seat. Elise waited for Stella to move out of the way, then shut the door. They walked around to the driver''s side, and Elise climbed into the driver''s seat as Stella got into the seat behind her. ¡°This is great!¡± Ren said excitedly, as he looked around at the interior. ¡°I''ve never been in one of these!¡± Stella grinned. ¡°You haven''t been in anything else except taxis since you''ve been at the hospital.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said as he turned to look at her. ¡°That''s why this is great!¡± He said, then turned to look at Elise. ¡°I kind of expected a convertible.¡± ¡°A convertible?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°If I wanted to steer the car with my knees, maybe.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°That would be a sight!¡± He said. ¡°Your flowing red hair blowing in the wind, your hands holding onto the top of the windshield, and you trying your best to take a turn using only your knees.¡± He laughed. ¡°I can imagine you''d look like a teenager riding in one of those kid''s pedal cars.¡± Elise started the H2 to the sound of general laughter, then pulled out of the parking lot. ¡°Okay, where am I headed?¡± Stella told her the address of the bank, and Elise drove across the city to get to it. On the way there, Ren filled her in on what his current situation had been like, and what he''d done. She was quiet until he finished the story, and she reached a hand across the seat and took his. ¡°I''m so sorry you had to go though that.¡± Elise said. ¡°Seeing your dogs being used like that, and feeling their pain...¡± She shook her head. ¡°...I''d have killed him without a second thought.¡± ¡°That''s what I said.¡± Stella commented. ¡°Great minds think alike, it seems.¡± Elise said and grinned at Stella''s bark of laughter. ¡°So, you''re not outraged that I crushed his hands and ruined his career?¡± ¡°What career?¡± Elise asked, and didn''t let his hand go when she took a corner. ¡°How old was he? A hundred and ten you said?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Then he only had about 10 years left.¡± Elise said, and sped up on a straight street. ¡°The game''s not too kind about letting NPCs live their full lifetimes.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked, and Elise nodded. ¡°It''s the best way to stop the game from being stagnant.¡± She said. ¡°It''s also why NPCs don''t respawn.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°How long does it take to generate a replacement NPC?¡± ¡°It depends on what it''s for.¡± Elise said. ¡°I could go into all the mumbo jumbo with formulas and things; but, if it''s an essential service, the system will replace them right away. If it''s not, then... it might take a while.¡± ¡°It''s definitely been a while since Mitchell, the guy that ran the Archery shop, was killed.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Yes, it''s not an essential service, since bows can be bought from the general store.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Ren said. ¡°So if I open my business and sell bows, the system won''t bother generating another archery shop owner.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Elise said. ¡°More than likely, another shop will be generated to replace it, assuming the system can come up with something that the general population can use.¡± ¡°That''s pretty cool.¡± Ren said. Elise pulled into the parking lot of the bank and stopped the vehicle so that the back faced the bank. She took her hand from holding Ren''s, to put the H2 into park. She turned off the Hummer and looked at Ren, then at Stella behind her. ¡°You''re going to be depositing a lot of money.¡± Elise said. ¡°Are you going to open another account?¡± Ren looked at her, then at Stella. ¡°I think that would be best.¡± He said. ¡°That way, it''s not mixed in with the other things we''ve got going.¡± ¡°I know one of the account managers here.¡± Elise said. ¡°Do you want me to come in?¡± She offered. ¡°I might be able to get you a good interest rate, and probably have the taxes handled right away.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°I was kind of worried about how to handle it.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°You shouldn''t have to worry about it at all.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°All you should do is worry about how you''re going to spend it all.¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°You are NOT buying a Hummer H2, Ren.¡± ¡°Okay, fine!¡± Ren laughed as he unbuckled the seat belt. ¡°I can''t climb in without help anyways.¡± ¡°Hold on, we''ll come around.¡± Elise said as she got out, and Stella went with her. Elise opened the door and held it, while Stella put both hands out to Ren. ¡°Boy, this is high.¡± Ren said, then carefully stepped down as Stella took his weight. He made it to the ground without incident, and they went to the back to get his wheelchair. Ren sat in it, and the three of them went inside. ¡°Janice!¡± Elise said as she entered the door, and Ren heard a girly squeal from across the lobby. A short brown-haired woman in her mid-twenties, who wore a business suit similar to the one Elise wore, ran across the lobby to greet her. ¡°Elise!¡± Janice said, and gave her a quick hug. ¡°I haven''t seen you in a month!¡± Elise smiled. ¡°I''ve had a few things going on, and haven''t had the chance to go out.¡± Janice grinned. ¡°Uh, huh.¡± She said, then looked at Stella and then Ren. ¡°Can I assume that this is one of the things?¡± Elise laughed. ¡°Actually, yes.¡± She said. ¡°This is Ren Haddon, one of the contest winners I was telling you about.¡± She motioned to Ren, then to Stella. ¡°And this is his nurse, Stella.¡± ¡°It''s nice to meet you both.¡± Janice said. ¡°What can we do for you?¡± ¡°We don''t have an appointment.¡± Elise said, and leaned in close to her. ¡°But we do have a significant amount to deposit into a new account.¡± Janice''s eyes sparkled, and she smiled. ¡°I''m free at the moment, so why don''t I deal with you personally?¡± ¡°That would be great.¡± Elise said, and they followed Janice across the lobby and into her office. She shut the door and sat down behind her desk. Elise and Stella moved the two chairs on their side of the desk, parked Ren between them, and sat down themselves. ¡°Now, did you have anything in mind?¡± Janice asked. ¡°High interest with low movement, high movement that comes with low interest, middle of the line, savings, checking, savings and checking combined...¡± Elise started to laugh. ¡°Easy, girl.¡± She said to Janice. ¡°They already have an account here, but want another account for this money to keep it separate.¡± Elise looked at Ren. ¡°I''m going to assume you want to spend some of it, and not just let it sit there.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve actually got 2 accounts here.¡± He said. ¡°One is from my settlement, and the other one is a joint account with Stella for the medical research project.¡± Ren took out the two checks and handed them over. ¡°Now I''d like one for this.¡± Janice opened the envelopes, and her eyes widened. ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± She put the checks down, and waved a hand in front of her face. ¡°Relax.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look at me. Breathe in. Out. In. Out.¡± Stella put a hand on his arm, and smiled. Janice calmed down and took a deep breath. ¡°I thought I was having a good day when I saw Elise.¡± She said, then grinned. ¡°Now I''m having an excellent day!¡± It only took half an hour to get the new account set up, several canceled checks to be used for account depositing services, transferring and paying the taxes on such a large income, and a new debit card. Janice handed all the paperwork and everything over to Ren, as she told him the restrictions. ¡°Now, I raised the limit as much as I could for the amount you can get out in cash each day.¡± She said. ¡°If you need more than the set limit, just come back in person and we''ll get you sorted out as quickly as we can.¡± ¡°That''s great.¡± Ren said. ¡°What about the debit limit?¡± ¡°There isn''t one.¡± Janice said. ¡°The limit is only on the cash you can get out. You can spend as much of your own money in the account as you want to, through debit.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said, a little surprised. ¡°Um, thank you for all of your help.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± Janice said and stood up. ¡°Thank you for using us for all of your banking needs.¡± Stella and Elise stood up, and Elise reached a hand over the desk. Janice shook it and came around the desk. ¡°Thanks for doing all of this, Janice.¡± Elise said. Janice chuckled. ¡°Besides it being my job, I''m glad I could help.¡± Elise smiled and gave her a hug. ¡°I''ll try and get some spare time next week, assuming I''m not swamped at work again.¡± ¡°So, you''re telling me I shouldn''t hold my breath in anticipation.¡± Janice said, and Elise laughed. ¡°See you later, Janice.¡± ¡°Bye, Elise. Ren. Stella.¡± Janice said, and nodded to each of them. They left Janice''s office, then walked out of the bank to the parking lot. ¡°Wow, that was...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°A bit overwhelming?¡± Elise offered, and Ren nodded. ¡°Janice is definitely a handful when she gets going.¡± ¡°I believe my grandmother would have described her as ''a bag full of cats''.¡± Stella said, and everyone laughed. Elise and Stella helped Ren climb into the Hummer H2, stored the wheelchair in the back, and climbed in themselves. ¡°Okay, where to?¡± Elise asked as she looked at them. ¡°Back to the hospital.¡± Ren said. ¡°Come on, Ren.¡± Elise said. ¡°You just put an absurd amount of money into the bank. There''s got to be something you want to buy with it.¡± ¡°Well... there is something...¡± Ren said. After going to the big mall at the edge of town, not far from the bank, Stella wheeled Ren into a clothing store. ¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡± Elise said, as she saw what he wanted. ¡°Pajamas. With all the money you have to spend, you want new pajamas.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''m a little old for the cookie monster ones I was wearing.¡± He looked through a rack of men''s pajamas, and Elise leaned close to Stella. ¡°I thought he looked kinda cute in them, though.¡± She whispered to Stella, who smiled and nodded slightly. ¡°At first, I got him to wear them to tease him about it; but, yeah.¡± Stella whispered back. ¡°It definitely added to his cute factor.¡± Ren picked out several sets and Stella brought him to the checkout. ¡°Will that be all for today?¡± The sales lady said. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I like how they feel, I might be back to get a few more.¡± ¡°These are a men''s size.¡± She said, and glanced at Ren''s body. ¡°Are you sure these are what you want?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll try them on, and either fix them myself, or have someone do it for me.¡± ¡°We can do it right here, if you want.¡± ¡°You can?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°Of course.¡± The sales lady said and walked over to a door behind the counter. ¡°Lily, we have a few alterations today.¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± Lily said, and came out of the back room. ¡°I''ve been itching to do something with my hands all day!¡± The sales lady chuckled. ¡°Stocking the shelves is doing something with your hands.¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyone can do that.¡± She said and grinned as she waggled her fingers. ¡°Gimmie some cloth to play with!¡± ¡°Oh, you!¡± The sales lady said, and handed her the 3 sets of pajamas. ¡°Nice.¡± Lily said, as she looked at the trio of people, then down at Ren. ¡°You''ve got a good eye for fabric.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be spending a lot of time in them, so I want to be comfortable.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Lily said. ¡°Right this way.¡± She walked out from behind the counter, and Stella pushed Ren to follow her. They went to the back of the store behind a large shelf, and there was a small room with 5 mirrors. ¡°Okay. Can you put a set on so I can get the right dimensions?¡± Lily asked, then looked at Stella. ¡°I assume you''ll need to help.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°I don''t normally have to, but his elbow was dislocated recently and he needs some assistance once in a while.¡± Lily opened the back mirror to reveal a changing room. ¡°That''s so cool.¡± Ren said, and Lily smiled. ¡°I know, right?¡± She said. ¡°It''s like a secret room or something.¡± Lily handed Ren one of the sets, Stella wheeled him inside and shut the door. Ren got out of the wheelchair and started to change. Stella helped when it was needed, but she didn''t crowd him, or try to do more than was necessary. Ren put on the pajamas, and nodded to Stella. She opened the door and Ren stepped out into the mirror area. Elise held in the gasp she almost let out, and Lily grinned. ¡°Yeah, I knew that was the best one to start with.¡± She said, as Stella closed the changing room door, and Ren turned around in the mirrors. ¡°It''s definitely eye-catching.¡± Stella said. Ren was wearing a pajama set that was almost like silk. Bright red silk. It slid across his body as he moved, and he grinned at how handsome he looked. ¡°I really like these!¡± He said, and turned to Lily. ¡°I might have to close my eyes when you start pinning everything.¡± ¡°Pin?¡± Lily asked, surprised. ¡°No way, mister.¡± She said and pulled out a roll of double-sided tape from a pocket. ¡°I''ve got just the thing for you.¡± Lily proceeded to fold the fabric up and used the double-sided tape to secure it at the proper height. ¡°Okay, shift around a bit.¡± Lily said. ¡°See how much it pulls. We can''t hem it too much, or you won''t be comfortable when you move.¡± Ren did as she said, and nodded. ¡°It feels great!¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± Lily said. ¡°Now slip out of those and I''ll take them out back with the others.¡± ¡°You don''t have to do each set?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s different cloth. They won''t fit the same, will they?¡± Lily opened her mouth to respond, and Elise spoke up and interrupted her. ¡°Maybe you should try on one of the others, just to make sure.¡± Elise said. Lily shrugged. ¡°It''s no skin off my nose.¡± She said. ¡°Pass out the red ones before you change, though. I''ll have them altered and back in a jiffy.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and he and Stella went back into the changing room. Stella opened the door and passed out the pajamas a minute later, and Elise caught a glimpse of Ren in his underwear. Oh, my. Elise thought as she turned her head away, so she wouldn''t be caught staring. The door to the changing room closed and Lily disappeared around the shelf. Elise closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to calm down. I will not geek out. I will not geek out. I will not geek out. Elise repeated in her head and relaxed. How can someone so thin have such well defined muscles? Ren and Stella came out a few minutes later, and Ren wore a cotton set of pajamas, with blue and white stripes. ¡°You don''t like them?¡± Ren asked, as he saw Elise''s expression. ¡°You looked so much cuter in the red ones.¡± She said, and put a hand over her mouth. ¡°I did not say that out loud.¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°Nope, I did not.¡± Ren and Stella laughed. ¡°It''s okay to say I''m cute.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not like I don''t hear it a lot.¡± Elise dropped her hand. ¡°Well then, if that''s the case...¡± She smiled at him. ¡°...I think I saw a matching blue pair to go with the red.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Ren said. ¡°I must have missed them.¡± Lily came back with the altered pajamas and put them on a chair. ¡°Missed what?¡± ¡°A matching blue pair of those.¡± Ren said, and pointed to the red ones she had just altered. ¡°Sure.¡± Lily said. ¡°We''ve got them in a few different colors.¡± ¡°Can you get a few sets of them, please?¡± Elise''s eyes lit up. ¡°We''ve got to see how he looks in them.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back!¡± Lily said, with a huge smile on her face. She practically ran from the changing area, and Ren grinned. ¡°I think I just saw what a good commission does to someone.¡± He said, and they all had a good chuckle. Lily was back a couple of minutes later, with an arm full of clothing. ¡°Here you go.¡± She said, and put the pile down on another chair. ¡°I picked out some underwear for you, too.¡± ¡°I never thought about that.¡± Ren said, then rubbed his hips. ¡°I guess I should get new underwear.¡± ¡°You might as well.¡± Stella said. ¡°Since we''re here anyways.¡± Ren nodded, and Lily handed him several different pairs to try on, and the blue set of pajamas. Ren and Stella went into the changing room, and Lily turned to Elise. ¡°He should really like them.¡± She said, and picked up one of the other pairs of underwear to show her. ¡°It''s the same soft fabric, and they match the pajamas.¡± Elise nodded as she took it, and clamped her mouth shut so she wouldn''t sigh in pleasure. Not only do I get to dress him up, now I can picture him in matching underwear! She thought and fought her urge to rub the fabric on her cheek. Oh, what the hell. She rubbed the fabric on her face, then sighed in pleasure. ¡°Yeah, they''re great!¡± Lily said. ¡°My boyfriend loves them.¡± ¡°He does?¡± Elise asked, and handed the underwear back. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Lily said and grinned. ¡°That, and my employee discount.¡± Elise chuckled, and Ren came out in the blue pair. ¡°How do I look?¡± Ren asked Elise. ¡°Dashing.¡± She said. ¡°You look quite fashionable.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked, and turned around. ¡°Not cute and cuddly?¡± Stella snorted a laugh and shook her head. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don''t tease the poor woman.¡± ¡°You really do look dashing.¡± Elise said. ¡°I didn''t want to say ''cute and cuddly'', in case you might get insulted.¡± She grinned. ¡°I''m thinking it, though.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Thanks.¡± He looked at Lily. ¡°I''ll take 7 pairs of underwear, and the matching pajama sets.¡± ¡°Which colors?¡± Lily asked, her eyes bright. ¡°The red and blue, a green, a purple, yellow, gray, and...¡± He looked through the pile. ¡°...this one.¡± He held up a sky blue/silver one that matched his eyes almost perfectly. ¡°Wonderful!¡± Lily said. ¡°Take that one off and I can get it done up right away.¡± Ren and Stella went back into the changing room, and Stella handed out the pajamas and underwear a minute later. Lily gathered up the pajama sets Ren wanted altered, and disappeared again. Elise stared at the pair of underwear that Ren had just worn, and she started to sweat a little. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. I will not take them. I will not take them. I will not take them. Elise repeated in her head, then sighed and opened her eyes as she heard the changing room door open. They would have caught me with his underwear if I''d picked them up. She thought in relief as they came out, with Ren in the wheelchair. They walked out to the front desk and waited for Lily to finish her work. Surprisingly, 7 sets of alterations didn''t take that long, and Ren commented about that to Lily. ¡°We''ve got the best sewing machine in the world!¡± Lily said. ¡°You do one pattern, set it, and then hit repeat.¡± She smiled. ¡°Then you just run another bit of cloth through, and bam. Same alteration.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°No wonder you like your work.¡± Lily grinned. ¡°The commissions help make that possible, too.¡± Ren grinned back at her, then paid with his new debit card. The clerk bagged everything up for Ren, and the unlikely trio left the store. ¡°Now that you''ve had a taste of custom clothing, what do you think?¡± Elise asked. ¡°That was kind of fun.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve never tried on clothes like that before.¡± ¡°I''m glad I was there to experience your first time.¡± Elise said, then grinned as Stella laughed. ¡°I could make several jokes about that statement.¡± Stella said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said, and his stomach rumbled. ¡°Is anyone else hungry?¡± He asked and looked at the two women. ¡°My treat.¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''d planned on making you your favorite can of soup.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Okay, now I have to insist on eating out.¡± He said. ¡°Ladies choice... as long as they serve hamburgers and gravy fries.¡± It was Stella''s turn to snort a laugh, and they piled back into Elise''s Hummer H2. ¡°Thank you so much for this.¡± Ren said, and turned to face Elise as they pulled out of the parking lot of the mall. ¡°You weren''t even supposed to bring over the checks, and here you are, driving us all around town on my whims.¡± Elise smiled at him. ¡°That''s only fair, as this all started on my own whim to visit you.¡± ¡°You''re taking a lot of time away from work, though.¡± Ren countered. ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Elise said and grinned. ¡°I booked in a replacement for today when I got the package from the television station last night.¡± ¡°So, you''d planned to stay a little longer than the half hour or so for the ''update'' to the system?¡± Ren asked, with a sly smile on his face. ¡°Guilty.¡± Elise said. ¡°I was going to offer to take you out to lunch, actually.¡± She looked at Stella in the rear view mirror. ¡°Once I quietly asked permission of the appropriate authority, of course.¡± Stella nodded to her, and she put her eyes back to the road. ¡°So, where are we headed?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I haven''t been to a lot of places.¡± ¡°Amazon Jim''s.¡± Elise said. ¡°They''ve got the best burgers in town.¡± ¡°What about the french fries?¡± ¡°I believe it''s called ''Endless Fries''.¡± Elise said, then laughed at Ren''s joyous expression. ¡°Well, don''t just drive there, Elise! Step on it!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Endless Fries hasn''t met my Endless Stomach yet!¡± Chapter 174 - Its So Fluffy ¡°I thought you were going to have a hamburger?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Why would I fill up on healthy protein and bread, when I can suck down grease and salt like there''s no tomorrow?¡± Ren said as he pulled a gravy-coated french fry from the pile and shoved it into his mouth. ¡°Because you''ll want to live until tomorrow?¡± Stella asked, then laughed as Ren picked up another fry, stuck the end in his mouth, and sucked it in with a loud slurping sound. ¡°I hope you realize that you''re going to have plain white rice and water for supper.¡± Ren picked up another french fry, tilted his head back, and dropped it in his mouth. ¡°Totally worth it.¡± Elise smiled as she leaned closer to Stella. ¡°Is he always like this to be around?¡± ¡°No.¡± Stella said and grinned. ¡°Sometimes he''s happy.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. It was lucky for Stella that he had been between eating fries; or there would have been bits of fries strewn all across the table. Elise chuckled for a few moments, then looked at Stella. ¡°How''s the testing coming along?¡± ¡°I''ve already got my baseline stats recorded and indexed.¡± She said. ¡°It took a while to get things set up at my place, but everything is ready to go now.¡± ¡°What about Ren?¡± Elise asked. ¡°This is my first day back with Ren since I got the headsets, so I haven''t gotten his baseline done yet.¡± Stella looked at him. ¡°He''s already had a full day of excitement, and it''s only just past noon.¡± She said. ¡°I might have to wait until we have a normal day before getting his stats.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°His levels will definitely be skewed today.¡± She said. ¡°What preliminary tests are you using to-¡± ¡°No work at the dinner table, young lady.¡± Ren said, and pointed a french fry at Elise. ¡°You are to sit there, look pretty, and enjoy our company like a good girl.¡± He saw the gravy was about to slide off of the french fry and ate it. ¡°You can worry about work when the meal is done.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Elise beamed a smile at him. ¡°You better not try to tell me that.¡± Stella said, while trying to stop herself from laughing. ¡°Like you''d listen to what I say.¡± Ren rolled his eyes, then grinned after he ate another french fry. ¡°I know the limits of my awesome cuteness powers.¡± Elise laughed and Stella joined her. They enjoyed the rest of the meal while they shared small talk. When they were done, they left the restaurant and climbed back into the Hummer H2. ¡°Oh, that was delicious! Thanks, Ren!¡± Ren said, and rubbed his slightly bulged stomach. ¡°You''re welcome, stomach. But don''t expect this treat every day!¡± He said and pat it. ¡°Maybe once a week. You can''t be greedy.¡± ¡°Once a week, he says.¡± Stella shook her head and smiled. ¡°You''ll be lucky to get that once a month. If that.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Ren said. He covered his mouth with a hand, turned towards the window, then burped. ¡°Excuse me.¡± He said, then turned back to look at Stella. ¡°My stomach just protested your unfair terms of feeding it.¡± Elise snorted a laugh. ¡°I think someone is suffering from gravy shock.¡± She said. ¡°What''s your professional opinion, Stella?¡± ¡°In my professional opinion, he will be spending more time in the bathroom this evening than he thinks he will.¡± ¡°I didn''t really need that image in my head.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°Thanks a lot!¡± ¡°I''m always glad to help.¡± Stella said and grinned. Elise drove through the city, and back to the hospital. She pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop in the same spot she''d had when she''d been there before. ¡°It was really nice spending this time with the both of you.¡± Elise said, as she turned to look at Ren, then at Stella. ¡°I don''t remember the last time I had this much fun, without loud music and free drinks being involved.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Ren said as he took off his seat belt, and the two women laughed. Elise got out and went around to the back of the H2, and Stella was quick to follow. They got the wheelchair out and went to Ren''s door. ¡°Come on, you lush.¡± Stella said, after Elise opened the passenger door. ¡°We''ve used up enough of Elise''s time today.¡± ¡°It''s really all right.¡± Elise said as Ren climbed down out of the seat. ¡°I''m actually tempted to keep chauffeuring you around town...¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°...but I think we''ve pretty much worn you out for today.¡± Ren sighed as he sat in the wheelchair. ¡°I''m not sure if it was the company, or the gravy fries.¡± ¡°Gravy fries.¡± Elise and Stella said at the same time, then laughed again. ¡°Four helpings of gravy fries, to be exact.¡± Ren said, and grinned as Stella shook her head. ¡°I take care of you, and I have no idea where you put it all.¡± ¡°Match called for time. Endless stomach, one; endless gravy fries, zero.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tune in next time for the rematch. Will the stomach prevail again, or will the gravy fries finally get it''s tasty revenge?¡± ¡°I know you can''t be this funny all the time.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°But if I didn''t have to work for a living, I swear I could just hang around and listen to you talk all day.¡± ¡°I spend most of the day playing F.L.O.W., so you''re not missing much witty banter.¡± Ren said. ¡°I do have my moments to shine, though.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Elise grinned and turned to Stella. ¡°Thanks for letting me come along.¡± ¡°Come along?¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°You practically hijacked us.¡± She smiled. ¡°We''d have gone straight to the bank and come right back hours ago.¡± ¡°Thanks for not complaining, then.¡± Elise said. ¡°Don''t forget the bags.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Stella said, and went to the back storage area to get Ren''s things. Elise crouched down to an almost kneeling position to look Ren in the eyes. ¡°And thank you, Ren.¡± She held out a hand for him to shake. ¡°I had a great time.¡± Ren took her hand; but instead of shaking her hand like normal, he automatically did what he would do when he greeted a woman in the dwarf kingdom. Since he knew his place in her social standing, he turned her hand to the side to have it face him, and placed a light kiss on her fingers. ¡°It was nice spending time with you, too.¡± Ren said, and let her hand go. ¡°I hope we can do it again sometime.¡± ¡°S-s-so do I.¡± Elise said, completely flustered. Her face flushed a little red as she stood up. ¡°I better get him inside.¡± Stella said, as she came back with the bags. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°B-bye.¡± Elise said as Stella rolled Ren across the parking lot and into the hospital. * Elise watched the hospital doors close, walked around to the driver''s side of the H2 in kind of a daze, then climbed in. Oh, my GOD! She thought, as she cupped the hand Ren had kissed to her large chest. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. I will not geek out. I will not geek out. I will not... oh, god... I''m geeking out! She started to shake with giddiness, and let out a chuckle of laughter. ¡°He kissed my hand!¡± * Ren signed back in at the main desk, and Stella took him up the elevator and to his room. He got out of the wheelchair and she handed him one of the bags. ¡°I assume you want to wear the red one first.¡± Stella said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and put the bag on the bed. He unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off, then tried to fold it. ¡°I''ll do that in a minute.¡± Stella said and took the shirt from him. She then took out the red pajama top and held it out for him to slide into. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and buttoned it up. He picked up the bag and went into the bathroom. He came out a couple of minutes later wearing the full set. ¡°I feel a lot more grown up wearing something like this.¡± He handed her his pants and she folded them up. ¡°You look a lot more grown up wearing that.¡± Stella said, and put his clothes away. ¡°You made a good choice.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, then put a hand on her arm. ¡°Thank you for today.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°It''s my job.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± He said. ¡°You got yourself certified to take me outside all on your own.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''d be stuck in here, with my only way out being the virtual world.¡± ¡°I couldn''t let that happen.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''d wither away if you didn''t go out every so often.¡± ¡°You see? Caring about me like that is not your job.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, thank you.¡± ¡°Get in bed before you make me blush, you rascal.¡± Stella said, put away the papers from the bank and the television series contract, and locked the cabinet. ¡°You need to rest after all of this excitement.¡± ¡°You don''t have to tell me twice.¡± Ren said, and climbed into bed. When he got settled, he grinned. ¡°Ohhhh, yeahhhhh. That''s comfy.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Your other pajamas were comfy, too.¡± ¡°These have matching underwear, though.¡± ¡°Is that a challenge?¡± Stella asked and grinned. ¡°I''ll go out tomorrow and find a nice pair of comfy Cookie Monster underwear for you.¡± ¡°No, that''s okay.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°These new jockey shorts are just fine, thanks.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I''m sure Elise wouldn''t mind seeing you in them.¡± ¡°You saw how she reacted when I came out wearing these.¡± Ren chuckled as he plucked at the new pajamas. ¡°I think she''d enjoy seeing me wear pretty much anything.¡± Stella grinned. ¡°You caught that, did you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m sure if I decided to buy a whole new wardrobe, she''d practically hold me hostage as I tried everything on for her.¡± ¡°I think you''d be the one holding her hostage.¡± Stella said. ¡°She''s got it for you pretty bad.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no doubt that she likes me...¡± He saw Stella''s glare, and smiled. ¡°Okay, she likes me a lot.¡± He said. ¡°But, there''s no way she''d... ah...¡± ¡°...want to take a ride on the Ren Train?¡± Stella suggested. ¡°Yeah, that.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°She seemed pretty receptive to your charms.¡± Stella said. ¡°You aren''t that funny all the time, you know.¡± She grinned again, and Ren nodded. ¡°Okay, point taken.¡± Stella pulled the rollaway table over when he asked, and Ren checked his emails. There was nothing new except spam, so he closed his email program and then thought about what he needed to do before he had to leave the Dwarven Kingdom. He looked up a building pattern for a nice-sized mansion, then practiced drawing it out so he could duplicate it in the game. Once he had that done, he looked up some lingerie patterns. The game seemed to be severely lacking in undergarments for women, so Ren decided that it was something that he would have to include; either in his own business, or he''d make another one. Once he had a dozen outfit patterns memorized, he moved the laptop out of the way and looked at his watch. ¡°I''ve got about 4 hours of night left.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think I''ll log in and grab a few hours sleep before I start work.¡± ¡°Yes, only sleep.¡± Stella said, and glanced down at him. ¡°I''ll have the replacements stashed in your cubby hole before you log out for supper.¡± ¡°Thanks, Stella.¡± Ren said, and she helped him put on the VR headset. ¡°I''ll try to keep myself restrained until then.¡± ¡°You''d better keep your hands off those cute dwarves if you''re not wearing protection, little stud!¡± She tickled his underarms and he laughed. ¡°Or you''ll mess up these great new pajamas.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Ren said. ¡°I promise!¡± ¡°Good.¡± Stella said, and straightened his clothing. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch and didn''t see anyone. Teepo? ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo said, and flew over to the couch. ¡°You''re back early.¡± Yeah, it didn''t take as long as I thought it would. Ren thought and stood up. What''s the situation like? ¡°Narhilda was in meetings nearly all day after you left. She had to sign a bunch of papers and scrolls, and so did Fritz.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They finished transferring power to her about 6 hours ago.¡± I''m glad. Ren thought as he walked over to the nearest table, and took out several sheets of parchment. I was a little worried there would be protests over Fritz giving up all that power so easily. Ren started to draw out the plans for the mansion. ¡°No one said a word, not even the Council.¡± Teepo said. ¡°When one of them tried, Riley growled at them.¡± Who was it? ¡°Thanyur Faldihr of course.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Ren nodded absently, and finished the plans for the mansion. He stored it, then did a pile of quick sketches for the lingerie he had memorized, and stored them as well. He could finish adding in the details later. Are Nathalia and Narhilda here? ¡°Yeah, they''re in the bedroom.¡± Teepo said. See you in the morning. Ren thought, and went to the bedroom. Goodnight. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Ren opened the door and crept into the bedroom, and over to the bed. He saw Riley and Stacy sitting beside the bed as if they were end tables, and he concentrated on his mental link to them, and sent them his gratitude. He stored his red House Neram outfit, equipped his armor''s bodysuit, and slid into bed behind the closest woman. They were spooning each other, so he cuddled in close and took them into a hug. Nathalia was the the one in front, and she stirred slightly, looked at him briefly, then hugged his arm. Ren felt both happy and sad, as this was probably the last time he would get to do this; then drifted off to sleep while holding them both. Ren woke up the next morning, just over 3 hours later, and sighed. That was not enough sleep. He thought. ¡°I''ll wake you in an hour.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Narhilda''s first meeting isn''t for another hour and a half.¡± Thanks, buddy. Ren thought, and closed his eyes. I''m a lot more tired than I thought I was. The hour passed by in the blink of an eye, and Teepo woke Ren up. Yeah, I''m definitely tired. Ren said and tried to pull his arm out of Nathalia''s grasp. It feels like I just closed my eyes. She wouldn''t let go, and murmured that she didn''t want to wake up. ¡°Come on, sleeping beauties.¡± Ren said in a normal voice, instead of a whisper. ¡°Narhilda has to get ready for her first meeting.¡± Both women sighed, and tried to hold onto his arm instead of letting it go. ¡°Believe me, I''d much rather spend a few more hours cuddled together.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t disappoint the Kingdom by being late, though.¡± ¡°It''s just an agriculture meeting.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°We can be late for that.¡± ¡°How late is late?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If the meeting is only an hour, and we stay in bed another hour or so...¡± Nathalia sighed and let his arm go, and Narhilda did the same. Ren sat up in the bed and looked at them. ¡°I assume you''ve got to get dressed.¡± Ren said. ¡°So you''ve only got a half an hour to get ready.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Narhilda said, and sat up as well. ¡°We can''t pretend to be asleep anymore, Nathalia.¡± ¡°Yes, we can.¡± Nathalia said, and didn''t move. ¡°The world doesn''t need us yet. Ren does.¡± Ren got up and walked around the bed to her and knelt down. ¡°I''m always going to need you, Nathalia.¡± He said and kissed her. ¡°The entire population of the Kingdom is depending on you making their new monarch look so pretty they can''t breathe.¡± Nathalia chuckled and opened her eyes. ¡°Okay, fine.¡± She sat up and looked at Narhilda with a huge grin on her face. ¡°I''ve got a lot of work ahead of me.¡± Narhilda fake gasped. ¡°You shouldn''t insult the ruler of your land like that!¡± ¡°Ladies, please.¡± Ren said, and they both turned to him. He stood up and held a hand out to both of them. ¡°It''s hard enough for me not being able to stay here all day with you; stalling is not helping the situation.¡± They took his extended hands, and he helped them stand up. They only wore their dress slips, and Ren hugged them close. He gave Narhilda a quick kiss. ¡°Go out there and make this Kingdom a better place, just like it should be.¡± Ren said. ¡°Show them how great you are, and what you can do.¡± He turned his head to Nathalia and gave her a quick kiss, too. ¡°Your job is to take care of her every need before she knows she needs it.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°I know that.¡± ¡°Well, she needs to get dressed and ready for the meeting.¡± Ren said. ¡°What should you be doing right now?¡± ¡°Making love to you.¡± Nathalia said without missing a beat, and he chuckled. ¡°If we had the time, not only would it have happened already, we''d all still be in the bed.¡± Ren said and grinned. Nathalia rolled her eyes at him, and sighed as she hugged him close. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll come back tonight and make sure I keep you awake for a few hours. At least.¡± ¡°You''d better!¡± Nathalia said and kissed him. When they broke the kiss, he looked at Narhilda. ¡°You''ll get the same amount of attention, I assure you.¡± ¡°I have no doubt.¡± Narhilda smiled and kissed him, too. Ren let them out of the hug. ¡°Now get going.¡± He said, and lightly slapped them on their butts at the same time. ¡°You''ve got work to do.¡± Both women''s mouths dropped open in surprise and jumped slightly. Ren smiled crookedly and admired their chests as they jiggled. The two women stared at him as he held his hands in front of his own chest, and did pincer movements with the index finger and thumb of both hands. ¡°Don''t make me use the key!¡± Ren said, and reached for their butts to pinch them. ¡°Aahhh!¡± They said together in mock horror, covered their butt cheeks with their hands, and Ren chased them around the bedroom for a few minutes. Riley and Stacy were up for a bit of chase the prey, and joined in. They hopped onto the bed, and barked a few times, then helped Ren chase them down. He caught them easily, flipped up their slips, and kissed their cheek instead of pinching them. After a bit of laughter and some giggling, he helped Nathalia get Narhilda ready for the first meeting, and equipped his Travelling Clothes and Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. ¡°I''ll see you tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°The mines are only half an hour outside of the city. I can run that far practically asleep.¡± They nodded slightly to him, then there was a knock on the door. ¡°One moment.¡± Narhilda said, and turned to Ren. ¡°Do you remember what you said to me after you told me you loved me?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was an important moment in my life.¡± ¡°It has to apply in this case as well.¡± She said, a little sadly. ¡°Of course, My Lady.¡± Ren said, and bowed slightly to her. ¡°No public signs of affection can be seen; but while in the bedroom, there''s no holds barred.¡± She bit her lip slightly, and looked at him expectantly. He grinned and kissed her passionately. She hugged him closely and kissed him back. He broke the kiss a moment later, and stepped back. Narhilda''s face was flushed slightly red, and he smiled. ¡°Come.¡± Ren said, and the door opened to show Dural standing there, with a group of dwarves behind him. ¡°Ah! I see you''re ready for the meeting. Excellent.¡± He said and stepped aside. ¡°Shall we go?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Narhilda said and Riley and Stacy took up their positions on either side of her. Ren hooked Nathalia''s arm and pulled her close. He kissed her just as passionately as he''d kissed Narhilda. She ran a hand through his hair and when he broke the kiss, she was a little breathless. Several of the dwarves in the hall chuckled. ¡°Wh-what was that for?¡± Nathalia asked, and blinked at him. ¡°I love you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have a good day at work.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Nathalia said, and followed Narhilda and the dogs out of the apartment. Ren waited for a couple of minutes to give them time to get to where they were going, then left the apartment himself with Teepo flying ahead of him. It didn''t take long to get back to the lobby, now that he knew where to go, and he walked down the hallway to the passage into the Main Keep. Ren approached the hidden door, concentrated on it, and thought Deactivate. The door appeared and he opened it, stepped through, and closed it. The door disappeared again, and Ren shook his head. I have got to learn how to do that. Ren thought and walked down the hallway. ¡°It''s probably a spell.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I don''t remember you saying you saw any runes.¡± They might be hidden. Ren thought. I wonder who I could ask about it? ¡°Probably the Enchanter''s Guild, but I don''t know if they''d tell you anything.¡± Yeah, enchanters guard their secrets even harder than dwarves do. Ren chuckled. Can you imagine how secretive a dwarf enchanter is? ¡°I think the word ''hermit'' comes to mind.¡± Ren smiled as he turned into the General Records room and walked over to the desk with the female dwarf sitting there. ¡°Hey, you.¡± She said. ¡°No ''your highness'', ''your majesty'', ''your grace'', or anything?¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I think we know each other enough to get by all of that.¡± She chuckled. ¡°What can I do for you today?¡± ¡°I need a copy of a standard indentured servitude form.¡± Ren said. ¡°And I''d like to know how to make doors invisible.¡± She raised her eyebrows at him. ¡°Here''s the form.¡± She grabbed it from a pile without looking at it. ¡°You don''t have the qualifications for the other knowledge.¡± ¡°What qualifications?¡± ¡°You need to be a magic user to cast the spell.¡± You were right, Teepo. It is a spell. Ren thought, and felt Teepo''s amusement. ¡°I can use a wand.¡± Ren said, and the female dwarf looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You have a wand.¡± She asked. ¡°A blank wand.¡± Ren nodded slightly and took out one of the fireball wands and absorbed the charges in it. He held it out to her, and she examined it. ¡°Well, damn.¡± She said and looked at him. ¡°You do realize what this means.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I can put any spell in it, assuming I have the Mana available for it.¡± ¡°It''s only a level 1 wand, though.¡± ¡°A what?¡± She smiled. ¡°It would need to be at least a level 3 wand to hold the spell.¡± Ren looked at the skill and frowned because it didn''t say anything about a wand level. ¡°How many levels of wand are there?¡± ¡°Five.¡± She said, and Ren nodded slightly. It''s a level for each stage of advancement. Ren thought. Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert, and Master. ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said. ¡°Major Healing is a level 1 wand spell?¡± She nodded. ¡°Anything a basic magic user can use is level 1. As they advance in levels, new spells are unlocked.¡± ¡°Can you give me the spell anyway?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ll get a level 3 wand eventually.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don''t have the spells here, all I could have done was given you a recommendation for the Mage Guild.¡± ¡°Oh. Well, thanks for the information.¡± Ren said, and read the indentured servitude form. ¡°Wow, this thing sucks.¡± The female dwarf laughed. ¡°Indentured servitude isn''t supposed to be a picnic lunch.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I mean this literally states that you have to do whatever the holder of the contract says.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Why is this thing even legal?¡± ¡°The Council voted it in years ago.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Yeah, and people stopped reading it soon after that.¡± She looked at him like he was crazy, and he laughed. ¡°Is there any chance I can modify this, submit it as an alteration, and use it until the Council votes on it in a month and a half?¡± She smiled at him, and nodded slightly. ¡°There''s precedent for that, sure.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Ren said and took out a piece of parchment, and copied the form nearly word for word, but changed the wording slightly in one section, so that someone could only be ordered to do the job they were hired for, and nothing else. It wouldn''t stop people from being hired specifically to be used as sex objects; but, at least someone hired to mine wouldn''t be contractually obligated to do everything the boss asked for. He handed it to the female dwarf, and she read it. Her eyes widened at the implications of that one changed sentence, and she stared at Ren. ¡°Why hasn''t anyone caught this before?¡± She asked. ¡°You''re all so caught up in how things are done, no one is thinking about how things ''should'' be done.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I''m a fresh set of eyes. I''ve gotten really good at finding loopholes in things.¡± She smiled. ¡°You know what?¡± She asked as she stamped the new contract form with something. ¡°I''m not even going to put this in the ''Pending for Review'' file.¡± She got up and went to another file cabinet and opened the drawer. ¡°This is going right into the ''Confirmed and Waiting for Approval'' file.¡± She slipped the new form in, and closed the drawer. She came back over to the desk and sat down. ¡°It should slip right through, and no one is even going to look at it twice before approving it.¡± ¡°Oh, you''re sneaky.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°You flatterer.¡± She laughed as she handed him a copy of the new form. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I assume you''ve heard that I''ll be leaving soon.¡± She nodded slightly and sighed. ¡°I had the morning off for the execution.¡± ¡°Then I need to give you a new toy before I leave.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I''ve still got the one you gave me.¡± ¡°That old thing?¡± Ren said, and walked around to her side of the desk. He took her hand, and she waited in anticipation for what came next. He didn''t let her down, and kissed her cheek. She blushed slightly, and put a hand up to cover the spot. Ren took out a platinum coin after distracting her. ¡°This one spins much better.¡± Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head as Ren spun the dragon-faced coin on her desk. ¡°Thank you so much for all of your help.¡± He said and walked away. * He... he did not... he didn''t... She thought, as the coin came to a stop and fell onto it''s side and the dragon''s face stared up at her. * Ren left the Main Keep and everyone stared at him as he passed. I''m not even concentrating on my Aura, and they still stare. ¡°It''s not your Aura, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Haven''t you noticed that they are all smiling at you?¡± Ren looked a little more closely at some of the people, then smiled himself and started to run. He ran all the way back to House Neram Keep and was greeted by Wohrum and Golir. He nodded slightly to them, and went inside the stable to check on Princess. She''d been well fed, and greeted him as if he''d been there the whole time. He told her to run on her track if she wanted, and she huffed at him. Ren went into the house and checked on the baby fire elemental, and saw it was nearly 6 inches across. There were still a few squares of fabric left in the pen, too. ¡°You''re getting big.¡± Ren said and picked it up. ¡°Yes, you are!¡± He tickled it, and heard a crackling fire. ¡°I can''t leave you here, since I don''t know when I''ll be back.¡± Ren said and stored the pen he''d made and put the baby fire elemental in the hood of his cloak. He went into the kitchen and looked in the icebox. It was still nearly full of food, so he stored the icebox and locked the house when he left. He went out to the guards and told them to let Princess out to run on her track if she wanted, and he''d be back in a few days to get her to go for a long run. Ren ran up to the workshop and saw several women there working. ¡°How''s everything coming along?¡± Ren asked them, and they smiled. ¡°We''ll have this all gone by the end of next week.¡± One of them said. ¡°We''re up to 800 bags a day now!¡± Ren chuckled as he remembered her. ¡°Come inside for a minute, please.¡± The women stopped shoveling and went inside as Ren held the door for them. He went inside and only saw a few sacks of cement. ¡°Tee-one takes them every hour or so.¡± Dorathy said as she sewed up another sack. ¡°Ruck''s really good at sewing, too!¡± ¡°I''m sure you''ve taught him well.¡± Ren said, then repaired the women''s clothing and equipment. ¡°I assume you''ve heard that I''ll have to leave in a few months.¡± The women became sad and nodded slightly. ¡°We feel really bad about that.¡± One of them said. ¡°You''ve done so much for everyone, and they''re making you leave.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°At least they didn''t say, ''right away''.¡± Some of them gasped, because they hadn''t thought of that possibility. ¡°That''s why I came here today, before I go to start my sentence.¡± ¡°Hard labor in the mines!¡± Another woman said. ¡°I can''t believe it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± He said. ¡°Hard labor for me is just labor.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°I''m really glad to hear that.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°I''m happy about that, too.¡± ¡°Can I pet your hair?¡± Several women laughed, and the woman blushed from embarrassment. Ren went to her and knelt in front of her. ¡°Go ahead.¡± He said. ¡°You''re not going to get another chance.¡± ¡°Th-th-thank you!¡± She said, and blushed deeply as she put a hand on his head and ruffled his hair. ¡°By the gods, that''s...¡± She put her other hand in and grinned. ¡°...it''s so FLUFFY!¡± ¡°Now I have to touch it, too!¡± One of the others said, then Ren was swamped with women''s hands ruffling his hair before he could say ''one at a time''. A few minutes later, he stood up and his hair was a mass of fluff. The women laughed as he tried to fix it; but, it was well and truly messed up. ¡°I''m sor... okay, I''m not sorry.¡± The one who''d asked first, said. ¡°I''ve wanted to do that since the first time I saw that mass of hair.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I get that reaction a lot.¡± ¡°I hope... I hope you''ll be happy wherever you go.¡± ¡°I''m sure I will be.¡± Ren took her hand and bent over it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Her blush returned at the Honor gain, and Ren looked at the women. ¡°I promised you all a shiny new toy a while ago; and since I don''t know when I can get back here to give it to you, it will have to be now.¡± He took out a platinum coin and gave one to each of them. They all stared at it, and he smiled. ¡°It spins like crazy.¡± He said, then showed them how to do it. ¡°When you get bored of playing with it, just toss it in your coin pouch.¡± Chapter 175 - Oops! Ren left the women standing there in shock, then left to go down to the stable and stored the 15 crates of diamond crystals he''d left there. He went back up to the workshop and went into the forge room and saw Tee-one making a normal bow. ¡°Hi, Tee-one.¡± ¡°Hello, Ren.¡± ¡°What''s the progress on the bows?¡± ¡°I finished the 100 longbows. There was enough left over from each tree to make a short bow, so I''ve got a hundred of them, too. I''m three-quarters of the way through the normal bows you asked me to make, and I haven''t started the trees designated for short bows yet.¡± ¡°That''s excellent.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t remember getting any popups, though.¡± ¡°That''s because I can only use your skills, I can''t increase them.¡± ¡°What about your own level?¡± ¡°I received the popups for levels, but haven''t allocated any points yet.¡± ¡°You haven''t?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I wanted to talk to you first, and discuss where they should be spent.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°You didn''t have to do that; but now that I''m here, show me what you have.¡± Tee-one showed him what he had, and Ren made suggestions for the best use of the points. ¡°You''ll definitely want higher Strength and Dexterity.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re the best stats for working with your hands. Endurance is a good one as well, so you can keep going and not have to worry about stopping to rest.¡± ¡°I don''t rest, anyways.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Would Endurance let me work faster?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Not if you''re using my skills as if they were your own.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll have to bring my skill level up if you want to work faster. Sorry.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ll keep working at this pace.¡± ¡°When you''re done with that, I''d like for you to start working on the Keep.¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°I already have everything stored.¡± Ren took out the customized cart and told him how to mix the cement, and then how to add the rebar to the walls, put up the wooden mold pieces, and fill them. ¡°Each section takes a day to dry, then you remove the wood mold, dig the next level to let the dirt fill in the newly cemented part, add the rebar and the mold, then mix more cement to fill it.¡± Ren said. ¡°By my calculations, just by doing the wooden mold every day, the entire outside of the Keep will be repaired in a month.¡± ¡°What about the inside?¡± ¡°I''ll worry about that when the outside is done.¡± Ren said. ¡°With the rebar sticking out 3 inches on the inside, it''ll be child''s play to attach support rebar and fill the floor and wall molds with cement.¡± ¡°You can also get away with thinner walls, if each floor is reinforced.¡± ¡°Now you''re getting it.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Once the outside is secured, it will provide a fantastic support base for everything inside.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°I''ll have as much iron ore sent here as soon as I can.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be working at the new mines for the next 3 months, then I''ll have a month to finish everything before I have to leave.¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°I''ll get as much done as I can.¡± He said and finished another bow, stored it, and took out another springy tree, cut it in half, and started making another normal bow. ¡°Hold on a minute.¡± Ren said, and took out the lingerie plans he had. He finished adding in the details, and memorized them. Using his Pattern Making skill, he made several permutations of them, adding frills, lace, cutouts, and anything else he could think of. By the time he was done, instead of the dozen outfits he''d memorized in real life, he had nearly 60 outfits, and twice that in single bras and panties. Tee-one''s eyes widened as he gained access to the patterns. ¡°I assume you want me to make some of these.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You might as well do something else while you wait for the cement to dry.¡± He took out the bolt of see-through fabric, bolt of lace, and bolt of frills. He made a large crate, then lined it with regular cloth. ¡°I''ll want 6 of each outfit, and a dozen each of the bras and underwear.¡± ¡°You don''t know that many women, Ren.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren laughed. ¡°They aren''t gifts; although that''s a good idea.¡± He said. ¡°I''m planning on opening a storefront with them.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°I have the plans for a mansion, but we can build that when my sentence is up.¡± ¡°With cement?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, just wood.¡± He said. ¡°It''ll go fast if we prefabricate everything, then assemble it.¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± ¡°I borrowed it from a lumber worker in Aurora.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll let you get back to work.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren. See you in a couple of days.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± Ren said, and left the forge room. The women were still standing there, staring at the coin in their hands. ¡°I can give you another toy, if you don''t like that one.¡± He said, and it snapped them out of their shock. ¡°No... no no no...¡± Dorathy said. ¡°You...¡± She shook her head. ¡°You really are crazy.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I sure am.¡± He said. ¡°Especially since you''re still getting paid for your work every day.¡± ¡°WWHHHAATTT?¡± ¡°That''s not pay.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s a toy.¡± He laughed as he turned around and went into Dorcot''s area, then saw he was hard at work carving a new diamond. Ren waited until he took his chisel away from the surface of the crystal before speaking. ¡°Sorry to bother you, Dorcot.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need a bit of a favor, and I don''t know if you''re going to like it.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± He looked up at Ren. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I need about 300 round-cut diamonds, one inch in diameter.¡± ¡°That''s no problem.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°You''ve got another odd-sized crate of crystals, right?¡± Ren nodded and took it out for him, then took out a few more for him to play with. ¡°I thought you might be angry about destroying a large crystal by cutting it up.¡± Dorcot shook his head. ¡°It''s easier to make the same cuts over and over, than to try and make something new every time.¡± ¡°I''d like to have them by the end of the week.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is that too soon?¡± Dorcot smiled. ¡°It is if I take a few days off.¡± ¡°Then don''t worry about it until next week.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be working the mines for the next three months, and I''m making a workshop there. I need to grind some skills up, so I wanted the diamonds for making wands.¡± ¡°I was joking Ren.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°I don''t need a few days off.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s okay if you do.¡± Dorcot laughed. ¡°I had all the free time I ever wanted, before I started working for you.¡± He said. ¡°I''m pretty sure I''ve had enough of it.¡± Ren checked the middle drawer of the workbench, and dumped the diamonds into inventory. He gave Dorcot the appropriate amount of platinum in exchange, and Dorcot shook his head. ¡°I don''t need any more money, Ren.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°We''ve already bought pretty much everything that we''ll ever need now.¡± He said. ¡°Even a boat.¡± He laughed again. ¡°Can you imagine? I bought a boat!¡± ¡°So did I.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Right after you did.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°You did?¡± Dorcot asked. ¡°It''s bigger than mine, isn''t it?¡± ¡°Put it this way.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Your boat would fit inside one of the cabins.¡± ¡°You bought a SHIP?!?¡± Dorcot exclaimed, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah. It was quite a deal, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°It should be done in a couple of weeks.¡± Dorcot shook his head. ¡°What in the world are you going to do with a ship?¡± ¡°Fill it with stuff, of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a lot here to bring when I leave.¡± ¡°You sure do.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°I feel sorry for our land, now that you''re leaving.¡± ¡°You don''t have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Narhilda will keep things going, and get this land back to the way it should be.¡± Dorcot nodded slightly. ¡°I think we''re all going to hope for that now.¡± Ren put a hand on Dorcot''s shoulder. ¡°Don''t worry. She''s a good woman. This land is in good hands.¡± ¡°Thanks to you.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°This is all just a by-product of the Council having it out for me.¡± He said. ¡°My trip here would have turned out a lot differently if it wasn''t for that.¡± Dorcot laughed. ¡°Yeah, Lord Lodur wouldn''t have gotten such a sore neck.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''m sorry that it came down to that; but I won''t complain about it, either. He''s had something coming for years.¡± He said. ¡°I thought it was going to be jail time, though.¡± ¡°He wouldn''t have served a day.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°He owns the Garrison.¡± ¡°He what?!?¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°You... you mean?¡± ¡°They''re all his personal army.¡± ¡°He''s been protecting the land?¡± Dorcot nodded. ¡°House Lodur was the only one with enough money to fund it. Access to nearly an endless supply of building materials was a factor, too.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess that''s why Lord Lodur thought he could get away with everything.¡± Dorcot nodded. ¡°I wonder what''s going to happen now.¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll have to think about it.¡± ¡°Have fun worrying about something you shouldn''t worry about.¡± Dorcot said, then laughed as he turned back to his workbench. ¡°Like you need more stuff to worry about.¡± ¡°See you later, Dorcot.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Ren left Dorcot to work, and left the workshop. Once outside, he looked at the large wall he''d built to block off the spider lair cave. ¡°No time like the present.¡± Ren said, then stored it. He dropped to a knee, and grunted. When he looked into his inventory, he saw it only took up a single slot. ¡°I''m glad I forgot... to clear out my inventory first... considering I didn''t have to.¡± He stood up and took a deep breath, then walked back into the workshop and into the forge room. ¡°I forgot to tell you... how to get to the Keep''s underground passage.¡± Ren said to Tee-one, and lifted the paving stone hatch he''d made. ¡°Follow me... please.¡± He ducked down into the passage and Tee-one followed him. They went down into the underground, and Ren showed him how to put in the rebar, and installed the mold pieces in the part he''d already dug out. ¡°Now... the hard part.¡± Ren said, and equipped his armor and shield. ¡°Take out... your swords.¡± Tee-one took them out and prepared for battle. ¡°I''ll dig... the last little bit of dirt away... then take the retaining wall... out of inventory.¡± Ren said and used his mining pick. ¡°I''ll be busy... securing it... you''ll have to... defend me...¡± ¡°I''ll defend you with my life.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I hope that... won''t be... necessary.¡± Ren said, as he broke through the dirt and into the spider cavern. Teepo flew in, and looked around. ¡°They heard you! They''re coming, Ren!¡± Ren dug out enough to fit through the hole, and Tee-one followed closely behind. Ren opened his inventory and selected the wall. ¡°Here... goes... everything!¡± Ren nearly shouted as he took the retaining wall out of inventory and placed it in the available space as Teepo flew into the hole in the side of the Keep. ¡°They''re coming this way, too!¡± Teepo said, and Tee-one took up his position in the center of the 20 foot hole. ¡°I should have covered the wall in cement.¡± Ren said, then started to secure the retaining wall to the Keep. He was really glad that he''d added the braces and supports, so he didn''t have to hold the wall and secure it at the same time. The first spider came into the room, and Tee-one saw it was only 2 feet high. ¡°That''s not too bad.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Crap!¡± Ren said and kept working. ¡°You''ve done it now!¡± ¡°What?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°My Trouble recipe only needs a few ingredients these days. Saying ''it''s not too bad'', means it''s going to be REALLY bad!¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Tee-one said and stabbed the spider when it approached. It gave out a low screech, and Tee-one stabbed it with his other sword to kill it. ¡°Not your fault.¡± Ren said as he kept securing the retaining wall. ¡°I should have warned you.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Because here comes a pile more!¡± ¡°I''ll have the wall secured in a minute!¡± Ren said and kept working as three spiders came into the room, then 3 more, then 3 on the ceiling. ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo said. ¡°The Ballista!¡± ¡°Dammit! I forgot!¡± Ren stopped working, took out the Ballista and set it up in the opening, then concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°There''s only 20 shots, so make them count.¡± Ren said, then activated Hail Of Arrows. ¡°Now it''s 20 shots, 2 at a time.¡± He said, then activated Opportunity Knocks. ¡°Double damage, too.¡± He went back to securing the wall. ¡°I''ll keep activating them, so have fun!¡± Tee-one got behind the Ballista and opened fire. Several spiders were skewered by the 6 foot long projectile, and the spiders beside them were hit by the magically generated one. Nearly a dozen were taken out with one shot. ¡°Nice!¡± Ren said. ¡°Keep going!¡± Tee-one waited for a good shot and fired again, taking out another 15. More spiders clambered into the room and he kept firing. Ren watched his Mana Pool drain, and when Tee-one stopped firing, he''d lost about 20%. That''s with just one person firing. Ren thought. Imagine if I had three or 4 firing, with 40 or 50 shots each. He shook his head and kept securing the wall. My Mana Pool would drain in only a minute or two. Tee-one took out a bow and started firing. Ren''s ability was still active, so he was doing double damage with the arrows, and a magic arrow would hit them and caused double damage as well. It was taking more shots because Tee-one had to hit each one with a single arrow. He couldn''t miss, though. It wasn''t because he was a great shot, it was because you couldn''t see the room through the spiders. ¡°Switch to your swords!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll switch to Take Them Down to give you Killing Blow and a free attack, instead of Hail Of Arrows!¡± Tee-one stored the bow and took out his swords, swung and killed a spider with a single hit. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Tee-one kept swinging and killed spiders left and right, above and below. He waded into them and stepped into the room. Ren felt his joy at how easy it was, but Tee-one was also being surrounded. ¡°Don''t get lost in the fun!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got another 20 feet to attach, and they''re boxing you in!¡± Tee-one swung harder, then stepped back to block the hole. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Don''t be.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I''ll be joining you once I''m done.¡± Tee-one smiled and kept swinging. There wasn''t a lot of room for finesse, as the mass of spiders barely gave him time to pull his swords back to swing. ¡°Almost... almost...¡± Ren hammered in the last of the supports. ¡°Got it!¡± He equipped his hammerpick and joined Tee-one at the hole into the Keep. Ren kept activating his abilities, and about every third spider pretty much exploded from the Killing Blow special ability. Take Them Down and Opportunity Knocks drained Ren''s Mana Pool pretty fast. ¡°I need to recharge my Mana!¡± He had to yell to Tee-one, even though they were standing next to each other. ¡°Go ahead!¡± Tee-one yelled back. ¡°I''ve got this for a minute or two!¡± Ren took out several pieces of wood and his fire enchanted brick. He set them ablaze, and absorbed the fire with his hands to recharge his Mana, then stopped. ¡°I am such an idiot for using my hands!¡± Ren said, then stood in the fire, and used his Fire Manipulation ability and Absorb Fire ability. ¡°I can absorb it through any part of my body!¡± The wood kept burning, but Ren absorbed the fire before it could eat much of it. He took out a fireball wand and started firing at the spiders on the ceiling. Spider bodies rained down onto the spiders on the floor and some were crushed; but the bodies were building up, and the pile was making a kind of barrier all on its own. ¡°I think the attack is slowing down!¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s not as many spiders coming to the room.¡± ¡°I didn''t think there would be this many inside.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d have gotten some more help first.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Tee-one laughed. ¡°We''re almost done.¡± ¡°Stop doing that!¡± Teepo shouted. ¡°Aw, crap!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°These are just the first wave, apparently.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They sent in the small ones first to soften you up.¡± ¡°These are the small ones?!?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Wait, did you say ''soften us up first''?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Here comes the 5 foot ones to trample you.¡± ¡°Oh, FUCK!¡± Ren cursed, then ran into the room. He easily jumped over the pile of bodies with his new boots, and landed on several spiders. They went squish, and covered the boots in blood, gore, and poison. He switched the wand for his hammerpick, and swung both that and his shield to smash the spiders he could see out of the way. He stored the 6 foot long bolts for the Ballista that he could reach, then ducked as a spider tried to swipe at his bare head. ¡°Get back here!¡± Tee-one and Teepo said at the same time, and Ren jumped back over the pile of spider bodies, just as one of the 5 foot ones came into the room. ¡°Turn around!¡± Tee-one said, and grabbed the spider that had climbed up onto Ren''s back. He threw it on the floor and stabbed it. Ren stored the hammerpick and shield, gave Tee-one the fireball wand, and loaded the Ballista''s cartridge with the recovered bolts. Tee-one fired the wand over and over, and the smell of burning spider hair and flesh filled the room. He''d killed the first one, and another came into the room, trampled the smaller spiders as if they weren''t there, and pushed the body of the first one out of the way. ¡°Ren!¡± Tee-one exclaimed. ¡°I got it!¡± Ren said, then opened fire. The first shot hit the spider in the abdomen and it squealed in pain. ¡°Dammit, I forgot Hail Of Arrows!¡± He activated the ability, and fired again. Two 6 foot bolts hit the spider in the abdomen, and the body burst open and covered the smaller spiders in gore and viscera. ¡°By the gods, that''s disgusting!¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''ll work for what I want, though!¡± Ren said, and generated two Elemental Grenades of Lightning and threw them over the spider body barrier. The grenades exploded and shocked the spiders into immobility. ¡°Go! Go!¡± Ren said, and Tee-one climbed over the barrier and sliced at the spiders. ¡°Oh, damn! Duck, Tee-one!¡± Tee-one swiped at the next spider and ducked down at the same time, as a large spider came into the room from the hallway. Ren fired again and hit it with 4 bolts; 2 normal, and 2 magical. It''s body exploded, and Tee-one jumped out of the way. He landed on his side, and fresh spiders from the hallway came in and swarmed over him. ¡°Dammit! I can''t fire!¡± Ren said, then looked down at the fire brick. He grabbed it, jumped over the spider body barrier, and hosed the spiders with it. Most of them were killed from the intense heat, but some were only singed and scampered away. ¡°REN!¡± Teepo shouted, and Ren looked up to see a giant spider, slightly taller than him, clamp onto his armored arm. ¡°Oh craaaaaaaaaaaap!¡± Ren yelled as the spider picked him up, shook him slightly, then turned to take him from the room. The spider jerked once, then twice, and it started to twitch. It shook Ren a bit more and pulled on his arm; but it gave Ren an opportunity to make a fist. He punched the spider in the mandibles several times, to no effect. He looked at his rings. This is going to hurt. Ren thought, and activated his Lightning Ring. ¡°Ren, NO!¡± Teepo shouted as Lightning engulfed the giant spider and Ren. The two of them convulsed and shook, then Ren deactivated the ring. They collapsed to the floor, and the spider let Ren''s arm go. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren groaned, and held onto his arm. ¡°I was right. That hurt like hell.¡± The spider had clamped down on Ren''s armor and dented it, partially crushing his arm with it. Tee-one cut the spider''s body in half, and came over to Ren. ¡°Can you walk?¡± ¡°Walk?¡± Ren asked, and rolled into a crouch. ¡°I can run!¡± He took off and jumped over the pile of spider bodies. The room was nearly full of them now, and he made it back to the Ballista just in time. Two more 5 foot spiders came into the room and he used his good arm to fire the Ballista into them. Chapter 176 - On His Way To The Mines Ren hadn''t recovered all of the bolts, as some had gone out into the hallway, so he only had a limited amount of shots. He waited for the best opportunities, and only shot the giant spiders, and let Tee-one handle the 2 foot tall ones. Ren had dropped the fire brick somewhere, so he deactivated the enchantment and concentrated on keeping the multiple abilities going. The wood he''d set out was still burning, but not very well. He was barely getting any Mana recovered from it. ¡°I think we might have to retrea-¡± Ren tried to shout, and Teepo''s words cut him off. ¡°There''s no more big spiders coming down the hall, Ren!¡± ¡°Thank the gods!¡± Ren said as he shot the last bolt into a 5 foot tall spider, exploding it''s body. ¡°There''s still tons of little ones, though.¡± Tee-one said and swiped at several more. ¡°Let them come!¡± Ren said, and Tee-one backed up and over the barrier of dead spiders to let the small 2 foot tall spiders into the room. Ren took out his blacksmith hammer and repaired his armor, then used his Major Healing wand twice to heal his arm and fill his Health bar. He used the wand again to fill his Mana Pool, stored the Ballista, then took out a handful of steel squares. ¡°Teepo?¡± Ren asked, as he saw the mass of spiders crawling over the bodies of their fallen comrades, over the walls, and ceiling. ¡°They''re pretty much all in the room now.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Only a few dozen out here.¡± ¡°Tee-one!¡± Ren said and used his Elemental Grenade ability, and charged up the steel squares. It took a massive amount of Mana, nearly half of his Mana Pool, but he didn''t care at this point. ¡°Take cover!¡± Tee-one jumped behind him, and Ren tossed the handful of glowing steel squares over the barrier and ducked behind his shield. *BOOOOOOOOOM* Every one of the grenades exploded at the same time. The force from the explosion shattered the steel, and they acted like shrapnel to send small shards in all directions. The metal bouncing off of the shield sounded like machine gun fire, there was so many shards. The barrage stopped a moment later, and Ren took the chance to peek. The spiders had been pulped into mulch, and the entire room was covered in their remains. ¡°You even got the ones in the hallway, Ren!¡± Teepo exclaimed, as he flew into the room. ¡°A few of them got away, but we can hunt them down later.¡± *BANG* *BANG* *scratch* *BANG* *scratch* *BANG* *BANG* ¡°They''re heeeeere!¡± Teepo said, referring to the spiders from the cave, as they crawled over the reinforced wooden wall now mounted to the side of the Keep. Spider''s legs jammed themselves into the viewing holes Ren had made all along the length of the wall, and tried to hit or grab him. ¡°Tee-one, are you up for...¡± Ren looked at him, and saw that Tee-one''s legs hadn''t been behind cover at all. Metal shards of all different sizes peppered the once smooth surface of his legs, and Ren winced as he felt Tee-one try to move. ¡°Sit still.¡± Ren said, and started to use Iron Grip to pull the shards out. The banging got louder, and there was a lot more scraping. ¡°I can''t get them all!¡± Ren said as his fingers couldn''t get a hold on the tiny shards. He focused on the larger ones and got all of them removed. ¡°I hope this works.¡± Ren said, and used Repair on one of Tee-one''s legs, pouring Mana into the hammer. The leg filled back in and slowly pushed the tiny shards out. ¡°It''s definitely taking longer when you don''t remove the obstructions first.¡± He said, then repaired the other leg. ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± Tee-one asked, as he stood up completely repaired. ¡°The first thing I''m going to do, is get some payback.¡± Ren said, took out his hammerpick, and ran the entire length of the wall, smashing the spider legs that were trying to grab him through the viewing holes. The spiders screeched and fell away from the viewing holes, and left several dozen pairs of their severed limbs on the floor. More legs were shoved in, and Ren waited a minute, then ran the other way with the same result. ¡°They didn''t like that one bit!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter as the banging eased down to nothing, and the scraping sounds went away. ¡°Thank the gods.¡± Ren said, and received a series of popups.
Notice!
You have successfully held off a horde of venomous spiders! Thanks to your Command abilities, your vastly under-strength party was not overwhelmed or overrun. Rewards: 57,500 XP (100 XP per small spider x500; 1,500 per giant spider x5) Special Bonus: No One Died - 1,500 XP (500 XP per active member)
Level up!
You have leveled up and are now Level 31. Ten (10) stat points have been automatically allocated.
¡°I didn''t gain any Influence, Honor, or Fame.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess doing things when no one else knows about it, won''t earn me any bonuses.¡±
Notice!
New skill unlocked: Take Me Instead - This ability lets you become the focus of enemies instead of another party member, as long as they are within your Aura''s radius. Warning: When used, you will become the focus of ALL enemies within your Aura''s radius.
Notice!
New skill unlocked: Exterminator - This ability grants you a 25% bonus to Hit and 25% bonus to Damage, when fighting insects and vermin directly.
Notice!
You were really lucky! Thanks to the intervention of a party member, and hurting yourself on purpose, the giant spider was unable to take you back to it''s den to eat you. Luck: +5
Ren dismissed the popups and looked at Tee-one. ¡°Don''t comment about this situation.¡± He said. ¡°Not even when we leave.¡± Tee-one nodded and Teepo landed on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Was that all of them?¡± Ren asked. Teepo chittered in laughter again. ¡°On this floor.¡± ¡°Now that we know what to expect, we can prepare much better in the future.¡± ¡°You definitely need more bolts for the Ballista.¡± ¡°Yeah, a full clip of a hundred bolts should do.¡± Ren said and looked at Tee-one. ¡°Use the rest of the trees for the normal bows, to make enough bolts to fill the cartridge.¡± Tee-one nodded, and Ren went around and looted all of the spiders. Tee-one joined him, and it took a while to get them all. ¡°It''s too bad there''s not a ''batch loot'' option for this.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is taking too long.¡± ¡°You can head out.¡± Tee-one said and looted the spiders in the hallway. ¡°I''ll make a door here and secure it.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want to leave you alone here if there''s still danger.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ll use your technique of cutting off all the legs if they come back to the retaining wall; but once we''re out of here, I''ll start filling the molds we set up.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°But if you need help at all, let me know.¡± He tapped his temple, and Tee-one nodded. ¡°You can make a few crates to store the spider parts, too.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Tee-one said, then started to make a door for the room. Ren left him there and ran back up the passage to the workshop, with Teepo still on his shoulder. Ren crept out of the hidden hatch, and set it back in place. After he stored his armor and equipped his Travelling Clothes, he used up the last of the still simmering molten metal in the smelters to make another smelting apparatus for the forge he wanted to build at the new mines. He hoped that the mine foreman would have a blacksmith shop set up already; but, it was better to be safe than sorry. Ren tossed some gold ore into the smelters, just to keep something in them. He stored the portable dying station, then on a whim stored the large glass forge, and left the forge room. ¡°Hey, Ruck.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you spend your stat points for leveling up?¡± Ruck shook his body from side to side in a ''no'' gesture, and Ren helped him spend them. Once he did so, Ren got the popup that his Craft Familiar recipe had leveled up to Intermediate Level 2, and had unlocked another familiar. Ren pat Ruck and grinned. ¡°Thanks for all your hard work, Ruck.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I have some of the Health potions you''re holding for me?¡± Ruck handed over 6 of them, and Ren stored them. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and looked at the women. ¡°You are all doing excellent work. Thank you.¡± Some of them blushed, and Dorathy laughed. ¡°Thanks to your little toy, we won''t have to work again for about a year.¡± ¡°Not if you don''t want to.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°I hope you''ll keep coming here for a while, though.¡± Dorathy nodded slightly. ¡°We''ll work for you until we''re not needed anymore.¡± ¡°That''s right!¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I want to pet your hair again.¡± Ren laughed as he looked at the woman who spoke. ¡°Sorry, Ma''am.¡± He said. ¡°Only once per customer.¡± She laughed, and Ren left the workshop. He stored enough stone bricks to make another forge, then gathered more wood from the piles. He ran down to the road and stopped at the guards. ¡°How did Broxor take being fired?¡± Ren asked Wohrum. ¡°Not very well, sir.¡± Wohrum said. ¡°He doesn''t believe he did anything wrong.¡± ¡°Neither do you.¡± Ren said, and Wohrum shook his head. ¡°I explained to Golir, but I guess it just doesn''t make sense to you.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. They looked at him with blank expressions. ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no one left to guard anyways, except my mount and Ruck.¡± He sighed. ¡°I over-reacted a little, but I was angry that you could let the people you were guarding be taken. Not to mention my dogs, too.¡± Wohrum didn''t respond, and Ren smiled. ¡°Tell him he can lay paving stones around the Barracks and Main House.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let him do it for a week, then hire him back as a guard.¡± Wohrum nodded, and Golir nodded as well. Ren dismissed the popups for Honor gains, and ran down the road. He stopped at the new sub-division across the road from the old one, and found the foreman and his crew there. ¡°I see you''ve got a few more houses done already.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yeah.¡± The foreman said. ¡°I kept all three crews going, so they''re going up fast.¡± ¡°I''m sure that when these are done, it should be enough for now. I''ll have Ereka call if more are needed.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± The foreman said. ¡°How''s the stained glass coming along?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be trying it as I work in the mines.¡± ¡°It''s bad enough that you''ve been sentenced to heavy labor, but now you''re going to do extra work on top of that?¡± The foreman shook his head. ¡°You''re a glutton for punishment, aren''t you?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°No, I can just use my time differently than people think I can.¡± ¡°Well.¡± The foreman said and held out a hand. ¡°Good luck.¡± Ren took his hand and slid a platinum coin into it, then shook it. ¡°Thank you for all your hard work, and I hope you have just as much luck in the future.¡± The foreman nodded slightly, and slipped the coin into his coin pouch without looking at it. ¡°Thanks for the shiny new toy.¡± He said, and winked. Ren laughed and ran down the road. He stopped in front of the new medical building, took out two of his Minor Healing wands, and absorbed the charges. He filled them with Major Healing instead, stored them, then went inside the building. ¡°Is anyone here?¡± Ren asked as he entered the lobby. ¡°We''re in here, My Lord.¡± Artrude said from the room off the lobby. Ren went inside and saw a dozen beds, half of which were made, and Artrude and Malenka were putting the sheets and a blanket on another one. ¡°I stopped in to see how things are going.¡± Ren said, and watched as they finished making the bed. ¡°They''re great!¡± Malenka said and hopped onto the freshly made bed to jump on it. ¡°Malenka! We just made that bed!¡± Artrude admonished her. ¡°Sorry!¡± She laughed, and jumped to the next bed that wasn''t made. ¡°New beds are so springy!¡± Artrude shook her head as she fixed the slightly messed up bed, and came over to Ren. ¡°Ereka has been a godsend. We already have all of the equipment that we need.¡± ¡°Well, not all of the equipment.¡± Ren said, took out the two Major Healing wands, and handed them to Artrude. ¡°My... My LORD!¡± She exclaimed, and held them with reverence. ¡°Was that a general ''lord'', or were you referring to me?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You, of course!¡± Artrude said, and hugged him tightly. ¡°I don''t know how you can give all of these things away like this.¡± ¡°It''s important that you have them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just in case.¡± Artrude let him out of the hug and shook her head. ¡°We''re losing a huge resource with you leaving.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I get everything set up, this House will be a perpetual machine that will just keep growing.¡± ¡°You''ve done a great job of it so far.¡± Artrude said. ¡°I don''t know what else you could do to make it better.¡± ¡°I''m sure I''ll think of something.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Is that a new wand?!?¡± Malenka asked as she saw the wands Artrude had in her hands. She grabbed one before Artrude could pull them out of the way and Malenka stared at it. ¡°MAJOR HEALING!¡± She yelled and ran around the room. On her second loop, Ren looked at Artrude. ¡°I think she likes it.¡± He said, and laughed. Artrude nodded. ¡°She has Major Healing herself, but her Mana''s so low right now that it''s not very effective.¡± ¡°Ah, I understand.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am not going to hope she can level up soon.¡± Artrude laughed. ¡°Me, either.¡± ¡°I''ll see you later, Artrude.¡± He said, then looked at Malenka. ¡°Bye, Malenka.¡± Ren saw her turn and make a beeline for him, so he braced himself to catch her. She jumped up and wrapped her arms and legs around him like a monkey, and Ren laughed as she rained quick kisses all over his face. ¡°Ma-Ma-Malenka!¡± He finally got out. ¡°You''re welcome! You''re WELCOME!¡± Artrude couldn''t stop laughing as she pried Malenka off of Ren. ¡°You''ve thanked him enough.¡± Artrude said, as she finally pulled Malenka free. ¡°I swear, if I didn''t love you so much, I''d think you were trying to replace me.¡± ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Malenka laughed. ¡°He knows I''m just playing.¡± ¡°Do I?¡± Ren asked her, and she looked at him with a bit of surprise on her face, then she blushed slightly at how closely she had hugged him. He laughed at her reaction, and shook his head. ¡°I''m only kidding.¡± He said. ¡°I wouldn''t have caught you, otherwise.¡± Malenka nodded slightly, then raised her eyebrows. ¡°Wait, you''d have let me fall?¡± Ren shook his head again. ¡°I would have run before you got near me, and you wouldn''t have jumped in the first place.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Malenka said. ¡°That makes sense.¡± ¡°Enjoy yourselves.¡± Ren waved to them, and left the medical building. He ran down the road and into the Main House. ¡°Hello.¡± He said to a female dwarf he''d never met before. ¡°Is she in?¡± ¡°Of course, My Lord.¡± The female dwarf said, and touched a small piece of steel on the desk. ¡°Ma''am?¡± ¡°Send him in.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Go right in, My Lord.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and walked by her to the back of the building and knocked on Ereka''s office door once, then opened it. He saw Ereka smile at him for knocking, and he went into the office and shut the door. ¡°Hi, Ereka.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hello, My Lord.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I thought we agreed when we weren''t in public, we could use our names without any implications.¡± ¡°We did, but...¡± She grinned. ¡°It''s hard to ignore your standing now.¡± Ren smiled and sat down in the chair. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°I need a dozen rolls of see-through fabric, half a dozen of lace, and one of frills.¡± She blinked at him a few times, then thought about what the fabric could be used for, and her face flushed a little red. ¡°That''s... a lot of... ah... fabric.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°It''s not for me to wear, if that''s what you''re thinking.¡± Her eyes widened, then she blushed completely as she laughed. ¡°You''re horrible.¡± ¡°I think I like ''crazy'' better.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°How''s the money situation coming along?¡± ¡°We''ve got a steady income coming from the Hole, and from Barnar''s Stoneworks.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Boy, the Houses just love all those ideas you came up with.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°When orders for ore start coming in, this place will really start picking up.¡± ¡°Are we taking orders for that?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°Once we have production up to a good level.¡± Ren took out a pair of steel squares, enchanted them with Sending Glyphs, and handed one to Ereka after slipping the other into a pocket. ¡°What''s this for?¡± She asked. ¡°I''m going to be working at the mines for the next 3 months, and I don''t know if I''ll be able to get back here to help take care of things.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you need me for anything, just let me know.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°I... I don''t know if... I mean, how many other people have these?¡± She sighed. ¡°I have no right to ask that.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°To be honest, only you.¡± Ereka''s eyes widened at his admission. ¡°I''ve got a link to Nathalia.¡± Ren said, and held up the hand with the Sending Ring on it. ¡°But she''s going to be busy taking care of Narhilda, now that they''re back at the castle and trying to run the Kingdom.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°If I need anything, I''ll be sure to contact you right away.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is there any chance you can hire some general laborers to set paving stones? They don''t have to move here; but, I''ve got two housing sub-divisions with only dirt roads, and thousands of paving stones beside the Keep just sitting there.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''ll put the word out.¡± ¡°I''d normally say no women because it''s heavy and grueling work; but, as long as they take their time and are careful...¡± Ereka smiled. ¡°I know a few women who would be insulted at your insinuation.¡± ¡°So do I.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Why else do you think I added the qualifier?¡± ¡°We''ve got a couple of good healers now, too.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I just came from there.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re really happy that you''ve given them everything they needed so quickly.¡± ¡°Actual money still talks in this city.¡± She said and laughed. ¡°The messenger said the Woodworkers Guild nearly jumped for joy when I placed the order for all of the furniture for the houses, and the beds for the medical building.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m glad.¡± He said, then took out several hundred platinum. ¡°That reminds me, you better take this.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Ereka exclaimed. ¡°What am I going to do with all of this?¡± ¡°Pay everyone. Hire more people to help. Have fun.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, now that Narhilda and Nathalia aren''t in residence anymore, you''re actually running everything all by yourself.¡± Ereka froze still and stared at Ren. ¡°You didn''t realize that, did you?¡± Ren asked, and smiled. ¡°You pay wages, order everything, assign housing.¡± He looked at her. ¡°You''re even accepting oaths in Lady Neram''s stead, aren''t you?¡± Ereka nodded, and Ren smiled. ¡°I''m sorry I had to point it out to you; but, you need to know how important you are to this House.¡± He held up his Sending Ring. ¡°Nathalia?¡± He whispered. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You don''t have to whisper. We''re back in the royal apartments waiting for lunch. Are you at the mines yet?¡± ¡°No. I''m at the Main House making a few orders, and straightening out the situation Ereka is in.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°What situation is that?¡± ¡°I told her that with you and Narhilda out of the house and at the castle, she is running things by herself right now.¡± ¡°Tell her we''re sorry for leaving it all to her, and that we know the House is in good hands.¡± ¡°She heard you.¡± Ren said. ¡°The reason I called is that the house on top of House Neram Keep is empty right now. I was wondering if letting Ereka stay there might be a good idea.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I was getting worried about leaving it empty.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°The only thing the guards are guarding is the stable.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°It''s fine with me if she stays there. Hold on, I''ll ask Narhilda.¡± Ren waited patiently, and Nathalia spoke again. ¡°She likes the idea, too.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks, Nathalia. I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°See you tonight.¡± The ring stopped glowing and Ren looked at Ereka. She had a shocked look on her face, and Ren smiled. ¡°Now do you realize how important you are?¡± Ren said, as a key materialized around Ereka''s neck. She grasped it and took several deep breaths. ¡°Ren.. you...¡± Ereka shook her head. ¡°You''re amazing.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I can only hope that I can keep that image up.¡± ¡°You don''t have to hope too much.¡± Ereka said and she smiled as she let the key go. ¡°Just keep being yourself. The amazing just happens.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I better go.¡± He said and stood up. ¡°My first ''day'' at the mines is nearly half over, and I haven''t even signed the indentured servant contract with myself yet.¡± Ereka stood up and came around the desk. ¡°That was a stroke of genius, what you did.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You''ve got to love wiping the smugness off of people''s faces, especially when they think they have you by the ba... ah... dangling man parts.¡± Ereka snorted a laugh. ¡°I believe the word you are looking for is ''balls''.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I didn''t want to use such language in front of a woman, in case you took it the wrong way.¡± ¡°Thanks for that. I grew up with Croggart and Groggot, though.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''ve heard that word a lot.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Among other words that can''t be used in polite conversation.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Ren chuckled himself. ¡°I''ve used a few words like those myself.¡± Ereka smiled. ¡°So have I.¡± ¡°I really do need to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I think of anything else that I need ordered, I''ll let you know.¡± ¡°I''ll wait for your call.¡± She said, and took in a deep breath. ¡°Good luck in the mines.¡± ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°Like I''ve told a couple of people. Hard labor is just labor for me.¡± Ereka sighed and smiled. ¡°I''m glad.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said, and bent over her hand. ¡°Bye, Ereka.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Ren left her office and nodded slightly at the receptionist as he passed, and once outside, ran for all he was worth. He made it back to the city a couple of minutes later, then the new mines a couple of minutes after that. He saw the shack he''d made had a large gate added, and a guard stood outside. ¡°Hello, My Lord.¡± The guard said and opened the gate without asking Ren what he wanted. Ren wasn''t sure he liked that. ¡°Do you let any Lord in like this, or is it just me?¡± ¡°Just you, My Lord.¡± The guard said. ¡°The mine foreman has been expecting you all morning.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I was held up taking care of a few things.¡± He said. ¡°Is he in his office?¡± The guard nodded slightly. ¡°It''s up the road a little, across from the cafeteria.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and ran up the road to the small building the mine foreman used as an office. He knocked on the door, and went in when the mine foreman told him to enter. ¡°There you are.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°I thought you were going to bail on your sentence.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I assumed it didn''t start until I signed the indentured servant contract with myself.¡± ¡°It doesn''t, but most people don''t realize that.¡± He said and grinned. Ren sat down across from him. ¡°How''s the mine coming along?¡± ¡°We''ve nearly got the main tunnel finished.¡± He said. ¡°The blacksmith shop is up and running, and the cafeteria staff are nearly overwhelmed with the amount of money they''re making.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You went with my idea after all.¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°This is your mine.¡± ¡°How''s it working out for you?¡± ¡°You were flipping right, is how it''s working out for me.¡± He said and laughed. ¡°They''re handling the buying of food, setting meals, prices, shift rotations, everything.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I barely had the words out of my mouth, that they were running it themselves, when they kicked me out so they could get to work.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I told you.¡± The mine foreman grinned. ¡°Well, this is your show. What are you going to do first?¡± ¡°I''ll set up a small space for myself in the blacksmith''s shop, then I''ll head into the mine under the direction of the crew doing the digging of the main tunnel.¡± The mine foreman''s eyes widened. ¡°Really?¡± He asked. ¡°You''re not just going to go in there and dig wherever you want?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m not that stupid.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll listen to the crew with experience to get the place up and running first, then I''ll head off on my own to start digging up ore.¡± The mine foreman nodded slightly. ¡°I''m glad.¡± He said. ¡°You''ve got a good head on your shoulders. Going into a mine without the proper knowledge can get you, or others, killed.¡± Ren nodded slightly himself. ¡°Did you get a healer out here, yet?¡± The mine foreman nodded slightly again. ¡°She''s in the area right beside the mine entrance.¡± ¡°I''ll stop in to meet her before going into the mine.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''ll want to examine you first, that''s for sure.¡± Ren took out the indentured servant form and placed it on the foreman''s desk. He filled out the information, with the time of the sentence, and he filled in the details of the time he was required to work (8 hours), where he would sleep (anywhere he wanted), a day off a week, and the pay earned would fold back into the mine. He signed it as the owner, took a deep breath, then signed it as the indentured servant. Ren was covered in a slightly blue glow for a moment, and an iron band formed around his wrist. He examined it, and was surprised at the information.
Bracelet of Enforcement
This bracelet ensures you fulfill your indentured servitude contract. You will be compelled to work to complete the tasks set before you, by the holder of your contract.
¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said, and stored the contract. ¡°I better get to work, then.¡± He was immediately filled with the urgency to get to the blacksmith shop, turned around automatically and opened the door to the office. ¡°This is really weird!¡± Ren said as his legs moved almost without his will, to carry him down the road to the blacksmith shop. Chapter 177 - Bracelet Of Enforcement Ren went to the blacksmith shop and looked around. There was enough room for the forge that the dwarf had, for the racks of mining picks, and the anvil in the center. That was it. ¡°It''s a little smaller than I thought it would be.¡± Ren said to the dwarf there. ¡°How do you like the layout?¡± ¡°It''s fine.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I can reach the racks and the forge, by only taking a step away from the anvil.¡± ¡°I''m glad I brought my own materials, then.¡± Ren said, used the hammerpick to clear out a space right beside the blacksmith shop, nearly identical in size, and cleaned it with a shovel. He put down paving stones for the floor, and built a quick shack around it. The dwarf watched Ren in fascination the entire time, and didn''t comment until Ren was done. ¡°Why are you making space beside me?¡± ¡°I figure I should keep the forges together, rather than separate them. If you get swamped with repairs, I can take up some of the slack, if necessary.¡± ¡°I won''t have any slack, thanks.¡± The dwarf said, a little testily. ¡°You obviously haven''t worked in a fully functioning mine with over a thousand workers.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I did it for only a day and a half, and I started with a head high pile of picks to repair, and when I got them done and left for the night, the pile was nearly twice as big the next morning.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Will it be that bad here?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°One of my ideas was to hire more blacksmiths so that there was always at least 2 people working at all times to ease the load.¡± ¡°How come I''m here alone, then?¡± ¡°We''re just getting started.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure once we get the main tunnel finished, we''ll have lots of miners working here. Then we''ll need another blacksmith or two to keep up with the demand.¡± The dwarf nodded slightly and went back to his forge. Ren went into his new workshop and took out the glass forge and placed it on the far side of the space, to leave enough room for a mold on the floor for the largest window he would need for the Church. He put down the bricks to make that mold, just so he wouldn''t forget to do it later. Then he made another forge for himself, enchanted it, and set the smelter beside it. Since they didn''t really have any ore yet, he didn''t put it on the forge because it wasn''t needed yet. He used his Major Healing wand to refill his Mana Pool again, and turned on the forge. Ren reached into the hood of his cloak, and took out the baby fire elemental. ¡°Hey, you.¡± He said, and tickled it. ¡°Want to enjoy some good heat for a while?¡± It''s color changed slightly, and Ren opened up the forge for it and put it inside. ¡°I''ll put you in your pen to eat when I get back.¡± Ren said, and closed the forge after he saw the baby fire elemental stretch out in the flames. ¡°Now that I have that set up, I need an anvil to work with.¡± Ren left his workshop and asked the dwarf where he got his anvil. He responded that it was a family heirloom and that his father''s father had used it. Ren knelt in front of it and examined it.
Figurn''s Anvil
This anvil was forged in the fires of Mount Vongurhm. Durability: 1500/25000
¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s nearly out of Durability.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°It''s had a long life.¡± ¡°Why haven''t you repaired it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You shouldn''t let something like this just break apart.¡± ¡°Repair it?¡± The dwarf laughed. ¡°Do you know the kind of heat you would need to reforge it?¡± ¡°Not reforge, just repair.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can''t you use your blacksmith hammer to...¡± Ren stopped talking for a moment, and thought about it. ¡°I can repair it, if you want me to.¡± ¡°I can''t lose the use of my anvil for however long that will take you.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You can''t lose access to it for a couple of minutes?¡± The dwarf''s mouth dropped open in shock. He closed it a minute later, the huffed. ¡°This I have to see.¡± He said. ¡°Go ahead. Repair it.¡± Ren took out his blacksmith hammer and held it to the anvil. ¡°Repair!¡± He said and poured Mana into the hammer. The anvil started to glow a golden color, and after a couple of minutes, the glow stopped and Ren had lost 1,000 points of Mana, or just over a quarter of his Mana Pool. He examined it again, and tried not to grin at the popup.
Figurn''s Anvil
This anvil was forged in the fires of Mount Vongurhm, and was repaired by the blacksmith Ren, The First. Durability: 25000/25000
¡°There.¡± Ren said. ¡°All fixed. It should take you another couple of hundred years to reduce the Durability to where it just was.¡± The dwarf stood there and stared at the anvil, then dropped to his knees to hug and kiss it. Ren backed away, just in case the dwarf decided that Ren needed the same treatment. This went on for several minutes, and then the dwarf turned his head to the side and rested the cheek of his face on the cool metal of the anvil. ¡°By the gods, I''ve been so worried I was going to break it, that I''ve been avoiding using it more than I absolutely had to.¡± The dwarf said, and stood up. ¡°You sir, are a miracle!¡± Ren held up a hand to stop the dwarf from advancing on him. ¡°I''m an Adventurer.¡± He said. ¡°I only repaired it.¡± The dwarf shook his head. ¡°I thought you were trying to play a joke on me.¡± He laughed. ¡°You didn''t ''just repair'' it, you''ve restored my family''s pride and joy; and our Honor claim against it.¡± He said. ¡°Once it was broken, we''d have lost nearly all of our Influence as well.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t realize...¡± The dwarf laughed again. ¡°I don''t go around telling people I''ve just met, all about my family''s worries.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Me, either.¡± ¡°So, you asked where we got it.¡± The dwarf said, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Where it was forged is a big hint.¡± Ren examined it again. ¡°Mount Vongurhm... Mount Vongurhm... where did I hear that name before?¡± He thought for a minute, then nearly gasped. ¡°No. Way.¡± The dwarf grinned. ¡°It was made at the Convent!¡± Ren exclaimed. The dwarf nodded slightly. ¡°That''s right.¡± ¡°When I have some free time, I have got to go and visit them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really want one of those anvils.¡± The dwarf chuckled. ¡°Bring lots of gold.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Not a problem.¡± He said. ¡°Thanks.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°You''re thanking me?¡± The dwarf shook his head. ¡°My entire family is in your deb-¡± ¡°STOP!¡± Ren yelled, and surprised the dwarf. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t say things like that around me. The implications are... well, you don''t want to know what the implications are.¡± ¡°I am Honor-bound to pledg-¡± ¡°STOP!¡± Ren yelled again. ¡°You don''t want to do this!¡± ¡°I have no choice.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Because of your generous act of kindness, I must do as my culture demands.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I can''t just damage it back to where it was, can I?¡± The dwarf shook his head. ¡°You''d only be hurting your own Honor and Influence if you did that.¡± Ren rubbed his forehead with a hand. ¡°What do I need to do to undo your obligation?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± The dwarf chuckled. ¡°There''s nothing you can do to stop it, despite your very loud protests.¡± ¡°What about your House?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Won''t they be mad at you for-¡± ¡°I don''t belong to a House.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°My family wasn''t able to earn enough Influence to count as a Minor House.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± The dwarf laughed. ¡°We won''t change our last name, if that''s what you''re worried about.¡± ¡°How many of you are there?¡± ¡°Including my three brothers and their families, about 40.¡± ¡°It''s a good thing there''s enough houses built to fit you all in.¡± Ren said. ¡°Houses?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If you''re forced to pledge your family to House Neram because of this.¡± He said and waved at the anvil. ¡°The least I can do is give you places to live.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°You said ''houses''. Does that mean I won''t have to share the same house with my brothers and their kids anymore?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''ve got 18 houses left for you to choose from.¡± ¡°By the gods, I knew you were a miracle!¡± The dwarf said and dropped to a knee. ¡°I, Lurmoli Greymour, as the representative of my family, pledge my family and it''s skills to the betterment of your House, and renounce all others to build your House up to greatness.¡± That wasn''t quite the same wording as the other pledge, but it''s close enough I think. Ren thought. ¡°I accept your honorable pledge.¡± Ren said. ¡°Welcome to House Neram.¡±
Notice!
You have accepted an entire family into House Neram, and have provided them with adequate housing; much to their surprise and delight. Influence: +50,000 Honor: +25,000; Lady Neram +25,000
¡°Thank you very much, My Lord.¡± Lurmoli said. ¡°What do you bid me to do?¡± ¡°I want you to continue living your life as if you didn''t just pledge your family to House Neram.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Enjoy your work. Have fun. Live your life.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''ll have to tithe 1% of your income to us if you work for another House; but other than that, my philosophy is to not interfere with how you live your life.¡± ¡°Did you just say 1%?!?¡± Lurmoli asked, shocked. ¡°The base is usually 30%!¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°As soon as I found that out, when someone joined House Neram the first time, I had it changed for our citizens.¡± ¡°I can''t believe it.¡± Lurmoli shook his head. ¡°How are you making money?¡± ¡°The old fashioned way.¡± Ren said, and took out a mining pick. ¡°By working, and not leeching off of our people.¡± Lurmoli''s eyes widened, and Ren left the blacksmith shop to go and check in with the healer. He ran to the mine entrance and stopped at the area just beside it. A large tent was set up there, and the healer was inside at her desk. ¡°Welcome.¡± The healer said, without looking up. ¡°Please, make yourself comfortable.¡± Ren stored his pick, walked over to one of the small beds, and lounged across it. He propped himself up on an elbow, crossed his ankles, and waited. The healer finished whatever she was working on and looked up, then looked around to see where he went. She saw him relaxing on a bed and laughed. ¡°Not that comfortable.¡± She said. ¡°I do have to examine you.¡± Ren grinned at her as he stood up, then walked over to her desk. ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± ¡°Follow me over here.¡± The healer said as she grabbed a clipboard and stood up, walked over to a curtain nearby, and held it open for him. Ren went inside and turned around to face her. She came in and closed the curtain. ¡°Remove your clothing, please.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I need to inspect you for injuries.¡± She said. ¡°Scrapes, burns, bruises, etcetera, etcetera. You know the drill.¡± ¡°No, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve never been asked to remove my clothes before.¡± ¡°Not by a healer, anyways.¡± Teepo said, and chittered in laughter. Okay, that''s true. Ren thought in amusement. ¡°Either take off your clothes right now, or you aren''t going into the mines.¡± The healer said. ¡°You can''t go in without my approval.¡± Ren felt a really strong urge to strip off his clothes, and he tried to fight it. The Bracelet of Enforcement started to warm up, and he slid his sleeve up to look at it. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± The healer said as she glanced at his wrist. ¡°If you fight the compulsion to work, it will just continue to get worse.¡± ¡°I''m not fighting the compulsion to work.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just don''t think I need to take off my clothes to do it.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, you do.¡± She said. ¡°You can''t go into the mine to work if you don''t let me examine you... which means you need to take off your clothes.¡± Damn. Ren thought, and stored his cloak and Travelling Clothes. The Bracelet of Enforcement cooled off immediately, and he didn''t feel the compulsion anymore. I didn''t see that logic loophole in the contract. ¡°You weren''t hurt by the heat anyways.¡± Teepo asked. ¡°You could have just ignored it.¡± I could have, but I don''t want anyone else to know I can. ¡°Oh.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Good idea. Keep it under wraps.¡± The healer checked Ren all over, poked and prodded him a few times, and had him bend every joint that he had. ¡°Excellent.¡± She said, and marked Ren''s results on a piece of parchment she had on the clipboard. ¡°Now the underwear.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± The healer smiled. ¡°I''ve inspected everywhere else. That''s the only place left.¡± ¡°You really don''t need to see it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s fine.¡± ¡°I''ll be the judge of that.¡± The healer said. ¡°Take them off.¡± Ren shook his head, and the Bracelet of Enforcement warmed up much faster this time. The healer sighed. ¡°I''ve seen plenty of them before.¡± She said. ¡°It''s no big deal.¡± ¡°She won''t say that afterwards.¡± Teepo chittered in delight. Teepo! ¡°What?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°This is hilarious!¡± Ren sighed and stored his underwear. The healer bent over to look at it closely, and she smiled. ¡°I don''t know what you were so worried about.¡± The healer said. ¡°Everything looks normal.¡± She smiled. ¡°Now turn your head and cough.¡± She gently cupped his dangling man parts with her hand, and Ren coughed loudly. His body reacted to the intimate touch, both immediately and unfortunately. It started to grow and stand at attention; but since her face was right in front of it at the time, it stopped lifting when it hit the underside of her chin. The healer froze still as his member continued to expand to its full size, then pushed against her throat. ¡°Oh... ah... um...¡± The healer tried to say, and her face blushed a deep red. ¡°You... ah... I...¡± She kept talking and her chin rubbed against him. ¡°I am terribly sorry that I did not listen to you.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Ren said, his face also flushed to a deep red. ¡°I''m usually friends with a woman at least, before...¡± He took a breath and sighed. ¡°...before she sees me like this.¡± The healer wanted to move away gracefully; but, she knew that grabbing it with her free hand (to stop it from moving any more) was not a good idea in this situation. She took a deep breath as she let his dangling man parts go, and tried to stand upright while keeping her head tilted down slightly to keep an eye on his member''s movement. Unfortunately, that was exactly the wrong thing to do. It flicked over the edge of her chin, slid across her lips, bounced off her nose, and almost poked her in the eye as it sprang up to attention. She quickly jerked up into a standing position, with her eyes as wide as they could go. She ended up staring at Ren''s face, with the feel of him fresh on her lips. His eyes were just as wide as hers, and he stared right back at her as he fought his body''s reaction to so much stimulation in that area. Teepo chittered so hard from laughter, that he fell off of Ren''s shoulder, and bounced on the floor. ¡°I... I... I...¡± The healer tried to speak; but, she couldn''t think of anything to say after such an encounter. Ren could, however. ¡°Can... can I get dressed?¡± He asked. ¡°YES!¡± The healer exclaimed. ¡°Clothes! Clothes are good!¡± Ren equipped his Travelling Clothes and Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, then took several deep breaths to calm down. ¡°Am I cleared for work?¡± She nodded slightly, and Ren walked around her to open the curtain. He left the examination area and walked out of the tent, while Teepo flew crazily behind him and chittered in laughter. * The healer staggered over to her desk and sat down, kind of in a daze. Before she realized what she was doing, she licked her lips without thinking, then clamped a hand over her mouth. By the gods! I just... by the gods! She thought, as she tried to get a hold of herself and calm down. I''ve never had anything like that happen to me before! She blinked her eyes a few times and looked at her hand. I''m so glad I''m not married. The healer thought. How in the world would I explain what happened to a husband? She shook her head. I can''t even explain it to myself! * ¡°Come on, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You have to admit that was funny!¡± No, I don''t. Ren thought as he walked to the entrance of the mine. I almost... made a mess. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Oh, that would have been something!¡± He said. ¡°She was already shocked when it touched her by accident; imagine what her reaction would be if you-¡± No. Ren shook his head. I''m not going to imagine it at all. ¡°Ren, don''t worry about what happened.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I was there. I saw it all. It was completely her fault. You didn''t do anything wrong.¡± I know. Ren sighed. It''s just another incident, in a long line of incidents, that I keep getting mixed up in. ¡°That''s right.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If you''d held her face there, or moved your hips or something, then it would have been a whole different thing besides an accident.¡± Ren sighed again. Yeah, that would have been bad. He shook his head. I''m just going to forget that it happened. He thought and entered the mine. Chapter 178 - Did That Just Happen? Ren worked hard for the next 4 hours. He dug where he was told, helped build supports, installed cart tracks, and even went so far as to enchant the lanterns with glyphs of the Illuminate rune. When Teepo told him the first 4 hours were up, Ren told the miners that he was going for lunch and left the main tunnel. He went to his workshop beside the blacksmith shop and took out the large icebox he''d taken from House Neram Keep. It was nearly full of food; so he helped himself to some of it, then stored it again. When he was done eating, he made a chair and a workbench for himself and sat down. Ren looked through his inventory and saw he had over 400 bundles of spider silk, 200 poison glands, and 150 venomous fangs from the spiders. He used Identify and Appraisal on them all, and leveled both skills up. Identify was now Intermediate Level 3, and Appraisal was at Intermediate Level 6. He didn''t even bother counting the money, and just shoved it into his coin vault without looking at it. ¡°That''s half an hour, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought, and left the workshop. He worked for another 4 hours straight, doing everything the work crew needed him to do, and when Teepo told him the time was up, Ren had a feeling of relief and happiness spread through his body. Wow, that''s weird. Ren thought. I just felt happy and relieved for no reason. ¡°Maybe that''s your reward for finishing the day''s work.¡± Teepo said, wisely. ¡°After a while, I''ll bet you''re going to start looking forward to it.¡± Yeah. Ren thought. Positive reinforcement is always a good motivator; but, I didn''t think a bracelet could provide it. ¡°I guess if you don''t fight it, it''s not so bad.¡± Teepo said. It shouldn''t be needed at all. Ren thought. Not for normal workers, anyways. ¡°You''re already changing things.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You can''t expect it all to be fixed overnight.¡± Ren sighed as he walked to the mine entrance. I don''t want the feelings to be produced artificially. I should feel them myself. He went to the medical tent and went inside. The healer''s eyes widened as she saw him, and he held a hand up in a surrender gesture. ¡°I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier.¡± Ren said. ¡°I should have told you a complete physical examination wasn''t necessary in my case.¡± ¡°It was more complete than I thought it was going to be, that''s true.¡± The healer said. ¡°I... I never imagined...¡± She shook her head. ¡°You must have quite the sex life, if you can react that quickly from a woman''s touch.¡± ¡°I definitely have a lot of adventures in that regard.¡± Ren said. ¡°Much to my own surprise.¡± ¡°And theirs, too.¡± The healer smiled crookedly. ¡°I know I was surprised beyond belief.¡± ¡°I really am sorry that it happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to apologize.¡± She said. ¡°It was my fault for putting the both of us in that situation.¡± ¡°I''d say we both contributed to it.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I hope we can get past it.¡± ¡°I''m a professional.¡± The healer said. ¡°I can move past it.¡± Once I get the feeling of having it pressed against my skin out of my head. She thought. ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± The healer said. Ren left the tent and ran down to the guard at the gate, who opened it as Ren approached. Ren ran through it and down the road, and was back in the city a few minutes later. He concentrated on his personal Aura and the House Neram pendant, then ran over to the Main Keep. The guards let him pass the short line of dwarfs still waiting to go inside. Ren walked through the lobby and down the hallway to the hidden passage, went through it, and then made his way back to the royal apartments. No one questioned or stopped him, and he made it to the apartment without incident. He went inside and Teepo scouted for a minute, then told Ren that no one was there. ¡°I''ve got to go for a bit, anyways.¡± Ren said, and sat down on a couch. ¡°See you when I get back.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Teepo said and flew out to the hallway to keep watch. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset and Stella was there with a grin on her face. ¡°Okay, tell me what happened.¡± She said. ¡°I saw the blue screen, and her face afterwards.¡± Ren sighed, and relayed what had happened. ¡°How stupid can she be?¡± Stella laughed. ¡°You''re supposed to stand up and away from the area when you do a check like that.¡± She said. ¡°And that''s mainly because of your reaction.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Stella nodded. ¡°If you''d made a mess like you said you almost did, she would have been well out of the target zone.¡± Ren sighed in relief. ¡°Thanks, Stella.¡± ¡°You don''t have to thank me.¡± She said. ¡°If the healer wasn''t prepared to accept the consequences of her actions, then she shouldn''t have inspected you so closely.¡± She grinned. ¡°Of course, she had no idea about the time bomb she might have set off from all of that poking and prodding.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m just glad I don''t have to do it again.¡± ¡°Did she tell you that?¡± Stella asked, and Ren shook his head. ¡°I just assumed that once I passed the physical, I would be allowed to work.¡± Ren said. ¡°She might need to check you every day.¡± Ren''s eyes widened at her, and Stella laughed. ¡°Sorry.¡± She said. ¡°I couldn''t resist teasing you.¡± Ren rolled his eyes. ¡°So she won''t want to see me like that again?¡± ¡°She should let you keep your underwear on if she does.¡± Stella said and grinned. ¡°She won''t make the same mistake twice.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°What''s for supper?¡± ¡°What else?¡± Stella said, and put a tray with a bowl of plain white rice and a glass of supplement in front of him. Ren laughed, and sat up in bed to eat. ¡°It was still worth it.¡± Ren said, and ate the rice. When he was done, he looked at Stella. ¡°Stella... I know an engineering student that might be able to help us with the technical side of the medical experiments.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Stella asked, and sat down. ¡°How do you know...¡± She looked at the VR headset. ¡°Stupid question.¡± She smiled. ¡°What makes you think whoever it is can help us?¡± ¡°She''s modded the old headsets well beyond their technical specs.¡± Stella''s eyes widened. ¡°Really?¡± She asked. ¡°I wonder...¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Stella said. ¡°When can I meet her?¡± ¡°Hopefully on the weekend; but, I won''t know for sure until I send her a message.¡± ¡°We can''t work out the details of her salary and things until I meet her.¡± Stella said. ¡°See if she can come over here on Saturday.¡± Stella took the tray and Ren opened the laptop. He typed up a message to Gloria and sent it off. ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said as he thought about Stella''s schedule. ¡°You''re not working on Saturday.¡± ¡°I''ll come in to meet her, so we can discuss what we need from her; and what she can expect from us.¡± Ren nodded, and his laptop beeped. He checked the message and grinned. ¡°She says she can be here bright and early at noon.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Tell her that''s fine, and to bring anything she thinks she might need to work on a headset.¡± Ren typed up the response, and sent it. A moment later, he got her confirmation. ¡°She''ll be here.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Great.¡± Stella said. ¡°You might want to use the bathroom before logging back in, too.¡± Ren reached into his cubby hole, grabbed a foil packet, and went to the bathroom. He did his business and came back to bed. ¡°I don''t know if I''ll log out tonight or not.¡± Ren said. ¡°If not, I''ll see you on Saturday.¡± ¡°See you later.¡± Stella said and grinned. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°That''s the plan.¡± Ren said. Stella helped him put on the VR headset, and he relaxed in the bed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch, and looked around. Teepo? ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Nathalia is waiting for you in the bedroom.¡± Thanks. Ren thought, stood up to stretch, and went into the bedroom. Nathalia was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at the door. Her eyes brightened as she caught a glimpse of Ren, and she ran to him. He caught her in a hug, and she kissed him desperately. They stayed embraced for several minutes, then Ren broke the kiss. ¡°I''m not complaining about it, but... what''s with the urgency?¡± ¡°Narhilda is still in a meeting, and we don''t have a lot of time.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I was worried you wouldn''t be back before she was.¡± Ren cupped the side of her face. ¡°We haven''t had any alone time in a while, have we?¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°Now that your days here are numbered, we''re going to have less and less.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I don''t know how I''m going to deal with not being able to share a bed with you after that.¡± He smiled sadly. ¡°I''ve gotten used to having you by my side.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s also something I need to ask you about.¡± He told her about Donna, the cook at the mansion, about her infatuation with strong military men, and about her asking him to visit with her occasionally when he was in Aurora. Nathalia chuckled, but Ren could hear the sadness in her voice. ¡°With you having to leave, you can''t fulfill the marriage contract. Why are you still asking for my permission?¡± ¡°Just because I won''t be able to complete our agreement, doesn''t mean I should ignore it, or you, before it''s nullified.¡± ¡°Even if we were still going to be together, I wouldn''t object to it.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I wouldn''t like it much... knowing you were filling another woman''s idea of a dream man; but...¡± She sighed. ¡°You can do what you want.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I know what that phrase means.¡± He said and kissed her. ¡°It means you''re not happy; but, you''ll forgive me for it eventually.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°Yes, Ren. That''s exactly what it means.¡± Ren picked her up and laid her on the bed. She looked at him expectantly, and he smiled. ¡°Do you remember what I said, that very first time we admitted our feelings for each other?¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I said that I had a hard time stopping myself from kissing every inch of you, every time we touched.¡± Ren said, as Nathalia''s eyes widened. ¡°Can you guess what I''m going to do to you right now?¡± He asked her as he stored his clothing. Nathalia grinned as she stored her clothing, too. It took Ren about half an hour to do what he said he was going to do. There was much giggling and laughing from her as he did kiss every inch. Nathalia kind of thought he was joking, and it would eventually turn into sex, once he got to certain spots. He didn''t do that, though. Ren kept his word to kiss every single inch, then finished the task by kissing each of her toes. He held her ankles, and because it was tickling her so much, she tried to squirm and pull free. He held her firmly but gently, then kissed the pinky toe on each foot and let her go. ¡°I... I can''t believe... you actually did it!¡± Nathalia said, trying hard not to keep laughing. ¡°I''ve wanted to do that for a long time.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was about time that I finally got to do it.¡± She looked at him, and sighed. ¡°You''re not even gone yet, and I already miss being with you.¡± Ren lay on top of her. ¡°Then let me ease your suffering for a while.¡± He said as they joined together, and he proceeded to please her as many times as he could in the time he had available. Nathalia kept saying that she loved him, and cried a little bit after each time he made her go. He asked her to concentrate on her House Neram pendant, and he let the tears flow as well when their Aura''s merged. They made sweet, sad, and passionate love for nearly two hours. By the time they were done, both of them had cried themselves out, and they held each other in a tight hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± Nathalia said, and stared at him. ¡°For loving me so much.¡± Ren stroked the side of her face. ¡°We''ve gone for longer than that before.¡± He chuckled at the indignation he felt from her. ¡°I''m teasing you.¡± He said. ¡°You''ve been the best thing that''s ever happened to me.¡± ¡°That part I remember telling you.¡± Nathalia said as she felt his sincerity. ¡°That this would be the best thing that either of us had ever had, marriage or no marriage.¡± Ren nodded slightly and kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, then her lips. ¡°Narhilda''s coming down the hall.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She''ll be here in a minute.¡± ¡°Teepo says Narhilda''s almost at the apartment.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly as their Aura connection faded. They got out of bed, equipped their clothing, and went out to meet her. The apartment door opened and Narhilda came in, wearing the dress Ren had made for her. Riley and Stacy were on her heels as she strode over to stand in front of Ren. ¡°I''m sorry I''m late.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°These meetings are taking up more and more of my time.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I told you.¡± ¡°Sometimes, I hate it when you''re right.¡± She said, then took in a sharp breath. ¡°I didn''t mean... I shouldn''t have said that.¡± ¡°It''s how you feel.¡± He laughed. ¡°Just so you know... I hate it sometimes, too.¡± Narhilda sighed. ¡°Ren, I... I don''t feel like... um...¡± ¡°I assumed you didn''t.¡± He smiled. ¡°Especially since you didn''t hug me when you came into the room.¡± She had a surprised look on her face for a moment, then sighed again. ¡°I guess I really am too tired, if I don''t want you to hold me.¡± ¡°Going to bed and getting some rest, sounds good right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Am I staying on the couch?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°There''s a perfectly good bed in the other room.¡± ¡°Then I will see you in the morning, My Lady.¡± Ren said. He bowed slightly, walked across the room, and entered the small second bedroom. * ¡°What was that all about?¡± Nathalia asked. Narhilda covered her face with her hands. ¡°I have to start fighting my feelings for him.¡± She said. ¡°If I don''t start cutting him off right now, when he leaves I''ll... I''ll never get over him.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°All you''re going to achieve by doing that is hurting yourself, and him, long before it''s necessary.¡± Narhilda sighed. ¡°What can I do?¡± She asked. ¡°He''s done so much, changed everything so much. I don''t know how to handle all of it, and him, at the same time.¡± ¡°Handle him?¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°You don''t have to handle anything with him.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Narhilda asked, surprised. ¡°I just spent the last 2 hours sharing all of my feelings with him, and he shared his with me.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°His heart is so filled with love and longing, that it''s nearly busting at the seams.¡± Narhilda stared at her. ¡°You don''t ''handle'' him.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°You love him; and that''s all that needs to be done.¡± She turned away from the woman she''d vowed to take care of when she was 10 years old, and went to the small bedroom to spend the night with the man she loved. * Ren had just settled down in the bed, when Nathalia came in and asked him to move over. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°If I move over, I''ll fall out. This bed is barely big enough for me to lay on. You''ll have to make other arrangements.¡± Nathalia stored her clothing, which left her with just the thin slip on, and slid under the blanket to lay down on top of him. ¡°How''s this arrangement?¡± She asked, as Ren wrapped his arms around her to hold her steady. ¡°I think that''s just perfect, My Love.¡± He said and kissed her. Nathalia snuggled down onto his chest and they drifted off to sleep. * Narhilda went into the large bedroom, got undressed and laid down on the bed. Riley and Stacy took up their positions on either side of it, like end tables. Narhilda hugged herself with her arms and rolled over onto her side. Tears formed in her eyes, and she wiped them away. ¡°This is for the best.¡± She said softly. ¡°Even if he earns another invitation to come back, we... we still can''t be together.¡± Narhilda tried to convince herself. By the time she had cried herself to sleep nearly an hour later, she believed that distancing herself from him was for the best. * Ren woke up early the next morning, and his body was quite ready for some friskiness. ¡°Mmm.¡± Nathalia said as she felt Ren stir. ¡°I think someone is ''up'' early.¡± He still didn''t know how Nathalia had managed to have her slip ride up and got it tangled over and around her chest again; but today he didn''t worry about it, as it gave him easy access to her. He took full advantage of the opportunity, and Nathalia appreciated his attention as they had fun for almost an hour. They played and teased, and tried their best to not fall out of the tiny bed as they got down to business. When they were finished, they got dressed and went out to the main room. Ren took out the icebox so they could eat breakfast. ¡°I can''t believe you''ve been carrying that around.¡± Nathalia said as she took out some food and set it on the table. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°The cooks here have no passion. They just make the meals and serve them.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°If I had more time, I''d ask you to teach me everything you know.¡± ¡°I really want to teach you, too.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°But after your 3 month sentence, you only have a month to finish everything you''ve started. It would take a lot longer than that to teach you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just have to prove my value to the dwarves again, and try to earn another invitation back.¡± ¡°After everything you''ve done here, do you really think there''s something else you can do to prove your worth to us?¡± ¡°I''m sure I''ll think of something.¡± He grinned as he ate. ¡°If you can top saving the people from Lord Lodur''s strangle-hold, I''d like to see it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''ll be the first person I''ll come to see when I get back.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, but that won''t be possible for a while.¡± Narhilda said as she came out of the bedroom. ¡°I think Fritz was right. We need to fix everything here before opening our borders to other people that don''t understand our ways.¡± ¡°What are you wearing?¡± Nathalia asked her. ¡°Where''s the dress Ren made for you?¡± ¡°In the closet.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I need to start wearing more appropriate clothing for receiving visitors to the castle.¡± Nathalia frowned. ¡°You shouldn''t do that.¡± She said, and noticed something missing from Narhilda''s neck. ¡°Where''s your pendant?¡± ¡°With the dress.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°That''s what the meeting was about last night. My Advisor said I should adjust to living in the castle, and not keep living in the past.¡± ¡°That doesn''t mean abandoning everything Ren made for you!¡± ¡°It''s all right, Nathalia.¡± Ren said. ¡°If she''s decided that her own House doesn''t mean as much to her as it does to me, then that''s her choice.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°She can''t do that! Not after everything you''ve done to make House Neram mean something again!¡± ¡°She can do whatever she wants.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s running the Kingdom now, after all.¡± ¡°Only because of you!¡± He nodded slightly. ¡°Yes, and now that I have, apparently I''m not needed anymore.¡± Narhilda took in a deep breath to speak, and Ren raised a hand to stop her. ¡°I don''t need your excuses or explanations.¡± He said. ¡°I get it. I understand.¡± Ren stored the icebox, then looked at Nathalia. ¡°I won''t be coming here to sleep at night anymore.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Nathalia yelled. He stepped close to her and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°Just call if you need me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll get to you as fast as I can.¡± He looked at Riley and Stacy. ¡°Come.¡± The two dogs went to him and took up positions at his side. Narhilda looked at him with surprise clearly on her face. ¡°I won''t leave parts of myself around you, when you don''t want me around.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll have to use your own guards from now on.¡± He said, turned away, and left the apartment with the dogs following him. Teepo was tempted to hang around and listen; but, he didn''t want Ren to get too far ahead of him. He flew out of the apartment and down the hallway, to continue his scouting job. * ¡°What, by the gods, are you thinking?!?¡± Nathalia nearly yelled. ¡°I told you last night.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I need to distance myself from him.¡± ¡°That''s not what you just did!¡± She said. ¡°What you did was cut him off! Not only from you; but from me, too!¡± Narhilda''s eyes widened at Nathalia''s tone, then she frowned. ¡°I don''t think I like the way you are speaking to me.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°I don''t like the way you''re acting, so I guess that makes us even.¡± ¡°Nathalia.¡± Narhilda said, sternly. ¡°You swore an oath...¡± ¡°Yes I did.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°20 years ago. After all that time with you, this is the first time I''ve ever regretted it.¡± Chapter 179 - You Did What? Ren was halfway down the hallway when his dog Stacy whined at him, and felt her scolding him. He stopped walking and sighed. ¡°Yes, I over-reacted.¡± Ren said, then knelt to face her. ¡°I just don''t like that she can push me aside so easily.¡± He said. Just like someone else I won''t mention. He thought, and pat Stacy on the head. Stacy gave him a soft bark, and he nodded. ¡°Okay, go back and guard her.¡± Ren said. ¡°She can use you to keep her company, at least. I have a feeling she''s going to need it.¡± He looked at Riley. ¡°You, too.¡± Riley gave him a soft bark, and the two dogs turned around to run back to the apartment. ¡°That was nice of you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They wouldn''t have much to do, just sitting around and watching Princess, or sitting next to the mine.¡± Ren said as he stood up, then he kept walking down the hallway. * There was a heavy scratching on the apartment door, then some growling, and a shout. Nathalia ran to the door and opened it to see one of the guards on the floor with his arm trapped inside the mouth of one of the dogs, and the other guard with his sword raised to strike. ¡°STOP!¡± Nathalia shouted at the guard. ¡°What''s going on out here?¡± ¡°One of the dogs damaged the door, and I tried to push it away. The other one growled and attacked me.¡± ¡°He didn''t attack you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°His teeth would be out if that was true.¡± She said. ¡°By the looks of things, he was defending his mate from you.¡± ¡°Look! It damaged the door! I had to stop it!¡± The guard on the floor said. ¡°Don''t be stupid.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You should have just opened the door when you saw them coming back. The door wouldn''t have been damaged at all.¡± The guard looked at her with indignation. ¡°Riley, please let him go.¡± Nathalia asked, and Riley opened his mouth. She looked at the guard. ¡°You''re not even hurt, are you?¡± The guard didn''t say anything, and Nathalia shook her head at him. ¡°Even without his teeth, Riley could have easily crushed your arm.¡± Nathalia stepped aside and the two dogs entered the room. ¡°Don''t interfere with them again.¡± She shut the door on the guards'' surprised faces. When she turned around, she saw Narhilda kneeling in front of the two dogs. ¡°What does this mean?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°Isn''t it obvious?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You hurt Ren, and he reacted; but he knows you''re still going to need protection, even though he won''t be coming back.¡± ¡°But...¡± A tear came to her eye. ¡°...if they are pieces of him, how will I forget about him, with them constantly by my side?¡± ¡°Ever since Ren started living with us, he''s always been by our side.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Are you really trying to forget about it all?¡± She shook her head. ¡°How can you be so foolish?!?¡± * Ren was really tempted to run all the way, as it was taking so much time to get back to the Main Keep entrance. He kept his cool though, and walked at a brisk pace. He and Teepo made it to the entrance, then left the Main Keep. Since it was still pretty early, he ran as fast as he could back to the place where he was attacked by the group of assassins. He went into the underbrush and found the cart that was full of sand. He looked at the ground again, but there wasn''t any more footprints since the last time he had been there, and he sighed. ¡°I guess if you have a Scroll Mage that can identify everything, you wouldn''t need any actual physical evidence.¡± Ren said, and modified the front of the cart so he could pull it instead of a horse. He checked the contents to make sure nothing was leaking out, then examined it closely to see how it was double-layered and reinforced. Ren dismissed the popup he received for discovering the plans for it, then got in position. He started to pull the cart, and felt the weight of it. ¡°I think there a lot more than 1 ton of sand in this thing.¡± Ren enchanted the cart with a double glyph of Antidark (8 runes total) and pulled it through the city and out to his mine. The guard opened the gate for him, so he pulled the cart up the road and next to his small workshop. Ren''s eyes widened as he had gained a couple of points in Strength when he stopped. I''m glad I didn''t try and carry the thing. Ren thought. I wonder how much it weighs? ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If you remember how much sand is in it, then when you refill it, you''ll know how to keep gaining Strength.¡± Ren nodded, and went over to the mine foreman''s office. He knocked, but there was no answer. ¡°I better check in the medical tent.¡± Ren said, and ran down the road to the area beside the mine''s entrance. There was nothing to knock on; but, the tent''s flaps were open. He went inside and looked around. He didn''t see anyone here, either. ¡°Hello?¡± Ren said. He heard a gasp, and turned to the curtained-off area used for examinations. He saw the curtain bulge out, there was a clatter of a chair hitting the floor, and the healer fell out and onto the floor herself. Ren ran to her, lifted her head and shoulders, and knelt to rest her on his knees. ¡°Are you all right?¡± He asked her, and she stared up at him in surprise. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± She blinked a few times at him, but didn''t say anything because she was frozen in shock. He looked her over, and realized something he''d missed in his rush to get to her. She wasn''t wearing any clothing. Ren looked where the chair had fallen, and saw her pants, underwear, and long white tunic were on the floor beside it. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t mean to interrupt while you were getting dressed.¡± She opened her mouth several times to speak, but nothing came out. She looked like a fish out of water, and he smiled. ¡°Ma''am, it''s okay.¡± He said. ¡°Breathe. Relax.¡± He grinned. ¡°It''s no big deal. They may all be different, but I have seen breasts before.¡± The healer took a deep breath to compose herself, took another, and sighed. ¡°Okay, I deserved that comment.¡± ¡°I meant it as a joke, not as a critique of your bedside manner.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Do you want me to get your clothes?¡± ¡°No, I can get them.¡± She said, and Ren easily lifted her to her feet. She had been shocked by his sudden appearance, then surprised by his act of chivalry. The show of Strength made her catch her breath, however. She stood there and looked at him, and he smiled. ¡°Ma''am? Clothes.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The healer said. ¡°Clothes! Clothes are good!¡± Ren grinned as she had repeated the same phrase the day before, when he was nude in front of her. She turned around to gather up her clothes, and Ren couldn''t help himself and admired her form. She picked up her underwear, then stepped into them to pull them up. For some reason, he really enjoyed it when a woman bent over like that. Ren stopped that thought in it''s tracks, and turned his head away so she wouldn''t catch him looking at her. He stood like that for a few minutes, and then the healer spoke. ¡°You can look now.¡± She said with relief in her voice. Ren looked at her and saw she was completely dressed. ¡°Why were you getting dressed in here?¡± He asked. ¡°There should be a house here for you to use.¡± ¡°A house!¡± The healer exclaimed. ¡°I have to use one of the miner''s rest tents!¡± Ren frowned. ¡°That won''t do at all.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll build you one behind this tent.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I can''t have a woman that works here, sleeping in some strange man''s bed every night.¡± ¡°I''m not sleeping with a stranger every night!¡± ¡°That''s not what I said!¡± Ren said, then took a deep breath. After a moment of silence, he spoke. ¡°I meant, some man had slept in it the night before, and then you had to sleep in it.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The healer said. ¡°That''s okay. I''ll get used to it.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, you won''t.¡± He said. ¡°You''ll be sleeping in one of my comfy beds tonight.¡± ¡°Is that your half-assed attempt at seducing me?¡± The healer laughed. ¡°Because if it is, it''s pretty bad.¡± ¡°I''m not trying to seduce you.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°All I am doing, is talking.¡± ¡°You just invited me to sleep in your bed!¡± ¡°No. I told you that you''d be sleeping in ''one of'' my comfy beds.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t say ''with me''.¡± The healer took a breath, and let it out. ¡°I don''t know why I''m jumping to conclusions with you like this.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Can you say ''trouble'' with a capital ''T''? ¡°It''s kind of my fault.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''m an Adventurer, and I acquired a recipe long ago that causes trouble.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The healer asked. ¡°Can you tell me about it?¡± ¡°I''m sorry, I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got 8 hours of work to do today.¡± ¡°I can let you out of that.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°You''ll have to tell me about your adventures with trouble, though.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I have a better idea.¡± He took out copies of his books. ¡°Have you read these yet?¡± The healer shook her head. He handed the books to her, and smiled at her perplexed expression. ¡°This should give you an insight into some of the trouble I''ve had.¡± He said. ¡°I''m going to work now.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± She said. ¡°You need another inspection done.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°We did one yesterday.¡± ¡°Yes, and you left the mine compound, and were gone to the gods know where.¡± She said. ¡°I have to inspect you again.¡± ¡°It won''t be another complete one.¡± Ren said, and she understood that he wasn''t asking a question. ¡°Yes, you can keep your underwear on.¡± The healer smiled, and stepped aside to hold the curtain open for him. He went into the area, and stored his clothing. She closed the curtain and started the inspection. ¡°By the way, I wasn''t getting changed.¡± She said as she walked around to check his back. ¡°I was inspecting myself.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°But... wouldn''t you know where you''ve been?¡± He asked, as she poked his back in a few places, then felt the muscles. ¡°I left the compound early this morning to get more supplies.¡± She said. ¡°I got back about 10 minutes before you showed up. I can''t enter the mine without checking myself, either.¡± She touched the back of his knee and he bent it. ¡°Why is that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It just seems odd that...¡± She held out her arm, and showed Ren the Bracelet of Enforcement she wore, that matched his own. He had missed seeing it on her wrist earlier. ¡°Who holds your contract?¡± ¡°The head of the Medical Wing in the Main Keep.¡± She said. ¡°She''s a wonderful woman! She gave me the funds that I needed to complete my training and join the Guild.¡± ¡°How long is your contract for?¡± ¡°It was supposed to be for 10 years; but thanks to this job, it''s only going to take me 4 years to pay her back!¡± The healer said. ¡°Then I''ll be free to do as I please. Bend your elbows.¡± ¡°How much are you being paid to work here?¡± Ren asked as he bent his elbows. ¡°15 gold a week!¡± She said, excitedly. ¡°Normally we don''t get paid when picked up to work for a House, mainly because we usually join the House when we do; but, since this is an independent operation, I can get an actual salary instead of working at a second job. With the tithe to my House, the head of the Medical Wing gets 10 gold a week from this!¡± Ren did the math in his head. ¡°It cost you over 31 platinum to train and join the guild?¡± He asked, surprised it was so much. The healer laughed. ¡°Of course not.¡± She said. ¡°The early payment penalty fees, early contract termination fees, compounded interest, loss of interest payments over the time the contract should have been filled...¡± The healer shrugged. ¡°It all adds up in the end. Wrists and fingers, please.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°If, by some miracle, you paid it off today... how much would it cost?¡± He asked, and flexed his fingers and turned his wrists. ¡°I can''t imagine that''s even possible.¡± She said. ¡°But, if I had to take a guess, I''d say nearly 40 platinum.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and she came around to his front. She massaged his chest muscles, just like she did yesterday, and moved on to his abdomen. ¡°No distentions today, either.¡± She looked at him. ¡°You must work really hard to keep this much muscle mass.¡± ¡°You have no idea.¡± Ren said as she checked his arms and legs. ¡°I just hauled a cart full of sand here from the city.¡± ¡°That poor horse must be exhausted.¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t hear one, though.¡± She put a hand over her mouth and gasped. ¡°Oh, no! Don''t tell me it died from hauling such a heavy load!¡± ¡°It''s okay!¡± Ren said to calm her down, before she kept over-reacting. ¡°There''s no horse.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I pulled the cart.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± The healer exclaimed. ¡°I pulled the cart. It''s over by the blacksmith shop.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I get dressed now?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The healer nodded slightly. ¡°You''re cleared for work.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, equipped his clothing, and left the tent. Since he had a bit of time before the work crew for his shift showed up, he went around to the back of the medical tent and took out his hammerpick. ¡°Let''s get to work.¡± Ren said, and cleared an amount of space for a small 2 room cottage, and set out the wood to build it. It took about an hour for him to make the walls and set them into place. ¡°The work crew is here.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Great.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll finish this at lunch.¡± He went over to the crew and followed them into the mine, then worked for another 4 hours. When they broke for lunch, he ran out to the entrance of the mine and then behind the medical tent. He had a small pitched roof built and filled in, then took out his icebox and had a quick lunch. He stored the icebox again, then made a nice comfy bed and put it in the bedroom. ¡°Time.¡± Teepo said, and Ren left the cottage to run back into the mine. He did 3 hours, and got the relief and happiness feelings again. ¡°Huh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m done for the day.¡± He bid the workers a good day, and left the mine. ¡°That''s early.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I only counted 7 hours.¡± ¡°The bracelet must have counted the time I worked on the cottage this morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think... as long as I''m doing work for the mine, it counts against my time.¡± ¡°That''s pretty neat.¡± Teepo said, and Ren went back to the cottage. He made a comfy couch, a chair, and a table for the living room, and a cabinet for the bedroom. ¡°I think that''s everything.¡± Ren said, then took out a coin pouch and put 45 platinum in it. He put it on the table, and left a note for the healer. He left the cottage and went around to the front of the medical tent. ¡°Ma''am?¡± He said as he entered. She looked up from her desk and smiled at him. ¡°You''re leaving again, aren''t you?¡± She asked, and he nodded. ¡°I''ve got to go and check on my mount, to make sure she''s okay.¡± ¡°I''ll have to examine you again in the morning.¡± The healer said. ¡°Yeah, I know the drill now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your cottage is ready, too.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren waved her to come with him, and she followed him out of the tent and around to the back. She stopped and stared at the quaint little house he had built for her. ¡°I didn''t know what color you liked, so I just left the plain wood.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let me know where you want the windows to go, and I''ll install them tomorrow.¡± She stopped staring at the cottage, and turned to Ren. ¡°How in the world did you make this today?¡± ¡°I started it after you inspected me this morning.¡± He said. ¡°While I waited for the other workers on my shift, I got the walls made. I worked on it some more during lunch, and just now finished the furniture.¡± ¡°You made furniture, too?!?¡± ¡°I told you before.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''d be sleeping in one of my comfy beds tonight.¡± He said. ¡°Of course, once I had the bed made, the rest of the place felt empty. So, I made a few other things.¡± ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°It''s only 2 rooms.¡± Ren said. ¡°Since you eat at the cafeteria like everyone else.¡± ¡°I... I haven''t seen you in there yet.¡± The healer said. ¡°That''s because I''ve been busy.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°By the way, I need to know your name so I can assign you as the occupant.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''m not making a pass at you, or trying to trick you into a relationship or anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°I own this land. As the owner, I need your name to add it to your house.¡± The healer bit her lip for a moment, then sighed. ¡°I can''t believe I''m giving my name to you, even under these circumstances.¡± She said. ¡°It''s... it''s Deresdra Tundraborn.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ma''am.¡± Ren said, and assigned her as the occupant. She gasped as key formed around her neck, and he turned to her. ¡°Enjoy your new place.¡± He motioned for her to enter the house, and he ran to his workshop beside the blacksmith shop. Ren took out the baby fire elemental''s pen and put it on the workbench, added some more Spider Silk cloth, and a pile of normal cloth scraps. He opened up the forge and looked inside. ¡°Hi!¡± Ren said. He took out the baby fire elemental and put it in the pen. ¡°It''s downright small now, isn''t it?¡± He said to the 6 inch wide fire being. Ren added another paving stone, more bricks around the sides, and enchanted some of them to produce fire. ¡°There. That''s better.¡± Ren said, and added paving stones to the top. He left the workshop and ran down to the gate. The guard waved and opened it for him, and he took off down the road to go back to House Neram. * The healer Deresdra, stood and stared at her new house for several minutes, before opening the door. She went inside and admired the handiwork. She sat on the couch, and sighed. Her eyes widened as she remembered he said the bed was supposed to be comfy, and she ran to the bedroom to see a cabinet and a large bed with a blanket. She laid down on it, and practically moaned in pleasure. ¡°Oh, he was so right!¡± Deresdra said, and rolled around on the bed. ¡°I''ve never felt anything so comfortable.¡± She stopped moving and laid still for a few minutes, then sighed as she got out of bed. ¡°I''ve still got a few hours left before I can relax for the night.¡± She left her bedroom and noticed a small white pouch on the table in the living room. She went to it, and saw that it sat on a note.
Dear, Ma''am.
I couldn''t think of what to give you as a house-warming gift, so I hope this will be good enough.
Deresdra smiled. He built me a house, and still wanted to give me a ''house-warming'' gift. She shook her head in disbelief. He must have seen that I didn''t have one of these. She thought, picked up the coin pouch, and noticed it was a little heavy. What a nice gift. It even matches my tunic! She equipped it and checked it''s contents, then froze. ¡°He DIDN''T!¡± She counted the contents again, even though she could clearly see the total, and shook her head again. ¡°No... no no no!¡± She said, and ran out of her house and over to the blacksmith shop. Deresdra opened the door to Ren''s workshop, but he wasn''t there. She ran down to the gate and stopped at the guard. ¡°He...¡± *huff* *huff* ¡°He... left already, didn''t he?¡± *huff* The guard nodded slightly. ¡°You just missed him.¡± He said. ¡°Was I supposed to keep him here?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, I just wanted to talk to him.¡± She said as she finally caught her breath. ¡°I''ll see him in the morning. Thank you.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± The guard said. ¡°Have a good day.¡± Deresdra walked back up the road to the medical tent to take up her station for the rest of her shift. ¡°I can''t be indebted to him!¡± She said to herself. ¡°If he makes me sign an indentured servant contract because of this... I... I don''t know what I''ll do!¡± * Ren ran to House Neram Keep, and up to his old workshop. He greeted the women working there, pat Ruck, and went into the forge room. He still had several hours left before supper, so he helped Tee-one make bows, and took the bolts Tee-one had made for the Ballista. Ren took it out and filled the 100 bolt cartridge, re-installed it, then stored it again. He leveled up his Bow Making and Arrow Making skills to Beginner Level 4, and then it was suppertime. Ren took out the icebox and helped himself to some more food, and stored it again. He bid Tee-one a goodnight, and left the workshop. He ran down to the house, greeted the guards, and went into the stable. ¡°Hi, Princess.¡± ...hello... Ren opened her stat window, and saw she had leveled up several times from all of the XP he''d gained from the encounter with the spiders. ¡°Let''s allocate your points.¡± Ren said, and she told him to spend them all in Intelligence. ¡°I don''t think that''s a good idea.¡± He said. ¡°Only being intelligent isn''t going to help you much by itself. I think you need to spend some points in Wisdom. It''s a stat that shouldn''t be ignored if you''re trying to get smarter.¡± ...agreed... Ren split the points between the two stats. ¡°How''s that?¡± He asked. ¡°Do you feel any different?¡± ...I do. Thank you... ¡°Yeah, I think that''s much better.¡± Ren said, and smiled. ¡°Are you being fed well?¡± ...I am. Thank you... ¡°I''m glad.¡± He said. ¡°Goodnight, Princess.¡± ...Goodnight... Ren left her and went into the house. I might as well check my stats after those gains.
Status
Name Ren Level 31
Gender Male Class Artificer/Lord
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 405,590 (Lord) Honor 57,825 (Prestigious)
Titles
Blacksmith Grants 5 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills
Tailor Grants 5 level bonus to Tailoring Skills
Issac''s Novice 20% stat gain at his shop
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Health 1048 Mana 1265
Strength 175 Dexterity 97
Vitality 105 Agility 93
Endurance 101 Intelligence 138
Luck 39 Wisdom 143
I''m really getting up there. He thought as he sat down on the couch in the main room, and leaned back. I''ll be gone for a few hours at least, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°Have fun.¡± Teepo said. ¡°See you when you get back.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset and Bonnie greeted him. ¡°Hey, you.¡± She said. ¡°Are you having fun digging around in the dirt?¡± ¡°It''s a ball!¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t realize how much work goes into making something, until you have to make it safe for other people to use.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°Nurses do it every day.¡± Ren looked at her, and he smiled. ¡°Hey, you do!¡± He said. ¡°I just take you all for granted, don''t I?¡± Bonnie laughed. ¡°It''s our job to be as unobtrusive and helpful as possible.¡± She said. ¡°You shouldn''t see how much work we do, as it defeats the purpose of doing the work in the first place.¡± ¡°That doesn''t really make sense.¡± Bonnie laughed again. ¡°Think about it.¡± She picked up the bedpan beside the bed. ¡°If you knew that after every time you used this, it had to be scrubbed for 10 minutes by hand, then sterilized for another 3 to 5 minutes in a machine that costs tens of thousands of dollars, would you have used it as many times as you have?¡± Ren blinked at her a few times, then shook his head. ¡°Does it really take that much work?¡± Bonnie smiled. ¡°Yes, but you aren''t supposed to know that.¡± He looked around the room at everything. ¡°You all do a lot of prep work beforehand, don''t you?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°Patients are supposed to be relaxed, and not have to worry about anything while they are being taken care of.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I knew I was kind of spoiled by all the attention you all gave to me, but I didn''t realize...¡± Bonnie put a hand on his arm. ¡°That''s the point.¡± She said. ¡°You aren''t supposed to.¡± She smiled. ¡°Live your life and have fun. We''ll worry about all the details.¡± Ren covered her hand with his. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°You better get up and get changed.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t want to take the chance of you getting food on your nice new pajamas.¡± ¡°I ate supper yesterday with them on.¡± Ren said as he slid out of bed. ¡°Plain white rice, and a supplement drink.¡± She said. ¡°I''m surprised the little grains didn''t go everywhere.¡± Ren snorted a laugh and walked to his dresser. ¡°Even with one good arm, I can still use a spoon without spilling things.¡± ¡°I don''t see how.¡± Bonnie smirked a smile. ¡°I spill them all the time when I eat them.¡± ¡°Maybe you should do my therapy session today.¡± Ren said. ¡°It sounds like you need it more than I do.¡± Bonnie laughed as Ren took the top outfit. He looked at the long sleeved t-shirt and sighed. ¡°Damn, long sleeves again.¡± ¡°I''ll give you a hand putting it on.¡± ¡°I better use the bathroom first.¡± Ren said, took the jogging pants, and went to clean himself up. He came out a few minutes later with the pajamas on his arm. ¡°I think Stella hung the other ones up.¡± Bonnie took them from him and opened the cabinet beside the dresser, and she saw 6 other sets of pajamas. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Bonnie said, and hung up the red ones. ¡°Stella said you had new pajamas, but she didn''t say you had all of these.¡± ¡°I got them all at the same time yesterday.¡± Ren said, and picked up the long sleeved t-shirt. ¡°Give me a hand.¡± Bonnie helped him put it on, and he grunted as his elbow slipped into the hole. ¡°I can''t wait to get the use of this arm back.¡± Ren said, and slipped the sling back over his elbow. ¡°It''s only a couple more weeks.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°And you''ll feel right as rain.¡± Ren climbed back into bed, and Bonnie served him breakfast. The homemade hash browns were all perfectly square and identical in size, and the low salt sausages were evenly grilled. The toast was covered in salt free butter; but, they were soft and easy to chew. ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± Ren said, when he was done eating. ¡°No complaining about the lack of salt?¡± Bonnie asked. Ren shook his head. ¡°Nope. Stella told me I got more than my monthly dose of salt yesterday.¡± Bonnie snorted a laugh. ¡°Four helpings of Endless Fries.¡± She shook her head. ¡°The most I''ve ever eaten is two.¡± ¡°I bet you wasted space with a burger or something.¡± Ren said, and grinned. ¡°All I had was fries. Coated in gravy. Then more fries.¡± He took in a deep breath, then licked his lips. ¡°I can almost taste them.¡± Bonnie laughed. ¡°Come on, you gravy nut.¡± She helped him get in the wheelchair to go to therapy. ¡°You''ve got a workout to get to.¡± She took him to therapy and Ren did his normal routine. When he was done, he relaxed at the side of the room and drank another supplement. Bonnie came in to get him, and another nurse ran in after her. ¡°Hey, everyone!¡± The other nurse said. ¡°You have got to see this!¡± She grabbed the remote to turn on the television mounted in the corner, and changed the channel to a familiar one. * ¡°That''s right, folks! The very first television show based on footage from the virtual reality game called F.L.O.W., or Fantasy Life Online World, will air tonight at 7 o''clock. It must be good, because it''s already been picked up for a full season!¡± The announcer said, then he took a breath. ¡°Thanks to our partnership with the production company, we now have a teaser trailer to show you. This is a News 8 exclusive, so enjoy!¡± A short 30 second trailer played, and the catchy music playing in the background added to the excitement. Ren saw himself picking herbs in the forest outside the starter city, then wolves approached through the trees. He saw them attack, then he tried to fight. He didn''t remember stepping on one of the paws, making the wolf yelp, and he didn''t remember elbowing another in the snout... but, so much had happened in so short a time that he didn''t remember a lot of what had happened. They tore at his clothing and scratched him, and he hadn''t realized how close he had come to dying several times. Two of the wolves lunged at him at the same time, but he slipped and they smashed into each other instead of him. He got away after that, and saw the part he remembered well. He watched himself fleeing out into the open and screaming ''Why me?''. The nurse who had turned on the television laughed. ¡°There you go folks! A quick teaser to whet your appetite. Tune in tonight at 7pm for the full half hour show called Master Of All, Jack Of None.¡± * The therapist looked at him with surprise on her face, as the nurse turned off the television and looked at them. ¡°Isn''t that something?¡± She asked, then looked at Ren. ¡°We''ve got a real live television star on our hands!¡± Ren finished his supplement and put the cup down, then his eyes widened as he heard something he never thought he''d ever hear. ¡°Say...¡± The nurse said. ¡°...can I have your autograph?¡± Chapter 180 - Oathbreaker ¡°Get out of here, Cheryl.¡± Bonnie laughed. ¡°This TV Star isn''t giving out autographs today.¡± ¡°Aww!¡± Cheryl said, fake pouted, then laughed herself. ¡°See you around, Ren!¡± Ren waved to her as she left, then he looked at Bonnie. ¡°I guess I should expect this for a little while.¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Bonnie said as she wheeled him out of the therapy room. ¡°If the show catches on, you''ll become a household name.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± He said as they went down the hall to his room. ¡°It''s going be just like that old saying. I''ll have my 15 minutes of fame, then fade from the spotlight.¡± Bonnie shook her head as he got out of the chair and she put it by the door. ¡°You''re underestimating your cuteness again.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Ren said, and held his arms out for her. She pulled up the long sleeved t-shirt and slid it gently over his sore elbow. ¡°I know how far cuteness can go. It''s not far enough to make me a celebrity.¡± Bonnie grinned at him. ¡°Just you wait.¡± She said. ¡°This is going to change your life.¡± Ren went into the bathroom to take a shower. It took a lot longer than usual, as his arms were still sore from the workout. He had to ask Bonnie to wash his back, though. She did so without comment, and helped him dry off. ¡°Thanks, Bonnie.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. He got dressed in the blue set of pajamas, then went to the bed and climbed in. ¡°Whew. I''m exhausted.¡± He said and motioned for the VR headset. ¡°I better get some sleep.¡± Bonnie laughed. ¡°I still find it hard to believe that you can get a full night''s sleep in only a few hours.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said, then yawned. ¡°I don''t know how the time compression actually works; but, I can live 4 full days every day, and get 4 full nights of sleep every 24 hours.¡± ¡°Then you better get in there and get some rest.¡± Bonnie said, and helped him put the VR headset on. ¡°You''ve only got 2 game days before you officially meet the public.¡± ¡°See you at lunch.¡± Ren said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch and rubbed his eyes. Ugh. He said. Now I''m doubly tired. He stood and stretched. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Nothing happened while you were gone, and no one came in.¡± That''s great, buddy. Ren sighed. I''m heading to bed to get some sleep. ¡°I''ll see you in the morning.¡± Teepo said. Goodnight. Ren thought as he walked down the hallway to the old bedroom. He blinked his eyes a few times, opened the door to the bedroom, and went inside. He didn''t look around at all, and stored his clothing. It left him in just his underwear, but that was more comfortable when there was a blanket on the bed. Ren slid under the blanket on what he thought of as ''his'' side of the bed, from all of the times he''d slept there with Nathalia. The bed barely moved as he lay down on his side, and when his head hit the pillow, he fell fast asleep. Not once had he noticed the small lump on the other side of the bed. * Ereka stirred slightly. Even though she had been asleep, she thought she had felt the bed move. She waited for a moment; and when she didn''t feel anything else, she drifted back to sleep. * ¡°He really didn''t come back.¡± Narhilda said, as she sat on the couch in the royal apartment. Nathalia laughed. ¡°Did you really think he would, when you practically told him you didn''t want anything to do with him?¡± ¡°I said no such thing!¡± Narhilda exclaimed. ¡°No, you didn''t say it.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You just told him to not bother trying to earn an invite back to the Kingdom after he''s forced to leave.¡± She said. ¡°Right after taking off the things he made for you.¡± ¡°I''m still wearing the rings!¡± Nathalia laughed again. ¡°Only because they benefit you without having to think about him.¡± ¡°I''m starting to get tired of your accusations.¡± ¡°Are they accusations when they''re true?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I haven''t lied, or you would know.¡± Narhilda closed her mouth, before she said something she would regret. ¡°You still want to argue with me, though.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°What''s gotten into you?¡± ¡°I don''t know what you mean.¡± ¡°Ever since we''ve been back at the castle, you''ve been acting differently. Where''s the kind mother figure I''ve known nearly all of my life?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Where''s the woman who professed her love to a wonderful man, that never did anything to hurt you? Yet you tossed him aside like he doesn''t mean anything to you.¡± ¡°That is enough.¡± Narhilda said and stood up. ¡°You will not speak another unkind word about me.¡± Nathalia opened her mouth to respond, and nothing came out. Her eyes widened, and then she frowned. ¡°You made me do that.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°It''s tearing me up inside that I have to distance myself from him, and I don''t want you to keep reminding me of how much it hurts.¡± Nathalia shook her head again. ¡°You... me... hurt... bargain.¡± Narhilda sighed. ¡°Yes, my doing this has hurt you. You''ll get over him, just like I will.¡± ¡°I don''t want to get over him!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I never thought I''d say these words to you, but I have no choice.¡± She dropped to her knees. ¡°Release me from my oath.¡± Narhilda gasped. ¡°Please, Narhilda.¡± Nathalia pleaded. ¡°For 20 years, I''ve done everything you''ve asked without question; and I''ve never once asked for anything in return.¡± Narhilda shook her head. ¡°You don''t realize what you''re asking.¡± ¡°I know exactly what will happen to me.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ll be free.¡± ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± ¡°I know what you meant.¡± ¡°Who will attend me, when you are no longer bound to me?¡± ¡°There are hundreds of young women that would assist the Queen.¡± Narhilda sighed. ¡°You are going to keep asking me about this, aren''t you?¡± ¡°You could forbid me from asking.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°But you know how I feel now. Not saying the words isn''t going to change that.¡± ¡°I''ll think about it.¡± ¡°No.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I won''t stay here while you stall.¡± ¡°I said no unkind words against me.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°They weren''t unkind.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Now, If I''d-¡± Her words were cut off. Narhilda sighed. ¡°You want my decision right away.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°Very well. The answer is n-¡± Nathalia stood up and grabbed Narhilda by the neck in one swift motion and cut off the answer. ¡°I told you that I won''t stay here while you stall.¡± She said, while Narhilda tried to pry off her hand. ¡°These last 20 years have been the happiest that I could have ever had. At least, that''s what I thought... until Ren came into my life.¡± ¡°...can''t.... breathe...¡± ¡°He''s shown me... shown us... shown everyone... that life could be so much better than it is.¡± Nathalia said and eased her grip slightly to let Narhilda breathe. ¡°Let me g-¡± Nathalia squeezed her throat again to cut off her words. ¡°Ren has given me more than he realizes.¡± She said. ¡°He''s given me a purpose for being here.¡± Nathalia pulled Narhilda close and stared at her. ¡°I am the Warden for House Neram, and you are trying to take that, and him, away from me.¡± ¡°...not...¡± ¡°He can only stay here another 4 months, and you cut Ren off from me for no reason, except that you might be hurt more later.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°Like hurting right now is better than waiting for it to happen!¡± She shook Narhilda. ¡°How can you be so stupid?¡± Then she stopped as she realized something. ¡°You don''t really love him, do you?¡± Narhilda''s eyes went wide. ¡°That''s it, isn''t it?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You loved that you had a man to hold on to, and to be with after all these years. Someone who saw you as a woman, and treated you with respect; but you don''t love him for who he is, only for what he could do for you.¡± Tears came to Narhilda''s eyes, and Nathalia nodded. ¡°I should have known.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Your revelation about him came so fast, and then you didn''t want to reveal your secret to him.¡± She laughed. ¡°He wasn''t worth the sacrifice, was he?¡± Nathalia shook her. ¡°WAS HE?¡± ¡°...no...¡± ¡°Release me from my oath.¡± ¡°...n-¡± Nathalia squeezed tightly, and Narhilda started to choke. ¡°I wasn''t asking you.¡± Nathalia said and eased her grip. ¡°Either release me, or... or... I will release myself.¡± ¡°...you... can''t...¡± Narhilda said through clenched teeth. ¡°...oath... breaker...¡± ¡°Yes, it would break my oath; and I would be forever branded as such.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°But... I won''t let you destroy the only real happiness I''ve ever had.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°...kill... me... then...¡± Nathalia extended her Mana Claws on her free hand, and pulled back to strike... and then didn''t. ¡°You''re right. I can''t break my oath like that.¡± Nathalia said, and the claws retracted. ¡°I swore all those years ago that I would always protect you, serve you, and provide you with everything that you would ever need.¡± She sighed. ¡°Which I didn''t know would also include my fiance, of all things.¡± Narhilda felt Nathalia''s grip slacken, and smiled. ¡°Yes, you have to give me everything that I need. Right now, I need to forget about Ren.¡± ¡°As you wish... master.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Once more, I shall protect you.¡± Riley and Stacy had stood guard during the entire encounter, and had watched silently as Nathalia gripped Narhilda''s neck tightly once more. A short blade, made entirely of light, formed in Nathalia''s hand. It was almost insubstantial, and had a mist like quality. ¡°I will protect you... from your own self-interest.¡± Nathalia said, as she slid the blade into Narhilda''s forehead. * Ren felt a pique of interest from his dog Stacy, and sighed. He rolled over onto his back, close to the middle of the bed, and thought he felt the bed move slightly. He reached a hand to that side of the bed, and felt a shoulder under the blanket. He thought Nathalia had snuck out of the castle to stay with him, and he smiled as he tucked his arm under her pillow, just like he always did. He fell asleep again, secure in the knowledge that the woman he loved was right there in the bed with him, and not miles away in the castle, with a woman who wanted to ignore him. * Ereka woke up to the feel of a hand that had touched her shoulder. It''s under the blanket! She thought, then froze as the hand moved away, and an arm slid under her pillow and stopped moving. She waited to see if the stranger was going to keep making advances on her; but all she heard was deep breathing. I need to scare him away somehow! Ereka thought, and concentrated on her House Neram brooch. When whoever it is feels this, they''ll know they shouldn''t mess with House Neram! Her Aura merged with the artificial one around the Keep, and she gasped as she felt a very familiar Aura had already merged with it. She pulled the blanket down off of her head and looked at who was in the bed with her. It really is Ren! She thought in surprise. Am I dreaming? She pinched herself, and winced from the pain. No, I''m not dreaming... but... what do I do? Ereka started to get out of bed, and Ren folded his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to cuddle. ¡°Mm... love you...¡± Ren murmured in his sleep, and Ereka felt an outpouring of love from him. By the gods! Ereka thought, and was so surprised by the intensity of his feelings, that she had forgotten to struggle to free herself. With his arm now wrapped tightly around her shoulders, she sighed and put her head on his chest. She stayed awake for as long as she could, and waited for an opportunity to slip out of his strong grasp. Sleep eventually won the battle, though; and she drifted off into a sea of Ren''s emotions. * Nathalia hadn''t used the Blade Of Befuddlement in years; but, it all came back to her now. ¡°Your mind is clear.¡± Nathalia whispered to Narhilda. ¡°My mind is clear.¡± Narhilda whispered. ¡°You no longer require my help.¡± ¡°I no longer require your help.¡± ¡°You release me from my oath.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I... I... I need you...¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°You don''t need me.¡± ¡°I... I don''t need you.¡± ¡°You can hire another personal maid.¡± ¡°I can hire another personal maid.¡± Narhilda responded. ¡°You will send the dogs back to Ren.¡± ¡°I will send the dogs back to Ren.¡± ¡°You release me from my oath.¡± ¡°I... I... release you... from your oath.¡± Narhilda said, and Nathalia was engulfed in a bright white light. A mystical chain, made of a similar material as the Blade of Befuddlement, appeared between them. The chain linked their hearts together, and Nathalia felt an intense stabbing pain in her heart. The chain pulled itself free, and dragged a long spike with it. Once the spike was out of her body, the chain dissolved away into nothing, and Nathalia felt her face tingle. She stopped herself from checking it, and continued to speak. ¡°You will feel good that you no longer need me around.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I will feel good that I no longer need you around.¡± Narhilda responded. ¡°You will forget about this incident, and run the Kingdom the way Ren showed you.¡± ¡°I will run the Kingdom the way Ren showed me.¡± ¡°You will not let the Council dictate to you anymore.¡± ¡°I will not let the Council dictate to me anymore.¡± ¡°You run things now. You will fix the problems.¡± ¡°I run things now. I will fix the problems.¡± Nathalia thought about pulling the blade out, then remembered something. ¡°You will forget about loving Ren.¡± ¡°I will forget about loving Ren.¡± ¡°As Queen, you will declare your mourning over.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°As Queen, I will declare my mourning over.¡± ¡°You will summon Barnar.¡± ¡°I will summon Barnar.¡± ¡°You can take it from there.¡± ¡°I can take it from there.¡± Nathalia slid the Blade of Befuddlement out of Narhilda''s forehead, and let her throat go. The blade hadn''t left a mark, and Narhilda stood there in a daze. ¡°Narhilda!¡± Narhilda blinked a few times, and shook her head. ¡°What... what am I...¡± She looked at Nathalia. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± She asked. ¡°You''re dismissed.¡± Nathalia bowed slightly to her, and smiled as she walked to the door of the apartment. ¡°Nathalia.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Eminence?¡± ¡°Take those dogs with you.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°They''re kind of scary.¡± ¡°Riley, Stacy.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Come.¡± The dogs went to her side and she left the apartment. Nathalia walked at a quick pace the whole way to the entrance to the Main Keep, and the dogs kept pace with her. * Ren woke up with the feeling of a warm body cuddled to him. He moved his hand from her shoulder and down her back. When the hand reached her behind, he flung his eyes open and stared at the woman in bed with him. ¡°You''re not Nathalia!¡± Ren exclaimed, and the woman raised her head and looked at him. ¡°Of course I''m not.¡± Ereka said, after waking up from the shout. ¡°I couldn''t get away when you grabbed me, though.¡± ¡°Hey, I didn''t... um... wait.¡± Ren thought back. ¡°When I rolled over in bed, I thought Nathalia had come here to see me.¡± He let Ereka out of the hug he had her in, and sat up. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°No, it''s okay.¡± Ereka said, and sat up herself. ¡°I felt how much you love her.¡± Ren blinked a few times, and realized he was still concentrating on his House Neram pendant. ¡°Now I am really sorry.¡± He said. ¡°I said I''d never share my Aura with anyone I didn''t care about.¡± ¡°You don''t care about me?¡± Ereka asked, and he felt her hurt flow into the shared Aura. ¡°It''s not that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I do care about you, and what happens to you; but, I don''t love you.¡± Ereka got a flood of intense feelings, and she wrapped her arms around herself. ¡°By the gods, how do people not lose themselves when you share like this?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°Your emotions are so powerful!¡± ¡°I usually try to keep things restrained most of the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°But when I get upset or nervous, I can''t control them like I usually do.¡± ¡°Which one are you now?¡± She asked. ¡°Upset or nervous?¡± ¡°Both!¡± Ren said. ¡°I just woke up in bed with another woman!¡± He took several deep breaths to calm down. Ereka felt the calmness fill the shared Aura, and her eyes widened. ¡°Wow.¡± She said, feeling calm herself now. ¡°That was neat.¡± ¡°Yeah, there are benefits to it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s not just intense feelings all the time.¡± ¡°That''s good to know.¡± Ereka said. ¡°It''s also good that I wear my slip to bed every night.¡± She smiled. ¡°Or you would have felt a lot more of me than my butt.¡± ¡°I''m sorry. I thought you were Nathalia.¡± ¡°You grab her butt when you''re in bed together?¡± ¡°Among other things.¡± Ren said. Ereka felt mischievousness and longing fill the Aura, and she raised her eyebrows as she covered her chest with an arm. Ren snorted a laugh, and shook his head. ¡°I was thinking of Nathalia.¡± ¡°I''m thinking of you, too.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren hopped out of bed. He looked around, then down at his glowing Sending Ring. ¡°Nathalia?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°I''m coming up the road to House Neram Keep.¡± Nathalia said, and concentrated on her House Neram pendant. ¡°I''ll be there in a minute.¡± ¡°Sweet!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll meet you at the gate!¡± He equipped his clothing and cloak, and the Sending Ring stopped glowing. ¡°You can stay in bed, Ereka.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be sleeping in Nathalia''s room tonight.¡± Ereka got out of bed, and put on a small dress that barely covered the tiny slip she wore. ¡°No, I''ll greet her in person and face the consequences of being in bed with her fiance.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''ll be doing that.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°It was my fault for not checking to see if you were in the house, let alone in bed already, before I climbed into bed myself.¡± Ereka shook her head. ¡°I think we were both at fault here.¡± Ren opened the bedroom door. ¡°We can agree to disagree here.¡± He left the bedroom and walked down the hallway and opened the front door. He ran to the gate, opened it, and saw a figure walking with two metal dogs. ¡°Riley! Stacy!¡± Ren shouted, and the dogs ran to him. ¡°I thought you were going to guard Narhilda.¡± He said and knelt in front of them and pat their heads, then felt Nathalia enter his Aura''s radius. Her Aura merged with his, and he smiled as he felt her love. ¡°She decided that she didn''t need them anymore.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Or me.¡± Ren stood up and looked at a woman''s face that he''d never seen before. She still had the long braid, but her hair wasn''t brown anymore, but a rich mahogany. Even in the dark, with Ren''s perfect night vision, he could clearly see the reddish-brown color clearly. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked, as he took her into a hug. ¡°I made Narhilda release me from my vow.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°When she did, I... the Polymorph spell that kept me looking like her... it was broken.¡± Ren smiled as he leaned back and looked at her. ¡°So this is the real you?¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°Are... are you disappointed?¡± Ren caressed her face, and felt along her jaw, up across her forehead, and down along her nose. ¡°How could the woman I love disappoint me?¡± He asked, and let his love flow into the Aura. ¡°I could tell you how it happened.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You might be disappointed then.¡± ¡°If you want to tell me, sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Since we''re sharing, though; you should know that I slept for a while in the old bedroom, with Ereka in the bed.¡± ¡°You didn''t have sex, though.¡± Nathalia said, feeling what Ren felt. ¡°No. I did grab her butt to start the ball rolling...¡± Ren said. ¡°...but, I thought she was you.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°You and your butts!¡± She said, and chuckled. ¡°Why do you like them so much?¡± ¡°They''re the mounds that lead to paradise.¡± Ren said, and grinned at her as he felt her amusement. ¡°From behind, anyways.¡± She laughed. ¡°How do you do that?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± Ren said and held her close. ¡°Make me feel okay that you grabbed another woman''s butt?¡± ¡°My brutal honesty that I really did think it was your butt, that it''s irresistible, and I love you?¡± Nathalia snorted a laugh. ¡°Shut up and kiss me, you fool.¡± ¡°I thought you''d never ask.¡± Ren said and kissed her. He broke the kiss a minute later. ¡°Lets go inside.¡± ¡°Ren, I... can you just hold me tonight?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I need to sleep, so... yes. I can just hold you.¡± He led her and the dogs through the gate, past the guards, then closed and locked the gate. Ren asked the dogs if they wanted to come in, or go to the stable to visit Princess. The dogs went to the stable, and he took Nathalia inside the house. ¡°Nathalia, I''m really sor-¡± Ereka''s words cut off as she saw a woman she''d never seen before. ¡°Ren! I thought you said Nathalia was coming?¡± ¡°This is Nathalia.¡± Ren said. ¡°Polymorph spell.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Ereka said. ¡°No wonder they looked so much alike!¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°Okay, Ren. How did you do that?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°Ereka knew exactly what you meant, and all you said was ''polymorph spell''.¡± ¡°Well, Ereka could be a lot smarter than you just gave her credit for.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia turned to Ereka as she felt Ereka''s reaction to Ren''s words. ¡°I''m sorry, Ereka. I didn''t mean to be insulting.¡± ¡°I was just in bed and cuddled up with your fiance.¡± Ereka laughed. ¡°I''m pretty sure insulting me goes with the territory.¡± ¡°I''ll be in your room, Nathalia.¡± Ren said, and yawned. ¡°By the gods, I''m tired.¡± He said, and walked into the room, just off the hallway. ¡°Goodnight, Ereka.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± She said, as Ren shut the bedroom door. * ¡°Ren already told me he grabbed your butt.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°So I told him I just wanted to be held tonight.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°You''re punishing him without him realizing it.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly herself. ¡°He did crawl into bed with another woman, no matter the circumstances.¡± ¡°Nothing happened.¡± Ereka said, and Nathalia felt the truth in her words. ¡°I still had my slip on.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°He can do a lot of things, and you''d still have your slip on.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ereka asked, and looked down at herself. ¡°I wonder why...¡± ¡°Did he kiss your neck?¡± Nathalia asked, and Ereka shook her head. ¡°He must be exhausted, then.¡± ¡°He starts with the neck?¡± ¡°Usually.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''m ticklish there, and he works his way down.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. I don''t know if I should be glad, or sad, that he only grabbed my butt. Nathalia tried not to react as she felt Ereka''s emotional turmoil, and walked over to her bedroom door. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ereka responded. * Ren was settled in the bed, but it felt weird. He wasn''t sure it was because it was a different room, or because the bed was different. He shrugged and tucked the blanket up under his chin, and Nathalia came into the room. ¡°There you are.¡± Ren said and yawned. ¡°Are you done scolding Ereka already?¡± Nathalia laughed, stored her clothing, then stored her slip as well. ¡°So, it was just your face that was polymorphed.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Yes, My Love.¡± Nathalia said as she crawled into bed under the blanket, and pressed her large chest up against him. ¡°This body is all natural.¡± ¡°Naturally awesome.¡± Ren chuckled, then kissed her. Nathalia snuggled into him, and sighed. ¡°My changed face doesn''t bother you at all, does it?¡± Ren stroked her hair. ¡°It''s you that I love, not your face.¡± Nathalia lifted her head, and looked at him with raised eyebrows. ¡°What if I''d been a hideous monster?¡± Ren had to think about that one. ¡°It would depend on the monster, I think.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Nathalia asked, surprised. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I mean, there would have to be a line that I wouldn''t cross. Like, no face for me to look at, or... or body compatibility...¡± ¡°Okay, stop thinking about it.¡± Nathalia laughed, as she felt the range of emotions he was going through while thinking about it. ¡°You need sleep, remember?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ren said, and kissed her again. ¡°Goodnight, My Love.¡± ¡°Goodnight, My Love.¡± * Ereka had gone back to bed, and had felt the gamut of emotions Ren and Nathalia went through in the last few minutes. She was happy that she could still feel it all; but, she couldn''t tell what they were talking about. She didn''t want Ren to stop sharing his feelings, so she tried to hide her happiness about the situation. As she drifted off to sleep, her happiness filled the Aura without her knowledge. * Ren felt happiness fill the Aura, and let his own join it, then drifted off to sleep. * Nathalia sighed as she gripped Ren tightly. He still loves me, even though I don''t look like I used to. She thought. He''s such a wonderful man! She smiled and felt happiness fill the Aura, then fell asleep herself. Chapter 181 - The Convent Ren got a full 6 hours of sleep, and was up bright and early the next morning. Nathalia rolled off of him with some gentle prodding, and he kissed her cheek before he left the bedroom. ¡°Ah!¡± Ren said. ¡°This is going to be a great day!¡± ¡°Are you always this loud?¡± Ereka said as she came out of the old bedroom. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was disheveled and stuck up in several places, and her slip was only slightly crooked. It was as thin as every other dress slip Ren had seen, and the tips of her breasts were quite prominent. ¡°Would you like something for breakfast?¡± Ren asked, and went into the kitchen. Ereka followed him, and Ren took out the big icebox. ¡°You can have something that''s already made, or I can whip something up.¡± ¡°Already made is fine.¡± Ereka said as she sat down and looked at Ren bleary-eyed. ¡°I guess you''re not a morning person.¡± He said, and took some food out of the icebox. Ereka smiled crookedly. ¡°I am when I get enough uninterrupted sleep.¡± Ren chuckled as he put a plate in front of her. ¡°I can only apologize so many times.¡± Ereka started eating without even looking at the food. ¡°Hey! This is cold!¡± ¡°Icebox.¡± He smiled. ¡°You can keep prepared food a lot longer than you normally can.¡± ¡°It must be nice.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I have to buy more food every day.¡± ¡°Since you''re staying here, why don''t you use that one?¡± Ren pointed to the small one that he''d made first. ¡°That''s one, too?¡± Ereka asked, and Ren nodded slightly. She went over to it and opened the door. The blast of cold hit her and she shivered, then smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°You''re living here now. You might as well use it.¡± He took some food out for himself and sat down. ¡°Did you want the food warmed up?¡± ¡°Could you?¡± Ereka said. ¡°If it''s not too much trouble.¡± Ren took her plate to the oven and turned it on. He opened the door, held the plate near the flames, and used his Fire Manipulation ability to direct the heat through the plate and into the food. When he pulled the plate out a minute later, he received a popup.
Stat Change!
Fire Manipulation Level 1 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren turned off the oven and shut the door, then brought the plate to Ereka. Since he had pushed the heat through the plate and into the food, the plate itself was only barely warm. ¡°Careful. The food''s probably hot.¡± ¡°You barely had it in the oven.¡± Ereka said, and tried to pick up a piece of meat. ¡°Ow!¡± Ren grabbed her hand, and examined it to see if it was burned. Two of her fingers were starting to turn red, and he stuck them in his mouth. Ereka''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°W-w-w-what are you d-d-doing?¡± She stammered, as Ren sucked on her fingers. ¡°Suwwing on whem hews.¡± Ren mumbled, as he held her hand to his mouth, and took out a Minor Healing wand. ¡°W-w-what?¡± He slid her fingers out of his mouth, then used the wand on them. ¡°I said, ''sucking on them helps''.¡± ¡°I-i-it d-does?¡± Ren nodded slightly, then smiled. ¡°You didn''t think about the burns at all, did you?¡± Ereka stared at him, blinked her eyes a few times, then started to laugh. ¡°Oh... oh!¡± She hugged herself. ¡°By... by the gods...¡± She laughed for a couple of minutes, and Ren let her laugh herself out. ¡°I can''t believe you... you sucked on my fingers... just to distract me.¡± ¡°It worked, didn''t it?¡± Ren grinned. Ereka smiled. ¡°It definitely distracted me.¡± ¡°What did?¡± Nathalia asked as she came into the kitchen. ¡°I burned my fingers...¡± Nathalia grinned. ¡°He did his finger-sucking technique, didn''t he?¡± Ereka nodded. ¡°He used it on me once.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Now when I try to burn my fingers on purpose, he either stops me or ignores me.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s horrible!¡± Ereka said. ¡°He shouldn''t ignore your pleas for help!¡± ¡°That''s what I keep telling him!¡± Nathalia said, and the two women laughed. ¡°I feel like the butt of the joke here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hey! That''s another butt you''ve felt!¡± Ereka exclaimed, and the three of them laughed. ¡°As much as I''d like to stick around, I''ve got to get an anvil to use at the mines.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ereka, do you have to call for an appointment at the Convent?¡± ¡°W-w-what?¡± She asked in shock. ¡°I''m... I''m not due for training for another couple of years.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°They make anvils there. Do I have to call ahead to go buy one?¡± ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about.¡± Ereka said. ¡°The Convent is only for women, and for their training.¡± Ren nodded slightly and took out a plate of food for Nathalia. ¡°I''ll just stop in, then.¡± He said and stored the icebox. ¡°I better get going.¡± He took Nathalia into a hug, did a partial dip, and kissed her. He stood her up and grinned at her. ¡°What was that for?¡± Nathalia asked, slightly out of breath. ¡°For fulfilling my fantasy last night.¡± Nathalia blushed a deep red. ¡°We didn''t do anything like that last night!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°By the gods, you''re so cute.¡± He cupped the side of her face. ¡°I meant that you showed up when I had almost no expectations that it could happen; but, I hoped that it would.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ll see you tonight, assuming I don''t get away early from work.¡± Ren said, and gave her a quick kiss goodbye. ¡°See you then.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''m tempted to go with you; but, the last thing I want is to take the chance that they''ll schedule me for training when our marriage contract expires.¡± ¡°Would they do that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Even after all of the... practical experience you''ve had?¡± He waggled his eyebrows up and down, then grinned. ¡°Get out of here!¡± Nathalia said, and swatted at him. Ren laughed and left the house, with Teepo flying behind him, then went to the stable. ¡°Hi, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°Feel up to hauling me across the countryside for an hour or two?¡± ...Of course... ¡°Great!¡± Ren said, took her out to the courtyard, and hooked the cart to her. He looked at his Bracelet of Enforcement. ¡°I need an anvil to work at the mine, so I''m going to go to the Convent to try and get one, like the blacksmith at the mine has.¡± Ren waited to see if it would glow or something, but nothing happened. He shrugged and led Princess out through the gate. He nodded slightly at the guards, and got in the driver''s seat. ¡°Okay.¡± Princess started off at a trot, then took off once she got a feeling for the weight. * ¡°So.¡± Nathalia said, as she finished her food and took the plate to the sink. ¡°What are your intentions towards Ren?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You can drop the dumb blonde act.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I saw how you were with him.¡± Ereka looked at Nathalia with surprise on her face. ¡°N-Nathalia, I...¡± She sighed. ¡°I haven''t gone for my training yet. I don''t even know what to do to get a man''s attention, let alone know what to do if I somehow managed to get one!¡± ¡°I haven''t had my formal training, either.¡± ¡°Wh-wh-what?!?¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°It''s hard to imagine, I know.¡± She said. ¡°I''m a bit old to have missed the training, but when Ren and I entered the marriage contract, my training contract was nullified.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I didn''t know that was even possible!¡± Nathalia turned her head slightly. ¡°You''re telling the truth, and yet... look at you.¡± Ereka looked down at herself, and saw her dress slip was a little crooked. She pulled it straight and looked at Nathalia. ¡°I didn''t know it was crooked. Thanks.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°I meant that you''re only wearing a slip. I can see the tips of your breasts quite clearly, and I''m 10 feet away from you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ereka put her hands on her chest, and felt herself poke her palms. ¡°Oh, no.¡± She said. ¡°The Librarian said that I could dress a little provocatively to tease him, because we knew that nothing could happen while he was engaged to you; but, I... I didn''t realize that he could see me through it!¡± Her face flushed a deep red and she let her chest go, to cover her face with her hands. Nathalia walked over to her, and gave her a hug. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t mean to accuse you like that.¡± Ereka chuckled as her blush faded. ¡°I was teasing your fiance.¡± She said. ¡°Accusing me of it seems fair.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Nathalia let her out of the hug. ¡°Last night, I felt how happy you were that he was sharing his feelings with you.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°They''re so strong!¡± She said. ¡°I''ve never felt anything like them.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly herself. ¡°I haven''t felt anything like them, either.¡± ¡°How can you handle them so well?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°I can''t help but get lost in them.¡± She sighed. ¡°They feel so wonderful.¡± ¡°I''ve gotten used to it.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°But, we don''t share all the time.¡± It was her turn to sigh. ¡°It gives me a headache after a while.¡± ¡°It does?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°I haven''t had one yet... but I''ve been sharing my Aura with the Main House every day.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°Did Ren tell you to practice like that?¡± Ereka shook her head. ¡°No. After he taught me how to do it, he left. I''ve been doing it on my own ever since.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°So that whenever he passed by, I could get another glimpse of his emotions.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Since I didn''t know when he would go by, I had to keep my Aura going constantly.¡± So... she''s younger, smarter, prettier, can share his emotions better than I can, and she''s sleeping in his old bed. Nathalia thought. ¡°You better get dressed and head over to the Main House.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Ereka said. ¡°The workers will be coming soon to collect their pay.¡± She left the kitchen and Nathalia took the other plate to the sink. Is he looking for a replacement already? Nathalia thought, as she washed the two dishes. * An hour and 20 minutes later, and after several food stops, the cart arrived at the Convent. Ren climbed down and stared at the architecture. ¡°Well, isn''t that something.¡± Ren said, as only half of the main building could be seen because it was embedded into the side of the mountain. It had several smaller buildings around it as well. ¡°It even has battlement walls!¡± Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°On it!¡± Teepo said and flew over the battlement wall and disappeared from sight. The two female guards, who wore dull iron plate armor, stared as he led Princess over to them. ¡°Hi, there.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry to bother you; but, is there a headmistress or someone who runs things that I can talk to?¡± They looked at him, and then at each other. ¡°Is he serious?¡± One of them said. ¡°I think he''s actually serious!¡± The other shook her head. ¡°He can''t just expect to visit the Madam, without even making an appointment.¡± ¡°How would I do that?¡± Ren asked, interrupting them, and the two women looked at him. ¡°I mean, I know there''s a Sending Stone inside for communication, but... where would the other one be, and how would I use it to call ahead first to make an appointment?¡± The two guards blinked their eyes at him a few times, then one of them shook her head slightly. ¡°By the gods, he''s right.¡± She said and opened the gate behind her. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren waited patiently, and didn''t try to engage the other guard in polite conversation. He examined her armor, and saw it was exactly like normal armor that a man would wear. He frowned mentally. They must be in constant pain if they''re wearing armor designed for men instead of women. He shook his head slightly. The pressure on their chests alone... no, it''s not my concern. It''s not my concern. He repeated mentally. I don''t need yet another thing to do before I leave! ¡°There''s several women doing various tasks.¡± Teepo reported. ¡°Nothing like a blacksmith, though.¡± Follow the guard. Ren thought. She''s going right where I need to go, I think. ¡°Sure thing.¡± Teepo said. Five minutes later, he spoke again. ¡°There''s several hallways after the front door, and the guard had to wait a minute for the door to the office to open. There''s a single female dwarf inside.¡± Thanks, Teepo. After another 5 minutes, the gate opened and the guard waved him inside. ¡°Do I bring my mount in as well?¡± Ren asked, and the guard nodded slightly. He followed the guard and led Princess inside the compound and walked along a short road to a stable. ¡°You can leave the cart and mount here. It will be taken care of.¡± ¡°I don''t see anyone here to do that.¡± Ren said, and looked around. All he could see were a few simply dressed women, but none of them were near the stable. ¡°They are there, but they aren''t allowed to interact with a man for another few months.¡± The guard said. ¡°Oh!¡± Ren said, and turned to the stable. ¡°I''m terribly sorry for causing you any inconvenience.¡± He led Princess over to the stable, and unhooked the cart. ¡°I just fed her, so you can pretty much just let her stand here.¡± He pat Princess'' neck. ¡°I don''t think I''ll be long.¡± ...Will wait patiently... Ren scratched her chin, then followed the guard to the main building. It was even more impressive up close. The stonework was impeccable, the carved figures danced around columns, and the filigree covered the entire surface that Ren could see. This must have taken decades to build. Ren thought. ¡°More like a century or two.¡± Teepo offered. ¡°You haven''t seen the inside yet.¡± It must be huge if you''re saying it''s big. ¡°Dwarves never build anything small if they have access to the right materials.¡± Teepo said. Ain''t that the truth! Ren thought as they went inside and he saw the stonework was even more ornate inside. He could tell there were a lot of newer stones among the old ones. They must have to repair it all of the time. ¡°They do.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The crews are moving around in the next hallway to avoid you.¡± I don''t know if I should be flattered or insulted that they are avoiding me like a plague. ¡°Definitely flattered.¡± Teepo responded. ¡°Several of the women are skirting the edge of your Aura, and are practically drooling.¡± Maybe coming here wasn''t such a good idea. Ren thought. ¡°It''s a good test for their resolve.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If any of them break down now, the Convent will know they aren''t ready to handle a man''s attention yet.¡± Ren smiled. I think this is my first time being used as a tool for education. The guard arrived at the office, and knocked on the door. A moment later, she opened it without hearing any kind of response, and ushered Ren inside. Teepo followed him in, and the guard closed the door. It left Ren alone with the female dwarf that ran the Convent, and she stared at him as he spoke. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said. ¡°My apologies for just dropping in like this, but I didn''t know how to make an appointment.¡± He smiled. ¡°The reason I''m here is because I heard from a fellow blacksmith that you have high quality anvils for sale.¡± The female dwarf continued to stare at him. ¡°If it''s too much trouble, or if you don''t have any...¡± Ren said. ¡°I can leave.¡± She stood up from behind the desk and walked over to him. If Ren had to guess, he estimated her to be around 50 years old or so. She had a fit and firm body, from what he could tell through her modest clothing that left quite a lot to the imagination. Her pitch black hair ended midway down her back, and she had strong facial features. She wasn''t beautiful by any stretch of the imagination; but her face was almost hawk-like in it''s appearance, and that was a kind of beauty all on it''s own. She was also just about his height; so when she stood in front of him, they stared into each other''s eyes. ¡°By the gods, what are you?¡± She asked. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°I felt you coming down the hallway.¡± She rubbed her arms. ¡°Your Aura is so strong.¡± ¡°I''m an Adventurer, Ma''am.¡± ¡°Oh, you are much more than that.¡± She said, stopped herself from rubbing her arms, and let them fall to her sides. ¡°Lord, Artificer, Elfling, Dwarf...¡± She tilted her head. ¡°...and Elemental, somehow.¡± Ren didn''t know what to say to that description, and she smiled. ¡°You''re also very desirable.¡± She said. ¡°And you cause trouble wherever you go.¡± She grinned. ¡°One is usually the cause of the other.¡± ¡°Are you suffering from that trouble, Ma''am?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve been married, you see.¡± She walked around Ren to examine him, and he fought his urge to follow her movements and kept looking forward. ¡°I''m watching her, Ren.¡± Teepo said from the ceiling. Thanks. ¡°For nearly 25 years I kept him happy. He never wanted for anything.¡± She said as she came around to stand in front of Ren again. ¡°He was also much older than me.¡± She sighed. ¡°He passed away last year.¡± ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡± Ren said, and she smiled as she heard the truth in his words. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°I was uniquely qualified to run this institution, and have done so for countless years. I''ve taught tens of thousands of women how to find and keep a man.¡± She smiled. ¡°How to make them happy, both emotionally and physically. How to take care of a house, unruly children, disruptive parents and relatives...¡± She said. ¡°... and how to please a man.¡± Ren didn''t say anything, and she smiled again. ¡°Do my skills interest you at all?¡± She said, and waited patiently for his response. Ren was not stupid enough to answer that question, though. ¡°I''m just here to buy an anvil, Ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I require nothing else at this time.¡± She grinned at his evasion. ¡°Asking if you have money, would be as stupid as asking you to bend me over the desk to make love to me.¡± She watched his face for his reaction to that suggestion, and Ren raised a single eyebrow at her. ¡°Oh, that''s precious!¡± She said, lifted a hand to touch his face, then caught herself and pulled the hand back to cover her heart. ¡°You, sir... are a dangerous man.¡± Ren raised his other eyebrow to join the first, and she giggled. Her hand moved from her heart to cover her mouth. ¡°I haven''t laughed like that since before my training.¡± She said, surprised. Ren let his eyebrows drop to their normal positions, and she stepped back. ¡°Yes, we make anvils here.¡± She said. ¡°Only a select few are allowed to buy one, though.¡± ¡°How does one become a part of that select few?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Quite easily.¡± The female dwarf said. ¡°You must provide the Convent a service of equal value.¡± ¡°How would that work?¡± Ren asked, finally letting his curiosity show. ¡°If I don''t know the value of the anvil, how would I know what service to provide?¡± She grinned and started to untie the cord around her waist. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Ren said, turned around, and started to walk out of the office. ¡°I can just use a normal anvil.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± The female dwarf said, as Ren turned the door handle. ¡°Are you really going to pass up owning a one of a kind anvil like this?¡± ¡°It''s not worth it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even if, somehow, my fiance agreed to let me do it, I wouldn''t.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t really have the moral high ground to argue here, but I will anyways. Forcing someone to sleep with you like this, just so they can get something from you, is wrong.¡± ¡°Why?¡± She asked. ¡°People have been exchanging money and items for pleasure, for as long as there have been people.¡± ¡°That doesn''t make it right, only consistent.¡± Ren said. ¡°If that''s all, I''ll be going.¡± He pulled open the door and stepped into the hallway. ¡°Wait!¡± She said, and tied the cord around her waist. ¡°She stopped undressing.¡± Teepo said. The head of the Convent came over to the doorway. ¡°You passed the test.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I didn''t.¡± He said. ¡°If I''d taken you up on your offer, you''d have proven that all men are alike.¡± She looked at him with surprise on her face. ¡°How did you-¡± ¡°It''s what you wanted from me, right from the first moment you saw me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know how many times I have to keep telling women this; but, I am not like other men.¡± ¡°Why?¡± She asked. ¡°Why didn''t my seduction work?¡± ¡°You were trying too hard.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was trying too hard?¡± She laughed. ¡°Normally, I barely have to smile at a man, and he''d be on top of me.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I assumed so.¡± He said. ¡°You made me feel guilty just from talking to you.¡± She laughed again. ¡°Yes, that is one of my many talents.¡± ¡°So, can I buy an anvil?¡± Ren asked. ¡°With actual money, not favors or trade or anything.¡± ¡°Well...¡± She said, and reached for his neck. Ren didn''t react as she hooked the edge of the chain around his neck that the pendant hung from. ¡°...a trade might be in order.¡± After some tense negotiations, the head of the convent agreed to sell Ren 2 anvils. One for actual money, because they needed the money to pay for expenses, supplies, and other things, and the other for a good-sized diamond pendant of equal value. She gave Ren access to a forge, and he smelted her a pendant, using one of the 20 platinum diamond ovals, then took out 20 platinum coins. ¡°Before we complete the deal, I''d like to see the anvils, please.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course.¡± She said, and led him to another area of the Convent. She opened a door and Ren looked inside. A dozen anvils were there, and they all had the same Durability of 25,000. ¡°Wow.¡± He said. ¡°How long does it take to make them?¡± ¡°Not long.¡± She said. ¡°Once we sell one, we don''t need to make another one to replace it until a year later.¡± ¡°You always have 12 available.¡± She nodded slightly. ¡°This will be the first time we''ve sold two of them at the same time.¡± ¡°You''ll have a lot more work to do, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s always work to be done.¡± She said. ¡°So, do we have a deal?¡± Ren took out the pendant, and her eyes glistened as it reflected the light. He gave it to her, and then handed her 20 platinum coins. ¡°They are extraordinarily heavy. It will take a while to get them hauled up to the ga-¡± Her words were cut off as Ren stored two of the anvils, and he took her hand. ¡°It was a pleasure doing business with you.¡± He said. ¡°It could have been quite the pleasure.¡± She said once she got over the shock, and then she chuckled. ¡°If you''d taken me there in my office, I''d have had you wrapped around my little finger for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Ren said, and smiled as he pulled her towards him. She didn''t fight the movement, and her eyes widened as he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. She gasped as she gained Honor from the action, much more than just bending over her hand would have been. ¡°How... how in the world did you...¡± ¡°Have a wonderful day, Ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll show myself out.¡± * She watched Ren walk down the hallway, and put a hand on her cheek. He''s right. She thought. I think... I think it would be me wrapped around his little finger instead. * With Teepo''s help, Ren avoided meeting any women along the way back to the entrance of the main building. Once outside, Ren saw there was a lot more women around than when he went in. They couldn''t have sent word out that I was leaving. Ren thought, and tried to ignore his Aura. It didn''t work, as he walked down the road and every single woman stopped whatever they were doing and stared at him as he passed. This is kind of creepy. Ren thought. ¡°Kind of?¡± Teepo said. ¡°It feels like you''re a deer walking through a field full of lions... that are ready to pounce and devour you.¡± Ren made it to the stable and hooked Princess back up to the cart. ...Women talk about you... Princess thought to him. Ren led her down the road to the gate. ...They say you are a good mate... Ren didn''t say anything to Princess as the guard opened the gate for him. He got her situated on the road and looked at the guard that had helped him. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said, and gave her a slight bow. She gasped and held a hand over her heart. The metal of her gauntlet clanged against the chest plate, and he smiled. Ren climbed into the driver''s seat of the cart, and Teepo landed on his shoulder. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said, and the cart took off down the road and back towards the dwarf city of Dornach. Chapter 182 - Work It Out It took another hour and 20 minutes to get back to House Neram, and Ren put Princess in the stable. ¡°Thank you so much for taking me all that way.¡± Ren said to her as she plunked down onto her mattress in her crate. ...You''re welcome... Princess thought to him. ...Surprised you didn''t go to portal... ¡°I probably should have, but I need to work first.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I''m in Aurora, I don''t have the help of someone so awesome, though.¡± He smiled and scratched her chin. ¡°It takes so long to go anywhere without you, that I''ve been kind of avoiding going back right away.¡± He sighed. ¡°Even though I need to deal with some things there.¡± ...Take day off and go... Ren stopped scratching her chin and looked at her. ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll take tomorrow off, as I didn''t say in the contract which day I would get off each week.¡± Ren pat her neck. ¡°Thank you.¡± ...You''re welcome... Ren gave her a bit more food and went into the house. ¡°Hello? Anyone here?¡± ¡°In the kitchen.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren ran into the kitchen and hugged her from behind. ¡°What''s my beautiful soon-to-be-ex-fiance making today?¡± Nathalia chuckled as he nuzzled the back of her neck. ¡°It''s just meat and vegetables.¡± Ren looked over her shoulder at the food. ¡°Do you want me to leave some of the food from the large icebox?¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°You''re going to need that during the day yourself.¡± She said. ¡°I''m just trying to keep busy.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Well, I know a way you can keep busy.¡± She laughed as he slipped his hands under her apron and cupped her breasts. ¡°You have to get to work.¡± Nathalia said, and pulled his hands away from her. ¡°I do have a lunch break coming up.¡± Ren suggested, and she turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°We both know half an hour is nowhere near enough time to get started, let alone finish.¡± Nathalia said, and kissed him. She broke the kiss a minute later. ¡°Now get out of here.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''ll tell you about my visit to the Convent after I get to work.¡± He said and held his Sending Ring up. ¡°I look forward to it.¡± She said. ¡°You say that now...¡± He laughed and gave her a quick kiss goodbye. Ren left the house and ran down the road, while Teepo flew by his side. They passed through the city a couple of minutes later, then arrived at the mines a few minutes after that. These boots are great! Ren thought as he went through the gate at the mines, and nodded slightly to the guard. ¡°They sure are.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m having a hard time keeping up with you.¡± You''re increasing your stats, though... aren''t you? ¡°Yeah, but it''s tiring.¡± Ren chuckled as he ran to the medical tent. If it was easy, everyone would do it. He went inside, and saw the healer working on a dwarf, who was passed out on one of the cots. He saw the dwarf''s foot was quite mangled, and the healer was sweating a little as her hands glowed. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ren asked her, and she looked up at him. He could see she was struggling, and he went over to her. ¡°How''s your Mana level?¡± ¡°A-a-almost gone.¡± Deresdra said, and Ren took out a Mana potion and tipped it into her mouth. She swallowed it eagerly, and her hands glowed brighter. ¡°Did you use your Major Healing ability already?¡± She nodded. ¡°Both of his feet had been crushed. I took off one of his boots, and the foot almost came with it.¡± She shuddered. ¡°I didn''t even try to spread the healing out, just fixed that one.¡± She sighed. ¡°Now I''m stuck using Minor Healing on this one.¡± Ren looked at the foot. ¡°It''s not working well.¡± Deresdra shook her head. ¡°The Major Healing took nearly three-quarters of my Mana.¡± She sighed. ¡°There wasn''t a lot left for other healing.¡± Ren took out his Major Healing wand and Deresdra stared at it. He used the wand several times, and the foot reformed itself into it''s proper shape. ¡°By the gods!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Where did you get that?¡± ¡°I can''t tell you.¡± Ren said and stored it. ¡°Unless you joined my House.¡± Deresdra looked like she was considering the proposition, then the dwarf woke up. ¡°Ugh... what... what happened?¡± ¡°You were in an accident.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°The large boulder your crew dug out shifted and rolled onto your feet.¡± The dwarf''s eyes widened and he stared at his two bare, but perfectly fine, feet. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± The dwarf said as he hopped off of the cot and hugged her. ¡°You''re a miracle worker!¡± Deresdra tried to protest; but the dwarf wouldn''t hear any of it. He put on his boots and strode out of the medical tent, as happy as can be. Now that they were alone, she turned to Ren. ¡°Behind the curtain.¡± Deresdra said. Ren walked across to the curtained-off area and went inside. She followed him and closed it. ¡°Take them off.¡± She said, and tugged slightly on his clothing. Ren stored them and stood there in his underwear. She started the examination, and poked and prodded him a little harder than she did the last 2 times. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Ren asked, after a particularly hard poke in the lower back. ¡°You''ve got a Major Healing wand, and didn''t tell me.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°The healer.¡± She massaged his back muscles much harder than necessary. ¡°Was I required to?¡± Ren asked, as she came around to his front. She grabbed his pectoral muscles tightly, then sighed. ¡°No, I don''t suppose you had to.¡± Deresdra said as she eased her grip, then moved her hands down to his abdomen and massaged the muscles there. ¡°It would have been nice to know, though.¡± ¡°I wasn''t even here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Knowing I had one would only have made you angry at me.¡± He said. ¡°Like you are now, actually.¡± Deresdra sighed again as she moved on to check his arms. ¡°Where can I get one?¡± ¡°I can''t tell you that, either.¡± She knelt and checked his legs. ¡°Why don''t you want to help me?¡± Ren looked at her with both of his eyebrows raised. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°You have a fantastic wand that any healer would die to have, and you won''t tell me where you got it or even how to get one myself.¡± ¡°So...¡± Ren started to say, as Deresdra stood up in front of him. ¡°...building you a house, and giving you 45 platinum coins didn''t count as helping you. That''s good to know.¡± He snorted a laugh at her surprised expression. ¡°Can I get dressed now?¡± Deresdra looked at him. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°I wanted you to pay off your contract, so you wouldn''t be bound to it for another 4 years.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I did that, then I''d have to sign one with you.¡± She responded. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It''s bad enough that I''m indebted to a wonderful woman for such a long time; but, I won''t be bound to a man I barely know for even longer.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°What in the world makes you think I want you bound to me?¡± ¡°You gave me all that money!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I gave it to you. Not loaned. Gave.¡± He sighed. ¡°Did you see an indentured servant contract anywhere on the note I left? Have I even mentioned that I want you to sign one? Have I?¡± ¡°No, but you just got here.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°You could have-¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Ren said. ¡°If you are this upset about it, give me the money back.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± ¡°I will not have any woman think she owes me anything, just because I gave her money.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hand it over.¡± Deresdra took in a deep breath, and handed over the coin pouch. Ren checked the contents, and dumped it into his coin vault. He took out a single platinum coin and showed it to her. ¡°Do you see this?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded slightly. ¡°This is a nice shiny toy. Spin it to play with it.¡± He said and dropped the coin into her coin pouch, then gave the coin pouch back to her. ¡°Does that make you feel better?¡± He asked. ¡°It''s not money that I gave you, just a toy.¡± She looked at the coin pouch, then stared at Ren as he equipped his clothing. ¡°Am I cleared for the mine?¡± He asked, and she nodded slightly again. ¡°I hope you enjoy playing with your new toy, just as much as I enjoyed having to give it to you.¡± Ren stepped around her, left the curtained off area, then the medical tent. He went into the mine to take out his frustrations on the dirt and rock within. His first target was the large boulder the miners had unearthed. He went over to it, after asking where it was, and found that it was nearly 8 feet high and 12 feet across. He smiled as he took out his hammerpick. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± One of the dwarfs asked. ¡°I''m about to smash this thing into pieces.¡± Ren asked, and glared at him. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I was just... just curious.¡± The dwarf said, as he saw Ren''s maniacal glare. ¡°Give me some space, please.¡± Ren grumbled, and the dwarf backed away, then had the other dwarves back away as well. Ren smiled as he absorbed the Earth enchantment from his hammerpick. Earth against Earth doesn''t work well. He thought, then had another. He took out a crate of diamonds, and picked out a large oval. He stored the hammerpick for a moment, and took out his Book of Runes. He enchanted the diamond with a single Earth rune, and turned it over. The new rune appeared in his book, and he did the same mental trick to make double, triple, and quadruple glyphs of it. Now that he was doing it, he enchanted the diamond with each of the other runes to find out the reverse of them, and added them to his Book of Runes. He did the mental trick to create all of the other glyphs for each of them. When he checked the pages, he saw the reverse of each rune had shifted all of the other runes to the next pages. The normal runes were on one side, and the reverse was on the other side of the page.Stolen novel; please report. That''s pretty cool. Ren thought, then flipped to the page with Earth, and looked on the back of it.
Rune of Antiearth
This rune has the ability to disrupt other Earth enchantments, and causes extra damage to earth-based constructions/materials.
¡°Oho!¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s perfect!¡± His words echoed in the main tunnel, and the dwarves standing there to watch, shifted on their feet because they were slightly uncomfortable with the tone of Ren''s voice. He stored the Book of Runes and the crate of diamonds, and took out the hammerpick again. He held it in his hands, thought of the Antiearth quadruple glyph, and enchanted the hammerpick with a double glyph of it (8 runes total). The hammerpick glowed a deep green, and Ren closed his eyes for a moment. Earth, this is nothing personal. I just need to get my frustrations out on a large, inanimate object. Ren felt a bit of peace enter him, and he grinned. Thank you. He opened his eyes and hefted the hammerpick over his head. ¡°You try to do something nice!¡± He said, and swung with all of his might. The hammerpick impacted the surface of the large boulder and it shook, then the shock wave cracked it right down the middle and left a 4 foot wide and 6 inch deep depression on the surface. It also threw dust into the air, and covered Ren. He hefted the hammerpick again. ¡°You try to help people!¡± He swung again and hit the right side, and the same thing happened. It split down the middle and crushed a 4 foot area, 6 inches deep and turned it into dust. ¡°You never ask for anything in return!¡± Ren swung at it again and smashed it. ¡°All you do is give!¡± He swung. ¡°And give!¡± He swung. ¡°And give!¡± He swung again, and pulverized that side of the boulder until there was only head-sized chunks left. Ren stepped back from the pile of rubble, and moved over to the other side. ¡°They all assume I want something!¡± Ren swung at the left side, and smashed it. ¡°They all think I have bad intentions!¡± He swung. ¡°Not once did they say thank you!¡± He swung harder and the boulder crumbled. ¡°Why can''t they say it?¡± He swung. ¡°It''s godsdamned easy!¡± He swung. ¡°Thanks for your help, Ren!¡± He swung. ¡°You see? It''s EASY!¡± He exclaimed, and kept swinging until there was only fist-sized chunks left. When he was done, he stepped back and looked at the remains of the boulder. He took a deep breath, and then another. ¡°Um... sir?¡± One of the dwarfs said. ¡°Yes?¡± Ren said, almost completely calmed down. ¡°There''s another boulder over there.¡± He said, and pointed across the tunnel to a boulder that was nearly the same size as the one Ren had just crushed. ¡°Yes!¡± Ren said, and ran over to the new boulder and slammed the hammerpick into it''s surface, breaking it into three pieces. ¡°Thank you!¡± Smash. ¡°Thank you!¡± Smash. ¡°THANK YOU!¡± Smash. For the next 4 hours, Ren destroyed every boulder that was pointed out to him. A few of them were even still embedded in the tunnel walls, and he reduced them to small chunks anyways. ¡°That''s 4 hours.¡± Teepo said. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Relieved. Ren thought as he grunted to the work crew and left the mine. I didn''t realize how much frustration I''d built up. ¡°I''m glad you could work some of it out.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You shouldn''t hold stuff like that in.¡± I didn''t really know I was holding it in until now. ¡°Oh.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s a good thing you''ll be working here for another 3 months, then.¡± Why''s that? ¡°It''s going to be really frustrating for you to do all of this work, and then have to leave.¡± Teepo said wisely. Yeah. Ren thought. And I can''t get invited back for a while. ¡°I''m sure they''ll welcome you back with open arms... eventually.¡± Some will. Ren chuckled as he opened the door to his workshop. Some won''t. Teepo chittered in laughter and took off from Ren''s shoulder to land on the top of the workshop. ¡°Yeah, that''s true.¡± Ren took out one of the anvils and placed it near the forge, but well away from where he could make molds on the floor. He took out the icebox and ate some food, then checked on the baby fire elemental by opening up the pen it was in. The baby was nearly 6 and a half inches across now, and he smiled. ¡°You''re getting bigger.¡± Ren said, and took out a piece of wood, and crushed it into sawdust and splinters. The baby fire elemental sucked up the sawdust like a vacuum, and Ren laughed. ¡°You don''t have to eat it all at once.¡± He said. ¡°There''s lots more where that came from.¡± He crushed another piece of wood, and the baby fire elemental dove into the pile. Ren finished eating while he watched the pile of sawdust slowly shrink, and then it caught fire. The pile collapsed in on itself, and Ren saw the sawdust sliding into the baby fire elemental. He moved some of the sawdust to cover it again, and the same thing happened. ¡°That''s neat.¡± Ren said, and did it again. ¡°That''s lunch.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought, then closed the baby fire elemental''s pen. He left the workshop and went back into the mine to keep working. He dug for about half an hour, and then got the relief and happiness feeling. The trip to the Convent to get the anvil actually counted. Ren thought, then left the mine after telling the workers to only dig around any large boulders they find, and he would deal with them later. He went back to his workshop and to the cart of sand outside, while Teepo went back to his perch on the roof. Ren took a shovel full, and went inside the workshop to start up the large glass forge. He poured in the shovel full of sand, and went back out to get another. After several filled shovels worth of sand was added to the glass forge, he closed it to let the sand melt. I don''t know how long to leave it. Ren thought, and shrugged. I''ll come back in a few minutes. Ren left the workshop, went to the mine foreman''s office, and knocked on the door. ¡°Enter.¡± Ren opened the door, and stepped inside. ¡°I just wanted you to know that I''m taking tomorrow off.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°You''ve been doing good work.¡± He said. ¡°I heard about the boulders.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I needed to work out some frustrations.¡± ¡°I wasn''t complaining.¡± The mine foreman grinned. ¡°In fact, once the other workers got over the shock of you smashing the boulders apart so easily, they''re actively looking for them instead of avoiding them.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m glad I could help.¡± ¡°Make sure you enjoy your day off.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°I wish I could take one.¡± ¡°You''re not?¡± Ren asked, and the foreman shook his head. ¡°I can''t, until we get the production going.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°After that, though...¡± He grinned. ¡°I can hand this off to someone else.¡± ¡°There''s no point in ordering you to take a day off right now, is there?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± He said. ¡°When you have a job to finish, who would want to take a break until it''s done?¡± ¡°I have to take the break, so... me, I guess.¡± Ren said, and he laughed. ¡°See you in 2 days.¡± The mine foreman said. Ren nodded slightly and left the foreman''s office, then went back into the workshop. He looked inside the glass forge, and saw the sand was nearly melted into a liquid. He stirred it around with his hand, as he didn''t know if any of his blacksmith tools would survive the heat that could melt sand. ¡°Another couple of minutes, I think.¡± Ren said, and closed the glass forge. ¡°The healer is almost at the door.¡± Teepo said. Ren turned around and opened the door to his workshop, to see the healer staring at him with her hand raised to knock. ¡°H-hello.¡± Deresdra said, and dropped her hand. ¡°I... I came to apologize.¡± ¡°That''s not necessary.¡± Ren said, and stepped back to let her into the workshop. ¡°It was my own fault for trying to help you.¡± ¡°D-don''t be like that.¡± She said as she came inside. ¡°You''re a nice guy. Don''t let my stupid assumptions stop you from doing what you want to do.¡± Ren tilted his head slightly to the side as he shut the door. ¡°You were in the mine.¡± Deresdra nodded slightly. ¡°One of the workers thought you were going crazy, and came to get me.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°And what''s your professional opinion?¡± ¡°I think you shouldn''t hold in your feelings like that.¡± Deresdra said and grinned. ¡°You should let them out.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Seriously, though...¡± She sighed. ¡°...I''m sorry that I thought...¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not like you know me or anything.¡± Deresdra smiled. ¡°I... I''d like to.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m sorry; but, I can''t.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°Despite the fact that I''m still engaged, even though it will end in 4 months, I''ll always think you would be offering this because you want to make it up to me for thinking that I wanted to buy you.¡± Deresdra stared at him in shock. ¡°You... you...¡± She swallowed. ¡°You''re turning me down?¡± She asked. ¡°But... but you''re allowed to enjoy the company of another woman, especially if she''s willing!¡± Ren shook his head again. ¡°You''ve seen me without my clothes on!¡± ¡°That didn''t seem to matter to you before.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why does it matter now?¡± Deresdra closed her mouth, and didn''t say anything. ¡°Well, that clears things up nicely.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be taking tomorrow off, so you won''t be able to inspect me until I get back the next day.¡± He opened the door to the workshop. ¡°I hope you have a good day otherwise, Ma''am.¡± Deresdra took in a deep breath through her nose, and let it out through her mouth. She looked at Ren, and was about to speak, then changed her mind and walked out of the workshop. Ren shut the door behind her, and sighed. ¡°Why does it matter now?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I''m curious.¡± After my little rant in the mines, she knows that I had no intentions of doing anything with her afterwards. Now she wants me to give her the money to pay off her contract. ¡°And she was willing to sleep with you to get it.¡± Teepo said. Yeah. Ren thought. Little does she know that''s exactly the wrong thing to do. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± The only thing I can do. Ren left his workshop and ran to the gate, while Teepo flew above him. The guard opened the gate and Ren ran by, waved to him, then ran down the road. I''m going to buy her contract. He ran back to the city, then to the Main Keep. He concentrated on the House Neram pendant, and bypassed the long line as one of the guards stationed there opened the side gate to let him through. Ren went inside and to the main desk. ¡°Head of the Medical Wing.¡± Ren said to the receptionist before she could speak, and she gave him directions. ¡°Thank you.¡± He walked at a fast pace to the right doorway, and down a hallway. Teepo. Teepo flew under the door and Ren waited until he got the all clear, then opened the door to the Medical Wing. He ignored all the stares as he walked to the right door and Teepo flew under it. After Teepo told him what was inside the office, he knocked. ¡°You may enter.¡± A very dignified voice said, and Ren opened the door to see a very beautiful woman. She sat behind a large and ornate wooden desk, and wore a simple white tunic just like all of the other healers. Ren closed the door, walked over to her, and held his hand out. She stood and put her hand in his; he bent over it, and spoke. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you.¡± Ren said, let her hand go, and stood up straight. She was an inch taller than him, and had her dark hair tied up in a bun at the back of her head. It revealed a long neck and drew attention to her face, which was more like an exquisite carving instead of a woman''s face. ¡°Likewise.¡± The woman said. ¡°I''ve attended both Council meetings of course, so I know who you are.¡± She smiled. ¡°Meeting you in person is quite the treat.¡± ¡°I can honestly say the same thing.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''re a sight to behold.¡± ¡°So are you.¡± She said, and motioned to his clothing. Ren looked down and saw he was covered in dust and dirt. His eyes widened, and he looked up at her. ¡°My sincere apologies.¡± Ren said as he equipped his armor bodysuit to replace the Travelling Clothes, then stored the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak for an instant, then equipped it and his clothing again. ¡°No wonder everyone was staring at me.¡± She laughed, and it sounded like birds singing. ¡°Yes, you''re quite the treat.¡± She said. ¡°People are going to stare at you no matter what, though.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and she sat down. ¡°What can I do for you today?¡± She asked, then smiled. ¡°Did you receive the Minor Healing wand?¡± ¡°I did.¡± She said. ¡°50 charges will definitely help the younger members of the staff.¡± ¡°Don''t throw it away or harvest it for the focusing material.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not a normal wand.¡± She laughed again. ¡°I know that, dear boy.¡± She said and looked at him intensely. ¡°I examined it myself, and was surprised to discover that it can be recharged.¡± ¡°I think it''s because of the focusing material.¡± Ren said. ¡°You are careful to avoid saying ''diamond''.¡± She said. ¡°Are you trying to downplay it''s value?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It''s worth about 3 and a half platinum.¡± He said. ¡°In the wand, 5 platinum.¡± ¡°Yes, it''s quite valuable.¡± She said. ¡°And a gift worth more than it''s value to a healer.¡± She smiled. ¡°is that why you are here? Do you want it back?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, of course not. It was a gift, and I hoped that the Medical Wing would put it to good use.¡± ¡°Then why are you here?¡± She asked. ¡°Although meeting you is reason enough...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°...I came here about a healer working at my mine.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Deresdra.¡± She smiled. ¡°She''s a feisty one.¡± She looked at Ren with a question on her face. ¡°Are you not happy with her?¡± Ren avoided the question, because he didn''t know how to answer it honestly. ¡°I''d like to buy her contract, if that''s possible.¡± She leaned forward and folded her hands on the desk. ¡°That''s interesting.¡± She said, and frowned. ¡°I''m not in the habit of selling my healers.¡± ¡°I don''t want to buy her for sex, if that''s what you''re implying.¡± Ren said to her surprised face. ¡°I can get all that I want, or ever need, from other women the normal way.¡± ¡°Then why...¡± ¡°I tried to help her, and she accused me of the very thing you just accused me of.¡± Her eyes widened at the truth in Ren''s words. ¡°I want to prove to her that I''m not like that.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''m not sure I should sell her contract to you.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t really need money, you see.¡± Ren took out 5 Minor Healing wands and put them on her desk. ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± She stared at them, then at Ren. ¡°They''re all rechargeable.¡± Ren nodded slightly. She caressed the diamond tips and sighed. ¡°I don''t think...¡± She started to say, and Ren took out the Major Healing wand. She gasped. ¡°By the gods!¡± ¡°I had to use it a few times so it''s not full; but, since it''s rechargeable...¡± She reached into her desk for a moment, then slid over Deresdra''s indentured servitude contract without another word. Ren put the wand on the desk with the others, and picked up the contract. ¡°Thank you for-¡± ¡°Yes, yes! You can go!¡± She said as she waved him away, then gathered the wands into her arms and hugged them to her chest. ¡°Such wonderful items!¡± She said, and started to laugh. ¡°We can help so many people now!¡± Ren didn''t say another word, and left her office. The sound of singing birds followed him through the Medical Wing until he shut the door to the connecting hallway. That went better than I expected. Ren thought. I figured she''d hold out for 10 wands. ¡°You should have started with the Major Healing wand.¡± Teepo said, and chittered in laughter. ¡°She might have just taken that by itself.¡± Ren smiled as he went back to the Main Keep''s lobby, then thought about something. He turned from the front door and went into the General Information / Hall of Records door instead. ¡°What can I do for you today, My Lord?¡± The female dwarf at the desk asked. Ren grinned at her. ¡°Well, there is something...¡± Chapter 183 - Will That Work? ¡°I''d like to register another ritual.¡± Ren said. ¡°What else would you like to do to thank women?¡± The female dwarf grinned. ¡°Now I''m tempted to do that.¡± He said, and laughed. ¡°What I want to do, is this...¡± He explained what he wanted, and she stared at him. ¡°You''re joking!¡± She said. ¡°You want it to be a ritual that you can give someone a gift, and not have it mean anything besides just a gift?¡± Ren nodded slightly, and she shook her head. ¡°I''ll file it, but you''re going to cause an uproar the first time you use it.¡± Ren smiled, filled out the form and handed it to her. She filed it, and came back to the desk. ¡°Is there anything else I can help you mess everything up with?¡± She said, and laughed. ¡°I know there''s no way to stop myself from being kicked out of the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± Ren said, and the female dwarf nodded slightly. ¡°But I was wondering... since I own land, and I''m a Lord... do I need an invitation to come back to visit or tend to my own land?¡± The female dwarf''s mouth dropped open. ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re the General Information clerk, and you don''t know?¡± ¡°Something like this hasn''t come up before.¡± She said, and stood up. ¡°Hold on. I''ll check a few things.¡± Ren stood there and looked around. I''m tempted to just rummage through all of this stuff, just to see what''s here. ¡°She wouldn''t be too happy about that, I don''t think.¡± Teepo said. Agreed. A few minutes later, she came back with a giant book in her hands. It was nearly 2 feet square, and nearly a foot thick. She plunked it down on her desk, and Ren felt the vibrations through the floor. ¡°I could have carried that for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go ahead.¡± She said and grinned. Ren tried to grab it, and his hand slipped through it as if it wasn''t there. ¡°No way!¡± He exclaimed. The female dwarf laughed. ¡°Only I am allowed to touch the records in here.¡± ¡°That''s pretty cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to worry about anyone stealing anything from you.¡± She nodded, opened the book, and started flipping pages. She got about two-thirds of the way through, and Ren was a bit surprised that she could read so fast. ¡°Here we go.¡± She said, and read the passage out loud. ¡°Any and all lands contained within the Dwarven Kingdom, despite the claimed owner of said land, are to be considered Dwarven Kingdom land in all regards, intents, and purposes.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d hoped that having my own portal on my own land would let me come back without an invitation.¡± ¡°You''re out of luck on both counts, unfortunately.¡± The female dwarf picked up a piece of parchment and handed it to him. ¡°This was delivered here this morning.¡± Ren read it, and sighed.
Royal Decree: U-571
No invitations may be given to any foreigners for the period of one (1) year, no matter the circumstances. By order of the Queen, Steward of the Kingdom, Lady Neram.
¡°She didn''t waste any time making that official.¡± Ren said, and handed it back. ¡°You''ve got 4 months left to do everything that you can before you have to leave.¡± She said. ¡°I assume you have a lot to do?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You have no idea.¡± He said, then looked at the decree. ¡°Say...¡± He smiled. ¡°...can a monarch, or Steward, still be the Head of a House if they are running a country instead?¡± ¡°What are you thinking?¡± ¡°Would making me a Head of a House bypass the laws?¡± He asked. ¡°They can''t kick out a Head of a House, right?¡± The female dwarf shook her head. ¡°You''d have to be a part of her family to take over like that, and you didn''t marry Nathalia.¡± ¡°Then make Nathalia the Head of House Neram.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°She''s there, and Ereka as the Head Assistant can only do so much on her own. She needs proper guidance.¡± The female dwarf took out the proper form for Absentee Head, and filled it out. ¡°This is only temporary.¡± She said. ¡°It''s provisional until the actual Head of the House can resume her duties.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I assume the Stewardship is going to take years to complete, assuming they find someone to become the next monarch.¡± She grinned. ¡°Yes, that''s true.¡± She filed the paperwork in the filing cabinet, and a moment later, Ren''s Sending Ring glowed. ¡°Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°You''re not going to believe what just happened!¡± The female dwarf stared at Ren''s hand as he spoke. ¡°I''d say you got the notice for becoming the Head Of House Neram.¡± Ren said smugly. The female dwarf gasped in shock and sat down in her chair, as she heard Nathalia speak again. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°How... how did you know that?¡± ¡°I just had the paperwork filed at the Hall of Records.¡± ¡°What made you do that?!?¡± ¡°I was trying to figure out a way to stay here with you; but, I found a neat way to repay you for everything instead.¡± ¡°By the gods, Ren! You... you...¡± Nathalia was quiet for a moment. ¡°Get your ass back here, right now!¡± ¡°I''ll be there in about 5 minutes.¡± Ren said, and the Sending Ring stopped glowing. ¡°I have to go.¡± He said to the female dwarf. ¡°Where did you get that ring?!?¡± She asked, and Ren smiled. ¡°I made it, of course.¡± He bowed to her. ¡°If I think of anything else that I need your help with, I''ll come by again.¡± He turned to leave, and she stood up. ¡°Wait!¡± He turned back to her. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can you make me one?¡± ¡°Don''t you have Sending Stones?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I do.¡± She said. ¡°But I... I want to have an actual conversation with... ah...¡± ¡°Say no more.¡± Ren said, and turned away from her to take out 2 of his steel squares. He enchanted them with the Sending Glyphs, and walked over to her desk. ¡°They work just like Sending Stones.¡± He said. ¡°Touch it, and think of who you want to talk to. They''ll be able to talk back.¡± Ren handed them to her, and she took them gingerly. ¡°They aren''t going to break.¡± He said. ¡°They''re only good for a 10 hour cart ride distance between them, though.¡± ¡°T-t-ten hours?!?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°As long as you''re both within that distance, you can talk as if you were standing next to each other.¡± ¡°I... I...¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°I can never repay you for this.¡± ¡°Saying ''thank you'' was repayment enough.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have a good day, Ma''am.¡± ¡°It... it''s Beryl.¡± She said, and blushed slightly. ¡°After giving me such a gift... you... you deserve to know my name at least.¡± ¡°I''m honored to finally meet you officially.¡± Ren said and bowed to her. She nodded to him, and he left the room and walked down the hallway; then entered the lobby of the Main Keep. He walked quickly to the front door and then out of the Main Keep. The guard at the gate opened it for him, and he nodded slightly and took off running. Ren ran as fast as he could, and was back at House Neram Keep a few minutes later. He didn''t even look at the guards as he ran through the open gate and into the house. ¡°Honey! I''m ho-¡± Ren''s words were cut off as Nathalia lunged and kissed him. He picked her up while she kissed him, carried her into her bedroom, then tossed her onto the bed. She laughed as she stored her clothing, and Ren did the same. She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the bed, then rolled over on top of him. ¡°You''ve had this coming for a while.¡± Nathalia said and positioned herself above him. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Ren said and grabbed her hips. ¡°You''ve had this coming for a while!¡± He said and shoved her down as he jammed himself up at the same time. She gasped as she felt his full thrust for the first time, and shuddered as she went from that one single action. Ren grinned at her, and rolled her over to lay on the bed. He made her moan for over an hour, and she eventually collapsed from going so much. He eased her down onto the bed, and she giggled as he gently kissed the side of her neck. ¡°Oh, by the gods, don''t.¡± She said, and turned her face to him. ¡°Let me savor this feeling without you tickling me.¡± Ren looked at her with a serious look on his face. ¡°I thought you were joking when you said you didn''t like it.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I hate that I have such a vulnerable spot so close to a vital area.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Then there''s only one thing to do.¡± He said, and clamped his lips onto her neck. ¡°What are you... Ahahahaha!¡± Nathalia squirmed and rolled around on the bed as Ren licked, tickled, sucked, kissed, poked, pinched, and anything else he could think of, to stimulate the area. It took about half an hour or so; but, eventually Nathalia stopped laughing when he kissed her neck. ¡°Wh-what did... what did you do?¡± ¡°It''s called desensitizing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Over-stimulation can make you less likely to feel the sensations the same way, and to a lesser degree.¡± ¡°So I''m still ticklish there, but I won''t feel it as much?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''ll have to keep doing it at regular intervals, though.¡± Nathalia looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Once wasn''t enough?¡± He shook his head. ¡°It needs to happen over a long period to be permanent.¡± ¡°I... I don''t think I can take another session today.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°No, not today.¡± He said. ¡°Or tomorrow. I have to go to Aurora and work on my other building.¡± He kissed her. ¡°Actually, I better go now. If I can get there in a few hours after going through the portal, I can get the second floor finished and the roof put on in the morning.¡± ¡°W-wait!¡± Nathalia said as Ren stood up. ¡°You''re leaving for the whole day?¡± ¡°I am.¡± He said. ¡°You can come along to the warehouse at the diamond mine and wait for me there, if you want.¡± Nathalia thought about it. ¡°No, I better stay here.¡± She said, a little sadly. ¡°In case anyone needs me.¡± Ren picked her up from the bed and hugged her tightly. ¡°I will always need you, especially when I''m not here.¡± He said, and kissed her as she wrapped her legs around him. ¡°I''ve got 4 months left to love you as much as I can, so I''m going to try my best to give you a lifetime''s worth.¡± ¡°Ren, my body can''t take a lifetime of love from you.¡± Nathalia said, and he laughed. ¡°I meant the love in my heart for yours, not sex.¡± He smiled. ¡°Well, not just sex.¡± She laughed. ¡°All right.¡± She said. ¡°You can put me down now.¡± ¡°In a minute.¡± Ren said, and pleased her again. He left Nathalia asleep in her bed, and ran outside and up to the workshop. He greeted the women there, then went in to talk to Tee-one. ¡°How is everything going?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Fine.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ve finished the bows and half of the lingerie.¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll take them from you.¡± Tee-one handed over everything he had made, and Ren stored it all. ¡°I assume you are opening the storefront?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I need to have it up and running before the public finds out, though.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°I''ll need it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll bring back some iron ore, too¡± He said. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Ren ran back to the house and then into the stable. ¡°Princess, it''s time.¡± ...Of course... He led her out to the courtyard and hooked up the cart. ¡°Soon I''ll be able to just ride you, instead of having you pull the cart.¡± ...Can try now... Ren shook his head. ¡°I can''t take the chance it will be too much for you.¡± He said. ¡°The last thing I want is to cause you pain.¡± ...Good point... Ren took her out to the road, and climbed into the driver''s seat. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Princess took off running and they made it to the warehouse an hour later. He took her inside and made another crate and mattress for her, since he forgot to take the other one. She plunked down on it, but didn''t look comfortable. ¡°It might take a little while to break it in.¡± Ren said, gave her some food, and ran upstairs. Teepo dissolved into the ring and Ren went through the portal. He stepped out of the cabinet and nailed it shut. He summoned Teepo, and turned around to see Anabelle laying down on the couch with her back to the room. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said, and she turned to look at him. ¡°You were gone for a while.¡± She said and sat up. ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told you it might be a few days.¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°It''s been... really boring just sitting here and waiting.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I told you that you could leave and stay at the Refugee Center, or at an inn.¡± ¡°I didn''t want to leave this place empty for however long you were going to be gone.¡± He walked over and knelt in front of her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Anabelle shook her head. ¡°You don''t have to thank me for sitting here.¡± ¡°Have you been ordering food in?¡± She nodded. ¡°One meal a day.¡± ¡°One a day?¡± Ren frowned. ¡°Why only one?¡± ¡°That''s all I''m allowed.¡± ¡°Who told you that?¡± She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Dammit. Ren thought. Is she under some kind of contract? He looked at her wrists, but didn''t see an iron band like his. He leaned back, saw that she wore socks, but one of them bulged slightly. Ren sighed and shook his head. How much do you want to bet she has something on her ankle?¡± ¡°That''s a sucker bet.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You can see it right there.¡± ¡°I thought you were a gift when I got my title.¡± Ren said to her. ¡°Aren''t you supposed to be my servant?¡± She looked at him with a bit of confusion on her face. He lifted her foot and slid down her sock to expose the iron band around her ankle. ¡°I didn''t give you that.¡± He said. ¡°I suppose you can''t tell me who did.¡± Anabelle blinked her eyes a couple of times, and smiled at him blankly. ¡°Dammit, I don''t have time to go to the mansion today.¡± Ren said, as he pulled her sock up and put her foot back on the floor. ¡°I''ll do it in the morning.¡± ¡°Are you staying here tonight?¡± Anabelle said, with hope on her face and in her voice. ¡°Possibly.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to go to my County and work on the main building.¡± ¡°I''ll eagerly await your return.¡± ¡°You''re not supposed to.¡± Ren said. ¡°But it seems you have little choice.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked. ¡°How much money do you have left?¡± ¡°A few silver.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Food''s expensive.¡± ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you give the money to your family?¡± ¡°Yes. I gave it to the family.¡± ¡°Do you even have a family?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''ll be back in about 5 hours, I think.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hopefully, just in time for lunch.¡± ¡°Don''t be silly.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°You already missed lunch.¡± He pat her hand. ¡°I''ll see you when I get back.¡± She took his hand and squeezed it. ¡°Hurry back.¡± Ren nodded, and she let his hand go. He went downstairs and out of the shop, then ran down the street and out through the West Gate. Thanks to his new boots that let him run twice as fast, it only took him an hour and a half to get to his County. Once there, he went into the main building and saw that the cement has set well, and he made a new container out of wood to mix cement for the second floor. It didn''t work as smoothly as the metal-lined one he had used before; but, it worked well enough because he wasn''t making much anyways. Ren filled the second floor walls with cement, then went downstairs to build the rafters. When he finished the last one and stacked it with the others, Teepo told him it had been just over an hour. ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be able to finish this tomorrow.¡± He took off running, and neither of them noticed the young boy that had been sitting in the tall grass, and had watched Ren work. * ¡°He was there today.¡± The boy said when he arrived at the farm house, and interrupted the village meeting. ¡°He made this stuff and poured it into the walls of that big thing he built.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I don''t know what the stuff is, but the thing he put it in has holes for windows and a door.¡± The boy said. ¡°I think it''s a house.¡± ¡°I''ve never seen a house like that before.¡± Patty said, and shook her head. ¡°And I''ve been to Aurora.¡± ¡°Maybe it''s a new kind of house?¡± One of the other people there said. ¡°It doesn''t matter what it is.¡± Patty said. ¡°It''s far enough away from everything that we can keep ignoring it.¡± ¡°Should we, though?¡± Someone asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Another asked. ¡°Well, he''s the new Lord, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Patty said. ¡°Shouldn''t we help him or something?¡± ¡°He hasn''t asked us to.¡± Someone else said. ¡°Does he even know he can ask us?¡± One of the old ladies asked the group. Everyone was quiet, because they all knew that none of them had told the new Lord that they were available to work. * Ren was tempted to stop in and visit Elerlyth at her place, but he ignored the urge and ran all the way back to Aurora. He went to the Library, and went inside to see Rosie sitting at the reception desk. ¡°Hello, Ren.¡± Rosie said, and giggled. ¡°Hi, Rosie.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was wondering if you have a book on farm equipment.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She said. ¡°Let me see your Library card.¡± Ren handed it over, and she stared at the ''C'' rating. ¡°You''ve been cheating on me, you rascal.¡± Rosie said, and grinned. Ren chuckled. ¡°I have read a couple of books, but what happened there was...¡± He explained about proving his knowledge of the Dwarf Civil War to another Librarian, and Rosie nodded. ¡°Yes, acquired knowledge can count if it is extensive enough.¡± She said. ¡°This is the first time I''ve heard of someone doing it, though.¡± ¡°I was surprised by it, that''s for sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, what kind of book can I get?¡± ¡°I''ll surprise you.¡± Rosie said. ¡°You can go and have a seat while you wait.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and walked over to a nearby table. He sat down and looked around. Since it was the end of the day, there was only a couple of people reading things. While he waited, Ren finally got a chance to look at the sack of loot he had received from Lord Lodur. He took it out and looked at the contents. There was a coin pouch, a House Lodur signet ring with what Ren assumed was Lord Lodur''s initials on it, a bracelet, a small wooden box, and a scroll. He started with the coin pouch, and saw there was 235 platinum coins in it, and dumped them into his own coin vault and put the empty coin pouch back into the sack. Ren examined the ring next and was disappointed by the lack of information in the popup.
House Lodur Signet Ring
This ring was made specifically for the Lord of House Lodur, and bears his initials.
Ren used Enchanted Eyes, and the House Lodur signet ring didn''t glow. He was tempted to put on the ring, but he didn''t know what that would mean; so he took off his House Neram pendant instead, and slid the ring onto the chain. He put the pendant back around his neck, then picked up the bracelet and examined it.
Bracelet Of Importance
This bracelet grants the wearer an Aura (Importance). Artificially boosts Influence and Honor by 100,000. Distance: 50 foot radius. Warning: Binds to the user when equipped, but unbinds and drops when killed.
Wow. Ren thought. I had no idea something like this existed. ¡°Like they would tell you if it did.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You know dwarves like to keep their secrets.¡± Ren tried to use Appraisal on it, and got the N/A result. Either it''s priceless, or my skill isn''t high enough yet. ¡°A hundred thousand Influence and Honor?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I''d say priceless.¡± Ren nodded and looked at his wrist. Should I put it on? ¡°I don''t see why not.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Except that it increases your Aura by another 50 feet.¡± Yeah, that''s the downside. Ren thought. 100,000 Influence and Honor, though... ¡°Maybe you should wait until the right time to use it.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s not like you need the Honor and Influence right now.¡± Ren nodded and stored it, then picked up the small wooden box. He identified it, and smiled at the popup.
Small Wooden Box
This is a box for holding small things.
He opened it, and nearly dropped it as he gasped. Inside the box was two rows of shadow coins. He counted them, then counted them again. Thirty! Ren thought in astonishment. There''s 30 shadow coins in here! ¡°If each one is worth 100 platinum coins...¡± Teepo said. ¡°...then Lord Lodur had 3,000 platinum on him, and didn''t know it.¡± Ren shook his head. The worst part of this, is that there''s room for another 15 markers. He thought. Either he didn''t have enough to fill it, or... ¡°... or he already used 15 of them.¡± Teepo said. Ren sighed, and was tempted to dump the coins into his coin vault; but, then he thought better of that decision. He picked up one of the coins, and identified it.
Shadow Marker
This is a Shadow Marker.
Ren used Appraisal on it, and surprisingly, got the same popup.
Shadow Marker
This is a Shadow Marker.
Ren closed the box and stored it, then looked at the last item. A scroll. He picked the scroll up, and Rosie came over to his table with a book in her hand. ¡°Here you go.¡± She said, and handed him the book on farm equipment. ¡°Are you going to do some farming?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s a farmer on my land that''s having a hard time using the land that he has, and I wanted to find something to help him.¡± Rosie put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You''re a good man, Ren.¡± ¡°I am?¡± He smiled up at her. ¡°I wonder what happened to the cute boy you thought I was.¡± ¡°I got to know him a little better.¡± She giggled, and squeezed his shoulder slightly. ¡°If you need anything else, I''ll be at my desk.¡± ¡°Thanks, Rosie.¡± Ren said, and she walked back to her desk. He looked at the scroll in his hand, then at the book. Decisions, decisions. He thought, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°The book.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You want to know what you can make before seeing if that''s a spell or not.¡± Right. Ren put the scroll aside and flipped through the book. He saw pretty much every farming tool he already knew how to make, and then near the back of the book was the large plowshare, then a wheeled contraption for gathering wheat, one for making the holes for seeds, and a couple of other things. Ren smiled as he memorized the contents and closed the book. He got up and brought the book over to Rosie. ¡°That was fast.¡± She said. ¡°Did you find what you were looking for?¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I should be able to come up with something for the farmer.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Rosie said. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Well, there is something...¡± Chapter 184 - The Talk ¡°I''d like a basic spell book, please.¡± Ren said. Rosie looked at him and tilted her head. ¡°But... you''re not a magic user.¡± She said. ¡°Only magic users can take out spell books.¡± ¡°I can''t cast spells, but...¡± Ren leaned in close, then whispered. ¡°...I have a wand.¡± Her eyes widened, and she leaned back. ¡°This... this is unusual.¡± Rosie said. ¡°I haven''t heard of anyone having a wand before.¡± ¡°I know three spells already. Fireball, Minor Healing, and Major Healing.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m a little lacking in basic spells.¡± ¡°Why don''t you want higher level spells?¡± ¡°Actually, I would like any spells I can get my hands on; but, the wand is only Level 1.¡± Ren said. ¡°It can''t hold the higher level spells.¡± ¡°Well... I really shouldn''t...¡± ¡°Then don''t.¡± Ren said, and Rosie looked at him in surprise. ¡°You''ve already done more for me than I could ever have expected.¡± He smiled. ¡°I can''t let you risk your job again, just so I can get a spell book.¡± Rosie smiled. ¡°Oh, don''t worry about that.¡± She said. ¡°You''re a Patron of Knowledge. I can''t refuse your request to buy research materials.¡± ¡°Research materials?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Rosie said. ¡°How else are you going to write a book that compares magic use to enchanting?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You''re right. Buying research materials is much better than just borrowing them.¡± She stood up and came around the desk. ¡°Go ahead and have a seat again. I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± Ren nodded and went back to his seat and picked up the scroll. He broke the wax seal, that he now realized looked just like the signet ring, and he unrolled it. His mouth dropped open as he read what it contained.
Deed Of Defense (Garrison)
This deed grants the holder ownership of the Garrison and the personal army it houses. The owner of this deed is tasked with the defense of the Kingdom from all attackers, both foreign and domestic.
Notice!
You have assumed overall command of the Garrison, and all responsibilities in which that entails. Cost per year - Maintenance: 100 Platinum; Food: 300 Platinum; Wages: 1200 Platinum; Civilian workers/Experiments: 200 Platinum; Miscellaneous Expenses: 50 Platinum
Holy crap! Ren thought as he told Teepo what the popup said. I am so screwed! Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You''re lucky it''s not per month.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. Now I know why Lord Lodur was so against getting everyone off of the work to pay model. He thought. He couldn''t afford it if people worked somewhere else! He shook his head. He had his own building materials, his own farms, and didn''t have to pay any of the civilians or soldiers because they all work for his House to pay off debts. ¡°It''s quite the little empire he had built.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I wonder what House Lodur is going to do, now that you''ve taken over their whole purpose for existing.¡± I... I don''t know. Ren thought. I don''t know what I should do with it, either. ¡°Take Elerlyth''s advice.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Don''t think about it.¡± Ren took several deep breaths, and stored the deed. You''re right. I''m not even in the Dwarven Kingdom right now. I''ll worry about it when I get back there. ¡°That''s right.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''ve got enough to do right here...¡± He said. ¡°...with the books Rosie has for you.¡± Ren turned from the desk he sat at, and looked at her. Rosie smiled and put three thin books on his desk. Ren looked at them, then at her, then back at the books. They were Spells Volume One: Basic, Spells Volume Two: Intermediate, and Spells Volume Three: Advanced. ¡°Rosie.¡± He said. ¡°I... I don''t know what to say.¡± ¡°You can try ''thank you''.¡± She said, and grinned. Ren stood up and gave her a hug instead. A moment later, he let her out of the hug and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said, then took out 3 gold coins and gave them to her. ¡°Before you start ranting about having them, the books are rank C and lower.¡± Rosie said. ¡°So, I''m not breaking the rules. You''re actually allowed to read them.¡± Ren stored the books and the sack. ¡°Is there anything else I can help you with?¡± Rosie said, and beamed a smile at him. ¡°I''m sure there is something that I''m forgetting; but for the life of me, I can''t remember.¡± ¡°Don''t try to remember, it''ll just get further away.¡± Rosie laughed. ¡°Think of something else, and whatever it was will come back to you.¡± ¡°You''re talking from experience.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°It''s just a little mind trick I picked up over the years, while working here.¡± ¡°How long have you worked here?¡± ¡°About 3 years.¡± Rosie said, and Ren raised a single eyebrow at her. She giggled and covered her mouth, because it came out a little louder than she had expected. ¡°I''m a little older than I look.¡± ¡°I''m tempted to ask how much older; but, it''s not polite to ask a woman her age.¡± ¡°I''ll tell you...¡± Rosie leaned in close to whisper. ¡°...someday.¡± She gave him a peck on the cheek, and went back to her desk. ¡°I''m pretty sure that counts as flirting.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Yeah, she was definitely flirting. Ren smiled. We''ve been doing that back and forth for almost as long as I''ve know her, though. He started to walk towards the front door, when he got a popup.
Stat Change!
Aura (House Neram) Level 6 (Advanced 0%)
That''s it! Ren thought, and walked fast over to Rosie''s desk. She was working on some paperwork and he waited for a moment, then spoke. ¡°Rosie?¡± She looked up, and smiled at him. ¡°You thought of it.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You can feel my Aura, can''t you?¡± Rosie nodded. ¡°It''s gotten quite large.¡± She said. ¡° I felt it right after you came through the door.¡± ¡°Do you know of any way to suppress it or block it?¡± Rosie thought about it for a few minutes, then shook her head. ¡°I don''t know if anything like that is possible.¡± She said, and looked at him with a question on her face. ¡°Why do you want to stop it?¡± ¡°My Aura isn''t really the problem.¡± Ren said, and leaned in close. ¡°It''s my Prince Charming title that changes my Aura.¡± ¡°Then you need to get rid of that title, not suppress your Aura.¡± Rosie said, and Ren stared at her. ¡°How... how would I do that?¡± He asked. ¡°Just do the opposite of what you did to get it.¡± Rosie said. ¡°I don''t know if that will work, but it''s worth a try.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No way.¡± He said. ¡°I won''t treat a woman so badly, only for a chance that I might lose the title.¡± ¡°Then do it to me.¡± Rosie offered, and Ren shook his head again. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ren, let me help you.¡± She said. ¡°I won''t take anything that you might do to me personally.¡± ¡°Rosie.¡± Ren said, and took her hand. ¡°I''d rather have every woman I meet chase me for the rest of my life, before I''d even think about trying to treat you badly.¡± ¡°Oh, you.¡± Rosie said, and blushed. ¡°I''ve never been paid such a nice compliment before.¡± Ren let her hand go. ¡°If I need anything else, I''ll be back.¡± ¡°Then I''ll hope I''m here when you do come back.¡± She said, and turned to wave at her grandmother. ¡°I''m off shift right now, so you should wait until sometime tomorrow if you do think of anything.¡± ¡°Hello, sweetie.¡± Rosie''s grandmother said as she waddled over. ¡°Have you proposed to my granddaughter yet?¡± ¡°Grandmother!¡± Rosie exclaimed, then laughed. ¡°Don''t mind her, Ren. She''s been in a good mood since the house was fixed.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I walk you lovely ladies home?¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Rosie''s grandmother said. ¡°You''re an Adventurer. I''m sure you have something better to do during the night.¡± Ren''s eyes widened as he remembered that he needed to log out for lunch. ¡°I actually do!¡± He gave the old woman a kiss on the cheek, then did the same for Rosie. ¡°Rain-check on the walk!¡± Ren said as he walked backwards towards the door. ¡°Bye!¡± He turned around and ran out the front door. * The old lady laughed at Ren''s retreating figure and turned to her granddaughter. ¡°So, when are you going to tell him you love him?¡± She asked Rosie. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Oh, come on, dear.¡± Her grandmother said. ¡°Anyone with half a brain can see that you''re smitten with the poor boy.¡± Rosie smiled and took her grandmother''s arm in hers, then led her towards the door. ¡°He''s involved with someone else.¡± She said. ¡°I can''t admit anything to him until he''s single again.¡± ¡°I think you''re going to miss a good opportunity if you don''t tell him.¡± The old lady said. ¡°How often has he come in here the last little while?¡± Rosie sighed as they walked down the stairs to the street. ¡°Not as often as I''d like.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°You see?¡± Her grandmother said. ¡°Grab a hold of him and don''t let go.¡± She said, and smiled. ¡°Or someone else is going to beat you to it.¡± * Ren ran up the street and back to his business, then went inside. He made sure the door was locked, and went upstairs. He didn''t see Anabelle on the couch when he went into the apartment, and he sighed as she called to him from the bedroom. ¡°I''m in here.¡± Anabelle said seductively. Ren went to the bedroom doorway and looked at her. She was sprawled on her back across the bed, with her head toward him, and she wore nothing but socks and a maid apron. ¡°I told you that you weren''t allowed to stay in here.¡± Ren said sternly, and she smiled. ¡°You were just saying that because that other woman was here.¡± Anabelle said and rolled over onto her belly. She stuck up her backside, and purred like a cat. Ren sighed and shut the door to the bedroom, went back to the living room, and opened the cabinet to the portal. Teepo dissolved into the ring and Ren nailed the cabinet shut from the inside as he heard the bedroom door open. He stepped through the portal before Anabelle got it into her head to try and follow him. Once on the other side, Ren summoned Teepo again and went downstairs to give some more food to Princess. He went back upstairs and climbed into bed. See you in about an hour or so, Teepo. ¡°I''ll be waiting anxiously.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter as he repeated Anabelle''s words. Ren chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren had a quick lunch that Bonnie had prepared. He used to complain about all of the hard work she did to make his meals; but now, he just accepted her efforts for what they were. Caring for him in her own way. Ren thanked Bonnie for the food, and she left with the empty tray as he checked his emails. He got a congratulatory one from the head of Sid Tec about the show airing that night, and one from Elise. He read it and smiled. Bonnie came back into the room, and Ren asked where they were watching the show tonight. ¡°Well, we could watch it here in your room...¡± Bonnie said. ¡°...but, I''m pretty sure there''s going to be a few other people that will want to see it.¡± She smiled. ¡°We''d all have to stand, though.¡± ¡°The therapy room, then.¡± Ren said, then typed up a response for Elise and sent it. ¡°There''s plenty of room if the night nurses want to see it, too.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°I''ll have the extra chairs set up in front of the television.¡± ¡°Thanks, Bonnie.¡± Ren said and closed his email program. He slid out of bed and went to the bathroom to check on things, and to take care of some business, then went back to bed. ¡°All set?¡± Bonnie asked, and helped Ren put on his VR headset. ¡°See you in a few hours.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the bed and sighed. Dammit, I forgot to tell Nathalia about my trip to the Convent. ¡°You''re back a little earlier than usual.¡± Teepo said. I took care of business quickly. Ren thought, then turned his thoughts to Nathalia. The Sending Ring glowed, and he whispered to her. ¡°Nathalia? Are you awake?¡± ¡°Mm? What?¡± ¡°Hi, Nathalia. It''s Ren.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°I thought you said you''d be in Aurora until tomorrow?¡± ¡°I was out at my County to do some work on the building, but I can''t stay there overnight. I can''t make the Main House a Safe Zone until I finish it.¡± ¡°So you went all the way back to Aurora just so you could log out.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ren said. ¡°But I did it on this side.¡± He explained what was going on with Anabelle, and Nathalia was quiet for a few minutes afterwards. ¡°Nathalia? Are you still there?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes, I''m here.¡± She said, but she didn''t sound like she was in a good mood. ¡°I suppose you want to sleep with her.¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Ren said. ¡°Even if I didn''t think she was under some kind of compulsion or order by whoever holds her contract, I wouldn''t sleep with her.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°She sounds like she was really willing, even before this latest thing.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''m sorry, Nathalia.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°I''m sorry that you have to question me about yet another woman that I''ve met.¡± Nathalia didn''t say anything, and Ren sighed again. ¡°I know I can''t actually prove to you that I don''t want to sleep with every woman I meet, but can I at least offer you a consoling story?¡± Nathalia sighed herself. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren told her about what had happened at the Convent, and how he handled the situation. ¡°I can''t believe you turned her down.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ve heard stories about her.¡± She was quiet for a minute, then continued. ¡°There''s a reason everyone calls her ''Mistress''.¡± ¡°There is?¡± Ren asked, then thought about it. ¡°Oh. That makes sense.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°Why didn''t you warn me about her before I left?¡± ¡°What was there to warn about?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You were going to go anyways.¡± ¡°Well, yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might have had an easier time getting to the negotiating part with her, if you''d told me what she was like beforehand, though.¡± ¡°So it''s my fault you were almost seduced.¡± ¡°No, it''s not your fault!¡± Ren said, and rubbed his forehead. ¡°And I wasn''t ''almost'' anything. I didn''t think about doing it with her. Not once.¡± ¡°What did you think about, then?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Do you even have to ask?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I was thinking of you the whole time.¡± He sighed. ¡°I think about you nearly all of the time; especially now that I know I''m going to lose you in 4 months, for no other reason than that Fritz has to keep his publicly pronounced word to rescind my invitation to the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± ¡°The way things have been going lately, I thought... I thought you were looking for a replacement for me.¡± ¡°Why in the world would you think I could ever find anyone to replace you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''re my wife.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We performed the Devotion and Wedding rituals, remember? I didn''t do that with anyone else, or even thought about doing it with anyone else.¡± He sighed again. ¡°Don''t you remember what I told you a long time ago, Nathalia? I am never going to look for another wife. You are it. It doesn''t matter to me if we can''t complete the ceremony officially, or that I can''t build you a suitable place to live in time, or even the fact that we can''t be together. I love you, and no one can ever replace you in my heart.¡± Nathalia didn''t say anything, but Ren could hear her crying. ¡°Don''t cry, My Love.¡± He said. ¡°Save your tears for when we actually have to part. You can let them join mine then, and we can mourn the loss of our future together.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°I should have gone with you!¡± ¡°It''s a little late to come here now.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''ll be morning by the time you got here and I''ll already be back in Aurora.¡± ¡°I... I was mad at you for being in bed with Ereka.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was mad at myself for not checking to see if someone else was in the bed before I fell asleep. I could give you an excuse that I was exhausted, but it doesn''t matter.¡± He said. ¡°All that matters is, I only grabbed her butt.¡± He laughed. ¡°Once I touched it, I knew it wasn''t you.¡± ¡°Why can''t I stay mad at you?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I''m just that awesome.¡± Nathalia snorted a laugh. ¡°To tell you the truth, I think it''s because you''re the most wonderful woman I''ve ever met.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve put up with all of the stuff I''ve done, and all of the stuff the both of us have gone through together because of the stuff I''ve done.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°No, it''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve come to see Fritz'' point of view. He''s right. None of what''s happened would have happened if I had never come to the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± ¡°Yes, but the flip side of that argument is also true.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°None of what''s happened would have happened if you''d never come here.¡± She said. ¡°I''d still be a cook on a ship for several more years, Lady Neram would have lost the Keep, the Council would have abolished the Royal Family and taken over completely, everyone would be working for House Lodur, and so many other things.¡± ¡°Nathalia...¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I''m not even going to mention all of the people you''ve helped.¡± Ren didn''t respond, and she laughed. ¡°By the gods, you even made Narhilda the Queen!¡± ¡°Yeah, and look where that got me.¡± ¡°Yes. Look where you are. Look where we both are!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°We''re both away from her, and I''m the Head of House Neram.¡± Ren didn''t say anything, and she continued. ¡°She''s in the best position to do the most good for the Kingdom now, and neither of us has to deal with the politics all of that involves!¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was getting stuffy in those royal apartments.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°We''re all better off where we are now.¡± ¡°I... I guess so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I better let you go. You need to sleep.¡± ¡°So do you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°If you get finished early enough, you can be back here before nightfall.¡± ¡°I''ll try my best.¡± Ren said. ¡°If the cement is set, I''ll put the roof on as fast as I can. If it''s not, I''ll have to wait a few hours.¡± ¡°I''ll hope that it''s set, then.¡± She said. ¡°I need to see you again.¡± ¡°Oh, you will.¡± Ren said. ¡°And as many times as you want.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°Goodnight, My Love.¡± ¡°Goodnight, My Love.¡± Ren said, and the Sending Ring stopped glowing. He glanced over at Teepo, who had taken up a position near the doorway. See you in the morning, Teepo. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Ren drifted off to sleep, as thoughts of the woman he loved floated through his head. * Nathalia curled up in her bed and did the same thing. She drifted off to sleep with thoughts about Ren. * Ereka laid on her side in Ren''s old bed, with her head filled with thoughts about Ren. * Rosie laid on her back, and her head was filled with thoughts about Ren. Grandmother was right. I should have kissed him when I had the chance. She berated herself, and drifted off to sleep. * Patty, who looked like Lucy''s older sister (if she had one), laid on her straw bed and wondered what the new Lord of their County was doing right now. She was having a hard time getting to sleep, because every time she closed her eyes, she saw the huge building he was making. She had gone to see it herself after the village meeting, and knew the boy was right. It is a house of some kind. She thought. But... there''s so much room inside! What is he going to do with it all? * Rosie''s grandmother was completely relaxed, while she slept on the brand new bed Ren had bought for her. I know he didn''t buy it personally, but he did pay for it. She chuckled to herself. He''s such a nice boy. I hope Rosie can catch him before he gets away. She drifted off to sleep with the happy thought of her granddaughter finally getting a man as good as her grandfather. * Sally rolled over in her bed and sighed. Ren said he would be back to see me in a few days, and it''s been a lot longer than that. She thought. I wonder if he''s forgotten about me? She chuckled. Look at me, fretting over a man young enough to be my grandson! She pulled the blanket up to her neck. Soon I''ll start wearing clothes that reveal my ankles! She laughed and drifted off to sleep, imagining Ren''s reaction to seeing her bare ankles. * Donna, the cook at the mansion, waited patiently in her bed. I wonder if tomorrow will be the day my military man will return? She thought. This deployment is going a little longer than I thought it would. She sighed. Maybe he wasn''t as tempted by my charms as I thought he was? Donna drifted off to sleep, worried that Ren would wait for the whole month before coming to see her. * Narhilda lay in bed at the royal apartments, and was disappointed that Barnar didn''t want to cuddle with her, especially right after having sex. She sighed mentally, because he wasn''t anywhere near as good in bed as Ren was. Some of it was the same motions; but, it seemed more like a task when Barnar did it. She sighed. Ren made it fun to please him, because he enjoyed it so much, and was enthusiastic about the whole thing. She looked at Barnar. Barnar will make a better example for the people, though. Narhilda imagined it was Ren beside her as she reached between her legs and pleased herself, then drifted off to sleep. * Jhulune, the young worker from the lumberyard in Aurora, was not happy right now. She had just turned 18, and Brian had finally convinced her to take her top off to let him see what he had longed to see. When she did, he''d grabbed her and pawed at her breasts as if they were kids toys. She asked him to stop right away, and when he wouldn''t, she hauled off and punched him in the mouth. She hurt her hand doing it, but at least she had knocked out one of his teeth. ¡°Go ahead and explain how that happened to the local healer, you jerk!¡± Jhulune said, and put her top back on, as Brian held his mouth in shock. ¡°I know I''m sure as hell going to tell everyone how it happened!¡± ¡°Jhulune, wait!¡± Brian pleaded, but she ignored him and left his small bedroom. She huffed and walked past the living room, and held her hand as it started to throb. Brian''s mother asked her what was wrong, and she told them what had happened. Jhulune left the house before they brought him out to apologize to her. ¡°What an ass!¡± Jhulune shouted into the night, and sighed as her hand gave a particularly strong throb of pain. She looked at it closely, and tried to discover what was wrong. She opened her fist, and only the thumb and 3 of her fingers worked right. ¡°Dammit, my finger''s broken!¡± Jhulune turned towards Brian''s house. ¡°You broke my finger, you ass!¡± She shouted, then turned back down the street. ¡°I hope the healer is still awake.¡± She said, and kept walking. After a few minutes, she arrived at the temporary healing station that had been set up after the fire. She told the clerk what had happened, and no one said anything as she was sent to the front of the short line. While the healer dealt with her finger, Jhulune couldn''t help but think about that nice man, and how he had treated her with both respect and honesty. I bet Ren wouldn''t have treated me that way! She thought, then nearly screamed as the healer pulled her finger straight so he could heal it. ¡°Oooow!¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± The healer said. ¡°I needed to pull it straight, or...¡± Jhulune nodded, and he healed her finger in less than a minute using his Minor Healing ability. ¡°Thanks.¡± She said, and he nodded to her. Jhulune left the temporary healing station and went back to her brand new house. She laughed at that, because it was actually the same old house, just with all new parts. Her mother had pleaded with the work crew to change the layout; but they said that they were paid to restore it to the way it was, not to build whatever she wanted. They told her they could come back if she hired them to remodel, but it would have to be after the rest of the city was repaired. Her mother had relented in badgering them, and the house was built faster than they thought was possible. The lot was cleared quickly, the pre-built walls were put in place and nailed together, and the roof was put on. It had only taken half an hour. Jhulune went inside, and told her parents what had happened. Her father picked up his axe and went to the door. ¡°Dad, no!¡± Jhulune said. ¡°I took care of it already!¡± ¡°No one touches my little girl like that, and gets away with it!¡± ¡°I even knocked one of his teeth out!¡± Jhulune said and held her father''s arm to stop him from leaving. ¡°I''ll get the rest.¡± He said, and tried to pull his arm free. ¡°Along with his head.¡± Jhulune held onto her father''s arm tightly, and he stopped struggling; mainly because he didn''t want to hurt her. He sighed as he saw her pleading face. ¡°All right.¡± He said and put the axe down. ¡°But if I see his face anywhere near you again, he won''t have a face anymore.¡± ¡°Daaaad!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You... you can''t just...¡± He sighed. ¡°Fine. What do you want me to do?¡± ¡°I want you to trust your daughter.¡± He smiled and took her into a hug. ¡°I do trust you.¡± He said and squeezed her tightly. ¡°It''s everyone else I don''t trust.¡± ¡°Oh, dad.¡± Jhulune said, and held onto her father as tears came to her eyes. She hugged him tightly, and cried. * Ren woke up the next morning, rested and refreshed. ¡°Boy, that was a good sleep!¡± ¡°It''s your first one alone in a while.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Hey, you''re right!¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess I needed a break from everything.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter again. ¡°Hurry up and get back to work, you slacker.¡± Ren laughed and went downstairs to feed Princess breakfast, then Teepo dissolved into the ring as Ren went back upstairs and went through the portal. Chapter 185 - Lord Eric Ren tried to open the cabinet door on the Aurora side of the portal, but it wouldn''t move. He frowned, as there shouldn''t be anything blocking the door, and he took off the hinges. He stored the door, and found Anabelle asleep in front of the cabinet. I''m glad I didn''t try to force the door open. He thought. I might have hurt her. Ren picked her up and brought her over to the couch. She still wore just the maid apron and socks, so he grabbed the blanket from the bed, and covered her with it. After reattaching the cabinet door, he summoned Teepo and left the warehouse. Ren ran as fast as he could to the Market District and to the glass shop. It was still quite early, but he was relieved to see someone moving around inside. He knocked on the door, and the man who had delivered the large mirror to him so long ago, answered. ¡°Hi, Medius.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sorry to bother you so early.¡± ¡°That''s all right.¡± Medius said. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I need a dozen standard-sized windows.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you have that many in stock?¡± ¡°With all of the repairs to the city going on, we''ve had to keep production going 24 hours a day.¡± ¡°Oh, right. I forgot about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll just board the holes up for now.¡± Medius laughed. ¡°That won''t be necessary. We''ve got plenty of them.¡± He stepped back from the doorway. ¡°Come on in.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and when he went inside, he saw stacks upon stacks of standard windows that went from the floor to the ceiling. ¡°You weren''t kidding!¡± ¡°This is the most money we''ve made since we started this business.¡± Medius grinned. ¡°I''m going to be a little sad when all the repairs are done and we have to go back to normal sales again.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s always nice to keep busy.¡± ¡°Ain''t that the truth.¡± Medius said as he went behind a desk. ¡°So, a dozen standard windows.¡± He said. ¡°What are they for?¡± ¡°To look through.¡± Ren said as he grinned, and Medius laughed. ¡°I''m building a large 2 storey house in my County, and I need the windows for the upstairs and downstairs.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Medius said. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, I should pick up 2 large storefront windows for my warehouse.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m opening my shop today.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Medius asked. ¡°What kind of products will you carry?¡± ¡°Pretty much anything you could think of.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°And probably a few things that you wouldn''t.¡± ¡°Sounds interesting.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll probably have lots of customers by tomorrow.¡± ¡°Well, I hope things work out for you.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Medius checked his paperwork, and nodded. ¡°We''ve still got a few of the big storefront windows out back.¡± He said. ¡°When would you like to have them delivered?¡± ¡°I''ll just take them now.¡± Ren said. Medius looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°That''ll be 20 gold coins.¡± He said. ¡°1 gold for each of the standard windows, and 4 gold for each of the storefront ones.¡± Ren put 20 gold on the counter, then put 2 gold next to the stack. ¡°Thanks for opening early to let me buy the windows.¡± ¡°Anytime!¡± Medius said, and pocketed the 2 gold and put the 20 gold into the lock-box behind the counter. ¡°There''s a dozen standard windows in this stack here.¡± He said and pointed to the stack next to the desk. Ren stored them and Medius led him out to the back room. There were a dozen glass forges going, and men were pouring several of them out onto the floor into small molds. ¡°As you can see, we''ve got all of our forges going at the same time.¡± Medius smiled. ¡°We usually only have two or three of them operating, but I called in some favors and got some more workers.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope you can keep up with the current demand.¡± Medius nodded and led Ren over to a storage room. ¡°Most of the windows out front will be taken for the next row of houses today.¡± He said. ¡°Overnight is the only time we can get a good stock of them built up.¡± ¡°I hear that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve lost count of how many times I was up all night making things.¡± Medius nodded and pointed to two large storefront windows. Ren stored them and followed Medius back out to the front of the shop. ¡°There''s so many windows here, I can''t even see what else you have for sale.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll have to come back and take a look when the city is done.¡± Medius said. ¡°You''re not getting anywhere near the displays until then.¡± ¡°What about mirrors?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''d like at least 6 of the large ones that were 10 gold each.¡± Medius pointed towards the wall that had several stacks of windows in front of it. Ren walked over to the stacks of windows and stored them, then looked at the mirrors. They were different shapes, so he picked 6 of them; 2 that were rectangular, 2 oval, 1 square, and 1 round. Ren pointed to each one, made sure Medius saw them, then stored each one. He put the stacks of windows back where they were, and went to the desk to pay the 60 gold, plus 3 gold for the tip. ¡°You could do that for each shelf.¡± Medius suggested, and Ren smiled. ¡°If I had the time to spare.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back next week after the city is done.¡± He said and waved to Medius, then left the store. He ran back to his business and put the two windows inside, then locked the door. He ran down the street, and out through the West Gate. I really love these boots! Ren thought, as he ran at double his normal pace and his Stamina slowly drained as if he was running normally. Teepo came in for a landing and hung on to Ren''s shoulder. ¡°I''m taking a break for a while.¡± Teepo said. ¡°My wings are getting sore.¡± Ren chuckled. That means you''re getting stronger, apparently. At least, that''s what I was told. ¡°And you don''t think they''re lying through their teeth?¡± Teepo asked, and chittered in laughter. Ren joined him and laughed, then kept running. An hour and a half later, they arrived at the Main House he''d built for the County, and climbed up to the top to check to see if leaving it overnight was long enough. ¡°Yes!¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s dry!¡± Ren was tempted to pull apart the mold, but decided that installing the windows on the second floor first, would be a good idea. He did so, then took apart the mold, and installed the windows on the first floor. He went inside and picked up the rafters, built the two sets of stairs to get to the second floor, and added the rafters to make the roof. Ren covered it in wood, and sighed as he climbed down. ¡°Whew.¡± He said. ¡°Even though I had the parts ready, it was still a lot of work.¡± He went inside and changed the layout slightly. He didn''t really need a large lobby, so he cut that in half with a dividing wall, and made a single small office in the new space. He build the reception desk and chair, then added walls in the back for records and storage under the stairs. Ren made a hallway, then a two room apartment where Ereka''s office would have been. He made a bed, table and chairs, and a comfy couch. ¡°I have to remember to make a stove.¡± Ren said, then remembered he should make a forge as well. Since the floor in both the upstairs and downstairs was cement, he went upstairs to make himself a closed off living space, with a work area outside of that. He built a forge with the stone bricks he still had in inventory; but, he didn''t have a smelting apparatus with him, so it wasn''t complete. He closed that area off, and made the rest of the space upstairs into a large meeting area. ¡°That''s 2 hours.¡± Teepo said, Ren nodded. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought, then made a dozen simple chairs and lined them around the room. He went downstairs and then outside. He got the popup to assign the occupant, and put his own name on the dwelling. Another small key appeared around his neck and joined the others. He was tempted to add Anabelle as an occupant, since she would be living there in her own apartment; but, he didn''t want to do that until he dealt with her whole situation. Let''s get back to Aurora. Ren thought, then ran down the road. A few minutes later he past the path to the old farmhouse, and thought about stopping in to tell Patty that the Main House was finished. He shook his head and kept running. I''m sure she''ll find out on her own anyways. ¡°Ha!¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re just avoiding her.¡± Of course I am. Ren said. The last thing I need right now is some drama from my ''ideal'' Lucy, as Elerlyth described her. ¡°I think there''s going to be drama, no matter when you go to talk to her.¡± Ren nodded as he kept running. You''re right. I''m going to have to deal with her. He thought, then smiled. But not today! Teepo chittered in laughter and held on to Ren''s shoulder as Ren poured on the speed.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. * ¡°It''s finished!¡± The boy said, as he burst into the farmhouse. ¡°Russell!¡± Patty exclaimed. ¡°Sorry, Miss Patty.¡± He said, and hung his head. ¡°I was excited and forgot my manners.¡± ¡°That''s all right.¡± Patty said. ¡°Now, what''s finished?¡± ¡°The house!¡± He said, just as excitedly as when he arrived. ¡°The big one Lord Ren was making! It''s done!¡± ¡°You''re joking.¡± She said. ¡°There''s no way that he could have finished it in only 2 days!¡± ¡°I watched him, Miss Patty! He climbed all over that place, like a squirrel in a tree!¡± ¡°Alright, I have to see this for myself.¡± Patty said, and followed the boy back to the Main House. ¡°Well, I''ll be!¡± She said, her voice full of surprise as she walked around the finished building. ¡°Did you go inside again?¡± ¡°I can''t.¡± The boy said. ¡°The door''s locked.¡± The two of them went around to the windows and looked inside, and were surprised to see it was completely different than what they had seen, only the day before. ¡°He did so much today!¡± The boy said, and Patty nodded. ¡°Look at the stairs!¡± She looked through the window the boy was looking through, and saw the two sets of 8 foot wide stairs. Patty shook her head. ¡°What a waste of space.¡± She said. ¡°He should have just used a ladder.¡± ¡°But it''s not a waste, Miss Patty. There''s a door under them!¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± She knelt to press her face against the window where the boy was looking in, and sure enough, there was a doorway under each set of stairs. Who is this man? Patty thought. He built a room under the stairs! * Ren made it back to the West Gate of Aurora an hour and a half later, and went inside. He ran down the street, and all the way to the mansion. He concentrated on his personal Aura, and climbed the steps. The guards watched him as he approached; but neither of them greeted him, or even moved to open the front door. Teepo. ¡°On it!¡± Teepo said, and flew under the door into the mansion. ¡°There''s no one in the lobby. Want me to check the nearby doors?¡± No. Ren thought as he opened the door. See if Donna is in her office. ¡°Right.¡± Teepo said, and a few seconds later said that she wasn''t. Try the kitchen. Teepo flew into the kitchen, and said that she was in there. Ren concentrated on his Command Aura, and started to walk down the left hallway, which led to the kitchen. ¡°She''s noticed you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She''s coming out.¡± Ren equipped his Dwarf Recruit uniform, and waited in the hallway. The kitchen door opened, and Donna stared at him. ¡°You''re back!¡± She said, shut the door to the kitchen, and ran to him. Oh, crap! Ren thought. She''s going to jump! He braced himself to catch her, and Donna smiled as she leaped in the air with her arms spread wide. Ren caught her and swung her around to stop her momentum from taking them both to the floor. Donna laughed as she ended up with her arms around Ren''s neck, one of his arms under her back, and the other wrapped around her legs as he knelt and rested her butt gently onto his knee. ¡°My hero!¡± Donna said, and kissed him. Since his arms were literally full of her, he couldn''t protest or give any kind of reasonable resistance to her efforts, and kissed her back. She broke the kiss a minute later, and Ren let her legs go so she could stand up. Donna smiled at him as she stood. ¡°How in the world did you catch me?¡± She asked. ¡°I''ve never had anyone do that before!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Surprisingly enough, I''ve had some practice with catching women who jump on me.¡± ¡°Well, your practice worked.¡± Donna laughed. ¡°A 4 foot 7 inch tall man just caught a 6 foot tall woman in his arms like it was nothing.¡± She said. ¡°I''m nearly twice your size!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I could say that there was a lot of you to catch, but...¡± ¡°...you better not insult me like that!¡± Donna said and grinned. ¡°The last thing you want to do, is make a woman think she might be fat!¡± ¡°Fat!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°There''s not a lick of fat on you. You''re all muscle.¡± She took him into a hug and squeezed his face between her breasts. Even with the apron on, it barely provided any resistance to the movement. ¡°Donna...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°No, you''re right. We can''t do anything at work.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve got a lunch break coming up, and we can go to my place.¡± ¡°I have an urgent mission I need to take care of first.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to speak to Lord Eric, and then the Finance Minister.¡± He explained. ¡°I don''t know how to make an appointment with either of them.¡± ¡°That''s no problem.¡± She said. ¡°We''ll be serving them lunch in about half an hour.¡± ¡°I''d like to speak to Lord Eric privately, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°It really is important.¡± Donna nodded and let him go. ¡°This way.¡± She said, and walked back towards the lobby, then knocked on the first door. ¡°Enter.¡± Inside was a brown-haired woman behind a desk. She wore large thick glasses, and was dressed conservatively. ¡°What can I help you wi-oh. Hi, Donna.¡± ¡°Hi, Rebekka.¡± Donna said. ¡°Ren needs to see Lord Eric right away.¡± ¡°He''s in the drawing room waiting for lunch.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Donna said. ¡°Ren needs to see the Finance Minister after that.¡± ¡°You''re in luck. Lord Eric is with the Finance, Trade, and Defense Ministers.¡± ¡°Thanks, Rebekka.¡± Donna said. ¡°See you at lunch.¡± ¡°Bye, Donna.¡± Ren had barely looked at the woman, and the door was shut to block her from view. ¡°Well, that was easy.¡± Ren said, and Donna chuckled. ¡°She knows I wouldn''t bother Lord Eric if it wasn''t important.¡± Donna said. ¡°If you''d gone in there yourself, you might have gotten an appointment for next week.¡± She smiled. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Thanks, Donna.¡± Ren said, and followed her to the drawing room; which was just a room in a large private house in which guests can be received and entertained. ¡°Don''t thank me yet.¡± Donna said as she stopped in front of the fourth door in the hallway, that was identical to all of the other doors. ¡°When lunch is served, then you can thank me.¡± She said, picked him up to hold him at head height, and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°And you better thank me properly.¡± She said and put him down. ¡°I''ll do my best.¡± Ren said as she opened the door, and he stepped into the drawing room. ¡°Well, well.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°I didn''t think I''d be seeing you again for a while.¡± Ren gave him a slight nod, and he returned it. ¡°I''ve definitely been busy.¡± ¡°Running a county is no small matter.¡± The Finance Minister said. ¡°The overhead for such a large area is quite the amount.¡± ¡°I''d like to talk to you about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Right after Lord Eric and I discuss something.¡± He turned to Lord Eric. ¡°Can I borrow you for a quick private meeting?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°I can always spare a few minutes for the Hero of Aurora.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I appreciate it.¡± ¡°Not as much as the people appreciated you paying to repair all of their houses.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°That was you?!?¡± The Finance Minister exclaimed. Ren nodded. ¡°I couldn''t let the townspeople suffer twice from a such an act of violence.¡± ¡°That was quite noble of you.¡± The Trade Minister said. ¡°But you''ve put us into quite a pickle.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The taxes, of course!¡± The Finance Minister said. ¡°We''ve been trying to raise taxes for years, and this would have been the best opportunity to do that.¡± He sighed. ¡°Now, though...¡± ¡°What would you use the taxes for?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The same as they''ve always been used. Maintenance of the roads, wages for the soldiers... the usual things for running a Principality.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°Did the prices of things go up?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Did you hire more soldiers because of the fire?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then what would all the extra money from higher taxes be used for?¡± The Finance Minister was about to say, when the Defense Minister elbowed him in the ribs. ¡°Defense.¡± Ren smiled, because he knew the Finance Minister was about to say ''for us'', and he turned to Lord Eric. ¡°Do you have a private room close by?¡± ¡°Right this way.¡± Lord Eric said, and led Ren to a door in the side of the room. ¡°Gentlemen, I will be back momentarily.¡± He said and opened the door. Ren went into the room and Lord Eric shut the door. ¡°What is this little meeting about?¡± ¡°Anabelle.¡± Lord Eric smiled. ¡°How is she working out for you?¡± ¡°All she does is sit on the couch and try to seduce me whenever she gets the chance.¡± Ren said. ¡°Isn''t that great?¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°It''s nice to have a woman tend to your every need.¡± ¡°It would be.¡± Ren said. ¡°If she wasn''t ordered to do that by someone else.¡± ¡°She wasn''t ordered to do any such thing.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°She agreed to do it and signed the contract, then had free room and board for years; in exchange for her services, of course.¡± Ren looked at him with his head tilted slightly to the side. ¡°I thought you gave her to me when you gave me the County.¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°I thought you did, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Until I found out that you still had her under contract.¡± Lord Eric chuckled. ¡°I didn''t expect you to realize that.¡± ¡°Normally, I don''t think I would have.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°But when I gave her a platinum coin, and a couple of days later, she only had a few silver left and claimed she bought food with it...¡± Ren stopped smiling. ¡°...even though you ordered that she was only allowed one meal a day.¡± ¡°We can''t have her getting fat.¡± Lord Eric said, then sighed. ¡°I knew I should have changed her orders about tithing 95% of her money.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She always made more money.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°I don''t know why she was more popular than the other maids.¡± ¡°So, she didn''t volunteer to serve me.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, she did.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°She jumped at the chance, for some reason.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m glad.¡± He said. ¡°You can give me her contract now.¡± Lord Eric chuckled. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°According to her, you''re going to be paying her for actual work.¡± He said. ¡°Why would I give that up?¡± It was Ren''s turn to chuckle. ¡°Did you really think I''d be giving her any more money, after you stole 95 gold from me?¡± ¡°It was almost the amount of the prize I gave you after that quest.¡± Ren stared at him. ¡°You wanted me to pay that back?!?¡± Lord Eric chuckled. ¡°No, it was more of an investment.¡± He said. ¡°Usually, it''s an Adventurer that we can actually use; but, you surprised me with how much you actually did to help the quest.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°You thought you were buying me.¡± ¡°He finally understands.¡± Lord Eric smiled. ¡°We buy Adventurers nearly every day.¡± He said. ¡°We send them out on ridiculous quests for a while, then we''ll throw in one we actually need taken care of.¡± He said. ¡°Like the quest you won.¡± He said. ¡°We couldn''t have that growing evil presence disrupting everything.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°So it''s all a lie?¡± Lord Eric laughed. ¡°Of course not!¡± He said. ¡°Do you know what this world would be like, if there wasn''t any Adventurers around?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°A desolate wasteland. Everyone dead or dying. Evil run rampant.¡± Lord Eric sighed. ¡°It''s not wrong to make money while helping the people.¡± ¡°It is when you step on their backs to do it.¡± ¡°Come on, now!¡± Lord Eric chuckled. ¡°It''s not like that.¡± ¡°It seems like it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You profit from their misery.¡± ¡°Not always.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°Between poverty and prosperity, is a fine line to walk.¡± ¡°So you won''t give me Anabelle''s contract?¡± Ren asked Lord Eric shook his head. ¡°Can I buy it from you, then?¡± Lord Eric smiled. ¡°50 platinum coins.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Ren said, grabbed Lord Eric''s hand and shook it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He asked. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°It''s 100 platinum now.¡± ¡°No, it''s 50 platinum. You agreed to it.¡± ¡°No, I didn''t.¡± Ren grinned at him. ¡°Are you breaking the deal?¡± ¡°There was no deal!¡± ¡°I asked to buy an item, you gave me the price, and I agreed. That, sir, is the definition of a deal.¡± ¡°No, I refuse.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t if I were you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you know what happens to deal-breakers?¡± ¡°You... you wouldn''t!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I was only going to publicly shame you for giving me a maid to use for sex and keeping all of her money for yourself; but if you don''t complete this deal, you''ll be spending a lot of time in your own jail cell, and everyone will know you don''t honor deals.¡± Lord Eric glared at Ren. ¡°What will King Alamast do, when he finds out?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Who do you think he''ll appoint to run the Principality of Aurora while you sit in jail?¡± Lord Eric walked over to the desk in the corner and opened one of the drawers. He searched for the scroll he wanted and closed the drawer. ¡°Very well.¡± He said and came over to hand Ren the scroll, who opened it and saw it actually was Anabelle''s contract. ¡°Now, there''s no other ones, is there?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Did you have her sign anything else while under this one?¡± Lord Eric took in a sharp breath through his nose, then let it out. ¡°Damn you.¡± He said, and went back to the desk. He took out three more scrolls, and brought them over to Ren, who opened them and smiled. ¡°Oh, that''s sneaky.¡± Ren said. ¡°Because she agreed to the original contract, these other ones are perfectly legal.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You should be ashamed of yourself.¡± ¡°You have no right to judge me!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Of course I do.¡± He said. ¡°I''m a Lord, remember? Who better to judge you than one of your peers?¡± Lord Eric growled. ¡°Hand over the money and get out.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°This might take a few minutes.¡± He opened his coin vault and started dumping out copper coins. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?!?¡± Lord Eric asked as the copper coins flowed over the floor. ¡°I''m paying you.¡± Ren laughed and laughed as 50 million copper coins filled the room. Chapter 186 - Id Buy That For A Dollar ¡°Now you''ve done it!¡± Lord Eric said. ¡°We''re stuck!¡± ¡°I guess I didn''t really think this part through.¡± Ren said. The room was only about 12 foot square; so, 50 million copper coins took up a significant portion of it. In fact, the coins were about 5 feet deep and would have been above Ren''s head, had be been stupid enough to stand still while the coins poured out. He was smart, though; and had stayed above it for the most part. He was only ''stuck'' up to his waist in them, while Lord Eric was chest deep and his arms were trapped. ¡°Get me out of here!¡± Lord Eric yelled. Ren laughed again and made his way to the door through the mass of copper coins. He walked as if they weren''t there, thanks to his Rock Steady and Unstoppable abilities, that let him move through moderate obstacles without slowing down. When he got to the door, Ren realized that he had a problem. He couldn''t reach the door handle. He tried to dig down, but there were so many coins packed so tightly together, that they just filled in the space he emptied before he could take another handful away. ¡°Try a shovel.¡± Teepo suggested, and Ren took out a shovel and started to dig. ¡°Stop!¡± Lord Eric shouted. ¡°Are you trying to kill me?¡± Ren had uncovered half of the door and had almost reached the door handle, when he turned around to see Lord Eric was up to his neck in coins. ¡°Oops.¡± Ren turned back to the door, as the coins started to slide back into place. ¡°You better hold your breath!¡± He said as he took several more scoops out with the shovel, stored it, then dove head first into the coins. They flowed over him quickly, now that he was upside down and tried to push through them. Ren reached down blindly and felt around. His hand found the door handle a few moments later, and he turned it. The pressure of the coins in the room burst out through the sudden release. Since Ren was at the doorway, and upside down at the time, he rode the wave of coins out into the drawing room. He ended up halfway across the room at the feet of the three ministers, and smiled up at them as they stared down at him in shock. ¡°What... what...¡± The Trade Minister tried to speak. ¡°What in the world?¡± The Defense Minister said. ¡°MONEY!¡± The Finance Minister said, and dove into the pile. Ren pushed his way out of the pile, then laughed as he stood up and saw the Finance Minister, who pretty much swam through the pile of copper coins like it was water. Lord Eric was released from his money trap, and had flowed out of the room right behind Ren. The other two ministers helped him dig out of the pile of copper coins, and he stood up and turned to Ren. ¡°You... you!¡± Lord Eric fumed, and waved at the mass of copper. ¡°Look at all of this!¡± ¡°It''s pretty cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve never seen this many coins before.¡± ¡°FIFTY MILLION COINS!¡± Lord Eric hollered. ¡°You''re right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I almost forgot the gratuity.¡± He opened his coin vault and selected two-and-a-half million (2,500,000) copper coins, and dumped it out onto the pile. ¡°Ha ha hahahaha!¡± The Finance Minister laughed as the coins showered over him. There was a knock on the drawing room door, and a maid came in. ¡°Lunch is rea-OH MY GOD!¡± She put a hand out and leaned against the wall. ¡°I... I... I just cleaned this room!¡± She sat down on a chair by the door and stared at the pile of fifty-two-and-a-half million (52,500,000) coins. Lord Eric composed himself and straightened his clothing, then strode towards the drawing room''s door. ¡°Clean this up!¡± He said to the maid''s shocked expression, and left the room with the Trade and Defense Ministers right behind him. Ren turned to the Finance Minister, and tried to not laugh at his behavior. ¡°Sir? Can I speak to you for a moment?¡± Ren asked him, when one of the Finance Minister''s laps through the money brought him close enough to Ren to be heard over the sound of the coins crashing together. The Finance Minister stopped pretending to swim, stood up, and waded over to Ren. ¡°Of course.¡± The Finance Minister said. ¡°It''s a good thing that the entire mansion has been magically reinforced.¡± He smiled. ¡°I haven''t seen this many coins at one time, either.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°It''s too bad Lord Eric doesn''t share our view.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± The Finance Minister said. ¡°That old stick-in-the-mud wouldn''t know real fun if it bit him on the ass.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Don''t let him hear you say that.¡± The Finance Minister grinned. ¡°It''ll be our little secret.¡± He said. ¡°Now, what do you need to talk about?¡± ¡°I bought half of the lots in the Housing District.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was told to come to you to pay the taxes.¡± ¡°Oho!¡± The Finance Minister said. ¡°Half of the District? That''s 7 lots.¡± ¡°There''s another house I bought for someone else on the other side, so 8 total.¡± ¡°The taxes are a platinum coin a year, so you will owe the Principality of Aurora 8 platinum.¡± ¡°When is it due?¡± ¡°Usually within the first 6 months of ownership.¡± The Finance Minister said. That will cover the entire year, until the next year''s is due.¡± ¡°Do I pay you directly, or do I have to send it somewhere?¡± ¡°You can pay me directly, once we go to my office and get the forms.¡± Ren''s Haggle skill activated, and he smiled mentally. ¡°When I bought the warehouse in the Artesian District, Sally said there was a deal on the taxes if I paid for them upfront.¡± He said. ¡°Is there a chance I can get some kind of deal if I pay a few years upfront?¡± ¡°How many years?¡± The Finance Minister asked. ¡°I don''t want to have to think about it for a while.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°So, the same as the warehouse. 10 years.¡± The Finance Minister''s eyes widened. ¡°You want to pay 10 years of taxes upfront.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°That way, you get an influx of money that you didn''t expect, and I don''t have to worry about bothering you every year for a measly 8 platinum coins.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The Finance Minister grinned and put an arm around Ren''s shoulder. ¡°My boy, I''ll give you deal. You pay the full amount for the half of the Housing District that you bought, and I''ll let the other house ride along.¡± ¡°Hm. 70 platinum in one shot is a little steep.¡± Ren said. ¡°What about 60 platinum, and a donation of 3 platinum to the Finance Minister''s wife.¡± He said, and smiled. ¡°So she can throw you a big birthday party or something.¡± ¡°Carmilla has been bugging me for a good party lately.¡± The Finance Minister grinned. ¡°65 platinum and 3 for the donation.¡± ¡°62 platinum, 3 for the donation...¡± Ren grinned. ¡°...and I''ll pay with actual platinum coins if you want.¡± ¡°I''m tempted to let you fill my office, too.¡± The Finance Minister laughed, and the maid groaned. ¡°But, you have a deal.¡± They shook hands, and walked to the drawing room''s door. ¡°My office is only 2 doors down, and across the hall.¡± The Finance Minister said. ¡°I''ll be right there.¡± Ren said, and stopped in front of the maid. ¡°I''ll get the paperwork ready.¡± The Finance Minister said, and left the room. Ren knelt in front of her, but the maid ignored him and kept staring at the mounds of copper coins. ¡°I''m sorry about this.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, it''s okay.¡± He took out the sack Lord Lodur''s loot was in, and held out the empty coin pouch. ¡°You can scoop the coins in, or run the coin pouch through the pile.¡± He said, and showed her both ways. She blinked at him, and he showed her again. ¡°It''ll still take a while, but not nearly as long as you think it will.¡± He said, and gave her the coin pouch. ¡°Lord Eric didn''t say you had to do it alone, either.¡± The maid looked at him, and she smiled as Ren handed her a couple more coin pouches. ¡°While I''m at it...¡± Ren took out a gold coin. ¡°I''ve got a shiny toy for you to play with.¡± ¡°T-t-toy?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You play with them like this.¡± He said, and spun it on the floor. Her eyes brightened as the gold spun and clattered to the floor. Ren spun it again, and when it stopped he handed it to her. ¡°How many other maids are there?¡± ¡°Six.¡± Ren took out 6 more gold coins. ¡°Give one of these toys to each of them.¡± He said. ¡°It''s not money, it''s a toy. They can play with it for as long as they want, then they can take these toys to any store and exchange it for other things.¡± She looked at the gold coins. ¡°They... they''re toys.¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to give 95% of a toy to Lord Eric.¡± The maid looked at him with one of the brightest smiles he''d ever seen. ¡°T-th-thank you!¡± ¡°Please, don''t thank me.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°If I could, I''d offer to buy all of the maid''s contracts from him.¡± He sighed. ¡°He''d never sell them to me, though.¡± He looked at the mess he''d made. ¡°I almost had to twist his arm just to get Anabelle''s from him.¡± The maid took his hand. ¡°I''ll tell the other maids what you did.¡± She said. ¡°And what you offered.¡± Ren squeezed her hand. ¡°Get some help with this, and have fun.¡± He let her hand go. ¡°Pretend you''re the Finance Minister.¡± The maid laughed. ¡°Yes, that''s a good idea.¡± She stood up and held the drawing room door open for him. Ren stepped out and walked down the 2 doors and across the hall, and knocked. He went inside and signed the forms that were needed, then handed over the money for the taxes. He also paid the tip, and then the Finance Minister''s wife came in. Ren stood up immediately, and took her hand. ¡°It''s a pleasure to finally meet you, Ma''am.¡± Ren said, and lightly kissed her fingers. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Carmilla said as Ren let her hand go, and she looked at her husband. ¡°You weren''t kidding when you said he was a handful.¡± The Finance Minister chuckled. ¡°Wait until you see the drawing room.¡± He said. ¡°It was so nice to swim in money again!¡± Carmilla laughed and looked at Ren. ¡°My husband has a bit of a money fetish.¡± Ren''s eyes widened in mock surprise and he gasped. ¡°Oh no!¡± Carmilla laughed again. ¡°You are going to be such a delight when the rest of the Minister''s wives meet you.¡± ¡°That reminds me.¡± Ren said and looked at the Finance Minister. He nodded, and Ren took out 3 platinum coins. ¡°I''d like to make a donation to you, so you can throw a party for your husband''s birthday or something.¡± He handed the coins to Carmilla, and her mouth dropped open. ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± ¡°I discussed it with your husband, and he said you''ve been dying to have a party.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, go ahead and have one.¡± Carmilla looked at Ren, and then at her husband. ¡°Is he serious?¡± The Finance Minister laughed. ¡°Come on. I''ll show you what he did in the drawing room, on our way to lunch.¡± He said, and stood up to come around his desk. ¡°Then you can answer that for yourself.¡± She took her husband''s arm as he passed, and Ren followed them down the hallway. He kept walking when they went into the drawing room, and Carmilla''s laughter followed him into the lobby. ¡°Donna''s not in the kitchen or her office.¡± Teepo said, and flew back to Ren. Any idea where the dining room is? Ren thought. ¡°Nope.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Want me to start looking?¡± No, that''s all right. Ren went to Donna''s office, and sat down in the chair in front of her desk. I''ll just wait here for her. ¡°You could skip out and avoid her.¡± Teepo suggested. If I left now, she''d hunt me down; or make me pay for it the next time she saw me. ¡°Yeah.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°She seems like that kind of woman.¡± Ren smiled and looked at his Dwarf Recruit uniform. You know, now that I have overall command of the Garrison, I think I need a new uniform. Ren took out enough cloth to make one, and searched through the patterns he had memorized, and found the officer''s uniform. It was just like the Commander''s uniform, and he made it in about 20 minutes. He added his name tag and the proper insignia for overall command, then equipped it. It shrunk to fit him, and he smiled. I wonder when lunch will be ov- His thought was cut off when Donna came into the office. She smiled at him as she shut the door, then froze when she noticed his new uniform. ¡°Oh, my GOD!¡± Donna exclaimed. ¡°Ren! You''re allowed to wear your recruit uniform because you wore it during actual service! You can''t just make any uniform you want and wear it!¡± ¡°Actually, I can make any uniform that I have the pattern for.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°This one is real, though.¡± He showed her the deed to the Garrison. Donna''s mouth dropped open as she read the deed, and discovered Ren was personally charged with the defense of an entire Kingdom. ¡°Oh, my GOD!¡± Donna exclaimed again, picked Ren up, and tucked him under her arm. She opened her office door, ran out into the hallway, and towards the front door. Rebekka had just returned from lunch herself and stepped out of her office. ¡°What is all this yelling about?¡± She asked as she looked around, then Donna ran by her. ¡°Donna! Where are you going?¡± ¡°Lunch break!¡± She said and ran out through the mansion''s front door, around the corner, and down the street. Teepo chittered in laughter as Ren was carried 3 streets over and down the street a little, then into a small 1 storey house. Donna kicked in her door, slammed it shut, then unceremoniously plunked Ren down onto her bed. ¡°Donna!¡± ¡°I''ve only got half an hour to spend with you, and I''m not wasting any of it!¡± Donna said, and whipped off her clothing as if she had stored it. Ren chuckled as he stored his new uniform, then Donna jumped on top of him. Twenty-five minutes later, they held each other in the bed, and cuddled in the afterglow. ¡°What... what in the world was that last position we did?¡± Donna said, a little breathless. ¡°I think it''s called a ''pancake''.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not sure why.¡± Donna stroked his hair. ¡°It might be because you were trying to fold me in half, then push me flat as a pancake.¡± ¡°I didn''t hear you complain at the time.¡± Ren said, then grinned as Donna laughed. ¡°That''s because all I could think about was how it felt.¡± She said. ¡°Good god, Ren.¡± She put a hand between her legs and licked her lips. ¡°I can still feel it!¡± He chuckled. ¡°Then my job is done.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, yes.¡± Donna said, and pulled him in for a kiss. ¡°We''ve only got a few minutes left, and I can still walk straight.¡± She smiled. ¡°I think.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''ll try to do better next time.¡± ¡°Just... just don''t wait a whole month to come and see me.¡± Donna said, and blushed slightly. Ren took her hand and kissed her fingers. ¡°I can''t promise it''ll be soon.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve finished the Main House in my County... and I''ll be opening my shop today.¡± ¡°Really? That''s wonderful!¡± Donna said. ¡°I''ll have to come by after work to see it.¡± ¡°You can come by, but I won''t be there.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got to get back to the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± Donna sighed. ¡°So, just this short time with you is all I get.¡± ¡°For now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only get one day off a week, and I can''t promise I''ll be spending it here in Aurora.¡± ¡°Time''s up.¡± Teepo said from the living room. ¡°Your lunch time is over.¡± Ren said to her, and she sighed again. ¡°I''m tempted to call in sick.¡± Donna said, and Ren smiled. ¡°I''ve got to go, too.¡± He said, got out of bed, and equipped his new uniform. ¡°I can''t believe you''ve got command of the entire Dwarf Army!¡± Donna got out of bed and put on her clothes. ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°The cost to run it, is staggering.¡± ¡°No doubt.¡± Donna said and took him into a hug. ¡°Thank you for coming to see me.¡± ¡°Like I had a choice!¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°That was the first time I''ve been carried like a suitcase.¡± Donna laughed as Ren followed her out of the bedroom. They left her little house, then walked down the street. It only took a couple of minutes to get back to the mansion, and Donna pulled him behind one of the hedges and kissed him. ¡°Don''t make me wait too long before you come back.¡± She said, then walked away and into the mansion. She didn''t even say goodbye. Ren thought, then ran up the street towards the Artesian District. Chapter 187 - Innocence Lost (Slightly Explicit) Ren ran 2 blocks to get to the street that led to his business, and when he took the corner, he saw that there was a horse and cart in the street with several people around it. They were unloading wood from the cart, and workers carried the wood into one of the houses. He slowed down and equipped his Travelling Clothes so they wouldn''t think he was one of the soldiers; then he heard a shout and stopped. ¡°Ren!¡± Jhulune exclaimed as she came out of the house to get more planks. She wore work pants and a loose-fitting t-shirt. Her hair was just as bright red and short as it ever was, and he smiled as it was still styled just like his. ¡°Hi, Jhulune.¡± Ren said, as she came over to him. ¡°Are you working hard, or hardly working?¡± ¡°I''m exhausted!¡± She laughed. ¡°We''ve been going since breakfast.¡± ¡°You''re such a slacker.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°I''m...¡± Jhulune started to say, and Brian passed her to grab a couple of planks. She took in a sharp breath and continued. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Ren looked at her with concern. ¡°I know I don''t have any right to ask...¡± ¡°We broke up.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Can we take a walk?¡± She asked. ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. Jhulune stopped the guy that had just picked up some wood, and asked him to tell her boss that she was taking her break. ¡°Sure, Jhulune.¡± The guy said and went back into the house. Jhulune started walking down the street, and Ren kept pace with her. She took a corner and went down an alleyway, and stopped when she was well out of view of the house the workers were fixing. Jhulune leaned against the wall and folded her hands behind her back, and Ren stood in front of her about a foot away. ¡°I''ll tell you...¡± She said, and blushed slightly. ¡°...if you promise you won''t do anything about it.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°I probably shouldn''t; but...¡± He sighed. ¡°...all right. I promise.¡± Jhulune sighed in relief and relayed the events of the night before. Ren took several deep breaths and closed his eyes as she described having her finger straightened and healed. He opened his eyes as she got to the part about her father''s reaction, and it hurt his heart when she described the scene Brian had made at work that morning. It had happened in front of everyone; and now everyone knew all of the sordid details. ¡°I am so sorry that happened, Jhulune.¡± Ren said, and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I know this is a stupid question; but, are you going to be okay?¡± She nodded slightly. ¡°I... I''m handling it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m glad you made me promise.¡± His smile turned a bit evil. ¡°I''d have gone over there and broken his jaw... among other things.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Jhulune exclaimed. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said a bit sheepishly, and took his hand off her shoulder. ¡°I''ve had my finger broken, and had it set again; so, I kind of know what you went through for that part.¡± ¡°And the other part?¡± Ren closed his eyes and took another deep breath as he imagined what it was like. He opened his eyes and showed her calmness, and not the anger he had suppressed. ¡°I''m not a girl, so I don''t really know what that felt like; but...¡± He sighed. ¡°...all I know for sure is that I would never have treated you like that.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± Jhulune whispered, barely above a breath. ¡°You did?¡± Ren asked, because he was surprised by her words and had forgotten that he was supposed to ignore whispers; so people wouldn''t know how good his hearing actually was. ¡°I... you heard that?¡± She looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I barely whispered it!¡± Ren smiled and tapped one of his ears. ¡°These aren''t just for show.¡± Jhulune nodded. ¡°Last night... after it happened... I...¡± She breathed deeply. ¡°The first thing I thought about was... was that I knew you wouldn''t have treated me like that.¡± Ren wasn''t sure what to say to that, so he stayed quiet. ¡°You''ve always treated me with respect, even though I was just a silly little girl with...¡± She blushed slightly. ¡°...with a crush on you.¡± Ren wasn''t sure what to say to that, either. ¡°I know you''re still with someone.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°And even if you somehow weren''t, I...¡± She shook her head. ¡°...there''s no way that someone like you would...¡± She sighed. ¡°You wouldn''t want to spend time with me.¡± Ren smiled, as he knew how to respond to that. ¡°We spent several hours together during the deliveries that day the horse was sick.¡± ¡°That was for work, though.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°I meant... that is...¡± ¡°I''m spending time with you right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Listening to your problems and offering to smash Brian''s face in.¡± Jhulune smiled. ¡°I did that already.¡± ¡°Yes, you did.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°And I''m very proud of you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, then had a wicked thought, and blushed slightly again. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Jhulune blushed a little more, because of the concern she had heard in his voice. ¡°It''s just that... ah...¡± She blushed as she brought her hands out from behind her back. ¡°Now that you''re here... I... I can''t help but wonder... what would you have done...¡± She crossed her arms in front of herself and grabbed the bottom of her t-shirt. ¡°...if I did this in front of you.¡± She pulled up and slid the t-shirt off over her head in one swift motion. ¡°Jhulune!¡± Ren said, and stepped close to her, to block her from being seen by anyone that might pass by. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Ren, please.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°I... I don''t want what Brian did to be the way...¡± Tears came to her eyes. ¡°I don''t want to remember that as the first time that... that I was...¡± Ren took out a piece of cloth and wiped her face with it. ¡°Jhulune...¡± ¡°Please.¡± She pleaded. ¡°Make me forget how rough he was.¡± Ren nodded, took out a bolt of fabric, and nailed it to the building she stood beside. He draped it out and over them, and put a stone brick on the ground to hold it. He enchanted the brick with an illumination rune to light the space up, and he looked at her as he stood. She had surprise on her face, as she marveled at how fast he''d covered them. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I don''t want you to expect us to date, or be a couple, or-¡± Jhulune kissed him to cut off his words. He kissed her back, and she started to moan in appreciation. They made out for a few minutes, and Ren broke the kiss. Jhulune was breathing heavy, and the tips of her breasts were quite pronounced and as pink as cotton candy. ¡°They''re beautiful.¡± Ren said, and gently caressed the sides of her breasts. She caught her breath as he cupped them with both hands. They fit in his hands exactly, as if they were made specifically for him to hold, and he massaged them. Jhulune moaned continuously as Ren teased and caressed them. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Jhulune exclaimed as Ren knelt and started using his mouth. She ran her hands through his hair, over and over, as he kept playing, licking, and sucking on her. This continued for several minutes, and Jhulune couldn''t take it anymore. She let Ren''s head go, undid her pants, and slid them down with her underwear. Ren was caught up in her enthusiasm at this point, stayed kneeling, and picked her up to use his mouth on her other area. ¡°Oh MY G-¡± Jhulune clamped both of her hands over her mouth to stop her shout, as Ren worked her over. It only took another couple of minutes and Jhulune went. She bucked and shook and screamed into her hands, and Ren stopped kissing her there. ¡°Don''t... don''t stop!¡± She said, shoved his head back between her legs, then she covered her mouth with her hands again. After another 10 minutes, and more orgasms than she could count, Jhulune unwrapped her legs from around Ren, and he set her down to sit beside him. She trembled from head to foot in after-pleasure shocks, and she tried her best to not laugh hysterically. She did let out a long-winded giggle, though. ¡°Is... is it always...¡± Jhulune asked. ¡°Not always.¡± Ren said, and wiped his face off with a piece of cloth, and offered to clean her off, too. ¡°I don''t think either of us should touch me there right now.¡± Jhulune laughed. ¡°It might go off again.¡± ¡°That happens more often than not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Really?¡± She asked. ¡°How often do you...¡± Jhulune shook her head. ¡°No, I don''t want to know.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I couldn''t really tell you anyways.¡± He said, took her into a one armed hug, and she laid her head on his shoulder. ¡°Ren... I...¡± Jhulune tried to say something, then sighed. ¡°Thank you.¡± She took his hand and squeezed it. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± ¡°I''m glad I could help.¡± Ren said. ¡°So...¡± Jhulune said, and blushed a deep red. ¡°Is... is it... your turn next?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°As much as I''d like that, I''ve got to go.¡± Jhulune sighed. ¡°I was kind of hoping... you know... that... ah...¡± He cupped the side of her face. ¡°I''d be honored to sleep with you; but, I really don''t have the time.¡± He said and kissed her. ¡°Neither do you.¡± Jhulune''s eyes widened as she remembered she was supposed to be back at work. ¡°Oh, no!¡± She said and stood up, then scrambled to put on her clothes. ¡°I am so late!¡± Ren stood up and took her into a hug. ¡°Shh. Relax. It takes longer to rush, than it does to calmly get dressed.¡± Jhulune took in a deep breath, and let it out. ¡°Okay. I''m okay.¡± Ren picked up her underwear and looked at them. They had been stepped on and were crumpled. She looked at them, and her face started to crumble. ¡°It''s fine!¡± Ren said, and stored them for an instant, then took them back out. They were cleaned, but were still rumpled and he saw a small tear, so he took out his Master Tailor Sewing Needle and repaired them. ¡°Wow.¡± Jhulune said as Ren handed them to her, and she put them on. ¡°They''re just like new!¡± Ren stored and repaired her pants, and handed them to her. She put them on, and sighed in pleasure as all the worn spots she''d had in them had disappeared, and they were comfortable to wear once again. ¡°I should get you to come by the house and repair everything I own.¡± Jhulune said as Ren picked up her t-shirt. He stored it and repaired it, just like he did for her other pieces of clothing. She held her hand out for it, and Ren smiled as he laid the t-shirt over his shoulder and looked at her. ¡°I just want to make something perfectly clear.¡± Ren said, and gently cupped her breasts. ¡°They are beautiful, and should always be treated as precious things.¡± He said, and kissed the tip of each one lightly, then looked at her face. Jhulune was blushing hard, and he let her breasts go; then he cupped the sides of her face and kissed her lips just as lightly. ¡°If anyone disrespects you again, let me know. They''ll learn their mistake, or they won''t see another day.¡± He handed her the t-shirt, and she put it on as Ren took down the cloth he''d put up to cover their antics, then he stored everything.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jhulune said. Ren smiled as he looked at her, then noticed the tips of her breasts poked out enough that you could clearly see their shapes through the t-shirt. ¡°I think I have something you might like.¡± Ren said, and looked in his inventory. ¡°What''s your favorite color?¡± ¡°Black.¡± Jhulune said, and Ren smiled. I thought so; but, it was better to ask, just in case I was wrong. He took out a nice black bra, that was strapless and mostly lace, and she stared at it. ¡°What is that?!?¡± ¡°It''s something that should be in high demand, once people discover that I have it for sale.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want to try it on?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Jhulune said, and whipped off her t-shirt in one swift motion. Ren slipped the bra on her before anyone came by, and showed her how the front clasp worked. She slid herself into it and hooked it, and the bra re-sized itself to fit her. She unhooked it, and hooked it again, just so she knew how to work it properly, and grinned. ¡°It''s wonderful!¡± Jhulune exclaimed. ¡°It''s both soft and firm, and my clothes won''t rub against me anymore!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s definitely a benefit.¡± She felt the fabric, and got a sad look on her face. She sighed, unhooked it, and passed it back. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren said, and put it back around her. He hooked it, and she looked at him with surprise on her face. ¡°I can''t afford something like that!¡± Jhulune said. ¡°You can''t afford ''free''?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I wasn''t trying to sell it to you. I was giving it to you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Well, it should discourage any overly-enthusiastic new boyfriends from pawing at you.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Jhulune said and hugged him. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°It''s the least I can do for you, since you won''t let me pummel him into the ground.¡± Jhulune laughed and put on her t-shirt. It slid over the new bra easily, and you couldn''t see her through the t-shirt anymore. ¡°It works!¡± She said, and did a little twirl. When she stopped spinning, she looked at Ren expectantly. ¡°Um... is there... ah... matching underwear?¡± Ren laughed and handed her a pair of black lace panties. She took them and squealed, as she held them close. ¡°You can put them in your pocket for now.¡± Ren said. ¡°You have to get back to work.¡± Jhulune tucked them into her pants pocket, and stepped close to Ren to give him a hug. ¡°I... I hope you''ll be able to see me in them.¡± She said, and blushed. ¡°I''d like that.¡± Ren said, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. ¡°Now go on.¡± He said, and shooed her away. ¡°I''m sure they''re wondering where you ran off to.¡± ¡°They''ll have to keep wondering.¡± She said, and looked at Ren seductively. ¡°I''m not telling anyone about how much you''ve helped me.¡± Ren ran his hand through her hair, and she sighed. ¡°So that''s what it feels like.¡± He said, and ran his other hand through her hair. ¡°No wonder everyone tries to do this to me.¡± Jhulune chuckled. ¡°I work hard every day to get it this fluffy.¡± ¡°It''s just natural for mine.¡± Ren said, then smiled. ¡°I''ll see you around, Jhulune.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Jhulune smiled and turned around to walk out of the alley. When she got to the street, she turned around and blew him a kiss. He pretended to catch it, and pressed it against his mouth. She laughed and took off running down the street, to go back to the house the crew was working on. I think Elerlyth was right. Ren thought. I keep encountering things that try to keep me involved with the local people. ¡°That is definitely true.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re being kicked out of the Dwarven Kingdom; but, you''re also charged with defending that realm from attack.¡± Yeah. Ren smiled, ran out of the alleyway, then went up the street to his business. He went inside and then up the stairs to the apartment. ¡°Ren!¡± Anabelle exclaimed, and threw herself at him. She still wore just the maid apron and socks. ¡°You can stop that now.¡± Ren said. ¡°You aren''t under Lord Eric''s orders anymore.¡± ¡°What are you taking about?¡± She asked. ¡°I love you!¡± Ren chuckled as he walked over to the basic fireplace he''d made in the living room, and activated the fire stones inside. She stumbled behind him, trying her best to hold him still. Ren took out the first scroll, and tossed it into the flames. It burned up instantly, and he took out the next one. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Ren asked, and tossed the next scroll into the fire. ¡°Any better?¡± Anabelle shook her head and he threw in the third scroll. Anabelle''s ankle burned slightly, and she slipped her sock off of it. ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± Anabelle asked as she tried to stop Ren from throwing her main contract into the fire. ¡°I''m tempted to order you to stop fighting me...¡± He smiled. ¡°...but, I''d rather just have you back to normal.¡± He tossed the last scroll into the fire. ¡°Nooo!¡± Anabelle yelled, and tried to go into the fireplace to get the scroll back. Ren caught her before she could hurt herself, and she collapsed onto the floor in front of the fire. ¡°What did you do?!?¡± ¡°I''d say that I freed you, but you aren''t going to agree to that view, are you?¡± Anabelle shook her head. ¡°Everything... everything was so much easier while I...¡± She sighed. ¡°I didn''t have to think about anything.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°Despite your willingness to do anything that the contract said you would do, I still want you to do things with your will, and mind, intact.¡± Tears came to her eyes. ¡°But, I can''t!¡± Anabelle said loudly. ¡°Ever since I was a young girl, I couldn''t think straight.¡± She said and cried. ¡°I couldn''t even find a job when I lost my family.¡± She sighed and wiped her eyes, and the fire burned her contracts to ashes as her ankle bracelet faded. ¡°If Lord Eric hadn''t found me, or told me about the contracts and how they could help me...¡± Ren put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You really need the extra guidance?¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°Without... without the compulsion to do things, I... I''ll lose my... um... I can''t... I don''t know what...¡± She shook her head. ¡°It''s going away already!¡± Ren took out a piece of parchment, and wrote out a contract for her. He added in a few things that were in the other contracts; but not everything, as some of it was pretty nasty. He also added in that she didn''t have to give Ren any money, or have sex with people for money. He passed it to her to read, and she signed it without even looking at it. ¡°You should have read that.¡± Ren said, and Anabelle sighed as she hugged herself, then cried. He took her into a hug, and let her cry. After several minutes, the tears eased and she sniffled. He passed her a scrap piece of cloth, and she wiped her face off with it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I knew when I first met you, that you were a good man.¡± ¡°How could you tell?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You were a little busy trying to stick your tongue down my throat.¡± ¡°I wanted you so bad!¡± She grinned. ¡°You''d given me so much money that I didn''t know what to do with it all.¡± ¡°You gave most of it to Lord Eric.¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°It was our agreement.¡± She said. ¡°Free room and board, and I got to keep just enough for spending money.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I didn''t believe him when he said you had agreed to it all beforehand.¡± She smiled. ¡°It saved me from... well, from dying on the streets like the trash that I am.¡± Ren stood up, and helped her stand as well. ¡°You are not trash, Anabelle.¡± ¡°No?¡± She asked. ¡°I just need a piece of paper, and this...¡± She held up her arm, and showed Ren the Bracelet of Enforcement that had appeared there. ¡°...to help me keep my marbles, and from wandering off somewhere.¡± Ren took her hand and kissed the fingers, as if he was greeting one of the Minister''s wives. Her eyes widened at the gesture, because she knew exactly what it was used for. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± ¡°I''m greeting a lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°And my new store clerk.¡± ¡°Your what?!?¡± ¡°I''m opening my business today, and I need a smart and capable woman to run the place when I''m not here.¡± Anabelle''s mouth dropped open. ¡°You... you''re going to trust someone like me with that?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got you under contract to do it, too.¡± She looked at the rolled up parchment in his hand, and laughed. ¡°You sneaky bugger!¡± ¡°I told you that you should have read it.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Now you''ll have to do actual work for me, and not try to seduce me every time you see me.¡± Anabelle wrapped her arms around his neck and much to his surprise, pressed her nearly naked body against him. ¡°Why can''t I do both?¡± She asked, and kissed him. Ren pulled back and broke the kiss. ¡°Because the contract specifically states that you don''t have to do that kind of thing anymore.¡± Anabelle ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I don''t have to?¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Not shouldn''t or can''t?¡± Ren''s eyes widened as he discovered the loophole that she so easily found. ¡°Anabelle...¡± Ren tried to say, and she kissed him again. He tried to back up, and hit the wall. She grabbed his hands and pulled them inside her apron to cup her breasts. She moaned into his mouth as she moved his hands around. Ren turned his head to the side, so she couldn''t kiss him, and she kissed his ear instead. She licked along his ear to the tip, and Ren shivered as he couldn''t stop his body from reacting automatically from a sensation that was eerily similar to another part of his anatomy. His ear twitched, and Anabelle opened her mouth and sucked on the pointed tip like a lollipop. ¡°By the gods...¡± Ren said, and closed his eyes. I''ve never felt anything like this before! Anabelle stopped sucking for a moment. ¡°You''d better take those pants off, or you''ll make a mess in them.¡± She said, then sucked on his ear harder, moving it in and out. Ren opened his eyes and turned his head towards her, and his ear popped out of her mouth. Anabelle grinned as she kissed him on the lips, and reached down between his legs. At some point she had let Ren''s hands go; but, he had kept massaging her breasts without her urging or prompting. I guess I was more turned on by Jhulune than I thought I was. Ren thought. ¡°I think it''s more because Anabelle is an expert, and has had years of practice.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Wh-what do I do? Ren thought as Anabelle knelt in front of him and worked him through the thin fabric of his pants. ¡°Either stop her, or have fun.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s not really any other choice.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Anabelle, please s-¡± His words were cut off as she slid his pants down and tasted him directly. She worked him over expertly, just as Teepo had said. After only a minute of direct stimulation, and because it felt so good, he went. Anabelle held him close and stared up at him, then her eyes widened as he kept going. She took as much as she could; but, she had passed her limit a moment before and tried to pull away. Ren grabbed her head and held her there. ¡°You started it.¡± He said. ¡°You better finish it.¡± He felt her smile around him and she relaxed. He stopped going a minute later; she stopped pleasing him, then she stood up. ¡°This way, My Lord.¡± Anabelle took his hand and put it between her legs. She was soaked, and she used his hand to please herself. She bit her lip as she went, then she turned around and got on her hands and knees. ¡°Please, My Lord.¡± Anabelle pleaded, desperation in her voice. ¡°I''ve lost count of how many months it''s been since we met at the party in your honor.¡± She said. ¡°When you paid for me... I... I haven''t... since then I... I''ve been a good girl...¡± Ren could see the tears were back in her eyes. ¡°P-p-please...¡± Ren joined with her, and she cried. ¡°Thank you, My Lord!¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Oh, god! Thank you!¡± What did I get myself into? Ren thought, as he pleased her. Half an hour later, Ren left Anabelle exhausted on the couch, and tucked her under the blanket. He went downstairs and started up the forge. He threw a few high quality iron ingots into the smelter and let them simmer as he built shelves, and racks, and partition walls. He checked the smelter, added more ore, and stirred it. Ren made a dozen comfy chairs, and three couches. He built a display for one of the windows, with a couch, two comfy chairs, and two training dummies made of wood, in it. He hung several swords and shields on the wall, and took out one of the crates that had the armor suit Tee-one had made. Ren used his portable dye station to make it a white color, instead of the mottled gray used in the dwarf army, then set the crate to be easily seen. After being tempted to put a set of bra and panties on one of the training dummies, he hung it on the wall instead. He went back to the forge, then used the molten metal to make two of each bladed weapon, tool, and item that he had the pattern for. They were hung on the walls and placed on shelves. Once that was done, he hung various types of bows on the racks. He made a couple more training dummies, and did use them as mannequins and made several outfits he had adapted from Lord Neram''s designs. Ren went behind a partition wall and set out a couple of each lingerie outfit, bra, and panties, and hung them on the walls. He made a couple of crossbows, and hung them on the wall beside where the bows were hung, then realized he would need a counter for Anabelle to stand behind and take orders. He made her a counter and a nice chair to sit in, and placed it in the best position to see all of the wares in the shop. Ren was tempted to close off the forge area, but decided against it. If he was going to be spending time working here, people will want to see him actually working. Ren smiled as he made several small shelves behind the counter, and put a couple of every potion he had on him, and added a list of the potions he could make. Then he took out several stone bricks, and enchanted them with single runes and concentrated on Anabelle. He made another list, stating what could be enchanted, then decided to make a tiny icebox for the display. Once that was done, he made a coffee table, a sitting desk with a mirror, a cabinet, and a bed. He put them in their own area, and went back to the counter and looked around. ¡°I think that''s everything.¡± Ren said. I won''t offer the wands yet. He thought. I don''t want to overwhelm the market. ¡°You should probably make a sign for out front, once you get the windows in.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°Ha!¡± Ren said. ¡°I knew I forgot something.¡± He made a sign out of wood, and added the House Neram crest behind it. He went outside and cut the holes for the two large storefront windows, then mounted them into place. One showed his living room display nicely, and the other showed off the forge and weapons. Ren took out a ladder and climbed up to hang the sign above the door. ¡°There, it''s done.¡± Ren said, as he looked at the sign that said the name of his business.
Master Of All, Jack Of None
Ren walked inside and went to a workbench, and took out the pattern for a woman''s conservative suit and skirt combo, and made one in red for Anabelle to wear. He stored it and ran up the stairs to the apartment. He found Anabelle getting dressed in her maid outfit. ¡°You''re not going to need that.¡± Ren said. She turned around and beamed a smile at him. ¡°Would you prefer I only wear the apron to serve the customers?¡± ¡°Despite the fact that a lot of them would appreciate it; no, not the apron.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I want you to wear this.¡± He took out the business suit, and she stared at it. ¡°It''s beautiful.¡± Anabelle said and took it. She put it on, and it shrank to fit her perfectly. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± ¡°You can call me Ren.¡± He said, and she shook her head. ¡°I can probably drop to ''sir'' when we are in public; but you are, and always will be, ''My Lord'' to me.¡± ¡°Anabelle...¡± ¡°The contract states that I can call you anything I wish.¡± Anabelle smiled. ¡°My Stallion.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Okay, ''My Lord'' is much better than that.¡± Anabelle chuckled. ¡°I knew you would see things my way.¡± ¡°Come with me, please. I want to show you the storefront, where you''ll be taking orders, and what''s for sale right away.¡± ¡°Of course, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said and walked over to him. She swung her hips seductively, and Ren raised a single eyebrow at her. She chuckled and put her hands on her hips. ¡°I''ll tone down the sexiness if there''s women in the store.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m sure they''ll appreciate your efforts.¡± ¡°I don''t care if they do or not.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I only care if you appreciate it.¡± ¡°I do.¡± He said, and she hooked her arm in his. ¡°Then show me the domain I can rule with an iron fist.¡± Anabelle said, and laughed as they left the apartment and walked down the stairs. Chapter 188 - Come In, Its Open Ren walked around the shop and placed stone bricks enchanted with the Illumination rune, to light up everything. They worked so much better than oil lamps, and there was no chance of them catching fire. ¡°Oh, my!¡± Anabelle said, as Ren put a stone to light up the lingerie items that he had put in the partitioned-off area beside the stairs. ¡°What are these pretty things?¡± She asked as she browsed through the items. ¡°You know what these cover.¡± Ren said, and pointed to a pair of underwear. ¡°These cover the top part.¡± He pointed to a bra. ¡°The top part?¡± She asked, as her eyes twinkled. ¡°Can I try one on?¡± ¡°Actually, I had planned on giving you a set when I put the rest of the stock in the storage area under the stairs.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t very well sell them if you don''t know what they can do for you.¡± ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said, and looked them over again. ¡°Ooo, I like this one!¡± She picked up a bright red set, and they offset her dark hair nicely. Ren took out a set from inventory and gave them to her. She stepped into the partitioned-off area, and made sure she couldn''t be seen through the store window, and took off her suit coat and blouse. He showed her how the clasp worked, and when he hooked it, the bra shrunk slightly to fit her. ¡°Oh, it feels wonderful!¡± Anabelle said. ¡°It''s both soft and firm at the same time.¡± She said and ran her hands across the fabric. ¡°I can''t see it properly.¡± She said. ¡°Do you have a mirror?¡± Ren slapped himself in the forehead. ¡°Damn, I knew I forgot something.¡± He said, then thought about where to put it, since the shelves and walls of the partition were full of items. He smiled, then made a changing room area on the other side of the stairs, put a large rectangle mirror on the wall, and added a door for privacy. While he was at it, he made a wall across the stairs and added a door, just so people wouldn''t think they could go up the stairs and see more stuff. Anabelle went inside the changing room, and stared at herself in the mirror. ¡°Look at how big and high they are!¡± She exclaimed as she poked the flesh of her breast with a finger, and it bounced slightly. ¡°I look so beautiful!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I could argue that you didn''t really need a bra for that; but, I''m glad you think so now.¡± Anabelle laughed. ¡°You''re just saying that because you''ve seen me nude.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I thought you were pretty as soon as we met.¡± He smiled. ¡°Of course, after that you kind of overwhelmed me a little when you appeared in the mansion''s upstairs room in only your thin nightgown.¡± She grinned. ¡°Imagine what your reaction would have been if I''d been wearing this instead.¡± Ren''s eyes widened as he thought about it. ¡°I might not have gotten out of there alive.¡± Anabelle laughed as she put her blouse and suit coat back on. She slid off the skirt, and then her underwear, and put on the new ones. ¡°Ooo, that''s nice.¡± She said, and turned around to look at herself in the mirror while she held the bottom of her blouse up above her waist. She stuck her butt out a little, and giggled at how nice it looked. She saw Ren looking at her in the mirror, and she slowly bent over and pulled her skirt back up. When she was fully dressed, she came out of the changing room and smiled. ¡°My Lord, I hope you have a lot of these.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°We won''t be able to keep them in stock.¡± Ren smiled and went to the storage area under the stairs, and made a large set of drawers. He took out the items he had, and placed them in their own drawers, and filled half of them. ¡°I should have more the next time I come back.¡± Ren said. ¡°These you can sell as is, and everything is custom made. If a customer has an idea of what they want, I can try and make it for them.¡± ¡°I''m sure there will be a lot of them.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Which one?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Customers or ideas?¡± ¡°Both, of course.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Now, what else do you have for sale here?¡± Ren showed her the mannequins he''d put a few outfits on, and told her that it was only for display; and that the clothing can only be ordered at the moment, as he didn''t have the time to make multiples of them. Anabelle nodded and he showed her the furniture. ¡°It''s all white.¡± She said. ¡°People aren''t going to like that.¡± ¡°What colors should I make them?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''d planned on making them different colors, but I''ve only made red and blue for myself and others. I have no idea what colors people will want.¡± Anabelle helped him pick some nice colors, and rearranged the displays to suit the new colors. ¡°That looks much better.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks, Anabelle.¡± ¡°It''s my job to sell them.¡± She smiled. ¡°And I''m going to, once people sit on them.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°The chairs and couches you can sell, but I''ve only had the time to make one of each large furniture item.¡± He pointed to the sitting table, dresser, table and chairs, and cabinet. ¡°They are order only for now, until I can get some spare time.¡± ¡°Will they be bare wood as well?¡± Anabelle asked. Ren shook his head. ¡°Should I make them all a dark brown, or should they be colors, too?¡± He asked. ¡°I''d planned on asking the customers when they ordered it what color they''d want it to be.¡± It was Anabelle''s turn to shake her head. ¡°People don''t know what color they want, until they see it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I got it.¡± He said, and took out a piece of wood, and cut it into a dozen pieces, then dyed them all different colors. He nailed them to the wall next to the furniture display. ¡°There.¡± He said. ¡°Now they can see what the wood will look like in different colors.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Anabelle said, excitedly. ¡°The customers should like that each piece will be made specifically for them, and in the color of their choice.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That''s my hope.¡± ¡°Okay, what else?¡± She asked, and Ren took her to the weapon and tool display. ¡°Good god, look at that!¡± Anabelle exclaimed. ¡°I don''t even know what a lot of those are called!¡± ¡°I haven''t had the chance to label everything yet.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll do it in a minute.¡± He said and took her to the window display. ¡°You did this?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°It''s like a real living room!¡± She looked at the wall. ¡°Except for the underwear and weapons on the walls.¡± She said and laughed. ¡°I was trying to give an overall impression of what I had to sell.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°The armor I have a few sets made. They can also be different colors, or just bare metal.¡± ¡°Where are the extra sets?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°Right!¡± Ren said and went back to the storage area under the stairs, and took out three more sets of armor. He used his dye station to remove the mottled gray color and just left them bare metal. ¡°What is that in the chest plate?¡± ¡°It''s the protection glyph.¡± Ren said. ¡°It gives the wearer a 40% bonus to their Defense.¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°I''ll remember that.¡± She said. ¡°It''ll be a big selling point.¡± ¡°So is the high durability, and...¡± He leaned in close. ¡°...if anyone buys one, tell them that if I''m here, their first repair will be free.¡± Anabelle gasped. ¡°You can''t be serious?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I am.¡± He said. ¡°If I''m not here, they''ll have to wait, or take it to Donan.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She said. ¡°You''re crazy, but I''ll tell them.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m trying to give them reasons to come back and buy more stuff.¡± He took her to her desk. ¡°This is your desk.¡± He said. ¡°Behind it is the potions and a list of what''s available.¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°Can I sell them?¡± Ren took out a few more Mana and Health potions that he had and added them to the shelves. ¡°Yes, it''s what they''re for. I''ll have more made, and bring a larger stock in a day or so.¡± ¡°If anyone asks, I''ll tell them that.¡± She said. ¡°When people find out you have them, they should fly off the shelves.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°These, on the other hand, are display only.¡± He pointed to the stone bricks with the labeled enchantments. ¡°It''s to show that I can enchant things, and will do so when I visit.¡± ¡°Is there somewhere I can store customer''s items for that?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°What about the repairs?¡± ¡°Good point.¡± Ren said, and went over to the part of the store with the forge. He built a partitioned area near the wall, and made shelves from floor to ceiling. ¡°This should be enough room; but if it''s not, I''ll take the time to finish the second floor.¡± Anabelle looked up. ¡°What second floor?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Ren said, and pointed to the various posts and cross members. ¡°I had intended to build the second floor for other things, but never got around to it.¡± ¡°Is that why everything is so crowded?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, the furniture and clothing were supposed to be on the second floor.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°They don''t quite fit together with weapons and tools.¡± Ren took her back to the desk, and took out the few pieces of large parchment paper that he had left. He cut them into page-sized pieces, and gave her several pieces of charcoal for writing. ¡°You should probably order some more of these.¡± He said. ¡°How?¡± Ren looked at her in confusion, then chuckled. ¡°I''m sorry, I actually forgot about this.¡± He opened the business owner menu and assigned Anabelle as the store clerk, and gave her authorization to order things that were needed. A small key appeared around her neck, and she gasped. ¡°What''s this?!?¡± ¡°It gives you authorization to place orders and take care of the business.¡± Ren said. ¡°And you can leave and come back whenever you want now, without having to wait for me.¡± Tears came to Anabelle''s eyes. ¡°You... you gave me a key...¡± Ren closed the business menu and took the hand that wasn''t clasped around the key on her neck. ¡°Like I told you before, I''m trusting you with all of this.¡± He said. ¡°I honestly can''t run the store and work off my sentence at the same time.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I know that, but... it... it just hit me... I...¡± She took several deep breaths, then looked at him. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± ¡°I''m kind of throwing you in the deep end here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had planned on easing you into the job, but I''m practically out of time.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, My Lord.¡± Anabelle straightened her back and pushed her chest out. ¡°I won''t let you down.¡± ¡°I can only ask you to try your best.¡± Ren said. ¡°The only way you could possibly let me down, is if you didn''t try at all.¡± Anabelle smiled. ¡°You''re a good man.¡± ¡°You''re only saying that because you saw me nude.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Yes, that''s the only reason.¡± Anabelle said, and hugged him. She let him go and looked around. ¡°Why aren''t we getting any customers yet?¡± ¡°I haven''t officially opened yet.¡± ¡°Well get off your butt and do it!¡± Anabelle said and grinned. ¡°I''m not here to just look pretty!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Hold your horses.¡± He said, and went around the store and labeled everything, then went back to her desk and gave her a list of all of the items and their prices. ¡°This will be a big help.¡± Anabelle said, and looked at him. ¡°Are these prices set in stone, or is there room for haggling?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If you think they might buy a little more if you give them a better price, then go ahead. If you think they''re looking to scam you, then the price is firm, or you can refuse to sell to them.¡± Anabelle smiled. ¡°You''re leaving it up to me, then?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You''re the one that''s going to be dealing with the customers, even when I''m here.¡± He said. ¡°You''ve got some leeway in the cost of the item and the actual price, so as long as you don''t under-sell things, whatever you decide is what the price will be.¡± ¡°You''re trusting me with your livelihood here.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Are you sure...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Just remember: Those that seek power don''t deserve it; only those that have the power thrust upon them, can use it wisely.¡± Anabelle thought about it. ¡°So, you''re ''thrusting'' it onto me?¡± She said seductively, and Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah.¡± He grinned. ¡°I hope you can take it all.¡± ¡°Open the store, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said, and made a kissing motion. ¡°I''ll show you how much I can take.¡± Ren shook his head and opened the business menu again, selected the storefront option, and set the hours of operation.
Notice!
You have previously selected ''No'' for this option. Do you wish to activate the storefront now? Confirm: Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Ren said.
Notice!
You have chosen to open a public business. A notification shall be posted to the message boards, on the main server, and on the FLOW website in the list of local businesses. All players within the city limits will also be sent a notification. Do you wish to proceed? Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, and the entire warehouse glowed for a brief moment.
Congratulations!
Your business is now active, and customers will flock to see your wares. Good luck!
¡°It''s open.¡± Ren said, and looked around. ¡°I''m sure there''s something I''m forgetting.¡± Anabelle chuckled. ¡°It''ll come to you when you leave.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah, more than likely.¡± The front door to the business opened, and a woman stepped in. ¡°This place just gave me a popup that it was open.¡± She said and shut the door. ¡°I''ve got this.¡± Anabelle said and walked over to their first customer. Ren watched her closely, and she actually did tone down the sexiness. They talked for a minute, then the customer grabbed Anabelle''s arms. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± She exclaimed, and Anabelle shook her head. ¡°Show me!¡± Ren stepped aside as the woman practically ran by him and to the partitioned off section. ¡°Oh my god!¡± The woman exclaimed and grabbed 3 different types of bras. ¡°Where can I put these on?¡± Anabelle pointed to the changing room, and the customer disappeared inside. Ren heard a loud sigh, and a few minutes later, the woman came out of the changing room. ¡°I''ll take them.¡± She said, and handed two of the three bras to Anabelle. ¡°I''ve been bouncing around and jiggling for weeks!¡± She cupped her chest, and sighed. ¡°It''s so nice to have them contained and not flopping around.¡± ¡°Running is the worst, isn''t it?¡± Anabelle said, and the customer chuckled. ¡°Don''t get me started on that!¡± Anabelle smiled and told her the price. ¡°Only 10 silver each?!?¡± The customer exclaimed. ¡°I thought they would be a gold at least.¡± Anabelle accepted the money graciously, and the customer thanked her for carrying such fine products, and would tell all of her friends about it. Anabelle pointed to Ren. ¡°It''s all his idea.¡± She said. ¡°This is his store.¡± The woman turned around and looked at Ren. She walked over to him and shook his hand vigorously. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± ¡°How long will they last?¡± She asked him. ¡°That depends on what you put them through.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can repair them, though. If they wear out or get damaged, bring them back. I''ll repair them for a small fee.¡± ¡°That''s wonderful!¡± She said and let his hand go. ¡°I better get going.¡± She said and walked towards the door. ¡°I''ve got a quest that I need to do before supper.¡± ¡°Good luck!¡± Anabelle said, and the woman waved to her, then left the store. ¡°I did it!¡± Anabelle exclaimed. ¡°My first sale!¡± ¡°You handled it well.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think you''ll do just fine.¡± He smiled. ¡°I have to run an errand or two. I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± He walked over to the door and held it open for two women he had seen through the window. ¡°We saw someone running down the street and waving something in her hands.¡± One of them said. ¡°She said we had to come in here and see what you had.¡± The other woman said. Anabelle came out from behind the counter. ¡°Right this way, ladies.¡± She said, and ushered them into the partitioned-off area. Ren heard several gasps, and he chuckled as he left the building. He ran over to Donan''s Shop to visit his blacksmith mentor. ¡°Hi, Donan.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Donan said, and didn''t turn around from hammering something on his anvil. ¡°I came over to apologize.¡± Ren said. ¡°For what?¡± Donan asked. ¡°Not coming to visit, or sleeping with my sister?¡± ¡°The first.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t know you knew about the second.¡± ¡°Well, I do.¡± Donan said. ¡°She''s been talking about you non-stop, ever since you promised to come and see her...¡± He shook his head. ¡°...and dressed in a dwarf recruit uniform to boot.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I have overall command of the Garrison now.¡± Donan dropped the hammer and it clattered to the floor. ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Ren explained about what happened, and Donan shook his head again. ¡°You aren''t going to keep it, are you?¡± He asked, and it was Ren''s turn to shake his head. ¡°I''ve got to get rid of it before the payments and taxes are due.¡± Donan laughed as he picked up his hammer. ¡°I can only imagine the cost of running something like that.¡± ¡°I can afford it easily.¡± Ren said. ¡°For a while, anyways.¡± He smiled. ¡°But the only real benefit I get from it is Donna''s enthusiasm.¡± Donan quickly put down his hammer and covered his ears. ¡°I didn''t want to know that!¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s not the apology that I think I deserve.¡± Donan said as he let his ears go. ¡°I know that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I got this for you instead.¡± He took out the second anvil that he''d bought at the Convent, and Donan ran across the shop to him. ¡°You DIDN''T!¡± He shouted, and tried to pick Ren up. Donan grunted, stopped trying, and gave Ren a tight hug instead. Wow. Ren thought. Donna had no trouble picking me up. ¡°Ren, my boy.¡± Donan said as he let Ren go. ¡°I''ve always wanted one of the best anvils that exist.¡± He looked at Ren sternly. ¡°You better treat her right, or your head will be on this anvil before you know it.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± He said. ¡°I only visit with her every few weeks, and she knows it can''t go on forever.¡± ¡°Then I accept your apology.¡± Donan clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°And your outrageously generous gift.¡± He picked it up and carried it over to his workstation. ¡°Now, what am I going to do with this old thing?¡± ¡°I''ll take it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just to get it out of the way.¡± Donan smiled. ¡°Help yourself.¡± Ren stored the old anvil, and Donan put the new anvil in it''s place. He knelt in front of it, gave it as tight of a hug as he had given Ren, then rested his head on it. ¡°Every blacksmith''s dream.¡± ¡°I''ll leave you two alone to get acquainted.¡± Ren said, and Donan waved to him without looking up. Ren left the shop, and laughed as Teepo spoke. ¡°I think you found Donan''s soul mate.¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°He wouldn''t even look at you after he saw that thing.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m glad he likes it.¡± He said, and ran down the street to Sally''s shop. He went in through the door, and Sally was sewing something while sitting at her workbench. ¡°Hi, Sally.¡± ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Sally said. Her face flushed a little red as she crossed her legs, the dress she wore rode up a little, and exposed her ankle. I''m nearly 65 years old. Sally thought. I really shouldn''t tease the poor boy like this. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said, as he noticed the superb shoes Sally wore. Her face flushed completely red as Ren knelt in front of her and examined them. He''s staring at my ankle! Sally thought, and felt very naughty; as only her husband had ever seen her ankle up that close. Ren got the pattern for the shoes a moment later. ¡°Thank you, Sally.¡± He stood up and smiled at her. ¡°They''re really nice.¡± ¡°You don''t have to thank me.¡± Sally said, and waved his thanks away. ¡°I''m just glad you liked them.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve never seen anything like them before.¡± He... he really liked seeing them! Sally thought, then missed her next stitch and poked her finger with the needle. ¡°Ow!¡± ¡°Sally!¡± Ren nearly shouted, then took a hold of her hand. The finger started to bleed, and he stuck it in his mouth to suck on it. ¡°Wh-wh-what are you doing?!?¡± Sally asked, surprised beyond belief, as her face burned a bright red color. Ren didn''t try to talk this time, like he did when Ereka burned her fingers, and he took out a Minor Healing wand. He stopped sucking on Sally''s finger, and used the Minor Healing wand on it. ¡°There. All better.¡± Ren said, and grinned as Sally looked at her finger, then at Ren, then at her finger, then back at Ren. ¡°You would have gotten blood on that nice fabric, if I hadn''t done that.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I''m sorry I distracted you, and made you hurt yourself.¡± Ren said. ¡°And with a needle.¡± He shivered. Sally put a hand on his arm. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It was nothing.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just came by to show you some more of Lord Neram''s patterns, and to let you know that I finally opened my shop.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Sally smiled. ¡°You must be very happy to get a steady income.¡± ¡°I hope it''ll be a steady income.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a lot of different things there for sale. Some of it should sell well.¡± Sally nodded. ¡°I''ll stop by tomorrow.¡± She said. ¡°It''s getting late, and we''ll be closing soon.¡± Ren''s mouth dropped open. ¡°I''m sorry, Sally. I forgot I have to go!¡± He stepped close and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I should be back in a week when I get another day off from serving my sentence.¡± ¡°Serving your sentence?!?¡± Sally exclaimed. ¡°I''ll explain later!¡± Ren said, and ran to the door. ¡°Bye, Sally!¡± ¡°Good-¡± Sally started to say, but Ren was already gone and the door shut behind him. Nathalia is going to kill me! Ren thought and ran around Sally''s shop to go to his own. He slowed down at the door as he saw several people inside. He went in and helped Anabelle deal with the customers. She filled out orders and he sold items for the next half an hour, until he got a popup stating that the store hours were over. ¡°Thank you for coming by.¡± Anabelle said to the customers, as they filed out through the door, both happy and satisfied. Ren closed the door behind them, and locked it. ¡°I think we might need to hire another worker.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or two.¡± Anabelle laughed. ¡°If it gets to be too much for me, then yes. We can hire someone to help.¡± ¡°We were only open for an hour, and we''ve already sold half of the chairs, a couch, 3 of the swords, a shield, and... I don''t know how many bras and underwear.¡± Ren said, then shook his head. ¡°At this rate, I''ll probably have to come back tomorrow night with another delivery.¡± ¡°If what you said before is true, that there''s going to be a lot of customers tomorrow...¡± Anabelle smiled. ¡°...then you''ll need to make a lot of things to keep them in stock.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I haven''t even looked at the orders yet.¡± Anabelle handed him a piece of parchment with a short list. ¡°That''s not too bad.¡± Ren said. ¡°I should be able to make them during lunch tomorrow.¡± ¡°That''s the back.¡± Anabelle said. Ren turned the piece of parchment over, and saw that the front of it was covered in orders. ¡°Crap.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I told them it would be a couple of days.¡± ¡°Great! I''ll do what I can.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll try my best to make it back here by tomorrow night.¡± He started to run up the stairs, then stopped at her shout. ¡°Wait!¡± Anabelle shouted, then walked up the stairs to where he stood. ¡°You should cover the inside of the windows with dark fabric, so the light won''t show out into the street.¡± ¡°Right! Good thinking.¡± Ren said and ran over to the windows, took out enough fabric to make window coverings, and added cloth ties after hanging the improvised curtains in place. He went over to the forge, dumped out the molten steel, and turned it off. He made several blanks that he could reheat and forge later, then stored about half of the iron ingots that he had under the workbench. Ren ran back to the stairs and met Anabelle at the door to the apartment. ¡°I added ties, so in the morning when you open for business, just tie the curtains back.¡± He said. Anabelle nodded and opened the apartment door and went inside. Ren went into the living room and looked at the couch. He picked it up and moved it to the side of the room, then made a bed for Anabelle to sleep in. She watched him work as she took off her business suit and put on the same thin nightgown that she''d worn after the party. ¡°I''m tempted to put this in the small room off to the side there; but, that wasn''t it''s intended use.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope the living room is okay for now.¡± ¡°I was happy with the couch.¡± Anabelle said, and smiled. ¡°It really is comfy.¡± ¡°You can''t stretch out on the couch, though.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll see you in a couple of days.¡± ¡°Goodbye, My Lord.¡± ¡°Bye, Anabelle.¡± Ren said, and Teepo dissolved into the ring. Ren opened the cabinet and nailed it shut from inside, then stepped through the portal. He opened the cabinet on that side, and ran downstairs to feed Princess. He summoned Teepo as she ate, then took Princess outside to hook her to the cart. Ren climbed into the driver''s seat, and told Princess to not waste any time. She took off like a shot, Teepo chittered in delight, and they were back at House Neram just over an hour later. ¡°You''re getting faster.¡± Ren commented as he led her into the courtyard and unhooked the cart. ...Feel stronger... ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said and she plunked down on her old mattress. ...Ahhh... ¡°Hi, Riley. Hi, Stacy.¡± The dogs barked softly, and he pat them, then he went into the house. ¡°I''m home.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re in the kitchen.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ve got Adventurer''s business to take care of, and will probably be gone most of the night.¡± Ren explained as he came into the kitchen and saw Nathalia and Ereka finishing up a meal. ¡°I''m really sorry that I didn''t make it back today.¡± He said and sat down. ¡°So many things happened, and then I had to open my store.¡± ¡°You opened the store?¡± Nathalia asked. Ren nodded, and she smiled. ¡°I''m surprised you made it home at all, then.¡± She said. ¡°You must have worked nearly all day.¡± ¡°It certainly felt like it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll tell you all about what happened in the morning.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. He kissed her goodnight, went back into the main room, and sat down on the couch. See you in the morning, Teepo. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Chapter 189 - Tuned In Ren slid off the VR headset and Bonnie took it from him. She looked at him with a slightly crooked smile, and he chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to try and avoid things like that for a while.¡± Bonnie let her smile straighten out. ¡°You know I don''t mean the business, right?¡± He nodded. ¡°Anabelle and Jhulune.¡± ¡°Just Anabelle.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°Jhulune is sweet and cute, and you really did help her.¡± ¡°I helped Anabelle, too.¡± Ren said in his defense. Bonnie chuckled. ¡°I''m pretty sure she helped herself there.¡± Ren opened his mouth to argue, then he remembered how Anabelle had started the whole thing. He sighed as he looked at Bonnie. ¡°I didn''t fight it too much.¡± He said. ¡°I could have pushed her away, but... it... it did feel really good.¡± Bonnie smiled. ¡°I think that''s because in all of your physical interactions like that, you were always the one making the moves.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°It was always your decision to have sex, and what to do during it.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°This time, Anabelle made that decision for you, and you went along with it.¡± Ren took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°No ''maybe'' about it.¡± Bonnie grinned. ¡°She took control, and you let her.¡± Ren didn''t say anything, and Bonnie put the VR headset on the dresser. ¡°Go to the bathroom to take care of business, and I''ll bring supper in.¡± Ren nodded and slid out of bed, then went to the bathroom. When he came out after cleaning everything up, he climbed back into the bed and Bonnie brought in a light meal. He looked at her with a question on his face. ¡°You''ve got a big night ahead of you.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°I don''t think you want to be too full to enjoy it, or to get sleepy while watching your broadcast debut.¡± ¡°You make good points.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°But I reserve the right to a light snack later.¡± Bonnie snorted a laugh. ¡°I''ll get you a candy bar and a diet soda from the break room after the show.¡± ¡°Sweet!¡± Ren said, and instead of digging in and gobbling down the food like he usually did, he took his time and enjoyed the flavors. ¡°This is great!¡± He said between bites. ¡°You don''t have to eat so slowly.¡± Bonnie said and smiled. ¡°You can eat it normally.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°You went through all the trouble to make this look like a meal from a professional restaurant, so I''m going to savor every bite.¡± He put the fork full of food into his mouth, slowly drew it out, then chewed like he was a cow chewing cud. He kept his mouth closed and exaggerated the movement almost to a comical degree; then he swallowed the mouthful and smiled. ¡°Even I don''t eat that slowly.¡± Bonnie said and laughed. ¡°You better hurry up, if you want to get changed before we go down to the therapy room.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ren said, then ate at a faster pace. It was still slow in comparison to his normal wolf-it-down style; but, he finished it and went to the closet. ¡°I''m tempted to take a quick shower, but ''quick'' hasn''t been part of my abilities for a while.¡± He said, and held up the arm still in a sling. Bonnie nodded. ¡°We can do a quick sponge bath, if you''re feeling sweaty.¡± ¡°Can we?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We''re running short on time.¡± ¡°It''ll only take a few minutes.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°I can do it quick.¡± Ren took out the silvery-blue pajama set that matched his eye color, and put it on the bed. ¡°Then get your sponge ready.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°Ah needs ah scrubbin''!¡± Bonnie snorted a laugh and helped him get undressed. She put the blue pajamas in the small basket in the bathroom and got her sponge ready. She gave him a good cleaning, and helped him get dressed again. ¡°Thanks, Bonnie.¡± Ren said. ¡°That really was quick.¡± ¡°I told you.¡± She said. ¡°Now get your butt in the wheelchair.¡± She grinned. ¡°Your adoring public await your majestic arrival.¡± ¡°Of course, my lady.¡± Ren said in as snooty a voice as he could muster, and sat down in the wheelchair. ¡°You may escort us to the royal viewing.¡± Bonnie laughed as she opened the door to the room, then wheeled him out into the hallway. Ren did the royal wave to people that he passed, with his hand straight up and only twisting it slightly, and Bonnie kept laughing. She pushed him into the therapy room, and there were several dozen chairs set up, and half of them were filled already. ¡°Wh-what''s all this?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°I told you.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°Your adoring public.¡± ¡°I...I thought you were joking!¡± Barbara, Ren''s night nurse, who''s shift wasn''t supposed to start for another two-and-a-half hours, waved to them from the front of the rows of chairs. Bonnie pushed Ren over to her. ¡°Hi!¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''m so excited!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Bonnie asked. ¡°You''ve seen most of it already.¡± ¡°This is different.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I did some reading online about it. Thanks to their co-operation with Sid Tec, they extrapolated the footage to make it 3-D.¡± She said. ¡°Instead of just seeing it in one direction like we do on the television screen when you''re playing.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°You didn''t know?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°They have a website up for it, and they''ve been running the promos for it and the show all day!¡± ¡°So that''s how we saw what the wolves did during the promo.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes!¡± Barbara said. ¡°They said that... oh, what was it?¡± She squinted her eyes. ¡°Now I remember! They said that the data was always there, and that all they did was render it into actual footage.¡± ¡°That''s... actually pretty cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°It is!¡± Barbara said. ¡°It''ll be like a whole new experience.¡± Ren was about to respond, and then the therapy room''s door opened. Elise came in, wearing a nice form-fitting blue business coat and skirt with a white blouse underneath, and she looked around. Ren waved to her, and her face broke into a huge smile. She half-waved back and came over to him. ¡°So, are you as excited as I am?¡± Elise asked him as she knelt by his wheelchair. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°This...¡± He looked around the room. ¡°...is all kind of unreal.¡± Elise took his hand and gave it a light squeeze. ¡°Don''t worry about any of that.¡± She said. ¡°All you need to do is sit back and enjoy the show.¡± She let his hand go and stood up. ¡°Where are we sitting?¡± Bonnie looked at Barbara, and Barbara looked at Ren, who smiled. ¡°I got a message from her this morning, asking if she could come over and watch it with me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, I thought it was only going to be me and a couple of nurses watching it.¡± He chuckled and motioned to the rest of the room. ¡°Not this.¡± Most of the other chairs were being filled by nurses and patients, a couple members of the cleaning staff, and even Doctor Hobbard was there. He sat at the back of the room, and tried to look happy about being there. ¡°I left a spot in the front there for you.¡± Bonnie said, and pointed to a spot in the middle of the front row, where there was a chair missing. The wheelchair would just fit into the empty space. ¡°We''re sitting over there, Elise.¡± Ren said, and Bonnie pushed him over to the spot. Elise took off her business coat, hung it on the back of the chair on the right of him, and sat down. Bonnie looked at Barbara, who sat at the end of the row. ¡°Do you want this chair, Barbara?¡± Bonnie asked her, and pointed to the chair on the left of Ren. ¡°You don''t mind?¡± Bonnie shook her head. ¡°You spend more time with Ren than any of us, combined.¡± She smiled. ¡°I think he''ll want you close by for this.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Barbara said, and came over to sit beside Ren. Bonnie sat beside her, and they sat in silence for another few minutes. Ren glanced at his watch, and saw he only had less than a minute left to wait. He was so focused on the television as the time counted down, that he didn''t notice when another person came into the therapy room. She sat at the back, and the lights dimmed as the time hit 7 p.m. * The show started, and it was just a white screen. Real-life Ren blinked his eyes a few times, and then he saw himself as he materialized on the screen.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°New user detected. Starting orientation.¡± Little yellow arrows popped up, and Ren watched as he did the things needed to calibrate the helmet. It seems to go a lot faster this time, and then Elise materialized on the screen behind him. ¡°This... this is amazing!¡± Onscreen Ren exclaimed. ¡°I''ve never been able to run so much ever!¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re not yet in game the stamina system isn¡¯t in effect, technically you could run forever and never run out of breath.¡± Onscreen Elise said, and onscreen Ren jumped and spun in surprise. * Ren looked at Elise as their interactions continued on the screen. ¡°They took out my full name.¡± He whispered, and she nodded. ¡°People will still know who you are, but not your real last name.¡± Elise whispered back. Ren looked back at the screen as he heard onscreen Elise screech in delight. * ¡°Eeeeeeeee! Such a cutie!¡± Onscreen Elise said, as she squeezed Ren into her ample chest. He flailed his arms for a moment, and she let him go. ¡°ah... Sorry.¡± She said, and eyed him like a choice piece of meat. She ran him through the character creation, and again, it all seemed to go a lot faster than it did when it happened. * ¡°They''ve altered the timing, haven''t they?¡± Ren asked Elise in a whisper, and she nodded. ¡°They needed to pick the pace up, so it wouldn''t be ''boring'' to watch.¡± Ren nodded and looked back at the screen. * Onscreen Ren accepted his new class, and onscreen Elise grinned at him. ¡°Ok! That¡¯s everything then! Good luck!¡± She exclaimed, then pulled him into another hug that buried his face into her chest again. A brief description was voiced over about his class as Ren vanished from the white area, and then the show''s name, ''Master of All, Jack Of None'' appeared on the screen, with a 10 second glimpse of some of the things Ren had done. It faded to white, and then Ren appeared in the game. There was a brief montage of him walking around that showed the different districts, and ended with him in the Artesian District at Sally''s Shop. He got the quest for the coin pouches, made them quickly, and completed his first quest. He left Sally''s Shop, then went to Donan''s. * Ren winced as he witnessed his first, and nearly disastrous, meeting with Donan. A commercial came on, and people started to chat about it. ¡°What do you think so far?¡± Elise asked in a low whisper. ¡°It''s as close as you can get, without showing it in full length, I think.¡± Ren responded in a voice just as low, and looked at her. ¡°Why did you leave yourself in?¡± Elise smiled. ¡°You were the first person I ever met in the game.¡± She said. ¡°I wanted to keep that memory unaltered.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and she grinned. ¡°I wanted to see myself on the screen.¡± She said, and blushed a little. ¡°With you.¡± The commercials ended, and the show started up again. * There was another brief montage as Ren visited every shop, then stopped at the Apothecary. He got another quest, and gathered herbs. Once again, the time seemed to speed up, or skip, and then he had the encounter with the wolves in the forest. * Some of the people gathered in the therapy room laughed, some were shocked, others were interested in what was happening. Ren noticed that the encounter with the wolves was a bit longer than it was in the promo trailer; but it ended the same, and he winced again as his onscreen version screamed. * ¡°WAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAHHAAAAAAAAAA.¡± Onscreen Ren screamed, and ran across the field with his clothing in tatters, as a couple of wolves chased him and nipped at his heels. The wolves gave up before Ren had reached the city gates, however; and the wolves ignored the other players in the area and retreated back to their forest. Ren dropped off the herbs at the Apothecary, then got another quest to make potions. He completed that quest, then made a bunch of potions for himself. He left the Apothecary, and walked down the street. * This is where I logged out. Ren thought, then his eyes widened as his onscreen self went into Sally''s Shop without stopping. He looked at Elise, and she smiled crookedly at him. ¡°There is a lot of editing.¡± Elise whispered. ¡°We couldn''t have people sitting at home, waiting for you to log back into the game.¡± ¡°So the show is in-game only.¡± She nodded. ¡°I thought it was best that way.¡± Ren took her hand, and she froze in shock for a moment, then took a breath and intertwined her fingers with his. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren whispered to her. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Elise breathed back. * Onscreen Ren patched up the tattered clothes he wore, then there was a brief montage of his learning to sew properly. * ¡°Boy, they''re really skipping a lot.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I was there all day doing that.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Yes, and once again, it would be boring watching that all day.¡± She said. ¡°A few seconds showing your progress, is all that''s needed for the same impression; and the light getting darker.¡± * Onscreen Ren went back to the Apothecary, and started making money. Another montage showed the night turning into day, and Ren left the Apothecary. He had a determined look on his face as he went to Donan''s Shop. * There was another commercial break, and Ren could hear people asking what was going to happen next. The show came back on, and everyone went quiet. * Onscreen Ren, very respectfully, asked Donan the Blacksmith to teach him how to swing a hammer. Donan clapped him on the shoulder and took him over to an anvil. He handed Ren a hammer, and asked him to break it. Onscreen Ren looked at the hammer, a little popup said it had 25 Durability, and then he looked at the anvil that had an ''x'' marked on it. He swung the hammer and hit the mark, and you could see his arm shiver and shake from the impact. * Several of the nurses gasped, as onscreen Ren swung the hammer 18 more times, and they saw his fingers and then the hand go numb. Real-life Ren gripped Elise''s hand tightly. * *CLANG!* The hammer rang against the anvil. *CLANG!* Onscreen Ren gripped the hammer harder and pounded the anvil again. *CLANG!* Then again. *CLANG!* ¡°..Two more...¡± Ren said, and you could see him struggling so hard that his whole body shook from the effort; and from the excruciating pain he was going through. ¡°AARRGGGGHHHHH!¡± *CLANG!* ¡°I¡­ WON¡¯T¡­.GIVE¡­.UP!!¡± Onscreen Ren yelled, Donan jumped in surprise, and the hammer crashed down a final time. It shattered upon the anvil, and the pieces rained across the floor. * Several of the people that had gathered to watch the show, cheered for him, then they stopped abruptly as they saw onscreen Ren collapse to the floor in exhaustion. The show ended there and faded to white, then the credits rolled. Everyone was quiet. ¡°Wow.¡± Barbara said into the silence. ¡°No wonder they picked up the series. That was more exciting than seeing it the first time.¡± Ren nodded as the lights came up. ¡°It was both the longest, and shortest, half an hour that I''ve gone through in a while.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°That''s quite literally true.¡± She said, and Ren looked at her. ¡°Half an hour here is 2 hours in the game.¡± Ren smiled and nodded again. ¡°Thanks for coming over and watching it with me.¡± Barbara coughed beside him. ¡°Okay, with us.¡± Ren said, and chuckled. Elise grinned. ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± Several people came over to Ren, and congratulated him on a great show. ¡°That was a good cliffhanger ending.¡± One of the nurses said. ¡°I can''t wait for the next episode!¡± After some chatting and small talk, the gathering broke up and everyone started leaving. ¡°I guess I better go, too.¡± Elise said, and looked at Ren. ¡°Before you go, I want to tell you something.¡± Ren said. ¡°I finally opened the storefront of my business.¡± ¡°You did?¡± She asked. Ren nodded. ¡°I wanted it open before the show aired, and I just made it back to a Safe Zone in time to log out, get cleaned up, and come here.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Elise said. ¡°The business should be posted with you as the owner on the main website.¡± She grinned. ¡°People will see the show and go to the site, and see the store is open.¡± She squeezed his hand. ¡°You did really well to get it up and running so soon.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was really nice seeing you again.¡± Elise said, her voice a little sultry. ¡°It sure was.¡± Ren said, then his face flushed a little red. ¡°Ah... I meant me seeing you... not you seeing me.¡± ¡°I know what you meant.¡± Elise smiled as she stood up and let go of his hand. She turned towards him, leaned way over, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The top two buttons of her blouse were undone; and since Ren''s face was pointed right at her, he got a very up-close and personal view of her enormous cleavage. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Ren stammered, his eyes wide and face flushed even more red. Elise leaned back and saw the expression on his face. ¡°You''re so cute.¡± She said as she stood up straight, and took her coat from the back of the chair she had sat in. She put the coat on and buttoned it, and smiled again as Ren had watched her as she moved. Elise reached out and ran her hand through his fluffy hair, then winked at him. ¡°Same time next week?¡± She asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll see you then, assuming the studio doesn''t need you for a voice-over or something before then.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Elise looked at the two nurses, and nodded to them in turn. ¡°Barbara. Bonnie.¡± They nodded back, and Elise gave him a little wave as she walked away. ¡°Did I just see what I thought I saw?¡± Bonnie asked. Barbara nodded. ¡°She''s definitely a handful.¡± ¡°A handful?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°She''s an armful!¡± The two nurses looked at him with surprise on their faces, and his face flushed a bright red. ¡°I meant her personality!¡± He said. ¡°Not her... ah... assets.¡± Bonnie snorted a laugh as she stood up and went behind his chair. ¡°Come on, lady-killer.¡± She said and turned him around. ¡°Let''s get you back to your room.¡± Ren nodded, and when he looked at the doorway, he saw a familiar figure with blonde hair walking out of the therapy room behind Doctor Hobbard. ¡°L-Lucy!¡± Ren exclaimed. She kept walking; either she didn''t hear him, or she had ignored his shout. Ren sighed as he realized that it didn''t really matter which it was. She''d come to watch the show with him, just like everyone else had. Bonnie and Barbara shared a look with each other, but didn''t comment about it. ¡°Are you sticking around until your shift starts, Barbara?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I might as well.¡± She said. ¡°I''d just have to come back in an hour anyways.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Ren said. ¡°We can all have a snack together.¡± ¡°A snack?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I only had a light supper, and Bonnie said I could have a candy bar and a diet soda after the show.¡± ¡°She did, huh?¡± Barbara asked, and looked at Bonnie. ¡°I cleared it with Doctor Hobbard already, and I marked it on his diet sheet with the adjustment.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°Then I''d be happy to have a snack with you.¡± She smiled. ¡°The both of you.¡± They stopped by the break room and picked up the snacks, and went back to Ren''s room. He climbed into the bed and settled in to enjoy a rare dose of chocolate and root beer. ¡°So, what did you think about the first episode?¡± Barbara asked Bonnie, and the discussion began. The three of them talked for nearly an hour about it, about how much had changed, how much was added or cut out, and the highlight with the smith trial. ¡°That really was a good ending.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°I''m surprised they could compress a few days worth of footage into only half an hour.¡± Ren said. ¡°At that rate, they''ll burn through the footage faster than fire through a dry forest.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°I wouldn''t worry about that.¡± She said. ¡°Once they get to the juicy bits, it''ll slow down to let everyone see what happened.¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°If they do that, then they''ve got several seasons of footage to go through.¡± ¡°Several seasons?!?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Bonnie laughed. ¡°If the audience tonight was any indication, then a good portion of the people that watched it are going to be hooked.¡± She grinned. ¡°The viewership will skyrocket.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Barbara put a hand on his arm. ¡°You''re going to be popular.¡± ¡°I think you''re both crazy.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Who''s going to want to watch my adventures for that long?¡± Both women raised their hands, and his eyes widened. ¡°You saw the people there tonight.¡± Barbara said. ¡°More people were interested in it than any of us thought.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren took in a deep breath and smiled at them. ¡°I''ll try to not let fame and fortune go to my head.¡± ¡°Like we''d let that happen.¡± Barbara said and chuckled. ¡°We''ll keep your swelled head right here on Earth.¡± ¡°Starting tomorrow.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°Right now, you''ve got to get back to the game.¡± Ren looked at his watch. ¡°You''re right. It''s almost morning.¡± He slid out of bed with a foil packet in his hand, went to the bathroom, and took care of business. He came back out and got into bed again. ¡°Thanks for... well, everything.¡± Ren said to Bonnie. ¡°Tonight was great!¡± ¡°That''s just the chocolate talking.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°Or the kiss from a certain red-headed amazon.¡± Barbara commented. ¡°It was just on the cheek!¡± Ren said. ¡°We know.¡± They said at the same time. ¡°It''s still there.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°What color is that, Barbara?¡± Bonnie asked her. ¡°Cherry Red or Fire Engine Red?¡± ¡°Like I''d know!¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°It''s just red to me.¡± Ren looked at them. ¡°Is... is there really...¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°You can admire it in the mirror tomorrow morning.¡± She smiled and helped him put on the VR headset. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°I might not be able to log out overnight.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got stuff to make for the store; or just deliver, if I can get Tee-one to make them for me while I''m at work.¡± ¡°That''s fine. I got to spend the last hour and a half with you.¡± Barbara said. ¡°And I''ll be here if you need me before morning.¡± ¡°Thanks, Barbara.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re always so understanding.¡± ¡°It''s what I do.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Chapter 190 - Love And Understanding Ren woke up on the couch, and stood up. Hey, Teepo. ¡°Hi, Ren. You''ve got about 2 hours left before morning.¡± Crap. Ren thought. Thanks for letting me know. ¡°No problem.¡± Wake me up if I''m not up. Ren thought and went down the hallway to Nathalia''s room. This is going to be a long day. He opened her bedroom door and slipped inside and then onto the bed. He saw the lump under the covers; but didn''t want to wake her, so he didn''t even get under the blanket. Ren laid on top and watched the lump for a minute to see if he disturbed her, let out a very low sigh, then fell asleep. ¡°REN!¡± Teepo shouted. Ren hopped out of the bed and had his fists at the ready. ¡°That''s two hours.¡± Teepo said. Ren blinked a few times, then rubbed his eyes. Damn, I just shut my eyes, and two hours are gone. He thought. I better get some breakfast and head to the mines. He looked at the lump in the bed and it didn''t stir at all; so he went out to the kitchen and checked the old icebox. It had more food in it, and then he remembered he had one, too. He took out the icebox he had in inventory and ate breakfast, then stored it as Nathalia came out to talk to him. ¡°I didn''t wake you, did I?¡± Ren asked her, and she shook her head. ¡°I didn''t even know you slept in the bed.¡± Nathalia said as she took out some food and sat down. ¡°It doesn''t feel like I slept at all.¡± Ren said, and sighed. ¡°2 hours just disappeared like that.¡± He snapped his fingers. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Maybe you can get some sleep tonight.¡± ¡°I doubt it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve got things to make for the store, and I don''t have the time to sleep.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I don''t care what you have to do.¡± She said sternly. ¡°You are sleeping in my bed tonight.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Nathalia...¡± ¡°No, I don''t want any excuses.¡± She said. ¡°You''ve got your 8 hours that you have to do for your sentence, a half hour break for lunch, and then you''ve got 3 and a half left at the end of the day to do what you want.¡± Ren''s eyes widened as she dictated his schedule for the day and night. ¡°After the two hours that your Adventurer''s business will take up tonight, you sir, are going to bed and getting some sleep!¡± Ren sighed. ¡°You might change your mind when I tell you what happened.¡± He described everything that had happened since he had left the previous evening, about finishing the Main House in his County, and going back to Aurora. When he got to Donna, the cook at the mansion, she didn''t even bat an eye. In fact, she chuckled as he was carried under her arm. ¡°I would have liked to have seen that.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Keep going.¡± Ren told her about meeting Jhulune on the way back to his business, and what happened to her. Nathalia gasped. ¡°That poor girl!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Brian would be publicly shamed and would lose all of his Honor, if he had been here in our lands and treated a woman like that!¡± He told Nathalia what Jhulune asked him to do, and Nathalia came over to sit on his lap and gave him a hug. ¡°You are a good man, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°To do that for her, so she would know that not all men will treat her badly.¡± She gave him a kiss. ¡°You''re not angry?¡± Ren asked as he hugged her with one arm, and put the other on her lap. ¡°She pretty much asked me to sleep with her later, and I said yes.¡± ¡°It''s fine.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You told her upfront that there wouldn''t be a relationship.¡± ¡°By the gods, I love you.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°So I hope you can forgive me for the next part.¡± Nathalia kept him in the hug as he told her what had happened with Anabelle. She froze, and stared at him. ¡°Oh, no.¡± She said, her eyes wide. ¡°I... I didn''t think...¡± ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± Ren said and held her tight. ¡°I didn''t mean for it to happen...¡± ¡°It''s not that.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You helped that woman break her chains to that horrible man. He used her like cattle.¡± ¡°What is it then?¡± ¡°It''s... she''s... oh, dammit.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°She''s addicted to being controlled.¡± ¡°She''s WHAT?!?¡± ¡°She''ll fall apart if she doesn''t have something to keep her together.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I thought... I thought it was just the dwarves that had that problem.¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her, then tried to speak. ¡°But... but...¡± She nodded. ¡°I''ve seen people borrow money that they don''t need, just so they can go, or stay, under contract.¡± Ren stared at her for a moment. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It... it gives them rules to follow... and... and peace of mind.¡± ¡°I was so worried about telling you about her.¡± Ren stroked the side of her face. ¡°Practically right after I said that I didn''t want to sleep with her.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°By the sounds of it, you didn''t really have much choice.¡± ¡°I could have pushed her away, or fought harder.¡± She smiled. ¡°Which ear did she...¡± Ren pointed to his left ear. ¡°Turn your head to the left.¡± Nathalia whispered. ¡°Yeah, you probably don''t want to see it for a... ooohhh!¡± Ren moaned as Nathalia sucked on his right ear. His body reacted automatically, and since she was sitting on his lap, she felt his reaction. Nathalia kept going, and Ren picked her up and ran to her bedroom. An hour later, Ren lay beside Nathalia, who had a satisfied expression on her face. ¡°If I''d known...¡± Nathalia said in a low whisper. ¡°If I''d known...¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d have told you.¡± ¡°You know what I have to do, right?¡± Nathalia said, and Ren nodded. She sucked on his ear again, and he tried his best to not moan in pleasure, or writhe on the bed beside her. ¡°You... you need... your treatment, too.¡± He said as he gritted his teeth to stop himself from pleasing her again. Nathalia stopped sucking on his ear; and he sucked, licked, and lightly bit her neck. She giggled and squirmed, and fought to get away. He held her gently, but firmly, and after 10 minutes, she relaxed.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°It... it really didn''t feel as bad this time.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°What about your ears?¡± ¡°It''s too soon to tell.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia glanced down at him. ¡°I see.¡± She said and moved down to his abdomen. ¡°I guess I have work to do.¡± ¡°Work!¡± Ren said, and hopped out of bed as he slipped out of Nathalia''s reach. ¡°I have got to get to the mines!¡± He equipped his clothing, and smiled at her startled face. ¡°I love you so much!¡± Ren said and kissed her passionately. ¡°I want to stay here with you so badly; but I really, really need to go!¡± He ran out of the house and out through the gate. * That man! Nathalia thought, and smiled. I am going to miss him so much! * Ren nodded slightly to the guards and ran up to the workshop. He waved to the women working, pat Ruck on the head, then went into the forge room. ¡°Hi, Tee-one.¡± ¡°Hello, Ren.¡± ¡°How''s everything going?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± He said and started taking items out of inventory. ¡°I finished the rest of the lingerie, and have started making basic furniture.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said and stored the things Tee-one passed to him. ¡°I''ve got a list of things that I need made for the store.¡± ¡°I''ll do my best.¡± Tee-one said as Ren handed him the list, right-side up. ¡°There''s a bit more on the back.¡± Ren said, and handed him 3 of the mirrors that he would need. ¡°I really appreciate all the work you''re doing.¡± ¡°I know you do.¡± Tee-one said, and tapped his temple. ¡°I wish you were here so we could work together again, too.¡± Ren grinned and clapped Tee-one on the shoulder. ¡°I''ll be back in 8 and a half hours to do just that.¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°See you then.¡± Ren left the forge room and checked Dorcot''s area. He stored another crate of cut diamonds and checked the other 2 crates. They were untouched, and Ren smiled. I hope he and Angeilin are enjoying their extra time together every morning. Ren thought as he dumped the middle drawer of one gold coin diamonds into the second sack he had. I''m going to have to make another sack... or a bigger one. ¡°Work!¡± Teepo nearly shouted, and Ren jumped and ran out of the workshop, down to the road, and to the city. He was at the mines a few minutes later and the guard nodded slightly and opened the gate. Ren ran through it without slowing down and went right to the medical tent. ¡°There you are.¡± The healer, Deresdra said. ¡°I was getting worried that you might not show up.¡± ¡°I had a personal matter to attend to, before coming here.¡± Ren said, and walked over to the curtained-off area without being asked. She followed him and closed the curtain, and he stored his clothing, leaving his underwear on. Deresdra started at his back like she usually did. ¡°Did you enjoy your day off?¡± She asked as she poked and prodded him gently. ¡°Technically, yes.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°Enjoyed? Definitely. Day off? Not a chance.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± She said as she came around to his front. She checked his arms, then massaged his chest muscles. Ren looked at her as she moved her hands to his abdomen and massaged them as well, then she went back to his chest. ¡°You already checked there.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did I?¡± She said, softly. ¡°You need to check my legs.¡± He said, and she stopped massaging his chest immediately, knelt, and checked his legs. When she was done, Deresdra saw that he was quite ready for physical contact. She had assumed it was from her own ministrations; but, it was actually a residual effect from Nathalia''s treatment of his ear sensitivity. She put her hands on his hips and hooked the edge of his underwear. ¡°Stop.¡± Ren said, and Deresdra froze. ¡°Let go.¡± She let him go. ¡°Stand up.¡± She stood up and stared at him, with horror in her eyes. ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°Despite your... I''m sorry, I have to be brutally honest here... your pathetic attempts at seducing me, I went and bought your contract.¡± ¡°How could you?!?¡± Deresdra exclaimed and pulled her hand back to slap him. ¡°STOP!¡± Ren shouted, and she froze in mid-motion. ¡°Stay like that.¡± Her face started to crumble as tears formed in her eyes. ¡°Don''t cry.¡± Ren said, and she stopped. ¡°You were so worried about trying to get the money to pay off your contract from me, that you were willing to throw yourself at me.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Do you realize how stupid that was?¡± Deresdra didn''t say anything. ¡°Answer my question.¡± ¡°No, I didn''t realize.¡± She said, and gritted her teeth to stop herself from screaming at him. Ren chuckled. ¡°You didn''t want to be indebted to me, or have to sign another indentured servitude contract because you thought I would use you for sex, right?¡± Deresdra nodded slightly. ¡°And yet, once you knew that I had absolutely no intention of doing that, you have been trying to be all sexy and seductive, and hoping that I''d give you the money back.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°So, was it because you had the choice, or because you figured you wouldn''t have to go through with it?¡± ¡°I figured you would be nice and give me the money, before I had to do it with you.¡± She said. ¡°If I''d asked you to take off your clothes, would you have done that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes. You''ve already seen me naked. You didn''t react, so I thought you wouldn''t react again.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°There''s a whole lot of difference between accidentally seeing a woman naked, and having her willingly take her clothes off in front of you.¡± ¡°You still wouldn''t have done anything.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°No, I wouldn''t.¡± Ren said, then sighed. ¡°But the last little while, I''ve...¡± He looked at her. ¡°Usually, something happens and I end up sleeping with someone; there''s almost always a good reason for it.¡± He explained. ¡°Sometimes the reasons are a little flimsy, and sometimes they''re essential.¡± He said. ¡°But you...¡± He shook his head. ¡°...didn''t want to sleep with me at all. You just wanted money from me.¡± Deresdra didn''t say anything, and Ren looked at her. ¡°You can put your arm down.¡± He said, and her arm flopped to her side. She rubbed it and massaged the muscles. He took out a Minor Healing wand and used it on her arm. ¡°You were about to pull my underwear down, weren''t you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I could.¡± ¡°Answer me again, but explain.¡± ¡°When you please a man like that, and do a good enough job, they will give you pretty much anything you ask for.¡± She said honestly, then clapped a hand over her mouth. ¡°So, the Mistress was right. She does teach you valuable life lessons at the Convent.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Here''s another question for you.¡± Deresdra shook her head because she didn''t want to answer any more questions like that one. ¡°Did you want to do it?¡± ¡°No.¡± She said through her hand. Ren clearly heard her, so she dropped it. ¡°Don''t you find me handsome?¡± ¡°Yes, but in a pretty boy kind of way.¡± She said. ¡°I like my men rougher looking, and with a beard.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If you had pleasured me with your mouth, and I gave you the money; what would you have done afterwards?¡± ¡°Paid off my contract and left.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°I wouldn''t be able to look at you, or myself, for a while.¡± ¡°And what if I ordered you to do it, right here, right now?¡± ¡°I''d hate you for the rest of your life.¡± She said. ¡°Which would be just long enough for my House''s Champion to come here and end it for you.¡± ¡°Not if I ordered you to keep quiet about it.¡± Ren said, and her face drained of color. ¡°You''re starting to see the reality now, aren''t you?¡± He asked. ¡°I could literally order you to do anything. Anything at all, and you wouldn''t have a choice.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I could even order you to forget it even happened.¡± Deresdra gasped and covered her mouth again. ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now you understand.¡± She nodded her head slightly. He took out her contract and showed it to her. ¡°Wh-what are you g-going to d-d-do with that?¡± Deresdra asked, shaking. ¡°I could make you sign another one with me, but I''m going to do this instead.¡± Ren took out a stone brick, enchanted it with a fire rune, and activated it. The contract must have been dry or something; because it lit up brightly for only a moment, and then it was ashes on the floor. He absorbed the enchantment and stored the brick. Deresdra was no longer held in place by Ren''s order to ''stay like that'', and she took full advantage of it. She used her fists to punch him several times, used her feet to kick him a few times, then she switched to open slaps and hit him across the face a few times. She hit hard at first, but then her blows lost their power as she started to cry, and when the last hit barely grazed his cheek, he took her into a hug. Deresdra put her head on his shoulder as she cried and bawled, and held onto him tightly. Ren let her tears flow across his shoulder and down his back. He hadn''t defended himself in the least, and had even lost a few Health points; but, he regained them quickly so it was okay. ¡°How... how could you... do that to me?¡± Deresdra got out between sobs. ¡°You needed to know.¡± Ren said. ¡°All these people that work under contract, don''t realize what that actually means for them.¡± He explained. ¡°I''ve already had a revision submitted to the Hall Of Records, but it won''t be approved by the Council for another month or so.¡± ¡°You... you changed it?¡± She asked, as she let him out of her tight hold. Ren nodded, and took out his own contract. She read it, and her eyes widened at the slight revisions. ¡°By the gods, you''re a genius!¡± Deresdra said, and he shook his head. ¡°No, there''s still lots of loopholes.¡± He said. ¡°Like, if a healer says you can''t work, unless you strip naked in front of her.¡± She looked at him in surprise, and then blushed a little as she remembered what had happened then. ¡°The thing is, if there''s too much changed, they won''t approve it at all.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°So I didn''t go back after you... discovered... that loophole.¡± Deresdra put a hand to her lips, where he''d accidentally rubbed across them that time. ¡°That...¡± She swallowed. ¡°...that was... quite a big loophole.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You have no idea how big... of a loophole... it could have been.¡± Deresdra looked at him for a moment, and then her eyes widened. ¡°You don''t mean... you mean... just from that?!?¡± ¡°Okay, maybe you do know how big of a loophole it could have been.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Can I get dressed now?¡± ¡°Yes, you''re cleared for work.¡± Deresdra said. Ren equipped his clothes and started to walk by her. ¡°Wait.¡± She said, and he stopped. ¡°Ren, I...¡± She sighed. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± He said. ¡°Can I get to work now?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She said. ¡°See you tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Ma''am.¡± Ren said as he left the curtained off area. ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± Chapter 191 - The Secrets Out Ren went to the blacksmith shop to check on the work that might need to be done. The dwarf there had no problems keeping the picks and equipment repaired, so Ren went into the mine to work. After crushing several large boulders, he dug off-shoot tunnels where he was told. Four hours passed, and Teepo told him it was time for lunch. Ren left the mine and went to his workshop beside the blacksmith shop. He checked on the baby fire elemental, and it still had some food; so he tickled it and checked his glass forge. It had been simmering for over a day, and was no worse for the wear. Ren poured out a very thin layer into the floor mold he''d made, and absorbed the heat from it. He picked up the clear piece of glass, the exact size of the stained glass window that he would need to fill the 20 holes still in the Church. He repeated this every 30 seconds, and when lunch was over, he had 60 clear panes of glass. He put several more shovels full of sand into the forge and went back into the mines. He did four more hours easily, bid the crew a good day, and left the mine. Ren equipped his armor bodysuit to replace his dirty clothes, then equipped his Travelling Clothes again. Once he was ''clean'', he took off and ran towards the road; completely unaware that the healer Deresdra had watched him from the medical tent since he came out of the mine. Ren grinned as he arrived at House Neram Keep, then ran up to his workshop. He was looking forward to sharing the work with Tee-one. He gave Tee-one half of the high quality iron ingots from the shop in Aurora, and they added some of them to the smelters, while adding in more gold ore. ¡°You''ve been digging up the gold veins around the Keep.¡± Ren commented at the pile of gold ore that hadn''t visibly grown smaller since the last time he''d been there. ¡°Yes.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°The last hundred rebar pieces have been more gold than anything else.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The walls of the Keep are going to be worth more than most businesses, if we keep that going.¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°You''re not hurting for money.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°But when the diamond crystals I currently have run out in a few years...¡± Tee-one laughed. ¡°You''re taking a long view of the future.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve got to get this mine producing ore within the month.¡± He said. ¡°So I can leave House Neram with a steady income.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Ren and Tee-one finished the furniture on the list, and they forged another dozen swords and shields with gold mixed in, making them much more valuable than the normal shields and swords he''d made previously. ¡°Ren.¡± Ereka''s voice said, and Ren took out the steel square from his pocket. ¡°Yes, Ereka?¡± ¡°Sorry to bother you.¡± ¡°It''s okay. Tee-one and I were just finishing up forging. What''s up?¡± ¡°The Armory is here, and the workers want to know where you want it.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be right there.¡± He looked at Tee-one. ¡°Keep making furniture and lingerie. I''ll have Ereka order some more mirrors. We can have more sitting tables ready for me to take back to the shop tomorrow night.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Thanks, Tee-one.¡± ¡°You still don''t have to thank me, Ren.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°This is my purpose.¡± ¡°I just don''t want to take you for granted, Tee-one.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I stopped thanking you, it might devalue your work.¡± He smiled. ¡°But I value you and the work you do, so I''m going to keep on thanking you.¡± Tee-one shook his head and smiled. ¡°It''s like thanking yourself.¡± ¡°I''ve done that!¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°See you later!¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Tee-one said. Ren left the workshop and ran down the road to House Neram''s Main House. He saw six large carts, that had been hauled by 2 ponies each, and went by them to go inside. There was a group of six dwarves that he didn''t know, and Ereka stood in the middle of them. ¡°Please, just wait for a moment.¡± Ereka said. ¡°We shouldn''t have to wait!¡± One of the dwarfs said. ¡°It was ordered, and we''re here to deliver it!¡± ¡°He''ll only be...¡± Ereka started to say. ¡°Right now.¡± Ren said, as he came to a stop next to the group. ¡°Why are you harassing the Head Assistant?¡± Everyone looked at him with surprise on their faces. ¡°We were doing no such thing!¡± The same one said. ¡°It sounded like you were trying to get her to make me get here faster; which is funny, considering it''s been less than a minute since she contacted me.¡± The dwarf closed his mouth to stop his hot retort. He took a breath and turned back to Ereka. ¡°I''m sorry if I offended you.¡± Ereka nodded slightly, and the dwarf turned back to Ren. ¡°Where do you want the armory installed?¡± ¡°I''m tempted to make you haul it all upstairs.¡± Ren said. The dwarf laughed, and the others joined him. ¡°There''s no way the floor could take the weight.¡± ¡°The floor''s reinforced and thicker than the walls; so, there''s no problem with that.¡± Ren said, and then one of the dwarves examined the walls closely. ¡°I don''t want the guards to have to come in here all the time to get equipment, though. The Armory has to go in the Barracks.¡± ¡°Can you show us, please? We need to get back to the Garrison as soon as it''s installed.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°This way.¡± He walked over to the door and held it open for them. Five of them walked by him, and the one who spoke turned around. ¡°Creek! We need your expertise.¡± Creek kept looking at the wall, and ran his hand over it. ¡°Amazing.¡± ¡°CREEK!¡± Creek jumped and took his hand from the wall. ¡°I''m coming.¡± He ran over to the door and joined the others. Ren gave a small wave to Ereka and led the dwarves to the Barracks. ¡°Right there.¡± Ren said, and pointed to a spot just inside the door. ¡°I didn''t know the actual dimensions for it, so I hope I left enough room for it.¡± Creek looked at it. ¡°Yes, it will fit.¡± He said, and the other 5 dwarves went to the first cart. ¡°Why didn''t you make this building the same as the Main House?¡± ¡°I didn''t have time.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or the spare iron ore to make the metal bars for the reinforcement.¡± ¡°I was wondering what that was in the walls.¡± Creek said. ¡°I made a grid of bars for the second floor.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then filled cement around it.¡± ¡°Seement?¡± Creek asked. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°A trade secret.¡± Ren said. ¡°The Main House is the only building made from it in this land.¡± Creek looked at him with his eyes slightly wide. ¡°There''s a bit of lie in there.¡± ¡°It was an evasion, actually.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m making repairs with it, too.¡± Creek nodded slightly. ¡°A building made with it, and one you used it on.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°You aren''t a very good liar.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Where would being a good liar be useful, while surrounded by dwarves?¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Creek chuckled. ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°You don''t need to help them?¡± Ren asked, and Creek shook his head. ¡°I''m a thinker, not a doer.¡± Creek stepped back and made room for the dwarves that carried in the back piece of the Armory. Ren stepped back and watched them struggling with the heavy piece of iron. ¡°I''m an Adventurer.¡± Ren said. ¡°Want me to gather the pieces and bring them in?¡± The dwarf that had spoken in the Main House laughed. ¡°I doubt you could lift a side of this, let alone the whole thing by yourself.¡± Ren looked at Creek with a raised eyebrow. ¡°He doesn''t have a lot of experience with Adventurers.¡± Creek said. ¡°You do?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve visited the mainland a few times.¡± ¡°Do you want me to help?¡± Ren said. ¡°I can bring them all in at once.¡± ¡°Please.¡± Creek said. ¡°It will speed things up considerably.¡± Ren nodded slightly and followed the dwarves out to the next cart. Ren examined the piece of armory, and got the partial plan for it. He stored the piece and went to the next cart. The dwarves stood there and stared at Ren as he went to each cart and picked up all of the remaining pieces and went back to the Barracks. They scrambled after him and saw him examining the first piece they had struggled to bring in by themselves. ¡°Okay. That''s the back.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want the floor next?¡± Creek nodded slightly, and Ren took out the floor piece. The dwarves bolted it to the back piece, and Ren took out the two long side walls next. Once they were bolted together, they asked for the roof and that was attached as well. Last was the set of doors, and then it was complete. Ren now had the full plans, and he smiled. ¡°It''s like a giant safe.¡± Ren said. ¡°A long giant safe.¡± ¡°It will only open for those that you authorize for it''s use.¡± Creek said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and set himself, Ereka, Wohrum and Golir as authorized users. ¡°We would like the payment now.¡± One of the other dwarves said. ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°10 platinum.¡± He said, and a couple of the dwarves winced slightly. ¡°You can''t get many orders for one of these.¡± Ren commented. ¡°More than you think.¡± He said. ¡°Not if you lie about the price.¡± The dwarf got a surprised look on his face, then frowned. ¡°How did you-¡± ¡°I literally just made this comment to Creek.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where would being a good liar be useful, while surrounded by dwarves?¡± The dwarf looked around at the other 5 dwarves, and sighed. ¡°Ah, dammit.¡± ¡°Why are you trying to scam me?¡± Ren asked, and the dwarves took a step back. ¡°That''s not...¡± He sighed. ¡°Our budget can''t handle the demands on us.¡± ¡°So, rather than make an honest living and only do what you can, you gouge your customer base so you can make what you want?¡± The dwarf frowned. ¡°200 platinum a year isn''t enough to do what you want?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What the hell do you do with all of that money?¡± All of the dwarves faces drained of their color. ¡°How... how did you know...¡± ¡°I just recently became the owner of the Garrison.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which gives me access to it''s yearly cost. So... what do you spend the money on?¡± None of them spoke. ¡°I asked a simple question.¡± Ren said, and they stayed quiet. ¡°Very well.¡± He said and took out 10 platinum coins and gave them to the outspoken dwarf. ¡°I hope you enjoy that.¡± He turned away from them. ¡°It''s going to be your budget for this year.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± The dwarf exclaimed. ¡°You can''t! We need that money!¡± He said, excitedly. ¡°We have orders to fill!¡± ¡°I don''t care.¡± Ren said. ¡°If there''s one thing I hate, it''s someone who scams people.¡± He shook his head and walked to the door of the Barracks. ¡°I''ll be by the crafting section in a day or two, to examine everything that you have.¡± ¡°You have no right!¡± The dwarf nearly shouted. Ren equipped the new uniform he had made, with his name tag and overall command insignia, concentrated on his Command Aura, then connected his Screaming Terror ring for added effect. ¡°You will not hide, destroy, or in any way change the experiments you are conducting; or alter the items you are making.¡± Ren commanded. ¡°You will submit to inspection.¡± The dwarves looked at him in shock. ¡°Since you are so reluctant to tell me why you waste so much money, I have to see it for myself.¡± Ren shook his head again. ¡°Like I needed yet another thing to take care of.¡± ¡°We... we''ll tell you...¡± One of the others said. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll show me; or there won''t be a crafting section anymore.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re dismissed.¡± The dwarves looked at each other, and Ren sighed. ¡°For dwarves that are supposed to be smart, you''re acting stupidly.¡± He said. ¡°You need to leave and go back to the Garrison.¡± They stood there, and Ren scowled at them. ¡°Move it! Move it! MOVE IT!¡± Ren commanded, and the dwarves marched out of the Barracks and to their carts. They didn''t speak at all as they climbed into the carts they came in, then left. Ren let the connection to his Screaming Terror ring lapse, then equipped his Travelling Clothes again. He went back inside the Barracks and opened the Armory, and put 10 swords and shields inside. After closing it, he left the Barracks and went into the Main House. ¡°Go right in, sir. She''s waiting for you in her office.¡± The receptionist said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said to her, and walked to Ereka''s office. He knocked once, entered and saw that she was alone, then shut the door behind him. ¡°Hi, Ereka.¡± ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± ¡°I''m sorry that the workers were a pain in the... neck.¡± ¡°Yes, it was in the neck that I felt it the most.¡± Ereka chuckled. ¡°Did the Armory get installed okay?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It went off without a hitch, once they let me carry the parts inside.¡± ¡°I bet you surprised some of them.¡± ¡°There''s always someone that reacts that way.¡± Ereka smiled. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°A couple of things, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like to order a dozen mirrors. Large ones.¡± He motioned with his hands to show her the sizes. ¡°Square, rectangle, oval.¡± ¡°I''ll send out a messenger right away.¡± She said. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°I''ll need a message delivered to the Garrison.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you have some parchment that I could...¡± Ereka put a piece of parchment on the desk, with a writing instrument. Ren took it, and wrote out a short message. ¡°I don''t suppose you have any wax?¡± She smiled and took out a small jar with a candle in it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren grinned as he took out a steel square, enchanted it with a fire rune, and lit the candle. He absorbed the enchantment and stored the steel square; and when there was enough wax, he poured some of it out onto the rolled up parchment and pressed the signet ring into the now hardening wax. ¡°There.¡± Ren said and gave her the sealed scroll. ¡°Have that delivered to the Commander of the Garrison right away.¡± Ereka took it and left her office. She was back a minute later, and smiled. ¡°They''re both off and running.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t think the Garrison one will get there before the work crew does.¡± ¡°How do you know it''s about the work crew?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''m merged into the House Neram Aura.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I felt your... demonstration?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, that''s what it was.¡± He said. ¡°They were all nice and polite, until one of them tried to scam me.¡± ¡°They didn''t!¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Then I asked them what they did with all the money they get every year.¡± ¡°They clammed up.¡± Ren nodded slightly again. ¡°You got it in one.¡± He said. ¡°I paid the inflated price, and told them it was all the money they were going to get.¡± ¡°So the message...¡± ¡°It''s orders for the Commander to have guards watch them, until I can get there in a day or so to inspect their work.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°While I was in Aurora, I had an opportunity to look through Lord Lodur''s loot.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Can you guess what was in it?¡± ¡°The... the deed... to the Garrison.¡± ¡°Bingo.¡± Ren said. ¡°And the ring to seal the order scrolls.¡± ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± Ereka said and sat down. She looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You''re now the defender of the realm.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had nearly the same reaction.¡± He grinned. ¡°Except I gasped and nearly shouted while in a Library.¡± Ereka smiled. ¡°There''s not a lot that will make you react like that.¡± ¡°Well, it included the bill for the yearly budget.¡± Ren said. ¡°1,850 platinum.¡± Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him. ¡°There you go.¡± He said and laughed. ¡°That''s closer to my reaction.¡± ¡°Ren... how... how in the world are you...¡± ¡°I''m going to see what I can do about it first, then see who I can pawn it off to.¡± ¡°That would be wise.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Even if you could stay here, having such a huge responsibility...¡± She shook her head. ¡°It''s too much for one man to handle.¡± ¡°Lord Lodur...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°...had nearly a dozen family members to take care of everything.¡± Ren blinked his eyes a few times at her, then smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said. ¡°I''m glad we had this talk.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You haven''t been home a lot lately.¡± Her eyes widened again. ¡°I... I didn''t mean... ah...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°We are living in the same house.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°Speaking of which, I better go.¡± He said. ¡°Nathalia''s going to kill me if I don''t take care of my Adventurer''s business, and then get some sleep.¡± ¡°I''ll come, too.¡± Ereka said and stood up. ¡°Everything''s taken care of here.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and they left the office together. Ereka told the receptionist to go home as well, and they all walked down the road to the housing sub-division. The receptionist left them to go to one of the houses, and Ren and Ereka walked on towards House Neram Keep. ¡°I''m really going to miss you when you''re gone.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''ve been getting that a lot lately.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve still got nearly 4 months before I have to leave, and everyone is treating it like I''m leaving right now.¡± Ereka smiled. ¡°I think it''s because that 4 months is going to pass by so fast.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°Just watch.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You''re going to open your eyes one of these days, and this will all be behind you...¡± She smiled. ¡°...and you''ll wonder where all of the time went.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Probably.¡± He said. ¡°Just like that 2 hours of non-sleep I had this morning.¡± Ereka nodded slightly as they approached the gate to the Keep. ¡°Good evening, Sir.¡± Wohrum the guard said. ¡°Madam.¡± Golir repeated the same sentiment, and Ren told them that the armory had been installed. They could store their weapons inside, and their armor if they wanted. ¡°That''s a relief, Sir.¡± Wohrum said. ¡°This takes up a lot of room in a small house.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°There''s also 10 new swords and shields.¡± He said. ¡°You and Golir have permission to open and close it, so one, or both of you, will have to be there for the other guards to use it.¡± ¡°Understood, Sir.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said, and closed the gate behind himself and Ereka. They went inside and ate a nice meal with Nathalia, and Ren asked her to feed Princess for him. ¡°Of course.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I assume so you can take care of your Adventurer''s business.¡± He nodded slightly, and she kissed him. ¡°Then hurry up and go.¡± Nathalia said, and led him to the couch. ¡°The sooner you leave, the sooner you''ll be back.¡± Ren sat down on the couch and smiled. ¡°See you soon.¡± Teepo took off from his shoulder. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Bye, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren logged off, and Barbara was delighted by the extra time she could spend with him. ¡°You didn''t have to, you know.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I never ''have to''.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wanted to.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°What do you want to watch?¡± ¡°Lady''s choice.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got about half an hour before I need to log back in to get some sleep.¡± Barbara searched through the channels, and stopped on Channel 8. The midnight news was on, and she''d seen Ren''s face. * ¡°That''s right, folks! It''s been discovered that the star of the new hit show is none other than Ren Haddon.¡± The female news anchor said. ¡°He''s a local boy who''s been bed-ridden and bound to a hospital for years.¡± * ¡°Oh, crap!¡± Ren said. ¡°How did they find out?¡± * ¡°A source close to the star was so excited to see him on the television, that they gave us an exclusive interview.¡± The female anchor said. ¡°So, Cheryl... what''s he like in real life?¡± ¡°He''s just a doll!¡± Cheryl, the nurse who had asked Ren for his autograph, said. ¡°He''s in a wheelchair most of the time; but, he doesn''t let that stop him!¡± * Both Ren and Barbara sighed as Cheryl proceeded to tell the female news anchor all about his daily life. Chapter 192 - Congratulations! Its A Mine! ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Barbara said and rubbed her forehead with a hand when the news segment was over. ¡°At least she didn''t give out the name and address of the hospital.¡± ¡°I don''t think that''s going to matter much.¡± Ren said. ¡°How many hospitals do you know that have a custom-built physical therapy room on the same floor with it''s patients?¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± She groaned. ¡°Plus, I go to the mall every month. Everyone around here has seen me.¡± Ren said. ¡°The wheelchair is kind of hard to miss.¡± Barbara sighed. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± She left the room and was gone for several minutes. Ren checked the laptop to look up stained glass production. He smiled, as he saw that a sharp metal wheel, or small diamond was used to score the edges of the glass, and they were easily broken into pieces. Thin copper strips were used to surround each glass piece, then they were soldered together. I could literally just dip my finger into the smelter and touch each piece to attach them to each other. Ren thought, then Barbara came back into the room. ¡°Where did you go?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Doctor Hobbard needed to be told right away.¡± Barbara said as she sat in the chair by the bed. ¡°So did the legal department and the board.¡± ¡°Legal department?¡± ¡°Yes, Ren.¡± Barbara sighed. ¡°Cheryl, in a wildly inappropriate fashion, violated your right to privacy... among other things.¡± Ren looked at Barbara with wide eyes. ¡°Is... is anything going to happen to her?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, yes.¡± She said. ¡°Even if she doesn''t realize what she''s done; ignorance is not an excuse.¡± ¡°But... if she didn''t know...¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Barbara said. ¡°The least she''ll get is a hefty fine, and probably a suspension.¡± She sighed. ¡°The most...¡± She shook her head. ¡°You don''t need to worry about that part, Ren.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Barbara said, and handed Ren the VR headset. ¡°You go back to playing your game. I''ll worry about things here.¡± ¡°But...¡± Barbara helped Ren put on the headset. ¡°I''ll take care of it.¡± She said. ¡°Have fun, dear.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch, and stood up. Time for bed. ¡°I''ll wake you in the morning.¡± Thanks, buddy. Ren thought, and went to Nathalia''s room. He yawned as stored his clothing, left on his underwear, and then climbed into bed. The lump under the blanket moved, and he smiled as Nathalia rolled over to face him. ¡°Sleep.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Now.¡± ¡°I couldn''t go to sleep without giving you a kiss first.¡± He said and kissed her. Nathalia snorted a laugh. ¡°You''ve gone to sleep a lot without doing that.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s because I didn''t want to wake you.¡± ¡°I''ll always want a kiss from you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Even when I''m asleep.¡± ¡°I think that would depend on where I kissed you.¡± Ren said, and waggled his eyebrows up and down. She laughed. ¡°Go. To. Sleep.¡± Ren grinned as he pulled her close, and she snugged down onto his chest. ¡°Goodnight, My Love.¡± ¡°Goodnight, My Love.¡± Nathalia said, and they drifted off to sleep. * He still hasn''t used the House Neram Aura. Ereka thought as she lay awake in bed. I was really hoping he would. She reached over and touched the pillow Ren had laid on the other night. * Ren woke up the next morning and felt refreshed. He looked down at Nathalia, who was still snuggled on his chest. He ran a hand lightly over her hair and smiled. I''m really going to miss having her in my bed every night. ¡°You don''t have to think about that yet.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Just like you told Ereka, you''ve got lots of time yet.¡± Ren nodded, and forgot that Teepo couldn''t see him. Okay, I''ll stop brooding. ¡°Good Morning.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Few... more... minutes.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, I have to go.¡± Ren said, and she gripped him tightly. ¡°Don''t... don''t leave me.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I may have to go...¡± Ren hugged her. ¡°...but I''ll never leave you.¡± She opened her eyes and looked at him. ¡°You believe that.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Just because I can''t stay in the Dwarven lands, doesn''t mean I have to leave you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I had a neat idea a while ago...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°...but a bunch of things happened, and it got pushed into the back of my mind.¡± Nathalia sat up in bed. ¡°Okay, you have to tell me.¡± ¡°I''ll tell you about it in a few months; right after my sentence is up.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed, and tried to hit him. Ren laughed as he caught her hands before her attempts succeeded. ¡°I''m kidding!¡± He said and kissed her. She stopped struggling, and looked at him. ¡°About what?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°The idea, or telling me about it?¡± ¡°Telling you.¡± He said. ¡°It''s a simple idea, actually.¡± ¡°Well, spill it!¡± ¡°This happened a while ago.¡± Ren said. ¡°After I talked to a few people, I got the idea of having you open a restaurant.¡± ¡°A what?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°A fancy cafeteria.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Why would that be a good idea?¡± ¡°All of the people living here on House Neram''s land have to go all the way to the city to get food; or go to the farm several miles away.¡± Ren said. ¡°If they can''t cook, however...¡± ¡°They need something to keep them fed.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If we had a local restaurant, they''d have something that provided regular meals, and at a good price.¡± ¡°You''re right. That''s actually a good idea.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Ren said. ¡°But that''s not the best part.¡± ¡°It''s not?¡± Nathalia asked. He shook his head. ¡°I''m not quite sure if it will work or not; but; I have a business in Aurora, and then made an identical business here.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It let me create a portal between them; and because I was the owner, only I could pass through it.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It''s one of the drawbacks of having a portal to go across such a large distance.¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s what I thought.¡± Ren said. ¡°So how would having access to a second portal help you?¡± ¡°Don''t be silly, my beautiful soon-to-be-ex-fiance.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°The portal would be for you.¡± Nathalia''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°Wh-wh-wh-WHAT?!?¡± ¡°If you own a restaurant here, and own a restaurant there...¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°It''s just something to think about...¡± ¡°You are a GENIUS!¡± Nathalia yelled, and jumped on top of Ren. She smothered him with kisses, and he laughed as she covered every inch of his face with them. ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Ren said, as Nathalia calmed down. ¡°I''m a genius!¡± She laughed. ¡°We have to build one right away!¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Tell Ereka what you''ll need to make up a large cooking area, with a staff and everything; then have her order 2 of them.¡± He said. ¡°Then when I go to Aurora, I''ll see about buying a place inside the city. If I can''t get anything there, I''ll build it in my County instead.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I love you so much!¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now lets go have breakfast.¡± He got out of bed and equipped his Travelling Clothes. ¡°I''ve got to get 8 hours of work in at the mines, deliveries to make this evening, and then more Adventurer''s business tonight.¡± Nathalia climbed out of bed and equipped her clothing. ¡°I don''t know how you do it all.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I''d be exhausted all of the time, if I worked as hard as you do!¡± Ren chuckled as he took her into a hug and kissed her. ¡°Waking up with a woman as beautiful as you, and with someone who loves me, helps keep me energized.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°That sounds like two different people.¡± He grinned and opened her bedroom door. ¡°Well, you''re like 5 different people, so it''s appropriate.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened at Ren''s comment. ¡°You''re you.¡± Ren said. ¡°But you''re also the woman I love, a Warden of House Neram, the Head of House Neram, and you''re a fantastic cook.¡± Nathalia blinked her eyes at him. ¡°Maybe 6.¡± He said. ¡°Do you still count as the princess of the House when you''re the temporary Head?¡± ¡°I... don''t know.¡± She said, kind of stunned at the truth in Ren''s words. He gave her a one arm hug as they went through the main room and into the kitchen. ¡°It''s just a different way of seeing who you are.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t mean to shock you about it.¡± ¡°How... how many people are you?¡± Ren laughed as he got out some food. ¡°I honestly can''t tell you off the top of my head.¡± He said and put some food in front of her and sat down himself. ¡°Miner, blacksmith, tailor, partial cook, adventurer, boyfriend/fiance, food source, lord...¡± He waggled his eyebrows up and down at her. ¡°...sex object...¡± Nathalia snorted a laugh. ¡°You''re a little full of yourself today.¡± Ren opened his mouth to make a joke, then stopped. ¡°You know, you''re right.¡± He frowned. ¡°I... I have been full of myself lately.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I don''t know why I feel... I feel...¡± He rubbed his temples. ¡°Ren, what''s wrong?¡± ¡°I know I''m doing some good things, but...¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°...I shouldn''t be this arrogant.¡± Nathalia stopped eating and went to sit on his lap. ¡°Is it arrogance if all you''re doing is praising yourself?¡± ¡°Yes, that''s nearly exactly what it means.¡± He said. ¡°Believing that I''m better than other people, is a sure sign of it.¡± Nathalia kissed him lightly. ¡°Even if it''s true?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That''s where the self-importance comes in.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I... I''ll need your help to stop me from... from...¡± ¡°From what?¡± ¡°Stop me from treating people like I''m above them.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°Ren, you''re a Lord... and in your own right... both from the Influence you''ve gained, and the land that you own.¡± She said. ¡°I haven''t seen you treat someone like they were beneath you once.¡± Ren opened his mouth to argue, and she chuckled. ¡°Scammers and criminals don''t count.¡± Nathalia said and hugged him. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Hurry up and finish eating.¡± She said, but stayed sitting in his lap. He shifted her aside a little, and she helped feed him. They took turns feeding each other, laughed occasionally, and pretty much just shared a good meal together. ¡°All right, I better go.¡± Ren said, and stood up with Nathalia in his arms. He started to walk towards the door and she laughed. ¡°You can put me down any time now.¡± Ren looked at her in mock surprise. ¡°Wh-what? I... I can''t take you with me?¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°You''d never get any work done if I went with you.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Ren said and put her down. She kept her arms around his neck, though. ¡°I love you.¡± She said, and Ren bent slightly to kiss her. After a minute, he broke the kiss. ¡°I love you, too.¡± He said. ¡°See you tonight.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly, and Ren left the house. * ¡°Thank you.¡± Nathalia said, as Ereka came into the kitchen a few minutes later. ¡°For what?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°For staying out of the kitchen for one.¡± Nathalia said and smiled. ¡°And for not making a fuss with all of the yelling and things earlier.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°I wasn''t really asleep anyways, so it didn''t wake me.¡± She said. ¡°Plus, it seems like the two of you don''t get a lot of alone time.¡± She smiled. ¡°The least I could do was let you have some.¡± * Ren ran into the stable and fed Princess, visited with her and Ruck for a few minutes, then ran out through the gate. He nodded slightly to the guards, and went up to his workshop. It was still quite early, so no one was there except Tee-one. He handed Ren the lingerie and furniture he''d constructed over the night, and Ren gave him something else to do today while he waited for the cement to set on the latest part of the mold. ¡°It''s about time, I think.¡± Tee-one commented, and Ren nodded. ¡°Do you think it''ll be ready by tonight?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°She''s going to be surprised.¡± ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Ren left the workshop and ran down the road, with Teepo flying right beside him. He concentrated on his personal Aura, and the House Neram pendant as he ran; and was at the mines a few minutes later. No one was at the gate. Huh. Ren thought. I guess they only have the one guard. He hopped over the gate easily, thanks to his boots that let him jump 3 times his normal distance, and ran up to the medical tent. * Deresdra had just finished checking herself, put on her clothing, and stepped out of the curtained-off area. I wonder when he''ll show up tod- Her thought was cut off when a now-familiar figure appeared in the medical tent opening. * ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said to Deresdra. ¡°Good morning.¡± She said back, and held the curtain open for him. ¡°Step inside, please.¡± Ren nodded slightly to her, and went into the curtained-off area. She closed it behind herself and Ren stored his clothing. Deresdra checked him out completely again; back to front as usual. She didn''t speak as she did so, however. When she was finished, he equipped his clothing. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Ren asked her, and she shook her head. ¡°You''re awfully quiet.¡± Deresdra smiled. ¡°Am I?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°You''re usually going on about something, but today you... you''re almost brooding.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Is that what I''m doing?¡± ¡°It seems like it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re thinking heavily about something.¡± He looked at her with a single raised eyebrow. ¡°Are you thinking about quitting?¡± Deresdra smiled at his eyebrow gesture. ¡°Actually, no.¡± She said. ¡°This... this is the first job that I''ve had, where I get actual money...¡± She smiled. ¡°...and not a ''your debt has received a payment'' slip.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s what I''ve been working towards.¡± He said. ¡°I mean, paying people actual money, not slips like that.¡± Deresdra nodded slightly. ¡°It''s quite nice.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t know what to buy first.¡± ¡°I''d suggest something you''ve wanted for a while, but never had the money to get before.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s oddly satisfying to scratch that itch.¡± ¡°I... I''ll think about it.¡± She said, and he smiled. ¡°If all you do is think about it, you won''t buy it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll convince yourself that it''s not really necessary.¡± He smiled again. ¡°It probably isn''t; but, that''s not the point.¡± Deresdra nodded slightly again. ¡°I understand.¡± She smiled. ¡°You''re cleared for work.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have a good day.¡± He gave her a slightly bow, and left the medical tent. * I will. Deresdra thought as she watched him walk away. * Ren repaired the dozen picks that were hung in the blacksmith shop, checked the baby fire elemental and gave it more food, then went into the mines. He set up more lanterns with the Illumination runes enchanted on them, smashed several large boulders that had been unearthed after he''d left the day before, then started digging another marked offshoot tunnel. An hour later, his regular work crew showed up and he joined them in their efforts to get the mine into operation. They laid down track, cleared more dirt and boulders, and finally hit a very rich iron ore deposit. ¡°Wow, would you look at that!¡± One dwarf said. ¡°Someone get me a cart!¡± ¡°Someone get us all a cart!¡± Another one said. ¡°We''ll have this dug out lickety-split, or my name isn''t Orecruncher!¡± A couple of the dwarves ran out of the main tunnel and brought back several carts each. Ren helped dig out the ore, and they filled the carts quickly. They repeated this several times, and filled all of the available carts. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± One of them asked. ¡°All of the carts are full, and there''s no cart foreman to weigh them for us.¡± ¡°I''ll go and talk to the mine foreman.¡± Ren said, and looked at the iron ore vein that still covered the end of the 20 foot wide main tunnel. They had dug through a hundred feet of it so far, and were now pretty much surrounded by it. ¡°We''ll need someone on the cart foreman job as soon as possible.¡± He said. ¡°And a lot more miners.¡± ¡°Yeah-hah!¡± The crew said. ¡°We''ve opened the mine!¡± Ren left them to celebrate, and went to the mine foreman''s office, told him what they''d found, and asked when the cart foreman could get there. ¡°I''ll send a messenger right away.¡± The mine foreman said, and used the steel square Sending glyph to contact Ereka for a messenger. ¡°I''ll handle the job until he gets here.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and the mine foreman laughed. ¡°Your gamble is paying off.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°Once word gets out that we''re up and running, people are going to flock here.¡± He grinned. ¡°I guarantee it!¡± They left the office and Ren went into the tunnel to tell the miners to bring out the carts. Once everything was weighed and the miners were paid their due, they went back inside and did it again. Ren on the other hand, took some of the ore into the blacksmith shop and told Lurmoli to start smelting right away, then went into his own workshop and got his own smelter going. They would need more track, and a lot more carts; and now that they had a steady supply of ore, there would be no problem making what they would need. Ren skipped lunch, and kept smelting ore as more and more of it appeared in the storage area. He went to the mine foreman, and told him to get several carts sent out to pick up ore to be sent to his workshop at House Neram Keep. ¡°Are you sure that''s wise?¡± The mine foreman asked. ¡°We''re going to need this ore if any orders come in.¡± ¡°If an order for what we can produce in a day comes in, then offer to deliver it the next day.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I started this because I needed the ore.¡± He explained. ¡°If we can get steady buyers as well...¡± ¡°Ah, I understand.¡± The mine foreman smiled. ¡°We make sure the clients expect a slight delay, then when we can produce more in the same time frame, we can dazzle them with our efficiency.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Ren said. ¡°If they already have low expectations, then they will be amazed when production ramps up to full scale.¡± Everyone kept working, and they produced a fairly large amount of ore that day. Ren finished his shift, changed clothes briefly to clean them, and ran down to the gate. The guard opened it as he approached, and gave him a slight wave as he ran by. Ren was back at House Neram Keep quite early, and went up to the workshop. ¡°The mirrors were delivered.¡± Tee-one said as Ren came into the forge room. All three forges were smelting ore, and Ren smiled. ¡°Please tell me you got it done.¡± Tee-one chuckled and handed Ren a huge crate. He opened it, and grinned. ¡°Oh, this is great!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Thanks, Tee-one!¡± Tee-one opened his mouth to comment about the thanks, then changed his mind. ¡°Here''s 2 more sitting tables.¡± Ren stored them and the crate, then put a hand on Tee-one''s shoulder. ¡°Yes, I know you regret that you couldn''t do it yourself.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°But technically, you did do it yourself.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''m a part of you, and I''m using your skills.¡± Ren nodded, pat Tee-one''s shoulder, and left the workshop. He ran down to the Keep and went inside to the house. ¡°Honey, I''m home!¡± ¡°Can you guess where I am?¡± Nathalia said from the kitchen, then laughed as he ran in to give her a snuggle from behind. ¡°I''m really sorry that I can''t stay for supper.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. ¡°To make up for it, I had something made for you.¡± ¡°Oh? What is it?¡± ¡°Come into the main room.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia put down the chef knife she was using, and took off her apron. She followed him into the main room and looked around. ¡°I don''t see anyth-woah!¡± Ren took the huge crate out of inventory. ¡°What in the world is in that?!?¡± ¡°Open it and find out.¡± Ren said and grinned. Nathalia stepped close to the crate and couldn''t reach the top. ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°It has a door handle.¡± Ren said and pointed. Nathalia opened it up and gasped. ¡°By the GODS!¡± It was a whole new wardrobe of outfits for her. Chapter 193 - Selling and Buying Nathalia stared at the neatly hung up outfits, and the drawers filled with skirts, blouses, and other things. ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look through them and tell me what else you might want.¡± ¡°Wh-wh-what else?!?¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°There''s twice as much here as what I have already!¡± ¡°I couldn''t let all the old clothes that don''t fit you anymore, be the only things that you have.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe you should sort through the old clothes first, and see what you want to keep.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°Then you can see if anyone wants your old clothes.¡± He said. ¡°It would be a shame to just throw them away.¡± Nathalia looked at Ren with smoldering eyes and smiled. ¡°You know how much I love you, right?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± He said, kissed her surprised face, and ran from the house. ¡°RENNNN!¡± Nathalia hollered, and she heard his laughter before the front door shut. Ren ran to the stable to ask Princess to take him to the warehouse by the diamond crystal mine. She agreed, and then he asked Riley and Stacy if they wanted to come as well. They both barked softly, and Ren led the trio out to the courtyard and hooked Princess up to the cart. Riley and Stacy jumped into the back without being prompted, and Ren took them out to the main road. Ren nodded slightly to the guards as he climbed into the cart, and Teepo landed on his shoulder. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said. * Ereka felt Ren pass by, and held her breath. He''s gone by much more quickly this time. She thought as she put a hand over the brooch she always wore. At least I got to feel him today. * Ren had caught a glimpse of feelings as he passed by House Neram''s Main House. First it was happiness, then a touch of sadness. He reached into his pocket and took out the steel square with the Sending Glyph on it. ¡°Hi, Ma''am.¡± Ren said, in case Ereka wasn''t alone. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Ereka said after she touched the steel square that never left her sight, just in case it glowed. ¡°No one else is in my office.¡± ¡°The Ma''am made you say that.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I was worried I might have offended someone if I''d said your name right away.¡± ¡°I have the same problem when you''re around. I check to see if anyone is listening before I say your name in public, too.¡± Ereka laughed. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I need a few things ordered from Barnar''s Stoneworks.¡± Ren said, and gave her a rundown of the mix of things that he wanted. ¡°That''s a lot of stonework.¡± Ereka said. ¡°It might take a week or so, depending on what other things he has going.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only need them as examples, anyways.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± He said. ¡°In fact, you should order some blank flat slabs, and a few figure carving blanks for me, too.¡± ¡°It sounds like you''re planning to carve a bunch of things for yourself.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°When I''m not being run ragged and have some actual time to work on things, I want to have the supplies I''ll need to do that.¡± ¡°I''ll have them ordered right away.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Actually, yeah. Contact the shipyard, and ask them when my ship will be ready.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll need a crew for it; but, not right away. Unless they need to train and practice on it. It''s a big ship.¡± ¡°You bought a ship.¡± ¡°A couple of weeks ago. The shipwright told me it would take a month to finish, and I was just wondering if he was ahead of schedule.¡± ¡°I''ll send a messenger over.¡± ¡°Thanks, Ereka.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± She said. ¡°Have fun in Aurora.¡± ¡°How did you know I was going there?¡± ¡°You went by the Main House really fast.¡± Ereka said. ¡°A lot faster then when you ran by before. You''ve got to be in your mount-drawn cart; and you only go in that when you''ve got to get to Aurora.¡± ¡°I couldn''t just be taking a leisurely ride through the countryside?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°I haven''t known you for very long; but, I know for a fact that you''ve never done that.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You''re always going somewhere, and it''s never just for a ride.¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°You''ve got me there.¡± He said. ¡°I''m just making a quick delivery to the shop, and should be back in a few hours.¡± ¡°I''ll see you at home, then.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Bye, Ereka.¡± Ren put the steel square back into his pocket and watched the countryside zoom by, then smiled. Like I could see any of it riding like this. ...Do you want me... to slow down... Princess thought to him. ¡°Hell, no!¡± Ren and Teepo exclaimed at the same time. Ren laughed, and Teepo chittered in laughter, as they both felt amusement from Princess. * ¡°I''m bored.¡± Croggart said to his brother as he sat down to eat a dry ration pack. ¡°I thought you said there were giants around here?¡± Groggot laughed. ¡°We''ve only been scouting for 2 days.¡± ¡°2 days of nothing.¡± Croggart said. ¡°No animals. No tracks. Nothing.¡± ¡°What are we sitting in?¡± Groggot asked. ¡°Okay, fresh tracks.¡± Croggart said as he looked down to see the 3 foot long foot-shaped indentation in the ground. ¡°This one is weeks old.¡± Groggot nodded slightly. ¡°This is the one Ren and I killed.¡± He said. ¡°When the Commander asked for volunteers to track it and see where it came from, I jumped at the chance.¡± Croggart grinned. ¡°I was really lucky I was visiting the Garrison at the time.¡± ¡°Lucky?¡± Groggot snorted a laugh. ¡°You''ve been camped out on the giant''s side of the wall for a week!¡± Croggart laughed. ¡°I wanted to see one for myself.¡± Groggot shook his head. ¡°I''m only allowed to track for another day; then I need to report back.¡± Croggart nodded slightly. ¡°We''re well out into the wilderness already.¡± He said. ¡°I doubt there''s anything else around here.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Just then the bushes rattled behind them, but neither man turned to see what it was. ¡°You guys are loud.¡± A male dwarf said. He was the only other one who had volunteered to follow giant tracks, just to see where they led. ¡°Hey, Nershan.¡± Groggot said. ¡°Have a nice nap?¡± ¡°No.¡± He said, sat down on the ground beside them, and took out his own ration pack. ¡°For some reason, I kept hearing talking and laughing.¡± Croggart clapped the little dwarf on the shoulder. ¡°Sorry, Nershan. I was just complaining about how bored I am.¡± ¡°You and me both.¡± Nershan said, with a bit of disgust in his voice. ¡°I actually missed the last skirmish at the Garrison.¡± He frowned. ¡°I got caught near one of the bunkers and the stupid Knight on duty there, ordered me inside.¡± The other two men laughed. ¡°I''d ask why you joined the army if you hate taking orders, but I already know you joined for the same reason as me.¡± Groggot said. Nershan nodded slightly. ¡°A change of pace!¡± ¡°More excitement!¡± Groggot responded. ¡°More boredom!¡± Croggart said and laughed. * Ren made it to the warehouse within the hour and unhooked the cart. He led Princess and the two dogs inside, and left them there to wait. ¡°I shouldn''t be long.¡± Ren said, as Teepo dissolved into the ring. He left food for Princess, ran up the stairs, and went through the portal after opening the cabinet. He appeared on the other side and came out of the cabinet. He nailed it shut, summoned Teepo, and sent him down the stairs. ¡°All clear, I think.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s a few customers, and it looks like they are giving Anabelle a hard time.¡± Ren ran down the stairs, and came out through the door he had installed the last time he was there. He calmly walked over to the counter where Anabelle was being confronted by several people, two of which were women. ¡°What kind of business are you running here?¡± One woman asked. ¡°I ordered a sitting table, and you said it would be a day before I could get it.¡± She said. ¡°It''s been nearly a day already, so where is it?¡± ¡°What''s your name?¡± Ren asked, and the people turned to look at him. She told him, and he took out the list. ¡°Your name is not on this list.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you ordered it when you say you did, it would be.¡± She opened her mouth to say something and Ren held up a hand to stop her. ¡°Wait just a minute.¡± Ren said, and stepped by her. ¡°Can I have today''s list, Anabelle?¡± ¡°Of course, Sir.¡± Anabelle said, and handed him the list. ¡°It seems you only ordered it this morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t appreciate you being angry at my business manager, just because you thought a ''day'' meant ''today''.¡± The woman opened her mouth to respond, and her friend put a hand on her arm. ¡°He''s right.¡± ¡°I don''t have to listen to some kid who thinks he owns the place, and tells me that I''m wrong!¡± ¡°But I do own the place.¡± Ren smiled, and the woman''s mouth dropped open in surprise. He tapped his ears. ¡°Also, I''m an elfling; not a kid.¡± The woman closed her mouth loudly, and her teeth clacked together. ¡°We''re terribly sorry.¡± Her friend said, still holding the woman''s arm. ¡°We didn''t mean to be insulting.¡± ¡°That''s usually how people get insulted.¡± Ren said. ¡°But that''s okay.¡± He grinned at the woman, and she blushed a little. ¡°You''re actually in luck. I have an extra sitting table ready.¡± ¡°You... you do?!?¡± The other woman asked, surprised. ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wouldn''t lie to a customer.¡± He said and took out a sitting table with a round mirror, just like she had ordered. When Ren asked for the money, the woman got a worried look on her face. ¡°I... ah... I''ll have to come back for it.¡± She said, and turned and walked towards the door. Her friend stared after her, with shock clearly on her face. ¡°We can hold it for today, but they sell fast. You''ll have to make another order if you wait too long.¡± The woman kept walking, and ignored Ren''s words. She opened the door and left the shop. Her friend turned to Ren. ¡°I... I...¡± Ren put a hand on her arm, just like she had done for her friend. ¡°It''s okay.¡± He said. ¡°You don''t have to explain, or make up an excuse.¡± She looked at him with her eyes wide. ¡°Sometimes people just need some attention.¡± Ren said. ¡°Either good or bad, it''s still attention.¡± The woman sighed. ¡°I''ll talk to her, and see if she''ll come back to buy it.¡± ¡°That''s not necessary.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It should sell tomorrow, especially since it''s here and a customer doesn''t have to wait a day to get it.¡± ¡°You... you''re not going to hold her to the order?¡± She asked, surprised. Ren shook his head. ¡°I don''t think she would have put up such a fuss, if she could have afforded to buy it.¡± He smiled. ¡°She might have been looking for a discount, or even hoping to get it for free.¡± Her friend nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren let her arm go, and waved the thanks away. ¡°I don''t know what her problems may be; but if she''s looking for a job, I know someone who will be opening a restaurant soon. They''ll need servers, cooks, dishwashers, cleaners, and the whole deal.¡± The friend blinked her eyes a few times. ¡°Are...are you serious?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°The decision was just made, so it might be a week or two before it gets off the ground.¡± ¡°That''s wonderful!¡± The friend said. ¡°I... I might come by and see what I can do, too.¡± ¡°I''d like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re always looking for good people to come and work for us.¡± She smiled one of those smiles that just lit up her face, then she looked at the door. ¡°I better go and see if I can catch up to her, and tell her the good news.¡± She looked back at Ren. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren nodded to her, and she walked quickly out the door. ¡°Is there really going to be a restaurant opening?¡± One of the other customers asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°The next street over and on the corner, assuming someone else hasn''t bought Mitchell''s old place yet.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± The guy said. ¡°I''m getting sick of the poor quality food and ration packs.¡± ¡°I hear that.¡± Another customer said. ¡°A couple of the inns offer ale, and breakfast sometimes...¡± He shook his head. ¡°Actual food would be nice for once.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°So, what can I help you with?¡± The other customers had placed orders the day before, and were on the list Ren had. He gave them their items, and they paid Anabelle for them. Once the business was empty, she turned to him. ¡°You handled that really well.¡± She said. ¡°I was angry that she was yelling at you...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°...but, I figured twisting it around on her would be better than trying to yell back at her.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Anabelle said, and took him into a hug. ¡°For what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You could have handled it yourself.¡± ¡°I could have.¡± She said, then smiled as she held him and he didn''t protest. ¡°But you gallantly stepped in and took the attention off of me.¡± ¡°Well, you didn''t know I had an extra sitting table ready.¡± Ren explained. ¡°It gave me a leg up in diffusing the situation.¡± Anabelle squeezed him tightly, then kissed the top of his head. ¡°What was that for?¡± Ren asked her, kind of surprised. ¡°For getting angry that someone was yelling at me.¡± Ren wasn''t sure what to say to that, and she let him out of the hug. ¡°I can''t believe you made everything on the list.¡± Anabelle said, and then Ren took it all out and gave her the list back. Each piece had the person''s name on it, too. ¡°You''re amazing.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I have an amazing helper who did most of the work.¡± Anabelle smiled. ¡°Can the helper do repairs?¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°You''ve got customers for that?¡± She nodded. ¡°On the shelves you made.¡± Ren went over to the forge area, and there were things scattered over the shelves. ¡°All of this after only one day?¡± Anabelle chuckled. ¡°I sold 2 of the suits of armor, too.¡± Ren picked her up and spun her around. ¡°You''re the amazing one!¡± He said, and she giggled as he put her down. ¡°I''ll fix these when I come back.¡± She looked at him with a question on her face. ¡°By come back, I meant half an hour.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just need to run a couple of errands.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Anabelle smiled. ¡°I''ll be here.¡± Ren left the shop and walked a street over and down to the corner to Mitchell''s old place. It was still boarded up; but, it didn''t seem run down or anything. He got the popup for purchasing it when he was close enough to the front entrance, and when he saw the price was the same as it was for the warehouse, he smiled and paid the fee right away, rather than negotiate. He changed the business name to Nathalia''s Nourishment, and put Nathalia Neram as the owner. He listed himself as the primary contact for inquiries, chose renovation instead of refurbishment, and stood there to wait. About 10 minutes later, Jen and the work crew came down the street to him. ¡°You again!¡± Jen exclaimed, and waved her arms in exasperation. ¡°We have to stop meeting like this!¡± Ren laughed as she came over to him. ¡°I''m sorry to keep bugging you.¡± ¡°No, you''re not!¡± She said and grinned. ¡°Okay, I''m not.¡± He said. ¡°I''m keeping you busy, though.¡± ¡°Ain''t that the truth.¡± Jen said. ¡°What do you want this time?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Join this building to the storage in behind, to make it one large building.¡± ¡°Why in the world do you need that much floor space?¡± ¡°Restaurant.¡± Jen blinked her eyes at him. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve already talked to the head cook and owner about opening it. I bought this place in her name.¡± ¡°You seem to be buying a lot of things for everyone.¡± Jen said and chuckled. ¡°If you want to keep that trend, I''ve been looking at a nice piece of land a few miles outside the city.¡± She said. ¡°It''s got a great view of the water.¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°Only 130 platinum.¡± Jen said and laughed. ¡°It''s got it''s own dock, too.¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°How big is the dock?¡± ¡°Big enough to hold a couple of ships.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said, and took out a coin pouch. He put 130 platinum in it and held it out to her. ¡°I want exclusive rights to land at the dock though.¡± He said. ¡°And maybe build a large warehouse to hold everything, far enough away from the water that it doesn''t block the view.¡± Jen''s mouth dropped open. ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I was JOKING!¡± ¡°So there isn''t a piece of land there?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, there is.¡± Jen said. ¡°I was joking about you buying it for me!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°What if I loan you the money and you buy it for yourself?¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± ¡°I''ll still need the dock, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°Far enough away from the city so it doesn''t impact the trade already going through there, but close enough that I can trade if I want to.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°It was your idea.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I already have a ship. It''s not quite done yet, but I''ll need somewhere to keep it.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Ren dangled the coin pouch in front of her. Jen looked at it, then at Ren. ¡°You''re really serious?¡± She asked. Ren nodded. Jen sighed, and took the coin pouch. ¡°I''m going to owe you for the rest of my life.¡± She said. ¡°Your grand-kids will owe me for the rest of their lives.¡± Ren said, and Jen looked horrified. ¡°I''m going to charge you a gold a week, with no interest.¡± He said, and grinned as her horrified expression turned to joyous laughter. Chapter 194 - Attacked ¡°I can''t believe you''re giving me all of this money.¡± Jen said once she stopped laughing, then shook her head. ¡°It''s a loan.¡± Ren said and kept grinning. ¡°That will take 250 years to pay back!¡± Jen snorted. ¡°It''s like you aren''t even interested in getting it back.¡± Ren winked at her. ¡°I did say ''one gold a week, and no interest''.¡± ¡°You''re crazy!¡± Jen shook her head again. ¡°How can you be so... so...¡± ¡°Generous? Because I can.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I started out, I was scrambling to make my first silver, then my first gold.¡± He smiled. ¡°It was a much simpler time then.¡± He sighed. ¡°So much has happened since then, though.¡± Ren looked at Jen. ¡°Now that I do have money, I have no problem with helping out friends when they need it.¡± She put a hand on his arm. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don''t thank me yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°I still need the plans for this reconstructed building.¡± Jen smiled and took out the old plans for the building. The crew came over to them, they all gathered around in a circle, and discussed the best way to handle it. Jhulune stood beside Ren, and he felt a hand lightly touch his lower back. When he didn''t mention anything, or move away from her probing hand, Jhulune slid her hand across his lower back and rested it on the back of his hip. It was the first time Ren had been held quite like that, and he kind of liked it. ¡°I think the roof is what''s going to give us the most problems.¡± One of the crew said. ¡°Joining the walls, here, here, and here...¡± He pointed to the corners of the two buildings. ¡°...that''s a piece of cake. Taking out the supports on the inside, and removing the walls that hold up each of the roofs, is another story.¡± ¡°That''s a good point.¡± Jen said, and looked at Ren. ¡°Do you think we can get away with just an arch in the middle, or something?¡± Ren looked at the plans. ¡°Well, if we extend the building here to the corner of the lot, and took off the roof ends here, and here... then joined them together... the kitchen can go into a single section here, behind the support walls that would hold the roof up where they join.¡± He smiled. ¡°I can even make a small outdoor seating area here on the outside corner, too.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Jen said, and looked at the crew. ¡°Well, what are you doing just standing here?¡± She asked them and laughed. ¡°Get to work!¡± ¡°Yes, Ma''am!¡± They all said together, and went to the cart to gather supplies. Ren felt the hand on his hip linger for a moment, then it disappeared. Surprisingly, he missed it''s comforting warmth and turned to see Jhulune as she grabbed some tools from the cart. She wore the same work pants that she had worn the other day, and he could see the strap of the bra he had given her through her thin t-shirt. Ren looked at the cart, and saw two of the crew as they lifted out one of the prefab wall sections, and watched as they carried it over to where it was to be attached. He then helped Jen make the official alterations on the plans, and memorized a copy for himself to make back in the Dwarven Kingdom. By the time he''d done that, they already had the corner made, and were tearing off the ends of the roofs. ¡°Your crew is getting faster and faster.¡± Ren commented. ¡°More hands makes faster work.¡± Jen said. ¡°More experienced hands makes faster work.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Just having help isn''t always the best option.¡± ¡°Okay, that''s true.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°You''re lucky that we just stopped working on the city repairs for the day.¡± Jen grinned. ¡°You''d be waiting until tomorrow for this, otherwise.¡± ¡°Thanks, Jen.¡± Ren said. ¡°I appreciate it.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''ve got another errand to run, so I''ll leave you to it.¡± ¡°Just a second.¡± Jen reached into her own coin pouch and handed Ren a gold coin. ¡°Here''s the first week''s payment.¡± Ren took it from her, gave her a slight bow, and walked down the street. * Jen watched him walk around the corner of the next street, and shook her head. If I didn''t think getting involved with him would be more trouble than it was worth... She thought and shook her head. I can barely handle him now, and we''re just friends! * Jhulune was in a good mood, and felt a little naughty; because she''d gotten away with giving Ren a kind of one-armed hug, and no one had noticed. She smiled. He didn''t push my hand away, either! * Ren went into Sally''s Shop and looked around. He saw one of Lord Neram''s designs hanging in her display, and smiled. She should like these other ones, too. Ren thought, as he waited for Sally to finish up with a couple of customers. They bought their ordered items, and left the shop. He turned around and smiled at her, and her face flushed a little red. ¡°Ren!¡± Sally said. ¡°I didn''t see you come in.¡± Ren chuckled. Since he always had Sneak on, it was easy to be quiet all the time. ¡°Sorry, Sally.¡± He said. ¡°You were busy with customers, and I thought it was only polite to not bother you.¡± Sally nodded and waved him closer. ¡°You always were a little sneaky.¡± ¡°That''s not a shot at my height, is it?¡± Ren grinned at her and gave her a hug as she laughed. ¡°No, dear boy.¡± Sally said, squeezed him tightly for a moment, then let him go. ¡°I take it you''ve got a bit of spare time for me today?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°And a few more designs, if you want.¡± ¡°Please!¡± Sally said, excitedly. ¡°I''ve already had several orders for the few you gave me already.¡± Ren asked for some parchment, as he didn''t have any left, and he drew out a few outfits and the patterns needed for their pieces. ¡°Oh, these are wonderful!¡± Sally exclaimed. ¡°The cuts alone are masterpieces.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I was surprised at how easy it is to move in the clothing, even though it looks like you''d be stiff as a board wearing them.¡± Sally nodded. ¡°Yes, they are very well designed.¡± She looked at him. ¡°I visited your store yesterday.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What did you think?¡± ¡°I wasn''t really interested in most of it.¡± Sally said and did a little half-wave with a hand. ¡°I''m not into tools and weapons.¡± Ren nodded, and she continued. ¡°I really liked the outfits you designed, though.¡± She smiled. ¡°I have no idea what it was that was wearing them, though.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°They''re training dummies.¡± ¡°Training dummies?!?¡± ¡°Yeah, fake humanoids made of wood that you practice on.¡± Ren said. ¡°Usually with weapons.¡± ¡°And you have them wearing clothes in a display.¡± Sally shook her head. ¡°You have some strange ideas.¡± Ren laughed again. ¡°You have no idea.¡± Sally laughed, and her face flushed a little more red as she thought about what some of those ideas might be. He might even want me to take off my socks! She thought, and laughed harder. They both enjoyed a good laugh for a minute, then Ren sighed. ¡°I better get back to the shop.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a bunch of repairs to do before I go home.¡± ¡°Okay, dear.¡± Sally said. ¡°Give me another hug before you go.¡± Ren hugged her closely, and she smiled down at him. ¡°Make sure you have fun sometimes.¡± Sally said. ¡°You can''t work all the time, okay?¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that, Sally.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve been having fun this whole time.¡± She nodded and let him out of the hug. ¡°See you later, Ren.¡± ¡°Bye, Sally.¡± He said. ¡°I can''t promise I''ll be back to visit soon.¡± He smiled. ¡°But, I''ll try my best.¡± ¡°That''s all anyone should ever ask of you.¡± Sally said and smiled. Ren gave her a regal bow, and left the shop. * That boy! Sally thought as she sat down and waved a hand in front of her face, flustered from Ren treating her like royalty. She started to laugh again, as she realized she actually wouldn''t mind if he did try to take off her socks. * Ren ran back to his own shop and went inside. There wasn''t any customers inside, so he waved at Anabelle, who sat at her desk all prim and proper, then went to the forge and the shelves of items for repair. It only took about 10 minutes to fix everything, and he went over to Anabelle. ¡°How is every-¡± *BANG* The front door to the shop flew open, and Elerlyth stumbled in. She was in full armor, and it was beaten and dinged, scratched and clawed, and several chunks were missing. Ren didn''t notice that, however. What he did see, was that she was nearly only skin and bones and had practically withered away.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°By the GODS!¡± Ren exclaimed and rushed over to her. She saw his face and tried to smile, but then she collapsed. He caught her easily, and was afraid to hold her too tightly; because she looked like she might just break and die if he did hug her like he wanted to. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked as he concentrated on their shared brooch and the Spider Aura... and nothing happened. He equipped his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, concentrated on his Fear Aura, and connected his Screaming Terror ring. He couldn''t feel her taking anything, though. ¡°Met... met... others...¡± Elerlyth whispered, and it sounded like two pieces of sandpaper had rubbed together. ¡°...like... me...¡± She swallowed loudly. ¡°...took brooch...¡± Ren saw her tongue was just as withered as the rest of her. ¡°Oh, Elerlyth.¡± He said, and tears came to his eyes as he kissed her dried lips. He opened his heart, and poured out everything he felt for her, through his mouth and into hers. He pushed as much of it inside of her as he could, and her eyes widened as her lips started to fill up. Her tongue healed a little, and she gathered enough strength to reach up with a bony hand. She cupped the side of his face as he kept kissing her, and she felt his emotions touch that part of her that housed her ability. She sighed, and Ren broke the kiss and leaned back. ¡°I''m going to move you now.¡± Ren said, and she nodded the little bit that she could. He picked her up easily, held her in close to his chest without squeezing her, and walked to the back of the store. ¡°Close the store and lock up, Anabelle.¡± ¡°Of... of course, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said as she tried to not stare at the withered thing Ren carried. ¡°Right away.¡± She ran to the door and locked up, then covered the windows with the dark curtains. Ren took Elerlyth up the stairs and into the apartment, then into the bedroom. He gently laid her on the bed, and examined her. He saw several severe injuries and the tears kept flowing. One of her hands was broken, and there was a stab wound in her upper arm. Slashes covered her legs, what there was of them that he could see, and the armor looked like it had been grabbed and crushed in one spot. He''d lost count of how many arrow and crossbow bolt tip dents were in the armor. ¡°How in the world did you get here?¡± Ren asked her as he wiped away some of his tears. ¡°Had... had to get to you...¡± Elerlyth whispered, and it almost sounded like her. ¡°...need you...¡± ¡°Store your armor and bodysuit.¡± Ren ordered her, and she shook her head. ¡°They... drained me...¡± Elerlyth held a bony hand up. ¡°...it looks... bad...¡± ¡°Like that matters to me.¡± Ren said, stored his clothing, and left himself with his underwear and the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. ¡°What matters is skin contact; and if you can stand it, I''m going to wrap myself as much around you as I can.¡± ¡°...oh, Ren...¡± Elerlyth said, and he could see her struggling to select the armor and bodysuit to store them. When they vanished, Ren could see just how bad it was. He ran his hands along her once athletic legs, and only felt bone and skin. His hands passed over her hip bones and touched her stomach, and he could swear he could feel her spine. Ren let his tears cover her skin; and when he got to her chest, the dried and withered flesh of her once beautiful mounds nearly broke his heart. Ren kissed them gently, almost feather light, and poured everything he felt into Elerlyth. Her bony hands ran through his hair, and the fingertips scraped along his skull. He climbed into the bed and laid down beside her, and pulled her close. He heard her gasp, as her bones clanked together and the joints didn''t quite work right. ¡°I can''t use a wand to heal you, or you might be permanently like this if I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got to fill your ability first.¡± Elerlyth''s eyes looked like they were trying to cry; but, there wasn''t any spare fluid at all inside of her. Ren cupped the side of her face, and he felt only jaw and cheek bones. He kissed her, and since her lips were a bit fuller than they were when he first started, it didn''t hurt her as much; so he wrapped his arms around her, and let all of his feelings pour out and into her. It took about an hour for there to be enough flesh on her body for them to join together, and once they did, something inside Elerlyth clicked. She gasped and cried out as she gripped him tightly. With a combination of pain and pleasure, she pulled as much of him into herself as she could take; both emotionally and physically, while they made love. Over the next two hours, Ren pleased her many times. Her body shook from the sensations, and Elerlyth drank down everything he felt. His near heartbreak over her condition was the sweetest thing she''d ever tasted; and he let her take everything that he had. She felt his deep regret that she didn''t have the brooch, so they could share it all together; and she drank that down, too. When they got to the point that she had a good amount of flesh on her, her multiple wounds started to bleed. Ren tried to stop so he could heal them, and she rolled over on top of him and held his arms. ¡°Its okay.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I''m channeling some of my ability to healing.¡± Ren nodded, and she rode him for another hour. ¡°Oh... oh god!¡± Elerlyth nearly screamed as an orgasm caught her unaware. She collapsed on top of him, and he held her gently. ¡°I think you''re back to your old self.¡± Ren said. Elerlyth looked at him with a huge smile on her face. ¡°It''s all because of you.¡± She said, then thought about everything that happened. ¡°You... I can''t believe you could... touch me... in that state.¡± Ren ran his hand through her restored hair. ¡°I''ve told you before. I can see who you really are.¡± ¡°But...¡± Elerlyth looked down, and noticed something was missing. ¡°You didn''t finish.¡± She sighed. ¡°So, I was too disgusting for you.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± ¡°You drank in everything that I felt.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you even once feel disgust?¡± Elerlyth opened her mouth to say yes, then shook her head. ¡°Then why...¡± ¡°You physically couldn''t hold it all like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°It just seemed like a waste, if you couldn''t enjoy it as much as I do.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said, and kissed him. ¡°I''m pretty much healed now.¡± Ren ran his hands over her restored legs, and felt all the little scratches and pokes. ¡°Not yet you aren''t.¡± He took out a fireball wand, drained the charges, and filled it with Major Healing. He used it on her several times to fix all the things wrong with her, and smiled at her when she was all better. ¡°Now you are.¡± He said, then rolled her over. She gave that little surprised yip, and as he pleased her again, he let out everything that he''d held in the entire time they had been together. ¡°OH GOD!¡± Elerlyth screamed, as he fed her ability with all of the frustration that he''d built up about not being able to finish, and his mischievousness that he had hidden it from her completely. She gripped his hair and stared at him in the eyes as he finally went, then she went again, and she drank it all down. They rode that feeling for several minutes, and stared at each other as they both calmed down. She pulled his face close and kissed him, then let his hair go. He laid down beside her, and she held onto him as he turned to face her. ¡°You bastard.¡± Elerlyth said, and laughed. ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± Ren asked with a crooked smile, knowing exactly what she meant. ¡°How could you give me everything you had, let me feed on it all, and still have hidden something from me?¡± ¡°Practice.¡± Ren said. ¡°With all of the times we''ve been together like this, I''ve learned how to... compartmentalize?¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°I''ve learned to only share the feelings that I want to share, and not overwhelm anyone.¡± ¡°Your House Neram pendant.¡± It was Ren''s turn to nod his head. ¡°I didn''t want all of my feelings to be felt.¡± He said. ¡°Unlike you, no one else can tell what and why I''m feeling things.¡± Elerlyth cupped the side of his face and sighed. ¡°What in the world am I going to do with you?¡± ¡°For now you can sleep.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got to log out for breakfast and therapy.¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°We''ve also got that meeting at lunch.¡± He nodded. ¡°Now that you''re all better, I think you should stay here for a few days.¡± ¡°I... don''t think that''s a good idea.¡± ¡°If whoever you met followed you, you''ll be safer in here than anywhere else.¡± Elerlyth opened her mouth to argue, and Ren kissed her. ¡°Please.¡± He pleaded. Elerlyth sighed. ¡°You know why I didn''t want to log in to see you?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°It was because... because I... I told you that I loved you.¡± Ren smiled, and Elerlyth felt the warm fuzzy feelings he felt, and he fed them to her. ¡°Ren, you know that I... that...¡± Ren cupped the side of her face. ¡°Yes, I know you said it only because you were thanking me for the wands.¡± He let her face go. ¡°It''s still nice to have a beautiful woman say those words, no matter the reason.¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s why I didn''t want to see you for a while.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I knew you would take it the wrong way.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°But, I didn''t take it the wrong way.¡± ¡°You just said...¡± ¡°Did I confess that I loved you, too?¡± Ren asked her. Elerlyth shook her head, and he thought she looked a little disappointed. ¡°No.¡± ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said and lay on his back. ¡°Now, if you''d said that you loved me while we were having sex...¡± He grinned. ¡°...that I would have taken the ''wrong'' way.¡± Elerlyth lightly punched him in the side. ¡°I thought I told you to stop hitting me like a girl.¡± Ren said and laughed as she hauled off and punched him several times in the side and chest; he blocked some of them, and let others through. ¡°It''s... not... funny!¡± Elerlyth said, and her fist glowed for a moment. Ren saw it and reacted immediately; he caught the wrist without touching her glowing fist. ¡°What''s that?¡± Ren asked. Elerlyth looked at her fist, her eyes widened slightly, and then the fist stopped glowing. ¡°It''s nothing.¡± ¡°If I didn''t know any better, I''d say that was a penetration spell.¡± Elerlyth''s face flushed to a darker color. ¡°You were actually trying to hurt me.¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°I was just joking around.¡± ¡°You... you made me angry.¡± She said and her face flushed even darker. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He said. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I won''t joke around with you like that anymore.¡± Ren said, and moved over on the bed. ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°If you''re genuinely angry that I didn''t say that I loved you back, even though you said you didn''t mean it...¡± He sighed and shook his head. ¡°Logout.¡± * ¡°I''m sorry!¡± Elerlyth said as Ren''s body phased out. ¡°I don''t think he heard you.¡± Anabelle said from the bedroom doorway. ¡°What would you know about it?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°More than you, apparently.¡± Anabelle said, and laughed. ¡°He''s right, though. You might not have meant it; but, you''re mad that he ignored it and didn''t say it back.¡± ¡°No, I''m not!¡± Elerlyth said, heatedly. ¡°You keep telling yourself that, honey.¡± Anabelle said as she turned around to go back to the bed in the living room. ¡°You might convince yourself eventually.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the real world to a familiar face. ¡°Hi, Denise.¡± ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± She said as she took the VR headset from him and put it on the rollaway table. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t make it in to watch the show last night.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t know there was going to be so many people there to see it.¡± ¡°I heard.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°Even that tall redhead managed to make it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Elise was the only one who actually asked to come and watch it with me.¡± ¡°''Elise'', huh?¡± She laughed. ¡°Not ''Ms. Stanford''?¡± He grinned and pointed to his cheek. ¡°Oh, you cheeky devil!¡± ¡°That now has a new meaning.¡± Ren laughed as he slid out of bed and walked to the bathroom. ¡°What''s for breakfast?¡± ¡°Eggs, toast, and juice.¡± Ren shut the bathroom door and looked at himself in the mirror. He turned his head to the side and saw the perfect imprint of a set of red lips on his cheek. He smiled, used the bathroom, and cleaned himself up. He came out a couple of minutes later. ¡°I didn''t hear bacon in that description.¡± ¡°Candy bar and soda.¡± ¡°Damn, I forgot about that.¡± Ren said and went to the dresser. ¡°It was good, though.¡± He said and took out his workout outfit. ¡°Yes! No long sleeves!¡± ¡°The therapist said she was giving the television star a break.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°Only a light workout today.¡± ¡°Sweet!¡± Ren said and changed right there. His arm worked better today, so he didn''t even need help with the t-shirt. He sat on the bed and checked his laptop while he waited for breakfast. On a whim, he took a picture of himself using the laptop''s camera, with his head turned slightly to the side. The lip imprint Elise had left on his face was clearly visible, so he saved it and checked his emails. He groaned as he had several hundred of them from... well, everyone. He browsed through them and saw a lot were probing emails, checking to see if it actually was him. Ren deleted most of those, and left the rest for later. He didn''t feel like looking through them all right now. * Gloria logged out and sighed. She got up off of her recliner and hopped in the shower. It doesn''t matter that he didn''t tell me that he loves me. She thought as she scrubbed herself clean. I''m not mad at him for that! I''m not! She got out of the shower and dried herself off, then started to gather the things she needed to mod the VR headsets. Gloria sighed again. Dammit, I am mad that he didn''t. * Ren ate a quick breakfast, went to therapy, and took a shower. His arm wasn''t as sore as it had been; but, he didn''t want to waste any more time than he had to, so he asked Denise for her help. She scrubbed his back, and helped dry him off. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°That would have taken twice as long if I had to do it myself.¡± ¡°More hands makes the work go faster.¡± Denise said and helped Ren put on his green set of pajamas. ¡°More experienced hands, you mean.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Just having extra hands isn''t always a good thing.¡± ¡°That would depend on what you''re doing.¡± Denise said as she buttoned his shirt top, then blushed a little as she realized what she was doing and what she said. Ren was tempted to tease her a little, but changed his mind. When the moment passed, she smiled at him and he went back to bed. Denise helped him put on the VR headset and he settled down into the bed. ¡°See you at lunch.¡± Ren said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Chapter 195 - Making Plans Ren woke up on the bed and saw Elerlyth''s phantom form beside him. He sighed, equipped his clothing and got out of the bed. He snuck out of the bedroom and towards the cabinet in the living room. Teepo saw him going for the portal, and dissolved back into the ring. ¡°Are you going to tell her you love her?¡± Ren stopped moving and looked at the bed he''d made for Anabelle. She hadn''t moved or shown that she was awake at all, so Ren had thought she was asleep. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Anabelle asked, and sat up in the bed. She was wearing her thin nightgown, but it didn''t leave anything to the imagination. ¡°It would solve a lot of problems for her.¡± ¡°I gave my word to Nathalia that I wouldn''t go back to her and tell her that I loved Elerlyth.¡± ¡°Even if you do?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I saw the way you hugged her, even looking like she did.¡± Anabelle shivered. ¡°You cried when you saw what happened to her.¡± Ren stared at Anabelle, because he thought he had hidden it so well. ¡°I care a lot about her, that''s true.¡± Anabelle chuckled. ¡°You''re afraid to admit it.¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°Apparently, it does to Elerlyth.¡± ¡°She doesn''t love me, though.¡± ¡°I think she does.¡± ¡°But, she said...¡± Anabelle laughed. ¡°How long did it take for you and Nathalia to admit you had feelings for each other?¡± Ren closed his mouth and didn''t respond. Anabelle nodded. ¡°Months.¡± She said. ¡°How long have you been sleeping with Elerlyth?¡± He didn''t say anything, and she smiled. ¡°Sharing so much with someone for so long, feelings for each other are going to develop.¡± Ren sighed again. ¡°I''m not going to tell you to talk to her.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°It''s not my place to do so, nor my job.¡± She smiled again. ¡°I do want you to be happy, though.¡± He rubbed his face. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± ¡°I want you to drop off another couple of sets of armor, and anything else you still have on you for the store.¡± Ren''s eyes widened in surprise, as he had completely forgotten to unload everything else besides the customer orders. ¡°I''ll do that right now.¡± He said, then left the apartment. He ran down the stairs, put 3 more sets of armor into the storage space, and filled the rest of the drawers with lingerie. He added a few more to the wall displays, then took out the pile of basic furniture Tee-one had made, as well as the 2 extra sitting tables and larger pieces of furniture. Ren ran back up to the apartment, and went into the living room. ¡°Thanks for reminding me.¡± Ren said to Anabelle, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed. ¡°You don''t have to thank me for doing my job.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°What you do have to do, is reward me.¡± ¡°Reward you?¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Anabelle purred. ¡°I''ve been good, sooo good.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve made you more money in two days than every other business here combined.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± ¡°I have to admit that some of the things you have are easy to sell; but I''ve worked hard for you.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I''ve even had several... inquiries... about after-party activities.¡± ¡°What did you tell them?¡± ¡°No, of course.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°You were very firm on that.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I didn''t want you involved in any way with your old life, once you started working for me.¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°I appreciated your concern for my welfare, but...¡± She sighed. ¡°...I miss being held.¡± ¡°Even by strangers?¡± ¡°I... took comfort where I could, My Lord.¡± Anabelle blushed slightly. ¡°Even fleeting moments of it were blessings.¡± Ren walked over to her. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He said. ¡°I meant to come and talk to you about all of this.¡± Anabelle smiled sadly. ¡°And when exactly have you had the time to listen to my problems?¡± He looked at her and sighed. ¡°I''m sorry that I...¡± Anabelle shook her head. ¡°Now isn''t the time, either.¡± She said. ¡°You need to get back to the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Then give me a kiss. Make me believe that you are all mine... even for only this moment.¡± ¡°Anabelle...¡± ¡°I want to say that ''it''s just a kiss''; but I want it so badly, that I''m trembling.¡± Ren looked at her arms and legs, and she did seem to be shaking slightly. He sighed, stepped close, and leaned in to kiss her on the lips. She put a hand on his chest and leaned away from him. ¡°Not there, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said, grabbed the bottom of her nightgown, and laid back on the bed to expose the space between her legs. ¡°I need you to kiss me here.¡± ¡°Anabelle...¡± ¡°Please, My Lord.¡± Anabelle squirmed around a little. ¡°Give me a brief glimpse of happiness.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I can''t.¡± ¡°I saw everything you did with Elerlyth, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said, and he could see the tears on her face. ¡°I didn''t even please myself, because I knew you wouldn''t like that.¡± She sighed. ¡°I could beg and plead for you to do what you did with her, and so much more, to me... but... I won''t.¡± She said and looked at him with desperation on her face. ¡°All I want... all I need...¡± Ren saw her body shake, and he remembered Nathalia''s words. She had told him that Anabelle was addicted and couldn''t help herself; and that Ren helping her was okay. He knelt in front of her, and Anabelle felt his breath on her skin. She trembled in anticipation, and waited for the moment. Ren looked at her, then barely touched the skin as he kissed her lightly. Anabelle gasped, and tried to wipe the tears away; but they came out of their own accord, and Ren kissed her harder. She threw her head back as he kept kissing and pleasing her for several minutes; then between one heavy breath from her and the next, she went. Anabelle gripped the blanket with both of her hands and yanked on it hard. She pulled it close to herself, holding it tightly as she fought to not scream out her pleasure. Anabelle gritted her teeth and grunted a few times, and she stared at Ren and he kept going. He looked up and they locked eyes, and after another couple of minutes, and a lot more pleasure for her, Anabelle nodded slightly, and Ren stopped. She let out a long slow breath and let her head drop to the bed. ¡°Oh... oh god...¡± Anabelle said, then she started to laugh. Ren cleaned himself off, and laid the cloth between her legs. ¡°My Lord?¡± Anabelle asked, when she thought she could speak. ¡°I... I have another request...¡± ¡°I''m late as it is.¡± He said. ¡°I can''t do any more than this.¡± ¡°No... I... I couldn''t take any more of that...¡± Anabelle said. ¡°What I want...¡± She looked at him with a deep blush. ¡°Can you pay me with kisses instead of gold?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You can''t buy food with kisses like that.¡± ¡°You might be surprised what you can get with kisses like that.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I''m sure I would.¡± He said. ¡°I hope that was enough of a reward.¡± Anabelle put her hands between her legs, and found the cloth Ren had left there. She cleaned herself up with it, neatly folded the cloth up, and tucked it into the pocket of her suit jacket that was beside the bed. ¡°I''ll definitely remember this for a while.¡± She said, and smiled demurely. ¡°See you later, Anabelle.¡± ¡°I eagerly await the next time you can grace me with your presence, My Lord.¡± ¡°You really aren''t going to stop calling me that, are you?¡± Anabelle shook her head. ¡°No, My Lord.¡± ¡°Did you call Lord Eric that?¡± She shook her head again. ¡°Only ''Lord'' or ''Lord Eric'', like you just did.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He didn''t earn the title.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°You did.¡± ¡°I just own enough land to get it.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°There''s a distinct difference between someone who was appointed a Lord of an area, and a man who earns the love and respect of the people, and becomes a Lord in his own right.¡± Ren wasn''t sure how to respond to that, so he only nodded to her, and opened the cabinet. He stepped inside and secured it, then stepped through the portal. He opened the other cabinet and nailed it shut, summoned Teepo, and ran downstairs. He fed Princess, pat the two dogs, and led them out to the cart. After hooking her up and another hour-long ride back to House Neram, Ren was finally back home.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. The guards opened the gate for him, then locked it behind him as he took Princess, Riley and Stacy inside. He settled them in the stable, then went into the house. It was dark and quiet, so he crept down the hallway and into Nathalia''s room. He stored his clothing and climbed into bed. When Nathalia didn''t move or say anything, he leaned over her and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. She still didn''t stir, so he laid back and relaxed, then fell asleep before he even realized he was tired. ******** Max, the head programmer at Sid Tec, woke up when his phone rang. He blindly reached for his cell phone and knocked it off of the nightstand. He sighed and rolled out of bed to retrieve it from the floor, and was glad he''d went through the extra expense to put carpet in the bedroom. He''d already broken two phones, and figured the carpet was a heck of a lot cheaper than replacing another one. ¡°This better be life altering or the end of the world, or I''m going to kill you.¡± Max said, then he looked at the clock and saw that it was only 1 a.m., and he''d only been asleep for an hour. ¡°Sir, you wanted someone here to notify you when...¡± ¡°Get on with it.¡± Max snapped, then sighed. ¡°Sorry, I just got to sleep.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± The voice on the phone said. ¡°It''s the witching hour and everyone is grumpy.¡± The voice sighed. ¡°You''re probably not going to sleep after you hear this.¡± ¡°Stop beating around the bush and tell me, for god''s sake.¡± ¡°The primary has discovered another one of the hidden races.¡± Max sat bolt upright in bed. ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°The Dark Elves, sir.¡± ¡°Goddammit.¡± Max said. ¡°He already found the Giants, and they weren''t supposed to be revealed for another year, game-time. How the hell did he find the Dark Elves?¡± ¡°Actually, it was one of his listed associates... Elerlyth. She came across one of their scouting parties during one of her quests, and tried to talk to them.¡± Max snorted a laugh. ¡°Did they kill her?¡± ¡°They tried, and came very close.¡± The voice said. ¡°She slipped away when another raiding party attacked.¡± ¡°Who was it?¡± ¡°The High Elves, sir.¡± ¡°Oh, shit!¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Send me the video.¡± Max said. ¡°Both for the initial contact, and when he discovered it.¡± The videos were sent to his phone and he watched them. ¡°Please tell me the criteria for The Cleansing haven''t been met.¡± ¡°They haven''t.¡± The voice said in relief. ¡°Also, the Dark Elves and High Elves skirmished; but, neither of them were wiped out.¡± ¡°Thank god.¡± Max said. ¡°Start the delay protocols for the event. Give it... say, 3 months. The last thing we need is for it to trigger early, and just when we''re expecting a huge influx of new players.¡± ¡°Is that because of the show?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It was quite good.¡± ¡°I didn''t see it.¡± ¡°It''s streaming 24/7 for free on Channel 8''s website.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Max said. ¡°They really are pushing it for all it''s worth.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Thanks for calling and letting me know.¡± ¡°Do you want us to send a system message to the primary, and make sure he doesn''t do anything about the incident with his associate?¡± Max thought about it for a full minute, then shook his head. ¡°No, if we tell him something like that, he''s guaranteed to go looking for them.¡± He sighed. ¡°If he''s lucky, he''ll only find the Dark Elves.¡± ¡°Lucky?¡± The voice on the phone said. ¡°It would be a miracle.¡± ******** Ren woke up with the press of a warm body snuggled up to him, and her warm breath on his neck. He opened his eyes, and saw Nathalia''s arm was draped over his chest, and she once again had gotten her slip tangled up around her breasts. He stroke the side of them gently, and tried to untangle the slip. ¡°Mmm. Just... just leave it.¡± Nathalia whispered to him. ¡°It has to be uncomfortable.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°I mean, I''m getting sore just from looking at it.¡± Nathalia chuckled, and her breasts jiggled. She stored the slip, and his hands were now touching the warm bare skin. ¡°Mmm.¡± Nathalia moaned, and snuggled closer. Teepo? How''s my time? Ren thought to his friend. ¡°You''ve got about an hour before breakfast; or an hour and a half before you have to be at the mines.¡± Teepo said. Thanks. Ren massaged her breasts, and Nathalia rolled onto her back so he could get the full impact of her. ¡°By the gods, you''re wonderful.¡± He said, as she kept her eyes closed and smiled. ¡°I need to tell you about what happened, and why I was late getting back.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°With the way things have been going, you must have slept with someone else.¡± ¡°Actually, no.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°It was Elerlyth.¡± Nathalia opened her eyes when Ren''s hands stopped moving. ¡°What happened?¡± He told her about Elerlyth, and the state she was in, and Nathalia''s eyes widened as he described how he got her back to normal. ¡°That poor woman.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°She''s spent all this time draining you, and never thought she could be drained herself.¡± ¡°She thought she was the only one of her kind.¡± Ren said. ¡°Apparently, she was wrong.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Ren looked at Nathalia. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I heard the tone of your voice. You''re genuinely angry that she had to go through that experience.¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Then you know what you have to do.¡± Ren stroked the side of her face. ¡°Just when I think I can''t possibly love you more.¡± He said and kissed her. ¡°You go and say something like that.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°I''d like to go with you; but by the time I got there by ship, you''ll have already found them.¡± ¡°Ship?¡± Ren grinned and tapped his temple. ¡°I''ll have the restaurant built by tonight.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Nathalia exclaimed. He told her about buying Mitchell''s old business, and getting the plans for it. ¡°But the things I need for the kitchen, won''t be ready for another week.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°As long as the structures match, it doesn''t really matter what''s inside.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia kissed him. ¡°I can finally go and see your homeland.¡± ¡°You were there before.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I never left the ship.¡± She said. ¡°No one ever offered to escort me.¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her. ¡°You''ve been to how many ports, and you''ve never once gotten off the ship?¡± Nathalia shook her head again. ¡°A woman can''t go into another land without some kind of escort.¡± She said. ¡°It''s why the purser and cargo gatherers are always men.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought the dwarves were isolationist before.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°This from a man who''s literally being thrown out of the country he saved, and can''t come back to it for a year.¡± Ren hugged her. ¡°At least when I go, I can take my home with me.¡± He said and kissed her. It turned into something more, and the hour he had before breakfast evaporated, while he and Nathalia were wrapped in each other''s arms. They got up and went into the kitchen after getting dressed, then saw Ereka sitting at the table. She looked like she hadn''t gotten any sleep. ¡°I''m sorry if we kept you awake.¡± Ren said as he served the food to her and Nathalia. ¡°I couldn''t sleep, so don''t worry about it.¡± Ereka said. ¡°It pains me to say this; but, you look terrible.¡± He said as he sat down to eat. Ereka snorted a laugh. ¡°If you say I look terrible, then I must look like a disaster.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s not quite at that level.¡± Ereka turned to look at Nathalia. ¡°He must have seen you at your worst.¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°Did he ever say that you looked terrible?¡± She shook her head, and Ereka turned back to Ren and raised her hands in a ''I surrender'' gesture. Ren finished eating and chuckled. ¡°I''m deeply and madly in love with Nathalia.¡± He said and took his dirty plate over to the sink. ¡°So, all I really see when I look at her is that love.¡± Nathalia froze at those words, and Ereka saw her reaction. ¡°Are you saying that you don''t actually see her?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°I can see her just fine.¡± Ren laughed and looked at Nathalia. ¡°I can even describe you with my eyes closed.¡± He closed his eyes and smiled as he spoke. ¡°The slightly pale and flawless skin, the straightness of your nose, the curves of your cheeks, the softness and tenderness in your eyes, and hair that goes on and on.¡± Nathalia blushed a little as Ren described every other feature that she had, with his eyes closed the entire time. ¡°I also love her too much to point out any flaws that she might have.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Ren kept his eyes closed and thought about it. ¡°The only real flaw I think she might have, is that she forgives me for everything that I''ve put her through.¡± Nathalia took in a sharp breath, and Ren opened his eyes. He walked over to her, knelt by her chair, and took her hand. ¡°Even though you say you''re okay with the things I''ve done, I don''t feel like I deserve to be forgiven for it so easily.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Nathalia started to say, and he shook his head. ¡°You make me love you all the more, with how accepting about all of this you are.¡± He cupped the side of her face, and she leaned into his hand. ¡°If I didn''t think it would break the contract right away, I''d petition to move the marriage ceremony, so it could happen in 3 months instead.¡± Nathalia gasped, and Ereka''s eyes widened. ¡°You... you don''t know what you''re saying!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You can''t possibly complete the requirements by then!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s why I said it would break the contract immediately.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°That doesn''t mean I''m not going to try, though.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed, and kissed him deeply. After a few minutes, he left the kitchen and then the house. Ren nodded slightly to the guards as Teepo landed on his shoulder, and ran up to the workshop. He told Tee-one what needed to be done for the day, gave him the restaurant plans, and told him to build it between the house sub-divisions and the Main House. Ren left the workshop, concentrated on his personal Aura and House Neram pendant, and ran to the mines. The guard at the gate opened it for him, and he ran past and up to the medical tent. ¡°Come in, come in!¡± Deresdra the healer said. ¡°How was your night?¡± Ren looked at her with a single raised eyebrow. ¡°Are you that surprised that I want to share some polite conversation with you?¡± ¡°Actually, yes.¡± Ren said, and she led him to the curtained off area to give him an examination. ¡°It shouldn''t be that surprising.¡± Deresdra chuckled. ¡°You did buy my contract, and then freed me.¡± ¡°That was days ago.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why is today different?¡± ¡°Can''t I just be in a good mood?¡± ¡°Are you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She said. ¡°I took your advice.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What did you buy?¡± Deresdra shook her head, and gave him the examination. When she was done, she told him to wait for a few minutes. She came into the curtained-off area with a small tray. On it was a small jar of some kind of creme, and a large paintbrush. ¡°What''s that?¡± Deresdra put the tray down on the chair, and turned away from him. ¡°I''ve had complaints from several of the miners.¡± She said. ¡°They''ve had some unexplained itching in their beards. It seems that something in the dust of the mine is causing a rash on their chins.¡± Since she was turned away, Ren didn''t see the slight wince she couldn''t help let out when she lied. ¡°This creme will help with that.¡± ¡°Do you have to cover all of the exposed skin?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No.¡± Deresdra said and turned around with the open jar and some of the creme on the paintbrush. ¡°I only have to put it on your chin, above your mouth, and up to your ears.¡± She smiled. ¡°And a little bit on your neck.¡± ¡°That''s oddly specific.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not really. It''s the shape of a beard.¡± Deresdra chuckled. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± Ren closed his eyes and felt her paint the creme onto his skin. ¡°It may tingle a little; but, that just to show you that it''s working.¡± She said. ¡°It should stop after a few minutes, once I get the area covered.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t touch the covered area for several hours, at least.¡± Deresdra cautioned him as she put the creme exactly where she said she would. It was put on his chin, above his mouth, along his jaw with some on the cheeks, and up to the front of his ears. It did start to tingle a little; but since it wasn''t a bad tingle, he didn''t mention it. ¡°Tilt your head back, please.¡± Ren did so, and she covered the underside of his chin to the top of his neck. ¡°There we go.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°We should let that sit for a few minutes.¡± ¡°Do you have to wipe it off or anything?¡± ¡°No, it should absorb into your skin.¡± She said. ¡°I''m pretty sure I got enough coverage, too.¡± She smiled. ¡°You''re going to look just fine afterwards.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, opened his eyes and watched her close the empty jar. ¡°You used it all up?¡± Deresdra nodded. ¡°It''s only a small jar.¡± ¡°What about everyone else?¡± ¡°Everyone else is fine.¡± She said. ¡°You were the only one with a bare face that needed to be treated.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Okay.¡± Deresdra left him alone, and he stood in the curtained-off area in just his underwear, while he waited for the tingling on his face to stop. It took about 10 minutes, and when the feeling faded, he called out to her. She came back inside the curtained-off area, and Ren thought he saw her swoon a little bit. ¡°Are you all right?¡± He asked. ¡°I... I''m fine.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°I probably shouldn''t have stood up so fast.¡± Ren nodded slightly. He had felt that sensation a lot, and knew that it made you a little dizzy. ¡°Am I cleared for work?¡± ¡°O-of course.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°You can get dressed.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and equipped his Travelling Clothes. When he tried to walk by her, she put a hand on his arm. ¡°Before you go...¡± Deresdra said, and ducked her head slightly. ¡°...I never did thank you properly for everything that you''ve done for me.¡± ¡°That''s all right.¡± Ren said as he turned to her. Since she was only an inch shorter than him, when she lifted her head to look at him, their eyes locked. ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Deresdra barely whispered. ¡°Even after I had my training, I''ve never had any man do anything like this for me.¡± She blinked slowly, and Ren could see her eyelashes, she was that close. ¡°You treated me fairly, even though I didn''t treat you that way. You built me a house to live in, then paid all of my debt, and released me from bondage.¡± ¡°Ma''am...¡± ¡°Please, let me finish.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and she smiled. ¡°Even though you''ve never spoken it, you know my given name.¡± She said. ¡°If you weren''t already engaged, you would only have to say my name and I would be your fiance.¡± Ren''s eyes widened as he thought about everything that she said he''d done. Oh, crap! ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°You are engaged, though; so all of what you''ve done for me doesn''t really count legally.¡± Deresdra smiled. ¡°But... it does count to me.¡± She ran her hands up his chest and gripped his shirt. ¡°Wait-mwuh!¡± Ren tried to say as Deresdra kissed him. Chapter 196 - Its A What? Ren held onto her shoulders and tried to gently push Deresdra away. She held onto his shirt tightly, and he couldn''t force her off; so he stored the shirt and she had nothing to hold on to. He extended his arms and broke the kiss. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± ¡°Thanking you.¡± Deresdra said, as she tried to lean forward with her lips puckered. ¡°One kiss was enough, thanks.¡± ¡°What?¡± She blinked her eyes a few times as she stared at him. ¡°Don''t... don''t you want to kiss me?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know I''m involved with someone else, and I don''t understand why you want to kiss me now, especially when you''ve clearly said I wasn''t your type.¡± ¡°I... I just appreciate everything you''ve done.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°I thought you''d enjoy being thanked like that.¡± ¡°You don''t even like me.¡± Ren said. ¡°You just said that you haven''t treated me fairly. What in the world makes you think I''d enjoy it?¡± Deresdra opened her mouth to explain, and then she changed her mind. Ren sighed, stepped away from her, and equipped his shirt. ¡°I''ll report for examinations each morning; but, you will keep your hands to yourself otherwise.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your sexual advances are both unwanted and unwelcome.¡± Deresdra looked like she was about to cry, and he started to laugh. She had a surprised look on her face as she spoke. ¡°Why are you laughing at me?¡± ¡°You looked like you were about to cry over my rejection of your advances, when only a couple of days ago, you were going to fight tooth and nail to not submit yourself to the advances you imagined I was going to do to you, if I owned your contract.¡± Ren said, and shook his head. ¡°I find that twisted logic pretty funny.¡± ¡°Get out of here!¡± Deresdra said, heatedly. ¡°I don''t want to even look at you!¡± ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± Ren said, and bowed slightly to her, then left the medical tent. * Oh, that man! Deresdra thought as Ren walked away from her. I finally find him irresistible, and he rejects me! * Ren walked to the blacksmith shop and checked to see if his help was needed with repairs. It wasn''t, but they needed more carts and more rails, so he got to work and over the next 4 hours, produced several dozen carts and a few miles of rails. Once the stockpile was big enough, he took a break for lunch and went into his workshop. Ren checked the baby fire elemental, and it was nearly 8 inches across. He smiled at it, and rubbed it''s back. ¡°You definitely need a much bigger pen.¡± Ren said, and added a row of stone bricks on top of the others, so the baby could move around freely. He added a pile more food, including actual chunks of wood, and tossed in a piece of a springy tree. Ren ate a quick lunch, then poured out another 60 panes of glass over the half hour lunch break. ¡°That should give me 6 window panes for each of the 20 stained glass windows I need to make.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m sure I can make a nice picture for each magic element using 6 colors.¡± Teepo told him that lunch was over, so Ren went into the mines to help dig out some of the iron ore that they''d found. He didn''t bother going off on his own, even though he could have. Helping get more of the main tunnel cleared was a better idea in his opinion; so he did that instead. Every dwarf he met greeted him in some fashion; a wave, grunt, and some even called him Lord or Sir. Ren wasn''t sure why they were suddenly treating him differently, when normally they would just share the same space and not speak. He ignored it for now, and kept working as he filled and refilled mine carts for the remaining 4 hours. Ren didn''t need Teepo to tell him when the time was up, because he got the relief and happiness feelings that signaled the end of the day. He bid the dwarves that were still working, a good day; and they all said it back to him. Okay, that was kind of weird. Ren thought. The most I''ve ever gotten before were a few grunts in acknowledgment. ¡°Maybe they respect what you do more.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°The gods know you''ve done the same amount of work as a whole crew of them.¡± I guess. ¡°You better head home.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m sure Nathalia wants the restaurant finished, now that you told her it would be done by tonight.¡± Right! Ren thought, and took off running. Tee-one and I should get it all up and finished before I have to deal with more Adventurer''s business. ¡°Goodnight, Sir.¡± The guard said as Ren ran past him and through the open gate. Ren almost looked back at the guard, but thought better of it and kept his eyes in front of him to watch where he was going. He was back near the Main House a few minutes later, and stopped at the half-built building for the restaurant. Tee-one and Ren worked for another 3 hours, finished the walls, and got the roof on. ¡°It definitely went a lot faster once you showed up.¡± Tee-one commented. ¡°Only because you pre-built everything in sections.¡± Ren said. ¡°We just had to stand it all up and nail it together.¡± Ren felt a bubble of happiness enter his Aura''s radius and merge with it. He turned around to see Ereka as she walked towards him. She was just over a hundred feet away, and when she was close enough, he felt a flash of surprise, and then more happiness. Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and she chuckled at the gesture. He felt amusement from her as she came close, and then she came to a stop beside him. ¡°What''s this?¡± Ereka asked as she looked at the building, and tried her best to not look at Ren. He stared at her, as he felt her deep attraction to him. ¡°Um... ah... it''s the building for the restaurant.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°It''s great that you''ve got it up already.¡± Ereka said. ¡°The equipment should start arriving tomorrow.¡± She glanced at him, and Ren felt a spike of desire from her. ¡°I was getting a little worried about where to store it.¡± Ren blinked his eyes a few times; because the feelings he was getting from her, didn''t match her words in the least. He was having a hard time sorting between the two. Ereka felt his confusion and swirling emotions. So, I finally rattled him! She thought and grinned. The calm and cool Ren is all flustered because I''m not hiding what I feel. ¡°Well... ah... we should get to the house and get Nathalia over here.¡± ¡°Actually, I''ll keep going to the house alone.¡± Ereka chuckled. ¡°Why don''t you just call her, instead of going to get her?¡± She asked. ¡°Nathalia will come to you.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Ren said, thought about Nathalia, and the Sending Ring glowed. ¡°Nathalia? Are you busy?¡± ¡°Not any more than usual.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°What''s going on?¡± ¡°I''m over at the new building for the restaurant, and I wanted you to come and see it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s between the rows of houses and the Main House.¡± ¡°I''ll be right there!¡± Nathalia said excitedly, and the Sending Ring stopped glowing. ¡°She''s on her way.¡± Ren said unnecessarily, and Ereka laughed. ¡°I''ll keep going on home then.¡± Ereka said. ¡°See you at supper.¡± Ren nodded slightly to her, she walked down the road a little ways, then turned around. ¡°By the way, the ship is ready.¡± Ereka said. ¡°There''s also a crew training on it.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Ren said, and she turned away and kept walking. He watched her as she came to the limit of his Aura, and then she turned around and waved to him. Ren felt more amusement from her, and then she stepped out of the Aura''s limit. Ereka hesitated for a moment, almost as if she was deciding to step back in, then she kept walking. Okay, now I know something is going on. Ren said. Even Ereka is acting a little weird around me. ¡°I don''t know what to tell you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s not like you''ve done anything to activate your Trouble recipe.¡± That''s true. Ren thought. Even what happened with the healer at the mines didn''t seem like the Trouble recipe. ¡°I''ll head back to the workshop.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°With all the new ore, I''ve got some rebar to make before moving on to the next section of the Keep.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°When you''re waiting for the next section to dry, make up some more suits of armor, and another dozen swords and shields.¡± Tee-one nodded and walked down the road, and Ren stepped up to the building and gave it the same settings as he''d given Mitchell''s old place in Aurora. Nathalia arrived a few minutes later, and came up behind Ren. ¡°It''s huge!¡± Nathalia exclaimed as she came to a stop beside him. She only had eyes for the building, and pretty much ignored everything else. ¡°It was supposed to have a storage building in the back.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had them joined together to make it one big building instead.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia said and took his hand without looking. ¡°Show me the inside!¡± Ren nodded slightly, and Nathalia walked towards the building and dragged him along. She opened the door and let his hand go as they stepped inside. ¡°It''s wonderful.¡± Nathalia whispered as she looked around. Ren had made it the same inside as it was back in Aurora. The counter on the side, the small storage space behind it, and the doorway to the outside behind that. ¡°I''m glad you like it.¡± Ren said as he stepped up behind her and gave her a hug. ¡°Want to set up the portal now?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°How do I do that?¡± ¡°You''re the business owner, so open up the menu.¡± Ren said, then took her through the steps to activate the portal. Once she got to that option, though; Nathalia frowned. ¡°It''s grayed out.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I can''t select it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°How can that be?¡± He opened up the help menu and searched for a reason. After a few minutes, the only criteria that had to be met was that both buildings had to be identical. Ren meticulously went over the plans he had, looking for anything that either he or Tee-one might have missed.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Damn, they''re the same... so why?¡± Ren asked himself. He sighed and closed his eyes, and thought about the building. He''d been inside of it himself, and he replayed that memory in his head. When he got to the counter, he slapped himself in the forehead. ¡°Dammit, I completely forgot about that!¡± Ren said and went over to the counter, and cut a hole in the floor. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Nathalia asked as she kept looking at the business menu while she stood in the middle of the room. ¡°Adding a missing detail from the plans.¡± Ren said as he built the small storage area underneath the floor that he had found Mitchell''s body in, attached it, then made a hatch from the cut out floor piece. He made sure it was closed and flush with the floor. ¡°Try it now.¡± Nathalia followed the same instructions Ren had given her already, and grinned. ¡°Yes! It''s there!¡± She selected the portal option to join the two businesses together, and Ren came over to her and put the 100 platinum coins into the little portal that appeared. Nathalia got the popup that she was the owner, and the only one allowed to use the portal, and she squealed in delight. She closed the business menu, hugged Ren from behind, then turned him around to kiss him. ¡°Oh!¡± Nathalia gasped. ¡°Oh my!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren asked her and looked around. ¡°What is it?¡± Nathalia wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. Ren kissed her back, but was still a little confused about what she had gasped at, and broke the kiss a minute later. -S ¡°Nathalia?¡± He asked. ¡°Off.¡± She tugged at his clothing. ¡°Now.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren looked around. ¡°Here?¡± Nathalia nodded slightly, and licked her lips. ¡°By the gods, you better take me now, or I''ll never forgive you!¡± Ren ran to the door and locked it, then was back a second later. Nathalia went behind the counter, and he took out a bolt of cloth and layered it onto the floor. They stored their clothing, and when Ren tried to lay down, Nathalia pushed him to the floor, got him hard using her hand in only a few seconds, then rode him harder than either of them thought she could. It didn''t take long for her to finish, and since Ren was totally into it by this time; when she went, he went, too. Nathalia collapsed on top of him afterwards, completely exhausted. -E ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Ren asked a minute later, once the euphoria from the experience started to fade. ¡°You... you''ve never done anything like that before.¡± ¡°I... I...¡± Nathalia was having a hard time catching her breath. ¡°I... love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... by the gods, Nathalia... tell me what just happened!¡± ¡°I... when I saw...¡± Nathalia swallowed audibly, then sighed. ¡°I... couldn''t help myself.¡± ¡°Saw what?¡± Nathalia ran a hand from his ear and down along his chin; which he barely felt because she stroked the 2 inch long beard that was the same color as the hair on his head. It was just as soft and fluffy, and she pulled on the hair a little. ¡°Your beard.¡± ¡°My WHAT?!?¡± Ren yelled, and put a hand on his face in the same spot Nathalia had just touched, and he barely felt his own hand. ¡°Son of a... godsdammit!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°So that''s what she did!¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The healer at the mine.¡± Ren said. ¡°She said it was an anti-itch creme for my chin.¡± He shook his head. ¡°And I just stood there like an idiot and let her do this to me.¡± ¡°She gave you a beard?!?¡± Nathalia asked, surprised. ¡°How did she do that?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll ask her first thing in the morning, though.¡± ¡°When you do...¡± Nathalia purred. ¡°...thank her for me.¡± Ren thought she was going to kiss him; but she bit the hair of his beard instead, and shook her head back and forth a little. It pulled on the hair and his chin as she stared at him. ¡°N-Nathalia!¡± Ren said in surprise, and Teepo flew out of the building to keep a lookout. -S Nathalia growled at him, and his eyes widened as she let his beard go and sat up to mount him again. ¡°My Stamina bar is full again.¡± She said, started to ride him, and leaned back down to bite his beard again. She worried his beard, like a dog with a bone, and her body gripped him tighter than ever before. ¡°By...by the gods!¡± Ren exclaimed as they both went again. A moment later, Nathalia collapsed onto his chest once more. -E Nathalia''s breathing was ragged, and he felt her struggling to catch her breath. Ren was almost afraid to move, in case he caught her attention again; then he decided that action was the better course to follow, and rolled her off and laid her beside him. ¡°My Love, are you all right?¡± Ren asked, and Nathalia stared at him. ¡°I''m... I''m fine, My Love.¡± She said. ¡°It''s just... by the gods, you look so handsome!¡± ¡°Nathalia?¡± ¡°You... you''ve always looked great...¡± Nathalia said as her breath started to even out. ¡°But now...¡± She shook her head. ¡°You look exactly how I imagined you would if you had a beard.¡± She shut her eyes and licked her lips. ¡°I''ve fantasized about it ever since I saw you that first time.¡± ¡°You have?¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°Every man should have a beard.¡± She said and opened her eyes. ¡°When they shave it off, or lose it for some reason... we... we all think there''s something wrong, or off about them.¡± Ren looked at her with surprise on his face. ¡°Why didn''t you ever tell me?¡± ¡°What would be the point of that?¡± She chuckled. ¡°All that would have done was hurt your feelings, and show you how prejudiced we are.¡± ¡°So why tell me now?¡± ¡°You''ve got a beard.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It was only fair to tell you once you did.¡± Ren sighed, equipped his clothing, and stood up. ¡°Where are you going?¡± She asked and equipped her clothing, too. ¡°I... I need some time to think.¡± Ren said. ¡°About what?¡± ¡°About how you really see me.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed and stood up herself. ¡°I love you!¡± She said. ¡°I don''t see you that way!¡± ¡°You just said...¡± ¡°I said ''we'' as a people! We! Not ''me''!¡± Ren closed his eyes. ¡°I don''t know if you actually believe that.¡± He sighed. ¡°I show up with a beard, and you act like... like... well, I''ve never seen you act like that before.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°You bit and shook it, and growled for gods-sake.¡± Ren said, and opened his eyes. ¡°It''s like I wasn''t even there, and all you cared about was the beard.¡± Nathalia started to get angry. ¡°That''s NOT true!¡± She said, and poked him in the chest with her index finger. ¡°Now listen to me, mister.¡± She glared at him. ¡°I. Love. You.¡± She poked him in the chest again. ¡°Not your money!¡± *poke* ¡°Not your clothes!¡± *poke* ¡°Not your extravagant gifts that you throw around as if they were nothing!¡± *poke* ¡°And definitely NOT your godsdamned MAGIC BEARD!¡± Ren stared at her. ¡°Nath-¡± ¡°QUIET!¡± Nathalia shouted. ¡°I''m speaking!¡± He closed his mouth and listened. ¡°When you showed up with the beard, it fit right in with my fantasy, and I was turned on by it!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It was exciting to see it come to life, and I didn''t want to waste any time by picking it apart, or wondering how it happened.¡± She started to lose steam in her argument, and she sighed. ¡°When I realized there was even more of you to love, I couldn''t help myself and I jumped at the chance.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I lost control of myself, okay?¡± Nathalia said as she turned away from him, so he wouldn''t see the tears as they started to flow. ¡°I... I wanted to enjoy it as much as I could before... before anyone else did.¡± ¡°Oh, Nathalia.¡± Ren took her into a hug from behind, and held her tightly. He kissed her cheek, then took out a piece of cloth for her to wipe her eyes. ¡°I''m sorry that I jumped to conclusions.¡± He said. ¡°It''s just... you shocked me.¡± He sighed. ¡°You''ve never even hinted that you could act that way.¡± Nathalia sniffed and sighed. ¡°I didn''t know I could act like that, either.¡± ¡°What?¡± She turned in his arms. ¡°I really did lose control, Ren.¡± Nathalia''s eyes were puffy and red. ¡°I couldn''t let another woman have the new you... not until I did.¡± ¡°Twice.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°At least I think it was only twice.¡± He said. ¡°You kind of blew my mind a little, and I wasn''t really keeping track.¡± Nathalia chuckled, and he kissed her. ¡°I love you.¡± She said. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said and let her out of the hug. ¡°Let''s go home and get something to eat, then I have to take care of some Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Nathalia said, and looked around. ¡°Where''s the portal?¡± ¡°Probably the only place we can''t see it.¡± Ren said, and opened the door to the storage area behind the counter, and there it was. ¡°Should I go through it to test it?¡± Nathalia asked, and he shook his head. ¡°Not right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to be waiting for you on the other side when you go through.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nathalia said, and they left the restaurant. Nathalia locked it up, and they walked back to House Neram Keep, while Teepo flew around and scouted the area. They went inside, then Ren and Nathalia enjoyed a good supper with Ereka, who didn''t even ask what had taken them so long to come home to eat. I don''t feel her Aura, though. Ren thought. She must have stopped concentrating on it. He looked at Nathalia. ¡°I''ll be back in a few hours, hopefully.¡± He sighed. ¡°You should plan for me being gone all night, though.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Nathalia said and gave him a kiss. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said to her, then looked at Ereka. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ereka said. Ren left the table and walked into the main room, then sat on the couch. See you later, Teepo. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Teepo said as he flew up to land on the ceiling. ¡°Logout.¡± * ¡°Thank you for the meal, Nathalia.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''m heading to bed.¡± She sighed. ¡°I really need to get some sleep.¡± ¡°Do you want me to tuck you in?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I''m sure you''ll sleep well afterwards.¡± Ereka looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°I... I haven''t been tucked into bed since I was a kid.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°I used to do it all the time.¡± She said. ¡°But all of our schedules changed since then, and now I go to bed before the ones I care about.¡± Ereka smiled. ¡°Well, I''m kind of running on willpower, so if you can help me get some sleep, I''d appreciate it.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Nathalia said and followed her into the old bedroom. Ereka took off her business suit and skirt, left herself in just a thin slip, and climbed into bed. ¡°What did you think of Ren''s beard?¡± Nathalia asked her. ¡°I was surprised when I was walking home and saw him with it.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Do you want to know what my very first thought was?¡± Nathalia nodded slightly as she flipped the top end of the blanket a little. ¡°I thought that you were going to love it.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Because it fits him perfectly.¡± Nathalia smiled as she tucked the blanket up and under Ereka''s neck. ¡°There you go, little one.¡± Nathalia said in a sing-song voice, and Ereka laughed. ¡°Are you all nice and comfy?¡± Ereka nodded slightly, and Nathalia reached behind her head to fluff the pillow a little. When her hand was out of Ereka''s sight, it glowed a little blue, and then Ereka fell fast asleep. ¡°Sleep well.¡± Nathalia said, then left the old bedroom and shut the door. ******** Ren took off the VR headset and sighed. ¡°That was quite the adventure.¡± Denise said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah.¡± He slipped out of bed and went to use the bathroom and clean up. He came back out and Denise served him sandwiches for lunch. They were a little bland; but, that was to be expected. Denise checked his diet schedule regularly, and knew he''d had chocolate and soda the night before. ¡°Did you know that Stella is supposed to show up here to-¡± His room door opened, and Stella came in. She wore a pair of dress pants, had a small briefcase, and a blue blouse that looked like it was a couple of sizes too big for her. ¡°Speak of the devil.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°I thought I felt my ears burning.¡± Stella said, and smiled. ¡°Hi, Denise.¡± ¡°Hi, Stella.¡± Denise said. ¡°Can I talk to you for a minute?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Stella said, and put her briefcase on the chair. ¡°Let''s go have a coffee in the break room.¡± ¡°Are you going to be okay for a few minutes, Ren?¡± Denise asked him. ¡°Good god, no!¡± Ren said, and reached out with a grabbing hand. ¡°Don''t leave me all alone!¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°Come on, Denise. Let''s see if he can actually survive without you for 5 minutes.¡± Denise laughed and followed Stella out of the room. * ¡°So, what''s going on?¡± Stella asked, and Denise gave her the rundown about the situation, and what Barbara had told her about Cheryl''s late night interview on the news. Stella put her head in her hands and rested her elbows on the table. ¡°How could she be so stupid?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Cheryl never was the sharpest tool in the shed.¡± ¡°It was going to be hard enough keeping him under wraps as it was.¡± Stella said. ¡°But now that everyone knows who he actually is...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I didn''t see any extra security in the lobby, or here on the floor.¡± ¡°That''s because there isn''t.¡± Denise said. ¡°What?¡± Stella asked, surprised. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The board is complaining about budget cuts and other gobbledygook.¡± ¡°Goddammit.¡± Stella said. ¡°What about Ren''s Trust Fund?¡± ¡°It''s already ''tapped'', according to Doctor Hobbard.¡± Stella sighed. ¡°I''ll have to talk to Ren about this.¡± ¡°The doctor doesn''t think that''s a good idea.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Ren can pay for extra security himself.¡± ¡°He thinks if Ren gets too excited worrying about stuff like that...¡± Stella sighed again. ¡°Goddammit. How are we supposed to look after him, when we aren''t allowed to look after him, or tell him that we can''t?¡± ¡°Don''t ask me.¡± Denise shrugged. ¡°I just work here.¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°Well, our jobs are going to get a lot more interesting from now on.¡± * Ren finished eating and pushed the empty tray aside. He looked at his watch, and saw it was quarter past 12. I hope Gloria gets here soon. Ren thought and looked at his laptop. No, I still don''t want to look at all those emails. * Gloria pulled into the hospital''s parking lot an slid into a parking space. She hopped out of the car and grabbed her backpack. I am so late! She thought as she ran towards the front door of the hospital. * Ren looked up as Stella came into his room. ¡°Where''s Denise?¡± ¡°Paperwork.¡± Stella said and picked up her small briefcase, then sat in the chair. ¡°While I''m here visiting with you, she can catch up with it, rather than trying to do it after her shift.¡± ¡°You do that?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I always thought you had someone else to do that for you.¡± ¡°Why would you think that?¡± ¡°You''ve all been so busy taking care of me, where do you find the time to file paperwork, too?¡± ¡°We manage.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°And I thought you were a blessing before.¡± Stella chuckled and opened her briefcase. ¡°I''ve got other paperwork to do, too.¡± She said and took some of the forms out that they would need to hire Gloria. * Gloria rode up in the elevator. It felt weird, because the last time she was here, she had to sneak around and bribe her way in. The doors opened and she held her head up high and walked down the hallway as if she owned the place. Everyone stared at her as she passed them; but she was used to that reaction, so she ignored them and kept walking. * ¡°So, do I get to know her real name?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°As soon as I ask her if I can tell it to you.¡± Stella looked at her watch. ¡°She''s really late.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Something must have happened.¡± He said. ¡°She logged out over 3 hours ago.¡± Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Gloria came in. Chapter 197 - Discussions ¡°Hi!¡± Gloria said as the door shut behind her. ¡°Sorry I''m late.¡± She walked over to the bed and Stella stared at her. ¡°I blew a tire in the middle of traffic, half-way across town.¡± She sighed. ¡°It took forever to change it, especially with people honking their horns at me to hurry up.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re Gloria!¡± Stella exclaimed. ¡°Yeah.¡± Gloria said. ¡°So?¡± ¡°My brother Steven''s description of you didn''t do you justice.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Gloria frowned a little. ¡°He didn''t say you were gorgeous.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Gloria asked, then glared at Ren. ¡°Before you say anything, or jump to conclusions...¡± Ren grinned. ¡°...I didn''t even tell her who you were.¡± ¡°You didn''t?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I didn''t want to say anything, in case you didn''t want the job.¡± He said. ¡°I just told Stella that I needed to ask your permission to tell her your real name.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Gloria said, then looked at Stella. ¡°That was your honest opinion?¡± Stella nodded. ¡°I could do without all the piercings and the hair color, though.¡± She smiled. ¡°It takes away from how pretty you are.¡± ¡°Personally, I think they highlight how overwhelmingly pretty she is.¡± Ren said. ¡°Especially since she can pull off that look, and people still think she''s pretty.¡± ¡°I''m standing right here, you know.¡± Gloria said. Ren chuckled. ¡°Sorry, Gloria.¡± He pulled his feet up and pat the side of the bed. ¡°Have a seat.¡± Gloria looked at him, and he sighed. ¡°Look, I know we left things on a bad note in the game; but, we can talk about that later. Right now, we have business to discuss.¡± Gloria sighed herself, put her backpack at the foot of the bed, and perched on the edge of the bed beside it. ¡°At least put more than one cheek on the bed.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°That can''t be comfortable.¡± She looked at him for a moment, then sat properly on the bed. ¡°There, that wasn''t so hard, was it?¡± Ren asked, then turned to Stella without waiting for a response. ¡°The ball''s in your court, Madam Co-Head.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°Alright. I''ll go first.¡± She said and looked at Gloria. ¡°Tell me your background and qualifications.¡± Gloria did better than that, as she took out a resume from her backpack, then went over everything that she knew. ¡°That''s actually really good.¡± Stella said. ¡°You even know all the protocols and procedures for submitting papers for scientific study.¡± She looked at Ren and smiled. ¡°Your turn, Mister Co-Head.¡± Ren nodded and looked at Gloria. ¡°Now, show Stella your real qualifications.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren rolled his eyes. ¡°I already told her you hacked the old headsets.¡± He said. ¡°She wouldn''t have agreed to see you otherwise.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Stella, get one of the new sets from the closet, would you?¡± Stella nodded and went to the closet, and took out a box with the latest version of the VR headset. ¡°Oh, my GOD!¡± Gloria exclaimed, and practically drooled as Stella handed her the large box. ¡°How in the world did you get this?!?¡± ¡°They were provided by the company that makes them.¡± Stella said. ¡°Once they agreed to the research proposal, they send over a crate of 6 of them.¡± ¡°SIX!¡± Gloria shouted, then clamped her mouth shut. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Stella said. ¡°Just keep it down to a dull roar from now on.¡± Gloria nodded and opened the box. She took out the main box that the headset connected to, and examined it. ¡°These things just came out on the market.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I can''t promise I can do much, at least until I can squirrel away a few hours playing with it.¡± ¡°Show us a little bit of your talent.¡± Ren urged her, and she nodded. Gloria opened up her backpack, and Ren saw her take out, surprisingly enough, a small set of tools that looked like a lockpick set from the game. Gloria used several of them, and popped the plastic case off the main box to expose the inner workings. ¡°They didn''t change the chip interface.¡± Gloria said, a little disappointed. ¡°If it''s not well ventilated, it runs hot all the time.¡± ¡°What''s that mean?¡± Stella asked. ¡°It means the lifetime of the set is more limited than they say it is.¡± ¡°How do we fix that?¡± Stella asked. ¡°We''re going to be running them a lot over the next few months.¡± ¡°It''s a simple fix, really.¡± Gloria said. ¡°You just install a small fan, right here.¡± She pointed to a spot in the casing behind the series of microchips. ¡°Drill several holes in the case for the airflow, and piggyback the power onto the main breaker.¡± She smiled. ¡°It''s a little loud, unless you spring for the expensive super-quiet CPU fans.¡± ¡°What about the game-play?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Well...¡± Gloria looked at the setup. ¡°...they''ve got the right idea with the bigger memory chips.¡± She said. ¡°I''d add 2 more of them, though.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If you''re conducting real experiments with them, you''re going to need the extra memory to handle the load.¡± ¡°And how do you disconnect the VR part, so that all you get is the recording function?¡± Stella asked. ¡°That''s easy.¡± Gloria said, and used one of the tools to toggle three of the 8 micro-switches to the off position, which were located in a small panel next to the processors. Ren grinned as he tapped Stella''s hand, and she looked at him. Stella nodded, and they both looked at Gloria. ¡°So, would you like a part-time job with our research group?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°I mean, I just flicked a few switches.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s not that you flicked them.¡± He said. ¡°It''s that you knew which ones to flick.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°We both think you would be a huge asset to our endeavor.¡± Stella said. ¡°What do you say?¡± ¡°I''d say... what''s the pay like?¡± ¡°Now that we know you can handle what we need... can you give Ren and I a few minutes to discuss it?¡± Stella said. ¡°Sure.¡± Gloria said and walked to the door of the room. ¡°You don''t have to leave.¡± Ren said. ¡°The bathroom is right there.¡± Gloria glanced at him, then nodded and went to the bathroom instead. * Gloria looked around at the bathroom, and was quite envious. It was nearly the size of her living room, with a huge walk in shower, bathtub on the side, a low sink and a high sink, and a toilet with a bidet. Wow. Gloria thought as she looked through the towel cabinet. It''s like some rich person''s dream bathroom! * ¡°What do you think?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I think you were right.¡± Stella said. ¡°Not only does she have the engineering qualifications, she really can mod the helmets to what we might need.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°What kind of salary should we offer?¡± ¡°I did some research on that.¡± Stella said, and took out several pieces of paper that were covered in numbers. She showed him a budget breakdown on other medical research projects, then showed Ren where their project fit into the numbers. ¡°We have that much for hiring research students?¡± Stella nodded. ¡°Every project I''ve looked into, pretty much launched the careers of the students involved.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°No way.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°Even the failed experiments gave the students enough exposure and notoriety to move on to other projects.¡± ¡°That''s pretty cool.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°If we hire her, though... she''s going to be spending a lot of her spare time with the both of us.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I told her it was going to be mostly weekends, since those are the only days she has off.¡± ¡°What is her schedule like?¡± Stella asked, and Ren told her. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± She said, surprised. ¡°Gloria goes to school in the morning, then works a full 8 hour shift at the garage?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Maybe we shouldn''t offer her the job.¡± Stella said, and Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°We can''t take away her only time off, Ren.¡± ¡°We won''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°How often do you get both Saturday and Sunday off together?¡± Stella was about to say ''all the time'', but then she remembered she was working with Ren tomorrow, and smiled. ¡°Alright.¡± Stella said. ¡°How about we do a trial run. We''ll offer her a one day a week physical job, and one game day a week virtual job.¡± Ren thought about the mechanics of that. ¡°Do you mean every game week, she has to work a day for us, or once a real life week, she has to work a single game day?¡± ¡°A real life week.¡± Stella said. ¡°Otherwise she''d have to log in every second day to work.¡± ¡°We can have her set up a VPN, or virtual private network, with just the three of us.¡± Ren said, and pointed to the micro-server that Sid Tec had installed a week before. ¡°That way, we can conduct experiments and not have to log into the actual game.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Stella said. ¡°Now, here''s the base salary I was thinking about...¡± * Gloria had examined everything, and even smelled the shampoo and soap Ren used. It''s been longer than a few minutes. She thought. How long does it take to talk about money? She shook her head. If Ren is right, then it''ll only be one, or two days a week. She sighed. There''s not going to be a lot for me to earn that way. * ¡°That should be a good starting salary, then?¡± Ren asked, and Stella nodded. ¡°If we offer her too much, she might get insulted; and assume we''re giving her charity.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Ren said, then looked at the bathroom. ¡°I better go and talk to her, before we make the job offer official.¡± ¡°I''d ask you what this is about, but I''m pretty sure it has something to do with how you feel about each other.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren chuckled, and slid out of the bed. He walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Gloria said, and Ren heard her laugh. ¡°I just invited you into your own bathroom.¡± Ren went in and shut the door. ¡°I knocked, just in case you were actually using it.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I never thought of that.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°That''s me. I''m just full of inappropriate thoughts.¡± Gloria chuckled as he sat down on the closed toilet. ¡°Gloria... about what happened in the game...¡± She held up her hand to stop him. ¡°No, it was my fault.¡± She said. ¡°I really was angry that...¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Ren said, and Gloria looked at him. ¡°All my life, people that I thought cared about me, hurt me; sometimes, just because they could.¡± He said. ¡°My mother, my father, countless doctors and some nurses.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°When you actually tried to hurt me, I...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Instead of making me want to tell you that I love you, all you succeeded in doing was driving me away.¡± Gloria looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Wh-what are you saying?¡± ¡°I''m tired of people hurting me because they can''t deal with their own feelings.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know what I''ve gone through. Hell, you''ve felt some of what I''ve gone through!¡± He nearly shouted, then calmed down after taking several deep breaths. ¡°I''ll keep feeding you in the game, but...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I... damn, I''ve never had the courage to ask anyone this before.¡± He said and looked at her. ¡°Why did you want to hurt me?¡± ¡°I... don''t...¡± ¡°Don''t tell me you don''t know!¡± Ren said loudly. ¡°You do!¡± Gloria''s eyes widened at the tone of his voice. ¡°Just... just tell me.¡± He said, dejectedly. ¡°Please.¡± She sighed, and walked over to where he sat. She knelt on the floor in front of him, and stared at him in the eyes. She took the hand of the arm not in a sling, and held it with both of hers. ¡°Ever since I started playing the game, it was always ''what happens in the game, stays in the game''.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I''ve done a lot of things... a lot of bad things... and it never bothered me at all.¡± She said. ¡°Until I met you.¡± Ren squeezed her hand. ¡°After our little encounter in the jail cell, you were pretty much all I could think about.¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°Things... things started to look different.¡± She said. ¡°I tried to keep doing the things that I did before, but they... they weren''t as fun as they used to be.¡± She sighed. ¡°Then I... I started to starve.¡± Ren saw the turmoil she was going though as she kept talking. She let one of her hands go, and ran it through his hair. ¡°Then you agreed to feed my ability, and I was so happy.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I''ve never had so much fun or enjoyment. Ever.¡± She sighed. ¡°I... became addicted to you.¡± Ren''s eye widened at her admission. ¡°I couldn''t get enough of you.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Even when I was full, I still wanted you so badly.¡± She smiled. ¡°You''ve leveled up my ability, which I didn''t even know was possible.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°After last night, now it''s almost at Master.¡± She said. ¡°When I met the other Dark Elves, they... they fed on me.¡± Gloria looked at him with fear in her eyes. ¡°They didn''t even have to touch me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They were about 10 feet away when I felt all of the emotions you fed me drain away.¡± Gloria said. ¡°There was 6 Dark Elves; but, it felt like only one was... was... consuming me.¡± Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. ¡°They... they hurt me... so much, Ren.¡± Ren squeezed her hand again. ¡°They attacked and shot at me when I tried to get away.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I still don''t know how I managed to get away; and then all the way back to Aurora.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I thought... oh, there''s not a chance in hell that I would make it... or that you would be there... and I couldn''t send a message because my hands didn''t work right.¡± She let the tears flow then. Ren grabbed several tissues and wiped her face for her. ¡°Then there you were... my savior.¡± Gloria said, and smiled at him through her tears. ¡°I couldn''t believe it.¡± She said. ¡°I thought I was dead.¡± She sobbed. ¡°I knew it was just a game, but it still felt so real! I felt like I was going to die... and then I felt how you felt about me.¡± She cupped the side of his face with a hand. ¡°You poured so much of yourself into me, that I didn''t think you had anything left... and then you gave me everything you held back.¡± Ren didn''t say anything, and she continued. ¡°You saved me, and then... and then...¡± Gloria sighed as she dropped her hand from his face. ¡°You wouldn''t say it.¡± ¡°Say what?¡± Ren asked her, and she glared at him. ¡°That you loved me!¡± Gloria exclaimed. ¡°I felt it! And when you wouldn''t say it, then joked around... I... I was really angry!¡± ¡°You shouldn''t have been. I explained why.¡± Ren said. ¡°You didn''t say it, either.¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter!¡± Gloria said. ¡°You love me, but wouldn''t say it!¡± She said. ¡°What am I supposed to do with that?¡± ¡°Before we started seeing each other, I promised Nathalia that I wouldn''t sleep with you and then go home to tell her that I loved you.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± ¡°I''d already explained about you to her, you see.¡± Ren said. ¡°She knows all about how you used to manipulate people.¡± Gloria looked at Ren with wide eyes. ¡°I''ve always held a part of myself back because of that promise, so that I never quite gave you everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... but you love me...¡± Gloria tried to hold her tears back. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°You''ve felt how I felt in the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you really need me to say those three words out loud?¡± Gloria looked at him, with a little desperation mixed with the tears in her eyes. ¡°Y-yes.¡± Ren let her hand go, and her face gained a little more desperation. ¡°I can''t tell you those words in the game, because Nathalia would never forgive me.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°But we''re not in the game right now, are we?¡± Her eyes widened in surprise as he leaned in close. ¡°I love you, Elerlyth.¡± Ren said, and kissed her. It was only for a brief moment, then he broke the kiss and leaned back. He took his free hand and gently stroked the shaved part of the left side of her head. She closed her eyes as she concentrated on the sensation of his hand touching her skin. He traced the hairline all the way to the back, then let his hand fall away. ¡°I''ve wanted to touch you like that ever since I met you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Most men would want to grab my breasts or my ass.¡± Gloria chuckled as she opened her eyes and looked at him. ¡°Exactly.¡± Ren said, and she blinked her eyes at him several times. ¡°How many men have had the privilege of touching you like that?¡± Gloria''s face flushed a little bit red, and Ren smiled. ¡°You''re pretty irresistible, you know.¡± ¡°I don''t think so.¡± She said. ¡°Most people just stare at me.¡± ¡°That''s because they don''t know what to make of you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know they''re thinking to themselves, ''she''s drop dead gorgeous, why does she do all of that to herself?''.¡± ¡°And what do you think?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°I think you could be covered in tattoos and have a large bull ring pierced through your nose, and you''d still be gorgeous.¡± Gloria looked at him in surprise. ¡°You really think that?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s not how you look, it''s how you feel about yourself that matters.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Gloria said, and kissed him. A moment later, it was like she was startled by something and then broke the kiss. She leaned back and stared at Ren, with a surprised look on her face. ¡°No.¡± Gloria whispered. ¡°We can''t. I...¡± She looked like a deer caught in headlights. ¡°Only... only in the game.¡± Ren nodded, and then there was a knock on the bathroom door. ¡°Knock, knock.¡± Stella said. ¡°We don''t have all day to waste, you know.¡± ¡°We were just finishing up.¡± Ren said as he looked at Gloria. ¡°I think everything on our end is settled.¡± ¡°That''s great.¡± Stella said. ¡°Now pull your pants up and get out here.¡± Ren laughed and Gloria blushed. ¡°Don''t mind her.¡± He said. ¡°She''s always teasing me like that.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Nope.¡± She looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Come on.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°We can''t keep the boss waiting.¡± He opened the bathroom door and went back into the room, then climbed into bed. Gloria peered out through the doorway, and looked at Stella; who grinned at her. ¡°We weren''t doing anything like that.¡± Gloria said as she stepped out of the bathroom. ¡°I know that.¡± Stella said. ¡°It was just a joke.¡± ¡°It wasn''t funny.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Stella looked at Ren. ¡°I could have sworn I heard someone laugh.¡± ¡°That was me, obviously.¡± Ren said. ¡°Gloria hasn''t experienced your taste in humor yet.¡± ¡°We''ll be seeing each other once a week in real life, so she should pick it up fast.¡± Stella said, and turned to Gloria. ¡°One day a week in real life. Saturday or Sunday. I''ll give you my schedule so you''ll know when I''m working here, and when I''ll be home doing testing and will need your expertise.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Gloria said as she sat on the end of the bed. ¡°What about virtual time?¡± ¡°Ren and I discussed it, and we want you to set up a VPN on the micro-server there.¡± Stella said, and pointed to where it was mounted behind the television. ¡°I''ve got a similar setup at home, and you''ll need to bridge the two systems together.¡± ¡°Not a problem.¡± Gloria said. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°We want you available for testing, for one game day a week.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s one real life week, not a game week.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I don''t think I could handle logging in every 2 days.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s why we''re setting it up this way.¡± ¡°What?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You only get 2 days off a week, and you''re going to school and working.¡± Stella said. ¡°I know what the garage is like, and I won''t take any more of your free time than is absolutely necessary.¡± ¡°That''s... really nice of you.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Both of you.¡± ¡°We also discussed your salary.¡± Stella said. ¡°After a lot of research, and finding out just what hiring you would entail...¡± She smiled. ¡°...we''ve settled on an amount that we hope won''t insult you.¡± ¡°It must be pretty bad if you''re worried about insulting me.¡± Gloria said, and braced herself. ¡°Let me have it, then.¡± Stella handed her a small folded piece of paper, and Gloria took it. She opened it, and stared at the numbers. ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Gloria said. ¡°I tried to not get my hopes up. I tried to not get excited about this... but... yes, I''m insulted.¡± She crumpled up the piece of paper. ¡°This would barely cover my groceries for the month!¡± ¡°The month?¡± Stella frowned. ¡°That''s not your salary per month. That''s per week.¡± ¡°It''s per WHAT?!?¡± Gloria asked, surprised. ¡°The average student researcher makes about 18 dollars an hour.¡± Stella said. ¡°We need a 12 hour work day from you, once a week in real life.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It was Ren''s idea to include the virtual day of 12 hours as well.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°We know $432 dollars a week isn''t much.¡± Ren said. ¡°And we''re fudging the numbers a little by including the virtual work...¡± He smiled. ¡°...and yes, it will all be documented and the proper taxes will be paid. The thing is, I know you''ll be working on this in your spare time for us, too. Once you pick this up, you''re going to run with it.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°You don''t have to accept right away.¡± Stella said. ¡°Both Ren and I agreed about that. Take your time, and think about it.¡± Gloria shook her head. ¡°I don''t have to think about anything.¡± She said and reached out a hand. ¡°I accept.¡± Stella shook her hand, and then so did Ren. ¡°Welcome aboard.¡± Chapter 198 - Uh Oh! ¡°I''m totally going to regret this, aren''t I?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Stella chuckled and pat her arm. ¡°Of course you will.¡± ¡°Hey, at least we won''t ask you to put in your 12 hours right now.¡± Ren laughed at Gloria''s expression. ¡°Not tomorrow either.¡± He said. ¡°Stella has to fill out the employee and tax forms, then file them on Monday.¡± ¡°I can do some preliminary work today, if you want me to.¡± Gloria offered. ¡°What do you think, Ren?¡± Stella asked him. ¡°I think you''re going to abuse Gloria''s good nature.¡± Gloria snorted a laugh. ¡°Hey, I thought you knew me.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said, and winked at her. ¡°The real you.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Gloria said. ¡°At least let me help fill out the forms.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Stella said, and they filled out all of the relevant paperwork. ¡°Well, that definitely went a lot faster than trying to find out your information from your resume and identification.¡± ¡°It''s definitely a lot easier to talk to someone, instead of reading bland text.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Ain''t that the truth.¡± Ren said. ¡°I poured over everything about F.L.O.W. for weeks before I could play it, then learned more about playing it in one day compared to all of the reading I did.¡± He smiled. ¡°I knew the details; but until I experienced it for myself, the words alone didn''t mean a whole lot.¡± Gloria looked at him. ¡°Yes, I''m implying that even if Stella knew all about you, she would still want to meet you.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°He''s right. I wouldn''t have hired you sight unseen, no matter how good your qualifications are.¡± Gloria nodded, then looked at the pieces of the VR console. ¡°Well, I guess I better put this back together.¡± ¡°That would be a good choice, since it''s yours.¡± Ren said, then grinned at her surprised face. ¡°Thank you.¡± Gloria said, reassembled the console quickly, and put everything back in the box. ¡°This is quite generous of you.¡± ¡°You said you needed one to tinker with.¡± Ren said. ¡°So have fun with it.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Gloria said and put her tools away in her backpack. ¡°I''ll have copies of these forms made, and I''ll send them to you.¡± Stella said as she put everything back into her small briefcase. She stood up and looked at Gloria, and then at Ren. ¡°I hope this will be the beginning of a wonderful working relationship.¡± ¡°It will.¡± Ren said. ¡°Gloria and I already agreed that it will be ''work only'' in the real world.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Stella had a wicked gleam in her eye as she turned to Gloria. ¡°You''re going to be able to keep your hands off each other, after everything you''ve done together in the game?¡± Gloria blushed. ¡°That''s... that''s what I said. Only in the game.¡± Stella put a hand on Gloria''s shoulder. ¡°That''s very admirable.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Totally unrealistic, but admirable.¡± Stella said and chuckled. ¡°I better get going.¡± She said and gave a little wave, then walked towards the door with her briefcase in hand. ¡°Me, too.¡± Gloria said as she picked up her backpack and the console, then turned to follow Stella. ¡°Gloria? Can I talk to you for a minute?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Um... sure.¡± Gloria said, and put her things down. ¡°See you later, Ren.¡± Stella said from the doorway. ¡°Bye, Stella. See you tomorrow.¡± Ren said, then the door shut behind Stella. ¡°What is it?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Are you logging back into the game later?¡± Gloria looked a little spooked for a moment. ¡°I don''t know.¡± ¡°I want you to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do it tonight. That way we''ll have lots of time to deal with things.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°I... don''t want to think about what happened.¡± ¡°Then don''t think about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want you to do something about it.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean... I want you to message me about what happened during your attack, or meet me at the business and tell me about it in person.¡± ¡°But... I... I already told you about it!¡± Gloria nearly shouted. ¡°Yes you did. Out here.¡± Ren said and waved around. ¡°I need you to tell me about it in the game, though. That way, I can help you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I can''t really start things on my own, with only what I saw in the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, if you tell my game character what your game character went through...¡± He grinned. ¡°I can issue a quest.¡± Gloria''s eyes widened. ¡°A quest?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Then you can form a party, add me to it, then we can go and whip some Dark Elf ass.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Gloria said, and gave him a hug. ¡°You don''t have to do this.¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Ren said as she let him out of the hug. ¡°Even Nathalia wants in on it.¡± ¡°Wh-wh-what?!?¡± Gloria stammered. ¡°I bought Mitchell''s old place to make it a restaurant, and built an identical building in the dwarf lands.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I made Nathalia the business owner of both, then made a portal for her.¡± ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Gloria said, and sat down. ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°Spent a ton of platinum just to bring an NPC into the human realm.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°She can''t stay for long, since she''s the Head of House Neram, but...¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°She was nearly as angry about what happened to you as I was.¡± ¡°She... she was?!?¡± Gloria asked, surprised. Ren nodded. ¡°She actually said she wanted to come and help you, but couldn''t; because that would take weeks by boat for her to get here.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s quite the woman.¡± He grinned. ¡°She was so excited when I told her about the restaurant idea, and she actually could come and help you.¡± ¡°Ren, I... good god.¡± Gloria shook her head. ¡°I can''t... I can''t thank you enough.¡± ¡°Don''t thank me yet.¡± Ren looked at her seriously. ¡°Wait until we get some payback for what happened.¡± He smiled evilly. ¡°Then you can thank me... by putting your sword through their heads.¡± * Elise Stanford, the secretary at Sid Tec, was flooded with calls and emails. She''d had to call in the temp, just to handle the overflow. ¡°Ms. Stanford!¡± Edward Torren, the CEO of Sid Tec, called from his office. Elise hit pause on the business phone and the calls shunted to the temp. She got up and went into his office. ¡°Yes, sir?¡± ¡°How many new clients do we have so far?¡± ¡°Nearly a thousand, sir.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I''ve already put a rush on fabrication of the headsets to keep up with the demand.¡± Elise said. ¡°We''re running out of stock.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± ¡°No, sir.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°Even people who''ve never played anything like it before, want to try it.¡± ¡°This... this is fantastic!¡± Edward said ¡°We''ve never had this much interest before.¡± ¡°It''s all thanks to Mr. Haddon''s show, sir.¡± ¡°Don''t I know it!¡± Edward said and laughed. ¡°It''s the best free advertising we''ve ever had!¡± ¡°There is a downside, though.¡± Elise said, and her happy face turned to sadness. ¡°I''ve been bombarded by calls and messages about Ren.¡± She said. ¡°Apparently, one of the nurses who saw the show last night gave an interview with the news and told them that he was the star.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Edward''s face went from happy to angry. ¡°How could she be so stupid?¡± ¡°I don''t know, sir.¡± Elise said. ¡°Most of the inquiries are asking for confirmation of the details.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Edward said. ¡°Poor kid''s probably going to be swamped with fans and money-grubbers.¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Elise said. ¡°Should we issue a statement about it?¡± ¡°You already did, sir.¡± She smiled. ¡°You stated that it was deplorable that some people will do anything for their 15 minutes of fame, and that any breech of privacy, if it did occur, was not condoned nor acknowledged by Sid Tec, nor any of it''s affiliates.¡± ¡°What about the television station?¡± ¡°They''ve already have a lawsuit filed against the news program and the lead anchor.¡± ¡°Oh, crap.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Elise said, and her face turned predatory. ¡°Not only did they fail to confirm the ''facts'' that nurse spouted; but they didn''t contact us, the hospital, or Mr. Haddon about revealing his identity publicly.¡± ¡°They are so screwed.¡± Edward said. ¡°Who filed it?¡± ¡°The Civil Rights Union, on behalf of Mr. Haddon.¡± Edward shook his head. ¡°This is going to blow up beyond all proportions, isn''t it?¡± Elise nodded, and he sighed. ¡°Well, there''s not much else we can do.¡± Edward said. ¡°If they call for a copy of the confidentiality agreements, give it to them.¡± ¡°It''s already sent, sir.¡± Elise said. ¡°Excellent! You always do a great job, Ms. Stanford.¡± Edward said. ¡°You had better get back to your desk.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°You know that old saying... even bad publicity is still publicity.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Elise said and left the office to sit down at her desk. I''m so sorry about this, Ren. She thought as she put her phone back into the circuit. If I knew that you''d be found out so quickly... She sighed. I''d have still done it; but, I would have at least warned you of the possibility! * Gloria left Ren''s room in high spirits. Not only do I have a job that will look great on my resume, it has great pay, is only one day a week, and I can work on modern technology to my heart''s content! She almost let her laughter bubble out uncontrollably, but kept it under wraps until she got outside and into her car. I can also get those bastards back for draining me! She started laughing, and very carefully didn''t peel her tires as she left the parking lot. * Ren laid back in the bed and was in a good mood. He had watched Gloria''s reaction to what he said, and smiled. I could almost feel how happy she was. He thought as Denise came back into the room. ¡°Did you guys get everything worked out?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Not everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just enough to get the ball rolling.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Denise asked. ¡°They were in here for a while.¡± ¡°We had a lot to discuss before we finally settled on the job offer.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She said. ¡°How did that go?¡± ¡°I think we all came to a good understanding.¡± Denise nodded. ¡°Are you heading into the game?¡± ¡°Right after I use the bathroom.¡± Ren said, and slid out of the bed. He walked towards the bathroom, and turned when Denise spoke. ¡°Aren''t you forgetting something?¡± She asked. ¡°I... don''t think so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just using the bathroom.¡± Denise slid a hand into the cubbyhole of the rollaway table, that Ren hid things in. She brought out a foil packet and held it up. Ren''s eyes widened, and his face flushed red. She smiled as she walked over to him, and he held his hand out for it. ¡°T-thank you.¡± Ren said as she handed it to him. ¡°You''ve been very careful about not making messes for us to clean up.¡± His face flushed a deeper red as he nodded. ¡°You already do so much for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t expect you to clean... that... up, too.¡± Denise put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°I wish all of the patients here were as caring about things like this.¡± She smiled. ¡°Go ahead and take care of things.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Ren said and went into the bathroom. Boy, that could have been a huge mistake on my part! He thought as he used the bathroom, and took care of business. Just imagine! He shook his head. I''d be so embarrassed, and would probably have ruined my new pajamas. * Denise tried to keep her laughter to herself. He looked so cute! She thought. He acted like I''d caught him actually doing something! * Ren came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, and glanced at Denise. She only smiled at him, and when he climbed into the bed, she handed him his VR headset. ¡°You''re not going to tease me about it, are you?¡± Ren asked, as she helped him put the headset on. ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Denise asked. ¡°You''re actually doing me a favor by wearing it.¡± ¡°Thanks, Denise.¡± Ren relaxed and settled down in the bed. ¡°See you at supper.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch, stood up and went to Nathalia''s bedroom. Hi, Teepo. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Anything happen while I was gone? ¡°Only Nathalia tucking Ereka into bed.¡± Really? Isn''t that a little odd? ¡°Not really.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Ereka was pretty desperate to get some sleep, so Nathalia offered to help.¡± Did it work? ¡°I haven''t seen or heard Ereka on any of my patrols, like the last few nights.¡± Teepo said. ¡°So, I think so.¡± Cool. Ren thought. Wake me in the morning if I''m not up. ¡°Sure thing, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Goodnight. Ren opened Nathalia''s bedroom door, slipped inside, and then climbed into bed.
Stat Change!
Sneak Level 1 (Intermediate 0%)
He dismissed the popup and snuggled into Nathalia. She didn''t move at all, so he put a hand on her hip and went to sleep. * ¡°By the gods, get back here!¡± Nershan, the little dwarf with Groggot and Croggart, whispered to the pair of brothers. ¡°We''re only supposed to track them!¡± The two brothers ignored his pleas for restraint, and crawled through the underbrush. ¡°I can''t believe we actually found one.¡± Croggart whispered to his brother. ¡°I can''t believe I''m stupid enough to do this with you.¡± Groggot whispered back. ¡°Nershan''s right. I need to get back and tell the Garrison there''s another one close by.¡± ¡°Close by?¡± Croggart asked. ¡°We''re nearly 3 full days travel away from the Garrison.¡± ¡°I know that.¡± Groggot said. ¡°Three days out is my limit. I need to report in.¡± ¡°We''ll head back in the morning.¡± Croggart said. ¡°This I''ve got to see.¡± The pair of brothers didn''t have to whisper, or be quiet, since the giant they had found wasn''t being quiet in the least. She was screaming her head off, swinging her arms as if trying to knock something away, and then they watched in amazement as she grabbed a nearby tree, pulled it up roots and all, then swung it at her own head. ¡°What the hell is she doing?¡± Groggot asked. After several hits, the female giant staggered around, and went down on one knee. She dropped the tree and put her hands on her head. She let out another bellow, and frantically looked around. She put her nose up in the air, as if she caught the scent of something, then sniffed. Her head whipped around and her eyes landed on the pair of brothers. For the first time in their lives, the brothers felt real fear. The female giant screamed at them, picked up the tree she had dropped, and then ran towards them. ¡°Raaawwrrrrr!¡± ¡°RUN!¡± Groggot yelled, and the brothers stood up and took off running. It was pointless however; since the giant''s legs were longer than they were tall. She stood about 20 feet tall, a little small for a giant; but she was faster than the larger ones, so she caught up to them only a few seconds later. She swung the tree and hooked Croggart in the back with it. The big bushy top of the tree''s branches clanged against his armor, and the force of the blow picked him up and tossed him 30 feet into the air. He flew end over end and hit a nearby tree''s top branches, went through them, then smashed down through another tree''s branches towards the ground. Croggart managed to keep his wits about him, and stuck out his arms to try and slow his fall. He managed to grab several branches on the way to the ground, and they slowed his fall somewhat. He hit the ground hard, and had the wind knocked out of him. After several minutes of pain and silence, Croggart managed to stand up. Thanks to the armor Ren had given him, he had survived the attack; but, was more beaten and bruised than he''d ever been before. He leaned against the tree he''d just crashed into, and took stock of the situation. The armor was dented and cracked, both the back and chest pieces. The marking on the front had a large crack across it, and he''d lost one of the gauntlets and the helm. He still couldn''t hear anything; but he didn''t know if it was him, or if there wasn''t any sound. As a test, he put his fingers to his ears, and snapped them. One ear worked fine, but the other one had nothing. Dammit. Croggart thought. I''m going to be useless in a fight if I don''t get my hearing back. He turned his head so that the one working ear could hear anything that might need to be heard, and there was nothing. No animals, no birds, and barely any wind to rattle the tree branches. He waited a few minutes, then moved around slowly. Croggart easily found the path of destruction the giant had left, and followed it. He didn''t have to look long before he found Nershan. At least, what was left of him. His legs had been caught in one of the giant''s footsteps, and were crushed into pulp. If Croggart had to guess, she must have stopped and grabbed Nershan, then pulled without lifting the foot. All that was there was hips and pulped legs. He walked on for another 20 feet, and found the rest of Nershan. The imprint of giant teeth on the chest almost made Croggart throw up; but, at least she hadn''t eaten all of him. Nershan''s face had a surprised look on it, and the blank eyes stared up at the sky. Croggart knelt by him and closed them. He took out 2 silver coins and performed the funeral ritual for fallen warriors, the body was enveloped in a soft white glow for a moment, then disappeared. ¡°Safe journey.¡± Croggart said. He kept walking, and gathered his strength. He could only hope against all the odds, and the evidence, that his brother hadn''t met the same terrible fate. * Jhulune, the worker from the lumber mill, cuddled under her blanket. Since her and Brian weren''t an item anymore, she''d had several of the guys ask her out. She very politely declined each offer, and said that she was taking a break from being a couple for a while. -S Jhulune tried to keep herself quiet as she rubbed herself between her legs with one hand, and bit down on the other. She remembered how Ren had made her feel so good, and she bit her hand harder as she rubbed harder. She mumbled his name over and over as she pleased herself, and gasped as an orgasm caught her. After her muscles stopped twitching, she relaxed and curled in tighter and hugged herself. -E Oh, Ren! Jhulune thought. I can''t wait until I see you again! * Barnar held the Queen in his arms. He thought it was presumptuous to do such a thing, but Narhilda had finally convinced him that what he did in the bedroom with her, wouldn''t reflect on him as a man outside of the bedroom. He still wasn''t sure that was true; but, Narhilda seemed to be genuinely happy that he cuddled her at night. He looked at her sleeping face, and saw happiness there. I guess I am doing something right. Barnar thought, and drifted off to sleep. * Deresdra, the healer at House Neram Mines, lay awake in her very comfortable bed, and tried her best not to scream in frustration. She was surrounded by all of the things Ren had given her, had more money than she knew what to do with it, that he had also given her, and she should have been happier than she had ever been in her life. All she could think about however, was how frustrating it was that Ren didn''t want her as a woman; even though it was her that had made him into a proper-looking man. Chapter 199 - I Did It Again Alinar Keacaryn, the leader of the High Elves Raiding Party, stormed into the opulent room and fumed his frustration. ¡°I can''t believe we let them get away!¡± He yelled, picked up an expensive jewel-covered dish, and threw it across the room. It shattered into pieces against the wall. Jewels that had been freed from their ceramic prison, jumped to freedom; only to have their escape thwarted by gravity and the floor. ¡°Get someone in here to clean that up!¡± He bellowed to the elf behind him, who turned and called for a servant. A stunningly beautiful raven-haired half-elf ran into the room as fast as her legs could carry her, and had cleaned up the mess in mere moments using both speed and magic. She was gone before Alinar could scowl at her, or comment about how much he hated her half-ling height. He would never admit it to himself; but most of that hate was because the half-elf was even more eye-catching than his own wife, who he loved dearly. ¡°Please calm down, Alinar.¡± Yelnan said. ¡°It''s not our fault.¡± Alinar turned to him with a scowl on his face. ¡°Are you saying it''s all my fault?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Yelnan laughed. ¡°Even if it were true, I wouldn''t be uncouth enough to state it openly.¡± Alinar clenched his fist. ¡°So you are saying...¡± ¡°Are you teasing my husband again, dear brother?¡± Elmyra said as she came into the room. ¡°No, dear sister.¡± Yelnan said as he turned his head to present a cheek for his sister to kiss. ¡°I certainly hope not.¡± She said, kissed the offered cheek, and went to her husband. ¡°Old friends shouldn''t antagonize each other so much.¡± Alinar''s disposition changed for the better, the exact moment his wife had entered the room. He relaxed as she gave him a hug, and then a kiss on the lips. ¡°What has you so riled up, my husband?¡± ¡°Dark Elves.¡± Alinar said. ¡°We found another scout party in our territory.¡± ¡°Oh, them.¡± Elmyra dismissed his concerns with a wave. ¡°Of course they are in our territory.¡± She smiled. ¡°They have to go through it to get to the rest of the realm, don''t they?¡± Alinar opened his mouth to say that the Dark Elves should know their place, and stay there; but his wife''s angelic smile stopped his argument before he made it. ¡°Dear sister, you should come along on the raid next time.¡± Yelnan said, amused. ¡°Your effectiveness for calming your husband is reaching legendary status.¡± Elmyra laughed, and the sounds of wind and rustling leaves could be heard. ¡°Only because you are spreading that story, dear brother. I''d be more of a burden on you than a herd of half-lings.¡± Yelnan laughed, and his sister grinned at him. ¡°Don''t let them hear you say they come in herds, dear sister.¡± Yelnan said. ¡°The High Court will never hear the end of it.¡± ¡°I am only jesting.¡± Elmyra said. ¡°I meant no disrespect to the half-people.¡± Alinar laughed and hugged his wife again. ¡°You are a vision of loveliness, and the epitome of compassion, my wife.¡± ¡°Only because we are married.¡± She said. ¡°You wouldn''t look at me twice, otherwise.¡± Alinar looked stricken, as if she had wounded him deeply. ¡°How... how can you say such things?¡± Alinar asked. ¡°I''ve only ever had eyes for you!¡± Elmyra smiled demurely and gave him another kiss on the lips. Alinar''s face lit up, because he''d never had two kisses from his wife on the same day before. ¡°You bless me, my wife.¡± Alinar said, and took her hand. He bent over it, and kissed her fingers. Elmyra blushed from the intimate contact, and she glanced at her brother. Fortunately, Yelnan had turned his head away before the act had been committed, and was intentionally not looking at them. Elmyra sighed in relief as she looked back at her husband. ¡°Such things should be saved for a more... private time.¡± She said, and Alinar looked at her with surprise on his face. ¡°My apologies, my wife.¡± He said and ducked his head. ¡°I forgot myself, and my manners.¡± ¡°That''s quite alright, my husband.¡± She said and stroked the side of his hand with an index finger. ¡°You succeeded in driving off an incursion last night.¡± She puckered her lips slightly, and leaned in close to whisper. ¡°You will come to see me later.¡± ¡°Y-y-yes, my wife.¡± Alinar said, a little shaky. ¡°As you wish.¡± Elmyra leaned back. ¡°I do.¡± She said silkily, then turned away from him and walked towards the door. As she passed her brother, she looked at him through the corner of her eye. Yelnan kept his gaze firmly facing away, and she stopped. ¡°Thank you for bringing him back alive, dear brother.¡± Elmyra said. ¡°It is both my duty, and my honor, to keep my promise to you.¡± Yelnan said, then smiled as he looked at her. ¡°Keeping you happy is also my fondest wish, dear sister.¡± She reached out and put a hand on his arm, squeezed lightly, then left the room without another word. Both men watched the door close behind her, then looked at each other. ¡°What do you want to do about the stray that slipped away during the fight?¡± Yelnan asked. ¡°The same thing we do to all of the strays.¡± Alinar said. ¡°We capture, contain, then send them back where they belong.¡± He smiled. ¡°Send the tracker team out to the site of the skirmish battle. Have them look for her scent.¡± * Ren had slept the rest of the night peacefully, and woke up early on his own the next morning. Since he was at home, he automatically concentrated on the House Neram pendant and merged with the house''s artificial Aura. Good morning, Teepo. Ren thought, as he rubbed Nathalia''s hip absently. I assume everything is all clear. ¡°Morning, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Yeah, nothing happened, either here or outside.¡± Thanks for always keeping a lookout. ¡°What else am I going to do?¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Sing and dance?¡± Not while I''m trying to sleep! Ren chuckled, and Nathalia moved her head to look at him. ¡°Good morning, My Love.¡± Nathalia gave him a gentle kiss, and he tapped his House Neram pendant with his free hand. She smiled at him, and her Aura merged with the house''s artificial Aura as well. She turned her body to face his. -S Since Ren''s hand was rubbing her hip at the time, when Nathalia moved, his hand slid along her skin; and he discovered she was quite ready and willing for his attention. His eyes widened at her lascivious smile, and the feelings she was giving him. She took him into a hug and made out with him, as he played with her between her legs. ¡°A little more to the... oh, yeah... mmm...¡± Nathalia said between kisses. ¡°Yes, My Love... by the gods, yes... OH!¡± She grabbed his beard with both of her hands, and held on as she orgasmed. Her arms shook from the effort, and Ren marveled at how quickly she had finished. This beard must really be magic. He thought, as she pulled him on top of her, and she kept a hold of his beard as he pleased her over and over again. * Ereka was quite refreshed when she woke up, because she had just had the best sleep of her life. She concentrated on her House Neram pendant, and gasped loudly when her Aura merged with that of the house and was flooded with the tumultuous feelings flowing through it. Her body froze solid as she felt both Ren and Nathalia as they pleased each other. After about 10 minutes of immobility, she relaxed because they were so caught up in each other''s feelings, they didn''t notice her at all. She fought to not please herself, because if she did that while their Auras were merged, they would definitely notice someone else''s pleasure besides their own. She grit her teeth and rode along the ocean of feelings with them. -E Over an hour and a half later, Ren lay beside Nathalia, and she stared at him. She was well and truly satisfied, and she pet his beard where she had held on so tightly. I wonder if that''s what it''s for? Ren thought. Now that I think about it, Nathalia did seem to flail around with her hands most of the time before. He grinned at her. Maybe... maybe having a beard isn''t so bad after all. Nathalia grinned back at him, because she could feel Ren''s wonderment. She started to get a headache, though; and had to disengage from the shared Aura. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You held it a lot longer this time.¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°I''ve been practicing.¡± She said. ¡°It still hurts after a while, but I''m getting better at it.¡± Ren slid his arm behind her head, and they laid together, then stared up at the ceiling. -S * Ereka felt the emotions wind down, then Nathalia''s brief moment of pain, then felt her leave the Aura. Now that she was alone with Ren in the shared Aura, she touched the very tender area between her legs. After over an hour of feeling Ren and Nathalia''s pleasure, the space between her legs had soaked her underwear and a good portion of the blanket. Ereka wasn''t sure what she was doing, since she hadn''t had her training yet; but, she knew enough to try a couple of things. * Ren''s eyes widened as he felt a huge spike of denied pleasure from the other bedroom, and then he felt a more intense feeling of actual pleasure. He couldn''t help reacting to it and grew hard again; then Nathalia, being the conscientious woman that she was, noticed the change and moved down to his abdomen. She slid him into her mouth, and Ren caught his breath as she pleased him yet again. * Ereka felt Ren''s reaction to her, and it made her more vigorous in her efforts. She teased herself, and wasn''t sure what else to do while she rubbed herself; then a small spasm went through her, and one of her fingers slipped inside her opening. ¡°Oh...OHHH!¡± She exclaimed, and she felt her very first little orgasm. * ¡°Oh...OHHH!¡± Ren repeated as he felt Ereka go, then went himself. By this time, Nathalia had had enough experience that she didn''t let a single drop escape. After a minute, Nathalia cleaned him off with her tongue, and he throbbed for her again. * Ereka floated on a cloud of pleasure; with an even mixture of her and Ren. She closed her eyes in contentment, then drifted back to sleep. Her connection to the shared Aura lapsed, and Ren was alone in his feelings once again. * -E ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m always surprised that you can keep going.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Even though I''ve seen it countless times.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re not the only one that''s surprised.¡± He said, then told her what had just happened. ¡°Really?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I didn''t feel her before.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°She must have just woken up.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I... I think it was her first time feeling that way.¡± ¡°That''s understandable.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I mean, I didn''t feel anything like that, until you came along.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°I haven''t gone for my training either, remember?¡± Ren nodded as he looked at her. ¡°After everything we''ve been through, I sometimes forget that you haven''t done it.¡± He said. ¡°So, now I have to ask... do you want to?¡± ¡°Want to what?¡± ¡°Go for your training.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I''ve talked to Narhilda about it.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°One of the rituals is... how do I put this delicately...¡± She sighed. ¡°It''s... practice with a specially-trained man.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ren looked at her in surprise. ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°The only way to learn how to please a man properly is to... please a man until you get it right.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Every woman that''s ever been trained, has slept with someone else.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°I thought I didn''t understand your culture before.¡± Ren said, then chuckled. ¡°That specially trained man either has the best job in the world, or the most monotonous.¡± It was Nathalia''s turn to look at Ren in surprise. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked. ¡°I think having sex all the time might be fun.¡± Ren smiled for a moment, then frowned. ¡°But, the exact same sex, all the time, over and over? No matter how many different women he was with, he''d have to treat them all exactly the same, every single time?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I think it would get boring after a while.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°I think so, too.¡± She said, then asked him to turn his head. Ren did so, and she sucked on his ear. He fought hard to not react to the sensations, and after 10 minutes of it, it was Nathalia''s turn. He kissed, teased, and sucked on Nathalia''s neck. She didn''t even giggle this time, and he smiled. ¡°We''re definitely getting better at not reacting to our vulnerabilities.¡± Ren hugged her. ¡°I think it''s doubly hard, because we love each other so much.¡± Nathalia nodded and hugged him back. ¡°Yes, not reacting to you kissing me is pure torture.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I was going to say the same thing.¡± He said and kissed her. ¡°The feeling of your mouth anywhere on me is a pleasure in and of itself; but what you do with it...¡± Nathalia rubbed his chest. ¡°You, too.¡± ¡°Breakfast.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I thought you ought to know.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Teepo says it''s time for breakfast.¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°I''ll have something ready in a few minutes.¡± ¡°I''ll help.¡± Ren said. They got out of bed, and made breakfast together. It was pancakes this morning; so Ren, being the over-achiever that he was, made plate-sized ones. He looked in the icebox for whipped cream, and saw a large jug of dark liquid. He took it out and asked Nathalia what it was. ¡°It''s sugar syrup.¡± She said. ¡°You remember the farmer, Nonyar?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°His wife Magdhal brought that over yesterday. She said one of her sons found weird looking trees last year, and when he cut it open, this stuff came out.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It was bitter, but tasty, so he brought it home and they added sugar until it was like this.¡± She smiled. ¡°Now once a year, they have a few barrels of it made. It was nice of her to give us a jug of it this time.¡± ¡°Sweet!¡± Ren said. ¡°Exactly.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren grinned. He covered the stacks of pancakes with the sugar syrup, and grabbed the whipped cream. He dropped a spoonful on top, added a couple of berries, and it was done. Nathalia had been making her own normal-sized pancakes, and when she turned around and saw the 7 inch high stack of 1 foot wide pancakes covered in syrup, whipped cream and berries, she laughed. ¡°What in the world is that?!?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Breakfast.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you think we should wake Ereka?¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I think we should let her sleep in for once.¡± ¡°I wish.¡± Ereka said, as she slowly entered the kitchen. She rubbed her eyes, then ran her hands through her hair. She was only wearing her dress slip, so the movement highlighted her chest wonderfully. Ren was normally good at ignoring things like that; even though he still saw it, he didn''t react to it. ¡°Good morning!¡± Ren said, and grinned at her. ¡°Feel like some breakfast?¡± He asked her, and held up the plate filled with pancakes. ¡°What in the world is that?!?¡± Ereka asked, surprised. Ren and Nathalia laughed, and Ereka decided that caution was better choice. She took a plate of pancakes from Nathalia instead; but added syrup, whipped cream and berries to it because Ren''s version did look delicious that way. They enjoyed eating breakfast together, and discussed what to do with the restaurant. It wasn''t long before Teepo reminded Ren that he needed to go to work. ¡°I''ll be back this evening.¡± Ren said, and kissed Nathalia goodbye. He waved to Ereka, and left the house. * ¡°So, how did you enjoy sharing your feelings with Ren?¡± Nathalia asked, once Ren was out of the house. Ereka looked at her in surprise. ¡°I... um...¡± ¡°Yes, he told me.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°He doesn''t keep anything from me.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t want him to.¡± Ereka said, honestly. ¡°It''s just... I... I didn''t want to intrude on you sharing your feelings with him.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°So... you were awake for some of it.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°When I realized what you were doing, I...¡± She swallowed. ¡°...I waited.¡± Nathalia looked at her with her head tilted slightly to the side, and Ereka blushed a little. ¡°I didn''t know what I was doing, actually.¡± Ereka said, and blushed a bright red. ¡°When I... I...¡± She took in a deep breath. ¡°I didn''t realize...¡± She looked at Nathalia in surprise. ¡°Is it always like that? My mind went completely blank!¡± She said excitedly, then sighed. ¡°I was completely relaxed afterwards, then I fell asleep again.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°Most times it is like that.¡± She said. ¡°All you care about is the feeling.¡± ¡°Yes, that''s it!¡± Ereka said. ¡°Just the sensation was... by the gods, Nathalia! How do you ever let him leave the house, if he can make you feel like that?¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°It wouldn''t be as good if you have it all the time.¡± She said. ¡°The anticipation is part of the fun.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°I... I think... I should sign up for my training early.¡± ¡°I don''t think you should right now.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I just explained to Ren that part of the training is sleeping with one of the training men.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Ereka exclaimed. ¡°R-really?¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°It''s the only way to learn how to please a man.¡± ¡°By pleasing a man.¡± Ereka said. ¡°That you don''t know, care about, or love.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°Your future husband will be in the same boat. You won''t know him, care about him, or love him. That''s what the contract is for. So you can get to know him, care about him, and love him. Eventually.¡± Ereka sighed. ¡°I never thought about it like that.¡± ¡°No one does.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You''ve got a few more years before you have to worry about any of that, Ereka. So, take my advice; don''t worry about it.¡± * Ren fed Princess a stack of pancakes, syrup, and whipped cream; and she inhaled it faster than he thought was possible. ...More, please... ¡°Of course, Princess.¡± Ren said, and dropped another plateful in front of her. ...Thank you, My Lord... ¡°You''re welcome.¡± He said, then pat Riley and Stacy, the two dogs guarding her, and he left the stable. He ran out through the gate, acknowledged the guards, and ran up to the workshop. No one was there yet, so he went into the forge room to see Tee-one. He asked Tee-one to make tables and chairs for the restaurant, and Tee-one handed him the suits of armor, swords, and shields that he had made the night before. Ren smiled and thanked him for the work, then left the workshop and ran into the city, then out to his mines. The guard bid him a good morning, opened the gate for Ren to pass through, and Ren nodded to him and ran to the medical tent next to the entrance to the mine. He stepped inside, and didn''t see the healer, Deresdra. ¡°Hello?¡± Ren asked, but there was no answer. He frowned, and checked the curtained-off area, but she wasn''t there either. He shrugged, and went outside and around the medical tent to the house he had built for her. Teepo. Ren thought, and Teepo slid under the door and searched. ¡°Yeah, she''s in here.¡± Teepo said, then stayed in the living room. Ren knocked on the front door and waited. There was no answer, so he knocked a little harder. ¡°She''s getting out of bed now.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m coming, I''m coming!¡± Deresdra said as she walked to the front door, and opened it. The bright sunlight hit her in the face. ¡°Ugh!¡± She said, and put a hand up to cover her eyes. ¡°Dammit! What do you want?!?¡± Deresdra only wore a small pair of underwear, and a loose thin top. Both were practically see through, and surprisingly enough, Ren was more turned on now because of what she wore, than he had been when he''d seen her nude. He stopped himself from staring at her, and ignored her disheveled state. Teepo said she''d just gotten out of bed. Ren thought. ¡°I''m sorry for bothering you.¡± He said. ¡°I''d like to get inspected for the day''s work, if that''s okay.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Deresdra said, and stepped back. ¡°Come in.¡± She turned around and walked away a few feet. Her underwear was just as small in the back, and barely covered anything at all on her backside. ¡°I can wait in the medical tent.¡± Ren said, and she shook her head. ¡°By the gods, get in here and shut the damn door!¡± Deresdra said vehemently, and Ren blinked his eyes a few times, then went inside and shut the door. ¡°I''m off today.¡± She said as she dropped her hand from covering her eyes. ¡°I thought you were, too.¡± ¡°I''m taking tomorrow off instead.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be going to Aurora to deal with a few things.¡± Deresdra nodded slightly. ¡°Clothes off, then.¡± Ren looked around. ¡°But, we''re in your living room.¡± ¡°Yes, right.¡± She said, and took his hand to lead him to the bedroom and shut the door. ¡°Is that better?¡± ¡°Not... not really.¡± Ren said. ¡°It will be, though.¡± He whipped out some fabric, and tacked it to the ceiling, to make an impromptu curtained-off area. ¡°That was handy.¡± Deresdra said, and looked around. It was the same size as the one in the medical tent. ¡°Okay, now take off your clothes.¡± Ren sighed, stored his clothing, and left himself in just his underwear; which clearly showed his arousal. He had thought about delaying to let it go away, but he knew it would take a lot longer than a few minutes for it to dissipate enough to make any difference. Well, well. Deresdra thought as she started his examination. Perhaps I was a little too hasty in thinking that he didn''t like me. What Deresdra didn''t realize was that, if any woman was so scantily clad in front of a man, they will react in pretty much the same way. Most times, it didn''t matter how they personally felt about the woman they were looking at. I think Stella is right. Ren thought. It really is a body''s normal reaction to stimulation. Deresdra checked his back and his chest, massaged his abdomen muscles, then checked his arms. When she knelt and bent over slightly to check his legs, her top billowed out and gave Ren a very clear view of her chest. His arousal became quite pronounced at that point, pointing almost straight out because it was caught in the underwear''s fabric. Looking down at her, it really was quite a view, and he saw that she was aroused as well. Of course, Deresdra noticed the change in his physical condition, and she smiled mentally. Yes! Deresdra thought. He''s not immune to my charms after all. She stood up, oh so slowly, making sure her top stayed billowed out, until she stood up straight and looked him in the eyes. Ren''s face was flushed red, since he couldn''t stop himself from staring at her this time. ¡°Am... am I cleared for work?¡± Ren asked. ¡°In a moment.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°There''s just one more thing I need to check.¡± ¡°Wh-what''s that?¡± Ren held his breath, because he thought he knew what it was that she wanted to check next. Deresdra grinned, as she thought about what he thought she might want to check next. ¡°This.¡± She said, and ran her fingers through his beard. It hadn''t grown out past the 2 inches it had been yesterday, but Deresdra didn''t care at this point. Oh, my! She thought. I''ve never felt a beard like it before. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the feeling. It''s not rough or coarse, but soft and fluffy! ¡°Ma''am?¡± Ren asked, and hoped she was distracted enough to get an honest answer. ¡°Where did you get that cream?¡± ¡°I''m not going to tell you that.¡± Deresdra said as she opened her eyes. ¡°You told me to buy myself something nice that would make me happy; so, I did.¡± She smiled seductively, as she let his beard go. ¡°I won''t let you get rid of it.¡± Ren swallowed loudly, and she had to fight to keep her laughter contained. ¡°I... ah... actually, I want to keep it.¡± He said. ¡°I wanted more cream, in case it wore off.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Deresdra asked. ¡°Well, it won''t wear off.¡± She smiled. ¡°That was guaranteed. I still won''t tell you where I got it, though; but, if you want more creme...¡± She left the curtained-off area and Ren heard her rummaging through something, then she came back and handed him a small jar of the creme. ¡°Here you go.¡± Ren looked at her in surprise. ¡°You had more?¡± Deresdra chuckled. ¡°I wasn''t sure how much to use, or what it would cover.¡± She explained. ¡°It really is a small jar. I had to get another one, just in case.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and stored it. ¡°What do I owe you?¡± ¡°Since you gave me the money in the first place, not much.¡± Deresdra said and smiled. ¡°Just a hug will do.¡± Ren nodded slightly. Since he always liked both giving and receiving hugs, he didn''t think twice about it. He took her into a hug right away, much to her surprise and delight. She put her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck, since they were so close to the same height, and she pulled him in tightly. -S Since they had been talking so calmly for a few minutes, Ren had completely forgotten that he wore only his underwear; and that Deresdra was barely wearing only a little more than that. His eyes widened as her breasts pressed into his chest and the tips poked him hard through the thin fabric top she wore. Because his underwear was bulged practically straight out, he was now firmly pressed into the space between her legs. He was still shrouded in his underwear, but when they had moved together and Deresdra had pulled him in tight, her thin underwear had moved slightly to the side, and he rubbed across her opening to end laying underneath it. She gasped at the sensation of him sliding between her legs, and she stood up on her toes and arched her back to try and reduce it; but she soon realized that she wasn''t tall enough to accomplish that. She relaxed and brought her hips forward, and that small movement rubbed her across his expanse. They both gasped when she did that, and froze as neither of them wanted to embarrass themselves further. ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to...¡± They said at the same time. Deresdra took her head off his shoulder and leaned back, which moved her hips, and she caught her breath as she rubbed against him again. She clamped her legs together involuntarily, and squeezed him even tighter than she did before. ¡°Don''t... don''t move.¡± Ren said. ¡°By the gods, don''t move.¡± He breathed, and tried to control himself. They stared at each other, faces barely an inch apart, and he didn''t know what to do. ¡°I may not have much choice but to move.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°I''m standing up on my toes, and my legs are starting to get sore.¡± Ren moved his hands down to her hips and held her still. ¡°Okay, I''ve got you.¡± He said. ¡°Relax your feet.¡± Deresdra did so, and was surprised she didn''t move at all as her feet were now completely off of the floor. ¡°How long can you hold me like this?¡± She asked. ¡°For as long as I have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just... just give me a few minutes to calm down, then I''ll get you to move.¡± Her eyes widened as he didn''t seem to struggle at all to hold her so still. Ren waited nearly 10 minutes before asking her to slowly open her legs. ¡°I can''t.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°I''m pressed up against you, and I can''t move them forward.¡± ¡°Bend your knees first.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then slide your thighs out to the sides.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She bent her knees like he said, then when she started to slide her thighs out, her entire weight went into his hands. Since Ren was trying to move her away at the same time, and was holding her carefully; he wasn''t holding her as securely as he thought he was. His grip started to slip as her thighs slid out to the sides, and he almost dropped her. Deresdra grabbed onto his shoulders and lifted to stop herself from falling; and then Ren recovered his grip on her and pulled her down and in close. This combination of maneuvers, on both of their parts, turned an innocent mistake into an almost perfect upthrust. Ren''s underwear clad member slipped about 4 inches inside of her. Deresdra gasped, and stared in shock at Ren, who stared back at her with just as much shock on his face. ¡°M-M-Ma''am!¡± Ren stammered. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± He tried to move her off, and she winced. ¡°By the gods, I''ve hurt you!¡± He said and stopped his efforts. Deresdra shook her head. ¡°No... no, it''s all right.¡± She said. ¡°It was... a surprise is all.¡± ¡°Ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to move you.¡± ¡°You''re inside of me now.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°You might as well use my name.¡± ¡°It was an accident.¡± Ren said. ¡°By the gods, how do I get into these situations?¡± ¡°Maybe they want you to?¡± Deresdra asked. ¡°It seems to happen to us a lot, doesn''t it?¡± Ren didn''t know what to say to that, and she smiled as she let his shoulders go. She slid even further down him, and winced as his underwear pressed harder against her. ¡°Ma''am, don''t!¡± He said, and tried to move her off, and she cringed. ¡°I''m caught on the fabric, Ren.¡± She said, and a tear came to her eye. Ren had no choice but to store the underwear, so he would stop hurting her; and her body slid down him the rest of the way. He was completely sheathed inside of her, and she gasped as more tears came to her eyes. ¡°I''ve hurt you again.¡± Ren said, sadly. Deresdra shook her head and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°They''re tears of relief.¡± She said, and touched the top of her opening. It was rubbed red and raw, and Ren took out a Minor Healing wand. ¡°Don''t!¡± She said, and grabbed his hand. ¡°You know better than anyone that if you heal me now, it will stay that way.¡± Ren''s eyes widened as he imagined her opening staying open all the time, and he put the wand away. ¡°What do I do?¡± ¡°Make me feel better.¡± Deresdra said, as she pulled off her top. ¡°Help me forget the pain.¡± Driven by guilt for what he had done, Ren did make her forget all about the pain he had caused her. For the next half an hour, he worked her over so well, that she could barely move afterwards. He equipped his clothes and looked at her expectantly. -E ¡°You''re cleared for work.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°Thank you, Ma''am.¡± Ren said, and left her little house, with Teepo flying close beside him. Ren ran into the mines, and saw that no one else was there; even though the shift should have started already. Maybe everyone took today off. Ren thought, and got to work. He mined and mined, and didn''t even stop for lunch. When 7 hours were up, Teepo let him know, and he went to the blacksmith shop to do any repairs that were needed. Ren fixed all of the picks that were there, and then two mining carts. He was tempted to enchant them all with Antidark runes to make the carts and their contents lighter; but, that would have to wait until he came back. Teepo told Ren when the last hour expired, and Ren got the same feelings of relief and happiness. He checked the baby fire elemental, gave it enough food for several days, and left the mines. He waved to the guard and ran all the way back to House Neram. * Ereka felt Ren run by the Main House, and gasped at the guilt she was bombarded with. By the gods, what did he do?!? She thought. The guilt is crushing him! * Ren went through the gate to House Neram Keep, and didn''t even pause to gather his thoughts before opening the door to talk to Nathalia. He was full of guilt and trepidation, because he had some explaining to do to the woman he loved. He had to explain, somehow, why he had slept with yet another woman. Chapter 200 - Nathalia Is Here, Part One Ren went into the house to talk to Nathalia. He told her everything that had happened that morning, and she listened to every word. When he was done, she stayed silent. ¡°Nathalia?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Let me get this straight.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Not only did you build her a house, you gave her money, bought her contract, destroyed it to free her, then slept with her.¡± ¡°It sounds really bad when you put like that.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°That''s the gist of it, unfortunately.¡± ¡°She''s right.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°If you weren''t already engaged to me, it would be a binding contract of marriage to her.¡± Ren sighed again. ¡°I didn''t build her a house for her, I built it for the mine. She couldn''t do her job to the best of her ability if she had to sleep in a random miner''s tent every night.¡± ¡°Did you tell her that?¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that he did, but then realized that he never actually said it was a house that would stay at the mine if she left, or that she couldn''t stay there if she wasn''t the designated healer. ¡°Crap.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''d ask you to fire her, but I''m pretty sure she''d just stay at the mines anyways, since she thinks it''s her house.¡± ¡°I''m really sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t mean for any of this to happen.¡± ¡°You''re always sorry.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You keep meeting these women who practically throw themselves at you, and you do your best to ignore them.¡± She sighed. ¡°This one... like you said... didn''t even particularly like you; but because of the beard she bought you, now she finds you more attractive than she dislikes you.¡± Ren looked at Nathalia beseechingly. ¡°What do I do now?¡± ¡°Ignore her.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Act like nothing happened.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°If you treat it like it didn''t matter, so will she.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Trust me.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Once she gets herself back to her right mind, she''ll be almost as repulsed that it happened as you are.¡± Ren closed his eyes and sighed yet again. ¡°All right. I''ll try it.¡± ¡°Don''t try it, just do it!¡± Nathalia exclaimed, and Ren''s eyes flew open in surprise at her tone. ¡°I''ve been patient and understanding up until now; but, this situation with the healer ends right now.¡± She looked at Ren sternly. ¡°Do you understand me?¡± Ren nodded slightly, and Nathalia smiled. ¡°Good.¡± She said, and walked over to him to give him a hug. ¡°You need to go and help Tee-one for a few hours, while I get supper ready.¡± Ren stood and gave her a hug back, then left the house. He went up to the workshop to help Tee-one, like Nathalia suggested. * Nathalia went out to the stable and asked Princess for a ride to Ren''s mines. She readily agreed, as she knew something had to be dealt with urgently from hearing Ren''s thoughts and feeling some of his emotions. Nathalia held on to Princess for the couple of minutes it took to get there, and was stopped at the gate. ¡°Evening, Ma''am.¡± The guard said. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I am Nathalia Neram, temporary Head of House Neram, and Ren Neram''s fiance.¡± Nathalia said, as regally as she could. ¡°I need to speak to the healer, Deresdra, about Ren''s condition.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The guard said, and opened the gate. ¡°Please, make sure he gets any help that he needs.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Nathalia said, as Princess sauntered through the opening. ¡°I definitely will.¡± * Ren took the tables and chairs Tee-one had made, then used some fabric to make tablecloths and seat cushions. He dyed everything red, since that was House Neram''s color, and put everything into inventory. ¡°I''ll drop this off at the restaurant.¡± Ren said. ¡°How are the Keep repairs coming?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°The mound of silt outside is almost gone, though.¡± ¡°I saw that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now that the mine is up and running, I''ll ask the mine foreman to ship the silt out here.¡± ¡°Or you could move the cement powder operation out to the mines and just bring the bags back every day.¡± Tee-one suggested. ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''ll also be easier on the women workers, because they won''t have to go as far to get to and from work.¡± ¡°That was my thought.¡± Ren nodded and clapped Tee-one on the shoulder. ¡°What would I do without you?¡± ¡°Everything yourself, obviously.¡± Tee-one said and smiled. Ren laughed and left the forge room. He approached Dorathy and the women working there. ¡°Ma''am, I was thinking of moving this operation out to the mines when the pile of silt outside is gone, so that your commute every day would be that much shorter.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Dorathy asked. ¡°We''ve been doing it this way for so long, are you sure you want to change it?¡± ¡°I would like to make it easier for you all to get back home to your families sooner.¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Dorathy asked the women filling bags of powder. ¡°Do we want to move out to the mines, or stay here?¡± ¡°Stay.¡± ¡°Move.¡± ¡°Move.¡± ¡°Move¡± ¡°Stay.¡± ¡°Move.¡± ¡°Move.¡± ¡°I vote ''stay'', but I''m outvoted.¡± Dorathy said and smiled. ¡°Of course, I wanted to stay just because I won''t get to see Ruck every day.¡± Ruck reached a hand over to pat her knee, and she chuckled. ¡°I''m going to miss you, too.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you think you could find someone else to take over your job of sewing up the sacks?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°I know a few women who would jump at the chance to sew again.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I want you to pick one to take over for you when this operation moves, then I want you and a couple of sewing helpers for another job.¡± ¡°That sounds like a big job.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°Will Ruck be there to help?¡± ¡°If he wants.¡± Ren said, and Ruck gave him a ''thumbs up'' gesture. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then I''ll get a hold of them tonight, and have them ready to go by the end of the week.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, then left the workshop and ran down to the restaurant building. He set up the tables and chairs inside, and then a couple of them outside. Once that was done, he ran back to the workshop and helped make more armor sets, swords, and shields. When supper time came, he bid Tee-one goodnight, and ran down to the house. He enjoyed a good meal with Nathalia and Ereka, then said he had some Adventurer''s business to take care of. Nathalia nodded slightly, and gave him a quick kiss. His said goodnight to both of them, then went to the main room and sat on the couch. See you in a bit, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren had a good supper and made a bit of small talk with Denise. She tried her best to ask him about what happened with the healer without actually asking him; but, he ignored the pointed hints and she let the matter drop. He asked her if anything had happened over the last few hours he had been playing the game, and Denise told him that everything was fine. Ren nodded, and she helped him put the headset back on. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch, greeted Teepo, then went into Nathalia''s bedroom. He hadn''t been gone that long, but she appeared to be sound asleep. After a quick kiss to her cheek, Ren laid back in the bed and fell asleep himself, with the promise from Teepo to be woken up if needed. * Croggart had followed the giant''s trail for nearly a full day before he came to a large cave. He sneaked up to the entrance, but couldn''t see anything. Once he went inside and his eyes adjusted to the darkness, then he could see what was going on. Various mounds of debris were scattered over the cave floor. Wood, metal, even stone bricks, were piled haphazardly around the place. Croggart was very careful about not stepping on, or kicking anything. Inside the cave, every sound was amplified and echoed from the walls, and he very slowly made his way deeper inside. When he got to where the giant had made her... well, nest was the best word for it... his deepest fears were shattered, then were replaced by concern and grief. The giant was curled up on her side, nearly into a ball with her knees almost to her chest, and buried deep in her clutches was his brother, Groggot. He looked to be beaten and battered, with his clothing torn and nearly shredded in some spots. Croggart saw he was asleep, and was afraid to make any noise to try and get his attention, in the fear that it would wake up the female giant as well. So, despite his desperate need to flee and get help, Croggart decided to stay; in the slim hope that Groggot would wake up before the giant, and would know that all hope was not lost.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. * Ren felt a hand rub his chest, and he woke up instantly. He looked down and saw Nathalia as she caressed his chest. She traced the shape of his pectoral muscles, then his abs. ¡°You know, I really am angry at you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I try so hard to stop my Trouble recipe from activating; but, it seems to have a mind of it''s own.¡± -S Nathalia smiled as her hand moved lower. ¡°Are you sure it''s your Trouble recipe that has it''s own mind?¡± Ren took in a deep breath as his body responded to the intimate touch. ¡°Honestly, I don''t understand why things like with the healer keep happening to me.¡± He said. ¡°My Prince Charming title is only supposed to work when I''m around impressionable women, who could possibly have feelings for me. It''s not supposed to work on every woman that can see me.¡± ¡°You''re belittling your own worth, My Love.¡± Nathalia said, and kissed him. A few minutes later, it became more passionate, and she rolled over to her other side to make herself available for him. Ren didn''t need to be prompted much more, and proceeded to please her. He went slowly at first; but then, he became desperate for her touch. He wanted to feel as much of her skin as possible, so he hugged her tightly from behind as he frantically made love to her. Nathalia turned her head to him, and he kissed her. She reached up and grabbed his beard, her body half-twisted around, and kept kissing him until she went. Nathalia hollered his name into his mouth, and Ren went as well. They stayed locked together like that for several minutes, then she let his beard go and turned her head away. He tried to pull free, but Nathalia held onto his arms that were still wrapped around her. Since he couldn''t remove himself from her without letting her go, he cuddled in close and kissed her cheek. ¡°I love you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Nathalia said. They drifted off to sleep with Ren firmly shrouded inside of her; both of their bodies were reluctant to let the other go. -E * Croggart had started to drift off to sleep. He hadn''t slept since the night before, and it was catching up to him. His head bobbed up and down each time he caught himself going to sleep. It happened once again, and then he saw movement by the giant. Croggart was instantly awake, like he''d slept for days, and he watched intently as his brother moved his arm to try and get more comfortable. Croggart waved from his hiding place, and Groggot froze. ¡°Croggart?¡± Groggot whispered. ¡°Get out of here! She''ll kill you!¡± ¡°Shhh!¡± Croggart said. ¡°I''m going for help, but I wanted to see if you were okay first.¡± ¡°I''m more than okay.¡± Groggot said. ¡°She thinks I''m her baby.¡± ¡°She WHAT?!?¡± Croggart exclaimed, and the giant let out a loud snore. ¡°Just go and get help!¡± Groggot said and Croggart nodded slightly, waved, and sneaked back out of the cave. If he hurried, he could be back to the Garrison in a couple of days. * Ren woke up early the next morning, kissed Nathalia goodbye, and hooked Princess up to the cart. They took off without delay, and made it to the warehouse beside the diamond mine an hour later. He took her inside, gave her some food, and went up to the portal. He thought about Nathalia, and the Sending Ring glowed. ¡°Nathalia? I''m at my portal.¡± Ren said, and Teepo dissolved into the Beetle Crown ring. ¡°I''m at the restaurant.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ll wait for about 10 minutes before stepping through.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°That should give me enough time to get over there.¡± ¡°See you soon.¡± Nathalia said, and the ring stopped glowing. Ren stepped through his portal and came out the other side. He opened it as quietly as he could; but, nails being pulled out of wood was not a quiet sound. ¡°You don''t have to nail it shut every time.¡± Anabelle said as she sat up in the bed Ren had made for her in the living room. She rubbed her eyes and moved over to the side of the bed without looking at him. ¡°It''s a safety precaution.¡± Ren said, then nailed the cabinet shut. ¡°I don''t want to take the chance that someone will walk into it by accident.¡± ¡°Or on purpose.¡± Anabelle said, and Ren looked at her. ¡°Excuse me?¡± She chuckled as she stood up, and still faced away from him. ¡°You can''t tell me that you didn''t believe that I would jump into the portal after you, before you got my servitude contract from Lord Eric.¡± Ren didn''t say anything, and Anabelle nodded. ¡°I don''t hear you saying, ''Of course not, Anabelle. I would never think that!''¡± She said and started getting dressed. ¡°I''m sorry, but I try my best to not lie to people.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°It''s one of the things I like about you.¡± She finished putting on her skirt and blouse, then turned around to put on her suit coat. She looked at Ren to see if he was watching her, and she saw what he looked like... then started laughing. ¡°Oh... oh, my god!¡± Anabelle said between bursts of laughter. ¡°What... what is that... on your face?!?¡± She got a hold of herself and went over to him. She grabbed his beard and pulled on it to get it off, and it jerked Ren''s chin down. ¡°Ow!¡± Ren exclaimed, and Anabelle froze in shock. ¡°It... it''s real?!?¡± She asked, then gave it another yank. ¡°Ow! Yes, it''s real!¡± Ren said, and she waggled her fingers through it. She did the same to his head, then the beard again. ¡°I... I don''t believe it.¡± Anabelle said, and let the beard go. ¡°You. Have. A. BEARD!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s nice of you to notice.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll be right back. I have to meet Nathalia.¡± He turned and left the apartment. Anabelle was hot on his heels. ¡°Why aren''t you going through the portal?¡± She asked. ¡°Nathalia''s coming through her own portal in a few minutes.¡± Ren said as he walked down the stairs. ¡°I bought Mitchell''s old place to make a restaurant, remember?¡± He smiled as he opened the downstairs doorway. ¡°She needs to come and visit her establishment, doesn''t she?¡± Anabelle didn''t say anything as Ren opened the front door and left the shop. He ran down the street and around the corner to the restaurant. It was still quite early, so there was hardly anyone else around. Ren went inside the building and behind the counter. He opened the door to the small storage area, and saw the portal there. Ren equipped the red outfit that he''d made for visiting the Council chambers, and summoned Teepo. Teepo appeared at his feet, then flew up to land on his shoulder. A couple of minutes later, the portal shimmered and Nathalia stepped through and stood in front of Ren. Surprisingly, she was wearing her red outfit as well. ¡°Wow.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I didn''t feel anything at all. It was just like stepping through an actual doorway.¡± Ren nodded slightly, then hugged her. She hugged him back and looked around. ¡°It really is the same, isn''t it?¡± Nathalia asked, and Ren nodded slightly again. ¡°Except for all of Mitchell''s old inventory, the two places are identical.¡± ¡°You did a good job on the tables in the other place.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Are you going to do the same thing here?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia helped him place all of the tables in the same spots. ¡°I don''t think we should put the tables outside here yet.¡± He said as he stored all of Mitchell''s old inventory. ¡°Not until we''re about to open, anyways.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia said, and took him into another hug. ¡°I... I kind of thought it was only a fantasy, and that none of this was real.¡± She said. ¡°I''m still a little surprised, actually.¡± ¡°Well, My Love...¡± Ren chuckled and held out his arm for her to take a hold of. ¡°...may I escort you into a new fantasy land?¡± ¡°I would be honored to have you escort me, My Love.¡± Nathalia said and hooked her arm in his. Ren tapped his House Neram pendant, and Nathalia nodded, then their Auras merged into one and expanded to nearly 150 feet. They both held their heads high as they left the restaurant, and casually walked arm-in-arm down the street, and then around the corner. ¡°I can give you a proper tour in a little while.¡± Ren said as he led Nathalia to his business. ¡°It''s still a little early, and not much is open right now.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Nathalia said absently, as she whipped her head around to look at everything. Ren watched her as they slowly walked, and smiled as he remembered his first time in her home town. They arrived at the shop, and Nathalia''s eyes widened at all of the different things he had for sale in the storefront window. ¡°You have this much available already?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°But you just opened up the store!¡± Ren chuckled and opened the door. ¡°This is just the display.¡± He said. ¡°Wait until you see inside.¡± They went inside and Nathalia marveled at all of the weapons, tools, furniture, and items Ren had for sale. ¡°You made all of this so quickly?¡± Nathalia asked and shook her head. ¡°Of course you did.¡± She said and held his arm tightly. ¡°You''re amazing.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I built the display models, but Tee-one built most of the customer''s orders. The tools and a lot of the weapons I did make myself, though.¡± Anabelle came over to them. ¡°Hello.¡± She held her hand out to shake. ¡°I''m Anabelle.¡± ¡°Of course you are.¡± Nathalia smiled and used her free hand to shake the one offered. She didn''t let Ren''s arm go, however. ¡°It''s nice to meet you. I''m Nathalia Neram.¡± ¡°It''s nice to meet you, too.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Ren''s description of you didn''t do you justice.¡± ¡°Yours, either.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°Red looks good on you.¡± ¡°On you as well.¡± Anabelle smiled back at her. ¡°I think formal wear suits you quite nicely.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Oh!¡± Ren said. ¡°I better drop off the orders.¡± He took out the orders from inventory and placed them in the available space, making the shop quite crowded. ¡°I think I have to finish the second floor.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°If this is the orders you fill every second day, then yes; you are going to need a lot more room for it all.¡± Ren nodded, then went up the stairs to the landing for the second floor. Since all that was there was support beams and cross members, Nathalia and Anabelle had front row seats to watch Ren work. They both admired him as he walked along the beams to the side of the building, then started laying down wooden planks. By the time he had half of the second floor down and secured, it was time to open the business. Anabelle excused herself and went to open the curtains and unlock the front door. She came back to where Nathalia stood, and politely asked her to go up to the landing if she wanted to keep watching Ren. ¡°Why do I have to move?¡± ¡°Because this place fills with customers almost right aw-¡± Anabelle''s words were cut off; because just then, the front door opened and nearly a dozen women came in. ¡°I see.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ll get out of the way.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Anabelle said sincerely, then turned to the women coming towards her. She was an expert at handling the customers now, and served them all quickly and efficiently. Nathalia had taken her advice and went to the second floor landing, and continued to watch Ren as he worked. Most of the floor was covered now, so she couldn''t see into the store anymore. When the floor was done, Ren went along and made small shelves to hold stone bricks, that he enchanted with glyphs of the Illumination rune. ¡°There we go.¡± Ren said as he came back to Nathalia. ¡°All done.¡± ¡°Why don''t you show me upstairs?¡± Nathalia asked, and Ren nodded slightly to her, then led her up the stairs to the third floor. ¡°Why is there a bed in the living room?¡± ¡°Anabelle sleeps there.¡± Ren said. ¡°She was sleeping on the couch, but even though it''s comfortable, you shouldn''t sleep on it all the time.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I thought she was staying in the bedroom.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, that''s my space.¡± He said. ¡°I wasn''t even going to let her stay here at first; but then I had to open the business and she needed to be close by, so...¡± Nathalia nodded, then looked into the open bedroom door to see Elerlyth''s phantom form laying there. ¡°We should be seeing her tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s usually when we don''t have Adventurer''s business and can take care of other things over the night.¡± ¡°Your life is so full.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Are other Adventurers'' lives like that?¡± ¡°I don''t know for sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I was to take a guess, I''d say no.¡± Nathalia came over to him and took his hand. ¡°I''m glad that I became a part of your hectic life.¡± Ren leaned in and kissed her lightly. ¡°So am I, Nathalia.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°So am I.¡± ¡°Since the business is open, can I get that tour now?¡± She asked with a bright smile on her face. ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said, and led her down the stairs. There was a lull in the amount of customers coming into the store, so Ren took the opportunity to refill some of the lingerie, dropped off a couple more suits of armor, and made his way to the counter. Anabelle didn''t look haggard at all, and he smiled at her. ¡°Have you changed your mind about hiring someone else?¡± Ren asked her, and she smiled back at him. ¡°Yes, I definitely need another pair of hands.¡± Ren opened the business menu, and posted a job opening for an assistant clerk, with experience an asset but not required, then added it as NPC and player available. ¡°It''s posted.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hopefully, we''ll have someone come in by noon.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ll be back in a few hours. I''m taking Nathalia on a tour of the city and to visit some friends.¡± He led Nathalia away from the counter and out the front door. The first place he took her was Sally''s Shop. Since she had just opened herself, Ren didn''t have to wait long for the single customer to leave. ¡°Hi, Sally.¡± Ren said, and Sally turned around after she put away a bolt of fabric to look at him. ¡°Hi, Re-¡± She froze in shock. ¡°Wh-wh-wh...¡± ¡°Sally? What''s wrong?¡± Ren asked, concerned. He took a step towards her, and she cringed as she held up a hand; almost as if to ward off a blow, then tears came to her eyes. ¡°Go wait outside.¡± Nathalia told him, and he hesitated. She let his arm go and stepped in front of him. ¡°Go. Wait. Outside.¡± She said sternly. Ren nodded and left the shop. * ¡°Sally?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It''s okay. He''s gone.¡± Sally put her hand down and looked around. She started to cry and Nathalia helped her to sit. ¡°What happened, Sally?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°That... that...¡± Sally sobbed and wiped at her flowing tears. ¡°I... I saw... my dead husband...¡± * Ren stood outside and watched through the window. He couldn''t hear what they were saying, but Sally was waving her arms, and making other gestures, and Nathalia stood in front of her. I wonder what happened. Ren thought. ¡°She thinks you look like her dead husband.¡± Teepo said from inside the shop. WHHHAATTTTT?!?!? Ren thought in shock. Chapter 201 - Nathalia Is Here, Part Two Ren sat down in front of Sally''s shop, and didn''t know what to do. He cared about Sally a lot, and she had taken him under her wing right at the first. He''d had nothing back then; and because of her help, he learned skills that he still used to this day. It put him in a very awkward position to have inadvertently hurt her. This beard has to come off. Ren thought, and ran around Sally''s Shop to his own and went inside. There were a few customers there, but Ren ignored them and went to the forge. He started it up and put one of the high quality iron ingots into the smelter. Since it was only one ingot, it took almost no time at all to melt. Ren stirred it vigorously, getting as much air into it as possible. * Sally started to calm down after she told Nathalia about how her husband had died at such a young age, and about how he had always worn a 2 inch beard so everyone would think he was much older than he actually was. She had loved him with all of her heart, and had never loved anyone else like that again. He had been her one and only, and no one would ever replace him. ¡°I feel the same way about Ren.¡± Nathalia said, to confirm that Sally''s views weren''t only her own. ¡°When our marriage contract expires, I''ll never look at another man like that again.¡± Sally nodded her agreement. ¡°I swore that I wouldn''t, either.¡± She said. ¡°It''s just... the last few times Ren has been here I... I...¡± She smiled. ¡°There was something about him that made my heart flutter a little.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°There''s definitely something about him that makes women flustered.¡± Sally chuckled, too. ¡°I even showed him one of my ankles.¡± ¡°You didn''t!¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened. Sally took her hand. ¡°I''m sorry, dear.¡± She said. ¡°I know I shouldn''t tease him like that, but... I was feeling a little naughty that day, and I... I wanted to feel a little excitement.¡± Nathalia squeezed her hand. ¡°That''s understandable.¡± She said. ¡°You knew it wouldn''t go any further than that, didn''t you?¡± Sally nodded. ¡°I''m an old woman, and I try to not push my unrequited feelings onto such a sweet young man, but then... then...¡± Her eyes teared up again. ¡°...he showed up with the same beard as my husband.¡± She cried and Nathalia held her hand firmly. ¡°I... I haven''t seen that beard in nearly 30 years.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Sally.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Oh, it''s... it''s alright.¡± Sally said as she composed herself. She took several deep breaths and sighed. ¡°I over-reacted.¡± ¡°No, you didn''t.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°If I''d seen someone that looked like my father just suddenly appear in front of me, I would have reacted the same way.¡± Sally smiled, tears still glistening in her eyes, and took Nathalia into a hug. ¡°Ren has been very lucky to have found someone like you.¡± Sally said. ¡°I was going to say the same thing about you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°He''s told me all about you.¡± ¡°He... he has?¡± Sally asked. ¡°Ren doesn''t keep secrets from me, even though sometimes I wish he did.¡± Nathalia said, and her own eyes brimmed with tears. ¡°I''ve... I''ve done some things that... that I don''t think he would approve of, because of the things he''s told me.¡± Nathalia froze, then looked up at Sally. ¡°I don''t know why I just told you that.¡± Sally smiled and hugged Nathalia tighter. ¡°I think you just needed a sympathetic ear.¡± Nathalia blinked her eyes quickly to stop the tears from falling. ¡°I think you''re right.¡± * Ren stirred the molten metal until it was ready. He made a small thin mold on the floor, and poured some of the molten metal into it. He couldn''t use his Absorb Fire ability, because there were people watching through the store window; so, he used his tongs to pick up the small thin piece of metal and turned to the anvil... that wasn''t there, because he''d forgotten that he''d taken that anvil to the Dwarven Kingdom. Luckily, he opened his inventory and took out Donan''s old and battered anvil, and put it in the proper spot. Ren hammered the metal to a nice thinness and then dipped it into the large barrel of oil. It quenched the heat still in the metal and smoke billowed from it. He pulled it out and it didn''t flame up again, and he smiled as he sharpened it to a razor edge, then polished it to a shine. He held it up, and the straight razor had the appearance that it could cut you just by looking at it. ¡°Perfect.¡± Ren said then ran up the stairs to the apartment, and then to the ''bathroom''. He stood in front of the mirror, took out a piece of cloth to cover the sink, then took a deep breath. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± Ren said, then started to shave with the very sharp blade. He''d never done anything like it before; but, he knew he needed to be careful to not cut himself. Of course, watching yourself in a mirror and doing it, while trying to be careful, wasn''t as accurate as he thought it was going to be. He got nearly all of it off, and had covered the cloth in the sink with soft fluffy hair. There were several deep cuts on his chin, and he''d lost quite a few Health points along the way; so he used a Minor Healing wand on the cuts to stop the bleeding and used the razor to finish off the spots he''d missed. ¡°Finally!¡± Ren said, as his face had been shorn of all the new hair. He ran down the stairs and out through the door before anyone could even see what had passed them. He was back in front of Sally''s Shop a few seconds later, and went inside. ¡°Sally, I''m really sorry.¡± Ren said, and Sally and Nathalia turned around and stared at him. Both women had surprised expressions on their faces, and a moment later, both women gasped. Sally covered her eyes, and Nathalia''s eyes widened as she kept staring at Ren. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked, even more concerned than he had been before. Nathalia pointed to her own chin, and Ren reached up and felt his chin. ¡°Godsdammit!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°I just shaved the blasted thing off!¡± Sally chuckled, but she still couldn''t make herself look at Ren. ¡°You shouldn''t use such language in front of a lady, Ren.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say something else, then closed it. ¡°You''re right, Sally. I''m sorry.¡± He said. ¡°Please accept my apologies. Both of you.¡± Both women nodded, and Ren relaxed. ¡°I... I won''t be able to look at you for a while, Ren.¡± Sally said. ¡°If you can''t get rid of the beard, I...¡± She sighed. ¡°I''m going to miss seeing my old student.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ah, I mean... I won''t hurt you by being around you, while I look like this.¡± He said. ¡°But... I can''t leave you without at least giving you something.¡± He walked over to her main workbench and used one of the sheets of parchment she had there. It took about 20 minutes for him to draw out the pattern; but when he was done, he smiled and signed it. ¡°Sally, I want you to make this, then I want you to wear it to the next party that happens here in Aurora.¡± ¡°I promise.¡± Sally said. ¡°You haven''t even looked at it yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Sally said. ¡°Whatever you''ve designed, I''m sure it will be the most wonderful thing I''ve ever seen.¡± Ren gave her a hug. ¡°I''ll expect a dance from you, too.¡± Sally kept her eyes covered with one hand and hugged Ren with the other. ¡°Nothing else would make me happier.¡± She said and let him go. ¡°Now get out of here, so I can uncover my eyes.¡± Ren chuckled, and Nathalia took his arm as Teepo landed on his shoulder. ¡°Bye, Sally.¡± Ren said, and they left the shop. * When she heard the door close behind them, Sally dropped her hand and looked at the designs Ren had left on her desk. It was the fanciest formal dress Sally had ever seen, and another tear came to her eye. She caught it before it escaped, and she sat down at her desk to make Ren''s creation. If even half of the rumors were true, there would be a party thrown in only a few days. Sally thought as she picked up a fresh bolt of fabric and started to cut. * Ren led Nathalia down the street to Donan''s place, and introduced her to his mentor. Unlike Sally, Donan didn''t notice Ren''s beard at all. His eyes were only for Nathalia, and he gushed over how lucky Ren was to have found such a beautiful bride. The visit was brief, and Ren took Nathalia on a tour of the whole city, and ended it at the Library. ¡°There''s someone here that I want you to meet.¡± Ren said. ¡°Rosie''s been my friend for a long time; almost as long as I''ve been in Aurora, actually.¡± ¡°You''ve told me about her a few times.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°She''s helped you a lot.¡± ¡°She sure has.¡± Ren said, and had a winsome smile on his face as he opened the door to the Library. ¡°I''d have been stuck a few times if she hadn''t helped me.¡± They went inside and Rosie sat at the main desk. ¡°Ren!¡± Rosie said. ¡°I''m so glad to see you.¡± ¡°It''s nice to see you, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Rosie, I''d like to introduce you to my fiance, Nathalia.¡± ¡°Your... fiance...¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nathalia, this is Rosie.¡± ¡°It''s a pleasure to finally meet you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Ren''s told me a lot about you.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°He... he has?¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°Ren doesn''t keep secrets from me.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Rosie said. ¡°That''s nice.¡± Nathalia smiled, then looked at Ren. ¡°Most times, yes.¡± Ren''s face flushed a little red, and Rosie giggled. ¡°I''m not going to ask what he did.¡± Rosie said. ¡°Just seeing him blush is enough.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°Yes, that''s pretty rare to see these days.¡± ¡°So, what can I do for you?¡± Rosie asked. ¡°That was it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just introducing Nathalia to the important people in my life.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Rosie said. ¡°Then I guess I''ll see you the next time you need something.¡± ¡°More than likely.¡± Ren said, and then the door in the side of the room opened. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Lara, the Sage of Ages said. ¡°I believe you have a few books for me.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lara laughed. ¡°I''m the Sage of Ages, remember? I''ve been waiting for nearly a week for you to come and visit.¡± ¡°I didn''t realize I was supposed to.¡± Ren said. ¡°After everything you''ve gone through the last little while, and you don''t want to know anything about the situations people are in?¡± Ren opened his mouth to ask about that, and Nathalia led him over to where Lara stood and reached out her free hand. ¡°It''s an honor to meet you, Sage of Ages.¡± Nathalia said. Lara took her hand automatically, without realizing her mistake until she touched Nathalia''s skin. Their hands locked together, and Lara was lost in the flow of information. ** Varthirm Dhamgrin was a horrible person. Or, at least that was what he believed. He''d killed indiscriminately during the Dwarf Civil War, friend or foe, while his Battle Rage ability was active. When his eyes turned blood red from bloodlust, no one was safe from his double-sided axe. The last battle had been the worst. He''d been pitted against his own brother, who also had the same ability, and the both of them chopped at each other until one of them fell. Varthirm wasn''t sure he had won that battle; because he was still alive, and his brother had moved on to the next plane of existence after dying a warrior''s death. It had been glorious, but Varthirm took no comfort from that. Each death had weighed upon his soul; while the pile of bodies got higher, the weight dragged him down. He declared that his warring ways were over after his brother''s untimely demise at his hand, and that was enough to send him into despair. Varthirm carried his family''s double-headed axe, covered in that same family''s blood, nearly a hundred miles before he came to the temple that he wanted. Once there, he went inside, and the other worshipers screamed and fled from him. He paid them no mind as he stepped up to the altar and knelt on one knee. ¡°Blessed be, those that go into the Light.¡± Varthirm said. ¡°I am a wretched thing, unworthy to pass through the veil to join my brother with you.¡± He said. ¡°My life... my very existence... means nothing.¡± He sighed. ¡°Everything that I''ve done in the name of what I thought was right, has been meaningless in the grand scheme of things.¡± He thought about the Council''s decision to let the King''s marriage to the commoner to proceed, and he realized that his own works, all of the battles that he had fought, that he thought he was in the right, meant nothing. I killed my own brother. Varthirm thought. And for NOTHING! ¡°Please.¡± Varthirm pleaded. ¡°All that I believe... all that I hold dear... is gone now.¡± Tears came to his eyes. ¡°Accept this life, worthless as it is, to do with as you see fit.¡± He placed his family''s axe on the altar, braced it in the carved stone recess he had found there, and stood up. After taking several steps away, he took a deep breath, and ran for the altar. He impaled himself on his family''s axe, his blood flowing over the white marble surface of the altar. It found another recess in the stone, and filled it. Varthirm lost consciousness as the alter glowed, and then a portal opened behind it. A 6 foot tall figure stepped out of it, encompassed in a blinding white glow, and peered at the slumped body on the altar. ¡°Your gift has been accepted, Varthirm Dhamgrin.¡± The figure said in a booming voice, and then the glow faded as a woman''s hand formed out of it to cup the side of his face. ¡°You will earn your spot in the Light.¡± The woman said as she took on the form that would suit the people of this region. ¡°For as long as need be, you shall do the bidding of the weak and the poor.¡± Varthirm was engulfed in the same blinding light. After only a few moments, the bleeding stopped, and he took a deep breath. He stood up, pulled out the axe, and the gaping wound in his chest closed itself. It didn''t leave, as it was a mark of his gift, but it did heal so that he wasn''t in constant pain from it. ¡°My Lady.¡± Varthirm said, and tried to kneel in front of her. ¡°I''ll have none of that.¡± She said. ¡°Your old life is over now, and your new life begins.¡± ¡°But... I''m well known here.¡± He said. ¡°Do not worry over such things.¡± She said. ¡°They are as beyond your concern as is your old life.¡± Varthirm nodded slightly, and she smiled. ¡°Let us begin.¡± For the next hundred years, Varthirm and the woman traveled the countryside. They plowed fields for the downtrodden, healed the sick, gave away any money they were given for their work, and lived as if each day was the last day they could help someone. They both gave their all, and over the years, affection grew between them. Varthirm had always had feelings for her, since she was the one who had saved him; but for her, it had taken 30 years for her to even acknowledge that he was a valid presence in her life. It took nearly 50 years after that for her to accept that when he did things for others, he wasn''t trying to impress her. The last 20 years, she had grudgingly admitted that he really was being selfless and didn''t expect anything in return. One day, for no particular reason, the woman watched Varthirm pulling a plow through a field, and she saw that he was a good man. It didn''t wipe away all of the things he had done during his other life; but, because he wasn''t in that other life anymore, it didn''t affect him like it used to. He was happy, despite not having a single possession to his name. When he was done pulling the plow and came over to her to get a drink of water, she kissed him. They were both surprised by this; and neither of them spoke of it for nearly another year. That was the start of something that neither of them had expected. The next 50 years were the best 50 years that Varthirm had ever experienced. He''d not only had a new life, but had earned the love of a great woman. They had nothing, and would never have anything; but, that didn''t matter. They were together, and that was all that he could have ever hoped for. At the end of that 50 years, she became pregnant despite all the precautions they had been taking. Since none of her race had ever had that happen before, she was scared beyond all reasoning. Their good works had to be put on hold while Varthirm tended to her while they stayed at the Convent, and after a year, the length of a normal dwarf pregnancy, she gave birth to a beautiful little girl. She was the gleam in their eyes, as once again, they traveled around the countryside to continue doing good works. Another 5 years passed before they knew it, and they decided that it was time for them to settle down. All the traveling was hard on such a young child, and she needed a stable place to live. Once they set up house, it didn''t take long before they were found by the ones that had been searching for them. Three dwarf men, in full armor, stormed into the little house and destroyed everything. Varthirm had tried to put up a valiant fight; but, he hadn''t done anything like that in over a century and a half, and was quickly overwhelmed. Both he and his wife were dragged out of the house and into the street, and one of the three held Varthirm still. ¡°You have broken sacred law, Xuunah.¡± One of the dwarves said. ¡°You have mated with your charge, despite all rules against doing so.¡± ¡°I love him.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°He is a good man.¡± The other two dwarves laughed. ¡°We knew you had gone native, when you passed the hundred year mark for the end of your scheduled time here.¡± The first dwarf said. ¡°I didn''t think you had stooped this low, however.¡± Xuunah stood up and punched the dwarf in the face, and they all laughed at her feeble attempt at defiance. ¡°You will be brought back to face the consequences of what you have done.¡± He said, as one of the dwarves grabbed her by the arm. ¡°What about my husband?¡± Xuunah asked, and looked at Varthirm, who was struggling against the dwarf that held him still. ¡°He is of no importance.¡± The dwarf said and nodded to the dwarf that held Varthirm. A glowing mist-covered sword pierced through Varthirm''s chest from behind. ¡°NOOOOO!¡± Xuunah screamed as a mist-covered sword formed in her hand and she decapitated the dwarf holding her. The arm holding her let her go, and she lunged at the dwarf that had ordered the death of her husband. The dwarf parried her blow with a mist-covered sword of his own, as the dwarf she had beheaded fell to the ground and his body turned to mist and dissolved. ¡°So, the kitten does have claws after all.¡± He said, and knocked her sword hand out of the way, and plunged his sword into her side. Xuunah gasped at the pain, and her sword dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. She grabbed her side and collapsed to the ground. ¡°If you weren''t so weak after all these years in this realm, you might have offered me a challenge.¡± The dwarf said. Xuunah reached out a hand to her husband, to try and use her ability to heal him. ¡°No, we can''t have that.¡± The dwarf said, and picked her up easily. ¡°Noooo!¡± Xuunah yelled, as a portal formed before them. ¡°What about the child?¡± The dwarf that had killed her husband asked. ¡°It''s still inside the house, so destroy it. The sight of it sickens me.¡± The dwarf cast an implosion spell on the house, and Xuunah cried as her whole world imploded into a small wooden ball. They stepped through the portal, and left Varthirm''s body in the middle of the street. Little did anyone realize, but the little girl had known something bad was happening; and had left the house to hide in the little gully beside the road, well away from where the fight was. When the bad men had left, she came out of her hiding place and walked over to her father. He was laying on his back, and appeared to be dead; but the little girl knew better. She knelt by his head and picked it up to put on her tiny lap. Varthirm opened his eyes and looked at his daughter. ¡°Be... be strong.¡± He said. ¡°Hide. Stay safe.¡± His breathing became ragged. ¡°Pro... protect yourself.¡± He took her little hand in his. ¡°Show me.¡± The little girl formed a tiny mist-covered dagger in her hand, and Varthirm smiled. ¡°That''s my... my girl.¡± He said and let her hand go. ¡°I... I love you... Nathalia...¡± Varthirm let out one last breath of air, then breathed no more. Tiny tear drops covered his face as the little girl cried silently. ** Lara let Nathalia''s hand go and tried to keep her face as perfectly neutral as she could. She smiled to cover up the shock of experiencing close to 160 years in only a few seconds. ¡°I''m glad to finally meet you.¡± Lara said. ¡°I''ve... heard so much about you.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly, since she assumed Ren had told Lara all about her; just like he''d told Sally and Donan. Ren took out the last bunch of copies of his book, The Chronicles of Ren: Adventures in The Dwarven Kingdom, and gave them to Lara. ¡°I assume you''re going to do your dispersion trick for them again?¡± Ren asked. Lara nodded. ¡°The more people that know what things used to be like in the dwarf lands, the better the reaction will be when they open up for other people...¡± She looked at Nathalia. ¡°...and not just from invitation only.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks a lot, Lara.¡± ¡°It''s no trouble, Ren.¡± Lara said. ¡°In fact, it''s kind of my job.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lara nodded again. ¡°I''m an information broker, remember? All I really deal with is information.¡± ¡°Then I''d like some information.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Lara said, and rolled her eyes. ¡°What do you want to know now?¡± ¡°Why aren''t you reacting to my beard?¡± Lara smiled coyly. ¡°You really needed to ask me that?¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her, then smiled. ¡°I really do have a penchant for asking stupid questions sometimes, don''t I?¡± ¡°I don''t have to answer that question, either.¡± Lara laughed, and Ren and Nathalia joined her. After a bit of unimportant small talk, Lara turned to go back to the rear area, then stopped and put a hand on Ren''s arm. ¡°Before I forget.¡± Lara said. ¡°You might want to open that box of knick-knacks you got from that peddler in the dwarf market.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I knew you had completely forgotten that you had it.¡± She said. ¡°It''ll help you, trust me.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said sincerely. ¡°Thanks, Lara.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± Lara said and opened the door to the hallway that led to the rear storage area. ¡°By the way, what you''re expecting to happen tonight, won''t. Bye.¡± She stepped through the opening and shut the door. * Lara held herself in check and walked down the hallway and into the storage area. She went to her closet, and closed the door. She sat down on Ren''s chair and sighed. ¡°I... I can''t believe it.¡± Lara said. ¡°Oh, Ren! I''m so sorry that I can''t tell you!¡± She put her head in her hands. ¡°Nathalia is one of the Children of Light.¡± * ¡°What do you think she meant about what we''re expecting to happen?¡± Nathalia asked as Ren waved goodbye to Rosie. ¡°If I was to take a guess, I''d say that our little adventure to help Elerlyth tonight isn''t going to happen.¡± Ren said as they left the Library. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I was looking forward to seeing her in person.¡± Ren could feel that was true, and then felt Nathalia getting a headache. He told her to stop sharing the Aura, so she wouldn''t be in pain. ¡°Are you sure?¡± She asked. ¡°I can hold it for a little while longer.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I just wanted to share my feelings with you while we walked around.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°It was wonderful.¡± She said. ¡°You''ve had so many memories here.¡± Ren put his arm around her. ¡°Hopefully, we can make new memories to add to them.¡± ¡°I''d like that.¡± Nathalia said, and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°I''d like that a lot.¡± ¡°Let''s get back to the shop and see if anyone showed up for the job offer.¡± Ren said, and they walked up the street together. Chapter 202 - Nathalia Is Here, Part Three Ren and Nathalia came to the street that his business was on, and had to stop walking. Teepo. Ren thought, and Teepo took off from his shoulder and flew over the crowd. There was people everywhere, standing nearly shoulder to shoulder. A lot of them turned around to look at him, and some of them even waved. ¡°There''s a bunch of people in and around the business, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ren asked out loud, and the woman standing in front of them turned around. ¡°There''s a job opening at the hottest business in town.¡± She said. ¡°Getting a salary would be good enough; but there''s a rumor that it''s by commission, too.¡± ¡°I didn''t hear that rumor.¡± Ren said, and the woman shrugged. ¡°Like I said, it doesn''t matter one way or the other.¡± She smiled as she lifted her hands and almost cupped her own breasts, then thought better of it and let her hands drop. ¡°They sell the best products!¡± Ren looked around and saw that it was mostly women, with only a few men scattered about. He looked at Nathalia, and then back at the crowd. The people there were nearly a foot and a half taller than the both of them, so trying to walk through the crowd was not going to work. ¡°I knew I should have made a back door to this place.¡± Ren said, then led Nathalia around to the back of the building. It only took a few minutes to smooth out the pile of dirt there, and Ren built a set of stairs that went along the back of the building and up to the second floor. He knew exactly where the landing was, cut a hole in the wall, and built a doorway and a door. Ren stepped back, and ushered Nathalia in ahead of him. ¡°Thank you, kind sir.¡± Nathalia said as she passed, and Ren shut the door and locked it. He was tempted to store the stairway; but upon reflection, decided it was better to have a quick exit without having to jump down to the ground. They went down the stairs and opened the door to the shop. It was packed wall to wall with people, even worse than what was outside. He was lucky that the rear area and lingerie display was behind Anabelle''s desk, so no one was packed right in front of the door. He could see Anabelle was quite overwhelmed with all of the customers. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t come back sooner.¡± Ren said, and Anabelle screeched as she whipped around to stare at him. ¡°How... how in the world did you...¡± ¡°Back door.¡± Ren said. ¡°We don''t have a back door.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°We do now.¡± Ren said and smiled. She sighed, smiled back, then turned back around to face the people trying to get her attention. ¡°Please, calm down everyone.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°There''s no need to shout, push, or do anything else to try and get my attention.¡± No one was listening to her, however. The crowd noise was too loud for anyone to hear her, except for the people that stood right in front of her desk. Ren moved her chair over and stood on it. It added 2 feet to his height, and he was now a few inches taller than everyone else; but, that wasn''t enough for them all to see him. He sighed, climbed up onto the desk, and towered over everyone. Ren put his fingers in the sides of his mouth, and blew. A loud whistle pierced the air and everyone fell silent. ¡°If I could have everyone''s attention, please.¡± Ren said, and they all looked at him. ¡°Are there any genuine customers? If so, raise your hands.¡± A smattering of hands were raised above the mob of the crowd. ¡°If you would be so kind, please step into the forge area of the shop. It''s still on, so stay away from the forge itself. There''s a couch, though; so have a seat for a few minutes.¡± The people that had raised their hands started to move through the crowd towards the forge area. ¡°Now, everyone else.¡± Ren said. ¡°How many are here only to confirm the rumor that sales are by commission?¡± About a quarter of them raised their hands. ¡°It is not a commission job. If it was, I would have added that to the job posting.¡± Ren said. A soft groan escaped several people, and they made their way to the front door. ¡°How many of you are just friends of people who want to apply, and only came along to provide support?¡± Nearly half of the people raised their hands. ¡°The people who actually want to apply for the job, can come over here to go through the door at the back, and up to the second floor. It''s standing room only, since it was only finished today; but, at least it will give you a lot more room to move around.¡± The people that wanted to apply for the job stepped forward, and filed past the desk. Nathalia held the door open for them, and they went upstairs to the second floor. Teepo flew past and went up the stairs as well. ¡°I''ll keep an eye out, and let you know if anyone tries to go up to the apartment.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought as the crowd thinned out to a more manageable amount, and he climbed down off of the desk. ¡°Whew! Thank you.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I wasn''t sure how much longer I could keep a handle on them.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, you better go upstairs and start talking to them. See if you want any of them working here.¡± ¡°M-me?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°Well, yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re the one running the place. If you don''t like them, don''t hire them.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Do you want me to hire someone you don''t like?¡± He asked and grinned at her. Anabelle opened her mouth to say that her opinion didn''t matter; but then she saw the smile on Ren''s face and changed her mind. ¡°You''re going to trust me to hire someone for you?¡± She asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, why don''t you pick out three people. We can rotate them in and out on a trial basis over the next week or so, and if they work well with you, we''ll hire them permanently.¡± ¡°Th-three of them?¡± Anabelle asked, surprised. ¡°Why not?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You work pretty hard already, and you do only get one day off a week. Why not get as much help as you want?¡± He made a shooing motion with his hands. Anabelle took a deep breath, and smiled. She took him into a hug and kissed the top of his head. ¡°Thank you for worrying about me.¡± She said, and let him go. ¡°It''s no trouble.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just don''t forget that you''re not limited to the people already in here. There''s a pile of people outside just waiting to get hired.¡± ¡°They don''t even realize you''re the owner.¡± Anabelle chuckled. ¡°If they knew, I bet there would be a lot more people out there.¡± She said, then went through the door and up the stairs. Nathalia shut the door and came over to Ren. ¡°I think she''s right.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°How many of them would like to have a boss like you?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I think you''re both overestimating me.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°You''d better take care of those customers in the forge area.¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± Ren said and left Nathalia behind the desk. He dealt with the customers, and they paid for their orders. One woman asked Ren to carry her things for her, and it gave Ren an idea. ¡°I can''t leave the shop at the moment, but I can deliver it in a little while, once everything calms down a little.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± The woman said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, and she gave him her address. When she left the shop, he saw that he''d dealt with all of the available customers and went back to Nathalia, who was now sitting behind the desk. ¡°Leaving a list of prices was a good idea.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°The people just standing around bought a bunch of things.¡± ¡°Thank you for taking care of them.¡± Ren said, and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°I''m going outside to see if there''s any other customers to deal with.¡± ¡°You''re not going to wait and see if they come in first?¡± ¡°With this crowd?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°If my guess is right, they''re caught up in the press of bodies.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°All right, but don''t be long.¡± She looked at the door behind her as several people came out of it. ¡°Anabelle is sorting them fast.¡± Ren nodded slightly and went outside. He took out a ladder and put it against the side of the building, and climbed it to do the same thing that he did inside the store. He asked for actual customers first, and he helped them as best as he could, then asked for actual job applicants. Teepo, how is everything? Ren thought to his friend. ¡°Not too bad.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Anabelle is going through the workers like a hot knife through butter.¡± Thanks. I''ll bring more in. Ren thought, then led more potential workers inside, and to the door that went up the stairs. He told them to go up to the second floor, and Ren stood beside Nathalia. The next hour passed quickly as people came down from the second floor, met the ones waiting for them, and left. Ren dealt with a few more customers, and then Anabelle came out of the door with three women behind her. They were about the same height as her; they had long hair to the middle of their backs, and they all wore the largest smiles Ren had ever seen. One was blonde, one was a redhead, and the last had brown hair. When added with Anabelle, it''s like I have a complete set of hair colors. Ren thought. ¡°I assume you''ve found who you''d like to try working with.¡± He asked Anabelle, and she smiled the same large smile. ¡°I have.¡± She said. ¡°This is Carly, Katie, and Holly.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± They said at the same time, so Ren had no clue which woman had which name. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which one of you is going to try and work today?¡± The woman in the middle raised her hand. ¡°I hope I can meet all of your expectations.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°As long as you do a good job, and treat the customers well, I''m sure everything will be fine.¡± ¡°Do we get matching outfits?¡± One of the women asked. ¡°I really like what Anabelle is wearing.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Give me a few minutes.¡± The women nodded, and Ren went over to the forge room to a workbench, and took out enough fabric to make three similar outfits. He changed the size of the lapels and made them smaller, so that the cut was slightly different from Anabelle''s outfit; and it was clear to anyone that looked closely, that Anabelle''s was the original. He dyed the fabric and made the three outfits, then turned around to see the women standing there watching him as he worked. ¡°He really does make them himself.¡± One of them said. Another leaned over and whispered in her ear. ¡°Yeah, I thought he was a blacksmith, too.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren said as he handed an outfit to each of the women, and they nearly squealed with joy. He wasn''t sure why women seemed to like getting new clothes so much; but, he didn''t question their reaction. ¡°Thank you.¡± The one who had spoken before said. ¡°I''ll go and get changed.¡± ¡°I want to get changed, too!¡± One of the others said. ¡°You can''t, Holly.¡± The last one said. ¡°Katie''s working today. You''re working tomorrow.¡± ¡°Aw!¡± Holly said. ¡°I wanna try it on!¡± ¡°You can do that later.¡± Carly said. ¡°Okaaay.¡± Holly said, disappointed. ¡°If you put it on now, people will think you''re working.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t mind having more help for Anabelle, but let''s give Katie a chance to work first.¡± Holly smiled at him. ¡°Anything you say, boss.¡± Katie came out of the change room, and you could tell that her outfit was a little different. Anabelle smiled and gave Ren a little wink when she realized he had made them different on purpose. Ren went over to Nathalia and asked her if she wanted to eat lunch with him. ¡°Like I''d want to eat with anyone else.¡± Nathalia said and laughed. ¡°Let''s head over to the restaurant and eat there.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Ren said, then looked at Anabelle. ¡°Do you have food for lunch?¡± Anabelle looked at him with surprise on her face. ¡°I... I didn''t know I was supposed to have food ready for you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to imply that. I was asking if you had food for yourself for lunch.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Anabelle said as she relaxed. ¡°No, I don''t.¡± Ren took out the large icebox and put a couple of plates on her desk, then stored it again.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I''ll be back in a little while.¡± Ren said, and took Natalia''s hand and led her out of the shop, down the street, and around the corner to Mitchell''s old place. They went inside and Nathalia sat at one of the tables. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just have to make a quick delivery.¡± He left the restaurant and ran to the address the woman had given him. She had just arrived home herself, and he put her new dresser in her bedroom. She thanked him for his promptness, and Ren ran back to the restaurant. He went inside, took out the large icebox, and put a couple of plates of food on the table. ¡°Did you want it warmed up?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Do you want me to go and get the stove?¡± ¡°Did they deliver the equipment already?¡± He asked, and she nodded slightly. ¡°Then sure. Only take one piece at a time, okay? I don''t want you to strain yourself.¡± ¡°I''m not going to take more than I can handle.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°Unlike someone else that I know.¡± ¡°Hey, I handled it.¡± Ren said as he smiled. ¡°Yes, by almost dying.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I still can''t believe you moved Dorcot and Angeilin''s house like that.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°It was a first and a last for me, that''s for sure.¡± Nathalia got up from the table and went into the small storage room behind the counter. Ren took out a stone brick and enchanted it with several fire runes and a wind rune combined in a glyph, activated it, and held the plate of food over it. He used his Fire Manipulation ability to disperse the heat from the plate into the food; but, didn''t make the same mistake he had made once with Ereka burning her fingers on food that was too hot. Nathalia came out of the storage area and walked over to the section where the kitchen would be. She took out the stove and put it where she thought it would go. ¡°You need to add the stone bricks.¡± Nathalia said and came back over to the table. ¡°Eat first.¡± Ren said, and handed her the plate of warmed food. She sat down and they ate their meal in companionable silence. When they were done, Ren put the empty plates back in the icebox, absorbed the enchantment from the stone brick, and stored both it and the icebox. He went to the stove and added enough bricks to be used instead of wood. ¡°You''re not going to enchant them?¡± Nathalia asked when he shut the bottom compartment. ¡°I can''t, until we find the cooks you want to work here.¡± ¡°I guess leaving the stove on all the time would be a bad idea.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Yeah, especially if you don''t want the place to burn down before it opens.¡± Nathalia laughed as well, and then she moved over the other equipment. A large grill, a huge oven, a portable pantry, and then supplies. ¡°I wish I could help.¡± Ren said, as Nathalia dropped off yet another load of food. ¡°Me, too.¡± She said. ¡°This stuff is heavy.¡± ¡°I''d suggest moving my other warehouse in the Dwarven Kingdom closer to House Neram Keep, but I''d lose the portal if I did, and it would cost another hundred platinum to establish it again.¡± ¡°Plus, you can only use it for another few months anyways.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°There''s not much point in going through all of the trouble to move it.¡± Ren nodded slightly and took in a deep breath; then let it out slowly. ¡°At least I can still see you after that.¡± Nathalia came over to him and they embraced each other. She gave him a light kiss, that became something more impassioned. They both had their emotions run high, then Ren remembered where they were. ¡°We... shouldn''t do this.¡± He said and looked around. ¡°There''s a counter here, too.¡± Nathalia suggested. Ren looked at her with wide eyes, and she smiled demurely. She stepped away, kept a hold of one of his hands as she led him over to the counter, and he did the same thing that he did in the other building. He laid a bolt of cloth down to make the floor more comfortable, then they stored their clothing and made love to each other. It seemed fitting somehow, that they had christened both buildings by doing so. They cleaned each other up and equipped their clothes. ¡°No matter how many times we sleep together, I still marvel over you.¡± Ren said. Nathalia smiled. ¡°I was just thinking the same thing.¡± ¡°I don''t know what I ever did to deserve you.¡± Ren said, and cupped the side of her face. ¡°You gave me an enchanted stove and said my given name in public.¡± Nathalia said, and laughed at Ren''s surprised expression. ¡°That''s... not what I meant.¡± He said, and she kissed him. ¡°I know that, My Love.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°But it''s best to not think about such things. I''m yours, and that''s all that matters now.¡± * Jhulune had heard that there was a job opening at Ren''s shop; but, she would never abandon her mentor Jen at the lumber mill. Although it was really tempting to actually get paid for her work, she knew that an apprentice was never actually paid a salary; only sometimes tips or even shares on really large jobs. ''She was there to learn, not to earn money'' in the words of her mentor. She''d had no idea that Jen had saved all of their shares until the city repair job was completed, and she looked at the pile of 25 gold coins in her hands. What in the world am I going to do with it all? Jhulune thought. Well, give some of it to my parents, obviously. She chuckled. Imagine the looks on their faces if I spent it all! She put 10 gold coins into her pocket, and 15 gold coins in the other pocket. I think I''ll stop at Ren''s shop during my break. Jhulune thought as she touched the strap of her bra. Just to see what else he has for sale. * Ren and Nathalia went back to the shop to see how things were going, and Katie was doing a good job dealing with the customers. Anabelle praised her, out of Katie''s earshot of course, and Ren told her that if nothing bad happens, to offer her the job at the end of the day. Anabelle nodded, and Ren turned to Nathalia. ¡°What would you like to do now?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I''m not sure.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°We''ve got another 7 hours before nightfall. What else is there for me to see here?¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°Well, there''s not much else in the city to show you; but, I do know a couple of places you might like to see.¡± They left the shop and went to the stables. Ren rented a horse and cart, and took Nathalia out through the North Gate. After a short ride, he asked her to close her eyes. She did so, and he drove a little further. He pulled the cart to a stop, set the brake, and asked Nathalia to concentrate on her House Neram pendant. She did so, and Ren felt their Auras merge. He turned her head to look to the side, and spoke. ¡°Okay, open your eyes.¡± Nathalia opened her eyes, and the sunlight was at just the right angle to highlight all of the giant sunflowers perfectly. ¡°By... by the gods, Ren...¡± Nathalia said, her voice and feelings full of wonder. ¡°It''s... it''s...¡± She took a breath, then another. ¡°I don''t know what to say to describe it.¡± Ren hugged her, and she leaned into him. ¡°That''s why I wanted to share our Auras.¡± Nathalia sighed, and they sat there for about 10 minutes and just watched the soft wind shift the endless field of flowers from side to side, and basked in the wonder they both felt. * The High Elves tracking team had found the site of the skirmish battle, and it took several hours before the pair of jaguars had finally picked out the one individual scent that their master was looking for. Once they had it however, they would never lose it. The jaguars crashed through the underbrush, ran around several trees and then jumped into a large river. ¡°I''m always amazed they can do that.¡± One of the guards said. The Tracker laughed, his voice making the sound of growling and claws clacking. ¡°Most people don''t know that jaguars love the water, and can even track prey through it.¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± The Tracker shook his head and smiled. ¡°They don''t even have to search for the scent when they reach the other side.¡± ¡°No wonder you''re always in high demand.¡± The Tracker nodded. ¡°I get hired to find all kinds of things.¡± He said. ¡°None are as satisfying as this, though.¡± The guard laughed. ¡°Yes, our dark brethren are the best hunt to be on.¡± ¡°Don''t call them that!¡± The Tracker exclaimed, then sighed. ¡°They are abominations, and need to be exterminated.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± The guard said. ¡°Good luck with that.¡± The Tracker nodded. ¡°I''m doing my part.¡± ¡°Just don''t finish it.¡± The guard said. ¡°Catch, relocate, and release, remember?¡± The Tracker didn''t say anything, and watched the two jaguars climb out of the water on the other side. ¡°They''re out.¡± He said, and the guard put a hand down to the water. A water elemental reached a hand up to grab it, and a moment later, a 10 foot wide section of the river''s surface froze over to the other side. ¡°Now it''s my turn to say that I''m always amazed that you can do that.¡± ¡°It''s because of my high water and ice affinities.¡± The guard said as he let the frozen hand go. ¡°It only lasts a few minutes, though; so, get across before it starts to melt.¡± The pair of High Elves made their way across the ice quickly, and reached the other side. Several cracks could be heard, and a minute later, the ice broke up and flowed down the river. The water elemental waved the still frozen hand to the guard, and the guard waved back. ¡°Let''s go.¡± The guard said, and he and the Tracker ran after the jaguars. * Ren drove the cart back to the city, and then out the West Gate. ¡°This is a bit of a long drive.¡± ¡°You''re taking me out to your County.¡± Nathalia said. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I can run it pretty fast by myself; but with the horse and cart, it takes about 3 hours.¡± ¡°I''m not in any rush.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''m getting to spend the whole day with the man that I love.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°And I get to spend the day with the woman I love.¡± Nathalia put her head on his shoulder for a brief moment, then sat up straight. Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s too rough of a ride to cuddle, My Love.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve been fighting the urge myself.¡± Nathalia laughed and put a hand on his leg instead. They made it to the Main House that Ren had built in the County, and he parked the horse and cart in the available space. Ren took her inside and showed her how different it was from a normal Main House. ¡°You made it into an actual house, and not just a House-governing building.¡± Ren nodded slightly and took her up the stairs. ¡°You''re really planning on living here?¡± ¡°Eventually.¡± Ren said. ¡°I needed to make some kind of arrangement.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you just buy a house in the city?¡± ¡°I don''t have to.¡± He said. ¡°I stay at the apartment above the business when I''m in town. Of course, I haven''t slept there overnight in... well, it''s been a while.¡± ¡°Can you show me the village?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said, and they left the Main House and climbed into the cart. He drove to the village, and showed Nathalia the sheer cliff face it was made under. ¡°No wonder you want to build new houses around the Main House.¡± Nathalia commented. ¡°I''m getting nervous it''s going to crumble, and I just got here.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I know, right?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I think it started as a good base, to protect the village against attackers; but, the physical danger from the protection is more pronounced than anything else right now.¡± ¡°Do you think you can hire a crew to come out here to work on it?¡± ¡°If I pay them enough, and probably make them somewhere to live while they''re here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then I''m sure you''ll get everything done before you know it.¡± Nathalia said, and turned to him. ¡°Thank you for showing me all of this.¡± ¡°What''s mine is yours, remember?¡± Ren said, and Nathalia''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Ren, that only applies if we get married!¡± He shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I received all of this while still under contract with you, so... you tell me. Do you own half of it?¡± Nathalia was going to argue that it didn''t matter, because when the contract expired, all deals were null and void; but she could see the gleam in his eye, and shook her head. ¡°You don''t care if I argue about it, do you?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said and hugged her. ¡°I don''t need a piece of parchment or a ceremony to tell me what you mean to me.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Nathalia said, and kissed him. A few minutes later, they got back in the cart and drove back along the main road, and Ren decided to stop in at the farmhouse. He pulled the cart to a stop next to it, then climbed down. ¡°What''s this place?¡± ¡°The seat of authority for the village.¡± Ren said. ¡°The village elder is usually here. I don''t know if she lives here, or just comes here to work, though.¡± Ren and Nathalia walked arm-in-arm over to the farmhouse, and Ren knocked on the door. Patty opened it and stared at them. ¡°She''s the elder?!?¡± Nathalia asked, surprised. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hi, Patty. I''m sorry I haven''t been back to take that tour; but, I''ve been really busy with a bunch of things.¡± ¡°I saw.¡± Patty said. ¡°That''s quite a ''house'' you''ve made.¡± She looked at Nathalia. ¡°Who''s this you''ve brought with you?¡± ¡°This is my fiance, Nathalia.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hello.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Hi.¡± Patty said. ¡°You arrived here just in time.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I need a ride to Aurora.¡± ¡°We''d be glad to give you one.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll make sure you get back here, too.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°We don''t have the time to do that.¡± ¡°I didn''t say I''d take her back personally.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll hire a driver.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°Just in case the Sage is wrong, and we will have that event tonight.¡± ¡°She''s not wrong.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least, she hasn''t been yet.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Patty said, and disappeared from the opening. ¡°She looks a lot like you described Lucy, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Are you sure it''s safe to have her here?¡± ¡°Don''t worry. I''ve been warned about her, and I have absolutely no intention to start anything with her.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°I don''t know if your intentions have a lot to do with it.¡± Ren looked at her, and then Patty came out with the jar of copper coins. ¡°Okay, I''m ready.¡± Patty said. ¡°Um... can I give you something to carry that?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°If you want.¡± Patty said. ¡°Although the jar holds the money just fine.¡± Ren took out a coin pouch and held it out to her. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It''s a coin pouch. It will hold money, and convert it to any currency you want.¡± Patty took it gingerly. ¡°What do I do with it?¡± ¡°Equip it.¡± Ren said. Patty did so, and gasped as she now had something on her person that held money. ¡°Now dump in the coins from the jar.¡± Ren suggested. Patty did as Ren told her, and the coins slid in easily. She watched it as it easily took in nearly three times it''s size in coins, and yet it didn''t bulge out or get heavier. ¡°How is this possible?¡± Patty asked, then the 100 copper coins she had so carefully counted only minutes before Ren had shown up, became a single silver coin and she gasped. ¡°A SILVER COIN!¡± She yelled, took it out, and held it up to the light. ¡°It''s a silver coin.¡± Ren and Nathalia looked at each other, then looked back at Patty. ¡°What did you need the money for, if you don''t mind me asking.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ve been saving up for a shovel.¡± Patty said, as she marveled at the silver coin. ¡°The old one broke last month, and we have to use the money we''ve been saving all year to buy a new one.¡± She put the coin back into the pouch and looked at Ren. ¡°The water drainage ditch won''t dig itself.¡± Ren looked at Nathalia, and she smiled at him. ¡°Go ahead. We''ve got a bit of time left before we absolutely need to leave.¡± ¡°About half an hour.¡± Teepo said from Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Can you show me where this ditch needs to be dug?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Shouldn''t we go?¡± Patty asked. ¡°I need to get to town before everything closes.¡± ¡°Don''t worry. If you still want to go to town later, I''ll take you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Patty said. ¡°It''s this way.¡± She turned around, put the empty jar on the step of the farmhouse, and started to walk across the field. Ren followed her, and she stopped a few minutes later next to a partially dug trench. ¡°It has to be nearly a hundred feet long, and along the edge of the field.¡± Patty said. ¡°If it''s less than a foot deep, it won''t work for what we need it for.¡± Ren walked along the spot she said, and pointed to where it needed to go. Patty nodded, and Ren took out his hammerpick. He jammed it into the ground, then started to run. Patty''s mouth dropped open as Ren ran back and forth several times, and churned up the dirt. He took out a shovel, and emptied the foot deep trench. It only took him about 10 minutes to do it, and he stopped when he was back at Patty. ¡°How''s that?¡± Ren asked. She didn''t say anything at all, and just stared at him with her mouth still opened wide. Ren chuckled and handed her the shovel. She looked at the shovel, then at him, then back at the shovel. ¡°What... what... what...¡± ¡°Make a list of anything else that you need, please.¡± Ren said. ¡°What... what...¡± ¡°I''ll bring a smelter with me next time, and I''ll make what you need at the Main House.¡± ¡°What...¡± ¡°Do you still need to go to town?¡± Ren asked her, and Patty shook her head. ¡°Then I need to go.¡± He said and walked away from her. ¡°Wait!¡± Patty exclaimed. Ren turned around and saw that she held out the silver coin towards him. He shook his head at her. ¡°Keep it, and use it for something else.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I''d known you needed basic tools the last time I was here, I''d have brought you everything that you needed already.¡± He left her standing there, in the open field, holding a shovel and a silver coin in her hands. Ren and Nathalia climbed into the cart and drove all the way back to Aurora. They made it back just in time for nightfall, and went inside the business just before the closing time popup. Ren took Nathalia up to the apartment and into the kitchen to wait. Anabelle came upstairs a few minutes later and handed Ren a list of items to be made. The three of them ate a good meal, and waited for another half an hour. ¡°The Sage was right.¡± Nathalia said and sighed. ¡°I guess I better go.¡± She said. ¡°I really wanted to help out tonight.¡± Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°I know you did.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll walk you to your portal.¡± They left the apartment and then the building, using the new rear entrance, and walked down the street and around the corner to the restaurant. Once inside, Nathalia kissed him goodbye. ¡°See you in an hour.¡± Nathalia said, and stepped through the portal. Ren left the building and ran back to his own, then up the stairs to the apartment. He was disappointed that he hadn''t even gotten a message from Elerlyth, explaining why she hadn''t logged in; but, he figured she must have gotten caught up in something. See you on the other side, Teepo. Ren thought, and Teepo dissolved into the Beetle Crown ring. ¡°See you in a couple of days, Anabelle.¡± He said as he opened the cabinet to the portal. She walked over to him and gave him a quick hug and let him go. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°You let me pick the people I wanted to work with. You didn''t tell me to pick the best looking, or the best seller, or even the smartest one.¡± Anabelle smiled. ¡°You told me to pick someone I liked instead.¡± She laughed. ¡°Who does that?¡± ¡°Me.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Bye, Anabelle.¡± She gave him a little wave, and he stepped through the portal. Once on the other side, Ren made a door on the second floor landing, just to keep the two buildings close to identical, fed Princess, and hooked her up to the cart. They made good time on the trip back, and arrived at House Neram Keep an hour later. He put Princess in the stable, and went inside the house. His Aura merged with the artifical one in the house, and he felt Nathalia in her room. He went into her room, stored his clothing, and left himself in just his underwear. After climbing into bed and under the blanket, Nathalia turned to him. ¡°I think we''re both too tired to do anything but sleep.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°Exhaustion is definitely an excuse we can use.¡± She said, kissed him, and snuggled down onto his chest. ¡°Although, today was worth it.¡± ¡°I don''t remember the last time I got to spend the whole day with you like that, so it was definitely worth it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight, My Love.¡± ¡°Goodnight, My Love.¡± Nathalia said. They both felt the love they had for each other, and fell asleep surrounded in both physical and emotional warmth. Chapter 203 - For Me? The next morning passed for Ren without incident. He had asked Ereka to make all the arrangements to move the silt operation out to the mines at the end of the week, and even managed to give the list of items to be made for the shop to Tee-one. Ren was a bit surprised when he arrived at the mines for his medical inspection, and the healer Deresdra never mentioned anything that had happened the other day; then he remembered that Nathalia had told him that if he didn''t mention it, neither would the healer. Everyone was back to working in the mines, and Ren worked his full 8 hours before he knew it. After checking on the baby fire elemental, he gave it more food; then decided to work on the stained glass windows now that he had a bit of spare time. Ren called Nathalia on the Sending Ring to tell her he would be working at the mines for a little while longer, and would see her at supper. He took out one of the crates of diamonds that he had, picked a good-sized one, and grabbed a handful of molten steel from the smelter. He worked it into a formed handle, and set the diamond into the tip of it, with the pointed end sticking out instead of the flat end. Once he had a good scoring tool made, he needed a larger place to work. The baby fire elemental''s pen took up most of the space on the workbench that he had there, so he built another larger one to use. Ren wanted to do the Fire Deity stained glass window first, to honor Fire Dancer, so he took out several panes of glass and dyed them red, orange, yellow, white, and blue. He thought about an appropriate picture for light to pass through, and smiled as he drew out a design. Once the design was done, he memorized it, and repeated it on each pane of glass. He took out one of the normal panes of glass to practice on, used his new scoring tool and ran it along one edge of the practice pane, firmly gripped the cut part and the pane of glass, and broke the piece of cut glass off. Ren stepped back to wait for the popup.
Notice!
You have unlocked a new skill: Glassworking Level 1 (Beginner 0%). This skill allows you to manipulate glass, by cutting, sanding, and shaping it. Higher levels will allow greater speed to be used when performing these tasks, and reduces the chance of breakage.
Notice!
You have unlocked a new sub skill: Glass Cutting Level 1 (Beginner 0%). This sub skill under Glassworking allows you to successfully cut glass with ease. Higher levels will allow greater speed, and more intricate cuts to be made.
¡°Nice.¡± Ren said, then for the next hour, used the scoring tool to cut the pane into as many pieces as he could. Or, at least he tried to. He broke just about every second piece that he tried to cut. ¡°Apparently, pressing too hard on the glass with the scoring tool is not a good idea.¡± Ren said to himself, and kept working. He eventually got the pane down to 2 inch squares, and a whole lot of shards. He was glad for his Toughness ability that made it harder for him to be hurt, otherwise his hands would have been covered in cuts and glass pieces. Ren swept the glass pieces up and tossed them into the glass forge. He took out another pane of glass and kept cutting for another 2 hours; but, no matter how simple of a cut he made, he had a tendency to use too much pressure when trying to break it free. ¡°Suppertime.¡± Teepo said, and Ren sighed. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought, and tossed the broken glass pieces into the glass forge. I am going to need a lot more practice to get this thing right. I haven''t even leveled the ability once. He left the workshop at the mines and ran down to the gate. The guard opened it for him and bid him a good night, and Ren waved to him and ran by. He was back home a few minutes later, and went inside the house to have a great meal. After telling Nathalia and Ereka that he had Adventurer''s business to take care of, he sat on the couch and logged out. ******** Ren took off the VR headset and Barbara was there. ¡°Hi, Barbara!¡± ¡°Hello, little man.¡± Barbara said as she took the headset from him. ¡°Stella will be here in a few minutes.¡± Ren looked at his watch, and smiled. ¡°I managed to log out early and see you, so it''s all good.¡± Barbara laughed and put the headset down on the dresser, out of the way. Ren wasn''t sure why she was putting it so far away, and then he looked at the rollaway table where the headset was usually stored. ¡°What''s all this?¡± Ren asked, as he saw several small bundles of flowers, 2 boxes of chocolates, and half a dozen greeting cards. ¡°Some tokens of affection from your adoring fans.¡± Barbara said. ¡°They would have been given to you yesterday, but the chocolates had to be checked first.¡± ¡°Checked, huh?¡± Ren said, and opened one of the boxes. Quite a few of the pieces inside were gone, and he laughed. ¡°How did they taste?¡± ¡°Delicious, of course.¡± Barbara said. ¡°We took out the ones that wouldn''t be good for you.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren said, and took one out and popped it into his mouth. He sighed as he chewed the chocolate-covered soft caramel. ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± ¡°Don''t eat a pile of them.¡± Barbara said and smiled. ¡°Breakfast will be ready soon.¡± Ren closed the box and put it back on the rollaway table. ¡°Dom wommy.¡± He tried to say, chewed a bit more, then swallowed. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± He said much more clearly. ¡°I know how to pace myself.¡± Barbara snorted a laugh, and Ren grinned at her. ¡°You need to pace yourself with that glass working thing.¡± She said. ¡°You''re gripping it too hard.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know what I''m doing wrong.¡± ¡°You need to get someone to show you how to do it properly.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Trying to do it by yourself is going to take a lot longer.¡± She smiled. ¡°If you do it wrong, you''ll never get better at it.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll see if I can stop in at the window place during my next lunch break.¡± The door to his room opened, and Stella came in wearing her nurse uniform. ¡°Good morning!¡± Ren said enthusiastically. ¡°I guess you had a good night last night.¡± Stella said and grinned. ¡°Not like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I spent the day with Nathalia in Aurora, then worked a day in the mines.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Stella said. ¡°You took her to all your favorite spots.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It was great showing her around.¡± He said. ¡°She''d never been off the ship she was cooking on, so she''d never seen anything on that side of the water before.¡± ¡°No wonder you''re in such a good mood.¡± Stella said. ¡°There''s nothing better than spending time with the one you love.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said, and smiled as he remembered how Nathalia had felt. ¡°Sharing her feelings was the best.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°You''ll have to tell me later how you managed that again.¡± She said and looked at Barbara. ¡°Can you stick around while I get breakfast for him?¡± ¡°That''s why I''m still here...¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°...and to make sure he doesn''t pig out on chocolates.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and Barbara laughed as he very carefully took another chocolate from the box, then slowly put it into his mouth and chewed it. ¡°I see you''ve got your hands full.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± She got him breakfast quickly, and while he ate, Barbara said goodbye to Ren and took Stella into the hallway to fill her in on what had happened overnight. * After the quick rundown, Stella asked a question. ¡°What''s with all the gifts?¡± ¡°Some of the nurses felt really bad about what Cheryl did.¡± Barbara said. ¡°They snuck it all in last night.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°Which one is from you?¡± Barbara took a bag of sour gummy worms out of her pocket. ¡°I haven''t given it to him yet.¡± ¡°His diet is completely shot for this week.¡± Stella said and laughed. ¡°What''s one more sugar dose?¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°They''re made from natural sugars, so it''s not too bad.¡± She said. ¡°Just make sure he drinks an extra supplement during the day.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°I was planning on that, once I saw the chocolates.¡± ¡°They''re diet chocolates, so they''re okay as well.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I replaced them last night, and since the box had to be opened for that, I left some out so he would think I ate them.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s sneaky.¡± Stella said. ¡°I knew I liked you.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°I left the actual chocolates in the break room''s fridge if you want some.¡± ¡°Yes, I definitely like you.¡± Stella grinned. Barbara gave her the gummy worms to give to Ren, and left. * Ren finished eating and drank some of the supplement. Either it tasted a little better this time, or he was getting used to the awful taste. He took another drink, and smacked his lips. It does taste a little different. Ren thought, then Stella came in the room. ¡°What did you put in this?¡± He asked and held the glass up. ¡°Just a touch of vanilla.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''ve been drinking the same stuff day in and day out. I thought a small change would be nice.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Ren said and took another drink. ¡°I was just thinking it tasted a little better, and wondered if I was finally getting used to the awfulness.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°That''s always possible.¡± ¡°If that''s the case, then anything is possible.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Thanks, Stella.¡± ¡°It''s no trouble.¡± She said, took the food tray, and left the room. Ren went to the bathroom, used it, and cleaned himself up. He went back out to his room, changed into his workout outfit, and sat in the wheelchair. Stella came back in the room and took him to his physical therapy session. Once that was done, Ren got a shower and his arm worked a little better. It was sore as hell; but it also moved easier. He asked Stella to help dry him off, and she also helped him get dressed afterwards. Ren went back to bed and relaxed. ¡°Boy, I''m exhausted.¡± Ren said. ¡°Working out really takes it out of me.¡± ¡°Maybe this will help.¡± Stella smiled and took out the bag of sour gummy worms. ¡°These are from Barbara.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°No way!¡± Ren said, and accepted the bag. He opened the top and took in a deep breath in through his nose. ¡°Oh, that is a wonderful smell!¡± He said and took one of the worms out, and put the end in his mouth. Ren made a slurping sound, and sucked the worm in. It flopped around and smacked his nose before disappearing into his mouth. He moaned in pleasure as he chewed on the sour gummy goodness, and Stella laughed. Ren checked the greeting cards, and read the words written within while he ate another gummy worm. He even smelled the flowers, and then laid back on the bed. ¡°I better log in and get some rest.¡± Ren said, and Stella handed him the VR headset. ¡°That still sounds weird when I hear it.¡± Stella said as she helped him put it on. ¡°I''m sure once we get the research going next weekend, I won''t find it so odd.¡± ¡°I do it, and I still find it odd.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ll see you at lunch.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch, said goodnight to Teepo, and went to bed with Nathalia. They cuddled together for the whole night. Teepo woke him up the next morning, and Ren had an early breakfast. He was by himself because he let Nathalia sleep in, and crept out of the house quietly. Ren ran to the mines, and Deresdra the healer still didn''t mention their encounter. He wasn''t sure why she didn''t even hint at it; but he accepted that Nathalia had been right. Deresdra didn''t want to even acknowledge that anything had happened at all. Ren worked for 4 hours, and when Teepo told him it was time for lunch, he left the mines and went to the minor House that made stained glass windows. After another brief negotiation and another nominal fee, he again received permission to witness how to make stained glass windows. He glossed over the forging process, since he''d already gotten well past that point, and moved on to the actual cutting process. He was a little excited to see the female dwarf take out a small-handled tool, just a little larger than a pen, and it had a small diamond worth 1 gold coin mounted on the end of it, and the point was angled down. ¡°Can I ask where you got that?¡± Ren asked her, and she smiled. ¡°My mother used to work for the King and Queen, and this...¡± She held up the tool. ¡°...was made by their personal gemcutter and blacksmith.¡± Ren smiled, and tried not to laugh. It never even occurred to me to ask Dorcot about using a gem inside a tool. She took out a piece of scrap glass, and ran the tool across the surface. She picked the piece up and snapped it easily. ¡°Can you do that again, please?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''d like to know how you broke it so easily.¡± ¡°There''s a huge secret to it.¡± She said. ¡°Don''t score the glass too deeply.¡± ¡°What?¡± She chuckled. ¡°I know. It sounds wrong, doesn''t it?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You have to remember that you''re not trying to cut the glass; you''re trying to separate it.¡± She said. ¡°You only need a small amount of pressure to make the score line.¡± She ran the tool across the glass. ¡°Then, you pick it up like this.¡± She picked the piece of glass up and held it over the side of her closed fists and under her thumbs. ¡°Don''t hold too tightly, or use your fingers. You''ll cut yourself on the edges when the glass snaps if you do.¡± She put a little bit of pressure on the glass, and it popped apart like it was supposed to. There wasn''t any shards or broken pieces, either. ¡°Can I try it?¡± She took in a breath, and looked at her tool. ¡°I don''t know if I should...¡± Ren took out his custom made tool, that had a handle that was formed to his hand and had a half-inch wide diamond embedded in the tip that was angled downwards, and she gasped. ¡°By the gods, where in the world did you get that?!?¡± She exclaimed. ¡°I made it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I needed a tool to cut the glass, and I didn''t know where to buy one.¡± ¡°You... made it.¡± She looked at him in wonder. ¡°I''m a blacksmith, and a friend cut the gem for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t learned how to cut the gems myself yet.¡± Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him. ¡°So, can I try it?¡± Ren asked. She didn''t say anything as she handed him a piece of glass. Ren took in a calming breath, and used his tool like she had used hers. He scored the glass, and picked it up. ¡°No, not like that. Like this.¡± She said, going into full teaching mode. She moved his hands to where they should be, and positioned his thumbs properly. ¡°Okay, now only put a little bit of pressure on the thumbs.¡± Ren did that, and nothing happened. ¡°Now turn your wrists out and roll your hands down your fingers like this.¡± She did the motion a couple of times, and Ren nodded. He looked at the glass in his hands, and did the motion. The piece popped apart and didn''t break. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Ren said as he put the pieces down, then picked the woman up and swung her around. She squealed, half in delight, half in terror, and Ren put her down. ¡°Sorry!¡± He said in apology. ¡°I broke so many pieces trying to do it myself.¡± He chuckled. ¡°That was the first time it actually worked for me.¡± The woman tried to catch her breath. ¡°That.. that''s okay.¡± She said and looked at him warily. ¡°I''m glad you''re happy.¡± ¡°I have to try it again.¡± Ren said, and laughed as he saw her reaction. ¡°I meant cutting the glass.¡± Relief passed over her face, and she smiled. Ren scored another straight cut, then repeated the separating process. It snapped cleanly, and he laughed. The woman braced herself to be picked up again, but Ren cut another piece instead and successfully repeated the technique. He turned to her expectantly. ¡°What else can you show me?¡± Ren asked excitedly, and she smiled. ¡°A lot.¡± She said, then proceeded to show him how to cut gentle curves, then hard curves, and then showed him a couple of special metal tools and pliers for working the glass, and for breaking apart the hard curves. ¡°You can use tools for that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I thought it was only by hand!¡± She chuckled. ¡°It is by hand mostly.¡± She said. ¡°Sometimes you need the extra leverage, though; especially since hands can''t reach some of the spots that need to be separated.¡± Ren examined the tools she was using, and got the plans for them. He saw they were worn and well-used, and looked at her. ¡°I can repair them if you want.¡± ¡°Can you?¡± She asked. ¡°I didn''t know anyone even knew what they were, let alone could fix them.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That was true until now.¡± He took out his blacksmithing hammer and repaired the tools. ¡°First you show me a custom scoring tool you made, that I thought was only in my family''s possession; then you fix all of the tools that my mother had since she was a young girl.¡± She shook her head and looked at Ren again with a smile on her face. ¡°Who are you again?¡± She asked, jokingly. ¡°I''m tempted to say I''m a student of learning; but, I''ve been too busy to learn much of anything new lately.¡± Ren responded. ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡± She said. ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°Ren, you''ve still got 4 more hours to work at the mines.¡± Teepo said. Right! Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought and looked at the female dwarf. ¡°I''ve got to get back to work. Thank you so much for showing me how to do things properly.¡± ¡°Learning to cut is just the start.¡± She said. ¡°There''s a lot more to this profession than that!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I had more time to spare today, I''d stay and learn as much as I can.¡± He said. ¡°Can I stop by for lunch tomorrow?¡± ¡°Are... are you asking me out?¡± She asked. ¡°I''m engaged.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, I know.¡± She said. ¡°My question still stands.¡± He opened his mouth to say that being engaged meant he couldn''t date anyone else, then remembered where he was and the culture he was dealing with. ¡°Um... no, I''m not asking you out. I merely want you to teach me as much as you can, in as short a period of time as possible.¡± She laughed. ¡°I assume you mean only for stained glass working.¡± ¡°Yes, only glass working.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Okay, as long as we''re clear. Professional time only.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Then I''ll see you at lunch time tomorrow.¡± Ren took out his icebox and gave her a plate of meat and vegetables. ¡°I''m sorry you missed lunch today. Please accept this as a token of thanks.¡± The female dwarf took the plate of food with a surprised look on her face, and Ren stored the icebox. ¡°I''ll take the empty plate back tomorrow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Bye!¡± He took off running, left the business, and ran back to the mines. He called Nathalia on the way, to tell her he was going to be late again today. She said that was fine, and he made it to the mines and went to the medical tent. ¡°You again.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°I should restrict you to the mines for the rest of your sentence.¡± Ren looked at her in surprise. ¡°Please don''t do that.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve been doing my best to try and get everything done before I have to leave. The sentence itself is hard enough without having to stay here all the time, too.¡± ¡°Hard?¡± Deresdra said. ¡°You only work 8 hours, and can leave whenever you want.¡± ¡°You can leave whenever you want, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re not under contract, remember?¡± Deresdra opened her mouth to say that she was under contract, then frowned as she looked at her wrist. ¡°I''m... not under contract.¡± She said. ¡°Of course you''re not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I bought it for you and destroyed it.¡± He said and looked at her in concern. ¡°Are you feeling all right?¡± ¡°I thought I was.¡± Deresdra said, and looked at Ren. ¡°I think I need a little time off.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let me just ask the owner.¡± He took a step to the right and looked left. ¡°Ren, I think Deresdra needs a few days off.¡± He took a step to the left and looked right. ¡°I think you''re right, Ren. I''ll get the mine foreman to bring out a temporary replacement.¡± He took a step to the right and looked left. ¡°Why not just hire another healer? Then they can split the shifts and not have to work so hard.¡± He took a step to the left and looked right. ¡°That''s a great idea, Ren! I''ll do that right after the medical inspection.¡± He turned to face her. ¡°You''re all set. The owner says you can take a few days off.¡± Deresdra had her hands over her mouth and tried not to laugh. Ren smiled as he walked by her and stepped into the curtained-off area. She followed him and gave him the medical inspection. Her fingers seemed to linger a little longer on his muscles than they had the day before; but other than that, she was completely professional. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and equipped his clothing. ¡°I''m sorry that you have to keep inspecting me; but, I am going to keep leaving and coming back.¡± He said. ¡°There''s no getting around the fact that I have to leave every day.¡± Deresdra sighed. ¡°Yes, I know.¡± She looked at him. ¡°At least you don''t complain about having to do it.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°Is someone else complaining?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I won''t discuss other patients with a patient.¡± ¡°Then discuss it with the mine foreman.¡± Ren said. ¡°He won''t be happy about someone complaining, either.¡± Deresdra nodded. ¡°I''ll do that.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°If there''s one thing that both I and the mine foreman agree on, is having a dedicated healer available. If you''re not happy, then we aren''t happy.¡± She smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren nodded slightly and went back to work, after making the appropriate arrangements with the mine foreman for Deresdra to have some time off and to hire another healer. Ren worked another 4 hours in the mine, and went home just in time for supper. He told Nathalia he needed to make a delivery to the shop that night, and wouldn''t be back until late. He sat down on the couch to log out, and once again, was disappointed that Elerlyth hadn''t messaged him in the game. ******** Ren took off the VR headset and checked his emails, deleted the spam, and still didn''t see a message from Gloria. He ate lunch quickly and logged back into the game. ******** Ren left the house, went to the workshop to meet Tee-one, and picked up the orders for the store. He took Princess and the cart on the hour long drive to the warehouse, and Teepo dissolved into the ring as Ren went through the portal to Aurora. He dropped off the customer''s orders after apologizing to Anabelle for waking her up. He picked up a new list from her desk downstairs, then went back up to the apartment and asked Anabelle about hiring a delivery Adventurer. When she stopped laughing, she discovered that Ren was serious. ¡°You''re joking.¡± She said. ¡°You want to hire an Adventurer, just for deliveries.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°They have to be strong, though. I want them to be able to carry several furniture pieces without a struggle.¡± ¡°That''s going to be an odd job posting.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was going to say it''ll be an easy job most of the time, but that all depends on if everyone wants their things delivered once they find out that we do deliver.¡± He chuckled. ¡°And you know they will.¡± Anabelle smiled and nodded. ¡°See you in a couple of days.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just a minute.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Now that you''re here, can you... kiss me... goodnight?¡± Ren looked at her and saw that she was blushing slightly. He walked over to the bed and she slid the blanket off of her, to reveal the see-through nightgown that she always wore. It left nothing to the imagination; and he noticed she wasn''t wearing underwear, either. He stood beside her, and she looked at him expectantly as she raised her nightgown slightly with her hands. Ren smiled as he leaned over her, took her face in his hands, and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. ¡°Goodnight, Anabelle.¡± Ren said, and walked back around the bed to the cabinet that held the portal. ¡°That... that''s not...¡± She tried to say, and reached a hand up to let her fingers touch the lips Ren had just kissed. ¡°I didn''t mean...¡± ¡°I know it''s not what you asked for...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°...but, it''s what you really wanted.¡± He closed the cabinet, nailed it shut, and stepped through the portal. * Anabelle stared at Ren as he closed the cabinet. She let her hand drop and sighed. I wanted you to kiss me like you did before. She thought, and pulled the blanket back over herself and snuggled down into the bed. A moment later, she licked her lips and smiled. At least, I thought I did. * Ren summoned Teepo, ran downstairs, and fed Princess some food. He hooked her to the cart again, and was back at House Neram Keep an hour later. He put Princess back in the stable, and went into the house to go to bed. He climbed into bed under the blanket, and fell fast asleep. The next few game days passed by quickly. Ren worked the mornings at the mine, learned about stained glass for a few hours at lunch, then finished his shift at the mine. He barely had an hour to spend with Nathalia each day; but, she never complained. She was almost as busy as he was, however. The restaurant was coming together nicely, and since she had two of them to set up and run, it was taking up twice as much of her time. Ren helped her when he could, with job postings and setting things up; but it was all hinged on her decisions, so she had to shoulder most of that burden herself. The healer Deresdra had to wait those same few days for another healer to become available so she could take her time off; but she didn''t complain, either. She was happy to know that she could take time off and wouldn''t have to worry that her job wasn''t being done. ******** Ren logged out to eat breakfast and to do his physical therapy session. After a quick shower, Bonnie helped him dry off and he got dressed in one of his new pajama sets. He climbed into bed and relaxed, then Bonnie came in with a delivery man behind her. ¡°There''s a package here for you, Ren.¡± Bonnie said. ¡°They said they need your signature.¡± Ren nodded, and the the guy handed him a small electronic device and a thin plastic stick. Ren signed the little screen, passed them back, and the guy handed him a 1 foot square box. He nodded and left the room, and Ren looked at the box closely. ¡°What is it?¡± Bonnie asked. ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no return address.¡± He noticed small puncture holes near the top of the box, and that made him really curious. ¡°Any chance there''s a sharp knife around?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Bonnie said and left. She was back a couple of minutes later with a steak knife from the break room. Ren cut the tape that held the box closed, and saw that the edge went all the way around. He used the knife to cut it open all the way, and when he was done, he let the hand holding it together go. The box flopped open, the sides fell down, and the contents were revealed. Bonnie screamed as a hand-sized tarantula flopped out of the box and landed on Ren''s chest. Chapter 204 - Poor Bonnie Bonnie screamed in panic. The tarantula on the other hand, realized it wasn''t in it''s container anymore, and started to crawl over Ren. Bonnie couldn''t take it and ran from the room. ¡°Hey, little guy.¡± Ren said to it, and he moved his hand to block it from crawling up to his neck. Since that way was blocked, the spider turned around and went to the side. Ren kept it from crawling away, and decided to try and put it back in the unfolded box it came from, when Bonnie came back into the room wielding a rolled up magazine. ¡°Bonnie, NO!¡± Ren exclaimed, and Bonnie cringed as she approached the bed and unleashed a flurry of blows to try and get the spider. Ren used both of his hands to try and stop the magazine before it hit the spider, and he saw that Bonnie wasn''t even looking. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she swung. Ren kept his hand over the poor tarantula and blocked all of the blows that he could. ¡°Bonnie! Stop!¡± Ren yelled. ¡°Ow! Stop it!¡± He tried to tell her; but, she kept swinging to try and squish the spider. Ren could feel each impact on his arms and shoulders as Bonnie swung as hard as she could to kill the tarantula. His eyes started to water, and he was having a hard time seeing where the next blow would hit. ¡°OW!¡± Ren cried out after one particular blow hit his previously dislocated elbow, and sent a sharp pain up his arm. ¡°Bonnie! You''re hurting me!¡± Bonnie froze with a look of horror on her face, and she opened her eyes to see the tears that streamed from Ren''s eyes. She started to cry as well, and then the spider chose that moment to come out of hiding. Bonnie screamed again and swung, and Ren put his sore arm in front of the spider. He started to sob because the pain from yet another impact was excruciating, and Bonnie backed away from the bed. She started shaking her head and mumbling to herself, as she clutched the rolled up magazine in front of her. The desk nurse came in, because she had heard the screaming, and saw Ren as he cried in his bed. She looked at Bonnie, and tried to ask her what was going on; but, Bonnie only shook her head, and mumbled ''no'', over and over. The nurse looked back at the bed and saw the tarantula as it crawled up and onto Ren''s arm. ¡°Good god!¡± She exclaimed, and led Bonnie out of the room. She was back a minute later, with a metal trash can. ¡°No!¡± Ren said and picked the spider up with his still working arm. ¡°You can''t kill it!¡± The nurse sighed. ¡°What do you expect us to do with it?¡± Ren motioned to the box he''d cut open. ¡°Tape that back up and I can put it back inside.¡± He said. ¡°Or get me something else to hold it.¡± The nurse stepped lightly over to the bed, and picked up the box. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± She left and was gone for a couple of minutes. When she came back, the box was very securely taped up, and she put it in front of Ren. He gently put the tarantula inside, and closed it. The nurse tried to take the box, and Ren held onto it and shook his head. ¡°This is a hospital, not a zoo.¡± The nurse said sternly. ¡°It''s not leaving my sight.¡± Ren said. ¡°You could dispose of it and I''d never know.¡± She sighed. ¡°You are not keeping it.¡± ¡°It was sent to me, so it''s my property.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have my permission to get rid of it, or to harm it in any way.¡± ¡°That isn''t your decision to make.¡± The nurse said. ¡°I already called the police. They should be here soon.¡± Ren wiped the tears off of his face and looked at her. ¡°Then I''ll wait for them to get here.¡± She sighed again and shook her head, then turned around and left the room. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren said to the tarantula. ¡°It''s not your fault that you''re here.¡± It took about half an hour for the police to show up, and after a very lengthy question and answer period, they asked to take the box. ¡°You can have the box, but Samantha is staying here.¡± Ren said, and took out the tarantula. ¡°Sweet Jesus, son of God!¡± One of the police officers said, and stepped away. ¡°Look at the size of that thing!¡± ¡°Son, I need you to put that back in the box.¡± The other officer said. ¡°It''s evidence.¡± ¡°I''m not your ''son''.¡± Ren said. ¡°And the spider isn''t evidence. The box it came in is, so you can take that.¡± He said and handed the box over to them. ¡°We need to track were it was purchased from.¡± The officer said. ¡°Do spiders come with tracking numbers or tags?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then what purpose would taking it serve?¡± The police officer took a breath and let it out. ¡°That is a dangerous animal, and it needs to be taken care of.¡± ¡°It does, but not in the way you mean.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not the spider''s fault it was sent to me. It didn''t do anything wrong.¡± ¡°Not according to your nurse.¡± The officer said. ¡°That thing jumped out and attacked you.¡± ¡°Attacked me?¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°It must have been on the side of the box when I cut it open, and it fell out onto my chest.¡± ¡°That''s not how she described it.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Did she also tell you that she tried to kill it?¡± ¡°Yes. We have the magazine.¡± ¡°Then don''t you think it''s escaped death enough today?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Does it really need to be killed just because it''s a spider?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The other officer said, and his partner stared at him with a frown on his face. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Mr. Haddon, we need to confiscate it.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°It''s my property, and you aren''t taking it.¡± ¡°Whoever sent you a dangerous animal in the mail, meant for it to cause chaos.¡± ¡°Will you charge them with something when you find out who they are?¡± The two officers looked at each other, and Ren smiled. ¡°If that''s the case, I won''t be pressing assault charges.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was a gift, and things just got out of hand.¡± ¡°Now listen here...¡± ¡°You heard him.¡± A familiar voice said, and Ren looked past the officers to see Suzie the psychiatrist standing in the doorway to his room. ¡°It was a gift; nothing more.¡± ¡°Ma''am...¡± ¡°If you actually are going to track down whoever sent it, then I suggest you do so.¡± Suzie said. ¡°I assume there''s not too many places that sell that kind of creature.¡± ¡°We... we''ll look into that, Ma''am.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She said and stepped into the room and out of the doorway. ¡°You can stop pestering my patient and go do your jobs.¡± The two officers looked at each other again, nodded to her, then left the room. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said when the door shut. ¡°I really didn''t want them to take it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Suzie asked as she came over to the bed and sat down in the chair beside it. ¡°Because.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not the spider''s fault it''s involved. It''s just a spider.¡± ¡°And you''re comfortable with it?¡± Suzie asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°As long as you don''t bother it too much, it leaves you alone.¡± Ren said. ¡°I better go and find something to put that in.¡± Suzie said and stood up. ¡°I''d appreciate that.¡± Suzie left the room and was gone for a while. She eventually came back with a large brown cardboard box that had all the holes taped up; both inside and out.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Thanks, Suzie.¡± Ren said, and used the steak knife to cut a bunch of air holes along the top of the box. He put the tarantula inside and closed it. ¡°You really can''t keep it here, you know.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll find it a good home.¡± ¡°Bonnie is still in hysterics.¡± Suzie said. ¡°It took both officers to get the rolled-up magazine out of her hands.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°That was the only bad part about this whole thing.¡± ¡°Was it?¡± Suzie asked. ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Between fits of screaming and crying, she said what she did to you.¡± ¡°That wasn''t her fault.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was mine. I was protecting the spider.¡± ¡°Can you show me?¡± Ren looked at her warily, then pulled up the sleeves of his pajama shirt. Suzie gasped when she saw that both of his forearms were covered in large dark bruises. ¡°How... how far up to they go?¡± She asked in a soft voice. Ren unbuttoned his shirt and slid it down to his elbows. Part of his chest, both shoulders, and upper arms were just as bruise-covered as his forearms. Suzie winced because she had never seen bruises develop so fast before. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Suzie said. ¡°I''ll go and get the doctor.¡± She got up and walked out of the room, and Ren didn''t try to stop her. She came back with Doctor Hobbard a few minutes later, and he shook his head as he examined Ren''s beaten and battered body. ¡°I don''t know how you manage to do this to yourself.¡± Doctor Hobbard said. ¡°You seem to be getting hurt every couple of weeks.¡± Ren nodded, but didn''t speak. ¡°If you keep this up, you won''t be able to get any better.¡± He said, a little crossly. ¡°I''d like to say that it''s not my fault; but, you''re right. This keeps happening to me, no matter how careful I am.¡± ¡°Then be even more careful.¡± The doctor said. ¡°You only have one body. We can replace parts of it, but at the rate you''re going, you''ll need a whole new one.¡± He shook his head again. ¡°I''m afraid we can''t do that yet.¡± ¡°How long before we can?¡± Ren asked. ¡°About 30 years.¡± Doctor Hobbard said. ¡°It will take that long to get cloning technology to a high enough level, and then we''ll need to get the Medical Clone Bill passed.¡± ¡°Passed?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Don''t you mean drafted?¡± The doctor laughed. ¡°We''ve had the Bill ready for years; we''re just waiting for science to catch up to our expectations.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°What can I do about this right now?¡± The doctor wrote something down on a notepad, then something else, and smiled. ¡°I''ll have one of the nurses bring you something for the pain, and a numbing creme for the bruises.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± The doctor left the room and Suzie sat down by the bed again while Ren put his pajama shirt back on and buttoned it. ¡°You look really horrible.¡± She said honestly. ¡°There you go, being all truthful and honest again.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°At least you''re not trying to sugar-coat it for me.¡± ¡°I thought I was.¡± Suzie said, and Ren laughed. ¡°Hand me the laptop.¡± He said and pointed. She passed it to him and he checked his email, then typed up an email to send to Gloria. It took a little while, since his arms were so sore; but he managed to write an impassioned plea for her to take the spider, and promised to give her the money to take care of it. After that, he wrote one to Elise, the secretary of Sid Tec. This had to have happened because someone had discovered his identity from the television news program, and she should know that people now knew where he was as well. He sent an email to Stella, Barbara, and Denise to fill them in, too. He didn''t have to do that; but, he felt it was better that they heard what happened directly from him. ¡°Suzie?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why are you sitting in here with me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Someone has to.¡± She said. ¡°Bonnie can barely speak, let alone take care of you.¡± ¡°But... you''re not a nurse.¡± ¡°I can go get one when she''s needed.¡± Suzie said with a huge grin on her face. ¡°Until then, I''ll just keep you company.¡± ¡°Don''t tell me that you''re... ah... enjoying all of this.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you?¡± ¡°I am!¡± Suzie said. ¡°It''s so fascinating.¡± She looked at him and her eyes danced. ¡°The person everyone thought would keep a cool head, totally freaked out; and the one we all thought would squeal like a stuck pig if something like this happened, is the calm one.¡± Ren froze at her words, then looked at her. ¡°Who exactly is ''we''?¡± Suzie looked at Ren with wide eyes, then blinked them a few times. ¡°I''m sorry. I misspoke.¡± She said. ¡°I meant ''me''.¡± ¡°No, you didn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°You said ''we all thought'', not ''I thought''.¡± He started to get angry. ¡°And what did you mean when you said ''if something like this happened''?¡± ¡°Um...¡± Susie sat back in the chair. ¡°I... can''t discuss that.¡± ¡°You''re not allowed to let the test subject know, so it doesn''t change the parameters of the experiment.¡± Ren said in a bland, almost robotic voice. ¡°Exactly.¡± Suzie said, then clamped her mouth shut. ¡°Get out.¡± Ren said through gritted teeth. ¡°Someone needs to stay wi-¡± ¡°GET OUT!!!¡± Ren yelled, and Suzie was so startled at his shout that she stood up. ¡°I''ve humored you all this time, because I knew you took some form of pleasure from hearing about the things I go through.¡± Ren said. ¡°But I refuse to be a part of anything you may be involved in with this ''we'' you referred to.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Get out, doctor.¡± Ren said doctor like it was a dirty word. ¡°You can file this under ''final visit''.¡± He snarled. ¡°I never want to see you again.¡± ¡°You can''t make that decision.¡± Suzie said. ¡°I''ve been court appointed to look after your mental welfare.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren said. ¡°Are they the ''we'' you were talking about?¡± Suzie didn''t say anything, and Ren chuckled. ¡°If you don''t tell me who it is that you meant, and who it is that you''ve been discussing me with... without my permission, I might add... I''ll have no choice but to have a restraining order served against you by tomorrow morning for violating my privacy rights.¡± ¡°I... can''t reveal...¡± ¡°Yes, the court did appoint you.¡± He said. ¡°How will the court react when I tell them that you''ve been subjecting me to the same environment and experiments as my parents?¡± Suzie''s face drained of all of it''s color. ¡°I... I didn''t...¡± ¡°No?¡± Ren said. ¡°You make me relive the things I remember my father doing to me, and you enjoy it.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I distinctly remember my mother doing that, and I told you that she did.¡± ¡°Ren... I...¡± ¡°That still didn''t loosen your lips?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. ¡°Then if, somehow, you can get the restraining order lifted, and even if you force me to endure more of your visits, I will never speak or look at you.¡± ¡°That''s an interesting viewpo-¡± ¡°GET OOOUUUUUUUTTTTT!!!!!!¡± Ren shouted as loudly as he could, and a minute later, the desk nurse came in. ¡°What is going on in here?!?¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Please escort this... person... out of my room.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then remove her from the visitor''s list.¡± The nurse looked at Suzie, and then at Ren. ¡°I have every right to see, or not see, anyone that I want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Until she tells me who she''s been telling my secrets to, I never want her near me again.¡± ¡°Ren, I can''t tell you.¡± Suzie said. ¡°I''m under oath...¡± ¡°I believe the Hippocratic oath includes not discussing patients.¡± Ren said. ¡°It does not restrict you from telling patients information they ask for.¡± He looked at her. ¡°Would knowing who it is, hurt me in any way?¡± ¡°I... no, I don''t think so.¡± ¡°But, by not telling me, you are hurting me.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re causing me emotional pain, and also denying me your professional care.¡± Suzie took in a deep breath and let it out. She didn''t say anything, however. ¡°If you change your mind, let one of the nurses know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodbye, doctor.¡± The desk nurse held the door for Suzie, and she left the room with the desk nurse close behind. * ¡°Unfortunately, he''s right.¡± Suzie said as she walked down the hallway. ¡°I am hurting him by not telling him.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I never thought he could turn my own oath against me like that, though.¡± She sighed. ¡°He''s got quite the brain in that skull of his.¡± ¡°Are you going to tell him who it is?¡± The desk nurse asked. ¡°I can''t say, until I discuss it with...¡± She looked at the desk nurse. ¡°I can''t discuss it.¡± The desk nurse nodded and went back behind the desk that was her normal station, and Suzie went into the break room and tried to calm Bonnie down once more. ¡°Oh, god! I have to kill it!¡± Bonnie yelled, as she searched for the rolled up magazine that the police had taken from her. ¡°It''s crawling over him!¡± Apparently, Bonnie has an acute case of arachnophobia. Suzie thought as she tried to reason with the unreasonable, and Bonnie was having none of it. * Ren checked his emails, and didn''t get any responses to the ones he had sent. He looked at his watch, and sighed. It was now 1 pm, thanks to this incident. He had missed an entire game day and part of the next night; and would probably miss the rest of this night and the next game day as well. Ren looked at the door to his room and climbed out of bed. I wonder if I can find someone to get me lunch. Ren thought as he opened the door to his room and estimated the distance to the nurse''s station. He sighed and walked down the hallway that was close to the same distance as his section of the walking track. ¡°What are you doing out of bed?¡± The desk nurse asked when she saw him. ¡°The doctor said you shouldn''t be up and around.¡± ¡°I... ah...¡± Ren wasn''t sure what to say. He''d only ever asked the nurses that took care of him for lunch, and it seemed presumptuous to ask someone who wasn''t taking care of him for food. ¡°Um... I was wondering how Bonnie was.¡± ¡°You don''t have to worry about that.¡± The nurse said and came out from behind her desk. ¡°Suzie is taking care of her right now.¡± She tried to take one of Ren''s arms to lead him back to his room, and he cringed away from her touch. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°My arms are sore.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t grab them.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± The nurse said. ¡°Please go back to your room.¡± ¡°I...¡± Ren sighed, and decided to throw caution to the wind. ¡°I''m hungry, and with Bonnie in the state she''s in, I don''t have anyone to get lunch.¡± The nurse looked at him in surprise, and then she looked at the time on the big clock behind her desk. ¡°Oh, dear.¡± She looked back at Ren. ¡°I... I''m not sure what to do about that.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s never happened before.¡± ¡°I''ll ask the doctor what to do.¡± The nurse said. ¡°You should go back to your room for now.¡± Ren nodded and turned around, and when he was about halfway back to the door to his room, exhaustion hit him hard. He leaned against the wall and rested for a minute, took several breaths, then kept going. I couldn''t even take the wheelchair because my arms are so sore. Ren thought as he finally made it back to his room. He climbed into bed, and at the moment, he didn''t care that his stomach was rumbling loudly. He was too tired to even think about food, and fell asleep with the blanket half covering him. Half an hour later, a nurse brought up a small tray with pain medication and a jar of numbing creme for Ren, and after telling the desk nurse what the doctor instructed her to do, she went to Ren''s room and saw the state he was in. ¡°Hey.¡± She said. ¡°Hey, wake up. You need to take your medication.¡± Ren mumbled something in his sleep, and she tried to shake him. Unfortunately, she had held onto his shoulder to do so. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Ren cried out in pain as his eyes flew open. He looked around wildly, and stared at the nurse, who had a shocked look on her face. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?!?¡± He asked, shaking slightly from panic. ¡°You... you need to take your medication.¡± The nurse said. ¡°For the pain.¡± Ren took a deep breath to calm down, and nodded. She gave him the pills and a drink of water, and she held up the jar of numbing creme. ¡°Do you feel like having this applied?¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her. ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± He said. ¡°It really hurts.¡± The nurse motioned to his shirt, and he watched as she unbuttoned his pajama shirt. ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± She said, as she saw the multitude of bruises, and realized she had grabbed one of the large ones to wake him. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± She said as she opened the creme and put a small amount onto the tips of her fingers. ¡°This is going to be cold.¡± She cautioned him, and Ren nodded. The nurse gently spread the creme over the bruises, and Ren couldn''t help but let the tears flow as the pressure she had to use, hurt even more than the blows that had caused the bruises in the first place. It nearly broke the nurse''s heart to hurt him so much; but when she was done, Ren relaxed on the bed. ¡°Is it kicking in yet?¡± She asked. ¡°I... don''t... kn...¡± Ren stopped talking as he closed his eyes, then drifted off to sleep. Chapter 205 - Poor Ren The darkness was all encompassing. Ren tried to blink his eyes to let them adjust to the darkness, but he couldn''t even see his own hand in front of his face. After almost poking himself in the eye, he stopped trying to see it. He waited anxiously, like he always did, to find out what it was he would have to do today to make his mother like him. He hoped beyond hope that today would be the day she would finally give him the hug that he''d always wanted from her. * Elise Stanford, the secretary from Sid Tec, stormed into the hospital like a tornado through a trailer park. Everyone got out of her way as she made her way to Ren''s room. When she got there, she saw his beaten and battered body. ¡°Oh, my GOD!¡± She exclaimed and rushed over to him. Her eyes burst into tears as they traced the pattern of bruises up his arms and to his shoulders. When she looked around and saw that no one was attending to him, she got angry. She knew that he was supposed to have a nurse on-hand at all times, just in case of an emergency, so she wiped her eyes and stormed back down the hallway to the nurse''s desk. ¡°Why is Ren Haddon alone in his room?¡± Elise asked the startled nurse. ¡°The pain medication knocked him out.¡± She said. ¡°He shouldn''t need anyone there while he sleeps.¡± ¡°There is supposed to be an attending nurse.¡± Elise said. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°Not that it''s any of your business, but she''s on psychiatric leave.¡± The nurse said. ¡°The incident today was too much for her.¡± ¡°Then call in the alternate nurse!¡± Elise said. ¡°She was the alternate nurse.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°There''s only so many nurses working here.¡± The desk nurse said. ¡°When his full time nurse left, they had to split her shifts among the replacements.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Elise said. ¡°So there''s no one available that can sit with him at all today?¡± The nurse shook her head. ¡°Denise is scheduled to be in tomorrow.¡± Elise rubbed her forehead with a hand. ¡°So, you''re telling me, that a patient that requires 24 hour around the clock care, won''t get that care until tomorrow?¡± The nurse saw the logic trap, so she didn''t say anything. Elise sighed and took out her cell phone. ¡°Hi, Tara.¡± ¡°I''m sorry I have to do this to you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Yeah, I''m going to be here all day.¡± ¡°No, I don''t know.¡± ¡°Thanks, Tara.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Elise hung up the cell phone and looked at the desk nurse. ¡°Tell me what I need to do.¡± * Ren tried to open his eyes, but everything was sluggish and they barely moved. He also tried to speak, and it felt like his mouth was full of cotton balls. ¡°Muh... mah...¡± He mumbled. ¡°Oh! He''s awake!¡± A woman''s voice said. Ren recognized it, but couldn''t remember who it belonged to. His thoughts weren''t coming together like they usually did. ¡°Ren? How are you feeling?¡± Another woman''s voice said, and he couldn''t remember her name, either. ¡°Mluah...¡± He tried to say. ¡°What in the world did they give him?!?¡± The first woman nearly shouted. ¡°He''s been unconscious since yesterday!¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± The other woman said. ¡°All I know is that he was given something for the pain.¡± Ren tried to move his arms, but they were secured to something. ¡°Mah!¡± He said and shifted his arm. ¡°No, don''t move!¡± The first woman said. ¡°You''re really hurt, and there''s... there''s... IV needles in your arms.¡± Ren sighed and his tongue flapped out. ¡°I don''t care how you do it.¡± The first woman said to the other. ¡°But you find that nurse! Look at the footage! See where she came from!¡± ¡°What footage?¡± ¡°Don''t tell me the cameras are fake!¡± The other voice didn''t say anything. ¡°That does it!¡± The woman said vehemently and took out her cell phone. ¡°I will not leave him here for another day, just so he can be mistreated!¡± ¡°There''s nothing you can do.¡± The other voice said. ¡°He''s a ward of the state.¡± The first woman laughed. ¡°He''s over 18 now, rich, and has me on his side.¡± She said. ¡°Just watch and see what I can do for him!¡± Ren tried to smile as he heard the woman defend him. Part of his lip curled up and showed a bit of teeth, then the darkness consumed him once again and he drifted back to sleep. * ¡°Excuse me?¡± Elise said an hour later. ¡°Janice, did you just tell me that there''s almost no money left in Ren''s court settlement account? How the hell did that happen?!?¡± She listened to the response. ¡°That shouldn''t be possible.¡± She sighed. ¡°He''s supposed to be living on the interest alone! Who took all that money out?¡± She frowned. ¡°What do you mean, you don''t know?¡± Elise sighed again. ¡°Yes, I know it''s not your account. Who''s is it?¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°You''re kidding.¡± ¡°What''s going on?¡± Denise asked, and Elise held up a hand for her to be quiet. ¡°Dammit, is there nothing you can do about it?¡± Elise listened, then sighed again. ¡°We can''t leave his other money just sitting there for them to take.¡± She said. ¡°I want you to transfer the other two accounts to another bank.¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, he can''t give you authorization. They drugged him up to his eyeballs, and he can''t even speak. He was awake for a minute not long ago; but I don''t know how long he''s been this way, or how long until he''s not.¡± She said. ¡°Just get the ball rolling, and set everything up. I''ll do what I can on this end to fix things.¡± She hung up the phone and looked at Denise. ¡°Apparently someone, through the bank manager no less, has been siphoning off Ren''s settlement fund.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Denise said, surprised. ¡°I wish I was.¡± Elise said. ¡°Janice can only see the records of the transactions, so she can''t tell me who it was. Or even if it was only a single person doing it.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Denise said and looked at Ren. ¡°Poor Ren.¡± ¡°Yes, poor Ren. Almost literally.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s a good thing his show was picked up for the season.¡± She looked at Denise. ¡°I''m going to do something drastic, so I don''t want you to say anything for the next few minutes.¡± ¡°What?¡± Denise asked, concerned. ¡°I''m calling Sid Tec''s lawyers.¡± ¡°What can they do?¡± ¡°They are going to contact the law firm that handled Ren''s case.¡± Elise said. ¡°I don''t think they are going to be happy about how his funds have been mishandled.¡± ¡°How do you know they aren''t involved themselves?¡± ¡°Because they get paid out of that account.¡± Elise said. ¡°And if there''s one thing that lawyers can''t stand, it''s when they can''t get paid.¡± She grinned. ¡°They will move hell and high water to find out what happened to that money!¡± * Ren could feel something chewing on his belly. He tried his best to ignore it, like his mother wanted him to; but it became too much to bear after a while, and he started swatting it away. He still couldn''t see anything; but that was because of the blindfold this time, and not because of the lack of light. ¡°Time.¡± A woman''s voice said, and after a moment, a cool liquid flowed over his belly and the chewing stopped immediately. Ren heard her shoes clack against the tiled floor as she approached him. ¡°You did really well this time, son.¡± Ren felt all warm and fuzzy inside at her praise. He had been worried that she would be angry at him for disobeying her. He shivered involuntarily when he remembered the last time she was unhappy with him. ¡°I, on the other hand, am disappointed.¡± A man''s voice said, and Ren froze. ¡°I expected at least another few minutes.¡± The electrodes attached to Ren''s head lit the EKG machine up like a Christmas tree. ¡°No!¡± Ren''s mother said. ¡°Look what you''ve done!¡± Ren heard a loud slap, and his father grunted. ¡°You weren''t supposed to speak, you fool!¡± She growled at him. ¡°You''ve skewed the test results!¡± ¡°Just cut that part off of the sheet.¡± ¡°It''s not the sheet, it''s the pool of data!¡± She nearly screamed at him. ¡°Now I have to start all over again!¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± His father said sarcastically. ¡°No, you''re not.¡± Ren''s mother said. ¡°But, you will be.¡± Ren tried not to smile, but he couldn''t help himself and it spread across his face. He''s going to get it now! * By that afternoon, Elise had arranged for Ren''s transfer to a temporary care facility. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Denise asked. ¡°We can barely get permission to bring him outside the hospital once a month, and now you''re taking Ren completely out of it!¡± ¡°I believe the threat of a lawsuit, and press conference showing their lack of care and security for their now very high profile patient, might have swayed the hospital board''s decision.¡± Denise opened her mouth to say that they wouldn''t let Ren go, just from the threat of a lawsuit, and then she looked at Elise. ¡°You''re really going to sue them, aren''t you?¡± ¡°You bet your panties I am.¡± Elise said. ¡°And they know it looks bad.¡± She motioned to Ren. ¡°It should never have gotten to this point. Ever.¡± There was a knock on the room door, and then a young woman came in wearing tight blue jeans and a loose-fitting t-shirt. Part of the left side of her head was shaved, and her hair was a bright bubblegum pink with blue streaks. ¡°Hi, Ren. I''m here to pick up the... OH MY GOD!¡± Gloria exclaimed as she saw Ren. His upper body was still exposed because the numbing cream had to be applied every 6 hours. The edges of the bruises had turned a sickly yellow, but the centers were still a deep purple. ¡°What... what happened?¡± Gloria asked with concern in her voice. Denise and Elise filled her in on what had been going on, and she nearly cried. ¡°Poor Ren!¡± Gloria said as she stood by his bedside. ¡°What''s going to happen now?¡± ¡°I''m taking him out of here, for one.¡± Elise said. ¡°I can''t leave him here, where anyone that wants to do him harm, can just walk in and do it to him.¡± ¡°Can I still visit him?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°That depends.¡± Denise said. ¡°Did you send him the spider?¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Gloria had a shocked look on her face. ¡°I''d never do that!¡± ¡°How do we know that?¡± Elise asked. Gloria took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°First off, I care about him. He helps me in the game like no one else does.¡± She said. ¡°Second, I can barely afford the gas it takes to go from home, to school, and to work. I''d never be able to buy something like that!¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Then yes, you can come and visit.¡± ¡°How long will he be like this?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°I wish we knew.¡± Elise said. ¡°I really wish we knew.¡± * Ren was floating in the darkness. The water lapped up and onto his face when he moved, but he didn''t care. The sensory-deprivation chamber was the only real escape that he had from the real world, and the things he had to do every day. He smiled to himself. He had tricked his parents early on by pretending that he hated it in here, and now they took it upon themselves to ''punish'' him by leaving him in here for hours at a time. Something bumped the side of the chamber, and it echoed loudly inside. Thankfully, his ears were below the water level and all he heard was a low thump. ¡°I hope you''re suffering in there, boy!¡± His father said, and hit the chamber again. Ren sighed because it sounded like his father had been drinking again. ¡°It had better be worth all this money to make you scared!¡± He said. ¡°You''re no good to us otherwise!¡± He said and hit the chamber again. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren''s mother said. ¡°You''re interfering in Ren''s quiet time!¡± ¡°Quiet time!¡± His father said. ¡°He''s always quiet!¡± ¡°Maybe if you left him alone sometimes, he might actually speak!¡± ¡°Ha!¡± He thumped the chamber again. ¡°What''s he going to say? Daddy! You scare me!¡± His father laughed. ¡°I already know that. We set it up that way!¡± ¡°Shut UP!¡± Ren''s mother said. He couldn''t hear the slap; but, he knew it had happened, because a moment later, his mother screamed and fell to the floor. ¡°Don''t hit me again, woman!¡± He said. ¡°Or you''ll get it back ten-fold!¡± ¡°If you keep this up, you''ll ruin everything!¡± She said. Ren didn''t wonder what she meant. He knew exactly what would be ruined. Their perfect little test subject. Him. * Surprisingly enough, it didn''t take long to move Ren and his things to the temporary care facility. He didn''t have a lot of worldly possessions to his name, so the people that had come to help him move didn''t have a lot to do. There were some mementos, a dresser and a cabinet of clothes, the lock box with all of his important papers in it, and the things from his bathroom. That was pretty much it. ¡°His whole life. Right here in these few boxes.¡± Barbara said as she put the last box onto the pile. ¡°I never thought I''d see...¡± She stopped a tear from escaping her eye. ¡°You''ve been there with him since the beginning.¡± Elise said, and Barbara nodded. ¡°It''s been a pleasure taking care of him all these years.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I can''t believe it''s over.¡± ¡°It doesn''t have to be.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I think it''s time you retired from the hospital.¡± Elise said. ¡°Ren''s going to need you now, more than ever.¡± ¡°I... I...¡± Elise looked at Stella. ¡°Now that Ren isn''t at the hospital, you don''t have much of a job left, right?¡± Stella opened her mouth to say that she had lots of work to keep her occupied, then remembered she worked for Ren every third day. Her pay was going to be severely reduced, now that there wasn''t any official funds coming in for him. She closed her mouth, and Elise smiled. ¡°That''s right. You''re going to lose the most important part of your work; or you can keep going if you want to.¡± The two women looked at each other. ¡°What about Bonnie and Denise?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I don''t think Bonnie is going to be any good to anyone for a while.¡± Barbara said, and shivered. ¡°I saw the spider, and what happened to Ren.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°I''ll ask her about that in a few days.¡± She said. ¡°Denise I''ll ask when I go back to the hospital.¡± ¡°So, you''re going back?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Stella said and smiled. ¡°I need to clean out my locker.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ll come with you.¡± Elise smiled as the two women left the room, and she went over to sit beside the bed. ¡°I hope this won''t be too much of a shock for you when you wake up.¡± Elise said, and gently took Ren''s hand. ¡°The best part of it is, it''s going to be much harder for people to find you now.¡± * Ren laid on the examination table, his small body completely exposed to the intense cold of the freezer. He shook and shivered as his skin started to stick to the metal table; but, his mother had warned him that he was not to move, or curl up into a ball, or hug himself at all. ¡°Why?¡± He had asked her. She had just shaken her head and didn''t say anything as she undressed him. Ren tried to remain as still as possible, because he knew there was someone else behind the glass today. If he made that person happy, then his mother would be happy; and that was all that Ren wanted. Perhaps today would be the day he would get that hug. Chapter 206 - Investigations It hadn''t taken much convincing for Denise to join the mini-exodus from the hospital. She knew that there was going to be a huge fallout from all of this, and she didn''t want to get caught up in any of it. While Stella and Barbara were submitting their resignations, she took the few minutes she had alone to text Lucy. Even though Ren had told her that his relationships were none of her business, she couldn''t in good conscience let Lucy stay in the dark about the situation. * Ren was on the examination table again. His head was clamped into a padded vise, and he could only look around with his eyes. He saw two people in scrubs looking at him. ¡°Are you sure we should do this?¡± A young man''s voice asked. ¡°He''s not even under anesthetic.¡± ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren''s mother said. ¡°My boy can take a lot of pain before he even starts to cry.¡± ¡°But still...¡± The young man said. ¡°...this procedure...¡± ¡°Yes, it''s invasive, but we need to set up the proper connections. How else are we supposed to get the proper readings?¡± The young man sighed. ¡°Can we at least cover his eyes? He''s staring at me.¡± Ren''s mother laughed. ¡°That''s okay. He won''t remember any of this anyways.¡± She pat Ren''s shoulder. ¡°You''ve become very good at blocking bad memories; haven''t you, dear?¡± Ren tried to nod his head in agreement, but it was clamped too tightly to move. He looked at the young man and watched as a sterilized electric screwdriver was passed to his mother. He heard it whirl a few times, then felt pressure on the top of his skull. His mother was right, though. This was nothing compared to some of the other experiments he went through. He felt the drill several times in various spots, and he ignored it as much as he could. ¡°Hand me the bone saw.¡± His mother said, and the electric device was loud in the practically silent room. Ren felt it jerk and pull on his skin and smiled as it dug into the bone. Ha! It''ll take more than that to make me cry! Ren thought, and closed his eyes as his mother continued to work. * Lucy''s phone beeped at her, and she looked at it. ¡°Denise?¡± She asked herself, then read the text about Ren. Her eyes widened at what Denise had written, and she put the phone away. She finished the blood work sample she had been working on, added it to the stack with the proper paperwork, then told the staff she had something to take care of. Lucy walked calmly to the elevator and went up to the floor Ren''s room was on and went to the break room. * A few minutes later, Denise was surprised that Lucy hadn''t messaged her back. I really thought she cared about Ren. She looked at her phone again, then put it away just as the door to the break room burst open. ¡°Tell me everything!¡± Lucy demanded to the startled Denise. * ¡°Ugh.¡± Ren said as he opened his eyes. ¡°What... ugh!¡± His arms were still secured to stop him from moving. He looked from side to side and realized he didn''t know where he was. He started to panic and struggle against his bindings. ¡°No! Nooo!¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Stella exclaimed. ¡°It''s okay!¡± She stood over him so he could see her clearly. Ren''s eyes focused on her face, and he saw the relief there. He calmed down and looked at his arms. ¡°What... where am I?¡± ¡°You''re in a temporary care facility.¡± Stella said. ¡°When Elise found out what had happened, she got you out of the hospital as soon as she could.¡± ¡°She WHAT?!?¡± Ren shouted, and looked around again. He could see out the window, and there was a tree there. The window wasn''t open; but he could see the leaves moving, and imagined the sound of rustling leaves. ¡°I don''t know how she managed it, either.¡± Stella said. ¡°Since you''re a ward of the state, I thought that they got to decide where you''d be housed and taken care of.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. Stella took out her cell phone and dialed. ¡°Hi, Elise.¡± ¡°Yes, he''s awake.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She hung up and dialed again. ¡°Hi, Barbara.¡± ¡°Yes, he''s awake.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± She hung up and dialed again. ¡°Hi, Denise.¡± ¡°Yes, he''s awake.¡± ¡°Yes, it''s a relief.¡± ¡°Okay, bye.¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes, and she smiled. ¡°We all agreed that whoever was here when you woke up, they would tell the others right away.¡± Stella said. ¡°No matter what time it was.¡± Ren tried to look at his watch, and she put a hand on his arm. ¡°It''s 6 p.m. on Tuesday.¡± Ren looked at her in surprise. ¡°I lost a whole day?¡± He asked. ¡°What kind of pain pill did they give me?¡± Stella had a worried look on her face. ¡°I don''t know how to tell you this, without it giving you a shock.¡± She said, and put a hand on the side of his face. ¡°Please stay calm, okay?¡± Ren took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°You didn''t lose a day, Ren.¡± Stella said. He looked at her like she was crazy. ¡°But you just said it was Tuesday.¡± Stella sighed. ¡°It''s actually next Tuesday.¡± She said. ¡°You''ve been unconscious for a week.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. ¡°A... a week. A whole week.¡± He opened his eyes and stared at Stella. ¡°Do you realize what that means?¡± ¡°Whatever they dosed you with hit you hard.¡± She said. ¡°No, Stella.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t understand! I missed...¡± Tears sprang to his eyes. ¡°I missed a month of game-time.¡± He looked at Stella beseechingly. ¡°Nathalia... she... she hasn''t seen me in a whole month!¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Stella said as leaned down to touch her forehead to his. She wiped his tears away, and let him cry it out. It took about 10 minutes for him to calm down, and when he did, he asked to have the IVs removed. ¡°We can''t yet.¡± Stella said. ¡°We''ve been flushing your system to make sure whatever it was they gave you, is out of your system completely.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°How much longer will it take?¡± ¡°Considering this is the first time you''ve been fully awake, probably another few days.¡± ¡°How... how am I supposed to use the bathroom?¡± He asked, just as he was hit with a huge urge to do so. ¡°The same way you''ve been going all week.¡± Stella said, and picked up what looked like a large squeeze bottle; but instead of a spout, it had a funnel like attachment. She folded down the blanket that covered him from the waist down, slid his pajama pants and underwear down, then gently placed him into the opening. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren blinked wide eyes at her. ¡°What?¡± Stella asked. ¡°How... I mean...¡± Ren looked sheepish as he spoke. ¡°It''s not like I could ask when I had to go.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Stella said. ¡°The first few times it was a close call.¡± She grinned. ¡°Surprisingly, you go like clockwork. Once we found out your schedule...¡± ¡°I... ah...¡± Ren looked around. ¡°I can close my eyes if that will help.¡± Stella suggested. ¡°Please.¡± She closed her eyes and even turned her head, and Ren let loose the flood of fluids his body was so desperate to expel. His eyes widened as the level in the bottle rose steadily; and just as he became concerned that it was going to overflow, the stream trickled down to almost nothing and he relaxed. ¡°I''m done.¡± Ren said, Stella jigged him a couple of times, and set the bottle on the floor. She grabbed a baby wipe and cleaned him off, then another to clean her hands, and pulled his clothing back into place and covered him with the blanket again. Stella disappeared into the bathroom with the bottle and Ren heard the toilet flush. Water ran in the sink, then the sounds of the bottle being scrubbed, and Stella was back at his bedside with the clean bottle. ¡°No matter how many times you tell me that you''ll do anything to take care of me, it still amazes me that you do.¡± Ren said, and Stella chuckled. ¡°It''s just the body''s normal function.¡± Stella said. ¡°You know my views about that.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I know.¡± He tried to lift a hand to her, but it was still secured because of the IV tubes. She saw what he was trying to do, and held his hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It''s my job.¡± Stella said, and then it hit Ren where he was. ¡°Wait! How is it your job? We''re not in the hospital!¡± Stella smiled and squeezed his hand a little. ¡°We resigned.¡± ¡°W-w-we?¡± ¡°Barbara, Denise, and I.¡± Stella said. ¡°You need full time care, and we weren''t going to let some stranger come in and take over our responsibility.¡± ¡°S-Stella!¡± She let his hand go and ran it through his hair. ¡°We''ve all grown quite fond of you.¡± She said. ¡°Even just the thought of having someone else take care of you, bothered me too much to let it go.¡± ¡°But.. but...¡± ¡°You''re wondering who''s paying for it all?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Sid Tec footed the bill for the first few days; but once the law firm that took care of your case got involved, they were reimbursed for the full amount and now it''s all being handled by the lawyers.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°Uh huh. It''s... well, it''s all being blown open, Ren.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± He asked. She sighed. ¡°I''ll let them explain.¡± She said, and walked over to the door to the room and opened it. ¡°All right, he''s awake.¡± Ren heard several pairs of shoes clack down the hallway. ¡°He''s not a hundred percent, so take it easy.¡± Stella admonished them. ¡°He wants to know what''s going on.¡± Stella stepped back and several people came into the room. Three men and two women. Two of the men wore identical suits, haircuts, and blank expressions. If Ren had to guess who they were, it would be FBI. The third man had a clean cut suit, thin hair, and was pushing 50. A police badge hung on his belt, and one of the women had one hanging around her neck. She was quite pretty, in that girl-next-door kind of way; where if she had just a touch of makeup, she''d be drop-dead gorgeous. She also had brown curly hair down to her shoulders, and if he guessed from her standing next to Stella, she was only about 5 feet tall. Ren really liked the look on her face, though. She looked like she wouldn''t take crap from anyone, and he smiled at her. She had a surprised look on her face for a moment, then smiled a tiny little bit. Ren moved on to the last woman, and didn''t know what her profession was. Her appearance was as nondescript as anything Ren had ever seen. ¡°I''m Detective-¡± The man in the clean cut suit tried to say, and was cut off by one of the two men that had matching suits. ¡°I believe we have priority here.¡± One of them said. Ren blinked his eyes and stared at them. He honestly couldn''t tell which one had moved their mouths to speak. ¡°Now listen here-¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± Stella said to their surprised faces. ¡°This is not a pissing contest.¡± Ren chuckled at her use of words, considering what he''d just done. I''d have won that contest. He thought, and Stella smiled. ¡°You will keep a civil tongue, or you will be out of here.¡± Stella said. ¡°He''s gone through enough, without having to deal with your jurisdiction problems.¡± The detective turned to Stella. ¡°Sorry, Ma''am. I was just going to introduce myself, and then I was rudely interrupted.¡± ¡°I wasn''t being rude about it. I only interrupted.¡± One of them said. Nope, I still can''t tell who spoke. Ren thought in amazement. Stella pointed a finger at the FBI agent who spoke. ¡°Sorry.¡± The detective smiled. ¡°Like I was saying.¡± He said. ¡°I''m Detective Ramirez, and this is my partner, Officer Stonewall.¡± Ren shifted his gaze to her. ¡°That''s a cool name.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± She said in a cold voice. Ren''s smile grew large as he realized she was trying to act tough because of all the men in the room that had more authority than she did; not to mention they were a lot bigger than her physically. Her eyes flicked across Ren''s exposed skin and traced the receding bruises, and she tried not to shiver at how painful it looked. She almost succeeded, then turned to look at Stella. ¡°Does he have to remain uncovered like that?¡± Officer Stonewall asked her. ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Stella said. ¡°We''re still treating the severe bruising. Plus, we''d have to remove the IVs to put anything on him.¡± Ren looked back at the two FBI agents. ¡°I''m Agent Smith, and this is Agent Smith.¡± ¡°You''re joking!¡± Ren said. ¡°The FBI never jokes.¡± One of them said. ¡°You know, I''ve been watching you this whole time...¡± Ren said. ¡°...and I still can''t tell which one of you opens your mouth when you talk.¡± Detective Ramirez grinned and Officer Stonewall laughed. Stella shook her head and the last woman didn''t even bat an eyelash. ¡°It''s a talent.¡± One of them said. ¡°It''s amazing, is what it is.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re getting off-track.¡± The last woman said, with no inflection in her voice at all. ¡°Right.¡± One of the agents said. ¡°To put it bluntly, we''re investigating bank fraud.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°This isn''t about the tarantula?¡± The detective raised his hand slightly. ¡°We''ll get to that part later.¡± Ren nodded and looked back at the FBI agents. ¡°Someone has been stealing your settlement. For years, apparently.¡± The agent said. ¡°Thanks to Ms. Stanford''s help, and her very willing accomplice that works at the bank; we''ve apprehended the bank manager and seized all of his financial records.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± ¡°It gets better.¡± The other agent said. ¡°We''ve been on this all week. One of the main benefactors of the scam was Doctor Hobbard.¡± Ren''s mouth fell open and his face drained of it''s color. ¡°No!¡± He looked at Stella, who nodded. ¡°There are quite a few others, but he''s the only one we''ve found that was directly tied to you so far.¡± One agent said. ¡°What about Suzie?¡± Ren asked.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Who?¡± The agent asked. ¡°She was his psychiatrist.¡± Stella said. ¡°She isn''t anymore.¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°I haven''t heard his version of the story yet, though.¡± ¡°She''s been telling someone... she wouldn''t say who... all about me and the experiments my parents did to me.¡± ¡°She WHAT?!?¡± Stella yelled. ¡°Yeah, I pretty much reacted the same way. I was going to file a restraining order against her because of it, but... then... I...¡± Ren closed his eyes for a moment, and the darkness took him again. * ¡°Dammit.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°I didn''t even get a turn.¡± ¡°He''s not a toy to be passed around!¡± Stella said. ¡°I didn''t mean it like that.¡± Detective Ramirez said and held his hands up in surrender. ¡°I meant about telling him about the spider.¡± ¡°What can you tell him about it?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°There''s nothing. No sales receipt. No customs papers. No nothing. It''s like it just appeared out of thin air and showed up on his doorstep.¡± ¡°Well, that''s disappointing.¡± Stella said. ¡°We had hoped there would be some way to track it.¡± ¡°There were dozens of fingerprints on the box.¡± He said. ¡°None of them are in the system, except for two of the nurses.¡± ¡°Which two?¡± ¡°I... shouldn''t really say.¡± ¡°I''m his personal care giver. I need to know if they show up here.¡± Stella said with a glare. ¡°One was the desk nurse.¡± He said after taking out a small notebook. ¡°We interviewed her. She only touched the box to tape it back up.¡± He flipped a page. ¡°The other was... here it is. Cheryl-¡± ¡°NO!¡± Stella exclaimed. ¡°She wouldn''t!¡± ¡°Wouldn''t what?¡± Officer Stonewall asked. ¡°Try to get revenge on the boy who got her fired?¡± ¡°He did not get her fired.¡± Stella said. ¡°She did that all herself, by telling everyone who he was.¡± She sighed. ¡°She violated his privacy rights. If it had only been to friends or family, she might have only gotten a fine; but, she said it on national television. The hospital board had to get rid of her, just to delay the lawsuits.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°That''s not reason enough to cause all of this?¡± Stella looked at her, and didn''t know what to say. Just then, the door to Ren''s room opened and Elise Stanford came in. ¡°What is going on in here?¡± She asked heatedly, and everyone turned to her. ¡°We were just trying to let Mr. Haddon know the situation.¡± ¡°And did you do that?¡± ¡°Partly.¡± ¡°Then he lost consciousness again?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then why are you all still in here?¡± Elise asked them and looked at each person in turn. ¡°Out. Now.¡± They filed out of the room to take their places in the waiting room. ¡°They''re going to stay here for as long as it takes, so they can question him.¡± Stella told her, and Elise sighed. ¡°I know.¡± She said. ¡°I want them to help him; but I don''t want him hurt more to do it.¡± Stella put a hand on her arm. ¡°He''ll be fine. I think he''s just exhausted.¡± ¡°Exhausted? He''s been asleep for a week!¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Mentally exhausted. I can only imagine the dreams he''s been having.¡± * Ren was hanging upside down in a gravity workout machine. The one where you strap your feet in and it flips you upside down to let the blood rush to your head. He was told that if he shifted his weight, he would flip right-side up again; and his mother warned him that he was not to do that. Ren hung that way for what felt like hours, but was really only about 30 minutes. ¡°Okay, it''s time.¡± His mother said and came into the room with a steel briefcase. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nonono!¡± ¡°It''s okay, sweetie.¡± She said. ¡°This isn''t what you think it is.¡± Ren visibly relaxed, and she walked around behind him. He heard the case hit the table, and the clasps unlocking. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± His mother said. ¡°This will only pinch a little.¡± ¡°Mommy, NO!¡± Ren screamed as the large needle pierced the top of his neck and sent a searing pain into his brain. * ¡°AhhhhHHHHH!!!¡± Ren screamed as he woke up, covered in sweat. His arms were still secured to the bed, and he went into full panic mode. ¡°Nonononono!¡± He struggled hard against his bindings, and they dug into his arms. Pain lanced up his arms from the bruises running on the straps, and he struggled harder. ¡°Ren! REN!¡± Stella yelled into his face as she grabbed the sides of his head to stop him shaking it from side to side. He blinked his eyes a few times, then they focused on her. ¡°S-S-Stella?¡± ¡°It was just a dream, Ren.¡± Stella said, and let his head go. ¡°Just a dream.¡± ¡°I think it was more of a nightmare.¡± Elise said, and smiled at Ren when he looked at her. She was sitting by his bedside, with her legs crossed and hands folded on her knee. She wore faded jeans and a man''s dress shirt. Both were blue in color, and she uncrossed her legs to lean towards him. ¡°How are you?¡± She asked in a soft voice. ¡°That... that depends.¡± Ren said. ¡°How long was I out this time?¡± ¡°It''s only been an hour.¡± Elise said. She used a hand to move some of his damp hair out of the way, and gave him a light kiss on the forehead. ¡°I''m really glad that you''re awake.¡± ¡°M-m-me, too.¡± He stammered. Elise smiled and sat back in the chair. ¡°Do you feel up to talking to someone again?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I guess so.¡± She looked at Stella. ¡°You said that the FBI already told him that Doctor Hobbard was one of the ones taking his money?¡± Stella nodded. ¡°What about the link to one of the hospital board members?¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°They only said the one directly in contact with Ren.¡± ¡°That makes sense, I guess.¡± Elise said, and looked at Ren. ¡°They can''t find Doctor Hobbard.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°When I forced the hospital board to let me transfer you here, he suddenly disappeared.¡± Elise said, and sighed. ¡°It never occurred to me that your actual physician was the one stealing from you.¡± ¡°But... but why?¡± ¡°They won''t say.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s still under ''investigation''.¡± She said, and made air quotes with her fingers. ¡°They haven''t tied it to any of the nurses or staff, though.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not... really.¡± Elise hedged, and looked a little uneasy. ¡°The lawsuits against the hospital, the board, and Doctor Hobbard, are probably going to bankrupt the hospital.¡± ¡°No!¡± Ren said. ¡°Please, stop it!¡± ¡°I didn''t know this would happen, Ren.¡± Elise said. ¡°I only wanted to get you out of there.¡± She sighed again. ¡°The rest... with the FBI, the police, the medical review board, the IRS...¡± She shook her head. ¡°It''s a royal mess.¡± ¡°What about the tarantula?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The police think... Cheryl had something to do with it.¡± Stella said. ¡°No way.¡± ¡°I know.¡± She said. ¡°They think she wanted revenge on you for making her lose her job.¡± ¡°But, I didn''t!¡± Ren said. ¡°We know you had nothing to do with it.¡± Elise said. ¡°It was her own stupid fault.¡± She looked at Ren sadly. ¡°That doesn''t mean she wouldn''t hold you responsible for it, though.¡± ¡°Did... did they arrest her?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Detective Ramirez said from the doorway. The two women glared at him, and he shrugged. ¡°I heard you talking, so I assumed he was awake.¡± He smiled. ¡°Can we come in?¡± They all looked at Ren, and he nodded. Detective Ramirez waved to his partner and they came into the room. ¡°We have her in protective custody.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°What''s that mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It means they can hold her for a long as they want, without charging her.¡± Elise said, and Detective Ramirez tapped the tip of his nose. ¡°Right now, she''s our only real lead. If we charge her, she''ll stop being helpful and won''t tell us what we need to know.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Like how she touched the box the spider came in, when she wasn''t working at the hospital at the time.¡± Detective Ramirez said and grinned. ¡°We''ve had a couple of avenues open for us with the information she''s been providing.¡± ¡°And you can''t tell us where they are leading.¡± ¡°It''s still under investigation.¡± He said. Ren glanced at Elise, and saw her crooked smile. ¡°I''d like to get your version of the story, Mr. Haddon.¡± Detective Ramirez said, and Ren told them everything that he remembered. They grilled him over the delivery man''s appearance, how tall he was, the color of his eyes, and Ren shook his head for most of it. ¡°I remember signing for the package.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was neat.¡± ¡°Why was that?¡± Officer Stonewall asked. Now that she wasn''t trying to act tough in front of the FBI, she had lost the cold tone to her voice. ¡°It was one of those electronic pads and a plastic pen.¡± Ren said. ¡°I mean, I''ve heard about them; but, that was the first time I''ve ever seen and used one.¡± Detective Ramirez and Officer Stonewall looked at each other briefly, then back at Ren. ¡°Thank you for talking with us today.¡± Detective Ramirez said and held a hand out for Ren to shake. ¡°Sorry, I''m a little tied up at the moment.¡± Ren said, and the detective''s face flushed red as he looked at Ren''s bound arms. Officer Stonewall snorted a laugh, Stella covered up her smile, and Elise winked at Ren. ¡°Ahem... ah... yes, well...¡± Detective Ramirez said, flustered. He had no clue how to recover from his social blunder until Officer Stonewall saved him. ¡°Have a good day, Mr. Haddon.¡± She said, and nodded her head at him. ¡°I think I just did.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. She smiled a little bit and tugged on her partner''s arm. ¡°Let''s go, John.¡± ¡°Yes, good day.¡± He nodded to them and the pair left the room. When the door closed, they waited for a minute, then Elise, Ren and Stella burst out laughing. ¡°Oh, that was a good one, Ren!¡± Stella said a few seconds later. ¡°I think he was about to have a stroke!¡± Ren''s laugh dropped to a chuckle. ¡°I know! The look on his face!¡± ¡°I think you two are a bad influence.¡± Elise said as she calmed down. ¡°Even Officer Stonewall enjoyed that.¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°Did you notice how much nicer she was when the feds weren''t in the room?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°She''s got a big chip on her shoulder.¡± ¡°Should I get the FBI?¡± Stella asked. ¡°There''s no need.¡± One of the agents said as he came in the room. ¡°We are here.¡± They proceeded to ask Ren a bunch of questions, a lot of which didn''t have anything to do with what he thought were pertinent details. When they were done and went to leave the room, he spoke up. ¡°Before you go, what was with all the random questions?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''m just curious.¡± ¡°They''re sanity checks.¡± One of them said. ¡°We always ask random questions, so that you aren''t concentrating too hard on the ones we want you to answer.¡± They left the room and shut the door. * ¡°You aren''t supposed to tell him that.¡± Agent Smith said, once they were outside. The other Agent Smith shrugged. ¡°No one''s ever asked us about it before.¡± He said. ¡°I thought it deserved an answer.¡± ¡°You''re not supposed to feel sorry for him.¡± The first one said. ¡°We''re working.¡± ¡°I don''t feel sorry for him.¡± The agent smiled, completely breaking the characters they had created. ¡°He just seems like a smart kid. He knew we were playing him a little.¡± ¡°Okay, I''ll give you that.¡± The first one said as he got in the standard car issued to agents in the field. ¡°Do you think he''ll guess that other woman is CIA, and not an IRS agent?¡± ¡°I''d bet you 10 bucks he does.¡± The other said as they pulled out of the parking lot. ¡°But it''s not like we can ever confirm it.¡± He smiled again. ¡°Either he does, and when we ask, he''ll know we knew; or he doesn''t and will find out when we ask, and he''ll also know we knew.¡± The first agent laughed as they took the corner and sped out of sight. * The woman the FBI agents were talking about sat beside Ren. Unlike the others, she insisted on sitting while she conducted her interview. Just like the FBI, she asked Ren a whole range of questions, and almost nothing that pertained to the IRS. After one particularly stupid question about which tax forms Ren fills out, he looked at her with his head tilted slightly to the side. ¡°How long have you worked for that other three letter agency that I won''t name for security reasons?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Surprise had pulled her out of character, and she looked at Stella and Elise quickly, then slipped back into character. ¡°I don''t know what you''re talking about.¡± She said and tapped the little badge she had on her jacket. ¡°I work for the IRS.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren said and looked at Elise. ¡°Elise, would you be so kind as to ask this delightful lady something only a real IRS agent would know?¡± * ¡°Oh, crap!¡± The agent in the van said. ¡°She''s blown!¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± The tech guy said. ¡°Let''s hear the question first.¡± * Elise grinned. ¡°I was supposed to file a normal 1040 last year, but I made a mistake and filed a 1040NR. I was late with the payment return, mainly because of the wrong initial form. Should I file an 8814 to correct the problem, or a 4868?¡± * ¡°We''re screwed!¡± The agent said. ¡°Nicole, don''t answer!¡± The tech guy said. ¡°Give me a minute to look it up!¡± * Nicole sat there in silence as the tech guy tried his best to find the answer. ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Elise said. ¡°That was an easy one.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Why would you even pretend? Is it a test for you? For your team?¡± She looked at the window and tried to see the parking lot. ¡°Please tell me you don''t have a panel van out there.¡± * ¡°Yeah, we''re blown.¡± The tech guy said as he looked up the information. ¡°She''s right. It was an easy question.¡± He sighed. ¡°You wouldn''t file either of those forms to correct it.¡± He said. ¡°The first is a child income supplement form, and the second is a 6 month extension on payments.¡± * Nicole sighed. ¡°Okay, fine.¡± She said. ¡°I''m not with the IRS.¡± ¡°Why not just say so?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s not like I''d say no if you want to ask questions.¡± ¡°We''re supposed to be covert.¡± ¡°You''ve had a week to prep.¡± Elise said. ¡°It would have been smarter to get an actual IRS agent and put a wire on them.¡± ¡°The agent pulled out at the last minute.¡± Nicole said. ¡°I had to fill in.¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°How could you tell?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You used the same questioning technique as the FBI agents.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°I''ll be going then.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If you know I''m not real, then...¡± ¡°Do you see anyone else in this room?¡± Ren asked her, and she shook her head. ¡°Then only we know, right?¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°Help us get to the bottom of this.¡± Ren said. ¡°If there''s one thing that people fear more than the FBI...¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°...it''s the IRS.¡± ¡°So, stop beating around the bush.¡± Stella said. ¡°Ask the questions you want to ask.¡± Nicole sat down, and grilled the three of them about everything that she could think of. Everything was recorded, so she wouldn''t have to come back and have them repeat anything. ¡°I think that''s everything.¡± Nicole said. ¡°Good.¡± Ren said, and yawned. ¡°I need more sleep.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°All of you.¡± ¡°Catch these people.¡± Stella said. ¡°That will be thanks enough.¡± Nicole nodded and left the room, then the facility. She climbed into the white paneled van that was standard issue for undercover missions, and it drove away. * ¡°That was interesting.¡± Elise said. ¡°So at least we know there''s a couple of the three letter agencies looking into things.¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°Was that yawn for show, or are you actually tired?¡± ¡°Both.¡± Ren said. ¡°It got her out of here faster, but I am tired.¡± He looked at the VR headset that was on a rollaway table just like the one he had at the hospital. He closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Elise said. ¡°No, it''s not.¡± Ren said, opened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°I''ve been out of the game for a month.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I don''t think Nathalia will ever forgive me for that.¡± ¡°Oh, I wouldn''t worry about that.¡± Elise said. ¡°Why not?¡± Stella asked. ¡°He hasn''t been able to keep the store stocked, either.¡± ¡°The store!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°I totally forgot about that!¡± He sighed again and let his head drop to the pillow. ¡°Boy, I really messed things up for myself.¡± ¡°Ren, everything is fine.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Your familiar... T1 wasn''t it?¡± Ren nodded and looked at her. ¡°He''s been keeping the orders going, and Nathalia has been bringing them across through her portal.¡± Elise said, and leaned in close. ¡°That was a smart move on your part.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°What about the restaurants?¡± Elise laughed. ¡°It''s making more money than your store.¡± ¡°W-what?!?¡± ¡°That''s why I told you not to worry.¡± Elise said. ¡°Nathalia''s been very busy, and she knows you''re an Adventurer. She''s going to be worried sick over how long you''ve been gone; but she''ll forgive you, especially if you tell her what happened.¡± ¡°I can''t tell her what I''m like out here.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to.¡± Elise said. ¡°Just explain that other Adventurers drugged you and held you captive.¡± She smiled. ¡°Then see how long it takes for her to forgive you.¡± ¡°Can... can it really be that easy?¡± Ren said, his voice full of hope. ¡°I guarantee it.¡± Elise said. ¡°I can also guarantee that your sentence of working in the mines was paused while you were out of the game.¡± ¡°Wh-WHAT?!?¡± Elise ran a hand through his hair absently. ¡°The game automatically pauses things like mandatory jobs and things if you''re out of the game.¡± She said, then smiled. ¡°You''ve been doing so well in the game that I keep forgetting your character didn''t get a help guide.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can look up some things; but, it''s a complete blank when I look for stuff for me personally.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I''ll have one of the tech guys edit one of the basic guides for you.¡± ¡°Thanks, Elise.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said as she kept touching his hair. ¡°It''s no trouble.¡± ¡°Not just for that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for everything that you''ve done.¡± Elise opened her mouth to speak and Ren shook his head. ¡°Don''t you dare say that it was no trouble.¡± He said, and smiled. ¡°Okay, then. I won''t say it.¡± Elise laughed. Ren looked at Stella. ¡°Is there any chance I could have a sponge bath?¡± He asked. ¡°I''ve been laying in these sweaty clothes for a while.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ll get everything ready, and be back in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and looked at Elise. ¡°Um... ah...¡± ¡°Yes, Ren. I''ll step out of the room while you get cleaned up.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m tempted to get you to promise that you''ll let me give you a sponge bath some day... or a regular bath... or a shower...¡± Elise grinned as Ren''s face flushed red, then she stood up. ¡°...but, I''d rather do this instead.¡± She leaned over him and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. It only lasted for a brief moment, then Elise leaned back. ¡°See you in a little while.¡± Stella came back with a water basin, cloth, sponge, and soap, and Elise nodded to her and left the room. Ren stared at the closed door, and Stella chuckled. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± He asked as he looked at her. ¡°I''d say you not knowing how to handle a pretty woman that just kissed you.¡± Stella said. ¡°But... but I don''t know how to handle it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I mean... I''ve only had one girlfriend, and she was my nurse first.¡± He sighed. ¡°What the hell do I do?¡± Stella laughed as she put a big towel under Ren, and lathered up her hands. ¡°You don''t have to ''do'' anything.¡± She looked at his arms. ¡°This is going to hurt.¡± ¡°A lot.¡± Ren said and grit his teeth. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Stella gently rubbed his arms to get them clean, and kept well away from the IV needles. ¡°Elise seems to be taking things slowly; so you only have to let her make the moves.¡± She moved on to his upper arms, and Ren winced. ¡°Sorry.¡± She said, and moved on to his shoulders. ¡°What if I want to make a move?¡± Ren asked, as Stella rubbed lather over his chest. ¡°Do you?¡± ¡°I... don''t know.¡± Ren said, and looked at his arms. ¡°Well, it won''t be for a while.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°You don''t really need your arms to make a move.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°You can tell her how pretty she is, or how smart she is, or how nice her humongous boobs are.¡± Stella said and grinned. Ren laughed and shook his head. ¡°I can''t believe you just said that.¡± ¡°Don''t tell me you wouldn''t enjoy getting your face mashed between them.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s like every man''s dream to use large boobs like pillows.¡± ¡°Okay, I won''t tell you.¡± Ren said, and Stella tickled under his arms a little bit. ¡°Do-don''t.¡± He said and laughed. ¡°My... my arms are tied.¡± ¡°Oho! You can''t get away from my magic tickling fingers!¡± Stella said, and wiggled her fingers in front of his face. ¡°No, don''t!¡± Ren said, and she stuck a single finger under each pit and wiggled them. Ren laughed, and she wiggled her fingers to make sure his underarms were clean, then she stopped. ¡°Hoo... hoo...¡± Ren took several breaths. ¡°You could have used the cloth or the sponge!¡± ¡°Where''s the fun in that?¡± Stella laughed as she dried her hands off, then moved the blanket out of the way and undressed his bottom half. She lathered him up and made sure she got every spot, from his waist to his toes. Stella used the basin and cloth to rinse and wipe him off, then used the towel to dry him. ¡°What color today?¡± She asked as she went to the closet. ¡°Blue.¡± Ren said, and Stella brought over the blue silk-like pajama pants, then went to the dresser and picked out the matching underwear. ¡°Are you going into the game?¡± Stella asked, and Ren nodded. She took out a foil packet from the rollaway table and stimulated him with her hand a little bit; just so she could apply the foil packet''s contents easier. It was for his protection, after all. She slipped the underwear on him after that, then his pajama pants, and folded the blanket up and over him up to his waist. ¡°You''re awesome.¡± Ren said, his voice full of amazement. ¡°You know that, right?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Stella said and grinned. ¡°You can keep reminding me, though. It''s always nice to hear.¡± Ren laughed, and Stella went to the door of his room. Elise came in and they talked about what was going to happen, and what needed to happen. ¡°This really is only a temporary care facility.¡± Elise said. ¡°We have to find somewhere to keep you permanently.¡± ¡°That''s easy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll buy a house.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Stella asked, surprised. ¡°I wasn''t going to stay in the hospital for the rest of my life.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t think I''d be leaving it in such... ah... spectacular fashion.¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°I also figured I''d be a lot older when it happened; but, I''m at this point now. All I can do is move forward.¡± ¡°That''s very mature of you.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s also realistic.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''ll have to be a half-decent size, though.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± ¡°I really liked my bathroom at the hospital.¡± Ren said. ¡°I doubt I can afford the same contractors that did it, though.¡± ¡°You didn''t even look at the checks, did you?¡± Elise asked, and Ren shook his head. ¡°You won''t have to worry about anything for a long time, Ren.¡± ¡°That''s good.¡± He said. ¡°We can look at some properties tomorrow.¡± ¡°I have to work.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''d like to be here; but, I took last week off to be here for you.¡± ¡°You... you were here all week?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°Of course I was.¡± Elise said. ¡°I had to make sure you were okay.¡± Ren looked down at his hand, and Elise looked, too. He wiggled his fingers, and she smiled as she took his hand. Ren looked at Stella, and she put her fingers in her ears and turned around. He smiled and looked at Elise. ¡°I can''t thank you enough for taking care of me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know why you like me so much, with you being such a beautiful woman, and me being... well, me.¡± ¡°You just answered yourself.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°You''re you, and that''s all you can be.¡± Ren glanced at Stella, and smiled. ¡°My arms aren''t available right now, so I can''t hug you like I want; but, someone told me that I didn''t need my arms to make a move on you.¡± ¡°Is that what this is?¡± Elise asked coyly, and squeezed his hand slightly. ¡°I have no idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve never done anything like this before.¡± ¡°Then yes; telling me that I''m beautiful and holding my hand, counts as a move.¡± She said. ¡°Did it work?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You tell me.¡± Elise said as she bent over, and her flowing red hair fell over both of their heads and concealed them from sight. Ren''s eyes widened as she kissed him like she had wanted to kiss him, ever since the first time they''d met. Oh, my! Ren thought, as Elise''s soft lips locked onto his. Chapter 207 - A New Quest Elise broke the kiss a few minutes later, and sighed in pleasure. It was even better than I imagined! ¡°W-wow.¡± Ren said, his eyes still wide in surprise. Elise smiled, gave him another little kiss, and stood up straight. ¡°I better get home and get some rest myself.¡± Elise said. ¡°Have fun in the game.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Elise said and let his hand go. ¡°Bye, Stella.¡± ¡°Bye, Elise.¡± * ¡°Who the hell is this kid?¡± The NSA agent asked his partner. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Oh, come on, Bill!¡± Gary said, and waved at the small television screen they were watching. ¡°Look at her!¡± A 6 foot 5 inches tall (actually 6 foot 2 inches with 3 inch heeled shoes), long haired, red-headed amazon walked across the parking lot. Elise took out her keys and climbed into the Hummer H2. ¡°I''d kill someone just to have her kick me in the balls, and she''s making out with him!¡± Bill laughed as he pictured that scenario. ¡°Maybe he''s got something that you don''t.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Her.¡± Bill laughed again and pulled up the footage from when the other agents were in the room questioning Ren. ¡°Now get back to work.¡± Gary sighed and put his earphones back on and listened as well. If the other bugs only picked up half of the information his team just received, they''d have this case solved in no time. * Oh, my GOD! Elise thought as she sat in her Hummer H2. She took several deep breaths as she tried to calm down. She had felt the dampness grow between her legs while she kissed Ren, and had to get out of there before anyone noticed. She waited for a moment, collected herself, and smiled as she drove out of the parking lot. * ¡°Well.¡± Stella said after Elise left. ¡°That was interesting.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°You peeked, didn''t you?¡± Stella grinned at him. ¡°I tried, but her hair covered you up.¡± He smiled. ¡°Can you put the VR headset on me?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Stella said and put it on him. ¡°How''s it sitting?¡± ¡°It''s a little off to the left.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you fluff the pillow a little?¡± Stella did so, and Ren smiled. ¡°That''s got it.¡± He said. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Stella said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch. Teepo? ¡°REN!¡± Teepo hollered and flew into the main room from the kitchen. ¡°You''ve been gone so long, that I... I thought...¡± I''m sorry, Teepo. Ren thought to his friend. If I''d known I would be gone so long, I would have warned you. ¡°I don''t care about that!¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m just glad you''re okay now.¡± I hope I am. He sighed. Do you want me to tell you now, or when I try to explain to Nathalia? ¡°I can wait.¡± Teepo said. ¡°For the few seconds that will take.¡± He chittered in laughter. ¡°She''s in the kitchen.¡± But, it''s the middle of the night! Teepo landed on his shoulder. ¡°She hasn''t been sleeping much since you''ve been gone.¡± Ren hopped up and ran to the kitchen. ¡°Nathalia!¡± Nathalia had her elbows on the table and her head in her hands. When Ren said her name, it had startled her. ¡°REN!¡± She exclaimed, jumped up, and grabbed him into a hug so tight, Ren couldn''t breathe. ¡°I... am... so... sorry...¡± Ren wheezed out. Nathalia eased her hold on him, and leaned back to look at him. ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°I...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°When I went to take care of some Adventurer''s business, I received a package...¡± After he told her an abbreviated version of the events that had happened, Nathalia stared at him in horror. ¡°You... you''re telling me that Adventurers drugged you, and that others came to your rescue and saved you?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia started crying. ¡°I thought you were only in danger here!¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said, and wiped her tears away. ¡°I had no idea what was going on there, until my friends helped me.¡± ¡°Please, thank them for me.¡± Nathalia said and kissed him. ¡°They brought you back to me.¡± Ren picked her up and took her to bed. They concentrated on their House Neram pendants, merged their Auras, then spent a few hours together before they went to sleep. Ren woke up early the next morning, and came out to the kitchen. Ereka was there, and she dropped her plate of food when she saw him. ¡°By the gods! You''re back!¡± Ereka said, walked over to him, and gave him a hug. ¡°You... you''re really here!¡± Ren looked at her with concern on his face. ¡°Ereka, what is it?¡± ¡°Just having you back isn''t enough?¡± She asked as she let him go. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re more relieved than you are happy.¡± Ereka chuckled. ¡°I forget that I''m concentrating on my Aura all of the time.¡± ¡°That doesn''t really make sense.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°But since I do the same thing, I know what you mean.¡± Ereka nodded. ¡°Croggart called me a few weeks ago.¡± ¡°Where has he been?¡± ¡°In the area between dwarf and giant lands.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I called him every name I could think of, until he explained that he was there because Groggot and another dwarf were scouting for more giants, so they could warn the Garrison.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°They found one.¡± ¡°Oh, it''s much, much worse than that.¡± Ereka said. ¡°They were attacked by one they stumbled upon, she killed Nershan, and took Groggot.¡± Ren blinked his eyes a few times. ¡°What?¡± ¡°When he was about to be killed, he screamed ''mommy''. She stopped, picked him up, and took him back to her cave.¡± ¡°Holy crap.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°Once Croggart made sure Groggot knew he was going for help, he ran for the Garrison. He got there 2 and a half days later, completely exhausted, and was promptly arrested.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Ren asked, and Ereka felt his immediate anger. ¡°Contributing to the death of another dwarf.¡± ¡°What about Groggot?¡± ¡°They sent out a squad of Warriors, led by a Knight.¡± Ereka said. Ren felt her trepidation. ¡°They didn''t come back.¡± ¡°It was three weeks ago.¡± She said. ¡°So, no.¡± ¡°And they won''t risk anyone else.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Ereka''s eyes started to tear up. ¡°I''ve been so worried, and Croggart called me to ask for your help, and you weren''t here.¡± Ren took her into another hug. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He said. ¡°Please know that if I had been here I would have left immediately to go and help.¡± ¡°I... I know.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You''re a good man.¡±
New Quest!
Your friend Groggot is in grave danger. Gather the resources you need to go and rescue him. Difficulty: B Rewards: ????
Ren let her go and stepped back. He looked at his Bracelet of Enforcement, then thought of something. He took out his contract with himself, and wrote in an extra line; that service to the Garrison also reduced the sentence. Unlike the 8 hours a day he was scheduled to work, all of the time he was working at the Garrison would count. He smiled and stored the contract, and looked at Ereka. ¡°Call Croggart back. Tell him I''ll be there in an hour to get him released.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Ereka said, and kiss him on the cheek. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°I just hope Groggot is okay.¡± Ren said, and went to Nathalia''s room. ¡°My Love, I have to go.¡± ¡°Okay. I''ll see you tonight.¡± Nathalia mumbled. ¡°Actually, you won''t.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia jumped up and stared at him. ¡°You are not staying out again!¡± She nearly yelled. ¡°I just got you back!¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just going to save Groggot from a giant that''s keeping him prisoner.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She said. ¡°That''s okay, then.¡± She said, and came over to him to give him a kiss. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°You''re... awfully accepting about this.¡± Ren said. ¡°Aren''t you worried that I might get hurt?¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± Nathalia said, and ran her hands through his hair. He felt her concern, and her love. ¡°But I love you, and I know that if anyone can rescue him, it''s you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and kissed her again. ¡°I''ll be as quick as I can.¡± ¡°I know that, too.¡± She said and smiled. Ren left the house and went to the stable. ¡°Hi, Princess.¡± Ren said, and she turned her head away and didn''t speak to him. He sighed and touched the side of her face. ¡°I can''t tell you how sorry I am that I''ve been away for so long.¡± He said and rested his forehead on hers. ¡°I''ve missed so much this last month, and I can''t make that time up to you, or anyone else.¡± Princess looked at him. You were hurt... ¡°I was. Badly.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was unconscious for most of the time I''ve been away.¡± Friends saved you... ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I need your help to save another.¡± Very well... Princess thought at him and stood. Won''t forgive for a while... ¡°I won''t ask you to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t deserve it.¡± You... won''t ask? Ren shook his head. ¡°I haven''t asked Nathalia, either.¡± You punish yourself... He nodded. ¡°Who else is going to?¡± I could refuse to take you... ¡°That wouldn''t punish me.¡± Ren said. ¡°That only hurts Groggot and Croggart.¡± Princess sighed. You... too smart for me... Ren chuckled. ¡°I could argue that; but, I don''t have the time.¡± He looked at Riley and Stacy. ¡°We''re going to need guards. Want to come along?¡± They barked and followed Ren and Princess out of the stable. Ren hooked Princess up, and the dogs got in the back of the cart. He led them out through the gate, and the guards stared at him as he passed. He nodded slightly to them, then remembered Tee-one. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said to Princess, then ran to the workshop. It seemed empty with the large silt oven missing, and no one shoveling silt. He sighed as he saw Dorcot wasn''t there, either; then went into the forge room. ¡°Hi, Tee-one.¡± ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± ¡°How''s everything?¡± ¡°Much better than I thought it was.¡± Tee-one said and tapped his temple. Ren smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I''m tempted to ask you to come along; but, I really need you to keep doing your excellent job.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°It''s going to bother me that you''ll be so far away and all I can do is help you by working, and not watching your back.¡± ¡°I''m taking Riley and Stacy.¡± ¡°You should take these, too.¡± Tee-one said, and handed over 24 full plate armors in crates. ¡°How in the world... no, never mind.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You made a piece at a time between pieces of furniture.¡± Tee-one smiled, because that was exactly what Ren would have done. ¡°I''ll be back in a couple of days, hopefully.¡± Ren said. Tee-one nodded. ¡°I''ll see you then.¡± Ren left the workshop, ran down the road to Princess, and climbed into the cart. He equipped his Dwarven Army uniform with the overall command insignia and his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, then looked at his Bracelet of Enforcement. ¡°I''m going to work for the Garrison, for the next few days. Around the clock.¡± Ren said, and hoped that was enough, as that had worked before when he went to get the anvil from the Convent. ¡°Let''s go!¡± He said, and Princess took off like a shot. ¡°Woo-hooo!¡± Ren shouted, and Teepo chittered in delight. Princess had gotten much faster. ¡°You''ve been using the track!¡± Ren said in surprise, and he felt a surge of pride from Princess. I was bored... ¡°Is there anything left of it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I only made half a dozen of the barricades with hinges.¡± You were sneaky... Princess thought in amusement. Had to go slow... the first time... Ren laughed because it had felt like ''slow'' was a dirty word. ¡°I wanted to change it every time you used it, so you wouldn''t get used to it.¡± Yes... definitely sneaky... They made it to the Garrison about 20 minutes later; but, that was because Princess had to slow down with the traffic they''d come across while passing through the few miles getting to and from the city of Dornrach. They came to a stop right in front of the Garrison''s main gate, and Ren climbed down to stand in front of the guards blocking the way. He concentrated on his Command Aura, and smiled. ¡°Open the gate.¡± Ren said. The guards looked at each other for only a moment, shrugged, and motioned for the gate to be opened. ¡°Open every gate from here to the commander''s office, the brig, and then all the way to the other side.¡± He said. ¡°Leave the last gate to the outside closed until I get there, and close them after I pass through.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The guard said, waved to one of the other guards, and relayed the instructions. Ren led Princess inside and the front gate was closed behind him. Teepo? ¡°On it.¡± Teepo said, and took off from Ren''s shoulder to scout ahead. Hey, you''re faster, too! Ren thought, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You''ve been gone for a month.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I wasn''t going to just sit around and mope while waiting for you to come back.¡± Thanks. Ren thought to his friend. Even when I wasn''t here, you were trying to help me. He reached up and scratched Princess'' chin. Just like Princess. ¡°I asked her if she wanted some company on her track run.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She let me tag along.¡± Tag along... Princess thought in amusement. He hung on for 2 weeks before braving the wind for himself with his wings... ¡°Hey, I did it!¡± Teepo said after he gave the all clear signal. ¡°Why does it matter how long it took?¡± Ren smiled as he led Princess through the now open gates to his destination. * ¡°Damn. Here he comes.¡± The Commander of the Garrison said to himself, as the Sending Stone from the front gate stopped glowing. ¡°What kind of mess is he going to make for me now?¡± * Ren''s way was unimpeded as he walked three gates in and two gates over to the Commander''s office. Once there, he let Princess go and asked Riley and Stacy to stay in the cart. Teepo slid under the door as the dogs nodded to Ren, and he knocked on the Commander''s door when Teepo said it was just the Commander inside. ¡°Enter.¡± Ren opened the door, and the Commander was standing at attention. ¡°Sir.¡± The Commander said, and saluted. Ren saluted back. ¡°At ease.¡± He said, and the Commander went to parade rest. ¡°What are your orders?¡± ¡°Immediate release of Croggart into my custody.¡± The Commander looked at Ren. ¡°You''re not asking for his charges to be dismissed?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know the situation, or the events that contributed or led to... Nershan''s... death.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll leave that in your hands.¡± ¡°You''re not worried he''ll try and escape?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°With his brother''s life on the line?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Not a chance.¡± The Commander wrote out the release order and handed it to Ren. ¡°You could have just gone straight to the brig and taken him out.¡± ¡°I''m not here to rock the boat for no reason.¡± Ren said. ¡°No?¡± The Commander smiled and picked up Ren''s orders from the month before. ¡°I think otherwise.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°They wouldn''t tell me what they spend the 200 platinum on every year, knowing I owned the Garrison.¡± Ren said. ¡°And they scammed me for the cost of the Armory.¡± ¡°They WHAT?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I sincerely hope you actually locked the crafting section down and stopped them from destroying anything, despite how you felt about my orders.¡± The Commander nodded slightly. ¡°I followed your orders.¡± He said. ¡°I knew something fishy was going on; but, I didn''t know they''d been overcharging for their services.¡± He shook his head. ¡°It''s difficult to keep civilians in check, even though they are working for the benefit of the army.¡± Ren nodded slightly himself. ¡°I''ll be going through the section when I get back with Groggot.¡± He said. ¡°If I don''t see 200 platinum worth of research and development, they are going to have some tough questions to answer.¡± The Commander smiled. ¡°I''m glad to have someone in charge that understands these things.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve had to skimp and save on other things, just to make sure everyone gets paid.¡± ¡°Is that why you haven''t ordered new uniforms for the troops from House Neram?¡± Ren asked, and the Commander nodded slightly. ¡°I had a hard time justifying the extra cost of the 1000 uniforms you''d made.¡± The Commander said. ¡°Once they saw the quality and Durability, though... they didn''t say anything else about it.¡± ¡°You mean House Lodur.¡± ¡°Representatives of the House, yes.¡± He said. ¡°Lord Lodur didn''t care about the day to day things, only results.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have any of the House Lodur people been by lately?¡± The Commander shook his head. ¡°I think they realized something was up when none of them received a copy of the Deed to this place from the Hall Of Records.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s because I got it from Lord Lodur''s loot.¡± ¡°He had it on him when he died?¡± The Commander asked, then laughed. ¡°Oh, that''s just wonderful!¡± He shook his head. ¡°What if he''d been killed by someone in the street? Or if the loot was given to his illegitimate son?¡± He smiled. ¡°Or better yet, left in the street after an accident.¡± Ren looked at the Commander in surprise. ¡°I... hadn''t thought about it like that.¡± ¡°Neither did he, apparently.¡± ¡°I''ll take steps to ensure the deed''s safety.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t take it into combat with me.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The Commander said. ¡°If that''s all?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Have a good day, Commander.¡± ¡°You, too.¡± The Commander said, then saluted. ¡°Sir!¡± Ren saluted back, and left the office. He took Princess through the gates to the brig. Once there, he was greeted with yells and catcalls when the door to the brig''s waiting area was opened. Ren waved and received a few pats on the back. ¡°Hey! Look who''s come up in the world!¡± One of them said. It was Darohm, one of the dwarf Warriors that had come to pick him up that first time. ¡°Please tell us you''ve got some of that great food with you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If you don''t mind it cold.¡± ¡°Hell, I''d eat it raw!¡± One of the others said. ¡°My wife''s a cook in the cafeteria, and she can''t hold a candle to the food you brought us.¡± Ren took out the large icebox, and handed everyone a plate of food. ¡°By the gods, you''re carrying all of that around?¡± One of the other Warriors asked. ¡°Why aren''t you tired all of the time?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m an Adventurer. I''m carrying a heck of a lot more than this.¡± He said, stored the icebox, and knocked on the inner door. It opened, and the guard there smiled. ¡°Hey, I thought I heard you out there.¡± He took in Ren''s uniform. ¡°Sir!¡± He said, and saluted. ¡°At ease.¡± Ren said as he saluted back, then handed the guard Croggart''s release papers, and a plate of food. ¡°He''s been moping in his cell since he got here.¡± The guard said, put the plate of food on his desk, and led Ren to Croggart''s cell. He saw that Croggart had been standing up and holding onto the bars. Croggart stared at Ren. ¡°I thought Ereka was crazy when she said you were coming to get me.¡± Croggart said. ¡°What the hell are you wearing?¡± ¡°It''s nice to see you, too.¡± Ren said, and the guard opened the cell. ¡°You look pretty bad yourself.¡± Croggart laughed and tried to pick Ren up into a hug. He grunted and stopped trying, and Ren smiled. Only Donna, Donan''s sister, can pick me up. He thought. If I''d had to guess, I thought Croggart would have been the one to at least match her strength. Ren smiled. No wonder she sees all normal military men as weaklings. ¡°Come on!¡± Croggart said and started to walk rapidly towards the door to the brig. ¡°Groggot''s been waiting for me to come back!¡± Ren thanked the guard and ran after Croggart. He was right. If they hurried, they might be able to get Groggot back by tomorrow. Chapter 208 - Prepped And Ready
Quest Update!
You have gathered an important resource that will lead you directly to Groggot. The Quest Difficulty has been reduced. Difficulty: C Rewards: ????
Ren and Croggart passed out through the brig''s door and a couple of the Warriors followed them outside. ¡°You''re not going to do what I think you''re going to do, are you?¡± One of them asked. Ren smiled. ¡°That depends on what you think we''re going to do.¡± ¡°You''re going to get yourselves killed.¡± The Warrior said. Ren laughed, and shook his head. ¡°I''m going to try my best not to do that.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Croggart said when he got to the back of the cart. ¡°What are those?¡± Ren came around to the back of the cart and pointed to one of the dogs. ¡°That''s Riley. He''s a bit excitable, but completely loyal.¡± He said and pointed to the other dog. ¡°That''s Stacy. She keeps a cool head, and is Riley''s better half.¡± ¡°Did you just say...¡± Croggart shook his head. ¡°Is she his mate?!?¡± He asked astonished. ¡°Well, I don''t think they can actually have puppies.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I never really examined them for that, or asked them what they do on their own time.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Croggart said, and looked at him. ¡°Can I ride up front with you?¡± Ren chuckled as he walked to the front of the cart and took Princess'' reins. ¡°We both won''t fit, so you can ride up front when we get to the other end of the Garrison.¡± He said and led her back to the main ''road'' that went right through the Garrison to the other side. ¡°What in the... why are all of the gates open?¡± ¡°Just the main ones.¡± Ren said and climbed into the driver''s seat. ¡°Hop in the back and hold on tight. This should only take a couple of minutes.¡± Croggart climbed in and held on. ¡°What''s only going to take-WHOA!!!¡± Princess took off and ran for all that she was worth within the confined space. They covered the distance in only a few minutes and Ren had her slow down when Teepo said the gate was coming up. They came to a stop right at the end and Ren nodded to the guards by the gate. It was opened a minute later, and Ren had Princess trot out and around the barricades. ¡°At least they buried the traps.¡± Ren said. Teepo? Can you spot them? ¡°Easily.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Follow me slowly.¡± Princess followed Teepo closely, and the cart made it''s way through the large field of hidden leg-holding traps. Once on the other side, Ren and Croggart switched places. ¡°Don''t touch the reins.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just tell her where you want to go.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Croggart said. ¡°You don''t want me to drive the cart, just sit here and tell your mount where to go?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and climbed in the back. He grabbed onto one of the sides and smiled. ¡°I assume there''s not a lot of roads out this way, so you better hold on. It''s going to be a rough ride.¡± Croggart held onto the handholds beside where he sat. ¡°What... what do I say?¡± ¡°Which direction you want to go, and how fast.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°What else?¡± Croggart sighed. ¡°Go east for a while, then slightly north. Trot at first, then maybe half-speed.¡± ¡°You saw how fast we went in the Garrison, right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Croggart said and Princess trotted eastwards. The cart hit several bumps and it rocked from side to side a little, and Teepo landed on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°That was a little more than half-speed.¡± Ren said. ¡°She couldn''t go all out, or we would have hit the gate before we knew it.¡± ¡°Oh, cra-aaa-aaa-ppp!¡± Croggart said as Princess went to half-speed like he asked, and the cart barely touched the ground as it bounced from bump to bump. Ren laughed and held on, as both of the dogs, Riley and Stacy, sat calmly and enjoyed the ride. It looked like they were rocking from side to side, but they were actually staying perfectly still. It was the cart that was rocking back and forth. ¡°S-s-s-slow d-d-down!¡± Croggart said once he had endured a good amount of jostling. Princess listened and slowed down to a good pace, that didn''t shake Croggart and Ren so much. ¡°You know, we just had a near-miss with a tree.¡± ¡°Nope. That''s wrong.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°We actually missed that tree. If we''d nearly missed it, we would have hit it.¡± Croggart opened his mouth to argue, and then he looked at Ren. ¡°Well, damn. I''ve been saying that wrong for years.¡± Ren grinned at him. ¡°How are we in relation to where Groggot is being held?¡± ¡°We''ve only barely started.¡± Croggart said. ¡°I ran for over 2 days to get back here.¡± He sighed. ¡°Even with your mount''s faster speed, we aren''t going to get there soon.¡± Ren looked at the terrain. Teepo? Why don''t you sit on Princess'' helm. We can use your spot ability to warn us if we''re about to run into anything. ¡°Good idea, Ren.¡± Teepo said and flew over to land on Princess'' helm, after asking her permission. ¡°Then we have no choice.¡± Ren said and stood up to hold onto the front of the cart right behind the driver''s seat. ¡°I''ve used up way to much time already.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I''m going to hope that the theory of square wheels is true.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Croggart looked at Ren like he was crazy. ¡°Square wheels?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°If you have square wheels, the ride will be really bumpy; unless you go fast enough that only the corners of the squares touch, and the ride becomes as smooth as it would with round wheels.¡± ¡°But... we have round wheels...¡± ¡°And more bumps than those wheels can handle at a slow speed.¡± ¡°Wait... no! You can''t!¡± ¡°You better hold on tighter.¡± Ren said to Croggart, then looked at Princess. ¡°Full speed ahead! Let''s go!¡± Ren felt delight from both Teepo and Princess, and she took off as if they were traveling on a nice flat road. ¡°Wha-aa-aa-aa-aa-aa-aa-hhhh!¡± Croggart stuttered as the cart skimmed every bump, and Ren held his delight and laughter in. It would be kind of cruel to let show how much he was actually enjoying it. * Nathalia was in the best mood she''d ever been in. She whipped out masterpiece dishes of food without thinking about it, and stepped through the portal and did the same thing on the other side. When there was a lull in the orders, she left the her restaurant and went to Ren''s business. She went inside and over to Anabelle, then waited for her to finish serving a customer. ¡°You know where the orders go by now, Nathalia.¡± Anabelle said with a huge grin on her face, and Nathalia chuckled. ¡°Yes, but I''ll deliver them later.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I just came over to tell you that Ren showed up this morning.¡± Anabelle practically jumped over her desk and grabbed Nathalia by the shoulders. ¡°Tell me you aren''t joking!¡± ¡°I never joke about anything when it comes to Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I just wanted you to know he''s here, but won''t be able to visit for a few days more, at least.¡± ¡°Oh, that doesn''t matter.¡± Anabelle said as a tear came to her eye. ¡°As long as he''s okay.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly and smiled. ¡°He''s going to rescue a friend from a giant.¡± ¡°He''s WHAT?!?¡± Anabelle yelled, and several people browsing looked over at her. She smiled and waved at them, then looked at Nathalia. ¡°You aren''t joking.¡± ¡°No.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Don''t worry. He took his dogs and his mount with him.¡± She smiled. ¡°If he thought it would be really dangerous, he would have gone alone.¡± Anabelle''s mouth fell open and she stared at Nathalia. ¡°You still aren''t kidding.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°I wish I was.¡± Nathalia said and chuckled. ¡°He has a tendency to go it alone if it''s dangerous.¡± ¡°That man...¡± Anabelle shook her head. ¡°I know.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I better go. The supper rush will be starting soon. Let the others know for me, will you?¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°Bye, Anabelle.¡± Nathalia said, and left the shop. Anabelle walked over to the other woman working. ¡°Katie, take over the main desk.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I''ve got a couple of errands to run.¡± ¡°Sure, Anabelle.¡± Katie said. ¡°Should I tell Holly?¡± ¡°She''s fine where she is.¡± Anabelle said and smiled. ¡°She''s sold more lingerie than all of us combined.¡± Katie laughed. ¡°She''s a real go-getter in that department.¡± ¡°It''s too bad she can''t tell which tool is which, or I''d be glad to have her work alone.¡± Katie nodded. ¡°She''d never let you do that, though.¡± She smiled. ¡°She knows her limitations.¡± ¡°It''s worth the salary just to have her around.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°She''s such a delight.¡± ¡°I know!¡± Katie said. ¡°Her impression of Lord Eric is hilarious, and she doesn''t even mind working every day.¡± ¡°You could work every day if you wanted to.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°But I know you like your personal time.¡± ¡°Do I ever.¡± Katie said and grinned. ¡°All this money won''t spend itself, you know!¡± Anabelle laughed. ¡°I''m going to Sally''s first, then the lumber mill, the Library, and then the mansion.¡± ¡°All of that?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Ren''s back.¡± ¡°Oooo.¡± Katie said. ¡°I understand. You better get going then.¡± ¡°See you in a little while.¡± Anabelle said and left the shop. Ren''s back! She thought, and ran to Sally''s Shop. She had a few people that she had to tell the good news to. * After countless stops along the way, mainly for Health Potion enhanced food and to rest from the relentless shaking of the cart, they had traveled for nearly 6 hours at Princess'' top speed. Considering it took her an hour to go the 10 hours to get to the warehouse and the portal to Aurora, it was quite an accomplishment. They stopped well away from the trail to the cave, and Ren unhooked Princess from the cart as Teepo took off along the trail. Riley and Stacy hopped out of the cart to take up positions on either side of Princess while she recovered her Stamina. ¡°I''m hoping I won''t need your help.¡± Ren said to Princess. ¡°I''m going to go and scout first. If I need you, come running as fast and as hard as you can.¡± Is there any other way to run? Princess thought to him with amusement. He scratched her chin and bent down to Riley and Stacy. ¡°The same goes for you.¡± Ren said, and pat them both. ¡°Guard Princess, and come running when she does.¡± They both barked softly, and he smiled. Ren turned to Croggart. ¡°Let''s see that busted up armor.¡± ¡°There''s no time for that!¡± Croggart said. ¡°We have to go! He''s right there!¡± Ren grabbed Croggart''s arm. ¡°It saved your life before. Do you really want to take the chance of going in there to save your brother without it?¡± Croggart looked like he was going to say that he would, without question, then he sighed and handed over the pieces of broken and cracked armor. Ren repaired the pieces, enchanted them with Protection glyphs, and took out one of the crates that held a suit of armor. He gave Croggart a replacement gauntlet after making it red and enchanting it with Protection, then stored the crate. ¡°Come on, come on!¡± Croggart urged as Ren equipped his own armor bodysuit and then the gold-colored armor without the helm. Teepo? ¡°It''s a mess in here.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s debris everywhere. You have to be very careful when you Sneak, or there''s no point.¡± How''s Groggot? ¡°It''s hard to tell; but, I''m going to hope he''s just asleep.¡± Teepo said. ¡°He''s in the arms of the female giant.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought and looked at Croggart. ¡°Lead on...¡± He grabbed Croggart''s arm. ¡°...slowly and silently. She''s probably asleep.¡± Croggart took a deep breath and sighed. He looked at Ren and nodded slightly, then moved off into the underbrush along the path to the cave. Ren followed closely behind, and it didn''t take long for them to approach the opening of the cave. Croggart pointed to his eyes using 2 fingers, pointed into the cave, then pointed down. Ren nodded slightly, and the two of them moved into the cave and kept a look out for things they might trip over. Unlike when they were outside, they moved very slowly in the cave, so they wouldn''t take any chances on making any noise whatsoever. Even just shuffling their feet echoed from the walls, and they slowed down to a crawl as they moved deeper into the cave. It took a while to get to the end and where the giant had made her nest. There were things smashed and crushed all over the place, but the biggest pile Ren could see, the giant was sleeping in. It was almost literally a nest of things that she was on. She lay on her back; her tattered clothing hanging off of her. One of her giant breasts, nearly two feet wide if Ren had to guess, was exposed through one of the many rips in her shirt; the huge 3 inch wide brown tip poked straight up in the air. Nestled firmly between the breasts, and tightly held by giant arms, was Groggot. ¡°He''s still alive, at least.¡± Croggart whispered. ¡°What should we do?¡± Ren sat there and thought about it. Dammit, what should we do? He opened his inventory and looked through the contents. I had hoped we''d catch her away from the cave, or at least separated from Groggo- His thought was cut off when he saw the Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Spell books. Ren pulled out the Level 1 Spell book, since that was the only one he could use at the moment, and read through the index of contents. It didn''t take long, since it was only a small book.
Spell List
Name Page
Acid Arrow 2
Color Spray 3
Detect Undead 4
Enlarge Person 6
Fireball 7
Ghost Sound 8
Grease 9
Magic Mouth 10
Major Healing 11
Minor Healing 12
Obscuring Mist 13
Reduce Person 14
Shield 16
Silent Image 17
Sleep 18
Sleet Storm 19
Web 20
Ren wasn''t sure if the spells would be the same as he saw in other games that he played, so he took the time to read through the book. His Speed Reading ability was at Intermediate Level 2, so 20 pages went by pretty fast. He took out a fireball wand and absorbed the charges from it, then replaced the spell with Sleep. That will definitely come in handy. Ren thought, and took out another Fireball wand and absorbed it''s charges. He replaced it with Ghost Sound, just in case they need a distraction, then replaced another Fireball wand with Web. Ren was tempted to use Obscuring Mist, but that was just as likely to interfere with their own movement, not just the giant. On the next wand he used Reduce Person. If she starts to attack, that is definitely the spell we''ll need. Ren thought. Lastly, he made one with Grease, then picked up each wand and examined it.
Wand Of Slumber
A sleep spell causes a magical slumber. Creatures with the lowest Health are affected first. Sleeping creatures are helpless. Slapping or wounding awakens an affected creature, but normal noise does not. Warning: Multiple sleep spells do not stack. The first must expire before another will work. Cast Distance: Within 100 feet (Medium). Area of Effect: 10 foot radius. Time Limit: 2 minutes (Level 1)
Wand Of Distraction
A Ghost Sound spell allows you to create a volume of sound that rises, recedes, approaches, or remains at a fixed place. You choose what type of sound Ghost Sound creates when casting it and cannot thereafter change the sound¡¯s basic character. The volume of sound created depends on your level. You can produce as much noise as four normal humans per Wand level (maximum twenty five humans). Thus, talking, singing, shouting, walking, marching, or running sounds can be created. The noise a ghost sound spell produces can be virtually any type of sound within the volume limit. Ghost Sound can enhance the effectiveness of a Silent Image (Level 1) spell. Ghost Sound can be made permanent with a Permanency (Level 5) spell. Warning: Multiple Ghost Sound spells do not stack on the same object / item. The first must expire before another will work. Cast Distance: Within 100 feet (Medium). Area of Effect: Varies, depending on the sound being produced. Time Limit: 2 minutes (Level 1)
Wand Of Entanglement
A Web spell creates a many-layered mass of strong, sticky strands. These strands trap those caught in them. The strands are similar to spider webs, but far larger and tougher. These masses must be anchored to two or more solid and diametrically opposed points or else the web collapses upon itself and disappears. Creatures caught within a web become entangled among the gluey fibers. Attacking a creature in a web won¡¯t cause you to become entangled. If you have at least 5 feet of web between you and an opponent, it provides cover. If you have at least 20 feet of web between you, it provides total cover and you cannot be seen. Web can be made permanent with a Permanency (Level 5) spell. A permanent web that is damaged (but not destroyed) regrows in 10 minutes. Warning: The strands of a Web spell are flammable. A magic flaming sword can slash them away as easily as a hand brushes away cobwebs. Any fire can set the webs alight and burn away 5 square feet in 1 minute. All creatures within flaming webs take 4 to 8 points of Fire damage from the flames. Cast Distance: Within 100 feet (Medium). Area of Effect: 20 foot circle. Time Limit: 10 minutes (Level 1)
Wand Of Shrinkage
A Reduce Person spell causes instant diminution of a humanoid creature, halving its height, length, and width and dividing its weight by 8. This decrease changes the creature¡¯s size category to the next smaller one. (Large becomes Normal, Normal becomes Small, etc.) The target gains a bonus to Dexterity (as it is now smaller and can move faster), a penalty to Strength (it is now weaker and unused to it''s new muscle mass), and gains a bonus on attacks and armor due to its reduced size (it is much harder to hit). All equipment worn or carried by a creature is similarly reduced by the spell. A Small humanoid creature whose size decreases to Tiny takes up a space of 2 feet, and a natural reach of 0 feet (None). Reduce Person can be made permanent with a Permanency (Level 5) spell. Warning: Multiple Reduce Person spells do not stack. The first must expire before another will work. Cast Distance: Within 25 feet (Short). Area of Effect: One humanoid within cast distance. Time Limit: 2 minutes (Level 1)
Wand Of Slickness
A Grease spell covers a solid surface with a layer of slippery grease. Any creature in the area of effect when the spell is cast must be careful or they will slip and fall. Movement is automatically reduced to half of normal for the duration of the spell. Warning: Multiple Grease spells do not stack. The first must expire before another will work in the same area. Cast Distance: Within 25 feet (Short). Area of Effect: One object, or a 10 foot square. Time Limit: 2 minutes (Level 1)
Ren kept out the Sleep, Grease, and Web wands, and stored the other two wands in the top two slots of his inventory. He looked at Croggart; who was staring at Ren like he had three heads and had never seen such a thing before. ¡°You''ve missed a lot while you''ve been gone.¡± Ren whispered to him, then handed him the Grease wand. ¡°Grease, to make her arms slick.¡± He said softly, then lifted one of the wands he held. ¡°Sleep, to keep her unconscious.¡± He lifted the other. ¡°Web, to tie her down.¡± Croggart looked at the wand in his hand. ¡°No offensive spells?¡± ¡°I can give you a fireball wand if you want; but if it comes down to that, we''re screwed unless I reduce her in size.¡± He whispered. ¡°Giants have spell resistance, if I remember correctly.¡± Croggart nodded slightly. ¡°Let''s go.¡± He whispered, and they crept forward. Chapter 209 - Giant Problems Croggart and Ren crept forward with wands at the ready. Once they were within a hundred feet of the giant, Ren shot her with the Wand Of Slumber. It hit her in the shoulder and spread out 10 feet, then dissipated. ¡°We''ve only got 2 minutes!¡± Ren nearly yelled, then ran the rest of the way. Teepo, keep track so I can shoot her again when the time''s up. ¡°Already counting!¡± Teepo said as Ren reached the sleeping giant. She was helpless; and Croggart drew his sword. ¡°Don''t!¡± Ren said. ¡°That would wake her up right away!¡± ¡°And shouting doesn''t?¡± ¡°Not for another minute and a half.¡± Ren said as he started using the Wand of Entanglement. He shot the space between the giant and her nest and all around her body; from her feet to her head. ¡°Ten seconds!¡± Teepo said, and Ren stepped back from her, and asked Croggart to step back as well. The giant started to stir, and Ren shot her right in the head with the Wand of Slumber. ¡°I think she''s secure enough.¡± Ren said. ¡°Shoot Groggot with the Wand of Slickness.¡± ¡°Groggot?¡± Croggart asked. ¡°Not her?¡± ¡°If you grease her up, she''ll slip out of the web.¡± ¡°Ah, got it.¡± He said and shot Groggot with the wand. He was instantly covered in grease, and slid slightly. ¡°Nice!¡± Croggart said and grabbed one of Groggot''s arms. It took a bit of tugging, but after a minute the giant''s arms shifted slightly and the unconscious Groggot slid out from the giant''s grasp. ¡°Ten seconds!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Okay, step back.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t!¡± Croggart said as he tried to pick Groggot up again. ¡°He''s still too slippery!¡± ¡°Then drag him!¡± Ren said, and looked back at the giant. ¡°She''s waking up!¡± * Her thoughts were muddled and confused. She felt something holding her, and tried to move, then remembered her baby. She clutched her arms to her chest, felt nothing but a slickness, and opened her eyes. ¡°Ro?¡± She saw that her baby was gone and Ren standing close to her. ¡°ROOAAARRRRR!!!¡± She bellowed her frustration and anger at him. * ¡°Get back, Croggart!¡± Ren waved him to run, then shot the giant in the head again. She shook her head, then her eyes closed for a moment. A second later, she opened her eyes again and growled as she stared at Ren. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Ren said, and tried to shoot her again; and got the same result. ¡°RUN!¡± He shouted and stored the Wand of Slumber. By this point, the grease had dissolved and Groggot could now be gripped easily; but he had still been within the area of effect for the sleep spell and remained unconscious. Croggart went back to him, picked him up easily, and hefted him over his shoulder as he started to run. Ren shot the Wand of Entanglement a few more times to cover the giant''s chest and arms where Groggot had been, and took off running himself. Ren heard a loud crash, then debris being crushed; and ran as fast as the mess of the cave would allow his legs to carry him. He actually felt fear, and that surprised him beyond anything that he''d seen up to this point. I''m actually afraid. Ren thought, then realized what was going on. The giant has a Fear Aura! He let the surprise of the situation carry him out of the cave and away from the opening. Now that they were out of the cave and didn''t have to be careful about tripping over the mess, they ran as fast as they could. Ren easily out-paced Croggart back to the cart, turned around and pulled out the Wand Of Shrinkage. ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± Croggart asked Ren as he passed, then put Groggot in the back of the cart. ¡°She''s coming, Ren!¡± Teepo said as he flew over to land on Ren''s shoulder. There were more crashing sounds coming from the cave, and then the giant walked out of the entrance. She was covered from head to foot in web and debris. It would take her a few minutes to reach them. ¡°She got up with all that stuff still attached to her!¡± Croggart said in surprise, and then Groggot started to wake up. ¡°Brother! We came to rescue you!¡± He said, and shook his brother awake. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Groggot asked, groggily. ¡°Who... what... Croggart?!?¡± Croggart laughed and hugged his brother. ¡°Were about to deal with the creature!¡± ¡°What? NO!¡± Groggot exclaimed and jumped out of the cart and ran over to Ren. ¡°Don''t hurt her! She kept me alive all this time!¡± ¡°How did she do that?¡± His brother asked. ¡°I didn''t see any food or anything in there.¡± ¡°Um... ah... I...¡± Groggot mumbled something, and Ren''s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°No way!¡± Ren said as he glanced at Groggot, then back at the giant as she bellowed. She had worked one of her arms free and was tearing the debris off, along with a lot of her clothing that the web was attached to. ¡°What?¡± Croggart asked. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I... I suckled her breast, okay?¡± Groggot said, and looked embarrassed. ¡°You... you...¡± Croggart shook his head. ¡°I can''t believe you nursed from a crazy giant!¡± ¡°You can ask her yourself.¡± Ren said. ¡°Here she comes!¡± She had managed to tear a couple chunks of debris from one of her legs, and hurled it at Ren as she started to run. Ren smiled and used the Wand of Entanglement on one of them, because the other one wasn''t going to reach him. The clump of debris and webs stuck to the ground mere feet in front of him. She yelled an inarticulate roar at him, and Ren changed his concentration from his Command Aura to his Fear Aura. The giant kept coming, and then she hit Ren''s Aura. Her pace faltered slightly and she slowed down, and she seemed wary for some reason. His Aura matched hers now, so he was no longer affected by her Fear Aura. When she was within the 100 feet of the wand''s limit, Ren shot her with the Reduce Person spell. She staggered and stopped running, then fell to one knee. She shook her head, then bellowed at him. He started walking towards her, and then he had an idea. Ren formed a Connection between his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and Screaming Terror ring.
Stat Change!
Connection Level 5 (Beginner 0%)
Ren activated the Screaming Terror ring, and pumped all that terror through his Aura. The female giant grabbed the sides of her head and started to scream. It wasn''t even close to the bellow that she had let out before; but a scream of pure pain. He used the Wand of Entanglement again and shot the ground and her feet, then her knee, securing her to the ground. At least, he hoped it secured her. ¡°What are you doing now?¡± Croggart asked him, and Ren waved the question away as he kept walking over to the giant. ¡°I knew there was something wrong with the giants.¡± Ren said. ¡°But this... I don''t think they''re sick. At least, not sick as in a flu or a cold.¡± As Ren walked closer, the female giant took deep breaths between screams; and he could swear he heard something that wasn''t normal. While he kept concentrating on his Fear Aura, he absorbed the Lightning enchantment on one of the raised platform rings, then enchanted it with Screaming Terror instead. ¡°Please don''t hurt her.¡± Groggot said. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think... I think I know what''s going on.¡± He pointed the new Screaming Terror ring at the giant''s head, and activated it. Nothing happened, and Ren smiled as he formed a connection between the two rings instead. His Fear Aura boosted again, and the giant screamed loud and long, then collapsed onto her side when she fell unconscious. ¡°Stop it!¡± Groggot pleaded with Ren as he came over to him. ¡°You''re hurting her!¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Ren said, then pointed. ¡°That thing is.¡± Groggot looked where Ren indicated, and he saw the giant''s ear fill up with blood. A moment later, a grub-like thing crawled out of her ear with a slopping sound, and plopped onto the ground. It was about 6 inches long and as big around as Ren''s fist. It started to crawl away on tiny little legs, screaming a high-pitched squeal. ¡°Care to do the honors?¡± Ren said to Groggot.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I''d like to, but my battle-axe was broken to pieces when she took me.¡± He said, disheartened. Ren had made a pair of battle-axes a long time ago, and had given one to Groggot at the Garrison for weapon practice; now he took out the second one and handed it to him. ¡°If you break this one, I''ll have to make more.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s my last one.¡± He grinned at Groggot''s surprised expression. ¡°You''re giving me another one?!?¡± Groggot asked, astonished. ¡°I can''t use them, so it just sat in my inventory.¡± Ren said, and looked down. ¡°You''d better hurry. It''s very, very slowly getting away.¡± Groggot laughed as he hefted the battle-axe over his head, then chopped the thing in half. The high pitched squealing stopped immediately, and the pieces stopped moving except for an occasional twitch.
Quest Complete!
You have successfully rescued your friend Groggot from the giant that held him captive. Rewards: 12,345 XP Influence: 10,000 Honor: 5,000 / Lady Neram 5,000
Notice!
You used ingenuity and cunning to devise a way to rescue your friend without killing the giant. A special bonus has been granted. Intelligence +1 Wisdom +1
Ren took out the sack that Lord Lodur''s loot came in, and put the two halves of the grub-like creature into the bag. ¡°You''re not going to loot it?¡± Croggart asked. ¡°I''ve never seen anything like it before! It''s got to have something valuable inside!¡± Ren smiled and stored the sack back into inventory. ¡°Right now, it''s worth more the way it is.¡± He said. ¡°Once I finish with it, I''ll loot it and see what appears.¡± Croggart shook his head. ¡°Passing up the chance to loot right away. I knew you were crazy.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Crazier than you? That was the second time you went into the cave of a giant for your brother.¡± Croggart laughed. ¡°Okay, that''s a good point.¡± ¡°What do we do now?¡± Groggot asked. ¡°She''s unconscious, so we could just leave her here.¡± Croggart suggested, and both Groggot and Ren shook their heads. ¡°I''d rather help her, if I can.¡± Ren said. ¡°If only just because she kept Groggot alive.¡± Croggart sighed. ¡°Fine. Help her.¡± Ren looked at her, and took out several pieces of scrap cloth to dry up the blood in her ear. ¡°I can''t see any obvious damage; but I can''t see inside her ear passage, either.¡± He said and took out a Minor Healing wand. He used it on the ear and the blood stopped. Ren cleaned it out again, and despite his reluctance to do so, stuck a finger inside. He felt around the inside of the ear canal as far as his finger could go, and didn''t feel any cuts or abrasions. ¡°I think that thing''s little legs caused all the blood when it scrambled to get out.¡± Ren said, then stepped back a few feet. ¡°We''ll have to wait a few minutes for the webs to dissolve before doing anything else.¡± They sat down and waited, and when the webbing dissolved, they cleared away all of the debris around her. Her head was at an odd angle, so Ren made an extra-wide comfy chair and propped her head up on it. Most of her clothing was missing on one side of her body because she had pulled it off with the webbing; so, Ren took out a bolt of fabric to make her a set of basic clothing. He didn''t have to make it extra large or anything, because the game automatically scaled it when it was equipped. A shirt, tunic, and skirt, dyed a light green like the tatters she still wore; were made and stored, along with a pair of underwear and a bra. Ren didn''t have much else to do while they waited, so he took out the icebox and they ate a good meal. He gave some food to Princess, stored the icebox, and then waited for the giant to wake up. * ¡°What do you think he''s doing right now?¡± Ereka asked Nathalia for the hundredth time, and she smiled. ¡°Probably the same thing he was doing two minutes ago when you asked me last.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ereka apologized. ¡°It''s just so nerve-racking not knowing.¡± ¡°I''d like to say that you get used to it, but you don''t.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You just have to accept it.¡± ¡°By the gods, I envy you so much.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You''re strong, confident, have a man that would do anything for you.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You have it all.¡± Nathalia smiled sadly. ¡°For now.¡± She said. ¡°With him being missing for a month... the time I could have spent with him was cut down to nothing.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean?¡± Ereka asked, concerned. ¡°His sentence was for 3 months, then we had a month to gather everything for him to take with him.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°Now, he lost a month of time.¡± Ereka''s eyes widened. ¡°No!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Surely the deadline extended, just like the sentence did!¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°Then... then he''ll never be able to complete everything!¡± Nathalia nodded slightly, and Ereka came around the table to take her into a hug. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± She said. ¡°I know it was a faint hope that he could complete the contract so early, but... he... he said... he would try his best to... to...¡± Nathalia started to cry. ¡°I missed him so much while he was gone!¡± She said as she held onto Ereka tightly. ¡°You should tell him how you feel.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I... I can''t.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°If I do that, he''ll change how he does things from now on.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don''t want him to change anything, just because I want to spend more time with him.¡± Ereka laughed. ¡°Well, that''s just stupid of you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°If he doesn''t know how much you''ve missed him, he''ll think you didn''t miss him. At all.¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened. ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°If you don''t tell him, it will only drive him away.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I may not have gone through training, but even I know that if you don''t tell people how you feel, they won''t ever know how you feel.¡± * Ren was tempted to use the Major Healing wand on the giant to see if that would make her wake up faster; but, if there was anything wrong with her and he healed her without knowing what to fix, it could cause all sorts of problems. So, he decided to wait a little longer and checked his Status. ¡°Show Status.¡± He whispered and read the popup.
Status
Name Ren Level 31
Gender Male Class Artificer/Lord
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 415,590 (Lord) Honor 62,825 (Prestigious)
Titles
Blacksmith Grants 5 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills
Tailor Grants 5 level bonus to Tailoring Skills
Issac''s Novice 20% stat gain at his shop
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Health 1048 Mana 1274
Strength 175 Dexterity 97
Vitality 105 Agility 93
Endurance 101 Intelligence 139
Luck 39 Wisdom 144
* ¡°Ugh.¡± The giant said. ¡°What... what...¡± She put a hand on her head, then opened her eyes. ¡°AHHHHHH!!!¡± She screamed when she saw three small figures sitting nearby. She covered her face with her hands, knocked the chair Ren had made away, and broke it. ¡°You''re not real!¡± She said. ¡°YOU''RE NOT REAL!¡± She yelled, then started to cry. ¡°The little people! The little people are haunting me!¡± * Ren dismissed his status window and was shocked at the giant''s words; because he didn''t know what to make of it. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Groggot said and walked over to her. ¡°Groggot!¡± His brother tried to haul him back, but Groggot slipped out of his grasp. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Groggot said to the giant. ¡°We won''t hurt you.¡± The giant shook her head. ¡°No no no! You aren''t real!¡± Groggot stepped close to her, which put his life in danger; and Ren held the Wand of Entanglement at the ready. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Groggot said, and put a hand on the side of her ear. The giant froze still, then spread her fingers a little to look at him. ¡°You... you''re touching me.¡± She said, her eyes wide. ¡°You''re real.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Groggot said. ¡°Can you tell me your name?¡± ¡°I...¡± She looked at Ren with the wand held out at her, and she frowned. ¡°I remember... I remember... OW!¡± She winced and gripped the sides of her head, and started to cry again. ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°The land between the dwarves and the giants.¡± Groggot said, and she looked at him. ¡°Dwar-what?¡± She asked. ¡°There''s nothing between the giant lands and the mountains by the sea.¡± Ren glanced at Croggart, who had a surprised look on his face, and then he looked at Groggot. ¡°This isn''t the time to discuss things like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you sit up?¡± She frowned at Ren. ¡°I don''t like you.¡± She said. ¡°I can''t remember why; but, I don''t.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said, then remembered his Aura and Connected rings. He let the Connection lapse, then concentrated on his Camaraderie Aura. The giant relaxed right away, and Ren smiled at her. ¡°Can you sit up?¡± Groggot asked, and her gaze fell on him. ¡°I... I think so.¡± She said, and braced herself with her arms. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, and then she started to swoon. ¡°Oooohhhh...¡± Groggot stepped into her and held her steady, and she wrapped her arms around him automatically. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. ¡°R... Ro?¡± She asked, and Groggot nodded slightly. ¡°What''s your name?¡± He asked her. ¡°Rubella.¡± She said. ¡°Why... why do I...¡± She sighed. ¡°I remember you.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve held you like this before.¡± Groggot nodded slightly. ¡°Every night for nearly a month, you''ve held me like this.¡± ¡°Wh-wh-WHAT?!?¡± She exclaimed in shock. ¡°This might be hard to explain...¡± Groggot said as his face started to flush red. ¡°I think we should let her get dressed first.¡± Ren said, and took out the clothing he''d made for her. ¡°What did you...¡± Rubella looked down at herself, and saw that one of her breasts was hanging out for everyone to see, and she screamed from embarrassment as she pulled Groggot in front of it. When she realized what she had done, she stared at his face. ¡°I... I''ve done this before, too.¡± She said in a soft voice. Groggot nodded slightly again. ¡°Yeah, this is definitely going to be hard to explain...¡± Chapter 210 - Lets Go Home Groggot tried his best to explain; but, she wouldn''t accept it. ¡°No!¡± Rubella, the female giant, exclaimed. ¡°I did not let you... you didn''t...¡± ¡°You thought I was your child...¡± Groggot explained again. ¡°...and I had no other source of food.¡± Rubella slid a hand between Groggot and her breast and held it tight. Some milk came out from that action, and tears came to her eyes. ¡°I... no, that''s only... only for my baby...¡± She said, and large water droplets fell to the ground from her eyes. ¡°I''m really sorry.¡± Groggot said. ¡°I''m also really grateful.¡± She blinked damp eyes at him. ¡°If it wasn''t for your care, I would have died.¡± He said, and she sighed. ¡°According to your story, I was the one trying to kill you.¡± Rubella said, still unwilling to accept that she had been a crazed monster that had attacked mindlessly. ¡°How can you be grateful that I kept you alive?¡± ¡°You may be 4 times my size, but over the last few weeks you did your best to take care of me, even though you didn''t know what you were doing... I...¡± He smiled. ¡°I want to thank you for everything that you''ve done for me.¡± ¡°I killed your partner!¡± Rubella exclaimed. ¡°I don''t remember doing that...¡± She looked at Croggart. ¡°...and I doubt he saw me do anything of the sort...¡± She sighed. ¡°...but, I can''t deny that I don''t remember much about anything that''s happened.¡± ¡°You don''t even know how long you''ve been out here?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I don''t even know where here is.¡± She admitted, reluctantly. ¡°You''ve told me that I''m between some fictional land and my homeland; but, that''s all I know.¡± Croggart looked at everyone. ¡°Hey, look. She''s fine. Let''s get the hell out of here and back to the Garrison.¡± ¡°We can''t do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°We need to take her home.¡± Everyone looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°She just said she has no idea where she is. We do. I won''t leave her out here to die.¡± Ren said, and Groggot nodded his agreement. ¡°You''re making a mistake.¡± Croggart said. ¡°She had no clue what we were! Do you really think taking her back to the giant lands is a good idea?¡± He shook his head. ¡°They might just kill us on sight!¡± ¡°He... he''s right.¡± Rubella said. ¡°My people don''t believe that the little people exist.¡± Ren walked over to her, and she cringed. ¡°Please put this on.¡± He said and handed her a bra. ¡°What is that thing?¡± Rubella asked. She didn''t take it, even after Ren explained what it was and what it did. ¡°No, thank you.¡± She said. ¡°It would interfere with my... my baby... when he...¡± Her face flushed red as she looked at Groggot, who was still holding her steady, and she still had one arm around him. Ren stored the bra and handed her the underwear, and she equipped it. Groggot let her go so she could equip the shirt, tunic, and skirt next; then she tossed the rags she had been wearing aside. ¡°Thank you.¡± Rubella said, and then she tried to stand up. ¡°Whoa, hold on!¡± Groggot tried to keep her sitting. ¡°That thing that came out of your ear hurt you.¡± He said. ¡°You should rest for a little while.¡± ¡°No, I... I need to get back to my baby.¡± Rubella said. ¡°I''ve been away from him for far too long already.¡± Groggot nodded slightly to her, and she struggled to stand up. She was 20 feet tall, and Groggot was only 4 foot 7 inches; so, he really did look like a child next to her. She smiled down at him, and he smiled back up at her. ¡°Goodbye, Ro.¡± Rubella said, turned around, and started to walk away. ¡°W-wait!¡± Groggot said and followed her. ¡°You can''t just go wandering off! You don''t even know which way to go!¡± ¡°Neither do you.¡± She said, and kept walking. ¡°I do.¡± Ren said, and she stopped walking. Rubella turned around and looked at him. ¡°You do?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I saw a map that led right to the Land of the Giants.¡± ¡°Where did you see that?!?¡± Croggart asked. ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can lead you to the land; but, not to where you live in that land.¡± Rubella sighed. ¡°You''re really going to risk your lives to help me get back home?¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Croggart said, and handed the Wand of Slickness to Ren. ¡°I think I''ve had enough of adventures for a while.¡± Ren walked over to Princess and the two dogs guarding her. ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± He asked them. ¡°Want to come along and help her get home, or just go home?¡± I can run some more... Princess thought to him. It will be slow... She looks heavy... Ren smiled and scratched her chin. ¡°What about the two of you?¡± They barked at him, and he felt their agreement with Princess. Ren gave a Health potion to Croggart, and some food. ¡°Head back to the Garrison and let them know we rescued Groggot.¡± ¡°You''re crazy.¡± Croggart said. ¡°I''m not going back there.¡± ¡°You still have to face the charges against you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You got those dismissed.¡± ¡°No, I only got you released into my custody.¡± ¡°What charges?¡± Groggot asked. ¡°I don''t know what happened to Nershan.¡± Ren said. ¡°I couldn''t have the charges dropped if I didn''t know if you were guilty or not.¡± ¡°Hey! I''m NOT guilty!¡± Croggart nearly shouted. Ren shrugged. ¡°Like I said. I didn''t know that.¡± ¡°You''re going to let me rot in jail for something I didn''t do?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You won''t rot in jail, even if they find you guilty. They''ll probably sentence you to time in the mines, just like they did with me.¡± ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Croggart said, and turned to walk away. ¡°They won''t get a chance to take me again.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Come on, Croggart. If you''re really innocent, why are you worried about what might happen if you go back?¡± ¡°Because...¡± His brother Groggot sighed. ¡°...he''s just as guilty of Nershan''s death as I am.¡± ¡°Not as guilty as I am.¡± Rubella said. ¡°Even if I don''t remember what happened, he''s still dead.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Croggart said, turned around, and pointed to the giant. ¡°She''s the one that''s guilty! We should take her back to the Garrison!¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Not a chance.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you know what would happen if they take her into custody?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I will not hand someone over to be experimented on.¡± ¡°They might do some tests, but they won''t exper-¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± Ren said, and cut off Croggart''s words. ¡°I know they experiment on anything that''s different!¡± ¡°So what?¡± Croggart asked. ¡°What''s she to you?¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter!¡± Ren said, and concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°I''m taking her home, and you are reporting to the Garrison.¡± Croggart laughed. ¡°Make me.¡± Ren shot him with the Wand of Entanglement and a 20 foot wide circle of web stuck to him and the ground. ¡°What the-HEY!¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said, and walked over to him. ¡°I can''t let you just walk away from your responsibilities.¡± ¡°You have no right to do this!¡± ¡°Actually, I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s right in your release papers.¡± Croggart opened his mouth to protest, and Ren put a piece of cloth in his mouth. ¡°Yeah, I know I''m being an ass.¡± Ren said, and wrapped the web around Croggart. ¡°But if you aren''t going to go back to the Garrison willingly, then I''ll have to take you with us.¡± ¡°Mmowww!¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said, and used some rope to tie him up. He turned to Rubella. ¡°Please pick him up, and put him in the back of the cart.¡± ¡°Your friend is right.¡± She said and easily picked Croggart up and laid him in the back of the cart. ¡°You''re crazy.¡± Ren chuckled and shot another web into the space between Croggart and the cart. He built a large cart, big enough for the giant to sit in comfortably, and attached it to the back of the first cart. Ren enchanted the cart to make it stronger and the contents lighter; then took out several steel squares. He enchanted them with Antidark and attached them to the cart, making it that much lighter. Ren was tempted to add enough squares to make the cart weightless; but that wouldn''t be a good idea, especially once they started to move. It would be hard to control that much mass without any weight to help keep it steady. The giant, Rubella, climbed into the large cart; and much to her surprise, Groggot got in with her. ¡°Wh-what are you...¡± She started to say, and Groggot held up a hand. ¡°I''d like to spend some time getting to know you.¡± Groggot said, and smiled shyly. ¡°If that''s okay?¡± Rubella took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. The gust of expelled air ruffled Groggot''s hair and beard, and she chuckled. ¡°Oh, all right.¡± She said, and lifted an arm. Groggot sat down beside her and she put the arm around him. ¡°It''s not like I have anything else to do while we travel.¡± ¡°You should hold on.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is going to be quite a ride.¡± They both nodded and Ren went to the front cart and attached Princess to it. Riley and Stacy hopped up and sat on either side of Ren after he sat in the driver''s seat. ¡°Meh me mow o mere!¡± Croggart tried to yell from the back of the cart. ¡°I''ll let you out in a few hours.¡± Ren said as he recharged the Wand of Entanglement and shot Croggart again. ¡°Once you cool down a little.¡± ¡°Mmowww!¡± ¡°Sorry, not right now.¡± Ren smiled and looked at Princess. ¡°Let''s go slow at first.¡± Princess did go slow at first, and when she got a good feeling for the weight, she started to trot, then ran. There still wasn''t any roads to follow, or even paths; but the terrain was flatter now and not as bumpy. Once they got to a certain area, Teepo flew over to land on Princess'' helm, and she ran as fast as she could with all the weight. * Groggot and Rubella talked, and discussed things, and Groggot shared what it had been like for the month that they had spent together. Rubella shook her head. ¡°I... I still can''t believe that... that I let you...¡± ¡°It was a shock to me, too.¡± Groggot said. ¡°I''d never seen anything like you before, and then... then I...¡± He smiled at her. ¡°Would you be insulted or offended if I said that it was delicious?¡± Rubella''s eyes widened slightly, and she blinked her eyes at him a few times. ¡°It... it''s what?¡± ¡°Delicious.¡± Groggot said. ¡°In fact, it was the best thing I''ve ever tasted; and I''ve had food from all over the world.¡± Rubella blushed a bright red. ¡°I... I don''t know if I should slap you, or thank you.¡± ¡°I''ve had the slap, so I definitely prefer the thanks.¡± Groggot said. ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Groggot chuckled. ¡°I was a bad boy quite a lot, and I''ve felt your slap a few times.¡± ¡°I... don''t see any marks on your face.¡± ¡°That''s not where you slapped me.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Rubella said, then thought about it. ¡°Oh!¡± She exclaimed and laughed. Groggot laughed as well and they talked a bit more before falling into a companionable silence. * They drove on for another 3 hours, stopping several times for food and rest, and kept going. If Ren and Teepo''s estimation from the blank map they''d seen when Lara, the Sage of Ages, had told him where the legendary blacksmith was hiding, then they only had another 6 hours of traveling to do before they hit the Giant''s Kingdom. * ¡°Ow.¡± Rubella said an hour later, and put her free arm over her chest. ¡°What is it?¡± Groggot asked, concerned. ¡°It... it''s nothing.¡± Rubella said, and Groggot winced. ¡°Please, if I can help, I will.¡± He said, and she sighed. ¡°They''re full.¡± She said and moved her arm to show that her shirt was damp from milk. ¡°Oh.¡± Groggot said, then started to unbutton her shirt. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± She asked and covered her chest again. ¡°The pain is only going to get worse if we don''t relieve the pressure.¡± Groggot said. ¡°I grew up on a sheep farm. I know it must really hurt.¡± He looked at her face. ¡°Please, let me help.¡± ¡°I...¡± Rubella didn''t say anything else, but also didn''t stop Groggot as he moved her arm out of the way. He unbuttoned her shirt to reveal her breast. It was quite swollen; so, he took the tip into his mouth and started to suck. She picked him up slightly to reposition him, to make it easier on the both of them, then she sighed in relief as the pressure eased slightly. A few minutes later, she shifted Groggot over to her other breast automatically, and he suckled there, too. * ¡°So, how long do you think it will take them to get to the cave?¡± The Commander asked the scout. ¡°It was nearly 3 days out, so since the cart can go a lot faster than us, they should reach it by tomorrow morning.¡± The scout said. ¡°Then if nothing happens, they should be back a day after that.¡± The Commander nodded slightly. He just hoped that Ren had remembered to leave the Deed to the Garrison somewhere safe before he went in to save Groggot. He had no idea that Ren had completely forgotten about doing that, and the scout had greatly underestimated the speed the cart could go; because the group was now headed towards Giant lands which was much farther away than the cave. * Another 5 hours passed without any incidents, and Ren was glad for that. The last thing he needed was to come across another crazed- ¡°GIANT!¡± Teepo shouted, and Princess swerved out of the way of the giant that was running towards them. ¡°DUCK!¡± Ren shouted as the 6 foot long sword swung towards the cart. It swished over his head, barely missed the cart, and Rubella ducked down. The cart shifted slightly to the left, and with her weight bent over the same way and Princess turning, the attachment to the front cart broke away. The tire of the large cart dug into the ground and Rubella and Groggot held on as the cart tumbled over it''s side, then they were thrown out as it flipped several times. ¡°Go back around, Princess!¡± Ren shouted to her, and she whipped around almost faster than the cart could handle; but, since she''d had so much practice with the cart in it''s current form, she knew exactly what it could handle. Ren held on as she made the turn easily and he saw what they faced. A 25 foot tall giant stood there, wearing heavy plate mail armor, and had a sword at the ready. He stood next to the inert form of Rubella, and raised his sword. ¡°We have to stop him! Ram his foot!¡± Ren said, and Princess took off as fast as she could. ¡°Riley! Stacy!¡± He said. ¡°Get ready to jump! Both arms!¡± They barked and braced to jump. Ren took out his helm, put it on, and braced to jump himself. ¡°Now!¡± He said and jumped, then equipped his shield mid-air. Ren and the dogs shared the momentum of the cart; so when they jumped away, they were going just as fast as it was. Princess rammed the giant''s shin at the same time that Riley and Stacy hit the giant''s arms, one on each. Ren''s jump took him a little too high, however. He had intended to hit the giant in the chest to knock the wind out of him; but, he had forgotten that his new boots doubled his jump, and he hit the giant in the face with the shield. The combination was devastating to the giant. With his balance knocked away by Princess'' impact on his lower leg, the dogs weight on his arms, and Ren''s massive hit to his face, he was completely caught off-guard. Thanks to Ren''s Skull Cracker ability that grants a 20% chance to stun with a hit to the head, the giant was unconscious before he fell backwards to land on the ground. Ren and the dogs held on until he hit the ground, and hopped off in case he started to swing. Ren took out the Wand of Entanglement and shot the giant a bunch of times, and covered him in webs. It would only last 10 minutes, but that would give them time to think of what to do. ¡°Is everyone all right?¡± Ren asked, and Princess trotted over. ¡°No, I''m not all right!¡± Croggart said from the back of the cart. Ren had only released him a couple of hours before, and now he was livid. ¡°I said I didn''t want any more adventure for a while! What the hell was that just now?!?¡± ¡°He was going to kill Rubella.¡± Ren said. ¡°So what?¡± Croggart said. ¡°She''s a giant. Let them deal with her.¡± Ren pointed to Rubella, and Croggart saw her sit up. She held Groggot gently in her arms. ¡°NO!¡± Croggart hollered and ran over to them. ¡°I''m fine!¡± Groggot said, and looked at Rubella. ¡°Thanks to Rubella.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If she hadn''t protected me with her body, or held me close and rolled out of the cart when it flipped, I''d be dead.¡± Groggot said, and stroked the side of her face. ¡°Thank you.¡± Rubella blushed. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± ¡°Aaahhhhh!¡± The giant Ren had secured yelled. ¡°Kill it! Before it spreads!¡± ¡°Kill what?¡± Ren said. ¡°That!¡± The giant said and nodded towards Rubella. ¡°You mean Rubella? The one we helped and brought back to her people?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°She''s not running around and screaming, is she?¡± The armored giant looked from Ren to Rubella, and back again. ¡°Hi.¡± Rubella said. ¡°You really shouldn''t attack before asking questions.¡± ¡°What... what...¡± The ground shook and Teepo chittered in laughter. What is it, Teepo? Ren thought. ¡°You''re going to laugh at this.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Turn around.¡± Ren turned around and discovered Teepo was right. He started laughing and everyone looked at him. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± Groggot asked as Rubella put him down and stood up. ¡°That.¡± Ren said between guffaws, and the group looked and saw several dozen more giants. They wore full plate armor, and each face they could see looked angry as they ran closer. Ren took out the giant gold-colored automated Ballista from inventory. ¡°This is going to be fun.¡± Ren said sarcastically, and prepared to fire. Chapter 211 - I Just Want To Talk As the large group of giants ran towards the beleaguered travelers, Ren lifted the end of the Ballista and let several shots go. They flew across the distance, and hit the ground in front of the advancing giants. Several of them stumbled and fell from the impacts in the ground in front of them; but, it was only because they had been startled. Most of them continued on as if Ren hadn''t done anything. He stored the Ballista and took out the Wand of Distraction, and concentrated on the sound of screaming children. He used the wand several times on trees, rocks, and even tried it on the giants themselves. Everyone was surprised as the loud sounds of screaming children, from each object that had the spell cast on it, erupted as the giants passed. It was enough to cause confusion, and that''s what Ren had hoped for. While they were distracted, Ren took out the Wand of Slickness and shot the ground in front of the group of giants several times, and covered a large area in grease. It was only going to last two minutes; but, that was plenty of time for the battle to be decided. Once the giants realized none of them were actually causing children to scream, they started to run towards the intruders on their land again. ¡°Get behind the armored giant!¡± Ren said and ran around the giant they had already taken down. The others followed him, and Rubella only had to step over the fallen giant to join them, then knelt. The armored giant didn''t provide her with any cover, but that wasn''t what Ren intended anyways. He stored the other wands and took out a Fireball wand to absorb the charges from it, then filled it with Magic Mouth spells. His Mana Pool emptied after being used so many times, and he got a popup.
Stat Change!
Craft Wand Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
So loading new spells into the wands counts as crafting them. Ren thought. That''s good to know. He examined the new wand and smiled.
Wand Of Ventriloquism
A Magic Mouth spell imbues the chosen object or creature with an enchanted mouth that suddenly appears and speaks its message the next time a specified event occurs. The message, which must be 10 or fewer words long, can be in any language known by you, and can be delivered over a period of 2 minutes. The mouth cannot utter verbal components, use command words, or activate magical effects. It does, however, move according to the words articulated; if it were placed upon a statue, the mouth of the statue would move and appear to speak. Of course, magic mouth can be placed upon a tree, rock, or any other object or creature. The spell functions when specific conditions are fulfilled according to your command as set in the spell. Commands can be as general or as detailed as desired, although only visual and audible triggers can be used. Actions can serve as triggers if they are visible or audible. The range limit of a trigger is 20 feet per wand level or ability status, so a 5th-level wand or Master spell caster can command a magic mouth to respond to triggers as far as 100 feet away. Regardless of range, the mouth can respond only to visible or audible triggers and actions in line of sight or within hearing distance. Magic mouth can be made permanent with a Permanency (Level 5) spell. Higher level wands or abilities increase the number of words spoken, and time needed to say those words. Warning: Multiple Magic Mouth spells do not stack. The first must expire before another will work on the same object. Cast Distance: Within 100 feet (Medium). Area of Effect: Object only. Time Limit: Permanent until triggered.
Ren read the description quickly, then dismissed the popup and took out the Wand of Entanglement. The first dozen giants that approached at a run, hit the grease-covered ground and slipped. They lost their footing, fell to the ground with a crash, and slid into their fallen comrade. Their armor rattled and clanged with the sounds of metal-on-metal hits; so Ren jumped up on top of the one he had used as a barricade and shot the Wand of Entanglement at the newly fallen giants to attach them to each other. Each spell covered a circle 20 feet in area, so it didn''t take much to cover them all. Ren made sure he didn''t cover their faces, however; because he wanted them immobilized, not dead. The other 24 giants tried to stop just outside the grease-covered area, and most of them succeeded; but, a few more were added to Ren''s trap and the giants looked at him warily as he secured the new additions. ¡°I''m not here to fight!¡± Ren shouted. It didn''t look like they could hear him, so he used the Wand of Ventriloquism and shot a boulder next to them. It repeated his phrase, much to their surprise. The closest giant picked the boulder up, and looked at it. Ren shook his head, then thought about what to have the rock say, then used another Magic Mouth spell. ¡°It''s not the rock talking. It''s the little person.¡± Ren used another spell. ¡°On top of the webbed-up pile of giants.¡± The giant looked over to him, and Ren waved. The giant looked back at the rock, then at Ren, then back at the rock. Ren could see his mouth moving, but couldn''t hear what was being said. Get over there, Teepo. ¡°Right!¡± Teepo said, and flew over to the giant and landed on his shoulder. ¡°He''s asking the rock why it''s not answering his questions.¡± Ren sighed and used another spell. ¡°I can''t hear you. I don''t have ears.¡± The rock said, and several giants laughed. ¡°He wants to know what''s going on.¡± Teepo said, and Ren used another spell. ¡°Little people brought giant back home.¡± The giant turned and looked at Rubella. She waved, and there was no response. ¡°They said she was exiled over a month ago, because she caught the brain infection that makes people go mad.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s a worm, not an infection.¡± The rock said. ¡°Little people have proof.¡± Ren stored the Wand of Entanglement and took out the Wand of Slickness. He covered the ground in grease again, and the giants watched him. They talked among themselves for a minute. ¡°They''re getting the archers.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Wait!¡± The rock exclaimed. ¡°No fight! Peace! We come in peace!¡± Ren recharged the Wand of Ventriloquism while the giants moved aside and let two archers come to the front. ¡°Don''t make me fight!¡± The rock said, and the archers pulled arrows from their quivers. Ren sighed, shook his head, and switched the Wand of Slickness with the Wand of Distraction, then used the Ghost Sound spell once more; only this time he repeated Rubella''s scream of pain that he had heard when he''d forced the grub-like thing from her head. The ear-splitting scream came from the rock, amplified to 4 times it''s normal volume, and it startled the giants so much that they jumped. The giant that held the rock dropped it. Ren stored the Wand of Distraction and took out the Ballista from inventory, then balanced it on the giant''s chest. He angled it up and aimed for one of the archers, then enchanted the tip of the bolt with a double glyph (8 runes total) of Fire. The bows the giants carried were gigantic; but Ren aimed carefully anyways, then shot a single bolt at it. The giant''s bow burst into flames immediately, and the giant dropped it before the fire engulfed his hand. Ren did the same with the second bow, before the archer could load an arrow into it. The second giant dropped the bow and tried to stamp the flames out; but, he broke the bow instead. Ren aimed the Ballista with one hand and used the Wand of Ventriloquism with the other. ¡°Could have shot you instead.¡± The rock at the giant''s feet said. ¡°Can still shoot you.¡± ¡°They''re wondering how many shots you have left.¡± Teepo said. ¡°About 80.¡± The rock said, and all of the giants stood still. ¡°Some of them don''t believe you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Maybe a little demonstration might be needed?¡± Ren switched the Ballista to full auto, aimed high, and let a dozen arrows go in quick succession as he traversed the shots over their heads. Most of the giants ducked; but several of them stared at Ren as he finished. He used the Magic Mouth spell again. ¡°About 70 left.¡± The rock said, and Ren could see the giant sigh as he slipped his sword into it''s sheath on his hip. ¡°Are... are they surrendering?¡± Groggot asked as he came around the giant he was hiding behind, and saw the other giants sheath their swords. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said as the head giant came over to him. ¡°If they don''t want to die a flaming death today.¡± ¡°I can''t believe I''m doing this.¡± The giant took off his helm and knelt. ¡°First I''m talking to a rock, and now to a little person.¡± He shook his head and sighed. ¡°I surrender.¡± ¡°As the overall commander of the Garrison, charged with the defense of the Dwarven Kingdom, I accept.¡± Ren said.
Notice!
You have defeated (and partially subdued) a platoon of the Guardians of the Land. They have reluctantly surrendered to your show of might. Rewards: 37,000 XP (1,000 XP per giant) Influence: + 20,000
¡°What are the rules for this?¡± Ren asked the giant, who looked at Ren with surprise on his face. ¡°Everyone knows the Rules of Surrender.¡± ¡°Everyone in your kingdom probably does.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not from your kingdom, though.¡± The giant sighed again. ¡°This is a disgrace to be at the mercy of someone who doesn''t even know the rules.¡± ¡°I would know them if you tell me.¡± ¡°You''ve captured a third of my platoon and made me surrender.¡± He said. ¡°We owe you a week of wages, or the work equivalent, and a life.¡± ¡°A WHAT?!?¡± ¡°One of our lives is forfeit. It is the cost of this disgrace.¡± It was Ren''s turn to sigh. ¡°I''m getting tired of having to deal with new cultures and their stupid traditions.¡± The giant frowned at him. ¡°Are you insulting our way of life?¡± ¡°I didn''t mean for it to be an insult.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s just the truth as I see it.¡± ¡°You should keep your opinions to yourself, then.¡± The giant said angrily. ¡°If I''d heard you speak in such a way before, I wouldn''t have surrendered.¡± Ren looked at him. ¡°So, instead of only letting one man die when you surrendered, you''d rather have lots of them, or all of them, die instead?¡± The giant took in a breath and let it out. ¡°Let''s just get this over with.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Ren said, and the giant stood up. He went around and gathered the money from his troops while Ren stored the Ballista and climbed down from the giant he was standing on. Barely a minute later, the web he''d shot at the first giant dissolved. The giant sat up and put a hand on his face. ¡°Ow!¡± He said. ¡°I thing my dose is bwoken.¡± ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was aiming for your chest, and jumped too high.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Medic!¡± The head giant said, and one of the giants stepped over the other webbed up giants to reach the hurt one. The medic put one hand on the giant''s forehead, shoved the first two fingers of the other hand up his nostrils, and yanked hard. ¡°OW!¡± The giant yelled, there was a snap, and the giant''s eyes welled up with tears. The Medic put a hand over the nose, it glowed yellow for a moment, and then the medic walked away without saying a word. ¡°That was neat.¡± Ren said as the giant that used to have a broken nose, stood up and joined his fellows. ¡°Painful as hell, but neat.¡± It only took another 6 minutes for the rest of the webs to dissolve and the rest of the money was gathered. The head giant put the money on the ground in front of Ren, and it ended up being several 4 foot high stacks of gold coins. Ren wasn''t sure what to do with it at first; but, since it was supposed to be money, he took one and put it near his coin vault. It shrank to fit, and Ren added the rest of it. He looked at the giant. ¡°I assume everyone paid, and they don''t have to work for me for the week?¡± ¡°Yes, everyone paid.¡± The giant said, and Groggot and Croggart winced. ¡°You shouldn''t lie.¡± Ren said. ¡°Especially in this situation.¡± He looked at the gathered giants. ¡°Who didn''t pay?¡± One of the giants raised a hand. ¡°I need the money to feed my family.¡± Ren walked over to him and took out 5 gold coins, thought ''giant'' and they popped out the same size as the ones the head giant had given him. ¡°I''ll loan you a week''s pay, and you can pay me back 1 gold coin a month for 5 months.¡± Ren said and handed the giant the money. ¡°Are you serious?¡± He asked, then handed Ren back the 5 gold coins. ¡°How are you going to get it?¡± ¡°You can leave the money at the Library for the Sage of Ages.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll have her go by and pick it up.¡± The giant shook his head. ¡°You''re crazy.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and walked back to where Groggot and Croggart stood. ¡°Now, how do you decide who''s life is mine to take?¡± The giants turned away from them and formed a circle. Ren saw their arms moving, and about 10 minutes later, heard a loud curse. The group broke up and turned back to face him, and the giant he''d tackled at the beginning stepped forward. ¡°I lost.¡± The giant said. ¡°What did you lose?¡± Ren asked, curious. ¡°The ancient deciding ritual.¡± The giant said. ¡°Boulder, Parchment, and Shears.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said. ¡°You were picked to forfeit your life because you lost at Rock, Paper, Scissors?¡± ¡°I''m not sure what paper and scissors are, but yes. It has always been so.¡± ¡°Now what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Usually it would be a quick beheading, but you are too small to wield a sword properly.¡± The giant said. ¡°Hopefully, you can use something to cut my jugular.¡± The giant made a cutting motion on the side of his neck. ¡°That would be quickest.¡± ¡°Your life is mine to do with as I wish, correct?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°Yes.¡± The giant said, and laid down on the ground in front of Ren. ¡°Please grant me a swift death.¡± ¡°I don''t think that will be necessary.¡± Ren said, and several giants gasped. ¡°He''s going to make it slow and painful!¡± ¡°The little people are so ruthless!¡± ¡°I think we should just step on them. They''re right there.¡± Ren looked at them. ¡°I meant that I was going to spare his life.¡± More gasps were heard. ¡°The life offered isn''t worthy!¡± ¡°Oh, no! We''ll be publicly shamed.¡± ¡°My wife and kids won''t take that money now.¡± ¡°Should we pick another?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Every life is worthy.¡± ¡°He wants all of our lives!¡± ¡°Boy, he''s greedy. Why isn''t one enough?¡± ¡°My wife definitely won''t need the money if I''m dead.¡± Ren waved his arms emphatically. ¡°To be saved! Worthy to be saved! Not taken!¡± ¡°He''s over-reacting a lot, isn''t he?¡± ¡°Just kill him and be done with it.¡± ¡°I''m hungry.¡± ¡°Get up.¡± Ren said to the giant that had laid down in front of him. ¡°You offered your life to me, and I have spared it. Your life is your own again.¡± The giant didn''t move. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t know what to do now.¡± The giant said. ¡°The life offered was always taken.¡± He sighed. ¡°What should I do with my life now?¡± ¡°Keep being a guard. It''s not like they filled your position while you laid here.¡± ¡°Actually, they did.¡± The giant said. ¡°My old position now belongs to the next in line, and so on and so forth.¡± ¡°Can you join the guards again?¡± Ren asked. ¡°And do another three years of training?¡± The giant shook his head. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Ren sighed again. ¡°Then go find something else to do. Geez, I''m not your mother.¡± He said. ¡°Go on! Get!¡± The giant nodded and got up from the ground and walked away. ¡°That was mean.¡± ¡°It''s not his fault you didn''t want to kill him.¡± ¡°If someone doesn''t want to kill, you can''t make them.¡± Ren ignored the voices and waved to the head giant. ¡°What is it now?¡± ¡°Aren''t you going to ask about Rubella?¡± Ren asked and pointed to her. ¡°She was exiled. She''s not my concern.¡± ¡°What does exiled mean?¡± ¡°She was forcibly removed from giant lands, and isn''t allowed back.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Rubella shouted. ¡°I''m all better! Look at me!¡± She did a twirl. ¡°I''m not crazy anymore!¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± The head giant said. ¡°You are outcast, and that''s final.¡± ¡°But... but my baby!¡± Rubella cried. ¡°I have to get back to my baby!¡± ¡°You were infected and attacked people. We removed you. End of story.¡± ¡°What about a medical representative, or government official, or something?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Surely there''s someone we can talk to?¡± The giant shook his head. ¡°I won''t risk one of our people coming out here, just to tell you no.¡± Ren looked at him sternly. ¡°You mean to tell me, that even though we helped get that grub-like thing out of her head, and know how to get rid of the others to save everyone, you aren''t going to let Rubella inside giant lands?¡± The giant didn''t say anything, but he did cross his arms. ¡°You aren''t going to let us inside, either.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Are you?¡± ¡°No.¡± The head giant said. ¡°The general population will panic if they discover that the little people in our fairy-tale stories are actually real.¡± Ren looked at him. ¡°Even though I defeated you, and you surrendered, you''d still fight to stop me from entering your lands?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, that''s just great.¡± Ren said. ¡°I came all this way to help your people, and to return one of your own, and all you can do is tell me that you want me to stay away, knowing full well that the problem can be fixed.¡± He turned and walked away. ¡°I hope you have fun exiling the rest of your population, you ignorant fool.¡± Ren gathered up the people he''d brought to the giant lands, had Rubella pick up the pieces of the large cart, and he repaired and replaced the damaged parts of it. Once it was attached to the cart that Princess was still fastened to, he had everyone climb in. ¡°Just trot.¡± Ren said to Princess, and she trotted away from the giant lands. They traveled for about an hour that way, and Teepo told Ren that the two giants that had been following them had turned around. Ren waited another half an hour, and took a right turn. ¡°Hey! What are you doing?¡± Croggart asked. ¡°We''re supposed to be heading home!¡± ¡°We are.¡± Ren said. ¡°We all are.¡± They traveled for another hour, and came to a stop. ¡°I''m not going to like what happens next, am I?¡± Croggart asked him. Ren shook his head and got down from the driver''s seat, then walked to the large cart that Rubella and Groggot sat in. ¡°This is where we part ways.¡± Ren said to Rubella. ¡°No!¡± Groggot exclaimed. ¡°Ren, you can''t leave her here all alone!¡± ¡°It''s all right, Groggot.¡± Rubella said, and climbed out of the large cart, with Groggot close behind. ¡°I''m a grown woman. I can''t expect him to assume responsibility for me.¡± ¡°After spending so much time with you, I can''t just leave you out here alone.¡± Groggot said to her, then turned to Ren. ¡°Please, Ren! Don''t abandon her!¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Ren said. ¡°As the overall commander of the Garrison, I order you to escort Rubella back to her home and see what the situation is like. If it''s not the home she thought it was, or there''s no home for her to go back to, or if it is her home and your job is done; leave a note at the Library for the Sage of Ages, and I''ll come back here to pick you up.¡± Ren said. ¡°That goes for the both of you, if necessary.¡± Groggot stood there and stared at Ren in shock. ¡°What do you think, Rubella?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Does that sound like a good plan?¡± She knelt and held out a finger for Ren, and he shook it. ¡°You don''t have to do this, you know.¡± Rubella said. ¡°I can make it on my own.¡± ¡°If it turns out that you can''t stay there, gather some supplies. Pick up seeds, plants, or anything that you would need to grow your own food.¡± ¡°I... I don''t have any money...¡± Ren smiled and put several platinum into a coin pouch and had her equip it. It re-sized to fit her, then she looked at the contents and gasped. ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°I hope you do find what you''re looking for.¡± Ren said. ¡°Good luck, both of you.¡± ¡°It was nice meeting you, even under these circumstances.¡± Rubella said and smiled. ¡°I feel the same way.¡± Ren said, and then Groggot took Ren into a hug. ¡°I can''t thank you enough.¡± Groggot said. ¡°You shouldn''t have said that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now you won''t have anything to say when I equip you for the journey.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''m not going to let you just go traipsing off into the giant lands without at least something to defend yourself.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Ren took out one of the crates that had a suit of armor in it. His Mana bar had refilled, so he enchanted the pieces of armor with glyphs of Warding, that reduced the chance that the armor would be seen when looked at, and dyed the pieces black. ¡°I''ve never done anything like this before, but if you wear all of the pieces, it should... should, mind you... give you a high chance of not being discovered.¡± Ren said and handed them to Groggot. ¡°Ren... you don''t have to do this.¡± Groggot said. ¡°I''m sure I can...¡± ¡°...take what I''m giving you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Right?¡± Groggot reluctantly nodded and equipped the armor. ¡°I can give Rubella a set of armor, too. It''s for a man, so it will be uncomfortable to wear for long periods; but, it''ll come in handy if you need it. Plus, it''ll stay this size until you put it on.¡± Ren said and motioned to the empty crate. ¡°I... I don''t know what to say.¡± Rubella said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren took out another set of armor and enchanted it as well. He drank 2 Mana potions to partially fill his practically empty Mana bar, then took out several bolts of fabric. Using Ruck''s pattern as a base, Ren doubled up on the thickness of the backpack, since he couldn''t use reinforced metal for the frame. He made the backpack with extra pockets and openings to the inside, then added extra padding where it would rest against Rubella''s back. ¡°Equip this and hand it back to me, please.¡± Ren said to Rubella, and she did so. It re-sized to fit her, and went from 2 feet wide by 3 feet high to 5 feet wide and 7 feet high. She passed it back, and Ren added a thin wood floor and wood braces around the inside of the backpack, to hold the shape. Handholds were next, and then a small ladder. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Rubella asked. ¡°Making somewhere for Groggot to stay.¡± Ren said and added a chair, which he nailed to the floor. ¡°I think that''s everything for this.¡± He said, then made a thick and long hooded cloak for Rubella. He dyed it black and handed it to her. She equipped it, and it re-sized to fit. She was covered from her head to her ankles, and she pulled the hood down and smiled. ¡°You''re amazing.¡± Rubella said, as she put the crate of armor he''d given her inside the backpack. ¡°I can never repay you for all of this.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just get home to your family.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, and looked at Groggot. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Just a second.¡± Ren said. He sewed up a small harness, hung nearly all of the special wands from it, then handed it to Groggot. They were the wands of Entanglement, Distraction, Grease, Sleep, Fireball and a Major Healing wand. ¡°Don''t use the Fireball unless it''s really necessary.¡± He said. ¡°Like, a last ditch ''we have to get out of here'' necessary.¡± He smiled. ¡°The others you know how to use.¡± ¡°You were right.¡± Groggot said as he put the wand harness on over the armor. ¡°I don''t know what to say now.¡± ¡°That you''ll be careful, won''t take too many risks, and that I''ll hear from you soon.¡± Ren said. ¡°The same goes for me.¡± Croggart said. ¡°I think you''re an idiot for doing this.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know you do.¡± ¡°She tried to kill you.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°She held you captive for weeks.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°So explain it to me.¡± Croggart said. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°Even though she was crazy, and nearly completely out of her mind, she was still nice to me.¡± Groggot said and looked at Rubella. ¡°Despite everything she was going through, she took care of me first.¡± He smiled at her. ¡°I want... I need to return the favor.¡± Croggart hugged his brother for a brief moment, then let him go. Rubella smiled and held open the top of the backpack. Groggot climbed in, she closed it, then put it on. Groggot opened one of the compartments inside and looked out over Rubella''s shoulder. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Groggot said. The giant woman walked off into the night, with her lone dwarf escort on her back. * ¡°You really don''t have to do this.¡± Rubella said. ¡°I can make it back on my own.¡± ¡°I know you can.¡± Groggot said. ¡°I''m just going along for the ride.¡± ¡°You do realize it could take days, or even weeks for me to find out where I am, and how to get back home.¡± ¡°Yeah, and I''ll be right here the whole time. A little voice on your shoulder that will encourage you to keep going, no matter what.¡± A tear came to Rubella''s eye, and she used the sleeve of the cloak to dry it. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, took a deep breath, and walked a little faster towards the border of the giant lands. * ¡°Yeah, I definitely don''t like this.¡± Croggart said. ¡°We came all this way to rescue him, and now he''s going off into an even more dangerous place.¡± He shook his head. ¡°How could you let him go like that?¡± They climbed into the cart and Princess took off towards the dwarf lands. ¡°You heard what Groggot said.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Even if she had been allowed in and we weren''t, he was going in with her anyways. I just did my best to help hide and protect him.¡± Croggart huffed and sat in the back of the cart. He wasn''t happy, but Ren was right. Once Groggot got an idea in his head, he was going to go through with it until it was done. I don''t have to like it, though. Croggart thought. They traveled through the rest of the night, and stopped for food and rest occasionally. It didn''t take as long this time, because they didn''t have to detour to the cave to go back to the Garrison. They didn''t go in a straight line by any means; since the terrain changed from sparce forests to barren areas, to rivers and hills, to tons of underbrush, and then back again. You know, with a regular water source, those large barren areas would be just as nice as the rest of the place. Ren thought as they passed yet another gully that should have had water in it. You''re keeping a good eye out for rogue giants, aren''t you, Teepo? ¡°Nope.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I''m just sitting here twiddling my antennae.¡± Ren smiled, and nodded slightly. ¡°Here should be good.¡± He said, and Princess came to a stop. He unhooked the large cart from the back, moved it away a little, then lit it on fire. Teepo flew over to land on Ren''s shoulder, so he could enjoy the view of the flames up close. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± Croggart asked him. ¡°Recharging my Mana Pool.¡± Ren said, and started using his Absorb Fire ability to change the energy into Mana. It didn''t take long for it to happen, and the cart was reduced to nearly half of it''s size. Ren stored it, fed Princess some food, and he and Croggart ate breakfast themselves. ¡°We should be back home in a couple of hours.¡± Ren said, and yawned. ¡°I need to get some sleep.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Croggart said. ¡°We''ve been up since yesterday morning.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Well, it''s almost over.¡± He said and stood up, then stretched. ¡°I can''t wait to tell Nathalia all about this.¡± ¡°It''s quite the story.¡± Croggart said. ¡°Why don''t you let me ride up front? You can catch a bit of sleep in the back, before we hit the Garrison.¡± ¡°No, that''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just need to keep my mind focus-¡± Croggart shot him with the Wand of Slumber, and Ren''s words were cut off as he fell to the ground unconscious. Croggart had taken the wand from the harness his brother wore when they hugged. He felt bad that his brother wouldn''t have access to the sleep spell; but when a giant was awake, it didn''t work well on them, anyways. It worked great on normal people, though. Croggart picked Ren up and put him near the back of the cart with Stacy and Riley. The two dogs looked at him, and he smiled. ¡°He''s really tired.¡± Croggart said, and went to the front of the cart. ¡°Half-speed.¡± He said. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Princess took off as asked, and Croggart grinned. I just have to keep shooting him with the wand every couple of minutes if he wakes up. Little did Croggart realize that Teepo had been on Ren''s shoulder, and had been caught in the Sleep spell as well. His small astral body had fallen to the ground when Croggart had picked Ren up. As the cart sped away from the spot where Teepo lay unconscious, Ren''s Trouble recipe gathered the essential ingredients that it needed to make something awesome happen. Chapter 212 - Giant Repercussions Ren woke up and he didn''t know where he was. ¡°Wha... what''s...¡± He shook his head. ¡°Teepo?¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Quick! Summon me back!¡± ¡°B-back? What?¡± ¡°There''s no time!¡± Teepo said, as he flew as fast as he could. ¡°I''m too far away!¡± ¡°Too far...what?¡± Ren blinked his eyes and sat up in the back of the cart. ¡°What''s going on?¡± ¡°By the gods, there''s someone IN that cart!¡± Ren heard a voice say. ¡°Open the gate!¡± Another voice said. ¡°Princess? What... what''s going on?¡± Ren asked his mount. You sleep... She thought to him. Man say to bring you here... ¡°W-where?¡± Large stone building we pass through days ago... ¡°Get in here!¡± A dwarf shouted. ¡°Hurry! They''re coming!¡± Ren looked around wobbly, and saw a dwarf waving him into the Garrison. ¡°Princess... go... go inside.¡± She trotted over to the gate and went inside. ¡°We thought the cart was empty, sir.¡± The dwarf said as they shut the gate. ¡°It showed up a minute ago, with no one driving it.¡± ¡°''Salright.¡± Ren mumbled, and tried to climb out of the cart. He fell out and hit the ground on his face. ¡°Ow.¡± He said, and rubbed his head as he rolled over on the ground. ¡°What... what hit me?¡± ¡°I don''t know!¡± Teepo said. ¡°It hit me too, whatever it was!¡± He said frantically. ¡°That was 2 hours ago! Please, Ren! Summon me!¡± ¡°S-s-summon Teepo.¡± Ren said groggily, and Teepo appeared beside his prone body. ¡°Hi... buddy...¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo said, surprised. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°I... I don''t know...¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t... I... I can''t...¡± He laid his head back on the ground and went to sleep. * Croggart felt bad about leaving Ren like that; but, he had to buy himself enough time to get away, and to get through the tunnel under the Garrison. I didn''t even have to use the wand again. He thought. Ren must have been really tired. He ran for all he was worth through the hidden tunnel. I''m not letting them take me again. Croggart thought. I just hope the mount remembered where the main door was. * Ren woke up on a cot in a small stone enclosure. He didn''t know where he was, and looked around. ¡°Teepo?¡± ¡°Right here, Ren.¡± Teepo said, from the small window. Ren tried to sit up, and felt dizzy. ¡°Don''t move yet.¡± A woman''s voice said. ¡°And my name isn''t Teepo.¡± ¡°Wh-wh-what?¡± Ren stammered. ¡°You''ve had a bad reaction to a sleep spell.¡± The healer said. ¡°It''s pretty rare; but, I''ve seen it a couple of times. With so many dwarves around, I see a lot of things here at the Garrison.¡± It was the same healer that had helped him fill his Mana Pool when he was stuck in the brig so long ago. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said, and tried to sit up again. ¡°Hi.¡± She said and held him down. ¡°Do I have to tell you again? Don''t move.¡± ¡°But... but I have... to go...¡± ¡°Where?¡± She asked him. ¡°I... I don''t remember...¡± Ren said. The healer chuckled. ¡°Just lay here until you remember, okay?¡± ¡°O... okay.¡± Ren said, and stopped trying to get up. He didn''t feel like he could stand up straight, anyways. He looked at the healer with a question on his face. ¡°You''re wondering why I can''t just heal you.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°There isn''t anything physically wrong with you for me to heal.¡± The healer said. ¡°Magic is kind of funny that way.¡± Ren tried to chuckle; but his tongue got in the way, and it came out as a raspberry. The healer laughed and pat his shoulder. ¡°Don''t worry. I''ve never seen the effects last more than an hour.¡± She said. ¡°It''s coming up on that now.¡± Ren sighed and looked at Teepo. How... how long... ¡°Nearly three hours.¡± Teepo said, a little sadly. ¡°That''s assuming whatever hit us only happened that once.¡± Damn... dammit. ¡°Ril... Sta...¡± Ren sighed again. ¡°Dogs...¡± ¡°They''re with your cart.¡± The healer said. ¡°They wouldn''t leave that ram''s side.¡± She said, then shook her head. ¡°Who puts full armor plate on a ram?¡± ¡°M-me...¡± Ren said, and she smiled. ¡°Get some rest.¡± The healer said and stood up. ¡°It''s going to be a long fight.¡± ¡°Wh-what...¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± She said and walked to the door of the little room. ¡°We''ll win.¡± Ren stared at her as she shut the door, then looked back at Teepo. What... ¡°You''re going to love this.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m tempted to not tell you, just so you won''t freak out about it.¡± Teepo... ¡°I didn''t say I wouldn''t tell you.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Do you remember that we didn''t see any crazy giants on the way to rescue Groggot, or on the way to the giant''s lands?¡± Yeah... ¡°Well, there was a reason for that.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They were coming here.¡± What! Ren thought in surprise, and tried to sit up. He wavered from side to side, and put a hand out to catch himself on the wall.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°See? That''s why I didn''t want to tell you.¡± Teepo sighed. ¡°Now you''ll want to go out there and help.¡± Yes! ¡°You''re in no condition to do that.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Maybe if you could stay awake for more than a few minutes, you might get better.¡± Ren sighed, took several deep breaths, and tried to concentrate on his Fear Aura. His brain was still a bit too muddled for that, though. He clenched his fists in frustration, because even if he risked his life to go and help, he actually couldn''t help if he couldn''t concentrate properly. What... do I do? Ren thought to his friend, almost desperately. ¡°Hope.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Hope that we''re back far enough that they don''t reach us before you feel better.¡± * ¡°What the hell happened?¡± The Commander of the Garrison asked the watchman. ¡°Didn''t the field of traps catch any of them?¡± ¡°They didn''t come at us through the field, sir.¡± ¡°What? There''s several miles of field! They had to cross it!¡± ¡°No, sir. That''s just the spot they''ve all come out at.¡± The watchman said. ¡°Until now.¡± ¡°By the gods, tell me we have something to defend where they are attacking us.¡± ¡°We''ve tried, sir.¡± The watchman said. ¡°At the most, we''ve had 2 giants attacking at once, and that was a fluke because the sound of the first one attracted the second that happened to be nearby.¡± He sighed. ¡°There''s nearly 30 of them now, all along the Garrison.¡± The Commander sighed. ¡°How far are they in?¡± ¡°The one farthest in, is about 25 feet tall and used part of a tree as a battering ram. He''s in about a quarter of a mile.¡± The Commander shook his head. ¡°I''m really glad they aren''t following each other down the paths another one carves.¡± He said. ¡°We''d be completely lost if they did.¡± * Ren stayed awake for about half an hour, questioned Teepo about everything, and actually did feel a lot better. He took several deep breaths, and concentrated on his Fear Aura. It clicked in, and Ren smiled. He looked at his Screaming Terror rings, formed a connection with one of them and his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. A sharp pain hit him right between the eyes, and he grimaced. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Teepo said from his scouting position. ¡°We can wait a little while longer.¡± No, we can''t. Ren thought as he terminated the Connection and switched to his Command Aura. If the giants get any further in, they''ll hit something vital. He sighed and climbed out of bed. He didn''t feel woozy or lightheaded at all. I''m really glad they built this place like they did. All the small compartments are contained and the giants have to beat down hundreds of 50 foot tall, 15 foot wide walls just to get to the middle where the main barracks are. Teepo flew in the window and hovered in front of Ren. ¡°You should rest a bit more.¡± I need you to scout ahead of me. Ren thought. But stay close. This is the worst thing the Trouble recipe has done yet. ¡°I know.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Why else did you think I wanted you to summon me back?¡± Teepo slid under the door. ¡°There''s a guard, and a small hallway.¡± I thought you just didn''t want to fly all that way. Teepo chittered in laughter as Ren opened the room''s door. ¡°Sir!¡± The guard said. ¡°You should stay in bed.¡± ¡°I''ve had too much sleep already.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where''s my mount?¡± ¡°It''s... ah...¡± ¡°Who would know where my mount is?¡± ¡°One of the watchmen, sir.¡± ¡°Then go get him.¡± Ren said, and followed the guard as he left the hallway and went outside. They found the watchman and he told Ren the mount was several sections over in a park area. ¡°Open the gates to there.¡± Ren commanded, and the guard looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°Sir! All gates are on lock down now that the evacuations are complete.¡± Ren grabbed the guard''s shoulder and shook him. ¡°This is no time to question my orders! Close the gates after I go through them!¡± ¡°I... ah...¡± ¡°Bah!¡± Ren said, and shoved the guard away. ¡°I''m trying to stop the giants! If you aren''t going to help, get out of the way!¡± He said to their startled faces, then ran towards the nearest gate. ¡°OPEN THIS GATE!¡± Ren yelled, and the Warrior on top looked down at him. ¡°I''m sorry, sir!¡± The Warrior yelled. ¡°The gates are on-¡± ¡°OPEN THIS GATE, OR I WILL BREAK IT DOWN!¡± Ren yelled. ¡°I own this Garrison, godsdammit! You are my soldiers! OPEN IT RIGHT NOW!¡± Two more Warriors, and a Knight came over to look down at him. ¡°What''s going on here?¡± The Knight asked. ¡°I¡±M GOING TO FIRE YOU IF YOU DON''T LISTEN TO ME!¡± Ren hollered as loudly as he could. ¡°OPEN! THIS! GAAAATE!!!¡± ¡°Is he crazy or something?¡± One of the Warriors asked. ¡°ARRGGGHHHH!!!¡± Ren bellowed at them. ¡°YOU IDIOTS ARE FIRED!¡± He took out his hammerpick and ran back about 20 feet. It''s just a minor obstruction. It''s just a minor obstruction. He thought to himself over and over, then ran towards the gate that looked both solid and sturdy. At the last second, he swung the hammerpick and hit the wood, breaking it slightly, then crashed through the gate as if it wasn''t there when his shoulder hit it. ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Ren laughed along with Teepo, who chittered in delight. They continued on through the next gate, and then the next, to arrive at the small park where Princess, the cart, and his two dogs, Riley and Stacy, were waiting for him. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Ren said as he came to a stop. He unhooked the cart from Princess, and stored it. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Where... Princess thought to him. ¡°We have giants to stop.¡± Ren said. Teepo? Where''s the nearest stairs to go topside? ¡°We passed it already.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s back a section.¡± ¡°Follow me, please.¡± Ren said and ran back a section, with Princess right there with him, and the two dogs close behind. They went up the stairs and looked around at all of the startled faces. Ren ran over to where the Knight and three Warriors still stood. They stared at him in surprise. ¡°I said you were fired.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure you got the notification.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''m tempted to take the cost of the gates from your severance pay; but, I''m not that heartless to leave you with nothing. Drop off your gear at the armory, and get out.¡± He said and turned away. ¡°I hope you listen better at your next job.¡± The Knight and three Warriors watched him walk away for a moment, then started the long walk across the battlement walls to drop off their things at the armory. ¡°That was a little harsh.¡± Teepo said. Yeah. Ren thought. But I had to keep my word. ¡°You''d have lost Honor and Influence if you didn''t.¡± Teepo said. Right. Ren looked at Princess. ¡°I think it''s time.¡± As do I... She thought to him, and knelt. Ren climbed up onto her back and sat in the saddle. ¡°How is it?¡± Ren asked her as she stood. Not too bad... ¡°That means it''s not too good.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is it too much for you to handle?¡± Let''s see... Princess thought, and took several steps, then trotted, then ran. She couldn''t get up to full speed, but that didn''t matter. She was finally his mount after all of this time, and she exulted in the feeling of completion. Princess was still a lot faster than Ren, and they made it to the closest giant a minute later. A male giant, about 23 feet tall, was pounding the inside wall with his fists, grabbed chunks of stone that broke off, and hurled them at anything that moved. Several Warriors were trying to harass the giant, and that was fine with Ren, because it bought him a little time. He took out a Fireball wand, absorbed the charges from it, and replaced the spell with Web. He shot the giant''s feet with it, and asked Princess to back off slightly. ¡°You know what to do.¡± Ren said, and took a hold of her reins. Princess huffed her agreement, cantered her hooves a couple of times, then ran for all she was worth. She leaped from the edge of the 50 foot battlement wall, flew through the air and down to the confused giant, and rammed her horns into the giant''s back. The impact hit the giant right between the shoulder blades, and Princess'' and Ren''s momentum smashed the giant into the wall he was several feet from, then he crashed down to the ground. They rode his back until he hit, then Princess hopped off as if she was taking a leisurely stroll. ¡°By the gods, did you see that?¡± ¡°Who is that guy?¡± ¡°That''s Ren.¡± One of the Warriors said. Ren looked up at him, and it was one of the dwarves from his recruit class when he was drafted. Teepo? Is that who I think it is? ¡°Yep.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s the overweight dwarf.¡± ¡°I barely recognize him.¡± Ren said and waved to him. The dwarf waved back, and the other Warriors stared at him, then back at the dwarf. ¡°Now the fun part.¡± Ren said, and asked Princess to get closer. He switched his Aura from Command to Fear, then connected his Screaming Terror ring. The pain wasn''t as bad this time, and Ren sighed. I think this is going to hurt. He thought, and made the connection between the two Screaming Terror rings. A sharp pain lanced through his brain, but he ignored it as he activated both rings together, and he could hear the same thing he heard when he did this to Rubella. The giant''s ear filled with blood, and a minute later, a grub-like thing slopped out of the ear and fell to the ground. Ren hopped down and picked up a nice-sized chunk of stone. ¡°I already have one for evidence.¡± He said, and dropped the stone on it. It squished nicely, and was only a stain on the ground now. He waited for a minute, to see if any more of the grub-like things would appear; but, they didn''t, so he let the Connections lapse, switched to his Command Aura, then used a Minor Healing wand on the giant''s ear to stop the bleeding. ¡°I''m out of rope.¡± Ren said and waved to the Warriors on top of the wall. ¡°Get down here and secure this man. He won''t remember much when he wakes up; but I''ll deal with that later.¡± Ren climbed back up onto Princess. ¡°Do NOT kill him!¡± He said. ¡°He''s a victim of this, almost as much as we are.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The previously fat dwarf said, and nodded at Ren. The other Warriors nodded to him as well, and Ren dismissed the Honor gain popups. Teepo? Where''s the next set of stairs? ¡°Two sections in, one section over.¡± Teepo said. Ren asked Princess to go that way. ¡°We have a lot more work to do.¡± Chapter 213 - So Thats Why Ren and Princess dealt with 4 more giants in a very similar manner, and ran to the next giant they could find. It had only gotten in through one wall, and was now trying to smash it''s way through the next. Ren stopped and looked down at the giant, and sighed. It was a child. It never occurred to me that could happen. Ren thought as he pondered how to deal with the 10 foot tall child. It''s hands were bloody, and possibly broken; but, it kept hitting the gate as hard as it could. Ren Left Princess and the dogs on top of the battlement walls and backtracked to the last staircase they had passed, then went down to ground level. The gates were opened for him to pass through without question this time. Maybe word has started to spread about me dealing with the giants. Ren thought. * The Commander stood there in shock as several reports came in about giants being defeated and secured. When they got to the part about Ren doing it, he sighed. ¡°You can''t tell what he''s doing, can you?¡± ¡°Besides using a wand that makes webs, no.¡± ¡°And you''re saying the giants haven''t moved since?¡± ¡°They haven''t, sir.¡± One of the Warriors giving his report said. ¡°They haven''t woken up, either.¡± ¡°Get a healer to one of them. See if they can help.¡± ¡°A... a healer, sir?¡± ¡°Yes, a healer. If we can get one of them awake, maybe we can find out what the hell is going on with them.¡± ¡°I can answer that one, sir.¡± The previously fat dwarf said. ¡°I recovered this next to the fallen giant Ren dealt with. I saw him squash it with a chunk of stone.¡± The dwarf opened a sack and the mushed remains of one of the grub-like creatures flopped out onto the ground. ¡°What, by the gods, is that?¡± The Commander asked. ¡°It came out of the giant''s head, sir.¡± The dwarf responded. ¡°Through it''s ear.¡± The Commander examined it closely, and sent word for one of the people from the crafting section. ¡°Tell them I need this checked right away.¡± The Commander said to one of the messengers nearby, then looked back at the group of dwarves. ¡°Where''s Ren now?¡± ¡°Last I heard, he was headed out to the edge of the wall.¡± One of them said. ¡°So, he''s not doing them in any specific order, just the next one in line from where he started.¡± The Commander nodded slightly. ¡°Normally, that''s a good plan; but, we need to have this one dealt with fast.¡± He pointed to a map of the Garrison, and to a point nearly halfway through. ¡°It''s almost to the Barracks.¡± ¡°Spread the word to the other messengers. Get them to flag Ren down if he''s on the move. Tell him about this giant!¡± ¡°Sir! Yes, sir!¡± The other messengers said and took off running. * Teepo? What should I do? Ren asked his friend, only a gate away from the child giant. ¡°Use the web wand to secure it, then use your Fear Aura. It should work much quicker with a small child.¡± Ren nodded slightly, then waved to the guard on the gate controls. The gate opened, and the giant child turned to look at Ren. ¡°Rawr!¡± It tried to bellow; and since it was only a child, it almost sounded cute. It raised it''s bloody, and slightly mangled hands, then charged. Ren shot it''s feet with the web wand, and because the spell covered a 20 foot wide area, the child was covered from head to foot with it. ¡°NO!¡± Ren hollered and ran forwards. The child struggled, but it was no use. It was caught in the web mid-stride, and it''s face was completely covered. Without even thinking about it, Ren took out his hammerpick and enchanted it with fire. He turned it around and carefully swiped it across the child''s head. The webs burst into flames, and Ren used his Fire Manipulation ability to keep the fire from burning the child, and focused it on the webs. The child''s face was cleared a few moments later, and Ren sighed in relief as he absorbed the fire, then the child took in a deep breath and tried to bellow at him again. ¡°Rawr!¡± Ren laughed, because it did sound cute, then he concentrated on his Fear Aura, made the Connection between the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and a Screaming Terror Ring, and then a Connection between the two Screaming Terror rings. He pumped the terror through his Fear Aura, and the child''s roar turned into an ear-piercing screech as the grub-like creature burrowed it''s way out of the child''s ear. It didn''t take long for the child to become unconscious as the grub-like creature crawled out, fell to the ground, and landed on the web that encased the child. It''s little legs got caught in the webbing, and it couldn''t move away. Ren glanced around to see if there was anything he could use to drop on the grub-like thing, but couldn''t see anything; so, he decided to use the hammerpick. He swung it gently, because he knew the things were soft and easily killed. ¡°Ren, no!¡± Teepo said, and Ren stopped just before hitting it. What is it? ¡°If you use the hammerpick, the creature will probably explode and cover everything with... ah... itself.¡± Got it. Ren thought about it, and looked at his boots. I don''t want to use my boots, either. He looked up at the Warriors looking down at him. ¡°Can someone come down here and use their axe to kill this thing? I''d use my weapon, but it''ll make a huge mess.¡± ¡°Of course, Sir! I''ll be right down!¡± One of them said, and ran towards the closest staircase. ¡°Bring rope!¡± Ren yelled, then stood there and waited. * Several messengers had been sent out in a large array, to try and catch Ren before he moved on to another giant. One of them made his way along the top of the battlement walls, and met the dwarf running the other way. * Ren turned as the gate opened again, and two dwarves came inside. One went to the grub-like creature and dispatched it quickly, then tied up the still unconscious child giant. The other came over to Ren. ¡°Sir! There''s a giant nearly at the Barracks in the center of the Garrison.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Dammit, I was worried about that! Which way?¡± The messenger told Ren which way the giant was, and Ren ran back to the staircase and up to the top of the wall. Princess was already there waiting for him, and he climbed up. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Ren said, and Princess took off at a safe run. She couldn''t go all out because of the way they had to go to get to the spot the giant was smashing things. * Alinar Keacaryn, Leader of the High Elves, was upset. ¡°What do you mean, you ''lost it''?¡± He scowled at the Tracker. ¡°I left the comfort of the Spire just to come out here to talk to you, and you have the nerve to tell me that you LOST IT!¡± ¡°My sincere apologies, sire.¡± The Tracker said. ¡°It''s true that my jaguars will never lose the scent, but if that scent was everywhere, there''s nothing they can do.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± ¡°We tracked it to the human city of Aurora in Aurora Principality quite easily. It was pretty much a straight line.¡± ¡°Then how...¡± ¡°The scent was literally everywhere, sire.¡± ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°I don''t know, sire.¡± The Tracker said. ¡°Whatever it was we were following, made sure to go to every building, inside and out, every hiding spot, tree, bush, shed, shack, and anywhere else they could possibly go. Even under the docks.¡± Alinar shook his head. ¡°That''s not possible in the time they had.¡± He said. ¡°You were sent out the next day!¡± ¡°I don''t know what to tell you, sire.¡± The Tracker said. ¡°We could only search during limited hours at night; but it has taken several weeks to search the whole city.¡± The tracker knelt before him. ¡°I have failed you, and couldn''t find the prey.¡± Alinar sighed. He was tempted to hold the Tracker responsible for the failure, but he knew it wasn''t the Tracker''s fault if the entire city had the prey''s scent. ¡°At least you tracked it to the city.¡± Alinar said, and motioned for the Tracker to stand. ¡°Send a two-man scout party to watch the city. A dark elf will stand out, or make themselves known eventually.¡± ¡°Right away, sire!¡± The Tracker said, and bowed deeply as he retreated backwards to relative safety several feet away, then turned and ran. Alinar turned away before the Tracker was gone from his sight, which was not his normal behavior. He had forgotten he was supposed to wait for his audience to leave before he left himself; but because he had a rogue dark elf to worry about, he conveniently forgot the niceties of his position. I will have it caught! Alinar thought as he went back into the blue and white Spire he called his home. They must be contained, or all is lost! * Ren made it to the spot that the giant had been digging to, and discovered that he had almost been in time. The giant had broken through the thick outer wall of the courtyard, that contained lush gardens and trees that all living things needed to be around. Giant footprints marred the well-tended beauty, and Ren rode Princess down the stairs and followed the trail of destruction at a moderate pace. They passed several uprooted trees, dodged overturned and uprooted boulders, then eventually found the giant. It rammed a fresh tree into the crumbling structure at the center of the courtyard, and Ren saw the remains of several statues. ¡°Ren.¡± Teepo said. Yes, Teepo? ¡°We''re almost back to where we started.¡± What? ¡°I know this might seem weird; but if I didn''t know any better, I''d say this thing was following us.¡± Why do you think it''s following us? ¡°While you were unconscious, you were brought this way to pick up a healer, then brought over to where they kept you.¡± That is weird. Ren thought as the giant stopped it''s relentless attack on the offending building. I wonder how it... oh, crap. The giant turned around and spotted Ren, let out a bellow, and charged at him. ¡°Back to the stairs!¡± Ren said, and Princess turned around and ran back across the courtyard. Riley and Stacy had just arrived at the stairs themselves, and he told Princess to detour to the opening the giant had made in the wall. They went though, and turned around to wait. They didn''t have to wait long, as the giant barreled through the opening only a minute later, and Ren shot the web wand at the arm that held the tree. It hit and spread out 20 feet, covered a good portion of the tree and the giant''s front, including it''s face. That didn''t stop it, however. It swung the tree at where it thought Ren was. The swing missed because Princess had already run around behind the giant, and took Ren with her since he was still on her back. Ren shot the giant with the web wand in the back, this time hitting the ground as well, to try and keep it from moving. That didn''t work, either. It used it''s free hand to pull the webbing off of it''s head, taking most of it''s hair with it, and let out another bellow as it bled and pulled it''s legs free. The giant turned around and tried to swing the tree, and Ren used several more spells to cover the tree. It was now attached to the nearby wall, and the giant couldn''t pull it free. As it''s hand was still webbed to the tree, he was trapped as well. Ren used his Fear Aura and Screaming Terror trick, and the giant started to freak out. Fearing the giant would somehow break free again, Ren shot the web wand at it''s feet several times, securing it in place. It bellowed again, and Ren watched as both of the giant''s ears started to bleed. ¡°That''s new.¡± Ren said out loud, as a grub-like thing popped out of the giant''s ear and landed on the mass of webbing. Then another one from his other ear, and another. The giant started to calm down as more of the creatures left it''s bloody ears, then seemed to pass out as his mouth opened. A large grub-like creature, twice the size of Ren''s head, slid out of the open mouth. Ren guessed that it was nearly 5 feet long, as it came out of the giant and fell to the ground. ¡°You''re a big one.¡± Ren said, and shot it with the web wand because it''s legs were long enough that it started to crawl away without getting caught in the webbing like it''s much smaller fellows. Ren took out a fireball wand, and shot the webbing to set it ablaze. The fireball engulfed the webs and Ren could hear all of the little creatures screaming. The mass of webbing moved and danced as the large one tried to struggle free. Ren shot the wand again, to keep the fire going, and used his Fire Manipulation ability to keep the fire away from the giant. It didn''t matter, though. The giant hadn''t breathed after the large grub-like thing had left it. Ren let the fire burn, adding more webs when necessary, and absorbed some of the fire''s energy as he recharged the wand. It didn''t take long for the little creatures to be consumed by the fire, but the large one only struggled more as it squealed. Ren shot it once more with the web wand, then took out his hammerpick. Since the creature was under the webbing, there shouldn''t be a danger of it covering everything with it''s gore; so he swung the hammerpick and squished it. The creature exploded, just like Teepo had guessed it would, and gore soaked the webbing as the lump that was the creature, deflated. Ren used the web wand again, and used the fire to consume everything on the ground. When the fire was done, all that was left was the giant, partially covered in webs, and several crispy carcasses on the ground.
Stat Change!
Fire Manipulation Level 2 (Intermediate 0%)
I didn''t think I had used that ability enough to level it again. Ren thought. ¡°Maybe it scales with the size of the fire.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You leveled it a lot that night of the fire in Aurora.¡± That''s true. A minute later, the web holding the giant upright dissolved, and the body fell backwards. Ren walked over to the large grub-like creature''s remains, and looted it.
Congratulations!
You have killed a creature that has never been seen before: The Brain Arthropod Grub! It gestates for years in the host body, before laying it''s eggs and sending it''s progeny out into the world to invade other hosts, to make a home suitable for itself to live in. Rewards: 8,365 XP First Time Bonus: +5,000 XP; +1,000 Fame Loot: 30 grub legs (full size), 2 mandibles (venom covered), 2 venom glands (numbness), 1 platinum coin.
Notice!
Extra Fame converted to XP. 1,000 Fame x 10 XP = 10,000 XP
Notice!
Special Loot found! 1 vial of Brain Arthropod Pheromones. The Brain Arthropod Grub (in any form) emits pheromones through it''s exposed skin, and other grubs are attracted to it''s presence. The contents of this vial, that can only be obtained from a fully-grown Brain Arthropod Grub, is guaranteed to attract the others of it''s like, even more so than it''s exposed body does.
¡°Oh, crap!¡± Ren said after reading the special loot popup. He looked around at the devastation the fully grown grub had caused, and hoped he could find the Commander of the Garrison to let him know what was coming, and to set up proper defenses. Princess took off at a run at Ren''s command, up the path of destruction that the giant had carved out of the Garrison. This was the most vulnerable spot, since it went so far into the Garrison; so, this was where Ren decided to mount the first defense. If he was lucky, he would make it to the spot the giant had first entered the Garrison, before another one showed up to continue the giant''s work. What Ren didn''t know, was that it was already too late. Three more giants, just as big and pissed off as the first one he''d just defeated, were already running down the opening towards him. Chapter 214 - The Plan Ren rode Princess for only 30 seconds before Teepo spotted a giant coming towards them. ¡°Ren! There''s a giant coming! It''s got a tree, too!¡± I wonder. Ren thought. Do you think it''s just like the one we just defeated? ¡°I don''t know for sure.¡± Teepo said. ¡°But, this will be only the second time we''ve seen a crazy giant use any kind of weapon... oh, wait. Third time.¡± What do you mean third time? Ren asked his friend. This will be the second... ¡°There''s a giant behind the one coming.¡± Crap. Ren thought, and asked Princess to stop. ¡°Riley and Stacy! To the sides of the hole! Princess, get ready to ram it in the chest!¡± Princess dug in her hooves and leaned forward slightly. Ren took out a Fireball wand and replaced the charges with Grease. He also took out the only wand he didn''t give Groggot; the Wand of Shrinkage, that had Reduce Person spells in it. Ren was tempted to use the web wand again, but he saw how little effect it had when the giants were moving. He used the Grease wand and covered a good portion of the ground in the section ahead of them. ¡°Here they come!¡± Teepo said, and Ren saw the lead giant run towards them. Ren changed his mind and used the web wand to cover the opening behind him with several layers of web, then turned back around. ¡°Get ready!¡± Ren said, and the group prepared to pounce on his command. * ¡°Can you believe this guy?¡± One of the Warriors said as they came over to look down at the devastation the other giant had left, and saw Ren standing against the giants. ¡°Look at him! He''s not even scared!¡± One of the other Warriors laughed. ¡°Are you kidding? He''s taken down a few giants already. What''s three more?¡± ¡°Two more than he''s handled at once.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± The Warrior said, then hollered at Ren. ¡°THERE''S THREE OF THEM!¡± * ¡°THANKS!¡± Ren said. ¡°You heard. Attack accordingly!¡± The two dogs barked softly, and Ren climbed down off of Princess. She glanced at him, and he smiled. ¡°You don''t need me slowing you down.¡± He said, and pat her neck and walked to the side a little. She huffed at him, and he felt her amusement. A moment later, the giant in front hit the grease in the next section, slipped and fell, then slid through the opening in the other wall. The tree he carried hooked the wall as the giant slid by, and tore the tree from the giant''s grip. It covered part of the opening the giant just came through, and the giant skid across the dry ground on it''s side facing Ren. ¡°Now, Princess!¡± Ren said, and Princess ran to head butt the giant in the chest, where Ren had seen the large Brain Arthropod Grub come out from. The speed of the giant collided with the speed of Princess, and the giant''s mouth opened as a gush of blood and gore came out through the mouth and the nose. It was much more than could possibly come out from a hit like that, so Ren knew the creature had met it''s end. Thankfully, neither he nor Princess were in the splash zone as the blood and other things spilled out. Ren webbed the body up to stop the little grubs from escaping, and turned his attention to the next giant. It hit the grease, fell, and slid into the downed tree the first giant had dropped. There was a sound of bone being crunched, and the giant stopped moving. Ren webbed it''s head and the ground to stop the grubs before they escaped, and waited for the last giant. It was a little smarter than the first two, and tried to jump the grease; it mostly succeeded, and landed close to the webbed tree. It''s momentum carried it forward, however; it tripped over the second giant and rolled over the tree, to end up in a sitting position right between Riley and Stacy. They both launched Fireballs from the wands in their mouths, and hit the giant in the head at the same time. It hollered in rage, and the dogs grabbed it''s arms with their jaws to stop it from moving. Princess took that opportunity to ram it in the chest, and another burst of blood and gore spewed forth across the ground. The giant''s head lolled to the side, and when the dogs let the giant''s arms go on Ren''s command, the body slumped over. He webbed it up, then took out the Wand of Shrinkage, and shot the first giant. The body reduced in size by half and the weight was cut to an eighth of it''s original weight; so the 22 foot giant was now only 11 feet tall and the space available inside of it was also reduced. Ren heard a sloshing sound as all of the grubs inside were crushed. The spell only worked on humanoids; so he suspected this would happen, and smiled as his idea was confirmed. He shot the other two bodies, and their unwanted passengers were squished as well by the shrunken space they were trying to hide in, then he looted the bodies.
Notice!
You have dispatched 3 more adult Brain Arthropod Grubs from existence. Rewards: 25,095 XP Loot: 90 legs (full size), 6 mandibles (venom covered), 6 venom glands (numbness), 3 platinum coins.
Level up!
You have gained a level and are now Level 32. 10 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked new class skills: Fast Crafting, Craft Rod
Notice!
Your familiars have gained enough levels that your skill Craft Familiar has increased in level. Craft Familiar Level 4 (Intermediate 0%)
I didn''t get anything from the giants themselves. Ren thought. Maybe there wasn''t enough of them left for anything to be looted. He dismissed the popups and looked around. ¡°Good job!¡± He said, and pat Riley and Stacy on the heads, then climbed up onto Princess'' saddle. ¡°That was perfect timing.¡± Ren felt happiness and some proudness from Princess and his dogs, and nodded slightly. He looked at the Warriors that had stood on top of the battlement walls and watched. ¡°Where''s the Commander?¡± He asked them, and they told him where the field Command Center was. ¡°Thanks!¡± Ren said, and Princess took off running, with Riley and Stacy close behind. * ¡°Okay, that guy is crazy.¡± One of the Warriors said. ¡°He didn''t dodge, jump, or even try to avoid anything that might hit him.¡± ¡°You can see the armor he''s wearing, right?¡± The second one said and laughed. ¡°I doubt he has to do anything but stand there.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± The first one said. ¡°Wouldn''t it be nice to have armor like that?¡± ¡°And stand out on a battlefield like a lantern in the dark?¡± The third one said. ¡°It''s just begging for special attention from enemies.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Apparently, he can take it.¡± The second one said. ¡°I would have been shaking in my boots with 3 giants, nearly 5 times my size, running at me!¡± ¡°You were shaking in your boots.¡± The first one said, and laughed himself. ¡°I could even hear your knees knocking together.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± The second one said, but didn''t argue the point. He actually was terrified to see giants up close. * ¡°I really hope he''s okay.¡± Ereka said absently, as she finished the nice meal she''d ordered from Nathalia''s Nourishment and had brought back to her office. ¡°Who?¡± Artrude the healer asked her childhood friend. She still had a dessert to tackle, so she waited to see who Ereka meant. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You said you hoped he was okay. Who did you mean?¡± Artrude asked. ¡°Groggot, of course.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Really?¡± Artrude smiled. ¡°Not even a bit worried about our magnificent benefactor at all, are you?¡± Ereka rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, I''m concerned about him too; but, he went out to save Groggot. Nathalia told me not to worry about Ren, and that he could take care of himself.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Artrude smiled knowingly at her, and took a bite of the piece of cake she had. ¡°Oh, that''s delicious!¡± ¡°Nathalia always makes the best food.¡± Ereka looked at her friend. ¡°By the way, why did you ask to join me for an early lunch?¡± ¡°What? I can''t just spend some time with my childhood friend?¡± Artrude asked playfully. Ereka smiled. ¡°Of course you can.¡± She said. ¡°I just assumed you wanted to talk about something after we ate.¡± ¡°Well...¡± Ereka smiled. ¡°Go ahead. Ask away.¡± ¡°It''s been a while since Malenka and I met.¡± Artrude said. ¡°I''m... well, I want to get her something nice to celebrate.¡± Ereka nodded slightly for her to continue. ¡°I have no idea what to get her, though.¡± ¡°Hm. That''s a tough one.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Does she like furniture?¡± ¡°Not besides using it to jump on.¡± Artrude said and both women laughed. ¡°Okay. Since you''ve got a house already, and furniture, and all the medical supplies you need...¡± ¡°See? It''s hard to come up with something.¡± Artrude said. ¡°Well, there is something you don''t know about...¡± Ereka smiled, and told Artrude about some of the special products Ren sold out of his store in the human kingdom. Before she had finished telling her about it all, Artrude stood up and grabbed her by the shoulders. ¡°Take me to the workshop where they''re made!¡± Artrude exclaimed, and Ereka laughed. ¡°Easy, girl! They aren''t going to sell out in the next few minutes.¡± ¡°You just said he makes them for the human kingdom. I can''t let something like that slip through my fingers, now that I know about it!¡± Artrude said, and shook Ereka by the shoulders. ¡°All right, all right!¡± Ereka said. ¡°Can I at least eat my pastry before-¡± ¡°NO!¡± Artrude hauled her out of the chair and pushed her towards the door of the office. * Ren didn''t encounter any more giants along the path of destruction the first giant had caused. When he got to the cross-section he needed to take, he noticed several dwarves trying to repair the damage. He was tempted to stop and help; but, he needed to get the critical information about the grubs to the Commander. Ren made his way over to the Command Center, and was surprised to find two dozen dwarves just standing around and not doing anything. ¡°What''s going on here?¡± Ren asked as he climbed down from the saddle on Princess'' back, and the dwarves turned around to look at him. ¡°They''re waiting for orders.¡± The Commander said as he came through a gate that opened for him as he passed. ¡°I hear you''re doing good work.¡± ¡°Technically.¡± Ren said. ¡°It might cause more problems, though.¡± He said, and explained about the Brain Arthropod Grubs. ¡°No, that''s perfect!¡± The Commander said. ¡°Them being attracted to their kind like that, isn''t a bad thing. We can use that to gather them together.¡± ¡°Is there somewhere we can do that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°This place is huge. I thought I covered a lot of ground, but you say there''s 25 or more still breaking in?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Commander said and pointed on a map where the giants were last seen. ¡°I''ve got scouts watching them, but any kind of defense we try to mount, just aggravates the giants and gets dwarves killed.¡± ¡°Where do you want them led to?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Right here.¡± The Commander pointed. It was a blacked out area on the map he had. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The Hole.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°There''s no way we can get them to go through those little tunnels to get there.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve been in it, and there''s not enough room for the giants to even stand up.¡± The Commander laughed. ¡°Not the Hole under the section by the Brig, this is the Hole. As in, bottomless.¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I won''t send victims to their deaths like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been down a ''bottomless'' hole. I won''t subject anyone else to that.¡± ¡°Are you refusing to help defend the Dwarven Kingdom?¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Ren scowled at the Commander. ¡°I''m doing my best to defend it!¡± He said, heatedly. ¡°I''ve put my life, and the lives of my mount and dogs, at risk to defend this kingdom.¡± He said. ¡°I''m trying to save as many lives as I can. If all I wanted to do was kill the giants, I could have just shot them all. I am NOT going to drop them into a bottomless pit!¡± The Commander scowled back. ¡°It''s the fastest way to deal with them! Your way is taking too long!¡± ¡°Only because I''m standing here arguing with you, instead of dealing with them!¡± Ren fired back. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± The female healer asked Ren as she stepped forward. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You were unconscious not that long ago. How are you now?¡± She asked. ¡°I''m much better, thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°No lingering effects?¡± ¡°Not that I''d noticed.¡± He said. ¡°That''s good.¡± She said. ¡°I want you to be careful. If you feel drowsy at all, come back here to see me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Commander...¡± She smiled at the Commander. ¡°...is there another area that the giants can be lured into, that they wouldn''t die right away, and this man can deal with a group of them all at once, rather than running all over the Garrison?¡± ¡°You want him to fight a bunch of them?!?¡± ¡°I''ve handled 3 at once.¡± Ren said. ¡°But that was with my mount and dogs helping, in a small space. I don''t know if I can handle too many at once.¡± ¡°What was it that you did to them to make the grubs come out?¡± The healer asked, and Ren explained about his Fear Aura, and Screaming Terror rings. ¡°Dammit! So, we can''t duplicate it.¡± The Commander said. ¡°I could make more Screaming Terror rings easily enough; but they don''t work directly, and the only other people I know who can produce a Fear Aura can''t form Connections to them.¡± Ren said. The Commander sighed and rubbed his forehead. ¡°We could draw the giants somewhere else, but there''s nothing inside the Garrison big enough to deal with them.¡± ¡°How many men with digging experience and picks can you get?¡± Ren asked the Commander, who laughed. ¡°Everyone.¡± ¡°That are willing to dig out under the Garrison to a spot, say, a thousand feet out. It would have to be 50 feet deep, or 10 feet down and 40 feet deep.¡± Ren looked around. ¡°Anyone have some parchment?¡± A piece was handed over, and Ren drew out what he wanted. ¡°You can start at the Garrison, dig a small tunnel out to where the pit will be, then make a pit this wide and deep, leaving small thin supports to hold up the top 10 feet of dirt.¡± ¡°You want us to make a large pit trap.¡± The Commander said. ¡°How are you going to get them there?¡± ¡°Two ways.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll scare out another normal grub, and run down all the damage paths to get the normal giants to follow me. Once I have enough of them on my trail, I''ll lead them out to the middle of the pit trap.¡± He said, and took out a vial of the Brain Arthropod Pheromones. ¡°I can lure the big ones with this.¡± ¡°But you''ll be caught in the trap as well.¡± The healer said. ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d have to go into the pit anyways, to deal with them.¡± ¡°You''re crazy.¡± One of the dwarves said. ¡°Crazy is as crazy does.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Just make sure you keep the dimensions of the pit to this diameter, and no further.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± The Commander asked. ¡°It''s within the limit of my Aura.¡± Ren said. ¡°Anything outside of that, and they''ll escape.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The Commander said, and looked at the gathered dwarves. ¡°I was going to say that this mission is strictly volunteer, but you''re all mostly volunteer anyways.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Gather the picks and shovels you''ll need. This pit has to be done as soon as possible.¡± Ren took out a pair of steel squares and enchanted them with the Sending glyph, without anyone noticing. ¡°Take this.¡± He said, and handed one of the squares to the Commander. ¡°Let me know when I can start luring the giants to the pit area.¡± The Commander looked at the Sending Square, then at Ren. ¡°Where did you get these?¡± He asked. ¡°I''ve never seen anything like them before.¡± ¡°You haven''t been to the Main House at House Neram then.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I may have to visit it soon.¡± The Commander said and pocketed the square. ¡°How many diggers do we have that are willing to do this?¡± Ren asked. Twenty dwarves raised their hands. ¡°Perfect.¡± Ren said and took out a crate that held a suit of armor. ¡°I''ve got something for you.¡± ¡°I take it those are the suits of armor you mentioned a while ago, that you have at a discount for the Garrison?¡± The Commander asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been selling them out of my store in the human kingdom.¡± ¡°We''d definitely be interested in buying them.¡± The Commander said. ¡°Buy them?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I own the Garrison, remember? All I''m doing is equipping a special unit for a mission.¡± The Commander nodded slightly. ¡°Why are they bare metal, though?¡± ¡°Because I haven''t dyed them yet.¡± Ren said, enchanted the chest pieces with Protection glyphs, and dyed the armor a mottled gray, just like the regular uniforms. ¡°This is great!¡± The first dwarf to put on the bodysuit and armor said. ¡°It''s lighter and easier to move in.¡± ¡°Okay, now I want in.¡± One of the dwarfs that didn''t raise their hands said, and the others laughed. Ren equipped 22 dwarves in armor and Protection glyphs, and they left to start digging the pit. ¡°All right.¡± The Commander said, then turned to Ren. ¡°Get out there and stop as many giants as you can.¡± ¡°Now that I know where to look, it should go faster.¡± Ren said, nodded slightly to the Commander, and to the healer; then climbed up to sit on Princess'' saddle again and took off at a run, with his two dogs close behind. Chapter 215 - The Pit Trap Using his mount''s exceptional speed across the tops of the battlement walls, Ren continued to deal with the giants. The technique he used varied with each encounter; Princess tripped one and Ren subdued it, another was easily webbed to the wall it was trying to beat through, one he used the leg-holding trap, and one giant he only had to get within his Aura''s radius, and the grub popped right out. ¡°Sir, the pit trap is ready.¡± The Sending Square said in the Commander''s voice. It had taken several hours for the pit trap to be ready, and Ren had already dealt with 15 more giants. He could have defeated even more than that, but they were spaced so far apart that he spent a lot of his time traveling and setting up encounters to capture the giants. Ren concentrated on the Commander and spoke back. ¡°I''ve already got 6 of the little monsters in a sack.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wasn''t sure only one would be enough.¡± The Commander didn''t say anything back, and Ren smiled. He had forgotten to tell him the Sending Squares didn''t have the same restrictions as a Sending Stone. ¡°I''ll start running these things along the damage paths to draw out the giants still inside. Once I do that for each spot with the giants that still remain, I''ll drag the sack out into the wilderness and drop some more pheromones.¡± Ren waited for a minute for the Commander to realize the Sending Square was still working. ¡°I''ll make a direct path from there to the pit trap. If we can draw enough of them to the spot, we can actually leave the pit there and keep capturing the giants. Once the pit trap is open, we can make more pheromone paths out into the wilderness by dragging the sack out from the pit.¡± ¡°How are you still talking?¡± The Commander asked. ¡°My mouth still works.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°No, I meant... you know what I mean.¡± ¡°Yeah. These squares are only limited by distance, not usage. Out to about 10 hours by cart, actually.¡± Ren explained. ¡°How long have you had them?¡± ¡°About 2 months.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s counting the month I was away with Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°We need these squares.¡± The Commander said. ¡°You don''t realize how easy it will be to get messages to the other deployed squads around the Garrison.¡± ¡°It takes a heck of a lot more than 10 hours to travel by cart along the Garrison.¡± Ren countered. ¡°We''ll set up relays. One bunch of squares to connect the several miles within that first section, then a single pair to connect to the next section. Etcetera, etcetera.¡± ¡°That would take a while to set up.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m a little busy right now.¡± ¡°Agreed. We can worry about the communication problems later.¡± The Commander said. ¡°Good luck, and watch your back.¡± Ren unhooked the sack from Princess'' saddlebag and cut several small holes in it, and sewed them around the edges so that they wouldn''t tear. It exposed the small grubs inside without letting them escape, and he tied the sack to the saddle with a rope that one of the dwarves had given him. ¡°Riley, Stacy.¡± Ren said to the dogs. ¡°You''ve been a big help, but Princess and I are going to be running really fast now. I know you can almost keep up with us if we aren''t going all out; but, until I find a speed spell...¡± The dogs barked softly and sat down. Ren felt consternation from them, and then Princess gave him an idea. Remember hooves of speed... Ren turned around to look at her, and then he grinned. ¡°That''s a great idea!¡± He said, and took out a piece of scrap cloth. He measured the outside dimensions of Riley''s and Stacy''s paws, and then did up a design for little boots for them. He left the tips of the boots open so that the retractable claws wouldn''t cut the fabric; then Ren sewed up 4 pairs of dog-sized paw-shaped boots and dyed them black. ¡°These are just temporary.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I remember to do it when I get back to a forge, I''ll make metal versions.¡± He accessed his Craft Wondrous item ability, and the 1 foot square golden platform appeared. He placed each pair of boots on it, and made them into Boots of Striding and Leaping. Ren put them on both dogs, and they combined to give each dog a 50% boost to speed and doubled their jump distance. ¡°That should be enough for you to keep up.¡± Ren said. ¡°If it''s not, head out to the spot where the pit is. I''ll meet you there.¡± Riley and Stacy barked softly, and Ren climbed back into the saddle. ¡°Okay, guys. Let''s go!¡± Princess took off down the last path of damage Ren had come down to get the giant, and they dragged the sack behind them. The dogs had no trouble keeping up with them. Thanks to Princess'' speed, Ren managed to go all along the parts of the Garrison where giant sightings had been reported. After he reached sight of each report, he would drag the sack of exposed grubs out to the wilderness to the same spot, picked it up, and then went to the next sight to do it again. It took another 3 hours to do it, and Ren covered nearly 20 hours of distance. He didn''t hear of any new reports, so when he was done, he dragged the sack back out towards the wilderness. ¡°RWWWAAAARRRR!¡± Ren heard a bellow and turned around. The giant from that last damage path ran out through the opening after them. ¡°Perfect! Let''s go!¡± Ren said, and Princess took off at a good run, with Riley and Stacy close behind, and the giant right behind them. As they moved through the wilderness back to the spot he''d picked at random, Teepo warned him there were more giants close by. ¡°This is where it gets dangerous! Riley, Stacy, stay sharp! Head to the pit!¡± The dogs peeled off to the right and disappeared from sight. Ren took out one of the vials of pheromones and sprinkled a little bit on the sack of grubs. He heard a dozen more yells and roars from nearly all around them; and Ren told Princess to not waste any time and to head to the pit trap. A giant crashed through the trees in front of them, and Princess weaved between it''s legs and just barely missed getting caught by the next giant. The one chasing them hit the one that jumped out, and they tumbled to the ground. Ren didn''t wait to see if they untangled themselves, because all of the other giants were now chasing him. Princess couldn''t run full out because of the trees; but the giant''s didn''t have that problem and barreled through them as if they weren''t there. Ren wasn''t sure how they could to that, since he could see several of the giants had broken arms. It''s just like that giant I fought that pulled the webbing off it''s head. It didn''t react at all when the web took most of the giant''s hair with it. Ren thought. That numbness venom must be powerful stuff! Princess led the giants through the trees and through several open areas. They aren''t slowing down, either. I wonder if the numbing venom somehow bypasses the Stamina bar. Ren pondered the idea as they made their way back to the pit, then he thought about the Commander. ¡°I''ve got a whole bunch of giants chasing me.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you have anyone near the spot, or between here and there, clear them out now.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The Commander said. He''s really chatty. Ren thought in amusement. ¡°He doesn''t seem like the type that talks much.¡± Teepo commented. ¡°We''re coming up to the cut-off point.¡± Right! Ren thought. ¡°This is it! Are you ready, Princess? It''s a big drop.¡± He felt Princess'' amusement, and he scratched her neck. ¡°It''s all or nothing time!¡± Ren said. ¡°Yeah!¡± Teepo said, and Princess huffed and poured on the speed as they broke out into the clearing where he''d said to dig the pit trap. Riley and Stacy were on the other side, and waited for them. When Princess hit the part where the dirt was barely being held up, her stride faltered slightly because the ground was a lot softer than it should be. She kept going as best as she could, and then the giants came into the clearing right behind them.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Jump!¡± Ren said, and Princess kicked off from the ground and leaped as far and as high as she could. The giants chasing them hit the pit trap and took several running steps before the thin supports that held up the top ten feet of dirt let go. Time seemed to slow down as Princess flew through the air and the ground fell out from underneath her and the giants, and the entire pit trap opened up as the giants tumbled down the 50 feet to the bottom. Princess barely managed to land on the far side of the pit trap, and skidded to a stop beside Riley and Stacy. She turned around and Ren watched as giant after giant kept running after them, and fell into the pit instead. Teepo took off from Ren''s shoulder to scout for anything else that might be approaching, and froze as he looked at the side of the pit trap Ren was on. ¡°Ren! There''s a giant coming up behind you!¡± Teepo said, and Ren turned just in time to see a giant come through the other side of the clearing. Ren used the grease wand, and the giant slipped and fell to the ground, but kept coming towards them on momentum alone. ¡°Oh, crap!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Run!¡± Princess tried to run to the side, and managed to get out of the giant''s path; unfortunately, the giant was too close and grabbed the sack that was tied to her saddle. The giant slid by and into the pit trap, then dragged Princess and Ren along with it. ¡°NOOO!¡± Teepo hollered as his best friend fell into a 50 foot deep pit with over 60 angry giants inside. * ¡°They still aren''t back yet?¡± Ereka asked Nathalia as she came into the kitchen to have supper. ¡°No.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°But, I''m not worried. They''re probably still too far away to call and let us know what''s going on.¡± ¡°I don''t know how you can keep so calm during a crisis.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I can make myself forget the situation for a while when I get busy; but other than that, it''s all I can think about.¡± ¡°I''ve had lots of practice.¡± Nathalia said, then got a surprised look on her face. ¡°I just realized what that means. I''ve been in so many situations like this, that it''s not a big deal.¡± She sat down, kind of shell-shocked. ¡°When did I become so nonchalant about the man that I love being in danger?¡± Ereka put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I think it''s the amount of danger that''s kind of made you numb to it.¡± She said. ¡°Like you said, he''s only going up against one giant. If he was facing a group of giants, I think you would be reacting differently.¡± ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± Nathalia said and smiled. ¡°Ereka?¡± Croggart''s voice emanated from Ereka''s pocket. She dug out the Sending Square that was paired up with Croggart''s, and smiled in relief. ¡°Croggart! You made it back!¡± Ereka said. ¡°Did you rescue Groggot?¡± ¡°Yes, but there''s no time for that right now.¡± Croggart said. ¡°Pack your things. We''re leaving.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± ¡°Pack your things. We have to go.¡± ¡°Why? What happened?¡± ¡°I''m not going back to the Garrison and prison.¡± ¡°Croggart, they won''t keep you in prison.¡± Ereka said. ¡°They''ll find you innocent of Nershan''s death.¡± ¡°You always look to the bright side of things.¡± ¡°And you always try to avoid responsibility.¡± Ereka said and laughed. ¡°Let me talk to Groggot.¡± ¡°I said there''s no time for that.¡± Croggart said. ¡°Get over here and pack your things.¡± ¡°You''re at the house?¡± Ereka said, surprised. ¡°Yes. Now, let''s go!¡± ¡°Not until you tell me what''s going on.¡± Ereka said, sternly. Croggart sighed. ¡°Ren tried to take me back, and I couldn''t let him.¡± ¡°What did you do to him?!?¡± Nathalia exclaimed after touching the Sending Square. ¡°Nothing.¡± Croggart said, and both Nathalia and Ereka winced. ¡°You lying piece of...¡± Nathalia tried to say, but Ereka pulled the Sending Square out of her reach. ¡°Croggart, tell me what you did.¡± Ereka said, much more calmly than she felt. ¡°I used a sleep spell on him, and sent him to the Garrison with his cart and mount.¡± ¡°No!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°What is it, Nathalia?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°Ren won''t react well with a sleep spell.¡± Nathalia said. I''ve used my sleep ability on Ren a few times already. If he had a sleep spell used on him, too... She shook her head slightly. I hope he''s okay. ¡°What is it?¡± Croggart asked. ¡°Nathalia said Ren will react badly from the spell.¡± ¡°Huh. I wondered why it worked on him for so long.¡± ¡°How long?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°How long?¡± Ereka asked Croggart. ¡°It was only supposed to be for a couple of minutes, but it lasted for the two hour trip to the Garrison after I used it this morning. I don''t know anything past when I left him there.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°He could still be asleep!¡± She looked at her Sending Ring, and concentrated on Ren. ¡°Ren? Can you hear me?¡± She said, a little desperately. ¡°Please, be okay!¡± There was no answer. ¡°Croggart, how could you do that to him after everything he''s done for you?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°After everything he''s done for all of us?¡± ¡°I''ve spent enough time in jail, thank you very much. I''m not going back.¡± ¡°Well, you aren''t dragging me along with you, either.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''m staying right here.¡± ¡°Ereka, please.¡± Croggart said. ¡°With Groggot gone into the giant lands, you''re the only family I have left here.¡± ¡°Groggot did WHAT?!?¡± Croggart sighed. ¡°Now you know why I didn''t want to talk about it right now.¡± ¡°You will tell me everything right now, mister!¡± Ereka said, vehemently. ¡°Or I will never forgive you!¡± ¡°That''s pretty much it. We saved Groggot, and then Ren saved the giant from some head slug. When she woke up, Ren took us to the giant lands to drop her off. Once there, they said she wasn''t allowed in, so her and Groggot snuck in. Ren and I left, and on the way back I used a sleep spell on Ren, and here I am.¡± ¡°You jerkface!¡± Ereka said. ¡°If Ren ends up hurt from this, you are going to pay! Do you hear me? I''ll make you pay!¡± ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Croggart said. ¡°He''s an Adventurer. He gets hurt all the time.¡± ¡°Not from people who are supposed to be his friends, you idiot!¡± ¡°It was just a sleep spell.¡± Croggart said. ¡°What''s the worst that could happen? He falls asleep?¡± * When Ren and Princess had been dragged over the side of the pit, he''d tried to hold on; but, he had tumbled away before they had landed on the bottom. Ren had also banged his head when he''d fallen onto the giant. He wasn''t sure what it was that he had hit; only that it was hard and it had knocked him out cold. Ren tried to open his eyes, and all he could see was the underside of a grub. He wasn''t sure how long he''d been asleep; but it must have been a while. When he moved the grub on his face away, he saw that he was covered nearly head-to-toe in the small Brain Arthropod Grubs. One was digging at the side of his head, and Ren pushed it away. The grub was covered in blood, so he felt his ear, then sighed. It was in tatters, and his hand was covered in blood. Ren took out a piece of cloth and held it to his ear, and was really glad that the fist-sized grubs couldn''t fit inside his ear like they so desperately wanted. Ren sat up and looked around as the grubs squealed at him for disturbing them. The giants didn''t react to his movements at all, and were gathered in the center of the pit. He thought that behavior was a little odd, considering how hard they had been chasing him, and then he remembered the sack of grubs with the pheromones sprinkled on it. That must be what they are all standing around, so Ren pushed the other grubs off and stood up. He felt woozy and fell to his knees. ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo said as he flew over to him. ¡°Hurry! Princess is hurt!¡± Ren nodded and tried to stand again, with the same result. Crawling it is. He thought and started to move in the direction Teepo flew off to. The giant that had dragged them down was nowhere to be found, but Ren did find Princess. ¡°Oh, no!¡± Ren said when he saw what she looked like. He ignored his own condition and half-ran, half-stumbled over to her and knelt beside her. The rope the sack of grubs had been tied to, had wrapped around one of her back legs somehow during the fall. Unfortunately, the giants really wanted that sack, and had taken it in the most brutal way possible. Her back leg was now pointing nearly straight out to the side. ¡°I''m so sorry, Princess.¡± Ren said, tears in his eyes. ¡°I saw what happened.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The giant stepped on her other back leg, and pulled the sack away.¡± Ren looked at her other leg, and got angry. ¡°Godsdammed giants!¡± He said as he took out one of the venom-covered mandibles he had looted from one of the large brain arthropod grubs, and rubbed it across both legs. Princess sighed in relief, and Ren pat her neck. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll get a healer here as soon as possible.¡± Princess huffed, and he scratched her chin as he concentrated on the Commander. ¡°I need a healer in the pit trap.¡± Ren said. Teepo, where are we? ¡°North side, just under the overhang.¡± ¡°I''m on the north side, just under the overhang. My mount''s legs are broken. I need a healer right now.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± The Commander said. ¡°But I won''t send a healer out there with over 75 giants in there, with more coming every few minutes.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about them.¡± Ren said as he stood up. He still felt woozy, but he ignored it as he concentrated on his Fear Aura. A sharp pain lanced through his brain, and he rubbed the venom-covered mandible over his head. The numbness venom didn''t get rid of the pain completely; but, it did lessen the feeling some, and he smiled. ¡°There won''t be any awake in about two minutes.¡± ¡°How can you be so sure about that?¡± The Commander asked. ¡°I don''t have to chase them down, or set them up to use my Fear Aura and Screaming Terror trick. They''re all right here in front of me.¡± Ren took out his hammerpick and enchanted it with Screaming Terror as he walked towards the center. ¡°And in the pit, I don''t have to be careful of collateral damage to the Garrison.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean...¡± Ren said as he put on the helm he almost never wore, and took out the golden shield that he''d taken so long ago from the temple where he''d found the last piece of meteoric ore, and enchanted it with Screaming Terror as well. He formed a Connection between it and the hammerpick, and smiled. ¡°...these grubs are going to find out what it means to hurt one of my friends!¡± Ren made a Connection between the hammerpick and the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, and activated both Screaming Terror enchantments. Both the hammerpick and the shield glowed as the enchantments were amplified and funneled through his Fear Aura.
Stat Change!
Aura (Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak) Level 4 (Expert 0%) Fear Level 3 (Expert 0%)
Pain lanced through Ren''s brain again; but, he smiled as the entire pit was filled with screams of pain from the giants. ¡°That''s right, you little pieces of garbage!¡± Ren said, and felt his blood boil. ¡°It''s time for you to pay!¡±
Notice!
You have unlocked a hidden Honorary Dwarf ability: Controlled Berserk Rage This skill allows you to make continuous attacks by using your Stamina Bar as a timer, as if you were running. Warning: This ability causes severe exhaustion after every use.
¡°RaahhhHH!!!¡± Ren yelled as he started to swing the hammerpick at all the grubs, both large and small, that fell to the ground from the ears and mouths of the giants as the overwhelming fear he continued to generate forced the grubs to try and flee. If he paced himself, just like when he ran, he could keep doing this for as long as it would take. Chapter 216 - Did That Just Happen? ¡°Wow.¡± The healer said about 10 minutes later after she had watched Ren. She stood at the mouth of the small tunnel the diggers had used to make the pit trap. ¡°He''s like a whirlwind!¡± ¡°I think it''s more like a thunderstorm.¡± The Commander said, as the ground shook from the impacts Ren was making with his special weapon, and the thumps from the shockwaves that followed. ¡°How is he still going?¡± ¡°I''m not sure.¡± The healer said. ¡°Usually a berserk rage only lasts about 2 minutes. The longest I''ve ever seen one go for was 4 minutes, and the poor man had used himself up and could barely speak afterwards.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I sincerely hope that doesn''t happen for Ren.¡± ¡°Back off, he''s coming closer.¡± The Commander said, and the pair of them retreated down the tunnel, well away from the edge of Ren''s Aura. They''d made the mistake earlier by not moving, and had been caught in the grip of the worst fear they''d ever felt. The both of them had frozen in place as Ren killed several grubs with a single hit, and had stared into his blood red eyes as he hefted his weapon to strike another blow. The healer was still trembling from that encounter, but she was brave. Much braver than a lot of Warriors that the Commander had under his command. Once Ren had moved off to continue his unending assault on the grubs, both the healer and the Commander had to change clothes because they were soiled. ¡°I can''t get over to his mount.¡± The healer said, as Ren moved off again. ¡°He keeps moving around and blocking the way.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The Commander said. ¡°But, I don''t want to disturb him while he''s in the middle of a fight for his life.¡± Just as he said that, five more giants fell into the pit on the side away from the Garrison. Ren ran over to them without hesitation, and was lucky they had fallen on top of each other and not individually. He clanged the glowing shield against the heads he could reach. The Commander wasn''t sure what Ren was trying to do; but after he hit each of them one or two times, they stopped screaming and fell unconscious; except for one. It was laying on it''s back and tried to push off the ones that had fell on top of it. The giant''s ears started to bleed and it opened it''s mouth; then Ren swung the hammerpick down into the giant''s face. The Commander winced as the face was instantly mulched and the bones shattered from the shockwave; the face collapsed in on itself and closed off the throat that was the large Brain Arthropod Grub''s only escape route. Ren swung again, hit the giant in the chest, and the mulched face exploded like a geyser. The Commander shook his head as Ren easily avoided the gush of blood and gore, and stomped on the grubs that tried to escape. The Commander asked if there were any more giants coming, and the question was passed along to the messenger, who ran out up above to ask the scout party. The messenger came back a couple of minutes later, and said that it looked clear; so, the Commander took out the most valuable resource he''d ever seen and concentrated on Ren. * ¡°I have a healer here for your mount.¡± The Commander''s voice said, and Ren grinned. ¡°That''s... great...¡± Ren said between swings and stomps. ¡°I''ll... escort... you... over...¡± ¡°No!¡± The Commander said. ¡°I only have the one change of clothes.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Your Aura is... well, it''s overwhelming. The healer has been standing here at the tunnel for the last few minutes, waiting to find a chance to get by you.¡± ¡°Sorry...¡± Ren said. ¡°Have... to keep... concentrating...¡± ¡°My scouts say there''s no more giants coming.¡± Teepo? ¡°You''ve got maybe 10 minutes.¡± Teepo said, from his very high flying point. ¡°There''s another 15 or so giants a few miles out coming right for the pit.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought, then after a few more swings, he switched his Fear Aura to his personal Aura. He kept stomping and swinging, because he didn''t want to lose his Controlled Berserk Rage. He figured he must look really strange doing that while he walked over to the tunnel entrance; but he knew if he stopped attacking, he''d suffer severe exhaustion and would be pretty much useless for an unknown period of time after that. * The healer and the Commander watched as Ren turned towards them, and they started to back up. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren''s voice said from the Sending Square. ¡°I''m concentrating on my personal Aura.¡± ¡°That''s a relief!¡± The healer said. ¡°I... I don''t know if I could take another dose of that.¡± Me, either. The Commander thought, but didn''t say it out loud. He had an image to maintain, after all. * Ren came over to them, then escorted the healer and two Warriors over to Princess. ¡°Oh, my...¡± The healer said as she saw Princess'' condition. ¡°You poor thing.¡± ¡°I think the armor''s the only thing holding her crushed leg steady, but it''s crushed as well.¡± Ren said, and stomped on a grub''s carcass. ¡°I can''t heal it with the armor like that.¡± The healer said. ¡°No problem.¡± Ren said, and opened Princess'' equipment window. He selected the leg armor, and stored it in only 2 seconds. Princess didn''t whimper at all as the broken leg fell to hit the crushed one, and Ren smiled at her as he kept stomping on some of the already dead grubs. ¡°I should have enough Mana for the crushed leg, that''s the priority.¡± The healer said. ¡°I don''t know about the broken one.¡± ¡°Thank you for doing this.¡± Ren said and handed her 2 Mana potions. ¡°If you need more than that, let me know.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and got to work on the crushed leg. ¡°Why isn''t she trying to move away, or bray, or something?¡± ¡°She''s just that brave.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve numbed the legs a little, too.¡± He finally found a few live grubs to kill. ¡°When you heal the legs, she should be able to walk; but, I don''t know if healing will remove the numbness. It should wear off by itself later, though.¡± The healer nodded slightly and activated her Major Healing ability after adjusting the crushed leg to be in the right shape. Princess huffed her frustration, because she had laid there the entire time while Ren had had all the fun. Ren felt what she felt, and he held his laughter in. ¡°Don''t worry, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s more coming.¡± ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± One of the escort Warriors asked. ¡°My mount.¡± Ren said, and stomped another grub. ¡°You named your mount ''princess''?!?¡± The Warrior asked, then started to laugh. Ren turned without thinking and hit the Warrior in the chest with the back of the hand that held the hammerpick. The Warrior was knocked off of his feet and landed on his back a few feet away. Ren''s knuckles had dented the armor and knocked the breath out of the dwarf. ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Ren said, his eyes still blood red. ¡°She''s a better warrior than you! She''s a better warrior than all of you!¡± He nearly shouted. The other Warrior tried to intervene; so, Ren swung his shield at him, and stopped it just under the Warrior''s chin. ¡°Has anyone else even thought about standing by my side to fight these things?¡± Ren asked him, and stomped a grub by the downed Warrior''s head. ¡°NO! Not one of you!¡± ¡°STOP IT!¡± The healer yelled. ¡°I can''t concentrate!¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said to the healer, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. ¡°Princess isn''t her name, it''s who she is.¡± He said. ¡°You will treat her with the respect I think she deserves, not what you think she deserves. Do you understand?¡± Both Warriors nodded slightly, and Ren felt gratitude and pleasure from Princess as he moved the shield away from the Warrior''s neck.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Good.¡± Ren said and stepped on another grub as the Warrior he''d knocked down stood up. ¡°Why are you just standing there and not protecting the healer properly?¡± ¡°We... ah... don''t want to get that stuff on our boots.¡± ¡°I thought that, too... until I realized I could just store the boots to clean them.¡± Ren said and jumped towards the wall and swung the arm with the shield. The Warrior that had stood up ducked and hollered, and Ren''s shield cut a grub in half that was trying to crawl up to it''s freedom. ¡°Maybe 5 minutes.¡± Teepo said and flew over to land on Princess. ¡°The closer they get, the faster they go.¡± ¡°This place is full of pheromones now.¡± Ren said as the grub''s bisected body fell to the ground. ¡°Any giant within a few miles is going to come straight here.¡± ¡°By the gods...¡± The healer said as she finished healing the crushed leg and moved on to Princess'' broken leg after drinking both Mana potions. ¡°...this will truly be a hellhole.¡± ¡°If you don''t get the cured giants out, yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°This will be the perfect breeding ground for them if you just leave them in here.¡± ¡°Where are we going to put them?¡± The healer asked as she used her Minor Healing ability to try and fix Princess'' broken leg. ¡°The bigger problem is how we''re going to feed them.¡± Ren said, and took out his Major Healing wand and handed it to the healer. ¡°This might help.¡± ¡°Where did you... no, heal first. Questions later.¡± Ren smiled and killed another grub. ¡°Just for that, I''ll let you keep it.¡± He said, and the healer gasped. Teepo took off after the rest he had needed to recharge his Stamina bar, and flew up to the scouting height he''d chosen. ¡°Two minutes!¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s more giants coming.¡± Ren said. ¡°Finish fast.¡± ¡°I''m done!¡± The healer exclaimed and stood up. ¡°Princess? Can you stand?¡± Princess rolled onto her belly, and when she tried to get her legs under her, her back legs wouldn''t quite move. ¡°I think it''s the numbness. She can''t tell where her legs are just yet.¡± The healer guessed. ¡°Then take her with you.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. He opened her inventory and took out the armor pieces that used to be on her legs. Ren stamped on an exposed grub, repaired the armor, and equipped it for his mount. While he had the inventory open, he opened his own and transferred the Deed of the Garrison to her. Princess tried to protest by refusing to move, and Ren looked at her sternly. ¡°Don''t make me order you to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve never ordered you to do anything before.¡± He smiled and scratched her chin. ¡°You''ve only got a minute and a half to get out of here with the healer before the giants come over the side.¡± Princess brayed at him, and he nodded. ¡°Yes, I''ll help.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll see you back here soon; but until then, get going.¡± Princess huffed and Ren lifted her backside off the ground. He kept stomping his feet on the dead grubs to keep his Controlled Berserk Rage going, and half-carried Princess to the tunnel entrance. ¡°They''re heeeeere!¡± Teepo said. The healer had helped lead Princess, and they got to the tunnel entrance just as the first giant fell into the pit trap. ¡°I have to go!¡± Ren said, and gently put the back half of Princess down in the tunnel entrance. The giant bellowed and ran towards the center of the pit, where the pheromone covered sack of still screaming grubs was. Two more giants tumbled over the side and Ren heard a sickening crunch as the female giant landed on it''s head. ¡°Good luck!¡± The healer said to Ren, as he ran towards the center. ¡°I''m switching my Auras! Get out of here!¡± Ren hollered and waited for as long as he could, then concentrated on his Fear Aura when he got within the giant''s reach and made the connections between both his shield and hammerpick, then his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. The giant started to scream, and instead of grabbing it''s own head, it took a swipe at him. He lifted his shield at the last moment, and the giant''s fist clanged against the glowing gold surface. It sent Ren for a spin, and wrenched his arm when he landed. Right. Ren thought. I shouldn''t try to block punches from giants. Another giant that had recovered from the fall, ran over to the center as well. ¡°Ren! Behind you!¡± Teepo said. Ren tried to roll away as a giant tried to kick him and the foot missed Ren''s back by inches; but unfortunately, it did hook his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. Ren was picked up by the neck because even though the kick hit the cloak, the force of the blow was enough to have him flipped over and thrown nearly 30 feet across the pit. He landed on a pile of unconscious giants, and grunted from the pain. ¡°Oh, now it''s on!¡± Ren said, and jumped down from the pile, smashed a few grubs that had tried to hide inside the giants ears again, and equipped the web wand in the hand that the shield was strapped to. He used it on the giant''s feet several times, and left them there to scream. ¡°Here come the rest!¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ll be right there!¡± Ren said, and stepped on the fleeing grubs from the giants he had secured. The unconscious giants fell to the ground, and Ren discovered he was running out of space to run safely. Giants laid on the ground pretty much everywhere inside the pit, and the next giant landed on top of the female giant that had broken her neck in the fall. The body was partially crushed from the blow; but, it also made it easier for the giant that had landed on her to recover. Ren jumped and hopped over fallen giants to get to the ones coming in. They started to scream and Ren smiled as more of the grubs were evicted from their stolen homes. * Malenka, one of the healers Ereka had hired for House Neram, had just finished up a long shift at work. She was tired and weary; mainly because all she and Artrude did every day was maintenance on the medical building''s equipment and supplies. I think Artrude would get angry at me, if I told her I wanted something to happen, just so we would have something to do. Malenka thought as she walked home. She was at her front door a few minutes later, and went inside. She wasn''t feeling as upbeat and chipper today... at least, not until she opened the bedroom door and saw what awaited her on the bed. ¡°Wh... wh... wh...¡± Artrude felt pure joy as she saw Malenka staring at her in shock. The look on her face is so cute! She thought as she ran a hand over the black strapless lacy bra that left only that last little bit to the imagination; but, it also lifted and presented her modest chest very well. The see-through underwear with lace trim that barely covered the front, and only had a string up the back, made Artrude blush as she rolled over and gave Malenka the full view. When she completed the roll over and faced Malenka again, she spoke. ¡°Happy Anniversary.¡± Artrude said in a soft and sultry voice. ¡°By... by the gods!¡± Malenka said, then started hopping up and down in excitement. ¡°Please tell me you have something for me to wear, too!¡± Artrude reached beside the bed and picked up a matching set in red, and Malenka slammed the bedroom door shut then jumped onto the bed. * ¡°I have to get to the Garrison!¡± Nathalia said and stood up, while Ereka tried to convince Croggart to stay and ask Ren for forgiveness. ¡°Wait!¡± Ereka said. ¡°You can''t!¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°They won''t let civilians into the Garrison.¡± ¡°But... I''m his... his...¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter who you are.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''ve talked to Groggot enough to know that no one, besides military or the people that work there, can even get in the front gate these days.¡± ¡°Dammit! I want to go and help him!¡± Nathalia said in frustration. ¡°I know you do.¡± Ereka said. ¡°But standing outside the Garrison and waiting for him, isn''t going to help him any more than staying here does.¡± Nathalia sat back down and crossed her arms. Ereka turned her attention back to Croggart. ¡°Don''t be so foolish, you idiot.¡± Nathalia gasped, and Ereka held up the Sending Square. Nathalia nodded slightly, and Ereka kept talking. ¡°You can''t just run out on your family like this.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I don''t want to.¡± Croggart said. ¡°I want you to come with me.¡± ¡°No.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You just want someone to share in the blame.¡± ¡°Hey, that''s not true.¡± Croggart said. ¡°I''ve never asked you to...¡± Ereka laughed. ¡°When you left the family because they wouldn''t stick up for me, because it went against a member of the House, who followed you?¡± ¡°You did.¡± ¡°And who followed me?¡± ¡°Groggot.¡± ¡°And what are you doing now?¡± Croggart didn''t say anything. ¡°You''re leaving us to deal with the shame of your actions.¡± Ereka said. ¡°How much Honor did you lose when you attacked Ren?¡± ¡°I didn''t attack him!¡± Croggart said, and both Ereka and Nathalia winced slightly. ¡°You can''t even convince yourself of that.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Do you really think you''re going to convince me?¡± Croggart sighed. ¡°I''m not going to convince you to come with me either, am I?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''ve built a great life here. It''s only going to get better, with more and more people moving here every day.¡± ¡°Then I''m sorry.¡± Croggart said. ¡°I can''t stay here anymore. They''ll be hunting me now.¡± ¡°If I didn''t have so much work to do, I''d help them.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You don''t mean that.¡± Croggart said, but neither he nor Nathalia had winced even a little bit at Ereka''s words. ¡°I hope you can come to your senses.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''ve never turned you away any time you came home from one of your adventures.¡± She sighed. ¡°You''ll always have a home here.¡± ¡°I...¡± Croggart sighed again. ¡°Goodbye, Ereka.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Croggart.¡± * For the next hour, Ren fought hard. He wasn''t sure if he was suffering battle fatigue, or if the numbness venom he''d used on his head was wearing off; but, his brain started to hurt a lot from concentrating so long on his Fear Aura, and making Connections between the cloak, hammerpick, and shield. It had taken a long time for Ren to hunt down all the screaming grubs. He had missed a giant that had one of the large Brain Arthropod Grubs inside, and while he had dealt with the pile of regular giants, a few dozen grubs had very slowly crawled away and hidden under the piles of unconscious giants. He''d found the large one right away, as it had started to drag the sack with the pheromones away. ¡°That was the last one.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I flew way up high and I couldn''t see any movement at all.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought, then turned around to survey what he''d done. He took a deep breath as he saw that his handiwork covered the floor of the pit, now nearly several giants deep. Ren stored his shield and hammerpick after he let the connections lapse, then switched to his personal Aura.
Notice!
Controlled Berserk Rage ability has ended. You have gained the condition: Severe Exhaustion.
Stat Change!
Connection Level 6 (Beginner 0%)
Ren felt a wave of exhaustion flow over him, and he collapsed to his knees. He dismissed the popups and Teepo flew over to him. ¡°You did really well.¡± Teepo said, and Ren nodded as he laid down on the ground. ¡°No! Don''t lay down! Get over to the tunnel entrance!¡± Ren nodded slightly, and started to crawl towards the tunnel. He saw several dwarves coming towards him, then the healer screamed. ¡°Watch out!¡± Ren stopped crawling, then rolled over onto his back. The female giant that had fallen and broken her neck, the one both he and Teepo had ignored this whole time, wasn''t dead. She stood up and walked over to Ren, who looked up at her with half-closed eyes. ¡°Oh, cra-¡± Ren''s words were cut off as the giant''s foot came down.
You have died!
You will respawn at your last chosen spawn point - SAFE ZONE: House Neram in 5 Hours, 59 Minutes, 50 Seconds (real time)
Chapter 217 - Real Life? No Problem Ren laid there in the bed and waited for the VR headset to be removed. He couldn''t do it himself because his arms were still secured to the bed. He couldn''t wait for the IV needles to be removed, no matter how much his body needed them to flush out his system. The headset was removed, and Barbara smiled sadly at him. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Barbara said as she put the headset aside. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I was so close.¡± He shook his head. ¡°All that loot...¡± ¡°Maybe it''ll still be there when you go back in.¡± Barbara said, and Ren laughed. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± He said. ¡°If I was the Commander, I''d have several squads in there to clean the place out before any other giants show up.¡± ¡°What about your body?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°What happens to that?¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± He said. ¡°Barbara, slap my forehead, will you? I''m so stupid!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I should have transferred a lot more to Princess, besides the Deed to the Garrison.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to lose 5% of my money, something that I have in inventory, and a random equipped item.¡± Barbara thought about it. ¡°Oh, no.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°My inventory is close to full. Anything that I have can drop.¡± He shook his head again. ¡°Hell, out of the stuff I have equipped... I could lose Teepo''s ring!¡± Barbara put a hand on his forehead and tapped it with a finger. ¡°There. You''ve chastised yourself enough.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll worry about what I lost when I go back in.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Barbara said, then grinned at him. ¡°I''m so glad to see you awake!¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t believe that happened to me.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Barbara said, and it was her turn to shake her head. ¡°Doctor Hobbard has been taking care of you right from the start.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. ¡°It took almost a year for me to trust him enough to not scream at him every time he examined me.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°Well, at least it''s all out in the open now.¡± She smiled. ¡°On a different note, I watched the second episode of the show. It was great!¡± ¡°The show?¡± ¡°Don''t be coy! Your show!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Right. I missed it.¡± ¡°The studio sent over a copy, if you want to watch it after therapy and breakfast.¡± ¡°Therapy?¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°You''ve been immobile in the bed for a week. You need to exercise!¡± Ren looked down at the two IVs in his arms. ¡°Um, I can''t really move right now.¡± ¡°I don''t think you have to worry about that much longer.¡± Barbara said, and his room door opened. ¡°Hey, little trooper.¡± Denise said, as she came in wearing a nurse''s outfit on top, and black pants on the bottom. ¡°Guess what? Your blood work came back clean!¡± ¡°YES!¡± Ren yelled. ¡°Get these damn things out of me! RIGHT NOW!¡± Denise and Barbara laughed. ¡°We were planning on waiting until lunchtime...¡± Denise said, and Ren groaned. ¡°I''m kidding, of course.¡± She said and looked at Barbara. ¡°I''ll distract him and cover his eyes, can you do the honors?¡± ¡°I''d be happy to.¡± Barbara said and got the items needed to remove the IVs safely and cleanly. ¡°What do you mean distract...¡± Ren tried to say, and then stared at Denise as she stepped close. ¡°Is it hot in here?¡± Denise said, and unzipped her nurse outfit to the middle of her chest. Ren blinked his eyes a few times at the sight of Denise''s bra, that offered her chest up like they were on a platter. ¡°Wh... wh...¡± He mumbled. Denise bent over him and ruffled his hair, and he swallowed audibly because he could see her silky mounds shift and hang down right in front of his face. If Ren had to guess, each one was about 2 handfuls in size. There was no danger of them falling out of the bra, however; because Denise had used extra tape to ensure that they wouldn''t. Ren didn''t know that, and his mouth formed a little ''o'' of surprise because it looked like they easily would. ¡°How are you feeling today?¡± Denise asked him as she put his hair back into place, and Ren sputtered something unintelligible. ¡°That good, huh? I''m glad.¡± ¡°All done.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Wh... what...?¡± Ren blinked his eyes a few more times, and kept staring at Denise as she stood up straight and slowly zipped her top back up. ¡°That was quite the distraction.¡± Barbara shook her head as she untied Ren''s arms, then smiled. ¡°He didn''t even notice the ice cold cleaner from the cotton swabs.¡± ¡°If I''d known the effect they''d have on him, I''d have used them sooner.¡± Denise said, and chuckled at Ren''s surprised expression. ¡°You can close your mouth now.¡± She said and smiled. Where has she been hiding them? Ren thought. I didn''t think she had much of a chest. He closed his mouth. Boy, was I wrong! ¡°Can you stick around and fill me in on what happened last night, while I get his breakfast ready?¡± Denise asked Barbara. ¡°Sure.¡± Barbara said, and touched Ren''s hand. ¡°Don''t scratch around the gauze.¡± ¡°Oh, great! Now it''s itchy!¡± Ren said, and Barbara chuckled as she left the room with Denise. Ren wasn''t sure where they were going to make breakfast for him, or how; since he had no idea what existed outside of the room. He lifted an arm to scratch an itch which was right beside the gauze and the IV injection site, and his arm felt weak. Ren sighed, and moved both arms, and they were both weaker than they were last week. ¡°Dammit.¡± Ren said, and sat up in bed. His elbow wasn''t as sore as it was a week ago, and he wasn''t wearing the sling. He laughed at himself. How would I wear a sling, with both arms tied to the bed and IV needles in them? Ren flexed his hands several times, and then pulled the rollaway table across the bed and checked his emails on the laptop. ¡°Spam.¡± ¡°Spam.¡± ¡°Spam.¡± ¡°Sp... Lucy?¡± Ren sighed as he looked at the sending date. It was from a week ago. Unable to resist her allure, Ren clicked on it.
Ren,
You don''t know how sorry I am about the things you are going through. I know my words don''t mean much; but, I really regret that I''m not there to help you get through it. I know... it''s too little, too late. I saw you with that redhead. I''m not sure how she managed to work her way into your life, but you should be careful of her. It''s always the quiet ones that surprise you. I was tempted to join Barbara, Stella, and Denise in leaving the hospital to take care of you, but I''m sure that you wouldn''t want me around, especially considering the way things ended between us. Anyways, I hope you are feeling better. Wishing you all the best.
Lucy
Ren sighed. He didn''t know what to do with her now. If he offered her a job, she''d at least have money coming in; but if he did that without talking to the other girls first, it could cause a lot of problems. Ren sighed again. Lucy''s right. Ren thought. I don''t think I want her around, and yet... I... I do want her around. Denise came in with Ren''s breakfast on a tray, and saw that there were tears in his eyes. ¡°Ren, what is it?¡± She asked. ¡°Are your arms... oh.¡± Denise put the tray down and moved the laptop out of the way. She sat on the edge of the bed and very gently took Ren into a hug. ¡°It''s okay.¡± ¡°No... no, it isn''t.¡± Ren said, as his silent tears were absorbed by her top. ¡°Because of me, the hospital might go bankrupt, and she''ll be out of a job.¡± ¡°That''s not your fault.¡± Denise said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°It was the hospital board member and Doctor Hobbard''s fault. They put the hospital at risk, not you.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If you offered jobs to everyone that worked there, you''d be out of money faster than water going down the drain.¡± Ren opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. ¡°You''re right.¡± He said, begrudgingly. ¡°Of course I''m right.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''m always right.¡± Ren stopped crying and sighed. ¡°What should I say to her?¡± Denise looked at the time the email was received, and smiled. ¡°I think you already answered her.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren asked, as he leaned back. ¡°Lucy sent that last week. If you haven''t responded after a few days, she knows what that means.¡± ¡°But... I''ve been unconscious all week!¡± Denise chuckled as she let him out of the hug. ¡°She doesn''t know that.¡± ¡°She... she doesn''t?¡± ¡°No.¡± Denise said. ¡°I specifically remember someone telling me it was none of my business, and to stay out of it.¡± Ren looked at her with surprise on his face. ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Denise said. ¡°It really isn''t my business; but, my job is to take care of you. That should include your emotional wellness, too.¡± ¡°I... I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just... Lucy is a sore spot for me.¡± ¡°Like I don''t know that.¡± Denise said, then looked down at her top. ¡°If I didn''t, there''s the proof.¡± Ren looked at her top, and saw two 3 inch wide wet spots on her top. They were right above her right breast, and Ren tried to wipe them off to dry them. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± Ren said, and rubbed the spots with his hand. His bare fingers weren''t doing anything to it, so he looked at the food tray and picked up the large paper napkin. Ren pressed the napkin to her top, dabbed the spots a few times, then rubbed it back and forth slowly. ¡°I didn''t realize I let so many tears out.¡± ¡°That''s... all right.¡± Denise said, her face flushed a little red. Ren was inadvertently massaging her breast, since it was so pushed up because of the bra. She wasn''t sure what do to about it, though. The cloth of the uniform wasn''t rough on her skin, and because it was Ren doing it and he was being so innocent about the situation, she wasn''t sure she wanted it to stop. Oh, Lucy. Denise thought. How did you mess things up with him? You could have had so much fun, and he doesn''t have a clue what he''s actually doing!Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Damn, it''s not drying.¡± Ren said absently, and pressed harder with the napkin into the soft flesh of Denise''s breast through the uniform. ¡°Maybe if there was a piece of napkin on the other side, it would soak it up?¡± ¡°Okay, let''s try that.¡± Denise smiled and unzipped her top down to the middle of her chest again. Ren unfolded the napkin and tore it in half, then tucked his hand into her shirt. He held the piece of napkin against the back side of the cloth, and rubbed the still wet spot that was closest to the opening, with the other half of the napkin on the outside. Denise tried not to laugh as the back of his hand rested on her breast, and his rubbing motion on the outside jiggled the flesh. The more he rubbed, the more she jiggled, and the more of his hand that touched her. His hand was warm, and since she knew he was completely oblivious, it got her motor running. She started to get a warm feeling in her abdomen, and she took a deep breath. It pressed a huge amount of flesh against his hand and part of his arm, and Ren still didn''t have a clue. ¡°So, are we watching the next episode after your therapy or...¡± Barbara said as she came back into the room. ¡°Ren... what are you doing?¡± ¡°I got an email from... from Lucy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Denise gave me a hug and held me.¡± He checked his handiwork. ¡°Yes! It''s getting drier!¡± He said happily, and kept dabbing and rubbing. ¡°I... cried... on her shoulder and got her top wet.¡± He said, a little embarrassed. ¡°Now I''m trying to dry it off.¡± ¡°I think Denise can handle that by herself.¡± Barbara said. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Denise said, her face still flushed a little red. ¡°He''s almost done.¡± The warm feeling deep down spread a little, and she sighed as Ren took out the napkin from inside her shirt, folded it over, and put it back inside her shirt to reach the wet spot further in. Ren kept working, and Barbara stood there and watched as he dried the next spot as well. ¡°There! I think I got as much as I can.¡± Ren said, and moved his head from side to side, to see if the light could catch the wet spots. You could still see a slight outline, but he didn''t think he could remove it completely with just napkins. He nodded, and pulled his hand with the piece of napkin out from inside Denise''s shirt. No wonder Stella enjoys teasing you so much. Denise thought, and slowly zipped up her top again. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, and smiled at her. He always liked helping when he could. Barbara shook her head and tried not to laugh. ¡°You''d better eat fast. The physical therapist isn''t going to wait all day, you know.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Oh, right!¡± Ren said, and turned to his breakfast tray. He ate quickly, and when he was done, he looked at the two pieces of napkin. He shrugged, folded them over the other way, and wiped his mouth off with them, then his hands. ¡°Okay, I''m done.¡± Ren said, and Denise took the tray and stood up. ¡°Barbara, why don''t you take him to therapy? It''s just next door. I''ll deal with this.¡± Denise said and motioned with the tray. ¡°Okay.¡± Barbara pulled over the wheelchair and locked the wheels. ¡°Now take it easy.¡± Barbara said, and helped Ren climb out of bed by holding his chest. Grabbing him by the arms with all the healing bruises was not a good idea. ¡°You haven''t used your muscles like this in a week.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had a hard time scratching my arm... ah, I mean my butt.¡± ¡°Don''t make me laugh when I''m trying to lift you!¡± Barbara said and laughed anyways. ¡°I''ll lose all my strength!¡± Ren laughed and slid off the bed and onto his legs. Barbara had been right. Moving the legs in bed was one thing; but, putting his weight on them was a whole different story. ¡°Damn, I''ve got a lot of catching up to do.¡± Ren said, and stood up straight. He took a deep breath, and took a step, then another, and Barbara guided him to turn around and he sat down in the wheelchair. ¡°That''s the spirit!¡± Barbara said, and wheeled him out of the room. * Denise sat down on the bed again, and shook her head as she looked at the crumpled napkins. He''s still completely oblivious. She thought. He just rubbed his face on a napkin that was on my chest. She sighed, disappointed in herself. I definitely could have had a lot more fun if I''d known he was so clueless! * Ren did his physical therapy routine with a different physical therapist. It was a muscular man, and Ren cringed every time the guy touched him to correct his movements. By the time the session was over, Ren was both stressed out and exhausted. He was shaking slightly as he sat in the wheelchair, and Barbara wheeled him back to his room next door. ¡°How did it...¡± Denise started to say, then gave Ren another hug. ¡°I told him not to touch you.¡± ¡°Well, that didn''t work.¡± Ren said, as he trembled. ¡°Barbara told him that, too.¡± ¡°A few times.¡± Barbara said. ¡°He didn''t listen, and said he was a physical therapist and had to be physical.¡± ¡°Dammit.¡± Denise said. ¡°I was worried the things we told him were going right over his head.¡± ¡°I think it was more like ''in one ear, and out the other''.¡± Barbara commented, and Denise nodded. ¡°Do you feel up to a shower or a bath today?¡± Denise asked Ren. ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I feel really weak. I know I can''t stand up long enough for a shower, though.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Not after that.¡± He trembled again. ¡°I''ll run a bath.¡± Denise said, and went to the bathroom. Water started running, and she came back out. ¡°It will only be a few minutes to get enough water to sit in.¡± Ren looked at Barbara. ¡°Um... it''s not that I''m complaining or anything.¡± He said. ¡°But, why are you still here?¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°We scheduled overlapping shifts, just in case you needed an extra hand or two.¡± Ren reached out a hand, and she took it. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°It''s no trouble.¡± Barbara said, and Ren shook his head. ¡°It has to be.¡± Ren said. ¡°When do you sleep? Are you super-woman or something?¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°No, I''m not super-woman. An extra hour here and there isn''t much.¡± ¡°It is when it''s every day.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know how you do it.¡± He looked at Denise. ¡°I don''t know how any of you do it.¡± * Elise Stanford, the secretary at Sid Tec, sat at her kitchen table and ate breakfast while she reviewed the footage of Ren''s activity after she had left the evening before. She used the time lapse option, and sped forward until now. He stayed in the game the whole time, until this morning. Elise thought. I can''t wait to see what he''s been up to! Her tablet beeped and she looked at the size of the files from the download of game footage. He was awake the whole time? She thought in surprise. What in the world was he doing? Elise hit play, and even on 8x the speed, her eyes widened as she watched Ren rescue someone from a giant. He did not just... She stopped it, put it to normal speed, then played the giant rescue scene again. Oh, my god! * Ren sat in the bathtub, covered in bubbles. ¡°Oh, come on!¡± He said, as Denise passed him a rubber ducky. ¡°Go ahead and squeeze it! It quacks!¡± Denise said, and laughed at his petulant expression. ¡°You know, if someone is supposed to be having fun in the bath, it should be me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have half a mind to take your picture.¡± Denise teased. ¡°Don''t you dare!¡± ¡°Too late!¡± Barbara said from the doorway, with a digital camera in her hand. ¡°Barbara, no!¡± Ren said, with a shocked look on his face. ¡°That''s perfect!¡± She said and took the picture. ¡°Denise, come and look at this.¡± Denise walked over to the doorway, and Barbara showed her the couple of pictures. ¡°You''re right, Barbara. That last one was perfect. You even got the rubber ducky!¡± ¡°You are horrible, horrible people.¡± Ren said indignantly, and the two women laughed. Barbara came over to him and gave him a kiss on the forehead. ¡°We love you, too.¡± Barbara said, and Ren blushed a little. ¡°I have to go, though. My shift is over, so I''ll see you tonight.¡± ¡°Bye, Barbara.¡± Ren said, and she turned to leave. ¡°You better delete those pictures, or I''ll never forgive you!¡± Barbara laughed and said goodbye to Denise, then left the bathroom. Ren heard his room''s door shut a moment later, and looked at Denise. ¡°I think Stella is a bad influence on the two of you.¡± Ren said, and Denise smiled. ¡°I think that would depend on what you think is ''bad''.¡± Denise said, and walked over to the tub. ¡°Taking compromising photos of me, definitely counts as bad.¡± Denise laughed and unzipped her top. She took it off and laid it on the towel rack. Ren''s eyes widened as he got the full view of her bra, and the magic that it was performing quite well. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± Ren asked her as she came over to the tub. ¡°You saw what a few wet tears did to the fabric.¡± Denise said. ¡°Can you imagine what soap suds and bubbles would do to it?¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Denise half-bent over and knelt by the tub, giving Ren an unobstructed view. ¡°But what?¡± ¡°You''re... ah...¡± ¡°Exposed?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°They''re just breasts.¡± Denise said as she picked up a sponge and lathered it up. ¡°Every woman has them.¡± ¡°That''s true; but, not every woman is in the bathroom with me.¡± Ren countered. ¡°It''s okay if you see them.¡± Denise responded, and blushed a little as she started to scrub his back. ¡°Now I know that''s not true.¡± Ren said, as he leaned forward to let her scrub his lower back. ¡°Why''s that?¡± Denise asked, motioned for him to lean back, and gently scrubbed his arms. Ren felt a little bold with his next statement. ¡°You wouldn''t be wearing the bra, otherwise.¡± He said. ¡°It''s going to get wet. What are you going to wear under your top afterwards?¡± Denise stopped scrubbing his arms, and he looked at her. ¡°Are you asking me to take off my bra?¡± Denise asked him, surprised he would be so bold. I thought he was clueless. ¡°No, I''m just arguing what you said; that it was okay for me to see your chest.¡± Ren said as he dipped his arms into the water to rinse them off. ¡°If it was actually okay, you wouldn''t need the bra.¡± He said, and took the sponge from her hand. He lathered it up and tried to scrub his legs, but his arms were still too weak to do a good job. ¡°Dammit, I hate feeling so helpless.¡± ¡°Let me do that.¡± Denise said, and took the sponge from him. When he looked back at her, he saw that she wasn''t wearing the bra anymore. ¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said, and looked at her. There were red marks beside the tips of her breasts, where she''d had several pieces of double-sided tape to keep her secured in the bra. ¡°Doesn''t that hurt?¡± ¡°Yes, it does.¡± Denise said. Ren dipped his hand into the warm water, and scooped up some of the bubbles. He gently applied those bubbles to her breasts, and concentrated on not hurting her further. He slowly traced the rectangular red marks on each side of the tips of her breasts, then spread the bubbles across them. Denise closed her eyes as he gave her breasts a soft caress with his bubble-covered hands. ¡°You hurt yourself for me, didn''t you?¡± Ren asked her. Denise nodded with her eyes still closed. ¡°I had hoped your blood work would come clean, and wanted to give you a little show to distract you.¡± ¡°Little?¡± Ren smiled as he cupped one of her breasts with both of his hands. He had been right. They were just over two handfuls in size. ¡°I always thought you had a small chest, until I saw you today.¡± He said and cupped the other breast, just to say that he had touched both; then he let her go. ¡°My first thought was, where have you been hiding them?¡± Denise opened her eyes and laughed, and her breasts jiggled. ¡°It''s a clothing issue.¡± She explained. ¡°My rib cage is bigger than normal, which makes my actual bust size that much larger. Either I have to buy the next larger size of top, or I have to strap the girls down.¡± She smiled. ¡°Both options make it look like I have almost no chest.¡± Ren looked at her with concern on his face. ¡°I''m sorry you have to do that.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Denise said, and started to scrub his legs. ¡°I''ve gotten used to it.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°You shouldn''t have to get used to something like that.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve made stuff in the game for women, and they''re beyond relieved when they get something that actually fits them.¡± ¡°It''s a great feeling.¡± Denise said. ¡°I haven''t had anything fit properly in years.¡± ¡°Then that''s going to change.¡± Ren said, as Denise scrubbed his chest. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked. ¡°I''ve got all this money now. Money I''m actually earning, and not just given to me because I''m like this.¡± Ren said, and motioned to himself. ¡°I know a great clothing store. They do alterations right there.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°It''s where I bought all my nice pajama sets. The least I can do is have them make you a few things.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Denise lathered up the sponge, handed it to him, and motioned to his lower area. ¡°Can you finish yourself?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said, and scrubbed himself. It didn''t take much effort, and since it was under the water already, it would rinse off when he stood up. ¡°All done.¡± Denise grabbed one of the big towels and laid it on the tub''s edge. Ren eased into a standing position with her help, then sat down on the towel. She grabbed another towel and dried his upper body off, then he turned around and took his feet out of the water and put them on the floor. ¡°Ooo, that''s cold!¡± Ren said, as his bare feet touched the tiled floor. He lifted his feet up, but he started to shiver anyways. Denise wrapped the towel around him, and held him so he wouldn''t fall. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Denise said, then finished drying him off. She grabbed his socks and slipped them on his feet, and he put his feet on the floor. ¡°I am definitely going to miss the heated floor in my old bathroom.¡± Ren said, and shivered again. ¡°I hope they can do it again in the new place.¡± ¡°In the WHAT?¡± Denise asked in surprise. ¡°I guess Stella didn''t tell you yet.¡± Ren said, and explained about wanting to buy a place of his own. Denise stared at him as he went on about wanting to hire the same crew that had renovated the room in the hospital. * Elise showed up at work right on time, even though she''d watched a lot of what Ren had done during the last couple of game days. Once at her desk, her daily routine kicked in and she did everything automatically. She couldn''t wait until her lunch break, so she could keep watching. He''s so brave! Elise thought as she sorted emails and took calls. Fighting giants 5 times his size like that! She shivered in pleasure as she thought about how strong and brave he had become in the game. He''s come so far in so short a time. She thought proudly. * Denise helped him finish getting dressed in the red pajama set, and Ren got back into bed. He looked at the VR headset and sighed. ¡°I can''t even log in to get extra sleep.¡± Ren said, disappointed. ¡°I can''t believe you want to go back in after getting stepped on.¡± Denise said and smiled. ¡°I was fighting giants.¡± Ren said and smiled back at her. ¡°It was always a possibility.¡± ¡°I don''t know how you can be so nonchalant about that.¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°At least you''re going to leave that area soon.¡± ¡°Yeah, in three weeks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Real time, that is.¡± ¡°Well, you''ll just have to sleep in real time for today.¡± Denise said, and fluffed his hair a little. ¡°Go ahead and take a nap. I''ll wake you for lunch.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, then yawned. ¡°I''m exhausted.¡± Denise smiled, and started singing in a soft voice, barely above a whisper. ¡°Then close your eyes... and go to sleep... sweeeet little angel...¡± Ren closed his eyes, and listened to her voice. ¡°Never fear... I''m always near... love is neeeeever accidental...¡± Ren smiled at that, then drifted off to sleep. * Gloria loved her new pet. It didn''t need to be walked, or need a litter box, or have to go outside to pee. It just crawled around inside the large aquarium. She enjoyed picking up little things to put in the makeshift habitat, just so the tarantula would have something new to explore. It didn''t take long for her to figure out the things it liked best to eat. Gloria had been a little worried at first that she was spoiling the thing; but after a lot of research online and at the exotic pet stores she could find, she honestly didn''t think it was possible to spoil a spider. It was really horrible what happened after it came to be in Ren''s possession. Gloria thought. But at least it wasn''t destroyed like everyone thought it was going to be. It was lunchtime, and her cell phone beeped at her. She checked it, and smiled because it was a message from Stella; who apologized for not messaging sooner, but knew Gloria''s schedule and had waited for the right time. Ren''s awake! Gloria thought, happily. He''ll be just as happy to hear the spider is doing fine, too! Since today was Wednesday, there was only 2 more days before her second official day as student researcher. I can''t wait! She thought and hopped in her car to head to the garage. It''s just as fun as working on cars! * Elise put the phone on hold, picked up her tablet, and headed to the cafeteria. She didn''t have time to make her own lunch today, because she had been so busy watching Ren''s footage in the game. Once in the food line, she grabbed a small salad and a bowl of jello, and went to the corner of the room. She sat down and picked at the food as she started the footage where she''d left off. She shook her head as she watched Ren tackle yet another giant. The more I watch, the more amazing he gets! * Denise woke Ren up about an hour late for lunch; but he had looked so peaceful, and she didn''t want to disturb him until it was absolutely necessary. He ate at a normal pace, and when he was done, he went back to sleep. He''s more tired than I thought he''d be. Denise leaned in close and straightened his hair that had gotten slightly messed up from the pillow. She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, just as gentle as he had been when he had touched the sore spots on her chest during the bath. Sleep well, little angel. Chapter 218 - Oh, For Loots Sake! Elise, the secretary at Sid Tec, finished eating her lunch and sat at the table in the corner of the room so she could quietly watch the last bit of footage of Ren. When the screen went blank, she frowned; then reversed it a few minutes, and watched it in real time. ¡°NO!¡± Elise exclaimed and stood up. Everyone looked at her, and she ignored them as she paused the video on her tablet. She picked it up, and left the remains of her lunch on the table as she left the cafeteria. * One of the workers looked worried, because Elise wasn''t someone to just leave her things like that, and she went over and cleaned off the table. I hope everything is okay. The worker thought as she brought the empty bowls back to the kitchen and put the tray in the sink. * Elise didn''t say a word to anyone as she walked through the halls to the tech department. Several people tried to engage her in conversation; but once they saw the look on her face, they quickly stopped and went about their own business. She walked into the tech department and ignored everyone there as well, until she came to the head programmer''s desk. ¡°Max.¡± Elise said, and Max''s head whipped up at the sound of pure hatred in her voice. Oh fuck. Max thought when he saw the look on Elise''s face. It matched her voice perfectly. ¡°Explain this.¡± She said, and started the video on her tablet. ¡°What the hell?¡± Max said, and grabbed the tablet. ¡°No. No, that''s not right.¡± He said, handed her tablet back, then turned to his computer and tapped the keys furiously. ¡°He shouldn''t... no... oh, shit...¡± ¡°Well?¡± Elise said with patience laced with scorn. ¡°Hold on for a second, Elise.¡± Max said, then leaned around her to look across the room. ¡°Craig! Check server 6 and the update for the giants!¡± ¡°On it!¡± Craig said, and Max turned to Elise. ¡°He shouldn''t have encountered the giants at all, let alone to this extent.¡± Max said. ¡°I honestly don''t know what to tell you.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Ren was STEPPED ON!¡± Max shrugged his shoulders. ¡°What do you want me to say? He was fighting giants. It was bound to happen at some point. I''m just sorry he died before the hidden quest was completed.¡± ¡°The WHAT?¡± ¡°The attack on the dwarf garrison was a hidden quest. Defend or die. It''s something Craig cooked up when we decided to introduce the giant race next year.¡± Max chuckled. ¡°Well, it was supposed to be next year. If Ren does what I think he''s going to do...¡± He shook his head for a second, then changed mid-motion and nodded instead. ¡°He''s definitely going to do it now. We''re going to have to put a rush on the giant update.¡± ¡°It''s been accessed!¡± Craig said from across the room. ¡°I''m not sure how, though. The files are encoded.¡± Max laughed. ¡°Craig, we''re running top of the line computers with state of the art AI. There''s literally no code they can''t break or work around.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Craig said. ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Kids.¡± Max smiled, then looked at Elise. ¡°Hey, what do you want me to do about it? He failed.¡± ¡°I don''t think he did.¡± Elise said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I memorized that last moment.¡± She said, ran the footage to the spot she wanted, and paused it. ¡°Look.¡± Max looked at the still image and frowned. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°If I had to take a guess, it''s a crossbow bolt hitting the giant in the eye.¡± Elise said. Max turned to his computer again, and pulled up the data from the incident. ¡°Well, damn. You''re right. It killed Ren, but it''s dead, too.¡± Max smiled. ¡°Depending on the timing of both of their deaths, the AI might give him the XP, or it might not. I guess we''ll find out when he logs back in.¡± ¡°Ren is still going to suffer the death penalties, isn''t he?¡± Max chuckled. ¡°Everyone does, Elise.¡± He said. ¡°It''s a basic mechanic in the game.¡± ¡°He''s carrying a lot of specialized equipment.¡± Elise said. Max waved her concern away. ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± He said. ¡°The portable crafting stuff is a part of his character build.¡± He smiled. ¡°So is that funky weapon tool he made.¡± Elise sighed. ¡°Well, that''s a relief.¡± She said. ¡°Can you tell me what he dropped?¡± ¡°Yeah, but I''m not going to.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°You''ll only tell me to change them, or replace them with something less valuable.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Elise put a hand on her forehead. ¡°How bad is it?¡± ¡°He''ll survive without them, there''s no question about that.¡± Max said. ¡°I just want to see if he notices what it is that he dropped.¡± ¡°Maaaaax.¡± Elise said, and he laughed. ¡°You''re no fun.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°He dropped about 33 platinum in money, one of the rings on his fingers, and...¡± Elise waited for a moment. ¡°And what?¡± ¡°Something he should really miss from inventory, if he''s smart.¡± ¡°Max, what is it?¡± Elise said, and loomed over him ¡°Tell me!¡± ¡°You know, you''re cute when you get all menacing like that.¡± Max said, and Elise scowled at him. ¡°Yeah, like that.¡± Elise made a fist, and he laughed. ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Max held his hands up in surrender. ¡°It''s a small wooden box.¡± ¡°What''s so important about it?¡± She asked. ¡°It''s got 30 shadow coins in it.¡± Max said, and grinned at Elise''s shocked expression. * Ren opened his eyes and yawned, then stretched. ¡°Hey there, sleepy-head.¡± Denise said. ¡°What... what time is it?¡± Ren asked, after looking at his wrist and remembered his watch was still on the dresser. ¡°Almost 3 p.m.¡± Denise said. ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Ren asked surprised. ¡°I missed...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Denise said. ¡°¡±The next game day doesn''t start for another 10 minutes, and then there''s breakfast they eat, too.¡± She smiled. ¡°You''ve got plenty of time.¡± ¡°Whew.¡± Ren said. ¡°I started to panic there.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t let you be late, or panic.¡± Denise said. ¡°I was going to wake you up in a few minutes, anyways.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and sat up in bed. She handed him a supplement to drink, and he took his time with it. ¡°Vanilla?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Denise said and smiled. ¡°Now that we''re not under the strict rules of the hospital, your food is going to taste a little bit better than it used to.¡± ¡°That''s music to my stomach.¡± Ren said, and covered his mouth with a hand so he could burp. ¡°See? It agrees.¡± Denise shook her head and took the glass back. ¡°You''re still on the restricted diet, but at least we can change it up a bit more than usual.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Do you need the bathroom?¡± ¡°Actually, yeah.¡± Ren said, and she helped him slide out of bed. ¡°Can I use your arm for balance?¡± ¡°No. I''m going to make you crawl to the bathroom.¡± Denise said and grinned. ¡°Ha ha.¡± Ren said, and gripped her outstretched arm. He walked to the bathroom pretty much on his own, her arm was just for security. ¡°I can''t believe staying in bed for a week makes me this weak.¡± He said, and transferred his grip to the back of the toilet. ¡°I have to work up to walking again.¡± ¡°Do you think you can handle this part alone?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°I''ll just turn around and wait right here, just in case.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± He said, and lifted the toilet seat. Once he opened the dam that was his kidneys, the flood of water that came out didn''t stop for nearly two minutes. Both he and Denise were laughing pretty hard as it just kept going and going. They had tears in their eyes by the time he was done. Ren cleaned up and Denise helped him walk back to the bed. ¡°That almost sounded painful.¡± Denise said with a huge grin on her face. ¡°How in the world did you hold that much in all day?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°I bet you''re really glad that I didn''t dream about running water or something.¡± Denise snorted a laugh. ¡°I think we should both be glad for that.¡± ¡°Oh, I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t had these pajamas long enough that I can ruin them without it bothering me.¡± He looked at the rollaway table and the cubbyhole. ¡°Denise, can we walk back to the bathroom again?¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°Ah... I forgot to... ah...¡± Ren said, and tapped the rollaway table. ¡°Sure.¡± Denise said, got one of the foil packets, and turned Ren around to lead him back to the bathroom. ¡°Right this way, sir.¡± Ren chuckled as he walked back to the bathroom with Denise''s help. ¡°I wish you were my physical therapist.¡± He said and sat down on the now closed toilet. ¡°I don''t mind you leading me around like this.¡± ¡°I wish I could be your therapist.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''m not certified for anything like that, though.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nobody''s perfect.¡± ¡°Quiet, you!¡± Denise smiled crookedly, and shook her fist at him jokingly. ¡°Or I will get physical!¡± Ren laughed and tried to open the foil packet. His fingers slipped and dropped it on the floor. ¡°I think I overdid it with the hand exercises.¡± He said and sighed. ¡°Stay there. I''ve got it.¡± Denise said and knelt to pick it up. ¡°It''s not open, so it''s still okay to use.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d hate to waste it like that. There''s only so many in the box.¡± ¡°Can you handle this part?¡± Denise asked, as she opened the foil packet carefully. ¡°Actually, I don''t know.¡± Ren said, and flexed his hands. ¡°Stella handled it for me yesterday.¡± Denise looked at Ren with raised eyebrows, and he chuckled. ¡°My arms were tied to the bed because of the IVs, remember?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Denise said, then blushed a little. ¡°I''m sorry, I... ah... I thought...¡± ¡°I can neither confirm nor deny that anything has ever happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least, I think that''s the right thing to say. If I said it did, you''d believe it did, and if I denied it, you''d believe that it did anyways.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°So, something did happen.¡± ¡°I didn''t say that.¡± Ren said with a slightly worried expression on his face. ¡°I said...¡± ¡°I know what you said.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''m looking at your eyes, though.¡± ¡°What... what about them?¡± ¡°You are a terrible liar, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t know why you are, but any time you say something that''s even slightly untrue, we can always tell.¡± ¡°You''re just like the dwarves.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°I can''t lie around them, either.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°Okay, then. Spill it. Tell me what happened.¡± Ren sighed again, and told Denise about Stella helping him try to find the right foil packet for his needs, and how one item had gotten stuck, and the aftermath. ¡°Actually, that happens more often than not.¡± Denise said. ¡°You really don''t know how they''ll fit until you try them.¡± She nodded. ¡°Stella handled it well, I think.¡± ¡°Her view on it being the body''s natural reaction to stimulation really made it a lot easier for me not to be embarrassed about the whole thing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Well, that''s not too bad.¡± Denise said. ¡°If that was all that happened...¡± ¡°Well, there was one other time...¡± He said, and her eyes widened as he told her about the quick incident in the shower. ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Denise said, and she tried hard to keep the blush from her face. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°She really helped me a lot that day. I wanted to return the favor.¡± He smiled. ¡°It happened fast, and I couldn''t enjoy it as much as I wanted to; but, she seemed happy afterwards.¡± ¡°No wonder!¡± Denise said, the clamped her mouth shut. ¡°What?¡± Denise looked at him, and it was her turn to sigh. ¡°Most guys wouldn''t return the favor.¡± She said. ¡°Ever.¡± Ren put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Denise snorted a laugh. ¡°That''s not something you should be sorry for.¡± ¡°I meant it on behalf of all the men that passed up the opportunity with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°They don''t know what they''re missing.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°How do you know it''s something they would miss?¡± Denise asked, then shook her head. ¡°No, don''t answer that.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If they know you half as well as I do, then they are definitely missing something special by not returning the favor.¡± Denise opened her mouth to say it wasn''t anything special, then she saw the innocent smile he was giving her, and changed her mind. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said and took the opened foil packet from her. ¡°Now stand back. This could get messy.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Denise said, her curiosity piqued. ¡°The lubrication on these things can go everywhere if I''m not careful.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Denise said. ¡°Do you need help undoing your pajamas?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Ren said, and stood up a little shakily. Denise stood up as well, just in case she needed to catch him. He pulled his pajama pants down and looked at her. ¡°I''ve seen it before.¡± Denise said. ¡°It was only a few hours ago that I bathed you.¡± She smiled. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren nodded and pulled his underwear down. After some slight stimulation, he applied the contents of the foil packet, and cleaned himself up. ¡°Um... you''re using it wrong.¡± Denise said. ¡°It''s nowhere near close to being on and you''re only at half-mast.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said, pulled up his underwear and adjusted it accordingly, then pulled up his pajama pants. ¡°I leave the extra room, just in case.¡± ¡°In case of what?¡± ¡°In case I need to go a few times.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve seen the blue screens.¡± ¡°Yeah, but they''re only 15 to 30 minutes long.¡± Denise said. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren said, then looked at her. ¡°Did you forget the time compression? It''s 4 times as long in the game.¡± Denise''s mouth fell open, and Ren laughed at her expression. ¡°Yeah, you forgot.¡± He took her arm to keep his balance, and Denise walked out of the bathroom to the bed, and wordlessly helped Ren climb into bed. ¡°Hand me the VR headset, would you?¡± Denise did so, then helped him put it on. ¡°See you at supper.¡± Ren said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren popped into the white loading area, and looked down at himself. He was wearing his red pajama set, and looked around. I wonder why I''m... ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± A familiar woman''s voice said, and Ren turned around to see Elise standing there. She wore a silk blouse and a short skirt. He smiled, because on a woman with normal-length legs, the skirt would have been a moderate length. Elise''s legs were so long that it made the skirt look like it was short. ¡°Hi, beautiful.¡± Ren said, and she blushed slightly. ¡°I wondered why I was in the loading area.¡± ¡°I couldn''t wait until after work to see you.¡± Elise said and stepped close. ¡°The new system sent me the footage from your game session last night.¡± Ren dropped his head slightly. ¡°Boy, did I mess up, or what?¡± He said and looked back at her. ¡°All that work for nothing.¡± Elise cupped the side of his face. ¡°I probably shouldn''t tell you this, just so you can discover it for yourself; but...¡± She smiled. ¡°...you didn''t mess up that badly.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren said with wide eyes. ¡°Hold on! I... I did it?¡± Elise nodded, and Ren picked her up and swung her around. ¡°Wha-hooo!¡± Ren said as Elise laughed, and he put her down a few moments later. Elise blushed and was flustered, and Ren grinned at her. ¡°I hope I can still get the XP, even though I died.¡± ¡°That we don''t know.¡± Elise said, once she calmed down a little. That was a rush! She thought, then smiled. ¡°I talked to the tech guys, and they said the AI will decide when you go back in.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°A 50/50 shot is better than none.¡± ¡°You still died, though.¡± Elise said, and took him into an embrace. ¡°I''m not going to ask how it felt to be stepped on like that.¡± ¡°I''ll tell you if you want to know.¡± Ren said, and Elise looked at him in surprise. ¡°You will?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why wouldn''t I?¡± ¡°Most men wouldn''t want to subject a woman to such things.¡± ¡°I can''t believe I still have to tell people that I''m not like most men.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Do you want to know?¡± Elise thought about it, then nodded. ¡°Even though there are some things I think you should keep to yourself, I''d like to know.¡± ¡°The pressure was enormous, and it broke every bone in my body at once.¡± Ren said. ¡°The pain was excruciating, and then everything went black.¡± Elise''s eyes widened at the description. ¡°You... you shouldn''t have felt that.¡± She said. ¡°It should have cut the feed as soon as it stepped on you.¡± ¡°I think it did.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or I would have felt everything getting crushed.¡± Elise blinked her eyes at him a few times. ¡°Um... I...¡± ¡°I think the game let me feel the bones breaking, because I felt it before.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± It was Ren''s turn to look at her in surprise. ¡°You didn''t know that?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°I figured you got all of my medical records when you got me transferred out of the hospital.¡± Elise sighed. ¡°They gave me enough to maintain your care, but once the lawyers got involved, if we want the rest of them, it''s going to be through the courts.¡± ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Ren said. ¡°They might refuse to release them to someone trying to take care of me, but they legally can''t refuse if I request it.¡± Elise ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I''ll bring the proper paperwork over when you log out for supper.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Ren said. ¡°So... why am I still here?¡± ¡°Can''t I just want to snuggle with you?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That would be a fantastic reason, but I know you wouldn''t stop me from going into the game if it wasn''t important.¡± ¡°How can you know me so well?¡± Elise said, let him out of the hug she still had him in, and knelt. ¡°It''s about your loot drop.¡± ¡°Don''t tell me.¡± Ren said. ¡°It might influence the game''s choice.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°If I go in knowing I''ll lose something specific and important, my Trouble recipe will flip everything around.¡± ¡°I never thought about that.¡± Elise said. ¡°I... I want to tell you so badly, but... if you know and it changes, then telling you won''t mean anything!¡± Ren stepped close, and looked at her in the eyes. ¡°Just coming to tell me means a lot to me.¡± He said, and kissed her. He ran his hands through her hair as they made out, then Elise ran her hands up his back and hugged him close. They stayed that way for several minutes, and then Ren broke the kiss. ¡°I better get in there, or I''m going to miss breakfast.¡± Ren said, and stepped back. Elise''s hands fell away and down to her sides, and she stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°See you in a few hours.¡± Ren said and smiled. Elise nodded several times, and her hand reached out to tap a few keys on a keyboard invisible to Ren. He smiled at her and waved, then dissolved. * Oh, my GOD! Elise thought as Ren disappeared. She put a hand to her lips and then quickly between her legs. Ah, dammit! ¡°Logout!¡± ******** Elise got up from the chair in the VR lounge and ran to the bathroom. I''m really glad I wore the extra thick pad today! She thought as she cleaned herself up and replaced the pad with a normal one from the dispenser in the bathroom. I have to remember to go home and get another one. She turned on the hot air blower and held her slightly damp underwear underneath it. ******** Ren was enveloped in a glowing white light for several moments, then appeared in the glowing spawn circle in the middle of the main room of the house on top of House Neram Keep.
Notice!
You died, and must suffer the consequences. You have lost 5% of your current money. Amount lost: 32 Platinum, 52 Gold, 89 Silver, 20 Copper. You have lost 1 randomly chosen equipped item. You have lost 1 randomly chosen item from inventory.
Hidden Quest Complete!
You have successfully stopped the slowly encroaching horde of giants that were infested with Brain Arthropod Grubs. Rewards: 0 XP (player deceased) Influence: +63,410 Loot: None collected
Notice!
You have successfully defended the Dwarven Kingdom from an imposing foe. Honor: +12,500; Lady Neram +12,500
Running Quest Update!
You have shown some influential people what you can do when the going gets tough. Rewards: 3,500 XP Fame Bonus: +75% (100% minus Class Reduction 25%) Fame: 2,500
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP. Fame: 2,500 x 10XP = 25,000 XP
Notice!
Because of your ingenious plan to induce the Brain Arthropod Grubs into gathering together, and for saving the most giants possible in so short a time, you have been granted a special reward. Intelligence: +3 Wisdom: +1 (2 points were lost due to recklessly throwing your life away) Special Recipes: Rod Of Leadership, Wand of Command
What''s with that ''reckless'' comment? Ren thought as he dismissed the popups, then an ear-piercing scream cut through the house. ¡°RENNNNNN!!!¡± Nathalia screamed, and he was embraced before he could blink his eyes. He also discovered that he wasn''t wearing his gold-colored armor. ¡°Hello, My Love.¡± Ren said, and held her close. She looked at him as the tears flowed out of her eyes, and he wiped them away with a scrap piece of cloth. ¡°You...¡± Nathalia said, then shook her head at him. ¡°By the gods...¡± ¡°I''m sorry I made you worry so much.¡± Ren said. ¡°I honestly didn''t have the time to contact you at all, with everything that''s been going on.¡± ¡°And then you died, you IDIOT!¡± Nathalia yelled at him, then kissed him. ¡°You...¡± *kiss* ¡°Damn...¡± *kiss* ¡°Stupid...¡± *kiss* ¡°Idiot!¡± *kiss* He tried not to laugh as she kissed him all over his face, including his beard and both eyes. ¡°What were you thinking?!?¡± Nathalia asked him when she was done. Ren shrugged. ¡°I wasn''t thinking about much, past getting the attacking giants redirected.¡± He said. ¡°Teepo and I discovered that the grub I''d taken from the giant that had Groggot, had left a trail of pheromones for the others to follow.¡± Which reminds me. He thought and looked down at his hand. The Beetle Crown Ring was still there; but one of the raised platform rings with Screaming Terror enchanted on it was missing. Summon Teepo! Teepo''s slightly glowing blue astral form materialized at Ren''s feet. ¡°REN!¡± He said, then zoomed up to land on Ren''s shoulder. His little bug legs tickled as he tried to give Ren a hug on the neck. ¡°Pheromones!¡± Nathalia said, surprised. ¡°That could have been really bad.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said, and explained what he had done with dragging the sack of grubs around. ¡°If I hadn''t done what I did, the entire Garrison might have been overrun by giants.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia said, and kissed him again. They stayed like that for a moment, then Ereka came into the room. ¡°Ren, I...¡± Ereka sighed. ¡°I''m so sorry for what Croggart did.¡± ¡°Wait... Croggart hit me with the sleep spell?¡± Ren asked, and let Nathalia go. ¡°How did... oh, that sneaky, rotten...¡± ¡°Yes, he took it from Groggot.¡± Ereka said. ¡°He didn''t want to go back to prison.¡± ¡°Of all the things he could have done...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°He chose... poorly.¡± Ereka walked over to him and knelt on the floor by his feet. She took his hand and put her head on the back of it, then closed her eyes. ¡°We owe you an-¡± ¡°NO!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Stand up!¡± Ereka looked at him in surprise. ¡°But...¡± ¡°You will NOT say you''ll be my eternal servant.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you even mention it, I''ll have Nathalia banish you from House Neram lands.¡± Ereka''s mouth dropped open in shock, and she stared at him. Ren gripped her hand and lifted her into a standing position. ¡°This was not your fault! You will not demean yourself for your brother''s mistake.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I did not risk my life to save your brother Groggot, just so you could throw your own life away.¡± Ereka took a deep breath. ¡°I wouldn''t be.¡± ¡°You would.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m leaving in 3 months. If you pledged to me personally, you''d leave the entire House without anyone to help run it.¡± Ereka tried to argue with him, but Ren was having none of it. He took both of her hands and placed them on his cheeks, then kissed her lightly. Her eyes widened as he pulled her hands away, then put his own on her face, and kissed her again. ¡°There.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now there''s no Honor debt between us. All is forgiven.¡± Ereka put a hand to her lips. ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°You can''t mention it again.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your own culture''s rules say so.¡± ¡°I...¡± Ereka let her hand drop, and she left the room. ¡°You handled that very well.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°She''s been agonizing over what to do for days.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I only just found out about Croggart, and I''m pretty angry about it.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I can only imagine what she''s been going through.¡± Ereka came back into the room and handed the Wand of Slumber to Ren. ¡°I found this at the house.¡± Ren took it from her and stored it. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For wh-¡± His words were cut off as Ereka kissed him full on the lips. Ren''s eyes widened and he held his hands out to the sides, and didn''t kiss her back. Ereka stepped back and smiled. ¡°You saved my brother from the clutches of a crazy giant.¡± ¡°I sent him into the giant lands, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was his choice.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You gave him as much help as you could, didn''t you?¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then that''s all that matters.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Groggot''s always had a fire under his butt for adventure.¡± ¡°A... a fire...¡± Ren said, then all the blood drained from his face. ¡°Oh, no! I left the baby fire elemental at the mines!¡± He said, and ran for the door. ¡°STOP!¡± Nathalia commanded, and Ren stopped with the front door open. ¡°Get back here. Right now.¡± ¡°But I have to go!¡± Ren said. ¡°Now.¡± Nathalia said sternly. Ren shut the door and walked over to her. ¡°Nathalia, please...¡± ¡°Instead of just running off every time you hear something, or remember something...¡± Nathalia said. ¡°...you might start by talking about it.¡± ¡°I... I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°The baby fire elemental has been at the mines the whole time I''ve been gone.¡± He said calmly. ¡°I have to go there right away.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°To discover it''s not there?¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°If I hadn''t stopped you just then, you''d have run all that way, only to find that the pen it was in is empty.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Ren said, and sat down on the couch. He put his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees, then sighed. ¡°What... what happened to it?¡± He finally managed to ask. ¡°I went and picked it up.¡± Nathalia said. Ren''s head whipped up and he stared at her as hope filled his face. ¡°You''d been gone for 2 days by then, and I was pretty sure no one was feeding the poor thing.¡± Ren stood up and hugged her tightly. ¡°Oh, thank you. Thank you!¡± He said, and kissed her deeply. ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°I... I made... a pen in the courtyard.¡± Nathalia said, a little flustered. Ren kissed her again and ran out of the room. ¡°Hey, I said not to do that!¡± ¡°Sorrrrrry!¡± Ren said, and disappeared out the front door. * ¡°That man.¡± Nathalia said, and shook her head. ¡°That man is back.¡± Ereka said, and gave Nathalia a hug. ¡°Loving an Adventurer definitely has it''s ups and downs.¡± Nathalia looked at her with wide eyes, and they both started to laugh at what Ereka had just said. * Ren looked around quickly, and found a large stone brick enclosure; then was surprised to find what was inside. It was the baby fire elemental like Nathalia had said, except it was about a foot and a half long now, and not much of a baby. It still only had the 4 stubby fire legs that it had when it was small, though. Ren hopped into the pen, and knelt. ¡°Hey, there.¡± Ren said, and the fire elemental shifted colors slightly, and extended it''s head-like stub. ¡°I''m sorry I''ve been away.¡± The fire elemental walked cautiously over to him, and he held out a hand. It came a little closer, and Ren moved the hand down and tickled it''s underside. He could hear the sound of a crackling fire; but it was much louder now, and the fire elemental''s color changed to a bright orange and it jumped on him. Ren started laughing and hugged it, as it''s head stub poked him in the face a few times; almost as if it was kissing him. ¡°Yes, I missed you, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Boy, did I ever miss you.¡± He said and took out several pieces of spider silk scraps. The fire elemental took them and shoved them inside itself, glowed white for a few seconds, and they were gone. ¡°Nice!¡± Ren said, and rubbed it''s head. ¡°You must eat a lot if that doesn''t give you trouble anymore.¡± ¡°It sure does.¡± Nathalia said as she came out of the house. ¡°I''ve got a standing order at the lumber yard.¡± Ren picked the elemental up and tossed it into the air a few feet, and it glowed orange with a bit of blue. ¡°Are you a glutton?¡± He asked as he caught it. ¡°Does my favorite little elemental like to eat?¡± It shifted color slightly, and Ren smiled. He saw the old pen had been used as part of the wall, and the fire bricks there were still putting out fire, but only a tiny amount compared to the size of the elemental. ¡°I think a slight modification of your pen is needed.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would you like more heat and fire?¡± Its color shifted slightly again, and he enchanted a pile of bricks on one side with wind and fire glyphs. When he activated them, it covered nearly half of the pen, and the fire elemental jumped right into the center of it. Ren could see it stretch and then lounge as it basked in the windy flames. ¡°I''m heading to work.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Want to walk me over?¡± ¡°Always.¡± Ren said, then hopped out of the pen and joined Nathalia at the gate. They went through it, were greeted by the guards, then they walked down the road to the restaurant. ¡°You''re going back to the Garrison, aren''t you?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to see what they did with the giants.¡± ¡°You could just call.¡± Nathalia suggested, and Ren laughed. ¡°You''re definitely smarter than me.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''ll do that to let them know I''m coming.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°If I told you not to go, you''d still go, wouldn''t you?¡± ¡°I didn''t see Princess, Riley, or Stacy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to go and get them, at least.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Nathalia stopped walking in front of the restaurant, and turned to him. ¡°Please, I don-¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you tell me not to do something that I need to do, it''s only going to hurt you more when I leave to do it.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°So, you really would ignore me and go.¡± Ren stepped in close to her, and cupped the sides of her face. ¡°You''ve known all this time that there are certain things that I''m going to do, no matter what.¡± He said. ¡°Now, I want you to remember one of the main precepts of the military.¡± Nathalia put her hands on top of his hands that held her face. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Never give an order you know will be disobeyed.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± ¡°What about working in the mines?¡± She asked, and he kissed her. ¡°I''m taking the afternoon off to spend it with the woman I love.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got almost 5 days of work caught up already from that last little stunt. I can afford to take an afternoon off.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± ¡°Anything you want to.¡± Ren whispered to her, gave her another quick kiss, and Nathalia blushed slightly because she was thinking about all the possibilities. He stepped away from her, waved, then ran down the road. ¡°I''m so glad you''re okay.¡± Teepo said. Ren laughed. ¡°I died, Teepo. That''s not really okay in my book.¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°You''re back, so everything is okay.¡± He said. ¡°I see one of the Screaming Terror rings is missing.¡± ¡°Yeah. It dropped as loot.¡± ¡°What else did you lose?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Just over 32 platinum, and something random from inventory.¡± Ren skidded to a stop. ¡°I hope I didn''t lose a crafting station or something!¡± He opened his inventory, and checked it quickly. ¡°No, I''ve still got them all.¡± He looked a little more. ¡°Then what... oh, crap.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I lost the little wooden box from Lord Lodur''s loot.¡± Ren said. ¡°With the shadow coins in it.¡± He closed his inventory and started running again. Maybe if he was extremely lucky, no one would have gone into the pit yet. ¡°There''s no chance of that.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That place is a gold mine for loot.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said, but kept hoping anyways. ******** ¡°Ha!¡± Max, the programmer at Sid Tec said. ¡°Craig, you owe me ten bucks!¡± Craig counted out ten pretend dollars and threw them at Max. ¡°Thanks!¡± He said and pretended to grab at the falling bills. Once he had collected them all, he grinned. ¡°I knew that kid was smart.¡± He said. ¡°Now we have to wait and see if he''s smart enough to get them back.¡± ******** Ren took out the Sending Square for the Commander of the Garrison, and concentrated on him. ¡°Good morning, Commander.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry to bother you.¡± ¡°Welcome back.¡± The Commander''s voice said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m coming to pick up my mount and dogs.¡± ¡°The door''s open.¡± He said. ¡°I''m sure they are eager to see you.¡± ¡°It doesn''t really sound like you are.¡± ¡°Oh, I am.¡± The Commander said. ¡°Meet me in my office.¡± ¡°I''ll be right there.¡± Ren said and put the Sending Square away. This should be fun. He thought sarcastically as he took the corner to run up the road to the Garrison. ¡°It''ll be fun if you want it to be.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°Or not.¡± ¡°Okay, this will be fun.¡± ¡°That''s the spirit!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Now run faster!¡± Ren laughed as he ran as fast as he could, which was pretty fast considering his boots let him run twice as fast as he normally did. Chapter 219 - More Giant Problems Ren looked at his Bracelet of Enforcement when he came to a stop on the hill in front of the Garrison. Since I own the Garrison, I wonder if I will always count as working for it? Ren thought, then shook his head. No, that''s too much of a stretch. I have to be actually doing something for it to count. ¡°I''d say so.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Of course, coming here and helping to clean up should count.¡± Picking up Princess, Riley, and Stacy counts as cleaning up? ¡°You''re getting them out of the Garrison''s way.¡± Teepo said. ¡°And do you really think you''re going to go in there and not tell them what to do with the giants?¡± Ren laughed as he walked the last little way to the main gate of the Garrison. Yeah, that''s true. The gate opened when he approached, the guards nodded to him, and gave him Honor. He nodded slightly in return, and when he passed through the outer gate, he saw the next three gates were open in front of him, and the road was lined with dwarves. They each nodded to him as he passed, and Ren was surprised that they were standing along the entire length of the distance to the Commander''s office. ¡°It''s an Honor Guard.¡± Teepo said, surprised. Ren couldn''t possibly nod slightly back to them all, but he tried his best as he went three sections in and two to the right. When he got to the office door, the closest dwarf knocked and opened it, and nodded as well. Ren stepped into the office and the door was shut behind him. ¡°The great hero returns.¡± The Commander said, while he sat at his desk. Ren raised a single eyebrow at him. ¡°I don''t have to be a dwarf to tell that you don''t believe that.¡± The Commander smiled sadly. ¡°I used to.¡± He said. ¡°At least, until I found this where you died.¡± He opened one of the drawers in the desk and took out a small wooden box. He placed it on the top of his desk and sighed. ¡°I thought you were better than this.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked him, to make sure he understood. ¡°Please, don''t insult my intelligence.¡± The Commander said and frowned. ¡°We both know what these are.¡± He said and opened the box to reveal the 30 shadow coins inside, with room for 15 more. ¡°What are they?¡± ¡°I thought I told you not to insult me.¡± The Commander said, slightly angry. ¡°I''m not insulting you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to know what you think they are.¡± The Commander didn''t wince, so he knew Ren wasn''t lying. ¡°Fine.¡± He said, and slammed the little box shut and stood up. ¡°They are markers for criminal acts! They are given to thieves, murderers, kidnappers, and any other kind of criminal to perform a certain act, then when the act is done, they are returned for proper payment!¡± ¡°I''m glad you know that.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°That is exactly what they are used for.¡± ¡°And I found 30 of them on you!¡± The Commander said, heatedly. ¡°Yes, you did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have a perfectly good explanation for it, too.¡± The Commander looked at him with a frown. ¡°There''s only one reason to have these things.¡± He said heatedly. ¡°To use them!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You noticed the 15 empty slots, then.¡± ¡°Of course I did!¡± The Commander said. ¡°To think, someone like you owns the Garrison!¡± Ren laughed, and the Commander stared at him in shock. ¡°Why are you laughing?¡± He asked. ¡°Is being discovered as a criminal mastermind that funny?¡± Teepo chittered in delight, and Ren laughed hard; nearly as hard as he did while using the bathroom in real life, when his pee went on and on. ¡°Oh... ohhh...¡± Ren said between guffaws. ¡°You... oh, that''s funny...¡± He said and laughed some more. After a minute or so, he calmed down enough to speak properly. ¡°You''re so angry at me, and yet you knew the whole time that Lord Lodur was a criminal mastermind.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you ever accuse him of being one?¡± The Commander of the Garrison didn''t say anything, and Ren smiled. ¡°I didn''t think so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think you had better start asking questions before laying accusations, Commander.¡± ¡°I have half a mind to have you arrested for getting your friend out of prison.¡± The Commander said. ¡°Did you give him a shadow marker, too?¡± ¡°What did I just say about laying accusations?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°It was Croggart''s fault I was in the condition I was in when I got here during the giant''s attack. Why in the world would I give him a marker to do that?¡± ¡°To cover your tracks, that''s why!¡± The Commander said. ¡°We brought you right inside and let you run all over the place.¡± Ren shook his head, and started laughing again. ¡°Please tell me you don''t question prisoners like this.¡± Ren said. ¡°I own the Garrison. You are all my personal soldiers. I''d have no need whatsoever to do what you just said.¡± He smiled. ¡°I could order you to tear this place apart, and you''d have to do it.¡± The Commander looked at Ren with wide eyes. ¡°Yeah, that''s right.¡± Ren said and stepped close to the desk. ¡°You''re jumping to conclusions and making assumptions.¡± He picked up the box of shadow markers and opened it again. ¡°If you must know where I got these, I''ll tell you.¡± ¡°No, I don''t want to know how you got so many of those blasted things!¡± ¡°That''s too bad; because I''m going to tell you anyways.¡± Ren said. ¡°I got this from Lord Lodur''s loot.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± ¡°When he was executed for his crimes against the kingdom, I was given a sack with his loot in it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t know how shocked I was when I found this box in the sack, and that 15 of the markers were missing.¡± ¡°No... that''s not true.¡± ¡°You aren''t wincing, Commander.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I said I used them...¡± The Commander winced. ¡°Or if I said I wanted to use them...¡± The Commander winced again. ¡°Stop...¡± ¡°Or even if I said that I''m a criminal mastermind...¡± The Commander winced and closed his eyes. ¡°You would know that I''m lying.¡± Ren said. The Commander sat down at his desk. ¡°They''re really Lord Lodur''s.¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter at this point.¡± Ren said. ¡°What matters is, there''s 15 missing.¡± The Commander sighed. ¡°Yes, that was my worry, too.¡± ¡°You thought it was bad when you assumed it was me using them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now imagine what Lord Lodur would use them for.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Start an investigation, please.¡± The Commander looked at him. ¡°Discreetly. This isn''t a witch hunt. You want to find the actual criminals, not just someone to blame.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°I deserved that.¡± The Commander said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°You should be.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, where are my mount and dogs?¡± ¡°They''re in the central park.¡± The Commander said. ¡°We''ve got stonemasons working around the clock to repair the damage from the giants.¡± ¡°Speaking of which... where are they?¡± ¡°They''re still in the pit.¡± ¡°They''re WHAT?!?¡± ¡°We don''t have anywhere else to put them.¡± The Commander said. ¡°What would you suggest we do?¡± ¡°Get them out of the death pit, for one thing.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can set up temporary shelter far away from that place.¡± ¡°They''re giants.¡± The Commander said. ¡°We don''t have the resources to build them all shelters.¡± Ren rubbed his forehead. ¡°Tell me you''ve at least been feeding them.¡± The Commander shook his head. ¡°We''ve barely got enough for the troops.¡± ¡°So you''re going to let them starve to death?¡± Ren asked. ¡°They have to be fed!¡± ¡°It''s not that simple.¡± The Commander said. ¡°Unless you can do some kind of special magic that we don''t know about...¡± He said and shrugged. ¡°I can if it works like I think it will.¡± Ren smiled, and turned towards the door. ¡°Hold on.¡± The Commander said, and Ren turned back to watch as he placed a web wand and the Screaming Terror ring on the desk. ¡°I found these where you died, too.¡± ¡°You''re not going to keep them?¡± ¡°I could keep the ring.¡± The Commander said. ¡°It was loot. The wand you dropped before the giant stepped on you.¡± ¡°Then keep the ring.¡± Ren said, and took out 9 platinum coins. ¡°I buy shadow markers that fall as loot for 30 gold each.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t want them just floating around for anyone to take and use.¡± He handed the surprised Commander the 9 coins. ¡°You can keep the 32 platinum and change I dropped, too.¡± The Commander reached back into the drawer and took out a small sack. ¡°Then you''ll want to buy these as well.¡± ¡°What... no way.¡± Ren said as the Commander opened the small sack and saw it was full of shadow markers. ¡°Damn, you''ve been collecting them for a while.¡± The Commander nodded. ¡°They''ve been showing up occasionally.¡± Ren dumped the sack into his inventory, and shook his head. ¡°I can only hope that some, or all, of the missing shadow markers are right here.¡± He said. There were 147 of them in the sack, and Ren did the math. He handed the Commander 44 platinum and 10 gold, then picked up the web wand and stored it. ¡°What about the loot from the brain arthropods?¡± Ren asked. The Commander got up from behind his desk and walked to his office door. ¡°Bring it in.¡± The Commander said and stepped back. Two Warriors came in and carried a crate between them. Ren opened the crate, and it was nearly half full with a mix of large grub legs, mandibles, and venom glands. ¡°We kept about a third of it. The healers want to see what they can do with the numbing venom.¡± Ren closed the crate and stored it. ¡°And the platinum coin from each one?¡± ¡°We do have extra costs with the repairs.¡± ¡°As long as it''s actually being used for the Garrison, and not kept for personal gain.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have you hired every stonemason available? Apprentices, too?¡± The Commander shook his head. ¡°We can''t afford to...¡± ¡°Just do it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Start with the outer walls. Get the defenses up before worrying about the internal damage.¡± ¡°We''re at the end of the year. There''s nothing left in the budget.¡± The Commander said. ¡°Nearly everything has been put on hold until next week.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said and took out 50 platinum. ¡°Then put all of this into the repairs and hiring workers.¡± He said. ¡°Poll the soldiers. See who has stonemason training. Get them to help, and have them make sure we''re not getting ripped off by the hired crews that are doing the job.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°I''m going to pick up my mount and dogs, and I''m going to see what I can do about getting shelter and food to the giants.¡± ¡°Sir.¡± The Commander said, and saluted. ¡°Would you still do that if the shadow markers were actually mine?¡± ¡°No.¡± The Commander said. ¡°I''ve also never saluted Lord Lodur.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and left the Commander''s office. * Nathalia was in a great mood, and blew through making special ordered breakfasts at her restaurant faster than ever, then did the same on the Aurora side of her portal. After that, she started transferring over all of the orders for Ren''s business. She didn''t even think about all of the extra weight she was carrying with each trip. I can''t wait until this afternoon! Nathalia thought as she dropped off two dressers and a sitting table, and another crate full of lingerie. * Ereka was in a great mood as well. She''d kissed Ren right in front of Nathalia, and she didn''t even get a twinge of jealousy from her in their shared Aura at the time. It would have been better if Ren had kissed me back, though. Ereka thought and sighed. Once again, she contemplated signing up for her training early, and remembered what Nathalia had said about training. Practicing on a man she didn''t know still wasn''t an appealing idea, so she pushed the thought to the back of her brain again. * Jhulune, the 18 year old girl who had red hair styled like Ren''s and worked at the lumber yard in Aurora, was lonely. She''d decided that she should try and date again. Of the three guys she went out with during the last month, only one of them was as nice as Ren; at least, he was nice until she took her top and bra off. At least he stopped when I asked him to. Jhulune thought as she nailed another plank to the roof of the building being repaired. No more dating co-workers! * I wonder if today will be the day? Donna, the cook at the mansion in Aurora thought, and stirred the batter for a cake. * Ren made it to the central park, and found Princess standing next to a tree that had half of it''s bark missing, and Riley and Stacy stood guard. He knelt in front of Princess on one knee, and held out a hand. Princess put her front right hoof on it, and he smiled. ¡°Princess.¡± Greetings... My Lord... Princess thought to him. You look well... after dying... Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s a new body, so it definitely looks better than the old squashed one.¡± Princess took her hoof back and huffed. Felt being squashed... ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him. Not first time... ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like to say this would be the last time, but I thought that before.¡± Dangerous life... ¡°At least it''s not boring.¡± Ren said. Princess brayed at him and he felt her amusement. ¡°I''ve got some work to do out past the wall. Do you feel like coming along?¡± He asked her. Will there be food... ¡°I plan on making some, yes.¡± Princess spit out the piece of bark she had been chewing on, and Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m sorry you had to do that.¡± He said and motioned to the tree. ¡°Does it have any flavor at all?¡± No... Princess thought. It''s just sustenance... ¡°Then I''m really sorry.¡± Ren scratched her chin. ¡°What about the two of you?¡± Riley and Stacy barked at him, and Ren asked Princess if he could climb into the saddle on her back. She nodded to him, and he mounted her. ¡°Let''s go to the closest cafeteria.¡± Ren said, and Princess took off at a slow run because the cafeteria was only a few sections away. Once there, Ren asked for some basic ingredients to make a large pot of stew; enough to feed at least a hundred people. They started to protest at first, because it would leave them short at suppertime; but Ren paid for all of the ingredients and then asked them to order a lot more. He wasn''t sure if they could get enough food for everyone; but at least they could try. Ren then asked to borrow several large pots, that he would replace once he got to a forge. ¡°We can give you two of the old ones.¡± The head cook of the cafeteria said, and dug out two large pots to hand to him. ¡°We don''t use them because they''re wearing out, and could leak at any time.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said to her. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You don''t have to thank me.¡± She said. ¡°You saved my son and brother with that stunt of yours yesterday.¡± ¡°I did?¡± The head cook nodded slightly. ¡°They were assigned to the barracks.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°I hope they weren''t hurt too badly.¡± He said. ¡°I got there as soon as I could.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The head cook said. ¡°Everyone knows.¡± Ren looked around at the other cooks, and they all nodded slightly. ¡°You all had someone involved in that?¡± They all nodded slightly again, and he smiled. ¡°Then what I said goes for everyone.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope they''re all okay.¡± ¡°They are.¡± One of the female cooks said. ¡°Did you really jump into the pit to fight giants?¡± ¡°Jump?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, I didn''t jump. I ended up there just the same, though.¡± ¡°Woooow.¡± She said, and looked at Ren dreamily. ¡°You fought giants.¡± Two of the helpers brought over a couple of sacks of ingredients, and Ren thanked them and stored everything. He bid them a good day, and left the cafeteria. He climbed up onto Princess again, and they ran to the closest stairwell to get up on top of the battlement walls. No one questioned him being there, and they ran for the end of the Garrison and the spot where the pit trap was. It didn''t take them long to get to the end of the Garrison, because there wasn''t anything in the way up on the walls. The walls were wide so they easily avoided the Warriors on patrol, then ran along the edge to where the pit trap was. Teepo found a stairwell for them, they went to ground level, and then they went outside through the closest gate. They arrived at the pit, and saw it was surrounded by Warriors and crossbows. Ren climbed down from Princess, told her not to go too far, and asked Riley and Stacy to keep guarding her. He walked over to the pit and looked down at the giants, and saw they were packed in tighter than sardines in a can. Teepo? Use your Spot ability and count how many of them there are. Teepo took a few minutes to do what Ren asked. ¡°There''s a hundred and thirty-five, Ren.¡± ¡°A hundred and thirty-five?¡± Ren said out loud. ¡°Why so many?¡± ¡°They added in the ones that you captured inside the Garrison.¡± One of the Warriors said. ¡°There wasn''t anywhere else to put them.¡± ¡°How did they do that?¡± ¡°Ropes.¡± The Warrior said, and pointed to several large piles of ropes. ¡°Some of them broke. They weren''t designed to hold that much weight.¡± ¡°Was anyone hurt?¡± ¡°None of us at least.¡± He said, and Ren frowned as he concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Send for a couple of healers that won''t mind working on giants.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want the giants examined and checked out.¡± ¡°What for?¡± The Warrior asked. ¡°They''re just giants.¡± ¡°I didn''t ask for your opinion, I gave you an order.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to know if any of them are sick. If they are, then I want them healed so it doesn''t spread. Either to the other giants, or to the dwarves.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The Warrior said, and waved to a messenger to convey the order. While that was happening, Ren walked over to the piles of ropes to see what they were tied to. Several large spikes had been driven into the ground and the ropes were tied to them. Ren picked three of the closest ones, and sorted out the ropes attached to them. ¡°What are you doing?¡± One of the other Warriors asked. ¡°Making a stronger rope.¡± Ren said, then proceeded to braid the three ropes together. It didn''t take long for him to do the entire length, and he tied a knot in the end. Ren held tension on the new braided rope, and walked over to the pit. ¡°Hey, you can''t do that!¡± The Warrior said. ¡°Why not?¡± Ren asked him as the rope was eased down into the pit. The Warrior didn''t know how to respond, and Ren smiled as he looked over the side of the pit. Several of the giants looked up at him, and he waved to them. Surprise was on a lot of the faces, and one of the female giants waved back. ¡°I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± Ren said, and disappeared over the side as he slid down the rope. Chapter 220 - A Big Help As Ren slid down the rope, he concentrated on his Camaraderie Aura. The Giants had moved away from the side of the pit where he was descending, and Ren stopped when he got to just above their heads. He was about 30 feet from the pit floor, used Iron Grip on the rope so he wouldn''t slip, and turned around to face them. He quickly found the female giant that had waved back to him, and he motioned for her to come closer. Just like all of the giants gathered there, her clothes were in tatters; but she had figured out that if she tied her clothing up, she could successfully cover herself and not have to worry about exposing anything. She had shoulder-length brown hair that was kind of wavy; or at least would be if it wasn''t all dirty and disheveled. She looked at him with surprise on her face for a moment, and then she made her way over to him. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I ask you your name?¡± She blinked her eyes at him for a moment, them smiled. ¡°You really are a little person.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve read stories about you when I was a child; but when I was old enough, my parents told me you weren''t real.¡± ¡°I can''t say if the stories you''ve read are true or not, but I''m real.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°My name is Ren.¡± She put a hand up, looked at the size difference, and didn''t know what to do. She put it close to him and he shook her finger. ¡°I''m Laurelia.¡± The female giant said. ¡°It''s nice to meet you, Laurelia.¡± Ren said. ¡°Could I ask you for a favor?¡± ¡°M-me?¡± Laurelia looked around at the other giants close to her, and some of them avoided looking at her and Ren. ¡°What could I possibly do for a little person?¡± ¡°I''d like for you to carry me out to the middle of the pit.¡± ¡°Wh-wh-what?!?¡± ¡°I can''t possibly get there myself, with so many of you here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m an Adventurer, and I''ve already died by being stepped on.¡± He said to her shocked expression. ¡°I don''t want that to happen again.¡± ¡°I... I don''t know...¡± ¡°I''d really appreciate your help.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can sit on your shoulder, if it''s not too much trouble.¡± ¡°I...¡± ¡°I''d like to explain to everyone what''s been going on, and what has to happen next.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Um... I think...¡± She looked around, and even the ones that had avoided her gaze before, looked back at her expectantly. ¡°All right.¡± She started to reach for him, then paused, then sighed. ¡°What do I do?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Step close, and I can climb on.¡± Laurelia nodded and turned to put her shoulder next to where Ren hung on the rope. There were several strips of cloth over her shoulder to hold her top in place, and he pushed off from the side of the pit and let his Iron Grip on the rope go. He managed to sit on her shoulder without incident, and grabbed onto the cloth. ¡°This cloth isn''t very secure.¡± Ren said softly, since he was right beside her ear. ¡°Would it be okay if I braced myself with a hand on your neck for balance? When you start to walk, I really, really don''t want to fall off.¡± Laurelia nodded, and Ren put a hand out and touched her neck. When she didn''t say anything, he put his arm around behind her neck and under her hair. His hand just reached the other side of her neck, and he held on. She blushed a little at the intimate contact, and since Ren was so close, he saw the change in her skin, and felt the warmth under his hand increase. ¡°Are you sure this is okay?¡± Ren asked her softly. ¡°If you''re uncomfortable with this...¡± ¡°No, it''s fine.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°I just haven''t had anyone touch me there in a while.¡± ¡°I can move my hand...¡± ¡°To where?¡± She asked. ¡°There''s not a lot for you to hold on to there.¡± She didn''t turn her head to talk to him, in the fear she would knock him off. ¡°Grabbing my hair is not an option.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Understood.¡± He said. ¡°Let''s go.¡± She nodded, and started to walk towards the center of the pit. Ren rocked from side to side as her shoulder moved, and he held on tightly to stop himself from slipping off. A lot of the giants watched Laurelia as she passed, and more than a few stared at Ren like he was a ghost or some kind of demon. I think some of them are remembering the fight. Ren thought, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Why would they remember that?¡± Teepo said. ¡°You didn''t do anything special... except defeat them all.¡± Ren smiled as he remembered it. The ending sucked, but the rest of it was... ¡°Go ahead and say it.¡± Teepo urged. Fun. ¡°There you go.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter again. Laurelia came to the spot that was approximately at the center and came to a stop. ¡°This is close enough, right?¡± ¡°It''s perfect.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Do you want me to put you down, or...¡± ¡°I''d like for you to help me for a few more minutes, at least.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I stand up on your shoulder, so I can talk to everyone?¡± ¡°Um...¡± ¡°I know it''s going to be a little embarrassing, but I''ll be quick.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Ren said softly in her ear, his voice full of appreciation, and Laurelia blushed slightly. He very carefully took his arm away from holding her neck and stood up on her shoulder. It was a precarious position, so he put a hand on top of her head for balance. ¡°Can I have everyone''s attention, please?¡± Ren said, unnecessarily. All the giants were already looking at him. ¡°I''d like to explain what happened to you, and how you ended up here.¡± Ren said, and told them about the Brain Arthropod Grubs, and what they did to giants when they burrowed inside their heads. ¡°So that''s why people have been going crazy!¡± One of the male giants said. ¡°My uncle beat up my father, then disappeared over two months ago.¡± ¡°Brother.¡± ¡°Sister.¡± ¡°Son.¡± A few of the other giants said. Most of them knew of cases, but didn''t know anyone that had it. ¡°Mom.¡± The child giant said with tears in his eyes, and the woman standing next to him hugged him. ¡°I''m sorry for your loss.¡± Ren said, and he really was. ¡°But now, you are the ones that are lost.¡± There was a few minutes of disbelief and denial, and Ren waited for them to realize it was true. ¡°I helped one of you before. Her name was Rubella.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± One of the male giants said, and stepped forward. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Her name was Rubella.¡± Ren said to the giant. ¡°When I tried to take her back home, we were attacked by the Guardians of the Land.¡± ¡°Those bastards!¡± The male giant said, then looked at Ren. ¡°How are you still alive?¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°They said she was exiled, and wasn''t allowed back.¡± Silence filled the pit as the words cut them to the bone. They weren''t allowed back. ¡°What... what about our families?¡± Laurelia asked, as a tear formed in the corner of her eye. ¡°I don''t know what''s happened to them.¡± Ren said to her, and turned back to the giants. ¡°But, the Guardians said that it didn''t matter if you were cured or not.¡± ¡°Where is she now?¡± The male giant asked. ¡°I gave Rubella clothes, money, and a companion to help her find her way home.¡± The male giant looked like he''d been punched in the stomach. ¡°No.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. The male giant shook his head. ¡°She... she''s not going to find anything when she gets home.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said, and the male giant looked surprised. ¡°I told her to leave a message for me at the Library, and I''d come and pick them up as soon as I could.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°You... why would you do that?¡± He asked, perplexed. ¡°I like helping people.¡± Ren said. ¡°And if there''s anyone that needs my help right now, it''s you people.¡± No one spoke for a few minutes, and Ren sighed. ¡°Now, let me explain how you got here.¡± He said, and told them a condensed version of what had happened. ¡°No, I wouldn''t do that!¡± Laurelia said in protest, and turned her head to look at Ren. ¡°Whoa!¡± Ren exclaimed as her face hit his leg. He slipped and would have fallen, if he hadn''t grabbed onto her head with both hands. ¡°I''m sorry!¡± Laurelia said, and looked back to the front again. ¡°I forgot how close you were.¡± Ren got his feet under him, and stood up again. ¡°That''s alright.¡± He said. ¡°I''m just glad I didn''t pull on your hair.¡± Laurelia smiled, and Ren continued. ¡°Now, you weren''t supposed to be left in the pit.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least, I hadn''t intended it.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''d like to get you all out of here, clothed, and possibly try to make some food for you.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± One of the giants said. ¡°I''m starving!¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°And me.¡± ¡°Yeah, food!¡± Various voices sounded off, then a female giant nearly shouted. ¡°Did you say clothes?!?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t have anywhere near enough cloth on me right now to make something for everyone; but, I should have enough for the women at least.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll send for more cloth once I''m topside.¡± There were mutters of agreement, and Ren took a deep breath. This was the part that might make or break his food idea. ¡°Now, I need to know something. This is very important.¡± Ren said seriously, and the chatter quieted down. ¡°Does anyone here have access to an inventory?¡± Two of the 135 giants raised their hands slightly, and Ren sighed in relief. ¡°Please, step forward.¡± Ren asked them, and they came over. One was a male about 24 feet tall, and the other was a female 23 feet tall. ¡°I''d appreciate your help for the next part.¡± ¡°How can we help?¡± The female asked. ¡°I had a crazy idea.¡± Ren said, and explained what he needed the male to do. ¡°You want me to resize a shovel in my inventory, then dig a ramp up to ground level?¡± The male shook his head. ¡°Yeah, that''s pretty crazy.¡± ¡°I''ve been called crazy a lot.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I don''t take it as the insult it''s meant to be, though.¡± He chuckled. ¡°It throws people off.¡± The female snorted a laugh. ¡°I think we''re the ones that are still crazy.¡± She said. ¡°We''re standing in the middle of a giant pit trap, and talking to a little person!¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°Once we get the ramp made, and get some of you up on the ground, I''ll need your help for something else.¡± ¡°Are you going to make me wait until then to tell me?¡± She asked. ¡°Only until we test my theory with the shovel.¡± Ren said. ¡°If that works, then what I had in mind for you should work, too.¡± The female nodded, and Ren carefully sat down on Laurelia''s shoulder. ¡°If the three of you would be so kind as to go to the rope I climbed down, we can get started.¡± Ren put an arm around Laurelia''s neck to hold on, as she and the other two giants walked across the pit to the spot where the rope still hung. He stood up on Laurelia''s shoulder again, and grabbed the rope. ¡°Please wait here. I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and climbed up the rope. * ¡°Can you believe that?¡± The female giant asked, as Ren climbed out of sight. ¡°An actual little person!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Even though my parents told me they weren''t real, I... I still kind of believed.¡± ¡°Kind of?¡± The male asked. ¡°Either you do, or you don''t.¡± ¡°I was hoping, okay?¡± Laurelia said to defend herself. ¡°We''ve all read the tales, right? About all the adventures the little people had?¡± Several of the giants nearby nodded their heads. ¡°He said he couldn''t tell me if the tales were true or not, but that he was real.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°At least some parts of the tales must be true!¡± Several more giants nodded their heads, and the male shook his head in response. ¡°Don''t get your hopes up.¡± He said. ¡°You''re just setting yourselves up for disappointment.¡± ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°This little person... this ''Ren''...¡± She smiled. ¡°He really wants to help us.¡± * Ren got to the top of the pit and went to the closest Warrior after switching his concentration from his Camaraderie Aura to his Command Aura. ¡°I need 4 shovels, and a couple of pickaxes.¡± Ren said. ¡°How long will it take to get them?¡± ¡°Maybe 10 minutes, sir.¡± The Warrior said. ¡°The closest supply depot is only 5 sections in.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do they have tents, bedrolls, and other supplies for camping out?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Bring me the shovels and pickaxes first. If my idea doesn''t work, I won''t need the other things.¡± Ren said. ¡°But if it does work, I want you to bring me everything they have for camping.¡± ¡°But, sir...¡± ¡°I''ll replace it as soon as I get the chance; either by making it myself, or buying it.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The Warrior said, and took off running. ¡°Funny meeting you here.¡± The healer said as she came over to him. Ren opened his arms and gave her a hug. ¡°Wh-what was that for?¡± She asked in surprise. ¡°To thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I see you''re the only healer here willing to help a giant.¡± ¡°Well... I''m not really willing, but...¡± She looked at Ren and smiled. ¡°I got this nifty wand recently...¡± Ren laughed and nodded slightly. ¡°I''m glad.¡± He said. ¡°Can I see it?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The healer said and took it out of the little satchel at her side, and handed it to him. ¡°You used it a few times already?¡± Ren asked, because the wand was down to 32 charges. ¡°I sure did!¡± The healer said. ¡°You wouldn''t believe the amount of people I can help now.¡± ¡°It gets better.¡± Ren said, and put a hand on the diamond tip. He poured Mana into it, refilled the charges, and passed it back to her. Her eyes widened and she looked at the wand, then at Ren. ¡°You... you did not just... you...¡± She shook her head. ¡°By the gods, how?¡± ¡°They''re really expensive.¡± Ren said. ¡°That one is over 4 platinum coins.¡± She held it to her chest and grinned at him. ¡°It''s worth every copper coin!¡± Ren smiled at her, then gave her a Minor Healing Wand, too. ¡°What are you... no!¡± She shook her head and tried to pass it back. ¡°You can''t just give these things away!¡± ¡°I made them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can give them away if I want to.¡± ¡°YOU MADE THEM?!?¡± She yelled in surprise. ¡°Shhh!¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a secret!¡± The healer winced a little, and Ren laughed. ¡°Okay, it''s kind of a secret.¡± He said. ¡°People know, but I''m not selling them or telling everyone that I have them.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The healer said. ¡°That makes sense.¡± She looked at the pit. ¡°Do you want me to go down there and start examining them?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve spent enough time in there.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She said, and shook as she remembered what she had been through. ¡°You''re right. Once was enough.¡± ¡°I plan on bringing them up here, one by one for you to examine, and then I''m going to lead them all away, for about an hour, towards the giant lands.¡± ¡°Why so far?¡± The healer asked curiously. ¡°I want them far enough away from the Garrison that it doesn''t cause any problems; but not too far that they can''t ask for help if they need it.¡± ¡°What are you going to do with them then?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have ideas, but it''s really up to them what happens next.¡± The Warrior was back a few minutes later with a large sack that had the shovels and pickaxes inside. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and stored them. ¡°If this works, I''ll be back up eventually to tell you to get me those camping supplies.¡± The Warrior nodded slightly, and Ren walked over to the pit and the rope. ¡°Good luck.¡± The healer said. Ren waved to her, then climbed down the rope to the waiting giants. When he got to the same height he had been at before, he waved to Laurelia. ¡°Can I get your help again?¡± Ren asked her, and she nodded as she stepped close. ¡°Thank you.¡± He climbed onto her shoulder, and she slowly turned to face the other two giants. ¡°Sir, if you could hold out your hand?¡± Ren asked the male giant, and took out the sack of tools. He put a pickaxe in the giant''s hand. ¡°I am giving you this pickaxe.¡± Ren said. ¡°Put it into your inventory, then take it back out.¡± The giant did so, then took it back out. It had scaled appropriately, and was now nearly twice as tall as Ren. ¡°Yes!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m giving you this sack, with more tools inside.¡± This is the real test. He thought. Otherwise I''ll have to give each single item to him to resize it. The giant took the sack carefully, and stored it. He waited for a moment, the took the sack back out, and it scaled up to giant size. The male opened the sack and took out the other pick, and 4 shovels. All of them were giant size. ¡°What a relief!¡± Ren said, and the giants looked at him. ¡°If that didn''t work, it was going to take a long time to make you enough to eat.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Laurelia asked. ¡°Don''t you see?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Thanks to this gentleman and this woman, I''ll be able to scale things up for you and your people.¡± He smiled. ¡°We won''t have to use up a ton of normal food to make enough for a single giant to eat. We only have to give you the ingredients first, and then you can make the food yourselves!¡± The giants looked around at each other for a moment, then some of them smiled. ¡°How did you come up with that idea?¡± Laurelia asked. ¡°When I make clothing, the outfits are all one size. When people put them on, they resize to fit.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°When I made a backpack for Rubella, she equipped it and it resized to fit her. It got me thinking. If I found a giant that had an inventory, then I could give them items that can''t be equipped, and they''d resize, too. Hopefully.¡± ¡°You''re really smart.¡± The female giant with the inventory said. ¡°I don''t think any of us would have thought of that.¡± ¡°Normally, I wouldn''t either.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... once I knew giants existed, well...¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± The male giant said. ¡°You didn''t know we existed?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°There''s not a lot of people around that know about you and your race.¡± He said. ¡°They will soon, though.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± The male giant asked. ¡°I have a friend that has access to all of the libraries in the world.¡± Ren said, and grinned as the giants gasped. ¡°You... you have...¡± ¡°I don''t usually ask her for much; but I''m sure once I tell her about you, and the things you''ve gone through... she''ll spread the word.¡± ¡°You''d do that for us?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m here to help you.¡± ¡°I told you!¡± Laurelia said. Ren pat the top of her head, and she grinned. ¡°If we could get a few volunteers to help dig with the pickaxes and shovels, we can get you up to the surface and out of the pit.¡± One of the other male giants stepped forward and picked up a shovel. ¡°And what''s to stop us from running away once we get to the surface?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Ren said, and the giants looked at each other with doubt on their faces. ¡°You aren''t prisoners. I''m not keeping you here. Once we''re out of the pit, you are free to leave and go wherever you want... as long as it''s away from the Garrison and the little people''s lands.¡± ¡°You''re not going to try and stop us?¡± Another male said and took one of the shovels, too. ¡°Only if you attack the Garrison again.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m planning on making a temporary spot for you to live in, about an hour away from here. Tents, bedrolls, the whole thing.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You''re almost a week''s travel away from the edge of the giant lands where you came from.¡± Ren said. ¡°And if my encounter with the Guardians of the Land is any indication, you''ll be attacked as soon as they see you.¡± He looked at their faces. ¡°There wasn''t any mercy in them.¡± ¡°We... we''re really exiled.¡± One of the female giants said, and started to cry. ¡°Only for now.¡± Ren said. She looked at him with surprise on her face, and she wiped at her tears. ¡°I''m going to do my best to change that.¡± He said. ¡°You... you are?¡± She asked with hope in her eyes. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because it''s worth a try.¡± Ren said, and looked at the volunteers. The 2 pickaxes and 4 shovels had been picked up, and he pointed to a wall directly opposite of the Garrison. ¡°That''s the way out.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°The path is already there. You just have to dig to find it.¡± Some of the giants laughed, and the rest made room for the volunteers, Laurelia, and the male and female giant with the inventory, to pass by. Ren sat down on Laurelia''s shoulder and hugged her neck with an arm to hold on. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said, and the group moved over to the wall then started to dig. He directed them in the proper way to do it, and how to angle up to get to the surface. He cautioned them that it was dangerous, and to be careful, then told the other giants in the pit to wait until the tunnel ramp was finished. ¡°Stay back a little, Laurelia.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want you getting hurt.¡± ¡°Thanks, but I''m tougher than you think.¡± ¡°I know you are.¡± Ren said. ¡°You were the only one to wave to me.¡± ¡°You''re like something right out of my dreams.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°If you were only 20 feet taller...¡± ¡°I''d make a joke about how size doesn''t matter, but I''m engaged.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°I think my mother would faint if I came home with you on my shoulder.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Then she''d probably die of shock if I said we were together.¡± ¡°More than likely.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just too awesome for women to handle sometimes.¡± Laurelia''s laughter echoed in the growing tunnel. Chapter 221 - Out Of Proportions With two giants digging with picks, and four giants digging with shovels, it didn''t take long for them to dig a tunnel ramp up to the surface, even at a 20 degree angle. When the first pick broke the surface, the other giants quickened their pace. ¡°Careful!¡± Ren said. ¡°Brace up that top part, then dig back about 10 feet. It''s the thinnest part of the tunnel roof, and we don''t want it caving in.¡± They followed his instructions, and then they dug out the rest of the ramp. ¡°It''s nice to get out of that stinking pit!¡± One of the men said, and dropped the shovel he was using. ¡°I was getting claustrophobia being all cooped up like that.¡± Ren looked at the male giant with the inventory. ¡°Can you gather up the shovels and picks? I''m sure we''re going to need them again at the campsite.¡± The male giant took the tools from the other giants, and stored them. ¡°Now what?¡± Laurelia asked. ¡°I''d like to get you all checked out by a healer, to make sure you''re all okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want anyone that''s sick or hurt to stay that way.¡± ¡°You really do care about us.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°You shouldn''t sound so surprised; but I can''t blame you for it, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not like I''ve had lots of time to prove it to you.¡± ¡°You''ve made a great start.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Do you want me to put you down now?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you cup your hands in front of your belly for me?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Laurelia said, and cupped her hands like Ren asked. Since he was sitting on her shoulder, all he had to do now was stand up on her forearm and took two steps to her hands, then turned to face her. ¡°I can''t thank you enough for helping me today.¡± Ren said, then leaned in and gave her a hug around the neck. ¡°You made everything so much easier.¡± ¡°It was no trouble.¡± Laurelia said, a little embarrassed at Ren''s show of affection; especially after they had joked about being a couple. Ren let the hug go and stood up straight. ¡°If you hadn''t let me use you as a podium, I would have had a hard time getting people to just see me, let alone listen to what I had to say.¡± ¡°I''m sure someone else would have...¡± ¡°No. Don''t downplay it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I told you before; out of the 135 giants in the whole pit, you were the only one that waved back.¡± He smiled. ¡°That makes you exceptional.¡± Laurelia''s face flushed red, and her cheeks turned a rosy color. ¡°Are you sure you can''t make yourself 20 feet taller?¡± She asked, her voice full of hope. Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m still engaged.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°I just... I want to kiss you, but I don''t want to hurt you, either.¡± ¡°Well...¡± Ren said. ¡°...you can put me down now.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Please.¡± Laurelia sighed. ¡°Okay.¡± She knelt down close to the ground, and Ren hopped out of her hands. She stood up straight, and looked at him sadly. Ren took out a Minor Healing wand and absorbed the charges from it, then filled it with the Enlarge Person Spell.
Wand Of Engorgement
An Enlarge Person spell causes instant growth of a humanoid creature, doubling its height and multiplying its weight by 8. This increase changes the creature¡¯s size category to the next larger one. (Small becomes Normal, Normal becomes Large, etc.) The target gains a bonus to Strength (as it is now larger and stronger), a penalty to Dexterity (it is unused to this size and is clumsy), and a penalty on attacks and armor due to its increased size. A humanoid creature whose size increases to Large has a space of 5 to 8 feet and a natural reach of 10 feet. This spell does not change the target¡¯s speed. All equipment worn or carried by a creature is similarly enlarged by the spell. Enlarge Person can be made permanent with a Permanency (Level 5) spell. Warning: Multiple Enlarge Person spells do not stack. The first must expire before another will work. Cast Distance: Within 25 feet (Short). Area of Effect: One humanoid within cast distance. Time Limit: 2 minutes (Level 1)
¡°Don''t look so sad.¡± Ren said and stored the wand. ¡°I''m going to grant your wish.¡± He grinned as he took out some wood and made a simple workbench, then took out some fabric. ¡°Kind of.¡± ¡°What... what do you mean?¡± Laurelia asked, slightly worried. ¡°I can''t make myself 20 feet tall like you want.¡± Ren said and looked at her. ¡°Do you prefer to wear pants or a dress?¡± ¡°Um... a dress.¡± She said, and Ren chose a nice dress pattern. ¡°Like I said, I can''t do 20 feet, but I can make myself twice as tall.¡± ¡°You can?!?¡± Laurelia asked, surprised; then frowned a moment later. ¡°That''s still way too short.¡± Ren nodded slightly, dyed the fabric a blue color, and cut out the pieces he needed. ¡°I can also make you half as tall, too.¡± He said, and her mouth dropped open. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± ¡°It''ll only last 2 minutes; but that should be plenty of time for you to kiss me.¡± Ren said and sewed up the pieces of cloth to make a dress. He added all the little details, then remembered to make a pair of underwear for her, too. He then made a large curtain, and gave it to the female giant with the inventory to store it. She took it out, and it had resized to the right proportions. ¡°Can you hang that on those trees over there?¡± Ren said and pointed to a clump of trees. ¡°It should provide some privacy to change.¡± The female giant took the curtain over to the clump of trees, and draped the curtain over them. ¡°Laurelia, take these behind the curtain. Equip the dress first to clean yourself up, then the underwear.¡± Ren held up the two clothing items for her. Laurelia blushed slightly a she took the tiny little underwear and dress, then looked at herself. ¡°Are you sure this is going to fit?¡± ¡°It always has before.¡± Ren said. Laurelia walked over to the clump of trees, and stepped behind the curtain to change. * I don''t know about this. Laurelia thought as she slipped off her old underwear. It just seems so... magical. She equipped the tiny little dress, and the old tattered clothing she had tied around herself, fell away as the dress instantly resized to fit her. Laurelia felt better right away, as all the dirt and grime she had been covered with was whisked away. She equipped the underwear next, and it''s comforting softness embraced her as if they had been made specifically for her.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Her heart was filled with joy, and she came out from behind the curtain. She was greeted with stares from the giants, and a huge grin from Ren. * ¡°You look great!¡± Ren said when Laurelia came over to him. ¡°Thanks to you.¡± She said, and Ren took out the Wand of Shrinkage. ¡°Have you decided if you want to try being shorter?¡± ¡°I have.¡± Laurelia said and grinned as she opened her arms wide. ¡°Make me small!¡± Ren shot her with the Wand of Shrinkage, and nothing happened. I wonder what the percentage is for a successful spell against an awake giant is? He thought, and shot her several times. The fourth spell worked, and Laurelia''s form reduced in size from almost 24 feet tall to half of her height, or 11 feet 8 inches tall. ¡°Wow, this feels really weird.¡± Laurelia said, and looked around at the giants staring at her. ¡°Hey! You guys are huge!¡± The giants laughed at her statement, and Ren used the Wand of Engorgement on himself, and he doubled in size. He went from his normal 4 feet 7 inches tall, to 9 feet 2 inches tall. He was still 2 feet 6 inches shorter than her; but, they were on the same scale now. Laurelia stared at him, and he smiled. ¡°It seems like it wor-¡± Ren tried to say, but his lips were engulfed by Laurelia''s as she kissed him, and then she hugged him tightly. She broke the kiss a few moments later, and smiled. ¡°Thank you for granting my wish.¡± She said, and let him out of the hug. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°The time is almost up.¡± Teepo said, and Ren stepped back from her. A few seconds later, Laurelia went back to her giant size, and Ren went back to his normal height. ¡°That was amazing!¡± Laurelia said, and smiled at him. ¡°I told you that I''m just too awesome sometimes.¡± Ren grinned at her, and she laughed. ¡°Wait here, while I go and get the healer and send for the camping supplies.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Laurelia said, and Ren ran towards the Garrison. * ¡°I can''t believe you kissed him.¡± The female giant with the inventory said. ¡°Why?¡± Laurelia asked. ¡°He... he''s a little person! They aren''t even supposed to exist, and you kissed him!¡± Laurelia laughed. ¡°After everything we''ve seen him do, and have yet to see him do, it''s kissing him that''s bothering you?¡± ¡°That''s not the point!¡± Laurelia smiled. ¡°I''ve dreamed about kissing a little person ever since I was a kid, after I read the story about the little person Brunhilda, who fell in love with the Prince.¡± The female giant laughed. ¡°So, it didn''t matter if it was this little person in particular, as long as it was a little person?¡± ¡°Well...¡± Laurelia said, sheepishly. ¡°...he had to be male, at least.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''m just lucky I found a cute one.¡± She touched her lips with her fingertips. ¡°His beard tickled, too.¡± * Ren found the healer, and asked the Warrior for the camping supplies. Tents, bedrolls, blankets, lanterns, and even a week''s worth of ration packs for 135 people, if they had them. ¡°A.. a hundred and thirty five?¡± The Warrior asked. ¡°That''s right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not sure I''ll need them all; but I''d like to have them, just in case.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The Warrior said. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°I''ll need about 10 bolts of cloth. Basic weave, nothing expensive.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be making clothes for them later.¡± He said. ¡°Gather as many people as necessary to carry everything if you need the help.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The Warrior said, and left. ¡°Are you up for this?¡± Ren asked the healer. ¡°I am.¡± She said, determined. ¡°Do you want me to hold your hand until we get over there?¡± She looked at him with her eyebrows raised, and he smiled. ¡°Yes, I remember that you''re married.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just offering a hand to hold if you need it.¡± The healer took a deep breath, and held her hand out for Ren to take. He held it gently, and then led the healer over to the giants she was to examine, then heal if necessary. She checked the giants that were there, and healed some minor cuts and bruises; and Ren sent one of the giants down to tell the others to come up in single file. The healer did her job well, and most of the giants didn''t need anything healed. Several giants didn''t feel like having a little person examine them, and it turned out that was because they were the ones that had been chasing Ren with broken arms through the trees, before falling into the pit. The other giants talked to them, and told them to just close their eyes, so the healer could do her work. She had one of the biggest giants set the arms properly, and used the wands Ren had given her. After an hour, she was done. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said to her, and recharged the wands as she grinned at him. ¡°I can''t wait to tell everyone back at the hospital wing about this... oh, damn. Nevermind.¡± ¡°I know, giants are still a national secret.¡± Ren said. ¡°Until tomorrow.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m going to publish a book about all of this tomorrow, and it''ll be distributed worldwide. Once it''s out, you won''t have to worry about keeping giants a secret anymore.¡± ¡°You... you can''t do that!¡± She said, surprised. ¡°Why not?¡± The healer opened her mouth to respond, and nothing came out. If Ren is running the Garrison, then he is the one that decides what the public should know. She thought. ¡°I''m being exiled from the dwarf lands in 3 months, anyways. I''ll be in the same boat as these people.¡± Ren said, and the gathered giants looked at him in surprise. ¡°I have a home here. A life. A family.¡± He said, and sighed. ¡°I''ll be leaving most of it behind.¡± ¡°Why only most?¡± Laurelia asked. ¡°I''ll see my fiance every day, hopefully.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or mostly every day. It all depends on how things work out.¡± ¡°That''s... kind of sad.¡± She said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll worry about that when I have to, though.¡± He said and smiled as several Warriors came over to them, and carried a dozen large crates of camping supplies, and a crate of cloth. ¡°That''s great. Thanks.¡± He said to them as they dropped the crates off and hurried back to the Garrison, with the healer close behind. Ren waved to her, and she nodded back to him. He dismissed the popup about the Honor gain. With that and the Honor Guard, I''ve gained almost 1000 honor. Ren thought. So did Lady Neram. He smiled. I probably should stop that pledge one of these days. ¡°They all seem afraid of us.¡± The male giant with the inventory said when the dwarves were gone. ¡°I''m not sure it''s you; it''s more of the idea of giants in general.¡± Ren said as he stored the crates and the workbench. Teepo? Want to go over and tell Princess, Riley, and Stacy that we''re leaving? ¡°We''ll be right back.¡± Teepo said and flew away. ¡°I''m glad you''re all feeling better.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hey, something''s coming!¡± One of the giants said. ¡°It''s my mount and dogs.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not from there.¡± He said. ¡°There!¡± Ren turned around to see where the giant pointed, then heard a familiar howling growl that a crazy giant usually let out before it attacked. Ren looked in his inventory to pick his armor, and it was too damaged to equip. He equipped his shield and hammerpick, and several giants stepped back. ¡°I''m sorry, but I have to activate my Fear Aura.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s the only way to drive out the brain grubs.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°We can take a little fear.¡± ¡°Oh, it''s much more than a little.¡± Ren said, and concentrated on his Fear Aura. ¡°That''s not too bad.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°You''re almost like one of... good god!¡± She said, and put a hand over her heart as Ren made the Connection between his shield and Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, and activated the Screaming Terror enchantment. ¡°What... what...¡± Sweat beaded on her forehead, and she looked at Ren like she''d never seen him before. ¡°I really am sorry.¡± Ren said, and formed a Connection between his hammerpick and shield, then activated that enchantment, too. Laurelia gasped, along with most of the other female giants, and a lot of the men started at Ren. They remember this feeling. Ren thought as he turned around and waited until the crazy giant cleared the group of trees, then ran towards the oncoming giant. Once Ren''s Aura hit it, it stumbled, and started screaming. By the time Ren got to it, the Brain Arthropod Grub had already burrowed out and the male giant was unconscious. Ren stabbed the grub with the sharp end of the hammerpick to kill it. He opened his inventory to store the grub''s body, then remembered the sack he had been using was still in the center of the pit. Ren deactivated the Screaming Terror enchantments and let the Connections lapse, stored the shield and hammerpick, then put the grub''s carcass into inventory without the sack. He used a Minor Healing wand on the giant''s ear, then ran back to the giants from the pit. They stepped back from him, and he sighed. Even Laurelia looked like she was afraid of him. ¡°I... I remember that feeling.¡± Laurelia said with tears running down her face, and knelt down to be close to Ren. ¡°I''d never been so scared in my life.¡± She said, and wiped the tears away. ¡°I don''t remember much of anything else that happened, but that I remember.¡± ¡°Like I said, I''m sorry.¡± Ren smiled sadly. ¡°D-don''t be.¡± She said. ¡°You did for us what you just did for that man, didn''t you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°He was far enough away that he couldn''t attack me, though.¡± He said. ¡°Unlike when I was in the pit with all of you.¡± ¡°You were in the pit when we were all like that?¡± One of the male giants asked, and Ren nodded again. ¡°How did you survive?¡± ¡°Lots of luck, mostly.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I didn''t survive. I died at the end when it was over.¡± ¡°You''re so brave.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Maybe.¡± Ren said. ¡°But you''re afraid of me now.¡± She looked like she was going to protest, then changed her mind. ¡°Yes, I am afraid.¡± She said. ¡°Not of you, but of what you can do to us.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I... I was frozen stiff.¡± Laurelia admitted. ¡°I think we all were.¡± She sighed. ¡°Not once did I think I had to fight, or had to run.¡± Ren looked past her at the other giants, and they all shook their heads. They hadn''t thought that, either. ¡°Then I''m more sorry than I can ever say.¡± Ren said, his heart deflated. ¡°I had hoped to have the biggest friends in the world; but, it''s hard to be friends with someone that can scare you like that.¡± Laurelia didn''t say anything in response to that, but Ren saw her response in her expression. ¡°We should head to the campsite you''ve picked out.¡± She said, and stood up. ¡°Can a few of you help carry him as well?¡± Ren asked the giants and pointed to the unconscious one. ¡°I don''t want to just leave him there.¡± One of the giants took the curtain and a couple of trees, and made a stretcher. They put the new giant on it, and Ren led the wary group of giants out into the wilderness when Teepo, Princess, and the two dogs joined them. Chapter 222 - Camp Giant Ren jogged ahead of the giants as he led them into the wilderness. Since their steps were so huge, it was difficult to pace along with them. He was tempted to run, but then he would lose them if they didn''t run as well. Princess lapped them back and forth, and around the entire group, almost as if she was herding them. Teepo rode on her helm so he could keep an eye out in all directions, so neither he, nor Ren, would make the same mistake they had made before. No random giant was going to sneak up on them again. Teepo? How''s the time? ¡°It''s been about 45 minutes.¡± Teepo responded. Then here''s a good enough spot. Ren thought, ran out a little ahead of the giants, and came to a stop facing them. He waved to Laurelia, and she told everyone to stop. ¡°Is this it?¡± She asked Ren, and looked around. ¡°There''s not a lot here.¡± ¡°That''s kind of the point.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ll be setting up 135 giant-sized tents. We''re going to need a lot of room.¡± ¡°You''re right.¡± Laurelia smiled. ¡°I hadn''t thought of that.¡± Ren looked into the group of giants close to him, and found the two giants that had an inventory. ¡°I''m going to need your help again.¡± He said to them, and they stepped forward. Ren took out the 12 crates of camping supplies, the crate with bolts of cloth for himself, the workbench, the sacks of food ingredients, and the two large stew pots. He opened all of the camping supplies crates, and found most were tents, some were bedrolls, and one was full of lanterns, ropes, cooking utensils, small pots, bowls, and knives. It even had a bunch of those racks to put over campfires. The last crate held the ration packs. ¡°Let''s try this one first.¡± Ren said, and closed the crate of ration packs. ¡°I''m giving you this crate of ration packs.¡± He said to the male giant, who nodded, picked up the crate and stored it. He waited a moment, then took the crate out again. It was giant-sized, and the giant opened it. He picked up a ration pack, and it hadn''t increased in size at all. ¡°I was worried that already prepared food wouldn''t scale.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a good thing I brought lots of ingredients for stew.¡± ¡°I can''t wait!¡± One of the giant said. ¡°I haven''t eaten in almost two days!¡± ¡°That''s why I had you walk instead of jog or run.¡± Ren said and took out the icebox and a plate of food. ¡°Even after getting healed, that would have been too much to ask of you.¡± He walked over to Princess and gave the food to her. ¡°How can you be so scary and so nice?¡± The female giant with the inventory asked when Ren came back over to them and he stored the icebox. ¡°I mean, when you were scary, I was filled with dread.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°So was I.¡± ¡°Some of the stories really are true.¡± ¡°Yeah, little people can be dreadful sometimes.¡± ¡°Do you remember that one story with the Prince fighting the little person?¡± Laurelia asked no one in particular. ¡°I thought the little person didn''t have a chance, and then he caused so... much... fear.¡± Her eyes widened, and she looked at Ren. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± She said in a soft voice. ¡°You''re just like him. You''re the Dreaded Foe.¡±
Notice!
You have been granted a new title: Dreaded Foe This title grants the bearer +5 levels to all Auras that can be influenced by Fear. Enemies/Opponents/Creatures within your Aura''s radius suffer a penalty of -5 Intelligence and -5 Wisdom. Respect: +5,000. Auras increased by title: Aura (Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak) Level 9 (Expert 10%), Command Level 5 (Expert 60%), Fear Level 8 (Expert 10%), Hatred Level 4 (Expert 20%), House Neram Level 3 (Expert 0%), and Spider Level 3 (Advanced 80%)
System Notice!
Respect (Giants) and Honor (Dwarves) are synonymous, but will not be combined in your Status Screen. Gains in one do not count as gains in the other.
I guess that would stop people from cheating. Ren thought, then opened his Status Screen to see how much Honor he had.
Status
Name Ren Level 32
Gender Male Class Artificer/Lord
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 499,000 (Lord) Honor 63,820 (Prestigious)
Giant Kingdom:
Respect 5,000
Titles
Blacksmith Grants 5 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills
Tailor Grants 5 level bonus to Tailoring Skills
Issac''s Novice 20% stat gain at his shop
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Dreaded Foe Auras with Fear: +5 Levels, Respect: 5000, Enemies/Opponents/Creatures -5 INT -5 WIS
Health 1048 Mana 1337
Strength 175 Dexterity 97
Vitality 105 Agility 93
Endurance 101 Intelligence 147
Luck 39 Wisdom 150
I would have had almost 69,000 Respect right away if they had combined. Ren smiled. That would have been one heck of a nice boost. ¡°Can you tell me that story?¡± ¡°I don''t really remember much of the details.¡± Laurelia said, much to Ren''s disappointment, and he told the male and female giants to start storing the tent crates one at a time, to resize them to giant scale. ¡°Why can''t we do them all at once?¡± The female giant asked. ¡°You had them all stored.¡± She said as she took out a crate of tents that were now scaled to giant size.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I can carry a lot more than normal people.¡± Ren said. ¡°I even carried a house once.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± The female giant exclaimed. ¡°That''s not possible!¡± ¡°Well, you''re almost right.¡± Ren said, and held his finger and thumb about an inch apart. ¡°I was this close to dying afterwards.¡± Laurelia shook her head. ¡°If I didn''t think you were crazy before, I definitely think it now.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The big question is, does anyone here have experience setting up a tent?¡± Nearly a dozen of the giants raised their hands, and Ren grinned. ¡°Excellent! You''re the official Tent Construction Crew.¡± He said. ¡°Grab a tent, and start about 30 feet over there. Place them in a circle around this clearing where the food will be made. Leave some room between the tents, though. There''s no point in crowding yourselves too closely together.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''ll start making clothes for the women and child first, then for the rest of you.¡± The giants came over to the crates of resized tents and took one each, and spread out to where Ren had pointed. ¡°Ma''am? Can you store the sacks of food?¡± Ren said, then took out his blacksmith hammer and repaired the two large stew pots that were on the workbench. ¡°My name''s Nikaia, not ma''am.¡± She said, kind of angrily. ¡°Ma''am makes it sound like I''m really old.¡± ¡°My apologies, Nikaia.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wasn''t sure you wanted me to know your name; and saying, ''hey, you!'' seemed a bit too rude.¡± She snorted a laugh. ¡°Would you be angry if that''s what I thought you were going to say?¡± ¡°No, just a little sad.¡± Ren said and made another workbench for the female giant to use. ¡°If you thought I was going to be rude just because I can be scary sometimes, then I haven''t made a good impression on you.¡± He told the male giant with the inventory to store the workbench and take it back out, and it was now giant size as well. ¡°Put it there.¡± Ren said, and pointed to a spot just to the side of the middle of the clearing, then looked at the female giant. ¡°Nikaia, can you store the two large stew pots and take them back out?¡± She did so, and the pots resized to giant proportions; going from 2 feet wide and 3 feet deep, to 5 feet wide and almost 7 feet deep. Nikaia put them on the large workbench, and looked back at Ren. ¡°Now what?¡± Nikaia asked. Ren pointed to the last crate, that had yet to be resized. It had the lanterns and things in it, and he asked the male giant to store it and take it back out. ¡°Now that I know how big to make it, I can make a fire.¡± Ren said, and walked to the center of the clearing, and made two large squares out of stone bricks. ¡°How many of you can cook?¡± He asked, and all of the women, and some of the men, put up their hands. ¡°We won''t need quite so many this first time.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Maybe 4 of you?¡± Nikaia, Laurelia, and two other women took knives and bowls from the crate, along with several short and long spoons, and other cooking utensils. ¡°You''ll need two of the cooking racks.¡± Ren said. ¡°One for each pot.¡± One of the other female giants took them out and put them over the top of the stone squares where Ren asked her to. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. She nodded to him and went over to the large workbench where the other 3 women had started cutting up the vegetables. Ren enchanted several of the bricks in the center of the stone squares with wind and fire glyphs, while thinking about Nikaia and Laurelia. ¡°I''m ready for the pots.¡± Ren said. ¡°Laurelia? Can you bring them over?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She said, and picked up one of the pots. ¡°I don''t see any water around, though.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I have that covered.¡± Ren said. Laurelia put the pot onto the cooking rack over one of the stone squares. He took out a ladder, climbed up to the top of the pot, and activated his Water Spray ring. Water gushed out of the ring like a fire hose, and Laurelia stared at him in surprise. ¡°Are... are you a water sprite?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°No, I''m an elfling. The ring is an enchantment.¡± ¡°You''re just full of surprises.¡± She said. ¡°There''s more.¡± Ren said. ¡°Think of the cooking fire, and say ''Activate''.¡± Laurelia looked at the stones. ¡°What about the wood?¡± She asked. ¡°Don''t you need wood?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°Go ahead.¡± She looked at the stones, and thought about the fire they would need to cook. ¡°Activate.¡± The enchantments activated and both stone squares under the cooking racks, burst into flame. ¡°Wow!¡± Laurelia said, amazed. ¡°How do I turn it off?¡± ¡°Say ''Deactivate''.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you''re busy, or asleep, or whatever... Nikaia can do it, too.¡± ¡°Don''t tell her that.¡± Laurelia said softly. ¡°She''ll be running the place if you do.¡± Ren nodded and filled the pot to three quarters full with water, and Laurelia got the other pot. He did the same to that one, and stored the ladder. Both pots simmered on the heat while the female giants chopped vegetables and meat to add to them. While they worked, Ren asked the women and child to line up, and the child was in front. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said to him, and he stared at Ren like he was the boogeyman. ¡°You probably are the boogeyman.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Now, anyways.¡± Ren sighed mentally, and looked at the child''s clothes. They weren''t as tattered as some of the other giant''s clothing; but they were still pretty bad. ¡°Would you like some new clothes?¡± Ren asked him. He didn''t respond, and Ren smiled. He looked through the designs he''d copied from Lord Neram''s private stash, and found several outfits for children. ¡°Here we go!¡± Ren said, a bit more enthusiastically than he had to, but the child''s eyes brightened as Ren pulled out some fabric with a flourish, and made a big show of cutting out the pieces, dyed them, and sewed them together. He quickly embroidered an image of the baby fire elemental frolicking in it''s pen onto the top, and handed the clothes to the child. Ren put a hand by his mouth, and whispered loudly. ¡°Just equip them like the adults for now. I won''t tell anyone that you''re going to keep the old clothes.¡± The child had wide eyes as he looked at Ren, who made a backpack to hold the old clothing. ¡°Put them in here for now.¡± Ren said and gave the child the backpack. ¡°Come back in a little while and I''ll fix them, and you can change back when no one is looking.¡± The child grinned as he took the backpack, equipped it and the new clothing, then took off the backpack to put the old clothing in it. The child stepped to the side, and waited for the woman that had been behind him. ¡°Dress or pants?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Pants, please.¡± Ren made her a pair of pants, dyed brown, and a nice blouse. He looked at her feet and saw they were bare, the same as a lot of the other giants. ¡°I can make you cloth boots.¡± Ren said. ¡°They won''t be much, but they''re better than nothing.¡± She nodded, and Ren made her a pair of brown cloth boots and a pair of underwear. He looked over to the stretcher that had the changing curtain on it, and saw the giant was still unconscious. ¡°The first few tents are up.¡± Teepo said, and Ren turned around. ¡°That first one is the changing tent!¡± Ren declared loudly, and everyone turned to look at him. ¡°The women need a closed space to change, and that''s it.¡± He looked back at the female giant, and smiled as he handed her the clothing. ¡°You can get changed right over there.¡± She knelt next to Ren and put a hand near him, glanced at the child, then back at Ren. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, and Ren shook her finger. She stood up, took the child''s hand, and walked over to the changing tent. The child waited outside as she equipped the new clothing, and she came out looking like she had just stepped out of an expensive shop. ¡°Dress, please.¡± The next woman said when Ren looked at her, and he made her a nice dress, different from the one he''d made for Laurelia. ¡°You can leave it white.¡± Ren made her underwear and cloth boots, then handed them to her. ¡°There you go.¡± She left to get changed, and he looked at the next female giant in line. ¡°Dress or pants?¡± He asked her, and she smiled. This went on for an hour, and he had clothed all of the women and 2 of the men, when Teepo told him it was time to leave. ¡°I have to go for now.¡± Ren said loudly, and the line for clothing broke up. He looked at the male giant with the inventory. ¡°While I''m gone, I''ve got a job for you to start.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°It will go a lot faster if you have helpers, and switch off to rest.¡± ¡°What''s the job?¡± The male giant asked, wearily. ¡°I want you to dig a trench around the area that the tents are being set up. About your height wide, and half your height deep.¡± Ren said, then pointed in the direction of the giant lands. ¡°Start on that side and go across.¡± ¡°You''re not asking for much, are you?¡± He asked and shook his head. ¡°I don''t know about the others, but I can''t do it on an empty stomach.¡± Ren took out a Health potion and walked over to the pots, and took out the ladder again. He climbed up and poured half of the potion into one pot, and half into the other. ¡°The stew is almost done. Once you get a bowl of it in you, you''re going to feel fantastic.¡± Ren said, and stored the ladder. ¡°You''ve got 2 picks and 4 shovels. I''m sure there''s a few people who will want to have some kind of protection around the place.¡± ¡°I know I do.¡± One of the male giants said, then one of the women said she''d help. ¡°Get something to eat first.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re no good to anyone while you''re hungry.¡± ¡°I hear that!¡± The same giant said and picked up a bowl and spoon from the crate of mixed items. Ren turned to Laurelia. ¡°It''s lunchtime, so I should be back in about 5 hours. You''re in charge until I get back.¡± ¡°I''m wh-wh-what?!?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Make sure everyone gets at least one bowl of stew, and that there''s enough tents for everyone. I''ll bring more when I come back.¡± ¡°You''re leaving me in charge.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Me.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You''re crazy.¡± ¡°Not an insult.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Laurelia said, and Ren ran over to Princess. ¡°Having fun?¡± He asked her, and scratched her chin. Bored... ¡°Well, I need a really fast ride back to Nathalia.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder where I could get one?¡± Not nice to tease... Ren smiled and pat her neck. ¡°I''ve kept you idle for too long.¡± He said. ¡°May I?¡± You may... Ren climbed up on her back and looked at the two dogs. ¡°Try and keep up!¡± Riley and Stacy barked at him, and he could feel the challenge was accepted as Teepo landed on his shoulder. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Ren said. Princess took off like a shot, with the dogs close behind, and Teepo chittered in delight. They had barely started to get a good pace going, and had to slow down because they were already at the Garrison. Ren waved to the Warriors on the top, and the gate opened for him. Princess sauntered through with the dogs at her sides, and came to a stop at the next gate. ¡°I think I might have to make it standing orders to open the gates all the way through when I''m around.¡± Ren said. ¡°It already is, sir.¡± The Warrior said and opened the next gate. Ren saw it was clear all the way through, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You''ll still have to stop at the other end.¡± The Warrior said. ¡°Understood.¡± Ren said and nodded to the Warrior, who''s eyes widened at the Honor gain. Princess took off and a few minutes later, slowed down at the front gate. It opened, and they passed through and Princess kept running. It only took a few minutes to get to Dornrach, then back to House Neram Keep. ¡°Home, sweet home.¡± Ren said, and climbed down from the saddle, and led Princess into the courtyard and then to the stable. The dogs came in right behind her, and she huffed at them. ¡°I think she wants you to run the track with her.¡± Ren said, and smiled as he felt their acceptance. He pat Princess on the neck, left her some more food, and went to the house. ¡°Nathalia?¡± ¡°In the kitchen.¡± Ren went through the main room and looked into the kitchen. He saw that Nathalia had her back to him and was wearing an apron and a pair of underwear. That was it. Her breasts hung partially out the side of the apron, and the fabric wasn''t thick enough to hide everything. ¡°I''d ask you what you''re doing, but I can clearly see that you''re tempting me with your delights.¡± Ren said as he stood in the doorway. ¡°You don''t know the half of it.¡± Nathalia said, stepped away from the counter she had been in front of, and grinned at Ren''s shocked expression. ¡°Bacon!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Where in the... no, don''t tell me!¡± He said and held a hand up. ¡°Let me fantasize about you hunting in a fur bikini, and spearing a boar for me.¡± ¡°A fur what?¡± Nathalia asked as she laughed. ¡°It''s just a bra and underwear, made with thin colorful cloth.¡± Ren said as he came over to the counter. ¡°Have I told you how much I love you?¡± ¡°Not tod-¡± Nathalia started to say, then stared at Ren as he picked up a piece of bacon and kissed it. ¡°I love you!¡± He said, and kissed it again. ¡°REN!¡± Ren started to laugh, ate the piece of bacon, and looked at Nathalia. ¡°Yes, My Love?¡± ¡°I...¡± Nathalia put her fists on her hips, and her large breasts slid a little further out the sides of the apron; which exposed a bit of the tips. ¡°That wasn''t funny.¡± ¡°It was the only way I could think of to stop myself from tearing off what little clothing you have on, and making love to you right here, right now.¡± Nathalia blinked her eyes at him, then she smiled coyly. ¡°What if that''s what... mwh!¡± Ren kissed her, and then did exactly what he said he was going to do. Over the next two hours, they christened the floor, the table, two of the chairs, ate some bacon, then christened the counter and the floor again. When they were done, Nathalia was exhausted and Ren was a little winded. ¡°By the gods...¡± Nathalia said, and looked at him as they lay on the floor. ¡°Was it the bacon?¡± Ren laughed, and kissed her. ¡°Let me put it this way.¡± He said. ¡°I''d never seen anything sexier than you standing there with your back to me, with the space between your legs, and your breasts hanging out the sides.¡± He closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°I tried to distract myself, then you had to turn around and put your hands on your hips.¡± He opened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°That little peek drove me crazy.¡± Nathalia blushed at the intensity in Ren''s eyes, then she remembered the House Neram pendant. ¡°If it was the bacon, I''d have eaten it all before starting on you.¡± Ren said, then felt Nathalia''s Aura merge with his. ¡°It... it really was all me.¡± Nathalia said in wonder, as she felt Ren''s feelings. They were just as intense as the look he was giving her. ¡°It''s always all you.¡± Ren said. Nathalia''s heart leaped, and she kissed him passionately. Chapter 223 - Help Me! ¡°I thought you were exhausted?¡± Ren asked Nathalia when she broke the kiss, and she sighed. ¡°I am.¡± He picked her up off of the floor and went to her bedroom, then put her into bed. He climbed in with her, and she snuggled up to him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Nathalia said, and ducked her head onto his chest. ¡°You''re thanking me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°After everything we just did?¡± He laughed. ¡°You gave me bacon!¡± Nathalia laughed, lifted her head, and kissed him. ¡°For loving me, stupid.¡± ¡°What''s not to love?¡± ¡°I... Ren, I... there''s a few things... um... I don''t know how to tell you this...¡± ¡°I''d say just tell me, but something is really bothering you.¡± Ren looked at her because he could feel guilt and a bit of shame fill their shared Aura. ¡°Whatever it is, I''m sure it''s nothing too bad.¡± ¡°I don''t know if you''ll think that, after I tell you what happened.¡± Nathalia said, then explained about the healer at the mines. She felt disbelief for a few moments, then Ren frowned and she felt the stirrings of anger from him. ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can hypnotize people?¡± ¡°No! That''s not what it does at all!¡± Nathalia said, and Ren felt her determination for him to understand. ¡°So, what is it that you actually do?¡± He asked, wanting to understand. ¡°It removes false feelings.¡± She explained. ¡°If someone is trying to convince themselves they feel a certain way, it removes that temptation.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°So, the healer at the mines, Deresdra. She still remembers that we slept together, but she doesn''t have any feelings about it, or me, anymore?¡± ¡°Yes! That''s it exactly!¡± Nathalia said, and Ren felt her relief. ¡°In our society, you know how we feel about fooling around while engaged. She accepts that it happened, but it doesn''t affect how she felt about you before.¡± ¡°You stopped her from developing feelings for me.¡± ¡°False feelings.¡± Nathalia corrected him. ¡°How many times have you told me that she didn''t particularly like you?¡± ¡°A few.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°When she gave you that beard, all of a sudden she was all over you; then you ''accidentally'' slept with her.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say it didn''t happen like that; then closed it. ¡°Well, damn.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I couldn''t let that go.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It''s one thing for you to go out and help people who need it; but what happened with her? That was different. She was using you.¡± Ren took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. ¡°I guess you''re right.¡± Nathalia sighed, and put her head back onto his chest. ¡°I''m glad you''re not angry.¡± ¡°You were doing your best to protect me.¡± Ren said, and hugged her. ¡°Was that the first time you''ve done that?¡± Nathalia froze, and he felt trepidation fill the Aura. ¡°What did you do?¡± Ren asked her calmly. Nathalia shook her head and rolled over to face away from him. ¡°My Love, I promise that no matter what you say, I won''t hate you for it.¡± He said. ¡°I... I can''t.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Even though it was almost the same situation, it hurt you to have it happen.¡± She explained. ¡°You''ll hate me if you know I was responsible for it.¡± ¡°You can''t say you''re protecting me, then say you hurt me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now you have to tell me what happened.¡± ¡°I...¡± Nathalia started to shake her head, then rolled back over to face him. ¡°You have to give me your Word of Honor that you won''t be angry.¡± ¡°You have it.¡± ¡°No, you have to say the words for it to count.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ll warn you, though. You''ll lose a lot of Honor if you break your word.¡± ¡°I give you my Word of Honor, that I won''t get angry about whatever you tell me.¡± Nathalia sighed, and tears came to her eyes. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°Narhilda.¡± Ren''s eyes widened, and he stared at her in shock. ¡°You... no.¡± He got out of bed and equipped his clothing. ¡°No, that''s not...¡± He left the bedroom, and Nathalia jumped out and equipped her clothing as well, and ran after him. ¡°Ren! Wait!¡± ¡°I don''t want to believe it.¡± Ren said as he stood by the front door, with his hand on the handle, and his head against the wood. ¡°I felt her feelings.¡± ¡°So did I.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°A lot longer than you have.¡± She said. ¡°When I was alone with her, I questioned her about you and how she felt.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, she was just pushing me away because she''s ruling the kingdom.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It was... it was just... infatuation. She... she lusted after you. That''s all.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°My ability wouldn''t work, otherwise.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I can prove it.¡± Ren turned around with a sad face, and it nearly broke her heart to see it. ¡°How?¡± He asked. ¡°Let me use it on you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''ll use it on you, and then you can tell me if you feel any different.¡± ¡°I...¡± He shook his head. ¡°How will I know if it did?¡± ¡°I''ll tell you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Please.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Come back to bed.¡± He shook his head. ¡°If I forget anything, I don''t want it to be in your bed.¡± He said. ¡°Can we do it on the couch?¡± ¡°If that''s where you feel more comfortable.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren went into the main room and sat on the couch. ¡°I''m ready.¡± He said, and she came over to sit beside him. ¡°It''s not going to hurt, is it?¡± ¡°It never has before.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Just relax.¡± Ren did a breathing exercise to relax, and he nodded slightly. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to see you.¡± He smiled. ¡°All of you.¡± Nathalia held a hand up in front of him, and mist-covered dagger formed in her hand. It was as insubstantial as fog, but looked solid at the same time. ¡°That''s pretty cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go ahead. Let''s see if you can make me forget my feelings for Narhilda.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°That''s not a good test.¡± Nathalia said, sadly. ¡°It''s your feelings for me I''m going to try to make you forget.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Ren exclaimed. Nathalia plunged the mist-covered dagger into his forehead. ¡°AAAAAHHHH-GHUH!¡± Ren screamed, then it was cut off as he lost consciousness. * ¡°BY THE GODS!¡± Nathalia yelled as Ren slumped onto the couch. ¡°NOOOO!¡± ** Ren woke up on a stretcher in a partially-dark room, to the sound of the heart monitor''s constant fast beeping of his heartbeat. He felt groggy, and pain stabbed him in several places around his body. He looked around lazily, and didn''t recognize anything that he saw. ¡°What... what''s going... on?¡± He asked, and a woman dressed in surgical scrubs stepped into his field of vision. ¡°It''s alright, dear.¡± His mother said. ¡°You just woke up again.¡± ¡°A... again?¡± ¡°You have a bad habit of waking up during invasive procedures.¡± His mother said. ¡°Don''t worry. It''s taken a while; but thanks to some of the other experiments, we''ve finally come up with a nice little cocktail to help you sleep for a while.¡± ¡°Wh... what... no...¡± He tried to say, and she held up a needle. ¡°Mommy! No!¡± She pulled down the surgical mask, and smiled reassuringly at him. ¡°I''m putting it in the IV, not you.¡± Ren relaxed as she pulled the mask back up to cover her face again, then she injected the needle into the IV stem. The clear liquid mixed with the IV fluid, and changed to a deep red color. ¡°M-mom...¡± ¡°It''s alright.¡± She said. ¡°It''s not going to hurt.¡± Ren nodded and watched the fluid as it flowed down the clear tube and reached his arm. He screamed and screamed as it felt like thousands of needles had jabbed themselves into his arm, then kept jabbing into his upper arm, and even more needles jabbed into his shoulder. When it got to his chest, the feeling pierced his heart; and it stopped beating. The heart monitor fell to a flat line, and the incessant beeping of his heart changed to a long steady tone. ¡°NO!¡± His mother said, then she started to panic. ¡°Crash cart! Crash cart!¡± ¡°Use the antidote first.¡± Ren''s father said. ¡°Squeeze the IV bag, too.¡± ¡°Right! Right!¡± She said, and did as she was told with the second needle. The fluid changed from red to blue, and she squeezed the IV bag to force the solution into Ren''s body. She performed a few chest compressions and CPR while his father brought over the crash cart and charged it for her. ¡°Thank you!¡± She said, and grabbed the paddles when the machine beeped. ¡°Clear!¡± She said, and shocked Ren''s chest. It left a burn marks on the top and side of his chest, and she gasped. ¡°Goddammit!¡± ¡°Yes, use the gel this time.¡± His father said, and she squirted the protective gel on the pads, and the machine beeped that it was ready. ¡°Clear!¡± She said, and used the paddles on slightly different spots. Ren''s little body jumped from the electricity again, and there was no response. She looked at her husband desperately. ¡°What do I do?¡± ¡°Go to the highest setting.¡± He said calmly, and she cranked the machine as high as it would go. A low whine accompanied this action, and 10 seconds later, it beeped. ¡°Please work!¡± Ren''s mother said. ¡°CLEAR!¡± She yelled, and shocked him again. The heart monitor jumped, jumped again, and she watched it with desperate hope. The beeping started up at the same fast rhythm it had before, and she dropped the paddles as she hugged Ren. ¡°Thank god!¡± A thin, frail arm reached up and hugged her back. Ren had finally gotten the one thing he had always wanted from his mother. ** Nathalia tried to pull the dagger out, but it wouldn''t move. ¡°No! Nooo!¡± She let the dagger go, which always made it dissolve faster; but, this time it stayed in Ren''s forehead and didn''t look like it was going to dissolve at all. * Xuunah, a Light elemental, floated in the collective. She was embraced by the overwhelming joy, and felt contentment. It had taken her nearly 10 millennia before she could get over losing her family, while she served her sentence for failing to return to her realm. It took another 50 millennia before she was strong enough to vanquish the beings that had killed her husband and child; and 50 millennia more to serve her sentence for vanquishing those same beings. She smiled and floated up, as she remembered that everyone she had ever spent collective time with, also felt her feelings... and shared them. It didn''t justify her actions in any way; but, she did take comfort that they had all felt that justice had been served. For the last 20 millennia, Xuunah obeyed the tenets of her faith; and never once questioned them or what she had to do. She left the large gathering area and drifted along the path to her assigned area. She greeted several others as she passed them, and floated into her space. ¡°Ahhh.¡± She sighed. ¡°It''s so relaxing to... AGH!¡± A searing pain passed through her being, and she didn''t know what had happened. She examined herself, and saw a small piece of her glowing form was now missing. ¡°No! It''s not possible!¡± She said, and flew out of her area and to the Officiate. On her way there, the missing piece reappeared. ¡°No. Nonono!¡± She stormed through the waiting light elementals and into the main collective. She slammed into one of the Greater Light Elementals, and the two of them went spinning off into a corner. ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± Zagatro asked her. ¡°Oh, it''s you.¡± ¡°I need your help!¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Like the last time?¡± ¡°You didn''t help me the last time!¡± She said. ¡°So, no.¡± He sighed. ¡°Very well. What do you...¡± ¡°Come with me!¡± She said as she felt a familiar feeling again, and flew off. He sighed and followed her out of the Officiate and to a secluded area. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°This!¡± Xuunah said, turned slightly, and he saw that a part of her form had disappeared. ¡°No.¡± He shook his head. ¡°NO!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She said, and the piece reappeared. ¡°If I don''t go right now...¡± ¡°This might not mean what you think it means.¡± Xuunah laughed. ¡°What did they do to the others?¡± Zagatro didn''t say anything, and she nodded. ¡°Right.¡± She said. ¡°Open a portal, please.¡± ¡°It''s not that simple anymore.¡± He tried to say, and she huffed in frustration. ¡°Just do it!¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Zagatro said and opened the portal. ¡°But let the consequences be upon your head.¡± ¡°AGGHHH!¡± She screamed, as the same piece went missing; but this time, light started to leak out of her. ¡°Xuunah!¡± ¡°It... it''s all right.¡± She said, and stepped through the portal. * ¡°By the gods!¡± Nathalia said and started crying. ¡°What do I do?¡± The room was encompassed with a bright light, and she had to partially cover her eyes. ¡°What...¡± She tried to say, then a white portal opened up in the main room. A woman that looked remarkably like her, stepped out of it and held her side. The portal closed, and the woman smiled at her. ¡°You''ve grown into a beautiful young woman, Nathalia.¡± Xuunah said, and took a deep breath. She didn''t feel the pain of the loss in this body, and she let her hand drop. ¡°How... how do you know me?¡± ¡°I''ll explain that in a moment.¡± Xuunah said, and walked over to the couch. ¡°I see.¡± She said, and looked at Nathalia. ¡°You used it for impure reasons.¡± ¡°I... I what?¡± ¡°It was intended to help, not hinder.¡± Xuunah said, and sat beside her. ¡°If he had false feelings for someone, and you were removing them, it would have worked fine.¡± Nathalia stared at her. ¡°You were testing to see if he could forget his feelings for you, weren''t you?¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Xuunah laughed and cupped the side of Nathalia''s face, just like she did when she was a little girl. ¡°It didn''t work on your father.¡± Nathalia put a hand on top of Xuunah''s hand, and the tears she was crying for Ren, became tears she cried for herself. ¡°M-m-mommy?¡± Nathalia said in a soft voice, barely above a whisper. Xuunah nodded slightly, and Nathalia hugged her tightly. ¡°Mommy!¡± ¡°I''m so sorry, baby.¡± Xuunah apologized. ¡°I thought both you and your father had died all those years ago, or I would have been back for you.¡± ¡°I... I...¡± Nathalia shook her head and let her mother out of the hug. ¡°There''s so much I want to know!¡± ¡°There''s no time for that.¡± Xuunah said, and looked at Ren. ¡°The man you love is dying.¡± ¡°He''s WHAT?!?¡± ** Ren laid in the ice-filled tub, and the uncontrolled shivering had stopped only a minute before. ¡°How do you feel?¡± His mother asked him. ¡°I was really cold.¡± Ren said in a child''s voice. ¡°But it''s warm now.¡± ¡°That''s good.¡± She said to him, and wrote down the percentage of Ren''s body that had turned blue already. ¡°I''m really tired.¡± ¡°Just stay awake a little while longer.¡± His mother urged, and Ren nodded. He floated there, and stared at his mother, then the room started to go black. ¡°No, mommy! Don''t leave me!¡± ¡°I''m right here.¡± His mother''s voice said, but it sounded like it was far away. Ren started to cry, but the tears wouldn''t form. He just sobbed without the tears, then stopped when his heart did. ¡°Mark!¡± His mother said, and went over to the table by the wall. ¡°How long should we go this time?¡± ¡°We were paid handsomely for the data.¡± Ren''s father said. ¡°If we can prove someone can survive hypothermia for an extended period of time...¡± ¡°The theory of induced hibernation in humans can be validated!¡± ¡°We can also sell the data to the cryogenics companies.¡± He said. ¡°Solid numbers like these will increase their sales a hundredfold.¡± Ren''s mother nodded. ¡°What about the medical field?¡± ¡°We can''t do anything publicly, remember?¡± ¡°But...¡± She frowned. ¡°...it''s an untapped market.¡± ¡°For now.¡± He said. ¡°I know a friend of a friend.¡± He grinned. ¡°There''s a hospital that deals with long term care patients, and the board is looking for a good investment.¡± ** ¡°What do you mean, Ren''s dying?¡± Nathalia asked her mother. ¡°The longer the blade is inside of him, the more of his life it takes.¡± ¡°How do I get it out? It''s stuck!¡± Nathalia said, exasperated. ¡°It should have dissolved when I let it go!¡± ¡°Normally it does.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°But you have a deep connection with him. Several, in fact.¡± Nathalia blinked her eyes at her. ¡°I... I love him with all of my heart.¡± ¡°I know you do.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°We''re engaged to be married.¡± Xuunah shook her head. ¡°A piece of parchment doesn''t make a connection.¡± ¡°I... we said parts of the marriage ritual together.¡± Xuunah smiled. ¡°Yes, that would do it.¡± She smiled. ¡°Your father and I did that, too.¡± ¡°You... you did?¡± ¡°It''s not like we could just fulfill a normal marriage contract.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Xuunah shook her head. ¡°Now''s not the time for that.¡± She said. ¡°We have to save him.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Nathalia said, determined. ¡°How do we do that?¡± ¡°Very carefully.¡± Xuunah said, and stood up. ¡°Sit on his lap, facing him.¡± Nathalia did so, and she looked at her mother. ¡°No, don''t look at me. Look at him.¡± Xuunah said, and formed her mist-covered sword. ¡°Hug him close.¡± Nathalia hugged Ren, and put her head over his shoulder. ¡°Like this?¡± ¡°That''s perfect.¡± Xuunah said and positioned the sword between Nathalia''s ribs, where the blade could pierce the heart without killing her. ¡°This is going to hurt.¡± She emphasized. ¡°A lot.¡± ¡°I don''t care!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Please, help him!¡± ¡°I''m not helping him, Nathalia. I''m helping you.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°You''re the one that has to save him.¡± ¡°What do you mea-AAGGHHH!!!¡± Nathalia screamed as Xuunah''s sword cut through her back, pierced the side of her heart, and came out through her chest. The sword kept going and cut through Ren''s chest, pierced the side of his heart and came out his back, then pinned the both of them to the couch. Nathalia collapsed into unconsciousness on top of Ren, and Xuunah let go of the sword. It stayed corporeal, and she sat down to wait. ¡°Good luck, little one.¡± Chapter 224 - Pleasant Memories Ren woke up on the operating table. ¡°Mwuh...¡± ¡°Oh, dammit! He''s awake again!¡± ¡°Calm down.¡± Ren''s father said. ¡°Put in the next electrode.¡± ¡°Not while he''s awake.¡± Ren''s mother said. ¡°It''ll skew the results.¡± ¡°We can just delete the readings between 0.6 and 0.8.¡± ¡°That will definitely change the results.¡± She said. ¡°We need the entire scale for this to work.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± He said, and picked up the needle. * Nathalia appeared in the operating room, and didn''t know what was going on. ¡°What in the... where am I?¡± She looked around, and saw a child as it lay on a table, with two people standing by him. ¡°Who are you people?¡± They didn''t respond, and she watched the man stick something into the child''s arm. The child started to cry right away, and Nathalia ran over to help him. ¡°Hey, stop that!¡± She said, and tried to push the man away. Her hands passed through him like he wasn''t there. ¡°By the gods! What''s going on?¡± * Ren cried as the needle plunged into his arm, and then he felt dizzy. ¡°Mwuh... moh... mommy...¡± He said, and then fell asleep. ¡°There.¡± His father nodded. ¡°He''s out. Go ahead.¡± His mother started to insert yet another probe into the exposed brain cavity, gently easing it between the lobes. ¡°If I can just get... a little more...¡± The heart monitor started beeping much more rapidly than normal. ¡°Back off.¡± His father said. ¡°Take another approach.¡± ¡°I''ve got it.¡± His mother said. ¡°Just... one... more... millimeter...¡± The heart monitor skipped a few beats, and flat lined. ¡°Oh, look.¡± Ren''s father said. ¡°What a surprise. He''s going into cardiac arrest.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Ren''s mother said, and pulled her latest attempt at a successful probe out. ¡°Defib him. Now.¡± ¡°You''ve gotten so nonchalant about killing our son.¡± He said, and used the defibrillator. ¡°How many times has it happened this week? Two? Three?¡± ¡°I said shut up!¡± She said, and threw the useless electrode down on the floor. ¡°You''ve always been nonchalant about it.¡± He smiled as Ren came back to life and the heart monitor beeped at a steady fast pace. ¡°That''s because I''m not as invested in all of this as you are.¡± ¡°Really?¡± She asked. ¡°Who''s the one buying stocks in all the companies before we sell them the data, then selling the stocks at a huge profit when they get the data to their shareholders?¡± ¡°That''s just business.¡± He said. ¡°So is this.¡± She said. ¡°Now hand me the next probe.¡± * Nathalia felt like screaming. The things in the room, and the words that were said, didn''t make any sense to her; and then the room went dark. ¡°What... what''s going... oh, my.¡± Nathalia said, as the room was lit again. Only it wasn''t a room this time, but a large in-ground swimming pool. She had never seen anything like it before; and she wondered what it could possibly be used for. She looked around to see if anyone was around, then gasped as she saw a young Ren come out of a door marked ''locker room''. He was followed closely by another boy, who was much larger and pushed Ren from behind. ¡°Quit it!¡± Ren said as he stumbled, then turned around to face the boy. ¡°Stop picking on me!¡± ¡°I''ll stop it when you stop being so easy to pick on.¡± The large boy said. ¡°By the looks of you, that''s not going to happen.¡± ¡°If you don''t stop, I''ll make you stop.¡± Ren said. ¡°What are you gonna do? Cry on me?¡± The large boy said. ¡°Yeah, I''ll cry on you. I''ll cry all over you... with my foot!¡± Ren said and tried to kick the large boy, who laughed as he grabbed Ren''s foot, and pushed. It was unfortunate that when Ren fell, he wasn''t quite close enough to the pool. His legs went out from underneath him, and both of his thighs impacted on the tiled lip of the pool. Two loud cracks resounded across the empty room, and Ren screamed in pain as both legs were broken. He flopped backwards into the water, and it filled his lungs as he tried to breathe. He had no chance of swimming to safety without the use of his legs. ¡°NOOOO!¡± Nathalia yelled and ran over to the water''s edge, then dove into the pool. She had no idea what she was doing; but she frantically tried her best to get to Ren as he sank to the bottom. No! Please! By the gods, let me get to him! Nathalia thought as she fought against the weight of the water. Just... a little bit... more... GOT YOU! She grabbed a hold of his shirt and pulled. Someone else jumped into the water, and easily swam down to where she held Ren in the water, and pulled him from her hands. Nathalia watched as Ren was rescued, and her feet hit the bottom of the pool. She pushed off with all of her desperation to get to him, and broke the surface of the water, just in time to see someone performing CPR on him. Since she didn''t know how to swim, she started to sink again, and started to flail her arms. That didn''t work very well, and her head went below the water. No! Nathalia thought as she sank to the bottom of the pool again. I have to know if he''s okay! She didn''t realize that it was her water-soaked dress that had dragged her down, and as the room went dark, her heart longed for him even more than it had before. * Ren was sent to the sensory deprivation chamber. Even though it was his favorite place, he seemed to be spending more and more time being punished for no reason. It wasn''t my fault I broke my legs. He thought, then looked down at the garbage bags taped around his legs. Boy, do they itch. He heard someone moving around outside, but didn''t say anything. It would be best if they thought he was asleep. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren''s father asked. ¡°I''m going to recreate the scenario.¡± Ren''s mother said, and turned the water on to continue filling the chamber. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± He said. ¡°His legs are broken! He''s going to try and kick his way out!¡± ¡°He''s asleep.¡± She said. ¡°Look at the readings.¡± He sighed. ¡°Fine. But if he dies again, I don''t want to hear about how you missed observing it because there''s no window in this thing.¡± * Nathalia appeared in the room with the chamber, and the same two people were standing near it. She looked around and didn''t see Ren. ¡°Why am I here, if Ren isn''t?¡± Nathalia asked herself. She could hear running water, but couldn''t see any. There was a thump from the long black thing, and her eyes widened. ¡°No! They didn''t!¡± Several more thumps followed the first, and Nathalia walked over to it. I hope this works. She thought, and put her hand through the chamber wall. Yes! She bent over and put her face inside, and saw Ren as he panicked. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren stopped moving. He looked at her, and his eyes went wide. ¡°Are you an angel?¡± Ren whispered, because he didn''t want his mother to think he was seeing things, even though he was. ¡°No, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''m just someone who loves you.¡± ¡°Can you turn off the water? I''m running out of room in here.¡± ¡°I wish I could.¡± She said, and reached in to take his hand. ¡°The only thing I can touch is you.¡± Tears came to his eyes, but he didn''t cry or sob.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°I''m going to die again, aren''t I?¡± Ren asked. Nathalia nodded and kissed his cheek. ¡°Will I come back this time? Or can I stay here and be with you?¡± He said, and Nathalia''s heart hurt to hear such things coming from the mouth of the man that she loved so much. ¡°You''re going to live, My Love.¡± Nathalia said as the last of the chamber was filled with water. Ren stared at her and gripped her hand tightly. She watched as his eyes grew dim, and he opened his mouth to take a breath that wasn''t there. He didn''t thrash around, or try to stop himself from drowning. It didn''t take long for his hold on her hand to weaken, and then he stopped holding her hand completely. Nathalia didn''t let go of his hand as the chamber was drained and the side of it was opened, and continued to hold his hand as Ren''s mother took him to the floor and performed CPR on him. Ren coughed and spit up water, then looked at the beautiful woman that had so suddenly appeared. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said, and gripped her hand. Then the room went black. * Ren ran on a treadmill. The steel rods in his legs worked great. He''d been running for a long time, but he didn''t care. He was having fun pretending that he was running away from this life, and to a new one. One with that beautiful woman he''d seen all those months ago in the sensory deprivation chamber. I wonder where she went? He thought, then Nathalia appeared in front of him. ¡°Hi!¡± Ren said to her. ¡°Where have you been?¡± Nathalia looked at him with surprise on her face. ¡°I was just in that room with you and the water.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°Are you jumping through time?¡± Nathalia blinked her eyes at him. ¡°Um... no. I''m not.¡± She said, unsure of what she should say; then remembered Ren would hate it if she lied to him. ¡°I''m jumping through your memories.¡± Ren stared at her for a full minute, then smiled. ¡°Boy, I''m really lucky.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°Unfortunately, I don''t think so.¡± She said. ¡°I''m only here... when you die.¡± Ren''s steps faltered on the treadmill for a moment, then continued on as if nothing happened. ¡°Well, at least I get to see such a beautiful sight right before I go.¡± He smiled. ¡°I guess it''ll be soon.¡± Nathalia walked over to him and passed through the treadmill like it wasn''t there, and put a hand on his chest. ¡°If you stop running, maybe you won''t... won''t...¡± Tears sprung to her eyes. ¡°Please, Ren! Don''t die on me again!¡± ¡°It was only once.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was at the pool, too.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I hope that idiot got what he deserved.¡± ¡°He did.¡± Ren said. ¡°All the kids he picked on got together, and beat the hell out of him.¡± He smiled. ¡°I just wish I had seen it with my own eyes.¡± He said. ¡°Mom told me all about it, though.¡± The heart monitor started beeping really fast, and Ren grabbed his chest. ¡°Huh... I think... GUH!¡± Ren collapsed on the treadmill and fell over as the track kept going. It flung his limp body off and onto the floor. ¡°REN!¡± Nathalia yelled, and went to him. The door opened and two men came in, rolled Ren over, and got his heart started again. ¡°Was that good enough of a baseline?¡± One of them asked. ¡°It should be.¡± The other guy said. ¡°He ran for a long time before he collapsed.¡± ¡°I can''t believe he kept going until his heart gave out.¡± The other guy laughed. ¡°They did say that he was a trooper, and could take a lot more than we thought he could.¡± ¡°But he''s just a kid.¡± The guy said. ¡°Even I couldn''t go that long.¡± ¡°That''s what makes the data worth it.¡± The other guy said. ¡°If this kid can do this much, what can a full grown man do with the same training?¡± Nathalia held Ren''s hand, and he smiled at her as the room went black again. * This recipe of death happened several more times during different experiments and operations. The last time had been when his father had been drinking too much, because the stress of doing the experiments and hiding Ren had become too much for him to bear. It was also too much for Nathalia to bear as well. ¡°NO!¡± Nathalia yelled at Ren. ¡°Stop it! You will NOT cheerfully go to your death this time!¡± When no one was looking, Ren turned to her and gave her a hug. ¡°You don''t know how much it''s meant to me to have you here.¡± Ren said and let her go. ¡°You''ve been a beacon of light inside all of this darkness.¡± ¡°Please, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I love you. Don''t... don''t let them do this to you.¡± Ren cupped the side of her face. ¡°But don''t you see? If you''re jumping through my memories like you say you are, it''s already happened. Nothing I do can change it.¡± ¡°Ren Neram!¡± Nathalia said and stomped her foot. ¡°You just said I was a beacon of light for you! I wasn''t before! I never saw any of this before! You never told me about any of this!¡± ¡°Ren N-N-Neram?¡± He said, surprised. ¡°My... my last name... it''s not... I mean... I...¡± He shook his head. ¡°How can that be my name?¡± ¡°You''re a part of my House!¡± Nathalia explained again. Ren hadn''t believed her before, but perhaps now he would. ¡°We''re engaged to be married!¡± She put her hands on his shoulders and shook him. ¡°YOU. LOVE. ME!¡± ¡°Of course I love you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve been my own personal goddess.¡± goddess goddess goddess goddess goddess goddess goddess ¡°AaaggGGGhhHHH¡± Ren and Nathalia screamed together, and fell to their knees. They hugged each other tightly, then looked into each other''s eyes. ¡°My Love!¡± They said at the same time as their eyes streamed with tears, then were surprised when a man''s hand gripped Ren''s shoulder. ¡°What are you doing, boy?¡± His drunk father asked. Ren let Nathalia go and whirled around to stare at the man who had done so much to him. ¡°You''re going to ruin everything by getting older!¡± His father said. ¡°I''m going to have to fix that!¡± Large strong hands gripped Ren by the neck and started to squeeze. Ren wiped the tears away from his eyes and stood up, then started to laugh because the man couldn''t hold him down. ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± His father said, and slapped Ren across the face. All that did was make Ren laugh harder. His father made a fist to punch him, and Ren kicked him between the legs. His father fell to his knees, with both hands holding his tender bits. ¡°How does that feel, you bastard?¡± Ren asked his father, then punched him in the face. It knocked the man out cold, and he slumped to the floor. Ren turned around and held a hand out to Nathalia, who took it with a heart filled with joy. She had finally reached him. ¡°It''s time I stopped living in the past.¡± Ren said, and looked at her. ¡°Let''s go home, My Love.¡± ¡°Nothing would please me more.¡± Nathalia said, and kissed him. ¡°AS YOU WISH.¡± A loud booming voice said, then the room went dark. ******** ¡°Oh my god.¡± Denise whispered, after she watched the events that happened in the game. ¡°I hope that was all recorded.¡± She looked at the micro-server installed under the bed, and then at the laptop computer. ¡°Everyone is going to want to see this.¡± ******** Ren and Nathalia woke up on the couch with searing pains in their chests. ¡°Aggghh!¡± Ren said as the dagger in his forehead dissolved, and Nathalia cried from the pain she had caused him. ¡°Don''t move.¡± Xuunah said. Ren stared at a woman who looked a lot like Nathalia, as she stood up and grabbed the hilt of a sword that was sticking out of Nathalia''s back. ¡°Take a shallow breath.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I''ll pull it out on three.¡± Ren knew what she was actually going to do. ¡°One.¡± Xuunah smiled at him. ¡°Two.¡± She yanked the sword out, and Nathalia gasped. I knew she wasn''t going to wait until three. Ren thought as he grit his teeth, and Nathalia tried to get off of him. ¡°I said don''t move!¡± Xuunah exclaimed. ¡°Your hearts have been cut. Let me heal you first.¡± She said, and the sword she held evaporated. She put a hand on Ren''s chest, and one on Nathalia''s back; then the hands started to glow and enveloped the two of them. Ren could actually feel his body healing from the inside out, and his eyes widened as he felt the same thing from Nathalia. ¡°Nathalia? Are you concentrating on the House Neram pendant?¡± Ren asked her. Nathalia shook her head, then froze as she felt his surprise. ¡°You aren''t either, are you?¡± ¡°No.¡± He said. ¡°That''s because you''re a part of a collective now.¡± Xuunah said and removed her hands from them. ¡°You won''t need that crude method to feel what the other feels.¡± ¡°Crude?¡± Ren tilted his head to the side. ¡°I thought it was quite a breakthrough.¡± Xuunah smiled sadly. ¡°I suppose with your limited intelligence, it would be.¡± ¡°Mother!¡± Nathalia said, and turned her head to look at the woman. ¡°I guess that explains why you look like her.¡± Ren said to Xuunah. ¡°But I''ve seen similar things before.¡± He smiled. ¡°Asking you for proof that you''re her real mother would be pointless, wouldn''t it?¡± Xuunah nodded. ¡°I thought she had died when her father did.¡± She said. ¡°Nathalia was only 4 years old at the time. She wouldn''t remember much from that long ago.¡± ¡°Did you kill them?¡± Nathalia asked, as she slid off of Ren''s lap to sit beside him. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The men that kidnapped you and killed my father.¡± Xuunah''s eyes widened because of her words, then she smiled. ¡°Yes, I did.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You''re right. I don''t remember much of anything... except for that day.¡± She made a fist. ¡°That any being could just throw lives away like that.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It took me years to understand what had happened.¡± Xuunah sighed. ¡°I wish I could have spared you that experience, my daughter.¡± ¡°I don''t.¡± Nathalia said, and Xuunah took in a sharp breath. ¡°If it didn''t happen, it would have changed all of the other things that happened after that...¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°...and I wouldn''t be where I am today.¡± ¡°That is an enlightened philosophy.¡± Xuunah said, proud of her daughter. ¡°Ren told me that.¡± Nathalia said, and Xuunah looked at him with surprise clearly on her face. ¡°He also made me believe it.¡± Xuunah didn''t say anything in response. ¡°Now what?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Nathalia has to stop using her ability.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°No matter what, you must not use it again.¡± ¡°I''d ask you why, but you aren''t going to tell me.¡± Nathalia said, and Xuunah shook her head. ¡°I would like to, but I''d be in breach one of the tenets of the faith.¡± She said. ¡°But that doesn''t matter.¡± She looked intently at her daughter. ¡°You must never... ever... use your ability.¡± Nathalia looked at Ren, then back at her mother. ¡°I don''t know if I can promise that I won''t.¡± ¡°She won''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll make sure that she doesn''t.¡± ¡°How will you do that?¡± Xuunah asked him. ¡°You can''t watch her every moment of every day.¡± ¡°I''d like to.¡± Ren said, and took Nathalia''s hand. ¡°But, I''m an Adventurer. I literally can''t be here all the time.¡± He turned to Nathalia. ¡°All I can do, is ask the woman that I love to not interfere like she has. Not anymore.¡± Nathalia looked at him, and sighed. ¡°Is that what you really want?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said, and he felt her surprise at his answer. ¡°I''d rather have you watching my back as much as you can.¡± He said, and lifted her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. ¡°If your ability is going to put you at risk for something we don''t know about...¡± He smiled. ¡°...I''d want you safe before you concerned yourself with my welfare.¡± ¡°My daughter...¡± Xuunah said. ¡°You have chosen... wisely.¡± Nathalia lifted Ren''s hand and kissed the inside of his wrist. ¡°I know I have.¡± Xuunah sighed, then smiled. ¡°I must leave.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°You just got here!¡± ¡°It''s been several weeks since I haven''t been in my own realm. If I do not return, the questions I have to answer will be harder to respond to.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Nathalia thought about arguing, but knew it was pointless. ¡°Do not worry, little one.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Now that I know you still exist, I will watch over you.¡± Nathalia looked at her mother longingly. ¡°We''ll never speak again, will we?¡± Xuunah turned to Ren. ¡°If the man you love finishes the Church, you can come and speak to me.¡± Ren nodded, and Nathalia gripped his hand tightly. ¡°Who... who do I ask for?¡± Nathalia asked. Tears flowed from her eyes and she dropped her head, because she didn''t remember her own mother''s name. ¡°Do not be sad, little one.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°You''ve never heard my name.¡± Nathalia looked up at her with a tear stained face, and her mother cupped it with both hands. ¡°My name is Xuunah, and you can make an offering in the appropriate place to speak to me.¡± Nathalia let go of Ren''s hand, and hugged her mother. Xuunah held her daughter tightly for several moments, then let her go. ¡°Goodbye, little one.¡± Xuunah said, and a portal opened behind her. The room was flooded with light, and Ren stared at the other side. He saw the perfect scene to recreate for the stained glass window, then looked at Xuunah. ¡°You''re one of the Light.¡± Ren said to her, and she smiled at him. Xuunah put a finger to her lips, as if telling him to shush, then stepped through the portal. Ren watched in awe as her mortal body vanished and an oval light shape was left in it''s place. The portal closed behind her, and it left the room that much darker from it''s absence. Chapter 225 - Its Magic ¡°Did we just see...¡± Nathalia started to say, and Ren put a finger on her mouth. ¡°Shh.¡± He said. ¡°I think we shouldn''t talk about it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I know she''s your mother, but she''s also...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m taking my own advice.¡± He said and removed the finger. ¡°Well, if we can''t talk about that...¡± Nathalia looked at him with her face full of questions. ¡°...then tell me about everything we just went through.¡± Ren started to shake his head, then stopped. ¡°Actually, I...¡± He smiled and his grip on her hand tightened. ¡°I would like to talk about it.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Nathalia said, and tears came to her eyes again. ¡°How could other Adventurers do that to you?¡± Ren smiled sadly. ¡°They weren''t other Adventurers.¡± He said. ¡°They were my parents.¡± ¡°By the gods!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°No. That... that''s not...¡± The look of horror on her face matched the tone of her voice. ¡°How could they do that to you?!?¡± ¡°I''ve been asking myself that for years.¡± Ren said. ¡°I still haven''t come up with a reason, other than money, or that they enjoyed it somehow.¡± Nathalia shook her head, and lifted his hand and gripped it with both of hers, and pressed it to her chest. ¡°That someone as good as you came from all of that.¡± Nathalia said and beamed a smile at him. ¡°You''re a miracle!¡± ¡°It''s a miracle that I survived as many times as I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s true.¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± Nathalia let his hand go, and moved to sit in his lap again. She hugged him close, and kissed him. ¡°You help anyone that needs it.¡± She said. ¡°You never worry about what will happen to you, but you''ll do anything for the people you care about.¡± She stroked her hand through his hair, and gazed into his eyes. ¡°You went through all of that, and it didn''t break you.¡± She kissed him softly. ¡°Despite all of that, you became a good man. You''re not mean, or vindictive, or angry all of the time.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°You are a good man, and I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said, and kissed her back just as softly as she had kissed him. ¡°Now I have a question.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Just one?¡± ¡°I have more than I can count, but... there''s one that I need answered right away.¡± ¡°Go ahead, My Love. Ask away.¡± ¡°What''s a ''pool'', and what do you do with it?¡± That was not the question Ren thought she would ask first, and he laughed a full-throated laugh; then Nathalia joined in and laughed, too. ******** Denise checked the recorded footage, and relaxed a she saw the time indexes matched. Nothing was lost or over-written from the sheer amount of data that was being recorded. She was a little surprised that the game could recreate all of the real life things that Ren had seen; considering it was supposed to be a medieval setting and shouldn''t be able to make those things. * ¡°Sir!¡± One of the techs at Sid Tec tried to get the head programmer, Max''s attention. ¡°Sir! You aren''t going to believe this.¡± ¡°It''s quitting time, dammit.¡± Max sighed. ¡°What is it now?¡± ¡°F.L.O.W. accessed the internet.¡± Max laughed. ¡°It always does. That''s how it sends data to the players.¡± ¡°No, sir.¡± The tech said. ¡°It accessed it for content.¡± Max frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°My job is to monitor all the things being created and used in the game, and managing the databases so there''s no problems for the game to bring up the items when needed.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Max said. ¡°And you like that job.¡± ¡°I do, sir.¡± The tech smiled. ¡°All the order and neatness is a soothing balm to all the chaos.¡± Max laughed. ¡°Got it.¡± He said. ¡°So what happened?¡± ¡°This, sir.¡± The tech said, and turned his flat-screen monitor for Max to see the sensory deprivation chamber. ¡°Is that?¡± ¡°A sensory deprivation chamber.¡± The tech said. ¡°It''s now a part of the game item inventory list.¡± ¡°How the hell did that get in there?¡± ¡°It came in a data packet, sir. Along with these.¡± The tech hit a key, and a long list of real world items appeared. Everything from electrodes to an olympic-sized in-ground swimming pool. ¡°A treadmill? Modern clothing? Surgical gear?¡± Max shook his head. ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°It''s amazing that this much could be inserted so fast, then rendered into the game mechanics.¡± The tech said. ¡°I knew the AIs were the best mankind could produce; but this...¡± He shook his head. ¡°Highly detailed, fully modeled and functioning real-world items in seconds.¡± ¡°Is there any kind of player ID on this?¡± Max asked. ¡°If someone is importing these things and breaking our proprietary software...¡± ¡°It wasn''t a player doing it, but it was done for a player.¡± ¡°I don''t have to ask, do I?¡± Max said, and sighed as he checked the list again. ¡°It''s Ren Haddon, isn''t it?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Damn that kid.¡± Max said. ¡°He keeps messing things up on us.¡± The tech smiled. ¡°It gets better, sir.¡± ¡°How could it possibly get better?¡± ¡°I can''t delete the new items or over-write them.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Max said. ¡°You have full access to the archives and call data.¡± ¡°I thought so, too.¡± The tech said. ¡°But as soon as I change the IDs, or copy over the files, they are automatically copied right back and restored.¡± ¡°From where?¡± ¡°The automatic backup files.¡± ¡°How in blue blazes did it get backed up already? That''s not supposed to happen until midnight!¡± ¡°I don''t know, sir.¡± The tech said. ¡°Okay.¡± Max said. ¡°Mark it for the programmers to go over tomorrow. Give it a priority heading, and it''ll be the first thing they have to deal with in the morning.¡± ¡°What if the data is needed later, and the game doesn''t have it?¡± The tech asked. ¡°It''ll crash, won''t it? Or give an error?¡± Max rubbed his forehead. ¡°Have them replace the items with similar things. The sleep deprivation chamber with a sleeping bag, the treadmill with a set of paving stones, the operating tables with cots. You get the idea.¡± ¡°So the data won''t be gone, just replaced.¡± ¡°Right. The game won''t know the difference.¡± The tech smiled. ¡°I think you''re underestimating the game, sir.¡± ¡°It won''t know the difference, because we''ll tell it that it doesn''t know the difference.¡± Max said. ¡°A computer can only do things within the limits we set for it.¡± He said. ¡°Goodnight. I''ll see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± The tech said, watched Max leave the room, then turned the flat-screen monitor back around and turned it off. ¡°That''s what I thought about computers, too.¡± * Elise Stanford, the secretary at Sid Tec, hopped into her Hummer H2 and drove home at a normal speed. She didn''t rush, because she still had a bit of time before she had to be at Ren''s side for when he logged out. When she got home, she undressed quickly and tossed the clothing into the laundry basket, then took a shower. The water rinsed away the sweat that had gathered during the day, and she felt refreshed as she stepped out and looked at herself in the mirror. ¡°Hi, beautiful.¡± Elise said, repeating the words Ren had said to her that morning. She blushed just like she had then, then grinned as she remembered the kiss he had given her afterwards. She brushed her hair diligently, and it''s natural waves formed as her hair dried. ¡°What to wear... what to wear...¡± Elise said as she browsed through her closet, looking for the perfect outfit. ¡°Dammit, what do I wear?¡± She flung several outfits onto her bed, then went back to her closet. ¡°I want him to see me, but I also don''t want him to see too much of me so soon.¡± Elise looked down as herself, and her massive chest hung there. ¡°Yeah, there''s not a lot I can do to hide you from his sight.¡± She picked a pretty black bra that was supposed to cover all of her, but all it really did was hold her steady while she walked, and stopped her from popping out of any top that she wore. ¡°No, that''s a bit too restrictive.¡± Elise said, and tossed it aside and picked up a nice purple one with lace, that covered enough to save her modesty, but left enough that it would drive men wild. ¡°Perfect!¡± She said, and put it on. It took some bending over and a few shoves, but she got herself positioned in the cups properly and fastened it in place. She started to put on the matching panties, then remembered she should wear another thick pad. She grabbed one, and looked at the underwear. There was no way it was going to cover enough to hold the pad in place, and she sighed. ¡°It shouldn''t be this hard to dress sexy and practical at the same time!¡± Elise said to the empty room. * ¡°I wish she hadn''t left the blinds closed.¡± Gary, the NSA agent, said from the van. ¡°Geez, Gary. If you want her so bad, just go over there and ask her out.¡± ¡°Yeah, right.¡± Gary laughed. ¡°The boss would kill me for revealing myself and blowing the operation, and then my girlfriend would kill me for trying to cheat on her.¡± ¡°Come on. You''d still let her kick you in the balls.¡± Bill said.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Damn right I would.¡± Gary said, as he listened to Elise''s running commentary about how different articles of clothing weren''t the right thing to wear. ¡°Just imagine the sight I''d see while writhing around on the ground, looking up at that statuesque redheaded goddess.¡± Bill laughed. ¡°Well, at least we know she legitimately doesn''t have anything to do with this case, besides coming to the kid''s rescue.¡± Gary looked over at Bill with his eyebrows raised. ¡°Then why are we staked out at her place?¡± ¡°I had hoped she''d have the blinds open, too.¡± Bill said, and Gary laughed and clapped his partner on the shoulder. * Elise went with a nice a-line black skirt, and a loose fitting purple top that matched the color of the bra. She added a black belt around her waist to hold the top closed on the bottom, and pulled it up slightly so it hung over the belt and didn''t form around her chest like a lot of the other things she wanted to wear. She chose a pair of flat shoes to go with the outfit instead of her trademark heels, put on a touch of makeup to make her eyes pop, then decided to keep her contact lenses in instead of switching to her glasses, like she normally would. I don''t want my glasses getting in the way if I kiss him again. Elise thought as she grabbed her purse and tablet, and headed for the door. Watch out, Ren Haddon. She grinned. I''m dressed to kill, and I''m coming for you! ******** Ren explained as much as he could to Nathalia about the things she had seen in his memories, and she absorbed the information as if she was going to be tested on it later. Teepo on the other hand had remained quiet, and stood on the ceiling and stared at them. He wondered how his best friend had survived everything he''d gone through. ¡°They''re called ''sneakers''?¡± Nathalia asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°Do they help you Sneak?¡± ¡°A lot more than shoes do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless they''re wet. Sneakers squeak when they''re wet.¡± ¡°And almost everyone wears them?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°They''re comfortable, cheap, and easy to get.¡± ¡°Can you make them?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°There''s no rubber here.¡± ¡°And rubber is sap from a special tree, and only becomes rubber when mixed with other things and dries, right?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s right.¡± ¡°Are you sure there''s none of those trees here?¡± Ren looked at her, then grinned. ¡°No, I''m not sure. I know just who to ask about it, though.¡± ¡°The Sage of Ages.¡± Nathalia said, then frowned slightly. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Did she really tell you that you and her were going to get together?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°She told me I''d have to go through a few things before the time came, though.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°Then... then that means... you an I...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°She didn''t say that.¡± He said. ¡°She only said we''d be together. She didn''t say no one else was involved.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I know. It''s hard to think that she''s referring to something as if it''s already happened, even though it hasn''t, or might not happen at all.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Probabilities are funny like that.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Like, how you just happened to be the cook on the ship that picked me up.¡± He said. ¡°Imagine if I stayed in the hold and ate ration packs for the trip.¡± Nathalia''s eyes widened. ¡°We... we never would have met.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I never would have come to the attention of the Council, I wouldn''t have interfered with anything, and I would have been back in Aurora already with no clue about what had been going on.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± ¡°But, let''s not think about that.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve only got another hour or so with you, and I want to spend it doing something worthwhile.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Nathalia asked, and tried not to blush at the thoughts going through her head. ¡°Let''s make some pastries!¡± Ren said and held onto Nathalia as he stood up. ¡°P-p-pastries?!?¡± Nathalia stammered, and he laughed. ¡°Just kidding.¡± Ren said and took her to her bedroom. ¡°I have to properly thank you for saving me.¡± ¡°But... but I... it was only at the end that I... I finally convinced you...¡± Nathalia had a hard time getting the words out as she remembered everything Ren had endured, and what she had watched him endure. ¡°You did convince me, though.¡± Ren said and laid her down on the bed. ¡°Right at the perfect time, too.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I really love you.¡± ¡°I know you do.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re still sharing our feelings.¡± He smiled. ¡°Now I''m going to make you feel so good that you''re going to forget your own name for a while; because all you''ll be thinking about is me.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± For the next hour, the only name Nathalia could think of, or say, was his. ******** ¡°Hi.¡± Elise said as she came into Ren''s room. ¡°Elise!¡± Denise said, and stood up. She was thankful that the blue screen had ended only a minute before, and Ren was already on his way back to the giants. ¡°You''re here early.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°I tried not to rush over, but I get too excited to wait sometimes.¡± Denise nodded. ¡°I hear you.¡± ¡°How is he?¡± Elise asked, as she looked at Ren. ¡°He''s... oh, Elise.¡± Denise sighed and held the tears back. ¡°You have to see... to see the...¡± She shook her head, and then Elise''s tablet beeped at her. ¡°I shouldn''t get a download unless it''s got a priority setting...¡± Elise said and put her purse down and opened the tablet. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± She said, as the thumbnails and text descriptions popped up on the screen. ¡°This... this...¡± Elise sat down in the chair beside the bed, shock clearly on her face. ¡°Ren will be out in about 30 minutes.¡± Denise said. ¡°He''s running a little late with the giants.¡± ¡°With the what?!?¡± Elise looked at Denise. ¡°That quest was supposed to be over.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°He''s dealing with the ones still alive.¡± ¡°Some of them lived?¡± Elise asked, then looked at the television monitor. ¡°He''s already got them in their own settlement?¡± She shook her head. ¡°He''s amazing!¡± ¡°You don''t know how amazing he is yet.¡± Denise said and took a deep breath. ¡°Watch the videos, and then you''ll know.¡± Elise nodded and started the first video, then slowed it to normal speed and watched it again as tears came to her eyes. ¡°My sweet little Ren.¡± She whispered, and wiped her tears away as she watched the next video. ******** Ren had stopped in at one of the local farms and bought a huge pile of food ingredients to make various meals, as well as flour, sugar, and everything else needed to make bread. He also bought the cooking utensils and tools needed and stored everything. On the way through the Garrison, he stopped at one of the supply depots and picked up a few more tents, just in case some of the others were damaged. He was going to need at least one more for the new giant, anyways. Ren had been tempted to take Princess along; but he wasn''t staying that long, and could run this far pretty fast by himself, anyways. Teepo hasn''t complained. He thought as he glanced at this friend that had perched on his shoulder as soon as he left House Neram Keep. Ren also had Adventurer''s business to take care of in a couple of hours, and needed to get back home before then. ¡°I''m back.¡± Ren said as he ran over to the group of giant-sized tents. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Laurelia said as he came over to the stew pots. ¡°You''re just in time. The stew''s gone.¡± ¡°Did everyone get at least one bowl?¡± Ren asked as he rinsed out the pots, filled them with water again, and she nodded. ¡°There was enough left for the trench diggers to have a second bowl when they stopped.¡± ¡°How far did they get?¡± ¡°Pretty far.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Go have a look.¡± Ren ran over to the trench, and grinned. Nearly 500 feet of ground had been dug up in a trench that was 25 feet wide and 12 feet deep. He ran back to the cooking area and nodded to her. ¡°That looks great.¡± Ren said. ¡°I assume people want to have supper soon?¡± ¡°Only the ones that had bowls of stew first.¡± Laurelia said and chuckled. ¡°Like me.¡± ¡°It''s a good thing I brought lots of ingredients then.¡± Ren said, and took them out. ¡°Where''s Nikaia? She can convert these and we can get some other volunteers to help cook.¡± ¡°She''s in her tent, I think.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Can Telaka do it? He''s right over there.¡± Ren looked over at the giant she pointed to. It was the male giant with the inventory, and he nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Hey, Telaka! Can we get your help?¡± Laurelia asked, and he came over to the cooking area. ¡°More food?¡± Telaka smiled. ¡°I''ll gladly help.¡± He converted the food ingredients and cooking tools to giant size, and the table was immediately swarmed with helpers. ¡°With this we can make bread!¡± One of the female giants said, then looked around. ¡°But... how in the world...¡± She looked down at Ren, who had gently pat her knee. ¡°I''ll worry about making the oven. You worry about making the dough.¡± Ren said to her, and remembered what the oven at the mansion looked like. The female giant looked at him with raised eyebrows, then nodded. ¡°It''s a deal.¡± She said, then got to work making the dough, and Ren had to make a trip back to the Garrison to gather enough stone bricks to make a giant-sized oven. He was tempted to borrow one of the ovens being used by one of the many cafeterias, but that would be too much to ask the soldiers and cooks to deal with. The loss of a single oven could throw off the entire meal schedule for a good portion of the Garrison. Ren ran back to the giant camp and quickly made a raised platform with some of the dirt from the trench. Once it looked high enough, he climbed up and laid out the stone bricks into the right configuration, enchanted the ones on the bottom with fire, then covered them with another layer of stone bricks. Once that was done, he took out a chisel and cut a very slight angled edge into every row of bricks for the sides, then set them all into place on top of a temporary wooden brace. He made a shelf in front of the oven; but it was off to the side, so anything placed on it wouldn''t get direct heat.
Stat Change!
Stonemasonry Level 2 (Beginner 0%) Stone Cutting Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
The bricks own shape and weight should hold them together. Ren thought, then asked one of the giants to cover the top with dirt, just in case. ¡°Are you sure?¡± The giant asked, and he dumped a shovel full of dirt on top of the stone arch. ¡°Positive.¡± Ren said. ¡°The dirt will hold it in place if anyone happens to bump it by accident.¡± He said. ¡°It will keep the heat inside the oven much better, too.¡± ¡°You little people and your crazy ideas.¡± The giant said, and kept shoveling dirt where he was told to. Ren packed it in tight, and into the crevices, to make sure it was as secure as it could be. ¡°I think... yes, that''s enough.¡± Ren said as he stepped away from the enormous oven, then took the wooden brace with him and stored it. He thought ''Activate'' and the enchanted stones immediately had the heat in the oven up to a warm temperature. ¡°How''s the dough coming along?¡± He hollered over to the giant workbench and the women working on preparing food there. ¡°It just has to rise for a while.¡± The female giant with a large bowl of dough said. ¡°Is there somewhere that I can... yes, there is. Thank you.¡± She said as she saw the stone shelf she could use to put the dough on near the heat, but not in it. ¡°You''ve done something like this before.¡± ¡°I haven''t built one like this before, or one this size.¡± Ren said and waved at the oven. ¡°This was a first.¡± He smiled. ¡°I have baked a lot of bread, though.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± She said. ¡°I''m really glad to be able to do it again.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, it smells wonderful.¡± ¡°I always thought a kitchen was never really finished until it had that smell in it.¡± ¡°I like that.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°That''s a good view to have.¡± ¡°It''s going to be half an hour or so for that dough to finish rising.¡± She said. ¡°I better get back to chopping vegetables.¡± ¡°What did you decide to make first?¡± ¡°Thanks to that side of ram you brought, we''re going to have a roast tonight. In the morning, we''ll have ram and eggs.¡± ¡°It sounds delicious.¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°I''m sorry I''m going to miss it.¡± ¡°Oh? Why''s that?¡± ¡°I''ve got Adventurer''s business to take care of in half an hour, and then I''ve got to get your story out to the world.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I can''t believe you can do that.¡± She said. ¡°If you can... you... that''s too much power for a little person to have.¡± Ren smiled at her, and she went back to the giant workbench, then he went to his own workbench. The child giant was there with the female giant that was taking care of him, and the child held out the backpack Ren had given him earlier. Ren took it and pulled out the old and tattered clothes that were inside. ¡°Let me see what I can do with these.¡± Ren said, and unrolled them and put them into their proper shapes. ¡°Hm.¡± He said, and put a hand under his chin. ¡°They''re pretty torn and messed up.¡± The child giant looked like he was going to cry, and Ren beamed a smile at him. ¡°I think it''s time for some little person magic!¡± Ren said enthusiastically. ¡°First I need to take out my Magic Needle!¡± He said, and pulled the Master Tailor Sewing Needle out of inventory so that it magically appeared in his hand. The child clapped, and Ren took a little bow. ¡°Now! Some magic waving of my arms!¡± Ren said, and flailed his arms around wildly, and the child laughed. ¡°Okay! I think it''s ready!¡± He said. ¡°Magic Needle! Grant me your power!¡± He poured Mana into the needle, and it glowed brightly in the dim light. ¡°Restore this child''s precious clothing!¡± Ren held the needle to the child''s top, and it started to glow. He heard a gasp; but he wasn''t sure if it was the child, or the female giant standing behind him. At this point it didn''t matter, because everyone that was nearby, and had gathered after hearing the child laugh, gasped as the top remade itself. ¡°Thank you, Magic Needle!¡± Ren said, and flailed his arms again to make the child laugh. ¡°Now! Once more!¡± He said and touched the pants, and the same thing happened. The giants gasped as the pants glowed and remade themselves. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Thanks again, Magic Needle! You can go home now!¡± He said, and stored it. To the child, the needle just disappeared into thin air, and he clapped again. The little magic show had cost Ren nearly half of his Mana Pool, but the look on the child''s face was worth it. ¡°There you go!¡± Ren said, and handed him the clothing and the backpack. ¡°Please accept this with the blessings of the little people.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The child said happily, and all of the giants stopped whatever they were doing as they watched the child go to the changing tent. The female giant that was watching over the child giant, stepped close to Ren and then knelt. ¡°That''s the first time he''s spoken since all of this happened.¡± She said. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hopefully, he''ll continue to talk, now that he can wear the clothes his mother made for him.¡± The female giant blinked her eyes at him. ¡°How... how do you know that?¡± ¡°I''m a tailor.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Those clothes weren''t bought from someone that makes lot of them; they were made with love and care.¡± The female giant nodded her head and stood. ¡°That they were.¡± She said, and walked over to the changing tent as the child came out wearing his old clothes. He ran over to Ren and took off the backpack. ¡°You can keep it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure you''re going to find lots of things to put in it.¡± The child smiled, and ran back to the female giant and took her hand, much to her surprise. She looked at the child, then at Ren, and waved before they walked off to their tent. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Laurelia asked, and Ren turned to look at her. ¡°Magic.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Which I''ll have to replenish before coming back.¡± He said, and took out several more tents in case the giants needed them. ¡°I have to go, but I should be back sometime tomorrow to finish making clothes for everyone.¡± Laurelia nodded. ¡°We''ll make this food last a couple of days, at least.¡± ¡°You should make sure the trench gets finished, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°How will you get back in if it''s finished?¡± ¡°I''ll make a bridge.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Goodnight, Laurelia.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± She said, and he ran off before she could say anything else. Chapter 226 - I See You Ren ran back through the Garrison and down the road to the city of Dornrach, then out to House Neram Keep and came to a stop in front of the gate. ¡°Welcome home, sir.¡± The guard said as he opened the gate. ¡°Hello, Broxor.¡± Ren said, and went inside. He didn''t quite trust Broxor, since he was the one that let the Royal Guards into the Keep to take Lady Neram and Nathalia, despite his orders. The gate shut behind Ren, and he went to the pen that held the fire elemental. ¡°Hey, you!¡± Ren said, and jumped into the pen and into the flames that the elemental was basking in. He grabbed onto it and hugged it, then rolled around and played with it for a few minutes. ¡°You don''t know how glad I am that Nathalia rescued you from where I left you.¡± Ren said, and rubbed his head on the head stub. ¡°I can''t promise I won''t disappear again, because I don''t want to lie.¡± He sighed. ¡°All I can say is that I''ll do my best to never leave you alone.¡± ¡°That''s all anyone can ask of you.¡± Nathalia said as she came into the courtyard through the gate. ¡°How was supper at the restaurant?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Long.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I''m exhausted for some reason.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''d say that I''m sorry for that, but I honestly regretted that I had to stop ''thanking'' you.¡± Nathalia laughed, because he was telling the truth, and she felt his regret and a touch of teasing. ¡°Come inside the house, and I''ll whip something up for you.¡± ¡°Oh, all right.¡± Ren fake pouted and let the fire elemental go. It ran around the pen and back to him. ¡°I''m sorry, but I''ve got to get something to eat.¡± He said, and smiled. ¡°I''ve got something for you, though.¡± He took out the wooden brace he''d made for the giant oven, and the fire elemental jumped on it to try and consume it right away. Ren left the pen and followed Nathalia inside the house. ¡°Hi, Ren. Hi, Nathalia.¡± Ereka said as they came into the kitchen. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°Tired.¡± They said together, and smiled as they both could feel the other actually was tired. ¡°That''s so cute.¡± Ereka said and put two plates of food on the table. ¡°It''s a good thing I ordered these for you.¡± ¡°Ereka!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°What... how... why?¡± Ereka chuckled. ¡°I saw how tired you were when I went in to the restaurant to eat.¡± She said. ¡°I knew you would probably try and make something when you got home, but would be too tired to care what it was.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°I was going to, and I am.¡± She smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You don''t have to thank me.¡± Ereka said. ¡°The cooks at the restaurant made the food. I just brought it home for you.¡± ¡°It''s because you thought of it that I''m thanking you.¡± Nathalia said, and looked at Ren. ¡°He would have had to wait to eat, otherwise.¡± ¡°I''ve got Adventurer''s business to take care of, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I should be back by morning, but...¡± ¡°You''re not going to disappear again, are you?¡± Ereka asked the one thing that Nathalia never would. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m in a good place at the moment, with good friends who care about me.¡± He said, and looked at the two women. ¡°Just like here.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ereka said. ¡°It''s a relief to have you back.¡± ¡°I only see you once, maybe twice a day.¡± Ren said and smiled again. ¡°How is that a relief?¡± ¡°That you''re here at all, silly.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Everything just seems... better... when you''re around.¡± ¡°I definitely agree with that.¡± Nathalia said and took Ren''s hand. ¡°Now sit and eat, so you can get your business done and come back here.¡± ¡°Are you that eager to get me into bed again?¡± Ren asked her, and grinned as she blushed slightly. ¡°Ren.¡± Nathalia said, and glanced at Ereka. Ren looked at her, and saw she also had a slight blush on her face. ¡°I''m sorry, Ereka. I shouldn''t say such things in public.¡± ¡°That''s all right.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I wasn''t embarrassed by what you said.¡± ¡°But... your face...¡± She touched it with a hand, then smiled. ¡°I...¡± her blush grew darker. ¡°I was imaging what you''d be doing.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said, and it was his turn to blush slightly. ¡°By the gods, you''re so cute!¡± Ereka said, walked around the table, and put a hand on both Ren and Nathalia''s shoulders. ¡°Enjoy the meal.¡± She said, squeezed lightly, and let go. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren and Nathalia said at the same time. ¡°Too cute!¡± Ereka grinned. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± She said, and disappeared down the hallway. Ren heard the old bedroom door close, and looked at Nathalia. ¡°She seems to be a lot more honest with what she wants to say.¡± Ren said. Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°While you were gone all that time, she... well, I think she decided that she wouldn''t hide anything anymore.¡± ¡°How''s that working out?¡± Ren said and grinned. Nathalia laughed. ¡°I''ve already had complaints that she''s harder to deal with than...¡± She clamped her mouth shut and shook her head. ¡°Go ahead and say it.¡± ¡°A man.¡± Nathalia said, and they both laughed. They enjoyed a good meal together after that, and she went with him when he went to sit on the couch. ¡°You know, you can lay in the bed like you used to.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°After I was away for so long, though... I... I think it''s hard on you to see my phantom form.¡± Ren felt her surprise, and then he felt her acceptance. ¡°I think it is hard on me.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I see it, and think... is he coming back this time?¡± He took her hand, and pulled her into his lap. ¡°I can''t promise I won''t disappear again, because I don''t want to lie.¡± He sighed. ¡°All I can say is that I''ll do my best to never leave you alone.¡± Nathalia looked at him with wide eyes, and he grinned at her. ¡°You said that to the fire elemental!¡± She said, and swatted him on the head. ¡°You could...¡± *swat* ¡°At least...¡± *smack* ¡°Tell me something else!¡± *slap* Ren laughed as her blows tickled. ¡°But...¡± *duck* ¡°You said that...¡± *dodge* ¡°It was all...¡± *weave* ¡°Anyone could ask of me.¡± Nathalia raised her arms and huffed in frustration, and Ren took the golden opportunity to tickle her armpits. She laughed and giggled as he was merciless in his attack; and she rolled around on his lap as she tried to get away. ¡°You cannot escape the tickle monster!¡± Ren said, picked her up, and she gave that surprised little ''yip'' she always did when he showed off his Strength. He tickled her a little more to make her laugh again, then took her into a hug. ¡°What I said is true for the both of you.¡± He said. ¡°All I can do is my best.¡± Nathalia sighed, snuggled down on his shoulder, and kissed his neck. ¡°I can''t even tell you to hurry back, can I?¡± ¡°You can, but I won''t know how long I''ll be gone until I come back.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°I was going to say that doesn''t make sense; but, you would know then when you''d be back.¡± She nuzzled his neck. ¡°Because you''d be back.¡± ¡°You''re trying to get me to stay longer, aren''t you?¡± ¡°Is it working?¡± She asked. ¡°I thought you wanted me to go so I would come back sooner.¡± ¡°I changed my mind.¡± Nathalia said in a sexy voice, and playfully bit him a little. ¡°Ren, please stay.¡± ¡°I... boy, I want to... but, I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°You had it right. The sooner I go, the sooner I''ll be back.¡± Nathalia sighed because she could feel the conflict in him, kissed his neck again, and let him go. She got off of his lap, and smiled at him. ¡°I''ll stay up if you want me to.¡± ¡°No, My Love.¡± Ren said, reached out a hand, and pulled her in for a kiss. He let her go and smiled. ¡°I promise I''ll wake you when I get back, if you aren''t awake before then.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Nathalia said, and stood up. ¡°See you later.¡± Ren nodded slightly to her, and she went to her room and shut the door. Wow. He thought, as her feelings faded away. That was intense.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Not as tense as what happened this afternoon.¡± Teepo said. ¡°How... how are you still you after what they did?¡± Ren smiled. I honestly don''t know. He thought. After years of therapy, I''ve come to realize something important. It should have broken me; but, it didn''t. ¡°I''m glad it didn''t.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Now get out of here, and hurry back.¡± See you soon, buddy. Ren thought. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** The television screen went blank, and Ren took off the VR headset to see a tall redhead going into the bathroom. ¡°Elise? What''s wrong?¡± He asked her. ¡°N-nothing!¡± She said, and closed the door. ¡°She has to fix her makeup.¡± Denise said and took the VR headset from him. ¡°Her eyeliner was running.¡± Ren blinked his eyes a few times, then looked down at the chair Elise had sat in. On it was a paused video of him on an operating table. ¡°Oh.¡± He said. ¡°That makes sense now.¡± ¡°Ren, how...¡± Denise shook her head as tears came to her eyes. ¡°I don''t... what do I say about... good god!¡± Elise came out of the bathroom, and looked perfect except that her eyes were a little puffy. ¡°I brought the forms for you to sign.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and she opened her purse and unfolded the papers and handed them to him. He read them through while Denise went to get his supper, then signed them and handed them back to Elise. She put them into her purse, picked up her tablet, and sat in the chair by the bed again. ¡°I''m sorry you had to see that.¡± Ren said, and motioned to the tablet. ¡°I... you must think that I...¡± He shook his head. ¡°I''ll understand if you... if you don''t want to see me again.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Elise asked as Denise came back into the room with his food. ¡°You saw a lot of what happened to me.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve seen how... how pathetic I was...¡± ¡°Pathetic?!?¡± Elise exclaimed. ¡°You were heroic!¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Look at this!¡± She said, and played the first video again, where he''d died, and when he was brought back, he hugged his mother. ¡°That was the only hug she ever gave me.¡± Ren said. ¡°No matter how many times I asked, or begged, or cried.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said, put the tablet down, and took his hand. ¡°You''re a better man than anyone I''ve ever met.¡± She said. ¡°How can you not hate her after all of that?¡± She asked. ¡°I hate her so much!¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Denise said. ¡°That she could do all of those things to you...¡± ¡°You''re going to hate her a lot more than that, then.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Why?¡± Denise asked. ¡°What you saw? That was only the times I actually died.¡± ¡°Wh-wh-WHAT?!?¡± ¡°You''ll see what really went on when you get copies of the medical records and court transcripts.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a real treat for the eyes.¡± He smiled sadly. ¡°Especially the pictures.¡± ¡°Pictures? What pictures?¡± Elise asked. Ren looked at her. ¡°They had to keep visual records for proof of the data.¡± He explained. ¡°I don''t remember a lot of what happened, though. Too much trauma.¡± He said and tapped his forehead with a finger. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Denise said. ¡°I remember the pictures, though.¡± He shivered. ¡°They tried to jog my memory with them, but it didn''t work.¡± Elise held his hand, and he squeezed it. At least, he tried to. ¡°Damn, I''m too weak to even squeeze your hand properly.¡± Ren said, and sighed. ¡°Like that matters right now.¡± Elise said. ¡°You''ll keep exercising, and you''ll get strong again.¡± Ren nodded, and looked at Denise. ¡°I assume that''s my supper.¡± ¡°No, this is mine.¡± She teased. ¡°You have to get your own yourself.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said, and sat up in the bed. ¡°Come on, Elise. Drive me over to Amazon Jim''s. Endless Fries smothered in gravy is calling to me.¡± ¡°Don''t you dare!¡± Denise said, and put the tray on the rollaway table. ¡°I was kidding!¡± ¡°So was I.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°I''d barely get through one plate after a week with a liquid only diet.¡± Denise shook her head, and Elise didn''t know if she wanted to laugh or cry. I don''t know how he can joke around like this after... after... Elise shook her head. No, if he can be brave, so can I! ¡°I don''t know about that.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°The food on that tray looks a little questionable.¡± ¡°Excuuuuse me?¡± Denise rocked her head from side to side and put her hands on her hips. Ren laughed, and Elise grinned at him. ¡°Just kidding.¡± Elise said. ¡°Go ahead, Ren. Eat away.¡± ¡°Bathroom break first.¡± Ren said, and slid out of bed. ¡°Okay, I can do this.¡± He took a step, then another. He took a deep breath then shuffled to the bathroom and almost shut the door. ¡°He didn''t shut it.¡± Elise said, and tried not to look through the opening. ¡°He has to leave it open, so we can get to him fast if he needs us.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Elise said. ¡°Does that happen often?¡± ¡°More than it used to.¡± Denise said. ¡°It''s been a hard month for him.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I don''t know how he has the strength to get out of bed.¡± ¡°I have deep reserves.¡± Ren said as he came out of the bathroom after doing his business and cleaning up. ¡°I should be back to my old self by next week.¡± He said and climbed back into bed to end in a sitting position. ¡°I just have to work a little harder to get my strength back up.¡± ¡°We''ll do what we can to help.¡± Elise said, and Denise nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and started to eat. ¡°For now, I''ve got to expand my stomach.¡± He said between mouthfuls. ¡°The last battle I had against Endless Fries, it was a draw because it had to be called for time.¡± He smiled. ¡°I don''t intend to lose the next time!¡± * Detective John Ramirez was agitated. They''d followed up on Ren''s tip about the digital signature device, and he and Officer Stonewall waited at their desks for the call from the tech department. ¡°Goddammit! I wish they''d hurry up!¡± Ramirez said again. ¡°They''re not going to go any faster, no matter how many times you say that, John.¡± His partner said. ¡°They should!¡± He responded, then leaned back in his chair. ¡°They''ve had the information since yesterday!¡± Officer Stonewall sighed. ¡°It''s not magic.¡± She said. ¡°They''ll get the results to us as soon-¡± The phone on Detective Ramirez'' desk rang, and he picked it up before Officer Stonewall saw his hand move. ¡°Ramirez!¡± He said enthusiastically into the earpiece, nodded his head, wrote something down, and hung up the phone. ¡°We got it!¡± He said and stood up to grab his suit coat from the back of his chair. ¡°Got what?¡± Officer Stonewall asked as she stood up and followed her partner to the door. ¡°Those fancy little digital signature devices automatically ping their host computer to confirm the package was signed for.¡± He said over his shoulder as he hit the door almost at a run. ¡°We got the address where the thing is registered!¡± ¡°Then what are you waiting for?¡± Officer Stonewall asked as she easily ran passed him in the hallway and reached the door to the outside long before he did. ¡°Let''s go!¡± * ¡°Do we have that address?¡± Agent Smith asked the other Agent Smith, who smiled. ¡°We do now.¡± He said as his phone beeped, and looked at the text message with the address. He told his partner where it was, and the car eased out of the parking lot located behind the police station, then sped down the road to the destination. * ¡°That was great, Denise.¡± Ren said as he finished eating. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I''m glad you took your time and didn''t wolf it down.¡± ¡°Hey, I''m not that reckless.¡± Ren said, and she gave him a knowing look. ¡°What? I''m not!¡± ¡°Who ran through a forest thick with giants, and jumped a giant pit trap on the back of an armored ram?¡± Denise asked him. Ren''s mouth dropped open, and Elise chuckled. ¡°I... uh...¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s right Mr. I''m Not Reckless.¡± Denise said, and laughed as she picked up the tray the food had been on. ¡°I''ll be back in a little bit.¡± She said, and looked at Elise. ¡°I''ve got to do the dishes. Can you watch him for a little while?¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Elise said. ¡°Take your time.¡± Denise smiled and left the room. Everything went quiet, and the only thing Ren could hear was Elise as she breathed. He looked at her, and smiled. ¡°I really like your outfit.¡± Ren said. ¡°The purple makes it look like your skin is glowing.¡± ¡°It does?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I don''t know if it''s because of the contrast to your bright red hair, or if you''re just that beautiful; but, you look amazing.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise said as she stood up, and a slight blush flowed up her neck and to her cheeks as she did a little twirl for him. ¡°That top must be really comfortable.¡± Ren said. ¡°It doesn''t cling to you like some of the other things you wear.¡± ¡°You... you noticed...¡± ¡°How could I not notice?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You better not tell me that people don''t normally notice you.¡± Elise smiled at him, and bent over the edge of the bed. The loose-fitting top let gravity take it''s toll, and it fell away to reveal the barely there purple-colored bra. ¡°I don''t normally have someone to dress this way for.¡± Elise said, and Ren swallowed loudly. ¡°Most men think they can buy me with expensive gifts or fancy dinners.¡± She ran a hand through his hair, and she sighed in pleasure. ¡°I have my own money. I don''t need anything like that.¡± She licked her lips and leaned closer. ¡°None of them understand that all I want...¡± Elise spoke in a soft and sexy voice. ¡°...all that I need...¡± She whispered to him, and his eyes widened as she came in for a kiss. ¡°...is someone to care about...¡± Her lips pressed lightly onto his for a brief moment, then she backed away slightly. ¡°...and for them to care about me.¡± Ren reached both of his hands up. Elise thought he would take a hold of her chest, since she was presenting it to him despite telling herself earlier that she wouldn''t; but instead of grabbing all that available flesh, his fingertips touched the sides of her face and he caressed the soft skin. ¡°You should have hundreds of men fighting over who gets a chance to look into your eyes like this, and yet here you are, giving me that honor.¡± Ren said, and kissed her just as gently as she had kissed him a moment before. ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise blinked her eyes at him. ¡°You... you''re thanking me...¡± Ren smiled, and ran his hands through her flowing red hair as he stared at her. ¡°I could get lost in your eyes.¡± ¡°My... my... eyes?¡± ¡°You''re wearing contacts, too.¡± Ren said, as he saw the little round circles around her pupils. ¡°I was wondering what happened to your glasses.¡± ¡°You...¡± Elise tried to articulate her thoughts. Screw it! ¡°Why are you focusing on my eyes and not my chest?¡± Ren gave her another quick kiss and smiled. ¡°Which would you rather I be focused on?¡± ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± She said and blushed. ¡°I do.¡± He said, and traced a line from her eyebrow, across her cheek, to her chin. ¡°You''ve had so many men focus on only your chest, that you don''t know what to do when they focus on you instead.¡± Elise took in a breath, and let it out slowly. ¡°I... I want you to touch them.¡± She said, as she finally admitted it to herself. ¡°A lot.¡± She said. ¡°Use them.¡± She smiled. ¡°Play with them.¡± She was almost desperate as she begged. ¡°Please, Ren.¡± She sighed. ¡°They''re yours to do with as you wish.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said, and she closed her eyes in anticipation of the sensations she was about to receive. He reached out and used both of his hands to grab her earlobes. Her eyes flew open and her mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise, because that was not the sensation she had expected. Ren kissed her surprised mouth, and then the door to his room opened. ¡°Just what do you think you''re doing?¡± Barbara asked as she came into the room, and carried a small basket. Ren broke the kiss and smiled. ¡°Isn''t it obvious?¡± He said. ¡°I''m kissing one of the most enchantingly beautiful women on the planet.¡± Barbara looked at Elise''s face, and it still had that little ''o'' of surprise on it. ¡°I think someone else is the one that''s enchanted.¡± Ren chuckled as he massaged Elise''s earlobes for another moment, then let them go. Elise licked her lips as she looked at him, then stood up. ¡°Hi, Barbara.¡± Elise said in a normal voice. ¡°Hi, Elise.¡± Barbara said. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°I... I''m fine.¡± Elise said. ¡°I just... um... I''ll be right back.¡± She picked up her purse and went into the bathroom. * Elise leaned on the sink and sighed. I told him I wanted him to... to... and he didn''t! She lifted her skirt and checked herself to find that everything was fine; so she went back out to confront him. Barbara had put the basket she''d brought in by the television, and sat in the chair on the other side of the bed. ¡°So who''s ready to watch last week''s episode?¡± Barbara asked. Denise had come back into the room by this point; but no one responded except with smiles. ¡°Great!¡± Barbara said. ¡°Everyone have a seat, and I''ll start it.¡± Ren moved over on the bed, and pat the space beside him while smiling at her. Elise nodded slightly, she put her purse and tablet on the dresser, and carefully climbed onto the bed. She half-laid down beside him, propped up on her elbows, while Denise sat in the chair the tablet had been on. * Elise looks kind of mad. Ren thought, as the theme music of his show came on the television. ¡°A penny for your thoughts.¡± He whispered to Elise, and she looked at him. She took a breath, and spoke. ¡°I asked... no, begged... for you to touch me.¡± Elise whispered back. ¡°Why didn''t you?¡± Ren leaned in close, and put his lips by her ear. ¡°I want to see them the first time I get to touch them.¡± He said, and she shivered as his breath tickled her ear. ¡°Denise was coming right back, so I knew I only had a few moments alone with you.¡± Ren was tempted to kiss her neck, then thought there was no better time with her head turned like it was; because her hair blocked everyone''s view. His lips touched her skin, and Elise bit her lip as she closed her eyes. ¡°That it was Barbara that came in makes no difference.¡± He whispered. ¡°We still didn''t have the time for me to...¡± The theme music ended, and Ren moved back to a sitting position. He watched the television screen after he gave Elise a quick glance, and saw her smile. Chapter 227 - Episode Two Ren, Elise, Barbara, and Denise sat in silence as the show began. * The episode started with the smith giving the exhausted Onscreen Ren a drink from water sprinkled with healing herbs, and a popup saying he completed the first part of the quest. The smith helped him stand, and told him he should help keep the smith''s forge hot. Onscreen Ren accepted the challenge eagerly, wanting as much training as he could get, and the smith showed him how to work it. It was much bigger than Onscreen Ren, and after a test pump that was the wrong way to do it, the smith called him ''boy''. Onscreen Ren''s face showed determination as he pushed off with each pump of the bellows, and did a kind of dolphin kick to push the bellows to the top of it''s movement. The handle slipped and Onscreen Ren had to jump several times before he managed to grab it and kept pulling. * ¡°I didn''t realize how big those bellows actually were.¡± Ren said under his breath, and Elise took his hand. The time compression sped up again, and the time he spent at the bellows passed faster than he thought it would. * Onscreen Ren lost his grip several more times, but then, he never lost it again as a small popup showed him using Iron Grip. A minute or so later, the smith said the forge was hot enough and he let the bar go and collapsed to the ground for a moment, then stood and stumbled outside and sat against the building. He waited for a minute and ate some bread, then went back in to do the next challenge. * ¡°It''s still really weird so much time can be skipped, and you can''t tell.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I was at the bellows for half the night, then logged out for about an hour to eat and rest before going back in.¡± * Onscreen Ren met Isaac the Enchanter for the first time, and found out he''d done something to the anvil. He was tasked to break another hammer, but to hit the glowing runes this time. He started the second part of the quest and it looked easy; but, then little numbers appeared on the screen. The Hammer was actually gaining Durability if he missed the runes. Onscreen Ren increased his pace, and worked hard. The smith distracted him with the tale of the master smith, gave him a new quest, and Onscreen Ren missed several runes. ¡°Gah!¡± He said, and doubled his efforts. It didn''t take long for him to break the hammer and collapse; but then the smith helped him stand, and Onscreen Ren asked to do the bellows on the forge again. After working it for a few minutes, it looked like he fell into a trance, and then another couple of minutes later, a popup window appeared showing his skill Serene State of Mind. Onscreen Ren let the bellows go, and the smith commended him for working so hard, then told him to rest. He left the shop, and got a popup window telling him to pause the quest. He did so, and the television faded to black. * The words ''Commercial Break'' appeared on the screen with a loud beep, and Ren looked at Barbara. ¡°Is it an actual commercial break, or is it just a placeholder?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Or do you know?¡± ¡°I think it''s both.¡± Barbara said, stood up and went to the basket. ¡°Time for a snack.¡± ¡°Barbara!¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°You''re corrupting me!¡± ¡°No soda pop this time, you rascal.¡± She handed him a chocolate bar. ¡°Drink your supplement instead.¡± Ren picked up the cup, took a big gulp, then unwrapped the bar. ¡°Ah.¡± He said as he smelled the chocolate. ¡°Are you sure I can have this?¡± Barbara nodded as she offered bars to the other women. ¡°At the moment, it''s got just the right mix of things your body needs.¡± ¡°Fangs.¡± Ren said with the bar shoved into his mouth. ¡°Take small bites, for pete''s sake.¡± Denise said, and shook her head to refuse the offered bar. Ren bit off the part in his mouth, and only had half of a bar left. ¡°That was a small bite.¡± He said after he swallowed it. ¡°No wonder you restrict his diet.¡± Elise said with a huge grin on her face and took a chocolate bar. ¡°Barbara, I''m surprised you still have fingers!¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°He''s not normally this voracious.¡± She said, put the basket back by the television, and sat down to eat her own bar. The television beeped again, and the words ''Commercial Break'' disappeared. * Onscreen Ren appeared in front of the smith''s shop, and looked around. A small window popped up saying he''d have to wait until tomorrow to do the last part of the challenge, so he went out to gather herbs. He looked at his status screen, and commented that he''d gained a lot of stats and hadn''t leveled up yet. After a few minutes, he smiled. ¡°I''m going to be the best crafter in the world...¡± He didn''t realize he had managed to get too close to the woods again. Growls were heard and he turned to see several pairs of eyes staring at him; then the wolves decided to chase their favorite prey again. ¡°Uhh¡­ nice doggies¡­.. WAHAHHHHHHHH!!!¡± Onscreen Ren hollered as another altercation with the wolves happened. * Ren put a hand over his eyes. ¡°Tell me when this part is over.¡± He said. ¡°Boy, that''s embarrassing.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Elise chuckled, and leaned in front of him to block his view of the television. Her hair made the perfect curtain. ¡°This one was a lot shorter than the last time.¡± She said, and took a small bite of her chocolate bar. She didn''t eat it, though; but held it between her lips. Ren raised an eyebrow at her, and she smiled. He leaned in and gave her a kiss, took the offered chocolate, and she waited for him to chew and swallow. ¡°You escaped.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You can look now.¡± Before Elise moved out of the way, she leaned close and gave his lips a lick. Ren saw a bit of chocolate on her tongue before it disappeared back into her mouth, and he raised both eyebrows at her. Elise turned to lean back on her elbows to face forward again, and they kept watching the show. * Onscreen Ren ate some food and water, then went into the smith''s shop to do the last challenge. He was surprised to find the challenge wasn''t to break another hammer, but the anvil instead. Onscreen Ren showed the surprise, almost comically, as his mouth dropped open. The smith told him it was possible, and asked if he wanted to give up. ¡°No, I''ll pass your test.¡± Onscreen Ren said, and hit the anvil as hard as he could with the hammer. The little numbers appeared showing the damage, and he shook his head. ¡°Damn... that¡¯s not it... just adding more power to the strike isn¡¯t the trick to it...¡± He leaned over and rubbed his hand along the metal of the anvil. ¡°Something''s different here.¡± He said as he found a divot in the metal, then found several others. ¡°That''s it!¡± Onscreen Ren started to slam the hammer on the spots he''d found. ¡°Yes! There¡¯s an impurity in the metal causing it to be weaker in certain parts!¡± The anvil soon developed large cracks where he hammered it, and then it broke in two and the pieces clattered to the floor with the sound of heavy metal hitting stone. ¡°YES!!!¡± Onscreen Ren exclaimed. The smith congratulated him, handed him a tool belt filled with smithing tools, and a book. He stored the tool belt and looked at the book, and then someone came into the smith''s shop. The television faded to black, beeped, and ''Commercial Break'' appeared on the screen again. * ¡°Hey!¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°That wasn''t Tristan!¡± ¡°We didn''t want anyone else trying to steal your show.¡± Elise said. ¡°Any character that''s actually a real player, has been replaced.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°It was easier than trying to get all of their permissions, paying fees for appearances, or take anything away from the fact that it''s your story, no one else''s.¡± ¡°So... the only real person in the show... is me.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°That''s right. Like I told you before, this is your show.¡± She smiled. ¡°If you''re not busy tomorrow, the studio wants you in to read a line or two for the next episode.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren''s eyes widened, then looked at Barbara. ¡°Am I allowed, Barbara?¡± ¡°Stella''s working tomorrow; so, yes. You''ll be allowed to go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ren said. ¡°As long as you behave and take extra care moving around.¡± She smiled. ¡°Let Stella do her job.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''d let her carry me on her back if she wants.¡± Denise laughed. ¡°I''d like to see that!¡± * On the screen, the commercial break had ended and it showed the altercation between the smith and the computer-generated character over wanting the Repair book, while Onscreen Ren used the book and gained the Repair ability. The computer-generated character grabbed Onscreen Ren and shook him violently for a few moments for stealing ''his'' book, then the smith picked the CG character up and tossed him out into the street. ¡°You dumb brute!¡± The CG character said in a voice Ren didn''t recognize. ¡°I¡¯m a personal friend of Eric the lord of this city, I¡¯ll see to it that you get evicted and exiled from the city for this!¡± The CG character raised his fist to strike the smith. ¡°YOU''RE BARRED!¡± The smith said and grinned as the CG character''s fist struck the invisible barrier that protected the business. Once the CG character had healed the hand, he looked around at all the people that had gathered at the spectacle he''d made. Scowls were on their faces, and with a glare at Onscreen Ren and the smith, the computer-generated character stormed off down the street. Onscreen Ren was named the smith''s apprentice, and the half-hour episode was over. * ¡°Wasn''t that great?¡± Barbara asked as she turned around to look at everyone. ¡°I''m so glad they picked up your show for the whole season, Ren.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°Me, three.¡± Denise said. ¡°Me, four.¡± Elise said, looked at him, and smiled. ¡°I guess I better...¡± ¡°...stick around for a little while longer.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not even 7:30 yet. I don''t have to log back into the game until almost 9.¡± ¡°But...¡± She looked at both nurses. ¡°...are you sure I''m not intruding?¡± ¡°I know it''s a little crowded with me in here.¡± Barbara said. ¡°But it''s not an intrusion.¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°Plus, it''s hard to say no to that face.¡± They all turned to look at Ren, and he had that ''sad puppy dog'' face you see all the time in the movies. ¡°You''re so cute!¡± Elise exclaimed before she could stop herself, and covered her mouth while Barbara and Denise laughed. ¡°That was not the response I was looking for.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°But, I guess it will have to do.¡± Elise shook her head and joined in on the laughter. ¡°I think you''re right, Barbara.¡± She said and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°How do you say no to him?¡± ¡°Years of practice.¡± Barbara said. ¡°And not looking at him when you say it.¡± Denise snorted a laugh. ¡°I have to remember that trick.¡± ¡°Hey, now.¡± Ren said. ¡°When have I ever asked-¡± ¡°All the time.¡± Barbara and Denise said together, and they all had a good laugh again. They settled down and talked about the episode, about the trip to the studio the next day, and what Ren should expect. ¡°So, they have an entire recording studio?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I figured a radio station might have one, but not a television station.¡± ¡°They dub over almost everything now.¡± Elise said. ¡°Sometimes during actual takes, the actors are a bit too far away from the microphone, or it sounds a bit too hollow, or a whole bunch of other things.¡± She said. ¡°The worst thing they have to deal with, is random noises in the background.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°I always wondered why there aren''t car horns or airplane sounds in all of the shows, since that''s all around us all of the time.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Elise said. ¡°Most of the time that''s spent working on a show, or even a movie, is actually in post-processing and not the actual filming.¡± ¡°That''s neat.¡± Ren said, and then the room fell quiet. ¡°I was planning on getting a coffee, and maybe a donut from the break room.¡± Barbara said out of the blue. ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Denise said. ¡°I think I''ll join you.¡± Ren stared at the two women as they left, before he could say anything to them about leaving him alone in the room, with a woman he had convinced he couldn''t grope because he was afraid of getting caught. ¡°It seems we''re alone again.¡± Elise said, and laid back on the bed. Since Ren was still sitting up, he looked down at her face, and saw a naughty look on it. ¡°Elise.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know I-¡± ¡°I know.¡± She said, and pulled her loose-fitting purple top out from the belt that held it in place. ¡°I know you love her, and I know you''ve slept with her...¡± She smiled. ¡°...and a few other women.¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°I was the one that told them to add the blue screen...¡± Elise explained. ¡°...instead of just blurring things like they wanted.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said, then frowned slightly. ¡°Wait. Does that mean there''s footage of me... um...¡± ¡°No.¡± Elise said and lifted her top up to her shoulders, to reveal the matching purple bra that barely held her chest in place. ¡°The blue screen doesn''t just cover things up, it actually replaces anything that might happen.¡± Ren sighed in relief. ¡°That''s good to know.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I...¡± She blushed a little. ¡°I wouldn''t mind...¡± She licked her lips. ¡°I''d like to see...¡± ¡°Even though you know it''s not really real?¡± He asked her. ¡°Oh, it''s real.¡± Elise said. ¡°The feelings you feel are always real.¡± She smiled. ¡°Who you''re with might not have a physical body in the real world, but your body reacts the same way, just as if they did.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°And we''re in the real world right now.¡± He said. ¡°And you still want to let me...¡± ¡°I''ve always wanted to let you.¡± Elise said and grinned. Chapter 227A - Almost (Explicit Content) Elise unhooked the clasp of the bra, it opened up dramatically, and was flung to the sides as it unleashed it''s gigantic contents. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said as he stared at the overflowing bounty before him. ¡°Ren?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Elise said. ¡°I already gave you permission to touch them.¡± ¡°Can''t I just admire them for a while?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Like, maybe for a year or two?¡± Elise chuckled, and the flesh jiggled hypnotically. ¡°You don''t have to just look.¡± She said. ¡°I know all about the dwarves, Ren. Enjoying another woman is expected, and even encouraged sometimes.¡± Ren gave her a slight nod. ¡°Okay.¡± He said, and smiled as he touched one, then massaged it. ¡°They really are as soft as pillows.¡± He got both hands going, then teased and played with her. Elise''s face flushed a deep red as the tips became hard and Ren bent down to give one of the tips of her breasts a kiss, then kissed the other one. ¡°Good god...¡± Elise moaned in a low whisper when Ren moved to sit up. ¡°...don''t stop.¡± ¡°We really can''t go any further than this.¡± He said as he glanced at her face, and then at the door. ¡°Coffee doesn''t take that long, and the door doesn''t lock.¡± Elise took in a deep breath, and her chest heaved up. ¡°Dammit, you''re right.¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Ren said, then looked at the bathroom. ¡°Although...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± She asked. ¡°There is a lock on the bathroom door.¡± Elise smiled and sat up, then got out of the bed. Her breasts hung down a little; but, their shape didn''t change that much. ¡°How many men have told you that your chest was perfect?¡± Ren asked as he slid out of bed. ¡°Not many.¡± Elise said as they walked to the bathroom. Ren sat on the porcelain throne while she shut the door and locked it. ¡°Were they blind or stupid?¡± Ren asked as she came over to him. ¡°No, don''t answer that.¡± He said. ¡°It was probably both.¡± Elise laughed, and took off her top, and slid the bra off of her shoulders so she was now completely nude from the waist up. ¡°By the gods...¡± Ren whispered as she knelt in front of him. Because she was so tall, with her kneeling on the floor and him sitting, his face was only slightly above her chest. He reached out, and started to play with them again. He used both hands to lift one and popped the tip into his mouth. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Elise put her hands against the wall to brace herself as Ren suckled on her breast. He licked, kissed, and then slightly bit it, and she moaned in pleasure. He moved to the other breast, and she bit her bottom lip to stop herself from making too much noise as she watched him work. This... this is really happening! Elise thought in amazement. Her body convulsed slightly as a small orgasm hit her. Oh, Ren! Ren stopped sucking on her as he felt her shiver slightly, and looked up at her face. ¡°Can you turn to the side a little?¡± Elise nodded and shifted her upper body to the side for him, and he grinned at her reaction when he licked up the whole side of her breast right up to her shoulder. She didn''t even have to be asked to move to the other side; she just turned her torso and he did the same thing to her other breast. She tried to keep her breathing slow and steady, then attempted to compose herself. I... I never imagined... She looked at his happy face, and smiled. When he asked her to stand up, she was surprised at first. Doesn''t he want to keep... oh! Ren ran a hand up along the outside of her thighs, and dragged the hem of the skirt up to her hips. Elise froze stiff; because she''d had to wear a normal pair of underwear for the pad to fit, and not the sexy underwear that she had wanted to wear. She was a bit embarrassed as Ren was seeing it now, in all it''s plain white glory. ¡°May I?¡± He asked as he looked up at her. Elise blinked her eyes at him a few times, confused for a second, then smiled. ¡°Please.¡± She said and pulled her underwear down and stepped out of them. ¡°Yes, please!¡± A bright red tuft of hair greeted him, the same color as the hair on her head. Ren grinned at her and slid a hand along her hips, then massaged the area right above the spot between her legs. He dug his fingers into the tuft of hair, and she put her hands back on the wall. ¡°Ren...¡± Elise said as he played and tugged slightly on the hair. ¡°...don''t... don''t tease...¡± He nodded slightly, and put a hand between her legs. She took in a sharp breath, because she was finally being touched there after so long. She''d even dreamed about doing this, and moaned as he massaged her tender part. Her breath started to get faster, despite her attempts to not get too excited too fast; but he was fulfilling one of her fondest wishes at the moment, and Elise couldn''t help herself. Almost as if he knew she was too close to another orgasm do anything about stopping it, he clamped his lips onto her womanhood and sucked for all he was worth. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Elise said as she went. It was a strong one this time, and she leaned her head against the wall as she let the pleasure of his mouth on her take over. She stared at him as he worked her over quite well, and was amazed he wasn''t complaining about the mess she was making. After her third time, her legs started to weaken, and Ren felt the tremors in her muscles. He stopped pleasing her, and looked up at her enraptured face. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren apologized. ¡°I kind of forget about everything else when I do this kind of thing.¡± He said. ¡°I want to keep going, but I don''t think your legs can hold you up for much longer.¡± ¡°Are... are you for real?¡± Elise asked as she pushed herself away from the wall, then knelt on the floor in front of him. ¡°I mean.. look at... at the mess I made...¡± ¡°That''s what towels are for.¡± Ren said and pointed. Elise took one from the rack to wipe off his face and chin, then cleaned herself up. ¡°You really want to keep going, don''t you?¡± Elise asked.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°That look on your face was the best thing I''ve seen all day.¡± He smiled. ¡°And that''s saying something, because I''ve seen you naked.¡± Elise laughed and kissed him. She tasted herself on his lips, and it almost drove her wild. I can''t believe he enjoys pleasing me like that! She thought as they made out. I think... yes, I''ll return the favor. She stopped kissing him and put her hands on the edge of his pajama pants. Even though I don''t really like doing that. ¡°Elise.¡± Ren said. ¡°Before you see me like that... there''s something you should know.¡± ¡°Wh-what is it?¡± She asked, then her eyes widened. ¡°Please tell me they didn''t... didn''t... remo-¡± ¡°No! Nothing like that.¡± Ren cut off her words before she said what she was thinking. ¡°It''s just...¡± He sighed. ¡°It''s not a normal size compared to my body.¡± ¡°Oh, is that all?¡± Elise smiled. ¡°All men have different sizes. It''s okay.¡± Ren nodded, and she leaned back to get the full view as he pulled his pajamas down. He really does look better in matching underwear. Elise thought, then stopped thinking when she noticed the size of the bulge. She stopped breathing when she saw the bulge as it was revealed. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Elise said, and looked at Ren''s face. ¡°I told you it wasn''t the right size for this body.¡± He said. ¡°Some of the... experiments... and operations...¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said and kissed the tip. ¡°It''s all right. I know what it''s like to be self-conscious about extra large body parts.¡± Ren looked at her with surprise on his face, and then he smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don''t thank me yet.¡± She said. ¡°Sit.¡± He sat again, and she took him into her mouth. She only worked on the tip for a minute or two, and he saw her eyes widen slightly. I was worried it was going to smell or... or taste bad. Elise thought, and pushed it further into her mouth. This actually tastes g-uh! Her thought was cut off as she almost choked when she had about 6 inches of it in her mouth, and the tip hit the back of her throat. ¡°Be careful.¡± Ren said as she slid off, coughed, then swallowed. ¡°Sorry.¡± Elise said, and blushed a little. ¡°I went a little too far that time.¡± Ren ran his hands through her hair and nodded. ¡°It''s a lot to take in.¡± She eased her mouth over it and put a hand around it, to grip at the spot just before it hit the back of her throat. Then she went to work with what she had available. ¡°Oh, Elise!¡± Ren said in a low voice, while she pleased him as fast as she could move her head up and down. She looked up at him while she moved, and watched him as he stared at her. This went on for several minutes, and she felt him throb in her mouth. ¡°I''m... close...¡± Ren said and braced himself. ¡°I''m... I''m gonna...¡± Elise made a loud sucking sound as she popped him out of her mouth, then leaned back to present her large breasts for him to go on. He grabbed himself and it only took a couple of strokes and he went. Her eyes widened as he spilled himself all over her chest, and it dripped down onto the floor. ¡°It... it''s not stopping?¡± Elise asked, as Ren continued to go. A few seconds later, he gasped, stopped stroking himself, and leaned back as the last vestiges of the act came out and splashed onto her white skin. ¡°There''s... there''s so much!¡± Elise said, surprised. ¡°How in the world can you... oh my god!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren asked as he sat back up to look at her. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You''re still rock hard!¡± He looked down at himself. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°But... every man I''ve ever known... or seen on video... when they go, they were done.¡± Ren smiled at her as she picked up the towel and used it to wipe off her chest, then went to wipe him off, too. ¡°No, not yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± Elise nodded, waited for him to nod, then used the towel to clean him off. She looked at his member, and there was still some on the tip. I just wiped that. She thought, lifted the towel to wipe, then stopped. If his skin tasted so good... She leaned in close to look at it. I''ve never liked the taste before, but... what... what will his taste like? Elise debated the thought of the awful taste for only a moment, then flicked out a tongue and licked it. Ren''s member throbbed from the quick touch of her warm tongue, and her eyes widened as she tasted it. I... Elise looked at the towel. I wasted it all. She thought, disheartened. I''ll have to wait until the next time for... ¡°Good god, don''t do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll go again.¡± ¡°You''ll what?¡± She asked, surprised. ¡°It doesn''t take much for me to go after I go the first time.¡± Ren explained. ¡°You have to be lying.¡± Elise said. ¡°That''s... not...¡± She shook her head slightly and stared at Ren. ¡°Is... is that possible?¡± ¡°There''s an easy way to find out.¡± Ren said. Elise leaned close and gave him another lick. His member throbbed in appreciation, and she smiled as she took him into her mouth again. It only took a few strokes and licks, and he went again. Elise stopped moving as it filled her mouth, and she swallowed as much as she could. After a minute of sitting still, she slid her mouth off of him, and a little spurt went on her lips. She stared at him, and licked her lips to get it all. ¡°That was...¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°If I keep going, so will you. Won''t you?¡± ¡°It''ll slow down after the third or forth time, or if I try really hard to ignore the feeling.¡± ¡°You''re just the gift that keeps on giving.¡± Elise said under her breath, but he heard her, since she was right there in front of him. She noticed his growing smile, and blushed. ¡°I mean... I... I don''t normally like... having... a man in my mouth.¡± ¡°You don''t?¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°You... ah...¡± He smiled. ¡°I couldn''t tell.¡± Elise chuckled and ran a hand lightly along the shaft of his member. ¡°Unlike every other one that I''ve...¡± She blushed. ¡°...had to taste...¡± She smiled shyly. ¡°...yours was...¡± ¡°It''s okay to say it was good.¡± Ren said, and her face flushed a deep red. ¡°I liked your taste, too.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Elise asked, surprised. ¡°Yeah.¡± He said. ¡°It was like... strawberries, whipped cream, and vanilla all mixed together.¡± He grinned. ¡°I could just stay there all day...¡± Elise thought about him doing that to her for hours and hours, and convulsed a little as she had a small orgasm. She trembled slightly as she stood up and looked at him. ¡°Do you feel up to a bit of... um...¡± Elise took a deep breath. ¡°I want to feel it inside me.¡± ¡°Elise, I...¡± Ren looked at her pleading face. ¡°I''m too weak to do a lot right now, and I really, really don''t want to disappoint you for our first time together.¡± ¡°You can''t disappoint me, Ren.¡± Elise said. ¡°You''re amazing.¡± He looked down at his still rock hard member, then at her soaked opening. ¡°I think... if we''re careful...¡± He smiled. ¡°We can at least get the tip in.¡± Ren saw her opening contract just from him saying that, and she nodded as she straddled over where he sat. He leaned back so that she would have a clear approach, and he put his hands on her thighs. Elise half-bent over and grabbed hold of him, then swiped the tip of his member across her opening. She made herself gasp, and positioned it in just the right spot, then gently eased herself down a little bit. ¡°Almost.¡± Ren said, because he could clearly see it starting to enter her. Elise dropped a little further, the tip passed into the very tight opening, then it gripped him like a vise. ¡°Good god, you''re so tight.¡± ¡°I haven''t been with a man in...¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°No, that doesn''t matter.¡± *KNOCK* *KNOCK* ¡°Hey, are you two finished in there yet?¡± Denise asked. ¡°It''s getting a little late.¡± Ren and Elise froze at the sound of her voice, and stared at each other. ¡°I normally wouldn''t say anything, but Ren has to clean up before getting into bed.¡± Denise explained. ¡°That''s assuming he wants to get back into the game soon.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said, loud enough for Denise to hear. ¡°Then get a move on. You''ll have no one to blame but yourself if you''re late.¡± She said. ¡°We''ll wait out in the hallway.¡± Ren and Elise listened closely, didn''t hear any footsteps, then heard the door when it closed. Elise still had a hold of him with her hand, so she held on and pulled herself off. It was difficult, because it didn''t want to let him go; and Ren gasped as it practically popped out. She smiled as she let her grip on him go, and he relaxed. ¡°Your body didn''t want to let me go.¡± Ren said, and Elise shook her head. She stepped back, knelt, and kissed him. ¡°I didn''t want to, either.¡± She said, and glanced down. ¡°How long with it stay like that?¡± ¡°It depends on how long I use it.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened as she looked at him. ¡°You''re kidd... no, you''re not kidding.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Let''s get cleaned up.¡± Elise nodded, and cleaned herself and him up, put both of their clothes back into place, and opened the bathroom door. No one was in the room, so they went to the bed and climbed back onto it. Elise laid back like she had been before, and Ren sat up on the bed beside her. They were now back in the same positions they had been in before going to the bathroom. ¡°Do you think they''ll notice we did anything?¡± Elise asked him seriously. ¡°They know we did something already.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''ll leave the details to their imaginations, though.¡± Elise laughed, and he bent over to give her a kiss. Chapter 228 - Girlfriend Ren kissed Elise, and then sat back up. He reached for her chest, and smiled as a thought he''d had a while ago, went through his mind again. ¡°What?¡± Elise asked, as she saw a question on his face. ¡°I meant to ask you how you can still walk upright with all this weight on the front.¡± Elise laughed, and he grinned as he massaged her chest. ¡°It must be a daily struggle.¡± Ren said. ¡°Carrying two small bald-headed people around like that all the time.¡± Tears started to form in her eyes as she laughed. ¡°Don''t... stop...¡± ¡°Okay I won''t stop.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Have you named them yet? I think they''re big enough to have their own names.¡± Elise hugged her sides and kept laughing. ¡°Maybe their own zip codes, too.¡± Ren said and let them go. ¡°How much fan mail do they get, anyways?¡± She shook her head and kept laughing. ¡°Stop... oh, stop.¡± ¡°Did you know that a man''s IQ drops by 50% at the sight of a woman''s chest? That''s per boob.¡± He said as he poked one of her breasts with a finger, then poked the other. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Elise said between guffaws. She tried to hold her sides, wipe her tears away, and stop her chest from jiggling all at the same time. ¡°Boobs are the only proof that a man can focus on two things at once.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°St-stop...¡± ¡°I think when women are alone, they grab their own boobs.¡± He said. ¡°You know, because they can.¡± Elise gave up trying to stop her chest from jiggling and just held her hands over her ears as she laughed. ¡°You know men are a lot like babies. You can shut them up by putting a boob in their mouth.¡± ¡°Please... stop...¡± Elise said and tried not to laugh as she took a deep breath. Ren finally took mercy on her. ¡°All right, I''ll stop after this one.¡± He said. ¡°Nine out of ten men prefer women with large boobs.¡± He grinned. ¡°The tenth man prefers the other nine men.¡± Elise snorted a laugh and let her ears go. ¡°So it wasn''t just a fluke the last time when I drove you around town with Stella.¡± She wiped her eyes, then checked her clothing. She tucked everything back into place and grinned at him. ¡°You really are funny.¡± ¡°I try.¡± Ren said, and then Denise and Barbara came into the room. ¡°I''d ask what you were laughing at, but I don''t really want to know.¡± Denise said, and looked at Barbara. ¡°Do you want to know?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Barbara said. ¡°But I was listening at the door, so I already know.¡± ¡°Barbara! You were spying on Ren?¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°How could you do that?!?¡± Barbara swatted Denise on the arm playfully. ¡°Because you asked me to.¡± ¡°I did no such thing!¡± Denise said with a grin on her face. ¡°Ladies, ladies! Please!¡± Ren said. ¡°You have an audience.¡± ¡°Are we putting on a good show for you?¡± Denise asked him, then turned around and stuck out her butt a little towards Barbara. ¡°Barbara! I''ve been bad! Punish me.¡± Barbara laughed, took Denise''s hand, and swatted the fingers like you''d do to an errant child. ¡°Stop that.¡± She said, and they all laughed. * ¡°Are these people for real?¡± Gary asked the other man in the van. ¡°Geez, it''s like a sitcom in there.¡± He said. ¡°The damn blinds are closed here, too.¡± Bill chuckled and looked at the feed from the only camera they could sneak into the building, and it was in a bad spot in the lobby. It only caught a bit of the main desk and part of the hallway. It''s field of view ended just beside Ren''s room. ¡°If we had a bit more money in the budget, we could have paid that guy to go back in and fix his mistake with the camera.¡± Bill chuckled again. ¡°It wasn''t his fault the desk clerk came out of the bathroom right when he was about to put the camera up in the corner.¡± Gary shrugged. ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°No one''s shown up except Elise and the night nurse... since the last time we checked the footage, anyways.¡± ¡°They haven''t spilled any more secrets, either.¡± Gary commented. ¡°Except for the requests for his medical and court records.¡± ¡°That wasn''t a secret.¡± Gary said. ¡°Even I would request my own records after all of that.¡± * Detective Ramirez and Officer Stonewall stood in the middle of an office on the tenth floor of a building near the center of downtown. ¡°This is the address.¡± He said, and looked around. The place was completely empty. ¡°There''s no way... no way... that they could clear out this fast.¡± ¡°It''s been over a week, John.¡± His partner said. ¡°I''ve seen places cleaned out overnight.¡± ¡°Like this?¡± He said and walked over to the wall and touched the wet paint. ¡°The place has been renovated for god''s sake!¡± ¡°John!¡± Officer Stonewall''s eyes widened. ¡°It''s been renovated!¡± ¡°I just said that.¡± ¡°You don''t understand, John.¡± She walked over to the wall, took out her nightstick, and tapped the wall. She didn''t use her knuckles because she didn''t want to get paint on them. The wall made a nice solid sound when struck, and she tapped the wall as she walked along the length of it. That is, until she hit a hollow sound. ¡°Ha!¡± Officer Stonewall said, and Detective Ramirez walked over to her. ¡°Please tell me that''s a hidden door, compartment, or room.¡± He said, and she tapped further down and got the solid sound again. She tapped around the place where she''d found the hollow sound, and discovered it was the outline of a doorway. ¡°You''re a genius, Holly!¡± Detective Ramirez said. That''s the first time he''s used my given name. Officer Stonewall thought. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± ¡°Honey, you just sit your pretty little butt right there on the carpet.¡± Detective Ramirez pointed to the spot between her feet. ¡°I''ll be right back with a warrant!¡± He said, and left the apparently not-quite-abandoned office at a run. Did he just say that I had a pretty butt? She thought for a moment, and then she remembered what else he''d said and her eyes widened. Did he just call me ''honey''?!? * ¡°It''s quarter to nine.¡± Elise said, and sighed. ¡°I think I better go.¡± ¡°If you don''t want to just sit here and watch me play, that might be for the best.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know if I''ll be out at midnight, either. It all depends on how things go.¡± ¡°As tempting as that is, I think I''ll head home.¡± Elise said, and slid off of the bed. ¡°Elise? What''s the name of the store I got these great pajamas from?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I know it''s in the big mall, down on the east end, but I have no idea what it''s called.¡± ¡°It''s called ''Jacques''.¡± She said. Ren looked at Denise. ¡°They do quick alterations there, too.¡± He said. ¡°I''m sure we can find some good things for you to wear.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Are you planning on going back?¡± Elise asked him. ¡°Yeah. Denise has a hard time buying clothes that fit right, and I told her about how well the pajamas turned out.¡± ¡°Are you getting anything?¡± ¡°I wasn''t planning on it, but I might have another look around while I''m there.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Elise said, a little sadly. Ren reached a hand out to her, and she took it. ¡°You''re thinking you want to book off work so you can come along, aren''t you?¡± He asked her, and she nodded. ¡°You need to do your job, Elise.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve used up a lot of your time off on me already.¡± ¡°Is it wrong for me to want to spend time with my boyfriend?¡± ¡°I won''t complain about it, unless you let your career suffer because of it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You need to go home, get some sleep, then get your ass to work in the morning.¡± Elise chuckled, leaned in, and gave him a kiss. ¡°You''re right; but, I still want to be there with you at the studio tomorrow.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Ren said and smiled to take the sting out of his words. ¡°I''d really like for you to be there, but you need to keep your job.¡± He said. ¡°I''m sure Stella and I can handle it on our own.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Elise.¡± Ren said seriously. ¡°I can never thank you enough for everything that you''ve done.¡± He said. ¡°It would be horrible of me to keep monopolizing your time.¡± ¡°You aren''t monopolizing my time.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°I''ve only seen you for a couple of hours today... and even less than that yesterday.¡± It was Ren''s turn to smile. ¡°Uh huh.¡± He said. ¡°And when was it that you picked up the paperwork so I could request my medical records and court documents?¡± Elise looked at him with her eyes a little wide, and he shook his head. ¡°Please, Elise. Don''t give up everything else just to spend a little more time with me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t argue that I''m not worth it, because I know you won''t believe that.¡± Elise shook her head, took a breath in through her nose, and let it out through her mouth. ¡°All right.¡± Ren beamed a smile at her, lifted her hand, and kissed the back of it. Her face flushed slightly red at the formal gesture. It wasn''t because of the act itself, but because it looked like a completely natural movement on Ren''s part. ¡°I wouldn''t be against seeing you tomorrow, as long as it''s after work.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. ¡°But I expect you to keep our date to watch the next episode of the show on Friday night.¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Elise said. ¡°You just told me not to give things up for you.¡± She smiled. ¡°Friday nights are sometimes a big thing for a woman.¡± ¡°You have other plans?¡± Ren asked as his smile faded. ¡°Okay. I guess we''ll have to cancel.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m just teasing you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± He looked at her. ¡°I guess I deserved that.¡± ¡°Yes, you did.¡± Elise said. ¡°If I want to throw my whole life away to spend one more moment with you, you shouldn''t tell me that I can''t.¡± ¡°I didn''t tell you that you can''t.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I only said that you shouldn''t throw it all away. You''re a big girl. You can make those decisions for yourself.¡± ¡°Was that a height joke?¡± Elise asked and smiled herself. ¡°If it was, it fell a little short.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You know, you should appreciate the little things in life.¡± He held his arms open. ¡°Hug a short person.¡± Elise snorted a laugh, leaned in and gently gave him a hug. His arms were still bruised, but they were healing well. While her head was beside his, she whispered in his ear. ¡°No one matters as much to me as you do.¡± She kissed his cheek and let him go. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Elise.¡± She stood up, picked up her purse and tablet, and went to the door. ¡°Hey, Elise.¡± Ren said, and she turned around to look at him. ¡°There''s just one really important question I have to ask you before you go.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± She said, unsure if she wanted to hear it. ¡°Why do really short men enjoy playing soccer?¡± ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± She said, surprised. ¡°Because the grass tickles their balls.¡± Ren said and grinned. Elise burst out laughing, and Denise joined her. ¡°Ren!¡± Barbara said, but he could see she was trying not to laugh. ¡°Sorry! I meant to say it tickles their dangling fiddly bits! Or was it bits they fiddle and dangle with?¡± Barbara couldn''t help herself and laughed, too. * Officer Stonewall didn''t have to wait long for her partner to return. ¡°That was fast.¡± She said as Detective Ramirez came into the office carrying a duffle bag. ¡°I had to call in a favor.¡± He said, and put the bag on the carpet as Officer Stonewall stood up to get out of the way. She''d done what he had asked her to, and sat on the spot in front of the hollowed out part of the wall until he returned. ¡°Where''s the warrant?¡± ¡°I already gave it to the building manager downstairs.¡± He said, and handed her their copy. ¡°How in the world did you get them to sign off on demolition?¡± Detective Ramirez held up his hand, and it was covered in white paint. ¡°Yeah, I guess that would do it.¡± Officer Stonewall said, and he handed her a crowbar from the duffle bag. ¡°What am I going to do with this?¡± ¡°Clear the way after I finish.¡± Detective Ramirez said and pulled a sledgehammer out of the bag. ¡°I''m not going to ask where you got that.¡± ¡°It''s been sitting in my trunk since the police academy.¡± He said and laughed. ¡°You never know when something like this will come in handy.¡± He held it in both hands, hauled back, and swung into the wall. The gyprock cracked and the sledgehammer got stuck in the hole. Officer Stonewall used the sharp end of the crowbar to stab the wall around the head of the sledgehammer, and Detective Ramirez pulled it free. ¡°Thanks.¡± He said, and swung again. He angled it downwards this time, rather than hit dead on, and the sledgehammer tore a huge hole in the white wall. There were two wooden support beams to hold the gyprock in place, and he swung sideways to smash one, then the other. ¡°Step back.¡± He said, and stepped back himself. The detective braced himself, then jumped forwards and jammed his shoulder into the opening. His momentum carried him out the other side of the temporary wall, and he landed on the floor. ¡°John!¡± Officer Stonewall used the crowbar to clean a better hole to step through, then came into the room and knelt beside his face-down form. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± He said, and rolled over. ¡°The sledgehammer broke my fall.¡± Officer Stonewall chuckled and shook her head, then offered him a hand up. They stood up together, then looked around. ¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡± Officer Stonewall said as they saw why the door to the room had been covered over, instead of just having the room cleaned out. Thousands of pictures of Ren covered all of the available wall space. Lines connected certain ones, almost like a time line or a direction to follow, and they ranged from tiny polaroids to ones that were almost poster size. They stared at all of the images, and could tell what kind of time frame they had to have been taken in. Ren''s appearance hadn''t really changed in almost 6 years, and he appeared to look the same in all of them. ¡°They must have been watching him for years.¡± Officer Stonewall said and walked over to the closest wall. ¡°This place is what? 30 feet long? 20 wide?¡± She said, and used a fingernail to try and pry up an edge of one of the pictures, but it was stuck solid. ¡°It''s about that size, yeah.¡± ¡°I don''t see a bit of blank wall anywhere.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± ¡°Is that a desk?¡± She asked, and pointed into the corner. Detective Ramirez walked over to the pile of wood and electronics, then knelt. ¡°I think we found the computer the digital signature device pinged.¡± He said and took out a pen to poke the thing. ¡°It''s been smashed.¡± ¡°How badly?¡± Officer Stonewall came over and looked herself. ¡°Oho!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I''d say you should get a technical forensics team in here right away.¡± She said and grinned. ¡°They smashed the case and the solid state hard drive; but... if my guess is right...¡± She took out her own pen and poked the normal hard drive that stuck up slightly from the pile. ¡°That''s going to be the backup.¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Detective Ramirez laughed, and stood up. He took out his cell phone and dialed the precinct. ¡°Ramirez here.¡± He said. ¡°I need a tech team, forensics, and the photographer.¡± Ramirez gave them the address, and hung up. ¡°Half an hour.¡± ¡°How in the... no, don''t tell me.¡± ¡°This is a high profile case.¡± Detective Ramirez said and smiled. ¡°The feds are gonna be begging us to share some of this with them.¡± * ¡°¡± The detective''s voice said through the little speaker. Agent Smith looked at his partner, the other Agent Smith. ¡°What do you think? Should we go in and rain on their parade?¡± Agent Smith shook his head. ¡°No, we should let them gather everything first.¡± He said. ¡°Then we can go in and take it all.¡± ¡°You''re not worried they''ll mess something up?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± He said, and tapped the small monitor screen they had stuck to the dashboard. ¡°We''ve already got the surveillance taps in place on the security cameras. If the detective and his cute sidekick miss anything, we''ll know about it before they do.¡± * Elise climbed into her Hummer H2, and put her purse and tablet between the seats. She put the key in the ignition, but didn''t turn it on. She held onto the steering wheel, then slowly put her head back to rest on the seat. He distracted me with humor again. Elise thought. That sneaky little bugger! She smiled as she looked at the window to Ren''s room, and saw the closed blinds. I''ll let you delay for a while, my little darling; but, one of these days... She started the vehicle and drove out of the parking lot. * ¡°I guess that means she really is your girlfriend.¡± Denise said as she gathered her things to get ready to leave. ¡°She''s what?!?¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°You missed that, did you?¡± Denise asked, then turned to Barbara. ¡°You heard her, too.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°She called you her boyfriend, and you didn''t say no... or even protest.¡± Ren looked at the two women, and they smiled at him. ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Then you had a quick argument and made up.¡± Denise said. ¡°Yes, she''s definitely your girlfriend now.¡± ¡°But... I didn''t even ask her...¡± ¡°I heard you ask her for another date to watch the show.¡± Denise said. ¡°Right, Barbara?¡± ¡°I heard that, too.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I...¡± Ren looked back and forth between the two nurses. ¡°I... have a girlfriend.¡± ¡°And an urgent need to get back in the game.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You''ve been gone nearly all night.¡± ¡°Right! Okay.¡± He slid out of bed, grabbed a foil packet, and went into the bathroom. * ¡°Hey.¡± Denise said. ¡°He didn''t hide it from you.¡± ¡°I knew about it already.¡± Barbara said and looked at her. ¡°Apparently, so do you.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°Not much gets by these eagle eyes.¡± She said. ¡°Or ears. I heard the foil crinkle once when he was trying to sneak it by me.¡± Barbara nodded her understanding, and looked like she was about to say something; then the bathroom door opened and she stayed quiet. * Ren came back out of the bathroom after taking care of some business, and climbed back into bed. ¡°Okay, I''m ready.¡± He said, and Barbara handed him the VR headset, then helped him get settled for a night in the game. ¡°Denise, don''t forget to meet here, just after noon tomorrow.¡± Ren said as he put on the VR headset. ¡°We can go to the clothing shop after the studio.¡± ¡°I''ll be here.¡± Denise said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± * ¡°I''m really glad you filled me in about what happened today, while we were getting coffee and donuts.¡± Barbara said to Denise; all humor gone from her face and voice, now that she didn''t have to pretend so hard in front of Ren. ¡°I''m really glad we could make him laugh after... after...¡± Denise closed her mouth, and wiped her eyes before the tears could escape. ¡°And he remembers it?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Only the things the game made him live through.¡± Denise said. ¡°He also admitted he remembered the pictures from the court case.¡± Barbara took a deep breath. ¡°I didn''t want him to remember any of that.¡± ¡°You knew?¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°Lucy and I were there. We were his first care nurses. One for the day, and one for the night.¡± She said. ¡°We had to... to testify... about his physical condition.¡± Denise walked over to Barbara and gave her a hug. ¡°I didn''t know him very well back then.¡± Barbara said, and didn''t bother trying to stop the tears that came. ¡°But I never cried so much in my whole life, as I did during that trial.¡± ¡°Oh, Barbara.¡± Denise said, and held her as she cried on her shoulder. Chapter 229 - French Toast Ren woke up on the couch and looked around. Teepo? ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s just about morning.¡± I know. Ren thought. I ran a little late. ¡°Then I''m glad you didn''t run a lot late.¡± Teepo said, and chittered in laughter. ¡°You''d have missed half of the day.¡± Ren smiled, and stood up. Nathalia''s not up yet, is she? ¡°No.¡± Teepo said. ¡°But I don''t go in the bedrooms on my patrols, so she could be awake and just not up and moving around.¡± How''s the time? ¡°You''ve got half an hour before breakfast.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Ren used Sneak to creep over to Nathalia''s bedroom door, went inside, and shut it behind him. He got to the bed, and saw she was tucked under the blanket and laid on her side. He stored his clothing, climbed under the blanket with her, and snuggled up close behind her. Ren thought he felt her move slightly, so he reached an arm around her front to grip her stomach. She moved her hand to hold his, and he kissed the side of her neck. She twitched a little, so he nuzzled her there for a few minutes. She relaxed and he stopped doing it. ¡°I hope you slept well.¡± Ren said to her. ¡°Would you be angry if I said not really?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± He said. ¡°Concerned, yes. Angry, no.¡± Nathalia sighed and rolled over to face him. ¡°The bed seems so empty when you aren''t here.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said, and kissed the tip of her nose. ¡°Do you want me to make you a bed-buddy?¡± ¡°A... a what?¡± ¡°It''s something I''ve been thinking about for a while.¡± He said. ¡°It''s just a pillow with arms and legs, but at least it will be something to help you believe the bed isn''t so empty.¡± ¡°So a really big doll.¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I want you here, not some imitation.¡± Nathalia said, and kissed him. ¡°I''d rather be alone in the bed, than wake up thinking you''re here to find it''s only a pillow.¡± He cupped the side of her face, and caressed her cheek with his thumb. ¡°Okay. No full-size Ren doll for you.¡± ¡°I already have one.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I don''t need another.¡± Ren kissed her, and they held each other close. ¡°Teepo says we''ve got about 25 minutes before breakfast.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°Nowhere near enough time.¡± ¡°I don''t have Adventurer''s business to deal with tonight.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia looked at him. ¡°You''re staying all night?¡± She asked. He nodded, and she beamed a smile at him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Nathalia said, and kissed him. ¡°You don''t have to thank me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± She said. ¡°With the both of us so busy, the only real time we have together is at night. So when you have Adventurer''s business to take care of...¡± Ren put his forehead on hers, and sighed. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°You don''t have to apologize for that. If you didn''t take care of it, something bad would happen. I just know it would.¡± Ren nodded slightly, because if he didn''t normally log out to eat and take care of things, it would be bad for him. They cuddled for the remaining time that they had before breakfast, and he told her about what he had to do today. * Laurelia had stayed up for most of the night, preparing food for everyone, and made sure more of the trench had been dug, like Ren had wanted. I can''t believe what he did with that child''s clothing. Laurelia thought as she ducked into her tent and slid into the bedroll inside. More and more parts of the stories I read as a child are coming true. She smiled as she looked up at the top of the tent. I wonder what he''ll prove is true to me next? * Ereka got up and went into the kitchen to see what she could find to eat. Nathalia had been spending more and more time at the restaurant, and didn''t make food for fun anymore. She looked in the icebox and saw that it was almost completely empty. * Ren got up when he heard Ereka pass by, and told Nathalia to stay in bed so he could get her breakfast. ¡°Are you making french toast?¡± She asked. He nodded, and she pulled the blanket up to her neck. ¡°Then hurry up. I''m starving!¡± He laughed and left the bedroom. Since he still had sneak on, he made almost no noise as he went through the main room and into the kitchen. He saw Ereka slightly bent over, with her head in the icebox, and he was tempted to grab her sides to scare her. Ereka sighed, stood up and half-turned to close the icebox door go to the pantry... then gasped and nearly screamed as she saw Ren as he stood right behind her. ¡°REN! You scared me!¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said, and grinned as Teepo chittered in laughter from his perch on the ceiling. ¡°I''m making breakfast.¡± Her mouth opened to say something, then she closed it. ¡°Go ahead and say it.¡± He said. ¡°Nathalia told me you''ve been brutally honest for a while now.¡± ¡°Making breakfast doesn''t make up for scaring me, dammit.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Would a hug be enough?¡± Ereka looked at him for only a moment, then nodded slightly. He stepped close to her, and wrapped his arms around her. Since she was a couple of inches shorter than Nathalia, making her 3 foot 10 inches tall, the top of her head only came up to his chin. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly, and she completely ignored the fact that she only had her thin slip on. Ren felt her breasts through the thin fabric of her slip as they pressed against his skin, then looked down at himself and remembered that he hadn''t bothered to equip his clothing when he got out of bed. All he had on was his underwear, but Ereka didn''t seem to mind as she put the cheek of her face on his chest. She sighed a few moments later, and let him go. ¡°That was a good hug.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I should scare you more often.¡± ¡°Don''t you dare!¡± Ereka said as she put her fists on her hips and scowled at him. She looks like she wants to tear me apart. He thought, and smiled crookedly. ¡°Go have a seat at the table. I''ll have breakfast ready in a few minutes.¡± She started to walk to the table then turned back quickly to see if he was going to try and scare her again. Ren hadn''t moved, and held his hands up in surrender. ¡°I promise to make more noise in the future.¡± Ereka walked towards the table and sat down to face the kitchen. ¡°You should wear a bell or something.¡± Ren chuckled and went into the pantry to gather the ingredients he needed, then equipped his armor bodysuit for the ease of movement it gave him. ¡°That would completely defeat the purpose of Sneak.¡± ¡°You''re using Sneak?!?¡± Ereka asked, surprised. ¡°In the house?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I didn''t get back until nearly dawn.¡± Ren said and came out from the pantry with what he needed. ¡°I didn''t want to wake either of you up by making noise.¡± ¡°Well... I guess that''s okay.¡± Ren started the grill and looked at her. ¡°Don''t tell me...¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°My brothers used to scare me a lot when they were around.¡± Ren sighed as he started making french toast. ¡°I really am sorry for scaring you like that.¡± He said and dipped the first couple of slices of bread into the egg, milk, and spices mixture he''d whipped up in a big bowl. ¡°But if I''m going to be honest, when I saw you bent over with your head in the icebox, I wanted to grab your sides and scare you.¡± Ren saw her starting to get angry, and raised his hands in surrender again. ¡°It was completely innocent.¡± He said, then added the bread he''d dipped in the mixture to the grill. ¡°I thought you''d enjoy a good scare like that.¡± Ereka sighed, because she heard the truth in his words. ¡°I know you hate it now, so I''ll try my best not to scare you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Either on purpose or by mistake. Okay?¡± Ereka nodded, and he dismissed the Honor gain popup. He finished the first few slices and served them to her on a plate.
Stat Change!
Cooking Level 8 (Beginner 0%)
¡°They''re good with syrup, too.¡± Ren said as he dismissed the popup, and pointed to the large jar of syrup on the counter. ¡°I''m not going to lift that thing, just so I can pour a little bit out to try it.¡± Ren laughed and picked up a small ladle, and scooped some out for her. ¡°Oh.¡± She said. ¡°That works.¡± ¡°Either you need a little more sleep, or you''re not much of an early morning person.¡± Ren said as he poured some of the ladle''s contents over the corner of one of the slices. ¡°Both.¡± Ereka said, then her eyes widened as she tasted the french toast with syrup. ¡°By the gods!¡± ¡°More?¡± He asked her. ¡°More!¡± She said. Ren poured out the rest of the syrup over the several slices of french toast, and she dug into them with a passion. He made another stack, added syrup and butter, and brought a tray in to Nathalia. ¡°Mmm. Thank you.¡± She said, and started to eat. Ren went back out to the kitchen and kept making french toast. He filled Ereka''s plate again, then Nathalia''s, and ate some himself while he used up nearly all of the mixture, then poured what was in the bowl onto the grill. He still had a good stack of french toast left, added the cooked egg mixture, then took a cup with some syrup in it and stored them. Nathalia came out carrying her tray, and he saw she was also dressed for work. She wore one of the many outfits he''d designed for her, with a tight sleeved blouse and dark pants. ¡°That was delicious.¡± Nathalia said, and left the tray on the table. ¡°I have to go to work, though.¡± Ren walked over to her, and gave her a kiss. ¡°Have a great day at work.¡± ¡°That''s supposed to be my line.¡± Nathalia said with a smile, and kissed him again. ¡°See you tonight.¡± She left in a bit of a hurry to make it to the restaurant in time for the breakfast rush, and Ren went back to the pantry. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ereka asked him. ¡°My icebox is nearly as empty as that one.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m nowhere near as good of a cook as Nathalia, but I can make a few things.¡± ¡°A few?¡± Ereka asked as she saw the piles of ingredients. ¡°I''m making a lot of the dishes I know.¡± He said, then stopped. ¡°I better go and feed Princess first, before I get started.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Ereka said as he tried to walk past. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I agree with Nathalia. That was delicious.¡± She said, and gave him a quick hug. ¡°Is that what''s this hug is for?¡± Ren asked as she stepped back. ¡°No.¡± Ereka said. ¡°It''s in case you scare me again.¡± She said. ¡°But you can only do it once more. After that...¡± She shook a fist at him, and left the kitchen. Teepo chittered in laughter and flew out of the house to check the stable. Ren shook his head in disbelief, and went out of the house and into the stable. ¡°Good morning, Princess.¡± Good morning My Lord... ¡°I''ve got something special for you.¡± Ren said. Come... sit before me... Ren raised an eyebrow at her, and she huffed at him. He walked over, and sat down in front of her. She lifted a hoof and he reached out to greet her properly, then the hoof shifted to the center of his chest and pushed him to the ground. ¡°Hey! What-¡± Ren tried to say, but then Princess'' tongue licked him from chin to forehead. He started to laugh, because her tongue tickled, and she kept pressure on his chest with her hoof. ¡°What... haha... are you... hahaha... doing?¡± You died... She licked his neck, his cheeks, and his hair. Over and over and over... ¡°Wait, you... ha...¡± Felt it... She thought as she licked one of his ears. So much pain... She licked his face again. You were brave... *lick* Strong... *lick* Faced death as if it were nothing... *lick* ¡°Wait... haha... stop...¡± Princess gave him one more long lick, and stepped back. Ren sat up and took out a scrap piece of cloth. His face and hair were covered in her slobber, and he wiped as much of it off as he could. Teepo had flown down and landed on the floor to chitter in laughter, because he didn''t want to fall from the ceiling again. Ren stood up after he stored the cloth, and then Princess knelt. Honored to be yours... She bowed her head. ¡°Hey, don''t do that.¡± Ren said, put a hand under her chin, and lifted her head. ¡°I thought we had an understanding.¡± He smiled. ¡°I wouldn''t treat you like you were only a mount, and you wouldn''t treat me like I was only your owner.¡± Ren thought he could feel her desire to argue about it, then she huffed and he felt her acceptance. Very well... She stood up. You want to be... friends... He smiled. ¡°I thought we were already friends.¡± Only tolerated you... Ren felt her amusement, and he chuckled. ¡°I hope you can tolerate me for a bit more.¡± He said. ¡°In a little while, I''m going to need a ride to the warehouse, so I can go through the portal to Aurora.¡± I await your return... She plopped down on the mattress in her crate, and settled down. ¡°You should have stayed standing.¡± Ren said, and took out the plate of french toast. Princess froze stiff at the sight, and he laughed. ¡°It gets better.¡± He said, and took out the cup of syrup. He poured some on the top piece, and Princess drooled as the smell hit her. She took in a huge breath of air through her nostrils, bleated softly at the aroma, and stared at him. Ren stored the cup and picked up the top piece. ¡°Doesn''t this look delicious?¡± Ren asked, then tossed the piece to her. She stood up in a flash, caught the piece in her mouth, then it was gone a split second later. He chuckled, repeated this several times, and stored the plate with more than half of the stack left. He felt her disappointment, and smiled at her. ¡°Don''t worry. I made them all for you, but I want to save some for the trip.¡± Ren said. ¡°Okay?¡± Agreed... Princess plopped back onto the mattress. Thank you... Ren walked over to Ruck''s door and knocked. There was no answer, so he left the stable. ¡°I''m going to do my hourly patrol flight of the grounds, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± Have fun. Ren thought, and went back into the house to make some meals. He started preparing everything, and Ereka came out of the old bedroom dressed for work. ¡°I''m heading out.¡± Ereka said as she went to the front door. ¡°Hold on!¡± Ren said and ran from the kitchen to meet her. ¡°Before I forget, can you contact Dorathy? I promised her a new job before I...¡± ¡°What happened while you were gone?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°Nathalia said something about how you couldn''t get back?¡± Ren nodded slightly, and told her an abbreviated version of what happened. Her face went from concern, to shock, to anger, then to relief. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± Ereka said, and hugged him. ¡°Now I''m even happier that you''re here, and that you''re okay.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± He said and hugged her back. ¡°Ren?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Why are you all sticky?¡± Ereka asked, and leaned away from him. Her white blouse was wet on the front, and she had a bit of drool on her face and hands. Ren laughed, took out the cloth to wipe her face and hands, and explained what it was. ¡°Eww.¡± Ereka said, then looked down at herself. ¡°Look at my blouse.¡± ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Ren said, equipped his Travelling Clothes for a moment, then equipped his armor bodysuit again. ¡°Hand me your blouse and I''ll clean it.¡± Ereka looked at him with surprise on her face, and he waggled his hand in front of her. ¡°It''ll only take a second.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just have to store it and hand it back.¡± Ereka did a long slow blink of her eyes, then smiled. ¡°Okaaay.¡± She said, hung up her suit coat next to the door, then started to unbutton her top. Ren waited while she took her time opening the buttons, then his eyes nearly popped out of his head as she slipped the blouse off. She wasn''t wearing anything underneath. ¡°Oh, my...¡± Ren said, and got a popup.
Notice!
You have gained the condition: Distracted For as long as the object of your attention is within your sight, you must look at it. You will also suffer penalties to both Intelligence (-20) and Wisdom (-20).
He discovered why he was Distracted. Ereka''s breasts were perfect. Ren has had some experience now with seeing different shapes, sizes, and colors of the tips... but when he saw these... all he could think of was ''perfect''. The size was perfect, the shape was perfect, and the colors and shapes of the tips were perfect. In the real world, he had told Elise about a man losing 50% of his IQ (per boob) when he saw a woman''s chest; but, he thought it was only a joke, not an actual fact. Ereka handed him her blouse, and he took it without looking at it. He only had eyes for the perfection in front of him. ¡°Ren?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Store it and hand it back.¡± She said with a huge smile on her face. ¡°What?¡± Ereka moved the hand that he held the blouse in, and he glanced at it. ¡°Oh, right!¡± Ren said, stored it, and handed it back. ¡°I''m sorry... I...¡± She chuckled as she put the blouse on, and he watched as the cloth slipped over her. It covered most of her chest, and she started to button it back up.
Notice!
You are no longer Distracted.
¡°I''m not sure how that happened.¡± Ren said, and shook his head. ¡°Normally I can ignore stuff like that, but...¡± ¡°But what?¡± Ereka asked, and stopped after two buttons. ¡°Um...¡± Ren''s face flushed a little red, because he glanced down to see that her top hung open and it showed off most of her chest. ¡°I''ll know it if you lie.¡± Ereka reminded him needlessly. ¡°What if I don''t say anything?¡± Ren asked her, and glanced down at her chest again. Why can''t I stop looking? Teepo squeezed through the space at the top of the door. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± He asked as he flew over Ereka and started to turn and face her. ¡°Why is her top ope-¡± *thunk* He stopped talking when he flew into the wall, bounced off, and fell to the floor. ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Even if you don''t say anything, a lie of omission is still a lie.¡± Ereka said and smiled. Ren sighed. ¡°They''re perfect.¡± He said. ¡°I can honestly say that I couldn''t take my eyes off of them.¡± ¡°What''s so perfect about them?¡± Ereka asked as she blushed. ¡°The size, the shape, the color.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even the shapes of the tips...¡± He glanced down at her chest again when he saw the cloth move. Ereka held her top open just enough to reveal herself, and he got another Distracted popup. Ren''s eyes were drawn to them automatically; so he stared at them, and didn''t hear her speak. ¡°Hm?¡± Ereka chuckled and buttoned up her top the rest of the way. ¡°I said I have to go to work.¡± Ren blinked his eyes when the popup for losing his Distracted condition went away, and looked at her. ¡°Okay.¡± He said. ¡°Have a great day.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Ereka said, put on her suit coat, and opened the front door. ¡°I''ll send a messenger for Dorathy, and she should be here in a little while.¡± She gave him a little wave, and shut the door behind her when she left. ¡°What was that?¡± Teepo asked as he fluttered up from the floor and landed on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°I just flew into the wall!¡± ¡°It was Trouble.¡± Ren said, and took a deep breath. ¡°Trouble with a capital T.¡± Chapter 230 - Pen Play ¡°Well, crap.¡± Teepo said. ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± Ren said, then turned around to go back to the kitchen. ¡°There''s nothing I can do about it right now, though.¡± He said. ¡°I have to get some meals prepared.¡± He went back to the kitchen, and started to cook. He worked for about an hour, making as many meals as he could; using the recipes he''d learned while working at the mansion, and having fun while cooking with Narhilda and Nathalia here in this very kitchen. When he was done, he got a popup.
Stat Change!
Cooking Level 1 (Intermediate 0%)
¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Making all these different meals gave me enough experience to go right through Beginner Level 9 to Intermediate Level 1.¡± He took out his icebox and put most of the meals inside, then put the rest into the icebox for the house. ¡°Sir, a Miss Dorathy is here to see you.¡± A voice said from the hallway. Ren ran to the hallway and touched the Sending Stone that was connected to the front gate. ¡°Send her in.¡± Ren let the stone go, and opened the front door. The gate opened, and Dorathy came into the courtyard. When she saw Ren waiting for her, she grinned at him. ¡°That''s a new look for you.¡± Dorathy said as she took in his black bodysuit. ¡°You aren''t trying to seduce me, are you?¡± Ren shook his head and smiled. ¡°Aw.¡± She said. ¡°My husband will be disappointed you didn''t even try to make a pass at me.¡± ¡°I didn''t say I wouldn''t do that.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. She stepped over to him and he took her hand; but rather than bend over it, he pulled her close and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡± Dorathy said at the Honor gain, and he let her hand go so she could go into the house. ¡°My husband has been upset that you made me give my old job away, and I haven''t been bringing in any money.¡± ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Ren said and followed her into the main room. ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± She sat down, and he sat a respectable distance away and faced her. ¡°I was out on Adventurer''s business all month, and I only just got back the other day.¡± ¡°Is everything all right?¡± Dorathy asked. ¡°Mostly.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s kind of being taken care of as we speak.¡± She put a hand on his arm and squeezed it. ¡°I hope it gets resolved soon.¡± She said. ¡°If you''ve been gone for a whole month, then everyone must have missed you terribly.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and put a hand on hers. ¡°Did you show your husband the ''toy'' I gave you?¡± ¡°By the gods, no!¡± Dorathy exclaimed. ¡°He''d have spent it on a gold-plated boat, or something else completely useless.¡± She laughed, and Ren grinned. ¡°Well, I hope I can convince you to take a job for House Neram, and then you can let him spend as much as he wants on things.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t let him do that!¡± Dorathy said. ¡°I''ll hide any new ''toys'' you give me, just like I hid the last one.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s a big job.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± ¡°You know the Garrison?¡± She nodded slightly. ¡°I own it now.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Dorathy exclaimed loudly, then her face flushed red. ¡°My apologies.¡± She said and ducked her head. ¡°That was unladylike.¡± Ren took the hand from on top of hers, put it under her chin, and lifted it. ¡°Don''t do that.¡± He said and took his hand back as she looked at him. ¡°You know you don''t have to treat me like a Lord.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°But it was still unladylike to yell like that.¡± ¡°You should hear Nathalia yell, then.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Oh, boy.¡± Dorathy laughed. ¡°All right, I''ve been properly chastened.¡± She said. ¡°Now tell me about this big job.¡± ¡°I want new uniforms for all of the troops.¡± She blinked her eyes and stared at him for almost a full minute. Then she spoke. ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I said it was a big job.¡± ¡°That''s not a big job! It''s enormous! That''s months and months of work, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!¡± ¡°You can do it in 8 hour shifts.¡± Ren said. ¡°8 hours on, 16 off.¡± ¡°You''re crazy.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°That would take me three times as long!¡± ¡°I don''t expect you to do it all by yourself. That''s why I said to pick a few others to be your assistants when I mentioned it before.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can hire more people.¡± Dorathy inhaled a breath and let it out. ¡°You''re asking me to give up a lot of my time.¡± ¡°Only if you want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°My original agreement with you still stands. Anyone that needs to show up late or leave early because they want to feed their families, is perfectly fine. Rides will be provided for them.¡± ¡°Can I have some time to think about it?¡± Dorathy asked. ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°One, one thousand. Two, one thousand. Three, one thousand. Time''s up. What''s your decision?¡± ¡°E-excuse me?¡± She asked, surprised. Ren laughed and shook his head. ¡°I''m kidding.¡± He said. ¡°Please, take all the time that you need.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''m not in any rush, and it really is a big job.¡± ¡°I... okay, I''ll seriously consider it.¡± ¡°Good.¡± He said. ¡°If you do decide to take the job, it will be same deal as with the bags of silt; except you''ll be paid 10 silver per uniform.¡± ¡°10 silver!¡± ¡°Is that too much?¡± He asked her. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Then what do you want to get paid?¡± ¡°I...¡± Dorathy looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°A salary is fine.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°Okay, then.¡± He said. ¡°How does 10 gold a week, and 2 days off sound?¡± ¡°Unbelievable.¡± She said. ¡°My husband only gets 7, and then the tithe to the House takes 2.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Then with 10, your house gets 3 and you keep 7, right?¡± ¡°About that much, yes.¡± ¡°Then its settled.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°If you come back and decide to take the job, tell Ereka to order the things you''ll need; like workbenches, tools, and supplies. Have her order a work crew to come out and build a good-sized building for you and your assistants to work in, too.¡± Dorathy stared at him with surprise on her face. ¡°You didn''t think I''d make you work outside or something, did you?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°But you don''t have to worry about any of that yet.¡± He said, took her hand, and helped her stand up. ¡°Just go home and think about the offer. We can do the other things later if we need to.¡± Dorathy nodded slightly, and he led her to the front door. ¡°Did the cart that brought you here, stick around?¡± Dorathy shook her head. ¡°Then hold on for a moment.¡± Ren said and touched the Sending Stone on the small table that connected to the one at the Main House. ¡°Ereka? Are you busy?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± She said. ¡°What can I help you with?¡± ¡°Can you call the stable, and have them send a cart to take Dorathy home?¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Of course.¡± Ereka said, then a few seconds later, spoke again. ¡°The cart and driver should be there in a minute.¡± She said. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°No, I think that''s it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Anytime.¡± Ereka said, and the Sending Stone stopped glowing. ¡°Let me walk you out.¡± Ren said as he opened the front door and Teepo flew out to scout. Ren stepped out and discovered Dorathy wasn''t beside him, so he turned around and saw that she still stood in the hallway. ¡°That is not what I think it is.¡± She stared at the Sending Stone with wide eyes. ¡°If you think it''s a Sending Stone that can be used multiple times, then it is what you think it is.¡± ¡°How by the gods...¡± Dorathy shook her head. ¡°No... where did you get it?¡± ¡°I made it, of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°You Adventurers are something else.¡± She said, and stepped out of the house so Ren could shut the door. ¡°Can I get a pair of them for myself?¡± ¡°What do you want them for?¡± He asked, and she smiled. ¡°So I can keep tabs on my husband, and make sure he''s not getting involved in some hair-brained scheme.¡± Ren chuckled and took out two steel squares as they walked to the gate. He enchanted them and handed them to her, then Teepo told him the cart was coming up the road. ¡°You... you didn''t...¡± Dorathy said. ¡°They only have a range of a 10 hour cart ride.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, if either of you are any further apart than that, they won''t work.¡± Dorathy held them in her hands, and took a deep breath. ¡°How... how much...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°They''re a gift.¡± He said, then smiled as he opened the gate for them to pass through. ¡°Or a bribe to take the job.¡± ¡°You''re going to shower me with gifts to get me to work for you again?¡± Dorathy laughed as she stepped across the small drawbridge. ¡°What else do you have?¡± Ren grinned and left the gate open. ¡°I''m sure I can come up with something.¡± ¡°I''ll look forward to it.¡± She said. ¡°If I take the job.¡± ¡°Yes, if.¡± He said, and stood with her beside the road. The cart and driver arrived, turned around on the road, and Ren helped Dorathy climb up and into the back. ¡°Have a good day, Ma''am.¡± ¡°You, too.¡± She said, and Ren told the driver to take her home. Dorathy waved to him and he waved back, then he went back into the courtyard after shutting the gate. ¡°Hey, there!¡± Ren said, and hopped into the fire elemental''s pen. ¡°How''s my favorite elemental?¡± He asked it, and the foot and a half long fire elemental jumped up into his arms. ¡°Aren''t you the cutest thing!¡± He turned it over onto it''s ''back'', and tickled it''s ''belly''. Ren still wasn''t sure if it really was the belly, or just it''s other side; but it didn''t really matter at this point, so he tickled it mercilessly. He heard a loud cracking fire, and grinned. ¡°That''s just the best sound.¡± Ren said, turned it back over, and hugged it. ¡°Are you ready for a treat?¡± The fire elemental rubbed it''s head stub against Ren''s face, and he laughed. ¡°I''d say that''s a yes.¡± He put the fire elemental down on the ground, took out the web wand, and Teepo landed on his shoulder. ¡°This makes a 20 foot circle of strong webs.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to shoot you with it, so go hot and eat it all, okay?¡± The elemental''s color changed slightly, and Ren nodded slightly and stepped back. ¡°Here it comes!¡± He said, and shot the fire elemental. The web covered it and held it to the ground. ¡°Come on!¡± Teepo said as the web started to smolder. ¡°You can do it!¡± Ren saw the fire elemental struggle a bit, then the web caught fire. ¡°Yes!¡± He said, and the fire elemental started to pull the web into itself. After only a couple of minutes, it was gone completely; much faster than the web would have burned up normally. ¡°Yay!¡± Ren said, and the fire elemental ran around the pen twice and jumped up into his arms again. ¡°Way to go!¡± Ren said, and gave it another hug. ¡°Want to do it again?¡± The elemental''s color changed slightly, and it hopped down to the ground and got far enough away. ¡°Get ready.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now!¡± The fire elemental jumped as he shot it, and the web wrapped around it instead of sticking it to the ground. Ren gasped as the webbed up bundle fell to the ground with a thud. ¡°No!¡± He ran over to it, and knelt. ¡°I''m so-¡± The web bundle burst into a big ball flames, then was slowly absorbed into the fire elemental. Ren sat down on the ground, with both surprise and relief on his face. The fire elemental stood up, and climbed into his lap. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was...¡± He shook his head. ¡°You handled that really well.¡± It stood up and nuzzled his neck with it''s head stub, and Ren held it close. ¡°I''m glad you''re okay.¡± It''s color changed slightly, and it jumped away to the right distance. ¡°You want to do it again?¡± It bobbed it''s head stub, and Ren smiled. ¡°Okay, but I''m shooting you twice this time.¡± It bobbed it''s head again, and Ren stood up. ¡°Good luck.¡± He said, then shot at it. The fire elemental jumped and it became another web bundle. When it landed on the ground, he shot the second spell to stick it to the ground. He didn''t run over this time; just stood there and waited. A minute later, the web started to smolder; then it caught fire. The fire elemental''s head stub popped out of the hole it had made, and started to consume the webbing. It was gone a couple of minutes later, and the fire elemental bobbed it''s head again. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked it. ¡°Three of them is going to be pretty thick.¡± He said. ¡°There won''t be any air getting in there.¡± It bobbed it''s head stub, and Ren chuckled. ¡°All right. Get ready.¡± He said, shot it again and the fire elemental jumped. It became a web bundle, and he shot it when the bundle landed the ground, then again to make the webs twice as thick. He couldn''t see the bundle, just the bulge it made in the center of the webbing. I hope it''s not too much for it. Ren thought. No air is bad for a fire. It took nearly twice as long, but the fire elemental burned a hole out through the top of the webbing. The elemental was a dark orange color and moved really slowly. Ren ran over to it, and blew on the head stub. It''s color brightened immediately, and it had an easier time consuming the webs. It took nearly 10 minutes to finish all the webs, and Ren picked it up. ¡°You made it.¡± He said and hugged it. ¡°But three is way too much right now.¡± It bobbed it''s head stub and laid it against his neck. ¡°I think it''s because we went too fast. You didn''t have enough time to recover from the lack of air when you were wrapped in the other bundles.¡± Ren said and put the fire elemental into the fire and wind section of the pen. It perked up right away, and ran around. ¡°Stay here and relax for a while. I''ve got to go into town to the Library, and then to Aurora to deliver the books.¡± He rubbed the head stub of the fire elemental, then stepped out of the pen. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow.¡± It jumped once, then laid down to sprawl in the wind and flames. Ren went into the house to store his icebox, equipped his fancy House Neram red suit, then left the house. He went out through the gate, concentrated on his House Neram pendant while he greeted the guard, then ran towards town. * Ereka sat at her desk doing paperwork for House Neram, and gasped as Ren ran through the artificial Aura that surrounded the Main House. Her House Neram Aura was merged with it, like it always was. Every time it''s such a surprise to get a glimpse of his emotions. She thought. He''s really determined right now. When Ereka thought of Ren, she smiled as she remembered what had happened that morning. I can''t believe he asked me to take my top off! She giggled for a few seconds. He said they were perfect, too. She took a breath and composed herself, then pulled the next small stack of parchment over and kept working. * Ren made it to the Library a few minutes later, and was surprised to find a large ornate coach parked in the alleyway outside. Teepo. ¡°On it!¡± Teepo said and flew to the door and squeezed his way in. ¡°There''s a couple of people in here.¡± He said. ¡°Second floor.¡± Anyone I know? ¡°Yeah.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s Dorcot''s wife Angeilin, and her boss.¡± What about the Librarian? ¡°Third floor.¡± Thanks. Ren thought, walked over to the door, and went inside. It feels really weird not wearing my Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. He thought. I miss it''s weight. ¡°Why aren''t you wearing it?¡± Teepo asked. I haven''t worn it since Laurelia gave me the Dreaded Foe title. Ren thought. I don''t want to have nearly all of my Auras boosted with Fear. He smiled. Plus, my Aura''s area of effect drops to 50 feet when I''m not wearing it, and the House Neram pendant only adds 25 feet to that. ¡°But isn''t that one of the fear boosted ones?¡± Teepo asked. Yes, but at least it''s fear of the House, and not of me. ¡°That makes sense.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I think.¡± Ren chuckled as he heard a little squeal on the floor above, then the pitter-patter of little feet. He waited at the bottom of the stairs as Angeilin came over to them. She froze at the top of the stairs, and stared at Ren. ¡°My... My Lord!¡± Angeilin squeaked in her high pitched voice and pointed. Ren looked around, and then at himself. ¡°What is it?¡± He asked, and her small hands went to her face and her fingers fluttered on her chin as she walked slowly down the stairs. Ren laughed, and did the same movement. She got to the second to last stair, and waved him closer. He stepped over to her, she grabbed his beard with both hands, and tugged. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, it''s real.¡± ¡°Oh, my.¡± Angeilin said. ¡°Who is it, Angeilin?¡± A woman''s voice said. ¡°I can feel someone''s Aura.¡± ¡°It''s... um...¡± She looked at Ren, because she didn''t know what to call him. ¡°Lord Neram is fine.¡± Ren said reluctantly, and she grinned. ¡°It''s Lord Neram!¡± Angeilin squeaked loudly.
Notice!
You have spread the name of Lord Neram enough that you can now safely assume the name without demeaning his memory. Everyone will know you are a separate person when the name is spoken. Personal Aura Bonus: None* (Personal Aura Mastered) House Neram Aura: +5 levels Influence: +3,000 *bonus levels converted to Influence: +15,000
Pledge Complete!
Your personal pledge of Honor gains to Lady Neram, to replace Lord Neram''s Honor that she lost over the years, has been fulfilled. Honor: +30,000
Ren dismissed the popups and stared at Angeilin. She reached a hand out, he took it, and she started to lead him up the stairs. ¡°EEEEE!¡± Ren heard the Librarian scream from the third floor. He heard her heavy boots clomp along the wood and just as he and Angeilin arrived at the top of the first stairway, the Librarian arrived at the top of the second on the third floor. ¡°Your HIGH-¡± The Librarian stopped mid-word as she saw his beard. ¡°By the GODS!¡± She yelled, then walked calmly down the stairs. ¡°Is... is...¡± ¡°Yes, it''s real.¡± Ren said, unable to keep a smile from his face, because of the complete shock he could see on the Librarian''s. ¡°H-h-how?¡± She asked when she got to the second floor and stood in front of him. ¡°I''d like to say it''s a long story, but it''s actually pretty short.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°A healer gave me a magic cream that grew it.¡± ¡°Oh, my.¡± The Librarian stared at it. ¡°Can I touch it?¡± ¡°At least you asked.¡± Ren quickly glanced down at Angeilin, to see her huge grin. The Librarian touched it with a single hand, as if it was an animal that was skittish, and would run away if you scared it too much. ¡°How...¡± She shook her head and touched the top of his head with her other hand to compare them. Her eyes widened, and she rubbed both his chin and the top of his head. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Lady Longore asked as she came over to see what was going on, because her curiosity wouldn''t let her stay in the chair she had sat in. ¡°Feel this!¡± The Librarian said to her, and moved her hands over to make room. ¡°May I?¡± Lady Longore asked Ren. ¡°You might as well.¡± He said and smiled. She smiled back at him, and touched his beard. ¡°Is... is that...¡± She put her other hand on his head, and her eyes widened as well. ¡°No.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked them as they rubbed his chin and head. ¡°I didn''t think...¡± Lady Longore shook her head. ¡°Lord Neram, I''ve never... ever... felt a beard like yours before.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m tempted to ask you how many you''ve felt to compare it to, but I''m not that vulgar; nor do I want to insult you or how you choose to live your life.¡± Lady Longore chuckled herself, and stopped rubbing his head and chin. ¡°I like my men much stockier and shorter than you, so you don''t have any worries on that front, Lord Neram.¡± She said. ¡°But your beard doesn''t feel like a beard at all. It feels just like your hair. Soft and fluffy.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That''s what my fiance says, too.¡± ¡°That''s some magic cream.¡± The Librarian said, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°So.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Now that I''ve mauled you for a few minutes, what can I do for you?¡± ¡°I need another book made.¡± ¡°Ooo. What is it about this time?¡± The Librarian asked, excited. ¡°Giants.¡± Ren said, and the women gasped. Chapter 231 - A New Book ¡°WHAT?!?¡± The three women said at the same time. ¡°They... giants are just in old children''s tales.¡± The Librarian said, as she remembered the children''s book she had let Ren read. ¡°They''re not...¡± ¡°They''re real.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve got well over a hundred of them in a camp out beyond the Garrison.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Lady Longore said, walked back to her chair, and sat down. ¡°Giants.¡± She stared at the book on the table in front of her, but she didn''t see it at all. ¡°Giants are real.¡± ¡°It gets better.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll tell you about it, but I''d rather have the book get made while I do.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The Librarian said and pulled out a chair for him to sit in. It looked like she did something when she sat down across from Ren, then she smiled at him. ¡°It''s all set.¡± She said. ¡°If you want the occasional picture, just concentrate on what you want to appear.¡± Ren nodded slightly, then started the tale. He went through Groggot getting kidnapped, getting rescued by him and Croggart, then dealing with the crazy giant and finding the first Brain Arthropod Grub. The three women sat and stared at him, while he went through the trip back to giant lands and the encounter with the Guardians of the Land on the Giant Kingdom''s border, and the reception they received. He skipped over the part about sending Rubella and Groggot into the giant lands, though. There was no need to tell anyone that just yet; and continued with waking up in the Garrison and the crazy giant''s attack. The women never spoke a word as he described the giant pit trap, and his plan to lure the giants to it. It had worked, then he was dragged inside. The Librarian and Angeilin gasped appropriately, but Lady Longore only frowned slightly. He continued about finding his mount, fighting the giants until he could clear a path for the healer to get to her, then his triumphant defeat of them all, and then his unfortunate death by being stepped on. The three women stared open-mouthed at him as he went on, and found the giants still in the pit a day later, unfed, then helping them out by providing food, clothing, medical care, and shelter for them. He ended the book with his plea to the giant lands, to ask for asylum for the giants, as they couldn''t be sustained for very long where they were now. Silence filled the Library when Ren stopped speaking, and the Librarian ignored the popups she received. ¡°Um... shouldn''t you... ah...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Is the book ready?¡± The Librarian shook herself out of her shocked trance-like state, then attended the making of the book. ¡°It says you''re about three pages short.¡± She said, and looked at him expectantly. Ren thought about his last encounters at the giant camp, sighed, then added his discussion with Laurelia about her calling him the Dreaded Foe. He was tempted to add the little magic show that he did for the child, but he didn''t want the book to seem too fantastical. He wanted it to be believed, not thought of as a fantasy. ¡°Mark it as a true story.¡± Ren said. ¡°The healer and the Commander of the Garrison saw most of it.¡± ¡°You can get corroboration to... to all of this?¡± Ren nodded and took out the Steel Square that matched the one he had given the Commander. He touched it and thought of the Commander. ¡°Good morning, Commander. It''s Ren. My apologies for bothering you.¡± ¡°You just scared the new recruits with your disembodied voice.¡± The Commander said. ¡°So, it''s fine.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m at the Library, and I''ve written a book about the crazy giant menace, and how we''re stuck with them and want to send them back to their own lands. The Librarian wants some corroborating testimony about the giant pit battle, and what happened to the Garrison.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The Commander said, then described what he had seen in the pit, and how Ren had been like a demon, taking down giant after giant, killing the grubs when they tried to escape, and then his heroic death. ¡°I could argue the heroic part.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go ahead.¡± The Commander said. ¡°I told the truth, so let''s see how far you get with your argument.¡± Ren chuckled again. ¡°Thanks, Commander. I''ll be heading to Aurora soon to disperse the books. Hopefully we can get the giants as far away from dwarf lands as soon as possible.¡± ¡°That''s good to hear.¡± The Commander said. ¡°Good luck.¡± The Steel Square stopped glowing, and Ren looked at the Librarian. ¡°Was that enough?¡± He asked her. She checked the status, and smiled. ¡°Just barely.¡± She said. ¡°Now, I want you to describe yourself as you were in the pit. What you wore, the enchantments you used, and your Aura.¡± Ren thought it was a bit of an odd request, but described the glowing shield, his hammerpick and it''s green glow, and after a bit of prodding, told her of the Controlled Berserk Rage. When he had finished, she had a look of surprise mixed with wonder on her face. ¡°I''ll be right back!¡± The Librarian said, and dashed down the stairs. ¡°You... you...¡± Lady Longore tried to talk, but she couldn''t get anything but the word ''you'' past her lips. ¡°I think she''s fighting her denial.¡± Teepo said as he landed on Ren''s shoulder after yet another quick patrol of the building. ¡°She doesn''t want to believe, but she knows you and the Commander told the truth.¡± I think you''re right. Ren thought, then looked at Angeilin. She had a huge smile on her face, and looked like she was on the verge of giddy laughter. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I knew Dorcot and I made the right decision to change our family name!¡± Angeilin said, enthusiastically. ¡°Not only did you accept us with open arms, then moved our house by yourself... and now you''ve fought an entire horde of giants!¡± She squeaked. ¡°GIANTS!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I didn''t really have much choice.¡± Angeilin snorted a laugh. ¡°Yes, you did!¡± ¡°I was dragged into the pit, remember?¡± He reminded her. She actually laughed this time. ¡°You can''t tell me that you weren''t going to go into the pit eventually anyways.¡± She looked at him. ¡°Can you?¡± ¡°I...¡± ¡°She''s got you there.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°All right, I was.¡± Ren admitted. ¡°Ha!¡± Angeilin squeaked, then looked at Lady Longore. ¡°I told you he was a great man, Lady Longore.¡± ¡°You...¡± Lady Longore said, and her face didn''t show any expression at all. A minute later, the Librarian clomped back up the stairs to the second floor, almost out of breath, and held the book to her chest. ¡°You... just need... huff... a name for it.¡± ¡°Close Encounters of the Giant Kind.¡± Ren said without thinking about it. ¡°That''s...huff... perfect!¡± The Librarian said and looked at the cover of the book as the golden letters formed itself on the cover and spine. ¡°I''ll need 12 copies.¡± Ren said. ¡°8 for the Libraries, 1 for Nathalia, 1 for the Main House, and 2 spares, just in case.¡± ¡°It''s a rank B book, though.¡± The Librarian said, once her breath evened out. ¡°I couldn''t cut anything out of the story, because then it would lose it''s full impact.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll have to do up a letter or something for the copy I''ll be sending to the Library in the giant lands anyways, just to make sure the ones in charge there read it.¡± He said. ¡°I hope they can get back to me about the displaced giants quickly.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I''ll go and get those copies.¡± The Librarian said, stopped, and turned back to Ren. ¡°You should see the cover first.¡± She said and held it out for him to see. The gold letters of the name were across the top of the book, with an image emblazoned below it. It was Ren, standing in the middle of a group of crazy attacking giants, his dull gold-colored armor scratched and dented, red ruby jewel in the chest, blood red eyes of rage, a glowing gold shield and hammerpick, partially covered in blood and gore, and the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak fluttering in the wind. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. I really look like I''m a demon or something! The Librarian didn''t say anything in response; she just walked back to the stairs and clutched the book to her chest. ¡°Please, excuse me for a moment.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just remembered something.¡± Angeilin and Lady Longore nodded slightly, and Ren opened the messaging system. He sent a quick message to Lara, the Sage of Ages, and asked for her help with the book delivery. She responded with her standard ''any little bit of info he wants'' line, but said she was already at the Aurora Library and would wait there for him. He thanked her, and said he would be there in about an hour, and closed the messaging system. ¡°I just had to set up a meeting with the Sage of Ages.¡± Ren said. ¡°You...¡± Lady Longore said. ¡°I think she''s still stuck in her denial.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I guess some people need more convincing that you''re awesome.¡± Ren smiled at Teepo''s words. ¡°You might want to read a book called ''Fire, Fear, and Death''.¡± He told Lady Longore. ¡°When you''ve got some spare time.¡± She put a bookmark in the book she was reading, closed it, and showed him the cover. It was the book he had just mentioned, and he laughed. ¡°Here... you... go...¡± The Librarian said as she came up the stairs carrying the large stack of books. ¡°Ma''am!¡± Ren ran over to her and took them from her. ¡°You left them at the bottom of the stairs the last time.¡± He said. ¡°I would have come with you, otherwise.¡± ¡°It''s... huff... alright.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Ren said, and stored the stack of books. It included his special copy, that went into it''s own slot automatically. ¡°But you aren''t going to listen to me, are you?¡± ¡°No.¡± She said as he helped her walk over to sit at the desk. ¡°I just need to rest for a bit.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''ll stop coming here for things like this, if you don''t start taking better care of yourself.¡± The Librarian''s eyes widened in surprise at Ren''s ultimatum. ¡°Look who''s talking!¡± Angeilin squeaked, then laughed. Ren heard the sound of tinkling glass, and smiled at her. ¡°Do as I say, not as I do.¡± Ren said, and the Librarian laughed. ¡°How are you doing that?¡± Lady Longore asked him. ¡°Doing what?¡± He asked back. ¡°How can you talk to...¡± She looked at Angeilin and then the Librarian. ¡°She means us ''common'' people.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°I don''t mean that in a bad way.¡± Lady Longore said. The Librarian raised her eyebrows at her. ¡°I don''t.¡± Lady Longore said. ¡°I deal with lower class people all the time.¡± She sighed. ¡°By the gods, that sounds so pretentious.¡± She shook her head. ¡°What I meant was, how can he talk to you so informally, and yet you still call him ''your highness'' and ''Lord''. I can never bridge that divide.¡± ¡°I can answer that.¡± Ren said and looked at her. ¡°I wasn''t a part of the nobility at all. In fact, I wasn''t even up to commoner status when I got here.¡± ¡°And look at you now.¡± The Librarian said in admiration. ¡°A self-made Lord.¡± ¡°I didn''t intend...¡± ¡°That''s what makes it so great.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°You earned it. It wasn''t given to you because you married someone, and you weren''t born with it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''ve done amazing things, and helped the people of this land start to break away from the stranglehold House Lodur had on all of us.¡± Ren glanced at Lady Longore, and saw her frown. ¡°Can I ask what''s wrong?¡± ¡°I don''t agree with how that all played out.¡± She said. ¡°I read the book, and there were a few things that should have been handled differently.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You don''t have to tell me that.¡± He said. ¡°All they had to do was wait a week.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lady Longore asked. ¡°I would have been sequestered at the Garrison, and I wouldn''t have discovered anything was going on.¡± Ren said. ¡°By the gods...¡± The Librarian said. ¡°You never would have come to the Library!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Among other things.¡± ¡°Then despite the events that transpired, the outcome I can''t dispute.¡± Lady Longore said. ¡°You have helped the people.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°And now I have to go, so I can help even more people.¡± He said and took the Librarian''s hand. ¡°Ma''am. Until next time.¡± He gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she giggled because his beard tickled her face. Lady Longore''s mouth dropped open at the gesture, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I don''t think your new Honor ritual has made it''s way into the high society circle yet.¡± Teepo said. Angeilin stuck out her hand, and giggled just a much as the Librarian did when he gave her a kiss on the cheek, and thanked him for the Honor. ¡°You... you...¡± Lady Longore tried to speak. ¡°I think you broke her again.¡± Teepo said. Ren looked at her, but she didn''t extend her hand. He smiled and bowed slightly. ¡°Ma''am.¡± He turned to go, and heard a sharp intake of breath. ¡°Wait.¡± Ren turned around and saw that Lady Longore had her hand held out slightly, and waited for it to be taken. He stepped close to her, took the offered hand, and bent in close. ¡°It''s an Honor to meet you again, Lady Longore.¡± Ren said, and pressed his lips to her cheek. He held them there, because he remembered that while she conducted business, she let the Honor rituals lapse to make the men she dealt with on a regular basis more comfortable. After about 10 seconds, he stopped kissing her cheek, and she gasped at the huge amount of Honor Ren had just given her.
Running Quest Update!
You have shown an influential member of society what you can do. Rewards: 2,000 XP
Ren saw Lady Longore blush as he stood up straight, and nodded slightly to the three women. ¡°I hope you all have a good day.¡± Ren said, then left the second floor to head to the front door. * ¡°By the gods.¡± Lady Longore said. ¡°How much did you get?¡± The Librarian asked her, and she shook her head. ¡°He gave me 15 Honor.¡± Angeilin said. ¡°It might have been more; but his beard tickled, and I laughed.¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± The Librarian said, and the two of them discussed how it had felt on their faces, and giggled. It was a hundred. Lady Longore thought to herself. Why did he give me 100 Honor? She stared at the stairway Ren had disappeared down. Why? * Ren walked out the front door of the Library, then ran through the alleyway, and down the street to the main road. Once there, he poured on the speed and was back at House Neram Keep only two minutes later. ¡°Hi, Princess.¡± Ren said as he went into the stable. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Always... He took her reins and led her out to the road. He felt her disappointment that she couldn''t bash through it, and he smiled. ¡°If I find another potion of giant strength, I''ll be sure to give you some more.¡± Princess huffed, and he climbed up in the saddle. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Ren said, she took off at her fastest speed with him riding her, and Teepo chittered in delight. * There he goes. Nathalia thought as she felt Ren pass by. I wonder if I should tell them he''s coming? She handed another cooked dish to one of the servers, and smiled. No, I think I''ll let it be a surprise. * It took Ren just under and hour to ride Princess to the warehouse, and Princess gobbled up most of the french toast and syrup during the trip. ¡°You don''t have to stop so much, you know.¡± Ren said with a grin when he climbed down from her saddle at the warehouse. ¡°I know you can last longer than that.¡± Heavy weight today... Ren felt her trying to hide her amusement. ¡°I''ve still got a couple of slices left for you; but you aren''t getting them until I come back, all right?¡± Princess huffed, and he led her inside the warehouse. ¡°I shouldn''t be too long; but, you know how these things go. I could be ten minutes, or I could be 2 hours.¡± Will wait... Princess thought to him. Tasty food worth it... Ren laughed, pat her neck, and ran up the stairs. ¡°See you on the other side.¡± Teepo said, and dissolved into the ring. Ren opened the cabinet that surrounded the portal, then thought of something he''d forgotten. He took out one of the brooches he''d made a while ago, enchanted it with the Spider Aura, then stored it and stepped through the portal. He opened the cabinet on the other side, stepped out, and secured it. ¡°Finally.¡± A woman''s voice said, and Ren grinned as he turned around to see Elerlyth standing in the bedroom doorway. She still wore armor bodysuit he''d made for her; but it was tattered and torn from the attack she had suffered. Elerlyth had her arms crossed and leaned on the door jamb. ¡°I thought you''d never get here.¡± ¡°Hello to you, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Long time no see.¡± Elerlyth uncrossed her arms, took two steps forward, and punched him as hard as she could in the face. ¡°How could you scare me like that?¡± She asked him, then gripped her hand. ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°I didn''t really have much choice.¡± Ren said and took out a Major Healing wand. He''d lost about 5% of his Health with that shot, but otherwise didn''t show any outward sign that he''d been hit at all. ¡°I was unconscious, after all.¡± He said, took her hand, and healed it. ¡°I couldn''t log in all week!¡± Elerlyth raised her arms in frustration. ¡°If my ability activated, you couldn''t help me with it, goddammit!¡± ¡°I can only say that I''m sorry.¡± Ren said, used the wand on himself to recharge his depleted Mana Pool, then stored it. ¡°You know I''d never leave you to deal with it alone. Not on purpose, anyways.¡± Elerlyth looked like she was going to try and punch him again, then her face crumbled as tears formed in her eyes, and she threw her arms around him to hug him tightly. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± She said, loosened the hug a little, and kissed him. It was kind of awkward at first, with her a foot taller than him; but he held onto her waist and she wrapped her legs around him. With their faces close to the same height now, he stood there and held her in his arms while they kissed. A few minutes later, he had to stop their make out session. ¡°What... what is it?¡± Elerlyth asked, a little breathless. That was intense... and delicious! ¡°I have an appointment at the Library.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to have the Sage of Ages deliver my new book.¡± Elerlyth took a breath, and let it out slowly. ¡°All right.¡± She got her legs under her, and knelt. Ren let her go, and touched the side of her face. ¡°I''ll be quick.¡± Ren said, and took out one of the books. ¡°You can read some of it while I''m busy.¡± Elerlyth looked at the cover, and her eyes widened. ¡°Is... is this... you?!?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah. Mental pictures come out really well, apparently. Even on copies.¡± ¡°H-h-hurry back.¡± Elerlyth said to him, but she only had eyes for the book. Ren kissed her cheek, and left the apartment. He was tempted to stop in to see Anabelle, and ask how the shop was getting along; but, he was going to be late if he didn''t get to the Library within the next few minutes. Ren went down the stairs to the second level and left through the back door. Once outside, he summoned Teepo; who then appeared at his feet. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Teepo said, and flew up into the air to scout ahead. Chapter 232 - Not Now! ¡°Ren, my scout sense is going crazy.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Someone is watching you.¡± Teepo, it''s the middle of the day, and I''m wearing a red suit and running down the street. Ren thought to his friend. Can you tell if they mean me harm? ¡°No.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Only that they''re close.¡± You can''t see them? ¡°Unfortunately, no.¡± Teepo said, a little disappointed in himself. ¡°They''re either concealed really well, or they''re invisible.¡± But you''re invisible, too. Ren thought. I thought you''d be able to see other invisible things. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Other astral forms, sure.¡± He said. ¡°If someone is concealed in a spell, or is just that good with camouflage?¡± Ren felt Teepo''s growing disappointment. ¡°My eyes are just as blind as yours.¡± Teepo said. It''s all right, Teepo. Ren thought as he reached the steps of the Library. I''ll take a different route back, so they''ll have to move to follow. ¡°Ha!¡± Teepo said and flew down to land on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°That''s a smart plan.¡± Only if it works. Ren walked up the steps and went into the Library. He heard a little squeal off to the right, and immediately thought of Angeilin. He knew it wasn''t her, though; and turned just in time to catch Rosie in an embrace. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Rosie whispered in his ear. A man off to the side spoke. ¡°Hey! What gives!¡± He said. ¡°You were helping me!¡± Rosie turned to look at the man, but clung to Ren. ¡°I''ll be right there.¡± She said. ¡°This will only take a moment.¡± The man sat down again, crossed his arms, and kind of sulked. ¡°I see you''ve found someone else that wants to spend time with you.¡± Ren said, and she turned to look at him with wide eyes. ¡°What...¡± Rosie started to say, then smiled. ¡°Someone else, huh?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Hey, you know I like spending time with you.¡± Rosie smiled. ¡°Well, we could spend more time with each other... if you want.¡± Ren took a deep breath. ¡°I''m still engaged.¡± Rosie shifted her body slightly, and sort of fit herself next to Ren''s body, and it was a nice fit. ¡°Thanks to some of the clues you gave in your other book, I was able to ask certain people great questions.¡± She said as she held him much closer than she had intended for such a public place. ¡°So, I know dwarven marriage contracts are open until the ceremony.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that he also had a girlfriend who might not be happy if he started dating someone else, then closed his mouth; because that would only confirm Rosie''s position that he could see other people. Rosie saw his failed attempt to argue, and her heart beat faster. ¡°I... I''m really busy, Rosie.¡± Ren said, to stall for time. ¡°So am I.¡± Rosie said, then put her mouth right next to his ear. ¡°Your beard tickles, but not in a funny way.¡± She said, and kissed his ear. ¡°I wonder where else it would tickle?¡± ¡°R-R-Rosie?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± She whispered in his ear. ¡°People are staring at us.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°No, they aren''t.¡± Rosie said. ¡°They''re staring at you.¡± She smiled. ¡°This place has been full of people asking about you.¡± ¡°It has?¡± ¡°Every third and fourth day.¡± She said. ¡°For the whole month you''ve been gone.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry for the trouble.¡± Rosie giggled, and it was a pleasant sound. ¡°It''s no trouble.¡± She said. ¡°They read a lot while they''re here.¡± ¡°That''s good.¡± Ren said, and didn''t know how to extract himself from her. She had a good hold of him, and he could feel pretty much all of her pressed against him. ¡°I want to hear why you were gone for so long, but that can wait.¡± Rosie said, let him go, and stared at him. ¡°I''m really glad that you''re back.¡± She said. ¡°I missed you.¡± Ren wasn''t sure what to say to that, and she smiled as she saw his confusion. ¡°We can stay friends, if that''s what you want.¡± Rosie said, and Ren relaxed. She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°I still want to spend time with you, though.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Um... I have to... um...¡± ¡°The Sage of Ages is in the back, like always.¡± Rosie said. ¡°She''s waiting for you.¡± ¡°Thanks, Rosie.¡± She nodded and went back to help the man that had made the outburst earlier. ¡°Wow.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That was kind of a surprise.¡± You''re telling me! Ren thought. I mean, we''ve been friends for a while, and there have been hints she might want more, but... ¡°That was a lot more than a hint.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. It''s a good thing she was wearing a skirt. Ren thought. Or she might have straddled me right there in front of everyone! Teepo chittered in delight at the spectacle that would have made, and Ren walked over to the doorway at the side of the room. He ignored the Restricted sign, and opened the door. Thanks to his Patron of Knowledge title, all of the doors in the Library were unlocked for him. He moved down the hallway and entered the back storage room, that was filled with shelves, filing cabinets, and everything else that Libraries used for storage. He walked along the aisle, and came to the desk Lara always used. ¡°I''d say you were late, but you said ''about an hour'', so I can''t really complain.¡± Lara, the Sage of Ages, said from her seat on the other side of the desk. She was reclined in it, with her feet up on the corner of the desk. ¡°Wasn''t that a complaint?¡± Ren said and smiled. Lara snorted a laugh, and smiled. ¡°Good point.¡± She said, took her feet off of the desk, then sat up. ¡°Hurry up and hand them over.¡± ¡°You seem really eager to do this.¡± Ren said, and took out 7 copies of the book. ¡°The faster I do it, the faster I can get back.¡± Lara said. Ren looked at her with his head tilted slightly to the side. ¡°Do you have a spare piece of parchment?¡± Lara opened the desk and took a piece of parchment out, and a writing instrument. ¡°I need to write a letter to the leader of the Giant Lands. Do you know who that is?¡± Lara pointed at him. ¡°Ha!¡± Ren rolled his eyes. ¡°Okay, okay!¡± He said, and handed her the parchment back. ¡°You don''t have to tell me who it is, for pete''s sakes! You write it.¡± Lara took the parchment back from him, and wrote out someone''s name at the top. ¡°What do you want it to say?¡± Ren gave her a quick rundown about the Brain Arthropod Grubs, the impact that they have on giant people, and how to deal with them. Lara stared at him as she saw it, and her eyes widened. ¡°You have one in your inventory.¡± ¡°I took one for evidence, in case I needed it for proof.¡± ¡°Don''t take it out!¡± Lara said, and Ren closed his inventory. He was just about to take it out to show her. ¡°I believe you.¡±Stolen story; please report. ¡°Oh. Right.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Okay, back to the letter.¡± He said, and told her to write an impassioned plea to let the giants back onto giant lands; because they can''t live where they are now, and won''t survive without their help. ¡°Good god.¡± Lara said as she saw the conditions the giants had to live in. ¡°Those poor people.¡± ¡°It was the best I could do on such short notice.¡± Ren said. ¡°You better sign it yourself. They won''t know me at all.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lara looked at him and picked up one of the books. She froze stiff, and her eyes went wide. A moment later, she let the book go, and sat down. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± ¡°Lara?¡± Ren walked around the table, but he knew better than to touch her. ¡°What is it?¡± She blinked her eyes and shook her head. ¡°No, Ren. You have to sign it.¡± She said. ¡°Use your new title, too.¡± Ren looked at her with surprise on his face, and signed the letter as ''Ren, the Dreaded Foe''. ¡°I hope that works.¡± ¡°Oh, don''t worry.¡± Lara said. ¡°It''s definitely going to get someone''s attention.¡± * ¡°Sir!¡± One of the elves said to the head scout. ¡°We''ve found a fresh scent!¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± The head scout said, and unrolled the map they''d drawn of the town. ¡°It came from this building here.¡± The elf said, and pointed to the map. ¡°It went down these streets, to this building here.¡± ¡°That''s the Library.¡± The head scout said. ¡°What in all the realms would a dark elf want in a human Library?¡± ¡°We don''t know, sir.¡± The elf said. ¡°We didn''t go inside.¡± ¡°That was a rhetorical question.¡± The head scout said. ¡°They wouldn''t want anything in a Library.¡± ¡°Oh! Sorry, sir.¡± The head scout smiled. ¡°Send in the jaguars. We want it captured before it escapes again.¡± ¡°Into the Library?¡± The elf asked, surprised. ¡°No, you fool.¡± The head scout said. ¡°We''d be banned the second the jaguars entered the building if we did that. Set up an ambush site just up the street from the Library. Use the nets if you have to. I want that dark elf!¡± ¡°It will be done.¡± The elf said, and took off at a run. * Lara rolled up the letter, tied it with a piece of string, and stored it. ¡°Are you sure you can have that delivered to where it needs to go?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Please.¡± Lara said, stored the books, and stood up. ¡°I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Check to see if there''s a message at the Library in the Giant Kingdom for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told a friend to leave one if he needed me to come and get him.¡± ¡°Oh, great!¡± Lara said as she started to walk away. ¡°Now I''m your mailman, too!¡± ¡°You know I appreciate your help.¡± Ren said, and she blew him a raspberry as she disappeared around the corner of a shelf. ¡°I really do!¡± He nearly yelled, heard her snort a laugh, and then a door closed. ¡°I hope she delivers the one to the giant lands first.¡± Ren said, and looked at the stuff on the desk. There wasn''t anything interesting, so he made a chair for himself and sat down. Now that he had a moment to think about Lara, he remembered her telling him to check through the box of knick-knacks he''d bought from the vendor in the dwarf lands. Ren looked through his inventory for it, and pulled it out. ¡°I really did forget that I had this.¡± Ren said, and opened the box. Inside were a bunch of little things that looked to be carved from wood. Most of it was just junk, but he remembered that there were a couple of them that he was interested in. He moved the contents around, until one of them caught his eye. ¡°There''s one I remember.¡± Ren said, and took out what he thought was a child''s toy. It was a wooden boat about 6 inches long. By itself, it was nothing special; but the thing Ren had noticed about it though, was that it had wooden wheels on the bottom... and a key. It was a wind-up toy. Ren turned the key a couple of times, and put the boat on the desk. The boat moved along at a good pace, then stopped. ¡°Sweet!¡± Ren said, then looked at where Lara had disappeared. ¡°She was right.¡± He said. ¡°This is definitely going to help that farmer and his plow problem.¡± * Lara appeared in the closet at the Library in the Giant Kingdom, and opened the door. Her door was the only one that was made for a little person, and it came out on the floor behind the Librarian, that sat at the main reception desk. The little door was hidden behind a tall stack of giant-sized books, so that no one else would see it, and wonder why there was a little door there. Lara rang the little bell she had been assigned exactly once, and the Librarian put the small ''be right back'' sign for just such an occasion on her desk, and got out of her chair and knelt on the floor by the wall. ¡°What can I do for you today, Sage of Ages?¡± ¡°Sorry for bothering you again so soon.¡± Lara said. ¡°But, this is important.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°You''ve helped us with several things already, and your Respect is quite high. Anything that you say is important, will be dealt with accordingly.¡± ¡°The first.¡± Lara said, and handed her a copy of Ren''s book. ¡°It''s a Rank B, but it should be read by everyone in the government. At least.¡± The Librarian''s eyes widened at her words, and took the book. It was so small, and yet the giant Librarian knew as soon as she entered it into the system, it would expand to a size she could read. These little people and their magic! She thought, and left for a minute. She put the book into the system, and sure enough, it made a copy and it was now normal-sized. The Librarian gasped at the title, and stared at the cover. She took a quick flip through the pages, and saw several images inside. ¡°Oh... my.¡± She said, closed the book, and brought it back to the Sage of Ages. ¡°Is this a fantasy book?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no.¡± Lara said. ¡°It happened only 2 days ago.¡± ¡°Y-y-you''re serious?!?¡± The Librarian asked. ¡°This is... this is real?¡± ¡°You need to read it.¡± Lara said. ¡°You''ll understand why afterwards.¡± She held out the rolled up letter. ¡°This needs to get to the Chancellor, right away.¡± She said. ¡°With a copy of the book.¡± The Librarian nodded, and went to her desk. She rang a similar bell to the one Lara had rung, and a young giant ran over to the reception desk. ¡°Store this and hand it back.¡± She commanded the young giant, and he did so. The letter resized to full size, and she put it and the book into a large envelope. She sealed it, and handed it to the young giant, who stored it. ¡°Chancellor Sagradia, immediately.¡± The Librarian said. The young giant ran off and out the door, and the Librarian went back to kneel beside Lara. ¡°He''ll have it within minutes, Sage of Ages.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Lara said. ¡°You''re always so nice.¡± ¡°I like little people.¡± The Librarian smiled. ¡°That you''re also the Sage of Ages just makes it that much better.¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°Please make copies for the ones who need it.¡± She said and reached into her coin pouch. ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°If this really is a government matter, there''s no charge for it.¡± ¡°Please let me know if that changes.¡± Lara said. ¡°Of course.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°If that''s all, I should get back to work.¡± ¡°Actually...¡± Lara said, a little uncomfortable. ¡°...did anyone leave a message for me here?¡± ¡°Let me check.¡± The Librarian said and went back to her desk. A few moments later, she came back. ¡°No, there''s nothing for you.¡± She said. ¡°Are you expecting something?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± Lara said. ¡°I''m not sure when it will get here, though.¡± ¡°I will watch for it.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°Thank you very much for all of your help.¡± Lara said. ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± The Librarian said, stood up, and went back to her desk. Lara turned around, stepped into her closet, and shut the door. She chose the next Library on the drop down menu, and opened the door to deliver the next book. * Ren had examined the boat as much as he could, without taking it apart. He couldn''t get the plans for it, though. He was tempted to use his tools to open it right here, but if he dropped anything, or made a mess, Lara would get angry at him. He stored the box of knick-knacks, and then the toy boat. He sat there, and remembered the farm equipment book. He smiled as he thought about adding the plow and harvest mechanisms to a wind up toy. * Oh my GOD! Elerlyth thought as she skimmed through the book and Ren''s encounter with Rubella. Ren! You crazy idiot! She flipped the pages through his encounter at the giant land border next, and started to skim over the details of him at the Garrison, and how he dealt with the crazy giants. Oh, my GOD! She thought when she got to the part about the pit trap, and kept reading. ******** Detective Ramirez was in charge of the whole operation in the hidden room Officer Stonewall had discovered. The techs were working on removing the backup hard drive from the crumpled mess it was in, and tried their best to not damage it any further. The forensics team was in the middle of dusting every single photograph for prints. So far, they had nothing. Come on, come on! The Detective thought as he watched them work. Give me something! ¡°Everything''s been photographed and videotaped.¡± The photographer said. Officer Stonewall looked at him sternly. ¡°It''s digital.¡± She said. ¡°They haven''t made actual videotape in years.¡± The photographer chuckled. ¡°It''s just an expression.¡± ¡°Then say ''recorded'' instead.¡± She corrected him. ¡°If someone heard you call it videotape, when none actually exists, we could be accused of concealing or destroying evidence.¡± ¡°Sorry, officer.¡± Officer Stonewall sighed. ¡°No, it''s okay.¡± She said. ¡°Staring at all these pictures is making me antsy.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± One of the other officers said. ¡°To think they had someone this close to him.¡± The officer said, and pointed to a series of pictures of Ren, asleep in his hospital bed. ¡°They wouldn''t have to be close to him.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°Just have access to his room.¡± ¡°That''s a pretty big list, though.¡± ¡°We''ve eliminated the nurses, at least.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°The only one that was even questionable, we already have in protective custody.¡± ¡°Do you think it was the doctor?¡± Officer Stonewall asked. Detective Ramirez shook his head. ¡°No. I think he''s either a red herring, or so deep in this that he wouldn''t need the pictures anyways.¡± ¡°No luck finding him, then?¡± The other officer asked. ¡°Not a trace.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°His car is gone and his bank accounts were emptied.¡± She said. ¡°He even left his house unlocked.¡± She shook her head. ¡°There were already two parties thrown there, and half a dozen squatters when we got there.¡± The other officer laughed. ¡°Who does that?¡± He asked. ¡°I mean, that''s like something out of a movie or something.¡± ¡°His house is in a swanky neighborhood.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Some people actually showed up to have a party, while we were there trying to gather evidence.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Whoever set it up made sure there was too many other people in the house for us to find anything.¡± ¡°I couldn''t even look in the bathroom.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°Good god, the smell!¡± The other officer laughed again. ¡°Been there, done that.¡± He said. ¡°When it''s not your bathroom, and you don''t care what happens...¡± He looked at the detective. ¡°How many needles did you find?¡± ¡°They filled two containers just from what was in the bathroom.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°They haven''t finished with the rest of the house yet, and it''s been three days.¡± The officer shook his head. ¡°We should leave the place open after the investigation.¡± He said. ¡°We could have half of the druggies off the streets by the end of the month.¡± ¡°I got one!¡± One of the forensics members exclaimed. There were several cheers and high fives, and Detective Ramirez and Officer Stonewall rushed over to see. ¡°Tell me it''s a full print!¡± He demanded, and the tech grinned. ¡°One full index print, right here.¡± She said, and held up one of the polaroids. ¡°Someone wiped off the front of every picture... but this little guy, he wasn''t completely glued down like the others.¡± She said and turned it over to show him a clearly-defined dusted fingerprint. ¡°I could kiss you!¡± Detective Ramirez said, and the tech blushed slightly. ¡°That''s excellent work.¡± ¡°T-thank you, sir.¡± ¡°Get it to the lab, asap.¡± He said. ¡°I want it run on any database that we have access to.¡± ¡°Y-yes, sir!¡± The tech said, bagged the photo, and the other officer volunteered to escort her out. ¡°This could blow this whole case wide open.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Yes, it could.¡± A bland male voice said from the doorway. ¡°Thank you.¡± Detective Ramirez turned towards the voice, and saw who it was. ¡°Ah, dammit.¡± It was Agent Smith, with his partner Agent Smith. ¡°I think we can take it from here.¡± ¡°Goddammit!¡± Detective Ramirez shouted, and Officer Stonewall sighed. Chapter 233 - Warnings Lara, the Sage of Ages, came back to the Aurora Library after she delivered the books for Ren. She opened her closet, walked down the aisle and around the corner, to see Ren as he sat on the other side of her desk. ¡°Okay, I''ve delivered your book to the other libraries.¡± Lara said, and Ren stood up. ¡°Thanks a lot, Lara.¡± Ren said. ¡°What do I owe you?¡± ¡°A diamond ring.¡± Lara said without missing a beat. ¡°About 5 carats.¡± She said. ¡°Anything bigger than that, and I won''t be able to wear it.¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Um... are you asking me to propose?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Lara said, and laughed. ¡°I just want to see what it would look like.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I... don''t know how to make jewelry.¡± ¡°I see a nice pendant hanging there around your neck.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve also seen the brooches you''ve made.¡± ¡°I have the recipes for them.¡± Ren said. ¡°But I don''t know how to properly set gemstones or anything.¡± Lara smiled, opened another drawer in the desk and handed Ren a small book. He took it, and read the title.
Generic Jewel Mounts and Settings
Everything you need to know to get started with working with gems and jewels, how to set them properly, and how to shape them to fit. Rank: C
¡°Where did you get that?!?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I have access to 8 Libraries that span the entire game world.¡± Lara said and smiled. ¡°If there''s a book that exists anywhere, I can get it.¡± ¡°That''s good to hear.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want a copy of every book you can get.¡± Lara''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°E-e-excuse me?¡± ¡°I honestly don''t know what I''m going to need next, and rather than wait for something to come up, I want to have my own Library to handle things.¡± ¡°You... that''s...¡± ¡°Money''s not an object.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know that.¡± ¡°I... that''s...¡± ¡°Yeah, I think you''re right.¡± He said. ¡°Getting one of everything might be a bit too much.¡± ¡°Whew.¡± Lara said. ¡°I think I should focus on construction techniques, crafting, spells, runes, and enchantments.¡± Lara took a deep breath, then shook her head. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I... I just got a popup.¡± She said and sighed. ¡°Your access to things like that is restricted.¡± ¡°Wait, what?!?¡± Lara copied the notice and sent it to him. ¡°Have a look for yourself.¡±
System Notice!
Information on undiscovered / undisclosed races cannot be shared with other players. Unless they discover it for themselves, you cannot tell them anything. This is your second warning.
¡°Second warning?¡± Ren asked her, but she shook her head. ¡°Dammit.¡± ¡°It was a great idea, though.¡± Lara smiled. ¡°If I did what you asked... even just the few books it would be from each Library...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''d have restricted information about all of the different kingdoms in the game.¡± ¡°And the other races.¡± Lara said. ¡°And apparently that''s a big no-no right now.¡± ******** ¡°You can''t do this!¡± Detective Ramirez said as the FBI agent took the bagged photo with the fingerprint on it. ¡°We can, and we are.¡± Agent Smith said. ¡°You''ve done excellent work so far.¡± He commended the detective. ¡°I hope you can continue to do so for the department in charge.¡± ¡°SCREW YOU!¡± Detective Ramirez shouted as loud as he could, and everyone looked at him. His face flushed a deep red, but he didn''t back down. ¡°We discovered that evidence!¡± He said. ¡°The police department! Not you!¡± ¡°That will be reflected in our report.¡± The other Agent Smith said. ¡°There''s enough to this case that everyone can...¡± ¡°I don''t care about that, you smug bastard!¡± Detective Ramirez said, and Officer Stonewall put a hand on his arm to try and calm him down. ¡°I''m fine, Officer Stonewall.¡± He said and glared at the FBI agents. ¡°That poor boy was strapped to the bed because someone drugged him so much that he was unconscious for a whole goddamn week! If we don''t catch these sickos, who knows what they''ll do to him next!¡± ¡°That''s our...¡± ¡°No, it isn''t!¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°All you care about is solving the case, having another notch on your belt, and patting yourselves on the back.¡± He fumed. ¡°You couldn''t give two shits about that boy!¡± ¡°Now see here.¡± Agent Smith said. ¡°We may look like we don''t care...¡± ¡°It''s all right, Agent Smith.¡± The other Agent Smith said, and turned to look at Officer Stonewall. ¡°I don''t think we can reason with your partner while he''s in this state.¡± ¡°I''m standing right HERE!¡± Detective Ramirez said, but the agent ignored him. ¡°We''ll send it off immediately, and will have something for you in about 10 minutes.¡± Officer Stonewall nodded slightly, the FBI agents left the room, and were followed by the stares of everyone that was there. ¡°Goddammit!¡± Detective Ramirez exclaimed. The agent was right. Officer Stonewall sighed. No one can talk to him when he gets going like this. ******** Ren read the small book quickly, and absorbed the information inside. Since he was in a Library, his Intense Student ability kicked in, and all of his Knowledge skills were doubled; including his Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge skills. He closed the book, and got a popup. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Notice!
You have gained basic knowledge of preparing gems to be set into metal.
Gemstone Cutting Level 1 (Beginner 0%) The process of shaping faceted gemstones
Sub Skills:
Gemstone Lapping (Grinding) Level 1 (Beginner 0%) Allows the use of diamond encrusted files (or diamond dust on a cloth) to smooth surfaces of gemstones.
Gemstone Setting Level 1 (Beginner 0%) Able to use techniques to set gems into metal. Bezel (solder metal onto gem, then to jewelry), Prong (metal wire or claws to hold the gem in place), Channel (two strips of metal, and the gems mounted between), Bead (set into metal, then the metal is dragged over the lip of the gem in bead shapes), Burnish (set gem flush with the surface of the metal).
Polishing Level 1 (Advanced 65%) Adds shine and durability to objects
Soldering Level 1 (Beginner 0%) Allows various metals to be attached to each other using molten metal.
Polishing is cross-linked with Polishing under my Smithing skill. Ren thought. Cool.
Notice!
Your Hidden Knowledge skill has let you discern something, that others usually miss. You recognize the techniques as those discovered by Orimihr Juldor, the good friend of the legendary blacksmith Delthid Kulduhr.
¡°Whoa. This book uses Orimihr Juldor''s techniques.¡± Ren said surprised, then handed the book back to Lara. ¡°The same jeweler that the legendary smith had framed for the theft of the Dwarven Kingdom''s crown jewels.¡± Lara looked at him for a moment, then closed her eyes. She opened them, and took out a piece of parchment. She wrote a few things down on it, folded it up, and pressed her thumb over the closure. A wax seal magically appeared, and she handed it to Ren. ¡°Have that delivered to House Lodur''s mines.¡± Lara said. ¡°You can thank me later.¡± ¡°Do I even want to ask how I do that?¡± Ren asked her, and she laughed. ¡°Send a messenger.¡± Lara said, and he snorted a laugh. ¡°I meant how to thank you.¡± ¡°I''m sure you''ll think of something.¡± She said. Ren nodded, and stood. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said, and took out a handful of platinum to put on her desk. ¡°What''s that for?¡± Lara asked. ¡°You delivered the books to all those Libraries.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure you had to pay for copies to be available.¡± Lara looked at the stack of coins and shook her head. ¡°You really shouldn''t be giving it away like that.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°If it comes down to it, I''ll stop my over-spending ways.¡± He said. ¡°Until then, when it rains, it pours.¡± Lara smiled, stood up, and came around the desk. ¡°Now that we''ve got all the work stuff out of the way.¡± She said, and held out her hand. ¡°What... what are you doing?¡± Ren looked at her hand, then at her face. ¡°I just want to confirm something.¡± She said. ¡°Can you turn off your ability?¡± Lara took in a breath through her nose, and let it out through her mouth. ¡°No, but I can control it a lot more now.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Thanks to you, and all that XP you keep sending my way.¡± Ren smiled crookedly. ¡°It doesn''t make you feel bad that you''re pretty much just leeching XP from me?¡± Lara snorted a laugh. ¡°How else am I going to get it?¡± She asked. ¡°I can''t fight worth a damn.¡± Ren looked at her with concern on his face. ¡°Hey, I don''t want your sympathy!¡± He grinned. ¡°Like I didn''t know that.¡± Lara sighed. ¡°Sorry.¡± She said. ¡°What was with the concerned look?¡± ¡°I just remember your interview when they had that press conference after we won the contest.¡± Ren said. ¡°You mentioned being able to use kinds of magic that no one else can.¡± ¡°Yeah, and?¡± ¡°I was wondering what they are.¡± Lara shook her head. ¡°I can''t tell you, remember?¡± Ren blinked his eyes. ¡°Ah, gotcha.¡± He said. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Was that all?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said, and grinned as Lara groaned. ¡°Come on, Lara; don''t be like that.¡± He said. ¡°I''m going to help you this time.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked. ¡°How would you like a couple of Fireball wands?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°If you can''t fight worth a damn, like you say, but you can use magic; so, wands should be right up your alley.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Lara sighed. ¡°I don''t think I''d be good out in the field with you.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°You don''t have to come along when I go out after the Dark Elves that hurt Elerlyth.¡± He said. ¡°But I don''t want you defenseless, either.¡± ¡°Alright, I''ll take one.¡± Lara said. ¡°One! It couldn''t hurt to have some offensive punch if I ever need it.¡± ¡°It has 50 charges, and you can refill them with Mana.¡± Ren said and took out a Minor Healing wand. He absorbed the charges from it, replaced the spell with Fireball, and handed it to her. She didn''t even close her eyes as she took it, then stored it. ¡°You are getting better at it.¡± He said, and took out another Minor Healing wand and absorbed the charges from that one, and replaced the spell with Major Healing. Lara took that one without a word, and Ren took out one more wand, and replaced the spell with Web. ¡°You''re crazy for giving me all of this.¡± Lara said. ¡°What, exactly, do you think I do when you''re not around?¡± Ren grinned as he took out one more wand, replaced the spell with Grease, and handed it to her. Lara looked at the popup, and blushed slightly. ¡°No, I haven''t...¡± ¡°...been doing anything that needs lubrication?¡± Ren asked, and laughed as her blush deepened. ¡°Don''t worry, I won''t tell anyone.¡± ¡°You better not!¡± Lara said heatedly, and stepped close. ¡°Now take my hand like I wanted you to before!¡± Ren took her hand, and she closed her eyes. She stayed that way for nearly a full minute, then opened her eyes. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± She said in a low voice, stepped close, and took him into a hug. She leaned her face against his, and her cheek was warm as it touched his. He hugged her back, and he felt her tears as they ran down his cheek. ¡°Do I have to say that I don''t mind if you give me your sympathy?¡± Ren asked her jokingly, and she laughed. ¡°No.¡± She said as she turned her head, kissed his cheek, and leaned back. ¡°You know I saw what happened with Nathalia and her biological mother.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I figured the tears were from the little episode I had from her mist-covered dagger.¡± ¡°Little episode, he says.¡± Lara shook her head, but still held him close. ¡°You died so many times!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Not game deaths, either.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Although, you''ve done that twice, too.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°How did you like the view of that giant foot at the end?¡± ¡°A hell of a lot better than I liked that fucking needle from the first one!¡± ¡°Such language from a lady.¡± Ren said, and smiled as she laughed. ¡°Is my line supposed to be, ''I ain''t no lady''?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°A double negative cancels each other out.¡± He kissed her cheek, just like she had kissed his only a few moments before, then let her out of the hug. ¡°I have to go.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Lara said, and sat on the edge of her desk. ¡°Your idea was right, by the way. Head out and around the Library, and they have to move to get to you.¡± Ren blinked his eyes once, then smiled. ¡°I don''t suppose you can tell me who ''they'' are?¡± ¡°You already know who they are.¡± Lara said. ¡°But, I will give you a hint. It''s related to who you kissed before coming in here.¡± Ren thought about it, and wondered who it was that was connected to Rosie somehow. Lara laughed as she saw his confusion. ¡°I meant before coming into the Library, not this room.¡± ¡°Ooooh.¡± Ren said, and then remembered he had kissed Elerlyth before he came to the Library. ¡°Well, crap.¡± Lara nodded. ¡°I can''t tell you how it turns out; only that it''s going to happen.¡± ¡°And you won''t know more until afterwards.¡± ¡°I might, but coming back to see me all the time to see what''s going to happen, will itself change how things happen.¡± She said. Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, you''ve gotta love probabilities.¡± ¡°Isn''t sarcasm wonderful?¡± Lara said and grinned at him. ¡°Thanks, Lara.¡± Ren said. ¡°For everything.¡± ¡°It''s Lisa, actually. Lara is my Player ID.¡± She said. Ren''s eyes widened slightly, then smiled. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you, Lisa.¡± He said. ¡°My name''s Ren.¡± Lara, aka Lisa, snorted a laugh. ¡°Like I didn''t know that already.¡± He grinned at her, gave her a slight bow, then left the storage area. * Well, our relationship is still on track. Lara thought as she picked up the handful of platinum coins. I was worried that incident with Nathalia would have messed everything up. She sighed. He''s not going to like what''s going to happen to her next, though. A tear came to her eye. I really wish I could have told him! ******** Agent Smith had used his phone to take a clear picture of the fingerprint, and sent it to the home office. That was 8 minutes ago, and the data was just coming in. Who it belonged to was quite a surprise. ¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡± Agent Smith sighed and showed it to his partner. ¡°Look at this.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± The other Agent Smith said. ¡°Hey, are you really going to send this info to Officer Stonewall?¡± Agent Smith nodded. ¡°She''s going to be just about as happy with it as we are.¡± He said, typed up a text message, and sent it. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± The other Agent Smith asked. ¡°What we always do when the crap hits the fan this spectacularly.¡± Agent Smith said. ¡°Call the boss.¡± * Officer Stonewall''s cell phone beeped, and she took it out. Who would be sending me a text this late in the... ¡°Oh, no.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Detective Ramirez asked. ¡°The print came back.¡± ¡°He actually sent the info to you?¡± Officer Stonewall nodded. ¡°I''m just as surprised as you, John.¡± She said. ¡°But it gets better.¡± ¡°Stop beating around the bush, and tell me who it is!¡± ¡°You''re not going to believe it.¡± Officer Stonewall sighed. ¡°I don''t believe it either.¡± ¡°Holly!¡± ¡°The fingerprint.¡± She looked at her partner. ¡°It belongs to Mayor Danicot.¡± Detective Ramirez was too shocked to swear this time. ******** Ren walked out through the door at the end of the hallway, and saw Rosie was still helping the same man from before. He felt a bit jealous, and stopped walking. She saw this, excused herself from the man, and came over to him. Rosie took his hand, and led him down the closest aisle. ¡°What is it?¡± Rosie asked him. ¡°I...¡± Ren remembered that he shouldn''t hide what he was feeling, and told her. ¡°I''m jealous of the guy you''re helping.¡± Rosie had a slight surprised look on her face for a second, then she beamed a smile at him. ¡°You''re such a flatterer.¡± She ran a hand though his hair, batted her eyelashes at him several times, then leaned in close. ¡°You don''t have to be jealous.¡± She whispered in his ear, then walked away with a lot more sway in her hips than she ever had before. Ren shook his head in disbelief, because he had watched Rosie walk all the way back to the table that the man sat at, and she stood a slight bit away from him. Ren walked out of the aisle and towards the front door, and glanced over at her. She gave him a little wave, and used the hand to point at something in a book that the man wasn''t paying any attention to. It had been such a smooth movement, that if you hadn''t watched closely, it didn''t look like she had waved at all. Ren left the Library, and Teepo took off from his shoulder as he ran down the street and around the Library, to come up the back street. He was now 2 streets over from where he had come down, and if anyone was trying to track him, they would have to move. He slowed to a walk, to avoid looking like he was trying to run away or something. ¡°I got them!¡± Teepo said, from about 60 feet up. ¡°The next alley has two somethings moving in it.¡± Somethings? Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°They''re still obscured, or camouflaged, or something.¡± He said. ¡°I only caught the movement.¡± Anything else? ¡°Not that I can... wait!¡± Teepo exclaimed. ¡°On the roof of the next building. They are definitely trying to get ahead of you.¡± Should I slow down? ¡°No. There''s two more up ahead on the fourth building.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If I had to take a guess, it looks like... yeah, it''s definitely a net.¡± A net? ¡°They''re going to try to capture you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The other two on the roof are with them now, and the somethings from the alley are behind you.¡± Any suggestions? ¡°Go all out and make minced meat out of them.¡± Teepo said. Ren glanced around, and saw several townspeople. I can''t. He thought. I''d scare too many people if I did that. ¡°You could equip your armor at least.¡± Teepo said. I can''t do that, either. Ren thought. They''ll know that I know they''re tracking me. ¡°Well, then.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I only have one more suggestion.¡± What''s that? ¡°Get caught.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Chapter 234 - High Elves The High Elves camouflage spell was canceled when they threw the large net. Ren assumed because it was a sudden jerky movement, the spell couldn''t hide them anymore. He had been forewarned of the net by Teepo, so he easily rolled out of the way and stood up again. ¡°Behind!¡± Teepo said, and Ren turned around to see a jaguar leap towards him. He only had time to open his arms to catch the beast, and the jaguar slammed into him. Thanks to Ren''s Unstoppable and Rock Steady skills combined, he was impossible to knock over with both feet on the ground. He heard a crack of bone, and the jaguar mewled in pain. ¡°I''m so sorry, kitty.¡± Ren said, as he held the hurt jaguar. It looked like one of it''s front paws was broken. ¡°I didn''t notice that you didn''t have your claws out.¡± There was a loud growl from the side, and Ren glanced over to see another jaguar ready to pounce. ¡°Please, don''t.¡± He said to it, and it eased out slightly from it''s crouch. It had seen what had happened to it''s mate. ¡°They''re throwing the net again.¡± Teepo said as he flew down to land on Ren''s shoulder. That''s fine. Ren thought, and laid the jaguar down on the street. He knelt over it, took out the Major Healing wand, and touched the jaguar''s leg as the net covered them both. ¡°This is going to hurt.¡± The jaguar growled, and the other jaguar growled, too. Ren pulled the paw out straight, and the jaguar screamed. He used the Major Healing wand on the paw, and the jaguar quieted right away. ¡°No!¡± The Tracker yelled and pulled out his bow. ¡°He''s killed it!¡± He let the arrow go, and it flew across the short distance to hit Ren in the lower back. ¡°Ugh!¡± Ren grunted as he lost 10% of his Health. A moment later, he got a popup.
Notice!
You have been Poisoned! Thanks to your Hardy skill, you will only lose 1 Health every 3 seconds, instead of every second. It is a particularly strong poison, so you will stay Poisoned until an Antidote has been administered.
¡°At least he didn''t hit you with his rushed shot, kitty.¡± Ren said and pet it. The jaguar purred slightly, but because the net covered them both, it couldn''t get up. ¡°It''s alright.¡± Ren said and tried to lift the net. Hooks along it''s edges dug into the street and held the net in place. Damn, I can''t move it. He thought. The more I pull, the more it digs in. He looked at how the net covered them, and smiled. He took out his Wand of Engorgement and pet the jaguar again. ¡°Go to your mate.¡± He said, and used the wand on himself. ¡°Great Vasalor! He''s becoming a giant!¡± One of the elves exclaimed as Ren grew to twice his size, and the net was easily lifted from the street. His growing size had pushed some of the hooks out on one side, and it couldn''t hold anything down anymore. Ren stood up and held the net in one hand, as the jaguar slunked away to go to it''s mate. Ren wasn''t sure which was male and which was female, but he saw one licking the other''s face, and heard the purring. ¡°Who threw that?¡± Ren said as he turned around quickly, saw 4 elves about 20 feet away, and threw the net at them. The elves scattered to the sides, and the net hit the street without catching anything. ¡°He''s not a giant!¡± The Tracker said. ¡°He''s only a foot taller than me!¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Do we open fire?¡± ¡°No!¡± One of them said. ¡°We don''t want him dead, just captured!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked them as he reached around and pulled out the arrow. ¡°You aren''t dark elves. Why are you after me?¡± ¡°We don''t answer questions from killers like you!¡± The Tracker said and loaded another arrow. Ren took out his shield and deflected the shot. ¡°I said cease fire!¡± One of the elves said. ¡°He killed my-¡± The Tracker stopped talking as both cats had come around the building behind him and sat at his sides. ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± He looked down at them. ¡°But I saw...¡± The Enlarge Person spell wore off, and Ren returned to his normal size. ¡°He''s back to normal size!¡± One of the elves said. ¡°Get him!¡± Ren had lost 100 Health from the arrow shot, and had lost 60 Health so far from being Poisoned. The elves moved around to attack, except for the Tracker. He knelt and hugged his jaguars. ¡°I can do it again, if you want.¡± Ren said, and used the wand again. He grew to just over 9 feet tall and stared at the elves. ¡°I didn''t attack the last time I was like this.¡± He said. ¡°Do you want me to attack this time?¡± ¡°Do your worst!¡± One of the elves said, and Ren laughed. ¡°You wouldn''t like that.¡± Ren said, equipped his hammerpick, and it doubled in size. He looked down the street at some of the townspeople who had gathered to watch. ¡°Sorry about this, everyone.¡± Ren hefted the hammerpick over his head, and rather than swing it forward to hit the ground, he swung it backwards, down, and forward with the plow end instead. The double-sized end tore up an enormous trough in the street, right through the paving stones as if they weren''t there. Ren jerked the tool up on the follow through, and flung the large amount of dug up dirt across the distance to hit two of the elves. They had failed to dodge out of the way of the near tidal wave of earth that came towards them. The unfortunate elves were engulfed by the dirt, paving stone pieces, and rocks. There was no movement from the pile when it settled, and Ren looked at the remaining elves. ¡°That wasn''t my worst.¡± Ren said as the spell wore off, and he returned to normal size. ¡°Do you really want me to keep going?¡± ¡°Duck!¡± Teepo said. Ren ducked automatically as a large arrow, nearly twice the size and thickness of a normal arrow, zoomed past his head and stuck into the ground. ¡°On the roof, two buildings over.¡± Teepo said, and Ren turned to look where it had come from. It was an elf, over 8 feet tall, and his longbow was as big as him. He nocked another arrow into the bow, and Ren shook his head. ¡°Stop this!¡± Ren shouted. The elf didn''t react at all to Ren''s shout, and let the arrow go. Ren held his shield up to defend himself, and the arrow hit the center of the shield with a loud clang of metal on metal. Ren grunted from the impact, and thanks to his Shock Absorption and Block skills, he only took 50 points of damage. That thing could go right through me! Ren thought as the large arrow fell to the ground in front of him. It''s nothing special, either. He thought. It''s just a big, thick arrow. ¡°He''s getting ready to shoot again!¡± Teepo said, and Ren clenched his fist in frustration. ¡°Fine!¡± Ren said, made a connection between his hammerpick and shield, angled the shield up towards the elf, then activated the Screaming Terror enchantment.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± ¡°Agghhh!¡± ¡°Oh, god!¡± ¡°Noooo!¡± Ren heard the screams of the townspeople that were caught within the enchantment''s cone of effect, but had to ignore them for the moment. With the boosted enchantment, it''s power and area of effect had doubled. Teepo? ¡°He''s dropped the bow¡± Teepo said. ¡°He''s holding his head and shaking it.¡± Ren deactivated the enchantment, stored the shield and hammerpick, and took off running. ¡°Hey! He''s getting away!¡± One of the remaining elves said. Ren wasn''t trying to get away, however. He ran up the street, and used his Boots of Striding and Leaping. He strode and leaped up onto a cart, then to the top of a one storey building. He ran across the top of it, jumped to a connecting balcony, then half-jumped-half-climbed to the top of the next two storey building where the elf with the large longbow had been. It hadn''t taken long for Ren to get there, but it was long enough for the elf to have picked up his dropped longbow. He had also recovered from the blast of terror. ¡°Move, and I''ll skewer you.¡± The High Elf said, with an arrow pointed at Ren''s head. ¡°We''re supposed to bring you back.¡± He said. ¡°They didn''t say it had to be alive.¡± ¡°What do you want with an elfling like me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Ha!¡± The High Elf said. ¡°We know all about your polymorphing tricks, Dark Elf scum.¡± ¡°Dark elf?¡± Ren asked, then had an idea. I can''t polymorph, but I can equip something that might surprise him. ¡°I''m not a dark elf.¡± The High Elf shook his head. ¡°You aren''t going to convince me you-¡± His words stopped as Ren equipped his High Elven Court Uniform, that he and Sally had made so long ago. The elf''s face froze in shock, because Ren was wearing the royal garments; and now that the elf wasn''t actively trying to protect himself from Ren''s Aura, he felt how much Honor Ren had. ¡°You... you''re not...¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said, took out a stone brick, and threw it at the elf''s hand that held the bow. ******** Detective Ramirez was driving his car back to the station, and Officer Stonewall sat in the passenger seat beside him. ¡°Good, god.¡± She said. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± The detective didn''t respond to her question and drove on in silence. ¡°John?¡± He grunted. ¡°Please, tell me what...¡± ¡°There''s nothing we can do.¡± ¡°What... what do you mean?¡± ¡°He''s the freaking mayor of the city, Holly!¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°No judge in this whole jurisdiction would issue a warrant to have his place searched!¡± ¡°But... aren''t we even going to question him?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°John!¡± ¡°A fingerprint on the back of a photo, among thousands.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Do you really think he''s going to admit he touched the thing?¡± He shook his head. ¡°He''ll deny it completely, and say it was planted.¡± ¡°Goddammit!¡± Officer Stonewall said, and Detective Ramires smiled. ¡°You''ve been hanging around me too much.¡± He said, and she snorted a laugh. ¡°At least I haven''t started calling you honey.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± Detective Ramirez exclaimed, and she shook her head. ¡°You called me ''honey'' just before you went to get the warrant to look in that room.¡± Officer Stonewall said, and Detective Ramirez'' face flushed red. ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± He said. ¡°I just...¡± ¡°...got too excited to hold yourself in check.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°Yeah.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t mean to insult you or anything.¡± ¡°I know.¡± She said and sighed. ¡°But you can''t say things like that.¡± ¡°I...¡± Detective Ramirez sighed. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°I''m not going to report it.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°You''re going to have enough reports on you tonight to last a while.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± He said, his voice an even mix of sarcasm and gratitude. After a few minutes of silence, Officer Stonewall spoke. ¡°So, what are we going to do?¡± Detective Ramirez didn''t say anything right away, and she relaxed into the seat. ¡°Do you still have that little voice recorder?¡± He asked her a minute later. ¡°No.¡± She said, saw his frown, then smiled. ¡°I upgraded when the new voice recognition software came out.¡± He glanced at her, and she slipped a little device out of her shirt pocket. ¡°It sends everything right to my phone and home computer. Voice and text at the same time.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Detective Ramirez said, slammed on the brakes, and did a u-turn right in the middle of the street. ¡°John!¡± He jammed his foot on the gas and peeled the tires. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Me? Nothing.¡± Detective Ramirez grinned. ¡°We, on the other hand, are going to pay a little unofficial visit to our beloved mayor.¡± ******** Ren had thrown the stone brick hard enough to make the elf drop the bow, but the elf shifted his bow sideways to try and block it. Unfortunately, it deflected the stone up and it hit the elf flat in the face. Ren gasped as the elf was knocked out instantly and started to fall backwards. ¡°No!¡± Ren said, and ran forwards to try and catch him; but, it was much too late. The elf fell over the side of the building, tumbled through the air, and landed on the ground. Blood pooled from underneath the body immediately, and Ren saw that the elf''s neck was at the wrong angle to still be alive. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Teepo said, and Ren nodded. Oh crap indeed. Ren thought, changed back into his House Neram red suit, and carefully climbed down the side of the building. ¡°I guess this is your worst.¡± One of the elves said, as Ren hopped down the last few feet to land on the ground. ¡°I didn''t mean for it to happen like this.¡± Ren said. ¡°I tried to disarm him so he wouldn''t shoot me, but he deflected the stone. Once he was unconscious, he lost his footing and fell. I couldn''t get to him in time.¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± The Tracker said. ¡°You have killed the head scout.¡± ¡°What''s going to happen now?¡± ¡°You are going to have to come with us.¡± The Tracker said. ¡°To answer for your crimes.¡± ¡°What crimes?¡± ¡°Murder, for one.¡± The Tracker said. ¡°Being a dark elf for another.¡± ¡°I''m not a dark elf, and I didn''t murder him!¡± ¡°Whether it was an accident or not, he''s still dead.¡± One of the elves said. He must have dug the two elves out of the pile of dirt they had been buried in, as they were all there now. ¡°You must be brought to the Spire.¡± * ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Elerlyth said as she finished skimming through the book and closed it. ¡°Ren, you are a stupid, stupid fool.¡± She shook her head. ¡°How could you just throw your life away like that?¡± ¡°Because that''s what he does.¡± Nathalia said from the apartment doorway. ¡°He gives so much of himself to save people, that he sometimes loses himself to it.¡± Elerlyth stood up and walked over to her. ¡°I know.¡± She said. ¡°He''s an Adventurer. He''s going to lose his life doing things.¡± She sighed. ¡°But this?¡± She held up the book. ¡°Who the hell in their right minds does these crazy things?¡± Nathalia glanced around. ¡°He must still be at the Library.¡± She said, and turned around. ¡°Wait!¡± Elerlyth said, and Nathalia stopped and turned back to face her. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I''m going to need him for a while.¡± Elerlyth said as she approached. Nathalia looked at her appraisingly. ¡°Has it started again?¡± Elerlyth nodded, and put a hand on her abdomen. ¡°Just as I read the plea to take the giants home in the book.¡± ¡°I''ll let him know.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don''t thank me for this.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°Don''t thank me for letting you take him away from me.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Do you think I don''t realize that he has feelings for you?¡± Elerlyth didn''t say anything. ¡°You''re not going to deny it? Or say that he would never betray me?¡± ¡°He told me that he would never tell you that he loves me.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Even if it were true, he wouldn''t tell you.¡± * Ren looked at the group of elves, and then at the body. ¡°Before anything else happens, what is your death ritual?¡± ¡°Our what?¡± ¡°Death ritual.¡± Ren said. ¡°When one of you dies in combat, what do you do to send them to the next life?¡± The elves started to laugh. ¡°Next... next life?¡± One of them said. ¡°When we die, that''s it. Once we are gone, we are gone.¡± He pointed to the body. ¡°Whoever is closest takes what they can from the empty remains.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s... kind of sad, actually.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°To look at your life now, and think that this was all there is.¡± Ren said. ¡°To believe that nothing new awaited you when you moved on.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Where is your hope? Where would your dreams take you?¡± ¡°You''re crazy.¡± The elf said. ¡°Be at peace.¡± Ren said to the remains of the head scout. He knelt by the body, closed it''s eyes, and looted it. The body dissolved and dropped several gold coins, a shadow marker, and the extra large longbow. ¡°Take him into custody.¡± One of the elves said. ¡°No.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°You attacked me, right here in this city, for no reason.¡± He said, and heard several sets of metal feet approaching after Teepo warned him that the soldiers were coming. ¡°You broke the law by putting the townspeople''s lives in danger, and it resulted in the death of one of your own.¡± A group of nearly a dozen soldiers came around the corner of the nearby street, and drew their swords. They moved into position, and the elves were now surrounded. The elves looked to the Tracker, as he was the next senior in the group. ¡°We could easily kill you all.¡± The Tracker said. ¡°Five High Elves against a dozen humans?¡± He smiled. ¡°Even the youngest of us has been through almost a hundred years of battle.¡± ¡°That may be true.¡± The lead soldier said. ¡°But we''ve had some experience with elves.¡± He smiled. ¡°You hate anything new, because you don''t understand it.¡± A couple of the soldiers stepped aside, to reveal a Ballista, about half the size of the one Ren had in inventory. It looked to be made of rough wood and was only a single shot, but it''s bolt was just as deadly as his was. Dammit. Ren thought. They made one a lot quicker than I thought. ¡°More than one.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Look up the street.¡± Ren turned around and saw another one being deployed. Well, crap. * ¡°He would never betray you.¡± Elerlyth said, and Nathalia didn''t wince once. ¡°I know.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°He''s a good man.¡± She sighed. ¡°He''s better than either of us deserves.¡± ¡°I can''t argue that.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Here in this world, he''s the best thing that''s ever happened to me.¡± ¡°And what about in the other one?¡± Nathalia asked. Elerlyth''s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Wh-what are you talking about?¡± Nathalia winced slightly, then smiled. ¡°The world that Adventurers come from, of course.¡± Elerlyth''s mouth dropped open in shock. Chapter 235 - Confrontations ¡°Don''t do anything foolish!¡± The lead soldier said. ¡°We''re just taking you in for questioning.¡± The Tracker laughed. ¡°We know all about human questioning.¡± He said. ¡°We''ll enter your dungeon and never see the light of the precious day again.¡± ¡°We''ve never kept someone...¡± ¡°Do not insult my intelligence.¡± The Tracker said, and did a little twist with his fingers. ¡°I believe you call it ''hard labor''.¡± He brought his hands up to near chest level, and it looked like he was going to cross his arms. ¡°Ren... he''s doing something weird.¡± Teepo said. I know. Ren thought. But what? The Tracker splayed his fingers out flat, rubbed them across his arms, then clamped his hands together. Ren felt a wash of Mana flow out from him, and then the elves disappeared. ¡°OH, CRAP!¡± Ren yelled and turned to the soldiers. ¡°By the gods! Run!¡± ¡°We don''t run!¡± The lead soldier said, and held his sword at the ready. Ren switched to his Command Aura and equipped his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak to get the extra distance. ¡°I command you to run!¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t fight them while they''re invisible!¡± ¡°Nothing is ever invisible.¡± The lead soldier said, picked up a handful of dirt, and threw it into the air in front of him. He had been lucky; it hit the elf in the face and threw off the sword swing that would have taken off his head. Ren thought about the spells in the Level 1 spell book, and took out one of the three remaining Minor Healing wands that he had, and absorbed the charges from it. I have got to make more wands. Ren thought as he replaced the spell with Sleet Storm.
Wand Of Winter Squall
A Sleet Storm spell creates a sleet storm that provides cover, puts out flames, and leaves the ground covered in ice and snow. Cast Distance: Within 200 feet (Long). Area of Effect: 20 foot wide circle, 20 feet high Time Limit: 2 minutes (Level 1)
¡°Ha!¡± The lead soldier said, and swung his sword. It hit nothing but air, however. ¡°This might be messy!¡± Ren said, and used the new wand. He shot the ground near the soldiers and the Ballista, then 10 feet away from that, then shot up along the street. He heard the jaguars roar, and he assumed it was from the intense cold. ¡°Sorry, kitties!¡± Ren said and finished his shots near the other Ballista at the other end of the street. The sleet was heavy and the winds were kind of strong, and the ''invisible'' elves had clear and distinct outlines in the spray the spell had created. The soldiers saw that the elves had been going for the Ballistas and stepped in front of them. Once the elves realized they could be seen, they abandoned their objectives and took off to the sides of the street; then escaped through the relative safety of the alleys. Teepo? Any luck following them? ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I can''t see out through the spells.¡± Ren sighed, and looked at his Health. He''d lost another 200 points from the poison, and used a Major Healing wand on himself. It restored his Health to full, but he was still Poisoned and would stay that way without an Antidote. Three seconds later, he started losing Health again. ¡°Turn it off!¡± The lead soldier said to Ren. ¡°It''ll be over in...¡± ¡°80 seconds.¡± Teepo said. ¡°...just over a minute.¡± Ren said to him. ¡°We have to wait.¡± ¡°Bah!¡± The lead soldier said, and huddled with the closest soldiers. A minute didn''t take long to pass, and then the sleet spells slowed down, then came to a stop. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said as he looked around. The entire street, including the buildings from top to bottom, were covered with about an inch of ice and snow. Of course, so were the soldiers and himself. He smiled as he brushed himself off, and walked over to the soldiers. ¡°Okay, I have to admit, that was a lot messier than I thought it was going to be.¡± Ren said. ¡°You let them get away!¡± The lead soldier said. ¡°What I did was use your idea to make them visible.¡± Ren said. ¡°It worked, thankfully.¡± ¡°They could attack again, and we still can''t see them!¡± Ren pointed down. ¡°Step on that.¡± The lead soldier frowned at him, and stepped where Ren pointed. A loud crunch was heard, and the soldier looked around to see that none of the snow was disturbed around them. ¡°All right, I admit that''s a good warning system if they try another up close attack.¡± The lead soldier looked up at the top of the buildings close by. ¡°What if they go for ranged attacks?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°The spell goes up 20 feet.¡± He said. ¡°The roofs of the buildings are just as covered as the street.¡± ¡°Okay, we''ll stay here for a few minutes.¡± The lead soldier said. ¡°I''m tempted to send a squad after the elves...¡± ¡°They''d be slaughtered.¡± Ren said. ¡°And that''s assuming that the elves stuck around, and didn''t run as fast as they could.¡± The lead soldier nodded. ¡°I''ll have the patrols keep an eye out from the top of the walls.¡± He looked at Ren. ¡°What spell was that, anyways?¡± ¡°Sleet Storm.¡± Ren said. ¡°Any basic magic user can cast it.¡± The lead soldier nodded. ¡°I''ll see if there''s any magic users in the ranks, and spread them out.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d say use Color Spray, too; but, that has the potential to stun or put people to sleep if they''re caught in it.¡± He said. ¡°Anyone caught in it.¡± The lead soldier looked at Ren. ¡°That''s why you didn''t use it here.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I didn''t want to take the chance that it would knock you all out, and do little or nothing to the elves.¡± The lead soldier grunted, and turned to look at the shivering soldiers. ¡°Pack it up! Let''s go! Move it, move it, move it!¡± Ren walked carefully up the street, and then saw several townspeople and their children come out of their houses. ¡°Is the danger over?¡± One of the women asked him as he walked by. ¡°I believe so.¡± Ren said, and heard one of the children scream in delight as they slid down the street. ¡°Something would have happened already if it wasn''t.¡± He said, bent over and scooped up a handful of snow. My Trouble recipe wouldn''t let this opportunity go by. ¡°Having the elf die wasn''t enough Trouble?¡± Teepo asked. Oh, I''m sure there''s something going to come from that. Ren thought, and lightly tossed a snowball at one of the kids. I can almost guarantee it. The kid laughed at the splatter of snow, then all of the children scooped up snow and started throwing it at each other. Ren walked up the street to get to a clear section, then ran back to the business with the sound of children''s laughter in his ears. * Elerlyth stared at Nathalia. ¡°You...¡± ¡°Know all about your world.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°What I can understand about it, anyways.¡± Ren, what did you do? Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°You aren''t supposed to know about it.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°It''ll change what you do, and how you think about things.¡± ¡°Ren did that all by himself.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°Long before I found out where he came from.¡±Stolen novel; please report. Elerlyth sighed. Now what do I do? She thought. Do I try to handle this myself, or report this to the game developers? ¡°I''m sorry, Nathalia. I can''t let you keep that knowledge.¡± Elerlyth said, and opened her user menu. ¡°And how would you take it from me?¡± Nathalia asked, and then they heard a door shut on the level below. * Ren came in through the second level back door and ran up to the apartment. ¡°Nathalia!¡± He said, and took her into a hug. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Looking for you.¡± Nathalia said, and kissed him. ¡°I''m glad you''re here. You won''t believe what just happened.¡± Ren said, let her go, then looked at Elerlyth. ¡°You aren''t going to believe this, either.¡± He frowned when he recognized the position of her hands. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Nathalia told me she knows about our world.¡± ¡°Of course she does.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told her all about it.¡± ¡°She''s not supposed to know!¡± Elerlyth said, and kept typing. ¡°You don''t know what that information will do!¡± ¡°Elerlyth, stop.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even if you somehow hack her and delete it, I''m going to tell her again, anyways.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Elerlyth stopped typing. Nathalia moved to the side as Ren approached Elerlyth. ¡°She''s gone through something important with me, and she deserves to hear about anything she wants to know.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Why? Why would you tell her?¡± ¡°It''s hard to explain, especially since I can''t discuss a lot of what happened.¡± ¡°Then how...¡± ¡°Now''s not the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°Talk to me out there, and I''ll tell you everything.¡± Nathalia stepped behind Elerlyth and looked at Ren. ¡°You''re going to tell her everything, too?¡± She said. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± She sighed as tears came to her eyes. ¡°I thought I was the only one you did that with.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°You are.¡± He said. ¡°What I meant was, I''m going to tell her everything about what happened between you and I, not everything like... like what happened.¡± Nathalia smiled and the tears flowed faster. ¡°I''m glad you didn''t lie.¡± ¡°Nathalia...¡± ¡°Now I have a question for you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Do you love Elerlyth?¡± Ren clamped his mouth shut, and Nathalia let out a sob. ¡°A... a lie... of omission...¡± Nathalia equipped the short sword Ren had given her, and shoved it into Elerlyth''s completely unprotected back. Elerlyth screamed as the weapon went through her heart and the tip of the short sword popped out through her chest. It spurted a little bit of blood onto Ren''s face. ¡°No!¡± Ren said, and caught Elerlyth when Nathalia withdrew the short sword that held her up. He gently laid Elerlyth on the floor, and stared at her. ¡°E-Elerlyth?¡± ¡°R-R-Ren...¡± Elerlyth whispered, then spoke no more. ¡°According... to Dwarf Law, I... I have enacted retribution for your crime.¡± Nathalia said to Ren, her face covered in tears. She didn''t even try to wipe them away, because she knew there were more to come. ¡°You broke your word to me.¡± She sobbed. ¡°You fell in love with someone else while engaged to me.¡± She stored the short sword, dropped to her knees, and put her face in her hands. ¡°By the gods!¡± Nathalia said as she cried her heart out. ¡°I can''t believe you made me do that!¡± ******** Detective Ramirez pulled up in front of the mayor''s house and came to a stop. ¡°We''re really doing this?¡± Officer Stonewall asked. ¡°Officially, no.¡± He said, and looked at her. ¡°Set your device to record.¡± She did so, and slipped it back into her pocket. ¡°Let''s go.¡± He said and got out of the car. She followed him, and walked closely behind until they came to the front gate. It was only a fake one and didn''t actually work, but it marked the property''s boundary. Detective Ramirez sighed and walked through the gate and up to the front door. Officer Stonewall went in as well, and stood beside her partner as he knocked on the door. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± A man''s voice said, and a moment later, the front door opened to reveal a middle-aged man dressed in a shirt and pants, with a slightly bald head and a bit of a paunch on his belly. ¡°Yes, officers?¡± ¡°It''s ''Detective'', actually.¡± Detective Ramirez said, and held up his badge. ¡°We''ve found evidence that a crime has been committed, and would like permission to come in to make sure everything is okay.¡± Mayor Danicot blinked his eyes at the two people on his front step for a moment, then smiled. ¡°Of course. Please, come in.¡± He said and stepped back. ¡°I''m always glad to be of service to the police.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Detective Ramirez said, and Officer Stonewall kept the surprise off her face. It was nearly 10:30 at night, and it shouldn''t have been that easy to get permission to come inside. The mayor shut the door and looked at the two people standing in his foyer. ¡°Now, what was this crime that was committed?¡± ¡°Unlawful surveillance and invasion of privacy.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°The evidence is insurmountable, and we had to come here to check things out.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The mayor said. ¡°Well, go ahead and check.¡± He said. ¡°The last thing I want is to be a victim of that!¡± Detective Ramirez smiled and nodded. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± He said. ¡°Would you walk us through and show us around?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Mayor Danicot said. He took them to the living room, they had a look around, and then the mayor took them through the kitchen. ¡°What''s it like living here?¡± Detective Ramirez asked as he looked through the window to the outside. ¡°It''s great.¡± The mayor said. ¡°Much better than my old place.¡± ¡°Didn''t you like your old place?¡± Office Stonewall asked, to distract the mayor. ¡°It was a great house, and the neighborhood was nice...¡± The mayor sighed. ¡°...but the commute to work every day killed nearly an hour of my day.¡± ¡°I hear that!¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°It''s 45 minutes for me, both ways.¡± He shook his head. ¡°If I could afford to move as close to the city center as this, I''d have done it years ago.¡± The mayor laughed. ¡°You''re not going to ask me for a raise, are you?¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Detective Ramirez said and smiled. ¡°I can''t get approval to replace my stapler. I''m sure as hell not going to ask for a raise!¡± Officer Stonewall chuckled, and the three of them moved to the upstairs. They checked the bedrooms and the bathroom, then went back down the stairs. ¡°Where''s your wife and son?¡± ¡°They''re visiting her sister in the Clampetts.¡± ¡°That must be nice.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°I''ve always wanted to visit there.¡± ¡°It''s a rest spot for the rich and famous.¡± Detective Ramirez said and stopped by a door they never went in. ¡°It''s full of cement ponds and movie stars.¡± He said and turned the handle. ¡°That''s just my office.¡± Mayor Danicot said. ¡°You don''t need to check in there.¡± ¡°It''ll only take a second.¡± Detective Ramirez said, and stepped inside. The office was a little cramped, like all functioning offices everywhere, except for the fact that there was nothing at all on the desk. No files, no phone, not even one of those blotters to save the surface from normal wear and tear. ¡°It looks mighty clean in here.¡± Detective Ramirez said, and the mayor sighed. ¡°I was cleaning up when you knocked.¡± ¡°You were?¡± Officer Stonewall asked. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It was messy.¡± The mayor said, half-heartedly. Even he didn''t believe that lie. Detective Ramirez walked around the desk, then froze. A beautiful blonde woman was staring up at him from under the desk, with shock and embarrassment clearly on her face. ¡°Well, I think that''s everything checked out.¡± Detective Ramirez said without missing a beat. He walked back around the desk and shut the office door. ¡°Will that be all, detective?¡± The mayor said, with a touch of anger in his voice. ¡°Actually, no.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Does this look at all familiar to you?¡± He said, and pulled out a polaroid picture of Ren. The mayor''s eyes widened when he saw the photo. Officer Stonewall kept her mouth shut about removing evidence from a crime scene, because she had heard the mayor sigh. ¡°So, you found it.¡± ¡°Found what?¡± Detective Ramirez asked. ¡°Please.¡± The mayor said, turned around, and walked to the kitchen. ¡°Don''t insult me.¡± Detective Ramirez and Officer Stonewall followed the mayor to the kitchen, and watched as he opened a beer and sat at the table. ¡°That poor boy.¡± Mayor Danicot said. ¡°He''s been through so much, and now he''s going through even more.¡± ¡°You''ve met him?¡± The mayor smiled. ¡°Not that he remembers.¡± Oh my god. Officer Stonewall thought as the mayor kept talking. He described some of the experiments that he had witnessed, and that a lot of his campaign funds had come from contributors that directly benefited from the results. ¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°How could you do that to him?¡± The mayor laughed. ¡°I didn''t do anything to him.¡± He said. ¡°I saw it, and made more money than I''d ever seen in my life from it; but, I never touched him.¡± Officer Stonewall snorted a laugh. ¡°Are you serious?¡± She asked the mayor. ¡°You stood by and watched it happen!¡± The mayor shrugged. ¡°It was happening anyways.¡± He said. ¡°It''s not like I could have stopped it at the time.¡± ¡°What? Why not?¡± She asked. Mayor Danicot shook his head. ¡°I was a nobody then.¡± He said. ¡°Look at me now.¡± He smiled. ¡°I run this city.¡± ¡°Not anymore.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°You''re finished.¡± The mayor shook his head. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± ¡°This has all been recorded.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Everyone will know what you did.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°Like I said, I didn''t do anything.¡± The mayor replied. ¡°I can even give you proof.¡± ¡°You what?!?¡± Detective Ramirez exclaimed. ¡°Nothing I ever did or said came near that boy.¡± The mayor said. ¡°Until I turned the parents in.¡± ¡°IT WAS YOU?!?¡± Officer Stonewall shouted. ¡°Calm down, please.¡± Mayor Danicot said. ¡°I was the one in the best position to do it.¡± ¡°Then how did your fingerprints get on the photos in that surveillance room?¡± ¡°That''s easily explained.¡± He said. ¡°I was given several stacks of them to look through, to show that the results of the tests were genuine.¡± Goddammit. Officer Stonewall thought. John was right! He can explain it away easily. ¡°And what about the little blonde floozy you have stashed under the desk in your office?¡± Detective Ramirez asked, and Officer Stonewall held in her gasp of surprise. ¡°That''s my secretary.¡± Mayor Danicot said. ¡°We were working late, and rather than try to explain it was perfectly innocent, which you wouldn''t believe anyways; I told her to hide if someone opened the door.¡± No one said anything, as it was all easily explained. ¡°I''ll send over the appropriate paperwork to the police station in the morning.¡± The mayor said. ¡°Now, if you will excuse me, I have some more work to finish.¡± The mayor escorted Detective Ramirez and Officer Stonewall to the front door. ¡°Thank you for visiting, and making sure I''m perfectly safe in my own residence, detective.¡± Mayor Danicot said. ¡°Officer.¡± He nodded to Officer Stonewall, and shut the door in their faces. Detective Ramirez and his partner walked back to the car that was parked in the street. ¡°Goddammit!¡± Detective Ramirez said as he opened his door. ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± Officer Stonewall said, and climbed into the passenger seat. The detective drove away at a sedate pace, because he was too angry to enjoy peeling the tires on the pavement. * ¡°Did they buy it?¡± The woman that had hidden under the desk in his office asked, when the mayor came into the room. ¡°Lock, stock, and barrel.¡± The mayor said, and she squealed in delight as she hopped into his arms and kissed him. ¡°The arrogant fools.¡± The woman said. ¡°Such a simple tale, and they didn''t even question it!¡± ¡°It was a brilliant move, darling.¡± Mayor Danicot said. ¡°That was a stroke of genius on your part.¡± ¡°Yes it was.¡± The woman said. ¡°How are you going to reward me?¡± The mayor pulled out a small baggie with a red colored pill inside. ¡°The only way you want me to thank you.¡± The mayor said, and the woman grinned as she popped the pill into her mouth. ¡°Oh... oh god...¡± She said as the drug took hold, and she laid back on the desk. ¡°Mmmm... hurry! Before I hit stage two!¡± Mayor Danicot opened his pants and lifted her skirt. Neither of them had been wearing underwear, and he was already prepped and ready. He started in on her, and she moaned appreciatively for several minutes; then her eyes glazed over and a look of pure euphoria appeared on her face. ¡°Now we can have some real fun.¡± The mayor said, and the woman giggled uncontrollably. There was a beep sound from under the desk; but the mayor ignored it, and the woman didn''t care by this point. It had been her cell phone that made the noise. She''d received another text from her contact at the FBI. He asked, again, if he could get another one of the pills. Chapter 236 - A Broken Promise Gloria gasped as she was kicked out of the game. ¡°Goddamn piece of fucking trash!¡± She said as she took off her VR headset. ¡°That fucking hurt! Grrrrr!¡± She growled and tossed the headset aside. ¡°I am going to kill that bitch when I go back in!¡± ******** ¡°Nathalia!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Why? Why did you do that?¡± He asked the hysterically sobbing woman that knelt on the floor only a foot away. ¡°I...¡± *sob* ¡°I had to!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I told you...¡± She cried and the tears soaked her face. ¡°...you... you broke your solemn vow to me.¡± She wailed. ¡°I had to!¡±
Notice!
Although you have not admitted it verbally, the woman you have a binding marriage contract with believes you have broken your word to her. Penalties Incurred: Influence: -5,000 Honor: -5,000
¡°By the gods...¡± Ren said as sadness gripped him. Nathalia killed Elerlyth because of me. He thought, then watched as Elerlyth''s body dissolved away and left 2 platinum coins, a handful of gold coins, and some kind of lock. Ren stared at it, because he didn''t know what else to do right then. He''d never seen anything like it before, and tried to pick it up. His hand went through it as if it wasn''t there, and he looked at Nathalia. ¡°You should collect your loot.¡± Ren said, his voice empty of emotion. Nathalia shook her head and wouldn''t look at him. ¡°I can''t pick it up.¡± He said. ¡°It was meant for you, whatever it is.¡± ¡°I DON''T WANT IT!¡± Nathalia yelled, reached over and picked up the money and the lock. She had intended to throw it at Ren; but when her hand touched the lock, she froze. ¡°What... what...¡± The lock changed into a small bright light, then flew into her chest. Nathalia gasped, and her eyes widened as she started to glow. ¡°By the gods!¡± Nathalia said, and a moment later, the glow faded away to nothing. ¡°What was it?¡± Ren asked automatically, but he didn''t really want to know. He was kind of numb to everything at the moment. ¡°It''s... it''s...¡± Nathalia shook her head, and stood up. ¡°No, you... you don''t deserve to know!¡± She said angrily. ¡°Not now.¡± She ran from the room. ¡°Nathalia!¡± Ren said, and followed her. He caught her at the second floor landing. ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°For what?¡± She asked him. ¡°For her to come back and kill me?¡± Ren''s eyes widened at that, and she smiled. ¡°That''s right, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°She''ll be back here tomorrow, and she''s going to kill me.¡± ¡°No, she won''t.¡± Ren said, as the numbness of too many emotions to feel at once was wearing off. ¡°I''ll make sure she won''t.¡± ¡°How are you going to do that?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Your fiance just killed your girlfriend, and soon that girlfriend will be back to kill your fiance.¡± She sneered through her tears. ¡°How are you going to stop her?¡± Ren took a deep breath and held it. ¡°I''ll do what I have to do.¡± ¡°Then go do it!¡± Nathalia said, and tried to walk away. Ren had a hold of her arm, though. She stopped and looked at him. ¡°Let me go, Ren.¡± ¡°Nathalia...¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t... I don''t want to look at you right now.¡± ¡°Nathalia, please.¡± ¡°I said...¡± Nathalia extended her 3 inch long Mana Claws in front of his face. ¡°...let me go.¡± ¡°No.¡± Nathalia pulled her hand to the side, as if to drag her claws across his chest, and tears filled her eyes again as Ren shook his head. She dragged her hand across his chest, and the Mana Claws dug into the flesh, scraped across bone, and cut the front of his suit to shreds. She looked at him, and the tears in her eyes kept going as he shook his head. She took another swipe at his chest, and Ren didn''t move to stop her. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Keep going.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know I deserve it.¡± Nathalia cried as she shook her head, and tried to pull her hand away. Ren grabbed it, and pulled her hand towards his abdomen. ¡°Ren, don''t!¡± He jerked on her hand before she could retract the claws, and they slid into his body easily. Nathalia sobbed as she felt her claws cut deeply into him. He let her other arm go, and hugged her close. ¡°I am so sorry, Nathalia.¡± Ren said, with no trace of pain in his voice, despite the amount of pain he was in. ¡°I didn''t mean for this to happen.¡± ¡°Let... let me go...¡± ¡°I love you.¡± Ren said, and kissed her cheek. ¡°Let go.¡± ¡°I love you.¡± He repeated. ¡°I love you, too... but I also hate you right now.¡± Nathalia finally admitted. Ren nodded slightly and let her go. She stepped back and saw that she was covered in his blood; then looked at his torn up clothing and body. She nodded slightly herself as she wiped the tears from her face, then turned around and walked down the steps. When she got to the bottom, she equipped different clothing to clean herself up, opened the door, and left. ¡°I can''t believe that just happened.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Usually there''s a duel or something; and sometimes there''s even House Champions involved.¡± That couldn''t happen. Ren thought. Elerlyth doesn''t belong to a House, and if Nathalia challenged her to a duel... He sighed. Elerlyth would have won. ¡°How do you know that?¡± Teepo asked. Elerlyth''s probably level 90 or so by now. Nathalia''s only level 35. Ren thought about how much XP Nathalia might have gotten. Probably Level 36 now. ¡°So, she took the sneak attack route instead.¡± Yeah. It was her only option. ¡°That sucks.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Poor Nathalia.¡± Yeah. Ren thought. I wish she hadn''t asked that question. ¡°I think she knew anyways.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She''s pretty smart.¡± Ren sighed. I really want to go after her. ¡°I think you should heal yourself first.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re almost dead.¡± Ren looked at his Health bar, and he was down to only 10% of his full Health. He was still losing 1 Health every 3 seconds from being Poisoned, too. He took out his Major Healing wand and concentrated on the chest wound. He used a Major Healing Spell on it, and waited for the skin to reform into it''s proper shape before using it on the abdomen wound. He used it again, to bring his Health back up to full, then again for his Mana Pool. He ran up the stairs to the apartment and took out his alchemy kit. He made a quick Antidote potion and drank it, then made a few more. Once that was done, he stored everything and went into the bedroom. He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes. See you in a little while, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren slipped off the VR headset, and Barbara took it from him. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Barbara said, with tears in her eyes.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yeah.¡± He said. ¡°Did I mess up the best thing that''s ever happened to me, or what?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Barbara said and put the headset aside. ¡°Couples have troubles sometimes.¡± ¡°I''m really starting to hate my Trouble recipe.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you have the programmers do something about it?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°It seems to really mess things up while you''re trying to have fun.¡± ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± Ren said, and pulled the laptop over. ¡°I guess I could ask.¡± ¡°It''s worth a try.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''m tempted to keep you out, after seeing those elves try to take you.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I did cause the death of their head scout.¡± ¡°After he tried to kill you.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Twice.¡± Ren nodded, and started typing. He finished the email to the tech department of Sid Tec, sent it off, then opened his messaging program.
Ren: Gloria, I''m in RL.
About 10 seconds later, a cell phone rang. ¡°We have a phone in the room?¡± Ren asked, surprised. Barbara picked it up, listened for a moment, then handed it to Ren. ¡°It''s for you.¡± Ren took the phone and put it to his ear. ¡°Hey, Gloria.¡± ¡°What the FUCK?!?¡± Gloria yelled, and he held the phone away from his ear. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren said. ¡°A little less yelling, please.¡± ¡°I''ll yell if I fucking WANT TO!¡± Gloria yelled again, and Ren sighed. He was tempted to hang up on her, but that would only make her angrier. ¡°Calm down. I can explain.¡± Ren said. ¡°Calm down? Your little dwarf bitch shanked me right in the back!¡± ¡°Of course she did.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no way she could do it if you were expecting it.¡± ¡°She planned it?!?¡± ¡°No, she didn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I meant that she''d never win a duel against you.¡± ¡°A duel?¡± Gloria asked, starting to calm down. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°This is all my fault.¡± Ren said. ¡°I broke my vow to her.¡± He sighed. ¡°I promised that I wouldn''t fall in love with you, if she gave me permission to sleep with you.¡± ¡°Don''t tell me this was some twisted dwarf culture shit!¡± Ren nodded, then realized Gloria couldn''t see him. ¡°Yeah, that''s exactly it.¡± ¡°Goddammit, Ren! Can''t you keep control of her?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Forget I said that.¡± She said. ¡°Obviously, you can''t control her.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t control her, even if I could.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want a partner, not a pet.¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°You aren''t going to let me kill her, are you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°How exactly are you going to stop me?¡± ¡°Don''t make me say it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want you to let this go.¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± Gloria said. ¡°When I can log back in, I''m going to hunt her down and do the same thing to her that she did to me.¡± Ren took a breath and let it out. ¡°Don''t do that, Gloria.¡± He sighed. ¡°Or I won''t feed you anymore.¡± ¡°That''s not stopping me.¡± Gloria said. ¡°That''s blackmail.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°But if you kill her, you''ll never be able to play the game again, because you''ll starve to death each time you log in.¡± ¡°Fucking fuckety fuck!¡± Gloria exclaimed, and Ren had to smile. He hadn''t heard her say that before. ¡°What the hell am I supposed to do? She killed me when I was completely defenseless!¡± ¡°Kill me instead.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know I''ll come back, just like you will.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± ¡°I told you before. This was all my fault. I should pay for it, not Nathalia.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°You were all gung-ho when you thought you''d kill her, but now you''re hesitating.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is it the thought of ending Nathalia permanently that''s got you all excited?¡± Gloria didn''t know how to respond to that, so she stayed silent. ¡°If that''s not the case, and you still need a death so badly, then you can have my next one.¡± Ren said. ¡°Okay?¡± Gloria stayed quiet. ¡°I''ll even feed you first, so you won''t have to worry about starving.¡± Ren said. ¡°And what''s to keep me from killing her, once you''ve fed me and died?¡± ¡°Your word.¡± Ren said. ¡°And you better not try to hack her, either.¡± ¡°Why are you assuming I can hack her?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°I know how smart you are.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve been pulling the game''s code apart all week, haven''t you?¡± Gloria didn''t say anything, and he smiled. ¡°Please, Gloria.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s devastated enough as it is.¡± ¡°She''s devastated?!?¡± ¡°Just a second.¡± Ren said, and pulled up the footage of Elerlyth''s death, and what happened afterwards. He made a video of it, and sent it to her. ¡°There. I sent you the clip. It should show up in your email in about...¡± ¡°Now.¡± Gloria said, and opened it. She watched the footage, and sighed. ¡°Well, fuck.¡± ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, do you still want to kill her?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Gloria said. ¡°But, I won''t.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You are going to do a lot more than thank me.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I''m calling you on your word. You are taking the day off from your sentence when I log back in tomorrow, and you are going to feed my ability the entire time.¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°Nathalia won''t be happy about this.¡± ¡°I don''t give a flying fuck what Nathalia thinks.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I only treated her nicely because you love her; but, now I don''t have to pretend anymore.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Fine. I''ll be there.¡± ¡°You better be.¡± Gloria said. ¡°My spawn point is right there.¡± ¡°You changed it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I thought it would still be at your cottage.¡± ¡°You commanded me to stay after I was attacked, remember?¡± Gloria said. ¡°I switched it then.¡± ¡°That reminds me.¡± Ren said, and gave her a quick rundown of what had happened with the High Elves. ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Gloria said. ¡°High Elves? How the hell did they get involved?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, they''ve been searching for a dark elf, and assumed it was me when they tracked me to the Library.¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°You were covered in my scent.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think they''ve been waiting for you to reveal yourself for a while.¡± ¡°I''d like to know why.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I''d never met another dark elf before then, and I''ve never met high elves.¡± ¡°We can worry about that later.¡± Ren said. ¡°For now, I have to log back into the game, and get back to the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± ¡°What are you going to tell her?¡± ¡°The truth of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°Assuming she''ll even want to look at me when I get home.¡± ¡°I saw that.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Why did you let her cut you up so much?¡± ¡°It''s just like I told her.¡± Ren said. ¡°I deserved it.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°No, it''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°It hurt like hell, but at least she got some revenge against me.¡± He smiled. ¡°It made her feel better, too.¡± ¡°You are so fucked up, it''s not even funny.¡± Gloria said, and Ren laughed. ¡°I said it wasn''t funny!¡± ¡°I know you did.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you in a few hours.¡± Ren passed the phone to Barbara, and she handed him the VR headset. ¡°Thanks, Barbara.¡± Ren said, and settled down in the bed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the bed, and hopped up. He was tempted to go through the portal right away and head home, but he knew Nathalia wouldn''t want to see him this soon; so, instead he went downstairs to see what needed to be done for the shop. * Nathalia had run to her restaurant after leaving Ren''s business, and went through the portal. She didn''t know what she was going to do yet, but she knew she had to deal with her feelings, and deal with what she did. She left the restaurant on the dwarf side of the portal, and walked over to the Main House. The receptionist told her that Ereka wasn''t busy, and Nathalia went to the back office. She opened the door, and Ereka looked at her with shock on her face. ¡°Nathalia? What... what is it?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°You look like you''ve been through hell.¡± ¡°I...¡± Nathalia closed the office door and sat on the couch. ¡°I have.¡± She said. ¡°I just killed Elerlyth.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Nathalia let the tears come again, and Ereka came over to her and sat beside her. ¡°Ren broke his word to me.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°He fell in love with her.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ereka said, because she knew what that meant. ¡°A duel wouldn''t work.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I couldn''t call on the House Champion to fight her, could I?¡± Ereka took her into a hug, and Nathalia cried on her shoulder. ¡°Ren''s the House Champion.¡± She said. ¡°No, you couldn''t.¡± ¡°I attacked her from behind.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°She didn''t expect it at all.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ereka said. ¡°If I remember correctly, she would probably tear you apart if she knew it was coming.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I had to strike when I could.¡± She sighed. ¡°I lost over a thousand Honor to do it, though.¡± ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Ereka said, and held her tightly. ¡°I don''t know what to do now.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You don''t have to do anything.¡± Ereka said. ¡°This isn''t the first time something like this has happened.¡± ¡°It... it''s not?¡± Ereka smiled and let her go. She went to the shelves of books, picked one of them, and went back to sit on the couch. She flipped it open to the right page, and read out loud one of the many times it had happened. ¡°But... but this time, she''s an Adventurer.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°That''s never happened before.¡± Ereka nodded. ¡°That''s not the only difference.¡± She said, then looked at Nathalia seriously. ¡°Why didn''t you kill Ren, too?¡± ¡°I... I almost did.¡± Nathalia said, and cried. * Anabelle was happy that Ren had finally come to the shop. It didn''t matter that he was only there to do things for the shop; all she cared about was that he was there, and that he was okay. She thought she might have heard a scream earlier; but, she didn''t ask him or Nathalia about it. Nathalia had walked by her and left the shop without a word, and then Ren had come down a little while later. She knew something weird must have happened, and ignored her impulse to find out what it was. * Ren figured Anabelle wanted to know what was going on, but he didn''t really know himself. He knew what had happened, but from this point forward, he had no idea how things were going to go. He did the weapon and armor repairs quickly, and filled any quick forge orders that he could, then said goodbye. ¡°Aren''t you going to visit...¡± Anabelle started to say. ¡°I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I honestly don''t have the time for anything else right now.¡± He sighed. ¡°I''ve delayed going back to the Dwarven Kingdom long enough as it is.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Anabelle said, even though she really didn''t; but, she knew that''s what Ren needed to hear, so that''s what she said. ¡°Thanks, Anabelle.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°Hold on, I''ll walk you to the portal.¡± Anabelle said and waved to Carly, who came over and took responsibility for the main desk. Anabelle took Ren''s arm and led him out the back door of the shop, up the stairs, then into the apartment. ¡°I''ll be back here tomorrow to meet Elerlyth.¡± Ren said. ¡°She said she''s going to keep me busy all day, so I don''t want to be disturbed.¡± ¡°I... ah...¡± Anabelle didn''t know how to respond to that. ¡°I''m sorry if this is going to mess anything up that you have planned.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t intend...¡± He sighed. ¡°I have to stop saying that.¡± Anabelle smiled. ¡°Despite good intentions, bad things happen.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That seems to be the way things are going lately.¡± ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Once you''re back in Aurora in less than 3 months, things will get much simpler.¡± ¡°I can only hope.¡± Ren said, and opened the cabinet. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°I can only hope.¡± Anabelle repeated his words back to him. ¡°When do you want to take the money made in the shop?¡± ¡°You don''t need to keep it for change or anything?¡± Ren asked. Anabelle grinned. ¡°Why would I need a hundred platinum to make change?¡± Ren snorted a laugh, and she handed the money to him. ¡°Did you take your pay?¡± He asked. ¡°What pay?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°We never discussed actual money.¡± She smiled. ¡°I distinctly remember asking for special kisses instead.¡± Ren smiled crookedly. ¡°I think 10% of the profit would be more appropriate.¡± He said. ¡°What about the other girls? Have you been paying them?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Anabelle said, then realized what Ren had said. ¡°Did... did you just say 10%?¡± Ren nodded and handed her back 10 platinum. ¡°You''re doing a great job.¡± He said, and Teepo dissolved into the ring. ¡°Ren!¡± Anabelle said, as she held the coins in her hand as if she didn''t want to touch them. ¡°What am I going to do with all this money?¡± ¡°Anything you want.¡± Ren smiled at her, and then stepped through the portal. Chapter 237 - Home? Ren came through the portal to the Dwarven Kingdom and sighed. He wasn''t looking forward to how Nathalia was going to treat him, but the only thing he could do was face her. Running away or avoiding her was not a solution to the problem. He summoned Teepo, who flew up to land on his shoulder. Ren went downstairs and fed Princess the last of the french toast and syrup from the stack he had in inventory. When she was done eating, she looked at him with sad eyes. You shouldn''t be sad... Princess thought to him, licked his face, and nudged the side of his head with one of her horns. ¡°I have reason to be.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°My fiance killed Elerlyth, and I''m forcing Elerlyth to not take revenge on her.¡± Humans can be so stupid... Princess huffed. They should be honored to be chosen by you... ¡°Wh-what?¡± He looked at her with wide eyes. When a strong male ram chooses to mate... Ewes are privileged to serve... Strong children ensure survival... ¡°Um... that''s not...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Humans do it for fun most of the time.¡± Princess blew a raspberry. You joke... ¡°No.¡± Ren smiled, and scratched her chin. ¡°It usually takes years for them to decide to have children, and even then, it takes a lot of tries to do it.¡± Princess shook her head. You humans are crazy... Ren chuckled. ¡°Come on, let''s get me home.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve got to see what the situation with Nathalia is now.¡± Very well... Ren led her outside and locked up, then climbed up into the saddle. ¡°Okay.¡± Princess trotted through the woods until she came to the road, then unleashed her speed. Teepo chittered in delight as he hung on to Ren''s shoulder, and Ren felt the wind bite into his chest. He shook his head when he glanced down at his chest. He''d completely forgotten to repair his clothing. What did Anabelle think of me, while I worked in the shop like this? Ren thought. ¡°Forget what she thinks.¡± Teepo said, then chittered in laughter. ¡°Just imagine what the customers thought!¡± Ren snorted a laugh, and he felt Princess'' amusement. He equipped his Travelling Clothes to replace the House Neram red suit. I have to remember to fix the suit and my armor. It took just under an hour to get back to House Neram Keep. The guard opened the gate without a word, and Ren took Princess into the stable. They greeted Riley and Stacy, and Ren gave Princess some normal food. She accepted it, but she wasn''t happy that there wasn''t any more french toast. ¡°I''ll see if the restaurant has french fries for supper.¡± Ren said, and she huffed. ¡°If they don''t... yes, I''ll make some.¡± He felt her gratitude, pat her, then the dogs, and went into the house. ¡°I''m home.¡± Ren said, then sighed as he heard Ereka''s voice. ¡°In the kitchen.¡± Ereka said. If she''s here and not at work, then this can''t be good. Ren thought as he walked through the main room and into the kitchen. He could clearly see that Nathalia was crying again, or still crying, while she sat at the table. Ereka stood beside her, with a sad face. ¡°Hello, Ren.¡± ¡°Ereka.¡± He said, and looked at Nathalia. ¡°Hello, My Lo-¡± ¡°Don''t!¡± Nathalia exclaimed, and cut off his words. ¡°I... I can''t hear those words right now.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ren asked, then looked at Ereka. ¡°What''s going on?¡± ¡°This.¡± Ereka said, and came around the table to hand something to Ren. He took it, read it, and got a popup.
Notice!
Your marriage contract to Nathalia Neram has been canceled. All lands (co-owned by her) acquired for the marriage (and assets from those lands) are now solely the property of Nathalia Neram.
¡°By the gods, Nathalia.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know you''re upset, but...¡± He shook his head. ¡°Don''t do this.¡± ¡°She doesn''t have a choice in this.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You see, you were supposed to die, too.¡± ¡°She wouldn''t finish me off, even though I tried to get her to.¡± Ren said, and looked at Nathalia when she sobbed. ¡°That wasn''t enough?¡± ¡°You don''t understand.¡± Ereka said. ¡°When you die by her hand, it automatically cancels the marriage contract.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren said. ¡°That doesn''t make sense.¡± He looked back at Ereka. ¡°Even if I died, I''d be right back.¡± ¡°That''s because this has never happened with Adventurers before.¡± Ereka said. ¡°The instruments of breaking the vow aren''t supposed to come back after they die.¡± Ren blinked his eyes a few times, then sighed. ¡°Should I even ask what that means for me now?¡± ¡°Since you''ve become Lord Neram, you''ll always be a member of the House, no matter what happens.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Unfortunately, men and women of the same House can''t marry, or start relationships that lead to marriage.¡±
Notice!
Trouble Recipe ingredient: ''House Neram'' has been completed.
¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± Nathalia cried. ¡°I didn''t... I didn''t think that...¡± She shook her head, and tears flew off of her face to splatter on the table. ¡°I knew fulfilling the law had to be done, but...¡± Ren stared at her as she looked at him with her face full of pain. ¡°I thought... I thought you''d be kicked out of the House because the contract wasn''t holding you here.¡± Nathalia wiped her face off; but, the erased tears were replaced before she had finished wiping the others away. She crossed her arms on the table, then laid her head on them and faced the table''s surface. ¡°I never thought that you''d keep your title... and it would... it would...¡± She sobbed hard. ¡°By the gods, how can this be?¡± Ren walked over to her, and put a hand on her back. Nathalia felt it, and cried harder. ¡°I wanted you to hurt, Ren.¡± Nathalia sobbed. ¡°All because you broke your vow to me.¡± Her sob became a soft laugh. ¡°What I ended up doing, though... was hurt myself.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Ren rubbed her back, and she sighed. ¡°Are you going to say anything?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please stand.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren pulled out her chair, took both of her hands, and lifted her to a standing position. Once she was up and standing under her own power, he knelt. ¡°As the current temporary head of House Neram, please grant my request to transfer to House Longore.¡± Ereka gasped, and Nathalia stared at Ren. ¡°You... you want to...¡± ¡°If I can''t be with the woman that I love because I''m in the same House as her, then I don''t want to be in the same house as her.¡± ¡°But... but Ren...¡± ¡°I know I still have to petition House Longore to join; but, I''m sure Angeilin can put a good word in her ear for me.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Do you want me to stay in House Neram?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ereka exclaimed, then covered her mouth with a hand. ¡°Ren, I...¡± Nathalia wiped her face. ¡°I...¡± ¡°I''ve made a petition to the head of House, so she has to think about it for a while, to consider any ramifications that might happen, so I''ll leave your presence and go help the giants for a few hours.¡± Ren stood up and cupped the side of her face. ¡°I am not going to give you up, just because a law says I can''t be with you.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I killed Elerlyth.¡± ¡°I saw.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I don''t want you to worry about that.¡± He smiled. ¡°I convinced her to leave you alone.¡± Nathalia''s mouth dropped open. ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°I used the biggest bargaining chip I have.¡± Ren said. ¡°You... you didn''t!¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I told her I wouldn''t feed her anymore.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Nathalia whispered. ¡°That reminds me.¡± Ren said. ¡°As payment, I''m taking the day off work tomorrow, so I can feed her all day.¡± ¡°NO!¡± ¡°I''d much rather do that, than see you killed.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t bear to never see you again, My L... Nathalia.¡± ¡°Ren don''t!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°There... there''s something that...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s going to do her best to eat as much of my emotions as she can.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°I can''t let her do that.¡± ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve only got about 6 hours of the day left.¡± He kissed her, and she started crying again. ¡°See you at supper.¡± He said, then ran for the front door. * Nathalia watched as Ren ran out of the house. He had left before she could explain things. ¡°Are you going to grant his request?¡± ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°He''s got the basics right, but he... he doesn''t realize that...¡± She sighed. ¡°You can tell him when he comes back for supper.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You can''t let him think switching Houses is going to solve anything.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Nathalia said, and wiped her tears away. ¡°I don''t think he''s thinking clearly.¡± * Ren ran out of the house and took off down the road. ¡°You do realize that''s not going to work, right?¡± Teepo asked him. What do you mean? ¡°If you change Houses, all that will do is open up a round of potential suitors.¡± What? ¡°Your simple solution would only cause a huge series of events to come into play.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You shouldn''t leave House Neram.¡± But I can''t be with Nathalia if I don''t. ¡°You''re not going to be with her if you do.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Remember the courting rituals? It takes a year for potential suitors to train to handle marriage, then they are given an audience with the potential mate from another house.¡± Ah, dammit! ¡°Right.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re not going to be around for it, if you start this.¡± What... what do I do? ¡°There''s nothing you can do.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Once the vow was broken...¡± Everything else broke, too. Ren thought and sighed. He didn''t think about anything else until he came to the Garrison. By the gods, I forgot to give Rosie one of the books! Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Well, you were kind of distracted.¡± Ren sighed. I''ll give her a copy tomorrow. The front gate opened, and Ren ran through the entire Garrison in about 6 minutes. It seemed a lot longer than that before. He thought as the last gate opened and he ran out into the wilderness. It didn''t take long for him to come to the giant settlement, and he saw that the giants were still digging the trench around the settlement. He waved to the giants that were digging, but none of them paid him any attention. How fleeting fame. Ren thought, and ran towards the center of the giant camp. Several giants were there preparing food, and he went to stand behind his workbench. Over the next few hours, he made one outfit for everyone that didn''t have one. Several giants asked if he could fix their clothing, like he did for the child; but Ren said that it was much easier to make new clothing than it was to try and repair all of the old things. A lot of the giants agreed, but some thought that if he was so magical, he should be able to fix all of their clothing, and not just a child''s outfit. Ren didn''t comment that it had been a show only for the child''s benefit, to give him something to believe in; and not for anyone to take advantage of Ren''s generosity. He worked for several hours, and finally had one outfit made for each of the giants. Once that was done, Ren had expected Laurelia to come over to him, but she didn''t. He hadn''t seen her the whole time he was there, either. He was tempted to go search for her, then thought that he should at least make sure that she was okay. It didn''t take long for him to find her tent, as it was one of the only ones that were still occupied, and he peeked inside. Laurelia was cuddled up inside her bedroll, and looked like she was having a good dream. The smile on her face made Ren feel good inside, and he left her tent without waking her up. After a quick look around to see if anything needed to be done that he could help with, Ren left the giant camp and ran back to the Garrison. No one said anything as he passed through the gate, then ran through to the other gate. Ren thought about calling the Commander to tell him he''d been by, but thought better about disturbing the Commander over something so trivial. He smiled and ran hard down the road, then all the way back to House Neram Keep. The guard stayed quiet, even when Ren greeted him. ¡°Is there anything wrong, Golir?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°No, sir.¡± ¡°You''ve been awfully quiet.¡± ¡°I haven''t been feeling well, sir.¡± ¡°Well, get a replacement guard over here and go see the healers.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you''re not feeling well, you need to get better.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Golir said, and shut the gate. Ren went to the fire elemental''s pen, and played with it for a while. He didn''t use the web wand on it directly, but shot it several times into the corner of the pen, so the fire elemental could feed on it, if it wanted to. He left the pen and went inside to see how things might have changed, only to find the house was empty. ¡°She''s probably cooking supper at the restaurant.¡± Teepo said, and Ren nodded. Ereka''s probably back at the Main House, finishing up anything she needs to do as well. Ren thought. He put 2 copies of his new book on the kitchen table, then went to Nathalia''s room. He stopped when he got to the bed, when he remembered if he was still in the same house as her, he couldn''t sleep there anymore. He closed the door and walked down the hallway, then stopped. I can''t use the old bedroom, either. Ren thought, then looked at the last door. No, I shouldn''t sleep there, either. He sighed, turned around and went to the living room. He took out some fabric, made a quick blanket, and laid down on the couch. He was surprisingly tired, and drifted off to sleep before he knew it. * Nathalia had a quick shift at both restaurants, making specialty meals when they were ordered, but mostly she just supervised the other cooks. They had picked up on her techniques quickly, and were pumping out the meals faster and faster. Soon, she wouldn''t even need to come in to do the specialty meals. She smiled as she left the restaurant, and walked back to House Neram Keep. ¡°I''m so glad that Ren made them for me.¡± Nathalia said, then a tear came to her eye. ¡°He''s had everything made for me.¡± She walked through the gate, greeted the guard and the fire elemental, then went inside the house. ¡°It''s so nice to be hom-¡± Nathalia''s words cut off when she saw Ren asleep on the couch. Oh, Ren. She thought. I didn''t even think about where you were going to sleep! She walked over to the couch, and knelt in front of it. Ren was sound asleep, and she cried silently as she stared at him. My Love, what are we going to do? Nathalia thought, and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. ******** ¡°At least he''s finally getting some sleep.¡± Barbara commented as she saw Ren go to sleep on the couch. ¡°I wonder how things are going to work out between them?¡± She asked herself, because no one else was in the room. She ate her popcorn and drank some soda pop, then reclined in the chair to relax. Barbara never thought of the night shift as long, because she''d always been what people called a night owl. Her husband on the other hand, had become a day-only person. Once the sun had set, he was in bed, and didn''t get up again until the sun was well and truly up in the sky. She smiled, because it was funny that both of their lives had turned into something that neither of them had planned. She was supposed to be a stay at home mom, like she''d always dreamed, and he had wanted to play professional football. His dreams had been shattered that day on the field, when the opposing team''s quarterback made sure to have him tackled extra hard. They couldn''t prove that he had her husband''s knee broken on purpose, but both Barbara and her husband knew the truth. The guy was a vindictive s-o-b and hated to lose, and he made sure that her husband''s team had lost. Barbara had enrolled in nursing school right after that, and had been an excellent nurse ever since. She looked over at Ren and smiled. I even found a child to take care of, as if he were my own. Barbara thought. Don''t worry Ren. Everything is going to be fine. ******** Ren felt a soft hand touch his face, and he opened his eyes. He saw Nathalia there, with her face covered in tears. ¡°I wont tell anyone, if you don''t.¡± He said, and lifted the blanket. She smiled, wiped her tears, and climbed onto the couch beside him. It was a tight fit, but they managed to snuggle into each other. ¡°I don''t know what to do.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°My brilliant idea about switching Houses sucks ass.¡± Nathalia burst out laughing, and he smiled. A few minutes later, they both drifted off to sleep. Chapter 238 - Checking Things Ren woke up early, much earlier than he thought he would. He looked at the woman that was sharing the couch with him, and sighed mentally. ¡°What is it?¡± Teepo asked from his perch on the ceiling. I think there''s only two things I can do about this. Ren thought. Well, three. ¡°What''s the first thing?¡± I''ll go to the Main Keep and see what the restrictions are on dating someone from the same house. ¡°They''re pretty strict.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Members from the same House are usually family.¡± That''s what I was worried about. ¡°It doesn''t hurt to check, though.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What''s the second?¡± Tell the people that made all these stupid laws to go screw themselves. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°That I''d like to see.¡± Ren smiled. It might come to that yet. ¡°What''s the third?¡± I don''t want to think about the third one. Ren thought. It involves giving up all of this; including Nathalia. ¡°I don''t want to think about that option either.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s bad enough we have to leave in a few months, but giving it all up right now, then have to stay around to serve your sentence?¡± Teepo chittered sadly. ¡°That would be depressing.¡± Yeah. Ren moved his hand from where it held Nathalia around the waist, and caressed her cheek. She murmured and held the hand to her face. ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren whispered in her ear. ¡°Don''t... don''t leave me.¡± Nathalia whispered back. ¡°I forgive you for breaking your word.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, lifted the blanket off of himself, and slid over Nathalia to kneel on the floor. She hadn''t let his hand go, so he still had a hand on the side of her face. ¡°I''m going to the Main Keep to check on a few things, then I have to stop in at the mine for a minute, and I''ll come back to work for a few hours in my workshop. After that, I have to go to Aurora.¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± Nathalia said as she opened her eyes and looked at him. ¡°She''s going to be so mad at you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I don''t doubt that in the least.¡± He said as he leaned in close, pressed his lips against hers for a moment, then tucked the blanket back over her. ¡°Go back to sleep.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly, and closed her eyes. Ren used sneak, and went to the kitchen. He didn''t have a lot of time, so he only made a small batch of french fries for Princess, and went out to the stable. ¡°Good morning, Princess.¡± Ren said, and presented her with the french fries. Supposed to be last night... ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was too tired to do anything but sleep.¡± You didn''t eat... ¡°No.¡± He said. ¡°If you didn''t eat, neither should I.¡± He smiled. ¡°I still haven''t.¡± You are nice... for a human... ¡°Thanks. I think.¡± Ren said. He left the stable, with Teepo flying out front, and went to the gate. Wohrum was there in full armor, and greeted him. ¡°Good morning, sir.¡± ¡°Morning.¡± Ren responded. ¡°How''s Golir?¡± ¡°Still in the medical building, sir.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°I hope he''s okay.¡± ¡°He''s just not feeling well.¡± Wohrum said. ¡°Hasn''t been for a few days.¡± ¡°And he wouldn''t go to the medical building until I told him to.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°He should have gone as soon as he felt that way.¡± ¡°I''m glad you cared enough about us that you made a medical building and hired healers.¡± Wohrum smiled. ¡°His wife would have had to travel all the way to the Main Keep and the Medical Wing, otherwise.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°That''s one of the reasons why.¡± He said. ¡°I mainly didn''t want people to have to go far for treatment.¡± Wohrum nodded slightly, and shut the gate. Ren took off running down the road and stopped at the medical building to check on Golir and to talk to one of the healers. ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Malenka said, came around the reception desk, and jumped on him to give him a hug. Ren caught her and held on, so she wouldn''t fall. ¡°What''s this for?¡± ¡°Artrude surprised me the other night with...¡± Malenka held on with one hand and slid the shoulder of her tunic slightly to the side with the other. It revealed a lace covered strap of a bra. ¡°...a great surprise.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m glad you liked it.¡± ¡°Liked it?¡± Malenka grinned at him. ¡°I loved it!¡± She gave him a big kiss on the lips, then hugged him tightly. ¡°Thank you for making them!¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, with his face flushed a little red. Malenka let him out of the hug, and he put her down. ¡°I guess you''re here about Golir?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°How is he?¡± ¡°He''s sweating a lot, and his skin is hotter than usual.¡± ¡°And you don''t know what''s wrong?¡± ¡°Artrude''s gone to the Medical Wing at the Main Keep to see if they''ve seen anything like this before.¡± ¡°I hope they have, and know how to treat it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you mind if I try something?¡± ¡°You?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I have to make a very strong Fear Aura, though.¡± ¡°F-f-fear?¡± Malenka hugged herself. ¡°I can wait for Artrude to be here, if you want.¡± ¡°Um...¡± Malenka looked around. ¡°I...¡± Ren took her hand. ¡°I don''t want you to feel this, so I am ordering you to walk 200 feet out that door and down the road. Wait 2 minutes, then come back.¡± ¡°It''ll be over that quick?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It''s just a test.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Malenka said, and walked to the door. ¡°See you in a few minutes.¡± She left the medical building and Ren walked to the recovery room to stand beside Golir. Okay, Teepo. Teepo flew out of the room, then the building, and followed Malenka. Ren equipped his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, and it added 40 feet to his Personal Aura''s 50 feet, for a total of 90 feet. His shield was next, and he made a Connection between it and his Screaming Terror ring, then between the ring and the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. ¡°We''re in position, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She''s 200 feet away.¡± Ren activated the enchantments and funneled them through his Fear Aura. He watched as Golir started to shake in his sleep from fear, but after a full minute of basking in Screaming Terror, nothing came out of his head. That''s a relief. Ren thought, deactivated the enchantments and stored the shield and cloak, then went back out to the reception desk. ¡°We''re coming back.¡± Teepo said. A minute later, Malenka came through the door, and Teepo flew in behind her to land on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Thank you for letting me try that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had a few encounters with giants, and they had brain worms in their heads.¡± ¡°By the gods!¡± Malenka said. ¡°Wait, did you say giants?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Giants are real!¡± Malenka exclaimed and started hopping around. ¡°Why are you so excited by that?¡± ¡°Brunhilda was one of my favorite heroes as a little girl!¡± She said, and sat down behind the reception desk. ¡°To think that all of it was real!¡± ¡°Um... there''s no proof that all of it was real.¡± Malenka laughed. ¡°Ren, you found giants. Real life giants.¡± She grinned and spun around in her chair. ¡°I wonder who you''re going to find next?¡± She stopped her spin and had a serious look on her face as she stared at him. ¡°You will tell me if you find fairies and pixies, right?¡± ¡°I promise nothing.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You better!¡± Malenka said and pointed an ominous finger at him, then she laughed. ¡°The next thing I want you to find is a monocerus.¡± She said and leaned back in the chair with a smile on her face. ¡°I''ve always wanted to see one of them!¡±
New Quest!
You have been given a quest to find the elusive Monocerus (Unicorn). Since it hasn''t been seen in decades, you have a lot of searching ahead of you. No time limit has been set for this quest. Rewards: ???? Penalty for Failure: Malenka''s Disappointment, ????
Ren nearly laughed at the popup, and decided to try and get rid of one of the penalties for failure right away. ¡°Do you have a piece of parchment?¡± Ren asked her, and she opened a drawer and handed him one. He put it on the table, and took out a piece of charcoal. He recalled staying in the Snoozing Bear Inn in Aurora, and the poster that hung on the wall in the room he''d stayed in. After only a few minutes, he had made a reasonable copy of it. He thought about adding color, then took out his Portable Dye Station. He dyed the charcoal to each of the colors that he needed, and filled in the drawing like he would with a coloring book. Malenka had watched him the entire time, and was amazed as the picture took shape, then stared open-mouthed as he colored it in. When he was done, he handed it to her. ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is as much as I can remember from what I saw.¡± ¡°I... I don''t believe it...¡± Malenka said as she put the picture on the desk. ¡°By... by the gods...¡± ¡°I know it''s a little rough, but at least now you can say you''ve seen one that you haven''t seen before.¡± Ren said and stored the Portable Dye Station. Malenka stood up, calmly walked around her desk, and looked him in the eyes with intensity. ¡°Malenka?¡± * He''s Artrude. He''s Artrude. He''s Artrude. Malenka thought repeatedly, to try and trick herself into believing it, if for only a moment; then she kissed him passionately. ¡°Ahem.¡± A woman''s voice said a moment later. I can even hear her. Malenka thought and broke the kiss. I can''t believe that work-If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Her thought was cut off when she saw Artrude standing behind Ren. ¡°Hi!¡± Malenka said, hopped to the side and ignored Ren completely, then took Artrude into a hug. ¡°Look what Ren did for me!¡± She said, and pointed to the desk. Artrude looked at the very detailed color drawing on the desk, looked at Ren, then at Malenka. ¡°So that''s why you were kissing him like that.¡± Artrude said and smiled. ¡°I couldn''t give him a kiss like the play kisses he got before.¡± Malenka rolled her eyes, then grinned. ¡°I thought he deserved to be kissed for real.¡± Artrude shook her head, but her smile got wider. ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± ¡°Keep me, of course!¡± Malenka said, and kissed her even more passionately than she''d kissed Ren. A minute later, Artrude broke the kiss. ¡°Malenka, we''re at work.¡± Artrude said bashfully, and her face was flushed even more red than Ren''s was. ¡°Werk shmerk.¡± Malenka said and picked up the picture. ¡°Now that you''re here, I can go hang this up!¡± She said, and took off out the door. * Ren and Artrude watched her for about 10 seconds, then looked at each other. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± They said at the same time, and then they laughed. ¡°I didn''t think giving her something like that...¡± Ren said, then smiled. ¡°Now you know.¡± Artrude said, then squinted her eyes at him. ¡°You don''t have anything else like that, do you?¡± Ren raised his hands in surrender. ¡°Honestly, I didn''t know she''d kiss me like that over a drawing.¡± He said. ¡°If anything, I figured it would be another ''play kiss'' like she said.¡± Artrude nodded slightly. ¡°I thought so, too.¡± ¡°Look, I''ll make it up to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back in a little while with something for you to give to her.¡± ¡°I thought I just asked you if you had anything.¡± Artrude said, a little angrily. ¡°I''m going to get her something, but it''s for you to give to her. Okay?¡± ¡°All right.¡± She said. ¡°As long as you don''t keep trying to steal her away from me.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I''ve been accused of that a few times, and all I''m doing is trying to be nice.¡± Artrude put a hand on his arm. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± She said. ¡°I''m very protective of her.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''d be protective of her, too.¡± Artrude nodded slightly, and Ren walked to the door. ¡°Any luck with what''s wrong with Golir?¡± He asked as he opened the door. ¡°A bit.¡± She said, and took out two jars from her pockets. ¡°I''ve been given a spell and some special ingredients, and also a salve.¡± ¡°Let me know if it works.¡± Ren said, waved, and left the building. He ran as fast as he could and made it to the Main Keep well before anyone else. The guards were just coming on duty, and opened the gate for him. They didn''t check him for weapons or anything, and he went into the main hall. He waved to the receptionist as he passed by the desk. She had a surprised look on her face for a second, then she waved back. He smiled and walked down to the entrance of the hallway on the right and went into the first door. Teepo took off to scout ahead, and Ren approached the other door. He opened it at Teepo''s okay signal, and went inside. ¡°Hello again.¡± Beryl, the female dwarf that took care of the General Information desk at the Hall of Records, said. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said, and stood in front of the desk. ¡°What can I do for you today?¡± ¡°Two things, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to pay the taxes and fees for the Garrison.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± ¡°I got the deed for the Garrison from Lord Lodur.¡± Beryl shook her head. ¡°By the gods, Fritz and the Queen are idiots.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s not really their fault.¡± He said. ¡°I really have stayed a lot longer than Fritz intended, and I did mess the place up a lot.¡± ¡°For the better!¡± Beryl said. ¡°The Queen''s order stating you can''t get another invitation for a year is even more stupid.¡± ¡°I''m not going to argue about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s done, and we all have to live with it.¡± ¡°But, if you own the Garrison, then you''re also charged with the defense of the entire realm! They can''t kick you out!¡± Beryl said with a serious face. Ren shrugged. ¡°I''m not sure what I can do about it.¡± ¡°Use the military to take over the Council and the throne.¡± She suggested. ¡°It''s been done before.¡± Ren frowned at her. ¡°I will not be another Lord Lodur.¡± Beryl''s serious face turned into a huge smile. ¡°Good!¡± She said. ¡°I assume you got the budget for the Garrison when you assumed control of the deed?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°1850 platinum coins is a little outrageous, especially the amount that goes into the crafting section.¡± ¡°That''s all internal.¡± She said. ¡°You own the place. You can shift it around and give them what they want.¡± ¡°I can''t increase it, can I?¡± ¡°No.¡± She said. ¡°The budget is set for the amount of people it contains.¡± ¡°So, if I fired everyone, I''d have no budget?¡± Beryl''s face lost all of it''s color. ¡°I''m not going to do that!¡± Ren said quickly, to offset her shock. She sighed in relief and smiled. ¡°I can''t hire more people, either... can I?¡± ¡°No. By law, it''s a set number.¡± She said. ¡°Damn, I''m really starting to hate dwarf laws.¡± Beryl chuckled. ¡°Welcome to the Dwarven Kingdom, My Lord.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°All right, how much are the taxes.¡± ¡°5% of the budget.¡± ¡°It''s what?!?¡± Beryl sighed. ¡°I know. Even though 5% is almost nothing, once you get to 1850 platinum...¡± Ren thought about it, then looked at her. ¡°You know what? Screw it. Here''s 5 years of taxes.¡± He said and put 462 platinum and 50 gold coins on the desk. She stared at the stacks of money. ¡°What... what...¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°But I don''t want to worry about defaulting or anything.¡± ¡°F-f-f-five years!¡± ¡°I paid 5 years for Nathalia''s land.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, I paid 10 years for mine.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± She said and looked at him. ¡°Did you say Nathalia''s land?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°When the marriage contract was canceled... don''t ask why... it reverted to her.¡± Beryl nodded slightly. ¡°I''m sorry that happened.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°It was going to happen in just under 3 months anyways.¡± He said. ¡°Which brings me to the second thing I wanted to ask about.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± She asked, and took out a large sack to hold the money, and started shoveling it in. ¡°I know there''s restrictions on having a relationship with someone of the same House.¡± Beryl snorted a laugh. ¡°Restrictions!¡± She said. ¡°It''s restricted, period.¡± ¡°Even if you aren''t normally a member of the house, or blood related, or anything like that?¡± She finished putting the money in the sack, filled out the form, and took them over to the filing cabinet. ¡°What people do in their bedrooms is their own business.¡± Beryl said and dropped the money and the form into the cabinet. ¡°Blood relatives... including cousins... is strictly forbidden.¡± She said. ¡°It''s hard enough to keep track of all the bloodlines throughout the different Houses, without having to worry about inter-breeding in the same House.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°So, if say, someone just had the same name...¡± ¡°As long as you don''t try to make it official... which is a big no-no, by the way... officially, we can''t intervene.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was going to see if I had to submit a proposal to allow that... or something similar.¡± ¡°That''s not necessary.¡± Beryl said. ¡°What''s that old saying? Don''t talk, don''t tell?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Close enough.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°It depends.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had an idea for something, but I don''t know if there''s some kind of procedure that has to be followed, or if it can be done at all.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ren looked around. ¡°Don''t worry, this place is completely soundproof.¡± ¡°Is anyone else in here?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is my idea...¡± He explained what he wanted to do with the Garrison, and her eyes widened. ¡°You... you can''t be serious.¡± ¡°It''s not like I can maintain it if I''m not allowed in the dwarf lands.¡± Beryl shook her head. ¡°Okay, I''ll check.¡± She said, got up from her desk and disappeared down an aisle. Ren waited for several minutes, and then she came back with a book, nearly a foot thick. ¡°You need to have the Librarian cut those things up into different volumes for you or something.¡± Ren commented when she put the huge book on her desk, and she laughed. ¡°I''ll keep it in mind.¡± Beryl opened the book, and read through about 200 pages, then stopped. ¡°Okay, if you do that, with witnesses, then everything is okay.¡± She smiled. ¡°Privately, it won''t work.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Publicly, and with witnesses.¡± He said. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± Ren took out a platinum coin and spun it on her desk. ¡°I don''t need another toy, thanks.¡± ¡°Then don''t play with it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m sure there''s lots of places that would be happy to accept this toy.¡± Beryl snorted a laugh. ¡°You''re incorrigible.¡± ¡°That''s definitely a lot better than being called ''crazy''.¡± Ren said and bowed to her. ¡°Awww.¡± Beryl said and waggled her hand as she held it out to him. ¡°Don''t you want to practice your registered ritual?¡± Ren chucked, took her hand, and gave her cheek a quick kiss. She laughed because his beard tickled, and he let her hand go. ¡°Until the next time.¡± Beryl said, and Ren left the Hall of Records. Once he was out in the main hall, the receptionist looked over at him, even as she was speaking to one of the dwarves in line. Ren smiled at her and gave her a little nod, and she stopped speaking at the Honor she''d gained from his gesture. Her mouth kept moving, like a fish out of water, and he chuckled and left the Main Hall. He took off running when he passed out through the main gate, and went to the Library. ¡°Your Highness!¡± Dorhaline, the Librarian, said when he came in through the front door. She had been sitting at her desk, and saw him right away. ¡°I miss your gold armor.¡± She said. Ren smiled. ¡°You miss bouncing off of it that much?¡± She chuckled. ¡°I''m surprised it doesn''t have a dent in the shape of my face.¡± ¡°Oh, that reminds me.¡± He said. ¡°I have to repair it.¡± Dorhaline smiled. ¡°Giant feet makes a mess of things.¡± ¡°They sure do.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, that''s not why I''m here.¡± ¡°Ooo, do you want to read something?¡± ¡°I''d love to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a little bit of time to spare.¡± ¡°Great!¡± She said, and stood up. ¡°What would you like?¡± ¡°Anything from the box of books you put aside for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just a moment.¡± She said, and went into her little sleeping area, and brought out the box. ¡°Here it is.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and moved some of the books around. He picked a small one, and looked at her. ¡°Ma''am, is it possible to get a couple of copies of that children''s book, Brunhilda and the Water Sprite?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Dorhaline said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren looked at the book he''d chosen and read the cover.
How to Pick Up Hotties
He laughed, and opened it to read the introduction page.
Tales of interactions with Fire-related species.
Oh, that makes a lot more sense. Ren thought, and the Librarian came back out to the desk. ¡°Here you go.¡± She said and handed him 2 copies of the book. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Ren said, gave her 2 gold, and stored the books. ¡°Shall we go up to the second level and read?¡± ¡°I thought you''d never ask!¡± Dorhaline said, grabbed the book she had been reading, and led the way up to the second level and the tables there for reading. Ren spent about half an hour there, and had to go back down to get several more books. His Speed Reading was 5 levels higher while in a Library, so he burned through 5 of the books pretty fast. ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren said, and the Librarian sighed. ¡°Oh, all right.¡± She said. ¡°I know you have things that you need to do.¡± ¡°Boy, do I.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for letting me spend time here.¡± ¡°Oh, go on!¡± She said, and grinned at him. ¡°You''re supposed to spend time in a Library.¡± Ren smiled, and handed her the book. Her eyes brightened as he stepped close, and she almost shook in anticipation. ¡°I''m not spoiling you, am I?¡± Ren asked as he took her hand. ¡°By the gods, no!¡± Dorhaline said, and he kissed her cheek. She giggled, because she couldn''t help herself, and he laughed. ¡°I''ll try and stop by next week when I get another day off.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll look forward to it.¡± She said, and sighed when he let her hand go. ¡°Ma''am.¡± He said, and walked down the stairs. Once at the bottom, he walked fast to the door, then took off running when he was outside. ¡°Ren, there''s something you should know.¡± Teepo said. What''s that? ¡°I think the Librarian likes you a little bit.¡± Teepo said, then chittered in laughter. Ren snorted a laugh and ran to his workshop at the mines. No one questioned him at all, and he went inside to gather the drawn plans for the Fire stained glass window he''d drawn, and picked up the piece of red-colored glass he''d left there. He left the workshop and ran out through the gate, then all the way back to the workshop behind House Neram Keep. The place really did seem empty without the huge silt oven taking up most of the space. Ren built another workbench for himself, but this one he made really large, so it could hold multiple pieces of the colored glass that he''d made well over a month and a week ago in the game. He took out the design he''d made, and took his time to score all of the lines that he had in the pattern on the red-colored glass. It took a while, nearly half an hour; but when he was done, he had traced the entire picture out onto the glass. Ren smiled as he lifted the pane of glass slightly, and used the technique he''d learned to firmly hold the outside piece, then gave it a snap. The piece popped off along the score line, and Ren kept going; he broke off each piece as he came to it.
Stat Change!
Glassworking Level 2 (Beginner 0%) Glass Cutting Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
Ren put each piece back to reassemble the pane of glass, then repeated this process for each of the other 4 colors (orange, yellow, white, and blue) that he''d dyed previously, since he wasn''t sure which colors he wanted where in the pattern he''d made. When he had all 5 colors cut apart, he had leveled up both Glassworking and Glass Cutting to Level 4. Ren picked the red and started replacing some of the pieces with the orange. When he had it to an almost even mixture, he started to add the yellow and white pieces to replace some of the red and orange. There were a few spots where he figured it should be really hot, so he used some of the blue pieces. Once it was all done, he stepped back and smiled at his creation. Ren had recreated the scene of when he''d first met Fire Dancer, when the large figure of fire had stood up from the mountain it had been sitting on. Blue flames shot out from it''s feet as it stomped on the ground, and white billowing smoke rose from it''s red eyes. It, and everything around it, had red, yellow and orange flame covering it. ¡°If you stay much longer, you''re going to miss your meeting with Elerlyth.¡± Teepo said. Thanks for reminding me. Ren thought to his friend, then covered over all of the glass with cloth. I''ll be able to finish this tomorrow. He went into the forge room and Tee-one wasn''t there. The forges were all going, and there were iron bars cooling in the molds on the floor. He must be down working on the Keep. Ren thought and grabbed a handful of molten metal from one of the forges. He held it in his hand, and remembered the drawing of a unicorn he''d made for Malenka. He put the blob of metal on the paving stone floor, and using his fingers, made it into the shape of the unicorn. Ren took out one of the bags of small diamonds he had, grabbed a handful of them, and pressed them into the still molten metal. Using one of his blacksmith tools, he used his Gem Setting ability to burnish the gems, to make them flush with the surface of the metal. He covered the entire surface with them, except for the eyes. He dyed two of the diamonds blue, and set them into the right positions.
Stat Change!
Gem Setting Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
Once that was done, Ren grabbed a bit more molten metal, and let the system make it into a pendant chain. He attached it to the back of the unicorn, and used his ability to absorb the remaining heat from it and the chain. He held it up and smiled at it, stored it, then ran down to the road and over to the medical building. Artrude was sitting behind the reception desk, and he walked over to her. ¡°Is Malenka around?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Artrude said as she stood up, then came around the desk. ¡°She''s tending to Golir in the recovery room.¡± Ren crept over to the door, saw Malenka was busy applying the salve to Golir''s forehead, then went back to the reception desk. ¡°You have to be quiet when I give this to you.¡± Ren said, and gave her a copy of the children''s book. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± Artrude asked. ¡°A friend at the Library gave me a copy; but, that''s not the whole present.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is why I said you should be quiet.¡± He took out the glittering diamond-encrusted unicorn pendant. Artrude started to gasp, then covered her mouth. ¡°By the gods.¡± Artrude whispered, and he handed it to her. ¡°I can''t take this.¡± She said, and tried to hand it back. ¡°You have to, because you''re giving it to Malenka.¡± Ren said, and Artrude stared at him. ¡°Like I said, I want to make it up to you. I thought the book by itself wouldn''t be enough, so... I want you to give that to her.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Artrude said, and looked at him intensely. ¡°No wonder Malenka wanted to kiss you.¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°Should I run, or close my eyes?¡± Artrude laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Chapter 239 - Fill Her Up ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Artrude said. ¡°You''re quite welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°You might want to wait until after work to give that to her.¡± ¡°I think that''s a reasonable request.¡± Artrude smiled, and slipped the book into the desk, and put the diamond-encrusted unicorn pendant into one of her tunic pockets. ¡°I better go, or I''ll be late getting to Aurora.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± Ren left the medical building and ran up the road back to House Neram Keep. The guard, Wohrum, opened the gate for him. ¡°I''m coming right back out.¡± Ren said. Wohrum left the gate open as Ren ran to the stable. ¡°Hi, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you feel like another trip to the portal to Aurora?¡± You ask a lot of me lately... ¡°That''s what happens when someone becomes indispensable.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I didn''t have you, it would take me a long time to go there and come back.¡± He said and scratched her chin. ¡°You know I appreciate everything you do for me.¡± Yes, I feel it... ¡°Plus, you know both Teepo and I enjoy it.¡± Princess huffed. Let us go... ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, led her out to the road, and climbed up into the saddle. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Princess took off running, and in just under an hour, with several food stops, Ren was back at the portal to Aurora. He got Princess settled in with more food, Teepo dissolved into the ring, and Ren ran up the stairs and went through the portal. ******** Gloria had prepped her recliner to contain everything, and didn''t have a stitch of clothing on. She picked up her VR headset, sat in the recliner, and got comfortable. She tucked an extra towel between her legs, and grinned. ¡°I am going to drain him dry!¡± Gloria said, put on the VR headset, and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren had summoned Teepo to keep an eye on the time, and a few minutes later, the small spawn point in the bedroom started to glow. ¡°Have fun.¡± Teepo said, and flew out of the room and landed on the living room ceiling. Ren shut the bedroom door, placed a hand on it, and enchanted it with a glyph of Sealed runes. He didn''t want to take the chance that Nathalia might come over and give Elerlyth a chance to take revenge on her. He sighed, and took out the icebox full of food. ¡°So, you actually showed up.¡± Elerlyth said when she materialized. ¡°Take out your Major Healing wand.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No.¡± He said. ¡°I came here to feed you, and if you want, you can kill me afterwards.¡± Elerlyth equipped the sword Ren had made for her. ¡°I remember your threat.¡± She said. ¡°How dare you dictate what I can and can''t do in the game!¡± Ren held his hands out to the sides. ¡°I''m not here to fight.¡± ¡°You should be.¡± She growled and took a step towards him. ¡°I can''t believe that you are blackmailing me like this!¡± Ren looked up at her, stared at her eyes, and ignored the sword as she raised it to strike. ¡°What else could I do?¡± He asked. ¡°Unlike you, she''ll be gone forever if you kill her.¡± ¡°It still fucking hurt!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°Like I didn''t know that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look, if you want a duel... a real duel, and not the play ones we''ve done before... then I''ll agree to fight you.¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°Yeah, like you would fight me for real.¡± ¡°You can feel what I feel, right?¡± Ren asked, then remembered something. ¡°Oh, right! I forgot.¡± He took out the brooch he had enchanted with the Spider Aura and concentrated on his own. ¡°Here. This will help.¡± Elerlyth stored the sword and took the brooch. ¡°Why did you make this?¡± ¡°To replace the one that you lost, and I want you to feed as much as possible today.¡± Ren said. ¡°On me, on you, and on me feeling you feeling me.¡± She sighed. ¡°Why can''t I stay mad at you?¡± ¡°That''s easy to answer.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m really adorable. And delicious. You shouldn''t forget delicious.¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh and put on the pin. She concentrated on the Spider Aura, that only they shared, and it formed around her. It merged with Ren''s Spider Aura, and she gasped as his swirling emotions hit her. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said, and eased the flow. ¡°Is that better?¡± ¡°Good god, how are you doing that?¡± Elerlyth asked, and bit her lip so she wouldn''t moan in pleasure before things even got started. ¡°I''ve had several boosts lately.¡± Ren said. ¡°You read about how I got the last one.¡± ¡°You mean the Dreaded Foe title.¡± She said, then did moan as she imagined what it had felt like to be there when he had unleashed so much Screaming Terror. ¡°All of my Auras that can be influenced by Fear have jumped up 5 levels.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve actually stopped wearing my Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak because of it.¡± ¡°Can... can you put it on now?¡± ¡°I can.¡± Ren said. ¡°But if I do, everyone within 90 feet of me will feel Fear.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren felt how turned on that thought made her. She could sample people within her own ability''s Aura radius, but it was nowhere near what Ren''s Aura could reach. ¡°Um... I''m thinking having our encounter here might be a bad idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can''t leave, especially if the High Elves are watching the place.¡± ¡°Dammit.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He deactivated the enchantment on the door, and ran down the stairs. ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Hi, Anabelle.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got to... ah... help Elerlyth for a while.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I''ve already delayed any repairs and orders for the day.¡± ¡°That''s... not going to be enough.¡± Ren said. ¡°My Aura is going to go out about 90 feet from the bedroom upstairs.¡± ¡°Did you say 90 feet?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I think we should close for the next few hours.¡± Anabelle looked at him with concern on her face. ¡°Closing at such short notice is unusual.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I normally wouldn''t ask to do this, but we can''t really leave the place, in case the High Elves are still hunting us.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Say no more.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Katey, Holly... we''re closing up for the day.¡± ¡°A day off? Yay!¡± Holly said, and Anabelle laughed. ¡°Let''s put out the closed sign, and finish these customers.¡± ¡°Thanks a lot, Anabelle.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, you''re going to thank me a lot later.¡± She said, and winked at him. Ren opened his mouth to say that he might not be in any shape to do that, then thought better of that response. ¡°I can''t wait.¡± Ren said, and Anabelle grinned at him. ¡°I assume you want me out of here, too?¡± ¡°Unless you want to feel Fear and maybe Screaming Terror for a few hours, I''d suggest leaving for a while.¡± ¡°Knowing that it''s you making it, I could take it.¡± Anabelle said. Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I don''t want you to experience that if you don''t have to.¡± He said. ¡°I want you to keep thinking of me as... as...¡± ¡°A cuddly little bear.¡± Anabelle said, and he laughed. ¡°I''ll help deal with the customers.¡± Ren said, and helped the people currently in the shop, and then closed the shop up for the day. ¡°Ladies, please accept my apologies.¡± Ren said as the three women stood beside the front door to leave. He gave them each a handful of gold coins. ¡°Have a good time on your day off.¡± ¡°Wow! Thank you!¡± Holly said, bent over, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Heehee!¡± She laughed. ¡°Your beard tickles!¡± ¡°Apparently.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°I hope you don''t want me to kiss you, too.¡± Katey said, and Ren shook his head. ¡°Good.¡± She said. ¡°You are definitely not my type.¡± ¡°You and your tall fetish!¡± Holly said. ¡°He might be short, but he''s rich!¡± Anabelle laughed. ¡°All right, come on.¡± She said. ¡°Let''s go see what kind of fun we can have.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Holly said, and laughed as she ran out of the shop. ¡°You better go and get her, Katey.¡± Anabelle said. Katie chuckled as she followed the laughing girl out of the shop. ¡°When should I come back?¡± ¡°Not until tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°Elerlyth is going to try her best to drain me.¡± Anabelle shook her head. ¡°I don''t know why you''re doing this for her.¡± ¡°I agreed a while ago; but, today is a special case.¡± ¡°Well, whatever it was that happened, I hope you don''t have to shut the business down if it happens again.¡± ¡°I can''t promise anything.¡± Ren said, and Anabelle sighed. ¡°I can''t even ask you to stop, or to do it somewhere else, can I?¡± ¡°I would if I could.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hopefully, the High Elves left the area, but I can''t guarantee it.¡± ¡°And until you do...¡± ¡°We have to stay here.¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°I''ll be back later tonight.¡± ¡°I''m sorry about this.¡± ¡°It''s your business.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°You can do what you want with it.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°If I had somewhere else private in the city to go to, I''d go there instead.¡± Anabelle put a hand on his arm. ¡°I know you would.¡± She said. ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± He said, and locked the front door behind her. He ran to the back of the shop, opened the door there, and ran up the stairs to the apartment. He went into the bedroom and activated the enchantment to seal the door. ¡°Sorry, that took a bit longer than I... whoa.¡± Elerlyth was standing in the bedroom doorway wearing the see-through outfit he''d made for her. The peekaboo lace over her breasts didn''t hide anything, but it accentuated her dark gray skin nicely. The thigh high lace leggings fit her like a second skin, and he stared at her as she did a little turn. The lace fluttered out and revealed everything for a brief moment, and Ren felt his mouth water. ¡°Good god.¡± Elerlyth said, as she felt his emotions. ¡°I thought wearing this might get some kind of reaction from you, but this...¡± ¡°You haven''t felt everything yet.¡± Ren said, stored his Travelling Clothes, and equipped the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. He concentrated on his Fear Aura, and she moaned. ¡°Mmm.¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°You weren''t kidding.¡± ¡°I''m tempted to add the Screaming Terror, but...¡± ¡°Try it.¡± Elerlyth said and took out the book. ¡°I want to see this cover for real.¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said, and Elerlyth frowned as she tossed the book on the dresser by the door. ¡°Why not?¡± She asked. ¡°I want to feel what they felt!¡± ¡°Because, if I activate my berserk ability, I''ll be exhausted.¡± Elerlyth took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. ¡°I know you''re telling the truth, but...¡± She sighed. ¡°I need to feel it.¡± ¡°When we''re done.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll do it just before I step through the portal.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± She said. ¡°You don''t trust me to not take advantage of you when you''re defenseless?¡± ¡°I would have... before yesterday.¡± Ren said. Elerlyth smiled, and stepped back to let Ren into the bedroom. ¡°Good point.¡± Ren went to walk by her, and her fist swung out at his head. He ducked quickly, grabbed her leg, and picked her up. ¡°Aaaahhh!¡± Elerlyth let out as Ren held her upside down, then easily flipped her over to land on the bed. ¡°How the hell...¡± ¡°You should know that I''m level 32 now.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened. She remembered how strong he was when he was only level 6, and couldn''t fathom how much going up so many levels would do to it. ¡°I may have to re-think having a duel afterwards.¡± Elerlyth said softly. ¡°You might have to wait until you can walk straight again, too.¡± Ren said as he climbed onto the bed. * For the next 6 hours, everyone that walked within a hundred feet of Ren''s business, felt bone-chilling fear for no reason. * ¡°Sir, there is some kind of Fear spell being used.¡± The elf said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± The Tracker asked. ¡°No one can get near the business where he went in.¡± The elf said. ¡°It has to be a spell for it to last this long.¡± ¡°He must know we''ve tracked him there.¡± The Tracker sighed. ¡°Bring the others back. We have to go to the Spire and let them know what happened.¡± ¡°Sir.¡± The elf said. I am not looking forward to that conversation. The Tracker thought. * At some point, Ren had made a Connection to his Screaming Terror ring, and Elerlyth had basked in all the random people''s reactions that she tasted as they passed through her and Ren''s merged Auras. Her ability had reached Expert Level 9 an hour before, and she was trying to get that last huge chunk she needed to finish it and become a Master of her ability. ¡°Oh... oh god...¡± Elerlyth said, and gripped her abdomen. ¡°I''m so full... but... there''s only a little bit more that I need!¡± ¡°Maybe we shouldn''t have stopped to eat every two hours.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, it''s... I''m emotionally full.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I think... I''ve taken as much fear and pleasure from you as possible.¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I haven''t been holding anything back.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Elerlyth said, then had a terrible idea. ¡°Ren.¡± She said, and held him close. He hugged her, and because they were still in the middle of having sex at the time, he wasn''t thinking as clearly as he normally would. She put her mouth by his ear, and whispered. ¡°I''m going to kill Nathalia anyways.¡± Shock, horror, and loss went through Ren in an instant, and those feelings flooded into Elerlyth. She felt utter joy at the sheer amount of feelings he had produced; but when she tried to consume them, they turned bitter and sour inside of her. She put a hand over her mouth, then pushed Ren off of her. Her utter joy turned to disgust as she rolled to the side of the bed and threw up. A large pile of black gunk came out of her mouth and splattered on the floor. It was the same stuff that had been inside of Ren when Elerlyth had poisoned him with her venom. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Ren asked with tears in his eyes, and she felt his growing anger. ¡°You said you wouldn''t kill her!¡± Elerlyth spit the last of the stuff onto the floor, and turned to look at him. ¡°I was joking.¡± ¡°No, you weren''t!¡± Ren said, wiped his eyes, and tapped his pendant. ¡°Our Auras are merged, and I felt how happy you were when you said it!¡± ¡°I was happy about the feelings you let out when I said that!¡± Elerlyth said, then looked at the black gunk on the floor. ¡°Well, I started out happy about it.¡± ¡°So what happened?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Did you level up?¡± ¡°No.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I... I think...¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I couldn''t eat them because... because I hurt you to get them.¡± Ren looked at her, and could feel she was telling the truth. ¡°That was the first time I forced you to feel anything.¡± Elerlyth said, and pulled her knees up to her chest as she sat on the side of the bed. ¡°You''ve always voluntarily given me your feelings.¡± She let the tears flow, but didn''t wipe them away. ¡°I thought...¡± ¡°You thought what?¡± ¡°That it would be enough to push my ability up to the limit.¡± ¡°By the gods, Elerlyth!¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you really that heartless, that you''d hurt me just for experience?¡± ¡°I thought I was.¡± She said, and laid her head on her knees. ¡°I... I guess I''m not.¡± ¡°Of course you''re not!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°How you could believe that you were, after everything we''ve been through and talked about...¡± He shook his head. ¡°If you are so desperate for a bigger flood of emotions, then get ready.¡± Elerlyth looked at him with wide eyes, because she could feel something build inside of him. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± ¡°Something bad happened to me in the game, and Nathalia helped me get through it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t had the chance to tell you about it.¡± ¡°What... what is it?¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Ren said, grabbed her arms and pulled her to the center of the bed. ¡°I''m not telling you anything.¡± He said, and held her still. ¡°Ren, let me go.¡± ¡°No.¡± He said. ¡°By the gods, you are going to feel what I felt, and what Nathalia did for me!¡± Elerlyth could feel an enormous wave of emotions being held back. ¡°D-d-don''t...¡± ¡°Open your ability, Elerlyth.¡± Ren commanded her, and he felt it open, almost against her will. ¡°There we go.¡± He said, laid his forehead against hers, and stared into her eyes. ¡°Relax. This will only take a moment.¡± ¡°Ren... I...¡± Elerlyth swallowed. ¡°I''m sorry I did that.¡± ¡°No, you aren''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°But you will be.¡± Elerlyth felt his deep sorrow, and then he unleashed everything he had felt when Nathalia had caused him to relive all of his deaths. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head as she drank down everything he''d felt. Nearly every emotion was contained within the flood; fear, hate, sorrow, joy, happiness, and every flavor Elerlyth had ever tasted. The one thing that went through them all, however; was love. It was all thanks to Nathalia, who had been there through it with him. She''d lived through it all, just as Ren had. ¡°Oh... oh, god!¡± Elerlyth said, and her ability''s final level filled up at a constant rate. It hit the cap that the game had set, and it went from Expert to Master. Something clicked inside of her, and she stopped breathing. She no longer felt full, because she was so far beyond that feeling now. Ren felt that his emotions were no longer being siphoned off, and he stopped remembering how he felt when he died all of those times. ¡°Ren.¡± Elerlyth said when she started breathing again, and her eyes went completely black. ¡°Run.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°RUN!¡± Elerlyth said, then lost consciousness and started to convulse. Ren tried to hold her still; and because they were still sharing Auras, he felt something deep inside of her activate.
Notice!
Trouble Recipe ingredient: ''Elerlyth'' has been completed.
¡°Oh, crap!¡± Chapter 240 - Into The Dark Ren let Elerlyth go, and rolled off of the bed as he equipped his clothing. He stared at her as she stopped convulsing, and a small portal opened from her abdomen. ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren said, as the tip of a spindly spider leg came out. It was nearly a foot long, and it was only the first segment of the leg. Another came out, and they pushed the portal open further. It expanded to a much larger size, and 2 more legs joined the first two. Once the legs had opened the portal far enough, the spider stuck it''s head out. Eight large eyes stared at Ren, and he could only watch in amazement as the 10 foot long spider crawled the rest of the way out of the horizontal portal. It stepped off of the bed and stood in front of the portal. ¡°I never thought that she would be the one to complete it.¡± A woman''s voice said. Ren looked at the spider. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Can you give me a hand?¡± Ren shrugged, held a hand out to the spider, and the woman''s voice laughed. ¡°That''s so cute!¡± She said. ¡°But, I''m still in the portal.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said and looked behind the spider. A woman''s head and an arm were stuck partially out of the portal. She had long flowing white hair and dark gray skin, and a huge smile on her face. He walked around the spider and over to her. The spider followed his movements, but didn''t try to stop him. ¡°Are you stuck?¡± Ren asked as he climbed up onto the bed, then took her hand. He discovered that it was nearly twice the size of his own. ¡°Not really.¡± She said, and gripped his hand. ¡°For some reason the portal is facing up instead of forward, and I can''t walk through it like I normally do.¡± ¡°I think it''s because Elerlyth is laying down.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hold on.¡± He said, and lifted her out of the portal easily. ¡°Oh, my.¡± The woman said. Ren wasn''t sure if she was referring to him lifting her out, or to Elerlyth laying down. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said as he set her down on the floor next to the portal. She was just over 9 feet tall, and was actually a little taller than the High Elves he''d seen. She wore a mix of clothing and armor pieces, and Ren couldn''t see how any of it protected her, with how little flesh it actually covered. He couldn''t be sure that they were even attached to each other. ¡°What happened to her?¡± The woman asked, and pointed to Elerlyth. Ren saw the portal close, then looked at the tall woman. ¡°She told me to run just before the portal opened, and now she''s unconscious.¡± He said. The woman smiled. ¡°You didn''t run, though.¡± ¡°I wasn''t going to leave her alone with whatever was going to come out.¡± ¡°You''re so brave.¡± She said, and reached a hand for his neck. Ren leaned away, and she smiled. ¡°Yes, you would know about that already.¡± ¡°May I ask why you''re here?¡± ¡°So polite.¡± She said, and crossed her arms under her chest. Ren completely ignored the gesture, and how it pushed her moderate-sized breasts together, and kept looking at her face. He saw her frown for an instant, then she smiled. ¡°She mastered her ability.¡± The tall woman said. ¡°Once a member of the Dark Elves reaches that point, a portal opens, and they earn the privilege of meeting me.¡± ¡°My apologies for being ignorant, but I don''t know who you are.¡± ¡°That''s because I haven''t introduced myself yet.¡± The woman smiled and held out her hand. ¡°Hello. My name is Lylyth.¡± Ren looked at her hand, then back at her face. She grinned at him, and waggled her hand. ¡°I promise I won''t inject you.¡± She said. ¡°And I should take a stranger''s word because...¡± ¡°I didn''t do it when you helped me out of the portal.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°If you can''t take the word of the Queen of the Dark Elves, who''s word can you take?¡± Ren nodded and took her hand. Rather than shaking it like she expected Adventurers to do, Ren''s Etiquette ability kicked in. Lylyth''s eyes widened in surprise as he turned her hand, bent over it, and placed a kiss on the back of her fingers. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.¡± Ren said, and let her hand go. ¡°Although, I think a less spectacular way might have been preferable.¡± Lylyth laughed, and he felt spider legs crawl up his spine. She had intended to cause some fear for her to feed on, but Ren had felt that feeling a lot when he was younger, so he was quite used to the feeling. When she saw that he didn''t react to the sensations that the power of her laugh caused, she stopped laughing. ¡°I expected to meet a Dark Elf that would be humbled, and probably grovel, as they finally met their queen.¡± She smiled. ¡°Then I arrived, and I met you instead.¡± ¡°I''m sure Elerlyth should wake up soo-¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Elerlyth said and opened her eyes. ¡°Good god, that hurt.¡± She said, then the next words she wanted to say got caught in her throat as she saw the very tall Dark Elf standing beside her, and the 10 foot long spider standing behind her. ¡°Congratulations!¡± Lylyth said. ¡°You are the first Adventurer to ever receive this ability, and now you''ve mastered it.¡± She smiled. ¡°You are really going to enjoy the benefits it will bring you.¡± Elerlyth didn''t say anything, and just stared at the woman. Lylyth turned to look at Ren. ¡°You see? She''s humbled and speechless.¡± Lylyth said, then licked her lips. ¡°Mmm. Yes, and she''s afraid.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren looked at her, then at Elerlyth. He couldn''t feel that she was afraid. ¡°She''s blocking it from you.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°She thought she could block it from me, too.¡± She smiled slyly at Elerlyth. ¡°You''re one of my chosen. You can''t block me from feeling your emotions.¡± Elerlyth frowned and tried harder, and Lylyth laughed. ¡°You''re only wasting energy, young one.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Even if your ability wasn''t mastered, I could still feel everything you feel.¡± Elerlyth sighed, and stopped her efforts. ¡°That''s better.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Now, before anything else, I''ll tell you that this was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I never want to go through that again.¡± A strong ominous feeling filled the room. ¡°You are not paying your queen the proper respect.¡± Lylyth growled. ¡°Please accept my apology.¡± Ren said to distract her, much to both Lylyth''s and Elerlyth''s surprise. ¡°She hasn''t had much experience with someone of your prominence, and she doesn''t know how to act properly.¡± ¡°Why are you apologizing for that?¡± Lylyth asked. ¡°I''m her friend. It never occurred to me that I should have tried to teach her.¡± ¡°You didn''t know that I would be arriving.¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said, and succeeded in his attempt to keep her attention away from Elerlyth. ¡°I was lacking in my duties, and I throw myself upon your mercy.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°You-¡± The 10 foot long spider reached out and dabbed Elerlyth''s mouth with the tip of it''s leg. When it moved the leg away, Elerlyth''s mouth was covered in webbing. It then quickly covered her arms and legs, which pinned her to the bed. ¡°You would give yourself up for her?¡± Lylyth asked Ren. ¡°You will let me feed upon you for her mistake?¡±
New Quest!
You have been tasked to feed the Queen of the Dark Elves. Do it well, and she will reward you. Fail, and you will suffer the consequences (which may also include death). Rewards: ???? Penalty for Failure: ????, Possible Death
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Yes, if it will stop you from hurting her.¡± Ren said. Lylyth smiled and turned to Elerlyth. ¡°How have you finished your ability so quickly?¡± She asked. ¡°When my raiding party found you, you had a long way yet to go.¡± ¡°Mmmuh mmm mah.¡± Elerlyth mumbled. ¡°Was it this that helped you?¡± She asked, and took out the Spider Aura brooch that had been taken from Elerlyth when she was attacked, then tucked it back wherever it had come from. ¡°I punished him for testing you too soon.¡± The 10 foot long spider laid a dark elf arm on the bed beside Elerlyth. It was covered in webbing, but you could see that it started at the elbow and still had the hand attached. It only had three fingers, though. Ren thought the spider might have tried to taste it before handing it over. ¡°I give you this as an apology.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Mmmuh mmm mah!¡± Elerlyth mumbled again. Lylyth laughed, and Elerlyth squirmed as she felt spiders crawl up her spine. Ren still didn''t react, though. ¡°You can still hunt him down for doing what he did to you.¡± Lylyth said, then leaned over. ¡°I''ll even tell you where he is.¡± She said, then whispered something in Elerlyth''s ear. ¡°Now.¡± She smiled. ¡°How did you master your ability?¡± Elerlyth didn''t try to say anything this time, but Lylyth could feel the emotions coming from her, and turned to look at Ren. ¡°It was you, wasn''t it?¡± Lylyth asked him, and he nodded. ¡°I have only just met you, and yet you have amazed me several times already.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡± Ren said. ¡°I humbly accept the compliment.¡±
Stat Change!
Etiquette Level 5 (Advanced 0%)
¡°You are an enigma.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I normally don''t like enigmas.¡± ¡°I''m sorry you feel that way.¡± He said. ¡°I am only getting some of what you are feeling.¡± Lylyth said and tilted her head to the side. ¡°So, I don''t know if you really believe that or not.¡± So, she isn''t a lie detector like the dwarves. Ren thought, and reached over and hovered a hand above a bare patch of skin on her shoulder. ¡°May I?¡± Lylyth nodded slightly, because skin contact made the feelings stronger, and he touched her skin. She took in a sharp breath as he gave her the sorrow he felt. He didn''t say that it was sorrow because he had made this meeting happen, and not because she didn''t like enigmas. ¡°Oh, my...¡± Lylyth said as she drank it in. ¡°You''re... delicious.¡± ¡°MUH!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°Don''t worry, young one.¡± Lylyth grinned as Ren removed his hand from her shoulder. ¡°I do not intend to steal your main food source.¡± ¡°Moh.¡± Elerlyth said. Lylyth laughed again to make Elerlyth squirm, then looked at Ren. ¡°I won''t steal him; but, he did offer himself up to me as an apology.¡± ¡°MUH!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°Such indignation!¡± Lylyth said, her voice full of amusement. ¡°I haven''t tasted that in a while.¡± She looked at Elerlyth. ¡°That''s the first time it was aimed towards me, however.¡± ¡°Meh.¡± Lylyth smiled. ¡°Should I feed from him here, right in front of you?¡± ¡°Muuuhhh!¡± Elerlyth responded, and Lylyth grinned. ¡°I''ll take that as a no.¡± Lylyth said, and waved her hand. A portal opened up next to the wall of the bedroom. The 10 foot long spider walked over to it, and used it''s limbs to expand it enough for them to step through easily. ¡°How is it doing that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I thought portals were a set size.¡± ¡°I can''t fit through a standard portal.¡± Lylyth said and motioned to herself and her slightly over 9 feet of height. ¡°My familiar has the ability to make portals bigger.¡± ¡°That''s pretty cool.¡± Ren said, then thought about Teepo. Dissolve into the ring, my friend. We''re going on a little trip. ¡°I know.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ve been listening at the door.¡± Oh, right. Ren thought, and deactivated the Sealed enchantment on the bedroom door. Sorry about that. ¡°That''s okay.¡± Teepo said and skittered into the room, then saw the giant spider as it stepped into the large portal. ¡°Whoa.¡± He said. ¡°That''s a big spider.¡± ¡°Shall we?¡± Lylyth held out her hand to help him down from the bed, and Ren hopped off of it without her assistance. He saw slight disappointment on her face, and didn''t want her to feel that way. So, he touched the icebox and stored it, to show her a reason why he didn''t take her offered help. Ren figured that the longer he kept her in a good mood, the better off he would be; then he held out his elbow for her to take. She smiled because he was only half of her height, and he still offered to escort her through the portal. Teepo dissolved into the ring, and Ren looked up at her face. ¡°You''re a gentleman, too.¡± Lylyth said, and placed a hand on his forearm. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Ren nodded, then walked through the portal with the Queen of the Dark Elves on his arm. * Elerlyth screamed after the portal closed, but since her mouth was covered in webs, it was muffled to almost nothing. She started to struggle, but she was still secured to the bed with webs. Dammit! What do I... yes, that should work. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her Spider spell and cast it. The 6 inch long tarantula appeared near her hand, and she willed it to attack the webbing that held her immobile. It started to swipe with the hooks on it''s feet, and the web strands parted easily. When the spell expired, the spider had freed her hand and part of her arm. That should be enough. Elerlyth thought, and took a dagger out of inventory. With her hand free, she turned the dagger over and worked it back and forth to slice at the web that held the other side of her arm. The more she cut, the more of her arm that it freed; then she jerked up with her arm and freed it up to the elbow. She used the dagger to cut away at her other arm, and freed that one completely. Once one arm was free, she used that one to finish the other, and then sat up. She cut her legs free of the web, then turned the dagger towards her mouth. No, I need a mirror. Elerlyth thought, and looked at the sitting table. It didn''t have a mirror, because Ren had never replaced it. She hopped out of the bed and equipped her old set of clothing, then left the bedroom. She glanced around for a mirror, and saw one in the bathroom. Yes! Elerlyth went to it, and used the dagger to carefully cut a hole for her mouth. ¡°Bah!¡± She said. ¡°Dammit, Ren!¡± Elerlyth said, and started to try and peel off the webbing. ¡°Why did you go with her?!?¡± She asked herself, but she knew the reason. She''d felt that he wanted to keep the queen distracted, and to stop her attention from staying on Elerlyth. ¡°You stupid fool.¡± She said as she kept peeling the webbing away. ¡°I''m not going to cry. I''m not. I''m not!¡± She did her best to not watch her reflection as it cried. * Ren stepped through the portal into a much darker room than what they had just left. Thanks to his Darkvision and Elfling sight combined, he could still see as if it was daytime. Summon Teepo. He thought, stopped walking, and looked around. The 10 foot long spider was nowhere to be found. ¡°I know it''s dark for you here, but you must bear with it.¡± Lylyth said as she saw him looking around and felt his curiosity. ¡°Light does odd things this low underground.¡± ¡°How would you know that?¡± Ren asked as Teepo flew up to land on his shoulder. ¡°If it''s always this dark...¡± ¡°Dark Elves are not savages.¡± Lylyth tried to muster anger at him, but she felt his innocence and honesty, and she smiled instead. ¡°Despite what rumors have been spread about us, we do have basic things like fire.¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her, then dropped his head. ¡°I didn''t mean to insult you.¡± ¡°I know you didn''t.¡± She said, and shifted her hand from holding his forearm to hold his hand. ¡°Come.¡± Ren held her hand and she led him across the room towards a wall. As they walked, the wall had caught his attention when part of it moved. There was a loud skittering sound, and the wall parted. It hadn''t been a wall at all. It was just a pile of large spiders that made up the shape of a wall. ¡°Are you controlling them all?¡± Ren asked as they walked through the opening the spiders had made. Lylyth laughed, and he felt the spiders crawl up his spine again. ¡°Does your laugh always do that?¡± ¡°I don''t control the spiders like you think.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I only ask them to do things, or command them.¡± She smiled. ¡°Does my laugh bother you?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said and smiled back at her. ¡°You''d have felt it if it did.¡± Lylyth nodded. ¡°Then why ask about it?¡± ¡°I think you''re trying too hard to scare me, or make me uncomfortable with it.¡± ¡°You... are brutally honest for a human.¡± Lylyth commented, and stopped walking when she came to her throne; but, she didn''t sit down. ¡°I can... what is the phrase? Tone it down a little; but, I can''t turn it off.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I don''t want you to do anything like that.¡± He said. ¡°I was just wondering if everyone that gets to hear it would feel the same thing.¡± ¡°Obviously not.¡± She said and smiled crookedly. ¡°Some scream in abject terror.¡± Ren snorted a laugh, and Lylyth was surprised that he really was amused by that. ¡°You aren''t the least bit afraid of me, are you?¡± ¡°Besides coming out of my friend''s belly like you did, you haven''t done anything scary yet.¡± ¡°Then... maybe I should.¡± Lylyth said in a rough voice, and held his hand tightly. ¡°I''m not making the right impressions on you, apparently.¡± Ren watched her, and felt a wash of Mana from her. A large protrusion came out of her lower back, and expanded out. It was followed by two large spider legs, then by four more. Her sparse clothes and armor fell away and revealed her nude form. The spider legs took the weight off of her humanoid legs and she felt the intensity of his surprise; but, she thought it was because of her monstrous form. Unknown to her, Ren was actually surprised by the sudden nudity; and how her skin glistened, even with almost no light to reflect from it. Lylyth had to let go of his hand as she rocked back to let her humanoid legs fold up like mandibles. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren and Teepo said at the same time. Lylyth was still about the same height, maybe slightly taller; but, now she had a giant spider body, too. It kind of looked like she was sitting where the spider''s head should have been, and then Ren realized that wasn''t far from the truth. She is the head of the spider. He thought in surprise. ¡°That''s kind of appropriate.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She''s the head of the Dark Elves, too.¡± Lylyth extended her left leg, or mandible, as that was what it was being used as, and she wiggled her toes at him. ¡°I felt your surprise while I was changing.¡± She said in a gravelly voice. ¡°Are you sufficiently terrified now?¡± Ren reached out and held on to her offered foot. She gasped, because she didn''t get a hint of terror; or disgust, or even revulsion. All Ren could think about was that her womanhood was right in front of his face, and it was completely exposed. ¡°Who... who are you?¡± Lylyth asked, her voice back to normal, because she was too shocked to make it sound menacing. She could feel he was a bit uncomfortable, but also felt a trace of desire from him. ¡°My name is Ren.¡± He said and smiled up at her. ¡°How am I supposed to feed from you, if you aren''t afraid?¡± Lylyth shook her head and took out the brooch with the Spider Aura. ¡°Do I need this bauble?¡± ¡°That won''t work for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a design that I made especially for Elerlyth and myself.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lylyth said, crumpled the metal around the diamond, and tossed it aside. ¡°Then I kept it for no reason.¡± She said a little sadly. ¡°Hm. What can I do to scare you?¡± ¡°You don''t have to-¡± ¡°Shh! I''m trying to think.¡± Lylyth said and put her other foot/mandible over his mouth to keep him quiet. ¡°Now.¡± She looked around and thought about the spiders. ¡°I could probably have the spiders trample you.¡± ¡°Muh.¡± Lylyth laughed because his lips tickled her foot, and felt that he wasn''t fussy on the idea. ¡°No, you''re right. You''re no good to me if you''re flattened and punctured.¡± ¡°Mwuh mlah mum.¡± ¡°Hush!¡± Lylyth said, and moved her foot slightly from side to side. ¡°What if I strung you up and hung you upside down, then let some of my pets play with you?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Muh mo.¡± ¡°No?¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°Then I don''t know what to do.¡± She said. ¡°Torture is out, because once again, you would be no good to me if you are bleeding out and almost dead.¡± Ren had had enough of her trying to think up ways to scare him, and licked her foot. Lylyth pulled her foot/mandible away quickly and giggled, then put a hand over her mouth. She looked like she was going to get angry that he had made her laugh like that, and he beamed a smile up at her. ¡°You don''t have to scare me.¡± Ren said, and looked at her womanhood that was still right in front of his face. You agreed to do this. He thought, and braced himself mentally. I will complete this quest! Ren took a deep breath and concentrated on creating as much emotion as he could; then stepped forward and kissed her right between the legs. Chapter 241 - The Gift That Keeps On Giving ¡°What are you... oh... oooh!¡± Lylyth gasped and looked down at Ren as he kissed her between the legs. He worked her over well, and pushed as much of his emotions into her as he could. He didn''t want to think about what he was actually doing; so, he intentionally lost himself in the sensations. That way, all Lylyth could get from him was what he was feeling; and he let his emotions rule his actions. Lylyth caught her breath at the sheer flood of emotions that flowed out of Ren, and she had a hard time as she tried to consume them. Fear, terror, greed, anger, and any of the darker emotions, she had lots of experience with. Lust on the other hand, she''d never had anyone feed her that before. She wrapped her mandible/legs around his back, and intended to pull him away; but Ren misunderstood the action, and thought she was offering him encouragement. He grabbed onto her thighs and dug in with a passion. Lylyth felt amazed when, for the first time in centuries, something started to build inside of her. She could feel how much Ren enjoyed what he was doing, and she fed on that; then her own growing excitement showed as her body reacted to the pleasure, and it added to the intensity of the actions he applied to her. He remembered the last time he had performed this act, and added those feelings to what he offered to her. Lylyth''s eyes widened as his emotions doubled in size and complexity. She gave up her efforts to chew on the emotions and sample what he was feeling, and opened herself wide to let the emotions pour in unfiltered. Just like with Elerlyth, he felt his emotions being drained away. It''s working! Ren thought, kept working on her, and remembered a few more of the other times he''d done this to women, and added them to the flow. He felt Lylyth''s breath get faster, and his pleasure at giving her pleasure added into the flow of emotions she consumed. A few minutes later, her hands grabbed the sides of his head, her legs tightened around his back, and he heard her hiss. Taking that as a sign that she was close to finishing, Ren used his fingers and pushed Lylyth over the edge. ¡°AAAhhhhhHHHH!!!¡± Lylyth screamed, clamped her legs together, and broke both of Ren''s arms. ¡°Gah!¡± Ren grunted as his arms flopped down to his sides and he stopped kissing her. Lylyth felt the change in his emotions, and consumed them without realizing what the change meant. She bucked a little when Ren rested his forehead on her pelvic bone, and a few moments later, unwrapped her legs. ¡°You... oh, you...¡± Lylyth said, and moaned in the afterglow. ¡°I can''t believe you did that to me.¡± She licked her lips. ¡°I haven''t felt like that since...¡± She shook her head. ¡°...no. I swore I wouldn''t speak his name again.¡± ¡°I... I''m glad I... could be of service... Your Highness.¡± Ren said between breaths. ¡°What is it?¡± Lylyth asked. ¡°You weren''t out of breath before.¡± ¡°It''s... it''s nothing.¡± Ren said as he stepped away. ¡°May I go home now?¡± ¡°You have fed me well and truly.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Of course you can.¡±
Quest Complete!
You have successfully fed the Queen of the Dark Elves. You did it well, and far beyond what she had expected. Rewards: 25,000 XP Influence: 13,000 A gift from the Queen of the Dark Elves
Ren felt a wash of Mana from Lylyth. Her legs straightened out and she tipped forward to put her weight on her humanoid legs, as the spider legs and the rest of the spider''s body was absorbed into her lower back, much faster than it had come out. ¡°You have given me something that I haven''t had in a very long time.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°It''s only fitting that I give you something as well.¡± She held a hand out to him. ¡°Give me your hand.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Your Highness.¡± Ren said, and she felt his regret. ¡°I can''t.¡± ¡°Do you refuse my gift?¡± Lylyth said, surprise clearly in her voice. ¡°Of course not, Your Highness.¡± Ren said and bowed his head. ¡°I would gladly accept anything that you would offer me.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I can''t move my arms to take it.¡± ¡°You can''t...¡± Lylyth looked down at his arms, and saw that his hands were clearly facing the wrong way. ¡°No!¡± She exclaimed, and knelt to look at them closely. ¡°I thought I could leave before you noticed.¡± Ren said. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Lylyth said softly. ¡°I broke your arms.¡± ¡°Actually, I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I hadn''t been holding onto your thighs at the time...¡± ¡°You would take the blame for this away from me?¡± She asked. ¡°There''s no blame to take, Your Highness. You didn''t have much choice at the time.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°They moved on their own at the end.¡± Lylyth shook her head. ¡°You are even more foolish than Elerlyth believes.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lylyth sighed and looked down at him. Even while she knelt, her 9 feet of height only dropped to just under 7 feet, until she sat back and dropped to just over 5 feet. Since Ren was only 4 feet 7 inches, she still had to look down slightly. ¡°Why am I not feeling your anguish?¡± Lylyth asked. ¡°Where is your pain?¡± ¡°It''s there, but I''m ignoring it right now.¡± ¡°You...¡± Lylyth shook her head again. ¡°No wonder Elerlyth doesn''t want to lose you.¡± Ren wasn''t sure what to say to that, so he didn''t say anything. ¡°Let''s get you healed.¡± Lylyth said, turned towards the wall of spiders, and let out two quick whistles. ¡°She will be here in a minute.¡± The wall of spiders shifted slightly, and a 10 foot long spider skittered down the wall. When it reached the floor it came over to them, and Ren saw that a dark elf woman sat comfortably on it''s back. ¡°Thank you.¡± The dark elf woman said to the queen''s familiar, climbed down, and came over to Ren and Lylyth. She looked like she was only about 6 feet tall. ¡°Your Highness.¡± She said, and bowed. ¡°What do you require of...¡± She gasped as she caught sight of Ren. ¡°By Lylyth! Your arms are broken!¡± ¡°That is how it happened.¡± Lylyth said, and the dark elf woman looked at her in shock. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± The dark elf woman said and bowed deeply. ¡°I shouldn''t take your name in vain like that.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I accept your apology.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Now help this man.¡± ¡°Right away!¡± The dark elf woman said and turned to Ren. ¡°This is going to hurt.¡± ¡°It always does.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go ahead.¡± The dark elf woman smiled at him. ¡°Had this done before, have you?¡± ¡°More times than I can count.¡± Ren said, then held in his yell as the dark elf pulled and turned one of the arms to face the right way. Lylyth felt some of the intense pain he felt, but because she wasn''t touching him, she was only getting a small taste. ¡°You can touch my forehead.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s the only bare skin I can offer right now.¡± Lylyth looked at him with surprise on her face, then she smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, and laid a hand across his forehead. ¡°Oh, my.¡± She said, and tried to stop herself from licking her lips. ¡°You aren''t blocking it now.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°If you can get something from this, then...AHhhh!¡± He yelled as the dark elf woman pulled on and twisted his other arm back into place.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Lylyth''s eyes lit up as she felt his emotional pain. ¡°Why can''t I take as much as...¡± ¡°I''ve gotten used to sharing as much as I can during... ah... intimate contact, Your Highness. Just touching skin isn''t going to be an easy meal for you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Maybe just an appetizer.¡± Lylyth nodded, because she could feel his honesty. Like he had said, it wasn''t as strong as if she was scaring him; because causing intense emotions removed people''s inherent ability to hide those emotions. It was still pretty strong, though. The dark elf woman that had been summoned to heal him, placed her hands on one of his arms, and they started to glow as she used her healing ability. ¡°Elerlyth was very lucky to have found you.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°In all my years, I have never found anyone that would willingly feed us.¡± ¡°Never?¡± Lylyth shook her head. ¡°Even the ones that enjoy things like pain and torture, were still reluctant to volunteer themselves for an encounter with us.¡± ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡± Ren said, and the pain in one of his arms lessened. Lylyth felt his sorrow and then relief when the healer let his arm go. Ren flexed the fingers and bent the elbow. ¡°How is your Mana?¡± Ren asked the healer. ¡°It''s almost down to half.¡± The dark elf woman said. ¡°I have another Major Healing I can use today, so it''s enough.¡± ¡°You can use Major Healing twice?¡± Ren asked, astonished. ¡°And from your own Mana, too.¡± He said. ¡°That''s amazing!¡± The dark elf woman''s face flushed to a darker gray, the dark elves version of a blush, and she put her hands on his other arm. Once there, her hands started to glow again. ¡°Your emotional range is quite astounding.¡± Lylyth commented after she watched, and felt, his exchange with the healer. ¡°How can you switch so completely like that?¡± ¡°I''d say practice, but I''ve always done that.¡± Ren said and smiled as the pain of his other arm eased away, and he let relief and happiness flow out to her. Lylyth shook her head in disbelief, and looked at him. ¡°I swore to Elerlyth that I wouldn''t steal you from her; but, I am tempted to ask you to stay.¡± ¡°Your Highness.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would be most honored to be chosen by you for such a thing; but, you said it yourself. I have been Elerlyth''s main food source.¡± Lylyth sighed as she felt his resignation and regret. ¡°Yes, I will not break my word to her.¡± She said, and looked at him. ¡°What you did for me was a complete surprise.¡± She moved her hand from his forehead to the side of his face. ¡°But, a physical relationship would not work between us.¡± Ren opened his mouth when he remembered that he had a spell to make himself twice as tall, then thought better of it and nodded. Lylyth felt his pensiveness, then his acceptance. ¡°You are a wonder.¡± Lylyth said and removed her hand from his face. ¡°You really did consider having sex with me, even though I am twice your size.¡± Ren''s face flushed slightly red because he did think about it. Especially when he thought he would have to feed her the same way he fed Elerlyth. Lylyth felt some of his embarrassment and smiled at him. ¡°I know you would have tried, and I imagine quite valiantly; but, it''s been even longer since I''ve been satisfied that way.¡± Ren was surprised to hear that, and reached out to cup the side of her face. ¡°I''m so sorry, Your Highness.¡± Lylyth stared at him, as his sadness came through his touch, and it was followed by tenderness, and then confidence. She smiled at the last feeling, and Ren removed his hand. The two of them stood that way for a moment, then the healer spoke. ¡°He is all healed, Your Highness.¡± The dark elf woman said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and handed her a Mana potion. ¡°What''s this?¡± She asked him. ¡°It''s a Mana potion.¡± Ren said. ¡°It should give you some of your Mana back.¡± The dark elf woman held the potion in her hands as it if was worth a fortune, and stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°You are giving this to me?¡± Ren quickly leaned close to Lylyth''s ear and whispered. ¡°Am I breaking some sort of social protocol?¡± ¡°No.¡± She whispered, and Ren stood up straight. ¡°Yes, I am giving it to you.¡± He said with confidence. The healer looked at her queen. ¡°May I accept this generous gift?¡± Lylyth nodded, and the dark elf woman grinned. ¡°Thank you, my Queen!¡± She said, and bowed to her. ¡°Thank you, My Lord!¡± She said, and bowed to Ren.
Notice!
You have gained Influence +10
Ren waited for the popup stating that it wasn''t the same Influence as in the Dwarven Kingdom, and it didn''t appear. No way. Ren thought as the healer climbed back onto the Queen''s familiar. The Influence is the same! ¡°You are surprised.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I am.¡± Ren said as the spider skittered over to the wall and climbed up and out of sight. ¡°It''s not often that a noble grants a boon to others.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Like this.¡± She smiled. ¡°Give me your hand.¡± Ren held his right hand out to accept her gift. Lylyth took his hand and held it with one hand, then turned it as if she was going to bend over it. ¡°This is going to hurt.¡± Lylyth said, bent over his hand, and bit him. * Elerlyth had peeled all of the webbing from her face, and now sat on the bed. I don''t know what to do. She thought. If there was somewhere I could go to help him... She sighed. I guess all I can do is wait. She had wiped away her tears before leaving the bathroom, and now just felt kind of numb inside. Please, Ren! Come back! * Ren felt the punctures of Lylyth''s teeth as they sank into his skin; but thankfully, it didn''t feel like needles. Lylyth could feel Ren didn''t mind it at all, and then she felt his relief. You are just full of surprises. She thought, and concentrated on giving Ren the gift. She sucked out some of his blood, then injected her venom. Ren felt something enter the back of his hand and tensed up for a moment; then relaxed as the feeling stayed there. He couldn''t see what Lylyth was doing, because her hair blocked his view; so, he stood there and waited to see what her gift would be. A couple of minutes passed, and Ren felt her pull her teeth out of his skin. A moment later, he felt her tongue lick his skin over the puncture wounds. It sent a tingle up his arm, and Ren''s eyes widened as that tingle went all the way down below his waist, and made him excited. Whoa. Ren thought. Lylyth lifted her head and looked at him, because she had felt his reaction. ¡°That... hasn''t happened before.¡± ¡°Experiencing things that haven''t happened before seems to happen to me a lot, Your Highness.¡± Lylyth smiled, and held up his hand. On the back of it, was a spider emblem. It looked like it was blue, and it was a top down view. ¡°Is that a tattoo?¡± Ren asked, and ran the fingers of his other hand over it. The emblem didn''t smudge or shift, and he couldn''t feel any difference from how it had felt before. ¡°It is my mark.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Very few have ever received it.¡± She snapped her fingers and several tarantulas, about 5 inches long, crawled over to her. ¡°Now... which one... hmm.¡± She poked one, and it bobbed. ¡°No.¡± She tried to poke another, and it weaved to the side. ¡°Don''t be cocky.¡± She said, and poked it. It didn''t bob at all, and she smiled. ¡°Yes, you''ll do.¡± ¡°Your Highness...¡± ¡°Don''t say you are going to refuse.¡± Lylyth said and picked the tarantula up. ¡°I wouldn''t dare say such a thing.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am an Adventurer, though. I can''t carry one of them on me.¡± ¡°I can feel your concern.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Why can''t you take it?¡± ¡°I don''t want it to get hurt.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s bound to be killed at some point.¡± He said and sighed. ¡°Please don''t condemn it to death.¡± Lylyth felt his sadness at the thought, and it touched her heart. She gasped, because having someone worry about that hadn''t happened before. She held the tarantula in her hand and took several deep breaths. He really is concerned about the spider''s welfare. Lylyth thought. He''s truly worthy of the gift. ¡°Do not concern yourself over that.¡± She said and handed Ren the spider. When he cupped it in his hands, the spider started to glow. He felt a sharp pain on the back of his right hand where the mark was, then the spider stopped glowing. ¡°There.¡± Lylyth said, and took the spider from him. Her familiar came back down the wall from wherever it had come from, and crawled over to them. She put the spider she held down on the floor, then her familiar lifted a leg and stepped on it. ¡°No!¡± Ren said, and felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand. When he turned his hand over, there was the spider. ¡°What the?!?¡± ¡°That was delicious, even though it was barely a taste.¡± Lylyth said and grinned at him. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Did... did it die?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°It''s now joined to your mark, and is as much a part of you as your hand.¡± ¡°WHAAAATTTT?¡± Lylyth laughed as she fed on his shock and wonder. ¡°Why does Elerlyth ever let you leave her sight?¡± She reached over and picked up the spider with her hand. ¡°Any time it would be killed, it is recalled to the anchor.¡± She said, and clapped her hands together. Ren caught his breath, then felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand. ¡°Your mark is the anchor?¡± He asked as she looked at the spider that was on his hand again. ¡°Any dark elves that see it, will know you have my favor.¡± She said, and opened her hands to show Ren that there was no squished spider. ¡°If they hurt you, they will suffer.¡± ¡°Do you mean they will suffer right away, or that if you find out about it, you''ll make them suffer?¡± ¡°If I find out about it.¡± Lylyth said, a little surprised at the question. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want to meet any dark elves and make a claim that they''d be hurt right away if anything happened to me, if it wasn''t true.¡± ¡°If you tell me about it, they will be hurt.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Ren said and held the tarantula up. ¡°What can this little guy do?¡± ¡°Anything a normal spider can do.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Or it can do nothing.¡± ¡°What about food?¡± ¡°It can fend for itself.¡± ¡°How?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''m not questioning you, Your Highness. I''m just curious.¡± ¡°I know you are.¡± Lylyth said, because she could feel it. With her mark on him, she could taste more of his emotions. It still wasn''t as good as skin contact, but it could be used from anywhere. ¡°Every once and a while, it will find suitable prey and eat it.¡± ¡°Can I give it normal food, or if it''s a liquid diet, can I feed it drops of Health potion?¡± ¡°I think I better take you home before you start to annoy me.¡± Lylyth laughed. ¡°You cannot be this amusing all of the time.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''re right. I can be morose sometimes.¡± Lylyth felt his amusement, and stood up from her kneeling position. ¡°I look forward to that.¡± She said, and held out her hand. ¡°You aren''t going to inject me, are you?¡± Ren asked her, and she grinned at him. ¡°I''m not going to catch you like that, am I?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°If a physical relationship between us won''t work, what''s the point of injecting me?¡± ¡°To make you feel Fear, obviously.¡± Lylyth said and started walking towards the wall of spiders. ¡°It''s never worked before.¡± Ren said as the spiders parted to let them through. ¡°I had a really high dose, too.¡± ¡°It still didn''t make you afraid.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°No.¡± He said. ¡°I''m not sure why.¡± ¡°Now I''m going to wonder if a pure dose would work on you.¡± ¡°I hope you can keep on wondering.¡± Ren said as they came to the spot where the portal had been. ¡°I don''t want to go through that again.¡± ¡°Did it bother you that much?¡± ¡°I''ve always hated throwing up.¡± Ren said. ¡°I never usually have a lot to eat; so, when it comes back up...¡± Lylyth felt how he felt about that, and smiled as she waved her arm to create a portal. ¡°Be well, Ren.¡± She said, and Teepo dissolved into the ring. Ren shifted his grip on her hand, and kissed her fingers. ¡°Goodbye, Your Highness.¡± He said, let her hand go, and stepped through the portal. Chapter 242 - Show-Off ¡°REN!¡± Elerlyth shouted, hopped off the bed, and took him into a hug when he stepped out of the portal. ¡°You''re still alive!¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± Ren hugged her as he felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand. ¡°Why wouldn''t I be?¡± He asked as the spider crawled up his arm and under his cloak. Summon Teepo! Teepo materialized at his feet and flew up to land on his shoulder. ¡°Ren!¡± Eleryth said. ¡°You were just whisked away to some unknown place by the Queen of the Dark Elves! She could have dismembered you! Or stripped the flesh from your bones! Or eaten you alive while you watched!¡± ¡°Boy, am I glad you weren''t there when she was trying to decide the best way to scare the crap out of me.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°Ren! It''s not funny!¡± ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± He said and kissed her. When he had come through the portal, their Auras had merged, and he felt what she felt. Sadness, relief, fear, joy, and anger were all mixed together. The kiss was passionate, and a little desperate on both of their parts. Elerlyth moaned as her ability didn''t consume the feelings like she had expected, but absorbed them and became a part of her. It energized her more than anything she''d ever felt before, and when the kiss ended, her eyes glowed. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Ren... I... oh, god.¡± She sat down on the bed and basked in the feeling. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I... just that little bit gave be enough XP to finish a level.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°I think it''s like your Fame bonus.¡± She said. ¡°Instead of getting more food for my ability, it''s converting it to general XP instead.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said, and sat on the bed beside her. ¡°That''s actually really good.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Elerlyth said, then her eyes widened. ¡°Someone just walked through our Aura.¡± ¡°Yeah, right over there.¡± Ren said and pointed out the small window. ¡°I felt their fear, and a little excitement.¡± She said. ¡°It gave me 10 XP, too.¡± ¡°It''ll still take you a while to level like that, but since it''s XP you wouldn''t normally get, you should level up a lot faster.¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°I wonder if that''s what the queen meant.¡± ¡°Did you check your personal Aura''s level?¡± Ren said. ¡°If my guess is right, I think you got a boost to that, too.¡± Elerlyth checked her stats, and nodded. ¡°Yes, it''s almost at Advanced.¡± ¡°I''d suggest walking around town for a while so you can level your Aura up; but, I''m not sure that''s a good idea right now... hey, there''s someone else in the same spot.¡± ¡°Are you sure it''s someone else?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°I feel the same fear and excitement.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You don''t think someone''s doing what I think they''re doing.¡± Elerlyth felt his amusement and grinned at him. ¡°They''re passing through the edge of the Aura, just to see if they can take it.¡± ¡°Bingo.¡± Ren chuckled, and then someone passed through it again. ¡°Should I be bad?¡± He asked her, and held up his Screaming Terror ring. ¡°Oh, that''s mean.¡± Elerlyth said. He felt her mischievousness matched his own, and she took his hand so the feelings they shared would be even more intense. ¡°If you time it just right...¡± She said. Ren made the Connection between his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and the Screaming Terror ring, and waited. The person entered the edge of the Aura, he activated the enchantment, and pumped Screaming Terror into the Aura. ¡°Ahhh!¡± They heard through the window, felt the utter shock the person felt, and Ren and Elerlyth collapsed on the bed and laughed as they shared their feelings. ¡°Ha ha! Did you feel that?¡± Elerlyth said between laughs. ¡°They were so surprised!¡± Ren only nodded because he was laughing so hard, and deactivated the ring. ¡°Do... do you think... they''ll come back?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°They had enough guts to try it several times already.¡± Ren said as he calmed down. ¡°I''d say the odds are greatly in favor of a return visit.¡± ¡°I''ll take that bet.¡± She said. ¡°If I win, you have to show me what you did to the giants.¡± ¡°And if I win?¡± ¡°I''ll let you out of our agreement.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°You being my food, you numbskull.¡± Elerlyth said, but he felt that she didn''t want that to happen. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll bet they won''t be back.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Elerlyth said, surprised. ¡°I thought you said...¡± ¡°We didn''t pick sides before the bet.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve picked mine, so you''re stuck with the other one.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Hey, you shouldn''t have made the bet if you didn''t want to be stuck with the consequences.¡± Elerlyth felt his determination to win, so she relented. ¡°All right, then I have to bet they''ll be back.¡± ¡°Now we just have to wait for... oh, damn. I lost.¡± Ren said as someone barely touched the edge of the Aura. ¡°Hey, that doesn''t count!¡± Elerlyth said, as it had only been for an instant. ¡°That could have been someone else.¡± ¡°I doubt it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s in the same... yeah, it''s definitely the same person.¡± Elerlyth felt the person in the Aura pass through the same spot they had before. ¡°You lost on purpose.¡± She said as she looked at Ren, and felt his happiness. ¡°I did?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°That''s never happened between us before.¡± He said, and laughed as she smacked him. ¡°I have to pop back to the Library.¡± He said, let go of her hand, and stood up. ¡°I forgot to give Rosie a copy of the book.¡± He said and picked up the copy he''d let Elerlyth read, that she had put on the dresser by the door. ¡°What about the High Elves?¡± ¡°The soldiers are on the lookout for them now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I don''t think they''d be stupid enough to try and kidnap me again inside the city.¡± ¡°Then you know what that means.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°But you are not going to leave the city without me.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I won''t let you get captured and taken off to wherever this ''Spire'' thing is.¡± He smiled. ¡°Unless we get captured together. That would be okay.¡± ¡°Wait, what?!?¡± ¡°It''s just the start of a plan I had.¡± Ren said. ¡°It worked for Tristan that time, and I figure it should work for the High Elves.¡± ¡°So, you aren''t just planning to stay low and hope they leave.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re not going to leave me alone now. I did kill one of their people, even if it was by accident.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°You better not feel guilty about that.¡± Elerlyth said as she felt a trace of guilt enter the merged Aura. ¡°It was an accident; but he was trying to kill you, too.¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Yeah, but still...¡± ¡°No buts!¡± Elerlyth said and stood up. ¡°Forget about it and go to the Library, then get back here.¡± She said. ¡°You have to recreate that cover for me.¡± ¡°Only if you really want me to.¡± Ren said as he reached up and grabbed her by the back of the neck, then pulled her head down to his height. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He said, gave her a quick kiss, and let her go. He felt her surprise, and was out the bedroom door and down the stairs to the back door of the business before she could say anything. Ren went out the back door and ran down the street. His Aura moved with him, and it covered a lot of area; so, when he got 120 feet away from Elerlyth, their Auras separated. * Elerlyth''s eyes widened as she gained 320 XP from the people Ren''s Aura had passed over as he ran, then he was out of range and their Auras separated. ¡°He''s right.¡± She said, and sat back down on the bed. ¡°It''s not much in such small doses; but, it''s more than I would get normally.¡± She thought about how much their shared Aura kiss had given her, both in XP and passion, and she shivered. ¡°That on the other hand...¡± * Ren ran down the street to the Library, and since it was getting late, not many people were around. He poured on the speed and was at the Library only a few moments later. He had avoided the street where he had used so many Sleet Storm spells, just because he didn''t want to take the chance that he''d slip and fall. Ren switched his concentration from his Spider Aura to his Personal Aura. It lost the Fear taint and it dropped to only 90 feet. He went inside the Library and looked around; saw the place was nearly empty, and went to the reception desk. Rosie''s face lit up when she saw him. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Rosie said and smiled sweetly at him. ¡°I didn''t expect you back so soon.¡± ¡°I forgot to give you a copy of my latest book.¡± Ren said. ¡°So I had to deliver it before I went back to the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± ¡°Another book? Seriously?¡± Rosie asked, and Ren passed her the book. ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± ¡°It''s a little risque, has a ''B'' rating, and there''s a lot of blood and gore.¡± He smiled. ¡°A lot of bug squishing, too.¡± ¡°That''s quite the cover.¡± Rosie said, a little reserved. ¡°I assume it''s you.¡± Ren sighed mentally because he could tell Rosie didn''t like it very much. ¡°It is.¡± ¡°You want it added to the system?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Ren said. ¡°Anyone that wants a copy...¡± ¡°You''ll pay for it. I know.¡± Rosie said, and took the book to the back. Ren stood there and waited for her to return a few minutes later, and she sat down. She didn''t have a copy of the book, though. ¡°You''re not going to read it, are you?¡± ¡°Not right now.¡± Rosie said. ¡°I''ll wait until tomorrow, when it''s light out.¡± ¡°You can''t read anything scary at night?¡± Rosie shook her head. ¡°I can''t sleep if I have things like that in my head right before going to bed.¡± ¡°Then I don''t think you should read it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It happened to me, and I can''t get it out of my head.¡± ¡°No, no. I''ll read it.¡± Rosie said. ¡°I can''t let something like this pass by without reading it.¡± ¡°Do you want me to spoil it for you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Heavens, no!¡± Rosie said, and shook a fist at him. ¡°One word about the ending and I''ll pummel you, mister!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll keep my mouth shut.¡± He said. ¡°Are you changing shifts soon?¡± ¡°Not for another hour.¡± She said sadly. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just wanted to walk your grandmother home.¡± ¡°Excuse me?!?¡± Rosie said, surprised. ¡°I thought...¡± ¡°It would have been the easiest way to spend a few extra minutes with you, before I had to leave.¡± ¡°Ooohh.¡± Rosie said, when she realized that Ren wanted the excuse to spend more time with her. ¡°It was a faint hope.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might not be able to come back for a week or so.¡± ¡°Then I''m more sorry than I can say.¡± Rosie said. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Bye, Rosie.¡± Ren said, gave her a little wave, and walked out of the Library. ¡°Are you sure you should be encouraging her like that?¡± Teepo asked as Ren ran down the steps of the Library. She said she knew about dwarf relationships, and was okay with it. Ren thought to his friend and ran up the street. She pretty much said she wanted to be friends with benefits. ¡°You seem to have a lot of friends with benefits.¡± Teepo said, and chittered in laughter. Hey, I''m not sleeping with every woman I''ve met. Ren defended himself. There''s actually a lot of women that I''m not sleeping with. ¡°The list is getting shorter and shorter.¡± Teepo said. Who''s side are you on? Ren thought with amusement. ¡°I''m just making sure you know what you''re getting into.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You barely have time to deal with everything when you''re here.¡± Ren concentrated on his Spider Aura as he came up the street, felt it merge with Elerlyth''s Aura, and ran to the back of the business. I''m busy right now, but I''ll have lots of time once I''m back permanently. ¡°Yeah, in three months.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s a long time to make her wait for your awesomeness.¡± Ren laughed and went up the stairs to the second floor back door. She''s waited this long, so I don''t think a few more weeks will change her mind. He opened the door, went inside, and ran up the stairs. * He''s back. Elerlyth thought as Ren''s Aura merged with hers. She received another 160 XP for the people he passed by with the Aura, and a few moments later, heard the apartment door open. She took a deep breath, and tried to stop herself from shaking in anticipation for what was to come. * Ren felt Elerlyth''s overwhelming anticipation as he came into the apartment, and he went into the bedroom. ¡°I''m sorry, Elerlyth.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t do it right now.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± She exclaimed. ¡°You lost the bet!¡± ¡°I have to fix my armor first.¡± Ren said, and let his amusement fill the Aura. It was pushed aside by her anger, and he laughed. ¡°It''ll only take a few minutes.¡± ¡°You shouldn''t tease me like that.¡± Elerlyth said, and watched him as he took out each piece of his crushed armor. ¡°You really were stepped on.¡± She said in a soft voice, as the realization finally hit her. She walked around the bed and took him into a hug from behind. ¡°You were literally crushed to death.¡± ¡°Not only did it hurt like hell, I lost all the XP from a hidden quest, too.¡± Ren said and started to repair his armor. ¡°Aww.¡± Elerlyth said, and rested her chin on the top of his head. ¡°You poor thing.¡± ¡°I still got a ton of Influence, but I can''t help but wonder how much XP it would have been.¡± Ren said, and finished with his armor and stored it. He took out his red House Neram suit and used his Master Tailor Sewing Needle on it and repaired it. ¡°Ren, what''s that on the back of your hand?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°It looks like a spider tattoo.¡± ¡°It was a gift from the Queen of the Dark Elves.¡± He said and stored the suit. ¡°It''s her mark, and she also gave me a new friend.¡± ¡°A new fr-¡± Elerlyth stopped talking when a 5 inch long tarantula crawled out of his hooded cloak and onto her arm. ¡°Please tell me your new friend is a spider the size of my hand.¡± She said and didn''t move, so the spider wouldn''t be startled by any movement she might make. ¡°If it wasn''t, we''re in big trouble.¡± ¡°We''re not in big trouble.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It was a spider, and it''s joined to the mark.¡± ¡°It''s what?¡± ¡°I don''t know how it works; but whenever the spider is going to be killed, it appears on the mark instead.¡± ¡°That''s... actually pretty cool.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°What else can it do?¡± ¡°She said it can do anything that a normal spider can do.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Or nothing.¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh. ¡°That''s not really a wide range of things it can and can''t do.¡± ¡°Please go back into the cloak.¡± Ren said to the spider, and it turned around and crawled off of Elerlyth''s arm and disappeared into the cloak. ¡°Where do you think it went?¡± She asked, and let him out of the hug. ¡°If it was me, I''d be snuggled into one of the front leg holes of the cloak.¡± Ren said and turned around to face her. ¡°It provides a lot of protection, and there''s less tendency to get crushed by anything.¡± ¡°So, you''re kind of stuck wearing the cloak from now on.¡± Elerlyth said and ran her fingers through his beard. ¡°Not really.¡± Ren said. ¡°I could just leave it on me, or I might just make a nice pack for it. Although, I haven''t thought about the logistics much.¡± ¡°How are you going to get it through the portal?¡± She asked. ¡°It will reappear on my hand, just like it did when I stepped through the last portal.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you give me your armor bodysuit?¡± Elerlyth handed it to him and he repaired it, then handed it back. ¡°Thanks.¡± She said and equipped it, so that it replaced her old outfit. ¡°That''s much better.¡± She said, and ran her hands over the surface of the fabric, from her waist down to her thighs. She felt Ren''s reaction to the movement, and she reversed her hands and dragged them across her abdomen, splayed her fingers, and ended the movement at her breasts. When her hands stopped moving, so did his eyes. ¡°By the gods, you''re sexy.¡± Ren said, and she felt his desire. The web design and peekaboo cutouts of the bodysuit accentuated her skin nicely. She smiled and cupped her breasts. ¡°Didn''t you get enough of this dark skin from the queen?¡± Elerlyth asked, and the tips of her breasts made large bumps in the fabric without any prompting. Ren shook his head. ¡°I got away with feeding her once, and it was only oral on her for a few minutes.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°She let you go after only that?¡± ¡°Well...¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°She did say she wanted to keep me; but, she didn''t want to break her word to you and take your main food source.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± She said, leaned down, and gave him a gentle kiss. Since their feelings were being shared, it started an emotional loop as they made out. Each felt the desire of the other, and as they made out, several people passed through the Aura and gave Elerlyth an additional boost. She broke the kiss a few minutes later, because she couldn''t take much more. Her entire body was filled with a kind of euphoric feeling, and she wanted Ren so badly, it almost hurt. ¡°We can''t.¡± Ren said, and she felt his deep regret. ¡°You need to get back to the Dwarven Kingdom before you can log out.¡± Elerlyth said, and sighed. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hand me your armor.¡± She handed her armor over, he quickly repaired it, and gave it back to her. ¡°I''d tell you to not leave here without me, but the last thing I want to do is tell you how to play the game.¡± ¡°Damn right.¡± Elerlyth said, and he laughed. ¡°But before I go...¡± Ren walked into the living room and opened the cabinet to the portal. ¡°I did make a bet with you.¡± Elerlyth held her breath as Ren equipped his full set of armor, and took out both his hammerpick and gold shield. ¡°How do I look?¡± Ren asked her, but she could feel his playfulness. ¡°Like a dork.¡± She said. ¡°Hurry up and dazzle me!¡± ¡°I hope anyone passing by can forgive me for this.¡± Ren said, and made the Connection between his hammerpick and shield, and the shield and his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. ¡°I can only stay like this for an instant, Elerlyth.¡± He said, and Teepo dissolved into the ring. Elerlyth nodded, and Ren activated both enchantments and pumped them through his Aura and into their shared one. She gasped as she was gripped by utter terror, and reveled in the sensation. She froze in place, but not from fear. It was nearly pure joy she felt as Ren activated his Controlled Berserk Rage and his eyes went blood red. The cloak billowed out slightly as he moved, and it looked just like it did on the book cover. ¡°OH GOD!¡± Elerlyth yelled, Ren laughed as he felt her orgasm, then he jumped through the portal. Chapter 243 - Time Away Ren landed on the other side of the portal, felt a sharp pain on the back of his right hand where the Queen of the Dark Elves mark was, then summoned Teepo while he ran down the stairs. Because he wasn''t actively attacking anything with his Controlled Berserk Rage, it was only going to last for a short time, and he would be completely exhausted afterwards. Princess felt him coming and stood up immediately. Who are we going to kill? ¡°I''m sorry, Princess.¡± Ren said, and Teepo landed on his shoulder. ¡°I was showing off for Elerlyth.¡± Princes huffed, and he felt her disappointment. ¡°I''m going to be too tired to hold on properly.¡± Ren said as he led her outside and the door locked behind him. He took out more food than she needed right then, and a bit of rope for himself. ¡°I need to tie myself to your saddle.¡± Very well. Ren climbed up on her and tied the rope around his waist, and then to Princess. He had made it just in time, because the Controlled Berserk Rage ended and a wave of exhaustion hit him. ¡°Uhhh...¡± He said, laid forward on her, and wrapped his hands in the reins. ¡°Eat... and... go home.¡± He said and yawned, and glanced at the spider. ¡°Don''t... bite anyone... and hide... in cloak...¡± He managed to get out, then fell fast asleep. * Princess felt him lose consciousness, and knelt instead of putting her head down to eat. If she did that, Ren might slide forward and fall off. She ate half of the food he had given her, and she thought about the trip ahead. If she paced herself, she should be able to make it before her Health ran out completely. No more food... will hurt... The spider crawled down to the remaining food, wrapped it loosely in webbing, and hauled it up to hang it from the saddle. Thank you. Princess thought to it, and it crawled into Ren''s cloak. Let us go. ¡°I''ll let you know if he starts to slip.¡± Teepo said, and Princess started to trot. Once on the road, she poured on the speed and thankfully, Ren had secured himself quite well. About halfway back, Princess stopped, pulled the webbing off of the saddle, and ate the rest of the food. She ran at a good pace after that, and they made it back to House Neram Keep only a few minutes later than if Ren had been awake. The guard opened the gate when he saw Princess coming, then let surprise show on his face at the way Ren was tied to his mount. ¡°Is he all right?¡± The guard asked, and Princess huffed at him. ¡°Okay, then.¡± He said, and Princess trotted through the gate and into the courtyard. She wasn''t sure what to do next, though. ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo said. ¡°REN!¡± Ren didn''t respond, except with a loud snore. ¡°This calls for more drastic measures.¡± Teepo said, flew into the house for a moment, then came back out. ¡°Can you lightly kick the door of the house?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Nathalia''s in there, and she can get Ren off of you.¡± Princess sauntered over to the front door of the house turned around, and kicked backwards with one of her back legs. It had been a good idea, but Teepo had forgotten Princess'' enhanced Strength. The hoof impacted the wood and splintered half of the door to pieces. It had the desired effect, though; and brought Nathalia outside. ¡°What, by the gods, is going on out here?¡± Nathalia asked as the front door swung open freely. ¡°Ren!¡± She said, and came over to him, then examined him and shook her head. ¡°He''s only asleep.¡± Nathalia untangled his hands from the reins, and untied the rope that held him to the saddle. ¡°Ren! Wake up!¡± She said, and slapped the side of his face a couple of times. She looked at him, and how he was positioned, shrugged her shoulders, and pulled on his arm. It took a bit of tugging to get his body moving, and then it shifted slightly and Ren slid off of Princess'' back and fell to the ground. He hit his head and it bounced slightly, and Nathalia knelt beside him. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren said, and opened his eyes. ¡°Nathalia?¡± He looked around. ¡°We''re back already?¡± ¡°No, you''re just dreaming.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I am?¡± Ren asked, and blinked his eyes. He reached up and stroked the side of her face. ¡°Would that make you my dream girl?¡± Nathalia felt how he felt, and he felt how she felt, and neither of them had to concentrate on their House Neram pendants. ¡°Of course I am.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Who else would put up with your antics?¡± Ren chuckled, even though he was still half-asleep and exhausted. ¡°Come on, and get up.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''m not even going to think about trying to pick you up myself.¡± Ren nodded slightly and rolled over, then got up to his knees. ¡°Damn, I need to sleep, but I have Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± He said, and got to his feet. ¡°There''s nothing you can take to energize yourself?¡± Nathalia asked, and Ren looked at her. ¡°No, there''s nothing I can take; but, I can convert Fire energy to heal myself and refill my Mana.¡± Ren said and walked over to the fire elemental''s pen. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren climbed into it and almost fell, because he was so tired. He sat down by the flame and wind section and the fire elemental came over to him. It rubbed it''s head stub on his face, and he smiled. ¡°I missed you, too.¡± He said, took out a piece of wood, and held it in the flames for a few seconds. It caught fire and he pulled it out, broke it in half, and gave a piece to the fire elemental. It started to consume it, and Ren used his Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation abilities. He used it to fill his Mana Pool, then just sat there and held it. He absorbed the energy, but since his Mana and Health were both full, the energy wasn''t going anywhere. Ren didn''t feel energized by it, so he gave up that idea and handed the wood to the fire elemental. ¡°It was worth a shot.¡± Ren said, pat the elemental, and stepped out of the pen. ¡°I''m going to be gone for a couple of days.¡± He said, then froze. ¡°Ah, crap.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I need to deliver some food to the giants.¡± ¡°Just call the Commander of the Garrison and have him deliver it.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I have to pick some up first.¡± Ren said. ¡°136 people eat a lot of food over a few days.¡± ¡°You''re telling me that?¡± Nathalia said and laughed. ¡°How many people do you think the restaurant serves every day?¡± Ren looked at her, and sighed. ¡°Sorry, I''m too tired to think straight.¡± ¡°Then how are you going to get food for them, and deliver it in the state you''re in?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I can''t just ignore them.¡± ¡°Then don''t.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Call the Commander. Have him send men out to buy the food and deliver it.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, just so you know, I feel like I''m ignoring my responsibilities.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Just do it!¡± Nathalia said, and he nodded as he took out the Sending Square. He called the Commander, and asked him to do what Nathalia said. The Commander responded and said that soldiers were much too busy to be a delivery service. ¡°Fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°As the overall commander of the Garrison, I am ordering you to send a competent unit of soldiers, with carts, to the local farms first thing in the morning. They are to buy enough food ingredients - sacks of potatoes, vegetables, and meat - for 140 people to eat for 4 days, then deliver it to the edge of the giant camp.¡± He said. ¡°There''s a giant trench there, so they''ll have to yell and holler to get the giant''s attention. I''ll reimburse you for the food when I get back in a few days.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have a good evening, Commander.¡± The Commander didn''t say anything further, and the Sending Square stopped glowing. ¡°Now, put Princess in the stable and get inside the house.¡± Nathalia said. Ren nodded slightly and did as she said. When he went into the house, Nathalia was sitting on the couch. He sat beside her, and sighed because he could feel her anger. ¡°Please don''t be mad.¡± ¡°About what?¡± Nathalia huffed. ¡°About me leaving for the next few days.¡± ¡°Why would I be mad about that?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°You were gone for a month, then you left to rescue Groggot, and then you were barely here when you came back from that because you were dealing with the giants.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°Today you had to go and feed Elerlyth, and now you''ll be gone for several more days.¡± She huffed again. ¡°Why in the world would I be mad about that?¡± Ren reached over to her, picked her up and sat her on his lap. ¡°Ren, what are you-mmhh¡± Nathalia tried to say, but his kiss interrupted her words. She resisted at first, but then gave in to her impulses and their shared feelings for each other, and kissed him back. They both started to get excited, then Teepo spoke. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± Teepo said and interrupted them. ¡°You have to go.¡± Ren stopped kissing Nathalia, and her eyes widened as she put a hand over her mouth. ¡°Ren, we... we''re in the same House and not under contract. We can''t...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said, gave the hand she held in front of her mouth a kiss, and leaned back. ¡°I checked at the Main Keep. As long as we don''t try to make anything official, we can pretty much do what we want.¡± ¡°We... we can?¡± Nathalia said, and Ren felt how happy that made her. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± She said, and kissed him passionately. He let it go on for a minute, then broke the kiss. ¡°I still have to go.¡± ¡°Okay, but you had better get back here as soon as you can.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You and I have some catching up to do.¡± ¡°We sure do. I have to tell you about how I met the Queen of the Dark Elves.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± ¡°That reminds me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Come on out.¡± ¡°AHHHHH!¡± Nathalia screamed as the 5 inch long tarantula came out of Ren''s cloak. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and picked it up. ¡°It''s joined to the mark she gave me.¡± ¡°It''s WHAT?!?¡± Ren showed her the spider-shaped mark on the back of his right hand, and she stared at it. ¡°I''m not sure what it eats, so I want to leave some Health potion for it to drink.¡± He said. ¡°Can I have a small plate, please?¡± Nathalia nodded quickly and ran to the kitchen. She came back with a small plate, and Ren took it from her to put on the small table in front of the couch. He poured some Health potion into it, then looked at the spider. ¡°I hope this is okay for now.¡± Ren said, and left the still mostly full Health potion bottle beside the plate. ¡°I''ll be back in a few days. Please, don''t bother Nathalia or Ereka.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°You need to make a good impression on them without scaring them.¡± The spider twitched it''s mandibles a couple of times, and Ren took that as agreement. He put the spider down on the table and sat back. ¡°You''re just going to leave it here?¡± Nathalia asked, trying to contain her uneasiness about the whole situation. ¡°Unattended and roaming free?¡± ¡°It''s not like I can let it stay in the cloak while I''m gone.¡± Ren said, then a moment later, he smiled. ¡°Actually, that''s not a bad idea.¡± He said, took off the cloak, and laid it on the small main room table. The spider crawled into it right away, and Nathalia sighed in relief. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± Ren said. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Nathalia said. See you later, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset, and Stella was there with Barbara. ¡°Well, look at you.¡± Stella said with a big smile on her face. ¡°What were you thinking, showing off for Elerlyth like that?¡± ¡°Showing off, obviously.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°Did you see the look on her face?¡± ¡°I checked the footage after Barbara filled me in.¡± Stella said. ¡°So yeah, I saw it.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You know she''s going to beg and plead with you to do that again, right?¡± ¡°She can beg all she wants.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless I''m in a situation where I can use it for more than a few seconds, I''m never activating my Controlled Berserk Rage ability again.¡± ¡°I thought it used your Stamina bar as a timer.¡± Stella said. ¡°It does, but the ability says that I can ''continuously attack'' and use it as a timer. If I don''t attack, it exhausts me completely.¡± ¡°That''s both good and bad.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I think you''re right. You shouldn''t use it anymore, unless you have to.¡± Ren nodded, and then his stomach rumbled loudly. ¡°My stomach would like to order breakfast.¡± Barbara and Stella laughed, and he grinned. ¡°I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± Stella said and left to get him something to eat. ¡°So you got a pet spider anyways.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°And it can''t die.¡± ¡°I saw.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I wonder how it works?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°If it was a familiar, I''d understand how it does that, but I still have a familiar slot free.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve been too busy to make something that I meant to make a while ago, but if I make it where I am now, it''ll be stuck in the dwarf lands until the ship brings it over. If I make it in Aurora, it''ll be alone a lot until I come back.¡± ¡°So, you think it''s better to wait, rather than condemn it to either of those situations.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve waited this long to make it. A little while longer isn''t going to matter much.¡± ¡°It will if you find out you need it for some reason, and don''t have it.¡± Barbara said, wisely. Ren was going to ask what she would do, but Stella came in with a tray of food. He took in a long breath through his nose, and he smiled. ¡°Pancakes!¡± Ren exclaimed, and his stomach rumbled again. ¡°Endless Stomach approves!¡± Stella grinned and put the tray in front of him. ¡°Take it easy on the syrup.¡± ¡°As if!¡± Ren said, opened the large packet of it, and smothered the pancakes. ¡°Oh, baby.¡± He said, picked up the fork, and cut into them. He put the first forkful into his mouth, and chewed it up well. ¡°Mmm. Sweet buttery softness!¡± He said, and took another forkful. ¡°It''s like watching food porn.¡± Stella said. ¡°Stella!¡± Barbara nearly shouted, then she laughed. ¡°Food porn.¡± Stella grinned, and they talked about the events for the day while Ren ate. He took his time, and made sure he chewed everything up before he swallowed it. Even so, he finished quickly and Stella took the tray from him. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I''m feeling okay.¡± Ren said, and flexed his hands and bent his elbows. ¡°This one still hurts, but at least I don''t have to keep it in a sling anymore.¡± ¡°Let''s get you to physical therapy.¡± Ren sighed, and slid out of bed to get changed into his workout clothes. Stella heard his reaction and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I''m going in with you.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ll make sure he doesn''t maul you too much.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and finished getting changed. ¡°Now get in the wheelchair so I can deliver you to the torture room.¡± Stella said and smiled. ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± Ren said and sat in the wheelchair. ¡°See you tonight, Barbara.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Barbara said, and Stella took him to therapy. Thankfully, with Stella to run interference every time the therapist tried to manhandle Ren, the session actually went pretty well. Ren wasn''t as stressed as he had been after the last time he had therapy, and he also wasn''t as tired. ¡°I''m glad that''s over for today.¡± Ren said and tried to peel off his sweat-soaked t-shirt. ¡°Help me out of these clothes.¡± ¡°Ooo, I thought you''d never ask.¡± Stella said and Ren chuckled. ¡°You might want to keep your hands to yourself.¡± He said as she gently pulled off his t-shirt. ¡°I''ve apparently got a girlfriend now.¡± ¡°I heard.¡± Stella said. ¡°Brown chicken, brown cow.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°You know.¡± She said. ¡°That funky music they play in the old movies when something sexy is going to happen.¡± ¡°I think you mean ''boom-chicka, bow-wow''.¡± ¡°That''s what I said.¡± Stella said, put a hand on her hip, and the other hand on the back of her head. She swung her hips and gyrated. ¡°Brown chicken, brown cow.¡± Ren started to laugh. Stella turned around and said it again as she shook her butt at him, then exaggerated the motion. ¡°Stop! I can''t take it!¡± Ren laughed and tears came to his eyes. ¡°Suffer at the sight of my sexiness!¡± Stella grinned and over-exaggerated the movement, started to lose her balance, and caught herself against the dresser before she fell. ¡°Oops.¡± Ren leaned against the bed and held his sides, and tried his best to stop laughing. Stella let him laugh a bit more, helped him dry his eyes, and took him to the bathroom to finish getting undressed. He had a quick shower, with only a little bit of help from Stella in the back-washing department, and she wrapped him in a towel. ¡°Are you heading back into the game before we go to the television studio?¡± Stella asked him as she helped to dry him off. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want to take the chance that I''ll get sweat-soaked again, especially if I''m in the bed for several hours before we leave.¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s always a risk.¡± Stella said and dried his hair. ¡°I heard that Elise wanted to be there.¡± Ren nodded, and she smiled at him. ¡°I also heard that you put an end to that idea for her.¡± ¡°I tried to explain to her how much I appreciate everything she''s been doing for me; but, she can''t give up her job just so she can spend time with me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not sure she got the message, though.¡± ¡°It''s hard to tell people something that they don''t want to hear.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Is it ever.¡± ¡°What did she say?¡± ¡°That I shouldn''t tell people how to live their lives.¡± Stella smiled crookedly. ¡°I can tell that''s not all she said. I see that glimmer.¡± ¡°What glimmer?¡± Ren asked, and put a hand on his face. ¡°That glimmer.¡± Stella said, and pointed to his eye. ¡°She said something else. What was it?¡± ¡°She said...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°...that nothing was as important as me.¡± ¡°Oho!¡± Stella said and grinned. ¡°Way to go, little stud!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I still don''t know why she likes me so much.¡± ¡°You''re handsome, funny, rich, humble, young, innocent...¡± ¡°Hey, I resemble those comments!¡± Ren joked, and she laughed. ¡°I said you were humble, not obnoxious.¡± Stella said, and it was Ren''s turn to laugh. Chapter 244 - Stella Says Play ¡°It might have something to do with your anatomy, too.¡± Stella said, and Ren''s face flushed a little red when she said that. ¡°Ooo, so it is true.¡± She said. ¡°Elise got to see it.¡± ¡°Ah... among other things.¡± ¡°You little devil!¡± Stella said and grinned. ¡°How far did you get?¡± ¡°Stella, I can''t tell you that!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± She asked. ¡°Hold that thought.¡± She said, and went into his room to get a new set of pajamas. She picked the green set today, and brought it back to the bathroom. ¡°You know what I believe about that.¡± Ren opened his mouth to protest, but she was right. He did know that she saw it as a normal body function, and while she helped him finish getting dressed, he told her how far he and Elise had gotten. ¡°Oh, you poor thing!¡± Stella said, and pat the place between his legs. ¡°I know you''re hungry, but you''ll have to wait.¡± Ren laughed and shook his head. ¡°What did I say about keeping your hands to yourself?¡± ¡°You said I might want to.¡± Stella grinned. ¡°I help you change clothes several times a day when I''m here.¡± She said. ¡°How many times have I touched it already today?¡± ¡°Good point.¡± Ren said. They tossed the wet towels in the clothes hamper, and went back into the room. Ren climbed up into the bed, and adjusted the back so he could stay sitting up without much effort. ¡°We''ve got a few hours to kill.¡± Stella said. ¡°What do you feel like doing?¡± ¡°My mind just splashed into the gutter.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°I''ll throw you a life preserver.¡± Stella said, and moved the rollaway table over. ¡°Check your emails and messages.¡± ¡°Hey, that''s a great idea!¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Stella put his room back into order while he opened his email program and deleted the spam emails. Clearing spam was always an ongoing process, because they kept changing their sending protocols and slipped spam into normal emails. Ren found a message from Sid Tec, and opened the response to his inquiry about the Trouble recipe, and sighed. ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I sent an email to the tech guys at Sid Tec about my Trouble recipe.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wanted to see what they could do about stopping it from messing everything up for me.¡± ¡°I assume they said it was out of their hands?¡± ¡°Worse.¡± Ren said, and looked at the message. ¡°They said, and I quote, ''it is an inherent game mechanic that is story driven, and cannot be altered or removed because it is a slight inconvenience for a single player''.¡± ¡°Slight inconvenience!¡± Stella exclaimed. ¡°They are such dicks!¡± That made Ren laugh, and she put away some freshly laundered clothes. He opened an email from Elise next, and it had the details for the meeting at the studio. ¡°Stella, want to check this out?¡± Ren asked her and showed her the email. ¡°We should probably write this out, just so we have it.¡± ¡°Way ahead of you.¡± Stella said and took out a notepad. Ren read out the details and contact information, and kept reading the text underneath with the receptionist''s name and things... then stopped when the email changed abruptly and Elise started to describe what kind of underwear she was wearing today. Ren was a bit embarrassed that he''d read a personal part of the email out loud; but Stella pat his shoulder and put the notepad away. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I''m only wearing plain white today.¡± Stella said, unzipped her top, and pulled one side of it open. Ren saw it really was just a basic white cloth bra, with no bells or whistles. On the one hand, it provided good support for her, and it was all functionality. On the other hand, it was her bra, and Stella was clearly showing Ren one full half of her cleavage. His body reacted accordingly, and Stella saw his bulge grow. ¡°You''re turned on just from this?¡± Stella asked, and pulled the other side open to show Ren her whole bra. It excited him to have her do that without any prompting, and she did it so nonchalantly that it had been both a surprise and a delight. She saw that he was standing at attention by this point, and smiled. ¡°From what you just told me, I know you''re doing well in the sex department.¡± Stella said. ¡°So, is it that my top is open? Or that I''m showing my bra? Or is it the breasts themselves that has you all excited?¡± ¡°Um... all three.¡± Ren said, his face still a little red. ¡°The fact you would open your top just so I wouldn''t be embarrassed because I talked about Elise''s underwear by mistake. You showed me your bra to prove that it''s okay to talk about stuff like that; and...¡± He stopped talking. ¡°And what?¡± Stella asked, and knew what he was going to say. ¡°...and you know... I... I really like your breasts.¡± Ren said, and his face flushed red again. Stella smiled, picked up a chair, and walked over to the door to his room. She slid the chair under the door handle and angled it slightly to stop the door from opening. She came back to the bed and asked him to move over slightly. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°Just scoot over.¡± Stella said, and he slid over a little. She reclined the bed a little, climbed onto it and sat down beside him, then leaned back. Her top was still open, and he couldn''t help but look. ¡°Go ahead.¡± She said. ¡°You can play with them.¡± Ren looked at her face. ¡°But...¡± ¡°If you''re worried about Elise, she knows all about me.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°We talked a lot while you were unconscious.¡± Stella said. ¡°We had to do something while we were here for all that time, and waited for you to wake up.¡± ¡°No way.¡± ¡°Yes, way.¡± Stella said. ¡°She knows how I feel about things like this.¡± She smiled. ¡°Who do you think put her up to making those kinds of advances on you?¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Stella laughed. ¡°No, I''m not.¡± She said. ¡°Elise had to learn how to not hurt you if anything did happen between you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wow.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°She was really scared that if things started to happen, she wouldn''t know how to deal with it. So, I impressed upon her what to expect, what she can and can''t do, and to not get overly enthusiastic when things start getting hot and heavy.¡± ¡°Thank you, Stella.¡± Ren took her hand and held it. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± ¡°You don''t have to thank me for taking care of you, Ren.¡± Stella said, and put the hand that held hers to her chest. ¡°You seem to really like these things, so go ahead and enjoy yourself.¡± ¡°Stella, I...¡± ¡°I also know all about dwarves, Ren.¡± Stella said, then smiled as his hand started to move on it''s own, and massaged her through the cloth. ¡°I see how your interactions with women have changed as a direct result of your exposure to dwarf culture.¡± Ren slipped the hand under the bottom of the bra, and pulled it up. It popped up to her neck, and revealed it''s luscious contents when her breasts spilled out of it. He kneaded and caressed the exposed flesh, and they reacted to the sensations. ¡°You''ve let... let the idea of... mmm... being with multiple women...¡± Stella tried to keep her breath even, but it was difficult with what Ren was doing at the moment. ¡°...has influenced... your decisions.¡± ¡°You''re right.¡± Ren said as he looked into her eyes. ¡°It''s changed how I think.¡± He said. ¡°I started with the idea that there was only one girl for me, and that was it.¡± He pinched one of the tips, and Stella caught her breath. ¡°Then that was wrecked when Lucy and I broke up. Then I was with Nathalia, and it started the whole ball rolling.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Stella''s breasts were now fully stimulated and very sensitive. She clamped her teeth together, so she wouldn''t moan as he played with them. ¡°It took the advice of several people, and a lot of encouragement; but I started to see that there was a lot that I could offer a woman, even if I couldn''t have an exclusive relationship with them.¡± He leaned down and kissed the warm flesh near one of the tips. Stella shivered from it, and he looked up at her face. ¡°I do like your breasts, Stella. I like them a lot.¡± He said and started to suckle. ¡°Oh!¡± Stella let out before she could stop herself, and doubled her efforts to not react like she was experiencing her first encounter like this. Ren kept kissing her breasts, gave both equal attention because he didn''t want her to think he preferred one over the other, then slid a hand between her legs. Stella was wearing pants, so he didn''t have as much room to move his hand around like he wanted to; but, she didn''t complain as he massaged her there as well. Stella laid there and let Ren play, but it was difficult for her to not react to so much stimulation. She started to writhe and squirm as he worked her over, and after about 5 minutes, she undid her pants and gave him direct access. He took the hint and shifted his hand from above the cloth and slipped it inside her underwear. She moaned at the intimate touch, and he massaged her for several more minutes; then her hand joined his between her legs. She helped him adjust what to do for her, and she gasped as he caught on immediately. Ren applied the new knowledge he''d gained, and less than a minute later, she finished. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Stella let out as she held his hand against herself, and she twitched and shivered. She panted heavily, and pulled both of their soaked hands out while she checked her clothing. ¡°I''m glad I have extra clothes stashed here.¡± Stella said, and Ren grinned as he licked his fingers. * Gloria hopped out of the shower and dried herself off. Only one more day to wait, and I get to see the practical side of the modifications Stella wanted on these VR headsets. She thought and quickly got dressed. She had plenty of time to get to school and find a parking spot. * Ren''s lawyers were having a field day with the sheer amount of suits they''d filed, and the billing hours they had racked up so far; even though it had only been a week since they started working on them. While they had divided the major suits among the senior partners, who were guaranteed a huge payday, they''d pawned the smaller cases off to the junior associates. Those cases weren''t as certain, but they had the potential to make or break a lawyers career if handled properly. They jockeyed for position, and once the internal competition ended, the victors weren''t greedy and took the others on as assistants. They were going to need all the help they could get; and if even just one of the suits panned out, there was enough money to ensure that everyone was happy with the results. * Stella grabbed some of her spare clothes, and they went to the bathroom to clean up. Ren washed his hands, and Stella took her pants off. ¡°Just look at this.¡± She said as she pulled her underwear down then slipped them off. They were soaked. ¡°I''m tempted to make you clean up this mess!¡± ¡°I''d be glad to.¡± Ren said, and motioned to the toilet. ¡°Have a seat.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren took her hand, led her to the toilet, and she sat down. ¡°Lean back.¡± Stella leaned back and he tapped her thighs with his fingers. She spread her legs and he knelt on the floor. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just a second.¡± He stood up and grabbed a towel. He left it folded up, put it on the floor, and knelt on it. ¡°There we go.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Cleaning you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Scoot forward a little.¡± Stella slid forward to the edge, and Ren used his mouth to clean her. Stella gripped the sink and the towel rack, and for the next 10 minutes, he made sure that every single spot was licked clean. ¡°That''s the outside done.¡± Ren said, smiled at her shocked expression, then proceeded to clean the inside, too. * Detective Ramirez and Officer Stonewall sat in the Chief of Police''s office after having endured a very long and berating commentary on their skills, or lack thereof, for their little impromptu visit to Mayor Danicot''s residence. It looked like the Chief was trying to start his rant over, however. ¡°Do you know how long I was on the phone this morn-¡± ¡°Yes, Chief.¡± Detective Ramirez said, and the Chief stopped. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I know how long you were on the phone.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The Chief said. ¡°That doesn''t matter! Do you realize the shit storm you''ve unleashed on this departme-¡± ¡°Yes, Chief.¡± Officer Stonewall said, and interrupted the Chief''s repeated rant. ¡°What?¡± ¡°We realize what we''ve started.¡± She said. ¡°Oh.¡± The Chief said, his rant derailed before it could get going again, and he sat down. ¡°I''m glad we had this talk.¡± ¡°So are we, Chief.¡± Detective Ramirez and Officer Stonewall said at the same time. ¡°Good!¡± The Chief of Police said. ¡°Now get out of my office and stop poking things that shouldn''t be poked.¡± The pair stood up and left the office, shut the door, and walked over to their desks. They sat down across from each other and didn''t say anything. They both knew that any kind of comment from them about it, was only going to make things worse. ¡°Do you want to go and get a coffee?¡± Officer Stonewall asked her partner. ¡°I''ve been wanting to try that new place way out on Olive Boulevard.¡± Detective Ramirez was about to say that he didn''t feel like trying one of the newfangled coffee combinations that they seem to come out with every day, then realized the name of the street she mentioned. It was the street that Mayor Danicot''s old house was on. ¡°You know what? I think that''s a great idea.¡± Detective Ramirez said, stood up, and grabbed his suit coat. Officer Stonewall stood up, reminded him to take the car keys, and they left the squad room. * Stella couldn''t believe that Ren was still cleaning her, and it had been nearly half an hour. He''d stop after she would orgasm, and look at it. ¡°Aw, damn. It''s dirty again.¡± Ren would say, and kept going. She''d lost her grip on the towel rack and sink after the first few times she went, and just ran her hands through his hair over and over, as he kept going. * Elise was swamped with work. She had let a few things slide while she took care of things for Ren, and now it was biting her on the ass. She worked furiously, and thought about Ren''s trip to the studio. I really wish I could be there. Elise thought. But he was right. I am letting my work and career suffer with all the time I''ve been taking off. She sighed. I''ll have to make it up to him. If I work through lunch, I can get all of these new accounts settled and can meet him for supper! The phone rang and she answered it with a smile. * Janice, the woman that had helped Ren set up his account at the bank, and had turned in her boss to the FBI for embezzling money, sat in the vice-president''s office at the new bank. She had a huge smile on her face, because she was sitting behind the desk. When she had brought them two multi-million dollar accounts, with the potential for a third, they quickly made her the VP of accounts. * Lucy had finally gotten an interview at another hospital that was only a few minutes outside of the city. The commute wasn''t that bad, and the buses ran that route 4 times a day. She sat in the seat, wore her best clothes, and hoped beyond hope that she could get away from the sinking ship that her old hospital had become. * Stella felt like she was losing her mind as they reached the hour mark, and she stared at Ren as he kept going, and it didn''t look like he was going to stop anytime soon. ¡°St... st... stop.¡± Stella finally managed to say. Ren looked up at her and saw that she had a dreamy expression on her face, and he assumed it was because he had made her go yet again. ¡°I...¡± Stella licked her lips. ¡°I want...¡± ¡°Do you need a rest?¡± Ren asked her. Stella shook her head. ¡°Do you want me to keep going?¡± ¡°No.¡± Stella said, and sat up. Ren leaned back, and watched as she grabbed several towels and threw them on the floor, along with his bathrobe. She laid him back on the pile, and pulled down his pajamas and underwear. Much to her surprise and delight, he was full and ready. Stella almost laughed because she didn''t have to waste time to get him ready for what she really wanted. She straddled him and positioned herself. ¡°I want... this.¡± Stella said, and rocked her hips back. He slid in easily because of all the prep work he had done with her, and her body really needed to have him inside of her. ¡°Oh, god!¡± They said at the same time as they joined together for the first time. She stared at him as her hips moved on their own, and he reached up and caressed her breasts. It wasn''t long before they were both consumed by the sensations they were feeling. * Denise hopped in her car and braced herself for the hectic commute into the city. She normally didn''t head out this late, but she didn''t have to be at the care facility until noon, so she had a bit of time to waste before she absolutely had to be there to meet Ren and Stella. * Ren and Stella reached the point where they didn''t have any thought except sharing pleasure with each other, and all that mattered to either of them, was that the other felt good, too. ¡°I''m gonna...¡± Ren tried to say, and then he couldn''t talk as Stella''s body gripped him harder than anything he''d ever felt before. Stella looked like she was in pain as the orgasm hit her, and Ren finished with her. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Stella exclaimed as she collapsed to her hands and knees, with Ren still inside of her. She could feel him throbbing between her legs, and it made her go again. They stared at each other while their bodies finished convulsing and pleasing each other. It took a few minutes, and they both smiled at each other. ¡°I can''t move yet.¡± Stella said. ¡°You shouldn''t anyway.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you move while your body is still holding me so tightly, I''ll go again.¡± Stella chuckled and her breasts jiggled. He reached up and caressed them again, and Stella closed her eyes. ¡°I can''t take much more.¡± Stella said, and he stopped touching her. ¡°I''m having a hard enough time holding myself up as it is.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°For pete''s sake, don''t apologize.¡± Stella said. ¡°This was an amazing experience.¡± ¡°It sure was.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s so amazing that it''s still going on, even though we''re both pretty much exhausted.¡± ¡°Why are you exhausted?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I did all the work!¡± ¡°It takes a lot of energy to just lay here and let you have your way with me.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°Quiet, you!¡± Stella said, then they both laughed. After a few minutes, her body relaxed enough that it was safe to move off of him, without causing him to go again and possibly make a huge mess. ¡°I think I need another shower.¡± Ren said, and Stella looked at his fluid covered mid-section. ¡°Yeah, I think we both need one after that.¡± Stella said. She helped Ren stand up and took off his pajamas. She removed the rest of her own clothing and they stepped into the shower together. They were both too spent to even think about playing with each other again, and cleaned each other up. With the two of them working at it, they were showered, dried off, and dressed again in only 15 minutes. Ren sat on the bed and Stella removed the chair from in front of the room''s door. ¡°What do you feel like wearing today?¡± Stella asked him, and he thought about it. ¡°One of the nice blue shirts, and the loose-fitting black pants.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to look good for the viewing audience.¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°All right, Mr. Wiseguy.¡± She took out the clothes he wanted, and he started getting dressed. It was getting close to the time they had to leave, and he wanted to be ready. ¡°You do realize they''re recording your voice, not taking a picture, right?¡± ¡°You never know.¡± Ren said, and his room door opened. ¡°Hi.¡± Denise said as she came into the room. ¡°Did you guys have fun this morning?¡± ¡°Did we ever!¡± Ren and Stella said together. Chapter 245 - Studio Time ¡°I''m glad you had fun while you waited for me.¡± Denise said. ¡°Are we all set?¡± ¡°I just have to call for the taxi.¡± Stella said. ¡°We can take my car.¡± Denise said. ¡°It''s got a huge trunk, too.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said as he sat in the wheelchair. ¡°How come you never offered before?¡± ¡°I wasn''t allowed to before.¡± Denise said. ¡°Hospital policy.¡± ¡°It''s because you were my nurse and weren''t certified by the board?¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Denise said. ¡°You''re so lucky Stella went through all the trouble to do that for you.¡± ¡°I really am.¡± Ren said and looked at Stella. ¡°If I haven''t thanked you enough...¡± Stella put a hand on his shoulder and smiled coyly. ¡°If you include today, you''ve definitely made a tiny little bit of progress in thanking me properly.¡± Ren laughed, and Denise held the door open for them. The three of them went out to the car, stored the wheelchair in the trunk, and headed out for an adventure. * Detective Ramirez and Officer Stonewall sat outside Mayor Danicot''s old house, and were surprised that there wasn''t a ''For Sale'' sign out front. The Mayor had been living in the new place for about a year, since the last election, and they wondered why he was keeping the old place. They staked it out for half an hour, to make sure that no one was in the neighborhood. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Detective Ramirez said. The partners got out of the car and walked towards the house. If anyone had been looking, they still wouldn''t have seen the crowbar tucked inside the detective''s suit coat. * ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said, as he caught sight of the television studio. It wasn''t quite a high rise building, but it was pretty close. If he had to take guess, it would probably be about 30 floors high. It''s stone and granite facade caught the eye as you walked up the street from the parking lot. Stella pushed his wheelchair and Denise walked beside them. ¡°It sure is something.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''ve driven by here lots of times, but I''ve never seen the inside of the place.¡± ¡°I haven''t either.¡± Stella said. ¡°Now the three of us get to share this new experience together.¡± ¡°I can''t wait!¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope I can do a good enough job for them.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''re going to do great.¡± ¡°No pressure, right?¡± He said and smiled up at her. ¡°None at all.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''re only going to disappoint your tens of fans if you mess up your lines.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Tens of fans?¡± Stella grinned at him, and Denise actually laughed. ¡°There was more than that in the therapy room to watch the first episode.¡± Denise said and held the door of the studio open for them to pass through. ¡°I''m sure there''s at least twice that.¡± ¡°If we''re lucky.¡± Stella joked, then stopped walking when she saw that the lobby was full of people, and she heard Ren''s breathing speed up. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± She said. ¡°Denise.¡± Denise opened the front door again and Stella wheeled Ren back outside. She knelt by him and took his hand. ¡°It''s okay. Take deep breaths.¡± Ren nodded and held her hand as he did his breathing exercises and tried to calm down. ¡°Wooo. That''s a lot of people.¡± ¡°I''m sorry. I should have checked before going right in like that.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Who would have thought this place would have so many people inside?¡± He asked and looked around. ¡°There''s barely any traffic, and its lunchtime. What are they all doing here?¡± ¡°I''ll go and find out.¡± Stella said as she stood up and let go of his hand. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Denise took his hand and checked his pulse at the wrist. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± She said in as soothing a voice as she could muster. ¡°If anyone can clear that place out for you to get through safely, it''s Stella.¡± Ren''s pulse slowed down to it''s normal rate, and Denise saw him smile then let his hand go. ¡°Yeah, she''s awesome like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can just imagine the looks on their faces when she gets going!¡± A couple of minutes later, Stella came back out with a security guard. He was a large and imposing black man, around 6 feet tall, and his short-sleeved shirt showed off impressive muscles and skin that was covered in tattoos. His legs on the other hand, were almost as thin as Ren''s, and the fabric of his pants flopped around in the light breeze. ¡°Don''t tell me they kicked you out for bashing a few heads in.¡± Denise said, and Stella laughed. ¡°No, you nincompoop.¡± Stella said. ¡°This nice gentleman offered to lead us in the back way.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Denise said, and offered a hand for him to shake. The security guard looked surprised for a split second, then smiled as he took the offered hand. ¡°Ma''am.¡± He said in a deep baritone. ¡°Pleasure.¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± Denise said as Stella got behind Ren''s wheelchair. ¡°Lead the way.¡± The security guard nodded and walked around the side of the building. Stella, Ren, and Denise followed him down the alleyway and to a small security door near the back of the building. The guard unhooked a walkie-talkie from his belt and clicked the button twice. ¡°Go ahead.¡± A small voice said from it''s speaker. Ren couldn''t tell if it was a man or a woman. ¡°Requesting authorization for alley access; door D3J.¡± The security guy said. ¡°Swipe card.¡± The small voice said, and the security guard took out a card that was tied around his neck. He swiped it on the small pad. ¡°Got it, Joe.¡± The small voice said, and then a loud buzz came from the door. ¡°Authorized.¡± ¡°Thanks, Amanda.¡± Joe said, and pulled open the door. ¡°Anytime, big guy.¡± The small voice said, and Joe hung the walkie-talkie back onto his belt after clicking it twice. Stella pushed Ren and the wheelchair inside, and Denise came in behind them. Joe the security guard closed the door and waited to hear the click. There was a loud thunk as the security lock engaged, and he turned to Stella. ¡°The elevator is straight ahead and to the right, Ma''am.¡± Joe said. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± Stella said. ¡°Yes, we really appreciate it.¡± Denise said. ¡°Ren doesn''t handle big crowds well.¡± ¡°I saw.¡± Joe said, and looked at Ren. ¡°You okay now?¡± ¡°I am, thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you walking us up, too?¡± Joe nodded, and they all went to the elevator. They didn''t even have to wait after the button to call the elevator was pushed. The doors opened and they went inside. ¡°Why was there a bunch of people in the lobby?¡± Denise asked. ¡°It was a last minute stock holder meeting.¡± Joe said. ¡°The management, in their infinite wisdom, decided that noon was the best time to have everyone come in.¡± ¡°You have to love smart decision making.¡± Stella said. ¡°Floor 18, please.¡± Joe pushed the button and the doors closed. Ren examined some of the tattoos on Joe the security guard''s arms, while they rode up in the elevator. ¡°I like that skull and crossbones on a flag.¡± Ren said to Joe, when he saw the tattoo that covered most of the security guard''s forearm. ¡°Did it take long to get?¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Joe smiled. ¡°Nearly a month.¡± ¡°I thought tattoo artists charged by the hour.¡± Denise commented. ¡°They do.¡± Joe said, and Ren whistled. ¡°Yeah, it cost a pretty penny.¡± The elevator arrived at their floor, and they went out into the hallway. ¡°We''re going to Studio 3.¡± Stella said. Joe motioned to the right and led them down the hall, then opened the door marked with ''S3''. ¡°Have fun.¡± Joe the security guard said, and Stella pushed Ren into the room with Denise close behind. ¡°There he is!¡± A cute statuesque blonde in a business suit and skirt said, and came over to them. ¡°Hi! I''m Barbi. That''s with an ''i'' at the end, and no ''e''.¡± Stella and Denise only nodded to her, and tried not to laugh because they were meeting a model perfect blonde woman named Barbi. Ren, completely oblivious to this, smiled at her and held out a hand. ¡°It''s nice to meet you. I''m Ren.¡± ¡°I know who you are, Mr. Haddon.¡± Barbi beamed a smile at him and shook his hand. ¡°Please, come this way.¡± Stella pushed Ren through the small lounge area, and into the studio proper. ¡°We''ve only got a few lines that we need you to read for us.¡± Barbi said, and handed him several sheets of paper. ¡°It''s mostly just saying the names of the main antagonist, and the supporting characters.¡± ¡°That''s all?¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought you''d need me to say a bunch of phrases and things.¡± Barbi smiled at him, and pat his shoulder. ¡°With the way computers can process things nowadays, they should only need a few replacement lines from you, and they can make your character say anything that they want.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren said. ¡°I try to keep up with technology, but I didn''t think they were that good with voice manipulation.¡± ¡°They aren''t normally.¡± Barbi said. ¡°If they''re off by even a little bit, you can tell it was faked.¡± She said. ¡°But, this is an animated show. Every phrase is pretty much it''s own recording. It''s all pasted together in post processing.¡± ¡°That''s pretty neat.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, we have access to a whole year of your game footage.¡± Barbi said. ¡°It''s a huge sampling of your voice in pretty much every situation.¡± ¡°I didn''t think of it that way.¡± Ren said. ¡°No one does.¡± Barbi said, and looked at Stella. ¡°Does your caregiver need to come into the recording booth?¡± ¡°I think he should survive without me to hold his hand.¡± Stella said. ¡°For a little while, anyways.¡± Ren smiled at her and took her hand, gave it a little squeeze, and let it go. ¡°Great.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Can you wheel it yourself, or should I push?¡± ¡°Push, please.¡± Ren said, and Barbi got behind the wheelchair and pushed him into the booth. * ¡°And I get completely ignored.¡± Denise said, jokingly. ¡°Aw.¡± Stella said and put an arm around her. ¡°Your time will come.¡± ¡°Technically, it already has.¡± Denise said, then described how she had undone her top and distracted Ren when Barbara took out the IV needles. ¡°He had no clue that Barbara had even taken the needles out.¡± ¡°Ha! I wish I''d thought of that.¡± Stella said. ¡°Nice going.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Denise said. ¡°I do have my moments.¡± She grinned. ¡°And breasts.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°I swear he''d never look at our faces again if we kept our tops open.¡± * Ren met the sound mixer and booth manager, and they set him up with headphones and a standing boom mike. They told him to just talk normally unless told otherwise, and Ren started to read the words on the pages. It didn''t take long, because Barbi had been right. All he really needed to say was the character''s names, to replace the ones he said in the footage. He wasn''t sure how that would work; but when he was done an hour later, he asked them about it and they said that they just use cutaway shots when the new lines were added so there wouldn''t be any sync issues. The men in the booth thanked him for his hard work, and he thanked them for the experience. Barbi came in and pushed him back out to the main room where Stella and Denise sat and waited. ¡°We''re all done!¡± Barbi said excitedly. ¡°He did a great job!¡± ¡°It went by fast.¡± Ren said. ¡°I got to the end of the pages before I knew it, and asked if there was anything else they needed.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°I bet they were surprised by that.¡± ¡°Totally!¡± Barbi said. ¡°I don''t think I''ve ever seen them so surprised.¡± ¡°Did they get you to do anything else?¡± Denise asked. ¡°They gave me a few lines for a minor character, because the regular guy is out sick.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, I did those.¡± ¡°It was great!¡± Barbi said. ¡°He''s put the next episode back on track with his replacement lines, and we''ll have production wrapped for the following episode done by Monday because of his extra work.¡± She said, and knelt beside Ren. ¡°Thank you so much for coming down.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m glad I could help.¡± ¡°So, is that all?¡± Stella asked. ¡°We''ve got to get a move on if we''re going to beat the afternoon rush.¡± ¡°Yes, that''s everything.¡± Barbi said and smiled as she stood up. ¡°You''ve been a big help.¡± She said. ¡°Just those few extra lines has saved the station a few thousand dollars.¡± ¡°No way!¡± ¡°It''s true!¡± Barbi said. ¡°We would have had to book extra studio time, keep the mixer and sound guys late, and hire a replacement voice actor.¡± She grinned. ¡°It was so great of you to do this for us.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± Ren said, and held out a hand. Barbi took it and intended to give him a handshake; but Ren turned it automatically, and without thinking about it, placed a kiss on her fingers. ¡°Have a great day.¡± He said and let her hand go. Barbi stood there frozen in shock; because she''d never once in her life had anyone do that to her. Her mouth was open in a little ''o'' of surprise, and Stella stifled her laugh. ¡°Come on, you little Casanova.¡± Stella said as she took the handles of the wheelchair. ¡°Let''s get you out of here.¡± ¡°To the mall!¡± Ren said and pointed to the door. Denise held the door open, and Stella rolled Ren out into the hall. * Did... did he just... Barbi looked at her hand. She could still feel the press of his lips on her fingers. Who does things like that? She asked herself, and stared at the door as it closed. * Stella had to take Ren to the main elevator, because she knew that without the security guard to guide them, there was no way they would get out that back door. The elevator door opened, and no one was inside. Stella wheeled Ren in and kept him faced towards the wall, and Denise pushed the button for the lobby. The ride down was also short, with only one stop on the tenth floor. Denise stood in front of the elevator''s door as it opened and blocked the entryway. The guy tried to walk in anyways, and she coughed at him. He put his hand up to block it, and she hit the button to close the doors. He wasn''t as quick to hit the button on the outside, and the elevator continued to the lobby. ¡°Nice one.¡± Stella said. ¡°That guy didn''t think so.¡± Denise said, and Stella laughed. They got to the lobby, and Denise poked her head out. ¡°It''s pretty clear.¡± ¡°Then let''s get going while the getting''s good!¡± Stella said, backed Ren out of the elevator, and pushed the wheelchair to the front door. Denise went ahead and got the door for them, and then they were out into the sunshine. * Detective Ramirez and Officer Stonewall had cased the house completely and picked the best spot to get in. They were fortunate that there wasn''t another house right behind the lot the mayor''s old house was on, and the hedges planted along the street blocked them from view. ¡°If we do this, we''re breaking the law.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Hey, I got you covered partner.¡± Officer Stonewall said, put a hand over her mouth, and the detective heard another voice close by. ¡°Help me!¡± A soft voice said from the basement window. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Detective Ramirez asked her. ¡°That was 3 years of ventriloquism practice as a child.¡± Officer Stonewall chuckled. ¡°I''ve known you for over 2 years, and I didn''t know you could throw your voice like that.¡± He said, and used the crowbar to break the basement window. ¡°How would that come up in conversation?¡± Officer Stonewall asked. ¡°Hey, that case we worked on was a real bitch, wasn''t it? By the way, I can make inanimate objects talk if I hold my lips closed.¡± Detective Ramirez laughed as he cleared the glass away from the window. He took off his jacket and laid it over the window''s bottom edge, and stuck his head inside. ¡°It''s just a storage room.¡± He said, turned around, and slipped in feet first. Officer Stonewall heard something fall to the floor, and then a loud curse. She looked in through the window to see her partner laid out on his back on the concrete floor. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°Why do people always ask that when someone gets hurt?¡± Detective Ramirez asked, picked himself up, and wiped off his pants. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± ¡°Only my pride and my backside.¡± He said, and she smiled. ¡°All right, I''m coming in.¡± Officer Stonewall said, turned around, and slid in feet first. She over-compensated with her movements, just like he did. ¡°Ahhh!¡± She said and started to fall. Detective Ramirez caught her easily, because he had positioned himself where he would have wanted someone to be when he had fallen. Officer Stonewall ended standing on her feet instead of on her butt; but, she was also in a deep hug with her partner. She stared up at him with surprise on her face, and it matched the surprise on his own. Both of their faces started to flush slightly red as the hug went on a little longer that it needed to. They let each other go quickly, and looked around the room. ¡°A door!¡± Detective Ramirez exclaimed, and went to it. ¡°Great!¡± Officer Stonewall said and banged into him as the door wouldn''t open. ¡°It''s a good thing I brought a key.¡± Detective Ramirez said, and used the crowbar on the hinges of the door. He pried them out, and moved the door out of the way. He glanced out, and ducked back. ¡°Do you see anything?¡± His partner asked. ¡°No, but I can''t see all the way down the hall, either.¡± ¡°Any electric eyes?¡± ¡°Not just outside this door at least.¡± He said, nodded to her, and stepped into the hallway. She followed him out and was surprised by what she saw. ¡°Um, are basements supposed to have this many doors?¡± Officer Stonewall asked. ¡°It''s not just the number of doors that''s odd.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Look at the length of the hallway.¡± She turned around and looked where her partner pointed, and her eyes widened. ¡°Okay, that''s weird.¡± The hallway was almost three times the length of the house. * Denise drove Ren and Stella to the mall, and they went into the custom tailoring shop. ¡°Welcome back!¡± The sales lady said. ¡°Are you looking for more pajamas today?¡± ¡°Not today.¡± Ren said. ¡°The others are working out great.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± The sales lady said. ¡°What can I get for you?¡± ¡°It''s not for me.¡± Ren said, and pointed to Denise. ¡°She needs some custom fit clothing.¡± ¡°Wonderful!¡± The sales lady said and poked her head into the back room. ¡°Lily! He''s back!¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± A young woman''s voice said, and she came out of the back room. ¡°Hi!¡± ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said, and Lily looked at his two companions. ¡°Where''s the tall redhead?¡± She asked. ¡°She sure was a knockout.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°She had to work.¡± Lily clapped her hands together. ¡°So, what magic do I have to perform today?¡± Ren pointed to Denise again. ¡°I''ve got a woman here who desperately needs your help!¡± Lily looked her over, and gasped. ¡°Oh, you poor thing!¡± She said. ¡°That bra must be killing you.¡± ¡°How would you know that?¡± ¡°I''ve seen so many ill-fitted bras that I dream about them.¡± Lily said and laughed. ¡°Come over to the underwear section, and I''ll see what I can do.¡± ¡°I''d rather just get some clothes, if that''s okay.¡± Denise said, a little uncomfortable. ¡°Nonsense!¡± Lily said. ¡°How are you going to get clothes that fit over the bra, if your bra doesn''t fit properly?¡± Denise couldn''t think of a reason, and Lily smiled. ¡°Look, just leave it all to me and my magic fingers.¡± Lily said. ¡°I''ll have you all snug and comfortable in no time.¡± Denise looked at Ren and Stella, and they made shooing motions to her. She sighed, and Lily practically jumped for joy. ¡°Right this way!¡± Lily said, and dragged Denise by the arm to the underwear section. Chapter 246 - Searching ¡°Do you want to have a look around while Denise gets fitted for a new bra?¡± Stella asked Ren. ¡°Sure.¡± He said. ¡°Let''s pick out some nice things for her to try on.¡± ¡°And by nice, you mean revealing and embarrassing, right?¡± Stella said and grinned. ¡°I wasn''t thinking that; but, now that you mention it...¡± Ren grinned back at her. ¡°...that''s a great idea!¡± They went around the store and picked out the most gaudy-looking and oddly-cut things they could find. * ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Officer Stonewall said as Detective Ramirez opened another one of the doors in the basement of the mayor''s old house, and she saw what was inside. This one had a small observation area that looked into another room through a window in the wall. The room it looked into was completely barren except for a long metal table that was bolted to the floor in the center. ¡°Well, damn.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°You stay here. I''ll go next door.¡± Officer Stonewall watched through the window as her partner went into the room. He walked over to it, adjusted his hair, then knocked on the glass. She knocked back, and he nodded and left the room. ¡°It''s a big mirror on the other side.¡± Detective Ramirez said when he came back to the room she was in. ¡°You don''t think... oh, no.¡± She put a hand over her mouth. ¡°Yeah.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Mayor Danicot described in detail his observing the experiments.¡± ¡°But... but he said he didn''t touch...¡± ¡°That doesn''t mean he wasn''t involved up to his eyeballs.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Just that he never actually touched him.¡± ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¡°Keep looking.¡± He said. ¡°If we can find enough obvious evidence, we can get an actual search warrant.¡± Officer Stonewall shook her head. ¡°We aren''t going to find anything.¡± She said. ¡°It''s been years since it happened.¡± ¡°We can always hope.¡± Detective Ramirez said, turned around and went out into the hallway. ¡°We can always hope.¡± Officer Stonewall followed him into the hall. They keep looking for something they knew they wouldn''t find, and hoped. * ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Denise said, as she held up a tiny crop top with cut outs along the fabric. Stella and Ren laughed at her expression, and she tossed the article of clothing at them. ¡°Please don''t tell me they are all like that.¡± ¡°Not all of them.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s some nice things in the pile.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Denise said, and shuffled through the clothes. She picked out a few things that actually were nice, and took them to the hidden changing room once Ren revealed the secret to her. She came out a minute later, wearing a red silky top that clung in almost the right places. ¡°I see what you mean.¡± Lily said, and held the fabric up where it was supposed to go. ¡°Ren is right. You''re going to need at least some alterations to anything that you buy.¡± Denise sighed. ¡°That''s why I usually strap the girls in tight, or buy a size or more larger.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t have to worry about that when I do.¡± ¡°But you have a great figure!¡± Lily and Ren said together, and Lily winked at him. ¡°You shouldn''t hide it like that.¡± Lily continued. ¡°It''s only a few bucks extra to change the way it hangs.¡± Denise looked like she was going to say ''screw it'' and leave, so Ren spoke. ¡°I promised you that I was going to get you new clothes, and you are going to get new clothes.¡± He said, and smiled. ¡°You are going to go through this store and pick out the things you''ve always wanted to try on but didn''t, only because they wouldn''t fit.¡± He smiled. ¡°And you are going to like it.¡± Denise snorted a laugh. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°That wasn''t a request, young lady!¡± Ren said and pointed to her. ¡°Now get going! I want to see you in at least three different outfits in the next 10 minutes!¡± Denise rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine.¡± She said and looked at Lily. ¡°Get your double-sided tape ready.¡± ¡°It''s always ready!¡± Lily said enthusiastically as she pulled the roll out of a pocket. ¡°Let''s go!¡± * Officer Stonewall opened a door and frowned. ¡°Joe! Come here!¡± She said, and he walked over to her. ¡°What the hell is that thing?¡± She asked, and pointed into the room. ¡°That is a sensory deprivation chamber.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°It''s also a lot bigger than the doorway.¡± ¡°So, either they built it in here, or had it in before they finished with the walls.¡± ¡°Right.¡± He said. ¡°I wonder why they didn''t take it, like they took everything else?¡± ¡°Maybe it''s like the metal table in that room.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°They physically couldn''t take it with them.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°It''s too bad we can''t open it to see what''s inside.¡± ¡°I know.¡± She said. ¡°Only visual inspection until we can get a warrant.¡± She sighed. ¡°If we can get a warrant.¡± ¡°Let''s keep looking.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°There has to be something in here we can use as evidence.¡± * ¡°No, I think you want the blue one.¡± Ren said, as Denise picked up an odd-colored dress. He couldn''t tell what the color was, but he knew that he didn''t like it. ¡°You want me to buy everything in blue!¡± Denise said, and Stella laughed. ¡°What''s wrong with that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I like blue.¡± Denise shook her head and put back the dress she had in her hands, and picked up the blue one. She went into the changing room for a few minutes, then came out in a curve-hugging dress that had a modest cleavage reveal. The rest of the dress showed off her figure to full effect. She saw the look on Ren''s face, and did a little turn for him. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°You look wonderful.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Denise said. ¡°I can''t believe I have to admit that you were right.¡± She smiled crookedly. ¡°Blue was definitely a better choice.¡± ¡°She always sounds so surprised when I''m right.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Like that never happens.¡± Stella chuckled and Lily snorted a laugh. ¡°How many is that now?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Six outfits, two dresses, three extra tops, and two extra skirts to mix and match with the outfits. Also, the underwear options comparable for each.¡± Lily said. ¡°4 pairs of shoes, and three custom bras.¡± ¡°Only three?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You don''t need more than that?¡± ¡°I shouldn''t.¡± Denise said. ¡°Lily said they won''t have to be replaced for a long time.¡± ¡°They usually last about 8 months.¡± Lily said. ¡°With three of them, and regular rotation so the supports don''t wear out too fast, they should be good for about two years.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren looked surprised. ¡°I only get about 3 months out of my underwear.¡± ¡°That''s because boys are hard on their underwear, unlike girls.¡± Stella covered her mouth to stop her laugh, but Ren chuckled. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Boys are hard on their underwear.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°Oh, that''s horrible!¡± Lily said and laughed. ¡°I think that''s everything.¡± Stella said, and looked at the piles of clothes. ¡°Let''s get all of this to the counter and Lily can get the alterations done.¡± Ren became the carry-it-all, and they covered him with the clothes. He laughed because he couldn''t see, and Stella pushed him over to the counter. It took a while for them to get everything sorted once they were there. Lily took the tops as they found them and sewed the parts she''d used the double-sided tape on for the alterations. While that was going on, Ren had convinced Stella to grab a few things for herself. The sales clerk happily checked the prices on everything as she rang them in, and added in the new items when Lily finished them. ¡°Here we go.¡± The sales lady said, and Ren added a nice tip when he paid for it. She handed him the receipts, and he tucked them into a pocket without looking at them. ¡°Please come back anytime.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Lily said. ¡°It''s always fun when you show up.¡± ¡°If we need anything else, I''ll make sure we come here for it.¡± Ren said, and waved as they left the store.Stolen story; please report. * ¡°Goddammit.¡± Detective Ramirez said as he opened the last door, and all that was there was a hospital bed bolted to the floor, and no mattress. ¡°That was every room.¡± He said, his voice full of disappointment. ¡°Do you want to check upstairs?¡± Officer Stonewall asked. ¡°What''s the point?¡± He asked, and walked into the room. ¡°It''ll be just as clean as the rest of the place.¡± He said, and sat down on the hospital bed''s frame. It squeaked loudly, and he frowned. ¡°This bed is bolted to the floor. It shouldn''t squeak.¡± Officer Stonewall came into the room and knelt by the bed. ¡°Move up and down a bit.¡± Detective Ramirez shifted his weight and the bed squeaked again. ¡°Keep going.¡± She said, and he kept moving. As the bed squeaked, she examined the floor. ¡°It can''t be that simple.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°One of the bolts is missing.¡± ¡°Goddammit.¡± ¡°It was a long shot.¡± Officer Stonewall said, and sat down on the floor. ¡°I don''t know what we should do now.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Obviously, this was where they had kept him.¡± She said. ¡°But without evidence, there''s no way we can connect the mayor to any of it.¡± Detective Ramirez sighed. ¡°Yeah, we did all of this for nothing.¡± ¡°Do you think we should come clean about...¡± Officer Stonewall''s eyes fell upon a mark on one of the legs of the bed. ¡°What''s that?¡± ¡°What''s what?¡± He asked, and got off the bed to kneel beside her. ¡°That little bugger.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°If you were a kid and wanted to hide something, and knew you had to keep it a secret or they''d take it from you, what would you do with it?¡± ¡°I''d stash it in the smallest place that I could find, and cover it up.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Detective Ramirez said and tapped the scrapings on the bed''s leg. It was a badly drawn line, with 3 dots beside it and a dash by the third one. ¡°If I''m right, in the third room up on the left side, there should be a place inside for him to hide something in.¡± ¡°But we checked that room.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°There wasn''t anything inside, just like most of the other rooms.¡± ¡°We didn''t know what we were looking for then.¡± Detective Ramirez said and smiled. ¡°Now we do.¡± * Denise stopped at a fast food place and grabbed french fries for everyone, then parked in the parking lot. They had all missed lunch, but they also didn''t have long to wait for supper. So, only a snack was needed to tide them over until then. ¡°I wish I could get Amazon Jim''s Endless Fries to go.¡± Ren said, as he popped a french fry into his mouth and chewed on it. ¡°How would that work?¡± Denise asked and ate a fry herself. ¡°Would you have them deliver a new plate every 10 minutes or something?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Ren said and ate a fry. ¡°Can you imagine? Endlessly delivered french fries.¡± ¡°You''d put them out of business!¡± Stella said and they all laughed. The fries were quickly consumed and they drove back to the temporary care facility. Denise pulled into the parking lot, and found a spot not too far away from the front door. They got out and set up the wheelchair, and Ren got in it. ¡°Are you coming in for a while?¡± Ren asked Denise, and she shook her head. ¡°I''ve got a few more things that I need to do in town today.¡± ¡°You should have said something before.¡± Ren said. ¡°We could have come along to keep you company.¡± ¡°I don''t think you want to come along and wait in line while I pay bills.¡± Denise said. ¡°Hey, I would have.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just have to sit there. Stella would probably choke you out for wasting her time, though.¡± Stella snorted a laugh and shook her fist at him. ¡°Damn right!¡± Denise picked out the two bags that had Stella''s things in them, then handed them to Ren to hold. ¡°Ren, I...¡± Denise sighed and knelt beside him. ¡°Thanks for making me go and get clothes that fit.¡± ¡°I promised you that I would.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Now you can wear what you want and won''t have to worry that you''re hiding how hot you are.¡± ¡°Lily was right.¡± Denise laughed. ¡°You are horrible.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I feel kind of bad that you didn''t buy anything for yourself, though.¡± ¡°But I did.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I bought that sexy blue dress for me.¡± ¡°You''re going to look so beautiful wearing it, Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°Hey, I could never sway my hips enough to look good in that!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°I''d break something if I tried!¡± Stella and Denise laughed for a few moments, then Denise got a serious look on her face. ¡°All joking aside, it must have cost a lot to...¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I got to see you so happy today.¡± He touched the side of her face. ¡°That was worth any price I had to pay.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Denise said, leaned in, and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Ren had expected a hug, or even a light peck on the cheek; but, a kiss right on the lips had surprised him a little. It sent a tingle through him and it widened his eyes slightly. Denise saw his reaction and smiled sweetly. ¡°You better get inside and get to bed.¡± Denise said. ¡°By the looks of you, you need a nap even more than I do.¡± Ren nodded, and she stood up. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± Denise said. ¡°Bye, Denise.¡± Stella said, and pushed the wheelchair towards the front door of the temporary care facility. * Detective Ramirez was sure he''d deciphered the diagram. Officer Stonewall had been right, however. There was literally nothing in the room. No windows, no shelves, cracks, loose tiles, or anything. ¡°He was smart. It would be both obvious and hidden.¡± He said, looked around again, then sighed and hung his head. ¡°Dammit, I was so sure-HA!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Look! It was right in front of us the whole time!¡± Detective Ramirez said, and pointed to the small water drainage hole in the floor. ¡°No way.¡± ¡°It''s the only place.¡± ¡°If it''s connected, there won''t be anything inside.¡± Officer Stonewall said as her partner used a pen to pry up the little grate. ¡°Pass me your flashlight.¡± She handed it to him, and he used it to shine into the open hole. ¡°Bingo!¡± Detective Ramirez said, and went to reach into the hole, only to have room for three of his fingers. He sighed and looked at his partner. ¡°My hands are too big.¡± ¡°No.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°Double no.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Hell no!¡± ¡°Come on, do it for the kid.¡± Detective Ramirez said and she sighed. ¡°You can be a real ass sometimes, John.¡± Officer Stonewall said and knelt by the hole. ¡°This is going to be disgusting.¡± Detective Ramirez smiled and repeated the words she had said when they had broken into the basement. ¡°Hey, I got you covered partner.¡± He said, and handed her a pair of latex gloves. ¡°Thank you!¡± Officer Stonewall said, slipped them on easily, and plunged her hand into the pipe. She moved her hand around a little, and her fingers hooked something. ¡°I think... I... got it!¡± She said, and pulled out a plastic bag. A rank smell came up from the pipe, and they covered their mouths and noses. ¡°Put it back!¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Hurry, before the methane fills the room!¡± Officer Stonewall went to stuff the bag back into the hole, and heard something hit the floor. She stopped and checked the bag. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Detective Ramirez asked her, but she ignored him and untied the bag. Inside was a bolt. Neither of them said anything as she kept the bolt and shoved the plastic bag back into the drain. It cut off the source of the smell, but the room had a lot of the fumes in it now. ¡°Let''s get out of here.¡± Officer Stonewall said, and they left the room. ¡°So, it was a wild goose chase.¡± She said when they were in the hallway. ¡°Maybe.¡± Detective Ramirez said and took the bolt. ¡°Let me check something.¡± He walked down the hall and went to the bed. He bent down and tried the bolt where the missing one was supposed to be, but it didn''t fit. It was much too small. He smiled and went out to Officer Stonewall. ¡°It''s not from the bed.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°It''s too small. We have to find where this came from.¡± ¡°We''ve spent a good portion of the afternoon here already.¡± She said. ¡°Should we waste any more time with this?¡± ¡°I''ve got nothing better to do today.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Do you?¡± Officer Stonewall opened her mouth to say that she could be working on another case, but she saw the gleam in her partner''s eye. ¡°Let''s keep looking.¡± She said, and he grinned at her. They went into each room again to check for something that would need a bolt of that size. * Stella got Ren settled into bed a few minutes later, and he checked the time. ¡°There''s no point in logging in.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°I''d have to log back out for supper soon anyways.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Stella asked. ¡°You could get almost two hours of sleep if you log in.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Uh huh. Like Nathalia would let me sleep if I only had two hours and had to leave again for the night.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± Stella said. ¡°Well, you could try to take a nap for the next half hour.¡± She barely had the words out of her mouth, and then the phone beeped. She picked it up and checked the text message. ¡°Elise wants to know what you''re having for supper.¡± ¡°What am I having?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''d planned on a pork chop and a bit of mashed potatoes.¡± Stella said. ¡°The pork chops should be done in about 10 minutes.¡± ¡°Hm. Pork chops sounds good, but see if she has anything planned.¡± Ren said. ¡°She might have picked something up.¡± Stella sent her another text to ask her, and a moment later the phone beeped. ¡°She says she could pick up something if you want.¡± ¡°How many pork chops did you cook?¡± ¡°Four.¡± Stella said. ¡°They''ve been slow cooking all day.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I invite her to join us for a meal?¡± ¡°Us?¡± ¡°I''m not going to sit here and eat your food, while you go sit in the break room or wherever, just so you can eat yours.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Stella said. ¡°I think you and Elise might want to share a nice dinner together.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It''s not like we have a big table here for everyone to sit around and have a meal on.¡± Ren slapped himself in the forehead. ¡°Dammit, I completely forgot to shop for a house!¡± ¡°You''ve been kind of busy.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°We can look at some listings after you eat.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. Stella sent Elise the dinner proposal for Ren, and then the phone beeped again. ¡°She''ll be here soon, and she''s looking forward to it.¡± ¡°Thanks, Stella.¡± ¡°Don''t thank me yet.¡± Stella said, cleared off the rollaway table, and took out a candle that was supposed to be used in emergencies, in case the power went out. ¡°Wait until I get things set up first, then you can thank me.¡± She put a small vase with a flower in it on the table with the candle. ¡°No, that''s a little too plain.¡± She said, then looked around. ¡°Ah, there we go.¡± She grabbed a decorative cloth from the back of one of the chairs. Once the candle and vase were moved out of the way, she put the cloth on the rollaway table and put the candle and vase back on top of it. ¡°Much better.¡± ¡°You''re enjoying this.¡± Ren said, and she smiled. ¡°I''m taking care of you, and that makes me happy.¡± Stella said. ¡°Now lay there and be good, while I go and get the mashed potatoes started.¡± ¡°No! I''m going to kick and scream, and make a huge ruckus until you get back!¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°You better not, you rascal!¡± Stella chuckled, and went to the door. ¡°If you need anything, just holler.¡± She opened the door and set the stopper into place to hold it open. Ren watched her go across the hall and into the kitchen. She propped that door open as well, so she could see back into Ren''s room easily. First she checked the pork chops, then started to peel and chop up the potatoes. It went fast, and they were washed off and put into the water to boil. Stella came back into the room after washing her hands, and left both doors open. ¡°You watched me the whole time?¡± Stella asked. ¡°You were supposed to try and get some sleep.¡± ¡°I was going to, but you distracted me with your awesome cooking skills.¡± ¡°I did?¡± Stella asked, kind of surprised. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I especially liked it when you bent over to check the oven.¡± He let a grin spread across his face. ¡°That''s a great skill right there.¡± Stella laughed and ruffled his hair. ¡°That''s not really a skill; but, at least you''re honest about liking it.¡± ¡°I learned from the best.¡± Ren said, and looked at his watch. ¡°Do you think the food will be done soon? Elise should be here any minute.¡± ¡°Any minute is actually right now.¡± Elise said from the doorway. ¡°Hey, cutie.¡± ¡°Hey, yourself.¡± Stella said before Ren could, and they both smiled at Elise''s surprised expression. ¡°I... ah...¡± Elise tried to say. ¡°I meant...¡± ¡°I know who you meant.¡± Stella chuckled and walked past her. ¡°Supper should be ready in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Elise said. ¡°Are you joining us?¡± ¡°Not this time.¡± Stella said and went into the kitchen. ¡°I''ll let you two enjoy your first dinner alone.¡± ¡°You don''t have to.¡± Elise said, and lifted the bag she carried. ¡°I brought some diet-approved ice cream for dessert.¡± ¡°I''ll stick that in the freezer for you.¡± Stella said, and took the ice cream from her. ¡°Now get in there and kiss your boyfriend.¡± ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± Elise grinned. ¡°You don''t have to tell me twice.¡± ¡°I shouldn''t have to tell you once.¡± Stella rolled her eyes, and Elise laughed. Stella went back into the kitchen and shut the door, and Elise hit the stopper on Ren''s door to shut it as well. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± She said, a little shyly. ¡°Hi, Elise.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t mind Stella. She likes to tease people sometimes.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Elise said. ¡°I went through a lot of it while you were... um...¡± ¡°Drugged to the eyeballs and unconscious for a week.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s okay to say it.¡± ¡°But that''s just it.¡± Elise said and slowly walked over to the bed. ¡°It shouldn''t be okay to say it.¡± She sat down on the chair beside the bed, and Ren moved over close to her. He cupped the side of her face, and looked into her eyes. ¡°It was bad, I won''t deny it.¡± Ren said softly. ¡°But you were there for me.¡± He said. ¡°You got me out of there and saved me.¡± He put a gentle kiss on her lips. ¡°I''m doing so well now, and it''s all because of you.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Elise said, and her face flushed a little red. ¡°I only did what any...¡± Ren stroked the side of her face. ¡°If you think that anyone could have done what you''ve done for me, then you are underestimating yourself.¡± He said. ¡°I, on the other hand, know exactly how amazing you are.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said, and kissed him. Chapter 247 - Dinner Date Ren and Elise kissed for several minutes, and then there was a knock on the door. A moment later, Stella opened the door and brought in a tray with two plates of food on it. ¡°Dinner is served.¡± Stella said, and put the plates on the rollaway table, then looked at Ren and Elise. ¡°Ren sit up on the edge of the bed. Elise, move the chair out a little.¡± They followed Stella''s instructions, and she slid the rollaway table between them. She left the room and came back with silverware, napkins, and a drink for each of them. She lit the candle and changed the television channel to one that had soft music. ¡°Enjoy.¡± Stella said, did a little curtsy, and left again. ¡°What was all that?¡± Elise asked and smiled. ¡°That was Stella going out of her way to make everything perfect.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°Once I asked her to invite you to dinner...¡± Elise nodded, and they enjoyed the pork chops and mashed potatoes. They ate in silence, and occasionally looked at each other. Ren wasn''t sure how it happened, but they both seemed to look up at the same time, and then they stared at each other for several moments before looking back at their food. The meal ended eventually, and Stella came in to check on them. ¡°How is everything?¡± Stella asked. ¡°It was great.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± She said, and looked at Elise. ¡°Are you ready for dessert, or do you want to wait a few minutes?¡± ¡°Wait, I think.¡± Elise said and looked at Ren. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Ren said. ¡°We should let that settle before piling ice cream on top of it.¡± Stella nodded, put the dirty plates and glasses on the tray, and cleaned up the rollaway table. ¡°I''ll be back in a little while.¡± She said, and left with the full tray just as quickly as she''d come in without it. ¡°She''d make a great waitress.¡± Elise commented. ¡°That was really well done.¡± ¡°It was.¡± Ren said. ¡°So. What do you want to do for a few minutes while we wait for Stella to come back?¡± ¡°I can think of a few things that I''d like to do.¡± Elise said, and gave him a sexy look. ¡°Doing them in only a few minutes might not be possible, though.¡± ¡°We did pretty good last time.¡± Ren said. Elise blushed a little as she remembered how far they''d gotten, and that they had to stop. ¡°You''re right. A few minutes won''t be nearly enough time.¡± He said and moved the rollaway table aside. ¡°But, you can whisper it to me.¡± Elise smiled and leaned in, and he turned his head to listen. She pressed her lips to his ear, and started to whisper. Ren''s eyes widened as she told him what she wanted to do, then she nuzzled his ear. He put his hands on her shoulders and closed his eyes as she kissed and licked his earlobe. He shivered slightly, and Elise moaned because of his reactions. Ren sighed, opened his eyes, and leaned away. ¡°What is it?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I don''t want to tease you like this.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re both... ah... getting excited... and we know it''s not going anywhere right now.¡± He moved his hands to her neck, and caressed the skin up to her chin and cupped the sides of her face. Just that little touch had Elise panting a little, and he smiled. ¡°I want to make you feel good, and it''s not going to happen tonight.¡± Ren said, and she sighed. ¡°You''re right.¡± Elise said. ¡°We''re going to drive ourselves crazy if we keep going like this, and then have to stop.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said, gripped the back of her neck with both hands, and kissed her passionately. He broke the kiss about 10 seconds later, and leaned back. Elise''s eyes were closed, and her lips were still moving. He smiled, and went back in to keep going. * Officer Stonewall was getting tired of looking through the same rooms over and over, and sat down in the corner of yet another room with nothing in it. She leaned against the wall, and when her weight hit it, she felt something shift. She thought it might have been something on her belt, so she leaned forward and reached back to check the pouch with the handcuffs in them, one of her fingernails hooked the edge of the wall panel. ¡°Ow!¡± Officer Stonewall said, pulled her hand back quickly, and the wall panel hit her in the back. ¡°What the hell?¡± She said, turned around, and the wall panel was back in place. Using her fingernail on purpose this time, she hooked the edge of the wall panel and pulled. It lifted easily because it wasn''t attached on the bottom corner, and she caught a glimpse of a metal grate. ¡°John! JOHN!¡± Officer Stonewall hollered, and Detective Ramirez came into the room. ¡°What is it?¡± He asked her. ¡°This.¡± Officer Stonewall said, hooked the wall panel with her fingernail again, and moved it out. He saw the metal grate, and smiled. ¡°That looks like an air exchanger duct.¡± ¡°Shouldn''t it be on the ceiling?¡± She asked. ¡°Normally.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°It depends on how much room you have in a basement.¡± ¡°So, not a lot of height down here.¡± Officer Stonewall said a she looked up at the ceiling, that was barely 7 feet high. ¡°They must have run it along the inside of the walls.¡± He said. ¡°How much do you want to bet that this little bolt came from one of those grates?¡± Officer Stonewall shook her head. ¡°Seriously, John? We''re going to check all of these rooms again?¡± ¡°It''s your fault.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°You keep finding things for us to investigate further.¡± She sighed. ¡°No, I''m sitting right here. You keep going on your wild goose chase.¡± ¡°Don''t be like that, Holly.¡± Detective Ramirez said, and her eyes widened. That''s the second time he''s used my first name in the last two days. Holly thought. ¡°I''ve seen enough of this place to last me a lifetime.¡± ¡°You''re young.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°You can take a bit more.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Officer Stonewall sighed. ¡°But you''re buying me coffee for the rest of the week.¡± ¡°That''s a cheap price to pay.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°It''s Thursday.¡± Her eyes widened for a moment, then she shook her head. ¡°Dammit.¡± ¡°Come on.¡± He said and went to the door. ¡°The panels aren''t nailed to the metal grates. It should be easy to check.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I''m coming.¡± Officer Stonewall said and followed her partner for yet another check of the rooms. * ¡°Dessert!¡± Stella said as she knocked on the door, then brought in the tray with two bowls of ice cream. She saw the rollaway table was pushed aside, and put the bowls of ice cream on it. ¡°Enjoy.¡± She said and smiled, and didn''t comment about how Ren had lipstick smeared on his face. ¡°I think we better cool it for a few minutes, and have some ice cream before it melts.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d rather keep going.¡± Elise said. ¡°But, you''re wearing more lipstick than I am right now.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren rubbed his fingers over his lips, and they came away red. ¡°Elise! Your lips aren''t naturally a luscious red!¡± He said, and covered his eyes with a hand. ¡°I feel so cheated!¡± Elise laughed, grabbed a tissue, and started to wipe it off. Ren puckered his lips for her, and she diligently cleaned it all off. She got another tissue and cleaned off his ear, too. ¡°There, all evidence removed.¡± Elise said and pulled the rollaway table over to set it between them again. ¡°Do you want the bowl with the diet ice cream in it, or the bowl with the diet ice cream in it?¡± She asked with a smile on her face. ¡°That''s a hard choice.¡± Ren said, and tapped his lips with a finger. ¡°Um, you better give me the one with diet ice cream in it, just in case.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Elise said and slid one of the identical bowls to him. ¡°I''m pretty sure that''s the right one.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Ren said, picked up the spoon, and tasted it. ¡°I don''t want to get fat.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°I wish I didn''t have that problem.¡± She said. ¡°My diet''s almost as restrictive as yours.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Ren said and ate another spoonful. ¡°No.¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°When I was younger, all I did was eat.¡± She said. ¡°You''ll be surprised to hear this, but I was quite overweight as a teenager.¡± ¡°That is a surprise.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t believe that you weren''t always a tall beautiful woman.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°No, I didn''t always look like this.¡± ¡°Are you going to tell me that you went from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan, in only a couple of years?¡± ¡°That''s exactly what I''m going to tell you.¡± Elise said and kept eating her ice cream. ¡°Sweet.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lay it on me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Tell me all about it.¡± Ren kept eating. ¡°I''d like to hear the story.¡± ¡°It... it''s not really a story.¡± ¡°Then just talk about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m all ears.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren reached a hand over and put it on one of hers. ¡°You don''t have to talk about it if you don''t want to, but you did bring it up. I''d like to hear more about you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Elise smiled, and told him about her struggles as a child and then as a teenager after she had her growth spurt. She started exercising and eating right, and worked hard. ¡°And that''s how I became the woman I am today.¡± Ren had stopped eating at some point while she talked, and had given her his full attention. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve accomplished so much in so short a time.¡± ¡°Oh, it''s nothing really.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°What did I say about underestimating yourself?¡± ¡°That I shouldn''t tell you about it?¡± Elise responded, and he laughed. ¡°Yes, that was the lesson I wanted you to learn.¡± Ren said sarcastically, and it was her turn to laugh. * ¡°I found it!¡± Detective Ramirez said, and went out into the hallway. ¡°Holly! It''s in here!¡± Officer Stonewall came out of the next room and walked over to him. ¡°Hurry up!¡± He said, took her hand, and dragged her into the room. ¡°I need you to hold the panel out, so I can get the crowbar wedged in.¡± Officer Stonewall didn''t comment about him holding her hand like that, and he let her hand go and held up the crowbar. ¡°You only need to get it away from the wall for a second.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Why didn''t you just pull it off completely?¡± ¡°I can''t get the leverage.¡± He said. ¡°I''m going to use the crowbar to slowly work the whole panel off of the wall instead.¡± Officer Stonewall nodded, knelt on the floor and hooked the edge of the panel with her fingernail. She pried it out a little bit, got her fingers inside, and pulled. The detective quickly hooked the curved end of the crowbar into the opening she''d made and started to rock it back and forth. He got about halfway up the wall, and she didn''t have to hold it out anymore. After a few more pulls by the crowbar, the whole panel popped off the wall. Detective Ramirez caught it and pushed it aside, and wasn''t surprised at what he saw. The wall was dirty and stained, like any old basement wall would be; and at the bottom was the air exchange grate that had a bolt missing. ¡°Would you like to do the honors?¡± Detective Ramirez asked his partner. ¡°No.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°But I have to, because your hand isn''t going to fit.¡± He smiled as she got to her knees and turned the remaining bolts. They came out easily, and she moved the grate out of the way. She looked into the hole, and saw something stuffed into the bend. She had to lay on the floor to get enough of her arm into the pipe to reach it. She got a hold of it and pulled it out of the hiding place. It was a big ball of paper. ¡°What is it?¡± Detective Ramirez asked, and Officer Stonewall unwrapped it. Thankfully, it was still dry despite how long it had been in the basement. She wasn''t sure if it was because all the vents were blocked off or what, but she was grateful for whatever had happened to keep it intact. She laid the several sheets of crumpled paper on the floor and flattened them as best as she could. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Officer Stonewall said, as she read some of the words scrawled on the paper. Detective Ramirez knelt beside her, and picked up the top sheet. ¡°I am going to have to thank that little genius.¡± He said, as he read about one of the experiments, and then the names of everyone that Ren had met, and had written down so if his mother ever asked him about them, he would know who they were. Officer Stonewall picked up the next sheet, and it was the best drawing of a group of people she''d ever seen. ¡°There''s no way a child drew this.¡± She said, and showed her partner the picture. Several people were in the drawing. He could clearly see Ren, with his mother and father on either side of him, and was surprised to see Mayor Danicot as he stood behind Ren with his hands on his shoulders. It looked like an artist''s rendering of a photograph, only it was drawn in pencil. He didn''t recognize several of the others right away, except for the blonde. ¡°Oh, shit.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Remember the blonde bombshell that I saw under Mayor Danicot''s desk?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That''s her holding the clipboard.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Officer Stonewall said, and looked at the picture. ¡°She definitely looks like what you described.¡± Detective Ramirez nodded. ¡°Oh, it''s her.¡± He said. ¡°If they''ve been having an affair for this long...¡± ¡°They''d do anything for each other.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He said. ¡°Like lie through their teeth to cover everything up.¡± Officer Stonewall flipped through the last few pages, and held in her gasp because she saw the tiny scrawl covered the front and back of each page. ¡°It''s almost like a journal.¡± She said. ¡°He kept track of everything.¡± ¡°Take pictures of everything, and put it back.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± ¡°We need evidence of eventual discovery.¡± ¡°That''s not going to fly in court, John.¡± ¡°I know.¡± He said and sighed. ¡°Even if we could explain how we found it, it doesn''t count as visual evidence.¡± ¡°Screw that.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°Even if this can''t be used to get a criminal conviction, it sure as hell will help with the current investigation, and can be used in court for civil suits!¡± ¡°Why Holly, are you saying we should ignore the letter of the law?¡± ¡°No, John.¡± She said. ¡°I''m saying we should use it to the best of our ability, and use it as it was intended.¡± Detective Ramirez smiled. ¡°Then I''m glad I brought evidence bags.¡± He said, and took them out for her. ¡°You ass.¡± Officer Stonewall said, but she had a huge smile on her face. * Stella had come in and taken the bowls of half-eaten ice cream, and moved the rollaway table out of the way. ¡°You''ve only got an hour left before you have to log back into the game.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Yeah, I''ve missed two whole game days already.¡± Elise took out her tablet and checked it. ¡°You have a ton of time made up for your work with the giants and the Garrison.¡± She said. ¡°If you keep to your 8 hour a day schedule at the mine, you''ll finish about a week before you have to leave.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, if I stay for an extra couple of hours each day, I should be back on schedule in no time... or even ahead of it if I''m lucky.¡± ¡°You could just work for the Garrison.¡± Elise said. ¡°That was a smart thing to add to your contract.¡± ¡°I was tempted to add it to the standard contract when I was at the Main Keep; but, not everyone can work for the Garrison.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least, not in the same capacity as I can.¡± ¡°There''s not a lot that anyone else can do in the same capacity as you.¡± Elise said and smiled. Ren was about to respond, when his room door opened. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hello.¡± Elise said. ¡°Madam Barbara.¡± Stella said, and Barbara smiled. ¡°You''re starting on me early.¡± ¡°Starting?¡± Stella said. ¡°I never stopped.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°How did everything go today?¡± That started the story of the adventure they had at the television studio, and about how they picked up clothes for Denise. ¡°She complained about having to go through all the trouble; but oh boy, was she ever happy.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s been dealing with clothes that didn''t fit for years.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I couldn''t let her keep living like that, once I knew what she''d been going through all this time.¡± ¡°We''re supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around.¡± Barbara said, and put a hand on his arm. ¡°You''re too kind.¡± ¡°She bought me french fries afterwards.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°It was totally worth it.¡± They all laughed. * Officer Stonewall had taken pictures of everything, and put each piece of paper into it''s own evidence bag. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± She asked as Detective Ramirez put the wall panel back into place. ¡°We go about our business like nothing happened.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± ¡°If anyone finds out we found anything, and here of all places, they''ll take it from us and we won''t get to do anything else to help.¡± Officer Stonewall sighed. ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°We''re going to split the list of names, see how many are in that drawing, and see who and what they are. Both then and now.¡± ¡°Should we send it to the FBI?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°We don''t know how far up these names go.¡± Officer Stonewall''s eyes widened slightly, and he nodded. ¡°Right.¡± He said. ¡°Some of them could be in the FBI, either then or now.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± She said, and Detective Ramirez chuckled. ¡°I thought that idea would send you into the realm of cursing.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I''ll save it for when we see who they are.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Mainly because I''m pretty sure I recognize one of the faces now.¡± ¡°Who do you think it is?¡± ¡°Senator Eddlemere.¡± He said, and smiled as his partner cursed. * Stella gathered up her things, gave Ren a hug, and said goodbye to everyone. ¡°I''m looking forward to Saturday.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t wait to see the setup you have.¡± ¡°You say that now.¡± Stella said and winked at him. ¡°Let''s see what you say after the first day of tests.¡± ¡°I''m in capable hands, so everything should be fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, Gloria will be there to stop you if you try anything too outrageous.¡± He said and laughed. ¡°What if it''s her idea?¡± Stella asked. Ren stopped laughing immediately and held his hands out to Barbara. ¡°Save me!¡± He said, and Barbara laughed. ¡°Geez, I''m just kidding.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ll be by to pick you up first thing Saturday morning.¡± Stella left, and Ren talked with Barbara and Elise a bit more about the recording session, and how easy it was. It didn''t take long before it came time for him to log back in. Barbara excused herself to go to the bathroom, and he turned to Elise. ¡°Thanks a lot for having dinner with me tonight.¡± Ren said to her, and took her hand. ¡°I know it wasn''t what you would normally expect to have as a first dinner date...¡± ¡°Of course it wasn''t.¡± Elise said, and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°Normally, it''s some pretentious jerk who thinks that because I agreed to have dinner with him, he can ignore me and my feelings while we eat, and then expects me to sleep with him afterwards because he bought me dinner.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°That really is pretentious.¡± ¡°Isn''t it?¡± Elise grinned. ¡°But, unlike them, you were attentive, kind, didn''t call other people while we ate, or treat me like I''m only a nice piece of ass.¡± ¡°What in the world could they be thinking?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''re giving them the gift of spending time with them.¡± He shook his head. ¡°How could they even think about ignoring you?¡± ¡°I guess they''re not as smart as you.¡± Elise said, and took his hand. ¡°I have to get going, though.¡± ¡°I thought so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope you have a great night.¡± ¡°I already did.¡± Elise said, and they kissed. ¡°Thank you for dinner.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you available tomorrow night?¡± He asked. ¡°I''d like to watch the next episode of the show with you, if you''re free.¡± ¡°I''d be happy to come by.¡± Elise said. ¡°If I''m running late, I''ll call.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± He said, and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Elise said, leaned in, and they kissed again. She started to lean away, and he held onto her. They continued to kiss; and a minute later when he let her go, they both had big smiles on their faces. Elise got up, went to the bathroom door, and knocked. ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise said to Barbara, gave Ren a little wave, and left the room. ¡°I''d like to add my own thanks to hers.¡± Ren said when Barbara came out of the bathroom. ¡°Thanks, Barbara.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Barbara said and smiled. ¡°But, I was actually using the bathroom.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said, and then he laughed. ¡°We thought... ha... you were giving us... ha ha... some alone time!¡± ¡°I was the one that needed some alone time.¡± Barbara said, and Ren laughed harder. When he calmed down, Barbara gave him a set of pajamas to change into, because he still had his dress clothes on that he''d worn since noon. Once he was ready for bed, he climbed up onto it and settled back for another night of playing the game. ¡°I might stay in overnight.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have got to catch up on some sleep.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''m glad I came in early so I could spend this extra time with you.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t worry, though. It won''t be long before my sentence will be over and I''ll get back to a normal schedule.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°A normal schedule? Really?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Okay, a regular schedule. How''s that?¡± ¡°More realistic.¡± She said and helped him put on the VR headset. ¡°Have fun, dear.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± ¡°I''ll be here.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Chapter 248 - Offers Ren woke up on the couch and looked around. Hey, Teepo. He thought to his friend that was perched on the ceiling, then picked up the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and fastened it around his neck. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re back early.¡± Yeah. I thought I''d be out longer, but I''m glad I''m back. I''ve got stuff to do. ¡°You''re just in time for breakfast.¡± Teepo said as he landed on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Nathalia and Ereka are in the kitchen.¡± Thanks. Ren thought, and went into the kitchen. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Nathalia exclaimed, ripped off her apron, and practically jumped into his arms. ¡°I think you might be a little excited to see me.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Of course I am.¡± She said, and kissed him passionately. Ereka gasped, and they broke the kiss to look at her. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I checked at the Main Keep. As long as nothing is made official, what people do behind closed doors is no one''s business but their own.¡± ¡°Is that an official ruling?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°Unofficially.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The one taking care of the Hall of Records told me that; so, I don''t think there''s anyone else better suited to give an answer.¡± Ereka nodded, and Ren sat down to eat. Nathalia had made enough food each morning in case he showed up early, and this time it had paid off. They enjoyed a quick meal together, then the three of them left the house to head to their respective jobs. Ren and Ereka walked with Nathalia to the restaurant, bid her a good day, and she kissed Ren. ¡°See you tonight.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I don''t have Adventurer''s business, so you can count on that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have got to get some sleep.¡± Nathalia looked a little disappointed at those words. ¡°I didn''t say I''d be sleeping right away, though.¡± Ren said, and she smiled as she ran a hand through his hair, then went into the restaurant. Ren and Ereka walked down the road to the Main House. ¡°I thought you''d be breaking the law by sleeping with someone from the same house.¡± Ereka said. ¡°It''s always been a big mess when someone did things like that.¡± ¡°According to the Hall of Records, as long as there''s no blood ties involved...¡± ¡°That''s a huge relief.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''ve been so worried that I''d be breaking the law, that I''ve kept my feelings to myself.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked her. Ereka looked around, and couldn''t see anyone. ¡°For a while now, I''ve been thinking about signing up for my training early; but, the thoughts of practicing...¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°...sex...¡± She sighed. ¡°...on a man I don''t know, really bothers me.¡± ¡°But, according to your culture, the man courting you would also be someone you don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wouldn''t that...¡± He shook his head. ¡°You''re worried about having your first time with a man that you''ll probably never see again.¡± ¡°Yes! That''s it exactly.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Being with a stranger, someone that I don''t care about or have feelings for...¡± She sighed. ¡°It just seems so wrong.¡± ¡°You shouldn''t be worried about all of that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve got years before any of this will come up.¡± ¡°That''s just it.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I don''t have years.¡± She stopped walking. ¡°I only have a couple of months.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren stopped walking and turned to her. ¡°I thought...¡± ¡°In a couple of months, the man I want to be with will be gone, and I''ll lose my chance.¡± Ereka said. ¡°If I don''t make a decision soon, it''ll be too late... and I''ll be forced to wait and let some stranger have me first.¡± ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Ren said, and gave her a hug. ¡°I didn''t mean to dismiss your concerns like that.¡± He held her close. ¡°If you''re this worried about it, then you should confront this man.¡± He said. ¡°Is there anything I can do to help?¡± ¡°Yes, there is.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I want you to be my first.¡± ¡°You w-¡± Ren''s words were cut off as she kissed him. His lips were puckered because he was trying to talk, and Ereka took full advantage of it. Ren was, once again, surprised by an unexpected kiss from a friend, and felt a tingle run through him. Ereka broke the kiss and smiled when she saw his wide eyes. ¡°You don''t have to answer right away.¡± Ereka said. ¡°We''ve got a bit of time before you have to leave.¡± She said, and stroked his beard. ¡°You''re a wonderful man, Ren. You''re caring, strong, smart, sexy, and treat women like they should be treated. Like equals, and not possessions.¡± She said. ¡°You don''t know how rare that is in our society.¡± She smiled. ¡°I know you don''t love me, and I don''t know if I love you, or if it''s just one of those crushes that only feels like love.¡± She explained. ¡°All I do know is that if I''m going to do this, I want my first time to be with you.¡± She started to walk away backwards. ¡°Please, think about it.¡± She turned around and walked across the road. ¡°See you at supper.¡± Ren watched her walk over to the Main House, and she waved to him before she went inside. ¡°Wow.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m only a beetle; but, even I''m tempted by her offer.¡± Ren snorted a laugh, then started to run down the road. He concentrated on his Sending Ring, and thought of Nathalia. ¡°Nathalia? Are you busy?¡± He whispered. ¡°Yes.¡± She said, then went into the pantry of the restaurant. ¡°Now I''m not. Go ahead.¡± Ren told her about what Ereka proposed, and she sighed. ¡°I guess we shouldn''t have told her about the loophole.¡± ¡°I didn''t realize that I should have kept it from her.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had no clue that she thought of me that way.¡± ¡°You didn''t?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I first met her, we agreed that we could call each other by our names without invoking any dwarf rituals, just so we could get to know each other better, and be good friends.¡± ¡°I wonder what''s changed.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I think her knowing what her training is actually going to be like, has her... not scared, but... uneasy about being with someone she doesn''t know.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Nathalia asked him. ¡°The first thing I''m going to do, is call you and get your advice.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°You do realize you don''t have to do that anymore, right?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren came to a stop in front of the mine, and concentrated on his House Neram pendant. ¡°Ren. We''re not under contract anymore.¡± Nathalia said, seriously. ¡°You don''t have to check in with me every time something like this comes up.¡± Ren opened his mouth to argue, then smiled. ¡°Just because I don''t have to, doesn''t mean I shouldn''t.¡± Nathalia put a hand over her heart, and tried her best to not let her happiness overwhelm her. Even though we''re no longer engaged, he still cares about what I think.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°So, what do you think I should do?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Let me think about it for a while.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ereka said she didn''t need an answer right away.¡± ¡°We can talk about it more tonight.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He said. ¡°I''m at the mine now. See you tonight.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°I''ll be digging in the ground and I''ll be covered from head to toe in dirt.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course I''m going to have fun.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said, and the Sending Ring stopped glowing. ¡°Hello, sir.¡± The guard at the gate said when Ren approached. ¡°It''s been a while.¡± ¡°I had Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± Ren said. The guard nodded slightly and opened the gate. Ren ran up to the foreman''s office and knocked. ¡°Come in.¡± The foreman said. Ren opened the door and the foreman smiled. ¡°Well, well, well. Look who''s finally returned.¡± ¡°I''m sorry I''ve been gone for so long.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had Adventurer''s business to take care of, but now I''m back, and I''m ready to work.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°A lot has happened while you were gone.¡± ¡°I take it the mine is up to nearly full production?¡± ¡°Better.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°We''ve surpassed quotas by almost 30%.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°How many workers do we have going?¡± ¡°Enough to make three 8 hour shifts with full crews.¡± ¡°After only a month?¡± Ren whistled. ¡°Did you hire another blacksmith?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The mine foreman said, and smiled at Ren''s frown. ¡°I hired two.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°How''s the rotation going?¡± ¡°Like clockwork.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°We haven''t had one complaint that someone hated their shift.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Ren said. ¡°Good going.¡± ¡°It''s all thanks to your ideas, Ren.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°I have to say that the cafeteria was the best of the lot, though.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Let me guess. They''re offering meals so good, that people don''t even blink at the expensive prices.¡± ¡°How did you know that?¡± The mine foreman asked, surprised. ¡°It''s how I thought it would go.¡± Ren said. ¡°Offer cheap food and people still buy it, but they don''t enjoy it. Offer half-decent food, they buy it and complain about the price. Offer great food, and all they do is eat.¡± ¡°That''s... exactly what happened.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°At first, they only had a small budget and didn''t offer a lot.¡± He said. ¡°Now, they''re almost a rival to that new restaurant your fiance started.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°There''s nothing like healthy competition to make both places strive to be better.¡± The mine foreman shook his head. ¡°Is there anything else you can do to make our production go up?¡± He asked. ¡°Everything else has paid off enormously.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''ll enchant the mine carts to make them lighter.¡± ¡°You''ll what?¡± ¡°They can carry the same amount, but they''ll move faster with the same weight.¡± ¡°That... that will...¡± ¡°Probably increase production by another 30%.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe more, if the people working get enthusiastic about making more money.¡± ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± The mine foreman laughed. ¡°Get checked out at the medical tent, and get to work!¡± Ren laughed, nodded slightly, and left the office. He ran up to the mine entrance, and went into the medical tent. ¡°Where the hell have you been?!?¡± Deresdra the Healer asked as she saw him. ¡°It''s been almost a month and a half since you''ve been here!¡± ¡°I can give you an explanation about having to deal with Adventurer''s business for most of that time; but honestly, that doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°All I can offer is an apology, and say that I''ll stay extra time today to try and make it up to you.¡± Deresdra looked like she was going to reject that offer immediately; but, since she could tell that he didn''t lie, she closed her eyes and sighed instead. ¡°No, you''re right.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°I don''t know why I''m angry at you.¡± It''s because you had planned to use me, and Nathalia intervened on my behalf. Ren thought. She might have made you forget about how you felt then; but, I don''t think Nathalia thought about removing your frustration as well. ¡°Yeah.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You haven''t done anything to have the healer so mad at you.¡± Except ignore her for a month and a half after sleeping with her. Ren thought. ¡°Oh.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°Yeah, that would do it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I really am sorry that I haven''t been back in so long.¡± He said, and looked at the empty medical tent. ¡°If you''re not busy, can I get the examination now?¡± Deresdra opened her eyes and looked at him. ¡°All right.¡± She said and walked to the curtained-off area where the examinations were performed. ¡°Come on.¡± Ren followed her into the examination area, and she closed the curtain. He stored his Travelling Clothes and stood there in his underwear. Deresdra looked at his underwear and sighed. ¡°It''s been too long since the last time you were examined.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°It... ah... has to be a full examination this time.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said and stored his underwear. ¡°You''ve seen it before.¡± ¡°Yes, I have. Twice.¡± She said, and started the examination at his back. ¡°Once by accident, and that was... a surprise.¡± She smiled for a moment, then frowned as she massaged the muscles to check for injuries. ¡°The second... was also by accident, but...¡± She didn''t say anything else until she finished her check of his back and came around to the front. She massaged his chest muscles and looked him in the eyes. ¡°We had sex.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Really, really good sex.¡± Deresdra said and her hands moved down to his abdomen. ¡°I remember collapsing from exhaustion afterwards.¡± Ren nodded slightly again. ¡°By the gods, it was amazing.¡± She said, and squeezed his ab muscles several times, then moved on to check his arms. ¡°I don''t even remember you leaving.¡± ¡°You were sleeping soundly at the time, and I didn''t want to wake you.¡± Ren explained. ¡°I thought you''d be angry if I woke you up, just to tell you that I had to go.¡± Deresdra nodded slightly, and moved on to check his legs. ¡°Feet, please.¡± Ren lifted each foot in turn, and she checked them. She did her job diligently, then stood up. There was only two places left to check. She walked around to his back again, and caressed his butt cheeks. She gave each one a squeeze, then came around to the front. When she saw that her handiwork hadn''t excited him at all, she sighed. ¡°Is that why you never came back?¡± Deresdra asked. ¡°Was I that horrible in bed?¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± ¡°Were you so disappointed that you couldn''t bare to look at me again?¡± ¡°That''s not...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°You don''t even like me.¡± He sighed. ¡°Sleeping together was actually an accident.¡± He said. ¡°You would barely look at me before you gave me this thing.¡± He motioned to the beard. ¡°It came out nicely, didn''t it?¡± Deresdra said. ¡°You know, I only did it to try and spark some feelings for you.¡± Ren took a breath in through his nose, and let it out slowly. So, Nathalia was right. ¡°I suspected it after talking to someone about what happened.¡± ¡°Well, at least now you know.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°But, you haven''t answered my question.¡± ¡°I don''t know how to answer that question without getting into trouble.¡± ¡°So, it really was me.¡± Deresdra said, and started to cry. Ren took her into a hug, and she clung to him. ¡°No matter what I say, it can be taken the wrong way.¡± Ren said. ¡°T-t-try it.¡± ¡°I made sure that I gave you as much pleasure as I could, to make sure you forgot about the pain I''d caused you.¡± ¡°So... so it... it was only... only a task for you to perform.¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Ren said. ¡°I barely got anything from our time together, except the knowledge that you were well and truly satisfied.¡± Deresdra laughed through her tears. ¡°You... you didn''t even finish.¡± ¡°Why would I?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That time we were together was all for you.¡± She let go of the hug and looked at him with surprise on her face. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It wasn''t about me at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°I couldn''t be selfish like that.¡± Deresdra wiped her eyes and shook her head. ¡°You''re unbelievable.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Coming from a living lie detector, that''s quite the compliment.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I still have one spot left to check.¡± ¡°You know what happens when you touch it.¡± Ren said and braced himself for the intimate touch. ¡°As long as you keep out of the line of fire, you should be fine.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± Deresdra smiled. ¡°It''s like a springboard.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and she knelt in front of him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Waiting for the spring.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°When I grab on and ask you to cough, I want to see how fast it springs up.¡± ¡°Please, don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s not part of a physical examination.¡± ¡°Do you remember what you told me about the loophole in contracts?¡± Deresdra asked him, and his eyes widened. ¡°Don''t.¡± Ren said, and took out his contract. He wrote on it that sexual stimulation should not be used, either. ¡°There.¡± He said. ¡°You can''t use the contract to force sex, or sexual stimulation.¡± ¡°But this isn''t sexual stimulation.¡± Deresdra said, and cupped him in her hand. His body reacted immediately, and he stood at attention. ¡°That really was fast.¡± She said. ¡°Cough, please.¡± Ren coughed, and she let him go. ¡°There, all finished.¡± Deresdra said and stood up. ¡°You can get dressed now. You''re cleared for work.¡± Ren stood there with his contract in his hand and didn''t know what to do. She looked at him, and smiled. ¡°Just like you, I won''t use a contract to force anyone to do anything.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°I was at the mercy of a great woman, and then a very generous man bought my contract. Neither of them abused their power over me.¡± She smiled. ¡°Please remember that I vowed to never harm another.¡± Ren stored his contract, and equipped his clothing. ¡°Thank you.¡± Deresdra shook her head. ¡°You don''t have to thank me.¡± She said. ¡°If you decide that you want to have a meeting between us, that would be all about pleasing you, though...¡± She smiled. ¡°...you know where I live.¡± Ren left the curtained off area and walked calmly out of the medical tent. He went over to the line of carts there, and started to enchant them with double glyphs of Antidark (8 runes total). ¡°Are you going to take her up on her offer?¡± Teepo asked. Of course not. Ren thought. Nathalia was right. She did just want to use me. He sighed. If my guess is right, she wants something else from me... something big or important; but, I don''t know what it could be. Teepo didn''t offer any suggestions, and Ren worked for the next few hours. He enchanted the carts, told the miners what it meant, and to be careful with how they handled them. He had to use several Major Healing spells to keep his Mana Pool full. When he was done, his Enchanting was up to Advanced Level 4. ¡°Sir?¡± One of the miners came over to him. ¡°There''s a lot of huge boulders built up that need to be...¡± ¡°Sweet!¡± Ren said happily. He took out his hammerpick, changed the enchantment from Screaming Terror to Antiearth runes, in order to cause extra damage. ¡°Lead the way!¡± Chapter 249 - Window Dressing Ren didn''t take a lunch break, and smashed boulders until they were gone; then he helped dig access tunnels to new veins of iron ore. After he got the artificial relief and happiness feeling, he worked for two more hours and leveled his Mining Skill up to Intermediate Level 4. He equipped his armor bodysuit for a second to clean up, then equipped his Travelling Clothes again before he went to the medical tent. ¡°Have you decided to take me up on the offer so quickly?¡± Deresdra asked, surprised. Ren shook his head. ¡°I just came to tell you that I worked an extra two hours today, and will keep doing that each day, if I can.¡± ¡°That''s great.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°It should only take a couple of weeks to get you back on schedule.¡± ¡°Hopefully.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± She said, and gave him a little wave. Ren left the mine, stopped concentrating on the House Neram pendant, and ran back to House Neram Keep. He still had about 2 hours left before supper, so he went to the workshop to work on the stained glass picture window he''d set up. He needed copper foil to wrap the edges of the glass, and took out one of the copper squares he''d made from the poorly-made copper lamps he''d bought from General Goode''s General Goods store. It was too thick to act as foil, but Ren had a simple solution to that. He took out his hammer, pounded the metal, and stretched it out until it was as thin as foil.
Stat Change!
Hammering Level 3 (Advanced 0%)
It was easy to cut up into strips now, and he cut the entire thing up. Ren took a single piece of glass and a piece of foil, wrapped it around the edge, careful to not cover too much of either the front or the back so that the light would shine through, trimmed it to fit, then put it down.
Notice!
You have gained a new skill: Foil Wrapping Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This sub skill under Glassworking allows you to wrap glass pieces in copper foil so they can be soldered together. Higher levels will allow less foil to be used to achieve the same result, and faster wrapping.
Once that was done, he picked up each individual piece of glass, and wrapped the edges with the copper foil. There were 50 pieces left to do, and after 10 were done, he leveled Foil Wrapping up to Level 2. Huh. Ren thought. I''ve forgotten how easy it is to level new things at the Beginner stage. He smiled. I''ve gotten a lot of my other skills up to Advanced, and they take forever to level up. With all the pieces done and back in place, and Foil wrapping up to Level 6, all he needed to do was solder them together. ¡°Supper time.¡± Teepo said. That time went fast. Ren thought, and left the workshop. He ran down to the road, and met Nathalia as she came from the restaurant. ¡°Good evening, Ma''am.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with a bit of surprise on her face, then she noticed the guard looking at them. ¡°Hello, Sir.¡± Nathalia said a moment later, and the guard opened the gate for them. Ren let Nathalia go in first, then went inside himself and shut the gate. ¡°This is going to be harder to hide than I thought.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren kissed her. ¡°We don''t really have to hide it.¡± He said. ¡°We just can''t be obvious about it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°How is that possible?¡± She asked. ¡°We''ve been all over the city arm-in-arm, and now we can''t be obvious about it?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, that''s a good point.¡± He said, took out his Wand of Entanglement, and shot several web spells into the fire elemental''s pen. It came out of the fire and wind enchantments and jumped into the center of the closest web and started to consume it. ¡°You''re going to spoil it.¡± Nathalia said, then smiled because she saw how much fun the fire elemental was having. ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°Let''s get inside.¡± Ren said. ¡°Supper isn''t going to make itself.¡± Nathalia nodded and they went into the house. Ren took off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and laid it on the small table, then added a bit more Health potion to the small plate that was there. ¡°Hi!¡± Ereka said. ¡°You''re just in time.¡± ¡°Just in time for... what is this?¡± Nathalia asked as she saw the small dinner table was set up with plates of food on it, napkins, and silverware. ¡°It''s an intimate dinner for my friends.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Come on, come on! Hurry up and relax!¡± Ren and Nathalia laughed as they sat down. ¡°You know you really don''t have to do things like this every night.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I know.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You both work so hard, though; and I can''t help myself but try and do something nice for you.¡± ¡°You work just as hard as us.¡± Ren said. ¡°When did you get here?¡± ¡°About 10 minutes ago.¡± Ereka said and smiled. ¡°I appreciate this.¡± Ren said, and glanced at Nathalia because he could feel how she felt. ¡°We both do.¡± He said. ¡°We are not going to sit here every night and not include you in our meals, however.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I already ate.¡± She pointed to the dirty plate on the sink for proof. ¡°You two just enjoy your dinner, and I''ll see you in the morning.¡± ¡°Ereka...¡± Nathalia started to say. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I''ll wait to eat with you tomorrow night.¡± Ereka said. ¡°For tonight, just enjoy each other''s company.¡± ¡°You could sit with us and just watch us eat.¡± Ren suggested with a smile on his face. ¡°Yes, that would be enjoyable.¡± Ereka said sarcastically, and then laughed. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren and Nathalia said at the same time, and Ereka left the kitchen as they started to eat. ¡°She''s trying really hard to stay on your good side.¡± Ren said, when Teepo told him Ereka had gone into the old bedroom. ¡°Or on yours.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Have you thought about her offer?¡± ¡°I have.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have you?¡± ¡°I want to hear what you think before I say anything about it.¡± Nathalia said, and took another bite of food. ¡°That kind of defeats the point of asking for your advice first.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Actually, we both know what it''s like to be with someone that you care about for the first time being intimate.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°If I can give that to her, knowing that it would be better for her if it was with someone she cared about, instead of some stranger who couldn''t care less about her feelings...¡± ¡°That''s what I was thinking, too.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°She reminds me of that girl you told me about.¡± She said. ¡°Jhulune, wasn''t it? From the lumber yard?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°She had a bad experience with her first intimate contact, and it almost went horribly wrong.¡± Nathalia said and took his hand. ¡°She was traumatized by it; and then you helped her get over that a little.¡± She smiled. ¡°Rather than try to repair the damage after the fact this time, perhaps helping her first might be better.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said, then thought about it. ¡°I hope Jhulune''s doing okay.¡± He said. ¡°I haven''t seen her since she helped build the restaurant on the Aurora side.¡± ¡°That long ago?¡± Nathalia asked, a bit surprised. ¡°I thought...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That I was running around and trying to catch up with all the women I know?¡± ¡°Yes, actually.¡± Nathalia said and grinned. ¡°I only slept with Elerlyth while I was in Aurora.¡± Ren said. ¡°And that was just to feed her.¡± He took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Now that you''ve reminded me, I''ll tell you about how I met the Queen of the Dark Elves.¡± Ren went through the story, and Nathalia ate absently as he relayed the events as they had happened. ¡°Wow.¡± Nathalia said, afterwards. ¡°I agree with Elerlyth. How in the world did you get away from her after only...¡± ¡°I think it''s because she doesn''t normally feed that way.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was new enough for her to meet someone that was willing to feed her, who wasn''t so terrified of her that they couldn''t give her a good meal.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Nathalia had wide eyes as he explained, and then she smiled. ¡°That''s why she gave you the mark.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°She wanted to thank you... I think.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°If all she''s ever had was terror...¡± ¡°... then getting almost anything else to eat would fill her up quickly.¡± Ren finished the sentence. ¡°Exactly.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Even if she''d kept you, it would have taken her a while to feel hungry again after that.¡± ¡°Breaking both of my arms kind of ruined the mood for me, too.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia shook her head. ¡°She could have killed you, and you''re making a joke about it?¡± ¡°I''ve met lots of things that can kill me.¡± Ren said. ¡°If things keep going the way they''re going, I''m more than likely to meet more of them.¡± He smiled. ¡°If I can''t look back at it and laugh, then it wasn''t a good experience to have.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Are you telling me that...¡± She shook her head. ¡°By the gods, Ren!¡± She stared at him. ¡°Do you think being stepped on by a giant was a good experience?¡± ¡°Actually, yes.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°How many people can say that they know what a bug feels like?¡± ¡°You''re crazy!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°That was not a good experience for you to have!¡± Ren smiled and took her hand. ¡°Nathalia.¡± He said in a soft voice. ¡°You''ve seen some of the experiences I''ve had.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly, her face covered in sadness. ¡°I''ve even told you about some of the others that I can remember.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you honestly tell me that getting stepped on was the worst thing that has happened to me?¡± Nathalia sighed, and shook her head. ¡°There''s degrees of good and bad.¡± Ren said. ¡°Experiences can be good or bad. Or they can be both good and bad.¡± He smiled. ¡°It all depends on how you look at it.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°A lot of bad things happened to me, but I got through it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve also met some great people.¡± He squeezed her hand. ¡°I won''t let things like that make me sad.¡± He smiled. ¡°I don''t want them to make you sad, either.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± ¡°You asked me that before.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°What was my answer then?¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°Anything that I want.¡± ¡°Right you are, My Love.¡± Ren stood up, and Nathalia stood up with him. ¡°So, what do you want to do with me first?¡± ¡°I want you to throw me over your shoulder and carry me off to bed.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°As you command.¡± Ren said, picked her up and put her over his shoulder, then took her to her bedroom. Nathalia laughed as he dumped her onto the bed, then he climbed onto the bed himself. After an hour or so of having fun, they snuggled under the blanket together, then went to sleep. * Lylyth wasn''t sure what had happened at first. Her connection with Ren had disappeared for several days, and she thought he was dead; but when the spider didn''t return to her after the first day, she remembered that he was an Adventurer. More than likely he would disappear occasionally, and without explanation. It was frustrating for her, because she had grown accustomed to his little spurts of emotions in only a short while. While she fed normally on fear and terror, he had shown her that even though the other emotions weren''t as tasty, they were still good enough to eat. The last series of emotions from him had been absolutely scrumptious. She was only getting traces of it, and not the full effect like she would if she were touching him. At this point, though... she didn''t care. The constant flow of emotions from him, weak though they were; were still far in excess of anything she had ever felt from any of her other marked ones. * The night passed quickly, and Ren woke up early the next morning. He wanted to get as much time in at the mine as he could, so he could come back to his workshop and finish his first stained glass window. He kissed Nathalia goodbye, and she mumbled something. Ren thought she had said ''have a good day''; so, he left the house with a smile. He put on the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and Teepo landed on his shoulder. Ren didn''t bother with breakfast this time and gave Princess some food instead; even though he knew she would be getting more later for her regular feeding. He concentrated on his House Neram pendant and ran down the road, through the city, then out to the mine in only a few minutes. With no one on the streets so early in the morning, he didn''t have to slow down at all. When he arrived at the mine, he didn''t recognize the guard at the gate; but, the guard opened it for him when he approached. ¡°Good morning, sir.¡± The guard said. Ren nodded slightly to him, then ran through the open gate and up the road. He arrived at the medical tent, and was surprised by what was inside. It wasn''t Deresdra like he had expected. It was a man. ¡°Who are you?¡± Ren asked the man wearing a healer''s tunic. ¡°I''m the replacement healer for when the regular healer has the day off.¡± The man said. ¡°You must be Ren.¡± He said. ¡°You already know that the curtained-off area is where the examinations are held; so, go on in and take your clothes off.¡± Ren''s breathing sped up and he shook his head. He bent over and tried to do his calming exercises. ¡°Is anything wrong?¡± The healer asked, and Ren stood up fast and held his hands up. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I... I can''t take having...¡± He shook his head again. ¡°I don''t...¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Is there someone else that can do the examination?¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± The healer said. ¡°The other healer isn''t here... and even if she was, her examination on her day off wouldn''t count because I am the registered healer for today.¡± ¡°So, only you can...¡± Ren clenched his fists to stop himself from trembling. ¡°Will the normal healer be back tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren turned around and walked out of the medical tent. ¡°Hey! Wait a minute!¡± The healer said and ran to catch up to him. ¡°You can''t work if you haven''t been examined!¡± ¡°I''m not going to work.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m taking the day off.¡± ¡°According to the notes, you just started working here again only yesterday.¡± The healer said. ¡°You can''t take the day off today!¡± ¡°I''m allowed to take a day off once a week.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I show up and you''re here, it''ll be that day.¡± ¡°That''s very rude of you.¡± The healer said. ¡°What did I ever do to you?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Ren said. ¡°And I''m going to keep it that way.¡± Ren ran down to the gate, and the guard was surprised to see him back so soon. ¡°Is everything all right?¡± The guard asked as he opened the gate. ¡°No.¡± Ren said, and ran down the road. ******** ¡°I''m so sorry, Ren.¡± Barbara said as she held onto his hand. She was proud that he''d handled the situation as well as he did; but, she was also saddened by it. Ren''s phobia of having men manhandle him, had plagued him for years. He can never remember why he is always so afraid to have men examine him. Barbara thought and looked back at the television screen to see Ren enter his workshop. But, after seeing that footage of the experiments he relived in the game... Barbara shivered. I honestly can''t blame him, either. ******** Ren just stood there in his workshop and repeated his breathing exercises to calm down. ¡°Dorcot coming in.¡± Teepo said as he skittered under the door and flew to Ren. The door opened, and Dorcot came in. ¡°Ren!¡± Dorcot said and came over to him to give him a handshake. ¡°It''s so nice to see you.¡± ¡°I''ve been meaning to come in and change out another crate of diamond crystals for you.¡± ¡°Yes, I''ve had almost nothing to do for nearly two weeks.¡± Dorcot said, then clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°That''s okay, though.¡± He smiled. ¡°Angeilin has been keeping me busy.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been a little negligent in keep track of everything.¡± Dorcot laughed. ¡°You were gone for a month!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°I''m surprised you remember anything that you have going at all!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, it''s a lot.¡± ¡°Come on over to my workbench.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°All of my nooks and crannies are full of 1 gold coin diamonds that I don''t know what to do with.¡± Ren went with him to the desk and took the enormous amount of small diamonds from his drawers, shelves, and even two small sacks. Ren dumped them into inventory, and was surprised by the amount. ¡°15,300!¡± Ren nearly exclaimed, and Dorcot laughed. ¡°My boy, having to cut so many diamonds, all the exact same size, from every different size crystal that was in the two crates you left me...¡± Dorcot grinned. ¡°I was surprised there wasn''t more.¡± ¡°The amount of diamond dust you must have now...¡± Dorcot moved one of the crates out of the way, and behind it was a stack of diamond dust encrusted cloths, just over 2 feet high. ¡°Can I have some of them?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Help yourself.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°I make more of them every day, and I haven''t even worn out the first one I made yet.¡± Ren took about half of the stack, which turned out to be 130 pieces of cloth. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°This is all yours anyways.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°You don''t need to ask me to take your own things.¡± Ren gave him 138 platinum for the 1 gold coin diamonds, which was the cost minus 10%. Dorcot shook his head as he looked at the money. ¡°By the gods, what am I going to do with all of this?¡± ¡°Hide it, of course.¡± Ren said as he sewed up a bunch of sacks that were the same size as the other two sacks of diamonds that he had. ¡°If your kids find out how rich you are now...¡± Dorcot laughed and laughed as Ren piled the diamonds into the sacks and stored them. He looked into the two crates, and saw they were nearly three-quarters full of 1 inch wide diamond ovals. ¡°These are perfect.¡± Ren said, and stored the two crates into their own slot, so that they wouldn''t get mixed up with the uncut diamonds, or with the already cut diamonds that were different sizes. ¡°Thanks, Dorcot.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Dorgot said. ¡°Now hurry up and give me another crate before I go mad with boredom.¡± Ren laughed and gave him two more crates of oddly-sized diamond crystals. ¡°Make whatever you want from these ones.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve pretty much got enough of the same-sized ones to last a lifetime.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°I know I told you before that having a task to do... making diamonds all the same size... would get me focused and working hard.¡± He smiled. ¡°It did, but... by the gods, it was boring!¡± Ren pat his friend on the shoulder. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°You can count on that.¡± Dorcot said, grabbed a random crystal from one of the crates, and sat down to work. Ren went over to his own workbench to get back to work himself. He looked at the over-sized workbench, then looked across the workshop to the forge room. ¡°I guess I''ll have to use a crucible instead of just using my hands.¡± Ren said and went to the forge room. He took out the crucible that he had used to hold molten metal when he''d joined the steel bars together for both molds of the Main Houses that he had built. He dipped it in one of the smelters and scooped out a large amount of molten metal. Using his finger, he cleaned the molten metal off the outside and stored the crucible, then wiped off his finger on the edge of the smelter. Ren went back out to the workbench and looked at the great picture of Fire Dancer that he''d made. He didn''t want to ruin it before testing if he could solder it like he thought he could. He picked up one of the scrap pieces of glass, scored it with his scoring tool, and wrapped the edges in copper foil. He took the same care and attention that he did with the real picture, and laid the two pieces together. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± Ren said as he took out the crucible of molten metal, dipped the tip of his finger into it, and caught the excess on the edge of the crucible. ¡°Okay.¡± He stored the crucible, held the two pieces of glass together, then lightly dabbed his finger on several spots where the copper foil of each piece touched the other. He used his other hand to absorb the heat, so the copper wouldn''t change colors from the temperature change. It didn''t melt the metal away, and Ren smiled. He rubbed his fingertip with the molten metal along the seam and absorbed the heat. He waited a moment, then picked the piece up.
Notice!
You have gained a new skill: Soldering Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This sub skill under Smithing allows various metals to be attached to each other using molten metal. Higher levels will allow faster speeds and less visual evidence soldering has occurred.
¡°Yes.¡± Ren said as he saw the soldering had held, and hadn''t broken the glass as it cooled. ¡°I''ll test this a bit more before doing the real picture.¡± He said, and picked up another piece of glass to wrap the edge in foil. ¡°Just to make sure this first time wasn''t a fluke.¡± Ren did the same procedure again, took his time, and successfully joined another piece to the two he''d already done. The solder didn''t look as nice, because he had tried to spread the molten metal out too much. ¡°Okay, dab the corners and center of the join, then the middles of those, and then run the line of molten metal in between.¡± Ren said to himself as he did the next piece. ¡°I have to keep an even amount of metal going, or it messes up.¡± He said, and did another piece. ¡°Ah, that''s better.¡± Ren picked it up and looked at his creation. Five different colored pieces of glass were successfully joined together, and it was actually quite sturdy. He''d even leveled up Soldering to Level 2. ¡°Once it''s mounted in the proper frame and window treatment, it''s going to look awesome.¡± Ren said, put the test piece aside, and looked at the actual picture. He smiled, dipped his finger into the crucible, and started to work. Chapter 250 - Stained Glass Once Ren got the technique down, soldering all the pieces together went fairly quickly. Without the need of special tools, because he was only using his fingers, he was finished of one side of the picture in just over an hour. Ren picked it up, flipped it over carefully, and soldered the other side. It went much faster this time, because he''d leveled up Soldering to Level 4 on the first side. The more he leveled a skill up, the faster he was able to do it. Ren was grateful for his Fast Craft ability, which increased his crafting speed by 25%, and he finished the second side in just over 50 minutes. Once it was secured on both sides, he soldered all around the outside edge of the picture to make it one solid piece.
Stat Change!
Soldering Level 6 (Beginner 0%)
Ren remembered the lessons he''d learned from the woman who taught him how to do stained glass properly, and took out some wood to set the picture into a proper window frame. He measured the outside edge, and cut the wood to the right length. It was a plank, so it was a foot wide; and that was much too wide for a window. He cut each frame piece lengthwise into 3, so now he had 3 pieces that were almost 4 inches wide, for each side of the window. He nailed 4 of them together to make a nice rectangle that would fit around the stained glass window. He took the second set of pieces and cut it lengthwise again, making them just under 2 inches wide, and trimmed out enough room for the pane of soldered stained glass to fit in between. Ren nailed four of the 2 inch pieces to the inside of the 4 inch frame, laid the soldered stained glass window into it, then nailed on the other 2 inch pieces on top. It made a nice trough for the stained glass to sit in, which held it securely. He held it up and grinned. ¡°Now that is a thing of beauty.¡± Ren said, and set it aside. He had made that one for the private room for Fire Dancer, so now he gathered up the other pieces of stained glass and made another picture that was identical to the first, with the large humanoid fire being standing up from the mountain, and stomping on the ground with blue flame shooting out. The only difference was that the red and orange pieces were reversed. He''d used orange to replace a lot of the red in the first picture, so in this one, he used red to replace a lot of the orange. There were lots of white, blue, and yellow pieces of colored glass left from the window panes he''d made for the first one; so, he just trimmed them to fit the spaces that they needed to go in the second picture. Ren ran out of foil about halfway through wrapping the edges of the new pieces, so he had to take out another copper square and hammered it out really thin to make more foil. He realized that the more elaborate a picture he tried to make, the more pieces of glass it would need; and it would also need more foil so it could be soldered together. Once he''d made more foil and cut it up into tiny strips, he kept going and wrapped all of the edges of the pieces. He set down the last wrapped piece, and got a popup.
Stat Change!
Foil Wrapping Level 1 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren sighed a little bit, because it would take quite a bit longer to level it up, now that it wasn''t at the Beginner stage; but, then he smiled. He remembered that all he had to do was work hard and not worry about it. The skill would level up eventually, as long as he kept going. He had to refill the crucible with molten metal, and soldered the pieces of the new picture together. It took about 45 minutes to do it all, then he flipped it over and did the other side. Once that was done, he soldered all along the outside edge, just like he did with the other stained glass window.
Stat Change!
Soldering Level 1 (Intermediate 0%)
¡°Whew.¡± Ren said, and stood back. ¡°Almost 6 hours straight, and that was with the pieces already cut.¡± He said. He took out another plank of wood and repeated the cuts he''d made to make the other window frame to set the stained glass window into it, and when he was done, he had enough pieces left to do another window without having to cut another plank. ¡°Two planks makes 3 window frames, and I''m making 18 more pictures for the stained glass windows.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, I need to cut up 12 more planks.¡± Ren took out 12 more planks, and repeated the cuts on them, and piled them to the side. Now all he had to do was grab the next set of pieces and could build the frames without having to stop and make the cuts each time.
Stat Change!
Saw Level 3 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren assembled the next window frame, set the second stained glass picture into it, and finished it off. He set that one aside with the first one, and looked at his over-sized workbench. It was covered in pieces of glass. He was sure he was going to need at least some of them for other pictures; but at the moment, they were in the way. Rather than keep them, he decided to do what he did with the picture of the Fire Deity. He''d dye a few panes of glass to the right colors for the picture he wanted, then duplicate that picture on each. That way, he didn''t have to worry about making a single glass piece to fit for each and every color; he would already have them and just had to switch them out on the original. Ren thought about what Deity to do next, and figured that Wind should be the one. He used it a lot and had enchantments going right now that used it. He closed his eyes and wondered what the best picture to showcase Wind would be. A minute later, he decided that the best option would be a half bent over tree with it''s branches and leaves blowing in the wind, a little bit of green on the bottom for grass, some long thin clouds, and streams of lines to show the wind blowing. He was tempted to make it come from a big cloud, but he didn''t want to insult the Deity by saying it was a fat cloud. Ren only needed 4 panes of glass; one green, one brown, one white, and one blue. He took out his scoring tool, and traced out the image on the white pane of glass. Using the gripping tools, he broke all of the pieces apart and reassembled them in the proper order. He repeated this with the blue, brown and green panes of glass, then replaced their parts in the white pane of glass with the appropriate colors. Surprisingly, there were just as many pieces in this picture as there was in the fire one, and Ren used the copper foil to wrap the edges. Some of the pieces were quite big, so they wouldn''t be as difficult to solder together. Most of the grass was one piece, even though he was tempted to cut it up just because he could. A lot of the sky was blue and were big pieces, too; so, he knew he couldn''t use the replacement pieces to make a similar picture like he did with the red and orange pieces in the Fire stained glass windows. There were lots of left over pieces, though. Especially with the brown and green. He easily cut out another bent over tree and branches, and used the top of the green to make another grass section. He took out a fifth pane of glass, scored it across the middle, and snapped it in two. He dyed one half white, and the other blue, and cut out the appropriate pieces to make a duplicate of the Wind picture he''d just made. More foil was needed, but that was okay because Ren had 58 more 1 foot by 1 foot copper squares that he could hammer out. He took another one out, hammered it and stretched it, then cut it into thin strips. Using the foil, he wrapped up the edges of all of the pieces for both pictures. He refilled the crucible again with molten metal, and soldered the front side of each picture. He did the both of them in only 80 minutes. ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo said, but Ren was concentrating so hard on soldering the outside edge of the panes of stained glass, that he didn''t hear him. ¡°REN!¡± Teepo yelled as he landed on Ren''s shoulder, and Ren looked at him. ¡°Supper time.¡± ¡°Already?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Damn, the day went by fast.¡± He said, covered up his work with a large piece of cloth, and ran down to the road.
Stat Change!
Running Level 4 (Intermediate 0%)
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I''m just full of popups today. Ren thought, and stood there to wait for Nathalia, who he saw walking up the road towards the Keep. ¡°Ma''am.¡± He said, and she nodded slightly to him. The guard opened the gate, Ren led Nathalia inside, and the gate shut behind them. ¡°Did you have good day at the mine?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t work there today.¡± He sighed. ¡°I spent the day in my workshop.¡± Nathalia looked at him with surprised expression. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I couldn''t go through with the physical examination this morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why not?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I thought you worked everything out with Deresdra.¡± ¡°She wasn''t there today.¡± Ren said as he tossed a couple of planks into the fire elemental''s pen and webbed them up. ¡°It was a man that I didn''t know.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Nathalia said and hugged him from behind. ¡°Did you kill him?¡± Ren laughed because he could feel that Nathalia was joking. ¡°No, My Love. I took the day off and ran away.¡± Nathalia turned him around and kissed him. ¡°I''m glad you got out of there before anything bad happened.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think I would have been okay if it had been another woman; but... I... I couldn''t...¡± Nathalia hugged him tightly. ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± ¡°I was okay once I got out of there.¡± Ren said. ¡°Deresdra will be back as the healer tomorrow, so everything should be good.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly, let him out of the hug, and took his hand. ¡°Let''s get something to eat before you have to deal with your Adventurer''s business.¡± She took Ren into the house, and the little table was set up with three plates of food on it. ¡°Hey, you two.¡± Ereka said. ¡°How was work?¡± ¡°We were going to ask you that same question.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°My day was long and a little frustrating. We hired a new cook, and they don''t know their pots from their pans.¡± ¡°Mine was both fun and a little frustrating.¡± Ren said. ¡°How was your day, Ereka?¡± ¡°It was filled with paperwork.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I never imagined having all these things to take care of would take up so much time.¡± ¡°I told you a while ago to hire someone to help.¡± Ren said, and Teepo flew off to do a check of the house. ¡°The receptionist can handle some things for you, but I think you need an assistant.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ereka said as they sat down at the table. ¡°I''ll put the word out that I''m looking for an assistant.¡± ¡°You can check with the families that have already moved here and joined the House first.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then you won''t have to worry about hiring someone and have to make them sign confidentiality agreements with House Neram.¡± He took a bite of food. ¡°There might not be anyone close to what you need; but, you can always train them to be the best assistant for you.¡± Ereka looked surprised for a moment. ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I''ll check first thing tomorrow.¡± Nathalia and Ereka discussed the different things that they did during the day, and when it came to Ren''s turn, he told them he had made 2 stained glass windows for the church, and had 2 more half-finished already, with enough wood cut to make the frames for the rest. ¡°That''s wonderful!¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''ve had quite a lot of people stop in at the Main House to ask when it was going to be finished.¡± ¡°It should have been finished about a month ago, but I wasn''t here to work on it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve gotten so much done today because I spent all day working on it.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve got Adventurer''s business to do tonight, too.¡± He sighed. ¡°I should be back in time to get a few hours sleep, but I can''t guarantee it, or that I''ll get the windows done before I head to work back at the mine.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Ereka shook her head. ¡°You do too much.¡± ¡°It''s not like anyone else can do it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve already got Tee-one working on the Keep, and he fills orders for funiture, weapons, armor, and clothing when people want them.¡± ¡°What about Ruck?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°He''s just sitting in his cabinet room in the stable.¡± ¡°I''ve knocked, but he didn''t answer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think he''s mad at me for being gone for so long.¡± ¡°I''m sure he knows that it wasn''t your fault.¡± Ereka said. ¡°He should.¡± Ren said. ¡°I explained it to Princess, and he would have heard me.¡± He sighed. ¡°I''ll try to talk to him again in the morning.¡± When they finished eating, Ren helped clear off the table and put the dirty dishes in the sink. He put on an apron and started to wash the dishes. ¡°What do you think you''re doing?¡± Nathalia asked him. ¡°Doing the dishes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let me do that.¡± She said, and untied his apron. ¡°Hey, I''ve got to start pulling my weight around here.¡± He said, and tried to tie the apron again. Nathalia held onto the end of the apron string and smiled. ¡°We''ve gotten along without your help for this long.¡± Ereka said and took his other apron string. ¡°You better get into the main room and deal with your Adventurer''s business before Nathalia makes you go.¡± ¡°Why do I have to make him go?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Because he loves you and will do pretty much anything you want him to.¡± Ereka said and smiled. Nathalia grinned and looked at Ren. ¡°She has a point.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. He knew when he was out-gunned. ¡°Okay, fine.¡± He said and slipped off the apron. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± ¡°I''d tell you to have fun; but, I''m sure you''ve got something not so pleasant to do.¡± Nathalia said, and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°That''s the truth.¡± Ren said and took Nathalia by the hand. ¡°Bye.¡± Ereka said. Ren went to the main room with Nathalia, and they sat on the couch together. She could feel his trepidation, and caressed his face. ¡°Is it going to be bad?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I hope not.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, there''s always a chance it could be.¡± Nathalia kissed him to try and make him feel better, and he appreciated her concern. He was worried, because he had physical therapy to go to, and Stella wouldn''t be there to help. ¡°I''ll be here when you get back.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°That''s not a promise; just the truth.¡± Ren nodded slightly and let her hand go. She slid slightly away, and he relaxed on the couch. See you later, Teepo. Ren thought to his friend, who was perched on the ceiling above him. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the bed, and when he slipped off the VR headset, he saw Denise''s short blonde hair was a little more stylish than usual, and she seemed a little taller than her normal 5 foot 3 inches. He saw Barbara across the room and smiled. ¡°Hey, you.¡± Denise said and took the headset from him. ¡°Did you have a good night?¡± ¡°Yes and no.¡± Ren said, and explained about what happened at the mine, then told her about the stained glass windows he''d made. ¡°They''re really pretty.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Even the two that are all fire.¡± ¡°I''ll have to check out the footage later.¡± Denise said. ¡°I assume you''ll have to go back to the mine first thing?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Missing a day right after starting again was not the best thing to do.¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I was really proud that you got out of there before anything happened.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Denise said and put a hand on his arm. ¡°I''m glad you didn''t try to go through with the examination.¡± ¡°You... you are?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°Of course I am.¡± Denise smiled and took her hand back. ¡°You didn''t foolishly throw yourself into a traumatizing situation, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°You didn''t know how you would handle anything that might happen, and you did the wise thing and left instead.¡± Ren took a breath and let it out. ¡°Thanks.¡± He said, and looked at Barbara. ¡°Thank you.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°You don''t have to be stupidly brave all the time.¡± Ren chuckled, and shook his head. ¡°Stupidly brave?¡± ¡°There''s brave; like walking away from a bad encounter.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Then there''s stupidly brave; where you jump in and never consider the consequences... to either yourself or others.¡± ¡°Hey, when have I been stupidly brave?¡± Barbara didn''t say anything, and Ren looked at Denise. ¡°When that man broke your finger at the mall, for one.¡± She said, and Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought you meant in the game!¡± ¡°It can be any situation, anywhere.¡± Denise said. ¡°Not just virtual.¡± ¡°But... but if I didn''t stop him...¡± ¡°You didn''t have to grab his arm.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You could have hollered, or waved your arms to get someone else''s attention.¡± She sat by the bed and took his hand. ¡°I''m not saying what you did was wrong.¡± She explained. ¡°Just that there were other choices that you could have made.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It worked out, probably better than any other choice might have.¡± Denise said. ¡°But it could have been really bad.¡± ¡°Listen.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I can''t promise that if any situation like that ever comes up, that I won''t do the exact same thing again.¡± He looked at Barbara, then at Denise. ¡°I won''t second guess myself over what might have happened the last time, either.¡± He shook his head. ¡°There''s no point to that. What happened happened, and that''s it. I can''t go back and change it; and I wouldn''t even if I could.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Barbara started to say. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll take your advice. I''ll try my best to not get into anything that could cause that type of situation; but, I also won''t predetermine what my decision would be in some situation that might never come up again.¡± He said. ¡°And that''s all I have to say about that.¡± Denise looked at Barbara, and then back at Ren. ¡°I''d like to have breakfast now, if it''s not too much trouble.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a bit of time before therapy, and I''d like to have the food in my stomach for a while before going in there.¡± He sighed. ¡°I''m not looking forward to this session one bit.¡± It was Denise''s turn to sigh. ¡°I''m not as good at intervention like Stella is, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s not your fault that Stella can handle men without them realizing she''s handling them.¡± ¡°She''s one of a kind, that''s for sure.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''ll be right back with breakfast.¡± Denise left the room, and Barbara still held onto Ren''s hand. ¡°I can''t intervene either.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''m even worse at it than Denise.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I had a choice of dealing with the therapist or avoiding him, I''d definitely avoid him every time.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Barbara said. ¡°We''ve talked to him several times already; but, he just doesn''t understand.¡± ¡°I don''t think he wants to.¡± Ren squeezed her hand. ¡°He probably thinks he can cure me if he just keeps working on me.¡± He sighed. ¡°It''s just too bad that he''s wrong.¡± Barbara sighed. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Denise came in with his breakfast, and Barbara had to let his hand go so he could eat. It didn''t take long for him to finish, and Denise took the tray away. Ren slid out of bed and took his workout clothes out from the top drawer of the dresser. He changed fairly quickly and put his pajamas in the small hamper by the dresser, then climbed back up onto the bed to sit and wait. If Ren''s guess about the therapist was right, and after Stella had kept the therapist at bay yesterday and barely let him touch Ren at all... Today''s physical therapy session was going to be pure hell. Chapter 251 - Physical Problems When it was time, Ren sat in the wheelchair and Denise took him into the next room. ¡°There''s my favorite patient!¡± The male therapist said, came over and knelt in front of the wheelchair, and put a hand on his knee. ¡°Don''t do that.¡± Ren and Denise said at the same time, and the therapist smiled and pat Ren''s knee. ¡°I don''t mean anything by it.¡± He said. ¡°It''s just a friendly greeting.¡± ¡°Just ''hello'' is a friendly greeting.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to touch me for that.¡± ¡°Hey, it''s all good.¡± The guy said. ¡°Come over to the balance ball and we''ll work on your arms for a bit first.¡± Ren nodded, and got out of the wheelchair. He walked over to the balance ball and very carefully sat on it. ¡°Give me some curls.¡± The therapist said, and Ren did arm curls for a few minutes. ¡°Okay, here''s the 1 pound weights.¡± He said and passed them to Ren. ¡°Give me a few more reps.¡± Ren held onto the weights and did the exact same motions. ¡°Keep your hand tight, and your elbow relaxed.¡± The therapist said, and put a hand over Ren''s hand and braced his elbow with the other. ¡°Like this.¡± He said and did the same motion Ren just did. ¡°I just did that.¡± Ren said, and trembled a little bit. ¡°And would you please stop touching me?¡± The guy smiled and let him go. Ren did arm curls for a few minutes, and then they worked on squats. Ren hated these exercises in particular, because it always made it harder for him to walk afterwards. He did several of them slowly, so he could show the therapist that he had technique right while he kept his balance, and didn''t over-exert himself. The therapist wasn''t happy with that, though. ¡°No, you have to keep your back straight.¡± He said, put a hand on Ren''s lower back. ¡°Stop!¡± Denise exclaimed, but the therapist ignored her. Ren froze solid, and all of his muscles tensed up at the same time as the guy put a hand on the top of his chest and gently pushed on his back. Denise ran over to stop the therapist, but it was too late. Ren had already lost his balance. Denise gasped as he slid out of the therapist''s hands and fell forward. Thankfully, the balance ball was there and Ren landed on that, instead of directly on the floor. It still hurt, however; and it knocked the wind out of him. ¡°Ren!¡± Denise said and she slid him off the ball and onto the floor. Ren tried to catch his breath. ¡°...can''t... breathe...¡± Denise took in a lungful of air and gave Ren mouth to mouth. She blew into his lungs and hoped it opened his airways and forced him to relax his diaphram. Ren froze as the therapist knelt beside her, and he stopped trying to breathe. ¡°Get away from him, you idiot!¡± Denise practically yelled at the therapist, and he was surprised at the hatred in her voice. He moved away, and Ren relaxed. ¡°Try to catch your breath, Ren.¡± Denise said, and blew another lungful of air into his lungs. ¡°Come on, you can do it!¡± Ren opened his mouth, and Denise heard him struggle to take air in. It was going in, but slowly. Oh, god. Denise thought. I hope he didn''t get a pulmonary contusion or a collapsed lung. She leaned in close and listened to his breath. I can''t hear any fluid or wet sucking sounds. She leaned back and gently slid up his t-shirt to the top of his chest, careful to not compress his chest while doing so. She traced each rib to see if any were broken, bent or out of place; but, they were all fine. ¡°I think you just got the breath knocked out of you.¡± Denise said and put a hand on his forehead. ¡°I can''t find anything wrong at the moment, but we''ll have the physician check you out, just in case.¡± She smiled. ¡°Just lay there and keep breathing for a few minutes.¡± Ren nodded and Denise stood up to walk over to the therapist. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Denise asked him, her voice full of scorn. ¡°How many times do we have to tell you to stop touching him?¡± She asked. ¡°Ten? A hundred?¡± ¡°Hey, I''m a physical therapist.¡± The guy said to defend himself. ¡°I have to touch him to correct his mistakes.¡± ¡°That wasn''t what you were doing.¡± Denise said. ¡°You can''t tell me that you didn''t feel him tense up when you put your hand on his back!¡± She snarled, and he didn''t say anything. ¡°Yeah, that''s right. I was across the room and I could see Ren''s reaction after you touched him like that, and you knew exactly what you were doing after I clearly yelled at you to stop!¡± ¡°Look, he has to learn to deal with things like...¡± ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Denise yelled into his face, and he clamped his mouth shut. ¡°You have no idea what he''s had to deal with!¡± She said. ¡°The last thing he needs is some egotistic asshole trying to cure him of a phobia, when what you should be doing is helping him recover physically!¡± ¡°There''s no need for name-calling!¡± The therapist said, and started to get angry at her verbal abuse. ¡°If you and the other nurses didn''t coddle him so much, maybe... just maybe... he wouldn''t be such a pu-¡± *SLAP* ¡°Don''t you dare use that word to describe him!¡± Denise said, and the therapist stared at her like he''d never seen her before. ¡°You... slapped me.¡± He said, completely shocked. ¡°You''re lucky it wasn''t my fist!¡± Denise said. ¡°You''ve been callous and unprofessional the entire time you''ve had Ren for physical therapy sessions, despite the many conversations everyone has had with you about his case.¡± She said. ¡°Even the doctor warned you about it!¡± ¡°I''m not going to let someone with no therapy experience, tell me how I should do my job.¡± ¡°Are you really that thick-headed?¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°We weren''t trying to tell you how to do your job. We were trying to tell you to not hurt him!¡± ¡°I didn''t hurt him!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Denise stepped back and pointed to Ren. ¡°The physical evidence is right there.¡± She said. ¡°If the doctor checks him out and he doesn''t have one, or even both lungs bruised after that, then I''m going to be surprised.¡± The therapist didn''t say anything in his defense. ¡°I''m not even going to mention the emotional abuse you made him suffer through.¡± Denise said. ¡°He does not need that kind of thing in his life.¡± ¡°You''re right, I don''t.¡± Ren said. He sat up, and you could clearly see a large round bruise start to form on his chest already. ¡°I won''t be coming to therapy here anymore.¡± ¡°I don''t think you can make that decision.¡± The therapist said. ¡°I don''t care what you think.¡± Ren said and stood up. He was a bit wobbly, but he walked over to the wheelchair and sat down. ¡°I''m not coming back. What are you going to do? Drag me back? Force me to work out?¡± The therapist didn''t say anything, and Ren smiled. ¡°I thought I didn''t have a choice about doing therapy here.¡± He said. ¡°While my wonderful nurse berated you on your inability to listen, I realized something.¡± Denise smiled as she walked around the back of the chair and took the handles. ¡°You require my cooperation for therapy to work.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, I''ve decided that you''re not getting it from me anymore.¡± He looked at Denise. ¡°Take me back to my room, please.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Denise said, and pushed Ren by the speechless therapist. They were out into the hallway, then into his room barely a moment later. ¡°I''ve already called the doctor.¡± Barbara said and hung up the phone. ¡°Oh, that looks bad.¡± Ren chuckled and looked down at himself. He''d forgotten to pull his t-shirt back down. ¡°It could have been a lot worse.¡± Ren said. ¡°I landed on a balance ball instead of the floor.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Barbara said and came over to him. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°Thanks to Denise.¡± Ren said. ¡°You should have seen her.¡± ¡°I didn''t have to.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°I think everyone in the facility heard the whole thing.¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°I shouldn''t have slapped him, though.¡± ¡°Was he really going to...¡± Denise nodded. ¡°Then you''re right.¡± Barbara said. ¡°He''s lucky it wasn''t a fist.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Denise said and flexed her fingers, because her hand still tingled from the impact. ¡°He has a strong jaw.¡± Barbara chuckled and Ren smiled. A few minutes later, the doctor came in. She had really short black hair, trimmed close to her head, and wore a white shirt with black dress pants. She also carried a briefcase that Ren assumed held her medical equipment. ¡°Good god.¡± She said, and knelt by the wheelchair. She traced the line of the bruise around his chest and down to his abdomen. ¡°Exercise ball?¡± Ren nodded. She opened her briefcase and took out her stethoscope. She rubbed her hands on it, and huffed on the cold metal. She put the ends in her ears, and pressed the metal end to his chest. ¡°Deep breath in.¡± She said, and Ren did it. ¡°Let it out.¡± She repeated this several times, and moved the stethoscope to different parts of his chest. ¡°Okay, I didn''t hear any fluid.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°That''s a good sign.¡± Ren nodded, and she looked at him seriously. ¡°I''m tempted to do an endoscopy.¡± She said. ¡°More specifically a bronchoscopy, so I can get a good look down there.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren said, a little worried. ¡°Don''t worry. I''m jumping the gun a little.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll order an X-ray first, and if that shows anything, then we can schedule the out-patient procedure.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°It''s not that bad.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°It should only take a few minutes.¡± Denise pushed Ren down the hallway behind the doctor, around the corner, and into the small X-ray room. ¡°Hi, Gina.¡± The doctor said. ¡°I''ve got another quickie for you.¡± ¡°Doctor!¡± Gina exclaimed. ¡°What?¡± She asked, and looked around. ¡°It''s going to be quick. No one else is here.¡± The doctor went into the next room to wait, after telling Gina to take an X-ray of Ren''s chest and lungs.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°That''s not what ''quickie'' means.¡± Gina whispered, and Ren and Denise chuckled. ¡°Let''s get you up on the table.¡± Gina said to Ren, laid out a fresh sheet of paper for him to lay on, and Ren climbed up to sit on the edge of the table. ¡°Should I take off the t-shirt?¡± Ren asked, and Gina shook her head. ¡°It''s out of the way, so it''s fine.¡± She said. ¡°Do you have any metal or magnetic things on or in your pockets?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then lay back and relax.¡± Gina said and slid something into the table in the area under Ren''s chest. ¡°It really will be quick.¡± Both Denise and Gina walked behind a protective screen, there was a soft hum for a few seconds, and then a click. Gina came back out and asked him to turn onto his side. She changed the plate in the table, and disappeared behind the protective screen again. Another soft hum and click later, and it was over. ¡°There, all finished.¡± Gina said as she took the second plate, and Denise came over to help Ren pull his t-shirt down. He got off the table and sat in the wheelchair. ¡°Do we wait here?¡± Ren asked Gina. ¡°No, you can go back to your room.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°It''s going to take a few minutes for the doctor to look these over.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Gina said and she went into the next room to give the X-rays to the doctor. Denise pushed the wheelchair back to Ren''s room and he looked at the bed. ¡°I''m really tempted to just climb into bed and forget this morning ever happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I need to finish my workout.¡± ¡°No, you don''t.¡± Denise said. ¡°Your chest is going to be sore for a while, and that''s assuming nothing is wrong with your lungs.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Let''s wait to hear from the doctor first, before you try to exercise again.¡± Denise said. ¡°If there''s already damage, the last thing you need is to cause more damage.¡± Ren sighed, and waited for the doctor. * Officer Stonewall hadn''t slept well, and was bleary-eyed when her partner picked her up. ¡°What the hell happened to you?¡± Detective Ramirez asked her as she flopped into the passenger seat and shut the door. ¡°No sleep.¡± Officer Stonewall said, and then yawned. ¡°Dammit, I can''t stop yawning.¡± ¡°I can get you to stop.¡± He said. ¡°How?¡± She asked. ¡°It''s not like...¡± She started to yawn and Detective Ramirez stuck up his finger for her to see, and moved it towards her mouth. Her eyes widened because it looked like he was going to put his finger in her mouth. ¡°Wha... ah!¡± Officer Stonewall clamped her mouth on the yawn when his finger was about an inch away. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°It''s a yawn deterrent.¡± Detective Ramirez laughed. ¡°Every time you start to yawn, I''m going to try and stick my finger in your mouth.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Detective Ramirez grinned at her outraged expression, put the car into gear, and drove down the road. ¡°When I was growing up, my sister used to do it to me all the time.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°Your sister used to stick her fingers in your mouth?¡± He snorted a laugh. ¡°Boy, did she!¡± He said. ¡°I was always tired as a kid, and used to fall asleep in class all the time. She''d do her best to stop me from yawning by using the finger trick.¡± Officer Stonewall shook her head. ¡°What made her think up such a thing?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°It worked like a charm, though.¡± He smiled. ¡°After the first time I didn''t close my mouth in time, my sister hooked my cheek and pulled.¡± He laughed. ¡°I yelled, and got detention for disrupting the class.¡± ¡°And that''s funny?¡± ¡°Of course it is.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°I bit her finger and she yelled, too.¡± Officer Stonewall laughed. ¡°Okay, I have to admit that was funny.¡± ¡°She''s a great sister.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°I make it a point to visit her every time I go out to the Point.¡± ¡°I''ve never been there.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°What''s it like?¡± ¡°It''s the nicest place you''ll ever see.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Rolling hills, great big houses, rocky cliffs by the water, a beach you need an appointment to get on, and it''s got one of the biggest lighthouses on this side of the country.¡± ¡°That does sound nice.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°I''m heading up there tomorrow for the weekend, actually.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Why don''t you come along?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It''s only a couple hours drive.¡± ¡°I don''t know...¡± ¡°I''ll even show you around all my old haunts.¡± He said. ¡°It''s my niece''s birthday on Sunday, but that will only be an hour or so anyways. I won''t have anything else to do all weekend while I''m there.¡± ¡°John...¡± ¡°Before you answer...¡± Detective Ramirez smiled. ¡°...my sister makes the best lasagna.¡± ¡°Lasagna?!?¡± Officer Stonewall exclaimed. ¡°Well...¡± She smiled. ¡°I guess I could let you drag me along.¡± Detective Ramirez laughed. ¡°I figured that would pique your interest.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll pick you up at the same time tomorrow.¡± ¡°I''ll be ready.¡± ¡°Now that I''ve gotten the pleasant things out of the way...¡± Detective Ramirez reached over and pushed a button on the police radio and turned it off. ¡°Did you split the list of names up?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°I also read everything, to see if there were any other names.¡± ¡°Did you find any more?¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± ¡°You''re trying to tell me that I don''t want to know, aren''t you?¡± He asked her. ¡°You catch on fast.¡± Detective Ramirez pulled over, and Officer Stonewall handed him his half of the names. He read through them quickly, then cursed long and loudly when he got to the last one. The last name on the list was the Chief of Police. ¡°I wondered why he was so hard on us.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°Was that the worst one?¡± ¡°That we didn''t know about.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°You were right about Senator Eddlemere.¡± She sighed. ¡°His name was mentioned, too.¡± Detective Ramirez stuffed the list into his front shirt pocket, and drove out into the street. ¡°Are we really going to try and find all these people?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He said. ¡°Quietly.¡± ¡°How are we going to do that?¡± Officer Stonewall asked. ¡°Once we start adding these names into the database search, someone is going to see it.¡± ¡°Don''t look them all up at once. Use someone else''s computer for some. Google search something stupid and then look up the name.¡± Detective Ramirez suggested. ¡°You can just ask different people if they know them, and they''ll look the name up for you.¡± ¡°You''ve done this before.¡± Detective Ramirez smiled. ¡°If you do something long enough, you learn some tricks to hide your tracks.¡± ¡°Teach me, oh great Jedi Master.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°Very well Young Padawan, I will teach you the ways of the force.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°The police force...¡± He said and grinned. ¡°...surrounds and encompasses us.¡± ¡°I''ve unleashed a monster.¡± Officer Stonewall said, and he laughed. * ¡°You''re in luck.¡± The doctor said when she came into Ren''s room. ¡°No abnormalities, dark spots, or signs of trauma.¡± She looked at his still exposed chest. ¡°Except for that gigantic bruise that''s forming quite fast on your chest.¡± Ren glanced down and saw it was getting darker. ¡°Damn.¡± ¡°I recommend taking a few days off from physical therapy.¡± She said. ¡°Once that bruise starts to heal, you can start working out again.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°If I don''t keep moving, I''ll start to decline again.¡± ¡°You can get up and move around; but, you aren''t to do anything strenuous.¡± The doctor said. ¡°You took a hard blow to the chest, and it''s going to slow you down for a few days.¡± She ruffled his hair. ¡°I''ll check back after the weekend to see how you''re doing.¡± ¡°Okay, doctor.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for checking me out right away.¡± ¡°It''s my job.¡± She said. ¡°Have a good day.¡± ¡°I better head out, too.¡± Barbara said as the doctor left. ¡°I''m glad you aren''t seriously hurt.¡± Ren stood up, and she gave him a very light hug. ¡°See you tonight.¡± ¡°I''ll be here.¡± Ren said and she chuckled. ¡°You better be.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Or Elise will be pissed that you stood her up for your date to watch the show.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Bye, Barbara.¡± She talked to Denise and let her know that nothing much happened overnight, and then left. Ren started to take off his t-shirt, but the cloth bundled up and dug into the sides of his chest. He tried to pull it lose, and winced. ¡°Denise? Can you give me a hand with this t-shirt?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She said and pulled it back down. ¡°I wanted it off, not back on.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I am taking it off.¡± Denise said and grinned. ¡°Lift your arms up.¡± Ren lift his arms above his head, she grabbed the bottom of the t-shirt, and pulled it off over his head in one smooth motion. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even though I didn''t do a full workout, I might as well get a shower.¡± He said, and walked to the bathroom. He took off his jogging pants and tossed them aside. ¡°You don''t have to make a mess, just because you''re frustrated.¡± Denise said as she came into the bathroom with the t-shirt, then picked up his pants and tossed both items of clothing into the hamper. ¡°I would have picked them up when I was done of my shower.¡± Ren said, and took off his underwear. ¡°Don''t you dare throw them on the floor with me standing right here.¡± Denise said, and he smiled. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and tossed them at her. ¡°Catch!¡± She reached up quickly and caught them, then tossed them into the hamper with the jogging pants. ¡°Hey, good reflexes.¡± ¡°My dad loved playing catch.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°He didn''t care that I was a girly girl growing up, as long as I caught the ball just as good as my brothers.¡± Ren chuckled as he turned on the water, set it to the right temperature, and switched it to the shower head. ¡°I''m really jealous.¡± He said and stepped into the shower. ¡°Why?¡± Denise asked automatically, then sighed. ¡°Forget I asked that.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and started to lather up. ¡°It''s not just the fact that your dad would do those things with you, it''s that you could do them.¡± Denise heard him hiss, and came over to him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He said, and took several breaths. ¡°I just forgot that I shouldn''t scrub my chest so soon.¡± Denise unzipped her top and hung it on the towel rack. She picked up a soft cloth, took the bar of soap from Ren, and lathered up the cloth. Ren stared at her custom-made bra, because it showed off her breasts to full advantage, gave her all of the support she needed, and let her wear clothing that fit. ¡°Stella was right.¡± Denise said and laughed. ¡°What?¡± Ren asked and looked at her face. Denise took the lathered-up cloth and gently rubbed it across his chest. ¡°Stella said you''d probably never look at our faces if we kept our tops off.¡± ¡°Hey, that''s not... entirely accurate.¡± Ren said and grinned. Denise snorted a laugh and finished lathering his chest. ¡°Turn around and I''ll do your back.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and turned around. ¡°I was looking at the custom-made bra to see how well it fit you.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Denise said and scrubbed his back. ¡°You didn''t look at my boobs at all, right?¡± ¡°Of course I looked.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°When a pretty woman takes off her top and lets me see her body, the least I can do is admire the sight.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°I''m done scrubbing your back.¡± She said and Ren turned around. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said as he lathered his arms. ¡°You enjoy seeing them like this, even though you saw them completely only the other day?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said, and lathered his legs. ¡°It could be animal instincts, or hormonal urges, but...¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°I don''t really think it''s any of that.¡± ¡°So what do you think?¡± ¡°I think they''re just delightful.¡± He said. ¡°Any man that doesn''t appreciate the beauty of a woman, needs to have his head examined.¡± ¡°All right, Mr. Casanova.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°Step into the spray and get rinsed off.¡± Ren stepped into the spray, hissed when the water hit his chest, and stepped back out. ¡°Oh, damn!¡± Denise said and turned the nozzle of the shower head to a gentle stream. ¡°Sorry, Ren.¡± ¡°It''s not your fault.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Denise said, and went out to the room. She came back in with a water jug and dumped the cold water out into the toilet. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren asked her as she held water jug up under the shower head. ¡°Getting some water to help rinse you off.¡± Ren wasn''t sure what she meant at first; but a few moments later, she asked him to face her and hold onto her shoulders. He did, and she slowly poured the water over his chest and rubbed the skin with her hand. ¡°That feels nice.¡± Ren said as Denise got the soap off of him. It hurt a little where she touched, but that was over-shadowed by the feel of her hand and the cascading water. He''d never had a woman caress him like that before. Denise refilled the jug and rinsed off his arms, and when she knelt to rinse the soap from his legs, her eyes widened at his quite obvious enjoyment of the situation. She saw it was still covered in soap; but ignored it for the moment, and rinsed the soap from his legs. When that was done, she stood up to get more water from the shower head. ¡°Thanks, Denise.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can do the middle part.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Denise asked. ¡°The water jug is kind of heavy.¡± ¡°Well, you can pour it then; but, I''ll do the rubbing.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you do both... um...¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°Do you want me to close my eyes?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I usually only over-react when a woman touches me there.¡± He said. ¡°It should be okay.¡± Denise poured the water out slowly onto his mid-section. ¡°We''re going to have to switch to baths for a while.¡± She said and watched in fascination as Ren rubbed off the soap. How can it be so big in comparison to the rest of his body? She thought. There''s shouldn''t be enough blood in him for... well, that. ¡°Baths take forever.¡± Ren said. ¡°And this isn''t taking long?¡± Denise said, and he laughed. ¡°Point.¡± ¡°Did you get the soap from underneath it?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± Ren said and tried to bend over to look. ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Denise said. ¡°Don''t bend over like that. You''re compressing the bruised skin. I''ll look.¡± Ren nodded and Denise knelt. He held himself up and out of the way, and she nodded. ¡°All clean.¡± She said. ¡°Now to shampoo your hair.¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± He said, and picked up the shampoo bottle. ¡°Wait!¡± Denise said. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°If you shampoo your hair standing up, you''ll have to rinse everything off again.¡± ¡°Ah, dammit.¡± Ren said. ¡°What should I do?¡± ¡°Let''s get the rest of you dried off first.¡± Denise said and used a towel to dry as much of him off as she could, then handed him his bathrobe. ¡°I can''t wash my hair wearing this.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re not going to.¡± Denise said. ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said and looked around. ¡°How are you going to do that?¡± ¡°Carefully.¡± Denise said and told him to sit right beside the tub. She folded a towel up and held it on the edge of the tub. ¡°Lean back, and rest your neck on this and your shoulders on the edge of the tub.¡± Ren had to move out slightly to do that, and it left his head over the tub with his face looking up towards the ceiling. Denise refilled the water jug, poured it over his forehead, and used her other hand to spread the water out to get all of his hair wet. Once that was done, she took the shampoo from Ren and squeezed out a little bit into the palm of her hand, then rubbed her hands together. He was going to ask her what she was doing that for, but then she put her hands into his wet hair and moved them around. The shampoo lathered up quickly as Denise scrubbed his head. Ren closed his eyes and took long even breaths while her fingers massaged his scalp. After a few minutes, Denise used the water jug to rinse the lather out of his hair. She used the same technique that she used to make his hair wet in the first place, and all of the shampoo was washed out. ¡°There, all done.¡± Denise said, and picked up another towel to dry his hair. ¡°Can you wash it again?¡± Ren asked, and kept his eyes closed. ¡°It''s clean.¡± Denise said. ¡°I wouldn''t say it was done if it wasn''t.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and opened his eyes to look at her. ¡°That was really relaxing.¡± Denise nodded, and he closed his eyes. She picked up the shampoo and did the same little trick to start the lather up, then plunged her hands into his hair. He sighed as she massaged his scalp again, and rather than stop after a few minutes, she kept going. It seemed like it went on forever, and Ren basked in the sensations. Eventually, Denise picked up the water jug and rinsed out his hair. He sat up at her prompt, and she dried his hair. When she was done, her eyes widened when she saw what she''d done. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Denise said. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°It''s nothing.¡± She said as she tried to hide her smile. ¡°Denise...¡± He said and looked at her. ¡°It''s nothing.¡± She said and grinned. ¡°Now I have to see it.¡± Ren said, carefully stood up, and walked to the mirror over the sink. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± His hair was the softest and fluffiest it had ever been. Chapter 252 - An Inquiry ¡°That is both cool and scary.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had trouble before with people ruffling my hair constantly.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I can''t imagine what it''s going to be like now.¡± ¡°Probably like this.¡± Denise said, and he turned around to look at her. She grinned as she ran her hands through his hair several times. She didn''t ruffle it, however. ¡°I sincerely doubt it''ll be quite that pleasant.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°I think you''ll be surprised.¡± Denise said as she put her top back on, and they left the bathroom. Ren went to his dresser and chose the silver gray set to wear this time, and untied his robe. ¡°Bathroom.¡± Denise said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You shouldn''t change in the middle of the room like that.¡± Denise said. ¡°Anyone could come in, and they''d...¡± *knock* *knock* ¡°Janitor for the trash.¡± A male voice said. Ren tied his bathrobe again, and the man opened the door. ¡°I knocked because the door was shut.¡± The janitor said. ¡°How''s the trash can?¡± ¡°It feels used and quite full.¡± Ren said. The janitor laughed and came in to pick it up. He brought it out to the hallway, lifted the plastic lid on part of his cart, and dumped the trash into it. He brought the trash can back into the room and put it back where it was. ¡°Thanks.¡± Denise said. ¡°You saved me the trouble.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± The janitor said and smiled. ¡°Have a good day.¡± He left the room and shut the door. ¡°See? You would have had your frank and beans out and he''d have seen it all.¡± ¡°Frank and beans?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°All right.¡± He said, and picked up his clothes and went into the bathroom to change. He came back out wearing the set of pajamas a few minutes later. ¡°How''s that?¡± ¡°It''s crooked.¡± Denise said. ¡°Huh?¡± Ren looked down at himself. ¡°What''s crooked?¡± ¡°You started with the wrong button.¡± She said, and held out the collar of his pajama top. Sure enough, there was an extra button hole. ¡°Crap.¡± Denise chuckled as she undid them, then buttoned the top back up properly. ¡°There you go.¡± She said, and adjusted the collar. Ren reached up and put his hands on hers. ¡°Denise... I...¡± He stepped close and gave her a hug, careful of his sore chest. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I only buttoned your shirt up the right way.¡± She said, a little surprised that he''d hug her for that. ¡°That''s not what I...¡± He smiled at her. ¡°Thank you for what you did in the therapy room.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Denise said, and wrapped her arms around him. She was careful and didn''t squeeze him tightly, even though she wanted to. ¡°If I''d only been faster...¡± ¡°What you did was perfect.¡± Ren said, rested his head on her chest, and sighed. ¡°You kept calm, kept me calm, and helped me breathe.¡± ¡°I know it must have felt like you were dying.¡± She said and gently held him. ¡°Thankfully, once your diaphragm relaxed...¡± He lifted his head and looked at her. ¡°I would have panicked for sure if you hadn''t kissed me.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°I wasn''t kissing you, you nut.¡± Denise laughed. ¡°I was trying to stop your lungs from collapsing. If I''d kissed you for real, you''d know it.¡± ¡°I... I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°When you dropped us off yesterday...¡± ¡°I remember the look of surprise on your face.¡± Denise said. ¡°It was so cute.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I... ah... I mean I... it was a surprise, and...¡± His face flushed a little red. ¡°...I forgot to kiss you back.¡± Denise ran a hand through his really soft and extra fluffy hair. ¡°Doing what you did for me...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don''t mean buying the clothes. Those are just things. I mean... you made me go out shopping, let me have some fun, and you showed me that I don''t have to live with either constant pain or discomfort.¡± She smiled. ¡°I had to kiss you for that; because, just saying ''thank you'' wasn''t enough.¡± ¡°I feel the same way right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°After what you did today, I...¡± He took a breath and let it out. ¡°Then you really put that jerk in his place, and... and I...¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Denise asked. ¡°You''re right. Sometimes saying ''thank you'' just doesn''t seem like it''s enough.¡± He said, a little embarrassed to admit it. ¡°You know, if we were still in the hospital, I''d be fighting tooth and nail to stop myself from holding you like this.¡± She said. ¡°You would?¡± Ren asked, surprised. Denise nodded. ¡°It''s definitely against hospital policy to hold you this close, and have... certain thoughts... at the same time.¡± She said. ¡°Now here we are outside of the hospital, and I have you in my arms; but because of your bruise, I can''t cuddle you like I''ve always wanted to.¡± ¡°You''ve always wanted to?¡± Denise nodded again. ¡°I''ve had...¡± She sighed. ¡°...inappropriate thoughts about you for a long time.¡± Ren''s eyes widened, and she chuckled. ¡°I''ve struggled for a long time with it.¡± Denise said. ¡°I eventually came to accept that nothing could ever happen between us, and did my best to forget that I ever did have those thoughts.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve worked hard to help you out as much as I can, and still keep my distance.¡± ¡°And now I have a girlfriend.¡± Ren said. ¡°And now you have a girlfriend.¡± Denise said. ¡°Several actually, if you count the ones in the game.¡± She smiled. ¡°They all seem to be okay with a little sharing, too.¡± ¡°For the most part.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t specifically discussed it with anyone except Nathalia and Stella, though.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Denise said. ¡°Stella discussed it with both Elise and me.¡± ¡°She talked to you, too?¡± Ren asked, surprised again. ¡°Of course she did.¡± Denise said. ¡°We''re all in your life, and play major parts in it now.¡± She said. ¡°The last thing we need is to keep secrets from each other.¡± Ren was about to ask if Barbara knew all about it, but decided that would be a stupid question to ask.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± He asked instead. ¡°The first thing you''re going to do is thank me for today, and give me a kiss.¡± Denise said. ¡°The second thing you''re going to do, is log into the game and get some sleep.¡± She glanced at the clock on the wall. ¡°You''ll have nearly 7 hours, if my math is right.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Ren said and let her out of the hug. Denise looked at him with a bit of surprise on her face, because she had expected him to give her a kiss before he let the hug go. Ren climbed up onto the bed, and rather than lay in the center like he normally would, he sat on the edge by where she stood and motioned for her to come closer. He moved his legs apart to make room for her, and she stepped in close. ¡°Yeah, this is much better.¡± Ren said, and smiled as he put his hands on her shoulders. ¡°I didn''t want you to get a sore neck.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Denise said. ¡°This seems like a lot of prep work just for a little ki-mhm.¡± Denise''s words were interrupted when Ren''s lips met hers. Unlike the kiss they had the day before, he didn''t settle for a quick peck. He wanted her to know that she''d been kissed. It lasted for about 2 minutes, and Ren stopped kissing her and leaned back. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was still open. ¡°Denise.¡± ¡°Um... what?¡± ¡°Thank you...¡± Ren caressed her cheek. ¡°...for saving my life today.¡± ¡°Y-you...¡± Denise licked her lips. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren gave her another quick kiss, much to her surprise, then he slid back on the bed and laid down. ¡°Can I have chicken noodle soup for lunch?¡± ¡°O-of course.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hand me the VR headset, would you?¡± ¡°S-sure.¡± Denise said, and got the headset for him. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± Ren said, and reached into the cubby hole to grab a foil packet. He sat up a bit too quickly, and it tightened the muscles in his chest. ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Going to the bathroom to... ah...¡± He held the foil packet up. ¡°I need to put this on.¡± Denise grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it up to cover his legs and mid-section. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ll get the little water basin so you can wash your hands afterwards.¡± Denise left and came back with the water basin, soap, and a towel. She held the blanket up as Ren pulled his pajamas and underwear down, applied the contents of the foil packet, then washed his hands. He dried them on the towel and put his clothing back into place. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. Denise folded the blanket back to the foot of the bed, and had a slightly sad expression. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°If we''d had our conversation before your shower...¡± Denise sighed. ¡°...I wouldn''t have had to ignore your... considerable assets.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You do realize that I take a shower... or rather a bath now... every day, right?¡± Denise didn''t have to think about that for long, and she smiled as she handed him the VR headset. ¡°Have fun.¡± She said again. ¡°I''m sure I will, now that you''ve helped me get prepared.¡± Ren said and put the headset on as Denise chuckled. ¡°See you at lunch.¡± She said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch, and Nathalia still sat beside him. She was asleep, and her head rested on the back of the couch. He leaned in close and put his lips by her ear. ¡°My Love, your neck is going to be sore if you stay like that all night.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I''m not leaving your side.¡± Nathalia mumbled, and he felt her determination. He nuzzled her neck, and she almost giggled. Her eyes flew open, and she looked at him. ¡°Ren! It''s really you!¡± ¡°Actually, I''m just a very handsome copy.¡± He said, and she laughed. ¡°I think we should get to bed.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Nathalia said and yawned. ¡°We both have a long day tomorrow.¡± They got up from the couch and went into her bedroom, stored their clothes, and climbed into bed. The only thing they did was hold each other as they went to sleep. ******** Denise was a little disappointed that there wasn''t a blue screen, because she figured he''d go right in there and ''have fun''. There was a knock on his room door, and then it opened. ¡°Fresh linens.¡± The maid said, and brought in clean towels and bed sheets. ¡°Is there any for me to take?¡± ¡°There is.¡± Denise said and went to the bathroom. She rummaged through the hamper and picked out all the normal clothes. She brought the hamper out and gave it to the maid. ¡°Thank you.¡± The maid said, and dumped the hamper into her laundry cart. She looked through the contents, and picked out a pair of red underwear. ¡°This isn''t linen.¡± She said and grinned. ¡°Oops.¡± Denise said and took them from her. ¡°I missed that. Sorry.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± The maid said. ¡°You should see some of the things people throw in the hampers by mistake.¡± ¡°I don''t want to know.¡± Denise said and held up a hand in a stop gesture. ¡°I have enough experiences with stuff like that as it is.¡± The maid laughed. ¡°See you later.¡± Denise went back into the bathroom and gathered up the dirty clothes, and put them into the small hamper by the dresser in the room. She was tempted to toss them into the small washing machine, just so they wouldn''t become an even bigger pile later; then figured that was better than watching Ren sleep on the television and in the bed. After sorting through the clothes again, she picked out the delicates and went to the laundry room that was there for the guests. * ¡°Any luck?¡± Detective Ramirez asked his partner during their lunch break. He''d splurged today and had offered to pay for lunch at Amazon Jim''s. Officer Stonewall was halfway through her second plate of Endless Fries. ¡°Some.¡± She said, and slid her half of the list across the table. Three of the eight names had check marks by them. ¡°The first one is a guy who works as a janitor at the museum. Nothing special.¡± ¡°Nothing special, huh?¡± Detective Ramirez smiled. ¡°What did he do back then?¡± He asked and bit into his double-sized hamburger. ¡°He was a lawyer...¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°...and before you ask, it wasn''t for the firm that handled Ren''s case.¡± Her partner nodded, and she kept talking. ¡°The second guy... he''s a lobbyist in the state legislature.¡± Detective Ramirez grunted. ¡°And back then?¡± ¡°He ran Mayor Danicot''s campaign.¡± ¡°The third name... she''s something special.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Back then, she was a secretary in the state capital.¡± ¡°That''s nothing special.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°What''s she doing now?¡± ¡°The governor.¡± Officer Stonewall said, then laughed because her partner nearly choked on his drink. ¡°Y-y-you''re kidding!¡± Detective Ramirez said, once he wiped off his mouth and stopped coughing. ¡°Nope.¡± She said, and took out a piece of paper. She unfolded it and passed it to her partner. ¡°Well, damn.¡± He said as he looked at a copy of the newspaper article saying the governor had finally found a new love, more than a year after his wife had died. ¡°What about you?¡± Officer Stonewall asked as she ate some more french fries. ¡°I got nothing.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°I checked 5 of the 8 names, and they were all aliases.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± His partner said. ¡°The last three names on your list we already know.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± He said. ¡°The blonde with the mayor, Senator Eddlemere, and the Chief of Police.¡± He sighed. ¡°What about the picture?¡± ¡°I made a couple of copies and passed it around.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°After removing Ren from it, of course.¡± Detective Ramirez nodded and kept eating. ¡°Of the seven people in it, not counting Ren or his parents, we know the blonde, Mayor Danicot, Senator Eddlemere, and now the janitor.¡± ¡°So, three unidentified.¡± He said, and she nodded. ¡°They must have used one of the aliases on your list.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°I''ll see what I can do about getting them redrawn to a larger size.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Officer Stonewall said and handed him a rolled up piece of paper. ¡°What''s this?¡± He asked, and unrolled it. ¡°How did you do this without getting caught?¡± ¡°And the Padawan outshines the Jedi Master.¡± Officer Stonewall said, and he chuckled. ¡°I just took it to a print shop and had them enlarge it for me.¡± She said and ate some fries. ¡°I''m kind of sad that I offered to buy you lunch already.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Now I don''t have anything to reward you with.¡± He smiled. ¡°This is great work, Holly.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I can get Chuck to check these out this afternoon.¡± He rolled the pictures up and stuffed them into his jacket. ¡°I''ll have him use the aliases to enter the pictures into the system.¡± ¡°That''s great.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°I can''t wait to see who these bastards really are.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°I''m not sure what we can do with the information once we get it, though.¡± ¡°We''ll worry about that when we have it.¡± She said and finished the plate of fries, and waved to the waiter. He brought over another plate full of fries, and took the empty one. ¡°How can you eat like that?¡± Her partner asked. ¡°I''d be big as a house if I ate like that once a week.¡± Officer Stonewall chuckled as she ate several fries at once. ¡°I have a high metabolism.¡± ¡°Give me some of that metabolism.¡± Detective Ramirez said and grinned. ¡°I hate eating salads!¡± They both laughed. ******** Ren woke up with a warm body beside him. He opened his eyes and looked around. Good morning, Teepo. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°Good morning.¡± Teepo said. How''s the time? ¡°You''ve got about 2 hours left before your early breakfast.¡± Thanks, buddy. Ren thought and snuggled back down with Nathalia. * Lara, the Sage of Ages, sat at her desk in the Aurora Library. She was in the middle of a good book when she received a popup that said she had a message. She put the book down and opened the message. Her eyes widened as she read the words, and then she closed it and ran to her closet. She stepped inside and chose the Library in the Giant Kingdom. She stepped out of the closet, and was surprised that the stack of books that was supposed to be blocking her door from sight wasn''t there. Instead, there were two Guardians of the Land; and in between them stood the Chancellor. ¡°We need to discuss the book.¡± The Chancellor said in a gravelly voice. ¡°I''ll tell you anything that you need to know.¡± Lara said. ¡°We need to know where the abominations are staying.¡± One of the Guardians of the Land said. ¡°All I know is where the description is in the book.¡± ¡°So you won''t know if that''s the actual place or not.¡± ¡°Not from just the description.¡± ¡°Can you get the actual location?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then do so.¡± The Chancellor said. ¡°We will wait for you here.¡± Lara nodded, and stepped back into her closet. She chose the Aurora Library, and stepped out of it. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Lara said and leaned against the door. She opened the messaging system and typed up a message to Ren and sent it. ¡°Please be in the game. Please be in the game. Please be in the game.¡± She repeated as she waited for Ren''s response. Chapter 253 - Early Warning Ren was woken up from a good sleep when he received a message popup. He pulled away from Nathalia and opened the message system. Lara? Ren thought. What in the world could she¡­ the giants! He quickly typed a response to her. * ¡°Oh, thank god.¡± Lara said, and began to type.
Lara: Ren, the Chancellor of the giants wants to know where the giants are.
Ren: They¡¯re about an hour outside the dwarf Garrison. Why?
Lara: I didn¡¯t ask.
Ren: Lara, why do you think he wants to know the location?
Lara: I don¡¯t know.
Ren: Come on, Lara. Use that spectacular knowledge ability of yours.
Lara: You know it doesn¡¯t work like that.
Ren: I know you¡¯re supposed to touch things to get the whole back story, but I know for a fact that all someone needs to do is tell you a few details and you¡¯ll see it.
Lara sighed.
Lara: He only asked if I could get the location.
Ren: I don¡¯t suppose you can go back and ask why he wants it.
Lara: If I go back, it has to be with the specific location.
Ren: This can¡¯t be good.
Lara: What do you mean?
Ren: If it was going to be something to help the giants, why wouldn¡¯t he ask to see me? I was the one who asked for their help.
Lara: I can¡¯t believe he would do anything bad against his own people.
Ren: They aren¡¯t his people, Lara. They¡¯ve been exiled. You saw what happened with Rubella.
Lara: Wait¡­ you don¡¯t mean¡­
Ren: Yeah. They¡¯re going to attack and kill the refugees.
Lara: I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Ren.
Ren: You can¡¯t give him false information, can you?
Lara: No. It¡¯s against my class. Plus, I already told him I could get the location.
Ren: Did you tell him how long you were going to be?
Lara looked at the text on the screen, and she smiled.
Lara: No, I didn¡¯t.
Ren: Then give me 2 hours.
Lara: I¡­ okay. I¡¯ll give you two hours, as long as you can give me the exact location.
Ren: I can do better than tell you.
Lara: How?
Ren: I¡¯ll show you.
Lara: What?
Ren: I set up a tent camp for them, and had them build it in a circle around a cooking area. I made them clothes and gave them enough food to live for a few days. I even made the child giant laugh with a bit of magic.
Lara closed her eyes after she read the text, and she saw it all in her mind¡¯s eye. How far they had walked, and the sad state they were in until Ren had made them clothes. She also knew the exact location. Damn, he was right. She thought, kind of surprised. All he has to do is describe some things, and I''ll see where it happened.
Lara: You have two hours.
Ren: Thanks, Lara.
Lara: You still owe me for delivering the last book, too.
Ren: I know. I''ll bring you something soon.
Lara: Bye, Ren.
Ren: Bye, Lara.
Lara closed the message system and waited. She would keep her word and give Ren two hours before she told the Chancellor where the refugee giants were. * Ren closed the messaging system and slipped out of the bed. Sorry, Nathalia. He thought, gave her a quick kiss, and snuck out of the bedroom. Let¡¯s go, Teepo. Ren picked up his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, put it on, and left the house. He startled the guard when he opened the gate, but didn¡¯t say anything about it, so he wouldn¡¯t embarrass the guard. Ren ran up to his workshop with Teepo on his shoulder, and found Tee-one in the forge room and discovered he had poured molten metal into a mold that was made on the floor. ¡°One step ahead of me.¡± Ren said, partially absorbed some of the heat from the metal in the mold, and picked it up. Tee-one poured more into the mold, while Ren hammered and folded the first piece. He was making swords. ¡°You do realize you¡¯re going to ask normal giants to fight their elite protectors, right?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°I don¡¯t really expect anyone to take me up on the offer, but if even one decides that they want to fight, then I want to have a sword and shield to give them.¡± ¡°These are going to be poor quality compared to what we usually make.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Short notice and all that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad she gave you any notice at all.¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea for her, though.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Tee-one said as Ren made mental plans, and saw what Ren wanted to make. ¡°I hope she likes it.¡± ¡°She should.¡± Ren said and finished the sword. ¡°Girls seem to like that stuff.¡± He grabbed the cooling metal from the mold and Tee-one filled the mold again. They worked for half an hour, and made 2 dozen swords and shields. ¡°This should be enough.¡± Ren said, and handed Tee-one the wand handle mold. It made 40 wands at a time, and Ren took out one of the crates that he¡¯d had Dorcot cut up for him. Ren didn¡¯t have to sort them or search for an appropriately-sized diamond to attach to the wand handles, as they were all already the perfect size.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°How many do you plan to make?¡± Tee-one asked as he filled the mold. ¡°It doesn¡¯t cost me any Mana to make Fireball wands.¡± Ren said. ¡°I¡¯m going to try and see what it¡¯s going to take to level my Craft Wand skill.¡± ¡°And once you know?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to make enough to level it to Intermediate and unlock the next level of spells, but what I can do is make an array.¡± ¡°An array?¡± Tee-one closed his eyes and saw what Ren meant. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nasty.¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a surprise.¡± Ren used his ability to absorb some of the heat from one of the wand handles, and attached a diamond to the end. That end was still nearly molten, so it was easy to make small claws to hold the diamond in place. He enchanted it with the Fireball spell, and picked up the next handle. Ren did this for all 40 wands, and when he was done, he had leveled Craft Wand to Beginner Level 4 and Gemstone Setting to Beginner Level 4, but it didn¡¯t change his Enchanting at all. Ren changed his tactics with the next 40 wands he made, and used Web spells instead of Fireball spells. It increased his Enchanting by 10%, gave him another Craft Wand level, and another Gemstone Setting level. He stored the wands and the crate of wand-sized diamonds. ¡°Okay, now I know I can at least push them past the Beginner stage with another 5 castings.¡± Ren said. ¡°I¡¯ll do that the next chance I get.¡± He said and poured some molten metal into a mold 6 inches by 12 inches, and an inch thick. He poked his finger into it and absorbed the heat around his finger. He did that action 11 more times, and ended with a 3 x 4 grid of holes. Ren repeated this again, and took out his armor chest piece. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t level it up for you.¡± Tee-one said, sadly. Ren put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Can you imagine how much I could abuse that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have to do anything at all anymore, and you could do everything for me instead.¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°Yes, I agree. It would be very boring for you.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t tell you to stop, though.¡± He used some molten metal to attach one of the metal plates to the top of the right shoulder, and then attached the other one to the left shoulder. He took out 12 of the Fireball wands and slid them into 6 of the holes on each side. He then took out 12 of the Web wands and filled the rest of the holes. ¡°You better get going. Even with Princess to ride, you will only have an hour left to prepare the giant camp.¡± ¡°Damn!¡± Ren said and grabbed the mold that he used to make the steel squares. He filled it quickly and absorbed all the heat. It refilled his Mana Pool and he stored the squares. It only gave him a hundred squares, so he poured it again. It went quickly; since it was just pour, absorb, then store. Ren did it 3 more times, and ended up with 500 squares. He stored them and his chest plate that had the wands attached. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s going to be enough.¡± Ren said. ¡°But I have to go.¡± ¡°Do you want me to come along?¡± ¡°Only if this works.¡± Ren said and passed him one of the stone squares. ¡°Enchant this with a double glyph. One glyph with 4 Wind runes, and one glyph with 4 Fire runes.¡± Tee-one took it and closed his eyes. He opened them and enchanted it with the double glyph. Ren¡¯s Mana Pool dropped quite a bit more than if he¡¯d done the enchantment himself, and Tee-one handed it back. ¡°You don¡¯t get my bonuses.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can use your skills as if they are my own.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°But, they don¡¯t combine like yours do.¡± ¡°So, you can use my Rock Steady ability, or my Unstoppable ability, but you can¡¯t get the bonus for having both.¡± ¡°It would be great if it worked that way.¡± ¡°So, you can use my Absorb Fire ability, but you¡¯re not immune to fire because that¡¯s my Knowledge skill.¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I¡¯d start to melt if I tried it again.¡± ¡°What do you¡­ oh, you already tried it.¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°Thanks to my innate Major Healing spell, I was okay.¡± Ren put a hand on Tee-one¡¯s chest, and refilled the Major Healing Spell that Tee-one had used up. ¡°How long ago did you try that?¡± ¡°It was while you were gone.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I had hoped that I could increase my work on the Keep if I could absorb the heat like you do.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± Tee-one said, and tapped his temple. ¡°I got your story when you told Nathalia about it.¡± Ren looked at him. ¡°You saw everything when she hit me with her dagger, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you survived all of that; but, I¡¯m glad that you did. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t exist.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad it wasn¡¯t too much for you to handle.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was getting a little worried every time I came into the workshop and you weren¡¯t here.¡± ¡°Like with Ruck.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was going to check on him again this morning, but now I have to go.¡± He said and opened the door to the forge room. ¡°I¡¯ll go into his room later, despite him wanting to keep his privacy.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and ran down to the Keep. The guard opened the gate and Ren told him to leave it open and ran past. He went into the stable, and Princess was already standing. ¡°You¡¯re eager.¡± Ren said and smiled as he took the Garrison¡¯s deed out of her inventory and looked at Stacy. ¡°Open.¡± He said, and she opened her mouth. He took out the fireball wand and inserted the rolled-up scroll of the deed. He put the wand on the floor and told her to close her mouth, and she could still use the wand if she picked it up in her mouth. You go to prepare for battle. Princess thought to him. I will be by your side. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. Great Warriors do not thank their mounts. ¡°Probably not.¡± Ren said as he led her out to the road. ¡°I¡¯m sure they thank their friends, though.¡± Princess huffed, and Ren smiled as he climbed up onto her back and sat in the saddle. She took off at a run and Ren held on while Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren took out the Sending Square connected to the Commander at the Garrison and thought about him. ¡°Good morning, Commander.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± The Commander responded. ¡°I¡¯m heading to the Garrison. The giants are sending an excursion force out to kill the refugees, and possibly attack the Garrison.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t quite the truth.¡± ¡°Once they know where the giants were captured, and that the pit is still there and full of pheromones¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯ll want to destroy everything associated with them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll happen for sure or not, but it¡¯s always better to be prepared.¡± ¡°Do you want a force assembled to go out to the campsite?¡± ¡°Hell, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°I¡¯m not sending anyone out there to die.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The Commander said, surprised. He thought for sure Ren had called to tell him to get a battalion ready. ¡°Then what do you want?¡± ¡°I want a force assembled to guard the wall on that side, and to watch the field where the leg-holding traps are.¡± Ren said. ¡°If the giants make it that far, they¡¯ll be sitting ducks for only a short time before they figure out how to get out of the traps.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The Commander said. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°I¡¯m running right through. Have the front and back gates opened.¡± There wasn¡¯t a response for a minute. ¡°I sent runners to both. You should be able to get through without stopping.¡± ¡°Thank you, Commander.¡± Ren said and arrived at the Garrison only a few minutes later, then ran right through. The gates were closed behind them, and Ren rode Princess out to the trench around the giant campsite. Princess didn¡¯t stop, and instead jumped over the trench easily. ¡°That trench was about 20 feet wide.¡± Ren said as they came to a stop in the middle of the camp. He climbed off of Princess and looked around. No one was up, so he went to Laurelia¡¯s tent. He glanced inside, and saw her as she laid there in her bedroll. It looked like she was awake and was staring up at the top of the tent. ¡°Knock, knock.¡± Ren said, and Laurelia sat up and stared at him. ¡°Ren!¡± She exclaimed, threw off the bedroll, reached over and opened up the tent. She pulled him inside and into a hug, then shut the tent behind him. ¡°I¡¯m so glad to see you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you, too.¡± Ren said, when she let him go. Now that he had a chance to look at her, he saw that she wasn¡¯t wearing anything on top. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ren said, and covered his eyes with a hand. Laurelia laughed at his reaction. ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± She said. ¡°It¡¯s not like anything can ever happen between us.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren said. ¡°It won¡¯t make you uncomfortable?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Are you going to ravish me if I keep my sweat-covered clothes off?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I can refrain from jumping onto your giant breasts, despite how much I would enjoy that.¡± Ren said and then frowned. ¡°Hold on. Did you say sweat-covered clothes?¡± He dropped his hand and looked at her. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have any dirty clothes.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Laurelia asked. ¡°We have no way to wash them.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°You have two giants that can store them and hand them back. It automatically cleans the clothing.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Laurelia smiled. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± She said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to tell¡­¡± She said, and then stopped talking. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Nikaia and Telaka left yesterday.¡± ¡°They WHAT?!?¡± Laurelia sighed and laid back down. ¡°When the dwarves dropped off the food, they converted it all, and we cooked it all.¡± She turned to her side and looked at Ren. ¡°A bunch of them decided to go off and try to make it back to our lands.¡± ¡°How many is a bunch?¡± Ren asked, and didn¡¯t stare at her breasts when they moved close to his face, despite the temptation to do so. ¡°Fifty.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. ¡°They couldn¡¯t have picked a worse time.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The reason I¡¯m here.¡± Ren said and opened his eyes. ¡°The Chancellor read my book.¡± He said. ¡°He wanted to know where the camp was.¡± ¡°That¡¯s wonderful!¡± Laurelia said. ¡°They¡¯re coming to rescue us!¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think they are.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t contact me directly to answer the plea I made on your behalf.¡± Ren said. ¡°The friend I had deliver the book asked for the information.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ oh no.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was my thought exactly.¡± He said. ¡°I think he¡¯s sending the Guardians of the Land to clear you out. Permanently.¡± ¡°What¡­ what¡­¡± Laurelia started to cry. ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let them kill you.¡± Ren said. ¡°How are you going to stop them?¡± ¡°I stopped them before.¡± Ren said. ¡°I¡¯ll do it again.¡± ¡°But¡­ but you¡¯re just one man.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°I know you can get scary when you want to, but¡­¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t seen anything yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was going to ask for volunteers to help defend the camp¡­¡± ¡°That won¡¯t work.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°If it is the Guardians that are coming, no one will raise a hand against them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to handle it myself then.¡± Ren took her dirty dress and stored it, then took it back out and hung it up. ¡°I¡¯d ask you to wake everyone up, but it honestly doesn¡¯t matter if they are awake at this point or not.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to stop them from getting to the camp.¡± Ren said. ¡°If Nikaia or Telaka had been here, I could have used their help to make some barriers; but as it is, I¡¯ll just do what I can with what I have.¡± He turned to the tent flap and started to open it. ¡°Ren.¡± Ren turned around and looked at her, and she wiped her eyes. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°I really wanted to meet a little person.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°It didn¡¯t matter who it was. I... I¡¯d have wanted to kiss them.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. That kind of hurts. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize how great you were at the time.¡± She said. ¡°You risked your life to help us, gave us clothing and food, and then somewhere to live.¡± She sighed. ¡°Now, you¡¯re going to fight our countrymen to stop them from killing us, even though we¡¯re not a danger to them anymore.¡± Before Ren could react, she took him into a one-armed hug. She was propped up on her elbow and his head went over her shoulder, and one of her breasts pressed against his chest. He hugged her with one arm around her neck, and the other around her shoulder. ¡°If we somehow live through all of this¡­ I¡­ I¡¯d be honored to have you meet my mother.¡± ¡°Even though I¡¯m a little person that¡¯s not supposed to exist?¡± He said, half-jokingly. ¡°Ren, if¡­ if you use your magic to make yourself bigger again... and then made me smaller¡­¡± ¡°You want to kiss a little person again that badly?¡± Ren asked without any inflection in his voice. Laurelia heard the angry tone that he didn¡¯t use, and she tried to stop herself from crying. ¡°No, I want to kiss you.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing?¡± ¡°No.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°I¡¯ve already fulfilled my childhood fantasy to kiss a little person.¡± She smiled. ¡°Now I want to kiss my friend.¡± ¡°If we live through this, I¡­ I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Ren said. Laurelia let him go, looked him in the eye, and nodded. ¡°Go out there and kick their asses.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I plan to.¡± He said and opened the tent enough to get out. ¡°If I¡¯d realized this attack was a possibility, I would have tried to set up better defenses already.¡± ¡°I know you would have.¡± Laurelia said as Ren stepped outside. ¡°Good luck.¡± She said as he closed the tent, then she watched him as he ran out of sight. * Laurelia glanced down at herself, and saw that she had been quite excited to have Ren pressed against her like that. What is everyone going to think? Laurelia thought as she pulled the blanket back over herself. I explained the first kiss as wish fulfillment, but how do I explain that I want to do it again? She grinned. Or how I want to do more than that. She started to laugh. And with a little person, too! Chapter 254 - Preparation G Ren ran to Princess and climbed up into the saddle. ¡°We¡¯ve got work to do.¡± He said, and she took off towards the other side of the camp, and jumped over the trench that faced the giant lands. ¡°I hope they finished it all the way around.¡± Ren said as Princess came to a stop, and he took out several steel squares. He enchanted them with Water Spray glyphs, just like his ring, and activated them. Water gushed out like fire hoses from each of them, and Ren directed it into the trench. It looked like it was going to take a lot of water to fill, so he tossed the squares into the trench and Princess trotted around the edge. The trench was 20 feet deep by 20 feet wide; so, Ren dropped another steel square enchanted with Water Spray every 30 feet or so. Princess¡¯ trot was pretty fast, so by the time he had enchanted another square, he had to throw and activate it. They went all around the circumference of the trench, and Ren was relieved that it had been finished, and the dirt had been left on the outside. It was already in kind of a mound, but it was mostly flattened out. ¡°How¡¯s my time, Teepo?¡± Ren asked, and climbed down from the saddle. ¡°You¡¯ve got about 40 minutes before Lara tells the Chancellor the actual location of the giant¡¯s camp.¡± Ren nodded and took out a shovel. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to build a dirt wall around the camp.¡± Ren said and started to dig in the churned-up dirt. ¡°You¡¯ll never make it high enough to stop the giants.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The wall itself isn¡¯t going to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I¡¯m going to embed steel squares into it to aim up at the giants.¡± ¡°Sweet.¡± Teepo said. Once Ren had a mound about a foot high, he set a steel square in it and enchanted it with a glyph of Fire and Wind runes. Ren kept going, and went along all the way around the trench. He settled into a Serene State of Mind as he worked, and kept his pace and breathing even as he continued to dig and place steel squares. He was tempted to drop a few Screaming Terror enchantments, but the last time he tried it, it didn¡¯t work well without the boost from combining them. There¡¯s no way for me to make a Connection between all of them, even if I made one Connection at a time. Ren thought. I need to keep making Connections every 2 minutes, and I can¡¯t do that if they aren¡¯t within my Aura¡¯s radius. ¡°Princess, let¡¯s go out about half a mile, and drop some more steel squares.¡± Ren said an hour later, once he was done with the small mounds and set the Fire and Wind enchanted steel squares in them. He climbed up onto Princess and sat on the saddle. ¡°Well, nothing happened after Lara told the Chancellor the information.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s a good sign it''s not happening right away.¡± Princess took off at a run and went out to where Ren said, and he enchanted a steel square with a Magic Mouth spell, set it for activation when something large passed by it, and had it scream repeatedly as an early warning system. The scream he used was appropriate, as it was the same scream he¡¯d heard the giants make when he was excising the Brain Arthropod Grubs from their heads. ¡°Is half a mile far enough?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°It should be.¡± Ren said. ¡°We saw how much ground they can cover when they run. I should be able to activate all of the enchantments around the camp as I ride Princess around it long before they can reach here.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re not going after the ones that left?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don¡¯t know where they went, or even know where to look.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too bad that both giants with an inventory left.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They were a big help.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said as he dropped another square on the ground. He thought about setting them up in specific spots, but the giants were so big that if they were going to pass near enough to the square, it didn¡¯t matter if the steel squares were 5 feet off the ground or on the ground itself. It didn¡¯t take long for Ren to cover the whole area with them, and he made sure their area of effect of 20 feet touched the others; that way, no giant passing through could miss hitting at least one of them. Ren had Princess go back to the spot he thought was the most likely approach for the giants to come, and climbed down to wait. ¡°You¡¯re just going to sit here?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°They could be coming right away, or they could be here a week from now.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I probably should have asked Lara if they had a portal spell or something.¡± ¡°Even if they do, could she tell you about it?¡± Ren opened his mouth to respond, and then laughed. ¡°Nope.¡± * Nathalia woke up and found Ren wasn¡¯t beside her. She got out of bed and looked out on the couch. Well, he didn¡¯t ''leave'' again. She thought, and went to the kitchen. He didn¡¯t eat, either. She sighed and went to Ereka¡¯s room. When she opened the door, she saw that Ereka was alone. He¡¯s not there, so he hasn''t told her that he accepted her offer. She closed the door and went back into the kitchen. She glanced down at her Sending Ring and thought of him. ¡°Ren?¡± * ¡°Good morning!¡± Ren said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I had to run out so early, but Lara sent me a message that said the giants wanted to know where the refugees are.¡± ¡°Why does that sound like a bad thing?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Because you catch on fast.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I take it you¡¯ve set up some defenses.¡± ¡°Paltry ones.¡± Ren said. ¡°It¡¯s a trench that currently filling up with water, and a pile of fire and wind enchanted steel squares.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t activate them all at once, can you?¡± ¡°No.¡± He said. ¡°Only the ones within my Aura.¡± ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take them to get to the giant camp?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°It took 2 days with Princess pulling a giant cart to go from where Groggot was being held to the giant lands; so I assumed it would take about a week for a giant.¡± He sighed. ¡°I¡¯m thinking I should head back to the Garrison and let them know there¡¯s no set time limit for all of this.¡± ¡°You definitely shouldn¡¯t just sit there and wait.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°That¡¯s just wasting time.¡± ¡°All right, you¡¯ve convinced me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I¡¯ll head to work instead, and leave instructions for the Garrison to contact me.¡± ¡°You should get something to eat, too.¡± She said. ¡°See you tonight.¡± ¡°I have Adventurer¡¯s business to handle, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°The good news is, it should be short.¡± ¡°That is good news.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said, and the Sending Ring stopped glowing. He got up and looked at Princess. ¡°I know I probably shouldn¡¯t ask you this, but¡­ do you feel like a quick run out 50 miles or so? I want to see if we can find the giants that left.¡± I would rather do battle. Princess grumped. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Ren said. ¡°We¡¯re both going to have a lot to deal with soon enough.¡± Very well. Princess thought to him, and Ren climbed up onto her back. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ren said, and Princess ran out at an angle for 50 miles, then made an arc along the area Ren thought the giants would have gone, and then went back to the giant camp. ¡°Damn, not even a trace of them.¡± ¡°Maybe they ran all the way?¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°If they did, they¡¯d be a couple of hundred miles out by now if they left yesterday.¡± ¡°That¡¯s assuming they all could run for that long.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least they don¡¯t have a portal spell, or someone with a portal ability.¡± Ren asked Princess to take him to the center of the camp to see Laurelia, and she knelt to talk to him. He explained to her that he set up some defenses, including the warning system, and that he would be back to check everything later that evening. She looked disappointed for a moment, then she smiled crookedly. ¡°I hope nothing happens before you come back.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°No one left can handle any kind of battle.¡± Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry they abandoned you like that.¡± He said. ¡°I assume it was mostly men?¡± ¡°Mostly.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°A few of the women that didn¡¯t think you could get any kind of response from the Chancellor wanted to get back to their families.¡± She sighed. ¡°Including the child and his aunt.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°He can¡¯t handle that kind of journey, even if they had enough food!¡± ¡°I¡­ I tried to reason with them; but, once they had enough people behind them¡­ there was no convincing them to stay and wait.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see any trace of them when I did a patrol.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can move fast if it¡¯s necessary.¡± ¡°How fast?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We double our stride once we get enough speed.¡± ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Ren said. ¡°That means¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got maybe 2 days.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They can go just as fast as Princess pulling the cart.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°They¡¯ll be here soon.¡± Laurelia said. Ren nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± He gave her arm a pat, and rode Princess to the Garrison. The gate was opened for him, and he asked Princess to stop at the section with the Commander¡¯s office. Ren climbed down and knocked. ¡°Come.¡± Ren opened the door and looked at the Commander. ¡°Did you deal with the giants yet?¡± The Commander asked him. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°They could be here in several hours, or within 2 days.¡± ¡°Well, thanks for the accurate assessment.¡± The Commander said and Ren smiled. ¡°Well, considering I was expecting 2 days to a week for their arrival, it¡¯s a lot more accurate than I assumed.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you that.¡± The Commander said. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to pay for the food you bought for the giants.¡± Ren said, and the Commander told him how much it was. ¡°Do you want another shipment sent?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said and paid the money. ¡°The two giants that were helping with that left yesterday.¡± ¡°Left?¡± The Commander nearly exclaimed. ¡°Where did they go?¡± ¡°Home.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or they¡¯re trying to, anyways.¡± The Commander shook his head. ¡°They made a pile of edible food and took it from that shipment, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even dwarves experienced with the wilderness and living in the rough, would balk at a journey like that.¡± ¡°I know I wouldn¡¯t do it if I didn¡¯t have my mount.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or a party to watch my back.¡± The Commander nodded slightly. ¡°Same here. No one in their right mind would try it without the proper resources.¡± Ren nodded slightly in response. ¡°I¡¯ll be back this evening to check everything.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°To work in the mines.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°All right, but you know the budget is coming due in a few days.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I have it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to talk to you about it¡¯s distribution, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to that conversation.¡± The Commander said sarcastically, and Ren laughed as he left the office. When he shut the door, he remembered that the Commander had wanted Sending Squares. For 5 minutes, Ren made a dozen pairs of Sending Squares, then knocked on the office door. ¡°Come.¡± ¡°Hello, again.¡± Ren said. ¡°I forgot to give you these.¡± He put 12 stacks of pairs of Sending Squares on the Commander¡¯s desk. ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to make more than that.¡± The Commander stared at the Sending Squares. ¡°Those are what I think they are, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Each pair can be used just like the ones we have.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have a good day.¡± * The Commander watched Ren leave the office, and then touched the Sending Stone in his top desk drawer. ¡°I need a few runners.¡± He said, and someone responded that they were on the way. The Commander would have to wait for an hour before he could use the Sending Stone again. He looked at the 12 stacks of Sending Squares, and smiled. He no longer had to wait like that anymore. * Ren rode Princess back to House Neram Keep, dropped her off with some food, and ran up to the workshop. He was nearly out of steel squares, and filled the mold several more times and made another 500 of them. Once that was done, he ran for the mine so he could get to work. The guard opened the gate as he approached, and Ren ran through and nodded slightly to him. Ren ran up to the medical tent, and stopped just outside. He took out two of the Fireball wands, absorbed the charges from them, and replaced them with Minor Healing and Major Healing. He stored them in their own slot and was relieved to hear a woman¡¯s voice as she discussed, quite loudly, the benefits of proper hygiene. Ren tried not to smile as he stepped into the tent, and saw that the conversation with a dwarf, who was more dirt than man, had just ended. The dwarf passed by Ren, and Ren held his breath. The dwarf was pretty rank, and Ren let his breath out after the dwarf left the tent. Deresdra was so distracted, she didn¡¯t see Ren as he approached. ¡°I¡¯m really glad to see you.¡± Ren said. Deresdra whipped around in surprise that someone else was there in the tent with her, and her eyes widened as Ren took her into a warm embrace. ¡°Where did you come from?¡± She asked. ¡°My parents.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°That is usually how it happens.¡± Deresdra said, and felt a little weird that he was holding her like that, and wasn¡¯t trying to do anything else. Almost as if he felt her discomfort, Ren let her out of the hug. ¡°When I came in to work yesterday, you weren¡¯t here.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was my day off.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°It was some male dwarf that I¡¯d never seen before.¡± Ren said, and shook slightly. The other healer had told her all about the incident, and Deresdra watched Ren closely to see his reaction. ¡°He wanted to¡­ to¡­¡± Ren shivered. Deresdra put a hand on his arm. ¡°He¡¯s supposed to examine you.¡± ¡°I¡­ I couldn¡¯t let him do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot of bad experiences with that, and¡­ and I¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m really glad you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Does it really bother you that much?¡± Deresdra asked. ¡°For it to be a man instead?¡± Ren nodded slightly several times. ¡°I told him that any day he was here, it was my day off.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°What happens if I take two days off? Or if I get hurt, or don¡¯t feel well?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be here if that happens.¡± Ren said. ¡°I will not submit to an examination if a male is doing it.¡± Deresdra wasn¡¯t sure what to say about that. He¡¯s always been so confident and self-assured, and now he¡¯s¡­ vulnerable. ¡°Well, I¡¯m here today. So, let''s get you checked out and you can get to work.¡± Ren beamed a smile at her and went into the curtained-off area and she followed him in. She closed the curtain, Ren stored his clothing, and put his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak on the chair beside him. Deresdra performed the examination, and while she worked, Ren relaxed. She felt the change in his muscles as the tension left them, and she wasn¡¯t sure what that meant. Usually, he stays at the same tension during the whole thing; but, now it seems like he¡¯s enjoying it. Deresdra thought, glanced down, and saw the bulge in his underwear. Yes, he¡¯s definitely enjoying it. She finished the examination, and Ren had a big smile on his face. ¡°You¡¯re cleared for work.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said happily, equipped his clothing, and put the cloak back on. ¡°You seemed to enjoy that.¡± Deresdra commented when Ren reached for the curtain. He stopped and looked at her. ¡°To be honest, I always saw this as a necessary evil.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I didn¡¯t do this every time I came back, I wouldn¡¯t be able to work.¡± He smiled. ¡°It wasn¡¯t until I came here and saw that I could be suffering through this with a man touching me like that, that I realized how lucky I am.¡± ¡°You really believe that.¡± Deresdra said, a little surprised. ¡°Even after everything that happened, or could happen, between us.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Believe me, that¡¯s the least of my worries right now.¡± He said. ¡°But, now that you mention what can happen between us...¡± Deresdra smiled. I knew he couldn''t keep resisting my charms. ¡°Why are you trying to seduce me?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°The last time you did something like offering me sex, you wanted the money to buy your contract.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just wondering what you want from me now.¡± ¡°I... I don''t want... ah...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Are you having a hard time lying about it?¡± Deresdra looked at him with surprise on her face. He stepped close and put his hands on her shoulders. ¡°Just tell me what you want.¡± ¡°I...¡± Deresdra sighed. ¡°If I tell you what I really want, will you get angry?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I... I want your Healing Wand.¡± Ren remembered how he''d slept with her to make her forget the pain he''d inadvertently caused her. ¡°That''s not your pet name for my appendage, is it?¡± He asked, then grinned at her deep blush. ¡°N-n-n-no.¡± Deresdra stammered. ¡°I-I-I meant your Major Healing spell wand!¡± Ren chuckled and let her shoulders go. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said, and took out the two wands he''d just prepared for her. ¡°Here''s a Minor Healing wand and a Major Healing wand.¡± Deresdra stared at the two wands, and didn''t know what to say. She thought it would take her weeks of seduction to get a wand from him; and now she had two. ¡°Don''t throw them away when they''re empty.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll recharge them.¡± Her mouth dropped open in shock, and he chuckled. Ren took her hand, and bent over it. ¡°Have a good day, Ma¡¯am.¡± Deresdra didn''t respond and he left the medical tent. Ren ran to the workshop to check and see if the blacksmith on duty needed his help with anything, and when he didn¡¯t, Ren ran into the mine to help the current crew. He worked for the 8 hours required by his contract and received the false feelings of relief and happiness. After he worked for another 2 hours as he¡¯d promised, he ran back to House Neram Keep. Once he was there, he mounted Princess again and rode her back to the Garrison. ¡°We¡¯re going to the crafting section.¡± Ren told the guard and Princess at the same time, when they stopped at the front gate. The appropriate gates were opened for him along the way, and Princess ran through them to the right spot. He dismounted and went to the door marked ''CRAFT''. ¡°What do you want?¡± One of the belligerent dwarves asked as Ren entered the crafting section. ¡°Everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-WHAT?!?¡± ¡°Bring me a list of everything that you¡¯re doing here.¡± Ren said and looked at several other dwarves that were standing around. ¡°That goes for all of you.¡± They all looked at each other, and Ren put on his overall command uniform, and concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°The budget is due next week, and if you can¡¯t prove what you¡¯re doing here is worth it, you won¡¯t get your allotment of 200 platinum this year.¡± ¡°By the gods!¡± One of them exclaimed, and took off at a run. ¡°I¡¯ll bring a full list right away!¡± He said before he disappeared through the next gate. ¡°There¡¯s the enthusiasm that I¡¯m looking for.¡± Ren said and looked at the belligerent dwarf. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should get me a list, too?¡± ¡°No.¡± He said, and crossed his arms. ¡°Just because you own the place and locked us down, doesn¡¯t mean I can be intimidated into turning all of my work over to you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want your work turned over to me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to know what you spend 200 platinum on.¡± ¡°What if I say that¡¯s none of your business?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯d say it was nice having you as an employee, but your services are no longer required.¡± Ren turned and waved one of the guards over. ¡°Please escort this man out of the Garrison.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The guard said, grabbed the dwarf by the arm, and dragged him towards the gate Ren had come through. ¡°Wait¡­ wait!¡± The dwarf said. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll tell you what I¡¯m working on.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a little too late for you to make something up now.¡± Ren said. ¡°You¡¯ve denied my reasonable requests several times before this, and I¡¯m tired of your unwilling attitude.¡± He said. ¡°What you don¡¯t realize is, since the budget is decided by the Council and is dictated by the amount of people that work here, the only thing I do have control over is firing people and how to disperse the budget.¡± He sighed. ¡°Even though it¡¯s my money, I¡¯m not allowed to add any; but I can take your budget away¡­ and maybe give the soldiers a raise, or even double the cafeteria¡¯s budget.¡± The guard holding the dwarf grinned, and the other dwarves that had stood there and listened, took off at a run to get their lists. ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± Ren said. He turned around when Teepo said someone was coming out one of the other gates. ¡°Hello.¡± The dwarf said as he came over to them. It was the one that had examined Ren¡¯s construction of the Main House. ¡°Here¡¯s my list.¡± ¡°Traitor!¡± The belligerent dwarf said, and the new dwarf laughed. ¡°He owns everything, you idiot.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the idiot!¡± He responded. ¡°Lord Lodur left us alone! He never asked us what we were doing with the money!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because he honestly didn¡¯t care what you did, as long as it didn¡¯t cause him any problems.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I took over, you¡¯ve done nothing but cause me problems.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re interfering!¡± ¡°He must really need his part of the budget.¡± Ren said to the new dwarf. ¡°He¡¯s never said what he uses his part of the money on; but, perhaps he desperately needs it for something.¡± ¡°Yeah, and not for work.¡± Ren said and looked at the belligerent dwarf. ¡°What are you going to use the money on?¡± The dwarf clamped his mouth shut, and Ren sighed. ¡°You¡¯re only hurting yourself by keeping quiet.¡± Ren said, and looked at the list the other dwarf had given him. ¡°You¡¯re modifying an enchantment-based engine?¡± The dwarf nodded. ¡°Our normal ones have a single enchantment, and it¡¯s based on faith.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding.¡± Ren said. ¡°The engine in my ship is run from an enchantment?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know that?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t had the chance to get into the engine room yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°I¡¯ve been really busy lately.¡± The dwarf nodded slightly. ¡°We heard.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I actually can¡¯t stay here for long. I have to get out to the giant camp and check the enchantments I put there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to give you a tour of my space.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I look forward to doing that¡­¡± ¡°¡­when you can spare the time.¡± The dwarf said, and they both laughed. The other dwarves came back and handed Ren their lists, and Ren thanked them. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to check them over?¡± ¡°Not right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe tomorrow.¡± ¡°But¡­ you said¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll read these before I come back.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I have any questions, I¡¯ll let you know.¡± He nodded slightly to them, and looked at the belligerent dwarf. ¡°Have you changed your mind?¡± The dwarf didn¡¯t say anything, and Ren nodded slightly at the guard. ¡°Have him searched, and make sure he doesn¡¯t have anything that belongs to the crafting section.¡± Ren said and stared at the dwarf. ¡°I¡¯m tempted to have his coin pouch confiscated to make sure he¡¯s not hoarding Garrison money.¡± The dwarf¡¯s eyes widened at his statement. ¡°It seems that I should do just that.¡± Ren said, when he saw the reaction. ¡°NO!¡± The dwarf broke away from the guard and started to run. The guard took out his sword and looked like he was going to end the dwarf. ¡°Just follow him.¡± Ren said, and started to go after the dwarf. ¡°There¡¯s not really anywhere for him to run to.¡± The dwarf they chased arrived at the nearest gate, and opened it. Teepo. ¡°Are you sure I should leave your side?¡± Teepo asked. Ren nodded slightly, and Teepo took off flying after the dwarf. They both disappeared through the gate and Ren followed them at a good distance. He didn¡¯t want to spook the dwarf by showing him that he could easily be caught. Ren wanted to know why the dwarf needed the money, but didn¡¯t want to tell Ren why. Chapter 255 - I Want That ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo nearly shouted. ¡°He¡¯s going in a secret door!¡± Ren poured on the speed, ran around the corner, and caught the door just before it closed. It looked like it was part of the wall, and no one would be able to see it. In behind was a walkway within the stone walls of the Garrison. Ren pushed the door open, and waited for the guard. ¡°Here!¡± Ren said, once the guard came into the section. ¡°Prop this open with something.¡± ¡°With what?¡± ¡°Either yourself or use your sword.¡± Ren said, let the door go, and went inside. He heard a loud scrape, and assumed that the guard used his sword rather than just stand there and hold the door himself. Teepo? ¡°Left, left, right, straight, and straight so far.¡± Teepo said. Got it. Ren thought and followed Teepo¡¯s directions through the walls. It didn¡¯t take him long to catch up to the dwarf. He was in a small room, barely ten feet square, and it was full of weapons and tools. The dwarf grabbed a handful of things from the small workbench, and reached for a sword. ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said, and the dwarf froze. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on here, but maybe I can help.¡± ¡°I have to save her.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve been paying ransom for months.¡± ¡°Is that her?¡± Ren asked, and pointed to a picture above the workbench. It was a painting of the dwarf and his daughter. She was a cute little thing, with her brown hair done up in twin braids, and she had a big smile on her face. The painting was in the middle of several building plans and directions on what to do to bypass the guards. It also showed how to disable the enchantments that were protecting the buildings and the approaches to those buildings. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°If I told anyone about it, they said¡­ they said¡­¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Ren said. ¡°You¡¯ve been planning this for a while.¡± ¡°Ever since she was taken.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°How did you find out where they were holding her?¡± ¡°With this.¡± He said, and showed Ren a mirror he had taken from a drawer. ¡°How does it work?¡± ¡°You concentrate on what you want to see, and it shows it to you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding.¡± ¡°No.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°It took years of research and more money than I can say, to find this little gem.¡± ¡°Wait, find?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You didn¡¯t make it?¡± The dwarf shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no way our current level of technology can make anything like this.¡± ¡°Can I try it?¡± ¡°NO!¡± The dwarf said and stuffed the mirror into his clothing. ¡°This is the key to rescuing her.¡± ¡°What if I give you my word that I¡¯ll do everything that I can to save her?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Will you let me use the mirror then?¡± The dwarf stopped gathering things, and looked at him. ¡°You were just kicking me out of the crafting section, and now you want to help me?¡± He said, surprised. ¡°Are you crazy or something?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was trying to convince you that telling me what was going on was better than losing your job; but, I can see now that wasn¡¯t going to work.¡± The dwarf shook his head in disbelief. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to take the mirror, are you?¡± ¡°Actually, I won¡¯t ask for it until after we rescue your daughter.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to use it right now, but only so I can see where the giants are.¡± Ren said. ¡°There¡¯s an imminent attack coming, and I want to know if I can get a better estimate than a few hours to a couple of days away.¡± The dwarf nodded slightly, and took out the mirror. ¡°You give your word to help rescue my daughter?¡± ¡°I do.¡±
New Quest!
You have been tasked to rescue an employee¡¯s daughter from her captors. Rewards: All-Seeing Mirror, Influence +10,000 Time Limit to complete: One week Penalty for Failure: ????
The dwarf handed Ren the mirror, and he examined it.
All Seeing Mirror (Legendary Item)
This mirror has had several enchantments and spells applied to allow it to see distant objects. The user should concentrate on the object they want to see, and it will appear in the mirror.
Ren tried to use Appraisal on it, but didn¡¯t get anything. Either it¡¯s invaluable, or my skill isn¡¯t high enough to value it yet. He thought, and concentrated on the Guardians of the Land that were coming to attack the refugee giants. The mirror¡¯s surface shimmered for a moment, then changed from showing a reflection of Ren¡¯s face, to a wide angle shot of 30 fully-armored giants that marched across the land. At that moment, Ren was struck with inspiration. He concentrated on the blank map Lara had shown him when she told him where the legendary smith was located, and thought about where the giants would be. Much to his surprise, two dots appeared on the map. One was the advancing force of Guardians of the Land, and the other was the refugees. ¡°The Guardians of the Land are about a day and a half out.¡± Teepo said, when he looked at the map. ¡°The refugees are a day out.¡± Ren watched the dots move, and he sighed. ¡°They¡¯re going to meet long before I can get out there.¡± ¡°Who is?¡± The dwarf asked. ¡°The giants coming to attack, and the giants trying to go home.¡± Ren said, and thought about Lara. The mirror shimmered and showed her as she sat at her desk in Aurora. He thought about Nathalia, and saw her at work in the kitchen of her restaurant. Ren smiled, thought about his own reflection, and handed the mirror back. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I¡¯ll rescind your expulsion from the Garrison; but, don¡¯t go off on your own.¡± He said. ¡°How much is the ransom?¡± ¡°It keeps going up.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Each time I pay to have her released, they think they can get more from me and raise the amount.¡± He sighed. ¡°It¡¯s up to 5 platinum now.¡± ¡°How much do you have, and when is it due?¡± ¡°Three platinum, and 2 days.¡± Ren pulled out 2 platinum and gave it to the dwarf. ¡°If they contact you before then, tell them you have the ransom and will pay on time.¡± ¡°How do I explain where it came from, without telling them how I got it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Ren said. ¡°If they want to know, tell them that all that matters is you have the money, and it doesn¡¯t matter where it came from.¡± ¡°If they keep pressing me for an answer?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll know if you lie.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Tell them the truth. You¡¯ve done a lot of bad things to get the money up until now.¡± The dwarf opened his mouth to argue, then shrugged. ¡°Okay, I admit it was bad to swindle customers and also keeping some of my budget for this.¡± ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said. ¡°Keep that tone in your voice if you¡¯re talking to them, too.¡± He grinned. ¡°There¡¯s nothing like self-deprecation to make them think they have you under their thumb.¡± The dwarf nodded slightly, and Ren turned to leave. ¡°Thank you.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°You can thank me when we get your daughter back.¡± Ren said, and left the small room. He followed the directions back to the door into the hidden wall maze. The door was shut, and there was a broken blade on the ground. Ren smiled as he examined the door and saw the mechanism and counter-weight balance; he got the plans for it and pulled the little piece of rope. The door swung open easily, and the guard stood on the other side. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir.¡± The guard said and held up the sword handle. ¡°It broke my blade.¡± ¡°It was a good try.¡± Ren said and took out one of the dozen swords he¡¯d made for the giants. ¡°It¡¯s a little big, but it¡¯s a lot better than that one.¡± The guard stared at the steel blade, and hefted it. ¡°It¡¯s heavy.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°You¡¯ll get stronger.¡± Ren said. ¡°I¡¯m canceling my order to have the dwarf escorted out of the Garrison.¡± ¡°Of course, sir.¡± The guard said. ¡°I¡¯ll let the others know that you changed your mind.¡± He said, and went back to his post in the crafting section. Ren went back to pick up Princess, and went to the gate that led out to the wilderness. Once outside, he took out the steel square connected to the Commander of the Garrison. ¡°Sorry to bother you, but I have a better estimate for when the attack will come.¡± Ren said. ¡°The giants are about a day and a half away. So, if nothing stops or delays them, they¡¯ll get to the giant¡¯s camp the day after tomorrow. Probably around noon.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The Commander said. ¡°We¡¯ll be ready.¡± ¡°So will I.¡± Ren said, and rode Princess out to the giant camp. He told Laurelia that the attack wasn¡¯t going to happen for another day and a half. He was tempted to tell her about the refugees, but since he didn¡¯t know if they would meet the oncoming Guardians of the Land for sure, there was no point in worrying her about it. He could worry enough for them both. Ren left the camp and rode around the circumference of the trench. Once all of the Water Spray enchantments had been deactivated because the 20 foot wide by 20 foot deep trench was nearly filled up, he was tempted to dive in and gather the Water Spray steel squares up. Anyone that went into it would have quite a hard time getting back out, though; so he changed his mind. Ren rode Princess back through the Garrison, through the city of Dornrach, and to House Neram Keep. He had made it just in time. Princess settled into her crate and was fed, and Ren went inside the house to eat supper. Ren, Nathalia, and Ereka enjoyed a quick meal, and he told them about the giants and their approaching attack. They discussed the best ways to fight them, and then Ren had to log out. He kissed Nathalia goodnight, and sat on the couch after taking off the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. He folded it up and set it on the small table in front of him, and refilled the nearly empty small plate with Health potion. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Ren said to everyone. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren took off the VR headset and Denise already had lunch ready on the tray in front of him. ¡°Hey, thanks!¡± Ren said, and he ate his lunch quickly. ¡°I saw what was going on.¡± Denise said. ¡°You¡¯ve been neglecting your girlfriend a little.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°That¡¯s why I want to get back in as soon as possible. I want to make it up to her, and I think I can still get about 8 hours of sleep afterwards.¡± Denise chuckled and handed him the VR headset before she picked up the tray. ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and put the VR headset on. ¡°See you at supper.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren got up off the couch and went into Nathalia¡¯s room. He had only been gone for an hour game-time, and she couldn¡¯t contain her enthusiasm at getting to spend some alone time with him. Ren made sure that she enjoyed it, too. They joked, and talked, and made love several times. Ren had over-estimated how much sleep he was going to get that night, though. By the morning, he¡¯d only slept for about 5 hours. Ren got out of bed early and kissed Nathalia goodbye. She mumbled something, and he didn''t know what she said; so, he kissed her passionately. ¡°What did you say?¡± Ren asked her, now that she was awake. ¡°I said ''have a good day''.¡± Nathalia smiled at him. ¡°I will.¡± Ren said, gave her another kiss, and tucked her back under the still warm blanket. He left the bedroom and Teepo dropped onto his shoulder. They left the house and went out through the gate. The guard wasn''t startled this time, and Ren went up to the workshop. ¡°Hey, Tee-one.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had an idea.¡± ¡°I''ll make the parts, and we can assemble it tonight.¡± Tee-one said, and tossed several chunks of gold ore into one of the smelters. Ren handed him several springy trees, pat him on the shoulder, and left the forge room. Ren went to the large workbench and quickly soldered the other side of the two panes of stained glass for the Wind Deity and assembled them into the frames. With that done, he was tempted to put them in the church; but, he didn''t want to anger the other deities by not giving them their tributes as well. So, he left them there until he finished all of the windows. Ren left the workshop and ran down the road, through the city, and to the mines. The guard opened the gate, and Ren waved as he ran by, then went up to the medical tent. ¡°Ren!¡± Deresdra said. ¡°Go right in!¡± Ren walked by her and went into the curtained-off area. She came in a moment later and shut the curtain. Ren stored his clothes, and Deresdra started the examination. ¡°You''re in a good mood today.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°Of course I am.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°Do you realize how much time it takes to recharge a Mana reserve to use a Major Healing ability?¡± She chuckled. ¡°Now all I have to do is point and cast, and it doesn''t take any of my Mana at all.¡± ¡°I''m glad it''s made you so happy.¡± Deresdra finished examining his back and came around the front. ¡°The Minor Healing wand is worth it''s weight in gold.¡± She said and started checking his muscles for pulls and strains. ¡°I''ve used up half of the charges already.¡± ¡°Actually, it''s worth a lot more than that.¡± Ren said. ¡°About 4 platinum, give or take a few gold.¡± ¡°It''s WHAT?!?¡± Deresdra said, shocked. ¡°The Major Healing one is worth the same.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had an expert cut the gems to be the same size, so they''re the same value.¡± He smiled. ¡°I think he really hated cutting the same cuts by the time he was done.¡± Deresdra stood there, with her hands firmly gripped onto his chest muscles. ¡°Eight... eight platinum...¡± Imagine if I told her I had another 85 wands. Ren thought, and realized she wasn''t moving her hands. ¡°You can finish the examination anytime.¡± He said, and grinned because he startled her. ¡°Right!¡± Deresdra said, and finished checking his abs, arms, and legs quickly. ¡°There, all set.¡± She said. ¡°You''re cleared for work.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, equipped his clothing, and left the medical tent. * He gave me not one, but two wands! They''re worth 8 platinum! A gift worth more than everyting I''ve ever made in my entire life... and he still doesn''t want to sleep with me. Deresdra thought as Ren walked away. I wonder why? She asked herself, then went back to work. * Ren worked for the 8 hours required as he dug and smashed rocks, then went to the blacksmith shop to help the backlog of repairs on equipment and pickaxes. It only took an hour for him and the blacksmith on shift to finish, especially with Ren''s Metal Repair skill up so high. He smiled when he stopped and got the popup for it.
Stat Change!
Metal Repair Level 6 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren looked at his clothing, and saw it was getting a little worn and tattered. He equipped his armor bodysuit and that stored his Travelling Clothes into his inventory, so he took them out and repaired them with the Master Tailor Sewing Needle.
Stat Change!
Cloth Repair Level 3 (Intermediate 0%) Repair Level 6 (Intermediate 0%)
Nice. Ren equipped the Travelling Clothes again, which put the bodysuit back into inventory, and left the mines. He ran back to House Neram Keep and went up to his workshop. He and Tee-one assembled a second Ballista, after Ren enchanted the pieces with the appropriate enchantments, and Ren stored it with the first one. ¡°I guess this means I''ll be coming along next time.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Only if you want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you make me two of those wand arrays?¡± Tee-one asked, and Ren grinned. ¡°I''m not sure you can wear another chest plate.¡± Ren said and tapped his friend''s armored chest. ¡°But, I''ll see what I can come up with.¡± They worked out a sparse metal harness that would fit over Tee-one''s armored body, and Ren made two more 6 inch by 12 inch metal rectangles with 12 holes in each that could hold the wands. Ren made another 40 wands, 20 with Web, and 20 with Fireball, and mounted 12 of each in the array. ¡°That should do it.¡± Ren said, and passed it to Tee-one. When Tee-one equipped it, it popped out and sat perfectly on his shoulders. ¡°They aim where your body is facing.¡± Ren explained. ¡°Don''t only look where you want them to go; you have to face that way.¡± ¡°That''s going to take a bit of getting used to.¡± Tee-one said. Ren nodded, then looked at the forge with the gold in it. ¡°Well, while I''m here.¡± He remembered the design he''d thought up to make for Lara, and poured out a very thin layer of molten metal, a couple of inches wide and 12 inches long. Using his fingers, Ren gently molded curves and holes into a neat design, picked it up, and curved it to fit onto someone''s head. Ren took out one of the several sacks of 1 gold coin diamonds, and started to set them into the surface of the still nearly molten metal. He used his Gem Setting skill to burnish them. That put them flush with the surface of the metal, and he covered the entire outer surface of the gold metal with them, except for a space in the very center. He took out one of the wand-sized 1 inch wide oval diamonds, and set that into place. When he was done, he received a popup.
Notice!
You have unlocked a new skill: Craft Jewelry Level 1 (Beginner 0%). All gemstone related skills have been reclassified as sub skills under this heading. Cross-linked Skills: Soldering, Polishing
That''s neat. Ren smiled as he picked up the gold diamond-covered tiara. Who would have thought that making something like this free-hand and without a pattern, would grant me a skill? ¡°Supper time.¡± Teepo said, and Ren stored the tiara. He left the workshop and ran down to the Keep and had another meal with Ereka and Nathalia. He kissed Nathalia goodnight, and told her he''d be gone for all of it; then went to sit on the couch. Ren looked at his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and smiled. I completely forgot to wear that today. He thought and sat back. I haven''t checked my status in a while, either. ¡°Show Status.¡± Ren said, and looked at the popup.
Status
Name Ren (Neram) Level 32
Gender Male Class Artificer/Lord
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 525,010 (Lord) Honor 87,820 (Prestigious)
Giant Kingdom:
Respect 5,000
Titles
Blacksmith Grants 5 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills
Tailor Grants 5 level bonus to Tailoring Skills
Issac''s Novice 20% stat gain at his shop
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Dreaded Foe Auras with Fear: +5 Levels, Respect: 5000, Enemies/Opponents/Creatures -5 INT -5 WIS
Health 1048 Mana 1337
Strength 175 Dexterity 97
Vitality 105 Agility 93
Endurance 101 Intelligence 147
Luck 39 Wisdom 150
Just as I thought. Nothing new. Ren closed the popup and looked at Teepo as he flew up and landed on the ceiling. See you in the morning, Teepo. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Chapter 256 - Episode 3 Ren took off the VR headset and Denise took it from him. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± She asked. ¡°Not too badly, actually.¡± Ren said, and Denise unbuttoned his shirt. The bruise had gotten darker, and she shook her head. ¡°That''s going to be really painful tonight.¡± She said, leaned forward a bit, and took a sniff. ¡°Ew. I think you need a bath.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren lifted his arm and sniffed his armpit. ¡°It''s not too bad.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°If you''re going to let Elise snuggle up on the bed like you did the last time, you need to get that sweat off.¡± ¡°I guess worrying about that giant attack made me sweat more than usual.¡± Ren said, and started to sit up. ¡°Ow.¡± He stopped trying and laid back down. ¡°Dammit.¡± ¡°It''s already stiffening up.¡± Denise said and put her hands on his chest. Ren winced, and she nodded. ¡°It looks like you''re going to need a lot of help for the next few days.¡± ¡°I hate that I can get hurt so easily.¡± Ren sighed and looked at Denise. ¡°Can you help me sit up?¡± She took his weight and lifted him into a sitting position. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and slid off the bed to the floor. ¡°At least it''s not stopping me from moving around.¡± ¡°Only from getting up and probably sitting down, too.¡± Denise said as she walked to the bathroom with him. ¡°You won''t be able to lift anything for a while, because it pulls on your pectoral muscles.¡± Ren nodded and started to get undressed. Denise ran the water, and put the stopper in the tub drain. ¡°They have the high flow taps, so it should fill up fast.¡± She said, and looked at him. He pulled his pajama bottoms down a little, and then stopped. ¡°Now I can''t even undress myself properly.¡± Ren said, with disappointment in his voice. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Denise said and knelt in front of him. ¡°Grab onto my shoulders, and I''ll get them off for you.¡± ¡°Um... just a minute.¡± Ren said, and turned to the toilet instead. He took care of the business he needed to take care of first, then wiped everything off. ¡°I just have to wash my hands.¡± He said, then turned to her when he was done and put his hands on her shoulders. ¡°Okay.¡± Denise pulled his pajamas and underwear down the rest of the way, and he stepped out of them. He slid off the pajama top and laid it on the other clothes while she tended the bath water. ¡°This should be good enough.¡± She said, and stood up to take off her top. Ren didn''t stare at her this time, and she felt a little disappointment. She squashed that thought right away. I''m here to help him, not live out my fantasies. ¡°It''s going to be mostly you holding me.¡± Ren said as he stepped into the bathtub. ¡°Once I start to sit down...¡± ¡°These muscles aren''t just for show.¡± Denise said, and did an arm curl to show off her well-defined bicep. She wasn''t really muscular, but she looked strong. Ren smiled and held his arms out a little, so she could grip him under the armpits. ¡°You want me to hold you up by those smelly things?¡± Denise chuckled, put her hands under his arms with her thumbs pointed up and she held him steady as he bent his legs. ¡°Here''s the hard part.¡± Ren said, and slid one leg out straight. He eased down into the water, then slid the other leg out. Denise held his weight easily, and sat him on the bottom of the bathtub. ¡°Well, I guess that wasn''t really the hard part.¡± Ren said, and lathered up a sponge. ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± Denise said, with a little sweat on her forehead. ¡°You''re not that heavy, but it''s awkward bending over the tub to hold you like that.¡± ¡°Maybe if I turned backwards?¡± Ren asked as he rubbed the sponge up one of his arms. ¡°I could sit on the edge of the tub first, put my legs in, then you can slide me into the water.¡± Denise shook her head and smiled. ¡°Why didn''t you think of that before we did it this way?¡± ¡°I didn''t think about it.¡± Ren shrugged, and scrubbed the underside of his arm. ¡°Sorry.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°You don''t have to apologize for that.¡± She said and took the sponge from him. She gave his top half a good scrubbing, and was very careful of his bruised chest and abdomen. ¡°Do you feel like laying back while I do your legs?¡± Ren nodded, and she helped him recline in the bath. Denise lathered up the sponge again, and scrubbed both of his legs. She helped him sit back up, lathered up the sponge again, and handed it to him to do the last spot. ¡°Don''t you want to do that?¡± Ren asked with a grin on his face. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Denise said. ¡°But this bath is for you to get clean, not for me to have fun.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said, and scrubbed himself. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Once again, you don''t have to apologize.¡± She said. ¡°I''d rather you keep acting innocent, instead of like a womanizer, though.¡± Ren looked at her with his head tilted slightly to the side. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You should keep pretending to be innocent and likable.¡± Denise said. ¡°It''s really cute.¡± She started to shampoo his hair. ¡°Even if you''ve already got us wrapped around your little finger, you shouldn''t act like we''ll jump you whenever you think we will.¡± ¡°Is... is that what you think I''m doing?¡± Ren asked, his eyes wide. ¡°Just... pretending?¡± ¡°You haven''t even glanced at my chest, even though your eyes were all over it this morning.¡± Denise said. Ren took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. ¡°Finish washing my hair, please.¡± Denise used the shampoo twice, like she did that morning, and rinsed it out. Ren slid over to the side of the bathtub, with his back to her. ¡°Lift me up to the side of the tub.¡± Ren said, and held his arms out. Denise lifted him out and he sat on the edge of the tub. She got a towel and dried his top half off, including his hair. He took that towel and put it on the floor, then turned around to put his feet on the towel. She dried off his legs, and then helped him stand. ¡°Bathrobe, please.¡± Ren said, and she handed it to him. ¡°Thank you for the bath.¡± He said, and left the bathroom. He went to his closet and picked out the blue set of pajamas, then went back into the bathroom. He handed the pajamas to her, and took off his bathrobe. ¡°I need your help again.¡± Ren said, and put the top on. He buttoned it up properly this time, and looked at her. ¡°I can''t bend over, so could you put the underwear and pajama pants on me, please?¡± Denise nodded and knelt down. Ren put his hands on her shoulders, and she dressed him. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and left the bathroom. ¡°Ren.¡± Denise grabbed her top and followed him as she put it on. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Ren said, and stood by the bed. ¡°I think you should change the bed sheets, in case there''s a lingering smell.¡± Denise took the sheets off the bed. ¡°Why are you acting like this?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Like I''m just a servant.¡± Denise said as she got out clean bed sheets. ¡°So, you can tell when I''m actually acting.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s good to know.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t believe that you think I''m just playing around and pretending.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You said I was faking being innocent and likable.¡± ¡°That''s not what I said.¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± He responded. ¡°Telling me you''d rather I act that way, means you think it''s fake.¡± Denise sighed. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren. I misspoke.¡± ¡°I don''t think you did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I believe you said exactly what you think of me.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Denise sighed again. ¡°You don''t know how hard it is for me to-¡± ¡°I know exactly how hard it is!¡± Ren said, and interrupted her. ¡°I''m sorry that I wasn''t staring at your breasts, okay?¡± He said. ¡°Does that make you happy? How about if I tell you that I was too busy staring at your face to notice your chest? Would that make you change your opinion of me?¡± Denise looked at him with wide eyes, opened her mouth to say something, and Ren held a hand up to stop her from talking. ¡°You don''t have to answer that.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you think that all I see when I look at you is something to have sex with...¡± He sighed, and motioned to the bed. ¡°Can you finish making the bed, and then get me something to eat for supper, please? I''m kind of hungry.¡± Denise hesitated for a moment, nodded, and quickly made the bed. She helped him climb up, and adjusted it so he could sit up easily and not strain his bruised muscles. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back with supper in a few minutes.¡± Denise said, her voice a little sad, and left the room. * I probably could have handled that a little better. Denise thought as she got the food ready. * I probably could have handled that a little better. Ren thought and changed the channel on the television to Channel 8. The show''s going to start in half an hour. ¡°Hey, there!¡± Barbara said as she came into his room. ¡°Elise isn''t here yet?¡± Ren shook his head, and she walked across the room and sat beside the bed on the side away from the door. Denise came in with a tray of food. ¡°How was your day?¡± Barbara asked. Denise put the tray on the rollaway table, and didn''t look at him. ¡°Enlightening.¡± Ren said, and he heard Denise sigh before she pulled the table over so he could eat. The cell phone rang and Barbara picked it up. ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°See you soon.¡± Barbara hung up the cell phone and looked at Ren. ¡°Elise ran a little late, but she''ll be here before the episode starts.¡± Ren nodded and ate quietly. He didn''t rush, and was careful not to spill anything. The last thing he wanted was to have to change again. When he finished, Denise moved the table out of the way and took the tray back to the kitchen.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°How''s your chest?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°It''s getting painful.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t sit up or down without it hurting, or without help.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°It''s a deep muscle bruise over your whole chest and abdomen, so it''s going to be sore for a while.¡± She gently pat his arm. ¡°At least you aren''t thinking about your bruised arms.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I haven''t thought about them for a few days.¡± He said. ¡°I honestly didn''t need something to distract me from them.¡± Barbara smiled and stood up. ¡°I''ll be right back. I''m going to grab a quick bite.¡± Ren nodded and she left the room. * Barbara went into the kitchen, and looked at Denise while she washed the dishes. ¡°Okay, tell me what happened.¡± Denise gave Barbara a rundown of everything Ren did that day, and when she was done of both the story and the dishes, Barbara stared at her. ¡°That''s what he did today after I left.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Now, tell me what happened between the two of you.¡± Denise sighed, and filled her in on their interactions. Barbara sighed and rubbed her forehead with a hand. ¡°How could you accuse him like that?¡± ¡°I didn''t accuse him of anything.¡± Denise said. ¡°You accused him of manipulating us by acting innocent.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Is that really what you think?¡± ¡°I...¡± Denise sighed. ¡°I don''t know.¡± She said. ¡°Sometimes he can be so cuddly and adorable, and sometimes he acts like he''s sex on a stick.¡± Barbara shook her head. ¡°You do realize he''s never had any kind of social interactions except with us, right? We are the ones that shape his perceptions and his expectations.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What I mean is... now he''s going to try and act professional, and he''s not going to relax around any of us...¡± Barbara frowned at Denise. ¡°...because of you.¡± ¡°But I didn''t do anything!¡± Denise said to defend herself. ¡°Why would that change how he acts around us?¡± ¡°Because you''ve put that thought in his head! He''s going to question if we all think it''s just an act!¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Denise couldn''t look at Barbara''s accusing face, and turned away. ¡°It could all be an act.¡± ¡°So what?!?¡± Barbara exclaimed, and Denise looked back at her. ¡°Does it really matter if it''s all an act or not?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Denise said. ¡°If he''s just pretending, and we... we do stuff with him... he''s manipulating us! Don''t you see that?¡± Barbara sighed. ¡°You''re throwing your own preconceptions onto him.¡± She stepped close and Denise had to look up slightly to keep eye contact. ¡°You are going to apologize to Ren the next chance you get. Tell him you were hurt by an ex-boyfriend who did that to you.¡± ¡°How did you know...¡± ¡°We''ve all had someone manipulate us in the past, Denise.¡± Barbara said. ¡°If you don''t take the blame from Ren, he''s going to keep it; and it''s going to eat away at him.¡± ¡°I... okay.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''ve already admitted to myself that I could have handled this better than I have.¡± ¡°I was going to make a joke about how to handle it better, but I don''t want to make you laugh before you go apologize.¡± ¡°All right, I get the point.¡± Denise said, and went to the kitchen''s door. ¡°Give me a few minutes.¡± Barbara nodded and Denise went to talk to Ren. * Ren was watching television, but he wasn''t really seeing it. If you asked him what had just happened on the screen, he couldn''t tell you; even if his life depended on it. Denise came into the room and he looked at her. There was hurt in his eyes, and disappointment, then he looked back at the television screen. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t handle that well, but I''ve got a handle on it now.¡± Denise sat down beside the bed and took his hand. Ren didn''t pull away like she thought he would, and she smiled mentally. ¡°Ren, this is my fault.¡± ¡°No, it''s mine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I shouldn''t have assumed certain things.¡± ¡°Let me finish.¡± Denise said, and he looked at her. She could see that he was looking at her with the same expression that he had when he looked at the television. It hurt her heart a little to have him look through her like that, and she didn''t want that to be how he looked at everyone. ¡°Ren, I...¡± Denise sighed and held his hand firmly. ¡°My... my ex-boyfriend John... he...¡± Ren''s eyes widened as she stumbled over an explanation as to why she thought Ren was faking it. By the time she got to the end, the both of them were fighting back tears. He lifted the hand that held his to his lips, and kissed the back of her hand. He held his lips against it for 10 seconds, then let it go. ¡°Denise, I would never, ever, treat you like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am so sorry that you went through that.¡± Denise wasn''t sure how, but she could almost feel his sincerity and how much he cared. She let a tear escape, because the feeling was so intense. Ren wiped the tear away with his thumb and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Thank you for telling me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry for the way I acted.¡± ¡°I... I''m sorry for the way I acted, too.¡± Denise said. She leaned in with her lips slightly puckered, and Ren took the obvious hint. He very lightly kissed her, barely touched her lips, and it sent a thrill right through her. She closed her eyes because it went right to the bottom of her heart, and she''d never felt anything like it before. Ren broke the chaste kiss and leaned back. Denise opened her eyes and looked at him, and didn''t know what to say. She searched through her head and looked for something, anything, to say... and she came up with... nothing. Is this what people mean when they say their minds go blank? Denise thought, and then the room''s door opened. ¡°It''s almost time for the show.¡± Barbara said, and walked around the bed to the other side. ¡°You''ve already got it on the right channel.¡± She said and sat. Ren and Denise looked at her, and she looked back at them. ¡°I assume you two made up?¡± Ren looked at Barbara with surprise on his face. ¡°How did you know...¡± ¡°Please.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ve taken care of you for years. I know when something is bothering you.¡± Ren let the surprise fade and smiled instead. ¡°Yeah, if anyone would know, it would be you.¡± Barbara chuckled, and the room door opened. ¡°Hey, sexy!¡± Elise said as she came into the room, and Ren looked at her. ¡°You mean me, right?¡± Ren asked and grinned. ¡°Since Stella''s not here.¡± Elise laughed and walked over to the bed. ¡°Yes, I mean you this time, too.¡± ¡°You''re just in time.¡± He said, and moved over to make room for Elise to sit on the bed with him. ¡°It''s about to start.¡± ¡°I''m glad I didn''t miss the start.¡± She said, and took off her suit coat and hung it up. ¡°I came right here after work.¡± ¡°You''re getting really busy over there these days.¡± Ren said as she climbed up onto the bed with him. ¡°We are.¡± Elise said, and got comfortable. With the both of them sitting up, she could easily put her arm around his shoulders. The theme music for the show came on, and she did put her arm around him. Ren looked at her, and she took the opportunity that presented and kissed him. It was brief, since she wanted to watch the show, and they smiled as they turned to look at the television. * The show started with Onscreen Ren getting his first mining pick from the blacksmith, and then he ran down the street. His clothing flapped in the breeze from all the damage from the last wolf attack, and he looked down at himself. ¡°I guess I better go see Sally before heading out to the mines.¡± He ran down the street to Sally''s Shop and went inside. She asked him what she could help with, and Ren said he needed new clothes, and wanted to use the recipe she''d given him for Travelling Clothes. He bought some fabric from her, asked to use a workbench, and went to it. On the screen three popups appeared. One showed a picture of the clothing made by the system, one was the clothing guided by the system with the player doing some of the work, and the last was the player doing all the work with only the outline provided by the system. That option was highlighted, and then the popups disappeared. * ¡°I never saw anything like that.¡± Ren whispered, and Elise smiled. ¡°It''s to show the people who want to play the game, that different options are available.¡± Elise whispered back. ¡°Plus, it shows which option you took.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°That makes sense.¡± They kept watching as the cloth was cut up, dyed at the dye station, and sewed together. * Onscreen Ren made the set of clothing a lot faster than it actually took, but the result was the same. He received a set of High Quality Travelling Clothes and changed into them. Sally was so impressed by his work, that she named him her student, and Onscreen Ren hugged her. He bid her a good day, and walked down the street. * This was where I logged out. Ren thought, but his onscreen persona kept walking down the street. It was at this point that three pretty girls cornered him by a building. ¡°This is where I come in.¡± Elise said, with a huge smile on her face. * The three girls badgered Onscreen Ren and he shivered and sweated with their constant pestering, and a voice came out of the distance. Onscreen Ren didn''t notice until he heard it much closer, and looked around. A tall busty redheaded elf woman bowled the three girls over, and took Ren into a tight hug. ¡°REEENN! I found you!¡± Onscreen Elise laughed as Ren''s face was buried into her cleavage and he flailed his arms around. * Barbara, Elise, and Ren laughed. ¡°I remember that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was saved and captured at the same time.¡± Elise held him close and he put his arm around her, too. He looked up at her, and smiled. ¡°At the time, I didn''t mind being cushioned like that.¡± Ren said, and Elise grinned at him. * The three girls confronted Onscreen Elise, and she let Onscreen Ren go to face them. While they argued over who was going to have him join them, Onscreen Ren took that opportunity to slip away. * ¡°You got away from me, you little sneak.¡± Elise said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I didn''t realize who you were.¡± He said, and then his onscreen persona said the same thing, and that she looked familiar. * Onscreen Ren walked out of the city, and hitched a ride on a wagon going to the mines. He and the driver had a quick conversation, and Ren was dropped off at the mine. The theme played, and then the commercials started. * ¡°It''s really neat going back and watching all of this.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know!¡± Elise said. ¡°When I went back and started watching it, I knew it could be adapted into a show easily.¡± ¡°I''m glad you did.¡± Ren said. ¡°If it wasn''t for that, none of this would have been possible.¡± Elise was going to say that it was all because of him; but she knew he wouldn''t agree, so she just nodded. ¡°Does anyone want a snack?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°I''d like that.¡± Elise said. ¡°I haven''t had anything to eat since lunch.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°Elise, you should have gotten something to eat before coming here.¡± ¡°I barely had enough time to drive here.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°I couldn''t even get fast food.¡± ¡°We''ll make up something quick for you.¡± Barbara said and tapped Denise''s arm as she walked by. ¡°You don''t have to go to any trouble.¡± Elise said, as Denise followed Barbara to the door. ¡°It''s no trouble.¡± Barbara said. ¡°We''ve got a couple of minutes before the show will be back on.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise said. The two nurses left, and Elise looked at Ren. ¡°So, do you think they left us alone on purpose?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Ren said, and she smiled. ¡°I guess now I can kiss you without an audience.¡± Elise said, in a sultry voice. ¡°Only if you want to.¡± Ren said, his voice a little deeper than normal. ¡°Oh, I do.¡± Elise said, and leaned down to kiss him. This lasted for a minute, then she broke the kiss and sat up straight. ¡°Never doubt that I do.¡± She said, and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°Wow.¡± She said. ¡°It''s even softer and fluffier.¡± She said, and rubbed her face through it. Ren chuckled as Elise rubbed the top of his head like a cat scent-marking. ¡°A double shampoo and rinse does wonders.¡± Ren said. The room door opened and Barbara and Denise came in with a couple of plates full of sandwiches. ¡°It''s just ham and cheese, so no diet breakers.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°Help yourself.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise said, and took one of the angled cut pieces. She ate it in only three bites, and Ren laughed. ¡°You eat like I usually do.¡± He said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Really?¡± Elise asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°You should see him on a good day.¡± Denise said. ¡°He''s like a vacuum.¡± Barbara snorted a laugh, and Elise chuckled. The theme music started up, and they watched as the show continued. * After a relatively quick trip to the mine, Onscreen Ren went to the foreman to explain the situation, then he was introduced to Fritz. They grabbed a couple of mine carts, and went into the mines. A short montage of Onscreen Ren digging and gaining the Mining skill, and they went out to the weighing station. He got a quest to double the ore he just delivered, so he and Fritz ate quickly and went back into the mine. Onscreen Ren worked hard, and Fritz stood there and waited for him to finish so they could return the carts at the same time, and then delivered the ore. The man at the weighing station congratulated him on completing the quest, ruffled Onscreen Ren''s hair, and paid him 3 silver. Onscreen Ren told Fritz that he was tired, and would be back to learn more. He went to one of the little tents, laid down inside, and then the theme music started again for another commercial. * ¡°I still think it''s neat they can compress hours of footage into only a few minutes, and you can''t tell that''s what they did.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s great, isn''t it?¡± Elise said as she ate another sandwich. ¡°I especially liked the transition where you walked down the street, and instead of logging out, you kept walking down the street.¡± She smiled. ¡°If you didn''t know it wasn''t supposed to happen that way, no one that saw this episode would even notice it didn''t.¡± ¡°I was thinking that.¡± Ren said. ¡°In my head I was like, ''this is where I logged out''; but, the show kept going.¡± ¡°They discussed cutting you going into the tent at the mine, too.¡± Elise said. ¡°When they ran the time comparison, it made a perfect spot for a commercial; so, they left it in.¡± ¡°I''ll be waking up after the commercial, then?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes, and then there''s another digging montage.¡± ¡°Hey, spoilers!¡± Barbara said, and put her hands over her ears. Elise laughed. ¡°Sorry, Barbara.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I saw a lot of this the first time around, so I know what''s coming; but, it''s also different enough that it''s also new.¡± ¡°I know what you mean.¡± Elise said. ¡°I watched the original footage, and you''re right. This is just different enough that it''s like I didn''t see everything the first time.¡± ¡°Yes! That''s exactly what it''s like.¡± Barbara said. The theme music came on, and they watched the show. * After a montage of Onscreen Ren digging, sleeping, and digging some more, it cut to him and Fritz as they sat in the cafeteria. Fritz taught Ren his Metal Detection skill, and the people around them cheered. The celebration was short-lived, however. One of the miners came in and said an accident hurt the blacksmith of the mine, which would shut down production for a couple of days. There was a loud uproar from the miners, complaining that they couldn''t dig with their hands, and Fritz dragged Onscreen Ren to the front of the group and told the mine foreman that he was the city''s blacksmith apprentice. The foreman begged Onscreen Ren for help. He reluctantly agreed and received a new quest to keep the blacksmith''s forge going and the mine in operation. Onscreen Ren was led to the blacksmith''s area and the forge there, and the small mountain of tools that needed repair desperately. His first repair was met with cheers, and another quick montage was shown. It stopped when he did his first manual repair at the end of the day. He heated the metal, used his blacksmith hammer to hammer out the ends to their proper shape, and it came out almost as good as it did when he let the system do it. It had taken a lot longer, though. After another montage of repairs showing days pass, and several popups about his Repair skills increasing, the replacement blacksmith showed up and Onscreen Ren completed the quest and was paid handsomely. He asked for a loan of a cart and horse so he could do his own mining in a different spot, and went to Fritz to thank him for teaching him everything he knew. Fritz gave him the dwarf medallion, showing Onscreen Ren was a friend to dwarves. They shook hands, and Ren left the mine. The theme music started, and the end credits rolled. Chapter 257 - A Good Distraction ¡°That was about 2 weeks or so of work that they compressed into 10 minutes.¡± Ren said and chuckled as the show ended. ¡°They burned through so much footage!¡± ¡°It''s long and nothing is really happening during that footage, so it''s okay.¡± Elise said. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I watched it all.¡± ¡°You watched all of it?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°I figured you''d do what they did, and skipped to the important parts.¡± ¡°Who do you think pointed the important parts out to them?¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re really dedicated to your work.¡± ¡°Yes, it''s my work that I''m dedicated to.¡± Elise rolled her eyes, and Barbara chuckled. ¡°What?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Nothing.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Let me get that plate out of your way.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said automatically, even though the plate was on Elise''s lap. Barbara took it and piled it on top of her own, and looked at Denise. ¡°Give me a hand, will you? I''ve got a surprise for you-know-who.¡± Denise chuckled and stood up. ¡°You do realize that he can hear you, right?¡± ¡°He didn''t know it was for him until you said so.¡± Barbara grinned, and they left the room together. ¡°Now I know they are deliberately leaving us alone.¡± Elise said, and looked at Ren. He was still tucked under her arm, and he still had his arm wrapped around her back. ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said and looked at her. ¡°The plate was on your lap, and Barbara said she wanted to get it out of my way.¡± He said, and Elise took his free hand. ¡°What did she mean... oh.¡± Ren stopped talking as Elise slid his hand up along the inside of her thigh. She was glad she''d worn a loose-fitting skirt, because Ren didn''t need any more of an invitation than that. He caressed the skin to the top of her leg, and Elise held her breath as he stopped just before his fingers reached her underwear. ¡°We''ve got an hour and a half before I have to log back into the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°But there''s no way Barbara and Denise will stay in the kitchen that long.¡± ¡°I''m fine with just a little playing.¡± Elise breathed. ¡°I know I''m going to regret that we can''t go further later, but right now...¡± She pushed on his elbow and his hand moved that last little bit and she caught her breath. ¡°...I want to feel your hands on me.¡± Ren felt around, and discovered that Elise wasn''t wearing anything. He realized that she must have taken them off before she arrived, and he smiled as he explored her. She kissed him as he played with her, and her breathing sped up. He was a little surprised that she didn''t need a lot more time to get worked up; but, he wasn''t going to complain about it. It only took a couple of minutes, and Elise stopped breathing as he brought her. Since they were still kissing, she held onto the sides of his head and moaned into his mouth. She broke the kiss and leaned back as Ren pulled his hand out from inside her skirt. He looked at it and saw there wasn''t much on his fingers, then licked them clean. ¡°That was a quiet one.¡± Ren said, grabbed a few tissues and slid his hand back under her skirt, then wiped her off. ¡°I''m trying to restrain myself.¡± Elise smiled, and was happy he was so considerate. ¡°What I want to do is roll you over on the bed and have my way with you.¡± ¡°That sounds... well, really fun.¡± Ren grinned and tossed the used tissues into the trash, then let the grin fade. ¡°We can''t, though.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Elise sighed. ¡°Time limit.¡± ¡°Actually...¡± Ren unbuttoned his pajama top. ¡°...it''s because of this.¡± Elise gasped as he opened the top and showed her the blossoming bruise that covered his chest and abdomen. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren told her about the incident with the physical therapist that morning, how he fell on the exercise ball, and how Denise had handled the whole situation. ¡°Yes, she''s right.¡± Elise said. ¡°He''s lucky it wasn''t her fist.¡± She clenched her fist and almost growled. ¡°If I had been there, it would have been a fist!¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren smiled and put a hand on her fist. ¡°Relax. I''m not having therapy for a while. Doctor''s orders.¡± Elise sighed and opened her hand, and Ren intertwined his fingers with hers. She eased him back slightly, and slid down on the bed. She laid a gentle kiss on one of his chest muscles, and he winced a little. ¡°Oh, my poor Ren.¡± Elise said, and gently kissed his other chest muscle. She was tempted to keep kissing her way down, then gave in to that temptation. Her kisses were as light as butterflies as she worked her way down his abdomen. When her lips reached the top of his pajama pants and her chin touched the bulge contained there, Ren spoke. ¡°I think now is a good time to start looking for a house.¡± Ren said, and she looked up at him. ¡°You haven''t done that already?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I thought you would have several places to look at by now.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I haven''t had the time.¡± ¡°You''re using that excuse a lot.¡± Elise said, and smiled as she sat up straight. He''s distracting me again. ¡°Is it still an excuse if it''s true?¡± He asked her. ¡°Yes.¡± She responded, and Ren laughed. ¡°Okay, fine! No more procrastinating for me.¡± He said. ¡°Grab the laptop.¡± Elise blinked her eyes at him. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I''ve got a beautiful woman sitting right here beside me.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re temptation galore.¡± He smiled. ¡°I have to distract myself by looking at houses.¡± ¡°You don''t have to...¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to stop myself before I tear off your top, and plunge my face into your cleavage like I desperately want to.¡± Elise shivered a little, and he grinned as she glanced down at his bulge. ¡°I know the feeling.¡± She said, ran a hand through his hair, and reached for the laptop. She laid it on her lap and brought up a trusted Realtor. ¡°Okay, give me some specifics.¡± ¡°I need a bedroom, obviously.¡± Ren said, and when she glanced at him, he wiggled his eyebrows. She chuckled, and looked back at the screen. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°A nice kitchen. One that people can move around and not have to worry about bumping into each other.¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°A room I can do therapy in. It doesn''t have to be a big room, though. Maybe convert a bedroom or den?¡± ¡°It''s a thought to keep in mind.¡± Elise said. ¡°What about a separate room for VR things?¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°Laying in the bed is fine; but if I sweat more than normal like I did today, the sheets have to be changed.¡± ¡°What about a pool?¡± Elise asked. ¡°A pool?¡± ¡°I''ve been thinking about your therapy sessions, and I wondered why working in the water has never come up.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Would that help?¡± ¡°It should.¡± Elise said, and opened another search window. ¡°It''s especially good for people with weak joints, tendons, and ligaments.¡± She showed him a quick video, and Ren nodded. ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know if we can get a house in the city with a pool, though.¡± ¡°If you have the right amount of money, anything can be bought in the city.¡± Elise said. ¡°We can always add a pool, too.¡± Ren grinned and gave her a kiss. ¡°A pool it is.¡± He said. ¡°Now... I know I''m going to want to have someone stay over, and they''re going to need their own space.¡± ¡°You don''t want them in yours?¡± Elise asked. She was a little surprised, because she knew that he meant her. ¡°They''ll be all over my space.¡± Ren said, and she grinned. ¡°But, I don''t know what it''s like to sleep in the same bed with someone else for the whole night.¡± He said. ¡°I also don''t think automatically sharing everything is a good choice, either.¡± Elise opened her mouth to argue that she would love to share everything with him; but, then she thought about her life. She thought about everything she had accomplished before she met him and everything she had at her place, then nodded. ¡°You''re right.¡± Elise admitted. ¡°Of course I''m right.¡± Ren said, and rubbed her back with his hand. ¡°The last thing I want is for someone to give up their life to try and join mine, only to hate it later.¡± ¡°You''re worrying about something that might happen after something else happens.¡± Elise said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Right. There''s no point in chewing on something I haven''t even bitten into yet.¡± ¡°What else would you like in the house?¡± Elise asked, and tried to ignore his hand as it caressed her back, even though it felt so good. ¡°My nurses are going to need rooms for their stuff as well.¡± Ren said and looked around the room they were in. ¡°This place is getting more and more cluttered every day.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Elise said, and her face flushed a little red. ¡°I''ve got extra clothes and things stashed in the closet, too.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re spending more time here.¡± He said, stopped moving his hand, and slid his arm around her back. ¡°It makes sense for you to have something here, just in case.¡± They looked at several property listings, and picked a few good prospects. Barbara and Denise came back into the room, and were surprised that Ren and Elise were still sitting on the bed, and weren''t in the bathroom. ¡°What are you two doing?¡± Barbara asked, with a covered plate in her hands. ¡°Looking at potential houses for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t stay here for much longer, just like I couldn''t stay at the hospital.¡± Barbara nodded and put the plate on the rollaway table. ¡°Show me what you''ve picked so far.¡± They showed Barbara the ones they had marked, and she deleted one right away. ¡°Only 2 bedrooms?¡± She shook her head. ¡°It had a nice pool, but there wouldn''t be room for everyone.¡± ¡°We''re in only one room here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, and look at the state of it.¡± Barbara said, and sighed. ¡°Clutter everywhere.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I just told Elise that.¡± He said, and she smiled. ¡°I know we need a minimum of 4, but it had a big rec room.¡± Barbara shook her head. ¡°You won''t convert anything like that into a bedroom.¡± She said. ¡°The permits alone would be costly, not to mention the raise in taxes for adding another bedroom.¡± ¡°How do you know about stuff like that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°My little sister sells houses on the side.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Any chance we can hire her to do all of this work for us?¡± ¡°I don''t see why not.¡± Barbara said. ¡°What kind of things are you looking for?¡± Ren pointed at the screen and Barbara clicked on the next listing they''d marked. ¡°Oh, my.¡± She said, when she saw what Ren wanted. It had 5 bedrooms, 6 and a half bathrooms, an exercise room, an in-ground pool, 2 living rooms, a sauna, a den, a guest house with 2 more bedrooms and bathrooms, a 3 car garage, and an enormous kitchen. The one thing it didn''t have was a basement. It was the one thing Ren was absolutely adamant about. There was to be no basement. ¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡± Barbara said, and Ren laughed. ¡°Out of the dozens of listings we saw, this one had everything I could possibly need.¡± ¡°You need a sauna, a pool and a guest house?!?¡± ¡°I''m spending the money anyways, why bicker over the little things?¡± ¡°Little things!¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°It also includes a big back yard, in case Ren wants to add a track to walk on.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Check the price, Barbara.¡± Ren said. Barbara looked at the listing, and frowned. ¡°No way.¡± She said. ¡°That''s not possible.¡± She looked at Elise. ¡°Is there something wrong with it?¡± ¡°It''s in foreclosure.¡± Elise said. ¡°I had only marked it for fun, because it was way beyond what I thought he would need; but, once Ren started to tell me what he actually needed, it''s becoming more than likely the best option.¡± ¡°But... but it''s on the other side of the city.¡± Barbara said. And far away from where I live. She thought. ¡°Nothing''s set in stone.¡± Ren said and put a hand on her arm. ¡°The thing is, Elise is right.¡± He said, and nodded to Elise, who brought up a map of the city and the surrounding countryside. It already had the house locations marked on it. ¡°The next listing is even farther out.¡± Elise said. Barbara sighed. ¡°I guess I''ll just have to put up with a long commute every day.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, you won''t.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Barbara''s eyes went wide. ¡°Are... are you... fir-¡± ¡°NO!¡± Ren exclaimed quickly. ¡°If I get this property, I want you to live in the guest house.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± ¡°I haven''t talked to anyone else about it; but, you''re the only one that has someone else at home.¡± Ren said. ¡°You leave them every night to take care of me.¡± He smiled. ¡°If this place works out, you won''t have to travel at all. You can just walk out the door and across the driveway, and you''ll be at work.¡± Barbara looked like she had tears in her eyes. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Hey, I know this is a big decision.¡± Ren said. ¡°But look at me. I''m not getting any younger.¡± Barbara laughed and wiped her eyes. ¡°You''re incorrigible.¡± ¡°That''s what they all say.¡± Ren said and looked at Elise. ¡°What do you think? Is this the place?¡± ¡°It''s not as far of a commute for me.¡± Elise said. ¡°I don''t know about Stella or Denise, though.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°Denise? Where''s your place?¡± Denise pointed to a high rise building near the downtown center. ¡°Fortieth floor.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Ren said, and looked where the temporary care facility was on the map. ¡°You drive this every time you come here?¡± ¡°Twice, every second day, like clockwork.¡± Denise said. ¡°I spend more money on gas than I do on food.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you say anything?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What could you do about it?¡± Denise asked, and chuckled. ¡°Offer me another job that pays more money?¡± ¡°I...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°...can''t do anything, I guess.¡± ¡°This place is a lot closer than the hospital, so it hasn''t been so bad the last few weeks.¡± Denise said. ¡°But, if you''re moving all the way out there...¡± ¡°One of the rooms is yours.¡± Ren said. ¡°Obviously.¡± ¡°Wait... you want me to move in with you?¡± Denise asked, surprised. ¡°Not like you think.¡± Ren said, and held a hand up to stop her response. ¡°I was thinking more like you''d be a house guest on your days off, and you''d only have to commute back to your own place when you wanted to go home, rather than every second day.¡± ¡°I... I''ll think about it.¡± Denise said, kind of reserved. ¡°We''re jumping ahead here.¡± Elise said. ¡°We don''t even know if we can make an offer on the place yet.¡± ¡°Can''t we just pay the money and move in?¡± Ren asked, and the three women laughed. ¡°If only it were that easy!¡± Barbara said. ¡°Hold on, let me call my sister.¡± She said, and picked up the cell phone. After some quick banter, Barbara told her about the foreclosure house and that Ren wanted to make an offer on it. Barbara had to hold the cell phone away from her ear for a minute, while her sister screamed with joy. ¡°She''s going to get a huge commission, apparently.¡± Barbara said. Ren and Elise exchanged smiles, because they knew what getting a nice commission can do to someone. Barbara waited for the screaming to stop, then put the phone back to her ear. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°If you can low-ball it, sure.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°We''ll wait for the call.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± ¡°She''s on it right now.¡± Barbara said, and looked at Elise. ¡°The foreclosure is at Ren''s new bank.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Elise took out her own cell phone. ¡°Call your sister back!¡± She said to Barbara, and dialed a number quickly. * Janice always worked late nights, and tonight wasn''t any different; until her phone rang. ¡°Vice President of Accounts, Janice speaking.¡± She said when she picked up her office phone. I''m never going to get tired of hearing that. She thought, and grinned as she heard her friend''s voice on the phone. ¡°Hi, Janice.¡± ¡°Elise! To what do I owe the pleasure?¡± ¡°I''ve got another favor to ask.¡± ¡°Really, now.¡± Janice said, with a slightly evil taint to her voice. ¡°What can I do for you now?¡± Elise laughed, and gave her a rundown of the house, the foreclosure, and the listing. ¡°You want me to broker the sale?¡± ¡°Only if you want to make the bank a ton of money right away.¡± Elise said, and Janice grinned. ¡°I''ve already brought them 2 multi-million dollar accounts. The least I can do is give them a repayment on a defaulted loan worth hundreds of thousands.¡± ¡°That''s my girl!¡± Elise said, and Janice laughed. ¡°What do we need to do?¡± ¡°Tomorrow''s Saturday, so nothing official is going to happen until Monday.¡± Janice said. ¡°Do you have a Realtor?¡± ¡°Ren''s nurse is on the phone with her right now.¡± Elise said. ¡°Just a second.¡± The phone went quiet for a minute, and then Elise got back on with Barbara''s sister''s name and phone number. ¡°This usually takes months to go through, you know.¡± Janice said. ¡°But this is going to go much faster than that. You''re lucky no one''s actually lived in the house.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It was part of a huge purchase, but the client bailed at the last minute and took off with a good chunk of the collateral.¡± ¡°That''s horrible.¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Janice said. ¡°The president of the bank is going to fall in love with me, when I tell him that I''m getting a good amount of that back.¡± Elise laughed again. ¡°I think your expectations are a little high. If he didn''t fall in love with you over a few million dollars...¡± Janice laughed, too. ¡°All right, I''ll call the Realtor right now.¡± ¡°Thanks, Janice.¡± ¡°Hey, that''s two you owe me now.¡± ¡°I''m sure I''ll be able to do something nice for you soon.¡± Elise said. ¡°Bye, Janice.¡± ¡°Bye, Elise.¡± Janice hung up the phone and grinned. She just keeps handing me money on a silver platter, and she thinks I''m the one doing her a favor! She thought and dialed the phone to call the Realtor. If I can convince her to come over tonight, we can file the paperwork right away and get this money ball rolling! * Elise hung up the phone and looked at Barbara. ¡°Janice is calling her now.¡± ¡°She''s calling you now.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± ¡°Well, that''s that.¡± Elise said and looked at Ren. ¡°We''ll know more on Monday.¡± ¡°Or later tonight if my sister can''t keep it to herself.¡± Barbara said, and they all laughed. Chapter 258 - A Treat For You Barbara''s sister didn''t call back, and Ren talked about the giants and the attack that would come during the second game day that night. Elise thought his plan was a good one, but suggested he build more Ballistas and bring the dwarves with him. ¡°But... I don''t want them to die.¡± Ren said, and Elise chuckled. ¡°Ren, they''re dwarves.¡± Elise said. ¡°They are all volunteers. Tell them you have several Ballistas for them to use, and then ask them to come with you.¡± She said. ¡°Even if they die, it''ll be against a tremendous foe, and for the defense of their land.¡± She grinned. ¡°There is nothing more Honorable for them.¡± Ren thought about her argument, and then smiled. ¡°I''d ask you how you became so smart, but I don''t want to ruin my impression that you always were.¡± ¡°Oh, you.¡± Elise said, and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°I think I''ll head home now.¡± She said and handed the laptop to Barbara. ¡°It''s getting late, and someone needs to get back into the game.¡± ¡°Thanks for coming over.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really enjoyed spending this time with you.¡± Elise put her hand on the side of his face, and Barbara turned away to give them the illusion of privacy. Denise turned away as well, and Elise leaned in close to him. ¡°Not as much as I enjoyed spending it with you.¡± Elise whispered to him, and touched his lips with hers. The kiss was a lot more reserved than what Elise had wanted at first, considering she wanted it to be unbridled passion; but, the fact that she was doing it with two other women in the room made the kiss that much more exciting. She broke the kiss and slid off the bed. ¡°I''m... ah... going to Stella''s tomorrow...¡± Ren said. ¡°I know. It''s your first day on the grant.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ll go home tomorrow after work, and give you a break from seeing me.¡± ¡°I don''t need a break from that!¡± Ren said. ¡°If I have any inkling about what Stella is going to put you though...¡± Elise smiled. ¡°...you''re going to need to rest afterwards.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, that''s a good point.¡± He said. ¡°What about Sunday?¡± ¡°It''s my day off, so you can give me a call...¡± Elise leaned in and whispered in his ear. ¡°...if you want to do something together.¡± ¡°I''ll definitely call.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°What time do you get up in the morning?¡± Elise laughed, gave him a kiss, and left without telling him the time. ¡°I guess I better go, too.¡± Denise said and stood up. ¡°I''ll see you both on Sunday.¡± ¡°See you then.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just remember to keep the room offer in mind.¡± He smiled. ¡°You can use it just to store stuff if you want; because it''ll be your room, whether you sleep there or not.¡± Denise smiled and nodded, then left. ¡°You might have wanted to wait before you made that offer.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You know she''s uncomfortable with some things.¡± Ren thought about her ex-boyfriend, and slapped himself in the forehead. ¡°I am so stupid!¡± Ren said, and slid off of the bed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I''m going to catch her!¡± Ren said and walked to the door. ¡°Ren!¡± He ignored Barbara and opened the door to his room, then stepped out into the hallway. ¡°Denise!¡± Ren nearly shouted, and she stopped at the front door and turned around. Her eyes widened as Ren walked towards her. She walked quickly back down the hallway to him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Coming after you.¡± Ren said, and took her into a hug. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Barbara came out of the room to go after Ren, but saw that he had already been caught. Denise was only 5 foot 3 inches, but she was still a head taller than Ren''s 4 foot 7 inches. ¡°You''re sorry?¡± Denise looked down at him and hugged him back. ¡°What are you sorry for?¡± ¡°I shouldn''t have asked you to move in like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m an insensitive jerk.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''m really sorry.¡± He said, and took in a deep breath. Ren looked up at her, and she saw in his eyes that he meant it. ¡°I would be honored if you would consider spending some of your off time at my house.¡± He said to her, quite formally. Denise was struck by his sincerity, and she didn''t know what to say. ¡°I know this is kind of out of the blue, and nothing is planned right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°But please, don''t let my moments of stupidity affect your decision.¡± Denise smiled at him. ¡°Does this count as a moment of stupidity?¡± ¡°Geez, I hope not.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I don''t like wasting hugs.¡± Denise laughed, and let him out of the hug. ¡°Get back to your room, you little bugger.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren said, turned his head a little to the side, and pointed to his cheek. ¡°I want a kiss first, though.¡± Denise shook her head for a moment, then leaned in with her lips slightly puckered. Ren waited until she was close enough, then turned his head back at the last second and kissed her on the lips. He pulled away a second later, and walked back down the hallway to his room. He hadn''t noticed the surprise on Denise''s face, and passed by Barbara with a smile on his own. * I let him steal a kiss from me. Denise thought as Barbara waved to her. He took it so easily, too. She waved back, then left the care facility. Why did I let him do that? She asked herself as she climbed into her car. Come on, Denise! Admit it! You wanted him to kiss you. She put the car into gear and pulled out of the parking lot. No, I wanted him to want to kiss me. She thought, and then smiled. And he did! * Barbara watched as Ren stood on a chair, then he sat down on the edge of the bed. He slid back carefully, and rested against the raised portion of the bed. ¡°So, will you be able to stand it if I don''t kiss you, too?¡± Barbara asked jokingly, and Ren grinned. ¡°I have another cheek right here.¡± Ren said, and pointed to the other cheek. ¡°Ha!¡± Barbara said. ¡°You''re not tricking me like that.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Saw right through that, did you?¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°Like a pane of clear glass.¡± ¡°At least it worked once.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just hope it made her forget about my mistake.¡± ¡°I don''t know what you mean.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Denise told me about her ex-boyfriend, and how he treated her.¡± Ren said. ¡°One of the things he did...¡± He sighed. ¡°...was offer to let her move in. When she gave up her apartment and brought her things to his place...¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°He hurt her so badly with that lie. I wanted her to know that I didn''t lie, and that I meant what I said.¡± Barbara smiled, and then nodded. ¡°Then I think you''ve earned this.¡± She said, and picked up the covered plate. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked, and Barbara removed the cover. It was a piece of triple-layered black forest cake. ¡°Barbara!¡± Ren exclaimed, and his mouth watered automatically. ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± ¡°After everything that you''ve been through, I started thinking about what you eat.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren said and licked his lips. The piece of cake had whipped cream and a whole cherry on top. ¡°Doctor Hobbard set your diet and meal schedule.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Ren blinked his eyes several times, and then his mouth dropped open. ¡°You... you don''t think...¡± ¡°You still have special conditions, and your system can''t digest certain things.¡± Barbara said, plucked the cherry from the top of the whipped cream, and ate it. ¡°Aww.¡± Ren said, because he was never allowed to eat them. ¡°Sorry, Ren.¡± Barbara said and smiled as she put the piece of cake in front of him. ¡°I called a dietitian yesterday and asked them to review your meal plan.¡± Ren looked at the cake, then at Barbara. ¡°No way!¡± ¡°I''ll have a full menu and a list of food for you on Monday.¡± Barbara said. ¡°For now, though...¡± She handed him a fork. ¡°Enjoy.¡± Ren slowly reached out his hand to take the fork. He glanced at her face to see if she was going to call ''sucker'' and pull it away; but his hand wrapped around the handle without incident, and she let it go. ¡°I can really eat it?¡± Ren asked, actually surprised, and Barbara nodded. He dipped the fork into the whipped cream, and Barbara didn''t call ''foul'', so he put the fork all the way through the cake. He stabbed the piece he''d cut off, and slowly put it to his mouth. Even now, he expected her to knock the fork away so he wouldn''t eat it. He stared at her as he slipped the piece of cake into his mouth, and he sighed at the taste. ¡°Oh, Barbara!¡± Ren said, sighed dramatically, and took another bite. ¡°Mmmmm!¡± It''s just like Stella said. Barbara thought. It really is like food porn. She tried not to laugh as Ren continued to eat. Even though he took his time and savored every bite, the cake was gone before he knew it. Ren put the fork down after he licked it clean, and sat back. ¡°Thank you very much, Barbara.¡± He said, contented. ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± Barbara laughed and took the plate. Ren gently pat his belly. ¡°I''ve never had anything like that before.¡± He said. ¡°The flavors... the texture...¡± He grinned. ¡°Why don''t people eat stuff like that all day, every day?¡± ¡°For one thing, there wasn''t enough nutrition in that to keep you alive.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Is starving supposed to taste that good?¡± Ren asked, and she snorted a laugh. ¡°Recline the bed back to lay flat, you lush.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ll take the dirty dish to the kitchen.¡± Ren looked at his watch, and saw it was almost time to log back in. Barbara left the room, and Ren lowered the bed from the sitting position to lay flat. Even doing that much bothered his abdomen muscles; but there was nothing to be done about it, except endure it. She came back into the room and smiled at him. ¡°I know you''re going to be bothered a little if I ask this.¡± Barbara said and smiled. ¡°Are you planning on having fun in the game tonight?¡± She asked, and moved her fingers in the ''air quotes'' motion. Ren''s face went a little red, and then he realized he didn''t take precautions yet. ¡°I don''t know if I will; but I should prep for it, just in case.¡± He started to raise the bed, and Barbara stopped him. ¡°Stella told me what to do if you forgot.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ll get the wash basin.¡± She went into the bathroom and came out with the cloth, soap, and water-filled basin. Ren looked at her with wide eyes, and she smiled as she put the basin and supplies on the rollaway table and put it beside him. She unfolded the blanket, and held it up to cover most of him, then turned her head away. He took care of applying the foil packet''s contents, washed his hands, and told her he was done. Barbara folded the blanket back up, took the basin back to the bathroom, then came back into the room. ¡°Barbara, I...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± He said, gratefully. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You don''t have to be embarrassed or nervous.¡± Ren nodded, and she handed him the VR headset. ¡°Now you can have fun and not worry about it.¡± Barbara said, and he settled down on the bed. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± ¡°How do you know I''m not logging out at midnight?¡± Ren asked as he put the headset on. ¡°I''m assuming you''re going to be too busy to come back out.¡± Barbara said. ¡°That''s how it''s been lately.¡± ¡°That''s going to change soon.¡± Ren said. ¡°My sentence will be up and I won''t have to constantly go back in all the time.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°You''re kidding, right?¡± Ren lifted the headset to look at her. ¡°You don''t have to constantly log back in now. You do it because there''s people you care about in there, and you don''t want to leave them alone.¡± ¡°I... okay, you''re right.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Hurry up, or you''ll miss virtual breakfast.¡± Barbara said, and he slipped the headset back into place. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch and stood up. Hey, Teepo. He thought to his friend. ¡°Good morning, Ren.¡± Teepo said as Ren checked the spider. He refilled the potion on the small plate for it, and went into the kitchen. Teepo flew in and landed on his shoulder. ¡°Good morning!¡± Ereka said. Nathalia turned around to see who Ereka was talking to, and she smiled as she saw Ren. She walked over to him, took him into a hug and kissed him. ¡°Good morning.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren stroked the side of her face. ¡°It definitely is now.¡± He said, and looked at Ereka. ¡°Morning.¡± He said, to return her greeting. ¡°That was another long night for you.¡± Ereka commented, and put plates of food on the table. ¡°It didn''t seem like it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was all over before I knew it, and I came back here.¡± ¡°At least you don''t have to leave tonight.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren smiled. ¡°Actually, I think I need to pop through the portal to Aurora. I haven''t repaid the Sage of Ages for her help yet.¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°What did she ask for this time?¡± ¡°She told me to surprise her.¡± Ren said. ¡°So I''m going to.¡± ¡°Your surprises are always something special.¡± Ereka chuckled and sat down at the table. ¡°Is it a new set of armor or something?¡± ¡°I don''t know if she can wear armor.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I remember, I''ll ask her about that.¡± Nathalia sat down, and he joined them at the table. They all ate breakfast together and cleared up the dishes. Ren walked with them to the restaurant, Nathalia kissed him goodbye, and she went to work. He walked Ereka to the Main House, and she stopped walking just outside of it. ¡°So... have you thought about...¡± Ereka started to say. ¡°I have.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve also discussed it with Nathalia.¡± ¡°Should I assume you''ve made a decision?¡± She asked as she turned to face him, and he nodded. Ren stepped close, and concentrated on his House Neram pendant. His Aura merged with Ereka''s and the artificial one around the Main House, and she gasped. How can it be stronger? Ereka thought, and her eyes widened as he took her into a hug. The feelings intensified, and she caught her breath. ¡°Ereka, I would be most Honored to be the first man to sleep with you.¡± Ren said, and she felt his deep sincerity. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Ereka said, and kissed him. Since she was 5 inches shorter than him, he had to bend over slightly and she stood up on her toes. This went on for a minute, and she broke the kiss practically breathless. ¡°By the gods.¡± Ereka said, and Ren cupped the side of her face. She closed her eyes at the sensations and emotions swirling through her, and she sighed. ¡°We have to go to work.¡± ¡°Have a good day, Ma''am.¡± ¡°Ma''am!¡± Ereka exclaimed as she opened her eyes to glare at him, and Ren laughed. She felt his amusement at teasing her, and she smacked his arm. ¡°Get out of here!¡± She said. Before I rip your clothes off. She thought in amusement. Ren felt her amusement in return, and he took her hand, leaned in, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He held it for about 10 seconds, and Ereka gasped at the Honor gain. ¡°See you later, Ereka.¡± Ren said, let her hand go, and started to run back to House Neram Keep. ¡°Hey! Aren''t you going to work?¡± Ereka asked before he got too far away. ¡°I need to talk to Tee-one first.¡± Ren said, waved to her, and poured on the speed. * Look at him go! Ereka thought as she watched Ren get farther away. She smiled and went into the Main House. ¡°Good morning!¡± The receptionist said. ¡°It is.¡± Ereka responded. ¡°It really is.¡± ¡°There''s several people waiting to be interviewed for the assistant position.¡± The receptionist said. ¡°Let me know when you want the first one sent in.¡± ¡°Now is fine.¡± Ereka said, and went to her office in the best mood she''d ever been in. * Ren went to the workshop and gave Tee-one a bunch of springy trees to make a few more Ballistas and ammunition. ¡°What about working on the Keep?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°You can keep doing that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just when you come back up here to make one of the parts for the Ballista, use all three forges and make three parts instead.¡± He said. ¡°Actually, on second thought, let''s do it now.¡± Tee-one nodded, and set up the proper molds on the floor for the main piece. Ren poured out the first one while Tee-one made a mold in front of the next forge. Ren absorbed the heat from the molten metal, took out the piece, and poured the next smelter. He absorbed the heat from the molten metal, and Tee-one had the third mold ready and poured that. Ren absorbed the heat from that and they poured each one again. They now had 6 main pieces to make the bodies of 6 Ballistas. They changed the molds on the floor for the second piece and made 6 of those. Next were the braces needed for the bow parts. With Ren there to absorb the heat, it only took about 20 minutes for all the metal parts to be done. ¡°I''ll leave the rest to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t forget to make the bolts to fill the cartridges, too.¡± He pat Tee-one''s shoulder, and left the forge room. He stopped at one of the workbenches and made a small wooden box, a foot square and 6 inches deep. He lined it with black cloth, laid the tiara in it, and stored the box. He left the workshop and ran down the road, through the city, and to the mine. After a suspiciously quick medical inspection, he was cleared for work and did his 8 hours. He stayed for the 2 extra hours doing repairs, and ran back to House Neram. He stopped in at the restaurant to see Nathalia, and the woman at the door told him he needed to change before coming in. Ren looked down at himself and laughed. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Ren said, equipped his armor bodysuit to clean up, then equipped his House Neram red suit. He was still concentrating on his House Neram pendant, so his Aura covered the whole restaurant. ¡°That... was amazing.¡± The woman said as she stared at him. Ren smiled at her, and looked over her head to the kitchen. ¡°Am I allowed in the kitchen, or do you want to get Miss Neram for me?¡± ¡°I... I''ll go get her.¡± The woman said, and walked towards the kitchen. She got to the door and looked back at him. With his red suit and blonde fluffy hair and beard, she was having a hard time keeping her eyes off of him. Do you think it''s my Aura? Ren thought at Teepo. ¡°No, I think she just finds you very attractive.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Now that you''re not covered from head to toe in dirt, that is.¡± He said, and chittered in laughter. Ren smiled, and Nathalia came out of the kitchen. She walked over to him quickly, and they went outside together. ¡°What did you do to the hostess?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Honestly, nothing.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was dirty and she wouldn''t let me in, so I changed clothes.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± Ren nodded slightly, and Nathalia could feel what he felt. ¡°She wants to know if you''re looking for a personal maid.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°A... a what?¡± ¡°A personal maid.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°They take care of everything for a man.¡± She said. ¡°It''s a very polite way of saying she wants to be a bed partner.¡± She felt Ren''s surprise, and she smiled. ¡°Does it have to be me that tells her no, or can you decline her offer for me?¡± ¡°I can tell her.¡± Nathalia said and smirked. ¡°I''ll even do it nicely.¡± Ren took her into a hug, and she was stiff and unresponsive. He let her go, and looked at her. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°We can''t do that in public, remember?¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It was just a hug.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure House members have hugged each other before.¡± He smiled. ¡°If I''d kissed you passionately instead, I''m sure that would be against the rules.¡± Nathalia felt that he wanted to do just that, despite the law, and she blushed a little. She really wanted that, too. ¡°I came here to tell you that I''m going to Aurora now, rather than tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got 2 hours left before nightfall, so it should be quick. I''ll be back before you know it.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°You could have just called.¡± She said and held up the ring. ¡°I could have.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I haven''t seen you in about 10 hours.¡± Nathalia felt how much he wanted to see her, and smiled. He smiled back and looked around. No one was there, and Teepo gave the all clear. Ren leaned in, quickly kissed her, and let her feel everything he felt about this situation. He leaned back and grinned at her gasp and deep red blush. ¡°See you later.¡± Ren said. Nathalia only nodded slightly, and he ran over to House Neram Keep to get Princess. * That man! Nathalia thought, and tried to calm down. It''s only supposed to be behind closed doors for a reason! She did Ren''s breathing exercises, and managed to get her blush and emotions back under control. She shook her head and chuckled, then went back into the restaurant to work. Chapter 259 - She Likes It Ren ran inside the house and put on his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, made sure the spider was safely tucked into it, and ran out to the stable. It didn''t take any convincing to get Princess to carry Ren to the portal. She was well and truly prepared to run as far and as fast as she could. Each time she ran all that way, and carried him with all his extra weight, she became both stronger and faster. What she didn''t know, was that Ren had been slowly replacing the Strength enchantments on her armor with Protection. It only happened a few times when they stopped to eat during their trips to the portal, and only when she was too busy eating to notice. She would lose a point of boosted Strength, and then would gain it back either on the same trip, or on the next one. They arrived at the warehouse in only 50 minutes, and Princess could feel Ren''s pride in how well she did. He felt her pride in the same thing, pat her neck, and brought her inside. ¡°You''re doing very well.¡± Ren said. ¡°We only stopped three times.¡± Princess flopped down on the mattress in the crate, and Ren gave her some food. ¡°I''m not planning to be long.¡± He said, and ran up the stairs to the cabinet that surrounded the portal. ¡°See you on the other side.¡± Teepo said, and dissolved into the ring. Ren stepped through the portal and came out the other side. He felt the familiar pain on his hand and the spider crawled back inside the cloak. He opened the cabinet and saw Anabelle as she laid on her bed in the living room. She wore the same nightgown that she''d worn all those nights ago, back when he''d first met her in the mansion. He summoned Teepo, took out some nice fabric, and recalled one of the patterns he''d altered from Thern Neram''s designs. Ren made up a pretty nightgown for Anabelle to wear, and laid it beside her. Ren snuck out of the apartment and went down the stairs to the second floor. Teepo flew behind him, and they went out through the back door. Once outside, Ren ran down the stairs and then down the street. Teepo flew up high enough to scout, but not too high as to lose sight of Ren. The last thing either of them needed was for Trouble to happen. Ren arrived at the Library, and went inside after Teepo landed on his shoulder. A woman he didn''t know sat at the main reception desk. He was tempted to just go right into the hallway at the side of the room; but, he thought it would be rude to ignore the woman that stared so intently at him. He walked over to her confidently and stopped at a respectful distance from the desk. She looked to be about 50 years old, and wore her blondish-brown hair up in a very complicated hairdo. ¡°Good evening, Ma''am.¡± Ren said. His Etiquette skill activated, so he took one step forward and reached a hand out for her. ¡°My name is...¡± ¡°I know who you are, young man.¡± The woman said in a slightly high-pitched voice, reached out a hand, and let Ren grip the tips of her fingers. ¡°You are the Hero of Aurora.¡± Ren''s face flushed a little red, because even though he''d earned the title, it just seemed pretentious to say it out loud like that. ¡°I''ve been reading about you.¡± She said. ¡°You have?¡± Ren asked, surprised. The woman nodded. ¡°As the Head Librarian, it is my duty to read every book that passes through these halls.¡± Ren''s eyes widened and he stared at her. ¡°You... you''ve read... every book?¡± The Head Librarian nodded, and kept her very dignified manner. Ren still had a hold of her fingers as protocol demanded, because they were still technically greeting each other. He bent over her hand and lightly kissed it. ¡°I''m very honored to meet you.¡± Ren said, stood up straight, and kept a hold of her fingers. He wasn''t sure why the Head Librarian looked surprised. When her lips formed a very small smile, she spoke. ¡°So am I.¡± The Head Librarian said and gave his hand a light squeeze. ¡°What can we do for you, Patron of Knowledge?¡± Ren smiled and let her fingers go. ¡°I came to meet the Sage of Ages.¡± The Head Librarian looked at him with a blank face for a moment. ¡°Then why have you...¡± ¡°I would be severely lacking in both social decorum and manners, if I ignored such a handsome woman, and didn''t find out who she was.¡± ¡°That... was a very good answer.¡± The woman said. ¡°I will not fall under your spell, however.¡± She gave him another slight smile. ¡°No matter how well you write, how composed you are, or how entertaining you may be.¡± ¡°You cut me to the quick, dear lady!¡± Ren put a hand over his heart and fake gasped. ¡°My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep...¡± ¡°...the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.¡± The Head Librarian finished the quote from Romeo and Juliet automatically, then gasped herself as she stared at him. Ren smiled, gave her a regal bow with a bit of flourish, then turned and walked to the door on the side of the room. He opened it and went into the hallway without looking back. * The Head Librarian watched the door close, and looked at the hand Ren had kissed. Rosie was right. She thought. He really is full of surprises. * ¡°Did you see the look on her face?¡± Teepo chittered in delight. Yeah. Ren thought as he walked down the hallway. She definitely didn''t expect me to say that. Teepo took off to scout the next room, and when he gave the all clear, Ren opened the door to the area where Lara''s desk was. He went inside and walked over to her desk. Lara sat there in a chair, with her feet up on the desk, and a book in her hands. ¡°Hi, Lara.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Lara slammed her book closed and looked at him. ¡°What are you doing here?!?¡± She exclaimed, dropped the book on the desk, and stood up. ¡°The giants are sending an attack force right now!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and held his hands up in surrender. ¡°They''ll be at the camp sometime around noon tomorrow.¡± Lara looked like she wanted to send him right back to the dwarf lands anyways, then she sighed. ¡°I''m really sorry about that.¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was kind of my fault for not assuming an attack would come in the first place.¡± He smiled. ¡°What''s that old saying about poking a bees nest with a stick? The Guardians of the Land are not going to like the reception they''re going to get.¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°I''m not going to ask, so don''t tell me.¡± She said. ¡°I''m staying away from the giants for a while, even though the Librarian there was the only one that has been nice to me.¡± ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡± Ren said, honestly. Lara looked at him with an odd expression on her face. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Lara said and sat back down. He really is sorry. She thought. ¡°What can I do for you now?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are there rubber trees in the game?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Rubber trees?¡± Lara laughed. ¡°They don''t grow on trees, Ren!¡± ¡°Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny.¡± Ren said sarcastically. ¡°I meant trees that produce sap that you mix with a galvanizing agent, and it makes rubber.¡± ¡°I know what you meant, numb-nut.¡± Lara chuckled and closed her eyes for a minute. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°You didn''t even check anything.¡± Ren said. Lara tapped the side of her head. ¡°I memorized the Library index.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Lara nodded. ¡°It''s so much easier to remember things in here.¡± She said. ¡°Imagine if I could take my high school equivalency exam right here, instead of in some smelly classroom.¡± Lara sighed. ¡°I''d kick it''s ass so hard, school students in the future would feel it!¡± Ren laughed, and sat down on the edge of the desk. ¡°High school equivalency?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lara said. ¡°I got kicked out for...¡± She looked away from him. ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°Hey, you don''t have to tell me what happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°I probably wouldn''t understand anyways. I''ve never stepped foot inside of a school.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Come on.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look at me.¡± Lara turned to look at him. ¡°Do I look like I could survive going to high school?¡± Ren asked and chuckled. ¡°In real life, I can barely survive walking more than a hundred feet.¡± Lara sighed, and Ren saw her sad expression. ¡°So, you looked me up after all.¡± Lara snorted a laugh. ¡°Considering you''re all over the news because of the lawsuits, all over the television because they''re promoting your show like there''s no tomorrow, and all over the message boards with that neat shop you opened up that has everything in it.¡± ¡°Have you watched it?¡± Ren asked, and Lara smiled. ¡°Ha! I knew you couldn''t resist my charm!¡± ¡°I admit it''s a good show.¡± Lara laughed. ¡°Don''t get a swelled head about it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°By the way, my shop doesn''t have everything.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t make my wands available to the general public.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Lara asked. ¡°You''d make a fortune.¡± ¡°I''m already rich.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°Plus, they''re kind of a cheat.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± ¡°They can cast 50 spells, and don''t cost any Mana to use... besides the original Mana cost to make, and Mana to recharge them.¡± Ren said. ¡°If everyone had them, no one would ever choose the magic paths in the game.¡± Lara thought about, and nodded. ¡°Yeah, you''re right.¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± Ren said, and grinned. Lara shook her head. ¡°So, what else do you want?¡± ¡°Can you wear armor?¡± Lara sighed. ¡°No, I can''t.¡± ¡°Not even something light, like leather or something? She shook her head. ¡°No, I''m completely defenseless.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess I won''t be making you new armor.¡± ¡°Is that what you were going to repay me with?¡± ¡°I was thinking about it.¡± Ren said. Lara shook her head. ¡°I can''t even equip leather gloves.¡± She said and lowered her gaze to the desk. ¡°I guess you wasted a trip coming to see me.¡± ¡°Lara.¡± Ren said, and she looked up at his serious tone. ¡°Of all the times I''ve come here, not once has it been wasted.¡± ¡°But, I didn''t help you this time.¡± Lara said. ¡°That''s not why I came here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only asked those questions because I was here.¡± ¡°So why are you here, then?¡± ¡°To repay you, of course.¡± ¡°But... you just said...¡± ¡°I didn''t even think about making you armor until Ereka suggested it this morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°I figured I''d ask when I met you.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± Ren took out the small wooden box from his inventory, and laid it on the desk. ¡°Don''t touch it yet.¡± He said when she reached for it. Lara looked at him in surprise, and he smiled. ¡°If you touch the box, you''ll see what''s inside right away.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to see your actual expression when you see it, not one you''ll pretend to wear because you''ve already seen it.¡± Lara was going to argue that she might not see the contents, but nodded instead. Ren flipped the top open, and grinned as he saw Lara''s startled expression. She stared at the gold metal diamond-covered tiara with a 1 inch diamond in the center. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Lara nearly yelled, and reached for it. Ren didn''t tell her no, so she picked it up. She gasped and closed her eyes. She saw where the diamonds came from, how many it had taken to make it, and how long Ren had worked at it. He''d made it by hand, and thought about her the entire time, and about how much she should like it. He made her a special, one-of-a-kind tiara, and she opened her eyes. ¡°You... made this... just for me.¡± Lara said, and the tears flowed out of her eyes unhindered. She put the tiara in the box, closed it, and stored it. ¡°Ren, I...¡± She stood up and stepped close to him. ¡°I don''t know what to say.¡± ¡°You don''t have to say anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your expression alone spoke volumes.¡± Lara reached up and cupped the side of his face. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lara said. ¡°You poor, helpless fool.¡± ¡°Hey, I can argue the poor part.¡± Ren said, and Lara laughed through her tears. ¡°You... you don''t know how sorry I am that... that I... I couldn''t tell you about...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said as Lara leaned in. ¡°I know you can''t reveal things before I discover them for myself.¡± ¡°I wanted to tell you...¡± Lara said, when their lips almost touched. ¡°I know you did.¡± Ren said, and cupped the side of her face like her hand cupped his. ¡°I can hear the sorrow in your voice.¡± ¡°I really, really want to kiss you now.¡± Lara said, and moved forward that infinitesimal distance, and pressed her lips to his. Ren wasn''t sure what had happened, but suddenly he wasn''t kissing Lara anymore. His mind opened up and he saw them together, going on adventures, spending time reading in the Library, carrying on, joking around, eating meals, and then some very private things. Ren experienced two full years of memories, the same memories that Lara had experienced when she''d kissed him the first time. He felt so much love from her, and his heart started to accelerate. * ¡°Great Vasalor!¡± Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves, exclaimed and put a hand over her heart. ¡°What... what is this?¡± Her skin started to glow slightly, and she had a hard time breathing. She searched through herself and found it was her Connection to Ren. For some reason, it had overwhelmed her own emotion consuming ability, and passed directly into her heart. ¡°How is that possible?!?¡± Lylyth asked, and the dark elf attendant that stood next to her throne started to sway back and forth. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Lylyth asked, and reached out a hand. A tendril of Mana shot out from her palm and hit the dark elf in the chest. The dark elf was frozen in place as the tendril wrapped around her, and Lylyth could feel everything that her attendant felt. I haven''t had this ability in ages! Lylyth thought, and pulled the Mana tendril back. The attendant continued to sway slightly, and after a few moments, Lylyth remembered something. Centuries ago, susceptible people would sway with her heartbeat, while they were within her Aura''s area of effect. Ren, you are worth more than a thousand other mark-holders combined! Lylyth thought, and smiled. * Ren''s trip down future-memory lane ended, and he came back to his senses. He was still being kissed by Lara; but, he knew that thought wasn''t quite right. They had just started to kiss, so really, only a few seconds had passed. He cupped the other side of her face and kissed her the way she deserved to be kissed for loving him so much; and she felt the change in his response. Lara hadn''t realized that she was desperate to have someone kiss her like that, until someone actually kissed her like that. Like she was air, and they wanted to take as many breaths of her as they could before they died. Her body responded appropriately, and she grew sensitive in certain spots. It felt like an itch that she needed to scratch, and she moaned into his mouth as his hands left the sides of her face and moved down her body. Ren felt her desperation and immense need to be held. He ran his hands quickly across her small chest, around to her back, and down to cup her other cheeks. She gasped into his mouth as he grabbed her backside tightly. He picked her up easily a moment later, and she wrapped her legs and arms around him automatically. They still had their lips locked together, and Ren started to move his head back to ask where to go. Lara broke the kiss before he could and looked at him ¡°My closet. Down there and to the right.¡± Ren practically ran down to where she said. Lara opened the door for him when they got there. He stepped inside and she shut the door behind them.
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Once inside the closet, they started to kiss again, and Ren still held her easily. He massaged the part he was holding, and Lara didn''t know how long she could take him holding her like that, and not do anything about it. Almost as if he knew what she was thinking, he moved his hands to her lower back, and she unwrapped her legs from around him. ¡°We... have to... stop.¡± Lara said, a little breathless as she broke the kiss, and stood up. ¡°You... you should go.¡± ¡°Lara...¡± ¡°I told you before, Ren. My real name is Lisa.¡± Lara said, and ran her hands through his hair. It was just too tempting not to. She sighed and smiled. ¡°Is it Lisa you''re kissing, or Lara the Sage of Ages?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, and Lara stopped moving her hands and looked at him. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Yes, that''s who I''m kissing.¡± ¡°But... you didn''t choose.¡± ¡°I don''t have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s you.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Do you honestly think I could run as far as I just did in real life? Not to mention carrying you while I did it?¡± Lara opened her mouth to respond, and Ren put a finger to her lips. ¡°I''d probably die of a heart attack if I tried.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m still me, no matter what I can and can''t do.¡± ¡°But...¡± Lara said, and the movement on her lips made it feel like she kissed his finger. ¡°No buts.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re you, and it doesn''t matter what name you want to use.¡± He said and moved his hands to cup the sides of her face. ¡°We''re all alone in here. No one else can see us. No one else can hear us.¡± He smiled. ¡°I don''t even have my Aura, or any of my awesome abilities.¡± Lara put her hands on his. ¡°Ren, I...¡± She blushed, and Ren felt the heat through her skin. ¡°I think this is the start of our time together.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°I knew it was going to happen soon, but...¡± Lara shook her head. ¡°Never mind.¡± She said and leaned in. ¡°Can... can you...¡± Her blush deepened. ¡°...kiss me like that again?¡± ¡°It''ll be your pleasure.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. It was a genuine laugh and a pleasant sound; one that he felt she hadn''t made in a long time. He kissed her again like he had before, and laugh was the last thing she wanted to do right then. Chapter 259A - The Closet They kissed for several minutes, and then Lara stopped and looked at him. ¡°I want you so bad I can taste it.¡± Lara whispered to him. ¡°I''m not stopping you.¡± Ren said and stored his clothing. ¡°I hope you''re ready for this.¡± Lara looked down at his completely ready appendage. ¡°Oh, god.¡± She whispered and knelt down. ¡°I... I can taste it?¡± She asked as she looked at his face. Ren nodded his permission; so, she leaned in close and kissed the tip. It throbbed appropriately, and Lara held in her giggle. It''s never good to laugh when someone you''re with is naked. Lara thought. Even if it''s because you''re extremely happy. She took several deep breaths, swallowed loudly, and slipped her mouth over him. Ren stared at her, and marveled at how well she was doing. She licked and probed with her tongue in ways that made him throb harder. Even Stella didn''t do this good of a job. Ren thought. And she''s an expert! Lara had only been at it for a few minutes, and he felt he was getting close. ¡°Lisa...¡± He used my real name! Lara thought, and felt Ren convulse. She took the hint, grabbed his hips, and jammed her face down hard. Her top lip met the skin of his abdomen, and he finished. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Ren exclaimed and put his hands on her head. Both he and Lara held on as he kept going. This went on for about 10 seconds, and then he relaxed. He let her head go, and she pulled herself off of him; but, she kept sucking as she did. When her lips passed over the tip, she flicked her tongue out and licked it. It gave an appreciative throb, and this time she couldn''t hold in her giggle. Ren put a hand under her chin, and lifted. Lara had no choice but to stand, and when she did, he gave her a kiss. ¡°That was... by the gods... amazing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± He kissed her again. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Lara wrapped her arms around his neck and cooed at him. She whispered how much she enjoyed doing it, and how much she liked that he enjoyed it, too. ¡°Lisa... um... I don''t really know how to say this delicately, so I''m just going to say it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If you make a mess when you have sex, you should log out and get a towel ready.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Lara blushed a deep red. ¡°I... I''ve never... um...¡± ¡°Then you definitely need to log out and grab a towel.¡± Ren said. ¡°Fold it over once or twice, and put it between your legs.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°You might not need it; but it''s better to have something there, just in case you do make a mess.¡± ¡°I... ah... okay.¡± Lara said and stepped back from him. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Lisa slipped off the VR headset and sat up on her bed. Oh, my god! She thought as she rolled off the bed and looked down at her jogging pants. Good, nothing''s showing. She left her room and went to the bathroom. She grabbed a small towel, and then thought about what Ren had said. She put the small one back and grabbed one of the large bath towels. Lisa walked calmly back to her room, locked the door, and went back to the bed. She slipped off her jogging pants and underwear, and tossed the underwear into the pile of dirty clothes she needed to wash the next day. She folded the large bath towel over and laid it on the bed, then put on her jogging pants and pulled them up to her thighs. She picked up the towel and slipped it between her legs, then pulled her jogging pants up the rest of the way. That''s not too bad, actually. Lisa thought, and laid down on the bed. She picked up the VR headset and put it on. I can''t believe I''m doing this! She thought excitedly, took a deep breath, and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren smiled at Lara as her phantom form became solid again. He had been worried that she was taking a little too long to get ready and might not come back in. He was happy that he was wrong for once. ¡°All set.¡± Lara said. ¡°I hope so, anyways.¡± ¡°We''ll find out soon enough.¡± Ren said, and stood up from the chair he had sat in, that was against the wall of the closet. He kissed her, and Lara moaned as he put his arms around her and held her tightly. They made out for several minutes, and then Ren broke the kiss. He saw the disappointment in her eyes that he stopped, and he cupped the side of her face. ¡°I''m going to keep kissing you.¡± Ren said, and plucked at her clothing. ¡°Just not on the mouth.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lara said, and felt a little embarrassed. ¡°Um... I...¡± ¡°Like I said before. No one can see or hear us. It''s just you and me.¡± Ren said, then smiled. ¡°You don''t think I just sit around naked all the time, do you?¡± Lara chuckled, and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°No, I''m pretty sure you don''t.¡± She said, and stored her clothing. She automatically covered herself with her hands, and he smiled. He didn''t grab her hands, or try to pry her arms away. What he did instead, was much better than either of those options. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and kissed her passionately. ¡°What...¡± Lara said, a minute later. ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡± ¡°You''re letting me see all of that wonderful skin.¡± He said and ran a hand down her arm and to her hand. ¡°You''re letting me touch you.¡± ¡°Ren... I...¡± Lara blushed. ¡°No one''s ever... ever seen...¡± ¡°Then I am more blessed than I thought I was.¡± Ren said. ¡°I get to see you in all your glory, for the first time.¡± Lara smiled as her blush eased, and her hands shook as she fought to let herself go.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Relax.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re comfortable in your own skin. It''s your body. Enjoy it.¡± He smiled sweetly as she took his advice. ¡°Now, let me see what you''re hiding.¡± Lara blushed really hard as she dropped her hands. Ren kept looking at her eyes, to make sure she knew he was seeing her, and not her body. Her blush eased away as he kept eye contact with her, then he reached out to caress her face. ¡°There you are.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s nice to see you.¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°It''s nice to see you, too.¡± ¡°I''m going to look now. Is that okay?¡± He said and let his hand drop away from her face. Lara nodded, and he glanced down for a split second. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can honestly say I''ve never seen anything like them before.¡± ¡°You... you haven''t?¡± Lara asked, surprised. ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said, and put his hands on her hips. She stiffened up for a moment, but when he didn''t move his hands past that, she relaxed. ¡°They are definitely one of a kind.¡± He said, and started to move his thumbs up and down. ¡°What... are you doing?¡± Lara asked. ¡°Testing the waters.¡± Ren said. ¡°If it stays calm, then I can go farther out. If things start to get choppy, I can get back to shore quickly.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lara smiled. ¡°A swimming metaphor?¡± ¡°A woman is like a dangerous sea.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you''re careful and treat her with respect, she''ll treat you well in return; and can provide everything that you''ll ever need.¡± He smiled. ¡°If you''re not careful, though; she can destroy everything that you are and can suck you under.¡± ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Lara said and laughed. ¡°Women aren''t like that at all!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, in case you didn''t notice; I''ve moved my hands.¡± Lara looked down and saw that his hands had moved from her hips, up to the sides of her rib cage. ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°If I was to take a guess, I think it''s because I''m talking to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not all over you and grabbing everything that I can see.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''m not trying to force you to do anything, either.¡± Lara looked at him with wide eyes, and then down at his appendage. ¡°Has it been like that this whole time?¡± ¡°It''s been like this since your awesome performance before you left.¡± Lara opened her mouth to say that wasn''t possible, and Ren''s thumbs touched the underside of her breasts. She gasped from the gentle touch, and she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She put her hands on his wrists, and moved his hands up and over her chest. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± She said. ¡°They''re so sm-¡± ¡°Incredible!¡± Ren exclaimed, and massaged them slowly. ¡°Oh, my...¡± Lara said, and moaned as Ren played with them. The tips poked his palms and he eased his hold, then traced them with his fingertips. ¡°R-R-Ren...¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You... mmm... really like them?¡± Lara asked. ¡°I''ll let my tongue answer that.¡± Ren said, squeezed them a little, and licked one of the tips. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Lara said, and closed her eyes. Ren suckled and played with them as Lara moaned. Even though they were barely a handful, they were hard and perky. He''d never felt anything like them in his mouth before, but for some reason he knew exactly where to lick and tease to get the best reactions from her. Lara felt liquid run down her legs, and put a hand there to try and stem the flow. Ren saw her hand move, and figured that now was as good a time as any. He held one of her breasts in his mouth and moved his hands down around her back to cup her behind. She didn''t protest at all, and he saw her hand moving between her legs. Yes, it''s definitely time. Ren thought and picked her up slowly. Lara leaned back against the wall as he lifted her up. When he had her at almost the right height, he kissed the hand she had between her legs. She moved it aside, and Ren saw the beauty behind it. He kissed her there, and her hand gripped his hair hard. He shifted his grip to hold her under her legs, and she wrapped them around his neck and crossed her ankles behind his back. They stayed that way for a while, and Lara reveled in the feeling of his tongue as he explored her womanhood. She couldn''t think straight as strange things happened inside her body that she''d never felt before. Ren had felt her twitch several times; but knew they were just little ones, and she was getting close to having a big one soon. It was at this point that he realized that he had gained knowledge from those memories he''d seen. Using that knowledge, he used it to full effect. Ren applied direct stimulation to her most sensitive spot with his lips and tongue, and it brought her. ¡°AhhhHHH!¡± Lara screamed as her first real orgasm hit her. She didn''t know what was going on as her body betrayed the calm composure she always had, and her mind reeled as she trembled in ecstasy. Ren had stopped stimulating her after that big one, because the last thing he wanted was to overwhelm her with everything he could do, for her very first time with someone else. He waited for several minutes for the trembling to stop, and when it looked like Lara was coming back to herself, he very gently lowered her down and held her in a ''princess carry'', with an arm under her legs, and one under her back. She draped her arms around his shoulders, and rested her head on top of his. ¡°Please tell me it''s always like this.¡± Lara said dreamily. ¡°It''s always like this.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°I really, really want you to prove that to me.¡± Lara said, and kissed him passionately. ¡°As you command.¡± Ren said, and shifted his grip on her to face her towards him. ¡°I''d rather do this on a bed for your first time, so I can give you all of the attention you deserve.¡± He said and looked around. ¡°I don''t see a bed anywhere.¡± ¡°The most I have is a chair, and it was one you left in the Library.¡± Lara said. ¡°Not that I could fit a bed in here anyways.¡± Ren smiled and sat down on the chair. ¡°The chair will have to do.¡± He said, and set her into the right position. ¡°Ren... um... I...¡± Lara licked her lips. ¡°I think I''m ready.¡± Ren nodded and slid her down slightly. Lara gasped as the tip slid inside, and her body gripped him tightly. ¡°Good god.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can.. can you relax a little?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Lara said and tried to think through what her body was telling her. ¡°I can... I can try.¡± ¡°Please.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you keep holding me like this, it might hurt if I try to move you.¡± Lara nodded, and took several deep breaths. In, out. In, out. She thought, and her body eased it''s tension. Ren felt the change, and he slid her down further. ¡°OH!¡± Lara said as she gripped him hard again. ¡°Good god! Does it ever end?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Relax.¡± Lara nodded several times quickly, and Ren felt her body relax. He took that opportunity to pull her down the rest of the way and she froze stiff. ¡°It''s in.¡± Lara said, her eyes wide. ¡°Oh, my good god! It''s all in!¡± ¡°It... is...¡± Ren said, and tried his best not to finish. Lara was holding onto him so tightly, that he could feel the muscles inside of her trying to massage him, and he wasn''t even moving yet. She felt him as he struggled, and wrapped her arms around him. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Lara whispered to him, and her gaze bored into his. ¡°I want to feel it.¡± She said. ¡°I want to feel it all.¡± Ren nodded, picked her up until he slid almost all the way out. She held on, and was about to say this was the best moment of her life, and then he pulled her down. They both yelled out, as that one single thrust brought the both of them. They locked their lips together, the same as their lower parts were now locked together, and each savored the way they both made the other feel. Even though they couldn''t actually feel what the other felt, they knew the other was having the most pleasure they''d ever had up until that point in their lives. They both spasmed again as they broke the kiss and their bodies shifted slightly. ¡°You.. you proved... proved it.¡± Lara said, when she could talk. ¡°I think... we both did.¡± Ren said, and she smiled and kissed him again. They continued like that for a long time. The both of them were lost in each other''s bodies. Ren showed her some of the things he could do, and Lara showed Ren some of the things she could do. Even though she''d never had any practical experience, that didn''t mean she didn''t know anything. Plus, she had also seen the memories, and knew Ren''s body almost as well as her own. They teased and played, and tried every position they could think of, that they could do in such a limited space. They searched and explored each other''s bodies to find all of the erogenous zones that they knew should be there; then used them to play. By the time they were done, they''d done everything they could do to, and for, each other. The best part of it all was that they had fun. They equipped their clothing, and made sure there wasn''t any outward signs that they had just spent hours upon hours having sex. Once everything was in order, Lara reached for the door handle. ¡°Wait.¡± Ren said, and she stopped. ¡°What is it?¡± Lara asked. ¡°It''s just... well...¡± Ren stepped close to her. ¡°I want to kiss those talented lips again.¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°Isn''t that supposed to be my line?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''m just making sure you know your own strengths.¡± ¡°Oh, all right.¡± Lara said as she hugged him tightly. ¡°I can''t resist such a nice request.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m irresistible.¡± Lara laughed, and they started to kiss again; then it turned into a full make out session. Chapter 260 - Not Again The make out session lasted for quite a while, and the both of them had lost track of time. Neither of them knew exactly how long they''d been away; but, now that their immediate passion had been quenched, Lara chose the Aurora Library from the drop down menu and opened the door to her closet. They stepped out and Lara shut it behind them. ¡°Hey, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That was fast.¡± What do you mean? Ren asked as he and Lara walked back to her desk. ¡°You only went in there a few seconds ago.¡± Really? Ren was surprised. It definitely felt a lot longer than that. He thought about the time dilation he''d experienced before. I wonder if it has the same time compression as the fire realm? ¡°Probably.¡± Teepo said and landed on his shoulder. ¡°As it stands, you''ve got plenty of time to get back to House Neram before nightfall.¡± Lara came to a stop by her desk and turned around. ¡°Teepo says only a few seconds have passed.¡± Ren said, and Lara nodded as she leaned against the desk. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Ren stepped right up to her. ¡°Can... can I... come and see you?¡± ¡°If you want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, you know... I''m right here.¡± Lara smiled. ¡°I meant in real life.¡± ¡°It can''t be for a couple of days.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to work tomorrow, and I''ve planned on meeting my girlfriend Elise on Sunday.¡± ¡°I''m home most of the time anyways, so I can come and visit whenever you want me to.¡± Lara said. ¡°Can I ask why?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Lara said. ¡°You can ask.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why do you want to see me in real life?¡± ¡°I just... I want to know... I need to know... if we have this connection out there, too.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I know what you mean.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Lara asked, surprised. ¡°You want to know if the memories the game showed you is influencing how you feel.¡± Lara''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°How... how...¡± ¡°When you kissed me, right here.¡± Ren said, and stood in the spot she''d kissed him before they went into the closet. ¡°Time seemed to stop, and I saw all these scenes of us together.¡± How is that possible? Lara thought. That''s supposed to be my ability! ¡°I don''t know how it happened.¡± Ren said, almost as if he could read her mind. She didn''t realize what he was actually doing was reading her facial expressions. ¡°All I know is, my mind opened up and I lived all these memories with you.¡± He smiled and touched the side of her face. ¡°Then I felt how much love you had, and how much of it you wanted to give to me.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''m sure you didn''t intentionally share that with me; but honestly, it doesn''t really matter how it happened.¡± Ren took her into a warm embrace, and Lara wrapped her arms around him just as warmly. Why does it feel so nice just to be held like this? Lara asked herself as she rested her forehead against his, then she sighed. ¡°You should have just enough time to get back to the dwarf lands.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Teepo told me.¡± Lara smiled. ¡°You didn''t give that scroll to the foreman at House Lodur''s mines yet.¡± Ren froze still for a moment, and then started to laugh. ¡°I completely forgot about that!¡± ¡°I know you did.¡± Lara said, and kissed him. ¡°Thank you very much for the tiara.¡± ¡°I''m really glad you liked it.¡± Ren said, and just held her. ¡°You really do have to go.¡± Lara reminded him, but didn''t loosen her grip. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s just really nice holding you like this.¡± He said, and repeated her thoughts. He sighed and let his grip loosen. ¡°I don''t know when I''ll be back.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Lara said and let her grip go, too. ¡°Even I don''t know that.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll see you when I see you, then.¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°Not if I see you first.¡± She said. ¡°Do you want my phone number?¡± ¡°That might make it easier to call you, so sure.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Smart ass.¡± Lara said, and gave him her number. ¡°I''ll look forward to hearing from you.¡± ¡°You should.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unlike every other man you''ve ever known, I really will call you.¡± ¡°You better.¡± Lara smiled. ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± ¡°Bye, Lara.¡± Ren stepped back, gave her a regal bow, and walked away down the aisle. * Lara looked down at her hands, and she could feel the ache in them. She wanted to keep a hold of him so badly; but, she also had to let him go. He can''t only be mine. She thought. Nathalia was right. There''s just too much in him for only one woman to have. * Ren walked down the hallway and opened the door when Teepo gave the all-clear signal. Several people now sat in different places and were reading various books. Ren stepped out into the main room of the Library and shut the door quietly. Despite that, the Head Librarian looked over at him with her finger over her lips. Ren gave her a slight nod, activated his Sneak ability, and made his way across the floor without making a sound. When he came to a table with a man sitting at it, he frowned. The man had his chair balanced on it''s back legs, his feet on the table, and flipped the pages of the book he was pretending to read like they were indestructible. Ren stopped and bent close to him. ¡°You should be more respectful of the books.¡± Ren whispered. It startled the guy and he jerked, then started to fall backwards. Ren was ready for this and caught the chair, and him, easily. ¡°What the...¡± ¡°Shhh!¡± Ren whispered and sat him up straight. ¡°This is a Library.¡± ¡°Like I care.¡± The man said and tried to toss the book on the table. Ren grabbed it as soon as it left the man''s hand. The man looked at Ren in surprise, and spoke. ¡°I came here looking for you.¡± ¡°This is not the place to talk.¡± Ren continued to whisper and placed the book on the table. ¡°Outside. Now.¡± The man stood up. ¡°Now listen here, I don''t-muhm!¡± Ren clamped a hand over the man''s mouth, grabbed him by the waist, and tucked him under an arm. He walked calmly to the front door of the Library with the man flailing around. Ren shifted his grip and lifted the man out in front of him, turned around, and pushed the front door open with his back. He tossed the man gently away from the door, looked back inside, and saw the Head Librarian as she stared at him. He gave her another regal bow with a flourish, received a genuine smile and a head bow in return, and he shut the front door. ¡°What the hell was that for?¡± The man asked, irate. ¡°I was only talking, for crying out loud!¡± ¡°Yeah, that was the problem.¡± Ren said as the man stood up. ¡°You''ll get banned faster than getting shot, if you don''t keep a civil manner inside.¡± ¡°Like that matters.¡± The man said. ¡°I only came here to see you.¡± ¡°Why?¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°There''s some things we should talk about.¡± ¡°I don''t have to talk to you at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have no idea who you are.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± The man said. ¡°We''ve never actually met.¡± He said and held out a hand. ¡°I''m Charles. I work as a tech at Sid Tec. I wrote the Giant expansion for the game.¡± Ren glanced at the guy''s hand and raised his eyebrows. Charles dropped the hand and smiled. ¡°Look, is there somewhere we can go to talk?¡± He looked around. ¡°Somewhere a bit more private?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°The last time I was led off somewhere by the tech guys, I was killed.¡± Charles sighed. ¡°Look, I''m sorry that happened; but, it wasn''t me.¡± ¡°Like that matters.¡± Ren said, throwing the man''s own words back at him. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± ¡°The giants, obviously.¡± ¡°You mean their obvious stupidity?¡± Charles shook his head. ¡°They aren''t stupid. They''re just... written to follow a directive.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°So, blindingly stupid then.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Walk with me.¡± Ren said and started walking. Teepo. Teepo took off from his shoulder and scouted up high. Charles followed Ren down the steps and they walked up the street. ¡°So, what''s the scoop on the giants?¡± Ren asked. Charles sighed. ¡°Look, you''ve accessed content that''s not finished.¡± He said. ¡°You''ve even gotten the Chancellor of the giants involved!¡± ¡°Technically.¡± Ren said. ¡°All I did was bring a huge problem to their attention; not that they needed reminding. It''s not my fault they are ignoring the very simple solution I''ve proposed.¡± ¡°No, it''s mine.¡± Charles said. ¡°It''s one of the main purposes I added into the code.¡± ¡°What? To be dicks to their own people when they are suffering? To kill them because they''ve been exiled?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Charles said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Boy, that really sucks.¡± Ren said. ¡°How the hell would that work with player characters dying and respawning?¡± Charles sighed again. ¡°It''s not supposed to.¡± He said. ¡°This was supposed to be lore. A background that the giants went through, to let others come and join them.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Charles nodded. ¡°It was really stupid of you to have them attack the dwarves, then.¡± ¡°We didn''t do that.¡± Charles said. ¡°When the giants were exiled from their homeland, there wasn''t supposed to be a way for them to live long enough to get to the dwarves.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Well, someone screwed up the numbers somewhere.¡± He said. ¡°Not only have the crazy giants been attacking the dwarves, but I personally fought over a hundred of them.¡± ¡°That kind of an attack wasn''t supposed to happen for...¡± Charles smiled. ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± ¡°So, you did plan for the dwarves to be attacked.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just not this soon.¡± Charles didn''t say anything, and Ren smiled. ¡°I''m going back there to save the refugees again, you know.¡± ¡°We know.¡± Charles said. ¡°That''s why I''m here.¡± ¡°Please tell me you have a magic button I can push to stop the attack.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sorry.¡± Charles said. ¡°But, in order for the system update to work...¡± ¡°DUCK!¡± Teepo shouted. Ren ducked and rolled out of the way as a sword slammed into the street. A ripple went out from the impact site, and Charles lifted the sword. It was nearly a tall as him, and Charles was close to 6 feet tall.
Notice!
You have entered PVP Mode.
¡°The giants have to win.¡± Charles said. ¡°You are such an idiot!¡± Ren said and dodged the next attack. ¡°They''ll slaughter women and children!¡± ¡°Yes, and then the remnants will go on to break through the Garrison, and decimate the dwarf population.¡± Charles said, and changed his next sword swing into a stab motion. Ren equipped his shield and deflected the blow. Charles stepped forward and kicked the shield. A loud clang followed, and Ren''s Shock Absorption and Block Abilities took the brunt of it, but then the force of the blow picked Ren up and tossed him backwards nearly 20 feet. When he flew through the Air, Ren equipped his bodysuit and armor. By the time he''d landed, Charles was there and swung his huge sword. Ren didn''t try to block, he only raised the shield on an angle and deflected the blow. Ren activated the Screaming Terror enchantment on his ring, and Charles smiled. ¡°I''ve made this avatar to be the strongest in the game.¡± Charles said. ¡°Your fear based things won''t work on me.¡± Ren deactivated the ring''s enchantment, and absorbed the same enchantment from the shield. He deflected another blow, and jumped backwards. ¡°You''re not getting away.¡± Charles said. ¡°I was told to keep you here until the camp is destroyed.¡± Ren laughed and enchanted the shield with Illumination runes. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± He asked. ¡°You''re going to keep me here all night and for half of the day tomorrow?¡± ¡°No.¡± Charles said, and generated a Mana ball of some kind. ¡°I''m going to kill you.¡± Ren activated the enchantment on the shield, and it lit up like the sun. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Charles stored his sword and held a hand up to block the light. Ren pulled out a Web wand and shot him in the chest with it. Since it made a 20 foot circle of web, it covered him from head to foot, and also a good portion of the ground. Charles laughed, and started to walk. The web started to tear, and Ren shot him several more times. After a few more shots, it made a really big cocoon to contain him. ¡°What... what are you...¡± Charles said, but it was muffled by the web. The large pile of webbing moved slightly. He''s still trying to walk. Ren thought in amazement, deactivated his shield enchantment, then thought about the spells he had access to. Oh, that''s just mean. He grinned and took out several wands to change their spells. * Charles was getting frustrated. He''d held his hand over his face to block the blinding light, then the first web spell hit him and covered everything. His hand had luckily stopped the web from covering his face and eyes, but it didn''t stop him from walking. The next spell hit and wrapped around him, then made the first one tighter. More web spells encompassed him, and squeezed tightly. He could move a little bit, but he couldn''t see a thing. Unwilling to keep moving, Charles equipped his sword again and activated the Fire enchantment. Thankfully, the sword granted him a boost to Fire protection, and the webs lit on fire. He was tempted to use the Sphere of Death in his other hand, but he wasn''t sure it would only kill the webbing if he used it, while the web was wrapped around him like it was. Normally, I''d be worried he was running away. Charles thought. But, as long as he''s in PVP mode, he can''t leave until one of us is dead. The fire burned the webbing, and it started to lose it''s strength. Charles struggled and pulled, and swung his sword once his arm was free. The webbing dissolved much faster, and he stepped out of it. I should have used the enchantment right away. He thought. I could have cut the web spells down as he cast them! Charles looked around when he was free. ¡°You''re not killing me!¡± Ren said from behind him. Charles turned around and saw a fireball coming towards him. He held up the sword and the fireball hit. He barely took any damage, and saw Ren as he stood down the street in a fighting pose. He had a shield and a weapon ready, and Charles threw the Sphere of Death at Ren. A tower shield made of Mana appeared in front of him, and the spell hit it. It encompassed the shield and shattered it. The shield had done it''s job, though. The Sphere of Death didn''t come near Ren at all. Charles made another Sphere of Death and threw it. Another tower shield of Mana appeared and blocked it again. ¡°ARRHH!¡± Charles yelled, then an Obscuring Mist covered the space between them. ¡°I said you aren''t getting away!¡± Charles said, clenched his fist, and cast Gust of Wind when he opened his fingers. He directed it to where Ren had stood, and the Obscuring Mist was blown 60 feet down the street to the extent of the spell, and it dispersed. He saw Ren was farther away, but in the same fighting pose, and ran closer. ¡°Take this! And this!¡± Charles said, and cast Lightning Bolt twice. The tower shield made of Mana appeared in front of Ren both times, and the Lightning destroyed them. ¡°Stop defending!¡± ¡°You''re not killing me!¡± Ren said again. Charles was enraged and ran forward to engage in hand to hand, and another Obscuring Mist covered Ren. ¡°Dammit!¡± Charles yelled, waited for a moment, and cast Gust of Wind again. * Do you think he''s getting low on Mana yet? Ren thought to Teepo. ¡°I''d say so.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Cast them again, just in case.¡± Ren cast Ghost Image, Magic Mouth, and Shield just past where the Obscuring Mist was. Ren had cast the spells from his safe perch, which was on top of one of the one storey buildings at the end of the street. He still thinks its really me. Ren thought in amusement as he shot Grease onto the ground right in front of his perch, and cast ghost image of a clean street on top of it. He''s gonna love this. He thought as the Obscuring Mist was blown away again. * ¡°You''re not killing me!¡± Ghost Image Ren said. Charles bellowed angrily, brandished his sword, and ran towards Ren. Charles had used up nearly all of his Mana casting those spells, and was left with just pummeling the idiot until he agreed to let the scenario play out like it was supposed to, or died. Whichever came first. * Charles hit the hidden grease spot and his feet flew out from underneath him. He flipped backwards uncontrollably, and slammed into the ground. His head and shoulders hit the street and it knocked the wind out of him. Despite his enormous Strength, and the Durability and enchantments on his armor, he still took quite a bit of damage from the fall. He had been dazed, and dropped his sword somewhere. When he tried to roll over to see where it was, he stopped and stared as a 5 inch long tarantula landed on his chest and crawled up to stand on his chin. ¡°You know, I''m getting really tired of you guys coming in here after me.¡± Ren said and put his foot on the guy''s chest. ¡°What happened to just sending me a text message? Or explaining what was happening? Or even just asking me to listen?¡± He asked, and put some of his weight on Charles as the spider crawled over Charles'' face. ¡°You think you can do what you want to me, and nothing''s going to happen to you?¡± Charles couldn''t catch his breath because he didn''t want to scare the spider, then Ren leaned more of his weight on him and cut off his breath completely. He heard the metal of his chest plate groan, but it didn''t break. ¡°I figured I''d have crushed your chest by now.¡± Ren said, and used Enchanted Eyes. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± He took his foot off of the guy''s chest and he heard a large drawn in breath. Ren touched the armor and used his Retain Essence skill. It absorbed the enchantment on the armor, and Ren saw a small window appear under his Mana Pool that said he had an Essence to transfer. ¡°That''s better.¡± Ren said and put his foot back on the guy''s chest. The armor, no longer enchanted, was now only plain iron with a high Durability. He smiled as his foot went right into the metal as if it wasn''t there. Charles grabbed the foot and tried to stop it before it crushed the metal into his chest. Even though he''d put nearly all of his available stat points into Strength, he was having no success in stopping the foot''s progress. The tarantula on his forehead wasn''t helping things, either. ¡°It''s not my fault you messed things up.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why did you put access to special content in the game, when you don''t want people to access it?¡± He shook his head and looked at Charles. ¡°It''s not like you didn''t know I was in the dwarf lands.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve been there for months. I would have seen or heard about attacks on the Garrison.¡± He stopped talking, and then smiled. ¡°Boy, I bet you wish your buddies in the tech department had installed the logout protocol on PVP.¡± ¡°Please... don''t...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You were going to kill me, just so you could alter the storyline, or fix the storyline, or whatever... and you want me to not kill you now?¡± Charles nodded, and Ren leaned on him more. Charles'' Health dropped steadily as he bled. ¡°You do realize that in PVP, one of us has to die, right?¡± Charles nodded again. ¡°You want me to spare you and then let you kill me?¡± Ren asked, incredulous. ¡°I knew you were stupid for starting this with me, and without set conditions; but, you are really god-damned flipping stupid!¡± ¡°Would have been... quick... if not for... Mana shield.¡± Charles sputtered. ¡°Yeah, you''re definitely stupid.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I hope you have lots of loot!¡± He said, and pushed his foot to the ground. Chapter 261 - Something New
Notice!
You have successfully defeated an opponent (SPECIAL) in combat. Rewards: 5,432 XP Fame: +2,000 Due to the nature of the participant, no loot can be gained.
¡°Son of a bi-¡±
Notice!
You have been granted a Temporary Boost: SPECIAL! All gains, bonuses, effects, and abilities will be doubled for the next 24 in-game hours.
¡°Holy crap!¡±
Notice!
Excess Fame has been converted to XP. 2,000 Fame x 10 XP = 20,000 XP SPECIAL x2: +20,000 XP
Notice!
You have gained a level! 10 stat points have been automatically allocated, and you are now Level 33. Craft Construct limit has been increased from 2 to 3. SPECIAL x2: You have gained another level! 10 more skill points have been automatically allocated, and you are now Level 34. Craft Wondrous Item recipe: Amulet of the Spider has been unlocked.
Notice!
PVP Mode has ended.
I was going to be pissed that he didn''t drop anything. Ren thought in amusement as he used a Major Healing wand to restore all the Health he''d lost, and then the Mana he''d used to change the spells in the wands. What I got was definitely much better!
Notice!
You stayed calm in battle, and used your head to defeat your opponent. For living up to your title, Strong and Wise, you have been granted a bonus. Wisdom: +5 SPECIAL x2: +5 Wisdom
Whoa! Ren thought, amazed. ¡°We better go.¡± Teepo said as he landed on Ren''s shoulder, and the spider crawled up and tucked itself into the cloak. ¡°That idiot used up a lot of your spare time. You''re going to be late.¡± Right. Ren thought, stored his armor, and equipped his Travelling Clothes. He walked the 20 feet to the corner of the street beside Sally''s Shop. He was tempted to run, but he''d barely start to run and would have to stop; so, he walked by Sally''s to the back of his business and went up the stairs to the back door. He went inside and up to the apartment without making a sound. When he opened the door, he saw Anabelle. She sat on the end of her bed, and she wore the new nightgown he''d made for her. ¡°Thank you for this.¡± Anabelle said, and rubbed her hands over the soft cloth. ¡°I''ve been wearing that other old thing for years.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I realized you still had it, I had to make you something else.¡± Anabelle stood up and swayed her hips as she walked over to him. The nightgown seemed to fit her quite nicely, and clung to her in all the right places. ¡°I appreciate your concern.¡± She purred, and ran her hands through his hair. She leaned down and smelled his hair. ¡°I miss this smell.¡± ¡°I... um... I need to get back to the dwarf lands.¡± ¡°You always need to.¡± Anabelle said, sadly. ¡°I''ve barely seen you since you''ve been back.¡± ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be spending a lot more time here in a couple of months, though.¡± Anabelle sighed dramatically. ¡°I have to wait for a couple more months?¡± Ren ran his hands up her sides, and lightly caressed her breasts. Anabelle gasped and shivered as he moved his hands and massaged her chest. ¡°I meant that I won''t have to go there anymore by then.¡± He said, and squeezed her chest. ¡°I didn''t mean that I''d deny your needs until then.¡± ¡°But... you still need to... go...¡± Anabelle said, and bit her lip so she wouldn''t moan out loud. ¡°I do... but, I promise that when I come back next time, I''ll give you what you want.¡± ¡°No arguing? No saying no?¡± Anabelle asked, and he could hear the hope in her voice. ¡°I accepted responsibility for you when I destroyed your old contracts with Lord Eric, and again when I made the new one.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t bitch and moan now that I didn''t know what I was doing.¡± Anabelle laughed, grabbed the back of his head, and bent down to kiss him. ¡°You''re so sweet, I just want to eat you all up.¡± She said, and kissed him. When she broke the kiss a moment later, she bit his bottom lip. She didn''t do it hard or maliciously; it was only enough to pull on his lip a little, and teased of the things to come. ¡°See you soon.¡± Anabelle said, and let him go. Ren nodded, opened the cabinet, and stepped inside. Teepo dissolved into the ring, and Ren stepped through the portal. He summoned Teepo on the other side after he felt the familiar pain on his hand, and went downstairs as the tarantula crawled back into the cloak. That was fast. Princess thought to him, and stood up. I do not need food yet. Ren smiled at her, and scratched her chin. He opened up her stat menu and saw she had leveled up a couple of times, just like he did. ¡°Let''s divide up your skill points.¡± Ren said, and she told him where to put them. Thank you. Princess thought. I''m sorry I missed the fight. ¡°So am I.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can just imagine the look on his face if you''d rammed him in the chest!¡± He sent her the mental image he''d thought of, and Princess brayed in amusement. He led her outside and made sure the door was locked, then climbed up into the saddle. Princess took off and ran for all she was worth. Teepo chittered in delight, and Ren laughed as he felt how happy Princess was that she could be his mount for real, and not just in name only. They got back to House Neram Keep 50 minutes later, and Ren got her settled into the stable. He glanced at Ruck''s door, and made a decision. He stepped to the door and knocked loudly. ¡°Ruck! I haven''t seen you in forever! Are you okay?¡± There was no answer, and Ren frowned. ¡°That''s it! I''m tired of you not coming out to see me or anyone else! I''m coming in!¡± There was still no answer, so Ren tried to open the door. It wouldn''t budge. ¡°Looks like I''m doing this the hard way.¡± Ren said, and took out a hammer and chisel. Since the hinges for the door were on the inside, and the door swung inwards, Ren put the chisel where he''d mounted the hinges, and hammered them out. Ren heard the wood groan and the door loosened. He stored the door and was surprised by what was inside. It was Ruck, except he filled all of the available space. ¡°Ruck!¡± Ren exclaimed, and grabbed the wall the door was mounted in. He used Iron Grip with both hands, and pulled. The wall broke apart and splintered, and Ruck''s trapped arms and legs were now free. Ren stepped back, and Ruck leaned forward to stand on his legs. He was nearly 10 feet long, and 5 feet wide, and his hand reached out and pat Ren on the head. ¡°I''m so sorry, Ruck.¡± Ren said, and hugged Ruck''s head. ¡°I thought you were mad at me for being gone so long.¡± He said. ¡°I had no idea that you were trapped!¡± Ruck hugged him back, and then tapped him on the back. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren let the hug go, and stepped back. Ruck pulled 100 Health potions out of his inventory and held them out. Ren stored them, and Ruck passed him 100 Mana potions.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°You taught yourself to make potions!¡± Ren said. Ruck used a finger and poked Ren in the forehead, then made a ''T'' shape, and a number ''1''. Ren chuckled. ¡°Tee-one taught you.¡± He said and pat Ruck. ¡°Thanks for all your hard work.¡± Ruck made the ''okay'' gesture. ¡°You''re just as big as Lylyth''s spider familiar.¡± Ren said, and Ruck gave him a ''thumbs up'' gesture. ¡°I think I need to make you a better place to live.¡± Ruck shook his head from side to side, and Ren looked at the remnants of the space he''d made for Ruck. ¡°You''re not going to fit back in there.¡± Ren said, and Ruck motioned to the rest of the stable. ¡°I... oh, all right. I''ll make sure you have a nice place when we get back to Aurora, okay?¡± Ruck pat Ren on the head again, and Ren laughed. He gathered up the wood pieces and splinters, and went outside to the fire elemental''s pen. ¡°Hi, there!¡± Ren said, and tossed the wood into the pen, and took out the door as well. He used a web wand a few times on the pile of splintered and damaged wood, and the fire elemental came out of the fire and wind enchantments and jumped onto the pile. Ren couldn''t resist the temptation and hopped into the pen. He picked up the fire elemental and cuddled it. It''s head stub rubbed on the side of his face, and he laughed. ¡°Yes, I know I should spend more time with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°For now, how about I give you one of the last strips of Spider Silk Cloth that I have?¡± The fire elemental''s color changed slightly, and Ren took out a long strip of it. He held it out for the fire elemental, and it started to pull it into itself. It was a long strip, about twice the length of the elemental, but by the time the last of it entered the fire elemental''s head stub, it could no longer be seen. ¡°Oh, you definitely have a big appetite!¡± Ren said, and tickled it''s belly. He heard a loud crackling fire, and hugged the elemental close. ¡°I just love that sound.¡± He said, and kissed the head stub. The fire elemental''s color changed to a bright yellow, then it went almost white for an instant. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said, gave it one more squeeze, and put it down on the web-covered pile of wood. The fire elemental danced around the pile, and lit several places on fire. It was being smart about how it consumed things, and once the wood from underneath was exposed, it burrowed inside. ¡°Be careful.¡± Ren said, and it poked it''s head stub out through the hole it had made. ¡°Make sure you have air holes.¡± It bobbed it''s head stub, and disappeared. Ren got out of the pen and went into the house. ¡°You''re back!¡± Nathalia said, and hopped into his arms. Ren chuckled as he caught her, and she nuzzled his neck. ¡°So this is okay, but I can''t hug you in public?¡± He laughed as she grabbed his beard and pulled on it a little. ¡°Can you imagine what would happen if she did that in public?¡± Ereka said and laughed. ¡°You''re lucky there''s no precedent for kicking a Head of House out of their own House!¡± Ren and Nathalia laughed, and he put her down. ¡°I''ve caused enough scandals in the Dwarven Kingdom by this point.¡± Ren said. ¡°I honestly don''t need to cause another one right now.¡± ¡°Definitely not.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Now sit down and tell me what happened.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Please.¡± Nathalia said and tapped his heart. ¡°I can feel that something is bothering you.¡± Ren sighed, and sat down to eat. The two women joined him at the table and he told them about the Adventurer that wanted to kill him so the refugee giants would be wiped out, and the Garrison would be destroyed. ¡°By the gods.¡± Ereka whispered. ¡°How could they be so stupid?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s what I said to him.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I''ll have to deal with Adventurer''s business for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t think anything will happen with it right away, but if I wait too long to bring it to someone else''s attention, they might get rid of all the evidence.¡± ¡°Then what are you still sitting there for?¡± Nathalia said and stood up. ¡°Get in there on the couch and deal with it.¡± She pointed to the main room. ¡°Right now.¡± Ren stood, and gave her a kiss. ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± He said, and went to the couch. He took off the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, laid it on the small table, and sat down. Teepo flew up to the ceiling, and Ren leaned back on the couch. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren slipped off the VR headset and saw that Barbara was on the cell phone. ¡°That''s right.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°He''s fine.¡± ¡°Yes, really.¡± ¡°I''ve sent the footage like you asked.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Okay, I''ll tell him when he... oh, there he is. Just a second.¡± Barbara held the phone out to him, and Ren took it. ¡°Hi, Elise.¡± ¡°Ren! You''re okay!¡± Elise said. ¡°Like Barbara said, I''m fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did she tell you it was Charles from the tech department?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Elise said, and Ren could hear the anger in her voice. ¡°That little pip-squeak is going to have his neck wrung when I see him tomorrow morning!¡± ¡°I don''t know if you want to finish him off so quickly.¡± Ren said. ¡°Finish him?¡± Elise chuckled, menacingly. ¡°That''s just the start of what I''m going to do to him!¡± ¡°Elise.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes?¡± Elise responded, fully prepared for him to get angry about it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°That makes me really happy.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Elise said, surprised. ¡°You... you''re happy?¡± ¡°You''re willing to defend me like that, even though he only attacked me in the game.¡± ¡°Ren, I told you before.¡± Elise said, seriously. ¡°No one is more important than you.¡± ¡°Elise...¡± ¡°I''ve already relayed the footage to my boss, the CEO of Sid Tec.¡± Elise said. ¡°I can''t do anything else right now; but, you can bet your cute little ass that I''ll deal with it first thing in the morning.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I think you''re confusing us.¡± He said. ¡°You''re the one with the cute ass.¡± ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Elise said. ¡°Between the two of us, you''re definitely cuter.¡± ¡°Have you seen yourself in a pair of jeans?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°Let''s just agree we''re at an impasse.¡± Elise said, and then went quiet for a minute. ¡°I really am fine, Elise.¡± Ren said, reading the silence correctly. ¡°Watch the footage and you''ll understand.¡± ¡°I... all right.¡± She said. ¡°I''m glad you''re okay.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry for waking you up.¡± ¡°Oh, don''t worry about that.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m going to sleep much better, now that I''ve heard your voice and know you''re okay.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Elise.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Elise said, and hung up. Ren handed the cell phone back to Barbara. ¡°Thanks, Barbara.¡± Barbara put the cell phone on the dresser and looked at him. ¡°You''re not going to yell at me for calling her so late?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was going to call her myself.¡± He smiled. ¡°You were just a step ahead of me.¡± Barbara smiled and nodded. ¡°I thought that''s what you were going to do.¡± ¡°She''s like a direct connection to the game company. If we didn''t call her after something like this happened, I think she''d be pretty mad.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Heck, we called her and she''s still pretty mad!¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°Is she ever!¡± She said. ¡°You''ve got a fervent defender there, I''d say.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°She''s also smart, sexy, nearly 2 feet taller than me, and doesn''t mind that my body''s like this.¡± He grinned. ¡°She''s pretty great.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°I assume you''re going back in right away?¡± ¡°Um... actually, now that I''m out...¡± Ren raised the bed up to put him into a sitting position. ¡°I need a number 2.¡± Barbara helped him down off the bed and into the bathroom. When he was done, she helped him get back into bed and get settled, then he put on the VR headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch, and Teepo told him he''d been gone for nearly 2 hours. He landed on Ren''s shoulder as Ren snuck out of the house and went up to the workshop. He enchanted the pieces of the Automatic Ballistas and helped Tee-one assemble them. Once the cartridges were attached, Ren stored them with the others. He now had 8 of them, and each had a hundred shots. He figured that should be more than enough to deal with 30 giants, no matter how well they were trained. Ren thanked Tee-one for all of his help, and asked if he wanted to fight the giants. Tee-one said he would do whatever Ren wanted him to do. ¡°That''s not usually how asking works.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I ask, you answer. I''m not going to make it an order.¡± ¡°Would you rather I stayed here and worked?¡± Ren took a breath and let it out. ¡°You''re deliberately not answering until I give an opinion, aren''t you?¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°I''d rather you keep working.¡± Ren said and smiled back. ¡°Then I decline your offer to fight.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°If you''re getting the dwarves to help, I''ll only be in the way, anyways.¡± Ren looked at the smelters. ¡°I''ve got a plan I need to make, but...¡± ¡°There''s an empty workbench right over there.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Have fun.¡± Ren smiled and went over to the workbench. He took out the small wind-up toy boat that he''d found, and then his tools. He carefully pried off everything that could be pried off, and he was left with just the main part of the boat. ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± Ren said, and gently used the edge of a tiny saw to cut into the top of the boat. He went slowly, because he didn''t know what was inside, and didn''t want to damage anything. He made it all around the edge, and successfully cut the top off. He lifted the top off to see the inner workings, and examined them. He turned the key to see how the mechanism worked, and the large metal coil compressed slightly. ¡°No way.¡± Ren said, and watched as the coil spring kept getting smaller the more he turned the key. When it was as far as it could go, he let the key go. Nothing happened, and he frowned. He picked the toy up and looked at anything that might be sticking out a little. He didn''t see anything, and put the toy down. ¡°Something needs to release the coiled spring.¡± Ren said to himself, then noticed the top he''d cut off didn''t sit flat on the workbench. He picked it up, and there it was. A small protrusion that he assumed hit the mechanism. He flipped it over, and realized that the top cabin needed to be pushed down to start the boat. Once he knew that, he picked up the bottom of the boat and used the tip of a small tool to simulate the cabin being pushed down. He saw a small gear move in, and a little lever released the coiled spring. A loud whir accompanied this, and the wheels on the bottom of the boat spun furiously. The spring uncoiled in only a couple of seconds and the wheels rolled on by themselves. Ren wound it up only a couple of times, set the boat on the workbench, and hit the spot where the protrusion would hit it. The boat moved about a foot, and stopped. ¡°So, it needs some kind of resistance, or the spring tranfers all of it''s energy right away.¡± Ren said, picked the toy up and wound it a couple of times. He examined it as he hit the switch to see what parts moved where, what stayed still, and how the gears transfered the energy to the wheels. He repeated this a few times, just to make sure he understood how it all worked, what size the gears needed to be, and how they should all be attached. Ren grinned when he received a popup.
Notice!
You have learned a new recipe: Wind-Up Toy Boat
Ren moved the toy boat aside, and took out a piece of wood. Since the original was made of wood, he needed to see if he could reproduce it and still have it work. With the system''s help and guide outlines for the parts, it took Ren about half an hour to fashion all of the pieces needed to make the toy. All he needed now was the coil spring. Ren went into the forge room and took out a 2 foot by 2 foot paving stone. He used a small chisel to dig out a very thin channel from corner to corner, two and a half feet long. Ren poured a small amount of molten metal out and let it fill the channel. He absorbed some of the heat from it, folded it over, and stuck it in the forge. When it was hot enough, he hammered it out to the same length it was and folded it again. Ren repeated this several times, and when he thought it was enough, he stuck it back into the forge. When it softened, he took it out and started to wrap it around his finger. He knew the right size and shape it had to be, so he absorbed the heat as he made looser and looser coils, until he got to the end and bent it to hook into the main gear. He polished it to increase the Durability, and went back out to the workbench. He assembled all of the pieces in the proper order, and he didn''t have any problems. Surprisingly, the pieces snapped together easily, and didn''t need to be nailed or secured in any way. I guess they''d have to introduce glue or something otherwise. Ren thought, and put the new toy boat on the workbench. He''d even made all of the external parts; a sail, a rudder, and even a little figure to sit in it. He took a deep breath, reached out, and turned the key several times. The boat sat there, and he tapped the cabin. It released the coiled spring, and the boat took off across the workbench and flew off the end. ¡°Oops.¡± Ren said as it clattered to the floor. He went over to it, and saw that it had survived its fall unscathed.
Notice!
You have unlocked a new skill: Craft Toy Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This skill allows you to make various toys. Recipes known: Wind-Up Toy Boat. Higher levels will allow greater speed and ease making new toys, and unlocks new recipes if you are unable to find them on your own.
¡°Cool.¡± Ren picked it up and grinned. ¡°I can make toys!¡± Chapter 262 - Crafting Galore Ren stored the toy boat he''d made and looked at the remnants of the other one. He opened a drawer in the workbench and put the pieces inside. He was tempted to store them as well, but since he''d cut it apart to examine it, it''s usefulness was pretty much done. Ren''s next task was to make a copy of the toy boat out of metal. He took out the paving stone he''d used for making the spring coil, and used his chisel to dig out molds for all of the gears and things he''d just made out of wood. He only needed to make the main mechanical parts out of metal, though. The rest of the boat could be made out of wood. Once the mold was done, he filled it with molten metal, and absorbed the heat from all of the parts except for the metal to be used as the coil spring. He did the fold and re-heat trick with the coil spring several times to make it stronger, but that wasn''t necessary for the gears. They couldn''t be folded and then put back into the gear shape without re-melting the metal, and that would defeat the purpose of folding it in the first place. Ren popped the parts out of the molds and made the hull of the boat out of wood.
Stat Change!
Woodworking Level 3 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren assembled the metal parts together after cleaning and polishing them to make sure there wasn''t anything in the gears to mess up their movements. He put it in the boat hull, and put the top on it. He even went through the trouble to make everything else, the same as he did with the completely wooden toy boat. Once it was all together, Ren turned the key a couple of times, and hit the cabin button. He was ready to catch it this time, and the boat flew across the workbench and into his hand. ¡°HA!¡± Ren said. ¡°It works!¡±
Stat Change!
Craft Toy Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
¡°Whoa! Another level so soon?¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°That''s never happened before.¡± He said, and looked at the toy. ¡°It must be because of my SPECIAL bonus.¡± He grinned. ¡°Well, it did say all gains, bonuses, abilities and effects would be doubled for 24 hours.¡± The toy had only taken 10 minutes to make, so he figured he might as well do it again. ¡°Okay, completely metal this time.¡± Ren said, and took out another paving stone and carved out the pieces that should have been made from wood.
Stat Change!
Stone Cutting Level 3 (Beginner 0%)
Ren filled both molds with molten metal, absorbed the heat from all the parts except the metal for the spring coil. It was folded and hammered several times, and then wrapped into the proper shape. He assembled the pieces to make the boat, wound the key a couple of times, and tapped the cabin. It took off almost as fast as the wooden one with the metal parts inside, and Ren nodded. ¡°It would be a little slower, since metal is heavier than wood.¡± Ren said, and stored it.
Stat Change!
Craft Toy Level 3 (Beginner 0%)
¡°Okay, that''s getting ridiculous.¡± Ren said. ¡°What kind of compound bonuses of XP am I... oh, man!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°I get XP for skills 60% faster because of Slow and Steady, and since it''s an ability, it''s bonus is doubled!¡± Ren grabbed the wand handle mold and filled it. He took out one of the two crates of 1 inch wide diamond ovals, and started making web wands. According to his last attempt at this, he knew he needed 5 more castings to level up the Craft Wand skill to Intermediate. He finished assembling and enchanting the first batch of wands, dismissed the two popups for the skill level gains, then poured the mold again. Since I now get a 120% XP bonus when using skills... Ren smiled as he dismissed one popup after he enchanted 20 wands, then did the next 20. When he finished the last wand of the second batch, he received another popup.
Stat Change!
Craft Wand Level 1 (Intermediate 0%)
Notice!
The wands you create can hold Level 2 Spells. All Level 1 Spells automatically upgrade to their next level when imbued into wands.
¡°Ha ha!¡± Ren laughed, then looked at all of the wands he had, on the workbench and in inventory. All of them could only hold Level 1 Spells. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± He said. ¡°I just made all of my old wands obsolete!¡± Ren took them all out and looked at them. ¡°I can still use them for Minor Healing and Major Healing spells; but, now I''m wondering if they do anything different in a Level 2 wand.¡± As an experiment, he picked up one of the many web wands he''d just made, and absorbed the spell charges from it. He took out the Spell book of Level 2 Spells and looked at the table of contents.
Spell List Level 2
Name Page
Acid Splash 2
Bridge 3
Bull Strength 4
Charm Person 5
Disguise Self 6
Detect Magic 7
Glitterdust 8
Gust Of Wind 9
Haste 10
Knock 11
Magic Armor 12
Minor Image 13
Rope Trick 14
See Invisibility 15
Slow 16
Spider Climb 17
Wall Of Iron 18
Gust of Wind. Ren thought. I wonder if that was the spell that Charles guy cast to get rid of the Obscuring Mist? ¡°I''d say so.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Hey, you should try the Iron Wall spell.¡± Ren nodded and flipped to the back of the book to the last page and read the details of the spell. He concentrated on it, and held his hand on the end of the empty wand. He used his Create Wand skill, but nothing happened. ¡°Damn, I have to make new wands.¡± Ren said, and enchanted the wand with Web again. ¡°What are you going to do with them all?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I have a couple of options.¡± Ren said. ¡°One of which is making huge arrays with them.¡± ¡°Wait, you mean like what you attached to your armor and Tee-one?¡± Ren nodded. Teepo was quiet for a while, then spoke. ¡°You can make a harness for Ruck and cover him with them.¡± Teepo said. Ren thought about it, and chuckled. ¡°Heck, why not?¡± He said, refilled the smelter that he''d used the metal from, and went to the next forge. He used the wand handle mold and filled it with molten metal, then absorbed some of the heat from one of the wand handles and attached the diamond tip. Ren chose the Iron Wall spell to enchant the wand, and he lost about 5% of his Mana Pool. Since his Mana Pool was 3 times the size of his Mana bar, that meant it took about 200 Mana to fill the wand. ¡°Geez, that''s a lot!¡± Ren said, and turned to face the empty part of the workshop. He examined the wand to see what it did.
Wand of Iron Barrier
The Wall of Iron spell causes a flat, vertical iron wall to spring into being. The wall inserts itself into any surrounding nonliving material if its area is sufficient to do so. The wall cannot be conjured so that it occupies the same space as a creature or another object. It must always be on a relatively flat surface, though you can shape its edges to fit the available space. If you so desire, it can be generated and not attached to the surface it appears on. If left free-standing, it can be pushed over to fall on and crush creatures beneath it; if left alone, there''s a 50% chance it will fall in either direction. Target: Any reasonably flat surface; and the edges can be formed to fit against odd-shaped or curved objects (like a cave wall or ceiling). Size: It is 10 feet square and is an inch thick for every spell level, but you can double the wall area by halving its thickness. Range: Medium (Within 100 feet). Current spell level: 2. Time Limit: 10 minutes
Ren pointed the wand near the wall, and used it. A 10 foot square wall of iron appeared by the wall. He went over to it to inspect it, and smiled. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Wall of Iron
This 10 foot square wall is made of solid iron, and is 2 inches thick. Please note: This iron cannot be harvested, forged, or smelted. Any attempt to do so will end the spell (because the wall would need to be destroyed for any of those actions).
¡°So, no creating out of nothing.¡± Ren said. ¡°That makes sense.¡± He smiled. ¡°Imagine if I could just make iron appear and then smelt it!¡± He laughed and went back to the wand handle mold. He made another bunch of wands after attaching diamonds to the tips as the focusing agent, and filled them with the Web spell. Ren finished all 40 wands quickly. With his Fast Craft skill of 25% boosted to 50% because of the SPECIAL Bonus, each one only took about 5 seconds to attach the diamond to the already poured handle and enchant. He even used the heat from the handle to keep his Mana Pool from draining too much. He was a little disappointed that he only gained a single level, though. ¡°Well, it is supposed to be harder to level once you''re out of the Beginner Stage.¡± Ren said, and examined one of the new web wands.
Wand Of Entrapment
A Web spell creates a many-layered mass of strong, sticky strands. These strands trap those caught in them. The strands are similar to spider webs, but far larger and tougher. These masses must be anchored to two or more solid and diametrically opposed points or else the web collapses upon itself and disappears. Creatures caught within a web become entangled among the gluey fibers. Attacking a creature in a web won¡¯t cause you to become entangled. Web can be made permanent with a Permanency (Level 5) spell. A permanent web that is damaged (but not destroyed) regrows in 10 minutes. Warning: The strands of a Web spell are flammable. A magic flaming sword can slash them away as easily as a hand brushes away cobwebs. Any fire can set the webs alight and burn away 5 square feet in 1 minute. All creatures within flaming webs take 4 to 8 points of Fire damage from the flames. Cast Distance: Within 125 feet (Medium). Area of Effect: 25 foot radius. Time Limit: 15 minutes (Level 2)
¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°The new wand increased the distance it fires by 25 feet, the size it generates by 5 feet, and the time it lasts by 5 minutes.¡± He smiled. ¡°If it goes in the same progression for each new level, then a Level 5 wand would be 200 feet, the size would be 40 feet, and it would last for 30 minutes.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Of course, at Level 5, I''ll have a Permanency spell, and the time limit won''t matter.¡± Ren stored the new wands and looked through the Spell book. He used his Speed Reading skill automatically, and memorized all of the spells. He stored the book and remembered that he''d leveled up twice, and it unlocked something. He opened the user menu, and checked the previous popups. ¡°Amulet of the Spider.¡± Ren said, and checked the recipe. ¡°Oh, that''s cool!¡± He went to the forge room and tossed several pieces of gold ore into one of the smelters, then took out another paving stone and carved out a circle, 4 inches across and half an inch thick. He stirred up the molten metal to make sure the gold and steel were mixed well, and poured some of it into the mold. After that, he went back to the workbench and absorbed the heat from the metal disc. Ren popped it out of the mold, held it in his hand, and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability. The 1 foot square golden platform appeared in front of him, and he placed the metal disc on it. It was encompassed in a soft glow for almost a full minute, and he lost about 15% of his Mana Pool. 600 Mana! Ren thought, amazed. I can only make 6 of them with my Mana Pool full! Ren took out a Major Healing wand to prepare to refill his Mana Pool to make more amulets, then picked up the amulet. A chain had generated on it, the metal was emblazoned with a web pattern, and a tarantula had ''grown'' on it''s surface. He picked it up and saw it was a three dimensional spider on the once flat metal disk, then examined it.
Amulet of the Spider
This amulet gives the wearer the ability to climb as if a permanent Spider Climb spell had been placed upon them. In addition, it grants immunity to entrapment by web spells or webs of any sort. You can also move in (or on) webs at half your normal speed. It also increases resistance against poison from spiders by 30%. Due to the higher quality of the materials used in it''s creation, this amulet grants extra bonuses. Once per hour, the wearer can cast the Web spell for free. It is generated from the amulet and can be shot anywhere in a 45 degree arc forward. The wearer gains +2 bonus to Luck.
¡°A permanent Spider Climb spell?¡± Ren said, and recalled the spell. ¡°No, that can''t be right.¡± He took out the spell book and looked it up again.
Spider Climb (Spell, Level 2)
The subject of this spell can climb and travel on vertical surfaces or even traverse ceilings as well as a spider does. The affected creature/person must have its hands free to climb in this manner, to maintain it''s balance. The subject gains a climb speed of 20 feet per 5 seconds; furthermore, it automatically passes all Climb checks when traversing a vertical or horizontal surface (even while upside down). The subject retains its Dexterity while climbing, and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it (even though it''s movement has slowed considerably). Please note: You can not run while climbing, because you need to have at least two (2) points of contact with the surface to be climbed. Range: Touch Target: Creature/person touched Duration: 5 minutes per spell level
¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°That is freaking cool!¡± He stood up and hung the Amulet of the Spider around his neck. It automatically tucked itself into his clothing to touch his skin, and stuck there. He smiled and walked over to the Iron Wall. He placed his right hand and left foot on it, them pulled himself up. ¡°Ha!¡± Ren said, and climbed to the top of the 10 foot wall with no hand holds or anything else to grab. He climbed over the top and to the other side of it, and went to climb down towards the floor. ¡°I wouldn''t do that.¡± Teepo warned. It''s okay. Ren thought. With this amulet on, there''s no way I can fall. ¡°Okay.¡± Teepo said and took off from his shoulder to hover nearly. ¡°Good luck.¡± When Ren positioned himself to face downwards and started to climb down, the Iron Wall spell ended and it disappeared. ¡°WAH!¡± Ren exclaimed as he fell to the floor, and Teepo chittered in delight as Ren landed on his head with a loud thunk.
Stat Change!
Fall Resistance Level 2 (Beginner 0%) - Reduces fall damage by 6% (total 11% with Lemming Title) and reduces chance of being crippled from falls by 6%
Ren fell backwards to land face up, and groaned because he had lost over 100 points of his Health, even with the reduction. ¡°What are you doing out here?¡± Dorcot asked as he came out of his section. Ren sat up and rubbed his head. ¡°Sorry, I fell on my head.¡± Ren said. ¡°How by the gods did you do that?¡± He asked. ¡°There''s nothing here to fall from!¡± ¡°There isn''t now.¡± Ren said and explained about the Iron Wall spell, and Dorcot laughed. ¡°Wait, wait wait!¡± Dorcot said between laughs. ¡°You practiced climbing on a temporary magic wall?¡± Ren nodded slightly, and Dorcot laughed and laughed. Ren couldn''t help himself and laughed, too. * Nathalia rolled over in bed and her arm met nothing but air. ¡°I guess he''s still out.¡± She said, got out of bed, and equipped one of the nice dresses Ren had made for her new wardrobe. She felt the fabric, and was surprised it was so comfortable, even though it looked like it should be restrictive. Nathalia left her bedroom to check the main room, and saw Ren wasn''t there. She went down the hall to the old bedroom and saw Ereka was on her bed, and clutched a pillow to herself in a tight hug. ¡°...yes, Ren... please...¡± Ereka''s hold on the pillow tightened. ¡°...I can''t wait...¡± Nathalia closed the door and walked back to the main room. I guess he told her. She thought. Now, I wonder where he is? She glanced down at the Sending Ring, and shook her head. No, if he''s out somewhere, I know he''s going to be busy. * Ren stood up and looked at Dorcot. ¡°Hey, what are you doing here so late?¡± ¡°I couldn''t sleep.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°Do you want me to ask why?¡± Ren asked him, and he smiled. ¡°Money problems.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°Angeilin told the kids you were rich.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°How did you know that?¡± Ren put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I warned you to hide it.¡± He said. ¡°I suppose they want a share.¡± Dorcot snorted a laugh. ¡°All three of them think they deserve it, to make up for us not having money while they were growing up.¡± ¡°I can''t tell you what to do with it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can suggest that you could give them each a hundred platinum, and say that was all they''ll ever get.¡± Dorcot laughed. ¡°No, that would be too easy.¡± He said. ¡°I''m inviting them all over for dinner next week to try and tell them that this money has to last the rest of my life, Angeilin''s life, and theirs.¡± ¡°Any grandchildren yet?¡± Dorcot shook his head. ¡°The youngest has been trying for a while, but she''s too busy with work to stay at home and raise a family anyways.¡± ¡°Then give her 200 platinum, and tell her to stay home and have the family she''s always wanted.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or depending on the job she has, she could move here and work for House Neram.¡± ¡°Those are all good options; but things are more complicated than that.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°I was a good father... or, at least as good as I could be at the time.¡± He smiled sadly. ¡°They don''t see it that way.¡± Ren squeezed his shoulder. ¡°Things don''t have to be complicated, my friend.¡± He said and let the hand drop. ¡°I hope your meal doesn''t turn into a screaming match.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Dorcot said, and then yawned. ¡°I think someone needs a nap.¡± Ren said, and Dorcot nodded slightly. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Dorcot said, and left the workshop. Ren went back to the workbench and sat down. He looked at the paving stone, and carved 8 more 4 inch molds out of it. He didn''t think he''d need that many; but, figured he might as well use as much of the available space on the paving stone as he could. He was getting the ore for free, so it didn''t cost him anything to use it. Ren went to the smelter and poured molten metal into all of the amulet molds and absorbed the heat, then popped them out of the mold and set them on the workbench. He picked up one of the gold metal discs and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability. He made another Amulet of the Spider and set it aside.
Stat Change!
Craft Wondrous Item Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
Ren made 4 more of them, and the skill went up another level. Sweet. He thought, used the Major Healing wand on himself to regain the Mana he''d used up, and made the last four amulets and leveled the skill again. Now, should I keep making them to try and level the skill more, since this awesome SPECIAL bonus is letting me level my skills up twice as fast, or move on to something else? He thought about it for a moment, then nodded. I''ll get it to Level 5 at least. Ren went back to the forge and filled the amulet mold and absorbed the heat from it. Each one is giving me 25% of a level, so... He made 8 more amulets, and used the Major Healing wand to keep his Mana Pool full.
Notice!
You have reached Beginner Level 5 on your Craft Wondrous Item skill, and have unlocked a new recipe: Horseshoes Of Speed
Ren had been working in the workshop for about an hour, then he thought about his skills. ¡°There''s so much that I want to do with this double bonus!¡± He said, and looked at the amulet mold. ¡°Aw, screw it.¡± He said, and kept going. It took another half an hour, 3 refills of the mold, and 2 more uses of the Major Healing wand; then he received another popup when he''d made the twentieth amulet.
Stat Change!
Craft Wondrous Item Level 1 (Intermediate 0%)
¡°I now have...¡± He laughed as he counted the amulets and stored them. ¡°...37 Amulets of the Spider, and 8 blanks.¡±
Notice!
You have reached Intermediate Level 1 on your Craft Wondrous Item skill, and have unlocked a new recipe: Revealing Light
¡°Show info for Wondrous Item recipe Revealing Light.¡± Ren said.
Revealing Light
Requires any object no larger than your fist, and transmutes it into a Revealing Light. When activated, it reveals all invisible creatures and objects within 25 feet of it.
¡°Show info for Wondrous Item recipe Horseshoes of Speed.¡±
Horseshoes of Speed
Requires 4 Iron Bars (High Quality) to be placed on the Craft Wondrous Item platform. These iron shoes come in sets of four like ordinary horseshoes. When affixed to an animal¡¯s hooves, they increase the animal¡¯s base land speed by 50% (as if it had the Haste spell cast upon it). This counts as an enhancement bonus, and as with other effects that increase speed, jumping distances increase proportionally. All four horseshoes must be worn by the same animal for the magic to be effective. Weight: 4 pounds (1 pound for each horseshoe)
¡°Okay, I have to do that one!¡± Ren said, and went to one of the smelters and poured out some of the metal to make a high quality Steel Bar. He absorbed the heat from it, and made 3 more. He took them and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability, and placed them on the gold-colored platform. The items started to glow, he lost 20% of his Mana Pool, then the horseshoes appeared. He stored them and looked at the crate of diamonds for the wands. Just for fun, Ren put one of the diamonds on the platform and chose the Revealing Light recipe. It was encompassed in a glow, he lost 10% of his Mana Pool, and the diamond didn''t change. Ren picked it up and examined it, and it said it was a Revealing Light. He had expected it to have a use restriction of some kind, but it didn''t. ¡°Maybe it''s because I used a diamond?¡± He asked himself as he stored it, picked up a scrap piece of wood, and used that for the recipe. He lost 2% of his Mana Pool, and the piece of wood changed into a pearl like orb 2 inches across. When he examined it, he smiled.
Revealing Light
When activated, it reveals all invisible creatures and objects within 25 feet of it. Can be attached to any object, or even carried in a pocket. Duration: 1 Hour, but can be broken up to be used multiple times for shorter periods. Four times at 15 minutes each, 6 times at 10 minutes each, etc. Weight: 1 pound
Ren smiled, and stored it. ¡°It''s too bad I can''t test it.¡± ¡°Actually, you can.¡± Teepo said. ¡°But, I can already see you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just go into the house with Nathalia and activate it.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Will that work?¡± ¡°It should.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It says it reveals anything invisible within the area, not that it reveals it only to you.¡± Ren snorted a laugh, and reached up to scratch Teepo on the head. ¡°Keep helping me see things clearly, buddy.¡± ¡°Sure, Ren.¡± Teepo said, and tried not to chitter in pleasure. Ren left the workshop and ran down to the house. He could finally show Nathalia his best friend. Chapter 263 - To Give Is To Get Ren went into the house, and Nathalia was there in the kitchen. ¡°Hey, beautiful.¡± He said, and Nathalia turned to look at him. ¡°Hi, handsome.¡± She said, and turned back to keep cooking. ¡°I''d ask what you''re doing up, but I''m going to assume it''s because of me.¡± Nathalia chuckled, and transferred the food from the pan to several plates. ¡°Yes, I woke up and you weren''t there.¡± ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Ren said, and hugged her from behind. Nathalia squirmed around a little, and settled in against him. He nuzzled her neck, and she didn''t even twitch. ¡°You''re not going to believe what I''ve been doing with the bonus I got from that guy.¡± Nathalia held onto the arms that were wrapped around her. ¡°I''d say you were making some really neat things.¡± Ren kissed her cheek, and took out the wood toy boat he''d made with the metal parts inside. ¡°Oh!¡± Nathalia exclaimed and took it from him. ¡°That''s a really nice toy.¡± She said, and looked at the sink. ¡°It''s not for the water.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can adapt it for that, though.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Nathalia started to turn around in his arms, and he let go of the embrace so she could face him. ¡°What''s the good of a boat if it can''t float?¡± ¡°Let me show you.¡± Ren said and took it from her. He turned the key to wind it up several times, and her eyes widened as he put it on the floor. ¡°Watch.¡± He said, and pushed down on the cabin on top of the boat. The spring engaged and the boat sped across the floor, hit the leg of the table, and toppled over. ¡°By the GODS!¡± Nathalia said as the wheels spun out the rest of the potential energy from the spring. Ren walked over to it and picked it up. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I''m wondering why it''s a boat!¡± Nathalia said, and Ren laughed. ¡°It''s because the one I found in that box of knick-knacks was a boat.¡± Ren said. ¡°I took it apart and it gave me the pattern.¡± He smiled. ¡°Now I can make it myself.¡± ¡°You should change it to something else.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I really wanted to put it in water.¡± Ren stored it and went back across the kitchen to her. ¡°There''s another thing I made that I wanted you to see.¡± ¡°Is it another toy?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, it''s something else.¡± He said, and took out the Revealing Light diamond. ¡°Look on my left shoulder.¡± He said. ¡°Activate.¡± Nathalia gasped as Teepo was finally revealed. ¡°Is... is that... Teepo?¡± Ren nodded, and Nathalia came over to him. ¡°Hi, Teepo.¡± Nathalia said, and Teepo lifted a leg and waved to her. She laughed and tried to reach out to touch him... and her finger went right through him to touch Ren on the shoulder. ¡°It can only reveal invisible things.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t hear him speak or touch him.¡± ¡°Well, I''m sure you''ll figure that out eventually.¡± Nathalia said, confidently. ¡°How long does it last?¡± ¡°As long as I want it to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Using a diamond made it permanent.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Nathalia said, and took the Revealing Light diamond from him. Teepo remained on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°How far can it reach?¡± ¡°25 feet.¡± Nathalia thought about it for a minute. ¡°No one is going to sneak up on you again.¡± ¡°It reveals Teepo to everyone, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°He''s been my best friend, and biggest secret, for a long time.¡± ¡°He''ll have to start tucking himself into the cloak if you''re going to keep this on all the time.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and Nathalia gave him the diamond back. ¡°It was nice seeing you, Teepo.¡± She said and he waved to her again. ¡°I felt like I was the only one that couldn''t.¡± ¡°Once Teepo told me he''d be revealed for everyone to see, I came right here to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Nathalia said, and kissed him. She turned to the counter, picked up the plates of food, and put them in the icebox. ¡°Are you coming to bed?¡± ¡°I really want to work on some things.¡± Ren said, and he felt Nathalia''s disappointment. ¡°Like sleep.¡± He said, and she felt his amusement at teasing her. Nathalia shook her head, turned off the stove, and hooked her arm in his. Teepo took off and flew up to land on the ceiling. ¡°Then let''s get a few hours sleep, so you can get up early and keep working.¡± Nathalia suggested. ¡°How do you know I''m going to do that?¡± Ren asked as they walked through the main room, and she laughed. ¡°You''re forcing yourself to sleep now, so you can get the most out of whatever bonus you have tomorrow.¡± She said wisely, and he nodded slightly. They walked into the bedroom, stored their clothes, and climbed into bed. They snuggled closely together under the blanket and held onto each other. It didn''t take long for them to relax in the comfort of each other''s arms, and they drifted off to sleep. * Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves, had a wonderful day even though she had to get a new attendant. The other one was too susceptible to her awakening abilities. Of course, the old attendant didn''t want to be replaced, but she wasn''t doing her job properly because she was too besotted with her queen to function. The attendant was quite sad about the whole situation, and Lylyth wrapped a Mana tendril around her to feel that deep sorrow. When the new attendant suggested that the queen could feed on the old attendant, the old attendant was so filled with joy and happiness that the queen gasped and tried to consume it. Surprisingly, she couldn''t take it all in one sitting. After a while, she had to let the old attendant out of the Mana tendril. When the queen told her to rest and come back later, she was once again filled with happiness and left almost skipping. ¡°Your abilities seem to be returning.¡± The new attendant said. ¡°High Lord be damned.¡± Lylyth laughed. ¡°Yes, the smug bastard exiled me and sent me here.¡± She said. ¡°He didn''t realize that all of my followers would come with me.¡± ¡°More convert and arrive every day as well.¡± The attendant said, and Lylyth nodded. ¡°We''ve been making headway into the High Elves society for decades.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°It''s taken a lot of hard work over the years; but, we will soon outnumber them.¡± She said and looked at the attendant. ¡°Bring me one of the new acquisitions we captured trying to stop my followers.¡± The attendant bowed deeply and disappeared through the wall of spiders. She came back a few minutes later with a male High Elf that was bound, blindfolded, and gagged. She dropped him on the floor in front of her queen, and knelt beside him. She grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head up to face the queen, and he hissed in pain. The attendant laughed and lifted the blindfold. The male High Elf saw the Queen of the Dark Elves and screamed through the gag over his mouth. ¡°Mmmm, yes. There it is.¡± Lylyth said, and stood up. She was just over 9 feet tall, and was about 2 feet taller than the male High Elf. She let her humanoid form go, and started to transform into her full form. The High Elf screamed and screamed as she became what she evolved into over thousands of years in this hellish place. Lylyth drank his terror down and it filled her up as she enjoyed how much the poor elf feared what was to come. She reached down from her 15 feet of transformed height and grabbed the High Elf by his collar. She picked him up and he continued to scream, over and over.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°That''s right, you insignificant fool.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Scream for me! Fill me with your terror!¡± She opened her mouth, and her jaw unhooked to reveal very sharp teeth and two mandibles unfolded from her mouth. The High Elf froze as he realized what she was going to do. He let out one long scream as the mandibles plunged into his chest and punctured his heart. That didn''t kill him, however. Lylyth pumped her venom into him, directly into his heart. It turned black immediately, and continued to beat and pushed her venom through his entire body. It only took a few minutes to give him enough for the process to begin, and then she retracted her mandibles. They folded back up into her mouth, and she laid the High Elf on the floor. Her familiar came down from the wall of spiders and wrapped the male High Elf in webbing. It stuck the cocoon under his body and walked back up the wall of spiders and disappeared. * Ren woke up and asked Teepo how long he''d been asleep. ¡°About 5 hours.¡± Teepo said. That''s enough for me. Ren said, and extracted himself from Nathalia''s warm embrace. He gave her a kiss, and she mumbled something in response. He smiled, equipped his clothing, and left the bedroom. How much time before breakfast? ¡°Half an hour, give or take a few minutes.¡± Teepo responded. Ren picked up the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and put it on. He checked and made sure the tarantula was actually inside, and left the house. On his way to the stable, he glanced into the fire elemental''s pen and saw that almost half of the wood and web pile was gone. He smiled as he went into the stable and over to Princess. ¡°Good morning, Princess.¡± Ren said. Princess nodded to him. Good morning, My Lord. ¡°I''m running out to the mines for a minute, then heading to the Garrison.¡± Ren said. ¡°If the estimations are right, the giant attack should happen by noon, or sometime after that.¡± I will come with you. Princess stood up. ¡°I can come back and get you before...¡± No. Princess thought at him, determined. We might miss the start, or even the whole battle, if you leave to come and get me. ¡°I... okay. Yes, I think you''re right.¡± You have something for me. Princess thought at him. ¡°I can''t hide anything from you anymore.¡± Ren chuckled, and took out the steel horseshoes. I won''t give up my golden hooves for ugly metal. Princess said, a bit haughtily. ¡°That''s good, because you don''t have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°These go onto the hooves.¡± Princess perked up at that. Then apply them immediately! She said and lifted a hoof. ¡°If only it was that easy.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Come with me to the workshop.¡± Ren led Princess out through the gate and up to the workshop. Once there, he had her wait by the door while he went in and filled a crucible with molten metal. He came back out with it, and she offered one of her front hooves. He was tempted to attach the horseshoes the old way, with nails up and into the hoof, but that would damage the Hooves of Speed that she wore. Ren carefully poured some molten metal along the top edge of one of the horseshoes, and pressed it to the underside of her hoof. Princess didn''t even protest about the heat, because she knew that Ren would absorb it before it hurt her. He did that, and then did the other front hoof. ¡°Can you try to resist kicking me when I grab your back leg?¡± Ren asked her, and walked around to see she already had a leg lifted for him. No promises. Princess thought in amusement, and he laughed. Ren applied the molten metal to the horseshoe and attached it to the back hoof, then she lifted the other back leg. With the final one attached, the horseshoes glowed for an instant, and applied it''s boost to her speed. Wonderful! Princess thought, quite pleased with the boost to speed. ¡°It is a Wondrous Item.¡± Ren said, and walked back around to her head. ¡°Wait here, I''ll be right back.¡± Just a moment. Princess thought to him. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked, and then Princess stuck out her tongue and licked him from his chin to his forehead. Thank you. Princess thought to him, and he could feel how grateful she was. Ren chuckled as he used a cloth to wipe his face off. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, and went back inside the workshop to the forge room. He made a mold on the floor in the shape of the same array bracket he''d made for his own armor and Tee-one''s harness, and poured the gold and steel mix into it. He made holes in it for 12 wands, absorbed the heat and stored it, then poured it again. He did the same thing to that one, refilled the crucible, and then went to the workbench and stored all of the old Level 1 wands. Ren went back out to Princess, and looked at her armor. ¡°I think the shoulders would be the best spot.¡± Ren said, took out one of the brackets, and used some of the molten metal to attach the bracket to her shoulder. He slid in 6 Web wands, and 6 Fireball wands. They sat securely, so he didn''t have to solder them in. He repeated this with the other shoulder, and told Princess about the wands and how to use them. You have given me more weapons. Princess thought proudly. I am becoming a worthy companion for battle. Ren smiled and scratched her chin. ¡°You''ve always been a worthy companion.¡± He said. ¡°Now you''re just better armed and armored.¡± Princess huffed, and he pat her neck before going back into the forge room. Ren remembered Teepo''s idea about making the harness for Ruck, so he made a half circle mold on the floor in front of the second forge, and filled it with steel. He made holes in it, spaced every half inch, for wands. The only difference was that this array was 3 feet across the bottom of the circle. It''s going to hold a lot of wands. Ren thought as he absorbed the heat from it, then stored it. He went out to Princess and led her back down to the Keep. ¡°Please wait here for a minute.¡± He said, and went into the stable to get Ruck. Ruck was tucked into the corner, and had his legs folded up underneath him. ¡°Hey, Ruck. I have something for you.¡± Ren said, and took out the array bracket. ¡°It''ll hold a lot of wands.¡± He said, and explained how they worked. ¡°Do you want me to put it on you?¡± Ruck gave the ''okay'' gesture, and Ren took out the crucible and applied some molten metal to the bottom of the bracket. He then mounted the array on the top cross bar of Ruck''s back and absorbed the heat before it burned or melted anything. Ren took out a pile of wands and slid them into the holes; with the Fireball wands in the middle, and the Web wands all around them. When he was done, there were 120 wands in the array; 27 fireball, and 93 web. Since it didn''t cost him any Mana for fire-based spells and enchantments, he changed 33 of the Web wands to cast Fireball instead. ¡°Okay, you have 60 Fireball wands, and 60 Web wands.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t... I repeat DON''T... test them inside anywhere.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Each Fireball spell does 8 to 12 damage.¡± Ruck thought about the implications, and nodded. ¡°Your wand array is worth about 500 platinum.¡± Ren said. ¡°So be careful. I don''t mean with the array. That you can wreck and I don''t care. It''s you that I want to be careful. I told you how much it was, so you''d know you''re worth more to me than that.¡± Ruck stepped close and gave him a quick hug. ¡°Oh, before I forget.¡± Ren took out an Amulet of the Spider. ¡°Put this on.¡± Ruck took it and sipped it on over his head and it immediately stuck to his body. ¡°I know you can already climb walls and ceilings, but this lets you walk across webs without being caught in them.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If you''re going to shoot off that many Web wands, you''re going to need it!¡± Ruck pat Ren on top of the head, and Ren laughed. ¡°I''m going to fight the giants that are trying to wipe out the giant refugees I tried so hard to save.¡± Ren said. ¡°Want to come along?¡± Ruck gave him the ''thumbs up'' gesture, and Ren left the stable with him close behind. ¡°By the gods!¡± Wohrum exclaimed when he saw Ruck. ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°Massive upgrades, apparently.¡± Ren explained. ¡°I think every few levels that he goes up, it increases his capacity to hold things.¡± ¡°If this keeps up, he''ll be the size of a house!¡± Wohrum said as they passed through the gate. ¡°He won''t be able to get through the gate soon.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°He can just climb over the walls anyways.¡± He walked over to Princess. ¡°Do you think we should add the cart?¡± Princess brayed, and his two dogs, Riley and Stacy came out. ¡°You want to come, too?¡± Ren asked, and they barked agreement. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t ask you before.¡± He knelt in front of Stacy, and asked her to open her mouth. She had the Fireball wand clamped in her jaws; so he took it and the Deed to the Garrison, then put the wand back into the slot at the back of her throat. ¡°I should make you wand arrays, but I''ll do that later.¡± Ren went back into the courtyard to get the small cart that he''d adapted for Princess, attached it to her, and the dogs jumped into it. He then gave Stacy and Riley an Amulet of the Spider each. Once he told them what it did, they barked happily and licked his face. He pat them both on the head, then ran up to the workshop and went into the forge room. Tee-one was just coming out of the hidden passageway. ¡°I was just going to look for you.¡± Ren said, and Tee-one tapped his own temple. Ren chuckled, handed Tee-one the Deed to the Garrison, and asked him to store it. He then gave him an Amulet of the Spider. ¡°Thank you.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°This will make working on the Keep so much easier.¡± ¡°How is it coming along?¡± ¡°I''ve just about finished the entire outside.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ve only got one more section before I break through to the surface.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°When we switch to the inside, these amulets will definitely help us deal with crumbling floors, ceilings, and internal walls.¡± He smiled. ¡°We''ll still need ropes and things in case what we''re standing on breaks, but otherwise...¡± ¡°...all we need is time.¡± Tee-one finished for him. ¡°I''d like to say I''ll be back after the attack, but since I don''t quite know when it''ll start or how long it''ll take...¡± ¡°You better take these with you.¡± Tee-one said, and handed over 36 sets of full plate armor. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren nearly yelled. ¡°When did you make these?¡± ¡°I''ve been making one every night.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°They''re also forged a dozen times.¡± Ren put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Thanks a lot, Tee-one.¡± ¡°Now go and have fun.¡± Tee-one said and smiled. ¡°I''ll keep the home fires burning.¡± Ren chuckled, pat him on the shoulder, and turned around. ¡°I think I''ll take a forge with me, just in case.¡± He said and stored a forge and smelter, a pile of iron ore, then went out to the main part of the workshop. He stored the crate of wand-sized oval diamonds, and the various molds he''d made. He ran down to Princess and the cart, and told Ruck to climb aboard. Ruck eased himself up and into the cart, and the cart creaked and groaned. ¡°I''d make a joke about you having to go on a diet; but, I think it''s great that you''re getting so big and strong.¡± Ren said. Ruck knelt down in the back, and was careful of the dogs. ¡°Okay, Princess. Easy at first.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve got a lot of extra weight on this time.¡± Princess huffed, and started to walk. It pulled the cart, and Ren felt her determination to not let this much weight slow her down. ¡°We''re stopping at a couple of farms.¡± Ren said. ¡°We need to pick up some food ingredients for the giants.¡± Princess huffed again and started to trot. Once she got the mass moving, it became easier to pull and she poured on the speed. They moved at about the same speed as they did when Ren rode Princess by himself, and it only took a couple of minutes to get to the farm. It actually took longer to pick up the supplies of food than it did to get there. ¡°The mines next.¡± Ren said as he got in the driver''s seat, and Princess took off at a run. Chapter 264 - Recruitment A few minutes later, Ren was at the mine entrance. He pretended to tie Princess to the stand there, and the guard opened the gate. ¡°I guess you''re not working today.¡± The guard said when he opened the gate. ¡°I might be back this afternoon, depending on how things go at the Garrison.¡± Ren said. The guard nodded slightly, and Ren ran up to the foreman''s office. He knocked on the door, and went inside when called in. ¡°I''ve got to deal with a giant attack out beyond the Garrison today.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might be in this afternoon, though.¡± The mine foreman shook his head. ¡°You''ve altered the contract to have working at the Garrison count on your sentence; so you don''t have to worry about it.¡± ¡°I''ve skipped working here a few times to work at the Garrison, but I always felt a little bad I didn''t tell you I was doing that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had the time to spare, and I was going in late enough that you''d be here to talk to; so, here I am.¡± The mine foreman laughed. ¡°Well, you better tell the healer you''re skipping, or she''ll be in here again to tear my ear off to complain that you''re missing work.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll go see her right now.¡± ¡°I hope you can deal with the giants as easily as you did the last time.¡± ¡°Easily!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± The mine foreman waved as Ren left the office and Ren ran up to the mine entrance to see the healer. ¡°Oh, you''re early today.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°Come on back to the examination area.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, but I can''t work this morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might be in this afternoon, though.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°I''ve got a giant attack to deal with, and I don''t know how long it''ll take.¡± ¡°Giants again!¡± Deresdra exclaimed. ¡°You have to stop stirring things up like this.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I thought contacting their homeland would help, not cause this.¡± ¡°Are you going to have a healer close by?¡± Deresdra asked, and took out the two wands Ren had given her. ¡°Can you recharge these, please?¡± She asked. ¡°They''re almost empty.¡± Ren recharged them and handed them back. ¡°I don''t know if there''s a healer available, but I''ll ask when I ask for volunteers to help.¡± ¡°Well, then.¡± She said, and grabbed her medical bag with the wands in it. ¡°Let''s go.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''m not letting you go out, to the gods know where, without someone with medical knowledge.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°If anyone gets hurt you''re going to need someone to help.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ll stay well away from the fighting, so you don''t have to worry about that.¡± ¡°But...¡± Deresdra walked over to a cabinet and opened it. Inside was a large tent that could be quickly set up as a portable medical station. She handed it to Ren and he stored it. A dozen folding cots were next, and he kept trying to protest. She ignored him and walked out of the medical tent and down to the mine foreman''s office. Ren followed behind her, kind of like a lost puppy. Deresdra knocked on the door once and went in without waiting. ¡°Can you call the temporary healer?¡± Deresdra asked. ¡°I''m heading out with the boss in case he needs my help.¡± The mine foreman chuckled. ¡°He''s already on the way.¡± Deresdra nodded slightly and turned to Ren. ¡°Well, don''t just stand there. Let''s go!¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You can try and outrun me, but I''ll come to the Garrison anyways.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°That''s not what...¡± ¡°You can''t argue that you have someone else, because you won''t know that until you get there.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that she couldn''t come, and he saw the determination in her eyes. He sighed and stepped out of the doorway. ¡°Fine. Let''s go.¡± Deresdra grinned at him and stepped by him to walk to the gate. ¡°Good luck.¡± The mine foreman said to Ren. ¡°With both the giants and her.¡± He said, and laughed. Ren waved and closed the office door, and followed Deresdra to the gate. She was taking her time walking, and Ren sighed. ¡°What?¡± Deresdra asked. ¡°Are we in a hurry?¡± ¡°Kind of.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to get to the Garrison and ask for volunteers.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you say so?¡± Deresdra said and started to run. Or at least, she tried to. Her long skirt prevented her from taking long strides, and it looked like she was only shuffling along. Ren held in his laugh, and grinned as he scooped her up into his arms. ¡°Wha-!¡± Deresdra exclaimed, and then she caught her breath as Ren ran to the gate. It opened as he approached, and he slowed down and then stopped at the cart. Deresdra''s eyes were wide as he sat her in the front of the cart, next to the driver''s seat. Ren went around and grabbed the reins from the stand, and climbed up into his seat. ¡°Let''s get to the Garrison.¡± Ren said. and Princess turned the cart around gently. ¡°Let me take your bag.¡± He said to Deresdra. She reluctantly handed it to him, and he stored it. ¡°You better hold on.¡± He said. ¡°This is quite the ride.¡± Deresdra wrapped an arm around his, and held onto the brace beside her. Ren took out the Sending Square that was connected to the Commander. ¡°Good morning, Commander.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m on my way.¡± ¡°The front gate is already open.¡± The Commander said. ¡°I''d like to request you gather some of your elite fighters together.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re probably the same ones that dug the giant pit trap.¡± ¡°I thought you said you wouldn''t send them out to die.¡± The Commander grumped. ¡°I''m not going to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to ask for volunteers, and provide outrageous weaponry.¡± The Commander laughed. ¡°Okay, that will definitely get you some volunteers.¡± ¡°See you in a few minutes.¡± Ren said, and put the Sending Square away. Princess took off at a run, and while everyone else enjoyed the ride, Deresdra hadn''t quite gotten to that feeling yet. She was too shocked at the sheer speed to realize that it was actually fun, and then it was over. She hit fear, terror, acceptance, then exhilaration; the ride had ended before she felt the fun part. Princess took them through the Garrison to the section with the Commander''s office, and came to a stop. Ren hopped down, equipped the overall command uniform, and knocked on the Commander''s door. He came out of his office and pointed across the space to the obstacle course. Ren looked over and saw a pile of dwarves. Some were in full armor, some wearing just underwear; they were all going through the course no matter what they wore. ¡°Only some with full armor?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The others were on another shift the day of the attack.¡± The Commander said. ¡°They missed your ''volunteer for armor'' offer.¡± ¡°Hey, they volunteered first.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then I gave them armor.¡± ¡°I seem to remember several more joined in when they saw the armor.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, that''s true.¡± The Commander put his fingers in his mouth and blew a whistle. The entire group of dwarves stopped where they were, abandoned their individual tasks, and came right over. They formed 2 lines of 10 men in front of the Commander, and stood at attention. Ren then looked at the Commander. ¡°May I address the troops?¡± The Commander nodded slightly, and Ren stepped forward as he concentrated on his Command Aura.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Gentlemen.¡± Ren said, and started to pace in front of them. ¡°Today, the giants have sent a group of their finest troops to attack their own kind.¡± He said, and watched the dwarves faces as he walked. ¡°Some of you have seen the ones to be attacked.¡± Some of the dwarves nodded, and Ren stopped in front of one that had the dent of his knuckles in the front. It was the dwarf that Ren had hit with the back of his hand during his Controlled Berserk Rage in the giant pit trap, when the dwarf had started to make fun of Princess'' name. Ren faced the dwarf, and the dwarf did his best to keep his composure. ¡°I can repair that dent.¡± Ren said and took out his blacksmith hammer. The dwarf didn''t protest, so he held the hammer against the metal. ¡°Repair.¡± The chest piece was engulfed in a slight glow, then the dent pulled out and disappeared. Ren stored the hammer and walked on. ¡°As I was saying, I worked hard to defend this land from the giant menace, and even gave my life for it.¡± Ren said, and paced back the other way. ¡°I saved those poor people from a plague that has the potential to wipe out nearly all of the giants... and nearly all of the dwarves.¡± Some of the dwarves gasped, because not one of them had detected any kind of lie. ¡°Yes, that''s right.¡± Ren said and stopped pacing at the front of the group to turn and face them. ¡°I''ve just recently acquired the knowledge that the crazed giants were supposed to destroy the Garrison, and then kill an untold number of dwarves.¡± Silence filled the area, and Ren was pretty sure no one was even breathing. I figured it would come as a shock to learn they were supposed to be exterminated. Ren thought, and took a deep breath. ¡°They didn''t succeed!¡± Because it was so quiet, it sounded like Ren had yelled. It startled the dwarves into breathing again, and he smiled. ¡°That''s right. I stopped the nefarious plan before it could overwhelm the Garrison.¡± Ren said, and looked at each of the dwarves. ¡°Some of you saw the devastation that a couple of handfuls of giants can do to the Garrison.¡± He said. ¡°Imagine if my plan to lure them into the pit hadn''t worked, and all 135 giants had attacked the Garrison instead.¡± All of the dwarves eyes were wide as he continued to speak. ¡°Fortunately for all of us, it did work. The pit that most of you dug for me, worked like a charm.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It put them all together in one spot, and made it much easier for me to deal with them.¡± He took another deep breath. ¡°Now, the giants I saved that day are being targeted by their own people. I had reached out to them for help, and they''re coming to wipe them out.¡± He shook his head. ¡°The attack is going to happen sometime within the next few hours; assuming they haven''t been delayed by anything.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± One of the dwarves asked. ¡°The same thing I always do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to help where I can.¡± ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°How are you going to fight giants that are also trained soldiers?¡± ¡°It''s not going to be easy.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s only one of me, and with all of that wide open terrain an hour from here, there''s lots of approaches that the giants can take to attack the camp.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve had the giants in the camp dig a 20 foot wide and 20 foot deep trench around the campsite, and I filled it with water to make it a big moat. I''ve also set up fire enchantments all around the outside of that moat, that I''ll activate at the right time.¡± ¡°That''s all?¡± ¡°I''ve got a lot of early warning enchantments about half a mile out, that scream if the giants are close.¡± Ren said. ¡°At that point, I''ll be able to both see and shoot them.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Everyone exclaimed, even the Commander. ¡°I sincerely hope you don''t think I''d fight hand to hand with a giant as a first choice, do you?¡± Ren asked them, and laughed. He laughed for 5 seconds, then stopped dead. ¡°Of course not!¡± He said, seriously. ¡°Knowing they are coming to kill, I have no problem unleashing hell on them.¡± Ren took an Automatic Ballista out of inventory and set it in front of the group. ¡°BY THE GODS!¡± The dwarf standing in front of the loaded artillery device yelled and jumped out of the way. ¡°It won''t fire until you pull the trigger.¡± Ren said. The dwarf stood up and resumed his place, because he heard the truth in Ren''s words. ¡°It''s 9 feet long, and 15 feet wide. It has wheels for turning and movement, and a horse mount for good measure. It also auto-loads the next bolt, and it can continuously fire.¡± One of the dwarves let out a low whistle, and one dwarf looked like he was drooling. ¡°It has 100 bolts in the magazine, and can shoot up to three-quarters of a mile; but, it''s difficult to stay accurate at that distance.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Of course, that''s with normal-sized objects.¡± He grinned. ¡°At half a mile, I''m pretty sure we can pick off a 25 foot tall armored giant.¡± A few dwarves started talking, and a few others nodded slightly in agreement. One dwarf at the end of the line put their hand up. ¡°Hands aren''t necessary.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°This isn''t a classroom.¡± The dwarf chuckled and put his hand down. ¡°You said ''we''.¡± He said. ¡°You didn''t mean you and the woman in the cart, did you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s the healer. She has graciously decided on her own that she wanted to come along on this mission; to heal any wounds that may occur.¡± All of the dwarves looked at Deresdra, and she blushed as they all nodded to her. She gained 200 Honor and held in her gasp. If there was one thing that dwarves appreciated, it was bravery in the face of danger. ¡°I might have been a bit premature in saying ''we'', there.¡± Ren said. ¡°What I would like to do, is ask for volunteers.¡± ¡°I''ll go along, if I get to fire that weapon.¡± The dwarf that had drooled said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Another one said. ¡°Damn, that''s a fine weapon.¡± ¡°I''d go, too; but, you''re not going to need more than two people for a single weapon.¡± A dwarf said. ¡°I''m tempted to go just to take a turn, though.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Who said this was the only one I had?¡± ¡°You have another one?!?¡± The tempted dwarf said. ¡°I''m in!¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± Another one said, and Ren held up a hand. ¡°I better save us some time, and tell you that I have one for myself, and 6 that need crews.¡± Ren said. ¡°Well, I should ask for a crew for mine as well. I might have other things to do during the battle, and leaving a weapon unused would be beyond stupid in a battle.¡± The dwarves laughed, and then they all stepped forward, both the armored and unarmored ones. ¡°We''d be happy to crew them, sir.¡± They said together, and Ren nodded to them. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, to make it official.¡± He said and opened up the Business menu. Normally, he wouldn''t be able to access it outside of his business; but because he now had the Quest Giver skill, it gave him access to the Quest menu that was inside the Business menu. He typed furiously, and thought about how that Charles guy wanted to alter things to the way he wanted, and smirked. Ren chose the rewards to give out for participation, success, damage done, number of kills, Honor and Influence gains, and anything else he could think of. If it had been a real keyboard, his fingers would have been sore by the time he was done typing. The best part of it was that he let the system generate the rewards, instead of having to pay for it himself. Also, he knew the giant attack was one of the tech guys evil plans that had been set into motion; so, as overall commander, no matter the outcome of the attack, Ren would be awarded a hundred shadow markers when the attack was over. He would not let evil triumph; and the money would pay to run the Garrison for over 5 years. Let the tech guys suck on that! Ren thought happily, and sent the quest popups. ¡°A QUEST!¡± Nearly all of the dwarves yelled. ¡°By the gods!¡± ¡°How in the world?!?¡± ¡°I thought only Adventurers could go on quests!¡± Ren heard a little squeak from the cart, and turned to glance at Deresdra. She stared in front of herself with her mouth open in a little ''o'' of surprise, and Ren smiled as he thought about how she must be feeling. ¡°I got a popup, too!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Yes, I accept the quest!¡± Ren glanced at Ruck, and saw him reach out and touch something in mid air. Princess brayed softly, and Riley and Stacy barked. Deresdra smiled sweetly at him, and gave him a slight nod as she accepted the quest. Ren looked back at the Quest menu, and saw that everyone had accepted. He grinned and closed it, then folded his hands behind himself. ¡°Thank you all for accepting this quest.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I said before, this won''t be easy; but, I''ll do everything that I can to keep you safe and protected.¡± ¡°Forget that!¡± One of the dwarves said. ¡°We''re going to protect everyone!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Damn right!¡± ¡°Down with the evil giants!¡± ¡°Protect the innocent!¡± ¡°Defend the land!¡± ¡°To the death!¡± ¡°YEAH!¡± Ren waited for the fervor to die down, and then spoke. ¡°The camp is an hour away from the Garrison, so I''ll go there and drop off the cart''s current contents, and come back to pick you up.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll only be a few minutes.¡± ¡°A few minutes?¡± One of the dwarves asked as Ren stored the Automatic Ballista. ¡°That must be some mount you have there!¡± ¡°She''s definitely very special.¡± Ren said, and Princess huffed. ¡°I''ll provide armor for those that don''t have any, and repair the armor for the ones that do.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll give you swords and shields if you need them, too.¡± Ren turned and shook the Commander''s hand, and thanked him. He went to the cart, and Princess turned them around and trotted off through the gate to the main road, and then ran to the outside gate. * ¡°Is he for real?¡± One of the dwarves asked out loud, and the Commander snorted a laugh. ¡°It''s hard to believe, but yes. He''s real.¡± The Commander said. ¡°I''ve never felt a Command Aura like that before, though.¡± ¡°Well, he''s an Adventurer. You can''t class them as the same as us, that''s for sure.¡± Another dwarf said. ¡°Why''s that?¡± Someone asked. ¡°They don''t think like us.¡± The dwarf responded. ¡°Who in their right minds could come up with a crossbow so big, that even a giant couldn''t hold it?¡± The dwarves laughed, and the Commander chuckled. * Princess pulled her passengers out to the giant campsite, then went all the way around the moat to the side most likely to be attacked. Ruck climbed off of the cart, and Riley and Stacy hopped down. Ren climbed down, and held a hand out for Deresdra. ¡°You''re just going to leave me all alone out here?¡± She asked. ¡°In the middle of nowhere?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Ruck is right there.¡± He said and pointed as Ruck walked around the cart to the front. ¡°AHHH!¡± Deresdra yelled. ¡°I thought the cart was full of supplies or something!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°No, just my very first familiar and my two dogs.¡± He said. ¡°I''m coming right back.¡± Deresdra sighed and took the hand Ren held out to her. He helped her climb down from the cart, and gave her back her medical bag. ¡°Ruck, this is Deresdra. Deresdra, this is Ruck.¡± Ruck held out a hand for her to shake, and she slowly reached out to take it. He turned it and bent over it, and she gasped. Ren chuckled, and handed Ruck the large medical tent and the 12 folding cots. ¡°That''s Riley, and that''s Stacy.¡± Ren said, and pointed to each dog. ¡°They''ll guard you until the battle.¡± Ren climbed up into the driver''s seat of the cart. ¡°Just until the battle?¡± ¡°Well, I can''t order them to not join in on the fun.¡± ¡°FUN!?!¡± Deresdra exclaimed. Ren laughed and Princess took off at a run. They were back at the Commander''s section a couple of minutes later, and the dwarves climbed in. He took them back to the spot he''d dropped Deresdra off, and by the time Ren had hopped down to the ground and walked to the back, they had already climbed out and formed 2 lines of 10 dwarves. Ren went to each of them, and repaired armor if it needed it, and gave them a sword and a shield if they wanted it. The ones without armor, he gave them a set after making it a mottled gray color to match the others. Four of the dwarves declined the offer of a sword and shield, and instead hefted their crossbows. He went along and enchanted the shields with Protection glyphs, and the weapons with whatever enchantment the dwarves wanted. Some took Fire, some Lightning, some Ice, and a few even took Earth and Wind. While Ren was doing that, Ruck was taking directions from Deresdra. They had set up the large tent already, and were setting up the cots. ¡°I should have brought a desk or something.¡± Deresdra said, as she helped Ruck unfold the last cot and set it by the door. ¡°It''s not like I really need one; but, I don''t like putting things on the ground, either.¡± Ren overheard her, and when he finished with the last weapon enchantment, he took out some wood and made a simple desk. He brought it over to the medical tent, left it by the entrance, and went back to the dwarves. He hadn''t noticed Deresdra''s surprise at the sudden appearance of a table she''d just commented about, because he had forgotten to enchant Protection glyphs on the new sets of armor. He did that quickly, and looked at the dwarves. ¡°Let''s get the Ballistas set up to give us a good field of fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°A good field of fire, he says!¡± One of them said. ¡°They can shoot accurately at half a mile!¡± All the dwarves laughed, and Ren joined them. Chapter 265 - Grinding Away Ren and the dwarves discussed the best places to set up the Automatic Ballistas. The dwarves were surprised at first, that Ren would even consider asking them their opinion; but, once they started talking, they realized he really wanted their input. Their lives were on the line, and if they didn''t like how things were, it wouldn''t help the situation at all. They eventually decided on spacing the 7 Automatic Ballistas a hundred feet apart, so they spanned an arc 600 feet across. The field of fire ended about half a mile out from that. Since the moat around the giant camp was a full circle, they''d positioned the artillery weapons on one-third of that circle, and the field of fire expanded out from there. If they were quick, each Ballista could turn slightly and shoot anything within that range that any other Ballista could shoot at. Ren ran out to just within the half mile mark and built a 25 foot tall wooden stand. He covered it in white fabric, then used black fabric to cut out a figure the size of a giant and quickly tacked it to the fabric. It could be shot a bunch of times and not be destroyed, or have to be repaired like a wooden target would be. Ren ran back to the dwarves and told them all about the Ballistas, how they worked, and how they were modified. If anything went wrong, they were to tell him immediately so he could fix them right away. The dwarves were eager to try it out, and he told them they could each shoot up to two shots. He thought they''d try and fight over who got to shoot first; but they lined up calmly behind his Ballista and waited. ¡°Now, I made the target intentionally off-center, so you have to move the Ballista slightly to use it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Aim carefully, then shoot. I''m assuming you need a ranging shot, so that''s why you can shoot twice.¡± The dwarves nodded slightly. ¡°Once the fighting starts, though... you''re going to be shooting on the fly. You won''t have a long time to aim. You might have to move it, or you might just be able to sit there and unload.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°We won''t know until the battle what will happen.¡± ¡°I know what''ll happen.¡± The first dwarf said as he stepped up to the Ballista. He shifted the end slightly to use the sights, lined up on the target, and pulled the trigger. The 6 foot long metal tipped bolt shot out, flew across the distance, and went right through the chest of the target. ¡°We''re gonna kick their giant asses.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± ¡°That''s my partner for you!¡± The dwarf adjusted the lift crank half a turn, then fired again. The bolt went right through the head of the ''giant'', and he turned the lift crank back down to where it was, and moved the back slightly off-center, so the next dwarf would have to adjust it for himself. Ren nodded to the dwarf, who stepped back to let the next dwarf take his two shots. The same thing happened with him, and then with each of the other dwarves. By the time the last dwarf shot, Ren was grinning from ear to ear. ¡°The Commander wasn''t kidding when he said you guys were the elite fighters.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m really glad you came along.¡± ¡°So are we.¡± One of them said. ¡°We''re the first to use these awesome weapons in actual battle!¡± ¡°It''s the first full scale battle against giants.¡± Ren said. ¡°We needed giant weaponry.¡± ¡°Let them come.¡± The same dwarf said. ¡°They are not getting to our land!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Kill them all!¡± ¡°Keep watch. I''ve got to gather the expended bolts, and then get some food to the giants in the camp.¡± Ren said. ¡°Take your positions!¡± He ordered. They saluted him and ran to their designated artillery weapons. He nodded slightly at their quick hustle, and then ran out to the target.
Stat Change!
Running Level 5 (Intermediate 0%)
When Ren got to the target, he saw that most of the chest and the head of the target was gone. He stored it and ran around to gather the bolts that had been shot. Nearly all of the shots were just beyond the target, and were sticking up out of the ground. He didn''t even have to deactivate the early warning enchantments to gather up the 40 bolts. Ren repaired each of the bolts before he stored them, then ran back to the defensive line. He reloaded the cartridge of the Ballista that had fired them, and then went to the medical tent. He told Deresdra, the healer, that he was going into the camp to give the food to the giants. ¡°Do you want me to come with you?¡± She asked. ¡°That''s not necessary.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless I come across someone that''s hurt.¡± She nodded slightly, and he turned around to leave. She grabbed his arm, and he stopped moving. ¡°Thank you.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°For what?¡± He asked. ¡°You didn''t have to include me in on this quest.¡± ¡°You voluntarily put yourself in more danger than the rest of us.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The least I could do was give you a share of everything.¡± ¡°You''re a really nice guy.¡± ¡°Please tell me you''re not just realizing this now.¡± Ren said half-jokingly, and she blushed. ¡°I... I thought... you... um...¡± Deresdra stammered. ¡°You''re not the first person to assume this is all just an act.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°You probably won''t be the last, either.¡± Ren left the medical tent and walked over to Princess. ¡°I''m sorry, I should have unhooked you before.¡± He said, and undid the attachments, then stored the cart. You were busy. Princess thought to him. ¡°I still am.¡± Ren chuckled, pat her neck, and told her she could run around; but, she should stay within the half mile of the warning enchantments. Princess huffed, nodded slightly, then turned away. She started to trot, then went faster, then she went all out and took off. ¡°By the GODS!¡± One of the dwarves said. ¡°She runs like the wind!¡± Ren laughed and walked over to the moat. I have a spell for this. He thought and took out one of the Level 2 Web wands that he had. He absorbed the charges from it, loaded it with the Bridge spell, then examined the wand.
Wand Of Spanning
A Bridge spell creates a 5 foot wide stone bridge that is 1 foot thick, and arches slightly over a distance of 20 feet, and merges itself into the surrounding area. The distance can be increased to double it''s size, but the bridge will only be half as wide and have a much higher arch. Range: Short (Within 25 feet). Time Limit: 5 minutes (Level 2)
Ren used the wand to create the 20 foot long bridge, and a 5 foot wide bridge appeared in front of him. He ran across it into the giant''s camp, and switched his concentration to his personal Aura. He saw that several giants were up and around, and ran to the middle of the camp. Laurelia was at the cooking area, and was reheating the last of the food. ¡°Ren!¡± She exclaimed as she saw him. ¡°I''m so glad you''re here!¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. He walked over to her, took a deep breath, and thought giant size and I''m giving it to Laurelia over and over, and took out several sacks of potatoes. They popped into existence at the proper giant scale, and Ren almost jumped for joy. He knew it would work for money; but, he wasn''t sure he could scale the food to that size himself.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Laurelia nearly cried as she saw the sacks of potatoes appear, and stopped herself from picking Ren up to hug him. Ren, unaware of her thoughts, proceeded to take out sacks of vegetables, fruits, and half a dozen already skinned and prepped ram carcasses that were ready to be cut up and cooked. ¡°Oh!¡± Laurelia said as a tear escaped her eye, and didn''t fight her urge anymore. She reached down, picked him up gently, and tucked him in close to her chest. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± ¡°Y-you''re w-welcome.¡± Ren said, and wasn''t sure what to do. One of her hands was on his back, and the other held him under his butt. His head was over her shoulder, and his upper body was between her breasts. He really liked hugs, though; so, he tried to hug her neck. It was a little awkward; but, Laurelia didn''t seem to mind that. After a few moments, she started to shift; so, he let her neck go and she put him down on the ground. ¡°We''ll get this made up right away.¡± Laurelia said, and motioned to the large table. There was already several giants there chopping up the vegetables, and one started cutting up a ram carcass. ¡°Fresh fruit!¡± One of the men said, and grabbed one of them. A wooden spoon smacked his hand and he pulled it back. ¡°Dammit, woman! That hurt!¡± ¡°You have to wait for the youngest to eat first.¡± She said. ¡°Pallida? Come on out, dear.¡± A young woman came out of the nearest tent when she heard the woman call to her. She looked rail thin, and walked slowly over to the table. Ren could hear her take in a lungful of air, and a smile spread across her face as she picked up a piece of fruit and bit into it. She moaned as she chewed, and a bit of the juice ran down her chin. ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± The woman said and laughed as she wiped off the young woman''s face for her. The young woman grinned and took another bite. The man slipped a hand into the bag of fresh fruit and picked up two of them. No one said anything to him, so he bit into one and walked over to sit in front of another tent. ¡°Is there anything wrong with her?¡± Ren asked Laurelia. ¡°Not really.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Once food is a day or two old, she can''t stomach it for some reason.¡± ¡°I didn''t realize that.¡± Ren said and looked at the food. ¡°Should I have things sent here every day?¡± ¡°No.¡± Laurelia said, as the woman slipped several potatoes and pieces of fruit into her pockets when she thought no one was looking. ¡°Her mother has things under control for now.¡± ¡°Laurelia.¡± Ren said. ¡°Should we tell them about...¡± ¡°No.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°They might... ah... interfere.¡± Ren nodded, because he knew what she meant. They would try to stop Ren, and not their own people; despite the fact that their people wanted to kill them, and Ren wanted to save them. ¡°I better get back.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°If I don''t...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll make sure to come and see you afterwards, just so you''ll know it''s over.¡± Laurelia put her hand beside him, then stroked his face with the tip of her finger. ¡°Good luck.¡± Ren put a hand on her finger and gave it a little squeeze. ¡°Tell people I''ll be back this afternoon to clean and repair their clothes.¡± He said, then left the cooking area in the direction of the Garrison. He didn''t want people to follow him out the other way because they would see the defenses easily. Ren ran around the moat all the way to the side that the defense line was set up on, and picked a spot opposite the medical tent to take out his forge and smelter. He was amazed that he could fall, turn upside down, and even tumble; and yet, nothing in his inventory spilled, messed up, or mixed together. The smelter was still full of molten metal, and Ren looked at his skills. He concentrated on his Command Aura, and received a popup.
Stat Change!
Command Aura Level 6 (Expert 0%)
What''s next? Ren asked himself. Ah, Elemental Grenades. He smiled, and ran a few hundred feet out and took the giant target out of inventory. He repaired the fabric, ran back 50 feet, and used the Elemental Grenades ability while thinking about Wind. Two small Mana balls appeared in his hand, and he tossed them up to the top of the target. When they got to within 5 feet of the top, they exploded in a 10 foot blast of Wind each. It hit the target, made several tears in the fabric and did some light damage. He repeated this several times, until he received a popup.
Stat Change!
Elemental Grenades Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
It looks like I get about 10% every time I use it at the Beginner stage with the bonuses. Ren thought, generated Elemental Grenades 10 more times and confirmed his estimation when he received the next level popup. For the next 5 minutes, all he did was toss Elemental Grenades at the 25 foot tall target. When he reached Level 5, it gave him another grenade, and he had to use a Major Healing Wand to get his Mana Pool back to full. He continued on for another 5 minutes and stopped when he received the popup he was waiting for.
Stat Change!
Elemental Grenades Level 1 (Intermediate 0%) You can now generate four (4) elemental grenades at a time, and they do double damage.
Ren heard a rustling sound from the bushes 50 feet away, then he heard clomping hooves. He turned around to watch Princess as she passed by, and the small furry creature that had been hiding in the bushes decided it couldn''t take any more. It ran faster than Princess as it sped away out into the wilderness. Ren turned his head to look at whatever it was, and Princess stuck out her tongue as she ran by and licked his face. ¡°Hey!¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°No fair! I wasn''t even looking!¡± Princess brayed laughter as she followed the furry creature. Ren wiped his face off and looked at his skills again. ¡°Who said I only have to do one skill at a time?¡± He said out loud, and made a table for himself. He took out piles of items from inventory; amulets, wands, and a crate of diamond crystals. He activated Enchanted Eyes that let him see enchanted items glow, and the whole table of items lit up. He picked up a Web wand and examined it. He dismissed the popup of the description, then received another.
Stat Change!
Identify Level 4 (Intermediate 0%)
It must have been close to leveling already. Ren thought, and used Appraisal on it. He stored it and picked up the next wand, identified and appraised it, and stored it. He cleared off the table, then moved on to the crate of diamond crystals. He did the same thing to all of them, and didn''t stop until he had leveled up both Identify and Appraisal.
Stat Change!
Identify Level 5 (Intermediate 0%) Appraisal Level 7 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren looked around and saw that all the dwarves glowed, as well as the steel squares he''d enchanted. He grinned, stored the crate of crystals and the table, then ran around the moat twice. He even saw all of the steel squares he''d tossed into the trench to create the moat. When he made it back to the defense line, he''d leveled up Enchanted Eyes to Beginner Level 8 and Running to Intermediate Level 6. My Hold Breath skill is only Beginner Level 2! Ren thought in surprise when he checked his skill list. In a stroke of inspiration, he ran over to the moat and stuck his head into it. He stayed there for a couple of minutes, and stared at the glowing steel squares, and activated both Decipher and Read Rune. He wasn''t sure if that would work, since he knew the runes in the glyphs already; but, figured he should use as many skills as he could before he lost the SPECIAL bonus. He couldn''t hold his breath anymore, pulled his head from the water, took a deep breath, and stuck it back in. Ren had to use a Major Healing wand to refill his depleted Mana Pool. Iron Grip! He thought, and took out one of the small gold bars he''d made before coming to the dwarf lands. He held it in front of his face in the water and enchanted it with a glyph of Illumination. It glowed because of his Enchanted Eyes and he saw the runes in the glyph because of his Decipher skill; but when he checked the Read Rune description, it was only for unknown runes. He deactivated that skill and used Iron Grip on the gold metal. Ren crushed it easily, took out his blacksmith hammer, and repaired it. The enchantment was no longer on it because it had been so damaged; so he enchanted it again, waited a moment, then crushed it. He couldn''t hold his breath anymore, so he pulled his head out of the water, and then gasped for air.
Stat Change!
Hold Breath Level 3 (Beginner 0%)
Ren grinned, took a deep breath, and plunged his head and hands back into the water. * ¡°What... what is he doing?¡± One of the dwarves asked. ¡°I dunno.¡± His buddy said. ¡°Maybe he''s trying to breathe underwater.¡± ¡°Ha! That''s crazy.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°No, I think he''s trying to hurt himself.¡± His buddy laughed. ¡°We just watched him throw... what? A hundred or so wind bombs at the target?¡± The dwarf nodded. ¡°There''s lots of easier ways he could hurt himself.¡± ¡°I''m going to go get the healer.¡± ¡°Suit yourself.¡± His buddy said. ¡°But I''ll bet you first shot that he''s going to laugh in her face.¡± ¡°You''re on!¡± The dwarf said excitedly and ran over to the healer. ¡°Sucker.¡± His buddy whispered. ¡°Can''t he hear Ren laugh when he sticks his head up?¡± * Ren continuously used Iron Grip and Metal Repair while holding his breath, and had just gotten Hold Breath up to Level 4, when he felt someone tug on his cloak. He pulled his head out of the water, shook it out, and turned to see who it was. ¡°Yes?¡± Ren said as he saw Deresdra standing behind him. ¡°Are you trying to kill yourself?¡± She asked, and Ren laughed. ¡°No, Ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m trying to make it easier to hold my breath.¡± Deresdra blinked her eyes at him a few times, shook her head, and walked back to the medical tent. * ¡°Aw, damn.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I told you.¡± His buddy said. ¡°I get first shot.¡± ¡°All right, fine.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I was wrong.¡± His buddy grinned. ¡°By the gods, I can''t wait to fire this thing on full automatic!¡± ¡°Only the first 50 shots!¡± The dwarf said. ¡°We''re splitting, remember?¡± ¡°I might forget in the heat of battle.¡± His buddy joked. ¡°You better not!¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I''ll never forgive you if you take all the Honor.¡± His buddy laughed. ¡°Don''t worry, my friend. By the time this is over, we''re all going to have lots of Honor.¡± * Ren dunked his head and arms back into the water. Once I get Hold Breath up to Intermediate, I''ll do something else.
Stat Change!
Iron Grip Level 3 (Intermediate 0%) Enchanted Eyes Level 1 (Intermediate 0%)
Sweet! Ren thought and kept working. This SPECIAL bonus is freaking awesome! Chapter 266 - Here They Come While Ren worked on his Hold Breath Skill, he made a Connection between his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and his Screaming Terror ring. He didn''t activate the ring, though. He wasn''t trying to boost his Aura''s Fear, all he wanted was to make the Connection and use the skill. After 2 minutes, he received a popup.
Stat Change!
Connection Level 7 (Beginner 0%)
I''ve had a few skills that were really close to leveling up. Ren thought, then continued to make a Connection every 2 minutes. It took another half an hour for Ren to get Hold Breath up to Intermediate Level 1. Since it was a sub skill of Staying Power, it brought that up from Intermediate Level 6, past Level 7, and halfway to Level 8. The Connection skill was up to Beginner Level 8, too. He equipped his armor bodysuit for a second to dry off, and equipped his Travelling Clothes again. The entire time he was grinding Hold Breath, he had constantly enchanted the gold; then crushed it, and repaired it. He brought Iron Grip up to Intermediate Level 5, Repair and Metal Repair up to Intermediate Level 8, and then received a popup for Enchanting.
Stat Change!
Enchanting Level 5 (Advanced 0%) - You can now use 5 runes per glyph
Damn, I forgot to count how many times I did it. Ren thought, then shrugged. Now, what else can I do? Ren remembered to concentrate on his Fear Aura as he looked through his skills. Archery! He thought, and took out a springy tree. He cut it in three pieces, and made 3 normal-sized bows out of it. He used some Spider Silk String and attached it to the bows.
Stat Change!
Bow Making Level 5 (Beginner 0%)
The pieces that were left over from the springy tree were made into arrows, and Ren let the system fletch them because he didn''t have any feathers. He got 10 arrows from each tree section.
Stat Change!
Arrow Making Level 5 (Beginner 0%)
I''m really tempted to keep going, but I have something else to level up first. Ren thought, stored two of the bows, sewed up a quiver and gathered up the 30 arrows to put in it. He walked over to stand a hundred feet away from the large giant target and drew the first arrow from the quiver. Ren aimed at the knee of the giant cutout, activated his Hail Of Arrows ability, and shot the arrow. A Mana-generated arrow appeared beside it, and then another, and all three arrows flew across the distance to strike the giant cutout''s knee. Three arrows? Ren asked himself. No way! The SPECIAL bonus doubles that, too?!? The first magic arrow cost 10 Mana to generate, and the second magic arrow was free; so, since it was coming from his Mana Pool, he could shoot just over 410 arrows before he had to refill his Mana Pool. He could get another 138 shots if he depleted his Mana bar as well. He shot 5 more arrows and received a popup.
Stat Change!
Archery Level 2 (Beginner 0%) Hail of Arrows Level 2 (Beginner 0%) Connection Level 9 (Beginner 0%)
They both must have been close to leveling up already, too. Ren thought, and shot off another 20 arrows. They were magically tripled, and he leveled up both skills again. He ran to the target and gathered up the arrows. He ran back to his position and shot another 20 arrows, then gathered them up and shot again. He had dismissed the other popups, but this one he looked at.
Stat Change!
Archery Level 5 (Beginner 0%). You can now shoot 5% faster. Dexterity +1. Hail of Arrows Level 5 (Beginner 0%). You now produce 2 copies of any projectile fired within your Aura''s area of effect. Mana cost reduced from 10 Mana per projectile to 9 Mana. SPECIAL x2: Dexterity +1
The next arrow he shot produced 4 magic copies, and Ren grinned. He shot arrows for another 20 minutes, gathering them up and shot again 5 more times. He dismissed the level up popups until he received the popup that he wanted.
Stat Change!
Archery Level 1 (Intermediate 0%). You can now shoot 10% faster (total 15%). Dexterity +2. Hail of Arrows Level 1 (Intermediate 0%). You now produce 3 copies of any projectile fired within your Aura''s area of effect. Mana cost reduced from 9 Mana per projectile to 8 Mana. SPECIAL x2: Dexterity +2
Ren was tempted to keep leveling it, but he figured it was better to get as many skills as possible up to Intermediate, and then he could level whatever he wanted.
Stat Change!
Fear Aura Level 9 (Expert 0%)
Hmmm, what''s next. Ren thought as he gathered up the arrows. I can do Glass Cutting! Ren ran over to the table he''d made and took out a piece of glass after seeing the skills were at Beginner Level 4. The piece of glass he had was a large pane. If he was careful, he should be able to level the skill up fast. He cut the pane in half, then each half in half again. Once the pieces were at a size that was easier to cut, He cut them into even strips a quarter of an inch apart. After he''d made 25 consecutive cuts, he received another popup.
Stat Change!
Glassworking Level 5 (Beginner 0%). You can now manipulate glass 5% faster. Glass Cutting Level 5 (Beginner 0%). You can now cut glass 5% faster.
Ha! Ren thought. They''re both now 10% because of the SPECIAL bonus and add together, since one is a sub skill of the other. He slid the thin pieces he cut aside and cut the next piece of glass. Since he was only doing straight cuts, and with his Fast Craft speed of 25% doubled as well, he went through the entire pane of glass in only a few minutes. Ren was still having a hard time believing how fast he was leveling up his skills from the Beginner stage, and then he got another popup.
Stat Change!
Glassworking Level 1 (Intermediate 0%). You can now manipulate glass 10% faster. Glass Cutting Level 1 (Intermediate 0%). You can now cut glass 10% faster.
¡°Holy crap.¡± Ren said, and looked at the hundreds upon hundreds of perfectly cut pieces of glass. ¡°I... I wonder...¡± He said, and turned the pieces of glass 90 degrees, so that the cuts he already made were across, and he used his cutting tool to score along a dozen pieces to make the long pieces of glass that were a quarter inch wide, into quarter inch squares. He did this several times, and when he was almost done of the last cut across a single handful of glass pieces, he received another level for each skill. ¡°No way.¡± Ren said. ¡°Each one counts as a separate cut, even though I''m cutting them together!¡± Happy to have discovered a really quick way to make a dozen cuts with only a single stroke, he proceeded to cut up all of the glass pieces. By the time he had finished cutting everything on the table into little squares, he had dismissed 8 other popups for level increases; and then he stopped and stared at the last one.
Stat Change!
Glassworking Level 1 (Advanced 0%). You can now manipulate glass 20% faster. Glass Cutting Level 1 (Advanced 0%). You can now cut glass 20% faster.
¡°Wow.¡± Ren said, completely amazed that the more he did, the faster he got. ¡°I bet Charles is kicking himself right now!¡± ******** ¡°Goddammit.¡± Charles said when he received the scathing text message on his cell phone from the CEO''s secretary. Even though he thought trying to fix the game progression when no one was in the office was a good idea, it had backfired spectacularly. Not only didn''t I delay Ren long enough for the attack to happen, the game for some reason gave him my SPECIAL bonus! Charles thought and shook his head. He had typed up a long explanation about the situation and sent it to the secretary; but, he wasn''t sure why she was so mad. Right after he was hired, he heard the story about what had happened when the kid got stuck in the game, and how the tech department had handled it. It was actually a smart idea. Charles thought. It solved the problem right away. I don''t quite agree with the method they used; but, it gave me the idea to go in and actually fight him. He sighed. I know I hurt him a lot... but that didn''t seem to make any difference. The cell phone beeped and he read her response. ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Charles said. ¡°He''s not a ''valuable resource that should be protected''.¡± He laughed. ¡°He''s just a kid!¡± Charles typed up an appropriate response and sent it. He received an immediate reply that threatened both his manhood and his life. He responded that it wasn''t necessary to resort to threats, because he didn''t break the rules at all. * ¡°He is such an idiot!¡± Elise exclaimed, and typed up a message saying that it wasn''t the rules that he broke, but the trust that Ren had in the game developers and the tech department. * Charles looked at her message and shrugged. He told her that his job was to manage the Giant update in the game, not public relations. His phone beeped again, and he decided he''d heard enough from her and turned off his phone. I bet he''s grinding like crazy right now. Charles thought as he climbed into bed and yawned. He really needed to get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. ******** Ren hadn''t been sure what to do with all of the glass pieces, so he had sewed up a sack and put them all inside and stored it. He had continuously made the Connection between his cloak and his Screaming Terror ring, and another popup appeared.
Stat Change!
Connection Level 1 (Intermediate 0%). You can now make 2 connections between objects with similar properties at the same time.
Ren went to the forge and took out the mold he''d made long ago for a raised platform ring. He poured out one and absorbed the heat from it. Once it was enchanted with Screaming Terror, he put it on the finger that didn''t have a ring on it. He made a Connection between the two Screaming Terror rings and the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, and poured 4 more rings. He slipped off the 4 Protection rings from his other hand and stored them. Now that all of the fingers on that hand were free, Ren enchanted the new steel raised platform rings with Screaming Terror, and put them on. He made a Connection between three of them, then made another Connection between them and the cloak. His Mana Pool drained slowly, and for 10 minutes, he kept making as Many Connections between all of the rings and the cloak as he could keep straight in his head. He started to get a headache from all the concentration he was doing, and trying to maintain so many connections at once.
Stat Change!
Connection Level 2 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren let all of the connections lapse, and sighed in relief as the pain in his head eased away. He thought about what to make next, then remembered the toy boat and how Nathalia had said it should be something else. As soon as he thought that, Princess ran by and he grinned. That''s actually a good idea. Ren thought, and opened the cart plan he had. He remembered that he had Princess'' measurements memorized, because he had needed them to make her armor. He altered the cart pattern and added Princess to it, and then scaled it down to toy size. He saved the plan, and got a popup.
Stat Change!
Pattern Making Level 8 (Beginner 0%)
¡°Ha.¡± Ren said, then remembered he hadn''t finished converting all of Thern Neram''s old designs from the dwarf style to normal, and for the next several minutes, made slight alterations to the remainder of the plans and saved them. It only took 20 plan alterations to get to the next level; so, he kept going. Geez, the last time I made patterns like this, it was right before I found the diamond mine. Ren thought. Of course, that made him think of Nathalia; and how he had fought so hard to not take her right then and there that night. He grinned at the thought, then again when he finished another pattern and another popup appeared.
Stat Change!
Pattern Making Level 1 (Intermediate 0%). You can now make your own patterns for things, and do not need to alter an already existing pattern.
Nice. Ren thought, and remembered the tiara he''d made for Lara. He had made that one without a pattern, and now he could make it a pattern so it could be saved. That also gave him the idea to alter it. Since the plan itself was quite tiny, he started making slight alterations to it and saving all of the variations. With diamonds, without diamonds, some diamonds, cascading gems, all big diamonds, all different sized diamonds, diamonds in patterns, a flat band with no holes, no curves, all curves, all holes, twisted like a pretzel, and anything else he could think of. He also did combinations of all the options he could think of. Ren discovered it took 50 patterns to go up a level on Intermediate; so he made hundreds of alterations to the tiara, and thanks to his Fast Crafting bonus, saved a pattern about every 3 seconds. By the time 15 minutes had passed, he had 300 patterns done, and had leveled Pattern Making to Intermediate Level 7. Now I really feel like I''m cheating. Ren said and chuckled, then shook his head. I have to keep going, or I''ll waste it. He did another 150 patterns just because he could; and received another popup.
Stat Change!
Pattern Making Level 1 (Advanced 0%). It is now much easier for you to discover the patterns for things.
Notice!
Your inherent knowledge of how things are constructed has increased to an unprecedented point. Intelligence: +5 SPECIAL x2: +5
Ren started to chuckle, and then he received another popup.
Stat Change!
Staying Power Level 8 (Intermediate 0%). Aura (Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak) (Mastered). Causes a menacing feeling, and small creatures flee from your presence. Current distance: 50 foot radius
Ren snorted a laugh, selected all of the altered patterns he''d made of the tiara, and deleted them all. They served their purpose. Ren thought, and looked around. The armor, shields and weapons that the dwarves had equipped glowed, and he shook his head as Enchanted Eyes leveled up to Intermediate Level 2. Let''s make some toy Princesses! Ren thought with amusement, and took out a piece of wood. Using the various tools that he had, and the pattern he''d made, it didn''t take him long to carve out a really nice representation of Princess.
Notice!
You have unlocked a new skill: Wood Carving Level 1 (Beginner 0%). This sub skill under Woodworking allows you to carve things out of wood. Higher levels will increase the speed of carving, and the quality of the work.
Ren chuckled as he filled the mold for the metal parts of the wind-up engine, then made the wood cart to attach it to. He covered the working parts so you wouldn''t get your fingers or anything caught in the moving parts. With the engine taking up so much room, he had to make the cart''s sides a little higher so that you could still put things into the cart. He dyed the small wooden Princess to the right color, dyed the cart to a dark brown, then attached them together. Small wheels had to be made to put on the wooden Princess'' front hooves, and then a small wooden block had to be attached to the inside of the cart for the button. Ren wound the key a couple of times, and set the toy on the table. The tiny Princess and cart rolled across the table quickly, and he caught it. Ren lifted it up and examined it with Identify.
Ram and Cart Toy
This exquisitely hand-crafted toy was made by Ren the First.
Ren used Appraisal on it, and it was valued at 1 gold coin. That''s cool. He thought and stored it. He made another one and stored that, too.
Stat Change!
Craft Toy Level 4 (Beginner 0%) Wood Carving Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
I only need to make two of them to level? That''s crazy! Ren thought, chuckled, and made two more.
Stat Change!
Craft Toy Level 5 (Beginner 0%). You can produce toys 5% faster, and have learned a new recipe: Toy Train. Wood Carving Level 3 (Beginner 0%)
Ren looked at the recipe for the toy train, and saw that it was only the main engine and one car. Rather than try and adapt the wind-up engine to fit the new recipe, he just kept making Ram and Cart toys. He kept making them, and dismissed the popups until he leveled up Craft Toy.
Stat Change!
Craft Toy Level 1 (Intermediate 0%). You can produce toys 5% faster, and have learned a new recipe: Rock Golem (Stuffed Plush).
Ren made two more toys, and leveled Wood Carving to Intermediate Level 1 and Woodworking to Intermediate Level 5, which increased the speed of Wood Carving by 10% and Woodworking by 15%.
Notice!
Your use of chisels and knives in carving wood has let your fingers become more nimble in their movements. Dexterity: +2 SPECIAL x2: Dexterity +2
He looked through his skill list to see what else he could work on, and saw his Block skill under Shock Absorption, was pretty close to leveling up to Beginner Level 3. No time like the present. Ren thought, and walked over to a couple of dwarves that hadn''t picked a weapon to be the third person on the crew. As he approached them, they stood at attention and saluted. ¡°At ease.¡± Ren said. ¡°This might seem like an odd request, but I need to increase my Block skill.¡± He said. ¡°I''m not asking for a fight or a duel. I''m asking for you to swing your weapon at my shield so I can block it.¡± ¡°Permission to speak freely?¡± One of them said. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Are you crazy, sir?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°According to some definitions, yes.¡± ¡°I expected you to deny it.¡± The dwarf smiled. ¡°I''ll help you, if you can stop making my skin crawl.¡± Ren laughed because he had forgotten he was working on leveling up his Fear Aura. He switched his concentration to his Camaraderie Aura, and the dwarf relaxed. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± ¡°Let''s move over this way a bit, so we don''t disturb the others.¡± Ren said and walked to the spot between the medical tent and the giant target. ¡°Ren, I''m going to fly up and scout a bit.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s getting close to the right time.¡± Can you use Spot on things that far away? Ren asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I should be able to see them with this much open space.¡± He chittered in laughter. ¡°It''s not like they can hide behind anything!¡± Ren held in his chuckle, but Teepo felt his amusement and agreement, then took off to fly up a few hundred feet. Ren took out his shield and braced for the dwarf to attack after absorbing the Illumination glyph from it. ¡°Only aim for the shield. This isn''t a mock battle or anything of the sort. You can use different swings if you want, as long as you hit the shield.¡± The dwarf unsheathed his sword and readied himself. He swung his sword and Ren blocked it. ¡°Harder.¡± Ren said. The dwarf smiled, did a little twirl with the blade, and swung it backhanded towards the shield. ¡°Better!¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you go faster?¡± The dwarf grinned and took out a short sword from behind his back and started to hit Ren with consecutive blows.
Stat Change!
Block Level 3 (Beginner 0%)
¡°Yeah! That''s it!¡± Ren said as he watched his Block skill level up. They kept going for about 10 minutes, and the dwarf had to stop and rest. Ren took out his icebox and gave the dwarf a plate of food. ¡°Blah.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°It''s cold!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Sorry. Just a minute.¡± He walked over to the forge and stuck the plate inside. Using his Fire Manipulation ability, he directed the heat into the food and not the plate. It only took a few seconds, and he brought it back to the dwarf.
Stat Change!
Fire Manipulation Level 3 (Intermediate 0%)
The dwarf stared at him with wide eyes and didn''t take the plate. ¡°The plate is still cold, if you''re worried about it.¡± Ren said and tried to hand it to him. ¡°You... you just stuck your hand into the forge!¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I saw it!¡± He took the plate of food, and then looked at Ren''s hand. ¡°It''s not even burned!¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''ve been blessed by the Fire Deity.¡± He said. ¡°Flames in all their forms can no longer hurt me.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°By... by the gods...¡± The dwarf said, and ate some of the food. ¡°This is delicious.¡± He said, but kept staring at Ren''s hand. Ren took a small piece of food from the icebox and ate it.
Stat Change!
Rationing Level 3 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren chuckled at the ridiculousness of the situation, but he wasn''t going to stop using it to his advantage. That would have been even more ridiculous, in his opinion. Upon reflection, he figured all of the dwarves needed a good meal, so he took out 20 plates of food and warmed them in the forge. Since the plates of food had different items on them, Ren had to constantly adjust how to distribute the heat. When he did the last one, he had leveled Fire Manipulation to Intermediate Level 4. He delivered the warm meal to each of the other 19 dwarves, and then went to the medical tent with the last plate. ¡°Knock, knock.¡± Ren said, and stepped inside. ¡°Ooo, food!¡± Deresdra said as she turned around from hanging up an improvised curtain. ¡°Is that for me?¡± Ren nodded slightly, and she came over to him and took it. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, and stood there to eat it. ¡°You should have told me you needed to hang a curtain.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have come in to help.¡± Deresdra chuckled. ¡°Like you''re not busy enough.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I''m just training, actually.¡± He said. ¡°I received a fantastic bonus to my gains for the rest of the day, and I''m trying to use it as much as possible.¡± Deresdra nodded slightly and kept eating. ¡°I saw.¡± She said. ¡°After your fake drowning...¡± She smiled. ¡°...I kept an eye on what you were doing.¡± She tossed the last bit of food into her mouth and sighed. ¡°That was really good.¡± ¡°I guess you must have missed breakfast.¡± Ren said and took the empty plate from her to store it. ¡°We left the mine before I could go to the cafeteria.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°I''m glad you gave me something to eat.¡± She smiled. ¡°I was almost at the point of scavenging.¡± Ren chuckled, and left the medical tent. He ran around and picked up the empty plates, then put them in the icebox and stored it. He and the dwarf took their positions again, and they continued the Block training for another 20 minutes.
Stat Change!
Block Level 1 (Intermediate 0%) Shock Absorption Level 7 (Intermediate 0%)
¡°That''s good enough.¡± Ren said to the exhausted dwarf. He took out a Major Healing wand and used it on himself and the dwarf. The dwarf was still tired; but he felt a lot better, too. ¡°If you feel up to it, can you gently throw some rocks at me?¡± Ren asked the dwarf, and the dwarf nodded slightly. ¡°Just toss them easily. I''m going to dodge them.¡± The dwarf did as he said, and for the next 10 minutes, all Ren did was dodge rocks. The dwarf had started throwing them underhand, then as his Stamina came back, threw them overhand instead. Ren raised a hand up and the dwarf stopped throwing rocks.
Notice!
You have worked hard to avoid getting hit 100 times consecutively. Dexterity: +3 Agility: +4 SPECIAL x2: Dexterity +3, Agility +4
¡°Thank you for your help.¡± Ren said to the dwarf, who nodded slightly and went back to talk to the others.
Stat Change!
Camaraderie Aura Level 5 (Expert 0%)
Ren thought about what could help him with Agility, and took out a pile of planks. He cut them down their lengths, and then cut them in half. That made 6 inch wide, 4 foot long pieces. He nailed 6 of them together to make a 6 inch by 6 inch post, and made 4 of them.
Stat Change!
Woodworking Level 6 (Intermediate 0%) Nailing Level 2 (Intermediate 0%) Saw Level 4 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren used an axe and chopped the bottoms of the 4 posts to make them sharp, took out his hammerpick and plunged the plow end into the ground to make a hole, then made another hole 5 feet away. After deciding that a square would be better than a line, he made 2 more holes to make the shape of a square. He stored the hammerpick, and took out a large hammer to put the posts into the ground about a foot. This secured them tightly, and left 3 feet above ground. ¡°Perfect.¡± Ren said, and climbed up onto one. They were just far enough apart that you couldn''t step from one to the other, and you had to hop. He jumped to the next post and landed with one foot on it; then almost lost his balance. Luckily, his other foot touched the post and his Amulet of the Spider held him steady. Remembering that he needed at least 2 points of contact for the amulet to work, Ren jumped to the next post with his feet closer together. He landed slightly off-center, but since both feet hit the surface, he steadied himself quickly. Ren kept jumping around the 4 posts of the square. He kept getting more adventurous as he jumped. He used two feet, one foot and a hand, one foot and two hands, and even once with only his hands. At one point, he had hung on the side of the post and jumped to the next one. After half an hour of jumping as many times as he could, and in as many ways as he could think of, he hopped down and stood on the ground. I think that''s enough for now. Ren thought. There''s not much more that I can do.
Notice!
Because of your diligence in training at various tasks practically non-stop for several hours, and the excessive burden of weight that you carry, you have gained stats to reflect your hard work. Agility: +5 Dexterity: +3 Strength: +8 Endurance: +6 SPECIAL x2: Agility: +5, Dexterity: +3, Strength: +8, Endurance: +6
¡°Ren!¡± Teepo said. ¡°I think I see something!¡± What is it? Ren asked. How far away? ¡°If I had to estimate, about 10 miles.¡± Ren ran around to the dwarves and told them that something was coming; and that they were to hold their fire until he came back. He ran over to the giant target and stored it. ¡°Princess!¡± Ren yelled, and he heard her hooves as she approached from the side. She skidded to a stop right in front of him, and he gave her some food. She gobbled it down without chewing it, and Ren climbed up on her back after giving her an Amulet of the Spider. Teepo! Ren thought, and his friend flew over and landed on his shoulder. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Ren said, and Princess took off towards where Teepo had seen something in the distance. He deactivated one of the early warning enchantments as he passed it, so it wouldn''t activate when they crossed it''s area of effect. They ran out about 8 miles, and Teepo took off from Ren''s shoulder when they came to a stop. What do you see? Ren asked. ¡°Giants.¡± Teepo said. ¡°About 20 of them.¡± Only 20? Ren thought, a little confused. What do they look like? ¡°Haggered.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Like they''ve been running for a long time.¡± No signs of armor or weapons? ¡°No, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I think... I think these are what''s left of the giants that left the camp.¡± Oh, no. Ren thought to his friend. Go a little higher and try to see what''s behind them. Teepo went higher, and saw what was behind the giants. ¡°You''re right, Ren.¡± Teepo said, sadly. ¡°They''re being chased.¡± Dammit. Ren thought. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± Teepo asked. The only thing we can do. Ren thought, determined. We fight! YES! Princess thought loudly, and ran as fast as she could towards the oncoming giants. * The plan is going perfectly. The leader of the platoon of Guardians of the Land thought. We only had to kill a few of them before they started to run. He smiled. We''ve been picking them off one by one since then. The soldier next to him threw one of his last spears, and the leader watched it arc through the air and it clipped a man''s arm. The giant was jerked around from the force of the impact, stumbled, and fell onto his back and rolled several times. ¡°Ha!¡± The soldier said as he drew his sword. The Guardians of the Land overtook the fallen giant quickly, and the soldier decapitated the man with one swing. The man had tried to stand up with the spear in his arm, and the sword went through the handle of the spear just as easily as the man''s neck. The body fell to the ground a moment later, but it was left far behind by that time. ¡°There''s not many left, men!¡± The leader yelled, to encourage his men. ¡°Ha!¡± The soldiers yelled just as loudly in reply. * ¡°Slow down so they can see me.¡± Ren said to Princess, and she slowed to a trot half a mile from the refugee giants that were running frantically towards the camp. Teepo had told him how the Guardians of the Land had dealt with the male giant, and Ren frowned at the unnecessarily brutal display. Ren braced his hands, and then stood up on the saddle; with a foot on the front, and one on the back. He rocked back and forth a lot; but thanks to his Amulet of the Spider, he was in no danger of falling off. The Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak billowed out, and Ren enchanted his shield with Illumination again. Ren switched his concentration to his Fear Aura, and made the Connection between two of the Screaming Terror rings and the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. He equipped his gold-colored armor, took out the Wand of Iron Barrier, and prepared to fire. ¡°Get to the camp!¡± Ren shouted at the refugee giants as they passed, then activated his Screaming Terror enchantments. * What''s going on? The leader of the platoon asked himself. He could clearly see the people he chased as they deviated from a direct path away from his soldiers, and go around something. * ¡°Now!¡± Teepo said. ¡°The refugees are past your target point!¡± Ren shot the Wand of Iron Barrier a dozen times, and used a wall 27 feet tall and 15 feet wide. It was only an inch thick at that size; but, that didn''t matter at this point. It looked solid, so he made a solid iron wall in the shape of a big ''V'', with each arm of it 300 feet long. It had taken 40 charges to do it, but it did it''s job and covered the giant''s view. * ¡°What the hell?¡± The leader asked out loud as both he and all of his soldiers came to a stop inside the open end of an equilateral triangle made of iron that was 27 feet tall. Since they were only 25 feet tall, they couldn''t see over the top. * Teepo! Ren thought as he renewed the Connections between his rings and cloak, and Teepo flew over to land on top of the wall. Ren took out the Wand of Ventriloquism and cast Magic Mouth on Teepo. ¡°HALT!¡± Ren said through Teepo. ¡°The people you are chasing are under my protection!¡± ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± The leader asked, knowing the voice was coming from somewhere on top of the wall, but he couldn''t see anyone there. Ren thought about the most menacing voice he could think of, and cast Magic Mouth on Teepo again. ¡°I... am the Dreaded Foe.¡± ¡°Ha ha ha!¡± One of the giant soldiers laughed. ¡°The Dreaded Foe conjured a wall to keep us out! Hahaha!¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± The leader of the platoon said. ¡°This wall isn''t going to stop us.¡± ¡°It''s not meant to.¡± Ren relayed through Teepo. ¡°I''m just delaying you long enough for the refugees to get away.¡± The leader shook his head. ¡°They can''t get away. We know where they''re going.¡± He smiled. ¡°We will get there and remove them as a threat.¡± Ren rode Princess over to the wall to let his Fear Aura, that was boosted with two Screaming Terror enchantments, cover the soldiers. ¡°If you come to the camp, YOU WILL ALL DIE!¡± * The soldiers all froze as they felt an immense presence approach. ¡°What... what is that?¡± One of the soldiers whispered, and barely moved his mouth. ¡°I''m so scared I... I can''t move!¡± The leader felt the same thing, and even though he had some experience with strong presences, he couldn''t move, either. What Ren didn''t realize was that the SPECIAL bonus doubled effects as well. The Guardians of the Land were suffering through a Fear Aura that was boosted by four enchantments of Screaming Terror. ¡°We... aren''t afraid... of you.¡± The leader said, as he adjusted to the overwhelming fear. He took one step, and then another. The soldiers beside him saw him move, and they doubled their resolve. One of them took a step, and clenched his fists. ¡°You have been warned.¡± The menacing voice said. ¡°If you come to the camp seeking death, you will find it; for I shall give it to you without question.¡± A moment later, 4 Elemental Grenades made of Fire came over the wall, then 4 more every second for 10 seconds. They exploded when they were within 5 feet of the giants and covered 15 feet of area each. Since the damage of an Elemental Grenade was 12 to 16 at Intermediate, and was doubled because of the SPECIAL bonus, the 40 grenades would had caused 960 to 1280 damage to the giants if spread out over their whole group. It was unfortunate that the giants were gathered together so tightly, because each one was hit by no less than 5 blasts; and some had been hit by 8 and 10 of them. The giants scurried out of the improvised trap to avoid receiving any more damage, and then the ominous feeling disappeared. The soldiers collapsed onto their knees, and some of them were tired from the exertion of just moving under such a powerful Aura. They had been fighting so hard to move through that Aura to escape, that when it was gone, they had felt both relief and shame. ¡°S-s-sir! Are we sure we should go through with this?¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± One of the others said and punched the giant in the face. ¡°Never question the leader''s orders!¡± The giant rubbed his face as he stood up. ¡°You just felt what I felt! How the hell are we going to fight through that?¡± ¡°We already did.¡± The leader said, and everyone looked at him. ¡°We all took a step, didn''t we? We all got out from under it''s influence, didn''t we?¡± Most of the soldiers nodded, except for 2 of them. They had been closest to the wall and hadn''t moved at all. ¡°No one is going to keep us from our duty.¡± The leader said and stood up. ¡°We will follow the Chancellor''s directive.¡± He said and charged forward into the iron wall. It was only an inch thick, so it crumbled from the impact and the leader fell to the ground. The iron had twisted and broken apart, and he took several deep slashes and gashes from the shards before the wall disintegrated. When he looked up, everything he could see was covered in a thick white mist. * Ren had emptied a wand full of Obscuring Mist behind the iron wall barrier and covered a good-sized area with them. He''d spread the 50 spells out and scattered them around, and tossed several steel squares to random spots and added the same scream he was using for the early warning system.
Stat Change!
Fear Aura (Mastered). Causes Fear instead of Awe in those around you. Current distance: 50 feet.
Notice!
Connection has lapsed.
Teepo had landed on his shoulder a moment later, and told him the giants had felt when the Aura stopped being boosted and were now getting up. Ren nodded and Princess took off at full speed, then Ren heard the iron wall being destroyed. We got out of there just in time. Ren thought as they quickly caught up to the fleeing giants. Princess started to pass them, and several of the giants stared at him. ¡°I''ve got some defenses around the camp!¡± Ren hollered. ¡°I filled the trench with water, too!¡± That wasn''t why they were staring at him, however. Ren was still standing up as Princess ran, and they were amazed that he was keeping his balance as she rocked back and forth. He made it back to the early warning line, and deactivated several of the enchantments so that the refugees wouldn''t activate them by mistake. Most of the giants passed by quickly, but one lagged behind. Ren had Princess run over to the woman, and he recognized her. She had been the caregiver for the child giant, and Ren came up beside her. She was gasping for air as her gait started to falter. She had a harder time running because she had the child giant on her back. Ren concentrated on his Command Aura and spoke. ¡°STOP!¡± Ren hollered to her, and she was startled out of her trance-like state. She stumbled, and fell to her knees, and Princess stopped next to her. Ren hopped off of Princess, attached the cart to her, and told the woman to sit the child in the cart. He climbed back into the driver''s seat, and used a Major Healing wand on the female giant. ¡°Go, Princess!¡± Ren said when the child was seated properly, and Princess took off with the child in the back. ¡°Sabastian!¡± The woman exclaimed, and reached out a hand for the retreating cart. ¡°I''m taking him to the defensive line!¡± Ren hollered to her. ¡°Come on, let''s go!¡± The female giant caught her breath and nodded to him. She had regained a lot of her Stamina, even with that short of a break, and she used her Stamina to full effect. She quickly caught up to Princess and the cart, and paced beside them. They really can run fast when they have to. Ren thought as he activated the early warning system. They arrived at the defensive line only a few minutes later. ¡°Get ready to open fire!¡± He yelled to the dwarves as the cart came to a stop. The female giant picked the child up in her arms, with tears in her eyes, and stumbled over to the moat. Ren saw several of the giants were already in the water and they tried to walk across the moat. The water was up to their necks, though; so, Ren used the Wand of Spanning 4 times to make a 20 foot wide and 20 foot long bridge for them to cross. ¡°Go! It''ll only last 5 minutes! Go!¡± Ren urged them, and the remainder of the giants walked across the temporary bridge. The ones in the water used the bridge as a guide and pulled themselves across the rest of the distance, then climbed out of the water. When all of the giant refugees were all across, Ren heard the giant screams from the early warning system and ran to the spot between two of the Ballistas so his Aura would cover both, and activated his Hail of Arrows ability. ¡°OPEN FIRE!¡± Ren yelled, and all of the dwarves pulled the triggers. They had already taken the time to aim; so, they let loose with as many shots as they could. The two Automatic Ballistas within Ren''s Aura shot the most, much to their surprise. Ren had neglected to tell them that his ability would produce 3 more bolts, and that the SPECIAL bonus would double that effect. For every 6 foot long bolt they shot, 7 bolts flew towards their target. All of the dwarves traversed their shots across the group of fully-armored giant soldiers, and fired on full automatic. Ren watched as a hail of bolts arced through the air to come down on the attacking giants. No where near the full amount of bolts that were fired had hit the Guardians of the Land; mainly because they were swiftly moving targets. Of the 50 bolts fired from each Ballista from the first volley, they were lucky if even 5 of those had hit; but, even if only 10% of the shots hit, 5 shots times 7 Ballistas was 35 hits on giants that were too big to dodge such swiftly moving projectiles. Ten of the 30 giants had been run through immediately and killed; and 5 more had been seriously wounded. They could still fight, but with a 6 foot bolt sticking out of your chest, you weren''t an effective fighter by any stretch of the imagination. The dwarves switched places, and the Guardians of the Land were that much closer. Ren almost laughed, because at this point, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. The two Ballistas within his Aura had chosen the same giant to take out. The two bolts fired were magically increased to 14 bolts, and they tore the poor man apart as if he didn''t exist. All that was left was a large puddle of blood, and small pieces of metal, skin, and bone. ¡°Ooo.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That had to hurt.¡± ¡°Aim for the legs!¡± Ren commanded, and Princess came over to him. He undid her cart and stored it, then looked at her. ¡°Do you want to go it alone, or do you want me to come along?¡± Princess took a moment, and huffed. Along, please. She thought to him. We will crush them! Ren nodded and climbed up into the saddle. ¡°I''m out!¡± The dwarf at the closest Ballista said after taking out two more giants. ¡°Me, too!¡± The next one said after taking out three more. The sentiment was echoed for each machine, except for one. It was manned by the first dwarf who had taken a practice shot, and he was taking his time to aim and shoot the Ballista. Unlike all the other dwarves, he was timing his shots; he missed a lot, since the giants he was shooting at knew they were being shot at, and tried to avoid as much of the projectiles as they could. ¡°Princess!¡± Ren said as he used the Major Healing wand on himself to replenish his Mana, and she ran over to the only dwarf that had ammo left. Once withing Ren''s Aura, the bolts were magically increased from 1 to 7. ¡°Hey, thanks!¡± The dwarf said, and turned his Ballista to full automatic. He moved his shots across the remaining giants, and took out another 3 of them and wounded 2 more, before he ran out of ammunition. ¡°Good luck.¡± He said to Ren, and Princess took off at a run. ¡°Ruck! Riley! Stacy!¡± Ren yelled, and they three of them ran over to him and Princess. ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± He asked them. Princess brayed loudly, the dogs barked, and Ruck gave him a ''thumbs up'' gesture. There were 4 unhurt giants left, and they looked very, very angry. Ren made the Connection between two Screaming Terror rings and his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, and activated the enchantments. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Ren said and the group ran towards the last of the giants. His Dreaded Foe title came into effect as his Aura passed over the oncoming giants, and Ren shot Wall of Iron spells in front of them. It blocked the giant''s view momentarily, and Ren used the wall spell again to make ramps up the wall he''d just cast. He felt Princess'' exultation as she ran up the ramp, put her head down, and smashed through the top of the iron wall as if it wasn''t there. She jumped at the end of the ramp and flew through the air; then impacted the face of the giant in front at the same time as the shards from the iron wall did. The giant''s face was pulverized from the impact, and he died instantly; long before any kind of stun or knock out effect could take place. The giant''s head snapped back and broke his neck, too; so, if he''d somehow survived the high speed impact to the face, he would have died from a broken neck instead. Ren had the bridge wand ready and shot it between the giant they were on, and the next giant. The stone bridge formed instantly between the dead giant''s back and the chest of the giant behind him; and it caught the dead giant before he could fall backwards from the momentum. Unfortunately for the live giant that the bridge was now attached to, his forward momentum was canceled by the dead giant''s backward momentum and they both stopped moving as Princess ran across the 20 foot bridge. She smashed him in the face with her horns, and Ren heard several bones break. The giant didn''t die instantly like the first one, mainly because Princess had lost a lot of her speed; but, he was knocked unconscious and dropped to the ground still attached to the dead one by the bridge. Princess hopped off the bridge before it hit the ground and ran towards the next giant. The giant was encompassed in a giant fireball for a second, and then by a ton of webbing. * What the hell is happening!?! The leader thought as every single one of his men were systematically reduced to corpses. He had stopped running when Ren''s Aura had covered him and his men, and watched helplessly as he looked at his remaining men. Two of them were seriously hurt, and the last had just been covered in fire and webbing. A golden-armored ram had just run up the webbing somehow and slammed into, what he thought, was his soldier''s head. The pile of webbing slumped down, and the ram ran back down the webbing and faced towards him. ¡°Ahhh!¡± The leader yelled as two vice like things gripped his wrists. He looked down, and much to his surprise, there was a tiny metal dog hanging from each of his wrists. He clenched his fists and was about to punch them, when they let go and ran away. The next second, the bottom half of his body was engulfed in a ton of webbing. He reached down and tried to pull the webbing off; but, when he dug his fingers into the mass of webs, they stuck to it and he couldn''t move. He watched as the golden-armored ram trotted over to him, up the mass of webbing, and then slowed down to a walk as it came up onto his armor. It stopped at the chest plate, and the leader stared at the little person that sat on the ram''s back. * Okay, that was just cool. Ren thought as Princess came to a stop on a sheer vertical surface. She''d walked right up and didn''t even have to stop. He thought in amusement, and then used his own Amulet of the Spider to get off the saddle smoothly, and made it look like he was climbing off as if he was on the ground. He pulled himself towards the surface of the metal and adjusted his feet to stand beside Princess. When he had both feet firmly planted on the metal of the giant''s armor, he let Princess go. Ren grinned as the giant''s eyes widened at his ''normal'' movement trick on a vertical surface. What Ren didn''t know was, everyone else there had seen him do the move, too; and stared at him as he stood on the giant''s chest as if he stood on the ground. Ruck crawled over to them and stayed at a good distance away to cover the giant with webbing if it was necessary, and then Riley and Stacy walked up the webbing and armor to stand on either side of Princess and Ren. ¡°I warned you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told you that if you came here, you would die.¡± ¡°You haven''t killed me yet.¡± The leader of the platoon said. ¡°When the Chancellor gets word of this...¡± ¡°What will he do?¡± Ren asked and crossed his arms. ¡°Will he send more of you to be slaughtered?¡± ¡°You didn''t... slaughter...¡± The leader stopped talking as he heard several men scream in pain, then nothing. ¡°As you no doubt just heard, the opportunity to finish off your wounded was just taken.¡± ¡°You rotten piece of-¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Ren interrupted him. ¡°What part of ''you''ll die if you come here'' didn''t you understand?¡± He asked. ¡°If, for some reason, I didn''t cure these people... did you really think that you''d be safe from the Brain Arthropod Grub infection?¡± The leader didn''t say anything, and Ren sighed. ¡°Your Chancellor is a stone cold stupid idiot.¡± Ren said. ¡°He did this whole thing on purpose, didn''t he?¡± The leader of the platoon kept his mouth shut and didn''t say anything; but, Ren knew it was what he didn''t say that was the most damming evidence. He didn''t deny it. ¡°I''m tempted to just kill you right away and let the Chancellor wonder for a few days.¡± Ren said. ¡°When you don''t come back when you planned, he''ll start to worry. It''ll eat at him, and then he''ll have to send someone else to see what happened.¡± The leader of the platoon nodded slightly, and Ren grinned. ¡°You saw what happened, right? Most of you died long before I let you get this close.¡± ¡°Let us!¡± ¡°You saw what happened to him.¡± Ren chuckled and motioned to the completely buried giant soldier. ¡°He''ll run out of air in another minute or so.¡± He said. ¡°I could have covered all of you like that, and you''d never even know what had happened. You''d only see a bunch of fireballs, a blanket of white, and then nothing but blackness.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I didn''t do that, so you could see what only a fraction of a defense can do.¡± The leader of the platoon laughed. ¡°I heard those things when they stopped firing.¡± He said. ¡°You''re out of ammunition.¡± ¡°We are.¡± Ren said. ¡°For about 20 minutes, until I gather up the bolts and reload everything.¡± He smiled crookedly. ¡°I only found out about this attack 2 days ago. I didn''t have time to make more than what you see.¡± He let an evil grin spread across his face. ¡°I can make this many more by the time another platoon of you shows up to bother me.¡± The leader stopped talking as he thought about it. ¡°Yes, I can also make more reloads for them as well.¡± Ren said. ¡°You see, I didn''t ''only'' make these for the two days. I did lots of other things, just to fill the time before your attack.¡± The leader didn''t say anything, and Ren chuckled. ¡°So, you see... If I decided to dedicate some actual time to making them...¡± The leader nodded slightly, despite his urgent need to deny the truth. ¡°Let''s let the Chancellor know of your spectacular failure.¡± Ren said, and opened the messaging system. He sent a quick message off to Lara, the Sage of Ages, and explained what had happened and what was going on. * ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Lara said. ¡°I knew he''d succeed, but... but...¡± She typed up a message in reply and asked why she hadn''t gotten any XP for the battle. Ren sent her one back to tell her that it technically wasn''t over yet, because he still had the leader of the platoon from the Guardians of the Land captured. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Lara said. ¡°He''s going to ask me to send a message to the...¡± Another message appeared, and she sighed. ¡°Dammit, sometimes I hate being right all the time.¡± Lara said, told him she was going right away, and closed the messaging system. She got up from her desk in the Aurora Library, and went to her closet. This is not going to be fun. Lara thought as she went into her assigned space. I really hope they don''t take it out on me. Lara chose the Giant Kingdom from the drop down menu and stepped out of her closet into the Library in the Giant Kingdom. Just as before, the books no longer hid her door from view. The giant Librarian perked up as she saw the Sage of Ages appear. ¡°You''re here!¡± The Librarian said and knelt on the floor. ¡°Is it good news?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Lara said. ¡°Which side were you hoping would win?¡± The Librarian looked at her with wide eyes, and then sighed. ¡°Oh, no.¡± ¡°The Dreaded Foe says he has captured the leader of the platoon that was sent, and has... dispatched... the others.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± The Librarian said, and sat down on the floor. ¡°I... what... what do I do?¡± ¡°Please send a message to the Chancellor to come here.¡± Lara said, and the Librarian stood up. ¡°Tell him to bring the Far-Seeing Mirror, too.¡± The Librarian nodded, and hurried out of the Library. Lara thought that was odd, because she always had a messenger to run errands. Out of curiosity, she peeked out around the corner of the Librarian''s reception desk, and gasped. The entire Library was empty. * Ren closed the messaging system and looked at the leader of the platoon. ¡°I''m not sure how long it''ll be, but a message is being sent to the Chancellor.¡± The leader laughed. ¡°He''s not going to come and rescue me, or bargain for my life.¡± ¡°I don''t expect him to do anything of the sort.¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°I gave my word that you would die if you came here, and I''m going to keep my word.¡± He said. ¡°What I expect your Chancellor to do, is negotiate to stop me from unleashing the Brain Arthropod Grubs on him and the government.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± ¡°Now that I know he knows all about the grubs, either he, or someone in the government that he knows about, is the one that''s behind killing your own people.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°There''s no way I am going to let this stupid thing continue.¡± ¡°By letting more of them infect the people?!?¡± Ren laughed again as he walked down the giant''s chest to the ground, then Princess and the dogs followed him. ¡°There''s lots of things that I can do.¡± ¡°But... you...¡± The leader shook his head. ¡°You''re a monster!¡± ¡°I''m the monster?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Who''s the one that led a bunch of trained soldiers across half of a continent to kill defenseless men, women, and children?¡± ¡°There''s only one child.¡± The leader scoffed, then realized what he''d said and clamped his mouth shut. He felt the webbing get loose as it started to dissolve, and he tried to yank his hands out. He got one hand free, and as the other one was just about to pull free, he was hit by another mass of webbing that covered him up to his neck. ¡°No!¡± The leader exclaimed. I was so close! ¡°It shouldn''t be long now.¡± Ren said, as he stood on the ground and looked up at the giant. * Lara waited patiently, even though she knew that hundreds of lives hung in the balance. She normally wouldn''t be involved in things of this scale; but, considering all the things Ren has done so far in the game, it wasn''t that surprising that she had gotten pulled into this whole mess, too. The Librarian came back into the Library, and Lara ran back to stand by her door. She left it open, just in case she needed to make a quick getaway, and the Librarian came around the desk. She moved her chair out of the way, and knelt on the floor beside Lara. ¡°He''ll be right here.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°But... he''s not... um... happy... right now.¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°I''d say that''s an understatement.¡± The Librarian nodded as the door to the Library was shoved open with a loud bang, and then the Chancellor was there with two Guardians of the Land as bodyguards. ¡°You don''t normally need bodyguards to go outside.¡± Lara said, and the Chancellor frowned. ¡°These are dangerous times.¡± ¡°They don''t have to be.¡± Lara said. ¡°When you asked, I told you what needed to be done.¡± The Chancellor waved her words away, and dismissed her advice just like that. ¡°Ignoring it won''t make it go away.¡± ¡°Killing it will.¡± Lara sighed. ¡°How many times can I tell you the same thing? You can''t-¡± ¡°Contact the Dreaded Foe.¡± The Chancellor ordered. ¡°I will see him with my own eyes.¡± ¡°Did you bring the Far-Seeing Mirror?¡± Lara asked. The Chancellor nodded to one of the guards, who took out the large mirror and set it beside the receptionist''s desk. Lara walked over to it, and brought up her special spells and chose the appropriate spell for two way communication. She touched the mirror with both hands, imagined talking to Ren face-to-face, and poured nearly half of her Mana into it. * Ren received a popup to accept a video chat. A what?!? He thought surprised, and selected accept. I''ve never heard of anything like that in the game! A large window, nearly 10 feet square, opened up in front of him. Lara was there, the same size as him, and behind her, stood the Chancellor and two Guardians of the Land. ¡°He''s the Dreaded Foe?¡± The Chancellor asked, and then started to laugh. ¡°Yes, it is I.¡± Ren said in the deepest voice he could muster, then frowned. ¡°And I assume you are the idiot that sent trained soldiers to kill defenseless men, women and children.¡± The pure hatred in Ren''s voice sent shivers up Lara''s spine. I... I didn''t know he... Lara shook her head. He sounds so mean! She thought, surprised. ¡°There was only one child.¡± The Chancellor said, then realized what he said. Lara turned to stare at him, and he sighed. ¡°Dammit.¡± Ren smiled and bared his teeth. ¡°Yes, there was only one.¡± He said. ¡°I sincerely hope that you''ll be disappointed to hear that he''s fine.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°Your soldiers never made it to the camp, you pompous fool.¡± Ren said. ¡°They are all dead, except for the leader of the platoon you sent.¡± He stepped aside, and a good portion of the battlefield could be seen through the Far-Seeing Mirror. ¡°That huge pile of webbing has a soldier in it.¡± He said. ¡°I''d say he''s just about out of air.¡± He stepped back in front of the view. ¡°The leader will be joining him soon.¡± Oh, Ren. Lara thought. I''m so sorry. ¡°Go ahead and kill him.¡± The Chancellor said. ¡°I''ll be sending more men soon.¡± ¡°No, you won''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°What you''re going to do, is stop your stupid plan to use the Brain Arthropod Grubs to keep political power in the Giant Kingdom.¡± The Chancellor''s mouth fell open in surprise. How does he know? ¡°I have no such plan.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I don''t need a lie detector to tell that was the biggest lie you''ve ever told.¡± He smiled. ¡°I don''t expect you to admit it, so I''m going to tell you what I''m going to do.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± The Chancellor said. ¡°Let''s hear it.¡± ¡°One of these nights, when you''re all snug in your bed... I''m going to slip one of the grubs into your ear.¡± ¡°You''re WHAT?!?¡± ¡°You''ll never know when it''s going to happen, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°It could be tomorrow night, or next week, or even next month.¡± He grinned as he saw the Chancellor''s face drain of all color. ¡°I should warn you, though. The people that have had them in their heads, actually do remember the things they''ve done.¡± ¡°That''s not true!¡± The Chancellor said, and clamped his mouth shut. ¡°It is.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have about a hundred witnesses to that fact.¡± ¡°A... a hundred?!?¡± The Librarian asked, and leaned back against her desk. ¡°So many...¡± ¡°I''m keeping them fed and clothed, so they''re fine for now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had reached out to the Chancellor and the government there to get aid, and then seek asylum for them.¡± He shook his head. ¡°He sent soldiers to help them die instead.¡± ¡°How could you?¡± The Librarian asked the Chancellor, with tears in her eyes. ¡°You... you told us... you were going to bring them back!¡± The Chancellor glared at Ren. ¡°You''re messing up everything!¡± ¡°You have no idea what I can do to mess things up for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°They don''t call me the Dreaded Foe for nothing.¡± ¡°I''ll see you hanged for this!¡± ¡°I''d slip right out of your hangman''s rope, you ignorant fu...¡± Ren could clearly see the wide eyes of both Lara and the Librarian. ¡°...ah... fool.¡± Lara smiled, and the Librarian shook her head. ¡°Will you keep doing what you''re doing and send more of your elite soldiers to die horrible and gruesome deaths, then get an unwanted brain hitchhiker... or... leave the refugees alive and send supplies until they can get back home?¡± Ren asked the Chancellor. ¡°So, what do you say?¡± Chapter 267 - Help Them! The Chancellor didn''t say anything, and Ren sighed. ¡°It''s not that hard of a question.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look, even if you don''t want them to return, the least you can do is send me seeds, food, and building supplies, so I can give them someplace to actually live.¡± He sighed. ¡°The tents are nice for camping, but you''re not supposed to live in them.¡± The Chancellor looked at his two guards, at the infuriated Librarian, and then at the contempt on the Sage of Ages'' face. ¡°Fine.¡± The Chancellor said, and pointed to the Librarian. ¡°I appoint you as the Ambassador to the...¡± He ground his teeth together. ¡°...refugees.¡± The Librarian gasped, and put a hand over her heart. ¡°But... what... what about the Library?¡± ¡°I''ll have the guards bring everything back.¡± The Chancellor said. ¡°Keeping all of this secret by removing the source of the information was... a little short-sighted of me.¡± The Librarian didn''t tell him that it wasn''t short-sighted of him, it was just plain stupid. Lara on the other hand nodded agreement, and the Chancellor looked at Ren. ¡°I suppose you''ll want a written guarantee that I won''t send anyone else out to finish the job?¡± ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Ren said. ¡°By the time you can get another platoon gathered together, I''ll have this place so well defended that all you''ll accomplish is the very swift deaths of more soldiers.¡± He smiled. ¡°Plus, the Sage of Ages is right there. She''s the best guarantee I could have that you''ll keep your word. If you were going to lie about sending more troops here, everyone in the whole world would know about it tomorrow.¡± The Chancellor looked like he was going to explode from anger, and Ren pointed at him. ¡°Before you decide to send someone here to shut me up, just so I won''t say anything about what happened here today; you should know that I''m an Adventurer.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you do somehow succeed in having me killed, I''ll only come right back.¡± He smiled and bared his teeth. ¡°Then I''ll come for you.¡± The Chancellor stood there and stared at Ren for a full minute, then nodded. ¡°People will hear about this battle. It''s too good of a story not to spread around.¡± Ren said. ¡°As long as you keep your end of the bargain, I''ll keep your true motivations to myself.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± The Chancellor said. ¡°You can discuss the details with the Ambassador.¡± He said, paused for a moment, then spoke again. ¡°You truly are the Dreaded Foe.¡± ¡°Only to those that cross me, or piss me off.¡± Ren said. ¡°Good day, Chancellor.¡± ¡°Good day.¡± The Chancellor said, looked at Ren for another moment, then turned around and walked away. The two Guardians of the Land that were his bodyguards, followed him as he left the Library. * He forgot the Far-Seeing Mirror. Lara thought, amazed. It''s one of the Giant Kingdom''s treasures, and he left it! ¡°It''s nice seeing you again, Lara.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even under these circumstances.¡± Lara turned to look at him, and it was like he was standing right in front of her. I have such an urge to hug him. She thought. It''s just a chat window, but... ¡°You just saw me yesterday.¡± ¡°Do people get tired of seeing the sun every day?¡± Ren chuckled, and then saw her hand move a little, like she was trying to stop herself from doing something. He stepped forward and put his hand on the spot where hers rested. ¡°Are you really going to kill the leader of the platoon?¡± Lara asked, and kicked herself mentally. She really didn''t want him to answer that question. ¡°Cover your ears, Lara.¡± Ren said. ¡°I believe the dwarves are taking care of that right now.¡± Lara looked down at her hands, she could move one, but she couldn''t move the other. If she lost contact with the mirror, the spell would end. ¡°I can''t. I... I have to keep touching the mirror.¡± Ren nodded and took out a wand. ¡°Just a second.¡± He said and stepped out of view. Lara looked at the landscape and saw two of the Ballistas. He made more of them. Lara thought. No wonder the giants were defeated so easily. Ren stepped back into view with a sad smile on his face. ¡°I''m sorry you had to go through this.¡± He said, and Lara stared at him. ¡°Me?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You''re really only supposed to be an information broker. You shouldn''t be mixed up in the middle of all of this.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lara said. How can he guess how I feel so easily? ¡°I can''t promise you won''t have to get involved again.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I can promise that I''m going to do everything that I can to protect you.¡± ¡°You... don''t have... to...¡± Lara said in a soft voice, and started to blush. No one''s ever said anything like that to me before. She thought. He''s so sweet. ¡°I know I don''t have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just like seeing you blush.¡± He grinned. ¡°You look so cute when you do that.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Lara exclaimed, and her face turned a deep red. ¡°There it is.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Now that I''ve embarrassed you in front of your friend, I should work out the details of the supplies I need.¡± Lara nodded and moved aside, then the Librarian grabbed a piece of parchment and wrote down the things Ren needed. After about 10 minutes, they had worked out that there would be several shipments of actual food first, with some supplies mixed in. They would be delivered to the border of the giant''s lands, and Ren would come to pick them up at noon 2 days from now. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said to the Librarian. ¡°I''ll have a list of refugees made, and I''ll give it to Lara to pass along to you.¡± ¡°I''d appreciate that.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°So many people will be relieved to know their family members are still alive.¡± ¡°I''ll try and ask for the names of the ones that... didn''t make it.¡± Ren said. The Librarian nodded solemnly, stood up, and left the Library to start her duties as the Ambassador. ¡°Thank you very much, Lara.¡± Ren said after the Librarian left. ¡°I thought I''d be sending you message after message, trying to work all of this out; and here you came along and showed me this!¡± He waved his arms to indicate the huge view screen. ¡°A video chat!¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°I was surprised myself when I was asked about it.¡± ¡°It''s huge!¡± Ren said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It''s called the Far-Seeing Mirror.¡± Lara said. ¡°It''s also one of the treasures of the Giant Kingdom.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Ren said. ¡°Is it anything like the All-Seeing Mirror?¡± ¡°The All-Seeing Mirror?¡± Lara asked, then shut her eyes for a few seconds. ¡°It''s... very similar.¡± She said. ¡°How do you know about the All-Seeing Mirror?¡± ¡°I''ve got a quest to complete by the end of the week, and it''s one of the rewards.¡± ¡°Let me know if you complete the quest.¡± Lara said. ¡°We can talk again about it then.¡± Ren smiled crookedly at her. Thanks to those memories the game showed him, he knew her well enough to know she was intentionally not telling him something. ¡°I''ll contact you about it later, then.¡± Ren said, and looked up at the top of the screen. ¡°What are you going to do with the Far-Seeing Mirror?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Lara said. ¡°I can''t just leave it here, and it''s too big to take with me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Only if you believe it is.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°When you end this call, touch the mirror, and select ''store in inventory''. Make sure you''re thinking ''normal size'' when you do it, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll be pleasantly surprised.¡± Lara nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Anytime.¡± Ren said, held his fingertips to his lips to kiss them, then held them out to touch the video window. Lara chuckled, and did the same thing.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Bye, Lara.¡± Lara took her hand off of the mirror, and it''s surface became reflective again. She put a hand back on it, selected ''store into inventory'' like Ren said to, and thought ''normal size''. The mirror disappeared and Lara didn''t feel the weight of it. She looked into inventory and saw the mirror there. She took it out, and it was only 12 inches square, and not the 12 foot square it was just a moment ago. He was right. Lara thought in amusement and stored the mirror. I am pleasantly surprised that it worked. * The video window disappeared, and Ren looked at the leader of the giants. He''d had a dozen swords jammed into him, but it hadn''t killed him yet. ¡°Sorry... sir.¡± One of the dwarves said. ¡°He''s... too tough.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and took out the Wand of Spanning. He cast Bridge from the ground up to the leader''s neck. Once it was in place, he walked up the bridge to stand in front of the giant''s face, then used the hammerpick to cut open the webbing he''d used to keep the giant quiet while he talked to Lara. ¡°I hope the fact that your death has eased your people''s suffering, will bring you comfort on the other side.¡± Ren said. ¡°It will.¡± The leader said. ¡°Now kill me and defile my corpse.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ren asked, surprised at his words. ¡°I know you little people bury your dead.¡± The leader said. ¡°Every school child has heard the story of your barbaric use of bodies to fertilize your crops.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t know where you heard that.¡± He said. ¡°As far as I know, it''s like everything else around here when they die. You loot the body and it disappears.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The leader said. ¡°You remove all evidence of it''s existence.¡± ¡°The physical evidence of the body, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Otherwise, we''d be stepping over endless graveyards as far as the eye could see.¡± ¡°I''ve seen a place like that.¡± The leader shivered. ¡°Where is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Shargon.¡± The giant said. Ren nodded, because he remembered that was where those henchmen said that Tristan had spent a bunch of time. He looked at his hammerpick and replaced the enchantment on it with Lightning. ¡°This will be quick.¡± Ren said. ¡°How is that going to be quick?¡± The leader asked. ¡°You''re going to beat me to death.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, you at least should have a quick death.¡± He said and pointed the end of the hammerpick at the giant''s eye. ¡°I don''t enjoy this... not at all.¡± He sighed. ¡°But, it must be done.¡± The leader of the wiped out platoon nodded, and Ren activated the enchantment. ******** ¡°Oh my god!¡± Barbara exclaimed, and watched as Ren unleashed a bolt of lightning from the end of his weapon. The giant''s eye burst into a pile of goo, and the lightning bolt continued into the giant''s skull unimpeded. She had to cover her eyes as a torrent of blood gushed out of the now empty eye socket. ******** Ren moved the end of the hammerpick from side to side, to make sure he got as much of the brain as he could, then turned off the enchantment. The horrible task was done, and the deceased giant''s head slumped backwards.
Notice!
Your assigned Quest: Save Them! has been completed. Please Note: As the quest giver, you cannot earn rewards from participating in this quest.
The next window opened up and it was a list of all the conditions he''d set for earning rewards. He chuckled as he saw his name by a lot of them, and then the INVALID stamp on it, and ''Next Highest Chosen'' after it with a dwarf''s name. A small portal opened in front of Ren, a large sack dropped out of it, and it closed. He opened it, and it was full of smaller sacks. Gold, items, and one marked for him. He took that one and stored it, then carried the sack over to his table. ¡°Gather around everyone.¡± Ren said. All of the dwarves scrambled over to where he stood; along with Ruck, Princess, Riley, and Stacy. Where''s Deresdra? Ren asked Teepo. ¡°She''s helping the wounded giants.¡± Teepo said. Ren thanked him and looked at everyone gathered. ¡°As the quest giver, and the designated Defender of the Realm, I couldn''t be prouder of you.¡± Ren said, and everyone preened a little. ¡°I formally declare this quest over.¡± Everyone gasped as their Honor, Influence, and XP took a huge jump. ¡°By the gods.¡± One of the dwarves whispered. ¡°How is this possible?¡± He asked no one in particular. ¡°I have more Honor than my father now.¡± ¡°It gets better.¡± Ren said, and started to hand out the sacks of money and items. Everyone received money no matter what; but he''d added bonuses of special equipment as well. The dwarves stood there in silence as Ren acted like Santa Claus as he handed out presents. ¡°This one''s for you. Enjoy.¡± Ren said and handed a dwarf a gold-plated crossbow after he examined it. ¡°Ooo, this is nice. You deserve it.¡± He said and handed another dwarf a pair of gauntlets after he examined them. ¡°Here''s something I hope you''ll like.¡± He said and handed the next dwarf a Belt of Strength. This went on for several minutes, until he came to Ruck. ¡°This is for you.¡± Ren said, and held out a sack of gold. Ruck reached out and took the sack. He held it in his hands, and wasn''t sure what to do with it. ¡°Just store it for now.¡± Ren said. Ruck stored the sack of money into inventory, and Ren reached back into the bag and took out the other thing he had set as a prize for Ruck. Ren had been worried about Ruck going into battle without the ability to wear armor, so Ren asked the system to provide something appropriate for Ruck to have instead. Ren examined it closely, and used Identify.
Amulet of Natural Armor (Wondrous Item)
This amulet grants the wearer a natural armor bonus, and protects the wearer as if they were wearing heavy armor. This does not cause the wearer to suffer heavy armor penalties, however. This cannot be used with actual armor, and the bonuses and protection are lost if armor is equipped. Duration of Effect: 2 hours, but that can be split as many times as necessary. Two 1 hours slots, eight 15 minute slots, etc.
Ren used Appraisal on it, and it was worth 100 gold. Wow. He thought. It''s too bad it can''t be used with armor. He smiled. Of course, it''s going to help the heck out of healers, magic users, and anyone else that doesn''t wear armor.
Notice!
You have learned a new recipe: Amulet of Natural Armor (Wondrous Item).
Cool. Ren thought and handed the amulet to Ruck; who put it on and then pat Ren on the head. Ren chuckled and reached into the sack to take out two more very special things, then stored the almost empty reward sack. The things he held in his hands were in the shape of large metal pills, nearly 6 inches long and 3 inches wide. He knelt in front of Riley and Stacy, and held one out to each of them. ¡°These are going to take a while to get used to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had planned on making these for you myself; but, the option to access these things doesn''t appear until you''ve been around for a set time limit.¡± He grinned. ¡°I''m so glad that getting upgrades as rewards was an option. Instead of getting money like the others, these things became available and I had them granted to you instead.¡± Ren held one out to Stacy, she sniffed it, then opened her mouth and took the pill. She swallowed it, and nothing happened. It took another minute, and then she started to glow. Her body was engulfed in a gold light, and part of her back rippled. Everyone watched closely as two panels on her upper back popped out and slid back, then sharp metal protrusions started to come out slowly. They kept coming, and Ren smiled as they finished deploying, and Stacy flicked them several times to expand them. They were wings. Metal-feathered wings. Riley barked excitedly and started to jump around. ¡°All right, take it easy.¡± Ren said, and Riley settled down and held his mouth open. He took the pill and started to swallow it... and it got stuck. In his excitement, he''d tried to swallow it as fast as he could, and it turned slightly to wedge itself in his throat. ¡°Stop, stop!¡± Ren nearly yelled, and Riley calmed down. ¡°Open.¡± Riley opened his mouth, and Ren reached into his mouth and down into his throat. ¡°Almost... al... most... got it!¡± Ren exclaimed and pulled his hand out quickly. Riley clamped his mouth shut, and went through the same transformation as Stacy. ¡°That is so cool.¡± Teepo said. It sure is. Ren thought, proudly. His two steel dog constructs, Riley and Stacy, started to flap their wings to take off; and nothing happened. ¡°Easy, you two.¡± Ren said, as he felt their frustration. ¡°They don''t just work right off the bat. You have to get used to them before you can fly.¡± They stopped flapping their wings and folded them in close to their bodies, instead of completely retracting them. ¡°We''ll work on it later, okay?¡± Ren said, and pat them on the head. ¡°Now, who wants to loot bodies and gather bolts?¡± Everyone raised their hands, including Ruck, and he laughed. ¡°Well, don''t just stand there looking at me! Get to work! Move it! Move it! Move it!¡± Ren commanded, and the dwarves took off to clear up the battlefield. Ruck went to the nearest of the giants and stored the several bolts on the ground by him. Riley and Stacy picked up a bolt each, and ran over to give them to Ruck to store. ¡°I didn''t get anything?¡± Teepo asked. It''ll have to wait for a few minutes. Ren thought to his friend. It''s something so special, that even I can''t wait to see what you think of it. ¡°Cool.¡± Teepo said, because he could feel how happy Ren was about it. ¡°I can wait.¡± Thanks. Ren thought and went over to the moat. He used the Wand of Spanning to make a bridge to cross it, and went to the center of the giant camp. ¡°REN!¡± Laurelia exclaimed, and picked him up. She nestled him between her breasts, and held him tightly. ¡°You did it, you handsome little devil!¡± She rocked him from side to side. ¡°YOU DID IT!¡± Ren didn''t know what to do. Having a giant yell in your ear hurt a lot; but, he didn''t want to hurt her feelings by telling her that. He didn''t have to worry for long, because Deresdra was there to talk some sense into Laurelia. ¡°By the gods, he''s not a squeeze toy!¡± Deresdra said, and laughed. ¡°Put him down before you break him in half.¡± Laurelia blushed, and Ren felt the change in her skin as the blood rushed to her face. ¡°I... I''m sorry.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°No harm done.¡± Laurelia eased her hold on him, and then put him down on the ground. ¡°I feel like I should apologize for not being bigger, though.¡± He said, and Laurelia laughed as he walked over to Deresdra. ¡°How are they?¡± ¡°They''re even more battered than the fish at the cafeteria.¡± Deresdra said, and smiled. ¡°It''s mostly just exhaustion I''m treating, with a few scrapes and bruises.¡± ¡°Do you need a hand?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Deresdra said and pointed to the male giant that sat beside her. ¡°Take out a Major Healing wand and concentrate on this bruise.¡± Ren took out the wand, and she held up a hand. ¡°Wait.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°You can see the bruise, right?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Now, imagine the damage underneath. Crushed muscles, compressed blood vessels, and possible damaged bones.¡± Ren nodded again. ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°Now, use a single spell and then wait.¡± Ren did so, and waited. The bruise quickly faded from the giant''s arm, and Deresdra smiled. ¡°Perfect.¡± She said. ¡°I think you''d make a good healer.¡±
Notice!
You have unlocked a new skill: Healing Level 1 (Beginner 0%). This skill allows you to properly diagnose and heal minor wounds.
¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and used his Master Tailor Sewing Needle to repair the giant''s clothing. ¡°Good god, that wasn''t a trick?!?¡± The male giant said as he stared at his repaired clothing. ¡°I thought you''d made the kid''s old clothes glow to distract him, then replaced the clothes with new ones!¡± ¡°No, it''s not a trick.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s real. I can magically repair clothing.¡± ¡°Do me next!¡± One of the female giants said and stood up to come over to Ren. ¡°I''d like to help heal the injured first, and then I''ll take care of cleaning and repairing clothing.¡± Ren said, and she stopped walking over. ¡°You''re going to clean them, too?!?¡± She exclaimed with a huge smile on her face. ¡°That''s great!¡± She said and went to sit back down. ¡°I can wait.¡± Ren chuckled and turned to Deresdra. ¡°Can you keep showing me how to heal things properly?¡± Deresdra nodded slightly, and then smiled. Chapter 268 - Last Of The Prizes Deresdra motioned to the long cut on the male giant''s leg. She''d already prepped it and stopped the bleeding, but it was jagged and torn on the edges. ¡°It''s from a tree that he stumbled over.¡± Deresdra said, then shook her head. ¡°That sounded really odd saying it out loud.¡± She chuckled. ¡°He stumbled... over a tree!¡± Ren chuckled, too. ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, we''ll have to cause him some pain.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°There''s nothing we can numb the wound with before we probe to see if there''s any underlying damage.¡± ¡°You need numbness? I got that covered.¡± Ren said, and took out the crate that was nearly full of Brain Arthropod Grub loot. He picked out one of the mandibles and stored the crate. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°It has a numbness venom on it.¡± Ren said, then looked at the size of the wound. ¡°Um, I should probably dilute it to spread it around.¡± He said, sewed up a sack, then changed the enchantment on one of his Screaming Terror rings to Water Spray. He held the mandible above the top of the sack, and sprayed it with water. He was careful not to get any on himself, because the last thing he needed was to have a numb hand, and half-filled the sack with water. He dropped in the mandible, closed the sack, and shook it up. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Deresdra asked. ¡°Making sure there''s an even mix.¡± Ren said. ¡°I learned that while mixing building materials.¡± He smiled as he stopped shaking the sack. ¡°It was pretty messy when I added in too much water a few times.¡± Ren opened the top of the sack, and slowly poured the mixture over the wound. He''d emptied about a third of the sack, and the male giant visibly relaxed. ¡°What in the world made you think of doing that?¡± Deresdra asked. ¡°When I picked up my share of the loot from the Garrison.¡± Ren said. ¡°The Commander told me that the medical staff wanted to experiment with the venom, to see what they could do with it''s numbing properties.¡± Deresdra shook her head. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me this?¡± ¡°I just did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t had them for long, and this is literally the first time I even thought of using it since then.¡± ¡°You can be really frustrating sometimes.¡± Deresdra sighed. ¡°You know that, right?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Ren said and grinned at her, and she couldn''t help but smile. ¡°By the gods.¡± Deresdra said, then chuckled. ¡°Watch closely, okay? It''s a little different, since the patient and the wound is so big, but the theory and actions are the same. Understand?¡± Ren nodded, and watched her as she gently worked on the wound and checked for any underlying damage. ¡°Okay, now you try.¡± Deresdra said, and Ren stepped up and did the same motions as she did. ¡°No, not like that.¡± She said. ¡°You''re only repeating what I did.¡± She shook her head and took his hand. ¡°Like this.¡± She put his hand on the skin, and pushed his fingers in the correct motion. ¡°Don''t just do the action. You have to feel around to see if anything might be wrong.¡± She explained. ¡°Every wound, every person, is different. The action itself doesn''t change, but the motions do every time you use it.¡± ¡°I... I see.¡± Ren said, and realized he couldn''t grind Healing like he''d been doing everything else. He wouldn''t be able to constantly repeat the same actions to level it up faster. ¡°Thank you for making it clearer.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Deresdra said. Her hand was still pushing Ren''s around, and she let him go. ¡°We don''t have to hold the wound closed, and it can be healed as long as there''s nothing inside or in the way.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and Deresdra took out her Major Healing wand. ¡°This is going to take a few charges to knit the skin back together.¡± She said, and took aim. ¡°Wait.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him. He took out a Level 2 Web wand, absorbed the charges from it, and filled it with Major Healing spells instead. ¡°Use this one.¡± ¡°What''s the difference?¡± Deresdra asked as she stored the old wand and took the new one. ¡°It might be nothing, but it could cut down on how long it''ll take to heal.¡± Deresdra nodded slightly, and concentrated on the wound. She used a single Major Healing spell, and the wound half-closed. She used it again, and it was like the wound was never there. ¡°By the gods!¡± Deresdra exclaimed and looked at the wand. ¡°How can it be almost twice as powerful?¡± ¡°It''s a Level 2 wand, and I think it only made the spell 20 to 25% more powerful.¡± Ren said. ¡°It made my webs last longer and made them bigger, so I hoped it would boost the Healing spells a little.¡± ¡°How many of them do you have?¡± Deresdra asked, a little excitedly. ¡°Level 2 wands with Healing spells? Just that one.¡± Ren said, and her face went from excited to blank. ¡°You can keep it, though.¡± Deresdra''s face lit up. ¡°Thank you!¡± She said loudly, put a hand on his arm and gave it a tight squeeze, then let him go. ¡°Let''s go over to the next one!¡± For the next half an hour, they worked on healing all of the cuts and bruises, scrapes, and fatigue that the 19 giants had suffered. Deresdra prescribed food and rest for the fatigue, and she and Ren healed everything else. When they were done, Ren had leveled up Healing to Beginner Level 7, and walked with Deresdra out of the camp. He cast bridge across the moat, and took her back to the medical tent. ¡°Now that you''ve healed the sick, here''s your reward for the battle.¡± Ren said, and took out the sack of prizes. He handed Deresdra a sack of gold, and she stared at it. ¡°What''s this?¡± ¡°A reward from the battle.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I just told you that.¡± ¡°But... I didn''t do anything!¡± ¡°I could argue just being there helped the morale, and some of that is reflected in the money; but, even though I was busy, I know you ran to each artillery team to make sure they weren''t over-exerting themselves, or getting too excited.¡± Deresdra opened her mouth to ask how he could see out of the back of his head like that; but she was afraid she wouldn''t like the answer, and decided that she didn''t want to know that badly. It was Teepo that had seen her and told Ren about it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Deresdra said, and dumped the money into her coin pouch. She stopped breathing when she saw how much was in it. Ren let her ogle at the money, while he examined the item she had been awarded.
Bracelet of Magic
This bracelet has been enchanted to boost Mana, Intelligence, and Wisdom. It is the quintessential item for a Mana user to have. It grants: Intelligence: +5, Wisdom: +5, Mana Production: +20%, Mana: +200
Ren smiled as he got the plans for the bracelet, then used Enchanted Eyes, Read Rune, and Decipher on it. He saw the runes for Intelligence and Wisdom because of his Decipher skill, and his Read Rune skill let him see a rune between those other runes that connected them together. He gained the new rune, and glanced at the popup for it.
Notice!
You have learned a new rune: Mana Boost This rune, a subtle combination of Intelligence and Wisdom, boosts Mana production by 5%, and increases the Mana Bar by 50 points.
Stat Change!
Read Rune Level 4 (Beginner 0%) Decipher Level 4 (Beginner 0%)
Sweet! Ren thought, used his Vision of Impurity on the bracelet, and didn''t see any flaws in the metal.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Stat Change!
Vision of Impurity Level 8 (Beginner 0%)
¡°This is yours, too.¡± Ren said and handed her the bracelet. ¡°What... what''s this?¡± Deresdra asked, completely surprised by the sudden gift. ¡°Hopefully, something you''ll like.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had the system assign something to everyone that would give them benefits. It came up with this one for you.¡± ¡°I... I don''t know what to say.¡± Deresdra said, and put it on. She gasped as it took effect, and increased her Intelligence, Wisdom, and Mana production. The thing was, since Mana was based off of Intelligence and Wisdom, it actually became a double boost. ¡°I... I...¡± Deresdra stared at the bracelet, then at Ren. ¡°You''re amazing!¡± ¡°I sure am.¡± Ren said jokingly, and waggled his eyebrows up and down. Deresdra''s face flushed a little red, because it made her remember the time they had spent together, and then she sighed. ¡°I''ve been such a fool, haven''t I?¡± Deresdra asked rhetorically. ¡°I... I''ve handled this thing between us... very badly.¡± Ren didn''t say anything, then stepped forward and gave her a hug. Deresdra was once again surprised for a moment, then she hugged him back. ¡°This isn''t nearly as comfortable when you have your armor on.¡± Deresdra said and chuckled. ¡°Oh! Sorry.¡± Ren said, and stored his armor. ¡°How''s that?¡± ¡°Much better.¡± She said, snuggled him for a moment, and then sighed. ¡°You''re never taking me up on my offer to sleep with me again, are you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°You won''t even lie, just so you can spare me my hurt feelings?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said and leaned back to look her in the eyes. ¡°Your feelings would be hurt more if I did that.¡± He said. ¡°You''d think I couldn''t even be honest with you about it.¡± Deresdra smiled, and nodded slightly. ¡°I would, but... I... I think... I want you to lie.¡± ¡°This is going to hurt you, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want to do that.¡± ¡°Please, just... say it.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°I need to know.¡± ¡°I...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Okay.¡± He took a hand from around her back, and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Deresdra.¡± He said in a deep resonating voice, as if he was deeply in love with her. ¡°There''s nothing that I want more than to bend you over that table, and ravage you like you want me to.¡± Deresdra winced slightly; and she also shook from excitement at the thought. She buried her head on his shoulder as she cried. ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s okay.¡± ¡°No, it isn''t!¡± Deresdra didn''t try to stop her tears. ¡°I really, really want that!¡± She said as she sobbed. ¡°I want you to do me so hard that I... that I won''t ever need it again!¡± She said. ¡°I haven''t you know... not since that day... and I know you''ll never do it again; but... but I need you to!¡± She cried. ¡°Look at me, I''m shaking so much!¡± Ren didn''t have to look, because he could feel the vibrations. He also knew that she was trying to manipulate him. Again. He had hoped she would have moved past this, but then guessed it took more than a few consoling words for someone to change how they act when they want certain things. ¡°I''m sorry, but you know it''s not going to happen.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told you it was going to hurt you.¡± ¡°Then make me feel better, like you did the last time you hurt me.¡± Deresdra said in a low voice. ¡°I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know how else I can tell you no.¡± ¡°Then don''t tell me no.¡± Deresdra said as she lifted her head from his shoulder. Her face was covered in streaks of tears. ¡°You''ll find yourself a good man one day.¡± Ren said and smiled sweetly at her. ¡°That day isn''t today, though; nor am I that man.¡± He leaned forward, and kissed her forehead. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I have to go and finish something.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll send Ruck over here to help you pack everything up.¡± ¡°I... thank you.¡± Deresdra said and let him out of the hug. ¡°I could use the help.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and left the medical tent. * By the gods, it''s impossible to seduce that man! Deresdra said and wiped off her face. I wonder what he would have done if I''d tried to take my clothes off? * Ren went over to the forge and took out a paving stone. He started to carve out grooves, gears, spring coils, channels, rounded pieces, and several other things. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°It''s an idea that I''ve had for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°Only, it never would have worked if it was solid.¡± He smiled and kept carving. ¡°Now that I know about gears, spring coils, steel cables, and everything else I''ve learned, it''s finally time to make it a reality.¡± ¡°This I''ve gotta see.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What''s it going to be?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s a present.¡± He said, and tossed several handfuls of platinum coins into the smelter. ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± One of the dwarves asked as he dropped one of the expended bolts next to the table Ren had beside the forge. ¡°What does it look like I''m doing? I''m melting platinum coins.¡± ¡°You''re melting platinum coins?!?¡± The dwarf exclaimed, turned around, then started to mumble as he walked away in a daze. ¡°He''s melting platinum coins.¡± Ren chuckled and stirred the steel and platinum up to make sure there was a good mixture. He poured the platinum out into the new mold he''d made, and filled it. He absorbed the heat from all of the parts, except for the strips of metal for the spring coils. He turned to use an anvil to hammer the metal, and realized he didn''t have one. ¡°Oops.¡± Ren said, then had an inspiring thought. He took out the Wand of Iron Barrier, and rather than think about making the wall bigger, he made it smaller and wider. He decided a wall a quarter of the 10 foot square size would be big enough, and used the wand to cast the spell. A solid chunk of iron, 2.5 feet wide, 2.5 feet high, and 2.67 feet thick appeared in front of him. ¡°Perfect!¡± Ren said, and used the improvised anvil to hammer out the spring coils. He had 8 of them to do, and with his Fast Crafting bonus doubled, it took no time at all to make the coils. ¡°Eight of them?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°How many toys are you going to make?¡± Ren smiled and absorbed the heat from the last coil as he shaped it, then cleaned and polished all of the parts. ¡°Can you go and get Ruck for me, Teepo?¡± Ren said. ¡°Tell him to head to the medical tent to help Deresdra pack everything up.¡± ¡°Sure, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Teepo took off, and Ren quickly assembled the pieces together. He placed the 8 coils in the right spots, added the connecting gears, and made sure all of the pieces moved freely. He left the top off, and enchanted the main piece with a double glyph made from 8 runes of Holding. Since each rune gave it 5 slots, 8 of them combined made 40 slots available for storage. He covered it with a piece of cloth just before Teepo flew back over. ¡°He''s going now.¡± Teepo said as he landed on Ren''s shoulder. Ruck came over to the table and dropped off nearly every bolt that was fired. ¡°Nice going!¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks!¡± Ruck gave him a ''thumbs up'' gesture, and scuttled over to the medical tent. ¡°Okay, show me what you made.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I know you wanted me out of the way so you could put it together.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I can''t show you yet.¡± He said, and took out the sack of prizes, and removed the final sack. It was the smallest sack of them all, and Ren opened it. He took out a small interlocked ring, and examined it with Identify.
Ring Of Recall (Rare)
This ring is actually two rings that are interlocked together. When separated and given to two different people (or secured to objects) and the command phrase ''Return To Me, (person''s name/object name inserted here)'' is spoken, the other ring will be immediately transported to the location of the ring that the command phase was spoken from. Range: 2 miles Weight Limit / Size Restriction: One person, or an object that weighs under 200 pounds.
Ren used Enchanted Eyes, Read Rune, and Decipher. Unfortunately, he couldn''t read the runes like he did with Deresdra''s bracelet. Maybe I can read it when the level is higher. Ren thought and twisted the ring. The two rings popped apart, and Ren put one down on the table, and lifted the cloth that covered his creation. ¡°What the hell is that?!?¡± Teepo exclaimed. ¡°It''s something that I''ve been thinking about for a while, just like I told you.¡± Ren said, and put one of the rings into the space he''d left for it above the gears. ¡°I have an extra Construct slot now, and I figured now was the best time to use it.¡± He picked up the top of the thing, and snapped it together with the bottom. ¡°No way!¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s a beetle!¡± ¡°Oh, it''s much more than that.¡± Ren said and picked it up. He inserted the key into the slot on the bottom, and wound it up for nearly a full minute. ¡°It''s completely mechanical. The legs are wired with tiny steel cables, the gears work the legs, and there''s another special feature that I''m going to let you discover for yourself.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes, Teepo.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you dissolve into the ring for a moment? I need to make one last adjustment to the construct.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Teepo said, and dissolved. Ren smiled, and took off the Beetle Crown ring. He slipped it inside the other Ring of Recall, and put it back on. He activated the Craft Construct ability, added the value of the mechanical beetle to the small portal that appeared, and then placed his hand on the beetle to make the connection. When the construct started to take his Mana, he grinned and thought of Teepo. Summon Teepo! Ren thought, and Teepo didn''t appear at his feet this time. The Craft Construct ability finished, and Ren waited for a minute. ¡°Teepo?¡± ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± Teepo said, and the mechanical beetle turned to look at him. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°A little stiff.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What happened? I don''t remember ever feeling like this before.¡± ¡°That''s because you haven''t had a real physical body like this before.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Teepo said, and looked down at himself. ¡°Blessed Fire Dancer!¡± He exclaimed, and lifted a platinum leg to look at it. ¡°I''m real?!?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''ve always been real, my friend.¡± He said and leaned down. ¡°Your bonus for the battle, and for keeping an eye on everything, was a Ring of Recall.¡± ¡°So that''s what you put in the back!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You put the other one on your finger!¡± ¡°It''s around the Beetle Crown ring, actually.¡± Ren said and showed him. ¡°When I made the construct animate, I summoned you at the same time.¡± ¡°So... does that mean that I''m stuck in here?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said and went to take off the ring. ¡°I wouldn''t do it if it was only a one time thing.¡± ¡°DON''T!¡± Teepo yelled. ¡°It hurts when you do that while I''m still here.¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re still connected by the Rings of Recall.¡± Teepo closed his eyes to wait for the excruciating pain of being ripped from the mortal realm, and then nothing happened. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re in a physical body.¡± He said, and took the Ring of Recall off of the Beetle Crown Ring and slipped it back onto his finger. ¡°Summon Teepo!¡± The mechanical beetle stopped moving and Teepo appeared at Ren''s feet. ¡°Okay, even I have to admit that was cool.¡± Teepo said and flew up to look at his new body. ¡°Why did you do this for me?¡± ¡°That''s easy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I took on a task to get you something spectacular a long time ago.¡± He smiled. ¡°After everything we''ve seen and done so far, the only thing I knew you hadn''t seen, or would ever expect, would be a body of your own.¡± ¡°Made of platinum!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± He said. ¡°It''s the best present I could have ever gotten.¡±
Quest Complete!
Your friend, who is impossible to buy for because he is with you all the time, has received a gift worthy of his status in your life. Rewards: 3,000 XP SPECIAL x2: +3,000 XP
¡°You''re quite welcome.¡± Ren said.
System Notice!
You have finished distributing the prizes awarded to the participants of the Quest: Save Them! Normal gains acquired during the quest will now be awarded.
Normal gains? Ren thought, then froze still as he received a series of popups. Chapter 269 - Un-Freaking-Believable
Running Quest Update!
You have shown an influential person (the leader of another nation) what you can do. Rewards: 20,000 XP Fame Bonus: +100% - 25% (Slow and Steady) = 75% Fame: 5,000 SPECIAL x2: +20,000 XP, +75%, +5,000 Fame
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP. Fame x 10 XP: 10,000 Fame x 10 XP = 100,000 XP SPECIAL x2: +100,000 XP
Notice!
You have gained 4 levels! You are now Level 38, and 40 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: Double Infusion (skill), Brooch of Shielding (recipe, Wondrous Item), Immovable Rod (recipe, Craft Rod), Wall of Fire (spell) SPECIAL x2: You have gained 4 levels! You are now Level 42, and 40 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: Artificer Knowledge - Greater (skill), Craft Staff (skill), Ring of Sustenance (recipe, Wondrous Item), Ring of Water Walking (recipe), Elixir of Strength (recipe)
Notice!
The skill ''Artificer Knowledge - Greater'' allows you to increase 1 (one) chosen skill to the next higher stage. Beginner to Intermediate, Intermediate to Advanced, etc. You must choose now.
¡°Smithing!¡± Ren said immediately, without having to think about it.
Stat Change!
Your ''Smithing'' skill has been boosted by your Artificer Knowledge - Greater, and has gone from Smithing Level 4 (Advanced 90%), to Smithing Level 4 (Expert 90%) SPECIAL x2: Your ''Smithing'' skill has been boosted by your Artificer Knowledge - Greater, and has gone from Smithing Level 4 (Expert 90%), to Smithing (Master)
Holy crap! Ren thought in amazement.
Title Update!
Your Blacksmith title has become Master Blacksmith. All Smithing skills have gained +10 levels, and you have gained Fame: +5,000. Main Skill: Smithing (Mastered); Sub Skills: Blade Forging Level 2 (Expert 70%), Hammering Level 4 (Expert 10%), Polishing Level 2 (Expert 70%), Sharpening Level 5 (Expert 40%), Smelting Level 4 (Expert 30%), Soldering Level 2 (Advanced 25%) SPECIAL x2: All Smithing skills have gained +10 levels, and you have gained Fame: +5,000. Main Skill: Smithing (Mastered); Sub Skills: Blade Forging (Mastered), Hammering (Mastered), Polishing (Mastered), Sharpening (Mastered), Smelting (Mastered), Soldering Level 3 (Expert 25%)
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP. Fame x 10 XP: 10,000 Fame x 10 XP = 100,000 XP SPECIAL x2: +100,000 XP
Notice!
You have gained 3 levels! You are now Level 45, and 30 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: Amulet Of Truth (recipe, Wondrous Item), Rod of Displacement (recipe, Craft Rod), Wall of Earth (spell) SPECIAL x2: You have gained 3 levels! You are now Level 48, and 30 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: Staff of Earth (recipe, Craft Staff), Helm of the Eagle (recipe), Elixir of Acrobatics (recipe)
By the gods! Ren thought in shock. It just keeps going!
Notice!
You have used both brawn and brains during the battle. Your ability to think on your feet while circumstances changed and using your abilities to full advantage, has turned out to be one of your greatest strengths. Intelligence: +5 Wisdom: +3 Strength: +4 Agility: +6 SPECIAL x2: Intelligence: +5, Wisdom: +3, Strength: +4, Agility: +6
Notice!
You have successfully defended the Dwarven Kingdom from suffering an unrelenting attack by the Giants. You have won the first battle, and averted a possible war. Influence: +100,000 Honor: +50,000 Fame: +20,000 SPECIAL x2: Influence: +100,000; Honor: +50,000; Fame: +20,000
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP. Fame x 10 XP: 40,000 Fame x 10 XP = 400,000 XP SPECIAL x2: +400,000 XP
Notice!
You have gained 10 levels! You are now Level 58, and 100 stat points have been automatically allocated. Please refer to your Skill list and Recipes to view the unlocked items, as there are too many to list in this popup. SPECIAL x2: You have gained 10 levels! You are now Level 68, and 100 stat points have been automatically allocated. Please refer to your Skill list and Recipes to view the unlocked items, as there are too many to list in this popup.
This is unbelievable! Ren thought. I just... I just gained... 34 levels! From one battle!
System Notice!
Because you gained more than 1,000,000 XP, you have earned the top spot on the ''XP Gain'' Leader Board. Your game handle: REN, and your total: 1,240,000 XP, have been posted to the main website and the public forum. Previous record held by: REN 1,068,650 XP. Grants a bonus of +5 Levels to Aura (Personal). SPECIAL x2: +5 Levels to Aura (Personal)
Notice!
Your Aura (Personal) is maxed. Level gains converted to Fame Bonus instead. 10 Levels x Fame 1,000 = 10,000 Fame SPECIAL x2: +10,000 Fame
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP. Fame x 10 XP: 20,000 Fame x 10 XP = 200,000 XP SPECIAL x2: +200,000 XP
Notice!
You have gained 2 levels! You are now Level 70, and 20 stat points have been automatically allocated. Please refer to your Skill list and Recipes to view the unlocked items. SPECIAL x2: You have gained 2 levels! You are now Level 72, and 20 stat points have been automatically allocated. Please refer to your Skill list and Recipes to view the unlocked items.
Notice!
You have been recognized by the Chancellor of the Giants as the Dreaded Foe, and the dwarves will spread the word quickly to everyone in the Garrison, who will then tell their friends and family. The entire population of both Kingdoms will know of this by tomorrow. Respect: +10,000 Influence: +87,500 SPECIAL x2: Respect: +10,000; Influence: +87,500
Ren stood still for several minutes to see if it was going to keep going, but nothing else happened. Whew, it''s finally stopped. Ren thought in relief. I honestly thought it wasn''t going to stop. He shook his head. 1,640,000 XP and 38 levels! He started to laugh. I can''t believe it! ¡°Wow.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I just gained 26 levels.¡± That''s great, buddy! Ren thought to his friend. I bet Ruck and Princess... ¡°Oof!¡± Princess had just run over to him and bumped into his back. ¡°Hey, what are you... stop! Stop!¡± Ren said as Princess proceeded to lick his head and hair, then covered him in slobber. Thank you! *LICK* Thank you! *LICK* Thank you! *LICK* ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Ren laughed and pushed her away. ¡°You''re welcome!¡± Quickly, My Lord! Princess thought at him and huffed. Assign my stats! ¡°I think you might be a little excited about this.¡± Ren opened her status screen, and they felt each other''s amusement. Princess told him where to put the points, and she sighed when they were all assigned.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Ah. Thank you. Princess thought to him. I am off! ¡°Don''t go far!¡± Ren said as she disappeared, then he got a message popup. He smiled when he saw the sender, and opened the messaging system.
Ren: Hi, Lara.
Lara: Ren! What the hell?
Ren: What?
Lara: You know what I''m talking about!
Ren: I figured you''d know I won. LOL I shouldn''t have to tell you.
Lara: Ren! What was all of that from?
Ren: Well, I met someone at the Library. They were waiting for me, and when I went outside...
Lara: Oh, that rat bastard!
Ren: LOL I was upset myself at first, but after I killed him, I got a SPECIAL bonus.
Lara: Oh... oh my!
Ren: Yeah. I''ve been grinding my skills all day.
Lara: You leveled nearly everything!
Ren: There''s a few skills that I can''t level right now, but yeah. I''ve been working on everything I can think of.
Lara: I bet he''s going to be in so much trouble!
Ren: More than likely.
Ren: Not only didn''t he succeed, but thanks to the SPECIAL bonus, I had a pretty easy time with the battle.
Lara: The extra Ballistas didn''t help with that at all, huh?
Ren: LOL I could only bring 7 to the battle. If I''d known how effective they''d be, especially against such large targets...
Lara: I assume you''re going to make more of them?
Ren: Of course. It''s just like I told the Chancellor. If he sends anyone, they''re not going to make it. No one is going to mess with this encampment ever again.
Lara: You''re a good man, Ren.
Lara: Scary, but good.
Ren: LOL Thanks, I think. By the way, how many levels did you gain?
Lara: (points finger) Ha! Every question!
Ren: (snorts laughter) You don''t have to do that every time I ask you something. Bye, Lara.
Lara: Bye, Ren.
* Lara closed the messaging system and sighed. I can never tell him how many levels he''s given me. She thought. It''s one of my class restrictions. * Ren closed the messaging system and thought about his party. ¡°Show Party Status.¡±
Party Name: Virtual Survivors
Name Class Level Position
Ren Artificer (Lord) 72 Leader/Equipment
Nathalia Warden (Head of House) 42 Fighter/Cook
Princess Mount 68 Mount/Fighter
Ruck Familiar 49 Assistant/Helper
Teepo Scout 56 Companion/Scout
Tee-one Dedicated Servant Crafter 33 Crafter/Fighter
Lara Sage of Ages (Restricted) Information Broker
Ren chuckled when he saw ''restricted'' as Lara''s level. It really is a closely guarded secret, apparently. He figured while he was at it, he might as well check his own status. ¡°Show Status.¡±
Status
Name Ren (Neram) Level 72
Gender Male Class Artificer/Lord
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 900,010 (Lord) Honor 187,820 (Prestigious)
Giant Kingdom:
Respect 25,000
Titles
Master Blacksmith Grants 10 level bonus to Smithing Skills; 5,000 Fame
Tailor Grants 5 level bonus to Tailoring Skills
Issac''s Novice 20% stat gain at his shop
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Dreaded Foe Auras with Fear: +5 Levels, Respect: 5000, Enemies/Opponents/Creatures -5 INT -5 WIS
Health 1617 Mana 1868
Strength 253 Dexterity 175
Vitality 165 Agility 172
Endurance 170 Intelligence 215
Luck 70 +2 Wisdom 200
Would you look at that! Ren thought. My stats are so high! ¡°That''s usually what happens when you level up so much.¡± Teepo said. I wonder what Nathalia thinks of this. Ren looked at his Sending Ring and thought of her. ¡°Nathalia?¡± Ren whispered. ¡°REN!¡± Nathalia yelled. ¡°I''m so glad you''re okay!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You should have known I was okay, after that giant XP boost.¡± ¡°Giant is right!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''m up to Level 42 already, and I haven''t done anything!¡± ¡°You''re in my party, so you get the benefits just the same as the others do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I''m sure you would have come if I''d asked.¡± ¡°You mean if you hadn''t snuck out on me this morning.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°Thanks for leaving me all alone in the bed like that.¡± ¡°Hey, I kissed you and you mumbled.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought you said ''get the hell out there right now!''.¡± ¡°I did not tell you to ''get the hell out''.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I didn''t say ''hell'' at all.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''ve got to finish repairing and cleaning the giant''s clothing, then I''ll be heading to the mine for a few hours to finish out the shift.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll be home after that.¡± ¡°See you then.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I lo... ah... I''m at the restaurant.¡± ¡°I''ll let you get back to work then.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I lo you, too.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Nathalia said, slightly scandalized. ¡°See you in a few hours, Nathalia.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± Nathalia said, and the Sending Ring stopped glowing. ¡°So, do you want to try your body again?¡± Ren asked Teepo. ¡°Sure.¡± Teepo said, and dissolved into the Beetle Crown ring. Ren slipped the Ring of Recall over it and put it back on. ¡°Summon Teepo!¡± Ren said, and Teepo was shunted into the platinum beetle body. ¡°You with me, buddy?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Teepo said. ¡°This is kinda weird, though.¡± Ren handed him the key, and Teepo held it in front of him. ¡°What do I do with this?¡± ¡°There''s a slot on your underside. If you get tired or anything, just wind yourself up.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yes, way.¡± He said. ¡°I wound it as much as it could take before animating it, so you should be good for a long, long time; but, you should take the key with you, just in case.¡± ¡°What do I do with it?¡± ¡°Store it, of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve got 40 internal slots for stuff.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± ¡°Just select ''store key'', and it''ll tuck it into one of the slots.¡± ¡°This present keeps getting better and better!¡± Teepo said, and stored the key. ¡°It worked!¡± He said and started to move around. ¡°I can''t remember the last time that I had to crawl, though.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Who said you have to crawl?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I wouldn''t give you a present you couldn''t use properly.¡± Ren said. ¡°Deploy your wings.¡± ¡°How do I... oh, I just have to think about it.¡± Teepo said, and his back opened up and thin metal wings unfolded and spread out. He started to beat them furiously, and his platinum body slowly lifted off of the ground. ¡°I... I''m doing it!¡± Teepo said, and went higher. ¡°Wheee!¡± He said, and took off like a shot. ¡°You''re not a bullet! Take it easy!¡± ¡°You can fix me if I crash!¡± Teepo said and did several loops in the air. ¡°I''m more worried about you getting hurt, you nut!¡± Ren chuckled as Teepo did several spirals and then nearly hit the ground at full speed. ¡°Wooo! That was close!¡± Teepo said and flew over to Ren. He gently came in for a landing on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Thanks a lot, Ren!¡± ¡°You''re not going to be a secret anymore, my friend.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Now people won''t think you''re talking to yourself.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I think it''s going to take a little more than seeing that you''re real for people to not think I''m crazy, Teepo.¡± ¡°It''s a start!¡± Teepo said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Yes, it''s a start.¡± Ren said and stored the table and the forge. He walked over to the moat and looked at it. He glanced down at his Amulet of the Spider and smiled. He used the inherent Web spell in it, and it just barely covered the 20 foot distance. He walked across it without sticking to it, and went into the giant camp. Once there, the giants lined up in front of the table Ren had left there, and he made another curtain for them to get changed behind. When the female giant handed him her clothing from around the curtain, he repaired them, stored them, and took them out. ¡°Can you wait for a moment?¡± Ren asked her, and she thought about it. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± She asked. ¡°It''s not some perverted ritual with my underwear, is it?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°No, Ma''am.¡± He said and made her a quick robe to wear. ¡°I''m thinking you might want a bath before wearing clean clothes.¡± ¡°I... yes, I would.¡± She said. ¡°How are you going to do that?¡± ¡°If I could get a hand from a few men, to help dig?¡± Ren asked. A few of the giants picked up the shovels by the large oven. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren walked around the curtain and picked the empty unused tent he had designated as the changing tent. He stored it, thought normal size, and took out his hammerpick. He marked out the size of the hole he wanted, and the giants got to work. With 4 of them working, it only took a few minutes for the large square pit to be finished. He used paving stones to line the pit, and since they interlocked, he figured there would be very few leaks. When he was done, he took out his forge, and made a long thin mold, 30 feet long and 2 inches thick. He melted more ore, and then poured out the very long mold. The giants gasped when Ren picked up the smelter with his bare hands, and went along the whole mold to make sure it was evenly distributed. The last thing he did was take out a steel square and enchanted it with a double glyph that contained 8 runes; 5 of which were Water, and the last 3 were Fire. He attached the enchanted square to the top of the long steel bar, and then Ren built a large wooden brace for it. With a giant''s help, he stood it up and embedded it into the ground beside the pit. Ren waved to Laurelia, and she came over. ¡°What can I do?¡± Laurelia asked. ¡°Say ''Activate''.¡± Ren said. ¡°Activate.¡± Laurelia said, and the enchantment activated. Water and Fire gushed out of the steel square, and everyone gasped. ¡°Good god!¡± She said. ¡°Is that... no, it can''t be!¡± ¡°Steamy hot water.¡± Ren said as the pit started to fill up. ¡°I got the idea the other day when you said you couldn''t clean yourself up.¡± He said. ¡°I''m glad that it worked.¡± ¡°You didn''t know it would?!?¡± Laurelia asked, surprised. Ren laughed. ¡°This is all guesswork.¡± He said and enchanted a steel square with a double glyph (8 runes total) of anti-water. He knelt down and stuck it into the water. Activate. He thought, and it started to suck up the water. Perfect. He secured it near the top of the pit, then made several more of them and placed them around the top of the pit on the other three walls, to make sure the water wouldn''t overflow and possibly flood the camp. ¡°It shouldn''t take long for the pit to fill, and you''ll have nice hot water to take baths.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Laurelia said and knelt down. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Things are definitely going to get better once I start getting the supplies to replace your tents with houses.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren smiled at her shocked expression. ¡°I made a deal with the Chancellor. I won''t tell the world what a miserable bastard he is, and he''ll send food and supplies for you.¡± Laurelia picked him up, nestled him between her breasts, and hugged him. Ren couldn''t really do anything about the situation, except hug her back. * ¡°Out of the way!¡± The female giant who wore the robe said, and the male giants that had helped dig the hole stepped out of her way. She tossed the robe aside and waded into the makeshift hot water bath. ¡°Oooohhh! This is bliss!¡± She said, leaned back against the side of the pool, and looked at Ren. ¡°You''re a godsend, little person!¡± ¡°You''re supposed to wash and let someone else take a turn.¡± One of the male giants said. ¡°I will.¡± She said. ¡°In a minute.¡± She closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°I needed this. I really did.¡± Another female giant chuckled. ¡°If you can stand having someone else in there, I''ll join you.¡± ¡°Grab the soap and get in here.¡± The one in the bath said as she moved over slightly. ¡°I don''t mind sharing.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± The other female giant said, and started to strip. Most of the men turned away so they wouldn''t see something they shouldn''t see; but, a few others watched her intently. ¡°Oh, my god... you were right.¡± She said as she sat in the water beside the other female giant. ¡°I needed this, too!¡± They both sat there for a minute, sighed at the same time, and started to lather up with the soap. Chapter 270 - Under My Command Laurelia put Ren down after a few minutes, but she could still feel his warmth between her breasts. Despite Ren only being a quarter of her size, she was definitely thinking inappropriate thoughts, and was trying to think about how it could work out between them. * Ren was relieved when Laurelia put him down. It was nice to be squeezed between giant breasts, but he couldn''t take full advantage of them because he was so small in comparison to her. He had seen the size of them when he had woken Laurelia up a few days before, and he seriously doubted he could get one of the tips into his mouth. The only one that would get anything out of this kind of relationship, would be her. Ren thought. Not that I''m thinking along those lines anyways. He smiled. I have enough women waiting for me now. He placed the female giant''s clothing beside the bath, and cleaned and repaired the second female giant''s clothing. ¡°Thanks!¡± One of them said, and Ren smiled at them because he wasn''t sure who had spoken. Both of their chests were covered in lather, and he wasn''t sure if they had done it themselves, or if they''d lathered each other up. He pushed that thought out of his mind, and went back to work. ¡°Laurelia, is it possible to get a list of names of everyone here?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Actually, that was something Nikaia wanted right away.¡± She walked away, and Ren assumed she went to her tent. When she came back, she handed him several rolls of parchment. ¡°I... I don''t want to ask this... but, can you tell me which ones... didn''t make it back?¡± Ren asked her. Laurelia smiled sadly and knelt beside him, and pointed to the names of the 31 giants that hadn''t returned. Unfortunately, two of them were Nikaia and Telaka; both giants that had inventories. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and stored the scrolls of names. ¡°The Ambassador, who''s also the Librarian, is going to pass this list along to your families.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Laurelia asked. ¡°That''s wonderful!¡± She said. ¡°They''ll at least know we''re okay.¡± Ren nodded, and told her that he had to get back to work. She said she had to as well, and they parted ways. Ren went over to his table and the waiting giants, sewed up robes for each of them, then cleaned and repaired their clothing. He did all 105 of them, with 2 and 3 pieces of clothing repaired and cleaned for each of them. He even repaired their metal things like rings, bracelets, chains, belt buckles, etc. He finished an hour and a half later, with the female giant and her nephew. ¡°I can''t thank you enough.¡± She said, when she came out from behind the curtain with her robe on. ¡°If you hadn''t taken him when you did...¡± ¡°That''s why I did it.¡± Ren said and cleaned and repaired her clothing. ¡°I saw you falter, and I wanted to get you both back here to safety before the battle.¡±
Stat Change!
Repair Level 1 (Advanced 0%) Metal Repair Level 1 (Advanced 0%) Cloth Repair Level 1 (Advanced 0%)
The female giant knelt, and her nephew stepped close and gave her a hug. She held him close, and looked at Ren. ¡°I''m so sorry that I went along with such a foolish idea to leave.¡± She said. ¡°I just...¡± She glanced at her nephew that clung to her. ¡°He... he wanted...¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter now.¡± Ren said. ¡°You made it back, and they aren''t coming for either of you anymore.¡± Tears flowed from her eyes, and she nodded. ¡°Don''t worry, things are going to be better from now on.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once the supplies start arriving, you''re not going to recognize this place.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, and stood up to take her place in line by the hot bath. ¡°Just a second!¡± Ren said when he had an interesting thought. ¡°Let''s see if this works.¡± He reached into inventory, chose one of the Ram and Cart toys, and thought for a giant child as he took it out. It came out 4 times it''s normal toy size, and became the perfect size for the child giant. The child''s eyes lit up at the toy, and Ren pointed to the key. ¡°Just turn that a few times, and push this.¡± Ren said, and pointed to the box in the back of the cart. ¡°Like this.¡± He said, turned the key a bunch of times, and pushed the button. The cart''s wheels spun furiously for about 10 seconds, and then rolled to a stop. ¡°Put it on the ground first, though. It won''t roll by itself, otherwise.¡± ¡°I... I can have it?¡± The child said in wonder. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''ll even fit in your backpack.¡± The child beamed a smile at him and took the toy. He wound the key a bunch of times, put the cart on the ground, and pushed the button. The cart''s wheels spun in the dirt a little, then took off through the middle of the camp. The child laughed and chased after it, and the female giant looked at Ren. ¡°I haven''t heard him laugh like that before.¡± She said. ¡°I hope you keep hearing it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You better go and tell him not to let it go into the moat, though.¡± ¡°Right!¡± She said. ¡°Thank you!¡± Ren waved her thanks away, and she went after the laughing child giant. He smiled and left the camp, and went out to where the medical tent was. All 7 Ballistas were there instead, and the dwarves were waiting for him. ¡°Sorry to make you wait.¡± Ren said and stored the artillery weapons and bolts after he repaired them and loaded them back into the cartridges on the Ballistas. ¡°I gave my word I would clean and repair the giant''s clothing before I left.¡± All the dwarves nodded slightly. They knew all about it being important to keep your word. Ren took out the cart to hook it to Princess, and she trotted over to him to let him do it. ¡°You''re really good for doing this.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wouldn''t know what to do if you weren''t such a great help.¡± You would find a suitable substitute. Princess thought to him, as the dwarves climbed into the back. ¡°Yeah, me.¡± Ren said, and chuckled. ¡°No one else but us could possibly haul all of this.¡± Princess huffed and he felt her amusement matched his own. Teepo flew down from keeping an eye on everything, and landed on his shoulder. ¡°Aahh!¡± Deresdra exclaimed, and took out a wand. ¡°A bug!¡± She turned the wand around and prepared to squish it with the handle. ¡°Wait!¡± Ren said. ¡°This is my friend, Teepo.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°He''s my scout. If it wasn''t for him, none of this would have been possible.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Deresdra said, and put the wand back in her bag. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Ruck, Riley, Stacy.¡± He said. ¡°Watch and protect Deresdra. I''ll be right back.¡± ¡°You''re leaving me alone again?¡± Deresdra asked, half-jokingly. ¡°You can come along for the ride if you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°But I''ll be back in a couple of minutes to pick up Ruck anyways.¡± Deresdra nodded slightly. ¡°I''ll wait here, then.¡± Ren climbed into the driver''s seat of the cart. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Princess took off like a shot around the moat and camp, and ran back to the Garrison. The ride was really fast, since she''d gained so many stat points and put most of them into Vitality and Endurance. Teepo had barely started to chitter in delight when they had to come to a stop at the Commander''s office. The dwarves in the back hopped out right away, and formed lines before Ren''s feet had hit the dirt. Ren walked over and knocked on the Commander''s door. He came out and saw they were all fine. ¡°So, it went off without a hitch.¡± ¡°Well, instead of just having the Guardians of the Land show up, the refugees that left a couple of days ago were being chased by them.¡± The Commander snorted a laugh. ¡°That figures.¡± ¡°I delayed them long enough so that the refugees could get back to the camp, then we had the battle.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°You should have seen it, sir.¡± One of the dwarves said. ¡°I''ve never seen anything like it.¡± ¡°None of us have.¡± Another dwarf said. ¡°That awe-toe-mat-ick bail-east-a was sure something.¡± ¡°It''s ba-list-a, not bail-east-a.¡± Another said. ¡°But I agree. They were awesome.¡± ¡°That reminds me.¡± Ren said, and took out 6 of the Ballistas. ¡°Have one of these delivered to the crafting section. If they take their time, they should get the plans for it by tonight and can make as many as you need.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''d say a few hundred or so should be enough to line the top of the garrison, and give each of these fine gentlemen their own to use. I didn''t leave them at the site, because then anyone could come and take them.¡± ¡°Sound logic.¡± ¡°Be prepared to deploy again on short notice.¡± Ren said to the dwarves. ¡°We shouldn''t have to, but you know how things go.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± All the dwarves said and saluted him. ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren said to the Commander. ¡°I need to get back to the mines and finish my shift.¡± The Commander nodded to him, Ren climbed up into the driver''s seat, and Princess took him back out to the giant camp. * ¡°They aren''t as awesome as him.¡± One of the dwarves said and pointed to the gate that closed behind Ren. ¡°When all those giants showed up, I was standing there shaking in my boots and shooting the Ballista as fast as it would go.¡± He laughed. ¡°I ran dry fast, then switched off. We all ran dry fast... then there he was. He rode his mount and charged the remaining enemies, made a wall appear out of nowhere, then a ramp up that wall, and smashed one of the giants smack dab in the face.¡± The Commander stood there silently and listened. ¡°I''m sure the giant died, because his neck broke right after.¡± The dwarf shook his head. ¡°Then a stone bridge appeared... and get this... it joined two of the giants together and he rode his mount across it to hit the next giant in the face!¡± ¡°For as long as I live, I''ll never forget that sight.¡± He smiled. ¡°He took down two giants in just under half a minute.¡± ¡°What else happened?¡± The Commander asked. ¡°We interrogated one of the wounded giants before finishing him off...¡± The dwarf said. * Ren went back and picked up Deresdra and the two dogs, and was surprised Ruck didn''t quite fit inside the cart anymore. ¡°It upgraded your storage space again?¡± Ren asked, and Ruck nodded. ¡°Okay, just a minute.¡± Ren made two small attachments for the sides of the cart, for Riley and Stacy to sit in. Once they were out of the way, Ruck climbed into the back of the cart and tucked his legs in, then held onto the sides with his hands. Ren climbed into the driver''s seat again. ¡°A little slower, so Ruck isn''t shaken too much.¡± Princess huffed, and trotted at a moderate pace. ¡°I said go slower, not crawl.¡± Ren said, and Princess brayed at him. He felt her amusement, though; and she ran at a much better pace. They made it back to House Neram in just under 10 minutes, even at the slower pace; and Ren dropped off Ruck and the two dogs. After getting the tent and folding cots from Ruck, Ren and Deresdra had Princess take them to the mine. When they came to a stop at the gate, Deresdra was breathing hard. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Yes, I''m fine.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°I just think...¡± She smiled. ¡°...the ride needs to be longer for me to start enjoying it.¡± Ren chuckled, hopped down, and helped Deresdra to climb down. He pretended to tie Princess to the post there, and undid the cart to store it. ¡°Welcome back.¡± The guard said, and opened the gate for them. Ren nodded slightly to him, and walked with Deresdra up to the medical tent. ¡°It''s nice to be back.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°I''m glad to have you back.¡± The male healer said. ¡°Thanks for the extra work today.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± She said. ¡°See you in a couple of days.¡± The male healer bowed slightly to her, looked at Ren, and his eyes widened slightly. ¡°Sir.¡± He said, bowed slightly to him, and left the medical tent in a hurry. ¡°I''ve been on my feet all day!¡± Deresdra said and flopped into the chair behind her desk. Ren chuckled, and made a chair for himself. He upholstered it, and sat down.
Stat Change!
Upholstery Level 3 (Beginner 0%)
There''s one I never thought of. Ren thought and smiled. Teepo, how much time left before the SPECIAL bonus runs out? ¡°About 25 minutes.¡± Teepo said as he took off and went outside to keep watch. ¡°Give or take a few minutes. I couldn''t count while I was in the ring.¡± Thanks. Ren stood up. ¡°Let''s get our inspections over with, so I can finish my shift.¡± Deresdra nodded sightly and stood up herself. She led the way to the curtained-off area, closed it behind him when he entered, and started to take off her clothes. Ren took off the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and hung it on the back of the chair, and stored the rest of his clothes. He stood there in his underwear, and waited for her to finish getting undressed. When Deresdra had tossed her clothes on the floor and stood there in just her underwear, he turned around for her to check him. She let out a very low sigh in disappointment that he hadn''t stared at her, and did the part of his physical that covered his back. Ren smiled as she didn''t linger, or grip his muscles too tightly, or anything of the sort that would indicate that she was actually enjoying it, instead of doing her job. ¡°Your back is done.¡± Deresdra said, and Ren turned to face her. She checked him over efficiently, and didn''t find anything wrong. No pulled muscles, aches, or pains. She bent down to check his legs, and glanced up at his face. He''s not even admiring my breasts. Deresdra thought, and tried to shake them a little. Come on, Ren! Look at them! They''re hanging enticingly right here, and they long to be grabbed! When Ren didn''t react, or even notice, she sighed. He''s not taking the bait. Deresdra thought, then stood up to look him in the eyes. ¡°Your turn.¡± Ren said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Turn around, Deresdra.¡± Ren commanded. Deresdra took in a quick sharp breath, nodded slightly, and turned around immediately.
Stat Change!
Command Aura Level 7 (Expert 0%)
Ren smiled and proceeded to check her back muscles. He massaged them to see if she had strained herself at all, and diligently checked every muscle in her back. Deresdra closed her eyes, and tried not to enjoy having a man massage her, especially after that man had commanded her to turn around. The gall of him! She thought, and forced herself to get angry at him. Ordering me around like some... Her thought was interrupted as Ren reached her lower back. She held her mouth tightly closed when his fingers caressed a sensitive spot right at the top of her behind. She really didn''t want to moan out loud. I won''t give him the satisfaction! Whoa. Ren thought, as he felt Deresdra''s reaction to his touch just above her behind. I think I just found one of her erogenous zones. Just to make sure that it wasn''t just her reaction to him about to check her gluteus muscles, he lightly ran his fingers up and over the spot again, and received the same reaction. What is he do- OH! Deresdra put her hand on the back of the chair to keep her balance. By the gods! Yep, that''s definitely an erogenous zone. Ren thought. I''ll avoid that from now on. He gripped and massaged her behind, just like she''d done with his; but, he had taken her previous healing lessons to heart. Even though the action was the same, the motion would be different. He thought, moved his hands down her thighs, and to her calves. I will not let him see that I like this! Deresdra thought. I will not! ¡°The back is done.¡± Ren said and stood up. He thought about asking her to turn back around, but he''d seen the look on her face when he''d commanded her. He was tempted to switch to his Camaraderie Aura; but, he figured since she''d teased and tempted him ever since they''d met, a little payback was in order. ¡°Face me, Deresdra!¡± Ren commanded. He''d said it a little loudly, and she''d jumped slightly as her head whipped around to stare at him with wide eyes, and her body followed a second later. She stood very still, practically frozen stiff, as Ren reached out and caressed her neck with both hands. He checked the muscles there, then moved to her shoulders. Deresdra stopped breathing when his hands moved to touch her chest. He''s just going to maul them, just like every other man that gets their hands on them. She thought in satisfaction, then didn''t know how to react as Ren checked the underlying muscles, instead of kneading the flesh that covered it. Ren checked the muscles of her chest, and completely ignored her breasts; since they didn''t contain any actual muscle. He moved on, went down to her abdomen, and checked the muscles there. When he reached her pelvis, he dug his fingers into the flesh to see if there was any pain or distention present. He didn''t find anything, so he knelt and checked her front thigh muscles. He ignored the part covered by her underwear, despite it being significantly wet there, then checked her knees and finished the inspection at her feet. ¡°There, all done.¡± Ren said and stood up.
Stat Change!
Healing Level 8 (Beginner 0%)
¡°Under my own authority...¡± Ren said in his command voice. ¡°...and as someone who just thoroughly checked your body properly from head to foot.¡± He smiled. ¡°I declare you cleared for work.¡± Deresdra nodded several times rapidly, because she wasn''t sure if she could speak yet. Ren gained about 50 Honor, and smiled at her as he equipped his clothing. He picked up the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, made sure it still had it''s passenger, and put it on. ¡°Deresdra.¡± Ren said and looked at her intensely. ¡°Tell me I''m cleared for work.¡± Deresdra opened her mouth a little bit, and let a sigh escape. ¡°You...¡± She swallowed loudly. ¡°You''re cleared for work.¡± She said with more composure than she actually felt. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, gave her a small bow and 15 Honor, then left the curtained-off area and the medical tent. * By the gods! Deresdra thought and sat down on the chair. She caught her breath when her tender part touched the wood through her soaked underwear, and stood up quickly. She looked down at herself and at the mess she made on the chair. ¡°Oh, dammit!¡± She exclaimed. * Ren chuckled as he heard Deresdra, and ran to the blacksmith shop at the mine. They didn''t need anything repaired, so he ran into the mine to work. Teepo flew in with him, and rather than get his new body full of dirt, Ren took off the Ring of Recall and summoned Teepo into his astral projection form and stored the new body. ¡°What have you got for me?¡± Ren asked the first dwarf he came to. ¡°You''ve already smashed the biggest boulders we could find.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Why don''t you find a new vein for us?¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Ren said, and used his Metal Detection ability. Since he was still under the effects of the SPECIAL bonus, his ability went out twice as far as normal. ¡°This way!¡± Ren grabbed a nearby empty cart and started to push it. He walked farther and farther down into the mine for several minutes, and a pile of dwarves followed him. When he stopped walking, so did they. ¡°You and you.¡± Ren said and pointed to two of the dwarves. ¡°Dig there. It''s about 20 feet in.¡± He said. ¡°The rest of you, keep going.¡± They walked on down the main tunnel, and then off on a side one. Along the way, he would dispatch a dwarf to dig in certain spots. After about 10 minutes, he came to another stop, and only had 4 dwarves left. ¡°Oho!¡± Ren said, as he felt a really big pulse off to his right. ¡°There''s a big one!¡± He said excitedly. ¡°You and you! Right there! You and you, on my other side!¡± He said and pointed to the spots on either side of him in the tunnel. ¡°It''s going to take a long time to mine this one out, guys!¡± He took out his mining pick and started to dig. The dwarves joined him and after nearly 40 feet of digging, the edge of the vein was revealed. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Ren said, excitedly. He had found a huge vein of gold that was nearly 10 feet high and an unknown length. His ability couldn''t feel the end of it, even with the boost; so, he knew it was a huge find.
Stat Change!
Metal Detection Level 2 (Intermediate 0%)
¡°By the gods!¡± One of the dwarves said. ¡°We''re gonna be filthy rich!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± One of the other dwarves said. ¡°Now we can afford another child!¡± ¡°Well, don''t just stand there!¡± Ren grinned at them. ¡°Have fun!¡± The dwarves laughed as they all started to dig. Chapter 271 - This Is Teepo ¡°The SPECIAL bonus is going to end soon, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Ren nodded and stopped digging, then stepped out of the way.
Stat Change!
Mining Level 4 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren smiled and went back to his cart, and saw he''d forgotten to change it out. Gold ore chunks littered the tracks, so he bent down to store them. It took several minutes, but he finally gathered them all. He couldn''t leave the chunks on the tracks, because anyone using the tracks would be in danger of derailing their cart.
Notice!
Your SPECIAL bonus has ended. All gains, effects, bonuses, and abilities will no longer be doubled.
Ren started to push the cart out of the mine, and felt that artificial feeling of relief and happiness that he got when he finished a shift at work. I didn''t have to work long at all to finish the shift. Ren thought, and went to the weighing station. The over-full cart was weighed, and the dwarf there whistled. ¡°I can''t believe you''re not getting paid for this.¡± He said. ¡°That''s... I don''t want to tell you how much you didn''t make.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Be prepared to be shocked, then.¡± He said, and emptied the gold ore from his inventory into the empty cart. It filled it to almost three quarters of it''s capacity, and the dwarf shook his head. ¡°You could have taken all of that, and no one would have ever known!¡± The dwarf said, and dumped the cart on the scale. ¡°I''m not here to steal.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m here to work off my sentence and enjoy myself.¡± He smiled and pushed the empty cart. ¡°I''ll be back soon.¡± ¡°You''re crazy.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°That''s what they say.¡± Ren said and went back into the mines. He worked the extra two hours, and then Teepo told him it was suppertime. He brought his cart back up to the surface and the weighing station, and the dwarf told him the mine foreman wanted to see him. Ren ran over to the office, and stopped at the door. He equipped his armor bodysuit for a moment to clean himself and his Travelling Clothes, then knocked. ¡°Come.¡± Ren opened the door, and the mine foreman grinned at him. ¡°That was some find you got this evening.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I had a SPECIAL bonus that made my ability reach twice as far.¡± He said. ¡°When the dwarves in the mines asked me to find more veins of ore... I obliged.¡± The mine foreman chuckled. ¡°You found...¡± He looked at the parchment papers on his desk. ¡°...six new veins of iron, one copper, and the biggest gold vein anyone has ever seen.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I''m tempted to just have you scout from now on.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If I can get my Metal Detection ability up to Advanced, I''d be a good scout.¡± He said. ¡°Right now, it''s only at Intermediate and only goes out 30 feet.¡± ¡°I don''t know about that.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°You were pretty damn lucky to find so many ore veins so fast.¡± Ren chuckled. Having 72 for luck has it''s advantages. He thought. ¡°I''ll keep checking each time I go into the mine, but I don''t think doing only that would be a good use of my skills.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°If you get your skill up to Advanced, though...¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Anyways, I just wanted to thank you before you left. You did good today.¡± ¡°Does that mean I didn''t do good before?¡± Ren asked The mine foreman sputtered, and tried to apologize. ¡°I''m just joking.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I knew what you meant.¡± The mine foreman shook his head and smiled. ¡°Get out of here before I do put you on scout duty.¡± Ren waved goodbye to him, left the mine foreman''s office, and ran over to the medical tent. Deresdra sat at her desk, and looked up at him. ¡°You!¡± ¡°Surprise! It''s me!¡± Ren said, and walked over to the large cabinet. He put the folded up large medical tent inside, and followed it with the 12 folding cots. He shut the door and turned around. ¡°I''m going to be gone for the next two days.¡± ¡°So what?¡± Deresdra huffed. ¡°So, I don''t want you going to the mine foreman and bugging him about me not being here, or about me missing work.¡± ¡°Like I would do that!¡± Ren smiled and walked over to her desk. ¡°Do you want me to tell you that I didn''t want you to worry?¡± Deresdra looked at him for a moment. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter if I lie, does it?¡± ¡°Of course it-¡± Deresdra stopped talking and sighed. ¡°No.¡± Ren chuckled and leaned in close. ¡°I didn''t want you to worry.¡± Deresdra didn''t wince. Her eyes widened because she had expected him to lie when he said it. ¡°See you in a few days.¡± Ren said as he stood up straight, then he left the medical tent. He ran down to the gate and looked at Princess. ¡°Ready to head home and get some rest?¡± Yes. Princess thought to him. We have vanquished our foes and no one is left to fight. Ren could feel the pride in her, and he let his own pride in her join it. ¡°You were magnificent.¡± Princess preened a little. Mount your steed, Mighty Lord. Ren nodded slightly and climbed up onto her back. A warm bed awaits us! Princess thought, and took off at a run. They made it back to House Neram Keep a couple of minutes later. She had become quite good at maneuvering around people, carts, and others riding mounts. Ren laughed the whole way; because every time she passed someone, he felt her desire to smash through the ''obstacles'' instead of going around. Ren took her into the stable and she settled onto her mattress. He gave her an extra helping of food, despite her not really needing it, and went inside to eat himself. He left the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak folded up on the table, refilled the small plate with Health potion, and went into the kitchen. ¡°There you are!¡± Ereka said. ¡°We were getting a little worried.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Nathalia asked her and smiled. ¡°I told you he was working in the mines.¡± ¡°Okay, fine!¡± Ereka said. ¡°I was getting worried, okay?¡± ¡°Ladies, please.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Eat, drink and be merry!¡± ¡°L-l-ladies?¡± Ereka whispered, then looked at Nathalia. ¡°He''s not talking about me, is he?¡± Ren, despite his slip of the tongue, decided it was the right thing to do. He walked over to Ereka and knelt on one knee as he took her hand. He bent over it, and looked up at her. ¡°For your unwavering service to this House and it''s members...¡± Ereka caught her breath at the formal words. ¡°For your devotion to the well-being of the people under it''s name...¡± Ereka shook her head slightly, but she didn''t say anything in protest.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I hereby grant you the title of Lady.¡± Ereka gasped as Ren spoke the words, and she received the benefits of the title. ¡°Ren... why...¡± Ren stood up and kept a hold of her hand. ¡°I should have given you the title a while ago.¡± He said. ¡°All the work you''ve done to keep this place running, with all of the people moving here and everything expanding...¡± He smiled. ¡°You deserve it.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Ereka tried to talk, but she didn''t know what to say. ¡°I know you''re a little young to be a Lady of the House.¡± Ren said. ¡°But if you were going to argue about it, I was going to counter by saying you''ve been too young to run it, too.¡± Ereka started to laugh, then tears formed in her eyes and she started to cry. Ren took her into a hug, and she gripped him tightly. ¡°You... you''ve always been... so nice to me...¡± Ereka said. ¡°I don''t... I don''t know what to say!¡± ¡°Just say thank you, so we can sit down and eat.¡± Ren said, and her sobs turned back to laughs. ¡°I''m trying to pour my heart out, and all you can think about is food!¡± Ereka said, but she smiled while she said it. ¡°I''m not actually hungry; but I''ve got to go for a couple of days, and this will be the last time I''ll see either of you until I get back.¡± Ereka took in a deep breath, and let him out of the hug. ¡°All right. I''ll let you off the hook this time.¡± She said. ¡°But when you get back, you better be prepared for more gushing tears!¡± ¡°I''m an Adventurer.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I just have to store clothing to clean it, remember?¡± Ereka nodded slightly and her face was a little red, because she remembered when he''d done that for her to clean her blouse, and he hadn''t been able to take his eyes off of her bared chest. They sat down and enjoyed a meal, and Ren started to regale them with the story of his day working at the giant camp; then he had a much better idea. Teepo dissolved into the ring, and Ren slipped his half of the Ring of Recall over it and put it back on. He took out the beetle body he''d made for Teepo, and both women gasped. ¡°Where did you get that?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°That... that looks like... REN! You did it!¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Summon Teepo!¡± Teepo was shunted into the shiny platinum body of the mechanical beetle, and it turned around and looked at Nathalia and Ereka. ¡°Ladies.¡± Teepo said, and bowed. ¡°By the gods!¡± Ereka said, then looked at Ren. ¡°Is... is that Teepo?¡± ¡°You can ask me that.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I''m standing right here.¡± ¡°He can talk!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°He''s also made of platinum.¡± Ren said, and both women gasped again. ¡°By the gods, Ren!¡± Ereka said. ¡°He''s a walking, talking, fortune!¡± ¡°He always was.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now he has a body that reflects that.¡± Teepo chittered humbly, because even though he was in a solid body, he could still feel that Ren meant every word. ¡°Is that why you used platinum?¡± Teepo asked him, and Ren nodded. I couldn''t use shadow coins, even though I know how much they''re worth. Ren thought to his friend. I would have, but I don''t know what kind of effect they''d have on the metal... or even if they''d melt. ¡°Thank you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s really remarkable.¡± Nathalia said to Ren, then looked at Teepo. ¡°Can I pick you up?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Teepo said. Nathalia reached for him and gently picked him up. ¡°I''m not going to break.¡± Teepo said, and chittered in laughter. ¡°Ren made this thing really strong.¡± ¡°I... wasn''t sure...¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You''re tiny and look brittle; but I know you''re also made of metal.¡± She smiled. ¡°I had a bunch of thoughts fighting each other for how to act.¡± Teepo chittered in delight, and Nathalia turned him over and played with his legs. ¡°They''re all independent?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Even both wings have their own spring coils.¡± ¡°Wings!¡± Nathalia exclaimed as she turned Teepo right-side up. ¡°Can you show me?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Move your hand a little.¡± Nathalia opened her fingers slightly, and Teepo''s back folded up and the wings came out. ¡°Oh, my!¡± ¡°That''s amazing!¡± Ereka said and leaned in close. ¡°Ren, that''s... how by the gods did you make it?¡± ¡°It all started with a toy boat...¡± Ren said, and explained how he went from that to Teepo. ¡°You''re a genius!¡± Ereka said. ¡°What are you going to make next?¡± ¡°Rods, I think.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They''re like wands, but instead of charges, they have a time limit.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I was tempted to play with them today, but with everything going on, I completely forgot about them.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°You forget everything when you''re busy.¡± ¡°I''d argue that I''m not that bad, but I am.¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°I haven''t even looked at all the stuff I''d gained today.¡± He shook his head. ¡°There''s so much that I don''t want to think about it right now.¡± ¡°Because you have to leave, and you''d be kicking yourself for not staying and playing with them.¡± Nathalia said, wisely. Ren tapped the tip of his nose, and then he and Teepo told them all about how the day went. Nathalia and Ereka sat in silence as they got to the part about the chase. ¡°Those poor people.¡± Ereka whispered, then she nodded when Ren talked about how he''d delayed the Guardians of the Land to let the refugees escape. He dismissed the Honor gain and Teepo took over for the actual battle. Ren tried to argue that he hadn''t been that heroic, but Nathalia and Ereka told him to be quiet. He chuckled and let Teepo tell the rest of the story, then Ren told them about the camp and how he cleaned and repaired clothing. He had reminded himself about the Ram and Cart toy, and when he told them about the child giant and how happy he was with the toy, Ren took one out of inventory to show them. ¡°You changed it!¡± Nathalia said and picked the toy up. ¡°That makes much more sense than a boat!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Well, you can keep it if you want it.¡± He said. Nathalia nodded slightly, and hugged it. He noticed Ereka''s expression, and took one out for her, too. Her face lit up, almost as much as the child giant''s did, and she took it happily. She turned the key a few times, and the cart sped across the table. Ren caught it, and she laughed. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ereka said. ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said and handed it back to her. ¡°Have fun.¡± Ereka stood up and walked around the table, then leaned in and kissed his cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, and left the kitchen. Nathalia waited until she heard the old bedroom''s door shut before she spoke. ¡°She''s agonizing over your decision to sleep with her.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Almost every time I go by the old bedroom, she''s writhing on the bed and saying your name.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren looked surprised. ¡°She''s what?¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°I know you can be a little dense with how much a woman wants you sometimes; but even for you, you''re pretty oblivious right now.¡± ¡°Hey, I''m trying my best to not make all of this uncomfortable.¡± Nathalia stood up, leaned close, and kissed his other cheek. ¡°Before you go, at least tell her she''ll be the first thing you''ll take care of when you get back.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Ren stood up. ¡°Nathalia, you and I haven''t... I mean, it''s been a couple of days...¡± ¡°I''ve had more than my share of you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°So, I don''t mind waiting my turn.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ll see you in a few days.¡± Nathalia said, then kissed him on the lips. ¡°Goodnight.¡± She said, and walked out of the kitchen. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I''m going to do exactly what she told me to do.¡± Ren said, and stood up. ¡°Keep watch, Teepo. Tell me when 2 hours have passed.¡± ¡°Two hours?¡± Teepo said, and took off to hover in front of him. ¡°That should be long enough, and it won''t mess up my Adventurer''s business too much.¡± ¡°You got it, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, buddy.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I will.¡± Ren left the kitchen and went to the old bedroom. Ereka had already taken off her clothes, and only wore her slip. She was cuddled up on her side in the middle of the bed, and she clutched a pillow to her chest. At least I won''t suffer from Distraction while her chest is covered. Ren thought, and knelt by the bed. Ereka had watched him come into the room, but she didn''t say anything. He smiled, and leaned in close to her. ¡°I''ll be gone for two days, but when I get back... you''ll be the first thing that I take care of.¡± ¡°R-r-really?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Apparently, I''m completely oblivious about how women feel about me.¡± He grinned as Ereka blushed. ¡°A... a little.¡± Ren leaned in and lightly kissed her. ¡°Sleep well, and I''ll see you when I get back.¡± Ereka nodded slightly, and moved the pillow out of the way.
Notice!
You have gained the condition: Distracted For as long as the object of your attention is within your sight, you must look at it. You will also suffer penalties to both Intelligence (-20) and Wisdom (-20).
Her slip hung off of her right shoulder, and the breast was completely exposed. Ereka said something, and Ren shook his head. He tried to close his eyes, but the compulsion forced his eyes open after only a second. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her hand move and hook the shoulder strap. She pulled the slip back up, and covered herself.
Notice!
You have lost the condition: Distracted.
¡°Yes, Ren.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You will see me... all of me... when you get back.¡± ¡°Um... yes. Right. Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ereka said, and clutched the pillow to herself when Ren left her room. * It still worked! Ereka thought to herself, surprised. His surprised expression was so cute! She thought, and rolled over on the bed and tried to stop herself before she laughed out loud. Only two more days! * Well, they still distract me. Ren thought, amused. What the hell am I going to do when she''s completely naked, though? He imagined what it would be like, if he just stood there and stared at her. She''ll be so disappointed if I do that for her first time. Ren activated sneak, and went into Nathalia''s room. She didn''t hear him come in, and he walked around the bed. Nathalia''s eyes were closed, and tears flowed from her eyes. He reached out and touched her face to wipe off the tears, and she opened her eyes. ¡°You''ve learned to block the collective feelings.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Please don''t.¡± He said. He felt her sadness that she was slowly losing him more and more, as each new woman came into his life, and he got farther away from her. ¡°My Love.¡± Ren said, and she took in a sharp breath as she felt his intense feelings for her. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I... I know.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I know it seems like you''re taking a back seat to everything, but that''s not true at all.¡± Ren said and stored his clothing. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± ¡°I am going to make sweet and passionate love to you for the next 2 hours.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°But... but you have Adventurer''s business!¡± ¡°It''ll have to wait.¡± Ren said and moved her over on the bed. ¡°I have a much more important thing to do.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Nathalia asked as she stored her clothing, too. ¡°You mentioned something about ''waiting your turn''.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°There''s no such thing.¡± He smiled. ¡°It''s everyone else that has to wait their turn.¡± He said and started to kiss her. ¡°You were the first woman I ever slept with in this world, and you will always be the first woman in my life here.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Nathalia said, and kissed him. For the next two hours, he showed her how much he loved her. ¡°That''s time.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°My Love, I have to go.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Nathalia said, with satisfaction in her voice and her feelings were full of both satisfaction and contentment. He kissed her, and she grabbed his hair and kissed him back passionately. She broke the kiss and Ren blinked his eyes at her. ¡°See you in a couple of days, My Love.¡± Nathalia said, then rolled over to get some sleep. He chuckled and kissed her cheek, and got out of bed. He equipped his clothing and went out to the couch. Teepo? ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± Do you want to stay in your metal body, or switch back to your astral one? ¡°I''ll stay with this one for now.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I haven''t gotten used to it yet.¡± Don''t have too much fun, and be careful. If you get hurt, I won''t be here to help. ¡°I''ll be good.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Bye, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°Logout.¡± Chapter 272 - Stellas Place Ren woke up in the real world, and slipped off the VR headset. Stella took it from him, and shook her head. ¡°You''re messing up my schedule.¡± Stella said. ¡°Today''s the first day of the medical trials for the grant.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m only half an hour later than normal. I don''t have therapy, so that''s an extra hour we have to play with.¡± ¡°I know you don''t have therapy, and I planned for that.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said, and slid out of the bed. ¡°Then we can skip breakfast to make up the time.¡± ¡°Skip breakfast he says.¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°You do realize the condition your body is in, right?¡± ¡°I... ah... yeah.¡± Ren said and walked across the room. ¡°Bathroom break.¡± ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Get a move on. We''ve got to get you dressed and out of here as soon as possible.¡± She said through the open bathroom door. ¡°We''re only a little bit behind, so it''s not too bad.¡± ¡°I''ll make this up to you, I swear.¡± Ren said and took off his pajama top when he came out of the bathroom. ¡°How are you going to do that?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I''m buying a house.¡± Ren said, and tried to put on a t-shirt. He winced when he lifted his arms. ¡°Damn, normal shirts only.¡± He said, and tossed the t-shirt back into the drawer. ¡°You looked already?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and grabbed a shirt from the closet. ¡°When Elise was over last night to watch the show.¡± He said and buttoned the top. ¡°It''s a great place, and her friend from the bank is handling it.¡± ¡°Wait, the bank?¡± Stella asked, and looked at Barbara when she came into the room with a cup of coffee for her. She took it, gratefully. ¡°Okay, tell me what''s going on.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°I only filled you in on what he did in the game. I completely forgot about the real life stuff.¡± ¡°You''re getting forgetful in your old age.¡± Stella grinned and took a drink of coffee. ¡°Quiet, you!¡± Barbara said and shook a fist at her. ¡°You better help Ren before he hurts himself.¡± Stella said to distract her murderous intent, and Barbara helped Ren put on a pair of pants. He had bent over to get them, and hissed when he compressed the bruised muscles in his abdomen. Barbara dressed him, and Stella finished her coffee just about the same time that Ren was fully clothed to go outside. Stella and Barbara packed a small bag of extra clothes for Ren, and Stella slipped the room''s cell phone into her pocket, in case anyone wanted to contact Ren. She put Ren in the wheelchair, and pushed him out into the hallway. Barbara shut his room door and the three of them went right past the reception desk and outside. ¡°Hey, aren''t you going to call a taxi?¡± Ren asked Stella. ¡°There''s no need for that.¡± Gloria''s voice said, off to his right. ¡°Gloria!¡± Ren said as he turned to look at her. ¡°Good morning!¡± ¡°Someone''s in a good mood.¡± Gloria said. ¡°A really good mood.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°Ooo, you got some last night, huh?¡± Gloria asked, and Ren''s face flushed a little red. ¡°We''re wasting time.¡± Stella said a little sternly. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Gloria said and raised a hand in apology. ¡°The minivan''s right over here.¡± ¡°A minivan?!?¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Geez, and here I had you pegged as a muscle car girl.¡± ¡°I am a muscle car girl, you nut.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I borrowed the minivan for you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks, Gloria.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, but you don''t have to thank me.¡± She smiled. ¡°You''re paying for the rental and the gas.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Ren said, and they loaded him into the front passenger seat. When they got the wheelchair loaded into the back, Barbara said goodbye to them and left. Stella sat in the seat behind the driver, and Gloria climbed into the driver''s seat. ¡°Hey, can your awesome coolness take being seen in this thing?¡± Ren asked Gloria, and she laughed. ¡°I''m sure it can.¡± Gloria said and started it up. ¡°Hold onto your hats! This thing goes from zero to 60 in only 5 minutes flat!¡± Ren and Stella laughed, and Gloria pulled out of the parking lot. It didn''t take long for them to head over to Stella''s place, and Gloria parked in front of it. ¡°You can park in the driveway.¡± Stella said. ¡°I haven''t had a car parked there in years.¡± Gloria nodded and pulled in and up to the house. They unloaded the wheelchair, put Ren in it, and went to the front door. Stella took out her keys and opened it. ¡°Welcome to my humble abode.¡± Stella said, waved her arm with a flourish, and Gloria pushed Ren''s wheelchair inside. ¡°This place is really nice!¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for inviting me over.¡± ¡°This isn''t a social visit.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°We''re here to work.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°But that doesn''t mean I shouldn''t thank you for letting me into your home.¡± ¡°Gloria, go grab your things. We''ve got to get the modded VR headsets up, running, and connected in thirty minutes.¡± ¡°Thirty minutes!¡± Gloria abandoned Ren''s wheelchair and ran out of the house. Stella laughed, and took over Ren''s wheelchair. ¡°I made my spare bedroom into a work space for us.¡± Stella said, and pushed him down the hall. Ren reached out and opened the door, and stared at the setup. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Three expensive recliners sat at the side of the room. One corner had all the equipment set up in it, and another had a large square area cordoned off. ¡°That''s the mapping area, right?¡± Ren pointed to the cordoned off area. ¡°You got it.¡± Stella said. ¡°30 cameras are calibrated to scan and compile all the physical data for test subjects, and the main servers are there in the corner.¡± ¡°Why isn''t it boiling hot in here?¡± Ren asked. Stella smiled. ¡°They''re liquid cooled, just like a refrigerator.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Ren looked at them intently. ¡°You went all out, didn''t you?¡± ¡°I told you that I''ve been trying my whole life to make some kind of difference in the medical field.¡± She grinned and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Thanks to you and your wonderful idea, I now have the resources to do that.¡± ¡°Then warm up those scanners, woman!¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°Give me the mapping that I deserve!¡± Stella laughed and locked the wheels on the wheelchair, then went over to the main computer terminal. ¡°It takes a minute or two to get everything ready.¡± She came back over to him and helped him stand up. ¡°Let''s get you undressed.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I''m going to give you the mapping you deserve, just like you asked.¡± Stella said and smiled. ¡°So strip.¡± Ren sighed and started to undress. ¡°I just got dressed.¡± He said, and slid off his shirt and Stella went back to the terminal. Gloria came into the room with a large box that had three modded VR headsets in it. She walked right by Ren without seeing him, and went to the recliners. She took the headsets out of the box and set them up to be both easily accessible and also out of the way.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Ren undid his pants and let them drop. At least it''s a lot easier to get out of these clothes. He thought and walked over to the cordoned off area. ¡°I''m ready.¡± Ren said. Stella looked up from the terminal, then walked over to him and put her hands on her hips. ¡°What?¡± He asked. ¡°You forgot something.¡± Stella said, and pointed to his underwear. ¡°You want a full map then.¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Stella said. Ren smiled and slipped the underwear off his hips. Since they were silk, they slid down his legs and hit the floor without stopping. ¡°I can''t bend over.¡± Ren grinned at her and touched his bruised chest. Stella rolled her eyes and knelt to get them. Ren stepped out of them and she picked them up. ¡°Now stand still, okay?¡± Stella said. ¡°This is going to take a minute or two.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let me know when I can move.¡± Stella nodded and went back over to the terminal. Ren moved his legs apart slightly, and spread his hands out so that they could be mapped fully, too. He heard a slight whirring sound, and waited. The sound moved all around him; but he didn''t see anything move. There were no flashy lights, or blue lasers, or any of the things he had expected. When they do things like this in movies and television shows, there''s always some kind of visual component. Ren thought. Maybe that''s all it is, visual so you can see that something is happening. After standing still for a few minutes, his legs started to get sore. ¡°Is... is it almost done?¡± Ren asked, his voice a little shaky. ¡°Almost!¡± Stella said. ¡°Ten more seconds!¡± Ren took a shallow breath, and held it as he counted in his head. Stella left the terminal and came over to him. She held her arms out slightly, and when Ren reached 9 seconds in his head, the terminal beeped and Stella grabbed him without touching his bruised muscles. He collapsed into her arms, and she took all of his weight as she held him close. ¡°You did great, Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°I knew you could do it.¡± ¡°Anything... for you.¡± Ren said, slightly out of breath. Stella helped him walk over to the wheelchair, and helped him sit in it. She left him there, and went to the terminal to check the files. ¡°Ha!¡± Stella said. ¡°They''re good! No bleed-through or out-of-sync calibrations!¡± ¡°Thank the gods.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know if I could stand still like that again if there was.¡± Stella typed furiously for several minutes, and Gloria went to a second terminal. She connected wires to the recliners, and typed furiously herself. Ren couldn''t help himself as he felt envy. He reached down into the pocket of the wheelchair and used the hand gripper exerciser while they worked. He switched hands every few minutes and did another hundred squeezes. ¡°Okay, I''ve got the file ready.¡± Stella said to Gloria. ¡°It''s in the same folder as mine.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Loading presets. The file''s added.¡± She typed for another minute. ¡°Okay, it''s in.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s your turn, Gloria.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Gloria said and started to strip. Ren watched her with wide eyes as she unselfconsciously undressed right in front of him; then gave him a spectacular view of her as she bent over to put her clothes on the recliner. His body reacted because of the sight, and when Gloria turned around to go to the cordoned off area to get scanned herself, she saw Ren as he stared at her. ¡°Take a picture, it''ll last longer.¡± Gloria said automatically, because that was what she always said to people that stared at her; then her eyes widened as she realized who she''d said it to. Ren was the only person she knew that didn''t see her that way. She glanced down at him, and saw exactly what he thought about seeing her without her clothes. Ren wasn''t trying to hide himself at all; but what Gloria didn''t know, was that Ren had forgotten he wasn''t actually wearing his clothes. He didn''t realize that he should be trying to hide his excitement from her view. ¡°I wish I could take a picture.¡± Ren said. ¡°I mean... I''ve seen you without clothes before, but... damn.¡± He smiled. ¡°I don''t think I''d ever get tired of seeing you like that, and a picture would be awesome.¡± Gloria blushed, then she started to laugh. ¡°You''re horrible.¡± She said, and walked over to get scanned into the system. ¡°It says your temperature is a little high, Gloria.¡± Stella said a moment later, when she looked at the terminal monitor. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± ¡°It''s f-fine.¡± Gloria said, and tried her best not to stare at Ren. ¡°Start the scan.¡± Stella started it, and Gloria stood still. It took a little longer for her scan, because she was a foot taller than Ren; but, it went by without a hitch. The terminal beeped and Gloria went back over to the recliner to get her clothes. ¡°Geez, Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''re not making this a safe workplace environment.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Cover yourself up.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren looked at her, then down at himself. ¡°Oh.¡± He said. ¡°Hey, I seem to have misplaced my underwear.¡± He grinned. ¡°Where the hell did they run off to?¡± ¡°You''re sitting on them.¡± Stella said, and helped him stand. ¡°Look, they''re right there.¡± Ren picked them up and looked down at his bruised chest. ¡°I need help putting them on.¡± Stella sat him down again, and helped him slip the underwear on. The pajama pants were next, and Ren put the top on by himself. ¡°How is the installation coming along Gloria?¡± Stella asked and walked over to the recliners. ¡°Just about ready.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Oh, I can''t wait to try these babies out!¡± ¡°You haven''t already?¡± Stella asked, and Gloria shook her head. ¡°No, I don''t have access to these bad boys at home.¡± Gloria said and tapped the main servers. ¡°Doing things like this over the net, even on a broadband connection, just isn''t the same as accessing them directly.¡± ¡°Have you tested the white room recalibration yet?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I can''t authorize all three of us going in without knowing it works properly.¡± ¡°Yeah, I got that far.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I made sure that every option was accessible, both physically and virtually.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Stella said and walked over to Ren. She unlocked the wheelchair''s wheels and rolled him over to the closest recliner. ¡°I had Gloria pull your baseline stats, and averaged them out.¡± Stella said. ¡°We only need to do the initial calibration for the new VR headset.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said, and she helped him get onto the recliner. ¡°I knew there was a reason why you didn''t pack my headset.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°Gloria modded these far beyond the discussion we had with her when we hired her.¡± She said and helped him put it on. ¡°These are practically a new generation.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°Way to go, Gloria!¡± Gloria chuckled. ¡°When I popped apart the ''new'' headset, the first thing I noticed was that they still had the same chipset.¡± She shook her head. ¡°They work great, but if we''re really going to map the entire brain and try to find new pathways for motor skills...¡± She smiled. ¡°They needed some serious reworking.¡± ¡°You see?¡± Ren said to her. ¡°I told you that you would be working on these in your spare time.¡± ¡°Spare time, he says.¡± Gloria snorted a laugh. ¡°I haven''t slept in real life for 3 days.¡± ¡°You did what I''ve been doing!¡± Ren said, as he caught on to what she meant. ¡°You''re sleeping in the game!¡± Gloria nodded. ¡°I was so worried that I was running out of time every day, and I couldn''t get everything done.¡± She smiled. ¡°Then one of my bosses suggested I take a play from your rule book.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You adjusted fast to the time difference, right?¡± He asked. ¡°At first, I was like, ''hey, this is a new experience, but I need normal sleep.'' Now I''m all, I gotta log in to get some sleep.¡± ¡°That''s me, too.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Getting a full 8 hours of sleep in only 2 hours real time, has been a godsend.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Getting to live so much extra time has been more fun than I ever thought was possible!¡± The room fell silent, and all that could be heard was the rush of coolant in the servers. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t mean to kill the mood.¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s just... I don''t think any of us wants to think about that right now.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll just keep my happy and depressing thoughts to myself.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°I said it was all right.¡± She said. ¡°You can say what you want. No one is going to judge you.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Gloria said while she checked the terminal and the headset connections. ¡°Okay, the initial calibration is done.¡± Stella took Ren''s headset off of him, and Ren turned to look at Gloria. ¡°Gloria, you...¡± Stella started to say. ¡°Hey, I''ve got no qualms about telling him to shut up.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Especially if he talks about his possible and impending death.¡± ¡°Gloria.¡± Stella frowned. ¡°I''ll even tell him right to his face.¡± Gloria said and looked right at Ren. ¡°If you try to play the sympathy card, I''ll kick your ass and make you feel really sorry for yourself.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Gloria exclaimed. ¡°You''re not angry at me for that?¡± She asked, surprised. ¡°Most people would be cursing their heads off that I was taking things too far, for someone in your... delicate... condition.¡± ¡°I''m not most people.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m glad you can look past all of this...¡± He motioned to his body. ¡°...and then treat me like a human being.¡± He grinned. ¡°I''m tired of being treated like it''s a medical miracle that I''m still alive.¡± ¡°That''s what I think, too.¡± Gloria said. ¡°You could die in a few minutes, or you could die 10 years from now.¡± She said. ¡°Crying ''boo-hoo, poor me'' about it isn''t going to help you at all.¡± ¡°That''s why I never do that.¡± Ren smiled as Stella helped him get back in the wheelchair. ¡°I''m going to live my life, and I''m gonna have fun doing it.¡± Stella was about to comment, then the cell phone rang. She took it out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID. ¡°It''s Barbara.¡± She said, and answered it. ¡°Hi, Barbara.¡± ¡°Yeah, he''s right here.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Stella was quiet for almost a full minute. ¡°That''s great!¡± ¡°Yeah, I''ll tell him.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Okay, thanks for calling.¡± ¡°See you tonight.¡± Stella said and hung up the phone. ¡°You''re never going to guess what happened.¡± ¡°I got the house!¡± Ren nearly yelled, and Stella''s mouth dropped open. ¡°How in the world did you guess that?¡± Stella asked. ¡°The bank isn''t going to be open until Monday.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Barbara warned us last night that her sister wouldn''t be able to keep her mouth shut for long.¡± ¡°That''s what Barbara said on the phone.¡± Stella laughed, too. ¡°Then something about counting chickens before they''re hatched.¡± She shook her head. ¡°She''s got some odd phrases for things in her head.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°She sure does.¡± ¡°What house?¡± Gloria asked, and let her curiosity get the better of her. Ren told her all about it, and then used the cell phone to find the listing to show it to them. ¡°Ren!¡± Stella said. ¡°What were you thinking?¡± ¡°I was thinking I needed to find a place to live.¡± Ren said. ¡°The temporary care facility is just that. Temporary.¡± ¡°But... but this...¡± ¡°Should fit my needs, and then some.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s even got a pool.¡± ¡°And a sauna!¡± Gloria said after she took the phone and looked through the details of the listing. ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Did you look at the price?¡± Gloria handed her the cell phone. ¡°That... that can''t be right.¡± Stella said, surprised. ¡°It is.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The best part of it is, Elise''s friend is the VP of accounts at the bank.¡± He said. ¡°Also, Barbara''s sister is the real estate agent.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Gloria said when she''d taken the phone back and kept looking at the details. ¡°It''s almost as big as my apartment building!¡± ¡°I wonder if we can pop over to look at the place?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Not right now.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ve got to get you fed, and then we have to work.¡± ¡°You''re such a slave driver!¡± Ren said. ¡°I know when to listen to reason, though. Let''s get some grub in me, so I can find out what you need me to do.¡± Stella pushed the wheelchair into the kitchen, to an already waiting breakfast. ¡°Stella!¡± Ren said loudly. ¡°You didn''t!¡± Stella laughed as she handed him the still warm plate of eggs and toast. Sitting on top of it, were three of the biggest strips of bacon Ren had ever seen. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Ren said and shoved one of the pieces of bacon into his mouth. ¡°Oh, baby!¡± He said as he chewed on the greasy goodness. Chapter 273 - Mixing Business and Pleasure Since it was Saturday morning, Detective John Ramirez was heading out to his sister''s place for his niece''s birthday party. He''d offered to take his partner, Officer Holly Stonewall along; so, he picked her up just like he said he would. He showed up at her place at the normal time, as if he was picking her up for work; the only difference was, he got out of the car and went over to her door instead of waiting for her to come out. He knocked on the door, and she opened it right away; almost as if she was waiting for him to do it. Even though they''d been partners for about 2 years, this was the first time he''d seen her in a pair of jeans and a scoop neck top. Where the hell has she been hiding them? John thought, when he got an eye full of her cleavage. Her 38 inch chest was quite substantial, and the top showed them off to full effect despite her not wearing a push-up bra. Some detective I am! He thought in amusement. ¡°You better offer to take this, before I shoot you.¡± Holly said and pointed to her large bag of luggage. John laughed and picked it up easily. ¡°Ready to go?¡± John asked. ¡°Almost.¡± Holly said, reached behind the door for her purse and keys. She motioned for him to step back, and he took two steps away to wait. She shut the door after she stepped outside, and turned to lock the deadbolt and handle. John couldn''t help himself and looked at her backside. He didn''t know if she was intentionally sticking it out for him to look at, or if she didn''t realize that she was offering it up for him to stare at. At the moment, he honestly didn''t care, because it was a great view. Damn, that''s even cuter than I thought it was. John thought, and smiled. She''s been hiding a lot of things in that uniform. Holly turned around and saw his smile, and knew exactly what he''d been thinking. ¡°Well, don''t just stand there.¡± Holly said. ¡°Get that bag into the trunk so we can leave.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± John said, and walked over to the car. He was totally checking out my ass. Holly thought in amusement. After his ''cute butt'' comment when we found that hidden room, I just had to wear these so I could tease him about it. She smiled as she walked to the car. John went to the car''s passenger door and opened it for her. Holly''s eyes widened for a moment in surprise, then she got into the car without a word. John shut the door, walked around to the back of the car to put her bag into the trunk, and got in the driver''s side. He started it up and pulled away from the curb. ¡°I hope you like 80''s hairbands.¡± John said, and hit the button on the stereo. ¡°For long drives, it''s the best traveling music.¡± ¡°As long as there''s lots of Motley Crue, I''ll be happy.¡± Holly said. ¡°You''re gonna be ecstatic, then.¡± John said as ''Kickstart My Heart'' started. ¡°They''re my favorite band.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Holly said. ¡°We''ve known each other for 2 years, and this is the first time you''ve said that around me.¡± John chuckled. ¡°I usually reserve it for long drives, or if I''m off for the day and want to relax.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Holly said. ¡°Not the long drive part, the relaxing part.¡± She smiled. ¡°Nothing beats the songs from back then.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± John grinned. ¡°Some of them had actual stories, and some were just ear noise; but none of them had rapping about shootings, killings, crime, or anything else that was going on at the time.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Holly said. ¡°That''s why it''s so relaxing.¡± She grinned, too. ¡°The worst thing in a song then was a bad breakup.¡± ¡°Hey, that could be a crime, too.¡± John said, and they both laughed; then started to sing the chorus of their favorite song. * ¡°That was the most delicious thing I''ve ever tasted!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Really?¡± Stella said. ¡°Barbara told me on the phone about you and a certain piece of cake.¡± Ren''s mouth started to water and he closed his eyes. ¡°Mmm. Black forest cake.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Hey, you just ate!¡± Ren opened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°It was my first one.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve never tasted anything like it before.¡± Stella put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I know.¡± She said. ¡°I can''t wait to see what kinds of food we can feed you now.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, that''s enough fantasizing.¡± He smiled. ¡°Let''s get to work.¡± Stella nodded and pushed him into the bathroom so he could wash up, then brought him back to the spare bedroom. ¡°Everything''s ready.¡± Gloria said. ¡°We''re all set as administrators, so the activation code is ''Admin Login Start'' not ''Flow Login Start''.¡± ¡°It should load the main room, right?¡± Stella asked. ¡°And give us access to all of your mods?¡± Gloria nodded. ¡°The medical program the techs at Sid Tec sent over was... well, laughable.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°I''m really glad Ren recommended you.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Me, three.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now get me up on the recliner before I try to do it myself.¡± Stella helped him transfer over. ¡°Why do you need help to do that?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°The last time I saw you in real life, everything worked fine.¡± Ren gave her a quick rundown of the therapy incident where he bruised his chest and abdomen muscles, and he saw the anger on her face. ¡°What an asshole!¡± Gloria said. ¡°Not listening to a patient''s concerns is one thing; but when every nurse, and even the doctor told him to be careful about it?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I''ll kill him!¡± Ren chuckled and put a hand on her clenched fist. ¡°Denise gave him a good slap upside the head, and I don''t have to take therapy from him anymore; so, it''s okay.¡± ¡°It''s not okay!¡± Gloria said. ¡°You wouldn''t be hurt if he''d had a sensible thought in his head.¡± Ren squeezed her hand, and she looked down at it. ¡°Why are you so mad?¡± He asked her. ¡°I...¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°You were here completely naked, and you''ve got a bruise that covers you from your neck to your waist, and I... I didn''t see it at all.¡± ¡°So, what you''re saying is... you were looking at me, but you weren''t looking at how hurt I was.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then don''t be mad about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Be happy about it, like I am.¡± ¡°You''re happy to be hurt?!?¡± Gloria asked, shocked. Ren laughed. ¡°No, I''m happy that you can look at me and see me, not my injuries.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Now get me hooked up and show me your prestigious programming skills.¡± Gloria chuckled. ¡°Then get ready to be amazed.¡± She said, and handed him the VR headset. ¡°They''re super-cooled, so they can run without generating any heat whatsoever.¡± ¡°Sweet.¡± Ren said. ¡°If this works as well as I think it will, I''m tempted to get you to mod mine as well.¡± ¡°No can do.¡± Gloria said. ¡°My contract states my skills are for work-related purposes only.¡± ¡°Geez, Stella!¡± Ren said and looked at her. ¡°How am I supposed to abuse the boss/worker relationship, if you anticipate how I''ll abuse it?¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Stop stalling and put the helmet on.¡± ¡°Okay, fine¡± Ren chuckled and put the headset on. The next thing he said was in a low whisper. ¡°I don''t think talking to a beautiful woman should be considered ''stalling'', though.¡± He took a deep breath, then relaxed. ¡°Admin Login Start.¡± Ren''s body went limp as the protocols engaged, and Stella got on her recliner. She put on her headset and relaxed. ¡°Admin Login Start.¡± Stella''s body went limp, and Gloria looked at Ren. I wonder if he knows that I heard him. Gloria asked herself. She leaned in close and undid a few buttons on his shirt. Ren, you poor thing. She thought and reached out to touch the bluish-yellow skin. He didn''t react, but she could feel how... squishy it was, and she winced for him. She buttoned his top back up and looked at his half-covered face. Oh, what the hell. Gloria thought and kissed him. She stopped a moment later, and leaned back. Huh. That wasn''t as fun as I thought it was going to be. She sat down on her recliner and put on her VR headset. Maybe... maybe enjoying it requires his participation. She smiled. His eager participation. ¡°Admin Login Start.¡± ******** ¡°Wahoo!¡± Ren yelled as he ran through the obstacle course Stella had loaded for him for the second time. ¡°You know, you''re not supposed to be enjoying this.¡± Stella said as she monitored his progress. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Ren said as he finished the course and ran over to her. ¡°You suspended the Stamina requirement for this test.¡± He said. ¡°I could do this all day and not break a sweat.¡± ¡°You''ve got him going already?¡± Gloria asked after she materialized and saw the end of Ren''s run through the obstacle course. ¡°I could ask you what took you so long to get here, but with the time compression boosted to 8 times normal, I''m a little surprised it didn''t take you longer to get in.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Yeah, that was a neat thing I discovered in the code.¡± Gloria said. ¡°If you hadn''t given me admin privileges, though...¡± ¡°Please.¡± Stella said. ¡°Like you wouldn''t have given them to yourself anyways.¡± Gloria chuckled. ¡°Okay, it''s your turn.¡± Ren said. ¡°What?¡± Gloria said. ¡°We need a normal person to test.¡± Ren said. ¡°So get your butt in gear and get going.¡± Gloria looked at Stella. ¡°I already did it myself, so it would be a good idea to have three sets of data.¡± Stella said. ¡°I don''t know...¡± ¡°Tag!¡± Ren said, and tapped her forehead with a fingertip. ¡°HA! You''re it!¡± He said, and took off at a run. ¡°You little shit!¡± Gloria shouted and ran after him. ¡°Get back here!¡± She yelled. ¡°I''m going to kill you!¡± ¡°Ha ha ha!¡± Ren laughed and started to do the obstacle course again, with Gloria right behind him. ******** It was a normal business day at Sid Tec, except for the monumental failure the night before by one of the tech staff. The entire department had been up in arms about the whole thing, but Charles had explained about the circumstances. He''d convinced most of them it was perfectly fine, and then he was summoned to the boss'' office. Charles sat in the chair in the outer room, and had been waiting to see the boss for 15 minutes. Every so often, the redheaded secretary glanced daggers at him. Charles wasn''t worried, though. It was just like he''d told her the night before. He didn''t break any rules; and had even checked his contract to confirm it. The door to the office opened, and Edward Torren stood there and glared at him. He didn''t say a word, though. All he did was hike a thumb over his shoulder, to indicate that Charles should go into the office. Charles nodded that he understood, and walked by him. The door was shut, and Edward walked over to his desk and sat down. ¡°Sit.¡± Edward said and pointed to the chair in front of the desk. Charles complied and walked across the office and sat down. ¡°I hear that you''ve caused me a few problems last night.¡± Edward said in a heavy voice. ¡°I''m sorry, sir.¡± Charles said. ¡°I don''t know what you mean.¡± Edward sighed. ¡°Are you really going to pretend that you didn''t attack a valuable asset to this company?¡± ¡°I don''t understand.¡± ¡°Of course you don''t.¡± Edward said. ¡°If you''d done any research into Ren Haddon at all, you''d know that you''ve seriously messed up.¡± ¡°Sir, he''s just a kid.¡± Charles said. ¡°I didn''t break any rules, company policies, or anything of the sort by doing what I did.¡± ¡°Ms. Stanford tried to enlighten you to the situation, and you...¡± Edward checked the papers on his desk. ¡°...completely ignored her concerns, and then hung up on her.¡± ¡°She doesn''t have the right to insult or threaten me.¡± Charles said. ¡°It was late, and I didn''t want to deal with her negativity before going to bed.¡± Edward sighed. ¡°I assume that you didn''t even consider that she was trying to protect the company''s interest, did you?¡± He asked. ¡°Her job, despite what you may think, is to keep this company afloat. She deals with the public relations, the clients, and all of the accounts that we have on file.¡± ¡°I don''t see how...¡± ¡°Ren Haddon was one of the contest winners. He has been a priority for this company to keep happy.¡± Edward said. ¡°He was also awarded a medical research grant to look into the viability of the VR headsets on being a physical therapy tool.¡± Charles was surprised to hear this. ¡°I... didn''t know that.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Edward said. ¡°It''s only been posted on the main server, on posters all over the office for about a month, and we''ve only sent out three company notices about it.¡± Charles didn''t know what to say to that. He never bothered to read the notices. ¡°At a loss for words, are you?¡± Edward asked. ¡°Aren''t you going to protest for your innocence again, and how you didn''t break any company rules?¡± Charles thought about doing that, but it just seemed a little petty at the moment. ¡°I''m glad you aren''t, because I''d have tossed you out of here on your ass if you did.¡± Edward said. ¡°Just because it''s not in your contract, doesn''t mean it''s not a rule you should follow.¡± ¡°I don''t know what you mean.¡± Charles said. Edward sighed. ¡°Do you really need a class on common sense?¡± He shook his head and raised a hand with his fingers unfolded. ¡°Never attack a player using company resources.¡± He said and folded one finger. ¡°If you''d been at home and used your own character to do it, that would have been one thing; but you manufactured a character specifically designed to fight Mr. Haddon with system administrator hacks.¡± Charles didn''t dispute that point. ¡°Never publicly attack or target a player with such a high profile.¡± Edward said and folded the next finger. ¡°If you''d challenged him to duel, saying he''d wronged you personally, rather than saying...¡± He looked at the papers on his desk. ¡°...that you wanted to fix the storylines for the giants and dwarves.¡± How does he know I said that? Charles wondered. I deleted all the references and video for the fight. He thought about it for a moment. Dammit, he must have had a separate recording device and saved the footage! ¡°You should always consult a fellow team member, or even the head of your department before embarking on anything to do with the company, or any product under it''s control.¡± Edward said and folded the next finger. ¡°Going it alone to try and... adjust... how things are playing out, is not a good idea; no matter how smart you think you are, or how you''re going about it.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Charles said. ¡°I did my best...¡± ¡°Lastly, you should never undermine the company or any of it''s products; especially to the detriment of both the company and the product.¡± Edward said, folded the last finger, and let his hand drop to his desk. ¡°But, sir...¡± ¡°I''m tempted to fire you, just because that''s what I did to the others.¡± Edward said. ¡°I didn''t kill him, sir.¡± ¡°You tried to, and you wanted to.¡± Edward said. ¡°That''s reason enough; but, since you didn''t succeed, I can''t use that as a reason.¡± He looked at Charles. ¡°Now, I want you to tell me why you thought it was a good idea to do what you did.¡± ¡°I... well, to be honest... he''s been messing things up a lot in the game.¡± Charles said. ¡°The High Elves scenario has been rewritten 3 times already because of him.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Edward asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why did it have to be rewritten?¡± ¡°Um, he unlocked the High Elves expansion 6 months before they were set to be released.¡± ¡°How did he do that?¡± ¡°He... um...¡± ¡°He played the game.¡± Edward said. ¡°Did you know that he''s logged in more hours in the game than any other player?¡± He smiled. ¡°Actually, if you do up the stats...¡± He lifted up another sheet and showed it to Charles. ¡°...and if we had a leaderboard for the amount of time spent in the game... he''d have been on the top of it after the first month he started playing it.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Edward chuckled. ¡°You don''t even know who he is, do you?¡± ¡°I... I''m not sure what you mean.¡± Edward turned around the monitor on his desk, and hit the button to play the video. Ren''s show started playing, and Charles'' eyes widened. ¡°He''s our walking, talking advertisement for the game, you idiot.¡± Edward said. ¡°I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have called you an idiot.¡± He said. ¡°Flipping blasted idiot is more along the lines of what I was thinking; only with more curses and yelling.¡± ¡°Sir...¡± ¡°He''s got a hit television show, a store that every single player buys things from, and he''s the kindest person you''d ever want to meet.¡± Edward said. ¡°Look, here''s the numbers from the pilot episode.¡± He said and slid a piece of paper over to Charles, who picked it up and stared at the numbers. ¡°This... this can''t be real!¡± Edward laughed. ¡°Flip it over.¡± Charles flipped it over and stared at the numbers for the second episode. They were even higher than the first. ¡°That''s not possible.¡± Charles said. ¡°No show has ever had more viewers for the second week it''s been on!¡± ¡°Look at the viewer breakdown.¡± Edward said. Charles looked at it, and sighed. It was highest with women between the ages of 18 to 34. Everyone knew that was the main demographic that a television station wanted to appeal to. ¡°The television studio knew they had a hit on their hands.¡± Edward said. ¡°They knew it was going to be such a big hit that they put it in the prime time lineup in the 7 p.m. time slot on Friday night.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Charles yelled. Edward chuckled. ¡°I think you''re getting it now.¡± He said. ¡°Ren Haddon isn''t just ''some kid''. He''s a sensation that everyone wants to get their hands on.¡± ¡°I... I''m sorry.¡± ¡°I think you might actually mean that; but, I think you''re really going to be sorry.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Charles asked automatically, despite the fact that he didn''t want to know. ¡°You''re being shunted from the manager position of the Giant Kingdom update, to just quality control on it.¡± Edward said. ¡°It comes with a small pay cut; but, at least you can keep the same desk.¡± ¡°But... but sir!¡± Charles begged. ¡°I worked for three months on the coding for it!¡± ¡°I know you did.¡± Edward said and tapped the pile of papers. ¡°I keep an eye on everything that goes on in this company.¡± He sighed. ¡°My secretary knows, too... and she still wanted you gone for what you tried to do.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Charles asked. ¡°I didn''t do anything to her!¡± Edward looked at him like he had two heads. ¡°I''m sure you heard about what happened after the last time the tech department dealt with Ren.¡± Charles nodded. ¡°Ms. Stanford only knew of him and his case at the time.¡± Edward said. ¡°She took the attack on him personally, however; and over-reacted.¡± ¡°I did hear the story.¡± Charles said. ¡°But unlike them, I didn''t succeed or use their method. She shouldn''t be mad at me for what I did.¡± ¡°Mr. Haddon has been through a lot the last little while; and thankfully, she''s been there for him when he needed her help.¡± Edward said. ¡°She over-reacted back then, and she barely knew him.¡± He smiled. ¡°Now? She''s dating him.¡± ¡°She''s WHAT?¡± Edward chuckled. ¡°I don''t know how it happened either.¡± He said. ¡°They sure didn''t start off on the right foot.¡± He smiled when he remembered that incident in front of the Library in the game, and then taking her in later to apologize to Ren. ¡°As it stands, she''s been seeing him regularly for a couple of weeks now.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Charles said. ¡°I guess that would explain her reactions.¡± ¡°Among other things.¡± Edward said. ¡°I can''t justify losing you over something like this, though. We need all the help we can get. Despite your mistakes, you work hard and fast. We need a lot of that right now.¡± ¡°You''re pushing the Giant update ahead, aren''t you?¡± Edward nodded. ¡°Max told me Ren distributed his book about the giants.¡± He said. ¡°We have no choice but to move forward.¡± ¡°Most of it has to be changed now.¡± Charles said. ¡°I assume the giant attack failed.¡± ¡°Oh, it''s much better than that.¡± Edward said, and moved the game footage ahead. ¡°Look.¡± Charles looked at the screen, and watched as Ren negotiated with the giants, and stopped the invasion completely. ¡°What... what... how?¡± Edward chuckled. ¡°Ren was right, you know.¡± He said. ¡°Leaving access in the update files, and letting the giants make random attacks on the dwarf Garrison wasn''t a good choice.¡± ¡°I realize that now.¡± Charles said. ¡°In my defense, I was also right.¡± He said confidently. ¡°Ren has completely destroyed both storylines.¡± ¡°Yes, he has.¡± Edward said. ¡°Thanks to you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Edward typed a few things, and the video went away. A list of Ren''s achievements appeared on the monitor instead. ¡°What is that?¡± Charles asked and leaned forward. ¡°This is the result of your ''SPECIAL'' bonus.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Edward sighed. ¡°You completely wrecked his character building profile, that I worked so hard to make for him.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°He''s supposed to work hard, and earn a lot of regular stat points doing other things, and then eventually go up a level.¡± Edward said. ¡°Thanks to your bonus, and the giant battle, it gave him all of this and took away the next year of him leveling up normally.¡± ¡°That''s not possible.¡± Charles said. ¡°How did the battle get him all of that?¡± ¡°It didn''t.¡± Edward said. ¡°The little genius made a quest for the dwarves and his party members, so that they would get it all. He didn''t get anything from the battle itself.¡± ¡°I thought you said...¡± ¡°I said it was thanks to your bonus and the battle.¡± Edward said. ¡°He trained every skill he could think of before the battle, and raised almost everything practical to Intermediate.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I''ve never in my life thought someone would grind a skill called ''Hold Breath'' in the game.¡± He laughed. ¡°He held his breath underwater while he enchanted things; crushed them, then repaired them.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°It''s a sight, let me tell you.¡± Edward said. ¡°He was a grinding machine... and then after the battle was over, he gained normal bonuses.¡± ¡°He gained... oh, no.¡± Edward nodded. ¡°The system decided that he did so well, he had to be rewarded; mainly because he lost out on... what was it...¡± He moved several papers aside and picked one up. ¡°Ah, here it is.¡± He said. ¡°If he hadn''t made the quest and just fought normally, and with the SPECIAL bonus... he''d have made somewhere around 2,500,000 XP.¡± He dropped the paper to the desk. ¡°That''s with his Fame bonus included.¡± ¡°I''m glad he made the quest, then.¡± Charles said. ¡°That much would have put him on top of the leaderboards.¡± Edward laughed. ¡°Who said he wasn''t?¡± ¡°What?¡± Edward typed a few things, and the leaderboard popped up on the screen. ¡°1,240,000 XP!¡± Charles nearly yelled. ¡°He got that from normal rewards after the battle?¡± Edward nodded. ¡°Anything that he did that didn''t impact the course of the battle.¡± He said. ¡°He didn''t get anything for leading the dwarves, even though he was leading them. He didn''t get anything for inspiring them and keeping morale high, he didn''t...¡± Edward laughed. ¡°If he knew how much XP he could have gotten for killing a giant with one blow...¡± ¡°Sir, I''m sorry.¡± Charles said. ¡°I greatly misjudged his character.¡± ¡°I want that in writing, and addressed to Ren Haddon.¡± Edward said, all traces of laughter gone from his face. ¡°I''ve already sent him an apology myself.¡± ¡°I''ll get right on it, sir.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Edward said. ¡°If you keep your nose clean, you''ll be back to update manager in a month.¡± ¡°I... thank you, sir.¡± Charles said. ¡°I hope I never see you for anything like this again, or it will be the last time I see you.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Charles said and stood up. ¡°I''ll have the quality report on your desk by this afternoon.¡± Edward nodded, and Charles left the office. He stopped beside Elise''s desk, but he didn''t have the nerve to look at her. ¡°I''d like to apologize to you for my behavior.¡± Charles said. ¡°It was rude and uncalled for.¡± ¡°Yes, it was.¡± Elise said in a cold voice. Charles felt a shiver go down his spine. ¡°I''d also like to apologize for what I did in the game.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll bring back a written apology for Mr. Haddon when I bring the quality report this afternoon.¡± ¡°I eagerly await to see what it says.¡± Elise said. Charles nodded and walked out of the reception area and back to the tech department. True to his word, he was back that afternoon with both the quality report on the giant update, and an apology for Ren. Both were better than what Edward and Elise had expected. Chapter 274 - Do It! Gloria was exhausted, and Ren was still raring to go. They''d done the obstacle course several times without the Stamina restriction, several times with the Stamina restriction, and then they did a series of exercise routines that used every range of motion the human body could do. Once they had all that data for the three of them, Ren told Stella how he had felt when he''d first increased his own weight by 32% in the game. He explained that it was before he''d gotten his Rock Steady ability that let him move normally, despite the burden he carried. ¡°We have to try that!¡± Stella said. ¡°If it''s close to what you experience in real life, then we have to experience it for ourselves.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t jump right to that point.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Work up to it, just like I did. Do 10% first, see how it feels. Then go to 20%.¡± He smiled. ¡°If you can handle that much, you can go to 32% and see what it''s like to be me in real life.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Stella said and increased the gravity by 10%. The three of them did the obstacle course again; but, they were quite a lot slower than they had been. ¡°That wasn''t too bad, actually.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m pretty confident that we can do 20%.¡± She looked at Gloria. ¡°What do you say? Another gravity boost?¡± ¡°Give... me a minute...¡± Gloria said. Ren smiled at her. A minute later, Gloria stood up and nodded. Stella increased the gravity and both of them grunted. ¡°Come on!¡± Ren said and walked off to the obstacle course. ¡°Twenty percent is nothing. You have to do better than that to see what it''s like to be me.¡± Gloria and Stella looked at each other, nodded, and walked after him. Ren finished the obstacle course, and came back to help them over the last part of the course. ¡°That''s it. Keep going!¡± Ren urged Stella. ¡°Lift your leg a little more! There! You got it!¡± He practically lifted her over the last obstacle, and sat her down at the end. He went back to Gloria, and helped carry her through the last several obstacles with her arm over his shoulders. They finished the course, and he sat her down beside Stella. He then sat in front of them and grinned. ¡°Boy, you''re really out of shape.¡± Ren commented, and they both flipped him off with their middle fingers. He laughed and opened the administrator tools, then reset the gravity back to normal. Both women gasped in relief and fell onto their backs. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Gloria said as she finally caught her breath. ¡°You feel like that every day?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want to feel what I feel every day?¡± ¡°I don''t... but, I will.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m staying on the floor, though.¡± Ren laughed, and set the gravity to 32%. ¡°Ahh!¡± They said, and Ren reset it back to normal. ¡°Good god!¡± Stella said. ¡°How... I mean, I''m your nurse, but...¡± She sat up and looked at him. ¡°You''re amazing.¡± Gloria sat up herself and looked at him. ¡°You didn''t react at all when you did that.¡± She said, and he shook his head. ¡°Like I said, I experience that every day; and I''ve done it in the game, too.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I think I got a few points in Strength and Endurance at the time, for the hour or so that I walked around Aurora.¡± ¡°But... you don''t have the game enhancements here.¡± Gloria said. ¡°It was one of the main things Stella wanted removed.¡± She said. ¡°It was the only way to test you, and not your character.¡± ¡°That''s also why we look just like ourselves in here.¡± Stella said. ¡°A difference in the real us and the virtual us would automatically call the data into question, and be subject to tampering or manipulation by us.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I figured that was why.¡± He said. ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± ¡°Free weights.¡± Stella said. ¡°Your brain will automatically struggle when it reaches the body''s perceived limit.¡± She explained. ¡°Even though this is a virtual space, it''s still using your mind.¡± Stella set up the bench press with the Administrator menu, and added a small popup to keep adding weight when it was pressed. Gloria decided to go first, just so she could get it over with. She started light and did a few reps. When she was up to 120 pounds and a ton of sweat, she called it quits. Stella reset it and Ren did his set. When he got up to 260 pounds, he couldn''t do more than three reps. ¡°I''m done!¡± Ren gasped and let the bar drop to the holders. He rolled off the bench and took several deep breaths. Stella kept adding more weight when he asked, and didn''t realize how much it was until she looked at the total after he finished. She was too surprised to say anything. ¡°How the hell did you do that?¡± Gloria asked Ren, and helped him stand. ¡°Do what?¡± He asked her. ¡°I was just lifting weights like you were.¡± He said, then looked at the weight on the bar. ¡°Holy crap!¡± ¡°Holy crap is right.¡± Gloria said. ¡°It''s just over double what I can do!¡± ¡°Well, I guess we know what I can do if I had a normal body.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Now I''m tempted to try this same exercise with 32% more gravity.¡± ¡°I couldn''t, and won''t, authorize that.¡± Stella said. ¡°I won''t let you get hurt during these tests.¡± Ren looked at her, and smiled. ¡°What''s next?¡± ¡°Only a marathon.¡± Stella joked, and Ren nodded. ¡°Load it up!¡± He said. ¡°Let''s see how far we can go!¡± ¡°I was joking.¡± Stella said. ¡°We can''t run a marathon in here.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ren said and opened the Administrator menu. ¡°Look, we can have a circular track right here.¡± He looked at the options, and smiled. He made a circular track appear, along with a field and a few trees. He set the lap counter and a distance scoreboard by the starting line. Their names appeared on it, along with a timer. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said and walked over to it. ¡°Ren, we can''t.¡± Stella said. ¡°I have so many other things for us to do today.¡± ¡°Did you take into account the 8 times speed of time into that?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Stella sighed. ¡°Okay, but only for half an hour.¡± Thirty minutes popped up on the scoreboard and Ren went to the starting line. Stella looked at Gloria, and she shrugged. They both walked over to stand on either side of Ren. ¡°On your marks!¡± Ren said, excitedly. ¡°Get set!¡± He half-bent over, and grinned. ¡°GO!¡± He took off at a fast run, then Stella and Gloria ran after him. ******** Detective John Ramirez and Officer Holly Stonewall arrived at the Point after a two hour drive. He''d taken her around to show her the different sights that even the tourists didn''t get to see, then drove over to his sister''s place. He parked on the side of the road because he didn''t want to block the driveway, or any cars that might come and go from the house while he was there. ¡°Just a second.¡± John said to Holly. He hopped out of the car and ran around to her side to open her door. She laughed and got out. ¡°You''re not going to do that every time, are you?¡± Holly asked him, then stretched her arms up high, arched her back and sighed. John was completely distracted by the show she was putting on, and forgot what she''d asked. ¡°I can open my own doors, you know.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Of course you can.¡± John said, now that she''d reminded him. ¡°I just don''t want you to think that I''m completely unchivalrous.¡± Holly chuckled. ¡°Uh huh.¡± She said. ¡°So, the last 2 years doesn''t count?¡± John laughed. ¡°We''ve always been working.¡± He said. ¡°I can''t very well treat you the way a woman should be treated, if the only time we spend together is at work.¡± He stepped back and motioned towards the house. ¡°You''d kick my butt so hard that I''d pass the prostate exam for the yearly physical before I even took it.¡± Holly laughed. ¡°Damn right I would.¡± She said, and started to walk towards the house. John walked beside her, and gave her a warning. ¡°My sister is very protective of family.¡± John whispered as they approached the front door. ¡°She''s also a little overbearing.¡± ¡°And you''re not?¡± Holly said out of the side of her mouth as they stood on the doorstep. John let out a single bark of laughter, then rang the doorbell. ¡°JOHN!¡± A woman''s voice yelled after the curtain in the window moved slightly, then the front door flew open. She jumped up into his arms, and he laughed as he caught her. ¡°You can''t keep doing that, Tanya.¡± John said. ¡°I''m not as young as I used to be.¡± ¡°Are you trying to say I''m fat, you big lummox?!?¡± Tanya nearly yelled at him, but she had a huge smile on her face. ¡°No.¡± John said and put her down. ¡°I''m telling you I''m getting too feeble to hold your weight.¡± ¡°You cheeky bastard!¡± Tanya laughed as she pinched his cheeks. Holly stood there and watched their interaction. She compared their physical features, and they were pretty close to the same. Her face was more delicate, her nose was smaller; but they had the same lips, eyes, and hair color. They were definitely related; but for the life of her, she still couldn''t see why they had the last name of Ramirez. They were both tall and had blonde hair; and as far as she knew, John didn''t speak a word of Spanish. Tanya stopped teasing her brother and looked at the short woman that stood next to him. She was only 5 feet tall, had short blonde hair, and looked like she wouldn''t take crap from anyone. He finally found a feisty one. Tanya smiled at that thought. ¡°Hi! I''m Tanya.¡± She said and held a hand out for Holly to shake. ¡°I figured I better introduce myself, since he didn''t do it already.¡± Holly smiled and shook her hand. ¡°Hi. I''m Holly.¡± ¡°Oh, I know who you are.¡± Tanya smiled. ¡°This guy can''t stop talking about you when I call him on the phone.¡± ¡°For god''s sake, Tanya.¡± John shook his head. ¡°We haven''t even gotten through the door yet, and you''re already starting in on her.¡± ¡°It''s not my fault you think the world of her!¡± Tanya said and stepped aside to let them into the house. Holly and John walked by her into the foyer. ¡°Uncle John!¡± His niece Nancy said, and ran over to him. She did the same thing as her mother and leaped up into his arms. John caught her easily, as she was half the size of his sister. ¡°I might have to warn you about this, too.¡± John laughed and Nancy giggled. ¡°I''ll stop when mom does!¡± Nancy said as he put her down. She was about the same height as Holly; around 5 feet tall, and John hugged her tightly. ¡°Happy Birthday, Nancy.¡± John said. ¡°What did you get me?¡± Nancy asked. ¡°Nancy!¡± Tanya exclaimed. ¡°You have to wait until tomorrow for that.¡± ¡°But moooom!¡± Nancy pouted. ¡°He''s my favorite uncle!¡± ¡°He''s your only uncle.¡± Tanya said and chuckled. ¡°Now get your butt back into the living room with your friends.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Nancy rolled her eyes, then looked at John. ¡°You''re staying for supper, aren''t you Uncle John?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± John said as he looked at Tanya. ¡°Did you make it?¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± Tanya said. ¡°When my brother calls me out of the blue to ask me to make my famous Secret Ingredient Recipe Lasagna...¡± ¡°Shh!¡± John said and put a hand over his sister''s mouth. ¡°Don''t listen to her, Holly.¡± He said. ¡°She''s delusiona-OW!¡± He pulled his hand back and saw teeth marks on one of his fingers. ¡°That hurt!¡± ¡°That''s what you get!¡± Tanya said. ¡°You play with the bull, you get the horns!¡± Holly and Nancy laughed. ¡°I think it''s bleeding.¡± John said, and sucked on it. ¡°Don''t be such a big baby.¡± Tanya chuckled. ¡°Go wash your hands if you''re so worried about it.¡± John kicked off his shoes and disappeared into the bathroom. ¡°I didn''t bite hard enough to draw blood.¡± Tanya said. ¡°He''s just looking for a way to garner some sympathy.¡± Holly nodded, and Tanya took her hand. ¡°Let''s go to the kitchen and have some girl talk.¡± ¡°I... um...¡± Holly hedged to stall for time. ¡°It''s okay to leave his side for a few minutes.¡± Tanya said and started to walk down the hall while she dragged Holly behind her. Nancy went back into the living room to her friends, and Tanya parked Holly on a stool in front of the counter she had been making appetizers on. ¡°So, how long have you liked my brother?¡± Tanya asked. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Come on, Holly.¡± Tanya said. ¡°No woman that didn''t at least like a man, would agree to come and visit his family for the weekend.¡± Holly opened her mouth to say that it wasn''t like that; but, then she had to stop and think about it. Do I like him like that? She asked herself. He''s a nice guy, that''s true... but, he''s also a detective... and my partner... Tanya smiled as she saw Holly actually think about it. Good. She thought. The seed has been planted and fed. She kept smiling as Holly hummed and hawed about it. You''ll have to discover for yourself if the harvest is worth it, John. * ¡°I can''t believe we''re doing this.¡± Agent Smith said. ¡°Me, either.¡± His partner Agent Smith responded. Both men got out of the standard agency vehicle and went into FBI headquarters. They took the elevator up to the floor their offices were on, walked past their desks, and went right into their boss'' office without knocking. ¡°Hey, where are your manners?¡± Their boss said. ¡°You''re supposed to knock before entering...¡± The two agents walked around his desk, and one put his hand on the man''s shoulder while the other took out a pair of handcuffs. ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± Their boss exclaimed as they handcuffed him and stood him up. ¡°You''re under arrest for misappropriation of funds, fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, grand larceny, and for giving orders to your subordinates to drop a case you were obviously involved in.¡± ¡°That last one isn''t a crime!¡± Their boss said as they hauled him out of his office. ¡°It should be.¡± Agent Smith said, then led his boss to the Internal Investigations branch. I''m going to have to thank Officer Stonewall for sending me that list of aliases. He thought and smiled. * ¡°Wooo, doggy!¡± Clint exclaimed when he finally finished his chores on the ranch. He went inside and had a quick shower. He didn''t mind the dust normally, but you couldn''t go anywhere near technology with it. He sat down at his computer, still wearing a robe, and checked the F.L.O.W. Website. ¡°Jeyzus, Gawd Awlmighty!¡± Clint yelled. ¡°Tha'' darn cowpoke dun diddit again!¡± Clint laughed as he saw the completely outrageous XP amount Ren had gained at one time. Ren now held the two top spots on the game''s leaderboard for XP gains; 1,240,000 and 1,068,000 respectively. He shook his head in disbelief when he looked down the list and the next highest was only 206,667 XP. Ah wonder who Lara is? Clint thought. They''re posted at th'' same time, so ah recon they must know each othah. He smiled. Ah can'' remember th'' last time ah seen him. He thought. Ah think it''s time ah saw what''s in that there store o''his. Clint typed up a few sentences and posted on the forums. But afore ah log in, he needs a comment congratulatin'' him. * Ren, Stella, and Gloria finished the half hour of running and Ren stopped his run at the finish line and jogged in place. Stella and Gloria on the other hand, stumbled to a stop and collapsed on the ground. ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Ren laughed at their weak and exhausted state. ¡°That wasn''t hard at all!¡± ¡°What do you mean, it wasn''t hard?¡± Gloria said between breaths. ¡°We... we barely...¡± She looked up at the number of laps and the distance they had run for the 30 minutes. ¡°We went... that far?¡± Ren looked at the scoreboard and it said 3 miles. ¡°Hey, that''s pretty far.¡± ¡°Why aren''t you exhausted?¡± Stella asked as she sat up. ¡°You ran just as far as us!¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I don''t know if it''s because I really like the fact that I have normal reactions in here, or that I''ve been so used to debilitating injuries that when I don''t have to suffer the effects, I can do a lot more than a normal person would.¡± ¡°That''s... a very interesting hypothesis.¡± Stella said, and opened the Administrator menu. She removed the Stamina requirement, and Gloria sighed in relief. ¡°Thank god!¡± Gloria said, and stood up. ¡°I can''t imagine the serotonin levels the both of you are producing right now.¡± Stella said, and checked the stats in a popup window. ¡°Ren you''re... more than double Gloria and I.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± Gloria said, and opened the same window. ¡°Good god, no wonder you''re always so happy in the game!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m pretty sure my attitude has a huge bearing on how much serotonin my brain can produce.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Stella said. ¡°But, considering each affects the other...¡± ¡°We should move on to the actions and reactions stage.¡± Gloria suggested. ¡°Right.¡± Stella said, and had a medical table and chairs appear. ¡°Hop up on this, Ren.¡± Ren walked over and hopped up to sit on it, just like she asked. A table with all the little things a doctor used to perform a physical, appeared on a small tray and Stella picked one up. ¡°Just relax, Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°These are just standard tests. Absolutely nothing bad can happen.¡± Ren nodded, and Stella did the knee and small hammer test. Ren''s leg flicked out when she tapped the knee with the little hammer, and so did the other one. She did the elbows, and moved on to complete the physical. It took about 10 minutes to check everything, and then she looked at Gloria. ¡°Your turn, Gloria.¡± Stella said, and Ren slid off the table so that Gloria could take his place. Stella did all the same tests on her, and finished 10 minutes later. ¡°Okay, that''s done. Let''s move on to...¡± ¡°We didn''t do you.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can''t do me.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m the only registered medical practitioner between the three of us.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ve seen you do the tests twice now. I can do the examination if you want.¡± ¡°I...¡± ¡°Hey, you don''t have to use the data.¡± Ren said. ¡°But if you don''t do it, you''ll always wonder how your stats compare to ours.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Stella said as she sat on the table. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren did all of the same examinations that she did, and adjusted for her larger body size in comparison to both him and Gloria. Stella was surprised that he did them so well; then a new set of data appeared on her popup window, and she grinned. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°It might not be admissible on the official report, but it''ll give me something to compare to yours and Gloria''s numbers.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now what else have you got?¡± ¡°I''ve got an early supper planned.¡± Stella said. ¡°It would have been lunch, but I forgot to set the timer.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Admit it, you''ve been having too much fun in here.¡± ¡°I''ll admit no such thing.¡± Stella said, but she smiled as she saved all of the things they''d done. ¡°Let''s log out and get something to eat.¡± ¡°Great! I''m starving!¡± Gloria said. ¡°What did you have in mind?¡± Stella glanced at Ren. ¡°Amazon Ji-¡± ¡°HA HA!¡± Ren yelled and grabbed one of each of the women''s shoulders. ¡°Don''t just stand there! My Endless Stomach has a scheduled rematch with Endless Fries!¡± He shook them and grinned. ¡°There''s no time to waste!¡± ¡°Logout.¡± The three of them said at the same time. Chapter 275 - Food For Thought Ren, Gloria, and Stella woke up on the recliners and took off the VR headsets. ¡°Geez, I''m soaked with sweat!¡± Gloria said. ¡°Thanks a lot, Ren!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''d tell you to exercise more, but I know what your schedule is like.¡± He smiled. ¡°You''re strong, no doubt about it; but, your endurance is a little lacking.¡± ¡°My endurance is lacking?¡± Gloria shook her head. ¡°I work 8 to 10 hours a day, and that''s after 5 hours of school in the morning.¡± She said. ¡°My endurance is just fine.¡± ¡°Hey, I''m not attacking your work ethic.¡± Ren said. ¡°I meant you should pace yourself. You''ll be able to do more and for longer.¡± ¡°I... well, yeah... I guess so.¡± Stella got up and looked down at herself. ¡°I think we all need a bit of freshening up before we go anywhere.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I''m glad you suggested I bring spare clothes.¡± ¡°Keep the ones you''re wearing handy.¡± Stella said. ¡°We''re going back in after we come back.¡± ¡°Gotcha.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Mind if I hop in the shower first?¡± ¡°Go for it.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ve got to get Ren ready for it anyways.¡± ¡°Do you need a hand?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°I''m sure he can be a handful normally, but with him the way he is now...¡± ¡°You do realize I''m sitting right here, don''t you?¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I can clearly hear you.¡± ¡°I''ve got it, Gloria.¡± Stella said and smiled at Ren. ¡°Thanks for the offer.¡± Gloria nodded and left the room. Stella helped Ren stand up, then sat him in the wheelchair. ¡°Here''s his bag.¡± Gloria said and put the bag just inside the room next to the doorway. ¡°Thank you.¡± Stella said, and Gloria went to take a shower. ¡°She''s a nice girl.¡± ¡°Yes, she is.¡± Ren said. ¡°As long as you don''t unintentionally insult her, or piss her off.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Then you''re just asking for trouble.¡± Stella laughed and pushed the wheelchair out into the hallway, then took him down to her bedroom. Ren gasped as she opened the door to reveal what was inside. Everything was pink. ¡°Stella! You''re a girly girl!¡± Ren exclaimed, and she laughed. ¡°I''m so sorry to disappoint you.¡± Stella said and parked the wheelchair by the bed. ¡°It''s not a disappointment.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just imagined you had a normal bed, with normal... is that a unicorn?¡± He asked, when he saw a horse-shaped pillow on the bed. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Stella said and went over to it. ¡°I forgot I left that out.¡± She picked it up and opened her closet. ¡°You don''t have to hide it on my account.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think it''s adorable.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Stella asked, and hugged it to her chest. ¡°I know it seems a little odd, but...¡± She sighed. ¡°I wasn''t allowed to have things like this when I was a little girl.¡± ¡°Can I ask why?¡± Stella walked over to him, and sat down on the bed in front of him. ¡°My father wanted a boy.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Ren said, and Stella nodded. ¡°For the first 6 years of my life, it was all gender-neutral things. Then when my little brother Steven came along, I was both grateful... and pissed.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s because they''d already established you wouldn''t have these kinds of things, and once an actual boy was in the house...¡± ¡°No girly girl stuff could ever come into the house.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It was kind of like that with me, too.¡± He said. ¡°Only, I wasn''t allowed any toys or things to play with.¡± He smiled. ¡°I think that''s why I took to Barbara right away.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± ¡°She gave me my first toy.¡± Ren said. ¡°After explaining what it was and how to play with it, of course.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Needless to say, I really overdid it while playing and was in ICU for a week afterwards.¡± Stella put a hand on his arm. ¡°They took it from you.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Barbara was sad that I couldn''t keep it, but I''d had so much fun with it that it nearly killed me.¡± He laughed. ¡°I eventually convinced her that I was happy she''d done that for me; and after she stopped crying, she gave me something I never thought I''d ever get.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°A hug.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was warm, soft, and comforting.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''d never felt anything like it before.¡± Stella looked down at the unicorn pillow she still had in her arms, and handed it to him. He took it, gave it a little hug, and breathed in. ¡°It smells like you.¡± Ren said, and Stella leaned forward and gave him a hug. With the soft pillow between them to cushion it, Ren wasn''t hurt at all from how hard she hugged him. * Officer Holly Stonewall sat at the dinner table on Detective John Ramirez'' right. She''d been introduced to his sister''s husband, and his niece''s 4 friends; but it was in such a flurry of names and greetings that she couldn''t sort through them to remember their names, or who was even talking at the time. When 5 teenage girls talked all at once to try and get her attention to ask questions about her job, even for a trained police officer it was a little overwhelming. John''s sister Tanya brought in the large baking dish full of her lasagna, and talk around the table ceased. It deserved everyone''s undivided attention as Tanya cut it up and dished out a plate of it to everyone. She started with a plate for her husband, then went around the table with them and put the last plate in front of Holly. Tanya sat down and nodded to her husband. ¡°We give thanks for such a great meal to come, and hope that all families can enjoy their times together, just as much as we do.¡± He smiled. ¡°Let''s eat!¡± Talk immediately started up again as they all dug into the food. Three different kinds of salads were on the table already; potato, macaroni, and traditional green salad. Bread, crackers, and several things Holly didn''t recognize were in a bread basket in the middle of the table. She only had eyes for the lasagna, though. She took in a deep breath through her nose and savored the smell. She picked up her fork and cut off a piece of it, then put it into her mouth. Holly had to clamp her mouth shut to stop the moan that wanted to escape, but her whole body relaxed at the taste of such great food. She closed her eyes as she chewed slowly, and rated the texture. She gauged how well the noodles were cooked, the meat to cheese ratio, and how much sauce and butter were in it. When she swallowed, her brain had decided that it was the best lasagna she''d ever tasted. When Holly opened her eyes, she saw that everyone was staring at her. ¡°This is the most delicious lasagna I''ve ever tasted.¡± Holly said, and then everyone kept eating. ¡°I''m glad you said that.¡± Tanya''s husband said. ¡°My wife has a reputation to uphold.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Tanya said. ¡°It''s his reputation of having a wife that can cook the best lasagna that has to be upheld.¡± ¡°That''s what I said.¡± Her husband said, and she laughed.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I''d ask for the recipe, but I know it would never turn out this well.¡± Holly said. ¡°It''s perfect.¡± Tanya pat Holly''s hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No. Thank you.¡± Holly said. ¡°I''ve had lots of different lasagnas, quite a few I''ve made myself, and this really is the best of the best.¡± ¡°I''m glad you like it.¡± Tanya said. ¡°But if you don''t eat it all, you won''t get a piece of my french chocolate and cherry cheesecake.¡± Holly chuckled and dug into her piece of lasagna. This just keeps getting better and better! * This just keeps getting worse and worse. Agent Smith thought, as the lead investigator interrogated his boss and he watched on the security camera. After an hour of questions and grilling, his boss finally admitted he had a role in the cover-up. What he said next was a surprise to everyone. ¡°It was all Senator Eddlemere''s idea.¡± * Gloria had finished her shower and came out with a towel wrapped around her. ¡°Shower''s free.¡± Stella pushed Ren''s wheelchair into the bathroom and shut the door. ¡°I''ve been relegated to baths, thanks to this.¡± Ren said as he opened his shirt. ¡°Not really.¡± Stella said. ¡°You just have to think about what to do.¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I figured out that I should sit on the side of the tub to be lowered in, rather than have someone lower me into the tub from a standing position.¡± ¡°That''s actually a good idea.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ll make sure to remember that; but, I have a better one.¡± Stella left the bathroom and came back in with a small step stool. It was made of plastic, and had rubber stoppers on the bottom. She set it in the shower stall, and folded a small towel up to put on the seat. ¡°That''s brilliant!¡± Ren said. ¡°I can still get a shower, but I don''t have to stand up, or have to worry about the spray hitting my chest, as long as I sit facing away from it!¡± They both got undressed, and Stella helped Ren sit down on the stool. She set the water to the right temperature, and turned it on. She lathered up a facecloth and gently rubbed his chest and abdomen. ¡°Ah...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°It still hurts, but it feels nice, too.¡± Stella nodded and rinsed the cloth, lathered it up again, and did his back. ¡°I guess you get so used to the pain that it''s not such a big deal after a while.¡± She commented, and scrubbed his arms. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve always had a constant low-grade pain, so it kind of takes a lot of it before I''ll complain about it.¡± Stella came around to his front and knelt down to do his lower body and legs. ¡°You shouldn''t do that, though.¡± She said and scrubbed his legs. ¡°When you''re in pain, you should tell us right away.¡± Ren put a hand on her shoulder and spoke with a serious tone in his voice. ¡°Stella.¡± Stella stopped scrubbing his legs to look him in the eyes. ¡°I''m in pain, and I don''t know what to do about it.¡± Ren said and glanced down at himself. ¡°It''s constantly throbbing...¡± He looked back at her and grinned. Stella glanced down at what was ''constantly throbbing'', and laughed when she saw his excited state. ¡°That''s not quite what I meant.¡± She said, but then she scrubbed it clean and gave it the attention she thought it deserved. Ren had been joking to try and lighten the mood; but after receiving her attention in that way, he scrub her excited parts clean, too; then gave them the attention they deserved with his fingers and mouth. * ¡°That was heavenly.¡± Officer Holly Stonewall said as she leaned back in her chair to let the cheesecake digest. Tanya laughed as she offered Holly another piece, and was politely declined. ¡°I couldn''t possibly eat another thing.¡± She said and pat her slightly distended stomach. ¡°I am so going to pay for this later!¡± Everyone at the table laughed. Now that the meal was over, Nancy and her friends went back into the living room to watch television, and Tanya''s husband picked up the newspaper to start reading the sports section. Detective John Ramirez took the subtle hint and looked at his sister. ¡°We better head out ourselves.¡± John said and stood up. ¡°I was so busy showing Holly my old haunts, I forgot to check into the inn.¡± ¡°That''s what happens to all you big city people.¡± Tanya chuckled. ¡°You get caught up in thinking about home, you forget the important details.¡± John nodded, and Holly stood up. He put a hand behind her back and eased her around the table and Holly let him guide her. She wasn''t sure why she was letting him, but rather than question it, she went along with it. ¡°Thank you so much for the meal.¡± Holly said when they got to the door. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Tanya said. ¡°This is the first time John''s brought a woman out to see us; so, I had to do something special.¡± Holly''s eyes widened at that admission. ¡°At least you waited until after the meal to spring that on her.¡± John chuckled, and leaned in to kiss his sister on the cheek. ¡°I''ll be back tomorrow for the party.¡± ¡°Be prepared for a hormone onslaught.¡± Tanya warned him. ¡°Twenty teenage girls are going to be here.¡± ¡°I''ll be sure to use pepper spray when it''s appropriate.¡± Tanya laughed, and shook Holly''s hand. ¡°It was really nice to meet you, Holly.¡± ¡°You, too.¡± Holly said. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± Tanya said to the both of them, and waved as John led Holly to the car. He opened the passenger side door for her, and she got in. He walked around to his side, got in, and they drove away from the house towards the inn only a few miles away. * ¡°What do you think of her?¡± Tanya asked her husband when she went back into the kitchen. ¡°She''s cute.¡± ¡°That''s all?¡± He laughed. ¡°What do you want me to say?¡± ¡°Tell me what you thought of her.¡± ¡°She''s nice, but kind of reserved. She barely spoke two words during the conversation.¡± ¡°She was kind of lost in my lasagna.¡± Tanya said. ¡°I saw that.¡± Her husband said. ¡°I think you have a new fan.¡± Tanya chuckled. ¡°I hate her.¡± Nancy said when she came into the kitchen. ¡°What? Why?¡± Tanya asked her daughter. ¡°She''s too cute and nice.¡± Nancy said. ¡°I don''t think she''s right for him.¡± ¡°I think someone''s crush is showing.¡± Her father said, and Nancy stuck her tongue out at him and went back to the living room. ¡°I don''t see what she has that I don''t have.¡± Nancy pouted to her friends. ¡°A job.¡± ¡°Boobs twice as big.¡± ¡°A hot partner.¡± ¡°Her ass is cuter.¡± The 4 girls turned to look at the fifth. ¡°What? It''s true!¡± She said. ¡°I don''t know about you, but I couldn''t get into those jeans if I had 3 sticks of butter to grease my hips, was hung upside down, and had all of you to help me try!¡± They all laughed. ¡°Okay, yeah... that''s true.¡± Nancy admitted reluctantly. ¡°Don''t worry, girl.¡± One of her friends said. ¡°He''s not even gonna look at her for your Sweet 16 party tomorrow.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± Nancy asked. ¡°It''s a pool party, remember?¡± Her friend smiled. ¡°You''ve got that killer bikini you bought the other day.¡± Nancy smiled as she remembered looking at herself in the mirror with it on. It''s John''s favorite color, too. ¡°We all have killer swimsuits.¡± Another friend said. ¡°He''s gonna see so much of us tomorrow that he won''t know what to do with himself.¡± They all giggled as they talked about boys and how immature the ones their own age were. * Stella and Ren had stopped before it had progressed to intercourse; but, they were both relaxed and satisfied when they came out of the bathroom showered and clean. Stella handed Ren his bag, then they went to her bedroom to get changed. It didn''t take long, since Stella had packed loose-fitting clothes for him, and they went out to the living room. ¡°There you are.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Are we ready to go?¡± Stella checked her pockets, and held a hand up. She went to get her other clothes and took out the cell phone from the pocket. She checked to see if they missed any calls; but there wasn''t anything, so she put it in her pocket and went back to the living room. ¡°I just had to get Ren''s cell phone.¡± Stella said. ¡°Let''s go.¡± They loaded up into the minivan, and Gloria drove them to Amazon Jim''s Restaurant. Ren didn''t need a menu, and ordered Endless Fries smothered in gravy. Stella and Gloria ordered hamburger platters and drinks, and Ren had water. While they ate, they discussed the massive amount of progress they had made so far, and what they still had time to do before Ren had to be back at the temporary care facility. * ¡°So.¡± Holly said. ¡°We''re not staying at your sister''s place.¡± John shook his head. ¡°I was going to, but then Nancy had the bright idea to have a sleep-over with her friends tonight.¡± Holly chuckled. ¡°You''d never get in the bathroom!¡± John laughed. ¡°That''s the truth.¡± He said. ¡°Plus, they take up both spare bedrooms and the living room.¡± ¡°I saw that.¡± Holly said. ¡°It was almost like the living room was a crime scene with the ''Caution: Do Not Cross'' tape around it.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± John said and nodded. ¡°So, I made reservations at the local inn instead.¡± He sighed. ¡°Tanya and Nancy weren''t too happy about that.¡± ¡°Did they expect you to sleep in the tub or something?¡± Holly asked and laughed. ¡°No idea.¡± John said. ¡°It doesn''t matter, though. We''re going to an inn for the night, and that''s that.¡± He quickly glanced at her to try and gauge her reaction, then smiled as he looked back at the road. She''s not frowning or vehemently saying ''no, we can''t stay at an inn together!'' He thought. Maybe... maybe she actually does like me the way Tanya said. What do I do? Holly asked herself. Should I really stay overnight at an inn with him? She quickly glanced at him, and saw his smile. Is he expecting me to sleep with him on our first date? She froze at the thought. Oh, my god. She thought in surprise. This is our first date! They pulled into the parking lot, and Holly got out of the car kind of in a daze. John went to the trunk and got their bags, then walked around to the passenger side. ¡°Hey, are you all right?¡± John asked her. ¡°Hm?¡± Holly looked at him. ¡°Oh, I''m fine. Just thinking.¡± John nodded and motioned to the inn with an elbow, since he had a bag in each hand. Holly took the hint and walked ahead of him through the door, then over to the reception desk. ¡°John!¡± The clerk at the desk said. ¡°You haven''t been here in... hell, I don''t remember when!¡± John laughed. ¡°Tanya''s got a house full of girls right now.¡± ¡°Yeah, that will push any guy right out.¡± The clerk grinned and checked the computer. ¡°Ooo, the presidential suite!¡± He said and grabbed the key from the rack behind him. ¡°Follow me.¡± He said, walked out from behind the desk, then down the hallway to the right. ¡°Presidential suite?¡± Holly asked John in a low voice as they followed the clerk. ¡°It''s an in-house joke.¡± John whispered to her. ¡°The whole place was built with Lincoln logs.¡± Holly snorted a laugh, and John grinned. The clerk opened the room with the key, and Holly and John entered it. It was a huge room that had wood decorations everywhere and nice furniture. To Holly''s relief, it also had two large identical beds. John put the bags down and turned to get the key from the clerk and slipped him a tip. ¡°If you need anything, just let me know.¡± The clerk said. ¡°The kitchen is open until 8 p.m., and the maids come in at 10 a.m. to clean.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± John said, and shut the door when the clerk left. Holly hopped onto the edge of the bed to sit on it, and bounced up and down a few times to test the mattress'' springiness. John watched the display, and couldn''t believe Holly would do something like that, and in a scoop neck top. When Holly was satisfied that the bed would be comfortable enough to sleep on, she looked at him. ¡°So, what do you want to do now?¡± Holly asked. ¡°Well, I have an idea...¡± John said and smiled at her. Chapter 276 - Having Fun ¡°This was a great idea!¡± Officer Holly Stonewall said as she gazed out over the cliff from the top railing of the largest lighthouse on the coast. ¡°Yeah, I love it here.¡± Detective John Ramirez said. ¡°I always make it a point to come here when I visit.¡± ¡°Did you just point out that you make it a point to visit the Point?¡± Holly asked as she looked at him and chuckled. ¡°Only because it''s a point of contention with me.¡± John said and chuckled himself. ¡°What''s the point of saying it, if I don''t get right to the point?¡± Holly laughed and John''s watch beeped. ¡°This is it.¡± John said, and pointed out over the water. ¡°10 more seconds.¡± Holly took in a deep breath of the fresh sea air, and waited for the sun to set. John took the opportunity to put an arm behind her back, and rested his hand on her hip. Holly was completely in the moment, and leaned in close to put her head on his shoulder. She wrapped her arm behind his back, and they stood there together to watch the sunset. The sun dipped into the water, and it''s eternal flames appeared to be extinguished from the illusion. Holly sighed as she let her breath out, and looked up at him. ¡°That was nice.¡± Holly said. ¡°I''ve seen the sunset hundreds of times, but never like this.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± John said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Holly said, surprised. ¡°You''ve never seen the sunset?¡± John chuckled. ¡°I''ve seen it more times than I can count.¡± He said. ¡°But, I''ve never brought anyone up here to watch it.¡± ¡°You... you didn''t...¡± John shook his head. ¡°I was kind of saving a moment like this for when I met that special someone.¡± Holly blinked her eyes at him several times. ¡°J-John...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± John said and turned to face her. He put his other arm around her to take her into a hug, and her eyes widened as she felt how happy he was to hold her so close. ¡°J-John...¡± Holly tried to speak again, and then he kissed her. * ¡°How many plates is that?¡± Stella asked. ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said and took another french fry. ¡°I''m sure the waitress is keeping track.¡± ¡°I have no idea where you''re putting it all!¡± Gloria laughed. ¡°I only had a burger and fries, and I can''t even finish the fries!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s because you filled up on nutritional things like meat, bread, and salad.¡± ¡°I''d ask you to hurry up, but you''re milking this for all it''s worth, aren''t you?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Of course I am.¡± Ren said and ate another french fry covered in gravy. ¡°Once again, the battle rages!¡± He exclaimed and ate another french fry. ¡°Will the Endless Stomach succumb to the continual onslaught of Endless Fries, or will it prevail in it''s latest attempt to fight off perpetual hunger?¡± Stella and Gloria laughed and shook their heads as Ren continued to eat more fries. * ¡°Something''s wrong.¡± Agent Smith said to his partner. ¡°Why is he giving up so many people?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± His partner, Agent Smith said. ¡°Once the investigator let it slip that we found him through his old alias, he''s been ''spilling the beans''.¡± ¡°It''s definitely suspicious.¡± Agent Smith said. ¡°He''s admitting to several of the crimes right off the bat, too.¡± ¡°You don''t think...¡± ¡°Yeah, he''s the scapegoat.¡± ¡°Ah, dammit.¡± * Holly broke the kiss and leaned back. ¡°John... we... we''re partners...¡± John sighed. ¡°I know.¡± He said. ¡°We spend a lot of time together, but it''s always been work between us.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Holly said. ¡°We''ve both tried to keep this relationship professional.¡± John nodded. ¡°We also work well together.¡± He said. ¡°But... this case...¡± It was Holly''s turn to nod. ¡°It''s... making us see things differently.¡± John moved one of his hands from her back to cup the side of her face. ¡°For the last little while, you''ve shown me how great you are.¡± He said. ¡°Knowing you''re smart is one thing, but showing me you''re intelligent, intuitive, and a great investigator too boot?¡± He smiled. ¡°You''re just hitting all my buttons.¡± Holly raised her eyebrows at him. ¡°I...¡± She swallowed. ¡°I think we should go.¡± John nodded, and slowly slid his hand down her cheek, then let her out of the half-hug he had her in. ¡°You''re right, it''s getting dark.¡± John said. ¡°Let''s climb down before it''s too dark to see the ladder clearly.¡± He went over to the ladder. ¡°I''ll go first. If you start to fall, I''ll either catch you, or you''ll have something softer than the ground to land on.¡± Holly smiled, let him get a few rungs ahead of her, then started to climb down herself. She watched him to see if he was checking her out, and caught him as he glanced up at her a few times. She couldn''t tell if he was looking at her for her safety or at her butt; either way, it didn''t bother her. She had worn the jeans for him, so it was okay if he did look. When she was near the bottom of the ladder, she felt his hands on her hips. It startled her slightly, and her foot slipped. Her hands slipped next; but instead of falling, she was suspended in the air by her hips. ¡°I got you.¡± John said, and eased her to the ground. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Holly nodded, and he led her to the car. John opened the door for her again, and she climbed into the passenger seat. Even though I ended that romantic moment on top of the lighthouse, he''s still treating me like a date. Holly thought. I was a little worried he''d be angry, or at least get a little pissy with me. They drove back to the inn, and neither of them said anything. It was a companionable silence, and not oppressive or strained. It was one of the things they liked about each other. Once at the inn, they went inside and to their room. They decided to take turns in the shower, and Holly made him go first despite his many protests that ladies should always go first. John came out after only spending 10 minutes in the bathroom, with just a towel around his waist. His hair and chest were still wet, and he carried a small towel. ¡°I went fast, just in case they don''t have a big water heater here.¡± John said. ¡°I didn''t want to hog all the hot water.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Holly said, picked up her bag of toiletries, and went into the bathroom. * ¡°Geez, look at that!¡± Tommy said as he checked out the leaderboard for the largest XP gain at one time. ¡°It''s too bad they don''t say how they got it.¡± He said, then opened the forums. ¡°Ren...¡± He said as he typed in the name and searched for anything. He got several hits, and discovered that a lot of people were discussing him. He clicked on the one with the most responses, and it talked about Ren''s new hit show. ¡°He has a show now?¡± Tommy asked himself. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± His girlfriend asked when she came into the room. ¡°I was just checking the Flow website to see what was new, and Ren got the top spot on the XP leaderboard again!¡± His girlfriend laughed. ¡°For a guy that''s not a fighter, a magic user, or a healer, he sure gets around a lot.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Did you read his last book?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± His girlfriend said. ¡°I can''t believe it was free!¡± Tommy laughed. ¡°All of his books are.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°Just ask that short Librarian the next time you''re in the Library.¡± Tommy said. ¡°She''ll give you copies of all of his books.¡± ¡°I''ll do that.¡± She said and leaned in to give him a kiss. ¡°You know, you should send him a message.¡± ¡°What for?¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°You''ve been dying for a better bow for a while, haven''t you?¡± Tommy sighed. ¡°Yeah, and the one I want in the general store is way too expensive to justify the price.¡± ¡°Then ask Ren to make you one.¡± She said. ¡°I''m sure he''d take the time to make you something. You are his friend.¡± Tommy shook his head. ¡°I''m not much of a friend. I haven''t seen him since the Aurora Expedition.¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± His girlfriend said. ¡°He''s a guy, and he''s on your contacts list. He''ll be ecstatic to hear from you.¡± She gave him a hug and held on. ¡°Trust me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tommy said. ¡°I''ll send him a message right after I log in.¡± ¡°You might want to wait before you do that.¡± She said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You''re going to be busy after we log in.¡± ¡°We don''t have a quest lined up yet.¡± Tommy said. ¡°What am I going to be busy with?¡± She put her lips by his ear. ¡°I splurged a little bit at Ren''s store.¡± Tommy caught his breath as he completely understood what she meant. His girlfriend bit his earlobe, and he shivered. ¡°You''re right.¡± Tommy said, and stood up. He kissed her hard on the mouth, and grinned. ¡°I am definitely going to be too busy for the next half an hour.¡± His girlfriend giggled and he chased her into the bedroom. They laid down on the bed and picked up their VR headsets to log into the game. It was time for some one-on-one action; and since it was virtual, there was no need for condoms or for the fear of pregnancy. * Holly had taken her shower, and even though she was a lot smaller than John, she was in there for twice as long and came out over 20 minutes later. She saw John was standing in front of the television set and only wore a pair of jogging pants. No shirt? No socks? No problem. Holly thought and smiled at his back. It was a good view. ¡°Aren''t you going to complain that I took too long?¡± ¡°Why would I do that?¡± John asked as he turned around with a smile on his face. He saw she was only wearing a towel wrapped around her chest, and his smile froze in place. It was one of the small towels. ¡°Men always complain that a woman takes too long in the bathroom.¡± Holly commented. ¡°That''s because they don''t understand that a woman needs her time to get ready.¡± John said, when he recovered from how much the towel wasn''t covering. ¡°Really?¡± Holly asked and went to her bag. She picked it up and went to stand between the beds. ¡°Which one of these is yours?¡± John chuckled. ¡°I was going to ask you that when you came out.¡± He said. ¡°I want you to be comfortable, and taking the bed I want without at least talking to you first, would have been more than selfish of me.¡± ¡°That would be a dickish move.¡± Holly smiled. ¡°I think I''ll take this one.¡± She said, and put her bag on the bed farthest from the door. It was also the one she had hopped up and down on earlier. ¡°I thought you''d take that one.¡± John said, and turned off the television. ¡°Now that you''ve chosen, I think... yes, I''ll take this one.¡± He smiled and sat down on the other bed. It was the one closest to the door, and he laid back on it and put his hands behind his head. ¡°Yes, this one is much more comfortable.¡± Holly laughed. ¡°Are you trying to tell me that you want this bed instead?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± John said. ¡°I wanted this one, just so I''d be between you and the door.¡± ¡°That sounds kind of ominous.¡± Holly said. ¡°Are you expecting something to happen?¡± ¡°I''m always expecting that something will happen.¡± John said. ¡°Be prepared and all that.¡± Holly smirked at him. ¡°Going all boy scout on me, are you?¡± John nodded. ¡°I won''t let anything bad happened to you.¡± He said and held his hand up in the boy scout salute. ¡°Scout''s Honor.¡± Holly chuckled. ¡°Turn your head the other way, Mr. Boy Scout.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± John said, and turned his head to the side. With his head turned away, it gave Holly a chance to look at his body. She saw that he had a few defined abs, but not the 6 pack of a hardcore exerciser. He had good arm muscles, and his chest was nice and broad. She felt things stir within her, and she shook her head. No, I won''t think with my hormones. Holly kept her eyes on his face as she undid her towel. She let it drop to the carpet, and John''s head didn''t even twitch in her direction at the sound. She was completely nude, and she wondered what he would say if he saw her. She smiled and picked up her over-sized t-shirt and put it on over her head. She grabbed a pair of frilly lace underwear and slipped them on. ¡°Okay, you can look now.¡± Holly said, and John turned to look at her. ¡°Wow.¡± John said. ¡°You''re... ah...¡± He looked up at the ceiling so he wouldn''t stare at her. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Holly was so surprised by his reaction, that she didn''t know what to do. I''m completely covered! She thought and looked down at herself. It''s not see-through, I''m not poking out, and you can''t see my underwear! John started to hum a soft tune, because he was trying his best to keep his eyes off of her. Holly looked at his face first, then her gaze drifted down to his waist. Oh, my. Holly thought. Does he really like t-shirts or something? She moved her bag to the floor, and climbed onto her bed. ¡°Goodnight.¡± * For the last half an hour, Stella and Gloria had watched in amazement as Ren just kept eating and eating. ¡°Okay, I''m calling it.¡± Stella said. ¡°Endless Stomach is definitely the clear winner.¡± ¡°Ding! Ding! Ding!¡± Gloria said. ¡°By unanimous decision, Endless Fries suffered a knock out in the...¡± She turned to the waitress and whispered. ¡°How many plates was that?¡± ¡°Five.¡± The waitress responded softly. ¡°By knock out in the fifth round, we have a winner! Endless Stomach!¡± ¡°YAY!¡± Ren said, and sat back in the chair. ¡°Take that, Endless Fries!¡± He said and grabbed the last one to shove it in his mouth. ¡°In your FACE!¡± They all laughed, even the waitress. ¡°Check, please.¡± Ren said, and the waitress handed it to him. He paid it and gave her a 40% tip for delivering the plates of fries just as he needed them. She looked like she wanted to kiss him, and he smiled at her. ¡°If you''ll excuse the pun, my plate is kind of full right now.¡± She laughed, and leaned in to kiss his cheek. ¡°I''m a big fan of the show.¡± She said, and looked at everyone at the table. ¡°Thank you for choosing Amazon Jim''s, and I hope you have a great day.¡± ¡°You, too.¡± Stella said, and stood up. ¡°Let''s get back to the house and finish working.¡± Ren and Gloria nodded, and the waitress waved as they left the restaurant. ¡°She''s a big fan.¡± Gloria said when they loaded Ren into the minivan. ¡°A huge fan.¡± Stella said as she got in the seat behind the driver. ¡°My best fan!¡± Ren said. ¡°She gave me Endless Fries!¡± ¡°You better be careful of strangers offering gravy fries, mister.¡± Gloria said and grinned. ¡°Oh, damn!¡± Ren said. ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked, concerned. ¡°I should have asked her what her name was.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I know her name, she won''t be a stranger anymore.¡± Stella laughed, and Gloria pulled out of the parking lot to go back to Stella''s place to finish out the day. * It had only been a few minutes, but Holly couldn''t help but stare at John and the bulge in his jogging pants. Why isn''t it getting smaller? Holly asked herself. Is it supposed to last this long if you don''t do anything to it? John was embarrassed that his erection wasn''t going away. She pushed my last button with that t-shirt stunt. He thought, and couldn''t get that image out of his head. That is so damn sexy! Holly felt her body react, and her emotions were starting to get the better of her. No, we... we can''t... I... I want to keep him as a partner... if this happens... What do I do? John asked himself. There''s no way I''m going to get to sleep... Holly got out of bed and walked over to him. ¡°John, I...¡± John looked at her, and he saw the doubt and worry on her face. ¡°I want to stay partners, John.¡± Holly said. ¡°Like you said, we work well together. We click like all good partners do.¡± John nodded, but didn''t say anything. ¡°If... if we...¡± Holly looked at him intensely. ¡°You have to agree that this is it.¡± She said. ¡°Only for now. Only for this weekend.¡± John smiled at her as he understood what she meant. ¡°I''m not Detective Ramirez right now, and you''re not Officer Stonewall.¡± Holly nodded, and John held a hand out to her. ¡°Hi, Holly. I''m John. It''s nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Hi, John.¡± Holly said as she took his hand, then climbed onto the bed with him. ¡°And you''re damn right it''s nice to meet me.¡± John laughed and then kissed her. * Ren, Stella and Gloria changed back into their sweaty clothes, and logged back into the administrative medical program. ¡°So, what''s on the agenda now?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We''ve got an hour left in real time for this, but that''s 8 hours in here.¡± Stella pulled up all of the things that she wanted to do, and Ren whistled. ¡°Why so many different activities?¡± ¡°We need to record the brain in all of it''s... well, permutations.¡± ¡°Permutations?¡± Ren asked and pointed to one that was part-way down the list. ¡°What does a roller coaster have to do with... oh, I get it! Fear, excitement, and exhilaration!¡± ¡°Bingo!¡± Stella said. ¡°Your reactions have psychological effects, but they also have physical effects, too.¡± ¡°Let''s do that first!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve always wanted to ride one!¡± Stella laughed. ¡°As long as we get these done, it doesn''t matter what order we do them in.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Ren said, and pulled up the roller coaster design up. He put it beside the running track, then looked at the other rides that were available and grinned. ¡°This is going to be fun!¡± ¡°For you maybe.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ve got to stay here and monitor your readings.¡± ¡°For the first time, sure.¡± Ren said and looked at her, then spoke in a deep voice. ¡°I''ll be back.¡± He grabbed Gloria by the arm and dragged her over to the ride. ¡°Why do I have to go?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°I hate roller coasters!¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± Ren said. ¡°Stella! You''re getting good numbers for Gloria, right?¡± Stella nodded, and Ren smiled. ¡°Hop in.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t let anything happen to you.¡± ¡°Ren, you''re not superhuman.¡± Gloria said. ¡°How would you stop anyth-Mmh!¡± Ren kissed her to stop her from talking. He broke the kiss and grinned at Gloria''s surprised expression. ¡°Get in, and hold onto me.¡± Ren said, and Gloria nodded and sat in the front seat. He sat beside her, and she gripped his arm tightly. ¡°Hit it, Stella!¡± Stella activated the ride, and the cars rolled along the track and started to climb the first high arch. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Gloria exclaimed and closed her eyes. Ren reached over and took one of her hands that was wrapped around his arm like a vise. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m right here.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I''m so scared!¡± ¡°You don''t have to be.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look at me.¡± Gloria opened her eyes and looked at him. She couldn''t feel how he felt, but she recognized that look in his eyes. ¡°How... how can you look at me like that?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Like what?¡± Ren asked, but he knew what she meant. He just wanted her to admit it to herself. ¡°Like... like we''re... having sex.¡± Gloria said. Ren smiled. ¡°That''s because I love you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Gloria said, shocked. ¡°I recently spent some time with Lara... she''s the Sage of Ages in the game... and she asked me a very important question.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°She asked me who I was kissing when I kissed her.¡± Ren said. ¡°Was I kissing the girl playing her, or the character she was playing.¡± ¡°And what did you say?¡± ¡°I told her the truth of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told her I was kissing both of them.¡± ¡°That''s not possible.¡± Gloria said. ¡°If she''s in an avatar body...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°They''re both still her. It''s just the body that''s different.¡± ¡°But... if you think along those lines... that means...¡± ¡°While I''ve been having sex with Elerlyth, I was also having sex with you at the same time.¡± Gloria didn''t know what to say to that, and then the roller coaster hit the top of the arch and she screamed. Ren put a hand on her face, and turned her head to look at him. Despite the jarring ride, Ren kept a calm look on his face; so that she would remain calm, too. The cars came to a stop 2 minutes later. Ren stepped out, and gave Gloria a hand out as well. They walked over to Stella, and watched as she examined the data. ¡°Gloria, you were terrified for a minute, then it evened out. You were still definitely scared, but it was tempered by something.¡± Stella said. ¡°Ren... if I didn''t know any better, I''d swear you didn''t even get on the ride at all; even though I watched you the whole time.¡± ¡°I didn''t realize Gloria would be so scared.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had to make sure she was okay.¡± Gloria stared at Ren, and he smiled at her. ¡°That''s my Ren.¡± Stella chuckled and told Gloria how to keep track of them and start the ride, and then took Ren''s hand. ¡°Let''s have some fun!¡± ¡°Don''t we always?¡± Ren said, and they ran over to get on the ride. ¡°Hit it, Gloria!¡± The ride started, and Ren and Stella fidgeted in their seats in anticipation for the thrills to come. They got to the top of the first arch, and instead of screaming in terror, they threw their hands up into the air and yelled their laughter as the cars plunged forward. Chapter 276A - Police Play (Explicit) Holly and John explored each other''s mouths as they kissed. Oh, god! Holly thought, as John french kissed her. He can kiss! John rolled her onto her back and rested a hand near her neck. He ran his hand down her side, grazed the side of her breast, and put the hand on her hip. Holly writhed when he stopped kissing her, and he moved down the bed to do the same move with his other hand on her other side. John hooked the bottom of her over-sized t-shirt and moved it up slightly. He caught a glimpse of the frilly lace panties that she wore, and his mouth watered. ¡°Over.¡± John said, and Holly started to turn over, but it wasn''t fast enough for him. He grabbed her thighs and flipped her onto her stomach so he could see her wonderful ass. She had teased him all day with it, and had practically shoved it in his face several times. Now that he saw it''s delicate beauty framed perfectly in high cut lace, he couldn''t help himself and kissed one of her cheeks, and then the other. Holly wiggled a little at the touch of his lips on her soft and firm skin, and she lifted her hips a little. ¡°Good lord.¡± John said, put his hands under her hips and lifted her up further, then pushed his face between her legs. He played with her through the thin cloth, and Holly grit her teeth so she wouldn''t yell at him to move the cloth out of the way. It''s right there! She thought in frustration. Just move the... ¡°OH!¡± John''s tongue was warm in the flesh of her opening, and his breath was hot against her exposed skin. He had felt her stiffen when he tried to play with her through her underwear, so he had moved the edge of the lace out of the way so he could give her some direct attention. He licked and played with her perfectly-shaped opening, and he was a little surprised she didn''t have a bit of hair on it at all. With a completely clean surface to explore, he went to the task with abandon. Holly buried her head in the pillow and chewed on the fabric as John found spot after spot to tease and please her. She groaned, moaned, and shook as he worked her over. John smiled between licks as he saw her reactions to his technique. He took one long lick, from the tip of her to the end of her, and she shuddered. He slipped her underwear over her hips and down to her knees. She took the hint and rolled over onto her back, and he slipped the underwear all the way off. Holly looked into his eyes, and she saw in them how much he wanted her. She was already wet from his ministrations in that area; but even more came out in anticipation of what was to come. She sat up and grabbed the end of her over-sized t-shirt, then flipped it off and over her head. It landed on the floor a few feet away, and he tossed her underwear on top of it. ¡°Your turn.¡± Holly said, and John got up onto his knees, then undid the tie of his jogging pants. They slid down passed his hips, and she saw him completely for the first time. He wasn''t circumcised. ¡°I hope it''s not a problem.¡± John said. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Holly said. ¡°I''ve never seen one like this before.¡± ¡°My mother couldn''t stand the sight of blood, or someone hurting her little boy.¡± John said. ¡°So, for the rest of my life, there''s a bit more of me to wash than the average man.¡± ¡°That''s because it''s bigger than average.¡± Holly moved closer to look at it. ¡°Does it hurt all bundled up like that?¡± ¡°No.¡± John chuckled and moved the skin down the shaft to reveal the tip. ¡°The only thing that hurts is having a beautiful woman in front of it, and all she''s doing is just sitting there.¡± Holly laughed, and reached out to wrap a hand around it. She moved her hand up and down a few times, and she felt how much more loose skin there was. She wasn''t sure how he could get the same amount of pleasure as someone who was circumcised and the skin is tighter; but, she shrugged mentally and leaned forward to lick it. I''m really glad we both just had showers. Holly thought as she tasted soap, clean skin, and him. She looked up at him as she slipped him into her mouth, and he stared at her as she slowly sucked and licked the tip. John reached down, and she thought he was going to grab her head and shove himself into her mouth, but all he did was rest his hand on her head. Holly relaxed after that, and he felt the change in her. She started to move more vigorously, but didn''t go too far past the tip.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°H-Holly...¡± John said and closed his eyes. She stopped sucking and looked up at him. ¡°Don''t you dare close your eyes!¡± Holly said, and he opened them right away. ¡°I don''t do this with just anybody, so you better watch!¡± ¡°But... if you keep going, I...¡± ¡°I''m good at dodging!¡± Holly said and started sucking him again. She got both of her hands involved and moved them up and down. This feels so weird! She thought as the skin kept trying to cover up the part she wanted to suck. It''s like it''s trying to play hide and seek! Holly started to smile, grazed the loose skin with her teeth, and John went. ¡°Holly!¡± John nearly yelled, and she whipped him out of her mouth and pumped him as hard and as fast she could. ¡°Good god!¡± He exclaimed, as his first shot burst out about 6 feet. ¡°Ahhh!¡± It crossed the bed, the pillow, the headboard, and had even reached the wall. ¡°Wow!¡± Holly said, completely surprised at how much was coming out. ¡°How long have you been saving this up?¡± John wanted to answer that it had been a long time, but because she was still pumping him with her hand, he couldn''t speak. After about 30 seconds, she eased her pace, and he started to relax. Holly reached over and grabbed a few tissues, then flexed her hand on each up stroke in an attempt to squeeze him dry. She made sure to wipe it all off with the tissues, and she grabbed her towel to put on the bed over the stains. She knelt and tried to make sure she wasn''t going to lay in anything she didn''t want to lay in, and then John rolled her over onto her back. ¡°J-John!¡± ¡°Holly, I can''t wait anymore!¡± He said, and eased the tip of himself inside of her. She gasped, because she wasn''t quite ready for him yet. It had been too long since he''d pleased her there, and she''d tightened up again. ¡°W-wait!¡± Holly said. ¡°I''m not rea-OH GOD!¡± John shoved himself all the way into her in one thrust, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. ¡°I said wait, you jerk!¡± Holly nearly yelled into his face. ¡°I''m sorry!¡± John said and pulled nearly all the way out. ¡°You''re making me feel way too good!¡± He said, kissed her, and started to move in and out of her at a pace that neither of them knew that he had in him. This went on for several minutes, and Holly broke the kiss. ¡°Oh... oh... oh FUCK!!¡± Holly yelled as she orgasmed. She clamped down on him and hugged him tightly. John didn''t take the hint that he should stop, however; and kept going. ¡°Oh... oh, John! Oh FUUUCK!¡± Holly yelled as she orgasmed again. Her legs and arms were now wrapped around him, and she had him in a death grip. John still didn''t take the hint, and she looked at him. ¡°I... John... give me... a minute...¡± Holly panted. ¡°You... you''re being too rough...¡± She said. ¡°Be... be more gentle.¡± ¡°You said you were mine for the weekend, and I''m yours.¡± John said. ¡°I''m going to make you feel so good that you''ll never forget this.¡± He was breathing hard, but he increased his pace somehow. ¡°Just like me! I''m never going to forget this!¡± Holly was going to say that she wasn''t going to forget it for a completely different reason than what he thought; but then, John kissed her passionately and she forgot what she was going to say. She stopped thinking about anything at all when the next orgasm hit her. ¡°I''m getting close...¡± John said a few minutes later, when his pace started to falter. ¡°Out... outside...¡± Holly managed to say, but her feelings betrayed what her brain wanted, and her body wouldn''t let him go. All of her muscles clenched at the same time when John tried to pull out, and her stranglehold on him stopped his movements completely. ¡°H-Holly!¡± John said and then started to convulse. ¡°GOOOOOOD GOD!¡± He yelled, and she kissed him to keep herself from screaming as she orgasmed from him going inside of her. What... what am I doing? Holly thought, with her lips clamped to his. I have to let him go... oh, god... I can''t... this feels so good! ¡°Don''t... don''t stop!¡± She said out loud. ¡°More, John! Give me more!¡± John wasn''t sure what had come over her, but his body didn''t care. Holly wanted more, and he wanted to give it to her. He picked her up and rolled over to lay down on the bed. It put her on top, and Holly grinned as she realized what he wanted her to do. ¡°I hope you appreciate this.¡± Holly said and started to move. ¡°I''ve never let anyone... anyone... go inside of me.¡± She closed her eyes and shifted her hips until he hit just the right spot. Her eyes flew open, and she grabbed onto his shoulders. ¡°I''m going to ride you so hard, you''re going to beg me to stop!¡± John saw the determination in her eyes as she got a good rhythm going. ¡°Never!¡± He said. ¡°I''ll never beg you to stop!¡± ¡°You will!¡± Holly moved faster. ¡°Oh... oh god... you... you''ll beg!¡± She stammered. ¡°Shut up!¡± John said, and grabbed her hips. ¡°I''ll make you beg!¡± He said, and pushed up as she pushed down. They both grit their teeth and scowled at each other as they both tried to make the other give in. Holly kept moving, and wanted him to tell her to stop so she could finish; John kept going because he didn''t want to tell her to stop. If he ended now and gave in to her, he''d never be able to look her in the eyes again. The battle of wills continued, and then their bodies started to take control instead of their minds as it devolved into a battle of desperation. Their wills eroded away as the battle raged; and by the end, they both gripped each other tightly and pressed their mouths together. They yelled their frustration and lust into each other''s mouths, and they both finished at the same time. Holly didn''t even try to get off of John, and collapsed onto his chest. John''s warmth filled her, both in liquid and flesh; and she wondered why something that she thought was more than a little disgusting, would feel so great that she contemplated giving up her morality and values just so he would take her again. Chapter 277 - Two Heads Are Better Than One John and Holly had sex twice, and he held her close as he recovered his strength. ¡°So.¡± Holly said, as she snuggled down on John''s chest. ¡°Were you expecting that to happen?¡± ¡°Hell, no.¡± John said. ¡°But, to be honest...¡± He smiled. ¡°...I desperately hoped it would.¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure the Chief of Police wouldn''t approve of us doing this.¡± Holly chuckled. ¡°Hell, I don''t think anyone at the police station would!¡± ¡°You''d be surprised.¡± John said, then clamped his mouth shut. ¡°What?¡± Holly asked. ¡°Who is it?¡± John shook his head. ¡°If you don''t tell me right now, I''ll initiate my special interrogation technique.¡± He shook his head again, and Holly sat up on top of him. She wiggled her fingers, then jammed them into his armpits; then was surprised that nothing happened. ¡°Not there, huh?¡± Holly said, and ran her fingertips down his chest, and along the skin. She watched his reactions as she probed him, and she didn''t even get a twitch. She turned around and sat facing the other way and ignored the place between his legs; since she knew that wasn''t ticklish at all. She ran her fingers past his mid-section and started on his thighs. Holly received nothing in return on her search, so she leaned way over and reached his feet. She gave one of them a cursory tickle, but nothing happened. John moved slightly, and she thought she might have had some success, and then she felt what he was trying to do. She moaned in pleasure as he made love to her again in that position, and completely forgot that she was supposed to interrogate him. * ¡°That was the best one yet!¡± Ren said, as he climbed out of the pool. He''d ridden on an inner-tube through a huge water slide and ended in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. ¡°Gloria, where the hell did you get all of this?¡± ¡°I... ah...¡± Gloria looked up into the air and started to whistle. ¡°That''s her not so subtle way of telling you not to ask.¡± Stella said, and they all laughed. ¡°I think that''s enough data for today.¡± ¡°That''s enough for a week!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°I saw the dates you had on the files.¡± ¡°Gloria finding that time hack has messed me all up, okay?¡± Stella said. ¡°Oh, no!¡± Ren put a hand over his heart. ¡°Gloria, did you hear that? Stella''s not perfect!¡± Gloria laughed. ¡°Let''s log out, before we have to suffer even more over-acting from him.¡± Stella said to Gloria, and she nodded. ¡°Logout.¡± They said together, and faded away. Ren looked at where they used to stand, and didn''t see anything. ¡°Huh, no residual avatars.¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** ¡°That was fun!¡± Ren said as he slipped off the VR headset. ¡°This has been the best day at work I''ve ever had.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Stella said. ¡°It was alright.¡± Gloria said, and they looked at her. ¡°I''m not big on amusement park rides.¡± ¡°I wasn''t either, until I rode a few.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, I would never, ever ride them in real life.¡± He smiled. ¡°I think I''d hurt myself just looking at them.¡± Gloria turned to him. ¡°What did I say about playing the sympathy card?¡± ¡°I should only do it when you''re not looking.¡± Ren said, and she snorted a laugh. ¡°Smart ass.¡± Gloria said and smiled. ¡°Ren, do you want to take another shower before going back, or do you want to wait and go back to the care facility first?¡± Ren lifted his arm and smelled his armpit. ¡°I''m not quite ripe enough yet.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°You can wait until later to pick me.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Good enough.¡± She said, and went to get his bag, tossed in his clothes that he''d only worn while they were out for dinner, and handed it to him. ¡°Let''s get back before Barbara thinks we''re missing.¡± ¡°I doubt she''s there yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°She only comes in early on show nights now.¡± Stella nodded, and grabbed her purse, then handed the plastic step stool to Gloria. Stella pushed Ren out of the house with Gloria close behind, then locked the front door. They loaded Ren, his wheelchair, and the step stool into the van. Gloria and Stella got in themselves, and Gloria drove them back to the temporary care facility. ¡°Thanks a lot, Gloria.¡± Ren said when they came to a stop. ¡°This van was a great idea.¡± ¡°It sure was.¡± Stella said and got out to unload the wheelchair and put Ren in it, then passed him his bag of clothes. ¡°I''m glad everything worked out well.¡± Gloria said as she took out the step stool and shut the doors of the van. ¡°I think we all are.¡± Stella said and opened her purse. She took out two envelopes, and handed them to Gloria. ¡°What''s this?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Your first paycheck, and the van rental.¡± Stella said. ¡°Make sure you take your driving fee out of the rental before you give it to Frank.¡± Gloria looked at her with surprise on her face. ¡°I''ll be asking Frank later if you did, so don''t ''forget'' to take your share.¡± ¡°I... okay.¡± Gloria said and her face flushed a little red. How did she know I wasn''t going to take it? She wondered. ¡°I guess I''ll see you next week.¡± ¡°Only if you don''t log into the game sometime tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you do, send me a message. I''ll do a patrol around Aurora and talk to the soldiers. You''ve been stuck in the city for a lot longer than you''re comfortable with.¡± Gloria chuckled. ¡°I think I''ve had enough VR for today.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll log in tomorrow night for sure, though.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°See you then.¡± Stella got behind Ren and started to push him towards the front door of the temporary care facility, with the step stool under her arm. ¡°Wait!¡± Gloria said, and ran over to them. ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Did I forget something?¡± ¡°No.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I did.¡± She knelt in front of Ren. ¡°Did you really mean what you said earlier?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If there''s one thing that I''ve learned in my long life...¡± Stella snorted a laugh behind him.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°...it''s that lying is bad, and never works out right.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Plus, it''s hard to get caught in a lie if you never say one, right?¡± Gloria nodded, leaned in, and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°Hey, I thought...¡± Ren started to say, and Gloria took his hand. She lifted it and put it on the left side of her head, where it was clean-shaven. Ren caressed the smooth skin there, and Gloria closed her eyes. ¡°You were right.¡± Gloria said. ¡°All the time we''ve spent together in the game, we were spending it with each other.¡± She sighed as Ren ran his fingers over her ear and down to her chin. ¡°But... you''re still my boss. A kiss and a touch is all I can offer.¡± ¡°Then thank you for offering me the best part of yourself.¡± Ren said, and she opened her eyes to look at him. ¡°You... mean that?¡± ¡°No, I''m lying through my teeth.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°What did I just tell you about lying?¡± Gloria laughed, and stood up. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Bye, Gloria.¡± Stella and Ren said almost at the same time, and they went inside the temporary care facility. * Gloria went back to the minivan and got into the driver''s seat. She opened the envelope marked rental, took out the chauffeur fee, and put it into her pocket. She put the envelope in the glove compartment, then looked at the one with her paycheck in it. My first grant paycheck! Gloria thought, and opened it. ¡°What the hell?!?¡± Inside the envelope was two thousand, five hundred and ninety-two dollars ($2,592). It was 6 times what she had expected, and she took it out; then saw a folded piece of paper was in the envelope as well. Gloria took out the paper and read it. It was an itemized list of everything she''d done for the project so far. The list itself didn''t add up to that much, only a few hundred dollars; then she read the hand-written note at the bottom.
Gloria, Your time hack to make the day 8 times longer has helped this project more than you realize. Because we would normally only have a single regular day and a single virtual day each week to work, I expected it to take several months before there was enough data to even start the project. Thanks to you, we completed almost 80 hours of virtual time today. With all of the extra work you did in your spare time to get the headsets up and running so fast, I had to estimate how many actual hours you worked on the project. If this isn''t enough to cover it for the week, please let me or Ren know. Stella
There was a number of hours written in at the bottom, and it said it included the hours she''d worked in her spare time. Gloria shook her head as she saw the outrageous number, and since she was paid by the hour... Stella''s crazy! Gloria thought. There''s no way that... I worked... over 40 extra hours... this... week... She remembered sleeping 8 hours in the game each night after coming home from the garage, and working on the headsets until she had to go to school the next morning. She counted up the extra hours she''d done that every day during the week, and then laughed. How the hell did she guess so accurately? Gloria thought in amusement, then counted the money again, just to make sure she wasn''t dreaming or had miscounted. Almost twenty-five hundred dollars. She shook her head. For a week''s work! Gloria tucked the money into her pocket and drove the minivan out of the parking lot and back towards the garage. There''s no way I''ll be making that much every week. Gloria thought. This last week was pretty much a one time deal. Now that the headsets are finished, there won''t be much for me to do anymore. Her cell phone beeped a minute later, but she was driving and it was tucked into her pocket; so, she had to wait until she pulled into the parking lot of the garage before she could get it out to check it. She read the text from Ren, and laughed. * ¡°That should make her happy.¡± Ren said, and handed Stella the cell phone. ¡°You could have waited until tomorrow to tell her there was a new processor coming on the market next week.¡± ¡°I could have.¡± Ren said and put his bag on the floor by the bed. ¡°But then she''d think there wasn''t much left for her to do for us.¡± Stella smiled and helped him stand up. ¡°Whew!¡± She said when she got a whiff of his underarms. ¡°I thought you said you weren''t ripe yet!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I said I wasn''t ''ripe enough''.¡± ¡°You''ve made Gloria happy, now you have to make me happy.¡± Stella said. ¡°Get in the bathroom and get those clothes off.¡± ¡°No!¡± Ren said and started to get undressed as he walked to the bathroom. ¡°I want to wallow in my own filth!¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°I''ll bring the stool.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and tossed his shirt on top of the clothes hamper. The pants he had to let fall, along with the underwear, because he couldn''t bend over without causing himself pain. He stood next to the shower, and Stella put the step stool inside the tub. Ren stepped inside and Stella helped him sit. She stripped, and Ren admired her. ¡°Stella, can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Sure, Ren.¡± Stella said, and unhooked her bra. ¡°Why do men enjoy watching women undress?¡± ¡°Do you want my opinion, or the clinical answer.¡± ¡°Clinical.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t take my eyes off of you, and I want to know if that''s normal.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°It''s pretty normal.¡± She said. ¡°Most men are drawn to look at a woman when she takes her clothes off, or even implies they are going to take their clothes off.¡± She smiled. ¡°It''s an inherent genetic drive for males to procreate.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren said. ¡°Does it matter who the woman is, in relation to the man?¡± ¡°Yes, and no.¡± Stella said as she got into the tub. ¡°This bathtub seems tiny with the two of us in here.¡± ¡°After being in yours, it sure is.¡± Ren said. ¡°You said ''yes and no''?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Stella said and adjusted the water and turned on the shower. ¡°If the man knows the woman, there''s some kind of emotional bond between them; seeing someone like that becomes exciting. If it''s just some random woman, there''s less of an emotional reaction. Sometimes there''s a lower physical reaction, too.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I think I understand.¡± He said as Stella lathered him up. ¡°Seeing you undress in front of me means a lot more to me, because we have an existing emotional connection; but, for argument''s sake, let''s say that waitress today had popped her top open. I''d be more shocked than anything else, and wouldn''t enjoy it like I should; or how she''d want me to enjoy it for showing herself to me.¡± Stella looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°That''s exactly what I meant.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You look so surprised.¡± ¡°That''s because you''re only 18, and yet sometimes you act like you''re 30.¡± ¡°What''s that term... um, I know this...¡± Ren thought for a moment while Stella kept cleaning him. ¡°Ah... I remember now.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Osmosis!¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Where did you pick that up?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe I got it from osmosis.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°All I know is, that''s what I can do.¡± ¡°You can, huh?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°The more I''m around such a smart and beautiful woman, the more of your brain I can pick at.¡± He said. ¡°The more I hear, the more I learn.¡± ¡°If that''s true, then tell me the mean ratio I used for the tests today.¡± ¡°You didn''t use one.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think you should say the mean difference.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Stella was shocked to hear Ren correct her. ¡°If you do continuous tests and get the same outcome, you''d be better off going for an average; but, since you have different test results for the same experiment, and three different test subjects each time, it''s the difference in the results you should compare instead.¡± Stella stopped scrubbing him and sat on the edge of the tub. ¡°Ren... how...¡± ¡°You mumble when you analyze data.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I''ve listened to you talk after every test today.¡± ¡°You...¡± Stella wasn''t sure what to say. ¡°I didn''t get it all, though. You''re much too smart for me to grasp everything you did today.¡± Ren said. ¡°You totally lost me when you did that recursive spline graph.¡± He chuckled. ¡°What the heck is a spline, anyway?¡± Stella smiled as she put a hand on the side of his face. ¡°You actually listened to me?¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t know if I needed to know anything about what you were doing; but, I figured it would be a safe bet if I learned as much from you as I could.¡± He said. ¡°Just in case you decided to test me on it later.¡± He grinned. ¡°Like you just did.¡± Stella leaned in and gave him a kiss. She held it for several moments, then leaned back. ¡°What... what was that for?¡± Ren asked with wide eyes. ¡°For caring enough about me, and the project, to go out of your way to help me so much.¡± ¡°I kind of feel like I''m only along for the ride, so I want to help when I can.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t you think that deserves a kiss?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Ren said. ¡°On what?¡± Stella asked. ¡°If I can spout more science-like gobble-dee-gook, will you kiss me like that again?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Only if it''s relevant science-like gobble-dee-gook.¡± Stella said and laughed. Ren started to spout as much medical and science terminology as he could think of, and Stella kissed him again just to shut him up. * Six times! Holly thought as she lay contented beside John. How the hell did he do it six times? How the hell did I do it six times? John asked himself. The most I''ve ever gone was twice, and that was only because I''d done it by myself an hour before meeting my date that time. He looked at Holly, and put his arm under her shoulders. Holly figured he had felt as much of her as he could already, and a little bit more wouldn''t make any difference; so, she moved in close to lay against his chest. John could feel her naked body pressed against him under the blanket. ¡°So, do you really like t-shirts?¡± Holly asked, after she let her curiosity get the better of her. ¡°Not really.¡± John chuckled. ¡°I think it was the fact that I saw a very attractive woman wearing something that just barely covered her assets, and I couldn''t tell if she was wearing any underwear underneath it.¡± ¡°Then it was the possibility of a peek at my assets that made you so... vigorous?¡± Holly asked. ¡°If I''d bent over and you''d seen that I had underwear on, would I have been less attractive?¡± ¡°Hell, no!¡± John said and hugged her tight with the arm around her shoulders. ¡°That little frilly lace thing nearly drove me wild when I saw it.¡± He chuckled. ¡°After you wiggled your ass at me all flipping day in those tight jeans, getting to see it set free was so fantastic that I could barely think about anything else.¡± Holly laughed. ¡°Is it really that cute?¡± ¡°Holly, you''re so damn sexy that you''re better than Viagra.¡± John said. ¡°Speaking of which...¡± ¡°John!¡± Holly said, surprised at the bulge that had grown under the blanket. ¡°Again?¡± ¡°Well, they say that seven is a lucky number.¡± John said as he pulled Holly on top of him. ¡°Now help me prove it.¡± ¡°I really have unleashed a monster.¡± Holly said, and laughed. Seven was definitely a lucky number for the both of them. Chapter 278 - Trouble With Ereka Stella and Ren finished their shower and got dressed. With Ren in his pyjamas and Stella in her spare uniform, they went back into the room and Stella helped Ren climb onto the bed. ¡°Boy, that was a long day!¡± Ren said, and yawned. ¡°80 hours isn''t that long.¡± Stella said, but she couldn''t keep a straight face and grinned. ¡°I can''t believe we did all of that in only one day.¡± Ren said. ¡°Me, either.¡± Stella said and looked at the clock. ¡°Barbara should be here any minute.¡± ¡°I wonder if she''s going to surprise me again tonight?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Surprise!¡± Barbara said when she came into the room. ¡°Who wants brownies?¡± ¡°NO WAY!¡± Ren yelled. ¡°Yes, way.¡± Barbara said. ¡°It''s diet, but it still tastes great.¡± ¡°You know... if I didn''t know better, I''d swear you were trying to fatten me up.¡± Ren said to Barbara. ¡°You don''t have a big oven prepped and ready to cook me in, do you?¡± Barbara laughed and came over to the bed. ¡°Despite the fact that you''re so sweet sometimes that I want to gobble you up; no, I''m not going to bake you in an oven.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Ren said. ¡°You had me worried for a second.¡± ¡°Only for a second?¡± Barbara asked, and picked up a brownie for him. She dangled it in front of him, just out of his reach. ¡°A micro-second!¡± Ren said, and she brought it a little closer. ¡°A nano-second!¡± Barbara shook the brownie from side to side. ¡°Okay, I wasn''t worried at all.¡± Ren smiled and held a hand out with the palm up. ¡°Now hand it over.¡± Instead of handing one over, Barbara stood beside the bed and fed it to him in pieces. ¡°This is the only way to stop you from wolfing it down.¡± Barbara explained, and Stella laughed. ¡°You do realize he''s not chewing it at all, right?¡± Stella asked, and Barbara looked at Ren. No sooner had she fed him a piece, and it was gone and his mouth was open again. ¡°Well, damn.¡± Barbara said and they laughed. * Detective John Ramirez was completely exhausted. He didn''t remember ever being so drained of energy before. He had a hard time keeping his eyes open, but he did manage to glance down at the 5 foot tall woman snuggled on his chest. She was unconscious and her short blonde hair was messed up; but, she was still the most beautiful thing he''d ever seen. Once he had her image locked in his mind, he closed his eyes to let sleep take him. * ¡°Did you guys have fun working today?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Did we ever!¡± Ren said, then explained how Stella and Gloria had come up with the best way to get extreme emotional reactions. ¡°I''m glad I haven''t tried VR myself.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I don''t think I could have stood there and watched all of that!¡± ¡°You wouldn''t have watched.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°You''d have been on those rides with us.¡± ¡°Ohhhh, no.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Not a chance!¡± ¡°If I''d asked you to help me on a ride, what would you have done?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I''d have held you down on the ground and tickled you.¡± Barbara said. ¡°As punishment for thinking and doing such crazy things!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m tempted to joke and ask you to help next week, but I don''t need a tickle attack.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Barbara said and looked at the clock. ¡°It''s getting close to when you have to log back into the game.¡± ¡°Yeah, I''ve been away for two days; but, at least I made sure everyone knew I was going to be gone.¡± ¡°What about tomorrow?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Are you staying out again for Elise?¡± ¡°I''m tempted to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll decide for sure in the morning.¡± Barbara and Stella helped Ren get settled and prepped for his adventures in the game, and he put a hand on Stella''s arm. ¡°Thanks a lot for today.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know you had a hard time relaxing your strict rules for a few things...¡± ¡°Like proper procedure and not mixing test subjects together?¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°It wouldn''t have been half as enjoyable if I had to do them all by myself.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Stella said. ¡°I was guilty of it myself.¡± She smiled. ¡°Gloria''s modifications to the helmet and program let me keep the data separate, though; so, it''s all good.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll see you on Monday.¡± ¡°Sleep tight.¡± Stella said, and Ren looked at Barbara. ¡°Barbara...¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I know.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°I might see you at midnight, or I might not.¡± ¡°Actually, I was going to say that I''ll see you at midnight.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I haven''t spent much time with you lately, and I think it''s about time I do.¡± Barbara''s face lit up. ¡°Only if you want to.¡± She said. ¡°I know you get so busy sometimes that you can''t leave sometimes...¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I don''t have any pressing matters to attend to, now that I''ve dealt with the giants and the refugees.¡± He said. ¡°Even if something does come up over the next 2 game days, I''ll come out anyways.¡± Barbara nodded, and he put on the VR headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch and stood up. Teepo? ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Teepo said as he flew into the main room from the kitchen. ¡°Welcome back.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°How is everything?¡± ¡°Good.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Nathalia''s making breakfast.¡± ¡°I meant for the two days I''ve been gone.¡± Ren chuckled as he walked into the kitchen. ¡°Same old, same old.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°If you''re not around, nothing seems to happen.¡± ¡°I''m glad for that... I think.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Good morning, Ladies.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± Nathalia and Ereka said at almost the same time. Since it came from two different spots in the kitchen, one at the table and one at the counter, the sound was in stereo. Ren smiled and walked over to Nathalia to give her a hug from behind. He kissed her cheek and went back to the kitchen table. He kissed Ereka''s cheek as well, and she blushed a little. ¡°I''m glad you''re back.¡± Nathalia said and put a plate of food in front of him. ¡°I missed you.¡± ¡°I missed you, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thankfully, I didn''t sleep at all while I was gone; so, I didn''t have to worry that I couldn''t hold you.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Nathalia yelled. ¡°You''ve been gone for 2 days, and you haven''t slept yet?¡± ¡°Not since I slept with you before I left.¡± ¡°Then eat fast, and get to bed!¡± Nathalia said and put a plate of food in front of Ereka. ¡°By the gods, how can you be so reckless?¡± ¡°I was too busy to even think about sleeping.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now that you mention it, though...¡± He yawned. ¡°I think it''s catching up to me.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°You won''t be of any use to anyone if you''re too tired to function.¡± ¡°Hey, I''m not arguing.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I''ll go to bed right after I eat, just like you ordered.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Good.¡± Nathalia said, and went back to the counter to get herself a plate of food. Ren glanced at Ereka, and saw that she looked unhappy. He reached over and took her hand. It startled her slightly, and she looked at him. ¡°I didn''t say I was going alone.¡± Ren whispered to her, and her face flushed a brighter red. He let her hand go, Nathalia sat down at the table, and they ate breakfast together. When they were done, Nathalia took the empty plates and put them in the sink. ¡°I''m going to work now, so you better get to bed!¡± Nathalia said to Ren, gave him a kiss goodbye, and left the house. ¡°Ren... you... you really should get some rest.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I... um... I can wait...¡± ¡°Yes, you can.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve also waited long enough.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren stood up and held a hand out to her. ¡°Please allow me to show you the joy that two people who care for one another can share.¡± Ereka was a little shaken by the formal words; but, she took his hand as she stood up with more confidence than she thought she had. Ren led her out of the kitchen, and into the main room. ¡°Have you contacted the Main House-¡± ¡°I made arrangements yesterday.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Anything that requires my input, was either taken care of right away or delayed until tomorrow.¡± Ren smiled and led her down the hallway to the old bedroom. ¡°Ren... I...¡± ¡°What is it, Ereka?¡± ¡°I''ve never done this before.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I don''t know how to start, what to do, or even... even...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said and stepped close. ¡°Don''t worry about anything.¡± He said and cupped the side of her face. ¡°I''ll walk you through it, step by step.¡± He smiled. ¡°You''ll understand soon enough what you can do to drive men wild, believe me.¡± Ereka smiled. ¡°What''s the first step?¡± ¡°Kissing.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ve already done that, but when you know sex is coming afterwards... it''s a different experience.¡± ¡°It... it is?¡± Ereka asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°Like this.¡± Ren said, and cupped both sides of her face with his hands as he kissed her. By the gods! Ereka thought, as a thrill went through her. She was only 3 feet 10 inches tall, so Ren had to bend over a little to do it. He... he''s right! Even though we''ve kissed before, it... it didn''t feel like this! Ereka wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him down a little further, to try and bring him down to her level and ease the angle on her neck. Ren felt her try to tug on him to get him closer, so he knelt instead. It put her head above his, and he felt her lips smile as he kept kissing her. Ereka was wearing a dress, so picking her up and having her legs wrap around him wasn''t an option. Ren put both of his hands on her ankles, and he heard her take in a sharp breath. It was his turn to smile as he ran his hands over her calves and up to her thighs. She broke the kiss and closed her eyes as his hands approached her waist. ¡°This dress is in the way.¡± Ren said, and ran his hands back down her legs. Ereka undid the buttons on the top, then unhooked the belt from around her waist that held the bottom together. The cloth, now loose, fell to the floor around her feet. She stood there in only her slip, and Ren could see how excited she was. ¡°Ereka.¡± Ren said as he stood up. ¡°Can I suggest you don''t take your slip off right away?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ereka asked, then smiled because she knew why. ¡°Because...¡± Ren smiled himself. ¡°...if you reveal your perfect chest, I''ll be too distracted; and I won''t be able to give you the attention you deserve.¡± ¡°What if I really like that I can distract you like that?¡± Ereka asked, and held the thin straps of her slip by her thumbs. ¡°You can show me them, and I''ll stare at them.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t think I''ll be able to do much else if you do, though.¡± Ereka laughed. ¡°I''ll save it for later, then.¡± She said and left her slip in place. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, then picked her up. She gave that little yip of surprise he liked, he laid her on the bed, then he stored his clothes. Ren left his underwear on, and climbed onto the bed with her. ¡°Not every man is going to want to do this part.¡± He said. ¡°Some women don''t want it to happen, either.¡± ¡°Wh-what p-p-part?¡± Ereka stammered as Ren moved down to her waist. He slid the edge of her slip up to expose her underwear; or lack thereof. He widened his eyes as he glanced at her, and she blushed a deep red. ¡°I... I didn''t want to waste any time when... ah...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s fine with me.¡± He said and proceeded to show her how much he liked that she had thought ahead. * I really hope he''s being gentle with her. Nathalia thought as she cooked in her restaurant''s kitchen. When I had my first time with him... it was... a little daunting. She smiled and handed more plates of food to the waitress. Look how far I''ve come since then, though! * Ren had to stop himself before he went overboard. He wanted to keep going, just so he could watch Ereka as she reacted to the stimulation; but he wasn''t here to enjoy himself like that. He was supposed to be there for her. He moved back up the bed to her face and she kissed him so hard that he couldn''t tell if she was even breathing. Since they both enjoyed kissing, this went on for several minutes. Ren had to break the kiss himself and looked at her. ¡°It''s time for the main event.¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Ereka moaned. ¡°I''m... I''m ready.¡± Ren stored his underwear, and very gently merged with her. Ereka gasped and he stopped moving. He waited until she caught her breath, and he started to move. Tears came to her eyes, and Ren kissed them away. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Ereka said as he kept moving. ¡°I''m so happy!¡± She said, and the tears kept flowing. ¡°Thank you. Thank you! Thank YOU!¡± She yelled at the end as she went. Ren disengaged and laid beside her and listened to her panting. ¡°By... by the... by the gods!¡± Ereka said, and stared at him. ¡°Is it always... always like that?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had to take it easy for your first time.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Well... it... takes a while to work up to the whole experience.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Ereka said. ¡°No wonder Nathalia loves you so much.¡± She reached down and checked something. ¡°You didn''t go.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°This is your time, not mine.¡± He said. ¡°My job is to make you feel good, not myself.¡± ¡°Ren! I wanted us to go together!¡± Ereka said, then looked down at him to see that he was still quite ready to go. ¡°Show me what else a woman can do to please a man.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°That... that wasn''t what I agreed to.¡± He said. ¡°I''m just supposed to be your first ti-¡±
Notice!
You have gained the condition: Distracted For as long as the object of your attention is within your sight, you must look at it. You will also suffer penalties to both Intelligence (-20) and Wisdom (-20).
Ereka had pulled down her slip to reveal her chest, and Ren was left quite dumbfounded. ¡°It''s your turn to feel good.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Show me what to do.¡± * An hour later, Ereka slid out of bed and put her slip back into place. I''m sorry, Ren. She thought as she watched his sleeping form. After they''d made love twice more, she ordered him to go to sleep, and he did. She had to stay topless the entire time, and it was a little embarrassing how fixated he was on her chest; but, she had used that fact to her advantage. Ereka now knew exactly what Ren wanted from a woman, and what he was willing to do for them. What he wanted was affection; what he was willing to do for a woman was pretty much anything. She smiled as she left the old bedroom and went out into the kitchen. She was starving after all of that activity. * Ren woke up a few hours later after a fitful sleep, and rubbed his face. ¡°Ugh.¡± He said, and then he received a popup.
Notice!
You are no longer Distracted.
¡°Dammit.¡± Ren said, and equipped his clothing. ¡°She did it to me again!¡± He slid out of bed and went out to the main room. Ereka sat on the couch where he usually did, and she still only wore her slip. ¡°Ereka!¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You weren''t going to let yourself feel good, after making me feel things... that I never thought I could feel.¡± She explained, and then stood up. She walked over to him, locked her gaze to his, and put her hands on her hips. ¡°Now that I''ve thought about it, the only thing I regret is that you didn''t concentrate on the House Neram Aura while we were together.¡± Ren blinked his eyes a few times. ¡°I didn''t forget.¡± He said. ¡°Sharing emotions is too much for you to handle for your first time.¡± ¡°I think I''m a better judge of what I can handle.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Really?¡± Ren said, and concentrated on his House Neram pendant. His Aura merged with the artificial Aura around the Keep, and Ereka gasped. ¡°What... what... by the gods!¡± Ereka exclaimed and lost all of her bluster. She could feel his annoyance with her, and his growing anger. ¡°Now, do you really think you could have sex like this?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I can''t believe you Distracted me like that!¡± ¡°I had to!¡± Ereka said. ¡°I love how I can make the all-powerful Ren, the man that makes all the women he knows swoon and fall for him, into a blubbering idiot! You like my breasts so much that you can''t think of anything else!¡± She yelled. ¡°Do you know how much that turns me on?!?¡± Ren felt how much it did turn her on, and his anger and annoyance faded away. ¡°That... you really...¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ereka said. ¡°My whole life I''ve felt so powerless. An older brother that was huge and muscular, and a younger brother almost as muscular, and there I was between them; a short little thing, thin and frail in comparison to them, and everyone treated me that way!¡± ¡°Ereka...¡± ¡°Let me finish!¡± Ereka said, and Ren nodded slightly. She felt his acceptance, and nodded slightly herself. ¡°Then there was that incident with a member of House Lodur.¡± She said. ¡°I had thought the way I was treated was bad before; but, after that...¡± She shook her head. ¡°Then you came along.¡± Ereka stepped close to him, and he opened his arms for her. She slid into them and pressed her head against his chest. ¡°You gave me a job, accepted me into your House with no questions asked, and then you made me a Lady.¡± Ereka said. ¡°To think that I... I had such luck to be given a second chance...¡± She looked up at him as he felt her immense gratitude. ¡°After hearing about, and even witnessing, your feats and accomplishments, I knew I was blessed beyond compare.¡± She smiled. ¡°Then I discovered I had a power that even you couldn''t overcome.¡± Ren felt how much that meant to her. ¡°I thought you were being malicious with it, and used it to your advantage.¡± ¡°It wasn''t malicious; but, I did take advantage of you with it.¡± Ereka said, and remembered how much fun she had with him. ¡°I couldn''t let the opportunity pass once I had you in bed.¡± ¡°You do realize I wanted to enjoy them for myself, right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren let the hug go and turned her around. ¡°What are you... oh... mmm.¡± Ereka said as he massaged her chest from behind. ¡°I didn''t even get to play with them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had access to the perfect breasts, and you Distracted me.¡± ¡°I... I said... oh... I was... sorry.¡± ¡°What about my missed opportunity?¡± Ren asked. ¡°How will you make it up to me?¡± Ereka grabbed his hands and held them on her chest. ¡°You can play with them whenever you want.¡± She said. ¡°No one else has ever seen them, and no one else ever will.¡± ¡°I can''t ask you to do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You have to go for your training in a few years.¡± ¡°You don''t have to ask me for anything.¡± Ereka said and turned around. ¡°When I go for my training, I''ll always wear something to cover my chest.¡± ¡°Ereka...¡± ¡°They are for your eyes only.¡± Ereka said and put his hands back on them. ¡°Please accept my gift as an apology.¡± ¡°I...¡± Ren smiled as he felt her determination. ¡°I can''t refuse such a generous gift.¡±
Notice!
Trouble Recipe ingredient: ''Ereka'' has been completed.
¡°Thank you.¡± Ereka said and kissed him. ¡°Now get to work.¡± She said. ¡°You should have just enough time to get 8 hours in before supper.¡± Ren nodded slightly and looked at the small plate on the table. He poured more Health potion in it and checked to see that the tarantula was okay. He left the cloak there, and looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Let''s go, Teepo.¡± Ren said to his friend, who flew down to land on his shoulder. He ran out of the house and went to the pen with the fire elemental in it. He dropped in some wood and more webs, gave it a cuddle and a kiss, and went into the stable. He greeted his mount Princess properly, then said hello to his familiar Ruck, and also to his construct dogs Riley and Stacy. He thought about going to greet Tee-one, then tapped his own temple and smiled. Ren left the stable and ran out through the gate, greeted the guard, and ran down the road to go to the mines. Chapter 279 - First Supply Delivery ¡°I really hope Deresdra''s working today.¡± Ren said as he approached the mines. ¡°If she''s not...¡± ¡°We can always go to the Garrison.¡± Teepo suggested. The guard at the mines opened the gate, and Ren nodded slightly to him and ran to the medical tent by the mine''s entrance. He was quite relieved to see Deresdra sitting at her desk. She gave him the examination, and when Ren equipped his clothing to leave, she spoke. ¡°I''m off tomorrow.¡± Deresdra said. ¡°So it''s your day off, too.¡± ¡°Thank you for letting me know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was actually a little worried that today was your day off, and I wasn''t sure what I was going to do.¡± Deresdra smiled. ¡°That''s why I told you.¡± She said and put a hand on his arm. ¡°I didn''t want you to worry.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and smiled at her. ¡°Am I cleared for work?¡± Deresdra nodded. ¡°Go have fun, and I''ll see you the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Ren said. ¡°If anything happens to change that, I''ll let you know.¡± He left the medical tent, and ran to the blacksmith shop. They had everything under control, so he went into the mines to work. He finished the 8 hours and ran to the gate after cleaning his clothing. He went back to House Neram Keep, ate supper with Nathalia and Ereka, then told them he had Adventurer''s business to take care of. ¡°You''ve been leaving a lot lately.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might have to leave again tomorrow night for a day, or maybe two.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°I''m never going to get to spend the entire night with you again, am I?¡± Ren stood up and walked behind where she sat. He wrapped his arms around her, and put his mouth by her ear. ¡°My invitation here is running out, and I''m going to make the best use of the time I have left.¡± Ren said, and kissed her cheek. ¡°My Love, nothing would please me more than to spend as much of that time as I can with you.¡± Nathalia felt the truth in his words and feelings. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I know, we''re both busy.¡± Ren said. ¡°It will probably only be an hour or two one day, and maybe an hour the next; but, once every few days I''ll be able to stay the entire night.¡± He smiled. ¡°Tonight, my business is with Barbara. I haven''t been spending a lot of time with her lately...¡± ¡°Barbara!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°Why didn''t you say so!¡± She stood up and turned around. ¡°You tell her I said hello, and I''ll see you when you get back for breakfast.¡± ¡°I love you.¡± Ren said, and kissed her. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Nathalia said. Ren waved goodbye to Ereka and went to the main room. Teepo took off from his shoulder and landed on the ceiling. See you in the morning, Teepo. Ren thought to his friend as he sat down on the couch. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Logout.¡± * ¡°What was with that reaction?¡± Ereka asked after Ren left. ¡°Who''s Barbara?¡± ¡°She''s his surrogate mother.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You should have kicked him in the butt to get him to move faster!¡± Ereka said, and Nathalia laughed. ******** Ren slipped off the VR headset and Barbara smiled at him. ¡°I guess you heard all of that.¡± ¡°Only the important parts.¡± Barbara said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Well, I''m all yours for the next...¡± Ren looked at his watch. ¡°...3 hours and 20 minutes.¡± He said and grinned at her. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± ¡°Tickle fight.¡± Barbara said, and tickled Ren under his arms. Ren laughed and squirmed, but couldn''t put up much of a fight. He was laying down on the bed and was at a distinct disadvantage. ¡°I win!¡± Barbara said, after Ren''s feeble attempt to tickle her failed miserably. ¡°I get a prize!¡± She said, and ate one of the brownies she''d brought in. ¡°Ooo, that''s delicious.¡± Ren watched her intensely as she ate the brownie slowly and then as she licked each of her fingers. She chuckled and used her other hand to pass him one. ¡°Consolation prize.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ren said, grabbed it with both hands, and gobbled it down. Barbara wasn''t sure how he had managed to make a mess in only a few seconds; but all of his fingers were covered in chocolate frosting and brownie crumbs. His mouth and chin didn''t fare any better and were covered as well. ¡°Apparently, the way I fed it to you before was the better option.¡± Barbara said and laughed. ¡°You''re filthy now!¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said, and started to lick his fingers clean. ¡°It''s just so good I couldn''t help myself.¡± ¡°Come on, you lush.¡± Barbara said, and helped him out of the bed. ¡°Let''s get you cleaned up.¡± They went to the bathroom and Ren washed his hands and face. Barbara watched to make sure he got everything off, then left so he could take care of other business. Ren came back out, and Barbara already had his bed in the upright position to make it easier for him to sit. She helped him get back onto the bed, and they watched several late night programs and talked about different things. ¡°I was told I could give you this.¡± Barbara said, and held out a set of keys. ¡°You won''t officially own the house until Monday afternoon when my sister will be here for you to sign the papers; but, she said that''s pretty much only a formality.¡± ¡°Wow! Thanks, Barbara.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, this begs the question.¡± He smiled. ¡°Will you move into the guest house?¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Barbara sighed. ¡°I don''t know.¡± ¡°It''s okay, Barbara.¡± Ren said. ¡°Packing up your home and moving to another place is a huge decision to make.¡± He smiled. ¡°If you haven''t talked about it with your husband yet, let him know I''ll only charge him $3,000 a month for rent.¡± ¡°You''ll WHAT?!?¡± Barbara yelled. ¡°I''m kidding! I''m kidding!¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°Ha ha! That was funny!¡± ¡°It was not!¡± Barbara said, her voice full of indignation. ¡°You almost gave me a heart attack!¡± Ren''s laughter eased away, and he took her hand. ¡°Barbara.¡± He said seriously. ¡°You''ll never have to pay rent, or bills, or anything else for a home anymore.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''ve got it covered.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Barbara said, and leaned in to give him a hug. ¡°I can''t possibly do that to you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''ve taken care of me every night since I came to the hospital, Barbara. You know I think of you as my mother.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°Please, let me give you a place to live.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your husband should be happy it''s far enough away that you aren''t technically living in the same house as me; but, you''re still close enough to walk to work.¡± ¡°Across the driveway.¡± Barbara said. Ren smiled. ¡°Tell him you can spend even more time at home with him.¡± ¡°I''m not sure he''d like that part.¡± Barbara said and laughed. ¡°I''m going to want to move in as soon as possible.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a few days before this bruise eases up enough that I can move around properly, but after that...¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°I''ll... try to talk to him tonight.¡± ¡°Do you want me to do it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Now that I''ve got the keys to the new place, I was thinking Elise and I should go and check it out tomorrow.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll call you, and you can bring him out to see it.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I... I don''t know...¡± ¡°You don''t even have to tell him that''s what you''re doing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just say you''re coming out to check my new house for health and safety reasons, and I''ll talk to him while you''re busy.¡± Barbara shook her head. ¡°I''m not going to make you tell him about your offer to let us move in.¡± ¡°It''s a big decision.¡± Ren said. ¡°The least I can do is help you ask him.¡± ¡°I''ll think about it.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Good.¡± Ren said, and looked at his watch. ¡°I''m almost out of time.¡± ¡°Thank you for doing this.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I''m moving, and you''re going to be spending more time there than anyone else, except maybe me. Giving you the guest house is the best option.¡± ¡°I meant logging out for me tonight.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re welcome. I had just as much fun as you did, though.¡± He grinned. ¡°Can I have another brownie?¡± Barbara laughed and handed him his VR headset instead. ¡°You should at least get a catnap before breakfast.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Bye, Barbara.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch, saw several message notifications, and smiled when he saw who they were from. Clint and Tommy. Ren thought. I haven''t heard from them in a while. He left the message notifications open so he wouldn''t forget about them, and looked at the last message. It was from Lara, and he nodded when he read it. Hi, Teepo. How''s my time? Ren thought, and sent Lara a response. Teepo fluttered down to his shoulder and whispered in his ear. ¡°You''ve got just over an hour before breakfast.¡± Thanks, buddy. Teepo took off to do another quick patrol, and Ren went into Nathalia''s bedroom. She was all wrapped up in the blanket, and he smiled as he climbed onto the bed. He cuddled in close to her, and she started to stir. He kissed her gently on the lips, and she opened her eyes. ¡°I think I''m stuck.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I don''t know why this happens all the time.¡± Ren chuckled and stored the blanket. ¡°We''ve got about an hour before we have to get up and make an early breakfast.¡± Ren said. ¡°I got a message from Lara that the shipment for the giants will be arriving at the border this afternoon.¡± ¡°So, you have to go.¡± Nathalia said, and he could hear the disappointment in her voice, and feel it from her. ¡°You''d better get going.¡± ¡°No, My Love.¡± Ren said, took the blanket out of inventory and stored his clothes, then covered the both of them with the blanket. ¡°I''ve got an hour to spend with you, and as the gods as my witnesses, I''m going to.¡± He said, and snuggled with her. ¡°Ren, you''ll be late to pick up...¡± ¡°I don''t care.¡± Ren said. ¡°Princess is so fast now that even with me riding her, we can do the run to the portal in about 40 minutes.¡± He smiled. ¡°Running across the entire countryside to the giants won''t take more than 5 hours.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Hush.¡± Ren said. ¡°Cuddle with me and help me sleep.¡± ¡°Of course, My Love.¡± Nathalia said, and held him close. When Ren closed his eyes, Nathalia selected 45 minutes for the time her Sleep ability would work, her hand glowed blue for an instant, and he fell asleep immediately. ¡°I''ll do anything for you.¡± Nathalia said, then used her ability on herself. Ren woke up 45 minutes later, and felt completely refreshed. ¡°That was the best nap.¡± He said to Nathalia when she opened her eyes, and he kissed her. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, but it''s thanks to you.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°I''m so glad that all the XP you gained after the battle with the giants let me level up so much.¡± She sat up in bed, and her dress slip was tangled up around her chest. ¡°Having access to a timer on my Sleep ability is the best thing.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It gives new meaning to a quick nap, that''s for sure.¡± Nathalia stored her slip and equipped it again. ¡°Aww.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to go, and you just flashed yourself at me.¡± He shook his head. ¡°How am I supposed to get that image of loveliness out of my head?¡± Nathalia grinned and leaned over. ¡°You don''t.¡± She said, gave him a quick kiss, and hopped out of bed. ¡°You wound me deeply!¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°You better get going.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Ren said, rolled out of bed, and equipped his clothing. ¡°I''m sorry, but I have to skip breakfast.¡± ¡°You can eat on the way.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You and Princess have to stop to eat occasionally anyways.¡± ¡°Have fun at work, My Love.¡± Ren said and gave her another kiss. ¡°I''ll be back tonight.¡± ¡°I''ll see you then, My Love.¡± Nathalia said. Ren left her bedroom and saw Ereka come out of the old bedroom. ¡°Bye!¡± He said to her, and left the house with Teepo flying right behind him. * ¡°What was that about?¡± Ereka asked Nathalia as they walked to the kitchen. ¡°He''s got to go pick up the first shipment from the Chancellor of the Giant Kingdom.¡± ¡°I don''t know how he can do everything he does.¡± Ereka said and sat at the table in the kitchen. ¡°Sometimes I don''t know, either.¡± Nathalia said and went to the counter to make breakfast. ¡°I''ve tried to get him to slow down with how much he does; but all I''ve ever accomplished, is making him work harder to catch up.¡± ¡°You tried to order him to, didn''t you?¡± ¡°I threatened it once.¡± Nathalia said and chuckled. ¡°He pretty much laughed and dared me to try.¡± Ereka laughed. ¡°What are you going to do with him?¡± ¡°The only thing I can do.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Accept him for who he is, and love him as much as I can.¡± * Ren went into the stable with Teepo on his shoulder, and gave Princess some food. While they waited for her to eat, Ren recalled his spell list, and picked a spell that he thought they could use a lot today. He took out a Level 2 Web wand and absorbed the charges from it, then replaced the spell with Bull Strength. He smiled when he examined the wand and received the popup for it.
Wand Of Trample
A Bull Strength spell causes the target''s strength to increase by 30%. All skills, abilities, and bonuses resulting from increased Strength are also enhanced by this. Please Note: If this spell is cast on a Large creature (or one of even greater size), it also gains the ability: Trample. It can double its speed and run over anything that is smaller. The object / creature / person suffers damage equal to the target''s Strength + 50%. Range: Within 25 feet (Short). Time Limit: 5 minutes (Level 2)
Ren contacted the Commander of the Garrison to inform him that the first shipment to the giants was ready, and Ren had to pass through the Garrison to get it. The Commander told him that the gates all the way through would be opened, and he ended the call. When Princess was finished eating, Ren asked her to take him to the border of the Giant Kingdom. ¡°I know it''s a lot to ask of you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even though I''m bringing enough food for you, this is going to be a long and hard trip.¡± You have Healing wands and potions. Princess thought to him. If I am damaged or suffer at all during this, you can heal me. Ren nodded to her. Then unload some of your burden, and we can be off. ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Ren said, and went to the gate and opened it. He greeted the guard, then ran up to the workshop. He dropped off all of the crates of diamond crystals that he had in inventory, all of the wood planks, paving stones, stone bricks, and everything else that wasn''t absolutely necessary. He kept all of his crafting kits and portable crafting stations, though. He never wanted to go anywhere without them again. ¡°Hello, Ren.¡± Tee-one said when he came out of the forge room. ¡°I have a few Ballistas ready to be assembled if you want to take them with you.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said, and went into the forge room to enchant the parts and assemble them together. Tee-one had used up all of the springy trees Ren had given him, to make the ammo for the Ballistas. Ren was now back up to 7 Ballistas in inventory, and pat Tee-one on the shoulder. ¡°I don''t know what I would do without you, my friend.¡± ¡°None of this, obviously.¡± Tee-one said, and they both chuckled. ¡°Good luck, and I hope they don''t have too much for you to carry.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°We should make an extra large cart, just in case.¡± ¡°That might be a good idea.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°And we should add extra wheels to take the weight, too.¡± They went outside and built a cart to the dimensions Ren hoped weren''t too conservative. He wouldn''t know if it would work until he got there. ¡°Good luck.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and stored the large cart, then ran down to the stable to get Princess. ¡°I''m ready to go.¡± He said, and she stood up. As am I. Princess thought to him. Ren led her out of the stable and to the road, then climbed onto her back. He took out the Wand of Trample, and explained to her what it did. He could feel her excitement at the prospect, and he warned her. ¡°It only lasts for 5 minutes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then I can use it again.¡± Princess huffed, and Ren used it on her. ¡°Let''s go-oooooo-ha ha ha!¡± Ren said as Princess took off at a much faster speed than she normally would, and Teepo chittered in delight as the wind buffeted his platinum body. The 5 minutes went by fast; but, so did the city of Dornrach, a good portion of the countryside, and most of the Garrison. Ren didn''t use the wand again until they had traversed the field of giant leg-holding traps, and then Princess poured on the speed. After 15 stops for food replenishment, and some Minor Healing for Princess because of the bushes and a few small creatures she had trampled along the way; they made it to the border of the Giant Kingdom in just over 5 hours. What he saw when he got there took his breath away. ¡°Surprise!¡± Lara said, from between the feet of a tall female giant. Waiting for him was nearly a hundred giants, and they all carried backpacks full of supplies. ¡°I can''t carry all of that.¡± Ren said as he climbed down from Princess'' saddle. ¡°You''re not even going to try?¡± Lara asked, and Ren shook his head. ¡°I promised everyone I wouldn''t be that stupid ever again.¡± Lara walked over to him and stopped a few feet away. ¡°You don''t have to carry any of it.¡± She said. ¡°These people want to go and visit their relatives, so we asked them to help with the supplies.¡± ¡°There''s no way the Chancellor authorized this.¡± Ren said. ¡°If he knew this many people wanted to leave the giant lands...¡± ¡°They aren''t leaving the lands.¡± The female giant Lara had been standing under said. ¡°They are... going on a tour of the wilderness.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°That''s the problem. It is wilderness between here and there.¡± He looked at the giants. ¡°It doesn''t look like any of them are prepared for how hard the journey is.¡± ¡°We''re fully prepared.¡± One of the male giants said, and pulled out a tent from his inventory. ¡°There''s 6 of us that can do your little size trick.¡± Ren looked at Lara, and she shrugged. ¡°You didn''t say it was a secret.¡± ¡°It''s not, but it''s also not something we want to spread around.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t worry, no one here is going to ever mention going to meet their exiled family members.¡± The female giant said, then knelt. ¡°I''m Fernosia the Librarian; Ambassador to the refugees.¡± ¡°I''m dumbfounded.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°I thought your name was Ren?¡± She asked him and held out a hand towards him. Ren''s Etiquette skill activated, and he let it control his actions. He reached out, nudged her hand to the side slightly, and gave the back of it a kiss. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, Fernosia the Librarian; Ambassador to the refugees.¡± Everyone stared at him; especially the Librarian, who had received the Respect Ren had given her. How did he know to do that? Fernosia asked herself. She was so surprised by his gallant act, that she forgot to do her part of the greeting. When the silence dragged on for several moments, she realized her mistake and turned her hand over to face the palm up. Ren placed his hand at the base of her palm, and ran his hand across it to the base of her fingers. ¡°I greet you with both Respect and Fellowship.¡± Ren said, and stepped back. ¡°I accept your pleasantly unexpected offer of Fellowship.¡± Fernosia the Librarian said. ¡°I thank you, my parents thank you, and my children thank you.¡± Ren put a hand on the tip of her index finger, and she very carefully touched it with her thumb as if she was going to pinch it. Ren and Fernosia pulled their hands back at the same time, and smiled at each other. ¡°Ren, you sly dog!¡± Lara said. ¡°I didn''t know you knew how to do that!¡± Ren looked at her with one raised eyebrow. ¡°Stop flirting.¡± Lara said and chuckled. He raised both eyebrows at her, and she laughed. Chapter 280 - I Could Use That After Ren''s little display, everyone relaxed. Now that they knew he didn''t intend to be as scary as they had heard from the Librarian, it was a much more jovial atmosphere than the slightly tension filled one. With the unexpected formality over with, Lara took Ren''s hand and intertwined her fingers with his. ¡°Before you ask, they''ve got enough food for the four days of travel.¡± Lara said. ¡°Fernosia even hired an experienced scout to lead them to proper camping sites, and a retired Guardian of the Land to set up basic defences.¡± Ren nodded, took out a platinum coin, and thought giant. It increased to the right scale and he handed it to Fernosia. ¡°What... what is this?¡± She asked, surprised. ¡°I don''t know how much it costs to hire two professionals for four days.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is this enough to cover it?¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± ¡°I can''t expect you to pay for this.¡± Ren said, and motioned to the gathered giants. ¡°The refugees are my responsibility. Please accept this as compensation, and let me know if you need any more.¡± Fernosia looked at Lara with wide eyes. ¡°Is he serious?¡± Lara nodded, and Fernosia shifted her eyes back to Ren. ¡°Kind sir, your generosity isn''t necessary; but it is most welcome.¡± Fernosia said and took the platinum coin. ¡°Even though you are the Dreaded Foe, as proclaimed by the Chancellor himself; you have touched my heart with your kindness.¡± Fernosia looked at the size of her hands in comparison to Ren, and sighed slightly. She extended a single finger and rubbed the right side of his face, and then the left side.
Notice!
You have gained Respect: +1,000. Because it was from an influential member of Giant Society, you also gain Fame: +1,000.
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP. Fame x 10 XP = 1,000 x 10 XP = 10,000 XP
¡°It''s supposed to be a full hand, but I hope the intention was enough.¡± Fernosia said. ¡°Milady, your intention alone is more than enough.¡± Ren said. ¡°I humbly thank you for your attention.¡± Fernosia''s face flushed a little red. I didn''t expect him to be so charming. She thought. In the Far-Seeing Mirror, he seemed so hard and... well, evil. ¡°Ahem.¡± Lara said, and Ren and Fernosia looked at her. ¡°I think it''s time the expedition set out.¡± ¡°You are quite right.¡± Fernosia said and stood up to her full height. She called over the scout and retired Guardian of the Land, told them to get everyone ready, and to lead the way towards the first campsite. She looked down at Ren and smiled. ¡°Will you be accompanying them?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I can''t.¡± He said, then explained that he couldn''t afford to waste the time travelling for two days when he had Adventurer''s business to take care of. ¡°Then what were you going to do with the supplies?¡± Fernosia asked. ¡°Carry some and put as much as I could fit in a large cart.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was going to reduce them in size, but that would mean I''d have to increase them in size once I got back.¡± He smiled. ¡°It''s much easier just to take them as they are.¡± Fernosia shook her head. ¡°We don''t have a cart like that for you to take.¡± She said. ¡°Even if we did, it wouldn''t be at the right scale for you.¡± Ren took out the large cart that he and Tee-one had built. ¡°That''s okay, I brought my own.¡± Fernosia looked at the contraption before her, and marvelled at it. It was quite large, and had extra wheels to help disperse the load. ¡°I''m kind of glad that I don''t have to use it, though.¡± Ren said and stored it. ¡°Now I don''t have to worry that I''m tasking my mount by having her haul too much.¡± ¡°You even care for the animals under your charge?¡± Fernosia asked, surprised. ¡°The deepness within you is much more than your appearance would allow.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''d ask if that was a shot at my height, but even if I somehow quadrupled my height, you''d still consider me short.¡± Fernosia did the math in her head immediately and nodded. ¡°You would be close to a more appropriate size, though.¡± The giants started to move out, and Ren took that as the perfect time to leave. ¡°Milady, please excuse me. I must return to the tasks that require my attention.¡± Ren said to Fernosia. ¡°I will be there in two days to meet the expedition and receive the supplies. I''ll start the construction of proper housing soon afterwards.¡± Fernosia nodded. ¡°Godspeed; Ren, the Dreaded Foe.¡± Ren turned to Lara. ¡°This was a great surprise.¡± He said, and hugged her. She hugged him tightly, and he nuzzled her neck a little, then let her go. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Lara said and Ren ran over to Princess. He climbed up into her saddle, waved to Fernosia and Lara, then took off at a speed that surprised them. * ¡°I assume you are seeing each other?¡± Fernosia asked. Lara nodded. ¡°It''s only a casual relationship at the moment, but...¡± Fernosia nodded. ¡°He definitely has an attraction that can touch a sensitive woman.¡± She said. ¡°If only he was taller...¡± Lara chuckled. If Ren wasn''t going to tell Fernosia that he had a spell to make himself larger, she wasn''t going to tell her, either. * Ren and Princess passed the fast moving giants easily, and outpaced them much to their surprise. Ren took out the Wand of Trample, and he felt Princess'' exultation at showing off to such huge creatures. He used the Bull Strength spell, and Princess'' Strength increased by 30%. It didn''t take long for Princess and Ren to disappear from their view, and Ren shared Princess'' feelings. It did feel a bit like showing off; but, it also showed them some of what he and Princess could do. It took another 5 hours to make it back to the Garrison, and Ren actually had some time left to attend to something he should have done that morning. He had Princess take him to the crafting section, and met with the dwarf who''s daughter had been kidnapped. They talked for a few minutes in private, and then Ren remembered that there was something he''d wanted to make. ¡°Do you have access to a forge?¡± Ren asked him, and he laughed. ¡°We all have access to The Forge.¡± The dwarf said. Ren thought it was odd that he would say it like that, until he followed the dwarf to the room it was being held in. ¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said. It was a forge bigger than anything he''d ever seen before; and the smelter was so big that it couldn''t be tipped. What could be done, was access ports were opened near the middle of it, and the molten metal flowed down a trough into a much smaller smelter that actually could be tipped and poured. There were also six small smelters attached to it. ¡°Please tell me it''s all enchanted, and you''re not using hundreds of trees a day to keep all of this going!¡± The dwarves using the forge laughed. ¡°Of course it''s enchanted.¡± One of them said. ¡°We''d all be burned to a crisp just stepping into this room if it wasn''t.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and examined everything using Enchanted Eyes, Read Rune, and Decipher. If there was something that he could definitely use, it was a more efficient smelter and a forge big enough to make much larger things. It was almost the same design as the one he had, except for some added reinforcement and the way things were positioned. He didn''t find any new runes, and deactivated his abilities. ¡°Adding the extra smelters is a stroke of genius.¡± Ren commented as he got the updated plans for both the forge and the advanced smelting apparatus. ¡°You can add different things to each of them, without contaminating the original amount.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve made three forges and three smelters to overcome that problem.¡± The dwarves nodded slightly. ¡°We had a dozen normal-sized forges at one point, and just as many smelters going at once; but even then, we had to wait in line to use them.¡± The same dwarf said. ¡°Now we can just come in, take what we want, make anything of nearly any size, and it''ll fit back in the forge through one of the large openings in the sides.¡± I''m definitely going to make one of these when I go back to Aurora. Ren thought. ¡°May I use some?¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren checked the recipe for making a staff, and went over to the pile of stone bricks to pick up enough of them to make a mold for it. He took out one of the crates of odd-sized diamonds that he had, and rummaged through them to find one that was quite large. It was about the size of his closed fist. ¡°By the gods!¡± The dwarf with him exclaimed. ¡°Where did you get those?¡± ¡°I have a friend who makes them for me.¡± Ren said and stored the crate. ¡°I usually use them in recipes.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± The dwarf exclaimed, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I could sell them, but I honestly don''t need the money. They are much more useful as components.¡± Several dwarves nearby had heard him, and started muttering that he was crazy. Ren smiled and went to the farthest smelter and made the 5 foot long mold on the floor for the staff. Unlike wands, he had to add the focus element to the mold instead of adding it afterwards. He opened the access port in the large smelter and he watched as the molten metal ran down the trough. He had used a smelter so much now that he could estimate perfectly how long to leave it open. He closed it, and the metal flowed into the smelter in front of the mold. When it was inside the smaller smelter, he dropped in several platinum coins and stirred it vigorously. After several minutes, he poured out the molten metal and emptied the smelter. Unwilling to show off by using his hands, he used one of his tools to spread the metal throughout the mold and made sure he covered the diamond completely. Once that was done, all of the other dwarves that had stopped to watch what he was doing, went back to their individual tasks. They knew that it would take a while for the metal to cool and lost interest in watching it. Now that they weren''t looking, Ren used his Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation abilities to cool the metal. He picked up the unfinished staff, and activated his Craft Staff ability. Ren had thought it would be like his Craft Wondrous Item ability and it would have a platform appear, but he only had to hold the staff in his hand to use the skill. He chose the recipe that he wanted, Staff of Earth Moving, and waited. The staff started to glow, and it took nearly a third of his Mana Pool. It would take my entire Mana Bar if I didn''t have the Mana Pool. Ren thought. No wonder I didn''t get this skill until level 40! It took several minutes for the staff to form, and the diamond that was inside of it moved to the top. Only it wasn''t a diamond anymore. A glowing green emerald had emerged, and the staff itself had changed and reformed to look more like a thick tree branch. It was still metal, but it didn''t look like it was. When Ren examined it, he gasped and almost dropped it.
Staff of Earth Moving (Unique - Binds on Equip)
This staff is topped with a fist-sized emerald that gleams with smouldering power. It allows the continuous use of the spells contained within. Similar to Rods, it does not contain charges, but a time limit for usage. Current time limit: 600 minutes (10 hours) Due to the high quality of the materials used, this time has been extended to 1000 minutes (16.67 hours). When the last of the time has been used, the magic will be expended and the staff will become inert.
Spell List
Pass Wall: This spell allows the creation of a passage through wood, dirt, stone and mortar walls. It cannot create a passage through metal or other harder materials, however. If the wall¡¯s thickness is more than the depth of the passage created, then a single Pass Wall spell simply makes a short tunnel. Multiple spells can be cast if necessary, to make a passage through very thick walls. Anyone caught inside a passage created in this way, are expelled when the spell expires, if it is dispelled, or dismissed by the caster. Cast Time: Instantaneous Cast Distance: Touch (None) Area of Effect: 7 foot tall and 6 foot wide opening, 10 feet deep for a single use. Time Limit: Passage closes after 10 minutes; or when dismissed or dispelled.
Move Earth: This area of effect spell moves dirt, clay, sand, and rocks. It can be used to collapse embankments, move hillocks, shift dunes, and so forth. It does not violently break the surface of the ground. Instead, it creates wavelike crests and troughs, with the earth reacting with smooth fluidity until the desired result is achieved. Trees, structures, rock formations, and such are mostly unaffected except for changes in elevation and relative topography. The casting time is determined by the area to be affected. A 150 foot x 150 foot square area, 10 feet deep, takes 10 minutes to shift out of the way. Any combination of dimensions will achieve the same result; a 1,125 foot long x 20 foot wide x 10 foot deep trench would still only take 10 minutes. The spell cannot be used for tunnelling and is generally too slow to trap or bury creatures. The primary use for this spell is for digging (or filling) moats, or for adjusting terrain contours before a battle. This spell has no effect on creatures blessed by the Earth (stone or rock golems, earth elementals, etc.) Cast Distance: Within 500 feet (Long) Area of Effect: Various, dependent on area chosen by the caster Cast Time: Various, dependent on area chosen by the caster
¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°This is definitely going to come in handy.¡± ¡°By the gods!¡± The dwarf with him said. ¡°If you can make things like that, what do you need the All-Seeing Mirror for?¡± ¡°So I can see things, obviously.¡± Ren chuckled and stored the staff. ¡°Come with me.¡± They left the room with The Forge, and went back to the dwarf''s crafting area. When they were alone, Ren told him he was going to go and rescue his daughter, and wanted to take the All-Seeing Mirror with him. ¡°I want to come along.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I can''t protect both you and your daughter.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t care about myself!¡± The dwarf said. ¡°All that matters is her.¡± Ren saw the determination in his eyes, and nodded slightly. ¡°All right, you can come... on one condition.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± The dwarf asked. ¡°When I get in there, I''m going to need a distraction.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I just so happen to have an Automatic Ballista you can use.¡± The dwarf grinned. ¡°We''ve already made 50 of them, and surrounded the giant refugee camp with 10 of them.¡± He said. ¡°They can traverse a field of fire that covers 70% of the area.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°I assume the others...¡± ¡°Deployed every hundred feet on the Garrison walls, starting at the main gate to the wilderness, and out to either side.¡± ¡°I take it you know that because they''ve got you setting them up?¡± ¡°You didn''t even have to guess that, did you?¡± The dwarf laughed. ¡°I doubt any of them could perform maintenance.¡± Then he thought about it. ¡°Except for those elites. They really know their stuff.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I gave them a crash course with it before the battle with the giants.¡± ¡°Everyone in the crafting section appreciates that.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Their knowledge was invaluable when we took one of the things apart.¡± ¡°I''m glad you guys got them up and running so fast.¡± Ren said. ¡°How long do you think it''ll take to replace all of the old catapults?¡± ¡°Replace them?¡± The dwarf shook his head. ¡°We''re adapting them to the Ballista design.¡± ¡°Automatic Catapults?¡± Ren asked, a little surprised. ¡°How does that work?¡± ¡°We''re still working on it.¡± The dwarf said and started gathering supplies. ¡°Let''s get going. The shift change for the place she''s being held happens in an hour.¡± Ren helped him gather the things he''d need, along with medical packs and food; then they left the crafting section to meet Princess, who was waiting patiently. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said, and ran back into the crafting section. He gathered the resources to build a small cart, added a ton of extra padding and handholds, and stored it. He went back out to Princess and the dwarf, then took out the small cart. He attached it to Princess'' saddle, and told the dwarf to get in and hold on. Ren borrowed the mirror and looked at the map to get to the place the girl was being held, then showed it to Princess. ¡°We are here.¡± Ren said and pointed to the map. ¡°We need to get here.¡± He said and pointed to a spot about half a mile from where the girl was being held. ¡°It has to be swift and quiet. It would be best if we weren''t seen.¡± Understood. Princess thought to him. Cast your spell for that when the time comes. ¡°Cast the spell...¡± Ren said, then remembered he had a wand with Obscuring Mist in it. He smiled, pat her neck, and climbed up into the saddle after he gave the mirror back to the dwarf. ¡°Let''s go.¡± He said, and Princess took off as if she wasn''t pulling the cart at all. * The dwarf held in his urge to yell at Ren to slow down, because he knew that their time to rescue his daughter was soon coming to an end. He''d paid the last ransom amount, and they''d increased it again. There was no way he could get 8 platinum by next week. Even if the budget was approved and he received his full share, he could never hide such a large amount from the other workers. The kidnapper''s demands were just too outrageous to handle anymore. * They made good time to the spot that was half a mile away from the kidnapper''s hideout. They dismounted and Ren saw through the trees that it was a large castle. Even knowing what was ahead and seeing the plans of how to get around everything, it was still a massive structure to get through. Then he thought about his new staff. It''s not so massive with that thing in my hands. Ren thought happily. ¡°I don''t see where we can set up a Ballista.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Everything here is covered in trees and pretty much even ground.¡± ¡°Let me worry about that.¡± Ren said and equipped the Staff of Earth Moving. It required two hands to use the Move Earth spell, so he concentrated on what he wanted and aimed the head of the staff. The earth twitched and moved; and just like the description said, it moved like waves of water. It was weird to see the ground shift and move like that, but it only took a minute for a small 20 foot square and level hill to appear, and for the trees to move over just a bit to clear out of the line of fire. ¡°By the gods!¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Can you make me one of those?¡± ¡°It says it''s unique.¡± Ren said, and the dwarf nodded. ¡°That makes sense.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Can you imagine if everyone had one of those?¡± He laughed. ¡°There wouldn''t be a spot that was left untouched!¡± Ren nodded slightly. He''d thought of that, too. It''s why he avoided the dwarf''s question rather than answer it. He was pretty sure that he could make more of them, because it binds on equip. Being unique meant that Ren could only own one of them, not that there can''t be more than one. He took out the Automatic Ballista and set it up in the best spot. ¡°You can see the entire castle from this vantage point.¡± Ren said. ¡°Give me a couple of minutes, and I''ll send a signal, like this.¡± He said, and used the Obscuring Mist wand to cast the spell off to the right. A 20 foot wide circle of mist, 20 feet high, appeared. ¡°You''ll see that appear at the top of the tower on the far right side.¡± The dwarf looked to where Ren pointed, and nodded slightly. ¡°Once it does...¡± Ren took out the cartridge of bolts, and enchanted the first 5 bolts with glyphs of Fire and Wind Runes. ¡°...shoot the towers on the other side of the castle, through the windows if you can manage it.¡± The dwarf grinned. ¡°It will gather the bastards together.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Far away from me and where I need to go.¡± ¡°I''ll try and choose my shots carefully after that, to take as many of the kidnappers out as I can.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve got a hundred shots in this thing. After the first dozen bolts or so, they are going to know the direction it''s coming from.¡± ¡°They won''t guess how far, though.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I wouldn''t count on that, so just in case, I picked this spot because you can see a lot of the road coming out to here.¡± Ren explained and pointed. ¡°It''ll be like shooting fish in a barrel.¡± The dwarf laughed. ¡°I''m so glad I tried to swindle you.¡± He said. ¡°None of this would have been possible otherwise.¡± Ren chuckled and put a hand on the dwarf''s shoulder. ¡°If they start to get too close, don''t stay and fight.¡± He said and handed the dwarf one of the Level 1 Fireball wands. ¡°Pop the Ballista apart, shoot it with fireball spells, and run as fast as you can through the woods. I''ll meet up with you on the road back that way a few miles.¡± The dwarf nodded slightly, and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°You should take this with you.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°You need that to protect yourself.¡± ¡°They might move her when this all starts.¡± Ren took out two steel squares and enchanted them with the Sending glyphs. ¡°Keep an eye on her, and if they do move her, think of me and whisper the details.¡± He said and gave the dwarf one of the squares, and put the other in a pocket. ¡°I''ll hear you.¡± The dwarf took the steel square and laid it on the Ballista. ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°You, too.¡± Ren said, went over to Princess, and unhooked the cart to store it. He climbed up onto her back, and she took off through the woods at a sedate pace. Time was of the essence; but stealth was going to be a much needed friend soon. Chapter 281 - Assault on Castle Black Ren and Princess slowed down as they approached the first barrier to their access of the compound. The dwarf had really done his homework and had checked everything that was needed to successfully enter undetected. Ren used Enchanted Eyes and saw several glowing objects; trees, rocks, and a few scraps of metal. He activated Decipher and Read Rune, then looked at the tree closest to him. On it was a Fear rune, a Hidden rune, and one he didn''t know. Rather than trying to avoid them, Ren concentrated on them and thought Deactivate. The objects stopped glowing and he climbed down from Princess'' saddle, then approached the closest tree. He reached a hand out and used Dismantle Glyph on the enchantment.
Notice!
You have learned a new Dwarf rune: Detection. This rune, when enchanted on two different objects at the same time, makes one item the main object and the other becomes the sender. When something passes within the area of effect of 10 feet of the sender, the main object will glow. If several Detection runes are placed within that same area of effect, they connect and those objects become senders themselves. If any of the areas of effect has something pass through them, the original object enchanted will glow.
Sweet! Ren thought, then looked at the other objects that had glowed. He was tempted to dismantle them as well; but he needed to get to the castle quickly, so he moved on. I''m glad I was more than 10 feet away when I saw them, though. Princess followed closely behind, and was quite nimble on her hooves in the thick underbrush and close trees. Ren made his way through the various traps and early warning systems that the dwarf had warned him about, and made it to the edge of the forest. In front of him was a large wide open area; but, it hadn''t started out that way. The trees were hastily cut down and left where they fell, large rocks were scattered haphazardly over the terrain, and several craters were interspersed among them. If I didn''t know any better, I''d say they were making a field of fire for catapults. Ren thought. Princess huffed behind him. She knew beyond any doubt that she could cross the space long before anyone could shoot her. Teepo? Are you up for this? Ren thought. ¡°Only if you take me out of this body.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Someone is bound to see me if I stay like this.¡± Ren nodded and slipped off his part of the Ring of Recall, then summoned Teepo with the Beetle Crown ring. Teepo appeared at his feet, then flew out over the cleared area. Ren stored Teepo''s metal body and waited. ¡°You''re right, Ren.¡± Teepo said after he''d disappeared over the wall. ¡°There''s several catapults inside, and they''re aimed at the surroundings.¡± He chittered in laughter. ¡°As much as someone can aim a catapult, that is.¡± Ren smiled and took out the Staff of Earth Moving, and concentrated on making a 4 foot wide path to the side of the castle. Once again, it only took a minute, because he wasn''t using it to move dirt out of the way; he was just shifting the tree stumps and debris slightly to the side. He stored the staff and took out the wand with Obscuring Mist in it. Let''s get this party started. Ren thought, and shot the top of the right tower. A circle of mist appeared on top of it, and a few seconds later, the first bolt from the Automatic Ballista, 6 feet long and enchanted with Fire and Wind, sailed through the air and smashed through the top window of the left tower. Flames burst out the now open window, and a scream was heard. Thankfully, it was from someone in the courtyard, and they yelled ''Fire!'' right afterwards. Nice shot. Ren thought, then waited while the next 4 shots found suitable targets. With both Wind and Fire enchanted on them, flames burst out of anything that they hit. Some were only a brief flash, mainly because the glyphs were damaged from the impact; but, even that was enough to light several things on fire. Teepo? Ren thought to his friend. What''s the position of the guards on this side? ¡°Two of them left to go look at the commotion, but one is staying to keep watch.¡± Teepo said. ¡°He''s standing right here behind the battlement.¡± Ren looked up at the top of the 50 foot wall, and saw Teepo hovering there. I see you, buddy. He thought, and climbed up onto Princess'' back. He used the Obscuring Mist wand on the spot Teepo hovered over, and Princess took off like a shot. They were at the wall only a few seconds later, thanks to Ren making her a smooth path to run through, and they came to a stop. Ren took out the Staff of Earth Moving, and touched the wall with it. A passage appeared and went 10 feet into the wall, but that wasn''t what Ren wanted right then. He thought about the guard at the top of the wall, and concentrated on making a passage up to him. A 50 foot long opening, 7 feet by 6 feet wide appeared, and the guard yelled as he fell into it. Ren was tempted to dismiss the spell and shoot the guard out the end of the passage, but he didn''t want to take the chance the body would be flung out to where someone else would see it. The guard hit the ground with a crunching thud, and Ren dismissed the spell. The 50 foot passage the guard had fallen through disappeared, and so did the 10 foot one he started with. The guard''s body was shoved out of the wall and landed several feet away. Ren climbed down from the saddle and looted the body to get rid of the evidence. He found several gold, a dagger, and a helm. He stored it and went back to the wall. ¡°Princess, are you waiting outside or inside?¡± Ren whispered to her. Inside, My Lord. Princess thought to him. If you need my help, I''ll be there. Ren nodded and used the staff to open a passage through the wall. It was about 25 feet long, and Ren and Princess walked inside. I''m tempted to leave the tunnel, but if anyone notices it, they''ll know someone is already inside. Ren thought, and dismissed the spell. Be safe. Princess thought to him, and gave his face a lick. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and activated sneak. He led Princess over to the corner of the wall to hide in the shadows, and had her kneel down to lower her visibility. He tossed a piece of cloth over her, and left a spot for her to see out of, then he moved off to the closest building. Teepo flew down to join him, and scouted ahead by flying in through a window. ¡°You''re clear.¡± Teepo said, and Ren touched the building with the staff. An opening appeared, and he walked inside then dismissed the spell. Ren closed his eyes and remembered the layout of the compound, and knew where he had to go. He had picked this building because it was attached to several others. Using the wands he had at his disposal at the time, he could make his way to the central staircase and go down into the dungeon. With his new staff, however; those plans were a little outdated. Ren opened his eyes and looked at the floor. He never doubted that it would work, because that would have caused it to fail immediately. He concentrated on the ground and believed it was a wall that blocked him from rescuing the girl. He knew where the wall of the cell was, and just imagined making a passage to that wall. The dirt between the two walls was irrelevant to him, and he touched the staff to the floor. The passage opened up and Ren walked inside. It was at a 20 degree angle downwards, so it was kind of steep and would be a little difficult to come back up; but at the moment, that didn''t matter. He would rescue this girl and save her from her kidnappers. * ¡°Someone''s attacking the castle!¡± A guard said as he ran into the main meeting room. ¡°Armor up!¡± The head of the Thieves Guild said. ¡°Assemble in the courtyard!¡± He turned to the dwarf on his right. ¡°Load the catapults and get ready to fire.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± The dwarf said and ran from the room. ¡°Do we know who it is?¡± The head of the Thieves Guild asked the guard. ¡°Is it a rival Guild?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± The guard said. ¡°Whoever it is started several fires, and they''ve killed several men so far.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± The head of the Thieves Guild yelled. ¡°How could they kill us, and we don''t know who they are?!?¡± The guard leaned out into the hallway. ¡°Bring it in!¡± Two more dwarves came into the room, and they carried a 6 foot long crossbow bolt. The head of it was smashed in. ¡°The others burned up in the fires they started, but this one bounced off the left tower wall and fell to the ground.¡± The head of the Thieves Guild looked at it. Who in their right mind would make a crossbow big enough to hold this monstrosity?Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°How did we not see this attack coming?¡± He asked. ¡°Something this big had to be fired from a device that much larger!¡± He turned to the scouts. ¡°Tell me why!¡± ¡°Nothing''s shown up on the defences we''ve set up, sir.¡± One of them said. ¡°No glow, no yell, and no sprung traps.¡± ¡°By the gods, get your men out there and tell me what''s happening!¡± ¡°Sir!¡± All of the scouts stood up at the same time, and ran from the room. The head of the Thieves Guild smiled, because they were more afraid of him than any possible attackers. * Ren walked carefully down the passage until he saw the end of it. Teepo. ¡°On it!¡± Teepo flew ahead and disappeared from view. ¡°There''s a teenage girl here, and she''s holding a rock.¡± He said. ¡°She''ll try to bonk you on the head, I think.¡± Ren chuckled, and the echoed sound carried on down the passage. ¡°That scared her.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She''s shaking pretty badly.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. It carried down the passage just as well as his laugh did. He walked closer and concentrated on his Camaraderie Aura. ¡°She stopped shaking.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Hold your hands up in surrender.¡± Ren held only one hand up, because he needed to keep a hold of the staff. He saw a girl''s face peek around the mouth of the opening, and saw it disappear just as quickly. ¡°I''m here to rescue you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your father is distracting everyone for me while I get you back for him.¡± The girl poked her head around the corner again and looked at Ren. ¡°My dad sent you?¡± She asked, her voice full of disbelief. ¡°Well, I threatened to kick him out of the Garrison, he ran, and I discovered his plan to rescue you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I kind of took over after that.¡± The girl dropped the rock she had in her hands, and it rolled away. ¡°My... my dad... he isn''t going to leave me here forever?¡± ¡°It''s been killing him having you away for so long.¡± Ren said. ¡°He desperately wants you back.¡± ¡°But... but the head of the guild said...¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°The head of the Thieves Guild said that dad didn''t want me anymore, and was paying them to keep me.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°It was ransom, plain and simple. They told him that if he didn''t pay, they would hurt you.¡± He said. ¡°Have they hurt you?¡± The teenage girl stepped out in front of the passage, and Ren walked towards her slowly. ¡°No, they pretty much left me alone, except for giving me one meal a day.¡± She said. ¡°I''m kind of small, so I shared my food with some of the other girls.¡± ¡°O-other girls?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°What other girls?¡± ¡°The other girls I met when I came here.¡± The teenage girl said. ¡°They let us play together for an hour each day.¡± ¡°Checking now!¡± Teepo said and flew into the next room. ¡°She''s right. There''s 6 other cells in here, and they all have a girl in them.¡± He said. ¡°Different ages and sizes.¡± ¡°How many girls are there?¡± Ren asked her as he stepped out of the passage. ¡°Including me?¡± The girl asked, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Seven.¡± ¡°That''s all of them, then.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I can''t tell if they can hear you or not, though.¡± What''s the time left on the passage? Ren asked his friend. ¡°About 3 minutes.¡± Teepo said. Plenty of time. Ren thought, and touched the wall of the cell. A passage opened and the girl inside the next cell gave a little shriek of surprise. ¡°Hi!¡± The teenage girl Ren thought was the only one he needed to rescue, said to her friend. ¡°We''re escaping!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The new girl said and hugged her friend. Ren walked along to each wall of the cells and opened passages to all of them. Each greeting was just like the last, except there were more shrieks and hugging each time. ¡°Girls, let''s go back to the first cell and get in the passage.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s going to be a fun ride.¡± ¡°YAY!¡± All the girls yelled and ran for the first cell. Ren dismissed the passages he''d just opened and Teepo landed on his shoulder. ¡°One minute.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Okay girls! Hold onto me and each other!¡± Ren said as he stepped into the passage a few feet, and looked down at the youngest one. He picked her up and she clung to his neck tightly. ¡°Ready!¡± He said. ¡°Steady!¡± The passage started to close behind them. ¡°Go!¡± The passage collapsed from the end they were at, then an invisible force picked them up and propelled them forward at a good speed. ¡°Wheee!!!¡± All of the girls yelled as they flew through the air. Ren took out a Level 2 Web wand and prepared to fire when they were close to the exit. It came up fast, and he shot several spells into the room he had started from, then he and the girls were expelled from the passage and flew into the soft webbing. ¡°Ha ha ha!¡± All the girls laughed. ¡°That was fun!¡± ¡°I wanna do that again.¡± ¡°Again! Again!¡± The youngest one said. ¡°Maybe later.¡± Ren said and put the little girl down. ¡°Once we get out of here.¡± Teepo, check outside. Teepo flew out of the building and looked around. ¡°All clear.¡± ¡°Now, you have to be quiet.¡± Ren said to them. ¡°The thieves aren''t going to like that I''m stealing you back from them.¡± Several of the older girls laughed, and Ren touched the staff to the wall. A passage opened up, and he waved them though. ¡°Go over to the wall there.¡± Ren said and pointed to where he had come in. ¡°Princess will protect you.¡± ¡°A princess!¡± The youngest girl exclaimed. ¡°Where?¡± She ran out ahead of the other girls to stand by the wall. ¡°Where''s the princess?¡± Princess flipped her head, and the horns hooked the cloth that covered her. She threw it off and revealed herself. Her golden armor gleamed in the fading light, and all of the girls gasped as she trotted over to them. ¡°She''s beautiful!¡± ¡°By the gods!¡± ¡°Your Highness.¡± The youngest girl said, and Princess nodded to her. The girl giggled, and Princess brayed softly. Ren took out the small padded cart, and attached it to Princess. He helped the girls climb into the back, but there wasn''t enough room for all of them to fit. Ren picked the oldest girl, because she took up the most room, and asked her to get out of the cart. She climbed out, and it made just enough room for the others to fit in. Ren looked at the girl, and saw her face start to crumple. He quickly gave her a hug. ¡°I''m not leaving you behind.¡± Ren said, and she looked up at him with wide eyes. She was about the same height as Nathalia at 4 foot even. ¡°You get to ride in the saddle.¡± The girl''s face lit up and she beamed a smile at him, and Ren helped her climb up onto Princess'' back. ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s a group of dwarves coming this way!¡± Ren touched the staff to the wall, and concentrated on making a passage all the way through. It opened up, and the dwarf in front came around the corner. ¡°The prisoners are escaping!¡± He said, and drew his sword. Two dwarves behind him loaded crossbows. ¡°Go!¡± Ren said to Princess. I won''t abandon yo- Her thought was cut off as Ren slapped her backside and she started to run on instinct. ¡°You''re not abandoning me, you''re saving them!¡± Ren said. ¡°Take them to her father!¡± He closed the passage and two crossbow bolts bounced off of the stone where Princess had just been. Ren snarled and turned to face the enemy. * ¡°Send them out!¡± The head of the Thieves Guild said once they knew the direction the shots were coming from, and the main gate opened as the drawbridge lowered. The troops marched out through the gate quickly, and then all hell broke loose. Bolts rained down on the poor souls and tore the formation apart. ¡°How many of them do they have?!?¡± The head of the Thieves Guild asked as 10 bolts hit his men, then 10 more, then 10 more. ¡°They can''t reload a single machine that big so quickly!¡± * The dwarf that fired the Automatic Ballista was having the time of his life. He''d never seen so much death and destruction caused by a single weapon before, and the Influence he was gaining was nothing to laugh at. He thought about Ren, and spoke. ¡°I''m almost out of ammo.¡± The dwarf whispered. ¡°I see your mount. Abandoning position. Thank you for rescuing my daughter.¡± There was no response, and the dwarf didn''t really expect one. He knew Ren was busy. * Ren had equipped his hammerpick and swung at the dwarves that ran at him. They had never seen such a weapon before, and it made them pause. It gave Ren the time he needed to equip his armor and shield. He turned it towards the group and activated the Illumination enchantment. It blinded the 3 dwarves in front, but the others flipped up hoods and it covered their eyes. Dammit! Ren thought, then used an underhand swing to smash one of the dwarves in the gut with the hammerpick. It crushed the armor on the dwarf, and then the armor shattered from the shock wave. The dwarf was thrown into the air several feet and landed in a heap behind the group. Unfortunately, this didn''t deter the other dwarves one bit. They charged in and Ren fought for his life. Unlike television shows and movies, and despite the dwarf Honor Code for fighting one on one, the 4 dwarves in front swung their swords at Ren at the same time. Ren blocked three of them. One with the shield and two with the hammerpick; but, the last came in too low for him to deflect. The blade jammed up towards his abdomen, right under the shield, and Ren grunted as the sword hit the bottom of his chest plate and left a small dent. Thankfully, the sword was only short and the dwarf hadn''t stepped in to follow through with his full strength, so Ren only took minor damage. Forgive me, Earth! Ren thought, hefted the hammerpick over his head before the dwarves could swing their swords at him again, and slammed the hammer end of it into the stone floor. Since the hammerpick was enchanted with a glyph of Antiearth runes that caused extra damage to earth-based defences, there was a loud bang and shock wave as the earth shook. All of the dwarves around him fell to the ground as a 30 foot area around the impact site collapsed and dropped several feet. With Ren''s Amulet of the Spider combined with his Rock Steady and Unstoppable abilities, he was the only one to remain standing. While he waited for the ground to settle, he exchanged the enchantment on the shield with the stored enchantment he had saved from the chest plate of Charles the tech guy. The shield started to vibrate and glow, then changed it''s shape. Ren watched in wonder as it grew from a small 2 foot oblong shield to a 4 foot wide circular shield. One of the dwarves regained his footing and tried to swing his sword, and Ren backhanded him with the shield. There was a loud clang as the shield moved through the dwarf as if he wasn''t there. The clang had been the armor the dwarf wore and his weapon being knocked away. The dwarf and Ren stared at each other, surprised beyond belief that the dwarf now stood there in plain clothes, both armorless and weaponless. Another dwarf started to stand up, so Ren swung the hammerpick across the unarmed dwarf''s face that stood in front of him, stepped back and hit the next dwarf in the chest. Unwilling to let a golden opportunity pass, Ren held the shield out and ran around the depression to hit each of them with his much larger shield. Every piece of armor and weapon was knocked away from the dwarves, and Ren followed through with a hammerpick blow to their heads to finish them off. What the hell kind of enchantment is this? Ren asked himself as he looted the bodies. I know some enchantments can be enhanced by the shield, but one that removes someone''s armor and weapons? ¡°More dwarves are coming, Ren!¡± Teepo warned, and Ren ran out of the depression and to the building close by. He switched the hammerpick for the staff, and made a passage into the building. He stepped through and closed it just as the other dwarves arrived to see weapons and armor scattered around a 30 foot wide depression in the ground, but no bodies. Teepo stayed outside to tell Ren where the dwarves were. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°They aren''t going away, and there''s no more distractions to help us.¡± We''ll do what we always do. Ren thought to his friend, and generated elemental grenades as he opened another passage in the wall 4 feet off the ground. He tossed the grenades out and closed the passage, and smiled at the screams. He opened a passage in a different spot and threw out more elemental grenades. Now that he wasn''t scrambling from a surprise attack, Ren remembered the Web and Fireball wands attached to his armor. We''re going to kick ass. Ren grinned as he opened a passage in front of himself and fired all 24 of the wands at the same time at the recovering dwarves that had no clue what was happening. Chapter 282 - Hard Fought The dwarves were engulfed in fireballs and webs, which caught on fire after Ren unleashed a second volley of fireballs. A dozen or so dwarves were covered completely with flaming webs, and Ren didn''t know if they would suffocate before the flames did enough damage to kill them. ¡°On the right!¡± Teepo said, and Ren looked over to see a couple of dwarves making a hasty retreat while three others opened fire with crossbows. Ren ducked his head behind the shield and the crossbow bolts bounced off without leaving any kind of dent or even a scratch. I guess there''s no point in hiding anymore. Ren thought, and made a Connection between his two Screaming Terror rings and his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. He activated the enchantments and funnelled them through his Fear Aura. He heard several dwarves holler as they succumbed to the feelings of Terror he was producing, but he didn''t hear them all scream. Teepo? ¡°It''s not quite working.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I don''t know if some of them have resistance or some kind of charm to help them deal with it.¡± So my trump card is a bit of a joker here. Ren thought. Tell me when they''re reloading. ¡°They''re taking turns and alternating their fire.¡± Teepo said. ¡°These guys really know their stuff!¡± Ren generated a few more elemental grenades and tossed them over the shield. ¡°A little to the right!¡± Teepo said, and Ren tossed another handful. ¡°Now!¡± Ren moved the shield out of the way and used his Fireball and Web wands again. * ¡°Sir! It''s a prison break!¡± One of the dwarves that had escaped Ren''s onslaught said to the head of the Thieves Guild. ¡°We heard another squad yell, and went to see who they were fighting.¡± The dwarf went quiet because he didn''t know how to describe what he''d seen. ¡°It''s... unbelievable, sir.¡± The bolts had stopped killing his men only a moment before, and the head of the Thieves Guild was quite angry. He turned to the closest squad of troops. ¡°Get the ones still alive to the healers!¡± He nearly yelled and looked at his personal guard. ¡°Let''s go!¡± They all ran across the courtyard to where the dwarf had said the attacker was. When they reached the edge of Ren''s Aura, they all stopped. ¡°I''ve felt something like this before.¡± The head of the Thieves Guild said, and he shook slightly. ¡°Where... where...¡± His eyes widened as he remembered. ¡°It''s him!¡± ¡°Who, sir?¡± ¡°It''s that House Neram freak that beat House Lodur''s champion in the Council chamber.¡± ¡°By the gods, what do we do?¡± ¡°Wait here!¡± The head of the guild said, and ran back the way they''d come. ¡°Sir! Where are you going?¡± He didn''t say anything and ran around to the side of the main building. He knocked three times, then once, and the door opened. Inside was something like an alchemist''s lab, except it''s ingredients were much more evil in it''s contents, and it was tended by a hunched over cloaked figure with the hood pulled up to cover the head. ¡°I need your...¡± ¡°It''s almost ready.¡± The cloaked figure said. ¡°Take this.¡± The head of the Thieves Guild took a talisman from the figure''s outstretched hand and put it on. A feeling of superiority and confidence filled him, and he smiled. After a moment, the cloaked figure handed him a small bundle. ¡°What''s this?¡± ¡°A containment spell.¡± The cloaked figure said in a wheezy voice. ¡°It''s crude and needs a physical component, but it should work against such a foe.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The head of the Thieves Guild said. ¡°How much...¡± The figure waved the comment away. ¡°He threatens everything we''ve built here! Get going before he escapes!¡± The head of the Thieves Guild nodded, and left the room at a run. * ¡°There''s a group on the edge of your Aura, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They''re just standing there.¡± They''re probably waiting for someone important. Ren thought. Let''s get out of here before they arrive. He didn''t bother trying to loot anyone this time, and ran over to the wall. ¡°Ren! Above you!¡± Teepo yelled. Ren dodged out of the way as several pieces of stone were dropped where he had been standing. He retreated back towards the building when several crossbow bolts just missed the side of his head. Dammit, they''ve got me cornered. Ren thought and blocked the next few shots with his shield. I can''t even take out a Ballista to fire back. ¡°More are coming, Ren!¡± Teepo said, and Ren thought furiously about what to do. * The head of the Thieves Guild ran to his waiting guard, and they joined him as he ran right into Ren''s Aura without effect. Ren couldn''t feel them enter his Aura, either. The dwarves came around the corner to see a large golden shield that deflected several crossbow bolts. Perfect. The head of the Thieves Guild thought, and threw the bundle that the hooded figure had given him. * ¡°REN!¡± Teepo shouted as the bundle flew through the air. The crossbowmen were too good at their jobs, though; and Ren couldn''t take the chance to dodge the bundle because of the constant attacks. I have to take it, whatever it is. Ren thought to his friend. I hope it''s nothing too- ¡°AGGGHHH!¡± Lightning covered Ren from head to foot, and seared his skin. His armor provided a lot of Protection; but it was also metal, and conducted the Lightning over his entire body. Since it wasn''t a physical attack, his shield didn''t provide him any protection, and he dropped to one knee as his Health steadily fell. He had a death grip on his shield and Staff of Earth Moving; but his muscles were frozen, and he had a hard time keeping a coherent thought. After almost 30 seconds the Lightning subsided, and Ren breathed a sigh of relief as all of his muscles relaxed. Now that he wasn''t under constant pain from the Lightning, he equipped a Level 2 Web wand in the hand with the shield strapped to his arm. He thought of the spells he had, and knew that he didn''t want them to know who he actually was. He absorbed the charges from the wand and filled it with the Disguise Self spell, then cast it on himself. Ren imagined he was 3 inches shorter, the average size of a dwarf, had long dark hair, and the staff he held was just a normal walking stick. He couldn''t change the shield because it was still in view and crossbow bolts still peppered the surface, but he hid his armor by making it look like robes, and changed the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak to look like normal cloth. He was pretty sure the disguise wouldn''t fool a trained observer, since it was just an illusion and didn''t actually change him; but at the moment, it was all that he had until he could work out a way to escape. ¡°Cease fire!¡± The head of the Thieves Guild said, and silence filled the space around Ren as the dwarves stopped firing at him. ¡°You can come out from behind that shield.¡± He said. ¡°You''re our prisoner now, and will fetch a high price.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Ren stood up and looked towards the voice and saw the head of the Thieves Guild. He had grey hair on his head, a long grey beard, and was covered in muscles. He also had a surprised look on his face. ¡°Who by the gods are you?¡± The head of the Thieves Guild asked. ¡°I thought... your Aura...¡± ¡°I have enchanted rings.¡± Ren said in as squeaky a voice as he could muster. ¡°They don''t work very well on your men, though.¡± The head of the Thieves Guild laughed. ¡°That''s because they''re more afraid of me than anything else.¡± He said. ¡°A little Terror now and then strengthens the soul.¡± Now that Ren didn''t have to hide behind the shield, he saw that he was in a cage made of Lightning. This might be a little harder to get out of than I thought. Ren quickly glanced down and saw the ''bars'' of the cage didn''t connect to each other on the bottom, then smiled. ¡°So you run this place and control your men with fear?¡± The head of the Thieves Guild nodded slightly. ¡°How many of your men would give their lives for you?¡± Ren asked, and looked at the gathered dwarves. There were about 30 of them that surrounded him, both on the ground and on top of the walls. None of them spoke, and the head of the Thieves Guild looked at them. ¡°You can speak!¡± ¡°I would!¡± ¡°I''d gladly give my life.¡± ¡°I''d die twice for him!¡± ¡°You can''t spend money if you''re dead.¡± Ren said, and concentrated on the ground in front of him. If I can just distract them a little more... I know I can''t use it to move man-made objects... but I can move the ground underneath. ¡°That''s true.¡± ¡°Are you sure? He said we''d get money then, too.¡± ¡°That''s for our families, you idiot.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°So...¡± Ren said. ¡°What made you do it?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± The head of the Thieves Guild asked. ¡°Why take little girls, rip them from their families, and hurt the ones they love?¡± The head of the Thieves Guild laughed, and several other dwarves joined in. He made a slashing motion with his hand, and everyone went quiet. ¡°Money, of course.¡± He said. ¡°We''ve made more money from ransoms than every other venture combined.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re making more money by having more mouths to feed and people to take care of? Doing extra patrols to make sure no one escapes? Having to keep guards on the dungeon to watch over people that can''t contribute to all the things that need to be done around here? Constantly worrying that someone would find this place and attack it because you''re holding children here?¡± He laughed. ¡°Is all of this really worth it?¡± The other dwarves looked uncomfortable, and exchanged glances with several others. ¡°You don''t know what you''re talking about!¡± The head of the Thieves Guild said, angrily. ¡°One prisoner alone brought in 10 platinum in the last two months!¡± A loud murmur rose among the dwarves. Some of them even discussed why they hadn''t heard this before. ¡°I see a lot of your men didn''t know you''ve been making that much money.¡± Ren said. Almost there. He thought. ¡°I guess that means you kept their share.¡± The murmur rose higher, and the head of the Thieves Guild turned on the men. ¡°QUIET!¡± He yelled. ¡°We share cuts at the end of the week!¡± ¡°That was 2 days ago.¡± One of the dwarves close by said, and the head of the Thieves Guild drew his sword and ran the dwarf through. The dwarf fell to his knees when the sword was pulled out a moment later, then collapsed and died. ¡°Anyone else want to question how I divide the spoils?¡± The head of the Thieves Guild asked his men. No one spoke and he nodded slightly. ¡°Now.¡± He said and looked at Ren. ¡°You are going to tell me who you are working for, and then I''m going to kill you, kill them, then kill your family, their families, and just for fun I''ll burn your Main House down.¡± Ren laughed and laughed, then ducked behind the shield to cast Disguise Self again. All of the dwarves were unnerved by his laugh, then Ren switched from his Fear Aura to his Command Aura and stood up straight. ¡°Do you really think I''m going to let you live after knowing you kidnapped children and held them in a dark and cold place underground?¡± Ren asked and laughed maniacally. ¡°You are all going to die!¡± He commanded as Teepo flew down and landed on his shoulder. ¡°You''re in no position to make threats!¡± The head of the Thieves Guild said. ¡°What''s going on out here?¡± The hunched over hooded figure asked when it came around the corner. ¡°By the gods, NO!¡± It exclaimed as it saw Ren. ¡°Don''t! Don''t do it!¡± ¡°It''s too late to beg for mercy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I gave my word that death would follow.¡± The hooded figure threw off the cloak to reveal a High Elf woman. She stood up to her full height, nearly double that of a dwarf, and her hands started to glow. ¡°I won''t let you ruin the plan!¡± She nearly yelled. ¡°Go ahead and cast your spell.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It won''t make any difference.¡± For the entire time he had been captured, Ren had been using the Staff of Earth Moving to shift the dirt, mud, rock and earth from underneath that side of the castle. Like the description said, it moved the earth like waves, and Ren took that to be a literal meaning. ¡°What is that?!?¡± One of the dwarves on top of the battlement wall asked as he saw the crest of a tidal wave of dirt. It had taken a while; but Ren had made the ground recede like the tide, from under one side of the castle, destabilizing it, and everyone yelled and screamed as the last bit of dirt slid out from under it. The wave was finished, and the entire castle lurched to the side and tilted at an almost 45 degree angle. There had been no sound from the dirt shifting, but when the castle started to move, it sounded like thunder. All the dwarves fell and rolled towards the wall; along with carts, weapons, crates, and debris. Some of the dwarves died immediately as they hit the wall, like the head of the Thieves Guild, and others got to see the wave of dirt as it started to crash down upon them. Ren, thanks to his Amulet of the Spider, stood inside the Lightning cage he was trapped in, and looked at the High Elf. Her face had changed from the grace you would expect from an elf, to one of rage. She stood in the same spot, even at the 45 degree angle, just like Ren did. ¡°This isn''t over!¡± She said, as the dirt rose up to engulf her. ¡°My master doesn''t like it when people interfere with his plans!¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only came here to rescue one girl.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± She exclaimed as the dirt went up to her waist. ¡°You didn''t come here to wreck everything?¡± Ren shook his head as the dirt flowed around him, but didn''t cover him thanks to the staff. ¡°If the Thieves Guild hadn''t been so persistent, I''d have been long gone already.¡± He laughed. ¡°Their own greed to try and keep me here, ended their lives.¡± ¡°This... was a mistake...¡± She said as the dirt filled to her neck. ¡°It''s a fitting end, isn''t it?¡± She asked Ren. ¡°I figuratively wallowed in the dirt and sullied myself with dwarves, and now I wallow in it for real.¡± Ren nodded slightly to her, and then the dirt covered her face. * ¡°What is that sound?¡± The dwarf who wanted to rescue his daughter asked out loud, and the oldest girl that rode on Princess'' saddle turned around. ¡°I don''t see anything.¡± She said. That reminded the dwarf that he had the All-Seeing Mirror, and he took it out and thought of the castle. ¡°By the GODS!¡± He yelled, and came to a stop. Princess stopped, and all of the girls looked out of the cart at the dwarf. ¡°Dad? What is it?¡± His daughter asked. He held up the mirror and showed them the castle. It was tilted up at a crazy angle, was half-buried in the dirt, and they could see more dirt covering it. ¡°Oh, no!¡± She said. ¡°What... what about...¡± The dwarf thought about Ren, and all of the girls started to cry. Princess brayed her sorrow as she watched Ren be covered over in tons of dirt. * I''m really glad I was wrong about needing both hands to use the Move Earth spell. Ren thought as he looked around the small area he was in. The spell''s description said that he wasn''t allowed to dig tunnels with it; but, it didn''t say anything about not being able to keep a large air pocket around him as the dirt flowed and covered where he was. ¡°You should keep it up for another 10 minutes at least.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You don''t know how long that High Elf woman can hold her breath.¡± Ren nodded slightly and stayed where he was. Surprisingly, with him and the staff completely underground, he could actually feel the ''current'' of the dirt as it moved. The best thing was, the dirt had disabled the Lightning trap, and he was no longer held captive. That''s both scary and cool. Ren thought and kept the dirt flowing for 15 minutes more, just in case. Once that self-imposed time limit was done, he received a popup.
Stat Change!
Knowledge Of Earth Level 1 (Intermediate 0%) - Earth affinity and resistance increased to 25%
¡°Thank you for accepting my apology.¡± Ren said to the Earth, then stored his shield and used the disguise wand again. He stored it, put the Staff of Earth Moving in his other hand, and took out his mining pick. He took his time and moved carefully, and dug his away across the space to where the High Elf woman was. Ren dug out the packed in dirt and exposed her face. The dirt was in her eyes, nose and mouth, and from what he could tell, there was no life in the body. I guess I didn''t need to disguise myself. Ren thought and looted her body, and gained a High Elf bracelet, several platinum coins, and three shadow markers. The dirt filled in the spot where her body was, and Ren turned towards where he knew the bodies of the dwarves that had attacked him rested. He found them quickly, looted them, and only found 5 more shadow markers. Then he found the body of the dwarf that ran the Thieves Guild. When Ren looted it, he found a pile of platinum coins, an unidentified ring, and surprisingly, another small wooden box. Inside it were 15 shadow markers; but there was space for 30. Thank the gods. Ren thought and took out the one he had looted from Lord Lodur. When he opened both boxes and compared them, the shadow markers in one would fit in the empty spaces in the other. They were transferring them back and forth to each other. He thought and shook his head. Just think, one of the richest dwarves that ran pretty much everything, was also responsible for stealing everything, too. Ren stored everything he''d found and started to dig up at an angle. Let''s get out of here, Teepo. Ren thought to his friend. I''ve got some Adventurer''s business to take care of. ¡°What about the rest of them?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°There''s probably a lot of dwarves trapped inside. They could dig out, just like you are.¡± Dammit. Ren thought, and changed the direction he dug. You''re right. I can''t leave them alive after saying I''d kill them. ¡°The closest spot anyone could be in, is right over there about 30 feet.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''ve got the staff to hold the dirt back, so dig faster.¡± I''m only using one arm! Ren said to defend his slow progress. ¡°That''s no excuse!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Swing faster!¡± Ren shook his head and did as Teepo said. Chapter 283 - Cleaning Up Ren dug his way over to the spot Teepo indicated, and exposed a foot wide spot in the wall. If anyone''s inside, they''re going to hear this. Ren thought, and dug one of the bricks out. ¡°We''re saved!¡± A male voice said. ¡°We can''t get out through the door! Help us!¡± Teepo. Teepo flew into the room, saw the contents, and flew back out. ¡°There''s three male dwarves in there, and it looks like an armory.¡± They were either guarding it, or were handing items out. Ren thought and touched the Staff of Earth Moving to the wall. He opened a passage for the dirt to go in, and it quickly filled the room. The dwarves didn''t even have time to yell before they were buried. Ren went inside and examined several items, but they were all of medium to low quality, and weren''t worth taking up the inventory slots to store. Where''s the next spot? Ren asked his friend. ¡°The next room.¡± Teepo said. ¡°About 10 feet to the left.¡± For the next half an hour, they checked every room that they could get access to. Ren was tempted to go inside and search that way, but then he''d have to fight anyone he met. It was much easier to let the dirt do the dirty work, because that''s what it was; dirty work to finish cleaning up the thieves. ¡°I think we hit pay dirt.¡± Teepo said when he entered the latest room, then chittered in laughter. ¡°Sorry, that was a bad pun.¡± It''s hard not to laugh at this. Ren thought. We''re flooding a mostly buried castle with dirt, and looting what we can. Teepo flew back out to Ren and landed on his shoulder. ¡°It looks like a high class room and no one is inside.¡± Ren dug out a space big enough to fit through, then stepped inside. ¡°You''re right, Teepo.¡± He said and walked over the angled floor. ¡°This looks like a room a king could stay in.¡± Nearly everything was covered in gold, but it was also all tumbled to the side of the room. ¡°All of the rooms are like this.¡± Ren said and activated Enchanted Eyes. ¡°I sure made a mess of the place.¡± ¡°Only on the inside and outside.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren smiled and noticed a spot on the wall that glowed. He walked part-way to it, then activated Decipher and Read Rune. He couldn''t see anything, but it still glowed. ¡°What do you think it is?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''d say a secret stash.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m thinking this is the head of the Thieves Guild''s personal quarters.¡± Ren thought about what to do. ¡°I can''t approach it too closely, in case it''s a trap; and I can''t deactivate it, in case it needs the enchantment to keep it intact.¡± ¡°Try making a passage in the wall.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°I could, but... it makes a huge opening. If it opens up to the outside, it''ll bury anything that''s inside.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hm. I wonder...¡± Ren stored his mining pick and took out another Level 2 Web wand and absorbed the charges, then filled it with the Knock spell. He examined the wand with Identify and read the popup.
Wand Of Entering
A Knock spell opens stuck, barred, locked, held, or arcane locked doors. It opens secret doors, as well as locked or trick-opening boxes or chests. It also loosens welds, shackles, or chains (provided they serve to hold closures shut). If used to open an arcane locked door, the spell does not remove the arcane lock but simply suspends its function for 10 minutes. In all other cases, the door does not lock itself afterwards or become stuck again on its own. Limitations: Knock does not raise barred gates or similar impediments (such as a portcullis), nor does it affect ropes, vines, etc. Range: Within 100 feet (Medium). Target: One door, large box, or a medium-sized chest. (Level 2)
¡°Perfect.¡± Ren said and pointed the wand at the glowing spot on the wall, and used the spell. There was a knocking sound, then a door-sized piece of the wall pushed back and moved aside. ¡°Ahhh! Nooo!¡± A woman''s voice screamed, and several gold plates flew out through the opening. ¡°Stay away!¡± Ren switched his Command Aura to his Camaraderie Aura, and Teepo flew into the room. ¡°Ren you aren''t going to believe this.¡± Teepo said. Let me guess. Ren sighed. He had several personal maids. ¡°Okay, maybe you are going to believe it.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I''m not that idiot!¡± Ren hollered into the room, and the barrage of plates stopped. ¡°Wh-what?¡± The woman''s voice said. ¡°I don''t recognize your voice. Who''s speaking?¡± ¡°I''m the man that killed the head of the Thieves Guild.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m coming to the entrance of the room. Is that okay?¡± He could hear furious whispering, even from this far away. ¡°Yes, but be warned! If you try anything, we have weapons!¡± ¡°They have a few more plates, and handfuls of silverware.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Even if you weren''t wearing your armor, they couldn''t hurt you.¡± Thanks, buddy. Ren walked slowly over to the secret door and peeked inside. He saw the place was just as messed up as everything else was; but, at least the room was much smaller than anything else he''d seen up to this point. The things inside didn''t have far to fall when the castle had tilted into the dirt and was buried. There were 5 female dwarves inside, and there were a few visible injuries on them. ¡°I''m coming in!¡± Ren said, and stored his shield, the staff, and the Knock wand. He was tempted to store his armor as well, but changed his mind because he didn''t want the women to think that he went there and fought the Thieves Guild in only his clothing. He also took out one of the swords he''d looted to hold in his hand, so they would see he had a weapon. He stepped inside, and the women all gasped when they saw it really was someone that wasn''t the head of the Thieves Guild or one of his personal guards. ¡°I''m putting the weapon away.¡± Ren said and stored the sword and held both bare hands up. All of the women relaxed visibly, and a few of them sighed; and one even started to cry in relief. ¡°Is everyone all right?¡± He asked and walked into the room. ¡°How are you doing that?¡± One of the women asked. ¡°We can''t even stand up properly, and you''re walking on the floor like it''s not tilted over at all!¡± ¡°It''s a Wondrous Item that I own.¡± Ren said. ¡°It lets me walk on walls.¡± ¡°Throgg would have killed for something like that!¡± She said, and another woman laughed. ¡°He killed whenever he wanted, and didn''t need a reason.¡± ¡°He paid well for companionship, though.¡± Another woman said, then shivered. ¡°I''m really glad I never had to actually go through with anything besides hugs and kisses.¡± ¡°Lucky you.¡± The first woman said. ¡°I got here before his obsession with money took over everything.¡± ¡°It wasn''t that bad.¡± The other woman said. ¡°He was a lot better than my trainer.¡± She said. ¡°That idiot barely showed me what to do, finished, and threw me out of the room.¡± ¡°You, too?¡± Another woman said. ¡°I thought it was just me!¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Quick poll! Who had a horrible first experience with their trainer?¡± Four of the female dwarves raised their hands, and they looked at the fifth. ¡°He was sweet and treated me like a Lady.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve never met anyone else like him.¡± Ren stood there and felt surprise as he listened to the women talk like they were sitting around a table and gossiping, and not buried underground with injuries and sitting in the corner of a room on top of debris. ¡°I always knew that women were amazing.¡± Ren said. The female dwarves stopped talking and turned to look at him. ¡°Excuse me?¡± One of them said. ¡°You were in a locked room, tumbled around and buried underground, and some of you got hurt. Now, you''re sitting on top of what''s left of the things in this room, and are talking like you''re meeting over tea or something.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s pretty amazing.¡± Several of them stared with wide eyes at Ren, and the one that had cried in relief when she saw him, actually blushed because they all knew he was telling the truth. ¡°May I approach you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I have some healing experience.¡± The women looked at each other and leaned in close. They talked pretty fast, and then they all nodded. ¡°If you give your word you''ll get us out of here.¡± Ren looked at the 5 female dwarves. ¡°I assume you all came here of your own free will?¡± They all nodded. ¡°Did any of you help in the kidnapping of the girls?¡± ¡°What girls?¡± One of the women asked. ¡°The Thieves Guild had 7 girls, all various ages, kept in the dungeon here.¡± Ren said, and he saw the shock on their faces. ¡°Oh, no!¡± One of them said. ¡°You don''t think...¡± She looked at the first woman. ¡°Is that why he lost interest in us?¡± The first woman laughed. ¡°No, it''s like I said. He''s obsessed with money. He lost the desire for sex years ago.¡± ¡°Thank the gods.¡± The other woman said, and looked at Ren. ¡°We''ve been required to stay in here since we signed our contracts.¡± She said. ¡°It was Throgg''s first order to us.¡± The other 4 female dwarves nodded slightly. ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said, and walked over to them. ¡°I give my word that I''ll take you out of here.¡± The female dwarves nodded and Ren knelt by the first one. ¡°Where does it hurt?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°My arm.¡± She said, and Ren carefully examined it. From his experience with the injuries he treated on the giants, and his own injury in real life, he knew the elbow was dislocated. He took out a Major Healing wand, used a single spell, then stored it again. ¡°How''s that?¡± Ren asked her, and she flexed her arm. ¡°It... it''s fine.¡± She said, surprised. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Are you hurt anywhere else?¡± ¡°I... I''m not sure.¡± She said. ¡°It''s hard to tell after a while.¡± Ren smiled at her and nodded slightly. ¡°I understand.¡± He said. ¡°May I give you a full examination?¡± The female dwarf blinked her eyes a few times at him. ¡°You... want me to take my clothes off?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t think we have to go quite that far.¡± He said. ¡°But I am going to have to touch you extensively to make sure you aren''t bruised or hurt anywhere else.¡± ¡°Um... I think you should check the others for their obvious injuries first.¡± Ren looked at the woman next to her. She had a grip on her leg, and it looked like her ankle might be broken. ¡°I think that''s a good idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please excuse me for a few minutes.¡± He went to the woman holding her leg, and asked her for permission to touch her. She gave it gratefully, and Ren very carefully used his hands to feel around and find the parts that were damaged. ¡°Okay, I''m sure your ankle is broken, and you''ve got a deep bruise on your thigh.¡± He said as he pulled his hands out from under her dress. ¡°It was that stupid chest!¡± She said, and pointed to a large iron and wood chest that sat at an odd angle a few feet away. ¡°The damn thing rolled right over me.¡± Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± He said and took out the Major Healing wand. ¡°I''ll fix it right away.¡± He used a charge on her ankle, and then lifted her dress just enough to heal the bruise on her thigh. ¡°I''ll be back to check you thoroughly.¡± She nodded slightly, and Ren checked the next woman. She had a bruise on her back that covered more than half of it. ¡°You''re lucky it''s just a bruise.¡± Ren said, and healed it. ¡°If what you hit had been a few inches to the right...¡± The female dwarf sighed. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°I was having a hard time breathing because it hurt so much.¡± ¡°Is that all of the major injuries?¡± Ren asked them, and they nodded slightly. He went over to the first one he examined. ¡°This should only take a minute or two.¡± He said. ¡°I learned this from a good healer.¡± The female dwarf stayed as still as she could manage as Ren gave her a physical examination with her clothes still on. He was true to his word and checked her as completely as he could; but, didn''t find anything else wrong. ¡°It seems you''re fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for letting me examine you.¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± She said, her face a little red. ¡°I haven''t had a man touch me like that in... well, I''ve never had a man touch me like that.¡± She admitted. ¡°I''m tempted to fake something just so you''ll examine me again.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Sorry, Ma''am. Only once per customer.¡± He said and looked at the next woman. Her face was slightly red as well, and he saw that she hadn''t bothered to pull her dress back down from before. He gave her a full examination, and he could tell she was gritting her teeth to stop from moaning in pleasure. I guess they''re pretty starved for attention. Ren thought and then he found a bruise on her upper arm. He healed it and leaned back. ¡°All done.¡± He said, and went to the next woman. When he asked her for permission to touch her, she responded in a slightly unexpected way. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± She said. ¡°Please touch me.¡± ¡°I''m just examining you for injuries.¡± Ren said. ¡°This isn''t...¡± ¡°I don''t care.¡± She said and took his hand. ¡°Make sure you pay extra attention to my chest.¡± She laid back and pushed her chest up into the air. ¡°I have a lot of tension built up there, and the muscles feel like they''re too tight.¡± She smiled. ¡°Please help me by massaging them.¡± Ren gave her an examination, and he did find that she had tension in her chest muscles. He massaged them like she asked, and she didn''t even bother trying to hide her moans of pleasure. He shook his head as three of the other dwarf women laid back and wanted him to relieve their tension as well. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and looked at the only one that he hadn''t examined at all. ¡°I only have one of you left to examine.¡± The female dwarf shook her head and tried to back away. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Despite how the others are reacting, I really am only examining for injuries.¡± ¡°It''s... it''s not that.¡± She said. ¡°I... I''m really turned on right now.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''m afraid that if you touch me, I''ll...¡± She blushed. ¡°You don''t even know me.¡± Ren said. ¡°How can you want to...¡± ¡°You came in here, rescued those girls, killed the whole guild, and now you''re healing personal maids after sinking the castle into the ground.¡± She shuddered. ¡°I want you so bad right now!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said and noticed her hand. She had been hiding it up until now, but he could clearly see that her wrist was broken. He slowly walked over to her and knelt. ¡°Ma''am, I''m sorry you feel that way.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t intend to cause you such distress.¡± ¡°Distress!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°I want to tear your clothes off and have my way with you, right here in this... this... tomb!¡± ¡°Can you fight the feeling off for a little bit longer?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I need to heal your hand.¡± She looked down at her dangling hand, and tucked it back into her clothing. ¡°It''s nothing.¡± She said, but he could see how much pain that little movement had caused her. ¡°Ma''am, please.¡± Ren pleaded. ¡°I''ll only touch your hand, and possibly your wrist.¡± ¡°No, even that... I''ll...¡± She shook her head. ¡°Do you know how hard it is for me to not throw myself at you?¡± ¡°It''s one of the things I don''t quite understand about dwarf culture.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m apparently a good mate because I prove how strong I am.¡± He shook his head. ¡°It doesn''t matter if I''m good or bad, rich or poor, or anything else like that.¡± ¡°Right.¡± She said. ¡°Everything like that can be earned and doesn''t matter.¡± She smiled. ¡°All that really matters is the potential for your children to be even more powerful than you.¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her. ¡°Wait... that''s the imperative for females to judge a male''s worthiness?¡± She nodded. ¡°The reason I signed a contract with Throgg was the chance, the very slim chance, that he would want children.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said, and thought about all of the reactions of the female dwarves since he came to the Dwarven Kingdom. ¡°Well, I guess that does explain a lot of what''s happened to me.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Thank you for explaining it to me.¡± ¡°You''re not angry?¡± She asked. ¡°When people find out that we only think of men as sexual objects that can give us children, they usually freak out, yell at us, or run away.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I try not to judge people for what they feel.¡± He said. ¡°Has talking to me eased your lust a little?¡± ¡°By the gods, no.¡± She said and grinned. ¡°I want you to pound me so hard that our grandchildren will be born with headaches.¡± She laughed. ¡°I am a lot calmer, though.¡± Ren grinned back at her. ¡°I think that''s the weirdest request for sex I''ve ever heard.¡± He said. ¡°Would you be upset if I politely decline?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She said, and winked at him. ¡°But it''s understandable. We''re buried underground and aren''t alone right now.¡± ¡°It''s not that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got too many women to take care of properly as it is. I don''t have the time to spare, or the room in my life, to have yet another one thrown into the mix.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± One of the other female dwarves said. ¡°Are you saying you''d have sex with her if you didn''t have someone else?¡± ¡°No, I''m saying I can''t even consider the possibility, because I''m having a hard enough time with the women I have now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I honestly can''t start seeing another woman.¡± ¡°Why couldn''t we have met you first?¡± The female dwarf with the broken wrist said, and held her hand out for him. ¡°I''m sure I can suffer through your touch now.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s bad enough you''re suffering physical pain because of me, but I don''t want you to suffer emotional pain as well.¡± ¡°Yes, I definitely regret not meeting you first.¡± She smiled sweetly at him. ¡°Please heal me.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and carefully examined her hand and wrist. When he gently probed her lower arm, he found where the break was. He had to use two Major Healing spells, but her wrist and arm were healed in no time, and he let her hand go. ¡°Let''s get you out of here.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°You aren''t going to loot the place?¡± One of them asked. ¡°What for?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The things in here are worth hundreds of platinum coins.¡± She said and pointed to the chest that had hurt one of the other female dwarves. ¡°That chest alone is worth 15 platinum.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I don''t need the money.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± The female dwarves yelled. It echoed loudly from the bare walls. ¡°Come on, let''s go.¡± Ren said and helped the closest female dwarf stand up. ¡°I need to get home.¡± The first female dwarf shook her head. ¡°We can''t leave.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°We were ordered to stay in this room, and we haven''t been able to leave since.¡± ¡°But he''s dead now.¡± Ren said. ¡°He never rescinded the order.¡± She said. ¡°Until you find the contracts, we''re not going anywhere.¡± Ren looked at her, then at the piles of things they sat on. ¡°They should be in here somewhere.¡± She said and pat the cabinet she sat on. ¡°Start looking.¡± ¡°I have a better idea.¡± Ren said and helped her stand up, reached down and touched the cabinet, then stored it. ¡°I''ll clean up the place first, then look.¡± The other female dwarves stood up and watched as Ren walked around and stored everything, then marvelled as his pace didn''t slow down or falter, despite having to carry so many things. Chapter 284 - Another Surprising Discovery As the pile of things dwindled, the female dwarves had less and less to stand on. After Ren had stored everything, the 5 women were left standing between the wall and the floor because the angle the room was tilted at wouldn''t let them stand on either surface safely. One crouched down and tried to sit, but the rest just braced their feet and leaned on the wall. Ren took out several chairs and braced them against the wall for them to sit on. They thanked him and looked around the now empty room. ¡°Wow.¡± One of them said. ¡°A whole year of my life spent here, and all that''s left is an empty room.¡± One of the women laughed. ¡°I''ve been here 3 years, and I''ve always seen it as empty.¡± She said, and reached a hand out to the other woman. ¡°Except for the great company.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Another said. ¡°With all that stuff gone, you see what really matters.¡± ¡°Each other.¡± ¡°I can''t believe it''s over.¡± One of them said, and a tear came to her eye. ¡°What am I going to do now?¡± ¡°Hey, it''s all right.¡± The last one said, and hugged her. ¡°No matter what, we stick together. We''ll figure something out.¡± Ren had pulled out a desk and started searching through the drawers. ¡°At least you won''t have to worry about money for a while.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± The search of the desk turned up nothing, even with Enchanted Eyes. ¡°Since I already have all of the things from this room stored, why don''t you take them and split the profits?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I told you before, I don''t need the money.¡± ¡°By the gods, you''re crazy!¡± One of them said. ¡°No one in their right minds would buy all the things that were in here!¡± ¡°Throgg wasn''t in his right mind when he bought them the first time.¡± One of them laughed. ¡°Everything was custom made and covered in gold.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I''m a business owner. I can sell the items at a 10% loss and give you the money for it.¡± He said. ¡°Watch.¡± Ren selected the desk and chose ''sell back to the system''. He received 3 platinum for the custom made gold covered desk, and handed the money to the closest female dwarf. She stared at the money like it was a snake that was trying to bite her. ¡°You... you...¡± Ren took out the cabinet next and opened it. It was full of clothes, and he searched through it. There were no hidden compartments or enchanted spaces. ¡°Don''t sell it!¡± One of them said. Ren chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry, I wasn''t going to.¡± He said. ¡°I assumed it had your clothes in it, and I wouldn''t sell it unless you wanted me to.¡± She sighed in relief. ¡°Yes, we''d only have the clothes on our bodies if you sold all the cabinets.¡± Ren stored it and took out a dresser. He searched through that as well, but found nothing. This was repeated several times until he came across the iron and wood chest and took it out of inventory. The entire thing glowed, and the lock on the chest glowed, too. ¡°This looks promising.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stop!¡± One of the female dwarves said. ¡°You shouldn''t try to open that.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s a trap.¡± She said. ¡°It drains your Health and Mana until they''re empty.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°You saw it working, didn''t you?¡± She nodded. ¡°It was our first day.¡± She said. ¡°My friend and I had signed the contracts at the same time, and Throgg had ordered us to put our clothes away. My friend thought it was a normal chest and tried to open it.¡± She sighed. ¡°After a few moments, she collapsed to the floor and died.¡± ¡°That''s why there''s also a lock on it now.¡± One of the other women said as she hugged the other. ¡°Throgg didn''t want to pay another monetary penalty to someone''s family for having their family member die under contract.¡± ¡°That''s also why we were ordered to stay in this room.¡± Another one said. ¡°To protect us.¡± ¡°He was such an idiot.¡± Ren said, as he thought about using the Knock spell on the chest. ¡°He should have ordered you not to touch something so dangerous.¡± He said and took out the wand. ¡°That was one of the first orders I gave to my own personal maid.¡± All of the female dwarves stared at him with open mouths at Ren''s admission, then watched as he took out a wand and shot the lock on the chest. It stopped glowing and popped open. He removed the lock from the chest and used the Knock spell again. There was a loud click, and the chest popped open. ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren whispered. Inside the chest was a stack of parchment almost 6 inches thick. That wasn''t what had surprised him, however; it was the 12 small wooden boxes beside the stack that looked identical to the one he had looted from the head of the Thieves Guild''s body. Ren picked one up and opened it. He wasn''t surprised to see the three rows of 15 shadow markers. With 12 boxes, that meant there was 540 shadow markers in total... with a value of 54,000 platinum. ¡°Oh, those horrible things!¡± One of the female dwarves said. ¡°He was always counting them and making sure none were ever missing.¡± She laughed. ¡°Like we''d ever touch things like that.¡± ¡°He''s been collecting them forever.¡± Another one said. ¡°It bothered me to know the only way to get them was to be hired for a...¡± She looked at Ren, and blushed a deep red. ¡°He did a lot of bad things.¡± Ren nodded to her, and she gasped from the Honor gain. ¡°It''s okay. I know all about the shadow markers.¡± He said. ¡°Any time I come across one as loot, or someone who found one as loot, I buy it from them.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± ¡°I don''t want them floating around.¡± Ren said to her. ¡°Like you said, the only way to get them is if you do something bad. Either by doing a bad thing for someone, or by killing someone that was hired to do something bad.¡± He explained. ¡°I''ve made it a standard practice to offer 30 gold coins for them, as if they''d found a special pair of boots and sold them for the value.¡± ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± One of the female dwarves said, and Ren looked over at her. It was the one that had the broken wrist and wanted to have sex with him. She had her eyes closed and he could see her arm moving; but he couldn''t tell where her hand was because it was tucked into her clothing. He could make an educated guess, though. Ren smiled and looked back at the chest. He stored the 12 boxes of shadow markers, and they joined the stack in his inventory with the other two, then he started to flip through the stack of parchment papers. This is taking too long. Ren thought, and stored the stack. His inventory sorted the sheets into smaller stacks. One was business contracts when he checked them, another was a list of contacts. I''ll look through that one later. He thought, and checked the next small stack. It was a stack of property deeds, and he noticed that each of them had a payment amount on them for taxes. He was milking the taxes from the people, then shorted the government by making smaller payments. Ren shook his head as he stored the stack of property deeds and took out the last stack. There were 15 personal contracts, and he flipped through them. He didn''t know which ones were for personal maids, or what the other ones were for. ¡°I found the contracts.¡± Ren said and held them out. ¡°There''s 15 of them, though.¡± He said. ¡°I''m not going to ask you your names...¡± ¡°Aww.¡± One of them said, and they all laughed. ¡°What I am going to do, is read out the name on the contract. If you hear your name, let me know.¡± Ren said, and looked at the first contract. He started to read the names, and as he progressed through them, each of the female dwarves let him know which one was them and he handed them their contract. The second last name he spoke was the fifth woman''s name, and he handed it to her. All 5 of the female dwarves stared at him with wide eyes when he finished. ¡°I don''t know what these other contracts are for, so I have to keep them for now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll head to the Hall of Records later to see who they are, and what the contracts are for.¡± The women didn''t speak at all, and Ren looked at each of them. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked them. ¡°You... you just... you''re giving us our contracts?¡± One of them said, and then started to cry. ¡°You''re letting us go?¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± Ren said and stored the other contracts. ¡°You''ve been under contract long enough, I think.¡± The women exchanged glances and then looked at the piece of parchment they held. ¡°On three!¡± One of them said. ¡°One!¡± They all gripped their contracts to tear them up. ¡°Two!¡± Each of them smiled.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Three!¡± They all tore their contracts in half, then in half again, and tossed the pieces of parchment into the air. As the pieces started to fall, they disappeared; and 3 of the women were quite happy. The last two were quite sad that this part of their lives was over. Just as the last piece of parchment disappeared, Ren received a popup.
Warning!
You have allowed people under contract to you to destroy your legal property. You have been fined: 25 gold, plus 1 gold each to replace the contracts. Total: 30 gold Due to the nature of these contracts, any kind of damage, destruction, or subversion of it''s clauses will cause fines to be applied as appropriate to the situation. This is your first warning.
¡°Ah, dammit.¡± Ren said, as the contracts reappeared in his hands. ¡°What''s wrong... oh.¡± One of them said. ¡°It didn''t work.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± One of the sad women exclaimed, then put her hands over her mouth. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± The other sad one said, and smiled. ¡°I''m glad it didn''t work, too.¡± Ren stored the 5 personal maid contracts into a separate slot in his inventory, looked up at the ceiling, and spread his arms out wide. ¡°What part of ''I can''t have another woman in my life'' didn''t you understand?¡± There were several girlish laughs in response, and Ren looked at them. ¡°Despite what I''ve said, and wanting you free...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°...I''ve apparently taken over your contracts.¡± ¡°Well, it could have been worse.¡± One of them said. ¡°You could have left us here to starve to death.¡± ¡°That''s a pleasant thought.¡± Another one said and laughed. ¡°Or killed us and left.¡± ¡°Please, no more speculation about what I might have done if I was a merciless monster.¡± Ren said, and looked back at the chest. ¡°It''s bad enough that I''ve been making sure all of the thieves are dead.¡± He said and felt the bottom of the chest. ¡°I gave my word that I would kill them all, but I don''t have to like it.¡± The bottom of the chest was soft, unlike the sides, and Ren used Iron Grip to grab it and pulled. The cloth lining tore, and underneath was lined with rows upon rows of platinum coins. ¡°I won''t have any problems keeping you clothed and fed.¡± Ren said and stored the chest to empty it later. ¡°Where have you gone so far?¡± One of them asked. Ren told her all the rooms he''d checked, and that this was the last one on his way to the surface. She nodded slightly. ¡°You''re right. This would be the last spot to check.¡± She said. ¡°We''re on the far left side of the castle, so the way out should be...¡± She looked around. ¡°Dammit, I can''t tell at this angle.¡± Which way, Teepo? Ren asked his friend. ¡°It''s to the left.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Up at the far end of the room.¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure it''s that way.¡± Ren said, and pointed to the wall Teepo had told him to use as the exit. ¡°We can''t get up there on our own.¡± She said. ¡°Are you going to carry us?¡± Ren looked at the steep angle and how far away the wall was. ¡°I could carry two of you at a time, but I need a hand free for my staff when I get there.¡± ¡°You''re really going to carry us?¡± One of them asked, surprised. ¡°I was kind of joking.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I could probably run a rope down for you to either climb or hold on to while I pull you up; but, I don''t have any rope on me.¡± He smiled. ¡°I keep forgetting to buy some.¡± ¡°What kind of an Adventurer doesn''t have rope on him at all times?¡± ¡°A really busy one that used up his rope.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°So, who wants to be first?¡± ¡°ME!¡± One of them said and hopped up to stand on her chair. It was the one that had moaned in pleasure as he massaged her chest. ¡°I figured you''d want to go first.¡± Ren said as he walked over to her. He picked her up in a ''princess carry'', with an arm under her knees and one under her back, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°You''re so strong.¡± She said to him. Ren ignored her attempt at flirting and turned towards the wall. Rather than walk directly towards the spot opposite the women, he went over to the far corner instead. ¡°Ah!¡± The female dwarf nearly screamed when he shifted his hold on her as he stood by the wall. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said, and stood her up in front of him. She had to lay on him while he took out the Staff of Earth Moving, and he turned to the other women. ¡°Some dirt is going to come in, so don''t panic, okay? I''ll have it moved away from the hole in a few moments.¡± The women waved to him, and he touched the staff to the wall. A 7 foot tall by 6 foot wide opening appeared in the wall, and dirt started to cascade around him. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± The female dwarf screamed and covered her head. ¡°It''s not hitting us.¡± Ren said. ¡°The staff prevents it.¡± She uncovered her head and looked around to see that she wasn''t being covered in dirt. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°I can see the surface.¡± Ren said, and used the Move Earth spell. The dirt stopped trying to get in the hole, and he packed it in around the opening, and made a nice slope to get out. He wrapped an arm around the female dwarf to hold her, then started to walk again. Teepo. Ren thought, and Teepo flew out through the dirt tunnel. ¡°All clear.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s no one up here.¡± The female dwarf held on tightly as Ren carried her from the room and she saw the dirt around them. The tunnel was only about 10 feet deep, and then they were on the surface. ¡°What a relief!¡± She said when Ren put her down. ¡°I haven''t seen the outside in over a year!¡± ¡°Please wait here. I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said to her, then walked back into the tunnel. Teepo, keep watch. ¡°You got it.¡± Teepo said and flew a little higher to keep a good lookout. Ren walked back into the tunnel and picked up the next female dwarf. Since he already had the staff in his hands, he could carry her in the princess carry the whole way. He deposited her outside next to the first one, then went back in to get the others. * ¡°I guess I was too eager.¡± The first one said and chuckled. ¡°He had to change grips when he carried me, so I only had half of a fantasy ride.¡± The second one laughed. ¡°He''s not even breathing hard, and he''s still carrying all of the furniture and things from the room!¡± ¡°I know.¡± The first one said. ¡°The more I''m around him, the less clothes I want to wear.¡± Ren came out of the tunnel and dropped off the next woman, then went back for the next. ¡°His grip never faltered.¡± The third one said and sighed. ¡°He was both firm and gentle as he held me.¡± ¡°What are we going to do?¡± The first one asked. ¡°There''s nothing we can do. He owns our contracts now.¡± ¡°Not about leaving, about getting him to sleep with us.¡± ¡°I think just being a little forceful will...¡± She stopped talking when her friend waved her quiet. Ren came out of the tunnel, and dropped off the fourth female dwarf. She waited for him to go back into the tunnel before she spoke. ¡°Can you imagine how strong his children will be?¡± The fourth one said and put a hand on her belly. ¡°I can almost feel it kicking already.¡± The other three laughed. ¡°Keep dreaming.¡± One of them said. ¡°You heard him. He doesn''t have time to see another woman.¡± ¡°Who cares about that?¡± The fourth one said. ¡°I just want sex.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°I am so horny right now...¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± * ¡°You''ve got to listen to these women talk, Ren.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°It''s hilarious.¡± Ren smiled as he walked up the angled floor to the tunnel. I am listening. I can hear them just fine. He thought in amusement. I''m a little surprised they aren''t discussing it right in front of me, though. ¡°Do you want them to talk right in front of you about their plans to seduce you?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°How would they surprise you if you knew?¡± Ren brought the last female dwarf out into the fresh air, and stood her next to her friends. I''m pretty sure their seduction attempts will consist of less clothing and lots of groping. He thought to his friend. They haven''t even been outside in a year. ¡°When was the last time you had something to eat?¡± Ren asked them. ¡°Not since yesterday.¡± One of them said. ¡°It was strict rations of one meal a day.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I don''t know how people can be so stupid as to mistreat people in their care.¡± He said and took out a table. He fixed the broken leg, since it was part of the furniture of the room and was damaged when the place was wrecked. He took out the chairs he had stored from inside and placed them around the table, then took out his icebox. ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± Ren said and took out an end table. He enchanted a glyph of Fire and Wind runes on it''s gold surface, and opened the icebox. He took out a plate of food and held it over the enchantment on the end table. He used his Fire Manipulation ability to warm the food and looked at the table. ¡°Um, is there a set order that you eat from?¡± Ren asked them. ¡°Who gets served first? Is it seniority based or what?¡± ¡°We''re just women.¡± One of them said. ¡°We don''t belong to a House or anything.¡± ¡°You can serve whoever you like.¡± Another one said and smiled slyly. Ren shook his head. ¡°That was a loaded statement if I''ve ever heard one.¡± He said. ¡°How about I pass the plates to whoever is closest, and you can distribute the food yourselves.¡± ¡°You''re hard to trick.¡± One of them said. ¡°Now I want you even more.¡± Ren chuckled and passed the plate of food to the closest female dwarf, and she handed it down the table. He warmed up 4 more plates, deactivated the enchantment, then stored the icebox and end table. ¡°You''re not joining us?¡± One of them asked, surprised. ¡°I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have a couple of very important calls to make.¡± ¡°Calls?¡± The female dwarves exchanged glances. ¡°There''s no one around to call to.¡± They must think I''m crazy. Ren chuckled and took out the steel square connected to the one he gave the dwarf that had helped him with the rescue. ¡°Hi, there. This Sending Square works a lot better than a Sending Stone.¡± Ren said, and the female dwarves gasped. * Ren''s voice came out of the dwarf''s pocket, and everyone froze. The dwarf scrambled to take it out, and dropped it. Princess brayed loudly at him for being so careless. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He said to her, and picked up the Sending Square. ¡°Is anyone there?¡± Ren said. ¡°You can talk multiple times with these things, by the way.¡± The dwarf was reminded of what was happening and stared at the Sending Square. ¡°You''re alive!¡± ¡°You shouldn''t sound so surprised.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The rumours of my untimely demise have been greatly exaggerated.¡± ¡°But... but I saw... we all saw you get buried.¡± ¡°Oh, I was.¡± Ren said. ¡°It just took me a while to dig out.¡± He said. ¡°How''s Princess?¡± ¡°She''s fine.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°She''s not even tired, and we''ve been walking for miles.¡± He said. ¡°I''m exhausted, though.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m sorry to have worried you, Princess.¡± He said. ¡°Thank you for saving the girls.¡± Princess brayed and huffed a few times. ¡°I think she''s saying she''s going to kick your butt for sending her away.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°She looks pretty mad.¡± ¡°I''ll make it up to you, somehow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not sure how right now, but I''ll think of something.¡± Princess huffed. ¡°She says okay.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°Do you want us to come back?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°That would both waste time and make you and the girls go twice as far as you have to.¡± He said. ¡°Where are you taking them?¡± ¡°My place.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°It''s not much further from where we are now.¡± ¡°Do you have a cart at your place?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then when you get there, unhook the small one from Princess, and attach yours.¡± Ren said. ¡°Princess can come back to get me and a few passengers after that.¡± ¡°Passengers?¡± The dwarf asked. ¡°Didn''t you kill them all?¡± ¡°I removed all of the guild members that were here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just found some other people that were being held.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s great!¡± The dwarf said. ¡°A double rescue!¡± ¡°It''s still technically the same rescue.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll pop over on my way home.¡± ¡°See you in a little while.¡± The dwarf said, and the Sending Stone stopped glowing. ¡°Did you hear that, girls? He''s fine!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The girls said, even though some of them had tears in their eyes. ¡°Let''s get you to my place quickly, so we can send Princess back for him.¡± * Ren tucked the Sending Square away, and saw the female dwarves weren''t eating the food he had warmed up for them. ¡°Eat, eat!¡± Ren said, and waved to the plates. ¡°I''ve got another call to make.¡± He said and walked away about 30 feet. He looked down at his hand at the Sending Ring. What am I going to tell her? Ren thought. ¡°The truth.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She''ll understand.¡± Ren glanced back at the table to see the 5 female dwarves as they sat around it. I hope so. He thought, then concentrated on Nathalia to make the Sending Ring glow. I certainly hope so. * The female dwarves all leaned in close over the table. ¡°He has a repeating Sending Stone!¡± One of them whispered. ¡°That''s worth a fortune!¡± ¡°He''s also an Enchanter.¡± One of them said. ¡°I wonder what else he can do?¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± One of them said, and started to eat. ¡°Do we really need any more reasons to stay with him?¡± ¡°You don''t think he''ll try and give us away or anything, do you?¡± The last one said. ¡°I was so happy that we couldn''t destroy the contracts.¡± ¡°I don''t think he can give us, or the contracts, away.¡± The first one said. ¡°I think he''s stuck with us.¡± ¡°And we''re stuck with him.¡± The one eating said. ¡°I''m okay with that, though.¡± She swallowed the food. ¡°This is really good.¡± The other female dwarves tried the food, and couldn''t believe how much better it was than the food they had been fed every day. Chapter 285 - They Are Loot ¡°What do you mean you have 5 more personal maids?¡± Nathalia asked, incredulous. ¡°Ren, what did you do?!?¡± Ren explained about what had happened with the rescue of the girls, how they had gotten away, and what he did when he was captured. ¡°I understand that part.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Tell me about the women.¡± Ren told her about taking care of the rest of the thieves by burying them, and coming across the hidden room. When he opened it, the women had been inside and trapped, and he had healed them and stored the things inside. ¡°That must be when it happened.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Once you took possession of the items in the room...¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t think that storing something I didn''t own, gave me ownership of everything inside.¡± ¡°It wouldn''t normally.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°But you killed the previous owner, then took his things.¡± She explained. ¡°His personal maids are included in that, apparently.¡± ¡°I can''t apologize enough for this.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I even gave them their contracts and they tore them up.¡± ¡°You did WHAT?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I gave each of them their contracts, and they tore them up into little pieces.¡± Ren said. ¡°When they were done, I was fined and charged for the replacements.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You... you have Binding Contracts.¡± ¡°I''ve had binding contracts before.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, that sounds like something different when you say it like that.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It''s something that...¡± She sighed. ¡°...more unscrupulous people put as a condition of the contract. The contracts don''t expire, even if one or both of the participants die; either the holder, or the one under contract.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren said. ¡°They literally signed their lives away.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°What do I do now?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°There''s nothing you can do.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°If the contracts are what I think they are, then you can''t give them away, change the contents, or alter in any way the agreements made.¡± ¡°Dammit.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°I''ll be home soon.¡± He said. ¡°I just have to stop off at the dwarf''s place to pick up the reward for this quest.¡± ¡°You''ve already missed supper, and you''re late for your Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°I''ll deal with it when I can.¡± Ren said. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Nathalia said, and the Sending Ring stopped glowing. She sat down at the kitchen table, and put her head in her hands. ¡°Wow.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Nathalia let out a bark of laughter. ¡°You don''t have to be sorry.¡± She said. ¡°It''s not your fault that 5 more women have been added to Ren''s life.¡± ¡°No, it''s not; but, I know how much spending time with Ren means to you.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I''m sorry that you have to deal with it.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ereka walked around the table and knelt by Nathalia to give her a hug. * That went a lot better than I thought it would. Ren thought. I''m going to keep my promise, though. I''ll spend as much time with Nathalia as I can. ¡°There''s Princess!¡± Teepo said, and Ren smiled as he looked and saw her as she raced down the road towards the spot where the castle used to be. ¡°AHHHHH!¡± Several of the women screamed and jumped to their feet as they noticed Princess as she barrelled down the road towards them. ¡°It''s okay!¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s just my mount coming to pick us up.¡± The women calmed and sat back down to finish eating, and Princess skidded to a stop right in front of Ren. You! *Lick* Scared me! *Lick* Don''t you EVER! *Lick* Do that to me AGAIN! *Lick* Ren laughed as Princess slobbered all over him. He could feel her annoyance at him; but, he could also feel her great relief. ¡°I won''t let a few tons of dirt stop me from getting back to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want something to eat?¡± Yes, please. Ren took out a plate of food for her and let her eat. He stored his armor and bodysuit to clean it, and equipped his set of Travelling Clothes at the same time. The slobber magically disappeared, and he took out the Staff of the Earth. He concentrated on the dirt around the hole that he and the female dwarves had escaped through, and watched as the dirt rippled, slid forward, and entered the hole. It didn''t take much to fill the room, and then he flattened the dirt out to make it look like nothing had ever been there. Ren went around to each spot where remnants of the castle stuck up from the ground, and used the staff to pull dirt over and covered them. Near the entrance of the castle, or where the entrance to the castle used to be, were several almost completely buried bodies. He looted them and they disappeared; and he used the staff to cover up any mess what was left. When he was done, you couldn''t tell that there was anything supposed to be there, except for it being a big clearing. ¡°We''re done eating.¡± One of the women said. They had gathered the dishes into a stack, and Ren gave them scraps of cloth to clean up with. He stored the plates and table, then the chairs when the female dwarves stood up. ¡°Please allow me to help you into the cart.¡± He said to them. ¡°Right this way.¡± The women followed him over to the cart and he introduced them to Princess, then helped them climb into the back. ¡°I''m sorry it''s not plush like my other carts.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s borrowed, and I left most of my crafting supplies back at the Keep.¡± * ¡°Why is he being so nice?¡± One of them whispered when Ren went to the front of the cart to talk to Princess. ¡°He doesn''t have to try and win us over. He knows he already owns us.¡± ¡°I... I don''t think that''s what he''s doing.¡± One of them whispered back. ¡°I think he''s just acting normally.¡± Another one chuckled. ¡°Now I really regret not meeting him first.¡± She said. ¡°I wouldn''t have had to deal with Throgg for the last two years.¡± * ¡°How does the cart feel when you run?¡± Ren asked Princess. It''s old and unbalanced. Princess thought to him. Like the people you just introduced me to. Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll check the cart and see if I can fix it.¡± Princess huffed and Ren checked the cart. It was cheaply made, and the materials weren''t quite up to a standard that should be used for a transport; but, it did technically work. Ren saw one of the wheels was slightly smaller than the other, and there wasn''t really anything that he could do with it. ¡°The right wheel is more worn than the other.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t have anything on me to replace it.¡± Princess huffed sadly, because it had been her idea for Ren to lighten his load for the trip to the giant lands. ¡°I wasn''t complaining.¡± Ren said, then pat her neck as he felt her regret. ¡°I would have done it to lessen the burden on you, anyways.¡± Princess nodded, Ren climbed up into the saddle, and Teepo flew over and landed on his shoulder. ¡°Please take it easy. There''s no real handholds back there.¡± Princess huffed her agreement and started to trot. She felt the balance was still off, but it wasn''t as pronounced with the extra weight in the cart, so she ran faster. The cart started to vibrate as Princess picked up speed, and Ren glanced at the women in the back. They all had smiles on their faces as they were shaken around, and one even laughed. At least they''re enjoying it. Ren thought and faced forward. ¡°I think there''s going to be a lot of things for them to enjoy.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If my calculations are right, none of them even know who you are.¡± Wait, what? Ren asked his friend. ¡°You haven''t been in the dwarf lands for that long.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They''ve been locked up for a year or more.¡± Oh. Ren thought. I wonder if I should tell them about everything that''s been happening? ¡°Don''t bother.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If they want to know, they''ll ask.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Ren smiled. I don''t know if I want to be there to see their reactions or not. ¡°I do!¡± Teepo said. ¡°I definitely want to see their faces when they find out you''re the Dreaded Foe, and that you just saved the entire Dwarven Kingdom from two invasions.¡± He chittered in delight. ¡°From giants!¡± * ¡°Please have this delivered to House Neram.¡± Queen Narhilda Neram said to the messenger, and handed him a rolled up scroll. ¡°Take the fastest cart from the stables.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The messenger said and ran from the office. ¡°What makes you think he''ll even look at it, let alone read the instructions?¡± Barnar Slatebreaker, the Stonemason, asked. ¡°He has to.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I addressed it to both of them, and Nathalia will make him.¡± Barnar chuckled. ¡°Make him? Are you kidding?¡± Narhilda chuckled herself. ¡°I''m joking, of course.¡± She said. ¡°She''ll read it and tell him about it.¡± ¡°Is two days enough time?¡± Narhilda nodded. ¡°If there''s one thing that the staff here can do, it''s throw parties.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± Dural, the Advisor to the Throne, said. ¡°Plus, we haven''t had a reason to celebrate in a long time.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Having the Kingdom saved from an invasion from the giants is definitely a reason to throw a party.¡± * We are almost there. Princess thought to Ren, and slowed down to take a turn onto a side road. She didn''t pick up speed again, and Ren didn''t have to wonder why for long. They approached a driveway to a small house, and he saw the dwarf stood there with all seven girls around him. They waved frantically at him, and Princess came to a stop on the road. Ren hopped down from her saddle, and he braced himself for what was to come. ¡°YAY!¡± The girls yelled as they mobbed him. He laughed as they all tried to hug him at once. They had divided themselves up and had attacked their chosen spots in earnest. Two of the shortest girls had his legs, one slightly taller one had him by the waist, two moderately tall ones had his arms, one had him around the back, and the last one who was also the tallest at 4 feet, snuggled into his chest. Ren could feel a dampness on his shirt, and a soft sob came from the girl in front of him. He looked at the girls that had a hold of his arms. ¡°I need my arms for this.¡± Ren said, and they let him go. He gripped the girl in front of him, and she cried. ¡°Thank you.¡± She whispered. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± ¡°It''s okay now.¡± Ren said and rubbed her back. ¡°You''re safe, and they are never coming for you again.¡± ¡°How... how do you know that?¡± She asked, and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. ¡°I killed every Thieves Guild member that was there.¡± Ren said. ¡°I made sure that no one was left to come and get you.¡± ¡°T-t-thank you!¡± She sobbed, hopped up, and kissed him on the lips. It lasted for only a moment, and Ren had wide eyes as she blushed a deep red and stepped back. He handed her a piece of cloth to dry her face, and she accepted it gracefully. ¡°My turn!¡± One of the other girls said, then wrapped her arms around Ren''s neck. ¡°W-wait!¡± Ren said; but, she pulled herself up and kissed him anyways. ¡°Me, too!¡± ¡°Me next!¡± Ren wasn''t sure how it had happened; but before he knew it, he had received a kiss and a thank you from each of the girls. He''d even knelt for the youngest one to kiss him on the cheek. ¡°I''m just going to say thank you.¡± The dwarf said, then glared at his daughter who stood surrounded by the other girls. ¡°Like someone else should have done.¡± The girl giggled. ¡°But daaaad! He''s so handsome and strong!¡± ¡°All right.¡± The dwarf sighed. ¡°I''ll let it go this time.¡± He said. ¡°But you better not be doing that with anyone else!¡± The other girls giggled, even the young ones, and the dwarf turned back to Ren. ¡°Kids these days.¡± He said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I was given some great advice by a healer once.¡± Ren said. ¡°She told me that sometimes it''s just best to accept things for what they are when they are given, and move on.¡± The dwarf looked at him. ¡°You just took my daughter''s first kiss.¡± The girls giggled again and he turned to them. ¡°It better be your first kiss!¡± He said, and she covered her mouth so he wouldn''t see her laugh. He sighed and looked back at Ren. ¡°Never mind.¡± He said and handed Ren the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Thank you for getting my daughter back.¡±
Quest Complete!
You have successfully rescued your employee''s daughter from her kidnappers. Rewards: All-Seeing Mirror Influence: 3,000 Honor: 1,000
Notice!
You have wiped out the Dwarf Branch of the Thieves Guild, and have looted it''s treasures. You have gained Influence and XP based on the number of members you have killed. Influence: 35,000 (350 members x 100 Influence average) XP: 52,500 (350 members x 150 XP average) Treasures looted: 3 gold cabinets (slightly damaged), 5 gold dressers (slightly damaged), 1 gold table, 2 gold end tables (slightly damaged), 5 gold beds (damaged), 6 gold chairs, 4 expensive paintings, 4 gold candlesticks, 1 iron and gold chest (partially looted), Personal Contracts: 15, Business Contracts: 25, Property Deeds: 15, List of Illicit Contacts: 1, Shadow Coins: 555, Unidentified Ring, 15 swords, 8 crossbows, 3 helms, 6 pairs of gauntlets, 5 pairs of boots, 18 platinum coins, 35 gold coins, 56 silver coins, 3 copper coins
It included the things I looted from the bodies, too. Ren thought. Neat. ¡°I''m glad I could help.¡± Ren said, and shook the dwarf''s hand. ¡°Did you find out where the girls have to go?¡± The dwarf nodded slightly. ¡°I''ve got their addresses here.¡± He handed Ren a piece of parchment. ¡°They''re all on the way back to Dornrach.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and stored his small cart that was behind the dwarf in the driveway, then looked at the girls. ¡°Who wants to go home?¡± ¡°ME!¡± They all said, except for the dwarf''s daughter. ¡°I''m going to miss you all.¡± She said, and started to cry. Ren, unable to handle the sound of crying for very long, had a brilliant idea. He took out 7 Sending Squares and held onto them in one hand. He enchanted them with the Sending Glyph he''d designed, and he lost nearly a thousand points from his Mana Pool. He stepped over to them and held out the Sending Squares. ¡°Please don''t cry.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can still talk to each other if you want.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± They all yelled. ¡°Just think of who you want to talk to, and the rest will glow.¡± Ren said. ¡°When one of you talk, all of you will hear it.¡± He said and looked at the dwarf''s daughter. ¡°Try it.¡± She took one of the Sending Squares and closed her eyes as she gripped the Sending Square, then spoke. ¡°I hope this works!¡± Her voice was repeated 6 times as the rest of the Sending Squares had glowed and relayed her words. All of the girls screamed, grabbed one of the Sending Squares for themselves, and tried to talk. Their words were repeated from each of the other Sending Squares, and they laughed; which was also repeated. ¡°By the GODS!¡± The oldest one exclaimed, completely shocked. ¡°If you keep talking to each other, you can all still be friends.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now let''s get you home.¡± They nodded slightly and Ren led them over to the cart. He helped them get inside, and there was plenty of room this time. They settled in, and Ren climbed up onto Princess'' saddle. ¡°Let''s get them home.¡± Ren said to Princess, and she turned the cart around and ran at a modest pace. She had delicate cargo to take care of now. * ¡°By the gods!¡± Nathalia said as she read the scroll that the messenger had dropped off. ¡°What is it?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°The... the Queen... she...¡± Nathalia handed Ereka the scroll, and she read it for herself. ¡°By the gods!¡± Ereka said. ¡°Is she serious?¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°She''s having a celebration... and Ren is the guest of Honor.¡± * It only took half an hour to get the girls back to their families. When he dropped each one off, the reception was the same; screaming in disbelief at first, then crying, then laughter, and surprise that it was over. Ren had apologized to each family and said that he was sorry for not rescuing them sooner, then quietly asked the parents how much they had paid in ransom. All of them were reluctant to say, until the child was sent into the house at Ren''s suggestion. When they finally told him how much the ransom was, and how long they had paid it for, Ren gave them their money back. Each and every father vehemently denied the need for Ren to pay them for that, and Ren replied that it wasn''t his money he was using; it was the loot from the Thieves Guild. When saying that didn''t work, Ren told them that he was just going to leave the money on the side of the road if they didn''t take it. They all shook their heads at his foolishness; but then, they accepted the money in the end. Ren rode Princess all the way back to House Neram Keep, and had her take him up to the workshop in behind. He smiled as he saw that Tee-one outside and was in the middle of building wall partitions. ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said, and ran over to him. ¡°Let me give you a hand with that.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Tee-one said, and they assembled the large one storey building in only a few minutes. ¡°How long have you...¡± ¡°Since you discovered the contracts were yours.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I put everything else on hold.¡± Ren chuckled and pat Tee-one''s shoulder. ¡°I appreciate it.¡± ¡°I know you do.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Do you want to use their old furniture for now?¡± He asked. ¡°I''ll make replacements for them over the next few days.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Great idea.¡± He said, went inside, and unloaded all of the cabinets, dressers, and beds that he had stored. He took out the tables and chairs as well to fill out the space. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± When Ren ran out to get the female dwarves, he saw that they were still inside the cart. ¡°I''m sorry for not helping you get out of the cart right away.¡± Ren said and reached a hand in for the closest woman. ¡°I was putting together the place for you to stay in.¡± ¡°You were what?¡± She asked as she took his hand. He helped her climb down from the cart, and she looked at the building in front of her. ¡°We''re staying in that?¡± Ren helped out the next female dwarf. ¡°I know it''s not much.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll have Ereka order windows for it, and either Tee-one or I will install them when they get here.¡± ¡°Tee-one?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes?¡± Tee-one said as he came out of the hastily-made building. ¡°Ahh!¡± She said and turned around to look at him. ¡°You startled me!¡± ¡°Please accept my apologies.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°What are you?¡± The third female dwarf asked. ¡°You have a metal face.¡± ¡°I am Ren''s Dedicated Servant Crafter.¡± Tee-one said, and the female dwarves gasped. ¡°How... how...¡± ¡°I''d say it''s a long story, but it''s not.¡± Ren said and laughed as he helped the fourth female dwarf out of the cart. ¡°When I reached a certain level, I unlocked the recipe to make him; then I did.¡± ¡°You''re right. That is a short story.¡± The last one said, and climbed down out of the cart. ¡°I''d like to hear the full story sometime.¡± ¡°I''m sure at some time in the future, I''ll be able to talk with you about such things; but, as it is right now, I have to get you settled and then I need to take care of some Adventurer''s business.¡± She nodded slightly, and Ren led all 5 female dwarves into the building. ¡°Like I was trying to say before, this is only a quick build and not where you''ll actually be living.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''ll do for now, though.¡± ¡°We have to use all the old furniture?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Only for a few days.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tee-one will make replacements in his spare time over the next few days.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Another one asked as Ren walked around and repaired all of the metal furniture. ¡°I might be gone for a day or two.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to introduce you to my fian... ah... girlfr... ah... the woman I lo...¡± He sighed. ¡°Well, dammit.¡± One of them laughed. ¡°A forbidden public relationship?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°But, I really have to go... so it''ll have to wait until I come back.¡± He said and started to leave. ¡°Wait!¡± One of them said, and he turned around to look at her. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can... can you order us not to leave the room?¡± She asked, and the other women nodded. ¡°We''ve had... all of the outside we can handle for a while.¡± ¡°Was it the cart ride, or the screaming girls?¡± Ren asked, and they all laughed. ¡°I order you not to touch anything dangerous, and to stay in this room until I come back.¡± They breathed a sigh of relief, and Ren took out his icebox. ¡°There''s plenty of food in here, but it''s cold.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll make arrangements for better meals when I get back.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± One of them said and took a few steps over to him, and put a hand on his arm. ¡°Thank you for everything.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Thank you so much.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°My bed is really comfortable.¡± The last one said, and everyone looked at her. ¡°What? I want to thank him.¡± They all laughed, including Ren, then he left the building. He unhooked the cart from Princess, stored it, and led her down to the Keep. The guard there opened the gate and Ren took Princess into the stable. He got her settled, checked on Ruck, the dogs, and the fire elemental. They were all fine, so he went into the house. ¡°There you are!¡± Nathalia said, and walked over to him. ¡°Guess what Narhilda did?¡± ¡°You can tell me later.¡± Ren said, and kissed her passionately for about 10 seconds, then broke the kiss. ¡°I have to go. I love you. The maids are in a building beside the workshop, and I''ll introduce you to them when I get back. I''ll see you in a day, maybe two.¡± ¡°But...¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You...¡± ¡°I promise I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± Ren said and sat down. ¡°Have Ereka order 6 standard windows for Tee-one.¡± He said and sighed. ¡°I am so late!¡± ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Chapter 286 - To The House Ren slipped off the VR headset, and Denise took it from him. He saw that her short blonde hair was styled slightly differently than it normally was, and she looked a little taller than her 5 foot 3 height. ¡°You are so lucky you don''t have physical therapy.¡± Denise said and put the headset aside. ¡°You''re also lucky that I only had cereal and toast ready for breakfast.¡± ¡°I''m really sorry.¡± Ren said and looked around. ¡°Dammit, I missed Barbara, too.¡± Denise nodded. ¡°She said she''d talk to you about what went on when she sees you tonight.¡± ¡°Talk to me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yeah, she''ll talk to me... and probably wring my neck.¡± He said and laughed. ¡°Boy, what a mess.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Denise said. ¡°I saw that last little bit.¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I think there''s going to be a lot of unhappy people in your life for a while.¡± ¡°I''m one of them!¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°What a situation to get in!¡± Denise smiled. ¡°Well, that''s kind of the downside of helping people.¡± She said. ¡°There''s always a chance it''ll backfire on you.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°And quite spectacularly.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back with your breakfast.¡± Denise said and left. Ren took this opportunity to try and get to the bathroom by himself. He moved to the side of the bed, slid out of it and onto the floor, then went to the bathroom. He came back out just as Denise came into the room with a tray of food. She put it on the rollaway table and raised the bed into a sitting position, then helped him get back into bed. She slid the rollaway table in front of him and he started to eat. ¡°Hey, it''s not soggy!¡± Ren said, and ate several spoonfuls. ¡°That''s because I always wait until just before giving it to you before I add the milk.¡± Denise said. ¡°I reheated and buttered the toast again, too.¡± ¡°Fangs!¡± Ren said with half a piece of toast stuck in his mouth. ¡°Swallow before you speak.¡± Denise said. ¡°Try not to choke, okay?¡± Ren nodded and kept eating. When he was done, he sat back and sipped on the supplement shake. ¡°Thanks.¡± Denise pushed the rollaway table to the side and took the tray back to the kitchen. Now that he was sitting up, he could reach the phone on the dresser and picked it up. He went through the call list, selected Elise''s number, and hit dial. She answered after it rang twice. ¡°Hi, handsome.¡± Elise said. ¡°Hi, Elise.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to apologize...¡± ¡°There''s no need.¡± Elise said. ¡°I have your micro-server set to send me updates when major events happen.¡± She said, then she laughed. ¡°Max is going to be so pissed tomorrow about what you did.¡± ¡°Hey, it''s not my fault the Thieves Guild wouldn''t let me escape.¡± ¡°He could argue that.¡± Elise said. ¡°But, what''s done is done.¡± ¡°If you saw that, did you see the aftermath?¡± ¡°I did.¡± She said. ¡°I''m not happy about you having 5 more women in your life.¡± ¡°That''s the thing.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told them I didn''t have room in my life for them, and I''m keeping my word.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The head of the Thieves Guild only had sex with a couple of them, then lost all interest in it.¡± Ren said. ¡°He didn''t have sex with any of them at all for the last few years, game-time.¡± ¡°I must have missed that part.¡± Elise said. ¡°I thought they were personal maids.¡± ¡°They are, but one of them told me she signed on with him just for the possibility she could have children; which I took to mean that it''s not in the contract itself. Either sex or children.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t have a chance to read it through myself, though.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She said. ¡°That should buy you some time.¡± ¡°Time for what?¡± ¡°To figure out how to get rid of them.¡± Elise said. ¡°Um, I don''t think I can...¡± Ren said, and explained the warning popup he had received. ¡°Goddammit!¡± Elise exclaimed. ¡°I''m going to kick Max''s ass!¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°I told him not to add those contract options!¡± Elise said. ¡°It... kind of... breaks the game.¡± She sighed. ¡°It''s a way for a player to add NPCs, and their abilities, to their party without impacting the party limit.¡± ¡°What the HELL?!?¡± Ren exclaimed right back at her, then paused. ¡°I''m sorry, Elise. Please continue.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°That was my reaction when he told me about it, too.¡± She said. ¡°It''s such a blatant exploit that I figured once word of it got out, everyone would be scrambling to get their hands on those contracts.¡± Ren nodded, because he had forgotten that he was on the phone and she couldn''t see him. ¡°Everyone would want them, that''s for sure.¡± He said. ¡°I figured my Trouble recipe helped with all of it, too.¡± ¡°I''m sure it did.¡± Elise said. ¡°I saw the transcript of your email to the tech department, and they''re right. It really is a key feature when you find it, and it triggers special events for the player.¡± ¡°So, does that mean other people have the Trouble recipe, too?¡± He asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Elise said. ¡°I can''t tell you how many, or who; but, I can tell you that they are all building to something.¡± ¡°Is it something specifically for me, or will it impact the game?¡± ¡°Both.¡± Elise said. ¡°But, you didn''t hear that from me.¡± ¡°My lips are sealed.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now that we have that out of the way, do you feel like coming over?¡± ¡°Sundays are my only day off.¡± Elise said. ¡°I don''t really want to spend it inside on such a nice day, even if it''s with my favorite tv star.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I had another idea besides sitting on the bed and watching television today.¡± ¡°Really? What is it?¡± Elise asked, curious. ¡°I just so happen to have the keys to my new place.¡± Ren said. ¡°How would you like to join me for a tour?¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Elise exclaimed. ¡°How did you... Janice said the paperwork wouldn''t be ready until tomorrow!¡± ¡°Barbara''s sister gave her the keys last night.¡± Ren said. ¡°She gave them to me, and I also have permission to go.¡± He smiled. ¡°So, do you want to come or what?¡± ¡°Of course I do!¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ll be there in an hour!¡± ¡°See you then.¡± Ren said. ¡°Bye.¡± ¡°Bye!¡± Elise said and hung up. ¡°You have permission to go, do you?¡± Denise asked, and Ren grinned as he put the cell phone down.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Yep.¡± He said. ¡°I gave myself permission.¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°You''re letting this whole ''independent of the hospital'' thing go to your head.¡± ¡°Yeah, a little.¡± Ren said. ¡°Isn''t it fun?¡± Denise laughed, and Ren called Barbara to tell her that they were going to the new house in an hour, and that if she wanted, she could meet them there. He hung up the phone and looked at Denise. ¡°You look really nice today.¡± He said. ¡°Isn''t that...¡± ¡°...one of the outfits you bought for me? Yes, it is.¡± Denise said. ¡°It''s comfortable and fits well, and it can be worn as a casual outfit at work, or as an outfit for wearing normally.¡± She smiled. ¡°It''s really nice to be able to grab something from my closet, and not have to worry if it''s going to pinch, dig in, or tear when I move.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren smiled back at her. ¡°Now take it off.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I need a shower, and I don''t want your new clothes to get wet or dirty.¡± ¡°Not a shower.¡± Denise said. ¡°It has to be a bath, remember? We went through this last time.¡± ¡°Things have changed.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I was at Stella''s place, she came up with the brilliant idea of using a plastic step stool for me to sit on.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Denise said. ¡°That is brilliant.¡± ¡°I know!¡± Ren said. ¡°It was so much easier. I was a little upset that I hadn''t thought of it myself.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°All right, come on.¡± She said, and helped him climb down off the bed. ¡°Let''s get you all spiffied-up for your girlfriend.¡± ¡°Stella left her step stool here for me.¡± Ren said and walked into the bathroom as he unbuttoned his pyjama top. ¡°So this should be fast.¡± He said and tossed the top onto the clothes hamper, then undid his pants. Denise got undressed as well, helped Ren get in the shower and sit down, then turned on the shower. She lathered up a sponge and scrubbed his back and arms from behind, then moved around to the front. She couldn''t use the sponge, so she switched to the soft cloth. ¡°You know, I really appreciate you doing this for me.¡± Ren said as Denise gently scrubbed his chest and abdomen. ¡°I think any man would appreciate taking a shower with a woman.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah, they would; but, that''s not what I meant.¡± He said. ¡°You only just recently got the full time job at the hospital, then gave that up to come with me when I left.¡± ¡°Well, there wasn''t much choice.¡± Denise said as she switched back to the sponge and scrubbed Ren''s legs. ¡°I could have stayed as the hospital imploded, somehow find another hospital to work at, or...¡± She shivered. ¡°...go to the clinic.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Tagging along with two other experienced nurses to take care of you full time was definitely the best option.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I still feel bad about what happened to Bonnie, though.¡± ¡°We all do.¡± Denise said. ¡°Stella went to visit her the other day, and Bonnie wouldn''t stop crying.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°Is... is she still...¡± ¡°Traumatized that she could cause you so much damage, and not realize it.¡± Denise said. ¡°We''ve tried to convince her it wasn''t her fault.¡± It was her turn to sigh. ¡°We even had the investigators show her the evidence of who really was at fault.¡± ¡°She wouldn''t even look at it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not one bit.¡± Denise said. ¡°She''s in complete denial.¡± ¡°I think I have to go visit her.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want her to see that I''m okay.¡± Denise snorted a laugh as she finished cleaning him, then rinsed him off. ¡°You do realize what you look like, right?¡± Ren looked down at himself, and saw the bruises on his arms and shoulders were almost completely healed; but, the one on his chest was still a sickly yellow and purple color. ¡°I should probably wait for a week or so.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least.¡± Denise said. ¡°Let''s get you dried off.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren looked down again. ¡°I didn''t scrub myself yet.¡± ¡°I took care of it already.¡± Denise said. ¡°When you''re thinking about serious things, you apparently don''t notice being touched there.¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°What are you sorry for?¡± ¡°I... it''s just... if you were going to touch me there, I...¡± Ren''s face flushed a little red. ¡°I wanted to at least enjoy it.¡± Denise laughed and got out of the shower to grab a couple of towels. ¡°Next time I''ll warn you that I''m scrubbing it, okay?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I never thought I would actually need a warning, so okay.¡± Denise dried him off, and then herself. She passed him his bathrobe, got dressed, and they went out to his room to pick out something nice for him to wear. Ren was dressed during a long discussion on the merits of loose clothing over form-fitting ones, and had finished just in time for Elise to show up. ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Elise said as she came into the room like a hurricane. The 6 foot 3 inch tall redheaded amazon wore 3 inch high heels today, with a billowing blouse and a pair of tight faded jeans. ¡°Wow, Elise.¡± Ren said as he took in her outfit. ¡°You''re a sight for sore eyes.¡± ¡°You''re such a charmer.¡± Elise said, and leaned down to give him a kiss on the lips. Even with Ren standing at his full 4 foot 7 inch height, she had to bend over quite far to do it. She was quick about it, then stood back up. ¡°Are you all ready?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You came in just as I was about to get in the wheelchair.¡± He said. ¡°You''ve got perfect timing, along with everything else.¡± Elise laughed and helped him sit down. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°I''m actually pretty good.¡± Ren said. ¡°The bruises on my arms are almost healed, and my chest should only feel like jello for another few days.¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°Don''t joke about that.¡± She said. ¡°You were seriously hurt.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°For the last little while, I''ve always been seriously hurt.¡± He said. ¡°I really am getting better.¡± ¡°It''s true.¡± Denise said. ¡°He only needs a helping hand to sit and stand, instead of being lifted or lowered.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Elise said. ¡°Now grab the keys and let''s get going.¡± ¡°I think someone is eager to see the new place.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder who it could be?¡± ¡°I don''t know what you''re talking about.¡± Elise said. ¡°Now hurry up!¡± Ren laughed, and Denise took the room''s cell phone and handed him the set of keys. ¡°Would you like to do the honors?¡± Denise asked Elise, and motioned to the wheelchair''s handles. ¡°Sure.¡± Elise said, and Denise got the room''s door for her. She pushed Ren out into the hallway, and they left the temporary care facility in Elise''s Hummer H2. ¡°Have I mentioned how much I like riding in this?¡± Ren said from the front passenger seat. ¡°Only every time you get in it.¡± Elise said and chuckled. ¡°I agree with Stella, though. You don''t need to buy one yourself.¡± ¡°Okay, fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not like I know anyone that could drive it for me anyways.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''m nervous riding in it, I''d never be able to handle something like this!¡± ¡°It does take some getting used to.¡± Elise said. ¡°Having to pick the little cars out of the grill every week is a pain, too.¡± Denise and Ren laughed. They drove for about 10 minutes, and the traffic was kind of light. It didn''t take long for them to get to the address where the new house was. ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Ren said, excitedly. ¡°It''s a gated community!¡± ¡°That is a surprise.¡± Elise said. ¡°It doesn''t say that anywhere on the advertisement for the property, and Janice didn''t say anything about it.¡± They pulled up to the driveway, and stopped at the large metal gate. A security guard came over to them and Elise rolled down her window. ¡°We''re here to see the foreclosure house.¡± Elise said to him. ¡°I have the new owner with me, and we have the keys.¡± The guard nodded. ¡°Name?¡± ¡°Ren Haddon.¡± ¡°Keys.¡± The guard said, and Ren gave Elise the keys, which she passed to the guard. He took them, unhooked a garage door opener from them, and handed the keys back. He went to the guard shack for a few moments, then came back out. ¡°It''s set to the right frequency.¡± He said and handed it back to Elise. She put it back on the key ring and handed them to Ren. ¡°Welcome to Emerald Estates.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Ren said, and pushed the garage door opener. The metal gate opened up, and the guard nodded. ¡°If you need anything from me, hit Star and 9 on the phone. It''s a direct line to my post.¡± ¡°Does everyone need one of these things to get in?¡± Ren asked, and held the keys up. ¡°No, just the owner.¡± The guard said. ¡°You can give me a list of approved people and I''ll open the gate for them.¡± ¡°Can I do that now?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If you want.¡± The guard said. ¡°I''ll get the form.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± The guard went back into the shack and came out with a clipboard and a pen. Elise took it and wrote down Stella, Barbara, Denise, and herself. ¡°Who else?¡± Elise asked Ren. ¡°Barbara''s husband.¡± Ren said. ¡°Gloria Rayford, Lisa Everet.¡± He thought about who else. ¡°Just in case, you better add Bonnie, too.¡± ¡°You can always call and add people later.¡± The guard suggested. ¡°If someone shows up that''s not on the list, I''ll page you with a double beep on the phone.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea!¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°It''s my job.¡± The guard said as Elise handed him the clipboard back. ¡°Have a good day.¡± ¡°You, too.¡± Ren said, and Elise pulled into the Emerald Estates. ¡°Wow.¡± Denise said. ¡°Get a load of this place!¡± She said as they drove past a huge sprawling three storey house with 4 cars out front. ¡°Is that a Porsche?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ren said. ¡°And that''s a pony!¡± Denise stared as a kid was led around a small grass covered lot on the back of an all white pony. ¡°This is so cool.¡± Ren said, then his eyes widened. ¡°There it is! That''s my house!¡± The pictures online didn''t do it justice. The lot was huge, and the house was nestled right in the center of it. It was also three stories, but it seemed grander somehow. They pulled into the driveway, and it actually made the Hummer H2 look small by comparison. ¡°I think the driveway was made for a tank.¡± Denise said when she got out and came around to help Ren climb out. ¡°It''s gigantic!¡± Elise laughed as she got out as well. ¡°I think it was planned for several people to come and go, and they wouldn''t have to worry about getting blocked in by other cars.¡± ¡°I noticed that at the first house.¡± Ren said. ¡°They were in a line, and they''d have to pull each one out to leave.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Or drive onto the lawn.¡± ¡°I think the first three cars are just for show.¡± Denise said as she got the wheelchair out of the back and Elise stayed by Ren. ¡°They only ever use the last car.¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Ren said and sat down. ¡°I wonder...¡± *Beep* *Beep* A horn honked and a car pulled into the driveway beside them. It was a man Ren didn''t know, and he smiled as he saw the woman in the passenger seat. ¡°Hi, Barbara!¡± Ren said when she got out of the car. ¡°Hi, Ren. Long time no see.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was a little busy.¡± The man, who Ren assumed was her husband, got out as well. ¡°Good morning, sir.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s nice to finally meet you.¡± The man grunted a greeting, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''m glad you could make it on such short notice.¡± Ren continued. ¡°It was my fault, actually.¡± He said. ¡°I got caught up in other things, and I even almost missed breakfast.¡± ¡°I know all about you playing that game.¡± Barbara''s husband said. ¡°It must be nice to escape like that.¡± ¡°Sometimes.¡± Ren said, and glanced at Barbara. ¡°I miss a lot of important things when I do, though.¡± The man nodded. He knew what it was like to miss something when you were too busy to pay attention to them. ¡°Well! Let''s go on inside, shall we?¡± Ren said and smiled at everyone. ¡°Let''s get a look at the house that I want to make my home.¡± The group went over to the front door, and went inside. Chapter 287 - The New House Elise pushed Ren inside to the spacious lobby through the large double doors of the main entrance. ¡°This place is huge!¡± Denise said and looked up. The lobby was three stories high, and there was a large set of open doors across from the front door. A grand staircase started halfway across the room, then curved off to either side and up to the second floor to end on a large landing and a set of doors, and from there went up to the third floor. ¡°It''s like a movie set!¡± Ren said. ¡°Look at that staircase!¡± ¡°It sure is something.¡± Barbara commented, and her husband grunted. ¡°It looks completely different than the pictures!¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s keep going!¡± The group went through the open doors under the staircase and into the largest living room that any of them had ever seen. The walls were white and completely free of pictures or anything else, but all of the furniture was there. Two couches, two recliners, several normal chairs, and a television that was nearly the size of the wall. The bathroom was quite nice as well, with a full shower and free-standing claw foot tub. Off to the left of the living room was a set of patio doors that led to an outdoor entertaining area. It had an entire outdoor kitchen with several patio tables and chairs set up around it. ¡°It''s like an outdoor cafe.¡± Elise said, a little surprised. ¡°The only thing missing is a waiter.¡± ¡°Can you imagine?¡± Ren said. ¡°Having a waiter, at home, to serve you food and drinks?¡± He laughed. ¡°Mind you, that would be an easy job with only the small group of us to deal with.¡± The group turned to look at what was on the other side of the living room. ¡°It said there was a workout room, but look at that!¡± Ren said, excitedly. Off to the right of the living room was a glass partition wall, and behind it was a workout room. ¡°It looks like a real gym!¡± Several types of exercise machines lined one wall, each with a television in front of them. There were soft mats covering the middle of the floor, and Ren thought it looked like a fighting or sparing area. Racks of free weights were lined along the other wall, along with two heavy punching bags, two speed punching bags, medicine balls, and everything else that a gym would have. ¡°I''m surprised there isn''t a boxing ring.¡± Barbara''s husband said. ¡°It''s got everything else.¡± ¡°It doesn''t have a walking track, either.¡± Denise said. ¡°Yes, it does!¡± Ren said and pointed through the glass. ¡°Look at the next room!¡± There was a boxing ring and two racks of supplies for it, and around the ring was a walking track. ¡°This is unreal.¡± Barbara said. ¡°It''s got all of this, and we haven''t even gotten through the living room yet!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Forward and onward!¡± He said and pointed to go further into the house. ¡°I think the kitchen is that way.¡± They went in the direction he pointed, and it actually was the kitchen. It had 2 ovens, 2 microwaves, 2 dishwashers, a large double sink on the counter along the wall, another smaller sink in an island counter top, a row of stools to eat at that island counter, a 4 foot wide double door refrigerator, and a walk in pantry and cool room. ¡°I think this was meant for a football team or something.¡± Barbara''s husband said. ¡°A normal family couldn''t possibly use all of this room.¡± ¡°It''s a good thing I''m not part of a normal family, then.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It''s definitely going to take time to get used to, though.¡± He said. ¡°Look at that dining room.¡± Off to the right was a table and chairs that could seat 16 people, with the accompanying cabinets to hold the dishes. Off to the left was what Ren thought of as a breakfast nook; but it was twice the size of a normal one, and could seat 6 people comfortably. ¡°Look at the pool!¡± Denise said and pointed out the triple set of patio doors at the back of the house. The Olympic-sized pool was a bright white, and the water inside was a clear blue. There was a Jacuzzi attached at the corner, so that it shared the water but it didn''t interfere with the pool. There was a small building off to the side, with changing rooms, bathrooms, and a sauna. ¡°It''s like some big fancy hotel.¡± Barbara''s husband said. ¡°You could have 50 people here, and not have to worry about crowding.¡± ¡°That''s all for the downstairs living spaces.¡± Elise said. ¡°Time for the second floor.¡± ¡°You''re not getting that wheelchair up those stairs.¡± Barbara''s husband said. ¡°There''s an elevator back in the living room.¡± Denise said. ¡°It''s right beside the glass wall.¡± They went back out to the living room and Denise pointed to it. Elise pushed the button and the doors opened. It was a good size, and they could all fit in comfortably if they wanted. ¡°I think I''ll take the stairs.¡± Barbara said, and took her husband''s hand. ¡°I''ve always wanted to walk up a staircase like that.¡± ¡°We''ll meet you on the second floor.¡± Ren said, and Elise pushed him inside. Denise got in as well, and pushed the button marked 2. * The doors to the elevator shut, and Barbara and her husband walked out to the lobby. ¡°This... this is all a little overwhelming.¡± Barbara said. ¡°This place is huge!¡± ¡°It sure is.¡± Her husband said. ¡°I''m not even going to ask how much money he wasted on this place.¡± ¡°He''s not wasting any.¡± Barbara said, and then told him the price her sister had negotiated the bank down to. ¡°You have got to be kidding!¡± Her husband said as they slowly walked hand-in-hand up the right side of the grand staircase. ¡°If I was still working, we could have afforded this place ourselves!¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°It''s definitely a great deal.¡± She said. ¡°Ren didn''t even ask how much it was.¡± ¡°He didn''t?¡± Her husband asked, surprised. ¡°Wouldn''t he want to know...¡± Barbara shook her head. ¡°His mind... doesn''t really work that way.¡± She explained. ¡°I''ve seen it several times with him while he played the game. He was happy to earn money at first because he knew he needed some, and that was his motivation for a while. Once he reached a certain point with it, he just... never thought about it again.¡± ¡°You mean, once he earned enough money that he didn''t have to worry about it, he literally doesn''t worry about money anymore.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°He sure is something.¡± Her husband said, and Barbara squeezed his hand. ¡°That''s what I''ve been trying to tell you.¡± Barbara smiled at him and they walked through the second floor''s doors and into that lobby. * ¡°There you are.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was worried you might have gotten lost along the way.¡± ¡°We took our time.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°Plus, it was a lot of stairs.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°That''s why I took the elevator.¡± ¡°I think the first bedroom is here, off to the right.¡± Elise said. ¡°Denise, can you get the door?¡± Denise nodded and opened the door onto a small movie theatre. ¡°Well, damn.¡± Barbara''s husband said as everyone looked inside. ¡°I''ve always wanted recliners like those.¡± ¡°There''s only 20 of them, though.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°Let''s try the other side.¡± The other side was a small bowling alley and canteen. They went through the next set of doors, and found the first two bedrooms; one on each side. ¡°Yes, this is definitely like a hotel.¡± Denise said. ¡°These bedrooms are like suites!¡± The bedrooms had small living rooms, king-sized beds, walk in closets, and even small kitchenettes. They also had attached bathrooms that were as big as the room Ren currently lived in at the temporary care facility. They went through the next set of doors and marvelled at the room that was there.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Okay, this is definitely the master bedroom.¡± Ren said. It had a living room nearly as big as the one downstairs, a double king-sized bed, an entire other room as a walk in closet, a balcony, and an attached bathroom. ¡°This bathroom is bigger than my apartment!¡± Denise exclaimed when they went inside. ¡°And I''ve got one of the biggest apartments in the building!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°The giant walk-in shower with two rainfall shower heads is a little much; but, at least I won''t have to worry about slipping in a tub when I take a shower.¡± He said. ¡°I also won''t have to hire a crew to come in and renovate the place to give me more room.¡± ¡°More room?!?¡± Denise snorted a laugh. ¡°We might have to make you wear a bell, just so we''ll be able to find you when you''re in here!¡± Everyone laughed, and they left the second floor to go up to the third. Barbara and her husband opted for the elevator this time, and it opened up into a small lobby. Two more bedrooms were here, along with attached bathrooms, and the last room was the den. It could be a library or office, too; but, in the description of the place, it said there was a den. It was a little odd to have a den on the third floor, though. ¡°That''s it for the main house.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think it''s about time we took a break for lunch.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Elise said. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± ¡°I''d suggest something simple, like pizza or fast food.¡± Denise said. ¡°It''s getting close to noon, and other places are going to be packed.¡± ¡°We can call and order take-out.¡± Barbara''s husband suggested. ¡°You''d only have to go and pick it up.¡± ¡°I like that.¡± Elise said and pulled out a notepad from somewhere. ¡°Who wants what?¡± Everyone made their orders, except for Ren. The two nurses had a bit of a debate over his eating practices and the salt content he had over the last few days; so he negotiated one order of fries and gravy on the condition that he ate a large salad with it. Elise called the order in, and looked at Ren. ¡°It should be done by the time I get there to pick it up.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ll be back in about 20 minutes.¡± Ren waved her down and whispered in her ear. ¡°Thank you.¡± He kissed her cheek and tried to hand her his debit card. She hid it from view and passed it back to him. ¡°I''ve got it, handsome.¡± Elise whispered back, kissed his cheek in return, and stood up straight. ¡°I''m taking the elevator downstairs.¡± ¡°We should all go down to the patio.¡± Barbara suggested. ¡°It''s such a nice day out there, and it''s a bit of a shame to spend it all inside.¡± Elise winked at Ren, and he winked back. They all rode down to the ground floor, and just before Elise left, Ren handed her the electric gate opener so she could come and go without bothering the guard at the gate. Elise drove away as Ren, Denise, Barbara and her husband, went out to sit on the patio furniture. * Detective John Ramirez woke up with a weight on his chest, and looked down to see his partner, Officer Holly Stonewall, snuggled up to him. They were both still naked, and at some point he''d covered them up with a blanket. ¡°So, it''s true.¡± Holly said, and looked up at him. ¡°Guys really do wake up with a hard on.¡± John laughed. ¡°I could argue it''s because I''ve got you pressed against me; but the most I could say is that it''s a lot... harder... because of you.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Holly said and propped herself up on an elbow on his chest. John could see her large wonderful breasts in the daylight, and it was something he desperately wanted to keep seeing; so he kept talking. ¡°After what happened between us last night, are you really going to doubt that it''s because of you?¡± Holly smiled. ¡°All right, I''ll give you that.¡± She said. ¡°So, what should we do with it?¡± ¡°I have a suggestion, but...¡± He looked at the alarm clock to see it said 11 o''clock in the morning. ¡°We completely missed our wake up call and the room was supposed to be cleaned at 10.¡± ¡°I cancelled the wake up call, and the cleaning lady enjoyed watching you sleep.¡± ¡°She WHAT?!?¡± John exclaimed, and Holly laughed. ¡°I''m kidding!¡± Holly said. ¡°I put out the ''Do Not Disturb'' sign this morning.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± John said. ¡°How long have you been awake?¡± ¡°Only a few hours.¡± Holly said. ¡°You... you let me sleep in?¡± Holly nodded. ¡°You really wore yourself out last night.¡± She said and smiled slyly. ¡°And rightly so.¡± She grinned. ¡°You needed to recover your strength.¡± John laughed again, and with Holly propped up on his chest, it made her breasts jiggle enticingly. ¡°Where have you been all my life?¡± John asked her. ¡°John, we spoke about this.¡± Holly said. ¡°It''s only for now. Only this weekend.¡± She said. ¡°I won''t let my hormones wreck both of our careers.¡± ¡°I know.¡± John said, and hugged her. ¡°But if we''re doing the whole fantasy thing until tomorrow, can you wait until we leave the Point to remind me?¡± ¡°I...¡± Holly sighed, and then she scowled at him. ¡°Okay, but if you don''t keep this whole imaginary future with us together under wraps, I''ll kick your ass so hard that you won''t be able to sit down for a week!¡± ¡°Would you hate me if I said you looked really cute when you''re mad?¡± ¡°YES!¡± Holly yelled, and he laughed. ¡°You look frighteningly beautiful when you''re angry.¡± John said, and she blinked her eyes at him. She was going to punch him if he said she was cute; but, she didn''t know how to react to being called beautiful. ¡°The pool party isn''t until 2 o''clock.¡± John said and pulled Holly on top of him. ¡°I get to hold you in my arms for the next 2 hours, and you can''t complain one bit.¡± Holly surprised herself when she automatically adjusted herself into the right position, like she was meant to be there. ¡°W-wait...¡± Holly said. ¡°...it''s 3 hours until the party.¡± ¡°We''re going to need the hour to clean up.¡± John said and started to move. Holly couldn''t help herself as her body matched his movements, then she leaned down for another great kiss from her forbidden lover. * ¡°They really went all out on this place.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''m glad it''s not over-the-top outrageous, though.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Imagine if everything was marble floors and gold fixtures.¡± He laughed. ¡°I wouldn''t want to touch anything!¡± ¡°I wouldn''t either.¡± Denise said. ¡°From what I could see, everything was meant to be used, and used a lot.¡± ¡°That was my feeling, too.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Of course, there''s a heck of a lot to be used!¡± Her husband nodded. ¡°It''s a lot for a single person to have.¡± ¡°I''m not just a single person.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got three full-time nurses who are going to be here constantly, a girlfriend that wants to stay over, and a couple of friends that would probably enjoy a stay somewhere this nice.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Believe me, this place is not going to go to waste.¡± Barbara''s husband nodded, because Ren had eased some of his worry. They made idle chit-chat to pass the time until Elise came back with the food orders. They all stayed outside and ate their meals, and the light breeze brought the smells of flowers and trees to them. The sun in the sky was slightly covered, so there wasn''t any danger of excessive heat; and the patio tables had umbrellas to unfurl if it was necessary. ¡°This place is great!¡± Ren said when he was done, and sat back in the wheelchair. ¡°I can''t wait to move in and get all my stuff in here.¡± Denise laughed. ¡°You might... might... fill a corner of that room closet upstairs with all of your stuff.¡± ¡°Then I''ll have to pick up more stuff.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I might need some help when I go shopping, though.¡± He said and looked at Elise. ¡°You''re the resident shopping expert. What do you think I should get first?¡± ¡°A new wardrobe.¡± Elise said. ¡°If you''re going to be more active like you are today, then you''ll need new clothes to reflect that.¡± ¡°That sounds like a good idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°I should be able to move around on my own in a few days.¡± He said. ¡°If I could possibly recruit you again next Sunday, I''d be happy to monopolize your day off again.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°You want me to give up my only free day to take you around shopping and dress you up?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If that''s the case, then...¡± Elise grinned at him. ¡°...I''d be delighted!¡± It''s like all my dreams are coming true! ¡°So, who''s up for checking out the guest house?¡± Ren asked. There were a few grumbles of being tired after eating, and Ren chuckled. ¡°We can rest here for a bit more, but...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°...just so you know, we haven''t seen the garage, either.¡± After another 10 minutes of small-talk, they all went back into the house and out the front door, then walked up the driveway past the main house. A three car garage was at the end of it, with a path to a back door in the kitchen. They went into the garage, and looked around. Even though there were only three garage doors, there was room for 5 vehicles inside. They left the garage and walked along another path to the guest house. ¡°Okay, this is getting ridiculous.¡± Denise said. ¡°That''s not a ''guest'' house! It''s a normal house!¡± She was quite right. A two storey house stood there with all the trimmings. A porch, a balcony, it''s own small one car garage, and a patio with set of the same furniture as the main house. They went inside and looked around. ¡°It really is a standard house.¡± Elise said. There was a living room, bathroom, kitchen, and dining room downstairs; and upstairs was a small bedroom, two closets, the master bedroom with an attached bathroom the same size as the other small room, and a stairway to the attic. ¡°It''s actually a really nice house.¡± Ren said as they went out through the front door. ¡°It''s the kind of place I always dreamed of growing up in.¡± Everyone went quiet, and Ren held a hand up. They stopped walking and he looked at Barbara''s husband. ¡°Sir, there''s something I need to talk to you about.¡± Ren said, then looked at the three women. ¡°Please give me a few minutes.¡± The women nodded and went into the main house. ¡°I know what you''re going to say.¡± Barbara''s husband said. ¡°It''s kind of obvious.¡± ¡°What do you think I''m going to say?¡± ¡°You want Barbara to move in with you full-time.¡± Barbara''s husband said. ¡°This is a bit too far for her to travel twice a day.¡± ¡°You''re half-right.¡± Ren said. ¡°It is too far for her to travel; but, I don''t want her to move in with me.¡± ¡°You don''t?¡± Barbara''s husband frowned. ¡°Then why are you showing her all of this?¡± He said and motioned at the property. ¡°I wasn''t showing it to her.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was showing it to you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Sir, I know Barbara taking care of me every day has been hard on you.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s also been hard on Barbara.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°She''s getting paid well, I know that for sure; but, she works hard and she''s earned it after all these years.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I found this place, the very first thing I did was offer her the guest house.¡± ¡°So you do want her to move in.¡± ¡°No, sir.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want you to move into the guest house with her.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I''m growing up, and I''m becoming more independent.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been kind of forced to do it before I was actually ready to; but, Barbara has always been there for me when I needed her.¡± He smiled. ¡°This is a big event for me. It''s a whole new, and kind of scary, adventure. I want to have Barbara as close at hand as possible.¡± ¡°What... what are you saying?¡± ¡°I want the both of you to move from where you live to come here, and stay in the guest house.¡± Ren said. ¡°No rent. No bills.¡± ¡°Son, are you crazy?¡± Barbara''s husband asked, and Ren felt a well of emotions spring up. He knew that it was just an expression, and her husband probably called everyone son; but, no one in real life had called him that in years. He had always seen Barbara as a mother figure, but he didn''t think twice about that kind of making her husband like a father figure... until now. Ren kept a straight face, but his voice wavered slightly. ¡°S-some people s-say so, sir.¡± Ren said, then took a deep breath to try and calm down. ¡°I know this is a big decision, and I know it''s kind of out of the blue...¡± He sighed. ¡°...please, let me give you a house to live in, and please make it a home for her to love.¡± Chapter 288 - Accepting Gifts Barbara''s husband stared at Ren, and he could see how emotional Ren was. He knew it must have been hard for him to ask so much from someone he had just met. ¡°I don''t know if I can.¡± He said. ¡°It''s one thing if we were moving because we had to; but to uproot ourselves, then move all the way over here just because you want my wife closer to you...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It is a lot to ask, I know. The thought of Barbara being walking distance away at all times is a great feeling for me; but, it should also be a great feeling for you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°She''ll only be walking distance from work; but she''ll also only be walking distance from home, too.¡± Ren explained. ¡°No more travelling expenses. No extra wear and tear on the car. No more having to wait for her to come home.¡± It looked like he was thinking about it, so Ren kept talking. ¡°If anything happens, to either of us, she''ll be right there.¡± Ren said. ¡°Before you ask, I''m not going to ask her to work longer hours or anything. She''s been working every day now for years, sneaking in and around the other nurses, and tricked everyone into thinking she''s been taking days off when she wasn''t.¡± Barbara''s husband nodded. ¡°That bothered me when I found out.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was tempted to try and get a second night nurse, but...¡± He grinned. ¡°Barbara would kill me if I even offered to have someone else share in what she thought as her duty.¡± He laughed. ¡°Yes, that''s my wife.¡± He said. ¡°Any time I tried to talk to her about doing just that, she damn near tore my head off.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I couldn''t have asked for a better woman to raise me, sir.¡± ¡°No, you couldn''t.¡± Barbara''s husband said. ¡°We''ve always wanted children; but, we were both always too busy to fit a baby into our lives.¡± He sighed. ¡°When she was almost forced to retire after her 20 years as a nurse, you came along. It was a godsend at the time, since I wasn''t bringing in the money I was supposed to, and we really needed at least one normal income.¡± He looked at the guest house and sighed. ¡°Things were hard on her while I was away in the Marines, and you kept her happy and working.¡± He said. ¡°You took up a lot of her time; much more time than I thought was healthy for a nurse and a patient. When I retired, after serving more tours than I should have, I saw how much she really cared about you.¡± He sighed. ¡°At first I thought...¡± He shook his head. ¡°You thought she had romantic feelings for me.¡± Ren said, and looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I did.¡± Barbara''s husband said. ¡°She talked about you constantly. Ren this and Ren that.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I couldn''t help but think that she...¡± ¡°You shouldn''t worry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Our relationship isn''t like that at all.¡± He said, then gave her husband a serious look. ¡°I do love her, though.¡± ¡°I know you do.¡± He said. ¡°Just watching the two of you together told me that.¡± ¡°S-s-she...¡± Ren closed his eyes and held back the tears that wanted to flow. ¡°She might not have given birth to me, sir... but...¡± He took another breath and opened his eyes. ¡°She... she...¡± ¡°You don''t have to say it, son.¡± Barbara''s husband said, and a tear escaped Ren''s eye when he put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°You''re the son she never had.¡± Ren wiped the tear away and nodded. ¡°By the way, my name is Donald; not ''sir''.¡± Barbara''s husband said and reached out a hand for Ren to shake. ¡°If I''m going to be living here, you should at least know my name.¡± * Detective John Ramirez and Officer Holly Stonewall had played in bed for most of that two hours, then hopped in the shower together. It was a good thing that they had gone in early, because once they started washing each other, the novelty drove them a little crazy. They spent almost the entire hour they had left making sure that every single spot on each other''s bodies was as scrubbed clean as they could possibly make it, while doing other things as well. * After Ren had calmed down from his little emotional breakdown, he took the guest house key ring from the main set and handed the guest house keys to Donald; then asked him to push the wheelchair over to the house. Once inside, they didn''t say anything to the women about what they had talked about; but, Barbara could see the state Ren was in, even though he was trying his best to hide it. She leaned down and gave him a little hug. ¡°Thank you for showing us around the new house.¡± Barbara said and let him go. ¡°It''s a great place.¡± ¡°It sure is.¡± Ren said. ¡°My room at the temporary care facility seems so small now.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°The entire care facility seems small in comparison.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll see you there tonight.¡± ¡°You bet you will.¡± Barbara said. ¡°We''ve got a few things to discuss, too.¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°That part I''m not looking forward to.¡± Barbara smiled crookedly at him, pat his head, and left the house with her husband. * Donald and Barbara went outside and stood beside their car. They didn''t say a word as they stared at the guest house. ¡°Donald.¡± ¡°Yes, Barbara.¡± ¡°I... I assume Ren...¡± ¡°He did.¡± Donald said, then didn''t say anything else. Barbara turned towards her husband. ¡°Donald?¡± ¡°I only have one question.¡± Donald said, and Barbara took his hand. ¡°How fast can your sister sell our old house?¡± ¡°Oh, Donald!¡± Barbara exclaimed, and kissed him. Donald''s eyes widened at the sheer passion he felt from her. It stirred things within him and ignited his own passion for her, and Barbara felt his reaction when he hugged her tightly. ¡°Oh, Donald!¡± Barbara exclaimed again, and he took out the set of guest house keys and dangled them in front of her. ¡°We... we can''t!¡± Donald saw the wicked gleam in her eyes, grabbed her hand, and pulled her behind him as he jogged over to the guest house. He unlocked the door and shoved it open, then turned and grinned at her. ¡°What are you-oooop!¡± Barbara said as he picked her up into a ''princess carry'' and lifted her through the doorway. ¡°Donald! You''re going to throw your back out!¡± ¡°Not today.¡± Donald said as he kicked the door shut, then carried her up the stairs. ¡°I''m going to be sore as hell tomorrow, though.¡± ¡°Then put me down!¡± Barbara said as he took her into the large bedroom. ¡°I won''t be sore from carrying you, darling.¡± Donald said, then dropped her on the bed. ¡°Donald!¡± Barbara said with wide eyes as he tore off his shirt to reveal muscles that had been neglected for a while, but still had some definition to them. He undid his pants and dropped them to the floor, then climbed onto the bed with her. Barbara didn''t talk much after that. * ¡°Do you think they''re looking to see where they can put their things?¡± Ren asked as Elise pushed him out through the front door and saw that Donald''s car was still there. ¡°I''m sure Barbara is helping her husband put something somewhere.¡± Denise said and chuckled. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I only just asked him to move here. He couldn''t have brought something over already.¡± ¡°I''m sure something just came up, and they went into the house to deal with it.¡± Elise said, and exchanged knowing smiles with Denise. ¡°Is it okay to just leave them here?¡± Ren asked as they loaded him into the Hummer H2. ¡°They''ll be fine.¡± Denise said. ¡°You gave them the keys, and we''ll be back soon.¡± Ren nodded and Elise drove them to the big mall on the east side of the city that had the custom clothing store called Jacques. They went inside and the sales clerk greeted them happily. When they said they needed custom bathing suits, she leaned into the back room.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Lily! He''s here again!¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± Lily said and came out of the back room. ¡°Hi! You brought the knockout this time!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I figured you haven''t seen her in a while, so I wanted to surprise you.¡± Lily laughed. ¡°I always enjoy your visits.¡± She said. ¡°So... bathing suits. Any preferences?¡± ¡°Support.¡± Elise said. ¡°Coverage.¡± Denise said. ¡°See-through.¡± Ren said, and the 4 women looked at him. ¡°I said that out loud, didn''t I?¡± ¡°No, you just thought it so hard that we all heard your thoughts.¡± Elise said and smiled, and Ren''s face went red. Lily laughed again. ¡°This is why I like you people so much.¡± She said. ¡°The swimwear is over this way.¡± * ¡°We''re just fashionably late.¡± Detective John Ramirez said. ¡°Your sister is going to kill you.¡± His partner Officer Holly Stonewall laughed. ¡°Not to mention your niece.¡± John sighed. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± He said. ¡°I just hope she likes her present.¡± ¡°What did you get her?¡± Holly asked. ¡°That depends.¡± John said. ¡°What did you get her?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Holly asked, surprised. ¡°You''re going to her birthday party, and you didn''t bring a present for her?¡± John asked. ¡°John, I''m sorry! I...¡± John burst out laughing. ¡°I''m just kidding.¡± He said. ¡°You didn''t have to get her anything.¡± ¡°Now that you''ve pointed it out, I feel bad about it.¡± Holly said. ¡°I never thought about getting her anything.¡± ¡°Holly.¡± John said as he pulled up in front of his sister''s place. ¡°I sprung this little trip on you with 2 days notice. I didn''t expect things to turn out like they did, and I certainly didn''t expect you to worry about buying a gift for a someone you didn''t even know.¡± ¡°John...¡± John reached by her and opened the glove compartment, and handed her a small bag. ¡°What''s this?¡± ¡°It''s a present for Nancy from you.¡± John said. ¡°It''s an antique cameo of the Virgin Mary.¡± ¡°John, I... you should give it to her.¡± Holly said and tried to hand him the bag. ¡°It''ll mean more to her coming from you.¡± ¡°I''m not trading gifts with you.¡± John said and got out of the car. He went to the trunk and took out a much bigger bag. ¡°You give her the serious gift, I''ll give her the fun gift.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Holly asked. ¡°You''ll find out when she does.¡± John said. ¡°Come on, let''s head inside and get changed. I can already hear splashing from the pool.¡± Holly nodded and grabbed the small bag that had their change of clothes in it, and they went to front door of the house. They didn''t even have to ring the doorbell this time, because the door opened before they got to it. ¡°I''m going to kill you.¡± His sister Tanya said. ¡°Nancy was so upset that we had to start the party without you.¡± ¡°It was my fault.¡± Holly said, and accepted the blame for their lateness. ¡°I lost track of time and took a really long shower.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that''s okay.¡± Tanya said and looked at her brother. ¡°Nancy''s going to be mad at you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± John said. ¡°But, I''m still here before the actual time she was born.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°It''s in another 32 minutes.¡± Tanya blinked her eyes at him. ¡°How did you remember that?¡± ¡°She''s my only niece.¡± John said. ¡°I remember everything about her.¡± ¡°You better tell her that as soon as you see her.¡± Tanya said and smiled. ¡°She might just forgive you for being late.¡± * Ren sat in his wheelchair just outside the platform with all the mirrors around it. The change room was behind the middle mirror, and both Elise and Denise had tried on a few normal bathing suits. They didn''t like how restrictive the one piece suit was; so, they moved on to bikinis. Ren thought he was in heaven as they modelled them for him. He would barely get to take in what they were wearing, then he would blink and they would be wearing something else. He had lost count of how many different ones he had seen, but he knew that they had saved the best for last. ¡°Oh... my... god.¡± Ren whispered as Elise came out of the dressing room wearing the skimpiest bikini the store had. It wasn''t supposed to be the skimpiest; but because her breasts were so large, a normal bikini top didn''t cover a whole lot on her. ¡°The straps just barely reached.¡± Lily said as she came out from the dressing room behind Elise. ¡°No wonder you guys wanted custom ones!¡± Denise came out behind Lily, and it looked like she was wearing a top that was two sizes too small for her. The string between the cups of the bikini top wasn''t long enough for the cloth to hold her properly, and the sides of her breasts hung out quite a lot. Ren closed his mouth so that the women wouldn''t see him drool. ¡°Do you see this?¡± Denise asked Ren, and pointed to the top as she turned from side to side. ¡°This is why I don''t own bathing suits.¡± ¡°I... yes... I can see...¡± Ren mumbled, and his heart rate sped up a little. ¡°This is definitely the style I want.¡± Elise said, and looked at herself in the mirrors. She turned around and bent over slightly, and gave Ren a spectacular view of her backside. ¡°This cloth is way too flimsy, though.¡± She said and plucked at the top to try and get it to cover more of her skin. ¡°Can you replace these with a more supportive insert? The straps are digging in a little.¡± ¡°I can try.¡± Lily said. ¡°We can definitely make the strap a little wider, and adding the extra fabric in the front won''t be a problem.¡± ¡°What do you think, Ren?¡± Elise asked him, and turned back around. ¡°I... ah...¡± Ren wasn''t sure what to say. ¡°I think you look great.¡± Since Elise stood in the middle of the mirror platform, he could see all the way around her. Ren didn''t know where he could look so they wouldn''t think that he was staring at them. ¡°Hey, are you all right?¡± Lily asked him. ¡°You look a little flushed.¡± Denise walked over to him and knelt as she put a hand on his forehead and nodded. ¡°In my professional opinion, I believe he''s suffering from boob overload.¡± Lily snorted a laugh, and Elise grinned. Ren mumbled something, but she didn''t hear what he said. ¡°What was that?¡± Denise asked. ¡°It''s not just your breasts.¡± Ren said and looked at her, and then at Elise. ¡°Getting to see you like this is... it''s a little overwhelming.¡± He said. ¡°With all the reflections in the mirrors, I''m having a hard time deciding where to look without getting caught staring.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said and walked over to him. She knelt on the other side of his chair and smiled as she took his hand. ¡°You don''t have to worry about that.¡± She smiled and pulled his hand to rest the back of it on her cleavage. ¡°You can stare all you want.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You don''t mind?¡± ¡°I don''t mind it at all, as long as it''s you doing it.¡± Elise said. ¡°I feel the same way.¡± Denise said. ¡°I mean, look at me. I''m only 5 foot 3, and my torso is a bit too wide for me to wear normal clothes.¡± She said. ¡°If you don''t mind seeing a body like this, then I don''t mind you looking.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Lily said, and put a hand over her heart. ¡°Now I want to wear a bikini so he can stare at me, too.¡± Ren, Elise, and Denise laughed. ¡°Don''t you have a boyfriend?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I do, but...¡± Lily blushed a little. ¡°He doesn''t look at me like you look at them.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ren asked, then shook his head. ¡°I''m sorry, I shouldn''t ask you such personal questions.¡± ¡°Yeah, don''t mind Ren. He''s always been pretty straight-forward.¡± Denise said. ¡°It''s okay. I brought it up.¡± Lily said. ¡°He... well, I guess he''s just not as into me as you are with them.¡± ¡°Is it okay to call him an idiot?¡± Ren asked her, and Denise swatted his ear. ¡°Ow.¡± Lily laughed. ¡°I''ll let it slide this time, because you guys are always fun to hang with; but, don''t make it a habit.¡± ¡°I can''t promise that.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Denise should keep me in check, though.¡± ¡°It''ll be difficult, but I''m up for the challenge.¡± Denise said and tugged Ren''s earlobe, then stood up and looked at Lily. ¡°This is the best bikini out of all of them, and the bottom fits perfectly.¡± She said and turned to show them off. Since Ren''s face was right there, he really had no choice but to look. She said it was okay to look. Ren thought, and didn''t try to move his head away or close his eyes. Denise turned back to face Lily. ¡°Can this short string be replaced without ruining the suit?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Lily said. ¡°I have the right color string out back.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Denise said. ¡°Let''s go into the changing room and figure out the right measurement for me.¡± They went into the changing room and shut the door. ¡°Do you love her?¡± Elise asked, and Ren looked at her. ¡°I''ve only seen her three times in this store, and she has a boyfriend.¡± Ren said. ¡°I like her, but it''s that friend kind of like, not the ''boy, I wanna have sex with her'' like.¡± He smiled. ¡°So, of course I don''t love Lily.¡± Elise snorted a laugh. ¡°I meant Denise.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Ren said, then he had to think about it. ¡°It''s not love... I mean, it''s not like I''ve had a lot of experience with it, but...¡± He shrugged. ¡°She''s nice, and pretty, and she can be a pain sometimes.¡± He smiled. ¡°She''s a good friend.¡± ¡°With benefits.¡± ¡°Kind of.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve only seen her completely naked when she gave me a shower this morning. A while ago, I did play with her breasts a little.¡± He frowned. ¡°She made me angry at the time and I stopped, though.¡± ¡°You aren''t going to deny it? Or tell me it''s all just a misunderstanding?¡± ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The last thing I''d ever do is lie to you.¡± He said. ¡°You should already know all about my relationships with everyone, Elise. Why are you asking me about this?¡± Elise looked down at the hand she held to her cleavage and sighed. ¡°It''s just...¡± A tear came to her eye, and she wiped it away. ¡°I don''t want you to fall in love with anyone else before... before you fall in love with me.¡± ¡°Would that be so bad?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Yes!¡± Elise said, and didn''t bother wiping the tear away this time. ¡°Five more women, Ren! You... you have... 5 more of them to please you... and... and I... we... we haven''t even...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said and took his hand from her grip to put it on her shoulder to brace himself. He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss. ¡°Before you say anything else, I want you to help me break in my new bed.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Elise.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t just want you to see the house. I had an ulterior motive for inviting you over.¡± Elise wiped at her tears as she chuckled. ¡°You... you little devil...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m the most horrible person in the world.¡± ¡°The worst.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m kneeling beside you, in a bikini that barely covers me, and you won''t even try to play with me.¡± ¡°That''s because if I start, I don''t know if I could stop.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I don''t think I would want anyone else to see such a beautiful woman being ravaged by such a beast.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°You always know just what to say to cheer me up.¡± ¡°It''s only the truth.¡± Ren said, then gave her another kiss. * John and Holly had gone into one of the spare bedrooms to change. He was fast, because he just hauled off his clothes and pulled on a pair of swim trunks. Holly on the other hand, took a few minutes more to get ready. ¡°Wow.¡± John said as he saw the bikini that Holly wore. ¡°Can I tell you again how sexy you are?¡± ¡°Geez, John!¡± Holly said. ¡°You literally just saw me naked!¡± John laughed. ¡°I did, but... damn, that is a nice bikini.¡± Holly shook her head. ¡°The pool is calling my name.¡± She said and walked past him. ¡°That was me.¡± John said. ¡°All last night.¡± Holly snorted a laugh and slapped his arm. ¡°Come on, you horn-dog.¡± She picked up Nancy''s presents and they left the spare bedroom, then went out to the back yard. ¡°Uncle John!¡± Nancy said, and ran over to him. She hopped up into his arms, and he laughed as he caught her easily. ¡°What did you get me?¡± ¡°You don''t want to wait until later?¡± John asked her, and she shook her head. ¡°I already know what everyone else got me.¡± Nancy said, and a large group of her friends came over. ¡°Yours is going to be the only surprise.¡± John put her down, and Holly passed him the small bag. ¡°This is from Holly.¡± ¡°Thanks, Holly!¡± Nancy said with a big fake smile, and opened the present. A few of her friends gasped at the Virgin Mary antique cameo and silver chain. ¡°I...¡± She looked at Holly. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said with sincerity. ¡°Happy Birthday.¡± Holly said, and handed John the big bag. ¡°This is from me.¡± John said, and gave it to Nancy. She opened the present and everyone gasped. ¡°Oh my GOD! Dr. Dre''s Beat wireless headphones!¡± Nancy yelled, danced around a little bit, then passed them to Holly. ¡°Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!¡± ¡°You''re welco-¡± John''s words were cut off when Nancy wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a big kiss. ¡°You''re the BEST!¡± Nancy said as she let him go, then took the headphones back from Holly. John stood there with wide eyes and his mouth open in surprise as Nancy walked away with her group of friends to play with her very expensive new toy. Chapter 289 - Water Play ¡°I think you need to have a serious talk with your niece.¡± Officer Holly Stonewall said. ¡°I think so, too.¡± Detective John Ramirez said, once he managed to get over the shock. ¡°I knew she had a crush on me, but...¡± Holly chuckled. ¡°There''s nothing wrong with a little crush.¡± She said. ¡°That little display... was a bit more than that.¡± John nodded. ¡°I''ll take care of it.¡± He said and started to follow his niece when Holly grabbed his hand and stopped him. ¡°I think it can wait for a little while.¡± Holly said, and John looked at her with raised eyebrows. ¡°She''s on a great birthday high right now. You don''t want to ruin her whole day with reality, do you?¡± John sighed. ¡°I guess you''re right.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll get her alone after the party and talk to her.¡± Holly nodded, then looked down at their clamped hands. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± She said and tried to let his hand go. ¡°Don''t be sorry.¡± John said and smiled. ¡°You took my hand willingly.¡± His smile grew into a grin. ¡°And in public, too.¡± Holly blushed a little, and John stepped close. ¡°I didn''t... I mean, I did... but...¡± Holly tried to explain. John glanced around and saw no one was looking at them, so he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°You can swim, right?¡± John asked her. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Holly asked, confused. John''s sneaky public kiss had thrown her completely off her train of thought. He laughed at her reaction, picked her up, and ran for the pool. ¡°JOOOOOOOHHHNNNNN!!!!¡± Holly screamed, but John had already jumped into the air as they reached the pool''s edge. ¡°Double Cannonball!¡± John said and they hit the water together. The huge splash they made flew out of the pool and soaked his sister. ¡°Ahhh! Dammit, John!¡± Tanya exclaimed. ¡°This is my favorite-¡± ¡°GERONIMO!¡± One of the teenage girls yelled and jumped into the pool, too. ¡°Everyone into the pool!¡± Someone hollered, then every single teenage girl did cannonballs, dives, crazy jumps, and one even managed to do a belly-flop into the pool. John and Holly surfaced, and discovered that they were surrounded by laughing and giggling girls. Holly couldn''t help herself and started to laugh, too. * Lily had made the alterations to both bikinis, and Elise and Denise tried them on. ¡°That''s perfect!¡± They both said, as they looked at each other in the mirrors. ¡°It sure is!¡± Ren said as he stared at them. ¡°Lily, you do great work!¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Lily said, proud that she''d done such extensive alterations so quickly. ¡°Okay, now it''s your turn.¡± Elise said to Ren. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°We''ve been dancing around in bathing suits for you.¡± Elise said and grinned. ¡°Now it''s our turn to watch you do it.¡± ¡°Yeah, turnabout is fair play.¡± Denise said. ¡°We have some nice swim trunks over...¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Elise said. ¡°We might buy those in the end; but, right now... where do you keep the Speedos?¡± Denise started to laugh at Ren''s surprised expression, and Lily went to get some bathing suits for men. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I talk to Stella, and she said you need to get up and walk around.¡± Elise said. ¡°We''re just going to kill two birds with one stone.¡± She smiled. ¡°You get more exercise, and we get to see you strut your stuff.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°How can you smile so evilly and still be so beautiful?¡± ¡°You just bring out the best in me, I guess.¡± Elise said, and Denise laughed. ¡°Oh, all right.¡± Ren said and stood up when Lily came back with several different kinds of bottoms for him to try on. ¡°Let''s get this over with.¡± Lily went with him into the change room to help, when he told Denise and Elise to wait for the show. ¡°Are you sure you need me in here?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, shouldn''t one of the women with you help instead?¡± ¡°I can''t quite bend all the way over yet.¡± Ren said and took off his shirt. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Lily whispered as she saw the extensive bruise. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I bruise easily, and fell on an exercise ball.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s horrible!¡± Lily said. ¡°Does it hurt much?¡± ¡°Only when I breathe or move.¡± Ren said. ¡°Other than that, it only hurts a little.¡± Lily chuckled. ¡°I don''t know how you can joke about that.¡± She said and motioned at his chest and abdomen. ¡°But, I''ll follow your lead and try to ignore it.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and undid his pants. ¡°Actually, it''s a little distracting.¡± Lily said. ¡°Do you think I could... um...¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I have some concealer.¡± Lily said. ¡°We could try and cover it up.¡± ¡°That''s actually a great idea.¡± Ren said and stopped undressing. ¡°Give it a shot.¡± It took about 5 minutes, and it had used up nearly all of her concealer; but, Lily had managed to cover up his entire bruise and blended it into the surrounding skin. ¡°That''s so cool.¡± Ren said as he looked down at himself. ¡°Thanks, Lily.¡± ¡°I bet they''re going to be so surprised!¡± Lily said, and laughed a she picked up a pair of leopard print Speedos. ¡°Let''s get these on you before they come looking for...¡± *Knock* *Knock* ¡°Hey, is everything all right in there?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lily is trying to be a lady and not look at me.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°It''s making getting dressed go slow with her eyes closed.¡± ¡°Do you want me to help?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I''ve already seen it.¡± ¡°I''ll be out in just a minute.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have a seat and get ready to be amazed.¡± He heard Denise laugh and looked at Lily. ¡°Let''s get this done.¡± He said and pulled down his underwear. Lily nodded and knelt, and Ren braced his hands on her shoulders as he stepped into the Speedo. She started to pull them up over his calves, knees, and thighs; then froze as she came face to face with his crotch. ¡°Thanks for stopping where I can reach them.¡± Ren said, not realizing that Lily had stopped for a completely different reason. He pulled the leopard print Speedo up the rest of the way, got everything tucked in, and smiled. ¡°Get the door for me.¡± * Lily nodded quickly and reached for the door handle, then opened it without standing up. Ren stepped out of the changing room, and Lily stayed inside and shut the door behind him. Oh my god. Lily thought, then remembered how much the tall redhead had fawned over him. No wonder! She took several deep breaths and stood up. I have a boyfriend, I have a boyfriend, I have a boyfriend. * Elise and Denise sat there in shock, as Ren did exactly like they had wanted. He came out of the change room full of bravery and confidence, and strutted around the platform for them. He did several muscle man poses; the double arm flex, the double bicep curl, then the extended leg and arms behind the head move. That last one had hurt, because he''d had to use both his abs and chest muscles at the same time; but, the looks on their faces was worth it. Both of their mouths were open in a little ''o'' of surprise, and he laughed mentally at their dumbfounded expressions. He turned around and flexed his back muscles, with his legs slightly apart, then tightened his left and then right gluteus muscles to make the cheeks of his butt dance for them. Ren felt pretty full of himself, and turned around to face them again. ¡°There.¡± Ren said and put a finger under the top of the Speedo, and pulled it out a little bit. It snapped back into place, and both women jumped a little at the sound. ¡°Are you happy now?¡± ¡°Yes, Ren.¡± Elise licked her lips and nodded. ¡°I''m very, very happy.¡± She said, and her eyes smouldered as she stared at him. ¡°If we weren''t in public right now...¡± Ren chuckled and stepped down off the platform to walk over to her. He was getting a little tired, which meant he should have been exercising more: despite what the doctor said about taking a break. He looked around, and didn''t see any other customers. ¡°What would you do in private?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I''d...¡± Elise reached out and touched his hip. Ren didn''t protest or move away; so, she slid the hand around to grab his butt and pulled him in close. ¡°I don''t have as much restraint as you, sweetheart.¡± Ren laughed. Elise felt the muscle she was touching clench, and she gripped it a little tighter in response. Ren started to get a warm fuzzy feeling as things started to stir in him, then felt his other cheek being gripped. He looked down and saw that it wasn''t Elise''s other hand like he thought; so he looked at the other woman. Denise had a hand on him, too. ¡°So firm.¡± Elise said, and started to massage his backside. ¡°What happened to your bruise?¡± ¡°C-c-concealer.¡± Ren said as Denise massaged his backside, too. Unfortunately, the leopard print Speedo was not up to the task of containing his excitement. He felt himself break free of the tight fabric, and covered it with a hand. Elise was starting to breathe heavy, and Ren looked at her. ¡°C-cameras.¡± Ren said to her, as she leaned in and kissed him thoroughly. Unable to resist such kissable lips, he used his free hand to hold onto the side of her neck, and kissed her back with just as much passion. * The change room door opened and Lily stepped out to see what was taking so long, and her eyes widened as she saw Ren and Elise making out. They''re kissing like they''re all alone and no one can see them! Lily thought, then she thought about interrupting them; but, then she noticed the other woman''s hand on Ren''s backside. Oh... oh my... Lily thought and closed her eyes. I will not be turned on by this. I will not be turned on by this. She opened her eyes and stared at them. I am so turned on by this! * Denise leaned in close, and Ren thought she was going to join in on the kiss; but instead, she only whispered. ¡°You have an audience.¡± Ren broke the kiss, and Elise sighed as she had to let him go. He stroked her face as he stepped back, then smiled at her. She smiled back, and he turned around. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Ren said to Lily. ¡°I''ll take these Speedos, a few other pairs with the different patterns, and several pairs of swim trunks.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°I don''t think I can survive any more modelling today.¡± ¡°I... okay... um... let''s get you changed back into your regular clothes.¡± Lily said. ¡°Then we can head over to the counter.¡± Ren nodded and walked over to the platform with his hand over the front of the Speedo, and Lily could see that he couldn''t quite cover everything with his hand. She didn''t let her face show how much she could see, and Ren stepped up onto the platform. He went into the changing room and the door shut behind him, then Lily turned to follow him in. ¡°I can handle this part.¡± Denise said with a hand on Lily''s arm, and smiled at Lily''s surprised expression. ¡°He doesn''t have to keep the bathing suits a surprise anymore.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Lily said. ¡°I... I''ll meet you over at the counter, then.¡± Denise nodded, and watched Lily walk away. Elise came up onto the platform and leaned in close. ¡°She wanted a close up look at Ren.¡± Elise whispered. Denise nodded and whispered back. ¡°Our little charmer might have charmed someone else.¡± ¡°Do you think she...¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°No, he doesn''t realize what he can do sometimes.¡± She whispered. ¡°I even accused him once of playing innocent to make himself more appealing.¡± ¡°He doesn''t have to do anything at all to make himself more appealing.¡± Elise whispered. ¡°When he does... good god, like today... I...¡± She shook her head. ¡°When he popped out of the Speedo I... I wanted to go down on him right then and there!¡± ¡°Hey, can I get some help in here?¡± Ren said from the change room. ¡°I''m kinda stuck.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Denise snorted a laugh, and opened the change room door, then froze. Ren had knelt on one knee, and had gotten the Speedo down past it, but now it was restricting the movement of his other leg, which was too far away from the other and he couldn''t lift it to get the bathing suit off. He was now half-bent over, with his butt up in the air and his head on the floor. He''d even managed to get one of his hands caught in the leg hole of the Speedo. ¡°It was going well until I slipped.¡± Ren said, while he looked at the two women upside down. ¡°I was being careful, too.¡± Both women laughed as they shut the door and tried to undo the pretzel Ren had contorted himself into. * John and Holly had been forcibly recruited to join in on some pool games with the girls. None of the other adults wanted to get wet; and since John and Holly were already in the pool, it made sense that they would have to play, too. They played volleyball first, and no matter what team John was on, they always won. Water polo was next; and no matter what position he played, John was always on the winning team. ¡°I hope your winning streak continues.¡± Holly said, when Nancy announced the next game was ''Chicken''. ¡°I''''m tapping you for a partner.¡± ¡°How in the world are you going to carry me on your shoulders?¡± John asked her and laughed at her surprised expression. ¡°Just kidding!¡± He said, then ducked into the water. ¡°John?¡± Holly asked as she tried to look for him. She felt hands on her thighs, then something hairy between her legs. She gasped as John stood up with her on his shoulders. ¡°John!¡± ¡°Everyone take their flags.¡± Nancy said and handed out flags to the teams that wanted to play. ¡°Aw, I wanted Uncle John as a partner.¡± ¡°Sorry, I called dibs.¡± Holly said and took a flag. She hung the flag on her hip and stuffed the end into the bottoms of her bikini. ¡°He almost made me the horse, though.¡± Nancy laughed, and her father came over. ¡°It''s not fair that you''ve got a full grown man on your team.¡± He said, then looked at his daughter. ¡°Have you found a horse yet?¡± ¡°Daddy!¡± Nancy said, and hugged him. ¡°Let''s take them down!¡± Her father laughed and climbed into the pool, then Nancy sat on his shoulders. ¡°Take your positions!¡± Nancy said, and the teams spread out around the pool. ¡°Get ready!¡± She said, and all the girls held onto the heads of their ''horses''. ¡°GO!¡± Then they were off. * Elise and Denise had gotten Ren untangled quickly, dressed him, and brought him and the items they wanted to buy to the counter. ¡°Will that be everything?¡± The sales clerk asked. ¡°For now.¡± Ren said, then looked at Elise. ¡°We should be back again next Sunday for actual clothes.¡± He smiled. ¡°Someone wants to have fun dressing me up.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°That would be me.¡± She said. ¡°Barring complications and cancellations.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That''s why I said ''should''.¡± He said, and paid for everything. They left the shop and climbed into the Hummer H2. ¡°I could have bought my own.¡± Elise said when she pulled out of the parking lot. ¡°You still can.¡± Ren said. ¡°I bought all of this for me.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± ¡°Hopefully, have fun in the pool.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Otherwise, this whole trip to get swimwear was only a partially fulfilled sexual fantasy, and not practical at all.¡± Denise snorted a laugh. ¡°Who''s sexual fantasy was it?¡± ¡°Definitely mine.¡± Ren said. ¡°Having two attractive women prancing around in barely-there bikinis, who actively encouraged me to stare at their luscious bodies.¡± He grinned. ¡°I almost went just from that!¡± ¡°You''re wrong.¡± Elise glanced at him, then back to the road. ¡°It was my sexual fantasy.¡± She smiled. ¡°Seeing my boyfriend strut around and showing me his muscles, shaking his butt at me, then letting me kiss him like I''ve always dreamed.¡± She grinned. ¡°I actually did go from that.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Ren said. ¡°Really?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°It wasn''t my sexual fantasy.¡± Denise said, and Elise raised her eyebrows at her through the rear view mirror. ¡°Don''t get me wrong, it was pretty hot.¡± She smiled. ¡°But, that wasn''t any kind of situation that I''ve ever thought of before.¡± Then she grinned. ¡°I bet Lily has, though.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°If she didn''t, she will now.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ren looked between the two women. ¡°Did I miss something?¡± ¡°Yes, but that''s okay.¡± Elise said. ¡°I don''t think knowing we turned Lily on would change how you acted.¡± ¡°She was turned on?¡± Ren asked, then thought about Lily, and what she looked like. ¡°How could you tell?¡± Denise poked Elise''s shoulder lightly. ¡°I told you.¡± Elise nodded and glanced at Ren. ¡°Lily liked the way you kissed me, almost as much as I did.¡± ¡°Oohhh.¡± Ren said, finally catching on. ¡°I don''t want to kiss her, though.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°You don''t have to.¡± She said. ¡°We''re just telling you that if her boyfriend would kiss her like you kissed Elise, she would be much, much happier.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Okay, that I understand.¡± He said and hit the electronic gate opener. They drove into the Emerald Estates and parked beside the car that was still there. They got out of the Hummer H2, and Ren dug through the bag of things he bought, and left a bathing suit and swim trunks on the hood of Donald''s car. ¡°I hope they get the hint.¡± Ren said as they went inside the main house. ¡°I''m sure they will.¡± Denise said. ¡°Even if they don''t get here before we leave, they can still use the pool.¡± Ren nodded, and the three of them went to the changing rooms beside the pool. They didn''t bother using separate ones, and Ren was glad; mainly because he didn''t want to embarrass himself again like he did the last time. They all got changed and went out to the pool. ¡°It looks clean.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, looks can be deceiving.¡± ¡°There''s a form by the changing room that says it''s being maintained by the community pool service.¡± Elise said. ¡°So, it should be okay to use.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said, and looked at her with a smile on his face. ¡°Now carry me into the pool like the delicate flower that I am.¡± Elise snorted a laugh. ¡°Are you joking, or do you really want me to carry you in?¡± ¡°Well, I don''t know how to swim.¡± Ren admitted. ¡°You don''t have to carry me; but, I''d appreciate it if you could keep a hold on me to make sure I don''t drown.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said, and picked him up with her left arm them sat him on her hip. He wrapped his legs around her waist and put an arm over her shoulders. ¡°I''ll carry you as far as you want to go.¡± ¡°For now, it''s going to be as far as the shallow end of the pool.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll need swimming lessons if I want to go deeper than that.¡± Elise nodded, and walked down the steps into the shallow end of the pool. It was only 4 feet deep, but considering Ren was only 4 foot 7 inches tall, it was still pretty deep for him to go into it alone. ¡°It''s warm.¡± Ren said. Denise came in behind them, then walked around and slid into the deeper water. ¡°Hey, no fair!¡± Ren said to her. ¡°I can''t do that yet.¡± ¡°You can, if you hold onto me.¡± Elise said. Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Um... I... I''m...¡± Ren tried to say. ¡°I don''t... I don''t know if I...¡± Elise shifted her grip on him, and moved him from her side to the front, so that he was facing her. ¡°Denise, lifeguard duty.¡± She said and turned so that her back was to the deep water. ¡°I''m close by.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''m not going to jump in or anything.¡± Elise said to Ren. ¡°I''m just going to gently lay back, and we''re going to float together.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± He said. ¡°I trust you.¡± Elise''s heart filled with happiness when she heard those words, and she let that feeling keep her afloat as she did what she said. She laid back as she took in a deep breath of air, and her feet lifted off from the bottom of the pool. Ren''s eyes went wide as most of Elise sank into the water; then, she kind of bobbed up a little bit and didn''t sink any more. ¡°It... it''s working!¡± Ren said as he clung to her, and pressed himself against her chest. ¡°Elise, you''re amazing!¡± ¡°I''m just floating.¡± Elise tried not to laugh, because she would lose her concentration. ¡°Denise, a little help?¡± Denise reached out and gently turned Elise around, and pushed her back to the shallow area. ¡°You can stand.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Elise said, then held onto Ren as she got her feet under her and stood up. ¡°That was so cool.¡± Ren said, and put a hand on Elise''s face. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I''d like to say it was no trouble, but that was kind of terrifying.¡± Elise said. ¡°I just took your life into my hands.¡± ¡°With backup.¡± Denise said, and she chuckled. Ren gave Elise a quick kiss. ¡°I think that''s enough life endangerment for me today.¡± He said. ¡°Drop me off at the Jacuzzi, so I can watch you two swim and have fun.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Won''t that be a little boring?¡± ¡°You saw your reflections in the mirrors, right?¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I don''t think it''s physically possible for me to get bored.¡± Both women laughed. ¡°All right.¡± Elise said and walked over to the Jacuzzi. She helped Ren get in it, then walked up the steps out of the pool. Ren watched as she walked around the edge of the pool to the diving board, then she took two strides and bounced off the end of it, then did a flip and dove into the water. She came up to the surface a few moments later, to see Denise and Ren as they stared at her. ¡°That was AWESOME!¡± Ren said. ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°I was on the swim team in high school.¡± Elise said as she swam over to Ren. ¡°I was forced to quit when I hit puberty.¡± She said as she stood up. Ren looked down at her bikini top, and it was pretty much see-through. ¡°I''m sorry, and I''m grateful.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry you had to go through something like that; but, I''m grateful that your life has brought you to me.¡± ¡°I...¡± Elise looked like she was going to cry. ¡°I feel the same way about you.¡± Ren blinked his eyes a few times as he thought about what that meant. He stepped forward and reached a hand up to her face, and she leaned down to give him a kiss from the bottom of her heart. * The pool games had ended, with John the clear winner, and he finally managed to get Nancy alone in one of the spare rooms. ¡°Nancy, it can''t happen.¡± Detective John Ramirez said for the third time. ¡°But... I love you!¡± His niece Nancy said. She stepped close and wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. ¡°Doesn''t love conquer all?¡± ¡°No.¡± John said, as he thought about all the time he''d spent with his partner over the last two years, and how his feelings had changed so drastically after only a single night. ¡°Sometimes, all it can do is mess things up for people.¡± Nancy looked up at him, and he looked down at her. ¡°You love me, don''t you?¡± She asked, her voice and eyes full of hope. John put a hand on her cheek. ¡°I have more love in my heart for you than any other.¡± He said. ¡°You''re my only niece. I remember everything about you. The things you like, the things you hate, that you prefer your hair shorter because it''s easier to wash; but you wear it long because everyone compliments you on it, that your favorite food is spaghetti and meatballs even though your mom''s specialty is lasagna.¡± He said. ¡°I even remember the time of your birth.¡± Tears rolled down Nancy''s face as she heard how much he knew about her. ¡°Then... then why can''t we be together?¡± ¡°You''re my niece.¡± John said. ¡°My sister''s daughter. My flesh and blood.¡± He explained. ¡°I''ve always looked at you and treated you, as if you were my own daughter; and nothing can ever, ever happen between us.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It breaks my heart to hurt you like this.¡± John said. ¡°I thought you just had a crush on me, and that you''d get over it.¡± He sighed. ¡°The one thing I always promised myself, was that I would never cause you pain.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You are the most beautiful girl in the world.¡± John said, kissed her forehead, then leaned back. ¡°You''ll find the right guy for you someday.¡± ¡°I already found the right guy!¡± Nancy said, vehemently. ¡°You''re perfect!¡± ¡°I''m nowhere near perfect, Nancy.¡± John chuckled. ¡°I even showed up late for my favorite niece''s birthday party.¡± ¡°I''m your only niece.¡± Nancy said, completing the joke. ¡°I... I just...¡± She started to cry again. ¡°It''s Holly, isn''t it?¡± She asked. ¡°She stole you away from me.¡± John took his hand from her face and hugged her tightly. ¡°No, she''s only a weekend fling. We''re not having a relationship or anything after this.¡± ¡°Then... then I... I still have a chance.¡± Nancy said. ¡°I''ll win your heart!¡± ¡°Shh.¡± John said. ¡°You can''t win what you can''t compete for.¡± He said. ¡°You''ll fall in love again. You''re too smart and beautiful not to.¡± Nancy shook her head. ¡°No, I won''t. I''ll never love anyone else but you.¡± ¡°Nancy, you have to.¡± John said. ¡°You can''t let your feelings for me affect your life.¡± He said. ¡°I want you to be happy, and to fall in love with someone you really care about. I don''t want you to be miserable because you want me to be something that I can never be.¡± Nancy sobbed onto his chest. ¡°I... I love you!¡± She said, and tried to punch him. ¡°Please! Please! Love me back!¡± ¡°I can''t.¡± John said. ¡°Not in that way.¡± ¡°Then... then I... I''ll hate you. I''ll hate you forever.¡± Nancy said. ¡°If... if you won''t...¡± She took several breaths to steel herself. ¡°I... I''ll never want to see you again.¡± John stiffened, and she felt his reaction. Nancy knew that he would have to give in to a demand like that. When she looked up at his face, her fantasy world shattered apart. She saw the tears in his eyes as they flowed out even more than hers, and she realized it had been a mistake to say the only thing that could possibly hurt him. To deny him seeing his only family. ¡°I''m... I''m so sorry that... that you feel that way.¡± John said in a normal voice as the tears didn''t stop coming out. ¡°I knew you would take it hard...¡± He let her out of the tight embrace he had held her in. ¡°But... I never thought that...¡± He shook his head. ¡°I... I''ll leave right away.¡± ¡°Uncle John!¡± Nancy almost yelled as he walked towards the door of the spare bedroom to leave. ¡°I''m sorry! I didn''t mean...¡± ¡°No, I think you did mean it.¡± John said as he opened the door. ¡°That''s why...¡± He wiped at his face, but it made no difference to the flow of tears. ¡°That''s why it hurt so much to hear it from you.¡± ¡°Uncle John!¡± Nancy tried to get his attention, but he ignored her as he stepped out into the hallway and shut the door behind him. She collapsed to the bed and cried her heart out. * Ren had watched Denise and Elise swim for a while as he sat in the Jacuzzi. The jets weren''t on, it was just a convenient place to sit next to the action. He had been true to his word, and watched diligently as they swam. They did laps, more dives, and at once point Ren had goaded them into a race. Elise won of course, but it had been a close victory. ¡°I am really out of shape!¡± Elise said after she swam over to Ren and stood up. ¡°That depends on if ''smoking hot'' is a shape.¡± Ren said to her, and she laughed. ¡°You''re biased.¡± Elise said. ¡°You''re not a valid judge.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay.¡± He turned to Denise. ¡°Lily called her a knockout, so it''s just your opinion left. What do you think of Elise?¡± ¡°I think she must get several whiplash lawsuits filed against her every day when she walks down the street.¡± Denise said and smiled. ¡°See?¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not in the minority here.¡± Elise laughed again. ¡°Let''s get dried off and changed.¡± She said. ¡°We''ve got to get you back to the temporary care facility soon.¡± ¡°But... but we didn''t break in my new bed!¡± Ren said as she helped him out of the Jacuzzi. ¡°I was really looking forward to that.¡± ¡°I am, too.¡± Elise said. ¡°But you''ve had too much excitement as it is.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t want you to over-exert yourself.¡± She leaned down and kissed him. ¡°I''m afraid I wouldn''t be as careful as I want to be if we...¡± Her face flushed a little red. Ren sighed. ¡°All right, I''ll wait.¡± He said. ¡°But the next time I see you, you''re going to strip off and let me have my way with you.¡± Elise shivered a little bit at the thought. ¡°But... what if it''s at-¡± ¡°I don''t care where it is.¡± Ren interrupted her, then took her into a hug. His face nestled between her breasts and he smiled up at her. He looks so cute like that! Elise thought, and she wrapped her arms around him. ¡°You deserve attention, and I''ve been... well, I''ve been kind of afraid.¡± Ren admitted to her. ¡°You''re a lot of woman to handle, and I don''t know if... well... I know you have certain expectations, and... I... I don''t want to disappoint you.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said. ¡°You can never disappoint me.¡± She smiled. ¡°In fact, you keep surprising me in so many unexpected ways.¡± Ren moved his hands down from her waist and grabbed her backside. ¡°Like now.¡± Elise said, and they both laughed. ¡°Come on, you two.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''m already rinsed off and dried myself, and you haven''t even started.¡± ¡°Sorry!¡± Ren said, gave Elise''s butt a little squeeze, then let her go. ¡°I couldn''t keep my hands to myself.¡± Elise let him go and stepped back. ¡°Yes, it''s all his fault.¡± Denise snorted a laugh and held the shower door open for them. They rinsed off quickly and Denise passed them both towels, then helped Ren dry off. They all got changed and took their wet clothing with them. They saw that Donald and Barbara''s car was still in the driveway, and climbed into the Hummer H2. ¡°Donald seems to be taking a long time checking out the house.¡± Denise said and smiled. ¡°I hope Barbara isn''t too late for work tonight.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If we hurry, I can log into the game before she shows up.¡± He smiled. ¡°I really don''t need a birds and the bees talk from her tonight about my personal maids.¡± Denise laughed as they left Emerald Estates. Elise drove them back to the temporary care facility and helped to get Ren back to his room. He was tempted to ask Elise to help him take a shower, but he knew she''d decline because it was getting late. ¡°Thank you so much for everything today.¡± Ren said to Elise when she said she had to leave. ¡°I had a lot of fun spending the day with you.¡± ¡°I did, too.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m starting to regret that I didn''t take you up on your offer, though.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s an open invitation. One of these days, you won''t be able to resist anymore.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Until then, you''ll just have to make due with some passionate kisses and maybe a little heavy petting.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°Come here, you.¡± She knelt, and it put her at the perfect height. Ren gave her the kiss she deserved, and Elise held her moan in, because she didn''t want him to know how much she loved his kisses. They broke apart and sighed, and then started to laugh as they had both let the other know how much they liked the other''s kiss. ¡°I''m definitely regretting not taking you to bed.¡± Elise said, and Ren wrapped his arms around her neck. He nuzzled his face under her hair, and she wrapped her arms around his back. He put his lips by her ear so he could whisper to her. ¡°You don''t have to worry about me falling in love with someone else before you.¡± He said softly, then kissed her earlobe. ¡°I already love you.¡± Tears came to Elise''s eyes as one of her fondest wishes finally came true. Ren leaned back and saw her tears, and he unwrapped his arms from around her neck, cupped the sides of her face with his hands, then wiped the tears away with his thumbs. ¡°Is it okay to say that you still look beautiful with red puffy eyes and a tear-stained face?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°No.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°Elise.¡± ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± ¡°You look horrible.¡± Ren said and grinned. Elise laughed as she shook her head at him, and then he kissed her. It was only a playful kiss; so, it didn''t have the intense feelings behind it like some of his other kisses. It was still a kiss that the both of them could enjoy, though. ¡°I better go.¡± Elise said, and ran her hands through his hair. ¡°Or I''ll never leave.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said, and Elise stood up. ¡°I hope I''ll see you again soon.¡± ¡°Oh, you will.¡± Elise said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Elise left the room and Ren went into the bathroom to take a shower. He was done fast, thanks to Denise''s help, and he got dressed and climbed into bed. ¡°This place really does feel small now.¡± Ren said as Denise handed him the VR headset. ¡°That''s because it is small.¡± Denise said. ¡°It''s even smaller than your old hospital room.¡± Ren looked around the room and saw all of their stuff scattered everywhere. ¡°It''s sure going to be nice to have an actual house to live in.¡± He said and put on the headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± Chapter 290 - Something For Tommy Ren woke up on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. Hi, Teepo. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo said and flew down to land beside him. ¡°Did you get all of your Adventurer''s business done?¡± Most of it. Ren thought, then opened up Clint''s message that he''d left the notification of on his screen. It was just a ''well done and congratulations'' message, so nothing he needed to feel bad about for leaving it unanswered for a few game days. Ren opened Tommy''s message next, and sighed mentally. Damn, I probably should have read this before I left. Ren thought, and typed up a response. I could have told Tommy that I wouldn''t be able to make him anything until I came back in. He sent a message that said he would need a description and what Tommy would want it enchanted with, then closed the messaging system. Did anything happen while I was gone? ¡°Yes.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Nathalia went to meet your new maids.¡± Damn. Ren sighed. What happened? ¡°Nothing.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She introduced herself and gave them hot meals. They introduced themselves and took the food, and that was that.¡± What? Ren thought, surprised. No fight? No big blowup? No bloodshed? Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Nope, there wasn''t any of that.¡± Huh. Ren smiled. I''m glad. ¡°The personal maids knew right away that Nathalia was the one you were having the forbidden relationship with.¡± Teepo explained. ¡°They also told her about what you said to them about not having the room in your life for any more women.¡± That''s great! Thanks for the update, Teepo. Ren thought. Do you want to go back into your physical body? ¡°Sure.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I need more practice with it.¡± I''m sorry I didn''t do it before I left. ¡°That''s okay.¡± Teepo said, then dissolved into the Beetle Crown ring. Ren slipped his half of the Ring of Recall over it, and took out Teepo''s platinum body. Summon Teepo! Ren thought, and the metal beetle started to move. The wings deployed, and Teepo fluttered up into the air. ¡°That''s better.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''ve got about 2 hours left before supper, and an hour before nightfall.¡± ¡°You read my mind.¡± Ren said out loud. ¡°I assume Nathalia and Ereka are both still at work?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I am going to sit down and relax.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I haven''t done that in... well, I don''t remember the last time I did that here.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°It has been pretty hectic the last little while.¡± ¡°And then some.¡± Ren said, grabbed a plate of food, and walked out of the house. He went into the stable to greet Princess, gave her the food, and said hello to Riley, Stacy, and Ruck. He pat the dogs, then Princess, and went out to the courtyard and stepped into the fire elemental''s pen. He used a web wand to cast Web several times, then sat down on the webbing. ¡°Hey, I''m back.¡± Ren said into the flames and wind section. He thought he could see something move, and smiled. ¡°Are you trying to be sneaky?¡± Some of the flames changed color slightly. ¡°That''s only going to work if you''re surrounded by flames.¡± Ren said. ¡°But the practice is still useful, since everyone here has Fireball wands. You''ll have lots of cover to hide in when you''re big enough to come with us.¡± He grinned. ¡°Especially from Ruck! You should have seen that poor giant get engulfed in 60 fireballs, then he was completely covered in 60 web spells!¡± The fire elemental burst out of it''s hiding place, jumped into the air, and hit Ren in the chest as it tackled him. Ren laughed as he caught the fire elemental and fell onto his back in the soft webbing. ¡°Nice one.¡± Ren said, and hugged it close. ¡°Hey, I think you''re getting bigger.¡± He said as he looked the fire elemental over. It had gone from a foot long to nearly a foot and a half long. ¡°You are getting bigger.¡± The fire elemental''s color changed slightly, and Ren let it go. It stood up on his chest, and he smiled. ¡°Counter-attack!¡± Ren said and started to tickle the fire elemental''s underside with his fingers. He heard a loud crackling fire as the fire elemental shook slightly. It didn''t try to run away, even though it clearly could. Ren laughed and picked the fire elemental up in his arms, then sat up. He put the fire elemental in his lap, and gently stroked it''s head stub. ¡°If it''s okay with you, I''m just going to sit here for a while.¡± Ren said to it. ¡°I''ve got a few things to look over, and there''s no better spot for me to do that.¡± The fire elemental''s color changed slightly. It stood up, rubbed it''s head nub on Ren''s cheek, then it laid down on his lap. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, then thought about what he had gained after the battle with the giants. ¡°Show character gains from recent normal bonuses.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Skills
Alert Artificer Knowledge - Greater (Class Skill)
Charge! (Party Skill) Craft Staff
Double Infusion (Class Skill) Enhanced Casting (Class Skill)
Far Shot Level 1 (Beginner 0%) Imposing Figure (Special Skill)
Nimble Fingers
Recipes
Amulet of Truth (Wondrous Item) Bottle Of Endless Air
Bracelet of Friendship (Wondrous Item) Bracers of Archery
Brooch Of Shielding Elixir of Acrobatics
Elixir of Strength Gauntlets of Giant Strength
Immovable Rod (Craft Rod) Instant Tower (Wondrous Item)
Hand of Glory (Wondrous Item) Helm of the Eagle
Pit of Darkness Ring of Sustenance
Ring of Water Walking Rod of Cancellation (Craft Rod)
Rod of Displacement (Craft Rod) Shield of Nullification
Staff of Containment Staff Of Earth
Wand of Invisible Wall
Spells
Chain Lightning (Level 2) Sunburst (Special)
Wall of Earth Wall of Fire
Wall of Ice Wall of Thorns
Wall of Wind
Runes
Rune of Empowerment Rune of Set Bonus
¡°Holy crap.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s... I can''t believe...¡± He shook his head, then started to laugh. ¡°I don''t know what to look at first.¡± Ren was about to start naming things to see the descriptions, when he got a message notification. He opened it and smiled.
Tommy: Hey, Ren. No worries about being late. I was out all day myself. Don''t ask me what I was doing because my GF would kill me if I said anything about it. I''d like a heavy bow, preferably 5 to 6 feet tall, a thick grip, and if possible, as strong of a string as you can manage. If you need to know what I mean, my last several levels I''ve been raising my Strength instead of pumping up my Dexterity and Agility, and it''s already up to 100. Yeah, I know that''s kind of high for an Archer/Ranger class, but I heard that I can''t use the better bows if my Strength doesn''t meet the requirements. If you can enchant it with Lightning, that would be great.
Ren typed up a message and said that he''d get on it right away, and would let him know when it was done. ¡°I need to go and make something for a friend.¡± Ren said to the fire elemental. ¡°Thanks for keeping me company.¡± It hopped up, rubbed it''s body across his chest, then stepped off. One of it''s leg nubs stuck to the webbing, and Ren watched as it''s leg flared a little and lit the web on fire to get it''s leg free. ¡°I wonder if it would work.¡± Ren took out an Amulet of the Spider, and slid it over the head nub. The chain resized for the tiny neck, and then the amulet stuck to the chest of the fire elemental. Ren started to smile because it had worked; but, then the amulet and chain slowly sank into it''s body. ¡°That would be a no.¡± Ren said and knelt. ¡°Don''t hurt yourself trying to eat that.¡± He said. ¡°It''s pretty tough.¡± The fire elemental struggled and shivered, then it shook it''s head stub from side to side. A moment later, it spit the amulet out into Ren''s hand. There were deep scorch marks on the metal, and a lot of the chain had been partially melted. ¡°That was a great try!¡± Ren said, and gave it a hug. ¡°You''re getting really strong.¡± The fire elemental''s color changed slightly, and Ren could hear twigs snapping. ¡°Have fun with the webs.¡± Ren said, let the fire elemental go, and stood up. He left the pen and went out through the gate, greeted the guard, then walked up to his workshop. On the way, he used his Metal Repair skill to fix the amulet, then stored it with the others. He went inside the workshop and looked at the large workbench with his stained glass work on it. ¡°I''ll finish them on my day off.¡± Ren said, then looked at the pile of things he had taken out of inventory and stored in the workshop. He was tempted to store them again, but he had to clear out all of the things he had looted first. He went into the forge room and saw that Tee-one wasn''t there. Ren assumed he was working on the Keep repairs, and looked at the smelters. ¡°I should melt the stuff down, but it might put inherent weaknesses in things we forge if I use inferior materials.¡± Ren said, then looked through the items. ¡°15 swords, 8 crossbows, 3 helms, 6 pairs of gauntlets, and 5 pairs of boots.¡± He said, repaired them all, then sold them to the system at a 10% discount. It gave him just over 500 gold coins, and cleared out 5 slots in his inventory. Ren didn''t have any more springy trees left, so he looked through his inventory and found the bows he had made before the battle with the giants, and took out two of them. Tommy said that he wants a heavy bow. Ren thought. I hope this works. Ren took the strings off the bows and walked over to the forge. He dipped his hand into the smelter to pick up a small handful of molten metal. He put it between the handles of the two bows, squeezed them together, and used his hands to smooth the metal and absorb the heat from it. It made the bow twice as wide, and the handle was a bit too big to hold. He used his tools to trim the handle to a proper size, then cut the arrow notch deeper out of the sides above the handles. It had to be adjusted so that the thickness of the handle wouldn''t throw off the aim of the bow. He left the rest of the bows the same thickness and didn''t trim them. If he wants a heavy bow, then he''ll get a heavy bow! Ren thought and used more metal to cover the handle and secure the two bows together. He did the same thing to the tips of the bows where the string was to be attached, and left the wedge in the middle for it. He looked at the old notches for the string and thought about covering them up; then he had a different idea. Ren took out his Spider Silk String, and cut three lengths of it the same, then tied the knots in the ends. He hooked the three strings on the bottom of the bow, rested it on the floor, and used his Strength to bend the bow ends closer together. He hooked the ends of the three strings on the top of the bow, then let the pressure off slowly. The strings held, and he smiled. Tommy said he wanted Lightning on it. Ren looked at his Enchanting skill. He thought he remembered hitting Advanced Level 5 in Enchanting, and wanted to make sure. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw he was actually at Expert Level 1. What the hell? Ren put the bow down and opened the popup window that had the latest skills he''d gained on it. I think that''s it. He thought. ¡°Show info for Enhanced Casting.¡±
Enhanced Casting (Class Skill)
This skill grants +5 levels to all Enchanting Skills, and increases spell cast distance by 50%
¡°Show Enchanting skill and sub skills.¡± Ren said.
Main Skill:
Enchanting Level 1 (Expert 15%) Enchant items with runes or glyphs. Current Limits: 3 glyphs, 5 runes each.
Sub Skills:
Absorb Enchantment Level 9 (Intermediate 55%) Allows you to remove an enchantment by absorbing it, refilling a portion of your Mana in the process. Current Rate: 35% of original cost
Decipher Level 9 (Beginner 60%) You can read runes you know in other glyphs, with a chance to find new runes
Dismantle Glyph Level 1 (Intermediate 65%) Allows you to destroy a glyph with the chance of learning a rune from it. Current chance: 30%
Enchanted Eyes Level 7 (Intermediate 40%) Enchantments in the area will give off an intermittent glow
Read Rune Level 9 (Beginner 60%) Allows you to read unknown runes and add them to your Book of Runes
¡°Holy crap. I can do 5 runes in a glyph, and combine 3 glyphs together.¡± Ren said, kind of in shock. ¡°That''s 15 runes.¡± Ren took out his Book of Runes, and saw it had increased in size slightly. He flipped through the pages, and saw it had made room for the 5 rune glyphs on each page. He did his mental trick of imagining the 5 runes making a glyph for each rune that he had. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said as he closed the book. ¡°The potential combinations of runes that I can do now is... wow.¡± ¡°It''s pretty nice.¡± Tee-one said as he came out of the secret entrance to the tunnel that led to the Keep. ¡°I''ve tried playing with them, but my Mana is too low to do more than 2 of the glyphs with 5 runes each.¡± ¡°Why aren''t you using mine?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You can, can''t you?¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°I won''t deprive you of your best resource.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve been using the Major Healing wand you gave me to refill my Mana when necessary.¡± ¡°I''ve got a recipe for a Bracelet of Magic.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can...¡± Tee-one held up his left arm and showed Ren the bracelet he had made, and Ren laughed. ¡°Give me that.¡± Ren said, then remembered the description said it was a combination of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Mana. He concentrated on making glyphs of them, combined them, and enchanted the bracelet with it. When he looked down, he saw that his enchantment was beside Tee-one''s enchantment. ¡°That''s the Double Infusion skill you unlocked.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You can add an enchantment to something already enchanted, as long as the original enchantment isn''t yours.¡± ¡°I really have to look through these skills.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s like I''m stumbling around in the dark, and only discovering things as I bump into them!¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°Yes, getting all of those levels has messed up everything, and expanded you a little beyond what you''re ready for.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, but I''m not going to complain about it.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°Here, enchant this bow with as much Lightning runes as you can.¡± While Tee-one did that, Ren looked through his recipes. ¡°Bracers of Archery.¡± Ren said, and made a mold on the floor. He poured some metal into it, absorbed some of the heat, and picked it up. He took it to the anvil and hammered it into the proper shape like the recipe said. He poured out another, hammered that out, and now had two plain bracers. He held them in his hands and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability. Even though it was just a regular item, it needed a way to infuse the magic. He placed them on the 1 foot square golden platform that appeared, and a second later, they were done and he examined them with Identify.
Bracers of Archery
Grants the Archery skill. If the skill is already present, it instead grants +5 levels to that skill and +10% Damage to attacks while using a bow.
¡°Sweet.¡± Ren said, used his Retain Essence skill and absorbed the enchantment. A small icon appeared to tell him he had an enchantment to transfer, so he looked at Tee-one. ¡°It''s done.¡± Tee-one said and handed Ren the bow, and he examined it.
Heavy Bow of Improved Lightning
This bow has been heavily modified and can fire three arrows at once with a lower accuracy, or one arrow at +20% power. It adds 80 points of Lightning Damage to any arrow it fires.
Ren held the bow in his hand and used his Retain Essence skill to drop the enchantment he stored onto the bow. He checked it again, and smiled.
Archer''s Heavy Bow of Improved Lightning (Binds On Equip)
This bow has been heavily modified and can fire three arrows at once with a lower accuracy, or one arrow at +20% power. It adds 100 points of Lightning Damage to any arrow it fires. It also grants the Archery skill. If the skill is already present, it instead grants +5 levels to that skill.
¡°Yeah, Tommy should like that.¡± Ren said, and stored the bow. ¡°I''ll head over to Nathalia''s Restaurant and have her deliver it to the store.¡± ¡°You might as well do the bracers, too.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Right!¡± Ren used the Craft Wondrous Item skill again to give the bracers back their enchantment, stored them, then left the workshop. I wonder how much I should charge him? Ren asked himself as he ran to the restaurant. Chapter 291 - Put A Bow On It Ren concentrated on his House Neram pendant as he arrived at the door of the restaurant, and Teepo flew over behind him. ¡°Do you want me to scout inside?¡± Teepo asked. I don''t think we should advertise that you exist. Ren said. At least not yet. ¡°I understand.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ll scout out here.¡± Ren nodded and then remembered what the hostess of the restaurant had said about having a proper appearance before he would be allowed in. He equipped his House Neram red suit to replace his set of Travelling Clothes, ran his fingers through his hair, then went inside. ¡°Good evening, sir.¡± The hostess said, then she noticed who it was. ¡°A very good evening.¡± She gave Ren a warm smile. ¡°Would you like to be seated?¡± ¡°I''m tempted to eat; but, I only need to talk to Lady Neram for a couple of minutes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is she busy?¡± ¡°Please wait here while I check.¡± The hostess said and left her post by the entrance. Half of the dwarves in the restaurant stared at him, and the other half looked at the people staring, then looked over to him to see what they were staring at. They had all stopped eating to do that, and Ren smiled at them. ¡°It''s a great evening.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope you all enjoy your meals.¡± Several of them nodded slightly and started eating again; but, more than two thirds of them kept staring. Nathalia came out of the kitchen at a fast walk, hooked her arm in Ren''s, and tugged. Ren went with her out of the restaurant, and she hauled him around the corner of the building and out of sight of the road. ¡°Why didn''t you call me?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I knew you were busy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I came back a little early, then found out I had to make a bow for a friend.¡± He said. ¡°It didn''t take long, and here I am.¡± ¡°Ren, I have to tell you something...¡± ¡°This is that thing you wanted to tell me before I left.¡± Ren said, and she nodded slightly. ¡°Narhilda scheduled a celebration.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Nearly the whole Kingdom is invited.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It''s not quite the whole kingdom, though. She only gave everyone two days notice and there was no way to get everyone here; but, it''s all the Major and Minor Houses, officials, Guild members, their families, and a good portion of the population from the surrounding countryside. They''ll be there in the common area outside the castle.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s the celebration for?¡± ¡°You.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°Narhilda somehow received all the details about your last battle with the giants, and she''s throwing a party to thank you for saving the realm.¡± Ren looked at her, and he could feel what she felt about it. ¡°I have to go, don''t I?¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°All Major and Minor Houses are required to go.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess I better go.¡± He said. ¡°When is it?¡± ¡°In about an hour.¡± ¡°I''m glad I didn''t give you a chance to tell me about it before I left, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°I still would have left, but I would have been worrying about it the whole time.¡± He smiled. ¡°Will you be accompanying me?¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°We can''t do anything publicly, remember?¡± ¡°Can we at least arrive together?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes, but...¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°You''re required to have a date.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± ¡°I know.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Everything would have been fine if you and I were still under a marriage contract.¡± ¡°Who the hell am I going to take as a date to this thing, that I don''t want to go to in the first place, and isn''t already a part of our House?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Ereka has been looking for someone you can take, but the only viable option she''s found was Lady Longore.¡± ¡°The woman who runs the place where we get the paving stones from.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°I can''t take her.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because, I''m now a free male of House Neram.¡± Ren said. ¡°She can claim me as her suitor if I ask her to a political function like this.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°I forgot about that.¡± She said. ¡°You don''t even have to speak her name if you show up together in front of the kingdom''s ruler.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I am not going to enter into another marriage contract.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I''ll think of something.¡± Ren said and took out the heavy bow he''d made for Tommy. ¡°What is that?¡± Nathalia asked, then laughed. ¡°It''s bigger than I am!¡± Ren handed the bow to her, and she struggled to hold it. Her hand wouldn''t fit around the grip and she had to hold onto it with both hands. ¡°It weighs a lot!¡± Nathalia said and stored it into her inventory. ¡°I assume this is going to the shop.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It''s for an Adventurer named Tommy. Give it to Anabelle to put behind the counter, and I''ll have Tommy go there and pick it up.¡± ¡°How much is it?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Tell Anabelle that when Tommy comes in for it, she is to ask him how much money he has on him.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a joke, but she can find out how much he has.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°I''d say it should be a platinum coin, or 100 gold coins; but, depending on how much he has, tell her to accept anywhere from 20 to 50 gold for it.¡± ¡°Ren, this bow...¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°You can''t just give it away.¡± ¡°I''ve only got two Adventurer friends, and I made a special weapon for one a long time ago.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really should have made something for Tommy at the time, too.¡± ¡°How long ago was that?¡± ¡°Just before I came to the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± Ren said. ¡°Okay.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Giving him a discount because it''s been so long is understandable.¡± ¡°I would give it to him outright, just to see his reaction.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I won''t be there to see it, though; so, having Anabelle play a bit of a practical joke on him will have to do.¡± ¡°I''ll make sure Anabelle understands what you want.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Thank you for doing this.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know you''re usually really busy this close to supper.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Everyone''s eating early, and we''re closing for the night in about half an hour.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry that I didn''t wait.¡± Nathalia smiled, because she could feel that he really was sorry. ¡°It''s all right, Ren. I wasn''t busy.¡± ¡°I''ll send Tommy a message and tell him to go and pick it up.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be vague about it and say I have an important event to go to.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Ren said and gave her the set of Bracers of Archery. ¡°Give him those, too.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°What did I just say about giving things away?¡± ¡°That it''s okay as long as I have a good excuse.¡± Ren said and grinned. Nathalia snorted a laugh and went into the restaurant to go through the portal so she could deliver the items to the shop. Ren opened up the messaging system and sent a message saying the bow was ready, that it had been a rush job, and that he had an important event to go to but had taken the time he needed to get ready to make it. As an afterthought, Ren added that he hoped Tommy liked the bow, and if he didn''t, Ren would try and make him something else soon. Ren closed the messaging system and thought about the celebration tonight. He looked down at his House Neram suit and thought it wasn''t sufficient enough to appear at a political event of this size, and looked through his patterns. It took a few minutes to find the patterns he wanted, and he smiled as Nathalia came out of the restaurant and walked over to him. ¡°It''s delivered.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Now we wait.¡± ¡°I''m not waiting.¡± Ren said, stepped forward, and kissed her passionately. He wrapped his arms around her, and he let her feel how much he had wanted to do that since the first moment he saw her. Nathalia moaned as the kiss went on, and she let him feel how much she had wanted it, too. They were tucked around the back of the restaurant, so no one would see them; but, it was possible someone could and that added a bit more excitement to it. * Tommy ran down the street from the inn he and his girlfriend were staying in, and felt excitement. I hope it''s something like Clint''s bow bracers! Tommy thought as he came around the corner of the side street and ran up the main road towards the street Ren''s shop was on. I know I can''t actually use bow bracers like that, but they''re so cool that I can''t help but want them. Tommy activated his class special ability Sprint, since it was getting late and there wasn''t anyone on the street. His speed doubled and he grinned as he ran at what he thought was a ridiculous speed. It burned through half of his Stamina bar, but he would have that regenerated by the time he walked back to the inn. He arrived at Ren''s shop, went inside, and walked to the main desk. ¡°Hi, I''m Tommy.¡± He said to the gorgeous black-haired woman behind the counter. I don''t know who designed this game; but whoever it was, needs a raise. Tommy thought as Anabelle smiled at him. ¡°My boss has graciously decided that he wanted to make you something.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°It''s something so fantastic that we can''t have it out for display, or everyone would want one.¡± She said and looked around the shop. Tommy was the only one inside, and she smiled. ¡°You''re going to drool over this.¡± I''m already drooling. Tommy thought, as he admired Anabelle in her business suit and skirt. ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± Anabelle asked, and Tommy nodded. She picked up the heavy bow and put in on her desk. ¡°What the hell is that?!?¡± Tommy asked, surprised. ¡°Do you have Identify?¡± Anabelle asked, and Tommy shook his head. ¡°This is the Archer''s Heavy Bow of Improved Lightning.¡± She said, then explained what it did. ¡°You''ve gotta be kidding me!¡± Tommy said. ¡°Ren made that?¡± ¡°Of course he did.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°This is not a resale shop. Everything in here has been custom made by skilled hands.¡± She smiled. ¡°In fact, that also includes the displays, desk, second floor, shelves, the forge, and even the lights.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Tommy was surprised. ¡°Ren made everything?¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°It''s been his passion to craft, and he''s become very good at it.¡± ¡°Geez, I thought he just opened the place and added the stuff to sell.¡± Anabelle shook her head. ¡°His hands have touched everything in this shop.¡± She said and smiled sweetly. ¡°Everything.¡± Tommy looked her up and down quickly. Ren, you lucky dog! ¡°How much is the bow?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°How much have you got?¡± Tommy looked at her with surprise clearly on his face. No one''s ever asked that before. He thought. Should I lie? He looked around, and there was still no one else in the shop. Can she tell if I lie? Anabelle watched the thoughts flow across Tommy''s face, and she held in her laughter. Ren was right! She smiled slightly. This is really fun to tease him like this! ¡°Um... I...¡± Tommy sighed as he saw her smile, and checked his coin pouch. ¡°I''ve got 57 gold, 13 silver, and 89 copper.¡± ¡°Then I''m sorry.¡± She said, sadly. ¡°It''s 100 gold, or 1 platinum coin.¡± Tommy''s face fell and he looked at the bow. If I save up for a while... a really long while... ¡°Oh! I almost forgot!¡± Anabelle said excitedly. ¡°On this particular item, we''re running a special for Adventurers that are friends with the business owner.¡± Tommy whipped his head up and stared at her. ¡°What... what kind of special?¡± ¡°It''s not much.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°The special is only 80% off.¡± ¡°It''s WHAT?!?¡± Tommy yelled, and Anabelle grinned at him. ¡°That''s right. Just for you, it''s 20 gold coins.¡± ¡°You''re joking!¡± Tommy said. ¡°A platinum is a steal for it!¡± ¡°I can only sell it for what he said I could sell it for.¡± Anabelle said, and didn''t say she could have charged the full price if she wanted. She smiled. He trusts me so much. ¡°He''s out of his mind.¡± Tommy said, and took out 20 gold. ¡°Don''t forget that it binds on equip.¡± Anabelle reminded him. ¡°Even if you die, it''s not eligible to be dropped as loot.¡± ¡°That''s why I said a platinum was a steal.¡± Tommy said and stored the bow. ¡°A weapon that you can never drop?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I can''t believe he sold it for only 20 gold!¡± Anabelle lifted up an arrow and handed it to Tommy. ¡°The dummy is set up at the end of the shop.¡± She said and pointed. ¡°Can you make it a head shot?¡± Tommy grinned and equipped the bow. ¡°Geezus Cripes!¡± He exclaimed as he got the popup for it. ¡°It doesn''t have set requirements!¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°He assumed since it was for you, he didn''t want it limited by a level cap or stats that you may or may not have.¡± Tommy shook his head again and took the arrow. ¡°I knew he was a little crazy for going out on an adventure at only level 2, when everyone else was level 30 to 60.¡± He knocked the arrow in the middle string. When he pulled it back, he struggled a little bit with it and smiled. The arrow was surrounded by a twisting bolt of Lightning, then he aimed for the head of the training dummy and let the arrow fly. The arrow crossed the 30 feet to the target instantly, shattered the head of the training dummy in a burst of lightning, went through the paving stone behind it and broke it apart, then went through the outside wall and into the wall of the building across the street. ¡°Good lord!¡± Tommy said, and looked at the bow. ¡°Do you like it?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°Is it satisfactory?¡± ¡°Satisfactory?¡± Tommy looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°It''s fucking awesome!¡± Anabelle laughed. ¡°He''ll be happy to hear that you liked it.¡± ¡°I''m ecstatic!¡± Tommy said and walked over to her. ¡°Please tell him I appreciate this very much.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± Tommy stored the bow and turned to leave. ¡°Sir?¡± Tommy stopped and turned back. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You forgot the bonus item that you get with a special purchase.¡± Anabelle said and put the Bracers of Archery on her desk. ¡°You have got to be fucking kidding me!¡± Tommy said and stared at her, and Anabelle laughed. * ¡°Ren, we... we have to stop...¡± Nathalia said as Ren kissed her earlobe and massaged her backside. ¡°We''re... out in public.¡± Ren let her go slowly, and stepped back. ¡°I''ll meet you at the house later to head to the castle.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly, and then Ren got a message from Tommy.
Tommy: You are f*****g AWESOME!
¡°Well, I think Tommy liked it.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°He said I''m awesome.¡± ¡°You are.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°See you soon.¡± Ren gave her another quick kiss and ran out to the road and then back to the Keep and up to the workshop. He had finally figured out what he was going to do for a ''date''; but, he would need new clothes for it to have the impact that he wanted. He took out the table he''d had at the battle of the giants, and chose the suit pattern for himself. It was one he had adapted from Thern Neram''s designs for royal wear, and he altered it so that it stood out as much from normal royal wear as his House Neram Suit was different from a normal suit. He dyed it a royal purple, added gold accents, and stored it. He recalled one of the dress patterns Sally had given him, and altered it to match the suit he had just made. He made 5 of them, dyed them the same royal purple, added gold accents, and stored them Ren took out 6 diamond brooches and thought about the time he had found the 5 personal maids inside the hidden room. He smiled as he imagined a gold plate as it flew towards him, then enchanted all 5 brooches with the new design. ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said then made a new dress for Nathalia and one for Ereka. He dyed them both House Neram red, and stored them. Teepo? Hows my time? ¡°Nathalia just got home.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You might have 20 minutes.¡± Thanks. Ren thought and ran into the forge room. This has gotta look good. He went to the forge with gold in it, and poured out enough to make 5 small tiaras and attached a 1 inch wide diamond oval to them. He took out a handful of 1 gold coin diamonds and put them in a line on either side of the large diamond. He smiled as he quickly enchanted the 1 inch wide diamond ovals in the center of each tiara with a single Illumination Rune. It only took a second with his Enchanting up so high. Ren made a quick necklace with several diamonds of different sizes, then made 4 more once he had the pattern and let the system make them. He enchanted the center diamonds with Illumination runes as well. The last thing he did was make 5 pairs of nice comfortable shoes and stored them. ¡°Whew.¡± Ren said, when Teepo said his 20 minutes was up. ¡°I just made it.¡± Ren left the workshop and went to the building beside the workshop, then knocked on the door. ¡°Just a minute.¡± A woman''s voice said, and a moment later, she opened the door. ¡°REN!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°You''re back!¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also heard you''ve already met Nathalia.¡± She nodded slightly. ¡°She''s really nice.¡± ¡°And scary.¡± One of the others said. ¡°I like her.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m glad, because you''re going to be seeing a lot more of her in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I''ve been invited to a celebration, and I''m required to take a date.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t!¡± One of them said. ¡°It''s forbidden!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m not taking her, so don''t worry about me causing a scandal from that.¡± ¡°Then who are you taking instead?¡± The one holding the door open asked. Ren grinned as he stepped into the building. ¡°The 5 of you.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± The 5 women exclaimed together. Chapter 292 - Getting Ready To Party ¡°You can''t be serious!¡± One of the female dwarves said. ¡°I''m completely serious.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m required to take someone, and since I can''t take someone from my own house like I want to, my only option is to find someone outside of my House.¡± He smiled. ¡°If I ask any unattached woman, I''ll automatically enter a marriage contract with them. It only took me a few minutes to realize that I already had the perfect option available to me.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You''re all under contract to me already. We can''t enter a marriage contract without fulfilling the other one first.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s safe for me to take you.¡± Another one of them shook their head. ¡°No one has ever taken a personal maid for something like this.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°I had hoped that was true.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Ever since I''ve come to these lands, all I''ve ever done is do things that no one could have expected, and in some cases couldn''t have imagined.¡± ¡°We''ve read some of them.¡± One of them said and held up his latest book with the giants. The female dwarf beside her held up the book about Ren''s time in the dwarf lands and dealing with the Council. ¡°I guess you want us to put on a show?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I don''t want to disappoint anyone by not doing something spectacular when I have the opportunity.¡± ¡°Spectacular is right.¡± The one by the door said and shut it. ¡°If you appear in front of the kingdom''s ruler with a personal maid as your date...¡± She shook her head. ¡°Everyone will be talking about it for months.¡± ¡°Five personal maids.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like you all to come.¡± ¡°You''d like for us to come?¡± One of them said. ¡°You aren''t going to order us?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I should, but... even though this could be a part of your personal maid duties to take care of my needs, I don''t want it to be.¡± He smiled. ¡°That doesn''t make any sense, does it?¡± A couple of them laughed. ¡°It kind of does.¡± One of them said. ¡°You want us to agree to this ourselves, and not be forced into it.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Then plead your case, good sir.¡± The 5 female dwarves gathered around him, and he saw that they were only a couple of inches shorter than him, making them about 4 feet 5 inches tall. ¡°You''re all really tall.¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°Throgg liked tall women.¡± One of them said. ¡°He was a bit of an oddball.¡± ¡°Besides being the head of a guild of thieves?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°Point taken.¡± Since there were 5 women, he held both hands out palm up, and touched them together. The 5 women placed their right hand side by side in his. ¡°I would be Honored if you would accompany me to this event.¡± Ren said formally. ¡°Please accept, and let me bask in your beauty; if only for tonight.¡± ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± One of them said. It was the one that had no problems telling Ren she wanted to sleep with him. He was positive they all did, but she was the only one to be so outright with reminding him of it. Her face flushed a little red, and then she smiled. ¡°Sir, I humbly accept your offer. Please escort me to the best of your ability; if only for tonight.¡± The others repeated the acceptance phrase, and Ren bowed over their hands after dismissing the Honor gain popups. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, stood up straight, and thought of Nathalia to make his Sending Ring glow. ¡°Nathalia? When do we have to leave?¡± ¡°Anytime is fine.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°The normal guests should be arriving at the castle now. We aren''t expected for at least another hour.¡± ¡°Fantastic.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be right down to give you and Ereka your new dresses.¡± ¡°Our what?¡± ¡°I can''t let you go to this thing wearing your old House Neram dress, can I?¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Is that what you''ve been doing for the last hour?¡± ¡°Among other things.¡± Ren said. ¡°I found someone to take, too.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It''s a surprise.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you in a few minutes.¡± The Sending Ring stopped glowing, and Ren looked at his personal maids. ¡°I''ve got new dresses for you as well.¡± Ren said. ¡°With the 5 of you helping, you should be able to get dressed in no time.¡± Ren took out the 5 pairs of shoes for them. ¡°Ooo.¡± One of them said. ¡°Royal purple!¡± ¡°Ereka''s going into the Keep, Ren.¡± Teepo said from his perch on top of the workshop. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought, then realized he''d made dresses and nothing for them to wear underneath. ¡°I forgot to make underwear.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hold on, this should only take a minute.¡± Ren ran back to the workshop next door and picked up some of his supplies. He made 5 pairs of delicate underwear that matched the dresses, dyed them purple, then ran back to the waiting women. He passed them the underwear, and the women stared at the delicate fabric. ¡°You... you just made this.¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have made tops for you, too; but, the dress has it built in.¡± He took out the first dress, and the female dwarves gasped. ¡°By the gods!¡± One of them exclaimed. ¡°We can''t wear that! It''s... it''s too much like...¡± ¡°Like something a Lady would wear.¡± Ren said to her. ¡°That''s why I made it this way.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I know you pretty much signed your lives away to be personal maids; but, that doesn''t mean you shouldn''t be treated like a Lady.¡± Ren said and handed her the dress. ¡°Tonight, that''s something I want everyone to know.¡± ¡°R-R-Ren... y-y-you...¡± She tried to speak, but she couldn''t quite get the words out. ¡°It''s only a simple design.¡± Ren said and took out another one and handed it to the next woman. ¡°It''s very easy to put on and take off.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± She said. ¡°You...¡± ¡°I made them all the same, so you don''t need to fight or argue over who has the prettier dress.¡± Ren said and took out another dress to give to the next woman. ¡°I hope you like them.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''ve got a couple of other little things to give you; but, I''ll wait until you get dressed before giving them to you.¡± Ren said and took out the fourth dress and gave it to one of the women that had stood there and stared at him. She took the dress without even looking at it, because her eyes never left Ren. He took out the last dress, and turned it around to show them how it opened and slipped on, then gave it to the last woman. ¡°I''ll be back later.¡± Ren said, and left the building the personal maids lived in. * ¡°By the gods.¡± One of the women said. ¡°Just one of these dresses is worth...¡± ¡°...our entire wardrobe.¡± Another one said. ¡°And he just gave them to us...¡± ¡°...like it was nothing; as if we were doing him a favor by accepting it.¡± The third one said. ¡°He''s not faking it, either.¡± The fourth one said. ¡°There wasn''t even a hint of a lie in any of what he said.¡± ¡°So we''re agreed?¡± The fifth one said. ¡°We help him of our own free will?¡± The other four women nodded. ¡°We are going to have so much fun tonight!¡± She said, and they all laughed. * ¡°Hi, Nathalia.¡± Ren said when he went into the house, and he took out the fancy red dress that he had made for her. ¡°I can''t stay and help you get dressed.¡± Nathalia smiled, because she could feel that he wanted to help her undress instead. ¡°I think I can get by without your help this time.¡± She said. ¡°Afterwards, though...¡± Ren smiled, gave her a quick kiss, and turned to Ereka. ¡°This one''s yours.¡± He said, and gave her one similar to the one he had just given to Nathalia, but it was slightly understated in comparison. ¡°It just pops open in the back, and you can step right into it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nathalia can help you with it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ereka said, and Ren turned to leave. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Nathalia asked him. ¡°I need to make a carriage.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I recruit Tee-one, I should be done by the time we need to leave.¡± ¡°We can just use the cart on Princess.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°We could, but this is...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If Narhilda wants to put on a show, then I''m going to give her a show.¡± ¡°Ren, are you sure you...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m going to make this a night they''re never going to forget.¡± * ¡°This is going to be a night they are never going to forget.¡± Narhilda said as the preparations behind the scenes were finally completed, and the kitchen staff started serving the food. ¡°They certainly won''t.¡± Barnar, the Royal Consort said. ¡°How much did all of this cost?¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Only a few dozen platinum.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°The taxes for the Garrison alone was nearly a hundred platinum this year.¡± Barnar shook his head. ¡°I don''t know how you can charge taxes on the only thing that can defend the entire kingdom from external threats.¡± ¡°That''s how it''s always been done.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Even when I was a little girl, it was the Garrison that kept the kingdom safe, and helped pay to run it.¡± She smiled. ¡°House Lodur can afford it now that the idiot that used to run the place is dead, and isn''t keeping all of the money for himself.¡± Barnar frowned. ¡°If he''s dead, who''s in control of the Garrison at House Lodur?¡± Narhilda waved his concern away. ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± She said. ¡°They''ve been keeping the realm safe, and they even paid 5 years of taxes in advance!¡± She laughed. ¡°Whoever the owner of the deed is, they''re not stingy with money!¡± * Ren ran up to the workshop and went inside. He took out the Sending Square that was connected to the one the Commander of the Garrison had, and thought of him. ¡°Good evening, Commander.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you busy?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Commander said. ¡°But, go ahead.¡± ¡°Are you going to the celebration tonight?¡± ¡°I''m already here.¡± The Commander said. ¡°I''ve also got a Battalion of troops to keep the peace.¡± ¡°Were you invited?¡± ¡°Ordered, actually.¡± The Commander said. ¡°When the Queen says she needs security guards...¡± ¡°How you got there doesn''t matter, as long as you''re there.¡± Ren said, and the Commander chuckled. ¡°You''re coming here to show off, aren''t you?¡± ¡°Oh, I''m going to do much more than that.¡± Ren said. ¡°If the Queen does what I think she''s going to do... I''m going to need you up on stage.¡± ¡°Are you expecting trouble?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s giving me an award or something, and if I have to give a speech, I want you there.¡± ¡°I don''t really understand why; but, I won''t question you about it.¡± The Commander chuckled again. ¡°I don''t need to taste a foot in my mouth like the last time I questioned you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You can cancel the investigation on where the missing shadow coins are.¡± He said. ¡°I found them.¡± ¡°You did?¡± The Commander asked, shocked. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°In the loot of the head of the Thieves Guild.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± The Commander yelled, and everyone around him turned to look at him. ¡°Sorry, folks. Carry on.¡± He said, then thought of Ren. ¡°How did you...¡± ¡°It''s a long story.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll fill you in when I get there, assuming I don''t have to greet the members of the other Houses.¡± ¡°That should take a while.¡± The Commander said. ¡°They''re almost in a formal line to wait for you already.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then it''ll be later on tonight.¡± ¡°I look forward to it.¡± The Commander said. ¡°See you when you get here.¡± The Sending Square stopped glowing and Ren tucked it into a pocket, then Tee-one came out of the forge room. ¡°I think we should split the work of the carriage.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ll do the woodwork, you do the metalwork.¡± ¡°You read my mind.¡± Ren said and pat Tee-one''s shoulder. ¡°Let''s do it!¡± The pair got to work right away on making a large carriage. While Tee-one built the main part out of wood, Ren made the axles, undercarriage, springs, and braces. With his Fire Manipulation and Absorb Fire abilities going constantly, Ren made the metal parts quickly, and as Tee-one finished the pieces needed, Ren attached the metal parts and wood together to complete the bottom and wheels. ¡°Using gold for some of the parts was a good idea.¡± Tee-one said to Ren. ¡°I emptied the other smelters.¡± Ren said, and laughed as Tee-one grinned. ¡°Should we only do the half-walls?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°No, I want a full carriage.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which reminds me.¡± He said and took out the steel square that was connected to the one he gave Ereka. ¡°Ereka, sorry to bother you...¡± ¡°The stable manager held a crew back and has 4 ponies ready to be attached.¡± ¡°How did you...¡± ¡°It''s my job.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Are you almost finished?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ereka said, and the Sending Square stopped glowing and Ren put it away. He and Tee-one made the walls of the carriage with a metal frame and wood panels, assembled them, and stepped back. Ren had dyed it red to match the rest of the House Neram things he''d made, then enchanted the House Neram Crest on the doors and attached them with hinges. ¡°That looks cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for the help, Tee-one.¡± ¡°Anytime.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Have fun.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± He said, stored the carriage, and ran down to the road. Teepo flew up high to scout and make sure nothing was around. Ren ran over to the stable and knocked on the door of the office. ¡°There you are!¡± The manager said as she came out. ¡°I was getting worried.¡± ¡°I was, too.¡± Ren said to her. ¡°So much to do and no time to do it.¡± ¡°Where''s the carriage?¡± She asked. ¡°I thought... BY THE GODS!¡± Ren had pulled the large carriage out of his inventory and placed it in front of the stable. ¡°I''ve never seen one so big! Where did you get... you didn''t just make that!?!¡± The manager exclaimed. ¡°Guilty.¡± Ren said and smiled at her reaction. ¡°The ponies?¡± The manager turned and clapped her hands, then 4 helpers came out with 4 large ponies. They hooked them to the carriage in the proper spots, and Ren made sure that everything was secure. ¡°I hope you have a driver.¡± Ren said as he activated the House Neram enchantment on the carriage and it merged with his Aura. ¡°I can''t ride inside and drive the cart for the whole night.¡± ¡°Of course we have a driver.¡± She said and waved. A pretty dwarf walked out of the stable, her hips swayed from side to side, and she tried her best to make it as sexy as possible. Ren chuckled, because it was the thief that an unruly dwarf had hired to try and steal his Sending Ring. ¡°Hello, Ma''am.¡± Ren said and bowed slightly, even though he knew her name was Deliliah. ¡°Lord Neram.¡± Deliliah said, and gave him a slight head nod. ¡°Did you only take the job, or did you move here?¡± ¡°I moved, My Lord.¡± Deliliah said. ¡°Free housing, no taxes, and a job that pays twice as much as a normal job?¡± She smiled. ¡°It didn''t take me long to realize how great of a deal it was.¡± Ren looked at her clothing, then let a smile appear on his face. ¡°I like your real clothing.¡± Deliliah laughed. ¡°It''s a little weird that you can tell just from a glance.¡± Ren chuckled, stepped to the side, and motioned to the carriage. ¡°Allow me to show you the operation of this carriage.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Deliliah said, and Ren showed her how the brake for the left and right sides worked, how the reins were stronger and more responsive, and that it could turn very quickly if she wasn''t careful. ¡°I''m glad that I didn''t tell you I already know how to drive a carriage.¡± Deliliah said. ¡°This is a lot different than the one I trained on.¡± ¡°I just built it, so it''s bound to be different from an old one.¡± Ren said. ¡°It needed separate brakes on the sides because it''s so large, and I figured it should have a higher speed and faster turn because it''s about half the weight of a normal carriage.¡± ¡°How did you manage that, with a larger carriage?¡± ¡°It''s got a metal frame with wood panels, rather than thick heavy wood throughout.¡± Ren said, turned and thanked the manager for staying late to get the team ready, then climbed into the carriage. ¡°House Neram Keep, please.¡± He said to Deliliah, and Teepo flew along above it. They arrived there a couple of minutes later, and Ren climbed out. ¡°We''ll be leaving shortly.¡± ¡°I''ll turn this monstrosity around.¡± Deliliah said and smiled. Ren looked at the guard. ¡°Please let them know the carriage is here.¡± ¡°I already did, sir.¡± Broxor said. ¡°They''re on their way out now.¡± Ren nodded slightly and ran up to the building with the personal maids in it, and Teepo flew over as well and landed on Ren''s shoulder. Ren knocked once and the door opened; then he let out a low whistle at the sight. The 5 female dwarves looked almost completely different from when he''d been there before. Their hair was styled in matching hairdos and they had applied makeup to accentuate the same features on each of them. Even though Ren had been conservative with the cut of the dresses, they looked a lot more suggestive than he thought they would. They also seemed very pleased with his reaction. ¡°You all look very nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t.¡± One of them said, and he laughed. ¡°I forgot to change.¡± Ren said, and equipped the suit that matched their dresses. ¡°Oh, my.¡± She said. ¡°Someone catch me.¡± She smiled. ¡°I might faint.¡± Ren smiled at her, then looked at each of them. ¡°I order you, for tonight only, to ignore my order for you to stay in this building.¡± The 5 of them sighed. ¡°You know just what to say, don''t you?¡± One of them said. ¡°We were... well, a little worried that you would remove the order.¡± ¡°I''ve had a little bit of experience with a personal maid.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°The last thing I want to do is cause you distress by removing an order you clearly need.¡± They all nodded slightly. ¡°We''re glad that you understand.¡± One of them said. ¡°Shall we go?¡± ¡°In a moment.¡± Ren said. ¡°You need your accents first.¡± ¡°Our what?¡± Ren smiled and took out one of the brooches he''d enchanted with the gold plate, and held it out for them to look at. ¡°Isn''t that...¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°When I first opened the door to the hidden room, several plates were thrown quite violently at me.¡± The female dwarves laughed. ¡°We all had one to throw.¡± Another of them said. ¡°We ate from those plates every day.¡± ¡°I thought so.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was the first time we met, and seemed like a strong common thread between us.¡± The female dwarves nodded, and Ren handed each of them a brooch. They pinned them to their dresses above their hearts, and Ren pinned his to his own chest and examined it with identify.
Brooch Of the Plate
This brooch has been enchanted with a symbol of the first meeting between Ren the First and his personal maids. It grants the wearer Aura: Contact Level 1 (Beginner 0% - Special), and can only merge auras with another Aura: Contact if they shared the same experience. Current distance: 15 feet
Ren thought about that time, and the Aura popped into existence. ¡°Now I''m going to break my self-imposed rule about sharing my Aura with people I don''t really know.¡± ¡°You can share your Aura?!?¡± One of them said. ¡°Yes, with someone I had a shared experience with, and create a way for them to do it.¡± Ren said, and pointed to the brooches. ¡°These?¡± Another said and looked at the brooch. ¡°Ha. I didn''t even look at it.¡± She said and looked at the other women. ¡°It says just what he said.¡± ¡°How do we do it?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± Ren said, and they did. ¡°Now, remember that moment. Right when the door opened and you let those plates fly.¡± The female dwarves did that, with varying degrees of success, but all of their Auras popped into existence, then merged with each other and Ren''s. ¡°By the GODS!¡± They said together as their auras merged. ¡°I can feel what you feel!¡± They said to each other, and Ren laughed. They all felt his amusement and gasped. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said, and reduced how much he was sharing. ¡°Wow, that was...¡± ¡°Amazing.¡± ¡°Scary.¡± ¡°Wonderful.¡± ¡°Now I really, really want to have sex with you.¡± The last one said, and Ren could feel her desire. When he looked at each of his personal maids, their desire for him was encouraged and brought to the forefront of their thoughts. ¡°It''s... been a really long time for all of you, hasn''t it?¡± Ren asked as his body reacted to feeling so much desire for him. ¡°A lot longer for some of us.¡± The one who was completely straight forward with her thoughts said. ¡°If I thought for even a moment that it would work, I''d drop to my knees and beg.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°So would I.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t get on my knees.¡± One of them said. ¡°Not to beg, anyways.¡± Ren looked at the last one who hadn''t spoken, and he felt her growing shame. ¡°I am so sorry.¡± He said as he walked over to the youngest of the group, and took her into a hug. ¡°You tried it with Throgg, and not only didn''t it work...¡± ¡°He beat me until... until...¡± ¡°...you didn''t want him anymore.¡± One of the others said. ¡°Why didn''t you say anything?¡± ¡°I couldn''t!¡± She said, and started to cry. Ren took out a cloth for her to dry her eyes. ¡°It''s not like saying anything would help at all, anyways.¡± She said. ¡°I signed the contract, and that was that.¡± ¡°And when I said I didn''t have room for more women in my life, and then I got your contract...¡± ¡°I thought... I thought that...¡± Ren felt her desperation, and her need to hide in case he did decide to make her not want him by using the same method. ¡°I would never, ever do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I love women.¡± He said. ¡°Probably a lot more than I should.¡± The female dwarves felt what he was letting out with his admission, and their hearts were weakened from how much love he had to give. ¡°I said I didn''t have room in my life for more women, but that doesn''t mean I won''t have room later.¡± Her eyes sparked from her tears, and he could feel a small spring of hope inside of her. ¡°I won''t promise that anything will happen.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not going to lie.¡± He smiled. ¡°But, if it ever does happen, what I can promise is that you''ll be first.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± She asked and that little spring of hope became a small stream. ¡°I''ll defer to her when the time comes.¡± The one who had started the whole desire thing said. ¡°We all will.¡± The others said, and Ren felt their support and agreement. ¡°Her need is greater than ours.¡± ¡°Well, I wouldn''t say that.¡± The brutally honest one said. ¡°She can just go first.¡± Ren laughed, and let a large burst of amusement flow into the Aura. ¡°By the gods!¡± One of them said. ¡°Can you do that again?¡± Ren let even more amusement into the Aura, and they all smiled. ¡°That feels really good.¡± She said. ¡°Can you keep it going all night?¡± Ren nodded slightly, and she put a hand on his arm. ¡°Then we''ll stick close, so we won''t leave your Aura.¡± ¡°About that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You won''t have to worry once I pick up my cloak from the Keep.¡± ¡°Why?¡± One of them asked. ¡°You''ll see.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or feel, I guess would be more appropriate.¡± He smiled. ¡°Would you like to see the next thing I made for you?¡± They all nodded, because they could feel how excited he was about giving it to them. Ren took out one of the small tiaras, and they stopped breathing. He felt their shock and surprise, though. ¡°It''s not that big, because I wanted it to accent your faces, not take away from them.¡± Ren said. ¡°The necklaces do the same thing.¡± ¡°The WHAT?!?¡± Ren took out the necklaces that matched the small tiaras and held them up together. ¡°One for above your face, and one for below.¡± He said. ¡°I wasn''t sure if people would pay you enough attention, so I... enchanted them to make sure.¡± Activate. He thought, and the center diamonds on the necklace and tiara glowed. Because it was inside a diamond, it acted like a prism and threw off all different color lights. ¡°You sure know how to draw attention!¡± One of them said. ¡°May I put them on you?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Of course.¡± She said and stepped forward. Ren put the tiara in her hair after asking for help to make sure he did it right, then hung the necklace around her neck. The diamonds with the Illumination runes lit up the surrounding diamonds as Ren had intended, and both pieces glowed from reflected light. ¡°You look so pretty!¡± The youngest one said. ¡°Do me next!¡± ¡°We already agreed that he would.¡± One of them said and chuckled. ¡°That''s not what I meant!¡± The youngest said and rolled her eyes, and they could all feel what each other felt and laughed. Ren gave each of them a tiara and a necklace, activated the enchantments, and stepped back. ¡°I think we''re ready.¡± Ren said, opened the door to go outside, and smiled at them. ¡°Please, come with me.¡± ¡°It would be our pleasure.¡± One of them said, and Ren''s 5 dates stepped out of their living space, with the intention to cause as much of a spectacle as they could. Chapter 293 - The Award Ren led the 5 female dwarves down to the road and to the waiting carriage. ¡°It''s beautiful.¡± One of them said. ¡°Tee-one and I can do great things when we work together.¡± Ren said, then the gate to House Neram Keep opened and Nathalia and Ereka came out. ¡°Hi, Re-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?¡± Nathalia yelled when she saw his personal maids standing around him. ¡°They''re my dates.¡± Ren said. ¡°Surprise.¡± ¡°You... YOU...¡± Nathalia looked like she was going to start ranting and raving at him, and Ren could feel how she felt. He walked over to her and took her hand. ¡°Before you say something you can''t take back, they are already under personal maid contracts that can''t be altered.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even bringing them in front of the kingdom''s ruler cannot initiate a marriage contract, not without removing the old contract first.¡± Nathalia opened her mouth to say that it was a bad idea to bring them; but, then she thought about what Ren said. ¡°You can''t have a marriage contract with them.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°And they''re okay with you parading them around like this?¡± She waved at the fancy dresses and jewelry. ¡°More than okay.¡± One of them said. ¡°He didn''t order us. We''re doing this of our own free will.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°Warning you...¡± ¡°It won''t make any difference.¡± Ren said. ¡°They are the only ones I can take that won''t automatically get me married.¡± ¡°But... couldn''t you have...¡± ¡°...just picked one?¡± Ren asked, and Nathalia nodded slightly. He stepped to the side and motioned to the personal maids. ¡°With almost no information about them, their personalities, or their feelings, which one should I treat as a favorite and take on a date, and who should I let stay here?¡± Nathalia looked at them, and then at Ren. ¡°You didn''t want to choose at random.¡± ¡°I couldn''t just choose one; that would insult the one I chose and the rest at the same time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not going to argue about fairness or anything like that.¡± He smiled. ¡°When I decided they were going, either they were all going or no one was.¡± ¡°You didn''t tell us that!¡± One of them said, and he felt their surprise. ¡°It would have influenced your decision if you knew.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re sharing your Aura with them!¡± Nathalia said, surprised. ¡°Why can''t I feel their emotions? Are you blocking it?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°The Aura can only be shared with someone that had a similar experience, but I''m a little surprised you can''t feel them through me.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Ereka? Can you feel them?¡± ¡°No, but I think that''s because Ren''s not concentrating on his House Neram pendant.¡± ¡°Oops, I forgot.¡± Ren said, then added in the House Neram Aura. The 5 personal maids and Ereka gasped as their Aura''s merged with each other and then the artificial one around the carriage, which in turn merged with the one around the Keep. Since Ren was the central focus, he eased the amount of feelings flowing out through the shared Aura, and they all breathed easier. ¡°No wonder he doesn''t do that all the time.¡± One of the maids said. ¡°I think we''d all be drunk on his emotions, otherwise.¡± ¡°That sounds kinda nice, actually.¡± The bold one said. ¡°I don''t mind basking in his glow.¡± ¡°That was my thought when I first felt it, too.¡± Ereka said. ¡°It''s so...¡± ¡°...overwhelming!¡± The youngest one said and looked at Ren. ¡°It''s... it''s not scary, though.¡± Ren felt what she felt, and smiled. She enjoyed it a lot, and that was a little scary for her because of the way she had been treated. He reached a hand out to her, and she took it with wide eyes. Ren brought up how he felt while relaxing in the Jacuzzi in real life, and let that calmness fill the Aura. ¡°Wow.¡± She said. ¡°It''s so great that you can do that.¡± ¡°This night is going to be fun, and probably a little scary.¡± Ren said and smiled as he led her over to the carriage. ¡°Let''s get to it.¡± He opened the door of the carriage, and helped each of the women climb up and get inside. When they were all inside, he closed the door. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He said and ran inside the Keep and into the house. * ¡°I can still feel him!¡± One of the maids said. ¡°The size of his Aura changes depending on what he''s thinking about at the time.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°His personal Aura is 50 feet, and that doubles when he wears the cloak.¡± ¡°He mentioned picking up a cloak.¡± Another one said. ¡°Is that it''s ability?¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°No, all it does is grant access to Auras.¡± She smiled. ¡°Ren filled them, though.¡± ¡°Them?¡± ¡°The cloak gives off an Aura by itself of 50 feet now, and it also gives Ren access to Fear which is also 50 feet.¡± ¡°That''s what he used against the giants.¡± One of the maids said. ¡°Combined with a Screaming Terror enchantment, whatever that is.¡± ¡°It''s a glyph of his own design.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°He''s used it quite a few times.¡± ¡°He can do so much.¡± Another of the maids said. ¡°He''s a great Adventurer.¡± The personal maids all froze still as they felt the Aura change from awe to a slight menacing feeling with a tinge of Fear. ¡°By the gods.¡± One of them said, and tried to catch her breath. * Ren had checked to see if the tarantula was still tucked into the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, then put it on and sighed as his Aura expanded out. With his personal Aura at 50 feet, the cloak added 50 feet, and he has split his concentration between his new Contact Aura of 15 feet and the House Neram Aura of 40 feet. All in all, it came to a whopping 155 feet when he was alone. ¡°Ah, you don''t realize what you miss until you go without it for a while.¡± Ren said, then thought about the other Auras the women shared with him. It was 75 feet for the 5 personal maids, and 30 feet from Ereka. If he added them in, his Aura was out to 260 feet. That''s not counting my Fear, Command, or Camaraderie Auras. Ren thought. I''d be over 300 if I added one of them. He walked towards the door. I wonder why Nathalia is only using the ''collective'' thing her mother unlocked? She''s not getting all of this. * ¡°He''s coming!¡± The youngest maid said. ¡°How is he doing that?¡± ¡°It''s one of the benefits of sharing with him.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You can pinpoint others inside the shared Aura.¡± The maids all looked at her with questions on their faces. ¡°No, I''m not sharing Auras.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I get a headache after a while.¡± ¡°Will we get one, too?¡± She asked. ¡°It depends.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Unlike Nathalia, it never bothers me.¡± ¡°So, you''re saying you don''t know.¡± The bold maid said. ¡°We''ll find out soon, I guess.¡± * Ren came out of the house, walked over to the carriage, and climbed inside to sit by the door. He had felt the swirling emotions that had been moving around the shared Aura, but he ignored them for now. ¡°To the castle, please.¡± Ren said to the driver, and Teepo flew out to scout ahead when Deliliah flicked the reins and started the ponies off with a good trot. ******** Officer Holly Stonewall had no idea what had happened, but when she''d seen her partner''s tear streaked face and he''d asked her to leave, she gathered their things up immediately and left with him. Once out of the house, she had convinced him that staying for the night was the best idea, rather than packing up and taking the two hour drive in his current emotional state. John had only nodded and drove back to the inn without saying a word. When they were alone in the room, John finally broke down and sobbed. Holly had never seen him react like that to anything, and they had seen some awful things on the job. It had taken her over an hour to calm him down enough for him to relay the story of what had happened between him and his niece, Nancy. ¡°Oh, John.¡± Holly had said as tears came to her own eyes. Her heart had broken just as much as his did, because she knew how much he loved his family. Nancy had wounded him deeply by telling him she never wanted to see him again. Holly didn''t even try to convince him that Nancy was only saying it to convince him to return her feelings, because it didn''t matter why she said it. All that mattered was that she did, and he had to deal with the implications. John had clung to Holly in the bed after he had frantically made love to her. He was full of desperation and hurt, and Holly had held him closely as he vented his frustration out in the only way that he could. He looked like he was asleep now, and Holly stopped stroking his hair. ¡°Thank you, Holly.¡± John said, much to her surprise. ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± Holly asked. ¡°No.¡± John said. ¡°But, I can''t let that stop me.¡± ¡°I''ll help you out when I can.¡± Holly said and smiled. ¡°When you need a shoulder to cry on...¡± ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± John said, then looked at her. ¡°You''ve helped me so much already.¡± Holly took his hand and held it. ¡°I won''t throw you away so callously.¡± John lifted their clasped hands and kissed hers, then let it go and cupped the side of her face and kissed her deeply on the lips. Holly responded to his need again, and hugged him as he proceeded to pleasure her. He was gentle and forceful at the same time, and it drove Holly a little crazy. She let John do things to her that she''d never let anyone else do to her. Ever. ******** ¡°You aren''t going to believe this, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said as the carriage came to a stop in front of the Main Keep. They had dropped the illusion and the castle could be clearly seen as it towered over the Main Keep. Dwarves covered all of the available space, and Ren noticed that there weren''t any guards on the main gate. ¡°They''re not checking people.¡± Ren said. ¡°Anyone could come in with anything.¡± ¡°Everyone is here.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I don''t think it matters much at this point.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°This is when it would matter most, though.¡± Ren said and reached for the door of the carriage. ¡°It looks like we''re walking from here.¡± ¡°Hold on, Ren!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Something''s coming.¡± What is it? Ren thought to his friend. ¡°It''s a platoon of heavily-armored dwarves.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They''re splitting off and opening a way for us to go through.¡± How do you know it''s for us? ¡°The Commander is leading them.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Wait here.¡± Ren said and got out of the carriage. The dwarves close by had never seen a carriage like it before, and a few of them had felt a strong Aura; but they hadn''t known it was Ren until he stepped out into view. A hush fell over the crowd, and they parted for the oncoming troops. ¡°Good evening.¡± The Commander said, and reached out a hand. Ren grasped his forearm in a formal greeting. ¡°Good evening, Commander.¡± Ren said and leaned in close. ¡°There''s no guards on the gates.¡± ¡°We have spell casters dispersed throughout the crowd to keep everything civil.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for the escort.¡± ¡°You wouldn''t get that carriage anywhere near the Keep or the castle if I didn''t.¡± The Commander said and smiled. ¡°How many can sit in it?¡± ¡°Eight comfortably.¡± Ren said, then grinned. ¡°Twelve if you''re really good friends.¡± The Commander chuckled, and the dwarves nearby stared at him. They''d never heard the Commander of the Garrison laugh before. Ren turned to look at the soldiers that had formed the path, and it caught their attention. It was the dwarves that had fought the giants with him, so he nodded to them to give them Honor, and they saluted him in return. ¡°If you want a ride back to the castle, it''ll be a little tight.¡± Ren said when he turned back to face the Commander. ¡°I''ll just stand on the runner.¡± The Commander said, and Ren nodded slightly and climbed back inside. The Commander stood on the step under the door and held onto the handles that were used to climb in, and Ren told the driver to go to the castle. The carriage moved out, and the crowd watched it travel down the cleared path. The soldiers folded back into formation to follow the carriage as it passed their positions. They arrived at the castle proper, and the Commander stepped off the runner to clear the doorway, then opened the door. Ren stepped out first, and held a hand back for the closest maid. They had discussed it quickly, and decided that even though they were his dates, Nathalia was the Head of the House and the most senior; so she would be the last to get out and be presented to the waiting delegation. The entire courtyard was lit up so that everyone could see who was arriving, and with who; so when the first maid stepped out of the carriage, everyone wondered who she was. Her outfit matched Ren''s, and her accessories showed off her face to full effect. When she stepped aside and another woman stepped out and wore the same thing, they didn''t know what to think. When the third one stepped out, a ripple of murmurs ran through the crowd. When the fourth one stepped out, the women in the crowd gasped. When the fifth one stepped out, several fainted from the shock. Ren chuckled as he could clearly hear what they were saying. Wait until they find out they''re personal maids. He grinned and held a hand out for Ereka to use as she climbed down from the carriage. Ren heard a collective sigh that there wasn''t any more women dressed like him, and he reached in for Nathalia. She took his hand and gasped herself. All of the feelings everyone was feeling flooded into her and she let his hand go. ¡°By the gods!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said, and eased the flow. ¡°It''s a lot to handle, even for me.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly and took his hand again. She didn''t get the same sudden burst, and smiled as she stepped out of the carriage and saw the reception waiting for Ren. ¡°So, she did go overboard.¡± Nathalia said and looked at Ren. ¡°I''m sorry you have to do this.¡± ¡°Don''t be.¡± Ren said. ¡°I figured she''d hear about some of the things I''ve done.¡± He grinned. ¡°I was pretty sure that at least one of the ten thousand books I gave away was going to reach her at some point.¡± Nathalia snorted a laugh, then motioned to the formed line of greeting waiting for them. ¡°This is for you, so you have to go first.¡± Ren turned to his personal maids. ¡°Showtime.¡± The maids held hands and formed a line behind Ren, and he took the first maid''s hand. They walked over to the first person in line, and it was Lady Longore. Because she was single, her place was at the start of the line despite her Major House status. Some saw it as a place of shame, but Ren saw it as a place of opportunity. She would be the first to meet his dates. ¡°Lady Longore.¡± Ren said and took her hand. Instead of bending over it like he was supposed to, he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. Several members of the surrounding crowd gasped, but Lady Longore herself only smiled warmly at him. ¡°I, Ren the First, would like to introduce my dates for the evening.¡± He said, and stepped back. ¡°These are my personal maids; Navruth, Lusinia, Verwynn, Andrela, and Frikara.¡± The entire crowd fell silent because Ren had spoken the given name of a woman in public, and he could feel the thrill and shock go through his maids as well. They didn''t know I knew their names. Ren thought, and Teepo chittered in delight as he flew down to land on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°What is that?!?¡± Lady Longore asked, and pointed at Teepo. ¡°This is my good friend, Teepo.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you in person.¡± Teepo said, and waved one of his front legs at her. ¡°Um...¡± Lady Longore looked like she didn''t know what to do, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Next in line is the stunning blonde Lady Ereka. She runs House Neram pretty much by herself.¡± The crowd gasped again as Ren spoke another woman''s given name publicly. They couldn''t say anything about it, because she was of his House and they can''t sign a marriage contract. ¡°She''ll deny that she works too hard, but we both know how difficult it is to do.¡± Lady Longore nodded slightly, and several other heads in the line nodded. ¡°Lastly, and most importantly; is the beautiful Lady Nathalia. She''s the current Head of House Neram.¡± Ren said. ¡°I love her dearly; but because our marriage contract was nullified, I couldn''t bring her as my date.¡± Complete silence filled the area they stood in, because Ren had told them the absolute truth. ¡°It was very nice meeting you again, Lady Longore.¡± Ren said, gave her a slight bow, and took two steps to the right. He introduced himself to the next person in line, and then repeated what he had said to Lady Longore. He changed the descriptions slightly each time, just so people weren''t hearing the exact same thing each time. No one else spoke as Ren introduced his maids to all of the members of the Minor and Major Houses. Ren went up the line, and made sure to use his cheek kiss ritual for all of the women. It embarrassed some of them, and others received it gladly. It gave them Honor, and a public thrill that they hadn''t felt before. Some of them acknowledged Teepo, and others ignored him completely. When Ren reached the very end of the line, he saw Barnar. ¡°It''s good to see you, old friend.¡± Ren said and reached out a hand. ¡°I''m not that old.¡± Barnar said, then smiled as he briefly clasped forearms with Ren. ¡°I know I don''t have to introduce myself; but, may I introduce my dates for the evening?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°I think everyone in Dornrach knows their names by now.¡± Barnar said and chuckled. ¡°I''ll hand you over to the Queen instead.¡± Ren nodded slightly and took the two steps to the side to stand in front of Narhilda, and brought his dates with him. ¡°Good evening, Your Highness.¡± He said, but he didn''t use the cheek kiss ritual. He had noticed her face and saw that she looked happy, sad, and angry at the same time; so, he bowed to her instead. ¡°You''re making quite the spectacle.¡± Narhilda got out through gritted teeth. ¡°Wearing royal purple and royal style clothes. The jewelry is a nice touch. Why didn''t you give it to Nathalia and Ereka, too?¡± ¡°I''m not allowed.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t give expensive gifts to members of my own House.¡± ¡°But you can give them to your personal maids?¡± Narhilda said the last two words as if they were dirty. ¡°They aren''t members of any House, Your Highness.¡± Ren said, and leaned in close to whisper. ¡°I haven''t slept with them, if that''s why you''re so angry.¡± ¡°It''s not.¡± Narhilda said, and Barnar winced slightly. She glanced at him and sighed. ¡°You''re flaunting something that should only be kept within the walls of a House.¡± ¡°There''s no law against telling everyone that I have personal maids.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lots of people have them. I''m just making sure everyone knows that my personal maids don''t have to be kept hidden.¡± ¡°They should be...¡± Narhilda said as she glanced at them. ¡°...but, it''s too late to change things now.¡± ¡°Only for some things, Your Highness.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Thank you for inviting me, and requiring that I bring a date.¡± ¡°I didn''t know your marriage contract with Nathalia had ended.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I thought this would have been a good time for the two of you to enjoy yourselves.¡± ¡°We can''t do anything publicly, Your Highness.¡± Ren reminded her. ¡°If there''s dancing, I''ll still dance with her; but, other than that...¡± Narhilda sighed. ¡°Let''s just go inside.¡± She said. ¡°We''ll make the announcement in an hour.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and stepped back. Now that the main guest had arrived, they could all go inside and start to enjoy themselves. The line started moving, and rather than try to interrupt the flow to go inside, he stood by the door and greeted everyone that walked by. Several of them greeted him back, and some even talked to the personal maids as they passed by. When all of the Major and Minor House members had entered the area where the celebration was to be held, Ren led his personal maids, Ereka, and Nathalia into the room. For the first 30 minutes, Ren and his personal maids mingled. They talked about anything that people asked them about. It had all been polite small-talk until someone had asked Ren how he had gotten so many of them. When Ren told the story of how he had found them, they stared open-mouthed at him and at the personal maids. People started to drift away from them, and after another 15 minutes, a large area had been cleared around them. Ren let his amusement fill the shared Aura more and more as time went on. Now that there was kind of a gulf between them and everyone else, he took out the bag with the shadow markers he had received after the giant battle. Even though it had his name on it, he had wanted it for the Garrison''s budget to make sure that no one would interfere with it for the next 5 years. Ren opened it and dumped it into his inventory, then smiled. That Special Bonus doubled this, too. There was 200 shadow markers in it, instead of 100. Because it took 100 platinum coins to make a shadow marker, Ren converted the 200 shadow markers into 20,000 platinum coins. If my calculations are right, that should run the Garrison for 10 years. Ren thought. I already paid 5 years of taxes, so there should be enough left over to pay for the other 5 years. ¡°You''re thinking about something really hard.¡± Ereka said to Ren. ¡°I''m doing math in my head.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s not pretty.¡± Ereka chuckled, and then the background music became louder. ¡°I think the dance is starting.¡± Ren frowned. Narhilda said the announcement was going to happen in an hour; and that was 50 minutes ago. ¡°Maybe she changed her mind.¡± Teepo whispered in Ren''s ear. No, she wouldn''t do that, unless something else has come up. Ren thought. Teepo, can you go and check it out? ¡°Not like this.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Everyone can see me.¡± Ren slipped the Ring of Recall off of the Beetle Crown ring, and summoned Teepo. Teepo flew off towards where Narhilda and Barnar stood, and took up a position close enough to hear. Ren stored Teepo''s metal body and hoped that Teepo wouldn''t be detected. While he waited to hear if Teepo could find anything out, Ren went to do what he said he was going to do. He walked over to Nathalia and held a hand out. ¡°My Lady, may I have this dance?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Nathalia had a surprised look on her face. ¡°Dance with me.¡± Ren said, and waggled his fingers. ¡°We... we can''t do anything... in public.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I already told Narhilda that if there was dancing, I would dance with you.¡± ¡°I... well...¡± Nathalia took his hand. ¡°...if the Queen is okay with it.¡± She smiled. ¡°You may have the first dance.¡± They walked only a little ways away from the group they had arrived with, and Ren activated Sneak. It let him step lightly and quickly, and he used the dance moves Rosie had taught him so long ago in Aurora. Nathalia had danced with Ren and these moves before, so she matched him stride for stride as they moved around. They were almost lost in their own little world as the music played, and all they could see was each other. When the music stopped several minutes later, Ren let her out of the embrace he had her in, and stepped back slightly. ¡°Thank you very much, Lady Nathalia.¡± Ren said, then bowed to her deeply. When he stood up, he was met with applause. He looked around, and everyone else had stopped dancing to watch him and Nathalia. Ren smiled and gave several regal bows, and Nathalia chuckled as he hammed it up for the audience. ¡°They''re doing it now.¡± Teepo said. Ren took out the Sending Square connected to the Commander and called him. The crowd turned as Dural, Advisor to the Throne, took to the stage. ¡°If I may have your attention please.¡± Dural said in a booming voice. ¡°There are several announcements to be made before the main event.¡± The Commander made his way through the crowd and came over to Ren. ¡°They''re shunning you for having personal maids?¡± The Commander asked. ¡°No, because I got them from the head of the Thieves Guild.¡± The Commander shook his head. ¡°How fleeting fame.¡± Ren laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°That''s the truth.¡± They didn''t really pay attention to what the Advisor to the Throne was saying, until he said Ren''s name. ¡°Yes, Lord Neram. Please come up here and join the others on the stage.¡± Ren looked at the others on the stage, shrugged, and went to join them on the stage. The Commander followed closely behind, then stood behind him when Ren stood in the spot the Advisor pointed to. ¡°As I was saying, these people have made contributions to the Kingdom that deserve to be recognized.¡± Dural said, and described that the first individual had introduced a streamlined way to file documents. You have got to be kidding me. Ren said, and looked into the crowd. I thought this was supposed to be a celebration for me. He could see the spot where his personal maids were, and Nathalia and Ereka looked just as confused as he was. Ren stood there as each person on the stage received an award from the Queen on behalf of the Kingdom, after a completely mundane reason was given. When Dural got to Ren, a hush fell over the crowd. Rumors had spread like wildfire about why he was on there with the other House and government officials, and with a military escort. ¡°For defending the realm against a threat that could have caused untold damage, we present the Dwarven Kingdom''s Medal Of Valor to Lord Ren Neram.¡± ¡°That''s it?¡± A male''s voice yelled from the distance. ¡°Aren''t you going to describe how he led 24 dwarves against 30 elite giant soldiers, then killed them?¡± Ren looked for who had spoken, and he saw his friend Dorcot, who was the Official Gemcutter for House Neram and had his own area in Ren''s workshop. He was near the back of the room where the commoners were relegated. ¡°The government cannot divulge the details of what had happened.¡± Dural said. ¡°Don''t be a pompous ass, son!¡± Dorcot said. ¡°These people deserve to know how close we all came to dying!¡± ¡°The government can''t divulge...¡± ¡°Bah!¡± Dorcot said. ¡°Get on with it, then!¡± ¡°Ah... yes. Please step forward, Lord Neram.¡± Ren stepped forward and Narhilda held out the award for him. ¡°We can''t tell them, Ren.¡± Narhilda whispered. ¡°If they knew the actual danger they were in...¡± ¡°They aren''t in danger from giants anymore, because of me.¡± He said in a normal voice instead of whispering, accepted the award, then went back to stand where he was. ¡°And now... the main event.¡± Dural said, and Narhilda and Barnar stepped forward. ¡°There''s an announcement that the Royal Family would like to make.¡± ¡°After a long time in searching, we have been unable to find a suitable heir for the throne.¡± Narhilda said, and everyone in the crowd started talking at once, and wondered what was going to happen with the Kingdom if it didn''t have a ruler. She let the talk go on for a minute, then spoke. ¡°While we searched, though; a miracle happened.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°Instead of finding an heir...¡± She put a hand on her stomach. ¡°...we made one.¡± Chapter 294 - Issues The crowd burst out in cheers and hollers, then they started to applaud. After a minute, the sound of laughter grew. The applause and cheers died down, and all that was left was the laughter. Everyone turned to look at where it was coming from, and they were surprised at the source. It was Ren. He had tears streaming down his face, and he didn''t bother trying to wipe them away. When he noticed everyone looking at him, he calmed down. They all thought he was extremely happy, but if people had been paying attention and looked over at his personal maids and Ereka, they weren''t laughing at all; but, the tears on their faces matched his. ¡°What''s so funny about being pregnant?¡± Narhilda asked Ren. ¡°Is it because I''m older than the average mother?¡± No one was sure if it was a spell or not, but her voice was loud enough that everyone heard her. Ren took a deep breath and stepped forward into what he hoped was the area of effect to boost his voice. ¡°No, Your Highness.¡± Ren said, and the tears stopped flowing. ¡°You know I don''t think of you like that at all.¡± ¡°Then why...¡± ¡°If I may speak frankly?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°When I received the invitation for tonight, I thought... in my infinite stupidity... that this event was in celebration of my successful defense of the kingdom.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Narhilda said, then motioned to the others on the stage. ¡°You''ve all helped this kingdom...¡± ¡°No, Your Highness.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought this event was for me only.¡± He said. ¡°I had assumed, quite wrongly, that you had gathered everyone together to praise my accomplishments.¡± Narhilda blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°But... that''s what we did.¡± She said. ¡°We gave you the Medal of Valor.¡± Ren chuckled, and no one needed to feel his feelings to see how much it was hurting him. ¡°This thing?¡± He said and held it up. ¡°You could give this to one of, or all of, the soldiers that helped dig the giant pit trap that I used to capture all of the crazy giants.¡± He said. ¡°You could give it to the dwarf that helped me plan and carry out the rescue of 7 girls from the Thieves Guild, and returned them to their families.¡± There were several shouts, and Ren looked out over the crowd to see those families wave to him. He waved back and looked at Narhilda. ¡°What you shouldn''t do, is insult someone that put their life on the line for this kingdom.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you had tried to give this to the dwarves that stood by my side when we battled the platoon of giants from the Guardians of the Land, I''m sure they wouldn''t have accepted it at all.¡± Silence fell as Ren''s words rang true. ¡°Of all the things I''ve done after coming here to the dwarf lands, I thought... I mean, when I saved the kingdom yet again...¡± He shook his head. ¡°I had hoped you would at least acknowledge it.¡± He sighed. ¡°Then you shuffle me off to stand in a line, and make me wait for an award that you could easily give to the guard at the gate for doing his job well.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Any man worth his Honor would be insulted if he put his life on the line for the kingdom, and this was the only thing you deemed him worthy of receiving.¡± Ren saw the surprise on Narhilda''s face, and looked around. He saw the same look of surprise on everyone''s face. ¡°I didn''t even get a thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I even died for this kingdom. Quite brutally, actually. Did I get anything then? No. No notice from the castle. No thanks for protecting us. Nothing.¡± He kept looking at the crowd, because he didn''t want to look at Narhilda anymore. ¡°I saved this kingdom from being ruled over by a corrupted Council, from a man who had close ties to the head of the Thieves Guild.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to worry about that anymore, by the way. I took care of it. I killed him, along with the rest of the guild, when I rescued the kidnapped girls.¡± No one spoke, and Ren could barely hear anyone breathing. ¡°That''s when I became the illustrious owner of 5 personal maids. I brought them as my dates tonight because they were the only women I knew that I wouldn''t automatically get married to, if I showed up with them.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Not that the contract would last anyways. I''ll be forced to leave in about 2 months when my invitation is revoked.¡± He looked at Narhilda. ¡°I also won''t be able to be invited back, thanks to your proclamation.¡± ¡°You know why I did that.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°We need to get things back in order before...¡± ¡°I already did that!¡± Ren said. ¡°I put you in as ruler of the kingdom over a new Council, and I''ve removed several of the largest threats this kingdom has ever faced.¡± ¡°You didn''t have to do all of that!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°The owner of the Garrison at House Lodur would have taken care of it.¡± She said and smiled smugly. ¡°They would have handled it without you!¡± ¡°That''s a lie.¡± Ren said, and Narhilda looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You said the owner of the Garrison would handle it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I did.¡± He smiled. ¡°House Lodur doesn''t own the Garrison; I do.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± She yelled, and looked back at the Advisor to the Throne. He nodded slightly and left the stage. ¡°You can tell if I''m lying.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ve been the owner since Lord Lodur was hung.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s been a huge responsibility to have on my shoulders.¡± ¡°You... you''ve been...¡± ¡°I''ve been tasked with the defense of the realm.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve also done that several times.¡± ¡°Then, it was you that paid the 5 years of taxes on the Garrison.¡± Nearly the whole room started talking at once as Ren nodded slightly. Dural, the Advisor to the Throne came back with the female dwarf that controlled the Hall of Records. ¡°Hello, my Lord.¡± Beryl said and bowed slightly. ¡°Ma''am.¡± Ren said, and could almost feel the sigh of relief from everyone, because he hadn''t said her name in public. He took her hand and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she giggled. ¡°Is Ren telling the truth? Does he have the deed to the Garrison?¡± ¡°He does.¡± Beryl said, and produced a copy of it with a large VOID across it. Ren''s name was clearly on it. ¡°What do we do?¡± Someone in the crowd shouted. ¡°If he''s forced to leave in 2 months, we''ll be completely defenseless!¡± Ren turned to the crowd and held his hands up for quiet when the talking was too loud for people to hear. ¡°I had planned on dealing with the situation when the time was right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought that would be tonight. I was going to hand the deed over to the Queen and the Council.¡± ¡°W-was?¡± Narhilda asked, and Ren turned back to her. ¡°Even though you know of the things I''ve done for the kingdom, for some reason you obviously don''t want anyone to know what''s going on; despite the fact that''s exactly what went wrong with the Council before.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t in good conscience hand you a document that could let you suppress all knowledge in the kingdom.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Now wait a minute.¡± Barnar said and stepped over. ¡°You can''t talk to her like that.¡± He said. ¡°Who are you to question her integrity?¡± ¡°I know a lot more about her integrity than you do.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, I-¡± Ren''s words were interrupted by Narhilda''s hand as she slapped him. The sound was amplified through the room and to outside, and everyone froze.
Notice!
You have lost Honor. Due to the nature of the situation, and with thousands of witnesses, being slapped by a woman would be bad enough. Unfortunately, you were slapped by the current ruler of the Dwarven Kingdom. Honor Loss: -10,000
¡°Ha.¡± Ren said as he dismissed the popup. ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Narhilda said, surprised. Her embarrassment for striking him publicly was quite apparent. ¡°You''ve just helped me make my decision.¡± Ren said. ¡°A... about what?¡± Narhilda asked as her embarrassment grew. ¡°About what to do with the Garrison.¡± Ren said, and turned to the crowd. ¡°As the current owner of the Garrison, and overall commander, I have paid 5 years of the taxes; but, I have yet to pay the budget for running it.¡± He motioned to the Commander. ¡°I''ll do so now.¡± The Commander stepped forward and stopped beside Ren, who took out some fabric and sewed up a sack to hold the money. ¡°Hold this, please.¡± Ren said to the Commander and passed him the sack. Ren then dumped 1,850 platinum coins into it. ¡°That''s 1,850 platinum coins for this coming year.¡± He said. ¡°But, for anyone who knows me, they know that I hate having to try and keep track of what''s paid and what''s not.¡± He smiled. ¡°Since I won''t be here in a couple months, before that last battle, I decided that I wanted to ensure that the Garrison would be funded for the next 5 years.¡± Ren dumped out 4 more years worth of platinum coins, and everyone gasped. Their eyes were fixated on him; including Narhilda and everyone on the stage. ¡°Thanks to a special quirk of fate, though...¡± Ren looked around at all the staring faces. ¡°...I''m in the position to add 5 more years to that budget.¡± Ren dumped 5 more years worth of platinum coins into the sack, which was now almost overflowing with platinum coins; it left everyone speechless, including the Commander. ¡°Of course, since I can now cover 10 years of the budget, for a total of 18,500 platinum coins; I can''t let the next 5 years of taxes go unpaid.¡± Ren sewed up a small sack and handed it to Beryl, the female dwarf that controlled the Hall of Records, and dumped in 500 platinum coins. ¡°So, there.¡± Ren said. ¡°The entire Garrison has been paid for entirely for the next 10 years, along with the taxes.¡± ¡°Ren... you...¡± Narhilda tried to speak, but she didn''t know what to say. ¡°It''s all right, Your Highness.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to change your mind and decide that you want to thank me.¡± He took a deep breath and let it out. Everyone heard him sigh, and he smiled sadly. ¡°I shouldn''t have expected it from you in the first place.¡± Several women in the audience cried. ¡°Now, what to do with the deed.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, I know.¡± He turned to the Commander, and equipped his overall command uniform and concentrated on his Command Aura, and it pushed his Aura out from 260 feet to 300 feet. Everyone gasped as the proof of his position was presented to them. They hadn''t quite believed it was real until the uniform had appeared. ¡°As overall commander, I hereby order you to register as a Supplementary House.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± The Commander and Narhilda exclaimed, along with several Major Houses. Ren turned to Beryl. ¡°Please file the proper paperwork as soon as you return to the Hall of Records.¡± ¡°Consider it done.¡± Beryl said and grinned at him. Ren turned back to the Commander. ¡°You''ll be the Head of the House, obviously; and because you''ll be a House, you won''t be subject to unscrupulous Royal Family or Council members and their unlawful orders.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''ll be an independent force for good; and since you''ll be a Supplementary House, the soldiers won''t lose their main House affiliations.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It might be weird being a member of two different Houses for them, but they''ll adjust quickly.¡± ¡°You''re crazy!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°You can''t change the military into a House!¡± ¡°I can, and I will.¡± Ren said. ¡°This also means they get a seat on the Council, and they can choose what they get involved in, and what direction the kingdom goes.¡± ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°Yes, my role as overall commander will end, and the deed will dissolve; but, all of the people that live in the Dwarven Kingdom can sleep easy at night because they now have fully paid protectors for the next 10 years.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I''m not finished.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been nice. I''ve been good. I''ve done everything within my power to help you, and then the kingdom.¡± He said. ¡°When I thought you were going to thank me for the latest thing I''ve done, I was so happy. I was excited to see you after so long, and then... then you crushed my hopes.¡± ¡°I... I didn''t...¡± Narhilda said, as a tear came to her eye. ¡°I... I mean... I...¡± ¡°You just took 10,000 Honor away from me with that slap.¡± Ren said. Gasps spread over the crowd, because most of them took years to get their Honor up so high, and he had lost it in an instant. ¡°I didn''t say anything to deserve that, and everyone here knows it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You wouldn''t even let me finish what I was going to say, and all I wanted... I wanted to... to tell you...¡± ¡°What were you going to say?¡± Barnar asked. ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said and looked at Narhilda. ¡°Not now.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Congratulations on having an heir for the Royal Family.¡± Ren said to Barnar and Narhilda. ¡°But, I think I''m done with you.¡± He said and turned to the crowd. ¡°I''ve enjoyed my time here, even with all of the slights against me, the unintended insults, blatant and unnecessary accusations, and impossible tasks.¡± He smiled. ¡°But at this point? I''m done. I''m done with your customs and your ignorance of how to properly treat people.¡± Ren took out the Bracelet of Importance he had received as loot from Lord Lodur and examined it.
Bracelet of Importance
This bracelet grants the wearer an Aura (Importance). Artificially boosts Influence and Honor by 100,000. Distance: 50 foot radius. Warning: Binds to the user when equipped (cannot be removed, traded, sold, or given away). It unbinds and drops when killed.
¡°If your ruler won''t recognize the things that I''ve done for this kingdom, then by the gods, for the remainder of my time here, the rest of you will.¡± Ren said, then equipped the bracelet.
Notice!
You have gained a new Aura: Importance Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This Aura lets people within it know that you are an influential person, and they should treat you with the proper respect. Current distance: 50 feet
Notice!
You have artificially boosted your Influence and Honor. Influence: +100,000 Honor: +100,000
Notice!
You have maxed both Influence (1,000,000) and Honor (250,000). You have gained a new title: The Unnamed King. Anyone within your Aura must bow or acknowledge you in some way. This title grants +10 levels to all Auras, and awards you a Special Ability: This is Mine!
Ren''s Aura jumped out to 385 feet, thanks to his Command Aura increasing by 10 feet and the Importance Aura, now that it was at Intermediate and had increased from 50 to 75 feet. His Aura now covered most of the crowd that he could see; then every single one of the dwarves within his Aura''s radius knelt on one knee. The ones that it didn''t cover saw the others kneel, and knelt as well. The kneeling continued out into the crowd and to the commoners at the back of the room, then out into the courtyard. ¡°No!¡± Narhilda said as she struggled against Ren''s new powerful Aura. ¡°I... I won''t...¡± She said. ¡°He''s supposed to... to... defer to me! I used him! He can''t... can''t use me... like... like this!¡± She looked around the stage and saw that everyone else had already knelt, including Barnar. She reached for him and tried to make him stand, and he shook his head. ¡°No, My Honeysuckle.¡± Barnar smiled sadly. ¡°Unfortunately, he''s right. We have wronged him.¡± ¡°I... won''t... ah, dammit!¡± Narhilda said, then knelt on one knee.
Notice!
You have gained 331,200 Honor (6,624 dwarves x 50 Honor for kneeling)
Notice!
Your Honor stat has been maxed. Excess Honor will be converted to XP. 331,200 Honor x 10 XP = ERROR: #643923019
System Notice!
There has been an error in the game''s Honor Gains mechanic. Please report the issue and the error number to the Tech Department at Sid Tec. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Goddammit. Ren thought and dismissed the popup, then looked around. ¡°Everyone, please stand.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t intend for that to be the result.¡± ¡°What did you want?¡± Beryl asked as she stood up. ¡°I wanted...¡± Ren looked at Narhilda as she and Barnar stood up. ¡°...to be treated like a King!¡± Narhilda said and looked at Ren with angry eyes. ¡°No, I didn''t!¡± Ren said. ¡°All I wanted was for someone that I cared about to... to...¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, I said that I was done with this whole thing, and I meant it.¡± He said and equipped his royal purple suit. ¡°Thanks for the party that you didn''t throw for me. I''ve had enough excitement for tonight, so I''ll be heading home.¡± ¡°No, you won''t.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°No one makes me kneel! No one!¡± She said, viciously. ¡°I can''t have you arrested for it, but I can do something else.¡± ¡°My Queen!¡± Dural exclaimed. ¡°Don''t do this! It''s not wise to...¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± Narhilda said to him and looked at Ren. ¡°As the ruler of this Kingdom, I hereby commute your sentence for time served.¡± She said, then the Bracelet of Enforcement dissolved from Ren''s wrist. ¡°I also banish you from dwarven lands.¡± She smiled wickedly. ¡°Effective immediately.¡± ¡°NOOOO!¡± Nathalia yelled and started to run over to the stage, then the entire crowd erupted. Chapter 295 - A Hasty Retreat A stabbing pain had lanced through Ren''s heart, and he tried not to share that with everyone. His personal maids and Ereka cried out and fell to their knees anyways. Even only a taste of it was enough to hurt them deeply. ¡°Very well.¡± Ren said, over the yells, hollers, and crying from the audience. ¡°I''ll leave right now.¡± He turned and started to walk away, then stopped. He walked back to Narhilda quickly and took her in his arms. ¡°I''m sorry, Barnar.¡± ¡°Ren! No!¡± Nathalia said. Ren kissed Narhilda passionately, and the entire place froze in shock. Narhilda tried to push him off at first; but, then her arms shifted and hugged him as she kissed him back just as passionately. He ended the kiss a moment later and let her go. ¡°Goodbye, Narhilda.¡± Ren said and turned to the speechless audience, walked to the edge of the stage, and hopped off of it to meet Nathalia. ¡°I... I rescind...¡± Narhilda started to say, then changed her mind. ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡±
Notice!
Trouble Recipe ingredient: ''Dwarven Kingdom'' has been completed.
* Lylyth, Queen of the Dark Elves, had been in the middle of a strategy meeting with the Generals of her army, when her chest was lanced through with a sharp pain. She put a hand over her heart and collapsed to her knees. She had been feeling a lot from Ren lately, but this last emotion had actually hurt. Great Vasalor! Lylyth thought as she felt Ren''s pain. It hit her much harder than it should have, because it was a pain that had matched her own. Her generals flocked to her side to see what was the matter, and when one touched her shoulder, they collapsed as they felt Ren''s pain, too. Oh, Ren! Tears came to her eyes because unlike Ren''s ability to lessen what others felt through his Aura, Lylyth''s Mark bypassed that and gave her a direct connection to him and his emotions. She tried to drink as much of it as she could, and ignored the General suffering beside her. It was too much for her to try and eat both at the same time. A 10 foot long spider crawled down the wall towards the meeting, and scurried over to stand beside her. ¡°No, I''m not going to make a portal to him.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°If I was near him now, I... I think... I think I would do anything he asked of me.¡± She smiled. ¡°They hurt him so much, and I would kill them all for that.¡± The spider shifted slightly, and Lylyth chuckled. ¡°I know. I should kill them anyways; but, I told you I would do anything he asked. I won''t go to him because if I tried to kill them, he would ask me not to.¡± * Ren took Nathalia''s offered hand as they walked over to his personal maids. Nathalia hadn''t visibly reacted to his emotions, but he could feel that she was in just as much turmoil as he was. The maids were on their knees and cried, and Ren apologized to them and stopped concentrating on his Contact Aura. ¡°No!¡± They said together and stood up to surround him. ¡°Don''t stop sharing with us!¡± Frikara said. ¡°You won''t show them how much you''re hurt, so let us show them!¡± ¡°I... okay.¡± Ren said and concentrated on his Contact Aura. The personal maids sobbed loudly, and Nathalia helped Ereka stand. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Nathalia asked Ereka. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Ereka said as the tears streamed down her face. ¡°I just... I didn''t know that he loved her.¡± She smiled sadly. ¡°It hit me pretty hard how much she''s hurt him.¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°It hit me hard the first time I felt it, too.¡± She said. ¡°Let''s go.¡± They all held hands as they walked through the crowd, and the crowd parted for them. Teepo flew ahead to scout while some of the dwarves nodded, some gave a little wave, and others reached out and touched him. Ren dismissed the Honor gains from the nods and the constant error popups when they appeared. I''m glad that I''m not fighting the urge to leave. Ren thought. Or I''d be losing all of my gained Honor. ¡°Where are we going?¡± One of the maids asked. ¡°To the docks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t... intentionally... delay leaving the dwarf lands.¡± He said. ¡°I can''t go back to House Neram Keep to gather things and pack, either.¡± ¡°That''s horrible.¡± ¡°What''s at the docks?¡± ¡°A ship.¡± Ren said. ¡°I bought it months ago to pack up all of my things to take back to Aurora.¡± He said. ¡°After that, I was going to use it for shipping things back and forth.¡± ¡°Then let''s not waste time.¡± One of the maids said as they finally got outside the castle and to the waiting carriage. ¡°We''ve got to get you to the docks!¡± ¡°The docks it is.¡± Deliliah said. She had tears in her eyes, just like a lot of other women. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± She said as she looked at Ren. ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said as he helped one of the maids into the carriage. ¡°At least I got to see you straighten out a little.¡± ¡°A little?¡± Deliliah asked. ¡°I''d be a fool to think you gave all of your ways up, just for a steady paycheck.¡± Ren said to her and helped the next maid into the carriage. Deliliah laughed. ¡°You can read people pretty well.¡± ¡°Sometimes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Other times? Well, you heard the result.¡± The maids were loaded into the carriage, and he helped Ereka and Nathalia get in, then climbed in himself. The crowd didn''t have to be forced back with soldiers this time, and the carriage made it''s way out of the courtyard and through the city of Dornrach to the docks with Teepo perched on top to keep watch. * The group on the stage dispersed, amidst gossip, rumours, and accusations after one of the magic users had deactivated the spell to amplify voices. ¡°At least that''s over.¡± Narhilda said and sighed in relief. ¡°Now we can-¡± ¡°By the gods, what the hell was all of that about?¡± Barnar asked her. ¡°You did see the power he has over the people, didn''t you?¡± ¡°That''s why I had to get rid of him!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°If he stayed...¡± ¡°My Queen, he has never sought power.¡± Dural, Advisor to the Throne said. ¡°It has been thrust upon him, and he has dealt with it; but, even when he had several opportunities to take it, he didn''t.¡± ¡°He owns the Garrison! He could overrun and kill us all! I had to remove him!¡± ¡°That''s not my Narhilda talking!¡± Barnar exclaimed. ¡°What is going on? Why do you want him gone so badly that you need to make up reasons for it?¡± Narhilda didn''t say anything, and Barnar looked at her like he was seeing through her. ¡°We all saw that kiss.¡± Barnar said. ¡°Is that why you want him gone? Because he loves you?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°He''d cause nothing but problems if he stayed.¡± Barnar hadn''t winced at the ''yes'', but he did slightly wince at Ren causing problems. ¡°I guess we''ll never know if Ren would or not.¡± He said. ¡°You''ve made sure that he doesn''t have to cause problems. You''ve done that all on your own.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°Didn''t you see, or hear, the reaction from the crowd?¡± Barnar asked. ¡°You just exiled who they now know is a national hero.¡± Dural said. ¡°The people aren''t happy with you right now.¡± ¡°They''ll forget about him soon enough.¡± Narhilda said and rubbed her belly. ¡°Especially when the new King is born.¡± * Ren got out of the carriage at the docks, and shut the door. ¡°I''ll be staying on the ship from now on.¡± He said, and looked at the women in the carriage. ¡°We''ll leave the dock and float in the harbour.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You can''t stay here by yourself!¡± ¡°He won''t be.¡± One of the maids said and tried to open the door; but, Ren held it shut. ¡°You''re forgetting your order to stay inside the building Tee-one and I built for you to stay in.¡± ¡°No, we aren''t.¡± Another said. ¡°We can ignore it for tonight.¡± ¡°I can''t let you...¡± Ren started to say, and he felt their anger. ¡°Are you going back on your word?¡± Frikara, the bold one, asked. ¡°You said you wanted us to make up our own minds, and we have. Now open this door and let us out.¡± Ren was going to protest, but he could feel how obstinate they would be if he denied them; so, instead he sighed and opened the door. The 5 personal maids stepped out onto the dock to stand behind him, and he felt how happy they were. ¡°Ereka? Can you hire a work crew to go to the workshop? Tee-one will tell them what I want shipped here to the ship.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°They''ll be there first thing in the morning.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said, as he felt her feelings. ¡°I hope it won''t take long to move everything that I need to the ship.¡± ¡°That''s not...¡± Ereka started to say hotly, then saw his smile and felt his slight amusement. ¡°You''re not even going to try and make this difficult, are you?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I can''t fight, argue, or reason with a compulsion to leave.¡± He smiled. ¡°So, I won''t.¡± ¡°But... but Ren... you...¡± ¡°I''m losing a lot of important things; but, not everything.¡± Ren said and looked at Nathalia. She reached a hand out for him, and he took it. ¡°I don''t know how I''m going to sleep without you beside me.¡± ¡°You... you''ll get used to it.¡± Nathalia said, and they could each feel how much, above everything else, that it hurt the most. ¡°Eventually.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve told you what it''s like for me when I deal with Adventurer''s business.¡± He smiled. ¡°Even though I''m constantly in pain, I''ve gotten used to it.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly, because she knew what he meant. He would be in constant pain without her. ¡°Aw, that''s so sweet.¡± One of the personal maids said. ¡°Now let your forbidden love go, and start walking.¡± She said. ¡°This might be considered delaying.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nathalia, I have to go.¡± He smiled. ¡°Break the law for me.¡± Nathalia leaned forward and didn''t even hesitate as she kissed him goodbye, in public and with witnesses. ¡°Goodbye, My Love.¡± Nathalia said, with tears in her eyes. ¡°This isn''t goodbye, My Love.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s just ''see you later''.¡± ¡°Then I''ll see you later.¡± Nathalia said and smiled. Both of their hearts broke a little, because their relationship as it used to be, had come to an end yet again. Ren let her hand go and stepped back to shut the carriage door, then waved to Deliliah to go. She waved and flicked the reins, then the carriage took the second love of his life away. Teepo flew over to Ren and landed on his shoulder. ¡°It''s okay, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°We''ll be okay.¡± I hope so. Ren thought to his friend. The carriage had to leave the docks before it could escape the size of Ren''s Aura; but when it did, the Aura reduced by 30 feet because Ereka was no longer within it and sharing hers. ¡°Let''s get to the ship.¡± One of the maids said and took Ren''s hand. ¡°We need to get you off of the land as soon as possible.¡± Ren nodded and walked down the large dock towards the warehouse that had his ship stuck out the end of it. The 5 personal maids trailed behind him, and they all still held hands. They had discovered that skin contact made their feelings clearer. ¡°He still hasn''t moved it out?¡± Ren asked absently as they approached the building. Ren knocked and a short dwarf answered. He was only about 3 and a half feet tall, had a full beard and head of hair, and wore a displeased expression. ¡°Whatcha want?¡± ¡°I''m here to pick up my ship.¡± Ren said and showed the deed for the ship. ¡°Is the crew ready to go?¡± ¡°We''ll always be ready.¡± The short dwarf said. ¡°C''mon in.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and led his personal maids inside. The short dwarf walked over to the ship. ¡°Owner coming aboard!¡± He yelled, then knocked on the hull. Ren heard a click and a crank, and a large panel in the side of the ship pushed out, then started to come down like a drawbridge. ¡°That''s pretty cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°I assume we can get topside from here?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The short dwarf said. ¡°Standard exits are all along the inside of the cargo hull.¡± Ren nodded. It had been the same way in the ship he''d come to the dwarf kingdom in. The hatch finished opening and the short dwarf went inside. Ren followed him and the personal maids went with them. The one in front had kept a hold of his hand, because she knew that Ren needed someone to help him hold himself together. He took them into the large hold of the ship, and they marvelled at the size of it. ¡°You could fit another ship in here!¡± One of them said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s true.¡± The short dwarf said and opened one of the doorways to go topside. ¡°We had one of the other ships inside.¡± He grinned. ¡°The idiots ran into the shoals by the entrance, and since they couldn''t haul it back without sinking it...¡± ¡°I''m glad you''re all getting good practice with how the ship works.¡± Ren said as the cargo hatch closed. ¡°We''re leaving the dock and parking in the harbour.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± The short dwarf said and climbed the stairs. Even though the ship was made to be a little larger than a human-sized ship, everything on it was still made for dwarves. ¡°We''re casting off!¡± The short dwarf said, then the whole ship came alive with the sounds of dwarves running around and doing their jobs. ¡°Are you the captain?¡± Ren asked the short dwarf. ¡°I am.¡± He said. ¡°What of it?¡± ¡°It''s nice to finally meet you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just sorry it''s under these circumstances.¡± ¡°What circumstances are those?¡± ¡°I''ve been banished from dwarf lands.¡± Ren said. ¡°Effective immediately.¡± The short dwarf laughed and looked up at the crow''s nest at the top of the middle mast. ¡°Grint! You owe me 20 silver!¡± ¡°Dammit!¡± Grint said as he poked his head out from the scout perch. ¡°Add it to my bill!¡± The short dwarf laughed again and waved, then looked at Ren. ¡°He''s up to almost 8 gold coins now.¡± He said. ¡°The poor guy bets on everything.¡± ¡°I hope you-¡± ¡°Yeah, he never leaves the ship.¡± The short dwarf said. ¡°The crew and I keep him close at hand.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and then heard a shout from down below. ¡°Hey! What''s going on?¡± The shipwright yelled. The short dwarf walked over to the side of the ship and looked down. ¡°The owner''s going on a cruise of the harbour.¡± The captain said. ¡°Oh! He''s here?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The short dwarf waved to Ren, who walked over to the railing, too. ¡°I''ve been banished, so I have to go.¡± Ren said, took out a platinum coin, and tossed it to the shipwright. ¡°This should cover the cost of storing this thing for so long.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The shipwright said. ¡°If you need any more ships built, let me know!¡± Ren waved to him, and then the ship left the berth. ¡°I''ve never been on a ship before.¡± One of the maids said. ¡°Me, either.¡± Another one said. ¡°I have. It was during a storm, and it was one of the worst things I''ve ever experienced.¡± Ren felt her anxiety, and looked at her. Since he was still holding the lead maid''s hand, he knew which of them it was. He walked over to her and smiled. ¡°This ship is so big that even if we somehow encounter a storm, you aren''t going to feel it.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, why don''t we head downstairs? I want to see where we''re staying.¡± Ren felt a thrill shoot through the personal maids, and he smiled. ¡°Before you get your hopes up, I intend to sleep.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Frikara, the bold one, said. ¡°Just getting to stay beside you tonight has been...¡± ¡°Scary.¡± The youngest one, Andrela said and reached out a hand to cup the side of his face. She was at the end of the hand-holding line and was the only one with a hand free to do it. ¡°I don''t know how you can hurt so much, and you''re not rolling around on the ground screaming in pain.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°I''ve been hurt before.¡± He said, and recalled what had happened with Lucy. The personal maids sobbed at the same time, and Ren reined in his feelings. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He said. ¡°I usually have a better hold on my feelings than this.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Let''s go below before you can dredge up more things to batter us with.¡± Ren felt her amusement, nodded slightly, then looked at the captain. ¡°Take us out to the middle of the harbour, and keep us out of the shipping lanes.¡± He said. ¡°I want to be seen, but I don''t want to interfere.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± The short captain said. ¡°You don''t want to be banished from the waters, too.¡± Ren tapped the tip of his nose. ¡°I''ll be in my cabin if you need me.¡± ¡°I won''t, but it''s good to know you''ll be out of the way.¡± The short captain said and grinned. Ren chuckled, then led his personal maids into the ship through the main cabin doors. ¡°It''s right this way.¡± Ren said, and took them down the long passage to the main cabin. ¡°If I remember correctly, the cabins on each side should be suitable for-¡± ¡°No.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We are not leaving you alone.¡± Ren stopped walking and looked at them. The hallway was nearly 10 feet wide, so he had no problem seeing all of their faces clearly. ¡°I''m going to be okay.¡± ¡°Yes, you are.¡± Navruth said. ¡°We''ll make sure of it.¡± ¡°Now, wait just a minute.¡± Ren said. ¡°You might be my personal maids, but-¡± ¡°No! You wait a minute!¡± Frikara said. ¡°We all agreed that we would help you of our own free will.¡± She said. ¡°Open that cabin door so we can see where we''ll be sleeping tonight.¡± ¡°You aren''t all sleeping-¡± ¡°Open. The. Door.¡± Frikara said in her Command voice. Ren felt her commanding him, and he was so surprised by it that he opened the door without even thinking about it. ¡°Ooo, this is nice!¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Go in, go in!¡± She urged Ren, and he stumbled into the room and took the personal maids with him. They all kept holding hands as they looked over the large stateroom. ¡°I think we can all fit.¡± Frikara said as she looked at the large bed. Despite the fact that she was the one that had no reservations about telling Ren she wanted to use him as a sexual object, he wasn''t getting those kinds of feelings from her at the moment. ¡°It''s getting late.¡± Navruth said. ¡°If you want to get up in the morning, you''re going to need to sleep.¡± ¡°I don''t think that I-¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Andrela? Be a doll and use your free hand to unhook me.¡± Andrela undid the back of Frikara''s dress, and it loosened dangerously. Ren turned away so that he wouldn''t see her topless. ¡°You''re embarrassed?¡± Frikara asked, when she felt what Ren felt. ¡°You''re so cute!¡± ¡°It...it''s not like I haven''t see women naked before.¡± Ren said, and tried to let go of Lusinia''s hand. She wouldn''t let go, though; because she wanted to maintain their skin contact. ¡°Every woman is different, though.¡± He said. ¡°It... it''s because I... I barely know you.¡± Frikara laughed, and Ren felt how she felt. ¡°We are going to spend a lot of time together.¡± Frikara said. ¡°You''ll get to know us eventually, but...¡± She smiled. ¡°You are going to see one, some, or all of us naked long before then; and more than likely before you can get the ship fully loaded in order to leave.¡± Ren sighed, because he could feel the truth in her words; and he knew they were going to be persistent in their pursuit of him. He could actually feel it in them. ¡°Leave your underwear on.¡± Ren said, and he felt the rush of joy from them. ¡°Nothing''s going to happen!¡± He reminded them. ¡°We''re just going to sleep!¡± ¡°Yes, we are.¡± Frikara said and let her dress drop to the floor. ¡°All of us. Right here. In this bed.¡± ¡°You don''t have to push so much.¡± Ren said and looked at her without staring at her chest. He felt her surprise and smiled. ¡°I need to sleep, and I don''t need to stare at you to do it.¡± Frikara smiled, and stepped aside. Andrela had switched her holding hand to Navruth and Frikara had undone her dress. It slipped down to reveal a nice chest that was quite appealing. It wasn''t too large or too small; and it complimented her body type nicely. ¡°That''s not fair.¡± Ren said as his obvious arousal spread through his Aura, and the maids chuckled. ¡°It''s because she''s so cute.¡± Frikara said. ¡°You''d never suspect she was hiding a body like this under her clothes!¡± Andrela blushed a deep red, and Ren felt her approval flood into the Aura. ¡°Andrela.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nothing can happen, okay?¡± She nodded slightly, and he felt her disappointment and acceptance. She helped the other maids take off the dresses, and they all stood there topless as they stared at Ren. ¡°I guess it''s my turn.¡± Ren said, and they all nodded slightly. He looked at Lusinia and then at their clasped hands. ¡°I need both hands to take off my cloak.¡± Lusinia moved her hand to his face and maintained skin contact, and Ren took off the cloak. He folded it up and placed it on the dresser by the bed. He made sure the spider was still tucked inside it, and looked at the women with him. ¡°You know, I could order you to sleep in the other rooms.¡± Ren said to them. ¡°Of course you could.¡± Frikara said, and glanced at Andrela. ¡°Someone would be really hurt if you did that, though.¡± Ren could feel that Andrela would be hurt a lot if he did; but, he also felt that they would all be hurt a little if he did that. Then he admitted to himself that it would hurt him to hurt them, and he let that feeling flow into the shared Aura. He felt their appreciation, and then stored his Travelling Clothes. Ren was tempted to equip his armor bodysuit so that he would be completely covered; but, he knew it wouldn''t be fair of him to be covered while they only had their underwear on. ¡°Um, how do we get in the bed without letting go?¡± Lusinia asked, and Ren smiled as he took her hand from his face. ¡°Follow me.¡± Ren said, walked to the bed, then walked up onto it. The maids chuckled as Ren picked where he wanted to lay down, then sat. The maids gathered around him, two on each side, and it left Andrela with nowhere to go. ¡°Now what?¡± Navruth asked. Ren laid back and the two closest to him, Lusinia and Navruth, laid beside him with their heads at the same height as his, then snuggled in close by his shoulders. The next two had their heads by Ren''s chest, and they snuggled in. ¡°There... there''s only... one spot left.¡± Andrela said, and cautiously laid down between Ren''s legs, and rested her head on his abdomen. Ren relaxed, because he thought she would try and put her head on his manhood. Despite what erotic books and videos tell you, it actually hurts to have someone use that spot as a pillow to sleep on. The personal maids felt his relief, and Ren felt their relief that he wasn''t fighting against it. Normally Ren would have, but right then, he needed someone to hold him. He lifted his arms, and the ones holding his shoulders had to move slightly. They lost contact for a moment, then Ren wrapped his arms around them and they sighed. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± They said together. ¡°I rescind my order for you to stay in the temporary building.¡± Ren said, and felt them tense up. ¡°I order you to stay in this state room, unless you are accompanying me somewhere.¡± They all relaxed, and Ren felt how much they appreciated his diligence, and they liked how much he cared about their happiness. Ren, Lusinia, Navruth, Frikara, Verwynn, and Andrela, drifted off to sleep on good feelings, while the ship they were on drifted off into the harbour. Chapter 296 - Rampage On the way back from the docks, Nathalia let out everything that she was feeling. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed her heart out. Since she wasn''t sharing her Aura, all Ereka could do was hold her shoulders as she cried. Ereka''s tears joined Nathalia''s when she finally realized that she wouldn''t get to be with Ren, either. They wouldn''t have their second time, and she wouldn''t be able to tease him with her perfect chest. That, above everything else, bothered her the most. Ren wouldn''t be able to enjoy them like he wanted to. They arrived back at the Keep about 30 minutes later, and Deliliah pulled the carriage around to face the other way. She had clearly heard the two women crying inside, and it made her think about not being able to see what else Ren could do. Leaving when you have to is one thing. Deliliah thought as she locked the brakes and climbed down to open the door of the carriage. Getting thrown out before you finished your tasks? That''s just... it''s not fair! Nathalia and Ereka climbed out, their faces streaked with tears; and they saw the expression on Deliliah''s face. They put a hand on her shoulder as they walked past, and she nodded to them. The guard at the gate opened it for the approaching women, and then they all heard a loud crash. It was the sound of wood being smashed to splinters. The guard jumped aside as he caught a glimpse of what was happening, and managed to stop Nathalia and Ereka before they got in the way. Princess barrelled through the now open gate, ran around them and the carriage, and poured on the speed. ¡°PRINCESS!¡± Nathalia yelled, but she was already long gone. A moment later, Riley and Stacy came out through the gate and ran after her. ¡°What do we do?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°Hope.¡± Nathalia said, and looked down at her Sending Ring. * ¡°Ren? We have a problem.¡± Nathalia''s voice said. Ren''s eyes opened immediately and he thought of Nathalia. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Princess... she''s...¡± ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know there''s nothing you can do, but I thought I''d let you know.¡± ¡°There is something I can do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can warn the soldiers to not get in her way.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Thanks for letting me know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren took out the Sending Square and thought of the Commander. ¡°Sir, there''s something you should know.¡± * The crowds had started to disperse from the castle and Main Keep after Ren and the carriage had left. The event seemed to be over, even though they had thought it was going to be an all night celebration. That had been half an hour ago, so the density of people was a lot less than it had been. It still took a long time for over 6,000 people to leave an area in a casual fashion. Several screams of terror pierced the night as Princess approached the Main Keep. She hadn''t hit the group of female dwarves; but, they hadn''t even seen her until she was almost on top of them. Princess jumped over them easily, and saw her way was blocked by more people. She noticed the unused main gate mid-stride and huffed her satisfaction as she found an unimpeded way in. Princess dropped her head and stiffened her neck, then smashed her way through the main gate. It had been a lot thicker than the stable door, and she didn''t have boosted Strength; so, the impact staggered her a little bit. She recovered instantly, then ran towards the Main Keep. There were too many people on the grounds for her to assault the castle directly, so she would take an alternate route. * ¡°I''ll never see him again.¡± Dorhaline, the dwarf Librarian said as she walked in a daze back to the Library. ¡°My sweet Lord. My cute shelf-builder. My handsome fellow reader.¡± She mumbled as she cried. ¡°I knew he had to leave eventually... but... for him to be torn away like this...¡± * ¡°I only just got back into his good graces.¡± Deresdra, the healer from the mines said as she walked back to her house. ¡°I haven''t even tricked him into sleeping with me again.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Now I won''t get the chance, because I''ll never see him again.¡± A single tear came out of the corner of her eye, and she reached up and touched her face. ¡°Why am I crying?¡± * There were no guards at the Main Keep, and Princess rejoiced as she dropped her head again and smashed through the front doors. Glass and wood flew across the smooth floor as she continued to run. On her way by, she hooked a single horn into the large reception counter and flicked her head. That action ripped the top off of the counter and threw it across the room; then it broke apart when it hit the wall. Princess ran down the right side hallway and saw a blank wall. Thanks to her high Intelligence and a recently acquired special ability to see hidden objects, she could clearly see the enchanted door. She wasn''t stupid enough to attack it unprotected, though; and activated her version of Ren''s Controlled Berserk Rage. Her eyes turned blood red as her Strength, Endurance, and Attack Speed doubled. Unfortunately, it also halved her Intelligence. She didn''t even bother with the door and rammed her head into the stone wall beside it. * The castle wall shook as something strong and metallic hit it with a resounding clang. Several stone bricks were moved, and a lot of the mortar broke away. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± One of the guards asked as he looked at the wall beside him. ¡°You don''t think...¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The soldier in heavy armor beside him said. ¡°GET BACK!¡± He yelled, and waved to the platoon of soldiers and guards behind him. ¡°She not coming in the front! She''s on our flank!¡± Another loud bang sent several broken stone bricks flying out. Some pieces hit the waiting soldiers, and they shifted their focus to face the threat. ¡°Don''t attack!¡± The Commander said. ¡°Block only! She''s just as angry as we are that Ren''s been banished, but we can''t let her run rampant! She will not be allowed to kill the future ruler!¡± ¡°Why do you think she''s here for the Queen and not for Ren?¡± One of the guards asked. ¡°Ren left a while ago. She''d be wherever he was, not here.¡± A loud bang pushed several bricks out of the way, and the soldiers and castle guards could clearly see Princess'' enraged face through the hole. She brayed at them loudly, almost like a scream, then disappeared from sight. ¡°By the gods!¡± One of the castle guards said as he broke formation. ¡°She''s going to kill us!¡± He threw down his sword and ran. ¡°You know, that looks like a good idea.¡± One of the soldiers said, and his fellow soldiers laughed. ¡°Shields!¡± The Commander said. ¡°Aim for deflection!¡± The soldiers put the shields in front of their bodies, then angled them up. A moment later, an enraged giant ram crashed through the wall as if it wasn''t there, then waded into the soldiers.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. * ¡°By the gods!¡± Barnar said from the balcony above the main lobby as he watched Ren''s mount toss soldiers aside and into the air. ¡°We have to get out of here!¡± ¡°And go where?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°She broke through the castle wall. A 5 foot thick enchanted castle wall.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°Running away won''t get us anywhere.¡± ¡°Form a defensive block!¡± The Knight said to the 24 guards and soldiers under his command as he pointed to the top of the stairs. ¡°That thing will not reach the Queen!¡± ******** ¡°That little stinker!¡± Barbara, Ren''s night nurse, said as she arrived at work; but, she had a huge smile on her face. ¡°He knew I wanted to talk to him before he went back in.¡± ¡°That''s why he went in early.¡± Denise said. ¡°He didn''t want a birds and the bees talk from you.¡± ¡°I wasn''t...¡± Barbara snorted a laugh. ¡°Well, okay. I was.¡± ¡°He''s all showered and cleaned after being in the pool.¡± Denise said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°But what?¡± Barbara asked, and saw the concern on her face. ¡°Ren''s been banished from the dwarf lands.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Barbara said. ¡°He must be devastated!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Denise said. ¡°He was devastated right into bed with his ''maids''.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Denise motioned to the television, and all that could be seen was a blue screen. ******** The shields the soldiers used were having some effect, and deflected some of her shots. They didn''t know that Princess was trying not to hurt them. All she wanted was to get to the source of Ren''s pain and deal with it. Princess was getting frustrated, however; the soldiers she tossed aside were getting up and joined back into the fray. She stopped moving for a moment, and the soldiers thought for a second that she had given up. They were keeping her at bay, much to their own surprise, when she should have run them over and trampled them to death. Princess caught sight of Narhilda on the balcony three stories up and let out a loud bray. She was clearly upset, then she turned around and started to run. The soldiers and the castle guards yelled their happiness at their success, and then Princess jumped towards the wall... but not towards the hole she had made. ¡°What is she-BY THE GODS!¡± One of the soldiers yelled as Princess landed on the wall and started to run up it. The soldiers watched in amazement as Princess trotted at a good pace up the wall about three stories, then she turned and ran as fast as the Amulet of the Spider would let her. ¡°Nooo!¡± Barnar exclaimed, grabbed a sword from the closest guard, and stood in front of Narhilda. ¡°You won''t hurt her, you beast!¡± Princess huffed her amusement, then jumped from the wall and landed on the balcony. Her hooves slid and tore up the smooth floor, and she came to a stop about 10 feet in front of him. ¡°RAHH!¡± Barnar yelled and charged with the sword. Princess might have been at half of her Intelligence, but she still knew how to fight. She shot the floor with 6 Web wands, and it covered Barnar''s legs. ¡°AHH!¡± Barnar yelled as he was caught in the web trap so easily. ¡°Charge!¡± The Knight said, and Princess thought he meant her; so she charged them and knocked them all down. They had broken arms and legs; but, she hadn''t killed anyone and figured her Lord would forgive her. She turned to the only person left standing, and huffed out two puffs of air from her nostrils. ¡°Well, then.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°It''s come to this.¡± Princess scraped her hooves on the smooth floor to rough it up enough so she could push off without slipping. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°You think I deserve it! Go ahead! DO IT!¡± Princess growled at her, then lunged. Narhilda''s brave act crumbled when Princess came towards her and she closed her eyes to wait for the second until she met her end. She heard a loud scraping sound, and then several huffs and sniffs; but no pain or impact. Narhilda opened her eyes, and they locked onto Princess'' blood red eyes. They stared at each other as Princess nudged Narhilda''s belly with her muzzle and sniffed again. ¡°Yes, I''m pregnant.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°If you kill me, you kill the baby, too.¡± Princess huffed loudly, then stood up at her full height. She was a foot taller than Narhilda, and looked like she was tempted to take a huge bite out of her. Princess bared her teeth in a horrific smile, then quickly darted forward and snapped her teeth right in front of Narhilda''s face. ¡°AhhHHH!¡± Narhilda screamed and covered her face with her hands. Princess huffed, threw her head skyward and brayed loudly. Everyone knew that she was declaring her superiority to them, and they watched in awe as she turned away from Narhilda, then slowly trotted down the staircase. Princess sauntered across the floor, huffed derisively at the soldiers that moved out of her way, and disappeared through the impressive hole in the castle wall that she had made. * ¡°By... by the gods...¡± Barnar said, and wept. ¡°How could Ren send something like that...¡± ¡°Ren didn''t send her.¡± The Commander said as he came up the stairs. ¡°He warned us that she was coming.¡± ¡°She''s his mount. He must have ordered...¡± ¡°No, Ren left. He didn''t even try to pack anything.¡± The Commander said as he looked at Narhilda with displeasure. ¡°Right now he''s on a boat out in the middle of the harbour, with only the clothes on his back.¡± He shook his head. ¡°No food, provisions, or supplies for a two week journey.¡± He said. ¡°Nathalia called him when Princess broke out of House Neram Keep.¡± ¡°Send out the troops!¡± Narhilda said. ¡°I want-¡± ¡°No.¡± The Commander said. ¡°I order you to-¡± ¡°No.¡± The Commander said. ¡°You saw what his mount did to us.¡± He sighed. ¡°I can''t imagine what would have happened if she was trying to hurt us.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± Narhilda exclaimed. ¡°Look around! How many of your men are down? How many castle guards?¡± ¡°How many are dead?¡± The Commander asked her and smiled. Narhilda looked around and saw lots of injuries; but, they were all moving. Princess hadn''t killed a single dwarf. * Ren had closed his eyes after talking to the Commander and focused on his mental connection with Princess. He had finally sorted through all the things in his head and found her. He was about to ask her what she was doing, then she activated her Controlled Berserk Rage. Ren''s body froze solid as he felt what she felt. She was so angry at Narhilda and would do anything to get to her. After a few minutes doing his best to push through Princess'' blinding rage, Ren managed to calm her down a little. He felt her satisfaction at a job well done and that she hadn''t killed anyone; then he felt her rage drain away. I''m at the docks. Ren thought to her. The docks. The docks. The docks. He felt her recognition and how tired she was. Hurry. He thought, and Princess started to run. He slid out of the bed, and his personal maids mumbled in their sleep. Ren wasn''t sure if they were exhausted themselves, or if they had taken his tiredness; but, he didn''t care as he equipped his Travelling Clothes and ran from the cabin. He was out the main cabin door a moment later and looked around. ¡°Rowboat!¡± Ren yelled, and one of the deckhands pointed behind him. He looked back and saw a rowboat tied to the side of the deck. It was on a set of pulleys for easy deployment, but Ren didn''t have time to do that. He ran over, grabbed one of the ropes, and pulled. It snapped easily, and he did the same to the other rope and stored the boat. He ran over to the side of the ship that was towards the land, and he jumped over the side. ¡°Man overboard!¡± The deckhand said and watched how far Ren had jumped. ¡°Is he part rabbit or something?¡± He asked absently as Ren arced through the air, and just before he hit the water, pulled the rowboat out of inventory and landed in it. ¡°How the hell did he do that?¡± Ren''s momentum had carried him a good 40 feet through the air, and just before he hit the water, he took out the boat and positioned it below him. He hit the water with a splash, and slid through the water another 30 feet by the time he had grabbed the oars and started to row as fast as he could. * Princess felt really tired. Her berserk rage had worn off while she ran, and she stumbled and bounced off of a building. She had the distinct impression to go towards the docks, and felt like she needed to go there. She came to the road that led to the docks, and fell to her knees. She skidded to a stop and breathed heavily. Must... get to... My Lord. Princess thought and forced herself to stand up. It was difficult, and she felt a small nudge on each of her sides. She took several deep breaths, pointed herself towards the docks, and started to run. * Ren could feel Princess as she struggled; but their mental connection was intermittent. I hope she''s okay! He thought as he continued to row. * ¡°The rowboats don''t have engines, right?¡± One of the deckhands asked. ¡°Right.¡± The one holding the tow rope said. ¡°Then how is that thing going so fast?¡± The deckhand asked and pointed to Ren. * Princess'' vision became blurry as she finally made it to the docks. She stumbled and almost fell when she came to the wood part, but she kept going. He''s near... I feel him... Princess thought, then she heard a shout and perked up. * ¡°I''m right here!¡± Ren shouted to Princess as he arrived at the dock and turned the boat around to come to a stop. He saw her react to his voice, and then she put on a burst of speed. ¡°You''re almost there!¡± He said as she ran over the planks of wood towards the water. ¡°Get ready.... JUMP!¡± Princess jumped when her Lord had asked her to, but she couldn''t see anything anymore and had no idea where she was as she flew through the air. Ren felt her lose consciousness and saw her form falter, but she had jumped far enough and he stood up in the boat and braced himself to catch her. Her weight hit him and he felt the impact in his bones as his Health dropped down to almost a third of the total and he took nearly a thousand points in damage. Ren was grateful he was in a boat, because the water had helped him absorb the hit when it combined with his Shock Absorption ability. He had succeeded in his attempt to catch her, and sat down in the boat. ¡°You made it.¡± Ren said, and pat her neck. Princess was fast asleep, and now that he had the opportunity to see her up close, he examined her to see if the soldiers had hurt her. He could see her helm was bent and damaged in places, but the Intelligence and Protection enchantments had held. He unequipped it from her head, and saw the blood underneath it. One of her horns was cracked down to the core, and Ren tried not to let the damage she''d taken distract him from helping her. ¡°Oh, you poor thing.¡± Ren said, and took out a Major Healing wand. ¡°Let me take care of that for you.¡± Ren held the horn in place and used the wand to heal her. He then felt her forehead and traced a fracture along her eye socket and down to her nose. ¡°I can''t believe you made it here with this much damage.¡± Ren said and healed it. ¡°There you go.¡± Princess stirred a little bit, but Ren knew she would be out for at least an hour. He checked her over thoroughly, and stored then repaired her armor as he went along. He found several bruises on her body and legs, and little dents in the armor. Ren finished healing her and put her armor back on, then moved her to the back of the boat. With her condition stabilized, he sat down and rowed back towards the ship. Chapter 297 - Load Me Up Ren rowed slowly away from the dock, because he didn''t want to take the chance that the boat might capsize if he rowed too quickly with Princess in the back. He heard two distinct barks and looked up to see his two dogs, Riley and Stacy, as they stood on the edge of the dock. It was almost 60 feet away now. ¡°Well, don''t just stand there!¡± Ren said to them as he drifted further away. ¡°Jump!¡± Stacy gave another single bark and ran away from the edge. Ren and Riley watched as she sprinted to the end of the dock, jumped, and unfurled her metallic wings. The wind caught them, and Stacy rose up into the air. ¡°Don''t flap the wings!¡± Ren cautioned her. ¡°Keep the lift!¡± Stacy listened to his advice and kept her wings rigid as she glided over the distance towards the rowboat. When she reached it, Ren stopped rowing and moved to the bow of the boat to make room for her. She slowly pulled her wings in as she came in for a soft landing in the middle of the boat. ¡°That was great!¡± Ren said and gave Stacy a hug around the neck. ¡°You''re a natural!¡± Riley barked a couple of times, and ran away from the dock. He had a bit farther to go than Stacy, so he took a longer running start. He sprinted for the end of the dock, jumped just like Stacy did, and unfurled his wings. The wind caught them and lifted Riley into the air. Because he had run a lot faster than Stacy, he went about twice as high as her in the air. ¡°Easy now!¡± Ren said to Riley. ¡°Don''t panic!¡± Teepo, can you give him a hand? ¡°On it!¡± Teepo said and flew up to Riley to give him advice. ¡°Pull them in slightly. Not too much! You want to lose height, not drop like a rock.¡± Riley did what Teepo said and pulled them in slightly. He dropped a good distance steadily, and Teepo told him to push them out. The wings caught the air again and Riley glided at almost the same height as Stacy did. ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said. ¡°Slowly, now... ease up a little...¡± Teepo told Riley. ¡°Get ready to pull them in.¡± Stacy saw Riley coming in a little fast, and moved to the front of the boat. ¡°Easy... almost there... okay, this is good enough.¡± Teepo said. Riley pulled his wings in all the way. ¡°No! Not completely!¡± Teepo exclaimed. Riley dropped down right in front of the boat and splashed into the water. ¡°RILEY!¡± Ren yelled and hopped over the side of the boat without rocking it. He hit the water and swam towards the rapidly sinking metal dog. He was glad that he had leveled up his Hold Breath ability because Riley had just landed on the bay floor and looked like he was in full panic mode. Ren concentrated on Riley and swam towards him. Calm. Calm. I''m here. He thought to the dog, and he saw Riley as he stopped moving and relaxed. He reached him a moment later, and picked him up. It''s all right. Ren thought, and then thought about what to do. Iron Wall! He held the dog with one arm and took out the Wand of Iron Barrier. He kicked a few rocks and things out of the way to make a relatively flat surface, and cast the normal 10 foot square wall, then cast it again at an angle from the ground to the top of the first wall, adjusting the width and thickness of it to fit. With an angled path set, Ren cast the spell several more times as he walked up the angled iron wall. If I wasn''t just about to run out of air, this might actually be fun. Ren thought and used two more spells to break the surface of the water. ¡°Whew!¡± He said after taking in a deep breath, then looked around for the boat. It had continued to float on and he had almost chosen the perfect angle to reach the spot where it would end up. Ren had only missed it by about 30 feet. He recharged the wand and used it a few more times to reach the boat, and put Riley inside it next to Stacy while Teepo flew overhead to scout. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll get you dried off as soon as we reach the ship.¡± Ren said and got in the rowboat himself. ¡°You did a great job right up until the end.¡± He said. ¡°But, that''s only because we''re on the water and you only had a small landing spot.¡± He smiled and pat Riley on the head. ¡°It wouldn''t have mattered if you were on land.¡± Stacy licked Riley''s muzzle, and he gave a little bark of acceptance. Ren rowed the boat back to the side of the ship, and the side cargo hold hatch was already opened and waiting for him. ¡°That was some stunt.¡± The short captain said. ¡°I didn''t know you could walk on water.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It''s an Iron Wall spell cast just under the surface of the water, actually.¡± ¡°Really? That works?¡± The short captain asked as he waved some of the crew forward to tie the rowboat to a pulley. ¡°Apparently.¡± Ren said as he took out some cloth and dried Riley off. ¡°I''m glad it did, though. It''s a long walk back to shore, and I couldn''t hold my breath that long.¡± The short captain laughed, and they pulled the boat into the cargo hold. ¡°Is your mount going to be okay?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°She was severely hurt, but I healed her.¡± He said. ¡°If there''s a healer as a part of the crew, I''d appreciate an extra pair of eyes to check her over again. She''ll be unconscious from her Berserk Rage for another half an hour or so.¡± ¡°How did you manage to give your mount that?¡± The short captain asked. ¡°I''d like to give my Wimsey that, too.¡± Ren raised an eyebrow at him, and he chuckled. ¡°She''s a hedgehog.¡± Ren thought about a bloodthirsty rampaging hedgehog and laughed. ¡°I think you need to have a disposition for it to unlock.¡± He said and rubbed Princess'' neck. ¡°I just wish it didn''t exhaust us when we used it.¡± ¡°It''s a survival mechanism.¡± The short captain said. ¡°You''re overwhelmingly powerful and hard to kill for a short period of time, and then it''s really easy to kill you.¡± He smiled. ¡°It gives the little guy a chance to beat even the most powerful opponents.¡± ¡°Do you mean the one with Berserk Rage, or the one they attack?¡± ¡°Both.¡± The captain said and laughed as the cargo hatch closed. ¡°What are you going to do with her?¡± ¡°I''m putting her in one of the spare cabins.¡± Ren said. The captain looked at him like he was crazy, and he chuckled. ¡°On my last boat ride, she had to stay in the hold.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I stayed there with her.¡± The short captain nodded slightly. ¡°Men! Top hatch!¡± Two of the dwarves ran over to the side of the hold and unhooked the end of a rope, then the two of them turned a crank. The top hatch opened and a wooden platform lowered down into the hold. When it reached the bottom, Ren picked Princess up and carried her over to the platform. Riley and Stacy walked over beside him and sat down to wait by their owner. * The captain waved at the dwarves working the crank, and watched as Ren and the dogs were raised up out of the hold and to the deck of the ship. ¡°You saw that, right?¡± One of the deckhands asked the captain. ¡°He picked her up like she was nothing.¡± He shook his head in disbelief. ¡°I thought I was strong, and even I needed help hauling in the boat.¡± The captain nodded slightly. ¡°I think he''s going to be full of surprises.¡± * Ren carried Princess through the main cabin doors and down the hallway, with his two dogs and Teepo close behind. Ren came to the door beside his cabin, and opened it. It was a nice room, and had lots of things in it to show a person''s high status; and Ren ignored them all as he brought Princess over to the bed and laid her down on it. The healer came to the door and looked in. ¡°Ah, there you are. You''re making her comfortable.¡± The female dwarf said. ¡°Good work.¡± She came into the room and looked at Princess'' armor. ¡°Can we get this stuff off?¡± Ren nodded slightly and stored her armor into her inventory. ¡°Thank you.¡± The healer said and examined her thoroughly. ¡°The captain said you examined her and healed her yourself?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said, then explained all of the major and minor injuries he had found and healed. ¡°You really shouldn''t do that kind of major healing without at least a healer to supervise or consult.¡± The healer said. ¡°Other than that, you did a good job.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I care about her a lot.¡± ¡°I can tell.¡± The healer said. ¡°I''ve never met anyone that made armor for their pet before.¡± ¡°She''s my mount, not my pet.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± The healer said and ducked her head. ¡°I didn''t mean to insult you.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°No, I''m sorry.¡± He said. ¡°I''m tired, and people not treating her properly is a sore spot with me.¡± The healer nodded slightly. ¡°You should get to bed, then. If there''s nothing else, I''ll head to bed myself.¡± ¡°Um... actually...¡± Ren started to say, then he stored the shirt from his Travelling Clothes. ¡°Oh, my!¡± The healer exclaimed when she saw the growing bruise that covered Ren''s chest and abdomen. She reached out and started to examine him closely and probed the edges of it. He thought it had felt familiar, and when he looked down, it was the same size and shape as the one he had in real life. Art imitates life. Ren thought.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Okay, I think I have enough Mana left for an injury of this size.¡± The healer said. ¡°Use this instead.¡± Ren said and handed her his Major Healing wand. ¡°Save your Mana for an emergency.¡± ¡°Is this? Oh, my!¡± The healer said. ¡°It was you!¡± ¡°It was me, what?¡± ¡°You''re the one that gave the wands to the head of the Medical Wing in the Main Keep.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°We''ve helped so many people because of you.¡± The healer said and started to heal Ren''s wound. She expertly applied the healing to the edges and worked her way into the center where the most damage was. ¡°I think she would have given you every contract she had if you offered her a wand for each of them.¡± ¡°I told you that you should have offered the Major Healing wand first!¡± Teepo said, and chittered in laughter. ¡°I didn''t really understand their true value until they came in so handy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve mainly just been using them to refill my Mana.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I know it''s a little excessive, but it works instantly and gives me full Mana.¡± He said. ¡°It''s become a bit of a habit for me, now.¡± The healer shook her head. ¡°Using Major Healing just to replenish Mana.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve never heard of such a travesty.¡± ¡°You''re not going to call me crazy?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I just assumed you understood that was a given.¡± She said, and they both laughed. The healer finished healing him and tapped his chest. ¡°There you go.¡± She said and held out the wand. ¡°All patched up and ready to do it again.¡± ¡°Are you under contract to the ship, on loan, being paid, or what?¡± Ren asked when he took the wand. ¡°My brother''s the captain.¡± She said. ¡°He asked me to come along when he and the crew were hired.¡± ¡°Any House affiliation?¡± ¡°No.¡± She said. ¡°I couldn''t stand all the politics and backstabbing they do; so, I signed up for healer training as soon as I was of age.¡± ¡°Then you can keep this.¡± Ren said and handed her the wand back. ¡°But... I just told you that you can take this to the Main Keep and get any of the healer''s contracts that you want.¡± ¡°If she still holds yours, trade it for that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Actually, that would leave you without one, wouldn''t it?¡± He said and took out a Level 1 wand. He absorbed the charges in it and replaced the spell with Major Healing. ¡°Trade one for your own contract, and keep this one.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Thanks for your help.¡± Ren said, and ushered the healer out of the cabin. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Did you see the look on her face when you gave her the second wand?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head!¡± Ren chuckled, and then yawned. ¡°Boy, I''m tired.¡± He said and thought about going back into his own room, then looked at the bed. He couldn''t leave Princess alone, because if she woke up and didn''t know where she was, she might panic. Ren sighed and moved her over slightly. The bed was just big enough for the both of them to fit on it, if he hung her hooves off the edge and laid down on the other side. Ren did that, and equipped his armor bodysuit because it was a lot more comfortable to sleep in than his Travelling Clothes. He yawned again and fell asleep. Riley and Stacy tried to climb up on the bed as well, but there just wasn''t any more room for them, so they laid down at the foot of the bed. * Tee-one was happy. Despite all the feelings and thoughts he''d been getting from Ren all night, he had finally managed to break through to the surface of the ground where the moat was. He had already drained it into a nearby ditch before opening it up from below, and had built the frame around the top layer of the Keep and filled it with cement. In 12 hours, it''ll be done. Tee-one thought. Finally. Tee-one stored the various tools that he had used into inventory and walked over to the workshop. He had a few things to build before the supplies could be brought to Ren in the morning. * When morning came, Frikara was the first one to wake up and she reached for Ren with her eyes closed. Men are always ready to go in the mornings. She thought, then her hand passed through only air and touched the bed. NO! She thought in surprise, and opened her eyes to see that Ren was gone. The only ones in the bed were her and her fellow personal maids. Where did he go? * Ren woke up in bed, and felt a huge weight on top of him. He opened his eyes, and all he could see was fur. He tried to talk, but the fur clogged his mouth and the most he could do was murmur. His arms were pinned at his sides and he didn''t have any leverage to push Princess off on him. He remembered that he was on the edge of the bed and stuck out an elbow. It met air, and he smiled mentally. Yes! Ren thought as he managed to wiggle his arm out from under Princess, and grabbed the bottom of the bed. He pulled and shimmied, and slowly worked himself out to the side of the bed. He was still caught by her large and heavy body; but, now his arm had full movement with his shoulder free. He braced himself as best as he could, and pushed with the one arm. Princess'' body was lifted and Ren breathed a sigh of relief as he managed to slide out from under her and onto the floor. Ren stood up and looked at her. She had somehow managed to turn from sleeping on her right side with her feet hanging off that way, to sleeping on her left side and faced the other way and had completely covered him. How did that not wake me up? Ren thought and chuckled. She was laying on top of me for cripes sakes! Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You were more tired than you thought, maybe?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Ren said out loud and rubbed his chest. ¡°I''m glad I let the healer heal me last night.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I couldn''t wake you up to warn you she was rolling over.¡± Princess stirred at the sound of Ren''s voice and opened her eyes. My Lord! I found you! ¡°Yes, you did.¡± Ren said and pat her neck. ¡°What did you think you were doing last night?¡± She hurt you. Princess thought to him. I wanted to hurt her back. ¡°Did you?¡± Ren asked. No. Princess huffed. She is with child. ¡°So, she wasn''t lying or misleading me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was a little worried it might have been a ruse.¡± I scared her. Princess thought with satisfaction. The soldiers were weak against me. ¡°Princess, how many giants have we fought now?¡± Ren asked and laughed. ¡°You are so far above fighting normal soldiers.¡± I am. Princess thought in amusement. Because of you. Ren pat her neck again. ¡°Rest here for a while. I''ve got some work to do.¡± Princess huffed and Ren left the room with Teepo on his shoulder. * Princess looked at the two dogs. You missed a good fight. They barked at her, and she huffed. Very well. I''ll tell you about it. The dogs wagged their metal tails as Princess told them about the destruction she had unleashed. * Ren went to his cabin door and knocked. ¡°You don''t have to knock on your own cabin door.¡± Frikara said as she pulled the door open. She was wearing the dress he''d make for her, and Ren was relieved that she didn''t answer it topless. ¡°We''re kind of angry at you.¡± ¡°No, you''re angry at him.¡± One of the others said. Ren hadn''t been around them long enough to distinguish who was speaking. ¡°He was gone before you woke up.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I wanted to play a little, and you can''t imagine my disappointment.¡± ¡°I don''t have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°You just told me about it.¡± Frikara smiled. ¡°So, what can we do for you?¡± ¡°I''m going outside and wondered if you wanted to come with me.¡± Frikara turned to the other maids. ¡°Do any of you want to go out?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Not me.¡± ¡°I''ll pass.¡± ¡°I''d go if you held me the whole time.¡± Frikara laughed. ¡°You took my line!¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Navruth said and smiled. ¡°It''s a good line.¡± ¡°I think we''re all saying no.¡± Frikara said and looked back at Ren. ¡°I''ll be back later to see if you change your minds.¡± Ren said and walked away down the hall towards the main cabin doors. ¡°Bye.¡± Frikara said and shut the door. Ren went outside and looked towards the docks. ¡°I wonder when... there they are.¡± There wasn''t a lot of activity on the docks so early in the morning, so it wasn''t hard to see several large carts come down the road to the docks. ¡°We should wait to open the side of the ship.¡± The short captain said. ¡°At least until they''re almost here with all of that stuff.¡± ¡°Have you ordered extra provisions?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°Of course.¡± The short captain asked. ¡°Just in case the trip takes longer, or you bring more people along.¡± ¡°I''m not expecting more people.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, my mount eats a lot.¡± ¡°I''ve got feed coming.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°She eats normal food.¡± ¡°She sleeps in a normal bed and she eats normal food.¡± The captain shook his head. ¡°I wouldn''t be surprised if you told me she could talk next.¡± Ren gave him a knowing smile, and he laughed. ¡°Supplies coming aboard!¡± The short captain said and walked off. Several dwarves ran around and made it look like they were doing something important; but, Ren thought it was just something the game designers decided they needed players to see, just to make it look like something was happening. It didn''t take long for the carts of supplies to get to the water, and Ren watched the work crew as they assembled several large pieces of wood and slid the completed item into the water. He wasn''t sure what it was, and then the carts started to unload their contents onto it. ¡°It''s a big barge.¡± Ren said. Tee-one used my idea. He smiled. ¡°It shouldn''t take long to transfer things back and forth now.¡± The barge was quickly filled to overflowing with Ren''s things, and then Tee-one stepped onto it. The work crew climbed back onto the dock, and the barge started to move. Ren smiled at the surprised faces of the dwarves on the dock when they noticed no one was rowing on the barge. He couldn''t have used full enchantments on the steel squares. Ren thought. It should be going a lot faster. ¡°Maybe he''s going slow so nothing falls off.¡± Teepo said. Probably. Ren thought. There''s a lot of stuff. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You had it all in inventory, too.¡± I did. Ren thought in amusement. I''ve had to change the things I''ve done without access to all of it, too. ¡°Are you going to store it all again?¡± I don''t know. Ren sighed. I kind of like having all this space available to carry things, but... I miss carrying the things I''ve always carried. ¡°Maybe you should make another backpack.¡± Teepo said. ¡°An actual one, not a familiar or anything.¡± I probably could use more portable storage space. Ren thought. I''ve even got a rune for inventory spaces. ¡°The extra weight won''t slow you down, either.¡± Teepo said, and Ren nodded slightly. He waved to Tee-one when he was close enough to the ship, then ran for the closest stairway to the cargo hold. He arrived as the cargo hatch was opened and lowered, and he walked over to the edge of it. * ¡°He walks like he''s already got his sea legs, and he''s only been on the boat since last night.¡± One of the deck hands whispered. ¡°They told you what he did last night, didn''t they?¡± The dwarf he was talking to whispered back. ¡°It was a sight, let me tell you.¡± * Tee-one brought the barge to a stop right beside the open cargo hatch, and Ren stepped over. ¡°Thanks for this.¡± Ren said and started storing the things he thought were absolutely necessary. ¡°I can start the rest of the stained glass windows now.¡± ¡°I''ve got the top of the Keep finished.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ll be taking the wood mold down when I go back.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s such a relief to have that done.¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°Are you filling the dirt back in, or leaving a deep moat?¡± ¡°Moat.¡± Ren said, then told the waiting deckhands to move what he didn''t store in inventory into the hold. Stone bricks, wood planks, paving stones, and several other things like tables, workbenches, and cement bags. While they did that, Ren absorbed his Water Spray enchantment from one of his raised platform rings and thought about the 5 rune glyph for Water. Since he could now combine 3 glyphs of 5 runes each into a single enchantment, he used 2 Water glyphs and 1 Wind glyph to enchant the ring. Ren pointed the ring out towards the bay and activated it. A huge gush of water and air burst out and flew through the air for a good 40 feet, then it arced down and hit the water. He took out 2 steel squares, enchanted them with the new glyph, and gave them to Tee-one. ¡°Use those to fill it, once you square off the sides.¡± ¡°You want it in cement.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°We won''t have to worry about it collapsing later if we do.¡± ¡°It''ll be done by tonight.¡± ¡°Thanks, Tee-one.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you pick the windows up tonight?¡± ¡°If you want me to.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°It would be a nice surprise if the Church opened the day after my banishment.¡± Ren said and smiled. Tee-one nodded slightly. ¡°I''ll be back with the next load of equipment and supplies.¡± ¡°Can you bring the fire elemental on the next trip?¡± ¡°You want the fire elemental brought to the ship.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''ll have the room modified by the time you get back.¡± Ren said. ¡°Send the things stored on the second floor of the Main House, too.¡± He said. ¡°It''s all the stone carving supplies I ordered from Barnar''s shop.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ll be back in a little while.¡± Ren stepped off the barge and back onto the ship and stored piles of paving stones and stone bricks. The barge threw out gushes of water and air as it moved away from the ship, then went towards the shore. Ren left the cargo hold and went back up the stairs to the deck, then went through the main cabin doors and down the hallway. He went into Princess'' room and cleared out the corner. He built a large stone box that filled nearly half of the room. ¡°You''re going to have a hot roommate.¡± Ren said to Princess, and she huffed in amusement at him. He enchanted part of the walls of the box with Wind and Fire runes to reproduce the conditions of the pen the fire elemental was currently in. ¡°I think that''s it.¡± He said. ¡°Now I really have to get to work.¡± Have fun. Princess thought to him as he left the room. Ren ran down the hallway, outside, and back into the hold. He picked up the large workbench that he had previously used for making the stained glass windows, walked over to a part of the hold not being used, then put the workbench down and thought about the next picture he wanted to make. Earth is an easy one. Ren thought, and dyed three panes of glass. One brown, one green, and one blue. I''ll use an image of a large rock formation, with a bit of grass and some blue sky behind it. He smiled as he took out his scoring tool and started to work on the brown pane of glass. Chapter 298 - Special Delivery Ren had scored the brown pane of glass completely, and was just about to start breaking it apart when he remembered something important. He left the workbench and ran out of the hold and up to the main cabin. He had to slow to a walk because of the dwarves, and made his way to the meal room. The place was only about half-full, and Ren walked over to the serving window. ¡°Hi. I need 7 meals to go, please.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± The cook responded. ¡°This isn''t a restaurant. If you want to eat, have a seat. One of the waitresses will bring you a plate... one plate... in a few minutes.¡± ¡°It''s not for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°My personal maids need to eat.¡± ¡°Then tell them to come here.¡± The cook said and dished out another plate. A waitress took it before it even hit the ledge of the serving window and was gone with it before Ren could say anything. ¡°This is a ship. We don''t have room service.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°You do now.¡± He said. ¡°I wanted to save your girls the trouble and take the food myself, since I''ll be doing it tonight as well; but, if you aren''t going to be reasonable about it, then neither will I.¡± ¡°I''m the cook on this ship.¡± The cook said. ¡°If you want to change how the food is served, you can''t.¡± She smiled. ¡°I set the menu and the meal times.¡± ¡°Please, don''t make me talk to the captain.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go ahead and talk to him.¡± She said. ¡°You''ll see that he can''t tell me what to do, either.¡± ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I''m only making a simple request.¡± ¡°I''m tired of you people.¡± The cook said. ¡°You think because you have money that you can do whatever you want.¡± She handed another plate out to a different waitress. ¡°Well, that''s not going to fly here.¡± She said. ¡°You can toss around as much money as you want, and I''m not going to do you any favors.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°What if I fired you?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± She said. ¡°This ship won''t leave the harbour without a cook.¡± She smiled and handed over another plate to the first waitress. ¡°Good luck finding a replacement on such short notice.¡± ¡°All right, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°I changed my mind. I''d like some food, but I want you to fill up a platter instead of a plate. I''m really hungry.¡± ¡°The platter can''t leave the dining area.¡± The cook said. ¡°The food has to be eaten right here.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be right back for it.¡± * The cook watched in satisfaction as the smug man walked out of the dining hall. ¡°You shouldn''t have done that.¡± One of the waitresses said. ¡°Why?¡± The cook asked. ¡°Just because he''s rich and handsome doesn''t mean he''s entitled to have everything brought to him.¡± ¡°Don''t you know who that is?¡± The other waitress asked. ¡°Of course I know who he is.¡± The cook said. ¡°I''ve read his books.¡± ¡°So why are you being mean to him?¡± ¡°He''s so full of himself!¡± The cook said. ¡°Strutting around like he owns the place...¡± ¡°He does own the place.¡± ¡°You know what I mean! He brought 5 personal maids on board, too!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The waitress smiled slyly. ¡°He didn''t even look tired this morning.¡± ¡°He won them.¡± One of the male dwarves said. ¡°He killed everyone in the Thieves Guild to rescue girls that were kidnapped, and they were his reward.¡± ¡°He WHAT?!?¡± The other waitress exclaimed. ¡°He... he...¡± ¡°I know it sounds like a fairy tale, but I was on the docks last night picking up supplies.¡± The dwarf grinned. ¡°I got the whole story from one of the guards.¡± ¡°Tell us!¡± One of the waitresses said. ¡°Later.¡± The dwarf said. ¡°I''m gonna watch the show first.¡± ¡°What show?¡± The cook asked as she handed the platter of food to one of the waitresses. They heard several loud scrapes across wood, and then the doors to the dining room burst open with a loud bang. Princess stood in the doorway with drool dripping from her mouth. ¡°This one.¡± The dwarf started to laugh as Princess ran towards the waiting pile of food and the cook and waitresses screamed. * ¡°Yeah, I went a little overboard.¡± Ren said to the captain a few minutes later as he prepared 5 plates of food for his personal maids. ¡°I''d like to say I''m sorry, but I''m not.¡± ¡°You could have handled it a lot differently.¡± The short captain said. ¡°Yeah. I could have fired her, or confined her to her cabin, or just relieved her of duty until I got the food myself. I could have insulted her, I could have...¡± The short captain raised a hand to stop Ren''s ramble. ¡°So why did you do what you did?¡± ¡°It was the best way to get my point across.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need food and she provides food. It''s a very simple relationship. There''s no need to make it difficult.¡± ¡°She doesn''t want food anywhere else on the ship.¡± The short captain said. ¡°It''s a simple request.¡± He said, using Ren''s argument against him. ¡°Are you seriously telling me there''s no other food on the ship?¡± Ren asked him. The short captain looked away without saying anything. ¡°I''ll have the things I need to do all of this myself brought on board.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can tell her that I''ll stop bothering her for food for my entire stay on the ship.¡± ¡°What are you going to do? Make another kitchen just for yourself to use?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°If she can''t be reasonable, then I won''t be either.¡± ¡°You can''t.¡± The short captain said. ¡°According to the law, you need to have the kitchen in a specific area, in case there''s a fire.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m not worried about a fire.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Look. I do things differently.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s right, though. I can''t fire her and try to find a replacement. There''s too many mouths to feed on a regular basis for me to even consider that option.¡± He said. ¡°After this meal, she won''t have to deal with me, the maids, or my mount ever again.¡± The short captain sighed. ¡°That''s your final word?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Is she threatening to quit if I eat food somewhere else?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tell her to submit her two week notice, and to pay me the penalty for leaving.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± The short captain exclaimed. ¡°I thought that was only for leaving a House!¡± ¡°You never read the contracts completely, do you?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Being dismissed is one thing, but choosing to leave is quite another.¡± He smiled. ¡°I hope she changes her mind, or she''s going to be in debt to me for... well, it''ll be for a long time.¡± ¡°You... you can''t...¡± ¡°Not can''t; I shouldn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want to, either.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°Like I said at the event last night, I''m tired of dealing with your culture and your rules.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, I''m not going to. If she wants to leave over this, tell her that she can; then tell her she has to work for free until she pays off her debt to the ship.¡± The short captain frowned. ¡°I''ll tell her.¡± ¡°I know you don''t like me being so harsh, but it''s not like I have a choice.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d tell her myself, but I''m pretty sure she hates me for some reason.¡± ¡°It''s because you''re doing exactly what rich people do.¡± The short captain said. ¡°You think because you have money, that you can do whatever you want.¡± Ren stored the 5 plates of food and turned to look at the short captain. ¡°Even if I didn''t have a copper coin to my name, I''d still do whatever I wanted.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Make sure you tell her that, too.¡± The short captain nodded slightly, and Ren left the kitchen and went into the dining room. He asked Princess to go back to her room, and disappeared out the door. * ¡°He''s gone.¡± The captain said. The door to the pantry opened and the cook stepped out. ¡°That arrogant-¡± The cook clamped her mouth shut before she cursed Ren''s name. ¡°I can''t believe that he would...¡± ¡°You heard him. He''s doing what he wants anyways, no matter what you say.¡± The captain said. ¡°I didn''t know we had penalties on our contracts if we quit, though.¡± ¡°I didn''t either.¡± The cook said, and didn''t say anything else.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°So, your threat to quit...¡± ¡°...doesn''t mean anything if I have to work to pay the debt anyways.¡± She said. ¡°He wins this round.¡± ¡°This round?¡± The short captain asked. ¡°You''re not planning to keep fighting him on this, are you?¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± The cook said. ¡°Like you said, the law says a kitchen must be in this section in case there''s a fire.¡± She shook her head. ¡°He''s going to create a fire hazard with a kitchen somewhere else.¡± * Ren delivered the food to the personal maids, and they thanked him for thinking of them. They also asked him to concentrate on the Contact Aura, and Ren shook his head. ¡°I need to work, and I can''t maintain my concentration.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can do it, but my work slows down if I''m thinking of too many things at once.¡± They gave up on the idea, and Ren left them to eat. He ran back to the hold and kept working. Using the proper tools, he broke apart the brown pane of glass into the pieces he had scored earlier, and reassembled them on the workbench. The green and blue panes of glass were next, and he did the same thing to them; they were scored, broken apart, and reassembled into the right spots. Using his replacement technique, Ren shifted the brown and blue pieces of glass around. There wasn''t much grass in the picture, though; so they were easily replaced. When he was done, there was a shout of another load coming. He walked over to the side of the hold with the large cargo hatch, and stepped out onto it. He could see the dock, and the arriving carts. One of them looked like it was made of stone. That one was rolled right onto the barge and the pony was disconnected; then Tee-one stood on the barge and activated the enchantments. The barge moved at a good speed towards Ren and the ship, and arrived a few minutes later. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and looked at the cart. It looked like a solid stone block, but Ren knew it was just crafted to look that way. ¡°A complete enclosure was a good idea.¡± ¡°It''s got Antiwater runes on it, too; just in case it was splashed or something.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Do you need a hand with it?¡± ¡°Just for balance.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can move it easily, but it''ll be awkward to pull it onto the ship.¡± Tee-one nodded slightly, and braced the side of it. Ren eased it around to point the end towards the ship, and discovered that he had been right. It was awkward to move from the barge to the cargo hatch with a cart designed for hard solid surfaces. They managed to get it transferred over, and Ren pulled it over to the middle of the hold. ¡°I brought the anvil and one of the forges.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Thanks, Tee-one.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was just about to start wrapping glass pieces in copper foil.¡± ¡°I got here just in time, then.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ll be right back with them.¡± Ren nodded slightly and concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Men! Top hatch!¡± The deck hands did the same thing that they did when the captain has given the order the day before. Two of them ran to the crank on the side, unhooked the rope, and turned it. The hatch opened and the platform came down. Ren pulled the cart over to the platform, enchanted it with 3 glyphs of 5 runes each of Anitdark, and it made the cart 60% lighter. He waved at the dwarves by the crank, and the platform lifted up from the hold and to the deck. Once up top, Ren pulled the cart over to the main cabin doors, opened them, and pulled the cart inside. He took it down to the cabin he''d modified with paving stones and stone bricks. This cart never would have fit in a normal dwarf ship''s hallway. Ren thought and opened the door to the room and thought about the fire elemental. I hope this hasn''t been too much of a shock for it. Ren lifted the top of the stone container a little bit, and immediately heard tree branches breaking and sap popping as if being consumed by a raging fire. ¡°Shh!¡± Ren said and put a hand in. ¡°It''s okay.¡± He said and pet the fire elemental. ¡°I know it''s scary.¡± A foot-wide blast of flame came out of the opening and would have taken all of Ren''s hair with it, had he not been immune to Fire. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± He said and opened the top a little further so he could see inside. ¡°I had intended to make a nice big place for you, and the boat was supposed to be right by the dock. Having you so close to the water was not how this was supposed to go.¡± The sound of trees being consumed by fire died down a lot, but it didn''t go away. ¡°Your new place is bigger than your pen.¡± Ren said and opened the top all of the way. ¡°But, you''re on a ship. Please, please don''t try to run away or explore.¡± The color of the fire elemental changed slightly, and Ren reached into the cart and picked it up. ¡°These are your roommates.¡± Ren said. ¡°Princess, Riley, and Stacy.¡± He said and pointed to each one as he said their names. ¡°Everyone, this is...¡± He stopped talking and looked at the fire elemental. ¡°By the gods, I never named you.¡± Ren sat down on the edge of the bed and held the fire elemental in his arms, and stroked it''s head stub. ¡°I''ve been so busy with everything that it completely slipped my mind.¡± He said surprised. ¡°I''ve talked to you a bunch of times, and we''ve played and trained; but...¡± He shook his head. ¡°I can''t believe not having a name has never come up before.¡± ¡°I didn''t think of it, either.¡± Teepo said, sadness clearly in his voice. ¡°And I''ve been checking up on it every time I did a patrol.¡± Ren hugged it to his chest, and it rubbed it''s head nub on his face. ¡°I''ll think of a good one for you.¡± He said. ¡°I promise.¡±
New Side Quest!
You have neglected to name the fire elemental under your care for far too long. You have 24 hours to give it one. It''s not essential to name it, but a name will help form it''s core identity and give it something to answer to. Rewards: ???? Penalties for Failure: Devotion / Loyalty of the fire elemental will drop by 25%
¡°Okay, then.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°I''ll come up with something I hope you''ll like.¡± He said to the fire elemental, and walked over to the large area he had made for it and put it inside. ¡°Don''t jump out or anything, okay? This place is wood underneath and will burn if you touch it.¡± The color changed slightly on the fire elemental and Ren smiled. ¡°I''m going to have more free time to spend with you soon.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll have two whole weeks of doing nothing but floating and relaxing when we leave the dwarf lands for good.¡± The fire elemental let a few crackling wood sounds out, and Ren pet it''s head nub. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± Ren said and stored the mostly stone cart, then looked at Princess. ¡°Keep an eye on it for me.¡± Yes, My Lord. Princess thought to him. You will know if anything happens. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, pet her and the two dogs, then left the room. He ran down the hall and out to the deck then looked over to the dock. Tee-one was already on his way back with a forge and anvil. Ren went down into the cargo hold and waited for the delivery. * Nathalia had woken up and rolled over to find that Ren wasn''t there beside her. He must be out on Adventurer''s business. She thought, equipped her clothing, and went out to the main room to see him; then saw the couch was empty. She caught her breath and put a hand over her heart, because she had forgotten that Ren wasn''t ever going to be there again. ¡°I know.¡± Ereka said from behind her, and Nathalia turned around to look at her. Ereka''s eyes were red and puffy, and she didn''t look like she''d had any sleep at all. ¡°I haven''t known him for as long as you; but, my heart misses him, too.¡± ¡°Oh, Ereka.¡± Nathalia said and took her into a hug. ¡°I love him so much!¡± ¡°At least you can still see him when he goes back to the human kingdom.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You can just step through your portal and call him.¡± She smiled and hugged her back. ¡°If I want to see him, it''s almost a month round trip; and that''s assuming I don''t stay for a day or two.¡± ¡°I... I''m sure that... you''ll find someone to... to...¡± Nathalia tried to say some consoling words to Ereka; but, all it did was remind her that the same statement now applied to her, and she couldn''t say it. * Ren had stored the forge and anvil to move it over next to the workbench. ¡°I''ll need food ingredients for 8 people; 2 meals a day for 2 weeks.¡± He said. ¡°You know what to get.¡± Tee-one nodded slightly. ¡°I''ll have it on the next run.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and put a hand on Tee-one''s shoulder. ¡°I''m really glad you''re here.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''d hate to see all your stuff get picked over by ignorant people that didn''t know what they were doing.¡± ¡°That''s not the only reason I''m glad.¡± Ren chuckled and stored the wood he''d already cut for the frames of the stained glass windows. ¡°But, it''ll do.¡± ¡°It should only take a few more trips to get the other forges, the maid''s things, the icebox, the rest of the supplies, and then the forge, glass forge, and anvil from the mines.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Ren said. ¡°I keep expecting the Queen to kick me out of the kingdom, and not just the lands.¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°I''ll bring over the stone masonry supplies now.¡± ¡°Make sure you leave the crates of uncut diamond crystals for Dorcot.¡± Ren said. ¡°It should take him a few months to a year to do them up for me.¡± He started to walk away and stopped. ¡°On second thought, take one of them for me. I''ve been meaning to try Gemcutting for a while now.¡± Tee-one nodded slightly and took the barge back to the docks, and Ren took out the anvil and one of the 1 foot squares of copper he had, hammered it out really thin, and cut it into strips. He wrapped the copper foil around the pieces and put them together. Now that the hard part was done, Ren put paving stones down to cover a good portion of the floor, then took out the forge. The smelter was full, so Ren used a crucible to take some of the molten metal out of it. Using his finger, Ren dipped it in the molten metal and touched the pieces of glass where the copper foil was wrapped. He did the entire picture on one side, then rubbed his finger along the edges to solder them together. He flipped the stained glass pane over and soldered the other side, then did the entire outer edge, and build the frame to set it inside. ¡°Only 17 more to go.¡± Ren said, and made another Earth one. He already had the pieces cut so he just had to wrap and solder them together. For the rest of the day, Ren made stained glass windows. He already had 2 each of Fire with a picture of the mountain of fire, Wind with the tree blowing in the breeze, and now had the rock formation for Earth. So he did 2 each of a waterfall for Water, a glacier for Ice, a sky full of lightning bolts for Lightning, a golden star covered halo for Light, a black hole surrounded by stars for Dark (Gravity), and the last one was the easiest. The Void, or Arcane, he just had a single black pane of glass. That was it. They had all been mounted in their frames, and Ren stored them so they wouldn''t get damaged. Tee-one had kept making deliveries all day, and nearly everything that could be taken was now stored in the hold of the extra large ship. Ren gave Tee-one the stained glass windows to store, and told him what order to install them in. ¡°Is it really that important to do them in a specific order?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°I mean, no one will see it until the morning when it opens.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I don''t think it should make a difference, but...¡± He smiled. ¡°Fire will always come first, though.¡± Tee-one nodded slightly and walked over to the barge. ¡°There''s only the ore shipments and cement bags from the mines left.¡± ¡°It shouldn''t take a whole day for that, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe around noon.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ll see you then.¡± Ren waved to him, and the barge went back to the dock empty except for Tee-one. Ren covered the smelter and closed up the forge, just in case someone was stupid enough to stick their hand in it to see if it was dangerous. He smiled and ran up one of the many staircases to the top deck, then went to the large cabin where he and his personal maids were staying. Ren was tempted to tell them to move to the other rooms, mainly because they were going to be alone again tonight; but, he''d already slept in the bed with them once. He couldn''t make an argument that it wasn''t right for him to sleep in the same bed with them after already doing it; so, he sighed and knocked. ¡°You still don''t have to knock.¡± Frikara said when she opened the door. Ren smiled and walked into the cabin. ¡°I''m giving you a chance to put your clothes on.¡± Ren said, and held up a hand. ¡°Yes, I know how stupid that sounds when talking to personal maids.¡± Frikara laughed, and so did a couple of the other maids. ¡°So, what''s going on?¡± ¡°I''m making you supper, and then I have Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I have to go through another night with you, and I don''t get to wake up in your embrace?¡± Ren smiled because he was usually out on Adventurer''s business most of the time. He made a quick table to work on, and took out some of the food Tee-one had delivered earlier that day. ¡°Hey, we can help!¡± Andrela said and came over to Ren. He gave her a knife to start chopping, and then the rest of the maids came over to help. The food was prepared quickly with 6 people working at it, and Ren cooked it for them. He stored the plates they had used that morning to clean them, then used them to serve supper on. They sat at the table they''d just used to make the meal, and made polite conversation until they were done eating. Ren excused himself after taking two plates of food for Princess, and delivered it to her. He told her, Riley, Stacy, and the fire elemental that he would be gone for several hours, if not the whole night, and would see them tomorrow. He went back into his cabin, and saw the maids were already taking their dresses off. ¡°Oh, right!¡± Ren said and walked over to the side of the room. ¡°These were some of the last things Tee-one dropped off.¡± He said, and took out the cabinets and dressers with their clothing in it. ¡°Thank you.¡± One of them said. ¡°But, we''re good.¡± ¡°We sure are.¡± Frikara said, and chuckled. ¡°We don''t normally wear clothing at night.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said and looked at the underwear he had asked them to wear. ¡°I didn''t know.¡± A couple of them laughed. ¡°These are fine.¡± Frikara said. ¡°You made them, and they''re comfortable.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Goodnight.¡± He said, and sat down on the couch at the side of the room. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Navruth asked. ¡°Come to bed.¡± ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°But... we want to cuddle.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Can you do that when you come back?¡± ¡°If I''m back before morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight!¡± The maids said together. Ren sat back on the couch and closed his eyes. ¡°Logout.¡± Chapter 299 - Almost Done Frikara walked over to Ren''s avatar and snapped her fingers in front of his face. ¡°I thought he said he was leaving.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°He''s just sitting there.¡± ¡°Yeah, some Adventurer''s business.¡± Navruth said. ¡°It looks like he''s just sleeping sitting up.¡± Frikara looked at the other maids for a moment, then lightly touched Ren''s face. He didn''t react, so she leaned in and kissed him. ¡°Nothing.¡± Frikara said. ¡°He actually is ''gone''.¡± ¡°He could just be ignoring you.¡± Andrela suggested. ¡°I don''t think he is.¡± Verwynn said and sat beside him. She wrapped both of her arms around one of Ren''s, then laid her head on his shoulder. ¡°No man can resist the Girlfriend Arm Hug.¡± ¡°Let me try.¡± Lusinia said and did the same thing with Ren''s other arm. ¡°You''re right, Frikara. There''s no reaction.¡± ¡°There''s no point in trying to tease him if there''s no effect.¡± Frikara said. ¡°You can let him go.¡± ¡°Actually, this is kind of comfortable.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°He might not feel anything right now, but I can.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''m staying right here.¡± ¡°If Verwynn can stay; then I am, too.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°He''s still warm.¡± ¡°I''m not letting you two have him all to yourselves.¡± Frikara smiled. ¡°Move over a bit.¡± ******** Ren woke up and slipped off the VR headset. ¡°Hi, Barbara.¡± ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Barbara said. ¡°So, are you going to apologize for hiding on me in the game?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°And before you start to lecture me about it, the blue screen was only because the maids were topless. We weren''t actually doing anything... besides trying to sleep.¡± ¡°Well, you did end up staying with your ram all night after you rescued her.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Can I ask why you did that?¡± ¡°I didn''t want Princess to wake up in a strange place with no one around her.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, it kept me out of the bed with the maids.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°Are they a little too much for you to handle?¡± ¡°No, but I don''t want to encourage them, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s best if they get used to me not being there at night.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°That''s good.¡± She said. ¡°Everyone will be happy about that.¡± ¡°As long as I can keep it up, everyone will be happy.¡± Ren said, then his face flushed a deep red. ¡°That sounded really bad out loud.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°I knew what you meant.¡± ¡°How did Donald like the house?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You two spent a lot of time in there.¡± Barbara''s face flushed almost as deep a red as Ren''s, and she smiled shyly. ¡°He... likes it a lot.¡± ¡°I''m so glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°If he had said no... I... I wouldn''t know what...¡± ¡°He said yes, though.¡± Barbara said. ¡°We''ll be moving with you in a few days.¡± ¡°That soon?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I thought... I mean, it''s great that you can; but, what about selling the old place?¡± ¡°My sister has it listed already.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I called her right before coming here.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Ren said. ¡°She works fast.¡± ¡°She''ll be making a huge commission tomorrow when you sign the papers.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°She''s doing the listing of my house pretty much as a thank you.¡± ¡°I hope you get a good offer.¡± Ren said and climbed out of bed. ¡°Bathroom break.¡± Barbara stood by the bathroom door in case he needed help, and Ren did his business and came back out. He climbed into bed and used the laptop to send an impassioned email to the tech department about the error on his Honor gains in the dwarf kingdom, then looked at Barbara. ¡°So, what are we watching?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Anything you want.¡± ¡°We always do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°What do you want to watch?¡± ¡°Well, there''s this show...¡± For the next hour, Ren tried to wrap his brain around a television show that could take an old fairy tale and change everything about the characters. The history, circumstances, looks, and even how the characters acted was different, and he couldn''t understand why it was still allowed to be called the same name. ¡°Okay, that was weird.¡± Ren said. ¡°I mean, I get the premise. I understand what''s happening; but, that was nothing like what it''s supposed to be.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°It''s supposed to be a modernization of the story.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°It''s more like an alternate history.¡± He said. ¡°The pivotal point that made the original story happen, didn''t happen in this one; and we''re seeing what happens afterwards.¡± ¡°That''s a neat way to look at it.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I just enjoyed the drama.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You must love watching me sometimes.¡± ¡°I do!¡± Barbara said. ¡°It''s the best show on television that''s not on television.¡± She said. ¡°Only, it''s on television now, so I can''t say that anymore.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°What else do you want to rot my brain with?¡± He said and chuckled. Barbara changed the channel to another of her guilty pleasures, and Ren shook his head as a pile of inventors competed against each other in a game show like gauntlet. At the end was a contract for $100,000 to help them launch their product. For the remainder of the time he had, he and Barbara explored the wonders and horrors of late-night television. When 3 o''clock in the morning rolled around, it was time for Ren to go back in. ¡°I''ll see you in the morning.¡± Ren said as Barbara passed him the VR headset. ¡°You don''t have to.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You need to get some sleep.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll sneak a few hours in later today, but I have to log out in the morning.¡± He said. ¡°The house papers could be here at any time, and Lisa is coming to visit.¡± ¡°Ren, I thought I didn''t need to have a talk with you about having relationships with even more women.¡± ¡°You don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s already happened. She''s just coming to see if she feels the same way in real life.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°That''s a little odd, don''t you think?¡± ¡°Kind of.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I think... no, I''m sure... that she just wants to come and visit.¡± He smiled. ¡°If anything sparks between us, it would just be icing on the cake.¡± His mouth watered. ¡°Mmm, black forest cake.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Barbara laughed. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Ren slipped the headset on. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the couch and the 5 maids were gathered around him. They were almost in the same positions as they were on the bed. He had one maid on each arm, with their arms wrapped around his, and they sat on the couch. He had one maid on each leg, with their arms wrapped around, and they sat on the floor to either side on him, and the last had wrapped herself partially around his waist and rested her head on his stomach. I guess they wanted to make sure that I was cuddling them when I got back. Ren thought with amusement. ¡°Good morning, Ren.¡± Teepo said from the hallway. ¡°Nothing happened during the night.¡± Good morning. Ren thought. Thanks for keeping up the patrols to make sure I''m safe, even though we''re on a ship now. ¡°I like staying busy.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The ship was pretty quiet all night.¡± I''m glad. Ren thought to his friend. How much time before breakfast? ¡°You''ve got about half an hour before early breakfast, or an hour and a half before actual breakfast.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Either way, you can relax a little.¡± I think I''ll go for the normal breakfast time. Ren smiled. I don''t think I could move just yet, not without causing a maid avalanche. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I''ll wake you up if it''s necessary.¡± Thanks. Ren closed his eyes and went to sleep. * ¡°We''ve got a third of the miners on each shift working on that gold ore vein.¡± The mine foreman said to the supervisor. ¡°We can''t spare anyone for this thing.¡± He motioned to the large deposit of copper. ¡°If you can believe it, we''d actually lose money trying to mine it.¡± ¡°What?¡± The supervisor said. ¡°How?¡± ¡°We can mine copper ore, iron ore, or gold ore now.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°We make a fortune with the iron ore, even with House Neram taking a third of the daily ore for personal use.¡± He explained. ¡°We''re mining the gold mainly for capital, and stockpiling what we don''t sell to the government to convert to actual currency.¡± He grinned. ¡°We''re making a fortune on that, too.¡± ¡°And copper is too cheap to bother with, because there''s almost no demand and the time can be used to make actual money.¡± ¡°Right.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°The miner who found this actually gave up his right to mine it exclusively.¡± He smiled. ¡°He told me that he can make more on his break from mining gold than he could mining copper ore.¡± The supervisor laughed. ¡°Okay, I''ll mark the deposit and add it to the pending column.¡± ¡°I really wish Ren was here.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°He''d dig it all up himself.¡± ¡°But you just said...¡± ¡°He might have been working off his sentence officially; but, he didn''t care about the money.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°He just enjoyed mining.¡± ¡°He''s an odd fellow.¡± The supervisor said and then grinned. ¡°Just like us.¡± The mine foreman laughed. * An hour and twenty minutes later, the personal maids woke up. ¡°Ugh.¡± Andrela said. ¡°My neck is a little stiff.¡± ¡°My leg is stiff, too.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I thought it was a good idea at first.¡± She stood up and stretched. ¡°We''re going to be a little sore all day because of this.¡± ¡°It was worth it.¡± Lusinia said as the rest of the maids stood up and stretched with Frikara, so she stood up as well. ¡°We finally got to wake up beside him.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°It''s just too bad he''ll never know that we did.¡± ¡°But I do know.¡± Ren said as he opened his eyes. ¡°Ahh!¡± Navruth exclaimed and hopped a little. ¡°Geez, warn us before you speak!¡± She said. ¡°That scared me!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°How would I warn you without scaring you?¡± He asked her, and she scowled at him. ¡°How long have you been here?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°Over an hour.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°When I got back, everyone was already cuddling me.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I didn''t even have to do anything except sit there.¡± ¡°You denied me again!¡± Frikara said. ¡°We wanted to cuddle, and you let us think that you... you...¡± ¡°I didn''t want to wake you up, just so you could fall asleep again.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s bad enough I only had about an hour of sleep.¡± Frikara sighed. ¡°Next time, you better wake us up.¡± She said. ¡°We want you to cuddle us back, okay?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I would have done that this morning; but for some reason, I couldn''t move my arms.¡± He grinned at Lusinia and Verwynn. ¡°That''s just an observation, though. I''m not complaining about it.¡± ¡°You see! He can''t resist the Girlfriend Arm Hug!¡± ¡°Is that what it was?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I''ve never had that done to me like that before.¡± ¡°We were the first!¡± Lusinia and Verwynn looked at each other and smiled. ¡°I''m glad you''re happy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, who wants breakfast?¡± All 5 personal maids raised their hands, and Ren got to work. He made french toast for everyone, with a helping for himself and a huge helping for Princess. He even made a few slices for the fire elemental and for the short captain, to make up for what happened for the day before. Ren left the maids in his cabin and went to the cabin beside it, where Princess was. He gave her a plate of french toast, and she took her time with each and every piece. ¡°I''d comment on how demure you''re eating, but you''re doing it to make fun of me complaining that you eat too fast, aren''t you?¡± You know me well. Princess thought, then sucked up the last piece and swallowed it whole. Ren laughed and gave her the second plate of french toast, and fed 2 pieces to the fire elemental. It sucked them into it''s body, burned brightly for a second, then the french toast was gone. The room was filled with the smell of them, though. I have to remember that trick. Ren thought, and left the room to find the short captain. He was actually in his cabin, even though it was during breakfast time. Ren gave him the french toast, then went down into the cargo hold to work. * ¡°Look at this!¡± The short captain said as he walked back over to the cook, who was naked in his bed. ¡°I''ve never seen food like this before.¡± ¡°Give it here.¡± She said, and examined it. ¡°Well, that''s interesting.¡± ¡°What''s in it?¡± ¡°Only a few simple ingredients.¡± The cook said. ¡°Why hasn''t anyone else thought about making toast like this?¡± ¡°There always has to be a first one.¡± The short captain said. ¡°Are you going to taste it?¡± ¡°No.¡± She said. ¡°He made it in his room, so you know it''s going to be awful.¡± The short captain shook his head and took a small bite out of one of the slices. ¡°By the gods.¡± He said and took several huge bites, chewed them up, and shoved the rest of the piece into his mouth. ¡°Oh, that''s delicious!¡± The cook laughed. ¡°You''re just teasing me, now.¡± ¡°I''m not!¡± He said and tore off the corner of the next piece. ¡°Eat!¡± The cook shook her head. ¡°It''s not clea-glum!¡± The short captain shoved the corner of the piece into her mouth, and she had no choice but to eat it. ¡°Godsdammit.¡± The cook said. It is delicious. She thought, then took the rest of the piece of french toast to eat it. * Now that Ren had access to a forge again, it was time he solved the farmer''s problem. Using the cart pattern as a base, Ren designed a farm vehicle with 4 wheels. It had several of the large farming attachments that he''d seen in that farming book that Rosie had loaned him. One for plowing, one for poking holes in the ground for seeds, and one for dropping the seeds. Ren added levers to raise and lower the different attachments. Next was the gathering turnstile for the front. It was essentially a large comb that lifted the plants, and several turning blades could shear, trim, or pluck vegetables. He put that on a lever, too; just so they could harvest vegetables under the ground if they wanted. It wasn''t a perfect design, but Ren didn''t have the time to play with it and see what needed to be changed. Ren adapted Teepo''s design for it; and added 8 large spring coils. The wheels each took a coil, then he put the other 4 coils into the ''engine''. With gears set up to give lots of power and torque, Ren changed the key mechanism that was used for winding it up, into a pedal and gear system instead. He added small spring coils for each attachment that needed to turn or rotate, then tied them all together. When you used the pedals, it turned the gears, which turned other gears, that coiled the springs in the ''engine'', then those coils coiled the coils for the wheels and the attachments. It wouldn''t take long to get them all tight and full of potential energy; then with the push of a button, the farm machine would go. Ren added levers to control the left and right side wheels, just like a tank. To go right, you slow the right side and increase the speed of the left; to go left, you did the opposite and slowed the left side and increased the speed of the right. With the plans finalized, Ren got to work. The first delivery that morning was a huge shipment of ore, so Ren had lots of ore to work with. He used some of what was in the smelter already to make the frame of the vehicle, then filled the smelter with ore again. While he waited for it to simmer, he made parts of the farm vehicle out of wood; like the sides, seat, and anything else that didn''t have to be metal. For several hours, Ren made large molds for the big gears that would be needed, and he filled them. Axles, braces, brakes, tips of the levers, hinges, and everything else that was needed to be made. The first one always took the longest to make, because you had to make the tools you needed to make the pieces to make the machine. Once the tools were done, however; all you needed to do after that, was use them. The hardest part was making the large spring coils. It took a lot of steel to make them, and then they had to be folded over several times. When he had finished the last one 2 hours later, he sat down and sighed. ¡°I really, really hope this works.¡± Ren said as he took a break for the first time that day. He waited several minutes, and thought about the best way to assemble it; then decided that an ''inside to out'' policy was the best. He started on the inside and assembled the engine first, then worked his way out. The last things he added were the wheels and the attachments. The barge arrived at the side of the ship with the last of the cement bags and ore that were to be delivered. The hold was nearly full, and the deck hands unloaded the barge quickly. ¡°There you are, Tee-one.¡± Ren said as he stored the last of the molds. ¡°I have two more tasks for you.¡± ¡°I can''t store the farm vehicle.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°It''ll have to be brought to the farm out in the open.¡± ¡°Just cover it in cloth.¡± Ren said. ¡°Everyone will wonder what it is, but they won''t actually know.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Tee-one said. Ren took out the scroll that Lara had given him a while ago. ¡°I could never deliver this myself to House Lodur mines after they changed the mine foreman; but, I couldn''t trust anyone else with it either.¡± ¡°I''ll deliver it right after the tractor.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I can''t believe you haven''t read it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s not for me to look at.¡± ¡°I should be back just before supper.¡± Tee-one said and left on the barge again. Ren waved to him and went back up to the top deck and to his cabin, to start preparing the food for supper. Chapter 300 - Saying Goodbye On his way back to his cabin, Ren thought about his side quest. He''d had hundreds of different names go through his mind all day, and none of them seemed right. He came to the door of Princess'' cabin and went inside. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Ren said and walked over to where the fire elemental was. It was lounging in the Fire and Wind enchantments, so he stepped into the area and sat down. It didn''t get up or jump around, so he laid down beside it and pet it''s back. ¡°I think I have a name for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°It took a while to come up with one that wouldn''t change how you developed.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I didn''t want it to influence you. I wanted your name to be what you were called, not what you were.¡± The fire elemental stood up for a moment, then leaned it''s body against his chest and laid down again. ¡°You want to be cuddled, too?¡± Ren asked in amusement, and wrapped his arms around it. He heard a small crackling fire and smiled. ¡°As I was saying, any name that was temperature or fire-based was out.¡± He said. ¡°It would be like calling a pond ''Water Pond''.¡± He chuckled. ¡°It would be redundant.¡± The crackling fire got louder. ¡°I thought you would agree.¡± Ren said. ¡°Basic names were out, too.¡± He explained. ¡°They wouldn''t fit you at all. I can''t see myself looking at you and saying, ''Come here and play, John'', or ''Jane! Come here and eat this''.¡± The fire elemental made the sound of a tree branch breaking, and Ren chuckled. ¡°See? Even you wouldn''t like those kinds of names.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, I think I''ve got the perfect name for you.¡± The fire elemental lifted it''s head stub and pointed it towards his face. ¡°Zetaya.¡± A small ripple of blue fire ran from the head stub, and all the way down it to the end of it''s limb stubs. It''s color changed to white for an instant, then it pressed it''s head nub against his face to the sound of a loud crackling fire.
Side Quest Complete!
You have finally named the fire elemental under your care. You are also quite fortunate that it likes the name as much as it does. Rewards: Loyalty / Devotion of the fire elemental + 25%. Current total: 75% Fire Manipulation skill +5 levels
Notice!
Your fire elemental has unlocked a new special ability: Accelerated Growth. This grants it the ability to grow at twice it''s normal rate. Please note: This is ability will only be active until it reaches maturity, then it will deactivate.
¡°Wow.¡± Ren said and sat up, then picked up the fire elemental. ¡°That could have gone a lot differently than it actually did.¡± He said and gave it a hug. ¡°I''m glad you like your name, Zetaya.¡± The fire elemental rubbed it''s head stub on his face again, and Ren put it down. ¡°I''ve got to get supper started.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± Ren heard the crackling fire a little bit, and then the fire elemental laid down in the wind and flames again. He used a web wand to cover the corner of the pen, threw in a few pieces of wood, then covered those as well. He told Princess he would be back with supper soon, and left the cabin. He knocked on his own cabin door, and heard laughter. He took a deep breath and opened the door, and saw what he expected to see. Frikara had opened her top to show off her chest. ¡°I knew I shouldn''t have told you why I knock.¡± Ren smiled while he ignored her exposed flesh. ¡°I figured this was coming.¡± ¡°I''m just teasing you.¡± Frikara said, and buttoned her top back up. ¡°I thought it was a good idea to make sure you knew what you have access to.¡± ¡°I know exactly what I have access to.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°Lots of trouble.¡± Frikara laughed. ¡°Come on, everybody. Let''s get supper ready.¡± All of the maids helped again for the evening meal, and Ren sat down with them to eat. After they were done, he took two plates with him in to Princess. He left them there and was about to go back into his cabin when he received a surprising popup.
Notice!
The Church you had constructed on House Neram land was completed last night and has been open for 12 hours. Word has spread of it''s opalescence, and dwarves now flock to it to pray and worship their gods. You have gained bonuses appropriate for encouraging the active worshipping of these gods. 10 visitors = 1% Knowledge bonus to level. Dark (Gravity) - 212 visitors; Knowledge Of Dark (Gravity) Level 2 (Beginner 1%) +21% = 22% Earth - 342 visitors; Knowledge Of Earth Level 1 (Intermediate 14%) +34% = 48% Fire - 688 visitors; Knowledge Of Fire (Mastered) = No gains possible Ice - 111 visitors; Knowledge Of Ice Level 1 (Beginner 0%) +11% = 11% Light (Holy) - 291 visitors; Knowledge Of Light (Holy) Level 1 (Beginner 20%) +29% = 49% Lightning - 169 visitors; Knowledge Of Lightning Level 5 (Beginner 10%) +17% = 27% Void (Arcane) - 12 visitors; Knowledge Of Void (Arcane) Level 1 (Beginner 0%) +1% = 1% Water - 127 visitors; Knowledge Of Water Level 2 (Beginner 0%) +13% = 13% Wind - 134 visitors; Knowledge Of Wind Level 1 (Beginner 0%) +14% = 14%
¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said out loud. ¡°I never expected that!¡± Ren got the distinct impression that he needed to get to the hold of the ship as soon as possible, so he ran down the hallway, out to the deck, and then down one of the many stairways to the cargo hold. Once there, he saw the cargo hatch was once again open; and Tee-one stood there waiting for him. ¡°Hop on.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren stepped onto the barge. It took off at a good speed, and moved through the water unimpeded. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°Just to the dock.¡± Tee-one said and pointed. ¡°A couple of people wanted to see you before we left.¡± Ren turned around to see what Tee-one was pointing to, and froze. Nearly everyone he had met had come to the docks to see him off. The group of soldiers that had fought the giants with him, the heads of several Houses which included Lady Longore, the workers from Barnar''s Stoneworks, the women that had worked so hard to shovel silt for him, and the miners from his regular shift at the mines. In front of that group were the people he''d had personal encounters with. The dwarf Librarian stood out, because she was jumping up and down in anticipation. The mine foreman and Deresdra the healer was beside her, as well as the Commander of the Garrison, the madam from the Convent training facility, and a few others. The healers from House Neram, Artrude and Malenka, were there; and so was Ereka. Dorcot, and his wife Angeilin, stood beside her. Ren only had eyes for one person on the dock as the barge approached it.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Hi, Nathalia.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. The barge came to a stop right beside the dock, and Ren glanced down at the inch of space between the barge and the dock. Nathalia stepped across the small gap and hugged him as she started to cry. ¡°It''s... it''s been so hard these last two nights without you!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I miss you so much!¡± ¡°It''s been hard for me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Princess rolled over on top of me and nearly crushed me during my first night on the ship.¡± He smiled. ¡°Then this morning I slept sitting up on a couch for just over an hour.¡± ¡°You have to take better care of yourself.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''m not going to be there to do it for you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said, and kissed her. It sent a thrill through her, and a gasp through everyone else. Nathalia broke the kiss and let him out of the hug. ¡°We''re in public!¡± She said and looked at the dwarves on the dock. ¡°We... we can''t...¡± ¡°I''m not in the dwarf lands anymore.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m choosing to ignore social protocol for the moment.¡± Nathalia shook her head. ¡°You can''t just choose to do that.¡± She said. ¡°I''m the Head of a House. I''m supposed to be a beacon of civilized behavior.¡± Ren smiled and looked at the people on the dock. ¡°Shouldn''t kissing the one you love be a part of civilized behavior?¡± ¡°Normally.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°You''re members of the same House, though.¡± ¡°That shouldn''t matter if I''m banished.¡± Ren said. ¡°Should I still have to abide by the rules of a land that I can''t even step foot on?¡± The Librarian didn''t have an answer for that. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°You all came here to say goodbye, and I''m debating if the rules of man should override the rules of the heart.¡± Several dwarves chuckled, and Nathalia stepped around Ren on the barge so he could greet everyone that came to see him. It took about an hour for him to talk to everyone, and for them to say they were sorry he couldn''t stay longer. Ren accepted their words, their hugs, and their handshakes. He gave them the same in return. He really had enjoyed his stay in the dwarf lands, and wouldn''t trade his time there for anything. The gathered group broke apart and drifted away, and went back to their lives. It came down to only a select few, and Ren spent more time talking and discussing things with them. He gave the Commander the matching Sending Square Ren had used to contact him so many times, and the Commander thanked him profusely for making sure that the entire kingdom was protected. Both he and the soldiers saluted Ren, and the Commander gave Ren something he didn''t expect. It was a scroll with an honorary Commander rank. ¡°If you ever do come back, you''ll always have a place at the Garrison.¡± The Commander said. ¡°T-thank you.¡± Ren said, and stored the document. ¡°I... I don''t know what to say.¡± ¡°Say you''ll make more of these Sending Squares and send them to me.¡± The Commander said. ¡°You have to keep earning that honorary rank.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll send some the next chance I get.¡± The Commander nodded to him, and Ren received another Honor gain and error popup. Ren nodded back, and the Commander left with the soldiers right behind him. The Librarian had stuck around and waited almost until last before she couldn''t contain herself and jumped on him. Ren hugged her as she let the tears flow, and she sobbed onto his shoulder. He said consoling words to her, and she kept shaking her head at him. ¡°I know you''re lying!¡± Dorhaline the dwarf Librarian said, even though she hadn''t winced once as Ren talked to her. ¡°It''s not going to be okay! I''m never going to see you again!¡± ¡°Only if you stay here in the dwarf lands.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can wait and see if I somehow can earn another invitation in about 10 months, or you can just hop on my ship sometime and come and visit.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Dorhaline said, surprised. ¡°L-l-leave the dwarf lands?¡± ¡°Only for a short trip.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I get a chance to do some modifications on the ship, I hope I''ll be able to reduce the round trip times.¡± He smiled. ¡°So, don''t let me leaving break your heart.¡± He said. ¡°There''s always options.¡± ¡°I... I...¡± Dorhaline couldn''t get out what she wanted to say. ¡°You don''t have to come.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just want you to know that the option is always there if you need it.¡± Dorhaline nodded slightly, stepped onto the dock, and walked away. She looked back several times, almost as if she couldn''t believe that Ren was still there, and hadn''t left already. He waved to her before she turned the corner out of sight, and she waved back before she disappeared. ¡°If she didn''t believe you were too young for her, she''d seriously try and steal you away.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Yeah. Ren thought. But, I''m sticking to my word. I can''t have any more women in my life. ¡°That''s too bad.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Lady Longore looks like she''d gladly become someone you could visit.¡± The woman in question stepped forward and held out a hand. ¡°It was nice meeting you.¡± Lady Longore said and smiled. ¡°If you need an invitation when the ban is lifted, let me know.¡± ¡°If I need one at the time, I''ll definitely let you know.¡± Ren said, took her hand, and gave her cheek a kiss. ¡°It was nice meeting you, too.¡± ¡°I would have said yes, you know.¡± Lady Longore said as she stepped off the barge and onto the dock. ¡°It would have been the shortest marriage contract in history; but, I still would have said yes.¡± She said and walked away. Ren turned to Ereka. ¡°You told her she was the best option for me to take to the castle event?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I had to.¡± Ereka said. ¡°If you''d agreed, she needed to be ready.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I might have handled that differently.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Now give me a hug.¡± Ereka smiled and hugged him, and he held her tightly. ¡°Now that the ship is loaded, we can''t stay any longer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry that you and I didn''t...¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ereka said. ¡°I just wish...¡± ¡°You have the same option as Dorhaline.¡± Ren said. ¡°Take some time off, hop on my ship, and come and see me.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I mean, I...¡± Ereka shook her head. ¡°Everything would fall apart if I left for that long.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I know what you mean.¡± He said. ¡°I get so caught up in doing things, I forget that I should be enjoying myself more.¡± Ereka nodded slightly. ¡°I... I''ll think about it.¡± ¡°That''s all I can ask.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodbye, Ereka.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± Ereka said, then looked around to see that everyone had left, except for Dorcot, Angeilin, and Nathalia. She smiled wickedly and gave him a kiss. Angeilin gasped and Dorcot shook his head, but Ren ignored them and kissed her back. Ereka broke the kiss a moment later, cupped the side of his face, and then stepped onto the dock. ¡°I''ll be waiting in the carriage, Nathalia.¡± Ereka said, and walked away. ¡°When did that happen?¡± Angeilin asked. ¡°Only recently.¡± Ren said and turned to her. ¡°It was a distinct pleasure to meet you.¡± He said, and took her hand and kissed her cheek. She giggled, and Ren heard tinkling glass. ¡°I''ll never forget you.¡± Angeilin said, and her husband Dorcot laughed. ¡°If you weren''t such an Honorable person, I''d be worried you were trying to steal her away from me.¡± Ren smiled and held a hand out, and Dorcot grasped his forearm. ¡°Like she''d give me the time of day.¡± Ren said. ¡°I left a pile of crates of uncut diamond crystals in the workshop.¡± He said. ¡°Well, I guess it''s just your workshop now.¡± ¡°I''ll start doing them right away.¡± Dorcot said. ¡°I''ll have at least one crate done by the end of the week.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°That''s not why I left them.¡± He said and let Dorcot''s forearm go. ¡°Have fun. Enjoy working on them. When you eventually get a crate done, let Nathalia know. She can bring it to me.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°No buts.¡± Ren said and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Enjoy your life. Keep spending time with your wife and family.¡± Dorcot nodded. ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Dorcot.¡± Ren looked at Dorcot''s diminutive wife. ¡°Goodbye, Angeilin.¡± ¡°G-g-goodbye, Ren!¡± Angeilin said, gave him a quick hug, and took her husband''s hand. They stepped onto the dock and walked away. Now that everyone had left, Ruck came out from hiding behind a nearby building, and crawled onto the barge. ¡°I don''t think anyone would have said anything if you''d just come on over right away.¡± Ren said. Ruck pat his belly and then covered the spot that could have been a mouth. ¡°You weren''t feeling well?¡± Ren asked, then remembered that Ruck was seasick. ¡°They''ve got a nice pulley system in the hold. I''ll hang you from one of them.¡± Ruck gave Ren a ''thumbs up'' gesture and Ren turned to the last person that had come to see him. ¡°It''s only two weeks before you''ll hear from me again.¡± Ren said. ¡°In the big scheme of things, it''s not that long.¡± ¡°It''s going to feel like an eternity.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I was trying to convince myself it wasn''t going to be.¡± Nathalia smiled and stepped in close. Ren put his hands on her hips, and she sighed. ¡°Even this could be considered breaking the law.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Well, if I''m breaking it anyways...¡± Ren said, took her in a tight embrace, and kissed her with all the passion he had in him. Nathalia''s head emptied of all thoughts about propriety and the law, and she wrapped her arms around him to give as good as she got. ¡°Ahem.¡± A male voice said. The little imaginary world Ren and Nathalia were in, broke apart at the sound and they let go of each other. ¡°I''m glad I made it in time.¡± The male dwarf said. ¡°The release papers were only approved an hour ago.¡± ¡°Release papers?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes. They were sent by the Sage of Ages to the mines, and I was to be released to Ren Neram''s custody.¡± The man said. ¡°I''m Orimihr Juldor, the jeweler that legendary scoundrel Delthid Kulduhr had framed to take the fall for his crime of stealing the Crown Jewels.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°The papers also said that you were going to clear my name.¡± Chapter 301 - Cast Off
Quest Update!
Delthid Kulduhr is the name of the blacksmith that can forge a legendary blade in only 5 forgings. Orimihr Juldor has claimed he was imprisoned wrongly for the last 5 years, and that Delthid is the true criminal. Your quest to discover his secrets now includes the details of the alleged crime. Find him, and learn what you can from him. No time limit has been set for this quest.
¡°So that''s what was in the scroll.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I''d known what it was, I wouldn''t have put it off for so long.¡± ¡°What?¡± Orimihr said, surprised. ¡°How long have you had it?¡± ¡°About a month or so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been busy.¡± ¡°So busy that you would let a man rot in jail?!?¡± Orimihr asked angrily. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just said that.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''ve got a couple of books for you to read if you want to get caught up on some things.¡± Orimihr closed his mouth on his response, because Ren wasn''t trying to deny anything, then changed what he was going to say. ¡°I would like to know what''s been happening.¡± ¡°I haven''t had the chance to write a book about the last few things that have happened to me; but, I''m sure I can fill you in over the next two weeks.¡± ¡°Two weeks?¡± Orimihr asked. ¡°Why a set time?¡± ¡°That''s how long the ship will take to get to Aurora.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s kind of slow.¡± ¡°Aurora?¡± Orimihr shook his head. ¡°I can''t leave! We have to find Delthid!¡± ¡°He''s not in the dwarf lands.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, he''s a good ways away from here. The last time I checked, he was a few thousand miles from the dwarf lands and well inside the Giant Kingdom.¡± ¡°Oh, no!¡± Orimihr exclaimed. ¡°All is lost!¡± He said, then sat down on the barge. ¡°I''ll be branded a criminal for all my days.¡± Tears came to his eyes and he wiped them away. ¡°I''ve spent the last 5 years in the deepest parts of House Lodur''s mines for a crime I didn''t do.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I always knew he was a little crazy; but, I can''t believe he went to the giant lands.¡± ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ll come back with an expedition to the continent eventually, much farther down the coastline.¡± He said. ¡°It has to be well outside the dwarf lands, though.¡± ¡°But... but I''ve never been outside the dwarf lands before!¡± Orimihr said. ¡°How will I survive? How will I eat? What will I do?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m sure I can find something to keep you busy.¡± Orimihr nodded slightly, and Ren turned back to Nathalia. He cupped the sides of her face with his hands. ¡°I''ll see you soon, My Love.¡± Ren said, and gave her a gentle kiss. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Nathalia said, and stepped off the barge. She gave him a little wave, and the barge moved away from shore.
Notice!
Nathalia Neram has voluntarily left your party, Virtual Survivors.
¡°What?!? No!¡± Ren said. ¡°Nathalia, don''t!¡± He sent her another party invite, but it was declined. ¡°Please! I want you in my party! If I gain anything, I want to share it with you!¡± Ren yelled over the growing distance between the barge and the dock. ¡°You''ve given me more than I could have ever asked for, My Love.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°If I can''t be by your side when you need me, then I don''t deserve to share your spoils.¡± ¡°Tee-one, turn back! Let me convince her!¡± ¡°She asked me not to.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°She wants what''s best for you. Having someone in your party that only takes and never gives, would only hurt you in the long run.¡± ¡°I don''t care about that!¡± Ren hollered to her. ¡°It let''s me know you''re okay!¡± He looked down at his Sending Ring. ¡°Nathalia, I love you. I check the party status more than I check my own, just to make sure you''re okay.¡± ¡°I did, too.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It''s definitely a comfort.¡± ¡°Then let me keep that comfort.¡± Ren said and sent another party invite, which was declined. ¡°Ren, you need someone that can go on quests with you. Someone that can have your back all the time, and not only for a few hours at a time on the days they aren''t busy.¡± ¡°But, Nathalia!¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I love you, and I won''t hinder you like that.¡± She said, and Ren looked at her on the dock. She waved again, and Ren waved back. ¡°You''ll find someone to replace me soon enough.¡± Nathalia said, sadly. ¡°I told you a long time ago that I wouldn''t!¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t you remember? I told you that there would be other women, but that I would never look for another wife.¡± He said. ¡°I told you then, and I''m telling you now. You are it, Nathalia. No one can ever replace you.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia said, and he could hear the tears in her voice. ¡°I know we''ll see each other again soon, but... this still hurts so much!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Ren said. ¡°You leaving the party isn''t helping, either!¡± ¡°I have to.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You''re a great Adventurer, Ren. You need active party members, or you aren''t going to survive for long.¡± ¡°I know you''re right; but, I don''t want to do any of this without you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You have to.¡± Ren saw her turn and walk away from the dock. ¡°You''ve done all that you can for this kingdom.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°And for me.¡± ¡°Nathalia...¡± ¡°I won''t keep you from living your life, despite how much I want to keep you all to myself.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ll see you again in two weeks. Come to the restaurant for supper, and we''ll enjoy a nice meal together.¡± Ren couldn''t make up his mind about what he wanted to say to her, so he responded to her request instead. ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll see you then.¡± The Sending Ring stopped glowing and Ren sighed. He turned around and looked at Orimihr, who stared back at him with wide eyes. ¡°You have a continuous Sending Stone?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°How much was it?¡± ¡°I made it.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, nothing.¡± He smiled. ¡°Not counting the cost of materials, time, effort, or Mana consumption at the time.¡± ¡°You must be making a fortune.¡± Orimihr said. ¡°I am, but not from them.¡± Ren said as the barge approached the ship. ¡°I own a business that sells a bunch of different things that everyone needs or wants.¡± Orimihr nodded slightly. ¡°That would make you a lot of money.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Not as much as a restaurant does.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s get on board.¡± He said as the barge came to a stop beside the open cargo hatch. ¡°I''ll introduce you to the captain.¡± ¡°You know the captain of this gigantic vessel?¡± Orimihr asked as he stepped into the cargo hold. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I own this gigantic vessel.¡± ¡°You own... no, I''ll wait until I''ve seen everything before I start acting like a buffoon.¡± Orimihr said and smiled. ¡°Then I''ll pepper you with questions about everything.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Ren said and stepped onto the cargo hatch. ¡°I''m going to pepper you with questions, too.¡± Tee-one and Ruck climbed on board the ship, and Ren stored the barge. Orimihr didn''t gasp, but Ren felt like that was going to be his reaction, and he smiled as he walked over to the only clear spot left and took the barge out of inventory and stood it on it''s side. ¡°Have you picked a good spot, Ruck?¡± Ren asked and turned to look at his enormous backpack familiar. Ruck pointed straight up and Ren saw which one he wanted to use. ¡°Deck hand!¡± Ren said, and one of the dwarves ran over to him. ¡°I need a length of rope.¡± ¡°Far corner, sir.¡± The deck hand said. ¡°I''ll get it.¡± He came back a minute later with it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ruck? Let''s go.¡± Ruck picked Ren up and walked over to the wall of the cargo hold, then walked up that wall, and over the ceiling to the right pulley. ¡°By the gods.¡± The deck hand said. ¡°How is it doing that? Hey! He''s doing it, too!¡± Ruck had put Ren''s feet onto the ceiling so the Amulet of the Spider would take effect, and Ren ran the rope through the pulley several times to make loops, then tied a few knots in it to keep the loops the same size. Ren could have walked up the wall himself, but Ruck had 6 long legs and could walk much faster than him. When Ren was done, Ruck had a choice. He could hook himself onto one of the ropes and hang there, or he could use the loops of rope like a hammock. ¡°There you go, Ruck.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You have your own lounge area.¡± Ruck pat Ren on the head, then climbed into the improvised hammock. ¡°You won''t be alone all the time.¡± Ren said and started to walk over to the wall. ¡°I should be down to work in the forge during the day.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve got a ton of things unlocked, and I want to explore what they are and what I can do with them.¡± Ruck waved to Ren, who walked down the wall as if he was walking casually along the floor. He walked slowly, so that there was always two points of contact. He could have gone a lot faster if he crawled, but it was much more impressive to walk standing up. Several deck hands had stopped working to watch the spectacle, and Orimihr was left speechless. ¡°Let''s go topside and find the captain.¡± Ren said to him, then looked at Tee-one. ¡°You can take the cabin on the left of mine. Princess, the dogs, and the fire elemental are in the one on the right.¡± ¡°I don''t need a space to sleep.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You should give Orimihr the cabin.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I don''t think there''s a lot of work for you to keep busy for 24 hours a day over the next 2 weeks.¡± ¡°I already had Nathalia tell Anabelle that no orders are possible for the next two weeks.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°That doesn''t mean we shouldn''t build up a stock for when we get there.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°All right. Stay here and use the large workbench. The smelter is full and the stocks of wood and supplies are close at hand.¡± Tee-one nodded and walked over to the workbench as Ren led Orimihr over to one of the ways up to the deck of the ship. They went up the stairs and went into the main cabin. Ren checked the dining hall, and saw the captain sitting at the front table. Ren walked over to him and introduced Orimihr. ¡°I thought you said you weren''t bringing anyone else on board?¡± The short captain said. ¡°I didn''t know I was until a few minutes ago.¡± Ren said, then looked around. ¡°I thought you said there wouldn''t be House politics on this ship.¡± ¡°There isn''t.¡± ¡°Then why are you all sitting like they do on every other ship?¡± Ren asked, and everyone stopped eating and looked at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°This is exactly how everyone sat when I was on the other ship.¡± Ren said. ¡°I sat at this table by mistake, and it started a whole thing... that I won''t get into. It wasn''t until later that I found out I had declared myself senior to everyone else in the room because I sat at the head table.¡± He pointed at the senior officers. ¡°The senior officers sat there.¡± He pointed at the next table. ¡°Their first mates sat there.¡± He pointed to the next table. ¡°The senior deck hands sat there.¡± He pointed to the next table, and so on, and described exactly who sat where, and got everything right. When Ren finished with describing the grunts that sat at the last table, no one spoke. ¡°You can argue that it''s ship rules, but we all know it''s not. It''s House rules.¡± The short captain just stared at him. ¡°I''m not going to tell you how to run the ship.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s your job, and you get paid well to do it.¡± He looked at the cook. ¡°Before you start complaining that you have another mouth to feed, you actually don''t have another mouth to feed. I brought enough food on board to handle it, so he won''t be eating here... that is, unless he wants to.¡± ¡°No, I''ve had enough of eating commonly.¡± Orimihr said. ¡°A nice solitary meal sounds great.¡± ¡°I wanted to make sure that you didn''t mistake Orimihr for a stowaway or something.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also came here to tell you that the cargo hold is full and to take the ship to Aurora.¡± The short captain nodded slightly, and Ren left the dining room to complete silence. He led Orimihr down the hallway to the end and pointed to the left cabin. ¡°Tee-one said you can have his cabin, so this is it.¡± Ren said and opened it. It was just as nice as the one Princess was in, and Orimihr shook his head. ¡°I can''t believe I''ve gone from sleeping in a hole in the ground to sleeping in a real bed.¡± Orimihr said. ¡°I don''t know if I''ll be able to do it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''ll adjust fast.¡± He pointed to the other door. ¡°Don''t go in there without me.¡± He said. ¡°My mount, 2 dogs, and a fire elemental are in there.¡± ¡°A WHAT?!?¡± Orimihr exclaimed, then shut his mouth. ¡°I heard you mention it before, but I thought you were joking.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I said I''d wait until I saw it all before I freaked out, so I will.¡± Ren laughed, then knocked on his room door and spoke. ¡°I have someone with me.¡± He waited for a full minute, and then opened the door. Everyone was fully dressed, but Frikara had a huge smile on her face. ¡°These are my personal maids.¡± ¡°You have personal maids?!?¡± Orimihr asked, surprise clearly on his face and in his voice. Every maid''s face turned from a smile to a frown when he stepped into the room. ¡°Can I borrow one for a-hurk!¡± Ren had grabbed him around the throat and leaned in. ¡°I am only going to tell you this once. You will treat them with the same respect as you''d treat a Lady. They obviously don''t like you, so you will not enter this room without their permission.¡± He pulled Orimihr back into the hallway. ¡°Do you understand?¡± Orimihr nodded slightly, and Ren let his throat go and turned back to the room. ¡°Please accept my sincere apologies.¡± Ren said and bowed. ¡°I will be more careful in the future.¡± He said and shut the door. ¡°Hey, I didn''t mean anything by it.¡± Orimihr said as he rubbed his neck. ¡°You did say they were personal maids.¡± ¡°Yes, my personal maids.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t say that you could proposition them.¡± He said. ¡°I know you''ve been in the mines for a long time...¡± ¡°A really long time.¡± Orimihr said. ¡°Do you think if I approach them normally...¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just told you that you can''t enter the room without their permission.¡± Orimihr looked at him. ¡°How can I ask permission if I can''t approach them?¡± ¡°You can''t.¡± Ren smiled and motioned to the cabin on the left. ¡°I''ll bring you a plate of food in a few minutes.¡± ¡°You seem to be really strict.¡± Orimihr said and stepped into the cabin. ¡°You''re not going to lock me in here, are you?¡± ¡°Can you swim?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then what''s the point of locking the door?¡± Ren asked, then shut it. He went back into his cabin, and shut the door. ¡°I really am sorry about that.¡± ¡°I''d like to say that we''re used to it, but we aren''t.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Once we signed the contract, we were segregated.¡± She said. ¡°Throgg brought other people in to be entertained, though.¡± Ren''s eyes widened and walked over to them. ¡°Please tell me that-¡± ¡°What if they did?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°Would you treat us differently?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re still women, no matter what happened to you in the past.¡± Frikara nodded slightly. ¡°They only made us dance for their amusement.¡± Ren took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°I''m glad.¡± He looked at each maid in turn. ¡°You have my word I won''t ask you to entertain my ''friends''.¡± ¡°What about him?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°I told him not to approach you again.¡± Ren said and prepared another plate of food. ¡°I''ll keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn''t bother you.¡± Teepo took off from his shoulder and flew out of the room to stand watch in the hallway. Ren stored the plate of food, then took out 2 steel squares and enchanted them with the Sending Glyph. ¡°Keep this with you at all times.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll have the matching one with me at all times, too.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Frikara said. ¡°So, we can call you at any time with this?¡± ¡°Just think about me and speak.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll hear your voice as if you were standing right beside me.¡± ¡°We''ll try not to abuse it too much.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I''m only in the cargo hold or on the deck of the ship when I''m not here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t have far to go to get back here.¡± The personal maids nodded slightly, and Ren left the room to give Orimihr the meal and copies of his books, then came back into the room. He took off the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and folded it up on one of the tables, then took out a small plate and filled it with Health potion. ¡°There''s something you should know.¡± Ren said and took out the tarantula from inside the cloak. ¡°I''ve got a pet spider.¡± Andrela came over to him and looked at it. ¡°Is it special?¡± ¡°It can''t die, so yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was a gift from the Queen of the Dark Elves.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Navruth said. ¡°You know the Queen of the Dark Elves!¡± Ren chuckled and put the spider back inside the cloak. ¡°It''s a long story.¡± ¡°Can you tell us about it?¡± Lusinia asked. ¡°When I come back.¡± Ren said, and took out the icebox Tee-one had given him. ¡°There''s still enough food for a couple of days in here.¡± ¡°You''re leaving for a couple of days?¡± Frikara asked, surprised. ¡°Possibly.¡± Ren said and locked the door, and pulled a dresser over in front of it. ¡°It all depends on how long my Adventurer''s business takes to finish.¡± ¡°So we won''t get to cuddle with you for another couple of days.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°About that.¡± Ren said and walked over to the bed. ¡°I won''t have you all uncomfortable like you were when I sat on the couch, in case you do want to cuddle while I''m gone.¡± He said and laid down on it, then put his arms out to the sides, and moved his legs apart a little. ¡°I normally wouldn''t do this, especially since it''s not a safe zone; but, I don''t have any choice. I have to go.¡± He smiled at them. ¡°Keep the door locked and barricaded. No one is to hurt you while I''m gone.¡± ¡°So you do care.¡± Frikara said, and Ren smiled as he nodded. ¡°Logout.¡± * ¡°So, do we take turns using him like a blanket, or do we all pile on like we did the first night?¡± ¡°Pile.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°I want a leg this time.¡± ¡°Pile.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°I''ll stay with an arm.¡± The other maids agreed to a pile, and laid down at their chosen spots. They let out a collective sigh, and fell asleep. Chapter 302 - Jobs Done Nathalia had climbed into the carriage with tears on her face, and Ereka hugged her. ¡°How did he take it?¡± ¡°Not... not very well.¡± Nathalia said through her sobs. ¡°He... he wanted... to share everything with me...¡± ¡°Of course he does.¡± Ereka said, then knocked on the front of the carriage, and the driver flicked the reins to get the ponies moving. ¡°He loves you.¡± ¡°He kept sending me party invites, and I...¡± Nathalia took a deep breath to try and calm down. ¡°It hurt every time I had to say no.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ereka said. ¡°It was the right thing to do.¡± ¡°It didn''t feel like it was.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I... I had to... abandon him...¡± ¡°You''re not abandoning him.¡± Ereka said. ¡°You''re just.. letting him go on his way.¡± Nathalia laid her head on Ereka''s shoulder, and they didn''t speak again until they arrived back at House Neram Keep 20 minutes later. They went inside and Ereka went to her bedroom, and Nathalia went into her own bedroom to get changed, then yelled. ¡°REN!¡± Ereka ran from her room and into Nathalia''s, and stopped short at the sight. Nathalia had collapsed to her knees in front of a large pile of golden treasures. There were several pieces of parchment on the bed, and Ereka picked up the top one and read it aloud.
My Dearest Nathalia, It has always been my intention to complete the tasks I undertook; the most important of which was the marriage contract to you. I have provided you with clothing appropriate for a wife; the kitchen items (stove, grill, icebox, etc.) needed to cook meals, and I''ve even ensured that in case the marriage contract failed (which unfortunately it did), not only would you have a steady income (from the restaurant and the mines), it would be enough to carry you (and the entire House) for as long as you would need it to. The deeds to the lands around the Keep and the city of Dornrach that I''ve included, ensure this. It''s all your land anyways, so you should have the deeds to them. The only thing I hadn''t provided, was a place for us to live in. I had started the repairs to the Keep a long time ago; but it wasn''t until Tee-one came along that the work began in earnest. Once the cement bags and iron ore started flowing in large quantities, for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, my Dedicated Servant Crafter completed my task. It had been a close thing, especially with my recent banishment; but, Tee-one came through in the pinch. I even had him complete the 30 foot deep reinforced moat. While he worked and repaired the Keep, he entered each room and cleared them of the spider infestation, then looted it. Most of which you can see before you, with a separate smaller pile in Narhilda''s room. She said I could keep anything that wasn''t hers, so anything that was identified as House Neram, Narhilda''s, Thern''s, or even owned by the kingdom, Tee-one put in her room. Everything else was placed in yours. With this final task done, even though the marriage can never be official, please accept these tokens of affection and devotion on behalf of a heart that couldn''t have survived without you or your love. Yours Always and Forever, Ren
¡°He... he did it.¡± Nathalia cried. ¡°Even with... with everything working against him... he said he would try, but...¡± She sobbed loudly. ¡°By the gods! He actually did it!¡± Ereka put the note down, knelt beside her friend, and hugged her while she cried. ******** Ren slipped off the VR headset and Stella took it from him. ¡°Good morning.¡± Stella said. Her long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail that bobbed when she moved her head. ¡°That was quite a night for you.¡± Ren felt an overwhelming urge to cry, and Stella saw it in his eyes. She put the headset down and leaned over to hug him. She tried to be careful of his chest, but Ren didn''t care at the moment and wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. He didn''t sob or make any noise, but his face streaked with tears and his body shook slightly. This lasted for several minutes, and eventually Ren calmed down and let go. Stella held on for another few moments, then she let go, too. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I... I don''t know what came over me.¡± ¡°I''d say it''s a bit of a broken heart.¡± Stella said. ¡°Nathalia might have been thinking of your well-being in the long run; but, she had to hurt you right now to do it.¡± Ren sighed and nodded reluctantly. ¡°What did I miss?¡± Barbara asked when she came in with Ren''s breakfast. ¡°A good crying session.¡± Stella said. ¡°He held it in like a trooper until he logged out.¡± Barbara put the tray of food on the rollaway table, then went to Ren. ¡°Are you okay now?¡± ¡°I... think so.¡± Ren said and sniffed. ¡°It all depends on what''s on the tray.¡± Barbara snorted a laugh. ¡°You''re so easily swayed.¡± She said, and lifted the cover. ¡°Waffles and syrup!¡± Ren exclaimed. He took in another long sniff. ¡°Is... is that real butter? And powdered sugar?¡± ¡°He''s like a bloodhound.¡± Stella commented as she raised the bed into a sitting position and Barbara moved the rollaway table in front of Ren. ¡°This isn''t a joke, right?¡± Ren asked and looked at the plate. ¡°Three waffles? Three whole waffles? Covered in butter and syrup?!?¡± ¡°Dig in.¡± Barbara said. ¡°The nutritionist delivered your new menu this morning.¡± Ren picked up the fork and cut into the soft fluffy waffles. Syrup dripped down the sides and swirled on the plate. ¡°I think I could die and go to heaven right now.¡± Ren said as he took a bite. ¡°Mmm, that''s delicious.¡± ¡°We''ll give you some privacy.¡± Stella said. ¡°I think the two of you want to be alone.¡± Barbara chuckled as she and Stella went out to the hallway. * ¡°That''s some start to the new menu.¡± Stella said. ¡°You don''t think it''s a little too much for his first time?¡± Barbara put a hand on Stella''s arm. ¡°I knew you cared a lot more about him than you let on.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°This isn''t just a job for you, is it?¡± Barbara asked. Stella opened her mouth to say that she was just taking good care of her patient, then she realized who it was that she was talking to, and smiled instead. ¡°About as much of a job as it is for you, I think.¡± Stella said, and Barbara nodded. ¡°The nutritionist said we just have to replace certain things.¡± Barbara explained. ¡°That''s diet syrup, but it still has natural sugars. The waffles are light and airy, but look huge and will fill him up faster than twice as many pancakes would.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''ve even changed his supplements to reflect the new diet.¡± ¡°You''ve done a lot of work for this, haven''t you?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Of course I have.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Just like you did all that work to make Ren''s participation in your medical research as easy as possible.¡± Stella''s eyes widened as Barbara had caught onto her ruse so easily. ¡°Like I wouldn''t notice that you''re trying so hard not to remind him of how things were the last time he was subjected to experiments.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I would have been all over you and screamed bloody murder if he''d mentioned it was like what happened before.¡± Barbara said and raised a fist. ¡°I''m really glad that I didn''t have to pound some sense into you.¡± It was Stella''s turn to snort a laugh. ¡°Like you could hurt me with those little things.¡± ¡°Women''s All Star Boxing Champion two years in a row.¡± Barbara said, held up her other fist, and did a little hop from side to side. Stella''s eyes widened. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Barbara said, and dropped her fists. ¡°The look on your face was priceless, though.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°You''re right, I don''t want to mess with you.¡± ¡°Good choice.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Bluffing is as much a sport as boxing is.¡± ¡°Ain''t that the truth.¡± Stella said. ¡°Let''s get back in there before Ren eats the plate.¡± Barbara nodded and opened the door. * ¡°What are you doing?¡± Barbara asked. She couldn''t see Ren''s face, only the bottom of the plate. ¡°Eating.¡± Ren said between licks. ¡°Boy, this is good!¡± ¡°Put that down.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''m not done with it, yet.¡± Ren said and kept licking the plate. Barbara shook her head and tried to take the plate from him. ¡°It''s already licked clean, Ren.¡± Barbara said when she looked at the front of the plate. ¡°There''s still a bit on the side.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Right... there!¡± Ren said, and licked the last bit of syrup off of the edge of the plate by Barbara''s finger. ¡°Eww.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You just licked my finger!¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said and let the plate go, now that all the syrup was gone. ¡°It was in the way.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Interference requires a penalty.¡± Barbara shook her head again. ¡°I have half a mind not to give you syrup again for a while.¡± ¡°Then I suggest you listen to the other half and watch where you stick your fingers.¡± Ren said and grinned. Barbara smiled as she put the plate on the tray and moved the rollaway table to the side of the room. ¡°Stella, clean up the poor slob.¡± Barbara chuckled. Ren''s face and hands were covered in syrup residue. ¡°I''ll be back after I take care of the dishes... and wash off the drool.¡± She left the room with the tray and Stella brought out the wash bin and cleaned him up. When she was finished, Ren climbed out of bed. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Stella asked him. ¡°I need to start working out.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had a hard time walking around yesterday. I''m getting out of shape.¡± ¡°You''re not going to physical therapy.¡± ¡°No, I''m just getting changed and going for a walk.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would you like to come along?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Stella said. ¡°Do you want me to bring the wheelchair, just in case?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know my limits pretty well.¡± He said. ¡°Plus, if it gets too difficult for me, you can always carry me.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°I guess you''re not that heavy.¡± Ren took off his pyjama top and laid it on the bed, then took a t-shirt out from the dresser. He slipped his head through the neck hole, then tried to put an arm through the sleeve. He winced a little, but kept going. The next one was harder and hurt more, but he got both arms in and pulled the t-shirt down. He slid off the pyjama pants and grabbed a pair of basketball shorts and put them on. He grit his teeth because he had to bend all the way over to do it and it compressed his abdomen; but, it didn''t hurt like it had before and he powered through it. ¡°Whew!¡± Ren sighed as he stood up straight. ¡°That''s the first time I''ve dressed myself in a while.¡± ¡°Congratulations.¡± Stella said. ¡°Now do it again.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Your basketball shorts are on backwards.¡± Stella said and smiled. Ren looked down at himself and saw the pockets were facing the wrong way. ¡°Goddammit!¡± * ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Elise, the secretary at Sid Tec, asked Max, the head programmer as she showed him a printout of Ren''s email about the Honor gains error. ¡°It''s an error.¡± Max said, and tried to be funny, but Elise wasn''t having any of it. ¡°Fix. It.¡± Elise said. ¡°We can''t.¡± Max said. ¡°What?!?¡± Elise exclaimed. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°He blew the Honor gains cap to hell.¡± Max said. ¡°We set up the system a while ago, and no one, me included, had ever thought that anyone could gain more than 250,000 Honor in a single action.¡± He said. ¡°Jonah had set it as a joke, actually.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It was originally set at 50,000... which is completely ridiculous, by the way. The average gain for Honor is anywhere from 5 to 50. How in the world would someone gain 50,000 Honor in one shot? But, Jonah was always a kidder and thought making the cap 250,000 instead was a good joke. ¡± Max said. ¡°Having the gain cap as high as the most you could ever have was pretty funny, actually.¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°Ren has been blowing your stat records all along.¡± She said. ¡°Why can''t you change them?¡± ¡°It''s part of the coding in the game.¡± Max said. ¡°The most we can do is reset the error, without fundamentally changing the mechanics in the game. If he gains more than 250,000 Honor in one shot, it''ll give the same error.¡± ¡°So, what you''re telling me, is that Ren not only lost out on gaining... what was it?¡± Elise looked at the email. ¡°331,200 Honor, but he also lost out on 3,312,000 XP.¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Max said. ¡°What are you going to do to make it up to him?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± Max said. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°He broke the game mechanic, Elise.¡± Max said. ¡°We can''t reward him for doing that.¡± ¡°But he earned it!¡± Elise said. ¡°He had almost an entire population kneel for him!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Max said. ¡°He must feel really good about himself right now.¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Elise crumpled the piece of paper and threw it at him. ¡°Do you know how much it''s hurting him to leave the dwarf lands like this?¡± She asked him. ¡°He''s being cut off two months early from the relationships he''s built there!¡± She snarled. ¡°He''s had to get on a ship and won''t be in a safe zone for another two weeks of game time!¡± Max shrugged. ¡°That''s not my problem.¡± He said. ¡°Players play and take their chances.¡± ¡°You...¡± Elise stood there and clenched her fists. ¡°You...¡± ¡°You can get mad all you want.¡± Max said. ¡°I already told you everything I can do.¡± ¡°And everything you won''t do.¡± Elise spat at him. ¡°It''s not like he needs another XP boost.¡± Max said. ¡°I heard about how Charles messed up Ren''s character build by letting him gain so many levels so quickly.¡± Elise frowned at him, because she knew what he was going to say next. ¡°The boss wouldn''t be too happy if I just arbitrarily gave Ren millions of XP.¡± Max said and smiled. Elise couldn''t dispute that because Max was right. If Ren did get another XP boost from the tech department, someone''s head was going to roll. ¡°Fine.¡± Elise said through gritted teeth. ¡°I''ll have to let this drop for now, but mark my words. If something like this happens again...¡± ¡°Don''t worry, Elise.¡± Max said. ¡°I''ve already taken steps to ensure it won''t.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Elise said, and turned to walk away. I''m changing the excess gains converting to XP part of the game. Max thought as he watched Elise''s retreating figure. Nothing like this should ever happen again. * Ren, Stella, and Barbara went outside for a walk. It was a beautiful day for the activity. The sun shone, the birds sang, and the light breeze kept Ren cool. He was working up quite a sweat as they walked down the sidewalk to the little park he could see out his bedroom window. They could have just walked around the building and used the shortcut to get there; but, that would defeat the point of walking there in the first place. Ren needed the exercise, and he was going to get it. ¡°How are you doing?¡± Stella asked Ren as she heard his breath come out faster. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t remember the last time I walked this far, though.¡± ¡°It''s been almost a month.¡± Barbara said. ¡°The last time was while you were still at the hospital and used the walking track.¡± ¡°It''s been that long?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Wow, I am really out of shape.¡± ¡°Take my hand, and let me help a little.¡± Barbara said. ¡°That way, you''re using your arms, too.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and slipped a hand into hers. He held on with a good grip; and much to his surprise, it actually was a little bit easier to walk that way. Ren''s pace evened out slightly, and Stella took his other hand. ¡°We can''t have you walking lopsided.¡± Stella said, and smiled. Ren chuckled and held on, and his pace went up to almost a normal walk. They entered the park, and Barbara pointed to a bench for them to sit on. The three of them walked hand-in-hand to the bench, then Stella and Barbara helped Ren sit down before sitting themselves. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I needed a break.¡± ¡°We know you did.¡± Barbara said and handed him a drink container with his supplement in it. ¡°Don''t guzzle it.¡± ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Ren asked her and took a sip. ¡°Sweet mother of tastiness! Is that-¡± ¡°Chocolate milkshake.¡± Barbara said, and Ren tried to upend the container. She laughed and stopped him from draining it in one go. ¡°I said not to do that.¡± ¡°But, Barbara!¡± Ren exclaimed as he licked the chocolate milkshake off of his lips. ¡°You can''t give me something like that...¡± ¡°...and expect him to behave himself.¡± Stella finished for him. ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ve been giving you little treats for all these years and letting you wolf it down was best; but, now I don''t have to sneak them in anymore and you need to pace yourself.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Okay, I''ll be good.¡± He said, and she handed him back the drink container. He took a small sip and smiled at her, then tipped it upside down for a split second to fill his mouth up. ¡°Ren!¡± Barbara said. ¡°You said you''d be good!¡± Ren swallowed. ¡°I was.¡± He said. ¡°It was only one mouthful.¡± Stella snorted a laugh, and they sat there for about 5 minutes. Ren drank the supplement and handed the empty container to Barbara. ¡°Okay, I think I can make it around that tree.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then let''s get back to my room. I''ve got a couple of visitors coming today.¡± Stella, Barbara and Ren stood up and held hands, and they made it around the tree easily and left the small park. They went back to the temporary care facility and Barbara said she had to go. ¡°Thanks for the walk, Barbara.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll see you tonight.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Bye, Stella.¡± ¡°See you later.¡± Stella said to her, then took Ren inside to get a shower. With him feeling better than he had in a while and with Stella''s help, he took a shower almost completely by himself. ¡°You really are feeling better.¡± She said as she helped him dry off. ¡°You almost didn''t need my help at all.¡± ¡°I''ll always need your help.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even if I somehow got better tomorrow, which is never, ever, going to happen.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''m always going to need a good friend to look out for me.¡± ¡°You really mean that, don''t you?¡± Stella said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and gave her a hug. ¡°I don''t ever want you to leave.¡± Stella hugged him back. ¡°Let''s get you dressed, just in case one of your visitors shows up.¡± ¡°I messed it up the last time.¡± Ren said and looked up at her face. ¡°Give me a hand, will you?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Stella said and took him out to the dresser and picked out a really nice outfit. ¡°Even if it turns out that Lisa doesn''t like you in real life, she''ll at least like seeing you in these clothes.¡± ¡°That''s all I can ask.¡± Ren said and held his arms out. ¡°Dress me!¡± Stella laughed and tossed the shirt on his head. ¡°You don''t need that much help.¡± She said, then helped him put on his pants. She tucked the half-buttoned shirt into the top of the pants and finished buttoning it. ¡°There. Now you look presentable.¡± ¡°Thanks, Stella.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Stella said. ¡°Now, should we take bets on who will show up first?¡± ¡°It''s going to be Lisa.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh?¡± Stella looked at him. ¡°Why are you so sure?¡± ¡°She''s standing right behind you.¡± Ren said and pointed. Stella turned around and saw a young woman, in her very early 20s, as she stared in at them. Chapter 303 - Lisas Visit ¡°Well, hello there.¡± Stella said. ¡°You must be Lisa.¡± Lisa stood there and didn''t know what to say. As soon as she had seen Ren, her body had frozen stiff. She saw how weak and frail he was, and she''d seen how he needed help getting dressed. It went against everything she ''knew'' about him; but, it also brought out a very strong protective instinct in her that she didn''t even know she had. Stella saw what she thought was a look of confusion, and she smiled. It must be quite a shock to see the real thing. She thought. ¡°Ren, I need to go study your new meal plan. Do you mind if I leave you alone for a little while?¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I need you before you come back...¡± ¡°Just yell.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ll be across the hall in the kitchen, so I''ll hear you.¡± Ren nodded and Stella walked over to the door. Lisa still stood in the doorway, so Stella eased around her, and discovered Lisa was a few inches shorter and her short blonde hair was styled in a fancy hairdo. If they stay standing up, it''ll be a little awkward for Ren. Stella thought and went across the hall. She propped open the kitchen door, and stepped out of view. * ¡°Hi, Lisa.¡± Ren said, and she shook slightly. He couldn''t tell if it was a good reaction or a bad one. ¡°Your voice...¡± Lisa said. ¡°It''s...¡± ¡°Is it better or worse?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It''s the same, mostly; but...¡± Ren smiled because he thought he knew what she meant. ¡°It''s more ''real'', isn''t it?¡± Lisa''s eyes went wide, and then she nodded. ¡°You don''t have to hold the door open.¡± Ren said. ¡°Come on in and sit down.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lisa looked down and saw she had a death grip on the door handle and her foot was jammed against the bottom of the door. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said as she stepped into the room and let the door shut behind her. ¡°It must be quite a shock.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Look at me.¡± Ren said and walked around the bed. The clothes fit him well and showed off his slight muscular build. ¡°It''s quite the difference from what I look like in the game.¡± ¡°No, it''s not.¡± Lisa said. ¡°If you had a set of Travelling Clothes, you''d look almost the same.¡± She smiled. ¡°Except for the beard.¡± Ren smiled and rubbed his bare chin. ¡°I guess I can get rid of it, now that I''m not in the dwarf lands anymore.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I don''t have a clue how to do that, though.¡± ¡°Use soap.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°That magic hair creme isn''t water soluble.¡± Lisa said. ¡°That''s why your beard didn''t just rinse off when you had your head underwater.¡± She smiled. ¡°It needs a reactive agent to break down.¡± ¡°Wait, wait, wait!¡± Ren said. ¡°All this time I was stuck with it, and I could have just washed it off with soap?¡± He started to laugh. ¡°Soap that can be bought anywhere?¡± He held his sides. ¡°Ha ha! It even comes in the standard camping package! Ha ha ha! Oh... oh, that''s funny!¡± Lisa laughed with him because his laugh was infectious, and after a few moments Ren calmed down. ¡°I needed that laugh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks, Lisa.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Lisa said and walked over to him. ¡°Ren, I...¡± What is this feeling? She thought. My chest feels tight, like it''s being compressed by something. ¡°This... this feeling...¡± Ren smiled at her, and took her hand. Lisa took in a sharp breath when his hand touched hers, and he lifted it to put it on the side of his face. ¡°It''s so soft.¡± Lisa said, and caressed the skin. ¡°Ren, I... before we... I mean... I don''t just casually visit people that I meet online...¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, I thought I was meeting people from all over the world, and then I found out that most of you live close by.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Not that I could go and visit them anyways.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve had one person come and see me before, though.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Lisa asked as she stepped close and used both of her hands to run them through his hair. It''s even better in real life! ¡°Elerlyth.¡± Ren said. ¡°She was attacked by a rival of mine, and he wanted her to hunt me down.¡± He grinned. ¡°She did, except she came to me in real life and warned me instead of turning me in.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Lisa said and leaned close to take in a long breath through her nose. ¡°You smell so good.¡± ¡°It''s the soap.¡± Ren said and grinned. Lisa smiled back and moved a hand from his hair to his chest, and felt it beating so much faster than normal. She was surprised, because her heart was beating almost as fast. She wanted to prove it to him, so she took his hand and put it on her chest. Ren''s eyes widened as he felt her heart going so fast; but, he could also feel how excited she was through her top. It didn''t look like thin fabric from a distance. Ren thought as the bottom of his palm rested on the tip of one of her breasts. He remembered how nice they were in the game, and he also remembered what she enjoyed. He slid his hand down slightly, and pinched it very, very lightly. Lisa caught her breath and froze. ¡°Not... not yet.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I... I want...¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Ren whispered to her, his voice full of wicked promise. ¡°Kiss me.¡± Lisa whispered back. ¡°I... I need to know...¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said and leaned in close. ¡°We''ve only met in the game, but... the way you touch me... your reactions...¡± He placed a gentle kiss on her neck and she shivered. ¡°I am so turned on right now.¡± ¡°You... you also have a girlfriend...¡± Lisa said. ¡°I do, and she knows all about the things I''ve done.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just like you do.¡± ¡°But... what if...¡± ¡°She also knows I invited you over to see if anything would happen between us.¡± Ren said and wrapped his arms around her. ¡°I didn''t expect... I mean...¡± He sighed against her skin, and she shivered again from the feeling of his hot breath. ¡°I want to tear your clothes off and make you feel good.¡± He said and moved a hand to her backside. ¡°You''re even wearing a skirt for easy access.¡± ¡°That... that''s not... I didn''t wear it for...¡± Lisa stammered, and Ren chuckled. ¡°You wore it for me, so you could show off your wonderful legs.¡± Ren said, and moved his hand down her thigh. ¡°How many guys stared at you while you came here?¡± ¡°A... a lot.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I hated every moment of it, too.¡± ¡°I know you did.¡± Ren said. ¡°And you should know I love the fact you would put yourself through all of that, just so I could see how pretty you looked wearing it.¡± ¡°Ren, I... oh, god.¡± Lisa said as she closed her eyes. Ren moved the hand from her thigh and cupped the side of her face. He pulled her head close and pressed his lips to hers. All the tension left Lisa''s body and she relaxed into his embrace. The kiss went from a gentle pressing of lips into a full on passionate one, and Lisa had to restrain herself. She clenched her fists before she unintentionally hurt him with how much she wanted to hold and touch him. Ren on the other hand, didn''t have that restriction; but, he also didn''t want to influence how she felt about their first real kiss. He broke it a few moments later, and let her go. Lisa opened her eyes and turned to put her hands on the bed and braced herself. Ren stood there and watched her shiver and shake slightly, and he was pretty sure he knew what was happening. He handed her some tissues, even though he knew it had only been a small one. ¡°It... it''s okay.¡± Lisa said, her breath quite fast. ¡°I... I''m... wearing...¡± She shook her head and then looked at him. ¡°You... you made me... just from a kiss.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Some things are definitely better in real life.¡± Lisa nodded slightly, and the feeling faded enough that she could move. She took several deep breaths and turned to face him. Ren pat the bed and climbed up onto it and sat down, and she climbed onto the bed herself and sat down next to him. ¡°So.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now we know.¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°It''s not just in the game.¡± She said, and then her face flushed a little red. ¡°Wh-what do we do now?¡± ¡°I''m not sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know what I''d like to do; but, it might be too soon to do that.¡± Lisa looked at him. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± ¡°First off, I want to see you without your underwear.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know the virtual scan is pretty extensive, but...¡± ¡°You want to make sure...¡± ¡°That what I saw was real.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Lisa started to say. ¡°There''s... well, I mean... even with shaving, after a day it...¡± Ren put an arm around her back. ¡°It''s okay.¡± He said and hugged her with one arm. ¡°We don''t have to go that far. This is a lot to take in at once.¡± ¡°It''s not that...¡± Lisa tried to explain. ¡°What''s bothering you?¡± Ren asked and looked at her. ¡°I...¡± Lisa sighed. ¡°It''s itchy.¡± She said and looked back at him. ¡°I''ve been fighting the urge to scratch myself like a baseball player.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I am so glad I don''t have that problem.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lisa said, surprised. ¡°You mean... you''re really... like that?¡± ¡°Hairless? Yeah.¡± Ren said and rubbed his chin. ¡°I don''t even have to shave.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Lisa said. ¡°I just thought you had a really good razor or something.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Baby, this is all natural.¡± Lisa blinked her eyes at him several times. He... he just called me ''Baby''. She moved her arm and wrapped it around his back, to match the one he had around her. ¡°Honey, I''d like to see if what I saw was real, too.¡± She said boldly, then her face flushed a deep red. I did not just said that out loud! ¡°You look so cute when you blush.¡± Ren said to her, then kissed her. Lisa''s mind reeled at his compliment and the feel of his lips on hers. She hadn''t known she liked kissing so much, until she kissed Ren that first time in the game. She had kissed other guys before, but it wasn''t the same. It was like they were kissing for themselves, just to say that they did it and they didn''t take her feelings into consideration at all. With Ren, she felt like he wanted to kiss her just as much as she wanted to kiss him.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Lisa moaned in pleasure as they kissed and her mind was at ease; because Ren didn''t push her, grope her, or even imply that he wanted her to do anything but kiss. She''d had other guys maul her, and try to force her into moving too fast or doing things when she wasn''t quite comfortable enough to do them. They both lifted their free hands at the same time, and intertwined their fingers without stopping the make out session. This feels so much better than in the game. Lisa thought. I can''t believe I''m making out with a guy I only met online! Ren felt Lisa''s hesitation and he stopped kissing her and leaned back. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± He asked her. ¡°I know this is a little odd.¡± He said. ¡°Your lips feel so right on mine, though.¡± Lisa was surprised to hear her thoughts out loud. ¡°My fingers are aching to touch you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to rub my hands all over you, just to see if you''ll shiver from my touch.¡± Lisa shivered, and she wasn''t sure if it was a good shiver or a bad one. She was actually confused about what she wanted to feel. The last thing she wanted was for him to rush things, but she also didn''t want him to stop. ¡°I''m pretty sure you''re a little reluctant to go much farther than this.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m also tempted to ignore the fact we just met, and ask you to come with me to the bathroom.¡± ¡°To the what?¡± Lisa asked, surprised. ¡°The bathroom.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unlike my room, it has a lock on the door.¡± Lisa was tempted to accept. ¡°What would you do if I went with you?¡± ¡°Only what you want me to.¡± Ren said. ¡°If all you want to do is kiss, it''ll give us a little more privacy.¡± He smiled. ¡°If you want to do a little more, the door locks so no one can walk in on us.¡± ¡°I... Ren... we...¡± Lisa stammered. ¡°Shh.¡± Ren gave her a quick kiss. ¡°I''m just telling you some of the options we have.¡± He said. ¡°We can even wait until I move before we do anything.¡± ¡°You''re moving?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Yeah. The realtor will be by with the papers soon.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± Lisa said. ¡°We''re making out on the bed, and you''re waiting for someone to come here?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That''s another reason why I mentioned the bathroom.¡± ¡°So... I''m just... something for you to do while you wait?¡± Lisa tried to let his hand go, but Ren kept a hold of it. ¡°Lisa, that''s not true.¡± Ren said. ¡°Neither of us knew we''d even like each other when we met.¡± He explained. ¡°I also didn''t know when you would show up today.¡± ¡°But... you invited me over...¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°Long before I was told the new house papers were arriving today.¡± Lisa sighed and closed her hand on Ren''s again. ¡°So, I''m not...¡± ¡°Helping me waste time?¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°Shouldn''t I ask you that?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I''m not just something to occupy your time, am I?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I imagine you could have any guy that you wanted.¡± He said. ¡°Am I just your latest plaything?¡± ¡°Now that''s something I should ask you.¡± Lisa said. ¡°How many women are you with now?¡± ¡°Virtual or real?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you want a total, I could probably give you one for each.¡± Ren said. ¡°Mind you, the virtual one just dropped by... by...¡± His eyes teared up, and Lisa''s protective instinct kicked in and she hugged him. ¡°I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have brought it up.¡± ¡°No, you''re right.¡± Ren said with his head on her shoulder. ¡°I have a steady relationship with one woman, and a casual one with another.¡± He said. ¡°There''s potential for another one, and now there''s you.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Lisa said and let the hug go. ¡°Real or virtual?¡± ¡°Real.¡± So... so many? Lisa thought with wonder. ¡°And virtual?¡± ¡°Nathalia was... was... the main one.¡± Ren said, a little choked up. ¡°Ereka gave me her first time, but it never went anywhere because of my banishment.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve fed Elerlyth a lot, so that''s pretty steady; but, I haven''t seen her in a while. You and I... I''m not sure if we''re casual in the game or not.¡± ¡°What... what do you mean?¡± ¡°When we''re together in there, I lose myself in you.¡± Ren said and smiled as he wiped off the tears. ¡°It''s a little scary how much I want you.¡± He smiled. ¡°And now, here we are, and you''re just as alluring.¡± ¡°E-even though... um... I mean... I''m not a disappointment?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°The real me?¡± ¡°That''s definitely my question.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not like I am in the game.¡± He said. ¡°I can''t lift you up or do anything too strenuous.¡± ¡°I saw that when I first opened the door to your room.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You needed help getting dressed.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be able to do it myself in a couple of days, though.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°So quickly?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I was hurt last week and it makes it hard to move around and dress myself.¡± He said. ¡°I''m almost healed.¡± ¡°Can you show me?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and started to unbutton his shirt. Lisa''s eyes widened because he didn''t even hesitate to show her, then she caught her breath when he opened his shirt up and showed her the nearly healed bruise that covered his chest and abdomen. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Lisa said and reached out to touch the skin. ¡°May I?¡± She asked, and Ren nodded. Her fingers grazed the edge of the bruise, and she marvelled at how muscular he was. It wasn''t as prominent as it was in the game, but that was because she knew it reflected his character more than his actual physical appearance. Lisa traced the edge of the bruise down his side and to the top of his pants, then she felt his intake of breath. She could see that he was still excited, even though they''d been talking for a while. ¡°So that''s real, too.¡± Lisa said, instead of just thinking it. ¡°You can stay ready for a while.¡± ¡°Only when I''ve got a good reason.¡± Ren said and she looked at him. ¡°I said that out loud?¡± Lisa blushed, and he chuckled. ¡°I do that sometimes, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°You do?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°The last time was really embarrassing.¡± He said. ¡°My girlfriend Elise, my nurse Denise, and I went to buy bathing suits.¡± ¡°Bathing suits?¡± Lisa asked as she continued to probe his bruise. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°The pool.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I saw it at the new place, I had to try it.¡± ¡°You have a pool?!?¡± She asked, surprised. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s Olympic-sized, has a shallow end with a Jacuzzi, and a diving board.¡± ¡°No way!¡± ¡°Yes way.¡± Ren said. ¡°Anyways, we got to the shop, and the sales clerk asked us what kind of bathing suits we wanted.¡± He grinned. ¡°I said ''see-through''.¡± ¡°You didn''t!¡± Lisa exclaimed, and started to laugh. ¡°I did. Out loud and in front of two very surprised witnesses.¡± Lisa laughed and let her hands wander over Ren''s chest. He wasn''t sure if she was doing it consciously or not; because her eyes were kind of unfocused as she gave him a little bit of a massage. Surprisingly, it didn''t hurt. She was both gentle and thorough, and Ren looked her in the eyes as her laughter died away. She kept moving her hands, and neither of them spoke for several minutes. What am I doing? Lisa thought. I''m... I''m touching him so much... and he... he''s letting me. Her hands stopped moving and Ren put his hands on hers. ¡°Don''t stop on my account.¡± Ren said and slid her hands over his chest. ¡°That actually feels pretty nice.¡± ¡°Doesn''t it hurt?¡± Lisa asked. Please say it doesn''t! I don''t want to hurt you. ¡°Not even a little bit.¡± Ren smiled and let her hands go. Yes! Lisa thought, and kept feeling his chest. ¡°It''s fascinating.¡± She said. ¡°You look so strong, and yet you''re so weak.¡± ¡°It disappoints me a lot.¡± Ren said. ¡°Whatever was done to me, degenerated the ligaments and tendons. I could probably pick you up and toss you on the bed if I wasn''t like this.¡± Lisa took a deep breath as she thought about that. ¡°I don''t think I would like it much if you were that forceful.¡± Ren nodded, and moved back to the center of the bed. Lisa was going to ask him what he was doing, and then he laid down on his back and held a hand out to her. ¡°Feel like cuddling for a while?¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Lisa said and laid down beside him. ¡°I''ve... well, I''ve never done anything like this before.¡± ¡°That''s okay. Nathalia gave me lots of practice.¡± Ren said, turned slightly onto his side to put his head on the pillow, and motioned for her to come closer. Lisa did so, and put her head on the pillow as she faced him. ¡°Like this?¡± Lisa asked, and he nodded. ¡°We were together for a long time before we crossed that last line.¡± Ren said, and used a hand to touch the side of her face. ¡°When we did, we didn''t do it every time we went to bed.¡± He said. ¡°I actually like to cuddle.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Lisa asked, surprised. ¡°Sometimes there''s not enough time to do much more than that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Either something happens or we were just too tired.¡± ¡°So, if I said that we weren''t going to... um... that you and I...¡± ¡°I won''t get mad.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Actually, with my condition, we''d have to be careful. I could get hurt easily, especially if you get... energetic... about it.¡± ¡°R-really? You can get hurt like that?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°This is from falling on an exercise ball.¡± He said and indicated his chest. ¡°Can you imagine what would happen...¡± ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± Lisa said as she thought about the consequences. ¡°What can we do?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Do you want to know so you can use the information, or are you just curious?¡± Lisa smiled back. ¡°A little bit of both.¡± Ren propped himself up on an elbow, and leaned over her ear. He started to whisper to her about what they could do as he ran a hand through her hair. Lisa closed her eyes as she listened to his voice, and enjoyed the feel of his hand as he touched her. Each time he said something that he could do for her, his voice went deeper, and every time he said something that she could do for him, he gave her earlobe a light kiss. A few of the things he mentioned she really wanted to try; but, only because it was Ren. She would never even consider some of them if it was anyone else. Ren stopped talking and leaned back, and she put a hand on his arm. ¡°Is... is that all?¡± Lisa asked as she opened her eyes and looked at him. ¡°You just want me to keep whispering to you.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. He leaned back over her and caressed her neck, then told her that she could ask him for anything, and he would give it to her. Her body shivered slightly, and he told her that he liked it a lot that she would lay there and let him touch her. ¡°But... don''t you...¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Very much.¡± He smiled. ¡°I won''t force myself on you, though.¡± He said, and removed his hand. ¡°If you decide that you want something to happen...¡± Lisa took his hand and put it back on her neck, then moved it lower. She turned to lay on her back, and the hand she still held moved to her chest. Her breathing stopped as his hand grazed her breast, and he felt she was very excited. She didn''t tell him to stop like she did the first time, so he cupped the small mound of flesh and she started breathing again. He could feel her heart racing in her chest as he massaged the sensitive flesh through the thin fabric of her top. Lisa opened her mouth and sighed as he shifted to her other breast and gave it the same amount of attention. His touch was gentle and a little rough, which turned out to be the perfect combination for her; and it drove her a little wild. It was just enough for pleasure, but not enough to trigger her fight or flight response. She writhed and squirmed on the bed as he played with her, and she fought to respond and not respond at the same time. When Lisa grabbed his hand with one of hers, Ren thought he might have pushed it a little too far; but, she grabbed his neck with her other hand and pulled him down for a kiss while she pushed his other hand down to her waist. She kissed him like he was the last drink of water in a desert, and his hand slid past her waist, across her hip, and slipped under the edge of her skirt. Unlike what she had expected though, he didn''t try and play with her. What he did was scratch her itch instead. ¡°Oh, my GOD!¡± Lisa exclaimed as he generously scratched her private area. ¡°A little... left... left... OH!¡± Her whole body fell limp as Ren took care of something that she was too much of a lady to do in public. He kept it up for nearly a full minute, until he heard her sigh and he removed his hand. ¡°How was that?¡± Ren asked, seductively, and she laughed. ¡°That felt sooo goooood!¡± Lisa said. ¡°I finally let you touch me there, and I can''t believe you did that!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I couldn''t let you suffer anymore.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Lisa said and kissed him. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± They made out for several minutes, but Ren didn''t try to push things. Lisa''s mind and heart were at ease, because even though she''d let him touch her before, he didn''t take it for granted that he could touch her like that again. She kissed him more enthusiastically, and Ren kissed her back. There was a knock on the room door, and Lisa froze stiff. Ren stopped kissing her and leaned back on his elbow. ¡°Come in.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re decent.¡± Stella opened the door and came in. ¡°Sorry to interrupt.¡± She said, when she got a look at Ren''s open shirt. ¡°I''m going to start making lunch soon, and I wondered if Lisa would like to stay.¡± Ren looked at Lisa, and saw her face was a deep red. ¡°I''m sure when she gets over her embarrassment, she''ll want to stay and have something to eat.¡± ¡°I''ll make sure there''s enough, just in case.¡± Stella said. ¡°Carry on.¡± She smiled and shut the door. Lisa put her hands over her face. ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stella''s great about these things.¡± ¡°She caught us making out on your bed!¡± Lisa exclaimed. ¡°And your shirt is open!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°She''s my nurse, Lisa. She''s seen me naked lots of times.¡± ¡°Oh... oh, right.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I''m sorry! I didn''t mean...¡± Ren cupped her face. ¡°I said not to worry about it.¡± He said. ¡°Do you think we can talk for a while?¡± He raised the bed up to a sitting position. ¡°I''d like to know more about you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Don''t you want to keep kissing me?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Like you wouldn''t believe.¡± Lisa held out a hand for him, and he took it. They sat there and just talked about their lives. After almost half an hour, there was another knock on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Ren said, and the door opened to reveal a woman he''d never met before. She did look a little familiar, though. ¡°Hello! I''m Barbara''s sister, Melanie! I came with the papers for the house!¡± Melanie said excitedly. ¡°Great!¡± Ren said. ¡°Stella! The papers for the house are here!¡± Stella came over from the kitchen and shook Melanie''s hand. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Same here!¡± Melanie said and looked around. ¡°I don''t see a table or anything we can sit around.¡± Stella pulled the rollaway table from the side of the room and slid it in front of Ren and Lisa. ¡°Thank you!¡± Melanie said and opened her large purse. She pulled out a big folder and put it on the rollaway table. ¡°There''s a few places to sign!¡± She said and put a pen on the table. ¡°I''ll take you through it step by step!¡± ¡°You''re really excited.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am!¡± She said. ¡°I''m making more on this sale than I''ve made at my regular job in the last two years!¡± ¡°What?!?¡± Lisa exclaimed, then put a hand over her mouth. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Let''s get this done.¡± It took nearly 20 minutes for Melanie to walk Ren through all the paperwork. He signed all the spaces he needed to, and put his initials on the spots for initials, and Melanie gave him his copies of the documents. ¡°There!¡± Melanie said. ¡°You are now the owner of a brand new house!¡± She said, happily. ¡°To be so young and can afford such a place! You must be so proud!¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for coming over.¡± ¡°You''re quite welcome!¡± Melanie said. ¡°If that''s everything, I''ll run this over to the bank!¡± ¡°Actually, I think there is something...¡± Ren said and smiled. * Elise sat at her desk and gathered all the information that she thought she needed. She was glad that she had access to Ren''s raw data from two different sources, and could compare the two. She found the discrepancies between the server side information and the client side; and discovered the time stamps were only slightly different. Since she knew that Ren didn''t know about it, or could have done it himself, the server side files must have been altered to reflect what the tech department wanted, and not what had actually happened. Elise added in the actual footage from Ren''s feed that used the unmodified data, and highlighted all of the relevant popups. It was a massive amount of information to sift through, but that was what she excelled at. Her mind was like a sieve for numbers and she could do calculus in her head. It had taken her several hours to gather all of the evidence she thought would convince her boss to give Ren what he was due, and even added footage of her conversation with Max, the head programmer. She smiled as she copied everything onto a USB drive. It will have to wait until lunch. Elise thought. I can''t take up company time with this. She tucked the USB drive into a pocket. Despite it having an effect on the company, it''s still a personal grievance. She smiled. I know the boss will do something for Ren! Mr. Torren likes him almost as much as I do! Chapter 304 - Lisas Visit Part 2 Melanie was even happier than she was when she arrived. She said she''d handle everything and would let him know how it went, then left with Ren''s idea fresh in her mind. Ren and Lisa still sat on the bed with the rollaway table in front of them. ¡°She didn''t even mention your open shirt.¡± Lisa commented, and Ren looked down at himself. He had completely forgotten that he''d left it open. ¡°She probably saw the healing bruise and didn''t want to say anything.¡± Ren said as he buttoned it up. ¡°Or she was too embarrassed to say anything.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s hard to tell what she was feeling besides happiness.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I thought she was going to jump out of her skin when I signed that last paper.¡± ¡°I thought so, too.¡± Stella said. ¡°It makes me wonder if it was just because of the sale, or if she''s always been so happy.¡± ¡°We can ask Barbara tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now stop slacking off and get in that kitchen.¡± He grinned. ¡°My lunch isn''t going to make itself.¡± ¡°Quiet, you!¡± Stella shook her fist at him. Lisa scowled and put an arm in front of Ren to protect him. ¡°Don''t touch him!¡± ¡°Aw! That''s so sweet!¡± Stella said. ¡°You really do like him.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lisa said, surprised. ¡°We joke around a lot.¡± Stella said. ¡°I kind of expected you to sit there and watch; but as soon as I raised my fist, your instinct was to get angry and protect him.¡± Lisa stared at Stella, but she didn''t move the arm that protected Ren. ¡°I''d never hurt him.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''d do anything to protect him, actually.¡± ¡°She would.¡± Ren said. ¡°She even left her job at the hospital to take care of me.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Lisa said as she moved her arm out of the way. ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said. ¡°Barbara and Denise came with her, too.¡± ¡°You have 3 nurses?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Two for the day, and one for the night.¡± He said. ¡°Stella and Denise alternate days, and Barbara stays at night.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You need 2 day nurses, and only one at night?¡± ¡°I really should have two at night, but Barbara wouldn''t be happy if she had to share her duties.¡± ¡°That''s the truth.¡± Stella said, and looked at Lisa. ¡°Please stay for lunch.¡± After being asked so nicely, Lisa decided to stay for lunch; so, she and Ren got to spend a bit more time together. After that, she said that she had to leave. She''d spent a lot more time there than she''d told her mother she would, and she had a long walk and a bus ride back home. ¡°Nonsense.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not letting you walk all the way back after the trouble you went through to get here.¡± He said. ¡°Stella? Can you call a taxi? Lisa wants to go home.¡± Stella nodded and picked up the cell phone. ¡°Ren! I live halfway across the city! I... I can''t afford a taxi.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''m moving into the new place in a day or so.¡± Ren said. Stella left the room to wait for the taxi and took the phone with her. ¡°Do you want the address?¡± ¡°Are... are you asking me to help you move?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°No.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I just didn''t want you to come here the next time you wanted to come and see me.¡± He looked at her. ¡°Although, we probably could use an extra pair of hands and eyes.¡± ¡°Um...¡± ¡°I''m sorry. That''s a little too much to ask right off the bat.¡± Ren said. ¡°We just met. I should at least ask if you''re busy first.¡± ¡°Um...¡± ¡°You don''t have to worry, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°I already left your name at the gate with the guard. Just tell him who you are and he''ll let you in.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Lisa asked, shocked. ¡°A guard?¡± ¡°It''s a gated community.¡± Ren said. ¡°Emerald Estates.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Lisa exclaimed. ¡°You... you bought...¡± ¡°It was a steal!¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°A brand new construction, on foreclosure, and no one has lived in it yet.¡± He said. ¡°It''s great!¡± Ren told her the address and then rambled on about all the amenities while they waited for the taxi. Lisa couldn''t believe all of the things that were in the house, and the taxi arrived before Ren had finished describing everything. ¡°Taxi''s here.¡± Stella said when she came back into the room. ¡°I have to go.¡± Lisa said as she slid off the bed, and Ren could hear the disappointment in her voice. ¡°You can always come and visit.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, I''d really like you to.¡± ¡°So... so would I.¡± Lisa said. ¡°When would be a good time?¡± ¡°I''m spending the next two in-game weeks on a slow boat back to Aurora.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s 3 and a half real time days. Since I just spent half of a real time day with you, that leaves me 3 full days and nights.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''m hoping I can start moving tomorrow, which should only take a few hours because I don''t really have a lot of stuff. Anytime after that is fine.¡± ¡°I... I look forward to it.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I should probably remind you that we can''t meet up in the game, if that''s what you were hoping for tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, right.¡± Lisa said. ¡°No Library on the boat.¡± ¡°If I thought it would work, I''d build one on the ship for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You would?!?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not only could I see you, but we could also test out if a moving portal is usable in the game.¡± ¡°A moving portal?¡± ¡°It would be on a ship, and not a set location.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like to test it, but there''s no way a Library could be made on a ship, even one as big as mine.¡± A horn honked loudly, and Lisa turned to go. ¡°Wait!¡± Ren said. ¡°Stella, how much is the taxi?¡± ¡°I already paid him.¡± Stella said. ¡°Now say good bye to Lisa so she can go and think about all the things you can do together at the new house.¡± Lisa blushed and Ren chuckled, then he slid over to sit on the side of the bed. Lisa looked a little awkward, and Stella took pity on her. ¡°I''ll be just outside the door.¡± Stella said and left the room. Lisa sighed and looked at Ren. ¡°I''m sorry if I''m being difficult.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It''s just...¡± Ren reached out and took her hand. ¡°You''re not being difficult.¡± He said and eased her closer. With him sitting on the bed and her standing, His head was just a little bit higher than hers. ¡°This is new, and a little scary.¡± ¡°You''re handling it well.¡± Lisa said and smiled. ¡°I''m good at compartmentalizing.¡± Ren said and leaned in. ¡°After you leave, I''ll probably freak out that I enjoyed making out with you so much.¡± He said. ¡°The feel of your lips, the way you squirmed when you let me touch you...¡± He kissed her lips very lightly. ¡°I can''t get enough of seeing that.¡± ¡°I really hope you mean tha-¡± Lisa tried to say when Ren kissed her deeply. She could feel his passionate restraint, that he wanted to do so much more to her; but held himself in check because he knew if he did try to go further, she would push him away. After a few moments, there was another honk of a horn, and Ren broke the kiss and sighed. ¡°Saved and doomed by the horn.¡± Ren said, and she smiled. ¡°It''s only a short reprieve.¡± Lisa said, gave him a quick kiss, then turned and opened the room''s door. ¡°I''ll walk you out.¡± Stella said, and Lisa nodded. ¡°Bye, Lisa.¡± Ren said. *The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Lisa waved as the room''s door shut, then Stella walked with her down the hallway. ¡°Ren has a very sensitive heart.¡± Stella said. ¡°It opens up and it leaves him vulnerable.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I saw his reaction to Nathalia leaving him.¡± ¡°You''re not just dismissing those feelings because she''s an NPC, are you?¡± Lisa shook her head. ¡°He still felt them, even if she isn''t real.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t know if I can compete with all his other women, though.¡± Stella put an arm around her shoulders and laughed. ¡°You don''t have to compete at all.¡± She said and gave her a one-armed hug. ¡°Each woman seems to fill a certain need for him.¡± She stopped walking by the front door and turned Lisa to face her. ¡°Right now, he needs you.¡± ¡°He does?¡± Stella nodded. ¡°You''re willing to protect him, and you also need to be protected.¡± ¡°I don''t need-¡± Stella held up a hand to stop her from ranting. ¡°I meant emotionally.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°He''s never been in that kind of role before.¡± Stella explained. ¡°He''s always been on the receiving end of protection, both physical and emotional. Your relationship with him will be a great way for the both of you to...¡± She smiled. ¡°I''m jumping ahead of myself.¡± She said and gave her some money. ¡°What''s this for?¡± Lisa asked, and started to get defensive. ¡°I don''t need charity.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Do you have a bathing suit?¡± Lisa was surprised at the sudden change in subject, then opened her mouth to say that she did; but, she remembered that she hadn''t worn it in a while and it was probably not wearable anymore. ¡°He doesn''t know how to swim himself. Denise said he really enjoyed sitting in the Jacuzzi and watching others swim, though.¡± Stella said. ¡°Take the taxi to the mall on the east side and go to a store called Jacques.¡± She smiled. ¡°They absolutely love Ren there, and they''ll set you up with something to wear.¡± Lisa looked at the money in her hand, and at first glace it wasn''t near enough for even the cheapest bathing suit that she could think of. ¡°That should be enough for a taxi ride to come and visit him at the new place.¡± Stella said. ¡°The swimsuit is already paid for.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± ¡°Just go to the shop and tell them Ren sent you.¡± Stella said and smiled. ¡°They''ll take good care of you.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You don''t have to do it today if you don''t want to.¡± Stella said. ¡°It would be a good idea to get something before you come to the new house, just in case you do want to go into the water.¡± ¡°Well, I...¡± ¡°If you don''t find anything that you like, just ask Lily for a hand.¡± Stella said. ¡°Assuming she doesn''t help you right off the bat.¡± ¡°Um...¡± ¡°The taxi''s waiting, and gets to keep the extra money whether you decide to go to the mall or not.¡± Stella said. ¡°Ren seems to really like you, so I hope you do come back to visit.¡± She opened the front door and eased Lisa outside. ¡°See you later!¡± Lisa watched as Stella shut the door and waved at her through the glass. She waved back, and then the taxi honked it''s horn again. She walked over to the car and climbed inside after she tucked the money Stella gave her into a pocket. ¡°Where to, miss?¡± The taxi driver asked. Lisa looked back at the temporary care facility, and figured she had nothing to lose by going along with Stella''s idea. ¡°The east side mall, please.¡± Lisa said. * ¡°This is the pivotal point, sir.¡± Elise said to Edward Torren, her immediate boss and the head of Sid Tec. ¡°The main ones inside his Aura started to kneel for him, and then the rest, who were completely unaffected by his presence, knelt as well.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Edward said. ¡°Boy, when I made that class what it was, I never expected him to do so much with it.¡± He said. ¡°Of course, I knew he would show the normal players what a force he could become eventually; but this...¡± He shook his head. ¡°The Unnamed King? Really?¡± ¡°He has 1,000,000 Influence, and 250,000 Honor.¡± Elise said. ¡°In fact, he almost had those maxed before he put on the bracelet for the boost.¡± ¡°Yes, I saw that.¡± Edward said. ¡°It gave him a new Aura, but because it was gained artificially, he didn''t get any extra bonuses for the overage.¡± Edward nodded. ¡°We can''t reward players for ''faking'' it.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Yes, that''s right.¡± She said. ¡°They can''t gain things for trying to trick the system.¡± ¡°So, what are you saying?¡± ¡°All the gains after that would have pushed him well over his limit, and he should get the rewards for that.¡± ¡°Ah, and this is where the error comes in.¡± Edward said. ¡°What did Max say?¡± Elise sighed, and relayed what Max said. ¡°Huh.¡± Edward said. ¡°Just a second.¡± He said and picked up the phone. He connected an internal call to the tech department and Max picked up. ¡°Max, here.¡± ¡°Hi, Max. It''s Edward.¡± ¡°Hey, boss.¡± Max said. ¡°Elise is in your office.¡± Edward chuckled. ¡°How''d you guess?¡± ¡°She said she might talk to you about this.¡± ¡°Is what she told me true?¡± Edward asked. ¡°You''re resetting the error, and not giving Ren the XP conversion bonus?¡± ¡°Well, not the bonus he thinks he''s going to get.¡± Max said. ¡°He''s done this a few times now.¡± He explained. ¡°He''s jumped a ton of levels, well beyond his capabilities, and he''s unlocked a lot of things that his character isn''t ready for.¡± Edward sighed. ¡°I know.¡± He said. ¡°Charles really messed up my design.¡± ¡°Ren kind of did that, too.¡± Max said. ¡°It took him a while, but he''s got the Slow and Steady ability licked with Fame bonuses.¡± ¡°Only when it applies to quests from people that know of him and his deeds.¡± Edward said. ¡°He''s only gotten that a few times the entire time he''s been in the dwarf lands.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Max said. ¡°So, I''m changing the gains multiplier. Instead of getting 10 XP for every point, he''ll only get 1 XP for every 10 points.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Edward thought about it. ¡°I don''t like that.¡± He said a moment later. ¡°You''re dropping it to one hundredth of what it was.¡± ¡°It''s the best way to stop him from gaining Honor and XP bonuses every time someone meets him.¡± ¡°That may be true, but you''re also messing up... hold on, Elise gave me the numbers...¡± Edward said and shuffled through the papers. She''d printed off the important stats that Edward would need, without having to sort through all the data she''d given him. ¡°Here it is.¡± Edward said and looked at the player stat sheet. ¡°Ren''s the only one who has unlocked the Honor stat.¡± He said. ¡°But, if you change the XP multiplier so drastically, it''s going to affect nearly 800 players.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Max exclaimed. ¡°I''ll be right there!¡± He said and hung up the phone. ¡°He''ll be right here.¡± Edward said and smiled at his secretary. ¡°Ms. Stanford, you''re looking radiant today.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Elise said, surprised. ¡°You must have seen Ren yesterday.¡± Edward said. ¡°You always seem so much happier after you visit him.¡± ¡°I... yes, I did see him yesterday.¡± Elise said, slightly uncomfortable. ¡°I didn''t realize people could tell just from looking at me, though.¡± Edward laughed. ¡°I''ve known you for a long time. I''ve never seen you this happy for this long before.¡± Elise opened her mouth to respond, and Max burst into the office. ¡°Show me those numbers!¡± Max nearly yelled as he stumbled into the office and practically fell onto the desk to get the sheets of paper. Edward laughed again and handed the papers over. Max looked through the reams of data, and followed it''s progression. ¡°Well, dammit.¡± Max said. ¡°How did we get this many people so close to maxing out their Fame?¡± ¡°There''s about 50 that already have, and they''re doing every side quest they can get their hands on to make themselves popular with the local NPCs.¡± Elise said. ¡°50 Fame for rescuing a farmer''s goat is nothing when you''re building up to 10,000; but, once you get to that point, 50 Fame becomes a bonus of 500 XP on top of the XP for the quest.¡± She explained. ¡°I checked the message boards, and found that it''s kind of a hidden secret for low level players to mine for Fame. They''re posting how to complete specific repeatable quests that give the most Fame, and once they unlock the Fame bonus, their low levels jump up pretty fast.¡± ¡°But... that doesn''t explain...¡± ¡°Once their Fame is maxed for a local area, they do the main quests.¡± Elise said. ¡°The Fame bonuses convert to XP, and they gain 5 to 10 times the XP for it than they would for doing the mission normally.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Max said. ¡°They can take their Fame bonus with them to a new area, as long as they do a few little quests for the NPCs to spread their name.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°If you can believe it, there''s even a few detailed maps telling you where to go to do it.¡± She pointed to one of the sheets. ¡°That''s a list of the local NPCs in the main Starter City of Aurora that give the highest Fame for doing odd jobs for them.¡± ¡°That... that wasn''t how that was supposed to work.¡± Max said. ¡°It was supposed to be an extra bonus for people knowing you, not something to grind and exploit!¡± Edward had sat there and watched the exchange, then tapped his desk with his finger. ¡°If you change that multiplier, we are going to get mobbed with hundreds...¡± ¡°Thousands.¡± Elise corrected. ¡°...thousands of complaints about it.¡± Edward said. Max looked at Elise. ¡°You could have told me this before.¡± ¡°I didn''t know this before.¡± Elise said, and he looked at her skeptically. ¡°Honest!¡± She said and raised her right hand like she was swearing to tell the truth in a courtroom. ¡°I was sorting through the data to see what kind of impact it would have, and literally stumbled on the Fame modifier.¡± Max sighed and sat down in a chair. ¡°Then I don''t know what to do.¡± ¡°Do nothing.¡± Edward said, and Elise and Max looked at him. ¡°What?¡± They said at the same time. ¡°This is an exploit we didn''t plan for in the game, but it''s become an integral part of a lot of player''s thinking. We can''t change it.¡± ¡°But-¡± Max started to say. ¡°What about Ren?¡± Elise cut Max off. ¡°He lost over 300,000 excess Honor!¡± Edward nodded. ¡°Max is right in that respect, unfortunately. It gave an error, because Ren exceeded the cap for the stat.¡± He said. ¡°Any subsequent gains were cancelled by the system.¡± ¡°But-¡± Elise tried to say. ¡°I''ll talk with Max and see if we can come up with something to make it up to Ren; but, I can''t in good conscience give him 3,312,000 XP for a mistake.¡± Edward said. ¡°Can''t you at least give him the XP up to the cap?¡± Elise asked. ¡°He really does deserve some recognition for what he did!¡± Edward shook his head. ¡°Ren''s pretty important to this company; but, he hasn''t even dealt with all of the gains Charles has inadvertently given him yet. I can''t pile another large amount of levels and the things they unlock on top of that.¡± ¡°But, sir!¡± Elise said. ¡°Max and I will deal with it.¡± Edward said. ¡°I''m sure we''ll come up with something appropriate for him.¡± He smiled. ¡°Like you''ve pointed out, he''s brought in more players in the last month than we had for the first year of operation. I''m going to take good care of him; so, don''t worry about it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Thank you for bringing this to my attention.¡± Edward said. ¡°Please hold my calls while Max and I discuss this.¡± Elise nodded, picked up her USB drive, and stood up. ¡°Just so you know, unlike the examples I gave, Ren didn''t do it for gains or to manipulate the system, sir.¡± She said in Ren''s defence. ¡°He was just being himself and it happened.¡± She turned and left the office, then shut the door behind her. I''m sorry, Ren. Elise thought as she sat down at her desk. I tried. She looked at the USB in her hand. If they don''t come up with something good to make it up to you, I''ll release the info about the error and the footage of your title. She smiled. If it comes down to it, we''ll see if popular opinion can sway their minds. * ¡°Do you think she''ll come back to visit?¡± Ren asked Stella when she came back into the room. ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± Stella said. ¡°She''s kinda cute.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Are you getting certain ideas about her?¡± ¡°Not for myself.¡± Stella said. ¡°I haven''t dipped my toe in that end of the pool.¡± She winked at him. ¡°Not yet, anyways.¡± * Much to her surprise, the taxi driver told Lisa that he would wait for her. How much did Stella pay him? Lisa asked herself as she went into the mall. She looked at the store directory, and found the location of the store called Jacques. She followed the directions to the right spot, and it looked like any other clothing store. I wonder why this one is so special? Lisa thought as she walked inside. ¡°Hello, there!¡± The sales lady said enthusiastically. ¡°How can I help you today?¡± ¡°Um... I... ah...¡± Lisa stammered. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°You must be Lisa.¡± The sales lady said. ¡°Stella called and told us to take care of you.¡± She smiled. ¡°Just a moment.¡± She leaned into the back room behind the counter. ¡°The young woman Stella called about is here.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Lily said and came out of the back room. ¡°Hi, Lisa. I''m Lily.¡± ¡°Um... hi.¡± ¡°Oh, don''t be shy.¡± Lily said. ¡°Bathing suits. Any preferences?¡± Lisa thought about what Ren had told her, that he had embarrassed himself by saying ''see-through'' out loud, and her face flushed a little red. ¡°Let''s go browse a few things, and we''ll see what fits well.¡± Lily said. ¡°Right this way.¡± Lisa walked behind her over to the swimwear, because she was pretty sure that if she didn''t go willingly, Lily would have dragged her. ¡°So, one piece? Two piece? String?¡± Lily asked and held up an example of each. Lisa looked down at herself and her small chest. ¡°One piece.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°You''d be surprised the magic some of these things have.¡± She said, and picked up a nice two piece. ¡°See that? It''s got slightly thicker padding on the underside that tapers to the front. It really gives a nice boost to the girls.¡± Lisa thought that was a good idea. ¡°I guess I could try one of them.¡± She said. ¡°After the one piece.¡± Lily nodded and grabbed a few different styles of each. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Well...¡± Lisa said. ¡°I had... an idea. Kind of.¡± ¡°Ooo, do tell!¡± Lily said. ¡°I''m always up for a good idea.¡± ¡°Do you...¡± Lisa''s face flushed red again. ¡°...have something that kind of becomes see-through when it gets wet?¡± Chapter 305 - Getting Back To It Detective John Ramirez and his partner, Officer Holly Stonewall, sat outside Senator Eddlemere''s residence at a very discreet distance. It wasn''t a stakeout; because they technically weren''t working on the case, and especially during their lunch break. They ate their sub sandwiches and watched the comings and goings of the Senator''s visitors. ¡°He seems to have a lot of activity going on today.¡± Officer Stonewall commented. ¡°Especially for a Monday.¡± Detective Ramirez grunted agreement and bit into his sandwich. He''d sprung for a deli-made sub sandwich, and it was nearly twice the size of a fast food one. It was loaded with meat and toppings, just how he liked it, and he put it down to take a drink of soda pop. He''d normally skip the pop and drink water, but he needed the sugar boost. He and Holly had woken up extra early that morning to make the two hour drive back to the city from the Point. On the way, John started to divorce himself about what had happened between them that weekend. By the time they''d reached the city limits, he was back to being Detective Ramirez. They made it back just in time to get changed and get to the police station for their jobs. After they had signed in at the squad room to let everyone know they were available, they did some cleanup paperwork for a few hours on another case. Once that was done, they headed out for lunch. Now they were working the case, Ren''s case, that they weren''t supposed to be working on. ¡°The extra activity could just be making up for not much happening on the weekend.¡± Detective Ramirez said, then he sighed. ¡°Ah, dammit.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Officer Stonewall asked. ¡°I don''t see... oh, okay. I see it now.¡± The car that the Chief of Police drove, came out of the Senator''s residence and went down the street. ¡°I wondered why you parked this far up on the street.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°It makes me wonder how many of the aliases we haven''t identified, are the ones we''ve seen leave the place.¡± ¡°There''s no real way to know.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°Which reminds me of something. I checked my messages while I was getting changed, and there was one from Agent Smith.¡± ¡°And what did our illustrious case thieves have to say?¡± ¡°One of the aliases was for their supervisor.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Detective Ramirez exclaimed. ¡°Them, too.¡± Officer Stonewall nodded. ¡°He said he couldn''t tell me anything else, except that they are tracking down the other names.¡± ¡°At least they''re getting somewhere.¡± Detective Ramirez said, and then fell silent for several minutes. ¡°Are you going to message him back?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Maybe let it slip about the mayor''s old house being that boy''s torture chamber.¡± Officer Stonewall thought about it. ¡°I could do that, but... we took the only evidence linking him to the place. They wouldn''t find anything there, and you know it would be all flashy and on the news if they went there.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°We could put the evidence back, but they wouldn''t have you there to find it for them.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I was just lucky.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°You don''t have a 4 leaf clover on you, do you?¡± Detective Ramirez asked her. ¡°We sure could use some more luck right about now.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°I''ll just pull one out of my butt.¡± She said and laughed. ¡°You can rub it for good luck and see what happens.¡± Detective Ramirez laughed, too; then he remembered he actually rubbed her butt the night before. I wonder if that would count? He asked himself, then his eye caught a glimpse of a small normal car coming out of Senator Eddlemere''s driveway. It slid into traffic easily, and he started the car. Apparently it does count. He thought and smiled, and pulled out into traffic to follow it. ¡°What''s so special about this one?¡± Officer Stonewall asked. ¡°You remember that woman in the picture, the one that''s now seeing the governor?¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± ¡°I''ve studied that picture. It''s definitely her.¡± ¡°Why are we following her, when we didn''t follow the others?¡± ¡°It''s a hunch.¡± Detective Ramirez said as he weaved around traffic to keep the other car in sight. ¡°I just... I have a feeling, okay? I can''t explain it more than that.¡± ¡°You don''t have to explain it, partner.¡± Officer Stonewall smiled. ¡°Saying ''it''s a hunch'' was enough for me.¡± Detective Ramirez nodded, and followed the car through the city streets. He was led on a slow chase over a third of the city, and drove by the place the car had pulled in. He kept going around the block and parked far enough away that it didn''t look like they were trying to watch the place, when in fact that''s exactly what they were going to do. ¡°Grab the burner phone.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Look up the faculty for the Psychiatric Wellness and Recuperation Centre.¡± Officer Stonewall opened the glove compartment and took out the cheap untraceable phone and looked up what he wanted. ¡°Head, Harvey Mastis; assistant heads, Jill Mackey and Susan Kristal; administrators, Gerry Orbock and Daniel Bornell-¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Who were the assistant heads?¡± ¡°Jill Mackey and Susan Kristal.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°Susan is ringing a bell for some reason.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Susan, Susan... why is it familiar?¡± He asked himself. ¡°I know that name... I know that...¡± His eyes got wide, and then he smiled. ¡°Officer Stonewall, who was the psychiatrist that the nurses said took care of Ren before he got rid of her?¡± Officer Stonewall took out her little notebook and flipped through the pages. ¡°Here it is. They said her name was Suzie.¡± She said. ¡°We never followed it up because it had happened after he was sent that spider and before he was drugged. We couldn''t find a Suzie anywhere in the registry, along with that supposed nurse that administered the drugs.¡± Detective Ramirez nodded. ¡°What''s a good nickname for Susan that people would use as your real name instead?¡± ¡°Suzie!¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°Suzie is short for Susan!¡± ¡°And we just saw her leave Senator Eddlemere''s place, and the both of them were in that picture he drew that we found in the mayor''s basement.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Officer Stonewall said. ¡°She''s been taking care of his mental health for years!¡± ¡°She sure has.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°I can''t imagine the damage she''s done.¡± ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¡°The same thing we always do.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°We investigate and see where it leads us.¡± ¡°But... shouldn''t we...¡± ¡°What? Take her in and question her?¡± Officer Stonewall nodded. ¡°About what?¡± Detective Ramirez asked. ¡°About what she had to do with a child abuse case from years ago? She''d laugh in our faces.¡± He said. ¡°This is all circumstantial. We''re barely connecting the dots as it is, and using tainted and possibly illegal evidence. We have to follow it backwards and prove eventual discovery, or none of this will matter.¡± Officer Stonewall knew he was right; but, she didn''t like it one bit. ¡°I think we should send a copy of the drawing to Agent Smith.¡± She said. ¡°Maybe... maybe the FBI can trace the people we can''t identify.¡± ¡°I''d like to hold off on that for a little while longer.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°But, I think you''re right. Another set of eyes might see something we missed.¡± He said a little reluctantly. ¡°Pop the chip out of the phone and replace it.¡± He said. ¡°We don''t need someone else following our breadcrumbs.¡± Officer Stonewall popped the back off the phone and pulled out the small sim card. She snapped it in half, grabbed another one from the pile, then put it into place and put the phone back together. ¡°It''s reset.¡± Officer Stonewall said and put the phone back into the glove compartment. ¡°Great.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Let''s pop over to your place, grab the picture, and head over to a copy store.¡± He smiled. ¡°Let''s see how much Agent Smith likes getting an anonymous fax.¡± * Ren still had quite a bit of time left before he had to go back into the game, so he took the time to use the laptop and check his emails. He saw the apology from Edward Torren, the CEO of Sid Tec, and wondered why the head of the company would email him to apologize. When he read it all the way through, he saw what Mr. Torren was apologizing for. Ren wasn''t supposed to gain so many levels so fast. His character was supposed to have a long and slow progression, so that when other things unlocked, he was ready for them and had everything else built up enough to handle the implications of what the new things could do. ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least that explains the scaling of my Slow and Steady ability.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Stella asked, and Ren told her about the apology and what it meant for his character. ¡°You''re supposed to go slow and steady.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°That''s kind of clever.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Ren nodded. ¡°It lets me adjust to new things more efficiently if I have the time to deal with them.¡± He said. ¡°As it is now, he''s completely right. I''m scrambling to make use of all the new things I can do, and I''m kind of lost on what to do first.¡± ¡°When it should have only given you one, or maybe two new things each level, which should have taken you a long time to gain enough XP to do.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''re right, too. That does make sense of that ability.¡± ¡°With this latest thing... where I gained all that Honor and caused an error...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''m thinking they won''t fix it or give me all of the converted XP.¡± ¡°That would...¡± Stella thought about it. ¡°...gain you at least 20 more levels, if the XP needed increases for each level.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°If the head of the company, that designed my character, is apologizing for giving me too many levels too fast...¡± ¡°...he''s not going to give you even more.¡± Stella finished for him. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although I did cause an error when it happened, I didn''t really want everyone to kneel before me.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°That sure was something to see.¡± She said and put a hand on the top of his head. ¡°They wanted you to know how much they appreciate what you''ve done for them, now that they know the truth.¡± Ren smiled at her, and she ran the hand down to his cheek, and then pinched it. ¡°Hey!¡± Ren chuckled and pushed her hand away. ¡°Don''t let that go to your head, Unnamed King.¡± Stella said. ¡°Some people are going to hate that they need to acknowledge you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Especially when I get back to Aurora.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I''m not really on Lord Eric''s good side anymore, and if he''s ever within my Aura...¡± Stella nodded. ¡°You just be careful and try not to hold it over people''s heads.¡± ¡°Okay, but I don''t know how well that''s going to work.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been trying to downplay my Prince Charming title for a while, and now I have this one.¡± He shook his head. ¡°It just keeps adding to my Aura.¡± ¡°Speaking of additions, what about your personal maids?¡± Stella asked. ¡°What are you going to do with them when you get back to the human kingdom?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Elise actually gave me an idea for them, but...¡± He sighed. ¡°It''s not really something I want to force them to do.¡± Stella pat the cheek that she had just pinched on his face. ¡°You''ll figure something out. You always do.¡± Ren nodded and checked the next email. ¡°Hey, that guy that attacked me and gave me the SPECIAL bonus apologized.¡± He said. ¡°He says he''s sorry for not realizing who I was and how important I am.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I don''t know what he''s talking about there. He knew who I was.¡± Stella smiled. I think someone at the company told him what you''ve been doing for them, with both the show and the store. She thought. I can''t imagine how many people play the game just to see if they can find you. Ren didn''t see any other emails that needed his attention, so he checked the message boards to see what the latest gossip was about. He was surprised to discover that it was all about him, and how he had topped the XP leader board. It would have been the third time I''d done it if that XP conversion had gone through. Ren thought, and followed the link to the leader board. There''s my name at the... ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked and looked at the laptop''s screen. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Ren''s name was emblazoned at the top of the leader board, in a separate section from the other names. His other two entries were marked as numbers 2 and 3 and had the XP totals beside them; but, the top one only had x''s instead of numbers. ¡°If I''m reading that right...¡± Stella said. ¡°...you''ll always remain at the top of the board because they didn''t publish your score.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°That can''t be right.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Stella said. ¡°You get the recognition for topping the leader board again, and they don''t even have to tell anyone if you actually did get the XP to do it.¡± She smiled. ¡°Plus, that''s the three top spots you have.¡± She said and pointed. ¡°The fourth spot is Lisa''s... well, Lara the Sage of Ages, and she only got that because she''s a member of your party. No one else is even close to those totals.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°If Lisa sees that, she''s going to wonder what happened.¡± ¡°Just message her and let her know you don''t know what''s going on.¡± Stella said. ¡°I wonder if they''ll give you something when you log back in?¡± ¡°There''s an easy way to find out.¡± Ren said and looked at his watch. ¡°I''ve got an hour before the game day starts, which means I can get about 4 hours of sleep.¡± He smiled. ¡°Or a lot more, if I decide to have a late breakfast.¡± ¡°Take the late breakfast.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''ve been on the go for a while, and haven''t had a lot of actual sleep.¡± Ren nodded and sent Lisa a short message like Stella suggested. ¡°At least I don''t have any pressing matters to attend to.¡± He said and put the laptop aside. ¡°All I need to do is relax and enjoy the long boat ride.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Stella said and handed him the VR headset. ¡°I''ll see you at supper.¡± ¡°Thanks, Stella.¡± Ren said, then took her hand. ¡°For everything.¡± Stella squeezed his hand. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren put on the VR headset and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± * Lisa had taken the taxi home, and went into her house. Her mother was irate that she had been gone for so much longer than she said she would be. Her mother hollered and yelled that Lisa could have been dead in a ditch somewhere, and her mother would never know what had happened. Lisa apologized several times; but when her mother got into this panic mode, there wasn''t much anyone could do to take her out of it. She let her mother rant and rave for several minutes, then slowly started to drift over to the staircase. Her mother hadn''t even noticed when Lisa got to the stairs and started walking up them as she continued to berate her daughter for being so stupid. Lisa made her escape from her mother''s tirade and went to her room; but, she could still hear her mother talking. She shut the bedroom door and put the small bag she''d hidden behind her back, on the bed and sighed. I can''t believe I let Lily talk me into taking them. Lisa thought and pulled out a nice dark blue one piece bathing suit. She really liked this one because it was form-fitting and highlighted her legs with the high cuts on the sides, and the dark color completely hid her small chest from view. That one was for actual swimming, so she put it aside and took out the next one. It was a two piece, a nice light red color, and had the tapered padding in the top to give that push-up look to her chest. That one was for relaxing by the pool and for getting a nice tan. Lisa took the last suit out of the bag, and her face flushed red as she looked at it. It wasn''t quite a g-string bikini; but it was pretty close, and it was made of a thin fabric. It was also a solid yellow color and it managed to cover everything. The biggest selling point for it was that even though the fabric looked like it was a solid yellow, when it was wet it turned semi-opaque and almost see-through. That one was for private time between her and Ren in the Jacuzzi. Her face burned as she blushed hard at the thought of Ren seeing her in such a thing. She still couldn''t believe she had let Lily convince her that she needed all three bathing suits, when one could have been used for all three things. ¡°The one piece is great for swimming.¡± Lily had said at the time. ¡°But you''d never get a good tan, and it sucks for lounging by the pool. Plus, you''d boil in it if you''re in a Jacuzzi.¡± Lisa had agreed that those were good reasons to get at least one more suit, and Lily had convinced her that the push-up one was the best for an all around swimsuit, as long as you didn''t try to swim in it. It was meant for walking, lounging, tanning, and pretty much anything you could do in a swimsuit outside of the water. The see-through one was for Ren''s eyes only, and Lily had nearly jumped for joy when Lisa had asked for one. ¡°He is gonna love it!¡± Lily had said and laughed a little crazily as she picked out the best suit for Lisa''s body type. ¡°You have to tell me about his reaction when you slam his eyeballs with this outfit!¡± Lisa had just nodded and tried on several suits, then settled on the ones she took. The sales lady had flatly refused to give her a receipt when she took them to the counter. ¡°We know our products.¡± The sales lady had said demurely. ¡°If there''s any problem, bring them back and we''ll either fix them or replace them.¡± ¡°I can only imagine how much they were.¡± Lisa said softly as she touched the silky fabric, then slipped the suits back into the bag and opened her closet and tucked the bag into the sleeve of one of her winter coats. It was already bulky and you couldn''t tell there was anything inside; so, it was the perfect hiding place. Lisa didn''t even consider debating with herself about if she would go back to see him; only about when she could. She smiled as she changed out of her nice outfit and into jogging pants and a t-shirt, then picked up her VR headset. ******** Ren found himself in the white loading area, and looked around. ¡°It''s kind of strange that I''m...¡± ¡°Hi, handsome.¡± A woman''s voice said from behind him. ¡°Elise!¡± Ren said and turned around, then gave her a hug. ¡°Is it a set parameter that you always appear behind me?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°It always works out that way, doesn''t it?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Seeing you again so soon is great; but, aren''t you at work?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Elise said. ¡°I just wanted to check up on you.¡± Ren let her out of the hug. ¡°I''m doing okay.¡± He said, then smiled. ¡°Barbara''s sister was by with the house papers for me to sign.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Elise said. ¡°How does it feel to own your own home?¡± ¡°Strangely satisfying.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I never imagined I''d own my own home.¡± He looked around at all the whiteness. ¡°Can you make a step stool appear?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Elise said. She typed up something on an invisible keyboard and a step stool appeared beside Ren. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and put it in front of Elise, walked up the two steps, and was now at a more manageable height. He put his arms around her neck and kissed her. Elise wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. A minute later, she broke the kiss. ¡°I could have knelt for you.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°And I could have asked for a bed.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Good god, can you imagine?¡± Elise said. ¡°What would my coworkers say?¡± ¡°I wish it was me?¡± Ren said and grinned, and she laughed again. ¡°Thank you for making me laugh.¡± Elise said. ¡°I needed that.¡± ¡°I''m glad I could help.¡± Ren said and kept his arms wrapped around her neck. ¡°Lisa stopped by today, too.¡± ¡°Already?¡± Elise said. ¡°I thought she''d wait until the afternoon at least.¡± ¡°She showed up this morning and we hung out for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°And?¡± ¡°I really like her.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, it wasn''t just in the game, then.¡± Elise said. ¡°That''s kind of surprising.¡± ¡°It sure was.¡± Ren said and leaned in to put his lips by Elise''s ear. ¡°When we shared our first ''real'' kiss, she reacted almost the same as you did.¡± ¡°She really does like you, then.¡± Elise said, because she understood what Ren meant. ¡°Are you going to see her again?¡± ¡°Probably tomorrow or the next day, after I move.¡± Ren said. ¡°So soon?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I''m not planning on anything happening.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t think she is, either.¡± ¡°But it could.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°She hasn''t had ''the talk'' with Stella yet; but, I did give her a rundown of what''s possible and what''s not.¡± ¡°You''re prepping her in case something does happen.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''d rather be safe than sorry.¡± Ren said. Elise nodded. ¡°I''m glad.¡± She said. ¡°I want you to have me first, though.¡± Ren leaned back and looked at her. ¡°Are you sure? We''ve both been kind of putting this off for a while.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I''ll come by tonight.¡± She said. ¡°We can head over to your place and break in your new bed.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Nothing would please me more.¡± ¡°That better not be true.¡± Elise said and smiled wickedly. ¡°I''m very good in bed.¡± ¡°I can''t wait.¡± Ren said, and they kissed for several minutes. Something caught Elise''s attention and she stopped kissing him. ¡°Damn, I have to go.¡± Elise said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said and let her go. ¡°I have some sleep to catch up on.¡± He stepped down off the stool and looked up at her. ¡°Thanks for the quick visit.¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± Elise said. ¡°I forgot to tell you why I brought you here.¡± ¡°Then let me have it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Mr. Torren, and Max the head programmer, said they won''t be giving you all the XP you were supposed to get.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I finally got a chance to read the apology Mr. Torren sent. He didn''t apologize for the attack, but for having my character build wrecked.¡± Elise sighed and nodded. ¡°He told me that was why he wasn''t going to give you more levels and bonuses.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Ren said. ¡°He said he was going to come up with something to make it up to you, but I don''t know what it will be, or when you''ll get it.¡± Elise said. ¡°I have all the evidence of everything, so if what they come up with isn''t to your liking, I''ll leak about the error on the message boards and we''ll see what happens.¡± ¡°Don''t do that.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened. ¡°Even if they end up not giving me anything, please don''t cause a scandal that could hurt the company.¡± ¡°But Ren...¡± ¡°Elise.¡± Ren walked back up the step stool and put his hands on the sides of her face. ¡°If this leaks, they''ll know it was either you or me that did it.¡± He said. ¡°I know you''re protective of me and want what''s best for me...¡± He smiled. ¡°...but please, don''t get yourself fired or me banned from the game over this.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I love you.¡± Ren said, and kissed her passionately. Elise got another notification to leave; but, she ignored it as her body reacted to his words and his forcefulness. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly as they kissed. A few moments later, Ren broke the kiss, much to her disappointment. ¡°You have to go.¡± Ren said, and Elise sighed. ¡°I do.¡± Elise said and let him go. ¡°I''ll see you tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°Bye, Elise.¡± Elise hit the button to send him into the game. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± She said and kissed him again, then he faded from the white loading area. Chapter 306 - A Slight Interlude Ren woke up on the bed in his cabin, and found he was under a pile of women when he opened his eyes. He saw a foot, a knee, an arm, and the top of someone''s head right by his face. He couldn''t tell who was who; but he knew it was at least 3 of them, and possibly 4 if the foot wasn''t attached to the other leg of the person the knee belonged to. Hey, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°Good morning, pancake.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren almost laughed at the situation himself. He never thought, not even in his wildest dreams, that he would ever be in a position to be on the bottom of a sleeping pile of women. When he tried to move one of his hands, he felt it touched bare flesh. He couldn''t tell what it was that he was touching; but he did hear a low moan from a couple feet away. When he tried the other hand, he only met slight resistance from having something on his fingers and pulled his hand free. ¡°Hmm?¡± Someone said sleepily. ¡°Someone... moved.¡± ¡°Not me.¡± ¡°I did before... that was... a while ago...¡± ¡°Wha?¡± ¡°...french... toast...¡± Ren chuckled at the last thing he heard, and he felt everyone stiffen slightly as they woke up. ¡°You''re back.¡± Frikara said and propped herself up on an elbow. She had been the one on his trapped hand, which was now free. The part of her that he had been touching was her stomach. ¡°Hi.¡± Andrela said as she lifted her head from his chest. The knee moved away from his face and Lusinia turned around to look at him. ¡°It''s nice to see you.¡± She said. A weight lifted from his legs and the foot disappeared as Verwynn sat up. ¡°Did someone mention food?¡± She asked. Now that the way was clear for him to see, Navruth was the one that had been on his other arm. ¡°Good morning.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I''m sorry to wake all of you up.¡± Ren said, and ignored the fact that they were all topless. ¡°I came back early to get some sleep.¡± ¡°Voluntary cuddles!¡± Frikara said and laid down on his arm again. ¡°Arm!¡± ¡°Leg!¡± Lusinia said and laid back down herself, but kept her knee well away from his face. ¡°Staying here.¡± Andrela said and put her head back down on his chest. ¡°I''ll switch with you if you want.¡± Navruth said to Verwynn. ¡°Please.¡± Verwynn said, and the two of them switched places. Navruth didn''t lay down with her feet towards Ren''s head like Verwynn did, and Verwynn didn''t lay down on his arm like Frikara; instead she tucked herself in close and folded it up, then held his forearm against her chest. ¡°Frikara? Can you move down some?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°You want some naughty cuddling, do you?¡± Frikara asked, and moved down to put her chest right on his hand. Ren moved the hand out of the way before she could lay down on it, though. ¡°Aww.¡± ¡°On your back, please.¡± Ren said, and she rolled over onto her back. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. She had wide eyes as she looked at him with surprise on her face. ¡°I like cuddling.¡± Ren said and smiled. The personal maids all sighed at the truth in his words, and relaxed immediately. Teepo, wake me up for a late breakfast. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°Sure thing, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Two of the personal maids said. ¡°Night.¡± Another said. ¡°...fox... stew...¡± Verwynn said, because she was already half asleep with a death grip on Ren''s hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± Andrela said. They all fell asleep not long afterwards. * Tommy took down yet another wolf with a head shot and the Lightning bolt froze the body solid for a second. The arrow went through the wolf''s skull and hit the hind quarters of the wolf behind it. ¡°Where did you say you got that bow?¡± Billy asked and fired his piddly normal bow at a wolf. It ignored the damage and lunged at the person that had stung it. The close combat swordsman in the party swiped at the wolf''s neck as it passed, nearly decapitating it; and the wolf fell dead at Billy''s feet. ¡°Thanks, Hank.¡± ¡°You need a better bow.¡± Hank said and turned his attention back to the over-sized pack of wolves they thought they had been hunting; when in fact, the wolves had been hunting them. ¡°I know!¡± Billy said and shot another arrow. ¡°I''ve been saving up for a month!¡± ¡°I''d suggest getting it from Ren''s store.¡± Tommy said. ¡°This thing is great!¡± ¡°I can''t afford something like that.¡± Billy said. ¡°What did you say it was? A platinum?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Tommy said and killed another wolf. ¡°He gave me a bit of a discount, though.¡± Clint chuckled as he shot a wolf 6 times with his automatic bow bracers and killed it easily. ¡°Ah''m tempted ta see if he c''n improve mah weapons.¡± He said. ¡°Yer bow is doin'' more damage per shot th''n mine.¡± ¡°You can continuously fire, man!¡± Tommy said and laughed, and knocked three arrows to take aim at a wolf that was trying to run around them. Lightning encompassed them as he pulled back, then he let the arrows fly. Two of them hit the wolf, one in the shoulder and one in the leg; but the last one missed completely. The wolf tumbled to a stop with it''s leg damaged and shocked by Lightning, then Clint shot it in the head to finish it off. ¡°Nice leadin'' shot thare, Tommy.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Tommy said. ¡°The triple shot isn''t as accurate as a single, but it''s great for suppressing fire.¡± ¡°Heads up!¡± Dillon said. He was the magic user, and his early warning spell had just gone off. ¡°We''ve got a big one coming!¡± ¡°Holy shit!¡± Billy said. ¡°You don''t think its-¡± ¡°It is.¡± Hank said. ¡°Can''t you feel that Fear Aura? Dire Wolf at 10 o''clock.¡± ¡°Which direction is that?¡± Billy asked. ¡°Geez, man!¡± Tommy said and pointed. ¡°Over there!¡± ¡°Okay, I got it!¡± Billy said and turned that way. ¡°Don''t ignore the normal wolves yet!¡± Dillon said and cast a free-standing Fire Wall in the middle of the pack, right where Hank had said the Dire Wolf was going to appear. The Fire Wall was 10 feet square and 4 inches thick. Several yips were heard and the smell of singed fur covered the party. ¡°A gold coin says it falls forward.¡± Hank said as he swung his sword at a wolf that had gotten too close. ¡°Hey! I''m trying to save my money!¡± Billy said and shot an arrow at another wolf and missed. ¡°Ah, dammit.¡± He said. ¡°I say it''s forward, too.¡± ¡°Yer always wrong.¡± Clint said to Billy and laughed. ¡°Ah''m pickin'' backwards.¡± Tommy shot another wolf and killed it. ¡°I''m with Clint. It''s gonna fall towards us.¡± They heard a loud crashing sound a moment later, then the wall fell towards them. The Dire Wolf stood on top of it and snarled at them as it''s paws were burned; but, it made no move to get off of the wall as the underbrush around it burned. ¡°Oh, shit!¡± Billy said. ¡°It looks pissed!¡± ¡°Jus'' remembah.¡± Clint said and switched out a single cartridge for the special Ice enchanted arrows he had. ¡°We ahgreed not ta loot it until we take tha head!¡± ¡°You and your damn trophies!¡± Dillon said and cast Protection on the party. ¡°You''ve got 8 minutes at taking half-damage.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Hank said and charged forward. He was their close combat specialist, and activated his Killing Blow ability. A wolf lunged at him from the side and Hank easily killed it with a single swing. The Dire Wolf growled menacingly at the loss, and just before Hank reached him, smashed his front paws into the Fire Wall it stood on. It broke apart spectacularly and threw out flames for several feet. They dissolved after that, but it had been enough to stall Hank''s charge and cause him quite a bit of Fire damage. The Dire Wolf reared back and jumped over Hank, then ran towards the rest of the party. ¡°Dammit!¡± Hank said as he skidded to a stop and ran after it. Clint went to full auto on his bow bracers, and sprayed the wolves that had rallied at the Dire Wolf''s appearance, then concentrated his fire on the Dire Wolf itself. The Ice arrows had little effect, much to his surprise.Stolen story; please report. Ren''s book said tha'' Ice arrows worked like ah charm. Clint thought and kept firing. ¡°Dillon! Shield!¡± Tommy said and fired as quickly as he could at the oncoming beast. ¡°Shield, man!¡± ¡°Just a second!¡± Dillon said as he prepped the spell. ¡°We don''t have a second!¡± Tommy said and kept firing. ¡°I''ll use the scroll!¡± Dillon said and took out the scroll he had bought for an emergency. He opened it and read the short incantation, and a half-dome of blue energy appeared in front of them as the piece of parchment crumbled to dust. The Dire Wolf hit the half-dome shield muzzle first, and the force of it''s weight being stopped compressed the wolf''s body almost into a ball. It bounced off the shield and fell to the ground in front of them, dazed and confused. ¡°Go for it, Hank!¡± Dillon said, and cast Weakness on the Dire Wolf. ¡°It''s Weak now!¡± The Dire Wolf''s Vitality and Agility were cut in half, so it wouldn''t be dodging anything for the next several minutes, and it''s natural armor value dropped considerably. Hank saw his target was down as he ran, and used his Leap ability when he was close enough. He jumped up into the air and his Death From Above ability kicked in automatically. It''s 20% chance of killing the target with a single blow combined with Killing Blow''s 30% chance of killing the target with a single blow; and gave him a 50/50 shot at a one-hit kill. Now that the target was pretty much immobile and Weak, Hank held his sword in a two-handed grip and jammed it down into the side of the Dire Wolf''s chest as he landed on top of it. The Dire Wolf howled in agony as the sword pierced it''s body and cleaved through it''s heart, doing massive damage. Hank, unsure of the kill, turned the blade quickly to mulch anything he had hit on the inside, then used his considerable Strength to push the blade out through the other side of the Dire Wolf''s chest and into the ground. The Dire Wolf''s howl was cut off with both lungs skewered, and then it stopped breathing. ¡°Time to mop up!¡± Dillon said as the temporary shield disappeared. Tommy, Clint and Billy opened fire on the remaining wolves. Hank didn''t even try to pull out his sword from the dead animal, and sat down on the ground in front of it and leaned back to rest against the remains. ¡°I really hate that Leap takes so much of my Stamina.¡± Hank said. ¡°Hey, we told you to put your last level up stat points into Vitality and not Strength.¡± Billy said and shot a wolf, and succeeded in killing it. ¡°Yes!¡± He said, then glanced back at Hank. ¡°It''s not our fault you put them all in Strength. Again.¡± ¡°I''m the Tank for this team. I have to be strong!¡± ¡°Not at the cost of slowing us down.¡± Dillon said and drank a Mana potion that he''d bought from Ren''s store. It still surprised him how cheap they were compared to the other shops. ¡°You have to start spreading your points around. Only being strong is starting to limit your usefulness.¡± ¡°This from the magic user that doesn''t actually fight.¡± Hank responded. ¡°Hey! We agreed that I''d take all defensive spells when we put the party together.¡± Dillon said. ¡°It''s worked out great so far!¡± ¡°It shore has.¡± Clint said and killed two more wolves. ¡°Ah''m tempted ta get ahnother Tank, ''n maybe ahnother magic user ta fill tha las'' two spots.¡± ¡°Yeah, we''ve got enough ranged combat.¡± Tommy said and killed the last wolf as it tried to flee. ¡°Assuming we can get Billy a better bow soon.¡± ¡°You guys don''t have to pick on me all the time about it.¡± Billy said. ¡°I''ll get one soon.¡± ¡°I would have sold you my old bow, but I gave it to my girlfriend when I got this one.¡± Tommy said and then laughed. ¡°She damn near tore my arm off for it, too.¡± ¡°Ah c''n imagine.¡± Clint said. ¡°Tha was ah good bow.¡± ¡°It took me a while to convince her to play.¡± Tommy said. ¡°That changed once I told her that there was actual sex in here with no chance for pregnancy.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°She was all over me to buy her a VR headset after that.¡± Hank laughed. ¡°I hear that!¡± He said. ¡°I''ve been seeing someone myself, and it was the same thing. Begging almost on hands and knees just to play.¡± Tommy nodded. ¡°Once she was in here and saw what it was like, though...¡± ¡°She''s gone off on her own, huh?¡± Dillon asked. ¡°I set her up with a few other newbies and told them about some of our old haunts.¡± ¡°Old Man''s Grove?¡± Hank asked, and Tommy nodded. ¡°I really liked that place.¡± ¡°It was the best!¡± Billy said. ¡°Endless small creatures to hunt and kill, XP bonuses for how quickly you could clear it, and free food.¡± He grinned. ¡°I miss those days.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Tommy said. ¡°I was actually tempted to blow you guys off and join her there for a while.¡± ¡°And miss the only chance we had to do this Major Quest on our day off from work?¡± Hank asked, shocked. ¡°Guys! You''re not gonna believe this! I think... I think Tommy''s in looooove!¡± Everyone laughed, including Tommy. He''d never admit it to them while they were joking around like this; but, he actually did love his girlfriend. ¡°Ah can'' believe the Ice arrows didn'' work.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah read Ren''s books.¡± Dillon walked over and used Identify on the Dire Wolf. ¡°I think I see the problem.¡± He said to Clint. ¡°This is a cold weather Dire Wolf. It''s got... well, it had resistance to Ice magic.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Tommy said. ¡°There''s different kinds of Dire Wolves?¡± ¡°Apparently.¡± Dillon said and knelt by it. ¡°I knew the smaller wolves had pack leaders that could have different abilities, but this is the first large creature that I''ve seen with them.¡± ¡°Check it''s paws!¡± Tommy said, and Dillon lifted one of them. ¡°They''re healed.¡± Dillon said. ¡°No burns.¡± ¡°Oh, man!¡± Tommy said. ¡°It had regeneration!¡± ¡°Way ta go, Dillon an'' Hank.¡± Clint said. ¡°Weeda been in ah righ'' pickle if''n yer combo hadn'' worked.¡± Billy clapped Hank on the shoulder, and Dillon stood up and smiled. ¡°Let''s get these wolves back to the cart.¡± Tommy said. ¡°We have to show proof to the Village Elder before they''ll finish the quest.¡± He smiled. ¡°Then we can loot the wolves.¡± ¡°What about the pelts?¡± Billy asked. ¡°They could be worth a bit of coin in the right hands. Is there someone that can skin them around here?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Hank said. ¡°Clint? You''re a rancher in real life.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Can''t you skin them?¡± ¡°Maybe if''n ah had tha righ'' tools.¡± Clint said, then remembered Ren''s store sold pretty much everything. ¡°Ah think ah know where''n ah migh'' get some.¡± He said and smiled. * ¡°Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°REN!¡± Ren woke up to the sound of Teepo''s voice telling him that it was an hour after breakfast. Thanks, buddy. Ren thought, and looked around. He was still surrounded by women, and they had cuddled in even closer while he had slept. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said, and Andrela, the one with her head on his chest, lifted her head slightly to look at him. ¡°Good morning.¡± Andrela said and smiled sweetly at him, with not a trace of sleep in her voice. ¡°Already?¡± Lusinia said and let Ren''s leg go and rolled over onto her back. ¡°I need more sleep!¡± Ren chuckled and felt Frikara move and looked at her. Her face was flushed slightly red, and Ren wasn''t sure why. He was tempted to concentrate on the shared Aura and find out what she was actually feeling; but, he left it as a mystery and kissed her cheek instead. Her face flushed a deep red, and she averted her eyes from his. Ren smiled at her acting so shy after how brazen she normally was, and looked at Verwynn on his other side. She had managed to hold his hand the entire time, and was looking at him with hope in her eyes. He opened his hand and she let it and his forearm go, and he caressed her cheek. She closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°I feel a little left out.¡± Navruth said and smiled as she sat up and stretched. Ren lifted his leg and used his toes to caress her cheek, and she laughed. ¡°You did not just use your foot to do that!¡± She said and grabbed his ankle with both hands. ¡°Hey, you chose the leg to cuddle last night.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°You shouldn''t complain if you get touched by the foot.¡± Navruth moved the foot towards her face and stuck the big toe into her mouth. Ren looked at her with raised eyebrows, and she pulled it out and sighed. ¡°Nothing, huh?¡± Navruth asked. ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t even lie and say it felt good.¡± Navruth looked at the bottom of the foot and used her fingers to scratch it, but didn''t get any reaction. ¡°You''re not ticklish there, either?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Navruth said and sighed at her failed attempt to make him happy, then placed a kiss on the sole of his foot to apologize. Ren reacted immediately at the ticklish sensation, and laughed. The personal maids froze at the sound he made, then Navruth kissed his foot again to make sure that it had really happened and wasn''t just a fluke. ¡°That... that tickles!¡± Ren said, and laughed. Navruth and Lusinia exchanged glances and nodded slightly, then they attacked both of Ren''s feet with their lips and tongues. ¡°Ha haha hahaha!¡± Ren laughed as they tickled his feet with their mouths and he squirmed around on the bed. He was pretty strong by this point and he didn''t want to move too much; just in case he might flail about and possibly hurt someone. ¡°St... st... ha ha ha!¡± Andrela was still on his chest, so she could feel all of his movements and how he was trying not to move around. She saw his underarms were completely unguarded, so she drove her fingers into them and started tickling him, too. Ren laughed and laughed because they were merciless in their attack, and didn''t give him even a second to tell them to stop. This went on for several minutes, and then the tickle attack slowed down and then stopped. Ren''s laughter faded away, and he relaxed as Navruth and Lusinia let his feet go and Andrela moved her hands from under his arms and folded them across his chest, then rested her chin on them to stare at his face. ¡°I hope you''re not mad.¡± Andrela said, sheepishly. ¡°We''ve been trying to come up with something to do for you, and all we could think of was to make you laugh.¡± Ren concentrated on the Contact Aura, and his personal maids gasped as his Aura merged with theirs and then the shared Aura was flooded with how happy Ren was. ¡°By... by the gods...¡± Andrela said, completely amazed. ¡°How... how can you feel so happy?¡± Ren smiled and put a hand on Andrela''s back to give her a little hug. ¡°I just woke up in bed, with 5 women, who''s only concern was to try and make me laugh.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Why wouldn''t I be happy?¡± Andrela didn''t know what to say to that. ¡°None of you mauled me while I was asleep, either.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°That definitely put me in a better mood.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Frikara said and he looked at her. ¡°We might say-¡± Someone coughed and interrupted her, and she smiled. ¡°Okay, I might say things that...¡± Frikara sighed. ¡°I do say things that might have given you the wrong impression.¡± She said. ¡°I want to have sex with you.¡± She glanced around at the other personal maids. ¡°We all do.¡± Ren could feel their desire; but; it was tempered with a large amount of patience. ¡°Despite what I imply with my words, I would never try and take something like that from you if you won''t give freely.¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± Lusinia said and smiled. ¡°Don''t get us wrong; we''ll tease and play with you as much as we can.¡± Navruth nodded slightly. ¡°Just having a man around that respects us as women...¡± ¡°...has been a gift from the gods.¡± Verwynn finished for her. ¡°We''ll keep fighting the urge, even though you''re so hard to resist.¡± Andrela said and blushed. ¡°Thank you for keeping up the fight.¡± Ren said to her, and looked at the others. ¡°I appreciate it.¡± ¡°We know you do.¡± Frikara said, because they could feel his appreciation. Ren looked back at Andrela. ¡°I''m sorry, but you have to move.¡± He said. ¡°I have to get up and make breakfast for everyone.¡± ¡°You can stay there.¡± Frikara said and got up. ¡°We''re having leftovers.¡± ¡°What about...¡± Ren started to ask about Orimihr. ¡°We knocked on the wall and slid several plates of food out under the door yesterday.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°He tried to talk to us, but we wouldn''t listen or respond.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought we could all get along.¡± ¡°He worked in the Lodur mines for 5 years.¡± Frikara said, and Ren felt her anger rise. ¡°But that doesn''t excuse his rude behavior towards Andrela.¡± Ren was about to ask why they focused on her when the rudeness was directed at all of them, then he felt a strong protective feeling flood the shared Aura. He smiled as he understood that she was the focus of the group, that she was the one that they all looked after, and he looked at Andrela. Her face was a deep red, because she could feel how much they all wanted to protect her. Frikara handed out 4 plates of food from the icebox to the other maids, and took one herself. Andrela moved down slightly and put her plate on Ren''s chest, and the other 4 maids laid down around him close to his head. ¡°I think you forgot a plate for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t.¡± Frikara said and smiled, then Ren felt a bit of playfulness enter the Aura. ¡°I figured we could all share.¡± ¡°Open wide.¡± Andrela said and held out a small piece of meat for him to eat between her finger and thumb. ¡°I don''t think...¡± Ren tried to say. ¡°Good.¡± Navruth said. ¡°Don''t think about it.¡± She smiled. ¡°Just lay back and enjoy it.¡± Andrela was still holding the piece of meat by his mouth. He could feel how much she wanted him to eat something from her plate first. Ren opened his mouth for her, and he felt her burst of happiness as he accepted her offering. He chewed it up and swallowed, and another hand was by his face with another small piece of food. ¡°Mine next.¡± Frikara said, and Ren ate her offering, too. Each of the personal maids took turns feeding him, and he ate everything they gave him while they ate themselves. They used their fingers to eat and feed him, and it was quite messy; but, they enjoyed themselves the entire time and Ren couldn''t help himself and enjoyed it, too. Chapter 307 - The Ship: Part One With the meal finished, Ren got up off the bed and handed out pieces of cloth to his personal maids so they could wipe off their hands and faces. While they did that, he made a small half-sized cabinet and lined the top of it with thick cloth and then paving stones to make an improvised sink. He put a single stone square on the bottom of it and enchanted it with a 5 rune glyph of Antiwater, then made a small wood holder for another one to be used as a tap, and enchanted that with a 5 rune glyph of Water. Ren had thought about his personal maids as he did both enchantments, so the enchantments would respond to their commands. He was tempted to mix up a tiny little bit of cement to seal the corners of the sink and make sure it was water tight, even though the paving stones locked together; but, then his personal maids would have to wait for several hours for it to dry and he wanted them to be able to use it right away. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°Making a sink.¡± Ren said. ¡°That can''t work.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°There''s no pipes to the outside.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It doesn''t need a pipe.¡± He said and pointed to the steel square on the bottom. ¡°This will absorb the water.¡± Navruth laughed. ¡°Metal can''t absorb water!¡± ¡°It''s enchanted.¡± Ren said, then explained how it worked. ¡°We can all use it?¡± Andrela said and looked at the tap as she thought about Water. ¡°Activate!¡± Water came out of the enchanted steel square and started to fill the sink, and Ren felt her enjoyment. ¡°Deactivate.¡± Frikara said and the water stopped. ¡°Try the other one.¡± Andrela thought about the Water going away and looked at the steel square on the bottom of the sink. ¡°Activate!¡± The water started to be sucked into the steel square and after a few moments, it was all gone. ¡°So if we activated both...¡± Navruth said. ¡°It''ll be a continuous stream.¡± Ren said and activated the ''tap'' to turn on the water. It came out of one steel square and disappeared into the other. ¡°That''s amazing!¡± Verwynn said and stuck her hands under the water. ¡°Now all we need is some soap.¡± Ren smiled as he remembered that soap would get rid of his beard. ¡°I''ll see if the ship has anything on board.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Verwynn said and Ren moved the dresser away from the door and unlocked it. He went outside and equipped his Travelling Clothes to clean himself up and his armor bodysuit went into inventory automatically. He stopped the first deckhand he saw and asked where to get soap. The deckhand told him, and he went down the hall a short way and opened a door. It revealed all the miscellaneous small supplies that a ship at sea would need. Ren found soap almost immediately, and closed the door with the intention to go back and use Identify on everything. Because of the sheer number of things inside, it seemed like a good chance to grind the skill. He went back to his cabin and gave Verwynn the soap, and she used it to scrub her hands and face with the piece of cloth Ren had given her earlier. She started to wash her arms, and Ren put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I''ll make a tub for that.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him. ¡°But the water''s right here.¡± Verwynn said and deactivated the ''drain''. The sink filled up after a minute and she turned off the ''tap''. ¡°We don''t really need a tub.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren said. ¡°This is fine.¡± Lusinia said and used the soap to lather up her piece of cloth. ¡°We can take turns.¡± ¡°How will you rinse off?¡± Ren asked. Verwynn took the steel square off of the tap and held her soapy arm over the sink and activated it. Water came out and rinsed the soap off. ¡°Okay, that''s a pretty smart way to do it.¡± Ren said. Verwynn''s face turned a slight red color, and Ren felt how much she liked his compliment on her intelligence. ¡°We''ve got about 2 weeks before we get to Aurora, and I''m not going to make you wash yourselves in a sink.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got half a dozen empty cabins on this huge ship, so I might as well use one of them as a room for a bath.¡± ¡°Please, don''t go to any trouble for us.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We''ve gotten by with a lot less than this several times; both before and since we signed our contracts.¡± ¡°Then I give you my word that you''ll have a full bath by the end of the day.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can clean yourselves up a little with this thing...¡± He said and tapped the sink. ¡°...but, it''s supposed to be for your hands and face only. You need a much bigger receptacle for an actual bath.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Frikara started to say, then she felt his determination and knew he would refuse any request to stop. ¡°...by the end of the day.¡± She said instead and nodded slightly. Ren smiled and the shared Aura flooded with how happy he was that she wasn''t going to fight him over such a trivial thing. ¡°I''ll be back for supper.¡± Ren said and checked on the spider inside the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, put it on, then grabbed several plates of food and left the room. * ¡°By the gods.¡± Lusinia said and closed her eyes. ¡°How can his emotions be so strong?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Frikara said as she started getting dressed. ¡°It''s like... he''s the sun. We''re just tiny little flowers that he shines on, and we''re trying our best not to be blinded by his brilliance.¡± ¡°He''s the sun?¡± Andrela asked and slipped on a dress. ¡°Does that mean we can''t live without him?¡± Navruth smiled and put an arm around her after helping her button the dress. ¡°Yes, Andrela. Even if we had somehow escaped the treasure room, I don''t think we would have lasted long if it wasn''t for him.¡± A feeling of agreement entered the Aura, and they all nodded slightly. * Teepo dropped from the ceiling onto Ren''s shoulder when he came out of the cabin. Ren slid a plate under Orimihr''s door, then went into the cabin Princess was in. He walked over to her and knelt as she lifted a hoof for him. He took it and looked at her. ¡°Greetings, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°I got back a little early last night, then I slept in to try and get enough sleep.¡± You must look after yourself. Princess thought to him. ¡°Hello, Princess.¡± Teepo said and bent his front legs slightly to bow to her. Greetings, Teepo. Ren took out two plates of food and placed them before her. ¡°I''ll make something nice for supper for you.¡± Thank you. Ren turned to the pen that covered almost half of the room and saw there was still some webs and wood inside.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Hi, Zetaya.¡± Ren said and stepped into it. The fire elemental hopped out of the fire and Ren caught it. It was now 2 feet long, and had grown 6 inches since the last time he''d seen it. ¡°Whoa! You''re getting bigger!¡± It''s color changed slightly and Ren rubbed his face on it''s head stub. ¡°Do you want something different to eat?¡± Ren asked it, and it nodded. ¡°Let''s see what I have in inventory for you.¡± He looked through what he had, and didn''t see a whole lot that the fire elemental could eat. ¡°I''ve got a pile of cloth scraps.¡± The head stub shook from side to side in a clear ''no'' gesture. ¡°Then I''m not sure... oh! Hello.¡± Ren smiled when he found the cape that went with his Travelling Clothes. He had made it with the set of Travelling Clothes way back when he had a pile of Spider Silk Cloth to play with; but he never wore it. It just sat in his inventory and took up a slot that could be used for something else. Ren put the fire elemental down and took out the cape. The fire elemental froze when it saw the large piece of Spider Silk cloth, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m tempted to give you the whole thing, just from that reaction.¡± Ren said, and the fire elemental let it''s chest burn bright with white flames, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Don''t try to eat it all at once, okay?¡± The head stub nodded, and Ren laid the strong silky cloth on the floor of the pen, well away from the enchanted flames. The fire elemental kind of sat on it''s back legs, then used it''s front leg stubs to pull the end of the cape into itself. Ren heard a small crackling fire, and he knew the fire elemental really liked having such a large treat. ¡°I''ll leave you to it.¡± Ren said, pat it''s head stub gently, and stepped out of the pen. He pat Riley and Stacy next, and went to the door. ¡°I''ll see you all again tonight.¡± Ren said and left. On his way down to the cargo hold of the ship, Ren finally had a chance to check his missed notifications. A couple of them were messages from Lara, the Sage of Ages.
Lara: Hi, Ren. I just wanted you to know that I talked to the Ambassador for the giant refugees, and she''s making caravans to deliver the weekly supplies and food.
Lara: She was pretty angry at the little people for kicking you out, too. (winky face)
Ren smiled. I''ll have to thank her for that later. He thought, then looked at the next notification.
Notice!
The Church you had constructed on House Neram land has been open for another day. Word continues to spread of it''s opalescence, and dwarves from all around come to pray and worship their gods. You have gained bonuses appropriate for encouraging the active worshipping of these gods. 10 visitors = 1% Knowledge bonus to level. Dark (Gravity) - 201 visitors; Knowledge Of Dark (Gravity) Level 2 (Beginner 22%) +20% = 42% Earth - 330 visitors; Knowledge Of Earth Level 1 (Intermediate 48%) +33% = 81% Fire - 692 visitors; Knowledge Of Fire (Mastered) = No gains possible Ice - 132 visitors; Knowledge Of Ice Level 1 (Beginner 11%) +13% = 24% Light (Holy) - 354 visitors; Knowledge Of Light (Holy) Level 1 (Beginner 49%) +35% = 84% Lightning - 158 visitors; Knowledge Of Lightning Level 5 (Beginner 27%) +16% = 43% Void (Arcane) - 10 visitors; Knowledge Of Void (Arcane) Level 1 (Beginner 1%) +1% = 2% Water - 167 visitors; Knowledge Of Water Level 2 (Beginner 13%) +17% = 30% Wind - 132 visitors; Knowledge Of Wind Level 1 (Beginner 14%) +13% = 27%
¡°Sweet.¡± He said and stopped at the door into the hold at the final popup he had missed.
Notice!
Your ship (UNNAMED) has been in operation for 24 hours. The following information has changed since the beginning of the journey:
Ship''s Hull 14980 / 15000
Food/Consumables 2900 / 3000
Ropes 290 / 300
Cleaning Supplies 1625 / 1650
The following information hasn''t changed since the beginning of the journey:
Captain 1
Cook 1
Waitresses 2
Crew 50
Passengers 15
¡°Cool.¡± Ren said and went into the hold. ¡°Tee-one!¡± ¡°I''ve got all three forges and smelters going.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I even loaded the glass forge with sand.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If we could figure out how to let you use more than one of my skills at a time, I wouldn''t need to help at all.¡± ¡°Where''s the fun in that?¡± Tee-one asked, and Ren laughed. ¡°We could work faster.¡± Ren said and thought about how he had made a tub the last time. ¡°It''s going to be much easier now, I think.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Tee-one asked, then smiled when Ren took out the Wand of Iron Barrier. ¡°That''s brilliant.¡± Ren clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Only if it works.¡± He said, then thought about the best way to do it. ¡°Aw, screw it! I''m not making a tub.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Get ready to pour the smelters.¡± Tee-one went to the middle one and put a hand on the handle. ¡°Ready.¡± Ren cast the first Iron Wall spell and left it the standard 10 foot by 10 foot square that was 2 inches thick, except that he cast it laying down instead of standing up. He kept casting the spell until the stack of walls was 2 feet high, then reduced the dimensions by 2 feet to make an 8 foot by 8 foot square, which increased the wall''s thickness to just over 3 inches, and he cast that 7 times to make the stack a total of just over 4 feet high. He cast Iron wall 4 more times, to make 4 and a half feet tall walls around the stack, and left an inch of space between them. ¡°Start pouring.¡± Ren said and walked over to the closest smelter and poured it out slowly as well. The molten metal filled the 1 inch space quickly, then made a thin layer on top of the 10 foot square section. Ren used his Fire Manipulation ability to move the heat up to his hands and absorbed it, and cooled the metal on the bottom, but left the flat section molten. He cast Iron Wall on top of that molten section to fill in the space up to the 8 foot square section and left an inch space to be filled. The smelters could no longer reach the opening where it needed to be poured, so Ren picked up the third smelter and walked onto and over the iron wall mold and poured molten metal into the one inch space he''d left for it. It filled quickly, just like the other part did, and he covered the top of the 8 foot square section with most of what was left in the smelter. Now that the mold was full, Ren put the smelter back on the forge, then used his Fire Manipulation and Absorb Fire abilities again and cooled the steel down. Ren hadn''t left the molten metal on the Iron Walls long enough to have them start to melt, so they remained intact and in place until they expired 10 minutes after they had been cast. The bottom 10 foot square ones disappeared first, then the 8 foot square ones; next was the surrounding walls used to contain the outside, and last was the spacers for the 8 foot square section. When the last Iron Wall spell dissolved, Ren was left with what looked like a 10 foot square platform with an 8 foot square platform on top of it. Ren smiled and stored it, then took it back out right-side up. It was now a 4 foot deep Jacuzzi-like pool that was 10 foot square, with a seat 2 feet down that was 2 feet wide all the way around the inside. ¡°Now that''s cool.¡± Ren said, and he and Tee-one built a wood frame around it to support the weight, then Ren added steel squares enchanted with Antiwater on the floor of the Jacuzzi. He added steel squares around the middle enchanted with Wind and Water, then added more around the top enchanted with Water only. At the last moment, Ren remembered that it should be heated and added steel squares enchanted with Fire next to the Wind and Water enchantments. There wasn''t anything else to do to it, so Ren stored it and thought about what else to add to a room meant for baths. He smiled and made 6 lounge chairs, 6 chairs and a table large enough for them to eat on. He figured they could make it an informal dining room, too. ¡°Are you working on anything right now?¡± Ren asked Tee-one. ¡°No.¡± He said. ¡°I put everything on hold to help you.¡± ¡°You''re too good to me, my friend.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s fill the smelters again, and head up to the cabin beside the one Princess is in.¡± He smiled. ¡°We''ve got some renovating to do.¡± ¡°Sounds like fun.¡± Tee-one said and they topped off the smelters, then left the hold to go and make a new space for Ren and the personal maids to relax in. * ¡°He''s so intense!¡± Verwynn said. ¡°His concentration is astounding!¡± ¡°It sure is.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I can only imagine what he can do in bed.¡± ¡°Stop that, Frikara!¡± Andrela said as she felt Frikara''s urges enter the shared Aura. The other maids looked at her with surprise on their faces at Andrela''s burning anger. ¡°Ren''s sharing his Aura with us! We can''t taint him with things like that, or he''ll stop!¡± ¡°She''s right.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Frikara? Can you ease off on thinking about it for a while, please?¡± Frikara sighed and the urge faded away, and Andrela''s anger faded with it. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Andrela said. ¡°It''s just...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Frikara said and gave her a hug. ¡°You don''t want to ruin a good thing before it starts.¡± Andrela nodded, and Frikara smiled. ¡°You''re getting a bit of a backbone.¡± Frikara said. ¡°It''s your influence.¡± Navruth said. ¡°We''re all a little more than ourselves while we''re sharing our emotions.¡± ¡°Isn''t it great?¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Even if he''d never done anything else for us, this alone would have earned my devotion.¡± Frikara smiled. ¡°Imagine what it''s like to be with him like this...¡± ¡°FRIKARA!¡± The other maids said together, and Frikara laughed. ¡°Sorry.¡± * Ren thought about the popups he''d seen and frowned. ¡°Hold on a second, Tee-one.¡± He said and stopped walking in the hallway of the main cabin, then held up his hands. ¡°There''s 15 passengers.¡± He said and started counting on his fingers. ¡°Teepo, Princess, Riley, Stacy, Tee-one, Ruck, the fire elemental, the 5 personal maids, Orimihr, and me.¡± He said and looked at the popup. ¡°I count 14 passengers, but it said there''s 15.¡± ¡°Then you know what that means.¡± Tee-one and Teepo said at the same time. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°We have a stowaway.¡± Chapter 308 - The Ship: Part Two ¡°Are you going to tell the captain about the stowaway?¡± Tee-one asked as Ren detached everything from the floor and stored it. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no rush.¡± He said and picked the best spot to set up the large Jacuzzi. ¡°It''s not like the stowaway is going to go anywhere.¡± ¡°They could go overboard.¡± Tee-one suggested as they reinforced the floor and built braces to set the Jacuzzi in, so it wouldn''t slide around when the ship rocked. Ren took it out of inventory and put it in place, then he and Tee-one secured it. Once that was done, Ren made several Antiwater enchanted steel squares and attached them to the floor in good spots to catch any water if and when it spilled, then activated the Water, Wind and Fire enchantments in the Jacuzzi. Ren took out the 6 lounge chairs he''d made and set them up in a kind of semi-circle on one side of the room, and then put the large table on the other side of the room and surrounded it with the chairs he''d made to complete their dining area. He made a nice tablecloth and dyed it red, then made covers for the chairs and lounge chairs in the same color. Tee-one helped Ren make large flowing white curtains to drape around the room, to hide that it was on a ship; then Ren enchanted several steel squares with glyphs of Illumination and put them on the walls to light up the place and deactivated the Jacuzzi enchantments because it was nearly full. ¡°Tee-one?¡± Ren turned to his friend. ¡°What do you think about...¡± ¡°It''s a great idea.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°The personal maids won''t have to go out into the hallway if you make connecting doors.¡± ¡°Where do you think is the best spot?¡± Ren asked, and Tee-one pointed. ¡°Right there.¡± Tee-one said and pointed. ¡°The layout''s match perfectly, and then we can do the same thing between that cabin and the main one.¡± ¡°I''m tempted to remove the walls completely to make it all one big suite; but, I''m pretty sure we''d all rather have separate spaces to sleep in.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Princess wouldn''t like sharing with dwarf women.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Ren asked, puzzled. ¡°Right now she''s sharing with Zetaya, Riley, and Stacy.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°They would all probably have to act differently with women around all the time.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I was thinking something similar.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°The women would have to act differently around the others.¡± Tee-one nodded slightly back and Ren cut a small hole out of the wall and into the next cabin. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s going to be noisy for a little while.¡± Princess huffed, and the dogs barked; then Ren glanced into Zetaya''s pen. The Spider Silk Cloth cape had about a quarter of it missing, and the fire elemental was sprawled out in the flames and looked like it was asleep. Ren finished cutting out a doorway in the wall and stepped through it with Tee-one. While Tee-one made a frame to mount a door in the hole, Ren went to the other side of the room and cut another small hole to talk through. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Ren repeated for the personal maids. ¡°It''s not going to be noisy for much longer.¡± ¡°That''s good.¡± Frikara said and smiled. ¡°Lusinia hasn''t gotten all of her beauty sleep yet.¡± ¡°I''m going to kill you!¡± Lusinia said, but Ren felt her amusement in the shared Aura. ¡°I don''t think she needs any more sleep for that.¡± Ren said as he started to cut the hole for the doorway. ¡°In fact, I don''t think any of you do.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Frikara said, surprised. She didn''t even get a hint of exaggeration from Ren; but, he felt her surprise and it matched how the others felt. ¡°How can you say that? You completely ignored that we were topless this morning.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°When it''s not sprung on me as a surprise...¡± He smiled. ¡°...I can pretty much ignore a naked woman.¡± ¡°You... you mean... you haven''t even looked?¡± Andrela asked, and Ren felt her sadness. ¡°Oh, I looked.¡± Ren said, and he let his appreciation flow out to them. ¡°I''m not going to stare at them, though.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I had enough of that with Ereka.¡± He shook his head. ¡°She used them to distract me a few times.¡± ¡°We''re sorry.¡± Verwynn said and sadness filled the Aura. ¡°If we''d known, we... we wouldn''t have...¡± ¡°No no no.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°You misunderstand. She gained an ability to cause Distraction on me when she showed me her chest, and all I could really do was stare at them.¡± The personal maids stared at him with their mouths slightly open. ¡°Yes! Just like that!¡± Ren said and pointed at Frikara. ¡°That was all I could do.¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I''m not.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°My mind went nearly completely blank and I couldn''t think.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Andrela asked. ¡°I couldn''t really do anything until she covered them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Compared to her and the power she had over me, seeing you... all 5 of you... walking around and showing me your breasts was... well...¡± ¡°Go ahead and say it.¡± Frikara said and smiled. ¡°It was relaxing.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I... ah...¡± His face flushed a little red. ¡°...I liked that you were comfortable enough to act normal around me, even without your clothes on.¡± They could feel how he felt, and knew Ren was being completely honest with them. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± One of them said, but he couldn''t tell who it was, and with the way they were all sharing their feelings, it really didn''t matter. ¡°The door''s done.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Thanks, Tee-one.¡± Ren said, looked at the maids, then motioned to the new doorway. ¡°Please accompany me to the bath.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Frikara exclaimed. Ren felt shock and surprise fill the shared Aura. ¡°With Tee-one''s help, I finished early.¡± ¡°He''s really not kidding.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°He made us a bathtub.¡± ¡°This I have to see.¡± Navruth said and walked through the doorway. The other 4 maids followed her and they went through the cabin Princess was in, nodded or waved to her, and entered the next cabin. ¡°By the gods.¡± Navruth said softly as she beheld the splendor Ren and Tee-one had made, and the other maids followed her into the room. Ren felt the maid''s wonder and surprise at the transformation of a room into a personal bath. ¡°How in the world did you do this so quickly?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°I used a shortcut to make the mold for the tub.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t really need to know the details; only that it was fast and was a heck of a lot easier.¡± ¡°I''ve never seen a tub like this before.¡± Verwynn said as she touched the Jacuzzi. ¡°No one here has.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was going to make a normal bathtub; but then, you''d have to take turns and that would use up a lot of time unnecessarily.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°You mean we can all take a bath together?¡± Frikara asked, amazed. ¡°If you want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°We do!¡± Frikara said and started to strip. ¡°Hurry! Before he changes his mind!¡± The other personal maids started to take their clothes off and Ren felt their anticipation flood the shared Aura. Each maid laid her clothing on one of the lounge chairs, then slipped off their underwear to add it to the piles. Now that Ren could literally see all of them, he had to compare them. They were all about the same height, around 4 foot 5 inches; only a couple of inches shorter than Ren. That''s where the similarities ended, however. Frikara, the outspoken one, had dark black hair that would have been long, had it not been constantly done up in a tight hairdo. It kind of looped in on itself and looked quite stylish. Her light skin was as appealing as her chest; which was a good size. They only sagged a little, and had dark tips. Her womanhood was obscured by hair as thick and dark as the hair on her head, and he felt that it suited her quite well. She was statuesque and a little thin, but it suited her body type. Lusinia had a mix of long, dark blonde and brown hair, dark eyebrows, and light skin. Her chest was nearly double the size of Frikara''s and the tips were just as dark. Ren wasn''t sure how she had hidden her chest so well under her clothing; but, he didn''t think about that too much. Her womanhood wasn''t quite as covered in hair as Frikara''s was; so it gave you a glimpse of it''s shape as it peeked out. If you looked hard enough. She was a little on the heavy side for her height; but because her chest was so large, she needed the extra bit of thickness to offset it. Navruth had short dark brown hair, a darker almost tanned skin, and her chest was in between Frikara''s and Lusinia''s in size. They had bright pink tips that seemed too small for the size of the breasts they were on. It actually made her chest seem much larger by comparison, until you had other breasts to compare it to. She barely had any hair at all near her womanhood, and Ren didn''t have to stare to see a whole lot of her. She had an athletic body, almost to the point of being muscular. Verwynn had very light blonde hair down to her shoulders, normal skin, and average-sized breasts. The tips were almost pointed out to the sides, and were a healthy dark pink in color. She had a small tuft of hair above her not-so-secret place, and Ren had to avert his eyes so he wouldn''t see more than what a man who was sleeping with her would see. She was also the perfect weight for her height. Last, but not least, was Andrela. Her bright red hair was halfway down her back, and was as straight as a ruler. There were no curls, waves, or anything at all in it. Ren thought it was a little odd at first; but then it flowed with her as she moved because when she turned her head, it cascaded like a curtain being drawn. Andrela''s skin was as white as it could possibly be, nearly transparent; but surprisingly, she didn''t have a single freckle anywhere. Her breasts were only a little bit more than a handful, and Ren had to concentrate to make out the tips. They were so light that it was hard to distinguish where the edges were. The most surprising thing Ren noticed was that there wasn''t a trace of hair anywhere on her, except for her head and eyebrows. Just like him. The 5 maids walked over to the Jacuzzi, and looked inside. ¡°You first.¡± Frikara said. ¡°What?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Did you try it yet?¡± Lusinia asked. ¡°How do we know it''s safe?¡± ¡°I...¡± Ren looked at them. ¡°No, I haven''t.¡± ¡°Then hurry up and get undressed.¡± Frikara said. ¡°You did offer to come with us to the bath.¡± ¡°No, I-¡± Ren tried to say, and Tee-one put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You did.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You asked them to accompany you to the bath, and she asked if you can all take a bath together. You told her if she wanted to.¡± ¡°I... well, dammit.¡± Ren said and looked at the floor. ¡°Can I at least...¡± ¡°Only if you want to break your word.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°We can feel you''re reluctant, now that you realize what you agreed to.¡± She said and smiled, then put a hand on his hand. ¡°We give our word that all we''ll do is take a bath together.¡± She looked at the other women. ¡°Agreed?¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± They all said together, and Tee-one left the room as Teepo flew up to land on the ceiling. Ren felt the maids determination to only take a bath and nothing else, and he nodded slightly because it matched his own determination for nothing to happen. He took off the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and folded it up on the last lounge chair, and made sure the spider was safely tucked inside. He walked back over to the Jacuzzi and stood beside the 5 personal maids, and stored his clothing. It was the first time they had seen him completely nude, and there was an immediate spike in desire in the shared Aura. Ren stopped concentrating on the Contact Aura as he turned around and faced away from them so they wouldn''t see his reaction. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± Andrela said, and everyone looked at her. ¡°It was too much of a pleasant surprise for me to ignore.¡± ¡°You all get mad at me when I feel things like that.¡± Frikara said, and chuckled. ¡°When she does it, you think it''s cute.¡± Ren looked over his shoulder at them. ¡°I''ll get in first.¡± He put a hand into the water and he could feel how hot it was. ¡°This might be too hot.¡± Frikara leaned forward and tried to put her finger into the water and couldn''t do it. ¡°Yes, it''s definitely too hot.¡± Ren used his Absorb Fire ability to reduce the heat. Since Fire was used to heat the water, Ren assumed he could absorb the heat. ¡°Try it now.¡± Ren said. ¡°But you didn''t do anything.¡± Frikara said and put her hand into it. ¡°Hey! It''s nice now!¡± Ren smiled, climbed in, and sat down. ¡°A hand, please.¡± Frikara said. Ren stood up immediately and sloshed the water around, then bowed to her. Frikara stopped breathing and the Aura the maids shared was flooded with both shock and surprise. ¡°Please forgive me.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°I forgot my manners.¡± ¡°Y-y-you''re f-f-forgiven.¡± Frikara stuttered and took his hand. She climbed into the Jacuzzi with Ren''s assistance, and then Ren helped each one climb in and sit down. The water covered the women almost up to their necks. ¡°This is a little deep.¡± Andrela said. ¡°We can''t wash like this.¡± ¡°I wasn''t sure how far up to fill it.¡± Ren said and activated the Antiwater enchantments on the bottom of the Jacuzzi. The water level started to drop and when it got to just above the middle of their breasts, he deactivated the enchantment. ¡°How''s that?¡± ¡°Discreet.¡± Frikara said and smiled. ¡°Verwynn, soap me.¡± Verwynn chuckled. ¡°One lathering, coming up.¡± ¡°This might take a while.¡± Navruth said. ¡°Verwynn gives massages, too.¡± ¡°Here, Ren.¡± Tee-one said and handed Ren several bars of soap. ¡°Thanks, Tee-one!¡± Ren said, concentrated on the Contact Aura and his Aura merged into the shared Aura. ¡°Make a chain!¡± He said and handed a bar of soap to each maid that didn''t have one. ¡°Andrela, I''ll wash your back and you can wash Lusinia, she can wash Navruth, and she can wash Verwynn as she washes Frikara.¡± ¡°Then I''ll do yours.¡± Frikara said to Ren, and he nodded slightly. They all stood up and started washing their backs. It only lasted for a couple of minutes, then Frikara smiled. ¡°Backs are done. Switch to fronts.¡± Frikara''s hope that she would catch Ren and get to wash his chest was dashed as Andrela turned quickly and started to rub the bar of soap over Ren''s chest. ¡°You''re stuck with me.¡± Verwynn said and Frikara chuckled. ¡°That''s fine.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We all agreed she got to be first.¡± ¡°It''s just a bath.¡± Ren said. ¡°It is.¡± Lusinia said as she and Navruth washed each other''s chest and arms. ¡°Do you feel any spikes of desire?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, and smiled at Andrela as she scrubbed his chest very thoroughly. Her face flushed red, because she was touching Ren and he was picking up nearly everything she was feeling. She stopped scrubbing and lifted her arms so he could wash her. Ren felt a wash of emotions as he lathered up his hands, then moved them towards Andrela''s white skin. His hands touched her shoulders, and he felt fear, excitement, worry, joy, sadness, and several other emotions that he couldn''t quite sort out from her. Ren leaned close and smiled. ¡°Can you turn around?¡± Andrela nodded slightly, and turned around. He felt her disappointment, and then her shock when he stepped close to her and pressed his chest against her back. Her body stiffened for a brief moment, and she was sure he would apologize and back away; and she gasped when Ren reached around her and put his hands on her breasts and scrubbed them. ¡°By the gods.¡± Someone whispered as Ren gave Andrela a thorough massage and scrubbing. He could feel the feelings going through the shared Aura, about how much they were all enjoying Andrela''s reactions; and then he asked Andrela to sit down. She did so without question; so, Ren lifted her legs and scrubbed them for her, and ended at her feet. When he was done, Andrela was more relaxed than he''d ever seen her, and her presence in the Aura had a calming effect. ¡°Me... me next.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Please.¡± Ren turned to look at her, and saw that none of them has finished washing each other. ¡°You''re right, Navruth.¡± He said and lathered his hands up to deal with the next customer. ¡°This is going to take a while.¡± ¡°By the gods, I hope so.¡± Frikara said, then gasped when Ren''s soap-covered hands caressed her breasts from behind, and she moaned in pleasure despite her serious attempt not to. * ¡°What is he doing?¡± Lylyth the Queen of the Dark Elves asked. ¡°If I may?¡± The healer asked, and Lylyth nodded to her. The healer placed a hand on the side of Lylyth''s head and closed her own eyes. ¡°I''m only getting a trace of it.¡± She said. ¡°He''s giving pleasure to... one, two, three, four...¡± She smiled. ¡°...five women at once.¡± ¡°He''s WHAT?!?¡± Lylyth exclaimed. That little man? ¡°Five women? Really?¡± The healer nodded. ¡°I''m surprised you can''t feel them yourself.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°That''s why I called you. Ever since my old abilities started to resurface, it''s been getting harder and harder to read what''s around him through the Mark.¡± ¡°What about him?¡± The healer asked. ¡°Can you still feel his emotions?¡± Lylyth nodded. ¡°He has been coming through clearer the last few days.¡± She said. ¡°What''s wrong with me?¡± The healer looked worried for a moment, then sighed. ¡°Please don''t kill me.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lylyth asked surprised. ¡°If I tell you this, I must beg for mercy.¡± ¡°Just tell me!¡± Lylyth said, angrily. ¡°You are...¡± The healer leaned forward slightly to whisper. ¡°...becoming infatuated with him.¡± ¡°I am NOT!¡± Lylyth said loudly. ¡°He is just another Marked Minion!¡± ¡°As you say, Your Highness.¡± The healer said and bowed deeply to her. ¡°May I leave?¡± ¡°No!¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Tell me why you think this!¡± The healer swallowed loudly and her fear filled the room. ¡°There comes a time in every elf''s life when-¡± ¡°I AM NOT A CHILD!¡± Lylyth yelled, then concentrated on the healer''s fear. She followed that emotion inside and ensnared her. ¡°No stories. Tell me.¡± ¡°You are hunting.¡± The healer said, completely entranced and captured by her fear. ¡°You will continue to hunt until you find what you are looking for.¡± ¡°What am I looking for?¡± Lylyth whispered, but she had finally guessed what the healer was going to say. ¡°Another chance.¡± The healer said, and passed out. Chapter 309 - The Ship: Part Three Tee-one had left a while ago to continue his work building up a stock of items for the shop while Ren had diligently scrubbed all 5 personal maids. He made sure he gave each of them an equal amount of attention, so that no one felt like they had been left out. When he was done, the personal maids sat beside each other on one side of the Jacuzzi, and the shared Aura was full of contentment and calmness. ¡°Do you want to just sit and soak for a while, or do you want to dry off and lay on the lounge chairs?¡± Ren asked them. ¡°Do we... have to decide... right now?¡± Lusinia asked, a little breathless. ¡°You just... finished washing me.¡± Ren smiled because the personal maids were still savouring their shared experience. ¡°Then you should sit and soak for a while.¡± He said, then looked down at himself. He still had some soap and bubbles on him, so he dunked himself into the water to rinse off. When he stood up, he ran his hands through his hair to fluff it back out. ¡°I think I will, too.¡± Ren felt that they would like that very much, and he sat down across from them. A moment later, the personal maids opened their eyes and looked at him. ¡°I''d sit with you, but there''s not enough room for all of us on one side.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then we''ll take turns.¡± Frikara said and looked at Verwynn on the end. ¡°Move over onto the side.¡± Verwynn nodded, and with only 4 people on one side, two of them shifted over to make room for Ren to sit in the middle. ¡°You don''t have to...¡± ¡°Come here.¡± Frikara said and motioned to the spot between her and Andrela. ¡°Every few minutes we''ll move down one space and let the others sit beside you.¡± Ren felt everyone''s agreement, nodded slightly in agreement himself, and went across the Jacuzzi to sit between them. They were shoulder to shoulder with each other, and he figured he could save a little bit of room if he changed how he sat. He stood up for a second and felt a bit of worry enter the Aura. Ren assumed they thought he was going to leave; so he opened his arms and sat down again right away, then took Andrela and Frikara into one arm hugs. He felt a spike of surprise from everyone, and then happiness replaced it. ¡°Now we have a little bit more room.¡± Ren said and smiled. Frikara and Andrela weren''t going to pass up such a great opportunity to cuddle, and they snuggled in and rested against his chest. They sighed together and closed their eyes. Hey, Teepo. Ren thought to his friend. I have a big job for you. ¡°I''m up for it!¡± Teepo said. Can you count everyone on the ship? Ren asked. We know how many are supposed to be here, but there seems to be one extra. ¡°That is a big job.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It might take a while.¡± I''m not going anywhere. Ren thought and smiled. ¡°I wouldn''t, either.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter as he flew out of the room to begin his search. ¡°I have a bit of a surprise for you.¡± Ren said, and the personal maids all looked at him. Activate. The Wind enchantments on the sides of the Jacuzzi turned on and stirred up the water. ¡°AhhHH!¡± All the maids said and jumped up at the same time. They splashed water everywhere and Ren laughed at their reaction. Two of them crossed their arms, one put her hands on her hips, and the last two just stared at the water as it churned. ¡°I guess I should have given you a more detailed warning.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Yes, you should have.¡± Frikara said a little sternly. She felt he was sorry, even though he enjoyed how much they had jumped; so, she forgave him and sat back down, then cuddled into his chest again. Andrela followed suit barely a second later. ¡°It feels weird.¡± Navruth said. ¡°Can you reduce it a little?¡± Ren nodded slightly and deactivated half of the enchantments. ¡°Thank you.¡± Navruth said and leaned back. ¡°It''s still a little weird, but...¡± She smiled. ¡°It''s nice.¡± After several minutes, Frikara moved over to make room for the next person, and Andrela switched sides to cuddle Ren''s other side as Lusinia took Andrela''s old spot. No one said anything about Andrela getting two chances to cuddle, because they would each get two chances to do that. * ¡°I''d like to see the Head of House Neram, please.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°I''m sorry, the Head of the House isn''t here.¡± The receptionist at the Main House said. ¡°Then let me speak to Ereka.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°Just a moment.¡± The receptionist said and touched the Sending Square on her desk. ¡°There''s someone here that wants to see you.¡± The receptionist said, and told Ereka who it was. ¡°Send her in.¡± ¡°Go right through and to the office at the back.¡± The receptionist said to Dorathy. ¡°Thank you.¡± Dorathy said and went to the office. She knocked and Ereka told her to come in. ¡°I''m here to accept the job Lord Neram offered me.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°I''m sorry, Dorathy.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Lord Neram was... banished.¡± She sighed. ¡°Plus, he''s not the overall commander of the Garrison anymore. He doesn''t need you to make uniforms for the soldiers.¡± ¡°That wasn''t the job he offered me.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°He wanted me to be the tailor for House Neram. The uniform job was only the first thing that had to be done.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Then... you''ll have to talk to Nathalia... I mean, the Head of the House.¡± Dorathy smiled. ¡°That''s who I asked for first.¡± Ereka smiled back. ¡°I''ll send her a message and she should be free this afternoon.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°Do you mind if I wait here?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Ereka said. ¡°There''s a large living room upstairs for that.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Dorathy said. ¡°Let me know when she gets here.¡± Dorathy left Ereka''s office and went up the stairs and sat down on one of the large comfy couches. She looked around at what was there, and saw a small bookshelf. Curious, she went over to it and saw it had several copies of Ren''s books on it. She smiled and picked one up and went to the couch, reclined back on it, then opened the book to one of her favorite parts and started to read. * Each of the maids had taken turns, and when it came to the last one and she switched sides to get her second turn, Frikara got to have her second turn, too. ¡°You planned that, didn''t you?¡± Ren asked her.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Not really.¡± Frikara said. ¡°When I thought about it, though; I believed it was better giving up a longer cuddle at the first was better, so I could have the last one.¡± Ren smiled and hugged her a little tighter. They spent the next few minutes soaking in the water, and then it was time to get out. He deactivated the Wind enchantments and stood up. ¡°That''s enough relaxing.¡± Ren said to them and grinned. ¡°Let''s dry off so we can lay down on the lounge chairs and relax.¡± The maids laughed and stood up, too. Then there was a sudden spike of astonishment, and four of the maids looked at Lusinia. ¡°What is it?¡± Frikara asked her, and she pointed at Ren''s face. The maids looked at him, and they all felt astonishment. ¡°What?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What''s wrong with my face?¡± ¡°You... you...¡± Andrela tried to speak, but she couldn''t say anything else. Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and looked at his reflection. He didn''t have a full beard anymore, as several patches of it was now missing. He looked over at the soap on the side of the Jacuzzi, and remembered dunking himself to rinse it off. ¡°Well, I can''t leave it like that.¡± Ren said and stored the mirror, picked up a bar of soap, and lathered his hands. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Frikara asked as Ren scrubbed his face with soap-covered hands. ¡°We''re all clea-BY THE GODS!¡± Ren splashed water on his face and the beard disappeared as the cream dissolved. ¡°YOU... YOU...¡± Frikara yelled. ¡°WHAT IS GOING ON?!?¡± ¡°I normally don''t have a beard.¡± Ren explained as shock and surprise filled the shared Aura. ¡°A healer at the House Neram mines bought a magic cream to treat a chin itchiness, and put it on me. I''ve had a 2 inch long beard since then.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said, as the shock and surprise didn''t diminish at all. ¡°I probably should have told you. There''s so many other things I should tell you, too.¡± ¡°Hold on!¡± Navruth said. ¡°You''ve been lying to us all this time!¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I didn''t lie.¡± He said and looked at them. ¡°I just didn''t think about it. I''ve had it for a while, and it just didn''t cross my mind until now.¡± ¡°What else is fake about you?¡± Verwynn asked. Ren could feel indignation and a little betrayal in their feelings, and then Andrela stepped close and rubbed her hand on his chin, then on the side of his face. ¡°It wasn''t fake.¡± Andrela said. ¡°He might not have grown it himself; but, it was still his beard.¡± She said and looked at the other maids. ¡°Who thinks about the hair on their head all the time? I don''t. It''s just there, right? A part of you that you accept and ignore.¡± She turned back to Ren. ¡°Dwarves see people that shave their beards off as strange or a little crazy.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°But you didn''t shave it off.¡± Andrela said and smiled as she stroked his chin again. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. ¡°I don''t think it''s fair if you get judged like that.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and hugged her. ¡°That was nice of you to say.¡± Ren felt how much she liked being held like that, both emotionally and physically, and she wrapped her arms around him to hug him back. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Andrela said and let him go. Ren had thought she would have tried to hold on to make it last longer; but, then he realized that she probably didn''t even think of doing that. ¡°I''ll get out first and make some towels and robes.¡± Ren said and climbed out of the Jacuzzi. He went over to the table and took out the right kind of fabric that would be best suited as towels and made a dozen of them. He dried himself off quickly and took out some thin silky fabric used for lingerie and made 5 robes with belts. He did it all completely nude, and he felt the curiosity and intensity of the maids as they stared at him while he worked. The last thing he made was a pair of silky shorts for himself and put them on. ¡°Here we go.¡± Ren said and stored everything, then went back over to the Jacuzzi. ¡°Andrela? May I assist you?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Andrela said and held a hand out for Ren to take. She climbed out of the water and Ren asked her to sit on the top of the Jacuzzi. She sat down and he took out a towel to dry off her feet and legs. He felt her appreciation that he was concerned about her slipping and falling enough to dry her feet for her. Ren handed her the towel, and Andrela looked at him with wide eyes. He smiled because he knew she wanted him to dry her off; so, he surprised her and picked her up and stood her on the floor. Andrela was so surprised that she couldn''t move when he let her go. Ren felt her reaction and took out another towel and started to dry her off. After a few moments, she calmed down enough to enjoy the attention and was smiling herself when he finished. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, Ma''am.¡± Andrela winced and put a hand on Ren''s chest. ¡°Don''t lie to me and call me Ma''am.¡± She said. ¡°I''m no more a Ma''am to you than you are a Sir to me.¡± Ren put his own hand over hers. ¡°My apologies, Andrela.¡± He said, then moved her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. She gasped and pulled her hand away. ¡°Take that back!¡± Andrela said, and he felt her immediate anger. ¡°You are not below my social standing!¡± ¡°We''re not in the dwarf lands anymore.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to worry about-¡± ¡°You have more Influence and Honor than anyone else in our history!¡± Verwynn said and cut off his words. ¡°It wasn''t even given to you! You earned it!¡± Navruth said. ¡°You are the Unnamed King.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°No one has ever held that title before.¡± ¡°I''m sorry about the way we reacted about your beard.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Andrela is right. We shouldn''t judge you like that; but, we will judge you about this!¡± She said. ¡°We''re your personal maids! You can''t lower your prominence to be below us like that!¡± Ren took out one of the robes and hung it over Andrela''s shoulders. ¡°I could order you to accept it.¡± He said, and they all froze still. ¡°Every time I talk to you, any or all of you, I have to be careful about what I say; just in case I might activate some kind of rule or ritual.¡± He sighed. ¡°You don''t know how tempted I am to order you to just ignore your cultural baggage.¡± The maids gasped and put a hand over their mouths. ¡°I''d never do that, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t interfere with how people live their lives like that.¡± ¡°But... you just said...¡± Verwynn said. ¡°I''m not going to order you to act how I want you to act.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s the point of that?¡± He asked them. ¡°You''d lose what makes you, you.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± Navruth said. ¡°I just want to stop worrying about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Keeping up my guard constantly is hard on me.¡± ¡°Then don''t.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Do what you want.¡± She smiled. ¡°We''ll worry about any implications it may have.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Call us by name. Kiss our hands. Play with us like toys.¡± Frikara said. ¡°You just enjoy yourself, as we''ll deal with the consequences.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, I can''t do that.¡± He said. ¡°I have too much respect for-¡± ¡°Rubbish!¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Your problem is that you care about others too much to care about yourself.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°No, she''s right.¡± Andrela said. ¡°You''re doing everything for everyone else, and you spare no thoughts for yourself.¡± She smiled. ¡°Hand over the towels and robes, and go lay down on your lounge chair. We''ll dry ourselves off and be right over.¡± ¡°I really should-¡± ¡°Andrela''s right.¡± Frikara said and started to climb out of the Jacuzzi. Ren gave her his hand and helped her out. ¡°We are capable of taking care of ourselves.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Go lay down.¡± Frikara said as Ren gave her a towel, then he handed Andrela the rest. ¡°We''ve got this.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Right after I help everyone climb out.¡± He helped the last three maids get out of the tub and walked over to a lounge chair and laid down on it while his personal maids dried themselves off. * ¡°I was going to argue after he dried us off.¡± Frikara said, and several of the other maids chuckled. They dried themselves off, with a bit of help from Andrela, put on their nice new robes, and went over to the lounge chairs and laid down to relax beside the man that they wanted to do everything for. * After about 20 minutes, Teepo flew into the room and landed beside Ren. Hi, Teepo. Ren thought. How did it go? ¡°I''m done.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s 68 of us on board.¡± Ren opened the Ship Info popup he had gotten the night before and counted the number of people.
Notice!
Your ship (UNNAMED) has been in operation for 24 hours. The following information has changed since the beginning of the journey:
Ship''s Hull 14980 / 15000
Food/Consumables 2900 / 3000
Ropes 290 / 300
Cleaning Supplies 1625 / 1650
The following information hasn''t changed since the beginning of the journey:
Captain 1
Cook 1
Waitresses 2
Crew 50
Passengers 15
There''s 69 of them. Ren thought and closed his eyes. So, if there''s an extra passenger... ¡°They can''t been seen, or are hiding somewhere I can''t get to.¡± Teepo said. I assume that you... ¡°All over!¡± Teepo said. ¡°I even went into the engine room. There''s only a few dwarves in there, and the engine.¡± Then yes, they''re hiding in a good spot if you can''t find them. Ren thought to his friend. Speaking of the engine room, it''s about time I went in there to get a good look. ¡°Good luck.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The dwarf running it is a real pain in the butt.¡± How would you know that? Ren asked. ¡°He kicks the other workers in the backside when they mess up.¡± Teepo said. ¡°He can launch them pretty far, too.¡± Ren shook his head. I''ll have to put a stop to that. He thought. Right after I lay here for a while. ¡°You don''t want to run out right after they told you to relax, huh?¡± Teepo said. Yeah. Ren thought. I really do want to relax, though. ¡°Have fun.¡± Teepo said and took off. ¡°I''m going to keep looking for the missing passenger.¡± Good luck. Ren thought and sighed. A hand touched his chest, and Ren opened his eyes and saw that Andrela looked at him with a bit of worry on her face as it trickled into the shared Aura. He smiled at her, and put a hand on hers and closed his eyes again. Chapter 310 - Engine Trouble Andrela laid beside Ren with her hand on his chest, and she let his feeling of relaxation fill her. Sharing Auras was new and exciting, and she couldn''t understand why Ren had no problem with kissing her hand like he did. She knew that he wasn''t from her culture, and she also knew that he understood what the gesture meant; but, he had done it anyway and she couldn''t figure out if he did it intentionally or not. At the moment, with skin contact, she had a much more direct connection with him and his feelings than the others did. Andrela didn''t know why skin contact made everything clearer, only that it did; and she used that knowledge to her advantage. She could tell that he felt guilty for relaxing, even though he desperately needed it. She thought that he just didn''t believe that he should be sitting here doing nothing when he could be doing a lot of other things. Andrela imagined what some of those other things might be; but, she controlled her thoughts so she wouldn''t go where Frikara automatically went with her thoughts. She smiled as she drifted through Ren''s sea of emotions for almost 10 minutes before she felt it change from relaxation to determination. * Ren had relaxed for about 10 minutes after Teepo had left the second time, then decided he needed to get to the engine room. It wasn''t really his job to police the crew of the ship, because that was the captain''s job; but, he also couldn''t let the dwarf in the engine room continue to abuse his work crew. Ren opened his eyes and pat Andrela''s hand with his own, and she moved it away. Once again, when he thought she would have dragged her hand across his skin to try and touch him for as long as she could, she surprised him by lifting it and pulling it away instead. He looked at her face and saw a smile there, so he knew that she understood why he was surprised. He reached out and took her hand, gave it a squeeze, then let it go and stood up. ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren said to his personal maids. ¡°We know.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We can all feel your determination.¡± ¡°Thank you all for spending this time with me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please feel free to stay and relax. This is a part of the main cabin now, and you can come here whenever you want.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Navruth said. ¡°You really didn''t have to do this.¡± ¡°I know I didn''t have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, once I got the idea in my head...¡± ¡°...you had to at least try it.¡± Lusinia said and looked around. ¡°It came out really well. We can barely tell we''re on a ship.¡± ¡°That''s what I was going for.¡± Ren said. ¡°The big table there is so we can have a nice sit-down dinner, instead of eating on the bed.¡± ¡°Aw. I liked that part.¡± Frikara said and looked at the other maids. ¡°We all did, didn''t we?¡± A distinct feeling of agreement flowed into the shared Aura and Ren smiled. ¡°I didn''t say we''d always eat at the table.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just that we could.¡± He equipped his Travelling Clothes and put on the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, then walked over to the door. ¡°I''ll be back later to make supper.¡± He said and opened the door. ¡°Lock this behind me. I don''t want anyone walking in on you.¡± * The maids waved to Ren as he left the room. ¡°So, should we just refuse to eat at the table?¡± Navruth asked as she locked the door like Ren said. ¡°I really did like hand-feeding him.¡± Frikara laughed. ¡°We can''t hand-feed him all the time.¡± She said. ¡°He''d get sick of it pretty fast.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t get sick of it.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°When I almost dropped some of the food and he caught it in his mouth and sucked on my fingers... it was... it was almost like he was...¡± ¡°...sucking on something else.¡± Frikara said, and shivered slightly. ¡°Frikara!¡± The maids said as her shiver of remembered pleasure went through the Aura. ¡°Sorry.¡± Frikara said and smiled. * Ren felt the shiver go through the Aura and he chuckled. I wonder what they''re talking about? ¡°What else?¡± Teepo asked as he flew back to Ren and landed on his shoulder. ¡°You, of course.¡± How would you know that? Ren asked his friend. You weren''t there to hear them talking just now. ¡°I don''t have to be there.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°They always talk about you.¡± Oh. Ren thought, then went out onto the deck to look for the captain. ¡°I still couldn''t find anyone else.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Of course, I couldn''t tap on things and see if anything tapped back in my astral form.¡± I could give you your physical body if you want. Ren said. ¡°Not yet.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m too useful while I''m invisible right now.¡± Ren nodded. Where''s the captain? ¡°Steering the ship on the back deck.¡± Teepo said and Ren turned around to look at the back of the ship. Up on the high raised platform on the back deck, was the large wooden steering wheel that controlled the rudder of the ship. The short captain stood behind in on a wooden box to give himself enough height to see over the steering wheel. Ren walked at a sedate pace across the main deck to the half-stairway half-ladder that led up to the back deck. ¡°You finally decided to grace us with your presence.¡± The short captain said snidely. ¡°I figured you needed to see me at least once more during this trip.¡± Ren said, and the captain didn''t detect any kind of lie. He looked at Ren, but kept steering the ship even though his head wasn''t facing forward. ¡°You''re serious.¡± The short captain said, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I don''t have any problem with staying out of the way.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know how to sail a ship, and I know how much dwarves like unwanted help.¡± The short captain snorted a laugh. ¡°I just wanted to let you know that there''s an extra passenger somewhere on the ship.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s a WHAT?!?¡± The short captain shouted. ¡°We have a stowaway?!?¡± ¡°According to the info I have as the owner.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve had two searches done on the ship already, and I can''t find them.¡± How did he do that? The short captain asked himself. He''s only left his cabin to go to the cargo hold. ¡°I don''t know if you want to make a search for yourself, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you do, you are not allowed to search my cabin, the cabin on the right of that, or the cabin beside that.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I''ve joined them together to make one large cabin.¡± Ren said. ¡°My personal maids needed more space, and they will not be disturbed.¡± The captain looked like he was going to argue about not having access to all parts of the ship like any captain was supposed to, and Ren held a hand up to stop him. ¡°This isn''t a debate or an issue to be argued.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is my ship and I will do what I want with it.¡± The short captain clamped his mouth shut on his hot retort, mainly because this was the biggest ship in the entire dwarf kingdom, and in some of the other kingdoms, too. The last thing he wanted was to lose such a well-paying and prominent job. ¡°I''m heading down to the engine room to take a look.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been meaning to do it for a while, and now that I have the spare time, I''m going to indulge my curiosity a little.¡± ¡°Be careful of Smeg, then. He hates slackers.¡± ¡°I was going to mention that to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I heard he abuses his workers.¡± ¡°Only when they make mistakes... or don''t follow orders... or when he''s in a bad mood.¡± The short captain said and smiled. ¡°And you aren''t going to do anything about it?¡± The short captain shrugged. ¡°He keeps the engine running and maintains the ship.¡± He said. ¡°Any of the workers can leave the job and do something else; but, it''s an easier job than a deckhand, pays more, and you have more free time.¡± He smiled. ¡°The boots to the backside are just perks for Smeg, while the workers have an easier time than everyone else on the ship.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Ren nodded slightly, now that he realized that the captain only wanted results and it didn''t matter to him if the people under him were being mistreated at all as long as the work was being done. ¡°Good day, captain.¡± Ren said and walked over to the stairs to go down to the main deck. The captain turned to a dwarf off to the side, nodded slightly to him, and gave him two hand signals. The dwarf slipped over the side of the ship and slid down a rope to one of the portholes in the engine room. He knocked twice, and the porthole opened. ¡°Owner''s coming for a visit in 2 minutes.¡± He told the worker on the other side. ¡°Captain says ''best behavior or else''.¡± The worker nodded, closed the porthole, and turned to the other workers to relay the message. ¡°By the gods!¡± Smeg said and kicked the closest dwarf in the butt, who slid several feet and into another worker, who caught him. ¡°Clean up! Get the tools stored! Go! Go! GO!¡± * Ren went along the deck to get to one of the stairways to go down to the engine room. There were only two sets of stairs for that, and Ren wondered if one was for going in, and if the other was for going out. He had seen some ships on television where that was the way it was; all up traffic for one side and all down traffic for another. That way, if there was ever an emergency, there was never any confusion about which stairway to use. Ren picked the right side staircase because that was closest one to where he stood, and went down it. At the bottom he found a small anteroom, and he turned to look at the stairways. One was clearly marked with an UP arrow, and the other with a DOWN arrow. He smiled because he had guessed right and had used the DOWN stairway. He turned back to the other side and saw the large doorway. It almost looks like a safe. Ren thought and looked at the bar-like handle. It didn''t have any kind of keyhole or anything, so Ren stepped close and reached out... then froze. That could have been a really stupid mistake. He thought and stepped back, then used Enchanted Eyes. The handle glowed with some kind of enchantment; but, the door itself looked clear. Ren knocked on the door a couple of times, and the handle stopped glowing and turned. The door opened and Ren stepped back again. ¡°Welcome to the engine room.¡± One of the workers said and motioned into the room. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and stepped by him. Inside were several racks of different kinds of tools; some he recognized, and some he didn''t. He walked over to the racks and used Identify, then examined them closely. He got several new patterns for wrenches, pry-bars, screwdrivers, and a few other things he had never seen before in the game. ¡°You like tools, do you?¡± A scraggly-looking dwarf asked as he came over to Ren. ¡°Very much.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s always a good idea to have access to as many tools as possible, because you never know what could be useful until you need it.¡± ¡°That''s my belief, too.¡± Smeg said. ¡°You wanted to see the engine?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°This way.¡± Smeg said and took Ren through the main room and into a much smaller space. There was an indentation in the floor about 10 feet square, and nothing else. ¡°It''s underneath the ship?¡± Ren asked, and Smeg nodded slightly. ¡°It drops down into the water when we want to use it.¡± Smeg said. ¡°I assume you know it''s enchanted.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I heard the crafting section of the Garrison was working on one that could use multiple enchantments.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Smeg said. ¡°I wish them good luck with that.¡± He said. ¡°It''s difficult enough to enchant it once.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°What is it enchanted with?¡± ¡°An ancient Dwarven Rune.¡± ¡°Can I see it?¡± Ren asked, and Smeg shook his head. ¡°It''s in operation right now. We can''t disengage it until we''re planning to stop. It takes several hours to start it up again and get it back up to speed.¡± ¡°Why so long?¡± ¡°It''s the size of the ship.¡± Smeg said. ¡°It takes a lot more to charge it up than a smaller ship does.¡± He said. ¡°Plus, this one has been modified to add more power.¡± ¡°I came down here to examine the engine.¡± Ren said. ¡°Turn it off and bring it up. I want to see it.¡± ¡°I''ll have to talk to-¡± ¡°Me.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is my ship. You all work for me. Stop the engine and raise it.¡± Smeg looked over to one of the workers, who ran out of the engine room. ¡°Okay, I''ll wait for the captain to get here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then you''ll show it to me.¡± * ¡°Captain!¡± The engine room worker nearly yelled. ¡°He wants to see the engine!¡± ¡°Then show it to him.¡± ¡°It''s in use.¡± The worker said. ¡°The ship will lose nearly all of it''s manoeuvrability.¡± The captain sighed. ¡°Fine, I''ll talk to him.¡± * Ren waited patiently for the captain to arrive and by the look on his face, he didn''t want to be there. ¡°We can''t leave the ship unable to move.¡± The short captain said. ¡°We''ll be sitting ducks.¡± ¡°Sitting ducks for what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Everything in the water.¡± The short captain said. ¡°You have no idea what''s underneath us.¡± ¡°Then give me an idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°Join me for supper, and I''ll tell you all the tales I know.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°That''s not what I asked for.¡± He said. ¡°Tell me what to expect if I bring the ship to a stop.¡± ¡°You''re still going to, even knowing there are creatures that can tear the ship apart?¡± ¡°You haven''t told me that until just now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is there an island nearby? We don''t have to stop in open waters if we don''t have to.¡± ¡°We don''t have to stop at all!¡± Smeg said. ¡°Captain, you know it''ll take hours to get going again if we do!¡± The short captain looked at Ren. ¡°I don''t think he cares about losing a few hours on this trip.¡± ¡°I don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°This isn''t a shipping run. It''s the first voyage. We don''t have a set schedule, or a deadline, or any actual plans besides going to Aurora.¡± ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± The short captain asked Ren. ¡°Where''s the closest piece of land?¡± ¡°A couple of miles south.¡± ¡°Captain...¡± Smeg started to say, and the captain waved him to silence. ¡°We can be there in a few minutes.¡± The short captains said. ¡°Make it so.¡± Ren said. * The captain left the engine room to go back to the steering wheel, and he set course for land. ¡°Captain!¡± Grint, the dwarf in the crow''s nest peeked out from the scout''s perch. ¡°You can''t be serious!¡± ¡°Owner''s orders.¡± The short captain said. ¡°Is he an idiot?¡± Grint asked. ¡°That''s Shoal Island!¡± The short captain shrugged as the ship moved into one of the large bays. ¡°I probably should have mentioned that.¡± He whispered and brought the ship to a stop. * ¡°We''ve stopped.¡± Ren said. ¡°Raise the engine, please.¡± Smeg nodded to two of the workers, and they manned a large crank. They started to turn it, and the 10 foot square indentation in the floor opened up; then a large metallic box was raised out of the floor. Cold water sloshed over the floor and covered everyone''s feet, and then the engine stopped moving when the crank stopped turning. ¡°It''s just a metal box?¡± Ren asked, and looked at the front. He saw the end of a cylinder that glowed, and blackness. He went around the other side, and saw a similar cylinder, but it didn''t glow. ¡°Where''s the Dwarven Rune?¡± ¡°It''s on the front of the engine.¡± Smeg said. ¡°I can''t see it.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°Open it.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, I can''t do that.¡± Smeg said. ¡°It''s a trade-¡± Ren switched to his Command Aura and cut off Smeg''s words. ¡°This is my engine. Open it. Now.¡± Smeg looked at him with a worried expression, and one of the workers held out a wrench Ren hadn''t seen before. It glowed brightly, but he couldn''t read the enchantment on it. Smeg grabbed the wrench with an angry expression, then looked down at the engine. Ren didn''t need to share an Aura with Smeg to see how reluctant he was to open it. He looked at Ren for a moment, then bent down and tapped the top of the metal box. The four corners folded up to reveal hidden bolts, and Smeg used the wrench to unscrew them. When the last bolt was removed, he lifted the cover to reveal a metal box full of water. Ren looked into the water and could see the front and back cylinders were about 3 feet long, which left a space of about 4 feet between their ends. He looked at the glowing front cylinder, and saw the ancient Dwarven Rune.
Notice!
You have learned a new Dwarven Rune: Water Funnel. This rune, when enchanted on an appropriately shaped object, will suck in a large amount of water on one end, compress it, and expel it out the other end.
¡°The water should funnel straight through.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why aren''t the pipes connected?¡± ¡°They are connected.¡± One of the workers said, and reached into the tank and pulled out a cork from the bottom. ¡°With the ship so big and heavy, we needed an extra booster.¡± ¡°What do you mean, an extra boos-¡± Ren stopped talking as the water drained away to reveal something he never would have expected. It was a young water elemental. Ren knew that was what it was, because the leg and head stubs were identical to Zetaya''s, his young fire elemental. The water elemental was about 4 feet long, the front enchanted pipe was jammed into the head stub, and the other pipe was stuck into... a part he refused to think about. He reached out and grabbed Smeg by the neck and squeezed. ¡°You''re using a living being as an engine component?!?¡± Ren exclaimed, and he automatically connected his Screaming Terror enchantment to his Command Aura. It normally wouldn''t work; but since it was tainted with Fear, it counted as a similar effect. Everyone within his Aura froze stiff from Terror, and Ren''s cold anger filled it. No one spoke. Ren fought not to crush the dwarf''s throat to snap his neck. ¡°How long?¡± He asked Smeg. ¡°How long has it been like this?¡± Smeg didn''t speak as he tried to pry off Ren''s hands. ¡°Since... about a week... before we left.¡± One of the workers managed to say through his Terror. ¡°We... we just... finished the modifications.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren said and lifted Smeg up. ¡°Disconnect it!¡± ¡°We... need the engine...¡± The worker said, and Ren turned on him. ¡°What did you say?!?¡± ¡°It''s connected... through the... enchantment.¡± The worker said. ¡°It can''t... cant be...¡± ¡°He''s... right.¡± Smeg said. ¡°It''ll die... if you...¡± ¡°I will NOT have this abomination continue!¡± Ren nearly yelled. ¡°I will rip the engine from the floor before I leave a water elemental inside of it!¡± ¡°We''ll be... stranded.¡± The worker said. ¡°Do any of you have even a trace of Honor?¡± Ren asked them. Smeg''s face was turning a dark red, and Ren scoffed at him. ¡°You''re a piece of scum!¡± He said. ¡°I thought your behavior towards your workers was uncalled for, but this...¡± He shook his head. ¡°I''m placing you all under arrest.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°For crimes against another species, entrapment, imprisonment, torture, cruelty, and anything else I can think of.¡± Ren said and tossed Smeg across the room to land on several workers that were trying to leave through the large door. They were starting to work through the Terror, and Ren didn''t want any of them to get away. ¡°You''re all going to pay for this.¡± He said and knelt by the water elemental, then reached a hand out. He touched the glowing front pipe and used his Retain Essence ability to store the enchantment. The water elemental''s head stub slid off of the cylinder, but it didn''t reform and smooth itself out. Even the currents that should have been moving furiously through it''s body, barely made any ripples at all. ¡°You poor thing.¡± Ren said and picked it up to dislodge it from the other pipe that held it in place. It''s limbs flopped around and it couldn''t even move on it''s own. He hugged the 4 foot long water elemental close and pet it''s distorted head stub, then he heard a trickling stream that almost sounded like it was crying. Tears came to Ren''s eyes and he held it gently. ¡°I am so sorry.¡± Ren said, and his tears fell into the water elemental. ¡°Don''t worry, though. I''ll deal with them for you.¡± A bubbling brook could be heard, and Ren smiled. ¡°That''s right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll keep them prisoner until I find another one of your kind; then I''ll hand them over, and we''ll see how much they''re going to regret doing this to you.¡± The water elemental''s distorted head stub rubbed against Ren''s cheek and sucked up his tears greedily. Ren leaned his head down and let it take as much as it wanted for its last meal, and he heard a building wave. He let more tears escape, and the water elemental shivered several times; then the sound of a wave hitting the shore could be heard. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Ren said. The water elemental stopped moving a moment later, then it dissolved into sea foam and disappeared. Chapter 311 - Shoal Island ¡°By the gods!¡± Lusinia exclaimed. ¡°What''s happening?¡± They could feel everything Ren felt, and his cold anger burned through them. ¡°I think something really bad happened.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°He''s so angry!¡± ¡°I''m glad we''re connected to him.¡± Navruth said. ¡°I can''t imagine what it''s like to be on the other side of this!¡± Andrela and Frikara hadn''t said anything, and the other three maids looked at them. The two maids were calm and relaxed, and didn''t react at all. ¡°Why aren''t you...¡± ¡°He''s protecting us.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We should be drowning in Terror right now.¡± Andrela nodded. ¡°Close your eyes and feel what he''s sharing.¡± She said. ¡°He''s trying so hard not to lose himself to his anger; so, let''s help him keep it in check.¡± Lusinia, Verwynn and Navruth laid back and closed their eyes, and listened to Andrela''s advice. They concentrated on Ren and his feelings, and ignored their own reactions to it. Once they did, they believed what Frikara and Andrela said was true and became a buffer for him. The anger didn''t touch them like it had at first, and they accepted it easily and absorbed it. The anger eased away; and just as they were about to rejoice in their success, a deep sadness replaced it. ¡°By the gods.¡± They all said together, and their tears flowed unbidden. ******** Stella sat and watched the scene in the engine room play out, and tears came to her eyes. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± She said and wiped her eyes as she started to cry. ¡°This seems to be a recurring theme for you.¡± ******** Ren stood up and clenched his fists. His was still angry; but it was a little distant at the moment. He could think clearly, and wasn''t blinded by it; and he could also feel the reassuring presence of his maids. Ren walked over to the wall and grabbed a piece of rope, cut it into several pieces, and tied up everyone in the engine room. ¡°I... I didn''t... do anything!¡± One of them managed to say through his Terror as Ren tied him up. ¡°You knew, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you say anything? Report it? Protest? Object at all?¡± The worker didn''t say anything and Ren searched them to remove anything that could be used to cut the rope, then tied them all together, back-to-back, almost in a bundle.
Stat Change!
Knot Tying Level 4 (Beginner 0%)
Now that they were all secure, Ren let the Connection between his Screaming Terror ring and Command Aura lapse.
Stat Change!
Connection Level 8 (Beginner 0%)
¡°You''re all my prisoners.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll be held until such time as I can find another water elemental, then you''ll be released into their custody.¡± ¡°You can''t do that!¡± Smeg said. ¡°It was just a stupid elemental that drifted into the shipyard docks! It''s not sentient...¡± ¡°..and you think that gives you the right to use it like that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Didn''t you hear it crying?¡± ¡°Crying? What are you talking about?¡± Smeg asked. ¡°They all make that sound.¡± Ren froze still. ¡°What do you mean they ''all'' do?¡± ¡°Everyone that works at the docks sees them occasionally.¡± One of the workers said, and Ren relaxed. ¡°They usually find their way back out to sea pretty fast; but, this one...¡± He shook his head. ¡°...it just didn''t understand it could turn around and go back.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It crawled out of the water and onto the dock.¡± The worker said. ¡°No matter what we did, it wouldn''t go back in. After a few days, we started to feed it.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Let me guess. You gave it ale.¡± ¡°Not... not at first.¡± Another of the workers said, a little surprised that Ren had guessed so quickly. ¡°We gave it plain water in a bottle and it drank it.¡± ¡°After a while, it started to change it''s head for the bottle to fit.¡± ¡°You went to a bigger bottle.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yeah.¡± The worker said. ¡°It loved clean and fresh water, so we started to give it more and more.¡± He said. ¡°We were up to a 10 gallon bucket at one point...¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren said and sat down on the now empty engine. ¡°You gave it so much, the excess was expelled.¡± ¡°Like a hose.¡± The worker said. ¡°Smeg poured ale into the next 10 gallon bucket, and when it drank it...¡± ¡°All it wanted was more.¡± Smeg said. ¡°So we kept giving it some.¡± He smiled. ¡°Of course, we were all drunk by then, and I had the crazy idea about using the ancient rune.¡± ¡°You stupid, ignorant fools.¡± Ren said, his heart straining not to burst from sadness. ¡°It didn''t want more ale.¡± He shook his head and rubbed his hands on his face. ¡°You starved it by not giving it water.¡± ¡°What?¡± One of the workers said. ¡°It drank more ale than the captain! It couldn''t starve like that!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink.¡± ¡°What''s that mean?¡± One of the workers asked. ¡°It means, when you attached it to the engine, it was so starved that it drank as much as it could. When it couldn''t hold any more... after this ''charge time'' you discovered... it had no choice but to expel it.¡± ¡°But... we thought... it''s supposed to work like that! It''s a water elemental. It processes water!¡± ¡°For itself!¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°Just like everything else, it needs to eat to live!¡± He said and stalked over to them. ¡°What you did... force-feeding it until it...¡± He clenched his fists again, and looked at the large iron door of the engine room. ¡°I wondered why you''d have a door like that.¡± Ren looked at all of the upgrades he''d received and saw one he could make use of right now.
Charge! (Party Skill)
Everyone in your party can act as if they had the Haste and Giant Strength spells cast on them, with a 5 minute limitation. Cost: 100 Mana
Ren was in the bowel of the ship when he activated the Charge! skill; but, he didn''t get a chance to use it himself. There was a soft crash of wood, then a moment later a loud crash of wood, then 2 moments later there was a loud clang of metal on metal. The engine room door deformed and bulged inwards, and one of the large metal hinges stretched and pulled out. There was a second clang a moment later, and the door was torn off it''s hinges and flew across the room as Princess entered the engine room behind it. ¡°Thank you, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might have hurt my shoulder doing that myself.¡± You''re welcome, My Lord. Princess thought to him. Are they next?Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Unfortunately, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°They have to be kept until I can find another water elemental.¡± You are in luck. Princess thought. They are here. ¡°What?¡± Ren asked, surprised. Water elementals surround the ship. ¡°Ah, dammit!¡± Ren said and grabbed the rope that connected the prisoners together. He lifted and picked them all up. ¡°By the gods!¡± Smeg said. ¡°Put me down!¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Ren said and took them through the door and up the stairs, with Princess right behind him. He had to kind of turn them so they would fit in the stairway, and several heads hit the wall and their feet hit the other wall. He wasn''t too bothered by that, though. He brought them out onto the main deck and looked around after putting them down. Water elementals were everywhere. ¡°Oh, boy.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s not something you see every day.¡± Small elementals ran across the deck and jumped on the deckhands, while larger ones were being held off with lit torches and swords with fire enchantments. It was almost like the crew knew what was here, and what would happen if they came here. It''s quite interesting that the captain didn''t tell me about this as a possibility when he accepted my order to come here. Ren thought as he took in a deep breath and connected his Screaming Terror ring to his Command Aura. ¡°STO-OOO-OOO-OOPPPPP!¡± Ren yelled, and everyone stopped moving. The dwarves because of the Screaming Terror, and the water elementals because his yell had wavered in the middle, and for an instant, had sounded a little like a bubbling brook. Ren wasn''t sure what to do, now that he had everyone''s attention; then the main cabin''s doors opened and his 5 personal maids came out fully dressed. Frikara was in the lead, and she held Lusinia''s hand; behind them was Verwynn, and she held Lusinia''s other hand and Navruth''s. Andrela was at the end, as always, and the 5 of them surrounded Ren. ¡°We thought you might need a hand.¡± Frikara said and pointed to Andrela, who held her hand out. Ren took it with his free hand, because the other one still held the rope tied to the engine room workers. Calmness flowed through the shared Aura, and Ren smiled at them all. Frikara walked over to the closest water elemental, a quite large one, and dragged the other maids behind her. She held her hand out to the water elemental, and Ren heard a low rumbling like a churning sea. Frikara kept her calm and waggled her hand at it. The low rumbling changed to the sound of rushing water, and it extended one of it''s large arm stubs to touch her hand. With the maids all holding hands, it made a direct line from the water elemental to Ren. The moment it contacted Frikara''s skin, it stopped making any sounds. It stood there for several minutes, then it did something odd. Frikara''s hand sank into it''s arm stub, then it encompassed her arm. As it started to flow over her chest, the rest of it''s body changed to accommodate extending itself. Frikara didn''t scream or struggle as the water elemental moved to her other arm and along it to Lusinia, then went across to Verwynn, Navruth, Andrela, and then finally to Ren. Ren was pretty sure it was checking to see why he and the maids were connected like they were, then the water elemental finished pulling itself along their joined hands and reformed itself into the same large body with head and limb stubs as it stood in front of Ren. It leaned forward and it''s head stub dabbed small spots on Ren''s chest and clothing, then it poked Ren''s cheek where the small water elemental had drank from. Ren didn''t react at all from the probing, and the water elemental moved back a step and made the sound of a crashing wave. All of the water elementals let out the sound of a gush of water, and a moment later, a small splash was heard. A kind of eel-shaped water creature slithered onto the deck of the ship and came over to the water elemental in front of Ren. It slithered up and around the elemental and stopped at it''s head. Ren kind of had an idea of what was going to happen; so he took several deep breaths and closed his eyes. The eel-like water thing extended itself and engulfed his head and the head of the water elemental. ¡°What the hell is he doing?!?¡± The short captain asked. He was still terrified and couldn''t move very much; but, he could still talk and wanted to know what was going on. ¡°He''s letting the water elemental know what happened.¡± Frikara said as she walked closer to Ren. ¡°I wish he could tell us.¡± ¡°Ren''s desperately trying to let it know.¡± Andrela said. ¡°Some of it''s getting lost... it is a different species, after all. I can feel his frustration, but I think...¡± They saw several air bubbles escape Ren''s mouth, and then a few more. ¡°He''s running out of air!¡± Andrela said as she felt what Ren felt. She let Navruth''s hand go, took a deep breath, then shoved her face into the water creature and pressed her lips to Ren''s. He opened his eyes and felt what she was trying to do for him. He took in her offered air and held it. Andrela pulled her face away and waited. When she felt Ren needed more air, she did the same thing again and gave it to him. After she had done this several times, the eel-like thing pulled away from his head and Ren took several deep breaths. The eel-shaped water creature slithered down the water elemental''s body, then across the deck of the ship and over the side. ¡°Thank you, Andrela.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wouldn''t have been able to maintain contact otherwise.¡± ¡°I''m glad I could help.¡± Andrela said. ¡°We all are.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Andrela was pretty lucky to be on the end, though.¡± ¡°Frikara...¡± Lusinia said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°We can feel your envy.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°Of course you can.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We all feel it, don''t we?¡± She looked at the others, and they could all feel that they were a tiny little bit envious. ¡°Andrela got to kiss him.¡± ¡°I didn''t kiss him.¡± Andrela said. ¡°I was giving him air he needed to breathe.¡± She smiled. ¡°It just looked like a kiss.¡± ¡°A salty underwater lip-bruising air exchange.¡± Ren said. I''m glad the air works a little differently in the game, or that wouldn''t have worked. He thought. ¡°I don''t count that as a ''kiss'', either.¡± Andrela''s face went slightly red and he felt a spike of something from her; but it quickly disappeared before he could tell what it was, even though they were still holding hands. ¡°Andrela.¡± Ren said. Andrela looked at him with wide eyes, because she could feel the intensity of his attention. ¡°You''ll know it when I kiss you for real.¡± Ren said. ¡°Believe me.¡± ¡°I... I do.¡± Andrela said and her face flushed red. There was a loud rumbling around the ship, and then it rocked from side to side. Nearly everyone started to lose their footing, except for Ren, Princess, and the water elementals. ¡°Hold on to me.¡± Ren said to his personal maids, and they all grabbed onto him. They held onto him, and he gave each of them an Amulet of the Spider. He told them what it did and how it worked, and once they were equipped, the personal maids were just as stuck to the deck as he was. Most of the crew were almost thrown off their feet; but, most of them managed to grab guide ropes and handholds to stop themselves from losing their footing completely. The short captain held onto the steering wheel and kept his footing almost as well as Ren did. The rocking stopped as suddenly as it had started, and then something emerged from the water about a hundred feet in front of the ship. Ren watched as the top of a head appeared, then a face with only basic details, then the massive being made of water finished sitting up. Everyone on the ship gasped as they beheld a figure that was about a third the size of a mountain, and water cascaded over the deck of the ship. Ren on the other hand, didn''t react with surprise at all. Unlike them, he knew exactly what this was. It was a display of both power and finesse. A 20 foot wide water hand came out of the water and reached for Ren. He let Andrela''s hand go and stepped forward, so that neither she nor the other maids would be caught in the grip. ¡°Ren!¡± Andrela said and reached for him, but it was too late. The large hand covered Ren completely and picked him up. Since he still held the rope that had the engine room workers tied to it, they were lifted up as well. ¡°No!¡± The short captain said. ¡°You can''t take all of them!¡± The other large water hand came out of the water and spilled a ton of water on top of the short captain, extended a single finger, then poked the main mast of the ship. It snapped like a twig, despite being several feet thick, and toppled over to fall across the back deck and just missed the short captain and the steering wheel. ¡°HEY!¡± The short captain yelled and raised a fist. ¡°That was uncalled fo-¡± *WHACK* One of the deckhands hit the captain over the head with a piece of wood, which made him collapse to the deck, unconscious. ¡°Shut up!¡± The deckhand said to the captain, then looked at the biggest humanoid creature he''d ever seen, and bowed. ¡°We''re sorry he upset you.¡± The face of the massive water being smiled, cupped its other hand over the engine room workers, then laid back down in the water. ¡°REN!¡± The personal maids yelled together as he disappeared from their shared Aura. * ¡°I can''t believe the amount of XP we got for that!¡± Billy said as he hopped into the back of the cart full of wolf carcasses. ¡°Man, oh man!¡± Tommy said and climbed into the front seat beside the driver. ¡°Clint, you''re a goddamned genius!¡± Clint laughed and sat in the driver''s seat. ¡°Ah''m shore glad ah maxed mah Fame las'' week.¡± Hank hopped into the back and held a hand out for Dillon, then pulled him into the cart. ¡°Do we have to ride with these things?¡± Dillon asked, and tried to sit where there wasn''t any blood. ¡°I''ll even spring for a second cart.¡± Hank laughed. ¡°And who''s going to drive it?¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Dillon said. ¡°Never mind.¡± Clint laughed again and flicked the reins to get the horse into motion. ¡°Don''t worry, Dillon.¡± Tommy said. ¡°We''ll be back at Clint''s ranch in no time.¡± ¡°Three days isn''t ''no time''.¡± Dillon said. ¡°We''ve got a couple of stops on the way, remember?¡± Billy said. ¡°I''ve got a gold coin with Jennifer''s name on it!¡± ¡°I thought you were saving up for a new bow?¡± Dillon asked. ¡°I am.¡± Billy said. ¡°This is my spending money.¡± ¡°Every time you pass by her place?¡± Tommy said and laughed. ¡°You''re never going to get a new bow at that rate.¡± ¡°It''s worth it.¡± Billy said. ¡°She does this thing with her tongue... ah, never mind.¡± He clamped his mouth shut. ¡°Forget I said anything.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that. We will.¡± Hank said and laughed. ¡°We don''t wanna hear about your kinks.¡± ¡°It''s not kinky what she does!¡± Billy said. ¡°She just... look, she''s special, okay? Just leave it at that.¡± ¡°You''re the one that keeps talking about it, man.¡± Tommy said and they all laughed. * Ren was surrounded by a large bubble of air as he was submerged below the surface of the water. He was pulled down into the water for only a short distance when he saw a familiar shape in the water. Teepo! Ren thought, and Teepo dissolved into the ring to pass through the portal safely. When he appeared on the other side, he had the sharp pain in the mark on his right hand, and the spider reappeared on it. Ren knew he wasn''t only in another part of the ocean, because the evidence was right before him. He could see as if it was daytime, and saw that he stood just outside a gigantic underwater castle. He was also completely surrounded by water elementals in all shapes and sizes. Summon Teepo! Ren thought. Teepo appeared at his feet and crawled up to stand on his shoulder, and the massive humanoid water being shed off all of it''s components and reduced in size. It took a few minutes for the being inside to be revealed; but when it was, Ren was surprised. It was male. Chapter 312 - Water is Right ¡°Come this way.¡± The 6 foot tall male entity said, and turned towards the castle''s front doors. Ren had lost his hold on the rope when he had passed through the portal, so with nothing to look after, he followed the being inside. The air bubble around Ren went with him. He wasn''t sure if it was him that it was following, or if the being was willing it to be so. With a clear opportunity to observe the being up close, Ren discovered that the being''s body was the same as the one Fire Dancer had. It had a translucent outer shell with the element contained and swirling underneath. Unlike the original Fire Dancer, this being wore strategically placed shells and seaweed; and Ren was more than grateful for that little detail. They went inside the castle, which was much larger than the castle he''d seen in the dwarf lands. It had a similar design, however. They entered a large lobby with a 3 storey staircase, and Ren was surprised to find it wasn''t full of water, but air. Several hallways led off of the lobby, and they went down one of these and came to a large set of double doors. The being didn''t hesitate or announce himself as he opened the doors, and Ren had no choice but to follow him inside. That was as far as he went, because his Etiquette skill activated and he felt like he had to stop. He did so, and then stared at the throne room. It was right out of what Ren thought could be a seafarer''s endless nightmare. The walls were decorated with the bones of countless bodies; both humanoid and creature alike. The wreckage of ships, some designs that Ren didn''t recognize or make out were there, as well as piles of hats worn by ship captains. Scattered among everything were paintings of epic sea battles. In several of them, the water elementals were triumphant over their land-dwelling foes; in another, an unruly gigantic octopus over-stepped its bounds and had to be dealt with. What struck Ren as particularly funny, was one with an infestation of crabs that had tainted the nursery, and had to be expunged. Below each of the paintings were the weapons he assumed had been salvaged from those epic battles. Ren saw tridents, harpoons, staffs, long swords, short swords, pole arms, axes, shields, bows, and several other weapons too numerous to mention. They were in all shapes and sizes, and some were decorated in a sea motif while others were plain and unadorned. The metal on nearly all of them was rusted from being in the water. ¡°Hello, my husband.¡± A melodious female voice almost sang, and Ren felt something prod his brain. ¡°Hello, my wife.¡± The male being responded in almost the same tone, but Ren didn''t get the same mental prod. The male being continued to walk across the large expanse while Ren remained where he stood. ¡°Is this him?¡± The female being asked, and Ren felt that prod against his brain again. ¡°He doesn''t seem very sociable.¡± ¡°I just whisked him and 8 others from his ship.¡± The male being said. ¡°He''s probably still in shock.¡± ¡°If I may speak?¡± Ren asked, and the male being turned around to look at him, surprise clearly on his face. ¡°You may.¡± The female being said, and Ren felt another mental prod. ¡°I request permission to approach.¡± Ren said and bowed slightly. ¡°Being in your presence is an honor, and I would never presume to come near you without your permission.¡± Both the male and female beings stared at him for several quiet moments, and then the female nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and started to walk across the room. He could see several hundred water elementals along the walls, floor, and ceiling. I''m not sure why I''m seeing them. He thought as he glanced around. The surprising fact was that there were also about 50 or so humanoids among them. ¡°You''ve got the ''Spot'' ability.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Any movement within a hundred feet of you, and you''ll see it.¡± When did I get... Ren sighed mentally. Teepo, when we get back to the ship, remind me to read about all of my new skills and abilities. ¡°Will do.¡± Teepo said. While Ren had been looking around, the male being reached his wife and sat down on the simple stone bench beside her. The female being sat on a more ornate bench; and even though it was being used as a throne, it was still just a bench. Ren stopped in front of them, and knelt on one knee. ¡°Thank you for granting me an audience.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you believe this?¡± The male being said. ¡°I abducted him and his prisoners from his ship, and he''s thanking us!¡± The female being smiled. ¡°We have seen what happened to some extent.¡± She said. ¡°Can you tell us again, so we can fill in the missing pieces?¡± Ren had felt nearly a continuous barrage of mental prods as the female being spoke. ¡°I will, but can you answer a question first?¡± ¡°You plan to bargain with us?!?¡± The male asked, a little indignantly. ¡°No, I''ll still tell you; I''m just curious about something.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± He said, not reassured in the least, and Ren shifted his gaze to the female being. ¡°Can I ask why you keep attacking me?¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± The male yelled and stood up in a swirl of water. ¡°You DARE!!!¡± ¡°Wait.¡± The female being said and held a hand up. ¡°Why do you accuse me of such a thing?¡± Ren tapped his temple. ¡°Every time you speak to me, I feel something poke me inside my head.¡± Everything stopped moving as if a switch had been thrown, and the male being looked at his wife. He made several motions with his mouth and exaggerated hand gestures; but according to Ren, all that came out was unintelligible water bubbling. The currents inside the female being''s body swirled and churned as the male continued to speak. The female reached a hand out and placed it on the male''s arm to stop his gestures, and the male calmed down and stopped talking. ¡°Forgive my husband for not speaking properly.¡± The female being said. ¡°He is quite upset that...¡± She sighed. ¡°You shouldn''t be able to feel that.¡± ¡°May I ask why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s something... that really shouldn''t happen...¡± The female being glanced at one of the large pictures with a battle between the sea dwellers and the land dwellers. ¡°...especially between different species.¡± Ren blinked his eyes a few times and thought about what she said, and what it meant. ¡°Am I safe to assume you mean there''s potential for something to happen, and there shouldn''t be?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren lowered his head. ¡°Please forgive me for causing you distress.¡± ¡°What... what...¡± ¡°I came here to resolve a problem, not to cause one.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I may prove it?¡± ¡°Of... of course.¡± The female being said. Ren took out one of the blank amulets he had in inventory and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability, placed the blank on the 1 foot square gold glowing platform that appeared to several gasps, and chose the Amulet of Truth recipe. The platform covered the blank amulet for a few moments, and Ren picked the amulet up to examine it.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Amulet of Truth (Compulsion)
Beings (creatures or persons) within the area of effect can''t speak any deliberate or intentional lies. Anyone within the Aura knows what the Aura does automatically and cannot avoid speaking the truth when asked a direct question. Any creatures or persons with no will of their own are unaffected by any truth-based spell or enchantment. Area of Effect: 25 foot radius
Ren deactivated the Craft Wondrous Item ability and stepped close to the benches the two beings sat on. ¡°Please accept this offering as an apology.¡± ¡°You have... (bubbles)... you just... (bubbles)... I can''t believe...¡± The male being stammered between water sounds. The female being stood up and walked over to Ren and his offering. ¡°This is the latest item that has been offered to us.¡± The female being said. ¡°For the last two days, gold, silver, copper, fish, pottery, containers of water, notes written on parchment, and even prayers have come to us.¡± ¡°I''m glad the Church I built is working.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was banished before I could use it myself, though.¡± ¡°YOU (bubbles)...¡± The male stood up, and water swirled around him again. ¡°It was you!¡± Ren nodded, and the female being took the amulet and put it on. A 25 foot area of effect appeared around her, and she smiled. ¡°Now tell us the tale.¡± She said, and Ren did so. He told her everything, and didn''t leave out any details. When he got to the part where he tied the engine room crew up, she stopped him. ¡°You were going to hand them over to us, with no guilt whatsoever?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I know they didn''t really know they were hurting it with the ale, but after they put it in the engine, they knew it would die when it was removed.¡± ¡°And YOU removed it!¡± The male being said and let his anger show. ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°It died.¡± The female being reached out and touched Ren''s forehead with the palm of her hand. He felt a sliver of a mental probe slide in, and he didn''t fight it this time. The female being closed her eyes for a full minute, then she took in a sharp breath. Ren thought she was seeing, and probably feeling, the water elemental''s death. ¡°C-c-continue, Ren.¡± The female being said when she opened her eyes, and Ren stared at the dark watery depths in her eyes as he finished the story by taking the prisoners up on deck, meeting the water elemental, then being taken from the ship and losing the rope when he came through the portal. Ren felt the probe slide back out of his head and the female being removed her hand from his forehead. ¡°Thank you.¡± The female being said, walked back to her bench, and sat down. ¡°Bring in the prisoners.¡± Two humanoids came into the throne room with a kind of water raft between them, and the 8 engine crew sat on it. They were still bound by the ropes Ren had tied them up with. The workers all started talking at the same time when they saw him and asked what was going on; but Smeg on the other hand, just stared blankly at the humanoids. ¡°What should we do with them?¡± One of the guards asked. ¡°Feed them to the octopus!¡± One of the humanoids in the audience said. ¡°That''s too good for them!¡± Another said. ¡°Use the sharks!¡± ¡°We should put them with the crustaceans! Let them see what it''s like living with crabs for a while!¡± Ren snorted a laugh, and everyone looked at him. ¡°I''m sorry. That last one struck me as funny.¡± ¡°You have a strange sense of humor.¡± The male being said, and Ren nodded. ¡°What would you want us to do with them?¡± The female being asked Ren. ¡°I can''t presume to tell you what to do.¡± Ren said, then his Haggle skill kicked in. ¡°I''d like to suggest that you don''t kill them.¡± A slight uproar came from the surrounding elementals, and Ren waited for them to calm down before he continued. ¡°I know that is a lot to ask for losing one of your companions.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I think I have a better suggestion.¡± ¡°You may present it.¡± The female being said. ¡°Quickly.¡± ¡°Is there any physical labour that you don''t want to do, or can''t do because of your physical bodies? Any buildings that need repair, replacement, or to be built?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What about houses? Barricades? Reefs?¡± Everyone went quiet as they thought about it, because those really were good ideas. ¡°It would take some time for things like that to be built.¡± The female being said. ¡°How long...¡± ¡°No less than a year.¡± Ren said. ¡°WHAT?!?¡± The engine room workers yelled, and Ren looked at them. ¡°No, you''re right. A year''s no good. A year and a half would be better.¡± Ren said and turned to the male and female beings. ¡°That should be plenty of time to have anything built that you can think of, after which the prisoners can be released.¡± ¡°You are very free about giving away other people''s time.¡± The male being said, and the female being nodded. ¡°Very well. We accept your terms.¡± The female being said and turned to her husband. ¡°Take Ren back through the portal, and we''ll begin plans for the repairs on the castle.¡± The male being stood up and Ren held up a hand to stop him. ¡°I''m sorry, Your Highness.¡± Ren said. ¡°That won''t be possible.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± The female being said and looked at him. ¡°Are you refusing-¡± ¡°Absolutely not, Your Highness.¡± Ren said. ¡°You accepted my terms. I have to stay and serve my sentence.¡± ¡°WHAT!?!¡± The female being exclaimed. ¡°We negotiated for the prisoners. I am a prisoner.¡± Ren said. ¡°They are the prisoners.¡± She said and pointed to the ones tied up. ¡°You are-¡± ¡°Your husband said he abducted us from the ship.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might not have been tied up, but I am just as much a prisoner as they are.¡± The female being stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°My intentions were honorable; but like your husband said, I did kill the water elemental.¡± Ren said. ¡°It hurt so much to do it; but, I couldn''t... I couldn''t let it suffer like that anymore.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll serve my time just like the others for what I did.¡± The entire room fell silent, because Ren was well within the area of effect for the truth amulet, and everything he said had been completely true. * The water elementals on the ship dove overboard when the giant water being disappeared, and the ship was left without an engine room crew and without an owner. Several search parties were sent out on rowboats to look for any trace of the missing crew; but, their search was in vain. Nothing was found or seen for nearly 3 hours. The personal maids had stayed on the deck of the ship, in the faint hope that they would see or feel something, and then their hope was realized. The maids cried with joy as Ren''s Aura merged with their shared Aura, and the ship started to rock back and forth. ¡°He''s back!¡± Frikara said, and they all moved back from the edge of the ship. Everyone held on and watched as the giant water being sat up again, and then its clasped hands came up and out of the water. The water being unfolded its hands, and extended them towards the deck of the ship to make an even surface for the prisoners to walk across. ¡°Ren!¡± The maids said as he walked across the giant hand and onto the deck, then he went over to them and hugged each of them. The rest of the prisoners, 7 of them, spread out and greeted their friends. ¡°I missed you so much.¡± Ren said to his personal maids, and because they were sharing their feelings, they felt that he really did miss them. It was almost overwhelming for them. ¡°You were gone for almost 3 hours!¡± Andrela said, tears in her eyes. ¡°We were so worried that you had drowned!¡± ¡°I''m really sorry that I made you all worry so much about me.¡± Ren said, and took Andrela into another hug. ¡°I really could have used your companionship a lot while I was gone.¡± He looked at the others. ¡°All of you, that is.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Frikara asked, a little surprised. ¡°You''re not just saying that?¡± ¡°You can feel how I feel, and you can tell if I''m speaking the truth.¡± Ren said, and cupped the side of her face. Frikara''s heart sped up at the gentle touch and the feelings he shared with her. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°I think...¡± Frikara stomped hard on her automatic reaction to his direct attention, and looked at the other maids. ¡°...that I''ll tell you later.¡± ¡°I missed your brutal honesty, Frikara.¡± Ren said and chuckled, then let both Andrela and Frikara go and stepped back. ¡°Now that I''ve greeted you all, I''d like to introduce you to the Ambassador of the Sea Dwellers...¡± A stream of bubbles and water sounds came out of Ren''s mouth as he motioned to the water being that still stood on the giant water hands. Everyone looked at him in surprise, and then at her. ¡°Oh, right! Sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m too used to calling her by her real name.¡± He smiled. ¡°We decided her land name should be ''Railyse''.¡± ¡°Greetings, land dwellers!¡± Railyse said and gave everyone an enthusiastic wave. She wore a very ornate dress made of Spider Silk Cloth, with sea shells and various other things woven into the seams. She stepped off of the giant water hands and onto the deck, and the giant water hands moved away from the ship. Ren waved to the massive water being, and it waved back and started to lay back down into the water. Railyse walked over to stand beside Ren. ¡°It''s so nice to finally meet you!¡± She said to the personal maids, and shook each of their hands. ¡°I feel like I''ve known you forever!¡± Ren held in his laughter at the shock and surprise that flowed through the shared Aura. ¡°He talked about you a lot.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I can''t believe he rescued you from a Thieves Guild!¡± ¡°He told you all about us in only 3 hours?¡± Frikara asked her. ¡°Ha ha! Of course not.¡± Railyse said. ¡°It took me months to learn to speak your language.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Of course, he learned how to speak ours much faster than that.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I still (bubbles) when I should (gargle) (bubbles)!¡± Railyse laughed and the sound of a gentle rain could be heard. The personal maids stared at them and didn''t know what to say. ¡°Wait!¡± The captain said as he came down to the main deck. ¡°Where''s Smeg?¡± ¡°He decided to stay.¡± One of the engine room crew said. ¡°He''s married now.¡± ¡°He said it was a dream come true.¡± One of the others said. ¡°Married?¡± The captain asked, shocked. ¡°You were only gone for-¡± ¡°It''s been a year and a half.¡± Ren said, and everyone fell completely silent. ¡°It''s really nice to be back.¡± **** ¡°What did he just say?¡± Stella asked herself and pulled over the laptop. ¡°Everyone seems so shocked.¡± She played back the footage at normal speed and turned up the sound. ¡°It''s been a year and a half.¡± The video playback of Ren said. ¡°It''s really nice to be back.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Stella said, and she was just as shocked as everyone in the game was. Chapter 313 - Whats Next? ¡°Max! MAX!¡± One of the guys in the tech department said to the head programmer. ¡°We''re getting another spike in backup server activity.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± Max said and came over to the guy. The tech showed him the server data, and Max frowned. ¡°This isn''t the same as the last time, but it''s pretty frantic.¡± He said. ¡°How long...¡± ¡°About 5 minutes so far.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I know it sounds crazy, but the system''s pulling data like it''s having a hard time keeping up with the flow.¡± ¡°Ha. Ha. That''s so funny, I''ll laugh tomorrow.¡± Max said sarcastically. ¡°What kind of data?¡± ¡°It''s from the sea scenario.¡± Another tech said. ¡°Hm.¡± Max said. ¡°He must have found it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± Max said. ¡°Keep an eye on it, and let me know if anything changes.¡± ¡°Aren''t we going to do something...¡± ¡°We are.¡± Max said. ¡°We''ll wait and see what comes up.¡± ¡°Okay, but this is kinda weird.¡± Max chuckled. ¡°And how is that different from a normal day?¡± The tech laughed. ¡°You got me there.¡± Max smiled and went back to his desk to check on the tap on Ren''s activity that the boss had him install. When he looked at the footage starting at the time of the spike, it was just a blue screen. What are you doing? Max thought, as he contemplated Ren''s activity. While he worked, he kept checking the feed to see if it would change, and 40 minutes later, it showed Ren being put back on his ship. No way! Max typed furiously and confirmed that Ren had met one of the elemental deities of the game, as the large elemental body was one of it''s trademarks. I expected him to find the water elementals and the wreckage in the bay... Max thought. But this...! Max put in an earbud and watched the footage to see what Ren said about it, and kept working as Ren greeted his personal maids. Lucky dog. Max thought and smiled. I can''t believe he found my special contracts. He listened for a bit more, then froze in shock when Ren said that he had been gone for a year and a half. He must be kidding! Max typed furiously and went into the backup server to see the files it accessed and used, and compared it to the normal file system. The server backed up every game day when players were present, so he knew the proper increments for the file repository. He was completely shocked to see 560 days worth of ''daily'' backups had been made in the last 45 minutes. Good lord! Max thought in surprise, and sat back. How... what... It took Max almost 10 minutes to work through the implications of what Ren had stumbled onto, then he saved all of his work and got up from his desk. ¡°Hey, Max.¡± One of the techs said as he approached. ¡°I''ve got someth-¡± ¡°Later.¡± Max said and chopped his hand to the side. ¡°I need to see the boss immediately.¡± * Stella debated with herself on pulling Ren out right away. She had the protocol ready to go, then she looked at the time and back at the screen, and sighed. ¡°It''s only another hour, and he''ll be out for supper.¡± Stella gasped and stood up. ¡°I forgot to make supper!¡± She left the room quickly to prepare something for him. * ¡°I need to see the boss.¡± Max said as he came into the reception area where Elise worked. ¡°He''s on the phone right now.¡± Elise said and pointed to her own phone. The main light was lit, and showed that the line and extension was in use. ¡°Any idea how much longer?¡± Max asked. ¡°It should only be a few more minutes.¡± Elise said. ¡°He''s just doing a phone interview for the local paper.¡± ¡°About Ren.¡± Max said, and Elise nodded. ¡°They wanted his view about the game making a popular television star.¡± Elise said. ¡°He''s kind of in his element.¡± Max barked a laugh. ¡°He won''t be for long.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Max shook his head. ¡°Max.¡± Elise said sternly. ¡°If it''s something that''s going to affect this company, then I need to know.¡± ¡°Then come in with me.¡± Max said. ¡°This isn''t something...¡± He looked around at the empty space. ¡°...that should be said in unsecured places.¡± Elise nodded, and sat back. She set the phone to hold any further calls, and waited. She had been right in her estimation, and a few minutes later the light on the phone went out. She picked it up and hit the intercom. ¡°Yes, Ms. Stanford?¡± Edward''s voice asked. ¡°Max and I would like to request a meeting.¡± Elise said. ¡°Of course.¡± Edward said. ¡°When-¡± ¡°Right now, please.¡± Elise said. ¡°Come on in, then.¡± Edward said. Elise hung up the phone and stood up to open the office door. Max beat her to it and held it open for her. She walked by and Max shut it behind them. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Edward asked. ¡°It''s a little odd for you to want a meeting at the end of the day like this.¡± ¡°This is... well, I don''t... ah, dammit!¡± Max said, and flopped down into one of the visitor''s chairs. ¡°Elise? You''ve swept the place, right?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Every time someone new comes in.¡± Max snorted a laugh. ¡°I wish I had someone as diligent as you on my tech team.¡± He said. ¡°Boy, did we mess something up!¡± ¡°Max.¡± Edward said. ¡°You''re rambling. Tell me what''s going on.¡± Max sighed. ¡°You''re not going to believe this.¡± He said, and then told him about what the file system indicated. They didn''t believe him. ******* ¡°What do you mean you''ve been gone for a year and a half?¡± Andrela asked, and Ren felt how shocked she was. ¡°Time works a little differently in the Water Realm.¡± Ren said. ¡°It runs much, much faster there than here.¡± ¡°Boy, does it ever.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It was just like when we were in the Fire Realm.¡± He chittered in laughter. ¡°Only wetter.¡± ¡°Why did you have to stay so long?¡± Navruth asked. ¡°That''s a bit of a long story, if I went into the details.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll just say that we committed a crime against the sea people, and had to serve out a sentence.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Andrela said, and her heart despaired over the time he had been away. ¡°You... you''ve been...¡± ¡°Away from you for far too long.¡± Ren said, stepped close to take her into a warm embrace, and kissed her. He held it for a few endless moments, then broke the kiss and felt the shock of his revelation of the time difference be replaced by the shock of the kiss. ¡°By... by the gods...¡± Andrela whispered. Her heart overflowed with emotions, and her face flushed red. I''ve never been kissed like that before! Ren turned to the right and looked at Frikara. Her face had that little ''o'' of surprise on it from what she could feel from Andrela, and Ren smiled and kissed her, too. He did it slightly differently, and Frikara wrapped her arms around his neck automatically. Ren gave her the same amount of time as he had given Andrela, and broke the kiss.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Frikara''s face was bright red. She was breathing heavy, and her emotions flooded the shared Aura. The last three personal maids felt what the first two had felt when he kissed them, and then Ren felt anticipation from them for what was to come. He kissed Lusinia next, then Navruth, and finally Verwynn. Ren stepped back from them and saw all 5 faces were red; and he could feel that they were all a little stunned over what he had just done to them. For the first time. In public. ¡°You weren''t kidding!¡± Railyse said to Ren and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°They really do like you a lot!¡± ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± The short captain said and waved his arms around. ¡°We don''t have anyone to run the engine, and no working engine to run!¡± He said. ¡°We''ll never make it if we stay here any longer!¡± The water elementals didn''t like having a land dweller''s ship in their waters, and had continuously attacked the hull. It wasn''t with the intent to cause damage; all they were trying to do was encourage it to leave as quickly as it could. ¡°Don''t worry. We have that covered.¡± Ren said and turned to the engine room crew. ¡°Don''t we, gentlemen?¡± ¡°Sir!¡± They said together, and 4 of the dwarves pulled out a 5 foot long heavily-modified engine from their inventories, and the other three grabbed the spare ends before the engines fell to the deck. Ren had grabbed the end of the last one at the same time as the other dwarves. ¡°We just need to install these into ram scoops under the ship, and we''ll be on our way.¡± Ren didn''t tell the short captain that the water elementals wouldn''t attack the ship with both him and the Ambassador on board, mainly because he didn''t want the captain to come back here. The personal maids left the main deck and went back to their cabin to try and recover from all of the excitement they had experienced. Ren had told them he would be in soon to spend some time with them, and then he had Adventurer''s business to take care of. The 5 of them nodded slightly, and took turns as they reached out and caressed his face, then walked away together. Ren leaned over the side of the ship when the maids were gone and used his Staff of the Earth to make two reefs under the ship, which lifted it out of the water. Once he''d made spots for the workers to stand on to do their work, it only took about an hour to add the new engines. When he and the engine room workers were back on board, Ren leaned back over the side and started to undo his reefs. It was then that he heard a splash of water. A water elemental, the large one Ren had encountered first and exchanged thoughts with, slid up the side of the ship and reformed itself. It talked with crashing waves and bubble sounds, and Ren responded as best as he could. They talked for a minute, and the water elemental nodded its head stub and dove over the side and into the water. ¡°What was that all about?¡± One of the deckhands asked. ¡°It likes the new reefs and wants me to leave them.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''ll stop ships from coming in here.¡± ¡°But if you leave the reefs...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m moving the ship off first and putting them back.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The deckhand said. ¡°That makes sense.¡± Ren moved the earth out of the way and the ship settled into the water much higher than it normally would have. The workers from the engine room commented that at least half of what they did worked, and Ren waved to the short captain. ¡°We''re clear.¡± Ren said. ¡°Take us out.¡± The short captain nodded slightly. ¡°Everyone hold on!¡± He said and waited for a moment while everyone grabbed something to hold onto, then pushed the lever that controlled the speed of the engine forward to one of the marked notches. The ship jumped forward 30 feet instantly with a huge spurt of water from underneath; and in a panic, the short captain pulled the lever back. ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said. ¡°Hold it here.¡± He walked to the back of the ship where Railyese stood and leaned over the side to put the new reefs back where they were, then added a few more concentric rings of reefs around those. The short captain took out a dagger and made several notches by the lever before the first notch, and when Ren waved to him again, he moved the lever only slightly to the new first notch, and the ship moved at the pace he thought the other notch would have given him. As the ship slowly drifted out of the bay, all of the water elementals poked their heads up out of the water and watched the ship leave. Railyse waved to them, and a lot of them raised an arm stub and waved back to her. The ship picked up speed gradually, and Railyse sighed. ¡°I''m really going to miss this place.¡± Railyse said, and Ren put an arm around her. ¡°You should have turned down the job.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your people are going to be a lot older by the time you go back.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Railyse said. ¡°But... your stories of the surface...¡± She smiled. ¡°They stirred something in me. I had to see it for myself.¡± Ren smiled sadly. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Railyse laughed with the sound of a soft rain. ¡°It''s not your fault you''re so interesting.¡± Ren''s sad smile turned into a genuine one. ¡°That''s debatable.¡± ¡°So.¡± Railyse said in her native language as she glanced around at the dwarves working on the deck. ¡°How many of them do you think believe we''re a couple?¡± ¡°Probably all of them.¡± Ren responded in her own language and smiled. ¡°I''ll tell my personal maids the truth when we go inside.¡± ¡°You don''t think they''ll be upset?¡± ¡°About what?¡± Ren gargled and bubbled. ¡°That the Ambassador to the Land Dwellers is one of the many potential heirs to the Water Realm?¡± He asked and chuckled. ¡°They should be even more honored to meet you.¡± ¡°All of the other candidates would have to die for me to even be eligible.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I was never going to see the throne.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''ve only ever seen the water, Ren. I wanted to get out on my own and see the world.¡± ¡°I''ve shown you...¡± ¡°With my own eyes.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Plus, I''ve been given a task by my mother. I will complete it.¡± ¡°She sure is something.¡± Ren said. ¡°Trusting you with something like that.¡± ¡°Hey, that makes it sound like I''m a horrible choice!¡± Railyse said and laughed. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You know I meant they should have sent a group or a team.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Railyse said and put a hand on his that was around her waist. ¡°No one else was as stupid as me, though.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Your mother''s Amulet of Truth just glowed.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Railyse grinned. ¡°Foolish as me, then.¡± ¡°Come on.¡± Ren said and let her out of the one arm hug, but kept a hold of her hand. ¡°I''ll show you were you''ll be staying.¡± ¡°No one''s actually looking.¡± Railyse said. ¡°You don''t have to...¡± ¡°We decided that keeping the pretense of us seeing each other is going to protect you just as much as your fancy new armor.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just be glad I didn''t kiss you like I did my personal maids.¡± Railyse chuckled. ¡°Imagine! Me kissing a land dweller!¡± Ren laughed and led her into the main cabin and down to the set of rooms he''d joined together. He opened the door to the room with the large Jacuzzi in it. ¡°Here we are.¡± Ren said. ¡°Home, temporary home.¡± Railyse laughed and walked over to the Jacuzzi. ¡°There''s something floating in this.¡± ¡°Probably soap.¡± Ren said. ¡°We use it as a bath, remember?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Railyse said and stuck her hand in the water. All of the contaminates and soap residue gathered at her hand and she squished it into a ball and lifted it up. ¡°There. All clean.¡± ¡°That still amazes me when you do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yeah, it''s amazing.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Catch!¡± She said and threw the ball of soap at him. He caught it easily; but it broke apart and splattered over his hand, part of his arm, and some even hit his face. ¡°Hey!¡± Ren exclaimed as the soap dripped off. Railyse laughed at him, and he laughed, too. * ¡°So, do you think he has feelings for her?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°No.¡± Andrela said. ¡°What makes you so sure?¡± Verwynn asked. ¡°His emotions didn''t jump when he looked at her.¡± Andrela said. ¡°When he looked at us, though...¡± ¡°It did waver a little.¡± Navruth said, and sighed. ¡°I''m glad.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°How would we compete with a beauty like that?¡± ¡°We can''t.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I think... I think she''s just too exotic to even try.¡± * Ren came into the room through the side door and Teepo flew off of his shoulder to land on the ceiling. ¡°You shouldn''t sell yourself short, Frikara.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren, I...¡± Frikara started to say, then Ren remembered seeing her without her clothes on and let her feel what he wouldn''t let himself feel then. ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± She said, her eyes wide. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°She''s pretty, but we''re strictly friends.¡± Ren said. ¡°We have been for almost a year.¡± He smiled. ¡°But, we''re making it seem like we''re together in public.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Verwynn asked. ¡°So that anyone that wants to get to her, knows they have to go through me first.¡± ¡°She needs a shield, then.¡± Lusinia said, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It''s kind of complicated.¡± Ren said, then told them why Railyse needed the extra layer of protection. ¡°By the gods.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We''ll help if you need it.¡± She said. ¡°We all will.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and felt their resolve. ¡°All of you.¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± Andrela asked. ¡°Where else?¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°She''s in the Jacuzzi.¡± * Railyse floated slightly underneath the surface of the water in the Jacuzzi as the jets of air churned the water and pummelled her body. She laughed and laughed as she rode the artificial waves and enjoyed herself without having to move a muscle, or worry about floating away on a stray current. * Ren took off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and folded it up on the table, and pet the tarantula inside briefly. ¡°I''ve got a little bit of time before I have Adventurer''s business.¡± Ren said. ¡°Will you all join me in bed?¡± ¡°You don''t have to ask.¡± Frikara said and started to get undressed. ¡°You know we want to.¡± Ren smiled because that was exactly what he could feel from them. They got undressed quickly, and started to climb onto the bed and leave a spot in the middle for him. ¡°Wait.¡± Ren said, and they got off of the bed. He unbolted the bed and moved it over a couple of feet, bolted it to the floor again, then took out another bed and put it right beside the old one and bolted that to the floor, too. He yanked off the sheets from the old bed and tossed them aside, and took out large custom-made sheets for the new double-sized bed. The maids helped secure the new sheets in place, and he took out several pillows to put across the top of it. Ren stored his clothing, and left himself in only his underwear as he climbed onto the new bed, and laid down in the middle. The maids sorted themselves and chose which parts they wanted, and climbed onto the bed to take their positions. ¡°Can we do it a little differently this time?¡± Ren asked them as he put his arms on the other pillows, and they looked at him. ¡°With a much bigger bed, we''re not restricted to laying at the head or the foot of it anymore.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Frikara? Can you lay down on your back and rest your head here, on my chest?¡± Frikara''s heart went pitter-patter and she nodded, then laid down at a right angle to him and put her head on his chest. ¡°Lusinia? You''re next, beside Frikara.¡± Lusinia laid down next to Frikara, and sighed. ¡°Navruth, here on my other side, and Verwynn beside her.¡± Ren said, and they laid down. ¡°I''m the odd one out.¡± Andrela said, and Ren smiled. ¡°You have a choice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Beside Lusinia, beside Verwynn, or take your regular spot.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Andrela asked, and crawled onto the bed to lay on her side between Ren''s legs, and rested her head on his abdomen. ¡°I can''t hug you while you''re down that far, but...¡± ¡°It''s the best spot.¡± Andrela whispered and snuggled into him. With Andrela in position, Ren brought his arms down and laid them across the tops of the other women''s chests just below their necks. They gasped collectively, even though he wasn''t actually touching their breasts; and he smiled at their reaction. ¡°Is this okay?¡± Ren asked. ¡°This was only one idea that I had for sleeping arrangements...¡± ¡°It''s fine for now.¡± Frikara said, and he felt exactly how fine she was with it. ¡°Now be quiet and go to sleep.¡± Ren chuckled, and it shook their heads a little. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He said and gave them a little squeeze with his arms. ¡°I''ll let you know when I have to go.¡± They all took several deep breaths at nearly the same time, and relaxed. Ren had slept just before coming onto the ship; but now that he was back in a comfortable bed, he felt a little tired. ¡°I''ll wake you up if its necessary.¡± Teepo said from his perch on the ceiling. Ren yawned and closed his eyes as his thumbs gently caressed the smooth skin of the two women on the end that his hands were on. He wasn''t really aware that he was doing it; but it still had a calming effect on everyone, because feelings of contentment filled the shared Aura. They dozed off for a short nap while Teepo kept watch. Chapter 314 - High Expectations ¡°That can''t be true!¡± Elise, the secretary at Sid Tec said after she listened to the footage of Ren getting back onto the ship. ¡°It... it''s not possible!¡± ¡°You''re preaching to the choir, Elise.¡± Max, the head programmer at Sid Tec said. ¡°We did extensive testing before introducing the 4 times speed for the VR world, and even that''s pushing it a little.¡± He said. ¡°The most, the absolute most time compression a normal brain can handle is 8 times, and that''s the limit we added into the code.¡± ¡°We didn''t use that setting because it was too much of a time dilation after a few sessions.¡± Edward said. ¡°People just couldn''t get used to playing a week''s worth of game time every day.¡± ¡°It made me a little crazy when I tried it myself.¡± Max said. ¡°When I came out, I had no idea what day it was or what I had to do.¡± ¡°We set it for 4, and that''s 2 days during the day, and 2 days during the night.¡± Edward said. ¡°People took to it like ducks to water.¡± He smiled. ¡°They could easily wrap their heads around the simple numbers, and could disassociate game time with real time.¡± ¡°We also set quests to only run at certain times of the day, so that anyone logging on will have access to it, or just have to wait for the next set time to get it.¡± ¡°I know all of this.¡± Elise said. ¡°I helped set it all up! Why are you explaining it to me now?¡± ¡°Well, it''s because...¡± Max had to turn his head away, so he wasn''t looking at her. ¡°...the time compression only has to be limited to players.¡± ¡°You didn''t!¡± Elise exclaimed. ¡°You''re supposed to progress NPCs before adding them to the game!¡± ¡°We can''t.¡± Max said. ¡°The coding wouldn''t allow it.¡± ¡°You wrote the code!¡± Max smiled crookedly. ¡°Yeah, and when I tried to make the NPCs modular, it tripled the size of the code needed, and doubled the size of the core game.¡± He said. ¡°But, with only a few lines of code in a single module...¡± ¡°You... you...¡± Elise started to get angry. ¡°...you put accelerated time inside the core of the game?¡± She took several deep breaths. ¡°How could you be so stupid?!?¡± ¡°Elise.¡± Edward said, and she looked at him. ¡°The code was locked, and only... only... accessible by the system when it had to ramp up the creation of creatures.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Elise said and put her head in her hands as she thought about what he''d said. ¡°You aren''t spawning creatures, are you?¡± She asked, then looked at the two men in the boss'' office with her. ¡°You''re literally growing them in the game and they appear where they''re needed.¡± ¡°It''s a nice bit of code.¡± Max said. ¡°Instead of endless arrays of the same creature, it generates a new instance for each one, takes up less processing power because they only appear when needed, and it can all be done on the backup and secondary servers and never impact the game play at all.¡± Elise pointed at the screen that showed the massive water being waving to Ren. ¡°THAT impacts the game a lot, don''t you think?¡± ¡°Yes, it does.¡± Max said. ¡°Why else do you think I came right to the boss with this?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°The things my poor Ren must have gone through while he spent all that time in some pocket realm.¡± ¡°I never expected the portal to even appear while he was there, let alone let him through! His affinity and resistance was barely registered at the time!¡± Max said and showed Ren''s Knowledge stats. ¡°He was only at Beginner level 2!¡± ¡°What is it now?¡± Elise asked, and Max didn''t say anything. ¡°Max.¡± ¡°He''s at 100% for both affinity and resistance for the Water element.¡± ¡°I think that''s definite proof he went through accelerated time.¡± Edward said. ¡°It takes a long time to gain that much knowledge about an element.¡± ¡°Forget about that!¡± Elise said. ¡°What are we going to do about this whole situation?¡± She asked. ¡°We can''t have any other players subjected to this hidden game mechanic!¡± ¡°No one else has.¡± Max said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°After his little book trick to get his Fire Knowledge topped at 100%, we... ah...¡± ¡°You can''t keep doing that!¡± Elise said. ¡°How many things have you altered in the game now, because of the things Ren''s done?¡± ¡°Elise, he keeps finding holes in the game that we sometimes need to plug.¡± Edward said. ¡°Like this one.¡± ¡°I''d like to know how he got around the player lock on the pocket realm.¡± Max said and stood up. ¡°He shouldn''t have access to things like that. I''ll go back and watch the footage to see if there''s any clues.¡± ¡°Can you plug this hole?¡± Edward asked Max. ¡°This is not something we want to get out.¡± ¡°Why are you so concerned about that?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Shouldn''t you be worried about how it affected Ren?¡± ¡°I am worried about that.¡± Edward said. ¡°Why don''t you go and see how he is.¡± Elise looked at him with a slight frown. ¡°We''ll try and see what happened on this end.¡± Edward said. ¡°I''d like for you to find out what happened from his end.¡± Elise took in a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°I was going over to see him after work anyways for a date.¡± She said. ¡°After hearing about this, I really want to see if he''s all right; but, I wasn''t planning on making it an investigation.¡± ¡°Don''t investigate him.¡± Edward laughed. ¡°Just ask what happened. I''m sure he''ll tell you everything.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Elise said. ¡°I just hope you aren''t expecting this to be a regular thing.¡± ¡°Are you breaking it off with him, then?¡± Edward asked. ¡°WHAT?¡± Elise said, indignantly. ¡°Of course not!¡± Edward smiled. ¡°I won''t ask you to divulge any private details; but, I would like any information about the game itself.¡± He said. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°I... I guess that''s reasonable.¡± Elise said, reluctantly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Edward said and glanced at the clock on the wall. ¡°I see it''s well past quitting time for the office staff.¡± He said and stood up. ¡°This has top priority, and we will fix it.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Elise said and stood, then left the office. * ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Edward asked Max when Elise shut the door to the office. He sat back down and rubbed his temples. ¡°If Ren''s been adversely affected by this...¡± ¡°The longest anyone in testing could go was a month of accelerated game time.¡± Max said and shook his head. ¡°That''s only 10 minutes of real time, and it took us almost a week to convince him the real world was real and that he wasn''t playing a special stage in the game.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°And Ren was in for...¡± ¡°About 45 minutes.¡± Max said. ¡°Good god.¡± Edward said. ¡°You better double the code locks on the pocket realms. No one else can get access to them.¡± ¡°I can''t.¡± Max said. ¡°WHAT?!?¡± ¡°I set the system AI to quarantine them and to set the code locks months ago.¡± Max said. ¡°I can''t undo the locks to add to them.¡± ¡°Then get the system AI to do it.¡± Edward said. ¡°This can''t happen again.¡± ¡°It shouldn''t have happened this time.¡± Max said. ¡°I really don''t have any idea how it did. I checked the locks, and they''re still intact.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Edward asked. ¡°It means, according to the logs and the system records, Ren didn''t access the pocket realm at all.¡± ******** Teepo woke Ren up when it was time for him to leave for his Adventurer''s business, and Ren told his personal maids that he would be gone for a day or two. They were saddened by this, until he kissed them all again. They laid back down and cuddled with him, and Ren prepared himself mentally for what was to come. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren woke up in bed, and slipped off the VR headset. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Stella said. She sat by the bed with tears in her eyes, and Ren saw there was a tray of food on the rollaway table. ¡°Why are you crying?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°You... a year and a half...¡± Ren sat up and stretched. ¡°I''m still a bit sore.¡± He smiled and rubbed his chest. ¡°I can''t say I missed this feeling.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Stella said as she stood up and hugged him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ren hugged her back. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Stella let him go and leaned back. ¡°I need to examine you to make sure.¡± ¡°If we have the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°Elise is going to be here soon, and I want to take a shower first.¡± ¡°What?¡± Stella looked at the phone. ¡°She didn''t call.¡± ¡°I talked to her in the game.¡± Ren said and slid off the bed. ¡°I can probably do it myself now, but I''d appreciate a hand.¡± He smiled. ¡°It should go twice as fast with the both of us working.¡± ¡°Ren, we really should...¡± ¡°You can check me out while I wash.¡± Ren said and walked to the bathroom. ¡°Even though I was in for so long, I never forgot how weird it was to feel like this.¡± He said and took off his clothes. Stella followed him into the bathroom and got undressed herself, set the shower, and started to wash Ren off. He lathered up his hands and while Stella worked on his chest and arms, he worked on her chest. She was having a hard time keeping her thoughts together as he massaged her thoroughly, and was diligent in his ministrations. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°By the gods, I missed you.¡± Ren said and kissed the tips of her now sparkling clean breasts. Stella caught her breath and her body reacted to the attention. ¡°After seeing you so much, and depending on you for everything...¡± He sighed. ¡°Then I went a whole year and a half without seeing your face, or your smile, or these beautiful breasts.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Stella tried to speak, then he suckled hard on her. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Ren tried to restrain himself from going too far; but once he had her flesh in his mouth, he lost all reason. Stella could feel the desperation in his touch as Ren played with her; and when his hand slid between her legs, she didn''t protest in the least and even moved her legs apart to accommodate him. ¡°Play with me.¡± Ren said to her, and she didn''t hesitate at all as she grabbed onto him and started to massage him. ¡°More.¡± He said and didn''t let his own hands lose their motions and he worked her over well. ¡°More!¡± ¡°Ren... I... almost...¡± ¡°Me...me, too.¡± Ren said. After only another minute, Stella felt something burst from her, and she gripped Ren tightly and she felt him burst onto her. They both had finished quite quickly, and tried to catch their breath. ¡°Good god.¡± Stella said, and looked down at the mutual mess they had made. ¡°I''m really glad we''re in the shower.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stella, I... I''m sorry... that was so sudden, and I...¡± He reached up and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± Stella said, then looked down again. ¡°Our pleasure.¡± Ren chuckled and lathered his hands up again. ¡°Round two?¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°We can''t.¡± She said. ¡°Elise is going to arrive soon, and we should finish washing.¡± ¡°That''s what I meant.¡± Ren said and grinned at her blush as he scrubbed her abdomen, then scrubbed her private area and her thighs. Stella was amazed that he had switched so quickly from having his movements mean something sexual for the both of them, to have the movements only mean he was cleaning her off. She no longer felt the tension or desperation in his touch, and she wasn''t sure what to do with that information. ¡°Can you grab us a couple of towels?¡± Ren asked. Stella hopped out of the shower and grabbed them. She helped him dry off and dried herself off, and Ren put on his robe as Stella dressed herself. ¡°I''m thinking something loose, like a big t-shirt and maybe jogging pants.¡± Ren said when he went out to his room to get dressed. ¡°You know what? On second thought, I think I want to look good for her.¡± He smiled and took out his fanciest shirt and pants. Stella helped him get dressed, and he sat on the side of his bed to wait. Stella had forgotten his food on the rollaway table and checked it. It was cold, so she went to reheat it. She came back in a few minutes later with it and put it back on the rollaway table, then Elise came into his room. ¡°Ren!¡± Elise said, and her face looked like she was a little frantic. ¡°I came right here as soon as I got off work!¡± ¡°Hey, beautiful.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Long time no see.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Elise exclaimed. ¡°This isn''t something to joke about!¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and lowered his head. ¡°Please, forgive me.¡± ¡°What... what are you doing?¡± Elise asked and put a hand under his chin to lift his head. ¡°Stop that!¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°You''re not going to forgive me?¡± He asked. ¡°I wasn''t actually joking, Elise. It really has been a long time since I''ve seen you.¡± ¡°Ren, you...¡± Elise closed her eyes for a moment, sighed, and opened them. ¡°I know it has. I forgive you.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Ren said and beamed a smile at her. ¡°Ren, are you okay?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, I feel all energized after my shower.¡± ¡°Ren, how... what...¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I have a kiss first?¡± Elise caught her breath, because she had forgotten that she wanted to give him a kiss right away. She nodded and leaned in close, and Ren let out a trace of how much he missed her for all of the time he had been gone. Elise could feel his heart beating in his chest as he held her close and kissed her like he was never going to see her again. She wrapped her arms around him, and held him gently but firmly. The kiss went on for several long uninterrupted minutes. Elise''s mind lost all of the questions it had about Ren, and her body responded to his desperate need. Blood flowed to certain areas, almost to the point that it was almost painful. Ren eased his lip movements down to a trickle, broke the kiss, then hugged her and put his lips by her ear. ¡°I''ve dreamt about getting to kiss you again.¡± Ren whispered to her, and Elise shivered at the feel of his breath on her skin. ¡°It was even better than I imagined.¡± He said, and nuzzled her earlobe. ¡°You smell so nice.¡± Elise took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. ¡°Ren... as much as I like this... god, I really like this... please, tell me what happened.¡± ¡°I said I would.¡± Ren said, kissed her neck, and let her out of the hug. Elise let him go, and he smiled at her. ¡°I was just about to eat. Have a seat, and I''ll tell the both of you.¡± ¡°Both?¡± Elise asked, and looked around. ¡°Oh! Hi, Stella.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°After that kiss, I think I''ll forgive you for missing me as I stood right here in plain sight.¡± Elise smiled and nodded, and Stella moved the rollaway table over for Ren to eat. ¡°Thanks, Stella.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now... where do I start...¡± ¡°At the beginning.¡± Elise said. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°In the beginning, there was nothingness.¡± He said and took a spoonful of soup. Stella and Elise hung on his words, and he smiled. ¡° Darkness permeated everything; and then a phrase was spoken. ''Let there be light!''. Then there was.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Stella and Elise yelled. Ren laughed and laughed, and Stella did her best not to strangle him. ¡°Ren, stop joking around.¡± Elise said. ¡°This is serious!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why is it serious?¡± Ren asked and kept eating his bowl of soup. ¡°You spent a year and a half inside a virtual reality simulation in only 45 minutes!¡± Elise said. ¡°None of us saw anything but a blue screen for all that time!¡± ¡°That''s probably because none of the in-game deities like others looking in on them.¡± Ren said, then shrugged. ¡°Or the video rendering software couldn''t handle the massive load of information.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m glad that didn''t happen with the research computers.¡± Ren picked up a piece of bread and dipped it into the broth. ¡°Me, too.¡± He said. ¡°I wouldn''t mind doing those tests again, though.¡± He grinned. ¡°They were fun.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Right, right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Well, it all started when I wanted to inspect the ship''s engine while we were on the open sea...¡± Ren gave them a rundown of the captain taking him to Shoal Island, and finding the water elemental inside the engine for the ship, then about removing it. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Elise said and put a hand over her mouth. ¡°I''m going to kill Max!¡± ¡°If it was his idea to do that, then go ahead.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was... pretty bad.¡± He sighed. ¡°You can watch the footage if you want.¡± He said and motioned to the laptop. ¡°After I captured the engine room crew and went up on deck, the water elementals showed up...¡± Ren told them about the massive water being picking him and the other prisoners up and taking them to the Water Realm. ¡°That shouldn''t be possible.¡± Elise said. ¡°How did you get through the portal?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I technically didn''t go through the portal.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Elise asked, surprised. ¡°I was captured and dragged through.¡± Ren said. ¡°Teepo had to dissolve into the ring, just in case.¡± Elise was tempted to call her boss right away with that small and very important piece of information; but figured she should listen to the rest of Ren''s story first, just in case there was any other revelations. Ren told them about negotiating for the prisoners, and striking the deal for a year and a half of hard labor. ¡°Ren, how... why...¡± ¡°I knew what it was like, you see.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°The deity was so surprised I would offer so much time, they agreed not to kill everyone for the death of one of their citizens.¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°You volunteered to stay with them, didn''t you?¡± ¡°No, I was guilty.¡± Ren said. ¡°I did kill it when I removed it from the engine.¡± ¡°Ren, that was...¡± ¡°It still died.¡± Ren said. ¡°With the terms of our imprisonment and release settled, we began working on the castle...¡± Chapter 315 - Room To Move It took about an hour for Ren to tell Elise and Stella about all of the things that had happened during his time in the Water Realm, and they just stared at him and didn''t say anything when he stopped speaking. ¡°I know that sounds crazy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I left out a lot of the little things that happened along the way.¡± ¡°Ren... god... you''re talking about all of that like... like it was all just normal things!¡± Elise said. ¡°It was all normal things.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The mollusk migration that covered the castle for nearly a month, the Barnacle Debacle that the Queen''s consort is never going to forget, and even the Annual Seahorse Race.¡± He grinned at them. ¡°Because I was an outsider, I wasn''t allowed to win; but, I sure raced the hell out of them.¡± He laughed. ¡°When I crossed the finish line nearly a full minute before everyone else, the look on the Queen''s face was priceless!¡± ¡°How can you sound so happy about going through all of that?¡± Elise said. ¡°Your mind was... essentially trapped... for all that time.¡± ¡°I''ve been trapped in the game before.¡± Ren said. ¡°It honestly didn''t bother me.¡± ¡°We... we really should get you checked out.¡± Elise said. ¡°Professionally.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°No, thank you.¡± ¡°But, Ren...¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said, quite firmly. ¡°I''ve had enough of going through that kind of examination.¡± ¡°You really should see someone...¡± ¡°I''m seeing the both of you right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°What do you think of my mental state?¡± ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± Stella said. ¡°We haven''t been around you long enough to see any major differences.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can kind of solve that problem right now.¡± He smiled and looked at Elise. ¡°So, are we heading to my place now?¡± Elise felt unsure of what to do, then glanced at Stella. ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°Elise.¡± Ren touched the side of her face and she looked at him. ¡°I''ve been waiting for a year and a half to see you. I want to make love to you... to the best of my ability, anyways.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Will you allow me to pleasure you?¡± Elise''s eyes went wide at his stark admission. ¡°Ren, you... you''re being quite forward.¡± Ren gave her a chaste kiss. ¡°That''s because you said you wanted to be first.¡± He said. ¡°I could have ravaged my personal maids when I came back to the ship; but, I didn''t.¡± He smiled. ¡°When I logged out and had Stella in the shower with me, I could have asked her to ravage me; but, I didn''t.¡± Stella took in a quick breath, because she realized that she would have done it without a second thought if he had asked her before they had played with each other. ¡°Ren...¡± Elise started to say. ¡°You can say no, and we can spend a bit of time together here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t fault you for not being excited, especially now that you know what happened to me.¡± He said and leaned in close to put his lips by her ear. ¡°I''ve been fighting the urge to have sex for a year and a half because I love you, Elise.¡± He whispered. ¡°I want to become one with you.¡± Elise caught her breath and her heart raced, because she really wanted to be with him. ¡°Ren...¡± Ren leaned back and smiled at her. ¡°We can watch television for a bit, until you decide what you want to do.¡± He said and picked up the remote and changed the channel. He turned it to a random channel and let the noise fill the room. ¡°I''ll... be right back.¡± Elise said, stood up and left the room. * Elise took out her cell phone and called her boss, and told him what Ren had said about the portal access for the pocket realms. ¡°That''s great news!¡± Edward said. ¡°No one besides Ren has even come close to knowing actual deities for the elements even exist.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Thank you for telling me. I''ll pass it along to Max right away.¡± ¡°He''s still there?¡± Elise asked. ¡°He said he wasn''t leaving until this leak was plugged.¡± Edward said. ¡°Now that we know it''s not the code associated with the players, it''ll be so much easier to stop these instances from happening.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Elise said. ¡°Ren is...¡± She stopped talking and let her words drift off. ¡°What is it?¡± Edward asked. ¡°Is he all right?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Elise said. ¡°One second he seems fine, and then he''ll say something a little off.¡± ¡°Can you give me a specific example?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s more like... the tone of what he said, and not the actual words.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Edward said. ¡°Stay around him for a while, and see if his behavior changes at all. Ren has been subjected to something that changed his actual perception of time itself.¡± He said. ¡°Did you suggest that...¡± ¡°He flatly refused.¡± Elise said. ¡°Since he''s legally an adult, we can''t force him.¡± ¡°Well...¡± Edward started to say. ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Elise said. ¡°We will not do anything that will take his rights away, whether it''s in his best interests or not!¡± ¡°He really should be examined by...¡± ¡°He said no, and so do I.¡± Elise said. ¡°This discussion is closed.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Edward said. ¡°But, if anything comes up...¡± ¡°It''ll be handled with care and compassion.¡± Elise said. ¡°Goodbye.¡± * ¡°Stella? You''re coming with us to my place, right?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Of course.¡± Stella said. ¡°I won''t let you go anywhere without at least some kind of professional help.¡± ¡°Elise is a professional receptionist.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I meant professional medical help.¡± Stella said and rolled her eyes. ¡°I can only imagine what she would do if you slipped and fell.¡± ¡°Probably fawn over me, apologize profusely, and bury me in her massive cleavage.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I can think of worse ways to be treated.¡± ¡°To be honest...¡± Stella said and smiled. ¡°...I can, too.¡± Elise came back into the room and looked at Ren, who still sat on the edge of the bed. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''m all ready to go, and Stella''s already agreed to come with us.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s all on you.¡± ¡°I... we... we really shouldn''t...¡± ¡°I can only tell you so many times that I''m fine, before you start to question if I''m lying.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s too bad I can''t make an Amulet of Truth in the real world to prove to you that I''m being honest.¡± ¡°An amulet of what?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Amulet of Truth.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t speak a deliberate lie within its area of effect.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Elise said. ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said. ¡°There were a few times that things got really dicey in the throne room because of it.¡± He smiled. ¡°It''s one of the reasons the Barnacle Debacle became a debacle in the first place.¡± ¡°That would be a good thing to have.¡± Elise said. ¡°Most times.¡± Ren said. ¡°You have to be careful, though. Sometimes too much honesty can be bad; either for you or the other person.¡± ¡°Like when?¡± Stella asked. Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and she smiled at him. ¡°Like... if I asked Elise how many men she''s dated.¡± Ren said and looked at Elise. ¡°Or how many of their hearts she''s broken.¡± Elise looked at him, and didn''t say anything. Ren smiled and pointed at her. ¡°There! Did you see that?¡± ¡°What?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Elise just demonstrated the fatal flaw in the Amulet of Truth.¡± Ren said. ¡°It might compel you to tell the truth... only if you speak.¡± He smiled. ¡°If you don''t answer the questions, you can tell no lies.¡± ¡°That''s... brilliant.¡± Elise said. ¡°Even the Truth spell in the game does the same thing.¡± Ren said. ¡°It says, ''when you speak''.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Stay quiet until the spell ends, or leave the area of effect for the amulet, and you can lie all you want.¡± ¡°Ren, do you really want to know-¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re with me now, and that''s all that matters.¡± He smiled. ¡°I still don''t know why you chose me; but, you did and I can feel nothing but grateful for that.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said, then thought about what she wanted to happen between them. ¡°All right. Let''s go to your place.¡± ¡°Stella, let''s gather up what we need to spend the night.¡± Ren said as a large grin spread across his face. ¡°I''ll help.¡± Elise said, and they gathered up everything they would need, and quite a few things they could leave there, since they would be moving it all over the next day. Stella and Elise packed up the Hummer H2, got Ren into the front seat, and headed over to Ren''s house in Emerald Estates. ¡°Goodness gracious!¡± Stella exclaimed when the Hummer H2 pulled into the driveway and she saw the place with her own eyes. ¡°I can''t remember the last time I heard that.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°Although, usually I''m the one that says old-time movie stuff.¡± Stella grinned. ¡°I thought it was appropriate.¡± She said. ¡°The pictures don''t do it justice.¡± ¡°I can''t remember if I said that or not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve had so much other stuff go through my head since then.¡± Stella and Elise exchanged glances at Ren''s admission. ¡°Well, let''s get everything inside.¡± Ren said, and unbuckled his seat belt. ¡°Wait!¡± Stella and Elise exclaimed as Ren reached for the door handle. ¡°What?¡± Ren asked them. ¡°Wait until we get there to help.¡± Stella said and got out and ran around to Ren''s door. ¡°You''re supposed to be careful.¡± Elise said as Stella opened the passenger door. ¡°I was being careful.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren.¡± Stella said, and held a hand out for him to hold. ¡°I wasn''t going to try and get out on my own.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not that stupid.¡± ¡°You''re not stupid at all.¡± Stella said. ¡°You are being a bit reckless, though.¡± Ren smiled as he climbed down and stood on the pavement. ¡°What''s life without a little risk?¡± ¡°Safer.¡± Elise said as she brought over his wheelchair, and Ren chuckled as he sat down in it. ¡°Okay, I''ll have to agree with you there.¡± Ren said. ¡°Load me up with stuff to carry in.¡± They did so, and Stella pushed the wheelchair and Elise got the door. ¡°Wow.¡± Stella said when they entered the main lobby with the large sweeping staircases on both sides. ¡°My whole house could fit in here.¡± ¡°It sure can.¡± Ren said. ¡°The elevator is over there.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Stella said and pushed the wheelchair over to it. ¡°If we had to go through the house every time you wanted to change floors, the elevator would be more of a hindrance than anything else.¡± ¡°I don''t think I''d want you to carry me up the stairs all the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once, maybe.¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°I saw the stairs. Once would be once too many.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± Elise said and stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the second floor. ¡°Like Barbara, I''d like to walk up them at least once.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Then never again.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°When I''ve built up my strength a little more, I''d be happy to escort you.¡± ¡°I would be honored.¡± Elise said, then the doors opened. ¡°The bowling alley is there.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°The theatre is in there.¡± ¡°I can''t believe this.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''re actually going to live here.¡± ¡°I kinda have to now.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I already signed the papers. This place is all mine.¡± Stella nodded and pushed the wheelchair down the hallway. ¡°A bedroom suite with mini-kitchen and attached bathroom there, and the same there.¡± Ren said and pointed to the doors on either side. ¡°The master bedroom is straight ahead.¡± Elise got the door for them and they went inside. ¡°You''re going to need a ladder to get on that bed!¡± Stella said and laughed. ¡°A step stool would be good.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, we should grab enough to put one in every room and bathroom.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°They''re always good to have around.¡± Ren said. ¡°And they''re useful.¡± ¡°I suppose it would be nice to have one handy at all times.¡± Stella said. ¡°It would save us from having to carry one around, or go to where one is and bring it over.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, we can worry about that later.¡± He smiled. ¡°Unpack me.¡± ¡°You said to load you up.¡± Elise said and started to take the things off of him. Stella helped to put the things away, and Elise went back out to the Hummer H2 to get the rest of it. ¡°Do you think she''ll want to sleep with me tonight?¡± Ren asked Stella after Elise left the room. ¡°I think that once she makes up her mind, you''re going to have a hard time stopping her from sleeping with you.¡± Stella said. ¡°But, you have to be careful.¡± She warned him. ¡°No over-exertion, and make sure she doesn''t...¡± Ren put a hand on Stella''s arm. ¡°I''m sure you''ve made it perfectly clear what she can and can''t do.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll remind her if it''s necessary.¡± Stella nodded, and Ren took her hand and kissed the fingers. ¡°Thank you for worrying about me so much.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t know how much I missed that.¡± ¡°For me, it''s only been a few hours since the last time we talked.¡± Stella said. ¡°But, I can understand where you''re coming from. If I hadn''t seen you after a year and a half, I...¡± She sighed. ¡°You don''t have to thank me for it.¡± Ren nodded and let her hand go. ¡°So, do you want the room on the left of mine, or the room on the right?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''ve pretty much got a mansion here, and I''d like for you to pick a room to call yours.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can put your extra uniforms, clothes, and things in it; or leave it empty.¡± He said. ¡°I know you won''t give up your place to move in here, so I thought you''d need somewhere to store your things.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Stella said. ¡°Would you ask me to move in if you thought I wanted to?¡± ¡°In a heartbeat.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve got your own house, though. You worked hard for years to get it, and I''d never ask you to give it up.¡± He said. ¡°So, offering you a place to keep your extra stuff seemed like a good idea. Plus, others won''t be able to go through it, if it''s in your room.¡± ¡°Does that mean you''re going through my things when I''m not taking care of you?¡± Stella asked with a teasing tone, and Ren laughed. ¡°What''s the point of looking through your clothes if you''re not wearing them at the time?¡± Ren asked her, and she didn''t know how to respond to that. ¡°There is no point, because they lose that special something when you''re not in them.¡± ¡°I''ve got the last bundle here.¡± Elise said as she came into the room. She handed the bag of medical supplies to Stella, and she took them into the bathroom. ¡°Good god!¡± Stella said, and it echoed back to her. ¡°This place is huge!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Denise said I need a bell around my neck when I go in there.¡± ¡°She''s right.¡± Stella said after putting away the items in the drawers under the large counter that had double sinks. ¡°We''ll definitely need to get towels and everything.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thanks for bringing some for us.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Stella said and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I think I''ll take the left one.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°If you need anything, I''ll be right next door.¡± ¡°Thanks, Stella.¡± Elise said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Stella said and left them alone in the room. Ren got up out of the wheelchair and went over to the dresser by the bed. He opened the drawer and looked at the only thing in it; a set of red silky pyjamas. He thought about changing right there, but when he looked at Elise, he couldn''t quite read her expression. He closed the drawer, climbed up onto the bed, and moved the pillows around so that both he and Elise could prop themselves up on them. ¡°Elise?¡± Ren said, and she kind of jumped a little. ¡°Can you come here?¡± Elise looked around and couldn''t think of a reason not to get on the bed. She wasn''t sure why she was reluctant to do it, though. Ren pat the pillows beside him where he had propped himself up, and she laid down beside him and propped herself up, too. ¡°Tell me about your day.¡± Ren said to her, and she blinked her eyes at him a few times. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I haven''t heard your voice in so long, that I want to savour it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°I... okay.¡± Elise said. ¡°Well, my day started like it always does.¡± She said. ¡°I thought about you.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I mean, there''s lots of things that normally go through my mind; but, you told me we were going to break in the new bed tonight and I... well, that''s what''s kept me going.¡± He smiled. ¡°I can''t wait to hear you moan with pleasure.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°What did you do next?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Did you have breakfast?¡± ¡°I did, technically.¡± Elise said. ¡°It was only a cup of coffee and 2 pieces of toast.¡± Ren closed his eyes. ¡°What next? Did you take a shower?¡± Elise looked at him to see if he leered at her and imagined her naked; but, she saw that his eyes were closed and she couldn''t tell what he was thinking. ¡°Yes, I scrubbed myself all over.¡± Elise said. ¡°But that was this morning. I''ve been sweating a little since then, especially after hearing about what happened to you.¡± Ren took in a deep breath through his nose. ¡°You smell wonderful, Elise.¡± Elise lifted her arm and checked as she watched him. He didn''t open his eyes and she sniffed herself. It was a little strong, but her deodorant was keeping it at bay and it wasn''t too bad. ¡°The traffic was thick today, so it took longer than usual to get to work.¡± Elise said. ¡°Some idiot cut me off to take the same exit I was, and I nearly ran into him.¡± Ren kept his eyes closed and reached a hand out to touch her arm. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± Elise said. ¡°It pissed me off more than it scared me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I wish I was there to see you lay on your horn and curse the guy.¡± ¡°How did you know I did that?¡± Elise asked, surprised. ¡°It was just an educated guess.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tell me about work.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Elise said. ¡°Why are you...¡± Ren opened his eyes. ¡°I told you.¡± He said and looked at her. ¡°I want to listen to you talk.¡± ¡°I thought... well, you... I mean...¡± ¡°We''re on the bed, aren''t we?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Together.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then even if nothing happens, and all we do is fall asleep... we can still tell everyone we slept together.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°So cheeky.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± ¡°Well.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°We could do all of the things that I''m going to tell everyone we did anyways.¡± Elise snorted a laugh, gave in to her suppressed urges, and kissed him. Chapter 315A - Redhead Fever Elise sighed because she was finally going to go all the way with Ren. They had been close once, so very close, and had to stop when they were interrupted. There was nothing that could to that to them this time, she hoped. ¡°I wore these clothes for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why don''t you take them off of me?¡± Elise smiled as Ren laid on his back, and she unbuttoned his fancy dress shirt. ¡°You look nice.¡± She said and spread open his shirt. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t notice.¡± ¡°I was going to wear jogging pants and a t-shirt.¡± Ren said. ¡°You definitely would have noticed that.¡± Elise chuckled and ran her hands over his chest. ¡°You''re almost healed.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It almost doesn''t hurt anymore.¡± ¡°Almost?¡± Elise asked and kissed one of his chest muscles. ¡°So I still have to be careful?¡± She asked and kissed his other chest muscle. ¡°A little.¡± Ren said as he slid his arms out of the shirt. ¡°I''ll try.¡± Elise said and undid his pants. She slid them down and off his legs, and tossed the pants onto the dresser. She ran her hands up his bare legs to his underwear and fondled him through the silky cloth. With only a small bit of stimulation, and because Elise had a hold of the cloth to stop it moving, Ren grew erect and the tip popped out of the top of the underwear. Elise remembered how much she had wanted to go down on Ren when the same thing had happened in the clothing shop, so she gave into that urge this time and slipped her mouth over the tip. ¡°Oh, Elise!¡± Ren said as she sucked on just the flesh that had popped out, and he gripped the bed sheets to stop himself from going right away. Elise felt him throb in her mouth, and she stopped sucking on him. ¡°Don''t finish yet.¡± Elise said and slid his underwear down his legs and tossed them onto the pants. ¡°I''ve only barely started.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that, Elise.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got so much saved up for you that it''s not going to make any difference.¡± Elise stuck out her tongue and licked him from the base to the tip, and then gripped him with her hand to lift it up slightly. She swirled her tongue around the tip and stuck it back into her mouth. ¡°Elise!¡± Ren said and grabbed her head. ¡°Good god!¡± Ren went just from that, and she took it all and swallowed it. She''d learned the last time that she didn''t want to waste a single drop of it and was determined to keep it all to herself if he was going to give it to her. He spasmed several times for her, and she never faltered in her mission. When he was done, she kept pleasuring him with her mouth, over and over. After about half an hour, both her hands and her jaw were quite sore from working him so hard; but, she''d also given Ren more attention in that area than anyone else had ever done. ¡°Elise.¡± Ren said as she sat up and started to take off her blouse. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Elise said and took off her top. She had to stand up to get her skirt off, and she let it fall to the floor. She tossed her blouse onto the skirt, and climbed back onto the bed. ¡°I really should get a shower before...¡± Ren reached out and stroked her face. ¡°A little bit of sweat isn''t going to bother me.¡± He said. ¡°I hope I can get you to sweat even more.¡± Elise smiled a little sadly, because she knew that he wouldn''t be able to perform enough to make her sweat like that. ¡°Lay down.¡± Ren said, and she laid back on the bed. He ran his hands over the lace of her underwear, and teased her a little through the cloth. ¡°Mmm.¡± Elise said, and Ren moved the thin pliable cloth out of the way. ¡°Paradise.¡± Ren said, and licked her. Elise caught her breath as his tongue explored the flesh of her opening, and he sucked on the tip of it. ¡°Oh!¡± Elise exclaimed, and then he flicked it several times with his tongue. ¡°Ohhhh!¡± Ren had dreamed about what he would do to her when he finally got the chance to play with her without any time restrictions, and he did everything that he had imagined. Elise went several times as he kept playing with her, and she writhed around on the bed. ¡°Ren! I... I want it!¡± ¡°I''m not done enjoying you yet.¡± Ren said and licked her again. ¡°I''ve been waiting for this for so long, Elise. I don''t want to rush it.¡± ¡°Ren, please!¡± Elise pleaded. ¡°You can lick it all you want later!¡± ¡°I can?¡± Ren asked and looked at her face. It was flushed a deep red. ¡°Yes! Just... oh, god... please...¡± Elise said and kind of covered her eyes. ¡°Don''t... don''t make me beg!¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. You already are. Ren thought and moved up to position himself at her opening. ¡°Here it comes.¡± He touched his tip to her, and the flesh of her intimate place felt so much hotter than it did with his tongue. ¡°Oh...¡± Elise said as Ren rubbed the tip of himself over her. ¡°Ren...¡± Ren moved himself over her sensitive nub, and she caught her breath. He did this several times and when he felt like he had teased her enough, he very slowly put the tip of himself inside of her. ¡°OH!¡± Elise yelled, and gripped him so tightly that he couldn''t move. ¡°You''re so tight!¡± Ren said, then slid back out so he could get up onto his knees to push his weight forward. He positioned himself again and touched her with the tip, then used his fingers to fiddle with the top of her opening. Elise went again with that and she shook slightly as her body relaxed, and Ren took the opportunity her relaxation offered to lean forward. He pushed his way into her, and was completely inside before her body could react. ¡°Ren... god, I love you... I love you...¡± Elise whispered and lifted her hips to make it easier for him. He took his time with her, and moved in and out slowly. Once he started pleasing her, she relaxed again and it became even easier for him. He didn''t move faster, though. He remembered how quickly his energy would dissipate if he did, so he moved as slow as he could and made love to her. Ren could feel every muscle inside of her massage him as he moved, and after a little while, found one of the spots that caused Elise to shiver slightly. Ah, there you are. Ren thought, and changed his technique slightly to scrape the tip of his member over that spot each time he entered her. Her breath sped up every time they fully connected, even though he was still moving slowly, and by the time she was ready to go, he was nearly exhausted. ¡°Ren... Ren...¡± Elise whispered. ¡°REN!¡± She yelled, quickly gripped his backside and jammed him all the way in. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± She hollered and had an orgasm from his agonizingly slow movements. She twitched and shook from it, and Ren kind of went along for the ride. After a few moments, she used her hands and grabbed his hips to move him in and out a lot faster than he could by himself. ¡°Oh... oh, Ren! Go... go with me this time! Go with... AhhhH!¡± Elise screamed and had another body shaking orgasm, and her womanhood clamped down hard on Ren. ¡°Elise!¡± Ren exclaimed as he finished. He held himself up for only a moment, then collapsed onto her as his body lost all of it''s energy. Elise held him close and could feel him still going inside of her, even though the rest of his body was barely moving. That he could still do that while he was exhausted, made her have another orgasm. ¡°My... my little stallion.¡± Elise said when she could finally speak, and ran a hand though his hair. ¡°How... how was... it?¡± Ren managed to get out as he used her breasts as large pillows and rested his head on them. ¡°I can''t tell you.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s not over yet.¡± ¡°Elise... I... I can''t...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Elise said, and very carefully pulled him out of her intimate area. She gently put him on his back and made sure he was comfortable. ¡°Let me take over from here.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''ve done wonderfully, sweetheart.¡± Elise said and kissed him. ¡°It was even better than I could have ever expected.¡± ¡°I... I''m glad.¡± Ren said, and Elise positioned herself over him. ¡°Be gentle.¡± Elise slid herself down onto him and caught her breath, because it was a much sharper angle this way, and she braced her knees by his hips. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said and moved herself up slightly, then slid down to get him all inside. ¡°I''ll go just as slow as you did.¡± She said and kept her word. Ren reached up and unhooked her bra to release her magnificent chest, and Elise slid the bra off the rest of the way. She leaned forward so Ren didn''t have to move to suck and play with them, and she kept up her gentle ride. They kept going for a while, a long and slow build up, and then Elise told him that she was close. Her movements sped up a little; but by this point, Ren didn''t mind. He was close to going as well, and they both needed a bit more stimulation. Elise braced her hands by his head and closed her eyes as she concentrated on being careful, and after another minute, Ren pinched the tips of her breasts. Her eyes flew open at his rough touch, and he let her breasts go to cup the sides of her face. He pulled her down and kissed her, and she went. Elise kept her hands secured to the bed, and held on as she kept moving and shivered from yet another orgasm. Ren went inside of her again as her warm liquid covered his abdomen. This continued for nearly a full minute, with occasional squirts from both of them, then Elise broke the kiss and looked at him. ¡°How... how can you have... so much...¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been saving it up, just for you.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said and kissed him passionately. When she felt him stop throbbing, she carefully clenched herself as she slid up and off of him. She wanted to hold as much of him inside as she could, for as long as she could; so, she leaned off of the bed to grab her underwear and slid them on to keep everything contained. ¡°Elise?¡± ¡°I''ll clean you up, don''t worry.¡± Elise said to distract him from what she was doing, leaned over his member, and started to lick it all clean. She took her time with it, and revelled in his reactions. ¡°Elise!¡± Ren said after one particularly long lick, and Elise flicked her tongue over the tip, then stuck it in her mouth. I can''t believe I''m still doing this! Elise thought as Ren went in her mouth again. He just... it tastes so good! She swallowed as much as she could, then had to stop and take a breath. Some of it escaped when she did; so she finished cleaning his member, then licked and sucked up everything she''d missed. ¡°I can''t believe you did that.¡± Ren said, and echoed Elise''s thought. ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise chuckled and climbed onto the bed. ¡°You''re thanking me after all of that?¡± She asked and laid down beside him. ¡°I should thank you for letting me do it.¡± ¡°I let you do it?¡± Ren asked and then laughed. ¡°Despite how I acted, I wanted to tear off your clothes the moment you entered my room at the temporary care facility.¡± ¡°You hid it well.¡± Elise said. ¡°That''s because I didn''t want to scare you off.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t imagine what you would have said to me, if the first words out of my mouth were to tell you to hurry up and get naked.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°I''d have been pretty pissed.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I would be too, if someone said that to me.¡± He said. ¡°It loses something if its forced.¡± He smiled. ¡°Once we got together and it started, though...¡± ¡°Oh? Do you want me naked all the time, now that we''ve finally gone all the way?¡± Elise asked. ¡°That would be nice; but, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re too beautiful to look at for too long without your clothes on.¡± He smiled. ¡°Then again, if we''re alone...¡± ¡°Can your eyes survive with the constant pain of seeing me?¡± Elise asked him softly. ¡°What''s a little pain between people who love each other?¡± Ren asked, and turned to his side to stare at her eyes. ¡°Ren.¡± Elise said. ¡°A little pain is nothing if you love someone as much as I love you.¡± She said and kissed him. Chapter 316 - Here We Are Stella had called Barbara and told her where Ren was and what he was doing, and let her know that she could come there if she wanted, or she could have the night off. Barbara, surprisingly enough, decided to take the night off because Ren wasn''t going to need her to watch over him. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Stella asked. ¡°This will be the first time...¡± ¡°I''m sure.¡± Barbara said. ¡°With both you and Elise there, I''m pretty sure I won''t be needed.¡± ¡°Barbara, he''ll always need you.¡± Stella said. ¡°But, you''re right. You won''t have anything to watch over tonight. We didn''t even bring his VR headset.¡± ¡°I assumed that.¡± Barbara said and chuckled. ¡°I wonder what he''ll do instead?¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Goodnight, Barbara.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Barbara said. Stella hung up the phone and changed into a pair of jogging pants and an over-sized t-shirt, and went to bed. * Ren and Elise made out for a while after having sex, and Ren felt a wave of tiredness. ¡°I can''t believe I''m going to say this.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Elise, stop kissing me and go to sleep.¡± Elise laughed, and kissed him again. ¡°I guess that''s a reasonable request.¡± She said. ¡°It''s pretty late.¡± Ren stroked the side of her face. ¡°I am so glad you chose me.¡± ¡°I''m so glad you let me.¡± Elise said and ran her hand through his hair. They kissed once more, and Elise pulled the blanket up to cover them. She laid back and Ren cuddled in, and she wrapped an arm around him. ¡°Goodnight, beautiful.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight, handsome.¡± Elise said. ¡°I love you.¡± Ren said, his heart and mind at ease. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Elise said. Her heart full of joy and happiness and eventually Ren drifted off to sleep as he held onto someone that he loved. He didn''t really understand that Elise''s initial love, her blind obsession over him, had changed because of something she never thought she''d ever experience. The object of her obsession actually loved her back. A tear came to her eye, and she wiped it away. ¡°I really do love you.¡± Elise whispered, and gently kissed his forehead. * Max, the head programmer, was ecstatic when his boss Edward Torren, told him that the players themselves couldn''t access the portals to the pocket realms. Once he knew that, it had been child''s play to add a few lines of code to ensure that Ren wouldn''t be trapped inside another one. He went home with his mind at ease, that there wouldn''t be another incident like this. * Gloria had just come home after a long shift at the garage, and took a shower. When she came out, she had to keep working on her class project for that idiot professor that always picked on her. He''d assigned her the worst fluid dynamics problem that he could think of, then told her that when she solved it, she was to build it for him. ¡°Ugh!¡± Gloria said as she sat down to try and work out the math again. ¡°This is the stupidest problem I''ve ever seen! This would never come up in real life!¡± Gloria stopped ranting because she had thought of something. She looked over at her VR headset and smiled. * Sera Loris, or Selene, the Mistress of Dance in the game, sat in her room and stared at the large screen. She''d finally made herself watch the show that she believed was stolen from her. There were 3 episodes so far, and she watched each of them direct from the television station''s website. She''d paid the member fee to skip the commercials, and didn''t speak at all as she watched Onscreen Ren struggle and fight to complete his tasks. When the third episode finished, Sera went to her bar fridge and grabbed a sport drink. She guzzled it down and finished it, and tossed the empty bottle into the recycle bin beside the fridge. She dabbed her mouth with a napkin and tossed it into the trash, then went back and sat down again. She picked up the piece of paper she''d received from her contact at the television station, and looked at the viewership breakdown for all three episodes. ¡°Damn.¡± Sera said, finally. ¡°I have to agree with it.¡± She sighed. ¡°I fit right into their target demographic, and I liked the show.¡± She admitted. ¡°I liked it a lot.¡± She turned everything off and went into her VR room. She looked at the setup she had, and wondered what Ren used to make such a great show. ¡°I don''t know how he did it.¡± Sera said as she picked up her VR headset and laid down on her custom-made recliner and put it on. ¡°If I knew the secret, maybe... just maybe... I''ll be able to become famous, too.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Selene woke up in her house, and got off the bed. She''d spent a lot of gold to have one of the nicest houses in the large port city of Braddock. She''d left the starter city of Aurora, believing if she had a different background for her filming, it would drum up more interest from the television studio. She had worked her way across the Human Kingdom, did all of the quests she could along the way, and ended up staying in Braddock after the most difficult quest she''d ever had. Her party had changed several times since the Aurora fire, and she thought she had the best mix of fighters and underlings. She had watched her last attempt at making a pilot episode, and thought it had the right balance of excitement and story; but, she''d not received any kind of response after sending it in. Selene left her house and walked over to her new party''s meeting place, and everyone was there. They had a brute fighter, her for finesse and precise strikes, two archers with both crossbows and long bows for short and long range, two magic users, and a dedicated healer / cleric. ¡°There she is.¡± The brute fighter said. ¡°You''re lucky. We were just going to leave without you.¡± Selene smiled sweetly at him. ¡°Don''t kid yourself. You''d never survive without me to back you up.¡± ¡°I did just fine without you before.¡± The brute fighter said. ¡°That''s because you kept yourself limited to the minor quests until I came along.¡± Selene said and equipped the two swords Ren had given her. They were still sharp, despite not having them repaired in so long; but their durability was down to about half, and she wasn''t sure if she wanted to take the chance of having someone else fix them or take them back to Aurora and have Ren fix them. I really should message him about it. ¡°How many major quests have we done now? 6? 8?¡± One of the archers asked. ¡°12.¡± The healer / cleric said. ¡°I am so glad they become available every week. We''ll have another chance at that minor demon tonight.¡± ¡°Hey, it''s not my fault the containment spell scroll failed.¡± One of the magic users said. ¡°I''ve already got the replacement scroll from the guy.¡± He said. ¡°He was gonna charge me for it, too!¡± The other magic user laughed. ¡°After we threatened to give him permanent boils, he apologized for giving us a bad scroll and changed his mind.¡± ¡°So, is that it?¡± The other archer said. ¡°We''ve got all the things we need?¡± They all agreed and left the meeting place to head out to the site of the quest and activated it. ¡°It''s time to rock and roll!¡± The brute fighter said as the portal opened, and the first 10 of the 100 demonic minions leaped out of it to attack them. * Lara, the Sage of Ages, wondered where Ren was. She''d sent him a message as soon as she got into the game that night; but he didn''t respond, so she knew he was offline. She sat in the Aurora Library and read another one of the thousands of books she had access to. I wonder what he''s doing? Lara thought. It''s strange that he''d be offline like this at night. She sighed and regretted that she couldn''t call him on the All-Seeing Mirror. * Clint and his party had arrived at the first stop, spent a bit of time relaxing and taking care of the horses, and left it soon after. At the moment, they were at the second stop and were about halfway to their destination. Billy was putting his gold coin to good use with his guilty pleasure, Jennifer. The other members of the party enjoyed the girly show, and spent a bit more than they had intended. The girls had gotten a few new outfits, and the novelty of seeing real lingerie in the game, was too tempting for them to resist. Their brief stopover had turned into an all night thing. * Talon, the Shadow Weaver, was working. Lord Eddlemere had once again decided to scheme and try to undercut King Alamast''s power over the Human Kingdom. It was a heavy ideal for him to try, and he''d attempted it several times already; but, now he was determined to make the King look as foolish as possible. Word had been sent that an important dignitary would be coming to the Human Kingdom, and Lord Eddlemere wanted the King to look as incompetent as Lord Eddlemere knew he was. ¡°I need this to be delivered to the Ambassador''s office in three days.¡± Talon said to the messenger. ¡°Here''s the holding and delivery fee.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The messenger said and accepted the package and the payment. ¡°You won''t regret using our service.¡± Talon nodded and walked out of the business. I won''t regret it, but you will. He thought, and slid into the closest shadow and disappeared.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ******** Ren felt something poke him in the back and winced. He''d gotten used to the feel of the spinal tap needle, and as long as he didn''t see it beforehand, he could pretend it was something else. Like a molten hot poker. Ren thought as the needle dug into the bone. He''d suffered this enough that he expected it to hurt a lot less; but, it almost always felt just as bad or worse. I swear, they are trying to intentionally hurt me. He thought after one particularly strong jab. ¡°He''s not reacting like he''s supposed to.¡± A male voice said. ¡°I thought you said he would...¡± ¡°He''s developed a high pain tolerance.¡± Ren''s mother said. ¡°It takes a lot to cause him real pain.¡± ¡°Then hurry up and do it.¡± The male voice said. ¡°I''m not paying to see mediocre results.¡± Ren''s mother nodded, and switched from the needle to the drill. She pulled the trigger a couple of times, and Ren''s whole body twitched at the sounds. ¡°That''s better.¡± The male voice said. ¡°Proceed.¡± The drill dug into Ren''s bone and he probably could have taken it; but, the edge of the drill bit snagged the edge of the incision. It tore into his skin and he screamed loudly from the pain. * ¡°AahhhhHHH!¡± Ren yelled as he woke up, and gripped the closed thing to him. Elise. She woke up instantly at his yell and held onto him. ¡°Shh! It''s okay.¡± Elise said. His grip is so strong! She thought as she consoled him. ¡°It was just a nightmare. It wasn''t real.¡± Tears were in Ren''s eyes as he sobbed. ¡°It wasn''t a dream.¡± He said, because he could still feel his back as it spasmed. ¡°It was a memory.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said, and wiped off his face. Stella ran into the room and came over to the bed. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°M-m-memory.¡± Ren said, and took shallow breaths. ¡°My... my back...¡± Stella pulled the blanket off of them and checked his back, and saw a small muscle there was knotted up pretty bad. ¡°You''ve got a severely contracted muscle here.¡± She said. ¡°Elise, move the pillows out of the way.¡± Elise moved them, and Stella turned Ren onto his stomach. ¡°This is going to hurt.¡± Stella said to Ren. ¡°I don''t care.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just do it.¡± Stella nodded and started to massage the muscles around the affected muscle and she could feel Ren trying to stay still. When she thought she had relaxed the surrounding area, she dug her thumbs into the contracted muscle. ¡°AahhhHH!¡± Ren yelled. ¡°Goddammit!¡± Stella kept working the muscle out and it eventually relaxed, then Ren gave a long sigh. ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stella, please tell me you''ve got...¡± ¡°I do.¡± Stella said and went to the bathroom, and came back with some muscle cream and some painkillers. ¡°Elise, can you rub this on him while I prep his medication?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Elise said and took the tube of cream, put some on the tips of her fingers, and rubbed the spot where the muscle was. Stella made a small supplement shake and added the painkillers. It was only a small dose, but it was strong and had to be administered carefully. ¡°How much of this should I...¡± Elise started to say. ¡°Cover the area and rub it in gently.¡± Stella said and put a straw in the cup. ¡°Ren, drink this.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren took a sip and sighed. ¡°Both of you.¡± He said and took another sip. ¡°Oh, that... that''s good.¡± He said as Elise rubbed his back. ¡°Uhhhhh.¡± He moaned as Elise got a good rhythm going. ¡°Keep drinking.¡± Stella said. ¡°R-right.¡± Ren said and took a sip. The muscles in his back relaxed a few minutes later, and Ren''s whole body went limp as he finished the supplement and Stella took the cup from him. ¡°If it didn''t hurt so much at first, I could probably get used to this treatment.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°Can you tell us what happened?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Well, it was like this...¡± Ren said and explained what he remembered. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m so sorry you went through that.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said, then looked at her and then Stella. ¡°On the bright side, if I didn''t go through that, I never would have met either of you.¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°I''m not going to ask you if it was worth it.¡± ¡°That''s because you know what... the answer... is.¡± Ren said and smiled sleepily. ¡°I''m... really tired.¡± He said and closed his eyes, then fell asleep. ¡°Is he okay?¡± Elise asked. ¡°That was a strong memory to go through.¡± Stella sighed. ¡°I don''t know.¡± She said. ¡°He hasn''t had something like this happen in a while.¡± ¡°You keep track?¡± ¡°We have to.¡± Stella said and took out her phone, and wrote out a note to add it and the details to the chart. ¡°It lets us gauge when the next one might occur, and possibly how severe it''ll be.¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°This was the first time for one like this, though.¡± ¡°Do you think it was...¡± ¡°All the time that his mind spent playing the game?¡± Stella asked. Elise nodded. ¡°It''s possible that was the trigger.¡± ¡°What can we do?¡± Elise asked. ¡°What we just did.¡± Stella said. ¡°The other nurses and I tried a few other things before, but...¡± ¡°You didn''t want to bring too much attention to it.¡± Elise said. Stella nodded. ¡°If we treat it like it''s a normal everyday occurrence, it becomes a normal everyday occurrence.¡± ¡°You mean that it stops him from worrying about it?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Stella said. ¡°Our job is to take care of him. Removing his worries and making his life easier keeps him emotionally healthy.¡± Elise ran her hand through Ren''s hair and listened to his breathing. It was nice and even, and she placed a kiss on his cheek. ¡°He''ll be out for a while.¡± Stella said. ¡°You might as well get some sleep.¡± ¡°What if it happens again?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I''ll come running again.¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°I didn''t let it show, but I was so scared when he woke up screaming.¡± She said. ¡°Please stay.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°This is a huge bed.¡± Elise said and put the pillows back. ¡°There''s lots of room for the both of us to watch over him.¡± ¡°Elise...¡± ¡°He''ll be happy if you''re close by.¡± Elise said and pat the bed on the other side of Ren. ¡°Especially when he wakes up and knows you''ve been watching over him.¡± Stella nodded and climbed onto the bed, and laid down beside Ren. Elise grabbed the blanket and slid it up to cover the three of them. ¡°Stella?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I''m really glad that you were here for this.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Stella said, and ran a hand through Ren''s hair. ¡°So am I.¡± * ¡°Okay, I think I got it.¡± Gloria said as she finished writing up a proper simulation for fluid dynamics. She''d used her remote connection to the micro-server at Stella''s place, and set up a small test area. She sent over the files she needed, since the medical simulation only had a rudimentary fluid system installed. She made sure that nothing she did would affect any of the data Stella recorded for her experiments, and laid down on her recliner with her VR headset on. ¡°Admin Login Start.¡± ******** Gloria appeared in the white loading space for administration use, and opened the operating menu. She loaded her advanced fluid dynamics system, and several mechanisms and experiments appeared in front of her. ¡°That jerk-off professor won''t know what hit him!¡± Gloria said and got to work. * Selene, the Mistress of Dance, had worked hard during the quest her party was involved in. She''d killed more demon minions than all of the other party members combined, and had kept the Minor Demon''s attention when it had finally appeared. ¡°My Stamina''s almost gone!¡± Selene said as she dodged the Minor Demon''s latest attempt to spear her with it''s 30 foot long poleaxe. ¡°I can''t believe this is classed as a Minor Demon!¡± The 40 foot tall dark red creature had 2 legs, 4 arms, 6 horns (2 of which were on it''s head), and a 20 foot long tail covered in poisonous spikes. Selene couldn''t describe its face, because it was shrouded in a dark mist. ¡°I can only imagine what a Major Demon looks like!¡± The brute fighter said as he ran by the Minor Demon and took a swipe at its leg, then rolled over to avoid the tail as it tried to crush him. A large sword swung down to attack the annoyance, and several arrows hit the hand that held the sword. The arrows had been enchanted with Light, or Holy magic, and the Minor Demon roared as its swing missed the brute fighter and hooked its own tail. It lost several tail spikes and hopped around in pain. ¡°Watch its feet!¡± The healer / cleric said to the brute fighter as Selene slid out of the line of fire and made her way over to him. ¡°This is my last Energize spell for the day.¡± He told her, and put his hand on her forehead. ¡°That''s all I''ll need.¡± Selene said. ¡°You know, this would work a lot better if...¡± ¡°I''m not going to pray to one of the gods.¡± Selene said. ¡°I don''t believe in them, and I don''t think they''ll work any better than they do now.¡± ¡°It was just a thought.¡± The healer / cleric said and finished casting the spell. ¡°Okay, go!¡± Selene didn''t waste any time and ran right back into the fray. ¡°Get that scroll ready!¡± She said. ¡°It''s almost down to the required Health!¡± ¡°It''s ready!¡± One of the magic users said. ¡°Lure it over here!¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Selene barked a laugh. ¡°I don''t have to lure it! I just have to stop keeping it away!¡± Selene had been right. As soon as they stopped distracting the Minor Demon, it ran right over towards the two magic users because it knew they were the dangerous ones that it had to get rid of. It hit the Shield spell the other magic user had cast, dropped its weapons, and stood there as it pounded its 4 fists into the Mana barrier. ¡°Ah, dammit!¡± The magic user said. ¡°It''s sucking out my Mana reserves!¡± ¡°Drink a Mana potion!¡± The other magic user said, then started the chant on the scroll. The containment circle they had set up started to glow, and more Light arrows hit the Minor Demon. ¡°Almost!¡± The brute fighter said. ¡°Just a bit more!¡± ¡°Give me a boost!¡± Selene said to the brute fighter, who stored his sword and knelt as he held out his cupped hands. She did a small pirouette as she leaped up into the air, hit his cupped hands with a single foot, and the brute used all of his Strength to throw her into the air and stood up at the same time. Selene used the extra momentum to flip forward in the air to add extra strength to her strike, and drove both blades into the Minor Demon''s eyes. It howled in pain as it pulled its head back, and it took her swords with it. Selene couldn''t kick off from the Minor Demon like she had wanted to, and she fell towards the ground, helpless. The brute fighter jumped up and caught her before she hit the Shield spell, and he landed on the ground on the other side with Selene cradled in his arms. The Minor Demon grabbed one of Selene''s swords and yanked it out of its eye, and caused itself more damage. When it tried to grab the other one, the sword broke in half and the broken end stayed lodged in the mangled eye. Its clawed hand tried to dig out the the broken piece, and it slashed and clawed at its own face. The party all received the popup that they''d achieved the desired Health loss for the containment spell to work, and the Shield spell dropped. One of the magic users tossed the small metal box into the middle of the containment circle, and when it hit the ground, the spell snapped into place. The metal box opened up, and a mystical black hole appeared inside. The Minor Demon couldn''t see; but, it howled anyways when it was caught in the black hole''s pull. Its manifested body started to dissolve and be sucked into the containment spell, and it scrambled to grab onto anything that could stop its capture... to no avail. Once it was caught, there was nothing it could do to escape. After about 30 seconds, there was nothing left to the Minor Demon except for a small magically-sealed metal box. ¡°Yeah!¡± The two archers said. ¡°Whoo-hoooo!¡± One of the magic users said. ¡°Yes!¡± The other magic user said. ¡°Good work everyone.¡± The healer / cleric said. The brute fighter and Selene hadn''t said anything, and the group looked over at them. The cat-calls and whistles started soon after because they saw Selene and the brute fighter making out like there was no tomorrow. * Nathalia tossed and turned in bed, and couldn''t get to sleep. She was tempted to use her Sleep ability on herself; but if anything came up, she wanted to be awake for it. She was pretty sure that nothing would happen, since nearly everything had settled down after Ren had left. Both Ren and Teepo had joked that things only happened when Ren was around. Nathalia thought. It seems like they were right. * Tristan, the Fallen Prince, had finally managed to complete the elaborate quest he''d received months before. With the loot he''d recovered from the various assassinations and planting evidence to frame others for the crimes, he was much better off than he was before. He always enjoyed it when he could milk a quest for double or even triple the XP and monetary bonuses. Tristan arrived at the prearranged meeting point and stood in front of an unremarkable market stall in Bore-Reale, the major city that was the capital of the Human Kingdom, where King Alamast''s castle was directly in the center of. He wasn''t sure why the game designers would put the castle right in the middle of the city, considering it made entry into that castle easier than entering this market stall undetected. When the coast was clear, Tristan slipped over the counter and through the trap door, and walked through the underground tunnel to the spot he was instructed to go to. ¡°There you are.¡± A hooded figure said. His face was covered in a dark mist, so Tristan couldn''t see his face; but Tristan didn''t care who the guy was. He gave out the best missions with the biggest payouts, and Tristan''s Infamy bonuses have boosted his level ups considerably. ¡°I was starting to get worried that you wouldn''t complete it.¡± Tristan shrugged. ¡°If I''d known a main quest could have 8 parts to it, I might have declined your generous offer.¡± He said, then smiled. ¡°It''s a good thing I enjoyed it, or I''d be pissed right now.¡± The hooded figure laughed. ¡°Yes, that''s why I chose you for that quest.¡± The voice said. ¡°Do you have it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Tristan said, took out the shadow marker he''d recovered from Ren, and handed it over. ¡°Thank you.¡± The hooded figure said. ¡°I declare the quest complete.¡± ¡°Thank fuck!¡± Tristan said and sat down to read the popups of the things he''d gained. ¡°What a huge pain in the ass that was!¡± He said, then grinned at the huge increase in several of his stats and abilities. ¡°Here''s your 5 platinum reward.¡± The hooded figure said and handed him the money. ¡°I have some minor quests if you want them.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Tristan said. ¡°I''m in the main city now. I might as well have some fun while I''m here.¡± The hooded figure laughed again. He didn''t even have to try to convince the idiot to do his dirty work. Chapter 317 - Moving On Up Ren woke up the next morning, and yawned. He turned over and stretched out, then laid his arms out to both sides, and discovered something amazing. Both of his arms now rested on bare flesh. ¡°Huh?¡± Ren opened his eyes and looked to his right. There was Elise in all her naked glory, exactly what he had expected. He marvelled at all that flesh and how she could function with it. When he looked to the left, his eyes widened when he saw Stella. She wore jogging pants and a very baggy t-shirt, which had been pulled up to her neck to reveal her beautiful chest. ¡°Stella?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Stella opened her eyes and looked at him. ¡°Good morning.¡± She smiled, stretched and arched her back, and it showed off her chest to its full potential. ¡°I assume you''re done fondling them?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren blinked his eyes and looked at her face. ¡°You''ve been asleep most of the night; but for some reason, your hand found its way into my top.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°I''ve never had someone sleep-grope me before.¡± ¡°That''s another thing we have in common.¡± Elise said, and Ren looked at her. ¡°Good morning, handsome.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said, and his face flushed a little red. ¡°Don''t be embarrassed.¡± Stella said. ¡°It was... it was quite nice, actually.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Elise said. ¡°It seemed to relax you.¡± ¡°I... you...¡± Ren started to say, then smiled. ¡°Thank you. Both of you.¡± He said. ¡°You took care of me all night, and let me... well...¡± His face went a little redder. ¡°You know what I think of things like that.¡± Stella said, and sat up. ¡°I can see why Ren likes them so much.¡± Elise said as she looked at Stella. ¡°If I''d had a choice, I think those would be the ones I would want.¡± She said, and cupped her own massive breasts. ¡°These things are a little too much of a good thing.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°I don''t think I''ve ever met a woman that was happy with the size of her own breasts.¡± She said. ¡°I''d want mine just a little bigger, and maybe I would have chosen not to wear a push-up bra so many times.¡± She said and pinched the tips of her breasts slightly. ¡°They''ve been trained to point downward a little because of that.¡± ¡°I think they''re perfect just the way they are.¡± Ren said, and chimed in on the discussion. ¡°If you hadn''t trained them like that, they''d probably be pointing to the ceiling.¡± Stella cupped herself and turned them up a little. ¡°Like this?¡± ¡°A little more.¡± Ren said. Stella arched her back a little and pushed her breasts upwards. ¡°How''s that?¡± ¡°I think that''s what they would look like.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d still want to suckle and play with them; but, you''d have to bend over a lot farther for me to do that.¡± Stella chuckled and leaned way over towards Ren''s face. ¡°Stella, what are yo-mmm.¡± Ren tried to say as Stella popped the tip of her breast in his mouth. ¡°You''re right.¡± Stella said. ¡°I would have to bend way over if my breasts were like this.¡± Ren suckled for a second, then moved his head slightly. ¡°Stella... Elise is...¡± ¡°You''re right, Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m sorry, Elise.¡± She said and pointed her other breast at Elise. ¡°Do you want to try it, too?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Elise said. ¡°I know your views on things like this, but...¡± ¡°I recently told Ren that I''ve never done anything with a woman before.¡± Stella said. ¡°This seemed like a good opportunity to test my theory.¡± ¡°Of what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If having a woman suckle feels different than having a man suckle.¡± Stella said. ¡°It does.¡± Elise said. Ren and Stella looked at her, and she blushed. ¡°Ren, I...¡± Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°Like I told you before, you don''t have to tell me anything about who you''ve been with before me.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°Stella, on the other hand, would love to discuss it with you.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°I really would.¡± Elise was a little surprised that they were so nonchalant about the whole thing. ¡°You''re okay with this, Ren? Sharing Stella''s chest like this?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°She really does need to know, now that you''ve given her some empirical evidence.¡± He said. ¡°But, we can''t go any farther than that.¡± ¡°We can''t?¡± Elise asked. Ren shook his head. ¡°Why not?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Isn''t it the ultimate male fantasy to have sex with two women at once?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s definitely right up there in fantasy land.¡± ¡°Then why...¡± ¡°We have too much to do today.¡± Ren said. ¡°You have to get to work, and Stella is spending her day off helping me move the rest of the things from the temporary care facility to here.¡± Elise looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°So, we could all sleep together if we didn''t have so much to do?¡± ¡°We already did sleep together right here in this bed.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Sex on the other hand, we can only do if we all agreed beforehand.¡± He said. ¡°You know what I think of forcing things on people.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I''ll have to think about it.¡± ¡°You don''t have to do anything.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°Don''t spend time worrying about if you say no and how I''ll react, or if you say yes and how I''ll react.¡± He grinned. ¡°Be yourself and have fun. You''ve already won me over with everything you''ve already done, Elise.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°If, at some point, you decide that you want to include another woman in our fun, let me know.¡± Ren said. ¡°No pressure. No anger or repercussions; no matter what you decide.¡± He leaned over and kissed her. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m sorry to put a damper on this, but I need a bathroom break.¡± Ren said and slid down the bed to the foot of it and stood. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Stella and Elise watched Ren''s cute little naked butt as he walked across the room and went into the bathroom. * ¡°Okay, that was a little weird.¡± Elise said. ¡°He''s never asked for multiple partners before, even though he could have several times.¡± Stella said. ¡°I wonder...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°He could be trying to compensate for not having sex for all that time.¡± Stella said. ¡°As for myself, after about 6 months without sex, I was almost tearing my hair out because I was so horny.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Me, too.¡± She said. ¡°Then Ren came along, and I...¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Stella said. ¡°Now Ren has spent a year and a half without sex in that... what was it you called it?¡± ¡°A pocket realm.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s a place of accelerated time; where creatures are grown and sent into the game.¡± ¡°That''s a neat way to do it.¡± Stella said. ¡°Yes, it''s innovative, but... Ren got caught in it.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°He wasn''t supposed to, was he?¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°No one was supposed to.¡± Elise said. ¡°Ever.¡± She sat up in the bed. ¡°Hand me my bra, will you?¡± Stella reached down to Elise''s pile of clothes and handed her the very large custom-made bra. ¡°Thanks.¡± Elise said and put it on. ¡°During testing, the highest someone could go without experiencing severe side effects, was 8 times normal time.¡± ¡°That''s what Gloria discovered in the administrator''s code.¡± Stella said. ¡°We activated it the first day we used it, and did all of the preliminary experiments in the first session.¡± ¡°All of them?¡± Elise asked, surprised. ¡°How long did you stay in?¡± ¡°About 10 hours, real time.¡± ¡°Oh my god.¡± Elise said. ¡°And you''re okay?¡± She asked, worried. ¡°All three of you?¡± Stella nodded. ¡°It was just over 80 hours inside, and we did have fun.¡± She said. ¡°Mostly.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°You''re remembering the stress tests.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°I''m glad we don''t have to do that again.¡± She said. ¡°The gravity mods are horrible.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°I''ve done them, too.¡± ¡°You did?¡± ¡°I needed to know the potential for the medical experiments.¡± Elise said. ¡°Have you looked at the preliminary numbers I sent you for Ren?¡± ¡°I have.¡± Elise said. ¡°If his physical body wasn''t so debilitated, he''d be a medical marvel.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°I can only imagine what they did to him to cause such massive improvements and such massive damage at the same time.¡± Elise sighed. ¡°You don''t think I should say no to him, do you?¡± Stella put a hand on Elise''s hand. ¡°Only you can decide what you want.¡± Stella said. ¡°I agree with Ren. Don''t force yourself into anything you aren''t comfortable with.¡± ¡°Stella...¡± ¡°Don''t bother asking me about it, because I''m not making that decision for you.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°The only freedom anyone really has is choice. Use that freedom. Make up your own mind.¡± * ¡°She''s right.¡± Ren said as he came out of the bathroom. He had heard what Stella had said. ¡°If you want to keep me all to yourself while you''re here, I''m okay with that.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Come on, you two.¡± Ren said and walked over to his pile of clothes and started to get dressed. ¡°We''ve got a long day ahead of us.¡± ¡°You''ve got a long day of sitting in that wheelchair, mister.¡± Stella said and got off the bed. ¡°At least until we bring over your VR setup.¡± ¡°I''ll send the tech guys over to handle all of that.¡± Elise said. ¡°Have you decided if the new setup will be in the den upstairs, or are you going to do it in here?¡± ¡°In here for now.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can always move it later.¡± Elise nodded and slid off the bed to put on her clothes. ¡°We really should take a shower before putting on our clothes.¡± Stella said. ¡°We don''t have anything clean to change into.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, Elise needs to head home to change anyways. After she drops us off, she''s not going to have much time to get ready for work.¡± ¡°I''m dropping you off, am I?¡± Elise asked, and Ren smiled sweetly at her. ¡°My sweetest love, can you cradle me in your arms and carry me back to the cold medical facility, so I can abandon its stark and harsh reality to embrace the lap of luxury?¡± Elise snorted a laugh. ¡°Since you asked so nicely, sure.¡± Ren walked over to her, and she bent down to kiss him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Elise said. ¡°Stella, are you changing, too?¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°I''m not his nurse today, just a friend.¡± She said. ¡°Plus, I expect moving his things is going to get my good clothes pretty dirty.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Then let''s go.¡± Ren sat in the wheelchair, then Stella pushed him out of the room and down the hall to the elevator. Elise walked beside them and pushed the button, then they rode down and left the large house. She drove them back to the temporary care facility, dropped them off, and headed back to her own place. ¡°Boy, that was fun!¡± Ren said as Stella pushed him into his room. ¡°Which part?¡± Stella asked, then she thought about his bad dream. ¡°Almost all of it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I mainly meant that I finally slept with Elise.¡± ¡°She was careful, too.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°I didn''t see any new bruises forming in certain areas.¡± Stella said and winked at him. Ren chuckled. ¡°Are you saying you were checking me out?¡± ¡°I always check you out, little stud.¡± Stella said and grinned. ¡°It''s my job.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren said and climbed onto his bed. ¡°Is lusting after me a part of your job, too?¡± ¡°That''s your fault.¡± Stella said and laughed. ¡°You can''t be so handsome and sexy all the time!¡± ¡°Your rose-colored glasses are working just fine, I see.¡± Ren said and laughed, too. ¡°Hey, you.¡± Denise said as she came into the room. ¡°I''m glad you''re in a good mood.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°When''s breakfast?¡± ¡°Geez, give me a break! I just walked in the door!¡± Denise exclaimed, and that made Ren and Stella laugh again. * Barbara woke up in her old bed, probably for the last time, and looked at her husband. When she''d told him last night that she had the night off, he''d almost been like an animal when he took her to bed. I don''t know what''s gotten into him lately. Barbara thought, then she smiled. Okay, I kind of do know. She smiled as she thought about her husband accepting Ren''s generous offer of a brand new house. Melanie even told us that a serious offer was made on this house, and she was bringing the offer over sometime this morning. Barbara looked down at the masculine arm draped over her belly, and she hugged it. ¡°Again?¡± Donald mumbled as he opened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°I was just...¡± ¡°Help yourself.¡± Donald said and rolled onto his back. Barbara chuckled because he was quite ready for her. ¡°Really? You''re going to make me do all the work?¡± ¡°It''s your turn.¡± Donald said and grinned. ¡°My turn, is it?¡± Barbara laughed as she rolled on top of him. ¡°When did we start keeping track?¡± ¡°Just now.¡± Donald said and kissed her. After a few minutes, Barbara didn''t mind at all that it was her turn. * Stella helped Denise make breakfast for all three of them, and they sat on the bed and ate. ¡°So, fill me in.¡± Denise said. ¡°Why isn''t Barbara here, and what went on in the game last night?¡± She bit into her egg, bacon and toast sandwich. ¡°Oh, that''s good.¡± ¡°Elise came over after work last night.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then we took some stuff over to my new place.¡± ¡°That late?¡± Denise asked and looked around. ¡°It doesn''t look like you took a lot.¡± ¡°Only a few essential things we needed for an overnight stay.¡± Stella said. ¡°Supplies, towels, a change of clothes...¡± Denise nodded. ¡°And Barbara?¡± ¡°Ren wasn''t playing the game, and both Elise and I were already at the house.¡± Stella said. ¡°It gave her the opportunity to have a night off.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Denise said. ¡°Boy, I bet her husband was pretty happy!¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°I''m pretty sure they didn''t sleep a lot last night.¡± She said and looked at Ren. ¡°Like someone else I won''t mention.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Denise asked and looked at Ren. ¡°Elise finally got to have you, huh?¡± Ren took another bite of his sandwich and didn''t answer, except for a big smile. ¡°She''s been trying for a while.¡± Denise said. ¡°It just never seemed to happen for her.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Something always seemed to interrupt.¡± Ren mockingly glared at them, and Stella and Denise laughed. ¡°We can''t make it too easy for you, you know.¡± Denise said. ¡°You''re doing a great job, then.¡± Ren said, finished his sandwich, and sat back. ¡°Boy, oh boy, that was good!¡± ¡°You''re talking about the sandwich, right?¡± Denise asked, and finished her own sandwich. Ren chuckled. ¡°This time.¡± Stella took the empty plates and looked at Denise. ¡°Start packing up everything.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Denise said and stood up. ¡°Where are the boxes?¡± ¡°Folded up in the closet.¡± Stella said as she walked towards the door. ¡°The packing tape is on top of them.¡± She left the room to clean the dishes. Denise went to the closet and pulled out the tape and pile of folded boxes. She unfolded one, ran the tape over the bottom twice to secure it, then started to fill it with things from the closet. ¡°We can sort it all later, so don''t worry about keeping things separate right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s just get everything over there.¡± Denise nodded and filled the box quickly. She made another one and filled it, too. ¡°Hand me a box.¡± Ren said, and Denise made one for him and he took it to the dresser. He sat it on the bed and emptied the top drawer into it, then emptied half of the next one to fill the box. ¡°This one''s full.¡± Ren said, and Denise came over to tape it up and gave him another one, then she went back to the closet and kept packing. Stella came in and made a couple of boxes for herself, then left again. Ren and Denise continued to work for about an hour, and then the room''s door opened. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Elise said, and her smile lit up the room ¡°Elise? What are you doing here?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You should be at work.¡± ¡°I''ve brought the tech crew over.¡± Elise said. ¡°Technically, this is work.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°I guess you''re making sure the company''s assets don''t get damaged during the move.¡± ¡°If they are, the insurance will cover everything.¡± Elise said, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°You don''t have to worry about me so much, Ren.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I''m a big girl. I can take care of myself.¡± Ren used his finger to motion her closer, and she bent over to put her ear by his mouth. ¡°I can''t help it. I have to worry about you.¡± He whispered, then kissed her earlobe. Her hair covered what he was doing, so he took it into his mouth and nibbled on it a little. Elise took in a quick breath, and Ren sucked on it for a moment, then used his hand to wipe her earlobe off. ¡°Sorry, I couldn''t resist.¡± Ren whispered to her. ¡°I''m not complaining.¡± Elise whispered back, gave him another kiss on the lips, and stood up. ¡°We''ll have this all set up and ready by the time you come over with the next load of your things.¡± ¡°Thanks, Elise.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re more than I deserve.¡± ¡°You better believe it.¡± Elise said and winked at him, and saw that the tech guys had everything unhooked as they carried it out of the room. ¡°It looks like they''re done already.¡± She said a little sadly. ¡°If you''re not there by the time we get there, there''s something you should know.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s that?¡± Elise asked, curious about what she might have missed. ¡°I love you.¡± Ren said and gave her a hug. Every time I hear that from him, it sounds so nice. Elise thought and hugged him back. Ren slid a hand down and pat the top of her butt a little bit. ¡°Now get that cute ass out of my sight before I loose all of my self control.¡± Ren said and grinned. Elise snorted a laugh. ¡°Now I''m tempted to stay, just to see if you will.¡± ¡°Do you want to ruin my perfectly mediocre attempt at helping to pack my own things?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You horrible, horrible woman!¡± He said and laughed. ¡°All right, fine!¡± Elise said and laughed, too. ¡°I''ll have to wait until later to tempt and corrupt you.¡± ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°See you later, Elise.¡± ¡°Bye, handsome.¡± Elise said and left the room. For the rest of the morning, Ren, Stella and Denise packed up everything and loaded up Denise''s car several times. She then went to the house and dropped the things off in the main lobby. It wasn''t until they had the last few boxes stashed into Denise''s trunk with the wheelchair that they realized they were finally done. Stella went back into the room to make sure. She checked all the drawers, the closet, the bathroom, and even under the bed. Everything was gone. She nodded and went back out. ¡°That''s everything.¡± Stella said and got into the back seat. ¡°Finally!¡± Ren said and looked at Denise. ¡°Home, Jeeves.¡± ¡°I am not your butler, you little stinker.¡± Denise chuckled and started the car. They drove to the new place and went inside. It didn''t take as long to move the things into the elevator to take them up to Ren''s room, or the dishes and things to the kitchen, or the bathroom items into Ren''s big bathroom. ¡°I think we might have missed Elise.¡± Ren said and sat down on his bed. ¡°By a few hours.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''ll see her again soon.¡± Ren nodded and sighed. ¡°Now I have a problem.¡± ¡°Really.¡± Denise said as she brought in the last thing from downstairs. It was his rollaway table, and she adjusted it to fit over the new bed. ¡°What problem is that?¡± ¡°I still need a little help in the shower.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Which one of you beautiful ladies would like to help me?¡± Chapter 318 - Mi Casa After a bit of discussion, they decided to have lunch first and ordered pizza. While they waited for the delivery, they talked about what to do for the rest of the day. Ren said he wanted to log in, just to keep his presence in the game, since he''d missed three days already and he needed to keep up with his responsibilities. ¡°Would those responsibilities be your 5 personal maids?¡± Stella asked with a knowing smile. Ren nodded. ¡°I need to make more food to put in the icebox.¡± He said. ¡°It''s probably pretty low, with me being gone so long.¡± ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± Stella said. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°You''ve been spending a lot more time outside of the game lately.¡± Denise said. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Stella and Ren exchanged glances. ¡°Actually... there''s... well, I don''t know how to say this to make it less of a shock.¡± Stella said. ¡°Ren just spent a year and a half in the game.¡± ¡°HE WHAT?!?¡± Denise yelled. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Stella and Ren explained what had happened, and Denise sat there and stared at them. ¡°How... how is that possible?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Stella said. ¡°Elise said the most anyone has ever endured without side effects was 8 times normal time.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°When did she tell you this?¡± ¡°Just before she left.¡± Stella said. ¡°That''s why she was so worried about you. No one was ever supposed to go into those pocket realms.¡± Ren was about to tell her that he''d been in one before, but kept his mouth shut. If he told them he was, then he''d have to explain why he was there; and that was something he didn''t want anyone to know. The telephone rang, and Ren looked at the nightstand. ¡°We have a phone in here?¡± ¡°There''s one in every room.¡± Stella said and picked it up. ¡°Hello?¡± She waited a moment. ¡°Thank you. We''ll be right over to get it.¡± She hung up and looked at Denise and Ren. ¡°Pizza is at the gate.¡± ¡°I''ll go get it.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''m the one with the car.¡± ¡°Take the golf cart.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s in the garage.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I assume that''s what it''s for.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve seen a few of them driving around.¡± ¡°Isn''t it just for golfing?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Do I look like I''ll go golfing? Ever?¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°I''ll try it, then.¡± She said and left the room. Stella went down to the kitchen to get plates and silverware, and went back to the bedroom. About 10 minutes later, Denise came into the bedroom with the pizza box. ¡°That golf cart can really go!¡± Denise said and put the pizza on the rollaway table. ¡°Had fun, did you?¡± Stella asked and opened the box. ¡°Hey, there''s...¡± ¡°I gave the guard a slice.¡± Denise said. ¡°You should have seen his face when I offered.¡± She smiled. ¡°He tried to say no while he was drooling.¡± Stella and Ren laughed. ¡°It''s a good thing we got a large.¡± Ren said as Stella handed him a piece on a plate. ¡°Do you want a fork?¡± Stella asked him. ¡°Pizza is the ultimate finger food.¡± Ren said and picked the piece up. ¡°You''re supposed to use your hands.¡± He said and took a bite. A bit of sauce slid out past his mouth and landed on his chin. ¡°Ow! Hot! Hot!¡± He said and dropped the piece of pizza onto the plate and tried to lick and wipe off the sauce at the same time. Denise had grabbed a napkin before Stella could and wiped off his chin. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± Ren said and touched the spot. ¡°That hurt.¡± ¡°Aw.¡± Denise said. ¡°Want me to kiss it and make it better?¡± She asked, teasingly. ¡°It won''t magically heal it, but it should make me feel better.¡± Ren chuckled and held his chin out for her. ¡°Please.¡± Denise leaned forward and puckered her lips to kiss the spot, and Ren turned his head and kissed her instead. ¡°Ha!¡± Stella said and laughed. ¡°He got you again!¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°You can''t keep doing that, Ren.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ren asked and smiled. ¡°You let me do it.¡± ¡°I didn''t... well, I did; but...¡± Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°If I just asked you for a kiss, would you do it?¡± ¡°Not while I''m working.¡± Denise responded automatically, and her eyes widened. ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren and Stella laughed. * Lisa Everet, or Lara, the Sage of Ages in the game, looked at her phone and wondered if she should call Ren. She''d spent all night in the game, and he never responded to her messages. She was dying to try out her new swimwear, and didn''t know if she should just show up, call first, or wait until he saw her messages in the game. ¡°Text!¡± Lisa said, and typed up a message; then she deleted it. She typed up another, and read it over. ¡°No, too desperate.¡± She said and deleted it and typed another. ¡°Too needy.¡± She sighed and thought about what he would want her to say, then smiled and typed up a message and sent it. * The cell phone beeped, and Stella picked it up. ¡°It''s for you.¡± Stella said and handed it to Ren, and he read the text message.
Lisa: Hi, Ren. Can I come over? I miss your face.
Ren chuckled and typed a response.
Ren: We''re having pizza right now for lunch. I''ll save you a slice.
* Lisa grinned and sent a message back.
Lisa: Nice! I''ll be there in half an hour!
Lisa called a taxi and then looked down at herself. She debated if she should change her old faded jeans for a slightly newer pair, then shrugged. She would be changing out of them soon to get into the pool anyways; so, it didn''t really matter if she wore a better pair or not. She went into her closet and grabbed the small bag from Jacques Clothing Store that she''d hidden in the sleeve of a coat, and thought about the contents. Should I leave one of them home? Two of them? Will there be time for anything else? Lisa asked herself, then smiled. Screw it! She shoved the bag into her backpack and left her room.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Mom! I''m going out for a few hours.¡± ¡°Where are you going, young lady?¡± My boyfriend''s place. Lisa thought in response, and her face flushed a little red. Imagine what she''d say if I told her that! ¡°Why are you blushing?¡± Her mother asked. ¡°Lisa! Where...¡± ¡°I... I''m going...¡± Lisa heard a car horn beep outside, took a deep breath, and straightened her back to stand up straight. ¡°I''m going to my boyfriend''s place.¡± She said, quite boldly. ¡°You''re WHAT?¡± ¡°Don''t wait up!¡± Lisa said to her mother''s shocked face, and ran out of the house. ¡°Lisa!¡± Her mother said and ran to the front door. ¡°LISA!¡± Lisa got into the back of the taxi, and waved to her mother, who stared in shock at the taxi as it drove away. * Ren had logged into the game to check on things, and made as much food as he could in the game hour he had given himself to take care of things. The personal maids weren''t too happy that he had been gone for so long; but Ren was genuine in his apology, and told them he would have presents for them when he came back. He gave them each a kiss, pet Princess, his dogs, and the fire elemental Zetaya, then logged back out. ¡°She''ll be here soon.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''ve got time for a quick shower.¡± ¡°Great idea!¡± Ren said as he slid off the bed and walked towards the bathroom. ¡°Denise? Are you coming?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Denise said, and Stella laughed. ¡°He doesn''t have time for that.¡± Stella said as the three of them took off their clothes. ¡°You do the back, and I''ll do the front.¡± ¡°I thought you said he didn''t have time for that?¡± Denise asked and they stepped into the shower with Ren between them. ¡°You know what I meant.¡± Stella said and handed her a bar of soap to lather up her hands, and she did the same. ¡°This is going to be the quickest shower in history.¡± ¡°I''ve got two women, two naked and sexy women, in the shower with me; and it''s going to be the quickest shower in history?¡± Ren asked and laughed. ¡°I think I feel cheated.¡± Denise and Stella laughed and scrubbed him in only a couple of minutes, then they did themselves and shampooed everyone''s hair, then rinsed off. They got Ren out and dried him off in record time, and he put on a bathrobe. ¡°Yeah, I definitely feel cheated.¡± Ren said and watched them dry themselves off. ¡°I didn''t even get to lather you up.¡± Stella chuckled and tossed her towel over his head and put on a robe. ¡°Easy there, little stud.¡± She said and rubbed his face with the damp towel, then pulled it off of him. ¡°You''ve got to get dressed.¡± ¡°What should he wear?¡± Denise asked as she put on a robe, then looked at Ren. ¡°What are you planning to do?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°She just said she wanted to come over because she missed my face.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°That''s a good one. I have to remember that.¡± They put the wet towels in the clothes hamper, and went out to Ren''s room. ¡°I''d say something casual. You''re not going out anywhere, so no need for anything fancy.¡± Stella said. ¡°Jogging pants? No, too casual.¡± She said. ¡°Here. Dress pants.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°They''re loose-fitting, and can be slipped off quickly.¡± Stella said. ¡°They can function like jogging pants, but look a lot better.¡± Ren nodded and slipped them on. ¡°What kind of top?¡± ¡°A t-shirt should do.¡± Stella said, and flipped through the piles of them Ren had. ¡°I think Elise is right. You do need new clothes.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and looked in the drawer, too. ¡°Is there one that... ah! That one!¡± Stella pulled out the one Ren wanted, and read the catch phrase on it. ¡°Yes, I think that''s appropriate.¡± ¡°Where did you get that?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Barbara gave it to me a few years ago.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve never worn it.¡± ¡°I think she''ll love it.¡± Stella said and helped Ren put it on. ¡°You''re all set.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and sat in the wheelchair to wait while Stella and Denise got changed. It didn''t take them long, and they brought Ren downstairs to the living room to wait for Lisa. The house phone rang and Denise picked it up. ¡°Thank you.¡± Denise said and hung up. ¡°Taxi''s coming.¡± ¡°Great timing.¡± Ren said. ¡°We just made it.¡± Stella pushed Ren in the wheelchair out to the main lobby, and Denise was about to open the front door when the doorbell rang. Ren stood up as Denise opened the door, and they all saw a very surprised-looking Lisa. ¡°This really is the house?!?¡± Lisa asked, and looked around with very wide eyes. ¡°It''s like a mansion!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Mi casa es su casa.¡± He said. ¡°Come in.¡± Lisa stepped into the lobby and looked up at the large sweeping staircases on both sides of the room. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± She said. ¡°It''s like a movie set!¡± ¡°That''s what I said when I first saw it.¡± Ren smiled and stepped close to give her a hug. ¡°It''s nice to see you again.¡± ¡°You... you, too.¡± Lisa said and her face went a little red. Why do I feel embarrassed? She asked herself. It''s just a hug! ¡°Let''s go into the living room.¡± Ren said, let her out of the hug, and sat down in the wheelchair. Lisa got a good look at his t-shirt.
HEAVEN Doesn''t Want Me, And HELL Is Afraid I''ll Take Over
¡°I really like your t-shirt.¡± Lisa said. ¡°My mother would kill me if I wore something like that.¡± Ren gave her a small tour of the place as they went, and he moved from the wheelchair to one of the couches. Lisa took off her backpack and sat down almost a foot away from him, and he smiled at her. Her face flushed red again, and he leaned back on the couch to spread his arms out on the back of it. It was one of those short-top couches, so it was the perfect height for him to do that. ¡°I''m sorry I wasn''t in the game last night.¡± Ren said. ¡°I popped on just after your text message, and saw the ones you left for me in the game.¡± He said, and Lisa inched closer. ¡°Something happened, and I... well, I took a short break from the game and spent some quality time with Elise.¡± ¡°Three game days isn''t a short break.¡± Lisa said, and slid a little closer. ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡± ¡°I can.¡± Ren said, and she slid next to him. ¡°I should wait until later, though.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± Lisa asked and she leaned back against his arm and took a deep breath. ¡°Was it bad?¡± Ren shook his head, and Stella coughed to get his attention. ¡°I didn''t see it as bad; but, that opinion isn''t shared by others.¡± Ren corrected. Lisa smiled and leaned into his body. ¡°That''s understandable.¡± She said, and Ren very carefully put a hand on her shoulder. She didn''t protest, and he hugged her with the one arm. Why does this feel so nice? She asked herself and snuggled into him. She put a hand on his chest to feel his fast-beating heart. ¡°While Ren was playing the game yesterday; he got abducted into a pocket realm.¡± Stella said. ¡°Which one?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°What?¡± Stella asked, surprised. ¡°There''s 9 official ones.¡± Lisa said. ¡°One for each element.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Stella said. ¡°I should have guessed you''d know about them.¡± ¡°I''m the Sage of Ages for the game.¡± Lisa said and smiled. ¡°I better know about them, or I''d really suck at my job.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It was Water.¡± ¡°Really? They''re really reclusive.¡± Lisa said, surprised. ¡°How did it happen?¡± Ren told her the story, and when he got to the part about finding the water elemental in the engine, her face showed her anger. ¡°Those... those... Ugh!¡± Lisa said and clenched the hand on Ren''s chest into a fist. ¡°I assume you dealt with them.¡± ¡°I did better than that.¡± Ren said and told her how it had died, how he took the engine crew up on deck to find the water elementals as they attacked, and then being taken into the Water Realm. ¡°That''s sneaky.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Players have been locked out of the pocket realms since you were in the Fire Realm.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Stella nearly yelled. ¡°You were in another realm before?!?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Thanks, Lisa.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Lisa said, and rubbed his chest as a kind of apology. ¡°I thought you told her you met the Fire deity.¡± ¡°No, he didn''t.¡± Stella said, and looked a little angry. ¡°I didn''t think it was relevant.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d only been in there for 30 or so seconds real time, and about 2 minutes game time.¡± ¡°And how long in the realm?¡± ¡°About a week and a half.¡± Ren said. ¡°Give or take a day or two.¡± ¡°And that wasn''t relevant?!?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I didn''t think it was at the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had no idea about pocket realms or anything like that.¡± ¡°Now that you''ve been in the Water Realm for a year and a half, is it relevant now?¡± ¡°A year and a half?!?¡± Lisa exclaimed and looked at Ren. ¡°Finish the story.¡± Ren nodded and told her how he negotiated for the prisoners lives in exchange for hard labour for a year and a half, and then about some of the things they did during that time. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Lisa said and lifted a hand to cup Ren''s face. ¡°You are a good man, Ren.¡± She said, and kissed him passionately. Denise and Stella didn''t know what to say, because they thought she would react with outrage, just like they did. Lisa broke the kiss, and slid down slightly to tuck her head onto Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Why are you okay with this?¡± Denise asked Lisa. ¡°Don''t you see what he did?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°He not only saved their lives, he stayed with them so that they couldn''t have ''accidents'' and be killed off while they served their time.¡± She said and smiled, then turned her head up to kiss his neck. ¡°You were brilliant in how you negotiated so little time for them to serve.¡± Ren smiled, and stroked the side of her face. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°This is not going how I thought it would go.¡± Stella said. ¡°Lisa, it''s very dangerous for a mind to encounter the pocket realms like that.¡± She explained. ¡°The brain can adapt to some things, but...¡± ¡°It takes some getting used to at first; but if you practice and take it slow, you can adjust to it just fine after the first month.¡± Lisa said. ¡°At least I did, anyways.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Stella yelled. ¡°Lisa, how...¡± ¡°I can''t divulge game secrets.¡± Lisa said and tapped her temple. ¡°The VR headset scans you constantly. Even if you say things in real life, it can be discovered in the game.¡± ¡°Like me telling Gloria that I loved Elerlyth.¡± Ren said. ¡°Exactly.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It''s not foolproof, obviously.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Little things can be slipped past; but, anything major that you think about a lot? It''ll find it.¡± ¡°It''s the preliminary scan when you log into the game.¡± Stella said, and understood what Lisa meant. ¡°It compares it to the last time you used it.¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°It''s not as effective for people that only play occasionally, because it''s too much for the system to keep track of; but, someone like Ren or myself that plays it all the time?¡± She chuckled. ¡°We have no secrets from it.¡± Ren kissed her forehead. ¡°I wonder if that''s part of our connection with each other?¡± ¡°It''s definitely a factor.¡± Lisa said, and her face flushed a little red. ¡°It helps a little that you''re so cute and cuddly, too.¡± ¡°Hey, isn''t that supposed to be my line?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°You can still use it.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You... are... really... cute.¡± Ren whispered seductively to her, and she blushed. ¡°Especially when you blush.¡± ¡°That''s... not true.¡± Lisa said sheepishly, and covered her face with a hand, and Ren grinned. ¡°Hey, do you feel like going for a swim?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Yes!¡± Lisa said, her excitement quite apparent. ¡°Ah... I mean, sure. I could take a dip in the pool.¡± Ren snorted a laugh over Lisa trying to act nonchalant about it. ¡°I hope you brought a swimsuit.¡± ¡°I didn''t.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I brought three.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Then hurry up and get changed so we can have some fun in the pool.¡± Lisa nodded and carefully got up off of him, opened her backpack and took out the small bag from Jacques. ¡°The change rooms are there by the pool.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°It''s even got showers and a sauna.¡± ¡°A full service pool area?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°That''s so cool!¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll grab my own swimsuit and be right out.¡± Lisa looked out the patio doors, then back at Ren. It looked like she was trying to decide something. Ren was about to ask her what she was thinking, when she quickly leaned down and kissed him on the lips, then walked out through the patio doors just as fast as she could. Chapter 319 - Es Su Casa Stella grabbed Ren''s swim trunks from his room, Denise''s from the box of her things, and her own bathing suit from her room, then went back downstairs to the living room. She handed Denise hers, gave Ren his, and pushed the wheelchair out through the patio doors. Lisa stepped out of the changing room wearing her dark blue one piece, and it showed off her slim figure to great effect. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lisa, you look marvelous!¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Lisa''s face flushed a little red as she turned to show him the back, and how it hugged her body and highlighted her hips. ¡°Um... it''s going to take me a minute to get changed.¡± Ren said and put his hands in his lap. ¡°I... ah... shouldn''t stand up right now.¡± That might be a better compliment from him than marvelous is. Lisa thought in amusement and walked towards the pool. Ren watched her closely the entire time. He wasn''t leering at her like any other guy would do, though. She could almost feel his appreciation for her, and she added a little bit of sway to her hips. She stopped suddenly, turned around, and walked back. ¡°I forgot a towel.¡± Lisa said, and sneakily kept her eyes on Ren''s face. She saw that he looked at her with wide eyes; but, his gaze didn''t drop from her own face at all. Not even once. Her heart beat fast from joy because in the back of her mind, she had thought that he would make her drop her opinion of him, especially if she flaunted herself around like this and he wouldn''t be able to help himself and ogle her. Lisa grabbed a towel from the rack in the change room, then turned around to run a hand down Ren''s cheek, and walked over to the pool and put the towel on one of the patio chairs and sat down to wait. ¡°Okay, even I have to admit that she looks sexy in that one piece swimsuit.¡± Denise said in a low voice. ¡°So, it''s not just me, then?¡± Ren asked just as quietly. ¡°No.¡± Stella said. ¡°I agree. She''s pretty sexy.¡± Ren stood up and adjusted himself so he wouldn''t cause himself pain, and went into the change room. He came out a couple of minutes later with just his swim trunks on and a towel hung over his shoulders. Denise had changed in the other room while Ren did, came out with her bikini on, then Stella went in to get changed herself. Ren walked over to sit next to Lisa by the pool, and she watched him as he came over. ¡°I was tempted to wear a Speedo.¡± Ren said and sat down. ¡°It''s a bit too restrictive when I get... ah...¡± ¡°Excited.¡± Lisa said, and Ren nodded. ¡°That''s okay.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll just imagine you''re wearing one.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m sure you''ll see me in it eventually.¡± He said. ¡°Assuming you want to come back and visit, that is.¡± ¡°Just from what I saw so far, this place is great.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I''d like to come back and... see more of it.¡± Ren smiled, and then Stella came out of the change room in a nice two piece bathing suit. ¡°Stella? No string bikini?¡± Ren asked her, jokingly. ¡°I can''t shock you like that the first time you see me in a bathing suit.¡± Stella said, and then laughed. ¡°You''re always looking out for me.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I try to.¡± Stella said to him, then looked at the on-duty nurse. ¡°Denise, are you going in the water right away?¡± ¡°I can lounge for a bit.¡± Denise said and picked up a bottle of sunscreen. ¡°I''ll keep watch, in case anything happens.¡± Stella nodded, and then walked into the pool. ¡°Ooo, that''s nice.¡± She said, then dove forward and swam a little. Lisa and Ren watched her swim a couple of leisure laps, then looked at each other. ¡°Shall we take the plunge?¡± Lisa asked, and held out her hand. ¡°Only if you promise we can practice mouth-to-mouth later.¡± Ren said and took her hand after dropping his towel on the chair. ¡°Don''t worry, I''m great at first aid.¡± Lisa said and they stood up together. ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± Ren said and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Oh.¡± Lisa said, then nodded slightly. ¡°On three.¡± She said. ¡°One.¡± They stepped close to the pool''s edge. ¡°Two.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Denise yelled. ¡°YOU CAN''T SWIM!¡± ¡°Three!¡± Lisa said, then she and Ren jumped into the deep end of the pool. ¡°Oh my god!¡± Denise exclaimed and jumped into the pool to save him. She swam over to where they had jumped in, and both of them were gone. ¡°What... where... Stella!¡± Stella had just surfaced herself and looked around. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ren''s in the pool!¡± ¡°No!¡± Stella dove under the water to look for him, and saw Ren and Lisa as they swam towards her and the shallow end. Stella changed her direction, so she wouldn''t run into them, and came to the surface. Ren''s head broke the surface of the water a moment later, followed by Lisa''s. ¡°REN!¡± Stella yelled. ¡°What the hell do you think you''re doing?¡± ¡°Swimming.¡± Ren said. ¡°What else would I be doing?¡± ¡°Drowning!¡± Denise nearly yelled at him. ¡°You can''t swim!¡± ¡°I''ve been swimming for almost a year now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had to take a fast water course.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°In the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wasn''t allowed to move around without guide wires or anything, until I learned how to swim properly.¡± ¡°You... you can swim now?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Is that even possible?¡± ¡°I''m exhausted right now, since I''m so weak here; but, I know the moves and what to do.¡± ¡°I''d say he''s a natural at it, but I know he had to do a lot of training in the Water Realm to survive the rough seas.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I can''t believe it.¡± Stella said. ¡°You learned how to swim in the game.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°This body isn''t used to it, though.¡± He said and walked over to the Jacuzzi. ¡°I''m gonna feel that tomorrow.¡± He said, and slid into the water. ¡°Is it okay if I keep swimming?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°If you don''t mind me watching you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course not.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You can watch me all you want.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and turned on the Jacuzzi. ¡°Ah, that''s nice.¡± He said and sat down. ¡°Have fun and show me some fancy moves.¡± Lisa smiled, and dove into the water. A moment later, she came up at the side of the pool with the diving board. ¡°Get ready to be amazed!¡± Lisa said and pulled herself out of the water. She shook herself off and took two quick steps along the board, then hopped on the end to spring up into the air. ¡°Cannonball!¡± She said, and tucked her knees to her chest and held onto them. A large splash followed after she hit the water, and Lisa surfaced to the sound of Ren''s laughter. ¡°How did you like that fancy move?¡± Lisa asked him as she rubbed the water out of her eyes. ¡°It was great!¡± Ren said. ¡°What else have you got?¡± For the next ten minutes, Lisa showed off for Ren, and let him enjoy himself. ¡°Whew, okay... I''m done.¡± Lisa said, and slowly walked over to the Jacuzzi. Ren held a hand out to her, and helped her climb in. ¡°Oh, that feels nice.¡± She said as the jets of water and air hit her tired muscles. A minute later, sweat dripped down her face. Huh. Lisa thought. That sales girl was right. It is too hot with a one-piece bathing suit in a Jacuzzi. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Lisa said, got out, and went to the change room. Once inside, she didn''t know what to do. Do I wear the push-up? She asked herself. Or do I wear the potential see-through? Lisa debated for a few minutes, then gave in to temptation and put on the very small yellow string bikini. She wrapped a towel around herself and went out to the Jacuzzi. She looked around, and saw that both Stella and Denise were swimming in the pool and they weren''t looking at the moment. Happy that she was only going to reveal herself to Ren, she turned her back to the pool and looked at him. ¡°I hope you''re ready for this.¡± Lisa said, then slowly opened the towel. The more she opened it, the more her face flushed red. ¡°Surprise.¡± Ren''s mouth dropped open at the barely-covers-anything bikini. ¡°Lisa... I... please forgive me.¡± He said. ¡°I have to look.¡± ¡°That''s why I got it.¡± Lisa said, and her face burned a deep red as Ren looked at her. The yellow cloth set off her short blonde hair nicely, and the small bits of cloth made everything else seem that much larger.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°You look absolutely stunning.¡± Ren said when he looked back at her face. ¡°I''m tempted to say beautiful; but, I don''t want you to think that you need to dress like this for me to call you beautiful.¡± Lisa nodded and dropped the towel as she stepped into the water. She sat down across from Ren, then smiled. ¡°There''s another bit of a surprise for you.¡± Lisa said, then almost stood up so that only her chest came out of the water. ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren whispered, because the partially see-through fabric revealed the tips of her breasts almost as if she wasn''t wearing anything at all. ¡°Lisa... you...¡± He swallowed loudly. ¡°Thank you... thank you very much.¡± Lisa''s face burned the deepest red it had ever been, and she slid over to sit beside him. He put his arm around her shoulders, and used his other hand to turn her face towards his. ¡°I''d really like to kiss you now.¡± Ren said softly to her. Lisa nodded slightly, and he pressed his lips to hers. Her heart beat almost as fast as his while they continued to kiss. * Elise, the secretary at Sid Tec, regretted having to take a shower that morning. She didn''t want to lose anything that Ren had given her; but, she knew that it wasn''t healthy for her if she didn''t take a shower after having sex. I kept it for as long as I could. Elise thought to herself as she worked through her lunch break. Her boss didn''t complain that she had left the office for over an hour that morning so she could go with the tech team to help Ren move the gear over to his new place. That didn''t mean she wouldn''t make up the time, though. Ren was right. I''m really good at this job and I don''t want to lose it. Elise remembered being with him the night before, and she smiled. Waking up next to him was another dream come true! * Clint laughed as one of his ranch hands was thrown from the saddle of a bronco they were trying to tame. ¡°Ah tol'' ya ta double-up on tha'' there rope.¡± Clint said, and helped the guy stand up. ¡°Are ya alrigh''?¡± ¡°I''m good.¡± The guy said. ¡°How do you do this every day?¡± ¡°Ah don''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah gets ah new one ah ya each time.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The guy asked, and Clint laughed. ¡°Nah, ah''m jus'' yankin'' yer chain.¡± Clint said. ¡°Come on. Ah''ll show ya howta do it righ''.¡± The guy nodded and he watched closely as Clint showed him how to do it right. * Lisa was in high spirits because Ren didn''t paw at her, or try to fondle her, while they kissed. She didn''t know how he could have such great self control, because she herself wanted to rub her hands all over him, and had given into the impulse several minutes before. Her breasts ached to be touched, and she moved herself to rub them on his chest. The thin fabric provided no barrier, and they both caught their breath as she pressed herself against him. ¡°Lisa... good god...¡± Ren said when he finally broke the kiss. ¡°You''re driving me crazy.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Lisa said, and turned to straddle him. She kissed him again, and then sighed. ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°Yes, Lisa?¡± Lisa leaned down and put her mouth by his ear. ¡°I can hold my breath for almost 2 minutes.¡± She whispered to him, and he shivered slightly. ¡°Lisa... you... you shouldn''t...¡± Lisa slid off of his lap, took two very deep breaths to expand her lungs, then dunked her head under the water. ¡°Good god.¡± Ren whispered, and was almost overwhelmed with what Lisa was doing. Two minutes later, Lisa''s head came up out of the water and she gasped for air. Ren reached out and put a hand under her chin to stop her from dunking again. ¡°Lisa.¡± ¡°I want to do this.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You''ve been so good to me, and I want to be good to you.¡± ¡°But...¡± Lisa slid forward and kissed him, then moved back and smiled. ¡°I''m almost done.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said, and she grinned. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Lisa said, took several deep breaths, and dunked her head again. Ren closed his eyes, leaned back, and let himself enjoy it. ¡°Where''s Lisa?¡± Stella asked as she came out of the pool and started to dry herself off with a towel. ¡°Guess.¡± Ren said, and didn''t open his eyes. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Stella said. ¡°She''s... right now...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Almost... almost...¡± His eyes flew open and he held onto the sides of the Jacuzzi. ¡°Good god!¡± ¡°What''s going on?¡± Denise asked as she stepped out of the pool to dry off, too. ¡°Lisa''s giving new meaning to the phrase ''fun in the water''.¡± Stella said. ¡°No way!¡± Denise said. ¡°She''s... right now...¡± Lisa''s head came up out of the water and she gasped for air. She took several deep breaths and wiped water out of her eyes. Stella and Denise had started to walk away when Lisa had emerged, and they sat down in the lounge chairs nearly half the pool''s length away. ¡°How was that?¡± Lisa asked, and ran her hands through her own hair to get the water out of it. ¡°What''s better than amazing?¡± Ren asked her, and she chuckled. ¡°Stupendous?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Mind-blowing?¡± ¡°That''ll do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now double that and it might describe how great you are.¡± Lisa slid over to him and he took her into a tight embrace. ¡°I can''t hold my breath like that; but...¡± Ren told her. ¡°...I would like to return the favor.¡± Lisa shook her head. ¡°I didn''t do that so you would-¡± Ren kissed her and cut off her words. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Oh, all right.¡± Lisa said, and Ren let her go. She turned around and put her hands on the side of the Jacuzzi to brace herself to get out of the water, and Ren put a hand on her hip. She froze, and looked back at him. ¡°R-Ren?¡± ¡°This is good enough.¡± Ren said. ¡°Use the towel to lean your elbows on.¡± ¡°But... shouldn''t we...¡± ¡°Towel.¡± Lisa put the towel on the edge of the Jacuzzi and leaned on her elbows. She could clearly see Stella and Denise on the lounge chairs, and she blushed because bent over like she was, her behind was just slightly out of the water. The thin fabric of the bikini was practically see-through when it was wet, so Ren had an up-close-and-personal view of her. ¡°Lisa...¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t help myself.¡± He said. ¡°Please... may I?¡± He leaned in and kissed one cheek, then the other. Lisa shivered from his touch, then she nodded because she didn''t think she could say ''yes'' out loud. Ren slipped her bikini bottom off, and she put her head down onto the towel so she could gasp and not make much noise. Ren helped himself to her, and after a minute, Lisa stuffed the towel into her mouth to stop herself from screaming in pleasure. After a while she couldn''t stand anymore, and started to slide into the water. Ren used his arms to prop her up, and her feet came up out of the water. Lisa bit down on the towel and growled while Ren kept returning the favor that she did for him. When he thought she''d taken as much as she could before she''d start to complain that he was going too far, he eased her down into the water and sat back. Lisa turned to look at him with her eyes wild, and the towel still stuffed into her mouth. ¡°I can''t kiss you with the towel in the way.¡± Ren said, and Lisa shook her head when he tried to take it from her. She eased close to him and straddled his lap. ¡°Lisa?¡± Lisa ran her hands through his hair, then put both hands into the churning water. ¡°Oh, Lisa.¡± Ren whispered while Lisa took control. He saw her wince as she settled lower into the water, and he hugged her close. It took a while for them to finish their fun in the water, and when it was time, Lisa did her holding breath technique to catch everything so it wouldn''t dirty the water. They sat in the Jacuzzi afterwards, both of them tired and happy. ¡°I think we should all go inside.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s almost time for supper.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think I''m starting to get water-logged.¡± Lisa chuckled and reached for the towel to wrap around herself. ¡°I call dibs on the shower first.¡± ¡°It''s cold water.¡± Denise warned her. ¡°Just do a quick rinse.¡± ¡°There''s 6 bathrooms with full showers inside.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can pick one of them to use.¡± Lisa nodded and did a quick rinse, followed by Stella, Ren, and Denise. Stella went to the kitchen to start supper, and Denise took Ren in the wheelchair up to his room, with Lisa close behind. ¡°Do you want to get a shower first?¡± Ren asked Lisa, and she shook her head. ¡°Second?¡± He asked, and she shook her head again. ¡°You want to share it at the same time?¡± Lisa nodded, and Ren smiled. ¡°Denise? Can you stand by the shower in case I need help?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Denise said. ¡°That''s my job.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°After you.¡± He said to Lisa, and she went into the bathroom. She stepped into the shower with her bathing suit on, and Ren did, too. Denise stood with her back to the shower, so she wouldn''t see anything and it gave them at least the illusion of privacy. ¡°You don''t have to do this, Lis-¡± Ren tried to say, then Lisa kissed him. ¡°I''ve never taken a shower with anyone but myself.¡± Lisa said. ¡°What do I do?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°The same thing you always do, except there''s extra hands to help and extra parts to wash.¡± Lisa looked at him with wide eyes as he lathered up his hands, and he scrubbed up his own chest. She had to turn around to take off her bikini, because she was still embarrassed about being completely naked around other people. When she turned back, she saw that Ren faced away from her and she liked him that much more for that simple gesture. She lathered up her hands, and gently touched his back. She liked the feel of the soap on his skin, so she gently scrubbed his back. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I do your back?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± Lisa said and turned around. Ren glanced at her, lathered up his hands, and scrubbed her back. He did her arms and legs as well, and Lisa stood still while he did it. ¡°There''s only your front left to do.¡± Ren said, and Lisa didn''t say anything; but, after a moment, she lifted her arms out of the way. He slid off his shorts so they wouldn''t get covered in soap and lathered his hands up again, then rubbed her belly from behind. He moved his hands up to scrub her chest, and Lisa took in a sharp breath. Ren wasn''t stupid enough to try and play with her at this point, since she said she only wanted a shower. He finished with her chest, then lathered up his hands again. He scrubbed her waist, and then moved his hands down her front, and she stopped him with her hands before he reached her intimate part. ¡°You''re not thinking anything sexual, are you?¡± Lisa asked softly. ¡°You can check if you want.¡± Ren said and stepped to the right slightly. Lisa glanced down at him and saw that he wasn''t ready. ¡°You said you wanted a shower, so all I''m doing is cleaning you.¡± He said. ¡°If you want it to become...¡± ¡°No.¡± Lisa said, and let his hands go. Ren scrubbed her there, and Lisa bit her lip so that she wouldn''t react to having someone else touch her there. Even though the touch wasn''t sexual, it was still a sensitive spot to be touched. Ren finished scrubbing her, scrubbed himself, and then they rinsed themselves. They got out of the shower and dried off, and went into the bedroom to get changed. ¡°You can stay in the bathroom to get changed if you want.¡± Ren said to Lisa. ¡°That''s okay.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You... you''ve been... well, you didn''t... I mean...¡± ¡°I know what you mean.¡± Ren said. ¡°You treated me with respect.¡± Lisa finally got out. ¡°I shouldn''t hide... not after... that is, we...¡± Ren took her into a hug. ¡°It''s okay if you''re not comfortable having someone see you nude.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t let just anyone see me, either.¡± ¡°You don''t?¡± Lisa asked, surprised. ¡°But... you''ve been...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I''ve had sex a lot, but that doesn''t mean I want to walk around naked in front of everyone.¡± Lisa took in a deep breath, and nodded. ¡°Then... I think I will change in the bathroom.¡± Ren smiled and let her out of the hug. Lisa picked up her backpack and went into the bathroom. Denise helped Ren get dressed, and he was ready by the time Lisa came out in a slightly baggy shirt and an old pair of jeans. ¡°I was thinking...¡± Lisa said. ¡°I... um... I should...¡± ¡°Your mom must be pretty worried by now.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I don''t think another half an hour will make that much of a difference.¡± Lisa chuckled. ¡°Then, I think I''ll stay for supper.¡± ¡°That would be great.¡± Ren said. Lisa stayed for supper, and they ate in the large dining room downstairs. After that, Lisa really had to go. Stella did the same thing that she did the last time, and gave Lisa the money to take a taxi home, and to come back. Lisa thanked her for everything, especially for the swimsuits, and Stella gave her a hug. ¡°Well see you again soon, I hope.¡± Stella said. ¡°Take care, okay?¡± Lisa nodded, waved to Denise and kissed Ren goodbye, then left when the taxi arrived. ¡°Well, this day was just the best!¡± Ren said, and looked at Stella and Denise. ¡°I really need to thank the both of you for everything you did today.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m glad you had fun.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... I think it''s time I went back into the game.¡± ¡°Are you sure you''re okay with that?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I''m sure they''ve figured out a way to stop it from happening again by now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll be fine.¡± ¡°If anything else happens, you make sure to tell us, okay?¡± Stella said. ¡°Anything at all.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If anything else happens, you''ll be the second to know.¡± He said. ¡°Or third. Hold on, it''s fourth.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Just tell us, Ren.¡± Ren grinned and got into bed. ¡°I will.¡± Denise handed him the VR headset. ¡°I''ll probably be staying in the game tonight.¡± Ren said, then remembered something. ¡°I almost forgot to take care of business.¡± He put the headset down and grabbed a foil packet. He was in and out of the bathroom a minute later, and got back on the bed. ¡°Bye, Denise.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll see you in the morning, Stella.¡± ¡°Goodnight, little stud.¡± Stella said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Chapter 320 - Royal Treatment Ren woke up in bed with 5 women that only wore a small pair of underwear and nothing else. I could get used to this. He thought and looked up at the ceiling. Hey, Teepo. ¡°Good morning, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Anything happen while I was away? ¡°Not really.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The captain still hasn''t used the full engines, though.¡± Wow. Ren said. How far up did he manage to take it? ¡°Almost half.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I think he''s scared of them and what they can do.¡± He chittered in delight. ¡°How did everything go on your end?¡± Great. Ren thought and then concentrated on his Contact Aura, and it merged with the shared Aura his personal maids always had. Once he had shown them how to do it, they liked it''s effects so much that they constantly concentrated on it and it never went away. I''ve moved into my new place and everything. Ren thought, ¡°That is great.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Is it as nice as you told me?¡± Ren remembered spending the afternoon with Lisa in the Jacuzzi and grinned. Better! Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I wish I could see it for myself.¡± Me too, buddy. Ren thought to his friend. How''s my time? ¡°You''re a little early for breakfast.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That is, if you have it at the normal time. If you''re having a late breakfast, then you''re really early.¡± I think I''ve had enough relaxation for now. Ren thought and looked at the women that were draped over him. He could see 2 legs, 3 arms, a pair of feet, and the top of a head that he knew would be Andrela. How are they getting into these positions? Ren asked. It''s like I''m a blanket or something. ¡°They tried that once.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It didn''t work out too well.¡± I don''t know if I should be glad that I wasn''t here for that or not. Ren smiled. ¡°Oh, be glad.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Watching them struggle to try and lift you wasn''t a pretty sight.¡± Ren snorted a laugh when he imagined his personal maids as they tried their best to move his extremely heavy unconscious body, and the sound woke one of them up. ¡°Hm? Ren? Are you back?¡± Frikara asked and her head poked up from the pile of limbs. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, I''m back.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Andrela said, and the top of the head he could see moved and she looked at him. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren saw several arms and legs stretch and pull away from him, then they all sat up. ¡°Good morning!¡± Frikara said, then leaned forward with her lips puckered and made kissing motions with them. Ren felt her playfulness and knew she wasn''t being serious; so he surprised her and gave her a quick kiss. Frikara kind of froze at the contact and blinked her eyes at him. ¡°Um...¡± ¡°My turn.¡± Andrela said, her face flushed red. Ren gave her a quick kiss, then did the same for Lusinia, Navruth, and Verwynn. ¡°I seem to always be last.¡± Verwynn said. Ren looked at her. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He said and took her hand. ¡°I meant to shuffle everyone around, and not show favor to anyone in particular.¡± He said and bent over her hand to lightly kiss it. ¡°Please, forgive me.¡± ¡°S-s-stop that.¡± Verwynn said and tried to take her hand back. ¡°We''re your personal maids. You can treat us however you like.¡± ¡°I can?¡± Ren said and sat up straight. ¡°Good!¡± He said and let her hand go. ¡°From now on, you''ll be treated like Queens!¡± ¡°Wh-wh-what?!?¡± ¡°Time for presents!¡± Ren said. ¡°I already gave you brooches, necklaces and tiaras.¡± He smiled. ¡°So, all that''s left are matching bracelets and rings.¡± The 5 personal maids sat there in shock as Ren gave them each a set of bracelets covered in jewels, each with individual enchantments for all the main character stats. He also gave them each a raised platform ring and told them to think about the offensive element they want to have on them, and he would enchant them with it later. He then gave them each a Sending Ring that was connected to one of his own, and to each other; just like the Sending Squares he had given to the young kidnapped girls after he had rescued them from the Thieves Guild. The maids put on the two rings, one on each hand, since that was the limit that they could hold, and they looked at the bracelets and didn''t know what to do with them. ¡°You can put them on if you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re all enchanted to be as light as possible, and the jewels are all recessed so they won''t snag on anything.¡± ¡°You... this is...¡± Navruth tried to say. ¡°It''s too much!¡± Frikara said. ¡°We''ve already got a fortune in things from you! We can''t possibly accept...¡± ¡°You don''t have to keep them if you don''t want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''ll only work for you, though.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I thought about each of you as I made them.¡± Ren said. ¡°No one else can wear them.¡± ¡°You did that on purpose?¡± Lusinia asked. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I want you all to have the best.¡± He said. ¡°When I get the chance, I''ll take the necklaces and tiaras back to modify them with enchantments for you.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Andrela said. ¡°I''m not always going to be around, so I want you to have protection.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have another idea that I''d like to try, but...¡± He sighed. ¡°...I don''t want to force you to do anything you don''t want to.¡± ¡°What''s the idea?¡± Navruth asked, and Ren shook his head. ¡°Now''s not the time for it.¡± Ren said, and looked at their faces. ¡°You don''t really like these presents, do you?¡± ¡°We love them!¡± Andrela exclaimed, and Ren felt everyone''s agreement. ¡°It''s just... they... they''re too expensive to... to waste on us.¡± ¡°Oh, Andrela.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s not a waste.¡± He cupped the side of her face. ¡°In fact, it''s not enough.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I can''t have Queens walking around in rags.¡± Ren said. ¡°R-r-rags?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I had a surprisingly large amount of spare time while I was away, and kept myself busy.¡± He said and got off the bed. He felt their slight disappointment that he got up, and he let his appreciation of them flow out. ¡°I hope you like your new wardrobes.¡± ¡°Our WHAT?!?¡± Ren pulled out 5 extra-large cabinets, with drawers, hangers, and shelves inside. It was just like the one he and Tee-one had made for Nathalia; and they were filled to the brim with clothing. ¡°Ren!¡± Frikara exclaimed and hopped out of bed. ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°They aren''t marked yet; but once you pick one, the clothes will adjust to fit you and it will be your cabinet.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Andrela said and got off the bed. ¡°What are we going to do with all of our old clothes?¡± ¡°That depends on if you want to keep them or not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want to keep them?¡± ¡°By the gods, no.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Throgg bought them for us, and a lot of it looks horrible.¡± ¡°Is that why you all seem to wear the same outfits every few days?¡± Ren asked, and they all nodded slightly. ¡°Then I''m glad I thought of this.¡± He said and took out a large empty crate. ¡°Please, choose a cabinet and throw your old clothes into this.¡± Ren felt how happy they were as they went through their old clothing and tossed them into the crate. They made it into a game, and started to see how far away they could be and still get the old clothing into the crate. This continued for nearly an hour, and Ren had breakfast made for them by the time they were done. They all sat down on the bed to eat.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°You''re too good to us.¡± Navruth said as she bit into a piece of french toast. Ren was about to comment about it, and she held a hand up to stop him. ¡°Even if I wasn''t a personal maid, I''d say the same thing.¡± Navruth said. ¡°I haven''t seen anyone get this much, not even from a marriage contract!¡± ¡°None of us have.¡± Verwynn said, and looked at Ren. ¡°If we weren''t under contract with you already, we''d all be your fiance.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren asked and ate a piece of french toast. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°If there are multiple contract holders after the year of courtship, they have a contest.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± ¡°No.¡± Navruth said. ¡°Whoever proves to be the better one wins, and the others are compensated.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°Hold on.¡± He said. ¡°Are you talking about men or women?¡± ¡°Both.¡± ¡°How...¡± Ren shook his head when he thought about it. ¡°A man can make multiple contracts with a different woman in each House, since a woman can accept multiple contracts from men trying to court her.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Frikara said, and looked at her fellow maids. ¡°We''ve seen it lots of times, but we''ve never been courted ourselves.¡± ¡°Is it okay to say that those nameless men that didn''t court you were ignorant fools?¡± Ren asked them, and they laughed. ¡°That''s a horrible thing to say; but, thank you.¡± Frikara said with a big grin on her face. They finished eating and Ren equipped his clothing and put on the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak after he pet the tarantula tucked inside. He took a very generous helping of french toast to Princess, and she accepted it graciously. Zetaya the fire elemental took a couple of pieces, then Ren went out to the hallway and knocked on Orimihr''s cabin door. Teepo dropped down onto Ren''s shoulder to land on his preferred perch. ¡°Oh, its you.¡± Orimihr said when he opened the door, then went back into the cabin. ¡°I''m sorry I haven''t been around.¡± Ren said handed him a plate of french toast. ¡°No, thanks.¡± Orimihr said. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I''d like for you to tell me everything you can about what happened to you.¡± Orimihr laughed. ¡°I''ve been on this ship for a week, and you''ve completely ignored me until now.¡± He said. ¡°Why should I tell you anything?¡± ¡°I told you before that...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Never mind. You don''t have to tell me anything.¡± He said and stored the plate of food and walked to the door. ¡°You''re giving up that easily?¡± Orimihr scoffed. ¡°Some Adventurer you are.¡± ¡°I''ll get around to your quest eventually, but it''s not a high priority.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I thought having you released was enough for now, and we''d have time to talk during this voyage.¡± He said. ¡°I''m going to get busy again when we reach shore sometime tomorrow, though.¡± ¡°What do you mean we''ll reach shore tomorrow?¡± Orimihr asked, surprised. ¡°It''s supposed to take up to two weeks, or even longer depending on the cargo... and we''re loaded to the rafters!¡± ¡°It''s the new engines we installed. They make the ship go 4 times as fast and reduce the burden it carries by the same amount.¡± Ren said. ¡°The captain hasn''t brought it up to full speed, though.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Teepo told me he''s never brought it above half-speed. Ren thought. ¡°We''d already be at the dock if he did.¡± Ren said and left the shocked Orimihr alone in his cabin. * Now that it was evening in real life, Clint and his friends had logged back into the game and had an ale together before heading out to finish their journey. He flicked the reins and the horse pulled the cart out of the stable. ¡°Now tha'' was a good ale.¡± Clint said. ¡°You''re telling me!¡± Hank said. ¡°I''ve never spent that much silver on only one food item!¡± Tommy chuckled. ¡°Forget the ale, man! What I can''t believe is that Ren''s frilly things have made it out this far!¡± ¡°Jennifer was smoking hot in that lace see-through, wasn''t she?¡± Billy laughed. ¡°I even tipped her 20 silver because of it.¡± ¡°Geez, Billy!¡± Dillon said. ¡°You''re supposed to save your money!¡± ¡°It was worth it.¡± Billy said softly. ¡°The way she moved, the way she kissed, the feel of that soft cloth on my...¡± He clamped his mouth shut and looked at the other guys. ¡°I''m not talking about it!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°I''m not!¡± His friends all laughed, because Billy always talked about it. * Ren walked down the hall to the door of the room with the large Jacuzzi in it, and knocked. ¡°Come in, Ren.¡± Railyse said. ¡°How did you know it was me?¡± Ren asked her as he came into the room. ¡°You always knock.¡± Railyse smiled. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°A lot of people are worried about how much time I spent in the Water Realm, though.¡± ¡°You were sucked out of time, they have a right to be worried.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I''m on the opposite side of that right now.¡± Ren shut the door and walked over to her, and took her into a hug. ¡°It''s okay.¡± He said to her. ¡°You were right, though.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I shouldn''t have taken this task.¡± ¡°Don''t doubt yourself already.¡± Ren said and held her tightly. ¡°You''re strong. You''re powerful. You will do it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°No buts!¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s already been over 50 years since you left.¡± Railyse nodded. ¡°That''s why you''re questioning yourself, isn''t it?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I can''t help it.¡± Railyse said, and looked like she was about to cry. ¡°I''ve been gone so long from there, and yet... it''s been only... 4 days...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want another feeding?¡± ¡°No... no, that... I can''t ask you to...¡± ¡°It''s fine.¡± Ren said, and dropped out of the shared Aura. He heard a ruckus and a moment later, the door to the other room burst open. ¡°You''re still here!¡± Frikara said, and the other maids came into the room behind her. Ren concentrated on the Contact Aura, and he felt their sadness and worry. ¡°We thought... you might have been taken again...¡± Andrela said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only stopped sharing because I was going to... well, make myself cry.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°It''s a delicacy where I come from, when someone sheds a tear for you.¡± Railyse said. ¡°You wouldn''t believe how long it took me to figure that out.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I always wondered why the water elemental was so desperate to absorb the tears I cried over it, when it was dying.¡± ¡°Ren, we... don''t leave us alone if you''re here with us.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°If I keep sharing with you, you''ll feel what I feel.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want to cause you pain like that.¡± ¡°Will any tears work?¡± Frikara asked Railyse. ¡°If we all feel what Ren feels and we cry, do you want our tears, too?¡± Railyse looked from Ren to them, then back to Ren. ¡°They''re serious, aren''t they?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°This will be quite a feast for you, I think.¡± ¡°I don''t know what to say to such a generous offer.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I would be honored to absorb your tears.¡± That had been the perfect thing to say, and the maids surrounded Ren and Railyse. ¡°I''m going to re-live the water elemental''s death.¡± Ren said to his maids. ¡°If it becomes too hard for you to cope, I''ll stop sharing right away.¡± The maids all nodded slightly and joined hands, and made a circle around Ren and Railyse. ¡°Don''t be afraid.¡± Railyse said as her hair changed from its camouflage into small water tendrils, that extended out to hover near the maid''s faces to gather their tears. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± Ren asked, then he thought about finding the water elemental inside the engine. ¡°By the gods, that poor thing!¡± Navruth said, and tears came to her eyes. The water tendril by her dabbed at her face softly and gathered them. Ren remembered pulling the poor thing out of the engine and despaired over its mangled shape. ¡°No!¡± Andrela said, as tears poured down her face and the water tendril by her split into two and continuously dabbed her cheeks. Ren let the first of his tears escape as he remembered watching the water element''s last moments, and Railyse kissed the tear away. Another followed it, and she licked his face to get it all. Everyone was crying at this point, and the water tendrils moved almost faster than the eye could see, in order to gather all of the shed tears. Railyse licked and sucked Ren''s tears away, and her heart was overjoyed that he would share such things with her. Her body started to glow with all of the accumulated energy, and Ren ended the memory with the water elemental''s death. One final burst of sorrow came out of him, and the personal maids sobbed at the memory. * Lylyth was glad that no one else was around at the moment, because she had collapsed to the floor and clutched at her chest. It''s the same pain as before, only slightly weaker. She thought, slightly relieved. He''s only remembering something. Lylyth took several deep breaths and stood up as the deep sorrow feeling went away, then was replaced with satisfaction. I will have to ask him what happened. Lylyth thought and sat down on her throne. She looked at her hands, and saw the old familiar web designs were starting to emerge on her skin. Oh, Ren. She thought. More, dearest one! Give me more! * Railyse couldn''t believe the bounty she had received from Ren and his personal maids. It had recharged her powers and abilities even more than several days of floating in the Jacuzzi did. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Railyse said and kissed him on the lips. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, and tasted a bit of morning dew.
Notice!
You have been anointed by the heir to the Water Realm. You have gained a temporary 5% bonus to all water-based or water-related enchantments, spells, and abilities for the next 24 hours.
¡°I''m not the only one you should thank, though.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Yes, you''re right!¡± Railyse said and turned to the closest maid. ¡°Thank you, Frikara!¡± She said and kissed her on the lips. Ren felt Frikara''s shock go through the Aura, and he added his amusement to it. Railyse went around and kissed all 5 of the maids, and they all received the bonus popup. ¡°What... how...¡± Frikara finally managed to say, because she was still reeling from the kiss. ¡°You''ve all been anointed by me.¡± Railyse said. ¡°It''s a blessing of Water, bestowed upon those that give of themselves to those in need.¡± Andrela put a hand to her lips. ¡°But... a kiss?¡± ¡°It''s the quickest way.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Although, I suppose I could spit on you...¡± ¡°NO! No, that''s okay.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I definitely prefer a kiss instead of being spit on.¡± Ren snorted a laugh and flooded the shared Aura with his amusement. ¡°Don''t you just love different cultures?¡± Railyse chuckled as she slid back into the Jacuzzi, then the personal maids went back into the large cabin. Ren on the other hand, went down into the hold to see how Tee-one was doing. ¡°Hi, Tee-one.¡± Ren said. ¡°Long time, no see.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve been meaning to ask. Do you get things from me right away, or only when I think about it?¡± ¡°I think it depends on if it''s relevant to me.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°With you being away and increasing your skills so much...¡± He smiled. ¡°...I got it all as soon as you came back from the Water Realm.¡± Ren looked at him. ¡°Could you still access my skills as if they were your own with me gone like that?¡± ¡°Not at the new levels until you were back in this realm.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Huh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then, if we get separated, I can increase things; but, you won''t get them until I come back.¡± ¡°It''s the same with any new skills you acquire while away.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°So... you get a copy if I''m here, but...¡± ¡°Just like when you go on Adventurer''s business.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I can still access your last skill numbers.¡± ¡°I don''t know if that information will be useful or not later.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s still good to know, though.¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°How''s the back stock coming along?¡± ¡°I''ve got a lot built up now.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ll fill the second floor of the shop when we arrive.¡± ¡°That''s great, Tee-one.¡± Ren chuckled and pat his shoulder. ¡°You''ve done a wonderful job.¡± ¡°Thanks, Ren.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°What do you want me to do now?¡± Ren took out 6 bracelets like the Bracelet of Magic that Tee-one wore to enhance his casting ability, that increased his Intelligence, Wisdom, Mana total, and Mana production. ¡°I''ve finished enchanting these bracelets into Bracelets of Magic, but I haven''t added the 6 jewels like I wanted to yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°I tried adding more than that, but the Durability of the metal drops significantly if it''s overloaded with too many jewels.¡± Tee-one nodded slightly as Ren took out a small crate full of diamonds that had already been sorted into 4 groups. ¡°I want you to use my mastered Enchanting ability to enchant this set of jewels with Intelligence, this set with Wisdom, these with Mana Boost, and those with Mana Production.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s 5 glyphs of 10 runes each, or 50 runes.¡± ¡°You really must have missed being able to Double Infuse while you were gone.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I can''t wait to double up on these enchantments and put these Bracelets of Magic together.¡± Ren said and took out a Level 5 Wand of Major Healing so he could top up Tee-one''s and his own Mana when they needed it. ¡°Let''s get to work.¡± Chapter 321 - Exponential Enchanting While Tee-one enchanted the diamonds, Ren took the time to check his status, since he hadn''t done it in a while. He had been in the Water Realm for a long time, and wondered what his stats looked like now.
Status
Name Ren (Neram) Level 72
Gender Male Class Artificer/Lord
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 1,000,000 (King) Honor 250,000 (Untouchable)
Giant Kingdom:
Respect 26,000
Titles
Master Blacksmith Grants 10 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills; 5,000 Fame
Tailor Grants 5 level bonus to Tailoring Skills
Issac''s Novice 20% stat gain at his shop
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Dreaded Foe Auras with Fear: +5 Levels, Respect: 5000, Enemies/Opponents/Creatures -5 INT -5 WIS
The Unnamed King +10 Levels to all Auras, you must be acknowledged in some way, grants skill: This Is Mine!
Waterkin Grants Water Manipulation Skill and Waterkin (Aura)
Health 2140 Mana 2318
Strength 303 Dexterity 235
Vitality 205 Agility 222
Endurance 270 Intelligence 265
Luck 75 +2 Wisdom 250
Whoa. Ren thought. Look at those numbers! He was surprised so much had been added to his stats, but then, he thought about how long he''d been playing the game up to the point before going into the Water Realm, and nodded mentally. A year and a half doing hard labour definitely will bring your stats up. Now that he had the chance, Ren also checked the popups he had missed during the time he''d been logged out. He had missed 3 full days and 3 popups each for the Church and it''s Knowledge bonuses, and for the status of the ship. He only glanced at the others, but read trough the ones from the night before.
Notice!
The Church you had constructed on House Neram land has been open for another day. Word continues to spread of it''s opalescence, and dwarves from all around come to pray and worship their gods. You have gained bonuses appropriate for encouraging the active worshipping of these gods. 10 visitors = 1% Knowledge bonus to level. Dark (Gravity) - 260 visitors; Knowledge Of Dark (Gravity) Level 3 (Beginner 32%) +26% = 58% Earth - 368 visitors; Knowledge Of Earth Level 2 (Intermediate 38%) +37% = 75% Fire - 702 visitors; Knowledge Of Fire (Mastered) = No gains possible Ice - 138 visitors; Knowledge Of Ice Level 1 (Beginner 53%) +14% = 67% Light (Holy) - 351 visitors; Knowledge Of Light (Holy) Level 3 (Beginner 14%) +35% = 49% Lightning - 143 visitors; Knowledge Of Lightning Level 5 (Beginner 62%) +14% = 76% Void (Arcane) - 24 visitors; Knowledge Of Void (Arcane) Level 1 (Beginner 5%) +2% = 7% Water - 232 visitors; Knowledge Of Water (Mastered) = No gains possible Wind - 157 visitors; Knowledge Of Wind Level 2 (Beginner 8%) +16% = 24%
They''re slowly creeping up. Ren thought. I wonder how long it''s going to take to master them? He asked himself, then looked at the ship status popup.
Notice!
Your ship (UNNAMED) has been in operation for another 24 hours. The following information has changed since the beginning of the journey:
Ship''s Hull 14256 / 15000
Food/Consumables 2600 / 3000
Ropes 260 / 300
Cleaning Supplies 1550 / 1650
Crew 49
The following information hasn''t changed since the beginning of the journey:
Captain 1
Cook 1
Waitresses 2
Passengers 15
The number of passengers hasn''t changed. Ren thought. We lost the water elemental and gained Railyse. ¡°I''ve got the first two sets done.¡± Tee-one said and handed Ren 2 each of Intelligence, Wisdom, Mana Production and Mana Boost enchanted diamonds.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Great.¡± Ren said and used his Double Infusion skill to enchant them again, to make them have a total of 100 runes each. He smiled and checked the bracelet he was going to put them in.
Bracelet of Magic
This bracelet has been enchanted to boost Mana, Intelligence, and Wisdom. It is the quintessential item for a Mana user to have. It grants: Intelligence: +5, Wisdom: +5, Mana Production: +20%, Mana: +200 Gem slots: 6
Ren took 1 of each enchanted diamond and used his Gemsetting skill to set them into one of the bracelets, then used another Mana Boost and Mana Production to fill the last two spots. When he examined it, he chuckled.
Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic
This bracelet has been enchanted to boost Mana, Mana Production, Intelligence, and Wisdom. It is the only item a Magic user could ever need. It grants: Intelligence: +105, Wisdom: +105, Mana Production: +1,020%, Mana: +10,200
¡°Now that''s a thing of beauty!¡± Ren said, and handed it to Tee-one. ¡°Put this on.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Tee-one said and the bonuses took effect immediately. ¡°You''re right, that''s fantastic.¡± ¡°It''ll be even better in a minute.¡± Ren said and Tee-one handed him the next set of jewels to enchant. Ren made the second bracelet and gave it to Tee-one. ¡°Shouldn''t you take this one?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°I''ll take the next one.¡± Ren said and handed Tee-one a blank bracelet. ¡°I need you to make this a Bracelet of Magic, though.¡± Tee-one activated Craft Wondrous Item and made the bracelet, then handed it back to Ren. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and used his Retain Essence skill to absorb the enchantment from his Bracelet of Importance. He used Double Infusion to add the enchantment to the new bracelet, then added the extra gems and equipped it. ¡°There we go.¡± Ren said, and examined the completed bracelet. ¡°Oh, my.¡±
Important Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic (Unique - Binds On Equip)
This bracelet has been enchanted to boost Mana, Mana Production, Intelligence, and Wisdom. It is the only item a Magic user could ever need. It grants: Intelligence: +105, Wisdom: +105, Mana Production: +1020%, Mana: +10200. It also grants the wearer an Aura (Importance). Artificially boosts Influence and Honor by 100,000. Distance: 150 foot radius. Cannot be dropped or taken as loot when killed.
¡°Sweet!¡± Ren said, then looked at the other bracelet he still wore. He had hoped that removing the enchantment would also take the restrictions off of it; but it didn''t. He was stuck with it until he died and it dropped off. ¡°You can always put something else on it.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I don''t know what, though.¡± Ren took out some fabric and made a cloak, then activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and put the cloak onto the 1 foot square gold platform that appeared. He chose the recipe for Cloak of Major Displacement and a few moments later, it was done. Ren used his Retain Essence ability to absorb the enchantment, and transferred it to the useless bracelet.
Bracelet of Major Displacement
Although it appears to be a normal bracelet, upon command its magical properties distort and warp light and sound. This displacement works just like the Displacement spell, but instead lasts for a total of 300 minutes; which the wearer can divide up as they see fit.
¡°Show info for the Displacement spell.¡± Ren said.
Notice!
You do not know the spell Displacement (Level 4 - Expert)
¡°Crap.¡± Ren said. ¡°Well, lets do it the hard way.¡± He said and looked at the bracelet. Activate! To an outside observer, Ren disappeared from where he was and reappeared 2 feet away. Teepo however, was still on the concealed Ren''s shoulder. ¡°It''s like partial invisibility.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°It looks like you''re over there...¡± He pointed. ¡°...but, you''re really right here.¡± He said and pointed to the invisible Ren. ¡°Teepo''s giving you away.¡± ¡°Sorry, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ll take off.¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said, and the voice came from his displaced image. ¡°Let me try something.¡± He took out his Revealing Light diamond and activated it, and both he and Teepo appeared. ¡°Okay, that''s weird.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s two of you.¡± Ren moved his hand, and the displaced image moved it''s hand at the same time. ¡°Actually, I think it''s kind of cool.¡± Both of the Ren''s said. They lifted a foot, did a little kick, and stood still. ¡°Neat.¡± Ren deactivated the bracelet and the displaced Ren disappeared, then he looked at the Revealing Light diamond. ¡°Ha.¡± He said, dipped the end of it into the smelter, and attached it to the bracelet. ¡°There. The perfect combo.¡± ¡°When are you ever going to need something like that?¡± Teepo asked, curious. ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said and shrugged. ¡°It looks like a good delay tactic, though.¡± ¡°Or a good trick to play on someone.¡± Tee-one said, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I''ve got more diamonds enchanted.¡± ¡°How''s your Mana holding up?¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''ve barely used any of the 20,000 Mana the bracelets grant me.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°That''s not counting the Mana the 210 Intelligence and 210 Wisdom give me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m tempted to modify this one.¡± He said and held up the Displacement bracelet. ¡°But, it drops when I die. I don''t want to enhance it too much.¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°How are your stats now, with just the one bracelet on?¡± ¡°Let me check.¡± Ren said. ¡°Show Status.¡±
Status
Name Ren (Neram) Level 72
Gender Male Class Artificer/Lord
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 1,000,000 (King) Honor 250,000 (Untouchable)
Giant Kingdom:
Respect 26,000
Titles
Master Blacksmith Grants 10 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills; 5,000 Fame
Tailor Grants 5 level bonus to Tailoring Skills
Issac''s Novice 20% stat gain at his shop
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Dreaded Foe Auras with Fear: +5 Levels, Respect: 5000, Enemies/Opponents/Creatures -5 INT -5 WIS
The Unnamed King +10 Levels to all Auras, you must be acknowledged in some way, grants skill: This Is Mine!
Waterkin Grants Water Manipulation Skill and Waterkin (Aura)
Health 2140 Mana 2318 (+11,145)
Strength 303 Dexterity 235
Vitality 205 Agility 222
Endurance 270 Intelligence 265 (+105)
Luck 75 +2 Wisdom 250 (+105)
¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°My... my Mana is at 13,463.¡± He said, shocked. ¡°That means... my Mana Pool with the bracelet boosters...¡± ¡°Since your Mana Pool is 3 times that...¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ve got 40,389 Mana in the Mana Pool.¡± Ren blinked his eyes a few times in disbelief. ¡°That''s... holy crap!¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°If you had two bracelets, with the bonuses you''d have almost 34,000 more Mana in the Mana Pool.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°No wonder enchanters guard their work, and the runes they discover, with their lives.¡± Tee-one nodded, then he and Ren kept working for several hours and made 24 more bracelets with 144 more double-infused enchanted diamonds. ¡°Ren, why did you only have 6 of them when we started?¡± Tee-one asked when they finished the last one. ¡°Surprisingly, it''s difficult to find iron ore in the Water Realm.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know why, though.¡± ¡°What did you use for crafting the whole time you were there?¡± ¡°Every scrap of metal I could find.¡± Ren said. ¡°I actually emptied the castle of every weapon, shield, and armor it had on display and smelted them.¡± He said and chuckled. ¡°They weren''t too happy about that at first; but, when I replaced everything and made it with the tons of smelted gold that was really easy to find...¡± ¡°You only used a small amount of iron to harden the gold?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Just enough to let it retain it''s Durability, then I enchanted it to strengthen it.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°It''ll last a long time like that.¡± ¡°That''s why they didn''t skin me alive, or feed me to the octopus.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°When they inspected the replacements and discovered how long they would last, they gave me the Waterkin title.¡± ¡°Which gave you the Water Manipulation skill.¡± ¡°Which I mastered after a year of using it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You wouldn''t believe how hard it was to manipulate water inside of water!¡± ¡°It was something, let me tell you.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Railyse and the others couldn''t stop laughing.¡± ¡°Hey, they grew up doing it!¡± Ren said to defend himself, then he also laughed. ¡°It was pretty funny, though.¡± ¡°The instructor didn''t like having his butt whacked like that!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°Ren had to spend 2 weeks in isolation after that.¡± ¡°I never lost control like that again.¡± Ren said. ¡°The instructor always kept an eye on me...¡± ¡°...and his butt...¡± Teepo volunteered, and Ren smiled. ¡°...but...¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I showed them all that I could do it.¡± He said. ¡°I even got a popup for the running quest Donan gave me all that time ago.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°So, what do we do next?¡± ¡°Rings.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s grab a few paving stones and carve out a bunch of normal rings.¡± He said took out his carving tools. ¡°Let''s play with what we can create, and then transfer the enchantments into them.¡± For the next hour, they carved out paving stones into ring molds. Ren was tempted to make one for the bottom half of the ring and one for the top; but, that added too much extra work for something that resizes for the wearer anyways. They took their time and carefully made perfectly round ring holes in their paving stones. Once the molds were done, they could reuse it as many times as they wanted. They added gold ore to the smelter to bring up the value of the rings and the amount of enchantments it could hold, and stirred it vigorously. When it was ready, they poured their molds and Ren absorbed the heat from them. Each mold held 100 rings, so with both of their molds filled, they had 200 rings after a single casting. ¡°Is 200 enough to play and test with?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°No, we better do a thousand.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just in case.¡± Tee-one chuckled and poured the molten metal into the molds, and Ren stood ready to absorb the heat again. Chapter 322 - A Little Bit More Ren and Tee-one cast the ring molds 5 times and made 1000 rings. Ren checked through his ring recipes to see what he could make ''officially''.
Ring Recipes:
Ring of Sustenance
Ring of Water Walking
¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren said out loud. ¡°I only know 2 official recipes? But I''ve made tons of... Ha!¡± He barked a laugh. ¡°I''ve never gotten any actual recipes for rings before those two. Everything else I''ve enchanted myself or found.¡± Ren looked at the Beetle Crown ring. Like this one.
Notice!
You have learned the recipe for Beetle Crown (Ring)
¡°Whoa!¡± Ren said. ¡°Teepo! I just...¡± ¡°NO!¡± Teepo exclaimed. ¡°Ignore it! I don''t want anyone else to be trapped like me!¡± ¡°I just want to see what it says.¡± Ren said, and opened the recipe. ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡±
Beetle Crown (Ring) Recipe
Ingredients: One High Quality Item Soul Bind (Spell) Fresh Corpse
Once you acquire the Fresh Corpse, killed within your Aura within the last 5 minutes (by either you or someone else), you must touch the High Quality Item to the Fresh Corpse and cast the spell, Soul Bind. Depending on the Health of the subject (before death), it can take anywhere from 10 seconds to 10 minutes for the soul to be transferred from the body into the High Quality Item. Once complete, the soul can take Astral Form when summoned, and is essentially Immortal. Warning: If the Soul-Bound High Quality Item is ever altered or destroyed, the soul is set free from it''s container to continue on it''s way. Since it has no body, it will expire as it should have when the original body died.
¡°Show info for Soul Bind.¡± Ren said, his enthusiasm over discovering the recipe was quite diminished.
Notice!
You do not know the Void (Arcane) spell, Soul Bind (Level 5 - Master)
¡°Well, now we know.¡± Ren said, and reached up to pat Teepo. ¡°I was tempted to move you from the ring to something more secure, but it doesn''t look like I''ll be able to do that.¡± ¡°Or enchant diamonds to attach to it and add Strength and Durability.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder if I could do that to the Ring of Recall instead.¡± ¡°You better not.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°If it''s like the Beetle Crown Ring and is damaged when altered, you''ll lose it.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve tried to get the recipe for it a couple of times, but I still can''t get it.¡± ¡°I guess there''s still some things that even you can''t copy.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Or want to, my friend.¡± Ren said and thought about the Beetle Crown ring, and pat Teepo again. ¡°Tee-one, start making the Ring of Sustenance while I try to decide if I want to go with all Vitality to increase the Stamina bar, or to bump up all the main stats.¡± ¡°You''ll only have 50 runes to do that.¡± Tee-one said and activated the Craft Wondrous Item ability and made the first ring. ¡°That''ll only be 7 points for each, not including Luck.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, there''s nothing else that boosts all stats.¡± He said. ¡°At least, not that I''ve found anyways.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± Tee-one said and handed Ren the next ring. ¡°I assume these won''t be for sale?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No. I won''t undercut every business that makes food. These are only for us, and a few select friends.¡± He smiled. ¡°We can still eat and enjoy food, but we won''t have to.¡± Ren took out one of the sacks of 1 gold coin diamonds, and grabbed several handfuls to put on the workbench. He divided them into piles of 6 to use on the rings, for the same reason he could only use 6 diamonds on the bracelets. If there were any more than that it compromised the integrity of the metal. He''d used up all 4 Protection rings he used to wear testing it, too. He''d thought about replacing them because his hand felt bare without them; but, he had needed the metal for all the work he did in the Water Realm. It''s hard to believe how much you take for granted when you have access to all these resources. Ren thought. When you don''t have access to them, it''s almost painful when you can''t do what you want. Ren enchanted the small diamond with a single glyph of 5 Augment runes, because that was all it could hold. With 6 diamonds, it added another 30 runes to the 50 runes he was going to enchant the ring itself with, making a total of 80 runes. If he used the Augment rune to increase a stat, then he had 10 of them available for each stat of Strength, Vitality, Endurance, Luck, Dexterity, Agility, Intelligence, and Wisdom. He enchanted the ring and used his Gemsetting skill to add the enchanted diamonds.
Ring of Boosted Sustenance (Rare Wondrous Item)
This ring continually provides its wearer with life-sustaining nourishment. It refreshes the body and mind as well, and the wearer only needs to sleep for 2 hours per day to gain the benefit of 8 hours of sleep. The ring must be worn for a full week before it attunes to the wearer''s needs. If it is ever removed, it must be worn for another week to attune it again. Bonus: +10 to all stats
¡°Perfect.¡± Ren said. ¡°A few dozen more of these and we''ll be all set.¡± They got to work and had them done in less than half an hour. With both Tee-one and Ren so full of Mana, it only took another hour for them to make 2 dozen sets of Bracelets of Unbelievable Magic, too. Ren now had 48 bracelets and 48 rings, besides the 4 rings he had made for himself. He knew he would be giving them out in pairs, so that each person he gave them to could have 2 of each item. That is, one for each hand and arm. ¡°You know, we could customize these bracelets with specific tasks in mind.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°These ones are for magic users, but... we could do ones up for fighters, archers, healers...¡± ¡°If I knew what they used for their main stats.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think healers and magic users could use the same Mana bracelets, though. Plus, people might want an all around boost instead of a role specific enchantment.¡± ¡°Yes, I think you have a point.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Shall we make several bracelets with balanced boosts like the rings?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and used the Level 5 Major Healing wand on himself to top off his Mana Pool. Unlike Tee-one, his Mana Pool wasn''t affected by Mana Production at all. He was tempted to just empty it and use his Mana bar and let it refill, but he knew when he tried to enchant something big, or used the abilities that required Mana, he would be much better off with the Mana Pool being full. They made 2 dozen of the balanced bracelets, and Ren examined one when they were done.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
Bracelet of Magical Balance
This bracelet has been enchanted to boost all stats as well as Mana and Mana Production. It is a useful item for any generic user to have. It grants: Strength +75, Vitality +75, Endurance +75, Luck +75, Dexterity +75, Vitality +75, Intelligence: +80, Wisdom: +80, Mana Production: +20%, Mana: +200
¡°With these, I''ll have some choice as to what to give to people.¡± Ren said and gave two of them to Tee-one. ¡°Keep those, in case you need them.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Do you want a couple of rings, too?¡± ¡°I might as well.¡± Tee-one said and took 2 of the rings and put them on. ¡°If you can come up with something better later, I''ll give them back.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Well, it''s not like we can''t make more.¡± He said. ¡°Even if I do come up with something better, you can keep them.¡± Tee-one nodded and looked at the work they''d done for the day. ¡°That was a lot to do in just one day.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s just like I''ve been saying all along.¡± He said and put a hand on Tee-one''s shoulder. ¡°We work well together, and can get more done as a pair than we can alone.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Now leave me alone and get to bed.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°If you want something to do, enchant a hundred rings with a glyph of 10 Holding runes.¡± ¡°That will give the ring a storage capacity of 50 slots.¡± Tee-one said. Ren nodded. ¡°You should add the other 4 glyphs of 10 Augment runes with Strength.¡± He smiled. ¡°You know people will want to load the rings up with all the miscellaneous stuff they pick up, and they''ll need the extra 40 Strength to carry it.¡± ¡°No doubt.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°After that?¡± ¡°Do up a hundred of the Ring of Water Walking.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know if it''ll be a good seller, except maybe as a novelty item.¡± Tee-one chuckled. ¡°Considering what can lurk in the water...¡± Ren nodded and stored a hundred blank rings himself. ¡°I''ll see you in the morning.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Tee-one said. Ren started to walk out of the hold when he felt an intense and brief pain enter the shared Aura. He ran the rest of the way to the deck of the ship, through the main cabin''s doors and down the hallway to his cabin. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked as he stormed into the room. ¡°What is that smell?¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Frikara said. ¡°We were just trying to cook supper.¡± ¡°It''s not working out well.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°Not working out?¡± Lusinia laughed. ¡°It''s a disaster!¡± ¡°I tried to help.¡± Andrela said. ¡°Look.¡± She held up her hand to show that there were several burns on her fingers and palm. ¡°Aww.¡± Ren went to her, and gently took her hand in his and kissed the burns to distract her from the pain. ¡°I felt it and came right here.¡± He said, and took out a Level 5 Minor Healing wand. Andrela''s face was bright red as he healed her. ¡°You''re lucky it wasn''t serious.¡± ¡°It was only a brief touch on the bottom of the pot.¡± Andrela explained. ¡°I caught it when it fell.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Navruth said. ¡°I''m not normally clumsy, but my hand hit the handle of the pot when...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Andrela said and held up her healed hand. ¡°Ren took care of it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m fine, Navruth.¡± Andrela said and put a hand on Ren''s arm and looked at him. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please be more careful in the future.¡± ¡°I''ll try.¡± Andrela said. ¡°I can''t promise that I won''t get hurt again, though.¡± ¡°I don''t think anyone could promise that.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°So, what were you trying to make?¡± He took in a breath through his nose. ¡°Soup of some kind?¡± ¡°It''s supposed to be beef stew.¡± Frikara said and held up the still hot pot by the handle. The spoon she had tried to stir it with, stuck up out of it and didn''t look like it was going to be moved anytime soon. Ren walked over to it and grabbed the pot by the base. ¡°REN! That''s still hot!¡± Frikara exclaimed, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m still immune to fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for your concern, though.¡± Frikara''s face flushed red as she felt he really was grateful that she had been worried about him. ¡°Normally, I wouldn''t complain when someone made food for me; but, I''m sorry. I can''t eat this.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you mind if I make something else?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°You won''t hurt our feelings by not eating that... whatever it is now.¡± ¡°It would probably make good mortar.¡± Ren said, then he tried to move the spoon and it broke. ¡°Oops.¡± The maids laughed, and Ren stored the pot to clean it. He repaired it and then made beef stew for everyone to share. Ren gave several bowls of it to Princess, one to Orimihr, and asked Railyse if she wanted any. She declined at first, until Ren strained out the broth for her to try. Since it was mostly just water with a bit of fat and flavoring in it, she drank it and savored the different texture. He bid her goodnight, then went back to his cabin and to his waiting maids. They were already undressed and in bed, and he wasn''t surprised that they were only in their underwear and still topless; despite the fact he''d given them a couple dozen bras. Ren took off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and folded it up on the table, then stored his clothing; which left him in just his underwear, and he climbed into bed. He laid back and spread his arms out so that two maids could lay down on one side, and two laid down on the other side. Andrela took her normal spot and laid down between his legs and snuggled into his abdomen. Teepo took off from his shoulder and landed on the ceiling. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± The maids and Teepo said. * ¡°Ah can''t believe we''all made it bac'' so soon.¡± Clint said. ¡°You might have pushed the horse a little.¡± Tommy said. ¡°We''re hauling a lot of weight.¡± ¡°I''m not that heavy.¡± Hank said as he got out of the cart, and everyone laughed. ¡°Give me a hand.¡± Dillon asked Hank, and he helped his friend climb down. ¡°You shouldn''t treat him so delicately.¡± Billy said and hopped down himself. ¡°He needs to toughen up a little.¡± ¡°I''m the magic user.¡± Dillon said. ¡°I don''t want to fall and hurt myself.¡± He smiled. ¡°Where would you be if anything happened to me?¡± Billy didn''t say anything, because he remembered almost dying once and that it was Dillon who had used up all of his Mana to keep him safe. ¡°Ha!¡± Hank said and put an arm around Dillon''s shoulder in a manly hug. ¡°He doesn''t need to toughen up at all. He can handle things himself.¡± ¡°Ah''ll git you guys settled an'' be offta git the proper tools.¡± ¡°You''re gonna ride all night to get to Aurora?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Clint chuckled. ¡°We only got tamorrow ta git these pelts removed before we gotta log out.¡± He said. ¡°Ah''ll be back by noon.¡± ¡°Hey, you still got that home-brewed alcohol?¡± Hank asked. ¡°Yup.¡± Clint said and unhooked the horse from the cart. ¡°Help yerself.¡± He took the horse into the stable by his house. ¡°Yeah!¡± Hank said. ¡°I like being able to drink as much as I want and not be hung over afterwards!¡± ¡°So do we, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°You''re a real bear when you''re grouchy.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Hank asked when Clint came out to put a tarp over the cart. ¡°I''m as happy of a drunk as can be!¡± ¡°You think you''re a happy drunk because you''re drunk.¡± Billy laughed. ¡°It just ain''t true.¡± ¡°I''ll show you!¡± Hank said. Clint finished covering the cart and then went to the house to open it up for his friends. ¡°I''ll drink enough to get drunk, and you''ll see how happy I am!¡± Hank said menacingly, and everyone laughed. ¡°Don'' go havin'' too much fun withou'' me.¡± Clint said. ¡°See ya''ll soon.¡± The others went inside the ranch-style house and Clint went back to the stable to get Izabeal, his warhorse mount. ¡°Howarya girl?¡± Clint asked, and Izabeal huffed at him. ¡°Ah''m sorry I''ve been gone so long.¡± Izabeal turned her head and wouldn''t look at him. ¡°Ah got ya ah present.¡± Clint said, and she turned back to look at him with interest. ¡°Ah hope ya like it.¡± Clint took out a new bit and bridle. It was the harness that went over the horse''s face to attach the reins to. The horse blew a raspberry at him and turned away. ¡°Aw, don'' be like tha''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Look, jus'' taste it.¡± Izabeal huffed again, and opened her lips a little. Clint slid the metal bar into the horse''s mouth, and she clomped down on it and started sucking. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah told ya!¡± Izabeal nodded her head and kept sucking. ¡°Ah bought tha'' jus'' fer ya while I was away.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah know how much ya hate having somethin'' besides food in yer mouth, so I had tha'' especially enchanted fer ya.¡± He smiled. ¡°The guy said it was good fer a month.¡± Izabeal neighed at Clint. He pat her neck and secured the harness over her face, then put the saddle on her. ¡°Let''s go fer a nice long ride.¡± Clint said and led her out of the stable. Izabeal dug her large hooves into the dirt and Clint chuckled. She was just as eager as he was to cut loose and go for a good run. He climbed up onto her back, and once he was settled, he snapped the reins. Izabeal reared up onto her back legs, kicked her front legs in the air a couple of times, then when they hit the ground she took off at her top speed right away. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Clint laughed. At that speed, they would be at the starter city of Aurora just before morning. * Lylyth could feel that Ren was asleep, and she was tempted to open a portal to go and visit him. I can''t. Lylyth thought. It''s... it''s much too soon. She rationalized to herself. He''d be scared and nervous if I just showed up out of the blue like this. She thought about him being scared, and frowned. No, he wouldn''t be scared, would he? She asked herself. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Lylyth''s personal attendant asked. ¡°No, I''m fine.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I''m just thinking too hard.¡± The attendant nodded. ¡°I do that, too.¡± ¡°You do? About what?¡± ¡°If I should keep my pet or exchange him.¡± The attendant said. ¡°He seems... weak.¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°Yes, I believe you''ve used up his arrogance, and all that''s left is his self-pity.¡± The attendant smiled. ¡°That''s it exactly.¡± She said. ¡°It was great when we started; but, when I get him to perform now... he cries sometimes.¡± Lylyth laughed. ¡°Then exchange him. There are plenty more prisoners of war that we need to break before they can convert and worship me.¡± ¡°Thank you, your highness.¡± The attendant said. ¡°I hope my next seduction attempt is rebuffed as much as the last one was.¡± She smiled. ¡°It''s quite fun to see them give in to their desires after they resist so much.¡± ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°It''s the strong and defiant ones that are the most satisfying when they finally surrender themselves to the passion.¡± Lylyth thought about Ren, and knew that he wasn''t going to be anything like the others. In fact, he willingly... Her face flushed a sightly darker grey when she remembered what Ren did to ''feed'' her. No, he''s not like the others at all. Chapter 323 - Almost Home Ren woke up in bed with 5 topless women, and felt like he was truly blessed. He could feel contentment and relaxation throughout the shared Aura, and he added his own contentment and appreciation to it. With even that slight change in the Aura, he felt the maids wake up from the disturbance. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and eased back how much he was sharing. ¡°I didn''t mean to wake you.¡± ¡°Please, don''t pull away.¡± Frikara said. ¡°It woke us because we''ve become sensitive to everyone''s mood.¡± Lusinia nodded, and Ren felt agreement enter the Aura. ¡°When we felt that you are just as content as we are, we... well, I wanted to tell you how much it means to me.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Andrela said. ¡°And me.¡± Navruth said. ¡°I''m hungry.¡± Verwynn said, and everyone laughed. ¡°What? He can feel what we feel. He knows it means a lot to us.¡± ¡°Then you all should know how much it means to me, too.¡± Ren said, and let that flow into the Aura. ¡°I like that we can all lay in bed together and accept each other for who we are, and are comfortable enough with each other that we don''t need to wear clothes if we don''t have to.¡± Frikara chuckled. ¡°Well, we didn''t give you a lot of choice there.¡± She said. ¡°We were going without clothes anyways, and we were really happy that you didn''t order us to stay dressed.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°What if I ordered you to stay undressed?¡± Frikara laughed. ¡°You don''t need to order that.¡± She said and leaned over Lusinia to put her face next to Ren''s. ¡°You don''t even need to ask, actually.¡± She said seductively. Ren felt that she meant it, and not just for her. He looked at the others and they all nodded. ¡°You''d walk around, completely naked, all the time?¡± Ren asked. ¡°All of you?¡± ¡°We''d do anything for you.¡± Andrela said and lightly kissed his abdomen. ¡°Anything.¡± They all felt a thrill pass through the Aura, and the other maids looked at Frikara. ¡°It wasn''t me.¡± Frikara said. ¡°It was me.¡± Ren said, and the maids looked at him. ¡°I''ve never been kissed there before.¡± ¡°But... you''ve...¡± ¡°Yes, I''ve been with a few women.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°That doesn''t mean they''ve touched me everywhere.¡± Frikara looked at the other maids and grinned as mischievousness flooded the shared Aura. ¡°Shall we fulfill his unrequested request?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Andrela said and kissed the spot next to where she had just kissed him. ¡°W-w-wait...¡± Ren stammered, and then he was covered in kisses all over his body. He''d never felt anything like it before, with 5 sets of lips doing their best to cover every inch of his exposed skin; and he wasn''t sure what to do about it because it felt really good. It took about 5 minutes for the maids to finish, then they sat up with very satisfied looks on their faces. They had felt how much Ren had enjoyed what they did, but they also felt that he really liked that they didn''t push it too far, or try to take advantage of his weakened and quite distracted state by either moving, or removing, his underwear. ¡°Um... I...¡± Frikara leaned in close to his face again and spoke. ¡°Just say, ''thank you''.¡± Ren cupped the sides of her face with both of his hands. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said, and kissed her. Another thrill went through the Aura, and they all knew it was Frikara this time. Ren broke the kiss and turned to Verwynn and kissed her, too. Navruth was next, then Lusinia. Lastly was Andrela, and he could feel her anticipation. He kissed her with the same amount of attention that he had given the others. ¡°Oh... oh my.¡± Frikara said as she floated on everyone''s feelings, and she let them fill her up. ¡°Ren, thank you so much for giving us this shared Aura.¡± ¡°We can''t thank you enough for it.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°It lets us know where you are, when you''re close enough that is; and it''s also brought me and my fellow maids closer together.¡± Andrela nodded. ¡°That''s been one of the best parts of all of this.¡± ¡°What we just did is right up there with it, though.¡± Navruth said, and Ren felt everyone''s agreement. ¡°I''m still hungry.¡± Verwynn said, and they felt a hunger pain enter the Aura. ¡°I''ll make breakfast.¡± Ren said, and started to get up. ¡°Can''t we do what we did before?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°I want to share food again.¡± ¡°You''re trying to spoil me, aren''t you?¡± Ren asked, then chuckled when he felt Frikara''s embarrassment. ¡°Then go ahead.¡± He said and felt her happiness at his acceptance. ¡°I''m kind of hungry, too.¡± Frikara touched his hand, squeezed it a little, then went to the icebox to get some plates of food. * The short captain couldn''t believe how fast the ship could go. He''d tried his best to ignore his ingrained training that a ship couldn''t handle going too fast and would break apart; but, he just couldn''t bring himself to push the speed lever up past the halfway mark. ¡°LAND, HO!¡± Glint yelled from the scout perch in the crow''s nest, which was on top of the main mast. ¡°Prep for landing!¡± The short captain said and brought the boat''s speed down to a quarter, which was half of what it was, and the ship slowed down to the speed it would have travelled at with the old engine. That''s more like it. The short captain thought as the dwarf crew dropped the sails and ran out the oars. There was a facade for them to maintain, so that no one else would know how much faster dwarf ships were than every other ship. Except for this one. He thought. I''ve never seen a ship move this fast before. * Ren felt the ship as it slowed down. ¡°It looks like we''re here.¡± He said and opened his mouth for another morsel of food. ¡°Already?¡± Navruth asked. ¡°Shouldn''t it take another few days at least?¡± ¡°The short captain didn''t take full advantage of the engines.¡± Ren said. ¡°By rights, we should have been here a few days ago.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Andrela said. ¡°It can go that fast?¡± ¡°With 4 engines instead of one, this thing can cross the same distance as a normal ship in a quarter of the time.¡± ¡°When people find out, you... you''ll take over the entire shipping market!¡± Verwynn said. ¡°You''ll be rich!¡± Ren laughed and took her hand. ¡°I''m already rich.¡± Verwynn''s face flushed red because she could feel what Ren actually meant. ¡°The rest is just money in comparison.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. ¡°I think I better go topside and make sure everything is okay.¡± ¡°We''ll get dressed and join you in a few minutes.¡± Frikara said and washed her hands. ¡°Will you escort us when we get to land?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said, then stood up and equipped his Travelling Clothes, which cleaned him up. ¡°I''d be honored to show you around the city while the ship unloads.¡± ¡°That would be wonderful.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°We''ll look forward to it.¡± Ren put on his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, and left the room. * ¡°Come on, everyone!¡± Frikara said and clapped her hands. ¡°Fancy dress! Full regalia!¡± ¡°Yes! Great idea!¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Lets show everyone what Ren has given us!¡± ¡°Should we tell people we''re his personal maids?¡± Andrela asked as everyone started getting dressed, and she grabbed the nicest dress from her cabinet and slipped it on. ¡°It might embarrass him if maids aren''t accepted here like they are back home.¡± ¡°Andrela!¡± Frikara exclaimed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That''s not home anymore.¡± ¡°It''s not?¡± ¡°No.¡± Verwynn said and took Andrela into a one arm hug. ¡°Our home is wherever Ren is now.¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± Andrela said. ¡°I forgot.¡±Stolen story; please report. Verwynn chuckled. ¡°Doesn''t he feel like home?¡± ¡°I...¡± Andrela thought about it. ¡°I didn''t feel anything like this when I was home.¡± ¡°Verwynn didn''t mean that literally.¡± Navruth said. ¡°She meant that this feeling is what home should feel like.¡± ¡°If I''d felt anything like this at home, I never would have left!¡± Andrela said, emphatically. Frikara nodded slightly. ¡°That''s right; but, we did leave home and we found him.¡± ¡°He found us, though.¡± Andrela said. ¡°We found each other.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I think we''re all just starting to realize what that really means.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Now turn around and let me button you up.¡± * Teepo followed Ren as he delivered food to Princess and Orimihr, then out to the main deck and up to the back deck where the steering wheel and the short captain was. Ren deftly avoided the crew that ran around taking care of the various tasks that seemed to be necessary for the ship''s operation. He couldn''t understand the need, especially if you removed the sails that now weren''t really necessary. If, somehow, one or more of the engines failed, one would be more than enough to propel the ship to it''s destination. ¡°We''re still pretty far out.¡± Ren said as he looked towards the land. ¡°Why did we slow down so soon?¡± ¡°We can''t let everyone know we have a way to go faster than sail and wind.¡± The short captain said. ¡°Who''s ''we''?¡± ¡°The dwarves.¡± The short captain said, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°This isn''t a dwarf ship, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was built by a dwarf and dwarves run it.¡± The short captain said, and Ren smiled at him. The short captain felt slightly unsettled by that smile, and Ren looked up to the top of the main mast. ¡°Glint! How long before we enter the harbour?¡± Ren hollered up to the crow''s nest. ¡°About an hour, sir!¡± Glint said from his scout perch. ¡°Thanks!¡± Ren said and waved to him, then looked at the short captain. ¡°Don''t go to the main city to dock. There''s a spot just outside the city where I''ve got a dock big enough for this thing.¡± ¡°Can we do that?¡± The short captain said. ¡°What about paying the docking fees and...¡± ¡°It''s a private dock.¡± Ren said. ¡°My private dock.¡± He smiled. ¡°There will be no docking fees, transshipping fees, unloading fees, or anything else that normally needs to be paid.¡± ¡°Import fees?¡± ¡°They only count if what I brought is for sale.¡± Ren said. ¡°Everything that was loaded onto the ship is for personal use.¡± ¡°Everything?¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°It was all the things I was using or had made while in the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± He said. ¡°None of that will be sold.¡± The short captain nodded slightly himself. ¡°So, if anyone comes by and asks for...¡± ¡°Tell them to come to my shop in a few hours.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be escorting my personal maids on a tour of the city until then.¡± The personal maids he had just mentioned came out of the main cabin and looked around. All work stopped at the sight of them, and they could feel the intensity of the stares. Each maid had their hair done up in a fancy hairdo, and they wore the nicest dresses Ren had made for them. They even wore all of the jewellery he had given them, and it glistened and shone in the sunlight like miniature stars. Ren walked over to them and gave them a bow and a flourish with his hand. ¡°You all look beautiful.¡± He said and he felt how much they liked that he was telling the truth. ¡°I greet you, and welcome you to the starter city of Aurora.¡± He said, and motioned to the side of the ship towards the land. ¡°It''s still about an hour away, though; so your preparations are a bit premature.¡± Frikara chuckled. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± She said, and motioned to the crew that still stood there and stared at them. ¡°I think the crew will have just enough time to get used to seeing us like this.¡± Ren chuckled, too. ¡°I doubt that.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t think any of them have ever seen something so pretty.¡± ¡°GET BACK TO WORK!¡± The short captain yelled at the crew and waved his arm angrily at them. The crew jumped and enthusiastically did their jobs to appease the captain. Ren noted the reaction of both the captain and the crew, and looked at the maids. ¡°I''m going to take a tour of the ship.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want to stay here, or come with me?¡± ¡°We''ll stay here.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Our outfits are not suited for crawling around the bowels of a ship.¡± ¡°You have my permission to stay here for as long as you want, and to defend yourselves if others don''t behave themselves.¡± ¡°We''ll call you right away if anything like that happens.¡± Frikara said, and waggled her finger with the Sending Ring on it. Ren nodded slightly, and kissed her cheek. He went to each of them and kissed their cheeks as well, just so they wouldn''t think he was favoring anyone over the others, and left them to go through the ship. ¡°This is the first time you''ve had a chance to do this.¡± Teepo said as he flew behind Ren. ¡°No, I could have done it yesterday.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just...¡± ¡°...got too busy and forgot about it.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Ren smiled and went into every part of the ship; including the multiple engine rooms. The engine room crew greeted him warmly, and he did the same. They had spent a long time together and had built more than just things in the Water Realm; they had built friendships and mutual respect with each other. The engines ran smoothly and didn''t require any maintenance; especially since they hadn''t been tasked to their full potential. ¡°I''m sure the captain will get over his squeamishness eventually.¡± One of the engine crew said. ¡°We''ll see what these things can do soon.¡± ¡°Let me know if it happens.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want all of our hard work to go to waste.¡± ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Another one said and grinned. ¡°We''ve already convinced the senior officer to try it on the return trip.¡± ¡°How the hell did you...¡± Ren stopped talking and then smiled. ¡°What did you give him?¡± ¡°One of the Mermaid Pearls.¡± ¡°Really? Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know they''re only a one-time use, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, we told him.¡± One of the crew said. ¡°Deep water, midnight, and a gold coin.¡± ¡°He practically tore the pearl out of my hand when I offered it and told him what it did.¡± Another one said and laughed. ¡°He said he was gonna take the ship out as fast as he could to call one.¡± ¡°Did you tell him to keep a spear handy?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Of course.¡± The engine crew member said. ¡°I don''t want him to get eaten!¡± They all laughed. Ren finished his quick tour around the ship and acquired the plans for it. It had only taken 20 minutes, since he ran most of the way. Everyone was doing their jobs to get the ship ready to dock and unload, so the ship was pretty much empty in every section, except for the hold and the main deck of the ship. Ren entered the hold to tell Tee-one to pack everything up, because he forgot that Tee-one would know what he wanted when he thought of him. ¡°Since you''re here, you can take these.¡± Tee-one said and handed over 100 Rings of Water Walking and 100 Strong Rings Of Storage. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and stored them. ¡°Do you need a hand getting things ready for transport?¡± ¡°No.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°We''ve had everything loaded so it could be taken off easily.¡± He said. ¡°You can store the forge and smelter, though.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Ren said and stored it. ¡°I''ll stay here and monitor the off-loading.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll contact Jen as soon as I get to the city, so her and her work crew can come out to build the warehouse we''ll need to store all of this.¡± ¡°You need to dig out the area first.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You don''t want the warehouse to impact the view.¡± ¡°Thanks for reminding me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll swim over and get started.¡± Tee-one smiled and handed Ren a Hand of Glory.
Hand Of Glory
This Wondrous Item provides the wearer with a 60 foot circle of magical daylight when activated, and 60 feet of dimness beyond that, no matter what kind of environmental conditions you may be in. Although it is made of metal, it is in the shape of a small distorted hand on a chain. When worn, it hangs around the neck and replaces any necklace or amulet worn. Because of the mangled fingers, it can only wear one ring and grasp a single small item.
¡°I don''t need that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can see just fine.¡± Tee-one chuckled. ¡°Ignore that part, Ren.¡± He said. ¡°It can wear a ring and hold a wand.¡± Ren read the popup again, and smiled. ¡°Ha! Sneaky.¡± He said, and used his Retain Essence ability to store the enchantment on his Amulet of the Spider, stored the blank disc, then used Double Infusion to transfer the enchantment to the Hand Of Glory and slipped a Ring of Water Walking on the hand. ¡°Thanks, Tee-one.¡± Ren said and left the hold and went up to see the maids. ¡°I''m going over to the mainland to dig out a spot for the warehouse.¡± ¡°How are you going to get there? Swim?¡± Lusinia asked. ¡°I''m going to run.¡± Ren said and put his hands on the railing. ¡°I''ll see you in half an hour.¡± ¡°Don''t have too much fun without us.¡± Frikara said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I can''t promise that!¡± Ren said and pulled himself over the side of the ship. ¡°MAN OVERBOA-¡± A deckhand started to yell when Ren disappeared over the side, then gaped at Ren when he landed on the water without sinking and started to run. ¡°WHAT THE HELL?!?¡± The personal maids laughed as everyone on the deck shifted their eyes from them to stare at Ren as he took off at his top speed. * Nathalia had suffered through another night without Ren, ate a light breakfast, and went to work. She served breakfast to all of the dwarves that expected her to put a personal touch on their food, then went through the portal to do the same thing for her restaurant in Aurora. She was now on a 10 minute break and sat with Anabelle at one of the restaurant''s outside tables. ¡°He''s been gone for about a week now.¡± Nathalia said to Anabelle, the manager of Ren''s store, who had come in to visit her every day, since Nathalia wasn''t making daily deliveries for the shop anymore. ¡°We only have to wait about a week more for him to arrive.¡± ¡°I still can''t believe your Queen threw him out like that.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°How stupid can she be?¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°I can''t comment on our reigning monarch''s current mental capacity.¡± She said. ¡°The people on the other hand, still can''t decide if she set it all up on purpose to get rid of him or not.¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°She definitely did.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It was the quickest way to remove Ren from the kingdom without causing another incident like the Council tried the last time.¡± ¡°And people aren''t upset over that?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°They are, but...¡± ¡°She''s giving them a new ruler.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°They can''t get rid of her without losing the heir, so they''ll put up with her antics until the child is of age.¡± ¡°Any idea if it''s a boy or a girl?¡± Anabelle asked. Nathalia shook her head. ¡°She won''t even let the medics do a full examination until just before her due date.¡± ¡°I assume that if it''s a boy...¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Whatever it is, they become the new monarch immediately and the Queen becomes the Queen Mother.¡± ¡°Which reduces her powers considerably.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I hope she changes her attitude before then.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°They''ll have her out of there faster than day old bread in a bakery.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°You saw what happened the last time the Council raised one of her children.¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°It almost destroyed our nation and our people.¡± Anabelle smiled and put a hand on her friend''s arm. ¡°Ren saved you, though.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Me personally, and everyone else.¡± ¡°He''s a good man.¡± Anabelle said and let Nathalia''s arm go. ¡°I better get back to the shop and open up.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°I''m not sure what a ''leader board'' is, but Ren topped it again and now we''ve had more customers than we ever had before.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly, because she knew it was the Adventurer''s ranking. ¡°How is the store''s stock?¡± ¡°Pretty low now.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I don''t know if we can make it another week without more items for the shelves.¡± Nathalia thought about the huge cabinet of clothes that Ren had given her. ¡°I suppose I could...¡± ¡°No.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I won''t take anything he''s given to you.¡± ¡°How do you know I was going to offer that?¡± ¡°We''ve known each other a while now, Nathalia.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°You''ve got that same worried look on your face you get when you''re trying to help Ren without him knowing.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°All right, fine.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°I''ve got to get back to work anyways.¡± Anabelle stood up and hugged her. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Bye, Anabelle.¡± Nathalia said and went back into the restaurant. * Clint and his mount, the warhorse Izabeal, ran on the road towards the North Gate of Aurora. He''d fallen behind his schedule when a fox had run across Izabeal''s path and caused her stride to falter. She didn''t trip or fall from the incident; but, she''d been affronted that a creature so small had dared to cross her path, so she had to chase it down to trample it. Clint could only hold on and wait for her to finish, because she could not be reasoned with at all when she got into such a state. He had been lucky it had only taken 10 minutes to catch the thing, thanks to his expert shot to wound the fox in the leg at the end, and then Izabeal had crushed the thing into paste. Clint had only shaken his head that she had destroyed the body so well, that there wasn''t even any loot to be had. ¡°We''re almos'' there, darlin''.¡± Clint said when he saw the walls of the city. ¡°Then we c''n take a break an'' head back.¡± Izabeal huffed at him and poured on the speed. Chapter 324 - On The Shore After he had jumped overboard, Ren ran across the surface of the water as if it was solid ground and laughed at himself. ¡°It''s just a novelty item! Ha ha!¡± Ren said and Teepo chittered in laughter. They arrived at the single dock outside the north side of the city; but, instead of stopping and climbing up, he just ran the rest of the way to the shoreline and onto the land itself. ¡°Well I''ll be.¡± Ren said as he came to a stop where he thought a warehouse would be best positioned to send and receive goods from the dock. There was already a huge warehouse there, half-buried in a small hill, with a dozen empty carts waiting to be used. A stable was set back a ways from the warehouse, and a quarter of a mile away there was a large well-built house. ¡°You''ve been busy, Jen.¡± Ren said, then went over to the stable to see a dozen horses stored inside. He glanced into the manager''s office and didn''t see anyone. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Hello!¡± A woman''s voice said, and then a very tall woman backed out of the last stall and shut the gate behind her. She was about 6 and a half feet tall and had long silver-black hair tied into a ponytail. She wore a loose-fitting shirt and a very tight pair of black pants, then she turned around and froze as she looked at Ren. ¡°You''re Ren.¡± Ren''s Etiquette skill kicked in and he bowed his head slightly. ¡°I believe you have the advantage of me, dear lady.¡± The woman smiled knowingly. ¡°Jen wasn''t kidding when she described you.¡± Ren beamed a smile at her. ¡°Was it my short stature, or my overly pleasant nature that surprised you?¡± ¡°Both, good sir.¡± She chuckled and walked over to him. ¡°I felt your Aura when you approached.¡± ¡°It''s changed a little since I was in Aurora last.¡± Ren said and held out a hand, then concentrated on his Sending Ring and thought of Frikara. ¡°Besides expanding by a ridiculous amount, it''s influence touches those receptive to it.¡± ¡°You''ve been walking around for a minute or two, haven''t you?¡± She asked and took his hand. ¡°No, madam.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just walked in the door.¡± ¡°Then... I felt it when... oh, my.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s at 300 feet right now.¡± He smiled again. ¡°I can make it bigger, though.¡± ¡°Well, Mr. I Can Make It Bigger.¡± She said and smiled demurely. ¡°My name is Catalina Abernathy.¡± Ren bent over her hand and gave the back of her fingers a light kiss. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Abernathy.¡± ¡°Please, call me Catalina.¡± ¡°I would never presume to call you by your given name, Ms. Abernathy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then what should I call you?¡± ¡°Unavailable.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Carmilla said you would be a delight when I met you.¡± ¡°Carmilla?¡± ¡°The Minister of Finance''s wife.¡± Ren thought back to when he had paid the taxes for the Refugee Center with 50 million copper coins, then meeting the Minister and his wife. ¡°Ah, yes. I remember her. She was quite charming.¡± He said and remembered giving her a donation for a party. ¡°How did the birthday party for her husband go?¡± ¡°It was a big hit!¡± Catalina said. ¡°I can''t remember the last time I had so much fun.¡± ¡°I regret that I didn''t get to attend.¡± Ren said sadly, because he had planned to dance with Sally. ¡°I''m sure that when I tell Carmilla that you''re here, she''ll want to throw another bash.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I suppose she''s been dying for another excuse?¡± ¡°Like you wouldn''t believe!¡± Catalina said, amusement on her face. ¡°I swear she''s going to die if she doesn''t have another party soon.¡± ¡°Then please tell her I''ll only be in town for the next week before I head off to Walin County to begin work there.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Catalina said. ¡°I don''t know if she can have anything done that soon.¡± Ren smiled and pat the hand he still held. ¡°I''m just telling you where I''ll be next week. That''s not a deadline for her to be done by.¡± He explained. ¡°Just send a messenger out to my Main House and it''ll reach me.¡± Catalina nodded. ¡°That''s good.¡± She said. ¡°I''m sure Carmilla will be relieved she won''t be under too much pressure organizing it.¡± ¡°My ship will be here in the next 20 minutes or so.¡± Ren said and let her hand go, then looked around. ¡°Do you have workers to hook up the horses to the carts?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± She said. ¡°They should be here right after breakfast.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Would you care to place a wager on who will arrive first?¡± He asked, and his Haggle skill kicked in. Catalina smiled. ¡°Will this just be a friendly bet, or are we playing cutthroat?¡± ¡°Oh, definitely friendly.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I wouldn''t want to start off on the wrong foot.¡± Catalina chuckled. ¡°Then what shall we wager?¡± ¡°What do you suggest?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°If you win, I''ll wave today''s rental fees.¡± Catalina said. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve got hundreds of tons of cargo to unload and store in the warehouse.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. It''s fine.¡± Catalina said. ¡°But if I win...¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and she smiled slyly. ¡°You try to seduce me like you did with Jen.¡± ¡°She told you about that, did she?¡± ¡°Only after a few hours of alcohol and constant prying.¡± Catalina said and laughed. ¡°Well... I don''t see the harm as long as it''s under the same conditions.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll do the attempt, but nothing will come of it. I won''t follow through, and you can''t expect me to.¡± ¡°It''s a deal.¡± Catalina said and shook his hand.
Stat Change!
Haggle Level 6 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren looked down at his glowing Sending Ring and smiled. ¡°Did you get all of that Frikara?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I''ve already told the captain to do another burst of speed, or the fees will come out of his pay.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Thanks, Frikara. I''ll see you in a few minutes.¡± The Sending Ring stopped glowing and Ren looked at Catalina. ¡°What... what is that?¡± Catalina asked, and pointed to Ren''s ring. ¡°It lets me talk to my personal maids.¡± Ren said, and heard rushing water. ¡°I think that''s my ship now.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Catalina exclaimed and walked quickly out of the stable. Ren followed her, and she watched as a large ship rushed towards the shore. ¡°What... how...¡± * The ship was moving so fast that the sails that were still deployed billowed in the wrong direction, and actually slowed the ship down. The short captain took full advantage of this effect for his plan. ¡°Full oars port side!¡± ¡°Full oars port side, aye!¡± The crew responded. The short captain turned off the 2 engines on the port side, then the oars hit the water. The drag started to pull the ship around to the port side with the help of the other engines pushing it only on the starboard side. The ship approached the dock on it''s side, and didn''t look like it was going to make it. The short captain hit full power to the starboard engines and the ship whipped around to face the other way. He turned on the port engines to full power, and with the aid of the sails that now faced the right way, the ship slowed it''s rapid approach and came to a stop. The engines turned off, and the crew cheered. * I can''t believe I thought about firing the captain. Ren thought and smiled. If he can do things like that with the ship, he''s definitely the one I want for the job. ¡°Geez, did you see that?¡± A man''s voice said from behind Ren and Catalina, and they turned to see the stable crew standing behind them. ¡°We came back early just in time to see that ship do... whatever the hell that was!¡± ¡°Then...¡± Catalina said. ¡°It was a tie.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°They both got here at the same time.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Catalina said. ¡°What does that do to our bet?¡± ¡°I think it either cancels it or both sides have to be fulfilled.¡± Ren said reluctantly, since he knew which one she would choose. ¡°Both sides should be fulfilled, just to be fair.¡± Catalina said with a huge smile on her face. Ren nodded slightly and she hooked a hand through his arm. She was much too tall to actually entwine their arms like she wanted to. ¡°Shall we do it now?¡± ¡°I really should attend to the ship first.¡± Ren said. ¡°The workers can handle getting things started.¡± Catalina said. ¡°Let''s go to my office.¡± Ren let her lead him to her office, and she shut the door and drew the curtain. They were now all alone. ¡°Well.¡± Catalina said. ¡°Hurry up and get started.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You really want me to just jump right into it?¡± Catalina nodded and smiled evilly. ¡°I can''t wait to see you fail.¡± ¡°You''re so sure of that?¡± Ren asked her. Catalina nodded. ¡°Unlike Jen, you know nothing about me or what turns me on.¡± She said, a little excitedly. ¡°I want to see what you come up with.¡± Ren smiled and pat the top of the desk. ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± Catalina raised her eyebrows at him, and he pat the desk again. She walked over to it and leaned on it, so her behind barely touched it. Ren smiled and picked her up by her hips, and she grabbed onto his shoulders to keep her balance. He sat her comfortably on the desk, much to her surprise, and she slowly let his shoulders go. ¡°Just before I went to the Dwarven Kingdom, a friend of mine gave me a mount.¡± Ren said and leaned in close. ¡°I didn''t know anything about taking care of a mount, but I knew I couldn''t just go away for an unknown period of time and leave her alone, or worse, with people that wouldn''t give her the care she needed... so, I took her on the ship with me.¡± Catalina closed her mouth and nodded slightly, because that was what any good person would have done. ¡°The captain didn''t mind me bringing a mount along for the two week trip, but...¡± Ren reached a hand up and stroked the side of her neck with the tips of his fingers. ¡°He wouldn''t let me bring the mount into the cabin that I was assigned.¡± ¡°Why-¡± Catalina started to ask, then stopped herself. She didn''t want to influence his attempt. ¡°I didn''t want to leave her alone, you see.¡± Ren said in a low voice. ¡°I couldn''t in good conscience leave her in the hold in a bare wooden crate, with nothing to occupy her time.¡± Catalina shivered at the thought of abandoning a mount like that for a long journey, and it wasn''t a good shiver. Ren had the idea to imitate Ricardo, from the old television show called I Love Lucy. ¡°Do not worry, Catalina.¡± Ren said, like he was speaking with a Spanish accent, and he saw her eyes widen slightly. ¡°Instead of fighting the captain on his not-quite-reasonable decision, I made a soft comfortable mattress for my mount to put in her crate, then made a mattress for myself, and I slept beside her crate... in the hold... for the entire 2 week trip.¡± Catalina took in a sharp breath, because that would have been something she would have done; and she didn''t think anyone else would have thought to be so considerate of their mount''s welfare. ¡°Everyone was shocked when they learned I did that, but I didn''t care. My mount was healthy and well fed, and we''d make it through the trip together.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Of course, it didn''t stop there...¡± Ren told her about how his mount came to his rescue, how she had continually helped him, and how he had made a set of custom armor for her to wear and enchanted it with Protection. ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± Catalina said, and hugged herself. I wish I had armor for my mount. She thought and shivered, but this was a good shiver. ¡°I thought she needed exercise, so I made a custom running track...¡± Ren saw her reaction and described all the obstacles and things he''d added to help improve his mount. ¡°Then, when I was being banished, she got loose...¡± He said and described what the Commander of the Garrison had told him had happened. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Catalina said, and put her hands between her legs. ¡°You... you... kiss me!¡± She said, amazed at herself for her reactions, and at him for doing it to her. Ren smiled and kissed her. She let go of herself and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. This went on for a minute, then there was a knock on the door. Catalina broke the kiss and let Ren go. ¡°What is it?!? Catalina said, crossly. ¡°Someone''s got to tell us where to store the cargo, Ms. Abernathy.¡± ¡°We''ll be right out.¡± Catalina said. Ren heard the footsteps walk away a few feet and stop. ¡°Saved by the knock.¡± He said and smiled at her, and her face flushed deep red. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Catalina said. ¡°I didn''t mean to grab onto you like that.¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I took it a little farther than I should have, because you said you wanted the same treatment as Jen.¡± Catalina nodded. ¡°You don''t know me, though... so how... I mean... how?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I think I have a talent for it.¡± ¡°You sure do.¡± Catalina said. ¡°And you aren''t going to follow it up?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°The most I''ll do is offer to clean your clothing, just like I did with Jen.¡± ¡°That''s very gallant of you.¡± Catalina said and started to take off her pants. Ren turned around to give her privacy, and she laughed. ¡°After what you just did for me, you don''t have to turn away.¡± ¡°Ms. Abernathy, I won''t degrade you in that fashion.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s something that should only be shared with those you intend to be intimate with.¡± Catalina put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°So, you really are gallant and not just pretending.¡± She said. ¡°If you were any less of a man, you''d have your eyes all over me, wouldn''t you?¡± ¡°If I was any less of a man, I''d have a lot more than just my eyes all over you, Ms. Abernathy.¡± Catalina laughed and handed him her pants and underwear. He handed her a piece of cloth to clean up with, and stored her clothing to clean it. He handed the pants and underwear back, and she handed him the very damp cloth back. He stored it to clean it, and waited for her to get dressed. ¡°You can turn around now.¡± Catalina said, and Ren looked at her. She was dressed, and she smiled at him as she twirled her underwear around her finger. ¡°Ms. Abernathy?¡± Catalina stepped forward and slipped the underwear into his pants pocket. ¡°This is just something to remember me by.¡± ¡°Ms. Abernathy, I don''t need the reminder because I don''t think I''ll ever forget about this.¡± ¡°I certainly hope not.¡± Catalina said, bent over slightly, and gave him a slight hug. ¡°Although, I wouldn''t mind getting a reminder from you.¡± She said, and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. ¡°Once a week would be good.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No follow through, remember?¡± Catalina sighed. ¡°Oh, all right.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°We''d better get out there before people start to talk.¡± ¡°It''s too late for that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your worker is standing just outside the door.¡± ¡°What?¡± Catalina opened her office door, and there, a couple of feet away, was the worker. ¡°Why are you just standing there?¡± ¡°I''m waiting for you, Ms. Abernathy.¡± The worker said. ¡°We still need...¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Catalina said. ¡°I''m coming.¡± ¡°I have to leave, too.¡± Ren said and walked by them. ¡°I''ve got to get to the city because I have a tour to give.¡± ¡°Do you need a cart and a horse diverted from...¡± The worker started to ask. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Ren said and glanced at Catalina. ¡°I''ve got my own cart and mount to handle that.¡± Catalina took in a breath and let it out. ¡°She can''t wait to see your mount...¡± Teepo said. ¡°... and Princess, too.¡± He chittered in laughter. Let''s not disappoint her too much, then. Ren thought to his friend, and walked out of the stable. ¡°Please excuse me.¡± He said to Catalina and gave her a short bow, then ran down the short road and along the dock to the ship. The cargo hatch was already down and Tee-one was supervising the loading of the carts. Ren passed by him and went up to the main deck of the ship. ¡°I''ll be right back to lead you down.¡± Ren said to his personal maids, went in the main cabin, then down the hall and to the room with the Jacuzzi and knocked. ¡°Come in.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Hi, Railyse. I''m taking the maids on a tour of the city. Would you like to come along?¡± ¡°Like you have to ask!¡± Railyse said and got out of the Jacuzzi. She didn''t have to dry off at all, since her body absorbed water when she wanted it to. ¡°Let''s go!¡± ¡°I have to get Princess first.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know.¡± Railyse said, rolled her eyes, and the sea-like water under her skin swirled in amusement. ¡°Hurry up!¡± Ren chuckled and stepped through to the other room where Princess was. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Hello, My Lord. Princess thought to him. Am I to be a mule today? Ren laughed. ¡°Princess, you''ve never been, nor shall you ever be, a mule.¡± You want me to pull a cart around. ¡°Yes, but it''s because I want to show you off to the woman that runs the stable.¡± Very well. Princess stood up. I shall do as you wish. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Riley, Stacy. Are you coming this time, or do you want to wait?¡± They stood up at the same time and barked once; and Ren could feel that they wanted to come along. ¡°Escort duty.¡± Ren said, then went over to the pen that housed the fire elemental. ¡°Hi, Zetaya. Ready to go?¡± The fire elemental jumped out of the pen and into Ren''s arms easily. ¡°Hey, good going!¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for not trying to roam around on your own.¡± Zetaya rubbed it''s head stub on Ren''s face and snuggled into his neck. ¡°Is it okay that we''ll be in the same cart?¡± Railyse asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°As long as you don''t touch each other.¡± ¡°Oh, don''t worry about that.¡± Railyse said as she stared at the bane of her existence. Of all the other elementals that existed, the fire elemental was the one that was the most dangerous to her. ¡°I will never, ever touch it.¡± Ren smiled and kept his arms around the fire elemental. ¡°Then let''s go.¡± He said and the odd group of beings left the cabin. Chapter 325 - In Aurora Again Ren stopped walking and went back into the cabin that he and the maids used, then stored their dressers, cabinets, and his icebox. He wasn''t sure what he was going to do with the cabinets and dressers, since there wasn''t that much room in the shop''s third floor apartment. He led the group out to the main deck, gathered the maids, and they went down into the hold and out through the cargo hatch with Ruck right behind them. All the workers stopped and stared at the entourage as they walked around the carts that were already half-loaded. The group walked off the dock to the shore, and Ren took out the cart Princess always pulled. It was plush in the back where passengers sat and it had modified handholds everywhere for people to hold on to for the ride. Tee-one had followed them out and helped attach the cart to Princess, since Ren had one of his arms occupied because he held the fire elemental. It was just over 2 feet long now, and looked like it was getting a bit too big for him to hold in his arms anymore. Tee-one didn''t say anything, because he knew that Ren was thinking the same thing. Ren had one free hand and helped his maids and Railyse climb into the back of the cart, and they got settled and held on. He smiled because he wouldn''t have Princess run full out, since the city was right there and the North Gate was not that far away. Riley and Stacy, his two dogs, hopped up into the cart with the maids, and Ruck climbed up and stood with his legs on the top edge of the cart and acted kind of like a roof. Since he also had an Amulet of the Spider, he didn''t need to tuck himself down into the cart for fear of falling out. Ren went around to the front, thanked Tee-one for his help and accepted all of the stock for the store, then climbed into the driver''s seat. ¡°Princess, easy does it. Let''s stop at the warehouse first.¡± Ren said, and Princess nodded and trotted up the short road to the warehouse. When they got there, Ren could clearly hear a woman giving orders. ¡°We''ll put the ore in the front corner.¡± Catalina said. ¡°It needs to be easily accessed.¡± She said. ¡°The other crafting supplies can be stored beside that.¡± ¡°Sorry to interrupt.¡± Ren said, and Catalina turned around to look at him, then gasped when she saw Princess. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Catalina said. ¡°You really did it.¡± She said and stepped forward to stare at Princess. ¡°May I touch you?¡± She asked, reverently. Princess nodded, and Catalina ran a hand over her muzzle and scratched her chin. ¡°How in the world did you make full plate armor for her?¡± ¡°She very kindly let me take accurate hand measurements.¡± Ren said. ¡°You measured her entire body with just your hands, then made armor just from that?¡± Catalina asked, astonished. ¡°You must be a fantastic blacksmith!¡± ¡°He''s a Master Blacksmith, actually.¡± Frikara said from the back of the cart. ¡°There''s not much that Ren can''t do.¡± ¡°Oh, I know that.¡± Catalina said and looked seductively at Ren. ¡°We have to be off.¡± Ren said, and successfully ignored the look from her. ¡°I''m not sure I''ll be back or not.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Catalina said and stepped back from Princess. ¡°We''ll take care of everything on this end.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Princess? The North Gate, please.¡± * Princess? Catalina thought. He named his mount Princess? Princess huffed and pulled the cart down the road, and Ruck waved at the nice lady. Catalina grabbed a nearby worker and shook him almost violently. ¡°Bob! Did the top of that cart just wave at me?¡± Catalina asked the startled worker. ¡°Y-y-yes, Ms. Abernathy.¡± ¡°Whew. I thought I was going crazy.¡± Catalina said and let him go. Ren''s cart waved at me! She thought in amazement. ¡°I''m a little sad that I had to let such a fine specimen go.¡± ¡°It was definitely a nice looking ram, Ms. Abernathy.¡± Bob said and got back to work. The ram, too. Catalina thought and smiled as she thought about her and Ren in her office, then froze when she remembered what she had seen in Ren''s arms while he drove the cart. Was he holding a bundle of fire? * Clint saw a glimmer of sunlight reflect off of something gold to his left, and he slowed Izabeal down to look. Much to his surprise, a large gold-colored... something... was coming up the small road near the wall of the city, and it hauled something even larger behind it. ¡°Wha'' the hell is tha''?¡± Clint asked out loud when he got a good look at Princess, then he heard a kind of familiar laugh. * Princess went fast up the road, since she had a good feel for the cart at this point; but she knew not to go all out because the North Gate was so close. She saw a man on a large black warhorse come up the road to the city gate, and watched them as they stopped. She remembered the man as the one who had captured her, and she was tempted to ram him to thank him for that. She didn''t, because her life had changed so much for the better afterwards. Princess huffed loudly, and Ren felt her amusement. ¡°What is it, Princess?¡± Ren asked her, and looked up from the fire elemental in his arms. He saw Clint and his warhorse Izabeal stopped on the road to the North Gate. ¡°Wha'' the hell is tha''?¡± Clint asked out loud, and Ren laughed. ¡°CLINT!¡± Ren yelled and waved. ¡°Princess, stop by him, please.¡± Princess huffed again and pulled the cart onto the road and stopped beside Clint. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°Ah''m apparently greetin'' ya returnin''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah can'' believe ah saw ya off, an'' now ah''m seein'' ya back.¡± ¡°What are the odds of that happening?¡± Ren asked and laughed again. ¡°I''m just going to my shop.¡± ¡°Tha''s mah desteenashun, too.¡± Clint said and waved his arm towards the North Gate. ¡°After ya''ll.¡± ¡°I''d challenge you to a race, but we''re fully loaded.¡± Ren said. ¡°It wouldn''t be fair.¡± ¡°Ah see.¡± Clint said. He looked in the back of the cart and admired it''s contents. ¡°That''s a lot to haul and race at the same time.¡± ¡°It''s not that.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I don''t want anyone to get hurt if Princess runs full out.¡± Clint looked at Ren to see if he was joking, and he didn''t think he was. How fast can she run with this much attached to her? ¡°Let''s go, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sedate pace, please.¡± Clint didn''t see Ren flick the reins, but Princess trotted off just the same. Clint flicked Izabeal''s reins to follow Ren into the city, and she trotted behind the cart. Princess followed the main street to the turn off to the right street, then followed the curving street to almost it''s end and came to a stop in front of the business. Ren hopped down and went around to the back of the cart and gave the women a hand out of the cart. ¡°Ya''ll have ta introduce me to yer pretty friends.¡± Clint said as he came to a stop behind the cart. ¡°This is Frikara.¡± Ren said and helped her out of the cart. ¡°Lusinia, Navruth, Verwynn, and Andrela.¡± He said and looked at Clint. ¡°They''re my personal maids, and will be treated with respect.¡± Clint slid off of Izabeal''s back and tied her to a nearby pole. ¡°Ah always treat ''em with respec''.¡± He said and shook each of the women''s hands. ¡°This is the Ambassador of the Sea Dwellers, Railyse.¡± Ren said and helped the last woman out. Railyse stepped onto the ground and Ren put an arm around her waist. ¡°Pleasure.¡± Clint said and shook her hand. ¡°Ah ain''t nevah met no one like ya before.¡± He said and looked at the currents of the water under her translucent skin. ¡°Yep. Nevah seen nothin'' like tha'' before.¡± Railyse chuckled and it sounded like pouring rain. ¡°I hope everyone is as receptive to my appearance as you are.¡± ¡°Whaddaya mean?¡± Clint asked her. ¡°You''re curious and not scared or repulsed.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I expect a lot of the second, and at least some of the third.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Ah hope not.¡± Clint said. ¡°I hope not, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was tempted to disguise her so she could blend in more; but, we both agreed that if we started off hiding who she was, it would only turn out bad in the end and everyone would think we''d been lying the whole time.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Ah recon tha''d be wha'' people would think if''n ya hid her.¡± He said. ¡°But... ya know people are gonna...¡± ¡°Yes, we know.¡± Railyse said. ¡°We''ll handle it if it happens.¡± ¡°We sure will.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s get everyone inside.¡± Ren felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at Ruck. ¡°You''ll have to go around to the back door, Ruck. You''re not going to fit between the store shelves.¡± Ruck gave a ''thumbs up'' gesture and climbed down from the cart, then climbed up and over the building very quickly. ¡°Good god almighty!¡± Clint exclaimed as Ruck disappeared over the top of the building. ¡°Now tha'' was a sight!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Riley, Stacy? Stay here and watch Princess.¡± He said and looked at Princess. ¡°I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± Princess nodded and Ren left her and the dogs there. He took the group inside the business and was greeted by a pleasantly surprised Anabelle. ¡°Hello, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said and came around the desk. ¡°If I''d known you''d be here a week early, I would have prepared a proper greeting for you.¡± ¡°That''ll have to wait until I make a pen for Zetaya.¡± Ren said, and motioned to the fire elemental in his arms. ¡°I don''t know if we have a place big enough for that in here.¡± Anabelle said, correctly appraising Zetaya''s size requirements. ¡°I''ll use the kitchen upstairs for now.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s only for about a week, until I move out to my county.¡± ¡°So you are going to move out there officially.¡± Anabelle said, a little sadly. Ren reached a hand up and cupped her face. ¡°Don''t worry. It''s really just somewhere to put all of my stuff.¡± Anabelle put a hand on his and nodded slightly, then she saw several customers come into the store. ¡°The introductions will have to wait until later, unfortunately.¡± She said. ¡°Customers.¡± ¡°Including this one.¡± Ren said and took his hand back to point to Clint. ¡°I''ll be right back to help.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Anabelle said, and walked over to deal with the other customers. ¡°Right this way.¡± Ren said to Railyse and his personal maids, then motioned to the door at the back of the store. They walked over to it, and Ren walked over to Anabelle. ¡°Sorry to interrupt.¡± He said to the customers, and looked at Anabelle. ¡°I''ve got a bunch of back stock and some new items for sale, too.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s wonderful!¡± Anabelle exclaimed. ¡°Our customers will be so happy!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Hopefully.¡± He said and went back to the door and opened it. ¡°Please come in.¡± He said to them, and they all went through the door and up two flights of stairs. He opened the door to the apartment on the third floor and let them inside. ¡°Don''t open the cabinet! It''s a non-functioning portal, but it could still kill you if you touch it.¡± He said and went back down to the second floor landing and opened the back door for Ruck. ¡°Pick a good spot here on the second floor, and I''ll build you a section around it.¡± Ren said, and Ruck pat his shoulder as he passed by. Ren ran back up the stairs and told the maids the bedroom was through the bedroom door, but it was occupied at the moment and the bed in the living room was Anabelle''s. He went into the kitchen and covered half of the room with paving stones, and put the fire elemental down and enchanted several paving stones with Wind and Fire runes. ¡°Sorry it''s so small, but at least it''s somewhere to sleep.¡± Ren said and pet the head stub. ¡°I might make a pen down below, but that''s a little risky because I don''t want you too far away from me.¡± Zetaya laid down in the Fire and Wind enchantments, and Ren used a Level 5 Web wand and some scraps of wood to make a new pile for the fire elemental to feed on. He went back into the living room, then went into the bathroom and filled the bathtub with water. ¡°I''ll make something a lot bigger soon.¡± Ren said to Railyse, and she put a hand on his arm. ¡°Take it easy. There''s no rush.¡± Railyse said and he chuckled. ¡°There''s too much to do for me not to rush.¡± Ren said and pat her hand. ¡°I''ll ease off and take a break later.¡± Railyse chuckled. ¡°You always say that.¡± ¡°I say a lot of things.¡± Ren said and left her in the bathroom to talk to the maids. ¡°I don''t know if Elerlyth knows about you or not.¡± He said to them. ¡°Have a seat if you want and I''ll be back after dropping off the stock for the store and we can go on that tour.¡± ¡°Take your time.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We''re not going anywhere without you.¡± Ren nodded slightly, left the apartment, and went downstairs to help Anabelle with the customers; and he started with Clint. ¡°So, what can I do for you?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°Ah looked around an'' ah didn'' see wha'' ah wanted.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah need tools fer skinnin''.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°Hm.¡± ¡°Wha'' is it?¡± Clint asked. ¡°I don''t know if I''m allowed to make the tools to sell to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Skinning and treating pelts are skills under Leatherworking.¡± He explained. ¡°I learned them under an expert and he gave me a special portable crafting station for it.¡± He smiled. ¡°I said expert, but I didn''t mean the scale for skills. I''m pretty sure he''s a Master at it, considering he skinned a Dire Wolf in only a couple of minutes and made this cloak for me.¡± Clint nodded ¡°Tha''s why ah thought of ya when mah party killed one and the wolf pack protectin'' it.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Ren said. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°It was hard.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah used Ice to attack it, an'' it didn'' work.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It had an affinity fer Ice.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t know there could be different kinds.¡± He sighed. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± ¡°Tha''s ahlright.¡± Clint said and pat Ren''s shoulder. ¡°We made it anyways, thanks ta a great combo by two of mah crew.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look, I can''t just sell any tools I come across in my travels, especially if they''re trade secrets.¡± He said. ¡°Did you bring one of the wolves'' carcasses?¡± Clint shook his head. ¡°Ah left so fast ah didn'' think of it.¡± Ren looked around conspiratorially. ¡°Can you catch a fox or a rabbit and bring it back? I''ll let you use a special knife and we''ll see if you can acquire the right skill. If you can''t, I''ll skin and treat the pelts for you.¡± ¡°Ya need ta treat tha pelts, too?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Ya don'' jus'' skin''em and get it?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m sure the guy who wrote the skill was a big ''make it real'' fan. After skinning, it takes a day to treat then with a special concentrated solution, or several days if it''s diluted slightly. Then it takes a day to dry...¡± Clint held a hand up to stop Ren before he gave him a complete rundown of the whole process. ¡°Ah migh'' jus'' bring''em here ta you, rather than tryin'' ta do''em mahself.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Have you got a buyer for the pelts yet?¡± ¡°Nah, it was jus'' an idea Billy had abou'' makin'' more money on tha job before we looted ''em.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You''ll lose a bit of value from the loot when you remove the pelt; but, you''ll make more from selling the pelt than leaving it on... especially if it''s a high value pelt.¡± ¡°Like tha Dire Wolf.¡± Ren nodded again. ¡°How long will it take you to bring them here?¡± ¡°Ah day, maybe two.¡± Clint said. ¡°Tha only reason me an'' Izabeal got here so fast, was cuz we ran tha entire time.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Okay, if you can stick around for an hour or so, I''ll go with you to your ranch to skin them.¡± ¡°Ah can'' ask ya ta do tha''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ya got so much ta do as it is.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s going to take a day to unload the ship anyways.¡± ¡°Ah day?!? Clint exclaimed. ¡°Wha'' didja bring?¡± ¡°Everything.¡± Ren smiled, and Clint laughed. ¡°Ahlright. Ah''ll stick around fer an hour or so.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°We can have tha'' race ya want, too.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I can''t believe you''re so eager to eat my dust.¡± ¡°Izabeal''s no slouch.¡± Clint warned his friend. ¡°Ya''ll gonna have a hard time keepin'' up wit her.¡± ¡°You wish.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you in a little while.¡± He said and went to help Anabelle with the other customers. * He almos'' seems like ah differen'' person. Clint thought. He''s confiden'' an'' sure of himself, an''... an''... ah don''t know wha''s up wit him. He thought about it as he left the shop. Regal, maybe? Ah don'' know. Clint went out the door, untied Izabeal, and climbed up to sit on her saddle. He looked at Ren''s completely untended cart, and at the mount that stood there just as confidently as if her owner was by her side. It was then that Clint realized she was wearing full plate armor, and it wasn''t just a facade like he thought it was. How tha hell did he make tha''? Clint asked himself. Ah ain'' nevah seen full plate on a mount before! He thought in amazement and slowly rode Izabeal away to do a few errands while he waited for Ren. * Ren restocked the store with the things Tee-one made during the week''s voyage on the ship, and when the customers left and he and Anabelle were alone, he brought out one of each of the rings to show her what he had for sale. ¡°This is a Ring of Water Walking.¡± Ren said, and explained what it did. ¡°You''re right.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°It is only a novelty item.¡± ¡°I thought that, too; at least, until I jumped off the ship and ran across the harbour to get to the shore.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Anabelle said. ¡°So... we should...¡± ¡°Sell them as life preservers.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you''re underwater and put it on, you''ll shoot up to stop on the surface of the water.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s brilliant.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Customers will be willing to risk travelling over water if they know they can save themselves if they fall overboard.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Exactly.¡± He said. ¡°This one...¡± ¡°A Ring of Storage?¡± Anabelle asked and took it. ¡°Ren, do you realize what this means?¡± ¡°Anyone can have a small inventory, and have enough extra Strength to carry it.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Ren, this is fantastic!¡± She said, enthusiastically. ¡°Everyone will want one of these!¡± ¡°Well, I don''t think everyone will want...¡± ¡°How many of them do you have?¡± Anabelle asked and interrupted him. ¡°A hundred of each.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t want to make too many because I wasn''t sure if they would sell or not.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Anabelle said and put a hand on his shoulder and gave him the ring back. ¡°You put me in charge of your very lucrative store. Trust me. You are going to need a lot more than a hundred of these storage rings.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Is this you using your iron fist to rule over your domain?¡± Anabelle smiled and nodded, because that was what she said when Ren had made her the manager of the store. ¡°Then you''ll need a bit of a boost, in case someone gives you trouble.¡± Ren said and gave her one of the Bracelets of Magical Balance, that boosted all of her stats by +75. ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± Anabelle said as she identified the bracelet. ¡°Ren, I can''t accept this!¡± She said. ¡°It''s... it''s worth a fortune!¡± ¡°Only a small one.¡± Ren said. ¡°The 6 diamonds alone are 3 platinum each, and the Magic Bracelet is probably 75 gold.¡± He smiled. ¡°I don''t know how much it is with all the enchantments, since I didn''t bother appraising it.¡± ¡°It''s...¡± Anabelle used Appraisal on it. ¡°...no, it can''t be...¡± She shook her head, then stared at it. ¡°It''s 35 platinum coins!¡± ¡°I hope you''ll still keep it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren, I... I can''t afford this, even with the salary you pay me.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I''m not even going to ask how much I''m paying you.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, I''m giving it to you.¡± He smiled. ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°You know I do.¡± Anabelle said and put it on. ¡°Oh, god.¡± She said and took several deep breaths. ¡°Ren, you''re wonderful.¡± ¡°Not yet I''m not.¡± Ren said and gave her one of the Bracelets of Unbelievable Magic. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°I''m not done.¡± Ren said and gave her one of the Rings of Boosted Sustenance, then one of the storage rings. Anabelle couldn''t speak and just put on everything. ¡°Now for the presents.¡± He said and gave her one of the large cabinets filled with clothing, a necklace, a tiara, and a brooch. ¡°Ren.¡± Anabelle said softly, barely above a whisper, as she stored everything in the ring. ¡°I don''t know what to say.¡± ¡°You don''t have to say anything.¡± Ren said and took out a step stool from inventory. ¡°I discovered this while out on Adventurer''s business.¡± He said and climbed it to stand on the top step. It put his face at the same height as hers, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Thank you so much for taking care of everything.¡± ¡°Ren... I... I''d do anything for you.¡± Anabelle said, and it echoed what his other personal maids had said. ¡°I know you would.¡± Ren said, cupped the sides of her face, and kissed her. Chapter 326 - The Tour Anabelle moaned as Ren kissed her like she always wanted him to. She''d teased and played with him and his emotions, and practically begged him to treat her as if she was his; but, he had almost always pushed her away. She thought it was a little odd that she didn''t have to bend over, even a little bit, because she had become accustomed to accommodating him when they did something like this. It never occurred to her that he would accommodate her instead by using a step ladder of all things. Ren could feel her body respond to his forcefulness; with him taking charge instead of her begging him to do it. Even though he had been gone for so long, he clearly remembered telling Anabelle that he wouldn''t fight the situation he had gotten himself into, and he would treat her the way she wanted to be treated. His hands slid inside her suit coat, and he massaged her breasts through the cloth of her blouse as he kissed her. Anabelle, despite it happening right there in the store where anyone could walk in and see them, relaxed and sighed instead of tensing up. She had waited so long for him to accept her like this, and she didn''t care where it was as long as it happened. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Anabelle said when he moved from kissing her lips to kissing her neck. ¡°We... we''re in the shop...¡± ¡°Yes we are.¡± Ren said. ¡°But don''t worry. I won''t go any further than this.¡± ¡°What?¡± Anabelle asked in shock. ¡°I wasn''t complaining!¡± She nearly yelled, and looked at him. ¡°I... I want...¡± Ren took his hands out of her coat and cupped the sides of her face again. ¡°I only meant for right now, because we''re in the shop.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t mean that this would be all I''ll ever do.¡± ¡°Oh, thank god.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°You scared me for a second there.¡± Ren chuckled and kissed her briefly, then stepped down off the stool and stored it. ¡°I''m taking the others on a tour of the city, then I''ll be heading to Clint''s ranch for the day.¡± He said. ¡°When I get back tonight...¡± ¡°T-t-tonight?¡± Anabelle asked, her hopes so high that she didn''t think she could believe it was true. Ren nodded. ¡°Pick something nice to wear.¡± He said, took her hand, and kissed the back of it. ¡°Oh... oh, my...¡± Anabelle said, and then the door to the shop opened. ¡°I heard this is the place to buy bras.¡± A woman said as she came through the door. ¡°I''ll take a dozen of them.¡± ¡°You haven''t even seen them yet.¡± Anabelle said. She went from being seduced right into salesperson mode without missing a beat. ¡°That doesn''t matter!¡± The woman said and walked over to her and Ren. ¡°Look at these things!¡± She said, cupped her breasts with her hands, and she almost spilled out of her well-fastened tunic. The tunic had hidden them well, and Ren was surprised she would brandish them like that, especially because he stood there right in front of her. They''re even bigger than Elise''s. Ren thought. I didn''t think that was possible. ¡°I''ll take out a loan at the bank if I have to!¡± The woman exclaimed. ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Ren said. ¡°Anabelle, please show this woman our wares.¡± He said. ¡°You can give her the Tommy Treatment.¡± Anabelle smiled, bent over, and kissed Ren on the lips. ¡°You''re a good man.¡± ¡°Darn right I am.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I''ll be back in an hour or so.¡± * Anabelle and the woman watched Ren go out the door at the back of the shop. ¡°He seems a little full of himself.¡± The woman said, and Anabelle looked at her. ¡°He was only joking.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Don''t you realize what he meant?¡± The woman shook her head. ¡°He could have taken you to the change room and helped you, instead of telling me to do it.¡± Anabelle said, and the woman blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°You mean...¡± ¡°He loves breasts in all shapes and sizes, and didn''t want to tempt himself with such a bountiful chest.¡± Anabelle smiled. ¡°Not in a small, enclosed, and private space like the change room.¡± The woman looked at the door and then back at Anabelle. ¡°Then, I''ll have to agree. He is a good man.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I haven''t met a man that could ignore these things before.¡± Anabelle laughed. ¡°The bras are right this way. I''m sure you''ll find that several of them should be perfect for your needs.¡± * Ren went up the stairs and gathered the maids and Railyse, and they went downstairs and out the back door. He went out front to get Princess, and brought her around to the street beside the business, and helped the women climb into the back of the cart. He pat Riley and Stacy and told them to enjoy the tour, since it was their first time seeing the city, too. They barked at him once, and he climbed up into the driver''s seat. ¡°Slow and steady, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s show off the best parts of the city.¡± Princess huffed and trotted down the street, and Ren started pointing out the various shops in the Artesian District. They went down and around the corner to the main street of the district and came to Sally''s Shop. ¡°We have to stop here.¡± Ren said and Princess stopped. ¡°There''s someone I''d like for you all to meet.¡± Ren helped everyone out of the cart and they went inside the building. Sally looked up from her work at all of the commotion that had just entered her store, and saw the largest group of people she''d ever had in her shop at the same time. She counted the number of heads and looked at who they belonged to. Six of them were female and richly dressed, with jewelry and fancy fabrics and designs; the last head was male and had a very distinct fluffy head of hair. ¡°Ren!¡± Sally exclaimed, and the maids moved to the side to make way for her. ¡°Hi, Sally.¡± Ren said and beamed a smile at her. ¡°You lost the beard!¡± Sally said and hugged him. Ren chuckled. ¡°I did.¡± He said. ¡°You''re not going to believe how it happened.¡± Sally laughed as he told her the cure had been just simple soap, and the maids confirmed the story and the scary results. She put a hand on the closest maid''s shoulder. ¡°I know you value beards, but... when Ren had one... it... it was...¡± ¡°It hurt her for me to have it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I stayed away a lot longer than I should have because of it.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Sally said and kissed the top of his head. ¡°I don''t know if I should be mad that you stayed away, or happy that I didn''t have to look at you.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I think it''s a bit of both, Sally.¡± He said, then introduced everyone to her. She greeted them like a proper lady would, and they browsed her shop. When Ren tried to pay for the things the maids wanted, Sally wouldn''t take anything at first; but, he showed her a handful of platinum coins to prove to her that he wasn''t going broke by buying so much from her, and she relented. The group left Sally''s shop and moved on to the other districts, and Ren pointed out everything. He even included the colorful commentary about the damage from the Aurora Fire, and what was repaired. They stopped several times and got out to browse the shops, and Ren told them to get whatever they wanted. The shop owners liked hearing this, and tried to sell their items to the women Ren was showing around. Most of the people they met didn''t comment on Railyse and her exotic look, and even complimented her on her high quality clothing. Ren saw a few people move out of her way, and when he activated Enchanted Eyes, he saw they had a few magical items on them and assumed they were actually players. He understood that they must have thought she was a bit too different than the normal people they meet; but, that was no reason to avoid her. Ren made sure he touched Railyse affectionately when he saw this reaction. Rather than trying to tell people she was safe to be around, he showed them that she was. Both she and the maids bought several things, and Ren paid for them. He included tips when necessary, and they continued on the tour of the city. * ¡°Ren!¡± Donna, the cook at the mansion said, when she felt a slightly familiar Aura pass over her. ¡°It has to be him!¡± She said and ran from the kitchen. ¡°I guess it''s a good thing that breakfast is over and we''re just cleaning up.¡± Tait, the baker said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Alina, the kitchen helper said. ¡°She even mumbles about him under her breath.¡± ¡°She''s got it bad.¡± Sandra said. ¡°I wonder if he feels the same way?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Tait said. ¡°I overheard them talking.¡± He said. ¡°It''s just supposed to be a temporary thing, when he comes to town to visit.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Alina said. ¡°She''s a booty call?!?¡± ¡°She''s a what?¡± Tait asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± Alina said. ¡°It''s just something I heard Adventurers say.¡± Dammit, I can''t slip up like that if I want to keep blending in with the NPCs. She thought. This is the best job I''ve ever had, and I don''t want to lose it or have them treat me differently if they find out I''m really an Adventurer. Donna ran out to the hallway and expected to see Ren, but he wasn''t there. She frowned slightly, then went down the hall, through the lobby and out the front door of the mansion. She still didn''t see him, then she heard a bit of a ruckus down the street. She looked in that direction, and about 250 feet away, was a large cart being hauled by a gold-covered mount. His Aura is so large! Donna thought. It''s got to be about... She thought about when she felt it and looked at the progress of the cart. It''s over 350 feet! * Donna''s guess was pretty close. Ren''s 300 foot Aura was merged with the personal maids 75 feet shared Aura, for a total of 375 feet. Ren pointed to the town square where he''d completed his first quest, and told the women in the back of the cart that it was where he and Elerlyth had turned the tide of the Aurora Fire; then he turned to point at the mansion. ¡°This is the mansion where the Lord of the City lives.¡± Ren said and saw a tall blonde muscular woman as she stood at the top of the stairs of the mansion and stared at him.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Princess, stop here.¡± Ren said and looked at the passengers in the back of the cart. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± They nodded slightly, and Ren jumped down from the cart and walked calmly over to the side of the mansion. Donna saw where he was going and quickly walked over to meet him. They met at the corner of the building and kept walking, then Ren pulled out a large already made tent and held the flap open for her. She glanced at Ren and stepped by him, and he stepped into the tent after her. ¡°Donna, there''s something I have to tell you.¡± Ren said. Donna held her hand out and wiggled her fingers, and Ren took her hand and they activated Iron Grip at the same time. ¡°You''re back for good.¡± Donna said. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said as they tried to crush each other''s hand. They were both still unsuccessful, and were overjoyed at the thought. ¡°Also, I''m not overall commander of the Garrison anymore.¡± Donna knelt in front of him and was only a little bit shorter than him like that. ¡°Honorable discharge?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, I made the Garrison into their own supplementary House, and the deed dissolved.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t own it at all now.¡± ¡°Oh... oh, Ren!¡± Donna wrapped her other arm around him. ¡°You made them an independent faction in their own government!¡± Ren nodded as Donna moved in close to snuggle him. ¡°I knew I''d be leaving soon, and I didn''t want them to be under the same restrictions that they''d been under before.¡± He said. ¡°I even paid for it''s operation and taxes for the next 10 years, so it won''t be dependent on or be a drain for the local economy.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Donna said, kind of in shock; then she beamed a smile at him. ¡°I love you!¡± She exclaimed and kissed him. Ren broke the kiss a moment later and looked at her. ¡°Donna? What are you saying?¡± ¡°You''ve broken the government''s hold on an elite military force, that they''ve had a stranglehold on for centuries! The Garrison can choose to defend the Dwarven Kingdom on their own, and not on the government''s orders.¡± Donna said with awe in her voice. ¡°I don''t know how you could have accomplished so difficult a task in so short a time!¡± She said and kissed him multiple times in quick succession. ¡°Ren.¡± *kiss* ¡°Ren.¡± *kiss* ¡°Ren.¡± *kiss* ¡°You''re a dream come true!¡± ¡°But... but... I''m not a soldier anymore!¡± Ren countered. Donna stopped kissing him and looked him in the eyes. ¡°Don''t lie to me.¡± She said. ¡°What did they give you when you gave it all up?¡± Ren took a breath and then sighed. ¡°I''m an Honorary Commander, and will always have a position there.¡± Donna chuckled. ¡°You shouldn''t look so sad when you say that.¡± ¡°But... Donna... I don''t want to lead you on like this.¡± Ren said. ¡°You aren''t leading me anywhere.¡± Donna said. ¡°I choose who gets my affection.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Ren, it''s okay.¡± Donna said. ¡°I know we can''t go on forever; but, I''ve waited a long time for you to come and visit me.¡± ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve just been so busy...¡± ¡°...saving the dwarves from themselves.¡± Donna said. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°And the giants.¡± ¡°Ren, how can you expect me to not want you after telling me all of this?¡± Donna asked him. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Our deal still stands.¡± Donna said. ¡°I won''t ask for any kind of relationship.¡± She smiled. ¡°Just come and visit me every so often.¡± Ren opened his mouth to argue, but he could tell she wasn''t going to budge on the issue. He nodded, and she kissed him again. ¡°You better get back to your tour.¡± Donna said, then looked at their locked hands. ¡°My time is almost up.¡± ¡°I don''t have a limit anymore.¡± Ren said to her surprised face. ¡°Break in 3... 2... 1... now.¡± They let their Iron Grips go at the same time so that they wouldn''t hurt each other. They left the tent a moment later, and Ren stored it. ¡°See you later.¡± Donna said, gave him another quick kiss, and walked away. Ren went back to the cart and climbed back into the driver''s seat. ¡°Can I ask what that little meeting was about?¡± Railyse asked, but Ren could feel intense curiosity in the shared Aura. The maids wanted to know as well. They had felt the feelings he''d felt and wanted to know why he felt them. ¡°A prior commitment that I thought might have been over.¡± Ren said. ¡°I forgot that it was only me that was away for so long, and not her.¡± Railyse nodded slightly because she understood the problem, and Princess trotted off down the street and around the corner. Ren showed them the Library, which was the last large building left to show them in the city. ¡°I''d take you inside, but we have to get back to the shop.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got to head out with Clint to skin some wolves for him.¡± Princess trotted quickly back to the shop and Ren helped everyone out, then unhooked the cart to store it. He took the women, the two dogs, and Princess up the back stairs to the second floor and through the back door, then up the stairs to the apartment. ¡°Please wait here until I come back.¡± Ren said to the maids. ¡°I''ll have better accommodations ready by tonight.¡± ¡°How will you do that if you''re not here?¡± Frikara asked, a little confused. Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll have someone else build it, of course.¡± He said and put Princess and the dogs in the kitchen with the fire elemental, then made Princess a nice mattress to lay on. He went back to the living room and kissed each of his personal maids on the cheek. ¡°I''ll see you all later.¡± ¡°Ooo, kiss my cheek, too!¡± Railyse said and turned her head to wait for it. Ren chuckled and kissed her cheek. ¡°There, are you happy?¡± Ren asked her. Railyse nodded. ¡°I still don''t understand the significance of it, but it feels nice and kind of tickles a little bit.¡± ¡°Then you understand one of the main points of it.¡± Ren smiled, told her and the maids goodbye, and went downstairs to the shop. Clint wasn''t there, so he went outside and ran over to the Housing District and chose a lot between the two houses on that side. He was tempted to use the Refugee Center to stay in, but he needed to alter parts of the house for it''s occupants, and figured getting a new house built would be better. Ren chose the two storey option, and expanded it to fill the lot. He could have made it himself, but he wanted to give Jen the business. He paid the fee and set the occupants as himself, his maids, Railyse, Princess, and Ruck. He added a very generous tip like he always did, and finalized the purchase. A minute later, he spotted movement at the end of the street and smiled. ¡°Ha! I knew it was you!¡± Jen laughed as she approached him with her build crew behind her. ¡°You''re the only one that always tips so much!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I tip well because I always need some modifications done.¡± He said. ¡°I need one of the bottom rooms to be solid with no windows.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± Jen asked as she brought up the plans, and Ren pointed. ¡°The whole living room? That room is huge!¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I was tempted to do it on the top floor, but it''s easier to waterproof the bottom floor.¡± ¡°Waterproof? What for?¡± Jen asked. Ren explained what he wanted her to do, and Jen shook her head. ¡°You''re crazy!¡± Jen said. ¡°You want us to make an in-ground pool inside the house?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s not for me.¡± He said, and told her about the Sea Dweller''s Ambassador. ¡°Okay, that makes sense.¡± Jen said. ¡°I''ll tell them to leave out the floor there, and we''ll start digging right away.¡± ¡°You can get the paving stones from my warehouse.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, you''re back to stay, huh?¡± Jen asked, and he nodded. She put an arm around his shoulders and gave him a hug. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren smiled sadly, and put an arm around her waist. ¡°Thanks.¡± He said. ¡°By the way, how much do I owe you for the warehouse?¡± Jen chuckled. ¡°Just knock a platinum or two off my bill for the loan you gave me to buy the land.¡± ¡°Done.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with surprise. ¡°I was joking!¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t know what a relief it was to come to shore, fully prepared to dig out a huge space to build something to store all of my stuff, only to find a big warehouse already assembled and ready to fill.¡± He gave her hip a bit of a squeeze. ¡°The stable was a nice touch, too.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Jen grinned evilly. ¡°Did you meet Prancer?¡± ¡°Is that her nickname?¡± Ren asked, and Jen nodded. ¡°So... did she trick you into... well...¡± ¡°Kind of.¡± Ren said, and told her about the bet. Jen laughed for nearly a minute before she could catch her breath. ¡°Oh... oh, that''s funny!¡± Jen said. ¡°She did trick you!¡± ¡°How?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The bet ended in a tie.¡± Jen laughed again. ¡°I''m giving her free rent and the run of the land, as long as she has her crew help you load and unload your ship. She also has to give you use of the carts when you need them.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°You might be all high and mighty with how powerful you are, Mr. Unnamed King; but, you''re still a babe in the woods when it comes to women.¡± Jen said, then bent down and gave his cheek a kiss. ¡°You poor thing.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''d ask you to help me with that, but I''m pretty sure you can''t dedicate the rest of your life to tell me everything I need to know.¡± Jen grinned at him. ¡°Sorry, Ren. You''re on your own.¡± Ren nodded and let her out of the one-arm hug. ¡°I better go. I''ve got an important errand to run.¡± ¡°This should be done in a couple of hours.¡± Jen said. ¡°No promises, though.¡± ¡°I don''t need it until tonight, so you don''t have to rush on my account.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Jen said. ¡°See you later.¡± Ren stepped back and gave her a small regal bow, and turned to walk away. A dash of fluffy red hair caught his eye, and he stopped to look at her. Jhulune was just as striking as she was all that time ago, and he smiled as he saw her strain to move several boards at once. ¡°Jen? Can I borrow Jhulune for a few minutes?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Jen said. ¡°Hey, Jhulune! The customer wants to talk to you!¡± Jhulune looked up from unloading the cart and waved to Jen, then came over to Ren. ¡°Hi.¡± She said, a little shyly. ¡°Hi, Jhulune.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can we go for a walk?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Jhulune said, and Ren held a hand out for her to take. Her face flushed a little red as she took it; but she didn''t hesitate at all and Ren led her down the street a little ways and into an alleyway. Ren took out the ready-made tent and held the flap open for her. She went inside and turned to look at him. ¡°Jhulune, I''m sorry I''ve been away so long.¡± Ren said when he stepped in with her. ¡°I''ve just been so busy...¡± ¡°That''s all right.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°You told me when we... um... you know. Well, you said that we wouldn''t be dating, or have a relationship or anything.¡± She said, and looked at the floor of the tent. ¡°Ren, I... I''ve dated other guys while you''ve been gone.¡± Ren put a hand under her chin and lifted her head so she would look at him. ¡°I always thought you would.¡± He said. ¡°Who could resist such a beauty?¡± Jhulune''s face flushed red. ¡°I... well, there was... a bit of...¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Jhulune took a breath and let it out. ¡°They never got past the bra you gave me.¡± She said. ¡°You were right! It did stop their roaming hands.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I had hoped that giving you more control over that would make you happy.¡± ¡°It did.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°When I said no, they stopped.¡± She smiled. ¡°Of course, they couldn''t go any further without knowing how to unhook it, either.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m glad.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Jhulune said and stepped close. She was the same height as him, and her hair was the same fluffy mass, except hers was red and fluffed by hand while his was blonde and naturally fluffy. She slid her arms around his neck and snuggled into his body, and they fit together like two puzzle pieces. She sighed when she felt his reaction to her attention, and he put his arms around her back as she put her head on his shoulder. ¡°Jhulune.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''ve got... well, a few women that require my attention.¡± Jhulune put a gentle kiss on his neck. ¡°I know.¡± She said. ¡°Nathalia at the restaurant. Anabelle at the shop. Donna at the mansion. Rosie at the Library.¡± She whispered. ¡°So many women that want to be with you.¡± ¡°I haven''t slept with Rosie.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m pretty sure she wants me to, though.¡± Jhulune kissed his neck again. ¡°Why are you so desirable?¡± She asked and started to suck on his neck. Ren closed his eyes and let the sensation of her lips on his skin fill his perception. ¡°It''s my Prince Charming title.¡± Ren whispered, and started to massage her back. ¡°Some women will see me as the perfect man.¡± ¡°I don''t believe it.¡± Jhulune whispered when she stopped sucking and lifted her head from his shoulder to face him. ¡°I met you long before you had that title.¡± Ren thought back, and his eyes widened. He''d met Jhulune when he''d bought the warehouse from Sally, and Jhulune had worked on it with Jen and the lumberyard crew. He hadn''t gotten the Prince Charming title until he had been in the dwarf lands for a while. ¡°I''ve liked you since all the way back then.¡± Jhulune smiled. ¡°Before you were so strong and rich.¡± She said and stroked the spot she had sucked on. There was now a large red welt in the shape of her mouth on his skin. ¡°You''ve always been with someone, so I knew I wouldn''t have a chance with you.¡± ¡°Jhulune...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Jhulune said and kissed him on the lips. Ren gave himself over to the feeling and kissed her back. She broke the kiss a few moments later and looked at him in the eyes. ¡°I resigned myself to only hoping, to only...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to explain.¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°After what happened with Brian, and then what you did for me afterwards...¡± She gave him another kiss. ¡°I knew I wanted to share myself with you.¡± ¡°Jhulune...¡± ¡°I don''t care if it will only happen one time.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°One time will be enough.¡± She said. ¡°I know it will.¡± ¡°I agreed a long time ago that I would do this.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just wanted to let you know that I didn''t forget about you... not in all this time.¡± ¡°All this time?¡± Jhulune asked. ¡°Ren... what do you mean?¡± ¡°I can''t really explain.¡± Ren said. ¡°What I can say is that it was Adventurer''s business, and I was away for a very long time.¡± ¡°I... okay, I won''t ask you about it.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°I''m really glad you''re back.¡± ¡°I hope you can still say that after tomorrow night.¡± Ren said. ¡°T-tomorrow night?¡± Jhulune asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve made you wait for far too long for this to happen.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll make good on my promise with you tomorrow night. Would you like to join me for supper at Nathalia''s Nourishment?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Jhulune said, surprised. ¡°We... we''re not just... you know... gonna do it?¡± Ren gave her a quick kiss. ¡°I''d like to take you out for dinner first, if that''s okay?¡± ¡°I...¡± Jhulune nodded. ¡°I''d like that very much.¡± ¡°Then I''ll see you tomorrow night, just before supper.¡± Ren said, and let her out of the tight embrace he had her in. ¡°Shall I walk you back...¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± Jhulune said and stepped out of the tent with a big smile on her face. ¡°I''m pretty sure I can find my way back down the street.¡± Ren chuckled and stored the tent. ¡°Oh, before you go...¡± He took out one of the 100 blank gold rings he had in inventory and enchanted it into a Strong Ring of Storage. It gave her 50 slots of storage and +40 Strength. ¡°I want you to have this.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Jhulune exclaimed and looked at the ring, and her heart beat faster than it ever had before. ¡°What... what...¡± ¡°I saw you struggle while you unloaded the cart of supplies.¡± Ren said. ¡°This should help you with that.¡± Jhulune held her hand out and Ren slipped it on her finger. ¡°Please, accept this ring as a sign of our friendship.¡± Ren said, just so she wouldn''t mistake it for anything else, and he heard her sigh in relief. ¡°Good god, you scared me!¡± Jhulune said and laughed. ¡°I''m too young to get married.¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°Bye, Jhulune.¡± * ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Jhulune said and watched Ren walk around the building and disappear. Jhulune hugged her arms around herself because they ached to wrap around his neck again. It felt so right to have them there. She thought and rubbed her hands over her arms. What''s it going to be like to... to... She shivered in anticipation. I can''t wait! Chapter 327 - To Clints Ranch Ren ran back to his shop and saw Clint''s mount Izabeal tied up outside, and went inside to meet Clint. ¡°Thare ya are.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah friend o'' mine is needin'' anothar bow.¡± He said. ¡°Ah''m lookin at whatcha got fer sale, an'' they''re jus'' regular bows.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I can put a normal enchantment on it, but it won''t be great. Wood just can''t hold enchantments like metal can.¡± ¡°Wha'' abou'' anothar one like Tommy''s?¡± Clint asked. ¡°''Cept fer the heavy part. Ah doubt Billy could handle tha'' big of ah bow.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Tommy''s putting it to good use, I take it?¡± ¡°Is he evah!¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah''m tempted ta have ya enchant mah own weapons ageen.¡± ¡°No can do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Each part was enchanted before I put your bow bracers together. If I tried to add another enchantment, it would replace them all because it counts as a single item now.¡± ¡°Dammit.¡± Clint said. ¡°Wha'' abou'' making anothar set of ''em?¡± ¡°Are they dragging you down already?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I thought they''d last a lot longer than this.¡± Clint chuckled. ¡°Naw, they''re workin'' great.¡± He said. ¡°Ah''m just bein'' greedy.¡± Ren nodded ¡°Let me know when they aren''t measuring up, and I''ll put the time aside and I''ll try to do up a better set for you.¡± Clint pat Ren on the shoulder. ¡°Ah''ll try an'' keep mah mouth shut ''til then.¡± Ren laughed and grabbed one of the normal-sized bows from the wall. ¡°This should only take a few minutes.¡± ¡°Ah''ll wait righ'' here, then.¡± Clint said. Ren went to the forge section of the shop and tossed a couple high quality iron ingots into the smelter after starting up the forge. The iron ingots melted pretty fast, and Ren stirred it up very quickly and then tossed in a single chunk of gold ore. After a couple of minutes of constant stirring, he skimmed off the impurities from the ore, made sure no one could see him, then used his bare hand to scoop up some of the molten metal. He covered the middle part of the bow where the handle was, squeezed it slightly to make the grooves for fingers in it, then absorbed the heat before it burned the wood. Ren spread a little bit of molten metal along the inside of the bow to the tips and absorbed the heat along the way, then did the same to the front of the bow. He added just enough metal to reinforce the structural integrity, without compromising the flexibility of the wood. He popped off the standard string, which was going to be useless for the retooled bow, and covered the ends with metal as well. He had to use a tool to add the proper slits for holding the string, and absorbed the heat from it. After that, he took out some Spider Silk String and tied up a new string for the bow, and attached it by compressing the bow and slipping the knotted string onto both ends of it. ¡°Clint, what kind of enchantment does Billy want?¡± Ren asked his friend. ¡°Ah don'' have any idea.¡± Clint said from the shop. ¡°Maybe jus'' extra damage an'' Lightnin'' fer now.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Ren said and took out a handful of the small 1 gold coin diamonds. ¡°If he doesn''t like it, I can make another one when we get to your ranch.¡± ¡°Ya don'' haveta do tha'', Ren.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ya''ll are doin'' me a huge favor ahlready by comin'' out in tha firs'' place!¡± Ren stored the bow and used more molten metal to make a set of bracers, then used his Craft Wondrous Item platform to make them into Bracers of Archery. He took the bow back out of inventory and used his Retain Essence skill to store the enchantment on the bracers and transferred it to the bow, then redid the bracers and stored both items. Ren enchanted one of the small diamonds with a glyph of 5 runes of Damage, making it +50 damage for a single diamond. Having mastered my Enchanting skill is so cool. He thought, then did another and set them aside. He chuckled when he remembered trying to add more runes than that to a small diamond while in the Water Realm, and how spectacularly it had exploded when the enchantment overloaded it. I''m so glad I was completely surrounded by water at the time. Ren thought and enchanted a diamond with Lightning and gave it a glyph of 5 runes, which was a total of 20 Lightning damage. He did this three times more and set them aside, then took the bow out again. He dipped the 2 Damage diamonds into the smelter and attached them to the top of the metal handhold on the inside of the bow, then did the same with the four Lightning damage diamonds and put them at the bottom of the handhold. Ren stored the unused diamonds and a couple of the iron ingots so he could make another bow later if it was needed, then examined the now completed bow.
Archer''s Medium Bow of Lightning (Billy)
This bow grants the user (Billy) the Archery skill. If the skill is already present, it instead grants +5 levels to that skill and +110 normal Damage and +80 Lightning Damage to attacks while using this bow. This bow cannot be sold or traded, as it can only be used by (Billy).
Ren smiled and stored the bow, then picked up 4 high quality iron ingots, and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability again and chose the Horseshoes of Speed. He added the iron ingots to the golden platform, and a few moments later, the Horseshoes of Speed appeared. He stored them and filled a crucible with the last of the molten metal and stored that, too. ¡°I''m finished.¡± Ren said when he went over to the shop side of the business, and grabbed another normal-sized bow and stored it. ¡°Ah''m ready ta go if''n you are.¡± Clint said. ¡°I just have to get Princess from upstairs.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll meet you out front.¡± Clint nodded and started to walk towards the front door, then froze. He got his mount ta go up tha stairs? He thought in shock. Inna buildin''? Ren waved to Anabelle and went up the stairs to get Princess, and took her out the back door and around to the front. ¡°Before we go, I think your mount needs a speed upgrade.¡± Ren said. ¡°Izabeal is plenty fas''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah don'' think...¡± Ren took out the horseshoes and held them up. ¡°It grants a 50% land speed bonus.¡± ¡°Fifty percent!¡± Clint exclaimed, and slid off the saddle. ¡°Izabeal, do ya wanna try ''em?¡± Izabeal nodded vigorously, and Clint laughed. ¡°Ahlright, she says she wants ''em.¡± Clint said. ¡°Do ya gots tha nails fer...¡± ¡°No nails.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not going to hurt a mount like that, just for a bonus.¡± ¡°Then how...¡± ¡°Trust me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Izabeal? Can you lift your left back hoof for me?¡± Izabeal nodded and lifted it, and Ren took out the crucible of molten metal. ¡°WHA'' ARE YA DOIN''?!?¡± Clint yelled and grabbed Ren''s hand. ¡°AH THOUGH'' YA SAID-¡± Ren concentrated on his Command Aura and his Aura jumped out to 425 feet. ¡°QUIET!¡± Clint shut his mouth with a clack and his eyes widened. He ain''t nevah talked ta me like tha'' before. ¡°Let my hand go.¡± Ren commanded. Clint let his hand go and Ren relaxed. ¡°You almost spilled molten metal on Izabeal.¡± Ren said, and Clint''s mouth fell open in shock. ¡°You would have caused more harm to her than I ever could.¡± ¡°Ah''m sorry.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah jus''... ah jus'' reacted.¡± ¡°Well, don''t do that.¡± Ren said and stopped concentrating on his Command Aura. ¡°I can absorb the heat before it burns her.¡± ¡°Ah didn'' know tha''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Izabeal trusted me.¡± Ren said and Clint looked down at the still lifted hoof. Izabeal hadn''t pulled it away when the molten metal had appeared in Ren''s hand. ¡°Well ah''ll be.¡± Clint said, took off his cowboy hat, and stood there looking bashful. Ren dipped his finger into the crucible and rubbed a good amount of molten metal along the underside of the horseshoe and placed it on the hoof and absorbed the heat. It formed a secure bond quickly, and Ren asked Izabeal for the other back hoof. He repeated this process for the two front hooves, and then the horseshoes glowed for a moment. ¡°There.¡± Ren said. ¡°Izabeal? How do you feel?¡± Izabeal huffed at him and flapped her lips like she was talking. ¡°You''ll have to start off slow, okay?¡± Ren said to her, and rubbed her nose a couple of times. ¡°Get a feel for your new speed before trying to go all out. I don''t want you to fall while trying to take a corner too fast.¡± Izabeal neyed at Ren, and he laughed.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Yes, you''ll adjust fast and then I won''t have to worry.¡± Ren said. ¡°Howarya talkin'' ta her?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Ah ain'' nevah seen...¡± ¡°I''m just guessing at what she''d say.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°Just the look on her face was enough to tell me what she thought about being careful.¡± Clint laughed. ¡°Ah gitcha.¡± He said and climbed up into the saddle. ¡°We gotta git goin'' if''n ya plan on being back by tonigh''.¡± Ren asked Princess if he could ride her, and she nodded. He climbed up onto her back and sat in the saddle. ¡°Easy does it.¡± He said. ¡°Until we get out of the North Gate. Then we just have to wait for Izabeal to adjust, and we can have a little race.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Clint barked a laugh. ¡°Ya just doomed yerself!¡± He said, turned Izabeal around to go down the street, and she started to trot. Ren and Princess kept up with her easily. ¡°I can''t wait to see the look on their faces when Princess lets loose!¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Me, either. Ren thought, and felt a predatory feeling from Princess. He pat her neck and smiled as they followed Clint and Izabeal down the street, around a corner, and up the street that led outside the city. Once they were past the city''s North Gate, Clint had Izabeal run in a zig-zag motion for several minutes, to get a feel for how well the new horseshoes gripped the dirt as she moved. ¡°Ah like it!¡± Clint said. ¡°Good girl!¡± He said to his mount, Izabeal. ¡°Ahlright, Ren! It''s time fer a whoopin''!¡± Ren nodded and Princess came to a stop beside Izabeal. ¡°Do you want Princess to take it easy on you, or to go all out?¡± ¡°Git her ta go as fas'' as she can!¡± Clint said and laughed. ¡°Ah can'' wait ta see yer face aftah this!¡± ¡°On your mark.¡± Ren said. ¡°Get set.¡± He said, and saw Clint lean down close to his horse into a racing pose. ¡°Go!¡± Clint flicked the reins and Izabeal took off like a shot. He laughed the laugh of someone who believed he had outclassed his opponent, and then he went to look backwards to see how far back Ren was. His head froze as he saw Ren was riding his mount right beside him. ¡°Wha'' tha hell?¡± Clint asked, surprised. Ren looked at him and waved goodbye. ¡°Go ahead, Princess.¡± Princess brayed at Clint and Izabeal, then ran as fast as she could. With the Legendary Hooves of Speed and the Horseshoes of Speed on her hooves, she and Ren left Clint and Izabeal in their dust. Ren had Princess come to a stop after a few miles, and they waited for Clint to catch up. He did so a few minutes later, and the look of surprise was still on his face, even though it had happened several minutes before. Teepo hadn''t stopped chittering in laughter the whole time. ¡°H-h-how?¡± Clint asked when Izabeal came to a stop beside Ren. ¡°Legendary Hooves of Speed.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°With the Horseshoes of Speed on top of them.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°So... ya got...¡± Clint squinted his eyes. ¡°How fas'' can ya...¡± ¡°We can do a 10 hour cart ride in about 40 minutes.¡± Ren said. Both Clint''s and Izabeal''s mouths dropped open in shock, and Ren hoped the automatic recording caught a good clear image of it, so he could make it his screensaver background. ¡°Ya gotta be kiddin''!¡± Clint exclaimed. ¡°Tha''s not possible!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It wasn''t possible at first.¡± He said, and Princess started to trot down the road. ¡°It took a lot of hard work and training on Princess'' part, and lots and lots of food to keep her Health and Stamina up.¡± ¡°Food don'' give Stamina.¡± Clint said and Izabeal trotted beside Princess. ¡°No, but stopping to eat let it recharge faster.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ah don'' believe it.¡± Clint said and shook his head. ¡°Ah saw it; but, ah don'' believe it.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°We can pick up the pace now that you know, and we should be at your place by noon.¡± ¡°Yer jus'' humorin'' me.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ya''ll can git there in abou'' an hour.¡± ¡°I could if I knew where it was.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°So, lead on genuine cowboy.¡± Clint nodded and kicked Izabeal into high gear. ¡°We gotta stop in an hour or so ta feed tha mounts.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Ren said, and Princess kept pace with them easily. They stopped an hour later and fed their mounts, then kept going. They stopped 2 hours after that for another meal, and then kept going. They made it to Clint''s Ranch just after noon, and they both slid off the saddles of the mounts and to the ground. ¡°Ah, tha''s a relief!¡± Clint said and rubbed his backside. ¡°Ah don'' remembah tha las'' time ah rode tha'' far fer tha'' long.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said, and pat Princess'' neck. ¡°I''m so glad Princess doesn''t have to do that anymore.¡± ¡°Ah hope Izabeal can git as fas'' as yer Princess.¡± ¡°Good luck!¡± Ren said and scratched Princess'' chin. ¡°Unless you can find another set of Legendary Hooves and get Izabeal''s Strength and Vitality up high enough, no one will ever be as fast as Princess.¡± Thank you, My Lord. Princess thought as she felt how proud Ren was of her. ¡°CLINT!¡± Tommy yelled as he came out of the front door of the house. ¡°Hank drank everything again!¡± Clint laughed. ¡°Then yer lucky ah brought more back from town.¡± ¡°Yesh!¡± Hank slurred, then stumbled out of the ranch-style house and landed on his face in the dirt. ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Geez, man! Take it easy!¡± Tommy said and helped Hank stand up. ¡°How can you let him get like that?¡± Ren said and took out a Level 5 Minor Healing wand and used a charge on Hank''s face. It healed the cuts and scrapes, and Hank sobered up instantly. ¡°Hey, I''m not drunk anymore!¡± Hank said and touched his face. ¡°I''m not hurt, either!¡± ¡°What the heck is that?¡± Dillon asked and motioned to the wand. He had come over to see if Hank was hurt and was going to use his once-an-hour Cure Light Wounds spell, but Ren had beaten him to it. ¡°A Minor Healing wand.¡± Ren said and stored it. ¡°Are you Billy?¡± ¡°No, that''s Dillon.¡± Tommy said and turned back to the open door of the house. ¡°Hey, Billy!¡± ¡°What?¡± Billy asked and came outside. ¡°I was trying to relax.¡± ¡°Ren asked for you.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Ren?¡± Billy looked over at Ren and frowned. ¡°He''s the guy that made your great weapons, isn''t he?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Tommy said and lowered his voice. ¡°If you comment about how small he is, I''ll punch you so hard your mom will feel it.¡± Ren heard Tommy clearly, even though Tommy was about 20 feet closer to the house and faced the other way. Thanks, Tommy. Ren thought, and stopped himself from smiling so no one would know he had heard everything that was said. ¡°I wasn''t gonna say anything about it.¡± Billy responded with his voice lowered, too. ¡°When ah asked Ren abou'' skinnin'' tools, he grilled me ovah wha'' ta do wit ''em and how ta do it.¡± Clint said and smiled. ¡°Then he offered ta come out an'' do it himself.¡± ¡°That was really nice of him.¡± Dillon said, a bit skeptically. ¡°Clint was the first friend I made in the game.¡± Ren said, then looked at Tommy. ¡°Tommy was the second.¡± ¡°How many friends do you have on your friends list now?¡± Billy asked. ¡°Including these two?¡± Ren asked, and pointed to Clint and Tommy. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Two.¡± Ren said, and they all laughed. ¡°Ah didn'' know tha''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Have''ncha met anyone else since then?¡± ¡°Yeah, a few people.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No other friend requests, though.¡± Tommy shook his head. ¡°Then they don''t know what they''re missing, man.¡± He said and took out Ren''s custom made weapon. ¡°Hell, I''ve neglected to keep in touch with you, and you still made this great bow for me.¡± ¡°That reminds me.¡± Ren said and took out the bow he had made for Billy. ¡°Clint said Billy was looking for another bow, and I just happened to bring one with me.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Clint barked a laugh. ¡°He jus'' happened ta make it a few minutes before we lef'' his shop!¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Billy said and everyone walked over to Ren and Clint. ¡°Does anyone have the Identify skill?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Dillon said, and Ren held the bow up for him. ¡°Good god, is that for real?¡± He asked after he read the popup. ¡°How the hell did you get that kind of enchantment on a normal wooden bow?¡± ¡°Lots and lots of practice.¡± Ren said, and they all laughed again. ¡°I hear that!¡± Hank said, and flexed his muscles. ¡°I didn''t get this big by just sitting on my ass and watching television!¡± ¡°What kind of enchantment is it?¡± Billy asked. ¡°Clint didn''t know what kind you wanted, so he said to do the same enchantments as Tommy''s bow with Damage and Lightning.¡± Dillon told them what the actual enchantment did, and everyone went quiet. Billy looked longingly at the bow. ¡°How much is it?¡± Billy asked. ¡°How much have you got?¡± Ren asked and grinned. ¡°Don''t say anything!¡± Tommy said and started to laugh. ¡°His store manager put me through the ringer after a question like that!¡± ¡°Look what you got from it, though.¡± Billy said. ¡°It was worth it, wasn''t it?¡± Tommy nodded. ¡°Then I''ve got 27 gold and 15 silver.¡± Billy said. ¡°I was saving up for the 30 gold coins I needed for the high quality bow at the general store; but, that thing you have is a hell of a lot better than that!¡± Ren glanced at the guys around him and saw the looks on their faces. Clint and Tommy looked a little worried, and Hank and Dillon looked like they thought Ren was going to take it all and let Billy suffer in poverty. ¡°Send me a friend request.¡± Ren said to Billy, then Clint and Tommy smiled and nodded. Billy sent the friend request, and Ren accepted it. ¡°It seems you qualify for the ''friend of the owner'' discount.¡± He said, and grinned. ¡°16 gold coins should just about cover it.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Billy exclaimed, and looked at Clint and Tommy. ¡°Is he serious? 16 gold?¡± ¡°I wouldn''t look a gift horse in the mouth.¡± Tommy repeated one of Clint''s favorite catch phrases. ¡°An yer checking this one''s teeth.¡± Clint finished, and they all laughed. ¡°All right, all right! I know the deal is too good to be true.¡± Billy said and gave Ren 16 gold. Ren handed him the bow. ¡°Enjoy.¡± ¡°Holy Mary, Mother of God!¡± Billy said. ¡°It has my name on it!¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Hank yelled. ¡°You''ve got a personal weapon?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Billy said. ¡°It''s not bound to me, but no one else can use it! Ha ha!¡± ¡°It''s true.¡± Dillon said and smiled. ¡°I left that part out when I described it, so it would still be a surprise.¡± Hank took Dillon into a one-arm hug. ¡°You''re a good friend!¡± ¡°Not as good as him.¡± Dillon said and pointed to Ren. ¡°I appraised it at 80 gold.¡± ¡°80 gold!¡± Billy exclaimed and looked at Ren. ¡°Are you crazy or something?¡± Tommy laughed and put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°So, you really did give him the one-time-only 80% off special.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I always treat my friends well.¡± He said, then took out the set of Bracers of Archery he''d made and gave them to Billy, too. ¡°I almost forgot the bonus item you get with a major purchase.¡± Ren immediately received 2 more friend requests from Hank and Dillon, and accepted them with a smile. Billy stood there and stared at the Bracers of Archery and didn''t know what to say. ¡°Now I just have to decide what I need.¡± Hank said as he rubbed his chin in thought, then looked at Ren. ¡°What do you sell?¡± ¡°It would be easier to ask him what he doesn''t sell.¡± Tommy said and laughed. ¡°I know what I want.¡± Dillon said. ¡°Is there any chance I could get one of those wands?¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°They aren''t for sale.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Dillon said and sighed. ¡°We don''t have a healer, and all I have is defensive magic spells.¡± He said. ¡°If I had a healing wand...¡± ¡°Actually, even if you had the wand, you''d still need the training to use it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You used it.¡± Dillon said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Wait, you...¡± ¡°I have the Healing skill.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s only at Intermediate Level 4, so I can only diagnose Minor and Normal wounds properly. I''m pretty sure I''ll unlock Major wound diagnosis when I hit Advanced, though.¡± ¡°Geez, man! You''re a healer, too?!?¡± Tommy asked, surprised. ¡°I don''t have that title or classification; just the skill.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°So far.¡± ¡°How many things can you do now?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°A lot.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°What about that?¡± Dillon asked, and pointed to Ren''s wrist that had the Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic. ¡°I could never afford it, even with an 80% discount; but, is it for sale?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°It''s... well, it''s too powerful to have on the open market.¡± ¡°I''d say.¡± Dillon said. ¡°The things I could do with 10,000 Mana.¡± ¡°Ten thousand Mana?!?¡± Tommy exclaimed and looked at the golden diamond-covered bracelet on Ren''s wrist. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Mana Boost rune combined with Mana Production, and Intelligence and Wisdom enchantments.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not going to ask how you did it.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Geez, man. You''re unbelievable!¡± ¡°Clint!¡± Billy said. ¡°I just had a great idea!¡± ¡°Here it comes.¡± Hank said. ¡°This should be good!¡± ¡°He''s got gold left, he''s gonna want to see Jennifer again.¡± Dillon said and laughed. ¡°Hey!¡± Billy said. ¡°It''s not that... but, now that you mention it... that''s a good idea, too.¡± ¡°Billy!¡± Clint said. ¡°Wha''s yer idea?¡± ¡°Right, right.¡± Billy said. ¡°We should ask Ren to fill one of our open party slots.¡± No one spoke as they all exchanged looks. No one frowned, though; and they all looked like they were considering it seriously. ¡°It would be nice to have access to a dedicated blacksmith.¡± Tommy said. ¡°We could save a lot of money on repairs, especially if we strike a good deal on gathering supplies.¡± Hank said. ¡°My armor''s getting pretty dinged up as it is.¡± ¡°I''m sure he could make me something eventually.¡± Dillon said. ¡°Plus, his mount looks really cool.¡± Princess huffed, and several of the guys chuckled. ¡°Ah wonder if''n we could work ou'' a deal.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah don'' think Izabeal can wear full plate armor; but, ah would like some reinforcmen'' fer her. At leas'' on her flanks.¡± He turned and looked at Ren. ¡°Whaddaya say, Ren? Wanna give it a try?¡± Ren looked at their hopeful faces. ¡°Let me think about it.¡± He said. ¡°Show me the wolves you want skinned, and I''ll have an answer by the time I''m done.¡± ¡°Tha''s fair.¡± Clint said. ¡°They''re righ'' ovah here.¡± Tommy, Hank, Billy, and Dillon, watched as Clint and Ren walked towards the covered cart near the barn. Chapter 328 - Hanging Out With The Guys ¡°Billy, what the hell?¡± Dillon exclaimed when he thought Ren and Clint were out of earshot. ¡°What did I do?¡± Billy asked. ¡°You really put him on the spot there!¡± Dillon said. ¡°He didn''t know what to say!¡± ¡°I think he''ll accept.¡± Hank said. ¡°He might be short, but he looks strong.¡± ¡°I meant Clint!¡± Dillon said. ¡°Billy, you should have waited until we were alone to tell Clint that idea.¡± ¡°What for?¡± Billy asked. ¡°Because Clint might not have wanted Ren in the party, you idiot!¡± Dillon said. ¡°Didn''t he say he wanted a fighter and a magic user for the last two slots?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Billy said. ¡°But... look at what he can do in only a few minutes!¡± He said and held up the bow. ¡°He''ll definitely be useful!¡± ¡°Sure he''ll be useful.¡± Dillon said. ¡°He doesn''t have to be a part of the party for that, though.¡± ¡°If he''s going to equip us like this on the cheap...¡± Tommy said, and held a hand up to stop any argument. ¡°It''s really cheap and we can''t get anything like this anywhere else; so, don''t kid yourself about that.¡± He smiled. ¡°He should at least get a share of the XP his weapons help us get.¡± ¡°Well... I guess that''s fair.¡± Dillon said. ¡°But, isn''t he just going to be dead weight on quests?¡± Tommy smiled. ¡°You saw how quick he was with that healing wand.¡± He said. ¡°How long does your Cure Light Wounds spell take?¡± ¡°Up to 5 minutes.¡± Dillon said, reluctantly. ¡°Depending on how spread out the wounds are.¡± ¡°If we only brought him along for that, he''s still worth his weight in gold.¡± Tommy said, and clapped Hank on the shoulder. ¡°Even if it''s just for Hank''s sake!¡± They all laughed and agreed. * Ren had heard everything the other guys said while he skinned the first wolf. He felt both bad and good about their discussion; mainly because they thought he wouldn''t be able to fight and that made him feel bad, and some of them wanted him anyways and that made him feel good. ¡°Ah see where yer cuttin''.¡± Clint said as he watched Ren work. ¡°Is it tha same on every animal?¡± He asked, and hoped he could somehow pick up the skill. ¡°Almost.¡± Ren said. ¡°The shapes of the bodies determine the shape of the pelt. Rabbits? It''s pretty much just the back. Foxes? Part of the leg and neck as well, and if you''re lucky, you can add the tail.¡± He explained and skinned another wolf. ¡°Wolves? It depends on the size. It''s the back, most or all of the legs and tail if you want. If you''re careful and take your time, you can include some or even all of the head.¡± Clint shook his head. ¡°Ah''m standin'' here watchin'' ya, and yer moving yer hands like ya''ve done it a hundred times.¡± ¡°It was a lot more times than that.¡± Ren said and finished another wolf. ¡°I still have to be careful, though.¡± He said and kept working. It took about an hour to do the 30 wolves, and he even let Clint try to do one. Even with Ren''s direct guidance, Clint couldn''t get the knife to do what he wanted. When he was done, the pelt was a little mangled on the edges; but, he didn''t receive the Skinning skill. ¡°Ah, well.¡± Clint said. ¡°It was a good try, anyway.¡± Ren nodded and took the skinning knife back, then had to pause when he looked at the Dire Wolf. ¡°Okay, I''m really going to take my time with this one.¡± Clint nodded, and about 20 minutes later, the unfinished pelt of the Dire Wolf, including the paws and head, was added to the pile.
Stat Change!
Skinning Level 7 (Intermediate 0%)
¡°Ah can'' believe ya did it so fast.¡± Clint said. ¡°Tha'' was...¡± He put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Yer ah good worker.¡± ¡°It''s what I do.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You can loot the bodies now.¡± Clint nodded and looted the carcasses of the skinned wolves. He didn''t say how much he got when he was done, but Ren saw his eyes widen at the total amount. ¡°Now, about these pelts...¡± Ren said. ¡°Ya want''em, dontcha?¡± Clint asked and chuckled. ¡°I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°How much do you want for them?¡± ¡°Appraise ''em an'' tell me.¡± Clint said, and Ren used Appraisal on one of the wolf pelts. ¡°It says 5 gold coins.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°An'' yer gonna treat ''em and dry ''em and trim ''em later, right?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°What''ll they be worth then?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°These are my first wolf pelts.¡± ¡°Then wha'' were ya skinnin'' hundreds of before?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Giant rats.¡± Ren said, and Clint stared at him. ¡°Did ya just say GIANT RATS?!?¡± Clint exclaimed, and Ren nodded. ¡°They were about 3 feet long, not including the tail.¡± Ren said and held his arms apart to show the approximate size. Clint whistled appreciatively. ¡°Ya''ll livin'' an interestin'' life, Ren.¡± ¡°You don''t know the half of it, my friend.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°Ahlright. Gimme 2 platinum coins fer the pile of pelts, includin'' tha Dire Wolf one.¡± ¡°What? That''s... that''s only 50 gold for the Dire Wolf pelt!¡± Clint chuckled. ¡°Ah hope ya can make something nice outta all of it.¡± ¡°Clint... I... thanks. Thanks a lot.¡± Ren said and handed Clint 2 platinum coins, then stored the pelts. ¡°So, ya had time ta think abou'' joinin'' mah party.¡± Clint said. ¡°Wha''s yer answer?¡± ¡°Clint.¡± Ren said and gave his friend a serious look. ¡°Do you want me in your party?¡± Clint didn''t say anything for a full minute, then he smiled. ¡°Ah remembah ya winnin'' tha award fer most contribution points aftah the Aurora Expedition. An'' ah remembah how useful ya were ta me an'' the ones ya chose fer yer team, wit both yer enchantin'' and repairin''.¡± He put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°If''n ya can be just as useful now, ah''d be proud ta have ya in mah party.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thanks, Clint.¡± Clint sent Ren a party invite. Because of his skill ''Tricks of the Trade'', Ren could be the leader of his own party and a member of another party as long as he wasn''t the leader; so, he accepted the invite.
Notice!
You are now a member of the Reckless Rough Riders. All party bonuses, effects, and XP gains will be shared appropriately.
¡°Hey! We just got the notice!¡± Tommy said as he and the other guys came over to them. ¡°Welcome to the Rough Riders!¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and took out a Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic and held it out to Dillon. ¡°I said it wasn''t for sale, but that doesn''t mean I can''t give it to my new friends.¡± ¡°Aw, yer gonna make me cry!¡± Clint whined in a high voice and wiped a fake tear away, and everyone laughed. Dillion equipped the bracelet and closed his eyes as it took effect. ¡°Oh, man.¡± He said. ¡°This is awesome.¡± ¡°Dudes! We gotta celebrate!¡± Tommy said. ¡°We''ve got half the day left, we should head over to the...¡± ¡°Jennifer!¡± Billy said. ¡°I got money to burn!¡± ¡°Ah didn''t even give ya yer share of tha loot yet!¡± Clint said and laughed. ¡°Then hand it over and get the cart hooked up, man!¡± Tommy said. ¡°We gotta go before the crowd gets there!¡± ¡°I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to get back to Aurora.¡± Clint put an arm over his shoulder. ¡°Ah know how fas'' yer mount is. Ya can leave jus'' ovah 2 hours before supper an'' be back in time fer whatevah ya need ta git back fer.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Yeah, Ren.¡± Billy said. ¡°You have got to check out these girls!¡± ¡°I don''t really...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°We''ll even restrict Hank to a single keg!¡± Tommy said. ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Hank exclaimed. ¡°That''s not fair!¡± Dillon laughed. ¡°At least come with us and stick around until we get the party started.¡± Ren looked at their happy and expectant faces, and sighed dramatically. ¡°YES!¡± Billy yelled, and then he yelled again when Clint divided up the loot. ¡°WAHOO! I''m RICH!¡± Everyone laughed again, and Clint grabbed the cart to attach to Izabeal. ¡°Just store that so you can use it on the way home.¡± Ren said to Clint. ¡°Princess can haul us all there.¡± Clint nodded and stored it, and they all went out to where the two mounts waited. ¡°Princess, do you feel like showing off a little more?¡± Ren asked her, and she huffed at him. Of course. Let me show the nag what a real mount can do. ¡°That''s my girl.¡± Ren said and rubbed her neck. He took out the cart and hooked it up to her, and the guys climbed up into it. ¡°Hey, this is really comfy.¡± Hank said. ¡°What are the handholds for?¡± ¡°Take a wild guess, Sherlock.¡± Billy said and climbed in. He sat down and grabbed onto one of the handholds. ¡°I don''t need to-¡± Hank tried to say, but Clint''s words cut him off. ¡°Ya better hold on.¡± Clint warned them as Tommy and Dillon climbed into the back. ¡°Ah seen his mount run. It ain''t gonna be a smooth ride.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°She won''t be running full out.¡± He said and climbed up into the driver''s seat. ¡°Unless Tommy comes up to the front to tell her where to go.¡± ¡°I''ll do tha''.¡± Clint said and looked at the back of the cart. ¡°Izabeal? Can ya git up on tha''?¡± ¡°NOOO!¡± The guys in the back yelled and bailed out over the sides as Izabeal jumped up into the back of the cart. Clint and Ren laughed at the other guys and their panicked faces, while Izabeal folded her legs down under herself and she settled down in the cart. Ren took out an Amulet of the Spider and slipped it over her head, and she didn''t protest or try to bite him. ¡°Git back in there, ya wusses!¡± Clint said to the guys, and they climbed back in. They gave Izabeal lots of room and sat on the sides; but, this time they all held on to the handholds without question. Clint climbed into the passenger seat in the front beside Ren, and smiled. ¡°It''s that-a-way.¡± He said and pointed, and Princess huffed, dug in her hooves, then took off at her best speed while pulling the cart. ¡°AHH-HH-HH-HH!¡± The guys in the back yelled as they shook back and forth. Ren, Teepo, and Clint laughed because that was all they could hear. They arrived at the rest stop almost an hour and a half later, and Ren was surprised when he got to see what it was. ¡°I have two questions.¡± Ren said. ¡°How long did it take them to get a ship out this far, and why is it pink?¡± Clint snorted a laugh and hopped down off the cart. ¡°Ya gotta see tha inside ta understand.¡± He went around to the back of the cart and looked at the faces of the other guys. ¡°Come on, ya wimps! Git outta there!¡± Tommy, Hank, Dillon and Billy sort of stumbled out of the cart and tried to stand on the ground, then braced themselves on each other to stop themselves from wobbling. Clint whistled a brief note, and Izabeal stood up, turned around, and hopped off the cart no worse for the wear. Ren hopped down and unhooked the cart, stored it, and thanked Princess for doing so well and gave her a bit of food. ¡°How can you two not be affected by that?¡± Tommy asked and looked shaken as Ren and Clint led their mounts over to the stand to tie them on. ¡°Ah don'' know wha'' yer talkin abou''.¡± Clint said, and looked at Ren. ¡°Did ya feel anythin'', Ren?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said and pat Princess'' neck after he pretended to tie her on. ¡°It was a perfect ride.¡± ¡°Okay, you''re both officially crazy.¡± Billy said. ¡°That ride was nuts!¡± Clint pat his warhorse. ¡°Izabeal didn'' mind it, did ya girl?¡± Izabeal neyed, and Billy shook his head. ¡°She''s not a fair witness! Everyone knows your horse is just as crazy as you!¡± Clint laughed and walked over to the guys. ¡°Come on! Tha firs'' roun'' is on me.¡± ¡°Now you''re talking my language!¡± Hank said and put his arms over Dillon''s and Tommy''s shoulders to drag them over to the entrance of the ship. ¡°This is gonna be fun!¡± ¡°Here we go!¡± Billy said excitedly; his previous mood vanished at the thought of another round with Jennifer, and he followed the other guys to the door. ¡°Ren?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Are ya comin''?¡± ¡°Is that what they do here?¡± Ren asked, and Clint laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Only if''n ya want ''em to.¡± Clint said. ¡°I''ve seen places like this in the adult section of Aurora lots of times, but I''ve never gone in.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s it like?¡± ¡°Ah can tell ya abou'' it; but, it''s righ'' there. All ya gotta do is look fer yerself ta find out.¡± Ren nodded, and they went inside together.
System Notice!
You have entered an Adult Only business (The Pink Pearl). What happens here, stays here. The Blue Screen protocol is now in effect.
Notice!
You have embarked on a journey that is pleasant to the eyes and pleasing to the mind. Congratulations! Warning: Sometimes a little knowledge can be dangerous; therefore, all known forms of attacks have been disabled while inside the premises.
¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren exclaimed at the popup. ¡°Clint!¡± ¡°Ah git tha popup every time ah come in here.¡± Clint said. ¡°It''s reassurin'', ain'' it? Knowin'' ya can have fun and not worry abou'' fightin''?¡± Ren looked around when they entered the place, and it looked just like a strip club that you''d see on television in a crime drama, because they always showed strip clubs on crime shows. This one had a definite sea theme, though. He looked at everything, and started picking out the faults in the designs. When he came to one in particular, he couldn''t help himself and commented on it. ¡°Tridents only have 2 or 3 prongs, not 4.¡± Ren whispered to Clint. ¡°That''s a pitchfork.¡± ¡°Ren, ah don'' think tha customers really care if it''s authentic.¡± Clint snorted a laugh. ¡°They ain'' lookin'' at tha walls.¡± Ren turned around to look at Clint, and he pointed to the other customers. They all sat there, with handfuls of coins, and stared at the barely dressed women in front of them. ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said, and Clint took pity on him. ¡°It''s yer firs'' time, so ah''ll spring fer a booth.¡± Clint said, and waved to one of the waitresses. ¡°Ma''am? Ah booth and a roun'' of ale fer mah friends, please.¡± ¡°Sure thing.¡± The waitress said. ¡°How many at the table?¡± ¡°6.¡± Clint said. He had automatically included Ren in the total and thought about changing the order; but, Ren didn''t protest or say that he didn''t want any, so he left it unchanged. ¡°We''ve got the large party booths in the back.¡± The waitress said. ¡°They should fit all 6 of you; but, they''re a little extra.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Tha''s fine.¡± The woman smiled sweetly at him, because the party booths always had the best tips. ¡°Right this way.¡± She said and turned to walk towards the curtained-off area. ¡°Boys!¡± Clint said with his distinctive tone of voice, and the other members of the party looked at him. ¡°We''re goin'' out back.¡± ¡°YES!¡± Hank said and dragged Tommy and Dillon with him. ¡°We''re in for a show, guys!¡± ¡°I don''t see Jennifer.¡± Billy said as he looked around. ¡°She normally works the bar.¡± Ren thought about asking if he meant serving drinks or working for the customers; but, he had wisely kept his mouth shut because the woman in question came out through an employee only door not far away. ¡°Billy!¡± Jennifer said and wrapped her arms around his neck. She wore a see-through wrap and a set of green bra and panties; both of which Ren sold at his store. ¡°How come you''re back so soon?¡± ¡°I just couldn''t stay away from your sweet lips.¡± Billy said, and she laughed. ¡°Where are you sitting?¡± Jennifer asked. ¡°Party booth out back.¡± Jennifer squealed and kissed him. ¡°I''ll go get the girls!¡± ¡°We''ll be waiting.¡± Billy said to her as she went back through the employee only door. ¡°That''s two women that reacted when ''party booth'' was mentioned.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Party booths have a reputation for giving out the highest tips in the place.¡± Tommy said. ¡°But, oh boy! Do they earn it!¡± ¡°I''ll say!¡± Hank said as they went through the curtains into the back. ¡°I hope the cute one is working today.¡± ¡°That''s a little vague.¡± Dillon said and laughed. ¡°Half of the women in here are cute.¡± Tommy laughed. ¡°Ain''t that the truth!¡± The waitress showed them the middle booth, and it had a 5 foot wide, 1 foot tall dancing table in front of it. The circular booth was divided into sections by cushions, and each guy sat down between the dividers. Billy, Hank, Dillon, Clint, and Tommy all sat like they''d been there quite a few times before like it was assigned seating. Ren sat on the end by Tommy, because he didn''t know what to expect; and he also didn''t want to be caught in the middle of the seats if something happened that he didn''t want to be a part of. He looked around and saw that they were the only people in the back at the moment. He also couldn''t make out what kind of music was playing in the background and was tempted to ask about it; but then, he remembered the look on Clint''s face when he had mentioned the decor. * The curtain opened up and 5 scantily-clad women came in. They froze a moment later and stared at the booth because there was 6 customers waiting for them. They gathered together in a group and talked for a minute. ¡°What do we do?¡± One of them asked. ¡°The other girls are busy.¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Billy''s only ever had 4 friends come with him.¡± ¡°The new guy''s kinda cute, and there''s... something... about him.¡± One of them said. ¡°Yeah, but... he''s new. We don''t know what kind of tips he''ll give.¡± ¡°We''ve never actually switched around, have we?¡± One of them said, and the other women looked at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Jennifer always goes for Billy because he spoils her. I always go for Hank.¡± She said. ¡°I like them strong.¡± ¡°I always take Dillon. He''s so sweet.¡± One said. ¡°I like riding the cowboy.¡± Another said. ¡°Tommy''s always respectable, and never takes it too far.¡± The last one said. ¡°So... what do we do?¡± One of them asked, and then no one spoke because they still didn''t know how to handle the situation. * Ren had heard every word that the women said, and he looked at the other guys that sat in the circular booth with him. None of them had any idea what the women were actually discussing, or the dilemma Ren had inadvertently caused. He was about to say something to them, when the waitress came in with a big tray overloaded with full tankards of ale. ¡°Here we go.¡± The waitress said and put the tray down on the dancing table. She handed each of them a tankard, and smiled at them. ¡°That''ll be 1 silver and 20 copper.¡± Clint handed her the money and gave her a 10 copper tip, and she put the money in a badly-made coin purse. ¡°Will there be anything else?¡± She asked, and Ren had a stroke of inspiration. ¡°Actually, I believe there is.¡± Ren said and his Etiquette skill activated. ¡°I think you''re quite pretty, and I wonder if you''d like to spend a bit of time with me.¡± The waitress blinked her eyes a few times in surprise, then looked at Ren curiously. She''d stopped dancing herself months ago, mainly because it was just too hard to keep up with all the younger and prettier women that seemed to show up constantly. Her tips hadn''t been great at the time, either. She made more serving drinks exclusively than she ever did working the room and serving drinks on the side. ¡°Um...¡± She looked at the other girls as they stood near the curtain, and wondered what they were talking about. ¡°I used to do that; but, I mainly serve drinks now.¡± ¡°I''m okay with that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll be close at hand to take our orders when we need you, and I''m sure we''ll keep you busy.¡± ¡°Well...¡± She looked at him again. He wouldn''t have gotten in if he wasn''t legal age. She thought. ¡°You are kinda cute, even if you are a little young.¡± Ren chuckled and held a hand out for her to take. ¡°I like to cuddle, if that can sway you at all.¡± The waitress smiled and put her serving tray down beside the circular booth. When she took his offered hand, Ren gently pulled her close and kissed the back of her hand lightly. ¡°Oh, my.¡± The waitress said and sat down on his lap. She slid her arms around Ren''s neck and he slid his arms around her waist. Her face started to turn red because she wore a really short skirt that had hiked up to the top of her thighs when she had sat down. Ren felt like she didn''t really want to flash the room like that, so he ran a hand down from her waist and along her hip, then across the cheek of her ass. Her breath sped up, because he was being so brazen right off the bat; then she caught her breath when Ren grabbed the bottom edge of her skirt and carefully pulled it down her legs and back into place without anyone else realizing what he''d done.
Stat Change!
Etiquette Level 7 (Expert 0%)
All anyone saw was Ren as he got a very good feel of the waitress and her reaction to that feel. Only he and the waitress knew the truth. He hadn''t groped her. What he did was save her modesty. Chapter 329 - The Pink Pearl The waitress leaned down and tucked her face by his ear. To everyone else it looked like she was kissing him, but what she was actually doing was talking to him. ¡°Thank you, kind sir.¡± She whispered. Ren pat her knee where his hand now rested, and she relaxed into him because she had a feeling what he had just done was about as far as he wanted to go. ¡°I like to cuddle, too.¡± She said when she lifted her head to look at him. Ren beamed a smile at her, because she had gotten his subtle hint that all he wanted to do was cuddle. * ¡°I thought Janice quit this part of the business.¡± One of the women said. ¡°Shh! She just saved our asses!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Another asked. ¡°With her taking care of the short one, now there''s 6 of us!¡± Jennifer reminded them. ¡°Oh! You''re right!¡± She said, and the women broke up their impromptu meeting and went to their favorite customers, and the background music became louder and made hearing other conversations much harder to do. * ¡°Oh, baby.¡± Billy said as Jennifer turned around and very slowly sat down. He reached out to help guide her hips, and she wiggled them a little. He chuckled and let her go, and she pushed back to rest her backside on his abdomen. Then she slid down and rubbed herself across his mid-section to see that he really enjoyed what she was doing, then she turned around to straddle his lap. The other women did a similar move, with some variations; to make sure to gain the most thrills from their customers and maximized the utility of their chosen outfits. Since each man was a different height and had different tastes, each woman had a personalized routine for pleasing the men they had chosen. ¡°I''m Janice.¡± The waitress said to Ren. ¡°What''s your name?¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Ren responded. ¡°Well, Ren.¡± Janice said. ¡°Do you want me to do my old Seduction Number 5 routine?¡± ¡°Number 5?¡± Ren asked and raised a single eyebrow at her. ¡°What happened to numbers 1 through 4?¡± ¡°They failed miserably.¡± Janice smiled and touched his eyebrow. That''s so endearing. She thought and looked down at her top. It was a cut down tunic that revealed a classic bra, and it highlighted her assets nicely. She unbuttoned the two buttons that held it closed, and her top sprung open. Ren looked at her chest, because that was what she wanted him to do, then he looked back at her face. She moved her hand in his peripheral vision, and she lightly caressed the edge of her bra and along the soft mounds of flesh concealed within. Ren reached a hand up and touched her hand to stop it from moving, without looking away from her face. ¡°You don''t have to do this.¡± He whispered to her. ¡°I know people are a little uncomfortable with how... small... my body is.¡± ¡°You''re a halfling.¡± Janice smiled sweetly at him. ¡°Of course your body is small.¡± Ren looked at her with newfound respect. ¡°Janice, I can honestly say you''ve surprised me.¡± He said and discretely pulled a gold coin from his coin pouch. ¡°I''ve been in this world for... a very long time... and you are the first person... ever... to not mistake me for a child.¡± Janice laughed and it was a pleasant sound to his ears. ¡°You wouldn''t have gotten in here if you were a child.¡± She said, and Ren slipped the gold coin into her hand. She put the coin into her inventory without looking at it and leaned over to hug Ren closely. It gave him an up-close and direct view of her cleavage, and he appreciated the dedication she had to her task. ¡°So.¡± Janice whispered into his ear. ¡°Do you really only want to cuddle?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have several women waiting for me back home.¡± ¡°What?¡± Janice asked and looked at him. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°My new friends invited me out to celebrate joining their party, and I couldn''t really say no.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Janice said a little sadly, and started to pull away from him. ¡°You don''t really want me to hang all over you like this, then.¡± Ren reached up and touched the side of her face. ¡°I wouldn''t have asked you to if I didn''t.¡± ¡°But... you just said...¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°Even if I had a hundred women waiting for me, I''m not going to pass up a chance to cuddle with a woman like you.¡± Janice blinked her eyes at him. ¡°You''re getting this at home for free, and yet you''re going to pay me, have paid me, just to cuddle?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I wouldn''t normally.¡± He said. ¡°But you know what they say. When in Rome...¡± ¡°...do as the Romans do.¡± Janice finished for him. ¡°So, if one of the other girls had come over to you first, would you pay them to cuddle with you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°They prefer the other guys. They are their regular customers, I think.¡± He smiled. ¡°I can see the girls have worked out routines for each of them.¡± Janice nodded. ¡°They come in once a week or so and drop a few gold coins.¡± She said. ¡°It''s become a regular thing.¡± She sighed. ¡°Well, I guess old Seduction Number 5 has failed.¡± ¡°Oh, I wouldn''t say that.¡± Ren said and pulled Janice in a little closer. She felt a distinct something touch her thigh through Ren''s clothing, and her eyes widened. ¡°Was it my awkward fumbling with my tunic, or my terrible attempt at conversation?¡± ¡°It was you treating me normally.¡± Ren said, and Janice made that little ''o'' of surprise with her mouth. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°The other girls looked like they were debating on whether or not they could handle trying to seduce me.¡± Ren said. ¡°You, on the other hand, were honest about it and gave it a try.¡± He smiled at her. ¡°That''s pretty endearing.¡± Janice smiled, because she''d had a similar thought about him only a short while ago. She saw out of the corner of her eye one of the men pick up an empty tankard, then put it down. ¡°I think your friends need more ale.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Ren said, picked up his tankard, then upended it into his mouth and drained it. ¡°I do, too.¡± Janice stared at him with wide eyes, and he chuckled. ¡°Please get a round of ale for me and my friends, dear lady.¡± Ren said, a bit formally. Janice stood up with a quickness she hadn''t shown before, and nodded. ¡°Right away, sir.¡± Janice said, picked up her serving tray, and left the back room. ¡°Way to go, Ren!¡± Tommy said. Ren saw that Tommy was getting quite the lap dance from the woman attending to him, and Ren didn''t understand why she was gyrating like she was and whipping her head around so much. All it really did was fling her hair around, for no reason that he could think of. ¡°You''re quite the ladies man, huh?¡± Tommy asked. Ren shook his head. ¡°Not really.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve only got a few of them on the go.¡± ¡°Only a few, he says!¡± Tommy said and laughed. Janice came back in with more ale for everyone, and handed them to the other guys. She picked up the last tankard and put her tray down, then carefully sat down on Ren''s lap again. ¡°Your ale, sir.¡± Janice said, and held it out to him. Ren took it and put it down, then paid her with 5 silver coins, even though the drinks only cost a silver and 20 copper. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I hope that''s a big enough tip.¡± Ren said, and he watched as she got that look of someone sorting through their inventory. ¡°You gave me a gold coin before!¡± Janice exclaimed, and the other girls stopped what they were doing to look at her. ¡°Ah, I mean... come with me!¡± She said as she stood up, grabbed Ren''s hand, and started to walk away. Ren hopped up and followed her so that she didn''t hurt herself trying to move him against his will. * ¡°Did she just...¡± One of the women said. ¡°I can''t believe that...¡± Another of them said. ¡°Go, Ren! Go!¡± Tommy said. ¡°Going all out for his first time in a club!¡± Hank said and laughed. ¡°He''s got guts!¡± ¡°He shore does.¡± Clint said and took a drink of the ale Ren bought. ¡°He shore does.¡± * Janice led Ren out of the curtained-off area in the back, then through an unmarked door. He looked around and saw that it was just stark black walls. No markings, posters, advertisements, or anything else you would expect. They passed several doors with ''Occupied'' signs on them, and Janice opened one of the unmarked doors. She hung the ''Occupied'' sign on the front of it, and took Ren into the room. Ren looked around and examined everything. It was also stark and bare like the hallway, with only a bed and a mirror in the room. He knew what that meant, and tried to identify the mirror. He didn''t get anything, so he activated Enchanted Eyes and looked at it. It glowed, and Ren walked over to it.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°What did you give me a gold coin for?¡± Janice asked. ¡°I thought you said you only wanted to cuddle!¡± She said, a bit indignantly. She wasn''t sure why she was angry at him for wanting to sleep with her, except that she thought he seemed like an upstanding guy and that he had lied to her about it. Ren stood by the wall, off to the side of the mirror, and held a finger to his lips in a clear ''be quiet'' gesture. Janice didn''t like it when customers told her to be quiet, though. ¡°Look, you better answer my question!¡± Janice said. Ren reached a hand out and touched the mirror. ¡°What are you-EEK!¡± Janice let out a little scream. Ren had used his Dismantle Glyph ability and the ''mirror'' enchantment broke apart. He learned a new rune called False Mirror, and all that was left was a clear pane of glass; and a very surprised man sat behind it. ¡°What the hell is this?!?¡± Janice exclaimed. ¡°This is the private area! No one besides the girls and the customers are supposed to be in here!¡± The startled man got up and quickly left the area on the other side of the glass. Ren looked through the window, and saw a small hallway that looked like it ran the whole length of the private area. ¡°It seems the management is making a bit more money from the girls working with the customers than anyone realized.¡± Ren said. ¡°You!¡± Jen said. ¡°Answer my question!¡± She said and stalked over to him. ¡°Why did you lie to me?¡± ¡°Lie to you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°About what?¡± ¡°You said you only wanted to cuddle, but you gave me a gold coin!¡± ¡°Yeah, and?¡± ¡°A gold coin is the signal for sex!¡± Janice said. ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry for the misunderstanding. Can you give it back?¡± Janice looked at him with surprise, since she hadn''t had a gold coin given to her in a while; but, she took out the gold coin and handed it to him without comment. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and put it into his coin pouch. ¡°Hold out your hands.¡± He said and took out 100 silver coins and put them into her cupped hands. ¡°Is that better?¡± Janice looked at the pile of silver coins and didn''t know what to say. ¡°Do you have a good coin pouch?¡± Ren asked her, and she shook her head. He took one out and gave it to her. She put the silver coins in it, then dumped the tips from her inventory into it and stored it. ¡°Ren, I...¡± Janice wasn''t sure why she felt like she should apologize for her behavior, whether that behavior was irrational or not. ¡°I''m...¡± ¡°...probably pretty upset that the girls aren''t getting a cut of the peeping customers revenue.¡± ¡°Hey, you''re right!¡± Janice said. ¡°I wonder how much they would have gotten...¡± ¡°...and I wonder how long they''ve been charging for it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Come with me!¡± Janice said and took Ren''s hand again. He followed where she led, and she took him out of the private area, through the main room, and to the employee only door. ¡°The sign says...¡± Ren tried to speak, but Janice ignored his words. She opened the door and took him inside, and he didn''t finish his feeble attempt to protest. She walked by the dressing room that had several half-naked girls in it, and knocked on the manager''s office door. She didn''t wait for a response, opened it, and went inside. It was an ornate office with a big desk, a fancy couch, and lots of useless expensive things that people thought made them look important. ¡°Connor! What the hell are you doing having peeping toms in the private rooms?!?¡± Janice asked the manager. ¡°How did you find out about that?¡± Connor asked. ¡°This customer showed it to me.¡± Janice said, completely throwing all of the blame onto Ren. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± Ren mumbled. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± Connor asked him. ¡°I saw the mirror in the private room.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was obvious.¡± Connor sighed. ¡°It''s an exclusive perk for well-paying members of a private club.¡± He said. ¡°They don''t like to participate, but they do like to watch.¡± ¡°That''s... that''s...¡± Janice tried to come up with some kind of argument. ¡°Human nature.¡± Connor said. ¡°We just cater to what people want.¡± ¡°But-¡± Janice tried to talk, and Connor cut her off. ¡°You''re fired.¡± Connor said. ¡°If you tell anyone about what''s going on here, you''ll owe your contract''s penalty fees.¡± ¡°Aw, dammit!¡± Janice said. ¡°You can''t fire me over this!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Connor asked her. ¡°All you do is serve drinks these days. You''re not bringing in the clientele you used to.¡± He looked at Ren. ¡°Not at all.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°She didn''t bring me here.¡± He said, then thought about it. ¡°Well, she brought me in here, but not into-¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Connor said, and cut Ren off. ¡°I''m going to have to ban you from the premises, so you''ll stop causing trouble.¡± Ren laughed at that. ¡°Mister, you don''t know what Trouble is.¡± ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Connor asked, incredulous. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m saying I''ve been in, and in some cases caused, a lot of Trouble.¡± He said. ¡°This is literally nothing compared to that.¡± ¡°You''re marginalizing me so significantly?¡± Connor stood up. ¡°You don''t even know me!¡± ¡°Are you an Adventurer?¡± Ren asked to Connor''s surprise. ¡°If you are, then you''re being awfully stupid and I won''t listen to your petty tirade any further. If you''re not an Adventurer, then you''re being stupid on purpose and I refuse to listen to your petty tirade any further.¡± He smiled. ¡°So, which is it?¡± Connor frowned. ¡°Either answer garners the same result.¡± ¡°Yes, it does.¡± Ren said, and Connor sighed. ¡°She''s still fired.¡± Connor said and sat back down. ¡°I can''t have people poking their noses around like that.¡± ¡°That was kind of my fault.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t care.¡± Connor said. ¡°I''m still going to ban you; but on second thought, I don''t want to cause a scene, so it won''t be forcibly.¡± He said. ¡°You can tell your friends whatever you like, but don''t come back here again.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Ren said, and looked at Janice. He still had a hold of her hand, and he gave it a little squeeze. ¡°Clear out your things, Janice.¡± Connor said and took out her contract. He wrote ''fired for misconduct'' on it under the completion terms, and it glowed for a moment. He picked it up and tore it in half, and in half again. It was a bit dramatic, but it did show Ren that her contract was officially terminated. ¡°I hope you have a good life.¡± Connor said, and waved a hand in dismissal. Janice stood still, obviously in shock that her life had changed so drastically in only a few minutes, and Ren tugged on the hand he still held. He opened the office door and guided her out into the hallway. Once the office door shut, she took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°Well, I guess that''s that.¡± Janice said, and went into the change room to gather her things. She kept a hold of Ren''s hand and brought him in with her. Several of the girls there stared at her and covered themselves up because she had brought a male into their change room. Ren purposefully kept is eyes on Janice as she grabbed a large sack and started to empty her station. ¡°What''s going on?¡± One of the girls asked. ¡°I got fired.¡± Janice said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It''s my fault.¡± Ren said, and both women looked at him. ¡°I showed her something she shouldn''t have seen, and when she told the manager, he fired her.¡± ¡°That jerk!¡± She said. ¡°You''re a great waitress!¡± Janice snorted a laugh. ¡°Yeah, that was a reason, too.¡± ¡°Aw, I''m sorry.¡± She said. ¡°He pulled the ''not enough clientele'' card, didn''t he?¡± Janice nodded and kept packing her stuff. ¡°What are you gonna do now?¡± The girl asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Janice said and stopped packing. ¡°Oh, god! I don''t know!¡± Ren squeezed her hand slightly to get her attention, because she was starting to have a panic attack. ¡°I told you I''d take responsibility.¡± Ren said. Janice looked at him and their held hands. ¡°You don''t even know me.¡± She said, and tried to let his hand go. He wouldn''t let her, though. ¡°Keep packing.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can worry about the little details later.¡± ¡°Little details?!?¡± Janice asked. ¡°I''ve got things I need to take care of! I can''t do that without a job to make money!¡± ¡°I said not to worry about the little details.¡± Ren said and concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Pack. Now.¡± Janice heard the tone of Ren''s voice and knew he wouldn''t listen to any more of her complaints; so she turned back to her station and threw some more of her things into the large sack. ¡°So forceful.¡± One of the other girls said and came over to them. ¡°Hey, can you... um... order me around a bit?¡± Ren looked at her, and unlike the other girls, she didn''t try to cover herself up. He didn''t stare at her lack of a bra and instead looked at her face. ¡°I''m not sure that''s a good idea.¡± Ren said and looked around. ¡°There''s not really a lot that I can order you to do.¡± The girl smiled wickedly. ¡°Oh, there''s lots that you can order me to do.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I could order you to not do things like that anymore.¡± The girl frowned. ¡°I wouldn''t like that order.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I figured you wouldn''t.¡± He said. ¡°The most I could do is order you to get dressed.¡± The girl laughed. ¡°Does my being topless bother you that much?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°I sleep with 5 topless women every night.¡± There was a sound of a few different things as they hit the floor, and Ren looked around to see what happened. Janice had dropped her large sack, one of the girls had knocked over a chair when she tried to brace herself with it, and another girl sat on the floor. They all had shock on their faces and stared at him. ¡°Did he just say...¡± ¡°He has to be lying...¡± ¡°There''s no way...¡± ¡°No one can sleep with 5 women every night!¡± One of them exclaimed. Ren bent over and picked up Janice''s large sack and handed it back to her. ¡°Are those the several women you mentioned before, that you have at home waiting for you?¡± Janice asked him, because she still didn''t quite believe it; and Ren nodded. ¡°No way!¡± One of the girls said. ¡°It''s not possible!¡± Ren didn''t try to convince them that it was the truth; but, he also didn''t tell them that he meant he literally goes to sleep in the same bed with them, either. He stood there and smiled at their shocked faces and watched Janice as she finished packing. When she was done, she stored the sack and looked at Ren. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°Do you live around here?¡± Ren asked her, and she nodded. ¡°Let''s go to your place.¡± ¡°Oh, my god!¡± One of the girls said. ¡°Janice is taking a customer home!¡± ¡°He''s not actually a customer anymore.¡± Another of them said. ¡°Janice got fired.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± The other one said. ¡°Never mind.¡± Ren almost laughed at the girl''s reactions, and Janice led him out of the change room and through the employee only door to the main area. ¡°I''ll wait here until you talk to your friends.¡± Janice said, and Ren looked at her. He got the distinct feeling that if he let her hand go, she would run right out through the door and he''d never see her again. ¡°Come with me.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can be the excuse I need to duck out early.¡± ¡°I...¡± Janice sighed. ¡°Fine.¡± Ren smiled at her and they went through the curtain to the back area and saw that the party booth was getting a little rowdy. The girls were topless already, and looked to be on the verge of being bottomless soon. ¡°Guys? I''m heading out.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m taking Janice home.¡± ¡°Ha! Have fun, man!¡± Tommy said. ¡°We''re plannin'' anothah quest fer nex'' week, or 2 days Adventurer time.¡± Clint said. ¡°Can ya make it?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ll meet at tha ranch tha morn-goddamn!¡± Clint said as the woman in front of him took off her underwear and tossed it at him. He didn''t say anything else because he was transfixed by the sight the move had revealed, so Ren left the back area. He took Janice through the main room, and out through the front door.
System Notice!
You have left an Adult Only business (The Pink Pearl). What happened there, stays there. The Blue Screen protocol has been deactivated.
Notice!
You have experienced your first foray into the seedy underbelly of the Adult Entertainment Industry, and kept your cool in a dangerous situation. Intelligence: +3 Wisdom: +3
¡°Damn, that reminds me.¡± Ren said, then sent a message to his friends about the private rooms and the two-way mirrors that people could watch them through. He didn''t want them to get peeped on, too. ¡°So, where''s your place?¡± ¡°It''s about an hour''s walk that way.¡± Janice said and pointed down the road. ¡°It''s not much, but I call it home when I play the game.¡± Ren kept a hold of her hand and went over to Princess. ¡°Feel like going for a walk?¡± No. Princess responded emphatically and shook her head. I want to run! Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, but only 10 miles each way.¡± He said. ¡°Don''t trample anyone.¡± Princess huffed at him, and he felt her annoyance that he needed to remind her of something so basic. ¡°Stay to the side and let any carts have the right of way.¡± Princess rolled her eyes in exasperation, and Ren tied her reins to her saddle. He scratched her chin with his fingers. ¡°I only say these things because I care.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want you to get hurt.¡± No cart that exists can hurt me. Princess thought to him. Thanks to you. ¡°Just be careful.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not only worried about your physical well being.¡± Princess looked at him, then reluctantly nodded. Teepo? Do you want to go and... Ren thought, and Teepo hopped over to stand on Princess'' helm before Ren could finish the thought. ¡°All right. Go and have-¡± Princess took off like a bolt that was shot from a crossbow and disappeared down the road, with Teepo riding high and chittering in laughter. ¡°-fun.¡± Ren finished and then laughed, too. He felt Teepo''s and Princess'' enjoyment only briefly, then they were out of his Aura an instant later and he didn''t feel anything else from them. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Janice asked. ¡°It looked like a giant ram, but... was it wearing armor or something?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s definitely handy to have around.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Janice said. ¡°We better start walking, or we''ll never get there.¡± Ren nodded and started to walk like she suggested. It was a little awkward at first, because Ren was over a foot shorter than her; but when she set the pace and he matched it, things evened out and they walked hand-in-hand easily. Chapter 330 - Take Me Home ¡°Ren.¡± Janice said after a few minutes of walking in silence. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Why are you still holding my hand?¡± Janice asked, and he chuckled. ¡°It started out when you grabbed it to take me to the private area, and then into the manager''s office.¡± Ren said. ¡°At that point it changed from me needing you to guide me, to you needing me to reassure you.¡± He smiled. ¡°When we left the change room after you packed your things, I had a feeling that if I let go, you''d run away and I''d never see you again.¡± Janice''s face flushed red at the last comment, because that was exactly what she had been thinking about doing. ¡°And... and now?¡± She asked. ¡°This is only the second time I''ve gone for a walk and held someone''s hand.¡± Ren said. ¡°I liked it the first time it happened, so I thought I''d try it again.¡± Janice looked at him a little strangely, and he chuckled. ¡°I don''t get out a lot in the real world.¡± Ren said. ¡°This place is like a dream come true.¡± Janice nodded. ¡°Same here.¡± She said. ¡°Every night I come in for two straight days to earn enough coins to exchange for currency in the real world.¡± She explained. ¡°That job at the Pink Pearl was the easiest one I could find. I didn''t have to risk my life fighting monsters, or have to do all the things that''s needed to complete all those blasted quests.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°What class did you take when you signed in?¡± ¡°A crafting class called Glassworker.¡± Janice said. ¡°I read up on what to do before taking it, and I thought it was the most fantastic thing to do.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve always been interested in it, and I have some artistic talent. When I started playing the game, it was great at first. I made a deal with a local blacksmith to let me use his forge once a week, and then I found out you needed to meet certain requirements before you were allowed to even enter a blacksmith''s shop.¡± ¡°I''ve been there.¡± Ren said and smiled as he remembered the first time he tried to talk to a blacksmith in his own starter town. ¡°Good god, it was torture.¡± Janice said. ¡°The things he had me try to do, just so my reputation would be high enough to use his forge.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I finally passed his trials, and got access to what I needed.¡± She sighed. ¡°I did pretty well at first; but, then I needed more wood for the forge, more sand for smelting, and more money to pay for renting the forge.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Ren said, and squeezed her hand slightly. Janice chuckled. ¡°It''s all right.¡± She said and squeezed his hand back. ¡°I went broke after about two months, then looked for another job to try and save up to keep working.¡± ¡°You couldn''t get a job at a glassworks or something?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Not for a low level like me.¡± Janice said. ¡°I can''t remember the requirement needed to be hired as an official glassworker, but I''m pretty sure I need at least Advanced in the skills.¡± ¡°That was when you started working in the Pink Pearl.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°It was great!¡± Janice said. ¡°It was just getting established, so everyone that heard about it came in and squandered their money like pouring water down the drain.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I saved up so much that first month that I almost quit and went back to glassworking.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°A customer came in one day and saw the amount of tips I picked up.¡± Janice said. ¡°He said he knew a way to change it into real money.¡± ¡°Oh, Janice.¡± Ren said, and knew she was going to tell him about getting scammed somehow. ¡°Hey, it worked.¡± Janice said. ¡°A penny in real life for a silver coin in the game.¡± She said. ¡°I made enough to pay my rent that month.¡± ¡°So every gold coin gets you a dollar in real life.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°I had fun for a while. I was making real money by playing a virtual game.¡± Janice said. ¡°You wouldn''t believe the people that will pay real money for game currency.¡± ¡°You went and cut out the middle-man.¡± Ren said, and Janice looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°How did you know that?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Because that''s usually how things work.¡± He said. ¡°Once someone gets an idea and shares it, someone else thinks about it and improves it.¡± Janice nodded. ¡°When I went solo, I found out how much people really paid for it.¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°Five dollars a gold coin.¡± Janice said and her hand squeezed his as hard as it could. ¡°I was so mad that he had milked me for so much money!¡± Ren didn''t say anything about what she had to do to get that gold in the first place; but, he figured that was why she was so angry about it. ¡°Oh! I''m sorry!¡± Janice said when she noticed her hand and eased up on the pressure. ¡°I didn''t mean to-¡± ¡°It''s fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not hurt.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Janice looked at the hand, and didn''t see any damage. ¡°You must be tough.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s also one of the skills I can''t level.¡± ¡°I don''t know if everyone gets them, but I''ve got a couple myself.¡± Janice said, but didn''t elaborate. They kept walking along the road and Janice would occasionally laugh when Princess whipped by them almost faster than she could see. ¡°If she can run so fast, why does it take her so long to come back?¡± Janice asked. ¡°It''s probably because she has to slow down and turn around.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or there''s a lot of traffic along the way.¡± He said. ¡°Or both.¡± Janice nodded and they kept walking. They didn''t say much more than small talk, until they came across a small settlement. It was in a large clearing, and the tiny houses were arranged in circles around a large fire pit. There were 8 houses in each circle, and 8 circles around the fire pit. ¡°My place is over on the other side of the crater.¡± Janice said. ¡°Did you say a crater?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°I thought it was a giant fire pit.¡± ¡°That''s what they use it for.¡± Janice said and led him into the middle of the circles of houses to the edge of the crater. ¡°It was like this when the first squatters moved in.¡± She said. ¡°Or so they tell me.¡± ¡°Squatters?¡± Ren asked as he looked into the crater. He activated Enchanted Eyes and Metal Detection, and concentrated on the center of the crater. The bottom was only about 10 feet down, and the crater was about a hundred feet across. He could see that several large bonfires had been made inside, and the remains of those fires were scattered over the bottom. ¡°Yeah.¡± Janice said. ¡°I don''t think anyone actually owns the land; but, none of us do, either.¡± Ren nodded his understanding, and then he felt a pulse. It was weak, probably because he was so far away; but the pulse did come from the very center of the crater. It was about 40 feet down, and Ren wondered what it was. ¡°We should walk around.¡± Janice said and started to walk along the small road around the crater to go to her place.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Ren went with her because they still held hands; and he couldn''t very well start to dig with one hand occupied. He smiled because he actually could dig with only one hand, but Janice would get covered in dirt if he did. ¡°It''s a little dangerous to climb down without using the stairs.¡± Janice said and pointed with her free hand. Four sets of stairs had been built to go down into the crater. They were positioned opposite of each other and spaced an equal distance apart. ¡°How long have you lived here?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Almost the whole time I''ve been playing.¡± Janice said. ¡°I''d never be able to afford a house in the city, and was pretty fortunate to find a safe place to log out at night.¡± Ren looked at the houses as they walked past and examined them. He shook his head when several of the plans he acquired were incomplete. It wasn''t his ability that was lacking; it was because the houses themselves were missing pieces. He nearly gasped when they arrived at the circle with Janice''s place in it. They were the most run-down, dilapidated, and pieced-together bunches of junk he''d ever seen. ¡°You live here?¡± Ren asked Janice as she brought him to her front door. Janice laughed. ¡°I told you it wasn''t much.¡± She let his hand go and unlocked the door. ¡°Come on in.¡± Ren went inside behind her, and then he did gasp at the sight. ¡°Wow!¡± The room they stood in was covered in shelves from floor to ceiling, and those shelves were filled with glasswork. There were bottles of all shapes and sizes, vases of different heights and widths, countless bowls and glasses, and a bunch of other things made out of glass. Janice chuckled. ¡°This is what I had left in my inventory when I had to close my market stall.¡± ¡°What you had left!?!¡± Ren said, and looked around. He used Identify on everything he could see, and dismissed the popups without reading them. Since he had mastered it, it required almost no time to use, and he realized that there were still lots of things that he didn''t know how to do, and he desperately wanted to know how to do them. ¡°You really like them that much?¡± Janice asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°Then... you can have this one.¡± She said, and picked up a small and slightly mangled potion bottle and handed it to him. The cork didn''t quite fit and the glass was a little murky; but, it had a good weight and seemed sturdy. When Ren identified it, he blinked several times at the popup.
Distorted Potion Bottle (Unique)
A Beginner level Glassworker with no experience or practice, attempted this difficult piece for the first attempt at their craft. The attempt was almost completely successful. Because of the care and time spent making it, any potion drunk from this bottle is 50% more effective. Caution: Due to the distorted nature of the container, potions stored inside have a strong tendency to leak.
¡°Janice... you...¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because of the way you looked at my work.¡± Janice said. ¡°Even that crooked thing.¡± She motioned to the mangled bottle and chuckled. ¡°I... I can''t accept this.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have lots more.¡± Janice said. ¡°It''s your first work!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Ren, I want you to have it.¡± Jen said. ¡°I know you''ll give it a good home.¡± She took the large sack she''d packed out of inventory. ¡°I don''t know where I''m going to put all this stuff.¡± She said. ¡°I was kind of storing it at the Pink Pearl.¡± ¡°I''m sorry I got you fired.¡± Ren said and stored the invaluable potion bottle. ¡°You didn''t get me fired.¡± Janice said. ¡°I got me fired. What I should have done was tell the other girls everything before I ever went to the manager about it.¡± ¡°Oh, you don''t have to worry about that.¡± Ren said and smiled evilly. ¡°I sent a message to the other guys about the private rooms and what to do about them.¡± Janice looked at him with wide eyes, and then she started to laugh. * ¡°Woodja lookit tha''!¡± Clint said, after pretending to fall into the mirror and breaking it. ¡°It''s ah whole nothar room!¡± He said and then scowled at the man who sat in the chair, and he equipped his bow bracers. ¡°Ah don'' take kindly ta people tryin'' ta watch me lovin'' tha ladies.¡± The man screamed and ran away down the hallway behind the walls. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± The girl with Clint said. ¡°They... they''ve been watching us this whole time?¡± ¡°It shore looks like it, Ma''am.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah''m rightly sorry abou'' this.¡± She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°You don''t have to be sorry.¡± She said. ¡°Connor is the one that''s going to be sorry.¡± ¡°Ah''m glad.¡± Clint said, then heard breaking glass from 4 of the other rooms. ¡°Shall we join tha others? It sounds like they''re gonna cause ah commoshun.¡± ¡°Can we still do it later?¡± She purred and rubbed herself up against him. ¡°As many times as ya want, darlin''.¡± Clint said. She gave him a kiss and stepped back to look down. She could see a clear and decisive reaction from him, and she grinned as she took his hand and led him out into the hallway to the sound of various men as they yelled, and women as they screamed accusations. ¡°Jus'' anothar day in tha game.¡± Clint said when he saw the pandemonium Ren''s revelation had caused, and the girl he was with laughed. * Janice''s house was only two rooms; a bedroom and a living room that was currently filled with hundreds of glassware items. She sat down on her bed, because there wasn''t anywhere else to sit. ¡°May I?¡± Ren asked and motioned to the bed, and Janice shrugged. He sat down next to her, and heard her sigh. ¡°So, do you want to do it?¡± Janice asked, and Ren looked at her. ¡°Janice...¡± ¡°You gave me a gold coin. I might as well have one last hurrah before I log off for good.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°This is... was... my primary source of income.¡± Janice said. ¡°That doesn''t mean you should stop...¡± ¡°It''s going to take time to find another job.¡± Janice said. ¡°The real life night is almost over, and if I can''t work at night tomorrow, then... then I...¡± She sighed. ¡°I''m barely staying afloat as it is.¡± ¡°I told you that I''d take responsibility for costing you your job.¡± Janice shook her head. ¡°It wasn''t your fault.¡± ¡°Yes, it was.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, I have a proposition for you.¡± Janice snorted a laugh. ¡°So, you do want some of this out-of-practice hotness.¡± Ren smiled at her, then took her hand. ¡°Is it okay if I just want to be friends?¡± ¡°Oh, god!¡± Janice said and laughed. ¡°The reversed friend speech!¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°Yeah, I know it''s usually the girl that says it.¡± He said. ¡°In fact, I''ve heard it from a couple of girls myself.¡± Janice looked down at their clasped hands. ¡°So, you really don''t want to have sex with me.¡± She said. ¡°Was all that back in the party booth just an act?¡± Ren squeezed her hand a little. ¡°I really do think you''re pretty, and I do like to cuddle.¡± ¡°Nothing more than that?¡± Jen asked, and Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m no saint.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I also won''t sleep around on the women I''m with.¡± Janice laughed. ¡°That sounds so hypocritical.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m not really sure how I''ve gotten to this point, where several women don''t seem to mind sharing me with the others.¡± He said. ¡°But I am at that point now, and I won''t mess it up by adding someone new.¡± Janice nodded. ¡°I understand... I think.¡± she said. ¡°So, what do I do now?¡± ¡°Do you have anything that''s tying you to this place?¡± Ren asked her, and motioned towards the walls. ¡°Not really.¡± Janice said. ¡°Maybe some friends and a few acquaintances.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°I''ll offer you a temporary job until you can find one on your own.¡± He said and pulled on her hand to get her to stand up, too. ¡°How much did you make in tips a night?¡± ¡°Anywhere from 5 to 10 gold coins.¡± Janice said. ¡°Depending on the day. Weekends are the best. I had almost 25 gold in tips last Saturday.¡± ¡°Okay, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Janice asked. ¡°For not lying.¡± Ren said. ¡°You could have padded that total up a lot, and I wouldn''t have had a clue that you did.¡± Janice looked at him with her mouth open and shock on her face. Ren laughed and let her hand go. ¡°I''m also glad the thought never crossed your mind.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now grab your stuff and lets go.¡± ¡°Go where?¡± Janice asked and picked up her large sack and stored it. ¡°Aurora first, then to Walin County a few hours away from there to the west.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why do we have to go so far?¡± Janice asked, and stored her bed and the nightstand. ¡°I own it.¡± Ren said, and Janice dropped the box she had kept under the bed. ¡°You... you own a whole county?!?¡± Janice asked, shocked. ¡°It''s only 50 square miles, though.¡± Ren said, and her mouth dropped open. ¡°Fifty... fifty square miles!¡± Janice exclaimed. ¡°That''s 2500 miles in area!¡± ¡°Hey, you''re right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I never thought about it like that.¡± He smiled. ¡°I guess it''s a big place after all.¡± Janice shook her head and stored the box she''d dropped, then went out to the living room and it''s multitude of shelves filled with glassware. ¡°I wish they had a bulk pick-up option.¡± Janice commented as she started to store the items on the closest shelf. ¡°Wait.¡± Ren said. ¡°What?¡± Janice asked. ¡°Is the house attached to the ground?¡± ¡°How would you do that?¡± Janice asked. ¡°That''s a no then.¡± Ren said and took her hand to lead her out of the house. ¡°Hey! How can I pack if you drag me away?¡± Janice asked. ¡°You don''t have to pack.¡± Ren said, shut her front door, then selected the house and stored it. ¡°AhhHH!¡± Janice yelled. ¡°My house!¡± ¡°It''s fine.¡± Ren said and took it out of inventory and put it back where it came from. ¡°But... how can you... how is this possible?¡± Janice asked, surprised beyond belief. ¡°I have the Atlas title, and your house isn''t that big.¡± Ren said and stored the small house again. When he looked at her, Janice had the help screen open, and typed several things on an invisible keyboard. Rather than tell her what it did, he let her try and find the info for herself since she was already looking for it. ¡°Atlas... Atlas... there it is.¡± Janice said, then frowned. ¡°It only gives you +20 Strength and +20 Vitality?¡± ¡°I was much, much weaker back then.¡± Ren said. ¡°The best part is the modified inventory.¡± ¡°I saw that.¡± Janice said and closed the help screen. ¡°What did it do?¡± ¡°It gave me an extra 100 capacity per storage slot.¡± Ren said. ¡°No way!¡± Janice said, and thought about her glassware. ¡°Yeah, that would definitely come in handy.¡± ¡°Not as handy as having large items only take up a single slot.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Janice yelled, and several people looked out of their houses that were next to Janice''s empty lot. ¡°Janice? Are you all right?¡± One woman asked. ¡°I''m fine!¡± Janice said. ¡°You seem to be yelling a lot for someone who''s fine.¡± The woman said. ¡°They''re yells of shock over things that I didn''t think were possible.¡± The woman nodded and went to go back into her house, then she noticed the empty lot Janice and Ren stood in front of. ¡°Janice, where''s your house?¡± Janice pointed to Ren, the elfling beside her. ¡°He stored it into inventory.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± The woman exclaimed, and Janice and Ren laughed. Chapter 331 - Unleashed ¡°I get that reaction a lot.¡± Ren said and grinned. After reassuring the woman that Ren storing her house wasn''t a joke, Janice went around to the different houses to tell them she was moving, and that she would stay in contact with them. While she said her goodbyes to everyone, Ren took the opportunity to go down into the fire pit crater to investigate the pulse he had felt earlier. He came to the center of the crater and pinpointed where the pulse came from, because it was much stronger with him this close. Ren couldn''t dig right in the center with all of the debris and soot that was there, so he picked a relatively clear area about 20 feet away and dug straight down. Normally, he would have to dig on an angle so he could get back out; but, because of his Amulet of the Spider abilities that were now fused with the Hand Of Glory around his neck, he could just crawl back up the sheer sides of the hole. He dug down the 40 feet to where he had felt the pulse, and then dug a tunnel across the 20 feet towards the center of the crater. When he got there, a very surprising sight awaited him. It was another chunk of slightly glowing green meteor rock ore, that he had found three pieces of before and made two very powerful items from. Based on previous experiences, if he took the piece of meteor, some kind of rock or stone golem was going to appear to defend it. He was glad that he had only made a normal-sized tunnel, and anything that appeared to fight would have a very hard time trying to attack him. Ren equipped his gold-colored armor, and it looked slightly different than when he''d worn it last. He had used his mastered Enchanting skill to full effect while he was in the Water Realm, and had added 6 of the 1 inch wide diamonds to every piece of his armor. Both boots, both thigh pieces, both forearm pieces, both shoulder pieces, and the back; but, he could only add 5 to the chest piece because it already had the large enchanted ruby in the center. That gave him a total of 59 diamonds to play with. Since each diamond that size could hold his mastered enchantment of 5 glyphs with 10 runes each, or 50 runes, that had given him 2,950 runes. He''d used them wisely and boosted all 8 of his stats by 250 points for a total of 2,000. The other 950 runes he had split up with Toughness to strengthen the armor, Protection that each rune added +10% to his Defense, Resist spell that increased the chance to avoid spell effects, Empowerment so that each rune of it increased an enchantment''s effectiveness by 5%, and finally added Set Bonus runes which gave him a 25% boost to both his Defense and his Speed on top of everything else. Ren had put a lot of work into making the adjustments, and it had taken months to complete the armor. He had only finished it a week before coming back from the Water Realm. I really did regret not having Tee-one there for the Double Infusion skill. Ren thought and laughed. All these extra bonuses would have been doubled! Ren decided to check his stats again, just to see what his armor was going to do for him.
Status
Name Ren (Neram) Level 72
Gender Male Class Artificer/Lord
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 1,000,000 (King) Honor 250,000 (Untouchable)
Giant Kingdom:
Respect 26,000
Titles
Master Blacksmith Grants 10 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills; 5,000 Fame
Tailor Grants 5 level bonus to Tailoring Skills
Issac''s Novice 20% stat gain at his shop
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Dreaded Foe Auras with Fear: +5 Levels, Respect: 5000, Enemies/Opponents/Creatures -5 INT -5 WIS
The Unnamed King +10 Levels to all Auras, you must be acknowledged in some way, grants skill: This Is Mine!
Waterkin Grants Water Manipulation Skill and Waterkin (Aura)
Health 2,140 (+2,393) Mana 2,318 (+13,395)
Strength 303 (+290) Dexterity 235 (+290)
Vitality 205 (+290) Agility 222 (+290)
Endurance 270 (+290) Intelligence 265 (+395)
Luck 75 (+292) Wisdom 250 (+395)
¡°By the gods!¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s pretty much doubled my stats!¡± He stood there for several moments and just stared at the numbers. ¡°I''ve got an extra 2000 Health and 2000 Mana, my Stamina bar is a different color, and my Mana Pool is just over 47,000!¡± After another few moments of pondering the implications of having such a powerful set of armor, he equipped his golden shield and hammerpick... then he stopped and looked at the shield.
Epic Shield of Sundering
This shield can disarm any opponent when swung at them. If enough force is applied, it can remove both armor pieces and equipped items from an opponent as well, as long as they can be hit by the shield as it passes over them. Though the shield looks formidable, it becomes insubstantial whenever it''s worn. It''s enchantment gives it a permanent Phantom State, as if the spell Phantom State had been cast on it.
¡°Show info for Phantom State.¡± Ren said.
Notice!
You do not know the spell Phantom State (Void Level 3)
¡°Yeah, there''s definitely a lot I don''t know.¡± Ren said and unequipped the shield, then equipped another one that he''d made in the Water Realm. He enchanted it with 5 glyphs of 10 runes of Antiearth, which gave it a 200% Defense against earth-based enchantments and creatures, and if he struck back with it, it did extra damage. He enchanted his hammerpick with the same thing, and dark protrusions grew out of the hammer end, and looked like black metal spikes. Those metal spikes had other protrusions on them, and Ren thought that they would pulverize rock much better than the normal flat surface of the hammer would. The enchantment also added 200 points of element damage to the hammerpick, could disrupt earth-based enchantments and spells, and gave an extra 50% damage bonus when used against earth-based constructs and creatures. ¡°Now I''m ready.¡± Ren said. He reached out with the arm that had the shield attached to it, touched the chunk of meteor ore, and stored it.
Notice!
You have attracted the attention of the Spirit of Earth. It is not amused that you keep tempting your fate by taking it''s forbidden treasures.
The ground didn''t tremble and shake like he thought it would, though. Ren was about to think that he had gotten off easy when the rock and dirt around the spot where the meteor was, coalesced together and formed into a large catlike creature. It was 6 feet tall and over 10 feet long, not counting the tail, with foot long tusks sticking out of it''s mouth. He identified it immediately and didn''t know what to think about this new development. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Sabertooth Rock Golem (Rare)
This rock golem is unlike any of it''s contemporaries that have been seen so far. Formed in the shape of an ancient stone-age predator, it can move at a high rate of speed, pounce onto it''s prey, and can crush things in it''s massive jaws. It''s tusks can pierce even the toughest metal, and it''s magically-enhanced claws are designed to tear through armor. Durability / Health: 3000/3000 Defense Bonus: Damage Reduction (Blunt weapons 30%, Edged Weapons 80%)
System Notice!
Congratulations! You have discovered a rare creature! There are 100 of them in the game, and you have found the first one.
Notice!
Hidden Quest unlocked! A SPECIAL bonus awaits those that can find all the rare creatures in the game. Number found: 1/100 Rewards: 2,000 XP
¡°Dammit!¡± Ren exclaimed as he dismissed the popups, and the rock golem growled at him. ¡°Nice kitty... nice kitty...¡± He said, and tried to think about what to do. The rock golem didn''t give him time to think about anything and lunged at him. He blocked with the shield and it''s claws scraped across the gold metal with a loud scratching sound like nails on a chalkboard. Several metal shards fell to the ground and the rock golem tried to attack again. The small tunnel worked to Ren''s advantage because the large creature just barely fit inside of it and it''s movements were hindered by the close walls. Unfortunately, when Ren tried to attack back and swung the hammerpick, he also had the same problem. The hammerpick cut through the wall easily, but it took a lot of the force of the blow away. Even with the Antiearth enchantment adding 200 Damage and 50% to Damage overall, when it contacted the rock golem''s head, it only did 300 damage total. This is bad! Ren thought, and held his shield up to parry another attack by the Sabertooth Rock Golem. The shield wasn''t going to last much longer. ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo''s voice said from the ring. ¡°We''re coming!¡± NO! Ren shouted in his head. Stay away! This thing can cut through armor with it''s claws! ¡°But Princess-¡± Teepo tried to speak and Ren cut him off. I said NO! Ren thought, adamantly. Princess will get torn to shreds if she fights this thing! Teepo went quiet for a moment. ¡°What about you? Aren''t you going to get torn to shreds?¡± Not if I can help it. Ren thought and attacked again. He missed the head with the swing and was about to curse loudly; until the hammerpick connected with one of the front paws the creature had lifted to defend itself. The paw shattered from the blow, threw rock pieces everywhere, and the resulting shock wave the hammerpick caused took half of the front leg with it. The golem limped backwards several steps and it gave Ren some room to make a small retreat. He didn''t take his eyes off of the golem as he backed up slowly, and he saw it stick it''s broken limb into the dirt wall of the cave. It stood there for about 5 seconds, then it pulled the regenerated limb back out. Ren sighed when he examined the golem and it had gotten back all the Health and Durability it had lost so far. The Sabertooth Rock Golem crouched slightly, then ran towards him for all it was worth in that crouched position. ¡°OOOOOH CRAAAAP!¡± Ren yelled and ducked behind his shield. The rock golem lifted it''s front paws just before it hit him, and put the entire impact onto his shield. It wasn''t designed to take that much force at one time, and the Sabertooth''s sharp rock claws went through the shield and bent it downwards. With Ren''s Rock Steady and Unstoppable abilities, he didn''t move from the impact, and his Shock Absorption and Block skills helped him deflect some of the damage. He took 500 Damage from the blow, and was surprised his abilities let him mitigate so much of it. If Ren hadn''t ducked, he would have gotten a face full of rock golem because it''s momentum carried it over Ren''s bent over form. One of it''s back legs grazed his shoulder as it passed, and Ren heard a bone snap loudly. ¡°GAAHHH!¡± Ren yelled from the bone-crunching pain, then activated Serene State of Mind. He didn''t feel the pain anymore and stored the useless shield to take out a Major Healing wand. He healed the damage and stored the wand, then turned around to look at the creature. It had continued to run the last few feet through the tunnel to the hole Ren had dug to the surface. Now it was stuck because it''s body was so long and it couldn''t turn around in the small tunnel. It started to thrash and claw at the surrounding dirt to make room for itself, but it seemed to move in slow-motion. I have a bit of time. Ren thought, then remembered he had spells and the wands to use them. Show available spells.
Spells Unlocked:
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Miscellaneous
Acid Arrow Acid Splash Acid Fog Chain Lightning
Color Spray Bridge Air Walk Fireball
Detect Undead Bull Strength Animate Objects Sunburst (Special)
Enlarge Person Charm Person Bless Water Wall of Earth
Fireball Disguise Self Cause Minor Wounds Wall of Fire
Ghost Sound Detect Magic Detect Traps Wall of Ice
Grease Glitterdust Dispel Magic Wall of Thorns
Magic Mouth Gust Of Wind Energize Wall of Wind
Major Healing Haste Giant Strength
Minor Healing Knock Ice Storm
Obscuring Mist Mage Armor Invisibility
Reduce Person Minor Image Iron Body
Shield Rope Trick Know Direction
Silent Image See Invisibility Lightning Bolt
Sleep Slow Locate
Sleet Storm Spider Climb Magic Flare
Web Wall of Iron Phantom Steed
Resistance
Turn Undead
Water Walk
Hm. Ren thought as he browsed through the available spells. Phantom Steed looks promising. He took out a level 5 Web wand and absorbed the charges from it, then replaced the spell with Phantom Steed and examined the wand.
Wand of Transport
A Phantom Steed spell creates a large mostly-solid horse-like creature. The steed can be ridden by you or by the person for whom you specifically created the mount. A phantom steed has a black head and body, gray mane and tail, and smoke-colored, insubstantial hooves that make no sound. It appears already equipped for riding. It cannot fight, but other equal-sized or smaller creatures will actively shun it and refuse to attack it. The phantom steed has 200 Health per caster or wand level. If it loses all of it''s Health, it disappears and leaves no physical remains. It can move 20 feet per second for every caster level, and since it is a magically-created mount, it can bear it''s rider''s weight without penalties. It has certain powers and abilities depending on the caster or wand level. A mount¡¯s abilities include those of mounts from lower levels. Level 1: The mount can ride over normal terrain. Level 2: The mount can ride over sandy, muddy, or even swampy ground without difficulty or decrease in speed. Level 3: The mount can use Water Walk at will. Level 4: The mount can use Air Walk and Displacement at will. Level 5: The mount can fly at its speed with average maneuverability. Size: It is a normal-sized horse-like creature. Range: Within 10 feet (Very Short). Time Limit: 1 hour per caster or wand level
To Ren, it seemed like he moved normally and everything else looked like it moved slowly; in actuality, he was moving very fast and his perception of time had sped up because of his Serene State of Mind. He concentrated on the wand and cast Phantom Steed so it would appear in the space between him and the Sabertooth Rock Golem. After what seemed like 30 seconds, it appeared before him. That should distract the rock golem for a few minutes. Ren thought with a smile. Show Wondrous Items. He thought. Maybe there''s something there that can help, too.
Wondrous Item Recipes:
Amulet of the Spider Amulet of Truth
Boots of Striding and Leaping Bracelet of Friendship
Brooch of Shielding Hand of Glory
Horseshoes of Speed Instant Tower
Revealing Light
No, nothing there. Ren thought. Show Staff and Rod recipes.
Staff Recipes: Rod Recipes:
Staff of Earth Rod of Cancellation
Staff of Healing Rod of Command
Staff of Ice Rod of Displacement
Staff of Lightning Immovable Rod
Staff of Size Manipulation
Staff of Water
Staff of Woodlands
Ha! Staff of Earth. Ren thought and took out the staff. The Sabertooth Rock Golem had made enough room for itself to turn around, and it pounced onto the phantom steed. Ren used the staff''s Move Earth spell to backfill his own tunnel in front of himself, then used the Pass Wall spell to make a new tunnel towards the surface and he deactivated Serene State of Mind. I think watching everything in slow motion all the time would drive me nuts. Ren thought and walked at a fast pace. * While Ren was on his adventure underground, a lot of Janice''s neighbors had wished her well when she visited them. She was a bit surprised when a few of them just shrugged their shoulders, said goodbye, and closed the door on her. One man got mad that she was abandoning the settlement to go live in the big city, and Janice suspected that he really liked her and didn''t want her to go. When Janice explained she was actually going to a rural county several hours outside of any city''s limits, the man didn''t have any basis for his argument. She hugged him briefly to say goodbye, and saw the sadness in his eyes when she let go. She thought about offering to let the man visit; but, she was pretty sure that she didn''t really want him to. If they''d lived so close together for this long and they hadn''t gotten together already, then the chances that they would after she left were pretty slim. Plus, if he really wanted to be with her, he''d come to visit on his own without having to be invited. Janice finished her goodbyes and looked around, and didn''t see Ren anywhere. She started to panic a little, because he had her house and most of her things in his inventory. She started to search for him, but couldn''t find any trace of him anywhere. ¡°Are you looking for that young guy that was with you?¡± The woman that was her old neighbor asked when Janice went back to her empty lot in the faint hope that Ren would be there. ¡°Yeah!¡± Janice said. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°Down in a hole he dug in the fire pit.¡± She said and shook her head. ¡°I swear he must be part gopher or something! I''ve never seen dirt fly out of a hole like that before!¡± Janice thanked the woman and went down the closest set of stairs into the fire pit, then walked over to the hole with mounds of dirt around it. She put her head over the dark hole, cupped her hands around her mouth, and hollered. ¡°REN! Are you down there?¡± The Sabertooth Rock Golem had just finished slaughtering the phantom steed when it heard Janice''s slightly panicked voice. It growled loudly, dug it''s claws into the dirt walls of the hole, then started to run up to the surface. * Ren quickly made the tunnel up to the surface and ended it about 20 feet away from the original hole he made and walked out of it ¡°AHHHH!!!¡± Janice yelled and fell back from the hole as the Sabertooth Rock Golem burst out from the opening and into the air. Ren ran over to her and dove to take her into a hug; then pulled her out of the way of the creature just as it landed right where Janice had been. ¡°REN!¡± Janice screamed. ¡°WHAT IS IT?!?¡± ¡°Rock golem.¡± Ren said and concentrated on his Command Aura as he slipped an amulet over her neck. It was enchanted with Warding runes to give her a 100% chance to hide from view. ¡°Be quiet.¡± He commanded her and rolled away as the amulet took effect. Janice disappeared from sight and it left Ren as the only thing the creature could see in the large crater. It growled loudly as it turned to look at him. ¡°That''s right.¡± Ren said and walked farther away from where he''d left Janice. ¡°Your fight is with me.¡± He said, stopped walking, and touched the Staff of Earth to the ground. The Sabertooth Rock Golem lifted it''s head to the sky and roared. It hunkered down to see if Ren was going to attack it from a distance. When he didn''t, it huffed it''s derision and prowled to the perfect attack angle. When it reached it''s chosen spot, it ran and then leaped into the air to squash it''s prey. Chapter 332 - Purr-fect Timing I''m only going to get one shot at this. Ren thought as the creature leaped through the air towards him. At the last possible moment, he jumped backwards out of the way and the Sabertooth Rock Golem''s claws grazed his legs and boots and tore long furrows in them. Ren and the golem crashed to the ground at the same time, but only Ren felt the impact because when the golem landed... the ground wasn''t there. Ren had used the Pass Wall spell from the Staff of Earth to make a 100 foot deep tunnel in the ground right behind where he stood. His jump backwards let him clear it, but the creature''s jump had carried it just far enough to land right in the middle of it. The creature howled as it plummeted into the earth, and Ren knew that it wouldn''t really be hurt from hitting something that it was made of and used for regeneration. That wasn''t his plan at all. Ren took out a level 5 Iron Wall wand and cast it a dozen times to cover the entire surface of the crater in a thin layer of iron, and made sure to slide it under where Janice still laid. He left the hole the creature was in uncovered, and cast it 20 more times in quick succession to add a foot of thickness to the iron barrier. He heard a crash as the creature finally hit the bottom of the tunnel, and smiled as he dismissed the Pass Wall spells before the rock golem could grab onto the wall to regenerate. The creature was picked up by the cancelled spell magic and shunted forcefully up through the tunnel towards the surface, and Ren heard it mewl in fear as it was thrown very high up into the air. It flipped end-over-end several times as it went almost as high as the tunnel was deep, then it plummeted back down towards the ground. Ren had covered the bare earth where the tunnel was with Iron Wall, then emptied the wand of the remaining spells as he cast Iron Wall in 2 foot by 2 foot x 3 foot thick anvil shapes; the same shape he had used as an actual anvil before the fight with the giant soldiers, and spaced them out over the area where the Sabertooth Rock Golem was going to land. Let''s see how you like getting several blunt force trauma hits at once. Ren thought as he watched the creature twisting and turning body smash into the impromptu meat tenderizer. Rock pieces scattered across the iron barrier as the Sabertooth Rock Golem impacted the hard metal protrusions. It''s tail was gone, two of it''s large paws were broken off, and it had several cracks along it''s upper body and one nasty fracture across it''s face. One of it''s tusks was missing, too. Ren stored the Staff of Earth and took out a Web wand. He shot it half a dozen times to hold it in place, and it swiped one of it''s good paws to clear it away like it was nothing. The web hadn''t held it at all, and the rock golem reached for it''s broken pieces. ¡°No you don''t!¡± Ren said and brought his hammerpick down onto the paw closest to him. It smashed the rock, and the toes and claws broke off; but, it didn''t shatter under the blow like he thought it would. Rather than take the limb back to stop Ren from attacking it again, it howled in anger and pushed itself up and off of the iron protrusions by it''s broken limbs, and hopped forward with it''s last good paw extended. It hooked it''s claws into Ren''s chest plate and let it''s own weight pull it downwards. ¡°AGGHHHH!!!¡± Ren screamed as the claws tore into the metal and dug into his upper chest. Half of his Health drained away almost immediately, then it dropped at a steady rate.
Notice!
You have gained the condition: Bleeding Profusely. You have 3 minutes to rectify this.
A little timer popped up on Ren''s display and counted down the seconds. He fell to his knees in pain, then the claws stopped when they hit the large ruby in the middle of the chest plate. He almost sighed in relief because it gave him the time he needed to activate Serene State of Mind again. The pain disappeared and Ren swung the hammerpick again and again into the creatures head and chest. Despite the damage the Sabertooth Rock Golem had taken from both falls, it had only lost half of it''s Health and Durability, and it still benefited from it''s Defense buffs. Ren wasn''t sure why his blows weren''t that effective, and he glanced at the timer. It was down to 2 minutes, and he didn''t know what to do. He tried to pull the claws out with his free hand, but they were wrapped around the center ruby in his armor and the creature kept it''s weight on them. Ren felt burning rage fill his Aura and turned to look at the source. A golden blur came towards him, and he stored the hammerpick so that she wouldn''t hit it by accident. He moved his hands and arms out of the way and leaned back as far as the hooked claws in his chest would allow, and he activated his party abilities; Take Them Down, Opportunity Knocks, and Charge!. Take Them Down gave party members a 30% chance to perform a Killing Blow, then gave them a free attack. Opportunity Knocks let party members do double damage for 10 seconds, and Charge! gave them the Haste and Giant Strength spell effects. Princess'' eyes glowed as she picked up speed and strength and then she dropped her head and slammed her massive horns through the Sabertooth Rock Golem''s shoulder and head. The shoulder shattered under the impact and knocked the limb away, which took Ren along with it and he lost his concentration for Serene State of Mind. The rock golem''s head had been turned to look at Princess, so one of her horns had hooked the same fracture that was across it''s face, and the head broke apart in a spray of dust. The Sabertooth Rock Golem''s body didn''t have anything to hold it together anymore, and it collapsed into it''s separate parts. * Clint and the other guys had sorted through all the mayhem and calmed everyone down, then Conner the Manager came out and threatened to fire everyone like he''d fired Janice. All the girls yelled and hollered at him and attacked. It took another few minutes to stop the ruckus, and the manager was grateful for their intervention. So much so that he told them they were only banned for a month for causing it all in the first place. The girls attacked Conner again and Clint and his party didn''t interfere or try to stop them this time. It was then that he received the popup that could possibly change his view of having Ren on his team.
Party Notice!
A party member (Ren) has been critically wounded. He has gained the condition: Bleeding Profusely. It must be rectified within 3 minutes or he will die.
Clint and the guys all had a small timer appear on their display and it had already started to count down. A minute later, they received popups for Take them Down, Opportunity Knocks, and Charge!. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Billy exclaimed. ¡°Clint! What''s going on? Where did those popups come from?¡± ¡°If''n ah had ta guess, considerin'' the firs'' popup and tha'' ya''ll are here, ah reckon it''s Ren tha''s acteevated ''em.¡± ¡°No way, man!¡± Tommy said. ¡°Ren didn''t have anything like that the last time we were in a fight!¡± ¡°Ah know.¡± Clint said. ¡°He''da used ''em if''n he had ''em then.¡± The other guys started to run for the door, and Clint yelled for them to stop. He knew they would never reach him in time, and told them to use their temporary Strength boost to sort out the situation they were in instead. The guys reluctantly agreed, and Clint crossed his arms to wait for the next popup... whatever it may be. * ¡°REN!¡± Teepo and Janice yelled at the same time, and went over to him. ¡°What do I do?¡± Janice asked him, in full panic mode. ¡°What do I do?!?¡± ¡°Pull... out... rock.¡± Ren said and stored his very damaged armor chest plate. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Janice said, because blood covered his chest and she couldn''t see where the rock pieces were. Ren stored his armor body suit and equipped it again to clean himself and clear off the blood. ¡°Minute... left...¡± Ren gasped. ¡°GOD!¡± Janice yelled and dug her fingers into his wounds. ¡°AGHH!¡± Ren yelled as she yanked out the first two claws. He couldn''t concentrate well enough to activate Serene State of Mind again, so he just suffered through it. Blood welled up again and Janice shook her head in disbelief as she plunged her hands into the next two wounds to grab two more claws. She pulled them out and he gasped. Ren started to find it hard to breathe as Janice searched for the last claw.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I can''t find it!¡± Janice said, and Ren stored his bodysuit and equipped it again to clear the blood once more, and she found the last wound a little below the others and off to the side. She dug her fingers in and grabbed the last piece. She yanked hard, and claws designed to tear through armor made mincemeat out of Ren''s flesh. ¡°Uhhh.¡± Ren sighed, then stopped breathing. Janice punched him in the chest right in the middle of the wounds, and blood spurted up into the air from 5 jagged holes. ¡°AGH!!¡± Ren yelled as he took another breath and stared at her. ¡°Don''t die on me!¡± Janice said. ¡°You have all my stuff!¡± Ren chuckled and pain lanced through his chest. ¡°Don''t... make me... laugh.¡± He took out a Major Healing wand and used it on himself to stop the Bleeding Profusely condition, with only a few seconds left to the timer.
Notice!
You have cured the condition: Bleeding Profusely.
Ren took several shallow breaths and looked at her. ¡°Thank... you.¡± ¡°What the hell happened?¡± Janice asked and looked at the pile of rocks. ¡°Where did a rock golem come from?¡± ¡°The... earth.¡± Ren said, and tried to lift his arm. With his Health nearly gone, he was having a bit of trouble holding the wand properly. Janice held his hand steady and turned the wand towards the wounds, and Ren used it again to clean and heal them. The wounds closed up and bits of dust and dirt popped out of them. ¡°That''s so weird looking.¡± Janice said, when she had watched the skin reform itself. Ren used the wand again to refill his Health, then he tried to stand up. He wobbled a little bit, then sat down with a thump. ¡°Geez, give yourself a minute to recover.¡± Janice said and sat back. She looked at her blood-covered hands and equipped a blouse and pair of pants to replace the tunic and skirt she wore, and it cleaned her up and got rid of the blood. She stared at her fingers, and looked back at the holes in Ren''s armor bodysuit. ¡°I''ve never done anything like that before.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said and stored the Major Healing wand and the rest of his armor. ¡°That was a first for me, too.¡± Princess trotted over to him and laid down beside him. She licked his face and slobbered over him. ¡°Thank you, Princess.¡± Ren said, then equipped his set of Travelling Clothes to clean the slobber off. ¡°You got here just in the nick of time.¡± You told me to stay away. Princess said, and he felt how angry she was. He wasn''t sure if it was because he told her not to fight, or because he almost died. ¡°I had to soften it up for you first.¡± Ren said, and she brayed at him. ¡°Hey, it worked didn''t it? We beat it.¡± Princess shook her head at him, then rested her chin on his lap. Ren chuckled and rubbed her neck, and he felt her start to forgive him. He also felt how exhausted she was after using her version of the Controlled Berserk Rage. ¡°You don''t have to do things like this all the time.¡± Teepo said and landed on his shoulder. ¡°I''m sticking by you no matter what from now on.¡± He said adamantly. ¡°No more rides without you along, no more high scout flights.¡± He said. ¡°I''m not letting you out of my sight ever again!¡± Even if you were here, it still would have appeared. Ren thought and pat Teepo. Then Princess would have come to my rescue too early and could have gotten seriously hurt... or even killed. ¡°I know.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She was so mad when I told her to stop at the edge of your Aura.¡± Ren smiled. So that''s why I didn''t feel her until she charged in at the last minute. ¡°If I''d been in the body you made for me, she''d have chewed me up and spit me out.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°That is, until I convinced her to stay close by just in case you needed help.¡± Thanks, buddy. Ren thought and looked at Princess. Thank you, too. You''re welcome, My Lord. Princess thought to him. * ¡°Well, that''s a relief.¡± Tommy said and sat down. They''d received the popup that Ren''s Bleeding Profusely condition had been cured. The guys had broken up the fight and had the girls on one side, and several male customers and the men that ran the bar, the kitchen, and management on the other. The manager Conner was fine, even after the beating he took; but, he stared daggers through the girls that had dared to lay their hands on him, and Clint was pretty sure he didn''t want to leave the girls anywhere near this place when he left. Connor stood up and straightened the suit he wore. ¡°I''d fire all of you for the way you''ve acted today, but I''d rather just-¡± ¡°They ahl quit.¡± Clint said and cut off Connor''s rant before it got started, and everyone looked at him. Clint uncrossed his arms and looked at the girls. ¡°They''ve been treated unfairly by ya''ll, an'' ya let men peep on ''em an'' made lots o'' money withou'' ''em knowin''.¡± He said and looked at Connor. ¡°Ah ain'' gonna ask wha'' else ya''ll have been doin'', ''cause ah don''t wanna know.¡± ¡°Now look here...¡± Conner started to say. ¡°Shut yer trap, ya weasel.¡± Clint said and looked at the girls. ¡°Ladies, ya''ll are welcome ta come an'' stay at mah ranch fer a few days, until ah can werk out what ta do witch ya''ll.¡± ¡°What about our jobs?¡± One of the girls said. ¡°We make a lot of gold here.¡± ¡°Ya''ll quit, remember?¡± Clint said and smiled. ¡°Besides, ya''ll need a break, righ''?¡± Several of the girls nodded, and Clint grinned. ¡°Then pack yer stuff up an'' let''s go.¡± Clint said. ¡°We should have jus'' enough time lef'' in tha day ta git settled back at mah place.¡± ¡°Now wait just a minute!¡± Conner said. ¡°You all can''t just leave!¡± ¡°Watch us!¡± One of the girls said and walked by him. ¡°I was getting tired of all the shit going on around here, anyways.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Another said and followed her. ¡°Hey! Me, too.¡± ¡°I''m going!¡± ¡°Ladies? Billy''s friend is right.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Let''s go.¡± All the girls left the main room and went into the employee only door to pack their things. * ¡°How do you feel?¡± Janice asked Ren after a few minutes of silence. ¡°Like a cat''s scratching post.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°I shouldn''t laugh!¡± Janice said, but kept laughing. ¡°That''s horrible.¡± Ren knew it was nervous laughter, but it was laughter just the same. ¡°Can you imagine the hairballs it coughs up? I mean boulders.¡± Janice snorted a laugh. ¡°Hey. What do you call a cat that gets anything that it wants?¡± Janice shook her head. ¡°Purr-suasive.¡± Janice laughed. ¡°Oh, that''s bad!¡± ¡°What happened when the cat ate a clown?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°It felt funny.¡± ¡°S-s-stop!¡± Janice said and kept laughing. ¡°Why was the cat afraid of the tree?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t wanna know!¡± Janice said and turned away. ¡°It was because of it''s bark!¡± Ren said and laughed. Janice shook her head and put a hand over her mouth. ¡°How do you know when a cat smells good?¡± Ren asked her, and she wouldn''t say anything. ¡°When it''s wearing purr-fume.¡± Janice gave a long snort of laughter and covered her ears. Ren put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked at him. ¡°Janice. What do you call a cat that can''t stop licking itself?¡± Janice opened her mouth to respond then shook her head. ¡°Purr-verted.¡± ¡°Bahahaha!¡± Janice laughed and laughed.
Notice!
Trouble Recipe ingredient: The Pink Pearl has been completed.
Ren blinked his eyes at the popup. What the...? He thought. He hadn''t done anything but fight the last little while, then he thought about it. Clint and the guys! He smiled and wondered what had happened. * Clint was glad that a couple of the girls had their own horses and one even had an old cart. With his cart and Izabeal to ride, they loaded everyone up into the different modes of transport and headed down the road away from the now closed Pink Pearl. ¡°Tommy, send Ren ah message.¡± Clint said. ¡°Let ''im know we''re goin'' back ta tha ranch.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Tommy said and opened the messaging system. ¡°Do you want me to ask about what happened to him?¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Ah''m shore he''ll tell us evenchually, bu'' it''s bettah ta ask.¡± * Ren received the message from Tommy, and looked at the remnants of the Sabertooth Rock Golem. He smiled and moved Princess'' head off of his lap, walked over to the pile of rocks, and looted it.
Notice!
You have defeated the rare creature, Sabertooth Rock Golem. It''s ferocity and toughness was almost too much for you to handle. If it wasn''t for your cunning and the last minute intervention by a teammate, you would not have survived. Rewards: 25,000 XP; 2,500 Fame Fame Bonus: +75% (100% - 25% from Slow and Steady) = 18,750 XP Loot gained: Lump of Meteor Ore (small), 3 platinum coins, Pet Rock, Rending Claws (Wondrous Item Recipe) Total XP: 43,750
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP. 2,500 Fame x 10 XP = 25,000 XP
Notice!
You have gained a level! You are now Level 73 and 10 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: Mana Shield (Skill), Widen Effect (Spell)
¡°Holy crap.¡± Ren said out loud. I wonder what the guys are gonna think about having me in their party now. * Clint got a Party Notice about Ren killing a Sabertooth Rock Golem, and it gained the party a copy of his XP award of 43,750 XP. It was divided up among Clint and the other members of the party; so, since there was 5 of them, not counting Ren, they each got 8,750 XP. If Clint hadn''t been an expert cart driver, he would have driven off the road at the appearance of the popup. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Billy exclaimed. ¡°What the hell did he kill?¡± ¡°Accordin'' to tha popup, somethin'' called a Sabertooth Rock Golem.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah ain'' nevah heard of it before.¡± ¡°I don''t think anyone has.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Ren said it''s a rare creature, and that he''ll meet up with us soon.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Ah hope he can explain wha'' happened.¡± ¡°He''d better explain!¡± Hank said. ¡°What was he thinking, stirring things up without us?¡± ¡°Ah don'' think he was thinkin'' at''all.¡± Clint chuckled. ¡°Not wit his brain, anyways.¡± The other guys laughed and Clint went back to concentrating on driving the cart, because his attempt to distract the others had worked. Ah shoulda gone an'' tried ta find ''im. Clint thought. Wha'' else is he gonna find? * Ren went over to Princess to see how she was. After a good meal mixed with a Health potion, Princess was all set to take Ren back home. He hooked the cart up to her, and helped Janice climb into the front passenger seat. He thought about putting her in the back, but then she''d be all alone for the ride and he didn''t know if she would like that. ¡°We''re a lot lighter Princess; but, try not to overdo it.¡± Ren said. Princess huffed and dug her hooves into the dirt. Please caste Haste on me, My Lord. She asked him. I will pass the nag before she gets to that damnable ranch! ¡°You better hold on tightly.¡± Ren said to Janice and took out a Level 5 wand with Haste charges. ¡°She can go twice as fast with this spell.¡± ¡°For how long?¡± Janice asked and wrapped one hand around the available handhold, and the other around Ren''s arm. ¡°Normally, it''s only 5 minutes.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°This is a Master Level wand, though. It lasts for 20 minutes.¡± ¡°Oh, god!¡± Janice exclaimed as Ren cast it on Princess. Her golden armor glowed for a moment, and Ren felt her joy at his indulging her pettiness over Clint''s mount, Izabeal. Princess waited for only a moment more, then she ran for all she was worth. Chapter 333 - A Brief Break It had been about 10 minutes since Ren had messaged Tommy about meeting them at the ranch, when they heard something coming up behind them. ¡°...aaaaaaaAAAAAHHHHHHHHhhhhhh...¡± Janice screamed as Princess, Ren, her, and the cart passed by Clint''s impromptu caravan, and everyone stared at them. ¡°That wasn''t...¡± ¡°It couldn''t be...¡± ¡°No way, man!¡± Tommy exclaimed. ¡°How the hell can they go that fast?¡± ¡°Ah don'' rightly know.¡± Clint said, and only a moment later, could no longer spot Ren or the cart. ¡°Tha'' shore is somethin''.¡± * ¡°Breathe, Janice!¡± Ren said. Janice stopped screaming and took several deep breaths, then screamed again. Ren laughed and used a hand to brace her more securely. She accepted this gratefully and calmed down a little bit. She wanted so badly to close her eyes and wait until it was over, but she knew it would feel much worse if she did that. ¡°It''s not so bad once you get used to it.¡± Ren told her, and she stared daggers at him. ¡°It''s true! Honest!¡± ¡°Did you have to get used to it?¡± Janice asked. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I love it!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter and Princess let her amusement out as well and brayed in agreement. ¡°You''re crazy!¡± Janice said and tried to look at the road and not look at the road at the same time. It was going by so fast that if she stared at it too long, she would start to get dizzy. ¡°We''re almost there.¡± Ren said. ¡°Almost where?¡± ¡°Clint''s Ranch.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll drop you off, feed Princess, and take the cart back to Clint and ease his load a little.¡± ¡°You''re gonna subject the other girls to this... this...¡± ¡°...action-packed thrill ride?¡± Ren asked and laughed at her scowl. ¡°I''ll ask them first if they want to go full out.¡± ¡°You should have asked me!¡± Janice exclaimed and Ren gave her a one arm hug. ¡°Princess got first choice this time.¡± Ren said. ¡°When she''s satisfied that she''s beaten any and all records for Izabeal doing this run, she''ll be a bit more agreeable about slowing down.¡± Ha! Princess thought in amusement, and Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°A little, anyways.¡± All right. Princess slowed down slightly, and Janice''s grip on Ren eased a little. Princess came to a stop a few minutes later at Clint''s Ranch, and Ren helped Janice climb down. When her feet hit the ground, she fell to her knees and pretended to kiss the dirt over and over. ¡°Solid ground! I''m so glad to feel you again!¡± Janice said, reverently. Ren laughed at her reaction, and took out some food to let Princess eat. Her Stamina bar refilled while she rested, and Janice stood up and looked around. ¡°This looks like a nice place.¡± Janice commented, and Ren nodded. ¡°I think he runs his mount business out of here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Mount business?¡± Janice asked. ¡°He captures various creatures and tries to train them to be mounts, then sells them to people that want them.¡± ¡°So, anyone can have a mount?¡± Janice asked, and Ren shrugged. ¡°As far as I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not sure what prerequisites it has for other people.¡± ¡°Other people?¡± Janice asked. ¡°What were yours?¡± ¡°Cart Handling, since it included handling mounts.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least I assume so, anyways.¡± ¡°Can''t you just check your help guide?¡± ¡°I don''t have one.¡± Ren said, and Janice looked at him. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I won a contest and received a one-of-a-kind special class. There''s no help guide, besides the very generic one my girlfriend gave me.¡± ¡°That kind of sucks.¡± Janice said and then chuckled. ¡°I meant not having a help guide for your class, not that your girlfriend helped you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I knew what you meant.¡± He said. ¡°Princess? Ready to go?¡± At your command, My Lord. Princess thought and stood up straight. Ren looked at Janice, and walked to the side of Clint''s driveway and took out Janice''s house from his inventory and gently put it on the ground. Janice stared at him as he climbed into the driver''s seat of Princess'' cart. ¡°There''s no need for me to haul that back and forth several times.¡± Ren said and Princess turned the cart around to face the other way. ¡°Plus, now we can go faster.¡± He said and took out the Haste wand and used it. Teepo chittered in delight as Princess took off at an even faster pace without the extra weight, and Janice shook her head at them. * ¡°Ah wonder if''n he''ll wait fer us at tha... nope.¡± Clint chuckled as he spotted Princess coming down the road towards them. She flew past them at breakneck speed, slowed down and turned around when the opportunity arose, and she went back to the caravan at a moderate pace. * ¡°Hi, Clint.¡± Ren said and grinned at his friend. ¡°The Princess Express is ready for loading.¡± Clint snorted a laugh. ¡°Ah don'' think...¡± ¡°I''ll go!¡± One of the girls said and raised a hand. ¡°Me, too.¡± Another one said. ¡°It looks like fun.¡± The caravan came to a stop so the girls could transfer over into Princess'' cart. Ren helped them climb in and told them to hold on. Three of them wanted to get in the back, and surprisingly, another one wanted to ride up front with Ren. It was the one who wanted him to order her around back in the strip club''s dressing room, and he helped her climb into the passenger seat. ¡°Is there any goods or things you want me to take, too?¡± Ren asked. Clint shook his head. ¡°Okay, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you at the ranch in about an hour or so.¡± Clint nodded and Ren climbed into the driver''s seat of Princess'' cart. ¡°Hold on tightly.¡± Ren said to the girls in the cart, and the one that sat next to him got a death grip on his arm. ¡°Okay, Princess.¡± He said, and Princess started to trot, then galloped, then ran full out. * ¡°Ah''m seein'' it, bu'' ah still don'' believe it.¡± Clint said as the cart with it''s extra passengers disappeared from view again. ¡°I can''t believe it, either!¡± Tommy said. ¡°Look at them go.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I need to learn how to use a mount.¡± ¡°Ah''ve been tryin'' ta git ya ta take it seriously fer months...¡± Clint sighed. ¡°...an'' ahl it took was fer ya ta see a fas'' mount?¡± ¡°I still don''t want to do the work, man!¡± Tommy grinned at him, and Clint laughed. *Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Ren and Princess arrived back at the ranch 10 minutes later, just as the Haste spell wore off. Princess clomped to a stop in Clint''s driveway, and Ren helped the girl on his arm climb down from the cart. He helped the three in the back to climb down as well, unhooked the cart to store it, then gave Princess another helping of food. ¡°Janice!¡± One of the girls said when she saw Janice standing by an old shack. ¡°You''re alive!¡± She said and laughed. ¡°Ha ha.¡± Janice said. ¡°You sounded like you were screaming bloody murder.¡± One of the other girls said. ¡°The look on your face was priceless!¡± ¡°It''s not my fault high speed is scary!¡± Janice said to defend herself. ¡°Scary can be good for you sometimes.¡± The one who liked to be ordered around said. ¡°As long as it''s the good scary, and not the bad scary.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± One of them said. ¡°That ride was a thrill!¡± Ren walked around the group of women and selected Janice''s house and stored it. ¡°Ahhh!¡± One of the women screamed and pointed at Ren. ¡°How did you do that?!?¡± Ren wiggled his fingers at her. ¡°I can do MAGIC!¡± He said and the other girls laughed. ¡°I just stored it into inventory.¡± He told them. ¡°No biggie.¡± ¡°It was a house! You stored a HOUSE into inventory!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°It was only two rooms, though.¡± Ren said and grinned, and the others laughed again. ¡°So, what can we do while we wait for the others to get here?¡± One of them asked. ¡°I have a few ideas.¡± The one who liked being ordered around said, and stared at Ren. ¡°What about going for a swim?¡± Ren asked her, and she looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°We''re in the middle of a prairie!¡± She said and put her hands on her hips. ¡°There''s not a lick of water around here for at least a hundred miles!¡± Ren took out his Staff of Earth and grinned. ¡°Give me a few minutes.¡± * Clint and the caravan arrived back at his ranch about an hour later, a little worse for the wear, and they were all glad to finally stop and unload. It had been a bit of a hard go, considering the improvisation of their transports, but it wasn''t as bad as it could have been if Ren hadn''t taken those 4 girls with him. When the caravan came to a stop, they could hear hysterical laughter from a nearby field. Surprisingly, it was out of sight, despite Clint knowing there wasn''t supposed to be hills of any kind around here. ¡°Wha'' the hell is goin'' on ovah there?¡± Clint asked. ¡°I''ll go check.¡± Tommy said and hopped down off of the cart. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Clint nodded and got down, then started to help the passengers get to solid ground. Tommy came back a minute later with shock on his face. ¡°Wha'' is it, Tommy?¡± Clint asked. ¡°You gotta see this, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°I don''t believe it. I have to know if it''s actually real.¡± ¡°Let''s all go.¡± Hank said. ¡°Whatever it is, it sounds like fun!¡± The 5 men and 8 women walked over to the gently sloping hill and walked up it. When they got to the top, they all froze at the sight. Before them was an Olympic-sized swimming pool. There was a shallow and a deep end, two planks for diving boards spaced far enough apart that they didn''t interfere with each other, and 6 lounge chairs. The 5 women wore bikinis, and were sitting on the edge of the pool with their feet in the water. * Ren came to the surface of the water with a flourish, and hopped out onto the side of the pool. ¡°Okay! Watch this!¡± He said and ran over to one of the diving boards. ¡°Oh, this is gonna be good!¡± Janice said and watched intently. Ren took two steps and jumped off the diving board high into the air. ¡°Cannonball!¡± Ren said, slipped the ring of Water Walking back onto his Hand of Glory necklace, and gripped his knees. ¡°He''s gonna soak us!¡± One of the women exclaimed and braced for the onrush of water. Ren''s butt hit the surface of the water, and rather than going into the water and splashing everyone, he bounced and let his knees go, flipped over, and landed face first on the water and slid several feet. Everything was quiet for several seconds, and then Janice lost it. She laughed and laughed, and then the other girls joined her. Hank couldn''t keep it in either, and he guffawed loudly, and was quickly followed by the other women. ¡°Wha'' tha hell?!?¡± Clint exclaimed, and Ren looked up at him. ¡°Hey, Clint!¡± Ren said as he stood up on the water and waved. ¡°I hope it''s okay that I used one of your inactive fields.¡± The girls there waved enthusiastically at the other girls beside Clint and the men, and they didn''t need any other invitation than that. The girls ran down to the pool''s edge and started talking animatedly about what was going on. Ren walked over to the side of the pool and onto solid ground. ¡°Ren! That was hilarious!¡± Janice said as she came over to him. ¡°How did you do that?!?¡± ¡°Ring of Water Walking.¡± Ren said. ¡°It lets me treat water like solid ground.¡± ¡°Oh, I want one of those!¡± One of the girls said. ¡°They''re for sale at my shop.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re life preservers.¡± ¡°Really?¡± She asked. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Like this.¡± Ren said, took the ring off his necklace, and jumped into the water. They watched him slip the ring back onto the necklace, and he shot up to the surface of the water without making any kind of splash. ¡°Wow!¡± The girl said. ¡°That''s so cool!¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Ren!¡± Clint said, and Ren looked at him. ¡°Where did all this come from?¡± ¡°I made it, of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°You should have seen it!¡± Janice said. ¡°He used this funky staff and waved it around, and the whole field just folded up and moved out of the way to make a pit!¡± ¡°I used the displaced dirt to make hills around the pool to stop anyone from seeing us.¡± Ren said. ¡°The pool isn''t lined like it should be, though.¡± ¡°Oh, don''t worry about that.¡± Janice said. ¡°Unless one of us decides pulling the rock out of the sides is a good idea.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I was surprised at the sheer amount of large rocks; but, then figured, ''hey, I can use those to shore up the sides!''.¡± He grinned. ¡°It worked like a charm.¡± ¡°We''ve been having fun for over half an hour!¡± One of the other girls said. ¡°Half an hour?¡± Billy asked. ¡°It only took ten minutes to make the pool; but, I didn''t want the girls to have to swim around in their underwear, so I made them bathing suits.¡± ¡°We just told him what we wanted and he made them right away!¡± Another girl said, and turned around to show off the bikini. ¡°If you can believe it, this thing has a higher Durability than my leather armor!¡± ¡°No way!¡± Tommy said. ¡°How?¡± ¡°It''s a special cloth I discovered how to make a long time ago.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, getting the main ingredient is a pain in the ass.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Dillon said and smiled. He had identified the Spider Silk Cloth and knew what the main ingredient was. ¡°Can you make us some?¡± Jennifer asked. ¡°I want to have fun in the pool, too!¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± ¡°I want to play!¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°All right, all right! Just a second.¡± Ren said and took out a table from inventory and put his portable sewing kit on it. The girls swarmed the table and bombarded him with requests and he laughed as he made Jennifer what she wanted. It only took a couple of minutes, and she equipped it and sighed. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Jennifer said and ran her hands over the fabric that cupped the underside of her breasts nicely. It had thin straps over the shoulders, and thin straps down the sides attached to the high cut bikini bottoms. It was a one piece but looked like a bikini. ¡°It''s so soft and supple!¡± ¡°So is what it''s touching.¡± Ren said and smiled at her, and she laughed. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jennifer said and kissed his cheek. Ren''s face flushed a little red, and she smiled sweetly at him and touched the spot she''d kissed. She left the group of girls and Billy whistled at her. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Billy said. ¡°Jennifer! You''re super-sexy!¡± ¡°Don''t I know it!¡± Jennifer said. She walked over to him and swayed her hips so much, that it should have been illegal. Billy glanced at the other guys and saw them stare at her, and he smacked each of them on the shoulder and head. ¡°Back! Back, you swine! She''s mine!¡± Billy said as he continued his assault, and the guys and Jennifer laughed. Ren made the rest of the women bathing suits. Some of them kissed his cheek like Jennifer did, and others merely thanked him and pat his shoulder. The last one stared at him as he made her favorite bathing suit. It was one that she never could have afforded in real life, but had always wanted. ¡°I hope you''re not expecting me to kiss you like the others.¡± She said, with a little meanness in her voice. ¡°I don''t expect you to even say thank you.¡± Ren said, and smiled at her. ¡°Excuse me?¡± She looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I''m doing this because I want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not doing it for people to thank me.¡± He said. ¡°They can thank me if they want to, but I don''t expect it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I learned the hard way that if you do something for someone and expect to be thanked for it, then you didn''t do it for the right reasons.¡± Ren said, then smiled sadly as he remembered his last day in the dwarf lands, and how it had ended. He finished the suit and handed it to her, and she reached out and took his hand instead. He looked at her, and he could see a very similar sad smile on her face, too. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, took the suit with her other hand, and equipped it. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Ren stepped close and looked up at her. ¡°You are very welcome.¡± He said and beamed a smile at her, and her sad smile changed into a real one. ¡°Now go and show the others what kind of beast you are in the water.¡± She snorted a laugh and walked over to the other girls, as the impromptu pool party was getting into full swing. ¡°Can you make us swim trunks?¡± Hank asked as he stared at his favorite dancer. ¡°I have got to get in the water with her.¡± Ren chuckled and handed him a pair of swim trunks. ¡°Go have fun.¡± ¡°You''re the best!¡± Hank said, equipped the swim trunks, and ran over to the girls. He scooped up the one he wanted and jumped into the pool. Everyone laughed, and Ren handed the other guys swim trunks; then Tommy, Dillon and Billy jumped in as well. ¡°Didja plan this?¡± Clint asked as he equipped the pair of trunks Ren had given him. ¡°No, it was just a spur of the moment thing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let me know if you want the pool removed when I come back next week.¡± Clint listened to the laughter and carrying on, looked over at the pool and looked back. He shook his head and smiled. ¡°Ah think ah''ll be keepin'' it fer tha foreseeable future.¡± Ren nodded, stored his portable sewing kit and table, then equipped his Travelling Clothes. ¡°I better get going.¡± He said and turned to walk away. ¡°Ren.¡± Ren stopped walking and looked back at Clint. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Wha'' happened ou'' there?¡± Ren opened his mouth to say, then looked at Janice. ¡°Ask Janice. She saw it all.¡± ¡°Ah''m askin'' you.¡± Clint said. Ren sighed. ¡°I was being stupid.¡± He said, and started to explain what had happened. Clint''s eyes widened more and more as Ren told him the story, and by the end, Clint didn''t know what to say. ¡°If you want me to resign for being so reckless, just say so.¡± Ren said. Clint let a smile spread across his face and put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°We''re tha Reckless Rough Riders, Ren.¡± He said and squeezed his shoulder. ¡°Yer gonna fit righ'' in.¡± Ren smiled and nodded. ¡°Wan'' me ta tell ya about wha'' happened at tha Pink Pearl?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Just from having all the girls with you, I know you shut the place down.¡± Clint laughed. ¡°It wasn'' tha easy.¡± ¡°You can message me with the details, or fill me in next week.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really do have to go.¡± ¡°Good luck wit whatevah yer doin''.¡± Clint said. You mean whoever. Ren thought and chuckled. ¡°Bye, Clint.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Ren started to walk up the hill, then stopped when he heard a shout. ¡°REN!¡± Janice yelled and ran over to him. ¡°You''re not abandoning me, are you?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just thought you''d want to stay here with your friends.¡± ¡°When will you be back?¡± ¡°Clint said the next quest isn''t until next week game-time.¡± ¡°Then I''m coming with you.¡± Janice said. ¡°I''m letting Princess go all out.¡± Ren cautioned her. ¡°You know what that means.¡± ¡°I had a thought about that.¡± Janice said, and smiled. Chapter 334 - Settling Things Janice''s idea had been to strap herself to Ren''s back and ride on Princess behind him. Ren had considered it a crazy idea at first, then he laughed and asked Princess about it. I won''t have the extra weight or off-center balance of the cart to haul. Princess thought to him. I will try it. They got situated and sat on Princess'' back, and Ren took out the wand and cast Haste on her. Princess, invigorated by the spell and the loss of the cart''s drag, took off at her best speed without any warm-up whatsoever. Ren had expected Janice to scream in his ear, and when she didn''t, he glanced over his shoulder at her. ¡°This isn''t so bad.¡± Janice said through squinted eyes. ¡°I''m not being shaken nearly as much as I was on the cart.¡± Ren smiled and handed her a gold helm. She looked at it and then at him. ¡°What''s this?¡± ¡°Helm of the Eagle.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''ll block the wind from your eyes and give you the Spot ability.¡± ¡°You''re giving this to me?¡± Janice asked, surprised. She could see the golden eagle head on the top, with the wings wrapped down and around the eye holes. The back of the eagle was the top of the helm and the tail stuck out the back and flared out wide. ¡°I''m loaning it to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... when I equip it, it resizes for me.¡± ¡°I''ll just remake it when you give it back.¡± ¡°Why waste the time doing that?¡± Janice asked. ¡°I can take a little wind.¡± ¡°Just put it on.¡± Ren said, and Janice equipped it. ¡°Wow.¡± Janice said when she got the popup for it.
Helm of the Eagle
This helm has been imbued with the essence of an eagle. The wearer gains the Spot (Intermediate), Perception (Intermediate), and Track (Intermediate) skills. If the wearer already has these skills, they bump to the next available stage instead. Blocks all things that could impede the eyes or stop the wearer from seeing within it''s scope of view of 90 degrees (45 degrees from center and to the right, 45 degrees from the center to the left). Wind, dirt, dust, fog, rain, etc. cannot enter the helm. Please note: It cannot be used to max out a skill and is limited to boosting up to Expert only.
Of course, Janice had to test it and looked over Ren''s shoulder at the road. No wind hit her face and she laughed. ¡°It works!¡± Janice said, and then a few moments later spoke again. ¡°Ow!¡± Ren looked over his shoulder at her, and she held a hand over one of the eye holes. He laughed and she smacked him. ¡°It''s not funny!¡± ¡°Yes it is!¡± Ren said and laughed harder. ¡°You didn''t have to test it with your finger!¡± ¡°How did you know I did that?!?¡± ¡°Because that''s what I did the first time I wore it.¡± Ren said, and Janice had to admit that it would be funny... if it was someone else. ¡°I''m going to try something funky.¡± Ren said and pat Princess, then took out a Level 5 wand and replaced the Web charges with the Giant Strength spell. ¡°Wait!¡± Janice said. ¡°This isn''t going to hurt her, is it?¡± ¡°No, but thank you for your concern.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s just going to get the same boost as she did during the fight.¡± Princess let Ren feel how much she would enjoy that, and he cast it on her. Princess glowed and her speed increased by another 50%. ¡°OH MY GOD!¡± Janice yelled and wrapped her arms around Ren to hold on for dear life, even though she was securely strapped to him. Ren and Teepo laughed as Princess tore up the road with her hooves. They made it back to Aurora in less than 20 minutes, even with having to avoid traffic on the road. Ren had Princess slow down before they came to the North Gate, and he felt her disappointment. ¡°Don''t worry, Princess. You''ll get a week of rest, then we''re going back out to Clint''s Ranch for a quest.¡± Princess let the thought she might get to fight again fill her up with pride and strutted in through the North Gate with her head held high. ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Some one said, and Ren looked at them. He waved and they waved back enthusiastically. Several more people waved to him and he nodded to them. A group of women stood on the side of the street, and one of them blew him a kiss. He pretended to catch it, and pressed it to his cheek, then her and her friends laughed. ¡°Yo, Ren! Want to buy a keg of ale?¡± A man asked from a small stall that looked like it was hastily constructed. ¡°That depends.¡± Ren said as his Haggle skill activated and Princess stopped. ¡°What''s in it?¡± ¡°I can''t reveal my secrets!¡± The man said and laughed. ¡°All I can say is that it''ll grow hair on your chest!¡± Ren chuckled, because he knew that wasn''t possible; but, the man laughed because that was the response he had expected. ¡°How much?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Only 6 gold!¡± ¡°SIX GOLD?!?¡± Janice yelled, then put a hand over her mouth. That will definitely help in this negotiation. Ren pat her hand to thank her. ¡°My lady friend thinks that''s a little too much.¡± The man laughed, and nodded. ¡°It''s just the opening gambit, my lady.¡± He said, then he and Ren exchanged both insults and compliments, then settled on 3 gold and 20 silver, and Ren gave him 4 gold instead. ¡°Thank you, my lord!¡± The man said and handed Ren a keg to store into inventory. ¡°If this is any good, I might be back for more.¡± Ren said, and the man grinned. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow, then!¡± The man said confidently. Ren waved goodbye and Princess took them down the street. Everyone that they passed acknowledged Ren in some way. Some waved, some nodded, others did the same as the other woman and blew kisses, and one woman hollered his name and flashed him her chest. She wore one of the skimpiest bras he sold in the store, and he thanked her for letting him see such a wonderful sight. He gave her as regal of a bow as he could while sitting in a saddle, and she put both of her hands on the cheeks of her face and gasped. Her face flushed a deep red, and she didn''t know what to say in response. I never expected him to thank me! She thought, quite embarrassed. And so gallantly! ¡°I must go.¡± Ren said and waved to her, and she waved back several times in quick succession. He smiled as Princess moved off down the street. Ren felt his Aura merge with his personal maid''s shared Aura, and he felt how surprised and delighted they were that he was back. Princess stopped in front of the business, and he knew the maids were coming out to see him. ¡°Well, that was entertaining.¡± Janice said. ¡°Is it like that every time you come here?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Ren said. ¡°I usually leave before morning, and come back late at night.¡± He said, and undid the straps that held Janice to him. ¡°This is the first time I''ve gone through and people have been in the street.¡± He climbed off of Princess''s back. ¡°Now that I''m back for good, that is.¡± Janice climbed down with Ren''s help, and gave him back the Helm of the Eagle he had let her borrow. They heard a loud clambering sound as the door to the shop flew open and his personal maids surrounded him instantly. ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Andrela said, and he felt her expectation. He looked at all the maids, and he felt they all expected something. Ren smiled at them, and kissed Andrela on the lips. She sighed into his mouth, and he broke the kiss. She still had her eyes closed, so Ren stroked her face gently, then turned and kissed Frikara next. He kissed Verwynn, Lusinia, and Navruth; then looked around. ¡°Where''s Railyse?¡± ¡°In the tub.¡± Frikara said. ¡°She''s been in it all day.¡± ¡°She''s curled up on her side so she could get her head under the water, too.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°It doesn''t look comfortable at all.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He said and ran away from them and down the street. * ¡°I wonder where he''s going?¡± Janice asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Frikara said. She crossed her arms and looked at Janice from head to foot. The other maids crossed their arms as well. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Just a friend.¡± Janice said. She had just ridden over strapped to Ren back, and figured they wouldn''t believe her. To her surprise, the maids uncrossed their arms and smiled warmly at her. ¡°I''m Frikara.¡± Frikara said. ¡°That''s Andrela, Verwynn, Navruth, and Lusinia.¡± She held a hand out for Janice to shake. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± * Ren arrived at the house he''d bought, and saw someone as they stood in front of it. ¡°Jen?¡± ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Jen said. ¡°I was just admiring another good job just completed.¡± Ren looked at it with her, and got the plans for an over-sized 2 storey modified house. ¡°It''s definitely something to be proud of.¡± He said, and she looked at him and held out a hand. He shook it, and a key appeared around his neck to join the others. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and she waved his thanks away. ¡°Can you wait here for a few minutes?¡± He asked her, and she nodded. Ren went inside to check the pool, and saw that it was already filled. He took off the Ring of Water Walking and jumped in, and set steel squares enchanted with Water and Air into chosen spots to create currents and whirlpools, undertows and waves, and put the Ring of Water Walking back on and popped back out of the water. He added steel squares on the sides to stop any spilling, and added more to the floor and walls. Satisfied it was the best it could be, he went back outside. ¡°Before you ask me about it; yes, it was fun doing something like this.¡± Jen said and grinned at him, and he laughed.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Do you want to have more fun?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I''ve had 2 extra crews prepping for when you finally decided you wanted to start on your ''town from the ground up'' project.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said. ¡°How many prefab houses do you have ready?¡± ¡°Only 50.¡± Jen said. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Ren laughed, picked her up, and flung her around in a circle. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± ¡°R-Ren!¡± Jen exclaimed, and he stopped. ¡°Sorry!¡± Ren said and put her down. ¡°Get the crews together and we''ll take a caravan out to my county!¡± He said excitedly and took out several handfuls of platinum coins. ¡°Let me know tomorrow how much more you need!¡± ¡°R-Ren!¡± Jen said as she caught the money he practically threw at her, and looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°What? Oh, right!¡± Ren took out the step stool, walked up it, then gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Thank you for all your hard work. I''ll see you tomorrow after breakfast.¡± He said, climbed down and stored the step stool, then ran down the street. Jen stood there in shock, with the feeling of Ren''s lips on her cheek, and two handfuls of platinum coins that she was too surprised to count. Ren ran back to the business and met the maids and Janice in front of the shop. ¡°Janice, this is-¡± ¡°We''ve been introduced already.¡± Janice said and interrupted him. ¡°I assume we''re going inside?¡± ¡°Only for a minute.¡± Ren said, and opened the business front door for the women. They walked by and Ren looked at Princess. ¡°I''ll be right back, and I''ll take you to your new place.¡± My new place? Princess asked, perplexed. ¡°You''ll see.¡± Ren said and went into the shop. ¡°Good god!¡± Janice said as she looked around at everything that Ren had in the store. ¡°It has everything!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Everything that the general store doesn''t carry.¡± He said. ¡°Some items are the same, but those are mostly for display. No one orders them.¡± ¡°It''s true.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Customers usually only buy specialty items here.¡± She smiled. ¡°Everything is custom-made.¡± Janice looked at Ren. ¡°You made everything in here?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tee-one does the orders now, though.¡± ¡°He''s your Dedicated Servant Crafter.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Of course he''s going to help!¡± ¡°He''s been almost as much of a godsend as you.¡± Ren said to her. Anabelle blushed, and took a deep breath. ¡°She''s another one of your waiting women?¡± Janice asked, and glanced at the maids. ¡°I am Ren''s.¡± Anabelle said and looked longingly at him. ¡°As much as he''ll allow me to be.¡± ¡°Oh, my.¡± Janice said under her breath. ¡°I have to go upstairs to get Railyse.¡± Ren said and walked over to the back door. ¡°Then I''ll take the maids, her, and Janice over to the house.¡± ¡°The house?¡± The maids asked. ¡°You''ll see.¡± Ren said, then went through the back door and ran up the stairs. He went into the apartment and into the bathroom, and looked in the tub. Railyse was curled up on the bottom of it, and looked to be asleep. Ren knew she wasn''t really asleep, only in a state of semi-awareness. It was the same as when deep sea creatures lie in wait for prey to come along. He very slowly put his hand into the water, and he felt her twitch. Ren gently touched her shoulder, and her eyes flew open. She whipped her head around, opened her mouth to reveal several sets of piranha-like teeth, and clamped it onto his skin. A moment later, her eyes flew open and she stared at him through the rippling water. The water started to recede, and in only a few moments, her body had absorbed it all and left her at the bottom of an empty tub. Railyse sucked on his hand for another few moments, then opened her mouth to let Ren go. Blood seeped out of the wound and out the side of her mouth. She licked it off her lips, then licked the wound on his hand. ¡°I can''t believe you let me do that.¡± Railyse said as the wound in his hand closed over. ¡°You''re an amazing man.¡± Ren smiled at her, and used the hand to help her stand up. ¡°It''s a small price to pay to spend time with you.¡± Railyse sighed and stepped out of the tub. ¡°You don''t have to use the formal greeting between intimate partners.¡± ¡°I said I''d play the part.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I''d been in your bed like a real partner, you''d have fed already.¡± Railyse nodded. ¡°I don''t like using you like this, though.¡± ¡°That''s why I''m doing it.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you were all high and mighty about it, and thought you were entitled, I wouldn''t let you touch me at all... after the first few times.¡± Railyse laughed and hugged him. ¡°You''re too good.¡± She said and let him go. ¡°Is it ready?¡± ¡°Is what ready?¡± Ren asked her, and she shook her head. ¡°Do you really think I wouldn''t feel tons of water being moved close by?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yes, it''s ready.¡± ¡°Then take me to my new abode.¡± Railyse said and held a hand out for him to take. Ren took it and led her over to the apartment door. ¡°Riley? Stacy? Let''s go.¡± Ren took them down the stairs to the landing. ¡°Ruck? Slight change of plans.¡± Ren said and Ruck crawled over to him, pat the top of his head, and went out the back door. Ren chuckled as the door shut, and went down the next flight of stairs and out into the shop to the waiting maids. ¡°AAAHHHH!¡± Janice hollered and pointed at Railyse, and completely ignored the two large black metal dogs. ¡°WHAT the HELL is THAT?!?¡± Ren sighed at her reaction. ¡°This is Railyse, not a ''that''. She''s the Sea Dweller''s Ambassador to the Land Dwellers.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Railyse said. ¡°IT CAN TALK?!?¡± Janice yelled. Ren sighed again. ¡°Look, if you''re going to keep yelling, can you wait until we''re out of earshot?¡± He asked her. ¡°My ears can only take so much.¡± Janice clamped her mouth shut and glared at him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, if you''ll all follow me? The house is ready.¡± ¡°We know.¡± The maids said and pointed to the keys around their necks. ¡°Anabelle told us what these meant.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Then let''s go.¡± Ren led them out of the shop, grabbed Princess'' reins, and took them all down the street. They went over to the Housing District and to the lot in the middle. Ruck was already standing on the roof. He waved at Ren and went inside through the large door to his own space. ¡°It''s huge!¡± Janice exclaimed before anyone else could. ¡°It has to hold a lot of people.¡± Ren said and opened the front door, then went inside. The people went in first, followed by Princess and the two dogs. ¡°This is Railyse''s place.¡± He said and opened the door to what was once the living room. ¡°It''s perfect!¡± Railyse said as she let his arm go and jumped into the water. She disappeared for only a moment, then jumped back out of the water. ¡°Thank you!¡± She exclaimed and kissed him. Ren got another popup saying he was blessed and had bonuses to water-based things, and Railyse jumped back into the water. ¡°I can''t believe you let that thing kiss you.¡± Janice said and shivered. ¡°I saw her teeth.¡± ¡°You''d really be freaking out if you saw what else we do.¡± Ren said, and Janice stared at him. The maids laughed because they knew the truth, that Ren and Railyse weren''t an item like that; but, they didn''t enlighten Janice about it. ¡°Small kitchen and dining room.¡± Ren pointed and continued the tour. ¡°Princess? Here''s your place.¡± He said when they went into the room behind the kitchen. It was a good size, and had some room to move around, and Ren took out her crate and the soft mattress it had inside. Thank you, My Lord. Princess thought to him, entered the crate, and plopped down on the mattress. It is suitable. Riley and Stacy went in and laid down beside the mattress, and Ren nodded to them. He walked back to the front of the house and the stairs there. He led the women upstairs and to the first room. It was as big as the living room below it, and already had a giant-sized bed in it. ¡°This is the main bedroom.¡± Ren said, then unloaded the cabinets and dressers for the maids. ¡°This is where both I and my maids will be sleeping.¡± Frikara walked over and sat down on the bed. ¡°I think it''s big enough for us.¡± ¡°We''ll find that out later.¡± Ren smiled as he took off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and folded it up on one of the nightstands and set out the potion for the tarantula to drink. ¡°You should get yourselves settled. I''ll show Janice to the guest room, and then I''ve got a date with Anabelle to get to.¡± ¡°Have fun!¡± Lusinia said and went to her cabinet. ¡°Now, what should I wear to bed tonight?¡± She asked her fellow maids and held out several pairs of panties. ¡°Oh, go with the red.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I''m wearing blue.¡± ¡°Green.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°Yellow.¡± Navruth said. The maids looked an Andrela, and she blushed a little. ¡°Gold.¡± ¡°Oho!¡± Frikara said and stood up to hug her. ¡°You little show-off!¡± ¡°I''m... I''m not!¡± Andrela said, and they all laughed at her slight embarrassment. Ren left them to their gentle teasing, because they could all feel it was in good fun, and took Janice down the hall. ¡°Here''s the guest room.¡± Ren said and opened the door to a completely empty room. Janice looked inside and gasped. ¡°It''s bigger than my whole house!¡± ¡°Let''s see if that''s true.¡± Ren said and took it out of inventory and put it in the space. It just barely fit, and he smiled. ¡°Hey, you were right. It is bigger than your place.¡± ¡°REN!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°My house is not a toy to play with!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Sorry.¡± He said and reached out to store it, then looked at her. ¡°Actually, since it does fit... just put your bed and things back inside and stay there.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You won''t feel so out of place if you can sleep in your own bed in your own house.¡± Ren said. ¡°How do you know that''s how I''m feeling?¡± ¡°Anyone would feel out of place going somewhere new and planning to stay. You''re trying to make a new life for yourself; but not tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°Get some rest, and I''ll see you in a couple of game days.¡± ¡°But... what about...¡± Janice started to ask. ¡°Here''s 15 gold coins.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll expect my first glassworking lesson the afternoon you come back.¡± ¡°That''s the temporary job you have for me?¡± Janice asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°I... kind of expected a job in your store or something.¡± ¡°I''ve got 4 women working for me there already.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought I''d put your skills to much better use than that.¡± Janice took a deep breath and nodded. He''s going to let me use my skills! ¡°Check your spawn point and see if it''s still valid.¡± Ren said, and Janice went into her house and checked it. ¡°It is!¡± Janice said. ¡°I don''t know how, though.¡± ¡°Probably because I haven''t set one for the house yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Ren left the room, went down the stairs and out the front door, then ran down the street and around the corner to Nathalia''s restaurant. He left the shared Aura and the feelings the maids had faded from his perception. It looked like supper was just getting started with the crowd he could see gathered to wait; so he looked at his Sending Ring and thought of her. ¡°Nathalia?¡± Ren whispered. ¡°REN!¡± Nathalia yelled, and he chuckled. ¡°You''re close enough to shore already for the rings to work?¡± ¡°You could say that.¡± Ren said. ¡°If by ''close to the shore'' you mean ''just outside the restaurant''.¡± Nathalia didn''t respond and he wondered what had happened, then the front door burst open and several people yelled as Nathalia nearly ran them over. Their collective snapped into place when she was close enough for it to take effect, and she froze stiff. ¡°Oh... oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia said as tears came to her eyes. ¡°It''s been a long time since you said goodbye to me, Nathalia.¡± Ren said, and she felt the depth of his sorrow. ¡°I... I know.¡± Nathalia said and wiped the tears away. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± She said. ¡°I... I wouldn''t have done that if... if I''d known...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I still love you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Nathalia said as she walked over to him and they hugged each other. ¡°It''s not... not the burning passion that... that we had before, though.¡± ¡°It''s been tempered with both time and absence.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s much more than it was...¡± ¡°...and a lot less.¡± Nathalia said and looked at him. ¡°You love me, but... you''re not in love with me.¡± ¡°I don''t really like that distinction.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, I think it''s accurate.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Nathalia said and sobbed. ¡°Don''t cry, My Old Love.¡± Ren said and kissed her. He recalled all the times he''d kissed her before, just as he did for the year and a half that he''d been in the Water Realm, and he let her feel how he felt all those times. He broke the kiss and saw Nathalia''s face was soaked with tears. ¡°You''ve been, and always will be, the best part of my life.¡± Ren said and cupped the side of her face with a hand. ¡°But not any more.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I had a lot of time to think about us.¡± Ren said. ¡°You were right about what you said on the dock the night I left the dwarf lands. What we have between us can''t work where the both of us are right now.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I can...¡± ¡°No, you can''t.¡± Ren said and wiped her tears away. ¡°Your own sense of duty compels you to do the right thing.¡± Nathalia nodded slightly. ¡°That''s why I left the party. It was the right thing to do.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You cut me off from checking on you; but, you also cut yourself off from checking on me.¡± Nathalia caught the sob before it could escape, and she nodded slightly. ¡°If at some point in the future, when we... we aren''t bound by rules, or laws, or duties...¡± ¡°I grant your petition to leave House Neram.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°What? That''s not what I-¡± Ren started to say, then Nathalia kissed him and cut off his words. They stayed that way for several minutes, and then Nathalia broke the kiss. ¡°You are no longer a part of my House, Ren.¡± Nathalia said.
Notice!
You will no longer be recognized as Lord Neram. You may still use the name, but it will have no significance besides your own regard for it. Any deeds or tasks you perform will not be associated with House Neram, or any of it''s members.
¡°But... but my name...¡± ¡°I expect you to do the right thing.¡± Nathalia said, turned around and started to walk away. Ren grabbed her arm and stopped her from leaving. ¡°Nathalia, what do you mean?¡± ¡°I want you to take responsibility!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°For this situation... for us being together... for me!¡± ¡°Nathalia...¡± ¡°Be a man, Ren!¡± She spat at him. ¡°Do what you want! Take what you want!¡± Ren felt her anger, and it sparked his own. ¡°Don''t do this.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d give up being the Head of House Neram if there was any way that I could do it!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I would abandon the House, the people, and even my homeland! I love you that much!¡± ¡°I won''t have you destroy everything that I''ve worked so hard to build!¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t have you destroy who you are, either! Not for me!¡± ¡°REN!¡± ¡°I''m not worth it!¡± Ren said, and Nathalia gasped as she finally felt his self-loathing. ¡°Everything I''ve done to you... everything that''s happened!¡± He shook his head and buried how he felt once more. ¡°I''ve hurt you so much! Don''t make me feel even worse about it by throwing everything away!¡± ¡°R-R-Ren, I... I didn''t mean...¡± Nathalia said softly, and silent tears flowed down her face. ¡°You know I... I can''t just...¡± Ren could feel what she felt, and he nodded slightly. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and kissed her for nearly a full minute. ¡°It was going to be slow torture if we dragged this out.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°I''m sorry, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I love you deeply.¡± He kissed her. ¡°Madly.¡± He kissed her again. ¡°Truly.¡± It''s all the truth. Nathalia thought, because she hadn''t winced once while they talked. She closed her eyes as Ren pressed his lips to hers once more. He opened the part of his heart that was hers, and poured out all of his feelings for her. Rather than break her up or tear her apart like she thought it would, Nathalia was consoled instead. She felt full and complete, even more so than what she felt while they were together; then something snapped into place between them. He doesn''t have to be with me physically to give me his love! Nathalia thought, amazed. ¡°No, I don''t.¡± Ren said, kissed her surprised face, and walked away. He had a date with Anabelle to get to. Chapter 334A - Anabelles Fulfillment Ren went back to his shop and saw the closed sign was already out and the shades were already closed behind the store windows, and he went inside. Anabelle wasn''t at the counter, so he made sure the door was locked and went out the back and up the stairs to the third floor. He opened the apartment door and was greeted with the sight of Anabelle as she stood in front of her bed, and she wore her old maid uniform. It wasn''t the fancy and cute one people associated with french maids. It was practical and functional, and didn''t look sexy at all. Ren suspected what she wanted him to do with it, though. ¡°Anabelle!¡± He said with a bit of anger in his voice that he didn''t feel. ¡°I told you to pick something nice, not wear something that should have been thrown away months ago!¡± Anabelle glanced at him and ducked her head. ¡°I''m sorry, My Lord.¡± She said meekly. Ren stalked over to her, and he could almost feel her heart as it raced. Will he... will he do it? Anabelle asked herself, and braced herself for it, just in case. Please, do it! ¡°Take that off, right now!¡± Ren said, and grabbed her by the shoulders. ¡°Are you even listening to me?¡± He asked, then sneered at her. ¡°If you won''t take it off, then I''ll do it for you!¡± Ren slid his hands up slightly to get a good hold of just the cloth, that he had examined instantly and knew this trick would work, then he pulled his hands apart. The outfit tore apart with a loud ripping sound and jerked her slightly. It left Anabelle with just a small bra that only had half-cups, and it didn''t cover her chest at all. Ren glared at her jiggling chest, just like she wanted him to, and he let the torn cloth of her top fall to the floor. He really did it! Anabelle thought excitedly, and she went just from that. She put her hands down between her legs, but the skirt was in the way and she couldn''t rub herself like she wanted to. ¡°You want to keep the skirt on, do you?¡± Ren asked, and barked a laugh. ¡°No maid of mine will wear such filth!¡± Ren grabbed the sides of the long billowing skirt, and yanked. It jerked Anabelle a little bit, just like the top did, and she gave that little yip of surprise as her breasts jiggled some more. He threw the scraps of cloth to the floor and curled his top lip at her. ¡°That''s much better.¡± Ren said, his voice full of scorn, and Anabelle''s hands played between her legs. He could see she was already soaked, and he used his foot to slide a piece of the torn cloth over the floor and left it underneath her. ¡°You''ve been disobedient!¡± Ren said to her, and she nodded vigorously. ¡°I''ve been bad.¡± Anabelle whispered and rubbed herself harder. ¡°Oh, so bad.¡± ¡°Yes, you have.¡± Ren said and walked around her to sit on the bed. ¡°I think it''s time you were appropriately punished.¡± ¡°Y-yes, My L-Lord.¡± Anabelle said and turned to look at him. Ren held a hand out to her, and she took it hesitantly. He grinned at her, yanked kind of hard, and she fell on top of him. He changed where she fell before she could catch herself, and he laid her across his lap. ¡°You''ve been very naughty!¡± Ren said and smacked her ass. Her whole body jerked at the sensations, and it made both her ass and her breasts jiggle. ¡°Naughty!¡± He smacked her ass again and got the same reaction. Anabelle was in heaven. She had her mouth clamped shut so she wouldn''t moan with pleasure as Ren disciplined her. She had hoped he would do a little bit of play, and maybe dominate her a little in bed; but, she never thought he would go this far to please her. ¡°Harder.¡± Anabelle whispered, and she felt the sting of his hand against her tender flesh. ¡°Oh... Oh! MY LORD!¡± She yelled and went again, and she buried her face in the bed and screamed. ¡°RENNNNN!¡± Ren gave her a minute or two to calm down, and then he spoke. ¡°I think you''ve had enough of that.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Both of her cheeks were bright red from the spanking, and he gently rubbed the sore flesh. He heard her hiss from his touch, and he smiled. He pushed her off of his lap, caught her hips, and knelt her on the floor. ¡°Do your duty.¡± Ren said and stored his clothing and underwear. ¡°You''re... you''re so hard!¡± Anabelle said, surprised. ¡°I... I didn''t think...¡± ¡°Stuff like that doesn''t do anything for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Making you happy, though? That gets me going like crazy.¡± ¡°My... My Lord!¡± Anabelle was so happy that she couldn''t say anything else, and just stared at him. ¡°I''m waiiiiiting.¡± Ren said, as if he was as pretentious as he sounded, and Anabelle gripped him with her hand and slipped him into her mouth. ¡°Yes, just like that.¡± He said. ¡°More. Faster! More!¡± His member started to throb and Anabelle slowed down to make her time with him last, and Ren concentrated on his Command Aura and glared at her. ¡°I said faster, dammit!¡± Ren said and started to thrust into her mouth. Anabelle let his member go and braced her hands on his hips and he drove himself into her mouth and throat. After only a few minutes, he went in her mouth and Anabelle stopped sucking. ¡°Don''t stop!¡± Ren said and kept thrusting. Anabelle stared up at him as she kept sucking and he kept going and going; then her eyes widened because after only a few moments, she physically couldn''t take any more and tapped his hip with her fingers. ¡°Stop!¡± Ren said, and she pulled off of him, both grateful and surprised. He kept going, though... and covered her chest and a bit of her face before he calmed down and his member stopped twitching. ¡°My Lord?¡± Anabelle put a hand on his abdomen. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ren laughed and stopped concentrating on his Command Aura. ¡°I should be asking you that.¡± He said. ¡°That was...¡± ¡°...exactly what I wanted.¡± Anabelle said, used her Ring of Storage to equip a set of clothing and cleaned herself off, then stored them again. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren held a hand out to her, and she took it. She climbed onto the bed and Ren crawled with her to lay down in the middle. ¡°You ordered me to do just enough, and you listened when I had enough.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I couldn''t have asked for a better partner.¡± ¡°Does that mean it''s over?¡± Ren asked her, and she laughed. ¡°Not on your life, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said and reached down to stroke him to get him hard again, then realized it was still hard and it didn''t need the extra stimulation. ¡°I have you for another hour before you need to go for your Adventurer''s business.¡± She got up onto her knees and straddled his face. She gasped as his tongue licked her expertly, and she moaned. ¡°I... I intend to use... every second of it!¡± She said, bent down and took him into her mouth again while Ren sucked on her just as hard as she sucked on him. This continued until both of them had gone again. With Ren''s ability to go as many times as her, every time he made her go, she had to make him go, too. It became a desperate race to see who could finish the other first, and after nearly 20 minutes, there was no clear winner. Anabelle laid down on the bed beside him, spent and relaxed. ¡°I''m... I''m done, My Lord.¡± ¡°We haven''t even had sex yet.¡± Ren said to her, and she laughed. ¡°Do you really want to, after all of that?¡± Anabelle asked, and Ren looked at her. ¡°You''re trying to not go all the way, aren''t you?¡± Ren asked her. Anabelle rolled onto her side to face away from him, and didn''t answer. ¡°Anabelle.¡± ¡°I know you don''t love me, and that''s fine.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°You''ve done more for me in the last few months than anyone else ever could... or would want to.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t feel like... like I deserve...¡± Ren slipped himself inside of her from behind, and she gasped at how hard he was. ¡°You''re wrong.¡± He said and slid in and out of her slowly to make room for himself. Anabelle lifted her leg and reached down between her legs to rub herself and Ren''s member as he slid in and out of her. ¡°It''s you that''s done more in the last few months for me than anyone else ever could.¡± Ren said, and picked up the pace. ¡°While I''m away, the only thing I''ve had to keep me going, was knowing that you were right here taking care of everything for me.¡± ¡°My... My Lord!¡± Anabelle said as Ren went faster. ¡°I know I... thrust... it all on you at first.¡± Ren said and thrust into her harder. Her breath sped up with his pace, and her fingers fiddled with him and herself. ¡°But... you came...¡± ¡°AghhhH!¡± Anabelle yelled as she orgasmed, but he didn''t stop pumping his hips. ¡°...you came to my aid, and did a better job than even I could do.¡± Ren said and he started to throb inside of her. ¡°You... took everything I could give you... and made it better!¡± Ren went inside of her, and Anabelle''s body clamped down on his member and she went again. ¡°My... Lor... My... Lor...¡± Anabelle panted, nearly out of breath. ¡°My Ren!¡± She said, turned her upper body just enough, and kissed him passionately. ¡°Stop... having sex and... make... make love to me!¡± Ren slipped out of her so she could turn all the way around, and she laid down on her back so he could enter her again. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, but not tightly; that way he could move in and out as much as he wanted... and as much as she wanted him to. With Ren facing her, she couldn''t hide her feelings like she could while she faced away from him; and he could see how much she longed for him. Perhaps she even loved him in her own way. Ren kissed her, and kept making love to her. He moved at the normal pace that she needed, and not at the slamming pace she thought she wanted, for the remainder of the time they had before he needed to leave. Chapter 335 - Ill Try That Ren and Anabelle had a great time for their ''date'', even though they only had a brief amount of time to spend together. He left her well and truly sated in her bed, and left the apartment on the third floor of the shop. He went out through the back door, down the stairs, and down the street; then he felt his Aura merge with the shared Aura that his personal maids had. He ran over to the Housing District and his new home that he shared with the maids, Princess, Ruck, and Railyse. He went inside and up the stairs, then into the master bedroom. ¡°Did you have fun?¡± Frikara asked. She laid upside down on the bed with her head towards the door, rather than towards the headboard like the other maids. Ren could feel that she was being playful, and she lifted her arms and put her hands behind her head as she arched her back. It showed off her chest to full advantage, and Ren let his appreciation of the sight flow into the shared Aura. ¡°R-Ren?¡± Frikara looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You really like them?¡± Ren chuckled, walked over to the bed and knelt. ¡°No, they''re horrible.¡± Frikara winced hard, and he felt the other maids wince, too. ¡°I''m sorry for joking about it.¡± Ren said, cupped the sides of her face with both hands, and kissed her on the lips upside down. He felt her surprise that he would kiss her like that, and he stopped and looked at her. ¡°They''re fabulous, and you know it.¡± He said and gently stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. ¡°R-Ren...¡± Frikara said. ¡°...I''ll forgive you... if... if you kiss me like that again.¡± Ren could feel how much she wanted it, and how happy she was that he''d already done it. He glanced up at the other maids, and saw that they all sat up and looked at him. They also had similar feelings. ¡°Please... forgive me.¡± Ren said in a deep voice, looked back down at Frikara, and kissed her. Frikara took her hands from behind her head and wrapped her arms around Ren''s head instead. She moaned as he kissed her for nearly a full minute; then he felt the bed shift and the other maids moved through the Aura. When he broke the kiss and looked at them, he saw that they all were at the end of the bed, laid down on their backs with their heads facing him, just like Frikara was. ¡°We''ll forgive you, too.¡± Navruth whispered and held her hands out to him. Ren went to each of them and gave them upside-down kisses. They each reacted differently to it. Frikara enjoyed it immensely and actively kissed him back. Navruth had wrapped her fingers in his hair and held on for dear life. Verwynn went limp and couldn''t lift her arms to hug him because she was so lost in the sensations. Lusinia used her tongue ruthlessly and gave Ren''s tongue a good workout. Andrela was the calmest of the bunch and only gently stroked his cheek while he kissed her. ¡°You''re going for a while, aren''t you?¡± Andrela asked. ¡°Maybe for the whole night.¡± Ren said and climbed onto the bed. ¡°It all depends on what kind of Adventurer''s business I have to take care of when I go.¡± The maids moved from the foot of the bed to where Ren was, and he shook his head. ¡°We''re inside the city, and in a personal home.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to phase out when I leave.¡± ¡°Aw.¡± Frikara said. ¡°How are we supposed to cuddle you while we sleep, if you''re insubstantial?¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t.¡± A feeling of resignation entered the Aura, and he looked at them. ¡°I''ll try to get back as soon as I can, but I can''t promise anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll see you when I get back.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Frikara sighed and laid down with her head on the pillow next to Ren. ¡°No touching until you come back.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and laid down. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± The personal maids said together. ¡°Logout.¡± * Ren''s avatar went from solid to phantom form. ¡°Wow, look at that.¡± Navruth said. ¡°He wasn''t joking.¡± Frikara reached a hand out and put it into Ren''s chest to where she thought his heart was. I''m the first to touch his heart. She thought and pulled her hand out. ¡°That''s a little scary.¡± Andrela said. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Frikara said. ¡°He''s a great Adventurer. Nothing Ren does is scary.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Lusinia said. ¡°You read his last book. His Controlled Berserk Rage is pretty scary.¡± ¡°No, it''s not!¡± Verwynn said adamantly, and they looked at her. ¡°It''s so sexy that I can''t control myself when I read it!¡± ¡°Is that why the book is always damp when I borrow it?¡± Frikara asked, and Navruth snorted a laugh. ¡°That was me.¡± Navruth said. ¡°The book Ren gave us is great for stimulation...¡± She grinned. ¡°...I didn''t read it the last time, though.¡± The other maids laughed, mainly because they didn''t just read the book, either. ******** Ren slipped off the VR headset and Denise took it from him. ¡°Good morning.¡± Denise said. Her short blonde hair was slicked back, and it made her look like she had just gotten out of the shower. ¡°You had quite the night.¡± ¡°I sure did.¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°Is Barbara still around?¡± ¡°She''s outside with her husband, with the first truckload of their stuff.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± Ren said and slid out of bed. He did a little stretch, then looked at Denise. ¡°We have to go and help!¡± Denise laughed and pointed to the bathroom. ¡°Go and take care of things. Barbara and Donald have a whole moving crew to help.¡± ¡°They do?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Don''t worry about them.¡± Denise pointed to the bathroom again. ¡°Go.¡± ¡°I''m going! I''m going!¡± Ren said and went to the bathroom to take care of things. Denise stood just outside the door in case he needed help. He didn''t need any assistance and came back out a few minutes later. ¡°Can we go and watch?¡± Denise snorted a laugh. ¡°Sit. Eat.¡± Ren climbed back onto the bed and sat near the edge, and Denise slid over the rollaway table with breakfast already on it. There was a bowl of some kind of weird-looking cereal he''d never seen before, half of a banana, half of an orange, and a supplement drink. ¡°What kind of cereal is this?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The healthy kind.¡± Denise said. ¡°There''s no loops of fruit or puffs of corn.¡± Ren said. ¡°There isn''t even crisps of rice.¡± He looked at her skeptically. ¡°That''s not cereal.¡± ¡°You''ve gotten a much broader menu for us to choose from, and this was practically the top of the list as the perfect breakfast.¡± ¡°I don''t know...¡± Ren looked back at it and picked up the spoon to move the contents of the bowl around, and the cereal clanked against the side of the bowl. ¡°Is that flakes... no, clumps? Clumps of what?¡± ¡°Oats, granola, nuts, and a few other things.¡± Denise said. Ren''s face went from skeptical to a frown as she described the ingredients. ¡°Just try it.¡± Denise said. ¡°One spoonful. For me.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that he just wanted something simple instead, like a toast and cheese sandwich, then he saw her face. It had a pleading look and sad puppy-dog eyes, and he sighed. He used the spoon to pick the smallest clump up, and very slowly put it in his mouth. Denise watched him expectantly as he chewed on it. ¡°It kinda tastes like one of those power bars I sometimes had after physical therapy.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s good, right?¡± Denise asked and plucked one of the clumps off the top and ate it. ¡°I had a bowl of it myself before you logged out.¡± ¡°You liked it that much?¡± Ren asked, and Denise motioned to the bowl. He took another spoonful with two clumps in it, and dumped them into his mouth. The milk didn''t soften them up at all, and he had a difficult time chewing them up. It really was like chewing on broken up pieces of power bars.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Do you like it?¡± Denise asked. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°The milk isn''t softening them up, though.¡± ¡°It''s because they''re coated.¡± Denise said. ¡°You can leave them in milk for an hour and they''ll stay crispy. They won''t get soggy at all!¡± ¡°That''s not really a selling point for me.¡± Ren said and took another spoonful. This one had several pieces of peanuts in it, and he had to take his time to chew them up. He knew that if he didn''t mulch everything up as much as he could first, he was going to have a really hard time when they came out the other end. That wasn''t a pleasant thought. Ren thought and looked at the still nearly-full bowl. ¡°Denise, I''m sorry for being picky... but... I don''t like this cereal.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°That''s okay, Ren.¡± She said and took the bowl away. ¡°This is new for all of us. We have to find what you like, and the only way to find out...¡± ¡°Is for me to try it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You still have to eat the banana and orange.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''ll be right back with some toast and cheese.¡± ¡°Thanks, Denise.¡± Ren said and picked up the piece of banana and took a big bite out of it. ¡°Sweet potassium! Don''t fail me now!¡± Denise laughed and left the bedroom to make him something else to eat. * Gloria had worked for days and days in the virtual reality space. She had created it for herself to work on the fluid dynamics problem that her professor had assigned her, and she had come up with the perfect solution. She''d kept detailed records of everything, to make sure to satisfy his completion-complex, and brought her scale model and notes into the auditorium with the other students in her class. I can''t wait for him to choke on these test results! Gloria thought and set up her experiment. It was almost 20 minutes later that the professor finally arrived and started to go through the class projects. He praised several people that only had papers and no actual physical models, despite his distinct instructions to build them, and he saved her display for last. Gloria gave her presentation, and while she did, she watched as the professor''s face grew into a frown, and then into a scowl. ¡°That wasn''t the point of the problem, Gloria.¡± The professor said when she had finished. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°You were supposed to struggle with the incomparable math, the inconsistency of the fluid, and the improper conception model.¡± The professor said. ¡°I don''t see any of that in your notes.¡± Gloria''s heart plummeted, because she had reams of papers where she had worked on the math and failed horribly with it, then worked her ass off to get the experiment to work. She wrote out the proper way it should have been done, and left her scrap papers at home. ¡°I''m sorry, but I have to fail you.¡± The professor said and smiled. ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Gloria yelled. ¡°You can''t do that! I did the work!¡± She said and held up the thick report. ¡°You should have told me that you wanted my scrap papers! I''ll go and get then and show you what I did wrong, before I got it to work!¡± ¡°You should have brought it with you.¡± The professor said. ¡°I told you there wouldn''t be an extension on this.¡± ¡°But, professor!¡± Gloria exclaimed. ¡°I took your impossible problem, something that even you didn''t think would work, and I fixed it!¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± The professor said. ¡°This was a significant portion of the class grade, Gloria.¡± He smiled, and had a wicked gleam in his eye. ¡°You have failed this class.¡± Gloria felt something go through her heart, as her dream of becoming an engineer was just destroyed. Tears came to her eyes, because he was the only teacher to give the course she needed, and he was never going to pass her. The professor revelled in his power; because he had finally broken Gloria of her defiant and I''m-better-than-you attitude. ¡°So, it''s true.¡± A very strict voice said from behind the professor, and he whipped his head around to look at the Dean of Sciences. ¡°Wh-what do you mean?¡± The professor asked. ¡°I''ve been hearing rumors all semester that you''ve been tormenting one particular girl.¡± The Dean said. ¡°You don''t know how sorry I am to discover that they weren''t rumors at all.¡± ¡°Sir, I can explain...¡± The professor said. ¡°There''s no need.¡± The Dean said. ¡°Even if I''d never heard of the other complaints against you, this right here would be enough to cause a review of your classroom practices.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± The professor tried to speak. ¡°I... I was only...¡± ¡°If you can''t teach any and all students the knowledge they need to pass your course, then I believe we will need to find another teacher to do so.¡± All of the color drained from the professor''s face. ¡°I... I have tenure!¡± He said, and started to get his defense going. ¡°You can''t do that!¡± ¡°I believe you just heard the same thing from your student.¡± The Dean said. ¡°Since your teaching skills have come into question in such a spectacular and public way, I am suspending all grades given out by you this morning.¡± ¡°You... you...¡± The professor glanced at Gloria; but, she only had eyes for the Dean and stared at him intently. ¡°Your presence is no longer required.¡± The Dean said to the professor. ¡°I will correctly assess these ''projects'' of yours, and give the grades your students actually deserve, and not what you believe they deserve.¡± The professor took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ¡°This isn''t over.¡± ¡°Of course it isn''t.¡± The Dean said and smiled. ¡°You will report to my office first thing tomorrow morning for a full panel review of your conduct.¡± The professor stopped himself before he said anything that would hurt his chances at the review panel, and stalked off and out of the auditorium. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Gloria said, through her tears. ¡°Even... even if I still fail, at least... at least he won''t... won''t...¡± The Dean put a hand on her shoulder, and that small consoling gesture was enough to let Gloria sob out loud. All of the students stared at her as she sobbed and cried, and let out all of the frustration she had over the torment she''d gone through at the hands of the professor. The Dean knew his place and didn''t offer to hug her, despite knowing that she would have gladly accepted, and even needed, the extra comfort. Gloria calmed down a couple of minutes later, and nodded to the Dean. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± The Dean smiled. ¡°Do you feel up to running me through this impossible problem he gave you? I missed most of it the first time.¡± ¡°I''d be more than happy to, sir.¡± Gloria said and composed herself. She very expertly described everything about the problem, what she did to overcome the burdens it gave her, and the solution she came up with. The Dean listened intently as she ran through every permutation of her scale model, then showed him the actual model and how it had worked when the proper solution was applied. ¡°That was quite the presentation.¡± The Dean of Sciences said. His face had closed down at some point during Gloria''s speech, and he kept that immobile face as he spoke. ¡°Ms. Rayford, pack up your things.¡± ¡°Wh... wh... excuse me?¡± Gloria stammered. ¡°You are no longer going to need them.¡± The Dean said. ¡°But... sir...¡± ¡°You''re done.¡± The Dean said, then smiled and held a hand out for her to shake. ¡°Congratulations on passing this course.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Gloria yelled, then absently took the offered hand and shook it. ¡°You... you mean...¡± ¡°You can pick up your graduation certificate from my secretary at the end of the week.¡± The Dean said. ¡°But... but... you can''t be serious!¡± Gloria said. ¡°I have 2 more courses to take next term!¡± ¡°Not any more.¡± The Dean said. ¡°You see, when I heard some of the rumors about what was happening, I took it very seriously. I looked into your background and your situation, especially with relation to the faculty of this institution... and I found out a few things.¡± Gloria looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I wondered why all you had was morning classes, and no afternoon or evening classes.¡± The Dean said. ¡°To my surprise, I discovered that you had a full-time job during those times and couldn''t take classes even if you wanted to.¡± How did he find that out? Gloria asked herself. I didn''t add that to any official records! ¡°During my investigation, I also came across some very important data.¡± The Dean of Sciences said. ¡°I never imagined that any of this program''s students could have a registered student internship on a ground-breaking state-of-the-art medical research project.¡± Several other students nearby started to talk openly when they heard that bit of gossip. ¡°It... it''s only on the weekends.¡± Gloria said, and the Dean chuckled. ¡°Modesty will only get you so far.¡± The Dean said. ¡°But in this case, I''ve checked the first submitted data.¡± ¡°You have?!?¡± Gloria exclaimed, and he laughed. ¡°Of course I have.¡± The Dean of Sciences said. ¡°Each stage is submitted for peer review.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Your exemplary work in engineering new hardware for the project was highly praised by the woman who runs it.¡± ¡°Stella!¡± ¡°Is that her first name?¡± The Dean smiled. ¡°She''s a striking woman. Hard as nails and strict on procedure.¡± He said. ¡°Thanks to her recommendation and the extensive report on your work, your last two courses have been credited to you.¡± ¡°So... really... I...¡± Gloria stammered. ¡°Yes, you really are done of your classroom time.¡± The Dean of Sciences said and grinned. ¡°Now go out there and show them what a properly accredited engineer can do.¡± * Denise had given Ren a toast and cheese sandwich, which he ate gratefully, and then he washed up. ¡°Denise? Can we go for a walk?¡± ¡°Sure, Ren.¡± Denise said. ¡°Do you want to change first?¡± ¡°Only into jogging pants and a t-shirt.¡± Ren said and she took them out of the drawer by the bed. She helped him change into his workout clothes and they went for a walk. They went down the hall to the elevator, then outside to look at the people moving Barbara and Donald''s stuff. ¡°Hey, take it easy with that!¡± Donald nearly yelled at two guys that had picked up his ratty-old recliner and tossed it out of the back of the truck. ¡°Sorry, man.¡± One of the guys said. ¡°I thought it was junk.¡± ¡°It''s not.¡± Donald said and rubbed a hand over the torn leather surface. ¡°This chair is a part of our family.¡± ¡°What about the couch?¡± One of the other movers asked. ¡°Is it part of the family, too? I hope it doesn''t get jealous of the lazy boy because you spend so much more time with it.¡± The other mover laughed and Donald frowned as he clenched a fist. Ren saw this and walked over to stand beside him, with Denise right behind. ¡°You''re being paid to do your job, not to make jokes.¡± Ren said in a commanding voice to the movers, and everyone looked at him with surprise on their faces. ¡°I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± The guy said. ¡°Who are you to-¡± The other mover grabbed the guy by the arm and tugged on it to cut off his words. ¡°Let''s get to work, man. The faster we get this done, the faster we can get out of here.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± The mover said, and they picked up the couch and brought it down the ramp. The movers went into the house and the front door closed behind them. ¡°Thanks.¡± Donald said without looking at Ren, who had glanced down to see Donald''s fist wasn''t clenched anymore. ¡°He''s the one that should be thanking me.¡± Ren said and pointed to the guy inside the house. ¡°I didn''t want any blood on my brand new driveway.¡± Donald snorted a laugh. ¡°You''re a good kid.¡± He said and pat Ren''s shoulder lightly. Surprisingly, Ren didn''t feel like Donald was being derogatory when he called him ''kid''. ¡°Now go on back inside and do your physical therapy.¡± Ren looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Yes, I know all about you and your daily schedule.¡± Donald said. ¡°You''re all Barbara talks about, remember?¡± ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± ¡°Don''t be.¡± Donald said. ¡°You make her happy by letting her take care of you.¡± ¡°I meant...¡± ¡°I know what you meant.¡± Donald said and smiled. ¡°You know you''re as big a part of her life as I am.¡± Ren nodded slightly. ¡°So go and keep your strength up.¡± Donald said. ¡°You can''t stay in bed all day and not suffer for it.¡± ¡°...and you can''t sit in a recliner all day and not suffer for it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Your spare tire is fully inflated.¡± Donald looked at Ren with raised eyebrows. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°You''re getting fat, old man.¡± Ren said and poked Donald in the belly. He expected it to jiggle and move; but, it just sat there like a solid lump. ¡°That''s going to take a lot of work to get rid of.¡± ¡°Hey, I''m in shape.¡± Donald said and flexed his arm muscles. They were big, but they weren''t well defined. ¡°Round is a shape.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I''m going inside to use some of the fully-stocked workout room right now.¡± He said and walked towards the house. ¡°If you feel up to it, why don''t you join me?¡± Donald looked back at the moving truck and saw that it was just little things and a multitude of brown boxes left to move, then looked at Ren. ¡°Are you having that much fun just standing there and supervising them?¡± Ren said and goaded Donald a little, grinned, and went inside the house with a surprised Denise right behind him. Chapter 336 - A Bit Of Bonding Donald knew that Ren had goaded him on purpose to try and drag him away from keeping an eye on the movers; but, in the end it didn''t matter. It had worked like a charm and he told his wife Barbara that he was going into the big house to work out. Barbara was happy to hear this, kissed him a bit longer than she normally did, and passed him his workout clothes that she had produced out of thin air. ¡°You can change over there.¡± Barbara said and waved to him, and Donald left it to her to tell the movers where to put everything. He walked over to the main house and went inside, and looked at the workout room. All of the lights were on, and since the walls were made of glass, everything could be clearly seen. Donald was still surprised that there was something this extensive built into a personal home and not into a professional gym. He shook his head and went into the workout room, then into the locker room to get changed. He came out of the locker room and watched as Ren tried to walk around the indoor walking track. He could see that Ren was having difficulty with just basic walking, and watched as he did a quarter of a lap. By the time Ren had barely gone 50 feet, he was exhausted and had to sit down. Denise had a water bottle ready for him, and he tried to drink greedily from it. ¡°STOP!¡± Donald yelled from across the room. Ren and Denise froze at the sound of his bellow. ¡°Don''t guzzle it. You''ll only make yourself feel worse.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You can''t drink that much water and expect your body to process it while in a state of exhaustion.¡± Donald said as he walked over to them. ¡°Take small sips. You only think you need a lot of water to re-hydrate. That''s just not true.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Even one of your supplement drinks has to be sipped to be effective, right?¡± Donald asked him, and Ren nodded. ¡°I usually sip it.¡± ¡°Then do the same thing here. Take a deep breath, take a small sip. Relax. Take another breath and a sip.¡± Ren did it, and he actually did feel better with a lot less water. ¡°You''ll make yourself bloated if you drink a bunch of water all at once, and that''ll make you even more exhausted because your body is trying to digest and process it.¡± Donald said. ¡°It''s the same if you''re in a desert or anywhere that can dehydrate you quickly. Don''t force it down. Ease it in and let your body adjust.¡± ¡°Where did you learn that?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I''ve been a nurse for several years, and I''ve never heard of anything like that.¡± ¡°I was in Special Forces, Ma''am.¡± Donald said. ¡°We were never formally taught survival tactics.¡± He grinned. ¡°We lived them.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I can only imagine what kind of things you know that you were never taught, sir.¡± ¡°You wouldn''t believe me if I told you.¡± Donald said. ¡°Of course, if I did...¡± ¡°...then you''d have to kill me.¡± Ren finished for him and they laughed. ¡°I watched you walking.¡± Donald said. ¡°You have a problem.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I''ve seen hundreds of feet marching in time, Ma''am.¡± Donald said. ¡°I''ve seen all kinds of foot afflictions.¡± He said and pointed to Ren''s feet. ¡°He''s walking more on the arches of his foot than he is on the sole.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren asked and looked at his feet. ¡°I can walk just fine.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Donald said. ¡°You''re putting too much weight on the inside of your foot. I can''t see your toes through the sneakers, but I know you''re clenching them when you walk.¡± ¡°How do you know that?!?¡± Ren asked him, and he chuckled. ¡°I told you.¡± Donald said and tapped his cheek under his right eye. ¡°I''ve seen hundreds of marching feet. You''re a duck-walker.¡± ¡°I''m a WHAT?¡± Ren yelled, and Denise laughed. ¡°You''re walking like you''re swimming through water.¡± Donald said. ¡°Either try and walk normally, so you won''t get tired so quickly, or you should get those inserts in your shoes that compensate for the movement.¡± ¡°That''s actually really helpful.¡± Denise said and took out her phone. ¡°It never occurred to the staff at the hospital that once he started walking around on his own, that we should have him see a podiatrist.¡± ¡°I''ve been doing that for years, too.¡± Donald said. ¡°What''s that?¡± Denise asked as she texted Stella and Barbara. ¡°Podiatry?¡± ¡°No.¡± Donald said and grinned. ¡°Pointing out other people''s mistakes.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I loved my job.¡± Donald said, and after a short break, helped Ren get up and try to walk again. He pointed out how to shift the weight on his feet, and adjusted Ren''s stride slightly. Ren was surprised when he moved a little bit better. ¡°Take off the sneakers.¡± Donald said. ¡°Use your feet to walk, not the shoes.¡± Ren slid off the sneakers and wiggled his toes. They were starting to cramp a little from over-usage, but he didn''t want to wimp-out on Donald and complain about it. Donald knelt on the floor to get a close look. ¡°Go heel to toe when you walk. Keep your back strait, but loose.¡± ¡°How do I do that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That doesn''t make sense.¡± ¡°Pretend you''ve got a stick up your butt.¡± Donald said. Ren stared at him and Denise laughed again. ¡°Trust me, it works.¡± Donald said. ¡°Now clench those cheeks and walk!¡± Ren did what Donald said, even though he felt a little weird about it. He managed to walk another 50 feet before his energy reserves were almost completely drained. ¡°That was great, son.¡± Donald said as he practically carried Ren back to the chair by the wall. ¡°That was a definite improvement.¡± ¡°So...¡± Ren breathed out. ¡°...was it... the shoes?¡± ¡°They''re a part of it.¡± Donald said. ¡°The worst part to deal with is right there.¡± He poked Ren in the forehead. ¡°You''ve got to learn how to walk again.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now that was torture.¡± Donald looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°After they rescued me, I was in the hospital confined to the bed for over a year.¡± Ren said. ¡°My first time up and about, I could barely move.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Donald yelled. ¡°Are the doctors stupid or something?¡± ¡°Worse.¡± Denise said. ¡°They wanted to keep him safe, and from hurting himself.¡± Donald shook his head. ¡°A year of inactivity did more damage to you than all those years with your parents.¡± No, it didn''t. Ren thought. My parents were much, much worse. He didn''t correct Donald''s assessment, though. ¡°I had to start all over. Walking, eating, cleaning myself. I had to learn it all again.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It''s just the walking you have to relearn.¡± Donald said, and looked at Denise. ¡°When can you get him in to see a podiatrist?¡± ¡°Maybe a month.¡± Denise said. ¡°It depends on if Stella can get him on the cancellation list.¡± ¡°That''s not too bad.¡± Donald said. ¡°It can take up to 6 months to see a normal doctor; so, if you can get him in to see a specialist this quickly, he''ll be walking well in no time.¡± ¡°What do I do until then?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Just like I told you.¡± Donald said. ¡°Leave off the shoes until you get those inserts.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''re going to be fine.¡± Donald said. ¡°Just rest here for a bit. I''m going over to the heavy bag to beat the face off of... ah... to punch it.¡± ¡°Try not to bust it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have no clue if there''s another one around here somewhere to replace it.¡± ¡°I''ll take it easy on it, then.¡± Donald said and walked over to the heavy bag. He noticed a small locker near the boxing ring, and opened it. Inside were several sets of padded half-gloves, and he grinned as he took out a pair and showed them to Ren. Ren waved an acknowledgement that Donald wasn''t going to hurt himself by punching the heavy bag with bare hands, then watched him as he put on the gloves and started to work over the heavy bag. Denise left for a few minutes, and came back with the wheelchair. Ren sat in it gratefully, and she wheeled him over to the elevator. They went up to his room on the second floor and into the bathroom. They both got undressed and took a shower together, and there wasn''t any sexual tension at all as they scrubbed and washed each other. Sometimes it was nice to just share a moment like that and not have it turn sexual. They dried off and got dressed, and Ren climbed back into bed. Denise started to chuckle as he laid down in the center of the huge bed. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I''m just wondering if I need to tie a rope or something to you, so that if anything happens, I won''t have to climb up onto the bed to reach you. I''d just pull on the rope.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I kinda miss the hospital bed, too.¡± He said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°It''s much nicer to have a real bed... an actual bed... to sleep on.¡± ¡°It is?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I always thought of them as just somewhere to sleep. It didn''t really matter what kind it was.¡± ¡°Oh, it matters.¡± Ren said and pat the bed beside himself. Denise looked a question at him for a moment, then shrugged slightly and climbed up onto the bed with him. She laid down beside him and he turned to look at her. ¡°You see, this is my bed.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not the hospital''s bed. Not the temporary care facility''s bed. It''s my bed.¡± He reached a hand out to touch Denise''s face. ¡°I always felt a little bad when things happened with who I was with, because I knew it wasn''t my bed to do things in.¡± He smiled. ¡°I own this bed, though; so I don''t have to feel bad about doing anything in it.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Except for the person doing the laundry.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''ll always feel bad for them.¡± Denise laughed, and he liked the look on her face when she wasn''t trying to hide her feelings. Ren moved his hand from her cheek to behind her neck. ¡°You''re suspended until further notice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-WHAT?!?¡± Denise said, surprised... and then Ren kissed her. His lips expertly moved over her own, and her mind reeled over what he was doing. She''d never thought he would be the one to initiate anything between them, and she wasn''t sure how to handle the situation. Ren broke the kiss when he felt she was a little unresponsive, and he looked at her. He couldn''t tell what she was thinking, but a mix of emotions played over her face and he knew that she wasn''t ready to go any further than that. ¡°You''re re-instated.¡± Ren said as he slid his hand from behind her neck and caressed the skin along her collarbone. Denise laid there and stared at him, and he smiled at her; then made three buzzer sounds in quick succession. ¡°This has been an unsuccessful test of the Ren Seduction System. If it had been successful, either one or both of us would be naked right now.¡± Denise snorted a laugh and shook her head at him. ¡°Further tests may be needed in the future, to ensure the safety of the general public.¡± Ren said. ¡°Any inquiries or complaints can be directed to the management.¡± He grinned and pointed down at himself, and Denise, apparently a complete sucker for misdirection, looked to where he pointed and saw that he was quite ready for any ''inquiries'' she might have. ¡°You''re so bad!¡± Denise said and laughed as she touched him there, and felt how hard he was though the thin fabric of his pyjamas. ¡°Where''s my innocent little Ren that I love so much?¡± She stopped laughing when she realized what she said, and started to breathe heavily. Ren''s hand touched her chin and lifted, so she would look at him. ¡°He''s still here, and he cares a lot about you.¡± Ren said. ¡°He''s also had a lot of time to think about everything in his life, and everyone in it.¡± ¡°Ren... I...¡± ¡°Any time you want to find out how far this can go between us, I''ll be right here waiting for you.¡± ¡°At the end of the line?¡± Denise asked, and she put her other hand over her mouth. ¡°I didn''t say that.¡± ¡°There''s no line.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a circle.¡± Denise blinked her eyes at him. ¡°What... what are you saying?¡± ¡°I''m saying...¡± Ren closed his eyes to gather his thoughts. ¡°...each of you are like... like a bundle of burning flames that surround me.¡± He said, then opened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°I turn to one and they let me share in that heat. I enjoy it, and so do they. I know if I stay too long that they''ll burn me up; so, I turn to the next one in the circle. I bask in their flames and let them warm me, and again, I know if I stay too long...¡± ¡°I... I burn you up?¡± Denise asked, and he nodded. ¡°You have a certain something about you, and I know I''ll lose myself in you if I''m not careful.¡± Ren said. ¡°My breasts?¡± Denise asked, to try and lighten the mood. He''s being really serious right now. ¡°You know your breasts are not the most appealing thing about you.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°They''re right up there, though.¡± ¡°Ren, you know that... I mean...¡± ¡°Nothing has to happen.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not asking you to throw away your morals, your self-respect, or even the way you live.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I don''t want to make the same mistakes I''ve been making up until now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I control who I see and who I don''t see. I won''t be tricked, coerced, or forced into anything that I don''t want.¡± He said and looked at her seriously. ¡°Not any more.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''m leaving it up to you, now.¡± Ren said and kissed her lightly on the lips. ¡°I''ve told you that I want you, and that''s all there is to it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I think I need to get back into the game.¡± Ren said to change the subject. He knew she was going to need time to process his very direct approach. ¡°Can you hand me the VR headset?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Denise said, and then she realized she''d had her hand on his bulge the entire time they had talked, and her face burned red as she tried to move her hand away. ¡°I''m sorry, I...¡± Ren touched her hand to hold it in place, then kissed her hard. ¡°You can touch it whenever you want.¡± He said and looked at her surprised face. ¡°Denise, I''m serious. Any time that you want it, it''s yours.¡± ¡°Ren! I... I can''t...¡± ¡°The VR headset, please.¡± Ren said, and once again tried to distract her from the serious subject. Denise rolled onto her back and reached over to pick up the headset and handed it to him. He had let her other hand go, the one he had held against himself, but she didn''t let him go. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, looked at the rollaway table, and slipped the VR headset on. ¡°Can you grab a foil packet for me? I forgot to take care of that in the bathroom.¡± Denise looked at him with surprise on her face; but, he couldn''t see her through the helmet. She grabbed one of the foil packets and opened it, unfurled it''s contents a little, then looked at his straining pyjamas. ¡°I can''t log in without it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might not need it, but... you know I don''t want to make a mess for you to clean up if I do need it and don''t have it.¡± Denise pulled his pants down and the thin cloth of the silky underwear hugged him like a second skin. Her mouth watered at the sight, and she swallowed loudly as she eased the silky shorts down just enough to reveal some of what she needed to get to. With a little bit of work, she managed to get the foil packet''s contents in position without actually touching the skin. Denise was sweating profusely from the effort it had taken to accomplish the almost impossible task, and she pulled his underwear and pyjamas back into place. ¡°Thank you, Denise.¡± Ren said softly. ¡°That meant more to me than you''ll ever know.¡± Denise looked at his half-covered face and saw his smile. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren''s avatar became solid again when he logged in, and he could see that all 5 maids were piled all on one side of him. He had left with 2 on one side, and 3 on the other; but, they somehow ended up in a big pile next to him anyways. They''re just used to that, I guess. Ren thought. I''ll make sure to lay on the side of the bed next time and leave them the rest, rather than stay in the middle like I''ve been doing. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''ve got about 4 hours before breakfast, and an hour after that to meet Jen and the caravan to go out to your county.¡± Nice. Ren thought. Thanks, Teepo. ¡°I assume you''re going to sleep?¡± Teepo asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°You better wake them, then.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°They won''t forgive you if you come back early and don''t tell them.¡± Ren smiled and let amusement enter the shared Aura, and he could feel an answering amusement from the pile. He very gently reached over and lifted the top woman from the pile and laid her on the other side on him, then did the same with the next one. He was glad that they weren''t in a tangle of limbs like they would be with him on the bottom, and he sorted the next two out and laid them on his other side to reveal a wide awake Frikara who was on the bottom of the pile. Neither of them said anything as he picked her up and laid her down on top of himself, since that was the only spot left. Frikara crossed her arms on his chest and rested her chin on them and looked at him. She could feel his feelings, and she was still a little surprised, even now, that he wasn''t trying to hide from them or stop them from hanging all over him. Ren could feel how happy she was that he had chosen her to sleep where she considered to be the best spot, even though she''d never openly admitted it. Even if he couldn''t feel her emotions like he was, her bare chest against his would have let Ren know that she was very happy to be where he had placed her. Frikara made a small kissing motion to him, since she was a bit too far away to actually kiss him. Ren put his fingers to his mouth, kissed them, and touched her lips with them instead. She sent a warm feeling of appreciation into the Aura, then she uncrossed her arms to hug him and put her head down on his chest to sleep. Ren laid his arms out to the sides and across the upper chests of the other maids, right below their necks. He had to make sure that he was in physical contact with the other maids as well as Frikara, and went to sleep himself. Chapter 337 - Caravan Version 2 Ren woke up about 3 hours later, long before he needed to get up, and felt a lot of warm flesh under his hands. He gave both of his hands a little squeeze to see what it was he was touching, and he heard two women moan a little. He came fully to himself, and tried to pull his hands back, but several sets of hands held on to him. ¡°Just... a few more minutes.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Please.¡± Ren lifted his head to look, and he saw that both of his arms now covered all 4 of the women''s chests, with one hand feeling Lusinia''s right breast, and the other hand feeling Navruth''s left breast. ¡°You''ve got about 2 hours before the meeting with Jen.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Lucinia, Navruth? Switch places with Andrela and Verwynn.¡± Ren said, and they looked at him with surprise on their faces. ¡°I promised I''d give you all equal time, remember?¡± He could feel the excitement in the shared Aura, and he could feel their hearts beating faster with his arms. They let him go and switched places, and he put his hands on Verwynn and Andrela''s breasts. ¡°Mmm!¡± Verwynn moaned as Ren massaged her. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Andrela said as she closed her eyes and spoke softly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren could feel that she was getting more worked up over it than the others, but she was also quieter about it. ¡°What about me?¡± Frikara asked, and he could feel her playfulness. They all knew that she wasn''t jealous, just that she wanted a turn. ¡°I only have two hands.¡± Ren said and laid back. ¡°Move over a little... a little more... higher... a bit more... now open your legs a little.¡± Frikara''s eyes widened as she very distinctly felt him through the thin fabric of her underwear, and let her legs fall to the outside of his. She moaned at the heat she felt from him, and he smiled as he felt her reaction to him. ¡°By the gods.¡± Frikara said and laid her head on his shoulder. She didn''t try to move or grind herself against him like he thought she might, now that she had the opportunity. Instead, she basked in contentment and pleasure, and let the feeling of his hands on the other women''s breasts flow into her as she shared the physical sensations she felt from him. After about 10 minutes, Frikara wanted the actual physical sensation of a massage, slid off of Ren, and took Andrela''s place at the end. The maids shifted over one spot and Navruth climbed on top of him. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Navruth said, and did the same thing that Frikara did. She laid there and let the sensations flow into her and out again. This continued with each maid until it came to the last one, Andrela. She knew what to expect, since she had ''felt'' it 4 times already; but, the maids all had slightly different body types. She had a bit more space between her legs than the other women, and when she slid into place to take her turn, she gasped because she felt quite a bit more of Ren than the others did. Andrela gasped again as she put her head on his shoulder, and since his hands were currently occupied and practically restrained, he couldn''t adjust himself or how she laid on him. She also didn''t rub or grind, despite her very strong feelings of wanting to. She took a deep breath and that moved her pelvis sightly; and that little movement sent shivers down her spine and made her shake and tremble. ¡°By the gods!¡± Frikara said and let Ren''s hand go. ¡°The poor girl is going explode!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said, and then his other hand was let go. He grabbed Andrela''s hips and thought about pulling her off to ease her suffering, then remembered what he had told Denise. It was his decision, no one else''s, of who he accepted into his life. He could feel trepidation from the other maids, and he knew they wouldn''t blame him if he stopped this before it went any further. Ren smiled at them, then quickly moved Andrela forward and back several times. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sunk her teeth into his shoulder and bit him. Less than a minute later, she screamed as she went. The other maids had placed hands on both Andrela and Ren when they felt his decision, so the feelings could be shared strongly and equally with everyone. When Andrela finished, it was so strong and overwhelming that they finished, too. Tremors went through them all as they collapsed to the bed and shook from the pleasure. It was something that none of them had felt in a long time; especially Andrela. She was the youngest and least experienced of the group, and hadn''t had any kind of sexual experience since her training over a year ago. Ren concentrated on how Andrela was feeling, and he could feel her utter joy over what had just happened. He could also feel her tears as they hit his neck, and she kissed the spot on his shoulder that she had bitten. She turned her head to apologize to him, and he turned his head to look at the damage, and their lips met. Unlike the couple of times it had happened by accident before with other women, this time it didn''t feel awkward or rushed. Ren had assessed the situation immediately and kissed her as if he had meant to do it all along. Andrela was still reeling a little from her experience going through the shared Aura, and didn''t realize it had been an accident and kissed him back. She broke the kiss a few moments later and looked at him. ¡°Thank you for not getting angry.¡± Andrela said, as she finally gathered her wits about her. Her hand touched the indent of her teeth in his skin, and she sighed. ¡°I didn''t mean to do that.¡± ¡°We both went a little farther than we thought we would.¡± Ren said and smiled at her blush. ¡°I''d ask to do that again...¡± Frikara smiled and sighed contentedly. ¡°...but, I don''t think I can move right now.¡± Everyone laughed and just laid there in silence as they enjoyed the afterglow. * Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves, had gone to bed earlier that day when she''d felt Ren''s deep wound as if she had taken a similar one herself. There were no physical traces of it, but she felt it just the same. Her relief when the pain receded was something she hadn''t felt before. Why am I relieved? I love pain! Lylyth thought, once she could think clearly. Why did I... oh, I didn''t feel it! Ren did! The personal attendant had convinced Lylyth to stay confined to the bed when she desperately wanted to go to Ren and help him. Lylyth had drifted off to sleep soon after and let Ren''s normal emotions flow through her unbidden. She didn''t feel anything significant until an hour or so later when she was awoken as a strong spike of happiness hit her; which was soon followed by sorrow and then a very strong spike of self-loathing. Lylyth gasped at the depth of both emotions, and her heart raced that he could feel such negative emotions as strongly as he could positive ones. It wasn''t long after that, that his feelings were a little muddled, but she felt his pleasure as he pleased someone else, then his feelings cut off completely and she relaxed. Much later that night, nearly 8 hours had passed before she felt him again. He''s back. Lylyth thought and felt contentment, and then 3 hours later, she felt something else. ¡°Great Vasalor!¡± She said out loud as she rolled over in her bed and touched herself in a spot that hadn''t been touched, by her or anyone else, since Ren had touched her there. ¡°What is he doing?¡± She asked her empty room, and closed her eyes to enjoy the afterglow just like his personal maids did. * ¡°Time to get up.¡± Teepo said from the ceiling. ¡°You''re going to be late.¡± ¡°Ugh. Just 5 more minutes.¡± Ren mumbled, and he felt agreement in the shared Aura. ¡°Do you want to skip breakfast?¡± Teepo asked, and Ren sighed. ¡°We should eat.¡± Ren said, and he felt agreement from the maids. Then there was a soft rumbling not too far away. ¡°Yes, I''m hungry.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°We should get up.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Frikara said, and they felt her determination enter the Aura. ¡°Everyone up! Let''s go!¡± The maids groaned as they untangled themselves and sat up. Ren sat up with them and stretched his arms. ¡°I should cancel the caravan and just stay in bed.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or send them ahead and join then later.¡± ¡°Now you listen here.¡± Frikara said as she slid off the bed and stood up. ¡°We all know you''re no slacker! Get up and get dressed, and make us breakfast!¡± Ren slid off the bed to stand beside her. ¡°Yes, dear.¡± He said, kissed her cheek, then equipped his Travelling Clothes and put on the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He just called me ''dear''. Frikara thought, then squashed her emotions before they could be shared. ¡°Come on you lazy bums!¡± She said to the other maids. ¡°We''re dressing casual today.¡± ¡°Are we coming with you?¡± Andrela asked. ¡°Not today.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just going out to show the crews where to build, and to do a bit of land shaping.¡± ¡°No need for us to show-off, then.¡± Navruth said. ¡°Not yet.¡± Ren said and went to the bedroom door. ¡°You have my permission to leave the house, and even go around town, as long as you wear the things I gave you to protect yourselves.¡± ¡°We won''t be going anywhere without you.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Plus, we''ve got to try on all the things you bought us yesterday.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, I''ll be back soon with breakfast.¡± He left the room and went down to the kitchen and made breakfast for everyone. He took a large fish, nearly as long as he was tall, and tossed it into Railyse''s indoor pool. It was caught in the artificial currents of the water and looked like it was swimming, and he watched as a dark shape stalked it. A moment later, the dark shape lunged through the water, attacked the fish, and sank it''s teeth into the spot behind the head. Blood filled the water as a chunk of the flesh was torn away, and Railyse looked up through the water at him. Ren waved to her, and she smiled and waved back. Ren left her room and brought breakfast in to Princess, told her and his dogs that he was going for the day, and that he would see them later. He thought about getting her to come along, but he wanted her to relax for a bit before taxing her like he had the day before. Ren went upstairs and back into the main bedroom to have breakfast with his maids. No mention was made about what had happened between them that morning, and there didn''t need to be. No one was uncomfortable or worried about what it might mean. All anyone could feel was that they were happy, and at the moment, that was all that mattered. Now that breakfast was done and he had the opportunity, Ren took out the keg of ale he had bought from the vendor the day before and opened it. He poured some out into a cup, and sealed the keg again. He smelled it, swirled it around, and then took out his Alchemy kit. Using his Determine Ingredients skill and the items available in the kit, he correctly determined that there wasn''t any poison in it, that it had a pretty high alcohol content, and that it was made mainly from sunflowers. He didn''t know the exact recipe, since he didn''t have any experience with brewing things; but, he did know what all the ingredients were and could get them easily. He just didn''t know the quantities needed or how to mix them. Ren finished his testing and kissed his maids goodbye; then left the house and ran down the street to the lumberyard. He was greeted with the sight of 2 dozen overloaded carts with prefabricated house parts, and 3 carts full of workers. ¡°Good morning, Ren!¡± Jen said as he approached, and several of the workers waved to him. ¡°We''ve got the first batch loaded, and we''re ready to move out when you are.¡± ¡°Let me check the carts and horses first.¡± Ren said. ¡°We already did that.¡± Jen said, but Ren ran around to each of the carts and enchanted then with Antidark runes to make them lighter and easier on the horses. He then made cushions for the workers to sit on, because he knew it would be a long ride out to his county and he didn''t want them sore and possibly hurt when they got there. Jhulune was one of the workers on the crew, and she blushed a little when he handed her a cushion to sit on and smiled at her. He checked the horses and made sure they were secured properly, then ran back over to Jen. ¡°You just delayed us by ten minutes.¡± Jen said, a little unhappy that they were getting such a late start. ¡°That''s true.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°But don''t worry. I made the carts lighter so we should be able to make up almost double that time on the trip out, and triple on the way back.¡± ¡°We''ll see.¡± Jen said a little skeptically, and climbed up onto the first cart and sat in the passenger seat. ¡°Where''s your mount?¡± ¡°Taking the day off.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no room for you on any of these things.¡± Jen said. ¡°I had a hard time getting my own people on board.¡± ¡°I''ll keep up.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I assume you know where Walin County is?¡± Jen laughed. ¡°It''s out the West Gate, and about 3 hours away.¡± ¡°No turns, no shortcuts.¡± The driver said. ¡°It''s a straight run to the dead end cliff.¡± ¡°You''ll be stopping a couple of miles before you get that far.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve built a large two storey Main House in an open field that''s not being used, and I want the houses constructed around that.¡± The driver nodded and flicked the reins, and the horse didn''t have to struggle to get the cart moving like it normally did. The driver glanced back to see the cart was still loaded up with materials, shrugged, and looked back at the road. It was still early enough in the morning that there wasn''t a lot of people around for him to be careful of, so he let the horse have some leeway. Ren barely had to jog to keep up with the slow caravan, and the people that saw him walking quickly nodded or waved to him. He did the same back, and then they reached the West Gate. ¡°We''re picking up the speed here.¡± Jen said to Ren. ¡°Are you sure...¡± ¡°I''ll remember that I have to slow down to stay with you.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. Jen chuckled and pat the driver''s shoulder. He flicked the reins with a snap and the horse started to gallop. Not wanting to be left behind, the other drivers snapped their reins as well, and the whole caravan picked up speed and drove out into the wilderness. Ren stood still and waited until the entire caravan had passed him, waved at the soldiers standing guard on top of the city wall, then ran after the carts. He showed off a little bit as he gained on the caravan, then passed one cart, then another, and slowly made his way along the 27 carts until he got to the head of the line. Each person that saw him was surprised that he was overtaking them like he was, even Jhulune and Jen. They knew he could run pretty fast, but faster than a cart was a bit shocking for them to see. ¡°You''re all clear for at least two miles.¡± Ren said, after he and Teepo had used their respective Spot abilities to confirm it. ¡°I can cast Haste spells on the horses if you want.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The driver said, and then looked at Jen. ¡°Sorry, Ma''am.¡± Jen laughed. ¡°Ask the other drivers first; but I''m sure they''ll agree, especially if this one is all for the idea.¡± Ren nodded and let the caravan pass and he asked each of the drivers. They readily agreed and he ran back to the front of the line. ¡°It''s a go.¡± Ren said. ¡°All right!¡± The driver said. ¡°Neyney! We''re gonna have fun!¡± The horse pulling the cart neighed at him, and Ren chuckled and ran forward a good distance, then stopped and took out the Haste wand. He cast it on each horse as they passed, and after he did the last one, cast it on himself and ran after them. When the Haste spell wore off, it was time to feed and water the horses. Ren went along and poured Health potion into the feed bags, and answered the questions people asked him. ¡°How can you run so fast?¡± One worker asked. ¡°Practice.¡± Ren smiled and went to the next cart. ¡°Are you sore after running like that?¡± ¡°Not a bit.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m used to it.¡± ¡°Can I kiss you?¡± Ren looked up and saw that it was a woman he''d never met before. She must be one of the new workers. He thought. ¡°I''m sorry, Ma''am.¡± He said and gave her a slight bow. ¡°I''m currently involved with someone at the moment.¡± ¡°Yeah, me!¡± Jhulune said from the next cart, and everyone looked at her. Her face flushed a deep red and it almost matched her hair color. ¡°Is that true?¡± The woman asked Ren. ¡°I have a date with Jhulune tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had planned for us to eat dinner at Nathalia''s Nourishment, but I kind of had a fight with the owner.¡± He explained. ¡°I haven''t come up with an alternative yet.¡± ¡°Just spending time with you is fine!¡± Jhulune said as her embarrassment and blush slowly faded. ¡°Hey, that''s my line!¡± Ren said back to her, and a few people laughed. ¡°Well, can you... pick something up for me?¡± The woman asked. ¡°I want to see how strong you are.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Someone said. ¡°Show us!¡± ¡°I see a big tree there!¡± A guy said and pointed to a ridiculously large tree. ¡°Knock it down and pick it up!¡± ¡°Do it!¡± ¡°You got this!¡± ¡°That thing is massive, he can''t do that.¡± ¡°Ren, be careful.¡± Jhulune said. Ren smiled at her then walked off the road and into the sparse trees, and pointed to the large tree. ¡°Yeah, that one!¡± The guy yelled, then turned to his friends. ¡°Watch this. He''s going to embarrass himself in front of us.¡± ¡°I can''t wait.¡± One of his friends said. Ren could hear them all clearly, and looked at the tree.
Large Tree
This is a large tree.
Ren smiled at the popup, then braced himself. He''d never done anything like this before, and he wasn''t sure if it would work. The tree was firmly planted into the ground, and he used Enchanted Eyes to see if it was magical in any way. It wasn''t, so he put his hands against the tree trunk and pushed a little. It didn''t move. Ren heard several low laughs, and he knew that he was going to be judged on this, even though it was just a stupid stunt. He wanted them to see what he could do, so he stomped the ground several times to loosen up the large roots that held the tree in place. He could hear a few comments that said he was throwing a tantrum, and he looked right at them. Their words and laughter cut off as he stared at them, and he kept his gaze on them as he reached out and touched the tree. Ren put his weight behind the effort and pushed with all he had. The large tree shuddered as an unequalled force was applied to it, and it''s footing had been compromised. The roots pulled out from the ground and several of them snapped as the tree toppled over and it''s momentum dragged the remaining roots from the ground. Complete silence filled the area around the caravan as Ren walked over to the end of the tree, grabbed it by the tip, and then dragged it out to the road and laid it by the caravan with no effort whatsoever. ¡°This was the tree, right?¡± Ren asked the guy, who nodded wordlessly. Ren grinned at him, walked around to the other side of the tree, and dug his hands into the bark and meat of the tree, then used Iron Grip. He bent his knees and dead-lifted the tree up to his waist, then hopped a little to shift the weight of it up and onto his shoulders, then pushed it up and over his head. ¡°Good god.¡± Someone whispered. Ren couldn''t tell who it was, but it didn''t matter. He let his Iron Grip go and stepped forward as he let the tree fall to the ground behind him with a loud crash. ¡°I probably shouldn''t leave that there.¡± Ren said and stored it. ¡°It would be a road hazard otherwise.¡± No one spoke as he went to the next cart and helped feed the horse and gave it some Health potion, too. The cart shifted a little and he looked at the back. Jhulune had climbed down and looked at him with wide eyes. She chewed on her bottom lip as Ren walked towards her, and she threw caution to the wind and jumped into his arms. He caught her easily, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. There were a few comments made then, and one whistle. ¡°I am so turned on right now.¡± Jhulune whispered to Ren. ¡°What are you going to do with the tree?¡± ¡°I''m going to strip it, cut it up into pieces, and build something with it.¡± Ren whispered back to her. ¡°So manly.¡± Jhulune whispered and nuzzled his neck. ¡°I have to feed the rest of the horses.¡± Ren said to her, and she sighed as he helped her stand up. ¡°At this pace, we''ll be at the county in only another hour or so.¡± ¡°I''ll be too busy working after we get there.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°Exactly.¡± Ren smiled, gave her a quick kiss, and walked to the next cart. Jhulune climbed back into her cart and Ren fed all the horses. After a short break so that all the horses had some rest, he ran to the head of the line again and had the Haste wand ready. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Jen said as all the drivers flicked their reins and the caravan started up again. Ren cast Haste on them as they passed, then on himself, and ran after them. It only took 4 more breaks for them to reach Walin County and the caravan came to a stop in front of the Main House to take the next break. Chapter 338 - Walin County ¡°What is that thing?¡± Someone asked and pointed to the Main House. ¡°That''s the house I built for myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°I put a small workshop upstairs, but that''s going to have to change I think.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Someone else asked. ¡°I might need the room for something else.¡± Ren said. ¡°What... what''s it made of?¡± Jen asked as she walked over to it. ¡°Is... is this the building you described to me before?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Doing it all alone was a pain in the ass, though.¡± ¡°You built it by yourself?!?¡± Jhulune exclaimed. ¡°Do you see anyone else around here to help?¡± Ren asked her and laughed. ¡°It was just me, myself, and I.¡± ¡°And me.¡± Teepo said. Hey, that reminds me. Ren thought to his friend. We''re out in the middle of nowhere. Do you want your physical body? ¡°Sure.¡± Teepo said. Ren took out the platinum beetle body and summoned Teepo again. ¡°Thanks, Ren!¡± Teepo said from his physical body, opened his wings, and took off to scout a few feet away. ¡°What is it?¡± Jhulune asked as she stared at Teepo. ¡°That''s my old friend Teepo.¡± Ren said. ¡°Teepo, this is Jhulune. Jhulune, Teepo.¡± ¡°Hi, Jhulune.¡± Teepo said, then landed on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°There''s nothing between here and the farm house, Ren.¡± ¡°Thanks, buddy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did... did you make him?¡± Jhulune asked and reached out to touch the shiny metal, then stopped herself. ¡°I only made the body.¡± Ren said. ¡°The rest is all Teepo.¡± He smiled. ¡°You don''t mind if Jhulune touches you, do you?¡± ¡°She''s cute, so no.¡± Teepo said, and Jhulune laughed and rubbed her fingers over Teepo''s carapace. ¡°That''s so cool.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°That''s enough sight-seeing.¡± Jen said because she saw the other workers were just standing there and looking around at all the nothing they could see. ¡°Let''s get these carts unloaded.¡± ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± They all said and got to work. Jhulune touched Ren''s arm and then went to work, too. ¡°Do you need my help?¡± Ren asked Jen, and she shook her head. ¡°You''ll only get in the way.¡± Jen said. ¡°We''ve got all the pieces sorted and stored in a specific order. If you just grab everything you can take, we lose the point of planning the packing.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll prep the building area, then.¡± ¡°There''s not much to do, I don''t think.¡± Jen said and looked behind the Main House. ¡°It''s pretty flat.¡± ¡°Not perfectly, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s your town, Ren.¡± Jen said. ¡°If you want to do it, then grab a shovel and get to work.¡± Ren chuckled and took out his Staff of Earth. ¡°Shovels? Who needs shovels?¡± ¡°Is that... oh, my.¡± Jen said as she identified it. ¡°I''ll have the grass cleared and the ground raised a couple of inches in a few minutes.¡± ¡°You''re just going to keep surprising me, aren''t you?¡± Jen asked. ¡°Only if you keep paying attention.¡± Ren said and she laughed. ¡°Go on, go have fun.¡± Jen said and shooed him away. Ren took the not-so-subtle hint to get out of the way, and went to the back of the Main House. He used the Staff of Earth to smooth the ground out, move the grass out of the way, and removed any large rocks. He cleared out enough space for the 50 homes to be built in 10 rows of 5 houses, added roads and driveways, and even 3 foot high earthen barriers between the houses. Ren went back to the Main House, and moved the staff over the area that he wanted to join the roads of his subdivision to the main road, and then the staff stopped working. He looked at it as he held it out, and the magic that made it what it was ended. The wood-like staff turned dark and looked like burned wood, and the bright green emerald-like jewel at the top faded into a clear crystal and then crumbled to dust as the rest of the staff did the same thing. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Jen said and came over to him. She had seen his staff disintegrate and felt bad for him. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Don''t be. That was my...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Teepo? How many is that now?¡± ¡°37.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°You used them a lot while we were away from here.¡± ¡°They only last 600 minutes if you don''t use high-quality materials.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you do, it''s only 1000 minutes.¡± ¡°But... 37 of them?¡± Jen asked, surprised. ¡°What were you doing with them?¡± ¡°The same thing.¡± Ren said and took out a palm-sized diamond and a well-carved pole. He activated his Craft Staff ability and poured Mana into his hand. The pole deformed and twisted itself into a tree-like surface, then it grabbed onto the diamond with 4 tendrils that held it in place. The diamond turned into a green emerald-like jewel, and was completed. ¡°Good god.¡± Jen said. She had just witnessed creation magic first hand, and didn''t know what else to say. Ren held the staff out and finished making the road that joined the subdivision to the main road, then stored the staff. ¡°There, all done.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°That was... Ren... you...¡± ¡°Don''t get all flustered on me now.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''ve got a lot of work to do.¡± Jen sighed after taking a deep breath, nodded, and turned to look at her crews. They had just finished unloading all of the carts. ¡°Okay, people. The way is clear.¡± Jen said. ¡°We''re doing house number one right there.¡± She said and pointed to the first lot right behind the Main House. ¡°Let''s move!¡± Ren watched as the crew expertly assembled the house in less than 15 minutes. With so many of them working with all prefabricated walls and parts, it took barely a quarter of the time that a normal house did. He thought that if they split the crew up they could build more homes at once; but then, he figured more hands made the job a lot easier. ¡°I''m heading over to talk to the town council.¡± Ren told Jen, and she waved acknowledgement. He left after making sure to wave at Jhulune, and ran over the road to the driveway that led up to the old farmhouse. ¡°Do you think she''ll be mad?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I guarantee it.¡± Ren said and walked up the driveway to the house. ¡°I told her months ago that I''d be back to give them any tools they wanted, then never came back.¡± ¡°You didn''t have a lot of free time.¡± Teepo said. ¡°In fact, I''m surprised you did everything that you did.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said and crossed the small open area in front of the house and knocked on the door. A moment later, the door opened, and Patty stood there with a scowl on her face. ¡°What do you want?¡± Patty said. She still looked like an older version of Lucy, and even with her angry, it still hit Ren a little hard how much she looked like his first love. ¡°I''d like for you to accept my humble apology.¡± Ren said, and she snorted a laugh. ¡°Words.¡± Patty said. ¡°Just words! Pretty words for you to spout and make it seem like you''re being sincere!¡± She said. ¡°I know all about you and your kind.¡± Ren took out an Amulet of Truth and held it out to her. ¡°Please accept this gift, and you will know I speak the truth.¡± Patty snorted a laugh. ¡°I''ve seen peddlers milk the citizens of Walin County over trinkets like that.¡± She said. ¡°What makes that so different?¡± ¡°Do you have anyone with the Identify ability?¡± Ren asked, and an old woman waddled over to them. She was barely 3 feet tall, but would have been a lot taller than that if she wasn''t so hunched over.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°I can identify.¡± The old woman said and held her hand out for the amulet. Ren was pretty sure she could barely see, and was proven right when she held the amulet barely an inch from her face. ¡°It''s an Amulet of Truth all right.¡± She said and handed it back to Ren. ¡°Anyone within 25 feet must speak the truth.¡± There were several gasps from the room behind Patty, and Ren looked at her face. She wasn''t skeptical anymore, but she also didn''t want to take the offered gift. ¡°You want to stay angry at me.¡± Ren said, and correctly guessed her thoughts as she caught her breath. ¡°You can still be mad and know the truth.¡± Ren said and held the amulet out to her. ¡°But... if you explain, I... I can''t stay mad.¡± Patty said. ¡°I''ll wear it.¡± The old lady said and took it. She slipped it on and the 25 foot area of effect popped into place. ¡°Ooo, shiny.¡± She said and caressed the amulet. ¡°I''m important again.¡± Everyone looked at her, and she put a hand over her mouth. ¡°It''s not like I want... want... well, okay I wanted to be important again.¡± She admitted. ¡°I''m old, but I''m still useful.¡± ¡°That''s the truth.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him. ¡°If I could figure out how to straighten your back and heal you, I would.¡± The old lady looked down at the amulet and then back at Ren. ¡°You''d do that for me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°My back is getting sore just from looking at you.¡± ¡°You''re telling the truth.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve had my experiences with difficult mobility.¡± He said. ¡°I''d change it if I could.¡± ¡°You''re a sweet boy.¡± The old lady said. ¡°Now, why were you gone so long?¡± ¡°That''s a long story.¡± Ren said. ¡°May I come in and tell it?¡± Patty sighed and stepped back to reveal a group of old people sitting around an old rickety table. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and smiled at her, then held an arm out for the old lady. ¡°May I assist you back to the table?¡± ¡°I''m old enough to be your grandmother.¡± The old lady said, smiled at him, and wrapped a bony arm around his offered arm. ¡°I won''t turn down the attention, though.¡± ¡°Margaret!¡± One of the old men said. ¡°What?¡± The old lady smiled. ¡°I didn''t ask him to ravage me.¡± ¡°Margaret!¡± The old man nearly yelled. ¡°Relax, you old goat.¡± The old lady laughed. ¡°He''s too important to do anything like that with a commoner.¡± Ren helped her to her seat, and her height didn''t change at all as she sat back in the chair. He glanced at the man who had said her name, then leaned in and kissed Margaret on the cheek. ¡°Thank you for thinking so highly of me.¡± Ren said. ¡°But I''m a commoner, too.¡± The old lady stared at him with her mouth open and a hand on the spot where he had kissed her cheek. ¡°So tell us the story.¡± Patty said, to get everyone to focus back on her and not on the inappropriateness of the last few moments. She sat down at the table, and Ren touched it. It actually was rickety and moved at his light touch, so he stored it and replaced it with the one he had in inventory. The old people stared at the table, and then at Ren as he took out a chair for himself and sat down. ¡°Well, it''s like this...¡± Ren said, then went through everything that had happened to him since the last time he had been there. It took nearly two hours for him to give them just the basic rundown of the events. He finished with being kicked out of the Dwarven Kingdom and coming home 2 months prematurely, and about his break up with his fiance. ¡°You poor boy.¡± The old lady said and put a hand on Ren''s arm. ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± ¡°I''ll be fine.¡± Ren said and pat the hand. ¡°I had a lot of time to come to terms with it.¡± The old lady nodded and sat back. ¡°So now what?¡± Patty asked. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°This is my land.¡± He said. ¡°I built a house here.¡± ¡°You''re coming here to stay?¡± Patty asked. ¡°You''re not just going to come here, mess everything up, and then leave again?¡± ¡°I''m going to make some changes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told you that before. I can''t live here and not make the place better.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Patty said. ¡°Your version of better.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No. Just better.¡± He said, then looked at the council. There were six people that looked to be in their 60s, and Patty who looked to be about 30. ¡°I''m not going to tell you what to do with your lives. They are your lives and that''s that. Live them how you like.¡± The old people and Patty nodded their heads in agreement. ¡°I, on the other hand, won''t sit by and watch as people in my county suffer in poverty.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Patty exclaimed. ¡°I saw your straw and mud houses in the village the last time I was here. You are not going to keep living in them if you don''t have to.¡± ¡°Then where are we going to live, Mr. High and Mighty?¡± Patty asked, and scowled at him. ¡°Are you going to buy us new homes?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. Patty sat back in her chair with a satisfied look on her face. ¡°I''m paying to have new houses built behind my Main House.¡± ¡°You''re WHAT?!?¡± Patty exclaimed and sat bolt upright. ¡°You... you can''t... can''t be...¡± ¡°It''s the truth.¡± Ren said and pointed to Margaret, the old lady with the Amulet of Truth around her neck. ¡°They''re building a bunch of houses as we speak.¡± ¡°I''m not moving.¡± One of the old men said. ¡°I like my straw and mud hut.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I didn''t say you had to move, just that you''ll have a new house if you want it.¡± ¡°I don''t.¡± ¡°Your kids might.¡± One of the other old men said. ¡°No, they won''t.¡± ¡°I''ve only got 50 homes being built in this first batch.¡± Ren said. ¡°They should be done by tonight.¡± ¡°Tonight?!?¡± Patty exclaimed. ¡°How the hell...¡± One of the old men grumbled. ¡°He''s got 3 full crews working on it!¡± A young boy''s voice said from under the floor. ¡°Russell!¡± Patty said and stomped her foot on the floor. ¡°Get out from under there!¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Russell said, and Ren heard the boy crawl out from under the house. ¡°It''s going to take a while to build all 300 houses.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to assume it takes at least a couple of days to make the pieces, then a day to travel here and put them together.¡± He said. ¡°So, let''s assume 4 days per lot of 50. That''s 6 lots at 4 days each.¡± He smiled. ¡°They''re already doing one today, so I''ll knock off 3 days to make it 21 days, or a solid 3 weeks.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Margaret the old lady with the truth amulet said. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± ¡°In the meantime, I''ll work on getting this place protected.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Patty asked. ¡°I don''t like that the county is completely open like it is.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t gone around the entire edge, but from what I saw at the village, it could be very easy for someone to drop things from that cliff.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± One of the old men said. ¡°Russell!¡± ¡°Yes''sir?¡± Russell said and came in through the door. He had been standing just outside and listening in. ¡°How big of a rock did you drop off the cliff yesterday?¡± ¡°About this big.¡± Russell said and held his hands about a foot apart. ¡°You should have seen the hole it made!¡± ¡°I saw it.¡± The old man said. ¡°I was just letting the young man know that anything dropped from there would cause damage, not just weapons.¡± ¡°I can drop a bigger rock off of it if you want me to!¡± Russell said excitedly. ¡°No, no.¡± The old man said. ¡°One was enough.¡± ¡°It wasn''t just one.¡± Russell said. ¡°It was just one at the top on the ridge by the village.¡± ¡°How many have you dropped off of it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°So many that I had to bring my own the last time.¡± Russell said and grinned. The old man shook his head. ¡°I''d tell you to stop, but you''ll just keep doing it anyways.¡± ¡°I sure will!¡± Russell said. ¡°Hearing it go thump when it hits the ground is fun!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°As long as you''re careful and don''t hit anyone.¡± ¡°I came close once.¡± Russell said. ¡°Ol'' Unice was wobbling around nearby and the one I dropped hit one already on the ground and bounced away.¡± ¡°Was she all right?¡± ¡°It stopped before it hit her; but, I''ve been careful not to drop rocks near each other after that.¡± Russell said. ¡°I like Unice, even though she talks funny.¡± ¡°Russell!¡± Patty said. ¡°Don''t say things like that!¡± ¡°Why not? She says it herself all the time.¡± Russell said. ¡°She laughs fine, though.¡± ¡°How did you make her laugh?¡± One of the old men asked, curious. ¡°I kissed her.¡± Russell said. ¡°Right on the lips, too.¡± ¡°Russell!¡± Patty said. ¡°You shouldn''t do things like that to her.¡± ¡°Why not? She likes it.¡± Russell said. ¡°She wouldn''t laugh if she didn''t.¡± ¡°Russell.¡± Patty said and glanced at Ren. ¡°We''ll talk about this later.¡± ¡°Only if you can catch me!¡± Russell laughed and jumped out the open door and took off at a run. ¡°RUSSELL!¡± Patty yelled, then sighed. ¡°That boy...¡± ¡°...is doing fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think it''s good that he treats her like that.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Normally.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°I''ve got to get to work.¡± ¡°It was nice meeting you, My Lord.¡± Margaret said, and Ren took her hand. ¡°If you were 50 years younger...¡± Ren said jokingly, and the old man that had said her name earlier, coughed several times. Ren glanced at him then back at Margaret and grinned. ¡°...and unattached.¡± ¡°Get out of here, you.¡± Margaret said, squeezed his hand, then let it go. ¡°Before you give my husband a heart attack.¡± Ren nodded to each person at the table. ¡°It was nice meeting you.¡± He said, then looked at Patty. ¡°May I speak to you outside?¡± Patty looked at the other members of the town council, and didn''t see any sign that she should reject him. She sighed and stood up, and followed Ren outside and shut the door. ¡°What do you want now?¡± Patty asked. ¡°Did you make a list of items that you need made?¡± ¡°Yes, but that was a while ago.¡± Patty said and took out a scrap piece of parchment. There were scribbles, scratched out scribbles, and written-over scribbles all over it on both sides. ¡°We made do with what we had, and shared the new shovel as much as we could.¡± Ren put a hand on the one that held the note, and Patty looked at him. ¡°I''m very sorry that I left like I did and never came back until now.¡± He said, sincerely. ¡°I won''t ask you to forgive me, and I can''t make up for the time I''ve neglected you and the people that live here.¡± ¡°My Lord...¡± ¡°All I can do is promise that I''ll try and give you and the citizens of Walin County everything that they need to live comfortably.¡± ¡°E-e-everything?¡± Patty asked, shocked. ¡°A house... a stable with carts and horses... farm equipment... a Church...¡± ¡°A CHURCH!?!¡± Ren chuckled at her outburst. ¡°I know people want...¡± He stopped talking, then smiled. ¡°...need... that aspect in their lives.¡± He said. ¡°I''m more than happy to provide them that.¡± ¡°But... but... we...¡± ¡°If you already have somewhere that you do those things, that''s fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s like the houses. You don''t have to use them if you don''t want to; but, they''ll be there if you do.¡± ¡°How do we decide who lives where?¡± Patty asked. ¡°Who gets to move first?¡± Ren smiled again. ¡°You don''t have to make those kind of decisions.¡± He said. ¡°Wait 3 weeks, and everyone can move at the same time.¡± Patty opened her mouth to say that was a great idea, but she didn''t want to encourage him and changed what she said. ¡°You''ve got an answer for everything, don''t you?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ask me something and find out.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Smart Guy.¡± Patty said. ¡°Our chickens haven''t been laying enough eggs for us to eat, and to grow replacement chickens for the ones we slaughter.¡± She said. ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°Are there enough roosters?¡± Ren said. ¡°If there are, then just feed them more. If you make them fat and happy, they should lay more.¡± ¡°Where are we going to get the extra feed for that?¡± Patty asked. ¡°You''ve got fields and fields of wheat and grains. Use them.¡± ¡°We''re already working day and night to keep up with the harvest!¡± Patty said. ¡°How are we going to do more?¡± ¡°What do you use to harvest?¡± ¡°The hand sicle.¡± Patty said. ¡°It''s the best tool for the job.¡± ¡°...that you have.¡± Ren added. ¡°I''m going to be busy for the rest of the day today and I''ll be going back to town tonight.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve also got an important appointment in the capital city of Bore-Reale at King Alamast''s castle tomorrow.¡± Patty stood there and stared at Ren like he had two heads. ¡°The day after that I can be back here to help you with the harvest.¡± Ren said. ¡°How does that sound?¡± Patty didn''t speak as she nodded slowly. ¡°Great.¡± Ren said and gave her a slight bow. ¡°I''ll see you then.¡± * Patty watched as Ren ran down the driveway and out of sight. ¡°He sure is something.¡± Margaret said from the doorway of the little farm house. Patty turned around and looked at her. ¡°Do you still hate him?¡± The old lady asked. ¡°Ye... ye... dammit.¡± Patty sighed. ¡°No.¡± Margaret smiled at her and held out a hand. ¡°Come back inside. We must discuss what we are going to tell the others.¡± Patty took her hand and went inside. ¡°Russell probably already told everyone about the new houses.¡± Margaret laughed. ¡°No doubt.¡± Patty shut the door and they sat down to talk about what these changes meant for them and their little community. Chapter 339 - Can We Build It? Ren ran back to the Main House he had built, and saw that the work crews already had 12 houses built and were starting on the next. ¡°You''re doing great!¡± Ren said to Jen as he came up to her. ¡°It was your idea.¡± Jen said. ¡°Having 2 extra work crews to gather supplies and build the parts beforehand, then to help put them together? It has definitely increased production.¡± She smiled. ¡°We''d be barely starting the fifth house right now without them.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Why build at the normal rate when you can spend 3 times the normal cost and have them built 4 times as fast?¡± Jen laughed. ¡°It''s your money.¡± She said. ¡°You wanted it fast.¡± ¡°I do... and I assume it''ll take a couple of days to make the next batch of prefabricated parts?¡± ¡°About that long.¡± Jen said. ¡°We can have another caravan ready after 2 days of prep.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll make the rest of the places for the houses right now.¡± ¡°You''re not coming back with each caravan?¡± Jen asked. ¡°With you along, we got here pretty fast this time.¡± ¡°I want to come along, but...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°...you know how things can get.¡± Jen nodded. ¡°I''ll hope you''re available, but I won''t plan on it.¡± ¡°That would be smart, even though I should be available since I don''t have any urgent plans then.¡± Ren said and took out the Staff of Earth. ¡°I''m going out to the edge of the county to make a retaining wall after this, so I''ll see you in a few hours.¡± ¡°You''ll be here for lunch, right?¡± ¡°Hopefully.¡± Ren said. ¡°I should have enough for everyone, too.¡± He took out the large icebox and looked inside. ¡°Yeah, there''s plenty left.¡± He said, then closed and stored it. ¡°I have to remember to refill it after this, though.¡± ¡°Good god, is there anything you can''t do?¡± Jen asked. Ren wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her, and she laughed. He left her there and ran over to a clear spot on the other side of the main house and formed a road to attach to the main road, then made another 5 sections of 10 houses and small roads, with 5 houses on each side of them. He left the grass between the houses and in the yards, and made more subdivisions behind the two he had made. Since it was only a minor movement of the land to get the spots for the houses raised slightly and levelled, Ren was done of all 6 sections in just under half an hour. Ren left there and ran towards the edge of his county across the wilderness. Since an average runner could run a mile in about 7 to 10 minutes, 25 miles would take well over 3 hours. Ren was not a normal runner, though. He could normally run a mile in 3 minutes; but with his Boots of Striding and Leaping, it doubled his speed and he could do a mile in only 90 seconds. When Ren cast Haste on himself, it doubled his speed again and reduced a mile to only 45 seconds. With everything combined, he made the 25 mile trek across his land in only 18 minutes; well within the 20 minute time limit of the Master level Haste spell. Once at the border of his county, Ren asked the system to show him where it was and highlight it. A bright yellow dotted line appeared on the ground in front of him and it went off into the distance to either side of him. He used the Staff of Earth to make a 20 foot wide trench along that line, made it 20 feet deep, and shifted all that displaced dirt a foot away from the edge of the trench so it wouldn''t collapse under the weight. He made a 40 foot high and 10 foot wide dirt and stone wall to discourage anyone from trying to attack his land. ¡°You don''t think that''s going a little overboard?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°40 feet is pretty high.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, all I can remember is those tall giants that could see over the 30 foot iron barriers I''d made when they jumped a little.¡± Teepo chittered in laugher. ¡°Okay, I have to agree. If you giant-proof the land, nothing smaller than that should be able to get in.¡± ¡°That''s what I''m thinking.¡± Ren said. Now that he had the plan in his head of how to do what he wanted, he used the staff to full effect and did 550 feet of trench in just under a minute. If he was just making the trench, it would go a lot faster; but because he was making the wall so high rather than just making a hill out of it, it took longer. He looked at one of his raised platform rings and absorbed the enchantment from it, then replaced it with 5 glyphs of 10 runes each. It had 35 Water runes and 15 Wind runes for a total of 50 runes, and he examined it.
Water Geyser Ring
This ring has been enchanted to produce a torrent of water the likes no one has ever seen produced from a ring. The force produced is so strong that the user of this ring will lose their footing and be knocked down, unless they are braced securely.
Ren activated his new Water Geyser ring and walked along with it pointed at the trench, and used the Staff of Earth to make more trench. Once he had the pace down, he walked fast and kept going. As the trench continued expanding, the water continued to fill it. Ren worked for 2 solid hours and had completed 12 miles of trench, wall, and moat. Ren had hit a bit of a snag when he reached a thick forest that was higher than the wall would be; but, then realized he could just shift the trees to the top of the wall instead of pushing them aside. Of course, this also made him think about covering the rest of the wall with trees as well, then he shrugged. I can always come back and do it later. Ren thought, then looked at the forest on the other side of his property line. I could just shift them all over this way. He thought, then shook his head. No, I''ll stick with what I have. I don''t have to steal from someone else''s land. ¡°You need to head back if you want to make it for lunch.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and finished shifting the dirt into a wall and filled the trench with water. He deactivated the ring and stored the staff, then cast Haste on himself and ran. * ¡°What do you think he''s doing?¡± The scout asked his partner. They were almost a mile away and had watched Ren with their Spot ability. ¡°It''s obvious, isn''t it?¡± The other scout said. ¡°He''s preparing for war.¡± ¡°With who?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± He said. ¡°Us, maybe.¡± The first scout laughed. ¡°Are you kidding? You''ve seen that village. They don''t have anything at all that could hurt us.¡± The other scout looked at his partner. ¡°This new guy is changing things.¡± He said. ¡°What if he doesn''t use the village idiots and hires an army instead?¡± The first scout thought about it. ¡°I''ll run back to the camp and get the messenger.¡± ¡°Tell him to pass on what we saw here.¡± The scout said. ¡°Even if all this guy is doing is making defences, the Captain still needs to know about it.¡± The first scout nodded and slipped out of the makeshift scout perch that was in a tall tree within the large thick forest Ren had just reached. I''m sure the Captain would love to get his hands on that staff. The second scout thought as he went back to his boring ''scan the borders'' order he had received a month ago, that wasn''t quite so boring to follow today. * Ren made it back to the Main House on his land just in time to see the workers finish up the house they were working on.
Stat Change!
Running Level 1 (Advanced 0%)
Jen had just called for the lunch break and everyone finished what they were doing and gathered together. ¡°Who brought their own lunch?¡± Jen asked as Ren came to a stop beside her. Nearly half of the workers put their hands up. ¡°Well, you can eat that, or what Ren brought.¡± ¡°Ren''s!¡± Jhulune said, threw a small bag of food over her shoulder, and several people laughed. ¡°Do you you want it cold or hot?¡± Ren asked as he took out his large icebox. ¡°Oh, definitely hot.¡± The woman that had asked for a kiss during the trip there said, and several more people laughed. Ren took out a stone brick that was enchanted with Fire and Wind runes, put it on the ground, and activated it. He took out a plate of food and held it over the flames for about 10 seconds, then held it out to the closest person. ¡°You''re kidding, right?¡± The guy said. ¡°There''s no way that''s hot.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Jhulune?¡± Jhulune ran over to him, took the warm plate, and scooped a piece of meat into her mouth. ¡°Mmm! That''s so good!¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The guy tried to take a piece and she moved it out of his reach. ¡°Hey, get your own!¡± Jhulune said, and more people laughed. He got a plate next, and Ren kept heating up plates of food for everyone. Like a good boss, Jen had waited until last to get hers, and Ren made one for himself. He deactivated the stone block and stored it and the almost-empty icebox. ¡°This really is good.¡± Jen said after she took another bite. ¡°You made this?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I spent a lot of time travelling and needed a constant food source for myself and my mount.¡± He said. ¡°I also had to keep it for a while, so I made an icebox to store it in.¡± ¡°How old is this food?¡± One of the guys asked. ¡°It tastes like you just made it.¡± ¡°About 3 days.¡± Ren said. ¡°I made it on the ship before I arrived here 2 days ago.¡± ¡°This is 3 day old food?!?¡± The guy exclaimed. ¡°That''s crazy!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s me in a nutshell.¡± He said, and everyone laughed. They all enjoyed a good meal and pleasant conversation, and Jhulune had sat next to Ren while they ate. At one point, her hand had snaked it''s way across his lower back and rubbed it in slow circles. It happened out of sight of everyone else because his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak covered the action, and Ren took his time while he ate so that she could keep doing it. Ren couldn''t delay anymore, so he finished his meal and stored the plate. When people saw this, they handed him their empty plates and he stored them as well. Each of them thanked him and said the food was good, and they went back to work. He felt Juhulune''s hand move out from under his cloak, and she passed him the plate. Jhulune leaned in to press her lips to his ear. ¡°That was delicious.¡± She whispered in a breathy voice. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, and Jhulune stood up and went back to work. ¡°You really are taking her on a date, huh?¡± Jen asked as she passed him her plate and he stored it. ¡°You don''t approve?¡± Ren asked her, and she laughed. ¡°Neither of you need my approval.¡± Jen said. ¡°Just don''t break her heart.¡± Ren stood up and looked at Jen. ¡°Don''t worry. I told her not to expect any kind of relationship, or for us to date on a regular basis, or anything like that.¡± Jen nodded. ¡°I''m glad you were honest with her.¡± ¡°So.¡± Ren said to change the subject. ¡°How did the inspection go?¡± Jen looked at him with surprise on her face. ¡°Inspection? What inspection?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Like I wouldn''t guess that you would be all over the Main House when I left.¡± Jen grinned at him. ¡°Why didn''t you open the door for me, then?¡± ¡°I didn''t want it to be too easy for you to get the plans.¡± Ren said and grinned back. ¡°It''s magnificent.¡± Jen said and looked at the large two storey building. ¡°I can''t believe you built it all by yourself.¡± ¡°Twice.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is the second one.¡± ¡°What?¡± Jen looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°But... I thought...¡± ¡°The other one is in the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, only the outside walls, floor, and staircases are the same. I changed the layout on this one quite a bit from the other one.¡± Jen shook her head in disbelief. ¡°I thought you were teasing me a little with how you described everything.¡± ¡°Not a bit.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, I can make it a lot easier and safer now.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± ¡°Amulet of the Spider. As long as I have two points of contact on a surface, I can stick to it.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Ren walked over to the Main House, crawled up the wall a couple of feet, and smiled at her. ¡°Wow.¡± Jen said and walked over to him. Ren had both feet on the wall and let his hands go. Jen gasped because she thought he was going to fall, but Ren only ''stood up'' on the wall and crossed his arms. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± Jen said. He was standing horizontally in front of her, and Ren chuckled when she poked him in the chest. He pulled a foot from the wall and jumped to the ground. ¡°Out of all the Adventurer''s I''ve met, you are definitely the most interesting.¡± ¡°Is that good or bad?¡± Ren asked her, and she laughed. ¡°It depends on the mood I''m in.¡± Jen said. ¡°Now get to work.¡± ¡°Yes, Ma''am!¡± Ren said and saluted her, cast Haste on himself with the wand, and took off running. Just over 15 minutes later, he arrived back at the spot where he had stopped before lunch and continued to make the trench, moat, and wall. For the next 5 hours he shifted dirt and filled the trench with water, and had gone another 30 miles, for a total of 42 miles of 40 foot high and 10 foot thick wall, and a 20 foot wide by 20 foot deep moat. Satisfied with a good day''s work, but a little sad that he didn''t quite get the full side done, he ran back to the Main House to meet up with the caravan. ¡°We only have a few houses left to build.¡± Jen said to him as he approached. ¡°Give us another hour to finish up.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Ren said. Damn, I could have finished that side of the land if I''d stayed. He thought to himself and looked at the work the lumber yard crews had done and the 46 houses they had already built. ¡°You even made them all slightly different.¡± Jen nodded. ¡°I remember you mentioning different plans for them.¡± ¡°Thank you, Jen.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve been going above and beyond all my expectations.¡± Jen chuckled. ¡°I guess turnabout really is fair play after all.¡± Ren smiled, then looked across the road. ¡°Remind me to talk to Catalina about getting a large stable set up out here.¡± ¡°You really are going all out, aren''t you?¡± Jen asked, and he nodded. ¡°I want this place to be functional, and for my citizens to be happy.¡± ¡°I''ll remind you to ask her about it when we get back to the city.¡± Jen said, and they discussed what else Ren wanted to build while the work crews finished the last 4 houses. ¡°I''ll have to get more lumber when I go to the capital.¡± Ren said nearly an hour later, after telling Jen what he wanted, and she told him what was possible and what wasn''t. ¡°I know there''s not enough wood stored at the dock warehouse after Tee-one made all the replacement stock for my shop.¡± ¡°It would be best if you did find another source, if you''re going to build things yourself.¡± Jen said. ¡°I won''t have any wood or people to spare until at least a week after this order is done; so, about a month.¡± ¡°That reminds me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you need any more money?¡± Jen laughed. ¡°No, I don''t need any more money.¡± She said. ¡°What you gave me was more than enough to cover the cost of everything for the next three weeks.¡± ¡°Even the extra work crews?¡± ¡°Yes, even the extra work crews.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said and looked at the crews. They had just finished the last house and were giving each other high-fives, so he took out the Haste wand and refilled it''s charges. ¡°Ren, did you just-¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and smiled as he put a finger to his lips. ¡°Shh.¡± ¡°That was exhausting!¡± Jhulune said as she came over to them, with the other workers right behind her. ¡°Are you out of Stamina?¡± Ren asked and took out another wand. Jhulune chuckled. ¡°Yes, but it''ll recharge on the trip back.¡± ¡°I can...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Jhulune said and put a hand on his. ¡°I''ll be fine for our date.¡± ¡°I''m not sure where to take you, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s not a lot of places that serve food around here.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I know, I know.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°I''d like to just spend time with you, too.¡± ¡°If you can''t think of anything by the time we get back to Aurora, we can just hang out or go for a walk or something.¡± ¡°Everyone got their tools?¡± Jen asked the crew. ¡°Jhulune''s got them.¡± Someone said, and Jen looked at her. She didn''t see her carrying anything, then Jhulune showed her the Ring of Storage that she had. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Jen said. ¡°Where did you get-¡± She looked at Ren and saw his big smile. ¡°Never mind.¡± Everyone laughed, and they climbed into the three carts they had arrived in. ¡°I didn''t even notice that the other carts had left.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I''m pretty observant.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I didn''t notice, either.¡± Jen climbed up into the front cart and sat in the passenger seat. ¡°I think we can squeeze you in.¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t even think about holding a cart back for you to ride.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It couldn''t take me anyways.¡± He said. ¡°I need my special mount to carry me.¡± ¡°Well, then.¡± Jen said. ¡°Driver, let''s go.¡± ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± The driver said and flicked the reins, and Ren cast Haste on the horse, then on the other 2 horses and himself. He kept pace with the much smaller caravan, even though he could run quite a bit faster than them. Imagine if I had the Haste spell way back during the Aurora Expedition. Ren smiled at himself. Or any of the spells I have now. Ren pictured himself outrunning the troll and getting off the bridge before it collapsed; then he frowned. No, I shouldn''t think like that. He thought. If I hadn''t taken that fall into that dark abyss, I wouldn''t have completed the quest without any loss of life to either the players or the soldiers. He smiled. Everything happens for a reason, and if that reason changed, then everything would change with it. The horses stopped when the Haste spell wore off, and everyone took a break with the horses. Since there was only 3 of them, they were quickly fed and the break was only short. They got on the road again and kept going, and did the same thing when the spell wore off again. This happened 3 more times and they made it back to Aurora just in time for supper. The streets were practically empty as they went down the street, and Ren saw the hastily constructed market stall that a guy had sold him ale from the day before. It was empty, just like it had been that morning; but, it reminded him that he still had that ale. The drivers took the carts over to the lumber yard and came to a stop. Everyone hopped out and the carts were positioned by the mill to await the next trip. ¡°Thanks a lot, Ren.¡± Jen said. ¡°We got to stay a lot longer than we normally would, and we completed the entire 50 houses of this batch.¡± She pat him on the shoulder. ¡°I thought we''d be stuck out there until tomorrow.¡± ¡°We could have stayed.¡± Ren said as everyone gathered around. ¡°There was plenty of room in the Main House.¡± Jen shook her head. ¡°We had to come back to get more supplies anyways.¡± ¡°If I can''t go with you in two days, I better give you a key to the place.¡± Ren said and opened up the house owner menu, and added Jen as an occupant. A small key appeared around her neck with the others that she had, and she put a hand on it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren closed the menu and smiled. ¡°You''re welcome, and thank you for today.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Jen said. ¡°Okay, you mooches! Get lost, and I''ll see you in the morning!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him. ¡°Would anyone like a drink of ale?¡± ¡°I sure would!¡± One of the guys exclaimed, and his friends laughed. ¡°I''ve only got one keg...¡± Ren said, and there was a loud whoop. ¡°Tell me you''ve got tankards!¡± The guy said, and Ren shook his head. ¡°Aw.¡± ¡°I do have these, though.¡± Ren said and took out an expensive looking blue mug covered in sea shells, and the handle looked like a seahorse. ¡°That''s so pretty!¡± Jhulune said as Ren handed it to her, then handed out 35 more to the crew, and one to Jen. He carefully split up the keg among the held out mugs, and ran out just after filling Jen''s and Jhulune''s mugs. He stored the empty keg and looked at everyone. They stood there and looked back at him. ¡°Where''s yours?¡± Jhulune asked. ¡°There''s not enough for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go ahead and enjoy it.¡± ¡°Take out your mug.¡± Jhulune said, and he held one out, and she poured half of hers into it. ¡°There!¡± She said, and turned to everyone. ¡°Three cheers for Ren!¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°REN!¡± After the last cheer, they all took a drink. ¡°Whoa-ho-ha!¡± One of the guys said. ¡°That''s great stuff!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± His friend said and took another drink. ¡°Thanks a lot, Ren.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Everyone stood around and chatted while they finished their drinks, then handed back the mugs. They all said goodnight, and went home to have supper. ¡°Jhulune? Don''t forget to drop off the tools.¡± Jen said. Jhulune went into the building to hang them back up, and left Ren and Jen alone. ¡°I''ve got to lock up and get over to my place.¡± Jen said. ¡°I''ll mention the stable idea to Catalina.¡± ¡°And temporary houses for the workers.¡± Ren said. ¡°If we can teach some of the villagers how to handle the animals properly...¡± ¡°You won''t be taking other people away from their normal jobs.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Goodnight, Jen.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Jen said and started to walk away, and saw Jhulune as she walked back over to Ren. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Hopefully.¡± Jhulune said and stopped in front of Ren. ¡°So, have you thought of where to go yet?¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m drawing a complete blank.¡± ¡°A walk it is.¡± Jhulune said and took his hand. Ren smiled as she led him down the street and over a couple of blocks, and came to a stop in front of a moderate two storey house. ¡°Ren, I had an idea.¡± ¡°Is it a good one?¡± Ren asked as he got the plans to the house. ¡°Probably not.¡± Jhulune said and led him to the front door. ¡°Jhulune, is this...¡± Ren started to ask, then his Etiquette skill activated when Jhulune opened the front door. ¡°I''M HOOOOME!¡± Jhulune yelled. ¡°It''s about damn time.¡± A deep baritone voice said from the living room. ¡°I felt something weird pass over the house a minute ago.¡± He said. ¡°It''s not going away, though.¡± Oh, crap. Ren thought, and Teepo chittered in laughter. Chapter 340 - Meet The Parents The man stood up to his full 6 foot 6 height and turned around, then got a good look at Ren. ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°Language!¡± A very effeminate voice said from the kitchen, and a woman only an inch taller than Jhulune turned around and saw Ren. ¡°Oh, dear!¡± ¡°Mom. Dad. This is Ren.¡± ¡°We know who he is.¡± Jhulune''s father said and took a couple of steps towards them. ¡°Yes, we do!¡± Jhulune''s mother said, cut off her husband and practically ran over to them. ¡°Welcome, welcome!¡± ¡°Thank you, Ma''am.¡± Ren said as he was engulfed in a hug. ¡°Moooom!¡± Jhulune exclaimed. ¡°He doesn''t even know you!¡± Her mother laughed and let Ren go. ¡°I''m sorry, My Lord. I''m a hugger.¡± ¡°I am, too.¡± Ren said and beamed a smile at her. ¡°Oh, dear!¡± Jhulune''s mother said and fanned her face with her hand several times. ¡°That''s enough of that.¡± Jhulune''s father said and put a hand on his wife''s shoulder to move her back and out of the way. ¡°It''s a pleasure to finally meet you, sir.¡± Ren said and held a hand out for her father to shake. ¡°Sir?¡± He said surprised, and shook the offered hand. ¡°Are you all right in the head?¡± ¡°DAAAAD!¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°It''s not nice to ask something like that! Especially about someone you just met!¡± Jhulune said. ¡°He didn''t take offence.¡± He said to her, then looked at Ren. ¡°Did you?¡± ¡°No, sir.¡± Ren said. ¡°I get called crazy all the time.¡± The father and mother looked at him with wide eyes, and Jhulune laughed. ¡°He''s not actually crazy.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°People just think he is because of all the crazy things he does.¡± ¡°It''s true.¡± Teepo said. ¡°He does lots of crazy things.¡± ¡°Did... did that bug thing on your shoulder just talk?¡± Jhulune''s mother asked. ¡°That''s just Teepo.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°He''s been Ren''s friend for ages.¡± ¡°Oh, well... okay.¡± Her mother said, then smiled at Ren. ¡°Would you like to stay for supper?¡± Ren looked at her expectant face, at Jhulune''s expectant face, and then at her father''s borderline angry face. Outvoted 2 to 1. He thought and smiled. ¡°Ma''am, I''d be honored to share a meal with you and your family.¡± ¡°Wonderful!¡± Jhulune''s mother said and smacked her husband on the arm. ¡°Go back in the living room, Angus. The food will be ready soon.¡± ¡°Gail.¡± Angus said. ¡°Go! Shoo!¡± Gail said and pushed on him as hard as she could, and he didn''t move. ¡°All right.¡± Angus said and frowned a little at Ren, then turned around and went back to the living room and sat down. ¡°Come in, come in!¡± Gail said and took Ren''s other hand. ¡°Right this way!¡± ¡°Mom! He''s been in a house before.¡± Jhulune said, and her mother laughed. ¡°Not ours.¡± Gail said. ¡°That''s the living room, that''s the dining room, and that''s the kitchen.¡± ¡°Geez, Mom.¡± Jhulune said and rolled her eyes. ¡°It looks very nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you decorate it yourself?¡± ¡°Oh, great.¡± Angus said from the living room. ¡°Now you''ve done it.¡± ¡°Hush, Angus!¡± Gail said crossly, then smiled at Ren. ¡°In fact, I did do it.¡± She said. ¡°I got the curtains from the tailor, the tables from the lumber yard, the mirror from the glassworkers-¡± ¡°She didn''t want to decorate, though.¡± Jhulune said to stop her mother''s babbling. ¡°When they rebuilt the house, they wouldn''t make it the way she wanted.¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°I can understand why they didn''t.¡± He said. ¡°Replacing with parts they already had would be much quicker than building new... assuming they even had plans for a different design.¡± ¡°That''s what I told her.¡± Jhulune said, then laughed. ¡°Once she stopped complaining that the work crew wasn''t listening to her.¡± ¡°I''m sorry you couldn''t get the house you wanted.¡± Ren said. ¡°How much did they say the renovations would cost?¡± ¡°More than the house is worth.¡± Angus said from the living room. ¡°So we didn''t bother.¡± ¡°Plus, we got the house for free, and we didn''t have to pay extra taxes this year.¡± Jhulune said and kissed Ren on the cheek. ¡°I still can''t believe you did that for us.¡± ¡°Neither can the Finance Minister.¡± Ren said, and that made Angus bark a single laugh. ¡°Go on into the living room while Jhulune and I finish with the food.¡± Gail said, and let Ren''s hand go. Jhulune let his other hand go, and he looked into the living room. ¡°Would you mind if I helped in the kitchen instead?¡± Ren asked, and Gail''s eyes widened. ¡°I know a thing or two.¡± ¡°Well, if Angus doesn''t mind...¡± ¡°Like I care if he sits here and waits, or stands in the kitchen and waits.¡± Angus said. ¡°Then come on in to the kitchen.¡± Gail said. With the three of them in the small space, it was a little hard to move around, but they managed to do it safely. Ren was careful where he put his hands while they worked, and intentionally grabbed Jhulune''s behind only twice. The first time made her laugh, the second time made her grab his. Gail was well aware of this interaction, however; but try as she might, she couldn''t quite make herself grab Ren''s tempting behind and only blushed when the opportunity arose. Ren helped set the table and put everything into it''s proper place, and discovered that it was only the 4 of them that would be eating. He was tempted to ask why Jhulune didn''t have any brothers or sisters; but, he didn''t want to spoil the happy mood if the answer wasn''t a good one. ¡°Angus!¡± Gail said as she and Jhulune set out the food on the table. Ren remained standing until Angus came to the table. Angus looked at him with an appraising look, then sat down. ¡°Sit!¡± Gail said to Ren, and he nodded and sat down in the chair she pointed to. It was a 4 person table, so the father sat at the head, Ren sat on the left of him, Jhulune sat on the right of him, and the mother sat across from the head. Rather than grab the food right away, Ren sat there and waited. It was the right choice, because Angus took Jhulune''s hand, and Jhulune took her mother''s hand. Gail reached out to take her husband''s hand, then smiled and held it out to Ren instead. He took it and held on, and looked at Angus. Angus had a bit of a frown, then shrugged slightly and held out a hand to Ren. He took it and then Angus spoke. ¡°Thank you Mother Earth for the bounty we are about to receive. It was grown in your embrace, and we embrace ourselves to honor that. Without you and your care, none of us would be here.¡± Ren glanced at his face, and saw Angus was looking right back at him. Ren gave him a slight nod, then closed his eyes and concentrated on the Earth element. He remembered all the times he''d found things in the earth, both good and bad, and how he felt while he was digging in it and was surrounded by it on all sides. He let out some Mana as a kind of offering, and let it flow out through his hands. Ren felt Angus and Gail''s hands tense up as they felt the Mana flow, then Jhulune caught her breath when it hit her. The Mana travelled around their joined hands and back to Ren to complete the circle, then it faded away. He lost 200 Mana and got a popup.
Notice!
Your meager offering has been reluctantly accepted by the Spirit of Earth. You have gained 5% to your Knowledge of Earth skill.
¡°That''s never happened before.¡± Angus said and looked at Ren.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I... ah... offered up some Mana to the Spirit of Earth.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t know something like that would happen.¡± Angus grunted and looked at his wife and daughter. ¡°Hard work got this food, so eat and work hard in return.¡±
Notice!
This table has been blessed by the Spirit of Earth. All food consumed here grants +5% Stamina, +5% Health, +5% Endurance. Duration of effect: 6 hours
Angus let Ren''s and Jhulune''s hands go and grabbed the large bowl of what was supposed to be chunks of potatoes. He started to scoop them out, then discovered it was a large bowl of mashed potatoes instead. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Angus asked, a bit angrily. ¡°It was Ren''s idea.¡± His wife Gail said. ¡°It took a little longer to make than normal; but, it came out well didn''t it?¡± Angus grunted and put as small of a scoop as he could onto his plate and put the bowl back. Gail was a little worried that he didn''t take much, since Angus loved potatoes; but she glanced at Ren, saw his grin, and smiled herself as she picked up the bowl. She took a good helping and passed it to Jhulune, who took some and passed it to Ren. He took the same amount as Angus and put the bowl down. The meat was next, and it was passed around in the same order; then the vegetables made the trip. Everyone waited for Angus to take the first bite of food, which turned out to be the mashed potatoes, and they waited for his reaction. Ren had added quite a bit of butter and some milk, to make it more creamy, and mashed the heck out of them to make them nice and fluffy. Angus didn''t react at all from the first mouthful, and took another. He glanced at Ren for only a second, then picked up the bowl of mashed potatoes and gave himself another large helping. Jhulune and her mother grinned and started to eat, and Ren joined them. The meal passed quietly as they ate and enjoyed the slightly different flavors, and no one felt like they needed to talk in order to break that silence. ¡°Time for dessert!¡± Gail said when everyone was done of the main meal, and stood up. ¡°None for me, thanks.¡± Angus said and pat his stomach. He had eaten the rest of the mashed potatoes when no one else wanted them. Ren knew there was no higher compliment than that. ¡°You''re going to want this.¡± Gail said as she went into the kitchen and grabbed a small platter and brought it in. ¡°What is that?¡± Angus asked and stared at the dozen puff pastries with whipped cream on top. ¡°Just try them.¡± Gail said and held the platter close enough for him to take one. Angus looked at her, at Ren, then sighed and reached for one. ¡°Delicately. They''re really soft.¡± Angus nodded, gently picked one up, and looked at it. He wasn''t sure how he was supposed to eat it, so he just tossed the whole thing into his mouth and started to chew. ¡°Geez, Dad!¡± Jhulune snorted a laugh and picked one up herself. ¡°You don''t have to wolf it down.¡± She took a small bite of it and sighed in pleasure. Ren took one, winked at Jhulune, and popped the whole thing into his mouth. ¡°You''re just as bad!¡± Jhulune said and laughed. Her mother put the tray down and took one herself. ¡°Oh, dear!¡± Gail said as she bit into it. ¡°That''s so... so...¡± ¡°Heavenly!¡± Jhulune said and looked at Ren. ¡°Where did you learn to make these?¡± ¡°Two master cooks in the dwarf lands showed me a few things...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°...and yes, before you ask. I showed them a few things, too.¡± Gail laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I watched you make these, and I still can''t figure out how you did it.¡± ¡°I can give you the recipe.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you have a piece of parchment?¡± ¡°I''ll get it!¡± Jhulune said and left the dining room at a run. ¡°Jhulune! Don''t rush!¡± Gail nearly yelled at her. ¡°I don''t think he''s going to change his mind in the extra few seconds it''ll take for you to walk to the cupboard.¡± ¡°Sorry, mom.¡± Jhulune said and came back with the piece of parchment. Ren wrote out the recipe and how to do the steps in the right order, and the techniques he used to make them. ¡°You should write a cook book.¡± Gail said and looked at the recipe Ren handed to her. ¡°You''re so descriptive that I feel like I''ve already made them!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m pretty sure I don''t know enough for a cook book; but, thank you for the compliment.¡± Gail rolled the parchment up and tucked it into a pocket. ¡°Go on and sit in the living room while Jhulune and I clear everything up.¡± ¡°Allow me.¡± Ren said and stored the dirty dishes and took them back out again. ¡°Storing them does that?¡± Jhulune said. ¡°Unless there''s a lot of food on it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then it just stores it.¡± ¡°Wipe off chunks of food before storing them.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°We still need to put them all away.¡± Gail said. ¡°Go on, go on!¡± Ren stood up and looked at Angus, who had already eaten 3 more puff pastries. ¡°Yes, I''m coming.¡± Angus said and stood up, grabbed another pastry, and went into the living room with Ren close behind. * ¡°Did you see dad scarf down those potatoes?¡± Jhulune asked her mother as they carried the clean dishes into the kitchen. ¡°I think the neighbors could see it.¡± Gail said, and they laughed as they put the dishes away. ¡°So, what do you think of him?¡± ¡°Jhulune...¡± Her mother sighed. ¡°...he''ll never be yours.¡± ¡°I know, Mom.¡± Jhulune said and went back to the dining room and grabbed the large dishes the food was in and brought them back into the kitchen. ¡°He warned me we wouldn''t be dating or have a relationship or anything.¡± ¡°And yet you brought him home.¡± ¡°I wanted you to see that there are people who treat me with respect.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°I didn''t want you to think that I wouldn''t find someone.¡± ¡°Not him, surely.¡± Gail said. ¡°You know that he-¡± Jhulune shook her head. ¡°No. He''s got more than enough going on without me trying to make him my boyfriend.¡± ¡°Boyfriend?¡± Gail laughed. ¡°I was thinking more along the lines of husband and children.¡± ¡°Mom!¡± Jhulune said, and tried to hide the ring Ren had given her. ¡°I''m too young to think of that!¡± Gail pat her daughter''s hand with the ring on it. ¡°Then you should just have fun with the nice young man.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll worry about the husband part.¡± ¡°Mooom!¡± Jhulune said and her mother laughed again. * ¡°So.¡± Angus said as he sat in his big chair. ¡°What are your intentions towards my daughter?¡± Ren sat there and wasn''t sure what to say. He couldn''t just blurt out that all he was going to do was sleep with Jhulune, or that he wasn''t planning on dating her or anything. ¡°You''re not planning on marrying her, are you?¡± Angus asked, and Ren shook his head. ¡°No, sir.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was engaged not too long ago to a woman that I love very much, and I told her that I would never look for another wife when it didn''t work out.¡± Angus grunted, and Ren wasn''t sure if it was in agreement or disagreement. ¡°When a man makes a commitment to a woman, there''s no other priorities to uphold.¡± Angus said. ¡°It''s just like you said. Even if it doesn''t work out, you should never try to replace them.¡± So, the grunt was in agreement. Ren thought. Good to know. Angus looked into the kitchen and saw his wife and daughter with their heads together as they talked, then looked back at Ren. ¡°I''ve had several boys in here that asked to date my daughter.¡± He said and stared at Ren. ¡°I suppose you want to plead to me for permission, too.¡± ¡°No, sir.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wouldn''t presume to do something like that to you.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Angus asked and frowned. ¡°Jhulune is a smart and resourceful girl. You raised her well. If she wants to date someone, it''s her I''d need to ask.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Or plead with. Not you.¡± Angus scowled for a moment, then let it go and had a blank face that showed no emotion. ¡°She''s old enough to make that decision for herself.¡± Ren said. ¡°All you have to do is decide if you trust her judgment or not.¡± ¡°I trust her.¡± Angus said right away. ¡°It''s everyone else that I don''t trust.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That, sir... was the best answer you could have given.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°You''re a good father to believe in her so much, and still care about how other people treat her.¡± Angus didn''t say anything in response. ¡°I saw right away where she got her looks from.¡± Ren said. ¡°After talking to both you and your wife, I know where she got her Intelligence and Wisdom from.¡± Angus still didn''t speak, but he did give Ren a small nod. ¡°Hey! What are you two discussing?¡± Jhulune asked as she came into the living room, then sat down on Ren''s lap and put her arms around his neck. ¡°Fishing.¡± Angus said without missing a beat as his wife Gail did the same move to him. ¡°It''s terrible near the harbour.¡± Ren said. ¡°All those boats churn up the water and scare the fish away.¡± ¡°It''s definitely a problem.¡± Angus said as his wife leaned in and put her head on his shoulder. ¡°I think that''s enough man talk.¡± Gail said and kissed her husband''s neck. ¡°Jhulune? Why don''t you show Ren the upstairs.¡± Jhulune leaned in and put her head on Ren''s shoulder and kissed his neck. ¡°I think that''s a great idea.¡± She said. ¡°We can hang out in my room.¡± ¡°Then go on.¡± Gail said. ¡°Your father and I need to discuss something.¡± Jhulune grinned as she got up off of Ren and held a hand out to him. ¡°Let the redundant house tour continue.¡± Ren chuckled and took her hand, and she led him out of the living room and up the stairs. ¡°That''s my parent''s room.¡± Jhulune said and pointed with her free hand at a closed door. ¡°Spare room.¡± She said and only made a small wave in the direction of an open door. ¡°That''s a closet.¡± She said and didn''t even bother to point, then turned around and leaned against the door to her room. ¡°This is my room.¡± ¡°I can''t wait to see it.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened. ¡°Um... wait! Wait! Turn around!¡± Jhulune said and let his hand go, then tried to turn him around. Ren chuckled and turned around for her, and he heard her room door open and shut. ¡°There''s clothes tossed everywhere.¡± Teepo chittered softly in laughter as he whispered into Ren''s ear. A couple of minutes later, the door opened and a slightly dishevelled Jhulune looked at him with a smile. ¡°Come in.¡± Jhulune said and stepped back, and there wasn''t a trace of clothing anywhere to be seen. ¡°I''m glad the Ring of Storage is coming in handy.¡± Ren said teasingly, and Jhulune chuckled. ¡°You shouldn''t have peeked! I didn''t want you to see how messy it was!¡± ¡°I didn''t.¡± Ren said and pointed a thumb to Teepo on his shoulder. ¡°Teepo!¡± Jhulune exclaimed mockingly. ¡°How could you?!?¡± ¡°I have working eyes.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I''d say I''m sorry, but it''s my job to scout.¡± Jhulune shut the door behind them and told Ren to sit on the bed. He did so, and Teepo took off and landed on the ceiling. Jhulune sat beside Ren and he looked at her. ¡°We''re all alone.¡± Jhulune said in a breathy voice. ¡°We''re also in your room, in your parent''s house.¡± Ren said. ¡°With your parents downstairs.¡± Jhulune ran a hand through his fluffy hair and leaned in close. ¡°They''ll ignore anything we do as long as we''re quiet.¡± She whispered to him, slid her arms around his neck, and kissed him. Ren kissed her back, and when her hands slid down his tunic towards his waist, he moved back. ¡°Jhulune, we can''t.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Please refer to my previous statement.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Your parents are downstairs.¡± Jhulune laughed. ¡°Ren, they''re probably going at it right now.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°Mom and dad never ''discuss'' anything.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°I doubt they waited for us to get all the way up the stairs before they started.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Jhulune shook her head. ¡°You got mom good and fired up with all that flirting and cooking.¡± She said. ¡°Dad''s probably raring to go, too.¡± ¡°How can you be so casual about it?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°They usually wait for the weekend to play around, but with us showing up like this and pretty much encouraging them...¡± ¡°I didn''t encourage them.¡± Jhulune smiled. ¡°Dad loved those mashed potatoes.¡± She said. ¡°That would have been enough to get him going. Teaching mom to make the puff pastries on top of that?¡± She chuckled. ¡°I''m a little surprised he didn''t kick us out of the house until morning.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I still don''t think we should... I mean, this is your bed, and...¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Jhulune gave him a very serious look. ¡°If we do it here, every time I go to bed, I''ll remember you.¡± ¡°That''s kind of why I don''t-¡± ¡°I want to remember you!¡± Jhulune said. ¡°I want your arms around me! I want you to hold me tight!¡± She said and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°Be mine, Ren.¡± She said and kissed him. ¡°For tonight. For the few fleeting hours we have left before you have to go... please, be mine... and let me be yours.¡± Ren had already agreed to be hers for the night a long time ago, it was just the chosen venue he had a bit of a problem with. Jhulune seemed fine with it, though; so, he nodded. Jhulune squealed a little bit from happiness as Ren stood up and took off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and folded it on a nearby chair, then he crawled onto the bed and locked lips with her. Jhulune moaned as Ren put his practised make-out skills to good use. Chapter 341 - A Promise Is A Promise Ren had fun on his date with Jhulune, met her parents, and had spent some quality one-on-one time with her in her room. It was time for him to go, however. ¡°I''m sorry, but I have Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± Ren said as he stood up and put on his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. Teepo dropped from the ceiling and landed on his shoulder. ¡°Ren... thank... thank you.¡± Jhulune said dreamily. ¡°I''ll... I''ll always remember... oh, god.¡± She said and bit her lip as she rolled over on the bed to face away from him. He couldn''t see what she was doing; but, he heard her fast breath and smiled. A few moments later, she rolled back over and looked at him. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Jhulune smiled. ¡°I''ll remember.¡± Ren leaned down and kissed her long and hard, then broke the kiss with a loud pop. ¡°So will I, Jhulune.¡± He said, and took out a Bracelet of Magical Balance that gave the wearer +75 to all their stats, plus what the Bracelet of Magic gave them. ¡°Thank you so much for letting me be your first.¡± ¡°What... what is that?¡± Jhulune asked as she stared at the gold and diamond bracelet. ¡°Something that will let you physically become just as awesome as you are.¡± Ren said and gave it to her. ¡°Ren!¡± Jhulune exclaimed as she stood up and tried to give it back. ¡°I can''t take that! It''s worth a fortune!¡± Ren put both of his hands on her face and lightly kissed her lips. ¡°You''ve given me a gift worth much more than that.¡± Jhulune blinked her eyes at him several times before she spoke. ¡°You... you really mean that?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll only ever have one first time.¡± He said, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her again. Jhulune wrapped her arms around him as well, and after almost a minute, she broke the kiss and sighed. ¡°That''s probably the last time we''ll ever kiss like that.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°I''ll be moving to my county next week, so that''s probably true.¡± Ren said and ran his hands through her fluffy hair. ¡°We can still be good friends, though.¡± ¡°Can we sleep together occasionally?¡± Jhulune asked. ¡°Jhulune.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Jhulune said and chuckled. ¡°One time only.¡± ¡°You need to build your own life.¡± Ren said and stroked her ear, then her neck and collarbone. ¡°Find out who you want to be.¡± He said and stepped back. ¡°Become who you were meant to be.¡± He took her hand, bent over it, and kissed the back of it. ¡°Ren.¡± Jhulune said, then smiled. ¡°My Lord.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Jhulune.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. She nodded slightly to him, and he left her bedroom, activated Sneak, and swiftly went down the stairs and out the front door without making a sound. The front door on the other hand, clicked when he shut it. * ¡°Whuzzat?¡± Angus mumbled from the couch. ¡°It was just Jhulune''s guest leaving.¡± Gail said. She had heard her daughter''s bedroom door, then nothing, then the front door as it shut. Angus grunted and looked at his wife as she laid on his massive chest. ¡°I hope she didn''t fall for him.¡± Of course she did. Gail smiled and kissed her foolish husband. ¡°She''s much too smart to let that stop her.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Angus said. ¡°She''s going to do great things.¡± ¡°Especially if he helps her again.¡± Gail said. ¡°So that''s where she got the ring.¡± Angus said, and she nodded. ¡°I wonder how much they are.¡± * Ren ran down the street for only a moment, and then stopped. I shouldn''t. He thought. It''s not my concern. He tried to convince himself and think of several reasons why he shouldn''t. Aw, screw it. He ran back to Jhulune''s house, carefully opened the front door, and slipped back inside. He didn''t shut it this time, however; and went into the kitchen and opened the drawer with the pieces of parchment paper. He wrote a short note, left it on the kitchen counter, and put a handful of platinum coins on it. You have a great family, Jhulune. Ren thought, slipped back outside, and shut the front door again. * ¡°I heard it clearly that time.¡± Angus said and carefully moved his wife off of his chest. ¡°I hope Jhulune didn''t follow him.¡± He said and went to the front door. He opened it, looked around, and didn''t see anyone, then felt Ren''s Aura fade away. He shrugged and closed the door, then went back into the living room to his wife who had waited patiently for him. ¡°I can hear her moving around upstairs.¡± Gail said. Angus nodded because he had heard a loud thump, which meant that Jhulune had flopped down onto her bed like she did every night. ¡°He might have forgotten to kiss her goodnight.¡± Gail offered, and Angus winced at the thought of someone kissing his daughter. ¡°Don''t tell me things like that.¡± Angus said to her, and she laughed. ¡°She''s a grown woman, Angus.¡± Gail said. ¡°She did a lot more than that with him tonig-¡± ¡°I don''t want to hear it!¡± Angus said and covered his ears. ¡°No. No one touched my sweet little girl. Nope. No one.¡± Gail laughed again and kissed her still foolish husband. The things he freaks out over. She thought, and Angus didn''t need any more convincing as he uncovered his ears and embraced his wife again. * Ren ran to the Housing District and went into his house. He took out one of the last plates of food from his icebox and gave it to Princess, then went up the stairs to the large bedroom he shared with his personal maids. ¡°Did you have fun on your date?¡± Frikara asked as he came into the room. ¡°Yes, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was... a little odd meeting her family; but, all in all I enjoyed it.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Frikara said and stored her clothing. ¡°Now hurry up and get in bed.¡± Ren chuckled, because he could feel that she wanted him gone quickly so he could come back faster. ¡°We should eat first.¡± Ren said and took out the last few plates of food that he had in the icebox. Teepo flew up to land on the ceiling and watched as Ren and the maids ate a quick meal and discussed what they had to do tomorrow. When the food was gone, Ren took off the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and folded it up on a chair. He stored his clothing and climbed onto the bed on the far left side. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lusinia asked. ¡°Letting you have most of the bed.¡± Ren said and laid down close to the edge. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll join the pile again like I did last night.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Andrela asked, then she shivered as she remembered what had happened. ¡°Okay, not exactly like I did yesterday.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s Frikara''s turn next.¡± The maids stared at him, and he grinned at the surprise they felt. See you later, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren logged out and had lunch, then checked his emails. They still haven''t given me anything for losing all that Honor and the XP bonuses. He thought. It''s been a few days. I wonder what the hold up is? He snorted a laugh. They probably can''t think of anything that won''t mess my character up.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Ren checked the forums and saw people were still talking about the XP leader board and how someone could get an indeterminate amount of XP. Because it was a mistake. Ren thought and clicked on a discussion that talked about him. People seemed to be divided on if he was cheating at the game somehow, or had gained inside information. Well, it was definitely ''inside the game'' information. He chuckled. If people played it enough, they would discover things they can do, too. Ren closed his email program and web browser, moved the laptop out of the way, and picked up the VR headset. I can''t remember the last time I went back in so soon. He thought, slipped on the headset, and laid back in the bed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the bed, and saw the pile of maids beside him. I really should ask them how they get like that so quickly. ¡°You wouldn''t believe it.¡± Teepo whispered. ¡°It''s like magic.¡± Ren chuckled, and it woke the maids up. ¡°Move over for me.¡± ¡°Right away!¡± A couple of them said, and they sorted themselves out of the pile and moved over to let him get in the center. ¡°I''ll go scout the rest of the house.¡± Teepo said and left the room. ¡°Let''s try spooning this time.¡± Ren said and laid down on his side, and reached a hand out for Frikara. ¡°Spooning?¡± ¡°Pretend your some food, and I''m a spoon trying to scoop you up.¡± ¡°If you''re going to be a utensil, I think I''d rather you be a fork.¡± Frikara said and grinned. Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Come here.¡± He said and pulled her down onto the bed. Frikara shifted around at his direction, and he put an arm around her waist and pulled her in close to him. He had his knees bent and his head and chest forward a little bit, and she fit into the space easily. ¡°By the gods.¡± Frikara whispered. Nearly all of his front from head to toe touched nearly all of her back from head to heel, and she took a deep breath as she let the sensation of feeling all of him run through her. ¡°Andrela.¡± Frikara said, and Andrela laid down in front of her in the same position. Frikara wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in close just like Ren had done, and she was spooned as well. Without any prompting, the other three maids got behind Ren and did the same thing. Once again he was in the middle, but he knew that wouldn''t last long. Once they were asleep, all sleeping arrangements were thrown out the window. Ren let sleep drag him down, and the maids soon followed his example. * ¡°I''m going to him.¡± Lylyth said from her throne and stood up. ¡°Your Highness, that isn''t wise.¡± Her attendant said. ¡°He just came back from wherever Adventurer''s go. If he''s going to sleep with someone else, it''s going to be me.¡± ¡°He''s barely half your size.¡± The attendant said. ¡°You aren''t going to feel much, if anything.¡± ¡°I don''t care!¡± Lylyth exclaimed, and for an instant her spider body appeared, shot a quick web to cover her attendant''s mouth, then disappeared again. Lylyth froze when she realized what had happened. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± She said, and fell to her knees. ¡°I haven''t manifested like that since...¡± ¡°Mmmum mummmum mum.¡± The attendant mumbled through the web that covered her mouth. ¡°Yes, it''s been decades.¡± Lylyth said and looked at her arms. The decorative web pattern covered her forearms and was slowly making it''s way up to her shoulders. She moved the small bit of cloth out of the way and looked at her chest. Right over her heart was a partially-developed spider image that was filling in day by day. ¡°I want it all back right now.¡± Lylyth said softly. ¡°This slow waiting is maddening!¡± The attendant walked over to her Queen and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Mmm mum muummum.¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°I know I can''t force it by willpower alone.¡± She said. ¡°That''s why I want Ren''s help.¡± ¡°Mmmum mumm mum muumum?¡± ¡°Of course he''ll help me.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°This is all because of him anyways!¡± ¡°Mum mummum mum mumm.¡± ¡°You''re right. He doesn''t know he''s doing it.¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°I suppose I should tell him before I just show up out of the blue.¡± ¡°Mumm mmmm mm mumm.¡± ¡°When have I been wise about this whole situation?¡± Lylyth asked and stood up. Her familiar had come down at her silent request, and she pet him. ¡°I won''t be going myself.¡± She said, and called for the healer. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± The healer said as she came into the throne room. She had made it a habit to stay close to her Queen the last few weeks. ¡°I need you to deliver a message for me.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I know what I must do.¡± The healer said. Lylyth smiled at the healer. Since she had entered the healer through her fear, to compel her to talk about what was happening, they ended up with a much deeper connection than she had with her other devoted followers. ¡°Make sure to-¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The healer said. ¡°As soon as he wakes, I will tell him.¡± Lylyth nodded and opened a portal, and the healer stepped through it without another word. * The portal opened in Ren''s bedroom and the healer stepped out of it, right next to the chair that the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak was on. There were no lights on; but since she lived in perpetual darkness and because she was a Dark Elf, her eyes were quite used to it and she could see just fine. The healer looked at the bed and saw the pile of people and a tangle of limbs, then smiled because she could barely make out Ren on the bottom of it. She reached into the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and took out the tarantula that was her Queen''s blessing upon those that were worthy, cradled it in her hands, and sat down to wait. As a precaution, she weaved a shadow to cover herself from prying eyes. When the object of her task awoke, she would reveal herself to him like the Queen wanted. * Several hours passed before Frikara moved around and felt something poke her back. ¡°Mmm. Yes, Ren. Go ahead.¡± Ren opened his eyes at her words and looked for her. He couldn''t see her, though; and he wondered what was going on. ¡°Yes, move lower.¡± Frikara said as the thing that poked her moved down her back. ¡°Frikara.¡± Navruth said. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°That''s my elbow.¡± Navruth said and a couple of the maids laughed. ¡°What?¡± Frikara opened her eyes and looked around. She was near the foot of the bed and well away from Ren. ¡°Oh.¡± Everyone felt her disappointment in the shared Aura and reached for her; Ren included. The maids all made room for her, and Ren pulled her up on top of himself. Frikara tried to position herself like the day before, but he stopped her and asked her to get on her back. ¡°On... on my back... on top of you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°O-okay.¡± Frikara said and did as he asked. ¡°This feels... a little weird.¡± Ren chuckled a little, then he kissed the side of her neck. She let her head fall over his shoulder as he nuzzled her there, and she moaned as his hands grabbed her chest and massaged them. ¡°Oh... OH!¡± Frikara gasped as he tweaked the tips a little. The other maids put their hands on her so they could feel what she felt clearly. Ren let one of her breasts go and slid a hand down across her abdomen and then touched the top of her underwear. ¡°By... by the gods!¡± Frikara exclaimed and went, just from the thought that he would try and touch her special place. The other maids went along for the ride and gasped themselves; then Frikara panted several times and relaxed. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Frikara whispered. ¡°That was quite enjoyable.¡± A female voice said from the side of the room. The maids knew what to do in an emergency, and they rolled off the bed and out of the way as Ren hopped up, equipped his clothing and hammerpick, and faced the threat. ¡°Don''t be alarmed.¡± The healer said as her Shroud of Darkness went away. ¡°My Queen tasked me to deliver a message.¡± ¡°How did you... no, I know how.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why now?¡± ¡°Actually, I arrived late last night.¡± The healer said. ¡°I''ve been waiting for hours.¡± ¡°Teepo?¡± Ren asked and looked up. ¡°I didn''t see her when I came back in an hour after I went to scout.¡± Teepo said from the ceiling. ¡°My shadow stops all forms of detection.¡± The healer said. ¡°Just so you know, Spot only works if the object is moving within your sight range.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s good to know.¡± Ren sighed and stored the hammerpick. ¡°What''s the message?¡± ¡°Can we have some privacy?¡± The healer asked and looked at the maids. ¡°I can order them to not repeat what they hear.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or make them forget it entirely.¡± The maids gasped at that, and the healer nodded. ¡°My Queen has been getting her old powers and abilities back.¡± The healer said. ¡°She''s blossoming into what she once was.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°It''s because of you.¡± The healer said. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Ever since she gave you the Mark of Favor, she''s been feeding from you.¡± The healer said. ¡°It''s been having quite the effect on her lately.¡± ¡°Does she want to take it back?¡± Ren asked, and the healer shook her head. ¡°Not at all.¡± The healer said. ¡°In fact, she wants to accelerate it.¡± ¡°Accelerate it how?¡± ¡°By letting you force-feed her like you did with the other one.¡± The healer said. ¡°We''ve been delaying her from just popping over and taking you.¡± ¡°Thanks for the warning.¡± Ren said, and the healer laughed. ¡°I''m not warning you.¡± The healer said. ¡°I''m informing you that she will come for you soon, and you should be prepared to serve her...¡± She glanced at the space between his legs. ¡°...hopefully to the best of your ability.¡± ¡°I won''t be forced into anything.¡± Ren said and crossed his arms. ¡°I choose what I do and with whom.¡± ¡°Forced? Are you crazy?¡± The healer asked and laughed. ¡°You already agreed to do anything she asked of you. I even felt your desire for her when you visited her last.¡± ¡°If I remember correctly, she broke both of my arms by accident.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, and you were still willing to feed her, even after that happened.¡± The healer said. ¡°I thought you were a remarkable man for that, then you gave me this and I knew you were much more than just remarkable.¡± She said and took out the Mana potion he had given her after she had healed his arms. ¡°You still have that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I thought you would have drunk it by now.¡± ¡°Drunk it?¡± The healer asked, incredulously. ¡°It''s liquid Mana!¡± She said and held it up. Her hand glowed slightly for a moment, then the blue potion glowed brightly as it reacted to her ability, then the glow spread over her and she sighed as it faded. ¡°It feels so good to recharge from it.¡± Ren stared at her as she put the potion away. No wonder she was so thankful when I gave it to her. ¡°My task is complete.¡± The healer said and Ren''s pet tarantula crawled up to her shoulder. She whispered to it, and then a portal opened beside the chair. ¡°I didn''t know it could do that.¡± Ren said, and the healer laughed. ¡°You are so funny.¡± The healer said, stood up, and placed the spider on the cloak. ¡°My Queen made the portal.¡± ¡°I know that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I meant talking to it and relaying a message.¡± The healer smiled and walked to the portal. ¡°Remember. She will come for you soon.¡± ¡°I''ll be ready.¡± Ren said, and the healer stepped through the portal. * ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°He said he would be ready.¡± The healer said, and Lylyth almost jumped for joy. ¡°Then I''ll get him now.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Mmm MMUM!¡± Her attendant said. ¡°Yes, I can!¡± Lylyth said, and a giant spider leg manifested. It quickly reached out, touched the webbing on her attendant''s mouth, and yanked. It tore off the webbing like she wanted; it just happened to take some of the attendant''s skin with it. ¡°Gah!¡± The attendant gasped and fell to her knees as the manifested spider limb disappeared. ¡°You''re still unstable.¡± She said as the healer went to her and healed her face. ¡°I caution that you should wait.¡± Lylyth manifested 2 large spider legs and jammed them into the stone floor of the throne room and shattered several tiles into bits and pieces. ¡°I DON''T Need to...¡± Lylyth''s yell turned into a whisper as she felt the healer regard her as a spoiled child that was throwing a tantrum. ¡°Very well.¡± She sighed and let the spider legs disappear. ¡°I will give him time to adjust to the thought of feeding me properly.¡± The healer finished with the attendant''s face, and they both walked over to the throne behind their Queen. ¡°By properly, you mean...¡± The attendant started to say. ¡°Yes.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°He will scream for me.¡± She smiled. ¡°Or die trying.¡± Chapter 342 - On Our Way Ren watched the portal close and looked at his maids. ¡°That kind of killed the mood.¡± He said, and he felt their whole-hearted agreement. ¡°I''ll start breakfast.¡± He said and stepped off of the bed. ¡°Ren.¡± Frikara said, and walked over to him. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°About what you did for me this morning.¡± Frikara said and hugged him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren put his arms around her and hugged her back. ¡°I know it''s frustrating for you... for all of you.¡± He said and let her out of the hug. ¡°I can''t promise anything past what we''ve already done; but, I''m going to try my best to keep you happy.¡± ¡°You''ve already done more for us than we ever could have expected.¡± Frikara said. Ren felt both gratitude and agreement flood into the shared Aura, and she ran a hand through his hair and gave him a light kiss. ¡°Are we going with you today?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was tempted to take you along so that it would distract from her appearance, but it''s better to get things like this out in the open without causing a scene.¡± ¡°Oh, we would definitely cause a scene.¡± Frikara smiled and looked at the other maids. ¡°Wouldn''t we, girls?¡± ¡°We sure would!¡± Lusinia said. ¡°We''d even keep our clothes on!¡± Ren laughed and waved the maids over. He kissed and hugged each of them, then left the room to go to the kitchen to get breakfast. While he made eggs and toast, he thought about the popups he''d missed and brought up the last ship update he received.
Notice!
Your ship (UNNAMED) has been stationary for another 24 hours. The following information has changed since it has been docked:
Ship''s Hull 15000 / 15000
Food/Consumables 3000 / 3000
Ropes 300 / 300
Cleaning Supplies 1650 / 1650
Passengers 1
The following information hasn''t changed since it has been docked:
Captain 1
Cook 1
Waitresses 2
Crew 49
I really should go and check on the ship. Ren thought. It should be completely unloaded by now. Since he was checking anyways, he brought up the last Church popup as well.
Notice!
The Church you had constructed on House Neram land has been open for another day. Word continues to spread of it''s opalescence, and dwarves from all around come to pray and worship their gods. You have gained bonuses appropriate for encouraging the active worshipping of these gods. 10 visitors = 1% Knowledge bonus to level. Dark (Gravity) - 202 visitors; Knowledge Of Dark (Gravity) Level 3 (Beginner 58%) +20% = 78% Earth - 332 visitors; Knowledge Of Earth Level 2 (Intermediate 75%) +33% = (Level 3) 8% Fire - 691 visitors; Knowledge Of Fire (Mastered) = No gains possible Ice - 131 visitors; Knowledge Of Ice Level 1 (Beginner 67%) +13% = 80% Light (Holy) - 352 visitors; Knowledge Of Light (Holy) Level 3 (Beginner 49%) +35% = 84% Lightning - 161 visitors; Knowledge Of Lightning Level 5 (Beginner 76%) +16% = 92% Void (Arcane) - 11 visitors; Knowledge Of Void (Arcane) Level 1 (Beginner 7%) +1% = 8% Water - 169 visitors; Knowledge Of Water (Mastered) = No gains possible Wind - 132 visitors; Knowledge Of Wind Level 2 (Beginner 24%) +13% = 37%
When I made that Mana offering before supper at Jhulune''s place last night, it gave me another 5% for Earth Knowledge, so that''s at 13% right now. Ren thought and finished making breakfast and went into Railyse''s room. He tossed in another large fish, took breakfast in to Princess, then went upstairs to the maids and ate breakfast with them. ¡°I''ll be gone for most of the day.¡± Ren told them when they had finished eating. ¡°That''s with Haste cast on the horses, too.¡± ¡°You''re not taking Princess?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°No, she can''t handle a carriage that big.¡± ¡°I thought she was really strong.¡± ¡°She is, but it takes a different skill set to haul people comfortably on a long voyage.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s why it usually takes a team of horses to keep the thing stable and stop it from toppling over.¡± ¡°Is the carriage ready?¡± ¡°It should be.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tee-one should have finished building it yesterday and arranged for the driver and horses.¡± ¡°He can do all that by himself?¡± ¡°He can do everything by himself.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°All he needs is for me to tell him.¡± ¡°But, you didn''t...¡± Ren tapped his temple, and Frikara nodded slightly. ¡°You''re getting all fancied up, too. Aren''t you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which reminds me.¡± He took out his damaged armor and used his mastered Repair skill. It reformed into it''s proper shape and there was no trace of the claw and scratch marks. He was glad that the enchantments were in the jewels mounted on the armor, and not on the armor itself. Now that he had the opportunity, he used his Polishing skill and made the gold armor gleam and added another 100 points to it''s Durability. He took out his armor bodysuit next and used his Master Tailor Sewing Needle to repair it. ¡°Ren.¡± Andrela said. ¡°How did you get that kind of damage?¡± Ren looked at her, and then at the other maids. ¡°I didn''t tell you yet, did I?¡± They shook their heads, and Ren gave them a quick rundown of what happened while he equipped the armor bodysuit. ¡°You... you almost died?¡± Andrela asked, and he could feel her emotions starting to turn sad and a tear appeared at the corner of her eyes. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and took her into a tight embrace. ¡°Princess intervened and Janice got the rock claws out before I bled to death.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Andrela yelled, and started to cry. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said again and rubbed her back. ¡°I''m an Adventurer. I''m going to die occasionally.¡± He explained and looked at her. ¡°I''ll always come back afterwards.¡± Andrela hiccuped and tried to even out her breathing. ¡°I... I don''t know why that... hit me so hard.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I won''t be more than 10 hours away.¡± He gave her a little kiss. ¡°I''ll call when I get there, okay?¡± Andrela nodded slightly and let him go. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Bye, Andrela.¡± Ren said and looked at the other maids. ¡°I''ll see you all tonight.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Don''t have too much fun without us.¡± Frikara said and waved. ¡°I won''t.¡± Ren said, equipped his shiny gold armor, then left the bedroom and went downstairs to Railyse''s room. He saw a dark shape moving around under the surface of the water, and stuck his face into it. A stream of bubbles escaped his mouth as he spoke to her, and she swam over and splashed out of the pool to land beside him. ¡°I''m ready.¡± Railyse said. She still wore the Spider Silk dress he had made for her, and she looked very regal in it. He took out a Bracelet of Magical Balance and a Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic. ¡°Please accept these tokens of affection, as proof of your value to me.¡± Ren said and held them out to her. ¡°Ren, I already told you...¡± ¡°...and I said I''ll play the part as much as you need me to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was going to give them to you anyways, so I might as well make it formal.¡± Railyse sighed as she took the offered items, then equipped them. ¡°By Mother''s Trident!¡± She said when they took effect. ¡°How... how...¡± ¡°Tee-one and I can do great things when we''re together.¡± Ren said. ¡°This isn''t great, it''s phenomenal!¡± Railyse said and waved a hand over the water''s surface. A large chunk of it popped out and hovered in front of her, then it formed itself into the proper shape of a small water elemental. She closed her eyes as her hand touched the inert shape, and she glowed for about 10 seconds. She gasped, let go of the water elemental, and dropped to her knees on the floor. She looked like she was exhausted. The water elemental wiggled as it came to itself and was shocked to discover it was suspended in the air. It bubbled and gurgled in a panic as it flailed it''s limbs around, and Ren reached out and pet it''s head stub. It was no longer panicked with one of it''s own close by, so it calmed down. Ren bubbled and gurgled at it for a minute, and one of it''s limbs pat his hand. ¡°Railyse?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± Railyse said, let the suspension spell end, and Ren caught the small elemental before it fell to the floor. ¡°There you go, little one.¡± Ren said and slipped it into the water. ¡°Be careful of the undertow.¡± It bubbled at him, squirt out a bit of water in his direction, then dove into the water and disappeared. ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± Railyse said and struggled to catch her breath. ¡°I... I''ve never done... done anything like that before.¡± ¡°How much Mana did it take?¡± ¡°All... all of it.¡± Railyse said and tried to stand, then sat down again. ¡°By Mother''s Trident, I... I never thought I''d ever have enough Mana to use that ability!¡± ¡°Seeing this reminds me of my own elemental.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just sit there and recover for a few minutes. I''ll be right back.¡± Railyse nodded and Ren left the house and ran over to his business. ¡°Good morning.¡± Anabelle said, and Ren stopped at the front door and looked at her. ¡°Where were you this early?¡± Ren asked, then held up a hand. ¡°I''m just curious. That wasn''t an order or anything.¡± Anabelle laughed as she came over to him. ¡°I was getting breakfast at Nathalia''s Nourishment.¡± She said and draped her forearm over his shoulders. ¡°I usually talk to Nathalia during her break.¡± Ren sighed and opened the door to the business. ¡°So you know.¡± Anabelle smiled at him and stepped inside as she slid her hand across the back of his neck. He followed her inside and she shut the door and locked it. ¡°What-¡± Ren''s words were cut off because he received a kiss from Anabelle, who had quickly bent over to give it to him. ¡°I''m sorry it didn''t work out between you.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°She''s a really nice woman.¡± ¡°Do you think it''s going to change my relationships with everyone?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I mean, it''s because of my relationship with Nathalia that made the others possible.¡± ¡°You mean, because you were attached in a dwarf relationship that was open, women were receptive to that... and now that you aren''t...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If they are anything like me.¡± Anabelle said and smiled. ¡°They''ll still love you just as much; if not more so.¡± ¡°Thanks, Anabelle.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I came over to check on Zetaya.¡± ¡°She''s fine.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I had to toss the kitchen curtains into the pen, though.¡± ¡°I thought I left enough food.¡± ¡°You did, but she''s curious and roamed a bit.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I tossed in my old clothes, too.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I bet Zetaya liked that.¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°You''d better get up there and see her.¡± She said. ¡°I''m sure she heard your voice already, and will be just as glad to see you as I am.¡± Ren took out the step ladder, climbed up it, and kissed her. ¡°I think I''m starting to like that step ladder.¡± Anabelle said a minute later when Ren broke the kiss. He laughed, climbed down, and stored it. He went out the back of the shop and up the stairs, then stopped at the landing of the second floor. Hold on... did Anabelle say ''her'' and ''she'' when she talked about Zetaya? Ren asked himself, then ran up the stairs to the third floor and went into the apartment. He looked into the kitchen and saw Zetaya basking in the flames, and the fire elemental didn''t look any different. ¡°Hi, there.¡± Ren said, and the fire elemental rolled over in the flames to face away from him. ¡°Hey, don''t be mad.¡± He said and took apart one side of the pen and filled in the rest of the kitchen with paving stones so the whole area was available for the fire elemental to roam in. ¡°I can''t take you to the new house because of Railyse and her large pool.¡± There was a distinct sound of snapping twigs, and Ren knew that wasn''t a happy sound. He stepped into the pen, went over to where the fire elemental was, and laid down beside it. ¡°I have plans for a giant forge.¡± Ren said and rubbed it''s head stub. ¡°It''s going to be so hot inside that metal will melt as soon as it gets near it.¡± The fire elemental lifted it''s head stub and looked at him with the sound of burning leaves. ¡°That''s right.¡± Ren said. ¡°If it works like I think it will, you''ll have a spot that will be so close to the Fire Realm, that you can call it home.¡± He heard a crackling fire, and he smiled. ¡°I''m picking up the parts I need today in the capital, and I''m going out to Walin County tomorrow.¡± The fire elemental got up and crawled on top of him. It was almost 3 feet long now, and covered a good portion of his torso and part of his legs. ¡°Soon you''ll be a little too big for me to hold you properly.¡± Ren said and it''s limbs wrapped around him as much as they could, and it rubbed it''s head stub over his face and neck. He heard the sound of a fire dying out, and he sighed as he hugged it. ¡°I''ll miss it, too.¡± After a few minutes, Ren said he had to go; and the fire elemental slid off of him. He put out more food for it to consume, kissed it''s head stub, and left the apartment at a run. He was down the stairs and into the shop an instant later. ¡°Bye, Anabelle!¡± Ren said as he ran by her desk. ¡°Ren!¡± Ren came to a stop at the front door. ¡°I''ve got piles of money here for you.¡± Anabelle said as she came over to him. ¡°It must be a lot for you to call it a pile.¡± Ren said and she handed him a coin pouch. ¡°Holy crap.¡± He said when he examined the contents and it had several hundred platinum in it. ¡°Yep, that''s a pile.¡± Anabelle chuckled as he dumped it into his own coin pouch and handed the empty one back to her. ¡°Keep up the good work.¡± Ren said and took out 8 platinum coins. ¡°What''s this for?¡± ¡°Bonuses for you and the other girls.¡± Ren said. ¡°2 platinum each. Have fun.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''d tell you not to spend it all in one place, but I''m pretty sure you can do whatever you want with your own money.¡± Ren folded her hand over the money, then kissed her fingers. Anabelle didn''t react until he held onto her hand and licked her wrist. She caught her breath as his tongue touched her skin, and it sent a shiver through her. ¡°See you later.¡± Ren said, happy that his distraction had worked, and he left the shop. He ran back to the Housing District and into the house to pick up Railyse, who had recovered enough from her creation of a water elemental, and they walked down the street hand-in-hand. ¡°Ren!¡± The guy who sold ale from a makeshift market stall said when he saw Ren. ¡°I expected to see you yesterday.¡± ¡°I was here twice.¡± Ren said. ¡°You weren''t.¡± ¡°Early and late, right?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°So, did you like the ale?¡± ¡°It was really good.¡± Ren said. ¡°How many kegs of it do you have?¡± ¡°How many do you need?¡± ¡°A few dozen.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ha!¡± The guy said. ¡°That''s almost my whole stock!¡± ¡°Well, I can''t take your whole stock.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll just take a dozen, then.¡± The guy laughed. ¡°No, no. A few dozen is fine.¡± He said and whistled two short barks. ¡°I can make more.¡± A man drove a large cart out from the nearby alleyway at the noise. Ren and the market stall guy engaged in deep negotiations for several minutes, and then decided on a price of 1 platinum coin and 20 gold coins. It was a steal, considering Ren had paid 4 gold for one barrel and he just got 36 barrels for only 120 gold, then gave the guy 10 gold as a tip. Even with that big of a tip, he still saved money on the deal. ¡°Where do you want them delivered?¡± The guy asked. ¡°I''ll take them now.¡± Ren said and handed over the money. ¡°Wh-what?¡± The guy said as he took the money. ¡°I can just store them until I get to my warehouse.¡± Ren said and stored the barrels into inventory. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°You... you''re welcome.¡± The guy said surprised, and looked at his partner. ¡°I guess we can close up for the day.¡± ¡°You mean for the week!¡± His partner said and laughed. Ren left them to pack up their stall and led Railyse out the North Gate to the small road by the city wall, then down to the dock where his ship was. It was a nice walk to take, and they enjoyed it together. * ¡°Here they come.¡± One of the workers said when he saw Ren and Railyse walking down the road towards the dock. ¡°Are you sure this thing is reliable?¡± Catalina asked Tee-one. ¡°I assure you it''s perfectly safe, Ma''am.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°The one we made in the dwarf lands worked well.¡± ¡°We''ll see.¡± Catalina said. ¡°4 horses is a lot for a normal driver to handle.¡± ¡°Then it''s good that you''re not a normal driver, Ma''am.¡± Tee-one said and smiled. ¡°I''m not a normal anything.¡± Catalina said and laughed. * ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Ren said as he and Railyse came to a stop by the stable. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Tee-one and Catalina said. ¡°I''m glad it''s finished and turned out so well.¡± Ren said. The carriage was a good size, and could hold a large group of people. It was made with a definite sea theme, with waves etched into the wood and real seashells covered the lower half. ¡°I''m tempted to joke and say that it was close; but, I''ve had it done since yesterday.¡± Tee-one said. Ren smiled as he looked to see Tee-one was wearing the Bracelets of Magical Balance. ¡°I assume you got to use my abilities much more efficiently.¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°Are we ready to go?¡± Catalina asked, and Ren looked at her. ¡°We?¡± ¡°I''ve never driven one of these things, so I''m not going to let anyone else handle these horses in this configuration until I learn how to do it myself.¡± ¡°This wasn''t supposed to be a learning trip.¡± Ren said. ¡°If this is too much...¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Catalina said. ¡°I''ll pick it up quickly, and then I''ll pass that knowledge to my students.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren said and held open the door of the carriage for Railyse. ¡°Just a moment.¡± Railyse said and walked over to the dock, took out the two large fish Ren had given her, and tossed them into the water. ¡°From where you come, to where you return.¡± She said. The water shifted a little bit, then the fish carcasses were sucked out into deep water and disappeared. ¡°That was weird.¡± One of the workers said. ¡°She just threw away two perfectly good fish.¡± Ren chuckled, and Railyse came back over to them and got into the carriage, then he got in himself. ¡°Tee-one?¡± ¡°Orimihr says he''s staying on the ship.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°He also said something about blasphemous humans not being interesting to him in the least.¡± Ren chuckled again. ¡°He''s never leaving the ship, then?¡± ¡°He signed on as one of the crew this morning.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°They needed the extra hand, and he said he was bored.¡± ¡°It''ll definitely keep him busy.¡± ¡°The ship is pretty much empty.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°We just have to move the things I''m using, and finish taking off the ore and clean it out.¡± ¡°Thanks, Tee-one.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Tee-one said, and Catalina climbed up into the driver''s seat. ¡°Have fun talking to the big heads about crazy stuff.¡± Ren smiled and waved as the carriage left the dock. ¡°Yes, it''s definitely crazy.¡± He said as they got on the road. ¡°It''s the perfect mission for you, then.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Rather than take the road through the city to get to the West Gate, Catalina took the carriage along the outside of the city wall and over the rough ground to get to the road they needed to get to. Chapter 343 - To The Capital The carriage got to the road that lead out the West Gate without incident, despite travelling over very rough ground, and Catalina drove it out the road to the first turn to the south. They took that road and started to pick up speed. Ren stood up and opened the small door behind the place where the driver sat. He slipped out through it and sat down on the passenger side beside Catalina. ¡°How are the horses handling the carriage?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Surprisingly well.¡± Catalina said without looking at him. ¡°It''s like they''re only pulling a small cart.¡± ¡°Technically, they are.¡± Ren said. ¡°This carriage has been enchanted to be much lighter than it''s supposed to be, but it still moves like it was heavy.¡± ¡°You have got to do that to all of my carts.¡± Catalina said. ¡°It''ll be so much easier on the horses.¡± ¡°Were some of the carts and horses a part of the caravan that delivers the parts for the lumber yard?¡± ¡°They''re all mine.¡± Catalina said. ¡°I made more in deliveries yesterday than I did all last month.¡± ¡°Then all those carts are already enchanted.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°The delivery was for me, so I enchanted them all before they went to my county.¡± Catalina chuckled. ¡°If that keeps up, I''ll make more this month than the whole time I''ve been running my stable as a business.¡± ¡°I can guarantee that, then. There''s 5 more deliveries that have to be made.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did Jen talk to you about having a stable built?¡± ¡°She did.¡± Catalina said. ¡°I''m not sure it''s a good idea, though.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I won''t be close by to supervise it''s operation.¡± Catalina said. ¡°If you''re going to have a stable and horses for over 600 people...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°They aren''t all going to need horses and carts at the same time.¡± He said. ¡°Most of them don''t even leave the village, let alone the county.¡± ¡°Then what do you want a stable for?¡± ¡°Just in case they do want to go somewhere.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m thinking only a small stable, maybe 20 or 30 horses, and just as many carts.¡± ¡°That''s going to take a lot of stable-hands to run and maintain.¡± ¡°I figure one per horse, plus a manager.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s why I want to make a kind of school for training.¡± ¡°I''m already doing that at Jen''s place.¡± Catalina said. ¡°I can''t go out there and teach, too.¡± ¡°What about horses? Can I at least get them from you?¡± ¡°I think I can spare a dozen or so... but I won''t sell them without inspecting where they''re going to stay.¡± ¡°I had hoped I could just say, ''hey, do this for me'', and you''d do it all and I wouldn''t have to worry about anything.¡± Catalina laughed. ¡°You''ve been letting your money get to your head.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± Ren said and looked at the horses. ¡°While I''m here, I can cast Haste on the horses to double their speed.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Catalina glanced at him quickly and then back at the road. ¡°You look more like a fancy knight.¡± ¡°Is it the shiny gold color of the armor or the encrusted shimmering jewels that gave you that impression?¡± Ren asked her, and she laughed. ¡°Both, I think.¡± ¡°Looks can be deceiving.¡± Ren said and took out the Haste wand. ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Catalina said and glanced at Ren again. Now I really want to know how good he is in bed. Ren cast Haste on the horses and the carriage doubled in speed. Since the 4 horses were hauling a very light carriage that didn''t slow them down at all, they thought they had been cut free and ran for all they were worth. Catalina guided their bridled passion for freedom, and held them to the road expertly. After 20 minutes, they slowed to their normal speed and Catalina pulled off the road to feed and water them. Ren helped her and added a bit of Health Potion to the feed, just like he did for the caravan horses. They got back on the road a few minutes later, and Ren cast Haste on them again and went back into the carriage. ¡°Are you having fun?¡± Railyse asked him as he sat down beside her. ¡°Not really.¡± Ren said. ¡°It looks like I''ll need to think of another way to get a stable up and running.¡± Railyse smiled. ¡°You''ll figure out something.¡± She said. ¡°You always do.¡± Ren took her hand and she held onto his with both of hers. ¡°Are you up for this?¡± Railyse chuckled. ¡°It''s a little late to ask me that now.¡± Ren leaned in close to her. ¡°Do you want to feed?¡± ¡°I... yes, but...¡± Railyse sighed. ¡°I still don''t think...¡± ¡°I agreed to give you any fluid that you needed while on the surface.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not being forced or coerced, okay?¡± He said and gave her face a light caress. ¡°I''ll make it special this time.¡± ¡°Special?¡± Railyse asked. ¡°How?¡± ¡°You''ll taste the difference.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. He thought about the Water Realm, and Railyse with all of her family, and then her being torn away from them by time. Years, decades, and now a century have passed, and Ren imagined the sorrow she felt about not seeing her whole family for over a hundred years. A very small tear formed at the corner of his eye, but he wasn''t done. Now that he had thought about a daughter being torn away by time, he remembered his own daughter and the several millennium that have passed in the Fire Realm since he had last seen her. He had let too much time pass without contacting her, and he felt so guilty over it that he couldn''t bring himself to contact her now. Ren felt Railyse''s lips on his face as the tears flowed, and he poured out his sorrow and let her drink it up. A water tendril touched his other cheek as she kissed and licked his tears away. This went on for several minutes, until Railyse had had enough. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Railyse said, as the glow on her skin faded. ¡°You''re so... so... (bubbles gurgle bubble)!¡± Ren smiled because he had made her revert to her native speech to describe him. ¡°I said you''d taste the difference.¡± He sighed and let the thoughts fade, then stopped crying and the water tendril dried his face for him. ¡°How can you cry on command, time and time again?¡± Railyse asked as the tendril formed back into part of her hair. ¡°They''re not fake tears, either. You''re actually crying.¡± ¡°I have depths to my mind that...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Let''s just say that I can relive and experience events as if they just happened.¡± ¡°You mean...¡± ¡°I should be able to do this for you indefinitely.¡± Railyse laid her head on his shoulder. ¡°If mother knew you could do this all the time...¡± ¡°She''d have extended my sentence by at least a year.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°A year?¡± Railyse chuckled. ¡°She might have tossed my father aside and made you the royal consort!¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°She loves your father too much to do that.¡± Railyse squeezed his hand. ¡°Royal concubine? Royal Tear-jerker?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Now there''s a fun job.¡± He said sarcastically. ¡°Ren! Cry for me. Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Railyse laughed, too. ¡°I thought you meant concubine when you said fun.¡± ¡°They''re practically the same job in the Water Realm.¡± Ren said, and Railyse nodded. ¡°My mother would have decreed it, if you so wished.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Ren smiled and stroked her face again. ¡°I didn''t want you tied to me like that.¡± ¡°Assistant to the Ambassador is not an appropriate job description for what you do for me.¡± Railyse said and sighed. ¡°You''ve done too much for us for my mother to deny you such a simple request.¡± ¡°That''s why I made it.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I could have asked for anything, anything at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even for your hand in marriage.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Railyse exclaimed and sat up to stare at him. ¡°You didn''t know that?¡± Ren asked her, and she shook her head. ¡°Your mother offered you to me that morning.¡± Railyse frowned and squinted her eyes at him. ¡°Don''t be mad at her.¡± Ren said. ¡°She was trying to ensure the future of the Water Realm.¡± ¡°By giving me away and not talking to me about it first?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m pretty sure it was smart of her to ask me if I wanted you first, before she tried to throw you at me.¡± Railyse opened her mouth to say something, then sighed. ¡°Okay, yes. You''re right.¡± She said. ¡°That would have been embarrassing for me to have happen in the throne room.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That''s why she did it privately.¡± He said. ¡°Plus, this way I get to spend all this time with you, share all these things with you, and you aren''t tied to me or constrained by your culture''s rules, etiquette, and customs.¡± ¡°Ren, you...¡± Railyse shook her head. ¡°You''re way too good to be true.¡± Ren laughed and put an arm around her shoulders, and she put her head back on his shoulder. They stayed that way until the Haste spell wore off on the horses, and he had to cast it again. This happened 12 more times, with 5 more rest stops, and they finally reached the capital city of Bore-Reale just over 4 hours later. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren said as the mountain trail they were on turned to give them a side view of the entire city. ¡°Land dwellers sure do like walls, don''t they?¡± Railyse asked, and Ren nodded. The city had 100 foot tall battlement walls, towers twice that height every 1000 feet along the walls, and it had a gigantic castle in the center if it. He stared at the castle because he recognized it. Any kid would recognize this castle, no matter where they lived in the real world. It took another half an hour to reach the city gates, and Ren called Andrela and the other maids to let them know that they had arrived at the capital safely. He described what the castle and city looked like, and they made small talk until they were close to the city and he told them he had to go. When the carriage arrived at the city gates, he presented documents and identification for Railyse and himself. The guards ignored the driver, much to her dismay. Ren thought it was a very big loophole for someone to exploit; but, he didn''t mention it to the guards. The last thing Railyse needed was a delay. They had arrived just as lunch started, and the meeting they needed to attend was just after lunch. ¡°To the castle.¡± Ren said to Catalina, and she nodded and flicked the reins. It took another 20 minutes to get through the traffic in the streets and reach the castle. There wasn''t any kind of guard or sentry at the front door, and Ren was puzzled. This is where you should have people to detect anything that came in. Ren thought as he opened the carriage door and stepped out. He reached up a hand and helped Railyse down out of the carriage and looked at Catalina. ¡°I''ve been here before.¡± Catalina said. ¡°I''ll stash the carriage and take care of the horses.¡± Ren passed her a steel square. ¡°I''ll call when we need you again.¡± He said. ¡°It''ll be a few hours.¡± Catalina looked at the metal square, shrugged and slipped it into a pocket. ¡°I''ll keep myself busy until then.¡± Ren nodded, and Catalina flicked the reins and drove the carriage away. ¡°Let''s do this.¡± Railyse said, took a deep breath, and held out an arm for Ren. He hooked his arm in hers and led her into the castle, and the song ''When You Wish Upon A Star'' played in his head. * ¡°Today''s the day.¡± Lord Eddlemere said and took another bite of food. He chewed and swallowed, then shook his head. ¡°I''m getting tired of taking time out of my day just to eat.¡± ¡°You could stop eating and let yourself die.¡± Talon said from the shadow behind him. Lord Eddlemere laughed. ¡°Talon! I''m glad you could make it.¡± ¡°I had to come and see if it worked.¡± Talon said. ¡°I''ve been working overtime to pull this off.¡± Lord Eddlemere nodded. ¡°I assume you had the package sent.¡± ¡°No, I brought it here myself.¡± Talon said. ¡°Of course I sent it.¡± ¡°Don''t be flippant.¡± Lord Eddlemere said. ¡°This is serious business.¡± ¡°Deadly serious.¡± Talon said. ¡°I just hope it''s worth it.¡± ¡°Don''t fret, young man.¡± Lord Eddlemere smiled. ¡°It''s worth it. In fact, it''s going to be worth a whole kingdom.¡± * It took a little while to find the meeting room they had to get to, but Ren and Railyse made it to their assigned seating section in plenty of time. They sat and waited for lunch to be over, and then Railyse could start the task that her mother had set for her. * ¡°King Alamast!¡± A young boy yelled and waved as the king walked by one of the many open windows in the royal dining room. ¡°Oh! Hello!¡± King Alamast said as he came to a stop dramatically, and went to the window. ¡°How are you?¡± The young boy''s mouth dropped open in shock as his ruler spoke to him. He tried to talk, but all that came out was spits and sputters. King Alamast chuckled. ¡°It''s all right, boy.¡± He said. ¡°Breathe. Relax. Just say what''s on your mind.¡± ¡°I love your daughter!¡± The boy blurted out and his face turned dark red. ¡°Someone loves me?¡± The king''s 16 year old daughter said as she came over to the open window. ¡°Hi!¡± She said and waved to the boy. ¡°I love you, too!¡± ¡°Ahhhh!¡± The boy screamed. He was startled because the object of his affection had appeared before him unexpectedly, and he ran off through the small crowd that had gathered. Several people laughed, and so did the princess. ¡°Diana, you shouldn''t tease people like that.¡± King Alamast cautioned her. ¡°I wasn''t teasing him.¡± Diana said and waved to the people. ¡°I love you!¡± ¡°We love you, too!¡± Several people said and waved back. ¡°See?¡± Diana smiled at her father, and he shook his head. ¡°One of these days, someone is going to call you on it.¡± King Alamast warned his daughter and stepped back from the window. ¡°Who''s going to do that to the Crown Princess?¡± Diana asked as she took her father''s hand and dragged him back to the table. ¡°Hurry up and finish eating! I want to meet the Sea Creature Ambassador.¡± ¡°It''s ''Sea Dweller'', and I''m pretty sure her documentation says she''s the Ambassador to the Land Dwellers.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Diana said and made him sit down. She picked up a piece of food and tried to shove it in his mouth. ¡°Diana! Stop that!¡± Her mother, Lady Eleanor said. ¡°Let your father eat in peace.¡± Diana laughed when her father ate the piece of food she gave him and tried to bite her fingers. ¡°Daaad!¡± ¡°They aren''t food?¡± King Alamast asked, and she sat down next to him and leaned on him a little. ¡°No, silly.¡± Diana said and picked up a piece for herself and took a tiny little bite out of it. ¡°Diana.¡± Her mother said. ¡°I know, I know.¡± Diana said and took a bigger bite. ¡°Eat properly, and not like a bird feeding her chicks.¡± ¡°We should be using utensils like with a proper meal, but I think you''re right.¡± Her mother said. ¡°We need to hurry, or we''ll miss the beginning of the meeting.¡± ¡°What are they going to do?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°Start without me?¡± Diana laughed. ¡°Can you imagine the gall they''d have if they did that?¡± She asked and finished the piece food she had. ¡°They''d be spending a week in the dungeon!¡± Her father laughed, and her mother sighed. ¡°Sending people to the dungeon isn''t a laughing matter.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°It can be.¡± Diana said. ¡°Especially the looks on their faces when it''s suggested.¡± ¡°Diana.¡± King Alamast said a little sternly, and Diana sighed. ¡°Fine, no joking about dungeons.¡± Diana said. Not when mom is around. ¡°Thank you.¡± King Alamast said and kissed her cheek. ¡°Daaad!¡± Diana laughed as she leaned out of the line of fire and pretended to wipe the kiss off, despite the fact that she really liked that he would still kiss her cheek. She was almost fully grown now, but he had spoiled her quite a lot as a child with how much he showed his affection for her. He always made time for her, no matter how busy he was, and he always made her laugh. She loved her father very much, and would do almost anything that he asked her to. ¡°Diana! What''s that?¡± King Alamast pointed and she turned her head to look at whatever it was, and he kissed her cheek again. ¡°DAAAD!¡± Diana yelled, and he laughed and laughed. They finished their small lunch, cleaned up, and made sure they looked the part they were going to play. The wise and just King, the dutiful wife, and the obedient Crown Princess. ¡°I think we''re ready.¡± Lady Eleanor said and took her husband''s arm, then looked at her daughter. ¡°Two paces behind, big smile, and no skipping.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°No. Skipping.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Diana sighed. ¡°No skipping.¡± She said. Not that I was going to, anyways. Her mother gave her a big fake smile and looked at her husband. ¡°Lead on, My King.¡± * Ren and Railyse had sat in silence as the room slowly filled up with more and more people. Several of them stared at him and her openly, without trying to be sneaky about it like a lot of the other people were doing. Ren couldn''t tell if they were government officials or not, because his Identify skill only worked on items and not people. I wonder if there''s an ''Identify Person'' skill? Ren asked himself and was about to ask for the skills popup when the main doors of the meeting room opened. His Etiquette skill activated and he stood up quickly, and had Railyse stand as well. The King came around the corner in the hallway, and Ren saw him for the first time. He bared a striking resemblance to Lord Eric of Aurora, and he had his wife on his arm. She looked nothing like Lord Eric''s wife, though; and then Ren noticed the young woman behind them. She had long flowing blonde hair that was just curly enough to catch the eye, but not enough to say that it was all curls. She was only about 5 feet tall, nearly the same as her mother; which was about a foot shorter than her father. ¡°Everyone, please rise.¡± A man at the door said quite uselessly, since everyone had already stood up when the doors had opened. ¡°His Majesty King Alamast, Her Highness Lady Eleanor, and Crown Princess Diana.¡± The king nodded at the room as he entered, and everyone nodded back, including Ren. The king entered the room and walked towards their seats, and Ren took a moment to examine them. The king wore an expensive outfit that was well made, a long cloak of purple fabric, and the crown on his head was real. Lady Elanor had a smile as fake as the jewels she wore around her neck; but, her clothing was just as expensive as what the king wore. Crown Princess Diana wore a simple white dress with long sleeves that covered her from neck to knee, a necklace made of silver, and a thin bracelet. She gave the crowd a small wave as she walked behind her parents, like she always did when she entered a room of important people. Unlike everyone else there that knew it was just for show, Ren assumed it was an actual wave and waved back. He had been the only one to move in the entire room, so Diana took notice of the action immediately. Her eyes widened a little as she saw Ren for the first time. Who the hell is that? Diana asked herself. She couldn''t believe someone would show up wearing full plate armor for a business meeting. It''s shining gold, too! She thought as she sat down next to her mother in their section. Are those diamonds? Her eyes darted to the person that stood beside him, and she caught her breath as she finally got a good look at the Sea Dweller''s Ambassador. Oh, my god! King Alamast had remained standing while his wife and daughter sat. ¡°I bid you welcome!¡± He said loudly and he spread his arms wide. His voice didn''t need any kind of amplification because he was a natural public speaker. ¡°Senators and Ministers, Lords and Ladies.¡± He looked at Ren and Railyse. ¡°Esteemed guests.¡± No one spoke as the king continued. ¡°You all know why we are here.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°We have been contacted by a representative of the Sea Dwellers.¡± He motioned to Railyse and everyone turned and looked at her, now that they were given permission to. ¡°It seems that they have a proposal for us. It''s one that no one... myself included... could have possibly expected.¡± The king paused for dramatic effect and smiled. ¡°She is here to discuss... the first ever... non-aggression pact between Land Dwellers and Sea Dwellers.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Several people in the room yelled, and then everyone started to yell and holler. Chapter 344 - The Gathering King Alamast let the various people yell and holler for a few minutes, then he had enough. He activated his Command Aura and it popped into place. ¡°BE QUIET!¡± The king commanded everyone, and they all fell silent. ¡°That''s more like the civilized people we are supposed to be.¡± ¡°But, Your Majesty!¡± A voice called out. ¡°How can you let those butchers-¡± ¡°SHUT. UP.¡± The king commanded him, and he closed his mouth with a snap. ¡°What kind of an example are you presenting to our guest?¡± * So that''s what a fully-formed Command Aura feels like on the other side. Ren thought and smiled. Now I know how people feel when I do it. He had held onto Railyse''s hand the entire time they had been inside the castle, and he knew she wasn''t affected one way or the other by what the people in the room did. All that mattered was getting the pact signed and put into practice. By the reaction from the audience, it was not going to be an easy task. ¡°Before anyone else decides to cause an uproar, allow me to introduce the representative from the Sea Dwellers. Her chosen name for us to use is Railyse, since humans can''t reproduce their language.¡± Ren raised a hand to get attention, which was a little odd since everyone was still standing, and the king looked at him with slightly wide eyes. Is he wearing full plate armor? King Alamast asked himself. ¡°That''s not true, Your Majesty.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s difficult to learn, and takes months of intense study; but, it can be learned. Even so, I still (bubble) when I should (bubble gurgle). Other than that, I can speak it quite fluently.¡± Everyone stared at him like he had two heads, and Ren beamed a smile at them. It was a genuine smile, and conveyed his amusement at their surprise; and it was completely different from the fake smile Lady Eleanor wore. How can he smile like that? Lady Eleanor asked herself. If I get the chance, I must ask him to show me how. ¡°Um... well, then.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°As I was saying, Ambassador Railyse has brought a detailed proposal for us to examine. With her help to point out the relevant points, It shouldn''t take us long to go over it.¡± He nodded to several waiting pageboys and they carried large stacks of parchment and handed out a copy of the proposal to everyone. They all sat as they received their copy, and several of them flipped through it. ¡°Is this really necessary?¡± One of the ministers asked, as he held up his copy. It was several sheets thick and full of regulations, and he waved it in the air slightly. ¡°We''re going to reject it anyways.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± King Alamast stared at the minister. ¡°What ''we'' are you taking about?¡± ¡°We. Us. The Gathering.¡± The minister said. ¡°We always reject the initial proposal. It''s how things are done.¡± He said. ¡°This meeting is just a waste of time.¡± ¡°Now, now.¡± Lord Eddlemere said. ¡°I don''t think our usual practice can be applied in this case.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± The minister asked. ¡°This has never happened before.¡± Lord Eddlemere said. ¡°We have an actual Sea Dweller among us.¡± He look around at his fellow Gathering members. ¡°I can honestly say that I''ve never seen one. Have any of you?¡± ¡°Not until today.¡± Someone said. ¡°Battles have been fought over sea and land rights for centuries.¡± King Alamast said, and took the perfect opportunity to regain control of the meeting from the upstart Lord Eddlemere. ¡°This proposal isn''t meant to settle everything outright. That''s going to take months of intense negotiations. What this entails is essentially a cease fire between the land and the sea while we do try and negotiate everything else.¡± ¡°Well, I suppose it doesn''t hurt to look at it.¡± The minister said, reluctantly. ¡°I''m glad we have your approval.¡± King Alamast said with a smile, and quite a few people laughed. ¡°First, we shall give it a general run-through so we can get an idea what it will entail, then I''ll ask the Ambassador to come up here to the podium and we can dig into the details.¡± No one spoke as the king did exactly that. He didn''t even have to look at the proposal as he recited the highlights over territory, sea routes, proposed banned areas where no ship can go, and finally the agreement that no land dweller would cause harm to a sea dweller, and vice-versa. ¡°Ambassador Railyse, if you would?¡± King Alamast said when he was done, and stepped back from the podium. Ren stood up and held an arm out for Railyse, and she stood and took it. A hush fell over the whole meeting room and everyone had a good look at Ren and Railyse as they left their assigned seating area and walked over towards the right and to the aisle, then started to walk down to where the royal family sat. Ren felt it when his Aura crossed the royal family, and even though he was so far away, he heard someone gasp because everything was so quiet. The Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak billowed of it''s own accord as he and Railyse strolled towards the podium, and all eyes were on them as they came to a stop in front of the royal family. ¡°Your Majesty¡± Ren said and nodded at the king. ¡°Your Highness.¡± He gave Lady Eleanor a slight bow. ¡°Crown Princess.¡± Ren said and gave her a smile. They only stared at him and didn''t say anything at all, even when Railyse thanked the king for letting her appear there today. Ren let her arm go and she stepped up to the podium while he stepped back and to the side, so he wouldn''t interfere with people seeing the royal family. ¡°Thank you all for coming here today.¡± Railyse said in her most melodious voice, and under her translucent skin were calm sea waves. ¡°My name is...¡± She let out a string of bubbles and gurgles for several seconds, and then smiled. ¡°I know that is a little more than a mouthful, even for those that know me well.¡± She said and glanced at Ren, who smiled at her. Everyone was kind of transfixed by her because her voice was so soothing, and they wanted nothing more than to hear more of it. ¡°For the duration of our time together, you may call me Railyse instead.¡± Railyse said. ¡°My assistant has prepared visuals for us, assuming the wall behind us is a viable option.¡± Ren activated Enchanted Eyes and looked around at the wall. It was completely bare except for a large crest mounted half-way up the 50 foot wall. It also didn''t glow, and he looked around at the windows. They didn''t glow, either. Is there no protection glyphs on the castle? Ren asked himself. ¡°It looks like it can be used, Ambassador.¡± He said, without letting his concern over the lack of safety show. ¡°Excellent.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Show us the proposed trade routes first, please.¡± Ren reached back and touched the wall, and used his Enchant Design ability. He poured quite a bit of Mana into the wall and thought about what to do. He had a knack for design, so he altered the orientation of the route so that the crest in the middle of the wall represented the human kingdom and built the image out from that. The trade route etched itself into the beige wall, along with a general map of the area, and everyone gasped as the image appeared and the route glowed sightly blue.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Good god.¡± Someone said as tiny ships appeared and they travelled the routes in circles. ¡°As you can clearly see, the routes themselves are only slightly changed from the ones your shipping lines currently use.¡± Railyse said. ¡°These altered routes avoid both dangerous zones for ships and sacred areas for sea dwellers...¡± Railyse talked for another 10 minutes about the alterations and how they would benefit both land and sea dwellers. ¡°Ren? Can you show us the territory borders, please?¡± ¡°Of course, Ambassador.¡± Ren said and poured a little bit more Mana into the etching. He made the territories themselves have green borders, while the ones in dispute and crossed one another, glowed red. ¡°This is the current border situation.¡± Railyse said. ¡°It is not desirable by either of our people.¡± Nearly everyone nodded, and she smiled at them. ¡°This current proposal doesn''t change these borders at all. What it does do, is make a buffer... or a safe zone... between us.¡± Railyse said and nodded. Ren made several small blue circles appear over the conflicted borders, and nearly all of the red parts were covered. ¡°It''s not a perfect solution, but it will at least stop any large battles from happening for a while.¡± No one said anything, and she sighed. ¡°I know this is a lot to take in, and it''s a lot to think about.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I don''t expect this to be approved today. It''s much too soon to even think about that.¡± She saw a lot of heads nodded in agreement. ¡°All I can ask is that it be taken into consideration, and for word of our talks to be spread throughout the land dweller''s shipping lines.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± Someone exclaimed. ¡°If everyone knows there is talks about a cease fire, it will calm down the...¡± Railyse swallowed. ¡°...hot spots... where the most loss of life occurs.¡± ¡°What about on your end?¡± Someone asked. ¡°If we tell our ships to not fight, what''s to stop you from overrunning them and destroying them?¡± ¡°Trust.¡± Railyse said, and everyone looked at her. ¡°At some point, you are going to have to trust me as much as I am trusting you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I abandoned my people to come here.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I left my family, my friends, and my home to come here with this proposal.¡± She said. ¡°I have never left the comfort of the water before.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°It''s scary out here. It''s so dry. Things are so different.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve put my life on the line just by coming here.¡± Everyone that listened to her voice could hear the fear and sorrow in it. ¡°I''ve trusted you with my life.¡± Railyse said. ¡°The least... the very least you can do... is consider this proposal seriously.¡± She looked at them all, and they couldn''t quite meet her gaze. ¡°My life hangs in the balance here, and so does all of the future people; both sea and land dweller alike, who could be lost because of this senseless battle over who gets more fish!¡± Her last scathing remark cut everyone deeply, and Railyse took several deep breaths to calm down. ¡°It''s just like I''ve said. Think about it. Spread the word. We no longer have to fight to get what we want.¡± Railyse said. ¡°We are all intelligent beings. Let''s use our brains, at least once in our lives.¡± Railyse looked around at their mollified faces and nodded. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± Ren walked over to her and held out an arm, and she took it. He led her away from the podium and back up the aisle, then down the row to their assigned seats and sat down. Conversation started around them and people discussed what they had heard. The sound of people talking spread through the meeting room, and when it got to the king, he stood up and went to the podium. ¡°Thank you, Ambassador.¡± King Alamast said, then looked behind himself and at the wall. Ren had left the enchantment on the wall, and the tiny ships continued on their routes. ¡°It''s definitely something for us to think about.¡± He turned back and looked at everyone in the Gathering. ¡°On that note, let''s take a short break.¡± * This is the time and date. The messenger thought as he ran up the street towards the castle. Under his arm was the package Talon had paid to have delivered to the Ambassador. * The meeting had broken up for the break, but no one left the meeting room. They had stood and gathered together into groups, and some milled around like it was a party and they wanted to mingle with everyone. No one approached Ren and Railyse, however. ¡°Let''s go talk to the Crown Princess.¡± Railyse said out of the blue. ¡°What?¡± Ren looked at her, and then at the princess. She was standing off on her own, a little ways away from the king and her mother. No one was talking to her, either. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren led Railyse down the row and then the aisle, which retraced the path back to the podium. People watched them as they passed; but still, no one spoke to them. They came to a stop near the princess, and Ren spoke. ¡°What''s a girl like you doing in a place like this?¡± Ren asked her, and she came out of her bored daze to stare at him. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Diana asked. ¡°I can tell by your excited expression, just how much you love being here.¡± Ren said and smiled, and Diana laughed. ¡°Oh, yes! I just love it here.¡± Diana said sarcastically. ¡°It''s always a fun place to be.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I always enjoyed having to sit silently in meetings while the grown ups talked about important things, that they thought I was too young to understand or to give input on.¡± Diana looked at her, and smiled a genuine smile. ¡°That''s it exactly.¡± Railyse chuckled, and the water under her skin swirled in amusement. ¡°That''s really weird.¡± Diana said, then covered her mouth. ¡°I''m sorry, I shouldn''t say things like that.¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Railyse said. ¡°You''re just as weird-looking to me.¡± ¡°I... I am?!?¡± Diana asked, and Railyse nodded. ¡°I''d never even seen a land dweller before I met Ren.¡± Railyse said. ¡°It was kind of... well, sickening. All I could see was pinkness, and it was weird that I couldn''t see his feelings swirl under his skin like I could with my own people.¡± ¡°I... wow.¡± Diana said and looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°I guess that would be weird.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It took me a month to get her to stop staring at me, then another month to convince her that I didn''t have swirling currents under my skin.¡± ¡°That''s really... um... why are you telling me this?¡± Diana asked after changing what she was going to say. ¡°You looked like you needed someone to talk to.¡± Railyse said. ¡°So, here we are.¡± ¡°You wanted to talk to me?¡± Diana asked, surprised. ¡°I mean, I''m usually completely ignored during these things.¡± ¡°Is that why you were so surprised when I waved back to you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You saw that, did you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yes, everyone just treats me like...¡± Diana stopped herself before she said something she would regret. ¡°I''m tolerated, but that''s about it.¡± ¡°But you''re the Crown Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°Everyone should treat you with the proper respect.¡± Diana was too surprised to respond, and just looked into his silver-blue eyes. They''re so pretty. * The door to the meeting room opened and a messenger stepped in. He carried a package under his arm and told the door attendant that it was for the Ambassador. The man didn''t bother to check if it was, or even check the package, and let the messenger though. Water lady... water lady... there she is. The messenger thought and walked over to her. * ¡°Package for the Ambassador.¡± The messenger said and held out the package to Railyse. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and reached out for it. Ren, on a hunch, activated Enchanted Eyes and looked at it. It didn''t glow, but he knew it was odd for Railyse to get a package, especially inside the meeting room. He tried to take it instead, but the messenger wouldn''t let it go. ¡°I''m sorry, sir.¡± The messenger said. ¡°Only the recipient can accept packages.¡± ¡°Since when?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s all right, Ren.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I''ll take it.¡± * Talon had come out of one of the many shadows at the back of the room and looked at the podium. He saw the messenger hand the package to the target, smiled, then caught sight of a set of gold-colored armor. Oh, dammit. Talon thought, looked around for Lord Eddlemere to warn him, and saw that he stood across the room next to the king and was deep in conversation. There was no way that Talon could get there in time. I''m not sticking around to watch this disaster. He thought, and slid back into the shadow he had come from. All that work for nothing! * Railyse accepted the package with a smile and the messenger turned to walk away. She untied the string that held it closed and started to lift the lid; then Ren''s Enchanted Eyes ability was almost overloaded with how brightly the contents glowed. Thanks to his Lightning Reflexes ability, he reacted immediately. ¡°King Alamast!¡± Ren shouted, hit the package from underneath to knock it high into the air, and grabbed Railyse and Diana by their arms. ¡°Catch!¡± He said, then quickly turned and tossed the two surprised women through the air. King Alamast was just as surprised, but he hadn''t become king because he was slow to respond to any given situation. He braced himself and opened his arms to catch the two women, and the package flipped over in the air. It''s circular motion had held the cover mostly closed; but as it fell, the air caught it and pulled it open. ¡°Everybody down!¡± Ren yelled as he positioned his body between it and the king, then caught the package and hugged it as the cover opened all the way. Inside was a very large custom-made elemental grenade, with various parts and things fused together to increase the blast radius. Ren instantly got the plans for it... and then it exploded right in his face. Chapter 345 - Blowback The explosion rocked the room and a large fireball engulfed Ren. People started to scream in terror, but Ren tuned it out as he activated Serene State of Mind. He had been quite fortunate that the bomb was fire-based, and that he wore his full plate armor because it protected him from severe bodily harm. He used his Absorb Fire ability to suck in the blast as quickly as he could. Unfortunately, he wasn''t wearing his helmet that would have covered most of his face, or his gauntlets that would have covered his hands. Since the elemental grenade had been infused into an object that was mostly made of metal, it all became shrapnel when it exploded. Ren''s body and armor had taken a good portion of the blast since he had hugged the package close. It deflected and even stopped a lot of the shrapnel from doing any damage behind him, and to some extent on the sides. That was where his Luck stat came into play. Thanks to his arms being in the way, nearly all of the side shrapnel was shunted above and below where the crowd was as it bounced off of his armor. He had been facing the wall, so the blast in that direction sent shrapnel into the enchanted design and damaged it; but, it wasn''t enough damage to end the enchantment and the little ships continued moving through the trade routes. Some of the shards of metal hadn''t hit Ren''s armor at all, and those pieces flew through the air unimpeded and struck the man at the door, three other people on one side of Ren, and one on the other. It was the man that had been talking to the king. He had jumped out of the way when Ren had thrown Railyse and Diana over to the king, and he had stopped right in the path of the shrapnel. Pandemonium ensued, mainly because of the screams of pain from the 5 people that had been seriously wounded. Lords, ministers, their aids, and almost everyone else present were in a panic. ¡°Healers! Get the healers!¡± King Alamast yelled to the door of the meeting room as he knelt to check on Lord Eddlemere, and one of the ministers opened the door and yelled for the healers as well. A minute later, a group of them ran into the room and stopped dead at the sight. They didn''t know what to do or who to help first, because everyone was running around and screaming, and no one was trying to calm anyone down. It was at this point that Ren had had enough. He concentrated on his Command Aura, which pushed his Aura out to 350 feet and covered everyone in the room. He stood up and turned around to face the room. ¡°STOP!¡± Ren yelled and pushed as much command into his voice as he could. He heard everyone as they stopped moving; then he heard several people gasp and scream, and a few people started to cry again. ¡°SIT DOWN!¡± He yelled, and everyone sat down. ¡°That''s better.¡± He said. ¡°Healers! Tend to the wounded.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± The group of healers said together, then split up. ¡°REN!¡± Railyse yelled and ran over to him. ¡°By... by Mother''s Trident! Your face!¡± ¡°I need a healer, fast.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m Bleeding Profusely, and there''s only 2 minutes left.¡± Thankfully, there were enough healers to go around and deal with everyone, and one of them came over to him. ¡°Good god.¡± The healer said as she got a good look at him. His face was mangled and mulched by shrapnel that was still inside his skin, and blood poured down his neck and over his armor. His hands were a lot worse than that, and barely had any flesh left on them at all. ¡°How are you still standing?¡± The healer whispered. ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stop the bleeding.¡± ¡°R-r-right a-away.¡± The healer said. ¡°Ha-have a se-seat.¡± ¡°I can''t see where to sit.¡± Ren said. ¡°The shrapnel is in my eyes.¡± The healer put a hand over her mouth and tried not to get sick. ¡°How can you stay so calm?¡± ¡°I''ll only be calm for another minute.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then I''ll be dead.¡± ¡°Oh! I''m sorry!¡± The healer said, then reached out and hovered her hand over his face. She concentrated on him and used her Major Healing ability to stop the blood loss. She thought about using her Minor Healing ability to do it, but with the state Ren was in, she didn''t want to take the chance that Minor Healing might not have been enough. Ren sighed in relief as the condition went away. ¡°This way, Ren.¡± Railyse said and led him over to a seat. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± Diana, Crown Princess of the Human Kingdom, exclaimed when she saw Ren''s face and the ruin that used to be his pretty eyes. ¡°Don''t look, baby.¡± Lady Eleanor said and tried to cover her daughter''s eyes. ¡°You don''t need to see that.¡± ¡°Yes, I do!¡± Diana said and moved her mother''s hand. ¡°He saved me from being like that myself.¡± She said. ¡°Or worse! I could be dead right now!¡± ¡°But you didn''t die.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Thanks to this young man''s sacrifice, no one died.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You make it sound like I''m still going to die.¡± ¡°This is going to take better hands than mine.¡± The healer said. ¡°I... I can''t... I can''t reach in and pull the shards out.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now that the bleeding is stopped, I can wait for more experienced hands.¡± ¡°Is he serious?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°He''s the most hurt of anyone here, and he wants to wait?!?¡± Diana knelt in front of him and put a hand on his knee. ¡°Ren, you have to let the healers take care of you.¡± Ren chuckled again. ¡°I didn''t say I won''t take their treatment, just that there''s no rush.¡± ¡°But... you must be in... in severe pain right now.¡± Diana said and tried to reach up and touch his face; but, she couldn''t make herself do it and clenched her hand into a fist and let it drop back to her side. ¡°I''m an Adventurer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can take a lot of pain.¡± It took about 10 minutes for the most experienced healer to become available, and when she came over and saw Ren''s face, she gasped. ¡°Why didn''t you come and get me right away?!?¡± She asked the other healer. ¡°You were busy, and he said that he could wait.¡± ¡°Bah!¡± The new healer said. ¡°Let me heal this up...¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°You have to dig out the shrapnel first.¡± ¡°They''ll just pop out when...¡± ¡°The small ones will, but the large pieces that are embedded deep won''t be.¡± ¡°How... how do you know that?¡± ¡°I have healing experience.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± She said. ¡°I need to go and get my tools.¡± ¡°That''s not necessary.¡± Ren said and took out a set of healing tools. ¡°You can use mine.¡± ¡°Where did you get those?¡± The healer asked. They were much nicer than the ones she had paid a large fee for. That had been some time ago, and she wanted to get a new set just like them. ¡°I spent a little bit of time with a healer while I was visiting Railyse.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d do this myself if I could see.¡± The healer shook her head and picked up two sets of tweezers. ¡°This is going to hurt.¡± ¡°Probably more than it did going in.¡± Ren said and smiled. He didn''t tell them that he wasn''t feeling any pain at all because he was actively using Serene State of Mind. It was a constant drain on his Mana; but with so much of it in his Mana Pool, he honestly didn''t care how much of a drain it was. ¡°How can you be so... oh, you''re one of those.¡± The healer said and dug into the skin of his cheek with one set of tweezers to pull it back, and used the other set to grab a piece of metal. ¡°One of what?¡± ¡°Someone who enjoys the pain.¡± Ren switched from his Command Aura to his Fear Aura, and everyone in the room froze. ¡°I do not enjoy pain.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I... I... I''m sorry.¡± The healer got out, and Ren switched to his Camaraderie Aura instead. She sighed in relief at the change, and so did everyone else. ¡°What was that?¡± Diana asked. ¡°I''ve never felt anything like it before.¡± ¡°That was Fear.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°The only other time I felt an Aura that strong was when I and my hunting party encountered a Dire Wolf.¡± ¡°I''m wearing one, so that''s understandable.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at the cloak. ¡°He''s right. It''s not fake.¡± King Alamast said. Ren chuckled. ¡°Like a fake cloak would do anything for you.¡± He said. ¡°Maybe a few gullible people would be fooled; but, people would just laugh at you I think.¡± ¡°How did you get it?¡± Diana asked, and let her curiosity get the better of her common sense. ¡°That''s an interesting story.¡± Ren said. ¡°I even wrote a book about it.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Diana asked, surprised. Ren nodded. ¡°It''s faster if I just tell you about it, though.¡± He said and launched into how he had gotten the cloak the hard way. The healer had continued to work while Ren talked, and pulled more and more pieces of metal out of his face. ¡°I''ve picked out all the large pieces.¡± The healer said when Ren had finished the story. ¡°I have to do your eyes now.¡± ¡°I don''t think I can open them.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°They''re kind of wedged shut.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Diana said. ¡°Ren... you...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said and stopped himself from trying to pat Diana''s hand that was still on his knee. ¡°You might want to listen to your mother''s advice this time, though.¡± ¡°I... okay.¡± Diana said and stood up. ¡°I won''t look.¡± Ren waited for a moment, then smiled. ¡°You''re going to have to move away, or at least turn around.¡± He said. ¡°I might not be able to see you right now, but I can still hear you.¡± Diana sighed, then walked over to her mother. Lady Eleanor nodded at Ren for his consideration, then berated herself mentally for nodding at someone that couldn''t see her. ¡°Take the pieces near the corners first.¡± Ren said to the healer. ¡°Then you can peel the lids back to get inside.¡± The first healer couldn''t stop herself from feeling sick this time, and ran from the room. ¡°The new recruits just aren''t that hardy these days.¡± The experienced healer said and started to dig into his eyes for the first piece of metal she could see. ¡°To be fair, if this was her first real incident, she didn''t have a lot of preparation for this kind of thing.¡± Ren said, wisely. ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°It''s not my place to comment on the training of healers.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m the head healer, and I run the Medical Wing of the castle.¡± The healer said. ¡°Tell me what you think.¡± ¡°You should do mock battles with the king''s army, and let the new healers treat the wounded.¡± Ren said. ¡°If they can handle battle conditions, then stuff like this will seem like child''s play in comparison.¡± No one spoke as they thought about his suggestion. It really would test their mettle to be in that kind of environment. The head healer thought and dug into Ren''s eyes for more of the metal pieces. That is a good idea. King Alamast thought, and looked at Ren. Who is this man? He asked himself and finally had the chance to use his Identify Person skill.
Name Ren Level 73
Gender Male Class Artificer/Lord
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Titles
Master Blacksmith Tailor
Issac''s Novice Lemming
Son Of The Pelt Honorary Dwarf
A Fool And His Money Ren The First
Crazy Like A Fox Giant Smasher
Atlas Prince Charming
Patron Of Knowledge Father Of Fire
Hero Of Aurora Lord
Dreaded Foe The Unnamed King
Waterkin
Is this for real? King Alamast asked himself. What in the world is he doing as an assistant to an Ambassador? ¡°Okay, I think... I... almost... got it!¡± The healer said and pulled out a twisted piece of metal from Ren''s right eye. It made a kind of sucking sound, then popped out with a small squirt of blood. ¡°Yeah, that''s much better.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s only a couple of small shards left, and then you can do my hands.¡± ¡°Your hands?¡± The healer asked, and Ren held them up for her to see. ¡°Bloody hell!¡± She said as she saw the ruined flesh. ¡°I assume so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I still can''t see them, but I also can''t really feel them, either.¡± The healer sighed and removed the last couple of metal shards from his eyes, then moved on to his hands. ¡°How is everyone else?¡± Ren asked. ¡°They''re alive.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Even the messenger.¡± ¡°He got caught in the blast?¡± Ren asked. ¡°He took most of the shrapnel in the upper back, so he''s fine. The other two people on the same side were hit in the arm and leg. The doorman was only hit in the arm. Lord Eddlemere was facing you, though.¡± ¡°Chest and thighs?¡± Ren asked. ¡°How do you know that?¡± The healer asked. ¡°You said mine was the worst, so I have to assume no one else was hit in the face.¡± ¡°You''re very astute.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°Are you a Scout by any chance?¡± ¡°No, I''m an Artificer.¡± Ren said, but when she mentioned Scout, he thought of Teepo and wondered why he wasn''t talking. Teepo? There was no answer. TEEPO! Ren shouted in his head, and there was nothing. He tried to move his hand to reach up to his shoulder, but the healer grabbed it. ¡°Stay still! I can''t work if you move!¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± Ren said, and everyone heard the urgency in his voice. ¡°Why are you in a rush now?¡± The healer asked. ¡°My friend may be hurt.¡± ¡°I''ll have you healed in a few minutes, and you can check on him then.¡± The healer said. Ren sat in silence as the healer finished her work, then used her Major Healing ability to heal the damage to his face. When his sight came back, he immediately looked at Teepo''s metal body on his shoulder, and a large piece of metal was jammed into the beetle''s head and part of it''s body. The healer used her ability again to heal Ren''s hands, and he flexed his fingers to make sure they worked, then deactivated Serene State Of Mind when the healer said she was done. ¡°This was jammed into the ridge of your double ring.¡± The healer said and held up a particularly sharp wedge of metal. ¡°It would have taken your finger if not for that.¡± Ren looked down at the double ring on his index finger, but it wasn''t actually a double ring. It was his half of the Ring Of Recall over the top of the Beetle Crown ring. He could see a large indent in the Ring of Recall where the metal had been lodged, and he slipped it off his finger and examined the Beetle Crown ring underneath. It''s fine! Ren thought in relief. The Ring of Recall had taken the brunt of the impact and the Beetle Crown ring didn''t even have a scratch on it. Ren repaired the Ring Of Recall and stored it, then picked up the metal beetle from his shoulder. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Railyse said. ¡°I was so concerned over you, I didn''t notice that Teepo was hurt, too!¡± ¡°That''s not a brooch or something?¡± Diana asked as Ren pulled the piece of metal out of the beetle''s head. ¡°It''s my friend''s physical body.¡± Ren said. ¡°He''s probably not going to want to use it for a while, though.¡± Ren repaired the body with his glowing blacksmith''s hammer, much to the surprise of the onlookers; but, there was still no response from it or from Teepo. I hope this works. Ren thought, with hope in his mind and heart. Summon Teepo! Teepo appeared at Ren''s feet, and Ren picked him up with a huge smile on his face. Everyone was a little concerned that he had picking up something that wasn''t there, except for Railyse. She knew all about Teepo. Teepo? Ren asked. Are you okay? ¡°Ugh.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Ren? Why do I have a splitting headache?¡± You just took a sharp piece of metal to the head. Ren thought to his friend. Actually, we both did. ¡°We really should stop doing stuff like this.¡± Teepo said, then crawled up Ren''s arm to the the shoulder, rather than fly like he could have. ¡°I don''t know how much more we can take.¡± Ren smiled and pat his friend, then looked at Railyse. ¡°He''s a little shaken, but he seems fine.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Railyse said and put a hand on Ren''s other shoulder, and Ren looked at King Alamast. ¡°Have you closed the meeting room to keep all of the witnesses contained? We need to start the investigation right away.¡± Ren asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Someone wanted the Ambassador dead.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°You will turn this room upside down to find out who did it.¡± ¡°You don''t give the orders around here.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Then hurry up and do it yourself!¡± Ren said, a little excitedly. ¡°I couldn''t see this whole time, and my scout was out of action! I don''t know if anyone has already left the room or not!¡± ¡°Everyone is accounted for.¡± The king said. Ren looked around and quickly counted the number of people. ¡°Where''s the messenger?¡± ¡°A healer healed him and he left.¡± The head healer said. ¡°Get him back here right now!¡± Ren said. ¡°He''s the star witness!¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°He delivered the package, that''s why!¡± Ren said and looked at the people around him. ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Diana asked. ¡°Someone just bombed a room inside your home, seriously hurt several people, and you''re not doing anything about it!¡± ¡°I''m sure the court investigator will find something in a few days.¡± King Alamast said. Ren reached out and grabbed the king by his well-made clothing and pulled him down close. ¡°Your daughter and Railyse almost died! I almost died! Stop being lazy and get to work!¡± ¡°Let go of me.¡± The king commanded in a deep voice. ¡°Not until you smarten up!¡± Ren said and shook the king a little. ¡°Protect your family!¡± He said. ¡°Protect this realm like you''re supposed to!¡± ¡°Guards!¡± King Alamast said, and 4 guards came into the room immediately. They carried swords and wore heavy leather armor. ¡°Ren! Let him go!¡± Railyse pleaded. ¡°Please, let him go.¡± Diana said. ¡°If you''re going to take a hostage, take me instead.¡± ¡°Take a hostage?!?¡± Ren asked, surprised; then looked at the king. ¡°I''m not taking anyone anywhere.¡± ¡°Then let me go!¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Are you really such a fool that you''ll let the attempted murder of your own daughter go unpunished?¡± Ren asked him, and Diana gasped. The king looked at his daughter, then back at Ren. ¡°She wasn''t the target.¡± ¡°She''d be just as dead, you fool!¡± Ren spat at him, gave him another shake, and let the king go. King Alamast stumbled slightly when he wasn''t being held steady, and stood up straight. ¡°Take this man to the dungeon.¡± King Alamast said to the guards, and Diana watched Ren to see his reaction. She didn''t see shock, fear, revulsion, indignation, or anything else even close to what she had expected. She was surprised to see what Ren actually had on his face. Contempt. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t waste my time sitting in prison while people who have plotted against my friend run free.¡± ¡°You don''t have any choice in the matter.¡± King Alamast said. * This is turning out wonderfully! Lord Eddlemere thought. He had been healed quickly, but remained on the floor where he had fallen, and watched the events unfold. I had planned on framing the king for the Ambassador''s murder, but this might be much, much better! Lord Eddlemere thought about Talon and how much that boy had screwed up. Well, I guess it wasn''t his fault the Ambassador didn''t leave the meeting room for the break. Lord Eddlemere sighed. I''ll have to punish him for not warning me it was coming here, though. Chapter 346 - That Was Quick ¡°That''s where you''re wrong.¡± Ren said. ¡°I do have a choice.¡± ¡°Come with us peacefully.¡± One of the guards said and reached out to take Ren''s arm. Ren concentrated on his Fear Aura, grabbed the guard''s arm and pulled him close, then dug his other hand into the guard''s thick leather armor and used Iron Grip. He picked the guard up, flung him around several times and clubbed the other three guards into unconsciousness. The guard he held was unconscious as well, mainly because it was his head that had clubbed the other three guards; so, Ren dropped him to the floor and turned back to the king. Silence had filled the room again and no one spoke, and Ren switched his Fear Aura into Command. ¡°I''m an Adventurer, and I''m getting tired of this garbage.¡± Ren said and pointed to the king. ¡°Either you do your job properly, or stay out of my way.¡± ¡°I AM THE KING!¡± King Alamast yelled. That amused Ren to no end and he laughed. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± The king asked him, crossly. ¡°Someone once told me that if you have to declare that you''re the king, then you aren''t really a king.¡± ¡°You...¡± King Alamast said and pulled his hand back. ¡°...insolent...¡± It looked like he was going to backhand Ren across the face. ¡°...wretch.¡± The hand started to move forward and Ren grinned. ¡°I challenge your right to rule.¡± Ren said. Diana, the king''s daughter, gasped. ¡°NO!¡± Lady Eleanor exclaimed. ¡°Don''t... don''t do this!¡± ¡°He said that I didn''t have a choice.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, I''m choosing to question his authority over me.¡± King Alamast looked at Ren''s small stature and nodded. ¡°Very well. We will have a battle-¡± ¡°Right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Right here.¡± ¡°No, daddy!¡± Diana pleaded. ¡°You saw what he did!¡± ¡°What are the conditions?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°Armor is allowed.¡± Ren said. ¡°As is innate abilities. ¡°Agreed.¡± King Alamast said and equipped his shiny silver plated armor. ¡°No weapons.¡± ¡°Unconsciousness wins the match.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I win, you and everyone in the Human Kingdom will do everything I tell you to do for the day.¡± King Alamast shook his head slightly at the gall he had to ask such a preposterous thing. ¡°And if I win?¡± ¡°I''ll voluntarily exile myself from the Human Kingdom.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Railyse said. ¡°You''ve never fought him before! You don''t know what kind of tricks he has!¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°Very we-.¡± ¡°DON''T!¡± The head healer said. ¡°He''s only level 73!¡± The king laughed. ¡°If he wants a fight, he will get one. Even at such a pitiful level.¡± He said and waved an arm. ¡°Clear a space! We need room to-¡± ¡°This is fine.¡± Ren said and stepped into the aisle in front of the podium, and faced the wall with the crest. ¡°This will be quick.¡± ¡°Yes, it will.¡± King Alamast said and cracked his knuckles. ¡°You are going to regret man-handling me.¡± ¡°I already regret touching you like that.¡± Ren said and faked a shiver. The king''s nostrils flared as he let his anger show, and Ren smiled at him. Railyse shook her head at their stupidity, stepped aside, and brought Diana and Lady Eleanor with her. It cleared the way behind the king, and Ren nodded his thanks to her. ¡°On your word.¡± Ren said to King Alamast. ¡°Wor-¡± Ren''s fist shot out in an upward motion and punched him in the chest before he could finish the word. Since Ren had punched upwards, the force of the impact picked the king up and flung him backwards. It dented the armor he wore, shattered several ribs and compressed his chest, which cut off the king''s airflow and knocked the wind out of him. Ren used his Web spell, that his Amulet of the Spider let him cast once per hour, to shoot King Alamast as he flew through the air. The webbing carried the king to the wall behind the podium and stuck him there. Ren had been careful with his aim and made sure to only cover the king from the neck down. King Alamast hit the wall with a dull thud, and slumped into unconsciousness. ¡°DADDY!¡± Diana yelled and ran over to him. ¡°I win.¡± Ren said, and a moment later, he glowed for a second. When it faded, he got a popup.
Notice!
Your ability Word Of Law now applies to the entire Human Kingdom. Commands given on your land are considered law and must be followed. This has a time limitation, and will expire in 23 hours, 59 minutes, 55 seconds.
Running Quest Update!
You have shown a room full of influential people from the Human Kingdom what you can do. Rewards: 35,500 XP; 3,550 Fame
Notice!
Excess Fame has been converted to XP. 3,550 Fame x 10 XP = 35,500 XP
The timer for the Word Of Law effect popped up on Ren''s display, and he smiled. * Dammit. Lord Eddlemere thought. Well, I was wrong. This isn''t going to be better. He got up off the floor when he thought no one was looking, and started to move towards the door. I suppose I''ll have to come up with something else. * ¡°Ren! Someone''s trying to leave!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Guards!¡± Ren commanded, and 4 more guards came into the room. ¡°Two of you go and get the messenger that left here a few minutes ago, and the other two stop that man from leaving.¡± He said and pointed to Lord Eddlemere. The guards nodded and 2 left right away, and the other 2 drew their swords to stop Lord Eddlemere from leaving. ¡°What''s the meaning of this?¡± Lord Eddlemere asked, his anger at being detained was quite prevalent. ¡°No one is leaving here without answering some questions.¡± Ren said and took out an Amulet of Truth for Railyse to wear. ¡°REN!¡± Diana yelled. ¡°Let him down!¡± She said, desperately. ¡°Please!¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. ¡°Step back.¡± Diana did so without comment, and Ren shot the king with one of the Fireball wands mounted on his armor. ¡°NOOO!¡± Diana screamed. ¡°You''re killing h... h... he''s not burning?!?¡± ¡°The fire is only burning the webbing.¡± Ren said. He had used his Fire manipulation ability to keep the fire from hurting the king, and a moment later, the webbing dissolved and he caught King Alamast''s unconscious body and laid him on the floor. ¡°I used my two Major Healings already.¡± The head healer said as she came over to them. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and took out a Level 5 Major Healing wand. ¡°You can use this instead.¡± The head healer stared at the wand and then at Ren. ¡°You really could have healed yourself.¡± Ren nodded. She took the wand from his outstretched hand and knelt by the king. It only took about 10 seconds for the healer to finish her work, and King Alamast took in a deep breath, then coughed. ¡°You''re going to be sore for a while.¡± The healer said to him and handed Ren back the wand, and King Alamast sat up with his daughter''s help. ¡°You knew you were going to win.¡± King Alamast said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Why didn''t you say a week, or a month, or not even give yourself a time limit at all?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Because that wouldn''t be fair.¡± Ren said, and everyone stared at him. He looked at their surprised faces and wondered what was wrong. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You could have ruled without being a ruler, and you didn''t do it because it wouldn''t be fair?!?¡± Lord Eddlemere nearly yelled the question at him. ¡°Geez! Tell us all how you really feel, why don''t you?¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°It wouldn''t be fair because I wouldn''t have earned it.¡± He said. ¡°It would be like stealing.¡± ¡°You''re flipping crazy!¡± Lord Eddlemere said angrily and threw his hands up in the air. ¡°I would have killed for the opportunity you just had!¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± King Alamast was surprised. ¡°Lord Eddlemere, you would have killed me?¡± ¡°Of course I would have!¡± Lord Eddlemere said. ¡°I''ve been trying my best to sneak around and undermine you since I started playing this game!¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°You''re an Adventurer?¡± ¡°Shut up, you!¡± Lord Eddlemere said. ¡°Yes, I am! This plan would have gone off without a hitch if you hadn''t interfered!¡± ¡°It was you?!?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°Of course it was me, you idiot.¡± Lord Eddlemere said. ¡°I arranged the bomb with Talon, but it wasn''t supposed to be delivered here to the meeting room, but to the office you set up for the Ambassador.¡± ¡°Why did you want her dead?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I didn''t care about her at all.¡± Lord Eddlemere said. ¡°I only cared that I could pin the blame on King Alamast, and get him to vacate the throne in disgrace.¡± ¡°That was a really stupid plan.¡± Ren said, and Lord Eddlemere turned to him. ¡°I told you to be quiet!¡± Lord Eddlemere said. ¡°I''ve had enough of your interference.¡± ¡°What do you mean you''ve had enough?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What else did I ruin for you?¡± ¡°Plenty.¡± Lord Eddlemere said with disgust in his voice. ¡°The last one was the Aurora fire, where I wanted to have the whole city sacked; but the worst one? That was the Aurora Expedition.¡± Ren blinked his eyes several times at the man, and remembered his very first mission. ¡°You gave the Mole Shaman the summoning spell.¡± ¡°I did.¡± Lord Eddlemere said and crossed his arms in defiance. ¡°That imbecile couldn''t come up with a Summon Minor Demon spell if his life depended on it.¡± ¡°It did depend on it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I took care of it, though.¡± ¡°I know you did.¡± Lord Eddlemere said. ¡°How I had hoped beyond hope you had died on that stage when you accepted your prize money.¡± ¡°You were there?¡± Ren asked, and he nodded. ¡°I always try to be near major investments when they are about to pay off.¡± ¡°Like now.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, you let the fool live.¡± Lord Eddlemere said. ¡°My plan only works if the Ambassador is dead and he''s framed, or he''s dead and the Ambassador is framed.¡± ¡°How would you keep everyone silent?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Everyone that''s here are witnesses.¡± ¡°They listen to the current ruler, you fool.¡± Lord Eddlemere said. ¡°You''re the fool!¡± King Alamast said and stood up. ¡°Arrest that man!¡± The 2 guards looked from Ren to Lord Eddlemere. ¡°I meant Lord Eddlemere!¡± King Alamast said. ¡°He''s the one that''s caused all of this!¡± ¡°It''s not going to be that easy.¡± Lord Eddlemere said. ¡°I have a few tricks up my sleeve.¡± He said and a dark misty cloak started to form around him. A split-second later, a thick red laser beam cut through the cloak at his neck and burned his shoulder. ¡°AhhHH!¡± He yelled and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Wh-what was that?¡± ¡°Ruby laser.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I maxed my enchanting, I updated the enchantment on my chest jewel.¡± He said and took out a Dispel Magic wand. The same kind of mist started to form around Lord Eddlemere''s face, and Ren shot him with the wand. The mist dissipated immediately, and Lord Eddlemere stared at Ren. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Lord Eddlemere asked. ¡°You''re messing up my fun!¡± ¡°It''s you that''s been messing up my fun.¡± Ren countered. ¡°Of course, if you haven''t set things in motion, I guess things would have turned out differently for me.¡± ¡°You''ll never know how much I regret that.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I regret you being here so much that I''m planning on killing the whole royal family to spite you.¡± Lord Eddlemere said, then had a surprised look on his face. ¡°Why am I telling you this?¡± ¡°Amulet of Truth, and my innate ability to command you.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a hefty combination.¡± ¡°Wh-why?¡± ¡°I had to come up with a way to fix the inherent flaw in the amulet.¡± Ren said. ¡°So I did.¡± ¡°You... you...¡± ¡°Take Lord Eddlemere into custody.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°We will have a show trial for him, which will mean nothing, then I will give him an appropriate sentence that I won''t need to deliberate over.¡± Lord Eddlemere shook his head and uncrossed his arms. ¡°Just like him...¡± He said and pointed to Ren. ¡°I choose to question your auth-¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Ren said, and Lord Eddlemere''s mouth clamped shut. ¡°I command you to never challenge the rulers of this kingdom or any other!¡± Lord Eddlemere''s eyes widened as he received a popup telling him that he was forbidden to challenge any ruler, and no time limit was set for it to expire. Nooooo! Lord Eddlemere thought and yelled. ¡°Mmmmmm!¡± Was all that anyone heard. ¡°You are hereby stripped of all authority in this kingdom, including the position and office you held in this government. You will also remain quiet until such time as you are brought before higher authority to face the consequences for your acts.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Take him away.¡± The two soldiers went on either side on Lord Eddlemere and took his arms. He didn''t fight or struggle, because he knew that once the guards had their hands on him, he couldn''t get away. They led the surprised man away, amid the silence of the onlookers. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Without your help, we never would have found the culprit.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°If you hadn''t played along as well as you did...¡± King Alamast said, and rubbed his chest. ¡°I could have done without the broken ribs, though.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said. ¡°You mean you''re not normally this ignorant and stupid?¡± ¡°No.¡± King Alamast laughed. ¡°I play the Bumbling Ruler quite well, don''t I?¡± ¡°You did great, Dad!¡± Diana said, and the king put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her. She wrapped both arms around his waist and hugged him back. ¡°I can''t believe you played me like that.¡± Ren said, and looked at the king. ¡°What made you think I''d react like I did?¡± ¡°Do you really think we wouldn''t have extensively researched both you and the Ambassador before letting you into the castle?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°My second cousin Lord Eric was more than happy to fill me in on your antics.¡± ¡°He''s a real piece of... work.¡± Ren changed what he was going to say when he saw the expectant look on Diana''s face. ¡°I know.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Why do you think he''s been shuffled off to one of the smallest areas in the kingdom?¡± ¡°So you know what he does there with... different things.¡± Ren once again changed what he was going to say because of who was listening. ¡°I''ve been keeping his proclivities under wraps.¡± The king said. ¡°You did a nice job of getting Anabelle away from him.¡± ¡°You know about her?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°I do.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°I also know what a valued member of society she has become because of how you helped her.¡± Ren didn''t say anything, because that wasn''t his goal at all. What he wanted to do was help Anabelle, not society as a whole through her. ¡°Now.¡± The king said and looked at Railyse. ¡°Let''s go into my private meeting room and discuss these new trade routes further.¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said, and the king looked at him. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°We''ve already wasted too much time with this whole thing.¡± Ren said. ¡°You need to send people out to look for Talon.¡± ¡°I''m sure that...¡± ¡°I am ordering you to deploy your considerable resources to find Talon.¡± Ren said and pushed with his Command Aura. ¡°After you set that in motion, then we can discuss the trade routes.¡± The king frowned at Ren, but turned to the man at the door. ¡°Send word to the Messenger Guild. Find Talon, and report his whereabouts and activities.¡± ¡°Right away, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°That''s all?¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s your resource?¡± ¡°The Messenger Guild has people all over the city. They will find him, or at least where he''s been.¡± ¡°I could have done that myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°Railyse? Let''s stand by the doorway and question everyone as they leave.¡± ¡°Of course, Ren.¡± Railyse said. ¡°We will root out anyone else who would plot with Lord Eddlemere to keep our two peoples at war.¡± Ren led her over to the door and told everyone that the meeting was over and that they could leave for the day. As the people passed, Ren asked them questions and Railyse offered alternative questions for each person, depending on the answers they received. Out of the 200 people, 30 of them hated the sea dwellers and didn''t object to Railyse being assassinated. Of those people, only 3 of them had known about the plot against her, and one had offered to help. The three of them were detained, relieved of their duties, and sent to stay in the holding cells beside Lord Eddlemere in the dungeon. ¡°Now we can go and talk about the proposal.¡± Ren said, then he, Railyse, King Alamast, Lady Eleanor, and Crown Princess Diana left the meeting room and went to the king''s private meeting room to discuss the proposal. Ren hadn''t known that the first meeting had been just for show, and that the people there wouldn''t be voting on if it would be accepted. All they had the power to do, was change some of the conditions of the pact. The king himself was the one who decided to accept it or not. ¡°I could just order you to accept it as is.¡± Ren said half an hour later, and the king looked at him. ¡°I wouldn''t like that.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°You wouldn''t have much choice in the matter.¡± Ren said and smiled, because the king had said something similar to him about spending time in the dungeon. ¡°My main point of concern is this.¡± King Alalamst said and touched the enchanted design etched into the wall. He indicated the largest conflict area, and it also had the largest proposed safe zone in the pact. ¡°I know the shipping firm that uses this route exclusively. They are not going to be happy that they can''t do what they want in their own waters.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Railyse said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°I meant open waters.¡± ¡°It''s our water.¡± Railyse said. ¡°We only let you use it.¡± The king looked at her. ¡°You believe that?¡± ¡°It''s the truth.¡± Railyse said and tapped the amulet around her neck. ¡°The only reason we haven''t destroyed you completely there, is because we''re afraid to damage the precious coral reefs under the surface.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°We aren''t willing to scorch where we live just to stop you from taking our food.¡± ¡°You live there?¡± King Alamast asked and studied the area. ¡°My people live everywhere there''s a large enough body of water.¡± Railyse said. ¡°All these places that you land dwellers believe is yours just because you used a boat to cross it and survived, is really ours.¡± King Alamast looked from the design to Railyse, then back again. ¡°I don''t know if I can convince them of that.¡± ¡°You don''t have to convince them.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''ll never accept that they don''t own the water. All you have to do is tell them to move to here.¡± He said and pointed to just outside the safe zone and past the coral reefs. ¡°Tell them it''s too dangerous where they are, or that if they stay there, they won''t have ships that work for much longer.¡± ¡°What?¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Are the sea dwellers going to attack?¡± ¡°No. They aren''t going to attack.¡± Ren said. ¡°What they will do is stop the ships from moving through the water.¡± ¡°They can do that?¡± Diana asked, surprised. ¡°They can now.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s why they are making this proposal. If you don''t accept to shift the routes slightly, none of the ships will work anymore.¡± ¡°Are you blackmailing the entire Human Kingdom?¡± Lady Eleanor asked. Ren chuckled. ¡°No, Your Highness.¡± He said. ¡°I''m telling you that the sea dwellers can''t take the ships moving over them anymore, and they will be moved aside or stopped without having to fight.¡± King Alamast sighed. ¡°That is blackmail.¡± ¡°It''s not a threat.¡± Railyse said. ¡°We''re telling you it''s going to happen no matter what. All this proposal does is give you the option to save your shipping before it needs to be saved.¡± ¡°When will it go into effect?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°Next month.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was the longest amount of time that I could convince them to wait.¡± ¡°Only a month?!?¡± Diana asked. ¡°It... it might be possible to contact all the shipping lines by then.¡± ¡°It should be.¡± Ren said. ¡°A ship can only hold about 2 weeks of provisions for the crew. They should all be back in time to get the new routes.¡± ¡°Well, I guess you''re right.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°I don''t have much choice.¡± ¡°You could choose to ignore the proposal.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then try to recover the crews from the stranded ships.¡± ¡°No, I won''t do anything like that.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°The Human Kingdom accepts the proposal from the Ambassador, and I''ll implement it''s policies as soon as the Gathering votes on it.¡± ¡°I order you to order them not to add any addendums to it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Take it as it is, or not at all.¡± The king looked at Ren, who knew that the king resented the order, and the king nodded. ¡°Good!¡± Ren said, grabbed the king''s hand and shook it vigorously. ¡°Now if you''ll excuse us, I have some parts and supplies to pick up before we head back home.¡± The king nodded again, and Ren let his hand go. Chapter 347 - She Wants That ¡°Send a messenger to Walin County next week to let us know how far along the acceptance of the pact is.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you need us back to explain more of the details, you can let us know then.¡± King Alamast nodded without saying anything. Ren turned to Lady Eleanor and gave her a deep bow. ¡°Your Highness, it was a pleasure to meet you.¡± Lady Eleanor was surprised that he would bow so deeply to her, especially after the way he had just treated her husband, and essentially the entire kingdom. Ren turned to Crown Princess Diana and took her hand. ¡°This kingdom is in good hands with you as the one in line for succession.¡± He said. ¡°Keep doing what you''re doing. Look. Listen. Be smart. Be wise. You know how this kingdom is really run, so use that knowledge to your advantage when you come to power.¡± He bent over her hand and lightly kissed it. ¡°Princess, it was both a delight and an honor to make your acquaintance.¡± Diana''s face flushed red as Ren stood up straight and smiled at her. ¡°You can stop flirting with my daughter now.¡± King Alamast said, a little crossly. ¡°I wasn''t flirting, Your Majesty.¡± Ren said, truthfully. ¡°If I was, I would do this.¡± Ren still had a hold of Diana''s hand, and he gently pulled her in close. She didn''t resist, but her eyes widened as his other hand reached out and touched the side of her face. She was 5 inches taller than him, but she felt quite small as he leaned in close to put his mouth near her ear. ¡°You have beautiful hair, Diana.¡± Ren said to her in a slightly deeper voice. ¡°May I touch it?¡± Diana didn''t respond verbally, but she did nod. With them so close, Ren shifted the hand that held hers and intertwined their fingers, then put his other hand into her hair. ¡°So soft.¡± Ren said as he ran his hand through her long hair. Diana closed her eyes and took in deep breaths through her nose and she let the sensation of someone else feeling her hair go through her. Oh, god. Diana thought. Keep... keep going. Ren played with her hair for several moments, then used that hand to cup the side of her face. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said, took his hand from her face and tried to untwine his fingers from hers to let her hand go. ¡°That was flirting.¡± He said to King Alamast, but Diana wouldn''t let his hand go and held on tightly. ¡°Our definitions of flirting are different, apparently.¡± King Alamast said and looked at their hands. ¡°Let... let me touch yours.¡± Diana said. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren said, and she took her free hand and ran it through his soft hair. ¡°It''s so fluffy.¡± Diana said, and she ran her hand through his hair again. Ren smiled at her, and she smiled back, then her expression changed to an evil grin and gripped his hair in her fist. She pulled on it hard and leaned in close. ¡°You hurt my father.¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t do that again.¡± Diana said and gave his head a little shake. ¡°I will if I have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told you that I won''t play stupid royal court games anymore.¡± ¡°This isn''t a game!¡± Diana said and shook his head by his hair again. ¡°Diana!¡± Lady Eleanor exclaimed. ¡°Let him go!¡± ¡°No! Not until he promises to not hurt daddy anymore!¡± ¡°Diana.¡± King Alamast said, sternly. ¡°No, Dad.¡± Diana said. ¡°He''s going to promise me, right now, or he''s going to lose a good chunk of his hair!¡± ¡°You''re going to have to pull it out.¡± Ren said. ¡°I made that mistake before. I made a promise that I thought I could keep, but I couldn''t.¡± He said. ¡°It cost me my future wife, my life with her, and I lost the place I had called home.¡± He said to Diana with a calm face. ¡°I won''t make that mistake again.¡± ¡°Let him go, baby.¡± Lady Eleanor said softly. ¡°Let him order me!¡± Diana said to her mother, then looked back at Ren. ¡°Order me!¡± ¡°I order you to make up your own mind.¡± Ren said, and she caught her breath. ¡°I order you to not let other people''s opinions influence your decisions.¡± Diana stared at his face, and didn''t know what to do. ¡°I told you before.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look. Listen. Be smart. Be wise.¡± He said. ¡°The only freedom anyone really has is choice.¡± He smiled at her. ¡°So, what will you choose?¡± Diana opened her mouth to say something, then sighed as she opened the fist that held his hair and let his other hand go, too. King Alamast grabbed his daughter and pulled her out of Ren''s reach and hugged her closely. ¡°Don''t do anything to hurt her.¡± Lady Eleanor said as she hugged her daughter and husband. ¡°Why would I hurt her?¡± Ren asked. ¡°She just... I mean, she...¡± Railyse laughed, and they heard the sound of pouring rain. ¡°Ren could have removed her hand easily.¡± She said. ¡°He could have removed her completely, if he had wanted to.¡± ¡°But... she had... had him...¡± ¡°By the hair? Yeah, that doesn''t work.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I prove it?¡± ¡°P-prove it?¡± Diana asked. ¡°Don''t be afraid, okay?¡± Ren said to Diana, and looked at her parents. ¡°You see, I wanted her to make her own choice. It didn''t matter what she had of mine. I didn''t want it to influence her decision.¡± He reached up and grabbed the same chunk of hair she had, and pulled. ¡°AHHH!¡± Lady Eleanor screamed and turned away as the chunk of hair came away from his head. Diana and King Alamast didn''t flinch at all, and just looked at Ren in appraisal. He smiled to them, then took out a small sack that wasn''t much bigger than a coin pouch, and put the chunk of hair in it. ¡°Please accept this as my pledge that I''ll try my best to not cause your father any harm.¡± Ren said and handed the small sack to Diana. She frowned at him for a moment, because he had let the scene between them play out, then she smiled as she took the sack and held it close. ¡°Thank you.¡± Diana said, and looked at his head. ¡°You''re a little lopsided, now.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Ren said, stepped back, and gave them a regal bow. ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Diana said. Ren took Railyse''s offered arm and they left the private meeting room. * Lord Eddlemere sat in the dark cell and waited. He knew it wouldn''t take long for Talon to come and get him. They had arranged to meet right after the meeting, and Talon had a knack for finding people as long as a good portion of them were covered in a shadow. ¡°There you are.¡± Talon said as he stepped out of a nearby shadow and sat next to Lord Eddlemere. ¡°How did they-¡± ¡°Something called an Amulet of Truth, and that fool''s innate ability to command people.¡± ¡°Who? The king?¡± ¡°No, I meant the other fool.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Talon said. ¡°Ren.¡± Lord Eddlemere nodded. ¡°He''s ruined everything that I''ve built here.¡± ¡°In just the last 20 minutes?¡± Talon asked, surprised. ¡°When you''re compelled to talk and to tell the truth...¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Talon said. ¡°You told them about me, didn''t you?¡± ¡°Only that you had the bomb delivered.¡± Lord Eddlemere said. ¡°Once they discovered I was behind the scheme, they didn''t even bother asking about you.¡± ¡°That figures.¡± Talon chuckled. ¡°I''m always shunted aside and not considered relevant during these events.¡± ¡°You should be glad for that.¡± Lord Eddlemere said. ¡°It lets you be more effective.¡± Talon nodded. ¡°Now get me out of here.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Talon said. ¡°Grab on.¡± Lord Eddlemere gripped Talon''s arm tightly and they faded backwards into the shadow. * Ren used a Major Healing wand to heal his head and replaced the hair that he had torn out of his head to give to Crown Princess Diana. He stopped concentrating on his Command Aura and took Railyse out of the castle. He stopped at the side of the street, took out the Sending Square that was paired with the one he had given Catalina, and called her. She answered and said she would be there in a few minutes. ¡°Well this was an exciting day.¡± Railyse said, and let go of Ren''s arm while they waited for their ride. ¡°Are all of your adventures like this?¡± ¡°This was a new one for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, wait.¡± He said and thought about it. ¡°Um, actually... there''s usually screaming of some kind, me getting hurt or potentially getting hurt, sometimes there''s some kind of misunderstanding, and then a resolution that is usually the best that anyone could hope for.¡± He said and chuckled. ¡°So... yes. A lot of my adventures are like this.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Railyse chuckled, too. ¡°You lead an interesting life, my friend.¡± ¡°I sure do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, just once, I''d like to go somewhere and not have a big conspiracy to unravel, a murder plot to foil, a puzzle that needs to be solved, or a monster that has to be defeated.¡± Railyse put an arm around Ren''s shoulders and gave him a one-arm hug. ¡°Should I apologize that mother had you assigned to the Obelisk for a month?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Like you were responsible for that.¡± He said and put an arm around her waist. ¡°I wonder if they''ve figured out where it came from yet.¡± ¡°Probably not.¡± Railyse said. ¡°People have been trying to figure that out since it was found.¡± * ¡°He has Command over the entire Human Kingdom for the whole day, and what is he doing?¡± Diana asked her father as they looked through the closed castle window at Ren. ¡°He''s just standing there.¡± ¡°I just stand around sometimes, too.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Or sit around.¡± He said and left the window to sit down on a small couch across the room. ¡°Why did he do it?¡± Diana asked, now that she''d built up enough courage to ask. ¡°Do what?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°Everything!¡± Diana said and turned to look at her father. ¡°Pretending to be an assistant! Challenging you and winning! Pulling out his hair for me!¡± She said and crossed her arms. ¡°Pick one!¡± King Alamast laughed. ¡°I think you''ve finally found someone interesting.¡± ¡°Don''t put those kind of thoughts in her head.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°She''ll start pining for him by the day''s end.¡± ¡°I will not!¡± Diana said and huffed. ¡°I think your warning is too little, too late.¡± King Alamast said to his wife, and held a hand out to his daughter. ¡°Come sit beside me.¡± Diana thought about saying no; but she didn''t really want to, so she walked over to her father and took his hand. She turned around and wrapped his arm around her waist, and sat down in one fluid motion. ¡°You really should think about taking up dancing.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°I don''t have time for that.¡± Diana said. ¡°I''ve got fencing practice tonight.¡± ¡°Fencing is not a sport a princess should be interested in.¡± Her mother said. ¡°I really do think you should drop that and concentrate on your duties.¡± Diana shook her head at her mother. Thanks to his order, I don''t have to listen to you today. She thought and touched the small sack of Ren''s hair that she had tied to her silver necklace. Even after all of that, he still chose to help me. * ¡°Oh, damn! I almost forgot!¡± Ren said. ¡°Teepo? Where''s the closest guard?¡± ¡°I don''t see one.¡± Teepo said and took a quick flight out and around and landed on Ren''s shoulder again and pointed. ¡°The royal family is right there in a room on the second floor, if that helps at all.¡± ¡°It''ll have to do.¡± Ren said and let Railyse go. ¡°Railyse? I''ll be right back.¡± ¡°I''ll be here.¡± Railyse said as she took her arm from across his shoulders, and saw their carriage coming up the road. ¡°And so will Catalina.¡± Ren smiled and ran over to the castle wall and used his hands and feet to crawl up it. He moved pretty fast, considering he was using all 4 limbs, and he was up on the second floor in only a moment. He didn''t want to startle them, so he moved out of view and knocked on the window. ¡°What was that?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°I know it was a knock, but that sounded like it came from the window, not the door.¡± Ren moved over to stand on the ledge in front of the window and knocked again. ¡°AHHH!¡± Lady Eleanor screamed and pointed when she saw Ren. Diana hopped up and went over to the window and opened it. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± ¡°Watch your language, young lady!¡± Lady Eleanor said, her brief scare completely forgotten. ¡°I''m sorry to bother you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was wondering if you could tell me the name of your head seamstress.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you still have a head seamstress?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''m going to feel stupid if I brought her family heirloom all the way to the capital and she''s not here.¡± ¡°Did you say you have a family heir loom of Maria''s?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°It''s a sewing needle, and it''s unique.¡± Ren said. ¡°You found it!¡± Lady Eleanor exclaimed and stood up to come over to the window. ¡°She''ll be so happy!¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where does she live?¡± ¡°I can give it to her.¡± Lady Eleanor said and held a hand out for it. ¡°I am quite capable of making a simple delivery.¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like to see her face when I give it to her.¡± ¡°Don''t be like that.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°Hand it over, and you can be on your way.¡± ¡°You seem really eager to give this to her yourself.¡± Ren said, and switched to his Command Aura. ¡°Tell me where she is.¡± ¡°She''s retired, and lives in a little shack out behind the castle.¡± Lady Eleanor said, and covered her mouth. ¡°Why did you want the needle?¡± Lady Eleanor shook her head, but spoke anyways. ¡°It has magical properties that lets the holder expertly sew anything they touch.¡± ¡°Were you going to give it to her?¡± Ren asked, even though he suspected what the answer would be. ¡°No. I was going to keep it.¡± ¡°Mother!¡± Diana said. ¡°It''s worth a lot of money and can do amazing things.¡± Lady Eleanor said without being asked. ¡°I can''t let that old woman lose it again.¡± ¡°That''s not your choice to make.¡± Ren said and turned around. ¡°Thanks for the information.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Diana said and Ren looked at her. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I want that Amulet of Truth.¡± Diana said. ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°Are you sure you want it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Most people think they want people to tell them the truth all the time, but that''s just not true.¡± ¡°I want it.¡± Diana said. ¡°What do you want for it?¡± She asked, confident that she could give him anything he wanted. She''d been saving up all of the money her father and mother had been giving her, and all the donations her fans sent to her. She had quite the amount in her coin pouch now and knew no matter how much he asked for, she could pay it. ¡°When''s your birthday?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°It''s... in three months.¡± Diana said, unsure of where he was going with the question. ¡°I assume your parents are having a party for you.¡± Diana nodded. ¡°They always throw the best parties.¡± ¡°If I come back this way...¡± Ren said. ¡°...I want a dance.¡± ¡°A.. a what?!?¡± ¡°A dance.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll give you the amulet for a dance.¡± ¡°I... well, I... um...¡± Diana wasn''t sure what to say. She had thought she would pay any price, but that was when she thought he wanted money. ¡°You won''t take a platinum or two for it?¡± Her mother gasped at the amount her daughter had offered; but, Ren shook his head no. Diana glanced at her father, and he had a blank look on his face and didn''t say anything. She looked at her mother, and she knew she would say no in a heartbeat. That made Diana''s decision much easier, and she took a deep breath and looked at Ren. ¡°If... if you are back in the capital in three months for my birthday celebration, then... and only then... I will give you a dance.¡± Diana said. ¡°I guess I can wait until then to get the amulet.¡± Ren beamed a smile at her, took out an amulet, then slipped the amulet''s chain over her head and hung it on her neck. ¡°Happy Birthday, Diana.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Diana exclaimed and the amulet took effect. ¡°This... you...¡± ¡°Have fun with it!¡± Ren said and jumped away from the building. ¡°REN!¡± Diana reached out the window fruitlessly to try and catch him, but he had already dropped down the two stories and landed on the ground. ¡°I''m looking forward to that dance!¡± Ren said and waved, then helped Railyse climb into the waiting carriage. ¡°Let''s head around to the back of the castle.¡± He said to Catalina and held onto the outside of the carriage. ¡°I''ve got a family heirloom to return.¡± ¡°Right away.¡± Catalina said and flicked the reins. * ¡°I can''t believe he jumped.¡± Diana whispered and stared at the carriage. ¡°Look at that carriage.¡± Lady Eleanor said to try and distract her daughter''s fixation on Ren''s antics. ¡°That must have cost a fortune to make.¡± ¡°Just like his armor.¡± King Alamast said and came over to the window to put his arms around his wife and daughter. They watched the carriage disappear around a corner. ¡°It''s no wonder why he didn''t want your money.¡± ¡°Speaking of which.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°Where did you get 2 platinum coins?¡± ¡°I''ve been saving it.¡± Diana said. ¡°Ever since I was little.¡± ¡°You have?¡± King Alamast said. ¡°How much... no, don''t tell me.¡± He said. ¡°It''s your money, and you can do what you want with it.¡± ¡°I was going to anyways.¡± Diana said. ¡°It''s nice to have your permission, though.¡± King Alamast chuckled and hugged her tightly. ¡°You''re pretty frugal.¡± He said. ¡°Maybe I should put you in Accounting and let you see where we can stretch the budget.¡± ¡°I''d like that opportunity.¡± Diana said. ¡°But, it''ll have to wait until tomorrow.¡± ¡°Right, your fencing class.¡± Her father said. ¡°I''m glad you''re having fun with it.¡± The words ''have fun with it'' rang in her ears and Diana glanced out the window. ¡°I am having fun with it.¡± She said, then blushed a little. ¡°There''s no reason why I can''t take the occasional dance class, though.¡± Lady Eleanor stroked her daughter''s hair, and Diana sighed. It didn''t feel anywhere near as nice as when Ren did it. * The carriage stopped at the back of the castle and Ren hopped off, then walked over to the small half-wall that surrounded the back courtyard. He jumped over it easily, and found a pile of shacks in several rows. I should have asked which shack. Ren said and smiled as he knocked on the closest one. ¡°What?¡± An old man asked when the door opened. ¡°Head Seamstress Maria, please.¡± Ren said. ¡°Three down and one back.¡± The old man said and shut the door. Ren took out a gold coin and knocked again. ¡°What now?¡± The old man asked when the door opened again. Ren held out the gold coin to him. ¡°Thanks.¡± The old man looked at his face, then at the coin, then back at his face. ¡°You''re crazy, aren''t you?¡± Ren chuckled and tossed the coin at the old man, then walked three shacks down and one behind and knocked. ¡°Just... just a minute.¡± A old woman''s voice said. The door opened, and Ren was greeted by a woman that looked remarkably like Margaret, the old hunched-over woman he had given an Amulet of Truth to back in his county. ¡°I''m sorry to bother you, but is your name Maria?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Maria said. ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°Actually, it''s me that can help you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You used to be the head seamstress for the King and his consort, right?¡± Maria nodded. ¡°They made me retire last year when I lost my sewing needle.¡± She said. ¡°I told them I could still sew, but they didn''t believe me.¡± ¡°Mother, who is it?¡± A young woman asked as she came to the door. ¡°Oh! Hello, My Lord.¡± She said and gave him a curtsy. She held her skirt out, and it showed the proper amount of leg. It was enough to give you an idea of what she was wearing underneath, which wasn''t much; but, it didn''t actually show you anything. She appeared to have shoulder-length brown hair, but when she had curtsied, Ren saw her hair had been pulled back and tied in a knot. ¡°I came to return this.¡± Ren said and took out the sewing needle. Both women gasped as they saw it was their lost family heirloom. The old lady reached out quickly; but rather than take the needle, she took Ren''s other hand and held it tightly instead. ¡°Dear boy, you... you''re a godsend.¡± She said and tears came to her eyes. ¡°Mother, don''t cry.¡± The young woman said, but she had tears in her eyes as well. ¡°Can... can you come in and visit for a while?¡± ¡°I''d like to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really would; but, I have several errands I need to do, and then I''m heading back to Aurora.¡± Both women had very disappointed looks on their faces, and he gave them pieces of cloth to dry their eyes. ¡°If I didn''t have such a long drive to get back home, I would have invited myself in to stay for supper.¡± Ren said and smiled at them, and their faces changed from disappointment to acceptance. He held the sewing needle out to the old woman, and she took it gingerly.
Side Quest Complete!
You have returned a valuable family heirloom to it''s rightful owner. Rewards: 1,520 XP; Gratitude of the Morgan Family
¡°Can I ask you something?¡± The young woman asked Ren when he dismissed the popup. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you keep it?¡± She asked. ¡°It''s magic, you know.¡± ¡°I already have a magic needle.¡± Ren said, and they stared at him. ¡°You... you do?!?¡± Ren looked at the young woman''s dress and saw that it was well-crafted, but it had seen better days. He took out his Master Tailor Sewing Needle, and the old woman gasped. ¡°You... you...¡± Maria tried to speak. ¡°...master...¡± ¡°I''m not a Master Tailor yet.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m pretty close, though.¡± ¡°Then how...¡± ¡°It was an unexpected and much appreciated gift.¡± Ren said and touched the young woman''s dress with it. ¡°Repair.¡± The dress glowed for several seconds and reformed itself into a perfect state. ¡°It''s just like mother sewed it yesterday!¡± The young woman gasped. ¡°I haven''t had the Mana available to do that in years.¡± Maria, the old lady said. ¡°Back then, it was simple designs and they were easy to repair. Nowadays, with all the intricate cuts, frills, lace, and everything else, it''s just too hard to keep up with the demand.¡± She sighed. ¡°I miss the old days.¡± Ren took out 2 of the gold rings he had in inventory, and enchanted them with 5 runes of Mana Production, which increased a person''s Mana Regeneration by 50%, and 5 runes of Mana Boost, which increased Mana Regeneration by 25% and added 250 points to the total Mana. ¡°Here.¡± He said and gave them each a ring. ¡°Don''t think back on the old days, Maria. Do what you want to do now.¡± ¡°You... why...¡± ¡°Because I can.¡± Ren said and grinned at them. ¡°I might be back in three months for the Crown Princess'' birthday. Can I invite myself over for dinner if I am?¡± ¡°You can come over for dinner whenever you want!¡± The young woman said. ¡°We''ll keep a plate set for you!¡± Ren gave them a little wave, and turned to walk away. ¡°Wait!¡± The young woman said. ¡°My Lord! What''s your name?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°My name''s Ren.¡± He said, then ran over to the wall and jumped over it, climbed into the very expensive-looking carriage, and the two women watched wordlessly as it drove away. Chapter 348 - Shopping At The Capital Ren asked Catalina to go to the blacksmith shop, and she laughed at him as she told him there was a whole district of blacksmith shops. ¡°Take me to the best one.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not the most expensive one, the best one.¡± ¡°Is there a difference?¡± ¡°Just imagine one is a purebred horse, the expensive one, but the other is just a nag but can run like the wind.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which one is better?¡± Catalina opened her mouth to say the expensive one, then thought about it. ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s a conundrum, isn''t it?¡± Catalina laughed and took him to the blacksmith district. Ren picked through the wares quickly and found the best one, and asked them for the parts and valves that he needed for the giant forge and smelter. He thought that they wouldn''t have the large parts he needed, but they said they always try to have at least one set of parts for it. They were more than happy to sell them to him, so he bought what he needed from them and asked Catalina to take him to the lumber yard. They went a couple of districts over to the Timber District, and Ren saw all kinds of things. He found plans for all new sets of furniture, which he quickly modified for both comfort and aesthetics. He ordered 50,000 planks; 3,000 4x4 posts; 1,000 long floor joists; 2,000 support beams; and enough trim to cover all the joints and seams. They offered to have it delivered for free, and then Ren told them where it had to go. Their faces drained of color, because it would cost more to ship it all the way to Aurora than it did for the materials themselves. Ren let them stew on it for only a few seconds and let them off the hook. ¡°I''m taking them with me.¡± Ren said, and laughed as the lumber yard workers sighed in relief. Ren took out a steel square and enchanted it with 50 runes of Holding, which gave it 250 slots. Since each slot could hold 20 items, that gave it a carrying capacity of 5,000 items. The workers had just stared at him while he shoved pieces of wood into small squares of metal. It only took 12 steel squares to carry everything, and Ren stored them when he was done. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± Ren said and shook the shocked workers hands, then left them with a pile of money and drove away quite a bit slower than when he had arrived. ¡°Catalina? Can we stop at the stables?¡± ¡°Once again...¡± Catalina started to say, and Ren laughed. ¡°Just take me to horses, woman!¡± Ren said in mock anger and shook his fist at her, and she laughed. Catalina took Ren to the largest space for horses he had ever seen. It had it''s own gate outside the city, with stables stacked side by side on the inside of the wall, and several square miles of pastures outside of it. She parked the carriage in the appropriate spot and climbed down to secure them to the posts. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said as he climbed out of the carriage. Horses of every size and color were scattered all over the place. Some ran free, some were tethered, and some were in pens. Teepo? ¡°There''s about 12,000 of them, Ren.¡± Twelve thousand! Ren thought, surprised. Holy crap! Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°It sure is something, isn''t it?¡± Catalina said. ¡°I love it here.¡± ¡°This is where you went when you dropped us off at the castle.¡± ¡°There''s no better place to go to take care of horses.¡± Catalina said. ¡°I think that would be true no matter where I go from now on.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Where''s the manager''s office?¡± ¡°Over there.¡± Catalina said and pointed to a stable that looked just like all the others. ¡°Railyse, I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be here.¡± Railyse said and looked down at her ring. The dirt and dust floating through the air was a bit hard on her, so she activated the ring''s enchantment and absorbed water just as fast as it could be produced. She sighed and sat back, and Ren smiled at her. ¡°I won''t be long.¡± Ren said and ran over to the stable and went inside. He knocked on the manager''s door and a woman''s voice told him to come in. He opened the door and looked at her. She had long black hair and wore the traditional rider''s outfit. It looked well-worn and broken in, and he could tell it was used a lot more than it normally should have. She probably never takes it off until she needs to replace it. Ren thought and stepped inside. ¡°Hi, I''m-¡± ¡°I don''t care.¡± The woman said and looked him over from head to toe. ¡°They aren''t for sale.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°I can see you''re quite full of yourself, wearing such outrageous armor.¡± The woman said and crossed her arms. ¡°I may be from the higher class, but I don''t flaunt it like you do.¡± ¡°I''m not-¡± ¡°I won''t sell horses to someone who only wants them because they''re pretty.¡± Ren concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Be quiet!¡± The woman snapped her mouth shut with a clack, and her eyes widened. ¡°By the gods, I hate doing this.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you have to judge me by my appearance?¡± He asked her. ¡°Did you have to jump to conclusions?¡± The woman stared at him as he ranted. ¡°What the hell is wrong with wearing protective armor?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Just because it''s shiny doesn''t mean I''m showing off!¡± He said. ¡°Do you want me to show off?¡± He looked at her. ¡°Answer me! Do you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The woman said. ¡°Prove to me that you aren''t just pretty to look at.¡± ¡°Come with me.¡± Ren said and he left the manager''s office. She came out behind him and he walked over to the city gate. He looked around and saw someone on the top of the wall. ¡°CLOSE THE GATE!¡± The soldier waved and disappeared, and then the city gate started to close. ¡°What... what are you doing?¡± The woman asked. ¡°Hey, what''s going on?¡± Catalina asked and came over to them. ¡°She thinks I''m just showing off and pretending.¡± Ren said. ¡°She asked me to prove that I''m not.¡± ¡°Maude! I told you what happened between us! Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°That''s why.¡± Maude said. ¡°I want to see if he''s a real man and deserved your attention.¡± ¡°Oh, you''re going to see all right.¡± Ren said as the 50 foot wide and 1 foot thick metal gate clanged shut and cut off the pastures from the stables. ¡°Stand back.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Catalina and Maude stepped back out of the way. ¡°Can you take feeling Fear?¡± Ren asked them, and they nodded. ¡°You want to see what I can do?¡± He asked, took out a wand, and replaced it''s charges with the Energize spell. ¡°I''ll show you what I can do!¡± Ren put the Energize wand into the Hand Of Glory around his neck and it gripped it tightly. He looked at the thick metal gate and imagined it was a big creature to fight. He concentrated on his Fear Aura and heard the two women gasp; then he connected his Screaming Terror ring and activated it to funnel it through his Aura. The two women stopped breathing, and he grinned. Lastly, he equipped his gauntlets and helm, then activated his Controlled Berserk Rage. He poured all of his anger and frustration into it, and charged at the metal gate. * ¡°Great Vasalor!¡± Lylyth exclaimed and grabbed her heart. ¡°What... what is he doing?¡± ¡°Your Majesty? If I may?¡± The healer asked, and Lylyth nodded. She reached out and touched Lylyth''s forehead and gasped as the boosted Screaming Terror of Ren''s Aura slammed into her. She fell to her knees and it pulled her hand away from her Queen''s forehead. ¡°He... he''s so angry!¡± The healer said. ¡°There was two women nearby, and thousands of horses.¡± ¡°Thousands?¡± Lylyth asked and stood up to her full height of just over 9 feet. ¡°What''s going on? Is it a full army battle?¡± ¡°N-n-no, My Queen.¡± The healer said. ¡°He''s just... it''s...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I can''t explain it properly.¡± Lylyth bent down and took the healer''s hand and put it on her forehead. Ren''s Aura slammed into her again; but, since she had already fallen to the floor, she could do nothing except endure it. Ren''s Aura filled the throne room and touched the wall of spiders. They shivered for a few moments, then the wall broke apart and the spiders of all shapes and sizes skittered down to the floor and came over to their queen. Or so she thought. The closest, and largest spiders came close and reached out a single leg to touch the healer instead. ¡°What... what''s... going... on?¡± The healer managed to speak through the Screaming Terror she felt. ¡°They say his power calls to them.¡± Lylyth said. The spiders had piled on top of one another, between each other''s legs, and even upside down to reach out and touch the healer. It was quite a sight, and Lylyth didn''t know what to think about it. * The metal gate never had a chance. Ren had been smart and used his Vision of Impurity to find the weak points in the metal, and smashed his gauntlet-covered fists into the spots. The metal groaned and cracked where he punched it, and it started to break apart. He didn''t relent, however. As each piece fell when it broke off, he devoted time to each of them and smashed them as hard and as fast as he could. Ren was tempted to activate his party abilities, but he didn''t want to worry Princess or his new friends in Clint''s party, the Reckless Rough Riders. He relied on his own abilities and used Deep Impact to cause internal damage, his Unarmed Combat skill to fight without weapons, his mastered Shock Absorption ability, and mastered Serene State Of Mind. When there was only one piece of the metal gate left, a nearly 15 foot wide piece, he picked it up and walked over to the two women. They had stood there in terror the entire time he had pummelled the gate and watched him as he approached. They didn''t try to run or scream, even though they thought he was going to squash them with it. Ren could see the reactions on their faces, and turned to the side a little, then used Iron Grip and crushed the end of it, then he folded it over, and crushed that, then folded it again. When he was done, it was barely 3 feet across, and he dropped the piece of metal gate at the women''s feet.
Stat Change!
Deep Impact Level 1 (Intermediate 0%) Unarmed Combat Level 1 (Advanced 0%)
Ren deactivated his Screaming Terror, stopped concentrating on his Fear Aura, stored his helm and gauntlets, and let his Controlled Berserk Rage lapse. He wavered only slightly, then used the Energize wand that the Hand of Glory held to refill his Stamina, which cancelled the effects of extreme exhaustion he was supposed to suffer. ¡°Is that proof enough?¡± Ren asked Maude, but she didn''t respond. He picked up the crushed piece of metal gate and threw it almost 150 feet to land by the pile of metal he''d left by the passage to outside. He took out 2 platinum coins and gave them to Maude. ¡°Tell them to make another gate, and to do it right this time.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was pathetically easy to destroy.¡± Maude didn''t react at all as Ren took Catalina''s hand and walked back to the carriage. He opened the door and put her inside, then untied the horses. ¡°How many do you want?¡± Maude asked. ¡°I want 60 horses for riding or pulling carts, with all accoutrements, and workers to tend them for at least a month. I also want at least one instructor to come to Walin County to teach horse-handling to those that want to learn.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not sure how long that job will take, so tell whoever it is that it''s a long term position if they want it.¡± ¡°Walin County is quite far from here.¡± Maude said. ¡°Give me a week, and I''ll have what you want delivered.¡± ¡°No arguing, or saying I want them for show?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No inspection of the stables they''re to stay in?¡± Maude shook her head. ¡°Good.¡± Ren said, flicked the reins, and the horses pulled the carriage away from the Stable District and he drove it down the street to follow the path they had taken to get there. He was tempted to stop in the Library, assuming they had one, or even some of the shops; but, he didn''t have a lot of time to spare if he wanted to get back to Aurora in time to have supper with his maids and to log out. Ren drove the team of horses out through the city gate they had come in, and when he tried to come to a stop, the guard at the gate waved him forward and told him to keep going. Ren tried not to frown at the guard as he drove past, but it was difficult. I could be smuggling anything, anything at all, and they didn''t even check! Ren thought. ¡°Pull over here.¡± Catalina said. Ren brought the team of horses and the carriage to a stop on the side of the road, out of the way of other traffic, and Catalina came out of the back and took over. ¡°Are you okay to drive?¡± Ren asked her as he sat on the passenger side, and she nodded. ¡°Yes, I''ve recovered enough from your... display.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m only half-way to Beginner Level 9 in Cart Driving.¡± He said. ¡°There''s no way I''d be able to handle a team of horses under a Haste spell.¡± ¡°We would have crashed within a few seconds if you''d tried.¡± Catalina said. ¡°You need to get that level up.¡± ¡°I would have, but I''ve been busy.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°If that''s how you''ve been keeping busy...¡± Catalina said and laughed. Ren cast Haste on the horses and went into the back of the carriage with Railyse. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°Much better now.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I have a question, though.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°What did that gate ever do to you?¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°It existed.¡± He said. ¡°How could they trust the protection of a city that big, to a weak gate?¡± He shook his head. ¡°All those huge thick walls would mean nothing if the gates won''t hold the same force from coming through.¡± ¡°Perhaps you should have stayed and showed them how to do it right.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''d be working day and night to get the safety of that place up to a normal standard, let alone what it''s supposed to have.¡± Railyse held an arm open for him, and he tucked himself under it and she hugged him close. ¡°How you must suffer from seeing all of that.¡± ¡°Oh, I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I couldn''t believe that there''s no enchantments on the castle windows.¡± He said. ¡°I should not have been able to crawl up the wall and knock on them!¡± Railyse laughed, and Ren let the sound of rain soothe him. ¡°I really like your laugh...¡± Ren let a stream of bubbles, gurgles and water sounds out when he called her by her real name. ¡°And I like that you like it so much, my little piranha.¡± Railyse said. She hadn''t actually called him a piranha, because she didn''t say the words. It had been a stream of bubbles and gurgles, just like her name had been, and Ren''s mind had filled in what she meant. Ren grinned at her description. ¡°Can you imagine what they would have said if you''d called me that in the meeting room?¡± Railyse held a hand out and he took it. ¡°They would have said it was accurate.¡± Ren laughed, and Railyse thought his laugh was quite soothing to her ears. ¡°At least we delivered your mother''s message.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now we just have to wait and see if it takes effect.¡± ¡°I still can''t believe you convinced her to wait so long.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°500 years was a long time to plan for.¡± ¡°Would you have really denied her the Wands of Water Walking?¡± Railyse asked. ¡°If she didn''t agree, yes.¡± Ren said, and touched the amulet that was nestled between Railyse''s breasts. ¡°She wore an Amulet of Truth just like this one, remember?¡± ¡°I should give this back.¡± Railyse said and moved to do that. ¡°No, you can keep it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know you aren''t really going to need it, but until I can get Tee-one to remake it and I can double-infuse it with the Amulet of the Spider, you might as well wear it.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Railyse said, and they settled in for the short time they had before Ren had to cast Haste on the horses again. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Thank you for helping me.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll always do anything I can to help a friend.¡± ¡°I am so grateful for that, and for you.¡± Railyse said. ¡°After all you''ve done for me and my people, you''ll still help me travel across hundreds of miles of land, just to be my assistant.¡± She said and smiled at him. ¡°You''ve been a wonderful blessing for me.¡± ¡°Aw! You''re gonna make me (gurgle)!¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°It''s not possible for you to (gurgle)!¡± Railyse said. ¡°You''d need a (bubble bubble) for that!¡± ¡°Can you imagine a land dweller with a (bubble bubble)?¡± Ren said and snorted a laugh. ¡°Don''t we look funny enough already?¡± Railyse laughed and laughed, and hugged her dear friend close. He might have been a land dweller; but, she cared about him just as much as she would have if he were one of her own people... and according to her mother, there was no higher praise to give a land dweller than that. Chapter 349 - A Slight Grievance Ren and Catalina did the same technique to go home as they did on the way to the capital. Ren kept casting Haste on the horses, and they would stop after every second spell to feed and rest the horses. Ren was tempted to use Energize on them to refill their Stamina, but he didn''t want them to get used to the feeling. If they did, they would probably expect it every time they ran for long distances. They made it back to Aurora 5 hours later, and Catalina drove into the city to drop Ren and Railyse off. Ren had protested and said that they could walk back from the stable, just like they had walked to the stable; but Catalina said she was going through the city anyways and dropping them off wasn''t a hassle at all. Ren knew this was true, because she was within the area of effect for Railyse''s Amulet of Truth, so he relented and let Catalina drop him and Railyse at their house. ¡°Thanks a lot for today.¡± Ren said and handed Catalina a platinum coin. ¡°What''s this?¡± Catalina asked and looked at it. ¡°It''s a fancy new toy.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Spin it for fun, then trade it for goods when you''re bored of it.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Catalina said and tried to hand it back. ¡°You can''t give me this much.¡± ¡°How much do you want?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°You just spent an entire day away from your stable to drive me and my friend around the capital city.¡± Ren said. ¡°Any other driver would accept a generous tip.¡± ¡°A tip?¡± Catalina said. ¡°It''s not payment?¡± ¡°Jen told me that you have to give me fair use of your horses and carts, because of your free rent of the stable and use of the land.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Catalina said and smiled. ¡°You know I rigged the bet we had.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, you fooled me good with that one.¡± Catalina chuckled and held the coin out to him. ¡°I still can''t accept this.¡± ¡°I''m going to need another ride there in three months, assuming they don''t need the Ambassador before then.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can keep that as a retainer.¡± Catalina shook her head and slipped the coin into her coin pouch. ¡°See you later, Ren.¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to need a caravan to carry some of the construction materials out to my county after all the houses have been built.¡± Catalina nodded. ¡°I''ll look forward to it.¡± She said. ¡°By the way, I''m still going to inspect your stable before the horses are delivered.¡± ¡°Do I even have to ask why?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°No.¡± Catalina smiled back and flicked the reins a little to get the horses moving. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Bye, Catalina.¡± Catalina waved to Railyse and she waved back, and the carriage drove down the street and around the corner. ¡°Her sweat glistens for you.¡± Railyse said to Ren. ¡°What''s that old saying about forbidden fruit?¡± Ren asked her and smiled. ¡°It has the most succulent juices or tastes the sweetest?¡± Railyse smiled and gave him a quick hug. ¡°I''ve got to get to my room and see how my new little friend is doing.¡± ¡°I better go and see Anabelle myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m tempted to just go to bed and get a few more hours sleep, but she only saw me for like a minute this morning.¡± ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said and watched Railyse go into the house, then ran down the street around the corner, and left the Housing District and ran over to the Artesian District. He went to his business and saw there were a couple of customers inside. He went inside and gave Anabelle a little wave, and helped deal with the customers. When they were done, Anabelle ushered the customers out of the shop and locked the door. Ren took out the step ladder and climbed up it to give her kiss. They stayed that way for 30 seconds or so, then Anabelle broke the kiss and looked at him. ¡°I''m really glad to see you.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°But I have a question.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Why are you wearing your armor?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ren looked down at himself and chuckled. ¡°I forgot I was wearing it.¡± Anabelle laughed. ¡°Only you could forget you''re wearing full plate armor while just walking around.¡± Ren stored it, and thought about equipping his clothing again, but then shrugged and took her in his arms and kissed her again. Anabelle reacted to feeling his body through his bodysuit, which was only a thin protective fabric, and she moaned as she ran her hands over him. She touched him as much as she wanted, and Ren didn''t object in the least; but, the bodysuit denied actual skin contact, and that kind of flipped her switch. So close and yet so far. Anabelle thought and gripped his backside through the cloth. Ren felt she was quite enthusiastic in her actions, and he opened her suit top to reveal the blouse underneath. He grabbed her breasts with both of his hands and massaged them, and Anabelle moaned into his mouth as she massaged his backside just as much. Ren broke the kiss a few minutes later, and let her breasts go. ¡°We have to draw the curtains closed.¡± Anabelle sighed and let his backside go. ¡°All right.¡± She said and walked over to the first window and pulled on the tie that held one side closed. Ren hopped off the step ladder and stored it, and followed her. When she reached up for the other curtain to close it, he knelt on the floor between her legs and ducked under her skirt. ¡°R-Ren!¡± Anabelle said and her hand pulled on the tie to close the curtain. It fell behind her and she pressed her face and hands against the store window to brace herself. ¡°Oh, god.¡± She said and stayed there for almost 10 minutes. Several people walked by the shop window and waved to her, and she barely moved her hand in response. ¡°OH GOD!¡± She said and went. Anabelle''s legs couldn''t hold her up anymore, because it had hit her so hard, and she slid down and out of sight from the outside. Ren caught her easily and cradled her against his chest, and she blinked her eyes at him several times to try and focus on his face. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Anabelle said and cupped the side of his face. ¡°You always know just what to do.¡± Ren turned his head and kissed her hand, then turned back and gave her a kiss on the lips. ¡°I''m glad you liked it.¡± ¡°Liked it?¡± Anabelle asked, gripped the back of neck, and kissed him hard. Ren could feel the desperation in her touch, and he gave as good as he got. She ended the kiss a little breathless and panting, and laid in his comforting embrace. ¡°If I''d known you would do all of this for me when we met all that time ago...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I wouldn''t have done it then.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Anabelle said, shocked. ¡°It''s taken a lot of other things to happen in my life to get me to this point.¡± Ren said, and gently stroked her cheek. ¡°It''s the same for you, isn''t it? You''ve gone through a lot to get to this point, too.¡± Anabelle took in a deep breath and sighed. ¡°You''re right.¡± She said. ¡°I shouldn''t think about what could have happened back then.¡± She reached up and stroked his cheek in return. ¡°I should concentrate on what''s happening right now.¡± ¡°Which is me having to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren chuckled and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°I only had a short time before I had to leave for Adventurer''s business.¡± Anabelle looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°But... what about your turn?¡± She asked and touched him below the waist. ¡°I can''t have you do something like this for me, and not do it for you, too.¡± ¡°It''ll have to wait.¡± Ren said and stood up with her in his arms. She had to move her hand and held onto him by putting her arms around his neck. ¡°Plus, you know I enjoy giving you kisses like that.¡± Anabelle tucked her head down and nuzzled his ear, and Ren walked with her through the shop. She opened the door for him, and he took her up to the third floor and into the apartment. ¡°You''re really not going to let me...¡± Anabelle said.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°No.¡± Ren said and tossed her on the bed, and she gave that little yip of surprise. ¡°You''ll have to wait.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I said no!¡± Ren said sternly, and she ducked her head. ¡°You will wait patiently for me, and if I come back... I might let you kiss it.¡± He said. ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Anabelle said, her face flushed red. Ren grabbed her ankle and pulled her across the bed and picked her up. ¡°Kiss me now!¡± Ren ordered her, and she kissed him. She moaned at his forcefulness, and he pulled her away to break the kiss, and dropped her back to the bed. He turned around and left the apartment without another word. * ¡°Oh, god.¡± Anabelle whispered as she gripped herself, and rolled over on the bed. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± Anabelle shivered and shook as she pleased herself. He really does give me everything that I need. She thought and kept moving her hands vigorously. I want him so much! * Ren went out the back door and equipped his Travelling Clothes. Teepo? How''s my time? ¡°You''ve got half an hour to eat supper with the maids before you have to leave.¡± Teepo said. I''m cutting it close, then. Ren thought and ran back to the Housing District. He went into the house and made a quick supper for everyone, brought Princess in her share, then went upstairs to spend time with the maids. They ate the meal together, he kissed them all goodnight, then laid down on the side of the bed and out of their way after taking off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. Teepo took up his regular sentry position on the ceiling, and Ren smiled at him. See you in a bit. Ren thought. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren didn''t spend a lot of time eating supper, since it was one he''d had before and it wasn''t a surprise. It was beef barley soup with a piece of thick bread, and a supplement drink. When he was done, he slid the empty bowl away and looked at Denise. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Denise asked and took the tray away. ¡°For not trying me with two new things on the same day.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°I know your tolerance for things like that.¡± She said, and put a hand on his arm. ¡°Don''t worry, okay? We''re not going to push all new things on you right off the bat.¡± Ren sighed and took her hand. ¡°That is a bit of a relief.¡± He said, and kissed her hand. ¡°I''m probably staying in tonight, so let Barbara know.¡± ¡°She already knows.¡± Barbara said as she came into the room. ¡°Isn''t it a sign of someone starting to lose it when they start talking about themselves in the second person?¡± Denise asked, and Barbara laughed. ¡°No, that''s third person.¡± Barbara said and fluffed Ren''s hair. ¡°Barbara misses her little man.¡± She said. ¡°Barbara loves you.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Ren loves you, too.¡± Barbara fixed his hair and handed him the VR headset. ¡°Don''t have too much fun, okay?¡± ¡°Like that''s possible.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°How''s the house?¡± ¡°It''s a complete mess!¡± Barbara said and lifted her arms in the air. ¡°Boxes and things everywhere!¡± She crossed her arms and looked at Ren with a stern expression. ¡°It''s all your fault, too.¡± ¡°My fault?¡± Ren asked, then gasped. ¡°Oh, no! I shouldn''t have given you the house!¡± He said and laid back on the bed and put an arm across his face to cover his eyes. ¡°Woe is me! I''m too generous with the people I love!¡± Denise and Barbara laughed. ¡°Come on, you over-actor.¡± Denise said. ¡°Get in there and get some sleep.¡± ¡°I definitely need it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Boy, oh boy... the last few days have been doozies!¡± Barbara looked at Denise with a question on her face. ¡°It was quite the adventure.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''ll give you the details in a minute.¡± Barbara nodded and looked at Ren. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Ren slipped the VR headset on and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the bed to a familiar sight. He didn''t think he''d been gone long enough for the maids to tangle themselves up so much, and he let his wonderment at the knot they were in flow into the shared Aura. ¡°Ren?¡± One of them asked. It was muffled by the pile, and he couldn''t tell who it was. ¡°I''m trying to figure out how you tied yourselves up like this, so I can slip into the pile without hurting anyone.¡± Ren said and stored his clothing. It left him in just his underwear, and he heard a short bark of laughter. ¡°Hold on... we''ll... ugh, just a second.¡± The pile shifted a little, then a hand reached out. ¡°Here, pull.¡± Ren chuckled and took the hand. When he pulled, Frikara slid out of the pile and it kind of collapsed in on itself. ¡°You were holding it all up?¡± Ren asked her, and she nodded. ¡°I kind of take your place when you''re not here.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss. ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°I''m not complaining. You can thank me like that whenever you want.¡± Ren smiled a knowing smile and took her into a hug. ¡°You''re keeping everyone together and happy.¡± He said. ¡°I know I haven''t been spending enough time with you all lately, and I appreciate what you''re doing.¡± Frikara kissed his cheek. ¡°You''ve spent more time with us than I ever thought you would.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°I mean, I really do think I''m ignoring you a little too much...¡± Frikara put a hand on his chest and snuggled in, and pressed her breasts to his side. ¡°We didn''t expect you to even look at us for at least the first month, let alone talk to us on a regular basis.¡± She said. ¡°Then you gave us rings to communicate with you whenever we wanted.¡± She sighed. ¡°You''re going so far above and beyond what we-¡± She stopped speaking and looked at him. ¡°I''m sorry. I don''t mean to make us sound like we thought you were going to treat us badly.¡± Ren squeezed her a little. ¡°If your only experience under a contract was with that idiot Throgg, I''m a little surprised that one of you hasn''t tried to strangle me in my sleep.¡± Frikara snorted a laugh, and Ren grinned at her. Amusement from the both of them flooded into the shared Aura. ¡°Wha.... so... funny...¡± One of the other maids mumbled. ¡°Nothing.¡± Frikara said and put a hand into the pile. ¡°Go back to sleep.¡± ¡°...kay...¡± Frikara left her hand there for a few moments, then took it out and put it back on Ren''s chest. ¡°Goodnight.¡± She said and gently rubbed his chest muscles. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said, and drifted off to sleep. ******** ¡°He did what to the king?!?¡± Barbara asked, and Denise pulled up the footage on the laptop to show her what had happened. ¡°Why did he... oh, hell.¡± She said and looked at Ren. ¡°He''s starting to not care about the rules.¡± ¡°It was the king''s fault.¡± Denise said, and explained that he had led Ren on about the whole situation. ¡°That''s pretty sneaky for a character in a game to do.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''m a little surprised, actually.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°You''re surprised?¡± Barbara grinned. ¡°I guess he''s just experiencing everything the game can offer.¡± Denise snorted a laugh and looked at the blue screen on the television. ¡°He sure is.¡± ¡°He said he wasn''t going to have sex with them until he talked to the others.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''m not sure who he meant by others, though.¡± Denise laughed. ¡°Yeah, did he mean his virtual playmates or his real life ones?¡± ¡°It''s hard to say.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Sometimes I''m not sure if it even matters to him.¡± ¡°What? You mean real and not real?¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°He''s had such a hard life before all of this.¡± She said and touched his hand. ¡°The game unlocked a whole new world for him; but, it''s been getting more complicated and in-depth than anything we''ve seen before.¡± She took her hand back and sighed. ¡°If he had to choose just one to live in for the rest of his life, I honestly don''t know which one he would pick.¡± Denise opened her mouth to say that he would pick the real world without question, then she thought about how much time he spent in the virtual world, and all the things he could do there that he physically couldn''t do in the real world. ¡°Neither do I.¡± Denise said, reluctantly. * Gloria climbed out of the shower after another long shift at the garage, and dried herself off with a towel. She slipped on a bathrobe and took the towel with her, and prepared for what she hoped would be a good long night of fun with Ren. I can''t wait to tell him I graduated! Gloria thought as she sat down on her old recliner. Despite having a lot of ready cash, thanks to her last paycheck from Stella and the medical research grant, she didn''t replace the old and comfortable chair. I get to pick up my diploma tomorrow, too! Gloria put the towel between her legs in anticipation, put on her heavily-modified VR headset, and laid back to enjoy herself. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Elerlyth woke up on the bed in the bedroom of Ren''s third floor apartment above the shop, and looked around. She equipped her clothing and got up, and wondered where he was. According to Stella, he was supposed to be back in Aurora. ¡°Ren?¡± Elerlyth asked and opened the bedroom door. She saw that Anabelle was asleep on the bed in the living room, and she reached over and shook the sleeping woman. ¡°Anabelle! Where''s Ren?¡± ¡°What? Who?¡± Anabelle rolled over and looked at Elerlyth, ¡°Oh, it''s you.¡± She said. ¡°He''s gone to the house.¡± ¡°To the... what house?¡± ¡°You''ve been gone for a while.¡± Anabelle laughed. ¡°A few things have changed around here.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°A fire elemental lives in the kitchen now.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Elerlyth yelled and turned to look in the kitchen. Sure enough, the place was lined with paving stones and there was a section filled with fire. ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°Her name''s Zetaya, and she''s Ren''s.¡± Anabelle said and sat up on the bed. ¡°His mount Princess was staying there, but she has her own room in the new place.¡± ¡°What new place?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°He owns a big house in the Housing District.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I''m tempted to tell you who he''s there with, but I think I''d rather let you see that for yourself.¡± ¡°You don''t have to be such a bitch about it.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Neither do you.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°But that''s how you''ve always acted around me.¡± ¡°That''s because you''re a-¡± Elerlyth stopped herself before she said anything else, and Anabelle smiled. ¡°The new house is right in the middle of the Housing District, so you can''t miss it.¡± Anabelle said and laid back down. ¡°Don''t let the door hit you on the way out.¡± Elerlyth was going to respond hotly to her comment, then shook her head and left the apartment. She went downstairs and out the back door, just so she wouldn''t have to go through the whole shop to get outside, and she walked at a fast pace down the street and over to the Housing District. When she got there, she stared at the huge house. It filled the lot it was in, right up to the edge of the property. It was also two stories tall, unlike the other two houses in the district. Elerlyth walked up to it and looked at the door. She didn''t have a key for it, and she knew it would be locked. She was tempted to pick it, but she was pretty sure she''d be caught and charged for it, since there was literally no cover at all from being seen. She sighed because she wouldn''t have even contemplated what she was about to do next, before she had met Ren. She raised a hand and knocked on the door. A moment later, she heard feet coming towards the door; and she opened her mouth to tell Ren the good news that she had... and froze. Some kind of water being that she''d never seen before, with translucent skin and swirling water currents underneath, stood in the doorway. ¡°(bubble) (gurgle)?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Elerlyth said, surprised that the thing had just gargled it''s throat at her. ¡°Oh! Sorry.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I sometimes forget to speak properly.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Elerlyth said, even more surprised that it could speak so well. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Railyse asked. ¡°R-R-Ren...¡± Elerlyth managed to get out. ¡°He''s upstairs in bed with the maids.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Maybe you should come ba-hey!¡± Elerlyth slipped past her and ran up the stairs. In bed with the maids?!? She thought, incredulous. Not a maid! Maids! She got to the top of the stairs and opened the first door she came to, and lucked out that it was the main bedroom. Inside was 5 large cabinets, several dressers, and an extra large bed. On the edge of that bed was Ren, and he held a really short woman in his arms. The two of them laid beside a pile of other short women, and Elerlyth couldn''t tell how many there actually were because they were so tangled up. Elerlyth stalked over to the bed and looked down at him. He looked so peaceful while he was asleep, and she thought he didn''t deserve a peaceful sleep for sleeping with so many women like that. He didn''t even bother telling me before doing it! Elerlyth thought, angrily. She leaned over him and hauled her hand back. ¡°REN!¡± Teepo yelled. Elerlyth formed a fist that glowed a little, then punched him right in his peaceful face. Chapter 350 - Fight Or Flight At least, Elerlyth tried to punch Ren in the face. Thanks to Teepo''s warning and his Lightning Reflexes skill, Ren quickly reached up and blocked the shot with the palm of his hand.
Notice!
The combination of your Hardy and Block Skills has nullified the effect Nerve Shock.
Stat Change!
Hardy Level 3 (Advanced 0%)
Ren grabbed the fist and held on, then looked at who had tried to punch him. ¡°Elerlyth? What''s going on?¡± ¡°You tell me!¡± Elerlyth said. She tried to take her hand back, but she couldn''t. ¡°Let go!¡± Ren eased Frikara aside with his other hand and sat up. ¡°Why did you attack me?¡± Elerlyth didn''t say anything and pointed to the maids on the bed. ¡°Why are you attacking me for sleeping in the bed with them?¡± ¡°Oh, come on! Look at them!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°They''re naked and in a pile! You used them and tossed them aside!¡± ¡°I did no such thing.¡± Ren said, and Teepo dropped down onto his shoulder. ¡°Let my fist go.¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said and stood up on the bed. ¡°Don''t make me hurt you!¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren laughed. ¡°With this?¡± Ren said and shook her trapped fist. ¡°My Hardy skill is at Advanced Level 3. I didn''t even feel it.¡± ¡°I meant with this!¡± Elerlyth said as she generated a tarantula in her other hand, then tossed it at him. Time seemed to slow down as the spider flew through the short distance between them. Ren''s tarantula had sensed the danger when Elerlyth walked into the room, and came out to see what was going on. It saw Elerlyth use her Summon Spider spell, and timed it''s leap from the cloak perfectly. Ren''s spider flew through the air, pulled a pre-made web from a tiny leather pouch that it had on it''s underside, and used all 8 of it''s legs to unfurl it and engulf the other spider as they collided in front of Ren''s face. The impact deflected them from hitting Ren and the pair of spiders tumbled through the air over Ren''s shoulder. They hit the wall behind the bed with a sickening crunch. Ren felt a familiar sharp pain on his right hand and lifted it up to look at the recalled spider. ¡°Thank you.¡± It wiggled a leg at him and crawled up his arm to stand on his shoulder. Ren looked at Elerlyth. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± ¡°You invited all these women into your bed and you''re asking me what''s wrong with me?!?¡± ¡°You just tried to kill me!¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s twice now!¡± ¡°You deserve it!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°How could you do this to me?¡± ¡°I haven''t done anything to you!¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve been sleeping with 5... no, 6 more people!¡± Elerlyth said when she remembered the water being from downstairs. ¡°Why would you think I wouldn''t be upset about that?¡± ¡°You know what?¡± Ren said and let her fist go. ¡°I''m sick and tired of people jumping to conclusions!¡± He said. ¡°I haven''t had sex with them! Any of them! I haven''t even had sex with Railyse, who I assume you met downstairs.¡± He pointed behind her. Elerlyth glanced back over her shoulder to see Railyse, who stood behind her with a 2 pronged trident held menacingly at an attack angle. ¡°I''ve known her for a lot longer than I''ve known you, and surprise, surprise! I didn''t have sex with her! Do you want to know why?¡± Ren asked. Elerlyth didn''t say anything, because she couldn''t figure out how he could know someone, that she had just met, for longer than she''d known him. ¡°Because I haven''t talked to you yet! I haven''t talked to Lara, Elise, or even Stella!¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought I''d get the chance tomorrow, because I was going to invite you all over for a visit, and we could discuss... together... what was going on and how to deal with it!¡± Elerlyth looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°Look at Frikara''s breasts!¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°Do you see them? Do you see how good they look?¡± Frikara''s face flushed red, and she thought about covering them up; but she didn''t, because she could feel how much Ren wanted to use her as an example. ¡°I can only imagine how good they taste!¡± Ren said, and Frikara blushed hard. ¡°I''ve never tasted them, even though I could have! Right from the moment we met, she wanted me to!¡± ¡°Ren, listen...¡± Elerlyth tried to speak. ¡°What are you going to tell me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That I''m making a mistake? That I should drop everyone and be with you alone? WHAT?¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I can''t believe that you tried to kill me again over a stupid... wait, what?¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You''re right. I jumped to conclusions, and I''m sorry.¡± ¡°You believe me now?¡± Ren asked, then frowned. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She blushed.¡± Elerlyth said and pointed at Frikara. ¡°All I can pick up from you is indignation and anger, but from her... her desire for you to...¡± She shook her head. ¡°She wouldn''t feel that way if she''d already slept with you.¡± ¡°Well... then... that''s good.¡± Ren said and sat down on the bed and sighed. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± He asked. ¡°Why was the first thing you thought of doing was to kill me?¡± All of his bluster deflated, and it left him a little empty inside. ¡°You couldn''t just wake me up and talk?¡± He never thought he''d feel what righteous indignation felt like; but when it was gone, apparently it hollowed you out afterwards. ¡°Ren, I...¡± Elerlyth tried to talk, but she didn''t know what question to answer first, and didn''t say anything else. ¡°You came here for a reason.¡± Ren said. ¡°What was it?¡± ¡°It''s nothing.¡± Elerlyth said and turned around and almost walked into the two-pronged trident. ¡°Step aside.¡± ¡°You tried to kill the Assistant to the Amabssador.¡± Railyse said and pointed the trident at her face. ¡°You will state your reason for being here.¡± ¡°Railyse...¡± ¡°She came in here, uninvited, and tried to murder you over a lover''s squabble.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I will have her reason, or her head.¡± She said. ¡°Or both. I haven''t decided yet.¡± ¡°I''m an Adventurer. My reason has nothing to do with any of this.¡± Elerlyth said, but the catch phrase didn''t work. ¡°I don''t believe you.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Elerlyth said and turned to look at Ren. ¡°I passed, okay? They gave me extra credit for the research grant and I can pick up my diploma tomorrow.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°That''s great news!¡± ¡°I came here to celebrate with you.¡± Elerlyth said and looked at the maids and Railyse. ¡°I had no idea that you had all this other stuff going on.¡± ¡°I actually can''t remember the last time we were together.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s been so long since then.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°It''s only been a few weeks since we... ah... in here.¡± ¡°It''s only been that long for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°I figured Stella would have told you about it already.¡± ¡°Told me what?¡± Ren started to tell her about going to the Water Realm and his adventures there, and how long it had been since he''d actually seen her. Elerlyth had a hard time believing the sounds coming into her ears, because they didn''t make any sense to her. Not at first. While he talked, she walked over to the bed and sat down next to him. She took his hand and listened to his outrageous story. When he was done, she knew it was all the truth, though. ¡°Good god, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You... good god.¡± After a few minutes of silence, Elerlyth told him the details of her story, and about what had happened with the professor and the Dean of Sciences the day before. ¡°So, which news wins this part of our ''who''s better'' contest?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yours, hands down.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°My graduation is pretty insignificant compared to...¡± ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve heard from you a lot about how much the professor pissed you off, and how much you wanted to have your actual credentials.¡± He smiled. ¡°I guess we''ll have to discuss your pay with the boss, now that you''re not a student anymore.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°Ren, I... before that misunderstanding, I... I wanted to spend the night with you. I wanted to... to celebrate...¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Frikara, Andrela, Verwynn, Navruth, Lusinia, and Railyse.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be gone for a while, but I will be back in the morning to make breakfast.¡± He equipped his Travelling Clothes and held a hand out to Elerlyth. She took it with a sigh, and he picked her up and hefted her over his shoulder. ¡°REN!¡± Elerlyth yelled and he left the bedroom at a jog. * ¡°Where do you think he''s taking her?¡± Lusinia asked. ¡°Not to Anabelle''s place.¡± Navruth said. ¡°There''s no way he''d let her have a front row seat and not invite us, too.¡± Railyse laughed. ¡°He''ll take her where others go for such things.¡± Four of the maids started to laugh, then stopped and looked at Frikara. She sat there and cupped her chest and jiggled them a little. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Andrela asked her. ¡°Ren said they looked good.¡± Frikara said, and let them go. They jiggled more and bounced a bit, then she did it again. ¡°I''m trying to figure out why.¡± Railyse stored her two-pronged trident. ¡°Ah, the eternal struggle continues.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Frikara asked and looked down at herself. Ren, I hope you try to taste them soon. I would really, really like that! ¡°The struggle to figure out how a man thinks.¡± Railyse said, and they all laughed. * Ren ran down the street as fast as he could. ¡°Ren!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Put me down!¡± ¡°In a minute.¡± Ren said ran across the city to the Leisure District and stopped at the old inn he stayed in a couple of times, and carried her inside. ¡°Ren!¡± Several people said and lifted their tankards to salute him. He gave them a little wave and went to the counter of the Snoozing Bear Inn. ¡°My old room, please.¡± Ren said, and the innkeeper nodded. No one said a word about him having Elerlyth over his shoulder. She was surprised by that, and she tasted the feelings they had about it. They like that he caught me! Elerlyth thought, shocked. They''re supposed to be afraid of me, but with Ren here, I''m not getting a touch of Fear from any of them. Not even from the innkeeper!The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The innkeeper led them up the stairs to the best room in the place, and Ren gave the innkeeper a handful of silver coins. ¡°A round of drinks for the men downstairs.¡± Ren said and gave him a single gold coin. ¡°No breakfast, and we might break a few things.¡± The innkeeper looked at Elerlyth''s butt by Ren''s face, shook his head and chuckled, then shut the door when he left. ¡°You can put me down now.¡± Elerlyth said. Ren stood her up and she swatted him on the head with her open hand. ¡°What the hell did you carry me like that for?¡± Elerlyth asked and hit him again. ¡°Even if I was wrong, I''m still mad at you!¡± ¡°I know you are.¡± Ren said and concentrated on his Spider Aura. He tapped her brooch, and she thought about not doing it; then sighed and concentrated on it herself. It was one of the things she had been looking forward to, because her hunger was pretty strong. Their Auras merged and Elerlyth gasped as his feelings hit her. ¡°Oh my god!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°Ren! You... you...¡± ¡°You haven''t felt anything yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a year and a half of pent-up emotions for you to feast on.¡± ¡°Wh-wh-what?¡± Elerlyth looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I hope you''re hungry after not logging in for so long.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am, but... I don''t know if I''m quite that hungry.¡± Elerlyth said in a soft voice. ¡°Let''s find out.¡± Ren said and cupped the sides of her face. ¡°Store your clothes and show me paradise.¡± ¡°Ren, we just had a fight...¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure make-up sex is supposed to be the best thing.¡± Ren said and stored his clothing. Elerlyth looked at his rippling muscles and reached out to touch them. ¡°How... how strong are you now?¡± ¡°My basic Strength stat is 303.¡± Ren said, and Elerlyth''s mouth dropped open. ¡°WHAT?!?¡± ¡°All that hard labour nearly doubled my Strength while I was in the Water Realm.¡± Ren said. ¡°With the rings and my armor equipped, it''s about double that.¡± ¡°God!¡± Elerlyth said, and sat on the bed. How can he be so far above me? ¡°Oh, no you don''t.¡± Ren said and stood her up. ¡°Clothes off.¡± Elerlyth stored her clothing and revealed that she had on the see-through bodysuit underneath. He turned her around and bent her over, and she braced herself on the side of the bed. ¡°Look at that.¡± Ren poured out how much he enjoyed what he saw and knelt on one knee. ¡°At long last.¡± He said and kissed her there. ¡°Paradise.¡± She caught her breath and moaned as his feelings poured into her, and gasped when he used his fingers to tear the thin fabric and exposed her. His breath was hot and cool at the same time, and her flesh burned from the need to be touched. It took him almost an hour to drive her crazy with desire, but he only used his mouth and fingers. He had fed her with all the sexual frustration he had stored up for the year and a half he had been gone, and by the time he was done pleasing and feeding her that way, she had cried a torrent of tears and mercilessly begged for him. He changed tactics then and fed her all the times he had thought about her, then stood up and started to make love to her. Elerlyth was frantic in her movements, and he felt that she was trying her best to make up for all the time they had been apart. Even though it had only been a short time for her in comparison, she had missed him quite a lot, too. She poured out her feelings for him, and he poured out his feelings for her. Their shared Aura contained it all and fed it back to them, and Elerlyth''s mastered ability gorged itself on everything. The feeling of intimate skin contact, their love, their lust, passion and sorrow, was quite a potent cocktail for her. Elerlyth had never had a meal quite like it before, and the tears she had cried for Ren changed and became tears she cried for herself. She didn''t know if they were tears of joy or sorrow; for her mistake and for leaving him alone for so long, or for their reunion. At the moment, she didn''t care amidst everything that they were feeling, and cried them anyways. Her body had started to glow at some point, and neither of them could tell when it happened. She started to gain XP in a slow trickle as they kept going. After another hour of sharing each other''s feelings and bodies, Elerlyth couldn''t take any more and collapsed onto his chest. She was both exhausted and energized at the same time, and had actually gained a level. ¡°Oh... oh my god.¡± Elerlyth said and kissed Ren. ¡°I... that... oh, god.¡± She said. ¡°I gained a level!¡± ¡°What? We already mastered your ability.¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I gained the level.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said, then his eyes widened. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Elerlyth chuckled and kissed him again, then rolled off to lay beside him. They looked around the room at the shambles they had left. The desk was cracked and on it''s side, the chair had been shattered, there were several dents in the walls, and the bed had two broken legs and sat at an angle. The only thing still intact was the unicorn poster. Neither of them had wanted to damage it and had been careful around it. ¡°I think I need to give the innkeeper another gold coin.¡± Ren said, and Elerlyth laughed a deep laugh, and Ren joined her. They equipped their clothes and cleaned up as much of the mess in the room as they could. Ren made a new desk and chair, and even fixed the bed. There wasn''t anything he could do about the dents in the walls, not without removing and replacing the planks, so he left them and told the innkeeper about them. He offered another gold coin, but the inkeeper asked for the broken furniture instead. Ren handed the pieces over to him, and he accepted them gratefully. What Ren didn''t know was that the innkeeper had been collecting things Ren had broken or destroyed from all over the city, and had made a kind of show for them. The innkeeper had more people request to stay in the ''Hero Of Aurora Room'' or the ''Ren Room'' as some of them called it, than any other room he had; which included the best room in the place that Ren and Elerlyth had just wrecked. Ren and Elerlyth left the Snoozing Bear Inn and ran across the city towards the Housing District. Elerlyth had been surprised that he could run just as fast as her, even though her legs were almost twice as long as his. Ren on the other hand, made sure to match her pace and didn''t get ahead of her at all. ¡°Are you heading to your place?¡± Ren asked her when they came to a stop just outside the Housing District, before his Aura covered the new house and would have merged it with the shared Aura that the maids had. ¡°No, the elves might still be stalking me.¡± ¡°Even after all this time?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve been out of the city a few times now, and I haven''t seen or heard anything.¡± ¡°They''re after me, though.¡± ¡°They think I''m a shape-shifted you.¡± Ren countered. ¡°You have a point.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°But I think I''ll stick with staying in the apartment.¡± ¡°There''s something else I should tell you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I joined another party.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°What happened to your old party?¡± ¡°It''s still there.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have a skill that lets me join another.¡± ¡°Well that''s just great!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me this before? I wanted to add you to my party!¡± ¡°How many members do you have?¡± ¡°One.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°We''d have been a party of two?¡± Elerlyth nodded, and Ren gave her a hug. ¡°I''d like that, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, for now... my new party is short a member, and we''ve got a quest tomorrow night, real-time.¡± ¡°Are you inviting me along without asking them first?¡± ¡°Better.¡± Ren said and sent her a party invite. ¡°I want you to join my party.¡± ¡°Ren, I... wait, how do you have an extra slot?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Don''t tell me you lost someone!¡± ¡°Not how you mean.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nathalia voluntarily left the party.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said and hugged him close. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°She was right. It''s for the best.¡± Elerlyth nodded and accepted the party invite. ¡°Virtual Survivors?¡± ¡°It seemed appropriate.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hey, I just had a neat idea! Come over to the house tomorrow night and bring your VR headset. We can watch my show, then log in for the quest.¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I''ve got a neat set up at home.¡± ¡°I''ve got a really big bed and a bathroom you can play basketball in.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. Elerlyth wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. ¡°All right. I''ll see you tomorrow night.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Ren said when she broke the kiss and let him go. He started to slowly walk backwards down the street. ¡°By the way... don''t ever attack me like that again.¡± ¡°Ren, I said I was sorry.¡± ¡°You said that last time, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°If it happens again, I might have to rethink what we have between us.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t want to do that.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Bye, Elerlyth.¡± ¡°Bye, Re-AH!¡± Elerlyth gasped as Ren''s Aura merged with the shared Aura the maids had. She felt everything the maids felt, and their emotions flooded through her. ¡°Oops.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± He said and stopped concentrating on the Spider Aura.
Stat Change!
Spider (Aura) Level 5 (Expert 0%)
Cool. Ren thought, then waved to Elerlyth. She waved back, and she watched as he ran down the street and went into his house. * Good god. Elerlyth thought. She stumbled over to a nearby building and leaned against it. How can he... he... why isn''t he drowning in their emotions? * ¡°I''m back.¡± Ren said as he entered the bedroom. None of the maids had gone back to bed when he had left. ¡°Like we didn''t know that.¡± Navruth said and laughed. ¡°We felt her in the Aura.¡± Andrela said. ¡°Is... is she all right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s just not used to sharing with multiple people, and I thought I''d give her a bit of a taste.¡± ¡°That''s what we got from her before she was cut off.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I think you surprised her again.¡± ¡°I sure did.¡± Ren chuckled, and let out some of the shared feelings he''d had with Elerlyth. ¡°By the gods.¡± Frikara almost moaned. ¡°If we ever do anything... anything at all... please let it be what you did to get that reaction!¡± Ren laughed and hugged her. ¡°I''ll see what I can do.¡± ¡°You''ve got about 6 hours left before morning.¡± Teepo said and took off to land on the ceiling. Ren picked up the spider that had stayed on his shoulder, and tucked it back into the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. He stored his clothing and climbed into bed, and the maids all piled in on top of him. He could feel that they were surprised that he didn''t complain about it, and he touched each of their faces and let them feel that he didn''t mind if they hung all over him. He didn''t mind it at all. A strong feeling of gratefulness entered the shared Aura, and they settled down together. With Ren on the bottom, it was a more ordered pile than usual because they all wanted as much skin contact with him as they could get. The maids all sighed in contentment and Ren felt sleep drag them down, and he closed his eyes. He had a long day ahead of him at his county tomorrow. He gave his word that he would help with the harvest, and that''s what he intended to do. * ¡°Let me go!¡± Lylyth said, rattled the chains around her wrists, and stared at her attendant. ¡°I will have him!¡± ¡°You need to wait, Your Majesty.¡± She said. ¡°You''ve felt what he went through.¡± ¡°That''s why I need to go to him!¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I need to ease his suffering!¡± ¡°He isn''t suffering right now.¡± The healer said. ¡°He was just remembering...¡± ¡°I will taste his emotions for myself!¡± Lylyth said and strained against the magically-reinforced chains. ¡°Let me GO!¡± ¡°She''s going to become more and more despondent as his emotional bond to her strengthens.¡± The healer said. The attendant looked at the almost fully-formed image of a spider over her Queen''s heart. ¡°She should make the final connection soon.¡± ¡°I just hope he survives.¡± The healer said. ¡°He''s a remarkable man.¡± The attendant chuckled. ¡°Don''t tell me that you...¡± ¡°I would let him, if he were so inclined, and my Queen would allow it.¡± The healer said. She took out the Mana potion Ren had given her and recharged herself with it. ¡°Is that...¡± The healer nodded. ¡°He gifted it to me when I healed his arms.¡± The attendant laughed. ¡°He doesn''t realize it lets you siphon off his Mana, does he?¡± ¡°He hasn''t noticed.¡± The healer said. ¡°I draw from his main source, and it refills before I finish taking what I need.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The attendant was surprised. ¡°May I?¡± ¡°I''m sorry, but no.¡± The healer said and stored it. ¡°It needs to be an untouched sample for my ability to work.¡± ¡°You could pour some out for me...¡± ¡°You know it has to be complete.¡± The healer said. ¡°Maybe you can get another one from him.¡± ¡°Would you take that chance if it was yours?¡± The attendant opened her mouth to say that she would, then sighed. ¡°No.¡± The healer looked at her Queen and held a hand out to her. Lylyth was tempted to bite it off, just because she could, then relented and let the healer touch her forehead. ¡°He''s sleeping now, Your Majesty.¡± The healer said. ¡°He will be yours soon.¡± ¡°Yes, he will.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Mine to have. Mine to love. Mine to keep!¡± She said. ¡°Forever!¡± She laughed maniacally. ¡°Do you have to act like that?¡± The attendant asked, and Lylyth looked at her. ¡°Was that too much?¡± Lylyth asked. ¡°I know I''m getting more unreasonable, but I didn''t think I was pushing things too far.¡± ¡°The laugh was a little bit much.¡± The healer said. ¡°It was quite unpleasant.¡± ¡°That''s what I was going for.¡± Lylyth said and smiled. ¡°Now take off these chains.¡± ¡°No.¡± The attendant said. ¡°You really do have to wait.¡± ¡°But I don''t want to.¡± Lylyth said and strained against the chains. ¡°What is this enchantment, anyway?¡± ¡°The more force you apply, the more it holds you in place.¡± ¡°Dammit!¡± Lylyth said and pushed as hard as she could against them. The chains didn''t budge at all, and she sighed. ¡°Why did I agree to let you chain me up again?¡± ¡°You''re a masochist, Your Majesty.¡± The healer said. ¡°You love this kind of thing.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Lylyth said and looked down at the chains. ¡°They do bite in nicely, don''t they?¡± The attendant laughed. ¡°Do you want the whip as well, My Queen?¡± ¡°No, not today.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I''m not in the mood for it right now.¡± ¡°I''ll keep it handy, just in case.¡± The attendant said. Lylyth nodded and looked down at herself, and saw the image of the spider. The webs on her arms had made their way up her shoulders and across her chest, and almost joined together under the spider. ¡°I am so close.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°If you would only let me chew on him just a little bit...¡± ¡°My Queen.¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°Yes, yes. I''ll wait.¡± She said. ¡°When this design is done, nothing will stop me from going to him.¡± She looked at the attendant and the healer. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Good.¡± The healer said. ¡°You need to get this over with, and then you can go back to being our Queen again.¡± ¡°I am your Queen.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Our rational Queen.¡± ¡°Rational?¡± Lylyth asked, and then laughed. ¡°Well, okay... I can''t argue with that.¡± The healer rolled her eyes and the attendant laughed. * Ren woke up early the next morning and couldn''t stretch like he wanted to. He could feel that his arms were pinned under two of the maids, and his legs had at least one maid on them. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted with a sight he didn''t think he would ever wake up to. One of the maids had somehow turned around so that her head rested on his thigh and her chest was on his abdomen. Her abdomen was on his chest and her thighs were on either side of his head. That position gave Ren a very clear view between her legs, since it was right in front of his face; and if he remembered correctly, Lusinia was the one that wore the blue panties. ¡°Lusinia?¡± Ren whispered. ¡°Can you move a little?¡± He nodded his head, which rubbed against both of her thighs, so she would know what part he wanted her to move. ¡°O... okay...¡± Lusinia mumbled. She''d recognized Ren''s voice, even though she was still half-asleep, and braced her arms on the bed. She''d felt something touch her on her inner thighs, and figured that she''d gotten her legs wrapped around him somehow and he wanted her to move. She got up onto her knees, which took her private area away from Ren''s direct view, and he sighed in relief. Lusinia pulled her knees forward and over Ren''s arms to rest on either side of his chest; but she couldn''t lay down with Navruth in her way like she was, so she sat down to figure out where she could move to. Ren opened his mouth to tell her to stop. ¡°Lusi-¡± His words were cut off as Lusinia sat on his face. Lusinia rubbed her eyes to try and wake up a little, and she looked around. I don''t see anywhere comfortable. She thought, and sighed. She felt that something was kind of poking her special place, so she sighed again and almost stood up. Ren had been so surprised that she had sat down on him, that he didn''t know how to react. He watched as Lusinia crawled over Navruth, sat down on Navruth''s back, then laid backwards to rest on top of him. She yawned and closed her eyes. Ren couldn''t believe that no one had woken up after all of that moving around, and that Lusinia still had no clue where his face had been. ¡°Lusinia, you just-.¡± Ren whispered, and she turned her head to him and kissed him. Her eyes were still closed, and she broke the kiss and sighed. ¡°If only I could... tell you how much... you mean to me.¡± Lusinia whispered. Her hand reached up and touched his face and rubbed his chin. ¡°I miss... your beard... but... you''re still handsome.¡± She said. ¡°I want you to... hold me tight.¡± Ren''s arms were pinned, and he wasn''t sure what he was going to do. He could have pulled them out from under the other maids; but, he didn''t want to wake them or potentially hurt them if he pulled too hard. ¡°Hold me.¡± Lusinia said and reached out. She grabbed two different arms on either side of her. One was from Verwynn, and the other was from Navruth. She pulled them over herself and sighed. ¡°Yes... like that.¡± She said and hugged them. One arm was across her chest and the hand hung over her shoulder, and the other was across her belly and the hand hung by her hip. She wiggled a little and stretched her legs out, and got them caught underneath Andrela. Lusinia sighed again, now that she was tucked in, then started to snore a little. You''re right, Teepo. Ren thought. How they get tangled up really is like magic. Teepo chittered in delight, and Ren figured he wasn''t going to be getting up early after all. Wake me up an hour early. I have to head to the ship in the morning. Ren told his friend and closed his eyes. The maids are like a living blanket. He thought, and went to sleep. Chapter 351 - Comforting Words Teepo woke Ren up an hour early, and Ren was grateful that the maids had once again shifted around. His arms were free and he had enough room to lift Verwynn out of the way. He sat up and looked at the others. His legs were tucked under two of them, and the other two maids were on top of them. Ren shook his head at the mismatched pile and slowly pulled on his legs. One of the maids moaned, and he reached down and lifted Navruth up to free one leg, then rolled Andrela over and freed the other. ¡°You''re not just going to leave them like that, are you?'' Teepo asked. There''s no point in waking them up to tell them I''ll be heading out soon, just so they can try to go back to sleep for another hour. Ren thought to his friend. I''ve done that to them already, and they don''t need me to do it again. Teepo flew down from the ceiling and hovered there until Ren equipped his clothing, then landed on his shoulder. Ren glanced at the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and smiled. Say, that reminds me. Ren thought and took out his Leatherworking Crafting Station and opened it up, then he took out the dire wolf pelt he''d bought from Clint. I should have done this a while ago. He cleaned up the edges a little and slipped it into the treatment compartment. ¡°Ugh... what... what is that smell?¡± Frikara asked. Someone''s arm and someone else''s leg fell away from her when she sat up. Ren closed the treatment compartment and stored the crafting station, then leaned onto the bed. He saw she had one eye open and one eye closed, her hair was stuck up on one side and was flat on the other, and he tried not to laugh at her dishevelled state. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren whispered to her and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Go back to sleep.¡± ¡°...kisses...¡± Frikara said, puckered her lips like she was pretending to be a fish, and opened and closed her mouth slightly several times. Ren couldn''t help it and chuckled a little because she really did look like a fish when she did that. He made the same shape with his lips and kissed her three times in rapid succession. Frikara''s open eye closed and she flopped back onto the bed sound asleep. Ren left the bedroom and went downstairs, slipped a big fish into Railyse''s room, and left the house. He ran down the street and out of the Housing District, then over to the road and out through the North Gate. He ran down the side road towards the docks, and came to a stop at his warehouse. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ve already told the captain to head back to the dwarf lands to pick up the next load of ore and cement bags.¡± ¡°Is he waiting for the official order from me?¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Tee-one said. Ren put a hand on Tee-one''s shoulder and smiled. ¡°I guess I can''t expect everyone to treat you like you are a part of me.¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°I couldn''t be that lucky.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°How is the farm vehicle coming along?¡± ¡°It''s done.¡± Tee-one said and took it out from inventory. ¡°I haven''t cranked it yet, though.¡± ¡°And the tools?¡± Ren asked. Tee-one took out a large crate and Ren stored it and the vehicle. ¡°The stable workers aren''t too happy that I''m using the warehouse as a workshop.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I think they''re afraid I''m going to burn it down or something.¡± ¡°I don''t know why.¡± Ren said and looked out the door. ¡°The stable is way over there.¡± ¡°It''s probably the horses.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°They''re afraid of fire and loud noises.¡± ¡°And both would happen if this place went afire.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you...¡± ¡°As soon as the forge was moved from the ship to here.¡± Tee-one said and pointed at the ceiling. ¡°Steel Squares with Water there.¡± He said, then pointed to the floor. ¡°Steel Squares with Antiwater there.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you going to stay here to work, or are you coming out to the county?¡± ¡°I''ll stay here until you move permanently.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°It''s a lot easier to do orders from here.¡± ¡°You could move to the shop.¡± Ren said. ¡°The forge and smelter is just sitting there.¡± ¡°I''ve got a lot more room to work here.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°The cabinets and beds are pretty big and I need the space.¡± ¡°How''s the lumber holding up?¡± ¡°It''s nearly gone.¡± Tee-one said. Ren handed him 3 of the 12 steel storage squares full of lumber. ¡°Thanks.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You''re not getting any from Jen and the lumber yard for at least a month.¡± Ren said. ¡°Make them last.¡± ¡°You want me to make 15,000 planks last for a whole month?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± They both laughed because they knew it could last several months, if the orders kept coming in for furniture. ¡°Make sure you put a couple of the new modified furniture pieces out for display.¡± Ren said and started to walk towards the ship. ¡°They''ll be the first things I make this morning.¡± Tee-one said. Ren gave him a little wave, then looked at the ship. He checked the last popup, and the only difference was the passengers had changed to zero, and the crew was back up to 50. All the supplies and repairs had been completed the day before, and the ship had been emptied last night. The ship''s cargo hatch on the side was closed, and he didn''t see anyone out on sentry duty. The gangplank was also pulled in, and Ren shrugged and crawled up the side of the ship. No one was around, so Ren went to the main cabin door and went inside. He walked down the hall and stopped at the captain''s cabin, then knocked. ¡°Come in.¡± A male voice said. Ren opened the door and saw the captain as he sat on the end of his bed, his hair was messed up, and someone else was in the bed and hidden under the blanket. ¡°Sorry for disturbing you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You have my permission to head back to the dwarf lands to pick up more ore and cement bags.¡± ¡°Our travel times are going to be a lot faster, thanks to the new engines, but... loading and unloading take the same amount of time.¡± ¡°I won''t expect you back for 3 weeks.¡± Ren said. ¡°A week voyage, a week to load, and a week back.¡± ¡°You''re not going to order me to go all out with them?¡± The short captain asked, and Ren shook his head. ¡°You''re the captain of the ship.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I asked you to dock early, you didn''t question it or balk at it.¡± The short captain smiled. ¡°This ship had a bet to win.¡± Ren nodded, and the captain''s eyes twitched at the Honor gain. ¡°I''ll see you in three weeks.¡± Ren said and left the captain''s room. * ¡°I thought he was never going to leave.¡± The cook said and sat up. She wore the captain''s hat, and that was all. ¡°He''s such an arrogant...¡± ¡°Leave him be.¡± The short captain said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Even after the way he was treated, by you and some of the crew...¡± ¡°Hey!¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Alright. By me, too.¡± The short captain said. ¡°He never called us on it, or ordered us to act proper.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°He took it like a man, and then when that thing with the engine happened... even though he turned them over... he went with them and made sure they weren''t killed out of hand.¡± The cook put a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to her. ¡°There''s no greater pride for a captain, to know that when things get into the thick of it, that someone like him will stand up with us.¡± ¡°He didn''t fight by your side! He didn''t-¡± ¡°Hush, woman!¡± The captain said. ¡°Don''t you see? He can, and he will... if we need it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°He even left me alone and let me run the ship as I saw fit.¡± The short captain smiled. ¡°Yes, this is definitely the best ship on the water.¡± * Ren walked down the hallway to Orimihr''s room and knocked. The door opened, and Orimihr sighed and shook his head. ¡°Well, well. Look who''s finally come to pay their respects.¡± ¡°I warned you that I''d be busy once the ship docked.¡± Ren said. ¡°That hasn''t changed.¡± ¡°I suppose now that it''s been a few days since the last time you asked, you want me to tell you everything I know about the thief and what he did to me.¡± ¡°I hope you realize that your reluctance to talk is the only thing that''s delaying the plans to go and get him.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just hope you can bring yourself to change your mind over the next three weeks.¡± Orimihr laughed. ¡°Do you think 3 weeks alone at sea is gonna soften me up enough to make me sing like a songbird?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m hoping that spending some time among other people, who are pretty much loners themselves, will make you see something important.¡± ¡°And what''s that?¡± ¡°Even though people can hurt you if you let them in, that doesn''t mean that everyone will.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you when you get back.¡± Orimihr didn''t say anything in response. Ren closed the room''s door and walked down the hallway, then stopped at the captain''s cabin and knocked again. ¡°WHAT IS IT NOW?¡± A woman''s voice yelled, and Ren thought about walking on. The door opened before he could, and an unhappy face greeted him. ¡°What she said.¡± The short captain said and pointed a thumb over his shoulder. Ren looked and saw the cook in the captain''s bed, and saw that she wore the captain''s hat and nothing else. Apparently she had been so angry at a second intrusion that she hadn''t bothered to cover herself up. Ren didn''t stare, though. ¡°Ma''am, I''m sorry for the intrusion.¡± Ren said to her, then looked at the short captain. ¡°I forgot to tell you that you can use the Jacuzzi in the third cabin.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''ve left it on, so you can soak in it and relax.¡± ¡°I can use the what? Jarcoosie? What the hell is that?¡± ¡°It''s a large tub of hot water that you can sit in and relax.¡± Ren said. ¡°It has swirling currents of Water and Wind that massage you.¡± The captain and the cook stared at him like he was crazy, and he chuckled. ¡°You''ll understand when you try it.¡± Ren said and gave the cook a wave. ¡°I''m sure you can find someone to share it with.¡± He turned and started to walk down the hallway. ¡°Have fun.¡± * The short captain watched Ren as he walked away down the hall and then left. He shut his cabin door and looked at the cook. ¡°I have no idea what he''s talking about.¡± The cook said. ¡°A relaxing tub of water?¡± She shook her head. ¡°He''s crazy.¡± ¡°Well, since we''re up...¡± ¡°You can''t possibly think that...¡± The short captain tossed her a robe and put one on himself. ¡°It''s just down the hall.¡± The cook sighed and got out of bed, and slipped on the robe. ¡°Fine, I''ll come and look; but, I hope you don''t expect me to get in the thing!¡± The short captain opened his cabin door and walked down the hallway to the third cabin. When he opened the door, he didn''t know what to say. The cook on the other hand gasped and ran into the room that looked like a relaxing spa, and almost knocked the captain over when she passed him. ¡°Hey, now!¡± The short captain said, but the cook had already sat down on one of the lounge chairs. ¡°Oh, these are comfy!¡± She said and closed her eyes. ¡°I could lay here all day!¡± ¡°Get off your fat arse and come over here.¡± The short captain said. ¡°What. Did. You. Say?!?¡± The cook stood up and her eyes smouldered with hatred. ¡°I said I love your fat arse, now get over here!¡± The cook looked like she was chewing on something, then she swallowed what she was going to say. She took a deep breath in through her nose and let it out through her mouth, then walked over to him. ¡°Look at this thing.¡± The short captain said and pointed. ¡°He wasn''t kidding.¡± The cook reached out and stuck her hand into the hot swirling water. ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± She said, slipped off her robe, and climbed in. ¡°I thought you said you weren''t getting in?¡± The short captain said. ¡°Shut up.¡± The cook said, then sighed and she sat down and received the full effect of the jets of water and air. ¡°By the gods, this is nice.¡± The short captain had never seen the cook react like that, so he had to try it himself. He took off his robe and climbed in, and sat next to her. ¡°By the gods, you''re right.¡± The short captain said and closed his eyes. ¡°This really does feel nice.¡± After about ten minutes, he felt a hand on his arm. When he opened his eyes, the cook was staring at him with lust in her eyes, and it made him a little afraid of what she might do. ¡°Are... are you okay?¡± The short captain said. The cook nodded slightly, climbed onto his lap, and kissed him more thoroughly than she ever had before. It wasn''t long before they added their own currents and swirls to the water. * Ren climbed down the side of the ship and ran across the dock to the shore, waved to Tee-one, and ran up the road to the North Gate. He still had about 45 minutes before he had to be back at the house to make breakfast, and thought that this was the perfect opportunity to fulfill someone''s fondest fantasy. Ren equipped his armor bodysuit and then his armor. It had some pits and scratches from the shrapnel and had lost a fraction of it''s Durability; but he didn''t repair it because it added to the ambience he wanted to project. He concentrated on his Command Aura and ran down the street until it met the main street that led out the West Gate, then he ran towards the mansion. * ¡°Ren!¡± Donna said when she felt Ren''s Aura. ¡°Here we go again.¡± Tait said. ¡°Quiet, you.¡± Donna said, but not sternly. She didn''t run out to meet Ren this time and fought to keep her composure, because she assumed that he was just passing by again and was probably going to the Library or something. She caught her breath when the door to the kitchen was ripped from it''s hinges by a gauntlet-covered hand, and it was crushed into splinters. Alina screamed and Tait''s mouth dropped open as a gold-colored, fully-armored figure stormed into the kitchen. * Ren held in his laughter at the looks on everyone''s faces, and held a hand out to Donna as he stored his gauntlets and helm. ¡°Come with me if you want to live.¡± Ren said, and Donna''s face lit up with a huge smile. She took the hand and gripped it tightly. ¡°How long do...¡± ¡°45 minutes.¡± Donna looked at the kitchen workers. ¡°Flip the eggs. Cook the toast. Don''t burn the bacon.¡± Ren picked her up and turned to leave, then dashed out of the kitchen. ¡°I''ll be baaaaaackk!¡± Donna said as Ren ran with her down the hall and out through the doors of the mansion. She laughed and laughed as he ran around the corner and down the street to her place. Ren didn''t stop when he got to her front door, though. He shifted his hold on her, kicked out with a foot, and smashed her front door in two. Donna clapped her hands as Ren turned backwards to get her through the doorway, and took her to her bedroom and tossed her on the bed. In a flash he went back and shoved the pieces of the front door into place and braced it with a plank, then went back into the bedroom. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Donna said, and started to take off her clothes. Ren took out a ring and enchanted it to make it a Ring of Storage with 50 slots and +40 Strength. He handed it to her, and she gasped. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Donna said and put it on, then stored her clothing. It left her completely naked, and he saw that she was very excited to see him. She took his hand and pulled him close to the bed, but didn''t kiss him. She used her other hand to lightly touch the pits and scratches on the armor''s chest plate. She looked and saw similar marks on the arms, and a bit on the thighs. ¡°What was it?¡± ¡°A set of elemental grenades infused into a metal container, set to explode when the box it was in opened.¡± Ren said. ¡°They tried to assassinate the Ambassador, and almost killed the Crown Princess.¡± ¡°You stopped it.¡± Donna whispered. ¡°I caught it just in time.¡± Donna thought about the pattern of the blast, and looked up. ¡°Oh, god.¡± She touched both sides of his face with her hands. ¡°Your helm was still shiny.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I wasn''t wearing it, unfortunately.¡± He said. ¡°I won''t make that mistake again.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Donna said and kissed him slowly and sweetly. ¡°My brave soldier.¡± ¡°Donna, it... it was bad.¡± Ren said, and a tear came to his eye. ¡°I... I couldn''t see, and... and my hands were mangled...¡± ¡°I know, sweetie.¡± Donna said and tapped his armor. Ren stored it and his armor bodysuit, and Donna laid back on the bed. Ren went with her, and she kissed him gently as she wrapped her legs around him. He let a couple of tears out, and she kissed them away. ¡°Let me be your comfort, brave knight.¡± She said and hugged him tightly. ¡°Let me push that memory away from your sight, and let my body replace it for you.¡± ¡°Donna... I... I... thank you.¡± Ren said and kissed her passionately, then made love to her. He took his time, and revelled in her body. Time seemed to crawl by as they held each other and shared themselves, and Donna worked her magic and took from him something that he didn''t know needed to be taken. When they were done and laid beside each other, Ren could look back on the incident and it didn''t bring thoughts of horror, even though he could still remember the screams as people saw his face after the explosion. Those screams seemed to have receded back enough that they weren''t urgent, or jarred the memory back into focus. It was slightly cloudy now, and Ren sighed in relief. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°I don''t know what you did, but... I feel much better now.¡± Donna took his hand and put it on her breast, and he could feel that she was still excited. ¡°So do I.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You know what I meant.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Donna said and turned to him. ¡°I''ve waited a long time to find someone that I could do that for.¡± She said and ran a hand through his hair. She smiled as she felt it was still fluffy, even after what they had done. ¡°Who would have thought that a halfling would have more real battles than anyone else, and would become the most seasoned soldier I''ve ever known?¡± ¡°Not me.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°All I wanted to do was make stuff!¡± Donna laughed and kissed him. ¡°Ren? Your time''s up.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Now I have to go.¡± Ren said and sat up. Donna sat up as well, and sighed. ¡°I wonder if my kitchen workers will hate me for running out on prepping breakfast.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I scared the hell out of them!¡± Donna laughed and hugged him. ¡°I can''t believe you did that.¡± ¡°Did you like my ''frantic returning soldier'' routine?¡± ¡°I loved it.¡± Donna said and hugged him, then stood up and equipped her clothing. ¡°I better get back.¡± ¡°Do you want me to carry you back, too?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°There''s no point.¡± Donna said. ¡°You already busted the door.¡± Ren stood up and equipped his Travelling Clothes, and they left the bedroom together. ¡°Give me a minute and I''ll fix the front door.¡± ¡°No, don''t.¡± Donna said. ¡°I want to see it when I get home tonight.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren said. ¡°I can make a new one pretty quickly.¡± Donna leaned down and kissed him. ¡°You broke this door down for me.¡± She said. ¡°I''m going to keep it for a little while.¡± Ren smiled at her, and they walked at a fast pace towards the mansion after they propped the broken door back into place. Chapter 352 - Can You Resist Change? Just before they came around the corner to the front door of the mansion, Donna grabbed him by the head and quickly kissed him. ¡°I''ll be here to ease your hurt any time that you need me.¡± Donna said, then walked around the corner. Ren stepped around the corner behind her and watched her go into the mansion, then he ran up the street. He waved and said hello to anyone that did the same to him, and when he arrived at the Housing District, his Aura merged with the shared Aura the maids had, and he knew they were up and a little upset that he wasn''t there. The maids felt him at the same time, and he was bombarded with inquisitive feelings and a little bit of indignation. He chuckled and went into the house and the kitchen to make breakfast. They felt his amusement, and didn''t come down the stairs to see what had happened, because they knew he would be up soon with breakfast. Ren made scrambled eggs and toast for everyone, gave Princess her share, then went upstairs to eat breakfast with the maids. ¡°You snuck out and left us alone.¡± Frikara said as soon as Ren opened the bedroom door. ¡°Actually, I didn''t use Sneak at all.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°That''s not the point I''m trying to make.¡± ¡°I kissed you goodbye.¡± Ren said, and Frikara looked at him. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°When I used my Leatherworking Craft Station, you woke up and asked what the smell was.¡± ¡°I... do kind of remember a bad smell...¡± ¡°I told you to go back to sleep, and you asked for a kiss.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I gave you one, and then you went back to sleep.¡± ¡°I don''t remember that part.¡± Frikara said and touched her lips. ¡°I would have remembered kissing you.¡± She whispered. ¡°I know I would.¡± ¡°I dreamed I kissed you last night.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Boy, it was great!¡± She said. ¡°You even hugged me close and cuddled me!¡± Ren chuckled, and thought about telling her she really did kiss him; then decided it wouldn''t hurt if she knew. ¡°Actually, last night...¡± ¡°I dreamed I kissed him, too.¡± Navruth said. ¡°It was a little weird. I hugged him with only one arm, and his lips were a lot softer and plumper.¡± ¡°His lips were like that in my dream, too!¡± Andrela said. ¡°I didn''t get a hug, though.¡± ¡°I got a hug, but no kiss.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°You''re right, Navruth. It was weird.¡± ¡°It''s like we all had versions of the same dream.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Mine was the best, though.¡± ¡°No argument there.¡± Navruth said, and they chuckled. How many times do they ''dream'' about me and are really only half-asleep? Ren asked himself. ¡°A lot.¡± Teepo said chittered in laughter. Ren changed his mind about telling Lusinia that some of her dream had actually happened, and served the maids breakfast in bed. ¡°Come on and join us.¡± Frikara asked and pat the middle of the bed. ¡°We can share again.¡± ¡°I''d like to, but I need to head out to my county.¡± Ren said and picked up the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and put it on. ¡°I''m probably already late, especially if they get up early and harvest all day.¡± ¡°But... we didn''t get to wake up with you.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°I was kind of hoping that... that... it would be my turn today.¡± Ren remembered that yesterday he had pleased Frikara when they woke up, and the day before, Andrela. He could feel that they were anxious about it, and he smiled. ¡°I can''t give you the time and preparation that you deserve.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. ¡°Starting cold like this, it''ll just seem like a task that needs to be done.¡± Lusinia sat up on the bed and sighed. ¡°You''re right. I don''t want it to be something that you have to do.¡± Ren knelt in front of her and cupped the side of her face. ¡°The last thing I want you to think, is that it''s something I have to do.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss. ¡°I want it to mean something when you feel it.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Maybe tomorrow morning it might happen.¡± Ren took her hand and tried to kiss it, and she yanked it back before he could. ¡°We told you not to do that.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°We are not superior to you.¡± ¡°Oh, Lusinia.¡± Ren said and gave her a long kiss. She moaned into his mouth as they kissed, and she gave his tongue another workout. He broke the kiss and left her breathing heavy. ¡°You are so wrong about that.¡± The maids all looked at Ren with wide eyes, and they didn''t say anything as he left the bedroom. * ¡°He wasn''t lying.¡± Lusinia said, surprised. ¡°He... he really thinks...¡± ¡°...that we''re better than him.¡± Frikara said. ¡°It might not be the truth, but it''s what he believes.¡± ¡°Are you falling in love with him?¡± Verwynn asked Frikara. ¡°Falling in love?¡± Frikara asked, then chuckled. ¡°That happened when he rescued us.¡± She said and looked at the others. ¡°You all fell for him, right?¡± The other maids nodded, and then they felt Ren leave the shared Aura. ¡°What this is... what we''re building now... goes so far beyond that.¡± Frikara said. ¡°It''s like... like building a good fire.¡± She said, and the maids nodded. ¡°You don''t just throw the wood in, you make an ordered pile that lets the air in.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°You add bits of parchment to help ignite it.¡± Navruth said. ¡°You hold the flint and stone close to let it start, and strike them together to make a spark.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°It starts slow at first; but once it catches, it burns brightly and for a long time.¡± Andrela said. ¡°We''re at the ''adding parchment'' stage right now.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We''re adding things to help ignite the fire.¡± ¡°I can''t wait for the spark stage.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°I wonder which one of us it''ll be?¡± The other maids glanced at each other, then each glance shifted and 4 of the maids looked right at Andrela. ¡°M-m-me?¡± ¡°You''ll be the spark to start it all.¡± Frikara said. ¡°But, don''t worry. We are all in this together.¡± ¡°Wh-what do I do?¡± Frikara chuckled and put an arm around her. ¡°You don''t have to do anything, little one.¡± She said. ¡°Just be yourself, and he won''t be able to resist you.¡± ¡°He''s resisted so far.¡± Andrela said and blushed at her boldness. ¡°You heard him yesterday.¡± Frikara said. ¡°The only reason he hasn''t done anything with us is because he needs to talk to the others.¡± ¡°I really thought there would be more than the few he mentioned.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°Why doesn''t he have hundreds of women after him?¡± ¡°I''m sure he does.¡± Navruth said. ¡°I mean, who can resist him?¡± ¡°I think there''s lots of women that don''t fall at his feet when he enters the room.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Even we don''t do that; but, we could... and some of us actually want to.¡± She said, and her face flushed a little red. ¡°Frikara.¡± Andrela said. ¡°Yes?¡± Frikara said and looked at the young woman she still had an arm around. She expected another admonishment, and was pleasantly surprised instead. ¡°I want to throw myself at his feet, too.¡± Andrela''s face flushed bright red, and they felt her embarrassment.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°People want what they want, and that''s okay.¡± Frikara said and gave her shoulder a squeeze. ¡°One of these days, we might even get the chance to get what we want.¡± ¡°That... that would be nice.¡± Andrela said and smiled. ¡°I really like him.¡± * Ren thought about getting Ruck to come along this time, but he knew Ruck could never keep up with him and what he was about to do. He equipped his armor to almost double his stats and it gave him a different color Stamina bar, then he made a Giant Strength wand by replacing a Level 5 wand''s charges with the Giant Strength spell. When he hit the West Gate out of the city, he stopped and took out the Haste wand as well. His armor doubled his Strength, which gave him a 50% bonus to his speed, which was already doubled because of his boots. He cast Giant Strength on himself and that gave him a 50% bonus on top of that, then he cast the Haste spell and that doubled his total speed again. Ren looked at his display and saw that his Stamina bar had turned a solid black color and a timer had appeared underneath it, with 19 minutes and 55 seconds on it. ¡°Get ready! Get Set! GO!¡± Ren said and ran for all he was worth. ¡°Wheee!¡± Teepo said from his shoulder. ¡°You''re almost as fast as Princess!¡± Ren made it to his county only a short time later, and had only had to cast both spells twice; once when he started, and once three quarters of the way there. He ran up the small road to the farmhouse and came to a stop at the front door. He didn''t have to ask Teepo to scout, because Teepo had already slipped through the door crack. ¡°It''s just the town council.¡± Teepo said and came back out. Thanks. Ren thought, stored his helm and gauntlets, and knocked on the door. It opened a moment later, and Patty stared at him. He wasn''t sure why, though. He told her he would be here. ¡°I''m here to work.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know I''m a little late, but I ran here as fast as I could.¡± ¡°Ran?¡± Patty asked, surprised. ¡°You ran here?¡± ¡°I''m giving my mount a rest.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, where do I go to help?¡± ¡°Well... about that...¡± ¡°I brought a large crate of tools for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Come in, come in!¡± Margaret, the old lady with the Amulet of Truth said and reached a hand out past Patty. Ren took it and went inside, and Patty sighed. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°She doesn''t want someone so flashy working with the villagers.¡± Margaret said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She doesn''t want you to show them up.¡± One of the old men said from across the new table Ren had given them to use. ¡°That''s not... not... dammit. Yes, it''s true.¡± Patty said. ¡°I don''t want to show them up.¡± Ren said and took out the crate and opened it. ¡°All I want to do is help.¡± ¡°Goodness!¡± Margaret said and looked into the crate. ¡°There''s... I don''t know how many tools in there! It''s full!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I hope your community can put them to good use.¡± ¡°We will.¡± Another old man said. ¡°How long will it take to buy them all?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren looked at his stern face. ¡°I''m giving you these tools.¡± ¡°Yes, we know you are.¡± He said. ¡°How much will we owe you for them?¡± ¡°Um... nothing?¡± Ren kind of asked, a little unsettled that the old man didn''t understand what a gift meant. ¡°Trying to pay for them defeats the whole purpose of giving them away, doesn''t it?¡± ¡°You''re really giving them to us, and you don''t expect anything in return?¡± ¡°Well, I expect them to get used; but, other than that? No.¡± Ren said and smiled at the old man, who leaned close to the man next to him and whispered. ¡°I told you he was crazy.¡± Ren hadn''t needed his excellent hearing to hear them, because they were only about 4 feet in front of him, and he didn''t actually whisper. The other old man must be hard of hearing. Ren thought. ¡°Can I at least watch some of the harvest, so I can see what you''re doing?¡± Patty sighed and looked at him. ¡°You''re not going to let this drop, are you?¡± ¡°I had something special made for today, but you''re not being very cooperative.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s so bad about letting me see the harvest?¡± ¡°She doesn''t want you to laugh at our old ways.¡± Margaret said. ¡°Why would you think I''d do that?¡± Ren asked Patty, and she sighed again. ¡°Look at you.¡± Patty said and motioned to his armor. ¡°You''re as far above us as we are above the animals we take care of!¡± ¡°Hey, now.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s not true.¡± ¡°This is just a small village.¡± Patty said. ¡°All these fancy houses you''re having built are going to change how we live!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± He said. ¡°I want to try some of the wares from the 61 bakers you have here, but not if the food was made in a straw and mud hut.¡± ¡°Are you saying our food isn''t good enough for you?¡± One of the old men said. ¡°I''m not going to lie.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t eat just anything that''s given to me. If I know the conditions of food preparation is below the standard I set for myself, then I won''t eat it.¡± ¡°You have some nerve.¡± The old man said. ¡°I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m even tempted to check each and every home in the village to see how bad things really are, and to make sure you all have better living conditions... even if you refuse to live in a house provided for you to live in.¡± The old man cross his arms and frowned; but, he didn''t argue like Ren thought he would. Patty looked at the old man, then at Ren. ¡°Do you see? You''re already causing so much unrest...¡± ¡°I''m going to cause more, too.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°If you aren''t going to let me help with the harvest the villagers are doing, then I''m going to go out there and pick a field to do it myself.¡± ¡°You can''t do that.¡± Patty said. ¡°We have set areas that families go out and do...¡± ¡°Which family hasn''t gone out yet, or had their field done already?¡± ¡°The Farnhams.¡± Margaret said right away. ¡°Margaret!¡± Patty exclaimed. ¡°Fern hurt his leg yesterday, and he can''t get out of bed to do his field.¡± ¡°Which hut in the village?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Russell!¡± Margaret almost yelled, and the young boy jumped into the farmhouse and stood there with his hands on his hips. ¡°Yes''um?¡± ¡°Please show this man the hut Fern lives in.¡± ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± Russell said and looked at Ren. ¡°Let''s go. I ain''t got all day.¡± Ren chuckled and took Margaret''s hand and bent over it. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± The old lady said, then glanced at Patty''s angry face and back at Ren. ¡°Don''t judge us too harshly.¡± Ren kissed the back of her hand and let it go. ¡°Who would have thought it''s the young woman that''s protesting change.¡± No one said anything as he equipped his helm and gauntlets, stepped out of the farm house, and followed Russell at a fast jog. * ¡°Did you see the damage to his armor?¡± One of the old men asked. ¡°It must have been something powerful to damage that chest plate.¡± Another one said. ¡°He can run pretty fast in full armor.¡± ¡°He''s only jogging now, but he said he ran here.¡± They looked at Margaret and the Amulet of Truth. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Patty asked. ¡°If he''s going to stay here, he... he''s going to change everything.¡± Margaret reached out a hand and pat Patty''s arm. ¡°He means well.¡± Patty sighed. ¡°I only hope that''s all he means to do.¡± ¡°We''ll find out soon enough.¡± One of the old men said. ¡°Fern''s field is 4 miles square. Let''s see if he''s man enough to stay long enough to do it all.¡± * Ren followed Russell for a little ways, and wondered why Patty was so against him. I knew she was angry I''ve been away for so long; but, she shouldn''t be fighting against me. Ren thought. ¡°Maybe she thinks you are going to take her job away from her.¡± Teepo said. Maybe. Ren thought. I guess she could be scared that she won''t be as necessary if I''m around. ¡°You could offer her the position officially.¡± Teepo suggested. What? You mean Mayor? ¡°Yeah.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I mean, there''s a town council, but she pretty much runs everything anyways.¡± That''s true. Ren thought. I wonder if I should just tell her, or wait and make an announcement for the whole village. ¡°Both.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That way it''s not a surprise to her and the council, and it gives them time to adjust to the fact that you''re just too awesome for them.¡± Ren snorted a laugh and thought about how far it was to the village. ¡°Russell? How about a piggy-back ride?¡± Russell glanced back, and looked forward again. ¡°Are you crazy, mister? I can''t lift you!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I meant I''d give you one.¡± ¡°Oh! Well, I dunno.¡± Russell said. ¡°I like running, and it''s not that far...¡± ¡°I can run a lot faster.¡± Ren said, and Russell slowed down, then came to a stop. ¡°I heard you say you ran all the way here from the city.¡± Ren nodded, and turned a bit. ¡°Hop on. I''ll run a bit, and if you don''t like it, I''ll stop and let you off.¡± ¡°That''s fair, I guess.¡± Russell said and climbed onto Ren''s back and locked his hands under Ren''s neck. The cloak provided a cushion between them, and Ren held onto Russell''s legs. ¡°Ready?¡± Ren asked. ¡°As I''ll ever be.¡± Russell said, and Ren started to jog. ¡°Hey, I thought you said you could run fast?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m taking the advice I give my mount when she''s hauling an unfamiliar load.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± ¡°Go slow until you get a feel for how the load changes your balance and movement, then run for all you''re worth.¡± Russell laughed. ¡°I never heard that before.¡± ¡°It works, though.¡± Ren said and leaned forward slightly. ¡°Here we go!¡± Russell kept laughing as Ren took off, and he ran faster than anything Russell had ever seen before, let alone rode. The fastest thing he''d ever ridden on was old Bessy, his dad''s retired milking cow, and she ran pretty fast when you poked her with a stick. They arrived at the village about 10 minutes later, and Ren put Russell down and stored his helm and gauntlets. Russell led Ren over to Fern Farnham''s house and knocked on the doorframe. ¡°Mister Farnham? I got someone here to see you.¡± ¡°Russell?¡± A young black-haired girl about 10 years old asked when she came around the corner of the hut. ¡°Who''s come to see daddy?¡± ¡°That would be me.¡± Ren said, and the girl froze when she saw him. ¡°M-my... m-my... m-my L-Lord!¡± The girl stuttered and tried to curtsy. She stumbled and nearly fell, but Ren reached out and caught her before she could hurt herself. ¡°Easy, there.¡± Ren said and stood her up on her feet. ¡°You don''t have to curtsy.¡± ¡°But... my momma always said...¡± ¡°I''m sure she meant if you could do it safely.¡± Ren said, and the girl blushed. ¡°I... I''ll practice every day, my Lord!¡± The girl said. ¡°I''m... I''m sure you''ll enjoy seeing it when I get better at it!¡± ¡°I enjoyed seeing it this time.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°So you don''t have to practice much more.¡± ¡°Th-thank you, my Lord.¡± The girl said. ¡°My... my mom''s at the bakery and dad''s in bed. He hurt his leg...¡± ¡°That''s why I''m here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I came here to help.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The girl said and grabbed Ren''s hand. ¡°He''s whining more than our pig before we slaughtered him.¡± She went into the house and Ren went with her. He saw it was nice inside, and the temperature was cooler than it was outside. It seemed a little dark, but that was because of the lack of windows and not because of the straw and mud. The furniture was actually of good quality, and the girl led Ren to the big bedroom. ¡°Daddy? My Lord is here to see you.¡± ¡°Hm? What?¡± Fern mumbled, then tried to sit up. He bit down on his lip to stop from screaming, and grabbed his leg. ¡°He''s here to heal you!¡± The girl said excitedly, and Fern looked at Ren. ¡°You don''t... look like... a healer.¡± Fern said through gritted teeth. ¡°I''m not, but I do have the skill.¡± Ren said and stepped close to the bed. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I was a darn fool.¡± Fern said. ¡°I tried to make sure my bull wasn''t getting at my milking cows, but the blasted thing knocked me down and stepped on my leg.¡± ¡°Can I look at it?¡± Ren asked. Fern nodded and pulled up the pant leg, and Ren saw a black and blue bruise covered the entire calf. He sat down on the edge of the bed and examined the leg closely. ¡°Your knee is dislocated, and I''m pretty sure you''ve got one or two breaks in the leg.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re only pretty sure?¡± ¡°I can heal the bruise easily and put the knee back in place; but, I don''t think I can fix the broken leg.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I''d need a higher skill to diagnose major injuries properly, so I''m only guessing here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want me to do what I can?¡± ¡°If it''ll ease some of this pain, sure.¡± Ren took out a Major Healing wand and concentrated on the dislocated knee and used the spell. It popped back into place and then he concentrated on the bruise and used another spell. The bruise faded and Fern took a deep breath and relaxed. ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Fern said. ¡°That''s much better.¡± ¡°Daddy!¡± The girl exclaimed and hugged her father, and he hugged her back. Chapter 353 - For The People ¡°I''ll call for an experienced healer right way.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°Good luck.¡± Fern said. ¡°No healer has come out this way since I was a kid.¡± ¡°They will now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Fern nodded, and Ren left the bedroom and the house, then thought about Frikara. ¡°Frikara? Are you busy?¡± ¡°If you think trying on clothes is busy.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I''m sorry to bother you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you run over to Anabelle and ask her to send an experienced healer out to the village of Goagan in Walin County? I''ve got a man here with a broken leg and he needs healing right away.¡± ¡°I''m already walking down the stairs.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I''m putting on the things you gave us to protect ourselves.¡± ¡°Thank you, Frikara.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tell the healer they''ll get double the normal fee.¡± ¡°So, you have to bribe them to travel out so far?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°Apparently.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was going to run back and pick them up myself, but that just wastes everyone''s time.¡± ¡°What would you do? Let them ride you?¡± Frikara laughed. ¡°Assuming they''d let you carry them.¡± Ren chuckled, because he had just done something similar with Russell. ¡°Call me back when they set out.¡± He said. ¡°That way I''ll have some idea of when they''ll get here.¡± ¡°I''ll let you know as soon as I know.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Ren watched the Sending Ring as it stopped glowing, and sighed. I just hope the healer can get here in time. He thought. It''s already been a day. ¡°Don''t worry, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re doing everything you can.¡± * When the Sending Ring stopped glowing, Frikara ran down the street, around the corner, and down to the next street. She hadn''t run like that since she was a teenager, and she had forgotten how good it felt. Since she wasn''t used to using her Stamina like that, it drained quickly. She slowed down to a jog and arrived at Ren''s shop a few minutes later. Frikara went inside and over to the sales counter, greeted Anabelle, and relayed Ren''s message. Anabelle brought up the business menu and sent a message to the Healer''s Guild. She knew that wasn''t what it was actually called; but, it functioned the same as a guild in every respect, so that''s what she called it. Anabelle gave them the information Ren wanted; a broken leg, the location, and double the fee. She got a response immediately that someone would be at the shop in a few minutes, and she closed the business menu. ¡°They''ll be right here.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°It''s just too bad that it''s going to take hours and hours to get out there.¡± ¡°Only if Princess doesn''t agree to help Ren.¡± Frikara said and smiled. ¡°Oh, that''s brilliant!¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Sneaky and scary, but brilliant.¡± A couple of minutes later, a male healer came into the shop. ¡°I''ve been tasked to heal a broken leg in a small village.¡± He said. ¡°Have you arranged transportation?¡± ¡°I was just about to.¡± Frikara said and walked over to him. ¡°Have you ever ridden a mount before?¡± * Ren stayed outside to wait for Frikara''s call, but he didn''t pace or worry. He knew that she, and all of the other maids, were quite capable of handling things... as long as it wasn''t cooking. He chuckled when he remembered their last attempt at making beef stew, and then his Sending Ring glowed. ¡°Ren? He''s on his way.¡± Frikara said, with amusement in her voice. ¡°Thanks, Frikara.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now we just have to wait for several hours for the cart to get here.¡± ¡°Oh, about that...¡± Frikara said and started to laugh. It was about 20 minutes later that Princess showed up at the village, and the healer was strapped over her back. He was in the same position that Ren had tied himself in once, with his legs around her belly and his arms around her neck. Ren had fallen unconscious soon after, because of his Controlled Berserk Rage he''d used to show off to Elerlyth at the time; so, he didn''t remember the ride at all. ¡°Get me off this crazy thing!¡± The healer said, and Ren laughed. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked and started to undo the straps that held the healer''s arms. ¡°That short dark-haired woman asked me if I''d ridden a mount before, and when I said no, she said she''d take care of it!¡± The healer said. Princess? Ren thought. He kept whining that I was going too fast, so I only went at half-speed and took twice as long. Princess thought to him and huffed. Ren pat her neck, and undid the leg straps. The healer sighed in relief and Ren helped him down from the saddle. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ren asked him, and gave Princess the breakfast he hadn''t eaten. She sucked up the scrambled eggs almost instantly. ¡°The only thing that''s really hurt is my dignity.¡± The healer said and wiped off some imaginary dirt from his white tunic. ¡°I''ve never been treated like that in my life!¡± ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I carry her cart with me all the time, just in case she needs it while we''re out.¡± He said. ¡°I should probably leave it with her when I don''t bring her along.¡± ¡°A cart ride would have been better, yes.¡± The healer said, and composed himself. ¡°Can you show me the patient?¡± ¡°Right this way.¡± Ren said and led the healer into the straw and mud house and into the back bedroom. The healer looked at Fern and got to work right away. Fern did his best to not scream in pain as the healer examined him and then again when the healer pulled his leg straight. ¡°GeaahhH!¡± Fern yelled as the healer turned his foot to face the right way. ¡°Don''t move.¡± The healer said and looked at Ren. ¡°Hold the foot and the leg steady.¡± Ren did as he was asked and the healer used his Major Healing ability to set the fractures. ¡°He''s lucky the breaks didn''t start to set yet.¡± The healer said as his hands glowed and he slowly hovered them above the calf of Fern''s leg. ¡°It would have to be broken again if it did.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Fern said. ¡°How many breaks were there?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Three.¡± The healer said. ¡°The last one was only small, but it would have caused constant pain if it had been missed or healed badly.¡± Ren sighed in relief and looked at Fern, and Fern nodded his thanks. It took about 5 minutes for the healer to finish, and then he pat Fern''s leg. ¡°AHH-Hey! That''s didn''t hurt!¡± Fern said, and started to laugh, and his daughter jumped onto the bed with him to celebrate. ¡°You should probably stay off it for the day, but you don''t have to.¡± The healer said and smiled. ¡°I do good work.¡± ¡°You sure do!¡± Fern said and got out of bed, and held his daughter in his arms. He didn''t dance around, even though he was tempted to. ¡°Thank you kindly.¡± The healer nodded and left the bedroom, and Ren followed him out of the house. ¡°There should have been extensive bruising, and a possible dislocated knee with those kinds of breaks.¡± The healer said when they were outside. ¡°Who healed them?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°My skill isn''t high enough to diagnose major injuries yet, so I called in a professional.¡± ¡°You really shouldn''t be healing without supervision; but, that was a nice job.¡± The healer nodded. ¡°If that''s all...¡± He said. ¡°That''ll be 4 gold and 80 silver.¡± Ren heard two gasps from inside the house, and smiled as he took out 10 gold. ¡°Like I promised, here''s double the fee.¡± A short shrill scream came next, and Ren figured it was from the little girl; but it was actually from Fern. The little girl was too shocked to react at all. ¡°That''s very generous of you, sir.¡± The healer said and put away the 10 gold, and took out 40 silver. ¡°You can keep that.¡± Ren said. ¡°As an apology for the ride here.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The healer nodded and put the money back into his coin pouch. ¡°Now that my job is done, I should be getting back.¡± ¡°Hold on for a minute.¡± Ren said. ¡°Russell!¡± The young boy popped out of nowhere to appear beside the healer. ¡°Yes''um?¡± ¡°Is there anyone else in the village that''s hurt, or needs some kind of healing?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°Now that we have someone with experience here, we should be able to tackle anything that comes up.¡± The healer looked at Ren curiously. ¡°I''ll compensate you for your time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might not need your help at all; but like you said, having you along will definitely be a benefit.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± The healer said. ¡°Three houses that way.¡± Russell said and pointed. ¡°Biggest cut I''ve ever seen!¡± ¡°Lead on.¡± Ren said, and the three of them started their rounds, with Princess sauntering behind them. It took several hours for them to check on everyone that was still in the village. The healer had only been needed twice, when Ren wasn''t sure if there were any internal injuries with two of the patients. Even with that consideration, the healer had helped the entire time without being asked to. It was like Ren was the experienced healer and he was the assistant, instead of the other way around. They healed cuts and scrapes, both normal and from chickens; broken toes, pig bites, and everything else they could find. When they were done, Ren received a popup.
Stat Change!
Healing Level 1 (Advanced 0%)
¡°That was worth several hundred patients.¡± Ren said, and the healer looked at him. ¡°It''s always worth it to heal the sick and injured.¡± The healer said. ¡°No matter who they are or where they live, everyone deserves to be healed.¡± ¡°That''s my view, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°You wouldn''t happen to know anyone that would want to move to a desolate farming county to deal with scrapes, cuts, and burns, on an almost daily basis?¡± The healer chuckled. ¡°I''ve got a rotating schedule that sends me all over the place.¡± He said. ¡°I just happened to be on the long excursion list today.¡± ¡°Who do I talk to in order to make arrangements for staffing a permanent healing facility out here?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That would be Miss Grandure.¡± The healer said. ¡°She''s the head of the local branch of healers.¡± ¡°Do I need to make an appointment?¡± The healer chuckled again. ¡°No, she''s an administrator and stays at the office.¡± He said and gave Ren the address. ¡°She used to do rounds herself, but there was too much paperwork and logistics for her to split her time like that.¡± ¡°I understand that part.¡± Ren said and chuckled himself. ¡°If I didn''t have my Dedicated Servant Crafter, I''d never be able to leave my shop.¡± The healer nodded. ¡°Well, I guess I better go.¡± Ren took out the cart to attach it to Princess, and the healer looked at it. ¡°Are you driving?¡± The healer asked. ¡°There''s no need.¡± Ren said and pat Princess. ¡°She''ll get you back before you know it.¡± ¡°Without a driver?!?¡± ¡°You didn''t drive her here, did you?¡± Ren asked, and the healer''s eyes widened. ¡°I... no, I guess I didn''t.¡± He said. ¡°I pretty much just held on for dear life.¡± Ren smiled and asked the healer if he wanted to ride up front in the driver''s seat, or in comfort in the back. The healer chose the back, and Ren told him what the handholds were for. ¡°If you call for another healer, I''m not coming back.¡± The healer said, and Ren laughed. ¡°Before I forget.¡± Ren said and tossed the healer a platinum coin. ¡°Thanks for your assistance today.¡± ¡°This... you...¡± ¡°You only healed two injuries and Fern, remember?¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t forget to give your boss their cut of just those three injuries. The rest of that money is for your time.¡± The healer slipped the coin into his coin pouch. ¡°Maybe I will come back if you call.¡± Ren grinned and reminded him to hold on, and went to the front to talk to Princess. After a short conversation of him telling her what to do, Princess took off at her best speed. Ren and Russell laughed and waved to the cart as it disappeared into the distance, to the sound of a man as he yelled for his mother. ¡°That was fun, mister.¡± Russell said. ¡°I''m just sorry you couldn''t do anything for Unice.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s go back to Fern''s place and see how he''s doing.¡± They went through the village and back to Fern''s place, just in time to see him trying to leave. ¡°I''ve got a field to harvest, Gemma!¡± Fern said to his wife, who had a hold of his arm and was trying to drag him back inside. ¡°You were just bedridden from a broken leg!¡± She said. ¡°The healer said you should stay off of it for a while!¡± ¡°He said I should, not that I have to.¡± Fern said. ¡°The only reason I stayed home this long was so I could tell you the good news when you came home for lunch.¡± ¡°Ma''am?¡± Ren said. The woman froze, because she was in a bit of a quandary. She knew she should curtsy for Ren, and she needed her hands for that; but, she also knew that she had to keep a hold of her husband or he would make a break for the field he had to harvest. ¡°If I promise that all Fern is going to do is show me the field and watch while I harvest it for him, will you let him go?¡± Ren said. ¡°I... I... yes.¡± The woman said and let Fern go, then gave Ren a proper curtsy. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± ¡°Now hold on just a minute!¡± Fern said. ¡°You can''t make me just stand there and watch!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Trust me, you''re going to want to stand there and see what I''m going to do.¡± ¡°I dunno.¡± Fern said. ¡°You look more like a dandy than you do a farm worker.¡± ¡°FERN!¡± The woman hollered and slapped him upside the head. ¡°Ow! Dammit, woman!¡± Fern said and rubbed his ear. ¡°You make sure you keep the proper respect on your tongue! He could order you killed for saying something like that!¡± ¡°Ma''am?¡± Ren said. The woman turned to him and ducked her head so that she couldn''t look him in the eyes. ¡°Please, you don''t have to avert your eyes.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him. ¡°I won''t order someone''s death for something like that.¡± ¡°You... you won''t?¡± The woman asked, and looked at her husband. ¡°You might change your mind if you''re working the field with him today.¡± Fern laughed. ¡°She''s right, you know.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll get under your nerves right quick.¡± ¡°I doubt that.¡± Ren said and took the woman''s hand. ¡°Ma''am, it was nice to meet you.¡± He said, gave it a very light kiss and let it go. The woman stared at Ren because she didn''t know how to react. No one had ever treated her like she was a high class woman, not even her husband. Fern''s daughter was right there behind her mother, and she stepped forward and held her hand out. Ren knelt on one knee and took her hand. ¡°It was very nice to meet you, too.¡± Ren said and gave her hand a very light kiss, just like he did to her mother. Unlike her mother, the girl giggled at the feel of his lips on her hand, leaned forward and kissed his cheek. ¡°FALLA!¡± Her mother yelled. Falla took her hand back and laughed, then ran down the road. ¡°I kissed a Lord! I kissed a Lord! I kissed a Lord!¡± She sang as she ran, then met several other girls who were about her age, and had just come out from hiding several houses away. They all looked over at Ren and started to giggle. ¡°I''m very sorry about that, My Lord.¡± Fern''s wife said, and Ren stood up. ¡°I hope you don''t think I''ll have her hung for stealing a kiss.¡± Ren said. The woman''s face drained of it''s color and she started to swoon. Ren reached out and held her steady with a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I said I wouldn''t do that.¡± Ren assured her. ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± The woman nodded. ¡°I... I''m... yes, I''m okay.¡± ¡°Goodness, woman!¡± Fern said and grinned. ¡°He doesn''t have to worry about me at all! It''s you and Falla he should be afraid of getting under his skin.¡± Ren chuckled, let the woman''s shoulder go, and looked at Fern. ¡°Show me this field of yours.¡± ¡°It''s not that far from here.¡± Fern said and started to walk down the road. Ren nodded to Fern''s wife and followed Fern. ¡°It''s the closest field to the village.¡± Fern said. ¡°I won the bid for it this year.¡± ¡°I assume people bid for it so they won''t have far to go to work it.¡± ¡°You''re pretty smart.¡± Fern said. ¡°Yep, that''s why. It cost me one of my best cows for slaughter, but it was worth it.¡± He said. ¡°Last year I had to go all the way across the county to work.¡± ¡°That must have been hard.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s an understatement if I ever heard one.¡± Fern said. ¡°It took nearly half the day to walk there carrying the tools I needed. I could only work for an hour or so, then I''d have to head back.¡± He shook his head. ¡°It got to the point that I just brought along a bedroll and stayed out there until I was done of a full days work, slept, and worked half of the next day.¡± ¡°Is that what people are doing now?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Now that they know it''s possible.¡± Fern said and smiled. ¡°I was the first one to come up with it.¡± Ren didn''t say anything else until they came to the field. ¡°This is it?¡± It really was only a short walk away from the village, but nothing seemed to be marked. The wheat was over 5 feet high, and perfect for harvesting. ¡°How big is your field?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We''re smack dab in the middle of this side.¡± Fern said. ¡°It''s 2 miles that way.¡± He pointed to the right. ¡°And 2 miles that way.¡± He pointed to the left. ¡°Then it''s 4 miles right out that-a-way.¡± He said and pointed straight forward. ¡°How can you tell where your field ends and the other begins?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You just know.¡± Fern said. ¡°Plus, we all start on the same side and go across.¡± He said and motioned from his chest out. ¡°I''ll bet that Mackie''s already got a good couple of feet done on the next lot since yesterday.¡± ¡°Can you show me how you harvest?¡± ¡°I thought you said I could just stand here and watch.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You can, I just want to know how you do it.¡± ¡°It''s easy.¡± Fern said and unhooked the hand sickle from his belt. ¡°You grab a handful like this.¡± He said and reached out to grab a good handful of the stalks. ¡°Then you be careful of your legs when you swing.¡± He said and swung the short circular blade into the bottom of the stalks and it sheared through three quarters of the bundle. He swung again and cut it off completely. Fern held the bundle tightly as he took one of the stalks and wrapped it around, then tucked it in and tossed the small bundle aside. ¡°That''s it?¡± Ren asked, and Fern nodded. ¡°Can I try?¡± Fern looked at his sickle and then at Ren, then glanced down at his leg. ¡°It''s my Pappy''s, so be careful with it.¡± He said and held the sickle out. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said did the same motions as Fern. He grabbed a handful of stalks and cut through the bundle with one swipe.
Notice!
You have unlocked a new skill: Harvesting Level 1 (Beginner 0%). This sub skill under Farming is used to gather crops. Higher levels will allow faster harvesting and higher quality crops to be gathered, with less damage caused in the process.
¡°You can work twice as fast as me!¡± Fern said. Ren wasn''t too sure about that, because he took the opportunity to examine the sickle and got the pattern ''Modified Sickle'' from it.
Pappy''s Old Sickle
This sickle isn''t a family heir loom, but it still gives bonuses for family members to use it. Sharpness: +20%, Durability: +20% Durability: 55 / 200 Sharp
Show info for Sharp. Ren thought, but nothing appeared. ¡°Show info for Sharp.¡± He said out loud and got the popup.
Sharp
This increases a blade''s cutting efficiency by 50%. Blades already Sharp cannot be sharpened again to increase the bonus.
¡°Fern? Do you mind if I repair it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Mind?!?¡± Fern nearly yelled. ¡°Dammit, man! Hurry up and do it!¡± Ren laughed, took out his blacksmith hammer, and held it to the sickle. ¡°Repair.¡± The sickle was covered in a golden glow for a few moments and the tarnish on it faded away, the handle felt tighter, and the blade''s edge gleamed in the sunlight. Ren couldn''t sharpen it because it was already sharp; but, he could polish it to add Durability, and that''s what he did for almost a full minute. He smiled when he examined it again.
Pappy''s Sickle
This sickle isn''t a family heir loom, but it still gives bonuses for family members to use it. Sharpness: +20%, Durability: +20% Durability: 250 / 250 Sharp
¡°There we go.¡± Ren said and handed it to Fern. ¡°Wooo-eee!¡± Fern said and held it up. ¡°Lookit that!¡± ¡°That sure is nice.¡± Russell said. ¡°Nice?¡± Fern reached out and grabbed a handful of stalks and swiped the sickle across the bottom of them, and it went right through the bundle. ¡°It''s beautiful!¡± ¡°Whatcha gonna do now?¡± Russell asked Ren. ¡°I was about to show Fern why he''ll want to stand here and watch.¡± ¡°I''m good at watching, too.¡± Russell said and grinned. ¡°Then the both of you can step back a bit.¡± Ren said and motioned them to move back, and when they were far enough away, he took out the farm vehicle Tee-one had built and laughed at their shocked faces. Chapter 354 - A New Way ¡°What in the blue blazing hell is that?!?¡± Fern exclaimed. ¡°Hopefully something that works like a charm.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve never driven it before, though.¡± ¡°You drive it?!?¡± Fern asked. ¡°How? I don''t see a horse to pull it.¡± Ren was tempted to say that they were inside, but didn''t want to get into a conversation that could be full of misunderstandings. ¡°It runs on people power.¡± Ren said and climbed onto it and sat on the seat. He put his feet on the pedals and started to pedal. He didn''t do it too much, because he was wearing his armor and he wasn''t quite used to using it in normal situations like this. He thought about storing it and equipping his Travelling Clothes, but decided that he''d rather keep the protection and bonuses it gave instead. Ren looked at the levers for the attachments. He needed the harvester in the front so he pulled that lever and the big thresher wheel slid down into place. He looked at the other levers and figured he might as well seed while he was at it and pulled that lever, too. The large rake in the back dropped down on the farm vehicle, then Ren used the seed spreader lever which dropped a spinning thing down behind the rake. There was a container on the back for seeds, and Ren looked at Fern and Russell. ¡°Before I start this, I assume you have bags of seeds I can use.¡± ¡°Seeds? While you harvest?¡± Fern asked. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m going to harvest and rake at the same time, so why not seed, too?¡± ¡°Russell? Go grab a bag of seed for this nut.¡± Fern said. Russell nodded and took off at a run. While they waited, Ren thought about irrigation and looked around. He couldn''t see anything at all for water distribution, and knew he was going to have to change that. For now, though; he took out several steel squares and enchanted them with a glyph of one Water and one Wind rune, and placed them on the back of the farm vehicle. Teepo? Where''s Russell? ¡°He''s about 20 straw and mud houses in.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I don''t know how the villagers tell the difference between the buildings, since they are all pretty much the same; but, I think... yes, here he comes with a large bag of seeds. It must be a storage area or something.¡± Ren stood up and waited for Russell to come over with the big bag of seeds. He took it from the boy and dumped the whole bag into the seed container, then passed the empty bag back to Russell and looked at the boy''s boots. ¡°Can I see your boots for a minute?¡± Ren asked Russell, and the boy shrugged and slipped the boots off. Ren examined them and saw they weren''t much better than socks, and shook his head. ¡°You need better footwear if you''re going to be my official helper.¡± ¡°I do?¡± Russell asked, then his eyes widened. ¡°Did you say helper?¡± ¡°You''ve helped me out a lot today, didn''t you?¡± Ren asked. Russell nodded. ¡°It was fun, too.¡± He said. ¡°We helped so many people!¡± Ren smiled and took out the table he had. It was the council''s old rickety table, and he chuckled. ¡°I forgot I gave my table to the council.¡± He said, then made another one right in front of them. It only took a couple of minutes, and Ren took out some Spider Silk cloth and sewed up a pair of boots, with an extra thick layer for the soles. He activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability, and the 1 foot square golden platform appeared. He put the Spider Silk Boots on it and chose the Boots of Striding and Leaping recipe. They glowed for 30 seconds, and Ren picked them up to examine them as the platform disappeared.
Spider Silk Boots of Striding and Leaping
Normally, these boots only grant a run speed increase of 25%, but due to the high Durability and quality of the boots used, it grants 50% to their run speed instead. The wearer can also jump 2 times their improved jump distance instead of 2 times their normal distance.
¡°There we go.¡± Ren said and held the boots out to Russell. Both Russell and Fern stood there with their mouths open in shock. They had watched Ren work and it was interesting, but when the glowing platform had appeared out of nowhere, it kind of blew their minds. ¡°Russell? You can have these.¡± Ren said and shook the boots in front of the boy''s face. ¡°Russell?¡± The boy didn''t react at all, and Ren cupped the boy''s hands together and put the boots on them. Ren walked over to the farm vehicle and climbed on, then pulled up the levers for seeding and raking. He wouldn''t need them until he got the vehicle onto the field, grabbed the left and right movement levers, and hit the spring release mechanism. The farm vehicle jumped forward and cut a 10 foot wide path in the wheat. Ren pulled back on both movement levers a little to slow down. ¡°Wow! This is really weird!¡± Ren said and the farm vehicle lurched to the side and he pulled back on the wrong lever and turned to the right instead of staying straight to compensate for the lurch. ¡°Oops!¡± He said and started to laugh as he tried to compensate for his mistake again and turned the farm vehicle all the way around instead. ¡°Damn, this is hard to get the hang of!¡± Fern and Russell watched wordlessly as Ren cut a very crooked and twisted path through the wheat. It took a while for Ren to figure out that he didn''t have to try and steer the thing all the time; all he had to do was guide where it went... very, very carefully. ¡°I think... I think I got it.¡± Ren said as he finally got the farm vehicle back over to where he had started and lined it up with the side of the field and came to a stop. He let the system highlight the edge of the field he had to harvest, pushed the movement levers forward a little, and then the farm vehicle ran out of spring power. He pedalled a lot to charge it up again, and hit the release. Ren had both left and right levers back all the way, so it didn''t move at all, and pulled the rake and seeder levers to put them into place. It was then he remembered the seeds needed to be covered for them to work; so he pulled the tiller lever and the attachment dropped in behind the seeder. ¡°Here we go!¡± Ren said and eased both right and left movement levers forward at the same time. The farm vehicle jumped forward and pulled in stalks of wheat, raked the ground behind the farm vehicle, and tossed seeds out as it tilled the ground. He activated the Water enchantments on the back of the vehicle to irrigate the seeds, and he started to drift to the left. Ren eased off the right lever a tiny little bit and straightened out his path and came to a stop again.
Notice!
You have unlocked new skills: Raking Level 1 (Beginner 0%). This sub skill under Farming is used to rake the ground for applying seeds. Higher levels will allow faster raking and will increase the yield of planted crops. Seeding Level 1 (Beginner 0%). This sub skill under Farming is used to seed crops. Higher levels will allow faster seeding and higher quality crops to be gathered. Tilling Level 1 (Beginner 0%). This sub skill under Farming is used to til the soil. Higher levels will allow faster planting and will increase the yield of planted crops.
¡°Yee-hah!¡± Ren yelled and started the farm vehicle up again. The thresher worked fine as it gathered up bundles and bundles of wheat every second, cut them off close to the ground, and funnelled them off to the side. It left a long string of wheat in a round pile about a foot thick, in a constant stream behind it as it went. The rake cut up the ground easily, since the farm vehicle was so heavy, the seeder churned out the right amount of seeds, and the tiller buried them a second later. ¡°It''s working!¡± Ren said. ¡°Ha! Hahahaha!¡± Ren didn''t try to increase his speed, since he wasn''t used to driving the farm vehicle yet; but, he was getting better at controlling it, which built up his confidence. With Teepo keeping an eye out for anything that might be in their path, Ren kept driving. * Princess had dropped off the terrified healer where he wanted to go, ran back out of the city of Aurora while avoiding other carts and people, and went to the dock to see Tee-one. ¡°Hi, Princess.¡± Tee-one said. Hello, minion. Princess thought to Ren''s Dedicated Servant Crafter. My Lord wishes for you to load the glass forge and some sand into my cart. ¡°Of course, Princess.¡± Tee-one said. He didn''t take offence when Princess called him a minion, since that was essentially what he was. He also knew she didn''t mean it in a derogatory manner, since it was just a description. It would have been just as proper if he''d said ''mount'' instead of her name when he talked to her.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Tee-one looked into her saddlebags and saw there was a Haste wand, a helm, and the straps in it. He took them out and stored the glass forge inside. It took up all of the saddlebag''s available slots, and Tee-one loaded bags of sand into the cart. He thought about thanking the workers for bagging it up, rather than just leaving the sand in a pile on the floor, then shrugged and kept working. If it came up in conversation, he would thank them for it; but, it wasn''t a priority at the moment. He wants you to tell Janice to come with me. Princess said when Tee-one finished loading as much sand into the cart as he could. ¡°What about her house?¡± Tee-one asked. He said he would pick it up later, since neither of us can carry it. Princess said. He said Janice will be too busy to think about the house for a while. Tee-one chuckled. ¡°His first lesson in glassblowing is this afternoon, too.¡± He said and climbed into the driver''s seat. ¡°Take me to the house, please.¡± Princess only trotted, since she had a lot of weight to haul now and didn''t have far to go. They arrived at the house a few minutes later, and Princess asked for some food. Tee-one nodded to her, knocked once on the front door, and went inside. He greeted Railyse, who had looked out of her room to see who it was, then he went into the kitchen and made up several plates of food. He stored them and went upstairs to the guest room, opened the door, and knocked on Janice''s front door. ¡°Yeah, yeah... just second.¡± Janice said, and opened the door. ¡°AhHH!¡± ¡°Hi, Janice.¡± Tee-one said, and ignored her reaction to seeing him. ¡°Ren would like you to go with Princess to meet him.¡± ¡°You... you... you''re metal!¡± Janice said, surprised. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Steel, actually.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°If you''ll come with me?¡± Janice stared at him for a moment, shook her head a little at the things she''d seen, and stepped out of her house and shut the door. ¡°It''s really weird having my house inside another house.¡± She said and followed Tee-one down the stairs, and then outside. ¡°Hi, Princess.¡± Princess huffed to her, then Janice noticed the cart. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Janice said. ¡°No no no.¡± Tee-one smiled at her and knelt by Princess'' side. ¡°It''s all right. You''ll be riding in the saddle.¡± Janice sighed in relief and used the offered knee to climb up onto Princess'' back. She started to reach for the reins and Tee-one stopped her with a hand on her knee. ¡°Don''t touch the reins.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Princess knows the way.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to hold on?¡± Tee-one gave Princess a plate of food and took out the straps that were in her saddlebag. He tied them around Princess'' chest and handed the ends to Janice. ¡°You can hold on, but it won''t affect Princess and how she runs.¡± He said and held out the Haste wand. ¡°You should take this, too.¡± ¡°Do I have to?¡± Janice asked, and Tee-one gave her the helm. ¡°Oh! Thank you.¡± Tee-one smiled again because she had changed her mind so quickly. Janice put on the Helm of the Eagle and held the wand at the ready. ¡°Don''t use the wand until you''re out of the city.¡± Tee-one said and gave Janice three plates of food, then looked at Princess and stored the empty plate. ¡°You''re hauling a lot of weight, even with the lightness enchantment.¡± He pat her neck. ¡°Be careful.¡± You''re as bad as My Lord. Princess thought in amusement. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± Tee-one asked, and both Princess and Janice nodded. He stepped back out of the way and waved. Princess started out with a slow trot, then picked up a little speed. She couldn''t go as fast as she wanted to, because there were too many other people and carts on the street; but, she felt exhilaration when she approached the West Gate. ¡°You''re just itching to go, aren''t you?¡± Janice asked her, and Princess huffed. ¡°Only another few moments...¡± They passed the West Gate''s opening and Princess started to run. She''d had the load long enough to get a good feel for it, and Janice used the Haste wand on her. Princess felt the energy surge through her, and joy filled her heart as her speed doubled. She dug her hooves into the dirt to push with all her might, and Janice held on to the unleashed speed demon. * Ren had passed by Russell and Fern 3 times already, and they were still just standing there and staring at him. He tried not to laugh at the whole situation; but with Teepo laughing on his shoulder every time they passed by the two stunned villagers, he couldn''t keep his amusement to himself and laughed, too. I think I''ll try going a little faster now. Ren thought, and pushed both right and left levers up slightly. The farm vehicle picked up speed; but it didn''t affect the size of the wheat pile left behind, so he kept the new speed and watched his path carefully. They passed by Fern and Russell twice more, much faster than before, and they were about a mile away from the middle of the field when Teepo said he spotted a rock not too far away. Ren eased the speed down and came to a stop, deactivated the Water and Wind enchantments on the back, then hopped off the farm vehicle.
Stat Change!
Farming Level 2 (Beginner 0%) Harvesting Level 2 (Beginner 0%) Raking Level 2 (Beginner 0%) Seeding Level 2 (Beginner 0%) Tilling Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
I''m a little surprised it''s only up one level. Ren thought. I just did 4 miles back and forth 6 times, at 10 feet a pass. I thought it would be more at the Beginner level. ¡°Maybe you''re getting less because of how you''re doing it.¡± Teepo suggested wisely. Actually, yeah; I think that''s it. Ren thought. I''m still using a tool, but not quite directly. He walked through the wheat to find the top of a boulder that was about 10 feet around and stuck up from the ground about 3 feet. ¡°I guess, technically, it''s a rock.¡± Ren said in amusement. ¡°When you said rock, I assumed one about a foot or so big.¡± He said and held his arms out to show the size he meant. ¡°I wonder how something this big got out in the middle of a field?¡± Teepo and Ren looked around, and couldn''t see any drag marks or indents to indicate that it was brought here. ¡°I''ll just go around it for now.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I try to remove it, it might leave a hole that anyone could fall in.¡± ¡°Including us.¡± Teepo said, and Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll come back later and see if I can shift it around, or even break it up and remove it.¡± Ren said and climbed up on top of it. ¡°Hey, I see Princess!¡± Teepo said. ¡°She''s coming over the road now.¡± Ren jumped off the rock and went to the farm vehicle to store it, then ran over to Fern and told him he was taking a break for a while, possibly for a couple of hours, and looked at Russell. ¡°Hey, snap out of it.¡± Ren said and snapped his fingers in front of the boy''s face a couple of times. Russell looked at him with wide eyes and then blinked a few times. ¡°Sorry, mister.¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Put on your boots and get out of here.¡± He said. ¡°Tell Patty she wants you.¡± ¡°Yes''sir!¡± Russell said, slipped the boots on, then stood still as a post when he saw what they did. ¡°I said GIT!¡± Ren yelled at the boy. Russell was startled and jumped back about 2 feet. He''d only meant to jump about 6 inches, and he started to laugh. ¡°Move it! Move it! Move it!¡± Ren said, and Russell took off at a run. He tripped and stumbled a little; but, he caught himself before he fell and kept laughing. He got his feet moving properly a moment later and ran down the road faster than he ever thought was possible. ¡°That was a little harsh, wasn''t it?¡± Fern asked. He had been startled at the yell, too. ¡°You can''t let surprising things stop you from acting.¡± Ren said and turned back to Fern. ¡°Sometimes a good scare is just what people need to get them moving.¡± ¡°I don''t think I agree with that.¡± Fern said. ¡°It got you to react, didn''t it?¡± Ren said and grinned. Fern frowned at him for a moment, then it changed to a small smile. ¡°Ha.¡± Princess came around the corner of the field at a solid run, with Janice on her back and the cart loaded with sand. She slowed down and came to a stop in front of Ren. ¡°Long time, no see.¡± Ren said, and got two different reactions. Janice nodded and said it had been a while, and Princess knew he was joking and brayed a little. ¡°Let''s go to the main house.¡± Ren pat her neck and climbed up into the driver''s seat of the cart. ¡°See you in a little while, Fern.¡± * ¡°Yeah.¡± Fern said and waved as Princess took Janice and Ren down the road. He turned and looked at the field and at the trails of wheat bundles. ¡°How the hell am I gonna get them all done up for delivery?¡± Fern reached up and scratched the top of his head while he thought about it, and after a few minutes, turned to look at the village. ¡°FALLA!¡± Fern yelled, and less than a minute later, Falla came running over to him. ¡°Yes, Daddy?¡± ¡°Go and get your mother... and Nessie... and you might as well tell your friends to come, too.¡± ¡°What for?¡± Falla asked. Fern pointed at the rows and rows of wheat bundles. ¡°We need a carry train to the storage.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Falla said. ¡°We can all play together!¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± Fern said and smiled. ¡°Now go and get everyone I said.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Falla said and ran back to the village. She met her friends at the edge of the village and told them they could play carry train, and they split up to tell the other children. This is going to be an even more fun day than it already is! Falla thought as she ran to get her mother and aunt. * Ren, Janice and Princess arrived at the Main House a few minutes later, and Ren hopped down from the cart. He went to Janice and helped her climb down from Princess'' back, then unhooked the cart from Princess and stored it. Janice gave him the helm and Haste wand back, and he stored them and untied the straps on Princess. Ren put the straps in her saddle bag when he transferred the glass forge to his own inventory, then told her to only go 10 miles in each direction if she was going to run. She licked his face and ran off without any burdens on her at all. ¡°Wow, this place is really nice!¡± Janice said as she looked at the Main House, then she looked at the 50 houses behind it. ¡°Look at all those houses!¡± She said. ¡°There''s almost as many here as there was where I lived!¡± ¡°There''s going to be 5 times that many houses going to be built there.¡± Ren said and pointed at the other subdivisions he''d already prepared. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Janice said. ¡°Where are all the people coming from?¡± ¡°You saw the village.¡± ¡°That was a village?!?¡± Janice exclaimed. ¡°I thought that''s where they kept the animals!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, those were the houses.¡± He said. ¡°I haven''t seen where they keep the livestock.¡± ¡°Geez! If the houses look like that, I can''t imagine what the barns look like!¡± ¡°You''re assuming that they have barns.¡± Ren said, and Janice stared at him. ¡°You''re kidding, right?¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I won''t know they exist until I see one.¡± He said. ¡°Anyways, do you want a house among the others, or do you want one across the road?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I have to build a glassworks anyways, so I need to know if you want a separate house or do you want to live beside or above it?¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Janice asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve only got one glass furnace, though.¡± ¡°YOU HAVE A GLASS FURNACE?!?¡± Janice yelled, and Princess blew a raspberry at her for being so loud when she passed by, and Ren laughed. ¡°I''m standing right here, you know.¡± Ren said and stuck a finger in his ear and shook it. ¡°That kinda hurt.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Janice said. ¡°I was just surprised.¡± ¡°I told you I''d take responsibility for costing you your job.¡± Ren put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You came with me to start a new life in a new place. You''re going to have everything you need to do what you want.¡± ¡°Ren... you...¡± Janice shook her head. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I''m nothing to you.¡± Janice said. ¡°I''m just a waitress you met at a girly bar.¡± ¡°There''s a very simple explanation for that.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You let me touch your butt.¡± Ren said and grinned at her, and she laughed. ¡°It''s not that nice of a butt.¡± Janice said. ¡°You didn''t cry foul, or say I was taking advantage of you, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Before you argue that I''d paid you, that happened right after we met and before I tipped you.¡± Janice thought back and then her eyes widened. ¡°You''re right.¡± She said. ¡°It was.¡± ¡°Hey, I''m always right.¡± Ren said and she laughed. Chapter 355 - Blow On This ¡°Now, we just have to decide if you want an attached house, or an apartment.¡± Ren said. ¡°House.¡± Janice said. ¡°What kind of styles can I choose from?¡± ¡°There''s 50 of them right behind you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can do any of them, any combination of them, or something new.¡± ¡°Um... let me look.¡± Janice walked over to the house subdivision and started to look at all the different houses. Ren took the opportunity to start making some prefab wall pieces. He could use them no matter what design she chose in the end. ¡°I think I like this one.¡± Janice said about 20 minutes later. ¡°It looks... homey.¡± Ren stored everything and ran over to her. ¡°Which side do you want the shop on?¡± ¡°That side.¡± Janice said and pointed to the left. ¡°It''s away from the front door of the house, and I assume that should keep the heat away from the bedroom.¡± ¡°It''s going to be surrounded in cement, so you don''t need to worry about the heat.¡± ¡°You''re not using paving stones?¡± Janice asked. ¡°I don''t have enough on me at the moment.¡± Ren said. ¡°I should have enough for the floor around the glass furnace, but not for the whole floor or the walls.¡± ¡°You can wait to build it until you get the parts.¡± Janice said. ¡°I''m supposed to be getting my first glassblowing lesson in...¡± Ren looked at his bare wrist. ¡°...right about now.¡± Janice snorted a laugh. ¡°We can''t very well do it out in the open.¡± She said. ¡°We need a nice enclosed space...¡± She stopped talking and pointed to the two storey Main House. ¡°That''s all cement, right? Can''t we do it in there?¡± ¡°Well, the bed is already in there...¡± Ren said and waggled his eyebrows at her. ¡°That''s not what I...¡± Janice saw a huge smile spread across his face and shook her head at him. ¡°March, mister!¡± Ren chuckled and they walked over to the Main House, then went inside and up the stairs. ¡°This is like an administration building.¡± Janice commented and then looked at Ren''s workshop setup on the second floor. ¡°You really are going to work here, aren''t you?¡± ¡°That''s what I built it for.¡± Ren said and stored the forge. ¡°Even though I''ve seen you move my house... my goddamn house... I''m still having a hard time getting over you storing something big and heavy like a forge.¡± ¡°You better close your eyes, then.¡± Ren said and took out the glass furnace that was three times the size of the forge and put it in the same place. Janice rubbed her forehead and sighed. ¡°You''re giving me a headache.¡± Ren laughed and took out the cart full of sand, started the furnace, and filled it with several bags of sand. ¡°You''re doing all of these amazing things, like they''re just something you do every day, and aren''t the amazing things that they really are.¡± Janice said. ¡°But... I do do things like this every day.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope when things get settled down that I can stop moving all this stuff around and start concentrating on crafting again.¡± ¡°When will that be?¡± Janice asked. ¡°After all the houses are built, the people that want to be moved are moved, and I''ve got all the defences set up for the county.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, about a month game-time.¡± Janice shook her head. ¡°I don''t even know what I''m doing tomorrow, let alone next month!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Well, Venerable Sensei.¡± He said and motioned to the glass forge and activated it. ¡°Show me your skill, and share with me your knowledge.¡± Janice took out the box she had stored under her bed and opened it. Inside were various tools and things used in Glassworking, and Ren examined them all and got the plans for them. She even had a glass scorer, too. ¡°Where did you get that?¡± Ren asked and pointed to the tool. ¡°When I got my class.¡± Janice said. ¡°I had this box in my inventory when I started the game.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°It looks brand new.¡± ¡°It''s never been used.¡± Janice said. ¡°I didn''t have time to play with it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I say that all the time.¡± Janice smiled. ¡°We won''t be doing anything with that today, anyways.¡± She said. ¡°We''ll start off with the basics.¡± She pointed to the glass furnace. ¡°Glass is really just molten sand.¡± She said. ¡°The game takes liberties with the content and the mixture, but that''s understandable. Can you imagine having to find all the different minerals and chemicals you''d need to make different colored glass?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had to look it up when I researched how to make stained glass.¡± ¡°You did?¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m really glad that I can just use my portable dye station to color it instead.¡± ¡°You... you have a... a... portable dye station.¡± Janice said, shocked. ¡°Yeah, and it''s been great!¡± Ren said. ¡°I can make anything that I want in any of the basic colors available.¡± ¡°You''re not joking with me, are you?¡± Janice asked. ¡°You really do have...¡± Ren took out the portable dye station and placed it on the workbench. ¡°Oh... my... god.¡± Janice said, and put an arm around Ren''s shoulders. ¡°If you didn''t have all those women waiting for you at home, I''d drop to my knees and give you a proper thank you.¡± ¡°That would be... wait, what?¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°I''m sorry if I heard that wrong, and I''m really sorry if I''m jumping to conclusions, but... did you... did you just offer to...¡± ¡°...pull down your pants and pretend that you''re a lollipop, so I could suck on it to try and get to the candy center?¡± Janice finished for him. ¡°Yeah, that.¡± Ren said, and almost laughed at her description. ¡°You do realize how difficult it is to get things to be different colors in the game, don''t you?¡± ¡°Apparently not.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was... quite an unexpected offer.¡± Janice looked down at the growing bulge in his pants and smiled. ¡°One that was unexpectedly welcome, too.¡± Ren didn''t bother to cover himself. ¡°Yeah, it turned me on.¡± ¡°You''re not going to deny it?¡± ¡°Why would I?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s not very often that a woman will offer to do something like that out of the blue like this.¡± Janice chuckled. ¡°I totally caught you off-guard.¡± ¡°You sure did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I mean, I know we can joke around a bit because we''re friends, and I kind of mentally prepared myself to deal with that... but...¡± ¡°So I really am a temptation for you?¡± Janice asked and tapped the back of his head with her finger. ¡°My overt sexuality is just too much for your primitive brain to handle?¡± ¡°Overt?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You just threw it in my face and I''m trying to duck.¡± Janice laughed. ¡°I''m glad you''re not completely above my womanly powers.¡± She winked at him. ¡°Now put that thing away so we can get to work.¡± ¡°You mean the portable dye station, right?¡± Ren asked and grinned. ¡°You can put both of them away.¡± Janice said and laughed again. ¡°We both know you''re not going to be using either of them for this lesson.¡± ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± Ren said and stored the portable dye station, then concentrated on the glass furnace. ¡°What do we have to do first?¡± ¡°We need a bucket of water.¡± Janice said.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°One bucket, coming up.¡± Ren said. He took out the forge and set it next to the glass forge, and activated it. He took out a smelter and put it on top of the forge and added a single high quality iron ingot to it. While it melted, he asked Janice if she wanted a wide bucket, a deep bucket, or just a normal one. ¡°Normal is fine, but a wide and deep one would help with bigger bottles and vases.¡± Ren nodded and added another ingot and melted that, too. ¡°Don''t freak out, okay?¡± He said to her. ¡°I''m immune to fire.¡± ¡°Freak out? Why would I?¡± Janice asked as Ren reached for the smelter''s handle. ¡°What are you going to-OH MY GOD!¡± She yelled as Ren poured out the molten metal into his hand. She watched in both horror and amazement as he formed the metal into a wide and deep bucket that cooled off right away. Ren put the bucket down and filled it with water from his ring in an instant. ¡°What''s next?¡± ¡°I... I... I don''t...¡± ¡°Relax.¡± Ren said and turned off the forge. ¡°What''s next?¡± ¡°Cloth pieces.¡± ¡°I have tons of those.¡± Ren said and took out a handful of them. ¡°Next?¡± ¡°That... that''s all.¡± Janice said. ¡°The rest is all skill.¡± ¡°Sweet.¡± Ren said and waited. Janice stood there and gawked at him for several moments, then took a deep breath. ¡°Okay. I''m okay.¡± Janice said. ¡°Right. First, you need to use the gathering tool and get yourself a nice little ball going, then you slip that ball over the end of the metal pipe...¡± * ¡°I can''t believe this.¡± Patty said as she watched the carry train move bundle after bundle from the field into the wheat storage house. ¡°Me, either!¡± Russell said and hopped up and down several times. ¡°Can I join in, Miss Patty? Can I? Can I?¡± Patty sighed. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Russell said and ran out into the field much farther than everyone else, then started to toss bushels within reach of the first person in the line. ¡°They''re so excited because they usually can''t do this kind of thing until the whole harvest is ready to go.¡± Fern said from behind Patty. ¡°Hi, Fern. I''m glad you''re okay.¡± Patty said as Fern came to a stop beside her. ¡°Russell told me about the healer.¡± ¡°It sure was something.¡± Fern said. ¡°Did he also tell you it cost 10 gold?¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Patty yelled, and several people looked at her. ¡°I''m sorry for yelling.¡± She said. ¡°Keep having fun.¡± The villagers went back to storing the bushels and Patty looked at Fern. ¡°I can''t believe the healer charged so much!¡± ¡°They didn''t.¡± Fern said. ¡°He paid double the fee to get the healer here.¡± Patty almost yelled again, but caught herself. ¡°How long is it going to take to pay that debt off?¡± Patty asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Fern said. ¡°He never mentioned anything about paying him back.¡± ¡°Fern, you can''t just let him-¡± ¡°What? Buy me?¡± Patty didn''t say anything in response. ¡°He didn''t act like that was what he was doing at all.¡± Fern said. ¡°He treated my wife and daughter like they were in the same social standing as him, and that right there is worth more to me... and them... than healing my broken leg.¡± He smiled. ¡°Gemma sure gave me an earful over me not treating her the same, until I told her that I didn''t know how to treat her like that.¡± Patty kept quiet about Ren treating old Margaret the same way. He seems to treat everyone the same. ¡°Now I''m stuck getting a lesson from her tonight.¡± Fern said and laughed. ¡°Like I''m gonna remember it all tomorrow.¡± Fern felt a hand whack his ear. ¡°Ow! Dammit, woman!¡± ¡°You better remember what I teach you!¡± Gemma said, and looked at Patty. ¡°Miss Patty.¡± ¡°Hi, Gemma.¡± Patty said. ¡°Do I even need to ask what you thought of him?¡± ¡°I think he''s going to be the best thing that''s ever happened to this village.¡± Gemma said. ¡°Everyone is already talking about what he did here, and what else he''s going to do.¡± ¡°That''s what I''m afraid of.¡± Patty said. ¡°He''s doing all of this, and it''s disrupting everything we''ve built.¡± ¡°Disrupting?¡± Gemma asked. ¡°I think you need to think about what you want in life, Miss Patty.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Are you so scared of any kind of change that you don''t want any change at all?¡± Gemma asked. ¡°Do you want to keep everyone exactly the way they are?¡± Patty just looked at her and didn''t say anything. ¡°If that''s true, then you''re in trouble.¡± Gemma said and pointed at Russell and her own daughter, then at all the kids laughing and having fun throwing the bundles of wheat. ¡°The children aren''t us. They think differently, act differently, and are a lot more open and accepting about things.¡± She said, and remembered her daughter''s completely different reaction than her own to Ren''s polite gesture. ¡°They can learn and adapt a lot better than we can.¡± Patty sighed. ¡°I know.¡± Gemma heard a woman call her name, and she waved to them. ¡°Looks like my break is over.¡± She said and kissed her husband on the cheek. ¡°Don''t do more than look!¡± Fern shook his head. ¡°I won''t go against his word.¡± He said. ¡°I''m standing here and watching, just like he told me to.¡± ¡°You can listen!¡± Gemma proclaimed and laughed, kissed his cheek again, then walked back to her place in line. Patty watched her go, and then looked at everyone and how happy they were. I have a lot to think about. Patty thought. * Ren watched as Janice made potion bottle after potion bottle. Even though it was supposed to be the same motion for each one, the molten glass was so malleable when used this way that every bottle had to be made carefully. Each small ball of molten glass was stuck on the end of a metal tube, and she very lightly blew into it. When the glass expanded to the right size, Janice stopped blowing out and kept the same pressure. She dipped a cloth in the water bucket and cupped it over the glass and turned the metal pipe to try and make the glass even. Before it cooled on the neck, she used a wedge tool to indent along the top of the bottle near the end of the metal pipe. When it had cooled enough, she held the pipe over a stack of cloths and used a thin metal rod to tap the edge of the glass. It popped off the end of the metal rod and landed softly on the cloth. ¡°Do you want to give it a try?¡± Janice asked Ren. ¡°I''d like to; but, I know how your first bottle came out.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I am not trying something like that right off the bat.¡± ¡°Chicken.¡± Janice said. ¡°Bawk, bawk!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You know I''ll blow a little bit through that metal pipe, and it''s going to spit molten glass all over the place.¡± Janice laughed. ¡°All right. We''ll do some blowing practice.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and took out a paving stone and 4 stone bricks. He made a box with them, and poured about an inch of molten glass into it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Making a pool to practice in.¡± Ren said and held a hand out. ¡°May I?¡± Janice handed him her metal pipe, and he eased it into the molten glass. ¡°Easy now. You aren''t trying to blow air in to expand it all at once. Slow and sure wins the race.¡± Ren nodded and put his lips on the pipe. He blew a little bit, with almost no breath at all, and a bubble quickly formed and almost burst. ¡°Didn''t I just say to take it easy?¡± Janice asked. ¡°Less air, more pressure.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I barely... barely breathed.¡± ¡°Is this where I''m supposed to joke about you being full of hot air?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Some people say I''m full of something, but it ain''t air.¡± Janice laughed, and Ren looked at the metal pipe. It was 2 feet long and had only a tiny little hole in the center. ¡°Janice? Does the pipe have to be this size?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Janice said. ¡°That''s just the one I have.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve seen some that are about 4 feet long and have a big hole for airflow, and I''ve seen ones only 6 inches long and had a pinhole for the air to pass through.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Ren gave her the metal pipe back after cleaning off the end, and dumped the molten glass back into the furnace. ¡°I think... maybe...¡± ¡°You think what?¡± Janice asked. ¡°Give me a few minutes.¡± Ren said and started the forge. He put another iron ingot into the smelter and let it melt. Ren used the same paving stone and bricks to make a long thin mold, and poured some metal into it. He let the system actually make the pipe for him with his chosen dimensions, absorbed the heat from it, and picked it up. ¡°You can make them?¡± Janice asked, surprised. ¡°I have the tools to make it if I want, like a wire to mold the metal around; but, it''s just easier to let the system make the little things that don''t need to be high quality.¡± Ren said. ¡°It saves a lot of time, too.¡± ¡°I always make everything by hand.¡± Janice said. ¡°I usually do, once I know how to make it.¡± Ren said and held it up. ¡°But a small pipe like this?¡± He shrugged. ¡°I''d barely shave any time off it''s creation if I did it by hand.¡± ¡°I never thought about it like that.¡± Janice said. ¡°I''ve spent a lot of time playing.¡± Ren said, and then grinned. ¡°I''ve done a lot of things lately; but, waste time is not one of them.¡± ¡°I distinctly remember someone doing a face-plant on solid water not too long ago.¡± ¡°I wasn''t wasting time then, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had to keep you all occupied with something, just so some of you wouldn''t think that I would be a good option to keep you occupied instead.¡± Janice chuckled. ¡°You mean Candace?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°She wants someone to dominate her, but only when she wants to be dominated.¡± Janice said. ¡°If you try to do it when she''s not in the mood, you better watch out. She''ll explode and try to take your head off.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m really glad I''m never going to find that out first hand.¡± He said and took out a sack of small diamonds, picked one out and stored the sack. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Janice asked with wide eyes. ¡°That wasn''t... it couldn''t... you don''t have...¡± ¡°A bag full of tiny diamonds?¡± Ren said and held up the 1 gold coin diamond. ¡°Yeah, I do.¡± ¡°Good god, Ren!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren asked, put a finger on the diamond''s surface, and enchanted it with a single Wind rune. ¡°How many... god, I don''t really want to know, do I?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Nope.¡± He said and added the diamond to the end of the pipe and used his Gemsetting skill to secure it in place. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Janice asked. ¡°I knew it was going to be too dangerous for me to blow through the pipe; so, I''ll let a constant enchantment do it instead.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can activate and deactivate it as much as I need.¡± Janice watched wordlessly as Ren poured out some molten glass into his hand and stuck the open end of the metal pipe into the blob, and activated the enchantment on the diamond on the other end. A perfect bubble formed in the molten glass, and Ren held the pipe in his mouth as he used his other hand to form the glass into a sphere around the slowly growing bubble. It had been a bit too much glass for a normal potion bottle, so Ren let it grow until Janice told him to stop. ¡°That''s good.¡± Janice said. ¡°Any more than that, and it''ll be too brittle to hold, let alone use.¡± ¡°My mom mim.¡± Ren said and deactivated the wind enchantment on the diamond on the end of the metal pipe, then used her wedge tool to make the ridge on the top of the bottle and grabbed a wet cloth. He used his Absorb Fire ability to suck out the heat evenly as he rubbed it with the cloth to smooth the glass, rather than let it cool normally, and then tapped the metal pipe just above the wedge with the small metal rod. The large potion bottle popped off the end of the modified metal pipe and dropped onto the stack of cloth pieces.
Notice!
You have learned a new skill: Glass Blowing. This sub skill under Glassworking allows you to add air to molten glass, which can be used to make various bottles and shapes. Higher levels will allow higher quality items and more intricate works to be made.
¡°What did you say?¡± Janice asked as she picked up the bottle. Ren took the pipe out of his mouth. ¡°I said, ''I got it''.¡± ¡°You sure do.¡± Janice said and handed him the potion bottle. Ren took it and examined it.
Larger Potion Bottle (Rare)
This bottle, despite it''s large size, was made by Ren The First on his first try. The proper application of air and cooling combined perfectly to make this container. Since it holds more potion, it is that much more effective in that potion''s application.
¡°Ha ha!¡± Ren said, and held it up. ¡°I knew using an enchantment would work better for me.¡± ¡°I can''t believe you did that on your first try.¡± Janice said. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± ¡°It''s the wrong size, but that''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t use your technique for gathering the molten glass, so it''s only fair it didn''t come out like one of yours.¡± ¡°Well, then.¡± Janice said. ¡°You know what that means.¡± ¡°Yep! Practice, practice, practice!¡± Ren said and smiled. Chapter 356 - Change Can Be Good Ren looked at his very first bottle, and held it out to Janice. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Janice asked him. ¡°I want you to have this.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°You gave me your first successful attempt, and I want you to have mine.¡± ¡°I''m going to throw your own argument back at you.¡± Janice said. ¡°That''s your first work, and you should keep it.¡± ¡°Then I''ll throw your argument back at you.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m sure you''re going to give it a good home.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°It meant a lot to me when you gave me yours.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let me return the favor.¡± ¡°I... all right.¡± Janice smiled and stored it. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said and poured out some molten glass. ¡°Now I just have to figure out how much to gather up to make a proper potion bottle.¡± ¡°You''ll get a feel for it once you do it a bunch of times.¡± Janice said. ¡°It took me almost a week to figure out the right amount, and I''d made so many that I could make them in my sleep.¡± Ren chuckled as he used his modified metal pipe and blew up the next glob. ¡°Not enough.¡± Janice said as the bubble expanded to the right size, but the walls were too thin. Ren sighed and tossed the still mostly molten glass back into the furnace and poured out a little more and did it again. Ren worked for almost an hour and tried to get the hang of getting just the right amount into his hand, but it just wasn''t working for him. ¡°You''re overthinking it too much.¡± Janice said. ¡°Don''t try so hard to get the perfect amount.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°If it''s too much, only use the bottom of it to make the bottle, use the wedge to cut it off at the right height, and pop it off.¡± ¡°I can do that?¡± Ren asked, and Janice chuckled. ¡°You can also dip the smaller amounts back into the molten glass to get more on the metal rod.¡± ¡°Okay, there''s still a lot you need to teach me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m working kind of blind here.¡± Janice put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You can''t learn all the ins and outs of a profession in only one lesson, Ren.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Yeah, I guess you''re right.¡± My Lord? I''m hungry. Princess thought to him when she came to a stop at the Main House. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t have any food for Princess.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Janice said and took out a plate of food. ¡°Tee-one gave it to me.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Ren said and took the plate, then ran downstairs and opened the front door. ¡°Come in and rest for a while.¡± He said to Princess, and she came in and looked at the bare floor. ¡°I''ll do up a mattress while you eat.¡± Thank you, My Lord. Princess thought, and Ren gave her the plate of food. He shut the front door and sewed up a mattress for her, put it on the floor next to her, and went back upstairs. When he got there, Janice had two more plates out on the workbench for them to eat. ¡°Bon appetite.¡± Janice said, and Ren smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and they ate a meal together. When they were done, he stored the plates and looked at the glass forge. ¡°I''m tempted to ask for another lesson, but I need to get back to harvesting.¡± Janice nodded. ¡°I figured you would.¡± ¡°Are you staying here to play?¡± Ren asked her, and she looked at the glass furnace. ¡°I''m really tempted.¡± Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°I''m staying until just before supper, and then I''ll be going back to Aurora to eat supper with the maids.¡± He said. ¡°If you stay, I''ll keep Princess inside so she won''t exhaust herself before we can ride her back.¡± ¡°If I don''t?¡± ¡°Then you''ll ride her back now, and I''ll run home myself tonight.¡± ¡°So no pressure?¡± Janice asked. ¡°Nope. If you want to stay for a while, that''s great. You''ll have access to the glass furnace until you leave.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you want to leave right away, then you can do that instead.¡± ¡°I think... I think I''ll stay.¡± ¡°If you change your mind, come and get me where you found me before.¡± Ren said and gave her the helm back. ¡°I''ll see you in about 7 hours.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Janice said. ¡°Have fun toiling in the field.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Ren said walked over to the stairs. ¡°It''s a huge field, though. Even with a farm vehicle, it''s going to take a while.¡± He gave her a little wave. ¡°See you later.¡± Janice waved to him and he ran down the stairs. Ren told Princess what was going on, and left the Main House at a run. * Janice started to gather up some molten glass to make a vase, then what Ren said hit her. ¡°Did he say ''farm vehicle''?!?¡± She thought about running after him to get him to explain, then sighed because she knew he was long gone by now and wouldn''t have a chance to ask him about it until tonight. She went back to gathering up some glass and smiled as she felt the familiar heat touch her skin. I missed this so much! * Ren used the Haste wand on himself and was back at the village a few minutes later. ¡°Look at that!¡± Teepo said as Ren came to a stop. ¡°It''s a carry train!¡± Ren nodded and walked over to stand beside Fern. ¡°Hi, Fern.¡± ¡°My Lord.¡± Fern said. ¡°You look a little surprised.¡± ¡°I didn''t think there were this many people left in the village with everyone out working on the fields.¡± Ren said, and saw about 100 people passing wheat bushels to each other. ¡°Half of them are the bakers.¡± Fern said and pointed. ¡°There was almost a fist fight over who got first pick of the bushels.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Why?¡± Fern looked at Ren like he was crazy. ¡°They''re bakers.¡± He said. ¡°They make bread. With flour.¡± Ren looked at him expectantly. ¡°Flour is made from wheat.¡± Fern said. ¡°I know wheat goes into flour.¡± Ren said. ¡°But that''s just one part, isn''t it?¡± ¡°You don''t know anything about baking, do you?¡± ¡°I can bake lots of things.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve never had to make flour before, though.¡± ¡°You grind the wheat into powder as best as you can, sift out any chunks that weren''t ground up completely, and you''re done.¡± Fern said. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°That''s it? There''s no other ingredients? No special technique to use?¡± ¡°As long as your mortar and pestle is clean, that''s all you need.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Ren said and watched as a few bundles were tossed behind several people instead of into the storage space. ¡°You all share everything, don''t you?¡± Fern looked at him again like he was crazy. ¡°Of course we do. We couldn''t survive otherwise.¡± He said. ¡°That goes for the jobs, too.¡± ¡°You all work together towards the common goals.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I like that.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Fern said. ¡°We''re just about done storing what you''ve cut off.¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll get right to work!¡± * Fern watched as Ren ran across the already harvested area and took out the farm vehicle, then watched everyone''s reaction to it. Not a lot of people realized what it was until Ren climbed on and moved the right and left levers forward, and the farm vehicle started to harvest more wheat.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Oh my god!¡± Gemma said as she jumped out of line and grabbed her husband''s arm. ¡°You didn''t tell us he didn''t do it by hand!¡± Fern laughed at his wife''s reaction. ¡°I wanted it to be a surprise.¡± He said, then remembered his own dumbfounded reaction. ¡°It sure was a surprise to me.¡± ¡°And me!¡± Russell said as he ran over to them. ¡°I couldn''t believe it when it chewed up the wheat and spit it out!¡± Everyone stopped the carry train and watched as Ren drove around Old Man Dinkle''s Rock, and made more and more bushels for them to gather. ¡°How in the world is it doing that?¡± One of the women asked. ¡°I don''t see any horses!¡± ¡°He said it runs on people power.¡± Fern said. ¡°He chops up people for it?!?¡± She asked, and Fern laughed. ¡°Naw, Maisie. He uses his feet.¡± Fern said and pointed, and they all saw Ren as he came to a stop and pedaled to charge it up again. ¡°Well I''ll be.¡± Maisie said as she watched Ren drive away. ¡°How many of them does he have?¡± ¡°Just the one I think.¡± Fern said. ¡°If he does have any others, I don''t know if anyone would take him up on the offer to drive it.¡± ¡°I hear ya.¡± Nessie said as she came over and stood beside her sister, Fern''s wife Gemma. ¡°That thing is pretty scary.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Gemma said. ¡°But... it''s also doing more work than any of us could do in the same amount of time.¡± ¡°I can''t wait to start the carry train again.¡± Russell said and watched as Ren passed by them. ¡°Do you think it''s safe to keep going?¡± ¡°Let''s give it a while.¡± Fern said. ¡°Just so we''re not in his way.¡± Russell nodded and Falla came over to them. ¡°Daddy? Is he going to do the whole field?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± Fern said. ¡°With whatever that thing is, he might be done in only a couple of days.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Nessie asked. ¡°There''s no way... no, it... it can''t... I mean... can it?¡± Fern chuckled. ¡°If he goes until the end of the day, then I''ll be able to tell you how much he can do.¡± Nessie nodded. ¡°Make sure to tell Miss Patty.¡± Fern looked around. ¡°Where is Miss Patty, anyways?¡± ¡°She was just here not too long ago.¡± Gemma said. ¡°Falla?¡± ¡°She hiding behind that house, right over there.¡± Falla said and pointed. The small group of people that had gathered around Fern turned as one to look. They heard a gasp, and a moment later, Patty came out from her hiding place and walked over to them. ¡°I was trying to stay hidden.¡± Patty said to Falla, who shrugged. ¡°You didn''t say it was a secret.¡± Falla said, and Gemma laughed. ¡°Even if you''d said that, she''d still would have told us.¡± Falla''s mother said. ¡°She just would have said it was a secret first.¡± Patty snorted a laugh. ¡°You don''t have to hide from him.¡± Fern said. ¡°He ain''t gonna bite.¡± He smiled. ¡°He''s a polite fellow for the most part.¡± Russell laughed. ¡°He plum scared the crap outta me after he gave me these boots.¡± He said and pointed. ¡°They shocked me bad when I saw what they could do, and then he yelled at me to get going.¡± ¡°He yelled at you?¡± Patty asked. ¡°Yes''um.¡± Russell said. ¡°I was lollygagging, though.¡± He grinned. ¡°I went to you right away, just like he told me to.¡± I can''t believe that worked. Patty thought. He told Russell to tell me that I wanted him, and then Russell came right to me. She smiled. I have to remember that trick. ¡°Look at him go!¡± Russell said as Ren passed them again. ¡°I can''t believe he''s not tired!¡± ¡°He''s just sitting down.¡± Nessie said. ¡°There''s not a lot of work going on there.¡± ¡°I don''t know about that, sis.¡± Gemma said. ¡°He''s holding onto those knobby things pretty tightly.¡± ¡°I wish he''d hold onto my knobby things!¡± Maisie said, and several people laughed. ¡°He''s over a foot shorter than you, Maisie.¡± Her friend said. ¡°All right, he can kiss them then.¡± Maisie said. ¡°He''s at just about the right height.¡± Her friend snorted a laugh. ¡°Okay, yeah... that would work.¡± ¡°Ladies, please.¡± Fern said. ¡°There''s children here.¡± Nessie covered her niece''s ears. ¡°If you don''t tell her what they mean by knobby bits, she won''t know.¡± Fern opened his mouth to say that his daughter was smarter than that, then closed it and kept watching Ren instead. He was right, though. Falla knew what they meant. She knew that women had knobby bits on their fronts, and she also knew that Ren was the right height to kiss them. Why would they want that? Falla asked herself as her aunt took her hands away from her ears. That sounds weird. She thought. Why would they want him to act like a baby? Patty on the other hand, couldn''t help herself as that image popped into her head. She saw Ren standing in front of her, her with her top off, and him as he kissed her womanly parts. Her face flushed slightly red and she tried her best to wipe that image from her mind. ¡°Let''s start up the carry train again.¡± Patty said to distract everyone from her embarrassment. ¡°Yay!¡± Russell and Falla said, and everyone went back to having fun that was just cleverly disguised work. * Ren was having a ball. It was still difficult to drive the farm vehicle over the slightly uneven ground, since there were slight divots, the occasional bump, and even several sunken areas. Other than that, it was almost a straight and even run all along the 4 miles of field. He was harvesting and planting wheat at the same time, and it made him think about the growing season; or if they even had a growing season. He reminded himself to ask Fern when he quit for the day. Teepo kept a good eye out while Ren worked, and as the hours wore on and they got further and further into the field, Ren thought about making a bunch of farm vehicles for everyone. He''d have to find out how many fields there were, and then he''d have to teach them how to work the thing. ¡°Sir! My Lord!¡± A young girl said and waved to him. Ren came to a stop and hopped off to meet her. ¡°Hi, Falla.¡± Ren said, and her face turned red. He knows my name! Falla thought. ¡°Miss Patty says we''re running out of room to store all the wheat.¡± Ren frowned a little. ¡°Why didn''t she tell me before now?¡± ¡°She''s trying to find somewhere to put it all.¡± Falla said. ¡°I thought... well, it would be good if you knew, too.¡± ¡°Thank you, Falla.¡± Ren said and took out a copper coin. ¡°Can you take me to Patty?¡± ¡°Right away!¡± Falla said, took the coin, and ran off towards the village. Ren reached back and stored the farm vehicle, and jogged after her. She led him through the village and to the storage space. ¡°We''ve already got our quotas.¡± One of the bakers said, and several people around her nodded. ¡°We can''t fit any more bundles into our storage cellars.¡± ¡°I don''t know what to tell you.¡± Patty said. ¡°We''ve never had this much wheat ready all at once before.¡± ¡°Perhaps I can help.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think you''ve helped quite enough.¡± Patty said. ¡°Look at this.¡± She said and pointed behind herself. The storage area was full of wheat bundles, from floor to ceiling. ¡°This is just what you''ve done this afternoon. I had to tell everyone to stop the carry train until I figure out where to put it all!¡± ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought you had enough storage, since you grow wheat all the time.¡± He said. ¡°I guess I should have built a warehouse to store it first.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± One of the people there said. ¡°He can do anything!¡± Falla said. ¡°Can he fly?¡± A woman''s voice asked from behind Ren, but he didn''t turn around. ¡°No, I can''t fly.¡± Ren said, and he heard a satisfying chuckle. ¡°I can walk on air, though.¡± The chuckle cut off and became a cough, and everyone looked at him. ¡°I can show you if you want.¡± Ren said and looked around at all of the stunned faces. ¡°Would anyone like to see that?¡± He asked. ¡°Anyone? No?¡± He smiled. ¡°Then let''s move on, shall we?¡± He looked at Patty. ¡°If you don''t want me to build a warehouse, can I at least expand this storage?¡± Patty didn''t respond because she was just as stunned as everyone else. She knew he was telling the truth. Margaret, the old hunched-over lady with the Amulet of Truth, was counting the stacks of bushels behind her to see how many they actually had. ¡°M-m-my Lord.¡± Patty managed to get out. ¡°There''s no room in the village for a warehouse, or more storage.¡± ¡°Not above ground.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''ll dig.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m tempted to use my Staff of Earth to shift the dirt around, but I can''t dig down with it. All I could do with it is make a pit. So, I''ll just dig the old fashioned way right here under this place, and you''ll have lots of cool dry storage space for the wheat when I''m done.¡± ¡°How... how long...¡± ¡°Give me an hour.¡± Ren said. ¡°I should have a good-sized space done by then.¡± ¡°O-o-okay.¡± Patty said. ¡°Everyone, let''s give him some room to work.¡± She turned around and tapped Margaret on the shoulder. ¡°Let''s go.¡± ¡°But I''m still counting!¡± Margaret said, and then she saw Ren. ¡°Oh! Hello, My Lord.¡± ¡°M''Lady.¡± Ren said and gave her a slight bow. ¡°He needs the space to work.¡± Patty said. ¡°I''ll lose my count!¡± Margaret said, and Patty sighed. ¡°Come. On.¡± Patty said and hauled Margaret out of the storage space. Everyone had left quite quickly, except for Falla. ¡°Can you really walk on air?¡± Falla asked, her voice full of wonder. ¡°It''s a spell I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°According to the description, I can walk up into the air like it''s a steep hill.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Falla said, and her eyes were full of sparkles and dreams. ¡°I wish I could walk on air, too.¡± Ren took out a wand and exchanged the spells inside with Air Walking, then held a hand out to her. ¡°Come with me.¡± ¡°We can do it right now?¡± Falla asked and took his hand. ¡°It''ll only be a short walk, but yes.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°We can go right now.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Falla said as they left the storage area. A few people were milling around, and one woman was trying to watch Ren, but not watch him at the same time. Teepo? ¡°Yeah, she''s the one that asked if you could fly.¡± Perfect. Ren said and cast Air Walk on himself and Falla. ¡°Hold on tightly, Falla.¡± Falla nodded and Ren took a step up into the air and put his foot down; only, it didn''t go to the ground. Ren smiled and stood up on that foot and was off the ground by 6 inches. ¡°Me, too!¡± Falla said and stepped up beside him. ¡°I''m floating!¡± Ren took several more steps up into the air, and just like the spell said, it was like walking up a hill. He knew he only had a short time to play, so he didn''t go up far; but, Falla was right there beside him and she was overly-giddy with happiness. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Falla said and hugged Ren tightly. ¡°Can... can we run?¡± ¡°I think just a jog.¡± Ren said. ¡°If we go too fast, we could fall.¡± Falla nodded, and started to jog through the air, and Ren kept pace with her. They jogged around the storage area, and she turned and led him over to her house. ¡°MOM!¡± Falla yelled. ¡°Look! No feet!¡± ¡°Falla?¡± Gemma came out of the house. ¡°What are you shout-AHHH!¡± Falla laughed and laughed at her mother''s reaction to her being suspended in the air. She was about 8 feet up, and close to the top of the one storey straw and mud house. ¡°30 seconds.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°Our fun''s almost over.¡± He told Falla. ¡°Walk this way.¡± Falla sighed. ¡°All right.¡± Ren led her down the air ''hill'', and she followed him reluctantly down to the ground. They got there just before the spell ended. Falla let his hand go, looked up at him, and wiggled her finger at him in a ''come here'' gesture. He knelt in front of her, and she smiled. ¡°I love you.¡± Falla said, and kissed Ren on the cheek. She didn''t run off, or giggle, or anything of the sort this time; she just stood there and looked at Ren expectantly. In her mind he had given her a gift so precious to her, that she thought he had earned... and deserved... her love. Her mother on the other hand, had gasped, grabbed her chest, and her husband had caught her before she fainted. Those three simple words, given freely by an uncomplicated heart, had touched Ren more than he thought it would. He knew the young girl didn''t mean it in any kind of sexual manner; because it wasn''t the same love as what a woman had for a man. It was the love that a child offered to their favorite toy, their favorite food, or even give to their best friend. Ren had never felt that kind of love before, and a tear came to his eye. ¡°Thank you, Falla.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. Falla''s face burned a bright red and she ducked her head in embarrassment. ¡°Falla, look at me.¡± Falla didn''t lift her head, but she moved her eyes to look at him. ¡°You never have to look away from me, okay?¡± Ren said softly. ¡°That''s not what will make me happy.¡± ¡°What... what will make you happy?¡± Falla asked as she lifted her head and looked at him. ¡°That. Right there.¡± Ren said and touched her face. ¡°Look at me. Smile. Say hi when you see me.¡± A smile spread across Falla''s face. ¡°There we go.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°M''Lady, if you will excuse me.¡± He kissed the back of her hand and let it go. ¡°I must cover myself from head to toe in dirt to try and make Patty happy.¡± Falla laughed and Ren grinned at her. ¡°It''s going to take more than dirt to do that.¡± Fern said. Ren nodded to Fern, his wife Gemma, and Falla; then he ran over the road and went into the storage area to dig it out like he said he would. Chapter 357 - The Mayor Ren dug underground for the entire hour to clear out space for the wheat. Since Patty told him that they had more wheat than they normally did, he knew they needed a lot more space to hold it all. He added supports and braces all along the space to ensure it wouldn''t collapse, and he had dug down far enough that there wasn''t a danger to the houses up above. He had made a dozen huge crates to fill with dirt and had them in the middle of the new storage room. Teepo? How fast were we going in the farm vehicle? ¡°Pretty fast.¡± Teepo said. ¡°We were doing 6 passes an hour.¡± I''m pretty sure if I went any faster, it would ruin the wheat. Ren thought. Or the farm vehicle. ¡°Probably.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What are your levels now, by the way?¡± I don''t know. Ren thought. I dismissed the popups without looking at them. ¡°Show info for Farming skill and sub skills.¡± He said and looked at the popup.
Current levels for Farming:
Farming Level 5 (Beginner 20%) Harvesting Level 5 (Beginner 20%) Raking Level 5 (Beginner 20%) Seeding Level 5 (Beginner 20%) Tilling Level 5 (Beginner 20%)
That seems about right. Ren thought. 6 passes gave me the first level up to 2, and I''ve worked for just over 3 hours since then. He smiled. I can get a Beginner level every hour. ¡°You know it''s going to increase a lot when you get to the next stage.¡± Teepo said. Yeah. Ren thought. It''ll probably be every 3 to 5 hours per level when I hit Intermediate. ¡°Hey, down there!¡± A woman''s voice said at the top of the ramp that Ren had dug. ¡°It''s been an hour! Are you done yet?¡± Ren equipped his Travelling Clothes for a moment, which stored his armor and cleaned it and himself, then equipped the armor again. He ran over to the ramp and went up it, to find Patty and several other women at the top of it. ¡°I''m done digging.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just have to add lights to the ceiling, then lay down planks to walk on and for the wheat to be stored off the ground.¡± ¡°How much longer is that going to take?¡± Patty asked. ¡°I''m not nailing the wood, so... maybe 5 minutes.¡± Ren said, and he saw her smug smile. She must think the place is tiny. He thought in amusement. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Patty crossed her arms to wait, and Ren ran back down into the new storage room and used his Air Walking wand to walk up close to the ceiling. He quickly strode around the room and added steel squares to the rafters and braces, and enchanted them with a glyph of 5 Illumination runes. He put them every 5 feet to make sure light would cover every inch of the room, then he took out a storage square and laid down wood planks all along the floor. Ren stored the 12 crates of dirt when he came to them, then kept laying wood down until he reached the ramp and stopped. If he put wood there without securing it, it would just slide down the ramp onto the floor. He thought about making a wooden ramp; but, he knew it would be slippery if people kept walking up and down it constantly. He left the ramp as bare dirt and walked up it to Patty. ¡°There, all done.¡± Ren said. ¡°Finally.¡± Patty said. ¡°We''ve got a pile of wheat ready to be stored down there.¡± Ren stepped aside and motioned for her to walk down the ramp, and the others with her that carried bundles of wheat went down as well. ¡°I thought you said you put up lights.¡± Patty said and looked around. Some light was coming down the ramp, but it wasn''t enough to see by. ¡°I wanted to make sure you were in far enough before I turned them on.¡± Ren said from beside her. ¡°AhhH!¡± Patty and the other women let out a little scream and jumped. It had been Teepo''s idea to activate Sneak and follow them, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Activate.¡± Ren said, and all the Illumination runes on the ceiling lit up. It bathed the entire room with light, and he looked at their shocked expressions. ¡°I know it''s a little small.¡± Ren said jokingly, and the women gasped. ¡°But I said I''d stop after an hour.¡± Patty stared at the huge room and didn''t know what to say. It was 200 feet x 200 feet x 8 feet high. It was both cool and dry, and she knew that the wheat would last a very long time if it was stored there. ¡°How did you do this in only an hour?¡± One of the women asked. ¡°I kind of cheated.¡± Ren said, and they looked at him. ¡°I made the ceiling the exact height of the support posts, so I just slid them into place and didn''t have to cut them at all.¡± ¡°What about the dirt?¡± She asked. ¡°There''s nothing outside.¡± Ren took out one of the huge crates full of dirt and they stared at it. ¡°It''s pretty heavy, but I stored it.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll dump it near the Main House in a few minutes.¡± ¡°You... you''re carrying this room''s dirt?¡± She asked, shocked. ¡°All of it?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I won''t be carrying it for long, even though I could.¡± ¡°You''re amazing.¡± The woman whispered. ¡°Only when I''m awake.¡± Ren joked and laughed; but, the women didn''t laugh with him. ¡°Well, I better go and drop off this dirt, then I''ll keep harvesting the field.¡± He said and started to walk towards the ramp. ¡°I''ve got about 3 hours left to work before I have to leave.¡± Neither Patty nor the women said anything to him, so he shrugged and left the underground storage at a fast walk. * ¡°I can''t believe this.¡± One of the women said as she put her bundles of wheat in the far corner. ¡°How in the world are we ever going to fill this thing?¡± The woman who had asked if Ren could fly, dropped her bundles on top of the other woman''s pile and shook her head. ¡°We''ll never fill it.¡± She said and looked at Patty. ¡°I think that was his point.¡± ¡°What point is that?¡± Patty asked. ¡°Despite our expectations, he is going to meet and possibly far exceed them.¡± He did say he would give us everything we would need. Patty thought and looked around the room. We definitely needed storage space, but this... ¡°Let''s get the kids going.¡± Patty said, and the women nodded. ¡°We can put Russell at the top of the ramp and he can run down here to store the bundles.¡± ¡°Now that''s a great idea.¡± One of the women said. ¡°He hasn''t stopped running since he got those boots!¡± * Ren ran out of the village, and waved to several people that waved to him. He took out the Haste wand and cast it on himself, then ran down the road to the Main House. He deviated from his path slightly and ran off into the field across the road from the Main House and took out the 12 huge crates. He thought about dumping them like he told Patty, then shrugged and left the crates where they were instead.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
Notice!
You have carried an enormous amount of dirt for a considerable amount of time and over a large distance. If you were any weaker, this task would have been impossible for you. Strength: +5 Endurance: +5
Ren smiled at the popup, stored the dirt again, and ran halfway to the village, then ran back to the field across from the Main House and dropped the crates off again.
Notice!
You have carried an enormous amount of dirt over a large distance. If you were any weaker, this task would have been close to impossible for you. Strength: +3 Endurance: +3
So, the amount of time was a considerable factor. Ren thought, stored the dirt and repeated the process to end up back at the field. He dropped the crates off again and looked at the popup.
Notice!
You have carried an enormous amount of dirt over a large distance. If you were any weaker, this task would have been close to impossible for you. Strength: +2 Endurance: +2
Maybe if I run farther, I can keep the bonus up. Ren said, stored the crates and ran all the way back to the village, then back to the field.
Notice!
You have carried an enormous amount of dirt over a large distance. If you were any weaker, this task would have been close to impossible for you. Strength: +5 Endurance: +5
Ren looked down at his armor, thought about taking some of it off, and shook his head. I can play with this later. He left the crates of dirt where they were, cast Haste on himself, and ran back to the village to keep harvesting. He arrived at the field and saw the carry train was back in operation, then saw Falla wave to him. He waved back enthusiastically, then took out the farm vehicle. He got on, pedaled to charge it up, and went to work. It was getting easier to control the farm vehicle, but Ren didn''t increase the speed. He knew if he went too fast that something bad would happen, and the last thing he wanted was to give his Trouble recipe anything to work with. For 3 hours he harvested and made 18 passes, and when he stopped, he gained 3 more levels in Farming and it''s sub skills.
Stat Change!
Farming Level 8 (Beginner 0%) Harvesting Level 8 (Beginner 0%) Raking Level 8 (Beginner 0%) Seeding Level 8 (Beginner 0%) Tilling Level 8 (Beginner 0%)
Only two more levels to go. Ren thought, and ran over to the village. The carry train had ended, and the kids were talking about how much fun they had that day. Ren slowed to a walk and heard that everyone looked forward to all the great bread and things the bakers would make with all the wheat they had gathered. Several people greeted him as he passed, and he greeted them back. Ren made his way to the storage space and went inside, and heard several voices down below. ¡°That''s good, Russell.¡± Patty said. ¡°Keep the stacks straight.¡± ¡°I know how to pack wheat bundles, Miss Patty.¡± Russell said. ¡°I know you know.¡± Patty said. ¡°I''m just reminding you that you know.¡± ¡°I know that you know that I know.¡± Russell said, then stopped. ¡°I think.¡± Patty chuckled. ¡°Just hurry up, or you''re going to be late for supper.¡± Ren walked down the ramp and saw that Russell and a couple of women were stacking the last few bundles of wheat from the carry train, with Patty managing and directing their movements. ¡°There!¡± Russell said. ¡°It''s done!¡± ¡°This load is done, you mean.¡± The short woman standing next to him said. ¡°There''s a whole lot more to gather tomorrow.¡± ¡°We''re doing it again tomorrow?¡± Russell said happily. ¡°I can use my boots again!¡± ¡°Only if you like running.¡± The woman said as she hugged the boy who was a head taller than her, and Russell laughed. ¡°Try and stop me!¡± Russell said when she let him go, and he took off running. ¡°Hey, mister!¡± He said as he passed Ren, then ran up the ramp and out of the storage area. ¡°I don''t know whether to thank you or curse you for giving him those boots.¡± The woman said and walked over to him. She was only a couple of inches taller than Ren''s 4 foot 7, had wavy brown shoulder-length hair, and a curvy body. ¡°I''d gladly accept the thanks, Ma''am.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°I''d rather not know if you curse me for it, though.¡± The woman laughed and held a hand out to him. ¡°I''m Russell''s mother, Ramona. It''s nice to meet you, My Lord.¡± ¡°The pleasure is all mine, M''Lady.¡± Ren said as he took the offered hand and kissed the back of it. Ramona smiled sweetly at him. ¡°So, that wasn''t just a rumor Gemma started.¡± ¡°What rumor is that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That you treat every woman like she''s a high class lady, even if you don''t know them.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Just because I don''t know them, doesn''t mean they''re not ladies.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll treat them the same, even if they prove to be otherwise.¡± ¡°So gallant.¡± Ramona said and squeezed his hand affectionately. ¡°I assume at least one of those rings on your fingers means you''re taken.¡± ¡°Please accept my humble apology.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am unavailable.¡± ¡°That''s too bad.¡± Ramona said and leaned in close. ¡°Russell''s father passed away a year ago, and since then you''re the first man I''ve met that is shorter than me.¡± ¡°I''m terribly sorry for your loss.¡± Ren said. ¡°Was he a good farmer?¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Ramona said and laughed. ¡°He couldn''t tell a rake from a plow!¡± Ren chuckled, and the other woman spoke. ¡°Are you done trying to seduce the poor man?¡± She asked. Ramona laughed again and let Ren''s hand go. ¡°Hi, I''m Betsie.¡± She said and held her hand out to him. She was about a foot taller than Ren, and he had to look up to see her face. She was pretty thin, and had long and straight blonde hair. ¡°Unlike my friend here, I''m just greeting you.¡± Ren chuckled, took her hand, and kissed the back of it. ¡°It''s a pleasure to just greet you, too.¡± Betsie smiled at him, and he let her hand go. ¡°You better get going.¡± Patty told them. ¡°It''s getting close to supper time.¡± Betsie nodded. ¡°We''ll see you tomorrow.¡± She said and put a hand on Ramona''s arm. ¡°Let''s go. Russell isn''t going to feed himself.¡± ¡°He could if he wanted to.¡± Ramona said and they started to walk away. ¡°He can reach the cupboards easier than I can.¡± Betsie laughed and the two women left the underground storage area. ¡°You should go, too.¡± Patty said to Ren, and he looked at her. ¡°You''ve wasted enough of your time here with us country folk.¡± ¡°Do you really believe that?¡± Ren asked her, but she didn''t respond. ¡°I''m not wasting my time.¡± He said. ¡°It''s true that I could be doing other things; but, that doesn''t mean I''m wasting time.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Look, I''m going to do what I can for this village and for this county.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to do it no matter what you say in the next few minutes.¡± Patty looked at him, and a frown started to form on her face. ¡°I''m going to do my best to make this the best place to live.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve got a great community here. You work together, you share everything, and I like that. I like it a lot.¡± Patty''s frown smoothed out to a straight line. ¡°You really mean that?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I like what you''ve done here so much that I want to offer you the job officially.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Miss Patty, I want you to be the Mayor of Goagan City.¡± ¡°Did... did you say Goagan City?¡± Ren nodded again. ¡°I told you I''m upgrading the housing and that I''m going to build a lot of things.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I''m going to need you to keep doing what you''re doing, and make sure everyone is happy.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I know it''s a lot to ask, especially with all the changes that are going to happen.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be coming back here tomorrow to build a few things, so I won''t be harvesting.¡± So, old Casper was right. Patty thought. He isn''t man enough to stick around and finish the field. ¡°Depending on how long that takes, I probably won''t get back to harvesting until the day after that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m tempted to postpone it, though.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I really want to finish the outer wall of the barricade.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I take my time with it and make each section complete, I might have it done in 4 days; but, rather than do each section like I did before, I can try to run faster and only do a little bit at a time on each pass.¡± He smiled. ¡°If I''m concentrating on a small area using the Staff of Earth, it shifts really fast.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Patty asked, and Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s nothing you have to worry about.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll figure it out.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Do you want the official job that you''re already doing anyways?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I... you...¡± Patty said. ¡°Dammit, yes.¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± Ren said and took her hand. He shook it, and he saw her face twitch when he didn''t bend over to kiss it. ¡°If you can wait for just a second? I''ll add you to the roster.¡± ¡°The what?¡± Ren opened the land owner menu and looked at Goagan Village. He chose the ''make new village'' option and selected a large area around the Main House. He entered the new name of Goagan City, and picked the option for expansion. He wasn''t sure if that meant new people could come in, or if the villagers could have more kids; that is, until the next window asked if people needed approval to move there. Ren chose yes, because he was pretty sure that Patty didn''t want just anyone moving there. He added Patty as the Mayor, gave her access to the administration part of the Main House and assigned her the office there, then added everyone he knew would be living with him as residents. * Patty felt the key form around her neck, and she looked down at it. It was gold in color and had an ''M'' etched on it. She didn''t say anything, because she could still see Ren was working on something. * Ren had a pretty good idea where Elerlyth''s cottage was, and marked a 1 mile circle around the spot and made it a restricted zone. He''d ask her where it actually was later, and could make sure to cover her place with it. He knew she wanted to be left alone, and that was the best way to give her that privacy. ¡°What''s this?¡± Patty asked when Ren stopped typing in the air and looked at her. ¡°It looks like my farm house key, but...¡± ¡°You''re the Mayor.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can enter any building within the city limits.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Your office is on the ground floor of the Main House.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s also a meeting room and a workshop upstairs. My apartment is there, too; but, your key won''t open that part.¡± Patty stared at him. ¡°You should have a Mayor menu available now.¡± Ren said. ¡°If there''s an option for it, you should add the town council as your advisors and counterparts.¡± He smiled. ¡°I think I''ll take your advice and head out now.¡± He said and took her hand. ¡°I''ve got to get back for supper.¡± Patty was too surprised by everything to react when Ren bent over her hand and kissed it. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow.¡± Ren said. He let her hand go, ran over to and up the ramp, then went outside. More people greeted him and he greeted them back; then he cast Haste on himself and left the village at a run. Chapter 358 - Dont Bug Me Ren ran back to the Main House and went inside, greeted Princess, and went up the stairs to tell Janice he was ready to go. ¡°Holy crap.¡± Ren said when he saw what was waiting for him. There was glassware everywhere. Vases, bottles, bowls, glasses, and mugs littered the floor, workbench, and the top of the forge. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Janice said. ¡°I started out slow, just so I could get a feel for it again... and then I leveled the skill up.¡± She smiled. ¡°I went a little overboard after that.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I think you''ve doubled what''s in your old house.¡± ¡°I used up quite a bit of sand, too.¡± Ren looked inside the cart and saw it was only down by a quarter. ¡°It looks to me like you''ve got a lot left.¡± He said. ¡°You shouldn''t need to order more for at least a couple of days.¡± ¡°All right, I used up a lot.¡± Janice chuckled. ¡°How much do I owe you for it?¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Ren said and rubbed his chin. ¡°How about giving me a good discount on all of this glassware?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I know I''m kind of taking advantage of you like this.¡± Ren said and started to stack the bags of sand a few feet away from the glass furnace. ¡°But, you are using my glass furnace and my sand. The least you can do is cut me a deal on the price.¡± Janice looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°Are... are you serious?¡± ¡°I was thinking 70% off... but, since I don''t know if I can turn it over right away... how about 60% off the value?¡± ¡°Ren, you can''t possibly think...¡± ¡°Okay, okay. You drive a hard bargain.¡± Ren said and kept emptying the cart. ¡°If you give me 50% off the value, I can still make a profit selling them in my store.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll even post a sign telling customers who made them and to come here when your shop opens tomorrow.¡± Janice stood there and stared at him, because she couldn''t believe what he was saying. ¡°What do you say?¡± Ren asked as he dropped the last bag of sand on the pile and stored the cart. He held a hand out for her to shake. ¡°Do we have a deal?¡± Janice took Ren''s offered hand and shook it. ¡°Great!¡± Ren said and used Appraisal on everything. ¡°Apparently, there''s 163 gold worth of items here.¡± He said and took out 86 gold. ¡°Here''s 81 gold and 50 silver for the items, and 4 gold 50 silver for the tip.¡± Janice stared at the pile of gold in her hands as Ren stored all the glassware. ¡°Do you need a hand with that?¡± Ren asked and motioned to the money. Janice nodded wordlessly and he took it from her. She opened her coin pouch and he dumped the money into it. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± Ren asked and looked inside the glass forge. ¡°Nope, just a minute.¡± There was quite a bit left in it, so he made a mold on the floor for a standard pane of glass and poured out enough to make it. He absorbed the heat from it, stored the pane of glass, and did it again. He managed to make 6 panes before the molten glass ran out, then used the last of it to make a glass ball the size of a baseball and stored it. ¡°I can''t believe you did that in the space of only a few minutes.¡± Janice said. Ren chuckled. ¡°Not having to wait for things to cool off is a definite advantage.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Come on. We have to go before we starve.¡± ¡°Lead the way.¡± Janice said and smiled back. Ren deactivated the forge and walked down the stairs, and Janice followed him. He sure is something. Janice thought as she put on the Helm of the Eagle and Ren prepped Princess for carrying 2 passengers. With just that purchase and what he paid me the other day for today''s lesson, I''ve made enough to pay my rent. Ren led Princess outside and hooked the straps around Janice, then turned around so that he could tie the straps around his shoulders, which made her like a backpack. ¡°You know this is really weird, right?¡± Janice asked as she wrapped her legs and arms around him to complete the illusion. ¡°It was your idea.¡± Ren said and laughed as he took out the step ladder, climbed up it to sit on Princess, then stored the ladder. He took out the Giant Strength and Haste wands and cast them on her, and she waited until he stored them and held on, before she ran as fast as she could. * Patty had been stunned at having been given the job of Mayor for a city. She walked slowly back towards her farm house, where the town council was waiting for her and their scheduled meeting. She''d never regretted giving up her living room for council meetings, and it was a nice and comfortable place. She reminisced over all of the meetings they had over trivial things, then remembered that the last few had been about Ren. Those meetings she had been tempted to skip outright, just because she was scared that he was going to do away with her completely. With all of the changes he was making, she didn''t want to face the fact that she was going to be redundant. It never once occurred to her that he''d actually want to keep her, despite what he had said before. She remained lost in her thoughts until she arrived at the Main House. The gold key around her neck marked with an ''M'' was a solid weight against her skin, and Patty thought about ignoring the feeling so she could keep walking. She sighed as she realized she had better face her fears and see what it was like inside, since she was going to be spending a lot of time there from now on. Patty walked over to the Main House and the key unlocked the front door. ¡°You''ve got a key now!¡± Russell nearly yelled from behind her. ¡°AHHHH!!¡± Patty screamed and jumped towards the door. It swung open and she grabbed the door handle in an attempt to stop her fall. Instead it swung her around and she fell backwards as her hand slipped from the door handle and she fell to the floor. ¡°Miss Patty!¡± Russell said and ran inside to see Patty was laying down on a mattress. ¡°I''m really sorry, Miss Patty.¡± He said with his head down. ¡°These boots don''t make a lot of sound when I run.¡± Patty''s breathing had sped up considerably from the scare and then the fall, and she had been surprised that she hadn''t hurt herself on the stone-like floor. She thought she might be in shock and could actually be hurt, until she put her hands down to push herself upright. A soft surface greeted her touch and she sat up on the comfy mattress. I''m really lucky this was here. Patty thought, and then she stood up. ¡°What are you doing here, Russell?¡± ¡°I was going to the town council meeting like you were.¡± Russell said. ¡°I usually show up late; but...¡± He grinned. ¡°...not anymore.¡± ¡°Well, you can go on to the meeting and tell them that I''ll be along soon.¡± Patty said, and Russell left almost before she had finished speaking. ¡°That boy...¡± She shook her head and shut the door. Beside the small lobby was another door. Patty walked over to it and saw ''MAYOR'' written on the door, took a deep breath, and opened it. She gasped at the clean neatness of it. It was as far from an old farm house as possible with it''s thick stone-like walls and floor. It had a heavy and dark brown wooden desk with lots of drawers, a nice comfy upholstered chair, and a window. She walked around the desk and stared at the chair, took two quick breaths, and then sat down in ''her'' chair in ''her'' office. Patty sighed as the comfortable chair supported her well and almost hugged her, and she looked through the drawers. She didn''t feel bad about rooting, since it was her office anyways. Nothing was inside, and she wondered what she could possibly put in them. She remembered Ren telling her she should have a Mayor menu, and took another breath before she spoke. ¡°Open Mayor menu.¡± Patty said, and the Mayor menu popped up in front of her. She gasped at all of the things it showed her, and she didn''t know what to look at first. ¡°Um... um... parchment! Yes, parchment!¡± Patty read all of the tabs, and one said ''Item Orders''. She smiled and picked that, and inside was a list of all the things she could order for the city. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Patty said, and eventually figured out how to scroll through the list, and went down to the ''P'' section. ¡°There!¡± She said and picked parchment from the list. Another popup appeared that asked for the amount to order. She put 10 for the amount, and then it asked if she wanted writing instruments. She picked one and chose the ''Order'' option.
Warning!
There is no money in the Budget to purchase items at this time. Do you wish to go into debt to the main Crown Bank to purchase items? Yes / No
¡°NO!¡± Patty yelled and the popup went away. ¡°Oh, god!¡± She said and took several breaths to calm down. ¡°It''s okay... it''s okay...¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Patty looked at the other tabs at the top of the main popup and saw one marked Budget and chose that. She saw a list of expenses and other things inside, and she saw the row of money denominations across the top.
Budget for Goagan City
Copper: 0Silver: 0Gold: 0Platinum: 0
They were all empty. ¡°What do I do?¡± Patty asked herself and scrolled down the list. At the bottom was a button marked ''Ask for Budget''. She smiled and chose it, and a popup appeared.
Notice!
This will send a request to: Ren to ask him to give you a Budget for the city. Do you wish to send the message now? Yes / No
Patty thought about it seriously, because she didn''t want to start asking Ren for everything; even though he said he would give her, and everyone in the county, everything that they would need. * Ren, Janice, and Princess arrived back at Aurora, and Ren untied Janice and hopped down to help her climb down. He undid the straps attached to her and stored them in Princess'' saddlebag. ¡°I''m going over to the restaurant to order some meals.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll see you inside.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Janice asked. ¡°I think your maids have missed you.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Ren asked. He had felt it when his Aura merged with the shared Aura, and he knew Janice was right; but he wanted to know how she knew. ¡°Look.¡± Janice said and pointed. Ren looked up and the 5 faces of his maids were staring out the bedroom window at him. He chuckled and waved to them, then pointed down the road and mimed eating and running back with his fingers. The maids nodded and waved, and he opened the front door of the house for Princess and Janice. ¡°I''m heading out with the lumberyard caravan tomorrow morning.¡± Ren said to Janice. ¡°Are you coming to have more glassworking fun?¡± ¡°I might.¡± Janice said. ¡°Assuming I can get enough sleep tonight.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll try to keep things quiet.¡± ¡°With 5 women? Really?¡± Janice shook her head and laughed. ¡°Good luck.¡± Ren told Princess to go to her room and he''d be back soon with some good food for her. He left the house and ran down the street, which took him out of the shared Aura, then he ran around the corner and down the street to Nathalia''s Nourishment. He was just in time for the supper rush to be over; but, before he could go inside, he received a popup.
Notice!
The Mayor Of Goagan City has requested the Annual Budget. There is nothing in your City Storage and you do not have a local branch of the Crown Bank built. Do you wish to add personal money to the City Storage for the budget? Yes / No
I wonder what Patty needs money for? Ren asked himself, and then he thought about running an entire city for a year. He remembered the budget for the Garrison, 1850 platinum, and shook his head. It won''t be that much. He thought. That was to protect an entire kingdom for a year. Ren contemplated just dropping a couple hundred gold in it to cover any immediate start-up costs the city might have, then decided that he didn''t want to worry about it at all. He exchanged 10 shadow markers through his coin vault for 1000 platinum coins, typed in the breakdown in the amount he wanted to add to the budget with a short message, and pushed enter. There. Ren thought happily. I hope she has fun with it. * Patty had anguished over her decision to say yes to the ''send message'' option; but she made the decision, and wondered if he would be generous in how much gold he would give her access to for the budget. He might even give me more than the 10 gold he paid to heal Fern''s leg! Patty thought, laughed at her ridiculous thought, and then received a message popup.
Hi, Patty. I''m not sure what you need the money for, so I hope this is enough for you to get things going in the city. You all work hard taking care of everyone, so make sure to give yourself and the City Council a proper salary, too. - Ren
A proper salary? Patty closed the message. What''s that mean? She asked herself, then she saw the budget popup had updated.
Budget for Goagan City
Copper: 99Silver: 99Gold: 99Platinum: 999
Patty gasped and stopped breathing, slumped down onto her desk, and fainted. * Ren walked inside the restaurant with a smile, just as a lot of people were leaving, and he felt Nathalia as the collective formed between them. ¡°Can I help you My Lord?¡± The woman who sat people down asked. ¡°I''d like to order a hundred meals to go, please.¡± ¡°A... a hundred...¡± The woman''s eyes widened. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Hm, I think you''re right.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s too low. You better make it 200.¡± The woman''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°I''ll take 10 right now, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can come back for the others.¡± Nathalia came out of the kitchen and looked a him, and he smiled warmly at her. He heard her gasp as his feelings for her flooded into her, and she wavered slightly and put a hand on the wall. ¡°I can pay for them all right now.¡± Ren said as he looked back at the woman he had been taking to. ¡°That... that''s... um...¡± She used a writing instrument and a piece of parchment and tried to add up 1 gold 50 silver per meal for 200 meals. ¡°It''s 300 gold, or 3 platinum coins.¡± Ren said and gave her 3 platinum coins. The 5% gratuity was only 15 gold; but, depending on how many people worked there, they wouldn''t get much to split between themselves with so little. ¡°I can''t forget the tip for all of you working so hard.¡± He said and took out 50 gold coins and put it in her hands. ¡°I''ll be right back with your 10 immediate meals, My Lord!¡± The woman said and ran across the restaurant, past Nathalia, and into the kitchen. Ren heard several shouts and hollers, and then Nathalia walked over to him. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± ¡°Hello, my deepest love.¡± Ren said as he stored his armor and hugged her. Nathalia hugged him back and squeezed him tightly. ¡°I want to kiss you so badly.¡± Nathalia whispered in his ear. ¡°I know we can''t, because we''re not together, and my culture''s rules say we can''t start something like that again.¡± ¡°You''re right.¡± Ren said. He didn''t let her out of the hug, though. ¡°I can''t kiss you; but, I can make you feel like I did.¡± ¡°What do you...ohhh!¡± Nathalia moaned and closed her eyes. Ren fed her the feeling of his lips on hers, from both of their perspectives, that he''d remembered from the last time they had kissed and shared their feelings. ¡°S-s-stop.¡± Nathalia whispered, and Ren eased the feelings away. ¡°How did you...¡± ¡°The last time I saw you, something between us clicked.¡± Ren said and leaned back to look at her eyes. ¡°That gave me the idea for a kiss without a kiss.¡± ¡°Ren, if you can do that with just a kiss...¡± Ren smiled smugly at her, and her eyes widened. ¡°R-really?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°You mean we... we can...¡± She licked her lips. ¡°We can... without...¡± ¡°Now that I know it works, I can share any sensation I can remember with you.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Nathalia said and sighed. ¡°We... we really shouldn''t be teasing each other like this.¡± ¡°I remember teasing you, too.¡± Ren said and gave her a taste of that. Nathalia gasped and gripped his shoulders as she felt what they had both felt then. ¡°By the gods.¡± Nathalia said. The kitchen door opened and Ren and Nathalia let each other out of the hug. The woman who sat people at their tables came out of the kitchen with several servers, and they carried several plates each. ¡°Here are your 10 dinners, sir.¡± The woman said. ¡°The others will be done in about an hour.¡± ¡°That''s great.¡± Ren said and stored the 10 dinners. ¡°I''ll be back then to pick the rest up.¡± He said, equipped his Travelling Clothes, and turned to Nathalia to take her hand. ¡°It was nice seeing you again, Ma''am.¡± ¡°It was nice seeing you, too.¡± Nathalia said, then gasped when Ren kissed the back of her hand. He smiled at her because he knew the cultural significance it held for dwarves, that she was above his social standing; then he nodded to the other three women and left the restaurant. * ¡°I wish he''d kiss my hand like that.¡± One of the servers said. ¡°He''s such a gentleman to treat a woman like a Lady.¡± ¡°He''s really short, though.¡± The other one said. ¡°I wonder how he measures up.¡± Nathalia turned around and glared up at them. ¡°One more word about his height... out of any of you...¡± She looked at each of their surprised faces. ¡°...and you''re fired.¡± The three women stared at her, because they had completely ignored the fact that she was their boss. ¡°I''m sorry, Ma''am.¡± The server who had made the comment said. ¡°It won''t happen again.¡± ¡°See that it doesn''t.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°If there''s one person in this world you don''t want angry at you, it''s him.¡± The three women watched as Nathalia stalked off into the back room behind the counter. ¡°I think she meant ''2 people you don''t want angry at you''.¡± The server said as Nathalia stepped through the portal and disappeared. * Ren ran down the street a short ways and went into his business, then walked over to the counter. ¡°Hi, Anabelle.¡± ¡°Hello, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°There''s a customer in the back with Holly.¡± Ren nodded and took out the step ladder. Anabelle smiled as he climbed a couple of steps and gave her a kiss, then stepped off and stored the ladder again. ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I was a bit too busy to-¡± Ren took out a plate of food for her, and cut off what she was about to say. ¡°Thank you.¡± Anabelle said and stored it. ¡°This is fantastic!¡± A woman''s voice said as she came out of the change room with an armful of bras and panties. ¡°I can''t believe they have something like this here.¡± She said and came over to the counter with Holly right behind her. She was about a foot taller than Ren, had bright blonde hair, and a slender body. ¡°In a starter city, no less!¡± Ren stepped out of her way and let her purchase the goods she had. Anabelle put the clothes in a sack and handed it to her when the woman paid her. ¡°Oh, hello!¡± The woman said when she turned and noticed Ren; then she did a double take and looked at him again. ¡°No.¡± She said. ¡°It... it''s not possible.¡± ¡°It''s true.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really am this short.¡± Anabelle snorted a laugh, and Holly laughed out loud. ¡°You''re so funny!¡± Holly said and bent over to give him a hug. ¡°Cuddly, too!¡± ¡°She wouldn''t say that if you still had your armor on.¡± Teepo said. Ren chuckled and hugged Holly back. ¡°We''re closing for the night in a couple of minutes, Holly.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°You can head out now.¡± Holly stood up and held a hand out, and Anabelle dropped several gold coins into her hand. ¡°Thanks, Annie!¡± She said and stored her pay, then ruffled Ren''s hair. ¡°Bye, Ren!¡± ¡°Bye, Holly.¡± Ren said, then watched as Holly half-walked and half-skipped out of the shop, then down the street and out of sight. ¡°No matter how many times I tell her my name is Anabelle, she always calls me Annie.¡± Anabelle said and chuckled. Ren smiled and looked at the woman who was still standing there. ¡°You really are him.¡± The woman said. ¡°You''re Ren.¡± ¡°I was the last time I checked.¡± Ren said and looked down. ¡°Yep, I''m still me.¡± The woman chuckled. ¡°I really like your show.¡± She said. ¡°You''re why I started playing.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope you''re having fun.¡± ¡°I am.¡± She said. ¡°There''s so much to do, it''s hard to know where to start.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I hear that.¡± He said. ¡°I''m still having a hard time trying to decide what to do first, and I''ve been playing for a long time.¡± The woman smiled and nodded. ¡°I better go. I have to get to my safe zone before it gets too dark.¡± She said and held a hand out to him. ¡°It was nice meeting you.¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± Ren said and motioned towards the door, then escorted her out of the shop. ¡°Goodnight.¡± * ¡°Goodnight.¡± The woman said as Ren shut the door to the shop. She walked down the street and around the corner of the next building, then stored her bag of purchases. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Officer Holly Stonewall slipped off the VR headset and sat up from her work station. She looked around at all the monitoring equipment and smiled. She had tagged Ren''s Player ID on her display and the monitors tracked his movement. That hack had cost her a pretty penny, and it had taken her a long time to finally find him. She wasn''t worried about the money, though; because there was room in the budget for her to add it in under miscellaneous expenses. Holly picked up her cell phone and typed furiously for several seconds. She sent the message and waited patiently for a reply. I really hate that ''Holly'' working in that store. Holly thought. She''s the perfect example of what''s wrong with how men see women these days. The cell phone beeped and she checked the display. Okay, John. Holly thought and sent a reply. I''ll work this end and you work that end. She put the cell phone down and watched the monitor. For now. Chapter 359 - Do This For Me Ren went to one of the display cabinets in his shop, and started to fill it with the glassware he had purchased from Janice. ¡°What''s this?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°Janice made a bunch of stuff at the Main House, and I bought it from her.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m making a display for it.¡± ¡°I don''t think we should sell it.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked her and stopped loading the shelves. ¡°This is your shop.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I''ve told everyone that''s come in here, and everyone I meet when I go out, that you made everything in this shop that''s for sale.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Tee-one is yours and does your bidding.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°He uses your skills to make everything.¡± ¡°Well, I...¡± ¡°Ren, please.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°They may be great items, but you said it yourself. This isn''t a resale store.¡± Ren opened his mouth to argue, then changed his mind. ¡°All right, I won''t change my policy.¡± ¡°Thank you for listening to me.¡± Anabelle smiled. ¡°The last thing we need is to have everyone think they can sell their items out of your shop.¡± She said. ¡°We''d be bombarded all day and every day with resale requests!¡± Ren nodded reluctantly. ¡°So, what should I do with all of the things I have?¡± Anabelle thought about it for a minute, then smiled. ¡°Open a temporary market stall.¡± She said. ¡°You can offload everything at a good price, and people won''t associate the market stall with the shop.¡± ¡°That''s actually a good idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you have a recommendation for who can run it?¡± ¡°I sure do.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Get your maids to do it.¡± Ren blinked his eyes a couple of times, because he thought she was going to mention one of the three sales girls, or even one of the candidates that she''d interviewed as a sales girl. ¡°It would give them something to do.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Until you decide what you''re going to do with them.¡± Ren thought about it, and figured it would be something to keep them busy... assuming one, or even all of them... wanted to do it. ¡°I''ll ask them.¡± Ren said, and hugged her. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Anabelle said and hugged him back. He really is cuddly. She thought and let him go. ¡°I''ve got to go up and check on Elerlyth and Zetaya.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t forget to eat!¡± ¡°I can''t wait for the Ring of Sustenance to kick in next week.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°We''re going to save so much money on food when they do.¡± Ren nodded and went out the back of the shop, up the stairs, and into the apartment. ¡°Hi, Zetaya.¡± Ren said and climbed into the pen. The fire elemental ran over to him and jumped. Ren caught it and hugged it close, and it dabbed its head stub on his cheeks. He heard a small crackling fire and smiled. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I came to tell you that I''ve got all the parts I need for the giant forge, and all I have to do is build the warehouse to hold it.¡± He said. ¡°I''m going out with the lumberyard caravan first thing in the morning, and I''ll be back at noon to get you.¡± The fire elemental''s color changed slightly, and it tucked its head under Ren''s chin. Ren stood there and held it, and stroked its back. After a few minutes, Ren said he had to leave, so Zetaya reluctantly let him go and dropped to the floor. ¡°I''ll see you again tomorrow.¡± Ren said, knelt, and kissed its head stub. ¡°Bye, Zetaya.¡± Ren started to walk away, and the fire elemental followed him. ¡°Oh, hey... do you want another Spider Silk treat?¡± Ren asked, and the fire elemental turned from its bright orange flame to white for an instant. ¡°I think that''s a yes.¡± He said and took out several large scrap pieces. He had thought about saving them to make smaller pieces of clothing; but, he knew that Zetaya really enjoyed the taste of them and gave them to the fire elemental. It sucked the pieces into itself and jumped around, and Ren laughed. ¡°Don''t try and eat them all at once.¡± Ren said with a huge smile on his face. ¡°There''s plenty more where that came from.¡± Ren left the pen and went to the bedroom, to find Elerlyth''s phantom form on the bed. He saw a piece of parchment on the dresser and read it.
Ren, You don''t know how tempted I was to stay in and spend some time with you, but I have to get a good night''s sleep because I''m picking up my diploma first thing in the morning. I''m still having a difficult time believing all of my hard work has finally paid off. I''ll see you tomorrow night at your place, so we can show your new party friends what a real power couple can do. Elerlyth
I guess I''ll just use the extra plate of food later. Ren thought, then left the bedroom and saw Anabelle come into the apartment. ¡°Oh, she''s still gone?¡± Anabelle asked. She had a half-eaten plate of food in her hands and Ren showed her the note. ¡°Well, at least you''ll see her later.¡± Ren looked at Anabelle, and knew she wasn''t happy about that. ¡°Can I ask you what...¡± ¡°She''s a bitch.¡± Anabelle said and sat down on her bed to eat. ¡°She''s always treated me like I don''t matter.¡± She said. ¡°Just like Lord Eric did.¡± Ren walked over to her and cupped the sides of her face. ¡°Don''t take it personally, Anabelle. Elerlyth treats everyone like that.¡± ¡°She doesn''t treat you like that.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°She did at first.¡± Ren said, and leaned in close to whisper. ¡°Then I bent her over and screwed her so hard that she screamed my name.¡± Anabelle shivered at the thought of him doing that to her, and he gave her a gentle kiss when he saw her reaction. That wasn''t how it actually happened the first time. Ren thought. But the end result was the same. ¡°Goodnight.¡± He said, and left a surprised and quite horny Anabelle in the apartment as he went down the stairs and out the back door. ******** Officer Holly Stonewall watched Ren''s Player ID flitter from his retail business, down the street and up to the Housing District, then it entered the large house in the middle. It was almost too fast to see, and she wondered how fast he could actually run. At least now I know where he lives in the game. Holly thought. It should make things easier from now on. * Detective John Ramirez regretted assigning witness protection duty to his partner, but after they had found out Ren''s own psychiatrist was involved in the case, it led them down a different path than what they had expected. They had used an old police contact that worked there as a security guard, to get as much information on her as they could. What the information revealed was surprising. The psychiatrist was seeing everyone they had identified in Ren''s childhood drawing. Mayor Danicot, the woman with the mayor, the Chief of Police, Senator Eddlemere, and Agent Smith''s FBI supervisor. The other men might be her patients as well, but since they didn''t know anything but their aliases, they couldn''t prove it. The last part of the information was also the worst. The highly recommended treatment the psychiatrist had prescribed, for all of her patients, was VR therapy... with the now quite popular VR game called FLOW. ******** Ren went into the back downstairs bedroom and gave Princess a plate of food, then went upstairs to the guest bedroom and knocked on the door. Janice accepted the plate of food and said goodnight, then Ren went into the big bedroom and to the waiting maids.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Here he is, the dashing hero!¡± Frikara said, and Ren could feel the slight teasing and amusement in the shared Aura. Ren strode over to her, picked her up by the hips and swung her around once, then let her slide down so she ended up in his arms with her arms around his neck. She had wide eyes and he felt her surprise, and then he dipped her backwards slightly and kissed her. All the maids were too surprised to react at all, even Frikara; then Ren stopped kissing her and stood her up. ¡°If it wasn''t for you and your quick thinking, Fern could have had a permanent injury just like the mine foreman back in the dwarf lands.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Y-y-you''re w-w-welcome.¡± Frikara said, completely shaken at his actions and his sincerity. ¡°Strapping the healer like that to Princess was brilliant.¡± Ren said and led her over to the bed. ¡°My only thought at the time was to get the healer. It didn''t occur to me that I could get Princess to bring him.¡± ¡°It... it was nothing.¡± Frikara said. Ren handed her a plate of food, and then gave the other maids a plate as well. He took a chair out of inventory and sat down in front of them, then took out a plate of food for himself. ¡°Don''t play it off like it didn''t matter.¡± Ren said and ate some food. ¡°You were smart, thought about the problem tactically, and I''m really glad that you did.¡± Frikara''s face flushed red, because she knew he wasn''t lying with the praise he had given her, and she could feel he was still being sincere. ¡°Now I wish I''d gotten the call.¡± Lusinia said and smiled. ¡°That was some twirl and kiss.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I only did what I thought a dashing hero would do.¡± ¡°Getting swept off our feet and into your arms like that...¡± Andrela''s face flushed red, too. ¡°...it felt wonderful.¡± ¡°I''m glad you all got to share in the experience.¡± Frikara said dryly and rolled her eyes, and everyone laughed, because they all knew she didn''t mind them sharing it and feeling what she''d felt. They finished the meal, and Ren told them about what happened that day. When he was done, he asked them if they wanted to work at a market stall. A couple of them were hesitant, but Verwynn said she would be delighted to try it. If she wore the things Ren gave them for protection and one of the fancy dresses, she was sure she could make at least a few sales. ¡°You know it''s not because I need the money.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s to give Janice some local exposure.¡± ¡°Why don''t you get her to do it?¡± Navruth asked. ¡°She''s only here for 2 or 3 days a week. She can''t possibly work a market stall consistently.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, she said she might come to the county tomorrow to make more glassware.¡± ¡°Well... I can at least try it and see what happens.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°I assume you have the items on you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°We''ll set up the stall in the morning just down the street from the Artesian District.¡± He said. ¡°There''s a few other stalls there, and it should fit right in.¡± ¡°I look forward to it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Verwynn.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll have Riley and Stacy guard you.¡± ¡°I don''t think that''ll be necessary.¡± Verwynn said. She felt Ren''s protective emotions flood into the shared Aura and smiled. ¡°But I''ll take them as company.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now if you''ll excuse me, I have some meals to pick up.¡± He said and stood up, then stored the chair. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± The maids nodded and Ren left the bedroom and then the house, and ran down the street. * When they felt Ren leave the shared Aura, Lusinia turned to Verwynn. ¡°Are you really going to subject yourself to being a... a...¡± ¡°Peddler.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I know our culture sees them as the lowest class.¡± ¡°No, we see them as swindlers, scammers, and thieves.¡± Verwynn laughed. ¡°Do you really think Ren wants me to swindle and rob customers?¡± ¡°I... no.¡± ¡°Then I don''t have a problem with it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°He''s going to give me negotiating room on the prices, since he knows we like to Haggle.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°I could almost feel his will. He only wants to help his friend.¡± ¡°I felt that, too.¡± Andrela said. ¡°He really doesn''t want to make money from this.¡± ¡°I don''t think he even needs that fantastic store he has.¡± Frikara said. ¡°He has more money than... than...¡± Navruth laughed. ¡°That''s right. None of us can think of anyone that could have more money than him.¡± She said. ¡°Not even the Royal Family, and they get the taxes from everyone in the kingdom.¡± ¡°We really should ask where he got it all.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°I bet it''s an interesting story.¡± ¡°I know he got a pile of it when he looted Throgg''s treasure chest.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We all saw what was inside.¡± The other maids nodded. They knew that Throgg had loved platinum coins, and the bottom of the chest had been filled with them. The funny thing was, not for one second did they believe that they deserved one copper coin from it. If anyone had asked them, they would honestly say that they wouldn''t want any of it, either. * Ren ran to the restaurant, and was greeted kindly by the woman there. ¡°We''re just about done.¡± She said and pointed. All of the tables were covered with plates and plates of food. ¡°That''s great.¡± Ren said and took out the large icebox. The woman stared at it as he loaded it up with plate after plate of food. He cleared off about three quarters of the tables and couldn''t fit any more into the large icebox. He stored it and made another one exactly the same while he waited for the rest of the food, then the servers came out with the remainder of the plates. He put the rest of the food inside the new icebox and stored it, too. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± Ren said. ¡°This saves me a ton of time.¡± ¡°It cost a ton of money, too.¡± One of the servers said, quickly glanced at the woman that sat people and the other server, then she held a hand out. ¡°Thank you for your business, and it was really nice meeting you.¡± Ren took the hand and bent over it. ¡°It''s always nice to meet an efficient worker.¡± He said and lightly kissed the back of her hand. He felt her shiver slightly from his touch, and he looked at her face. She had blushed a little, and he wondered if it was his Prince Charming title or if she just liked having her hand kissed. He stood up and let her hand go, and she slowly slid it out of his. ¡°She definitely liked getting the hand kissed.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Do the other two so I can see her reaction.¡± Ren took the other server''s hand and lightly kissed it, then turned and did the same with the woman who sat everyone, too. ¡°Oh, yeah... she''s envious.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s definitely hand kissing and not the title.¡± Thanks for the confirmation, Teepo. Ren thought and smiled at the three women. ¡°Thank you for staying late and making all of this food for me.¡± He said to them. ¡°I''ll probably be placing a similar order next week.¡± ¡°I can''t wait!¡± The server who liked getting her hand kissed said and her hand twitched. Ren thought she was going to try and take his hand again; but, she changed her mind and just smiled at him. ¡°I''m not even going to ask how you can carry all of those plates.¡± The second server said. Ren chuckled. If she knew what I was really carrying, it would probably blow her mind. ¡°Speaking of blowing her mind.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I wonder how Patty is.¡± Ren bid the servers a good night and left the restaurant. That''s a good point. He thought and came to a stop halfway down the street. I wonder if there''s an option to send her a message. He opened the Land Owner menu and chose Goagan City from the drop down menu. All the information popped up and he scrolled down to see what options he had. Mayor... mayor...mayor... there it is. Ren thought and chose the ''Contact Mayor'' option. He typed up a quick message and sent it to her. Since he had a menu opened anyways, he switched to the Business Owner menu and ordered rope and parchment. He''d been out of both for a while and wanted to rectify that problem. The delivery time was set for the next day at noon, so he closed the menu and ran down the street, around the corner, and down to the Housing District. * Patty was awoken by a loud beep, and she opened her eyes. This isn''t my bed. She thought sleepily, wiped her eyes, and sat up. A message popup had appeared and she looked at it.
Message From Land Owner:
Hi, Patty. I hope you weren''t too surprised by the amount of money I put in the budget. It''s for the whole year, and I didn''t want to worry about having to put more in it later. You can use as much of it as you want. I''m sure there''s things that people are going to need that I can''t think of right now, so go ahead and get it for them. - Ren
Patty stared at the message and shook her head. She couldn''t believe that he had given her complete reign over the entire budget without a second thought over how she could abuse it. How can he be so stupid? Patty asked herself, then typed out a quick response to say she was fine and that he was crazy for giving her so much money. No one in their right mind would just hand over nearly a th-th-th-th-thousand pl-pl-platinum coins! Patty shook her head again when Ren sent her a happy face with the eyes pointed in different directions, and she sighed as she closed the message. She opened the Item Order tab to put the order through for the parchment, after increasing the amount from 10 to 100, then increased the writing instruments from 1 to 20. A very minuscule amount of gold and silver was deducted from the budget, then Patty closed the Item Order tab. I''m tempted to order everything I can on that menu. Patty thought. It would serve him right! Patty opened it again and chose one of everything, and saw the total at the bottom. 125 platinum! Patty thought in shock. It wasn''t just the total amount of the cost that was shocking, it was that Ren had been right. If there was anything at all that she wanted for the city, or for anyone in the city, he had given her more than enough money to handle it. ¡°Miss Patty!¡± Russell said from the doorway. ¡°AAAHHH!¡± Patty screamed. ¡°Sorry, Miss Patty.¡± Russell said. ¡°I came back to tell you that you''re missing the town council meeting.¡± ¡°The council meeting!¡± Patty said, closed the Mayor menu, and stood up. ¡°Go back and tell them I''m sorry I''m late, and that I''m coming right now.¡± ¡°Yes''um.¡± Russell said and ran out of the building as Patty came around the desk to follow him at a jog. * Ren ran inside the house and up to the bedroom, and Teepo took off and landed on the ceiling. The maids were already undressed and had laid down on the bed on the far side, to give him room to lay down and log out. He took off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and folded it up, then remembered his crafting station. He took it out and opened the treatment compartment, and several of the maids gagged. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said and took out the Dire Wolf pelt and put it into the drying compartment and closed the crafting station to store it. He then stored his clothing, which left him in just his underwear, and he felt how much they liked the sight. He let them feel how much he liked the sight of them on the bed like that, then he crawled up onto the bed to join them. ¡°Can you move over a little?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I want to be in the middle this time.¡± ¡°But... before you said...¡± Navruth started to say, and she felt some admonishment from the other maids. She stopped talking and three of the maids moved to one side, and two of them moved to the other. Ren laid down in the middle of them and sighed dramatically. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. The maids watched and waited for him to speak again and then fade away; but after about 30 seconds, Ren hadn''t spoken and they couldn''t wait anymore. ¡°Ren?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°Aren''t you leaving?¡± ¡°Do you want me to leave?¡± Ren asked, and kept his eyes closed. ¡°By the gods, no.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Are you going to?¡± ¡°I''ve postponed my Adventurer''s business-¡± Ren''s words were interrupted when all 5 maids practically piled on top of him. ¡°-for tonight.¡± He finished with a laugh, and the maids settled down to cuddle with him as they held onto him tightly. Ren was actually tired, even though he had been tempted to stay back at the county to work all night and build up the defenses. Now he was glad that he didn''t do that. Ren let sleep drag him down, and the maids soon followed him as they shared his comforting warmth. Chapter 360 - More Than Words Ren woke up only slightly early the next morning, and found Navruth was laying face down on top of him. Her head was on his shoulder, with her face towards him, and her arms were spread out to either side. His arms on the other hand, were almost straight up. One was over Navruth''s shoulder and tucked between two other maids that were on top of her, and his other arm was jammed between the thighs of another maid. Ren couldn''t tell who was who, since most of his vision was blocked by two torsos, and he wasn''t sure who else was where. There was even someone under his legs, somehow. ¡°You look like the knot deckhands tie on a docked ship.¡± Teepo said from the ceiling and chittered in laughter. I assume it was still amazing to watch? Ren asked his friend. ¡°It really is like magic.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I watched it, and I still don''t know how they did it!¡± Ren chuckled, and that was enough to make the maids start to stir. ¡°Ugh.¡± One of them said. ¡°Another hour, please.¡± ¡°I''m hungry.¡± A voice said from above Ren. That''s Verwynn. Ren thought. ¡°I''m trying to sleep.¡± Navruth mumbled and then sighed when someone else spoke. ¡°Who''s hand is that?¡± The voice asked. ¡°Wiggle your fingers.¡± Ren wiggled the fingers on the hand that was between the two people above him, and he heard one of them giggle. ¡°That tickles.¡± A voice said. It wasn''t the same voice, so Ren wiggled the fingers on his other hand and a thrill went through the shared Aura as someone gasped. Ren now knew what his fingers were touching, and wiggled them again. The same feeling of a thrill went through the Aura, and no one objected to what he was doing. He kept moving his fingers and massaging the only part he could reach, and all of the maids breathing sped up. The thighs around his arm hadn''t tensed up at all, so he knew it wasn''t that maid he was touching this way; but, with their feelings all tied together like they were, it didn''t really matter who he was touching. After only another few minutes, they all gasped together and finished as one. The wave of pleasure from them was pretty strong, but Ren had ridden waves like it before and didn''t let it affect him as he rode it calmly. * ¡°I demand you let me go!¡± Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves commanded her attendant. ¡°Your connection is close at hand.¡± The healer said. ¡°If we let you go to him now, your chance will be lost.¡± ¡°AAHHHH!¡± Lylyth stood up to her full height and strained as hard as she could against the magically enchanted chains. They didn''t move at all as she struggled to break free of them. She looked down at the floor and saw that the chain was attached to the floor with only a normal bracket. ¡°Stop her!¡± The healer said to the attendant, but it was too late. Lylyth''s spider body formed around her in an instant and she gripped the chain with 2 of her legs and braced the other 4 on the floor. She pulled up with all of her might with the intention to break that bracket. Much to her surprise, it didn''t break. The 5 foot wide 3 foot deep block of stone it was attached to pulled out of the floor instead, popped out like a cork, and was flung up into the air. Lylyth''s concentration was broken when that happened and her spider body disappeared. She fell to the floor on her back, and the large and heavy stone block arced over her and landed right beside the top of her head. ¡°MY QUEEN!¡± The attendant yelled and rushed to Lylyth''s aid. ¡°I shouldn''t have done that.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°No, My Queen.¡± The attendant said. ¡°You shouldn''t have.¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°It didn''t work, anyways.¡± She said and looked at her arms that were still wrapped in chains. ¡°Now I''m just a mobile prisoner.¡± Several of the large spiders came over and moved the stone block from where it was, and shifted it to be in front of her. Lylyth sat up and sighed again at the mess she''d made of the floor. ¡°I really am becoming impulsive and unreasonable.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°More impulsive and unreasonable, My Queen.¡± The attendant said as the healer checked Lylyth over to make sure she wasn''t hurt. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Lylyth told the healer. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Have you calmed down?¡± The healer asked. ¡°Like someone threw a bucket of cold water on me.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Someone should throw a bucket of cold water on him.¡± The attendant said. ¡°He shouldn''t be teasing you like this.¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°He''s not teasing me.¡± She said. ¡°In fact, I think... he... he...¡± ¡°He''s only trying to keep the maids happy.¡± The healer said. ¡°Surprisingly.¡± ¡°Yes, they should be below his notice.¡± The attendant said. ¡°They should serve him, and that should be the end of it.¡± Lylyth had felt what Ren felt, and she didn''t think that he thought that way at all. * Ren and the maids got up after a short rest, and he discovered it had been Lusinia that he had massaged with his fingers. When they had untangled themselves and got out of bed, she had hugged him closely. ¡°Thank you for choosing me next.¡± Lusinia whispered in his ear and kissed his cheek. ¡°You''ve made me so happy.¡± She didn''t have to tell Ren that, because he could feel it just as much as the others did. It buoyed the maids emotional states up, and all of their happiness levels were pretty high. Ren took out meals for them to eat for breakfast, equipped his Travelling Clothes, and put on his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. Teepo dropped down onto his shoulder when Ren passed underneath him, and they left the bedroom together. Ren went to the guest room, opened the door, and knocked on Janice''s front door. ¡°What! What! What!!!¡± Janice nearly yelled and opened the door. ¡°What do you want?!?¡± ¡°I''m sorry for disturbing you.¡± Ren said and handed her a plate of food. ¡°We''re leaving soon. Do you feel like coming-¡± ¡°NO!¡± Janice yelled and slammed the door in his face. ¡°I think someone''s not a morning person.¡± Ren said, and Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren took a plate of food down to Princess, then told Riley and Stacy what their duties were going to be that day. They barked once at him, and he pat each of them on the head. ¡°Remind me later to update your enchantments.¡± Ren said, and replaced the Level 1 Fireball wands in their mouths with Level 1 Web wands. ¡°I''ll figure out how to add extra protection to the two of you as well.¡± Ren left them and went to Railyse''s room. He knocked once and opened the door, then was splashed with a pile of water that drenched him. ¡°Good morning to you, too.¡± Ren said to the small water elemental. It bubbled and gurgled at him for a few seconds, then dove back into the water. ¡°I see you''ve met my new sentry guard.¡± Railyse said when she hopped out of the in-ground pool. ¡°He warned me that I''d get the same if I just barge in again.¡± Ren said and she laughed. ¡°I even knocked.¡± He said and equipped his armor bodysuit to dry himself off. ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Railyse said. ¡°He decided that I needed protection, and he was going to provide it no matter what I said.¡± She smiled and put a hand on his arm. ¡°It reminded me so much of a certain someone that I didn''t even try to object.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It didn''t do you any good to argue the first time, either.¡± ¡°I''m glad it didn''t.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Do you want another fish this morning?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I should be good for a few days.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Ren said and started to pull up his sleeve. ¡°I said I''m good.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Railyse.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t go too long without eating.¡± ¡°You know how I feel about...¡± ¡°Yes, I know you don''t love me like that, and you know I don''t love you like that either.¡± Ren said. ¡°However, I''m getting tired of reminding you that I have no problem with letting you take what you need from me, just the same as if you did love me as a husband.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Don''t start arguing that I don''t get anything out of it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You know how happy I am that I can make you happy... especially without causing political upheaval.¡± Railyse gave him a hug. ¡°I might not love you like I would a husband, but... but I...¡± ¡°Just hurry up and bite me.¡± Ren said and put his arms around her. ¡°I''m not going to get any tastier.¡± Railyse laughed and leaned back. ¡°I''m not so sure about that.¡± She said and looked him in the eyes, then looked at his cheek. ¡°You would honor me.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Railyse said and kissed his cheek with her lips together, then opened her mouth and bit him. Blood flowed as she pulled her teeth out of his skin, and she french kissed the wound. She sucked and licked his cheek to get as much out of it as she could, and because Ren was only wearing his armor bodysuit, she felt his body''s reaction to her kisses. ¡°You...¡± *kiss* *lick* ¡°...are so...¡± *kiss* *suck* ¡°...delicious.¡± *lick* *suck* Ren knew she was completely serious when she spoke while she was in a feeding frenzy, and his face went red. ¡°Mmm!¡± Railyse moaned at the increased flow of blood, and after a minute, she felt quite sated and stopped kissing his cheek. She used her healing ability and licked the wound a couple of times, and it closed over. She sighed and tried to step back to let him go; then was surprised when he held onto her. ¡°Just a second.¡± Ren said and weaned his sharing of feelings in the shared Aura to just a trickle. He then thought about the chances that Railyse would have of ever finding a husband of her own species, especially after so long being alone and away from the Water Realm, and he welled that sorrow up and let it form into tears. Railyse saw the tears form, kissed his right eye, and gasped. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± She exclaimed because she had tasted that the tears were all about her, and they were the most exquisite taste she had ever had. A water tendril formed from her hair and attached to his left eye while she sucked on his right. This lasted for almost a full minute; and then she started to glow. The water of the pool started to churn even more than normal, and it splashed up and over the sides. Outside the sun was obscured by a cloud that had formed out of nowhere, and it cast a shadow over the Housing District. It became thicker and darker over the next few minutes, then grew bigger; big enough to encompass nearly half of the city in shadow. The water in the harbour started to churn and splash on the dock as the water became choppy, and then the cloud over the city opened up and it started to rain. ******** ¡°Holy shit!¡± One of the programmers said when a warning popped up on his screen and interrupted his work vibe. He was the only one who had wanted the night shift at Sid Tec, mainly because he liked working alone and being left alone while he worked. He had been surprised because it was a warning about a game environment alteration for FLOW. He typed quickly to check on the static environmental settings, and couldn''t believe his eyes when he saw what the warning was for. ¡°You have got to be kidding.¡± He said. ¡°Divine Intervention? What the hell does that mean?¡± ******** Railyse''s entire body glowed a bright gold color as she absorbed Ren''s tears, and the pool behind them sloshed up and out of the pool in a solid mass. The water elemental was suspended in the middle of it and bubbled and gurgled furiously. Railyse felt the water elemental''s fury, and it brought her back to herself. The mass of water the elemental was in dropped and splashed back into the pool, which in turn splashed up the sides and coated the inside of the room with water. Outside the rain had continued to fall at a faster and faster rate; and then it suddenly stopped. The large dark cloud broke apart a few seconds later and disappeared. The water in the harbour stopped crashing against the dock and settled down, then stopped moving completely as if nothing had ever happened. * The programmer at Sid Tec was about to call the head programmer about it, and then the warning popup disappeared. He checked the static environmental controls again, and saw that everything was fine. ¡°Okay, that was weird.¡± The guy said. He added the incident to the log file with the time index where it happened, marked it as a significant occurrence, and sent it to Max. * ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked when he opened his eyes. He was soaked again, and he let Railyse out of the embrace and equipped his Travelling Clothes to dry off. ¡°Overflow.¡± Railyse said as her face flushed with small swirls of water behind her translucent skin. ¡°Overflow? Really?¡± Ren looked at the room and saw that everything was soaked, including the ceiling. ¡°If my guess is right, you had the entire pool of water suspended behind us.¡± The swirls inside Railyse''s face sped up, and he touched her face. ¡°You don''t have be embarrassed.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m happy you can get so much out of me.¡± ¡°That''s because you give me a lot more than I ever thought you could.¡± ¡°Railyse!¡± Ren fake gasped. ¡°Were your expectations of me that low?!?¡± Railyse chuckled. ¡°Far from it, my friend.¡± She said and kissed him on the lips.
Notice!
You have been anointed by the heir to the Water Realm. You will have a 10% bonus to any water-based spells, enchantments, and effects for the next 24 hours.
¡°Railyse, the bonus you give is at 10% now.¡± Ren said when he dismissed the popup. ¡°It is?¡± Railyse asked and examined herself. ¡°I don''t feel any different... or more powerful.¡± ¡°Are you supposed to?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Maybe you just gave me a double dose or something.¡± Railyse kissed him again, and Ren received another popup.
Notice!
Anointment blessings of the same type do not stack. You must wait for one to expire before another one of the same type can take effect.
¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Never mind.¡± Railyse chuckled and turned around, and held her hand out. All the water that had splashed up onto the walls and ceiling slowly pulled away from the wood and was drawn to her hand. She gathered it into a ball and eased it back into the pool. ¡°Did that feel any easier?¡± Ren asked, and Railyse shook her head. ¡°Well, keep a close eye on what you do for the next little while, and see if you notice any differences.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Railyse said. Ren turned to open her room''s door and she touched his arm. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Ren turned back to face her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I just had a beautiful woman make out with my face.¡± He said, stood up on his toes and kissed her cheek. ¡°There''s only 2 things I regret. One is my lips weren''t involved until the end.¡± Railyse laughed. ¡°You land dwellers and your lip fetish.¡± She said. ¡°What''s the second thing?¡± ¡°That I don''t have the right teeth to bite you back.¡± Ren said and opened her door. ¡°See you later.¡± * Railyse touched the spot Ren had kissed on her cheek, then rubbed it with her fingertips after Ren had closed the door behind himself when he left. ¡°I regret it too, my friend.¡± Railyse whispered, then dove into her pool. * Ren went to Princess'' room and asked Riley and Stacy to follow him, then took them outside. He saw that everything was soaked and almost laughed out loud. Boy, when Railyse gets excited, she really gets excited. He thought, and Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren ran down the street and to the end of the Artesian District, and approached the market stall section. He chose a spot with nothing on either side, and when he tried to step into it, he met an invisible wall and a popup.
Empty Market Stall
If you wish to sell goods without having a storefront, a Market Stall is the best option. This stall costs 5 gold coins a day to operate. Do you wish to open it? Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Ren said.
Market Stall Options:
Low Quality (-2 gold) Normal Quality (0 gold) High Quality (+2 gold) Royal Quality (+5 gold)
¡°High Quality.¡± Ren said.
Market Stall Time Options:
1 Day 3 Days 5 Days 7 Days
¡°3 days.¡± Ren said and a popup asked for 21 gold. He tossed it into the small portal that appeared, and then a High Quality Market Stall appeared in the spot. It was 10 feet wide, 8 feet high, and 6 feet deep, with a counter across the front and a canopy over the top of it. He stepped inside and it asked for who would be operating it, if shelves were needed, and if they wanted to advertise. Ren put Verwynn as the operator, took as many shelves as could fit in the 10 foot wide stall, added a step ladder to get at the higher shelves, and paid the 10 silver coins for advertising Janice''s Glass Wares. Ren told Riley and Stacy to stay at the stall, and ran back to the house. Verwynn was already dressed in a fancy dress that wasn''t revealing; but, it showed off her figure to full advantage and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and Verwynn''s face flushed a little red. She could feel how much he appreciated that she would go through all the trouble just for him. ¡°We''ll keep an eye on her, too.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We''ll pass by occasionally in pairs, or even hover around the stalls.¡± ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°We know we don''t.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°We''re going to do it, anyways.¡± Ren chuckled and he led Verwynn down the stairs and out of the house, and over to the market stall. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Verwynn said when she saw the High Quality Market Stall. ¡°You''re really going to push her glassware, aren''t you?¡± ¡°Only for a couple of days.¡± Ren said, and then they started to load the shelves up with everything. He was glad he had brought Verwynn to help, because she directed him where to put everything for the best visual impact. When they were done, he dropped off the remainder of the items underneath the counter so that Verwynn could easily access it. Ren stepped out of the stall and looked back at it. ¡°It looks good, but...¡± ¡°But what?¡± Verwynn asked. ¡°It''s missing something.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I''m not sure...¡± He remembered having to install lights in the underground storage so that people could see, and he smiled. ¡°I got it.¡± He said as he took out two steel squares, enchanted them with Illumination glyphs of 5 runes each, and hung them on the inside of the canopy. He activated them, and they made the glass sparkle. ¡°That''s a nice touch.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°The canopy is blocking them from the sunlight, and they looked dull.¡± Ren said, then went into the stall. ¡°I want you to close a few hours early, long before everything else closes.¡± He told her. ¡°Riley and Stacy will guard you well; but, I still don''t want you out after dark.¡± Verwynn smiled, because with the both of them outside the shared Aura, they could only feel each other. She took his hand and put it on her face. ¡°You do care about our safety.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re my responsibility, and I''m going to do everything I can to keep you safe.¡± ¡°Sticking me out in the middle of the street, with a thousand or so unknown people, isn''t quite keeping me safe.¡± Verwynn said, so she could feel his reaction. She caught her breath at his immediate anger at some unknown person that would do her harm, and Riley and Stacy growled together. ¡°If you feel threatened at all... or nervous... or even a little uncomfortable... you close this thing down and go back to the house.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Verwynn could barely speak, because she was trying really hard not to get turned on. ¡°Riley and Stacy are pretty independent, but they are still parts of me. They will judge any threat against you, and will deal with it accordingly.¡± Verwynn turned her head and kissed the palm of his hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I hope they won''t be needed.¡± Ren said. ¡°They will stay by your side in my stead, just in case.¡± He pulled his hand away from her face, and he felt her slight disappointment. He leaned in close and whispered. ¡°When I come back tonight, remind me that it''s your turn in the morning.¡± Verwynn''s heart sped up because it was only the two of them sharing, and she could feel how much he liked her reactions. Ren gave her a quick kiss on the lips, left the stall, and knelt in front of the two dogs. ¡°Remember. Keep on the flanks. Use the wands if you have to, and keep the teeth and claws retracted unless there''s an immediate threat.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You have my permission to go all out if it happens.¡± Both dogs barked once and Ren pat their heads, then stood up. ¡°Remember what I said.¡± Ren looked directly at Verwynn, and she shook slightly from his intense stare. ¡°Stay safe, close early, and leave if you''re uncomfortable.¡± Verwynn nodded slightly. ¡°I''ll remember.¡± ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± Ren said and left at a run. Chapter 361 - Its Building Time Ren ran back to the house and picked up Princess and Ruck, kissed the other maids goodbye, and rode Princess over to the lumber yard with Ruck running behind them. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Jen said. ¡°Are you going to check the carts again?¡± ¡°If you don''t mind.¡± Ren said and hopped off of Princess. ¡°I''ll be quick.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Jen said and smiled. ¡°I''ve allowed for your Haste spell in our travel time.¡± Ren nodded, ran around the caravan, and quickly checked the carts. All the enchantments were still intact and the Durability was barely down at all. He didn''t find any flaws in the metal with his Vision of Impurity, and ran back to the head of the line. ¡°All done.¡± Ren said. ¡°That really was fast.¡± Jen said. ¡°I didn''t see Jhulune.¡± Ren said and climbed up onto Princess. ¡°Is she okay?¡± ¡°She said she had some personal things to take care of today.¡± Jen said. ¡°So I gave her the day off.¡± Ren nodded and Princess turned around. ¡°I''ll meet you at the West Gate.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I have to pick Tee-one up at the warehouse, and some iron ore.¡± ¡°We''re not going to take long to get to the gate from here.¡± Jen said. ¡°If you make me wait again...¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Don''t worry. I''ve got you covered if I take a few extra minutes.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Jen said. ¡°See you there.¡± Ren nodded again and Princess took off at a fast trot. Ruck was right behind them and followed them out the North Gate and down to the warehouse. When they got there, Tee-one was leaning against the side of the warehouse. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren asked him as Princess came to a stop and he hopped off of her to hook up the cart. ¡°Trying to do... what you do...¡± Tee-one managed to say. ¡°You made a pile of Strong Rings of Storage, filled them with ore, and now you''re trying to carry them all?¡± Tee-one nodded, and Ren laughed as he shook his head. ¡°You''re using my Rock Steady ability?¡± Tee-one nodded again and pushed off from the wall. ¡°It''s still really heavy, though.¡± ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Ren said and looked at Ruck. ¡°Load up as much as you can safely carry.¡± Ruck pat Ren''s head and went inside the warehouse. ¡°Hand some of them over.¡± Ren said to Tee-one, and he passed him 50 rings. ¡°Geez, how many did you...¡± ¡°250.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°That''s much better, thanks.¡± Ren shook his head and pat Princess. ¡°I won''t load up myself, because this is going to be hard enough on you.¡± I will be fine, My Lord. Princess thought to him. ¡°Yes, you will.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be using the Giant Strength and Haste wands today.¡± Ren felt the thrill go through her, and he chuckled. ¡°You won''t be going quite that fast with all of us to pull behind you.¡± Ruck came out of the warehouse a minute later, and walked slowly. ¡°I could have sworn I said ''safely carry''.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hold on while I change the enchantment on the cart.¡± Ruck gave him the ''okay'' signal and Ren took out three steel squares and enchanted one with Durability enhancement, one with Strength, and one with Reinforcement. He took out another and enchanted it with Antidark runes to try and make the cart lighter; but, when he attached the steel squares with dabs of molten metal, the cart remained the same weight with only an 80% reduction. ¡°I wonder if that''s a set number, or if I can reduce it by other means.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you reduce it a little bit further, I think you could make it airborne.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°That''s what I was thinking.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I can find some way to overcome Dark completely...¡± He shook his head. ¡°We''re wasting time.¡± He said. ¡°Everyone climb aboard.¡± Ruck climbed into the back of the cart and hunkered down as far as he could go, so that the center of mass was closer to the ground. Tee-one was next and climbed up into the passenger seat on the front, and then Ren climbed into the driver''s seat. ¡°Let''s go, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°Outside the wall.¡± Right away. Princess thought and started to trot. * ¡°Where the hell is he?¡± Jen asked as she looked back along the caravan and into the city. ¡°There he is.¡± Her driver said and pointed. She turned to look where he pointed and saw Ren coming over the rough ground with his mount and a cart. She shook her head in disbelief that he would treat a cart and a mount like that, and Princess came to a stop beside them. * ¡°We had to take a shortcut.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ready to go?¡± ¡°If you haven''t broken your mount''s leg or cracked a wheel.¡± Jen said a little crossly. ¡°I haven''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s your problem?¡± ¡°I thought you were better than that.¡± Jen said and pointed. ¡°I wouldn''t let my old mare cross that, let alone my only mount!¡± ¡°I''ll have you know that Princess can cross anything... anything at all... and nothing can stop her.¡± Ren said, and he felt Princess'' pride. ¡°The cart''s enchanted for Strength, Durability, and Reinforcement.¡± He said a bit crossly back. ¡°If you''d taken just a second to look at it, instead of judging me unfairly, you''d know that.¡± Jen blinked her eyes at him, and she realized that she really had judged him unfairly. ¡°Ren, I... I''m sor-¡± ¡°I don''t want to hear it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve never done anything at all for you to think that I''d mistreat my friends in any way.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Ren concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Quiet.¡± He commanded her, and Jen closed her mouth. ¡°You can try to apologize again during lunch, when I''m not as angry at you.¡± Jen nodded reluctantly and Ren took out the Giant Strength and Haste wands. ¡°You better hold on.¡± Ren said to her and cast Giant Strength on the horse, and then Haste. The horse neighed and kicked it''s hooves, and the driver smiled as he flicked the reins. The horse took off like a bolt from a crossbow, and Ren cast the same spells on the other horses as they passed. He did the same for Princess, and she passed by everyone like they were standing still. ¡°We can stop up ahead to wait for them.¡± Teepo said about 6 minutes later. ¡°With their increased speed, it should only take three rest stops to get there.¡± But we are wasting time. Princess thought. At least let me drop Ruck off at the Main House and come back. ¡°Stop here, please.¡± Ren said, and he felt Princess sulk a little as she came to a stop without question. He hopped off the cart and walked to the front of the cart to pat her neck. ¡°That''s actually a good idea.¡± He said and stepped back out of the way. ¡°I''ll see you when you get back.¡± Ruck and Tee-one waved to him, and Princess licked his face and ran off before he could react. ¡°Geez.¡± Ren chuckled and used a cloth to wipe off his face. ¡°A simple thank you would have been good enough.¡± ¡°That was a simple thank you.¡± Teepo said, and Ren laughed. They had to stand there and wait for about 14 minutes for the horses and carts to start showing up. The spells wore off only about 20 feet away from where Ren stood, and the lead horse and cart came to a stop on the other side of the road from him. Jen looked at Ren as he stood there, and she sighed. Why did I react like that? She asked herself as the next horse and cart came to a stop behind her. That''s more like how Catalina would react. She thought, then remembered what Catalina had told her about Ren''s little show back in the capital city. Oh, god. She sighed again as she figured out what was wrong. I''m... I''m afraid of him. Ren had heard Jen sigh both times; but, he didn''t look at her. The horse on the other hand looked like it was struggling to catch it''s breath, so Ren used the Energize wand that the Hand Of Glory around his neck had a hold of. He was worried before that they would get spoiled if he did that; but with the way Jen was acting, he didn''t care at this point and used the spell on each horse as it came to a stop. The drivers were surprised that their horses weren''t tired after such a hard run, and got to work feeding and taking care of them. Princess came back at her normal speed and stopped beside Ren. She didn''t have the cart attached, and Ren nodded mentally. He thought about going around and adding Health potion to the feed again, but it wasn''t strictly necessary. He''d check them at the end of the ride to see if they needed any healing. ¡°Break''s over.¡± Jen told them, and all the workers and drivers climbed back into their respective carts, and Ren recharged the three wands. He waited until everyone was ready, then cast Giant Strength and Haste on the horses. Do me as well. Princess thought when the last horse passed her. ¡°You don''t need it at this low a speed.¡± Ren said, and then chuckled. ¡°This low a speed!¡± He said. ¡°I think I''m getting spoiled by you.¡± Princess brayed and ran after the carts. Ren had been right, though. She caught up to the carts with a little bit of effort, and eased past them. Since almost no one used this road, she didn''t have to worry about oncoming traffic. She kept an eye out for any obstacles or obstructions, and so did Ren and Teepo for that matter. She ran for the entire 20 minute duration of the spells, and came to a stop to let Ren cast Energize on the horses. After another short break, they continued on and arrived at the Main House, and Tee-one and Ruck already had half of a large warehouse built. Ren shook his head and dismounted from Princess, then checked the horses to see if they needed any healing or Health refills. Two of them had strained leg muscles, since it was quite the vigorous run for them; so, Ren used a Minor Healing wand on them. Just for the heck of it, he used the wand on all of the horses just to top off their Health. ¡°I wish you were along for all of our runs.¡± The driver of the first cart said, since his horse was the last one Ren healed. ¡°You make everything so much easier.¡± Ren glanced at Jen, who was standing nearby and pointedly not looking at him. ¡°I don''t think everyone feels the same way.¡± He said, and he saw her twitch a little. ¡°I don''t know what her problem is.¡± The driver said and started to brush the horse. ¡°She usually hangs all over you.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡± Ren said. I wonder what happened to change her attitude? ¡°You can always ask her.¡± The driver said. ¡°I''m sure she''d tell you if you did.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Ren said, bid the driver farewell, and let Princess into the Main House to rest. He gave her some food and left her there, then ran over to Tee-one and Ruck. ¡°You didn''t have to start as soon as you got here.¡± ¡°If I had wings, that would be like telling me I didn''t have to fly.¡± Tee-one said as he picked up another section of wall and Ruck held it in place for him to attach it. ¡°Well, then!¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Hurry up and get to work!¡± Tee-one chuckled and Ruck clapped his hands, and the three of them finished the large two storey warehouse in only half an hour. With the three of them wearing the Amulet of the Spider, they had no trouble building the second floor or the roof. Ruck had taken a break after the first floor was done to unload a good portion of the iron ore he carried, and swarmed over everything once he was so much lighter. They added the standard windows on the first floor, but left the second floor just bare walls and added a vent above where the giant forge was going to be. Once the building itself was done, the three of them went inside and Ren handed them the parts he had purchased in the capital city. ¡°I can''t believe they actually had these things in stock and ready for sale.¡± Tee-one said as he picked up a 5 foot long and 5 inch thick square piece of metal that the giant smelter sat on and put it aside. ¡°I''m not complaining, though.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Me, either. It would take us a while to make each of these parts, and a lot of iron ore.¡± He said. ¡°Buying them was so much easier.¡± ¡°You wanted to make them, though.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, but I couldn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s that age old problem of needing the tools to make the tools that you need.¡± ¡°You needed the giant smelter before you could make the parts you needed to make the giant smelter.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, now that we have the giant smelter, we''ll be able to replace the parts with steel eventually.¡± Ruck handed Ren the first set of paving stones he would need for the base of the forge. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. The three of them got to work and built the biggest forge that any of them had ever seen. The best part was, since they didn''t need the compartment for adding wood inside to increase the heat, the inside of the forge was actually much bigger than any of it''s counterparts. ¡°Zetaya is going to love it in here!¡± Ren said as he enchanted every single stone with Fire and Wind runes. ¡°I think we should make a door for you, rather than just use the sliding mechanism.¡± Tee-one suggested. ¡°If it slides closed while you''re inside...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Good point.¡± They designed a stone slab door with hinges on the outside, and Ruck passed him several stone slabs to choose from. ¡°Hey, thanks!¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought you just overloaded yourself with iron ore.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°What else did you bring?¡± Ruck took out 2 dozen bags of sand, a dozen more different kinds of large stones for Ren to practice his stone masonry on, and enough paving stones to cover the entire floor of three buildings. He also had a pile of stone bricks to make molds in front of the forges. ¡°Thanks a lot!¡± Ren said and hugged Ruck. ¡°You were thinking farther ahead than I was.¡± Ruck patted Ren on the back, and Ren let him go. ¡°Let''s get this thing up and running!¡± Ren said, and they finished making the forge, then added the pieces on top for the giant smelter. Normally, that would have been the end of it, but because he was making miniature forges and smaller smelters attached to the giant one, it took twice as long to get all the pipes, valves, and mechanisms for switching the flow of molten metal to each spot. Ren thought about altering the design, because he was sure he wasn''t going to need 5 satellite smelters; but, if he started to fiddle with the design after most of it was already built, that was just asking for trouble. He smiled at that thought, Teepo chittered in laughter, and he felt amusement from Tee-one. They made it the way it was intended, and stood back half an hour later to marvel at the monstrosity. ¡°I know I''ve seen one before, but... even I have to admit that thing is huge.¡± Ren said, and Tee-one and Ruck nodded. The forge and smelter combined almost reached the top of the warehouse and the vent there, and it filled almost all the available space on one side of the building. ¡°A conveyor belt!¡± Ren said. ¡°I was thinking about how I was going to get all that ore up there without having to crawl up the wall and dumping it in by hand.¡± ¡°Well, we have gears, wheels and Spider Silk cloth.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°We''ll have to add the first load by hand to make the parts we need, then we can make the conveyor belt and just crank it up to add more ore.¡± While they talked, Ruck had crawled up the wall and was already upside down on the ceiling above the smelter. ¡°Hold on, I''ll start it up.¡± Ren said and opened the door in the front of the forge. Rather than activate all the enchantments at once, he did them in stages. He remembered the first time he had lit up an enchanted forge and activated all the glyphs at once. He had been looking into the forge at the time and the blast of heat and fire had burned off his eyebrows instantly. Ren chuckled as the giant forge slowly came to life and filled the internal space with flame and wind. It reminded him of the Fire Realm, and he felt a sharp pain in his heart. The heat quickly spread from the forge into the smelter, so Ren shut the front door and waved. Ruck emptied his inventory of ore into the smelter, then came down and refilled it, then went back up and dumped it all into the smelter. ¡°You''re right.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°There''s no way we could have smelted enough metal to make those large parts in one shot.¡± ¡°We can now, though.¡± Ren said and looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Hey, Ruck! Give us a hand building Janice''s place. We have to let the metal simmer for a while before we can use it.¡± Ruck waved and moved away from the top of the smelter, then let go of the ceiling. He flipped over in mid-air and landed on the floor as his legs compressed and supported his weight so that it didn''t damage the floor. ¡°Show off.¡± Ren said and grinned. Ruck pat him on top of the head and they left the large warehouse and went next door. Ren took out the prefab walls he had made the day before, and they built the house and a large workshop beside it. He had enough paving stones now to cover the floor and halfway up the walls, and then they built a much larger glass furnace for Janice to use. While Ren enchanted it, Ruck moved the bags of sand from the warehouse to Janice''s workshop. Ren activated it and loaded it with sand. Since it could be left to simmer, just like the iron ore, Ren asked them to help him build the stables he would need for 60 horses. ¡°Are we making 5 separate stables with 12 horses each?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°I''m tempted to, since that''s what everyone else does.¡± Ren said, and then smiled. ¡°But, you know me.¡± Tee-one chuckled. ¡°One large stable with 5 compartments it is.¡± ¡°I''m glad I picked up so much lumber at the capital city.¡± Ren said. ¡°How far away should we make it?¡± ¡°Not far.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You know people are going to like the novelty of having free horse and cart rides.¡± ¡°Only a few hundred feet away it is.¡± Ren said and they walked over to the spot. Since there was a minimal amount of building materials needed for horse stalls, it didn''t take them long to make a single stable for 60 horses. The stalls themselves were 10 feet wide and 10 feet deep, because Ren wanted to make sure the horses had lots of room to move around, and then added a 20 foot wide by 10 foot deep space every 12 stalls for hay and feed storage. They built the manager''s office on the end of it, a 20 foot by 20 foot space, which made it stand out unlike any other stable he had seen. They added paper storage, a large desk and chair, and added a window in the door. On the very end of the stable, they built a 40 foot by 40 foot classroom, added chairs for the students and a desk and chair for the teacher. ¡°Whew.¡± Ren said when they were done two hours later. ¡°That took a lot longer than I thought it would.¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°It''s the little details that slowed us down.¡± He said. ¡°Each horse stall had partial walls, and each needed it''s own gate with a hole for the horse to stick it''s head out.¡± ¡°Imagine if we were doing it alone and didn''t have each other to help.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d probably still be building the forge warehouse.¡± ¡°That''s why we''re here.¡± Tee-one said and held a hand out. Ruck slapped it in a high five gesture, and Ren chuckled. ¡°We should take a break for a bit.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think the smelter needs to be skimmed for impurities.¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Why don''t you go and see how the next batch of houses are coming along.¡± ¡°Do I have to?¡± Ren whined dramatically, and Tee-one chuckled. ¡°Go and talk to her.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You need to know what her problem is.¡± Ren sighed and nodded, then walked up the road to the Main House and the housing subdivisions behind it. He wasn''t surprised to see that 10 of the houses were finished already and came to a stop beside Jen. He hadn''t used Sneak, and made sure to make enough noise so that she knew he was approaching. He saw her stiffen and wasn''t sure what was wrong. ¡°It''s coming along nicely.¡± Ren said as he looked at the houses. ¡°It is.¡± Jen said. ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°It''s not lunchtime yet...¡± Ren said. ¡°...but, I would like to talk to you in private.¡± He looked at her. ¡°Will you accompany me to the Main House?¡± Jen took in a breath and let it out. ¡°Please.¡± Ren said. Jen nodded and they walked over to the Main House and went inside. ¡°You have a Mayor''s office?¡± ¡°Patty runs the town, with a town council to help.¡± Ren said and walked by her office and down the hallway. ¡°I offered her the Mayor job when I realized she thought I was getting rid of her.¡± ¡°Were you?¡± Jen asked, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said and opened the door to the two room apartment at the back and looked at her. ¡°I''m trying to improve things, not destroy them.¡± Jen twitched slightly when he said ''destroy them'', and Ren kept his face blank so she wouldn''t know that he saw her flinch. She walked by him into the apartment and stopped. ¡°Is this your place?¡± Jen asked. ¡°I know you said you''d be living here...¡± ¡°No, my personal living space is upstairs.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± Jen sat on a chair at the table, and Ren motioned to the comfy couch. She sighed and walked over to the couch and sat down. He waited for a moment, then walked over and sat down on the couch a foot away from her. He saw her body stiffen up, and he turned to look at her. ¡°Tell me what''s wrong.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren, I... I''m not sure I...¡± ¡°Jen, we''ve known each other for a while now...¡± ¡°I thought I knew you.¡± Jen said, and Ren raised his eyebrows. ¡°Okay, you have to clarify that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please explain.¡± Jen sighed and leaned back on the couch. ¡°Ren... you always surprise me... but...¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°This last surprise was... it was too much for me.¡± Jen said. Ren reached out to take her hand, and she pulled back before he could. He let his hand fall to the couch, and slowly pulled it back. ¡°I don''t understand what you mean.¡± Ren said. ¡°What surprise?¡± ¡°I... I talked to Catalina.¡± Jen said. ¡°She told me about...¡± She started to tremble slightly and clenched her fists. ¡°I heard about what you did to the city gate.¡± ¡°She''s afraid of you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said, a little sadly. ¡°Jen, I... I''m sorry. I was showing off and wanted to take my anger out on something.¡± ¡°You completely destroyed a 50 foot wide solid metal gate, Ren.¡± Jen said. ¡°With just your fists.¡± ¡°It was weak and poorly made, though.¡± Jen snorted a laugh. ¡°You pummelled it into pieces, then brought a large chunk of it over to Catalina and Maude like you were going to squash them with it.¡± She said. ¡°You crushed it in your hands instead, much to their relief, and threw that chunk of solid metal farther than anyone has ever thrown anything before.¡± ¡°Look, I know it was stupid to show off like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°So please, believe me. I wasn''t going to hurt anyone then, and I''m not going to hurt anyone now.¡± ¡°But you could have.¡± Jen said, and sighed. ¡°Very easily.¡± ¡°Of course I could have.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I''m an Adventurer. Once I''d gone up a few levels and figured a few things out, I could have killed everyone I''ve ever met.¡± Jen started to shake visibly, and Ren took her hand. She tried to pull away, but he held onto it. ¡°Jen, listen.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just because I can hurt people, doesn''t mean that I will... or even want to.¡± He said. ¡°The entire time I''ve been in this world, I''ve done my best to help people when I can and to enjoy myself.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Not once have I set out to maliciously hurt anyone.¡± Ren said, and then sighed. ¡°Although, I... I did hurt someone once when...¡± He shook his head. ¡°That was a bad moment for me, and I don''t want to relive it.¡± He said. ¡°It worked out afterwards, but it was... I''m never... ever... going to do something like that again.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''m sorry that hearing what I did has scared you; but, you should know that I will never hurt you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can give you my word on this because I know it''s easily kept.¡± ¡°I...¡± Jen sighed and squeezed his hand. ¡°I know I''m acting like a terrified little girl; but, that was no reason to snap at you like I did this morning.¡± She said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°I could argue that it''s not lunchtime yet, and you have to wait like I said and should apologize properly then.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°But, I''ll be the bigger man here and graciously accept it anyways.¡± Jen gasped and smacked his arm. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren said and rubbed the spot, and she chuckled. ¡°Like that hurt you.¡± Jen said. ¡°Having you afraid of me hurt a lot more.¡± Ren said, and she put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I''m still scared of what you can do when you''re angry.¡± Jen said. ¡°I''ll try my best not to hold that against you.¡± ¡°That''s all I can ask.¡± Ren said and stood up. He still had a hold of her hand and helped her stand up, too. ¡°On the plus side, if you need someone to deal with errant metal gates, you''ll know just who to call.¡± Jen didn''t respond to the joke, and Ren led her out of the apartment and out the front door of the Main House. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Jen said. ¡°What?¡± Ren asked and turned to look. He didn''t see anything out of the ordinary. ¡°Where the hell did a warehouse and a giant stable come from?¡± Jen asked, and Ren chuckled. ¡°You didn''t look around once today?¡± Ren asked her, and she shook her head. ¡°Tee-one, Ruck and I built them.¡± ¡°Since we got here?¡± Jen asked. ¡°Well, it did take us an hour to build the giant forge inside the warehouse.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now that it''s done, we can concentrate on the other buildings.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''m sure we''ll have the Church finished by tonight.¡± ¡°Ch-ch-church?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I redesigned one and had it built in the dwarf lands.¡± He said. ¡°One specific room for each of the elements I know of, and then a large room in the middle for general worship.¡± Jen''s breathing was a little heavy, and Ren smiled. ¡°I had to make the stained glass windows myself.¡± Ren said and she looked at him. ¡°I''ll be making more while Ruck and Tee-one build the frame for the building.¡± ¡°How... how big will it be?¡± Jen asked, and Ren wiggled a finger at her to bend over. He whispered in her ear how big it would be, and she had to brace her hands on his shoulders. ¡°You can make... several industrial-sized buildings... in a day.¡± ¡°Thanks to you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Your prefab wall idea was so great that it''s all I use now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Make several wall sections, prop them up or have someone help, then attach them. The only real limit I have now is my imagination... oh, and accessible lumber.¡± Jen took several quick breaths to calm down. ¡°How much lumber did you get in the capital city?¡± ¡°Not much.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Only 50,000 planks.¡± Jen laid her forehead on his forehead and took several more breaths. ¡°You''re carrying them, aren''t you?¡± ¡°Most of them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Along with a few thousand 4 x 4s, trim pieces, and half-planks to use for finishing work.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Jen said and closed her eyes for a few moments, then took several deep breaths. ¡°I... I''m still a little scared of you, you know.¡± ¡°I''m glad that''s not stopping you from enjoying yourself.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. She leaned on him for only a moment longer, then stood up straight and let his shoulders go. ¡°You need to get back to work.¡± Jen said in an almost normal voice. ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you at lunch.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Jen said. ¡°I didn''t bring any food for myself this time.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry, I got you covered.¡± Jen smiled at him, then watched as Ren ran across the road and into the large warehouse. Chapter 362 - Rush Hour ¡°Let''s get this conveyor belt up and running.¡± Ren said, and Tee one waved from the ceiling. ¡°I had to make a bigger skimmer.¡± Tee-one said and dumped the slag into a large stone basin. ¡°We should make a bigger everything for this thing.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I''ll start making the rollers.¡± ¡°Are you using a two part mold?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°I was tempted to try and drill a hole into one of those large stones there.¡± Ren said and pointed to one of the stones Ruck had dropped off. ¡°But yeah, a two part mold would be easier.¡± Ren used 2 paving stones, one for each side of the mold. Since they were 2 feet wide and 2 feet long, he carved out 8 half cylinder holes that were an inch and a half wide from each of them, and let the system measure where to put them to match them up. He made the holes almost the entire length of the paving stone, but left an inch on each side flat. He then cut a much smaller cylinder half out of it, so that when the molds were cast, he would have 8 cylinders that were an inch and a half in diameter, 1 foot 10 inches long, and with a 1 inch axle on each end. Ren went to the forge and chose the middle smelter, hit the lever to switch the dispenser to that trough, and pulled the release lever. A section of the large smelter opened up and molten metal poured out and down the trough, then into the smaller smelter it was attached to. He pushed the lever back to where it was, cut off the flow of molten metal, then walked to the small smelter. Since it was all preheated, the metal retained it''s molten state and Ren poured the metal from that smelter into the mold. He absorbed the heat from the metal evenly, popped the mold apart to store the rollers, and did it again. ¡°Are we making it in one piece?¡± Tee-one asked and stirred the molten metal. ¡°Or a better question is, can we make it in one piece?¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Ren stopped making rollers and looked at the setup. With the forge next to the wall like it was, there wasn''t a lot of room to have a single conveyor belt to go up from the floor and straight to the smelter. ¡°Let''s do two smaller ones.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°We can put one from the middle of the wall there and along the back to above the smelter, then the other one along the side wall from the floor and above the end of the other conveyor.¡± ¡°Like stairs.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Yeah, and we can get away with only having an ore catch rail on the outside, because the wall can act as the other.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Tee-one said and walked down the wall. ¡°I''ll start the rail to hold the rollers.¡± Ren nodded and kept working, Ruck took over stirring the metal, and Tee-one set up the mold for the long piece of metal with holes in it for the axles on the rollers. Ren had guessed that they would need about a hundred rollers, and kept casting 8 at a time. When he did it the twelfth time, he stopped. 96 should be close enough. Ren thought and went over to help Tee-one. He was having a bit of a hard time absorbing the heat from the metal, since he wasn''t immune to Fire like Ren was; but, he did have a Minor Healing wand out and used it after he had burned all of his fingers. ¡°I can take over that part.¡± Ren said. Tee-one stepped back to heal himself, and Ren absorbed the heat from the second piece of metal. He popped it out of the mold and they moved the mold in because the wall pieces didn''t need the rail part. Tee-one poured the molten metal out and Ren made sure it covered everything and was even, then absorbed the heat and popped it out. They did it again to complete the sides, then they made the braces to hold it in place, gears on the ends to pull the conveyor belt, and then added the crank and spiral coil springs so that they could just charge the thing up and it would go on by itself. Now that the components were done, Ruck came over and helped Ren sew up the Spider Silk cloth in a long line to cover the belt. They added reinforced holes for the gears on the ends to turn the belt, then made another belt for the second conveyor and slipped them on the sides without rails. Ruck held the first conveyor against the wall while Ren and Tee-one secured it in place, added the braces to hold it, and then they did the same with the second conveyor belt along the back wall. Once it was in place and they had attached the two belts with a joining set of gears that let both operate in the same direction, Ren turned the crank and charged up the spring coils to load them with potential energy. Ruck and Tee-one dropped several handfuls of ore onto it, and Ren hit the release button. Both conveyor belts spun as fast as the coils could turn them and the ore shot up the first conveyor belt, hit the wall, and bounced in several different directions. ¡°Oops.¡± Ren said and laughed as the conveyor belts spent all of their energy and stopped moving. ¡°I forgot to add the limit levers like we have on the farm vehicle.¡± Tee-one nodded as Ruck gathered up the scattered ore pieces. They only had to take apart the bottom conveyor to fix the problem, and after half an hour of changing parts and gears, it was back in place. ¡°Okay, test number 2.¡± Ren said and hit the button; then nothing happened. ¡°Oh! The limit lever!¡± He said and pulled it. The conveyor started up at a slow pace, and he moved the lever to half-speed. The belt moved at a good pace, and the test ore rode up the first conveyor, dropped onto the second, and rode that up to the top of the smelter and dropped into it. ¡°Yes!¡± Ren said and pulled the lever back to stop the belt. ¡°Nice work everyone!¡± Ruck came around the back of him and Tee-one, and hugged them both from behind. ¡°Time for lunch.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Right.¡± Ren said and looked at his friends. ¡°Can you start building the Church? I''ve got to drop off meals for the lumber yard workers, go back to town and see about hiring a couple of healers, and then pick up some parchment and ropes that I ordered.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°We should at least have a good portion of it up by the time you get back.¡± ¡°I''ll start the stained glass windows when I come back.¡± Ren said. ¡°Since I already have the image patterns, it won''t take me long to cut the glass pieces for the pictures and assemble them.¡± ¡°You''re not going to have a lot of visitors.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Not like in the dwarf lands.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s barely 800 people in the whole county, and nearly 650 of them live in the village.¡± ¡°Then why is there 61 bakeries?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°That''s a bakery for every ten people!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Maybe they just like baking.¡± He said. ¡°Actually, I think it''s because they are so used to spreading out the haul from the harvest, they needed all the bakers to work just to feed everyone.¡± ¡°We''re not going to build 61 different bakeries, are we?¡± ¡°Actually...¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You can''t be serious.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I don''t think they are going to want to share.¡± ¡°Before we do anything, I''ll ask them what they want.¡± Ren said. ¡°After lunch. I have to go.¡± ¡°See you.¡± Tee-one said and Ruck waved to him. Ren left the warehouse and ran across the road to the Main House and the subdivisions behind it, and the work crews were just gathering together into several groups. ¡°Just in time.¡± Jen said to Ren, then looked at her workers. ¡°Okay, everyone! Show of hands! Who brought a lunch?¡± Ren chuckled when no one lifted a hand. ¡°It''s a good thing I came prepared.¡± He said and took out one of his large iceboxes, then took out two stone bricks and enchanted them with Fire. He opened the first icebox and took out two plates, held them over the flames for a few seconds because that was all he needed to warm up the food, then gave them to the two closest people. He did this for the first work crew, then started to hand them out to the next. ¡°Hey, these look professionally made.¡± One of the workers of the second group commented when he got a plate. ¡°That''s because they were.¡± Ren said and handed over the next two plates. ¡°I ordered them from Nathalia''s Nourishment last night.¡± Everyone went quiet when they heard that. ¡°Ren.¡± Jen said. ¡°Everyone knows it''s expensive to eat at that restaurant.¡± She said. ¡°How much did this cost?¡± ¡°Hm? Do you mean for just these 30 meals, or for everything that I ordered?¡± Jen blinked her eyes at him for a second. ¡°How... how many meals did you buy?¡± ¡°200.¡± Ren said. ¡°I asked for a hundred first, but I figured with feeding your workers for a couple days, and since I need like 20 meals a day for my own people and friends...¡± ¡°H-h-how much?¡± ¡°Almost 4 platinum coins, including a generous tip.¡± Ren said and tried to hand the next two plates to the waiting workers, but they didn''t take them. ¡°What?¡± ¡°How can you spend so much on just food for us?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s only 1 gold coin and 50 silver coins a plate.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m not going to have people work for me and not feed them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d buy the ingredients and make the meals myself if I had the time.¡± He said. ¡°I''d probably save a gold coin per plate on the food; but, then I''d need to buy the plates anyways, so... this way, I kill two birds with one stone. I get a pile of plates I can refill, and you get to eat.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± The worker said and took the plate. ¡°I could eat for a week for that price, though.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Ren chuckled again. ¡°Trust me. This food is worth it.¡± The workers started to eat when they all got plates, and every single one of their faces lit up because of the flavors. ¡°Jen? Here''s yours.¡± Ren said and handed her a plate. Jen took it gingerly and tasted it, and her face lit up, too. ¡°That''s really good.¡± ¡°It should be. My ex-fiance runs the place and taught the cooks there.¡± Jen looked at him with wide eyes. Ren deactivated the stones and absorbed the enchantments, stored them and the icebox, and stepped close to Jen. ¡°I forgot to ask you something.¡± Ren said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Did Catalina tell you what I did after I destroyed the gate?¡± Jen flinched a little and spoke. ¡°You walked away from the stable and took Catalina to the carriage, then left the city.¡± ¡°Not before I gave Maude 2 platinum coins to buy a city gate that was properly made.¡± Ren said, then smiled at her reaction as Jen''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°B-bye, Ren.¡± Jen managed to say, and Ren ran back towards the Main House. He went inside and fed Princess, and asked if she wanted to go for a supply run. I will go anywhere you wish. Princess thought to him and stood up. You indulge me and listen to my suggestions, even when you don''t have to. ¡°What kind of friend would I be if I ignored you?¡± Ren said and scratched her chin. ¡°Plus, we can use the Giant Strength and Haste wands there and back.¡± Thank you! Princess thought emphatically, and Ren chuckled as he led her outside. He climbed up into the saddle and took out both wands. ¡°You''ll have to slow down when we hit the turnoff to the capital.¡± Ren said. ¡°The traffic is going to be really heavy from there to Aurora.¡± I know, My Lord. Princess thought. Let us be off! Ren cast both spells on her and held on. Princess let the feeling of joy overtake her, and she ran as hard and as fast as she could. Not because she had to; because she wanted to. ¡°Wheee!¡± Teepo said and chittered in delight. ******** ¡°What the f-¡± Officer Holly Stonewall caught herself before she cursed again. She had watched the monitor and seen Ren moving at an outrageous speed when he had left the starter city, and she almost spit out her mouthful of coffee. This time, he was moving so fast that the monitor was having a hard time displaying his movements. ¡°How the hell is he doing that?¡± Holly asked herself, then shook her head and leaned back. ¡°Only one way to find out.¡± She said and slipped on the VR headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren had just as much fun as Teepo and Princess, and then they hit the traffic. Princess didn''t have to just slow down, she had to practically stop before she ran someone over. They''re moving so slow! Ren thought, and Princess huffed and almost spit in frustration. If the people in front of us knew that, they would have been grateful that she didn''t. Ren smiled mentally at the thought, and how the people would freak out if she did spit on them. He didn''t let that amusement show on his face, however. They were in the middle of a medieval traffic jam and it was not a laughing matter. ¡°Screw this.¡± Ren said. ¡°Princess? We''re going off-road.¡± Yes, My Lord. Princess thought happily and turned to the right and trotted off the road and into the woods. When they were in far enough away from the road, Ren took out the Staff of Earth and concentrated on the ground 20 feet in front of Princess. He had done something similar before when they approached the Thieves Guild stronghold, and he made a 4 foot wide path a hundred feet long. Since he was only slightly shifting the earth to make it flat ground, it barely took a second. ¡°Let''s see if this works like I hope.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go slow at first, until I get the hang of it.¡± Princess nodded and started to trot. Ren waited until she was about halfway down the path before he started to concentrate on making the next section. ¡°I''ll try and keep it directly in front of you; but, it might shift to the side if there''s a tree that''s too big to move aside quickly.¡± Ren said. Teepo, you''re my eyes. ¡°I always am.¡± Teepo said. Princess trotted faster and Ren extended the path. He realized making a hundred foot section was a bit too much at once, so he reduced his concentration to only 30 feet and there was no discernible time for it to appear. Princess saw the change in how quickly the path formed in front of her and ran faster. Once he got the hang of it, Ren was surprised at how simple and quick it was to make flat ground for Princess to run on. She was already up to half of her normal speed, and Ren didn''t feel any strain on his concentration at all. They made their way through the woods until they came to the open area near the West Gate into Aurora, then they slowed down and saw what the problem was. A long extended cart designed to carry full logs had tipped over somehow and rolled over; which spilled it''s load over the road, jammed itself across the city gate, and wrecked several carts that had carried iron ore. The mess was spread out over a large area, and several people were trying to clean it up. ¡°Geez, doesn''t anyone want to help clean it up?¡± Ren asked rhetorically, because he knew that no one would, and told Princess to go over to the accident. ¡°You can''t go into the city through these gates.¡± One of the guards holding the traffic back said. ¡°You''ll have to go around.¡± ¡°I''d rather help clean up, if that''s okay.¡± Ren said and climbed off of Princess, and the people cleaning up looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°If you want to help clean this up, go ahead.¡± The guard said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and walked over to the large extended cart. ¡°We''ve got a team of horses coming to help put that upright, but they can''t get here with everything in the way.¡± One of the cleaners said. ¡°Is there anything wrong... oh, I see.¡± Ren said as he examined it. ¡°Shattered wheel.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The driver of the cart said. ¡°I don''t know what happened. All I heard was the crunch of wood and twisting metal, then I was looking up at the sky.¡± ¡°You were lucky, you mean.¡± One of the other cart driver''s said and pointed. ¡°Not like that guy.¡± Ren turned to look and saw several healers working on a man with two broken legs and a broken arm. His face had a massive bruise blossoming on it, and it looked like they were trying to feed him some kind of potion. ¡°Actually, he was lucky, too.¡± Ren said, and the two drivers looked at him. ¡°He could be dead.¡± The two driver''s didn''t say anything as Ren got the plans for the extended cart and realized he would need some molten metal. ¡°I''ll be back to replace the wheel.¡± Ren said, and they stared at him as he ran over to the city wall, then their mouths dropped open as he crawled up it like a spider. He jumped down the other side and ran to Donan''s shop. There was no one waiting to be served, so Ren went right inside. ¡°Ren!¡± Donan said and hugged him. ¡°I haven''t seen you in a long time!¡± ¡°I''m sorry, but it''s going to be a bit longer.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I just need a bit of molten metal.¡± Donan chuckled. ¡°Help yourself to the smelter, my boy.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Ren said and took out the wood to make a reinforced cart wheel, then dipped his hand into the smelter. ¡°REN! WHAT ARE You... oh, you''re okay.¡± Donan said as Ren spread the metal over the wheel''s center for the axle to hold it better, then took more metal to spread over the outside of the wheel. ¡°There was an accident at the West Gate.¡± Ren said and stored the new wheel, then grabbed another handful of molten metal and added it to the crucible he had in inventory. ¡°I''ll be back soon to visit, I promise!¡± ¡°I look forward...¡± Donan started to say, then Ren disappeared from his shop and he laughed. ¡°Boy, he sure can run now.¡± Ren ran back to the West Gate and climbed the wall. ¡°My Lord, you really shouldn''t be...¡± One of the guards on top of the wall started to say, but Ren ignored him and jumped off the wall to land on the ground outside. ¡°...doing that.¡± Ren ran over to the large extended cart and took out the wheel. ¡°Where did you get that?¡± The stunned driver asked. ¡°I made it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hold it for a second.¡± The driver took the wheel and Ren looked at the large cart. ¡°I think just storing it should work, rather than trying to flip it back.¡± Ren said. ¡°Less strain on the other wheels that way.¡± ¡°Did... did you say store it?¡± Ren nodded and stored it, then took it back out and put it on the ground upright. ¡°There, see? It''s upright.¡± He said and looked at the axle. It was a little warped and deformed, probably because it turned while the old wheel broke up, and he took out the crucible of molten metal. ¡°Hey, you can''t fix that just by pouring metal on it.¡± The driver said. Ren smiled at him, then stepped between him and the axle, and poured some of the molten metal out onto the axle. He used his hand to spread it out and used his Fire Manipulation ability to put a lot of the heat into the axle, then used his Iron Grip to bend it back straight with the system''s help. He was tempted to use his Repair skill, but he wasn''t sure how fixing a metal axle attached to a wooden cart would work. The driver heard the metal groan, and stood up. ¡°Hey! HEY! What are you doing?¡± ¡°Fixing it.¡± Ren said and stepped back. The driver stared at the straightened axle and didn''t know what to say. ¡°Wheel.¡± Ren said, and the driver rolled it over to him. He lifted the side of the large extended cart off the ground, slipped the wheel onto the axle, and eased the cart back to the ground. Ren used the crucible to add enough metal to the end of the axle to hold the wheel on, then examined it. He smiled at the great repair, and looked at the driver. ¡°Now that the cart is fixed, I''ll put the logs back.¡± Ren said. ¡°We tried rolling them, but they''re too heavy.¡± The driver said, then stopped talking when Ren stored the three logs closest to them and put them in the extended cart. The other people that were trying to clean up the ore around the logs stopped working and watched as Ren ran around, stored logs, and dropped them into the repaired cart. By this point, even the people waiting in traffic had taken notice of him and what he was doing, and had left their carts and horses to watch. Ren, completely oblivious to the scrutiny kept working, and finished loading the logs. ¡°I guess you lost the straps holding the logs.¡± Ren said to the driver of the cart, and he didn''t respond. ¡°I''ll just make new ones, then.¡± Ren used some Spider Silk cloth to sew up half a dozen long straps, and tied them to each side of the cart to hold the logs inside. ¡°That''s got it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where are the horses?¡± The driver pointed and Ren saw the horses were grazing in the field between the North and West gates, so he walked calmly over to them and took out a plate of food. He picked two nice pieces of meat and stored the plate, then held out a piece of meat in each hand. ¡°Hey, you two.¡± Ren said and slowed his walk so that he wouldn''t spook them. ¡°You''d both like a piece of tasty meat, right?¡± The horses stopped eating the grass and looked at Ren, who moved his hands lower to show the nice pieces of meat. ¡°Mmm, delicious.¡± Ren said and walked closer. The horses lifted their heads and he saw their noses twitch. ¡°That''s right.¡± He said and stopped a couple of feet away. ¡°You can have it.¡± One of the horses was bolder than the other and turned to take a piece of meat. When it started to chew and neighed a little bit, the other horse couldn''t resist and took the piece Ren had for it. ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said as they chewed, and then rubbed their noses. ¡°Take your time with it, it''s really good.¡± He slid his hand along their faces and very carefully took a hold of the reins attached to them. ¡°Come on. You''ve got work to do when you''re done of your snack.¡± The driver watched in astonishment as Ren led the horses back over to the large extended cart and reattached them properly. ¡°Who are you?¡± The driver finally managed to ask. ¡°Just someone who wants to help.¡± Ren said. ¡°You should get a healer to check you over completely, or at least rest for a bit more before driving.¡± The driver nodded and watched as Ren went over to the now almost cleared road and started to gather up all of the ore that was there. The other people who had stopped cleaning it up to watch Ren, started working again. Unlike them, Ren just piled it all into inventory and didn''t have to carry it to the carts at all. When he had gathered up everything that he could see, he went to the carts where it was to be stored. He saw the damage they had taken, and since there wasn''t anywhere else to put the ore, that was where everyone was putting it. Unable to take someone using a broken cart to haul things, he made replacement carts for the damaged ones and filled them with the ore in the other carts first, then emptied his own inventory into them and topped them all off. The horses for those carts had already been caught by their drivers before they had escaped, except for the driver who had been seriously hurt. His horse didn''t make it. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Ren said to the driver. ¡°I won''t be driving the cart until I can get a replacement horse.¡± The driver said. ¡°I have no idea how I''m going to make this delivery, though.¡± ¡°Is it going to Donan?¡± Ren asked, and the driver nodded. ¡°Then I''ll take it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going there anyways.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± The driver asked as the healers kept working on him. ¡°That''s a lot for you to...¡± Ren chuckled and stored the entire cart. ¡°...ah, never mind.¡± The driver said and several people chuckled. ¡°You can pick the cart up from Donan''s later.¡± Ren said and the driver nodded. ¡°Okay, people!¡± The guard holding traffic back said. ¡°Thanks to Lord Ren, the way is clear! Please return to your carts and horses, and be careful of the pits and divots the accident left in the road!¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said and took out the Staff Of Earth. ¡°I''ll fix them.¡± ¡°You''ll fix... wow.¡± The guard said and watched as the road filled out to be nice and flat again. ¡°That was amazing.¡± Ren stored the staff and walked over to Princess, climbed into the saddle, and then heard a smattering of applause. He turned and looked to see the cart drivers, several guards, and some of the spectators were clapping their hands. ¡°Hey, I had to clean it up.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was blocking my way in.¡± A few of them chuckled, and Ren rode Princess in through the now cleared West Gate. Chapter 363 - Healing Hands
Running Quest Update!
You have shown some of what you can do to a large crowd. It was a surprise to them, and they will tell everyone they know what they saw. Rewards: 1,500 XP Fame +150 Fame Bonus: +75% (100% - Slow and Steady 25%)
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP Fame 150 x 10 XP = 1,500 XP
Ren dismissed the Running Quest Update popup and rode Princess over to Donan''s shop. He made the ore delivery for the driver, and told Donan that the driver would be over later when he got another horse. Donan was happy to hear he wouldn''t be stuck with a cart at the shop for long, and Ren left after repeating his promise to visit soon. Ren climbed into the saddle again and rode Princess over to the street near the Artesian District that had the market stalls, and was surprised that his Aura had merged with the shared Aura and all 5 maids were there. The street was also quite crowded. He thought about getting off of Princess; but then, he would be too short to see over the crowd. It was a bit of a shock to find that the crowd was around Verwynn''s market stall, and they were all trying to buy glassware from her and the other maids. The maids had felt his concern and stopped what they were doing to look at him. He felt that they were okay and he concentrated on his connection to Stacy and Riley, and they confirmed the same thing. It really was just busy, and they weren''t being bothered by all the attention. Ren had Princess saunter around the crowd to the side to try and get closer to the stall so he could hear what people were saying. ¡°What a great deal!¡± One woman said and picked up a set of glasses. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Verwynn said, and the next woman had already pointed to a vase on the top shelf. ¡°Andrela?¡± ¡°I got it.¡± Andrela said and climbed the step ladder to grab the vase, then passed it down. Verwynn and the woman entered into intense negotiations, and Ren almost laughed as he felt how much Verwynn enjoyed it. He didn''t need to share the woman''s Aura to see that she enjoyed it as well, because as they talked, a smile spread across her face. They arrived at a price that the woman was very happy with, paid for the vase, and left with the smile intact. The other maids were finding what the other customers wanted and setting it aside as they waited for Verwynn to finish with the next customer. It was an efficient system, and Ren watched them for a few minutes, then let his appreciation for them flood into the shared Aura. He wanted to tell them out loud, to make sure they knew what he meant; but, they all glanced at him with slight blushes on their faces, and kept working. Ren rode Princess to his business next, asked her to wait around back and gave her a couple of plates of food, then went inside to wait for his orders. ¡°Hi, Anabelle.¡± Ren said and walked over to the counter. ¡°Hello, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Since you are here, there are some repairs that need to be done.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her formal words and the tone of her voice, and she smiled and leaned in close. ¡°Katie is showing 2 Ladies your wares.¡± Anabelle whispered. Ren nodded and glanced to where they were, then grabbed the back of Anabelle''s neck and pulled her in for a quick kiss. He let her go and smiled at her surprised look and slightly red face, then walked over to the forge and the shelves that had the items for repair. He didn''t rush with them; but, each one only took a few seconds to fix and he was done less than a minute later. Ren went back over to Anabelle. ¡°I''m just waiting for my orders.¡± He said. ¡°Parchment and ropes.¡± ¡°I believe that''s them now.¡± Anabelle said and pointed. Ren turned and saw a cart and horse, and the driver came into the shop. ¡°I have an order here for Ren.¡± ¡°That''s me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I assume you have all the ropes I wanted.¡± ¡°They''re in the cart.¡± The driver said and stuck his thumb over his shoulder. ¡°Great.¡± Ren said and walked to the door. ¡°Am I bringing them in here?¡± The driver asked. ¡°That''s a lot of rope and I don''t see a spot big enough for it.¡± Ren chuckled and opened the door. ¡°I''m not selling them, they''re for me.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The driver said and went out through the open door. ¡°What do you need so many ropes for?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I got caught twice when I need one and I didn''t have one to use, and I am not letting that happen again.¡± The driver chuckled. ¡°You''re an Adventurer, ain''t you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, we get lots of replacement orders for Adventurers.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Ren said and the driver hopped up on the cart. ¡°I''ll start tossing them to you.¡± He said. ¡°Shouldn''t I pay for them first?¡± Ren asked, and the driver laughed. ¡°You''re the Hero of Aurora.¡± The driver said. ¡°I''m pretty sure I can trust you to pay after.¡± Ren laughed and started to catch and store the bundles of ropes. When the driver counted to 50, he tossed the last one to Ren and hopped down. ¡°That''ll be 50 gold.¡± The driver said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and gave him 50 gold coins and 5 gold coins for the tip. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± The driver said. ¡°Hey, I''ve got something for you, too.¡± He went to the front of the cart and opened a little box. He took out a small bundle of something, closed the box, and handed the bundle to Ren. ¡°Trust me. You''ll use this more than the rope.¡± Ren stared at the small bundle, and then stared at the popup.
Small Bundle of Silk Bindings
Delight your significant other by using these sensual bindings to tie them up. They won''t leave marks on the skin, and if tied properly, can be easily slipped out of.
Ren read the second popup with several knot tying options, then dismissed both. ¡°You can thank me for that the next time you order something.¡± The driver laughed and climbed into the cart and drove away. ¡°Hey, mister.¡± A young boy said. Ren stored the silk bindings and looked at the boy. ¡°Hi, there.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have you brought all the paper I ordered?¡± ¡°I sure did.¡± The boy said and took off his backpack. ¡°199 large parchment sheets, cut in half, just like you wanted.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Ren said. ¡°What do I owe you?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± The boy said and handed Ren the sheets of parchment. ¡°That tip you gave me last time...¡± ¡°Isn''t anywhere near enough to cover the cost, let alone the work to make them.¡± ¡°It''s not work mister.¡± The boy said. ¡°It''s fun!¡± Ren smiled and pat the boy on the shoulder. ¡°I''m glad you''re enjoying it.¡± He said. ¡°What about writing instruments? Do you have any on you?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The boy said and opened a pouch on the side of the backpack. ¡°People always forget to order them.¡± ¡°Just like me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll take 10 if you have them.¡± ¡°T-t-t-ten?¡± The boy stammered, then sighed and handed Ren 10 of them. He closed the pouch and the backpack, then put it on. ¡°S-see y-you l-later.¡± Ren stopped the boy from leaving with a hand on his arm. ¡°You forgot this.¡± He said and gave him 5 gold coins. ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± The boy exclaimed. ¡°I know you said the order was free; but, I saw your frown.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t mean to make you unhappy when I changed my order.¡± He smiled at the boy. ¡°I want you to keep having fun, okay?¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± The boy said. ¡°Thanks, mister!¡± He said and ran down the street. ¡°That was really nice of you.¡± A haughty voice said from behind Ren. ¡°That could have been a very painful lesson for him to learn if you hadn''t paid him.¡± Ren''s Etiquette skill activated and he turned to look at the woman who had spoken, and then saw another woman beside her. It was Camilla, the Minister of Finance''s wife. Ren smiled. ¡°It would have been painful with just giving the parchment away... the writing instruments on top of that would have been disastrous for him.¡± The woman nodded and held a hand out. ¡°My Lord, this is Gretchen, the Trade Minister''s wife.¡± Camilla said, and Ren took Gretchen''s hand and bent over it to give it a light kiss. ¡°M''lady.¡± Ren said and turned to Camilla to do the same to her hand. ¡°M''lady.¡± ¡°Didn''t I tell you he was a delight?¡± Camilla said. ¡°I suppose.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°His clothes leave a lot to be desired.¡± Ren equipped his dwarf overall command uniform for an instant and concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Is this more to your liking, M''lady?¡± He asked her, then equipped his High Elven Court uniform. ¡°Or perhaps this?¡± Gretchen''s face remained immobile, so Ren equipped his red cloth suit that he wore as a Lord in the dwarf lands. ¡°Maybe this is more preferable? No? A better design and color then?¡± Ren asked and equipped his royal purple suit that any member of a royal family would be envious of. He saw Gretchen''s eyes twitch at the sight, and he smiled. ¡°That''s close; but, I think you want something a bit more flashy.¡± Ren equipped his armor bodysuit for an instant and saw her eyes twitch again, then equipped his entire suit of shining gold-colored armor, and she gasped. ¡°That did it.¡± Ren said from inside the helm of the armor. He stepped back and turned around to make the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak billow out, then looked at her. ¡°You''ll have to excuse the scratches and pock marks.¡± He said and touched the spots on the chest plate. ¡°I recently saved King Alamast''s daughter from being killed by a metal-infused elemental grenade and I haven''t bothered repairing the damage yet.¡± Gretchen and Camilla''s mouths made that little ''o'' of surprise, and Ren equipped his Travelling Clothes again. ¡°There''s a time and a place for wearing certain things.¡± Ren said. ¡°Right now is the time that I''m busy building the city in my county. I''m wearing my Travelling Clothes because I was travelling.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The two women didn''t respond, and he smiled. ¡°How are the plans for the party coming along, M''lady?¡± Ren said to Camilla. ¡°Oh! Really well!¡± Camilla said when she snapped out of her stunned condition. ¡°We''re all set for sometime next week.¡± ¡°Is it in the mansion''s ballroom this time as well?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Camilla said. ¡°I''ll be sending out invitations in a couple of days with all the details.¡± She smiled sweetly at him. ¡°You missed the last one, so I sincerely hope that you will attend.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t miss it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, if you will excuse me, I need to run an important errand before heading back to Walin County to work on the Church.¡± ¡°Have a good day, My Lord.¡± Camilla said, and Ren took her hand and kissed it. ¡°M''lady.¡± Ren said, then did Gretchen''s hand. ¡°M''lady.¡± Gretchen didn''t say anything as Ren walked away and went around the corner of the building. ¡°Did... did he say Church?¡± Gretchen asked, and then she gasped as Ren burst out of the alleyway wearing full armor. He rode Princess, who was also fully armored, and had her stop in front of the two women. Princess stood up on her back legs and kick her front legs a few times, just like when a horse reared back. The two women stared open mouthed at him, because he rode a giant ram as a mount, and then Princess ran down the street.
Running Quest Update!
You have shown two influential people some of what you can do. It was a surprise to them, and they will tell everyone they know what they saw. Rewards: 2,250 XP Fame +350 Fame Bonus: +75% (100% - Slow and Steady 25%)
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP Fame 350 x 10 XP = 3,500 XP
¡°Did you see the looks on their faces?¡± Teepo asked as he chittered in delight. I really shouldn''t show off like this. Ren thought, and then smiled. It was fun, though. ¡°It sure was!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Now we have to figure out how to top it!¡± Ren chuckled as Princess took him through the streets towards the address where the head healer''s office was. Princess didn''t run even at a quarter of her top speed because of the people in the street; but, people saw her coming and made room for her. It gave her a sense of accomplishment, that people were starting to learn that their place was not in front of her, and Ren pat her neck. Princess came to a stop a couple of minutes later, and Ren equipped his Travelling Clothes to store his armor, then thought about meeting the head healer and equipped his stylish red suit instead. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said to Princess and pretended to tie her to the stand in front of the nondescript two storey house while Teepo jumped off his shoulder and slipped inside. ¡°It''s a reception area with a woman at a desk, and an office in behind with a woman there, too.¡± Teepo said about 10 seconds later, and then came back out to land on Ren''s shoulder. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought and took out a dozen Level 1 wands and replaced 4 of their charges with Minor Healing, 8 with Major Healing, and stored them. ¡°It''s a new area.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I had to scout it first.¡± Ren nodded and then went to the front door. There was an ''OPEN'' sign on the door, so he just opened the door and went inside. ¡°Hello, My Lord.¡± The receptionist said. ¡°What can we do for you today?¡± ¡°I''d like to see the head healer, if that''s possible.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course.¡± The receptionist said and stood up. ¡°Please wait here for just a moment.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and the receptionist went to the head healer''s office door and knocked once. ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± A woman''s voice asked. ¡°You have someone here that wants to see you.¡± ¡°REALLY?!?¡± The woman yelled, and Ren heard something metal get knocked over and then several pieces of parchment slid out under the office door. ¡°Oh, dammit!¡± The receptionist opened the office door and they saw what had happened. A metal tray had fallen over and dumped all of it''s contents over the desk and the floor. ¡°I almost had them all sorted!¡± The woman said, almost in despair. She was standing up with her hands on the sides of her head, and sighed. She looked to be about 30 years old, and he couldn''t see her hair because it was concealed behind a medical hat. She also wore the traditional long white tunic that healers wore. ¡°I''m terribly sorry, M''lady.¡± Ren said and bowed to her. ¡°Please allow me to clean this up.¡± ¡°N-no, I couldn''t let you clean up my mistake...¡± ¡°It''s no trouble, M''lady.¡± Ren said and started gathering the pieces of parchment up and stored them. The receptionist and the head healer watched wordlessly as Ren picked up every single piece of parchment from the floor and then did the same thing for the desk. The entire room was cleared up in only a minute, and the two women stared at him. ¡°I see the problem.¡± Ren said when he examined the metal tray. ¡°The center of balance is too high.¡± He said, and took out his blacksmith hammer to bend the thin legs of the tray underneath it, pounded them flat so that they wouldn''t make the tray unstable, then took out the crucible with some molten metal still in it and poured some on the underside to add a lot of weight to it. Ren used a tool to spread the metal out instead of his hand, because he didn''t want to shock them, and absorbed the heat from it to cool it off. He put it back onto the desk with a heavy thump. ¡°Where was it?¡± Ren asked, and the head healer pointed to the other side of the desk. Ren moved it to it''s proper spot and stood back. ¡°Were you sorting them for storage, or were you working on them?¡± ¡°Both. I only have a few more forms to do.¡± The head healer said and pointed to a small stack of them on a small table behind the desk. ¡°Just put the pile right in the middle of the desk.¡± She said sadly. ¡°I''ll work on getting them sorted after I eat a late lunch.¡± ¡°There''s no need to sort them again.¡± Ren said and opened his inventory. It had already sorted them, and he put the individual stacks on the desk beside each other and in order. ¡°You''re kidding me.¡± The head healer said, and looked at the stacks. ¡°They really are sorted in order.¡± ¡°Miss Grandure, maybe he can come back next month and do the next batch.¡± The receptionist suggested, and Ren chuckled. ¡°You don''t know how much time you''ve just saved us.¡± The head healer said. ¡°Well, it was my fault this stack was knocked over.¡± Ren said. ¡°The least I could do was put them back.¡± He smiled. ¡°I don''t think I should be handling your documents all the time, though.¡± Miss Grandure nodded. ¡°Yes, that''s right. This was a valid exception.¡± ¡°Aw.¡± The receptionist said. ¡°I wanted someone else to do it.¡± Miss Grandure chuckled. ¡°You''re not worming your way out of the grunt work that easily.¡± The receptionist grinned at her. ¡°It was worth a shot.¡± ¡°Go on back to your desk while I see what this gentleman wants.¡± The receptionist nodded and shut the office door. ¡°What can I do for you, My Lord?¡± Miss Grandure asked as she took each stack and put them in the filing cabinet at the side of the room. ¡°I was wondering if a healer or two would be willing to move to Walin County to take care of the residents there.¡± Ren said, and the head healer stopped filing the documents and looked at him. ¡°You want someone in my organization to leave here, actually move to a place, and take care of people with no support structure?¡± ¡°There''s almost 800 people in the whole county, which is 50 miles by 50 miles.¡± Ren said. ¡°The good news is, nearly 650 of that 800 live in Goagan Village... soon to be Goagan City... so there should only be a bit of travelling to look after the residents that are spread out over the rest of the county.¡± ¡°You''re actually serious.¡± Miss Grandure said and started to file the documents again. ¡°You want a couple of healers to give up their jobs here to go there.¡± ¡°I don''t know if anyone will want to move there permanently, because I know that''s a lot to ask, especially if they don''t like it there.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe you could just have them rotate in and out on a regular basis, like every month or so.¡± ¡°You mean like a remote posting?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You could consider it training, or experience building.¡± He said. ¡°Or even punishment.¡± ¡°Yes, that would go over well.¡± Miss Grandure chuckled. ¡°You haven''t healed enough people! I''m sending you to The County for a month!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m glad you see punishment as ridiculous as I think it is, but I had to mention it.¡± Miss Grandure nodded. ¡°Yes, some of the healers would see it as punishment.¡± She said. ¡°Especially since Gerald has been telling everyone about his treatment.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°In my defense, it wasn''t my idea... and that was a special rush case.¡± ¡°Yes, he told me about the farmer and his leg with multiple fractures.¡± The head healer said. ¡°He also told me about your wands.¡± Ren nodded and took out a Minor Healing wand and a Major Healing wand. ¡°They have 50 charges.¡± Miss Grandure''s eyes widened slightly. Gerald didn''t tell me that. ¡°What Gerald wouldn''t know, since I didn''t do it in front of him, is that I can recharge them.¡± The head healer gasped and sat down. ¡°You''re telling the truth, aren''t you? Please tell me you''re telling the truth!¡± Ren chuckled and put the Minor Healing wand on her desk, used the Major Healing wand on himself, which used up a charge and refilled his Mana Pool, and then he used some Mana to fill up the charges on the wand. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Miss Grandure said and looked at Ren. ¡°I can''t believe... you made a rechargeable Healing wand...¡± Ren put the Major Healing wand on her desk next to the Minor Healing one, and took out the other 10 Level 1 wands he had and made a pile. ¡°Oh, my g-¡± The head healer cut off her own words and squinted her eyes at him. ¡°Are you trying to bribe me, My Lord?¡± ¡°No, M''lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know how difficult it is to constantly have people running around and expending their energy to heal people.¡± He separated the 4 Minor Healing and 8 Major Healing wands. ¡°You can have these no matter what you decide.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, it''s a bribe; but, not to buy what you want.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Is it a bribe if I''m not using them, then give them to someone I know will use them to help people?¡± Miss Grandure opened her mouth to respond that it was, and then closed her mouth to think about it. If he really isn''t using them... not that someone could use 12 wands anyways... but if they''re rechargeable, why have 12? You would only need one, right? Ren waited patiently for her to work through what he said. ¡°You have better ones.¡± The head healer said a few moments later. ¡°Don''t you?¡± Ren smiled and tapped the tip of his nose a couple of times. ¡°Very well.¡± Miss Grandure said. ¡°I will accept this generous donation to the organization, and won''t let it influence my decision to approach several individuals about creating a healing outpost in Walin County.¡± ¡°I didn''t expect it would, M''lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°All I wanted it to do, was open you up to the possibility of the idea.¡± ¡°It worked, My Lord.¡± Miss Grandure said. ¡°It never would have crossed my mind to make a place for people to work, rather than just sending them out individually.¡± ¡°Just make sure you tell the healers that they have the option to actually move there and work there permanently.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might just get lucky and you''ll find someone that will fit my county''s needs.¡± Miss Grandure nodded. ¡°I''ll inform them of the options they will have.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°Thank you for taking the time to listen to my request.¡± Miss Grandure stood up and took his hand automatically. Ren bent over it and lightly kissed the back of it. ¡°Have a good day, M''lady.¡± Ren said, let her hand go, and left her office. He shut the office door and the receptionist turned to look at him. ¡°Done already?¡± She asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°Thank you for visiting.¡± She said. ¡°We don''t get a lot of non-healers coming in here.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°Do I still count for that if I have the Healing skill?¡± ¡°You do?!?¡± The receptionist asked, surprised. ¡°But you''re not a healer!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I was a bit surprised when I learned it, too.¡± ¡°You''re amazing, My Lord.¡± The receptionist said. ¡°You don''t have much information to base that on.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°I felt your Aura when you were down the street, My Lord.¡± The receptionist said. ¡°Plus, you''re the proclaimed Hero of Aurora. I know you''re amazing.¡± ¡°Thank you for saying so.¡± Ren smiled, and took her hand. He bent over and kissed it as if she were a Lady. ¡°Have a good day.¡± The receptionist blushed so hard her face was bright red. ¡°Y-y-yes, M-my L-lord.¡± She managed to say. ¡°I will... I mean I did... I mean... thank you!¡± She said, and her face became even redder somehow. ¡°For visiting! Not for... oh, for that, too!¡± She used her free hand to cover her face. ¡°I''m so embarrassed!¡± ¡°Please accept my apologies for embarrassing you.¡± Ren said and kissed her hand again. ¡°That wasn''t my intention.¡± ¡°It... it''s all right, M-my L-lord.¡± The receptionist said, but she still had her face covered with a hand and held onto Ren''s hand with the other. ¡°It''s my fault for... I should be used to... oh, I don''t know what to say!¡± Ren reached out and moved her hand from her face and down to her other hand, then held onto both of them. ¡°I''m sorry I made you so flustered.¡± Ren said, because he knew it was his Prince Charming title that was at fault this time. ¡°I guess I''m just too irresistible for you to resist.¡± ¡°My Lord, I...¡± ¡°I hope you don''t tear off your tunic and ask me to ravage you.¡± Ren said. ¡°That would be just terrible!¡± The receptionist snorted a laugh. ¡°My Lord...¡± ¡°Yes, if you threw yourself on me and covered me with kisses, it would be the most horrendous thing I''ve ever experienced!¡± The receptionist chuckled. ¡°I shudder at the thought of your wanton advances! I''ll put up a valiant fight, mind you; but, I''ll eventually succumb to you trying to take advantage of me! Oh! The horror!¡± The receptionist laughed for several moments, and Ren saw that she was no longer flustered and was over her embarrassment. ¡°My Lord.¡± The receptionist said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It really was my fault.¡± Ren said and opened his hands to let her hands go. ¡°Please accept my humble apologies.¡± ¡°Of course, My Lord.¡± The receptionist said, squeezed his hands once, and let go as well. ¡°Although, your proposed ''horror'' actually sounds quite tempting.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, but I''m seeing someone.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I didn''t know that.¡± The receptionist said and chuckled. ¡°Half of the city is talking about how you caught that scary dark elf woman, then wrecked the room at the Snoozing Bear Inn.¡± ¡°Th-they are?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°When the Hero of Aurora runs down the street with a yelling woman thrown over his shoulder, people are going to notice.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I... ah... didn''t realize...¡± ¡°Just because people aren''t out in the street, doesn''t mean they don''t see anything that happens in the street.¡± ¡°Okay, that''s true.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Houses do have windows and doors.¡± Ren chuckled and the receptionist smiled. ¡°If you decide that... well, I''m not looking for a date or anything... but...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I don''t even know your name.¡± ¡°That''s because you don''t really need to know it.¡± The receptionist said. ¡°You''re the Hero of Aurora. Just being in the same room with you is... well...¡± Her face flushed a little red. ¡°I better go, then.¡± Ren said, and that made her laugh. ¡°Tell Miss Grandure that she can leave a message for me at my shop in the Artesian District.¡± He said and walked to the door. ¡°Oh, and before I forget.¡± Ren took out one of his iceboxes, took out two plates of food from it, and stored it again. He took out a stone brick and enchanted it with Fire, warmed up both plates and stored the stone, then handed the plates to the receptionist. ¡°Lunch is on me.¡± Ren said and grinned at her surprised expression. ¡°Goodbye, Ma''am.¡± ¡°G-g-goodbye, My Lord.¡± The receptionist said. Ren left the house and climbed onto Princess. ¡°Let''s go and pick up Zetaya.¡± Princess huffed in agreement and trotted down the street at a good pace. * The head healer put the wands in her desk and discovered she had a problem. Now she had to decide who would get the wands, and who would be left out. Her office door opened without a knock, and she looked at her secretary with wide eyes as she put a plate of food in front of her. ¡°When did you leave to make this?¡± Miss Grandure asked her. ¡°I didn''t.¡± The receptionist said. ¡°Lord Ren gave them to me.¡± ¡°That was nice of him.¡± Miss Grandure said and looked at the food. ¡°I suppose I can eat it cold.¡± The receptionist smiled and started eating, and then laughed at her boss when she gasped at the hot meal. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I don''t have any idea.¡± The receptionist said. ¡°He took out this big box that was full of plates of food, did something with a stone brick for a few seconds, then passed me two warm plates.¡± The head healer shook her head in disbelief. I may just have to visit his county myself. She thought and ate her meal in silence. When she was done, she sighed and sat back in her chair, quite satisfied. Yes, I am definitely going to have to visit there. It was one of the best meals Miss Grandure had ever had, and the receptionist had agreed wholeheartedly. Chapter 364 - Delivered Problem Ren went back to the shop, and then thought about Janice. ¡°I better check on her first.¡± Princess took him to the house in the Housing District, and Ren went inside and up to the guest bedroom. He opened the door and knocked on Janice''s front door. Janice opened the door a moment later. She wore a red slip that barely touched the top of her thighs, and her face was flushed a similar red color. ¡°Ren, I''m really sorry for this morning.¡± She said. ¡°I had to log out and check a few things, and I''d only had an hour''s sleep when you knocked...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°It looks like you''ve had a good sleep now.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Do you feel like going out to your shop now?¡± ¡°Out to my what?¡± ¡°Your shop.¡± Ren said. ¡°I built it this morning.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Janice stared at him. ¡°You''re serious? You built an entire shop for me this morning?¡± ¡°And the attached house.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t made any furniture for inside, though.¡± ¡°Ren, you''re amazing!¡± Janice ran back into her house, bent over to grab the box of glassworking tools under her bed, and stored it. It gave Ren a pretty nice view of her backside and the tiny underwear that she wore. He appreciated the view, but he was pretty sure she hadn''t intended for him to see it. She stood up and ran back over to him. ¡°Okay, I''m ready to go!¡± Janice said happily. ¡°I can''t in good conscience let you ride Princess dressed like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You should at least put on some pants.¡± Janice looked down at herself and realized she was only wearing the thin slip she had bought from Ren''s shop. Her face flushed a deeper red than the top and she started to breathe quickly. Ren reached out and took her into a hug. ¡°I can''t believe I bent over like that, and right in front of you.¡± Janice said and hugged him back. ¡°I was just so excited...¡± ¡°If it makes you feel any better about it, you''ve got a really nice ass.¡± Ren said and grinned. Janice couldn''t help herself and she laughed. ¡°I told you before that it''s not that great.¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure I have to disagree with you there.¡± Ren said and stepped back. Janice glanced down quickly and then at his face. ¡°Ren!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Sorry, you''re outvoted two to one.¡± Janice shook her head and equipped an outfit, with a blouse, a pair of pants, and a tunic. ¡°Is that better?¡± ¡°Not for leering at.¡± Ren said and grinned again. ¡°It''s great for riding a mount, though.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Janice said and shut the door to her house. ¡°Store that and let''s get going.¡± ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± Ren said and stored her house, then they went downstairs and outside. He took Princess'' reins and they walked over to his business. Ren took out the modified cart made of stone that they''d used to move Zetaya from House Neram Keep to the ship, and attached it to Princess. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Janice asked. ¡°I''m moving my friend to a nice new home.¡± Ren said and went into the business. ¡°Hello, My Lord.¡± Katie said. ¡°Anabelle left to make the deliveries.¡± ¡°Anabelle did?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The Adventurer that normally does it was busy today.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder why she didn''t mention that to me this morning.¡± ¡°She knew you''d be too busy to do them.¡± Katie said. ¡°I''m never too busy to help.¡± Ren said. ¡°Really?¡± Katie smiled. ¡°What are you doing right now?¡± ¡°Talking to you.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You know what I meant.¡± ¡°I''m picking up Zetaya to move out to my county.¡± Ren said. ¡°See? You''re busy.¡± ¡°No, I''m keeping busy. There''s a difference.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t have to be busy. I can just sit back and do nothing if I want to; but, I don''t want to. I''m going to keep going for as long as I want because I want to. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Hey, don''t get angry at me for...¡± ¡°What''s going on?¡± Anabelle asked as she came into the store. ¡°Hello, My Lord.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you tell me the delivery guy was out today?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You left the running of the store in my hands.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I''m not going to bother you with trivial things.¡± ¡°Trivial? How many deliveries have you made so far?¡± ¡°12.¡± ¡°And how many are left?¡± ¡°16, and I''m making them as fast as I can.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°The small orders are easy to double up on.¡± ¡°Do you want me to help?¡± ¡°No, I can handle it.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Even the large cabinet deliveries.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and looked at Katie. ¡°Are you uncomfortable being left alone in the store for so long?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You started to accuse me of getting angry over this, but I think it''s you that''s angry.¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Katie said. ¡°I''m not uncomfortable or angry.¡± ¡°I gave Verwynn advice this morning about working a market stall. I told her that if she felt uncomfortable, she was to close the stall and go home right away.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll extend the same advice to you, Katie.¡± ¡°You remember my name?¡± ¡°How could I forget names like Katie, Carly, and Holly?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡° You might look similar to each other, but you have different hair and very distinct personalities. Anabelle chose you to work for her, which is actually work for me; so, the least I could do was remember who you are.¡± Katie didn''t say anything, and Anabelle slid an arm over Ren''s shoulders. ¡°You see?¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Isn''t he just adorable?¡± ¡°Yes, he''s a dream come true.¡± Katie said and rolled her eyes. ¡°He is.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°If you only knew what-¡± ¡°I came to pick up Zetaya.¡± Ren said and interrupted Anabelle. ¡°Are you sure you don''t want me to drop off the big deliveries?¡± ¡°There''s only one big delivery today. A bedroom set.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Bed, dresser, two end tables, and a cabinet.¡± ¡°I''ll take it.¡± Ren said and she gave him the address. ¡°It''s right at the top of the stairs on the second floor, and marked with her name.¡± ¡°I''ll grab it on the way by.¡± Ren said and took out the step ladder. ¡°I can bend over, you know.¡± Anabelle said as he stepped up a couple of steps. ¡°I like being face to face with you when we kiss.¡± Ren said, and kissed her. He put a little more into it than he normally would have, since he had a bit of an audience, and Anabelle took advantage of it. She wrapped her arms around him an indulged herself a little. She moved a hand down and groped his butt with one hand, and used the other hand to hold the back of his head as they kissed. ¡°If you''re doing that for my benefit, it''s not necessary.¡± Katie said, and figured they would stop kissing if she spoke up. ¡°You know he''s not my type at all.¡± Ren and Anabelle kept kissing, much to her surprise; and after a couple of minutes, Anabelle was the one to break the kiss. ¡°You... you need to go... right now.¡± Anabelle said and let his head and butt go. Ren gave her a crooked smile, darted forward to give her a quick kiss, then hopped off the step ladder and stored it. He ran to the back of the shop, opened the door, and ran up the stairs.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. * ¡°You weren''t doing that for my benefit at all, were you?¡± Katie asked. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Anabelle said and licked her lips. ¡°It was definitely for my benefit.¡± ¡°But... he''s so short.¡± Katie said, and tried her best to understand. ¡°He needs a ladder just to kiss you.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter how tall he is.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°All that matters is how big of a man he is.¡± ¡°You mean...¡± ¡°No, not that.¡± Anabelle said and smiled. ¡°Even though I''m his personal maid, he treats me like a woman.¡± ¡°But you are a woman.¡± Anabelle chuckled. ¡°Not according to... well, any other Lord you can name.¡± ¡°I... okay, I guess that''s true.¡± Katie said. ¡°But, still...¡± ¡°You''ve heard of what he''s done for the people of this city. You''ve had access to his books. He''s done things that even the Heroes Of Old couldn''t do.¡± Katie didn''t say anything, and Anabelle smiled. ¡°He may be short in height; but if you measured him by his experiences, he would be taller than anyone this world has ever seen.¡± * Ren stored the order on the second floor, then went up to the apartment. ¡°Hey, Zetaya! It''s time!¡± The fire elemental moved through the flames like a phantom, then burst out of them and leaped across the distance to land in Ren''s arms. ¡°Ha ha! Nice one!¡± Ren said and hugged it. ¡°I almost couldn''t see you in the flames.¡± The fire elemental''s color changed slightly, and it ducked it''s head stub. ¡°No, Zetaya! I wasn''t criticizing you.¡± Ren said and kissed it''s head stub. ¡°I was telling you that you almost had your own flames match the flow of the flames you were in. With only a little more practice, even I won''t be able to see you!¡± ¡°Or me.¡± Teepo said. ¡°And I can see everything that moves.¡± The fire elemental lifted it''s head stub and poked Ren''s face with it, then poked Teepo. ¡°Come on, I''ve got the stone cart waiting for you.¡± Ren said, deactivated the enchantments in the pen, and left the apartment. ¡°You''re gonna love your new place.¡± Zetaya made the noise of a loud crackling fire, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Trust me, it''s amazing!¡± Ren said, and opened the door to the shop. ¡°FIRE!¡± Katie yelled. ¡°Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!¡± She said in a continuous stream and looked around frantically for something to throw on Ren to put out the flames. ¡°It''s all right, Katie.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look.¡± ¡°No! I can''t watch you burn!¡± ¡°Katie.¡± Ren concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Look at me.¡± Katie looked at him, and saw the flames were moving, but... they weren''t moving over or around him. ¡°Wh-wh-what?¡± ¡°This is Zetaya, a fire elemental.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I was in the dwarf lands, I... um...¡± He had almost said his daughter gave him the elemental, but caught himself. ¡°Never mind.¡± He said and walked through the shop. ¡°Bye, Anabelle!¡± ¡°Goodbye, My Lord.¡± Ren went outside and Janice''s mouth fell open when she saw he was carrying a bundle of fire. A bundle of fire that was almost as big as him. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± Janice asked. ¡°More importantly, why aren''t you burning to death?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°At least you didn''t scream ''FIRE!'' when you saw Zetaya.¡± ¡°Wh-what? You named a bundle of fire?!?¡± Ren opened the stone cart, activated the enchantments, and put Zetaya inside. ¡°I''ll be right back, Zetaya.¡± The fire elemental''s color changed slightly and Ren closed the top. ¡°It''s a fire elemental.¡± Ren said. ¡°My fire elemental.¡± ¡°You... have a fire elemental... an honest to god, fire elemental.¡± Janice said. ¡°How can you keep a pet like that?¡± ¡°SHE''S NOT A PET!¡± Ren yelled, and several people on the street looked over at him. ¡°Sorry!¡± He said and waved to them. ¡°If she''s not a pet, then what is she?¡± ¡°She was a very generous gift from my dau-¡± Ren clamped his mouth shut, took a deep breath and continued. ¡°It doesn''t matter where I got her. She''s mine, and that''s the end of it.¡± ¡°Hey, you don''t have to get snippy with me.¡± Janice said. ¡°It was just a simple question.¡± Ren sighed and rubbed his face. ¡°I''m sorry, but it''s a sensitive subject, okay?¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Janice said and put on the Helm of the Eagle that she hadn''t given back the last time she''d used it. ¡°Let''s go already.¡± ¡°I have to make a furniture delivery first.¡± ¡°Are you taking Princess?¡± ¡°No, it''s not that far.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Janice nodded and Ren ran down the street, around the corner, and down the next street. The address was three blocks over and down a street, and he knocked on the front door while Teepo went inside to scout. ¡°Come in!¡± A woman''s voice yelled from somewhere inside the house. Ren waited for Teepo''s all clear and opened the front door. He walked inside and looked around. It was a pretty big house, and quite opulent. ¡°I''m in the bedroom!¡± The woman said. ¡°It''s upstairs.¡± Teepo said. ¡°First door on the right.¡± Thanks. Ren thought and went up the large set of stairs. He reached the top and opened the bedroom door, and saw the back of a completely naked woman. ¡°Has my big and strong delivery man brought me my new bed?¡± The woman asked demurely, without turning around. ¡°I''m sure a man of your stature can help me test it.¡± ¡°I''m just here to make the delivery.¡± Ren said, and the woman whirled around to stare at him. ¡°You''re not my delivery man!¡± She almost shrieked, then she froze when she saw who it was, and realized she had only met him a short time ago. ¡°Hello, M''lady.¡± Ren said to Gretchen, the Minister of Trade''s wife. ¡°Th-th-this isn''t.... it''s... it''s not what you think!¡± ¡°I have your new bedroom set.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would you like me to take it back to the shop and have the regular delivery man bring it tomorrow?¡± Gretchen''s face flushed red in embarrassment. ¡°N-n-no, you can leave it here.¡± Ren took out the bedroom set pieces and set them against the wall. ¡°I don''t know how long this has been going on; but, I assure you that it won''t continue.¡± He said. ¡°It''s none of my business what people do in their own bedrooms, but my shop will not be associated with this kind of thing.¡± ¡°Don''t you dare snub your nose at me.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I haven''t had sex with my husband in years, and I will take it from whoever I can.¡± ¡°I''m not snubbing you, M''lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just telling you that the delivery man won''t be working for my shop anymore, and you''ll need to come up with another excuse if you want to keep sleeping with him.¡± ¡°Why you...¡± Gretchen''s face was now red from anger instead of embarrassment. ¡°Do you remember what I said about appropriate times for clothing?¡± Ren asked and went to the bedroom door. ¡°This was one of those times.¡± He smiled and waved to her. ¡°It was nice meeting you again.¡± * Gretchen watched as the short man left her bedroom, and she slammed the door behind him. She walked over to her new bed and sat down. ¡°This thing is really com... fort... able...¡± Gretchen felt the mattress much more than she thought she would, and looked down at herself. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± She said and covered her breasts with an arm and her private area with a hand. ¡°I was naked in front of him! Completely naked!¡± Gretchen said and her face burned from embarrassment. ¡°How... how can I ever face him again? He''s seen all of me!¡± She said and took several deep breaths. ¡°He also knows about...¡± She took several deep breaths and sighed. ¡°What am I going to do?¡± * Ren left the house at a run and ran back to the shop. He ignored Janice''s insistence on leaving and went inside the business, and saw Anabelle come out through the back door. ¡°Anabelle? Do you have a list of the orders and deliveries for, say, the last month?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Of course.¡± Anabelle said and reached under the counter to get them. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and skimmed over them. He picked out 6 times Gretchen had ordered things from the shop, and they had been delivered to the same address. ¡°Just out of curiosity, do you know of any other women the delivery man has slept with?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°Did you just ask me... no, he didn''t... he wouldn''t... oh, that idiot!¡± ¡°Katie?¡± Ren asked because he had seen her blush. ¡°You knew, didn''t you?¡± Katie shook her head back and forth, but didn''t say anything. ¡°Katie! You knew?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°No, I... I mean, he mentioned something the other day, but...¡± Katie sighed. ¡°I thought he was just teasing me about sleeping with a Lady while we were... well...¡± Her blush deepened and she stopped speaking. ¡°He is so fired.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°My Lord, I am so sorry this has happened.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just hope it was only the one woman. I''ve told her she wouldn''t be getting any more special deliveries from him, not from this shop, anyways.¡± Anabelle knelt in front of Ren. ¡°Can you ever forgive me?¡± Ren cupped the side of her face. ¡°There''s nothing to forgive.¡± He said and gave her a kiss. ¡°I don''t think he would be able to conceal it for much longer, if he''s telling people he''s doing it.¡± ¡°But, it''s my job to make sure that...¡± ¡°You can''t police people''s personal time.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s that the fool did it while he was working that''s the problem for me.¡± He said, then looked at Anabelle. ¡°Did you-¡± ¡°NO!¡± Anabelle yelled. ¡°I''m yours, and no one else will touch me.¡± ¡°Did he try?¡± Ren asked, and Anabelle nodded. ¡°Katie? It worked on you, but did he try or succeed with Holly or Carly?¡± ¡°I...¡± Katie blushed again. ¡°Yes. He tried with both, but it worked on Holly, too.¡± ¡°That''s me!¡± Holly said. She had just come in the front door. ¡°What worked on me?¡± ¡°The delivery man.¡± Anabelle said and stood up. ¡°Oh, yeah! He''s a handful!¡± Holly said and laughed. ¡°He''s got this trick he does with his-¡± ¡°HOLLY!¡± Anabelle yelled to interrupt her. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Is he sleeping with anyone else?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Holly said. ¡°Katie, The Minister of Trade''s wife Gretchen, the horse lady Ms. Abernathy, the secretary in the mansion, Rebekka I think, and one of the kitchen staff there. Alina or whatever her name is.¡± She said and grinned at them. ¡°Or so he says.¡± Ren glanced over the list again, and sighed. ¡°Well, at least that''s only two customers, and it wasn''t a regular thing for one of them.¡± ¡°His regular thing is Gretchen.¡± Holly said. ¡°He said she takes up more of his time than anyone else.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Like I was telling Anabelle, I can''t fault him for sleeping around; but, I can''t have it associated with this shop.¡± ¡°You''re gonna fire him?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°He''s not gonna like that.¡± Holly said. ¡°He really likes this job.¡± ¡°He didn''t like it enough to not sleep with the customers while he was working.¡± Ren said. ¡°He''s supposed to be paid for making deliveries, not having sex.¡± ¡°He''s not going to see the difference.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°He''s gone as of right now.¡± ¡°Am I?¡± A man said and came into the shop. The guy was 6 foot 2 inches tall and muscular, wore thick leather armor, and had two swords hooked to his belt. He had short black hair and wore a mean expression. ¡°Hi, sweetums!¡± Holly said and hugged his arm. ¡°I told you to wait outside.¡± She said. ¡°Now everyone knows why you didn''t work today.¡± Ren opened the business menu and deleted the man''s name from the Delivery Man job slot without even looking at it. ¡°I''m not going to repeat myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re fired.¡± The man''s face turned even meaner. ¡°Look, you... you might think you''re a big man for firing me over a trivial little thing; but, that''s not real power. I could pick you up and break you over my knee!¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, you can''t.¡± ¡°Are you challenging me?¡± The man asked. ¡°Normally I hate having unnecessary fights; but, I think you need to be taught not to use someone''s legitimate business for your own sexual gratification.¡± ¡°Ooo, a fight! I haven''t seen one in a while!¡± Holly said and clapped her hands several times. ¡°The winner can have me!¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°I''m sorry, but a woman shouldn''t be a prize that can be so easily won.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Holly blinked her eyes in confusion. ¡°He said it would be too easy to win you like that.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°You''re worth more than that.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Holly said, let the man''s arm go, and smiled at Ren. ¡°I like you even more now.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The man said, and Holly looked at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I thought you were on my side!¡± Holly laughed. ¡°He''s my boss and super-rich, and said I was worth more to him than being a prize.¡± She said and smiled sweetly at the man. ¡°Even you have to admit it''s flattering.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± The man said and looked at Ren. ¡°So, are we doing this or what?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your spawn point was reset from here to the last place you made it.¡± He said. ¡°Are you okay with showing up there in 6 hours?¡± ¡°You''re really cocky for a little shit.¡± The man said and Anabelle laughed. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± ¡°He''s very cocky.¡± Anabelle said and grinned. The man looked at her for a moment longer, then started at Ren. ¡°Yeah, I''m fine with my spawn point.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be right back. I have to check mine.¡± He said and went out the back of the shop and up the stairs to the third floor, then went into the bedroom to set his spawn point officially. He took out some wood and made a crate, then filled it with all the items he had in inventory that he didn''t want to drop or lose. Teepo, I''m tempted to put your ring in here, too. Ren thought. ¡°I won''t be able to help you, though.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re going to need my help, I think.¡± Have I bitten off more than I can chew? Ren asked his friend. ¡°No, but he''s not going to be a pushover, either.¡± Teepo said. ¡°He might look mean; but, I believe he actually is mean.¡± Ren nodded and stored the crate, then went downstairs to face a foe that he didn''t have the slightest clue about. Chapter 365 - No Holds Barred Ren came out of the back of the shop, and saw Holly was hanging all over the ex-delivery man, and Katie only had eyes for him. I wonder if he has the Prince Charming title, too. Ren asked himself. ¡°Let''s do this.¡± The man said and used both of his hands to crack his knuckles menacingly. Holly giggled at the sound, and she looked at Ren expectantly. Unable to resist a little showing off, he concentrated on his Fear Aura. Holly gasped and her eyes widened as Ren held out a single hand and used Iron Grip to make a fist. It made a much louder knuckle cracking sound, and she stared at Ren as he did the other hand. ¡°In the street.¡± The man said a bit angrily because he had been shown up so easily, and Ren shook his head. ¡°No way.¡± Ren said. ¡°I paid to have everything repaired already. I''m not going to wreck it.¡± ¡°Like I care about that.¡± The man said. ¡°Let''s just go outside the North Gate of the city.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s lots of open space there for a fight.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± The man said. ¡°But this isn''t going to take long.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''m going to chew you up and spit you out.¡± ¡°I certainly hope not.¡± Ren said and handed Anabelle the crate of his valuables and she stored it. The group left the shop and Ren stopped beside Princess and Janice. ¡°I''ve got nothing against alternate lifestyles, but I love women. The thought of having a man chew on me is disgusting.¡± The man looked like he was going to attack, then changed his mind. Holly on the other hand, had laughed out loud and leaned down to whisper. ¡°Make sure you give me a good show.¡± Holly said in his ear. ¡°Even if you lose, I''ll ''chew'' on you as much as you want.¡± Ren didn''t turn to say that he didn''t want her to do that, because he knew that she would just laugh at him and say that all men would want it. What he did was tell Janice and Princess what was going on, and Janice looked at the man. He was almost a foot taller than her, and had a nice body; but, she could tell right away that he would be one of the customers at the Pink Pearl that the girls would avoid. There was just something off about him. The group of people walked through the streets and out through the North Gate to the relatively open area beyond it. They had picked up quite a few townspeople that wanted to see what was going on and had followed them out of curiosity. Ren asked them all to stay by the wall, so if anything happened, they could duck inside the city for protection. Holly protested at first, because she wanted to be right next to the action; then Ren built her a platform to sit on, and she could see over the top of everyone''s heads. ¡°Get ready!¡± The man said. ¡°Just a minute.¡± Ren said and took out the Staff of Earth. He used it to flatten out a 100 foot by 100 foot area and raised it up slightly. The man stared at the staff with envious eyes while Ren worked. When the flat area was done, Ren stored the staff and equipped his full set of gold-colored armor, his hammerpick, and his Golden Shield of Sundering. ¡°This is going to be fun.¡± The man said and equipped his own armor and drew both swords from his belt. The armor was a dull silver with etchings on it, and Ren didn''t recognize the markings. He activated Enchanted Eyes, Decipher, and Read Rune. The armor glowed, and he picked out Protection runes in the unknown glyphs, and found a new rune.
Notice!
You have discovered a new rune: Spell Absorption. This rune gives a percentage chance of having a spell not affect you, and provide Defense instead. Spell Absorption: +5% Chance to +5% Defense
Ren counted the number of runes, and saw it was 20. So, he has a 100% chance to absorb a spell shot at him, and he''ll get 100% Defense from it. ¡°Oh, boy.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Yeah, this is going to be tough.¡± Ren chuckled. Not really. ¡°Why?¡± Teepo asked. Watch. Ren thought and switched the Energize wand that hung around his neck on the Hand of Glory, with his Phantom Steed wand as he walked to take his place 30 feet away from his opponent. ¡°Oh, that''s nasty.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°Are you ready?¡± The man asked. ¡°Holly! Give the word!¡± ¡°Okay, men!¡± Holly said and stood up on the small platform Ren had made for her. ¡°Get ready to fight for me! Show me everything you have!¡±
Notice!
You have entered PVP Mode.
¡°Geez, get on with it.¡± One of the townspeople said. ¡°FIGHT!¡± Holly said, and then a Phantom horse appeared on the field and ran over to the man. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± He asked as the Phantom horse stopped beside him. ¡°It''s a distraction , you idiot.¡± Ren said as a thick red laser beam shot across the distance between the two fighters and hit the ex-deliveryman in the face. ¡°WALTER!¡± Holly screamed. ¡°AGGGHHHH!!¡± Walter dropped both swords and covered his face as he dropped to his knees. Ren turned off the beam and waited. Walter moved his hands out of the way, and everyone saw his face was burned almost to a crisp and most of his hair was gone. The burns started to fade away and his hair started to grow back almost immediately. ¡°I figured you''d have Regeneration.¡± Ren said and stored his hammerpick and took out his gold-colored Automatic Ballista, set it for single shot, then shot it once and hit Walter in the chest. Since they were pretty close, all of the force of the 6 foot long bolt hit his chest plate and crushed the etching; which made the Spell Absorption ability go away. The bolt didn''t stop, though. It continued on through the chest plate, the man''s chest, and broke off the back of his armor as it exited. ¡°Oh, look.¡± Ren said as he stored the Ballista. ¡°Spells will work against you, now.¡± Walter stared at him as he took out a wand. ¡°Wa-wait.¡± He managed to get out, even though his lungs were damaged. He was starting to regenerate, and the hole the bolt made started to close. ¡°I can''t let you regenerate.¡± Ren said and used his red laser to widen the hole in Walter''s chest. ¡°I''ll never win if you keep regenerating.¡± ¡°That... was... point...¡± Walter said. ¡°You failed to realize that there is always someone stronger, faster, and smarter than you.¡± ¡°You...¡± ¡°Oh, I know I''m in Trouble.¡± Ren said. ¡°I actually thought that you were the one that was finally going to kick my ass.¡± He said and chuckled. ¡°When I saw your armor, I knew you were only a paper dragon.¡± ¡°A... a what?¡± Ren used his Wand of Iron Barrier to make two 40 foot tall walls, 5 feet wide, and an a inch thick, then made a 10 foot square one that was 5 inches thick to lay across the top of them, then cast 5 more walls on top of that. ¡°A paper dragon.¡± Ren said and looked at the guy. ¡°On paper, you''re a dragon. Invulnerable to spells, massive defense, and probably have all your points piled into Strength.¡± ¡°How did... you know...¡± ¡°In reality? A solid spell defense is vulnerable to a basic physical attack.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Once that''s done, though...¡± He pointed up and Walter looked up.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°N-n-no!¡± Ren dismissed the two 40 foot tall walls, and the iron walls stacked on top of them fell down the 40 feet to crush Walter into the ground.
Notice!
You have defeated your opponent in one-on-one combat. Rewards: 3,245 XP Fame Bonus: 75% (100% - Slow and Steady 25%) Fame: 1250
Notice!
Excess Fame has been converted to XP. Fame 1,250 x 10 XP = 12,500 XP
Notice!
PVP Mode has ended.
Holly ran over to the pile of Iron Walls and knelt. ¡°Oh, Walter.¡± She said and touched the cool metal. ¡°You broke your promise to me.¡± ¡°What did he promise?¡± Ren asked as Anabelle and everyone else came over to him. ¡°He promised me that he was unbeatable.¡± Holly said as Anabelle wrapped her arms around Ren. ¡°He said his Regeneration would keep him alive, no matter what.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Holly.¡± Ren said, and Anabelle let him go after giving him a quick hug. ¡°Don''t be.¡± Holly said and stood up. ¡°It''s nice to know the truth.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Now we need another delivery man.¡± ¡°If we get one, you need to keep your hands off.¡± Anabelle said and gave Ren back his crate of valuables. ¡°Aw, you''re no fun!¡± Holly said. ¡°I better get going.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to get back to the county to keep working.¡± ¡°What about that?¡± Anabelle asked and pointed to the stack of Iron Walls. Ren walked over to the stack and dismissed them. Underneath was a significant pile of gold, a broken sword, and a shadow marker. I should ask him about this when he comes back. Ren thought, stored the items, and walked over to Princess and Janice. He took the straps out of Princess'' saddlebag and tied them up around Princess for Janice to hold on. ¡°Janice, you can ride Princess.¡± Ren said and helped her climb up, then handed her the Giant Strength and Haste wands. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I''m getting in the back with Zetaya.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t use the wands until we''re clear of the traffic.¡± Janice nodded and Ren kissed Anabelle goodbye, then he went to climb into the cart. ¡°I''ll stay out and scout.¡± Teepo said and hopped onto the top of the cart. ¡°Just in case.¡± Ren nodded and climbed into the stone cart and closed the cover. * Ren didn''t notice that one of the townspeople that had come along to watch the fight was actually the woman he had met the day before in his shop. Officer Holly Stonewall had been stunned at the spectacle Ren had shown her. Not only did he have the guts to face off against someone close to 2 feet taller than him; but, he won so easily. She thought and followed the other townspeople back into the city. She was tempted to follow Ren out to where he was that morning; but, it was a long cart ride both ways and she knew he would be back that evening. Officer Holly walked down the street and over to the Artesian District, and saw the crowd around one of the stalls. She had seen it earlier, but had paid it no mind. This time, the crowd started to dissipate and when she had walked past, she distinctly overheard one of the short women behind the counter mention Ren. ¡°Ren is going to be so happy!¡± Lusinia said and hugged Verwynn. ¡°We''ve almost sold everything, and it''s only just past noon!¡± Verwynn chuckled. ¡°I don''t think even he realized that people would scramble for new glassware.¡± ¡°I can''t wait until he comes back tonight.¡± Frikara said, and she felt Verwynn''s reaction. ¡°Okay, what happened?¡± ¡°N-nothing.¡± Verwynn said, and Lusinia pinched her cheek. ¡°Ow!¡± Lusinia laughed. ¡°We can feel you''re turned on! Tell us!¡± ¡°Okay, fine!¡± Verwynn said. ¡°He said to remind him that my turn was next!¡± ¡°Oho!¡± Frikara said, and took Verwynn into a hug. ¡°You lucky girl!¡± ¡°Excuse me.¡± Officer Holly said, and the maids all turned to her. ¡°I''m sorry for overhearing, but... did you just say that it would be your turn with Ren next?¡± ¡°I don''t see how that''s any of your business.¡± Frikara said, on the defensive. ¡°Oh, it''s not.¡± Officer Holly said and waved both hands in apology. ¡°I''m just a big fan of his.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°In fact, I just saw him fight outside the North Gate.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Frikara yelled, and then took a breath. ¡°I''m sorry, could you repeat that?¡± ¡°I don''t know how it started, but I saw him fight a really tall guy with silver armor.¡± ¡°He didn''t even come and get us.¡± Frikara said. ¡°He was here earlier, remember? He knew we were busy.¡± Navruth said. ¡°But still... some of us could have gone to watch.¡± ¡°When?¡± Verwynn said and laughed. ¡°We''ve been run ragged since the stall opened!¡± ¡°I... oh, all right.¡± Frikara said and smiled. ¡°I can''t stay angry at him anyways.¡± ¡°That''s because he likes your breasts the most.¡± ¡°That''s not... well, he did say they looked good...¡± Frikara''s face flushed a little red. Officer Holly stood there in silence as the maids talked among themselves and discussed which parts of each of them they thought he preferred. Are these women for real? Officer Holly asked herself. They can''t possibly be discussing which one has the better... She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°If he is any kind of man, he would say you''re all perfect just the way you are.¡± ¡°Then he''s a great man.¡± One of the maids said. ¡°That''s exactly what Ren would say.¡± Officer Holly opened her eyes and saw the 5 maids as they stared at her. ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to say that out loud.¡± Frikara chuckled. ¡°It''s all right.¡± She said. ¡°You were being honest at least.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You''re not a big fan of his.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Are you?¡± ¡°I''ve heard of a few things that he''s done.¡± Officer Holly said, and remembered some of the things Ren went through. ¡°He''s remarkable.¡± Frikara smiled and several of the maids nodded. ¡°Yes, he is.¡± * ¡°Hi, Zetaya.¡± Ren said, and the fire elemental stood up on it''s hind legs, and he saw it was almost as tall as him. ¡°Wow, you''re getting so big!¡± He said and hugged it. ¡°Do you want more Spider Silk cloth?¡± Zetaya''s color changed slightly, and he took out more scrap pieces. It sucked them inside of itself, and Ren sat down at the back of the cart. It walked over to him and climbed onto his lap and laid down. Or at least it tried to. Ren chuckled as it couldn''t find a good position to cuddle, and he opened his arms. It took the hint and laid down with it''s head on his shoulder and curled it''s body in so Ren could cradle it. ¡°There, that''s much better.¡± Ren said and hugged it closely. The cart started to move and Zetaya took no notice of it. It wasn''t long before the cart reached the West Gate and Princess ran faster. When they were far enough out from the main flow of traffic, Janice used both wands on her, then held on for dear life. * ¡°He has defeated another opponent.¡± The healer said, and took her hand from Lylyth''s forehead. ¡°He is quite formidable.¡± ¡°He was worried at first.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I felt it.¡± She said. ¡°He isn''t the rock of emotional stability you claim he is.¡± ¡°My Queen.¡± The healer chuckled. ¡°He wasn''t scared, was he? Or wavered in his decision?¡± Lylyth didn''t respond, and the healer nodded. ¡°Even though he thought he might lose, he didn''t balk at it. He prepared for the eventuality and faced it without hesitation.¡± ¡°So, you think he can...¡± ¡°Bring you balance? Possibly.¡± The healer said, then pointed. ¡°We won''t know until that is done.¡± Lylyth looked at the almost complete spider image over her heart. ¡°It''s been like that for a while.¡± The healer nodded. ¡°I had hoped it would have finished already.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Lylyth said and strained against the chains that still held her arms immobile. ¡°All this waiting is unnerving.¡± ¡°For all of us.¡± The healer said, and the wall of spiders shifted slightly and opened up. ¡°So, they finally chained you up.¡± Grimlow said and laughed. He was nearly 9 feet tall, only a few inches shorter than Lylyth, and his hair was just as white and his skin just as dark. ¡°You have not been invited into my throne room.¡± Lylyth said and stood. ¡°Leave. Now.¡± ¡°My Queen.¡± Grimlow said and bowed deeply; but he did it mockingly, and Lylyth scowled at him. ¡°I merely request an audience.¡± ¡°Denied.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Get out.¡± Grimlow laughed. ¡°Your Command ability seems to have weakened somewhat.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t even feel a twinge of obedience to you.¡± Lylyth took a step towards him and the slack in the chain disappeared and it stopped her. ¡°I will rip off your head and spit down your neck!¡± ¡°Ooo, scary.¡± Grimlow said. ¡°Your threat is hollow, My Queen.¡± ¡°You dare!¡± ¡°I cannot be touched by you, or anyone else, until my rival appears.¡± Grimlow said and grinned evilly. ¡°At least, according to your own rules.¡± ¡°Bah!¡± Lylyth said and sat down on the floor again. ¡°Why did I ever agree to that?¡± ¡°Your people agreed and you had to go along with it.¡± Grimlow said. ¡°They would have deserted you all those years ago if you hadn''t.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°It''s taken me decades to earn enough Influence to reach the rarefied heights of Dark Elven Society.¡± Grimlow said. ¡°I had thought when I maxed it recently, that I would earn the spot by your side.¡± ¡°It''s not that easy to win the Queen.¡± The healer said. ¡°She would have had several men like you before now if she was.¡± Grimlow scowled. ¡°There''s no other men like me.¡± ¡°Oh, please.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Arrogant? Self-centered? Full of himself? Believes everyone else is below him, even his peers?¡± She laughed. ¡°You''re just like every single elf I''ve ever met.¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Grimlow said, because he couldn''t argue her point. He actually was all those things. ¡°I''ve gained the Influence, and you will accept me.¡± ¡°You didn''t do it first.¡± The healer said. ¡°You also don''t have a connection to the Queen.¡± ¡°Ha, like that matters.¡± Grimlow said. ¡°She can feed from me only when I allow her to.¡± Lylyth looked at her attendant. ¡°Why didn''t you have him killed before he gained enough Influence like I asked?¡± ¡°I tried, My Queen.¡± The attendant said. ¡°He killed both assassins.¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°I wish it had worked.¡± ¡°I know you do.¡± Grimlow said and grinned. ¡°Your feelings of despair are so delicious.¡± ¡°That''s not despair, you ignorant fool.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°It''s resignation. He is not going to be happy that he has to fight for me, especially after my message reminding him of his promise.¡± ¡°Ah, a reluctant champion.¡± Grimlow said. ¡°His emotions will be sweet and tasty.¡± ¡°You can''t feed from him!¡± Lylyth said and stood up again. ¡°He is mine to feast upon!¡± Grimlow smiled. ¡°Hit a sore spot, have I?¡± He said. ¡°I will use my ability to it''s fullest extent when we battle, to suck every bit of emotion from him!¡± He chuckled. ¡°I will leave him an empty husk!¡± ¡°RAAHHH!¡± Lylyth yelled and swung her arms. It lifted the heavy chunk of floor that her chain was attached to, and she swung it at him. ¡°AhhHH!¡± Grimlow hollered and jumped back out of the way as the 5 foot wide and 3 foot thick chunk of stone turned in an arc and passed mere inches in front of his face. Lylyth''s temper eased away as she felt fear from Grimlow, and she let the chunk of stone fall to the floor. ¡°Mmm, fear from someone with such high Influence.¡± Lylyth said and drank it down. ¡°Tasty.¡± Grimlow pushed his fear away and replaced it with anger. ¡°I''ll come back when you are more reasonable.¡± He said and turned towards the wall of spiders. ¡°I''m so glad I''ll never have to see you again, then.¡± Lylyth laughed, and the wall of spiders parted to let Grimlow leave the throne room and Lylyth''s sight. Chapter 366 - Mayor Duties Princess arrived at the Main House, and came to a stop in front of it. ¡°We''re here.¡± Janice said and Ren opened the top of the cart and climbed out. He helped Janice down from Princess'' saddle, and undid the straps to store them in the saddlebag. Janice passed him the helm and wands, and he stored them. ¡°Oh... oh my god!¡± Janice said, then ran across the road and into her workshop. ¡°Ren! This is fantastic!¡± ¡°I know it is.¡± Ren said and reached back into the stone cart to get Zetaya. ¡°My friends and I built it.¡± ¡°You''re not arrogant or anything.¡± Janice laughed. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± ¡°We haven''t made the furniture yet.¡± Ren said and picked Zetaya up. ¡°You can thank me when that''s done.¡± ¡°Then she can thank you.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Ruck and I made it while you were gone.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Janice said and went to hug Ren, then stopped because of the bundle of fire he held. ¡°Ah, I''ll hug you later.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He walked over to his large warehouse with the fire elemental in his arms, and showed Zetaya the giant forge. ¡°See? I told you it was going to be big.¡± Zetaya let a small crackling fire sound out, then Ren opened the door to the forge and he heard a roaring fire from the fire elemental. He stepped into the forge and closed the door, and let Zetaya go. The fire elemental dropped to the floor of the forge and shivered. It stood still for only a moment, then walked around and explored the space that was to be it''s new home. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Ren asked, and the fire elemental ran over to him and jumped up. He caught it, and laughed as it dabbed it''s head stub on his face and lips several times. ¡°I guess that means you like it.¡± Zetaya let go of him and landed on the floor, hopped around for a few moments, then laid down on it''s back to relax. ¡°I see an exposed tummy!¡± Ren said and attacked it with his fingers. The roaring fire sounded like a forest fire as he tickled it mercilessly. It wiggled and squirmed; but, it didn''t try to get away even though it easily could. Ren stopped tickling it''s belly and moved his hands to it''s head stub to rub it. ¡°Fire Dancer, I... I really miss you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know I have no right to talk to you after so long, but... I just want you to know that I love you just as much today, as I did the day you were born.¡± There was no response, and he didn''t really expect one. He had waited much too long to speak to her, and he knew she would have had millennia to watch him and see what he''s been up to. ¡°This kiss is for you, Fire Dancer.¡± Ren said and kissed Zetaya''s head stub. ¡°And this one is for you, Zetaya.¡± He said and kissed the head stub again. The roaring fire he heard faded away, and it was replaced with a low smouldering fire. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± Ren left the forge and shut the door, then went back over to Janice. He saw her working at her glass furnace, and decided not to bother her. He unhooked the stone cart from Princess and put it beside the warehouse, then led her over to the Main House and put her inside so she could eat and rest. He left the Main House and walked up the road a short ways to where the Church was being built. ¡°Oh, you guys are great!¡± Ren said when he saw how much of the Church they had done. Almost all of the outer walls were up. ¡°I really want to join in and help!¡± Tee-one chuckled, and Ruck waved to him. ¡°You really need to start the stained glass windows.¡± ¡°Right! Okay, I''ll see you guys soon!¡± Ren said and ran down the road and back to the Main House. When he passed by the Mayor''s office, he saw the door was open and stopped. ¡°Hi, Miss Patty.¡± ¡°Hello, My Lord.¡± Patty said as Ren stepped into her office. She sat behind her desk in the comfy chair, and was wearing a white shirt that fit her form perfectly and left nothing to the imagination. She leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms under her breasts, which highlighted them even more. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± You can stop being so appealing. Ren thought and tried not to enjoy the view, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Actually, I''ve got a bit of a problem.¡± ¡°And what''s that?¡± ¡°According to my list, there''s 61 bakeries in the village.¡± Patty laughed. ¡°I think you misread it.¡± She said. ¡°There''s 61 bakers, not bakeries.¡± Ren chuckled and opened his list and looked at it.
Walin County
Age: 8 Months (Under Lord Ren) Size: 50 miles x 50 miles
Settled: 30% Unsettled: 70%
Population: 797
Village 647 Isolated Individuals: 150
Other Statistics:
Villages 1 City 1
Schools 0 Trade Schools 1
Castles (Urban) 0 Castles (Wilderness) 0
Ruins 1 Cavern 1
Animals (Farm):
Chickens 2300 Other Fowl 600
Cows 1100 Pigs 300
Occupations Breakdown:
Ale Makers 1 Bakers 61
Barbers 1 Butchers 13
Carpenters 1 Clergy 2
Council Head 1 Council Members 6
Guards 2 Hay Makers 2
Mason (Stone) 1 Mayor 1
Nobles 1 Noble Household 1
Old Cloth Maker 1 Pastry Cook 1
Rope Maker 1 Sculptor 1
Wood Carver 1 Wood Cutter 1
¡°Hey, you''re right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then, how many bakeries are there?¡± ¡°None.¡± Patty said. ¡°They all work from home.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said, then thought about it. ¡°Do you think they would want to work at an actual bakery?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I''d like for there to be an actual business, where they can sell baked goods.¡± Patty uncrossed her arms and stared at him. ¡°Are... are you serious?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, I think they could have already had a lot of business from the work crews building the houses.¡± ¡°I don''t... well, I guess... I mean, I''m sure at least some of them would...¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll build a big bakery with a few ovens in it, both normal and traditional, and we''ll see who''s the first to take the chance on it.¡± Patty nodded. ¡°I''ll let a few of the families know...¡± ¡°Know what?¡± The young boy Russell asked when he popped his head into the office. ¡°Ahh!¡± Patty screamed a little. ¡°Russell! Stop that!¡± ¡°Sorry, Miss Patty.¡± Russell said, then grinned at Ren''s smile. ¡°Let... Fern''s wife, her sister, and your mother know there''s going to be a bakery built.¡± ¡°Hopefully by tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m a little behind in making the windows for the Church, though.¡± ¡°Church?¡± Russell asked. ¡°Did you ask Mr. Harson about it?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He''s the head Clergy.¡± Patty said. ¡°I did see two Clergy on the list.¡± Ren said. ¡°He''s not going to like having a real Church.¡± Russell said. ¡°People get scared when it''s too formal.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If you''re talking to him, tell him there''s individual rooms for worship. There''s a large main room, but that''s for general prayers. There''s not going to be any sermons or anything else like that.¡± ¡°He''s definitely not going to like that.¡± Russell said. ¡°He loves giving sermons.¡± ¡°Then he''s going to have to live with disappointment if he wants to use the Church.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s for people to worship in, not for lectures.¡± ¡°I don''t think I''ll be telling him that.¡± Russell said. Ren chuckled again and pat Russell on the shoulder. ¡°You don''t have to tell him all of that; just say the Church is for the people to use.¡± Russell nodded. Patty reminded him to deliver the bakery message, and he took off at a run. ¡°So, what else are you going to build?¡± Patty asked, curious. ¡°An inn, a medical building, and a few other things.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°This is going to be the best place in the world to visit when I''m done.¡± Patty didn''t say anything, mainly because she was pretty sure she didn''t like that idea. ¡°I''ve got to get to work.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you get a message to the two guards? Have them report here for equipment and possible training.¡± ¡°Guards?¡± ¡°Yeah, there''s two of them on the list.¡± ¡°I''ve never met any guards before.¡± Ren brought up the Land Owner menu and tried to find a list of names, and couldn''t find anything. ¡°I can''t find their names.¡± He said. ¡°Patty, can you look through your menu and see if it has their names and addresses?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± Patty said. ¡°I''ve been going through everything and trying to learn what I can.¡± Ren walked over to her desk and around it to stand beside her. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He said and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°It never occurred to me that you''ve probably never even seen a menu before, and then I threw all of this on you.¡± Patty could tell he was sincere in his apology, and she sighed. ¡°If you weren''t so nice and understanding, I''d hate you so much right now.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m glad you don''t, mainly because I had assumed you hated me this whole time.¡± ¡°You did?!?¡± Patty had a look of astonishment on her face. ¡°And you gave me the Mayor job anyway?¡± ¡°I told you before. I''m not here to wreck what you''ve built. I want to make it better.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°With your help, of course.¡± ¡°I... okay.¡± Patty said and opened the Mayor Menu. ¡°Can you see this?¡± ¡°I can, surprisingly.¡± Ren said and leaned close. ¡°It must be because I''m the Land Owner.¡± ¡°Show me where to go.¡± Patty asked. ¡°I''ve been through this tab, this tab, and this one.¡± She said and chose the three first tabs, scrolled down them and pointed to the options she''d played with. ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said. ¡°For someone that hasn''t used them before, you''re doing really well.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Patty said, and glanced at his hand. It was still on her shoulder, and it gave her a warm feeling inside. ¡°What did you order, by the way?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Parchment and writing instruments.¡± Patty said. ¡°They''ll be here in a couple of days.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°That''s funny! I just went to town to pick up my order for parchment and writing instruments!¡± ¡°You did?¡± Ren nodded and took out the stack of parchment. ¡°I got it for the stable, so when classes for the townspeople start, they''ll have something to write on.¡± ¡°What stable?¡± Patty asked. ¡°Wait, did you say classes?¡± ¡°I built a stable down the road.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve also arranged for a teacher to come, with the 60 horses and workers to care for them, so they can teach anyone that wants to learn about taking care of horses, riding them, and driving carts.¡± Patty blinked her eyes at him. ¡°You... bought 60 horses...¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°I assume she''ll want payment on delivery, though.¡± ¡°When...¡± ¡°Next week.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which reminds me. There''s 2 hay makers on the list, and I''m going to need hay for the stable.¡± ¡°Oh, them I know.¡± Patty said in relief. ¡°That''s Nick and Nora Pasternack, and they''re way out on the end of the county.¡± ¡°Big hay fields?¡± ¡°It''s about twice as big as Fern''s field.¡± ¡°What about feed for the horses?¡± ¡°They make that, too.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°How much can I get from them?¡± ¡°That depends on how the harvest is going.¡± Patty said and smiled. ¡°I''ll make a few more farm vehicles, and see about training up drivers for them.¡± ¡°That might take a while.¡± Patty said. ¡°They''re working in the fields remember?¡± ¡°Right, I''ll do that later.¡± Ren said, and helped Patty look through her menu to find the list of residents. ¡°There.¡± He said and pointed, and Patty chose the list and another popup appeared. ¡°Old Man Dinkle is a guard?¡± Patty said, surprised. ¡°So is Mr. Longhorn.¡± ¡°I take it they''re not your first choice for guards.¡± Ren said and she snorted a laugh. ¡°They''re 85 years old, and can barely walk.¡± Patty said. ¡°I doubt they could hold a sword, let alone train with one.¡± ¡°Okay, we need to hire new guards.¡± ¡°We don''t have the money to...¡± Patty started to say, then her face flushed red. ¡°Never mind.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Make sure whoever you pick gets a good salary.¡± ¡°I would, if I knew what that meant.¡± Patty said. Ren opened his mouth to respond, and then he realized that ''salary'' might not be a word that people would know. He smiled instead and squeezed her shoulder slightly. ¡°It''s the amount of money you pay someone for doing a job.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry if my strange word for that confused you.¡± ¡°So, how much should I offer them?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not from here. What does a normal person make when they work?¡± ¡°Usually bread, meat and vegetables for their family to eat that day; but, depending on what they did, they could eat for a week.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said, and remembered what the lumber yard worker had said about eating for a week for a gold and 50 silver. ¡°How about 2 gold coins a week?¡± Patty''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°Isn''t that enough?¡± ¡°For just standing around and holding a sword?!?¡± Patty asked. ¡°That''s way too much!¡± ¡°One gold coin a week, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I can''t be a guard.¡± Patty said. ¡°I''m the Mayor.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I meant your pay.¡± ¡°I don''t need any money.¡± Patty said. ¡°I''ve done my work for as long as I can remember, and I''ve never been paid for it before.¡± ¡°You''ll be making more than the guards, that''s for sure.¡± Ren said and stood up straight. ¡°You''ll take 5 gold a week, and give the town council members 3 gold a week.¡± Patty was about to argue vehemently that she didn''t need the money, then realized something important that she had missed. ¡°Oh! I couldn''t find the spot to add them!¡± Patty exclaimed, and Ren leaned back in close and helped her find the spot to add them. She added the town council members, or city council members now, and gave them 3 gold coins a week salary. ¡°You''re crazy for giving your money away like this.¡± Patty said. ¡°Add yours in, too.¡± Ren said, and she sighed and added 5 gold coins in for herself. He got a popup that showed the change and was asked to approve the alteration in the Budget, and chose yes. ¡°Miss Patty, I really have to go and make stained glass windows.¡± Patty wasn''t sure why she felt a bit of disappointment when Ren stopped leaning close and let her shoulder go. ¡°I''ll be just upstairs in my workshop if you need me for anything.¡± Ren said, then left her office. He ran up the stairs and loaded the glass furnace and activated it. While he waited for the sand to become molten, he went to the workbench and used the panes of glass he already had. They were dyed the right colors and scored into the pieces Ren would need to make the two Fire Realm pictures. Since they were the same pictures and all he had to do was reverse the red and orange pieces in each one, he only had to use two panes of glass. Ren took out the expensive anvil he had bought at the Convent in the dwarf lands, and used his blacksmith hammer and one of the 1 foot square copper pieces he had, to make thin copper foil to use as a wrap around the stained glass pieces. It really didn''t take any time at all, since his skills combined so well. When he had enough to wrap everything, he equipped his armor to essentially double his stats, which increased his dexterity to the point that he didn''t even have to look at what he was doing and could still wrap the edges of the glass pieces in copper foil perfectly. Ren chuckled at that thought, but he didn''t test his theory. He started the forge beside the glass furnace and tossed some ore in the smelter, then finished wrapping the pieces for both pictures. He skimmed off some impurities in the smelter, used his fingers to solder the stained glass together, then flipped the picture and did the back, too. He did the second one and then took out the wood to make the frames for them to sit in. * Patty had been sitting in her office for about 10 minutes before her curiosity got the better of her and she left her office and slowly walked up the stairs. I just have to see him working. Patty thought and peeked onto the second floor with her eyes just above the level of the floor. She held in her gasp and stared in shock as Ren dipped his hand into molten metal and spread it over something on the workbench. A moment later, he picked it up and Patty saw the giant flaming figure in the middle of the picture, then he dipped his hand in the smelter again. It took him only seconds to finish it, then he took out wood and made frames for the stained glass. He''s working so fast. Patty thought as Ren put the two finished pictures aside and took out another pane of glass and dyed it. He scored it in less than a minute with a weird tool, then used some other kind of tool to break it apart. I can''t really make sense of what he''s doing. Patty hadn''t noticed Russell had come up the stairs and stood right next to her. ¡°What''s he doing?¡± Russell asked, and Patty screamed. * ¡°AAHHH!¡± Patty screamed and jumped away, bounced from the railing when she hit it with her arm, then she started to fall backwards down the stairs. Everything seemed to slow down, and her only thought was that she was definitely going to be hurt this time. She watched in fascination as Ren ran the short distance to the stairs and down them past her; then she felt a hand under her back and one under her legs. She blinked her eyes and looked up at Ren''s happy face. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ren asked a very startled Patty. ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± Patty said. ¡°You were there... and now you''re here.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I can move pretty fast when I want to.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°My armor gives me massive stat boosts.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not as much as it could, though.¡± Patty just stared at him, and didn''t comprehend what he meant. ¡°I''ve got to take it apart and absorb the enchantments from it, then have Tee-one enchant everything so I can Double Infuse it.¡± Patty kept staring at him because she still didn''t know what he meant, and he chuckled as he carried her up the stairs and sat her on the couch in the meeting area. ¡°Just sit there and relax.¡± Ren said and looked at Russell. ¡°Scaring her once or twice by accident is okay; but, if you ever endanger her like that again, I''m taking the boots back.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Russell said. ¡°These boots don''t make noise...¡± ¡°You can knock on the door, bang the wall, or even speak long before you come near her.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no need to Sneak when she''s standing on the stairs like that.¡± Russell''s face burned red and he nodded, because Ren had found out his secret. ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, what did you want?¡± ¡°I came to say that my mother loves the idea of a real bakery.¡± Russell said. ¡°So does Gemma and her sister.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I need you to head over to Nick Pasternack''s place and see what their feed and hay stocks are like.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve got 60 horses coming next week and they need a regular source.¡± ¡°Right away.¡± Russell said and looked at Patty. ¡°I won''t scare you anymore, Miss Patty. I promise.¡± ¡°A wise person once told me that you shouldn''t make promises you can''t keep.¡± Patty said and looked at Ren. ¡°I''ll try my best, Miss Patty.¡± Russell said, and left at a run. ¡°He really is a good boy.¡± Patty said. ¡°He''s just...¡± ¡°Testing the limits.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°Next time, if you want to see what I''m doing, just come up and watch. You don''t have to hide.¡± ¡°I... I wasn''t...¡± ¡°Was I too much of a spectacle for you to make it the rest of the way up the stairs?¡± ¡°Well, it... it was fascinating.¡± Patty said and her face flushed a little red. Ren chuckled. ¡°Then please, sit back and enjoy the show.¡± He said and went back to work. Chapter 367 - Teach Me Patty really was fascinated by Ren and his work, and she sat there and watched him as he worked tirelessly to make stained glass picture after stained glass picture. He didn''t slow down, or take breaks, or anything of the sort. She watched him as he colored and cut glass, wrapped them in copper, soldered them together, then made frames for them. It was almost hypnotic as Ren moved to each thing; from the workbench to the glass forge and back, to the anvil and back when he ran out of copper foil, to the smelter and back, over and over. After a couple of hours, Patty became tired despite her fascination with his work, and eventually dozed off. ¡°She''s asleep.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Are you going to wake her?¡± When I''m done. Ren said and kept working. She needs the rest after that scare. ¡°I think that was the fastest I''ve ever seen you move from a dead stop.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You usually need a good running start to go that fast.¡± I surprised myself with that, too. Ren thought. Ren worked for another hour and finished with the last two windows, which were just solid black for the Void (Arcane), made frames for them, and stored all the stained glass windows. He walked over to Patty, and saw she had laid down and was curled up on her side. He knelt near her and touched her shoulder to shake her a little bit. ¡°Patty.¡± ¡°Mmm?¡± ¡°Wake up.¡± Patty rolled over onto her back with her eyes still closed, stretched out her arms and yawned. Ren couldn''t help but look at her chest as it peeked out through her shirt, and then she arched her back and he got a good look as they strained against the buttons that held it closed. Ren started to shake his head to stop himself from staring, and Patty''s arm snaked around his neck. ¡°Hold me...¡± Patty mumbled. ¡°Like that...¡± She sighed. ¡°No, kiss me there...¡± She took in a deep breath. ¡°Yes, there.¡± Ren wasn''t sure what to do. He thought about pulling away, but she had a good hold of him with her hand, and then her other hand reached out and grabbed him by the hair. ¡°Harder...¡± Patty said and pulled his head onto her chest. ¡°Mmmm.¡± Ren could only stare at her as she moved his head back and forth, and twisted her body from side to side to rub her chest all over the side of his head. When she got excited, he discovered the tips weren''t near as big or as prominent as Lucy''s was, and he relaxed. So, they only used a basic template for her, and didn''t get the entire model from Lucy. Ren thought and smiled. This really isn''t Lucy. ¡°It''s a good copy, though.¡± Teepo said, and Ren nodded; which rubbed his face on Patty''s breasts. She caught her breath, and Ren figured this was a good time to try and wake her up. ¡°Patty, wake up.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s time for me to go.¡± ¡°No, don''t... I... I need...¡± Patty whispered. ¡°You need to work.¡± Ren said, and reached up to pull her hand from around his neck. ¡°No... please...¡± Patty said. ¡°Don''t leave me... again.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Patty.¡± Ren said and carefully took her other hand from out of his hair. ¡°My friends need me.¡± ¡°But... I need you, too.¡± Patty said, and then she opened her eyes and froze as she saw Ren. ¡°Wh-what are... why are you in my...¡± She looked frantic for a moment, then she remembered where she was. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You fell asleep, and... well, I assume it was a... nice dream.¡± Patty put her hands over her eyes. ¡°Oh, god.¡± ¡°Hey, it''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, it isn''t!¡± Patty said. ¡°Now you know I... that I have... oh, god!¡± Ren reached out and took her hands. She tried to fight the movement, but not very hard. He removed them from her face and smiled at her. ¡°Was I tall and muscular at least?¡± Ren asked, and she sighed. ¡°Just let me keep my shame private, okay?¡± Patty asked, and Ren chuckled. ¡°You shouldn''t be ashamed.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m pretty sure it''s healthy for a woman to have fantasies.¡± ¡°But... the things we... I mean, what I imagined we...¡± Patty shook her head. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I''m not planning to seduce you or take you to bed.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, I should thank you for the cuddle.¡± Patty looked at her chest and how much her shirt was ruffled, and she covered her breasts with her hands and her face turned to a deep red. ¡°I can''t believe I did that.¡± Patty said. ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said and stood up, then held a hand out to her. Patty waited for a moment, then let her breasts go and took his hand. It was warm after she had touched herself like that, and Ren pulled her up to stand. ¡°Thank you for the cuddle, Miss Patty.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. ¡°Um... I... I think... after this... you...¡± Patty''s face stayed red. ¡°...you can call me Patty.¡± ¡°Okay, Patty.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got to go.¡± He said. ¡°Don''t forget to tell the council they can come here for the town meetings if they want to.¡± ¡°Th-they can?¡± Patty asked and looked around. ¡°That''s what I made this meeting room for.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you later.¡± Patty nodded and Ren ran down the stairs and outside. He ran down the road a little and stopped. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren said. ¡°You finished it?!?¡± Tee-one came over to him. ¡°Just the outside.¡± He said and Ruck came over, too. ¡°It seemed like the most important part to finish first.¡± ¡°Oh, it was!¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s get these windows installed!¡± They took half an hour to install the 18 windows in the Church, with one window in the personal rooms, and 1 of each in the main chamber. They took another half an hour to build the internal walls and hallways, then all the chairs and pews they needed.
Notice!
You have finished construction of a Church in Walin County. Unfortunately, is a very sparsely populated area, and the daily visitors will be few and far between. Do you wish to combine Church Visitor notifications? Yes / No
¡°Yes!¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s done! Let''s make the big bakery next!¡± The three of them went outside and down the street to almost across from the Main House, and built a large building with 3 sets of ovens inside. It had 3 of the old large brick ovens, 3 normal metal ovens, and 3 large ovens. They made 9 workbenches and a storage area for anything they would need. They lined one wall with shelves, and Ren remembered the things he had used in the mansion''s kitchen and in Nathalia''s kitchen. After a quick trip to the large forge next door, they stocked the shelves with steel bowls, pans of all shapes and sizes, and utensils. ¡°We can''t make anything else for them until we find out what they need besides this.¡± Ren said. ¡°My Lord, we need something to heat the grease in.¡± A woman''s voice said from the doorway. Ren, Tee-one and Ruck turned to look, and saw a group of 4 women. They stared at the bakery like they''d never seen anything like it before. ¡°Grease?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes, for deep frying.¡± Gemma, Fern''s wife said. Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°What do you deep fry?¡± ¡°They are called ''doughs''.¡± Gemma said. ¡°When we make bread, there''s usually scraps of dough left over. We take the scraps and flatten them, then toss them into hot grease for several minutes.¡± ¡°Where do you get the grease?¡± ¡°From the animals.¡± Ramona, Russell''s mother said. ¡°There''s nothing better than animal fat to make grease for cooking.¡± Ren turned to Tee-one and Ruck. ¡°My friends, we''re making a deep fryer!¡± The three of them high-fived each other. ¡°Tee-one! Make a long counter for the lovely ladies to sell things from!¡± Ren said. ¡°Ruck! Tables and chairs for people to eat at!¡± He said and ran to the door. ¡°I''ll make the stand and the fryer!¡± ¡°My Lord! You don''t know what...¡± Gemma tried to say. ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Ren said and ran from the bakery and next door to the forge. ¡°It''s gotta be big! I want it big!¡± He said and took out his Iron Wall wand and made a 2 foot by 3 foot by 3 foot block. ¡°Ha ha! This is so awesome!¡± Ren used paving stones to mark the outer boundary, then poured molten metal over the iron block to fill the instant mold. He spread it with his hand to make it even on the top and to make sure it was thick enough, then absorbed the heat from it. He stored it and then made another one, and another. ¡°Why make one when you can make three?¡± Ren said, dismissed the Iron Wall spell, and used more paving stones to make a mold for a stand and shelf underneath the steel tubs. He filled that mold 3 times and stored them, stored the paving stones, and ran back to the bakery. ¡°My Lord, please... you have to listen.¡± Gemma said. ¡°It''s difficult to make them, and the grease can be too hot and can hurt when it splashes.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll make something in a minute, assuming you don''t already have what I need.¡± ¡°I have what you need?¡± Gemma''s eyes widened, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I mean, what do you use to get the doughs out of the grease?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Gemma said, and her face flushed red. ¡°Betsie?¡± Betsie held out a box of utensils that they used, and Ren looked through them. ¡°Ha!¡± Ren said and picked up a wire mesh strainer and got the plans for it. ¡°How did you know it was that one?¡± ¡°I knew what to look for.¡± Ren said and put it back in the box. ¡°I''ll be right back!¡± * ¡°Where is he running to?¡± Ramona asked as Ren disappeared out the door. ¡°He runs almost as much as my little Russell.¡± ¡°He''s making a better strainer.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Can you send someone to get some grease?¡± ¡°Russell!¡± Ramona said, and her son came into the bakery. ¡°Hey! Look at this place!¡± Russell said. ¡°I''ve never seen anything like it!¡± ¡°Go to my place and get the bucket of grease.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Mom, that''ll take forever to haul back here!¡± ¡°Ruck can carry it.¡± Tee-one said, and Ruck waved to Russell. ¡°Holy moley!¡± Russell said and pointed. ¡°It''s a giant backpack!¡± ¡°Russell!¡± Ramona said. ¡°Just go!¡± ¡°Yes''um.¡± Russell said and left through the door with Ruck right behind him. ¡°He never was very tactful.¡± Ramona said. ¡°He''s right, though. Ruck is a giant backpack.¡± ¡°We didn''t want to say anything about it.¡± Gemma said. ¡°We weren''t sure if it was proper or not.¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°I can assure you that Ruck was not insulted.¡± * Ren knew what to make now that he had the plans for a flat wire mesh strainer. He altered that design and added sides, front, and back to it to make it a basket; then extended the handle up and back so that the contents could be held easily and the excess grease could be shaken off. He knew he wouldn''t be able to make the thing by hand, so he let the system make it for him and used the appropriate amount of molten metal. Since it was just a wire mesh and not solid, it didn''t take much metal at all, and he made three of them the same size as the large steel tubs, and then a little hook on the backs so that they could hang on the side of the tubs to let the items from the grease drain if necessary. ¡°Oh, I can''t wait!¡± Ren said and ran back to the bakery. ¡°I''ve got them made!¡± He said and went to the first spot and took out the metal stand, enchanted it with Fire runes, and then added the 2 foot wide by 3 foot long by 3 foot deep steel tub, then took out the large wire basket and laid it inside. ¡°I''d comment on the enormous size of the thing...¡± Betsie smiled. ¡°...but, I''m pretty sure Ramona would make a crude joke about it.¡± ¡°It wouldn''t be crude.¡± Ramona said, and looked at Ren. ¡°It would be both funny and appropriate.¡± ¡°Where do I get the grease for this thing?¡± Ren asked her, and ignored her attempt to flirt. ¡°It''s on it''s way.¡± Ramona said. ¡°Although, I don''t know what you expect. We don''t have the things with us to make dough.¡± Ren slapped his forehead. ¡°Sinks and grinders!¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You need a water source, and something to grind the wheat to flour.¡± ¡°We have mortar and pestles.¡± Gemma said. ¡°You do it by hand, but that''s not going to work with a big bakery.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tee-one?¡± ¡°I think one of the stone slabs could work.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°If we use one of the big round stones and cut it down...¡± ¡°...we can make a mold and cast it in cement!¡± Ren said. ¡°If we do that...¡± ¡°...then we can make the support structure and add gears to the giant pestle.¡± ¡°We could go with the coil springs, or...¡± ¡°...if we had a high enough waterfall, or even just strong jets of water... a large water wheel could be adapted to do the grinding for us.¡± ¡°We''d have to add in a lever so it''s not going all the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''d need to put it on a swivel or a hinge so it can be dumped.¡± ¡°We''ll also need a really big sifter.¡± ¡°That I now have the plans for.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just have to scale it up once we have the rest built.¡± ¡°I''m glad we made this place so big. We can make the addition in the back.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''ll make the brace and hinge assembly.¡± ¡°I''ll prepare the slab and one of the big stones!¡± Ren said and ran out of the bakery while Tee-one went to the back of the building and started making the supports the thing would need, and a container to hold the cement. * ¡°Okay, I honestly have no idea what''s going on.¡± Gemma said. ¡°Men are working and are excited about it.¡± Ramona said and laughed. ¡°But, I don''t know what they are doing, either.¡± A few minutes later, Russell and Ruck came into the bakery. ¡°We brought the buckets!¡± Russell said, and Ruck took out three of them. ¡°We should only need one.¡± Gemma said and struggled to pick one of them up. Ruck took it from her, and motioned to the steel tub Ren had made. Gemma nodded, and Ruck skittered over to it and carefully dumped the large bucket of grease into the tub. It only went up about a quarter of the way, and Gemma looked at it. ¡°Well, I was wrong.¡± Gemma said. ¡°Add in another one.¡± Ruck took another one and it half-filled it. ¡°That''s better.¡± Gemma said. ¡°It''s deep enough.¡± ¡°Russell, can you bring me my baking things?¡± His mother Ramona asked. Russell sighed. ¡°Why didn''t you ask for them before?¡± ¡°I didn''t think I needed them before.¡± Ramona said and looked at the shelves. ¡°I''ll only need the flour, eggs, milk, and other things. Apparently, everything else is here already.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Russell said. ¡°Hey, Ruck... want to make another run?¡± Ruck nodded and left the bakery with Russell. * Ren carefully carved the stone slab into a half-sphere, to set in cement and make a mortar that would be big enough to grind a lot of wheat in; then he took one of the large stones and slowly trimmed off the excess bits to make it perfectly round on the bottom, then on the top trimmed it to be square in shape. It looked weird to have a round ball with a square top, but it would fit much easier inside a wheel if it was square. Ren thought about how to get it to move around the mortar, and smiled as he remembered his old failed hand-powered saw. He had set it so when a smaller wheel turned, a swing arm would turn the larger wheel as well; but, if he attached the swing arm to the axle of the second wheel instead of to it''s side, when the first wheel turned, the second wheel would be moved along the path of the swing arm rather than just spin in place. Ren smiled and made a new plan with two wheels and a swing arm, replaced the first wheel with a gear, and put the axle of the second wheel on the end of the swing arm and added a square hole on the bottom of it to fit the large pestle into. He added gears to make it turn, and used Tee-one''s idea for a water-powered water wheel to drive the mechanism. With the plan almost complete, Ren added a lever that would disengage the pestle from the gears and allow the flour to be removed. With the plan complete, Ren set up the molds to make the gears needed, one in front of each of the satellite smelters, which made him smile because he didn''t think he would ever need all 5. He tipped them all to pour out, then he pulled the lever to open all the bottom ports of the large smelter. Molten metal flowed down all 5 troughs and into the smaller smelters, and it continued out onto the floor and into the prepared molds. He cut off the flow and went to each smelter and tipped it up, and absorbed the heat from the gears. Once they were done, Ren thought about the water wheel, and figured that it would be lighter and move faster if it was made of wood instead of metal, but he would need metal braces for it. He made a mold for triangle piece with a hole at the top of the triangle for an axle, then cast it three times. He made the axle next, with square spots on the ends for a gear and the water wheel to attach to. He stored the gears, the braces, and the stone pieces and ran next door to the bakery. He went by the 4 women and to the back of the building. ¡°That''s great, Tee-one.¡± Ren said when he saw the large support structure. ¡°I like the lock and hinge!¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Flip the lock, and the whole thing tips to get the flour out.¡± He said and did just that. Half of the support structure tipped down with the use of a lever, and Ren could imagine how easy it would be to scoop out flour. ¡°Did you have one of the women try it?¡± Ren asked, and turned to the 4 women that stood there and watched them. ¡°Can one of you come here for a moment and try this?¡± Ramona didn''t even look at the other women as she smiled and came right over to Ren. ¡°What do I do?¡± Ren showed her how it worked, and Ramona shook her head. ¡°I can''t lift that.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°It''s counter-weighted.¡± ¡°I don''t know what that means.¡± ¡°It means only a small amount of force is needed to move it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please, try it.¡± Ramona took a deep breath, and did what they instructed and unlocked it. The thing moved easily when she pushed the lever and it tipped down. She pushed the lever back and it tipped up and she locked it in place. ¡°That was easy.¡± Ramona said, and Ren chuckled and turned to Tee-one. ¡°Mix up the cement, my friend!¡± Ren said and took out the large stone half-sphere. ¡°I''ll make the water wheel.¡± ¡°I''ll go back over there and wait with the others for... well, whatever it is that you''re doing.¡± Ramona said. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± Ren said, took her hand, and gave it a light kiss. ¡°It''ll be done soon.¡± Ramona nodded and went back to the other women, and Ren examined his plans. ¡°Okay, if the main gear and arm are here, and this gear is here, with the torque gear here and attached gear here... then I need a round hole... right... there.¡± Ren said and pointed, then used a hand drill to make the hole, then put one of the metal braces to hold the water wheel on the inside of the building and it fit right over the hole on the wall. ¡°Ha, perfect.¡± Ren ran outside and put another brace over the hole there, then looked at the setup. ¡°Okay, self contained. I don''t want anyone getting hurt by a spinning wheel or torrent of water.¡± Ren built an 8 foot tall shed around the space he would need, added a door, then made the water wheel with lots of partitions to catch as much water as possible so it would spin fast. He slipped the end of the axle into the hole in the wall, held it in place, and slipped the water wheel onto it. He added the third metal brace on the end, so the wheel was completely supported, and put in a lynch pin so the wheel could be removed if it needed repair. Ren secured the bottom and took out a dozen steel squares and enchanted them with full glyphs of Water and Wind combined, attached the steel squares to the top of the shed above the end of the wheel, then added a paving stone basin on the floor under it and added the same number of Antiwater glyphs to them. ¡°Time for a test.¡± Ren said, and spun the wheel so the blast of water wouldn''t damage it, and activated the enchantments. A huge burst of water came down and hit the wheel, spun it freely and very fast, splashed into the basin, and then out onto the floor and over Ren. He laughed and deactivated half of the enchantments, and the wheel moved at a solid speed, and the catch basin on the bottom caught the water easily and absorbed it. Ren nodded and deactivated it, then equipped his Travelling Clothes to dry off. He left the shed, nailed it shut, and ran back around and into the bakery. ¡°Hi, Ruck!¡± Ren said. ¡°Where have you been?¡± Ruck pointed at Russell and at the piles of baking ingredients on the counter that the women had already sorted, and they prepared to make the dough for bread. ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t wait to see if the deep fryer works!¡± ¡°My Lord?¡± Gemma asked. ¡°How do I add the wood to these ovens?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± Ren said. ¡°They don''t need wood.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°They''re enchanted to provide the heat needed.¡± Ren said. ¡°I made them while concentrating on bakers, so any baker can activate them, or adjust how much heat they need.¡± ¡°My Lord, we''re just simple folk.¡± Gemma said. ¡°We use wood for heat. I didn''t understand a word you just said.¡± Ren opened his mouth to respond, and then smiled. ¡°Once again, I''ve messed up and assumed someone would know how to work what I give them.¡± He said. ¡°Please accept my apologies.¡± Gemma''s face flushed red. She almost ducked her head to avoid his gaze, then caught herself. ¡°It''s simple, really.¡± Ren said, and asked the 4 women to come over to one of the tables Ruck had made. ¡°Please, sit.¡± The women sat down and Ren took out a stone brick and enchanted it with a single rune of Fire, keyed to bakers. ¡°This is enchanted the same as the ovens and deep fryer.¡± Ren said and put the stone in front of them. The women stared at the little symbol on the top of the brick. ¡°This symbol produces Fire when activated.¡± ¡°How do we activate it?¡± Ramona asked. ¡°It''s just a stone, isn''t it? It can''t make fire by itself!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°The stone is just the container it needs. The rune produces the Fire.¡± He said and activated it. A flame popped into existence on the stone, and the women gasped. ¡°It''s magic!¡± ¡°It really is.¡± Ren said and they looked at him. ¡°I thought you would say it wasn''t.¡± Gemma said. Ren chuckled. ¡°When a rune can produce something from nothing, it''s magic.¡± He said. ¡°It doesn''t consume the thing it''s enchanted on... unless the container isn''t strong enough. Then it will.¡± The women leaned back from the stone, and Ren chuckled again. ¡°Don''t worry, I haven''t overloaded something in a long time.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I had mastered Enchanting, I could feel how much enchantment an item could handle.¡± ¡°So the ovens aren''t going to blow up or anything?¡± Betsie asked. ¡°No, they are quite safe.¡± Ren said. ¡°As long as you treat them like a hot oven.¡± The women nodded, and Ren deactivated the stone. ¡°Now, I could just tell you how to turn it on, but you need to know how many to turn on to get the heat you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, that''s a little harder than just off and on.¡± ¡°We''ll learn it!¡± Ramona said. ¡°Teach us what you can, My Lord.¡± Ren smiled at her, and her face went a little red; but, she didn''t avert her eyes like he thought she would. He walked around the table to stand behind her, and leaned down to put his head beside hers. ¡°Okay, Ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re first.¡± Ramona looked angry for a moment. ¡°My name is Ramona.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ren moved to the side a little and turned his head to look at her. ¡°I''m not used to calling women by their first names.¡± ¡°You had better get used to it.¡± Ramona said. ¡°I may have had a child already, but I''m not old enough yet to be called ma''am!¡± Ren put a hand on her shoulder, and she caught her breath. ¡°I''m sorry... Ramona.¡± ¡°That''s better.¡± Ramona said, and smiled. ¡°Now tell me what to do.¡± ¡°You want to call the Fire into being.¡± Ren said. ¡°The rune is there. Concentrate on it. Imagine the Fire appearing at your call, and then think the word ''Activate''.¡± Ramona stared at the stone brick and the rune there, squinted her eyes and thought Activate... and nothing happened. ¡°You''re a baker. You need the warmth and heat from the Fire.¡± Ren whispered in her ear. ¡°You need it to embrace what you make. You need to bring it to life.¡± Ramona shivered slightly, and then closed her eyes and listened to Ren encourage her, and she realized she needed to encourage the Fire. She opened her eyes and thought Activate... and the enchantment activated and a small plume of Fire came out. ¡°I did it!¡± Ramona laughed, and turned to hug Ren. ¡°Once I figured out that your encouragement was what I needed to do for the Fire, it came right out!¡± Ren hugged her back and stood up. ¡°I''m glad you caught on.¡± ¡°Do me next!¡± Gemma''s sister said, and Gemma groaned. Ren chuckled and helped her, but she kept getting distracted by his teaching technique. Every time he tried to whisper in her ear, she giggled like a little girl and squirmed in her seat. ¡°I''ll run her ovens until she can learn it.¡± Ramona said, and Ren moved on to Gemma. She picked it up faster than Ramona did, and was quite proud of herself. ¡°Way to go, Gemma!¡± Her sister said. ¡°I won''t even tell your husband Fern that you were cuddling with-OW!¡± Gemma had punched her sister''s arm, and the other two women laughed. Ren went to help Betsie in the same manner, and she shook her head. ¡°I don''t want to learn that badly.¡± Betsie said. ¡°Betsie!¡± Ramona said. ¡°He''s taking the time out of his busy day to help us!¡± Betsie shrugged. ¡°He doesn''t have to whisper in my ear to teach me.¡± ¡°You''re right, I don''t.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Sharing your perspective helps, but it''s not strictly necessary.¡± ¡°You see? He didn''t have to be so close to you.¡± Betsie said to Ramona, and Ramona sighed. ¡°You completely missed his point.¡± Ramona said. ¡°He was doing it for us.¡± Betsie looked at the other three women, and saw the expressions on their faces. They were happy, and looked like they had gotten away with doing something that they probably shouldn''t have done, and she sighed. ¡°Yes, I missed the point.¡± Betsie said. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll tell you the same things I told them, and you can try it.¡± Betsie nodded, and Ren gave her the lesson. She activated the Fire rune on her second try, and was happy she didn''t have to sit through Ren whispering in her ear; mainly because she would have reacted the same way as Gemma''s sister did and didn''t want to embarrass herself like that.
Notice!
You have unlocked a new skill: Teaching Level 1 (Beginner 0%). This skill allows you to impart your own knowledge to others. Higher levels will allow teaching more difficult students easier, and increase the amount of knowledge transferred in a single session.
¡°Now, there''s a lot more runes in the ovens and the deep fryer.¡± Ren said and absorbed the rune on the stone brick and stored it. ¡°Practice with it. Get it to the heat you need it to be. It might use all the runes in it, or it might not.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I''m sure I added more than you''ll need, so try not to burn any bread.¡± Ramona chuckled. ¡°We''ll start practising right away.¡± Ren left them to it, and went to the back of the bakery to see the half-sphere was already set into the cement. ¡°It''s going to have to set overnight.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°It can be popped out in the morning and be ready to go the next day.¡± He said. ¡°It really should be left to set for a day or so, though.¡± ¡°We can at least build the rest of it, and leave the pestle attachment for last.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± They built everything, added extra braces and supports, and made sure the spindle arm would reach where it needed to go. When they were done, Ren took out the pestle and set it beside the machine, then the smell of baking bread filled the bakery. ¡°I think that''s one of the best smells in the world.¡± Ren said and smiled. Chapter 368 - A Good Day Now that the giant flour maker was as completed as it was going to be until the cement dried, Ren ran back over to the warehouse and giant forge, and made two long sinks. They were 2 feet wide, 2 feet deep, and 3 feet long. He added an indentation on the bottom to hold several steel squares, then added 2 taps that would hold one square each. He enchanted the ones for the taps with all Water runes, and the ones on the bottom of the sink with Antiwater runes. Ren then made braces and legs for them, rather than have them only mounted to the wall, stored everything and ran back into the bakery to set up the two sinks between the three sets of ovens. ¡°I think that''s everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°We still need the giant sifter.¡± Tee-one reminded him. ¡°Dammit!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°I forgot!¡± ¡°Language, My Lord!¡± One of the women said, and Ren turned to see who it was. ¡°I''m sorry, M''lady.¡± Ren said to Gemma, and gave her a quick bow. ¡°Please forgive me.¡± Gemma''s mouth opened and closed several times at being called a Lady, then she took a deep breath and nodded. Ren ran back over to the giant forge and made another large bowl, about half the size of what the flour grinder would be when it was done, then enlarged the plans for the flour sifter. He didn''t increase the size of the space in the wire mesh, however. Ren added in the turning gear and handle for the sifter to push the flour though the mesh and scoop out any larger pieces that weren''t ground properly. With that done, he went back over to the bakery and Tee-one already had the shelf ready. Ren put the large bowl and sifter on it and stepped back. ¡°Okay, now I think that''s everything.¡± ¡°You should probably set the owner of this place before you leave for the night.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Thanks for reminding me.¡± Ren said and walked over to the 4 women who were hard at work. ¡°I know this is going to sound a little weird, but... which of you is the most senior?¡± ¡°That''s Gemma.¡± Betsie said. ¡°She''s been a baker a lot longer than any of us.¡± ¡°Hey, I''m not that old!¡± Gemma said in her defense. ¡°My daughter Falla is only 10!¡± Ramona chuckled. ¡°My Russell is only 10, too. Do you want me to claim I''m older than you?¡± Gemma opened her mouth to respond hotly, then she sighed. ¡°All right.¡± She said a little sadly. ¡°I''m the oldest.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That wasn''t really what I meant, but it''ll do.¡± He said and opened the Land Owner menu and made Gemma the owner of the building. A key appeared around her neck, and she gasped. ¡°Wh-what''s this?¡± ¡°Congratulations.¡± Ren said. ¡°You are now the proud owner of the very first bakery in Goagan City.¡± ¡°I''m the WHAT?!?¡± Gemma gripped the key in her hands and stared at Ren. ¡°W-wait! D-did you just say Goagan City?¡± Ren nodded and added the other three women to the allow list for the building, and similar keys appeared around their necks. ¡°The rest of you have full access as well.¡± He said. ¡°I hope you can make as much baked goods as you can.¡± The 4 women stared at Ren with open mouths as he walked back over to Tee-one. ¡°I''m tempted to have you work on the defenses for the county.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can do that.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I just need some supplies from you.¡± Ren took out a couple of good-sized diamonds and a couple of poles, and gave them to Tee-one. ¡°I''ll head out right after Ruck and I make the medical building.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Ren said and opened the order menu; then laughed. ¡°Actually, I don''t know what I''m supposed to order for healers to use.¡± ¡°You can ask Nathalia to get the information from Ereka.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Ren said. Teepo, what''s my time like? ¡°If you leave now, you can be back in Aurora and still have an hour before supper.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, buddy. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°I better get going if I''m going to catch her before the supper rush.¡± He said. ¡°I might be gone for a few days, too. The guys have a quest in a couple days, and I might have Adventurer''s business until then.¡± Tee-one nodded and Ren gave him the farm vehicle and bid the women bakers goodnight. He saw that Ramona was disappointed that he didn''t kiss her hand goodbye, and noticed Gemma''s sister had a similar look on her face. He gave them a little bow instead, and when he turned to leave, Gemma spoke. ¡°Wait!¡± Gemma said. ¡°It''s almost done!¡± ¡°I''m sorry, I can''t wait for the bread to finish baking.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, these!¡± Gemma said, and shook the wire basket in the deep fryer. Ren ran over to her without hesitation and looked into the large steel tub. ¡°They look good.¡± Ren said and took in a deep breath through his nose. ¡°They smell good, too.¡± ¡°Just wait.¡± Gemma said, and shook them again. ¡°Okay.¡± She said and few moments later, and Ren watched as she lifted out the basket and hung it on the side. He reached for one and she slapped his hand. ¡°Ow!¡± Gemma said and cupped her hand against her chest. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and took out a Level 5 Major Healing wand. ¡°Let me see your hand.¡± ¡°No, it''s fine.¡± Gemma said. ¡°Gemma, show him your hand and let him heal it.¡± Ramona said. Gemma sighed and held it out. Ren saw one of the fingers was immobile, and he very carefully examined it with his own fingers. He sighed in relief when his Healing ability told him it was just a dislocated knuckle, and he switched the Major Healing wand for a Minor Healing one, and healed her hand. ¡°Gemma, you need to be more careful.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m pretty Tough, and you''ll hurt yourself if you try to hit me like that again.¡± ¡°I''ll remember.¡± Gemma said and picked up the wire basket. ¡°They should be cool enough now.¡± ¡°Butter!¡± Ramona said. Gemma dumped the fried pieces of dough out onto a large cookie sheet, and Ramona covered them in butter. ¡°I''ve got the sugar.¡± Betsie said and grabbed a small handful, then sprinkled it over the butter-covered fried dough. Gemma offered Ren the first one, and he took a bite. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said and ate it. ¡°That''s really good!¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Gemma said and took one herself. The other three women took a piece, and Russell took one, too. Gemma offered Ren the last piece, which he gratefully accepted and stored. ¡°I''ll need a couple of buckets of grease.¡± Ren said and Ramona pointed to the third one Ruck had brought in. ¡°That''s the last of my stock for the month.¡± Ramona said. ¡°Gemma?¡± ¡°I''ve got one, and maybe another half of one.¡± ¡°I haven''t used mine at all.¡± Betsie said. ¡°I have 4 of them.¡± ¡°Ladies, if you would be so kind, I''d like to get them from you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Well...¡± Betsie said. ¡°I don''t want to give up all of what I have...¡± ¡°Just two from you will be fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I see two empty buckets, so I assume two can half-fill the fryer.¡± Gemma nodded. ¡°If you put much more than that in it, you run the risk of it spilling or splashing.¡± Ramona looked at her son. ¡°Russell.¡± ¡°If Ruck comes along, sure.¡± Russell said. ¡°He can run faster than me!¡± Ren chuckled and stored the bucket of grease. ¡°I''ll go and see how the houses are coming along while you''re gone.¡± He said and ran out of the bakery behind Russell and Ruck, then went across the road to see how far along Jen and her work crews were in building the houses. ¡°We''re just packing up.¡± Jen said when he approached. ¡°It''s taking a little longer because Jhulune isn''t here to carry everything this time.¡± Ren was tempted to offer Jen a Strong Ring of Storage; but that would cut Jhulune''s usefulness to her down, and he didn''t want to do that. ¡°If you''re going to be a few minutes, then I''ll go and check on Janice and get Princess ready.¡± Ren said instead. Jen nodded, and Ren ran across the road to Janice''s shop. He knocked on the workshop''s door, and she stopped working to look at him. ¡°I''m heading back to Aurora for the night, and I''ll probably be gone for a couple of days.¡± ¡°I have to log out soon, too.¡± Janice said. ¡°Can you leave my old house and my spawn point?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and ran around the back of her workshop and took her old house out of inventory and set it on the ground, then ran back to the front. ¡°It''s out back, and you can transfer your stuff to your new place.¡± He said, then made her a small icebox and gave her a dozen plates of food. ¡°By the way, I''m pretty sure you can set your spawn point for the new house. It should be a safe zone.¡± ¡°Thanks, Ren.¡± Janice said. ¡°You really... I mean, look at this place.¡± She said, then walked over to him to give him a hug. ¡°You''ve done so much for me, and... and you... you don''t expect me to... well, I...¡± She smiled at him. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, and let a smile spread across his face. ¡°Although, I wouldn''t mind seeing you bend over in just a slip again.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Janice said and playfully swatted at him. ¡°Get!¡± *swat* ¡°Out!¡± *swat* ¡°Of!¡± *swat* ¡°Here!¡± Ren laughed, then ran over to the Main House and went inside. ¡°Hi, Princess.¡± Ren said and pet her. ¡°Did you have a good rest?¡± Hello, My Lord. Princess thought to him and stood up. I did, but I am ready to run again. Ren smiled and led her outside the Main House and over to Jen. She stood beside the three carts that her work crews were going to ride in. Ruck and Russell arrived back at the bakery, then came over and gave Ren the buckets of grease he wanted. The work crews all loaded into their carts and Ren took out the Giant Strength and Haste wands, and cast them on the three horses. They took off at full speed, and Ren switched out the Phantom Steed wand his Hand of Glory held for the Energize wand. Ruck and Russell waved at them, then Princess ran after the carts to follow them back to Aurora. * Officer Holly Stonewall was glad that there was an underground network online for buying FLOW gold, because she didn''t have the time or the inclination to go adventuring to earn money. She was currently asleep at an inn because she had an early appointment at the Temporary Care Facility where she thought Ren was staying. She was exhausted because she had been up nearly the whole real life night and tried to follow Ren''s erratic movements around the city, to try and discover what it was he was doing. *Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Ren and the lumber yard carts arrived at the West Gate into Aurora, and he cast Energize on the horses so they wouldn''t be exhausted after the hard run. ¡°I''ll see you again in a few days.¡± Jen said, and Ren shook his head. ¡°Actually, I''ve got Adventurer''s business to take care of, and I won''t be available.¡± ¡°I... oh, well... I guess we''re going back to regular travel for the next trip.¡± ¡°I''m sorry if that messes up your schedule.¡± Jen smiled. ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll see you the trip after that.¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you then.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± They went their separate ways when they entered the city. Jen took her crew back to the lumber mill, and Ren went to the Housing District. Verwynn should have closed the market stall a couple of hours ago. Ren thought and felt his Aura merge with the shared Aura. He felt reservations and feelings of concealment, and frowned. What are they doing? He asked himself. Princess came to a stop outside the house, and he took her inside and put her in the back bedroom with a couple plates of food. He saw Riley and Stacy and didn''t get any ominous feelings from them, so he left the back bedroom and tried to check on Railyse. He only managed to check on the water elemental guard because it wouldn''t let him in, and instead went upstairs to the bedroom. Ren walked inside, and all 5 of the maids sat still on the end of the bed and looked very reserved. ¡°Okay, what''s going on?¡± Ren asked them. ¡°You''re all hiding something.¡± The maids exchanged glances, and he felt their worry. ¡°If something bad happened...¡± Ren let a spurt of anger out. ¡°...to any of you...¡± He said and clenched a fist. ¡°Tell me who it was and I''ll deal with it.¡± The maids let appreciation flow into the Aura, then they let the feelings of reservation go and happiness and joy flooded out of them. ¡°We sold it all!¡± Verwynn said and jumped up. ¡°Look!¡± She took off her coin pouch and dumped out 120 gold and a pile of silver coins onto the bed. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren let his anger go and blinked his eyes a few times. The maids laughed at his reaction and tackled him. Verwynn got her arms around his neck and stood in front, Navruth and Lusinia had one of his arms each, and Frikara and Andrela hugged him from behind. ¡°It went a little slow at first; but, once the first person bought a vase at a discount...¡± Verwynn smiled and kissed his cheek. ¡°We couldn''t beat them away!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s true!¡± Lusinia said and kissed his cheek, too. ¡°I don''t think I''ve ever seen so many people before!¡± ¡°They were all so tall.¡± Navruth said and kissed his other cheek. ¡°We didn''t see anything besides people all day.¡± ¡°Until you showed up at noon riding Princess.¡± Frikara said. Ren turned to look at her and she kissed his cheek, too. ¡°What a sight that was.¡± ¡°It was great!¡± Andrela said, and Ren turned his head the other way to look at her and she kissed his other cheek. ¡°I really liked how much you appreciated us.¡± ¡°We all did.¡± Verwynn said, and Ren faced front. Her face was only a couple of inches lower than his. ¡°Then just now, when you thought we were in danger, we felt how angry you were.¡± Her face flushed red and she leaned in close. ¡°I really liked that.¡± She whispered seductively. She was so close, and in fact they all were; and he could feel they all liked that he would crush anyone that would try to harm them. The maids held onto him, but weren''t restricting him at all; and he let his appreciation for them and their efforts on his behalf flow out. They all caught their breath, and then gasped as Ren kissed Verwynn. Just like the last time he had kissed her, she wasn''t sure what to do with herself and just stood there and let him kiss her as much as he wanted. Ren could feel her desire and her uncertainty, and Navruth and Lucinia let his arms go. He wrapped them around Verwynn and held on tightly, and that was enough to shake her out of her doubt. Verwynn was still kind of lost in how she felt, but her body knew exactly what it wanted. Her hands moved through his hair and grabbed on, and she pulled herself up so her lips were at the same level as his. Ren moved his hands to her backside to hold her up, and she moaned into his mouth because he was touching something she had thought he would never touch. She desperately wanted to wrap her legs around him, but the long dress prevented that. Ren felt her frustration and broke the kiss. ¡°What...¡± ¡°Dress.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°Just store it.¡± Ren said Verwynn''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise, because she had forgotten she could do that with the ring. She actually thought she would have to get undressed and they would have to stop what they were doing; then she smiled and stored the dress in an instant. She wrapped her legs around him, now that the dress was no longer in the way, and kissed him. Ren felt her joy, all of their joy, and walked over to the bed. He sat Verwynn on the end of it as they kissed, then he moved her back and laid down with her underneath. All Verwynn wore was a pair of underwear and a smile, and Ren got caught up in the beauty of the sight. He knew what he was doing, and the maids knew what he was doing, and he let the maids feel how he felt as he looked at Verwynn. The other maids climbed onto the bed and laid down beside her. Verwynn let her arms fall away from around Ren''s neck, and two maids on one side held onto one arm, and the two maids on her other side held her other arm. Verwynn looked at Ren and nodded, and he ground himself against her. He was still fully clothed, but he knew that didn''t matter for her. Verwynn''s breath sped up as his movements sped up, and they stared at each other as he did his best to make her go. He could feel it in the Aura as it slowly built up, and he felt the other maids going along for the ride. Ren didn''t look at anyone else, even though he felt like some of them wanted him to look at them. This was Verwynn''s turn, and he let some of that feeling out. Verwynn stopped breathing when she felt that, and that was enough to push her emotions over the edge and she let herself go. ¡°By the gods!¡± Verwynn said and kissed him. When she let all of her reservations and uneasiness go, she finished. She broke the kiss and threw her head back onto the bed. ¡°UnnnnNNNN!¡± She half-screamed and half-moaned as Ren kept rubbing himself over her. She panted over and over as the rest of the maids finished, and she unwrapped her legs from around him. Her limbs lost all mobility as her entire body relaxed. All 5 maids had been satisfied far beyond what they thought was possible, and Ren got up off the bed. ¡°R-R-Ren...¡± Verwynn mumbled. ¡°I need to run a quick errand, and then I''m going to be gone for a couple of days.¡± Ren said, then walked over to the first maid on the bed and kissed her, then the next, and so on until he had kissed all 5 of them. ¡°I''ll be back in a bit so we can eat supper.¡± ¡°No... rush.¡± Frikara said, and Ren chuckled. He left the bedroom and ran down the stairs, then went outside and down the street. He ran to his business and went inside to see Anabelle. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°No one else in the store?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I was about to close early and go grab a bite to eat.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°Mind if I join you?¡± ¡°Mind?¡± Anabelle said and came around the counter. ¡°I insist.¡± ¡°Go put on something sexy and I''ll close up the shop.¡± ¡°What makes you think I''ll do that?¡± Anabelle asked, teasingly. ¡°Because when you swing your hips when you walk, you want me to know that you''re doing it only for me.¡± Anabelle bent over and kissed him. ¡°It is only for you, Ren.¡± ¡°Then get your ass upstairs and change. I''m a little sexually frustrated right now, and I need the distraction.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, hurry up.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said and jogged over to the back door and disappeared up the stairs. Ren closed the curtains on the windows and locked the door, then equipped his stylish red suit. Anabelle came down a minute later in a dress that wasn''t supposed to be low cut; but, because she had done something to her chest, it was pushed well above where it should have been. When she walked, he saw the skirt had a large slit cut up the side of it so she could show off her long legs. ¡°You''ve been sewing?¡± Ren asked her, and she nodded. ¡°Do you like the alterations?¡± Anabelle asked, and bent over in front of him. Her breasts almost spilled out of her dress, and Ren swallowed loudly as he watched intently for it to happen. Her hand reached out and touched his chin, and he looked up at the huge smile on her face. She gave him a kiss, and stood up straight. ¡°Shall we go, My Lord?¡± Anabelle asked and held her arm out. Ren nodded wordlessly and took her arm, then they left the business and walked up the street to Nathalia''s Nourishment. * Lara, the Sage of Ages, had finally finished her Required Knowledge quest. She sat up straight at her desk and then stood up to put back the book she had borrowed. Who would have thought that reading a thousand books, even with Expert level Speed Reading, would take so flipping long? Lara asked herself and walked over to the shelf she had gotten the book from, and slipped it back into place. Her stomach rumbled, and she looked down at it. That''s new. She thought, and then it rumbled again. She looked at her Health Bar and it started to drop a little. Ha. They added a warning system. Lara walked over to her closet and went inside, chose the Aurora Library from the drop down menu, and stepped back out. She came out of the back area and walked across the Library, then glanced at the Head Librarian. They exchanged respectful nods, and Lara left the Library and walked up the street to Nathalia''s Nourishment. * Ren was glad they were a little early, and they got in almost right away. ¡°Oh! Hello, My Lord!¡± The woman who sat people said, and looked at Anabelle. ¡°Table for two?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Ren said. ¡°Preferably secluded, if that''s possible.¡± ¡°We just had a partition installed in the back.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Three private tables, separated by a curtain.¡± ¡°Anabelle?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°More privacy would be preferable, My Lord.¡± ¡°A private table it is.¡± Ren said and looked at the woman. ¡°Lead the way.¡± ¡°Follow me.¡± She said, and Ren led Anabelle across the restaurant to the back. They went behind a partition and through a curtain to a very nice private table. It was covered in the red tablecloth that he had made for it, and for every other table in the establishment. Ren held a chair out for Anabelle and she sat down, then Ren sat across from her. ¡°I''ll send a server over in a few minutes to take your order.¡± The woman said and gave them menus to look over. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and the woman left. ¡°No, this won''t do.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I''m much to far away from you.¡± ¡°It''s a 3 foot wide round table.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You can bend over the table and I can kiss you.¡± ¡°No, no.¡± Anabelle stood up and picked up the chair. ¡°That''s much too far away.¡± She walked around the table and put her chair right next to Ren and sat down. ¡°Yes, this is much better.¡± She said, and wrapped an arm around Ren''s, which squeezed her breasts together. Ren thought for sure they would pop out when she did that; but they didn''t. ¡°Can I take your order?¡± The server asked as she stepped through the curtain. ¡°Oh! Hello, My Lord!¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Ren said to her. It was the server that liked getting her hand kissed. ¡°What''s the special today?¡± ¡°Steak and potatoes, with a side of vegetables.¡± ¡°Two please.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± The server said. ¡°There''s going to be a brief wait. They''re still butchering the cow.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t have to leave for Adventurer''s business for another hour.¡± ¡°I''ll have it to you as soon as it''s ready.¡± The server said, and left to wait on more tables. ¡°It seems we have a bit of time on our hands.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Whatever will we do?¡± ¡°I have a couple of ideas, but we''re in public.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can''t just...¡± ¡°Oops!¡± Anabelle said and tossed a spoon onto the floor. ¡°I seem to have dropped my spoon!¡± ¡°Anabelle...¡± ¡°Don''t worry, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said and moved her chair back a little. ¡°You just sit right there and relax. I''ll get it.¡± Ren watched as Anabelle bent down and went to pick up the spoon, then she ducked under the table and disappeared behind the tablecloth. ¡°Anab-¡± Ren stopped talking when her hand came out from under the tablecloth and touched him between the legs. He was still excited after what he had done with the maids; so he squirmed a little when Anabelle tapped on it, and then she tugged on the cloth of his pants. He didn''t protest, and her other hand came out from under the tablecloth and undid his pants. Ren moved a little closer to the table to hide what she was doing, and he closed his eyes as she pleased him. * Nathalia came through the portal in the storage room, and gasped as her collective with Ren formed immediately. She closed her eyes and let his feelings flow over and through her. By the gods! Nathalia thought. What are you doing? Nathalia walked to the storage area door and made sure it was locked, then sat down on the floor to ride out what she was feeling from him. * Ren had felt Nathalia appear and his emotions reached a new height when their collective formed. Anabelle had felt the change in his body, and she took full advantage of it. By the gods! Nathalia thought. What are you doing? Anabelle is... under the table... and... Ren thought to Nathalia. I can feel it, too. Nathalia thought to him. It''s like... I know. Ren thought. I''m... almost done. Oh, Ren. Nathalia thought. I wish it was me. It is you, my dearest love. Ren thought. It''s always you. He fed her the feelings he remembered of her mouth on him. Nathalia covered her mouth because she really could feel him on her lips, and then she gasped as he finished. Anabelle was determined to hold all of him this time, and she stayed where she was until he was done. The server came in with their two plates of food and placed them on the table. ¡°Where is your pretty date?¡± ¡°She had a last minute thing that she wanted to do.¡± Ren said in a normal voice. ¡°I hope she comes back before the food gets cold.¡± The server said. ¡°She''s almost done.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I''ll come back in a while to see if you need anything else.¡± She said and left. It took a couple of minutes for Anabelle to finish cleaning up, and she had somehow came out from under the table gracefully. ¡°My Lord, you really needed that.¡± Anabelle said and sat down. ¡°I did.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± Anabelle said, and then Nathalia stepped through the curtain. ¡°Nathalia!¡± She said and stood up to give her a hug. ¡°Hi, Anabelle.¡± Nathalia said and hugged her back. ¡°I just stopped in to see that everything was all right.¡± ¡°Everything is fine.¡± Ren said in a satisfied voice, and sent Nathalia the feeling of a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°Thank you for checking in on us.¡± ¡°After that order you made the other day, I had to see what you''ve been up to.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ve been feeding lunch to the work crews building the houses in my county.¡± Ren said. ¡°And also myself, Princess, the maids, and sometimes Anabelle and a woman I met, Janice.¡± ¡°Janice?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°She''s a glassworker, and I''m paying her for lessons.¡± ¡°Have you made anything yet?¡± ¡°Only a few odd-sized potion bottles.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I''ve only had one lesson so far.¡± ¡°Well, if it''s like everything else you can do, you''ll pick it up fast.¡± Ren stared at Nathalia and remembered getting to touch her all over, and saw Nathalia shiver a little. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just seeing you in person...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Nathalia said and hugged herself. ¡°I feel it, too.¡± ¡°Well, before I forget... can you ask Ereka what Artrude and Malenka ordered for the medical building as supplies? I''m building a healer outpost and I''d like to know what to fill it with.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I''ll step through the portal and ask her, then check again when supper is over.¡± ¡°Thank you, Nathal... ah... M''lady.¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°When we''re alone, you can call me by my name.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I won''t take the chance that it might happen in public, my dearest love.¡± ¡°I feel so bad for the two of you.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°So close, and yet so far.¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°We... we both need to adjust to... not being together anymore.¡± ¡°Let me help.¡± Anabelle said and kissed Ren passionately. She broke the kiss and walked over to Nathalia. ¡°I don''t think that seeing him kiss another woman is-Mmm!¡± Nathalia''s words were cut off as Anabelle kissed her just as passionately. She broke the kiss and smiled at her friend. ¡°There! You kissed but you didn''t kiss!¡± Anabelle said. ¡°You don''t have to feel guilty about it, okay? You didn''t actually kiss him, right?¡± Nathalia blinked her eyes at her, and Ren blinked his eyes at both of them. ¡°Now go and do what Ren asked, and let us know what Ereka said.¡± Anabelle said, turned Nathalia around by her shoulders, and eased her out through the curtain. ¡°O-okay.¡± Nathalia said and walked away, stunned. ¡°Anabelle.¡± Ren said and she walked over to the table and sat down next to him. ¡°Yes, My Lord?¡± ¡°That was very nice of you.¡± Ren said, rather than tell her that she had shocked Nathalia. ¡°It was!¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Did you see her face?¡± She took a bite of food. ¡°She still really loves you, you know.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and started to eat as well. The poor spoon was still on the floor, alone and abandoned. Chapter 369 - Teaser Lara walked into Nathalia''s Nourishment and then right by the woman that sat people. ¡°Excuse me, miss.¡± The woman said. ¡°Do you need a table?¡± ¡°No, I''m here to meet someone.¡± Lara said and walked towards the back. ¡°You can''t just...¡± ¡°Sure I can.¡± Lara said. ¡°I''m the Sage of Ages. He just doesn''t know he''s waiting for me yet.¡± The woman stopped following Lara and went back to the front. She must be crazy. The woman thought and seated the next customers while Lara walked around the partition and through the curtain. ¡°Lara!¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°It''s nice to see you.¡± ¡°I caught you at the right time, I see.¡± Lara said and winked, then glanced at Anabelle. ¡°Hi, Anabelle.¡± ¡°Hi, Lara.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Are you eating, too?¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± Lara said. ¡°All I need is a chair and a plate of food.¡± ¡°Coming right up.¡± Ren said and took out a chair for her to sit on. Next to come out was an icebox and he gave her a plate of food and stored the icebox again. ¡°Do you want me to...¡± ¡°Cold is fine.¡± Lara said and started to eat. ¡°Even cold, the food here is delicious.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I eat here all the time when I''m not too busy.¡± Ren sat down and kept eating himself. ¡°I''m glad you showed up.¡± He said. ¡°I was about to send you a message.¡± ¡°About what?¡± Lara asked. ¡°I''ve got Adventurer''s business for a few days, and wondered if you''d like to come along.¡± ¡°I can visit you again?¡± Lara asked. ¡°You don''t really need my permission, but yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve asked a couple of people over so you can all meet.¡± He said. ¡°I also want to discuss a few things.¡± ¡°First thing in the morning?¡± ¡°If you''re okay with that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am.¡± Lara said and took another bite. ¡°Ren, we have to talk.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Let''s eat first, then walk Anabelle home.¡± The three of them ate in silence, and when they were done, Ren stored the extra plate and the chair. They got up to leave and the server came through the curtain. ¡°Oh! You''re leaving already?¡± ¡°Urgent Adventurer business.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do I pay you, or out at the front?¡± ¡°I can take it.¡± The server said. ¡°It''s 3 gold for the two meals, and 10 silver for the table.¡± Ren gave her 4 gold coins and she slipped them into her coin pouch. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°Your prompt service allowed me to leave without wasting the meal or my time.¡± He said and kissed her hand. He held it slightly longer than he normally would because he knew that she liked having her hand kissed, then stopped and let her hand go. ¡°Until the next time.¡± ¡°Y-yes, M-my L-lord.¡± The server stuttered and stepped out of the way, and Ren left the back area with Anabelle and Lara on his arms. Nathalia, I need to go. I''ll be back when supper is over. Okay, Ren. Nathalia thought. I love you. I love you, too. Ren thought, and when he left the restaurant, the collective he had with Nathalia faded. Ren and Lara escorted Anabelle back to the shop, and Ren kissed her goodnight. ¡°Thank you for the date, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said. She went inside, and Ren and Lara walked down the street and around the corner. ¡°You''ve done wonderfully by her, Ren.¡± Lara said. ¡°You wouldn''t believe what she''s been through.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, I''m kind of in the same boat, right?¡± Lara nodded and held a hand out. Ren took it without hesitation, and Lara closed her eyes for a second. She opened them, but her eyes were blank. Ren wasn''t sure how she could keep walking like that; but she was, so he kept an eye out for any hazards. ¡°Your mission is going to be dangerous.¡± Lara said. ¡°Bringing Elerlyth into the group was smart. She''s going to be a real asset.¡± ¡°What about...¡± ¡°You need to build them up more before you ask.¡± Lara said and her eyes weren''t blank anymore. ¡°If you push, it''ll fall apart before you start.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That''s what I''ve been worried about.¡± Lara squeezed his hand and a couple of minutes later, they arrived at the Library. They went inside and nodded at the Head Librarian, then went to the back storage room. Lara opened her closet and Teepo jumped off to land on the wall as she led Ren inside and shut the door. Lara turned around and her eyes smouldered with pent up passion. ¡°I know it doesn''t seem like a long time since... since we... ¡± ¡°I promised not to bug you, remember?¡± Ren said, and she laughed at their old joke as he reached out to touch her face. ¡°You know I''d be in here all the time with you, if I thought my body in real life could survive it.¡± Lara chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°You know, I wanted to sneak under the table at the restaurant and give you the same treatment that Anabelle did.¡± ¡°Hey, we can always go back.¡± Ren grinned, and Lara kissed him. She gripped him tightly and her body burned to feel his skin on hers. She stored her clothing, and Ren felt the change under his hands and stored his clothing, too. He left on the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak because he didn''t know if the spider would survive in the inventory, and he didn''t want to take the chance of losing it. Lara discovered that Ren was quite ready for her, and it pressed against her stomach. ¡°Don''t make me wait anymore.¡± She said, and Ren picked her up. She gasped as they joined together, and she kissed him hard as he pressed her up against the wall and made love to her. * ¡°I''m going to kill him.¡± The attendant said as she watched her Queen, the Queen of the Dark Elves, as she writhed on the stone floor. ¡°He needs to die for putting her through this!¡± ¡°But, he doesn''t... oh, never mind.¡± The healer said. She was tempted to touch her Queen''s forehead and see what Ren was doing; but, she was pretty sure she knew what was happening. * Ren and Lara enjoyed each other a few times, but they knew if they stayed much longer, too much real time would pass in the game. Lara gave him one last kiss and took his hand, chose the Aurora Library and opened her door. She led him out into the storage room and shut the door. ¡°I''ll see you soon.¡± They said at the same time and laughed, gave each other a quick kiss, and let their hands go. Teepo dropped onto Ren''s shoulder and he left the back room only a minute after going in. He left the Library and ran up the street and back to Nathalia''s restaurant. He still had a few minutes to wait; but he knew if he didn''t go in, she wouldn''t know that he was back. He went inside and felt the collective form between them. ¡°My Lord, you''re back.¡± The woman who sat people said. ¡°What can I do for you now?¡± ¡°I''m just waiting for the owner to deliver a message for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I just stand over there and look handsome?¡± The woman chuckled. ¡°Normally you''d have to be a paying customer; but, since you ate here tonight already... go ahead.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and walked over to stand by the wall and waited patiently. He didn''t try to push anything into the collective, or try to distract Nathalia while she was working. He kept his mind as blank as he could, and he felt her appreciation for his efforts. Nathalia came out of the kitchen a couple of minutes later, waved to him, then went into the storage area and the portal there. It was a few minutes later when she came out of the storage area, and she had a piece of parchment in her hand. ¡°Here you go, My Lord.¡± Nathalia said and handed it to him. ¡°Thank you very much, M''lady.¡± Ren said and took it from her. He looked at the list for a moment and then stored it. ¡°Tell Ereka thank you as well.¡± ¡°I''ll let her know.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°If that''s all, My Lord?¡± ¡°Yes, M''lady.¡± Ren said and gave her a slight bow. ¡°I look forward to the next time we meet.¡± ¡°As do I.¡± Nathalia said, and she went back into the storage room. Your Etiquette skill is really high, isn''t it? There''s only a couple of levels until it''s mastered. Ren thought to her. I almost couldn''t tell that you''ve had sex. Nathalia thought to him, but she wasn''t sure why she was thinking it. I wasn''t hiding it, my dearest love. Ren thought. I can share it with you, if you want. No... no... not yet. Nathalia thought. I... I still need time to adjust, Ren. Take all the time that you need. Ren thought. I''m still going to give you my love, though. W-wait! Nathalia thought, then Ren poured all of his love for her into their collective. Her heart and mind were overrun with it; but, it didn''t drown or suffocate her like she thought it would. It was like a warm blanket that held her and comforted her, and she didn''t fight the feelings. She took them and hugged them, then held them tight. Oh, Ren. Nathalia thought. I''ll always be yours, my deepest love. Ren thought. No matter where I am or who I am with. Nathalia nodded, even though he couldn''t see her, and she stepped through the portal back to the dwarf lands. Ren felt Nathalia leave the collective and stopped sharing his love for her. He said goodnight to the woman that sat people, and left the restaurant. He stepped around the corner and took out the list, opened the Land Owner menu, and ordered all of the things on the list. He used the county''s budget, just so he would know how much it would cost, and he saw it was almost 10 platinum coins.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ren set the medical supplies to be delivered to the Main House, then looked to see if sand could be delivered as well. It could, so he chose a hundred tons for himself and a hundred tons for Janice, set it to be delivered to both addresses, then used his own money for those. They were personal purchases, and weren''t actually for the county at all. With those tasks done, he ran down the street and back to the Housing District. When his Aura merged with the shared Aura, all he felt was contentment and happiness. He went inside, up the stairs, and into the bedroom. The maids had laid down in the middle of the bed and kind of cuddled each other, and he took off the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and refilled the saucer of Health potion for the tarantula. ¡°I''m going to be gone for a couple of days, then I''ve got a quest with my new party.¡± Ren reminded them. ¡°I''m not going to see you for a while.¡± ¡°After what you just did for me...¡± Verwynn smiled when she felt what the other maids felt. ¡°...for us... we can stand a couple of days with out you.¡± ¡°Somehow.¡± Frikara said. Ren took out an icebox so they could eat while he was gone, then except for his underwear, stored his clothing. He climbed onto the left side of the bed and laid down. ¡°Hey, where did the money go?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s stuck to Verwynn''s back.¡± Navruth joked, and they all laughed. ¡°That reminds me... I don''t have to leave for...¡± ¡°Half an hour.¡± Teepo offered. ¡°...half an hour.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I''m not mistaken, it''s Navruth''s turn.¡± ¡°Are... are you serious?¡± Navruth asked, and Ren smiled. ¡°If you''re up to it.¡± ¡°But... I mean...¡± Navruth blushed. ¡°We can feel that you...¡± ¡°Anabelle was kind enough to help me deal with how I felt after pleasing Verwynn.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then Lara showed up...¡± ¡°That was nice of them.¡± Frikara said. ¡°But, Ren... we could have helped you with that.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''ve been very careful with all of you so far, and until I talk to Lara, Elerlyth and a couple of others, I can''t do anything but play with you.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°That might be all I can do.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, just be prepared if that happens.¡± ¡°I... okay.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Thank you for being honest.¡± ¡°I''ve thought about doing a lot of things, but lying to you wasn''t one of them.¡± Ren said and looked at the maids. ¡°That goes for all of you.¡± Navruth sat up and crawled over to him. ¡°Are you going to do what you did with Verwynn?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I had another idea.¡± He said. ¡°Spoon, please.¡± Ren turned onto his side and Navruth laid down in front of him. He pulled her in close, and she took in a deep breath as he put his arms around her and started to massage her breasts. She thought it was a little awkward doing it on the side like that, but then Ren started to nuzzle her ear and she started to shiver. ¡°Already?¡± Ren whispered in her ear. ¡°My... my ears are...¡± ¡°Let me take care of that.¡± Ren said, then sucked, licked, and kissed her ear as he kept massaging her breasts. ¡°Oh... OH!¡± Navruth said as she finished. It was just a normal one, though... and the maids hadn''t come closer to touch her so they could go along for the ride. ¡°Now that the easy one is out of the way.¡± Ren whispered to her. ¡°Now it''s your real turn.¡± The other maids slid across the bed to take her hands and they held onto her. Ren nuzzled her neck and moved one of his hands from her breasts and slid it down the side of her almost athletic body and stopped at her hip. He felt anticipation from her and the maids, and he inched his way down. He stopped just above her private area and started to massage her there. Ren felt the reactions from all of them as he stimulated Navruth, and they all shared in her feelings. He moved both hands in circles; one on her breast and one on her pelvis, and all 5 maids breathing were in sync with the motions. Once he had them locked into it, he sucked Navruth''s earlobe into his mouth and bit it lightly, then plunged his hand between her legs. They all gasped at the same time as Ren had aimed perfectly and his hand slid inside her underwear and stimulated Navruth directly. They all moaned together as he massaged her, and it wasn''t long before her legs clamped on his hand and Navruth finished for real. The other maids went along for the ride this time and finished as well, and they all sighed as they rode the flood of bliss through the shared Aura. They stayed like that for several minutes, and then Navruth''s legs loosened up and let his hand go. Ren slid his hand out and another hand took it. He watched as Navruth brought his hand to her lips and licked it clean, then she turned to face him. ¡°I was going to do that.¡± Ren said, and she smiled at him. ¡°I know you were.¡± Navruth said. ¡°But you can''t, not until...¡± Ren opened his mouth to argue, then nodded. ¡°You''re right.¡± Navruth leaned in and kissed him. ¡°You need to go.¡± Teepo said. Ren broke the kiss. ¡°I have to go.¡± ¡°You sure do.¡± Navruth said and looked down at him. Ren chuckled. ¡°I meant I have to leave.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Navruth said and smiled demurely. She and the other maids moved over on the bed a little, then laid down. ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± ¡°I''ll see you all when I get back.¡± Ren said and laid back on the bed. ¡°Logout.¡± * ¡°By the gods!¡± Navruth said. ¡°I almost grabbed him!¡± Frikara chuckled. ¡°That was my thought.¡± ¡°Mine, too.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°I thought it was just me.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°He deserves it.¡± Andrela said. ¡°He''s done so much for us, and we...¡± ¡°...we haven''t done anything except tempt him.¡± ¡°We sold all that glassware.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°You sold all that glassware.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Who would have thought we''d have a natural peddler among us?¡± Verwynn laughed. ¡°The people here love striking a good deal just as much as dwarves do!¡± Frikara nodded. ¡°That was surprising to discover.¡± ¡°So...¡± Navruth said to get the subject back on their problem. ¡°If it does turn out that he can only play with us...¡± ¡°...then we can only play with him.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We can''t even imply that we want sex.¡± ¡°How in the world are you going to manage that, Frikara?¡± Lusinia asked. ¡°You''ve always told him you wanted it.¡± ¡°With your help I can do it.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Keep me restrained. Bottle me up. Hold me back.¡± ¡°I hope we can do that.¡± Andrela said. ¡°You''re the strongest of us.¡± Frikara hugged her. ¡°We''re all strong, Andrela.¡± She said and looked at her fellow maids. ¡°You can all feel how strong we are now.¡± They all nodded. ¡°If he can only satisfy us and never himself, then we will become the best maids a Lord could ever have.¡± Frikara said. ¡°He will want for nothing, and we will give him everything that we are.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± The other maids said, then they laid down in the bed together. ¡°I''m still surprised he never asked for the money from the market stall.¡± Verwynn said a few minutes later, and they all laughed. ******** Ren slipped off the VR headset, and saw Barbara and Stella as they stood by the bed. ¡°Good morning.¡± He said and held the headset out to Stella. She took it and set it on the dresser by the bed. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°We should talk.¡± Ren said and got out of bed. ¡°But first? A bathroom break.¡± Stella nodded and Ren went to the bathroom to take care of business. He came back out a few minutes later and sat on the bed. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''ve invited a couple of people over.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know.¡± Stella said. ¡°That''s what I want to talk about.¡± ¡°You think having Lisa and Gloria here with Elise is a bad idea.¡± ¡°The worst.¡± Stella said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why, he asks.¡± Stella said and shook her head. ¡°Ren, the reason you can see multiple women is because they don''t see each other.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°I don''t want them to date!¡± Stella sighed. ¡°That''s not what I...¡± ¡°Let me.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Ren, each of them believes they are your girlfriend.¡± ¡°No, they don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Gloria doesn''t want anything in real life, so it''s only game time for her. Although, she was upset for some reason when she found me in bed with the maids...¡± ¡°It''s because she thinks you''re hers.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Not only has she never claimed me like that, she''s never even mentioned taking our relationship past the ''sex for food'' stage in the game.¡± Barbara couldn''t argue that. ¡°Well, Lisa...¡± ¡°We just started seeing each other. She knows all about... well, everything. Both in the game and out. She knows Elise is my girlfriend.¡± ¡°Then, about Elise...¡± ¡°I''ve told her, and I''m sure either you or Stella have also told her, all about Lisa.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve hidden nothing at all from anyone.¡± ¡°But, still...¡± ¡°I''ve even asked Denise about this.¡± Ren said. ¡°She hasn''t given me a response, though.¡± ¡°You have?¡± Stella asked. ¡°You sound surprised.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I said. I''m not going behind people''s backs, or starting things without telling everyone exactly what''s going on.¡± ¡°I think that you should just...¡± ¡°Look, we''ll see what happens when Lisa gets here later this morning... and when Gloria gets here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m pretty sure she won''t be here until tonight, though.¡± Unable to come up with any real counter-arguments for Ren''s statements, Stella gave him his breakfast and he ate it in relative silence. When he was done, he got up off the bed and changed into his jogging pants and a t-shirt. ¡°I feel like going for a walk in the workout room.¡± Stella and Barbara exchanged glances, and Stella shrugged. ¡°Well, get in the wheelchair and I''ll take you down.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Donald is already there.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± He said and sat down in the wheelchair, and Barbara pushed him out of the room, down the hall, and over to the elevator. * Officer Holly Stonewall had logged out that morning, had a shower and got dressed, ate breakfast, then waited for her partner to pick her up. She heard a familiar car horn and left her house at a jog. She opened the passenger door of her partner''s car, sat down and put on the seatbelt, and the car sped down the street. ¡°Nothing new last night after finding him?¡± Detective John Ramirez asked. ¡°He ran around the city to a few places, but he was in...¡± Holly took out her notebook and looked at the recent page. ¡°Walin County.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I still haven''t figured out how he''s moving so fast between the city and there.¡± ¡°No clues from the stable or blacksmith?¡± Holly shook her head. ¡°They can''t explain it, either. They''ve never heard of anything that could move that fast.¡± John chuckled. ¡°Leave it to him to find a way to do something weird or funky.¡± ¡°Like his personal maids.¡± Holly said. ¡°His what?¡± John asked and glanced at her, then back at the road. ¡°Personal maids.¡± Holly said. ¡°He apparently rescued them from...¡± She looked at her notes. ¡°...a thieves guild, and they''re under contract to him now.¡± ¡°Under contract?¡± Holly nodded. ¡°It took some digging, but when I finally managed to bribe one of the mansion''s guards, he filled me in on what personal maids are for.¡± ¡°That doesn''t sound good.¡± John said. ¡°It''s not.¡± Holly said and let some of her anger show. ¡°They... they''re... legal prostitutes.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± John yelled and looked at her, then almost lost control of the car. He slowed down and pulled over, put the car in park, and turned to his partner. ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°Sometimes women, if in dire straights or some other nonsense, will sign a contract with a man. He provides them with food, shelter, and clothing... and they provide him with... anything... he desires.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± John said. ¡°It gets better.¡± Holly said. ¡°They have parties at the mansion, and the guests can bid on which personal maid they can spend some ''quality time'' with at the end of the night.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± ¡°I wish I was.¡± Holly said. ¡°I was tempted to punch the guard in the face right there.¡± She sighed. ¡°I know it wasn''t his fault and that he isn''t responsible; but, he knows it''s going on and doesn''t say anything.¡± ¡°He probably bids himself when he can.¡± John said, and Holly looked at him. ¡°They don''t have parties all the time, right? What do the maids do during their off time?¡± Holly blinked her eyes at him for a few moments, then she scowled. ¡°Dammit, I should have punched him!¡± John laughed. ¡°You''d have been tossed in jail before your punch landed.¡± Holly opened her mouth to say that she could have gotten away; but, then she remembered she was only level 1 in the game and reluctantly nodded. ¡°I can''t believe Ren has personal maids.¡± ¡°Yeah, six of them.¡± Holly said. ¡°Did you say six? He has six personal maids?¡± Holly nodded. ¡°He was rewarded one of the mansion''s maids when he received his knighthood and land grant.¡± She said. ¡°He''s got quite the collection of them now.¡± ¡°How does he satisfy them all?¡± John asked. ¡°It''s difficult for a man to satisfy one woman, but 6? Is that even possible?¡± ¡°They take turns.¡± Holly said, a little disgusted. John sat back in his seat. ¡°Yeah, that could work.¡± ¡°John!¡± Holly exclaimed. ¡°What? It would.¡± John said. ¡°Taking turns with them would give them all personal time with him, and they''d all be happy they were all getting attention.¡± ¡°You''re supposed to be outraged at this!¡± Holly said. John reached out and put a hand on her arm. ¡°Holly, it''s a game. You said it yourself, it''s legal prostitution. Even if we could somehow police a virtual world game, we still couldn''t interfere with it.¡± Holly squinted her eyes and stared daggers at him. ¡°Don''t be mad at me, Holly.¡± John said. ¡°You know I''ve got your back.¡± He squeezed her arm. ¡°If it was real life, I''d be the first one in there to kick the mansion''s door down.¡± ¡°I... yes, I know.¡± Holly said and let her anger subside. ¡°It just burns me up that it''s happening!¡± John nodded. ¡°I''m with you.¡± He said. ¡°But for now, we''ve got to check the temporary care facility and see if anyone has tried to visit Ren.¡± Holly sighed and nodded, and John put the car in gear and drove to the building. He parked and they went inside to talk to the worker at the desk. They were quite surprised when they heard what she had to say. ¡°What do you mean he''s not here anymore?¡± Officer Holly Stonewall asked. ¡°I mean he''s not here.¡± The woman said. ¡°He moved out last week.¡± ¡°Where did he go?¡± Detective John Ramirez asked. ¡°I''m sorry, but I can''t give you that information.¡± The woman said. John pointed to the badge on his hip. ¡°We''re the police, and we need to know where he went.¡± The woman glanced at his waist, and for some reason John didn''t think she was looking at his badge. ¡°We''ve all seen how that nurse, Cheryl, was vilified for violating his rights and telling everyone about him.¡± The woman said. ¡°She''s already settled 2 lawsuits out of court and declared bankruptcy so they couldn''t take her house. She even lost her job after that.¡± The woman said. ¡°I''m not going to do the same thing to him and suffer the same fate.¡± ¡°His life is in danger!¡± Holly said, and the woman chuckled. ¡°You need to play another tune on that pity violin.¡± She said. ¡°Just getting out of bed without help puts his life in danger.¡± Holly opened her mouth to respond, then the woman''s statement registered and she closed her mouth. ¡°We can come back with a warrant.¡± John said. ¡°There''s not a judge in this city that will give you a warrant against Ren.¡± The woman said. ¡°Have you seen his show? It''s the best show on television right now, especially since everyone knows what his real physical condition is like.¡± John put a hand on Holly''s lower back and eased her away from the counter towards the front door. ¡°I''ll just sit here and wait patiently for you to never come back with that warrant you''ll never get.¡± The woman said and laughed. Chapter 370 - Gutter Ball Barbara took Ren to the workout room and they saw Donald working over the heavy punching bag. Ren stood up and thought about what Donald said about walking like a duck, and he was determined not to do that anymore. He took several deep breaths, clenched his butt cheeks, and started walking. It was slow going, because he had to concentrate on what parts of his foot were hitting the floor; but, even with having to expend more energy to do it, it was actually easier to walk. Ren let that feeling fill him up as he walked. He didn''t let anything distract him as he kept going, and he made it to almost 50 feet before his pace started to falter. Despite his determination, his energy reserves were just too low to walk very far without some kind of support. He pushed on, and spent the last of his energy to touch the 75 foot mark on the floor, then he eased himself to the floor and sat down. When sitting up seemed to be too hard, he laid back on the floor and stared up at the ceiling as he tried to calm his heavy breathing. Both Barbara and Donald had watched Ren as he struggled that last little bit, but neither of them had tried to help him. They knew he had to reach that goal by himself, and they let him. Now that he was finished and laid on the floor, they moved in to offer their support. ¡°You did really well.¡± Barbara said and handed Ren a supplement drink. Ren took a drink and looked at her. ¡°That''s... not water.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°Donald reminded me that you tend to guzzle plain water.¡± Donald nodded. ¡°You did good, kid... but next time, quit at the 50 foot mark.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I was watching you closely. You started to lose it there.¡± Ren sighed and nodded. ¡°Then that''s where you need to stop.¡± Donald said. ¡°Pushing yourself can be good in some cases, which is why we let you do it this time.¡± He said. ¡°You needed to know how far you could go on your own, and this is the extent of your ability... for now.¡± He smiled. ¡°You keep doing 50 feet for a while. Get a consistent record under your belt, then try to go to 55 feet. If you can do that, then...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Slow... and steady... wins the race.¡± Both Donald and Barbara nodded. They let Ren rest for a while, then Barbara brought over the wheelchair and helped him get in it. Ren reached into the side pocket on the chair and took out his hand exercisers to squeeze them for a while, and watched Donald take a turn on the walking track. ¡°Barbara, go and join him.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m not going anywhere.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°All right.¡± Barbara said and walked over to wait for Donald to pass her on his next lap, and joined in. ¡°Do I have to give you the same advice?¡± She asked her husband. ¡°What''s... that?¡± Donald breathed. ¡°Pace yourself and don''t rush. Do what you can, not what you think you can.¡± Barbara said and smiled. Donald laughed. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Barbara held a hand out for him, and he took it and slowed his pace. After that, it became a leisurely walk that the both of them enjoyed. When they were done 10 minutes later, they were only a little sweaty and had a good exercise. ¡°How are things going?¡± Stella asked when she came into the room. ¡°We were just finishing up.¡± Ren said and put his hand exercisers away. ¡°I really need a shower, too.¡± ¡°Then I''ll take you back to your room and you can use that enormous bathroom to clean up.¡± Stella said. ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Ren said and looked at Donald. ¡°It usually takes me a while to get a shower, then I usually stay in bed to recover.¡± He said. ¡°You''ve got this place all to yourselves.¡± Donald looked at him with raised eyebrows, and was pretty sure he was suggesting what he thought he was suggesting. ¡°Let''s go, Stella. I''m starting to stink up the place.¡± Ren said and grinned. Stella chuckled and pushed his wheelchair to the door. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll get you all cleaned up before Lisa gets here.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Ren said and the two of them left Donald and Barbara alone in the large workout room. * Donald watched through the glass wall as Stella pushed Ren out of sight, then he turned to his wife. ¡°You know, they''ve got a huge shower here.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Barbara said and looked at her husband with surprise on her face. ¡°They even have soap dispensers.¡± Donald said and grinned at her. ¡°Donald... you know it''s going to be awkward...¡± ¡°And sexy.¡± Donald said. ¡°More like flabby.¡± Barbara said and chuckled. ¡°I don''t think we''ve ever...¡± ¡°Then there''s no time like the present.¡± Donald said and started to walk backwards towards the locker room, and dragged her by the hand. ¡°Donald...¡± ¡°If you don''t like it, we can always keep our hands to ourselves.¡± ¡°You should keep your hands to yourself anyways.¡± Barbara said, but she couldn''t hide her smile. Donald led her to a locker, and he stripped off his sweaty clothes. She watched him as he did it, and when he pulled off his underwear, she saw he was quite excited. ¡°D-Donald!¡± ¡°You''re falling behind.¡± Donald said and unzipped her top. Barbara stood there, kind of stunned, and let him undress her. He slipped off her top and hung it in a locker, then reached around her back to unhook her bra. When he fumbled it a couple of times, she took pity on him. ¡°You never could work them right.¡± Barbara said and reached back to unhook it in one motion. ¡°Damn blasted things getting in the way.¡± Donald said and kissed her. They wrapped their arms around each other, and made love right there. * ¡°So, do you think they took the hint?¡± Ren asked Stella as she pushed his wheelchair into the bathroom. ¡°That wasn''t much of a hint.¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°You pretty much just told them to go have sex.¡± ¡°But did it work?¡± Ren asked and stood up. He was still a little shaky after exhausting himself, but he managed to get undressed by himself. ¡°I''m sure they''re in the throes of passion right now.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Now get your butt on the step stool.¡± Ren nodded and stepped into the shower, then sat down with a sigh. ¡°I really pushed myself today.¡± ¡°How far did you get?¡± Stella asked as she got undressed. ¡°75 feet!¡± Ren said. ¡°All by myself, too!¡± ¡°You''re going to be weak for a while, then.¡± Stella said and stepped into the shower with him. ¡°You''re not going to be very good company for Lisa when she gets here.¡± ¡°Well, considering I only planned to take her on a tour of the place and not screw her brains out... I should be okay.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°You shouldn''t say things like that.¡± ¡°To you?¡± Ren asked as she scrubbed him. ¡°Stella, you''re the only one I can literally say anything to, and you won''t judge me.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I thought I was pretty judgmental when you logged out this morning.¡± Ren chuckled and put a hand on her face. ¡°You were just trying to make a point.¡± ¡°And did you get my point?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not only do I have to be careful of how I interact with people, I have to think of their feelings and how they interact with each other, too.¡± Stella made that little ''o'' of surprise because he actually got it, and Ren gave her a quick kiss. ¡°What was that for?¡± ¡°Your only concern is still for my welfare, even when you think I''m acting stupidly.¡± Ren said. ¡°You deserve a lot more than a kiss for that, but I''m too tired right now to go down on you.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Stella said and laughed. ¡°Is that all you think about?¡± ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°You''re delicious, and I can''t get enough of seeing you like that.¡± He said and closed his eyes. ¡°The curve of your hips, the shape of your thighs, that little bump of your pelvic bone that I can only see when I look up at you from that vantage point.¡± He sighed and opened his eyes to look at her. ¡°I know you''re not going to believe me when I say this; but, I''ve never seen a more desirable sight.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Stella didn''t know what to say to such an admission, because no one had ever said anything like that to her before. ¡°That''s saying something, especially since I''ve seen Elise naked.¡± Ren said, and Stella knew what to do then. She laughed. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Nurse! Help! I''m swollen again!¡± Ren said and grinned. He had scrubbed himself while Stella had washed him everywhere else. Stella glanced down and then back up at him. ¡°I think I better leave that for a certain someone that will be here soon.¡± ¡°But it misses you.¡± Ren said and she laughed again. ¡°If it still needs some attention later, let me know.¡± Stella said and rinsed him off. ¡°You need to relax for now, not have fun.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°I just wanted to make you laugh.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah? What if I''d taken you up on your offer?¡± Stella asked as they stepped out of the shower, and she put a towel on the edge of the tub for him to sit on. ¡°I''d probably be asleep by the time Lisa got here.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°She''d be angry if I was, I think.¡± ¡°No doubt.¡± Stella said and dried him off. ¡°Are you really going to have a talk with all of us about... well, all of us?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I don''t want to do anything without having you all know about it.¡± ¡°And what is it that you want to do?¡± ¡°My personal maids in the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°Really?¡± Stella looked at him. ¡°I talked to Elise, and they''re pretty much indentured servants to you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve never treated them like that, though.¡± Stella handed him a bath robe. ¡°That doesn''t matter, Ren.¡± She said and he sat in the wheelchair. She pushed him out to his bedroom and to the dresser. ¡°If you sleep with them without their consent...¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You''re joking, right?¡± He asked her. ¡°They''ve wanted me to sleep with them since we met.¡± ¡°They have?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°They''ve been very vocal about it.¡± He said. ¡°In fact, I think I''ll have to do up a video of how many times they''ve said so.¡± ¡°That many times?¡± ¡°That the footage captured.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°A lot of times they were topless and the blue screen blocked everything.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°I can''t believe you sleep in a bed with 5 topless women.¡± ¡°They''re only topless because I made them wear underwear.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°You don''t mean... really?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°They don''t normally wear clothes when they go to bed.¡± ¡°You''d think that would be uncomfortable.¡± Ren shrugged and stood up to dig through his dresser. ¡°I''ve always had my underwear on, so I wouldn''t know.¡± Stella watched as Ren took off the bathrobe and slipped on the silver-blue underwear, then he opened the cabinet and took out the same color pyjama set. ¡°Shouldn''t you wear something more appropriate... like actual clothes?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I look good in this, though.¡± He said. ¡°Plus, it matches my eyes.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Trust me. Lisa is going to drool all over me when she sees it.¡± Ren said and slipped the pants on. ¡°Is that what you want?¡± Stella asked. ¡°For her to drool all over you?¡± ¡°Actually, what I want is for her to let herself drool all over me.¡± Ren put on the top and turned to let Stella button it for him. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°She has a lot more confidence in herself when she''s playing the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want her to have some of that in real life.¡± ¡°She''s pretty confident to come all the way here to visit a guy she only met online.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s bravery, not confidence.¡± Stella blinked her eyes at him, because once again he had surprised her. The phone by the bed rang and Ren picked it up. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said a moment later and hung up. ¡°Lisa''s here.¡± ¡°Then we better get down to the front door.¡± Stella said. Ren sat in the wheelchair and Stella pushed him out of the room, down the hall, and to the elevator. It was a quick ride to the ground floor, and they made it to the door just in time. The doorbell rang, and Ren stood up to open the door. When the door opened, Lisa saw Ren wearing silver-blue pyjamas that matched his eyes. Her face lit up with a big smile, because she knew he must have worn them just for her. She had timed her arrival for after his normal physical therapy session, and he looked freshly showered. She stepped inside, put her backpack down, and took him into a hug. ¡°Hi, Lisa.¡± Ren said and held onto her. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Lisa said and leaned back in their embrace. ¡°You look handsome.¡± ¡°Too handsome to kiss?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°Are you that eager to lock lips with me?¡± Lisa asked and looked him in the eyes. ¡°If you can stand it.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I think I can endure it.¡± Lisa said and pressed her lips to his. It wasn''t like the kiss they had in the game before they had logged out, since that one was more rushed and urgent. This one was a slow burning one, and Ren caressed her back as they kissed. Lisa warmed up to his touch and added a little tongue, and they both started to get into it. Stella waited for a few moments, so they could greet each other; then she coughed to get their attention. Lisa sighed and stopped kissing Ren, then let him go. ¡°I just need to close the door.¡± Stella said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Sorry, Stella.¡± Ren said and sat down in the wheelchair. ¡°I guess I could have waited until Lisa actually came into the house before I assaulted her tonsils.¡± Lisa laughed and stepped out of the way. ¡°I''m sorry, too.¡± She said. ¡°It hasn''t been that long since I kissed him in the game, and yet...¡± ¡°Was it any different?¡± Stella asked as she shut the door. ¡°Now you''ve done it!¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°You''ve piqued Stella''s interest!¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°I''m not that bad.¡± She said and went behind the wheelchair. ¡°I would like your thoughts on a physical relationship compared to the virtual one, though.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lisa asked. Stella nodded and started to push Ren across the lobby. Lisa picked up her backpack to hang on the coat rack, then walked fast to catch up with them. ¡°It''s definitely a thrill doing things in the game.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I mean, we can all do things that...¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°...no offence, but... you can do a lot in the game.¡± Ren winked at her, and she blushed. ¡°I meant the physical sensations.¡± Stella said and stopped at the elevator. ¡°When you kissed in the game, did it feel a certain way? Then when you just did it here, did it feel different?¡± ¡°Yes, but...¡± Lisa stopped talking to think about it. ¡°Um... the kisses themselves were different.¡± ¡°That''s what I was thinking.¡± Ren said and the elevator arrived. ¡°The one we did in the game was... I don''t know... more urgent, maybe?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Lisa said and they stepped into the elevator and she hit 2. ¡°We were kind of rushed, and we''d just...¡± Lisa''s face flushed even more red. ¡°For me, that last kiss was like stepping into a warm bath.¡± Ren said. ¡°I felt like I just wanted to bask in it all day.¡± Lisa''s face went dark red as the elevator went up to the second floor. ¡°We could do an experiment with two identical kisses, one in VR and one out; but, I think you''re right. Each kiss is different, especially in different environments.¡± Stella said a little sadly. ¡°Lisa? Would you like an actual tour of the place?¡± Ren asked and pointed. ¡°How about a bit of bowling to start?¡± ¡°Wait, you weren''t joking about that?¡± Lisa asked, and Ren shook his head. She opened the door and saw the 4 lane bowling alley, a counter with racks of shoes behind it, a small canteen full of candy, candy bars, and fountain pop. ¡°This is unreal!¡± Lisa said. ¡°Do you really want to play?¡± ¡°I''ll have to sit this one out.¡± Ren said. ¡°I pushed myself a little too hard this morning.¡± Lisa put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You just want to watch my butt when I bend over to throw the ball.¡± ¡°I can''t believe you found me out so easily.¡± Ren said and she laughed. ¡°You''re lucky I wore pants, then.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I wouldn''t even think about doing this with a skirt on.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t have the legs for it.¡± Lisa and Stella laughed, and they went over to the counter. ¡°Everything is brand new.¡± Lisa said and went behind the counter. She found a pair of bowling shoes for herself and left her own sneakers in it''s spot, then she looked at Stella. ¡°Size 9.¡± Stella said and passed over her own sneakers. ¡°I never realized you has such big feet, Stella.¡± Ren said. ¡°Geez, you think you know a person.¡± ¡°Quiet, you!¡± Stella said and shook her fist at him. ¡°They''re women''s 9.¡± ¡°There''s a difference?¡± Ren asked. ¡°There sure is.¡± Lisa said and took the sneakers. ¡°You don''t think women buy men-sized clothes, do you?¡± ¡°I... ah... never really thought about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You show up looking pretty like you do, and I''m too busy staring at you to wonder where you bought your clothes.¡± Lisa turned around so he wouldn''t see her face as she blushed again, and exchanged Stella''s shoes with bowling ones. She took a quick breath to calm down, and turned back around to give the shoes to Stella. I don''t know why Ren saying stuff like that makes me embarrassed. Lisa thought while she put on the bowling shoes she had picked for herself. Maybe... maybe it''s because... he wasn''t actually complimenting me. She thought and walked around the counter towards the lanes, then her face went red again. He thought he was just stating facts. Stella pushed Ren over to sit at the score-keeping table, and Ren moved from the wheelchair to the seat. He looked over the thing in front of him, and it was a big pad with several pencils, and a control panel at the top. Ren hit the ''START'' button, and television screens lit up at the ends of the lanes and showed the pins from above, and he could hear the machines in the back. ¡°Cool.¡± Ren said and wrote down the names of the two competitors on the sheet. ¡°All right! This is it!¡± He said in a deep announcer voice. ¡°It''s time, once and for all, to decide who will be the ultimate victor!¡± Stella and Lisa looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Will it be the supreme cuteness of Lisa that wins the day, or will it be the smouldering sexiness of Stella that will prevail?¡± ¡°Are you saying I''m not sexy?¡± Lisa asked him. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... look at Stella. Tell me she isn''t sexy.¡± Lisa looked at the taller woman. ¡°Okay, I have to grudgingly admit that you''re right.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Stella started to say. ¡°Stella, you yourself said Lisa was really cute, correct?¡± Stella smiled and looked at Lisa. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Lisa asked, and Stella nodded. ¡°Play to your strength''s ladies!¡± Ren said. ¡°You can both be cute and sexy, but you''re competing now! It''s an epic fight! Tooth and nail! A battle for the ages!¡± ¡°You''re really milking this, you know.¡± Stella said, and Lisa chuckled. ¡°I know!¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Leave no skill unused! No trick is taboo!¡± ¡°Oh, geez.¡± Lisa said and tried not to laugh as Ren raised both hands in the air and shook them. ¡°LET IT BEGIN!¡± Ren yelled and cupped his hands over his mouth and made crowd noises and screaming fans. ¡°LET IT BEGIN!¡± ¡°I think he''s losing it.¡± Stella said and laughed. ¡°Oh, definitely.¡± Lisa said and pulled her pants up even tighter than they were. ¡°If he''s losing his mind anyways, we might as well give him a show he''ll never forget.¡± ¡°I knew I liked you.¡± Stella said and unzipped her top halfway. ¡°Let''s do this.¡± Both women walked over to the farthest lanes, which were candle pin bowling lanes and only had bowling balls the size of softballs. They didn''t have holes for fingers and were just solid weights. ¡°Oh, these balls might be too heavy for me.¡± Stella said and bent over to pick one up from the ball return trough. Her top bulged open to show off her chest and her bra. Ren stared at her chest because it almost fell out of her top, and it was a quite unexpected treat. ¡°Oh, Stella!¡± Lisa gasped and knelt on the other side of the ball return. ¡°Let me get that for you!¡± Lisa''s gasp had caught Ren''s attention and he stared as she kept her hands on one of the balls, then she straightened her legs. It raised her backside up into the air, and she swayed her butt from side to side, almost hypnotically. ¡°You''re right, they might just be too heavy!¡± Lisa said and looked over her shoulder to see Ren''s reaction. She almost laughed at his shocked expression. His eyes flitted from one sight to the other, and the pencil he was using rolled off the table and fell to the floor. He had involuntarily let it go because a lot of his brain processing power had suddenly disappeared and it left him dumbfounded. ¡°I''ll go first.¡± Stella said, lifted the bowling ball easily, and threw it down the lane. It knocked down 9 pins, so she picked up another ball and knocked down the last one. She walked back to the ball return and put her hands on her hips, which pulled her top open even more. ¡°Did you get that, Ren?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren looked at her face. ¡°Get what?¡± ¡°I knocked 9 pins down, then picked up a spare.¡± Stella said. ¡°Um... right.¡± Ren said and tried to mark the sheet with an empty hand. ¡°Oh. I think I dropped my pencil.¡± ¡°I''ll get it.¡± Stella chuckled and knelt down beside him to pick it up. She looked at Ren''s face to try and catch him staring at her chest, and she saw that he was staring at her face instead. She handed him the pencil and stood up. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said to her, and Stella knew he wasn''t just thanking her for the pencil. She nodded and went back to stand beside Lisa. ¡°My turn.¡± Lisa said and picked up a ball. She wiggled her butt a little to show off, took two long strides, and whipped the ball right down the middle of the lane. It smashed into the pins barely 2 seconds later and scattered them all. ¡°Yes!¡± She said and jumped up and down several times, and her tight pants highlighted her backside wonderfully. When she turned around, Ren saw that her pants were quite tight on the front, too. ¡°Oh... oh my.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I got a strike!¡± Lisa said excitedly, and Stella took the cue and gave her a hug. When they both started to jump up and down, Ren dropped the pencil again. Chapter 370A - Bathroom Break (Explicit Content) After nearly half an hour of watching Lisa and Stella tease him, Ren couldn''t take it anymore. ¡°S-Stella? I... I need to use... the bathroom.¡± Ren managed to say. Stella nodded and held the wheelchair for him. He transferred over to it from his seat, and Stella rolled him over to the half-bathroom at the side of the room. She took him inside and Ren moved from the chair to sit on the toilet without flipping it up. ¡°Ren, I thought you said...¡± ¡°I don''t need to... not that, I... by the gods, it hurts!¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren?¡± Stella was worried, because if he was complaining about pain, it must be very painful, whatever it was. Ren eased his pyjama pants down, and Stella saw the prominent bulge in his underwear. When he pulled those down, she gasped. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± His member was quite swollen, even more than it usually was when he was excited. Ren tried to touch it himself and he winced. ¡°I don''t know why it''s like this.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you...¡± Stella tried to touch it with her hand and Ren winced again. ¡°Why does it hurt so much?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If I had to take a guess, there''s more blood in it than there should be.¡± Stella said. ¡°The darker red color, the thicker veins, the engorged head...¡± She sighed. ¡°Ren, I never thought that teasing you would... would do this to you.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve admired you while you moved around and did things before, but...¡± ¡°You''ve never had a woman flaunt herself in front of you for so long and not done anything about it.¡± Stella said and sighed. Ren looked at her. ¡°Is... is that it? I held it in too long?¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Stella said. ¡°I don''t know how we can fix it if we can''t touch it, though.¡± ¡°Maybe if you licked it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you sure? You''re really sensitive right now.¡± Ren nodded and braced his hands on her shoulders. ¡°Try it.¡± Stella watched his face and stuck out her tongue. She very carefully licked the shaft and saw Ren wince only a little bit. ¡°That... wasn''t too bad.¡± Ren said. ¡°Keep going.¡± Stella flicked her tongue out again and licked him, then again and again. Ren started to breath heavy; but, at least he had stopped wincing. She knew it was still painful for him, but he was fighting it. She decided to just lay her tongue against him instead of licking, and the flesh was so hot that it almost burned her tongue. He didn''t wince, though. ¡°Ren, I''m going to...¡± ¡°Please... if it''ll help, just do it.¡± Ren said, and Stella slipped her mouth over the tip. ¡°AHH!¡± He yelled and clamped his mouth shut and grit his teeth together. His hands dug into her shoulders, but not enough to hurt or bruise her. Stella didn''t move at all, and just held him in her mouth until he relaxed. After several deep breaths, Ren nodded to her. Stella carefully slid him further into her mouth and stopped. She kept her eyes on his, and he nodded again. She slid back slightly and sucked, and he closed his eyes. ¡°HM!¡± Stella grunted. Ren opened his eyes and Stella had a hand up and pointed at her own eyes. He sighed and nodded, and she moved him further into her mouth. He fought to not wince at the pain, and kept his eyes on hers. She moved him in and out and sucked as she watched his reactions, and when she thought he had adjusted to her, she tried to take him deeper. Ren caught his breath as Stella''s top lip touched his abdomen, but it was because of what she was doing, not from pain. She felt the difference in his reaction and flicked her tongue against him, to let him know she knew the difference. She eased herself back away from him and almost took him out of her mouth completely; then she went all the way back to his abdomen again. Stella felt him throb in her throat, and she knew he was now getting more pleasure than pain from it. ¡°Ren are you okay?¡± Lisa asked when she opened the bathroom door. ¡°What the hell?¡± Stella leaned back and slipped Ren out of her mouth. ¡°Lisa, I...¡± ¡°You asked me over, and you''re letting Stella do that to you?¡± Lisa asked Ren. ¡°Lisa.¡± Stella said, and she looked at her. ¡°Our teasing had a... side effect.¡± ¡°He got hard and wanted a blow job.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I can see that.¡± ¡°Come here.¡± Stella said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Please, Lisa.¡± Stella said. ¡°Just saying what''s going on isn''t going to work. Come here and see what''s wrong with him.¡± ¡°Wrong?¡± Lisa looked at Ren and then at his member. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Stella held a hand out and waved her closer, and Lisa waked into the bathroom. ¡°Give me your hand.¡± Lisa wasn''t sure what was going on; but she held a hand out to Stella, who took it. ¡°Watch Ren''s face.¡± Stella said, and Lisa looked at Ren. Stella put Lisa''s hand on his member and Ren hissed and closed his eyes. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Lisa said and pulled her hand back. ¡°That really hurt you!¡± Ren opened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°Apparently teasing me like that caused me to... well...¡± ¡°He''s backed up.¡± Stella said. ¡°As far as I can tell, anyways.¡± ¡°B-b-backed up?¡± Lisa asked and knelt to get a closer look. ¡°Oh, no.¡± She said. ¡°It''s so red and swollen!¡± Stella nodded. ¡°I guess normally when a woman is playing with him, he gets excited, he has sex, and then that''s it.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Ren said. ¡°I last longer than-¡± ¡°You know what I meant.¡± Stella cut him off and smiled, then looked at Lisa. ¡°This time, with excitement after excitement from us, he held himself back too much when his body didn''t want him to.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lisa said and looked up at him. ¡°We did this to you.¡± ¡°I''d say it wasn''t your fault; but, damn.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You definitely proved that you can be so sexy it hurts.¡± Lisa chuckled and a tear came to her eye. ¡°You shouldn''t joke.¡± She said and looked at Stella. ¡°You''ve been trying to help him, and I-¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Stella said. ¡°I know what this looks like.¡± ¡°I... I thought you were... with me right there, too.¡± Lisa said and looked up at Ren. ¡°Why didn''t you ask me to help?¡± ¡°Stella''s the medical professional and there''s something medically wrong, and you know her view on physical interactions.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I didn''t want you to think that I invited you over to only have sex.¡± Lisa snorted a laugh. ¡°I would have come anyways.¡± ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°I said not to joke about it.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I can scream in pain if you want.¡± ¡°Good god, no.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I... I can''t take that, especially since I... since we did this to you.¡± ¡°You can help.¡± Stella said and Lisa did that slow turn of her head to stare at her. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I''ve tried to get him excited, and I was pretty close.¡± Stella said. ¡°I think you need to try it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Ren''s right. I see this more as treatment than anything else.¡± Stella said. ¡°But the two of you don''t have a lot of experience with each other.¡± Lisa looked up at Ren and they exchanged knowing looks. Neither of them had told anyone else that they knew a lot about each other because of the flash-forward ''memories'' the game had shown them. ¡°Just that newness might be enough to... well, dislodge... whatever is stuck.¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I mean, you''re right. We''ve only... I mean, I did do it in the hot tub...¡± Her face flushed red. ¡°Then think of that.¡± Stella said. ¡°Remember how you felt that day.¡± ¡°I felt... naughty.¡± Lisa said and her face burned. ¡°You were sexy as hell in that micro-bikini.¡± Ren said and his member throbbed. ¡°I can still feel your-Ah!¡± Lisa slipped her mouth over the tip of him and sucked a little. ¡°Easy, there.¡± Stella coached. ¡°Move slow. He''s really sensitive.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Lisa moaned and eased the pressure on him. Ren took a shallow breath and remembered Stella''s advice and kept his eyes on Lisa as she moved in and out. At Stella''s urging, she moved more and more of him into her mouth, and eventually worked all of him in. ¡°Good god, that''s... Lisa, I don''t know how you can... you''re amazing!¡± Ren said. ¡°Hm mm.¡± Lisa moaned. ¡°You shouldn''t talk with your mouth full.¡± Stella said, and Lisa laughed; which felt really weird for Ren. Lisa started to gag and slipped him out of her mouth, then she started to cough. ¡°I''m sorry, Lisa.¡± Stella said and rubbed her back to help her. ¡°Sometimes I don''t know when to keep my mouth shut.¡± ¡°Then put it to good use.¡± Ren said and touched her hair. Stella nodded and licked him from the base to the tip, then slipped her mouth over him again. She didn''t have to work him down this time, since she had already loosened her throat up; so she plunged onto him while her hand continued to rub Lisa''s back. Lisa took several breaths to calm down, and noticed how well Stella was doing. ¡°Okay, I''m a little jealous.¡± Stella slid off and sucked at the same time, and it made a kissing sound. ¡°You don''t need to be jealous, Lisa. I''m amazed you can take it at all, let alone get him all the way in.¡± ¡°But you just... it''s like you''re not even struggling.¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Stella said. ¡°Once I decided that it was easy, I relaxed.¡± ¡°Is... is it that simple?¡± ¡°Try it.¡± Stella said. ¡°Don''t think about what you''re doing. Just do it.¡± Lisa nodded and did the same thing Stella did. She licked Ren from the base to the tip, slipped him into her mouth, then plunged down on him and he slid all the way in. ¡°That''s it.¡± Stella said. ¡°Let the feeling of all that hardness become a part of you.¡± Lisa moved Ren in and out, and she didn''t think about what she was doing. All she thought about was the feel of him inside her mouth, and realized Stella was right. All she wanted was to keep that feeling for as long as she could. ¡°I... I think...¡± Ren tried to say. ¡°I have to see this.¡± Stella tapped Lisa''s shoulder and Lisa pulled off of him. Stella turned her head and kissed the side of the shaft just beside the tip, then licked and sucked it to try and get Ren to finish. Stella felt him calm down a little, and she pulled Lisa in to do the same thing to the other side of his shaft. When Lisa''s lips touched him, he throbbed several times. ¡°Oh... oh my god...¡± Ren stared at the two women as they licked and sucked on him, and then Lisa''s tongue grazed the edge of the tip. Ren put a hand on both of their heads and they took the cue. Both women licked and sucked on their side of the tip, and his hands gripped their hair. ¡°AHHH!¡± Ren screamed as he went. It shot out in a straight stream across the bathroom and splashed against the mirror. Stella and Lisa watched with wide eyes as the stream lasted for a couple of seconds, then it lost power and eased down. They kept licking and sucking, because Ren still had a hold of their hair, and another spurt came out, it was at about half the strength of the last one, and then Ren''s grip on them eased. ¡°Fuck, that hurt!¡± Ren said, and both women looked up at him. ¡°Sorry for cursing.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Stella said. ¡°I could tell it hurt.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You didn''t really enjoy that, did you?¡± Ren cupped the side of her face. ¡°It was the best feeling in the world to have a woman that cares about me, do what you just did.¡± He said, and Lisa''s face turned dark red. He looked at Stella and cupped her face, too. ¡°I need to ask...¡± He looked down at himself, and he was still rock hard. ¡°Can you... please, I need you to keep going.¡± Stella tried touching it with her hand, and he winced a little. ¡°Just mouths again, then.¡± She said and looked at Lisa. ¡°Tag team or double team?¡± ¡°We tried tag team already; but, double team helped him finish.¡± Lisa said. ¡°We should start with that this time.¡± ¡°Shaft or tip?¡± ¡°Tip, please.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It...¡± Her face flushed even redder. ¡°I like that part more.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Stella put a hand on her arm. ¡°You don''t have to be embarrassed for admitting what you like.¡± She said. ¡°I like it when he goes down on me.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°I like it fine, but... it makes me a little uncomfortable.¡± She said. ¡°I feel... vulnerable.¡± Stella moved her hand to her face. ¡°You don''t have to feel that way with Ren.¡± She said. ¡°He loves doing it.¡± ¡°I really do.¡± Ren said and Lisa looked at him. ¡°In fact... Stella? Can you...¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Stella said and stood up. ¡°I''ll get the towels.¡± She said and left the bathroom at a fast walk. ¡°What are the towels for?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°For me to lay down on.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m starting to get sore just sitting here.¡± ¡°Oh! I''m sorry.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I didn''t think... well, you''re sitting down, so I thought...¡± ¡°It''s easier than standing, sure.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°But everyone will have a sore backside after sitting for too long.¡± Lisa nodded, and then Stella came in with a handful of towels, a bathrobe, and a pillow. She spread the towels out on the floor and put the bathrobe down on top to make a nice place for Ren to lay down on, then added the pillow for his head. He started to stand up, then stopped. ¡°Yeah, I definitely sat still for too long.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need a hand, please.¡± Stella and Lisa each took one and braced him as he slid off the toilet and knelt on the floor. He turned and sat down, then laid back. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Stella said when she saw his member almost stuck straight up. ¡°It''s kind of like you''re suffering the side effects from a sexual enhancement drug.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren looked down at himself. ¡°Is this what can happen?¡± ¡°In some rare cases.¡± Stella said and took off her top, then unhooked her bra. ¡°I haven''t heard about severe sensitivity, though. Usually it''s just pain.¡± ¡°What do we do to help?¡± Lisa asked. She thought about taking her top off, too; but, there was no way she could compete with Stella in that department. When she remembered what department she could compete in, she stood up and undid her pants and slipped them off. ¡°We''ll do what we can to relieve the tension.¡± Stella said. ¡°If that doesn''t work...¡± ¡°It''s going to work.¡± Ren said and looked at Stella''s breasts, then looked at the tiny little blue panties Lisa wore. ¡°Good god, its going to work!¡± Stella nodded and took her own pants off and laid on the floor by his legs, put her chest on Ren''s thigh, and started to kiss and lick the shaft of his member. Ren throbbed for her, and she looked at Lisa. Lisa nodded and turned around to let Ren see her backside as she knelt by his chest, then started to suck on the tip of him. ¡°God!¡± Ren said as the two women sucked and licked him, and he became more excited. They felt the difference in him and worked harder. If they didn''t finish him quickly, he could possibly suffer even more pain. Ren put a hand on Lisa''s thigh and she stopped sucking on him. ¡°What...¡± ¡°Straddle me, please.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t be so close to heaven and not feast my eyes upon it.¡± Lisa''s face burned a deep red, hesitated for only a moment, then nodded and carefully put her leg over his chest. She was already wet, and Ren lightly ran his hands up her thighs, across her backside, and hooked a finger under the edge of the thin cloth of her panties. He eased it aside to see her, and he appreciated the sight. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and kissed her there. Lisa caught her breath and tensed up; but, it was only a brief kiss and she relaxed. She slid the tip of his member back into her mouth and continued to suck, then she spread her legs a bit more and it brought her womanhood much closer to Ren''s mouth. ¡°Lisa, you look so good.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to.¡± ¡°Go... go ahead.¡± Lisa said, and Ren gave her one long lick. She shivered, and he licked her again. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and licked her. ¡°Thank you!¡± He said and started to work over her tip just as much as she was working over his tip. Lisa stopped sucking on him and looked at Stella. ¡°He... he really does like... mmm, god!¡± Stella moved down to his scrotum. ¡°I told you.¡± She said and licked him very, very gently. ¡°He''s really good at it, too.¡± ¡°I... god, yes!¡± Lisa said and she went. She slid him into her mouth to stop herself from moaning out loud. ¡°MmmMMmmM!¡± That just happened to feel really good for Ren, and he throbbed in Lisa''s mouth. She took the cue and kept moaning around him as she sucked. They stayed that way for several minutes, and then Ren tensed up. ¡°I... I''m gonna...¡± Lisa slid her mouth off of him so Stella could see how far it was going to go, and they watched as Ren finished and it shot almost 4 feet straight up. ¡°Gah!¡± Ren said, and he spurted again at about 3 feet; then it calmed down and a steady flow came out. ¡°That''s...¡± Lisa looked at the mess and didn''t know what to say, then Ren started to work her with his mouth again. ¡°It''s amazing.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s like... like he was...¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lisa asked and tried to concentrate on what Stella was saying, and not on what Ren was doing to her. ¡°It''s like he was designed to please women.¡± Stella said, and finally gave words to her scattered thoughts. She licked the side of his member to gather up some of what he''d expelled, swirled it around her lips, and swallowed it. ¡°That''s so good.¡± Lisa looked at Stella, then at Ren''s member. Her tongue darted out and licked some of it up, and she tasted it. Her eyes widened, and she took a bigger lick. ¡°You''re right. It really does taste good.¡± Lisa said, then slipped her mouth over the tip to suck more of it into her mouth. Stella licked the shaft and cleaned up the rest of it, and Lisa felt another orgasm building. She stopped sucking and laid her head on Ren''s thigh when she knew she was about to have a big one, and Stella took over and worked the tip of his member. Lisa grit her teeth together as she went again, and her whole body tensed up as she squirted into his mouth. ¡°God, Ren!¡± Lisa said when he kept sucking on her. ¡°S-s-stop.¡± She panted. ¡°Give... give me... a minute.¡± Ren gave her another lick, and her whole body twitched. ¡°That''s so awesome.¡± He said and licked her again. She twitched and shook, and he chuckled. ¡°I just love your reactions!¡± Stella stopped sucking on him and looked at Lisa. ¡°Ren, ease off for a bit.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Ren said and stopped licking Lisa. ¡°I really, really want to keep going, though!¡± ¡°We know.¡± Stella said. Lisa was quite overwhelmed by Ren''s constantly pleasing her, and she sighed as Stella rolled her off of him. She couldn''t tell if it was a sigh of relief or a sigh of sadness, though. ¡°I''ll distract him for you.¡± Stella said and slipped off her underwear. She moved to take Lisa''s place and straddled Ren''s face. ¡°Thank you!¡± Ren said, and started to please Stella. ¡°You... aren''t supposed to... ah!¡± Stella caught her breath as Ren found a good stimulation spot. ¡°Don''t... don''t thank a woman... before... before... god!¡± She said and braced her hands on the floor as she went. Lisa watched as Stella was just as vulnerable as she was to Ren''s relentless attack, and she smiled. ¡°I''m so glad that you can''t take it, either.¡± Lisa said and sat up. ¡°What... what are you... HM!¡± Stella tried to talk, but Ren grabbed onto her hips and dug his tongue inside of her. ¡°I thought, as his nurse, you can see him whenever you want.¡± Lisa said and slipped off her shirt. ¡°When I found you in here, I thought... does she do this for him all the time?¡± She smiled. ¡°Now I know you don''t.¡± ¡°I... don''t know... what you mean.¡± Stella said and tried to keep a level head as Ren kept pleasing her. ¡°If you were having sex with him all the time, you wouldn''t be turned on so much.¡± Lisa said, wisely. She looked down at Ren''s throbbing member, slipped it into her mouth for a second, then slid it out and looked at Stella. ¡°You aren''t completely clinically detached.¡± ¡°I... never said... Ren!¡± Stella said and went again. She squirted out, and it covered his mouth, his chin and his neck. ¡°I was scared at first.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I mean, I''ve barely had sex at all in real life.¡± She said and straddled Ren''s waist. ¡°But I think you''re right. Ren needs me.¡± ¡°Oh, FUCK!¡± Ren said as Lisa sat down on top of him. He slid inside easily; but once inside, Lisa''s body clamped down onto him and squeezed him tightly. ¡°Ren, I''m sorry!¡± Lisa said and started to get up. ¡°I didn''t...¡± Ren grabbed her hips and pulled her back down. ¡°Don''t stop!¡± He said. ¡°It hurts... god it hurts! But... but you feel really good, too!¡± Stella reached out and moved Lisa up a little. ¡°Don''t go all the way down and sit on him. He can''t take your weight like that.¡± ¡°S-Stella!¡± Ren said. ¡°No, Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°Lisa, brace your knees and let them take your weight. We don''t want to hurt him, okay?¡± Lisa nodded and did as she was told, braced her knees and held her own weight. ¡°Now rock your hips.¡± Stella said, and Lisa did it. ¡°A little more... not so mechanical, you need to feel it, it''s not just the motion.¡± Lisa took her advice and her rhythm changed to one that would be beneficial to both her and Ren. ¡°That''s it.¡± Stella said. ¡°Just like that.¡± She said. ¡°Ren, you''re not licking.¡± ¡°I''m... a little busy...¡± Ren said and held onto Lisa''s hips. ¡°Lisa''s doing all the work.¡± Stella said and moved his hands from Lisa''s hips to her own. ¡°Stop stalling.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Ren said and started pleasing her again. Stella waited until Ren matched his mouth movements to Lisa''s hip movements, and she looked at Lisa. She was concentrating on keeping her technique going, and Stella smiled. ¡°You''re right, Lisa.¡± Stella said. ¡°I do like that you''re here.¡± She said. ¡°You didn''t immediately run away when you saw me on my knees with Ren in my mouth, and that intrigued me.¡± She closed her eyes as Ren found that spot for her again. ¡°You... you let us explain what was happening, and then you agreed to help.¡± She said. ¡°That was...¡± She grit her teeth for a moment as she went a little, then she opened her eyes and looked at Lisa. ¡°I admired that.¡± Lisa kept moving, but Stella had half of her attention now. ¡°Plus, you really are cute. You''re almost as cute as Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ve never gone that route, since I like men so much; but, when it comes to you...¡± She smiled and reached out and cupped the side of her face. ¡°I feel envious of Ren.¡± Lisa''s rhythm faltered and she looked at Stella with wide eyes. ¡°Did... did you just say...¡± ¡°I''d like to kiss you.¡± Stella said and her face flushed a little red. ¡°You...¡± Lisa stopped moving her hips. Stella leaned forward and kissed her. It was just a light peck and lasted for only a second; but, the both of them felt the thrill. They stared at each other from only an inch away when it was done. ¡°That was my first kiss.¡± Stella said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Mine, too.¡± Lisa said, leaned forward, and kissed Stella back. Both women gasped as Ren jammed himself up inside of Lisa and plunged his tongue inside of Stella. He''d watched their first kiss and couldn''t hold back anymore. He wanted them both to finish again for giving him such a great gift; and after only three thrusts, he finished. Lisa broke the kiss and held onto Stella as Ren unloaded himself inside of her, and that made her go as well. Her body clamped down on him tighter than before; but, he didn''t scream in pain this time. Stella finished, too; then both she and Lisa relaxed after their orgasms. Stella moved off of Ren''s face and looked down at where he and Lisa were still joined. ¡°I wanted to see how far...¡± ¡°Pretty far.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least 10 feet!¡± Stella chuckled and looked at Lisa. ¡°At least that far.¡± Lisa smiled. ¡°I feel full, and I haven''t even eaten anything.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Okay, all joking aside... Lisa, ease up and off. Slowly.¡± Lisa nodded and slid herself up and off of Ren, and she saw Stella''s huge smile. ¡°Ren! The swelling''s gone down!¡± ¡°Thank god.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was scared that...¡± He shook his head, then looked at Lisa. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and looked at Stella. ¡°Thank you both.¡± ¡°You''re still really hard, though.¡± Stella said and watched his face as she used a hand to touch him. Ren didn''t wince, and she wrapped her hand around him. ¡°Anything?¡± ¡°Just... your hand.¡± Ren said. ¡°No pain.¡± ¡°I''m so glad.¡± Stella said and let him go. ¡°Please... don''t stop.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not going to.¡± Stella said. ¡°I can''t let Lisa have all the fun.¡± Lisa chuckled. ¡°I''m pretty sure we all had fun at the end.¡± Stella grinned at her. ¡°Switch places with me.¡± ¡°But...¡± Lisa looked down at herself and at Ren. He had made quite a mess. ¡°I can clean some of it up.¡± Stella said and bent down. ¡°W-wait!¡± Lisa said, and Stella stopped. ¡°I... kissing you was... well, it was nice and all, but...¡± ¡°You only want Ren to touch you there.¡± Stella said. Lisa nodded and Stella handed her one of the spare towels. ¡°Wipe off what you can, then rinse yourself off in the sink.¡± Stella said. ¡°Then you can sit on Ren''s face while I have fun.¡± Lisa wiped between her legs to clean off as much as she could, then she stood up. Some of it dripped out and ran down her leg, and she wiped that up, too. Stella bent over and started to lick Ren clean while Lisa splashed water on herself. ¡°This isn''t really working.¡± Lisa said, and Stella stopped sucking on him to look at her. ¡°That''s because you have to use your fingers to dig it out.¡± Stella said, gave Ren another lick, and stood up. Ren watched as Stella walked over to Lisa, who had one leg propped over the sink, and then scoop up some water. She splashed it between Lisa''s legs and made her gasp, and then she took Lisa''s hand and extended her index and middle fingers. ¡°Wh-what are you...¡± Lisa started to ask, and then Stella slid Lisa''s fingers inside her opening. Lisa gasped at the suddenness of it, then Stella slid them back out. ¡°Dig your fingers in there.¡± Stella said. ¡°Gravity can get a lot of it out eventually, but you want as much out now as possible.¡± She said and slid Lisa''s own fingers back inside her. ¡°Scoop.¡± Lisa bent her fingers and her body twitched a little, and Stella pulled Lisa''s hand out. A large glob of Ren''s expulsions came out with her fingers. ¡°That''s got it.¡± Stella said and splashed more water on her. ¡°Again.¡± Lisa did it herself this time, and scooped out more. After the third time, there was almost nothing on her fingers. ¡°You''ve got most of it out, now.¡± Stella said. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°Really weird.¡± Lisa said. ¡°My leg is starting to cramp, too.¡± ¡°I know just the thing for that.¡± Stella said and helped Lisa off of the sink. ¡°Ren''s magic tongue!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t think it''s magic.¡± ¡°You''re not a woman that''s felt your tongue between her legs.¡± Stella said and led Lisa back over to Ren. He''d stayed on the floor and hadn''t moved, not even to get a closer look at what Stella was doing to help Lisa, because he wanted to save his strength for something more important. Stella positioned herself over his groin, and she helped Lisa straddle Ren''s face. ¡°I can''t believe I''m doing this.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I figured on the sex part, but...¡± Stella eased herself down onto Ren, and she told Lisa to sit back a little. It brought Lisa''s womanhood close enough to Ren''s mouth for him to start on her, and she caught her breath. Stella rocked her hips and barely moved any of her body, and Lisa admired the sight. ¡°How... are you... doing that?¡± Lisa asked between panted breaths. ¡°P-p-practice.¡± Stella stuttered. ¡°Ren... oh, god! You''re so hard!¡± Ren nodded, which rubbed his chin against Lisa''s opening, and she grit her teeth to stop from moaning. ¡°Go... go ahead.¡± Stella said to her. ¡°M-moan... moan for him!¡± ¡°I... I don''t... OH!¡± Lisa yelled as Ren found a sensitive spot on her and used it. Lisa reached out and took Stella''s hands to brace herself, so she wouldn''t accidentally sit down and possibly hurt Ren. ¡°Let... let yourself... feel it!¡± Stella said. ¡°Lisa! Let... let it out!¡± Lisa looked like she was in pain for several moments, and then she screamed. ¡°AAHHHHHHHH!!!!¡± She had one of the strongest orgasms she''s ever had, and it sprayed out over Ren''s chest. ¡°OH, GOD!¡± She yelled as he sucked on her most sensitive part and went again. Stella, urged on by Lisa''s finally letting herself go, leaned back and doubled her hip-rocking motions. Lisa, quite spent now, slowly lowered herself down to rest her head on Ren''s thigh. It took her a moment to realize it was Stella''s thigh, and her eyes fixated on Ren going in and out of her. Lisa knew it wasn''t happening that way, that it was Stella that was moving; but, with such a close vantage point, the illusion that it was Ren moving made her remember what they did in the game. Ren, unperturbed that Lisa was no longer responding to his licks and kisses, kept licking and kissing her. He really did enjoy the feeling of her in his mouth and on his tongue, and with her opening still right by his mouth, he wasn''t going to stop if he didn''t have to. Lisa could feel Ren was still going at her, but she was almost beyond that now. Her entire being was concentrating on his member going in and out of another woman, and against her reasoning, her tongue darted out and licked him. Ren throbbed hard at the feeling and both Lisa and Stella felt the change. Stella looked down at Lisa and saw her tongue dart out again, and Stella was about to warn her that she might touch her, and then Lisa leaned in closer and licked them both. ¡°GOD!¡± Stella said and went unexpectedly. It wasn''t the biggest one she''d ever had; but, it was right up there. Liquid poured out of her, over Lisa''s tongue, and over Ren''s member. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Ren said and he went. His liquid poured out and into Stella, mixed with her liquid, and came out over Lisa''s still licking tongue and dripped down to pool on the towel below him. Lisa had witnessed what she''d done, and knew it had been something really special. She''d never had anyone react to her like that before, and she liked it. She liked it a lot. Lisa used her tongue to lick Ren''s member and Stella at the same time, and they both gasped. She smiled and kissed where they were still joined, just to give them one more thrill, then flicked her tongue out to touch the two of them. When they both sighed, Lisa knew the special moment was over. She moved back out of the way, lifted her leg over Ren, and sat up. She almost laughed at their shocked faces, but she held it in. ¡°That was delicious.¡± Lisa said and licked her lips. Ren and Stella exchanged glances, then looked back at Lisa. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, it was.¡± Stella waited a few moments to relax her pelvic muscles, then slid up and off of Ren. ¡°I think we all need a shower.¡± ¡°I definitely need one.¡± Ren said. ¡°Probably a cold one.¡± He glanced at himself and smiled. ¡°A really, really cold one.¡± Stella and Lisa looked at his member, then looked at each other. ¡°He can keep going in real life, too?¡± Lisa asked, and Stella nodded. ¡°He''s the gift that keeps on giving.¡± Stella said, and Lisa smiled. ¡°So it wasn''t just because we teased him so much, then.¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°He can go as many times as us, but it takes a lot longer.¡± ¡°I''m right here, you know.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to talk like I''m not here.¡± ¡°Hand job?¡± Lisa asked Stella. ¡°He''s still quite hard.¡± Stella said. ¡°It might be enough.¡± ¡°Ladies?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Rock Paper Scissors to see who goes first?¡± Lisa asked, and Stella shook her head. ¡°We can both get our hands on it.¡± Stella said. ¡°There''s no need to fight.¡± ¡°Geez, it''s not...¡± Ren closed his eyes as both women grabbed him with a hand. ¡°...a toy.¡± Lisa and Stella started to work him up and down at a good pace. ¡°Never mind.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can play with it all you want.¡± They did. When they were done, Ren had finished 4 more times and the volume he produced was back to the normal amount. ¡°That''s good work.¡± Stella said to Lisa. ¡°You''re really getting a knack for this.¡± Lisa chuckled. ¡°Only for Ren.¡± She said. ¡°The thought of touching another man like this...¡± She shivered. ¡°Yeah, no thanks.¡± Stella gave her a hug. ¡°Now what are we going to do?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Shower.¡± The two women said at the same time and laughed. Stella got the wheelchair and put a towel on it, and helped Ren stand up. He sat down and looked at the bathrobe. ¡°Should we even wash that?¡± Ren asked, and Stella laughed. ¡°I''ll soak it and the towels in the tub before throwing it in the washer.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°It''s pretty wet already.¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°You made that sound so dirty.¡± ¡°It''s a talent.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s get you to your room.¡± Stella said and picked a relatively clean towel to wrap around Lisa, and one to wrap around herself, then they gathered up their clothes and left the bathroom in the bowling alley to go and take a shower in Ren''s room. They took turns cleaning up, and when they were done, got dressed again. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± Ren asked as he sat in the wheelchair again. ¡°We still have to finish that game of bowling.¡± Lisa said, and Ren groaned. She ran a hand through his hair and then gave him a kiss. ¡°Don''t worry, we won''t tease you like that anymore.¡± ¡°Hey, a little teasing is okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just don''t overload me with your sexiness, okay?¡± ¡°No promises.¡± Lisa said and grinned, and Stella laughed. ¡°Let''s go back and finish that game, then we can do the rest of the tour and break for lunch.¡± Stella said, and they went back to the bowling alley. Chapter 371 - Gloria, Come On Over They finished their game of bowling and Ren reminded them that Lisa still needed a tour of the place. They left the bowling alley and went across the hall to the movie theatre with 20 leather recliners. ¡°We''ll be watching the next episode of my show in here.¡± Ren said. ¡°That should be fun.¡± Lisa said. They left there and Ren pointed to Stella''s room. ¡°That''s Stella''s room.¡± He said. ¡°She''s not living here, but when she''s here, I like having her close by.¡± He pointed across the hall. ¡°That room is empty, but I''m pretty sure Elise might take it. I mentioned her having a room here, but I don''t think she wants to actually move in or anything.¡± He said and pointed. ¡°Of course, that''s my room and you''ve already been in there.¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°I saw a third floor in the elevator.¡± ¡°We can go there next.¡± Ren said, and Stella pushed him back down the hall to the elevator. They got in and went up to the third floor. ¡°Wow, these lobbies could be their own huge rooms.¡± Lisa said when they stepped out into the third floor lobby. ¡°I''m sure we can figure out something to do with all this space.¡± Stella said. ¡°These two rooms are like the large bedrooms on the second floor.¡± Ren said and told Lisa to open the door to one of them. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Lisa said. ¡°This... it''s like...¡± ¡°A really expensive hotel.¡± Stella said as Lisa walked around and looked at everything. ¡°Mini-kitchen, really large attached bathroom, living area, and bedroom.¡± ¡°I was going to say swanky apartment.¡± Lisa said and came back over to them. ¡°A fancy hotel fits, too.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve offered a room to Denise, too.¡± He said. ¡°It''s the same deal as Stella at the moment and she hasn''t said yes or no; so, I don''t know if she wants it to be more than that.¡± ¡°Is it the sharing living space that''s made her nervous, or the not having to go home part?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°I''m pretty sure it''s both.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a big commitment to store some of your stuff at someone''s place, let alone be asked to stay during the week to make it easier for the commute.¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°Yeah, that would be a big step.¡± Stella pushed Ren down the short hall to the door at the end. ¡°This is the den.¡± Ren said and Lisa opened the door. ¡°Whoa.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It''s a library.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I haven''t gone through anything yet, and I was debating on making this a VR room...¡± ¡°Don''t you dare!¡± Lisa said and looked at the shelves of books. She walked over to one, reached a hand out, and took one of the books off the shelf. She held it up to her nose and sniffed. ¡°I love the smell of books.¡± Lisa said, then hugged the book to her chest. Ren saw the title was Moby Dick, but refrained from making a joke about it. ¡°If you want to visit and read books, you''re more than welcome to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be sad that you''ll come here to see the books and not me; but, it''ll make you happy, so I''ll hide how I feel about that.¡± He said and grinned at her. ¡°Ren.¡± Lisa put the book back on the shelf and walked over to him. She knelt by his chair and took his hand. ¡°Even if I spent all of my time sitting here and reading, I''d still have come here to see you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was just kidding.¡± ¡°You know what they say. Half in jest, half in seriousness.¡± Ren smiled, and touched the side of her face. ¡°Then, I''ll extend the same invitation to you that I gave my nurses.¡± Lisa smiled for a moment, and then her eyes widened. ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°I have at least one, and possibly two spare rooms left.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know you have to travel pretty far to get here just to visit for a few hours. Now, with all these books to entice you, maybe you''d like to have a sleepover.¡± ¡°Are... are you...¡± Lisa took a quick breath. ¡°Did you just ask me to move in with you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''ll be one of the two rooms here on the third floor. I don''t know how your mother would feel about making it permanent, though.¡± He said. ¡°So, maybe a trial run to see if you''ll like living here first before making the commitment?¡± ¡°I... Ren, I...¡± ¡°You don''t have to answer right away.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not like this offer is a limited time deal and will expire if you don''t answer.¡± Lisa stared at him and didn''t know what to say. ¡°I think it''s time for lunch.¡± Stella said. ¡°Let''s go down to the kitchen and grab a quick bite to eat.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Ren said and pointed to the door. ¡°Push me, my devoted servant!¡± ¡°I''ll push you, all right... right down the stairs... if you ever call me your ''servant'' again.¡± Stella said and grinned evilly at him. ¡°It... it was a joke.¡± Ren said and looked at her with worry on his face. ¡°Stella, I''m sorry. I... I didn''t mean... you know I... that... that I...¡± ¡°Gotcha!¡± Stella chuckled, and Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°That... that wasn''t funny.¡± Ren''s voice wavered and he started to hyperventilate as he put his head in his hands. ¡°I thought... I offended you... and I never meant... to do that.¡± He said and rubbed his face several times. ¡°I''d never... ever... offend you.¡± ¡°Ren?¡± It was Stella''s turn to have worry on her face, and she knelt down beside him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I''ll... I''ll watch what I say... from now on.¡± Ren said and took several deep breaths to calm down, then he looked at Stella with a blank face. ¡°I won''t make the same mistake again.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Please take me to the kitchen.¡± Ren said in a normal voice. ¡°I''m kind of hungry, and I''d appreciate it if you made me something.¡± Stella and Lisa exchanged glances, then they both stood up. Stella pushed the wheelchair down the hallway and they all went into the elevator. They arrived at the ground floor and walked by the weight room, both living rooms and dining room, then went into the kitchen. Stella parked Ren at the kitchen table, and started to make lunch for the three of them. ¡°Lisa? How long can you stay today?¡± Stella asked and took out a baking sheet, covered it with parchment paper, and put a dozen frozen chicken strips and several handfuls of frozen french fries on it. ¡°I told my mother I''d be out of her hair until tonight.¡± Lisa said. ¡°What did she say to that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°She was too busy spitting and sputtering to say anything.¡± Lisa said, and Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°You''re so bad.¡± Ren said and put a hand on the table, then turned it over to offer it to her. ¡°Damn right I am.¡± Lisa said as she took the offered hand and held it. ¡°I should have recorded it for you.¡± ¡°Oh, she''d kill you for sure!¡± Ren said and laughed. Lisa squeezed his hand slightly and they talked about what they could do for the afternoon. * Gloria had picked up her graduation diploma from the Dean of Sciences office that morning, and had to wait an hour for the copy place to open. She had 3 copies made, then had the original laminated. She went to the picture frame store and splurged a little bit as she bought an expensive frame for it. They covered it in protective wrap to make sure the glass didn''t break, and she stored it and the copies in her trunk. She drove home at a moderate speed, but in her head she had floored the gas the entire time. She pulled into her parking space at her apartment complex, grabbed her real diploma, and ran up the stairs. She went into her place and then into her living room.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Gloria looked at the blank wall and thought about the best place to hang it up... then remembered where she lived. If she left something this valuable to her just hanging on the wall where anyone would see it, was just asking for someone to steal it on her. She sighed and took the still wrapped diploma into her bedroom, opened the middle drawer, and tucked it under the clothing inside. When it was well hidden, Gloria walked out to her living room and sat down at her computer. She''d already booked off work at the garage for the day, mainly because she knew she''d be too distracted about getting her diploma. I got my diploma. Gloria thought. My actual diploma. She shook her head. I can''t believe I actually finished. She took a deep breath and smiled. I did it! A beep sounded and Gloria saw the ad for the new processor that Ren had mentioned to her last week, and she laughed. Let''s get to work! Gloria thought and delved into the technical specs for the new chip, to see if it would be an improvement over her modifications. After several hours of comparisons, tracing where the chips would improve what she had, and seeing where it would actually be a detriment to what she had designed, she decided that the new chip wouldn''t be a good investment. The pros and cons balanced each other out, and the net gain for the research project wasn''t enough for her to justify the expense. Even though she was a little sad that it wouldn''t be something new she could play with, it had been fun to try and discover if it could be. With that important task done, she gathered up her VR headset and it''s components to put them in a box, put a change of clothes and a bathing suit in a bag, then left her apartment. I hope he doesn''t mind if I show up a little early. Gloria thought and put the box and bag in her trunk. She hopped in the car and drove out of the parking lot to head across part of the city. The traffic wasn''t too bad on the back streets, despite it being lunch time, and she indulged her need for speed and stepped on the gas. * ¡°That was great, Stella.¡± Ren said and rubbed his belly. ¡°My stomach was a little sad there wasn''t gravy for the fries, though.¡± ¡°I''m so sorry you had to suffer like that.¡± Stella said and they all laughed. ¡°So, did you decide what you wanted to do this afternoon?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Ren said. ¡°I offered to lounge on the couch in the den and let Lisa use me like a pillow while she read a book; but apparently, I''m not really pillow material.¡± ¡°That''s not what I said.¡± Lisa rolled her eyes. ¡°What I said was-¡± The phone rang and interrupted her, and Stella picked it up. ¡°Yes, you can let her in. Thank you.¡± Stella said. ¡°Gloria''s here.¡± Ren looked at the clock. ¡°Hey, she''s only 6 hours early.¡± He said and chuckled, and Stella pulled his chair away from the table. ¡°I''ll wait here.¡± Lisa said. ¡°What for?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Gloria''s just a friend.¡± ¡°With benefits.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Only in the game.¡± Ren said and motioned for Lisa to come with him. ¡°I''ve never slept with her for real.¡± ¡°Do you want to?¡± Lisa asked and followed Ren and Stella across the house and to the front door. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, she''s also Stella''s and my employee. I respect her decision to keep things professional, and I won''t push her for anything else besides what we already have.¡± ¡°And what do you have?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°When she needs me in the game, I do everything I can for her.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least, that''s the way it used to be.¡± He said. ¡°Once I leveled her ability to Master, things... kind of changed between us.¡± ¡°She doesn''t need you as much anymore.¡± Stella said, and Lisa and Ren looked at her. ¡°Feelings between people change when their needs change.¡± She said wisely. ¡°Look at what happened between you and Lucy, Ren. When she left and she didn''t need to take care of you anymore, she lost what it was she cared about the most.¡± ¡°You don''t mean me, do you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, Ren. I''m sorry.¡± Stella said and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°What she lost was the need to be needed.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I still needed her, though; and she hurt me so badly when she broke it off like she did.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Stella said, and the doorbell rang. ¡°I''ll get it.¡± Lisa said and opened the door as she stepped back and out of the way. ¡°I did it!¡± Gloria said when the door opened, stepped inside and put down the box and bag she had, then bent over to hug Ren. ¡°I''m so happy for you.¡± Ren said and hugged her back. ¡°You deserved it.¡± ¡°She sure did.¡± Stella said, and Gloria let Ren go, then gave Stella a hug, too. ¡°It''s all thanks to you.¡± Gloria said. ¡°If you hadn''t spoken to the Dean of Sciences...¡± ¡°I had to.¡± Stella said. ¡°He''s the head of the peer review for the research project. If I didn''t speak to him, our license would be revoked just like that.¡± She said and let Gloria go to snap her fingers. ¡°He told me it was your recommendation that got me the extra credit for my last two courses.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Ha.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m pretty sure the report on your work did that.¡± ¡°You''re not going to let me give you any credit, are you?¡± Gloria asked. Stella put a hand up and held her thumb and index finger an inch apart. ¡°I''ll take a little bit.¡± Gloria chuckled, and turned when the front door shut behind her. ¡°Oh! Hi, Lara.¡± ¡°Hi, Elerlyth.¡± Lisa said, and Gloria snorted a laugh. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Gloria said. ¡°You look too much like your game character.¡± ¡°I don''t have my elfin pointed ears, though.¡± Lisa smiled and brushed her hair back to show off her ears, and Gloria laughed. ¡°So, you''re a little early.¡± Ren said and Gloria looked back at him. ¡°I hope you don''t mind.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I was too excited about getting my diploma to work today.¡± ¡°I don''t mind at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°We were just trying to decide what to do this afternoon.¡± Gloria bent down and opened the box she had brought, then took out a copy of her diploma to hand to Stella. ¡°Is this supposed to kick off the renegotiation of your student researcher contract?¡± Stella asked and Gloria grinned. ¡°It''s just for your records. We can discuss work when we get to work.¡± ¡°It''ll be Sunday this week.¡± Stella said and looked at the box and it''s contents. ¡°We''ve got a mission with Ren''s new party in the game tonight.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Rather than go home after his show and take the chance I might miss the start of it, he asked me to stay over and play here.¡± Lisa looked at Ren. ¡°You didn''t ask me to do that.¡± ¡°That''s because you''re too important to me, and the game, to risk your life going on a dangerous adventure.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°At least, not until I fix a few things up for you first.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Lisa stepped close and took his hand. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I''m not spilling game secrets outside the game.¡± Ren said. Lisa laughed, because he was using her own argument against her. ¡°I''ll find out the next time I see you in the game.¡± ¡°I should have everything done by then.¡± Ren said and looked at Gloria. ¡°We should log in a little early so that I can redo your armor a little.¡± ¡°Please tell me it''s new enchantments like your armor!¡± Gloria said. ¡°Maybe.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°We are going to kick ass tonight!¡± Ren looked at Lisa and squeezed her hand. ¡°It''s going to be difficult, even with the extra enchantments.¡± ¡°All the better.¡± Gloria said and picked up her box and bag. ¡°It wouldn''t be any fun without a little danger thrown in.¡± ¡°Let me take that up to Ren''s room.¡± Stella said and pointed to Gloria''s box. ¡°I''ve got to put your diploma in my room and I can take that up, too.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Gloria said and handed her the box. ¡°If your VR stuff is in the box, what''s in the bag?¡± Ren asked. ¡°A change of clothes and a bathing suit.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Just in case.¡± ¡°A dip in the pool would be nice.¡± Ren said and looked at Lisa. ¡°Did you bring your respectable swimsuit?¡± ¡°Respectable?¡± ¡°I mean, not the naughty one.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I hope you brought both of them; but, that one would be difficult to actually swim with.¡± ¡°I can swim in it.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I meant me.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°There''s no way I can swim properly if you''re wearing it.¡± Lisa laughed and grabbed her backpack from the coat rack by the door with her free hand. ¡°Yes, I have an actual swimsuit in my backpack, you pervert.¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°Then swimming it is.¡± He said and looked at Stella. ¡°When you''re done upstairs, can you bring me a pair of swim trunks? Please?¡± ¡°Sure, Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t go near the water without you there.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll wait out by the change rooms for you.¡± Stella nodded and walked over to the elevator and got in. ¡°Now... which of you strong beautiful women wants to push my chair?¡± ¡°You don''t have to butter us up.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Lisa?¡± Lisa shook her head. ¡°It''s a little too awkward for me to handle.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t think I can handle it enough to get it out the door without hitting something, anyways.¡± Gloria nodded and stepped behind the wheelchair and pushed Ren, while Lisa walked beside the chair and held Ren''s hand. She hasn''t let it go since he offered it to her. Gloria thought. Is he doing it on purpose? She asked herself. Is he trying to make me jealous? She looked at him and at Lisa, then remembered what had happened when she had jumped to conclusions in the game. No, I''m sure he''s not. Lisa had to let Ren''s hand go to open the patio door, and Gloria pushed him out through it and over to the change rooms. ¡°Gloria? Set the wheel locks, please.¡± Ren said, and she did. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I''ll get changed first.¡± Lisa said and went into the closest change room. ¡°You don''t have to wait, Gloria.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m fine by myself for a couple of minutes.¡± ¡°What if I wanted to talk to you?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°In private.¡± ¡°Unless you''ve got a sound-proof room in your pocket, it''ll have to wait until we have some privacy.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Because that''s not going to happen right now.¡± ¡°Thanks for waiting.¡± Stella said after she came out of the house. ¡°Ren, here''s your trunks.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°I''m taking the center stall.¡± ¡°Go ahead and change, Gloria.¡± Stella said. ¡°Lisa should be...¡± ¡°...already changed.¡± Lisa said and came out wearing the bathing suit she hadn''t shown Ren. It was the red one with the push up top. Stella nodded to her and stepped into the change room, and Gloria went into the first one to change. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said when he came out of the middle change room and saw Lisa. ¡°You always look nice; but, you look really nice.¡± ¡°I''m glad you like it.¡± Lisa said and turned around to show him all of it. ¡°If I''d asked you to do that, you would have smacked me.¡± Ren chuckled and sat down. ¡°Yes, I would.¡± Lisa said and smiled. ¡°Are we actually swimming, or are we soaking for a while?¡± ¡°A little bit of both, I think.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just waiting on... helllllooooo, nurse!¡± Stella stepped out wearing a bathing suit he''d never seen before. As far as Ren could tell, it was a piece of fabric in the shape of a capital ''T''. That was it. There were no straps over the shoulders and no straps around the hips. Just fabric that surrounded her breasts to completely cover them, and a strip of fabric that went from that, down her belly, between her legs, and up the other side. Stella did the same thing as Lisa, and performed a little twirl to show Ren all the way around. He did a good imitation of a wolf whistle for her, and she laughed. ¡°I think he likes it.¡± Stella said. ¡°Maybe I should have worn the naughty suit.¡± Lisa said. ¡°How is that even staying up?¡± ¡°Wishful thinking.¡± Stella said, and they laughed. Chapter 372 - In The Pool Gloria came out of the first change room, and she wore a light blue one piece bathing suit that covered her completely; but, Ren stared at her anyways. ¡°What?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You''re naked.¡± Ren said and reached up to touch his ear and then his nose. ¡°I don''t wear them all the time, you doofus.¡± Gloria said and laughed. ¡°You don''t think I sleep with the piercings in, do you?¡± ¡°I didn''t know you could take them out at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, yeah. I did think you slept with them in.¡± Gloria wasn''t sure how to respond to that. ¡°And that''s our cue to get in the water.¡± Stella said and offered an arm for Ren to use. He took it without hesitation and they walked over to the shallow end of the pool. ¡°Take it easy. Don''t push yourself like you did the last time.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Ren said, and waded into the water. ¡°This is great!¡± He said and let himself float in the water. ¡°I''m so glad I have a pool.¡± ¡°It''s definitely relaxing.¡± Stella said and tread water nearby as Lisa and Gloria swam past them. ¡°It''s not that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look at you! Look at Lisa and Gloria!¡± He almost laughed, but stopped himself and relaxed. ¡°Never, not even in my wildest dreams, did I think I would ever see such a beautiful sight with my own eyes.¡± Ren couldn''t see that all three women had blushed, since he was looking straight up. ¡°I could die right now, and I wouldn''t have any regrets.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren!¡± Lisa said and swam over to him. ¡°You shouldn''t say things like that.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ren asked as he floated. ¡°It''s the truth.¡± ¡°People will... they''ll start to think that...¡± ¡°Don''t get me wrong, I don''t want to die.¡± Ren said. ¡°I did that enough when I was younger.¡± He said and Lisa stopped swimming and tread water like Stella. ¡°I want to keep going for as long as I can, so I can see even more beautiful things.¡± None of the three women said anything, and Ren changed from floating to treading water. ¡°I don''t think that any of you realize just how lucky I am.¡± Ren said and looked at them. ¡°Look at my life when I was in the hospital, and look at my life now.¡± He said, then swam over to the side of the pool and held on. He was too tired to swim back to the shallow end, so he pulled himself along the side of the pool instead. ¡°Before I started playing FLOW, my life... well, it was kind of empty. I''d sleep, watch television, eat, watch television and spend time with the nurses, and sleep.¡± Ren said and walked up a few steps, then sat down in the water. ¡°That was it. My whole life in a nutshell.¡± ¡°Ren, it wasn''t that bleak.¡± Stella said. ¡°At the time? No, it wasn''t bleak at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, It was the best life I''d ever had. People took care of me, gave me steady meals, and I had a bed to sleep in.¡± He smiled. ¡°What a life to have after... after...¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, I won''t think about that part of my life anymore. It doesn''t deserve the attention.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°My life then was great, because I didn''t know I could have a different one.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then I started playing FLOW. New things opened up for me. Exciting things. Things that I would laugh my head off at you for saying I could do, and it was just a game.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Now look at me.¡± He said. ¡°I live in a big fancy home with everything I could possibly need. I have beautiful women who actually like me and want to spend time with me. I even own my own bed!¡± He laughed. ¡°Can you imagine what that''s like? How happy I am that my life has turned out like this?¡± Lisa swam over to the shallow end, went up a couple of steps and sat down next to him. ¡°Yes, Ren. I can.¡± She said and took his hand. ¡°My life was... well, it was a disaster. I don''t know if it was my own personality that drove it to be that way, or if the disaster gave me my personality.¡± ¡°Just like me.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°Am I the way I am because of what I went through, or would I have always been the way I am no matter what?¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°My life changed when I started playing the game, too.¡± She said. ¡°I was calmer, less confrontational, and I didn''t lash out at everyone that...¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, I agree with you. That part of my life doesn''t deserve the attention, either.¡± She smiled. ¡°I was getting a little better, and then I met you.¡± She chuckled. ¡°That sounds so cliche, doesn''t it? Oh, Ren! You changed my life!¡± ¡°I''m okay with being a cliche.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s better than being a stereotype.¡± Lisa laughed and let his hand go, then put an arm around his shoulders, and he put his arm around her waist. ¡°You''re my cliche, too.¡± Gloria said and swam over, then stood up in the shallow end in front of him. ¡°When we met that first time, I thought... look at this guy. He''s so innocent and trusting.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°We met in jail.¡± ¡°That''s my point. You had no idea what that place was like. You had no clue.¡± Gloria shook her head. ¡°Emanon wanted to rob you right away.¡± She said. ¡°I convinced him not to.¡± ¡°I''m glad, because that wasn''t going to happen anyways.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I had my Spider Silk Coin Vault by that time. He wouldn''t have gotten anything at all if he tried to rob me.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Gloria said, then smiled. ¡°So, you weren''t that trusting after all?¡± ¡°I was even more trusting, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°My money might have been safe, but I wasn''t.¡± He smiled. ¡°You let me sleep on your lap for most of the night. I trusted you with my life.¡± Gloria thought about it, and realized he was right. It hadn''t crossed her mind to kill him; but, she easily could have and looted his body. ¡°After you paid to get me out of jail, I started to question the things I did.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I didn''t enjoy them as much as I did before, either.¡± ¡°That''s me.¡± Ren said. ¡°The wet blanket.¡± Gloria chuckled. ¡°That''s so true.¡± She said. ¡°As time went on, I did less and less questionable things, and then I did a job for Tristan.¡± She sighed. ¡°When he killed the guy I found for him, I knew my mercenary days were over.¡± ¡°He almost killed you, too.¡± Ren said, and Gloria nodded. ¡°You saved my life, though.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Your armor protected me from his punch.¡± That reminded Ren about Tristan''s enchanted gauntlet, and he made a mental note to ask Issac about it the next time he logged in. ¡°I quit and did normal adventuring after that.¡± ¡°No, you didn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hired you as security.¡± ¡°Which lasted, what? 2 weeks?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°You''re still listed as head of security at my business.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, I haven''t paid you in a while.¡± Gloria laughed. ¡°I haven''t worked for you in a while, either.¡± ¡°You''ve been busy in real life.¡± Ren said. ¡°So have you.¡± Gloria said and motioned to the house. ¡°You have a hit television show and bought a mansion.¡± She said. ¡°A goddamn mansion!¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°What else am I going to spend the money on? Trips around the world?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I have a hard time walking 75 feet by myself!¡± Gloria sighed and nodded. ¡°The biggest thing you did for me was feed me in the game.¡± She said. ¡°You dropped everything to come to me when I called, no matter when or where you were, and I had no reasonable expectation for you to do that.¡± She walked over and sat down on his other side. ¡°You helped me so much, and shared so much of yourself.¡± ¡°I had to.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I wanted to see what would happen when you mastered it.¡± ¡°I can... taste everyone now.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I can''t feed on them like I do on you, though.¡± ¡°So, it really is easier for you if the participants are willing.¡± Gloria nodded. ¡°You don''t know how refreshing it was to...¡± She glanced at Lisa. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I saw it all, anyways.¡± ¡°You did?!?¡± Gloria exclaimed, and Lisa nodded. ¡°When Ren and I...¡± Lisa''s face flushed red. ¡°When we got together the first time in the game, he told me everything; and I saw everything.¡± ¡°I thought my ability was awesome and scary.¡± Gloria said. ¡°That would be terrifying.¡± Lisa chuckled. ¡°It is terrifying, especially if I see something involuntarily, or if it''s about someone trying to hide their secrets.¡± ¡°I never hid anything, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, you didn''t.¡± Lisa said and hugged him a little tighter. ¡°I''ll use Gloria''s words, Ren. You don''t know how refreshing it is to meet someone like you that doesn''t mind me using my ability on them.¡± ¡°That''s it exactly.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I felt so guilty the first time I tried to eat his emotions all up... and he just laughed at me because he''d been sharing everything the whole time anyways.¡± ¡°I didn''t laugh right away.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It took me a few seconds.¡± Gloria snorted a laugh. ¡°You are always so open and honest, that it almost hurt to feed on you.¡± ¡°Does the fact that the sex was great make up for that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Gloria said and grinned. ¡°Especially now that I can use it to level up.¡± ¡°Yeah, that was a surprise.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sex for XP.¡± Gloria laughed. ¡°That''s not how it works, remember? Sex just makes sharing a lot easier.¡± ¡°It breaks the emotional barrier between people.¡± Lisa said, and Gloria looked at her. ¡°It''s hard not to feel something for someone when you''re... ah... intimate.¡± Gloria nodded. ¡°Feeling good like that, brings all the other emotions so close to the surface that it''s so easy to feed.¡± She said. ¡°It''s almost criminal how much people open up at the moment they let everything go.¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°When he and I are together, I can...¡± She stopped talking and her face closed down. ¡°She can''t talk about it.¡± Ren said squeezed her hip. ¡°Game rules.¡± ¡°Really? That sucks.¡± Gloria said. ¡°You must be full of pent up frustrations about that.¡± ¡°I...¡± Lisa sighed. ¡°I''m really glad Ren doesn''t bug me about it.¡± ¡°That''s because I don''t need an explanation.¡± Ren said. ¡°You said you can''t talk about it, and that''s all I needed to hear.¡± ¡°You''re so understanding.¡± Lisa said and leaned close. ¡°I really like that.¡± ¡°Well, that''s fair...¡± Ren turned his face to her. ¡°...because I really like you.¡± Lisa puckered her lips for him and he gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Aw, that''s so cute.¡± Stella said and swam over. ¡°Is it my turn to give my ''Ren changed my life'' story?¡± ¡°We already know that one.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Lucy left, which put a huge hole in Ren''s life. You took over a good portion of it, and when he was attacked, you left the hospital with him to make sure he had the best care anyone could give him.¡± ¡°You also convinced Barbara and Denise to come along, even though you didn''t know where it was you were going.¡± Lisa said. ¡°As long as you were there for Ren, the rest didn''t matter.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°I''ve told this story before, huh?¡± ¡°Nope, we''re psychic.¡± Gloria said and they all laughed. * Detective John Ramirez thought about going through official channels to find Ren; but, if there was one thing he didn''t want to do, it was tip off the Chief of Police that John and Holly were still sticking their noses where he told them not to stick them. ¡°I got it!¡± Officer Holly Stonewall said and dug through her notebook. ¡°Where is it... where is... found it.¡± She said and held up her notebook with Elise Stanford''s number written on it. ¡°Ha. Good one.¡± John said. ¡°Do you want to do the honors?¡± ¡°You''re driving, so yeah.¡± Holly said and took out the burner phone. ¡°I just hope she answers the number.¡± * Elise was working at her desk. She had filed all the paperwork her boss at Sid Tec had given her that morning, and was going through the reams of emails that had backed up while she was busy. She heard her cell phone ring, and picked up her purse to get it. She looked at the number, but didn''t recognize it. I wonder who got a new cell phone? Elise asked herself and answered it. * ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Hi, Elise. This is Officer Holly Stonewall.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°You shouldn''t sound so disappointed.¡± Holly said. ¡°I''m sorry, Officer. What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I''m just calling to check up on Ren.¡± Holly said. ¡°How is he?¡± ¡°Why didn''t you call him yourself? Or one of the nurses?¡± ¡°Because I''m sure I''ll get an honest answer from you.¡± Holly said and chuckled. ¡°At least, I hope I''ll get an honest answer.¡± She said. ¡°You care a lot about him.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Elise said. ¡°He''s doing well.¡± ¡°Just well?¡± Holly asked. ¡°How does he like the new place?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°He loves it.¡± She said. ¡°It''s a little big for just him, but he''s asked a couple of the nurses to stay with him during the week.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Holly''s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Is his bed big enough for all of them?¡± Elise laughed. ¡°It is, but that''s not what I meant. There''s 4 other rooms for them to choose from, not counting the guest house.¡± Holly chuckled. ¡°That makes a lot more sense. I''m sorry for jumping to conclusions.¡± ¡°You''re the police.¡± Elise said. ¡°That''s what you do.¡± Holly laughed. ¡°You got me there.¡± She said. ¡°So, he really is doing well.¡± ¡°He is, now that the bruise on his chest is healed.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m actually going over there tonight to see him and watch his show.¡± ¡°That must be better than watching it at the temporary care facility.¡± ¡°Without a doubt.¡± Elise said. ¡°It should be fun seeing it on such a large screen.¡± ¡°I imagine it would.¡± Holly said. ¡°Thanks, Elise. I better let you get back to work.¡± ¡°Yes, I suppose the spam emails must be dealt with.¡± Elise said and sighed. ¡°Goodbye, Officer.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Holly said and hung up. ¡°So...¡± John said. ¡°He''s in a 5 bedroom house, with a really large television screen of some kind, and a guest house.¡± ¡°Damn, he''s a lucky kid.¡± John said. ¡°Pull over on Pekoe Street.¡± Holly said. ¡°There''s an internet cafe where we can check this info.¡± ¡°Dressed like this?¡± John asked. He was in a nice blue suit and Holly wore her police uniform. ¡°No, I guess not.¡± Holly said. ¡°We''d definitely draw attention if we did.¡± ¡°I''ve got my gym bag in the trunk.¡± John offered. ¡°You want me to wear your old sweaty clothes?¡± ¡°You don''t have to sound so indignant.¡± John said and laughed. ¡°I haven''t worn them yet.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Holly said. ¡°That''s okay, then.¡± John pulled into an alleyway a street over from Pekoe Street and stopped the car. He got out and popped the trunk, grabbed his gym bag and closed the trunk, then got back into the driver''s seat and passed the gym bag to Holly. ¡°Where am I supposed to change?¡± Holly asked, and John thumbed over his shoulder. ¡°You''re kidding.¡± ¡°I can''t think of anywhere else to do it without being seen.¡± John said. ¡°Can you?¡± Holly sighed and climbed into the backseat of his car. ¡°Tilt the rear view mirror down.¡± John did it without question, and she nodded as she unbuttoned her shirt. What Holly and John didn''t realize was that the mirror had two settings. One for normal driving and it faced straight, and one for bright lights behind the car when you tilted it down; it reflected the light away from your eyes and still let you see. Holly slipped off her shirt to reveal a thick sports bra, and John froze because he could still clearly see Holly in the mirror. ¡°Holly...¡± ¡°Don''t talk to me while I''m changing.¡± Holly said. ¡°This is awkward enough without hearing your voice, too.¡± John kept quiet, and he couldn''t reach up to move the mirror, because Holly would accuse him of trying to peek at her. He watched in silence as she put on his t-shirt and it slid over her head easily. When she started to undo her pants, he tried to look away; but, the alluring scene played out in front of him and he just couldn''t stop himself from looking at her. Holly pulled her pants down over her hips and watched the back of John''s head. He didn''t try to turn and take a peek, and she slid the pants down her thighs and over her knees. She pulled her shoes off and took her feet out of the pant legs. She felt a little self conscious because she sat in the back of John''s car in just a t-shirt and underwear, then she picked up her uniform pants and folded them. Holly grabbed his jogging pants and put one foot in them, then the next. She pulled them up over her knees and up her thighs, then lifted her butt to slide them all the way up to her waist. She sighed as she covered herself, then she slipped her feet back into her shoes. ¡°You can look now.¡± Holly said, and John flipped the mirror up. ¡°Holly...¡± ¡°Thanks for not trying to peek.¡± Holly said. ¡°I didn''t have to peek.¡± John said to her as he looked her reflection in the mirror. ¡°I-¡± ¡°Just because you''ve seen me naked already?¡± Holly asked and cut him off. ¡°Don''t tell me you''re like that, John.¡± ¡°Holly, you know I could stare at you all day.¡± John said. ¡°I fought hard not to turn around and look at you.¡± Holly could see the honesty in his face, and she let a small smile out. ¡°You''d kill me if I tried to look at you unprofessionally.¡± John said and saw her tiny nod. ¡°No matter how cute you look in your uniform.¡± ¡°John! I do NOT look cute in uniform!¡± ¡°You just keep telling yourself that.¡± John said and smiled at her reflection. ¡°Denial isn''t just a river in Egypt.¡± Holly snorted a laugh and got out of the back seat on his side of the car. She stepped to the driver''s side window, put her hands on her hips, and bent over. ¡°I am not cute.¡± Holly said. ¡°Even wearing my workout clothes, that are at least two sizes too big for you, you''re cute as hell.¡± John said as he looked at her. ¡°By the way, I can see your sports bra.¡± Holly glanced down and looked at herself, and saw the neck of the t-shirt gaped open and let John see all the way inside. ¡°That''s okay. Nothing''s showing.¡± ¡°Your bra is showing.¡± John said and chuckled. ¡°Do you know how sexy that is?¡± He asked her. ¡°I''m glad I''m sitting down, because you''d probably punch me if I was standing up.¡± Holly took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Don''t be an ass.¡± ¡°Hey, it''s not my fault you''re so attractive.¡± John said and smiled. ¡°Blame your parents.¡± Holly stood up straight. ¡°We''ll talk about this later.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll walk over to Pekoe and check the house listings.¡± ¡°I''ll be waiting right here for you.¡± John said, then passed her the burner phone. ¡°Unless you need me, then I''ll be there as soon as you call.¡± Holly nodded. She was both angry and not angry at him, and for the same reason. She didn''t really know how to feel about his comments, and walked out of the alley without a word to search for information that would help them find Ren. What she didn''t know, or couldn''t possibly guess, was that it would help others find Ren, too. Chapter 373 - Just A Friendly Visit Ren, Gloria, Lisa, and Stella enjoyed their time in the pool. After a short rest, Ren swam a little more, then went into the attached hot tub to watch the three women enjoy themselves as they swam. Since they didn''t have to keep an eye on Ren, they let themselves go a little bit and carried on more than they normally would have. They hadn''t discussed it with each other, but they all realized that they wanted to give him a bit of a show. The three women frolicked and played, laughed out loud and splashed in the water, and let Ren enjoy watching them. They didn''t do anything sexually teasing, like bend over for him or anything like that. All they did was exaggerate the fun they were already having. ¡°I think I''m getting water-logged.¡± Ren said and climbed out of the hot tub. Stella took that as the cue to end the festivities, and they all got out of the pool. After a quick rinse in the cold shower to clean off a bit, they gathered up their clothes and went into the house. ¡°Gloria, the main house bathroom is right there.¡± Ren said and pointed at a door between the dining room and workout room. ¡°It''s got a huge shower, so you can clean up in there.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Gloria said and went into the bathroom. ¡°Stella, can you take me up to my room so I can shower, too?¡± Ren asked, and Stella nodded. ¡°Lisa, are you joining me?¡± ¡°Um... I think that... I... ah...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Ride up in the elevator with us, then you can go to the third floor to pick out which room you want.¡± Lisa nodded, and they got in the elevator. Ren and Stella got off on the second floor, and Lisa went up to the third. Stella pushed Ren into his room and then into the bathroom. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I think asking Lisa to move in is a mistake.¡± ¡°You think it''s too soon.¡± Ren said, and Stella nodded. ¡°Well, I already offered it; so, all I can say is... your objection is duly noted.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Ren stood up and slipped off his swim trunks. ¡°I''m not taking it back, even if I wanted to.¡± He said and stepped into the shower and sat down. ¡°Can you help me shower again? I''m a little weak, even after resting in the hot tub.¡± ¡°You should have turned it on.¡± Stella said and slipped off her custom bathing suit. ¡°It might have helped.¡± ¡°I would have had a hard time listening to you guys playing around.¡± Ren said, and when Stella stepped into the shower, he took her hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I''ll always help you shower.¡± Stella said. ¡°You don''t have to thank me for that.¡± ¡°I meant for playing with the girls in the pool.¡± Ren said. ¡°The carrying on, the joking, and the laughter.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''m going to remember those sounds for the rest of my life.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Stella said and knelt to hug him. ¡°I''m glad you liked it.¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°Almost as much as you hugging me naked.¡± Stella snorted a laugh and let him go. ¡°They''re just breasts.¡± ¡°No, they''re your breasts.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s a huge difference.¡± Stella laughed and stood up. ¡°Let''s get you cleaned up and dressed for the ladies.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and held his arms out. ¡°Scrub me, please.¡± ¡°Rough or soft?¡± Stella asked and held up a sponge and a cloth. ¡°Soft.¡± Ren said, and Stella lathered up the cloth and scrubbed him from top to bottom. She''d saved his midsection for last, and when she knelt and washed between his legs, he didn''t react at all. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want to insult you by getting excited.¡± ¡°Okay, Ren.¡± Stella put the cloth down and looked at him. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know that''s not true.¡± Stella said. ¡°Normally, I''ll barely touch it and you would be ready.¡± She said. ¡°Why are you holding back now?¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am never going to offend you.¡± ¡°Ren, please... tell me what...¡± ¡°I never want to hurt you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I made that mistake with Lucy, and she left me.¡± He said and wiped his eyes before the tears could fall. ¡°I don''t want to lose you, too.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''m sorry, I shouldn''t cry like this.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve cried enough over losing the people that I love.¡± He said and looked at her. ¡°I think I''m scrubbed enough, and I''d like to be rinsed off, please.¡± ¡°No.¡± Stella said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you don''t get excited for me right now.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ll take it as an insult.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Ren, I will not let you close yourself off from me like this.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s not healthy for you to deny your urges, especially with me; so, you will react properly when I touch you.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m not kidding.¡± Stella said. ¡°You will act honestly and truthfully with me, you will tell me what''s wrong at all times, and you will let your body react as much as it wants to.¡± ¡°Stella...¡± ¡°You will not deny yourself, and you will definitely not deny yourself with me.¡± Stella said. ¡°Now, I''m going to pleasure you and you are going to enjoy it.¡± ¡°I...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Stella reached out and touched it, and it sprang to life instantly, and she smiled. ¡°Look at me, Ren.¡± She looked at Ren in the eyes as she wrapped her hand around him. Neither of them broke eye contact as she pleased him; and since Stella''s technique was far beyond anything he had experienced before, it didn''t take long for him to finish. She felt it as it splashed across her chest and belly, but kept staring at him and kept moving her hand. ¡°S-S-Stella!¡± Ren said as he went again. ¡°I... I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Stella said. ¡°So, don''t ever insult me by not reacting to me.¡± ¡°I promise.¡± Ren said, and Stella helped him rinse off. She stepped out of the shower and looked back when Ren didn''t move. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Can you put that bathing suit back on?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I didn''t give you a proper reaction to it.¡± ¡°You didn''t?¡± Stella asked, and he shook his head. ¡°I want to make up for insulting you.¡± ¡°Ren, I''m standing here, naked.¡± ¡°Please.¡± Stella nodded and stepped into the bathing suit, pulled it up, and tucked her breasts into the strip across her chest. ¡°There.¡± She said and looked at Ren, and saw he was at full mast. ¡°Turn... turn around.¡± Ren said. Stella turned around for him, and wiggled her butt. When she bent over a little bit, she heard him gasp. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Ren said. Stella looked over her shoulder at him and saw that he had finished again. ¡°You really do like it.¡± Ren nodded several times quickly. She stood up and slid the bathing suit off, and stepped back into the shower with him. ¡°I need another shower.¡± Stella said and saw Ren was still ready. ¡°This is going to take a while, isn''t it?¡± She asked, and Ren nodded several times again. * ¡°I wonder what''s taking them so long.¡± Gloria asked Lisa. They were showered and dressed and back downstairs in the kitchen. Lisa had mentioned that there were snacks in the bowling alley on the second floor, and they had grabbed several handfuls of bars and 3 bowls of candy.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°If I had to take a guess, I''d say they''re taking a shower together.¡± Lisa said and ate a candy. Gloria stopped eating her chocolate bar and looked at her. ¡°Wait, together?¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°She has to help him a lot, especially after some kind of physical activity.¡± She said, and then smiled. ¡°Of course, this activity was three half-naked girls playing in a pool.¡± ¡°Hold on... are you saying that... that they... that she...¡± ¡°I don''t think they are actually having intercourse.¡± Lisa said and ate another candy. ¡°No doubt it''s by hand, and maybe some oral.¡± Gloria''s mouth dropped open, and Lisa laughed. ¡°You''re okay with that?¡± Gloria asked when she recovered from the shock, then remembered her bar and took another bite. ¡°Not only was she here first; but, you know just as well as I do what Stella thinks about being physical.¡± Gloria thought about it for a minute. * The elevator door opened and Stella pushed Ren out and past the living room. ¡°She is pretty open-minded about it.¡± Gloria said as Stella and Ren arrived at the kitchen. ¡°Who''s open-minded about what?¡± Stella asked and parked Ren at the kitchen table. ¡°You and sex.¡± Lisa said and ate another candy. Stella chuckled. ¡°I didn''t know my sex life was a valid topic of conversation.¡± ¡°Gloria was wondering what was taking you so long.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I just filled her in on what i thought was happening.¡± ¡°Did somebody get the license plate of that bus I just got thrown under?¡± Gloria asked, and Lisa laughed. ¡°If that''s the case, then yes.¡± Stella said. ¡°He and I had to discuss something, and when we worked that out...¡± ¡°I don''t need the details about my boss and his boss doing the hanky-panky, thanks.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Hanky-panky?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I thought I was the one full of old movie-isms.¡± ¡°So, what did you do?¡± Lisa asked, and Gloria put her hands over her ears. ¡°Her hand on me, my hand on me, my mouth on her, and her mouth on me.¡± Ren said without hesitation. ¡°In that order.¡± Lisa tapped Gloria''s arm, and she moved her hands. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I was right.¡± Lisa said. ¡°They didn''t have intercourse.¡± ¡°Geez, I said I didn''t want to know!¡± Gloria exclaimed, and everyone laughed. The telephone rang and Stella picked it up. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± She said and hung up. ¡°The police are here.¡± * ¡°Get a load of this place.¡± Detective John Ramirez said as they drove slowly up the road towards Ren''s house. ¡°It''s a mansion.¡± Officer Holly Stonewall said. ¡°There''s the guest house in back, just like the house listing said.¡± She said. ¡°Are you sure coming here directly was a good idea?¡± ¡°It''ll let him know we''re still looking after him, and that we can find him when it''s necessary.¡± John said and pulled into the long, wide driveway. * ¡°I guess I better go meet them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had hoped it would have taken them longer to find me.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Gloria said. ¡°You were hiding from the police?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, I''m not that stupid.¡± He said. ¡°I just moved and didn''t tell them where I went.¡± He looked at Stella. ¡°I only told the people that mattered to me where this place was.¡± Lisa and Gloria exchanged glances when they heard that, then looked at Ren. ¡°I didn''t tell anyone.¡± Stella said and unlocked the wheels on the wheelchair and started to push it towards the front door. ¡°I told 2 taxi drivers; but, there''s no way for them to know it''s you that I''m visiting.¡± Lisa said as she followed Ren and Stella. ¡°I don''t have anyone to tell except my boss, Frank.¡± Gloria said from behind them. ¡°Since I didn''t work today, he doesn''t know it''s you at this address, either.¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure it wasn''t Barbara, since she''s usually asleep in the guest house during the day; so, that leaves my other nurse Denise and my girlfriend Elise.¡± ¡°Hey, that rhymes.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Denise and Elise.¡± ¡°I never noticed.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Denise, Elise. Denise, Elise.¡± ¡°Now say that 5 times fast.¡± Stella said. ¡°Denise Elise, Denise Elise, delise lease¡± Ren said. ¡°Dammit.¡± Stella chuckled and they stopped at the front door. ¡°Gloria, open the door just before they push the doorbell.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s see how they react.¡± Gloria nodded and carefully peeked out the long thin windows on either side of the large front door. When she saw the man and woman stop walking, she pulled open the door and stepped back out of the way. Officer Holly Stonewall had her hand in mid-air and ready to push the doorbell, and her face showed surprise. Detective John Ramirez kept a blank face, even though he was surprised, too. ¡°Oh, my GOD!¡± Ren said and slapped his cheeks with his hands. ¡°It''s the FUZZ!¡± Lisa, Stella, and Gloria laughed while Officer Holly frowned. ¡°We''re sorry to disturb you, Mr. Haddon.¡± Detective John Ramirez said. ¡°Do you mind if we come in?¡± ¡°Yes, but you can come in anyways.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stella, the first living room is big enough, right?¡± ¡°Ren, the downstairs bathroom would be big enough for us to have a meeting in.¡± Stella said and he laughed. She turned the wheelchair around, and pushed Ren across the lobby and towards the first living room. The two police officers came inside and Gloria shut the door behind them. ¡°We just came to check up on you.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I haven''t heard from you in a while.¡± Ren said and Stella stopped the wheelchair beside the couch, then helped him transfer over to it. ¡°Did something new happen in the case?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± The detective said and watched as Lisa sat beside Ren and took his hand. ¡°Then you being here makes no sense.¡± Ren said and looked at Officer Holly and then back at the detective while Gloria sat on the arm of the couch. ¡°Have you found evidence you can''t use in a legal court or something?¡± Officer Holly blinked her eyes at him. ¡°How-¡± She clamped her mouth shut, and Ren grinned. ¡°I''m sure that whatever you''ve dug up must be important, if you went through all the trouble to track me down.¡± ¡°We''re the police.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Tracking people down is what we do.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Lisa barked a laugh. ¡°You''re supposed to track criminals down, not people.¡± ¡°That''s what I meant.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Ren said and turned his head slightly to the side and squinted his eyes a little. ¡°You didn''t call my nurse to get the address.¡± He said. Officer Holly didn''t react, and he smiled. ¡°It was Elise.¡± Officer Holly stared at him. How does he know? She asked herself. Did she call him? Did he call her? ¡°I guess that''s my fault.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I never told her to keep it a secret.¡± ¡°You didn''t tell that to any of us, either.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Of course, I already knew not to say anything.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Spreading his address around won''t keep him safe.¡± ¡°I should call her and tell her...¡± Ren stopped talking. ¡°I guess it doesn''t matter now.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°Only John and I know...¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°You''re kidding, right?¡± He asked her. ¡°Everyone knows cop cars are GPS tracked 24/7.¡± Officer Holly looked at him, and then looked at her partner. ¡°He''s right.¡± Detective Ramirez said and sighed. ¡°I screwed up.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± John said and left the living room. Officer Holly stood there and felt a little awkward. ¡°He really likes you.¡± Stella said to her, and Officer Holly looked at her. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I see the way he looks at you.¡± Stella said. ¡°There''s some sexual tension there, no doubt about it.¡± Officer Holly looked at Ren. ¡°I have no sexual interest in him at all.¡± She said. ¡°Especially after learning about what he does in the game.¡± ¡°I meant your partner, not Ren.¡± Stella asked. ¡°What did you learn about what Ren does in the game?¡± ¡°His personal maids.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°He does his personal maids.¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Why would you say that?¡± ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Everyone knows personal maids are legal prostitutes!¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said and sat up straight. ¡°It''s legal in the game?¡± Officer Holly shook her head. ¡°So, you thought it was illegal and did it anyways.¡± She sighed. ¡°I wanted so badly to give you the benefit of the doubt, and I had hoped that...¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Stella said, and Officer Holly stopped talking. ¡°You have no right to judge Ren, and you have absolutely no right to tell him what he can and can''t do!¡± ¡°Excuse me.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I''m a police officer, so I''m the perfect person to judge when a crime is happening.¡± ¡°You''re apparently really good at jumping to conclusions and not gathering all the facts, too!¡± Stella said. ¡°Hey, what''s all the shouting about?¡± Detective Ramirez asked as he came into the living room with a folder in his hands. ¡°Your ignorant partner is trying to give Ren the riot act for committing a crime that he didn''t do.¡± Stella said. ¡°He just admitted he thought that personal maids were illegal!¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Why aren''t you giving him the riot act?!?¡± ¡°Holly...¡± ¡°No, John.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°This... person... needs to know her place.¡± ¡°Get out.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°I was willing to give you some leeway where the maids are concerned, mainly because I''ve been trying to figure out a way to get them out of their contracts before anything happened; but, when you talk to someone I love like that, you don''t deserve to be looked at, let alone listened to.¡± ¡°Now wait just a minute.¡± Detective Ramirez said and glanced at his partner. ¡°This is all just a misunderstanding...¡± He could see Officer Holly was fuming and wanted to punch something. ¡°Oh, I haven''t misunderstood anything.¡± Ren said, and let his own anger show. ¡°Your judgmental and ignorant partner accused me of a crime. Sex with prostitutes I believe.¡± He scowled. ¡°We''ve never had sex, although I have touched and played with them; but, I did that to please them and to keep them happy, and delayed them wanting to sleep with me.¡± Officer Holly''s anger faded as Ren''s words registered. ¡°For you to come here and accuse me, then tell Stella that she should ''know her place''?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°For your information, and I want to make this clear.¡± He said, and gave the police a stern look. ¡°Her place is right here, by my side, to defend me from people like you.¡± ¡°Hey, now.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°There''s no need...¡± ¡°Yes, there is.¡± Ren said, and took a deep breath. ¡°It''s you that needs to know your place.¡± He said. ¡°How long has it been since I was attacked? How long have I been waiting for you... and your partner... to give me hope?¡± He looked at the detective and back at Officer Holly. ¡°How much longer must I wait for you to come to me and say, ''Hey, we caught them. You can rest easy now, and you don''t have to worry anymore''?¡± Neither Detective Ramirez nor Officer Holly Stonewall could answer that, and they felt just a little bit smaller because of it. ¡°I guess that means it''s going to be a while.¡± Ren said when they didn''t respond, and sat down. ¡°I''d thank you for stopping by and accusing me of prostitution, and in a virtual game no less; but, I honestly don''t think thanking you for that is a good idea.¡± Officer Holly opened her mouth to speak, and her partner touched her arm. ¡°We''re sorry for upsetting you.¡± Detective Ramirez said and handed Ren the file folder. ¡°I hope you''ll accept this as an apology.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked, but he didn''t open the folder. Officer Holly was going to tell him to open it, just so she could gauge his reaction to seeing a copy of all the evidence they had gathered so far. John pulled her away and put her behind him instead. ¡°It''s something that won''t hold up in any criminal court.¡± Detective Ramirez said. ¡°But... with all those lawsuits flying around... maybe... just maybe... if it came from you...¡± Ren still didn''t open the folder, and he smiled at the detective. ¡°This I can thank you for.¡± He said and glanced at Officer Holly. ¡°I know I shouldn''t ask you for anything else, Detective Ramirez; but, the next time you decide to visit, can you leave your partner in the car? She''s a little too upsetting for me to be exposed to, especially in my current condition.¡± Detective Ramirez nodded wordlessly and turned around. * Detective Ramirez stopped Officer Holly from talking with a shake of his head and a firm grip on her arm. He led her out of the living room and out the front door, then shut the door behind them. Officer Holly shook free of his grip and turned on him. ¡°What the hell was that all about?¡± Holly asked. ¡°How could you let him talk to me like that?¡± ¡°Because you were stupid for bringing it up in the first place.¡± John said and walked towards his car. ¡°How could you just accuse him like that?¡± ¡°I didn''t!¡± Holly said. ¡°When the personal maids came up...¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± John rubbed his face with a hand. ¡°Why didn''t you just keep your mouth shut about it?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Holly.¡± John sighed and opened his car door and looked at her over the roof of the car. ¡°Do you think he''s ever going to talk to us again, let alone cooperate with us now?¡± Holly took in a deep breath to calm down. ¡°We are trying to help him.¡± John laughed and got in the car. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± Holly asked as she sat in the passenger seat. ¡°At what point, in anything that either you or I said in there, did he hear that we were trying to help him?¡± John backed the car out of the driveway and drove down the road to the gate, while Holly sat in silence beside him. Just like Ren''s questions, she couldn''t answer that one, either. Chapter 374 - Food With Friends ¡°Okay, they''re gone.¡± Gloria said as she came back to the living room. ¡°Stella, take me into the large dining room.¡± Ren said and moved from the couch to the wheelchair. Stella pushed him across the living room, towards the kitchen a short distance, then turned into the large dining room. The table there could seat 16 people comfortably, and Stella parked him at the head of it after Lisa moved the chair out of the way. Ren put the folder down on the table and took several deep breaths, and looked at Lisa and Gloria. ¡°If there''s naked pictures of me in here, you can''t have them.¡± They both chuckled, and he opened the folder. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said. On top was the picture he had drawn when he was a kid, only he didn''t remember doing it. He only knew it was his because someone wrote on it. It had a group of people around himself, and was quite well drawn. It also had names written by half of the people. ¡°No, it... it can''t be.¡± Stella said and picked up the drawing. ¡°Ren you were so young.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, and I only know two of the people in that picture.¡± ¡°Which two?¡± ¡°Him.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°I saw him in one of my memories that Nathalia relived with me.¡± ¡°It says it''s Mayor Danicot.¡± Stella said. ¡°Who else?¡± ¡°Her.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°Don''t you recognize her?¡± Stella held the picture closer to her face. ¡°No!¡± Ren chuckled and moved some of the other papers around. ¡°Who would have thought that my ex-psychiatrist Suzie has actually known me since I was a kid.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°It gets better.¡± Ren said and held up a news article. ¡°She''s dating the governor.¡± ¡°What... oh, my god.¡± Stella said when she caught sight of another sheet of paper. ¡°It says here that the woman by the mayor is actually his mistress.¡± She said. ¡°I wonder if his family knows?¡± ¡°According to ''my'' drawing, they''ve been together a lot longer than he''s been married.¡± Ren said. ¡°Does she still count as a mistress if it''s the wife that came second?¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Lisa asked and took out another piece of paper with a photo attached. ¡°Ren!¡± She said and plopped it in front of him. ¡°Recognize him?¡± Ren looked at the man, then looked at Lisa. ¡°He''s Lord Eddlemere, the one that tried to assassinate Railyse.¡± ¡°He''s actually Senator Eddlemere in real life.¡± Lisa said. ¡°No way!¡± Gloria exclaimed and picked up the picture. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°He''s been behind the huge tech push the last 2 years he''s been in office.¡± Gloria said. ¡°He even provided the major funding for that new processor you told me about!¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why would he do that?¡± ¡°He delved into technology about 10 years ago.¡± Gloria said. ¡°He''s been producing better and better microchips and processors ever since. I found out a lot of stuff about him while comparing the new processor to what I already have in our research hardware.¡± Ren looked at Stella, and she sighed. She would have to confirm the timeline with Barbara to make sure; but until then, she had to assume Senator Eddlemere''s technological advances had happened at the same time Ren was with his parents. He had suffered the worst of the experiments at that point, and if the drawing was done about the same time, then all that ''new'' technology the Senator had created could be directly linked to Ren and the experiments. The next few sheets in the folder confirmed Stella''s suspicions as it showed links between Ren''s experiments and the release of new microchips. If she wasn''t mistaken, the information must have come from Ren''s sealed court records. There was no way for anyone else to have the right timeline for comparison. ¡°We need to bring Elise in on this right away.¡± Ren said, then looked at the time. ¡°On second thought, it''s almost supper time. She''s going to be here soon anyways.¡± ¡°We should look through the rest of it.¡± Stella said. ¡°We could, but we''re going to have to go through it all when Elise gets here, anyway.¡± Ren said. ¡°While we wait, we should get takeout; unless you''ve got something big planned for us all to eat?¡± ¡°My big plan.¡± Stella took out her cell phone and typed up a text message. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Like you have to ask.¡± Ren smiled and gathered everything up and put it back in the folder. ¡°Large order of fries and gravy it is.¡± Stella said. ¡°Lisa?¡± ¡°I vote for pizza.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, and green peppers.¡± She said. ¡°Oh, and garlic fingers.¡± ¡°Actually that does sound good.¡± Stella said and added it to the list. ¡°I''ll get a large and we can split it.¡± ¡°I could go for a burger.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I want the works on it, though. No sissy burgers are going in this mouth.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You better get a side order of fries, too.¡± He said. ¡°I''m not sharing.¡± Gloria fake gasped. ¡°Ren! You''d let me starve?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Ren said and laughed at her fake outrage. ¡°I''m only allowed to have them every so often, so when I do...¡± ¡°He''s like a vacuum.¡± Stella said. ¡°What''s your record at Jungle Jim''s, now? 4 plates?¡± ¡°Yeah, and the look on the waitress'' face after every plate was priceless.¡± Gloria laughed. ¡°Okay, make it a hamburger platter instead.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Stella said. ¡°Elise says she wants some Chinese food.¡± ¡°She can have it.¡± Ren said and made a gag noise. ¡°I eat enough rice already!¡± That made them all laugh, and Stella walked over to one of the many house phones and picked it up. ¡°Hi, this is House 6, and I''m going to order takeout from a few different places.¡± Stella said. ¡°Is there anything you would like?¡± ¡°Lady, are you serious?¡± The guard in the shack asked. ¡°It''s supper time, and I''m pretty sure you''ve only got a bag lunch or something.¡± The guard laughed. ¡°So you''re psychic and generous.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°We''ve got burgers, fries, pizza and Chinese food so far.¡± ¡°Chinese, please.¡± The guard said. ¡°Moo shu pork with plum sauce, an order of sweet and sour chicken balls, and a fortune cookie.¡± ¡°Hopefully it''ll be here in half an hour to 45 minutes.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ll have yours put in a separate bag.¡± ¡°Hey, thanks a lot.¡± The guard said. ¡°This is really nice of you.¡± ¡°Don''t expect this every night.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m just too busy right now to cook for everyone.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Considering I didn''t expect it at all, that sounds reasonable.¡± The guard said. ¡°I''ll ring when they get here.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Stella said and hung up, then she called the different fast food places to place the orders and paid for the food, then added the delivery and the tip. ¡°Offering the guard food really was nice of you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you imagine having to sit in that little booth and watch 3 food delivery trucks come though the gate?¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°I thought I could hear his stomach rumble on the phone.¡± A low rumble was heard by the 4 of them, and the three women looked at Ren. ¡°That was me.¡± Ren said. ¡°We know.¡± Lisa said and laughed. ¡°It shook the table!¡± The others laughed, too; then they decided to wait in the living room for the food, rather than sit around the large dining room table. Lisa went up to the third floor and grabbed the book she wanted to read and came back down to meet Ren on the couch. ¡°I want to take you up on your offer from before.¡± Lisa said and held up the book. ¡°I knew you couldn''t resist my pillow-like softness.¡± Ren grinned. Lisa chuckled as Ren moved to sit in the corner of the couch, then held an arm open for her. She sat down slightly away from him, then eased herself back to rest partially against the couch and partially against his chest. She laid her head back onto his shoulder, and Ren laid his arm around the front of her shoulders and held her close. Ren''s arm across her sternum didn''t impede Lisa from moving her arms, and she opened the book to start reading. Stella sat on one of the large plush chairs beside the couch, and Gloria sat on the identical chair on the other side of the couch. ¡°Do you mind if we watch television?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Hm?¡± Lisa blinked her eyes and looked up from the book. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Never mind.¡± Gloria said and turned on the television, and Lisa went back to her own little world. * As supper time approached, Elise''s mood improved more and more. She knew it was because she hadn''t seen Ren in a couple of days and she would get to spend more time with him. When she received the text from Stella about ordering out for supper, she knew it wouldn''t be long before she could leave work, get a shower and change, and head over to Ren''s place. Elise finished up the important things quickly, and when the clock struck 5 o''clock and beeped at her, she stopped working like a switch had been thrown. She turned off her computer monitor, grabbed her purse, and almost ran out of the office. Several people greeted her and she nodded to them, but she wasn''t really paying attention. Even though she''d done a lot of things with Ren, like cuddling, holding hands, and even having sex; it still excited her to think that she could keep doing them with him. Elise left work and drove home a bit faster than she should have; but, she didn''t get caught this time and arrived at home without incident. She took a quick shower, despite the fact that she knew Ren didn''t care if she was sweaty, and she dug out the skimpiest underwear that she had in her underwear drawer. She grabbed a short skirt and a thin blouse, and thought about not wearing a bra. It would be a surprise for him, that''s for sure. Elise thought, then she sighed. I need to keep them contained, though. Elise picked a three-quarter-cup bra and bent over to lower her chest into it, and hooked it together. When she stood up, her breasts tried to hang down and the bra held onto her. It should still be a surprise. Elise thought and finished getting dressed. She grabbed her purse and left her place to drive to Emerald Estates. It took a little longer than it should have, because she got caught behind a slow driver; but she made it in time to hopefully cuddle a little bit before the food got there. The guard opened the gate and Elise drove inside and up the road to Ren''s place. She parked and went to the front door and opened it. * ¡°Where''s my cute little man?¡± Elise asked. ¡°In the first living room.¡± Stella responded. Elise walked across the lobby and went into the living room, and saw Ren as he sat in the corner of the couch with a young woman half-laying on him and reading a book. ¡°That looks comfy.¡± Elise said. ¡°Surprisingly, it is.¡± Ren said and put his mouth by Lisa''s ear and whispered to her. She sat up and moved over a little bit without closing the book, and Ren moved over, too. He pat the corner of the couch and Elise didn''t hesitate to walk over and sit where he was. Ren leaned back into the side of Elise and rested his head on her shoulder, and Lisa leaned back as well. Elise put her arm around the front of Ren''s shoulders, and he put his arm around Lisa''s. ¡°This is nice.¡± Elise said and held Ren close. ¡°What are we watching?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s mind-numbing, whatever it is.¡± Gloria snorted a laugh. ¡°Watching how to build an aircraft carrier is not mind-numbing.¡± ¡°It''s an aircraft carrier?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I thought it was just a big building.¡± ¡°It is a big building.¡± Gloria said and laughed. Ren started to shake his head, and it rubbed Elise''s breast. He looked at her chest, then up at her face with wide eyes. She gave him a quick kiss, and he smiled and laid his head on her chest instead of her shoulder. ¡°The police were here a little while ago.¡± Ren said. ¡°Really?¡± Elise asked. ¡°That''s weird. They called me earlier today to check up on you.¡± She said. ¡°Why would they ask me about you and then come here themselves?¡± ¡°Because they didn''t know the address.¡± Ren said. ¡°What?¡± Elise looked down at him, and he looked up. ¡°They didn''t?¡± ¡°None of us told them.¡± Stella said. ¡°That wasn''t really intentional; but, it did leave Ren out of their sights for a while.¡± ¡°They knew you moved, though.¡± Elise said. ¡°Officer Holly even asked me how you liked the new place.¡± ¡°She didn''t ask for the address?¡± Stella asked. ¡°No, and I didn''t give it to them, either.¡± Elise said, then thought about the conversation she had with the police. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± She said. ¡°I might as well have given it to them.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°That it had 5 bedrooms and a guest house.¡± Elise said. ¡°Ren, I''m sorry.¡± Ren reached up with his free hand and cupped the side of her face. ¡°It''s okay.¡± He said and stroked her cheek. ¡°I didn''t tell you to keep my address a secret.¡± ¡°I should have known better, though.¡± Elise took in a deep breath, which lifted Ren''s head, and she sighed. ¡°She tricked me so easily.¡± ¡°We shouldn''t have to worry about talking to her again for a while.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Why?¡± Elise asked. Ren told her about what happened, and Elise''s face went from blank to intense anger. ¡°That bitch.¡± Elise said. ¡°She had no right!¡± ¡°That''s what I told her.¡± Stella said. ¡°Then I told her to get out.¡± Ren said. ¡°The detective was a lot more reasonable, though.¡± ¡°Why was that?¡± ¡°He gave me an apology gift.¡± Ren said and the phone rang. ¡°That''ll be the food.¡± Stella said and picked up the phone. ¡°Yes, you''re welcome.¡± She said. ¡°Thank you.¡± She looked at Gloria. ¡°Give me a hand.¡± Gloria nodded and followed Stella out of the living room and to the front door to help carry the food. ¡°What was the gift?¡± Elise asked Ren. ¡°Nothing much.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°Just a folder full of documents about all of the things they''ve dug up about me.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Elise exclaimed. ¡°When I pointed out that Detective Ramirez had led everyone to me and gave away my location, he gave me the folder.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nothing will hold up in a criminal court, since there''s no evidence trail... but, he said with all the lawsuits...¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Elise hugged him. ¡°We should go through it all right away!¡± ¡°After we eat.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also have something I want to discuss with everyone; but that can wait, too.¡± ¡°We''re using the big dining room again.¡± Stella said with her arms full of take out bags, and she and Gloria walked into the large dining room to set everything out. Ren leaned down and whispered in Lisa''s ear. ¡°Hm? Right, food.¡± Lisa said and slipped a silk bookmark into the book to save her spot. Ren let her go and she stood up. ¡°Oh! Hi.¡± She said when she saw Elise sitting behind Ren. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± ¡°It''s nice to meet you, too.¡± Elise said and let Ren go, and they both stood up. Lisa had to look up at Elise, and blinked her eyes at her. ¡°Now I know what statuesque means.¡± Lisa said, and Elise laughed. ¡°You''re so cute.¡± Elise said. ¡°Almost as cute as Ren.¡± Lisa''s face flushed a little red, and Ren sat down in the wheelchair. ¡°Elise? Can you...¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Elise said and pushed the wheelchair, and the three of them went into the large dining room. ¡°It looks like a food bomb went off in here.¡± Ren said when he saw nearly half of the table was covered in food dishes, and Stella chuckled. ¡°That''s what happens when you have several people that like to eat different things when given a choice.¡± ¡°That''s so true.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I always get something different every time I go out to eat.¡± ¡°Not me.¡± Ren said as Stella put a serving of french fries smothered in gravy in front of him. ¡°I am so gonna pay for this tomorrow.¡± ¡°You mean all week.¡± Stella said. ¡°The salt content alone...¡± ¡°Can you get me a supplement drink? I''ll start flushing my system right away.¡± ¡°Anyone want plates or real silverware?¡± ¡°Right here.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I know pizza is supposed to be finger food, but it''s too hot to do that right now.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Elise said and picked through the Chinese food containers. ¡°They forgot the chopsticks.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°The poor guard.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He has Chinese food, too.¡± Stella said. ¡°Moo shu pork.¡± ¡°Oh... ha... hahaha!¡± Elise laughed. ¡°I hope he has lots of napkins!¡± * The guard sat in the guard shack after the food trucks had left, and was both happy and sad. It really was nice of the lady in House 6 to order his favorite food for him, but he stared at the containers and didn''t know what to do. Without the chopsticks, he was going to have to use his fingers when the food cooled off, and he didn''t have anything like a napkin if he did use his fingers. Someone knocked on his door and he looked out the little window. Gloria stood there with a knife, spoon and fork wrapped in a bundle of napkins, and he opened the window for her. ¡°Stella from House 6 will pick these up in the morning.¡± Gloria said and handed the silverware to the guard. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± The guard said. ¡°You don''t know...¡± ¡°Hot moo shu pork and fingers don''t mix.¡± Gloria said and started to walk away. ¡°Enjoy.¡± ¡°I will!¡± The guard almost yelled and sat back. ¡°Well, it''s official. The people in House 6 are really nice.¡± He said and chose the fork to start and took a huge bite. * ¡°What did he say?¡± Ren asked when Gloria came back into the dining room. ¡°Just thank you.¡± Gloria said. ¡°But, if he wasn''t in the guard shack, I''d swear he would have tried to hug me or something because he looked so happy.¡± Ren chuckled and picked up another gravy-covered french fry from a huge plate of them and sucked it in. ¡°Are you going to eat that whole thing?¡± Gloria asked, and everyone else laughed. ¡°Of course he''s going to eat it all.¡± Elise said and rubbed Ren''s belly. ¡°Endless Stomach hasn''t lost a fight against fries yet!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It was a draw once, but I slaughtered Endless Fries the next time.¡± He said. ¡°Only this much? I''ll barely feel it.¡± The whole group of them, Ren, Stella, Elise, Lisa, and Gloria, enjoyed a good meal that consisted of all different dishes; they also shared good company with each other as well. Chapter 375 - Discussion After the meal and everyone helped clean up the mess and put the spare food in the refrigerator, Ren took out the folder that Detective Ramirez had given him. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Elise said as she looked through everything, and when she spoke, the volume of each word got higher and higher. ¡°The mayor? Your doctor? Your old psychiatrist? Senator Eddlemere? The Chief of Police? The director at the FBI?!?¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± Ren said and showed her the picture he had drawn as a kid. ¡°I apparently drew this years ago, and there they are.¡± He said. ¡°Even the police and the FBI can''t identify the remaining people. Either that, or they just haven''t told the police who they are.¡± Gloria filled Elise in on the tech connection, and Elise sighed. ¡°How can a conspiracy like this even exist?¡± Elise asked. ¡°How many people are involved? How are they keeping quiet?¡± She looked at the others. ¡°There''s an old saying, ''the best way to keep a secret between two people is if one of them is dead''.¡± ¡°That''s kind of morbid.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It''s the truth, though.¡± Gloria said. ¡°It''s not just these people, either. You know others must be involved. They would have to be, especially since these people are so high up on the scale.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Right. There can''t be complete silence here. Someone had to have talked.¡± ¡°Or they''ve got something so damning on them, that no one is willing to talk.¡± Stella said, and they looked at her. ¡°It makes sense then, right? No one would want to spill the beans.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°That must be it.¡± She said. ¡°Just the connections between your doctor, this idiot on the hospital board, your psychiatrist, and the experiments on you...¡± She shook her head. ¡°Ren, I want to make copies of all of this.¡± ¡°I''m glad, because that''s what I want you to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m actually going to take the detective''s advice. This is barely circumstantial in a criminal case, but in a civil suit?¡± ¡°It''ll be a landslide!¡± Elise said hugged him. ¡°They might not see a courtroom to face charges, but public opinion will crucify them when it all gets out!¡± ¡°Add in my sealed medical records, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s the best way for people to see what happened.¡± ¡°Ren... are you sure?¡± Elise looked a little worried. ¡°That... there are things...¡± Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°Giving only half of the story is just like lying.¡± He said. ¡°If it''s going to come to light eventually anyway, let''s give them something to really look at.¡± Elise looked like she wanted to argue, but she nodded instead. ¡°You''re really brave.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I... I don''t think that...¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, I wouldn''t want anyone to know what I went through.¡± She said. ¡°I''d be so embarrassed, and I wouldn''t show my face in public ever again.¡± Ren stood up and walked over to her, bent down slightly and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°I completely understand.¡± He said. ¡°As long as you know that you can tell me anything, anything at all, and I won''t judge you for it.¡± He smiled. ¡°I also won''t let whatever you say make me think any less of you.¡± Lisa took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°That''s very sweet of you to say.¡± ¡°..and on that note, let''s head upstairs to wait for the show to start.¡± Stella said, and helped Elise gather up the contents of the folder. After that, they all went upstairs to the theatre room and the 20 recliners inside. They were in 4 rows of 5, and Ren claimed the center one in the front row. Elise took the one on the right of him, and Lisa claimed the one on his left. Gloria sat beside her on one end, and Stella sat beside Elise. ¡°We forgot the candy.¡± Lisa said and left to go to the kitchen to pick up the bowls and candy bars that she and Gloria had gathered earlier that day. Everyone got settled while she was gone, and Lisa came in and handed out the bowls and candy bars. Before she gave anything to Ren, she looked at Stella. ¡°What can he have?¡± Lisa asked and held out a few bars and a bowl of various candy. Stella looked at the contents of the bowl, and then at the bars. ¡°He can have one bar, and a handful of candy.¡± Stella said. ¡°Just make sure he sips the supplement drink, too.¡± ¡°Thanks, Stella.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m trusting you to limit yourself.¡± ¡°One handful. I got it.¡± Ren said as Lisa handed him the bowl. He looked at Elise and grinned. ¡°Elise? Grab a handful for me.¡± ¡°Oh, you cheater!¡± Stella said, and Ren laughed. ¡°Ha ha! You didn''t say whose handful I could use!¡± ¡°That''s so sneaky.¡± Elise said and estimated how much Ren could hold, and only filled her palm with candy. ¡°Aw, dammit.¡± Ren said and looked at her hand. ¡°I''ve been outsmarted!¡± Elise laughed and put the candy back into the bowl, then leaned over and kissed him. ¡°I''ll indulge you in most things, but not your health.¡± She said and sat back. ¡°Thank you, Elise.¡± Stella said. ¡°Hi, everyone!¡± Barbara said as she came into the theatre room. ¡°I see you''re all here, ready and waiting.¡± ¡°We''ve got a bit of time before it starts, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did anyone go into the booth and turn everything on?¡± Barbara asked, and everyone looked at her with blank faces, and she laughed. ¡°I''m glad I showed up early, then. You''d have been sitting here and wondering why you couldn''t see anything.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I never even thought of it.¡± He said. ¡°Thanks, Barbara.¡± ¡°That''s what I''m here for.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren looked at the short railing in front of him, stood up and turned around, and leaned against it to hold himself up. ¡°Now that I''ve got you here, there''s something we need to discuss.¡± Ren said, and put on his ''serious'' face. ¡°I''ve talked about this with Lisa and Stella a little bit; but, I didn''t want to have a full discussion until I had everyone together.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Elise asked. ¡°It''s about my personal maids.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I told the police, I''ve been keeping them happy and placated by playing with them and pleasing them.¡± He said. ¡°That''s not going to work for much longer, now that I''ve done that with each of them.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Did you look over their contracts?¡± ¡°I paused the footage when you looked at them.¡± Elise said. ¡°Then I sent Max a scathing email about it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s a real piece of work, isn''t it?¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Elise sighed. ¡°You literally own them. You can do anything you want with them, even kill them, and you can''t be held legally responsible for it... except to pay reparations to their families.¡± ¡°You have got to be kidding!¡± Gloria said. ¡°Ren, you... you can''t...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s why I''m talking to all of you.¡± He said and sighed. ¡°I used to have to order them to just go outside.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Gloria yelled. ¡°They were kept in a hidden room inside the Thieves Guild for years.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re as agoraphobic as I am in real life when there''s lots of people I don''t know around.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Elise said. ¡°That''s quite bad.¡± ¡°I''ve been treating them properly, and I even managed to get them out of the house and take care of a market stall recently.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°They met a lot of people, and haven''t been traumatized by it.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Stella said. ¡°Sometimes overexposure can backfire.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I left Verwynn with specific orders that if she felt uncomfortable at all, she was to close up and head home.¡± He said. ¡°I also had Riley and Stacy guard her and the stall.¡± ¡°She stayed the whole time, didn''t she?¡± Elise asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°Not only that, the other maids that were supposed to walk around and keep an eye on her, actually joined her in the stall.¡± He chuckled. ¡°They said they were pretty much swamped after that.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Especially if they had new things for sale.¡± ¡°At a discount.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him. ¡°They can Haggle, too?¡± Gloria asked, surprised. ¡°Can they ever.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I paid 85 gold for the glassware that was worth almost double that, and Verwynn got 120 gold and some silver from it.¡± ¡°That really is good.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Are you going to keep the market stall?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I paid for three days, but they sold everything before half of the first day was even over.¡± Gloria chuckled. ¡°New things don''t last long, even in a starter city.¡± ¡°So, you''re going to sleep with them.¡± Elise said. ¡°Only with your permission.¡± Ren said and looked at all 4 women. ¡°I''ve got a good thing going here, and I won''t mess that up by adding another woman if it''s going to upset any of you.¡± He said and looked at Gloria. Gloria''s face flushed red. ¡°I said I was sorry for overreacting.¡± ¡°I know, but you were a lot more upset about it than I thought you had any right to be.¡± Ren said. ¡°Busy or no, we have barely talked at all in the game.¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°It''s just... I don''t really know... I mean, what''s going on between us?¡± ¡°That''s what I want to know.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ve shared a lot with each other, and I''ve been your emotional food for a long time.¡± He said. ¡°Now that you''re done with that and can keep yourself sated on your own, I feel like I''m not quite needed anymore.¡± ¡°But we discovered that I can level up with you, now.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Is that all I am, though?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Don''t get me wrong, being with you has helped me just as much as it''s helped you.¡± He said. ¡°You helped me through a hard time in my life, and I used you just as much as you used me.¡± ¡°We both got something out of it, that''s true.¡± ¡°So we have to evolve and change as your ability did.¡± Ren said. ¡°The way we were won''t quite work anymore.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°When I''m in the game now, I... I don''t feel like I have a desperate need for you to fill anymore.¡± She said. ¡°Then... when I saw you in bed with 5 women...¡± ¡°You thought I''d already shoved you aside.¡± Gloria opened her mouth to deny it, then sighed. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you want me to?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Shove you aside, I mean.¡± ¡°No!¡± Gloria said, then glanced at the other women that hadn''t said a word. ¡°I like having you in the game.¡± She said. ¡°You''re so free and willing to feed me, and you never judge me no matter what.¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°I don''t want to lose that.¡± Ren looked at Lisa. ¡°Lisa, what about you?¡± ¡°As long as you can spare me a minute or two in the game, I''m more than happy.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I like having you in the game, too.¡± She said. ¡°You''re also willing to let me use my ability without restrictions, and you never ask me anything about how it works.¡± She smiled. ¡°I don''t want to lose that, either.¡± Ren looked at Elise. ¡°Elise, we''ve never done it in the game, so this isn''t really a fair question for you.¡± He said. ¡°I''d like for you to hold your judgment until we can make love in the game, if that''s okay.¡± ¡°I don''t need to wait until then.¡± Elise said. ¡°You''ve always been open and honest, and you''ve never hidden anything...¡± She looked at the other three women. ¡°...from any of us.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve had you in real life, and if it''s anything even close to that in the game, then I don''t want to lose it, either.¡± Ren looked at Stella. ¡°The same goes for you. It''s not really a fair question.¡± ¡°I think I''m going to have to start playing the game now.¡± Stella chuckled, and the others laughed. ¡°Normally, I would avoid personal maids just on principle.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, I did the first time I met one.¡± ¡°Anabelle.¡± Lisa said, and Ren nodded. ¡°It was almost scary how she acted over being given a silver coin over the few copper coins she had gotten before she met me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure Elise has seen it, and Barbara probably... and it might even be in the show.¡± He said. ¡°But I didn''t know what she was at the time, and what she needed from me.¡± ¡°And now?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I have some idea, especially after buying her contract from Lord Eric for 50 platinum, then I destroyed it.¡± ¡°You WHAT?¡± Gloria looked at him in shock. Ren chuckled. ¡°I could have bought another business in the Artesian District for that, I know; but, when she became my responsibility, I wanted to take care of her.¡± ¡°Now you want to do the same for the other maids you rescued.¡± Stella said. Ren nodded and pointed to Elise. ¡°He can''t sell, give away, trade, alter, destroy, or otherwise subvert the intention of the contract.¡± Elise said. ¡°God, I hate Max so much for the wording of that!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s air-tight phrasing, isn''t it?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Unfortunately.¡± ¡°There''s just one thing Max didn''t plan on, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°And what''s that?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Actually fulfilling the contract''s requirements.¡± ¡°Wh-what are... are you... oh, then that...¡± Elise looked like she was chewing on something sour for a few moments, and then she started to smile. ¡°Oh... oh, that''s brilliant!¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°You don''t have to complete the contract at all!¡± Elise said. ¡°You only have to meet the requirements and then you can dissolve it!¡± ¡°Bingo.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is why I needed all of you together.¡± He said. ¡°You all need to know what was going on, and what I planned to do about it.¡± He looked at each of their faces. ¡°I don''t want any misunderstandings between any of us about this.¡± ¡°I''m behind you all the way.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ll make sure Max doesn''t realize what you''re doing.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You don''t have to do that, since it''s behind the blue screen protection anyway.¡± ¡°So you are going to sleep with them.¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Almost constantly, in fact.¡± He smiled. ¡°Of course, thanks to the police, now I know it''s completely legal and I don''t have to feel guilty about doing it. Plus, since I''ve given them a shared Aura, sleeping with one of them is like sleeping with all of them.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°You mean... that thing I felt...¡± ¡°It''s there all the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I touch one of them, they can all feel it.¡± Elise gave a quick glance to Stella, and then to Lisa. That would be kind of nice, actually. She thought and tried to hide her excitement at the thought of Ren touching the other women and feeling it herself. Barbara had stayed in the little booth at the back of the room and waited until Ren was done of the important part of his discussion, then hit the button to turn on the screen. It flickered a few times and came on, and then she changed the signal to Channel 8. ¡°I figured it out!¡± Barbara said from the little booth at the back, and came out with a big smile on her face. ¡°Thanks a lot, Barbara.¡± Ren said and sat down in the middle recliner. ¡°Can you turn down the lights, too?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Barbara said and pulled the dimmer switch by the door. The room''s lights faded down into semi-darkness, and Ren reached out and pushed the button to move the chair back into the reclined position, and sat there to wait for the show to start. He felt a delicate touch on his left hand and turned it to hold onto Lisa''s offered hand. A moment later he felt Elise take his other hand, and the three of them sat there as they held hands, then watch the commercials that they had to sit through to see the next episode of his show. * Detective John Ramirez drove his partner home after they had driven to a bunch of random spots in the city to try and cover their tracks. They had even stopped to get something to eat, but neither of them had spoken a word until John pulled to the curb at Officer Holly Stonewall''s place. ¡°Holly, please let it go.¡± John said. ¡°We don''t have any proof that he was telling the truth.¡± Holly said. ¡°Is this where I''m supposed to say there''s no proof he isn''t?¡± John asked. ¡°He''s got no reason to lie, and he was pretty mad at us.¡± ¡°At me, you mean.¡± Holly said. ¡°No, he was mad at me, too.¡± John said. ¡°He might be able to tolerate me more, but he was right. Anyone that''s keeping tabs on us is going to know where we went today.¡± Holly sighed. ¡°How did he guess that it was Elise that I had called?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± John said. ¡°Process of elimination, maybe.¡± He said. ¡°He''s a pretty smart kid.¡± ¡°I can''t believe you gave him a copy of everything we had so far.¡± ¡°I can''t believe we haven''t found anything else out.¡± John said. ¡°He needed to know a few things from that anyways... like his psychiatrist being involved right from the start.¡± Holly nodded. ¡°I do feel bad that they can''t be charged criminally with only circumstantial evidence.¡± ¡°I''m sure once he shares that folder with Elise, things are going to change.¡± ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± Holly said. ¡°Maybe one of these bastards will make a mistake and we can catch them at it.¡± ¡°I do, too.¡± John said. ¡°Goodnight, Holly.¡± ¡°Goodnight, John.¡± Holly said and got out of the car, then walked to her front door and went inside. She hopped in the shower to quickly freshen up, dressed in a t-shirt and jogging pants that were eerily similar to the ones John had loaned her earlier that day, and she sat down at her improvised work station and looked at the monitor. ¡°He won''t go in until the evening is over, so I''ve got a bit of time to relax.¡± Holly said, and slipped on her VR headset. ¡°Getting to sleep for 4 hours every real life hour is great.¡± She said and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± Chapter 376 - Episode Four The theme music of Ren''s show started right at 7 o''clock, and the show played a quick rundown of the things Onscreen Ren had done so far; sewing, alchemy, smithing, mining, and saving the mine by working as a blacksmith. The review ended with him leaving the mine, and the episode started with Onscreen Ren walking along the road out in the wilderness. He found what looked like an abandoned mine shaft, used his new Metal Detection skill which showed up on screen as sound pulses, and he started to dig. Onscreen Ren filled his inventory and ran back to dump it into the cart he had borrowed from the mine foreman, and did it again. He received the Running skill, and after another short montage, where they compressed a weeks work into less than a minute, it showed Onscreen Ren as he dug towards something. A slightly glowing green rock was revealed, and when he picked it up, the cave shook and he received a notice that he had caught the attention of the Spirit of Earth. The back of the cave started to move, and then a lumbering rock golem formed out of it and reached for Onscreen Ren. The scene cut to a group of Adventurers outside, and they discussed where the dungeon was, and they stared as Onscreen Ren ran by them and screamed ¡°WHY MEEEEE?!?¡±. He was being chased by a rock golem that was hot on his heels, and it continued to swipe at him in an attempt to grab him. It was then that the scene faded to black and the first commercial played. * ¡°Oh, man.¡± Ren said and shook his head as he let both Elise and Lisa''s hands go to pick at the candy he had. ¡°That was embarrassing.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°That was my idea to show the different perspective for that last scene.¡± She said. ¡°When we saw it from yours, we couldn''t see how close the rock golem was.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I didn''t think it was that close to me, not for that long.¡± He said and ate a candy. ¡°That''s... how many times I almost died so far?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°It''s a lot... and it makes for great television.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I guess it''s okay as long as people are entertained.¡± Lisa reached over and took a couple of candy from Ren''s bowl. ¡°Despite the imminent mortal danger, it really is a good show.¡± She said. ¡°You definitely have an interesting game experience, since it''s a lot different than a regular player.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Not having the traditional ''kill monsters to level up'' motif was what caught my attention, and was also a huge selling point for the pilot.¡± She said. ¡°Of course, once the television station saw the additional footage and game data they had access to...¡± She smiled. ¡°...it was a deal almost too good to be true.¡± ¡°It''s starting again.¡± Barbara said, and everyone fell silent. * Onscreen Ren eventually outran the rock golem and made it back to the mine and his waiting cart. He dropped the last load of ore into it, almost overflowing it, and the mine foreman said he and the other men would miss having him around. Onscreen Ren thanked him and went to talk to Fritz, the dwarf that had taught him everything about mining. He thanked him as well, and then he received a quest to make Fritz a new pick. ¡°Wait and see! You''ll become the envy of the mine!¡± Onscreen Ren said, and the caravan leader came over and told him they were leaving. Onscreen Ren said goodbye to Fritz, and the caravan leader''s son showed Ren how to drive a cart, and the caravan left the mine to go back to the city. Once there, he left the caravan and drove the cart and horse to Donan''s shop. ¡°Ren! Welcome back. I thought you''d gotten lost out there.¡± Donan said. ¡°No, it just took longer than I thought.¡± Onscreen Ren said. ¡°I worked at the mine for a while, then left to gather my own ore... and a few other things happened.¡± ¡°Sounds like an interesting story.¡± Donan said. ¡°You''ll have to fill me in later, hm?¡± Onscreen Ren nodded and asked if he could drop off the ore behind the shop, and Donan agreed. After the cart was emptied and left, they went inside and Donan taught him how to properly smelt ore. He learned the Smelting skill, and then a montage of him adding ore to the smelter, skimming off impurities, and making iron ingots was shown. Once Onscreen Ren had a lot of iron ingots done, Donan came over and showed him how to forge a metal blank, which was a rod that could be heated in the forge to make things later. Once the blank was cooled, Donan made a chef knife for Onscreen Ren and asked him to make one, too. Onscreen Ren did so, and unlocked 3 new skills. Blade Forging, Sharpening, and Polishing. After another short montage of Onscreen Ren making chef knife after chef knife, a messenger appeared in the shop and gave Donan a letter. He read it out loud, which didn''t happen the first time, and told Ren that he couldn''t use the forge because he was the one going. ¡°Eeeeehhhh!?¡± Onscreen Ren exclaimed, and the screen faded to black. * ¡°Those montages really speed things along, don''t they?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°It took weeks and weeks to gather ore, and a couple of weeks to make those knives.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It also cuts out all the times I logged out to eat and sleep.¡± ¡°Even though it''s only short, the montages actually take much longer to do.¡± Elise said. ¡°With all that footage to go through to find different shots so it''s not the same scene repeated over and over, takes a long time.¡± Ren picked up the chocolate bar he was allowed to have and opened it. ¡°I''m actually glad they went through the trouble to do that.¡± He said and took a bite of candy bar, chewed it up and swallowed. ¡°Can you imagine what people would say if the whole episode was just me hammering on an anvil?¡± He chuckled. ¡°I think Barbara and I would be the only ones watching it.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°I watched it in full length the first time; so yes, I''d watch it with you again.¡± ¡°I don''t think the show would survive with only two fans.¡± Gloria said, and it was her turn to laugh. ¡°Unless those two fans were television executives.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± Stella said. ¡°They''ve kept some god-awful things on television over the years.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Do you remember that one with the talking bear that everyone hated?¡± ¡°Mister Ned!¡± Stella said and laughed, too. ¡°When they made him an ordained minister at the end, and he performed the first marriage in the forest, I nearly lost it!¡± ¡°That was a great episode.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Especially when the deer and doe licked the salt lick together.¡± ¡°Bahahaha!¡± Ren laughed and pointed. ¡°Barbara liked it!¡± He said. ¡°She actually liked it!¡± ¡°It was sweet!¡± Barbara said in her defense. ¡°It didn''t matter that they were animals!¡± ¡°It''s all Barbara''s fault!¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°We were stuck with three years of Mister Ned because she liked the show!¡± Barbara snorted a laugh. ¡°I think it''s a bit of a stretch to assume that I was responsible for the whole thing.¡± She said. ¡°It was a good show, though.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Everyone laughed at that. * Onscreen Ren was given a letter of recommendation by Donan, and he left to go to the mansion in the middle of the city. He was brought inside and into Lord Eric''s office, and he sat there and waited for a moment. A well-dressed man with short hair and a neatly trimmed beard came in and looked at the letter of recommendation. Instead of taking Donan at his word, he asked Onscreen Ren to perform a repair task. He took out an old rusty sword used in knighting ceremonies, and Onscreen Ren used his Repair skill on it. It was reformed into an ornate and pristine sword. Lord Eric was ecstatic at the result, and invited him to join the expedition. Lord Eric brought him to see the Captain of the Guard and introduced them, then told Onscreen Ren he had 3 days to prepare and a little timer appeared on the screen. ¡°I''ll return when it''s time to leave, sir.¡± Onscreen Ren said, and left the mansion. He ran back to the Artesian District, and rather than go back to Donan''s shop, he stopped in to see Issac the Enchanter instead. After a quick reintroduction, Issac told him his knowledge was lacking and gave him a note to go to the Library. It was a list of 4 books to be read. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Onscreen Ren said. ¡°I''ll learn about the four base elements as quickly as I can.¡± He said and ran back to near the center of the city to the large Library there. He looked at the imposing building, straightened his clothing to look more presentable, opened the large door, and slipped inside as the screen faded to black. * ¡°Elise? Wasn''t that an odd spot to stop?¡± Ren asked, and she shrugged. ¡°If I remember correctly, there should be another montage of you reading, learning to enchant next, then it''s the start of the expedition.¡± Elise said. ¡°I don''t know if they''ll run the full footage or not, to fill the time and finish that episode, or if they managed to compress it down.¡± ¡°Wait, does this mean you don''t know everything about it?¡± Ren asked and put a hand over his heart. ¡°Oh, no! My expectations!¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°I can find out if you want, smart aleck.¡± ¡°No, no.¡± Ren sighed dramatically and put a hand over his eyes. ¡°The illusion is ruined forevermore!¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°If I didn''t know better, I''d say someone took acting lessons.¡± ¡°More like over-acting lessons.¡± Barbara said as she turned up the lights, and everyone laughed. ¡°I guess it''s time for me to go.¡± Lisa said and stood up. ¡°Gloria and I don''t have to go into the game until 9 o''clock.¡± Ren said and hit the button to put the recliner back into the sitting position. ¡°I know, but I''m pretty sure your girlfriend wants to spend some time with you.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I do, but...¡± Elise smiled. ¡°...relaxing on the couch like we were before was kind of nice.¡± ¡°I didn''t even notice you were there until we got up.¡± Lisa said and Elise chuckled. ¡°That was nice, too.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s not often I can walk into a room and not be noticed.¡± Lisa''s face flushed a little red and she looked at Ren. ¡°My mother might be a little worried about me.¡± ¡°Grab a bag full of candy and bars for her.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Bribe her with sugar.¡± ¡°That mainly only works on you.¡± Stella said to him. ¡°Are you saying I''m easily swayed by sweet things?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''m just making sure we''re on the same page.¡± Stella chuckled and Lisa helped herself to more candy. ¡°Stella? Can you call a taxi, and then help me walk Lisa out?¡± Stella nodded and Ren got in the wheelchair while she called the taxi, and then they went with Lisa down to the first floor. ¡°Thanks a lot for coming over.¡± Ren said when they reached the front door and stood up. ¡°I really had fun today.¡± ¡°So did I.¡± Lisa said and hugged him. ¡°Even when not so pleasant things are going on, it''s still fun being around you.¡± Ren chuckled as he hugged her. ¡°I''ll take that off-handed compliment.¡± He said, then slid his hands from around her back to her face when she leaned back. ¡°Goodnight, Lisa.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Lisa said, and they both leaned in close and kissed briefly. A horn honked, and Lisa sighed. ¡°I have to go.¡± She said and let Ren go, then picked up her backpack. ¡°See you later.¡± Stella stepped forward and gave her some more money for this taxi ride and the next one. ¡°You know you don''t have to keep doing that.¡± Lisa said, and reluctantly accepted the money. ¡°What kind of friend would I be if I didn''t give you money for the transportation to come and visit?¡± Stella said. ¡°Plus, I''m charging Ren double for not having the cash ready himself.¡± Lisa chuckled. ¡°Ren! Stella''s milking your good nature!¡± ¡°That''s what it''s for.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Bye, Lisa.¡± ¡°Bye!¡± Lisa said as the horn honked again, and she left the house at a jog. Stella took Ren back upstairs to the theatre room to see that Barbara, Gloria, and Elise were still watching television. She brought him over to Elise and Ren thought about getting back into the middle recliner, but looked a question at Elise instead and touched her arm. Elise turned her head at the touch and saw his face, smiled, and got up. She took over pushing the wheelchair, and she left the theatre room with a happy Ren. * ¡°Don''t worry about me, I''ll just stay here for a while.¡± Stella said to their backs as they left, and sat down. ¡°What are we watching?¡± ¡°Big Sister.¡± Barbara said. ¡°30 women from all walks of life live in the same apartment for 3 months, and compete in different events and games to eliminate each other for $100,000.¡± ¡°That sounds... kind of pointless.¡± Stella said and chuckled. ¡°No story to follow? No plot to discover?¡± ¡°You obviously haven''t watched the show.¡± Gloria said. ¡°What you said is the story, and the contestants are plotting all the time.¡± ¡°Gloria? Shall we initiate the uninitiated?¡± Barbara asked and smiled evilly. Gloria nodded. ¡°The first thing you need to know is that Candi, she''s the stripper that''s wearing the thigh-high skirt and peekaboo top, has been secretly conspiring with Vanessa. She''s the one with the long blonde hair and wearing blue yoga pants. They want to overthrow the stranglehold that Molly, she''s the one wearing the sports bra and short shorts, has on the voting panel...¡± Stella watched the screen as Gloria filled her in on all the dirt that had been flung between contestants up to this point, and she shook her head mentally. Why do people like these shows so much? Stella asked herself, then became engrossed in the action before her on the large theatre screen. * Elise took Ren to his room, and once there, climbed onto the big bed. They sat down side by side, and Ren reached out and touched her chest through the thin blouse. ¡°You wore this for me.¡± Ren said, and rubbed his hand over the soft mounds of flesh that were barely contained. Elise unbuttoned her blouse and showed Ren the three-quarter cup bra. ¡°I was tempted to not wear a bra at all, but these things needed something to hold them.¡± ¡°Please, allow me.¡± Ren said and unhooked her bra. Her breasts spilled out as the bra was flung aside, and he dug his hands into the warm mounds of her massive chest and massaged them. Elise couldn''t help but moan as his hands gripped her firmly. She laid back and her long flowing red hair fanned out underneath her to highlight her white skin. Ren kept massaging her, and she put a hand in his hair. ¡°K-k-kiss them.¡± Elise whispered, and Ren obliged. She tried not to gasp as his mouth found her tender tip. He didn''t stop his massage and did what she wanted, and kept going. ¡°Good god, how can you... Ren, you... Oh!¡± Ren felt her body jerk slightly, and he smiled. ¡°That''s my cue.¡± He said and moved down to her waist. When he slid a hand under her skirt, he felt what she had on. He lifted up the loose skirt and saw with his own eyes what his fingers had found. ¡°You really are like a dream come true.¡± ¡°So are you-OHHH!¡± Elise gasped when Ren started to do his favorite thing and kissed her special place. It was almost 20 minutes later before Elise started to beg him to stop. ¡°R-R-Ren, please... hold... hold off... I... AHHH!¡± Elise yelled as she finished again. ¡°But... I''m not done.¡± Ren said. ¡°You want me to be happy, right?¡± ¡°I... yes, but... Ren, I...¡± Elise took several deep breaths, and Ren moved away and crawled up to lay beside her. He saw her visibly relax when he did, and he gave her a kiss with the taste of her on his lips. ¡°I want you to be happy, too.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°So, I''ll stop... for now.¡± Elise chuckled, and her chest jiggled a lot. ¡°Ren, god...¡± She sighed. ¡°I don''t know what to do with you!¡± Ren chuckled, too. ¡°I have a few ideas about what you can do.¡± ¡°Then... tell me.¡± Elise said and hugged him close. ¡°I''ll do... anything... for you, sweetheart.¡± She said and kissed him like she''d been thinking about doing to him all day. * The taxi brought Lisa home and she paid him, then went into her house. ¡°I''m home.¡± Lisa said. ¡°There you are, young lady!¡± Her mother said and stormed out of the living room to confront her daughter. ¡°Do you know how worried I''ve been all day?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Of course you don''t!¡± Her mother said, because she had ignored what Lisa said. ¡°You know your psychiatrist recommended only venturing out occasionally! You can''t disappear for this long!¡± ¡°I didn''t disappear. I told you where I was going.¡± ¡°Yes, your boyfriend''s place.¡± Her mother said. ¡°Do I even have to ask what you''ve been doing all day?!?¡± ¡°For your information, I had a game of bowling, had a good lunch of chicken strips and fries, swam in a pool for a few hours, read a chapter in a good book, had 3 pieces of pizza and garlic fingers for supper, then watched some television.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Does knowing that make you happy?¡± Lisa''s mother was surprised her daughter had done so many different things in one day, and didn''t know what to say to continue her argument. If Lisa had said she''d done one thing, she could have argued it was a waste of a day; but, since she did so many things, her mother couldn''t come up with a reasonable objection. Lisa smiled slightly at her mother''s surprised expression, and was tempted to tell her that Ren had asked her to sleep over; but, she was pretty sure that would make her mother blow up at her. ¡°I''m going up to my room to take a nap.¡± Lisa said instead. Her mother didn''t respond, so she smiled and took out the bag of candy and candy bars. ¡°Ren said to give you these.¡± Her mother took the bag with wide eyes and stared at it. I should take a picture. Lisa thought in amusement, then went up the stairs with a huge smile on her face. Chapter 377 - Getting Ready To Party Ren and Elise continued to play with each other for another hour, after getting towels to cover the bed so they wouldn''t have to worry about making a mess. They kept going almost until the time Ren had to log back into the game. Elise had broken the kiss and looked at the clock. ¡°I think you need to get cleaned up before going into the game.¡± Elise said. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Ren said and sighed dramatically. ¡°You made me forget that I wanted to log in early.¡± Elise chuckled and her chest jiggled again. ¡°I made you forget one of the best things that''s happened to you?¡± Ren smiled and kissed her. ¡°For some unknown reason, you''re very distracting.¡± Elise laughed, and Ren had to grab her breasts to stop them from jiggling. ¡°Stop distracting me and behave, you two.¡± Ren said and kissed one tip, then the other, which made Elise laugh more. ¡°Hey, I said... oh, it''s no use!¡± He said and dove onto her chest. ¡°Laugh all you want!¡± Elise laughed and hugged him, and then she buried his face in her cleavage. She laughed to jiggle them for him, and then pulled him back out. ¡°I think I just died and went to heaven.¡± Ren said and smiled, and she kissed him. ¡°Come on, let''s get you cleaned up.¡± Elise said and let him go. They went to the bathroom and washed each other quickly, and made themselves presentable. Elise pushed Ren in the wheelchair back to the theatre room and saw that Barbara, Gloria, and Stella were still engrossed the show they had started to watch after Ren''s show. ¡°Hey, Gloria.¡± Ren said. ¡°I-¡± ¡°SHHH!¡± The three women said together and cut him off. Ren looked up at Elise, and she shrugged. He pointed to the closest recliner and she nodded. She sat down and Ren sat on her lap to cuddle with her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise whispered to him and kissed his cheek. Ren wasn''t sure what she was thanking him for, so he just gave her a squeeze and snuggled in to wait for the show to end. About 10 minutes later the show ended, and Barbara, Gloria and Stella launched into a debate over what had just happened and what was going to happen next. Ren sat quietly through several minutes of this, and then couldn''t take it anymore. ¡°Ah... ahem!¡± Ren said and pretended to cough. They didn''t react, and he sighed. ¡°I said... AHEM!¡± The three women looked at him with surprise on their faces. ¡°I''m sorry to interrupt, but Gloria and I are going to miss the start of the party quest.¡± Ren said, and Gloria shot to her feet. ¡°Oh my god!¡± Gloria said. ¡°I totally forgot!¡± ¡°I almost did, too.¡± Ren said and kissed Elise on the cheek, which made her blush a little. ¡°I''ll set up my rig right away.¡± Gloria said and left the theatre room at a run. ¡°I guess that''s my cue to hit the hay.¡± Stella said. ¡°Barbara, I leave the rascal in your capable hands.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°You do realize he''s not logging out tonight, right?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It depends on how long the quest is, and how long it takes to get there.¡± ¡°That''s a definite no, in case you were wondering.¡± Barbara said, and everyone laughed. They left the theatre room, and Stella said goodnight and went into her room. Elise pushed Ren into his room with Barbara close behind, and they saw Gloria as she finished setting up her own VR system. ¡°That''s... not really one of ours.¡± Elise said, and Gloria laughed. ¡°It used to be.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I''ve added a few modifications.¡± ¡°A few?¡± Elise pushed Ren to the bed and parked the wheelchair, then held a hand out for Gloria''s headset. Gloria hesitated for a moment, then passed it to her. Elise looked it over, turned it around, and held it upside down. She knew better than to poke or prod anything on it, though. ¡°Tell me you''ve figured out a bypass for the ram buffer.¡± Elise said. ¡°That was the first thing I did.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I also changed the circuit board for the processors, gave it a bios update to handle the modifications, and quadrupled the memory capacity with new memory chips.¡± She smiled. ¡°It made the ram buffer so large that it doesn''t even come close to reaching capacity.¡± ¡°Okay, I need to make an appointment with you about this.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ll be busy first thing in the morning while I make several copies of Ren''s evidence folder and deliver them to the lawyer firm; but, I''m free in the afternoon.¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Gloria said and pointed to the headset. ¡°I''m in the same mission as Ren, remember?¡± ¡°You won''t know if you''re available until you''re in there and find out what it is.¡± Elise said. Gloria nodded. ¡°I can text you when I''m out, either for a break in the mission, or I died.¡± ¡°Gloria.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t let that happen.¡± Gloria chuckled. ¡°You''re sweet, but it happens.¡± She said. ¡°Elise, give me your number.¡± While they exchanged contact information, Ren went into the bathroom to prepare for an extended period of time with Elerlyth in the game, then went back out to his room. He grabbed the plastic step stool at the side of the bed and brought it over to Elise, then climbed up it to stand on it. It put his face a couple of inches higher than hers, and she blinked her eyes at him. ¡°Thanks for coming over.¡± Ren said to her, and wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her. Elise moaned before she could stop herself, then wrapped her arms around his back. They stayed like that for nearly a full minute, then Ren broke the kiss and tucked his head under her hair to put his mouth by her ear. ¡°I love you.¡± Ren whispered and kissed her earlobe. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Elise whispered back. Ren let her go and took the two steps off the step stool and moved it back to where it was, then used it to climb up and laid down on the right side of the bed. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°We''re both going to be busy this weekend, so I don''t think it''ll be soon.¡± Elise said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Have fun, okay?¡± ¡°I will.¡± Ren said. ¡°Gloria, don''t forget to message me as soon as you''re out.¡± Elise said to her, and Gloria nodded. ¡°Barbara.¡± She smiled and looked at Ren''s night nurse. ¡°Enjoy your rest.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°Bye, Elise.¡± Elise left the bedroom and Gloria looked at the bed. ¡°Um... you guys didn''t... ah...¡± Gloria stammered. ¡°We had towels down on the middle of the bed, so it''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was mostly foreplay, anyways.¡± ¡°I did not want to know that.¡± Gloria said, and Barbara laughed. ¡°I''d say you''ll get used to the frankness; but, it surprises me sometimes, too.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I told you, I''m not going to hide things from anyone in my life.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to be open and honest with you.¡± He smiled. ¡°You just have to be careful of the questions you ask.¡± Gloria nodded. ¡°Barbara? Can you get me a medium-sized towel, please?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Barbara said and went to the bathroom. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°This isn''t really a private setting, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wait until we''re in the game. I''ll meet you in the apartment before I go to the forge.¡± Gloria nodded and Barbara came out with the towel. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, took out a pair of jogging pants and a t-shirt, then looked at Ren and Barbara.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Barbara? Can you hand me my VR headset and give us a few minutes alone?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Barbara said and gave Ren his headset. While he slipped it on, Barbara left the room. Gloria waited for a moment to see if he would peek, then took off her clothes, slipped the towel between her legs, and put on her jogging pants. It was a little uncomfortable, but it was also necessary. She''d made the mistake of not prepping beforehand once, and she wasn''t going to make that mistake again. She put on the t-shirt and climbed onto the bed to lay down on the left side. She picked up her VR headset and slipped it on, then laid back and tried to relax. ¡°This feels a little weird.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I''m so used to my old recliner.¡± Ren reached a hand out to try and take hers. He found her arm, and followed it down to her hand and held on. ¡°I''ve never done this before, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess there''s a first time for everything.¡± Gloria chuckled. ¡°See you in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± They said together, and went into the virtual world. ******** Ren woke up on the left side of the bed in the game, with a pile of maids beside him. He shook his head at the twisted pile there, and looked up at the ceiling. Hi, Teepo. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re not going to believe what happened!¡± What? Ren asked, with a good idea of what Teepo was going to say. ¡°The maids tied themselves up in knots while you were gone!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°It was amazing!¡± Ren laughed, and that was enough to cause a ripple of amusement to enter the shared Aura. One of the maids gasped when they woke up and felt him, then they tried to struggle free of the pile. He reached out and tickled the foot closest to him, and one of them laughed. ¡°Hey, don''t...¡± A voice started to say, then she froze when she felt his presence in the shared Aura. ¡°Ren!¡± That had been enough for the rest of the maids to wake up, and they untangled themselves. Frikara had been the one to gasp on the bottom of the pile, and it was Andrela''s foot he had tickled. ¡°I''m sorry I can''t stay and play with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to be late if I don''t leave right away.¡± ¡°We know.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We can feel the urgency from you.¡± Ren nodded and equipped his Travelling Clothes, then put on the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. He checked the tarantula, pet it, and made sure it was tucked away and secure. He checked the icebox and saw that they had enough food for at least a week, and turned to face them. ¡°Well, I''m off.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please stand up.¡± The maids stood up by the bed without question, and Ren took the closest one into his arms and kissed her. He gave her 5 full seconds, then let her go. Lusinia just blinked her eyes at him, and he could feel the surprise and a little bit of lust enter the shared Aura. He smiled at her, then kissed Frikara, who was the next one in the line. She embraced him and kissed him back, and he broke the kiss and left her slightly breathless. Next in line was Verwynn and he kissed her, then Navruth, and then Andrela. When Ren reached the end of the line, Frikara was there with a huge smile on her face. That made Ren laugh, so kissed her again. Of course, that meant he had to go back up the line to kiss the others again, and when he got to the end of the line, Frikara was there again and her face was quite red. ¡°Only one delay tactic per day.¡± Ren said to her, and gave her a hug. ¡°I don''t know where the quest is, so you might not be able to contact me.¡± He said. ¡°Please, stay safe and don''t endanger yourselves.¡± ¡°We can say the same to you.¡± Frikara said, and the other maids nodded slightly. Ren felt it as the maids gave him all of their support, and it lifted his spirits up. He looked at all of their faces and let a small amount of desire enter the shared Aura as he met each of their eyes. ¡°I''ll see you all when I get back.¡± Ren said and let Frikara go and looked into her eyes as well. Her face went to a deep red as she felt his desire for her, and he gave them all a slight bow. ¡°Until I return, dear Ladies.¡± All 5 of the maids gasped as they received the popup for becoming a Lady in Ren''s unregistered House, and he felt the huge burst of shock in the shared Aura. Before they could recover from his unexpected surpise, he left the bedroom and ran down the stairs to get Princess. She felt his urgency as well, and was out the bedroom door and waited at the front door for him. Ren chuckled. ¡°Riley, Stacy. Guard the house and the women while I''m gone.¡± They barked at him, and Ren left the back bedroom door open and took Princess outside and down the street. The shared Aura faded as he left it''s area of effect, and he brought Princess to his business. He left her outside and went in through the front door. ¡°Hi, Anabelle.¡± Ren said and activated the forge. ¡°Hello, My Lord.¡± Anabelle said. There was a customer looking at things in front of her, so he couldn''t give her a kiss; so, he walked behind the customer and blew her a kiss instead. She smiled at that, and he went to the forge area and tossed a few high quality iron ingots into the smelter, then went out the door at the back of the shop and up the stairs to the apartment. Elerlyth stood there with her hands on her hips. She wore her armor bodysuit with web designs and cutouts in it, and her dark grey skin showed through the holes enough to excite you and make you think naughty things. It let Elerlyth feed on those emotions; but, it didn''t even come close to actually showing you anything. It really was a good design on Ren''s part, and suited Elerlyth perfectly. ¡°There you are.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I was getting worried.¡± ¡°Yeah, we''re going to be a little late to meet at Clint''s; but, don''t worry.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ve got a plan for that.¡± ¡°It''s not going to be something funky, is it?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Of course it is.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°Now, what is it you wanted to talk about?¡± Elerlyth looked at him with raised eyebrows, and he nodded and stored his Travelling Clothes and underwear, which initiated the Blue Screen Protocol. ¡°Okay, we''re as private as we''re going to get.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you really expect me to talk to you while you''re naked?¡± Elerlyth asked. Ren shrugged. ¡°You can get naked too, if you want.¡± ¡°I meant with... Little Ren... hanging out in front of me.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± Ren said and turned around to face away from her. ¡°Is that better? What do you want to talk about?¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°I wanted to ask why you''re flaunting being intimate with other women in front of me.¡± ¡°I''m not flaunting anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m intimate with them and just not hiding it.¡± ¡°It kind of makes me uncomfortable when you do things like that in front of me.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I''m sorry you feel that way, but I''m not going to stop.¡± He said. ¡°Like I''ve told you, and everyone else that will listen, I get to choose what I do. I''ll listen to advice, and possibly take it if it''s relevant; but, I won''t be tricked, or coerced, or forced into doing something anymore.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°The only real beef I have at the moment is with Lylyth. Since I agreed to feed her and told her I would do anything so that she wouldn''t punish you for disrespecting her, I can''t bitch about it.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I love you, and I''ll do everything I can to make you happy.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re also good friends, and I like having you around; but, I won''t ignore women who care about me in real life. How would they react if I told them that I won''t hug them or kiss them with you around, because you''re uncomfortable seeing me do it?¡± Elerlyth opened her mouth to respond, and she sighed. ¡°Yes, I know it''s unreasonable.¡± Ren put a hand over himself and turned around. He put his other hand on her arm. ¡°I hope you know that I wouldn''t do anything past kissing, holding hands, or hugging someone in public.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t mind a little excitement; but, having an audience that isn''t into it is not something that I want to experience.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You''re not an exhibitionist.¡± She looked down at him. ¡°Not normally, anyways.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I would have asked you to take your top off to have the Blue Screen Protocol go into effect, but I don''t think I''d be talking too much if you did.¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°I''m having a hard time trying to argue against you, too.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°My dastardly plan has worked! Mwahahaha!¡± Elerlyth laughed. It wasn''t because it was funny, but because she knew Ren had no such thought when he had stored his clothing. ¡°Ren, I''ll try to not let you showing affection to others bother me.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Mind you, that''s a lot easier to do in the game than it is in real life.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yes, because you don''t think the NPCs deserve to be treated normally.¡± Elerlyth frowned. ¡°Where did that come from?¡± ¡°I''ve seen how you treat Anabelle.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like she''s below your notice.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°I...¡± ¡°Don''t deny it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I may not be concentrating on my Spider Aura right now, but I''m pretty sure I can tell when you''re going to lie.¡± ¡°All right, fine.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I don''t see them as people, okay? They don''t matter as much to me, because they don''t really matter at all.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why what?¡± ¡°Why don''t they matter at all?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Because... if one dies, they get replaced with another.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°They perform assigned tasks and that''s it. No variation. No creativity.¡± She sighed. ¡°They don''t really matter.¡± ¡°I''m just going to completely skip reminding you all about Nathalia and how she''s changed, and evolved, as both a person and as a game character.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°So, the one I''m going to point out to you instead, is Anabelle.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You know what she was at the mansion.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know she used to have sex for money. That was all she did. She was technically a maid, but she never had to perform maid tasks. She was given a strict set of rules, and left to her own devices most of the time.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Look at her now.¡± Ren said and smiled again. ¡°She''s running one of the most successful businesses in Aurora. It''s only a starter city with a limited population, and yet we''re still selling furniture, weapons, armor, and items.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I figured there would be a boom at the start, then things would peter out and I''d have to close down or change everything in the store to keep it fresh. I haven''t had to do that yet, and it''s been almost a month real time since we''ve been open.¡± ¡°It... it''s been almost 4 months game time?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I opened just before the first episode of the show aired, and we just watched the fourth weekly episode.¡± ¡°The time is going by so fast.¡± Elerlyth said, surprised. ¡°It''s going to keep going by just as fast.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s why I don''t want to waste any time.¡± ¡°Like I''m doing to you now.¡± Ren moved the hand from her arm to cup the side of her face and rubbed her cheek with a thumb. ¡°If I had thought this was a waste of time, I wouldn''t have taken my clothes off to give us privacy.¡± Elerlyth looked down at him, saw that he wasn''t excited, then looked back at his face. ¡°And what if I asked you to have sex right now?¡± ¡°It would have to be a quickie.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even if we didn''t have a quest to go to, I don''t have an unlimited amount of time right now.¡± He said. ¡°I''m staying in overnight, though... so, if you want to level up then, I''ll make sure we have some privacy.¡± ¡°With 5 other guys around?¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°There''s just as much chance of privacy tonight as we had today at your place.¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°Hey, this is me we''re talking about.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve got something special that''s just itching to be used.¡± Elerlyth looked down again, and Ren laughed. ¡°I didn''t mean that.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, can you handle it if I kiss Anabelle goodbye?¡± ¡°Yes, I can handle it.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said and equipped his clothing. ¡°Despite what some people say, having air flowing around my naughty bits isn''t a freeing experience.¡± Elerlyth laughed again and hugged him. ¡°I have a quick errand to run before we leave.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want to wait here for a few minutes while I go and visit Issac?¡± ¡°What about my armor?¡± ¡°I can do it on the way.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just have to fill my large crucible with molten metal so I can set the diamonds in place.¡± ¡°You''re not going to reforge the armor pieces?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°It''s a waste of time without Tee-one here.¡± He said and walked towards the apartment door. ¡°Going or staying?¡± ¡°Staying.¡± Gloria said. ¡°You wouldn''t delay leaving on a quest to go and see Issac the Enchanter if it wasn''t important.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He said and left the apartment at a run. Chapter 378 - Deep Learning Ren went out the back door of the business and ran up the street. He went into Issac''s Shop, and it looked the same as it did the first time Ren had gone in there. Old furniture, clothing, and various pieces of armor and trinkets covered the shelves Ren could see. They were all normal and didn''t have any enchantments. Issac was once again, like he always was, bent over something on a workbench. ¡°It''s really weird being back here.¡± Ren said out loud to get Issac''s attention. ¡°Ah, Ren.¡± Issac said and looked up from his work. ¡°It''s nice to see my novice again.¡± He smiled and walked over to Ren and held a hand out to shake. Ren took the offered hand and felt a tingle go up his arm. He looked at Issac''s hand and saw a ring there. He received the Wondrous Item recipe for it, and a popup.
Ring Of Rune Attunement
This ring allows the wearer to determine the Enchanting skill of the person it touches. Requires: Enchanting skill (Master), Special Skill - (LOCKED)
Even with Identify mastered, it can''t tell me the skill needed. Ren thought. ¡°Ah, you felt that.¡± Issac said. ¡°I''m glad.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked as Issac let his hand go. ¡°Because it means you didn''t cheat to get your Enchanting skill mastered.¡± ¡°Wait, you can cheat to do that?¡± Ren asked, surprised. Issac laughed and clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°Yes, like with everything, there are ways around having to spend years constantly enchanting things to level the skill.¡± He said. ¡°I''m surprised you''ve done it this soon, though.¡± ¡°I spent a year and a half in another realm.¡± Ren said, without even trying to lie about it. ¡°All I did was enchant things after I built them.¡± Issac nodded. ¡°You weren''t struck by a lightning bolt, so I know you''re telling the truth.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Issac pointed to the ceiling and Ren looked up. He didn''t see anything, so he activated the Revealing Light enchantment on his bracelet. Everything within 25 feet became visible, and Ren saw an Amulet of Truth was secured to the ceiling. Only, it wasn''t just an Amulet of Truth.
Amulet of Punishment (Compulsion - Truth)
Beings (creatures or persons) within the area of effect can''t speak any deliberate or intentional lies. Anyone within the Aura cannot avoid speaking the truth when asked a direct question, or they will suffer one Level 1 Lightning bolt for each infraction. Any creatures or persons with no will of their own are unaffected by any truth-based spell or enchantment. Area of Effect: 25 foot radius
¡°Okay, that''s a bit cruel.¡± Ren said as he got the plans for it. ¡°It''''s only 1 to 4 damage, depending on the offender''s Defense.¡± Issac said. ¡°Barely a tickle, really.¡± ¡°How did you remove the ''people always know they are in it'' requirement?¡± ¡°That my novice, is why you are here.¡± Issac said. ¡°Despite mastering Enchanting, you have yet to learn everything.¡± He said. ¡°Come, sit for a minute.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and went to the workbench and sat down. ¡°Most people take weeks to learn this skill.¡± Issac said and sat down beside Ren. ¡°Make me an Amulet of Truth, please.¡± Ren took out a blank disc and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and the 1 foot square platform appeared. He put the disc on it, and after it glowed for a few seconds, the amulet was done. ¡°Good, now absorb the enchantment.¡± Issac said. Ren used his Retain Essence ability and absorbed the enchantment. ¡°Altering an item''s enchantment once it''s done, isn''t normally possible.¡± Issac said, and Ren mentioned his Double Infusion skill. ¡°That''s just doubling up on an enchantment.¡± He said. ¡°You''ve been experimenting with it, I hope?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If I make the initial item myself, I can''t Double Infuse it.¡± ¡°That''s the Rule of One.¡± Issac said. ¡°If you try to do it yourself, it just replaces the original enchantment.¡± ¡°Yeah, but if I get someone else to make it...¡± ¡°You can Double Infuse it while enchanting it yourself.¡± Issac said. ¡°That''s the Rule of Two.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°If you''re careful, you can even stack things.¡± ¡°You mean like enchanting pieces of metal and attaching it to the original?¡± Ren asked, and Issac nodded. ¡°They can be Double Infused as well.¡± ¡°So, now that I have a blank disc and a disembodied enchantment, what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°I want you to open the recipe for the Amulet of Truth.¡± Ren did so, and told him what it said. ¡°Now, I have a very important question for you.¡± Issac said, and Ren looked at him. ¡°Do you have the Ingredient Substitute skill?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, that''s for-¡± ¡°You have the skill.¡± Issac said. ¡°Who told you that you could only use it for making potions?¡± ¡°I...¡± Ren blinked his eyes a few times. ¡°Actually, I''ve substituted a few different things when making Wondrous items.¡± He said. ¡°Instead of cloth boots for the Boots of Striding and Leaping, I used my armor boots instead and it made them that much... more... powerful.¡± Issac smiled. ¡°Ah, I see you are finally getting it.¡± He said. ¡°You''ve been using the skill without even realizing it.¡± ¡°It hasn''t cross-linked, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like Soldering has with Glassworking and Smithing.¡± Issac chuckled. ¡°That''s because if people knew when your skill was high enough, that they could pretty much change what they wanted and get the same or better results...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°They''d never come back to learn anything.¡± ¡°Right you are.¡± Issac said. ¡°Now, look at that recipe. That ''people knowing'' thing is annoying, isn''t it?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Why not add a Lightning rune in it''s place.¡± Issac said, and Ren shook his head. ¡°What would you like it to have instead?¡± Ren thought about it for a moment. ¡°I''d like for the lying person to get warm and start to sweat, that way, it''s visible without hurting them.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t want to add the Fire rune, though. That would just burn them.¡± Issac smiled. ¡°I''m glad to hear you understand the difference between producing Fire and producing Heat.¡± ¡°I''ve been absorbing Fire for a long time now, and have been converting it to heat.¡± Ren said. ¡°It makes warming up meals so much better.¡± ¡°Well, then.¡± Issac said. ¡°Just drop a Wind rune into it to replace that requirement.¡± Ren did that and closed the recipe. ¡°Check the enchantment you have stored.¡± Issac said. ¡°Is it the same?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Okay, keep the new recipe in mind and put enough Mana into the transfer to make the change.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Ren took a deep breath, held onto the blank disc, and used his Retain Essence skill to put the enchantment back with the modification. The amulet glowed for a second, and then he received a popup.
Amulet of Annoyance (Compulsion - Truth)
Beings (creatures or persons) within the area of effect can''t speak any deliberate or intentional lies. Anyone within the Aura cannot avoid speaking the truth when asked a direct question, or they will suffer through a burst of air to the face for each infraction. Any creatures or persons with no will of their own are unaffected by any truth-based spell or enchantment. Area of Effect: 25 foot radius
Notice!
You have unlocked a Special Skill: Enchantment Alteration. This skill allows you to change and alter the ingredients in an already existing enchantment to have the effects that you want.
¡°Okay, that was cool.¡± Ren said and looked at Issac. ¡°I''m sorry that I didn''t come back before now. Thank you so much for teaching me something this important.¡± Issac put his left hand on Ren''s left shoulder. ¡°I couldn''t have taught you this until you were mastered in the skill anyway.¡± He said. ¡°You wouldn''t have understood the significance of it until then.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m tempted to just stay here and play with it, but I''m already late for a party quest.¡± He said and stood up. ¡°Thanks again, sir.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Issac said. ¡°Before you go, you need something that you''ve earned, through both hard work and perseverance.¡± He put his right hand on Ren''s right shoulder and looked down at him. ¡°You have learned what you can from me, so you are no longer my novice.¡±
Notice!
You have lost the title: Issac''s Novice and all related bonuses.
¡°I declare you a Master Enchanter, and I hope it opens your eyes to a whole new world to explore.¡±
Notice!
You have been declared a Master by Issac, Head of the Enchanter''s Guild, and have gained the title: Master Enchanter. This title grants you: Membership in the Enchanter''s Guild (Provisional for 6 months), the Rule of Two, and a new skill - Rune Creation.
Ren stared at the popup in surprise. ¡°Issac, there... there''s an Enchanter''s Guild? And you''re the head of it?!?¡± Issac laughed. ¡°It''s not what you think.¡± He said. ¡°I''m the head because no one else wanted the job. We never meet outside of social functions that we just happened to show up together at, and there''s no membership fees.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°All it really does is let the other members know who you are, and if they feel like talking to you, they''ll know it will at least be an interesting conversation for them.¡± Ren''s mouth dropped open a little, and that made Issac laugh again. ¡°Any other questions?¡± ¡°Um... just...¡± Ren looked at the popup again. ¡°I gained the Rule of Two.¡± Issac nodded. ¡°And?¡± ¡°What does it mean?¡± ¡°What did we just discuss?¡± Ren thought back. ¡°I can''t use Double Infusion if I made the original object.¡± ¡°That''s the Rule of One.¡± Issac said and smiled. ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°If I have someone else do it...¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°No way!¡± ¡°That''s the Rule of Two.¡± Issac said. ¡°It lets you bypass the Double Infusion limitation.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said and put a hand on the workbench to steady himself. ¡°I can Double Infuse by myself.¡± Issac nodded. ¡°You have to be very careful with it, though.¡± He said. ¡°Most materials can''t handle a Double Infusion with a full enchantment of glyphs and runes.¡± ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I learned that lesson a few times since I started Enchanting.¡± ¡°A few times?¡± Issac asked, and grinned. ¡°You know... melting a copper ring... blowing up a wooden buckler... shattering a small diamond.¡± Issac laughed at the last one. ¡°That must have been a sight!¡± ¡°I was underwater at the time, so it wasn''t too bad.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was still lucky, though.¡± ¡°When you come back to the city after your quest, you can look around my shop and see what you can learn.¡± ¡°I have your permission to steal your things?¡± Ren asked, shocked. ¡°You don''t really need them, do you?¡± Issac asked back. ¡°You can make your own runes to do things, now.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Show info for skill: Rune Creation.¡±
Rune Creation
This skill allows you to make runes of your own design, with effects of your own design, for an appropriate Mana cost.
Ren stared at the popup. ¡°You''re kidding right? There''s no hidden trick? No downside to making up my own things?¡± ¡°Just the Mana cost.¡± Issac said. ¡°Of course, a normal rune costs only a small amount now that you''ve mastered the skill. A rune of your own making will be almost 10 times that.¡± ¡°Like that matters!¡± Ren said and hugged Issac. ¡°This is so great!¡± He said and let Issac go. ¡°I can''t wait to play with it!¡± Issac watched as Ren ran across the shop to the door and thought he would plow right through it in his excitement, then he was surprised when Ren stopped just in front of the door. Ren had stopped because he had remembered what he wanted to talk to Issac about. ¡°I almost forgot.¡± Ren said and walked back to Issac. ¡°Do you remember that gauntlet you enchanted a while back? The one where I told you to use some of the runes to reinforce the metal so it wouldn''t collapse under it''s enchantment?¡± Issac nodded. ¡°It was used to kill, and then to hurt one of my friends.¡± Issac sighed. ¡°That''s one of the things we have to live with.¡± He said. ¡°It''s all well and good to think people will use what you create to kill monsters and help people; but, the reality is, not everyone is nice. Not everyone wants to help people.¡± ¡°No, some just do what they want, no matter who gets hurt and dies.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not innocent in that regard, either. Things I''ve made have hurt and killed people, too.¡± ¡°It''s not a burden that people can, or should, take on lightly.¡± ¡°No, you have to be strong.¡± Ren said. ¡°You have to believe that the good that comes out of it can far outweigh the bad.¡± Issac smiled. ¡°You''re very wise for someone so young.¡± ¡°That''s because I''ve been through it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodbye, sir.¡± ¡°You can just call me Issac now.¡± Issac said. ¡°No, I can''t.¡± Ren said, and Issac nodded. ¡°Now I have a request for you.¡± Issac said and smiled. ¡°Make sure you show everyone what you can do.¡±
Running Quest Update!
Your old Enchanting teacher has told you to do the same thing as your blacksmith mentor. When you show people what you can do, you will gain an additional 50% XP bonus.
¡°I will, sir.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I want to hear more tales of The Hero of Aurora.¡± Issac said. ¡°Your books were quite good reads.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°By the way, you have a beetle on your shoulder.¡± Issac said. ¡°Oh, that''s Teepo.¡± Ren said, and Teepo waved his front leg at Issac. ¡°He''s been my constant companion and best friend for a long time.¡± Isaac waved back to Teepo before he realized he was waving at a bug, and then he looked at his own hand. Ren chuckled as deactivated the Revealing Light enchantment on his Major Displacement bracelet, which made Teepo disappear, and he left the shop at a run. * I know he''s around here somewhere. Officer Holly said, just down the street from Issac''s shop. I saw him run by. I know I did! Her eyes widened as Ren came out of a nearby shop and ran by her before she could react at all. She turned to see where he went, and he disappeared around the corner. I bet he''s going to his shop. She thought and sighed. I should have just gone there and waited, instead of trying to look for him. * Ren went into the back of the shop and up to the apartment to get Elerlyth. ¡°That was quite an errand.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°We''re going to be really late.¡± ¡°Oh, no we aren''t.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°In fact, we should get there just in time.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Elerlyth asked as she equipped her now outdated armor and they went downstairs to the shop. ¡°How is that possible?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s actually because of my errand.¡± He said and took out a large crucible, filled it with molten metal, and stored it again. ¡°Princess is about to go a lot faster.¡± ¡°Then let''s go.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Just a second.¡± Ren said, deactivated the forge, and walked over to Anabelle. No customers were around, so he took out a step ladder and climbed it. ¡°I''m going to be gone for a few days on a dangerous quest.¡± ¡°Be careful, and come back to me.¡± Anabelle said and hugged him. Ren leaned into her and whispered. ¡°Even if I die, I''ll still come back to you.¡± Anabelle''s heart beat faster at the words. She knew he meant because he was an Adventurer, but she felt like it was much more of a promise to her personally. ¡°You''re so sweet.¡± Anabelle whispered back. ¡°I just want to eat you all up.¡± ¡°I don''t have time for that right now.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°Maybe when I get back.¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± Anabelle kissed his ear. ¡°I can''t let you have all the fun, can I?¡± Ren asked her, and she smiled. ¡°Yes, that would be too much to ask.¡± Anabelle said, kissed him again, and let him out of the hug. ¡°Have fun with your friends.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and stepped off the step ladder and stored it. ¡°See you when I get back.¡± Anabelle nodded, then Ren and Elelryth left the shop. ¡°You really like her, don''t you?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said and stopped beside Princess. ¡°She runs a successful business all by herself.¡± He pat Princess'' neck. ¡°I pretty much dropped it on her, and she rose to the task admirably.¡± He smiled. ¡°She''s doing a much better job of it than I would.¡± ¡°That''s not true.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Ren said and bent down. ¡°Princess, I need to take your Hooves of Speed off for a minute.¡± Very well, My Lord. Princess thought. Ren opened her inventory and stored the Legendary Hooves of Speed. They still had the Horseshoes of Speed attached, and Ren thought about what he needed to do. ¡°I think an Augment rune for Speed should work.¡± Ren said and took out his Book of Runes. ¡°Now, what would a Speed Rune look like?¡± ¡°What about dash lines?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°You know, like they draw in comic books.¡± ¡°Actually, that''s not bad.¡± Ren said, and took out a writing instrument. He flipped to a blank page and drew 4 parallel angled lines, slightly staggered. ¡°They need to be connected, too.¡± He said and drew a line through the ends. ¡°Ha... it looks like a wing without feathers.¡± ¡°Like Hermes!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°The greek god of Speed.¡± ¡°He did have little wings on his ankles.¡± Ren said and smiled as he finished drawing the new Rune. He put his hand on it and poured a bit of Mana into it, and the rune disappeared. ¡°Hey, what...¡± The rune reappeared at the top of the page, in the same color ink as the other ''official'' runes, and Ren grinned at the popup he received.
Notice!
You have created a new Augment rune: Speed. This rune grants the user a +5% increase in their speed, and an appropriate increase in speed related abilities (running, jumping, etc.).
¡°I wonder if 5% is the cap per rune.¡± Ren said. ¡°That seems to come up a lot.¡± ¡°You can always message the tech guys and-¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± Ren said and cut Elerlyth off. ¡°I''m sure if I did, they''d try their best to change it, and might drop it down to 1% or something.¡± ¡°I don''t think they''re vindictive like that.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ren frowned at her. ¡°Ah, never mind.¡± Elerlyth said and her skin grew slightly darker from her blush. Chapter 379 - Clints Ranch Again Ren looked back at his Book of Runes and imagined a glyph with 2 runes, then 3, 4, and 5 runes. They appeared on the page, and he did the same for 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 runes; which appeared on the opposite page. Now that he had a glyph of 10 runes, which was the maximum a glyph could hold, he could now combine them to the limit of his Enchanting ability of 5 glyphs. Ren took out the Legendary Hooves of Speed from Princess'' inventory and used his Double Infusion ability. He enchanted them with 5 glyphs of 10 runes each, for a total of 50 runes. Each rune gave a 5% bonus to speed, so Princess would gain a 250% bonus to her speed with the Legendary Hooves of Speed +100% bonus and the Horseshoes of Speed +50% bonus. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Elerlyth said when she examined the modified Legendary Hooves of Speed. ¡°That''s insane.¡± Ren chuckled and examined them himself, then he laughed when he received the recipe for them as well as getting the info for them.
Legendary Hooves of Increased Speed (Compound Wondrous Item - Binds on Equip)
Requires 2 Gold Bars (Any Quality) and 2 Iron Bars (High Quality) to be placed on the Craft Wondrous Item platform. These golden hooves come in sets of four with horseshoes already attached and cannot be modified further. When affixed to an animal¡¯s hooves, they increase the animal¡¯s base speed by 400% (inherent speed bonus of 150% plus enchantment bonus of 250%). This counts as an enhancement bonus, and as with other effects that increase speed, all speed related abilities increase proportionally. All four hooves must be worn by the same animal for the magic to be effective. Weight: 10 pounds (2.5 pound for each horseshoe)
¡°Hahaha!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Princess! Guess what? You thought you were fast before...¡± My Lord, please adorn me with the new hooves. Princess thought, and almost pleaded to him. Ren put the hooves into Princess'' inventory and she immediately equipped them. She was covered in a golden glow for nearly 30 seconds this time as the magic took effect. When it was done, Princess was trembling. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ren asked her. My... My Lord... I... I''m... Princess bleated loudly. She leaned down slightly and dug her new hooves into the street. The paving stones cracked under the pressure, then she ran. She disappeared from Teepo''s sight, much to his surprise. ¡°Um, I can''t see her.¡± Teepo said in shock, then Princess stopped in front of Ren and Elerlyth. My Lord, I just ran around the city. Princess thought, and she wasn''t breathing hard at all. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said and scratched her chin. ¡°That''s... just wow.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Did you make her invisible for a few seconds? I thought it only increased her speed.¡± ¡°It did.¡± Ren said. ¡°She just ran around the city.¡± Elerlyth''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± My Lord, let us be off. Princess said. ¡°I don''t think I can use the cart.¡± Ren said and took out the straps. ¡°We''ll have to ride her.¡± ¡°What''s with the straps?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°I''m going to carry you like a backpack.¡± Ren said and tied the straps around her. ¡°It will make you a part of the burden I carry.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°It''ll help Princess adjust to the weight if it''s only one thing for her to balance.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°Plus, I just need to make sure you don''t fall off, since there''s only one saddle.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Elerlyth said and Ren turned around and tied her to his back. She had to kind of crouch to get it to work, though. ¡°Just wrap your arms and legs around me.¡± Ren said, and Elerlyth did so. His posture didn''t change at all as she added her weight to him, even though she was physically bigger than him. ¡°It still amazes me that you can do stuff like this.¡± Elerlyth said as Ren finished attaching her to his back. ¡°I''m carrying a bunch of stuff, and you can carry me like I''m nothing.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m not even wearing my armor that almost doubles my stats, either.¡± ¡°You''re right.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Do you want me to store mine?¡± ¡°I''d have to adjust the straps on us both if you did.¡± Ren said and used a step ladder to climb onto Princess, then stored it again. ¡°Take it easy, Princess.¡± He said. ¡°It''s not the weight you need to be careful of now. It''s giving us whiplash.¡± Princess huffed and trotted slowly down the street. Several people were out and about now, since breakfast was over, and she didn''t want to take the chance of running someone over. They made it to the North Gate and then she increased her speed, then more, then more. Teepo couldn''t even chitter in delight because he was too shocked at how fast Princess was going. They made it to Clint''s ranch in only 10 minutes, when it should have taken almost an hour. Princess slowed down about a mile away from the ranch and came to a stop in the driveway. Both Ren and Elerlyth''s hair stuck almost straight back because of the sheer velocity. Ren took out the step ladder and climbed down, and undid the straps. Elerlyth didn''t let go, however. ¡°Elerlyth?¡± Ren asked and tried to look over his shoulder. He could see she was trembling slightly. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I just... let me hold onto you for a minute.¡± Ren chuckled and he hugged her arms. ¡°You can hold on for as long as you want.¡± He tied the straps back up so it would take the strain off of her arms and legs, and she relaxed. ¡°Wait here, Princess. I''ll go and see if the others are ready.¡± He said and gave her three plates of food. She didn''t really need it, since she wasn''t hungry or even tired after that quick run, and he walked over to Clint''s front door and knocked. The door opened and a naked woman stood in front of him. ¡°Yeah, what do yo-oh, hi!¡± ¡°Hi, Jennifer.¡± Ren said. ¡°You look pretty this morning.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Jennifer said and looked down at herself. ¡°Oh, damn. I forgot my robe again.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s okay. I can appreciate a woman for who she is without staring at her assets.¡± ¡°But my ass is back here.¡± Jennifer laughed and turned around. ¡°Don''t you want to appreciate it, too?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Now I know you''re just playing with me.¡± He said. ¡°The guys aren''t even up yet, are they?¡± Jennifer shook her head. ¡°They logged back in early to get some sleep before they had to go on the quest, and... well...¡± ¡°You and the other girls gave them a personal quest and they had to complete it.¡± Jennifer laughed again. ¡°You''re so funny!¡± ¡°I do have my moments.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a bit of work to do, so I''ll go do that while we wait.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Do you want me to wake them up?¡± ¡°Not right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go on back to cuddling Billy for a while.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Jennifer said and walked back into the house and left the door open. ¡°Does that happen to you a lot?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°What''s that?¡± Ren asked as he turned around and walked over to the middle of the driveway and took out a table to work on. ¡°Greeting naked women like it was nothing.¡± Ren chuckled again. ¡°It''s only happened a few times, and if I do my best to ignore the lack of clothing, they don''t get insulted.¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh. ¡°She didn''t really seem to care, one way or the other.¡± ¡°Well, she takes her clothes off for a living; so, being without them shouldn''t be that big of a deal for her.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Undo the straps, please.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hold on.¡± He undid the straps, and Elerlyth stood up. ¡°Now what did you say? She''s a stripper?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°There used to be a girly bar much farther out called the Pink Pearl. The guys took me there to celebrate joining the party...¡± ¡°You did not have sex with a stripper!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Of course not.¡± He said. ¡°We just cuddled.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ren grinned at her, and she sighed.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I''ve got to stop jumping to conclusions.¡± Elerlyth said. Ren nodded. ¡°Neither of us was naked at the time, and I didn''t want to be a wet blanket for the guys.¡± He explained. ¡°Of course, after a bit of a misunderstanding with her manager, she was fired and I hired her to give me lessons.¡± ¡°REN!¡± ¡°Glassworking lessons.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°No jumping to conclusions, remember?¡± Elerlyth sighed again. ¡°You''re making this difficult on purpose, aren''t you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please, don''t judge me without hearing the whole story.¡± He said and took out a crate of diamonds and told her what had happened at the Pink Pearl as he opened it and grabbed 2 handfuls of them to modify her armor. He put the diamonds on the table and stored the crate again. ¡°Good god.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Those were...¡± ¡°I call them wand diamonds.¡± Ren said. ¡°Specifically cut for mounting on the end of metal wands as the focus material.¡± ¡°Ren, that... that crate alone was worth...¡± ¡°It''s only worth what I''m using it for.¡± Ren said and enchanted the first one with 5 glyphs of 10 runes each, or 50 runes total, with each rune granting +1 Strength. ¡°Selling them would be pointless, since I''d have to have more cut to replace them.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m not hurting for money.¡± Ren said and enchanted the next with runes of Vitality. ¡°I''ve got other diamonds I can sell if I was.¡± ¡°God, Ren... how can you...¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren asked and enchanted the next diamond with Endurance. ¡°Waste money?¡± ¡°No, how can you be so nonchalant about having so much?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°You''re carrying around a crate of diamonds worth more than... than...¡± ¡°Good luck thinking of something worth more.¡± Ren smiled and enchanted Luck on the next diamond. ¡°I haven''t found anything even close to the value.¡± ¡°The starter city of Aurora.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren stopped enchanting and looked at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Haven''t you ever stood off in the distance and looked at the city?¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I thought it was all just the inherent value in the businesses; but when they had that fire, you told me where the real value was.¡± ¡°Well, I can''t argue that.¡± Ren said and went back to enchanting. ¡°People are worth more than diamonds.¡± Elerlyth watched as Ren enchanted 8 diamonds, then went back and enchanted them again. Ren asked her for her armor chest plate, and she unequipped it and handed it to him. He absorbed the Protection enchantment and replaced it with 4 glyphs of 10 runes each of Reinforcement, Warding, Antidark, and Speed. He added 9 Protection runes and a rune of Set Completion to make up the last glyph. Ren took out the large crucible of molten metal from inventory and used several drops of it and his Gem Setting skill to set 6 of the diamonds, 3 under each breast protrusion, with the Burnish option so the gems were flush with the surface of the metal. ¡°I''ve set Runes of Warding on the chest plate to disguise the gems, but it''s not perfect.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess I could have used more runes, but I wanted to give you as broad of a range of help as I could.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said as she examined her chest plate.
Strong Breastplate of Swift Protection (Rare - Binds on Equip - Part 1 of 6)
This armor chest plate continually provides its wearer with Protection (+45% to Defense), Lightness (-50% to weight and burdens carried), and Speed (+50%). It has also been enchanted for Reinforcement (Armor Value +50%), and partial concealment (+10% to Stealth abilities). Bonus: +100 Strength, +100 Vitality, +100 Endurance, +100 Dexterity, +100 Agility, +100 Intelligence
¡°This is so... wait, part 1 of 6?¡± ¡°I''m not done.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Hand me your boots.¡± Elerlyth stored the breastplate and handed over her boots. Ren activated his Craft Wondrous item ability and placed her armor boots on the golden platform. A few seconds later, they were modified Boots of Striding and Leaping, which gave her a 50% boost to Speed and doubled her jumping ability. ¡°Oh, my...¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Do you want a stat boost, more speed, or more protection?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Stats, please.¡± Ren took one boot and enchanted it with 4 glyphs of 10 runes, for Strength, Vitality, Endurance and Luck, then used the last glyph of 10 runes to add a rune of Set Completion and 9 runes of Protection, then did the other boot and added glyphs of Dexterity, Vitality, Intelligence and Wisdom, then added the same glyph with a Set Completion rune and 9 Protection runes. Elerlyth handed Ren her gauntlets next, and she said stat boost; so, he gave them the same enchantments as the boots. When he had passed them back, she looked at him. ¡°Um... that''s only 5 things.¡± Ren smiled and took out the Helm of the Eagle he had let Janice borrow several times. He activated his Craft Wondrous item ability and placed the helm on it. It changed size slightly and became larger, and Ren had 2 diamonds left to attach, Luck and Wisdom; so he took out 4 more, since the helm could hold 6 of them, and enchanted them with 5 runes each of all 8 stats. He enchanted the helm itself with a glyph of 9 Protection runes and the last Set Completion rune, then used some more molten metal to recess the gems into the helm and gave it to Elerlyth. ¡°Ren... you...¡± Elerlyth stored the helm an then equipped her full armor set. ¡°OH MY GOD!¡±
Full Armor of Stat Enhancement (Rare - Binds on Equip - Complete Set)
This armor continually provides its wearer with Protection (+270% to Defense), Lightness (-50% to weight and burdens carried), and Speed (+50%). It has also been enchanted for Reinforcement (Armor Value +50%), and partial concealment (+10% to Stealth abilities). Complete Set Bonus: +10 to all stats, +25% Armor Value, +25% Defense. Bonus: +155 Strength, +155 Vitality, +155 Endurance, +155 Luck, +155 Dexterity, +155 Agility, +155 Intelligence, +155 Wisdom
¡°Wha'' tha hell is all tha yellin'' abou''?¡± Clint said and as he stormed out of his house. ¡°Oh, you''re up.¡± Ren said and stored the large crucible and table. ¡°When are we leaving on the quest?¡± ¡°When I bloody well feel like it!¡± Clint nearly yelled, and Ren stared at him. I didn''t hear a trace of accent there. Ren thought. ¡°Me, either.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Maybe when he gets mad he loses it?¡± Or the words themselves can''t let his accent be used. Ren thought, then smiled. ¡°Could you speak a little louder? The people in the next county didn''t quite hear you.¡± Jennifer laughed, and Ren looked behind Clint. She was there and wore a robe this time, and everyone else stood around her. ¡°Hi, everybody.¡± Ren said and waved. ¡°Hi!¡± A couple of the girls said and waved back. ¡°Are you bored yet?¡± ¡°Completely!¡± One of them said. ¡°There''s only so much time you can spend in the pool and looking at mounts.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I had an idea that I want to ask you about.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± She walked over to him and put her hands on her hips and looked at Ren. ¡°What''s that?¡± ¡°I own a county a few hours cart ride outside the starter city of Aurora.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think it would be a perfect spot to build a place for you girls to work.¡± The woman squinted her eyes. ¡°You don''t mean a regular job or something, do you?¡± ¡°No, I think your skills, and that of the other girls, would be much better served working in a similar place as the Pink Pearl.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jennifer ran over to Ren. ¡°You''re really going to build a place for us?¡± ¡°You aren''t going to scam us like that last guy, Conner, are you?¡± ¡°I certainly will not.¡± Ren said and let some of his anger show. It activated his Fear Aura, and the girl''s eyes widened. He heard Elerlyth take in a sharp breath, and he calmed down and switched to his Camaraderie Aura. ¡°I don''t want any of your money.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll build the place, help you start with supplies and resources, and then it''s all yours.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± The one who liked being ordered around asked. Unlike the others, she actually walked closer to Ren when he let his Fear Aura out. ¡°When we get back from the quest, I''ll have a really nice place built.¡± Ren said. ¡°What kind of theme do you want?¡± ¡°Theme?¡± ¡°The Pink Pearl was a ship and a sea theme.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure you''re all tired of wearing sea shells and listening to water sounds.¡± ¡°Oh, am I ever!¡± One of the other girls said. ¡°I felt like I needed to pee all the time!¡± Several of the girls laughed. ¡°So, any ideas?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''d like a Hell theme.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Dancing flames everywhere! Blood red costumes with horns and tails! Maybe even a deadly sins room!¡± ¡°Leave your personal fantasies out of this.¡± The woman that stood closest to Ren said. ¡°This is for men to get off on, not the dancers.¡± ¡°Aww!¡± Jennifer said, and several girls laughed. ¡°Just come up with something yourself.¡± One of them said. ¡°If we don''t like it, we''ll burn it down and tell you to start over.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''ll do it if you leave the ''burn it down'' part out.¡± She grinned and nodded. ¡°So, just hang out for a few more days, and then you''ll be back to work.¡± ¡°Oh, I can''t wait.¡± One of them said. ¡°I really miss the tips.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren looked at their sad faces. ¡°I''m sorry you haven''t been making any money since the Pink Pearl closed down.¡± He said. ¡°What did you make every day?¡± ¡°8 gold, plus tips.¡± ¡°6.¡± ¡°15.¡± ¡°Don''t pad your earnings, Jennifer.¡± The woman said. ¡°The most we''ve ever made was 10, and that was on the weekends.¡± ¡°It''s been about week since you left your jobs, right?¡± Ren asked, and they all nodded. ¡°Okay, 2 days at 10 gold coins for the weekend, and I''ll round everyone up to 8 gold for the other 5 days.¡± He said. ¡°So, that''s 60 gold you''ve missed out on. Do you all have coin pouches?¡± Most of them nodded, but three of them didn''t. Ren took out three coin pouches and put 60 gold coins into them, and handed them to the three girls that didn''t have coin pouches, then started handing out 60 gold coins to the others. Everyone just stood there and watched as he gave all 12 women money. ¡°Ren, what are you doing?¡± Elerlyth asked when he was done. ¡°I''m paying them for their missed time.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Look at them.¡± Ren turned and looked at the dozen women, and each of them had slightly red faces and held the money to their chests. It looked like they were afraid he was going to take it back. ¡°You can put it away.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s yours. I gave it to you.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°You''re missing the point.¡± ¡°What point?¡± Ren asked and looked at her. ¡°I can''t let them go a whole week without having any money.¡± He said. ¡°Some of them depend on a steady income.¡± Elerlyth chuckled. ¡°Are you really this dense?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Ren, you just gave 720 gold, or over 7 platinum, to women that will do anything for money.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Oh.¡± He said when he finally got it. He turned to the women and gave them a regal bow. ¡°Ladies, please accept my apologies. I sincerely hope that you won''t be insulted that I don''t want you to do anything for the money.¡± ¡°Is he joking?¡± One of them asked. ¡°I think he''s joking.¡± ¡°No, he''s not joking.¡± The woman that stood closest said. ¡°You don''t want us to at least dance for you, do you?¡± ¡°I''m sorry if you feel like you need to earn it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was the inadvertent cause of you all losing your jobs, and I won''t let you suffer because you can''t work right now.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll get the new place up and running soon, and then you won''t have to worry about money anymore.¡± Jennifer shook Billy''s arm. ¡°Billy? Is he serious? He doesn''t want us to do anything for all this money?¡± She asked and held up the blue coin pouch Ren had given her. ¡°Does he know how hard we have to work to get this much?¡± ¡°I don''t know him very well.¡± Billy said. ¡°But, I''m pretty sure he''s completely serious. I don''t know if he''s actually a nice guy or just pretending, though.¡± He smiled. ¡°Either way, he just gave you over a week''s pay and you don''t have to do anything for it.¡± ¡°Is... is he crazy?¡± Jennifer asked, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Most definitely.¡± Billy said. ¡°Remember the bow he made for me?¡± Jennifer nodded. ¡°He practically gave it to me.¡± ¡°Mine, too.¡± Tommy said. ¡°He gave me mah bow bracers, too.¡± Clint said. ¡°He gave me this wicked Mana bracelet.¡± Dillon said. ¡°I haven''t gotten anything yet.¡± Hank said. ¡°That''s because you haven''t picked what you want yet.¡± Dillon said. ¡°Is that my fault?¡± Hank asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Dillon said, and they laughed. A couple of the women stepped close to Ren. ¡°You really don''t want us to do anything?¡± One of them asked. Ren glanced at Elerlyth and saw her grin, because she knew they wouldn''t let any payment go without working for it. He sighed and looked back at the 12 women. ¡°If it''ll make you all feel better about this.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I get the new place built, you can give me the very first dance.¡± ¡°Ooo!¡± One of them said. ¡°A competition!¡± ¡°Yes! Whoever has the best dance can use it on him!¡± ¡°I''m gonna kick your asses!¡± The one that liked being ordered around said. ¡°I''ll earn that first dance with him!¡± The women launched into a huge debate over techniques and proper form, and the guys started to laugh. ¡°Ladies.¡± Ren said and held his hands up to try and quiet them. ¡°Ladies!¡± They ignored him as they talked heatedly for several minutes, then they stopped and looked at him. ¡°When you get back, we''ll have a dance off.¡± The one that stood closest said. ¡°Whoever you like best gets the first dance with you at the new place.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that he didn''t agree to be a judge, then sighed. ¡°That''s fine.¡± Several of the girls hugged and two of them even did a high five. ¡°This is going to be so much fun!¡± One of them said as the entire group of them turned almost as one and walked back to Clint''s house to go back inside. Chapter 380 - Party Quest ¡°Did that just happen, man?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°I mean, I saw it; but, damn.¡± Hank laughed. ¡°It''s too bad that we''re leaving for the quest, or we could have enjoyed them practising.¡± ¡°We can still...¡± Billy started to say. ¡°No, we bettah leave.¡± Clint said. ¡°It''s ah long ride ta where we gotta go.¡± ¡°I''ll get the cart.¡± Tommy said. ¡°You get the horse.¡± ¡°We can take Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hell, no!¡± Billy said. ¡°I remember the last time.¡± Princess brayed at him, and Hank laughed. ¡°I think she just called you a p-¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Billy said, and they all laughed. ¡°Well, I do have another option.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a lot faster than a normal horse and cart, but still nowhere near as fast as Princess.¡± ¡°Ahl righ''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Show us yer option.¡± Ren took out his Wand of Transport and cast a Level 5 Phantom Steed. ¡°Good god.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Is that...¡± ¡°It looks like a Nightmare Horse, but without the flaming mane and hooves.¡± Dillon said and examined it.
Phantom Steed (Level 5)
This large mostly-solid horse-like creature can only be ridden by the person for whom it was created for. It''s black head and body and gray mane and tail provide the visage of an imposing figure. It''s smoke-colored, insubstantial hooves make no sound, and is already equipped for riding. No further equipment can be added. It cannot fight, but other equal-sized or smaller creatures will actively shun it and refuse to attack it. If it loses all of it''s Health, it disappears and leaves no physical remains. Since it is a magically-created mount, it can bear it''s rider''s weight without penalties. It has certain powers and abilities depending on the caster or wand level. A mount¡¯s abilities include those of mounts from lower caster or wand levels. Level 1: The mount can ride over normal terrain. Level 2: The mount can ride over sandy, muddy, or even swampy ground without difficulty or decrease in speed. Level 3: The mount can use Water Walk at will. Level 4: The mount can use Air Walk and Displacement at will. Level 5: The mount can fly at its speed with average manoeuverability. Health: 1000 (200 per caster or wand level) Movement: 100 feet per second (20 feet per caster or wand level) Time Limit: 5 Hours (1 hour per caster or wand level)
¡°That''s insane!¡± Dillon said, surprised. ¡°It can move 100 feet per second and can FLY?!?¡± ¡°No way, man!¡± Tommy said. ¡°How long does it last?¡± ¡°5 hours!¡± Dillon said, and everyone stared at the horse. ¡°Oh, that reminds me!¡± Ren said and took out another wand and absorbed the charges from it, then replaced it with the Widen Effect spell. He examined the wand and smiled.
Wand Of Spell Boost (Level 5)
The Widen Effect spell can be used to increase the effective use of a spell (time limits, area of effects, etc.). Can be cast in conjunction with another spell, or to enhance an already existing spell with a numerical value that can be modified. Range: Within 100 feet (Medium) Effective Increase: 50% (10% for every caster or wand level) Warning: Successive spells do not stack. One spell must expire for the next Widen Effect spell to work.
Ren used the new wand on the Phantom Steed, and Dillon nearly choked and coughed several times. ¡°Wha'' happened?¡± Clint asked. ¡°I boosted it''s stats.¡± Ren said. ¡°It has 1,500 Health instead of 1,000; can move at 150 feet per second instead of 100, and lasts 7.5 hours instead of 5.¡± Clint shook his head. ¡°Ren, yer unbelievable.¡± ¡°That one''s yours.¡± Ren said and cast Phantom Steed for the other 4 guys and Elerlyth, then boosted them to match the first one. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Elelryth said and ran a hand over her horse. ¡°Ren, I... I love it!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m glad.¡± He said. ¡°Clint, where are we headed?¡± Clint took out a piece of paper and handed it to Ren. He read the directions and handed it back. ¡°Elerlyth?¡± Ren looked at her, and she was staring at the horse. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Give me your Spider Aura brooch.¡± Elerlyth handed it over without looking at him, and he took his own off. He held them in the same hand and used Double Infusion to enchant them with Sending glyphs. ¡°The Phantom Steeds will land before the time runs out.¡± Ren said and handed the Spider Aura brooch back to her. ¡°If it''s not long enough to make it all the way, call me and I''ll come over and cast them again.¡± Elerlyth nodded and put the brooch back on. The steed licked her face, and she laughed. ¡°Moun'' up!¡± Clint said, and Ren ran over to Princess. He took out the All-Seeing Mirror and showed her where the town was on the map and traced the route she needed to follow. She huffed and dug her hooves into the dirt while Ren climbed into the saddle. ¡°Princess, do you want Haste and Giant Strength?¡± Ren asked her as he leaned forward to brace for when she started to run. No, My Lord. Princess said. I no longer need them. Ren grinned and she felt his pride in her. ¡°Since these phantom horse things can fly, we can just go straight there!¡± Tommy said and looked at Ren. ¡°Wait, you''re riding your mount?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Princess is my mount, and no one else can get me there faster.¡± Ren said. Clint pointed to where they had to go. ¡°Jus'' follow me, an'' I''ll lead y''all there.¡± ¡°I''ll wait for you guys to arrive.¡± Ren said and hunkered down as close to Princess as he could get. ¡°Princess, full speed.¡± Princess huffed and then disappeared from sight, while Teepo stuck his head up and felt the exhilaration of going so fast that it taxed his mastered Spot ability. * ¡°Wha'' the?¡± Clint looked around. ¡°Where''d he go?¡± ¡°He''s racing us there!¡± Elerlyth said and took off in the direction Clint had pointed. The Phantom Steed she rode soared up into the sky and started to fade from sight. ¡°Hey, wait!¡± Tommy said and took off after her.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Come on, we bettah go.¡± Clint said and took off to follow Tommy and Elerlyth. Hank, Dillon, and Billy took off as well, and were surprised that the Phantom Steeds responded to their thoughts. They didn''t need to know how to handle a horse at all; they just needed to hold on and let the steed do all the work. It would take them anywhere they needed to go. * Ren and Princess made it to their destination about 55 minutes later, and Ren only had to use the Energize spell once to refill Princess'' Stamina bar near the end of the run. She hadn''t drained it completely; but it had been close, and Ren didn''t want to take the chance it would run out and she might hurt herself. ¡°That. Was. AWESOME!¡± Teepo chittered in delight, and Ren laughed. ¡°We''re going to have a long wait.¡± Ren said and climbed down from the saddle and pat Princess'' neck, then gave her some food to eat. ¡°Hey, why don''t I modify your armor?¡± He asked her. ¡°We just have to decide what you want.¡± They discussed the best mix of Antidark, Protection, Speed and Armor boosts for the base enchantment on the armor, and Ren enchanted them and made it a full set. Since there were so many pieces covering her, the set turned out to be a large one; and Princess gained +20 to all of her stats when he completed the armor enchantments. He then took out a couple of handfuls of wand diamonds and enchanted them with Stat boosts, and then again with his Double Infusion ability, and spread them out over the armor pieces. Since each armor piece was limited to 6 gems, no matter how big it was, he put 6 gems on the back side of the saddle where they couldn''t be easily seen, and 6 gems on the lower part of her chest plate. He didn''t want to overload her with diamonds, since he didn''t have Tee-one here, so he put as much diamonds as he could fit on her without impeding her movement. Princess gained +170 to all of her stats when Ren was done, and he had used up a good portion of the molten metal before it started to cool. He made a quick mold for an iron ingot and poured the last of the molten metal into it and absorbed the heat from it. He couldn''t leave it in the crucible, because it would harden and he''d have to make a forge to heat it up again to get it out. ¡°So, how is that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ll have to reforge everything when we get back to Tee-one so we can do it all up properly.¡± He said. ¡°I can redo my armor then as well.¡± My Lord, you are amazing. Princess thought to him. I''ve never felt so... powerful. Ren nodded. ¡°It''s a neat thing to have so much boosting you up.¡± He said. ¡°I normally don''t like doing that, since it stunts normal stat growth so much; but, I can''t go into battle with whatever it is Clint''s dug up for us, and not enchant as much as I can first.¡± You make more work for yourself later, to protect us now. Princess thought. Thank you, My Lord. ¡°I always do what I can for my friends.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I just have to figure out what else I can do while we wait.¡± * Elerlyth had flown the Phantom Steed for almost 6 straight hours, and she had enjoyed every single second of it. They had passed over miles upon miles of grasslands, farmlands, hills, rivers, forests, and mountains. She hadn''t realized there would be so many different kinds of terrain in so small a space, and then she laughed. If we travelled at 150 feet a second for 60 seconds... then that''s 9,000 feet a minute, or just over 1.5 miles. Elerlyth thought. If we did that for 6 hours, then... that''s just over 550 miles. The Spider Aura brooch glowed, and she heard Ren''s voice. ¡°You''re coming up on me now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look at the sparks ahead.¡± Elerlyth saw a flare ignite half a mile away and over a bit to the right. ¡°I see it, Ren.¡± She said, and waved to the others. ¡°There''s Ren!¡± She yelled and pointed to the spot. The guys waved to her and turned to follow the Mana Flare. * ¡°Hey, it''s about time.¡± Ren said and grinned as they came in for a landing. ¡°I''ve been here for ages.¡± Elerlyth laughed and slid off the Phantom Steed. ¡°I seriously doubt you''ve been here that long.¡± Ren watched as she pat the horse absently. ¡°I was here long enough to make Hank some new armor.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Hank said and dropped off the horse. ¡°Aw, man! I am gonna be sore tonight.¡± ¡°Ah warned ya ta ease off on yer grip ah little.¡± Clint said and slid off his Phantom Steed. ¡°Ren, wha'' happens ta tha moun''...¡± ¡°If you''re done with them, I''ll dismiss the spells.¡± Ren said and took out the Wand of Transport. ¡°No!¡± Elerlyth said and hugged her Phantom Steed around the neck. ¡°I want to keep mine!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You can keep it for another hour and a half, then the spell ends anyway.¡± ¡°I want to keep him.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Unless you know the Permanency spell, or can find someone that knows it, it''s not staying.¡± Ren said and dismissed the other 5 horses. ¡°But, Ren!¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said, and she could feel that he was. ¡°I can cast it again when its gone.¡± Elerlyth took several deep breaths and wouldn''t look at him. ¡°Ren, with everythin'' tha happened, I never asked abou'' it.¡± Clint looked at Elerlyth. ¡°Wha''s she doin'' here?¡± ¡°I know we''re a party member short, so I asked Elerlyth to be a member of my party to make up the spot.¡± ¡°What do you mean your party?¡± Dillon asked, and the guys all looked at him. Ren smiled, because he knew they must think that he was trying to claim Clint''s party. ¡°I''m the leader of my own party, but I''m also allowed to join another.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°No one can be in two parties!¡± ¡°It''s a special class skill of mine called Tricks of the Trade. I can join a second party, and it lets me boost all party member''s abilities for up to 10 seconds at a time.¡± ¡°Hold on, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°You can boost our abilities?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I know 10 seconds isn''t a long time...¡± ¡°It is when you''re in a desperate fight.¡± Tommy said and looked at Hank. ¡°Imagine what could have happened when we fought that group of trolls and your charge hadn''t failed?¡± Hank laughed. ¡°They wouldn''t have wiped the floor with us.¡± Dillon nodded. ¡°A few more seconds and you would have run them down.¡± ¡°So, do you want new armor?¡± Ren asked Hank. ¡°Or would you rather a new sword?¡± ¡°Armor.¡± Hank said. ¡°I''m sure you can easily fix what I have now, but I was planning on getting a new set soon anyways.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°What color do you want it?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Red, blue, white, black, green... pick a color.¡± ¡°Yellow.¡± Billy said and chuckled. ¡°I want to see him in all yellow!¡± Tommy smiled. ¡°He''d definitely stand out in a fight.¡± ¡°I''m not wearing anything yellow.¡± Hank said. ¡°Not unless my girl wants me to.¡± ¡°You''re so whipped!¡± Billy said. ¡°Look who''s talking.¡± Dillon said. ¡°Mr. Jennifer.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Billy exclaimed, and the guys laughed. ¡°I''ll try it in black.¡± Hank said. ¡°If I don''t like it, can I change it later?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and took out the set of black armor he had made. He had even made a nice crate to put it in, and Hank looked at the polished black steel with lust in his eyes. ¡°How much do I owe you?¡± ¡°How much do you have?¡± Ren asked, and they all laughed. ¡°You just gave away over 7 platinum to the girls, and you want my measly money?¡± Hank asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°How about just the cost of the materials?¡± ¡°How much is that going to be?¡± ¡°Well, there''s high quality steel for the metal that no one else but me uses, so... 1 platinum is a steal.¡± Ren grinned at his pun. ¡°It''s enchanted to make you and your burden lighter, with added Defense and Speed. It also has 8 diamonds embedded into it that are worth 3 platinum each.¡± He said, and the smiles disappeared from the men''s faces. ¡°The diamonds are enchanted to give a bonus of +100 to each of your stats, too.¡± He smiled. ¡°I won''t charge you for the enchantments, though.¡± ¡°No way, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°That''s...¡± He shook his head. ¡°Even at 80% off, that''s...¡± ¡°20% of 25 is 5 platinum coins.¡± Ren said. ¡°Geezus.¡± Hank said. ¡°I don''t think I''ve ever had that much on me at one time.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Clint said. ¡°Can ya make a cheaper version?¡± ¡°This is the cheaper version.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Right, Dillon?¡± Dillon opened his mouth to give his opinion, and Ren pointed to Elerlyth. Dillon looked at her and blinked his eyes a few times. ¡°Uh.¡± Dillon said. ¡°Yes, it''s a much cheaper version.¡± Clint waved the guys over into a huddle and they started to whisper to each other. Ren walked over to Elerlyth, but the both of them could easily hear the men as they talked. * ¡°What do we do, man?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°It''s fantastic armor.¡± ¡°A hundred points added to my stats is beyond awesome.¡± Hank said. ¡°The price is awesome, too.¡± Dillon said. ¡°You don''t want to know how much her armor is worth.¡± ¡°Ya don'' really need it, though.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah know it''s ah grea'' deal...¡± ¡°How much have you got on you?¡± Hank asked, but the guys didn''t laugh this time. ¡°Even combined, I don''t think we have enough.¡± Dillon said. ¡°If''n ah hadn''t splurged aftah tha las'' quest...¡± ¡°I might get a hundred gold for my old armor, after it gets repaired.¡± Hank said and sighed. ¡°I guess I''ll have to say no to this deal.¡± ¡°Ah''m sorry, Hank.¡± Clint said. ¡°We all are, man.¡± Tommy said, and Billy and Dillon nodded silently. * ¡°How long are you going to let them sweat?¡± Elerlyth whispered very low. ¡°Just until they walk back over to me.¡± Ren whispered back and smiled. ¡°The things you''re feeling.¡± Elerlyth said and licked her lips. ¡°You''re really tasty right now.¡± Ren chuckled softly. ¡°Concentrate on your Spider Aura.¡± He said, and did it himself. Their Auras merged, and Elerlyth gasped. She put her forehead on the Phantom Steed''s neck and sighed. ¡°Good god, I want you so much right now.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°It''ll have to wait for a little while.¡± Ren said. ¡°Here they come.¡± Ren turned and watched as the 5 men walked over to him, and you could almost see the feelings of sadness and disappointment that covered them. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Is it a good deal or what?¡± ¡°It''s unbelievable.¡± Hank said. ¡°It''s too good to be true.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s me in a nutshell.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Hank sighed. ¡°I can''t-¡± ¡°Before you give me your decision, what are you doing with your old armor?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I was going to sell it.¡± Hank said. ¡°Let me see it.¡± Ren said, and Hank took it out and handed it over. Ren examined it saw it was down to below half of it''s Durability, and it''s appraised value was almost 100 gold coins. He took out his blacksmith hammer and repaired it, and brought it''s value up to just over 150 gold. ¡°I can sell it for you.¡± Ren said, and the men looked at him. ¡°I''m a registered business owner. I can sell things back to the system for a 10% discount.¡± ¡°Oh, man!¡± Tommy said. ¡°That is so neat!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°But...¡± Hank said, then Ren sold the armor and it disappeared. ¡°Hey, wait!¡± Ren handed Hank 138 gold coins, and Hank just stared at it. ¡°Oh, shit.¡± Billy said and looked at the other guys, and they all had surprise and shock on their faces. They were stuck in a bad spot, because Hank still couldn''t afford the new set. They were going to start the new quest soon and the tank of the party didn''t have any armor at all now. Ren fought hard not to laugh, and he heard Elerlyth breathing heavily behind him. ¡°Well, what do you say? Do you want the new armor or what?¡± Hank moved his gaze from the gold in his hands to Ren face, but he didn''t say anything. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot to tell you.¡± Ren said. ¡°For really large purchases, I put my friends on a payment plan.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I don''t expect my friends to somehow come up with the outrageous prices I have to charge.¡± He said. ¡°Imagine if you had to pay full price with all the enchantments!¡± He laughed. ¡°I''d never sell anything!¡± Hank looked at the other 4 guys, and they still had surprise on their faces. ¡°Ren, even if...¡± ¡°The payments are pretty steep, though.¡± Ren said and smiled evilly, and Teepo chittered in laughter. Hank sighed, because Ren had him over a barrel and could screw him over for the rest of the time he played the game. Since he had no armor at all, he was going to have to accept whatever deal Ren gave him. ¡°What are the payments?¡± Hank asked. ¡°It''s 1 gold coin a week until it''s paid off.¡± Ren said, and Hank lost motor function in his arms and dropped the pile of gold. ¡°WHHHAAAAAATTTTTT?????!!!!!?????¡± Hank yelled. Chapter 381 - Its Time To Party ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°I know it''s a lot, but I can''t accept payments any lower than that.¡± Clint recovered from the shock the fastest. He walked over to the pile of gold coins on the ground and started to gather them up. The other guys saw this and they helped as well. Teepo, tell me if they miss any. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°Sure thing.¡± Teepo said and watched. After a couple of minutes, he spoke. ¡°They got it all.¡± Clint put the last coin in Hank''s hands and put a hand on the man''s shoulder. He pat it once and stepped back. Hank put the money into his coin pouch, took out 52 gold, and held it out. ¡°A whole year''s payments?¡± Ren asked and accepted the gold. ¡°Are you sure you want to pay that far ahead?¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure.¡± Hank said. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and slipped the coins into his coin vault. ¡°Thank you for your purchase.¡± ¡°So, that''s it? I can wear it?¡± ¡°It''s yours, so yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go ahead and equip it.¡± Hank reached down and touched the set of armor and stored it; then a second later equipped it. He didn''t say anything as it glowed slightly for a moment, and bestowed upon him all of it''s bonuses. ¡°I thought adding a Helm of the Eagle was a nice touch.¡± Ren said. ¡°It worked for Elerlyth, so I modified the helm for your armor, too.¡± He said. ¡°I did the boots, too.¡± ¡°You look nasty.¡± Billy said to Hank, who smiled. ¡°All the better to mess you up.¡± Hank said and took out his sword. Ren examined it automatically and received the plans, then shook his head at the info popup.
Old Dull Sword of Cleaving
This sword has a special enchantment that allows it to cleave through even the toughest opponents. When an attack is made with this weapon, a second backhand strike can be performed for free, with no cost to Stamina. This sword grants: Free Strike (Temporary Skill), +20 Damage Damage: 70 (50 Normal Damage, plus bonus) Durability: 278 / 400 Warning: This weapon has the Dull condition and cannot be sharpened.
¡°Where did you get that?¡± Ren asked and used Enchanted Eyes, Decipher, and Read Rune. He didn''t discover a new rune, though. ¡°I found it in an old keep.¡± Hank said. ¡°When I broke my normal sword, it was cheaper to have this one repaired than it was to buy a new one.¡± He said. ¡°Plus, the Damage bonus is awesome!¡± ¡°It''s Dull.¡± Ren said. ¡°You must swing it pretty hard to get it to work.¡± ¡°As hard as I can.¡± Hank said and grinned. ¡°My old Strength bonus added another 20 points of Damage.¡± ¡°How much is it now, man?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°Plus 50.¡± ¡°Goddamn.¡± Clint said and whistled. ¡°May I?¡± Ren asked and held a hand out to Hank for the old sword. Hank went to pass it over, and when Ren touched it, he absorbed the enchantment. ¡°Hey, what the hell?¡± Hank looked at the basic sword in his hand. It did 50 Damage now, and that was it. ¡°I''m sorry, but that enchantment was too limiting for someone like you.¡± Ren said and took out a black sword. He used his Enchantment Alteration ability, exchanged the Dull condition with the Sharp condition by adding Augment runes for Sharpness, then added Augment runes to increase the Damage and the Durability. He put the enchantment on the sword while concentrating on Hank, gave it a quick Polishing to increase the Durability even more, then examined the results.
Hank''s Very Sharp Sword of Cleaving (Rare - Binds on Equip)
This sword has a special enchantment that allows it to cleave through even the toughest opponents. When an attack is made with this weapon, a second backhand strike can be performed for free, with no cost to Stamina. This sword grants: Free Strike (Temporary Skill), +50 Damage Damage: 170 (100 Normal Damage, plus bonuses) Durability: 1000 / 1000 Warning: This weapon has the Sharp condition and cannot be sharpened further. +20 Damage
¡°There, that''s better.¡± Ren said and held out the sword to Hank. ¡°Here''s the special gift for buying a high priced item from me.¡± Hank reached out with his free hand and took the sword, and his other hand let the old basic sword go. It clattered to the ground and he held the new sword reverently. ¡°Wow.¡± Dillon said, his eyes wide. ¡°He did that in less than a minute.¡± ¡°I don''t know what to say.¡± Hank said and kept staring at the sword. Ren bent down and sold the old sword for 20 gold. ¡°Say you''re going to kill as many monsters as you can with it.¡± He said and gave the money to Hank. ¡°I guarantee it.¡± Hank said and clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°Do you want a side scabbard or a back scabbard to hold it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''m keeping it in inventory until I need it.¡± Hank said and stored the sword. ¡°There''s no way I''m walking around with something like that on my hip!¡± Billy chuckled. ¡°People would be trying to steal it everywhere you go!¡± Hank laughed. ¡°They could try.¡± ¡°Tha town is jus'' ovah thare.¡± Clint said. ¡°Le''s git tha ques'' goin''.¡± Everyone nodded. Ren took Princess'' reins and Elerlyth took her Phantom Steed''s reins, and they followed behind the guys as they walked at a fast pace towards their destination. ¡°That was really nice of you.¡± Elerlyth whispered. ¡°But I don''t know why you didn''t just give him everything.¡± ¡°They would think it''s charity.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°If I had to guess, he would probably throw it back at me if I did try to give it to him.¡± ¡°But... you did give it to him.¡± Elerlyth whispered. ¡°He paid a year in advance. There''s no way he will remember to pay you again a year from now.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Then why the charade?¡± ¡°It made him feel better about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°The same with Tommy and Billy.¡± He smiled. ¡°You felt the swirl of emotions, and how happy Hank was at the end.¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°If I''d just given it to him, he might be depressed that he needed my charity.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or thought I looked down on him because he didn''t have the best of the best and I had to give it to him.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°That''s...¡± She looked at Ren and smiled. ¡°...really sneaky manipulation.¡± ¡°I''m not just a pretty face, you know.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. They arrived at the town a couple of minutes later, and they saw how downtrodden the people were. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Elerlyth whispered when they entered the small gate. ¡°Mmm.¡± She moaned slightly and the Phantom Steed neighed.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Ren felt the dread that permeated the air through Elerlyth. He was glad that someone was getting something good from the feeling; but, he felt bad that the people in the town had to go through it for that to happen. Clint led his party over to the town hall and the guard there opened the door without stopping or inspecting them. Ren and Elerlyth left their mounts standing beside the post outside and followed Clint inside. ¡°Welcome, welcome!¡± The town elder said. ¡°You''re much earlier than we expected!¡± ¡°Tha''s ''cause of tha newes'' member of mah party.¡± Clint said and motioned to Ren, who''s Etiquette skill activated. Ren looked around and counted the people sitting behind the long curved table in the town hall. There''s 15 people on their town council. Ren thought. Why do they need so many? ¡°I''m so glad!¡± The town elder said. ¡°We had another person go missing last night.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Out by Passer Ridge.¡± One of the council members said, and Clint thought about the layout he saw when he had scouted the last time he was here. ¡°Isn'' tha by tha old graveyard?¡± Clint asked the man, and he nodded. ¡°It''s right next to the mausoleum.¡± The man said. ¡°Even with the curfew in effect, people still sneak out and break the rules.¡± ¡°Please, find him.¡± A woman said. ¡°He might have been a jerk, but he was my brother.¡± ¡°Ah''m sorry ta hear tha'', ma''am.¡± Clint said and the women frowned. ¡°He meant about the man being missing, not that he was a jerk or your brother.¡± Ren said to clarify Clint''s statement, and the woman stopped frowning and nodded slightly. ¡°Nice save, man.¡± Tommy whispered to Ren. ¡°Now tha'' mah party is here, ah can accep'' tha ques''.¡± Clint said, and the town elder stood up. ¡°Please, great Adventurers! Hunt down the scourge that has beset our town and save those that have been taken.¡± ¡°If you can.¡± One of the other council members added. ¡°We accep''.¡± Clint said, and Ren received a popup that told him the same thing the council member said, word for word. Either it''s a new quest and they haven''t had a chance to embellish anything, or the quest is so old no one has bothered to do it before. Ren thought. ¡°We''re out in the middle of nowhere.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''d say both.¡± ¡°We''ll head ou'' ta Passer Ridge righ'' away.¡± Clint said and started to turn and walk away. Ren quickly put a hand out behind Clint''s shoulder and stopped the turn before it was noticed. ¡°Bow or nod to them and say ''good day''.¡± Ren whispered. Clint didn''t question it, and gave the council a very shallow bow. ¡°Good day.¡± The council nodded to him and all spoke at the same time. ¡°Good day to you.¡± Clint felt Ren''s hand move away from behind his shoulder, then turned around and walked out of the town hall with the rest of the party right behind him. Ren and Elerlyth gathered their mounts and followed Clint as he walked down the street and around a corner, then came to a stop when he did. ¡°Ahl righ'', wha'' tha hell was tha'' all abou''?¡± Clint said as he turned around and stared at Ren. ¡°Etiquette.¡± Ren said. ¡°It lets me act appropriately when in certain situations.¡± ¡°Ya could have jus'' told me beforehand.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah was embarrassed when ya corrected ma words and then stopped me from leavin'' when ah was done accep''in tha ques''.¡± ¡°I didn''t know what to do beforehand.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s not how it works.¡± ¡°So ah gotta keep ya close at han'' from now on?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°We know not to unintentionally insult them with blanket statements, and to nod or bow and say ''good day''.¡± He said. ¡°If anything new comes up, I''ll do what I did in there. I''ll let you know what to do and say as soon, and as quietly, as I possibly can.¡± Clint looked like he wanted to say something else; but, then he sighed. ¡°I guess ah should thank ya fer-¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m here to help this party succeed as much as it can, and I''m not doing it for thanks.¡± ¡°You''re not?¡± Dillon asked. ¡°I thought you were the Hero of Aurora?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That title doesn''t help me much, even with my Fame maxed.¡± He said. ¡°Not out this far from the main roads.¡± ¡°Clint''s Fame is maxed, too.¡± Tommy said. ¡°We got a major XP bonus from those wolves last week.¡± ¡°Oh, damn!¡± Ren said and took out his Portable Leatherworking kit. He opened it up and then opened the drying compartment. ¡°Whew! It''s okay!¡± He said and took out the Dire Wolf pelt he had bought from Clint. ¡°I forgot to pick up a barrel of treatment chemicals to do the others, though.¡± Elerlyth gasped when she saw the pelt, and her hand darted out and caressed the fluffy fur. ¡°It''s like your cloak, but different.¡± ¡°Clint said the Dire Wolf had an Ice affinity.¡± Ren said and closed the Leatherworking kit and stored it. ¡°I didn''t know there could be different kinds.¡± Elerlyth said and pulled the pelt to her face and rubbed it on her cheek. ¡°I can almost feel the little creatures it scared to death.¡± Clint, Tommy, Hank, Dillon and Billy all exchanged glances over her odd comment, and Ren laughed as he slowly pulled it out of her hand. ¡°Now, now.¡± Ren said and stored the pelt. ¡°I said you had to wait until later.¡± Elerlyth sighed and nodded. Why ain'' he weirded ou'' by ''er? Clint asked himself. Tha more time ah spend around ''er, tha more she freaks me ou''. ¡°Which way do we go to get to that Passers Pass?¡± Billy asked. ¡°It''s Passer Ridge, and it''s that-a-way.¡± Clint said and pointed over Ren''s shoulder. ¡°It''s about a 10 minute walk.¡± ¡°No, it''s not.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Give me your boots for a second.¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh, but didn''t say anything as Clint handed over his thick leather boots. ¡°Ah really like them boots.¡± Clint said as Ren activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability. ¡°Ah had ''em custom... whoa.¡± Ren handed him back the same boots, only they were Boots of Striding and Leaping that gave Clint a 50% boost to speed, even though they weren''t metal. Ren had modified the enchantment and added 5 Speed runes, which was the maximum that the enchantment could hold on the material. ¡°Tommy?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It sucks that anyone that has a bow as a primary weapon is limited to wearing leather armor.¡± Tommy said and handed over his boots. ¡°As archers, we''re restricted from wearing heavier things.¡± He sighed. ¡°I''d really like that stat boost Hank has.¡± Ren smiled and looked at the boots. They were similar to Clint''s, and Ren gave them the same enchantment. Billy and Dillon''s boots were next, and they also received the same enchantment. They put on the new boots, and the party quickly walked over to Passer Ridge. ¡°I can''t believe this is an investigation quest.¡± Hank said. ¡°I wanna kill something with my new sword!¡± ¡°Well, something is taking people.¡± Dillon said. ¡°You might get a chance at something soon.¡± ¡°Spread ou''.¡± Clint said. ¡°It''s only aftah noon, so ya should find somethin'' if''n there''s somethin'' ta be found.¡± ¡°Did you already talk to the townspeople?¡± Ren asked, and Clint shook his head. ¡°Ah only scouted around, since ah didn'' know what tha ques'' was.¡± ¡°Then while you guys look around the latest crime scene, I think Elerlyth and I should talk to the people.¡± ¡°Ah don'' know.¡± Clint said. ¡°It''s ah big town.¡± ¡°Do you want to do it?¡± Ren asked, then looked at the other guys. ¡°Do any of you?¡± ¡°Not really, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°They all look too depressed to answer any questions.¡± ¡°Then let us do the grunt work while you''re busy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ahl righ''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Git back here as soon as ya find out somethin'' importan'' and tell us.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said and climbed up onto Princess'' saddle. ¡°Elerlyth? Let''s head back.¡± Elerlyth climbed onto her Phantom Steed''s saddle and they trotted off together towards town. * ¡°She''s totally hot, but scary as hell.¡± Billy said. ¡°I''m afraid to even glance at her, and she''s wearing something so hot that I can''t help but look at her.¡± Clint chuckled. ¡°Noticed tha'', didja?¡± ¡°We all did, man!¡± Tommy said. ¡°She''s practically naked with all those web cutouts.¡± He said and sighed. ¡°All that dark skin on display for everyone to see, and I''m terrified that every time I try to look at her, she''s going to catch me at it and kill me.¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure she would kill you for staring at her.¡± Dillon said and smiled. ¡°It might be worth dying, just to see her naked.¡± Hank said and laughed. ¡°Tha''s enough jabberin'', ya buncha old hens.¡± Clint chuckled. ¡°Git back ta work.¡± The guys kept looking for evidence, or clues, or anything at all, and they teased each other about how much of her armor they could get off before she killed them. * ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said as they trotted to the other side of town to work their way across it. ¡°For what?¡± Ren asked as they easily avoided the people in the street, because there wasn''t that many out and about. He didn''t know if the people were just out somewhere, or if they were hiding in their homes. ¡°You''re letting me feed on all this despair and misery in the town.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You''re also sharing your own feelings and making it all taste better.¡± ¡°Are you suggesting that I''m spicing it up for you?¡± Ren asked and smiled. ¡°You know you are.¡± Elerlyth said and laughed. ¡°When did you become such a tease?¡± ¡°Ah... well, that''s a long story.¡± Ren said. ¡°I got arrested for murder once, and when I was tossed in jail...¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh, and Ren asked Princess to stop. ¡°If I''m reading your feelings right, the biggest amount of depression is right here.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Elerlyth said, a little surprised. ¡°You can feel that through the shared Aura?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m a lot more sensitive to the variations from you for some reason.¡± He said and slid off of Princess. ¡°I don''t know if it''s because I haven''t shared with you in so long, or if I''m just not subconsciously blocking anything from you anymore.¡± ¡°But...¡± Elerlyth slid off of her Phantom Steed. ¡°We... ah... you helped me level up.¡± ¡°I wasn''t concentrating on feeling other people through you then.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I was much too busy feeling you feeling me feeling you at the time.¡± Elerlyth tied her steed to the post and turned to Ren. ¡°It was... god, you were...¡± Ren stepped close. ¡°I said you have to wait.¡± He let a burst of anger out to tease her, and Elerlyth caught her breath. ¡°I... I... I''ll wait.¡± Elerlyth breathed. ¡°I still don''t see how we''re going to get any privacy.¡± She said. ¡°We passed an inn just inside the city gate, but...¡± ¡°I doubt it has enough rooms for the whole party.¡± Ren said and gave her a burst of reassurance. ¡°I''ve got a plan.¡± ¡°Good god, I hope so.¡± Elerlyth moaned. ¡°I''m... I''m having a hard time...¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°Give me a kiss.¡± ¡°You just said...¡± ¡°I need your wonderful brain to listen and catch things that Teepo and I might miss when we talk to people.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need you sober.¡± Elerlyth felt how much he liked her brain, and her heart sped up. Even though she was hornier than she''d ever been with all the feelings surrounding her, he was a calming influence for her. She leaned down slightly and pressed her lips to his, and he opened that part of himself he always saved for her. She let his hand go and wrapped her arms around him, and he poured out his feelings for her and hugged her back. It only took a minute for Elerlyth''s head to clear up from the flood of other people''s emotions as the tidal wave of Ren''s feelings drowned them out. She ran her hands through his hair and messed it up, and she knew that Ren liked it when she did that. Even though they were sharing emotions in the Spider Aura, Ren had closed down the loop effect and had everything going one way and into her. Elerlyth broke the kiss and looked at him. ¡°How are you doing that?¡± ¡°I told you before.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve had a lot more practice parcelling things out inside of me.¡± He smiled. ¡°How did you like my ''funnel''?¡± ¡°It gave me a tenth of a level.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°It''s also cleared your head up.¡± Ren said. ¡°Pace yourself, okay? Even though the emotions are there, you don''t have to try and eat them all at once.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°I don''t understand how you can be so much better at controlling my ability than I am.¡± ¡°I''m an outside observer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can see how the emotions are affecting you without being affected myself.¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°You always make so much sense.¡± ¡°That''s because I''m always right.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°Now fix my hair and knock on the door.¡± Elerlyth chuckled and straightened his hair as best as she could with her fingers, then turned and knocked on the door of the house. Chapter 382 - The Hunt The door to the house opened, and a teenage girl about 14 stood there. Her face was tear-streaked, and it looked like it had been that way for a long time. ¡°Y-y-yes?¡± The girl said. Her voice trembled and her hand on the door shook slightly. Ren stepped forward immediately and knelt. It put his head as far below her head as his was below Elerlyth''s when they stood together. ¡°I am so sorry.¡± Ren said, and he let the emotions he felt through Elerlyth show on his face. The teenage girl saw his face change into a mirror of her own, and she sobbed. Ren opened his arms, and she opened hers and hugged him. He let her cry in his shoulder for a minute, then stood up. She was still a little bit taller than him, and he held her as she let out what she was feeling. Ren glanced at Elerlyth and gave her a slight nod, and Elerlyth reached out and touched the girl''s forehead with a fingertip. The girl was so focused on Ren and sharing her pain with someone who understood, didn''t notice. Elerlyth, now with direct skin contact, could feel the girl trying to pour out her sorrow. Oh, Ren. Elerlyth thought. You''re helping us both. She used her ability to start absorbing the girl''s feelings of sorrow and loss, and the girl was giving them up freely. Elerlyth rejoiced in the fact that Ren would do this for her, give her a willing meal from someone else, and her ability sucked in as much of the sorrow and despair the girl wanted to surrender. After a few minutes of the three of them standing there, the girl''s constant sobs eased back to just occasional ones, and then to several deep breaths. She took in one really long breath of air, and Elerlyth stopped touching her as the feelings petered down to only a trickle. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± The teenage girl said and let Ren out of the tight grip she had on him. ¡°I don''t even know who you are, and I just cried all over you.¡± ¡°I''m Ren, and I''m here with some Adventurers to-¡± ¡°IEEE!¡± The girl screamed in a high pitch and hugged him again. ¡°Mom! MOM!¡± The girl yelled and let Ren go, grabbed his hand, and pulled him inside the house. ¡°MOM!!!¡± ¡°Wh-what... what is it?¡± A woman asked and stepped out of the living room. Her face was just as tear-streaked as the girl''s was. ¡°Adventurers!¡± ¡°Oh, thank god.¡± The woman said as more tears streamed down her face. ¡°Please, come in.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, even though both he and Elerlyth were already in the house and the front door had been shut. They went into the living room and sat down, and the woman tried to tell them the story of what had happened to her husband while holding Ren''s hand; but, she kept crying and couldn''t get it out. Ren asked Elerlyth to sit on the woman''s other side to take her other hand, and he felt how happy Elerlyth was that he was trusting her with such an important task. The daughter was much more composed because of how Ren and Elerlyth had helped her, and she told the story herself. By the time she was finished talking and told them everything that she knew, her mother felt much better and told them the things her daughter got wrong. ¡°Please, help find him.¡± The mother asked. ¡°I promise I''ll do what I can.¡± Ren said and nodded to Elerlyth. They let the woman''s hands go and stood up. The teenage girl took Ren''s hand and led him out of the living room and back to the front door. She didn''t open it, however. ¡°You know, you''re really short for an Adventurer.¡± The girl said. ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have a step ladder.¡± The girl chuckled and Ren smiled at her and took out a piece of cloth. He wiped off her face, stored the cloth for a split second, then took it back out and gave it to her. ¡°Will you find him?¡± She asked as she held the cloth with her free hand. ¡°I''m not going to lie to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°All I can promise is that I''ll try.¡± She nodded and let his hand go, and opened the front door. ¡°I hope to see you again really soon.¡± ¡°I hope so, too.¡± Ren said, and he and Elerlyth stepped outside. The door shut behind them and they walked over to their mounts. Elerlyth put a hand on his arm and Ren looked at her. ¡°That was...¡± Elerlyth tried to describe how much what he had done meant to her, and he pat her hand. ¡°It was nice, wasn''t it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We helped them feel better.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°You don''t have to say anything.¡± Ren said and climbed up onto Princess'' saddle. ¡°I can feel what you feel.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You can thank me after we visit the other homes who suffered losses and deal with their sadness.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s get to work.¡± Elerlyth nodded and climbed up onto her steed, and they went down the street to another house where someone had disappeared and they hunted down the sorrow to remove as much of it as they could. * ¡°He''s helping the Adventurer of our kind.¡± The healer said after touching the Queen of the Dark Elves forehead. ¡°The sheer amount of sorrow is... it''s quite...¡± ¡°Delicious.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I''m only getting a small sample, but it''s so good!¡± ¡°He is quite intelligent to harvest this way.¡± The healer said. ¡°People are actually willing to give up their pain to him.¡± She smiled. ¡°It''s quite admirable.¡± The Queen''s attendant chuckled. ¡°You sound like you''re in love with him.¡± ¡°I am.¡± The healer said, and Lylyth looked at her with surprise. ¡°My Queen, I love you, too.¡± Lylyth smiled. ¡°So, it''s not romantic love.¡± The healer tilted her head to the side as she thought about it. ¡°He''s grown in my heart, just as much as you have, My Queen.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve already told you that I would sleep with him if he deemed me worthy.¡± Lylyth nodded. ¡°I will allow it; but, only after I have had my fill.¡± The healer sighed. ¡°I do not enjoy the husks you leave, My Queen.¡± ¡°We shall see.¡± Lylyth said and smiled, then felt another pulse of sorrow in her heart. She looked down at the image of a spider there, and was saddened that it was not complete. Part of the head and the tips of the front two legs were still missing. ¡°What will it take to finish it?¡± She asked the healer. ¡°I don''t know.¡± The healer said. ¡°It should have finished long ago.¡± * ¡°CLINT!¡± Dillon hollered over an hour later. ¡°Over here!¡± Clint jogged over to where Dillon stood and knelt down where Dillon pointed. ¡°I''m no expert, but that looks like drag marks to me.¡± Dillon said. ¡°Yer righ''.¡± Clint said as his Tracking skill activated. ¡°Tha'' thare is a pair of boots bein'' dragged ovah the edge.¡± Dillon leaned out and looked down the very steep slope. ¡°You said dragged?¡± Clint stood up and leaned out like Dillon. ¡°Yep.¡± He said and pointed 20 feet down the slope. ¡°Thare.¡± He pointed 60 feet down the slope. ¡°An'' thare.¡± ¡°That''s all?¡± ¡°Mah range is only 60 fee''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ahl haveta git down thare ta keep trackin''em.¡± ¡°Ropes are only 50 feet long, unless you special order them.¡± Hank said. ¡°We don''t have any special order rope.¡± He looked down the slope. ¡°That slope is almost 200 feet long.¡± ¡°How doya know tha''?¡± Clint asked. Hank tapped his helm. ¡°This gives me Intermediate levels of Spot, Perception, and Track skills.¡± ¡°Okay, that''s it.¡± Tommy said. ¡°I officially hate not being able to wear armor, man.¡± ¡°I''d say that I feel your pain, but I don''t.¡± Hank chuckled. ¡°Hey, here comes Ren and the scary hottie.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. * ¡°Clint!¡± Ren said as Princess came to a stop, and he hopped off the saddle to land beside the guys. ¡°I''ve got a map.¡± ¡°Ya have a wha''?¡± ¡°A map.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks to Elerlyth, we tracked down where the victims were from and got their stories from their families.¡± He said. ¡°Once I wrote down the places they were from and the places they went missing, I realized I didn''t have any idea where those places were.¡± ¡°Wha'' didja do?¡± ¡°I went to the town hall and asked for a map of the town and the countryside.¡± ¡°Did they give it to you?¡± ¡°No, they only had one.¡± Ren said. ¡°They let me look at it, though.¡± ¡°Tha''s not really gonna help us.¡± Clint said. ¡°Sure it will.¡± Ren said and took out a piece of parchment. ¡°I redrew it.¡± ¡°Wha''?¡± Ren held out the piece of parchment and Clint saw the town with a bunch of dots and numbers, and dots with the same numbers out in the countryside. ¡°Goddamn.¡± Clint said as he saw the intricate detail of the map. ¡°How long didja take ta draw this?¡± He asked, worried that Ren had wasted too much time drawing and not enough time helping out the party. ¡°About 5 minutes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry it''s not as detailed as the real map, but I figured a general outline and getting it to you faster was better than taking the time to draw a higher quality one.¡± Clint glanced at Ren and back at the map. This is a general outline? He thought to himself. He drew individual trees in the forests! ¡°I marked the missing people with numbers from 1 to 12.¡± Ren said. ¡°The numbers aren''t to keep them separate, that''s the order they disappeared in.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°That was Elerlyth''s idea.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°She''s pretty smart.¡± Elerlyth chuckled. ¡°Yeah, putting them in order sure was brilliant.¡± She said sarcastically. Clint looked at the numbers for the disappearances, and nodded. ¡°It shore was.¡± He said. ¡°Accordin'' ta tha map, they all wen'' missin'' around this area.¡± He said and ran a finger along the jagged dots that ended where they stood. ¡°We were just trying to figure out how to get down there to follow the tracks when you showed up.¡± Hank said and pointed. ¡°I''ve got that covered.¡± Ren said and turned to Princess. ¡°I need to borrow your Amulet.¡± She huffed and it disappeared from her neck, and Ren took it out of her inventory.
Amulet of the Spider (Wondrous Item)
This amulet gives the wearer the ability to climb as if a permanent Spider Climb spell had been placed upon them. In addition, it grants immunity to entrapment by web spells or webs of any sort. You can also move in (or on) webs at half your normal speed. It also increases resistance against poison from spiders by 30%. Two points of contact must be maintained for the enchantment to work. Due to the higher quality of the materials used in it''s creation, this amulet grants extra bonuses. Once per hour, the wearer can cast the Web spell for free. It is generated from the amulet and can be shot anywhere in a 45 degree arc forward. The wearer gains +2 bonus to Luck.
Ren used his Retain Essence ability to absorb the enchantment from it and changed the two points of contact to one, then added enough Speed runes to give normal movement over any surface. He was tempted to load it up with other runes, but he didn''t want to change it''s inherent abilities. It was an Amulet of the Spider, and he wanted to keep it that way. He dropped the enchantment back on it, and examined it again.
Improved Amulet of the Spider (Wondrous Item)
This amulet gives the wearer the ability to climb as if a permanent Spider Climb spell had been placed upon them. In addition, it grants immunity to entrapment by web spells or webs of any sort. You can also move in (or on) webs at normal speed. It also increases resistance against poison from spiders by 30%. Only one point of contact must be maintained for the enchantment to work. Due to the higher quality of the materials used in it''s creation, this amulet grants extra bonuses. Once per hour, the wearer can cast the Web spell for free. It is generated from the amulet and can be shot anywhere in a 45 degree arc forward. The wearer gains +2 bonus to Luck.
Ren gained the plans for it and gave it back onto Princess. ¡°Thanks.¡± Everyone watched as Ren took out the last 6 blank gold discs he had and used his Craft Wondrous Item ability to make 6 of the Improved Amulet of the Spider. ¡°Here, put this on.¡± Ren said and gave one to Elerlyth, then to Clint, Tommy, Billy, Dillon and Hank. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Can my mount have one, too?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s out of time.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Elerlyth turned and reached out, and just as her hand touched the Phantom Steed on the nose, it started to fade. ¡°NO!¡± She yelled and tried to hug it, and her arms met empty air. ¡°No.¡± Ren hugged her from behind, and she hugged his arms. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°I''ll cast it again at the bottom of the slope.¡± Elerlyth sighed and shook her head. ¡°No, it... it''s just a spell. It... it''s not going to be Etheria.¡± ¡°Are these things going to work?¡± Billy asked. ¡°I mean, I got the popup telling me, but...¡± He looked over the edge of the slope. ¡°We''re really high up.¡± Ren let Elerlyth go and climbed up onto Princess. ¡°I''d say trust me, but we all know what that means when someone says it.¡± Tommy chuckled. ¡°Yeah, we''re getting scammed.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll just show you.¡± He said. ¡°Princess? Trot down the slope, but avoid the drag marks, please.¡± Princess walked over to the edge and went right over it, much to everyone''s amazement, and they watched as she trotted down the 50 degree slope. ¡°Wouldja lookit tha''.¡± Clint said as Princess came to a stop near the bottom of the slope and turned around to wait. ¡°Me next!¡± Hank said and gingerly stepped over the edge and put a foot down. It held his weight, and he took another step. ¡°Ha!¡± He said and started to jog. ¡°This is great!¡± The others watched in amazement while their heavily armored friend jogged down the slope, stopped halfway, and waved to them. Elerlyth went next and ran down the slope, and Clint could hear her laugh when she beat Hank down to the bottom. ¡°Come on, scaredy cats!¡± Hank yelled up to them when he stood next to Ren. ¡°Don''t make me call you the p-word!¡± Clint laughed and walked over the edge, and Tommy, Billy, and Dillon followed him. ¡°This is so freaking weird.¡± Billy said. ¡°It''s like we''re walking on the ground, and it''s them down there that are standing on a steep slope.¡± ¡°Yeah, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°I don''t know if I like this or not.¡± Dillon laughed. ¡°Are you kidding? Do you realize what this means?¡± ¡°No, what?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°We don''t have to worry about falling anymore.¡± Dillon said as they came near the bottom. ¡°As long as we are touching something, we won''t fall.¡± ¡°Unless we''re picked up and thrown.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Well, okay... there''s not much you could do then.¡± ¡°Just grab onto whoever is throwing you.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Now that''s brilliant, man!¡± Tommy said and grinned. ¡°I''ve gotta remember that!¡± ¡°Yer assumin'' we git ta keep ''em.¡± Clint said. ¡°I would have said I wanted them back when I gave them to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why don''t you have one?¡± Hank asked. ¡°These things are great!¡± ¡°I have an unmodified one that has more restrictions.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want to play with it and mess it up in the middle of a quest, though.¡± ¡°We hafta go tha'' way.¡± Clint said and motioned to the left. ¡°Ah followed tha drag marks ta thare.¡± ¡°There''s not much in that direction.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not according to the map, anyways.¡± ¡°How far do we have to go?¡± Dillon asked. ¡°Ah don'' rightly know.¡± Clint said. ¡°Leas'' not ''til we git thare.¡± ¡°Do you want more phantom horses?¡± Ren asked, and the guys declined. Elerlyth sighed dramatically, and Ren climbed down off of Princess. ¡°I have a surprise for you.¡± He said and took out the Wand of Transport. ¡°Ren, I don''t... I don''t want another...¡± Elerlyth stopped talking when Ren cast the spell in front of her, and the Phantom Steed looked at her knowingly. ¡°E-E-Etheria?¡± The Phantom Steed neighed at her and licked her face. ¡°Etheria!¡± Elerlyth kissed the horse on the nose, then turned to face Ren. ¡°Wai-¡± Ren''s words were cut off as she kissed him. ¡°I love you so much!¡± Elerlyth said when she broke the kiss a few seconds later, and the guys stared at them. ¡°Blah!¡± Ren said and tried to wipe off his tongue. ¡°You taste like horse!¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°Come on, you still love me!¡± Ren sighed dramatically. ¡°Yes, I still love you.¡± ¡°How did you do it?¡± Elerlyth said and hugged her Phantom Steed. ¡°I read the spell.¡± Ren said. ¡°When cast, it creates a steed specifically for who I choose it for.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said and climbed up onto it. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Stay bahind us.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah don'' wan'' ya messin'' up somethin'' we migh'' find.¡± Ren rode Princess behind the group, with a happy Elerlyth beside him on her mount, and they followed the tracks for half an hour. ¡°Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°200 feet ahead on the right.¡± ¡°200 feet ahead on the right!¡± Ren repeated, and everyone looked. ¡°Wha'' is tha''?¡± ¡°It looks like a cloak.¡± Hank said, and the group approached it cautiously. It was a cloak, but it was also in tatters, with tears and holes in it that ran the full length of the fabric. ¡°Tha''s blood.¡± Clint said and reached out for it. ¡°Wait!¡± Ren said, and Clint stopped. Ren used Enchanted Eyes to see if there were any enchantments around, and he didn''t see anything. ¡°Just a second.¡± He said and took out a Level 5 wand and absorbed the Web spells from it and replaced it with the Level 2 spell Detect Magic. He used it on the cloak, and nothing happened. He stored the wand and took out another and replaced it with the Level 3 spell Detect Traps. He cast that, and a cone of emanation 120 feet long covered the cloak. The ground around the cloak glowed, and it highlighted a thin line to a nearby tree and back to the cloak. ¡°It''s a snare.¡± Ren said, a little surprised. ¡°A human-sized snare.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Clint said and used a knife to cut the highlighted line, then stepped away from the cloak. ¡°Tha'' changes things a little.¡± ¡°It sure does!¡± Hank said and smiled. ¡°We''re gonna meet something soon!¡± Ren examined the trap and frowned.
Crude Rope Snare (Large)
This snare was hastily made to catch large unsuspecting prey, and it quite effective to those not wary enough to watch out for such things.
¡°We need to be a lot more careful from now on.¡± Ren said. ¡°Right, Dillon?¡± Dillon nodded. ¡°I got the implied warning, too.¡± ¡°Stay close, bu'' no'' too close.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ren, how many times can you cast it?¡± ¡°As many times as you want.¡± Ren said, and the guys looked at him. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°It''s a wand. I can empty it and refill it with Mana when necessary.¡± ¡°Then keep castin'' it in fron'' of us when we reach it''s range.¡± Ren nodded and cast it in front of the party, then again. They found three more snare traps, a hidden pit with several wood spikes on the bottom, and a 5 foot wide rock set to roll down a small incline when triggered. The party disabled these traps as they went along, so that no one would get caught in them. Ren, struck with inspiration, stored the large rock and then dropped it into the pit, and it almost filled it. He used his Staff of Earth to push the dirt together and the pit was no more. ¡°Ha, nice one.¡± Hank said, and they walked on. My Lord, I smell something. Princess thought to Ren. ¡°Princess smells something.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you tell what direction?¡± Princess lifted her nose and turned it from side to side, then stopped when she faced the right. ¡°That way.¡± Ren said and cast both Detect Magic and Detect Traps ahead of them. Nothing showed up, and when they walked through the underbrush, they saw what Princess had smelled. Graves. Hundreds of freshly dug up graves were in the field in front of them. ¡°Tha''s no'' on tha map.¡± Clint said. ¡°It wasn''t on the other one, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have noticed a mile wide graveyard on such a small map.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± Billy asked. ¡°Ah los'' tha drag marks a while back.¡± Clint said. ¡°Bu'' thare are tons of ''em here.¡± He said and pointed. ¡°They go that-a-way.¡± ¡°Lead on.¡± Hank said. ¡°We got your back.¡± ¡°Ah know ya do.¡± Clint said. ¡°Le''s go.¡± The party moved off in the direction of the drag marks, and Ren kept casting Detect Magic and Detect Traps spells to make sure that they weren''t in any immediate danger. Chapter 383 - The Cause The party of Adventures made their way across the emptied graveyard and didn''t know what to make of the situation. ¡°Damn, where are they?¡± Billy asked. ¡°Who?¡± Hank asked. ¡°Them!¡± Billy said and pointed to the empty graves. ¡°Where did they go?¡± ¡°I think we''re about to find out.¡± Ren said. ¡°I see a crypt ahead.¡± ¡°There''s crypts all over the place, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°They''re all open.¡± ¡°Those are sarcophagi.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or tombs.¡± ¡°Sarcoughawhat?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°They''re above-ground stone caskets.¡± He said. ¡°And before you start arguing, they can be buried, too.¡± ¡°You cut me off before I could get going, man.¡± Tommy said and laughed. ¡°A crypt is a building built to have a body interred in.¡± Ren said. ¡°Larger ones are called mausoleums, but they''re still technically crypts.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°I used to watch a lot of television.¡± Ren said. ¡°Used to?¡± ¡°I play this now.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ll give you two chances to guess which one I prefer.¡± ¡°No guesses needed, man.¡± Tommy chuckled. ¡°I''d play this all the time if I had the choice, too.¡± ¡°Is thare any magic or traps?¡± Clint asked. Ren cast both spells again and used Enchanted Eyes. ¡°Nothing that I can detect.¡± He said. ¡°Princess? Elerlyth?¡± Both of them shook their heads. ¡°Does anyone else think it''s strange that this is the only thing not open?¡± Dillon asked. ¡°Stand back.¡± Ren said and took out his Wand of Entering. He cast the Knock spell on the crypt and the door opened. Nothing popped out and nothing exploded, so everyone relaxed. ¡°Geez, what other spells do you have?¡± Dillon asked. ¡°All the basic Level 1, 2 and 3 spells.¡± Ren said. ¡°And a couple of others.¡± ¡°How many is that?¡± Teepo? Scout ahead. Ren thought. ¡°Show spells.¡± He said and counted the spells while Teepo went to work.
Available Spells
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Miscellaneous
Acid Arrow Acid Splash Acid Fog Chain Lightning
Color Spray Bridge Air Walk Fireball (2)
Detect Undead Bull Strength Animate Objects Sunburst (Special)
Enlarge Person Charm Person Bless Water Wall of Earth
Fireball Disguise Self Cause Minor Wounds Wall of Fire
Ghost Sound Detect Magic Detect Traps Wall of Ice
Grease Glitterdust Dispel Magic Wall of Thorns
Magic Mouth Gust Of Wind Energize Wall of Wind
Major Healing Haste Giant Strength Widen Effect
Minor Healing Knock Ice Storm
Obscuring Mist Mage Armor Invisibility
Reduce Person Minor Image Iron Body
Shield Rope Trick Know Direction
Silent Image See Invisibility Lightning Bolt
Sleep Slow Locate
Sleet Storm Spider Climb Magic Flare
Web Wall of Iron Phantom Steed
Resistance
Turn Undead
Water Walk
¡°I''ve got 63 spells.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ahl right.¡± Clint said when he looked into the crypt and saw the bottom of it was missing. ¡°Hank, shut an'' secure tha'' door.¡± Hank closed the door and sat in front of it. ¡°Ren, tell us wha'' spells ya got.¡± Clint said, and Ren filled them in on what he had access to. ¡°Well, thare''s no'' much thare ta help us.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only have access to basic spells for those levels. No specialty ones except for Sunburst and Widen Effect, and those I got when I leveled up.¡± ¡°Why is tha''?¡± ¡°I''m not a magic user.¡± Ren said. ¡°According to the Librarian, I''m not allowed to read spell books from there.¡± ¡°Then how did you get the basic ones?¡± Dillon asked. ¡°I bought them as research materials.¡± Ren said, and he laughed. ¡°Ah''m confiden'' yer usin'' as much as ya can.¡± Clint said. ¡°One of yer spells is Fireball. Do ya have any Fireball wands?¡± Ren smiled and equipped his shiny gold-colored armor. ¡°12 Fireball, 12 Web.¡± He said and used both thumbs to indicate his shoulders and the two wand mounts. ¡°Ha!¡± Hank said. ¡°I want one!¡± ¡°Ask and you shall receive.¡± Ren said and climbed down from Princess'' saddle, then he took out a handful of Level 1 Web wands and a handful of Level 1 Fireball wands. He gave one of each to the 5 men. ¡°What about...¡± Billy started to say and then saw Elerlyth slide off her mount and take out the wands Ren had given her a while ago. ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°Hank, open ''er up.¡± Clint said, and Hank stood up and pulled the door open. ¡°Does everyone have dark vision?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No.¡± Clint said. ¡°Human characters don''t get that trait.¡± Ren nodded and reached out and touched the Amulet of the Spider on Clint''s chest. Ren used his Double Infusion skill and put a glyph of 5 Illumination runes on it and activated it. The amulet lit up, but not too brightly. ¡°I''m glad I suggested that you join Clint''s party.¡± Billy said, and Ren did his amulet, too. ¡°Me, too.¡± Tommy said. Ren did his amulet, then Dillon''s and Hank''s amulets and activated them. ¡°Hank, yer lead.¡± Clint said. ¡°Sweet.¡± Hank said and took out his new sword. ¡°I can''t wait to try this thing out!¡± Ren stayed back and let the guys go first. ¡°Princess, hang back. If my guess is right, it''s going to be a little tight down there for you.¡± My Lord, I can make room for myself. Princess thought to him. ¡°I hope so.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re my backup, remember? I need you to come to my rescue.¡± Princess huffed. I will... hang back. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not too far back, though. Just enough for a good run.¡± When do I... ¡°I''ll activate my party skill Charge!, and you can come running.¡± Ren said and scratched Princess'' chin. ¡°What about Etheria?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°It''ll be around for another 3 and a half hours.¡± Ren said and took out the Widen Effect wand and used a charge. ¡°6 hours now.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I''ll be back before your time is up.¡± Elerlyth said and pat the horse. ¡°Bye, Etheria.¡± The Phantom Steed neighed at her and nudged the side of her head. ¡°Okay, I''ll stop wasting time.¡± Elerlyth said and pet it''s nose, and stepped into the crypt. Ren chuckled and pat Princess, and stepped into the crypt. He saw it dropped down into a tunnel, and jumped down. The guys were waiting at the first turn in the tunnel, and Ren and Elerlyth ran over to them. It was a large cavern, almost 50 feet wide, and it went off to the left. Teepo? Ren thought. ¡°Someone''s been busy.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Past the first chamber is a huge 300 foot one, with a kind of room at the back and a tunnel off to the left and to the right.¡± He said. ¡°I haven''t gone further than that, so I can keep an eye on everything.¡± Good thinking. Ren thought. We''ll be right there. He activated Enchanted Eyes and took out the Detect Magic and Detect Traps wands. He cleared the 50 foot cavern in front of the party, then moved over to the left turn and did it again. ¡°It''s clear so far.¡± Ren said and the rest of the party came over behind him. ¡°This place is huge.¡± Hank said. ¡°It must have been natural or something.¡± Billy commented. ¡°There''s stalactites.¡± ¡°There''s a tunnel off to the left, and one on the right.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s also some kind of room at the back.¡± ¡°Hank, on tha righ''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Billy and Tommy, take tha lef''.¡± The three of them nodded and advanced to their positions. ¡°Ren and Dillon, hang back an'' cover tha rear.¡± Clint said. ¡°Lith, you an'' me have tha room.¡± Elerlyth looked at Clint, then at Ren; who nodded slightly. ¡°You''re making a mistake.¡± She said and advanced. ¡°You shouldn''t leave your best asset behind.¡± Ren could feel that she believed that, and he let his appreciation flow out to her. Teepo, scout the room. ¡°You got it.¡± Teepo said and flew into the room, then flew right back out. ¡°Tell them not to go in, Ren.¡± Ren left the Spider Aura on and concentrated on his Command Aura as well. ¡°Elerlyth, stop!¡± He commanded and sent her the feeling. She stopped immediately and grabbed Clint''s arm to stop him, too. ¡°Wha''?¡± ¡°Ren said stop.¡± Elerlyth said. Teepo? Ren thought and activated Sneak, then motioned for Dillon to follow, then walked slightly crouched over to where Elerlyth had stopped. ¡°It''s... I don''t know if it''s all of the missing people, but it''s a lot of them.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Or, at least most of each of the people.¡± Wait, what? Ren thought to his friend. ¡°It''s mostly just pieces.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m good at counting.¡± ¡°Oh, geez.¡± Ren sighed, and stopped by Elerlyth. ¡°What is it?¡± Elerlyth asked, because she could feel his trepidation. ¡°Teepo found... most of the missing people.¡± Ren said. ¡°Pieces of most of them, anyways.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Who''s Teepo?¡± Clint asked. ¡°He''s my best friend, and the best scout I have.¡± Ren said and activated the Revealing Light on his bracelet. ¡°I''m the only scout you have.¡± Teepo flew into it''s area of effect and landed on Ren''s shoulder. Clint and Dillon stared at the beetle as it waved at them. That''s what I said. Ren smiled as he repeated their old joke. ¡°Guys, this is Teepo.¡± ¡°Is this really happening?¡± Dillon asked. ¡°I''m really seeing an invisible bug, right?¡± ¡°He''s a beetle, actually.¡± Ren said and looked at Clint. ¡°He''s been my best friend since the Aurora Expedition.¡± Clint looked at Teepo and then at Ren. ¡°Ya don'' mean...¡± ¡°Meeting Teepo was the reward for killing the first monster in the cavern.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Clint said and smiled. ¡°Ya lucky dog.¡± ¡°I sure was.¡± Ren said. ¡°He and I have been through a lot together since then.¡± ¡°Ah can imagine.¡± Clint said. ¡°Thanks fer stoppin'' us from seein'' wha''s in thare.¡± ¡°There''s a dead ghoul in there, too.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Oh, crap!¡± Ren said. ¡°What is it?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Teepo said there''s a dead ghoul in there, too.¡± ¡°Oh, shit!¡± Billy said. ¡°We are so screwed!¡± ¡°Pull back!¡± Clint said and took out the Fireball wand Ren had given him. A loud screech cut through the air like a razor blade, and then it was joined by more, then by more, then by a lot more. ¡°They''re coming down this tunnel!¡± Hank said and took out a Fireball wand and shot a bunch of spells off. ¡°They''re coming down this tunnel, too!¡± Billy said and did the same thing. ¡°RUN!¡± Clint yelled and everyone ran. It was a wide open cavern and Elerlyth made it to the smaller cavern first, then turned around and started shooting Fireball spells. ¡°I''m getting low!¡± Elerlyth said. She''d killed over a dozen ghouls so far, but it didn''t make any difference in the horde coming after them. Ren made it to her and turned around, and started to unload with his 12 Fireball wands, 6 of them on each shoulder. He took out a Level 5 wand and exchanged the spells with Wall of Fire. ¡°How are you doing that?!?¡± Elerlyth asked and stored her empty wand. ¡°Practice.¡± Ren said and gave her the wand. ¡°Get ready with that!¡± Elerlyth stared at the popup for it, then looked at Ren as Hank ran by. ¡°One shot will block the entrance to this cavern, but it won''t last long.¡± Ren said. ¡°They aren''t going to stop when they hit it!¡± Elerlyth nodded and waited while Ren used Fireballs to cull the herd on the sides. It slowed the horde of ghouls a little, but it wasn''t going to stop them. Not even close. ¡°Get ready!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Almost... almost...¡± Clint, Tommy, Dillon, and Billy crossed into the smaller cavern. ¡°Now!¡± Teepo and Ren yelled a split second apart and Elerlyth shot the Wall of Fire spell. She had to make it thin to fit the whole space, then cast it 10 more times to make it thick as well. ¡°Go! Go! Go!¡± Ren said and took off running behind the others. Even merged into the surrounding walls, The extra thick Wall of Fire wasn''t strong enough to hold the tide of ghouls back. They burned and died as the ghouls behind them pushed the ones in front, and more and more gathered behind the Wall of Fire. ¡°Do it again at the tunnel entrance!¡± Ren said and Elerlyth nodded. She came to a stop below the crypt and aimed down the tunnel past the party. She used one spell for a base, and with the tunnel barely 10 feet across, the level 5 spell made a wall 2 feet thick. The guys ran by her and quickly climbed up and out of the crypt, and Elerlyth unloaded the wand as many times as she could. She stopped when the fire was right in front of her, turned around and jumped up and climbed out of the crypt. Hank shut the door behind her and wondered what to do. ¡°Allow me.¡± Ren said and took out the Staff of Earth. He used it''s Move Earth ability to shift all the mounds of dirt from the graves over to the crypt, packed it in tightly, and covered the entrance. ¡°Holy shit.¡± Billy said. ¡°Goddamn holy shit!¡± ¡°Tha'' was a close one.¡± Clint said. ¡°Damn, tha'' was close.¡± They all sat down and breathed heavily, and Ren used the Energize wand that his Hand of Glory held. He cast it on all of them, and they relaxed. ¡°You know I can''t leave this covered, right?¡± Ren said. ¡°WHAT?¡± Dillon yelled. ¡°You can''t possibly let them all out!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''d rather them all come out here instead of in town, or several miles away.¡± ¡°Ah gitcha.¡± Clint said. ¡°If''n we block this here off, they''ll make anothah one somewhere else.¡± ¡°Bingo.¡± Ren said. ¡°Princess, I''m going to ask you for a favor.¡± Anything, My Lord. Princess thought. ¡°I want you to run in a spiral around this thing as fast as you can, farther and farther out.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want at least a hundred circles 5 feet apart, then turn around and run between those lines and follow the path right back here and join it together.¡± ¡°Yer makin'' an infinite loop.¡± Clint said, and Ren nodded. Right away. Princess thought and took off. Ren took out the Phantom Steed wand and cast it 5 times, and the guys climbed into the saddles. Elerlyth was already on her steed, and Ren cast it again for himself. His mount didn''t quite look like a horse, though. It was distorted, with a head that was twice as wide as the others, it''s legs were short and as thick as barrels, and it''s hooves were thicker and wider as well. ¡°Why is yers differen''?¡± Clint asked. Ren shrugged. ¡°Each steed is made for the person that it was cast for.¡± Billy looked at the other steeds and they looked nearly identical, like horses, then he looked back at Ren''s. ¡°Does that mean you''re-¡± ¡°Shut it, man!¡± Tommy said and cut Billy off. ¡°Remember what I told you.¡± ¡°I wasn''t gonna say that-¡± ¡°I said shut it!¡± Tommy said. ¡°Alright already!¡± Billy said. ¡°You don''t have to bite my head off!¡± ¡°I apparently do.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Don''t. Say. Anything.¡± Princess came back and stopped where she had started. ¡°Princess, I have to lift you out of here.¡± Ren said and climbed onto his distorted Phantom Steed. ¡°We need to have the ghouls come out to track us, and then your path will lead them right back here.¡± Princess huffed and leaned close. Very well. Ren grabbed her by the saddle formed on the back of her armor and picked her up easily, even though she was so much bigger than he was. Everyone, even Elerlyth, expected him to at least tilt a little; but he held her out to the side, his arm extended out, and it didn''t look like it was at all difficult for him to stay that way. ¡°Everyone, go straight up.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t muddle Princess'' hard work.¡± The distorted mount he rode reared back and went straight up. ¡°That looks so weird.¡± Billy said. ¡°SHUT UP, MAN!¡± Tommy yelled, and Billy winced. The rest of the Phantom Steeds did the same thing as Ren''s; they reared back and went straight up. Once they were up high enough, Ren stopped and took out the Staff of Earth and pulled the dirt around and away from the crypt''s doorway. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Ren turned towards the town and flew off. They all followed Ren, and Clint didn''t even have time to argue that he was the leader of the party. * Officer Holly Stonewall was having a hard time keeping her temper as she talked to the airhead that had the same name as her in real life. The ''Holly'' that worked in Ren''s shop was all alone at the moment, and Officer Holly tried to get a straight answer out of her. ¡°What do you mean he isn''t here?¡± Officer Holly asked. Holly shrugged. ¡°All I know is that Annie said he was going to be gone for a few days.¡± ¡°Then where''s Annie?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°Out making deliveries.¡± Holly said. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°All over the place, I guess.¡± Holly said. ¡°How long is she going to be?¡± Officer Holly asked. Holly shrugged again. ¡°I don''t make deliveries.¡± Officer Holly closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and opened them to look at the ditsy woman in front of her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Officer Holly said through a fake smile and partially gritted teeth. ¡°You''ve been very helpful.¡± ¡°You''re welcome!¡± Holly said, and let her bubbly personality out. ¡°Thanks for stopping by!¡± Officer Holly left the shop both frustrated and angry. She let her pent up anger out and stormed down the street. Stupid ignorant wench! Officer Holly thought. I''m glad she''s not real, because meeting someone like that in real life would kill me... or her. She thought and smiled as she let the thought roll around her mind. Oh, yes... definitely her. Officer Holly hit something and bounced off, lost a quarter of her Health, and fell to the ground. ¡°Ow!¡± ¡°Oh! I''m terribly sorry!¡± Frikara said and held out a hand. ¡°Let me help you up.¡± ¡°T-thank you.¡± Officer Holly said. It was like hitting a brick wall. ¡°I wasn''t watching where I was going.¡± ¡°Neither was I.¡± Frikara said and chuckled. ¡°I think we both need to be more careful.¡± Officer Holly rubbed her chest where it had hit Frikara''s shoulder. ¡°You''re hurt.¡± Frikara said and turned round. ¡°Lusinia!¡± Lusinia came over and looked at the two women. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°This woman and I ran into each other, can you check her? She''s hurt.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Lusinia put a slightly glowing hand out and hovered it over Officer Holly''s chest. ¡°You''re only Level 1?¡± ¡°I am... wait, how did you know that?¡± Officer Holly asked, surprised. ¡°It''s my gift from Lord Ren!¡± Lusinia said happily, then she nodded. ¡°You''re quite bruised and you''ve lost a quarter of your Health.¡± She said, much to Officer Holly''s astonishment. ¡°Let''s get you to the healer.¡± ¡°Everyone!¡± Frikara said, and the other maids came over to her. ¡°We''re headed to the healer!¡± ¡°Ooo, we haven''t been there before.¡± Navruth said. ¡°I hope there''s a food stall nearby.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°Andrela? Lead the way.¡± Frikara said, and Andrela deftly moved through the crowd and led them across several streets to the small healer outpost. ¡°I''ve been all over the city, and I didn''t know this was here.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Neither did we until Andrela told us.¡± Frikara said. They all went inside and the healer there diagnosed Officer Holly right away. He healed her, and warned her that staying at Level 1, even inside the city, was not a wise thing to do. Frikara paid the 10 silver fee, despite Officer Holly''s attempts to pay instead. They left the healer outpost and Officer Holly didn''t know what to do. She was actually in the company of the very thing she had gotten angry at Ren for. ¡°You look troubled.¡± Frikara said. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Officer Holly sighed. ¡°I''m sorry, I... I know it''s not your fault that you''re in this situation...¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I know you''re Ren''s personal maids.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°And?¡± Officer Holly looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°You''re okay with that?¡± ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Frikara laughed. ¡°It''s the best thing in the world!¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°When we were under contract to... our last...¡± Frikara shook her head. ¡°No, he doesn''t deserve to be spoken of in the same context as Ren.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Ren is...¡± ¡°...generous...¡± Lusinia said. ¡°...strong...¡± Verwynn said. ¡°...handsome...¡± Andrela said. ¡°...kind...¡± Navruth said. ¡°...and more desirable than any man we''ve ever met.¡± Frikara finished. ¡°We would do anything for him.¡± Officer Holly sighed. ¡°Like sleep with him.¡± ¡°We sleep with him every night.¡± Frikara said and then smiled. ¡°I sometimes feel bad when we take advantage of his good nature and pile on top of him.¡± Officer Holly blinked her eyes several times. ¡°The feel of his hands on our skin, the touch of his lips on our necks...¡± Frikara sighed. ¡°He''s always treated us with respect.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Not once has he made us feel like...¡± She stopped talking and looked at the other maids. ¡°Frikara''s right. I won''t speak of the last one.¡± ¡°I just hope he can talk to the others soon.¡± Navruth said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Andrela said. ¡°If he gets permission...¡± She took in a deep breath. ¡°Oh, I hope they say yes!¡± Officer Holly looked at Frikara. ¡°Say yes to what?¡± ¡°To going farther than just playing.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I can''t wait to have-¡± ¡°Frikara!¡± Lusinia said, and she sighed. ¡°I''m sorry, I shouldn''t let my thoughts go there.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Thank you, Lusinia.¡± Lusinia gave her a quick hug. ¡°Let''s go back to the house and get something to eat.¡± Frikara nodded slightly. ¡°Great! I''m starving!¡± Verwynn said, and the others chuckled. Officer Holly couldn''t believe what she had heard. Ren wasn''t lying. She thought, surprised. He really hasn''t taken advantage of them. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Andrela asked Officer Holly. ¡°Would you like to eat, too?¡± ¡°I... I would, actually.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Thank you.¡± The group of 6 women, 5 short ones and one tall one, chatted animatedly as they walked over to the Housing District. Chapter 384 - Have A Drink Ren and the party had flown out of sight just in time, because it was then that the crypt door burst open and 15 ghouls leaped out of it to capture their prey; only to find there was nothing waiting for them. The rest of the horde stayed inside because most of them didn''t like direct sunlight. A slightly larger ghoul crawled out of the crypt and hobbled forward with only three limbs. It had two legs and an arm left, and the other arm had been burned down to only a shoulder stub. It had sacrificed it''s arm to destroy the magical fire wall that had blocked the exit, and now it was angry that the prey had gotten away. The large ghoul grabbed the closest normal-sized ghoul and shoved it''s face to the ground. He rubbed it back and fourth, and a moment later, the ghoul tapped the ground. The large ghoul let go and the normal ghoul crawled on all fours as it followed the trail it had found. It went around the crypt, then stood on hunched legs, and ran. Three more joined it as it followed the trail out and out in a spiral, and the large ghoul waited. Almost 20 minutes later, the ghouls reached the end of the spiral Princess had made turned around, and followed the trail she''d left inside the spiral. When they appeared within the large ghoul''s sight 15 minutes later, he expected them to have something to show for it. The ghouls came to a stop where the first ghoul had started, and the large ghoul stood up as far as his hunched form allowed. He grabbed the closest ghoul with his only hand, pulled it close before the ghoul could react, and clamped it''s jaws onto it''s neck. The fangs and mangled teeth tore the throat open, and the large ghoul spit out the horrible-tasting flesh and raised it''s face to the sky and shrieked. * Ren and the rest of Clint''s party flew towards the town, and came in for a landing well outside of it so that they wouldn''t scare the locals. Ren put Princess down, pat the Phantom Steed he had used, and dismissed the spell. ¡°Aw, man!¡± Tommy said as he climbed down from his steed. ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¡°We need ah lo'' of oil.¡± Clint said. ¡°Thare''s no way we can survive fightin''em head on like tha''.¡± ¡°Oil?¡± Hank asked. ¡°Ah''m thinkin'' we can burn''em out by soakin''em and lightin''em on fire.¡± Clint said. ¡°Assumin'' we can git enough oil here.¡± ¡°If we can''t get enough here, Princess and I can make a run back to Aurora.¡± Ren said, and Clint nodded. ¡°When ya canvassed the people, didja find the businesses, too?¡± Clint asked and took out the map Ren had given him. Ren pointed to a building near the town hall. ¡°There''s no sign, but that''s the general store.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah''ll head in and see wha'' they have.¡± He said and looked at his party. ¡°Stay togethah an'' don'' go explorin''.¡± ¡°Of course we''ll stay here!¡± Billy said. ¡°We don''t want to find something else!¡± Clint nodded and walked towards the town. ¡°Give me your Fireball wands.¡± Ren said, and they handed over the almost emptied wands. He recharged them in moments and handed them back. ¡°Hey, did you just...¡± Tommy started to ask. ¡°Yep.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I can refill them.¡± ¡°Geez, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°What else can you do?¡± ¡°I can make a mean pastry.¡± Ren said, and everyone laughed. While they waited for Clint to come back, Ren checked the party members and their equipment over, and was glad to see that no healing or repairs were needed. ¡°Hey, there''s Clint.¡± Hank said. ¡°He looks happy, too.¡± ¡°They have a huge tub of oil in tha'' store.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah bough'' mos'' of it, and it''ll take a while fer them ta put it inta barrels.¡± ¡°Whew!¡± Dillon said. ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°We can relax fer a while.¡± ¡°How about an early supper?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Ah didn''t see a place ta buy meals.¡± Ren took out his icebox. ¡°Why worry about buying them when we already have some?¡± He asked and opened the door to reveal all the shelves filled with plates of food. ¡°Damn, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°That looks good!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Wait until you taste it.¡± He said, took out a table and chairs for them to sit around, then did his stone brick with Fire runes technique to warm the food. He served them plates of food and sat down to eat himself. ¡°Wow!¡± Dillon said and took another bite. ¡°This is fantastic!¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°My ex-fiance is a fantastic cook.¡± ¡°Did you say ex-fiance?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°Aw, man. I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, to be fair, there were too many things against us from the start.¡± He explained. ¡°We had a nice long run, though.¡± ¡°Yer bein'' positive abou'' it, at least''.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°We still love each other, even though we can''t be together.¡± ¡°That... that''s pretty sad.¡± Hank said. ¡°I don''t know what I would do if it was me.¡± ¡°Hey, guys... it''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m okay.¡± He smiled. ¡°I didn''t say that to make you sad.¡± He looked at Elerlyth. ¡°I''ve got good friends to take care of me.¡± The guys saw the look Ren and Elerlyth exchanged and felt relief, and Ren felt the change in them through Elerlyth. Hank asked for another plate, and once they knew Ren was willing to give them more, the other guys asked for a second plate as well. They all ate their meals in relative silence after that; but, it was companionable silence and not uncomfortable. ¡°It''s gettin'' dark.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah better go and see wha''s takin'' so long.¡± ¡°I''ll come, too.¡± Ren said and stored the table and chairs. ¡°If there''s anything wrong, I might be able to help.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°I''ll give y''all tha same advice as before.¡± He said to the others. ¡°Stay togethah and don'' roam.¡± ¡°I''m not moving after that meal!¡± Hank said and pat his armored belly. ¡°I''m stuffed!¡± Billy laughed and grabbed his own belly. ¡°Belly fight!¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Hank said and went to belly bump him. ¡°STOP!¡± Ren''s command voice rang out and everyone stopped. ¡°Hank, store your armor.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Hank said. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Carry on.¡± Ren said, and the guys went on to have a belly fight. Elerlyth stood off to the side and shook her head, but Ren could feel her amusement at seeing grown men acting like children. Clint walked towards the town, and Ren followed him. ¡°Tha'' was a good catch.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah coulda hollered, but yer Command Aura stopped ''em cold.¡± ¡°It wasn''t this effective until I mastered it.¡± Ren said and stopped thinking about it. ¡°It''s definitely come in handy a few times.¡± ¡°How didja git it?¡± Clint asked, and Ren told him he''d received it when he became Ren the First after being drafted into the dwarf army.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Clint chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I ain'' gittin'' drafted jus'' fer tha''!¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You never know what skills you might pick up in certain situations.¡± ¡°Ah can imagine.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah''ve done hundreds ah missions, ahl ovah tha place; an'' ah ain''t nevah seen er met anyone else like ya.¡± ¡°That''s because you''ll never find anyone else like me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Did you get anything for completing a hundred missions?¡± ¡°Diligen'' Quester.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah git an extra 25% XP fer every new ques'' I find.¡± ¡°Oh, nice!¡± Ren said and they stopped just outside the general store. ¡°Is that why this place is so far out from Aurora?¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Ah farmed out all the ones between here and thare.¡± Ren laughed and opened the door. ¡°Yeah, you''re definitely a diligent quester.¡± Clint and Ren went inside the store to see what the holdup was. They found out that the store had run out of barrels. The last shipment they had were full of leaks and they were 10 barrels shy. ¡°Is the blacksmith shop still open?¡± Ren asked the clerk. ¡°I''m sure Boman is still there.¡± The clerk said. ¡°You know where...¡± ¡°Yeah, I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± Ren said and left at a run. * ¡°How can he run in full armor like that?¡± The clerk asked. ¡°He''s an Adventurer.¡± Clint said and smiled. * Ren stopped at the blacksmith shop and waved to get Boman''s attention. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I need 20 barrel rings.¡± Ren said, and Boman grabbed the mold for the long piece of iron. ¡°That''s going to cost a silver each.¡± Boman said. Ren''s Haggle skill activated and he smiled. ¡°Why don''t we trade for it.¡± ¡°Trade?¡± Boman asked. ¡°I see you''re using coal to stoke the fire and a bellows to blow on it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would you like an upgrade?¡± ¡°Upgrade?¡± Boman looked at him with squinted eyes. When Ren took out the stone brick with the Fire enchantment and activated it, Boman started to laugh. ¡°Deal!¡± Ren showed off a little and started to build a new forge, rather than replace the old one, while Boman poured out the first barrel ring. When the metal had cooled a little, Boman picked it up with tongs and hammered it into a circular shape, then welded the ends together with more molten metal and hammered it to secure it. Ren saw the first ring was almost ready and made the wooden parts of the barrel. He''d made barrels before, and having another person available made it go a lot faster. Boman picked up the ring with tongs and set it onto the floor, and Ren put the wood pieces for the sides into it, then added the bottom of the barrel. ¡°Now we just have to wait for it to cool.¡± Boman said and turned to make the next ring. Ren absorbed the heat from the ring and it shrunk to hold the bottom of the barrel together tightly, and he went back to making the forge. When he was done, the second ring was ready. ¡°Don''t you have the wood pieces ready?¡± Boman asked. ¡°I do.¡± Ren said and picked up the set of straps to pull the barrel pieces together. He tightened them quickly, to Boman''s amazement, and Ren nodded to him. He shrugged and dropped the ring onto the ready barrel, and Ren slid on the top. ¡°Hey, you can''t add... oh.¡± Boman watched as Ren absorbed the heat from the metal and it shrunk down. ¡°You''ve got a high affinity with Fire, I see.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Ren said. ¡°It makes forging go a lot faster.¡± ¡°That it does.¡± Boman said, and tossed his tongs aside. ¡°Let''s do some real work.¡± Ren chuckled and nodded, and they made 10 barrels in 20 minutes, then added the sealant for the inside to make them waterproof. ¡°I don''t have to explain how to use the new forge, do I?¡± Ren asked when they were done, and Boman shook his head. ¡°I''ve been using Fire since I was a kid.¡± Boman said. ¡°When I reached the age of consent, I gained the Absorb Fire ability.¡± ¡°That''s great.¡± Ren said and stored the barrels. ¡°Your affinity must be pretty high, too.¡± Boman grinned. ¡°It''s at 88%.¡± ¡°If my guess at your age is close, and my math is right, then...¡± ¡°I''ll have it filled in 3 years.¡± Boman said. ¡°I''ve been working hard all my life to achieve it.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Boman said. ¡°And thanks for the new forge. I''ll use it well.¡± ¡°I know you will.¡± Ren said and gave him a wave, then ran back to the general store. ¡°I''ve got 10 barrels.¡± ¡°How didja... nevah mind.¡± Clint said and chuckled. Ren gave the barrels to the clerk, and the clerk said it would take another little while for them to be filled. ¡°Tha''s fine.¡± Clint said. ¡°We hafta wai'' ''til tomorrow ta use ''em. It''s way too dark ta do anythin'' with''em now.¡± ¡°Say, now that I''m here.¡± Ren looked at the clerk. ¡°You don''t have any pelt treatment solution, do you?¡± ¡°Of course we do.¡± The clerk said. ¡°How much do you need?¡± ¡°Enough for 30 wolf pelts.¡± Ren said, and the clerk stared at him. ¡°Did... did you say wolf pelts?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I bought them from Clint after his last quest.¡± ¡°Oh, whew.¡± The clerk said. ¡°I thought you''d killed them here.¡± He smiled. ¡°You''ll need 2 barrels for that many pelts, assuming you want to soak them all at once.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re 10 gold coins each.¡± Ren handed over the 20 gold, and a gold coin for the tip. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± The clerk said and ran to the back storeroom. ¡°Cliff! 2 PT barrels!¡± ¡°On the left by the door.¡± A man''s voice said. The clerk came out of the back and rolled a barrel in front of himself, and Ren ran over and stored it. The clerk went back and grabbed another one, and Ren stored that, too. ¡°Will there be anything else?¡± ¡°I think that''s all for now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Ah''l be back in tha mornin fer the oil.¡± Clint said to the clerk, then looked at Ren. ¡°We bettah git back to tha guys before they kill each othah.¡± Ren chuckled and followed Clint out the door. ¡°Elerlyth will stop them before they get that far.¡± ¡°No offence, Ren; but, are ya crazy?¡± Clint asked as they walked. ¡°She''s mighty scary.¡± ¡°Yeah, I''m a little crazy.¡± Ren grinned. Clint laughed. ¡°Ah knew it!¡± He said. ¡°Where didja mee'' her?¡± ¡°In jail.¡± ¡°In...¡± Clint looked at Ren with surprise on his face. ¡°No, ah don'' wanna know.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Ah said ah don'' wanna know.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ya can keep tha'' secre''.¡± ¡°I was only charged with...¡± ¡°Ah don'' wanna know!¡± Clint said. ¡°So shut it!¡± Ren laughed and they walked out of town and over to where the rest of their party was. ¡°Hey! You''re all still alive!¡± He laughed again. ¡°Who won?¡± ¡°Do you really have to ask?¡± Dillon pointed to Hank, who had a huge grin on his face. ¡°This is ah good place ta make camp.¡± Clint said. ¡°Git yer gear out.¡± ¡°Are you nuts?¡± Billy asked. ¡°There''s ghouls here!¡± ¡°Yeah, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°I don''t want to wake up in one of their stomachs.¡± Hank laughed. ¡°You wouldn''t wake up there.¡± ¡°You know what I meant.¡± ¡°We''re on the othah side of where everyone was taken.¡± Clint said. ¡°We can keep watch, too.¡± ¡°I can use my staff to make a barrier.¡± Ren said. ¡°Good idea.¡± Clint said. ¡°Git to it.¡± Ren ran off and took out the Staff of Earth to start making a good thick barrier. ¡°Ren.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I don''t have camping supplies.¡± ¡°You don''t need them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then where am I going to sleep?¡± ¡°Who said you''d be sleeping?¡± Ren asked her, and her face flushed a little darker. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I told you that I''ve got it covered.¡± Ren said and raised a 100 foot long and 10 foot high wall in only a minute. ¡°I''ll show you after I get the walls done and the guys are distracted.¡± Elerlyth nodded, because she could feel his confidence and reassurance, and Ren ran over to the right spot and made another 100 foot wall to join to the first, made another, then enclosed the party when he finished the last wall and made a square. ¡°Ren.¡± Clint said. ¡°How are we gonna keep watch? Ya blocked our line of sigh''.¡± ¡°Teepo said he was going to keep watch.¡± Ren said. ¡°Since he can fly, he makes his own line of sight.¡± ¡°Ah guess tha''s true.¡± Clint said. ¡°He''s also the best sentry anyone could ever have.¡± ¡°Why''s tha''?¡± ¡°He never needs to sleep.¡± Ren said, and Clint chuckled. ¡°Ahl righ'', ah''ll leave ya to it.¡± Clint said and went back to the guys. ¡°How are you going to distract them?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Easily.¡± Ren said and took out a barrel of sunflower ale. Elerlyth laughed. ¡°Yes, that will distract them.¡± ¡°Watch the spectacle, my dear.¡± Ren said and stored the ale, and she felt a distinct feeling of naughtiness from him. It gave her a bit of a thrill, and she watched with interest as he walked over to the guys and stood there until they had their tents set up. ¡°Um, hey.¡± Ren said and the guys looked at him. ¡°I... ah... I bought something to save for a special occasion, and I thought we could use it after this quest; but, I don''t know how long it''ll last.¡± He ducked his head a little. ¡°So, I think you should use it now.¡± ¡°Wha'' is it?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Yer lookin'' awful bashful.¡± ¡°Um... it''s this.¡± Ren said and took out the keg of ale. ¡°REN!¡± Hank threw out his arms to the sides and took several steps towards him. ¡°BUDDY!¡± Ren knew what was coming, so he held the barrel up in front of him so Hank would hug it instead. ¡°I love you!¡± Hank said and kissed the barrel. ¡°Geez, man! Get a room!¡± Tommy said, and everyone laughed. ¡°All we need now is something to drink from.¡± Ren took out the table and set 5 tankards on it. Hank put the keg on the table and grabbed a tankard, popped the cork and turned the spigot. Honey-colored ale came out and Hank took a gulp of it. ¡°Good lord, that''s delicious!¡± Hank said and filled the tankard up. ¡°Don''t hog it, man!¡± Tommy said, and elbowed the bigger man out of the way and filled a tankard. ¡°Whoa.¡± He said when he tasted it. Billy, Dillon and Clint filled a tankard and tasted it as well, then they all drained their tankards. ¡°This ain'' gonna las'' long.¡± Clint said as they filled their tankards again. ¡°It''s a good thing I didn''t buy just one, then.¡± Ren said and put another keg on the table. Clint put a hand on Ren''s arm, and led him about 10 feet away from the table and the guys. ¡°Yer no'' doin'' this on purpose, are ya?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Doing what?¡± ¡°Makin'' me look bad.¡± Clint said. Ren looked at Clint with wide eyes. ¡°No, I''m not.¡± ¡°Ya command tha party like yer tha leader, givin'' us all equipment we can nevah afford, an'' now yer rewardin'' us with ale.¡± Clint said. ¡°Yer doin'' a bettah job than me.¡± ¡°I''m not trying to do that.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Before you keep arguing that I am, I would be doing this for any party that I could have joined.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I wasn''t going let anyone go into a quest without prepping them as much as I could beforehand.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d still give armor to anyone that could wear it, and enchant anything that I could to help.¡± He explained. ¡°So please, don''t take my normal behavior as undermining your authority.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I did command Elerlyth to stop, but that was so she wouldn''t see what was in that room.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t use my Command Aura when we left the crypt. All I said was what needed to be done to escape.¡± Clint sighed. ¡°Ahl right.¡± He said. ¡°Ah won'' hold it agains'' ya.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and took out another keg. ¡°Wha'' the... how many of these have ya got?¡± Clint asked and stored it. ¡°Only 9 more.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°If you''ll excuse me, I''ve got to go and take care of Elerlyth.¡± Clint shook his head. ¡°Yer distractin'' us.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You figured me out.¡± ¡°Go on. Go git her.¡± Clint said and turned around. ¡°Ah''ll keep ''em busy.¡± ¡°As you command.¡± Ren said and walked over to Elerlyth. Chapter 385 - I Agree Elerlyth had a big smile on her face as Ren walked over to her. ¡°That was a spectacle.¡± She said and hugged him. ¡°I''ve been getting pangs of jealously from them all day.¡± She whispered in his ear. ¡°I''m sorry that I didn''t realize...¡± ¡°I could feel it through you, too.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°I didn''t catch it, either.¡± Elerlyth leaned back. ¡°Would you have done things differently if you knew?¡± Ren smiled at her and raised a single eyebrow. ¡°I didn''t think so.¡± Elerlyth said and kissed him passionately. She broke the kiss a few minutes later and sighed. ¡°I hope you''ve got something bigger than a one man tent.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t mind a small space if we''re busy; but...¡± ¡°Hey, I said I have you covered.¡± Ren said and walked backwards until they were 25 feet from the earth barrier. He took out a small metal and stone square from inventory, and Elerlyth stared at it. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°It''s something I didn''t have the resources to make until now.¡± Ren said and walked forward and placed the cube 11 feet away, then stepped back beside Elerlyth. A short stream of bubbles and gurgles came out of Ren''s mouth, and the Instant Tower expanded instantly.
Instant Tower
This metal and stone cube is small, but when activated by speaking a command word it grows to form a tower 20 feet wide by 20 feet long and 30 feet high, with arrow slits on all sides on the second floor and high battlement walls. The metal and stone walls extend 10 feet into the ground, which roots it to the spot and prevents it from being tipped over. The tower has a small door that opens only at the command of the owner, and even Knock spells won''t open the door against the owner''s will. The tower springs into existence with the door facing the owner, which opens and closes instantly upon command. People and creatures nearby (except the owner) must be careful not to be caught by the tower¡¯s sudden growth. Anyone caught in this way takes impact damage depending on how close they were to the center when it was activated. The tower can be deactivated by speaking the command word again, and must be empty of occupants. Material things stored inside will be compressed with the tower''s magic and will remain unharmed. Please Note: The tower cannot be repaired by normal means if it is damaged.
Elerlyth gasped as the tower appeared in front of her, and she reached out to touch the metal and stone surface. ¡°It''s amazing.¡± Elerlyth said, and marvelled at the construction. ¡°You haven''t been inside yet.¡± Ren said and took her hand. Open. He thought and the door opened. He led Elerlyth inside, and the door shut behind them. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Elerlyth said. They stood in the middle of a workshop. A large forge and smelter was near the back corner in the blacksmith section, a woodworking section was in the other corner, a tailor shop was in the front corner, and a kitchen was in the last corner. ¡°Ren, how...¡± ¡°I had to do something for the 5 hours while I waited for you to get here.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°I don''t see a bed anywhere.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°That''s because it''s upstairs.¡± Ren said and led her over to the stairs beside the tailor shop. They went upstairs and Elerlyth saw the comfy bed was nestled into the corner and out of the way, to give unimpeded access to the arrow slits. She let Ren''s hand go and walked over to the bed and sat down. ¡°You really know how to impress a girl.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You haven''t seen anything yet.¡± Ren said and reached a hand out. ¡°Take off your clothes.¡± ¡°That''s my cue to take my watch post.¡± Teepo said and flew out of an arrow slit, then went up and landed on top of the tower. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought. Elerlyth took the offered hand and used it to stand, then stored her armor and bodysuit. ¡°What...¡± Ren took out the Dire Wolf pelt and draped it over the bed, picked Elerlyth up and tossed her onto it. ¡°REN!¡± Elerlyth chuckled. Ren stored his own armor and bodysuit, and left his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak on. ¡°I''m going to level you up so much, you''re going to beg me to stop.¡± ¡°R-R-Ren.¡± Elerlyth whispered, because she could feel his determination to do just that. ¡°You... you can''t...¡± ¡°Do you remember what I promised you all that time ago?¡± Ren asked and smiled as he laid down beside her. ¡°About what would happen when you beg?¡± Elerlyth felt a very strong wicked feeling from him. ¡°That... that you wouldn''t... wouldn''t stop.¡± Ren nodded and took her into his arms. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said and kissed him. ¡°You always know just what to say.¡± * Clint and the guys had a great time at their impromptu drinking party, finished all three kegs of ale, then tucked themselves into their tents. They were well and truly sated, and went to sleep happy. * Officer Holly enjoyed a great meal with Ren''s personal maids at the kitchen table. They had an enlightening conversation, and when the subject of her Adventurer''s business came up, she told them she hadn''t picked a class yet, and that was why she was still only level one. Once they talked to her for a while longer to discover her likes and passions, one of them gave her a suggestion. ¡°You should become a Paladin.¡± Navruth said. ¡°A... a what?¡± ¡°A Paladin. A lawful class that will always do what is right for the people.¡± Navruth said. ¡°That''s a great idea!¡± Lusinia said. ¡°She can be the local law enforcement!¡± ¡°The what?¡± Officer Holly asked, surprised. ¡°Law enforcement.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°That''s the Paladin''s primary job. Any time they see injustice, they act to right the wrong.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Officer Holly asked. The maids nodded. ¡°It''s a difficult job, though.¡± Frikara warned. ¡°The path is usually lonely, since Paladins normally work alone.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°The class is too rare to have more than one in any area.¡± Frikara said. ¡°In fact, we didn''t have any at all in the dwarf lands.¡± ¡°You didn''t?¡± The maids shook their heads. ¡°We had a Thieves Guild.¡± Andrela said. ¡°I think that alone stopped any Paladins from appearing.¡± ¡°Ooo! Do you think any Paladins appeared after Ren destroyed it?¡± Verwynn asked. ¡°I hope so.¡± Frikara said. ¡°It would be nice to know that a Paladin was looking over everything.¡± Officer Holly took their words to heart, and remembered the conversation with her partner about not being able to police the game world. ¡°I... I might just do that.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I might become a Paladin.¡± ¡°I''m glad we could find something that interests you.¡± Frikara said and pat her hand. ¡°Not having a purpose is... well, it''s horrible.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Officer Holly said and stood up. ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± She said and took out a couple of gold coins. ¡°Please, don''t insult our hospitality.¡± Frikara said, and Officer Holly smiled. ¡°It''s always polite to offer.¡± ¡°Friends don''t pay friends for food.¡± Frikara said and stood up herself. ¡°I''ll walk you out.¡± The two women went to the front door, and Frikara opened it. ¡°It was nice meeting you again.¡± Frikara said. ¡°It really was.¡± Officer Holly said and held a hand out for her to shake. ¡°Thank you.¡± Frikara took the offered hand and shook it. ¡°Goodbye.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Officer Holly said and left in a much better mood than she''d been in for a while. * Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves, was having a hard time trying not to freak out. Ren was once again sleeping with someone else, and all she could do was ride along with the feelings. She felt like it was killing her not to participate, and her attendant and the healer held onto her to stop her from writhing on the floor or trying to go to him. ¡°Yes, I''m definitely going to kill him.¡± The attendant said and struggled to hold her Queen still. ¡°N-n-no.¡± Lylyth managed to say. ¡°He... he''s too... import... import... Great Vasalor!¡± Since the attendant and the healer were touching her bare skin, it gave them a much deeper emotional connection to her. When Lylyth finally let the passion take her over and she finished, so did they. The attendant and healer writhed on the floor just as much as their Queen did, as wave after wave of passion from their Queen flowed over them. * Elerlyth had started to beg after an hour, and Ren stayed true to his word. He didn''t stop or even slow down, and Elerlyth had leveled up twice. She couldn''t believe what he was doing to her. He literally made her feel too good to even think straight, and he poured his feelings into her over and over again. Her ability funnelled all of those feelings through her and converted them into XP. Elerlyth tried to pace herself and keep her emotions under control; but when they passed the second hour mark, she stopped caring one way or the other and let her own emotions run free. Ren felt it as she finally let herself go, and he took those emotions and added them to his own, then funnelled them back into her. ¡°Oh GOD!¡± Elerlyth yelled as she finished again and leveled up. ¡°R-R-Ren... s-s-stop... I... I can''t...¡± ¡°I can feel what you feel.¡± Ren whispered in her ear, then bit her ear lobe. ¡°You were so jealous when you visited me in real life.¡± He said. ¡°You wanted me all to yourself.¡± ¡°That... that''s not...¡± ¡°You can''t deny it now.¡± Ren said. Elerlyth gasped as she felt what Ren felt. ¡°You... you wanted me to... to get to this point!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, rolled her over, and kept going. The move buried her face in the dire wolf fur. ¡°You were so turned on when you saw this new pelt, that I knew it was the best opportunity I would have to get the truth out of you.¡± ¡°You... you jerk!¡± Elerlyth said and pushed herself up onto her knees and elbows. ¡°St...stop!¡± ¡°I love you, Elerlyth.¡± Ren said, and her heart skipped a beat, because he poured all of the love he had for her into her. She had let her own emotional control go, so it bared her own feelings for him. They flowed out into their shared Aura for him to feel, and he took them. ¡°Say it!¡± Ren said as he built up a reservoir of what she felt for him. ¡°SAY IT!¡± ¡°I hated it!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I hated that I couldn''t hold you! I hated that I couldn''t kiss you!¡± She said, as she finally admitted out loud what she had refused to admit to herself. ¡°It hurt so much to see you there with Lisa, and then with Elise, and I was left with nothing but a hug! Just a fucking hug from the man that I love!¡± Ren picked her up and turned her around, and saw the tears on her face. ¡°Now you know how I felt when I saw you.¡± He said, and Elerlyth''s mouth dropped open as he let her feel how he felt that day, and it was so much like her own that it shocked her. ¡°You weren''t the only one hurting. I couldn''t kiss you or even hold you like I desperately wanted to.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren laid her down on the dire wolf pelt and embraced her. ¡°The only thing holding us apart in real life is our working relationship.¡± He said and kissed her. ¡°With your diploma, that relationship is no longer valid.¡± Elerlyth stopped trying to think through everything and felt what Ren was doing. ¡°What... what are you doing?¡± ¡°I''m going to give you all of the love you''ve been holding back from me.¡± ¡°R-Ren, wa-wait.¡± Elerlyth tried to catch her breath. ¡°It''s too much! I... I can''t take it!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You don''t want me to stop any more than I do.¡± ¡°Ren! Please!¡± Elerlyth pleaded. ¡°Don''t fight it, my hottest love.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss, then concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Open up.¡± He commanded, and he felt something shift inside of Elerlyth. ¡°REN!¡± Elerlyth yelled as her ability''s limitation turned off, and then he dumped the entire reservoir of her feelings he had built, into her all at once. ¡°AHH-MMmmmm!!!¡± Ren''s kiss cut off her scream, and Elerlyth couldn''t understand what was going on. He commanded my ability. Elerlyth thought in confusion. Not me, my ability! Ren could feel the flood of emotions as they funnelled into her ability completely unfiltered, and he felt it when the last of them went through. It made her finish again, and he finished, too. He broke the kiss right afterwards, and Elerlyth stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°Close up.¡± Ren commanded her ability, and it shifted back to it''s normal use. ¡°Good god, Ren!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed, and he could feel a trace of fear from her. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°If I''m not mistaken, I made you level up again.¡± Ren said in satisfaction and rolled off of her. ¡°I felt it right near the end.¡± Elerlyth sat up. ¡°That''s not what I meant!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said, and he could feel anger well up in her. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°With what?¡± ¡°I know you want to see if I''m more vulnerable right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t even try to block it.¡± Elerlyth scowled and unclenched her fist. ¡°Don''t you ever do that to me again.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said, and he felt surprise from her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You''re really not going to do that to me again?¡± ¡°Once was enough, wasn''t it?¡± Ren asked. Elerlyth looked at her level and saw it had gone up twice, not once like Ren thought. ¡°For... for now.¡± Ren chuckled and leaned back and put his hands behind his head. Elerlyth had gained 5 levels and had the appropriate stat points to allocate. When she glanced at the popups she had missed, she gasped. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I missed... the popups.¡± Elerlyth said. That can''t be right. She thought. That''s not possible! ¡°Ha.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve missed a pile of my Church popups, too.¡± He said and counted the notifications. ¡°I''ve missed 6 of them now, since I''m always been logged out or asleep when I got them.¡±
Notice!
The two Churches you have constructed have been open for another day. Word of their existence continues to spread, and you gain new visitors every day from all around, as they come to pray and worship their gods. You have gained bonuses appropriate for encouraging the active worshipping of these gods. 10 visitors = 1% Knowledge bonus to level. Dark (Gravity) - 200 visitors; Knowledge Of Dark (Gravity) Level 4 (Beginner 58%) +20% = 78% Earth - 334 visitors; Knowledge Of Earth Level 3 (Intermediate 85%) +33% = (Level 4) 18% Fire - 702 visitors; Knowledge Of Fire (Mastered) = No gains possible Ice - 133 visitors; Knowledge Of Ice Level 2 (Beginner 55%) +13% = 68% Light (Holy) - 350 visitors; Knowledge Of Light (Holy) Level 4 (Beginner 55%) +35% = 90% Lightning - 162 visitors; Knowledge Of Lightning Level 6 (Beginner 36%) +16% = 52% Void (Arcane) - 15 visitors; Knowledge Of Void (Arcane) Level 1 (Beginner 14%) +2% = 16% Water - 184 visitors; Knowledge Of Water (Mastered) = No gains possible Wind - 131 visitors; Knowledge Of Wind Level 2 (Beginner 84%) +13% = 97%
¡°I''ve got a lot of progress so far.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Who would have thought doing something like building a Church would be a constant boon?¡± ¡°That''s great.¡± Elerlyth said absently as she stared at the popup she had received. It can''t be true. She thought and looked at Ren. ¡°Ren, do you... feel any different?¡± ¡°Besides feeling really good you mean?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°No, I don''t feel any different.¡± He felt her concern. ¡°Why? What''s up?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Elerlyth let her happiness overwhelm her concern over what she had read, and she saw Ren relax. ¡°We''ve got about 10 hours before morning.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Are you going to get some sleep?¡± No, actually. Ren thought. I think... yes, I better do it now. He sat up. ¡°Elerlyth, I''m going to do something that I''ve been putting off for a while now.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Elerlyth asked and read the popup again. It can''t be. She thought. He''s just Ren. ¡°Don''t be mad.¡± Ren said and climbed off the bed and equipped his armor, but left off the gauntlets and helm. ¡°Why would I be mad?¡± Elerlyth asked and turned to look at him. Ren told Teepo what he was about to do, took out a Revealing Light Pearl and activated it, then tossed it to Elerlyth. ¡°Ren, what...¡± Ren reached into the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and took out the tarantula the Queen of the Dark Elves had given him when she had marked him with her favor. He held the spider close to his lips and spoke. ¡°I''m ready, Lylyth.¡± Ren said. * The Queen of the Dark Elves had recovered quickly from Ren''s latest sexual encounter, unlike her attendant and the healer. ¡°All right, I... I won''t kill him... not right away.¡± The attendant said and sighed. ¡°Great Vasalor, that was...¡± ¡°I can still feel him.¡± The healer said and rubbed the spot over her heart. ¡°Even though I''m not touching you My Queen, he''s still here.¡± It was then that they heard a disembodied voice. ¡°I''m ready, Lylyth.¡± ¡°AHHH!¡± Lylyth yelled as she felt a sharp pain in her chest. The image of the spider that was over her heart filled in that last little bit and was completed. She was covered in a dark blue glow for a moment, and then she stood up. ¡°I''m coming, Ren!¡± She said and the wall of spiders dropped down as one and swarmed around her. She strained as hard as she could against the magical chains that still bound her arms, and she screamed in frustration that she still could not break them. She opened the portal and her 10 foot long spider familiar appeared before her from the mass of spiders, and used it''s ability to widen the portal for her. Lylyth stepped through and dragged the chain that held her to the large piece of stone floor it was still attached to. * ¡°Ren, NO!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed, but it was too late. She hopped off the bed to try and get to him, and then a portal opened in front of him and her body stopped moving against her will. Giant spider legs pushed the portal wider and higher, and then Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves stepped out of it. Her 9 foot 2 inch tall body was almost completely bare, except for a few traces of cloth over her breasts and waist. Ren gave her a regal bow as he tucked his spider back into the cloak, and looked at her chained arms. He used Enchanted Eyes and saw they glowed, but didn''t gain the plans or a new rune from them. He raised a single eyebrow at her, and she almost laughed at how cute he looked. ¡°I would take you in my arms, Royal Consort; but, they are bound by magical chains that resist my every effort to strain against them and break their hold.¡± Ren thought about it for a second. ¡°So, the more you try to escape, the more they hold you?¡± ¡°Essentially.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Then relax.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Don''t strain. Don''t try to break free.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°If they get stronger the more you struggle, then stop struggling.¡± Lylyth looked at Ren like he was crazy, but she felt his confidence. ¡°Very well.¡± She said and took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and stopped trying to break out of the chains that held her. It took several moments for her muscles to relax, and when they did, she took another deep breath and let it out. The chains stopped glowing, loosened their hold, and then rolled off of her arms as if they were water and she were oil. Lylyth stared at the pile of chain on the floor in front of her, then she looked at her arms. ¡°It... it worked.¡± She said, surprised. Her arms were heavily bruised from straining against the chains, and even had fully formed indentations of chain links in the skin. Her arms also didn''t quite work right after being held immobile for so long. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Ren said as he saw her arms and took out a Major Healing wand. ¡°Please, allow me.¡± Lylyth didn''t refuse, so Ren took out a step ladder and climbed it to the top. He gently probed one of her arms and caressed the damaged skin. ¡°Nothing''s broken.¡± Ren said and checked her other arm. ¡°You''ve just over-stressed them.¡± Lylyth watched wordlessly as Ren used the wand to heal her and the bruises faded away to nothing, and then her arms filled back out and the damage she had suffered was no more. ¡°There. All better.¡± Ren said and stored the wand, then looked at her face. ¡°You can hug me now.¡± Lylyth smiled before she could stop herself, and took him into a hug. His armor creaked a little, but it held. Her long white hair fell forward and covered him as she leaned down a little, then she picked him up. ¡°Ren!¡± Elerlyth finally managed to say through her immobility, and then she felt actual terror as Lylyth looked at her with solid black eyes. Not play terror, or enchanted terror, but real honest-to-goodness actual terror... and she didn''t much like it. Lylyth let a grin out as she felt what Elerlyth felt, and Elerlyth shivered as she felt Lylyth sample everything within her. Ren was right. Elerlyth thought. Being willing is much more pleasant than having someone just take it. Lylyth held Ren close, turned back towards the portal and stepped through it. It closed a moment later, cut off the magical chain that Lylyth had left, and cut off Elerlyth''s shared Spider Aura with Ren. * Elerlyth almost stumbled when she regained her movement, and she ran to where the portal had appeared. She dropped to her knees and picked up the severed end of the thick chain. It was sheared across one of the links, and she looked at the smooth end and sighed. ¡°Don''t let this be you, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said and looked at where the portal used to be. ¡°Don''t let it be you.¡± Chapter 386 - Royal Consort Lylyth stepped back through the portal, and her attendant and the healer came over to her. ¡°My Queen!¡± They said together. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Lylyth said and flipped her head back, which pulled her hair away from covering Ren. ¡°My Lord.¡± The healer said and bowed to him. ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± Ren said and saw the healer''s smile. He looked up at Lylyth. ¡°Can you put me down?¡± ¡°I can.¡± Lylyth said and smiled, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Will you put me down? Being held is nice, but I can feel the tension in your arms.¡± ¡°How can someone so little be so heavy?¡± Lylyth asked and put Ren down. ¡°I''m carrying a lot of stuff.¡± Ren said. When he looked around, he saw the piles of different spiders milling around them. ¡°What''s going on?¡± He asked. ¡°Your spiders are agitated.¡± ¡°They''ve been waiting for you.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°We all have.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We''ve been feeling everything you do through our connection.¡± Lylyth said and pointed to his hand. The tarantula that was his came out of the cloak and jumped onto her hand. She lifted it up to her face. ¡°You have done well, little one.¡± The spider waved a front leg at her, and she smiled and gave it back to Ren. It was then that Ren noticed the large chunk of stone floor and part of a chain still attached to it. ¡°That''s dangerous to have around.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a piece of this floor, so where... ah, there it is.¡± He said when the spiders moved apart and he saw the hole. He picked up the 5 foot long stone chunk and walked over to the hole, then tried to fit it in. He turned it a bit and tried again, then did it again. He felt several people enter his Aura, but he didn''t let it distract him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lylyth asked. He''s moving it around like it''s nothing. ¡°Fixing the floor.¡± Ren said and turned the chunk again. ¡°That''s the right way.¡± He said and stored the chunk, then cleaned out the hole of debris and small rock chips. He took out his mixing cart and made a batch of cement, then took out the chunk of floor and slathered the bottom with a pile of it. He poured most of the rest into the hole and set the chunk of floor into it, and pushed down. Some of the cement mixture came out, and Ren ran a hand over the edge to make sure it was flush with the floor. He scooped up the extra cement and put it back into the mixer and stored it, then looked at the chain links still attached to the ring in the stone. With the chain severed, it was no longer enchanted, so he knelt down and grabbed it. He braced his other hand on the floor, then used Iron Grip on the ring and pulled it out of the stone. He heard several gasps from the people that had continued to gather in the throne room. ¡°I assume whoever made this will want it back.¡± Ren said and held the released chain out. Several spiders came forward and took it from him, then he used the last of the cement to fill the holes and walked back over to Lylyth. ¡°It''s not secured with iron bars, since I don''t have any on me; but, after the cement sets in the morning, it''ll be safe to walk on.¡± He smiled. ¡°I suggest that you don''t use that part of the floor for restraint anymore.¡± Lylyth stopped herself from shaking her head in disbelief. Is he for real? She asked herself. He didn''t tell me I couldn''t use restraints anymore, just that I couldn''t use them there. Ren took her hand when he saw the expression on her face. ¡°Can I ask why you were restrained?¡± ¡°It was to stop her from going to you.¡± The healer said. ¡°Until she was ready.¡± Ren looked at the healer with wide eyes. ¡°You had to restrain her with magical chains to keep her away from me?¡± The healer nodded. ¡°If she had tried to get to you before her emblem was complete, all could have been lost.¡± ¡°Her emblem?¡± Ren looked back at Lylyth, and she moved her hair out of the way to show Ren the spider emblem over her heart. It was the same emblem that was on his hand. ¡°I want to ask how you marked yourself like that; but, I''m pretty sure you couldn''t have bitten yourself there.¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°No, dear one. You marked me.¡± ¡°I don''t remember doing that.¡± Ren said. ¡°How...¡± ¡°We formed a deeper connection than I thought was possible after I marked you.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Your strong emotions, even in small doses...¡± ¡°It''s been difficult for My Queen.¡± The attendant said and scowled at Ren. ¡°You''ve been very unkind.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said to the attendant and gripped Lylyth''s hand tightly. Since they were in direct skin contact, Lylyth felt just how sorry he was. ¡°I knew she was taking some of my emotions, and I was okay with that; but, I didn''t know she was having a hard time with them.¡± He said and looked up at Lylyth. ¡°I really do have to apologize.¡± ¡°It''s not necessary.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I know you were unaware.¡± ¡°Oh, but it is necessary.¡± Ren said. ¡°You see, I wouldn''t have stopped or changed anything even if I''d known.¡± ¡°You dare...¡± The attendant said. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and glanced at the attendant to see her angry face. ¡°I choose what I do. No one will force me into doing something I don''t want to do.¡± ¡°Oh, dear.¡± The healer said. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°My Queen knew you wouldn''t be happy about this.¡± ¡°About what?¡± Ren felt something awful enter his Aura and turned to see what it was. Grimlow stepped into the throne room, and Ren felt Lylyth''s disgust. He blinked his eyes and looked at her, but she was too tall and didn''t notice his reaction. ¡°Once again, you were not asked to come here.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Get out.¡± ¡°I felt my rival''s appearance.¡± Grimlow said and grinned. ¡°Such a pure fountain of emotion sent a ripple through the realm.¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°I was afraid that would happen when the connection was complete.¡± ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ren asked and actively blocked his feelings from the new person. ¡°He said I''m his rival?¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± The healer said. ¡°While we waited for you, another came forward when their Influence was high enough.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren looked at the healer, and then at Lylyth. ¡°I thought I was just here to feed you.¡± ¡°You are, dearest one.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Then why can I feel this idiot trying to absorb my emotions?¡± Ren asked, and he felt Lylyth''s anger as a large spider leg formed instantly beside her and darted out to stop right under Grimlow''s chin. ¡°I told you that you couldn''t touch me until I fought my rival.¡± Grimlow said and used a hand to ease the spider leg aside. He looked down at Ren, just over half of his size, and laughed. ¡°Is this it?¡± He asked. ¡°It is, right? This is him?¡± Lylyth scowled at Grimlow. ¡°I told you not to feed from him!¡± Grimlow laughed. ¡°And I told you that your command power lacks a certain punch.¡± Ren concentrated on his Command Aura, and since he still held Lylyth''s hand, it merged with hers and doubled in both strength and effectiveness. He remembered the healer mentioning Influence, and he concentrated on that as well. ¡°Step back from the Queen.¡± Ren commanded him, and every being within 700 feet felt the power in his words and took a step back. Dark Elves, spiders, and even the prisoners did as he commanded. Grimlow''s eyes widened as he felt the weight of the command on him. He tried to fight the command and take a step forward, but he just couldn''t do it. It took all of his strength just to stand still. Lylyth had been surprised at first that Ren could share like that, then she accepted his offering and drew it into herself. ¡°The Royal Consort commanded you.¡± Lylyth said and smiled. ¡°STEP. BACK.¡± Grimlow couldn''t resist her command at her full power, and took two steps back. ¡°My Queen.¡± ¡°He did not come here to fight.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°He came here to feed me.¡± ¡°He can''t, not until he meets the challenge.¡± The attendant said, then bowed deeply when Lylyth turned to her and she felt her Queen''s anger. ¡°Your people agreed to this.¡± ¡°What are the rules?¡± Ren asked, and everyone looked at him. ¡°Normally my Etiquette skill would let me know, but it''s not active.¡± He said. ¡°Someone needs to tell me what''s going on.¡± ¡°I''ll do that.¡± The healer said and stepped forward and took his free hand. She gasped as his emotions hit her, and she gripped his hand tightly. ¡°It... it was decided long ago, that if the Royal Consort could be challenged by another with the same Influence, then he must meet them in combat.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It''s never happened before, so this is new to all of us.¡± Lylyth said and looked down at Ren. ¡°Your skill can''t give you information that doesn''t exist.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°What kind of combat?¡± He asked. He expected armed combat of some kind, with polearms or quarterstaffs for long range up-close fighting, no armor, or even something else that would give the Dark Elf challenger a distinct advantage over him, since he was twice Ren''s height and had twice the reach. ¡°Since Grimlow is the challenger, he has the choice.¡± The healer said, sadly. ¡°I choose... Emotion Combat.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Lylyth exclaimed. Ren felt her dismay at the thought of him having to fight like that, and he felt sadness from the healer. Ren looked at their hands, and wondered if that was why he could feel them. He opened the hand that held the healer''s, and she reluctantly let him go. He could no longer feel her sadness, so he took her hand again and felt it. That''s neat. Ren thought, and the healer stared at him when she felt his wonder. ¡°You can''t pick that!¡± Lylyth said. ¡°He doesn''t have that ability, and can''t fight you!¡± ¡°I am the challenger, and that is the form of combat I choose.¡± Grimlow said and smiled. ¡°If he does not fight, I will win by default.¡± ¡°What''s emotion combat?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Whoever can force the other into unconsciousness first, wins.¡± The healer said, and he felt her resignation that he would lose in a combat that he couldn''t possibly fight in. ¡°How?¡± ¡°By draining their emotions, or frightening them, or anything else that would cause them to pass out emotionally.¡± ¡°Is touching allowed?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s usually a distance fight to cut down on the... suddenness... of the fight and how quickly opponents can lose; but, I don''t see why not.¡± The healer said. ¡°You''re going to lose faster that way, though.¡± Ren smiled knowingly at her, and she felt his confidence. It made her sadness deeper that he thought he had a chance. ¡°You know, it''s hard for me to stay positive with all of your negative emotions.¡± Ren said to her, and her eyes widened. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. ¡°Be happy and cheer me on.¡± The healer felt a flood of happiness enter her, and her hand tingled where Ren had kissed it. ¡°I... I will.¡± she said, and he let her hand go. Lylyth looked down at him when she felt the healer''s reaction. ¡°Ren?¡± ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren said and held her hand to his lips and kissed it. ¡°I won''t let that filth touch you.¡± Lylyth gasped as she felt Ren''s anger and determination on her behalf, then she let the reality of the situation hit her. ¡°Ren, he''s going to destroy you.¡± Lylyth said sadly. ¡°You have so much confidence in me.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no way I could lose now.¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°I should open a portal and send you back.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t want to lose you like this.¡± ¡°You won''t, as long as you believe in me.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s so sweet, it''s actually sickening.¡± Grimlow said. ¡°And that''s why you will lose.¡± Ren said and let Lylyth''s hand go. ¡°I can feel how twisted you are.¡± He smiled. ¡°It will be your downfall.¡± Grimlow laughed. ¡°I''m a Dark Elf! Of course I''m twisted!¡± He said and walked over to the middle of the throne room, and waved to the crowd. ¡°We all are!¡± A few people in the audience applauded, and Ren laughed. ¡°I''m glad you don''t have a big following.¡± Ren said and walked over to stand in the middle of the throne room, about 10 feet away from Grimlow. ¡°It''s going to be so much easier to destroy you.¡± The throng of spiders crawled around the people and up onto the walls to watch the battle. ¡°Ha!¡± Grimlow said and turned to the crowd. ¡°It may be small, but it is bigger than yours!¡± He said, and didn''t see Ren as he changed the enchantments on most of his rings. ¡°They don''t even know who you are!¡± ¡°The only people I know personally are the healer and the Queen.¡± Ren said, because he knew it was bad form to use a monarch''s name in public. ¡°But, what makes you think they haven''t told people about me?¡± Grimlow felt Ren''s confidence and that he thought it was the truth. ¡°Let''s see, then.¡± He said. ¡°Those of you that have heard of the squirt, raise your hands.¡± Ren could feel Grimlow as he emitted an Aura of Suppression, and laughed because his own Aura of Command was still combined with Lylyth''s, even though they weren''t touching. ¡°I command all of you to answer truthfully and raise your hands if, and only if, you''ve heard of me before coming here to the throne room today.¡± Ren said, and about a third of the 300 people in the audience raised their hands. ¡°You will regret this!¡± Grimlow scowled at them, and was angry because Ren''s Command overpowered his Suppression so easily. ¡°It is a challenge, and you cannot punish them for answering your question.¡± Lylyth said and let her satisfaction show with a smile. Ren felt relief from the audience through her, and for some reason, he looked down at the mark on the back of his right hand and saw that it glowed slightly. Bolstered that Lylyth was sharing with him in his time of need, he switched his concentration from his Command Aura to his Fear Aura. Everyone in the room fell quiet and looked at him, because they all felt the change. ¡°Aw, that''s so cute!¡± Grimlow said and smiled crookedly as he looked at Ren. ¡°He can make ticklish Fear!¡± Ren smiled and made a Connection between all 8 rings he had changed the enchantments on and his Fear Aura, then activated the first Ultimate Terror ring that had 50 runes of Terror on it. Since each rune gave a 10% chance that those exposed to it would be afraid and would flee, the entire audience, Lylyth included, stopped talking. ¡°What... what is that?¡± The healer asked. ¡°That... it''s... My Lord!¡± She said and used her inherent ability. It was only a low level; but with so much Terror to feed on, it filled and leveled quickly. Lylyth felt the healer trying to absorb the Terror everyone was feeling, and she turned to the audience. ¡°Those not overwhelmed by Ren may feed.¡± Lylyth said, and looked at her attendant. She touched her and the attendant shook her head and looked at her Queen. ¡°He caught me off-guard.¡± ¡°He caught us all off-guard.¡± Lylyth smiled and she could feel that every single spider, no matter their size, were also feeding to their hearts content. ¡°That''s quite the display.¡± Grimlow said, and Ren could feel him trying to feed and keep his guard up at the same time. ¡°Is that enough for you?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°No? Perhaps you''d like another boost?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Grimlow asked. Ren activated the second ring. ¡°How''s that?¡± He asked as he felt everyone shudder. People were still feeding on the ones lost to the Terror; but, they were trembling themselves now. ¡°Not enough? How about another boost?¡± Ren asked and activated the next ring as he stepped forward. ¡°Still not enough?¡± He activated the next ring, and then the next. ¡°No, you want it all. As much as I can make, right?¡± Ren activated the rest of the rings and pushed all 8 Ultimate Terror enchantments through his Fear Aura. Even Lylyth, worshipped by tens of thousands of people, froze stiff from feeling a 4,000% chance of being afraid and fleeing from Ren''s enchanted Terror. Ren stopped walking in front of Grimlow, who had slowly lowered himself to his knees as each ring activated. He could see Grimlow was desperately trying to feed from him. ¡°Shall I put the icing on the cake?¡± Ren asked him, and Grimlow was too afraid to speak. ¡°I''ll take that as a yes.¡± He said, and activated his Controlled Berserk Rage. ¡°AHHHHHH!!!¡± Grimlow screamed as Ren''s eyes burned blood red and bored into his. Ren''s tremendous Rage merged with the Terror he had produced and made it that much more effective. He reached a hand out and Grimlow couldn''t move or block it. Ren placed his hand on the dark elf''s chest and felt Grimlow''s ability as it struggled to try and consume such overpowering emotions. ¡°This Is Mine!¡± Ren said.
Notice!
You have invoked your ability ''This Is Mine!''. You have claimed sovereignty over another person''s ability ''Emotion Siphon''. Due to the unusual nature of this claim, it can only be used in this capacity once. Do you still wish to claim this ability as your own? Yes / No
¡°Yes, I want it.¡± Ren said. It''s the only way I can win this fight. ¡°NOOOOOO!!!¡± Grimlow screamed again as his ability disengaged, since it had been the only thing that was keeping him safe from feeling the full effect of the Terror that Ren had produced. Grimlow''s dark skin turned an ashen color when his ability completely disappeared.
Notice!
You have gained a restricted ability: Emotion Siphon Level 1 (Beginner 0%). This ability allows you to consume emotions as if they were food. As with food, the more you eat, the healthier you are.
¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Lylyth said as she fought through the sea of Terror and Rage. How is he doing that?!? Ren ended the Controlled Berserk Rage and used the Energize wand around his neck to restore his Stamina so he wouldn''t collapse, then slowly deactivated each of the rings of Ultimate Terror. When he was down to only three, he distinctly felt the change in the audience; but he didn''t feel it through his link to Lylyth. He could feel it directly himself. That''s really weird. Ren thought. ¡°What did you do?!?¡± Grimlow asked and grabbed Ren by the shoulders. ¡°Give it back! GIVE IT BACK!¡± Ren felt Grimlow''s desperation and his new ability gave him a pang of hunger. ¡°I told you. It''s mine now.¡± He said and with his hand on Grimlow''s chest, he opened his new ability as far as it could go, and started to consume everything Grimlow felt. ¡°N-n-no! No!¡± Grimlow said and tried to back away; but since he was kneeling, he fell back onto the floor and dragged Ren with him. ¡°No! Stop!¡± ¡°You were going to do this to me.¡± Ren said as he drained everything Grimlow had. ¡°How does payback feel?¡± ¡°No... no... nooooo...¡± Grimlow''s words became softer and softer, and then he collapsed into unconsciousness. Ren stood up and took several deep breaths. Hey, I didn''t get a fight completion notification or anything. He thought. Maybe it didn''t count as an actual fight? I wonder what the game rules are to class things as actual fights. ¡°Ren!¡± Lylyth walked over to him, and knelt to put her face down closer to his. ¡°You did it.¡± She smiled, and he felt how happy she was that she had been wrong. ¡°Somehow, you did it.¡± The healer and the Queen''s attendant came over to them as well. ¡°Ren, you look horrible.¡± The healer said. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Ren''s face went pale. ¡°I''m going to be sick!¡± He said and turned to the side away from them, and threw up. ¡°Bllaaaaaahhhhhhh!¡± ¡°Oh... oh my...¡± The healer said as a huge stream of an oily black substance spewed out of Ren''s mouth and onto the floor of the throne room. This happened over and over for several minutes, until Ren started to dry heave and had expelled all the negative emotions he had consumed from Grimlow. ¡°Ugh, that felt just as bad coming back up.¡± Ren said and wiped his mouth off with a piece of cloth. ¡°I didn''t even get any XP to level the ability.¡± He said and changed one of his raised platform rings enchantment with a single water rune and rinsed his mouth, then stored the cloth. ¡°I guess it''s because I didn''t want to keep the things I drank.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Lylyth asked. When she reached out to touch him, she stopped before making skin contact because his ability had triggered. ¡°What is...?¡± ¡°I took it from Grimlow.¡± Ren said. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I claimed it as my own; but, it was a ''do this once only'' thing.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°I won''t be able to claim any other abilities.¡± ¡°So, it... it''s yours now.¡± Lylyth said, and her hand hovered over his hand. ¡°You''re going to be hungry from now on.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Not if I can get some help.¡± ¡°You have bested an opponent in a combat you had no chance in.¡± Lylyth smiled. ¡°You have won the right to be by my side.¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes, and she chuckled. ¡°It''s in name only, dearest.¡± Lylyth said and cupped the side of his face; but because her hand was so large, it cupped the side of his head instead. ¡°The people wouldn''t stand to have a halfling married to their Queen.¡± ¡°By the gods!¡± Ren said and fake gasped, then looked at the Dark Elves in the throne room. ¡°You''re prejudiced against halflings!¡± Everyone could feel his mocking feelings, and several of them laughed. Ren looked up at Lylyth. ¡°Well, actually I think I''m a quarterling compared to the Queen.¡± Ren said, and a few more elves laughed. ¡°She''s going to be so disappointed tonight.¡± Someone whispered, and Ren turned to look at the woman who spoke. ¡°I may be a halfling, but my hearing is just as good as yours.¡± Ren said, and felt the woman''s deep embarrassment. ¡°If the Queen is dissatisfied with my performance, I will willingly submit to 10 lashes in this very throne room.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Lylyth exclaimed, but it was too late. ¡°Spoken and recorded.¡± Someone in the crowd said. ¡°The Queen will report her satisfaction, with emotional proof if necessary, in the morning.¡± The entire group of Dark Elves, all 300 of them, walked out of the throne room and felt Lylyth''s mixed feelings about what was about to happen. Two of the elves reached down and picked up Grimlow on their way out. He was still unconscious and probably would be for a while. ¡°I will have the chamber ready in a few minutes.¡± The Queen''s attendant said and started to walk away, grabbed the healer''s arm and dragged her out of the throne room, apparently against her will. Chapter 386A - The Royal Bed Chamber Ren could feel how uncomfortable Lylyth was as she led him to her bed chamber, and he wasn''t sure what to say to make her more comfortable with the situation. ¡°Whoa, really?¡± Ren asked as they went into the room, and saw it was just a huge funnel web. ¡°No bed or anything?¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°It''s inside.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Ren said and walked up onto the web, much to Lylyth''s surprise. She had expected to carry him over the sticky webbing, and then have to be careful where he lay in case he became stuck. She watched as he came to the steep part, then used his hands to quickly crawl up and into the middle of the large funnel, then disappeared over the edge. ¡°Hey, it''s really nice in here.¡± Ren said. Lylyth shook her head in resignation. I don''t know why I''m surprised. She thought and followed Ren into her parlour to see him as he sat on the end of the large bed. ¡°So, you like it, do you?¡± ¡°I sure do.¡± Ren said. ¡°The bed is a little hard, but that''s fine for what''s about to happen.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°I can feel from you that you''re going to do your best...¡± ¡°Hey, don''t judge me before anything happens.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°I know I''m only half your size, but that''s only height.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Once you lay down on the bed, it won''t matter how tall you are.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Lylyth, please.¡± Ren said and reached a hand out to her. ¡°Take my hand and tell me what you want.¡± Lylyth hesitated for several moments, then slowly reached out and took his hand. ¡°I know it''s a lot to ask of you, but... I want... I want to feel you. All of you.¡± Lylyth said and looked down between his legs. ¡°Even though you are only half my size, I still want you inside of me so I can feed from you without limit.¡± ¡°That''s exactly what I wanted to hear.¡± Ren said and smiled, and since they were touching, they each knew that the other was telling the truth. ¡°Do you want me to take off those scraps of cloth you''re wearing, or do you want to do that yourself?¡± Lylyth chuckled and did a little wiggle with her chest. The cloth covering her breasts fell off, hit the cloth around her waist, and they both fell to the floor to reveal her dark skinned beauty. ¡°Now that was cool.¡± Ren said, and Lylyth felt his appreciation. ¡°You aren''t allowed to feed.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Not until I do.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ladies first.¡± Lylyth smiled and climbed onto the bed. It was large by normal standards; but, since she was over 9 feet tall, it was just a normal-sized bed to her. Ren reached into his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and took out the spider, and placed it on the closest web. ¡°I hope this is okay.¡± He said and stored the cloak. ¡°I don''t know what would happen if I stored the cloak with the spider still on it.¡± ¡°I don''t know, either.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°You''re the first Adventurer to have one.¡± ¡°I am?¡± Ren asked, and she felt his pleasure at being the first. ¡°Thank you.¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°Oh, my dearest. I''ve gotten so much more out of it than you have.¡± Ren chuckled, too. ¡°You can tell me all about it when I''m done.¡± He said and stored all of his clothing except for his underwear. Lylyth reached out and touched the cloth. ¡°I''ve got a few things to do before that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lean back and relax. This is going to take a while.¡± Lylyth shook her head. ¡°I doubt... oh!¡± Ren dove between her legs and started to work her with his mouth. He''d been there before, so he remembered the spots that had excited her the last time and attacked them. ¡°Mmm.¡± Lylyth moaned as Ren worked on her. He added a finger, then two, then his whole hand. It made her gasp, and it gave him a unique perspective on female anatomy. With his entire hand available, he could reach spots that fingers alone couldn''t reach, and he explored everything that he could. ¡°Oh... OH... oh... OHHH!¡± Lylyth''s body twitched a little, and Ren mentally marked the spot to save for later and kept looking for other spots that he needed to hit inside of her. After nearly 20 minutes, Lylyth had gone several times, and her breathing was quite heavy. ¡°Ren, please... let... let me...¡± ¡°I''m starving you on purpose, you know.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I guess I can give you some of my enjoyment now.¡± Lylyth gasped as Ren let the flood of his enjoyment of her reactions out and she swallowed them greedily. ¡°Time to give you more.¡± Ren said and once again dove between her legs. This time, he pumped all of his enjoyment into her, and Lylyth moaned as he licked and kissed her. Rather than using his whole hand, like he did to find the spots, now he only poked the spots with a fingertip. Lylyth''s body writhed as he fed her his feelings and pleased her at the same time, over and over. It was almost an hour later when she spoke again.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Great Vasalor, how can you... you... you want to keep going!¡± Lylyth said, surprised. ¡°I told you, I really like this part.¡± Ren said and kissed her special place again. Lylyth took several deep breaths and eased off her feeding. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren said and stopped licking her. ¡°One of these days, I''m going to be with a woman that''s just going to let me go down on her all the time.¡± He said, and Lylyth felt what he felt about that. ¡°Oh... OH!¡± Lylyth said and finished again. Ren laughed at her reaction, and crawled up the bed to kneel in front of her face. ¡°It''s my turn to feel good.¡± Ren said and stored his underwear to reveal a very hard and ready member. ¡°Great Vasalor!¡± Lylyth said and stared at his 8.5 inch long, 2.5 inch wide member. ¡°It''s... it''s...¡± ¡°It''s not going to suck itself.¡± Ren said, and she felt his wicked streak. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Lylyth gasped from the wicked feeling and fed on it, then slipped his member into her mouth. No wonder he was so confident that he could please me! Ren stared at the large woman giving him oral sex, and he could feel how surprised and happy she was that he didn''t have a normal-sized man part. He built that feeling up within himself, since it wasn''t a feeling he''d experienced before, then was true to his word. He poured it all back into her without feeding on it himself, and she sped up her movements. While she fed on him, Ren decided to play with her giant breasts. He needed both hands to cup one of them, and he licked and sucked on the tip. Lylyth moaned with him in her mouth, and he really liked that feeling and did her other breast to get her to moan again. Lylyth moaned as she sucked and licked him, and kept her hands busy while she played with herself. She slipped him out of her mouth and spoke. ¡°Ren, give it to me!¡± Lylyth said and sucked him all the way down. It wasn''t as impressive as when Stella or Lisa did it, since Lylyth was so large and didn''t have to struggle with it; but, she could also open her mouth a little wider and licked at the same time as she sucked. He''d never felt anything like that before, and he dug his hands into her hair. ¡°It''s coming, Lylyth.¡± Ren said and started to thrust. Lylyth moaned as she felt Ren letting his inner emotions out. Here it comes! The moment! My moment to feed! She thought and sucked harder. ¡°By... by the GODS!¡± Ren yelled and finished, and his emotional block that he had made when Grimlow had come into the throne room disappeared. He spilled himself down Lylyth''s throat as his emotions spilled down into her ability. Great Vasalor! Lylyth thought and kept sucking on him. There''s so much! Because Ren kept feeding her both physically and emotionally, they stayed that way for almost a full minute before Lylyth started to falter in her technique. He... he''s not stopping. Lylyth thought in surprise. He just keeps going! Ren could feel the change in her emotions, and he stopped thrusting and let her head go. He sat on his heels, which pulled him out of her mouth, and he sprayed a little over her face and chin before he could ease the flow. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and took out a piece of cloth to wipe her face off. ¡°Do you need a break?¡± Lylyth felt his emotions turn to concern for her. ¡°Are you serious?¡± She asked. ¡°You want to know if I need a break?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Great Vasalor!¡± Lylyth exclaimed. ¡°Get inside of me right now!¡± Ren could feel her determination to drain him as much as possible, and he moved down to position himself at her opening. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to feel you feeling it for the first time without you seeing it.¡± Lylyth opened her mouth to order him to shut up and start pounding her as hard and as fast as he could: but, she could feel that he really wanted that first feeling from her. ¡°You''ve given me a very good starting meal.¡± Lylyth said and closed her eyes. Ren took out a wand with Iron Body spells and switched it with his Energize wand held by the Hand of Glory, then cast Iron Body on himself. ¡°You can feed, too.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I was going to anyway.¡± Ren said and felt instant indignation from Lylyth, then shoved himself inside of her. Her eyes flew open as she felt both surprise and shock, and Ren absorbed them. Unlike what Elerlyth and Lylyth did, he didn''t try to chew emotions up or try to eat them; what he did was accept them as a part of himself and let the ability take as much as it wanted. Lylyth stayed full of shock and surprise as Ren started to have sex with her, and stared at him. What is he... he has the same ability, but... what is he doing with it? Ren could feel her curiosity starting to grow, and he didn''t want her to think about anything except him and feeding. He used his member and directed it to poke one of her sensitive spots, and he felt her feelings turn to where he wanted them to go. That''s it... enjoy it... because you''re going to get a surprise soon. Ren thought, and Lylyth felt his wicked streak again. ¡°Oh... oh, Ren... oh!¡± Lylyth said. He... even though he''s only a halfling... She thought, and then Ren poked a sensitive spot over and over until she finished. ¡°AHH!!!!¡± She yelled as she finally had a full orgasm. Her body started to shake uncontrollably, but Ren didn''t stop. He kept going, and so did she, and they both fed on the emotions they stirred up in each other. Lylyth had mastered her ability centuries ago, and her body started to glow as Ren fed her more and more of his emotions. Ren on the other hand, had only just received his ability; but, since Lylyth was the Queen of the Dark Elves, her emotions were just as strong and powerful as Ren''s were, and he fed well. They stayed together for almost an hour, in different positions and used different techniques, and when Lylyth said she was getting tired, Ren made her go once again and pulled out of her. He saw that his Emotion Siphon ability was up to Intermediate already, and watched as Lylyth rolled over onto her back and had a happy expression on her face. I''ve unlocked more of my old abilities. Lylyth thought and smiled at Ren. Who would have thought this little man could do something like this for me? ¡°How was that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Do you think that will pass ''The Queen is satisfied'' test?¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°Yes, dearest.¡± She said and cupped the side of his head. ¡°It will pass the test.¡± ¡°Well, that just won''t do.¡± Ren said, and knew that now was the time for her surprise. Lylyth looked at him, and she could feel his wicked streak gape open and flood into her. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± ¡°I''m going to make you happy.¡± Ren said and stood beside the bed. He used an Energize spell on her to refill her Stamina, which surprised her; then he took out a Level 5 Engorgement wand and exchanged it with the Iron Body wand the Hand of Glory held. ¡°Very very happy.¡± He said and cast the Master version of Enlarge Person on himself. Lylyth''s eyes nearly popped out of her head as she beheld a now 9 foot 4 inch tall Ren. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± She whispered, and then her gaze dropped to his still erect member and saw that it had doubled in size as well, both in length and girth. ¡°Great Ren!¡± Ren chuckled as he felt her desire spike through him, climbed onto the bed, and positioned himself between her legs. He stared down at her and realized he was slightly taller than her now, and smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°How... how long?¡± Lylyth asked. ¡°20 minutes.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s...¡± Lylyth started to say and Ren pushed himself inside of her. ¡°AHH!¡± She finished just from him having to force his way into her, and she took several deep breaths as her body adjusted to his enormous size. She wrapped her legs around his back, then 4 giant spider legs formed around them and embraced him as well. ¡°That''s... mmm... nowhere near enough time, dearest.¡± Lylyth moaned as Ren started to move. ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said and she felt his wickedness again. ¡°The wand has 49 more charges.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Lylyth said and kissed him passionately. Chapter 387 - Going Back After a very successful evening with the Queen of the Dark Elves, Ren accompanied her to the throne room. It was already full of witnesses, and Ren did a quick head count. There''s a lot more here today than there was yesterday. Ren thought. I don''t see, or feel Grimlow, though. ¡°My Queen!¡± The attendant said from beside the throne when they entered the room, and everyone gave the Queen a bow. Lylyth had expected Ren to feel envy for her getting all of the recognition; but, she could feel that he was just happy to be there with her and didn''t mind being ignored at all. You''re a strange one. Lylyth thought, and Ren looked at her and smiled. You didn''t hear that, did you? Ren''s expression didn''t change, and she realized he had just felt the change in her emotions. I''m so glad you can''t hear my thoughts. Lylyth sighed. They are not a place for someone like you to be lost in. ¡°My Queen, how did it go?¡± One of the people in the audience asked. Lylyth stopped in front of them, with Ren beside her, but one step back. I didn''t tell him to do that. Lylyth thought and smiled at the people in front of her. ¡°You will all be happy to know that I am well and truly sated.¡± She said with confidence. ¡°Not only did he feed me the best meal I have ever had, but he was also the best bed partner I have ever had.¡± ¡°She must enjoy them small.¡± Someone whispered, and a giant spider leg formed beside Lylyth and it darted into the crowd. It''s tip speared a woman''s throat, and Ren heard her gag. It had been the woman that had spoken the day before, and he thought the punishment was appropriate. ¡°The next time someone disrespects me or the Royal Consort, I''ll take their head instead of just their voice.¡± Lylyth warned them, and she glanced at Ren when she felt his approval. Why isn''t he shocked? She asked herself, and brought the large spider leg close to him to see what he would do at the sight of the blood. Ren saw the leg approach him; but, he knew it wasn''t going to harm him and remained calm. I wonder if they are attached to her in the same way as when she fully manifests, or if it''s just a phantom limb that can appear wherever she wants it to? He asked himself and watched in fascination as the giant spider leg passed close by his face and then disappeared. He''s not horrified, or even worried about it. Lylyth thought. Who is he that he can stay calm like this? ¡°Do you have emotional proof, My Queen?¡± Someone asked, and Ren found the man. He had been concealed before within the throng of people, and now was prominently out in front and close to the action. ¡°I do.¡± Lylyth said and sent out a very small sample of the pleasure she had received the night before. ¡°That''s... not very reassuring.¡± The man said. ¡°My Queen.¡± Ren said to get Lylyth to look at him, and held a hand out to her. ¡°If I may?¡± Lylyth blinked her eyes for a moment, then took his hand. ¡°I can''t share with everyone, so please relay this.¡± Ren said. He thought back to the night before and the pleasure Lylyth had experienced, and he compressed a good portion of it into a single burst and shared it with her. Lylyth caught her breath as her very own feelings were shoved back into her and were relayed to everyone within her Aura. Every single woman gasped as they experienced Lylyth''s pleasure second-hand, and the men all had odd looks on their faces. It had lasted for only a moment, since Ren didn''t think they would all sit through the entire experience, so he only shared the highlights of the evening with them. ¡°That... was unexpected.¡± The man said. ¡°It is proof she was sated in bed.¡± Lylyth nodded. ¡°What of the meal? Was it satisfactory?¡± ¡°It was... divine.¡± Lylyth said, and let some of it out. She had consumed a lot more than she had intended, and Ren hadn''t been sucked dry; or even showed the telltale weariness or emotional detachment that everyone else had. ¡°He seems unharmed.¡± The man said. ¡°He is quite resilient.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Was his Terror that fulfilling, with him unbroken?¡± Lylyth stopped breathing and didn''t respond, and Ren felt her reaction. Why is she worried? Ren asked himself. I fed her well. ¡°Was it a true feeding if you didn''t even taste his Terror?¡± ¡°I...¡± Lylyth looked at Ren. ¡°I didn''t have to scare him to feed.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, My Queen.¡± The man said. ¡°Unless you feed fully, his attempt has failed.¡± ¡°I did feed fully.¡± Lylyth looked at the man and at everyone gathered. ¡°I even regained my Mana weapon ability.¡± Everyone gasped, even the men, and they stared at her as she formed a large bow out of Mana and generated an arrow, then shot it across the room and it slammed into the wall and exploded. That would have been a neat ability to gain. Ren thought. That''s definitely not a standard weapon. ¡°It''s impressive, that''s true.¡± The man said. ¡°But, according to your own precedents, unless he''s been terrified it cannot be a true feeding.¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°I''ll take the 10 lashes, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°No.¡± Lylyth said and turned to face him. ¡°You didn''t break your word, and I was fed quite well.¡± ¡°Not according to whoever that guy is.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then give me your terror.¡± Lylyth said, and Ren shook his head. ¡°Ren, let me at least taste it.¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I experienced it myself, and I don''t want to share that with anyone.¡± ¡°I can... make you... experience terror.¡± ¡°No, you can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nothing you can do can even compare to...¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, I won''t even speak of it.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''d rather take the lashes than let you experience what I went through.¡± ¡°You don''t have a choice.¡± The man said. ¡°She''s the Queen, and this is her realm. You agreed to feed her, and she must feed on Terror.¡± ¡°What I did yesterday with you here in the throne room didn''t count?¡± Ren asked and looked at all of their faces. ¡°A lot of you fed very well, including the Queen.¡± Spiders all along the walls tapped their front legs on the stone, and it sounded like Teepo''s chitters. They hadn''t reformed the wall of spiders like he thought they would. After several moments, the man sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, you made your deal after that.¡± The man said. ¡°I can do it again.¡± Ren said, and he felt a ripple of remembered Terror go through the audience.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Ah, no... that''s... it has to be your Terror for the Queen.¡± ¡°You''re not going to let this go and let me take the lashes, are you?¡± Ren asked Lylyth. ¡°No, dearest.¡± Lylyth said and knelt. ¡°It would undo everything that''s happened, including your defeat of Grimlow.¡± ¡°Where is he, by the way?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t see him.¡± ¡°He lost too much Influence yesterday to appear in the throne room.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I didn''t take it, did I?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, his boasts and posturing came to naught, and his Influence suffered for it.¡± Ren nodded, and then sighed. ¡°Do you really want my Terror?¡± ¡°No, you and I both know that I don''t need to feed from you like that.¡± ¡°Then...¡± ¡°I will have things changed; but until then, please... give me at least a little.¡± ¡°I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I open that up...¡± He sighed. ¡°If I let it out...¡± ¡°I''ll be gentle.¡± Lylyth said. Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m the one that won''t be.¡± He said and glanced at the others in the room. ¡°Are you going to relay, or are you going to keep it all to yourself?¡± ¡°A bit of both.¡± Lylyth said. Ren closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°I really don''t want you to feel this.¡± Lylyth leaned down and gently kissed him. It was odd, since he was so much smaller than her, and she was careful to only touch her top lip to his mouth and her bottom lip touched his chin. Ren opened his eyes to look at her when he felt surprise from the audience, and he caressed Lylyth''s face. She pulled back and smiled at him, and he nodded. Lylyth had kissed him publicly, which was something she never would have done if he didn''t mean a lot to her. ¡°I hope you''re ready for this.¡± Ren said and took several deep breaths, then put both of his hands on Lylyth''s face. ¡°I know you normally feed on things like this, but you are not going to like it.¡± ¡°Let me worry about that.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I''m ready.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, you aren''t.¡± He said and touched his forehead to hers, then thought back to his earliest memory. He had believed it was a dream for years; but, once he had experienced his memories in the game, he realized his dreams were just repressed memories themselves and that was why his dreams scared him so much. ¡°Here it comes.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes as he replayed his first dream memory for her. It was the one where he was only 6 years old and had been hiding in the corner of the room, between two pieces of equipment, and a spider crawled onto his neck. He was hiding because he didn''t want to be experimented on again, and then he had heard his father''s voice. A burst of terror came from Ren, and everyone in the throne room gasped. There were no emotions as pure as that of a child, and Young Ren was so scared of his father. When the man entered the room, Young Ren froze and stopped breathing. ¡°I know you''re here.¡± His father said, and another burst of terror went out. ¡°It''s okay, Ren. I won''t hurt you.¡± Young Ren knew it was lie, because every time he saw his father, that was all he ever did. ¡°I know where you are.¡± His father said, and another burst of terror went out. ¡°There''s only one spot to hide in this room.¡± Young Ren looked up and saw his father''s evil grin, and then the man''s hand reached for him. ¡°NOOOOOOOOO!!!!¡± Young Ren screamed, and an ocean of pure Terror filled the throne room. Because Ren was funnelling everything through Lylyth, and she was sharing it with her subjects, something inside of her clicked. The ocean of Terror went to the next room, then the several rooms after that, then through the tunnels, and eventually the entire realm felt it. All of her subjects fell to their knees and cried as they felt the pure and unfiltered emotions of a terrified child. ¡°G-Great V-Vasalor.¡± Lylyth whispered as the ocean of Terror receded, and tears streamed down her face. ¡°H-how... how can you...¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Ren said and opened his eyes, then leaned back slightly. ¡°There''s literally nothing you can do to me to cause enough Terror to ever match what I''ve already experienced.¡± Ren looked around, and saw that he and Lylyth were surrounded by spiders of all sizes. They all had a limb touching either him or Lylyth, and had all shared in the terror. Ren''s own spider had come out of the cloak and was on his neck. It pat Ren''s cheek with one of it''s front legs, then crawled back inside the cloak. With the Terror gone, the group of spiders dispersed back to the spots they had been before Ren''s trip down memory lane, and Ren saw the audience was on their knees. ¡°I... I believe that... that will do.¡± The man who had spoken before said. His face matched Lylyth''s, and was the same as everyone else. They were all streaked with tears, and no one even tried to wipe them off. ¡°All in favor of naming him the Royal Consort, say ''aye''.¡± ¡°Aye.¡± Everyone said together. ¡°Those against, say ''nay''.¡± The man said, and no one spoke. ¡°Confirmed.¡± He said. ¡°Ren, you have proven yourself worthy of being in the Queen''s presence, and have earned the title of Royal Consort.¡±
Notice!
You have gained a new title: Royal Consort (Dark Elf Queen). This title grants you membership in the Dark Elf Court and unlimited access to the Dark Elf Underworld. Hidden access points will be revealed to you when you are near them. Dark Elves, even when in disguise (magical or otherwise) will be known to you. Because of the overwhelming nature of your ascendancy, you have been granted a bonus. Tithe: Once a month you may choose to receive either a silver coin or one emotion from your loyal subjects.
Notice!
Your connection to the Queen of the Dark Elves has grown stronger. She can consume full emotions directly from you, instead of only sampling. You may choose how much you wish to share with her.
¡°I''m a member of the court now?¡± Ren asked and looked back at Lylyth. ¡°A non-voting member.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°You''re a little biased in my favor.¡± ¡°What gave you that idea?¡± Ren asked her, and he felt her surprise, then he laughed. ¡°Just kidding.¡± Lylyth shook her head and stood up, and Ren felt her change into regal mode. ¡°You have served me well, Royal Consort.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°With your task done, I will send you back.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± A woman''s voice said, and the healer ran over to him. ¡°Please, accept my Tithe.¡± ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°What would you like?¡± The healer asked, and ignored his statement. ¡°I''ve been saving up in case the Queen decided that-¡± ¡°I don''t need money.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I would rather an emotion if you''re going to give me something.¡± The healer nodded. ¡°I''ll give you back what you made me feel.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and prepared his ability. The healer took his hand so he would get the whole thing, and sent him an emotional tornado. Ren chuckled as he felt happiness, sorrow, terror, sexual satisfaction, giddiness, worry, desire, and a deep sense of anticipation. His eyes widened at the last feeling, and he leaned in close to whisper in her ear. Since she was about his height, she was quite short for an elf. ¡°It was only supposed to be one emotion.¡± Ren whispered softly, so only she would hear. ¡°What was the anticipation for?¡± The healer put her mouth by his ear and whispered, too. ¡°The Queen gave me permission to make myself available to you, but only after she had fed.¡± She breathed. ¡°I was worried she would have drained you completely and I would be left with nothing but a husk; but, you are versatile and much stronger than I or anyone else could have imagined.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I am available to you, Royal Consort.¡± The healer said and gently kissed his ear. ¡°If you so desire.¡± Ren wasn''t sure why he was quite turned on by the prospect. He''d had women offer themselves to him before; but, this time he could feel what the healer felt. Her desire and a little bit of unrequited love was a potent proposal, even to someone that had slept with more women than he ever thought possible. He knew that she could feel what he felt, so he held onto her hand and used his other hand to cup the side of her face. ¡°I do desire you, and I am tempted.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. ¡°I don''t know if it can ever happen, though.¡± ¡°My Lord, that someone as low as myself is even noticed by you, is more than I could ever have hoped for.¡± Ren felt that she was telling the truth, and her happiness because of it tasted so good. The healer knew she was giving him a lot more than just her Tithe, and then her face lit up as Ren kissed her. He wasn''t sure what had happened; but when their lips met, some kind of dam opened inside of the healer. She offered up everything she was feeling, and Ren took it. Unlike every other time someone used their ability, Ren wasn''t greedy. He brought up all the times he''d made out with other women and how much he enjoyed it, and gave it to the healer. She moaned as they kissed and shared emotions, and then her ability leveled up. The healer broke the kiss with a gasp. ¡°Hah... ha... My Lord!¡± She said and kissed him again as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. Ren could feel how happy he was making her; and since that was one of the things that made him happy, their make-out session went on for several minutes. Lylyth watched with fascination as Ren and the healer continued to make out and share feelings with each other, and it didn''t look like it was going to stop anytime soon. She was surprised that she could feel the emotions Ren was feeling twofold. She felt them physically since he was standing right in front of her, and she could feel the full emotions through her connection to him. Lylyth knew he needed to get back, so she had to intervene. Ren and the healer felt Lylyth''s presence suddenly, and it snapped them out of the emotion loop they had become caught in. They broke the kiss at the same time and looked at each other with similar surprised expressions, and then Ren chuckled. Of course, the healer felt his amusement and started to laugh as well, and then they both laughed out loud for almost a full minute. ¡°I''m... I''m sorry.¡± The healer said between laughs. ¡°I.. I just...¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re a great kisser.¡± ¡°You are, too.¡± The healer said and her dark grey skin flushed darker. ¡°Thank you for...¡± ¡°Oh, no. Thank you.¡± Ren said when he felt her embarrassment, and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°That felt really good, especially after... that.¡± The healer nodded, and she ducked her head slightly. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± They let each other out of the embrace they had, and the healer stepped back. ¡°If you''re done, shall I open the portal now?¡± Lylyth asked, and Ren took out another step ladder and climbed to the top of it. ¡°Not without giving you a goodbye kiss first.¡± Ren said. He kissed her several times on the lips, and since her lips were twice as big as his, he made sure to cover as much of them as he could. He felt her amusement at his attempt to kiss all of her lips, and looked at her. ¡°You know, you could have...¡± ¡°Let''s just keep that a secret.¡± Ren said and gave her one more kiss, then climbed down and stored the ladder. He gave her a regal bow. ¡°Until the next time, My Queen.¡± Lylyth nodded to Ren and created a portal, and the healer gave him a little wave. He waved back and stepped through the portal. Chapter 388 - Oils Well That Ends Well Ren stepped out of the portal, and saw that Elerlyth was asleep on the bed. Hi, Teepo. He thought. I assume nothing happened? ¡°Everything''s fine.¡± Teepo said. ¡°We did have a few town guards come over and look at this fort thing you made, but since they couldn''t find a door, they left.¡± Ren chuckled. So easily thwarted. Teepo chittered in laugher. ¡°That was my thought, too.¡± How long did it take Elerlyth to go to sleep? ¡°A couple of hours.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Hey, I can feel that new ability.¡± Ren smiled and walked over to the bed. Yeah, I gained it when I fought for the Queen''s bed. Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°Oh, I wish I had seen that!¡± Ren chuckled again. You had more important work to do while I went and had fun. He thought and sat down on the bed. Now I have to face the consequences. ¡°She''ll understand.¡± Teepo said. ¡°After she pounds you.¡± Ren grinned and reached a hand out. He stroked Elerlyth''s sleeping face and she started to stir. ¡°Hm? What?¡± Elerlyth woke up and looked at him. ¡°REN!¡± She yelled and sat up, then took him into a hug. ¡°You''re alive!¡± She said and let relief flood out, felt Ren''s ability react to her emotions, and she froze still. ¡°Oh, god!¡± ¡°Surprise.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you guess what I can do now?¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said and he felt her sadness. ¡°May I?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. He held her close and kissed her, and her sadness over him becoming like her welled up. He didn''t eat it like she thought he would, though. She could feel the difference as Ren absorbed it from her, rather than consume it. She broke the kiss and looked at him. ¡°R-Ren?¡± ¡°It''s almost at Advanced.¡± Ren said, and Elerlyth''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°Oh, that feels good.¡± He said and nuzzled her neck, and let his ability absorb some of it. ¡°No wonder you thought I was so tasty.¡± Elerlyth felt things stir within her when she felt what he felt for her. Her ability took it and fed, and after a moment, she laid back onto the bed. ¡°I... I don''t know how... is... is this even going to work?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°It sure is.¡± Ren said, and remembered mutual sharing and feeding with the healer. Elerlyth caught her breath, and he smiled at her. ¡°That was only from kissing.¡± ¡°Oh... oh my.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren kissed her. After half an hour of mutual pleasure and feeding, Teepo told them that breakfast was over and the guys were starting to get restless as they waited for them. ¡°All right.¡± Ren said and dumped another emotional reservoir into Elerlyth''s ability, which made her finish again, and he got up off of the bed. ¡°R-Ren?¡± Elerlyth said, dreamily. ¡°Just stay in bed for a bit, while the guys and I get things prepped.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll come and get you when we head back over to the crypt.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Elerlyth said and rolled over. Ren sent her the feeling of how sexy she looked draped over the dire wolf pelt naked, and she shuddered as she went again. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said and went down the stairs and out through the door. ¡°Thare ya are.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah jus'' got back from tha general store with tha oil.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had an idea about how to spread it out.¡± ¡°Ah was thinkin'' we''d jus'' dump it inta tha crypt an'' ligh'' it.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°There''s no way all of those ghouls would fit into that small space.¡± ¡°Wha''s yer idea, then?¡± ¡°Sprinklers.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I''ve built 2 farm vehicles now with seed spreaders. The seeds are put in a container and they flow down into a spinning spout to sprinkle the seeds out.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no reason why oil can''t be added instead.¡± ¡°There''s no way a farm vehicle can cover all those ghouls.¡± Billy said. ¡°Not before being overrun.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The sprinkler doesn''t have to be on a vehicle. It''s just an attachment.¡± ¡°You mean...¡± ¡°I''ll make a longer flat version, and put several of them on the ceiling of that big cavern.¡± ¡°There''s no way we can stay there and operate them, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Especially after we light the oil.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Oh, ye of little faith.¡± He said. ¡°Teepo can lead us to where the big cavern is above ground. We can dig down to it, put the sprinklers in place, then have someone get their attention. The ghouls won''t even feel it when the oil covers them as they run underneath it.¡± ¡°Will it work?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''ll be covered in oil, and they can be lit on fire.¡± He said. ¡°Will it kill them all, though?¡± He shrugged. ¡°This isn''t my first ghoul extermination; but, it''s the first time I''ve seen so many and been inside a nest that flipping big.¡± ¡°That''s why I said we were screwed.¡± Billy chuckled. ¡°I still can''t believe we got out of there!¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Dillon said. ¡°Are we going back in?¡± ¡°Not all of us, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°I know I don''t want to do it.¡± Clint put a hand on Tommy''s shoulder. ¡°Ah won'' ask ya ta do anythin'' ah wouldn'' do.¡± ¡°Elerlyth and I will do it.¡± Ren offered, and the guys looked at him. ¡°Yer really crazy, aintcha?¡± Clint asked, and Ren chuckled. ¡°No doubt.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can run the fastest, too.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Ah noticed tha''.¡± He said. ¡°Ahl righ'', ya got tha job.¡± Ren gave Princess two plates of food and made 6 sprinkler attachments and the large containers for them, then Clint took out the barrels of oil and Ren poured them out into the containers. He made sure they had an even amount, and when they were full, they still had 2 barrels of oil left. ¡°Molotov Cocktails?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yer jus'' full of surprises.¡± Clint chuckled, and Ren took out some large potion bottles and half filled them with oil, and jammed an oil-soaked scrap piece of cloth into the mouth of each of the bottles. He dispersed the Molotov Cocktails among the guys, kept an appropriate portion for himself and Elerlyth, and stored the large sprinklers. ¡°Ah think we''re ready.¡± Clint said. ¡°I''ll get Elerlyth.¡± Ren said and went inside the tower and up the stairs. He saw that Elerlyth sat on the bed, and when she saw Ren, she stood up and stretched with her arms out wide. ¡°Good morning!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°It sure is.¡± Ren said and stared at her dark skin in all of it''s glory. Elerlyth felt how much seeing her comfortable meant to Ren, and she walked over to him. She swayed her hips to give him a bit of a show, and Ren fed on her feelings of sexiness and teasing. ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren said as she approached him. Elerlyth felt his body react to her, and things lower in her own body tightened at the feelings from him, and she fed on them as she bent over and kissed him. Her hand went below his waist and massaged him, and Ren couldn''t take it. He stored his clothing in an instant and Elerlyth''s hand met his flesh. She was surprised, since she only wanted to tease him; then she was really surprised when he picked her up and made love to her right there. They were done less than 10 minutes later. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± Elerlyth yelled when they both finished and fed each other on their feelings. She kissed Ren and held on tightly, and didn''t want to ever let him go. It was then that she felt the guys waiting impatiently outside, and she sighed. ¡°Okay, we have to be very careful about teasing each other.¡± Ren said and helped her stand up. ¡°You mean me.¡± Elerlyth laughed and ran her hand through his hair. ¡°That''s what I said.¡± Ren grinned at her. She gave him a quick kiss and equipped her armor bodysuit, then the armor. ¡°This amazes me every time I put it on.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You amaze me every time I see you.¡± Ren said, and she felt the truth in his words. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Elerlyth said and Ren equipped his armor bodysuit and armor, and left off the helm. He handed over her share of the Molotov Cocktails, and she stored them with a smile. ¡°The plan is simple.¡± Ren said and explained what they were going to do as they walked down the stairs. ¡°The cleanup is going to be messy.¡± Elerlyth said when they stepped out the door of the Instant Tower. ¡°Assuming thare''s anythin'' ta clean up.¡± Clint said. ¡°Wha'' took ya so long?¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Elerlyth stood in front of me naked, and I had to make love to her.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s pretty hot, so it didn''t take long.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Elerlyth yelled and punched his shoulder as her face flushed to a darker grey. The clang of armor on armor was pretty loud, and the guys winced. ¡°What?¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°It''s not like they couldn''t hear us.¡± ¡°You''re not supposed to say anything, even if everyone knows!¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren felt her embarrassment. He didn''t use his new ability, though. He turned to her and took her hand. ¡°My hottest love.¡± Ren said, and he felt her surprise that he would say that where others could hear it. ¡°No matter what I do or say, you should never feel embarrassed.¡± He said. ¡°You can feel what I feel. I didn''t say it to embarrass you, and I wasn''t trying to be mean or malicious. I merely stated the truth.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°I love you, and I don''t care who knows that I get to have sex with you.¡± Ren said, and she felt how proud he was, and then felt his sincerity. ¡°I''m deeply honored that you let me be with you like that.¡± Elerlyth''s face flushed the darkest it had ever been. ¡°Damn, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°I gotta remember to thank my girlfriend like that.¡± Hank chuckled. ¡°Me, too.¡± He said. ¡°Those were some smooth lines.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren looked at the guys. ¡°I... I didn''t... I mean, I said them; but, they aren''t lines...¡± Elerlyth bent over slightly and put her arms around Ren. ¡°I know they''re not.¡± She whispered and kissed him. She felt how flustered he was when the guys thought he was pulling one over on her, and that endeared him to her even more than he already was. ¡°Ah think we bettah git ovah ta tha'' field.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ren, can ya take all this down?¡± ¡°Um... sure.¡± Ren said as he stared at Elerlyth''s smile. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± Ren took out the Staff of Earth and pushed the 10 foot walls over and flattened them, then spoke a stream of bubbles and gurgles. The Instant Tower shrunk to the size of a 2 inch wide cube and Ren stored it. ¡°Dillon told us what that was; but, it''s still amazing to see.¡± Billy said. ¡°What did it take to get it?¡± ¡°50 iron bars; 100 stone bricks; 5,000 Mana; 1 platinum coin; and my little finger.¡± Ren said, and everyone fell silent. ¡°Wait, WHAT?!?¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°I''m kidding!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It didn''t actually need my little finger.¡± ¡°Oh. That''s okay, then.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Tha''s still expensive.¡± Clint said. ¡°How many do ya have?¡± ¡°Just 2.¡± Ren said. ¡°I ran out of stone bricks.¡± ¡°Yer kiddin!¡± Ren took out two metal and stone cubes to show them. ¡°I''ll make more when I can pick up some more stone bricks.¡± ¡°Geez, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°What are you going to do with them?¡± ¡°It''s a surprise.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°For us?¡± Tommy asked. Ren felt the hope Tommy had, and shook his head. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Ya don'' expec'' him ta give us all of ''is neat toys, do ya?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Sure I do!¡± Tommy said. ¡°He''s given us everything else, man!¡± Ren laughed, and so did everyone else. ¡°Ren...¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren nodded and took out the Wand of Transport and cast Elerlyth''s Phantom Steed ''Etheria'', then 5 more Phantom Steeds for the guys. Ren walked over to the table and ice box, stored them and the chairs, then went over to Princess. ¡°I''ll give you breakfast when we get to the field.¡± Ren said and Teepo came in for a landing. ¡°Take out your All-Seeing Mirror.¡± Teepo said, and Ren held it up for him. He put his front leg on it, and the map appeared, and the shape of the large cavern appeared on it. ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks, Teepo.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Teepo said, and Ren ran over to Clint and made the appropriate marks on the parchment map. ¡°We''ll meet ya thare.¡± Clint said. ¡°Moun'' up!¡± Ren ran back over to Princess, asked her permission to ride her, then climbed up onto her saddle. ¡°Let''s go!¡± He said and hunkered down. Princess took off at a run and disappeared from sight. ¡°Ah saw it twice, an'' ah still don'' believe it.¡± Clint said and laughed. ¡°Hi-ho, Phantom! Away!¡± The phantom steed reared back and flew up into the air, and the rest of the party followed suit. They flew across the town and out into the wilderness, passed Passer Ridge and along the path they had followed before, until they came to the huge graveyard. They changed direction and followed the map to the right area, and came in for a landing. When they did, they saw Princess there with 2 snares around one leg, a leg holding trap on another, and her horns were covered in blood. She also had a grinning Ren on her back. ¡°You should have seen it!¡± Ren said and hopped off of Princess. ¡°It was almost like a movie! We came around a corner, and there was a group of ghouls setting a trap. They tried to run when they saw us, but it didn''t matter.¡± He laughed and pat Princess'' neck. ¡°Bang! They were gone in an instant!¡± ¡°An'' tha other traps?¡± Clint asked and pointed. ¡°We couldn''t let them snare anyone else.¡± Ren said and scratched Princess'' chin. ¡°You did great!¡± Thank you, My Lord. Princess thought to him and he took the remnants of the various traps off of her. Everyone climbed off their respective mounts and gathered together. ¡°So, what''s the plan?¡± Dillon asked. ¡°Clint, the map.¡± Ren said, and Clint took it out. ¡°According to Teepo, these 6 spots are closest to the surface.¡± He showed them where. ¡°We can dig down about 10 feet before we have to start being careful.¡± ¡°Why''s tha''?¡± ¡°Then we get into stalactite territory.¡± ¡°Will the sprinklers work with them?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re designed to have things drip from them.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Hank said. Ren took out 6 shovels and gave the guys one each. ¡°What about...¡± Billy started to ask. ¡°We only need 6 holes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, we need a guard at the crypt to see if anything comes out that end.¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± Billy said. ¡°No offense, but I''ve been in a combat situation with Elerlyth. I''m fully aware of her capabilities.¡± ¡°Ren, tha'' actually is a might offensive.¡± ¡°It shouldn''t be.¡± Ren said and looked at the other guys. ¡°None of you think I''ll be any good in a fight, right?¡± None of them said anything; but, Ren could feel that they believed what he said was true. ¡°Ah reckon our opinion migh'' change aftah this.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Agreed. I''ve seen a bit of how you guys react, but I still haven''t seen you fight.¡± ¡°Ah hope ya won''t hafta.¡± Clint said, and Ren smiled. ¡°Fingers crossed.¡± Ren said and gave them each a container and sprinkler. ¡°Just turn the little crank to charge the coil spring and hit the button when it''s time. You can keep cranking occasionally if it''s necessary; but if my guess is right, there''s only going to be 30 seconds or so to cover as many of them as possible.¡± ¡°How are we going to light it?¡± Dillon asked. ¡°I''ve got it covered.¡± Ren said and smiled evilly. ¡°Ah don'' know if''n ah like tha'' smile er not.¡± Clint said and chuckled. ¡°Le''s git to it!¡± The 6 men went to their designated spots and started to dig, and Elerlyth took her mount back to the crypt to stand guard. It didn''t take long for the guys to dig the holes big enough to sit the sprinklers and oil containers into the ground, and Ren went around and made sure the holes were safe and wouldn''t collapse. They placed the sprinklers and containers into the holes and cranked them up; then got ready to push the buttons. ¡°Princess, hit this button when the others do.¡± Ren said to his mount. ¡°I''ve got to install the last component.¡± Yes, My Lord. Princess thought, and Ren started to run. ¡°Hey!¡± Clint yelled, and Ren slowed down. ¡°Where ya goin''?¡± ¡°To install the match to light everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°How will we know when to hit the button, man?¡± Tommy asked. Ren chuckled. ¡°Even if you don''t hear me hollering to you, you''ll definitely hear the rumbling of the horde.¡± Clint nodded, and Ren ran all the way over to the crypt. Once there, Elerlyth watched as Ren made something she''d never seen before. ¡°What is...¡± ¡°It''s a surprise.¡± Ren said and stored it, then made 2 wands with Wall of Earth and gave one to her, then told Elerlyth what he wanted her to make with it. ¡°Ren, I can''t make intricate things like that.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Ha.¡± Ren said. ¡°You make me laugh.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Just make a circuit board.¡± Ren said. ¡°Easy peasy.¡± Elerlyth looked at him with surprise, then she ran through his directions again. ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren laughed and kissed her. ¡°Let''s go.¡± He said and opened the crypt''s door, and Elerlyth jumped down into the tunnel while Teepo flew in ahead to scout. Ren followed them and ran into the 50 foot long cavern the tunnel was attached to. He took out the Staff of Earth and used it to pull the walls of the cavern down and made a small tunnel from the 300 foot long cavern for the entire length of the 50 foot one, then made a right angle to join it to the crypt''s tunnel. ¡°You''re making a bottleneck.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Yeah, so make sure your circuit board eventually sends them all here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Add in dead ends where you want, though.¡± Elerlyth chuckled. ¡°Contain and corral. Got it.¡± Ren nodded and they activated Sneak together, then crept into the large cavern. They didn''t see any sunlight, and Ren pointed to the spots with the sprinklers. Elerlyth nodded and they both started to create their wall patterns to lead the ghouls under them. They only made 8 foot tall walls, so the sprinklers could cover everything, and they used up most of the spells in the wands. It only took them 5 minutes to finish, and they still had 15 minutes before the spell walls wore off. Ren took out his surprise for the ghouls, tossed it up into the air towards the ceiling, and used his Amulet of the Spider''s once-a-day Web spell to secure it to the ceiling of the cavern. At this point, they were both standing on the top of their respective mazes. Teepo had sat on the ceiling to keep watch down both side tunnels, just in case. ¡°Okay, let''s make some noise.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hey, ghoulies! You ugly rat-suckers!¡± He yelled. ¡°There''s a nice tasty meal waiting for you! Hey! HEY!¡± Elerlyth laughed at his poor curse substitute, then added a bunch of actual curse words for him when she yelled. ¡°Elerlyth! I didn''t know you had such a dirty mouth!¡± Ren exclaimed, and it made her laugh. When they heard a rumbling sound, Ren looked up at one of the sprinklers. ¡°NOW! HIT THE BUTTONS NOW!¡± Ren yelled, and he and Elerlyth ran across the top of their mazes to the end by the tunnel entrance, jumped down and ran to the right-angled corner of the tunnel he had made. ¡°I assume there''s a reason you made this new tunnel straight as an arrow.¡± Elerlyth asked, and Ren smiled as he tapped the large ruby on his chest. ¡°Here they come, and they''re soaked in oil!¡± Teepo said and flew over to land on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Some of them have figured out to run over the walls.¡± ¡°There''s so many of them, I figured that would happen.¡± Ren said as the first ghoul ran down the tunnel. ¡°Ren.¡± Elerlyth said and took out her sword. ¡°Fire.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want to waste the shot.¡± Elerlyth glanced at him briefly, stepped forward, and jammed the sword into the throat of the ghoul. He''d been alone, and they could see a pile of ghouls trying to climb over each other to get into the tunnel. They sorted themselves out when a larger ghoul smashed the head of the ghoul in front. They saw one of it''s arms was just a stub to the elbow, then it shrieked at them. ¡°It''s the leader!¡± Elerlyth said and knelt as the ghouls flowed around the large one and charged down the tunnel. Ren waited for a second to make sure enough of them would be hit, then activated the Illumination runes in the large ruby mounted on his chest. It was at exactly the right height, since the ghouls ran in a crouch, and it hit them right in the face. The first ghoul''s head exploded and it''s body lit on fire. The next pile of ghouls had half of their faces singed off and lit on fire, then the beam hit the large ghoul in the chest. It shrieked again as the beam burned into it''s chest and the tunnel became a flaming furnace as the other ghouls'' bodies burned both brightly and hotly. The large ghoul didn''t fall, mainly because there were so many ghouls behind him; but, then he caught on fire and the ones behind him kicked him away so they wouldn''t burn, too. ¡°No loyalty, huh?¡± Ren said and concentrated on the present he''d left them. The present was something he''d modified from the plans he''d gained when he saved Railyse and the Crown Princess from the elemental bomb. He had to change it so that when it exploded, it would send out Fire as well as shrapnel. He had to increase the yield as well, to make sure it caused as much damage as possible in an up and out direction, and added an enchanted trigger. Since it was held upside down on the ceiling, it was in the perfect position with so many ghouls underneath, and Ren activated it. It exploded in a giant half-fireball from the ceiling downward, consumed the webbing that held it in place instantly, and sent thousands of flaming shrapnel pieces throughout the entire cavern. The ghouls shrieked as they were hit with the metal shards, then lit on fire when the oil covering them ignited. * The guys were maintaining their sprinklers when they heard the explosion, then the ground below them moved up and down slightly. ¡°My sprinkler''s getting hot!¡± Billy said a few minutes later, and saw the oil inside his container as it started to bubble. His sprinkler was the one right in the middle of the cavern and over the main mass of burning ghouls. ¡°Forget it, man!¡± Tommy said. ¡°Run!¡± Everyone ran away from their oil containers and sprinklers. Princess and the Phantom Steeds ran away a hundred feet and turned around, then watched as the container in the middle sparked and a lick of flame shot out of the hole it was in. ¡°Ev''ryone down!¡± Clint yelled when they were far enough away, and the guys all jumped down to the ground just before Billy''s oil container exploded. It sent a splashing wave of burning oil out in a wide spray, and a 20 foot wide circle around the hole burned. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Billy exclaimed. ¡°I was almost a crispy critter!¡± ¡°I think mine''s next!¡± Hank said, and sure enough, his exploded with the same result. ¡°They''re all going, man!¡± Tommy said, and then the other boiling oil containers exploded one after the other and sent out burning oil in a spray, then the ground started to shake. ¡°Oh, shit! It''s collapsing!¡± * Ren and Elerlyth had kept the stray ghouls at bay when they managed to scramble into the tunnel. The ghouls were still on fire; but, that didn''t seem to bother some of them. Elerlyth saw two more large ghouls and dealt with them while they waited for the ghouls to burn, and then they felt the whole cavern shake. ¡°Teepo?¡± Ren asked. Teepo flew down the tunnel and through the flames. ¡°The cavern ceiling! It''s coming down, Ren!¡± ¡°RUN!¡± Ren said, and Teepo flew back to him as Ren and Elerlyth ran down the tunnel. Ren cast a Wall of Earth several times to seal off the crypt tunnel behind them, then followed Elerlyth out of the crypt and into the sunshine. Chapter 389 - A Clean Sweep Ren used the Staff of Earth to cover over the crypt and packed the dirt in, and Elerlyth climbed onto her mount. Ren ran back to the field and Elerlyth rode her Phantom Steed beside him. When they came to the field, there wasn''t a field anymore. ¡°REN!¡± Clint yelled and waved from across the large gaping hole. ¡°YA MADE IT!¡± ¡°SO DID YOU!¡± Ren yelled and waved back. Princess appeared beside Ren and he climbed up onto her saddle, then Ren and Elerlyth rode their mounts around the collapsed cavern to where Clint and the rest of the party was. ¡°Nice job.¡± Clint said as Ren and Elerlyth stopped beside them. ¡°I was just about to say the same thing.¡± Ren said. ¡°What happened up here?¡± ¡°Yer oil things exploded.¡± ¡°They what?!?¡± Ren looked at Clint with shock. ¡°The things boiled and popped, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°They couldn''t take the heat.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t think...¡± ¡°Well, ya know now.¡± Clint said and chuckled. ¡°If something like this evah happens again, yule know ta put some distance between tha oil an'' tha fire.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Hey, I just realized something.¡± Billy said. ¡°Wha''s tha''?¡± Clint asked. ¡°WE DID IT!¡± Billy yelled and started to jump up and down. ¡°Sorry, but no.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was the easy part.¡± ¡°That was the easy part?¡± Billy asked. ¡°We took out the main force, but that doesn''t mean they''re all gone.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°We''ve got to go down there and root through all the tunnels to dig them out.¡± ¡°Oh, geez.¡± Dillon said. ¡°My defensive magic won''t help much.¡± ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Ren asked. ¡°In close quarters, it''s going to be more useful than offensive spells.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°We don''t know what we''re going to find down there. Being overly defensive while we explore isn''t a bad thing.¡± Dillon smiled, and Ren felt that Dillon liked to be useful. ¡°How long do you think it''ll take?¡± Hank asked. ¡°We won''t know until we get down there and find out.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°At least there''s enough of us to split up into teams.¡± ¡°We''ve all got the weekend off, so it''s no sweat if we are doing this for the next week.¡± Hank said. ¡°I don''t want to do it for a week, though.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The sooner we get started, the sooner we finish.¡± ¡°Then let''s get going.¡± Hank said. ¡°My sword is hungry.¡± ¡°Armor up firs''.¡± Clint said, and Hank nodded and equipped his armor. ¡°If everyone''s ready?¡± They all nodded. ¡°Hank, Ren.¡± Clint said and smiled. ¡°Lead on.¡± ¡°Sweet!¡± Hank said and held an armored fist out. ¡°Let''s rock and roll!¡± Ren gave him a fist bump and smiled. ¡°Mount up.¡± He said, and the guys looked at him. ¡°You don''t want to walk over that.¡± He said and pointed to the rubble inside the hole. ¡°But...¡± ¡°The Phantom Steed can cross anything, just like Princess.¡± Ren said. Princess trotted over to the hole with Ren on her back, and the guys watched as she jumped into the hole. ¡°They did not just jump down 20 plus feet onto uneven ground.¡± Billy said. ¡°I didn''t just see that, did I?¡± ¡°Are you guys coming or what?¡± Ren asked, and they saw him and Princess halfway across the 300 foot expanse of rocks and dirt mounds. Elerlyth laughed and her Phantom Steed trotted over to the hole and jumped in. ¡°They''re both crazy, man.¡± Tommy said as his Phantom Steed came over to him. He climbed up onto the saddle and it went over to the hole. ¡°And here I am doing it, too.¡± He said and laughed, then the steed jumped into the hole. ¡°Hank, yer fallin'' behind.¡± Clint said. Hank mounted his steed, and it ran over to the hole and jumped, then glided down into the hole to land beside Ren and Princess. ¡°Ha ha! Nice one.¡± Ren said and he and Hank fist bumped again. Clint, Billy, and Dillon jumped into the hole on their mounts and the group gathered near the beginning of the left tunnel. ¡°We''ll watch the back and see if anything comes out the right tunnel.¡± Dillon said, and pat Billy''s back. ¡°Then Tommy an'' me will back Ren an'' Hank.¡± Clint said and the guys got off their mounts. ¡°I''ll head over to the tunnel that leads to the crypt and keep it blocked.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°If''n ya see any ghouls, kill''em if ya can.¡± Clint said. ¡°None of ''em can git away.¡± Elerlyth nodded and rode her mount across the 300 feet to the other side and over piles of rocks and rubble. ¡°Princess, it''s the same deal as yesterday.¡± Ren said and used the Staff of Earth to open up the left tunnel enough so that he and Hank could walk into it side by side. ¡°If I activate the Charge! party ability, you come running.¡± Yes, My Lord. Princess thought, and huffed her agreement. Ren equipped his helm and took out his hammerpick, then enchanted it with 50 Fire runes to replace the old Earth enchantment. The green meteoric ore of the hammerpick was immediately covered in a thin layer of bright blue flame. ¡°Whoa, man!¡± Tommy said. ¡°Doesn''t that burn you at all?¡± ¡°Not a bit.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s pretty cool.¡± ¡°It sure is.¡± Hank said. ¡°I''ve got Energize spells, so don''t hold back.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sweet!¡± Hank said. ¡°Let''s see how many of them we can kill before you have to use it!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re on!¡± ¡°Guys!¡± Clint said, but Ren and Hank had already run down the slight embankment and into the tunnel. ¡°We''re in no rush.¡± He said and chuckled. Ren and Hank ran down the empty tunnel to the first intersection. There the tunnel split in two, with a tunnel going off to the right, and the one they were in going slightly left. Teepo? Ren thought to his friend. ¡°They both cut off at right angles at the end, with the right one at 250 feet, and this one at 350 feet. I can''t see past that.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ll go further when you pick a tunnel.¡± Ren smiled. Who would have thought I''d get to the point that I would need two of you. ¡°You need more than that.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laugher. ¡°If I remember correctly, there''s 4 tunnels in the other tunnel back where we came in.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, I think we need to do what Elerlyth said.¡± He took out a Wall of Earth wand and cast it over the right tunnel. ¡°We''ve got 20 minutes to explore this side.¡± ¡°Nice goin''.¡± Clint said and came up behind them. ¡°Carry on.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Ren and Hank moved off down the left tunnel and Teepo flew well ahead. ¡°There''s a smaller cavern about halfway, then a short tunnel and another cavern.¡± Teepo said. ¡°No ghouls yet.¡± Ren and Hank stayed at the ready as Teepo flew around the corner. ¡°Ghouls!¡± Teepo said. ¡°About a dozen, with a large ghoul herding them.¡± ¡°We''ve got customers.¡± Ren whispered to Hank, and saw his smile. ¡°Left or right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Hank whispered. ¡°When I swing this baby back and forth, I don''t want to hit you.¡± ¡°Just watch the wall.¡± Ren switched sides with him and they moved forward. ¡°I''ll even let you have the big ghoul.¡± ¡°Geez, you''re all heart.¡± Hank said and they ran the last bit of distance and around the corner, and caught the entire group of ghouls flat-footed. It gave Ren and Hank the advantage, and the first swing in combat. They didn''t waste it. Ren swung low and took out three ghouls by crushing their legs, and his hammerpick lit them on fire instantly. They collapsed right away, and didn''t even scream as the bright blue flame consumed them in only moments. Hank swung high and decapitated 2 ghouls, and sheared the top of the skulls of two more. His sword''s enchantment let him do the back swing for free, with no Stamina loss; so, he stepped forward and swung back. He finished off the two he''d only ''mostly'' killed by swinging slightly lower, and took the arms off the 4 ghouls behind the first 4 and cut across their chests. ¡°Hey, no fair.¡± Ren said and turned his hammerpick around and swung the ''reaping'' end across the enemies on his side, and it speared a ghoul in the side of the head. Ren was glad he''d worn his helm, because the head exploded and it covered him in blood and gore. He followed through on the swing and hooked two more in the same manner; then their heads exploded, too. ¡°Damn, I''m glad I''m on the right.¡± Hank said and laughed as he stepped forward and turned his sword on it''s end, then swung upwards as hard as he could at the large ghoul. It had been so surprised to find food attacking it, that it didn''t even try to defend itself. Hank''s sword went between it''s legs and travelled upwards, and cleaved the unsuspecting ghoul right up the middle. The large ghoul fell to it''s knees, and that was enough to jar the two halves apart. There was a sickening slurping sound as the bisected ghoul slid apart and fell in two different directions. ¡°That''s both cool and disgusting.¡± Ren said as he killed the last ghouls on his side. ¡°You made it, my friend!¡± Hank said and laughed. ¡°Ya didn'' even leave us nothin''.¡± Clint said as he and Tommy appeared around the corner. ¡°We surprised them.¡± Hank said, and Clint nodded. ¡°Ya took good advantage of it.¡± Clint said and looked at the bodies. ¡°Loot''em ta git ''em outta tha way an'' star'' searching.¡± ¡°You got it, boss.¡± Ren said and he and Hank looted the bodies and stored the items without looking at them. ¡°There''s a couple of chests under the mounds of clothes.¡± Teepo said as he came out from under them. ¡°They might be good to loot, but they also might be booby-trapped.¡± Ren took out the Detect Magic and Detect Traps wands and cast them, then activated Enchanted Eyes and moved the clothing out of the way when nothing appeared. He saw one of the chests glowed slightly, and cast the spells again. The Detect Magic spell found something, and Ren read the popup.
Notice!
Detect Magic has found a spell that was cast on this item. Curse of the Lost Chest: Anyone that touches this chest will be Cursed. This curse is a Permanent condition that causes minor poisoning, and cannot be cured by potions or other spells.
¡°Don''t touch that chest.¡± Ren said and pointed, then told them what it did. ¡°Did... did you say ''permanent''?¡± Hank asked. ¡°There is a Permanency spell.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s Master level, and it can make certain other spells or effects permanent.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah don'' even wanna try storin'' it, either.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said and switched the wands he held for another. ¡°Let me read something first.¡±
Wand Of Entering (Level 5)
A Knock spell opens stuck, barred, locked, held, or arcane locked doors. It opens secret doors, as well as locked or trick-opening boxes or chests. It also loosens welds, shackles, or chains (provided they serve to hold closures shut). If used to open an arcane locked door, the spell does not remove the arcane lock but simply suspends its functioning for 10 minutes. In all other cases, the door does not relock itself or become stuck again on its own. Limitations: Knock does not raise barred gates or similar impediments (such as a portcullis), nor does it affect ropes, vines, and the like. Range: Within 500 feet (Long). Target: The doors on one level of a building, any number or size box(es) or chest(s).
¡°I wonder if the chest is locked.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If it''s locked, then the Knock spell will suspend it''s function for 10 minutes.¡± ¡°If it''s not?¡± ¡°Whoever touches it is cursed.¡± ¡°Leave it, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°No matter what''s inside, it''s not worth the risk.¡± ¡°Ah agree.¡± Clint said. ¡°Bury it, Ren.¡± Ren took out the Staff of Earth, then stopped. ¡°No, I can''t do that.¡± ¡°Wha''?¡± ¡°I can''t risk having the Spirit of Earth hurt by it.¡± Ren said, and the guys looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Just... give me a minute. I can figure something out.¡± ¡°Tha'' wall ya made ain'' gonna las'' ferever, ya know.¡± ¡°Yeah... hold on... I know I have something...¡± Ren closed his eyes and activated Serene State of Mind. He took several deep breaths and relaxed. He was overthinking everything and needed to clear his mind. Okay, I need to move the chest without touching it. Ren thought, then remembered the toy boat. I can make something to push it without touching it myself, so... what to do with it? He thought about the other things he''d made, then he smiled. Ren opened the recipe for the Instant Tower, and looked at the requirements and the size of the thing when it was done; then edited it. He didn''t need 20 feet long by 20 feet wide by 30 feet high. All he needed was 4 feet long by 3 feet wide by 3 feet high, just big enough for a chest. When he cut that down, the iron bar requirement dropped from 50 to 4, and the stone brick requirement dropped from 100 to 8. It would only cost 100 Mana and 50 gold. He made the door the entire side of it, then saved the new recipe and called it a Forget It Box. Ren deactivated Serene State of Mind and opened his eyes. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hank said. ¡°You just closed your eyes!¡± Ren chuckled and took out the ingredients he needed, activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability, and put the items on the platform and added the Mana needed, then spoke the command word needed for the recipe. The platform glowed for a few seconds, and a cube half an inch wide was left in it''s place. ¡°Wha'' the hell is tha''?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Watch.¡± Ren said and placed the small cube 3 feet from the cursed chest, stood on the side facing the chest, and spoke the code word in a stream of bubbles and gurgles. The Forget It Box popped to it''s full size instantly, and Ren opened the door. ¡°That''s...¡± Dillon shook his head. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That''s not the neat part.¡± He said and took out the Staff of Earth. He used it to move the dirt away from the ceiling to the walls, and when Teepo told him it was just over 30 feet, he stopped and stored the staff and took out his Instant Tower. ¡°Yer not...¡± Clint started to say, and then Ren activated it and it popped into existence. ¡°Ah don'' believe it.¡± Ren went inside the tower and used it''s resources to make a large spring coil and a small cart with an attached flat piece of metal in front. When he was done a few minutes later, he came out and shrunk the tower to store it, then put the small bulldozer behind the chest. He cranked it up and hit the button, and the thing rolled forward, hit the chest, and pushed it into the Forget It Box. Ren stored the small bulldozer, closed the door on the Forget It Box, and spoke the command word. It shrunk back into a cube half an inch wide and picked it up. ¡°Ah still don'' believe it.¡± Clint said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Now I can bury it.¡± Ren said and used the Staff of Earth to push the dirt aside. He went down about 30 feet, dropped the Forget It Box inside, then pushed the dirt back together. ¡°There, safe and sound.¡± Clint shook his head in disbelief. ¡°Hank, store tha othah chest so we can git back ta tha othah tunnel.¡± Hank did so, and the group of them ran down the tunnel to get back to the fork. They made it just in time, and saw the wall as it faded away. Teepo? Ren thought. ¡°Nothing''s there.¡± Teepo said and flew down the long tunnel. ¡°There''s nothing in this corner chamber, or down the next tunnel.¡± He flew down that tunnel. ¡°There''s a split here. One goes into another chamber, and the other is a tunnel that leads to another chamber.¡± Ren told the guys what was there, and they ran all the way down to the split. ¡°It''s all the victim''s stuff.¡± Tommy said when he looked into the first chamber. ¡°Clothing, leather pieces, and boots.¡± ¡°Should we take it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The families might want them as confirmation.¡± ¡°Tha''s a good idea.¡± Clint said and smiled. ¡°Ah don'' suppose ya got a crate or anythin'' on ya.¡± Ren took out an empty crate and he and Tommy filled it with the items. Clint stored it, and they went down the next tunnel to the last chamber on that side. ¡°Nothin''.¡± Clint said. ¡°We bettah head back.¡± They ran all the way back to the collapsed cavern and came out into the sunshine. ¡°You sure get used to being underground fast.¡± Hank said and held his hand up to cover the eye holes in his helm. ¡°The sun almost hurts.¡± ¡°Ren?¡± ¡°I got it.¡± Ren said and used the Staff of Earth to close off the left tunnel, then opened up the right one. Go for it, Teepo. He thought. Check what you can. ¡°Sure thing.¡± Teepo said and flew into the tunnel. ¡°Teepo''s checking what he can.¡± Ren told the guys. ¡°He sure is useful, ain'' he?¡± Clint asked. Ren nodded. ¡°I use him a lot more than I should sometimes.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°What else am I gonna do?¡± You can relax. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°I do that every time you leave.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s boring as hell.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Wha''s funny?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Teepo said it''s boring as hell for him to relax.¡± Hank laughed. ¡°He needs to find himself a nice lady beetle, then.¡± Hank says you need to find a mate. Ren told Teepo. ¡°I would if I could.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The first side tunnel to the right is a dead end after 75 feet.¡± Ren relayed the tunnel information, and Clint marked it on the map. Teepo checked the next side tunnel and flew into a large chamber. ¡°Ugh, this is... the... ah...¡± Teepo hedged. Just tell me. Ren thought. ¡°It''s the slaughter room.¡± Teepo said, and Ren didn''t wince or react. ¡°It''s mostly just covered in blood from floor to ceiling, though.¡± Thanks. Ren thought, then told Clint that the next side tunnel was where they cut people up for feeding. The guys all lost a bit of color, until Ren said it was just bloody. Teepo flew back and checked the first side tunnel on the left, and it looked like a nursery of some kind. When Ren relayed that, the guys lost almost all of their color, and Dillon held a hand over his mouth. Teepo flew out and down the tunnel to check the last one, and stopped. ¡°Um, Ren.¡± Ren could feel Teepo''s trepidation. What is it, buddy? ¡°I found... well, it''s kind of hard to describe.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You know how ghouls are made, right?¡± I think so. Ren thought and remembered how it happened in another game he had played. They find suitable candidates, usually by kidnapping people randomly. They try to bite them and infect them with their saliva and poison, which corrupts them. After a day or two, if they aren''t treated, they either start to change into a ghoul or they don''t. ¡°That''s it.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Where I am is where the large ghouls are doing it.¡± You have got to be kidding me. Ren thought and shook his head. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± He said out loud. ¡°What is it?¡± Hank said. ¡°I haven''t known you for long; but, I''m pretty sure that was a ''we are in deep shit'' ''oh crap''.¡± ¡°Right you are, my friend.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°We are in deep shit.¡± He stopped laughing like a switch had been thrown and looked at the guys with anger in his eyes. ¡°Teepo just found a ghoul factory.¡± Chapter 390 - Get Them! ¡°It''s ah ghoul factory?¡± Clint asked, then thought about it. ¡°No, yer not serious!¡± He nearly yelled. ¡°It''s still operating, too.¡± Ren said, and he tried to reign in his anger. ¡°Large ghouls are biting people as we speak.¡± ¡°We gotta get in there.¡± Hank said and started to run to the tunnel, and both Ren and Clint grabbed his arms. ¡°We can''t just go in swinging.¡± Ren said. ¡°We have to be careful of the civilians.¡± ¡°I''ll just kill the ghouls.¡± Hank said. ¡°That''s easy.¡± ¡°Wha'' if''n thare only a little turned?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Wha'' if''n they look normal and are already a ghoul?¡± ¡°Or look like a ghoul, but can still think and be saved if treated?¡± Ren asked and made a fist with his hand. ¡°By the gods, this is the worst thing that can happen on an extermination quest!¡± ¡°Ah know.¡± Clint said. ¡°We migh'' hafta exterminate all of ''em, no matter how far along thay are, just ta complete it.¡± ¡°Dammit, man!¡± Tommy exclaimed. ¡°What do we do?¡± Ren thought about Elerlyth and the Spider Brooch glowed. ¡°Hey, baby.¡± He said. ¡°Did you kill the stragglers?¡± ¡°You know I did.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°What''s up?¡± ¡°We need your expertise.¡± Ren said. ¡°Teepo discovered a ghoul factory.¡± Elerlyth was quiet for a moment. ¡°I''ll be right there.¡± Ren looked at Clint. ¡°Both she and I have high Sneak and stealth bonuses.¡± He said. ¡°I''m just going to assume she''ll want to go in and try to clear out the large ghouls before we try anything else.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Ah figured tha''s whachya were gonna do.¡± Elerlyth flew her steed in for a landing and jumped off just as it hit the ground. ¡°Ren, I know you can Sneak; but you can''t use your hammerpick for sneak attacks.¡± ¡°I''ll just use my hands, then.¡± Ren said, made his hands into fists, and used Iron Grip to crack all of the knuckles at the same time. ¡°I am not letting you go in there alone.¡± Elerlyth could feel his strong protective streak, so she nodded and felt his thanks for not saying no. She turned to Clint and spoke. ¡°If you hear the sound of a fight, come running.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Other than that, you need to stay as quiet as possible.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Billy asked. ¡°We''ve been really loud up until now.¡± ¡°That''s because it didn''t matter much after the main cavern collapsed.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once we get inside this tunnel and start removing the large ghouls, though...¡± ¡°The others will panic at any sound, so if you come into the tunnel, be quiet.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Ren, let''s go.¡± They activated Sneak and moved into the tunnel together. * Hank leaned close to Billy and whispered. ¡°I can''t hear them at all, and I''m looking right at them.¡± Billy nodded. ¡°I don''t know how they can make no noise with all that armor on.¡± ¡°Ah guess tha''s wha'' it''s like ta have mastered Sneak.¡± Clint whispered. ¡°Ah wonder why Ren learned it.¡± ¡°He wasn''t a fighter at all when we met him that first time.¡± Tommy whispered. ¡°He might have learned it to hide after that.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Ah suppose so.¡± He said. ¡°He don'' likely need ta hide no more, though.¡± Hank chuckled. ¡°Did you see him using that green glowing thing? That was awesome.¡± ¡°Not as awesome as you, man.¡± Tommy said and went to clap Hank on the shoulder; but Clint grabbed his hand before he could. ¡°Keep it quiet remember.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Sorry, man.¡± * Elerlyth glided down the tunnel with Ren right beside her, and they could both feel how each of them felt about being able to keep up with the other. Ren sent her a trace of his love and she swallowed it, then she sent him a sliver of her love and he absorbed it. Ren felt her surprise and Elerlyth wondered why he had the same ability as her and yet it was different. Ren sent her a feeling of admonition to keep her mind on the mission, and he felt her small spike of annoyance. That made him smile, then he stopped smiling when they came to the tunnel Teepo had found the ghoul factory in. Teepo, they aren''t going to smell us or anything, are they? Ren asked. ¡°No, there''s too much other things around for them to pick you up.¡± Good. Ren thought. I''m not concentrating on any Aura at all, so hopefully they won''t notice us because of my basic Aura, either. ¡°Ren, before you go in, it... it''s bad.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''ll see how bad when you''re in there; but, the first pen just on the right has the newest people in it, and there''s a large ghoul inside biting them.¡± Ren tapped Elerlyth on the arm so she would look at him. He pointed to the right, held up an index finger, then dragged his finger across his neck. Elerlyth nodded and they went into the cavern. It was only about 200 feet long, but it was also 100 feet wide like the large cavern that they had inadvertently collapsed. Feelings of hatred, despair, pain, and loss filled the cavern, and Ren didn''t even try to feed on them. Ren watched as Elerlyth moved around the first 10 foot long by 10 foot wide by 10 foot high metal cage until she was in the right position, then saw her hand as it darted out quick as a flash. She grabbed the large ghoul by the throat and pulled it back into the metal bars without a sound. A black knife came out of the front of it''s throat, turned, and there was a very faint popping sound. Elerlyth eased the large ghoul down to the floor of the pen and looted it to make the body disappear. The people in the pen watched in surprise as the large ghoul had, for some reason, disappeared. No one said anything or saw her; but, she felt relief and a bit of satisfaction from them. She went back to Ren''s side and waited for more instructions. ¡°The next closest one is up on the ledge.¡± Teepo said. ¡°15 feet up, to the left of the entrance.¡± Ren took out a large piece of fabric, dyed it the same color as the wall, and sewed up a poncho. ¡°The next one is three pens in, and is... ah... eating one of the failures.¡± Ren slipped on the poncho and pointed up, pointed two fingers at his own eyes, then held up 1, then 2, then 3 fingers. He pointed where Teepo said the ghoul was, and sent Elerlyth a careful feeling. She sent him a feeling of reassurance and moved off. Ren turned towards the wall and crept up it to just below the ledge. ¡°It''s turning to the right... hold on... okay, go for it.¡± Teepo said and Ren climbed up onto the ledge and reached out. He grabbed the large ghoul by the back of the neck and used Iron Grip. The skull detached from the spine with a soft pop, and Ren looted it. He saw a small alcove behind where the ghoul stood, and then he felt a tingle on his right hand. He reached out and touched the wall at the back of the alcove, and a doorway appeared.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. No way! Ren thought in surprise. It''s an Underworld entrance! He took his hand away from the wall, and a moment later, the door vanished and he used the Staff of Earth to cover the spot. He crawled down from the ledge and made his way over to Elerlyth. She''d killed the large ghoul that had been eating, and another that had come over to eat, too. How many large ghouls are left? Ren asked his friend. ¡°Just two more. They are 40 feet away and behind the last cage.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Unfortunately, that cage is for the ones almost completely turned.¡± There''s no hope for them, then? Ren asked. ¡°No.¡± Teepo said, sadly. ¡°Once they are that far gone, there''s no coming back.¡± Ren looked at Elerlyth and held up all 8 fingers and 2 thumbs on his hands 4 times, pointed to his feet, then pointed to where the ghouls were. She started to move off, and he touched her arm. She looked at him again, and he counted 2 on his fingers. She nodded and moved off, and Ren followed right behind her. They made their way across the distance quickly, and went around the cage. The two large ghouls were antagonizing the almost turned ghouls in the cage, and both Ren and Elerlyth felt the aggravation and need to kill that the caged ones felt. She glanced at Ren, and he motioned with both of his hands in a clear gesture to help herself. Ren felt her happiness, and watched as she crept up behind the two large ghouls. She took out the sword he had made for her and decapitated them both with one swipe. The almost turned ghouls in the cage saw their tormentors fall to the ground headless, then saw Elerlyth as she stood over their dead bodies. The ghouls started to freak out, then started to screech. Several of them shrieked like the full ghouls had in the fight earlier, and all that did was agitate them more. One ghoul leaned back and tried to jump at Elerlyth through the bars of the cage. She heard a bone crack, and then it''s head became stuck between the bars. Elerlyth jammed her sword into it''s mouth, moved it side to side, and the body fell to the floor of the cage. That really set them off, and they all started to scramble to try and get to her. ¡°Ren.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°What do we-¡± ¡°Molotov.¡± Ren said and held out a stone brick with Fire activated on it. Elerlyth took one of her Molotov Cocktails out, lit it with Ren''s fire, then tossed it at the bars of the cage. The glass shattered and it sprayed oil over them all, and the flame engulfed them. They stopped shrieking and screamed instead; but, only for a few moments. The flames in such a small space was almost hot enough to melt the iron bars, and it made short work of the cage''s contents. ¡°Let us out of here!¡± One woman shrieked from the next cage that was about 20 feet away, and Ren looked at her. He could feel the same feelings from her that the almost turned ghouls had, and he sighed. ¡°Elerlyth.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. She walked calmly over to the cage, and the woman''s face turned feral. She gnashed her teeth at the approaching meal, and Elerlyth slid her sword through the woman''s face. ¡°NOOOO!¡± The man next to the speared woman yelled. ¡°Don''t kill us! We''re innocent!¡± Three other people in the cage reacted the same way the woman did when Elerlyth came closer, and she killed them, too. ¡°No! Stop!¡± A woman pleaded. ¡°Please! I''m begging you!¡± ¡°You''ll have to stay in the cage until we can get a trained healer out here.¡± Ren said. ¡°And probably a clergy to absorb the corruption.¡± Everyone in the cage nodded their heads very fast, and Elerlyth stepped away from the cage. ¡°I can feel how terrified they are, but...¡± Elerlyth stopped talking, and Ren could feel how she felt. ¡°I don''t want to feed either.¡± ¡°I''ll go and get the guys.¡± Elerlyth said, and then Ren felt something awful enter his Aura. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Ren said, then felt 6 more things enter his Aura. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Company.¡± Ren said and pointed to the ledge across the cavern. ¡°There''s a passage behind that wall.¡± ¡°What kind of company?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Dark Elf company.¡± Ren said. ¡°A nasty one named Grimlow, and 6... no, make that 8 friends.¡± ¡°Ren, we can''t fight here.¡± Elerlyth said and looked at the cages. ¡°Leave that to me.¡± Ren said and took out the Staff of Earth, then shifted the floor of the cavern under just the cages. ¡°DON''T BURY US!!¡± Someone hollered. ¡°I''m not!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m hiding you!¡± People started to scream and cry, and Ren sighed and made a thin dirt wall in front of them instead. He took out the Wall of Earth wand he had, then cast it a dozen times to thicken it up. ¡°It''s only good for 20 minutes.¡± Ren said. ¡°The dark elves are at the covered entrance.¡± Elerlyth nodded and they ran over to get under the ledge. ¡°Should we climb?¡± ¡°No, I have a much nastier idea.¡± Ren said, and she felt his wicked streak open up. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Where have you been hiding that?!?¡± Elerlyth asked, surprised. ¡°I wasn''t hiding it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ve just never had a use for it before.¡± Elerlyth shook her head and Ren took out his Staff of Earth. He removed the block he had placed in front of the hidden door, then made a tunnel straight down from there and into the ground for a hundred feet and held it open. Ren felt the 9 people move fast through his Aura towards him. ¡°Here they come.¡± He whispered and Elerlyth tried not to moan from the feelings he was giving her. The hidden door burst open and all 9 dark elves came out through the door and fell into Ren''s tunnel pit. They screamed as they plummeted down to the bottom, and Ren and Elerlyth heard several bone crunches. ¡°That hurt them a lot.¡± Elerlyth whispered and fed on the pain and shock. ¡°Not as much as this is going to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Get ready.¡± Elerlyth nodded and held her sword at the ready, then moaned when she felt Ren''s evil streak as he dismissed the multiple Pass Wall spells. Her mouth dropped open in surprise as the dark elves zoomed past her and Ren up to the ceiling. The dark elves were helpless as they had been shot up the collapsing tunnel at twice their falling velocity, then they hit the stalactites on the ceiling. Even Elerlyth winced as the dark elves were impaled in various spots. Head, chest, groin, arms, legs, and backs were run through; but, since the nature of stalactites was to let things drip from them, each dark elf slid off of the improvised instruments of impalement and fell down to the ground in front of her. Neither Ren nor Elerlyth spoke as she decapitated each of them. A couple of them were still alive, but that didn''t stop her. Unlike with the ghouls, they didn''t loot the bodies because they wanted the evidence. Ren used the Staff of Earth to uncover the captives, and he felt their shock. They all looked at him and Elerlyth, then at the pile of dark elf bodies. ¡°How... how did you...¡± One of them asked. ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re Adventurers. We came to save as many of you as possible.¡± ¡°But... but you just exterminated all of them!¡± Someone else said and pointed to the last cage. ¡°They were too far gone.¡± Ren said sadly. ¡°It was the same with a few in the next cage.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I can only hope we can finish this quest without further bloodshed.¡± Ren said, and the person didn''t speak again. ¡°Elerlyth? Can you go and get the guys? I''ve got... something I need to take care of.¡± Elerlyth felt his sorrow and gave him a quick hug, then walked away. She felt that he needed a bit of time, and she was going to give it to him. Ren used the Staff of Earth to cover up the hidden door again. He sewed up a sack and stored the severed heads of the dark elves in it, then took out the spider tucked into his cloak. ¡°My Queen, may I have a portal to you, please?¡± A portal opened a moment later, and Ren stored the sack. ¡°I''ll wait here.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren said and stepped through the portal. * Elerlyth took her time, and walked at a slow pace across the chamber. She turned back to look when she reached the tunnel and saw Ren step through a portal. Oh, Ren. Elerlyth thought. Please, be careful. Elerlyth turned and walked down the tunnel, and brought up the popups she had received when Ren had commanded her ability to open.
Notice!
You have been given a level up through your ability by The Unnamed King (Dark Elves). While you are a subject under his domain, you cannot refuse a direct order.
Elerlyth ignored the other level popups and concentrated on the important ones.
Notice!
WARNING: Your ability Emotion Siphon has had it''s limitations removed. Without it''s limitations, you can easily kill with this ability if you are not careful.
Notice!
You have gained a new restricted ability: Emotion Death Level 1 (Beginner 0%). This ability allows you to drain emotions to the point of death from those that have a similar ability. WARNING: Your target will know it is you doing it, because it creates a temporary emotional link between you.
Notice!
Your ability Emotion Siphon has had it''s limitations reinstated.
I still can''t believe it. Elerlyth thought. Ren is the Unnamed King of the Dark Elves. ¡°Hey, thare.¡± Clint said, and Elerlyth was brought out of her thoughts. ¡°Um, hi.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Wha''s up?¡± ¡°We killed all the large ghouls in the factory.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°That''s great!¡± Billy said. ¡°Then we had to kill everyone in one of the cages.¡± ¡°That... sucks.¡± Dillon said. ¡°Ya don'' seem ta be too shook up abou'' tha''.¡± Clint said to her. ¡°Why would I be? They were ghouls.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°We were about to come and get you when a group of Dark Elves showed up out of nowhere.¡± ¡°Aw, man!¡± Tommy said. ¡°We missed the big fight!¡± ¡°We didn''t fight.¡± Elerlyth said, and she felt their surprise. She didn''t feed on it, though. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Ren made this tunnel thing in the ground. They fell in it, he closed it, and it shot them up to the ceiling.¡± ¡°Whoa.¡± Hank said. ¡°Most of them died, and I finished them off when they landed on the ground.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Now I''m here to tell you to get healers trained in treating ghouls, if they have them in the town. If they don''t have at least one...¡± ¡°Tha othahs are gonna turn, too.¡± Clint said. ¡°Dillon, Billy. Git to the town. Ask fer tha bes'' healers they got.¡± ¡°And a Clergy.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Tommy.¡± Clint said, and he nodded. The three men mounted their Phantom Steeds and took off towards the town. ¡°What can we do?¡± Hank asked. ¡°There''s not really anything we can do except wait.¡± Elerlyth said. Chapter 391 - Deal With It Ren stepped through the portal into the Queen of the Dark Elves throne room. He looked around and saw that no one else was there except for the Queen on her throne, her attendant, and the healer. He gave the Queen a regal bow, and she chuckled. ¡°Royal Consort, we are alone here. You do not need to bow to me.¡± ¡°I always need to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t show you any disrespect.¡± Lylyth felt that he was telling the truth, and nodded slightly. ¡°It hasn''t been that long since you left. What has brought you back to me so soon?¡± ¡°I won''t lie and say it''s you, even though that would have been a nice lie to tell.¡± Ren smiled for a moment, and then took a deep breath. ¡°What brings me here is... it''s something that...¡± Lylyth felt his sorrow and anger, so she stood up and walked over to him. She knelt in front of him and held out a hand. Ren took her hand and held it, then sighed. ¡°I came across something disturbing on my latest quest.¡± Ren said. ¡°An underground cavern used for making ghouls.¡± He didn''t feel shock or surprise from Lylyth, the healer, or the attendant. ¡°I''ve heard of such things.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I assume it was in some remote town where the people are being harvested?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°The quest is to save the townspeople from the scourge that has plagued them.¡± He said. ¡°Now it''s time for the difficult question.¡± ¡°You may ask it.¡± ¡°Do you have your underlings set these things up?¡± Ren asked her, and he was relieved when he felt her surprise. ¡°No. Such things are taboo among both the Elves and Dark Elves.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Even in preparation for war, corrupting a different species to give them Elven traits is anathema to our goals.¡± Ren felt the truth in her words. ¡°I''m glad to hear that from you...¡± He smiled for a moment, then asked another question. ¡°...but, is there anyone in your society that doesn''t believe that?¡± A small ripple of uneasiness went through the room; and Ren, Lylyth and the healer looked at the Queen''s attendant. ¡°Just because I think using every resource we have to win is a good idea, doesn''t mean I''m behind it.¡± The attendant said. ¡°There''s a specific reason why I''m asking these questions.¡± Ren said and took out the large sack. Blood spots could be clearly seen in the fabric, and he opened it and dumped 9 severed heads onto the floor. ¡°Arcturis!¡± The attendant exclaimed, then covered her mouth. Lylyth sighed as she felt the attendant''s pain of loss. ¡°What happened to them?¡± Lylyth asked. ¡°I killed them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I found a cavern with about 200 captive humans, all in various states of becoming ghouls.¡± ¡°That doesn''t explain-¡± ¡°I also found a hidden passage to the Underworld in the same cavern, and...¡± Ren picked up Grimlow''s head. ¡°...I felt this guy and the others enter my Aura and pick up speed when they felt me.¡± He said. ¡°When they appeared, I dealt with them.¡± ¡°They could have just-¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said, to cut off any kind of justification. ¡°I''ve encountered ghouls before. They don''t listen or even abide by ''outsiders''.¡± He explained. ¡°That cavern has been there a long time, and it''s an extensive set-up.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°The captives are being held in metal cages.¡± Ren said and Lylyth felt his resolve. ¡°Ghouls don''t craft anything except other ghouls. The only way for them to get a dozen metal cages...¡± ¡°The cages were made and given to them.¡± Lylyth said, and stood up. ¡°I will investigate this further.¡± She said. ¡°Where is the entrance?¡± ¡°I have no idea where it is on this side of the portal.¡± Ren said. ¡°I blocked the door from the other side, though.¡± Lylyth nodded. ¡°Will you leave this with me?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I came to you right away, once I discovered that Dark Elves were involved with it.¡± He gathered up the heads to put them back in the sack, tied it, and handed it to Lylyth. ¡°I''m really sorry.¡± ¡°Dearest one, you are considerate to be concerned over my feelings.¡± Lylyth said and opened a portal. ¡°Go back to your friends and finish your quest.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and kissed her hand, gave her another regal bow, and stepped through the portal. * Lylyth''s emotions didn''t change at all as she whipped around to throw the sack of heads at her attendant. It hit the unsuspecting woman in the chest and threw her backwards into the wall. It knocked the breath out of her; then both she and the sack bounced off the wall and fell into a heap on the floor. ¡°You knew about this.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°My... My Queen.¡± The attendant said when she started breathing again. ¡°I... I didn''t...¡± Lylyth felt the lie and sighed. ¡°Why would you keep this from me?¡± ¡°My... My Queen, I...¡± The attendant stopped talking and Lylyth went over to her. She grabbed the attendant by the hair and picked her up. ¡°You will tell me everything you know about this...¡± Lylyth shook her slightly, and the attendant''s body flopped around like a rag doll. ¡°...or I will make you tell me.¡± * Ren stepped out of the portal and looked at the 9 headless bodies. He looked around to see if there was anything to put them in, and when he didn''t find anything, he made a cart for them. It only took a couple of minutes to build, and Ren tossed the bodies into it. ¡°You''re taking the bodies, but not us?¡± Someone asked. ¡°Quiet! Do you want him to kill you, too?¡± Ren ignored them, then dragged the cart out of the defunct ghoul factory and up the tunnel. ¡°They''re just angry that you''re not letting them out.¡± Teepo said and came in for a landing on Ren''s shoulder. They have a right to be angry. Ren thought, and used the Staff of Earth to block off the other tunnels. They were attacked, kidnapped, imprisoned, attacked again, and now we''re keeping them imprisoned. ¡°It''s for their own good.¡± Teepo said. It''s nice to believe that. Ren said. I can only hope that they can be cured and might someday forgive us. ¡°I don''t think it matters.¡± Teepo said. ¡°When people find out what happened here, they will know you did the best that you could.¡± I know I did. Ren thought. But... ¡°But what?¡± Why do I have the sinking suspicion that I''ve done something I shouldn''t have? Ren asked his friend, and Teepo didn''t have an answer for him. They arrived at the collapsed cavern less than a minute later. ¡°Ren.¡± Elerlyth said and turned around. ¡°This is not a dilemma for you to worry about.¡± Ren smiled at her, and parked the cart. ¡°I''ll get Etheria.¡± Eleryth said and walked over to her mount, then led it over to Ren.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I wonder if that will work.¡± Ren said as he hooked the cart up to the Phantom Steed. He made a top for the cart and secured it, so that the contents wouldn''t fall out if the Phantom Steed''s flying magic didn''t work on the cart. ¡°I''m taking this as my burden.¡± Elerlyth pat the cart, and it glowed slightly. ¡°Ren, can you use your Widen Effect spell?¡± Ren did so, and extended the Phantom Steed''s time by an hour and a half. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°We''ve got the healers!¡± Dillon and Billy said as they came in for a landing. They each had a healer on their steeds, and Hank and Clint helped the two women down. ¡°I''ve got the Clergy.¡± Tommy said when he landed, and the man hopped off the back of the steed and blessed himself. ¡°Lead us to the wounded.¡± One of the healers said. ¡°Ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you have the training and the supplies to treat ghoul victims?¡± ¡°Both of us do.¡± She said and they both held up small bags. ¡°We''ll do what we can.¡± ¡°Hank and Tommy, yer on tunnel guard duty.¡± Clint said. ¡°Tha res'' of us''ll guide the little ladies an'' tha Clergy to whare they need ta go.¡± ¡°I''m staying with the cart.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Just in case.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Le''s go.¡± He said to the others, and led the party down into the tunnel and to the waiting patients. Ren had run ahead and looted the last two large ghouls and the contents of the last cage, then looted the several bodies in the next cage. ¡°Hiding the evidence, I see.¡± A woman''s voice said. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, and he felt surprise from her. ¡°You''re not going to deny it?¡± ¡°Why would I?¡± Ren asked and looked at her. ¡°What we had to do here was horrible. None of you, let alone these poor people, deserve to die after what happened to you.¡± Several others in the cage looked at Ren and saw the pain and sorrow he had on his face. ¡°The healers and Clergy will be here in a minute to treat you.¡± ¡°How did you get them here so quickly?¡± The woman asked. ¡°We''re so far away from the town!¡± ¡°We''re Adventurers, ma''am.¡± Ren said as the party brought in the two healers and the Clergy. ¡°Like I told you before, we''re here to save as many of you as possible; even if it means not completing the quest.¡± Ren was speaking normally, so everyone in the cavern had heard him, including the healers and the Clergy. He also felt all of their shock and surprise. ¡°I''m so glad you feel that way!¡± One of the healers said as she came over to him. ¡°We''ll do our best!¡± ¡°I couldn''t ask for anything more.¡± Ren told her, and she beamed a smile at him. ¡°Now, who''s first?¡± The healer asked when she turned to the cage, and everyone in the cage tried to reach out to her at the same time. ¡°Now, now... there''s two of us. We will have you all treated as soon as possible.¡± Ren left them to it, and walked over to Clint. ¡°Hey, Clint.¡± He said. ¡°This is going to take a while.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Probably ahl day an'' mos'' of tha nigh''.¡± ¡°Is it okay if Elerlyth and I deliver the cart of evidence to town? We have to do it before the Phantom Steed spell fades.¡± ¡°Tha''s a good idea.¡± Clint said. ¡°Take it ta tha town hall and make shore it''s secured.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll put a Lightning rune or something on it keyed to you, so only you can deactivate it.¡± ¡°How do ah do tha''?¡± ¡°Say ''Deactivate''.¡± Ren said and smiled. Clint laughed because it was something so simple. ¡°I''ve got to log out and deal with a few things after that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might be back for nightfall, or I might be out until close to morning.¡± ¡°Ah gitcha.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah won''t finish tha ques'' til ya git back.¡± ¡°Thanks, Clint.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, Ren.¡± Clint said and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Thank ya.¡± Ren could feel Clint was genuine with the thanks and nodded, then left the cavern. He ran back to Elerlyth and filled her in on what he wanted to do, and they climbed onto their mounts. Ren rode Princess over to the side of the collapsed cavern and she jumped up long before reaching it. With her enhanced stats, she jumped up the 25 feet easily, and Ren had her stop to wait for Elerlyth. ¡°Are you coming?¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren looked up at her. The Phantom Steed hovered above him, and the cart hung behind it. Ren examined it, and saw that the Phantom Steed had cast Air Walk on the cart so that it could pull it as if it was on the ground. ¡°Etheria, that''s awesome.¡± Ren said to the steed, and saw it preen a little. ¡°Race you.¡± Etheria neighed at him, and he laughed. ¡°Princess will try to stay at a reasonable pace.¡± Ren said, felt Princess'' unhappiness, and pat her neck. ¡°We''re only escorting, okay? Go slow.¡± Yes, My Lord. Princess thought to him, and she and the Phantom Steed kept to the same speed all the way to town. Elerlyth brought the steed in for a landing just outside the town and they rode to the town hall, side by side. Once there, Ren asked the guard where they could store the cart. ¡°This isn''t a stable.¡± The guard said. ¡°That''s on the west side of town.¡± ¡°This cart is full of evidence for the quest.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t just leave it at the stable.¡± ¡°I don''t know what you want, then.¡± The guard said. ¡°You''re not getting that through this door.¡± Ren took that as a challenge. ¡°Is there a stonemason, or somewhere I can buy stone?¡± ¡°Down the street, fourth house.¡± ¡°Can I ask why you don''t have business signs?¡± ¡°Everyone knows where everything is.¡± The guard said. ¡°We don''t need signs.¡± Ren didn''t want to argue with the guard about how stupid that was, so he looked at Elerlyth. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Elerlyth smiled at him, since she could feel everything he felt. ¡°Do you want me to drain him?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren smiled as he felt her wickedness. ¡°He''s probably the only guard they have.¡± Elerlyth nodded, and Ren ran down the street to the house and knocked. A young man answered covered in dust, and Ren smiled at him. ¡°I heard this was where I can buy stone bricks.¡± Ren said. The young man looked at him. ¡°How many do you want?¡± ¡°That depends on how many you have.¡± The young man laughed. ¡°If you want to count the dozen I''ve got on the go, then we''ve got just over a thousand of them.¡± ¡°How much are they?¡± Ren asked. ¡°They''re normally 10 copper coins each.¡± The young man said. ¡°But if you buy a lot, I could give you a bit of a deal.¡± ¡°No thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know how much work goes into making them. 10 copper each is good.¡± ¡°Um, sure.¡± The young boy said. ¡°How many...¡± ¡°I''ll take 1,000.¡± Ren said. ¡°At 10 copper each, that''s one gold coin for everything.¡± The young boy stared at Ren. ¡°Are you serious? You want all of them?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and held out a gold coin. ¡°I''ll take them right now.¡± The young man stepped back and motioned for Ren to come in. ¡°The crates are out back.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and walked into the house. ¡°DAD!¡± The young man yelled. ¡°DAD! WE''VE GOT A SERIOUS BUYER!¡± Ren had covered his ears just in time to block most of the yell, and the young man led him through the house. ¡°You shouldn''t yell like that.¡± The dad said when they walked into the room at the back of the house. ¡°It''s unprofessional.¡± The young man laughed. ¡°Dad, I''d like you to meet our first large order customer.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, lad.¡± The dad said and held out a dusty hand. It still held a chisel; but Ren shook it anyways. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± The man said and put the chisel down. ¡°How many...¡± ¡°He wants a thousand.¡± The young man said. ¡°That''s nearly our whole back stock.¡± The dad said. Ren held up the gold coin. ¡°The crates are out back.¡± Ren smiled and gave the man the gold coin, then gave him another for the tip. ¡°That''s too much.¡± The man said. ¡°It''s going to take a while to get this many again.¡± Ren said and stepped out through the open back door and stored the 2 large crates. ¡°It''s compensation in case someone comes by and you can''t fill their order.¡± The dad and young man nodded and smiled. ¡°It''s nice doing business with you.¡± Ren said, walked over to the high stone wall that was around the back yard, and jumped to the top of it. He jumped down to the street on the other side of the fence and opened the Instant Tower recipe. He didn''t need it 20 feet by 20 feet, since that wouldn''t fit by the town hall, and cut it''s dimensions in half except for the height and made the door big enough for a cart. It halved the recipe requirements, so Ren activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and added 25 iron bars, 50 stone bricks, 50 gold, and 5000 Mana while he concentrated on Clint and gave it a command word. The 1 inch wide cube was formed, and Ren ran back to the town hall. ¡°That was fast.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°They had a good back stock.¡± Ren said. He took out the modified Instant Tower, placed it at the right spot beside the town hall, and activated it. A 10 foot wide by 10 foot long by 30 foot tall tower appeared and Ren put the cart of dark elf bodies inside and shut the door. ¡°You... can''t leave...¡± The guard shook his head. ¡°How the hell did you do that?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°We''ll be back.¡± He said, climbed up onto Princess, and took off with Elerlyth beside him on her Phantom Steed. They arrived back at the collapsed cavern, and Ren hopped off of Princess and took out his own tower and activated it. It sprang into it''s full size, and he looked at Elerlyth. ¡°You''ve got a choice to make.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got to log out for a while, probably for the rest of the game day and game night.¡± He said as Elerlyth climbed off of her mount. ¡°You can come into the tower and stay there, you can log out with me, or you can stay out here until I come back.¡± ¡°There''s no choice there.¡± Elerlyth said and hugged him. ¡°I''m coming with you.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve just got to tell Clint.¡± He said and Elerlyth let him go. He ran over to the collapsed cavern and jumped down to the tunnel entrance and ran down to talk to Clint, then told him about the thin tower that he had made to put the cart in. ¡°Ren, you...¡± Clint shook his head in disbelief. ¡°Yer crazy fer givin'' everythin'' away.¡± ¡°I''m not going to leave you guys this far away from your place without somewhere safe to stay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, it''s considered a safe zone. You can set a spawn point inside for yourselves.¡± ¡°Yer jus'' too good ta be true.¡± Clint said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, and Elerlyth is coming with me.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°See ya.¡± Ren ran out of the cavern and through the tunnel to the collapsed cavern, then climbed up the side. He ran over to Elerlyth and opened the door of his Instant Tower to let her in. ¡°Princess.¡± Ren said, and she looked at the doorway. I might not fit. Princess thought. ¡°It''s a standard door.¡± Ren said. ¡°Come on, there''s lots of room upstairs.¡± All right. Princess walked forward and ducked her head a little. She walked through the doorway with no problem, and Ren took her up the stairs. ¡°You seem nervous.¡± Ren asked her. I do not like being inside something that can crush me. Princess thought to him. ¡°Hey, don''t worry. I can speak the command word, and nothing will happen with us inside.¡± Princess huffed when she felt Ren was going to speak. Do not test it! Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll make you a mattress, and you can relax.¡± Don''t forget food. Ren made her a mattress and a small table, then took out 2 plates of food for her. ¡°I''ll be back in the morning.¡± Goodnight, My Lord. Princess thought and plopped down onto her new mattress. Ren made a spawn point in the middle of the floor, then set his own to it. ¡°Elerlyth?¡± ¡°I don''t expect any danger, but...¡± Elerlyth set it as her spawn point, too. ¡°...just in case.¡± Ren smiled and stored his armor, then climbed onto the bed. Elerlyth stored her armor and climbed onto the bed as well, then snuggled up with him. ¡°See you in a minute.¡± Ren said, and they logged out together. Chapter 392 - A Real Deal Ren slipped off the VR headset and Barbara took it from him to set it aside. ¡°Well, that was something.¡± Barbara said, and Ren nodded. ¡°God, it sure was.¡± Gloria said as she took off her headset. ¡°Imagine, a ghoul factory!¡± ¡°I''m just glad Lylyth didn''t know anything about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°She didn''t?¡± Gloria asked, and Ren shook his head. ¡°She wasn''t surprised to hear about it, but she was almost shocked when I dumped out the sack of severed heads.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Barbara gagged. ¡°Did you have to do that?¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Barbara.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. She took it, and he squeezed it a little. ¡°We couldn''t loot them like we did to the ghouls, because we needed to prove who was behind it.¡± ¡°Plus, it was 2 for 1.¡± Gloria said and sat up. ¡°Ren got to take the heads for evidence for Lylyth, and we get the bodies to prove it to the town council.¡± ¡°No matter what your explanation is, it was still awful.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I had to cover my eyes for a lot of it.¡± Gloria laughed. ¡°You must have had your eyes covered for over 20 minutes.¡± Barbara smiled and nodded. ¡°Oh, geez.¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°Bathroom break!¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°Do you need a hand?¡± ¡°Kind of.¡± Ren said, and Barbara helped him get out of the bed. ¡°First dibs!¡± Gloria said and waddled over to the bathroom. She still had the towel tucked between her legs inside her jogging pants, and she walked bow-legged and looked like a duck. Ren started to quack at her, and Gloria gave him her middle finger before she disappeared into the bathroom. Ren laughed and walked across the room behind her, then didn''t wait for her to finish before he went into the bathroom. ¡°HEY!¡± Gloria yelled, and Ren stepped in and shut the door. ¡°Ren, I''m busy!¡± ¡°No kidding?¡± Ren said and he could clearly hear her tinkling. ¡°Out! Get out!¡± Gloria said. ¡°I''m sorry, but I have to get this thing off.¡± Ren said carefully pulled down his pyjama pants, then slid his underwear down. ¡°Good god.¡± Gloria said when she saw the very full implement of protection that he wore. ¡°That''s...¡± ¡°It''s going to be a flipping mess.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Hey, it''s not funny. You did a lot of this.¡± Gloria snorted a laugh. ¡°Uh huh. Sure I did.¡± She said. ¡°You were with Lylyth all night.¡± Ren stood over the trash bin and chuckled. ¡°You made me finish a lot more than she did.¡± He said and carefully removed it and tossed it in the trash. He grabbed a sanitizing wipe and cleaned himself off, then washed his hands. ¡°We were only together for a couple of hours.¡± Gloria said. ¡°You do remember what happened after I went into the tower to get you this morning, right?¡± Ren pulled up his underwear and pyjama pants, and Gloria''s face flushed red. ¡°That''s right. Your little teasing walk set me off like a-¡± ¡°REN!¡± Gloria yelled, and Ren laughed. ¡°You look so cute when you''re mad.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. ¡°Ren, I''m... I''m not done.¡± ¡°I haven''t heard any splashing in a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°I...¡± Gloria''s face flushed a deeper red. ¡°I''m waiting for you to turn around.¡± Ren touched her cheek and she looked up at him. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips, then took a step away and turned around. ¡°The mirror.¡± Gloria said. ¡°My eyes are closed.¡± Ren said. Gloria eased up a little, grabbed a tissue and wiped herself, then looked in the mirror. All she could see was his peaceful face and his closed eyes. She stood up and pulled up her jogging pants. ¡°Okay.¡± Gloria said. Ren turned around and opened his eyes. ¡°Yep, you''re still beautiful.¡± He said, and it made her blush again. ¡°Now, step aside.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°The dam is about to break and you''re in the line of fire.¡± Gloria chuckled and moved over, and Ren pulled his pants and underwear down and used the bathroom. She turned her head away so she wouldn''t stare at him. ¡°You can look.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not like you haven''t seen it before.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We''ve been intimate for a long time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t mind you seeing me like this at all.¡± Gloria let her curiosity take over and turned back to watch. She wasn''t sure why it seemed so fascinating; but, she couldn''t take her eyes off of it as it performed a basic bodily function. Ren shook it a couple of times when he was done, wiped the tip off, then flushed and pulled up his underwear and pants. When it was safely tucked away, the spell Gloria had been in was broken and she looked at Ren with wide eyes and a deep red blush. ¡°What did I tell you about being embarrassed about anything I do or say?¡± Ren asked her and washed his hands. ¡°D-don''t be.¡± Gloria said and washed her hands, too. ¡°That''s right.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°Now, let''s go and spend some quality time with my night nurse.¡± ¡°E-excuse me?¡± ¡°Stop jumping to conclusions.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°We watch stupid television shows.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Gloria said and let Ren lead her out into the bedroom. ¡°Hey, Barbara! What''s on tv?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''re in luck!¡± Barbara said excitedly. ¡°Channel 8 is running a marathon of Supervision!¡± ¡°IEEE!¡± Ren screamed like a little girl and pretended to faint. Gloria couldn''t help herself and laughed at him as she easily held him up, then Barbara laughed, too. ¡°Let''s get the distressed damsel into one of the recliners in the theatre room.¡± Barbara said to Gloria, which made her laugh even more. The two of them brought Ren down the hall to the theatre room and sat him in the front row. ¡°This is still kind of unreal.¡± Gloria said. ¡°You have your own movie theatre.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s like I''m living in a dream, except there''s no terror or excruciating pain.¡± ¡°Geez, Ren.¡± Barbara said and chuckled herself. ¡°Just sit back and enjoy the show.¡± ¡°That''s what I''m doing.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to Gloria. She took it, and they sat back and enjoyed the rest of the night as they spent time watching television and talked with Barbara. * Stella woke up in the most comfortable bed she''d ever slept in, and remembered where she was. She sat up and stretched, then checked the alarm clock.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Ha ha! I woke up just before it went off. Stella thought happily, waited 25 seconds, then hit the alarm when it started to go off. She got out of bed and had a quick shower, applied a touch of makeup, then dressed in a pair of pants and a thin sweater. She had some important errands to run today and she needed to get into town. She was a lot further away from where she needed to go, since she had stayed over at Ren''s place; so, walking there was out of the question. She grabbed her purse and made sure everything she needed was in it, including several breakfast bars, then left her room and went downstairs. Since they were in the higher class neighborhood, when she called a taxi, it only took a couple of minutes for it to arrive. She hopped in it and she asked it to stop at the guard shack. She got out, and the guard there thanked her profusely for everything and gave her back the borrowed silverware. She waved to him and left to do all of the things she normally did on her day off. She ran around and paid bills. * Elise woke up in her bed, and it felt empty. Ren had never been in her bed, and that was something she thought she needed to change. Soon. Elise thought and got out of bed. She hadn''t worn a bra, since it was much too restrictive and dug into her skin during the night. When she stretched her arms out, her thin t-shirt bulged out prominently. Ren would so love to see this. She thought, then smiled. She picked up her cell phone and did the same pose, checked to see that her private area was just barely covered, and took a picture. ''This is for you, sweetie.'' Elise typed up in a text and sent the picture. He probably won''t get that for a while. She thought when she looked at the clock. She got a shower and did her hair up into a very conservative bun, dressed in her best business outfit, then slipped on her glasses. Elise put Ren''s file folder of evidence into her briefcase and left her house. I can''t wait to see the lawyer''s faces when they get copies of this! * ¡°All right, we''ve wasted enough time.¡± Barbara said when she glanced at her watch. ¡°Denise should be here any minute.¡± Ren let Gloria''s hand go and stood up. ¡°All I have to say is... that was pretty awful.¡± He said and laughed. ¡°I can''t believe the things you like!¡± ¡°Oh, come on! You enjoyed it.¡± Barbara said and winked at him. ¡°I heard you say ''yes!'' when that cat swooped in and saved the toddler from getting mauled at the last second.¡± ¡°What a great cat!¡± Ren said. ¡°It sure had guts!¡± ¡°Yeah, the dog''s.¡± Gloria said and laughed as she stood up, too. ¡°That pit bull turned chicken and took off before the cat could seriously hurt him.¡± Ren nodded and stepped close to Gloria. ¡°You can never tell what kind of reactions you''re going to get until you''re in certain situations.¡± Gloria couldn''t be that close to him and not hug him, especially after admitting to both him and herself, about how she really felt. She slid her arms around him, and he did the same to her. ¡°I think we both need a shower.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I would have done that when I logged out; but, since I''m going to try and do some physical therapy first, there''s no point in taking two showers.¡± ¡°Then I''ll get one while you''re busy.¡± ¡°You can if you want, or you can share mine when I''m done.¡± Ren said. ¡°Before you argue that I''ll want to turn it sexual, I''m usually too exhausted to do anything but sit there and let the nurse scrub me.¡± Gloria snorted a laugh. ¡°So, you''re not trying to trick me into having shower sex?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said and kissed her neck, since that was all he could reach. ¡°Sometimes I''m even too tired to help wash back.¡± ¡°All right, I''ll wait.¡± Gloria smiled. Barbara came into the theatre room with the wheelchair and Ren sat down in it. ¡°To the kitchen please.¡± Ren said to her, and the three of them went down in the elevator and went into the kitchen. ¡°I''m here!¡± Denise yelled when she came in the front door. ¡°We''re in the kitchen!¡± Barbara yelled back, and Denise walked through the house to meet them. ¡°Am I cooking for everyone today?¡± Denise asked. ¡°That depends on what you''re making.¡± Ren said, and Denise walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door. She took out a carton of eggs, a pack of bacon, and a loaf of bread. ¡°Can you guess what''s on the menu?¡± ¡°Omelettes!¡± Ren said with a huge grin. ¡°I''ll give you omelettes, you little frigger.¡± Denise said, and he chuckled. ¡°I''ll do the eggs and you can do the bacon.¡± Barbara said to Denise. ¡°I''ll make the toast.¡± Gloria offered, and picked up the loaf of bread. ¡°I''ll sit here and tell my stomach to shut up.¡± Ren said. It rumbled at him and he looked down at it. ¡°Dammit, what did I just tell you?¡± Barbara, Denise, and Gloria laughed, then got to work and made sandwiches for everyone. They made a couple extra, and Barbara took one for herself and two for her husband. ¡°Donald and I will be back over in a few minutes.¡± Barbara said and left with the sandwiches through the door in the kitchen. Denise, Gloria and Ren ate their egg, bacon, and toast sandwiches pretty much in complete silence, except for the slight crunching sounds of the toast and bacon while they chewed. Barbara and Donald came into the kitchen 10 minutes later. ¡°Well, it''s time for my workout.¡± Ren said. ¡°Gloria, you''re welcome to come and participate.¡± ¡°You want me to work out with you?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Not necessarily with me.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no way I can physically do what you do.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°It''s a whole professional gym setup, and you can do anything you want in there.¡± Donald said, and discretely grabbed Barbara''s backside. She jumped a little and her face went a little red; but, she didn''t say anything about it. ¡°I''ll come and watch.¡± Gloria said, and they all went to the workout room. Ren got out of the wheelchair and used Donald''s advice for proper walking. He squeezed his butt cheeks together a little and planted each foot from heel to toe to make sure he was walking properly. He did the 50 feet quite quickly, and came to a stop. ¡°That''s it?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°You''re not going to push on?¡± Ren shook his head and sat down in the wheelchair Denise brought over to him. ¡°I pushed myself and reached 75 feet yesterday; but, it took nearly everything I had.¡± He said. ¡°Donald gave me some really good advice when I did that. He told me to do 50 feet consistently before trying to push past it.¡± ¡°If that''s your goal, then you''ll achieve it pretty fast.¡± Gloria said, and Ren smiled. ¡°That''s just for walking.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not that tired, so I can do other things.¡± Gloria watched as he did arm curls with 5 pound weights, and decided that she couldn''t just stand there and watch while Ren worked out; so, she joined in and picked up two of the 20 pound barbells and did arm curls. She matched his pace and they sweated and worked out together. They did 10 reps and took a break, then did 10 more. ¡°I can''t do any more right now.¡± Ren said, and put the weights down. His arms shook slightly, and he sighed. ¡°I''ve definitely let this go too long.¡± ¡°You didn''t have much choice.¡± Denise said. ¡°Don''t worry, you''ll be back to your old self soon enough.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Ren said, and took out his hand exercisers from the pocket on the side of the wheelchair. He squeezed one in each hand at the same time. Gloria watched in fascination as Ren had no trouble with them, and he stopped and pointed. ¡°There''s more of them over there.¡± Gloria chuckled. ¡°I can''t do them.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren started squeezing them again. ¡°I can''t take the chance that I might damage these precious fingers.¡± Gloria said and held up her hands. ¡°I need them for very delicate tasks when I''m working on electronics.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Ren said and looked at his legs. ¡°Denise, I think we need to look into finding a physical therapist.¡± ¡°You''re right. Now that you''re feeling better, you''re going to need to do a full movement session each day or you''re only going to get weaker in some spots.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°It''s been so nice not having to feel sore every morning.¡± Denise smiled and squeezed his shoulder. ¡°You''ll probably have a few more days of relaxing before we can get someone in here.¡± ¡°Donald can do it.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Barbara...¡± Donald said. ¡°Hush, Donald.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ve seen you making workout plans for him.¡± ¡°I wasn''t doing that for me.¡± Donald said. ¡°Of course you weren''t. You were doing it to give to any therapist that might come in to take care of him.¡± ¡°Barbara...¡± ¡°I said hush!¡± Barbara commanded him, and Donald nodded. ¡°He was an intense trainer for the services before he retired, and he''s been watching you each day. He knows your physical limitations almost as well as I do.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren looked from Barbara to Donald. ¡°Sir? Would you be willing to train me?¡± Donald snorted a laugh. ¡°I''ll be giving therapy, not training you.¡± ¡°No, sir.¡± Ren said. ¡°If there''s one thing that I know about the military, it''s that when they teach you, it''s training.¡± ¡°I can''t make you into a soldier.¡± Donald said. ¡°I know. I''d have to be normal first before you could make me into that.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Gloria said. ¡°What? I''m not normal. I know that.¡± Ren looked at their concerned faces. ¡°What I want... what I need... is to get as close to normal as I can.¡± ¡°It''s going to be hard.¡± Donald warned him. ¡°You remember all of your other therapy sessions?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Those are cakewalks compared to this.¡± Donald said. ¡°So, do you still want to subject yourself to it?¡± ¡°I''d like nothing better, sir.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d get you to do some warm-up exercises, but you''ve blown your energy for the day already.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I should have asked about a therapist before my walk.¡± ¡°We''ll start tomorrow.¡± Donald said. ¡°Be ready.¡± ¡°I already am.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Donald said. Denise pushed Ren out of the workout room and Gloria followed them to the elevator. The three of them went up to Ren''s room, and he stood up by the bathroom door. ¡°My arms feel like jelly.¡± Ren said and walked into the bathroom. Denise and Gloria followed him, and saw him struggle with the buttons on his pyjama top. ¡°Let me get those for you.¡± Denise said, and Ren let her take off his top. ¡°My fingers are usually my strongest appendage.¡± Ren said and slid his pyjama pants off. Gloria chuckled, then covered her mouth. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Oh? Was someone''s mind in the gutter?¡± Ren asked her, and her face went a little red. ¡°It''s weird that I can''t feel what you''re feeling, and I only just got that ability in the game.¡± ¡°We''ve been sharing Auras for a while, though.¡± ¡°Yeah, but... it''s...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I can''t taste you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Denise looked at Ren with surprise. ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± Ren said, and explained that he had gained the same ability as Gloria''s game character, Elerlyth. ¡°That is weird.¡± Denise said. ¡°You can feel each other''s emotions, and also feed on them?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s a restricted ability, too.¡± He said. ¡°As far as I know, only two players have it.¡± ¡°You and me.¡± Gloria said. ¡°The sex must be amazing.¡± Denise said, then it was her turn to cover her mouth and apologize. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°You don''t have to be.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have you thought about my offer?¡± ¡°I... I need more time.¡± Denise said. ¡°Like I told you before, there''s no rush.¡± Ren said, and turned to Gloria. ¡°Are we sharing the shower?¡± ¡°Um...¡± Gloria looked at Denise. ¡°I''ll be just outside the door.¡± Denise said and started to walk away. ¡°Denise.¡± Ren said, and she stopped walking. He walked over to her and gave her a hug from behind. ¡°What''s this for?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Just because.¡± Ren said and let her go. Denise walked to just outside the bathroom door and closed it almost all of the way. Chapter 392-B - Sexy But Not Too Sexy Ren turned and walked back over to step into the shower, then sat down on the step stool. Gloria took off her clothes and piercings and put them on the counter, then stepped into the shower herself. She covered her private area with a hand when she stepped in front of Ren to turn on the water, and when she looked at his face, she was surprised to see that he was looking right back at her. Ren had stared at her face the whole time. ¡°I still can''t believe how naked you look without your piercings.¡± Gloria''s face flushed red. ¡°I''m standing naked in front of you, and you''re looking at my missing jewelry.¡± ¡°That''s because it''s the most surprising thing.¡± Ren chuckled when he saw her angry face. ¡°You''re gorgeous, and this is the first time I''ve seen you without clothes in real life; but, I still can''t stop looking at your face.¡± Gloria''s face flushed even redder and she moved her hand from covering herself. Ren noticed the movement in his peripheral vision, and kept his eyes trained on her face. He stood and reached up, then caressed her ear where all the piercings should have been. It was as light of a touch as he could manage, and then he caressed the back of her ear. Gloria took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Is it really that fascinating?¡± ¡°Gloria, it''s you that''s fascinating.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m trying my best to ignore your naked body, and I''m fighting so hard to not do what we did in the game this morning.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I''ll hurt myself if I tried anything like that.¡± Ren said and sighed as he let his hand trace her neck and her collarbone, then used both hands to caress the skin just under her breasts. ¡°In the real world, you''re the one that has to be in control. You have to be responsible. You have to take care of me.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°We need to have a good long talk, or you can talk with Stella if it will make you more comfortable. She''ll fill you in on what we can do safely and what we can''t do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to feel you so badly right now; but, I know if we do anything without the proper prep work...¡± ¡°I could hurt you.¡± Gloria said. Ren nodded. ¡°Then sit down and relax, and I''ll give you a proper washing.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I want to feel you, too... but it''s not worth hurting you to do it.¡± Ren sat down and Gloria started to wash his chest. ¡°I''ll talk to Stella about this when I go over to her place for work tomorrow.¡± Ren nodded again. ¡°I''m going to close my eyes, so don''t be insulted, okay?¡± He asked and closed his eyes. ¡°I can''t sit here with paradise in front of me and not react to it.¡± Gloria chuckled and did his arms. ¡°How many times have you seen it now?¡± ¡°Every time is just as wonderful as the first time.¡± Ren said with his eyes held firmly closed. ¡°Of course, that was all virtual. This is actually the first time I''ve really seen you.¡± ¡°And you''re not looking.¡± ¡°Remember what I said. We have to be careful about how we tease each other.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought you meant in the game.¡± Gloria said and moved onto his legs. ¡°I''m pretty sure it applies no matter where we are.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m trying so hard to ignore how good you smell, and how gentle you''re being right now, even though I didn''t tell you to be.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I know how easily you can be hurt with just simple things, and by accidents that normal people can just shrug off.¡± Gloria smiled. ¡°I don''t need to be told that I shouldn''t scrub you like I''m washing a dirty pot.¡± ¡°Can you imagine?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Hey, pass me the bundle of steel wool. This stuff on the bottom is baked on.¡± ¡°You''d be surprised who would like that kind of stuff.¡± ¡°Not you, surely?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Of course not...¡± Gloria laughed. ¡°...and don''t call me Shirley.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Ren groaned, and that just made Gloria laugh harder. She washed his mid-section without incident and rinsed him off. ¡°Okay, you''re all done.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I want to offer to wash you, but I can''t do that with my eyes closed.¡± ¡°Then open them.¡± ¡°Gloria... I...¡± ¡°Ren, it''s okay.¡± Gloria put a soapy cloth in his hand. ¡°You kept your eyes closed the entire time I washed you, and I know how much you wanted to look.¡± She said. ¡°I''m not sure why that makes you more desirable, though.¡± Ren opened his eyes and looked at her face to see that she had a distinctive look of want there. He used the cloth and started to rub her thigh. Since she stood in front of him and he sat in front of her, his nose was in perfect line with her navel. He switched hands and did her other thigh, and he could hear her breath speed up a little. He ran the cloth across her pelvic bone and she caught her breath, but he didn''t go any further than that. Ren gave her a thorough scrubbing from the waist down, except for her special place. ¡°Gloria... I...¡± Gloria took his hand with the soapy cloth and placed it between her legs. Ren didn''t need any more encouragement and washed her there. Gloria had to brace herself on the wall of the shower so her legs wouldn''t give out on her, and she wondered why just having someone else wash her was turning her on so much. He''s not even taking advantage of me, but... this is so hot that it doesn''t matter! Ren saw her reactions, stopped washing her there, then moved back on the step stool. ¡°Sit.¡± Gloria sat down a moment later with her back to him. Ren scrubbed her back first, then lathered up her chest from behind. She could feel him pressed against her back, and how much he liked being there. ¡°Ren... god...¡± Gloria couldn''t help her moan as he cupped her breasts with both hands to wash them properly, even though he had lost the cloth somewhere. He lathered up his hands again and moved on to her arms, shoulders, and neck. ¡°S-sh-shampoo.¡± Gloria stuttered and fumbled with the bottle. She squeezed out a little too much into his waiting hand, and he divided it in two. He put one palm full into her hair, and the other into his. He scrubbed her hair and discovered she didn''t need that much shampoo. With part of her head shaved, it didn''t take much to wash her hair. ¡°Can you do my hair?¡± Ren asked, and Gloria looked back at him. His hair was slicked down and she could see the glob of shampoo on the top of his head. She snorted a laugh and stood up, a little wobbly, then went behind him and knelt. She lathered up his hair, and when she leaned forward to see if any of the shampoo had run down his face and into his eyes, she saw what had pressed against her back. ¡°Oh, Little Ren is dirty again.¡± Gloria said and surprised herself, then gave in to her desire a little bit. She reached around him and Ren caught his breath as she pressed her chest to his back and proceeded to clean him again. ¡°G-Gloria!¡± Ren said as he finished. Gloria''s eyes widened at the display, and she was quite happy that she had been behind him at the time. The water washed the mess away, and she stood up to rinse his hair out as well. She walked around him, and stopped when his hand touched her hip. ¡°I don''t know why I did that.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I mean, I know we''ve... but... we just agreed not to...¡± ¡°What about your turn?¡± Ren asked. Gloria turned her head to look down at him. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°It''s only fair.¡± Ren slid his hand from her hip across the top of her backside. ¡°It''s... we...¡± Gloria closed her eyes as his fingers traced the little divot at the bottom of her spine. ¡°Why do I like this so much?¡± ¡°I warned you that we had to be careful about teasing each other.¡± Ren said. ¡°May I?¡± Gloria didn''t say anything as she leaned forward slightly and laid her face against the side of the shower. The movement gave Ren a much better view than he had only a second ago. ¡°You see? Paradise.¡± Ren said and only used his hand on the surface, despite wanting to use a couple of other things. He really did need to be careful if Gloria didn''t know his limitations. He caressed her special place and her breath sped up, almost enough to hyperventilate; and it didn''t take long before she finished. He stopped touching her and didn''t push things, and he watched as she tried to even her breathing out again. Gloria calmed down and realized she was still standing there in a slightly unladylike pose, and stood up straight. She took a deep breath and looked at Ren to see if he knew how much power he had over her, and he gave her a calm and innocent smile. ¡°We better dry off.¡± Ren told her. ¡°Denise isn''t going to stand there all day.¡± Gloria nodded and turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, and grabbed a towel for each of them. She stepped back in and dried Ren, then herself, and they both stepped out. Once there, Ren started to laugh. ¡°What is it?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°I was so excited about taking a shower with you that I forgot to get a change of clothes.¡± Gloria looked around and started to laugh as well. She hadn''t brought her change of clothes in, either. Chapter 393 - Quest Complete? Ren and Gloria came out of the bathroom wrapped in large towels, and Denise hovered near Ren to make sure he had help if he needed it. She helped Ren get dressed in a new set of pyjamas, and Gloria changed into another outfit; and both of them were prepared for doing certain things in the game. ¡°You''re staying to finish the quest, right?¡± Ren asked, and Gloria nodded as she picked up her VR headset. They climbed onto the bed at the same time, and laid down next to each other. Gloria slipped her headset on and relaxed, and Denise passed Ren his. ¡°I''ll see you at lunch.¡± Ren said and put the headset on and relaxed as well. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± They said together. * Ren and Elerlyth woke up in each other''s arms, and remembered that they had cuddled before logging out. Elerlyth looked at Ren and he looked at her, and they could each feel what the other felt. Their Spider Auras were active and merged; so, they were getting double the feelings and both of them activated their Emotion Siphon ability. ¡°How can you... you brought what you felt in the shower in here!¡± Elerlyth said surprised, and kissed him. He rolled her over and on top of him, and she broke the kiss to sit up. ¡°God, Ren!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°If I''d known how you felt then, I... I would have...¡± ¡°Not in real life until you talk to Stella.¡± Ren said. ¡°But we''re not in real life right now, are we?¡± Elerlyth gasped as she felt his urgent need to be with her, and it matched her own. They both stored their armor bodysuits that they had left on, and they made love to each other and fed. For the next 4 hours, they shared themselves with each other, over and over. Since they knew they had until morning in the game before they had to stop, they took full advantage of the time they had. Ren leveled up his ability to Advanced, and Elerlyth had gained another main level. ¡°Good god, I could sleep for a day!¡± Elerlyth said as she collapsed on top of Ren, and he laughed. ¡°I can use the Energize spell.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°I can convert emotions to anything I want, remember? Health, Stamina, Mana, and XP.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°You can convert to Stamina?¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°It''s energy, so...¡± ¡°If that''s the case, then I should have been able to use my Absorb Fire ability for that, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I feel bad that I missed doing that.¡± ¡°When was the last time you had to absorb a bunch of Fire?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°I... well, damn. Never mind.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Aren''t you always telling people not to worry about what you could have done in the past and be grateful for what you have now?¡± Ren caressed the side of her face, and poured how grateful he was into her. Elerlyth held back her tears, but Ren could feel her trying to hold them back. He kissed her cheek where the tears would have been, and then he kissed her lips. ¡°Ren, it''s time.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought and leaned back from Elerlyth. ¡°The guys are waiting.¡± He said to her, and she sighed. ¡°I suppose we can''t disappoint them.¡± Elerlyth said and sat up, then equipped her armor bodysuit and armor. Ren did the same thing, got off the bed, and held a hand out to her. She took it, and he helped her stand up. I will come, too. Princess thought to him and stood up. ¡°Gah!¡± Elerlyth gasped when Princess stood up. ¡°We... we just... we did all of that, and... god!¡± Her face turned to a deep shade of grey, and Ren felt her shame and embarrassment. Ren stepped between them and sent Elerlyth an urgent feeling. She looked down at his face. ¡°Princess didn''t even look at us.¡± Ren said. ¡°She has no interest in Adventurer mating rituals.¡± Elerlyth felt the truth in his words, and she looked at Princess. The large ram nodded it''s head in clear agreement, and she sighed. ¡°I didn''t even notice her. All I cared about was being with you.¡± Elerlyth said to Ren. ¡°I think you''re right. We have to be careful around each other.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m a little happy to know that I''m as big of a temptation for you, as you are for me.¡± ¡°Don''t let it go to your head.¡± Elerlyth said, but Ren could feel that she was happy about it, too. The three of them went down the stairs and out the front door, and Teepo landed on Ren''s shoulder. Ren spoke the command word of bubbles and gurgles to make the Instant Tower return to it''s original state and stored it. ¡°Yer jus'' in time.¡± Clint said. ¡°Tha healers and Clergy jus'' finished up.¡± Ren and Elerlyth walked over to stand beside him and looked down into the collapsed cavern to see several groups of people come out of the tunnel with the Clergy blessing the ground in front of them. ¡°Ah don'' know how we''re gonna git alla ''em back ta town.¡± ¡°Leave that to me.¡± Ren said and jumped down into the cavern and ran over to the group of people. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, if you can wait patiently, I''ll make up enough transport to get you all home.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you have it made already?¡± The Clergy asked. ¡°I was away for Adventurer''s business and just got back.¡± Ren explained. ¡°Well, I guess that''s fine.¡± The Clergy said. Ren started to make slightly modified carts with doors on the sides. Instead of each cart having a horse attachment, he made them like the train cars of the toy he had the design for. Each one, except for the first, had an axle attachment so that they could turn when the first cart turned. He knew there were about 200 people ready for transport, and he could cram 20 people tightly into each one; so, he made 12 carts and attached them to each other to make a long train. Everyone stared at Ren as he built the train, and since he usually lost himself when he worked, he hadn''t noticed the awe and wonder people felt until he was done. ¡°How tha hell are we gonna haul tha''?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I designed it for Princess to haul.¡± My Lord. Princess jumped down into the collapsed cavern and sauntered over to him. The people stared at her armored form, and Ren felt a few pangs of envy from the crowd. He shared it with Princess, and she held her head high and took her position at the front of the train. Ren hooked her up to it and stepped back. ¡°All aboard!¡± Ren said to them, and they all looked at each other. ¡°Um, how... how are we getting out of this...¡± A woman near the front of the group said. ¡°Not to worry!¡± Ren said and took out his Staff of Earth. He concentrated on the nearest wall of the collapsed cavern, and pulled it out and down to make a nice smooth ramp for Princess to pull the carts up. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± The woman said. Ren closed the tunnel they had come out of and walked over to the first cart. He opened the door on the side and held a hand out to the woman. ¡°There are seats inside, so it should be a comfortable ride.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please.¡± She looked at the people around her for a moment, then took a step. She took another, and then took Ren''s hand. He helped her up into the cart and she sat down. ¡°This is actually really nice.¡± She said, and Ren felt relief from the crowd. Once one of them had done it, the others didn''t hesitate and came forward. Some of the women took his offered help, and some didn''t. When the cart was full, Ren was going to go to the next cart; but, he saw that Clint was helping people into it. Hank, Tommy, Billy and Dillon were also helping people into carts, and Ren walked down along all 12 carts and helped people climb in until everyone was loaded.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The two healers had waited for everyone to be seated before they asked for the same ride they had to get there. Ren smiled as he cast the Phantom Steed spell for the guys of the party, and Dillon took one of the healers, and Billy took the other. ¡°I''ll ride on the first cart, if that''s all right.¡± The Clergy said and backed away from the steeds. ¡°Take the passenger seat.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be driving.¡± The man walked to the front of the train of carts, and Ren looked around for Elerlyth. He saw that she still stood above them and looked down into the cavern. Elerlyth had stayed well away from the captives, so they wouldn''t associate her with their ordeal, and Ren sent her a burst of love and appreciation, then cast her mount called Etheria. Elerlyth waved to him and hugged her mount, then climbed up into the saddle. ¡°Moun'' up!¡± Clint said, climbed onto the saddle of his mount. Ren ran to the front of the train carts and told Princess to take it easy, and climbed into the driver''s seat. Clint twirled his hand over his head like a lasso and pointed up the ramp. ¡°Le''s go!¡± Princess had a lot of weight behind her now, but she didn''t let it stop her. She dug her hooves into the dirt and pushed. Once the carts started to move, it became easier to keep them moving, and she hauled them up the ramp. Ren could feel everyone''s disbelief that a single mount could haul so many carts, and he shared that with Princess. She huffed at it, and once they were up on flat ground, Ren kept using the staff to clear her a flat area. They took their time so that the people wouldn''t be shocked at the speed Princess could achieve. Ren didn''t know what kind of effect high speed would have on the train of carts when they tried to slow down. He didn''t want to test what would happen, especially while the carts were full of passengers. It took nearly two hours for them to make it back to the town, and when the passengers saw the outskirts and then the short town walls, they started to cheer. Of course, the people in the town heard the cheers, and since they were all suffering and in pain, it made them angry. When the townspeople came out of their houses to yell at the people to stop cheering, they saw who it was making the noise. Ren gasped as he felt the ripple of shock go through the townspeople, and the despair changed almost instantly to hope. He told Princess to take them to the town hall, and she hauled the train of carts to there while they were followed by more and more people looking for their loved ones. * Elerlyth had hung back, well away from the liberated captives, and she had felt the ripple of shock when Ren did. She was still within his Auras range, and felt everything he felt. The happiness and joy he was picking up from the townspeople was almost too much for her to handle. I... I wonder if... is it because they had fed me willingly that I can feel so much of it now? Elerlyth asked herself and came to a stop outside of the town to wait. * Princess came to a stop at the town hall and Ren hopped down from the lead cart. He opened the door on the side of it and held a hand out to the woman that had talked so openly with him. ¡°Welcome home.¡± Ren said. She stood up and took his hand with a huge smile on her face, and he helped her down to the ground. ¡°Rinna!¡± A man''s voice yelled, and the woman turned to the sound. ¡°H-Hormel?¡± She asked, and her face crumbled. ¡°Hormel!¡± A man came out of the gathered crowd and took her into his arms. ¡°I thought you were dead!¡± ¡°I thought you were dead, too!¡± She cried onto his shoulder. Once again, now that one person had done it, all of the carts doors opened and there were tearful reunions all along the train of carts. ¡°Ren, coming up on the right.¡± Teepo said. Ren turned to see the 14 year old girl and her mother that he and Elerlyth had talked to and helped first. They had a tall man with them, and the girl saw Ren looking at her. She grinned and ran over to him, and he held his arms open to give her a hug. ¡°You found him!¡± The young girl said and hugged him. Ren could feel her pure and gushing gratitude, and absorbed some of it. Since it was directed at him, it was quite satisfying for his ability. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± She said and gave his neck a tight squeeze. ¡°I''m so happy for you.¡± Ren said and looked at the tall man''s face. He could see the man knew the reality of the situation. If he had been a bit more ghoul than human, Ren wouldn''t have hesitated to dispose of him. He did give Ren a small feeling of grudging respect, though. ¡°Are you married?¡± The young girl asked as she leaned back. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed at his surprised face. ¡°I see all those rings on your fingers.¡± She said, and Ren chuckled in relief. ¡°I almost was once.¡± Ren said. ¡°It didn''t work out quite the way we wanted it to, though.¡± ¡°Oh, I''m sorry.¡± She said, and he felt she really was sorry. He absorbed a small amount of it, and it was almost bitter. How can dark elves with this ability stand taking negative emotions? Ren asked himself. ¡°It''s okay. We still love each other very much, even though we can''t be together.¡± The teenage girl''s emotions did a complete 180 turn and he felt joy from her. ¡°I''m happy to hear that.¡± Ren closed his eyes and absorbed some of her joy, and he almost drooled because it tasted so good. He felt a small spike of naughtiness from her as she pressed her lips to his. It came with a quick burst of infatuation from her, and he opened his eyes. She broke the kiss and let him out of the hug, and he saw that her face was bright red. He took a deep breath so that he wouldn''t try to absorb her embarrassment. ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± The mother said and pulled her daughter away slightly. ¡°She''s a little emotional right now.¡± ¡°That''s...¡± Ren took another deep breath because he felt that the girl''s mother wanted to thank him as well. ¡°Ma''am, I''m grateful for any thanks that I receive, even if it''s a kiss from a pretty girl.¡± The 14 year old girl''s face burned at Ren''s compliment, and he felt how happy it had made her that he liked her thank you. The mother stepped forward and gave him a hug, then kissed his cheek. ¡°Thank you for bringing my love back to me, great Adventurer.¡± The woman said and stepped back. Ren felt her gratitude and absorbed some of it, and looked at the tall man. He stepped forward and held a hand out. ¡°Thanks for not killing all of us as soon as you saw us.¡± The man said, and his wife and daughter gasped. ¡°Thanks for not holding that against me.¡± Ren said and shook the man''s hand. ¡°You don''t know how much I regret...¡± ¡°I do.¡± The man said and let his hand go. ¡°My brother was in the first cage.¡± ¡°I... I''m so sorry.¡± Ren said and let a tear out. He could feel all of the sad people around them that didn''t have loved ones that came back, and he let those feelings out. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± The young daughter said and gave him another hug. He held her and let more tears out, and she cried as well. They were silent tears for both of them, and Ren did what he could to take that sorrow from her. After a few moments, he felt the last of her sorrow disappear and she shuddered. ¡°You... you took it.¡± She said and looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°How...¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for giving it to me.¡± She smiled and glanced at her mother, and when Ren felt her naughtiness again, she had already given him another kiss and let him go. Okay, relying on feelings as precursors for actions is not a good idea. Ren thought, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°We are going to have a talk when we get home.¡± Her mother whispered in her daughter''s ear. ¡°It''s worth it.¡± The daughter said. ¡°He''s a good kisser.¡± The mother turned away from Ren and looked at her daughter. ¡°How would you know the difference?¡± Ren felt the girl''s giddiness and then they heard a booming voice speak. ¡°Everyone, everyone!¡± The town elder said from a pedestal in front of the town hall. ¡°Thanks to these Adventurers, the scourge that has plagued our little town has been vanquished!¡± Most of the townspeople cheered and hollered, and the town elder let them go for several moments, then raised a hand to quiet them. ¡°I was saddened to see that not all of those taken could be saved, but I am also grateful that no more than that were lost.¡± The town elder said. ¡°Now, if the party of Adventurers would be so kind as to come into the town hall, we can bring an end to this event, once and for all.¡± The crowd cheered, and Ren went along the train of carts and unhooked each one and stored it. They were identical, so they stacked into the same slot except for the first one. Ren took Princess over to the post near the front of the town hall and pretended to tie her to it, and went into the building. He was so boosted up by the young girl''s feelings that he hadn''t noticed that everyone, including his teammates, had stared at him as he stored a dozen full-sized carts and didn''t show the burden at all. Clint tied up his mount next to Princess, and the other guys did the same with their mounts and went inside the town hall with Ren. They came to a stop in the main chamber and waited as the town council took their seats and sat down. The town elder came into the room and stood at his position, rather than sit down like the others. ¡°I''ve had a talk to the Clergy and the healers, and they tell me that a few of the survivors have been permanently marked by their experiences.¡± The town elder said. ¡°I do not mean scars or memories, I mean they have the mark of the ghoul on their skin.¡± The guard walked into the room with a woman behind him. ¡°Show them.¡± He said, and the woman started to open her top. Ren concentrated on his Command Aura immediately. ¡°STOP!¡± He commanded, and everyone froze. He walked over to the woman and took her hand. ¡°Ma''am, please accept my sincere apologies. You do not need to disrobe to show us.¡± ¡°But... it''s...¡± ¡°It''s above your heart, isn''t it?¡± Ren asked. The woman looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡°May I see it?¡± The woman nodded, and Ren moved the cloth over just enough to see a faded skull imprint on her skin. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said as he closed up her top, and he felt gratitude from the woman for saving her modesty in front a bunch of strangers. ¡°As you have seen...¡± The town elder sighed. ¡°...you haven''t completed the quest.¡± ¡°Excuse me, sir.¡± Ren said and turned to the council. ¡°Please clarify.¡± ¡°They are marked.¡± Another on the council said. ¡°They will attract others to come here and claim them.¡± ¡°No, they won''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, if you believe they will and don''t want them to stay here, then I''ll offer them sanctuary.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Everyone said at almost the same time, including the other members of Clint''s party. ¡°I will not leave them here if they are going to be vilified or ostracized.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll take them to the county I own and give them a home there.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If we remove them from the town, then the conditions of the quest are fulfilled, correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The council member reluctantly admitted. ¡°Assuming you have proof of the cause of all this.¡± ¡°Then please, bring the marked people in here.¡± Ren said. The town elder nodded to the guard, and he left for several minutes. ¡°Ren wha'' are ya doin''?¡± Clint whispered to him. ¡°Helping complete this quest.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°By takin'' these people from their homes?¡± ¡°Clint.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°They are going to kill them as soon as we leave.¡± Clint stared at Ren like he was crazy to think that, then he looked at the council members. They all stared at the woman that was marked, and he could clearly see hatred on their faces. The guard came back into the meeting room followed by 7 people of various ages and genders, and he had them stand around the woman. ¡°Ah''ll go and git tha evidence from tha thin tower ya gave me.¡± Clint said and left the room at a fast walk. Ren turned to look at the new people. ¡°I have an offer for you.¡± Chapter 394 - New Residents ¡°I hope your offer is a sword to the throat.¡± One of the men laughed, almost hysterically. ¡°Because it''s better than the rope my own family offered.¡± Ren felt he was telling the truth, and that made him angry. ¡°No.¡± He said and took a breath. ¡°I want to offer you a new place to live.¡± ¡°Are you kidding?¡± One of the women asked. ¡°No, ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll even build you homes and provide everything you need to live.¡± The first woman brought in reached out and touched Ren''s hand. ¡°Why?¡± Ren felt her confusion quite strongly now that they were in direct contact, and he turned his hand and held onto hers. ¡°I want to help people.¡± Ren said. ¡°You didn''t ask for this to happen, and you''re being treated differently because of it.¡± He smiled, and he felt her confusion start to fade. ¡°Since you apparently can''t stay here, I''ll take you.¡± A tear came to her eye, and Ren gave her a scrap of cloth to wipe it. ¡°What about our families?¡± A man asked. ¡°What if they want to come with us?¡± ¡°If they want to come with you, then bring them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t tear a family apart if it''s not necessary.¡± ¡°My wife won''t even look at me.¡± The man that had talked before said. ¡°I''m wearing everything I own.¡± ¡° I know my parents won''t come; but, I think my sister would.¡± A young man said. ¡°If I could talk to her.¡± ¡°I''m a widower and my children are grown and have their own families.¡± An older lady said. ¡°I''m not really needed here, and won''t be missed.¡± ¡°I think we should call a forum.¡± A woman said. ¡°Family and friends only. Then we can find out for sure who wants to come and who doesn''t.¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°I''ll gladly take your offer.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± The older lady said. ¡°We all will.¡± The first woman said, and all 8 people nodded. Ren felt a slight pulse from the mark on his hand, and looked at it. The spider image glowed slightly, and he let the woman''s hand go. His mark stopped glowing, and Ren had a really odd idea. ¡°Ma''am? Can I see your mark again?¡± Ren asked her, and she nodded. He reached out and moved the cloth of her top aside, then used his right hand to touch the faded skull. The woman gasped as her mark throbbed, and the mark on Ren''s hand glowed again. He felt that she didn''t mind him touching her at all, and she blinked her eyes at him. I think she can feel a bit of my emotions. Ren thought and smiled. I wonder... ¡°This is Mine!¡±
Notice!
You have declared sovereignty over the Arcane (Void) mark: Ghoul Kissed (Skull). Do you wish to add the holder of this mark to your domain? Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, and felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand. His tarantula had suddenly appeared there and bitten the mark. To Ren''s surprise, the mark on the woman''s chest was reproduced on the back of the tarantula. He was about to ask what had happened when it scurried up his arm and back into the cloak. It was then that he noticed that the mark on the back of his right hand had also been altered in the same fashion. The picture of a spider now had a skull on the back of it. That''s kind of cool. Ren thought. ¡°I... I feel so much better!¡± The woman said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren smiled and nodded to her, then looked at the next person. ¡°May I?¡± The man pulled his shirt open and Ren touched the mark, claimed it, and added the man to his domain. The spider didn''t come back this time, though. I guess once I have the mark, I can claim and add as many people that have it to my domain. Ren thought. The other 6 people let him claim them as well, and Ren turned to look at the town council. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, as you have witnessed, those marked by this tragedy have chosen to voluntarily leave this town to go to a land far away.¡± Ren said formally and gave them a slight bow. ¡°I humbly request that be taken into consideration when you make your declaration about this quest.¡± The town council looked at each other, at Ren, and then at the town elder. They gave him a slight nod, and he smiled. ¡°Nicely spoken.¡± The town elder said to Ren. ¡°Your request has been accepted and granted.¡± He made a slight gesture, and the guard walked away from the people that had been escorted in. Clint stepped forward and produced the cart of clothing and items they had found, told them about a large unmarked graveyard that was empty, and then he waved and Hank hauled in the cart with the dark elf headless bodies in it. With Ren''s help, Clint explained the rogue dark elves involvement. ¡°In light of this new development... I, and the town council, are more than satisfied that the requirements of this quest have been met.¡± He smiled broadly. ¡°I declare this quest complete.¡± Ren felt that everyone was happy with his compromise, especially the marked ones, and then he received a popup.
Quest Complete!
The Reckless Rough Riders have completed a quest. Since all XP earned is given to the leader and then a copy of it is divided up among the other party members, you will receive a percentage of the total. Your percentage: 20% (1 of 5)
Quest Breakdown:
Creature (Deaths) XP
Ghouls (616) 616,000
Large Ghouls (58) 116,000
Dark Elves (8) 80,000
Dark Elven Lord (1) 50,000
Misc Breakdown:
Bonus (Number) XP
Civilians Saved (198) 198,000
Party Leader Fame Bonus (+125%) 1,194,500
XP TOTAL: 2,150,100
Your Share (20%) 430,020
¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren exclaimed, then immediately apologized to the town council for his outburst.
System Notice!
Congratulations! The Reckless Rough Riders have earned enough XP to reach the second spot on the XP leader board. The party name (and it''s members) have been published on the main server and the message board. Bonus: +1000 Fame
Notice!
You have changed the town council''s opinion and gained 8 new members to your domain. Bonus: 12,000 XP; 2,500 Fame
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP. Fame: 3,500 x 10 XP = 35,000 XP
Level Up!
You have gained 7 levels! You are now Level 80 and 70 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: (HIDDEN) (Spell), (HIDDEN) (Wondrous Item Recipe), (HIDDEN) (Recipe), Enhanced Crafting (Skill), Faster Crafting (Skill), (HIDDEN) (Skill).
What? Some of them are hidden? Ren thought in surprise. What the hell? ¡°Wow.¡± Teepo said, shocked. ¡°I just gained 4 levels.¡± Anything hidden? Ren asked him. ¡°No.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I wonder why some of yours are.¡± ¡°Ah thank y''all kindly fer lettin'' us help ya out.¡± Clint said to the town council and nodded slightly. Ren could feel that Clint and the other party members were quite shaken over the enormous XP total. ¡°No, no.¡± The town elder said. ¡°Thank you, Adventurers!¡± He grinned. ¡°You have saved this town and it''s people from further torment and bloodshed.¡± The town council clapped three times, stood up, and left the room. The town elder followed them out through the back door, and it shut with a loud bang. ¡°Ah''m thinkin'' we''re no longer welcome here.¡± Clint said and chuckled.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°That''s probably my fault.¡± Ren said and looked at his 8 new county residents. ¡°Let''s get your families to that forum.¡± They smiled and Clint asked Ren to store the cart of clothing and items, while he looted the dark elves. Everyone left the town hall and saw that people were still gathered in the streets in large numbers, and they talked about everything that had happened. Teepo had been right. Everyone in the town would know what had happened down in those tunnels, both the good and the bad. The family members of Ren''s new citizens gathered together and discussed their options, and Ren was surprised that a lot of them had agreed to move. Even the man whose wife said she didn''t want to see him again, had only said those things to him because she didn''t want to be shunned by the other townspeople. Ren had enjoyed a very large feeding of good emotions from them, and his Emotion Siphon ability had leveled up again. Now that they knew who was going and who was staying, they followed Ren back to the town hall and Princess. Ren took out the first cart to attach to her, then took out the next cart. Ren told them to go home and gather the things that they wanted to take with them. They dispersed before he had even finished speaking and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°They''re just as eager as we are to get out of here.¡± Teepo said. Ren smiled and waited for the marked ones and their families to come back, and reminded Clint to take his tower. ¡°Mah tower?¡± Clint asked and looked at it. ¡°Tha''s mah tower?¡± Ren leaned close and whispered the command word to him, and he laughed. ¡°Yer a real joker.¡± Clint said and looked at the tower. It took him three attempts to say the command word properly. ¡°Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.¡± He said and it shrunk down to the 1 inch wide cube and he picked it up. ¡°Hey, it''s ligh''.¡± ¡°That''s what a lot of the Mana is for.¡± Ren said. ¡°Make sure you put it to good use.¡± Clint smiled and stored it, and the marked ones and their families came back to the town hall. Ren now had 30 people to take care of, and they climbed into the train carts carrying sacks and boxes. On their way out of town, they stopped and met Elerlyth, and Ren told the rest of the party to go on home without him. Clint tried to refuse at first; but then Ren convinced him to get home as fast as he could without wasting time, and then cast Widen Effect on their steeds so they would last long enough. Ren also handed over everything he had looted during the quest, and Clint added it to the pile that he had. ¡°Ren, I''m staying with you.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I know it''s going to take a lot longer to get back this way, but I''d rather go on the long drive with you, instead of getting there fast and having to wait for you.¡± ¡°Like I did to get here.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°You kept busy, though.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I''d just be sitting around and waiting.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°All right, but you''re riding Etheria for as long as you can.¡± It neighed at Ren, and Eleryth smiled and pat the steed. ¡°We''re takin'' a break ''til nex'' weekend in real life, an'' then we''re jus'' hangin'' ou''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Yer both welcome ta come.¡± ¡°I might be busy I think.¡± Ren said. ¡°It all depends on when the horses show up.¡± ¡°Horses?¡± ¡°I ordered 60 horses, and the Lady that sold them to me will be bringing them by this week.¡± ¡°60 horses? Wha'' are ya doin? Breedin''em?¡± ¡°No, they''re for transport for the people of Goagan City.¡± Ren said, then smacked himself on the forehead. ¡°I forgot to make more carts.¡± Clint chuckled and looked at the carts Ren had made today. ¡°Yer no'' gonna have any trouble wit tha''.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll be by the ranch tonight to pick up the girls, now that I''ve got the transport to handle them.¡± ¡°Ah''ll tell ''em ta git ready, an'' ah''ll have yer share of tha loot then, too.¡± Clint said. ¡°See ya later.¡± ¡°Bye, Clint.¡± The guys took off flying and Ren asked Princess to take them home at a good speed. Elerlyth and Etheria kept pace with them along the way. Ren kept the Staff of Earth ready, in case the road needed repairing or smoothing out, and he had to do that occasionally. They stopped for lunch about a third of the way home, and Ren figured that Clint and the guys would get to the ranch soon. Ren gave everyone a plate of food, and they were very grateful for the meal. They went on the road again, and now that they had experienced what it was like to be hauled by Princess at a faster speed, Ren asked if they could take going faster. ¡°There''s only one way to find out.¡± One of the men said, and Ren told Princess to go faster. Even at the much faster speed, they didn''t arrive at Clint''s farm until late that evening, just after supper. Ren added another cart to the train and helped load the exotic dancers and their things into it. They were actually happy to stop relaxing and to get back to work, and with his ability, he could tell it was true. Clint gave him his share of the loot, which turned out to be 6 platinum coins, and also all of the old clothes and leather pieces in the crate. ¡°What was in the chest Hank stored?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Almos'' 2,000 Gold.¡± Clint said and grinned. ¡°T''was definitely worth tha trip jus'' fer tha''.¡± Ren thanked him, and Princess hauled the train carts for the two hours it took to get to Aurora. It took another hour to arrive at his county, and they saw the 40 foot tall dirt wall and 20 foot wide moat that surrounded it. It was really late at night now, and when they came to a stop in front of the Main House, everyone was exhausted. ¡°Ugh, remind me never to do that again.¡± One of the marked men said as he opened the door on the cart and stepped out rubbing his back. He turned and helped his wife climb out, and she hugged him. ¡°I''m pretty sure we''re not going to be hauled across the countryside again.¡± The woman said. ¡°Although, we probably should have brought more of our things along.¡± ¡°Now, now.¡± The man said as someone passed him their baggage. ¡°Lord Ren was generous enough to accept us. We couldn''t abuse his generosity and have him haul our furniture, too.¡± ¡°I actually have a business that sells furniture.¡± Ren said and unhooked Princess from the train carts. ¡°It''s based in Aurora, though.¡± ¡°Not here?¡± Someone asked. ¡°I had the business long before getting this county.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t think I''ll make one here, since I can only have one in each kingdom.¡± ¡°Really? That''s horrible.¡± The marked older lady said. ¡°Every town I''ve been in has a blacksmith, a general store, a tailor, and a few other things.¡± She smiled ¡°You Adventurers have some odd restrictions.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m not going to complain. Having just one is enough.¡± He brought Princess over to the Main House so she could plop down on her mattress. He gave her some food and went back to the train carts. ¡°So, are any of those houses ours?¡± The young marked man asked and pointed. ¡°Wow, it''s a whole town worth of houses!¡± His sister said. ¡°I can''t count how many!¡± Teepo flew up and came back down. ¡°They''re all done, so 300.¡± ¡°There''s 300 of them.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him. ¡°You''re kidding.¡± The sister said. Ren chuckled again. ¡°No, but most of them are spoken for by the townspeople. I''ll have a work crew out here, hopefully tomorrow or the next day, to build houses for you.¡± ¡°Where are we going to stay tonight?¡± ¡°There''s lots of room in the Main House upstairs.¡± Ren said. He was about to say something else, then turned to see Tee-one walk towards him with Ruck right behind. ¡°Hey, guys.¡± ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Tee-one said and Ruck waved. ¡°We''ll make up a refugee center for them, so they''ll at least have room dividers.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, if you''ll wait right here, my friends and I will have accommodations ready for you soon.¡± ¡°Ren what do you want me to do?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Elerlyth! We''re in public!¡± Ren exclaimed, and he felt her embarrassment and a bit of anger. He gave her a big smile and took her hand. ¡°All I want you to do is relax.¡± He said. ¡°Oh, and stay sexy. That''s a must.¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh. ¡°We''ll be done soon.¡± Ren said, and then whispered. ¡°I have an unused apartment upstairs in the Main House.¡± Elerlyth nodded, and Ren walked up the road a short way with Tee-one and Ruck, and they built a large Refugee Center in only half an hour. They also made 40 beds and various things for the inside less than 20 minutes later and came back out. Ren went to the exotic dancers and told them they wouldn''t be staying in the center. ¡°Everyone else? You can head on over and pick out where you want to sleep.¡± Ren said, and the 30 people he had taken from the quest town gathered up their things and walked up the road. ¡°Why can''t we sleep in a nice bed?¡± The woman who liked being ordered around asked. Ren chuckled. ¡°You will be.¡± He said. ¡°Tee-one? I had an idea while I played around with the Instant Tower recipe.¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°That is a good idea, but can you stack that much onto your Craft Wondrous Item platform?¡± ¡°I''m sure it will let me add it in stages, just like the Mana.¡± Ren said and opened the Instant Tower recipe. Tee-one could see it, and they started altering it to fit what they wanted. ¡°We can cut the thickness of the wall, since it''s not a defensive structure.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°We can also add extra metal to reinforce the second floor.¡± Ren said and added it. ¡°We can keep the battlement walls on top...¡± ¡°...and we can modify the middle so that it''s at a normal room height, and then add individual rooms for the dancers in the back with wood.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°If we do that...¡± ¡°...then we can add the single booths on the first floor under them, also out of wood.¡± Ren said and added them, along with a large dancing stage in the main room with 12 smaller ones around it. ¡°With those easily accessible but separate from where they live...¡± ¡°...they can go to work and not have it interfere with where they sleep.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°They''ll need a separate stairway and entrance for the living space.¡± Ren said and added them. ¡°You were going to add that anyway.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren saved the recipe and called it ''Pleasure Palace''. ¡°You better take out the Major Healing wand. We''re both going to need a lot of Mana for this.¡± Ren nodded and handed it over, then took out a step ladder for Tee-one to climb up on. ¡°What are you doing?¡± One of the dancers asked. ¡°Using a ton of resources to make something for you instantly, rather than take hours to build it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Here goes.¡± Ren activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and choose the ''Pleasure Palace'' recipe. It asked for 200 iron ingots; 250 wood planks; 500 stone bricks; 40,000 Mana; A pile of cotton batting; 2 bolts of fabric; and 5 platinum coins. Ren and Tee-one stacked the iron ingots carefully onto the 1 foot by 1 foot square golden platform, and cross-hatched them so they wouldn''t slip. The iron ingots disappeared when the last one was placed on the stack, and then they started on the stone bricks. They stacked 100 stone bricks and they disappeared, and Ren was glad that it was taking them like he had hoped. They did 4 more stacks, added the wood and fabric items, then added 10,000 Mana each. Tee-one used the Major Healing wand to heal them, which refilled their Mana. They added 10,000 more Mana each, making a total of 40,000 Mana; and Tee-one used the wand again while Ren put the 5 platinum coins onto the platform. The coins disappeared and Ren spoke the command word while concentrating on the dancers, and the platformed glowed for 5 full minutes. Both Ren and Tee-one were surprised when a 1 foot by 1 foot metal, stone, and wood cube appeared. Ren laughed. ¡°I think we just discovered the maximum size of anything I can make with this recipe.¡± ¡°What... what is it?¡± The dancers asked and gathered around him. ¡°This is your new business.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± They all said together. ¡°I know it doesn''t look like much now.¡± Ren said and stored it as the glowing platform disappeared. ¡°Follow me, please.¡± The women followed Ren as he walked down the road, and they talked animatedly about how crazy he was. One woman spoke up in his defense, though. ¡°He''s not crazy.¡± She said. ¡°He''s rich. That means he''s eccentric.¡± The other dancers thought about it quietly for several minutes, and then Ren came to a stop. ¡°This spot is only temporary, unless you like it here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll move you out to the edge of the county later if you want.¡± ¡°We''ll try it here and see how business goes.¡± One of them said while Ren took out the 1 foot wide cube. ¡°I don''t know how we''re going to work on that thing.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''ll see.¡± He said and took out the Staff of Earth, then used it to flatten out a space for a parking lot and the business. He walked over to the middle of the cleared space and put the cube down. He walked back to the waiting women and watched their faces as he spoke a short stream of gurgles. The Pleasure Palace popped into existence before their eyes, and they all gasped. ¡°That... that''s not possible.¡± One of them said and stared at it. ¡°IEEE!¡± Jennifer, who had Billy as a regular customer, squealed. ¡°It''s a castle!¡± There were 4 towers, one on each corner, with windows instead of arrow slits. It was 80 feet wide, 80 feet long, and 30 feet high; with 2 floors in both the towers and the main building. Ren felt their shock and Jennifer''s happiness. ¡°Tell me there''s a dungeon!¡± Jennifer jumped up and down. ¡°Tell me! Tell me!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m not going to tell you what to put in your own private work spaces.¡± He felt a strong ripple of surprise and need pass through them. ¡°You... ah... have living quarters upstairs, and a corresponding private work room below it.¡± ¡°I... I think he''s serious.¡± One of the women said and looked at her friend beside her. ¡°We won''t have to trade off, or have to wait to use a private area!¡± A couple of the girls were quite happy about that, but he felt one dissenter. Ren turned to her and spoke. ¡°Can I ask what you don''t like about it?¡± She looked at him with wide eyes, and then sighed. ¡°I... I don''t want to do the private rooms anymore.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him. ¡°The girls need a manager that knows the business inside and out. The private room below your bedroom will be your office.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Congratulations, Manager.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do the girls proud.¡± ¡°But... but I still want to dance...¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°You can do whatever you want, remember? I''m giving this place to you.¡± He looked at the other girls. ¡°I''m giving it to all of you.¡± The new manager stared at him. ¡°You really meant that?¡± ¡°Look around you. Do you think I can run all of this stuff by myself?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m having a hard enough time just having everything built!¡± The woman reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re still competing for the first dance, right?¡± Ren asked her, and she nodded. ¡°Then that''s all the thanks I need.¡± He stepped away from her and waved to the door. ¡°The door opens at your command, and I''ll add the draw bridge tomorrow.¡± ¡°Does that mean we don''t have to let people in if we don''t want to?¡± One of them asked. ¡°That''s right. It won''t open without your say so. I''ll set up the business part tomorrow, too.¡± Ren said and yawned. ¡°I really need to get some sleep.¡± ¡°What about beds?¡± One of them asked. ¡°They''re already in there.¡± Ren said and started to walk away. ¡°Sleep well.¡± ¡°We will!¡± Jennifer said and waved, and then the door to the Pleasure Palace opened at one of the dancer''s command and the 12 dancers went inside to marvel at what Ren had made just for them. Chapter 395 - Take A Nap Ren walked down the road towards the Main House. Several people stood in front of the Refugee Center and waved to him, and he waved back. He stopped in front of the Main House and made a huge wood and stone basin 10 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 2 feet deep. He lined it like a barrel to make it waterproof, then dumped in the two barrels of pelt treatment solution. Ren laughed when several people over at the Refugee Center started to complain about the smell, and he added the 30 wolf pelts to it. He used the top of the barrel to push the pelts down into the solution, and then stored the whole thing and the empty barrels. He waved to the people who complained and went around to the back of the Main House and used the Staff of Earth to make a depression to fit the wood and stone basin inside. He added it, and made a wood cover for it, then went back around to the front of the Main House. He went inside and greeted Princess, then went up the stairs. Elerlyth sat by the door to his apartment. ¡°I don''t have a key for this place.¡± ¡°That''s because you have your own place.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which reminds me. Where is your place exactly?¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°I don''t want to know for personal reasons.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve added an exclusive zone around it, and want to make sure it''s in the right spot.¡± ¡°An... exclusive zone?¡± ¡°Yeah, as in ''Restricted''. Anyone besides you that enters it gets a popup warning, and NPCs won''t even go near it.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said and stood up, and he felt how much she appreciated him. ¡°Why are you always so good to me?¡± ¡°It''s a bad habit.¡± Ren said and grinned, and she smacked his shoulder. The clang of armor on armor was twice as loud inside, and they both winced. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Elerlyth said and stored her armor. ¡°Now my ears are ringing.¡± Ren chuckled and opened the door to the apartment. ¡°You deserved that.¡± He said and stored his own armor as he walked inside. He opened the Land Owner menu and Elerlyth described where her cabin was, and he had to move the zone only a short distance. ¡°I was pretty close.¡± Ren said and yawned as he closed the menu. ¡°I want to go to sleep, but I have to log out and eat first.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Elerlyth said and yawned herself. ¡°We haven''t slept in...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I always mess up the game and real time when I cross them.¡± ¡°I know exactly how long it''s been.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s been a while.¡± ¡°Very funny.¡± Eleryth said and climbed onto the bed and laid down. ¡°Get over here and cuddle with me.¡± ¡°What if I don''t want to?¡± Ren asked and climbed onto the bed. ¡°Then I''d have to question what universe I was in.¡± Elerlyth said and opened her arms for him. Ren chuckled as he snuggled into her. They held onto each other for a minute, then they logged out. ******** ¡°I''m exhausted.¡± Ren said and slid the VR headset off. ¡°You stayed in late, so I have lunch done already.¡± Denise said and pulled over the rollaway table with two bowls of chicken noodle soup, 4 slices of bread and butter, 2 glasses of soda pop, and Ren''s supplement drink. ¡°Oh, that''s great!¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°We can eat and get back into the game, then catch up on some sleep.¡± Gloria sat up and slid over to Ren''s side of the bed. ¡°Thanks, Denise.¡± She said. ¡°I appreciate this.¡± ¡°I wasn''t going to make Ren something and not feed you, too.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°I assume you''re staying for supper, too?¡± Gloria looked at Ren. ¡°I might head out instead, if that''s okay.¡± ¡°I''m not your keeper, Gloria.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°We don''t have any pressing matters to attend to in the game, now that the quest was finished so soon.¡± ¡°I expected it to take up to 3 game days, and then even longer when we found out it was ghouls.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Who would have thought that bringing down the main cavern on top of them would kill nearly every one of them?¡± ¡°Especially considering I only intended to light them on fire.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°Containers of oil explode when they get hot. Go figure!¡± Gloria laughed and they ate the food Denise made for them. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren and Gloria said at the same time when they were done, and then pointed at each other. ¡°Jinx!¡± They said together, and that made them laugh again. ¡°You might want to use the bathroom before going back in.¡± Denise said and moved the rollaway table out of the way. ¡°I think...¡± Ren started to say when his belly rumbled oddly. ¡°...that''s a good idea.¡± He slid off of the bed and walked towards the bathroom. ¡°I''m going to be a few minutes.¡± It was almost 10 minutes later before he came back out. ¡°Do I need to spray air freshener in there?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I was going to warn you about lighting a match, so probably.¡± Ren said and laughed as he climbed onto the bed. ¡°I didn''t want to hear that.¡± Gloria said and covered her ears. ¡°You''re covering the wrong part.¡± Ren said and tapped her nose with a fingertip. ¡°Ew.¡± Gloria said and Ren laughed again. ¡°Do you need to...¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Girls don''t do that kind of thing.¡± ¡°Oh... my... god. The rumours are true!¡± ¡°What rumours?¡± ¡°Girls poop sprinkles and fart rainbows!¡± Ren said, and held his sides as he laughed and laughed at the expression on Gloria''s face. ¡°That''s not funny.¡± Gloria said. ¡°N-n-no, it''s hilarious!¡± Ren said and rolled around on the bed. ¡°Fart r-r-rainbows! Ha ha!¡± ¡°We. Don''t. Fart.¡± Gloria denied sternly, which just made Ren laugh more. ¡°We don''t!¡± She said. ¡°We hold it in!¡± ¡°Bwahahaha!¡± Ren guffawed. ¡°Oh... oh... you''re killing me! Hahaha!¡± ¡°It''s not funny!¡± Gloria said. ¡°You''ve held a fart in before, haven''t you? How did that feel? Did you enjoy it?¡± She asked and made a fist. ¡°It''s one of the things women put themselves through to be around a man that they care about!¡± Ren''s laughter died away and he sat up. ¡°Gloria, I was joking.¡± He said. ¡°I know women fart.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°They have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°If they don''t let it out, then they''d probably be bitchy and complain all... the... time...¡± His eyes widened. ¡°Oh, my god! You actually don''t fart!¡± He exclaimed and started laughing again. Denise couldn''t help it and started to laugh, too. ¡°Not you, too!¡± Gloria looked at the nurse. ¡°You''re destroying the illusion of our mystique!¡± ¡°Bwahahaha!¡± Denise guffawed just as loudly as Ren had, and Gloria stared at the two of them. ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± Gloria asked. Denise calmed down first and wiped the tears from her eyes. ¡°Ren''s been around nurses for years, day in and day out.¡± She explained. ¡°He''s seen us at our worst, heard us expelling gases on both ends, and smelled everything our bodies can produce.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Gloria blinked her eyes at Denise, then looked at Ren. He was laying still and looking up at her. ¡°That doesn''t bother you?¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I''m not one to throw stones.¡± He said. ¡°Glass houses and all that.¡± Gloria shook her head. ¡°Are you for real?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m just a figment of some poor fool''s imagination.¡± ¡°You must be.¡± Gloria said and caressed the side of his face. ¡°You''re almost too good to be true.¡± ¡°You know I require constant nursing care, right?¡± Ren asked and put a hand on her hand. ¡°That''s where the almost part comes in.¡± Gloria leaned down and gave him a chaste kiss, then sat up and smiled. ¡°If you were in full health, I''d know someone was trying to play a practical joke on me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, I''ll give you that.¡± ¡°Are you ready to get some sleep?¡± Gloria asked, and Ren nodded. She moved over to her side of the bed where she had left her headset, then laid down on the bed. She put her VR rig on and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± Denise passed Ren his headset, and he took her hand. ¡°I know I don''t say this enough.¡± Ren said and squeezed her hand slightly. ¡°I appreciate everything that you do.¡± ¡°Ren, you can say that to pretty much everyone that takes care of you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Yes, because you''re all so good to me.¡± He said. ¡°That doesn''t mean I don''t appreciate you any less.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren saw her hesitation. ¡°Go ahead and say it.¡± ¡°If I was any other woman, you''d be saying the same thing.¡± ¡°Possibly; but, I don''t offer myself to every woman.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like Bonnie. I wouldn''t offer her a room if she was still able to take care of me.¡± ¡°You... you wouldn''t?¡± Denise asked, surprised. Ren shook his head. ¡°She''s nice and I like her, but...¡± He sighed. ¡°It''s like... she was trying too hard. I didn''t need freshly squeezed orange juice every time I wanted something to drink, or gourmet oatmeal with maple syrup and hand ground walnuts and brown sugar when all I wanted was a bowl of porridge.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you say anything?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°For months, almost every day.¡± ¡°I meant to one of us, not Bonnie.¡± ¡°I know what you meant.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°If Barbara and Stella couldn''t get her to change her ways, then there was no chance at all that you were going to convince her.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°All right, I have to agree with you there.¡± Ren put on his VR headset. ¡°See you at supper.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in Elerlyth''s arms, and sighed. ¡°What took you so long?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°I wanted to see what it was like to make out with you while you were unconscious.¡± Ren laughed, and then he felt some guilt from her and looked at her face. ¡°Hey, I was joking.¡± ¡°I know you are.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Then what was the guilt for?¡± ¡°I... ah... kissed you once when you were like that.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Ren asked, and thought about it. ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°It was empty.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I was a little excited to steal a kiss from you; but, then I did and-¡± She stopped talking and smiled. ¡°If you''re not there, it just seemed meaningless.¡± Ren sat up a little and leaned over her, then kissed her. Elerlyth moaned as he fed her how much he liked kissing her, then he stopped kissing her and laid back down. ¡°Go to sleep.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, you''re still feeding me.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Do you want me to stop?¡± Elerlyth sighed and held him close. ¡°I never want you to stop.¡± Ren felt the truth in her words and nuzzled her neck. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Elerlyth said. The two of them drifted off to sleep floating on feelings of happiness and contentment. * ¡°My Queen, you are going to break her.¡± The healer said as she used her Major Healing ability to regrow the large chunk of flesh that Lylyth had cut out of her attendant''s thigh. ¡°I am almost at the point that I don''t care.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°These names she has given me are insufficient. Ren has already given me their heads!¡± ¡°My... My Queen... I... I''ve told you... everything...¡± The attendant said, and Lylyth sighed. ¡°I do not understand why you are so blatantly lying.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°It''s like you... you want me... to kill you.¡± The attendant tried to hide how much she wanted that; but, she couldn''t hide anything from her Queen. ¡°Why?¡± Lylyth asked. The attendant let tears come to her eyes finally, after a day of interrogation. ¡°The Royal Consort killed my love, Arcturis. I must join him.¡± ¡°If that is what you want, then I will send you to him.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°As soon as you tell me what you know.¡± ¡°My... My Queen... I... have...¡± ¡°Healer? Is she under a compulsion spell?¡± Lylyth asked when she felt yet another lie from the attendant. ¡°No, My Queen.¡± The healer said. ¡°But, perhaps... it is a bonding condition.¡± ¡°A bonding... oh, that fool.¡± Lylyth closed her eyes. ¡°Even now, he attempts to keep his sheep from the wolf.¡± The healer nodded, even though Lylyth couldn''t see her. ¡°You will not join your love upon your death because of the bonding.¡± Lylyth said and opened her eyes. ¡°Do you still wish to try?¡± ¡°I do, My Queen.¡± The attendant said. A giant spider leg formed beside Lylyth, and she could feel the peace that her attendant felt. The spider leg darted out and pierced through the attendant''s chest, her heart, and out her back. She gasped once, smiled, and died. Lylyth waved a hand at the wall of spiders. ¡°Bring me the ones that clapped for Grimlow during his duel with Ren...¡± She paused for a moment, then made a decision. ¡°...and at least one member of their families.¡± * Clint and the guys sat around a table at his ranch in the game, and drank the normal ale he had bought the last time he had been in Aurora. ¡°I can''t believe that last quest.¡± Hank said and raised his tankard. ¡°Can you believe it? We made the leader board with only one quest!¡± Billy clanked his tankard against Hanks, then held it out to Clint. ¡°Your 100% XP Fame boost, with that 25% new quest bonus was awesome!¡± Clint lifted his tankard to clank. ¡°It shore was nice ta git so much XP.¡± ¡°I went up 2 levels, man!¡± Tommy said. ¡°I haven''t gone up 2 levels since I was below level 50!¡± Dillon laughed. ¡°Me, either.¡± ¡°None of us have.¡± Hank said, and motioned with his tankard to Clint. ¡°And it''s all thanks to that man right there.¡± ¡°Ah''m thinkin'' yer thankin'' tha wrong man.¡± Clint said and took a drink. ¡°Ren pretty much did it ahl by hisself.¡± ¡°Hey, man... we did a lot.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Did we?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Ah''m pretty shore ahl ah did was walk behin'' Ren an'' watched wha'' he was doin''.¡± ¡°We dug those holes and ran the sprinklers.¡± Billy said. ¡°We fought in the tunnels.¡± Hank said. ¡°An'' we drank his ale and let ''im go inta tha ghoul factory wit only ''Lith as backup.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah knew ah was outta mah depth a little with tha quest when Ren was tha one ta correc'' mah mistakes accep''in it; but, dammit.¡± He smiled. ¡°We was jus'' extra hands.¡± The guys looked at each other for a moment, and then Hank raised his tankard. ¡°To Ren.¡± They clanked their tankards together and drained them. * Ren woke up in Elerlyth''s warm embrace, and he felt her breath on the top of his head. His face was nestled between her breasts, but since they were both still wearing their armor bodysuits, he could only feel her warm skin through the web cutout pattern. Hi, Teepo. Ren thought. How''s the time? ¡°You''ve got a good 10 minutes before breakfast.¡± Teepo said. Wow, that long? Ren asked and chuckled. ¡°Hm?¡± Elerlyth took a deep breath, which pressed his face into her chest. ¡°G''morning.¡± ¡°Morning.¡± Ren lifted his head and kissed her. ¡°Teepo says we have a full 10 minutes before breakfast.¡± Elerlyth chuckled, just like Ren did, and he felt her amusement. ¡°Do we have to get up?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him. ¡°We don''t?¡± ¡°There''s a few things I should get done.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Most of them can wait.¡± ¡°Only most?¡± ¡°Princess being fed is always a priority.¡± Ren said and slid out of her arms. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Elerlyth nodded, and Ren left the Main House apartment at a run. He was downstairs a few seconds later, and left a sleeping Princess 2 plates of food. On a whim, he left one on the desk in the Mayor''s office, then ran back upstairs. ¡°That was fast.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I left food and came back.¡± Ren said and climbed onto the bed. ¡°I''m already a little chilly from being out of your arms.¡± Elerlyth chuckled and took him into her arms. ¡°So am I.¡± Ren snuggled into her again, and Elerlyth sighed into his hair. ¡°Ren, why are you so cuddly?¡± ¡°It''s a gift.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°Seriously, though... I think it''s because I like hugging so much.¡± He said. ¡°I mean, hugs are great. I get to show you that I care, and you get to hold me and don''t have to worry that it might turn sexual.¡± Elerlyth thought about it. ¡°I think you''re right.¡± She said, and he felt that she was a bit surprised about it. ¡°I can hug you as much as I want and you will never say no, will you?¡± ¡°Darn right I won''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am a hugging machine that runs on hugs.¡± He said and smiled at her. ¡°Please deposit hugs here.¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°I''d say you should wear a ''free hugs'' sign, but you won''t hug just anyone.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''ve made a few exceptions over the years; but, I usually save the good hugs for those that deserve them.¡± Elerlyth nodded slightly, and realized she''d received quite a few hugs from him over the last day and a half. It made her face flush a darker grey, and she squeezed him tightly. ¡°We should get some more sleep.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren nodded. It rubbed her chest and it made her tingle a little; but, Ren was right. He wouldn''t push it to something sexual unless she wanted him to. She kissed the top of his head and rested her cheek against it. They drifted off to sleep together once again, and they were both quite happy about being in each other''s arms. * ¡°I really miss him.¡± Frikara said and rubbed her arms like she was cold. ¡°I do, too.¡± Andrela said. ¡°I know he usually isn''t even here at times like this; but, we usually see him once a day at least.¡± ¡°I want to feel his warmth.¡± Frikara said, and the maids looked at her. ¡°You know what I mean.¡± She said. ¡°How he feels about us.¡± ¡°We''ve already mastered the Contact Auras he gave us.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Having them on all the time is great; but...¡± ¡°...without him here, even sharing full emotions with each other seems...¡± Navruth continued. ¡°...like having an empty stomach.¡± Verwynn said. Her stomach rumbled a moment later and the other maids laughed. ¡°Go ahead and eat, Verwynn.¡± Frikara said. ¡°It''s breakfast time, anyway.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Verwynn said and they all felt her joy as she climbed off the bed and opened the icebox. ¡°Plates of food for everyone!¡± The plates were passed to the others, and they all sat up to eat. ¡°I wish he was here to eat this with us.¡± Andrela said, and the other maids nodded. ¡°He said it was only for a few days, so he might be back tomorrow.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°I hope so.¡± Frikara said, and then had a great idea. ¡°Let''s throw him a welcome home party!¡± ¡°That... that is a great idea!¡± Andrela said. ¡°We can get different food from the restaurant, and we can invite the people he knows.¡± ¡°Where should we hold it?¡± Navruth asked. ¡°The Refugee Center.¡± Andrela said. ¡°It''s been empty for a few weeks now, and it can easily be used for a big gathering!¡± ¡°Then it''s settled.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I will get the decorations from the tailor shop. Verwynn and Navruth can get the food.¡± ¡°What about us?¡± Lusinia and Andrela asked. ¡°You have the most important job.¡± Frikara said. ¡°You get to invite his friends.¡± ¡°Consider it done.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Andrela will hunt them down and I will tell if they are friends or not.¡± Frikara nodded. ¡°Then let''s eat and get a move on.¡± She said. ¡°He''s going to be so surprised!¡± Chapter 396 - Dont Make Me Mad Ren woke up several hours later, and discovered that he was alone in the bed. ¡°Huh? What?¡± ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Ren sat up and rubbed his eyes. ¡°Where''s Elerlyth?¡± ¡°Elerlyth left an hour ago.¡± ¡°Why didn''t she wake me?¡± Ren asked and moved to the end of the bed. ¡°Why didn''t you wake me?¡± ¡°She said you needed your sleep.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She also asked me not to.¡± ¡°Teepo, you''re my friend.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°But this is the second time you''ve done something like this to me. First with Nathalia, and now with Elerlyth.¡± ¡°I... I know.¡± Teepo said, and he felt Ren''s anger. ¡°You will not do this to me again.¡± Ren said, suppressed his anger, and remained calm. ¡°You are supposed to help me, not hurt me.¡± He said. ¡°You will do your job and wake me when it''s necessary. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out, then equipped his Travelling Clothes. ¡°Did she tell you where she was going?¡± ¡°She said that a friend had messaged her and she needed to go.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She also said to tell you not to worry, and that she would see you again soon.¡± ¡°Well, that''s just great.¡± Ren said through gritted teeth. ¡°That means she''s going into danger and she didn''t want me along.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren concentrated on Elerlyth. ¡°Elerlyth, where are you?¡± ¡°Elerlyth, where are you?¡± Ren heard his own voice repeated from beside the bed. He walked over to the dresser and picked up Elerlyth''s Spider Aura brooch. ¡°She didn''t want me following her, either.¡± He said and stored the brooch, despite the urge he had to crush it; then he left the apartment at a fast walk. Teepo flew behind him and didn''t even try to take his normal perch on Ren''s shoulder. Ren went down the stairs and saw that the Mayor''s door was open. He looked in and saw that Patty was there. ¡°Good morning, My Lord.¡± Patty said. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said, not quite happily like he usually spoke. ¡°She said you would be angry.¡± Patty said and handed him a note. Ren took it and read it.
Dear Ren,
I''m sorry I had to leave in such a rush, but when Hailey messaged me for help I had to go. I promised her that I would never reveal her location to anyone, so I must leave you in the dark. I''ll see you at supper, assuming I''m not stuck in something that I can''t get out of. Please don''t be mad. Elerlyth
Ren read the note again and took a deep breath, then enchanted the paper with a single Fire rune. ¡°AhhH!¡± Patty yelled as the parchment burst into flames. It disappeared an instant later and Ren looked at her. ¡°Please accept my apologies for scaring you.¡± Ren said and reached out for the empty plate on her desk and stored it. ¡°I hope you enjoyed breakfast.¡± ¡°I... I did. T-thank you.¡± Patty said, a little flustered. ¡°If you will excuse me, I have some errands to do.¡± Ren said and left her office. ¡°Princess? Do you feel like a quick run to Aurora? I need to see Jen about making more houses.¡± Of course, My Lord. Princess thought to him and stood up. Ren took her outside and climbed up onto her saddle, and Teepo landed on Princess'' helm. He could still feel Ren''s anger, and he didn''t want Ren to tell him that he couldn''t land on his shoulder; so, he didn''t even try because he didn''t want to feel the rejection. Not from his best friend, Ren. I''ll take better care of you from now on, Ren. Teepo thought. Princess trotted out onto the road and then ran faster, then faster, and then she ran as fast as she could. They arrived at Aurora a couple of minutes later and she had to slow down because of the traffic. Rather than wait to get through the West Gate, Princess took the path Ren had made before and then ran around the city to the North Gate. Almost no one was there so they entered the city proper and Princess brought Ren over to the lumber yard. He slid off of her back and walked into the business with Teepo hovering beside him. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± A familiar voice said. Ren turned to look at Jhulune as she walked over to him. ¡°I haven''t seen you in a while.¡± He said, but he didn''t smile like he usually did. ¡°I''ve had some things to deal with.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°I''m feeling angry at a couple of friends.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s a new sensation for me, and I don''t know what to do about it.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Jhulune said and gave him a hug. ¡°It hurts a lot more when it''s friends, doesn''t it?¡± Ren nodded and hugged her back. They stood that way for several minutes, and Ren felt someone move through his Aura. ¡°What''s going on... oh, hello.¡± Jen said to Ren. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said and let Jhulune out of the hug. ¡°I need more houses built.¡± Jen laughed. ¡°We just finished yesterday!¡± Ren smiled, even though he didn''t feel like it. ¡°I had 30 more people move to my county, so they need a place to live.¡± He said. ¡°They''re in a Refugee Center right now, so a couple of days to wait is okay.¡± Jen nodded. ¡°All right, we''ll do up another caravan.¡± Ren took out some money, and Jen waved it away. ¡°I haven''t worked through what you''ve already paid.¡± Jen said. ¡°Oh, and before I forget.¡± She took out a handful of gold coins. ¡°Here''s the last few payments for the loan, and the next few.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and stored the money without counting it. Jen could tell something was bothering him, and she pointed to the large saw. ¡°It needs some repair.¡± Jen said to distract him, and Ren looked at it. ¡°Actually, I know what it really needs.¡± Ren said and walked out of the business. ¡°Ren?¡± Jen and Jhulune said together and followed him outside. Ren took out his Instant Tower and activate it, and it sprung into existence. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Jen said and marveled at it. ¡°I... I can''t believe...¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°You made this?¡± ¡°Come on in.¡± Ren said, in a bit of a better mood from feeling Jen''s wonder and Jhulune''s fascination. He opened the door and they went inside, and both women stopped and stared at the 4 businesses inside. He could feel their awe and looked at them. ¡°Jhulune... Jen...¡± Ren closed his eyes. ¡° I... I''ve recently gained an ability that lets me feed on emotions, but I won''t do that without your permission.¡± He said. ¡°I need physical contact as well, and...¡± Ren gasped when both of his hands were taken and he felt both women offer up what they could. He opened his eyes and looked at them, and they both had smiles for him. ¡°Ren, what you did for me was... well...¡± Jhulune remembered what they did and what she felt, and Ren absorbed it. ¡°I''ll give you anything you want.¡± Jen chuckled. ¡°All you gave me was my dream property and a pile of money.¡± She said. ¡°You scared me once, and I''m still not quite comfortable with that yet.¡± She smiled, and Ren felt a trace of her apprehension and it dried his tongue out a little. ¡°But I could tell as soon as I saw you that you needed something. Just like Jhulune, if I can give you what you need...¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Ren felt her offer up her wonder at his creation, and he sighed. ¡°Thank you. Both of you.¡± He said and absorbed their emotions. He stayed like that for a few moments, then let their hands go. ¡°Please, have a seat. This shouldn''t take long.¡± Jen and Jhulune sat at the kitchen table and Ren went to the blacksmith section. He made 6 large circular saw blades, and with his current knowledge of spring coils and gears, he put them side by side on an axle with geared spacers in between so that they could be adjusted with a lever on the side. They had lots of torque, thanks to the gear ratio, and he made a box to surround it to cover over the blades and stop any debris from being flung out. He also added viewing windows so they could see how the blades cut and the size of the wood planks it would make. The last thing to add was the crank to charge the large coil springs to spin the blades. With his Fast Crafting skill that granted him a 25% crafting speed bonus, and his just recently gained Faster Crafting skill that granted another 25% speed bonus, he was done only 10 minutes later. ¡°That... is that... it... it can''t be.¡± Jen said and came over to Ren and took his hand. He gasped at her emotions, and he absorbed as much as she was willing to give. ¡°I... made it so that...¡± Ren swallowed loudly and continued. ¡°You can adjust the thickness of the planks you want.¡± He said. ¡°Just... move this lever.¡± He pointed, and Jen pulled it. The saw blades moved closer together, and when she pushed it, they moved farther apart. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Jen exclaimed, and Ren closed his eyes as he felt how happy she was. ¡°We can quadruple production! This thing can cut an entire tree up by itself!¡± Ren nodded, and opened his eyes. ¡°Let''s... try it.¡± Jen turned to Jhulune. ¡°Tell the workers to bring me one of the big logs...¡± ¡°I have one.¡± Ren said and stored the new saw apparatus, and the three of them went outside. Ren took out the saw apparatus, made a really long table to lead up to it, then took out the large tree he had felled while he showed off to the work crews. ¡°You''ve been carrying that around with you this whole time?¡± Jhulune asked, and Ren nodded. She took his hand, and he felt how turned on she was. ¡°Jhulune...¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. ¡°Sorry.¡± Jhulune said, but he could tell that she was lying and wasn''t sorry at all. ¡°You''re just so... so...¡± Ren felt a thrill go through her, and he had to let her hand go before he did anything to feel that thrill from her again. He took a deep breath and took out an axe, chopped off the branches with one swipe each, much to the two women''s surprise, and put the large tree on the table. He cranked up the saw, moved the blades to a thin cut, and looked at Jen. ¡°I added a limiter so it doesn''t spin out all of the stored energy at once, so when you hit the button, it goes fast but not uncontrollably.¡± Jen nodded and he pointed. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren said and pushed the tree towards the saw blades. Jen pushed the button and the saw sprang to life. Ren eased the large tree through the blades, and right away, he saw his mistake. He stopped pushing and pulled the tree back out. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Jhulune asked. ¡°It was working.¡± ¡°I forgot to add the squaring blades.¡± Ren said and stored the saw. ¡°Be right back.¡± Jen and Jhulune stood there as Ren went into his Instant Tower, and 15 minutes later, he came back out with a much larger saw box. ¡°What is that?¡± Jen asked. ¡°A redesign.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought about the limits I had unintentionally placed on the other one, and fixed it.¡± ¡°How?¡± Jen asked, and looked at the bank of 8 levers. ¡°What am I supposed to do with this?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s simple. I marked them.¡± He pointed. ¡°This adjusts the spacing between the blades like the other one did. The next lever is the height of the first vertical blade.¡± He pulled the lever all the way down and the blade dropped out of sight. He pushed it back and it came up. ¡°Each saw blade can be retracted, so you can use it for any size piece of wood you want.¡± ¡°You... oh, my god.¡± Jen said. ¡°You want a 4x4?¡± Ren pulled the two outside levers and the two inside ones to leave a 4x4 space between them. ¡°A 6x6?¡± He pulled the fifth lever down to drop that saw blade and pushed the sixth up to leave a 6x6 space. ¡°If you just want a square log without bark, then...¡± Ren pulled the second lever to drop that saw blade and pushed the first to make an 8x8 space. ¡°Ren!¡± Ren could feel her emotions in turmoil over the possibilities. ¡°The last 2 levers are for the horizontal blades.¡± He pointed through the window at the two large saw blades, one near the table surface and one near the top of the box. ¡°They move up and down, so you can adjust the bark removal to each log.¡± Jen shook her head in disbelief. ¡°I can''t believe this!¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said, and chuckled at her surprised expression and emotions. ¡°Once I started thinking about it, I just kept adding more and more options.¡± Jhulune came over to him. ¡°Now do the tree.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Ren said and turned the crank a bunch of times to charge the saw. He moved the tree into position and looked through the viewing windows, adjusted the blades to remove the bark and make it square, then raised all the vertical blades to make planks. ¡°Jen, hit the button.¡± Ren said. Jen hit the button, and the saws came to life. Ren eased the tree into the biting blades, and through them. It cut them so easily that he had pushed the 30 foot tall tree through before he knew it. Jen hit the button again to stop it, and the three of them looked at the large pile of planks that had come out the other side. ¡°Hey, it worked.¡± Ren said. He felt a hand on his chin turn his face, and a flood of mixed emotions hit him. It left him speechless, and then Jen kissed him. It lasted for several moments, and Ren couldn''t do anything but stand there as she poured her feelings out. Frustration, gratitude, fear, lust, and a jumble of others that he couldn''t figure out in the few moments that he had to absorb them. Jen broke the kiss and tried not to giggle at his expression. ¡°I think that''s how I looked that first time you kissed me.¡± Ren stared at her with wide eyes. ¡°Yes, just like that.¡± Jen said and then she laughed. ¡°Yes, I know... you''ll never do anything more than that, just like you promised.¡± She said. ¡°Plus, I don''t think Jhulune would forgive me if I stole her crush.¡± ¡°He''s not my crush, Jen!¡± Jhulune said, a bit hotly. ¡°I love him!¡± Ren felt that she actually did love him, and he took her hand. ¡°Jhulune...¡± ¡°No, it''s all right, Ren.¡± Jhulune said. ¡°We made a promise, too.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I wouldn''t ask you for a relationship, and you weren''t going to give me one.¡± ¡°But...¡± Jhulune looked at their hands. ¡°You can feel it, right? It''s not painful, is it?¡± Ren sifted through everything she was feeling and found her love. He could tell that it wasn''t hurting her like an unrequited love would. He felt that it was, in fact, making her a better person. ¡°Jhulune.¡± Ren said and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Now it''s my turn to regret that I didn''t meet you first.¡± Jhulune chuckled. ¡°I''m too young to be the one that got away.¡± Ren felt her amusement and smiled. ¡°Is there an age limit on things like that?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± Jhulune said and stepped close. Ren felt the shift in her emotions towards seduction, and he almost moaned. ¡°I never did thank you for leaving my mother that gift to remodel the house.¡± Jhulune said and kissed his cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I... by the gods, Jhulune...¡± Ren closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened them when he felt her pleasure that she was affecting him so much. ¡°I... really need to go.¡± Both Jhulune and Jen chuckled at his admission. ¡°We''ll get one of the crews over to carry this monstrosity into the building.¡± Jen said. ¡°No, no. I''ll do that.¡± Ren said and stored the saw apparatus and the long table, ran into the building to drop it off beside the other one, then came back out a few seconds later. ¡°How did...¡± Jen shook her head. ¡°Go on, get going.¡± Ren collapsed his Instant Tower and stored it, stored the fresh planks and left the bark, then hopped on Princess. ¡°Bye!¡± He said and braced himself, then Princess disappeared. ¡°What the... where did he go?¡± Jhulune asked, surprised. Jen shook her head and shrugged. I think he''s having a hard time with his new ability. She thought. I just hope he can get a handle on it before the party. Ren told Princess to stop at his business and she went around to the back. He climbed down and told her he would be right back, then went inside. When he came through the door at the back of the shop, Anabelle stood there. She had been waiting for him. ¡°You''re back.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I am.¡± ¡°You came to see me first.¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°I''ll tell Katie to watch the counter.¡± ¡°I don''t have ti-¡± Ren stopped talking when Anabelle covered his mouth, and he felt her desperate need to be with him. ¡°I''m telling Katie to watch the counter.¡± Ren nodded, and Anabelle left him to do what she said. Oh, boy. He thought. Okay, Ren. Calm down. You do not have to have sex with her. All she really wants is to be bossed around a little. Anabelle came back over to him, and he opened his mouth to tell her that he had to leave. Once again she covered his mouth with her hand, then walked around him to rest her arm across his shoulders and kept his mouth covered. She opened the back door with her free hand, and led Ren up the stairs to the apartment. Ren couldn''t help himself and absorbed some of her need of him, and Anabelle closed the apartment door. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°I can... feel something... are... are you...¡± She looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You have Elerlyth''s ability!¡± Ren nodded, and Anabelle was filled with sympathy for him. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Anabelle said and knelt. She kissed him, and he could feel her trying to suppress her desperate need so she could take care of him. ¡°Stop.¡± Ren said when he broke the kiss, and Anabelle looked at him. He felt her surprise, and he cupped the sides of her face with his hands. ¡°Don''t stop needing me, Anabelle.¡± Anabelle''s heart went pitter-patter and her feelings for him welled up. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I knew it in my head, but... feeling it in you is...¡± Ren sighed and kissed her. Anabelle let her need out, and Ren absorbed some of it. He picked her up and carried her to the bed, and he could feel her anticipation. He put her down, and she stored her clothing while he took off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and stored his own clothing. He could feel her admiration, and her desperate need blossomed into full-on desire as he climbed onto the bed with her and they embraced. Ren fed her need to be with him, and she fed his need to feed on her emotions. It took nearly half an hour for Anabelle to feel satisfied, and Ren kept going until she was much more than just satisfied. He left her in the bed half an hour later, and he could feel that she was floating on the sensations he had made her feel. Her need was always there and it needed to be fed, just like his Emotion Siphon ability. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Anabelle said, when Ren stood up. ¡°Anabelle, you don''t have to thank me for-¡± ¡°Not for that.¡± Anabelle said and tried to sit up; but, she was too relaxed to move properly and laid back down. ¡°You came to me first.¡± She said, and he felt how overjoyed she was about it. ¡°I was first.¡± Ren stroked the side of her face, then traced a line down the side of her neck. He splayed his fingers out wide and gently ran them across her chest, her abdomen, and stopped at her belly button. He flipped his hand over and reversed the movement to end right back at her face. There wasn''t any real point to the movement, since neither of them had felt anything sexual while it was happening; but, the both of them felt better about themselves that he could touch her like that and it didn''t have to devolve into sex if they didn''t want it to. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± Ren said and equipped his Travelling Clothes, then put on the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. Anabelle watched him as he fastened it into place, and Ren felt how much she liked him. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss, then left the apartment. Chapter 397 - Monstrous Truth ¡°I''m sorry about taking so long.¡± Ren said to Princess when he stepped out of the back door of the business. I am here to serve you, even if it is only waiting. Princess thought to him. You do not have to apologize. She huffed. What you should do is visit the others. Ren nodded and climbed onto her saddle. ¡°Then take me to the house.¡± Princess ran from the business to the Housing District almost instantly, and Ren was glad that no one had been on the streets between there and here. He concentrated on the Contact Aura that he and the maids shared, and discovered that they weren''t in the house. ¡°They aren''t here.¡± Ren said and climbed off of Princess. ¡°I wonder where they are.¡± Ren walked to the front door and opened it, and when he tried to open the door to Railyse''s room to check on her, he found that it was blocked. A stream of bubbles and gurgles came out of his mouth and he knocked on the door. When there was no response, Ren made the sound of a crashing wave. There was still nothing, and Ren was fed up with having his friends not treat him properly. He equipped his full set of armor for an instant and punched the door. It exploded; but not inwards like he had thought it would. It went outwards, because behind the door was a solid Wall of Water. Ren stored his armor and touched the wall. He could see it blocked both the ceiling and the walls, so he wasn''t going to break through another way. ¡°Open this barrier.¡± Ren said, and repeated it in the Sea Dweller language. ¡°If you don''t open up, I will remove it myself.¡± He thought he saw movement behind the water wall, but it distorted everything and he couldn''t be sure. ¡°Fine.¡± Ren enchanted the wall with Antiwater runes and it dissolved immediately; then it took the rest of the barrier with it. The small water elemental splashed out of the water and tried to attack, but Ren was having none of that. He concentrated on his Command Aura and his Water Adept skill as he caught the little creature. ¡°Stop!¡± Ren commanded and used his Water Adept skill that let him shape water, to stop the water elemental from morphing. It started to squeal as Ren held it immobile, and the water of the pool rippled slightly. Railyse rose out of it, and he saw the state she was in. She looked like she was starving, and the currents of water under her translucent skin were only slowly moving. She also looked like she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. ¡°Dammit, I told you that you should be taking more from me!¡± Ren said angrily, and Railyse winced at his tone. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Railyse said. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Ren said and motioned to the walls and the small water elemental. ¡°He was trying to protect me.¡± ¡°From me.¡± Ren said, and his anger faded. ¡°Why from me?¡± ¡°We can feel what you have in you now.¡± Railyse said. ¡°He doesn''t want you to drain me.¡± Ren looked at the squealing water elemental, shook his head, and tossed it into the water. ¡°I would never, ever take anything from anyone forcefully.¡± The small water elemental came back up to the surface and tried to shake it''s arm stub at him as it bubbled and gurgled madly. ¡°I''ll stop using my skill on you, if you stop using your skills on me.¡± Ren told it, and it''s steady stream of sound slowed down to a stop. ¡°That''s better.¡± He said and released his Water Adept ability''s hold on the elemental. It splashed a couple of times and disappeared into the pool. ¡°Ren, I... I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Railyse.¡± Ren shook his head again and stepped onto the surface of the water, thanks to the Ring of Water Walking his Hand of Glory had on, and took her into his arms. ¡°I''ve warned you over and over.¡± He said. ¡°Your mother warned you. Your father warned you. Your brothers and sisters warned you, too.¡± ¡°I can''t!¡± Railyse said. ¡°I can''t abuse you!¡± ¡°It''s not abuse.¡± Ren said, and let his sorrow at her condition fill him up. The tears welled and started to fall, and Railyse''s eyes almost bulged out of her head. She gripped his head firmly and covered his eye with her mouth. A large water tentacle formed from her hair and covered his other eye to catch those tears as well. Railyse moaned as all of his feelings for her flowed out through his tears, and she absorbed them into her being. Her body filled out to where it was supposed to be, and she stopped sucking in his tears. ¡°By my mother''s trident, you are so delicious!¡± Railyse said and went to start sucking on his tears again. ¡°Stop!¡± Ren commanded, and she stopped with her mouth right over his eye. He stopped crying and the tentacle retracted, and she looked at him. ¡°But... I thought...¡± ¡°I can feel how much you need this.¡± Ren said and took out a Major Healing wand. ¡°So, go ahead and bite me.¡± ¡°I... I can''t... I... I won''t be able to stop!¡± Railyse said, and he could feel her desperation. ¡°Railyse.¡± Ren said, and she felt his anger swirling below the surface, like an undercurrent in an ocean. ¡°Either you bite me right now and feed, or I''m going to cut myself open and pour my blood down your throat!¡± ¡°R-R-Ren.¡± Railyse stammered, and he could feel that she really liked that idea. ¡°Kneel, Future Queen.¡± Ren commanded her, and she knelt. He could feel anticipation, lust, and a deep need for exactly what he was about to do. He took out his hammerpick and held the sharp plow end against his wrist. ¡°Open wide.¡± Railyse opened her mouth. ¡°Wider.¡± She opened it a little further. ¡°I said OPEN YOUR MOUTH!¡± Ren yelled, and it echoed back to him several times. Railyse had been reluctant, because she didn''t want Ren to see her so monstrous; but, she couldn''t refuse his overwhelming Command Aura and opened her mouth all the way as she tilted her head back. Her teeth made an almost a perfect circle with her mouth opened all the way, and Ren could see 3 rows of sharp teeth and could count all the points if he wanted to. Ren pulled the hammerpick across his wrist and tore open the skin.
Notice!
You have gained the condition: Bleeding Profusely. You have 3 minutes to rectify this.
Ren held his heavily bleeding wrist over Railyse''s mouth and her throat worked as she swallowed the blood he poured into her. He stored the hammerpick and held the Major Healing wand at the ready. He dismissed the message popups he received without reading them. When the 3 minute timer dropped to 30 seconds, his Health had dropped a corresponding amount; and he used a charge on the wand to refill his Health without sealing the wound. The timer reset to 3 minutes and started counting down again. Railyse kept swallowing and her body started to glow. Water started to creep out of the pool and up the walls; but, Ren ignored it and didn''t stop. He saw her throat convulse oddly for a moment when they had reached the 3 minute mark, and he felt a small burst of caring from her. He didn''t stop and kept pouring blood down her throat. He ran the timer down to 30 seconds again and refilled his Health. He had been bleeding for 5 minutes so far, and Railyse took it all. When they reached 6 minutes, he saw Railyse''s throat start to convulse erratically again, only this time he felt a strong burst of caring from her. Ren used the Major Healing wand to heal the wound, and the blood stopped flowing. ¡°You can stop feeding.¡± He said to her, and her throat stopped moving. Her mouth slowly closed as she tilted her head back upright, and she had tears on her face.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Ren immediately kissed them and sucked them in from one of her cheeks, then did the same to the other cheek. He could see and feel that she was saddened that he had seen her that way, and he kissed her with her own tears still in his mouth. Her body reacted without her will and she sucked in the offered fluids and wrapped her arms around him. ¡°Ren, I''m a mon... mon...¡± ¡°You are not a monster, Future Queen.¡± Ren said and kissed her again. ¡°But... I drank your blood! So much that you should have died, and I didn''t care!¡± Railyse said. Ren caressed her face. ¡°Yes, you did.¡± He said. ¡°I saw you struggle a little when we past that point. Both times.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I can feel what you feel now. I know how much you care about me.¡± ¡°Ren, how can you let me feed like this from you?¡± Railyse said. ¡°It''s... it''s...¡± ¡°Exactly what you needed.¡± Ren said. ¡°Only... there''s one thing missing.¡± ¡°Wh-what is it?¡± Railyse asked. ¡°You''ve given me so much already! What else could you possibly give me?¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and ran out of the room and the house. He brought out his Instant Tower right there in the middle of the rain-covered street, and it blocked off any passage. He went inside and worked for a minute to get something ready, then came out and stored the tower. People had just started to speculate about it''s sudden appearance right after the rain storm, and then it was gone. Ren went into the house and slipped something into his mouth, then went in to the room with the pool. Railyse had remained on her knees and he stood in front of her. He was so happy to see that the currents under her translucent skin churned and swirled like they were supposed to. ¡°R-Ren?¡± Railyse watched as Ren leaned close and opened his mouth. Her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of a set of Sea Dweller teeth where they shouldn''t have been, and then Ren bit the cheek on her face. It sent a shiver through her, and then she wrapped her arms around him and held on while he licked and sucked on her face. Ren pulled his improvised teeth out of her skin a few moments later, and licked the wound several times as he used the wand of Major Healing on her to close it. Ren felt how grateful Railyse was for everything he had just done for her. ¡°Blare, blas wha was mushin.¡± He said, then laughed as he slipped out the set of fake Sea Dweller teeth and stored them. ¡°I meant, ''there, that''s what was missing''.¡± ¡°Oh... oh, Ren.¡± Railyse said and stood up. Her legs didn''t quite work right, and she had to lean on him to hold herself steady. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Did I overdo it?¡± ¡°No, I... kind of...¡± Railyse cupped the side of his face and kissed him. She broke the kiss a moment later and he blinked his eyes. ¡°Railyse, I didn''t get an anointment popup.¡± ¡°That''s because I indulged you and your lip kissing fetish.¡± Railyse said, and Ren smiled. ¡°What did you think?¡± ¡°I much prefer my kisses.¡± Railyse said, and rubbed her cheek where Ren had kissed and fed from her, just as if he had been one of her own kind. ¡°Yes, I definitely liked that a lot more.¡± ¡°I know you did.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Why else would I do it?¡± Railyse chuckled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now that I''ve satisfied you, I have to find my maids.¡± ¡°They are out running errands.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I''m not sure what for, though.¡± She smiled. ¡°I was in no condition to keep track of them.¡± Ren nodded and concentrated on Frikara, and the Sending Ring glowed. ¡°Frikara?¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Frikara said, surprised. ¡°W-where are you?¡± ¡°I''m at the house and wondering where you are.¡± Ren said. ¡°Railyse said that you''re out running errands.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We all are.¡± She corrected. ¡°I stopped by to see you on my way back to the county.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a bit more work to do out there before I can come back.¡± ¡°Oh... it would be nice to see you.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Um... how long?¡± ¡°I''ve actually stayed a bit longer than I was supposed to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had hoped I''d see you and the others before I left for the rest of the day.¡± ¡°We''ll be right there!¡± Frikara said. ¡°No, that''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t try and rush back to see me. I''ll just have to wait until tonight to see you.¡± ¡°I... okay.¡± Frikara said, a little sadly. ¡°Until tonight.¡± The Sending Ring stopped glowing and Ren looked at Railyse. ¡°I guess I better go.¡± Ren said, and Railyse leaned down and kissed him.
Notice!
You have been anointed by the future ruler of the Water Realm. All water-based enchantments, spells, and abilities have additional 15% bonus to their effects for the next 24 hours.
¡°Hey, it went up again.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You deserve much more than that, Assistant to the Ambassador.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Does that mean you''ve heard back from the capital city and King Alamast?¡± ¡°Yes, and they said they are still discussing things.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°They are playing with fire and are going to get burned.¡± Railyse winced, and Ren gave her a hug. ¡°I''m sorry, that''s just a figure of speech Adventurers have.¡± Ren said. ¡°It means someone is flirting with danger and are going to get hurt if they aren''t careful.¡± ¡°That''s an odd way to phrase it.¡± Railyse said and hugged him back. ¡°I will forgive you.¡± ¡°Would you like another treat before I go?¡± ¡°Ren, darling...¡± Railyse said and kissed the side of his eye where tears would form. ¡°...stop tempting me so much.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re just saying that because you''re full.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Railyse said and kissed his other eye. ¡°You also have work to do.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren said and let her out of the hug. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± Railyse nodded and went to shut the door to her room. ¡°Um... where''s my door?¡± ¡°In pieces.¡± Ren laughed and made her a new one. ¡°Bye!¡± Ren left the house and climbed onto Princess'' back and sat on the saddle. ¡°The Main House, please.¡± Right away. Princess thought to him, then ran at a quarter of her speed until she was near the city''s North Gate and Ren had her stop by the man that sold him the sunflower ale twice before. Once again, he bought the entire stock of what the man had; which put the total Ren had in inventory at 25 barrels. Ren asked him to make as much of it as he could, and added him as a contact to the business menu. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± The man said. ¡°I told you that if it was good, I''d be back to buy more.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t know what this means for me and my family.¡± ¡°I have some idea.¡± Ren said and waved to the man, then had Princess run out the city''s North Gate and around to the West Gate and the path Ren had made before. It bypassed the heavier traffic that came from the capital city, and Princess ran for all she was worth. * ¡°I feel so bad.¡± Frikara said. ¡°He came to see us and we weren''t there.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Sally said. ¡°Ren is a forgiving soul.¡± ¡°You don''t understand.¡± Frikara said. ¡°He expected us to be there, and we weren''t.¡± She said and held back her tears. ¡°We were all out, and he wanted to see us.¡± Sally pat the short woman on the shoulder. ¡°Frikara.¡± She said, and then gave her a one-armed hug. ¡°Ren is going to be happy that you went out at all.¡± ¡°He... he will?¡± Sally nodded. ¡°I''ve known him for a long time. When he finds out what you and the other girls are planning, he''ll be more than happy to have missed a quick visit with you.¡± ¡°I... I hope so.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Otherwise, all of this planning wasn''t worth missing that one moment with him.¡± * Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves was not happy. ¡°What is wrong with you people?¡± She asked her chained captives. ¡°I''ve been reasonable, patient, and understanding!¡± ¡°I think that is the problem.¡± The healer said. ¡°They are scared, but they are not terrified of their Queen like they are supposed to be.¡± Lylyth sighed and rubbed her face. ¡°I''m trying not to fall into that trap.¡± She said. ¡°If I just kill indiscriminately, what would be the point? What would I gain, except unnecessary deaths?¡± ¡°That. Right there. That''s what''s different about you.¡± The healer said. ¡°You wouldn''t question yourself before.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Lylyth said and looked at her captives. None of them had said a single word to her, even when she threatened the family members she also held captive. ¡°The Royal Consort gave me a conscience.¡± One of the captives laughed, and a giant spider leg formed beside Lylyth and speared him through the face. It popped out the back of his skull, and when she withdrew the leg, blood and brains plopped out of both holes and onto the stone floor. ¡°I warned you.¡± Lylyth said as several large spiders picked up the tall corpse, unhooked it''s chains, and carried it away. ¡°No one disrespects me or the Royal Consort.¡± ¡°My Queen.¡± The healer said and looked at the captives. ¡°They disrespect you by not speaking.¡± All of the captives felt Terror then, and Lylyth sucked it all in and smiled. ¡°I believe you''re right.¡± Lylyth said and 4 giant spider legs formed around her. ¡°My... My Queen!¡± One of the Dark Elven Lords said. ¡°I... I will tell you.¡± ¡°No!¡± One of the others said and a spider leg speared through his head as well. The spiders pulled the corpse away, and unhooked the one who offered information. ¡°Speak and live.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°The other lords and I have seen your power wane and degrade over the last few months. We knew if this was to continue, the Elves would hear of it and take advantage of it.¡± Lylyth walked over to her throne and sat down. ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°Grimlow had the idea to...¡± ¡°Liar.¡± Lylyth said and two giant spider legs shot out and stopped when they touched the sides of his head. The Dark Elven Lord trembled at his almost immediate death and Terror spilled like a river from him. ¡°My... My Queen.¡± He nodded. ¡°We all gathered together and I am unsure who had the original idea.¡± Lylyth nodded. ¡°We discovered then that Grimlow already had one operation set up. He wouldn''t say how long he had it, but he said that it had been a complete success.¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°You were trying to build a mass of troops.¡± ¡°Yes, My Queen.¡± The Dark Elven Lord said. ¡°They were to be throwaway units to unleash upon the Elves, to cause them both disgust and distraction.¡± ¡°Oh, that it would.¡± Lylyth said and tried to hold in her laughter. ¡°Only it would work on my own army as well.¡± ¡°We... ah... hadn''t thought that part through, My Queen.¡± He said. ¡°We were working on it, however.¡± Lylyth shook her head. ¡°How many of these... operations... do you have?¡± ¡°Not counting Grimlow''s, since it''s troop production was stopped by the Royal Consort, we have 26 of them available.¡± ¡°Did... did you say twenty-six? You have twenty-six of these... ghoul factories?¡± ¡°Yes, My Queen.¡± ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°How many ghouls...¡± ¡°The Royal consort killed the last batch of just over 600 from Grimlow''s small-time operation. It had taken him 3 months to get that many ready. We knew his method could be more effective if made on a larger scale, so we ramped it up and can harvest at least that much from each of the other operations every month.¡± He smiled. ¡°Minimum.¡± ¡°...and the total so far?¡± Lylyth asked. She thought she would dread the answer, and she did. ¡°They''ve been in full operation for 3 months, My Queen.¡± The Dark Elven Lord said proudly. ¡°We have just over 50,000 ghouls ready for deployment.¡± Chapter 398 - Make Work Not Problems Ren and Princess made it back to his county a few minutes later, and came to a stop in front of the Pleasure Palace. The draw bridge was already made and was down, and one of the dancers stood at the door. It was the manager that Ren had appointed the night before. ¡°Your servants are awesome!¡± She said. ¡°They''ve already made the kitchen in the back tower, and the bar in the other back tower.¡± ¡°That''s great.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is there anything you need me to do?¡± ¡°You said you were going to set up the business part today?¡± Ren nodded and opened the Land Owner menu, and added the Pleasure Palace as a business. He made it Player Only and Adult Only, added the appropriate warnings, and set the NPCs to ignore it. He closed that menu and stepped close to the building and received the building owner menu. He set the girls as owners, so that they all had equal access; then set it so that the manager was the only one that could add new people for both access and jobs. ¡°I''ve already got someone to provide ale on a regular basis.¡± Ren said and told her the name, and she added it to her business menu. ¡°At least, I hope it''s enough.¡± He said. ¡°How many barrels of ale do you go through on a nightly basis?¡± ¡°At the Pink Pearl it just depended on the day.¡± She said. ¡°The most was on the weekends, and we would go through 3 to 5 barrels a real life night.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°When do you plan on opening?¡± ¡°We really wanted to open tonight.¡± She said. ¡°But with no food or ale...¡± ¡°I''ve got enough ale for tonight and tomorrow night, then.¡± Ren said and gave her 10 of the 25 barrels of sunflower ale he had. ¡°Until you get a cook, just tell the customers the kitchen is closed.¡± ¡°The kitchen was going to be the big selling point.¡± ¡°Hot naked women isn''t enough of a selling point?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled. ¡°They all offer hot naked women.¡± She said. ¡°We need a good hook to draw people in.¡± ¡°How about the castle theme?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s different, and appropriate for the setting.¡± She said. ¡°There''s not a lot of-¡± ¡°What about wolf fur bikinis?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''ve got 30 wolf pelts soaking in treatment solution. It normally takes a day to dry, but I''ll rig up something to make it go faster.¡± ¡°Wolf pelts.¡± She said. ¡°You... want us to wear...¡± ¡°Not all of you...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°...and probably only when you''re serving drinks.¡± ¡°What about...¡± ¡°I''ll have some nice outfits made by this evening.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe even a cloak or two.¡± ¡°Well... I guess...¡± ¡°I''d tell you to trust me, but I''d rather you trust yourself and make this work.¡± She nodded and Ren smiled at her. ¡°I''ve excluded NPCs from seeing the place, but you can still hire them for jobs to bypass that.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± She said. ¡°I wasn''t sure how to do that.¡± ¡°I''ll get to work on those outfits after I deliver... oh, hey. You need to eat, too.¡± Ren said and took out his icebox. He gave her 12 plates of food and she stored them. ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°I''ll ask the locals if they have some ingredients they can spare, and then I''ll see what I can whip up in the kitchen to last you the next few days until you get a regular cook.¡± ¡°That would be great.¡± She said. Ren walked with Princess over to the Refugee Center, dropped off 30 meals there, and walked over to the Main House and put her inside. Teepo took flight and flew with Ren as he went around to the back of the building and the pelt treatment basin he had placed there. Ren quickly built a shed to hang the pelts in, then transferred them from the treatment solution to the shed.
Stat Change!
Tanning Level 1 (Intermediate 0%) - Treat pelts for curing.
¡°Now... I need heat, not flame.¡± Ren said and took out his Book of Runes. ¡°Okay, here''s the Fire rune.¡± He drew that, and looked at it. ¡°If I make it smaller and add lines to it, like swirling heat is coming off of it, maybe?¡± Ren drew it and looked at it. ¡°All I want is the heat, though... so I don''t need the fire part.¡± He said and wiped the Fire rune off. He put his hand on the drawing and poured Mana into it as he thought Heat. The drawing disappeared, and a moment later reappeared at the top of the page. Ren smiled when he read it.
Rune of Heat
This rune generates 5% Heat. The more runes you have on an item, the hotter it gets. Warning: Depending on the enchanted item, enough Heat runes will cause it to ignite and become Fire instead.
¡°Sweet.¡± Ren said and did his glyph creation trick and imagined 2 runes as a glyph, then 3 and so on until he reached 10. It filled both pages in the book, and he took out several stone bricks. He enchanted them with a glyph of 3 runes each for Heat, and added them to the floor of the shed. He activated them, and the Heat inside the small shed increased instantly. ¡°I''ll leave them for an hour.¡± Ren said and closed the shed, then took out his Instant Tower and activated it. ¡°Teepo? Scout position, please. Let me know the instant you see Elerlyth, and when an hour has past.¡± ¡°Yes, Ren.¡± Teepo said and flew up to land on top of the tower. He''s not really angry at me anymore, but he''s not going to forgive me for a while. Ren sighed because he could feel how Teepo felt, and went into the tower to make some outfits for the dancers. Since he wasn''t in any rush, Ren sat for half an hour and just thought up patterns. Once he had enough ideas, he set to work. With his own Tailor shop, he had lots of room to work; and he did outfit after outfit for another half an hour. ¡°Ren, it''s been an hour.¡± Teepo said. Ren left the tower and went to the drying shack. He opened the door and the smell of the treatment solution was greatly reduced. He touched the pelts and they were still damp. He added runes to the stone bricks to bring the heat up to 40% on each of them, set the pile of fresh planks he had on the floor behind the bricks, and went back to the tower. Ren used the forge and made reproductions for swords, shields, bucklers, pikes, and even helmets with horns. They were actually spider fangs; but, when he dyed them beige they looked just like horns and he used his Gem Setting skill to attach them to the metal helmets. He made plaques to hang the items from, so they would stand out on the stone walls, and assembled them to look good. ¡°It''s been another hour.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought and went back out to the drying shack. Both the planks and the pelts were perfectly dry, and he received a popup.
Stat Change!
Tanning Level 2 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren stored the pelts and planks and deactivated the stone bricks. He changed the enchantments on the bricks to a single glyph of 10 runes of Heat because that would be enough to dry anything he wanted in an hour. He closed the shack and went back into the tower. Ren took out each of the 30 wolf pelts and trimmed them properly, so that there were no frayed edges, and decided that cloaks would be the best use for them. He used the dire wolf cloak pattern and cut out the parts he would need from the wolf pelts, which kept the heads as the top of the hoods. He cut off the legs, since they weren''t necessary to have, and used that extra fabric to make fur bikinis. He lined them with actual cloth so that the pelt wouldn''t touch the skin directly, and he made 4 dozen of them in various styles, and thanks to the coloring of the fur on the wolves, each and every bikini had different patterns on it. Ren was tempted to dye them different colors, but he didn''t want them to look fake. He hated how much it bothered him about all of the fake things the Pink Pearl had, and he wasn''t going to do that for the Pleasure Palace. When he was done and stored everything, he received another popup.
Stat Change!
Leatherworking Level 9 (Intermediate 0%)
¡°Boy, I''ve really let some skills slide, huh.¡± Ren said. He left the tower, spoke the command word, and stored it. He walked over to the Main House and went inside to the Mayor''s office. ¡°Have you calmed down at all?¡± Patty asked without even saying hello first.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Kind of.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m still mad, mainly because she told me not to be.¡± ¡°That''s usually how it works.¡± Patty laughed. ¡°If she told you not to be, then she did something that would make you that way.¡± ¡°It''s not even that she left.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s that she did it and didn''t tell me, then made sure I couldn''t follow her or even contact her.¡± ¡°Did you try sending her a message?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, because she wouldn''t answer it.¡± ¡°She cut you off completely, and that made you angry.¡± Patty said. ¡°You must really like her if she can bring out such emotions in you, when all she did was leave.¡± Ren opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. ¡°Is there any way I can buy food ingredients around here? Without hurting the local population''s food supply.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Patty said and leaned out the window in her office. ¡°Russell!¡± ¡°Yes''um.¡± Russell said when he came to a stop by her window. ¡°Head on over to the McCallister farm and see what extra ingredients they have.¡± ¡°Tee-one was there yesterday.¡± Russell said. ¡°They hauled in their entire crop.¡± ¡°They WHAT?!?¡± ¡°Yeah, with that newfangled wheel thing and all them attachments, they even replanted the field.¡± ¡°But... that''s almost 3 months of food that''s going to go to waste!¡± Patty said. ¡°Tee-one made them a storage cellar.¡± Russell said. ¡°He said it''ll keep for a month, and then they would have to cook them to keep them longer.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I can run over and see how much they want to sell, considering there''s no way they can use up all of them vegetables.¡± Russell said. ¡°I''ll go with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why make two trips, right?¡± Russell nodded. ¡°Follow me.¡± Ren looked at Patty. ¡°Thanks for your help.¡± He said and left the office, then ran after Russell with Teepo flying above them. * ¡°You will stop production of ghouls immediately.¡± Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves said as she let her giant spider legs fade away from holding the Dark Elven Lord''s head still. ¡°50,000 of them is more than enough for our needs.¡± ¡°But, My Queen! The High Elves have 200,000 troops in their standing army!¡± The Dark Elven Lord said. ¡°50,000 ghouls against them will be less than nothing!¡± Lylyth laughed. ¡°I can''t believe how short-sighted you are.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Even if we had twice that, I wouldn''t send them against the High Elves troops.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°That would be a waste.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°They may be ferocious and deadly, but they are not trained fighters. Even the High Elves basic formations would tear them apart.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I was tempted to have the ghouls completely exterminated at first; but, I believe you have given me the perfect opportunity.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°A demoralizing delay tactic, of course.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°My Queen, you just said that they wouldn''t make any difference when used against trained soldiers.¡± ¡°Who said I would be sending them after the soldiers?¡± Lylyth smiled, and the captives in her throne room felt a spike of happiness that their foolish plan had brought about the return of the Queen that they needed for the coming battle. * It took about 10 minutes for Ren and Russell to reach the McCallister farm, and Russell ran right up to the front door and knocked. ¡°Yes, what is... oh! Hi, Russell.¡± A young woman said when she opened the door. ¡°Hi, Kellie.¡± Russell said, and Ren felt the mutual attraction they felt. ¡°What brings a big strong boy like you all the way over here?¡± ¡°Ah...¡± Russell glanced back at Ren. ¡°Oh, right! Vegetables! He needs vegetables.¡± Ren could feel how nervous Russell was, and how much Kellie liked that he was nervous. Who wrote this? He thought. Russell might be tall, but he''s only 10 years old for crying out loud. He looked at Kellie. She looks like she''s 12, maybe 13. He shook his head. I''m going to have to message the tech guys and see what''s up with this garbage. ¡°That''s great!¡± Kellie said. ¡°Mom! Russell''s here and he brought someone to buy the extra food!¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Her mother said and came over to the front door. When she saw who it was behind Russell, she gasped. ¡°M-my L-lord.¡± She said and gave Ren a quick curtsy. ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°I''d like to buy your extra vegetables.¡± ¡°Of course, My Lord.¡± The mother said and stepped out of the house. ¡°Your servant dug us a wonderful storage space, so the least we can do is let you have some of our overstock.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and followed the woman around the house to a small shack. That looks just like the one in the village. He thought and when she opened the door, they went down the ramp and into an underground storage space just like the one he had made for the wheat. This one was nearly full with bushels of vegetables. ¡°How much can I take, and what do I owe you?¡± ¡°I actually don''t know.¡± The woman said. ¡°We usually only grow enough each time for people to eat, and this is the first time we''ve had everything in at once.¡± ¡°I''m sorry if I''ve caused any trouble for you.¡± Ren said, and the woman laughed. ¡°Far from it.¡± She said. ¡°With this and the large icebox upstairs, we can make our normal rations last twice as long; which is long after the next batch of vegetables are set to sprout.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The woman nodded. ¡°It usually takes a long time to plant everything properly, but that farm vehicle of yours just does everything we could ever need.¡± ¡°That''s how I designed it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had a farmer come to me for help once, and since I didn''t know what crops he had, the attachments needed to be versatile.¡± ¡°That it is.¡± She said. ¡°We''ve even expanded out to include the bare land around the farm.¡± ¡°That''s what I was hoping for.¡± Ren said. ¡°With spaced out water producing items and rotating the crops...¡± ¡°...our farm production has gone up almost 200% with just the original field.¡± She said. ¡°We''ll have to wait for the next crop to see what kind of yield we get from the expansion before we know what the actual increase is.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m glad what I''ve started is actually helping you.¡± ¡°If we become an actual food producer, instead of only getting out what we put in...¡± She smiled. ¡°...my daughter is still single.¡± ¡°MOM!¡± The woman laughed. ¡°I''m just kidding.¡± She said; but, when her daughter turned away, she winked at Ren. ¡°I''m going with the ''just kidding'' part.¡± Ren said, which made her laugh again. ¡°I''m pretty sure you can take about a third of this without causing any kind of food shortage.¡± The woman said. Teepo, how many bushels are there? Ren asked. ¡°826.¡± ¡°I''ll take 199 bushels, so there won''t be any chance you might not have enough.¡± Ren said and stored them. They took up only a single slot, thanks to his Improved Storage, and he smiled at the woman. ¡°Now, about the price...¡± ¡°I told you, we''ve only been growing to eat. I have no idea what to charge you.¡± ¡°I have some idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can get a good meal for about 30 copper in Aurora, or an expensive meal for a gold and 50 silver.¡± Both the girl''s and the woman''s mouths dropped open in shock, and Ren almost laughed at their identical expressions. ¡°Depending on how you use the vegetables, you could get maybe 10 meals out of each bushel.¡± ¡°T-t-ten meals? At 30 copper each?¡± The woman couldn''t believe it. ¡°Now, that''s with a huge population and a high turnover.¡± Ren said. ¡°Out here, with a small population and no other income...¡± The woman sighed and nodded. ¡°They are only worth what someone is willing to pay for them.¡± ¡°With that reasoning, I''m hoping to bring more people into the county.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, to be fair, I can only give you 10 copper per meal.¡± The woman stared at him. ¡°Are... are you...¡± She took several deep breaths. ¡°That''s... My Lord, I...¡± ¡°With 10 meals per bushel at 10 copper each, that''s 1 silver coin per bushel of vegetables.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know I''m undercutting you a little; but, I''m still assuming that I can sell the meals.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Do you have a coin pouch?¡± Ren asked, and the woman shook her head. He took one out and put 199 silver into it. ¡°There you are.¡± The woman just stared at the coin pouch and didn''t want to believe it. She held more money in her hands than she could have ever imagined. Ren felt her disbelief and pat her arm without touching her skin. ¡°Just equip it.¡± Ren said and she did so, then she gasped when the illusion of it not being true disappeared. ¡°You... you really gave me almost 2 gold coins.¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± Ren said and took out another 10 silver. ¡°I forgot the tip.¡± He said and handed it to her. ¡°Thank you for letting me buy so much.¡± ¡°Y-y-you''re w-welcome.¡± The woman said, quite shaken. ¡°It might not be the last time I come to see you, or send someone else to you to buy more.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have a good day, Mrs. McCallister.¡± ¡°I... I will.¡± The woman said. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± ¡°Let''s get back to the Main House, Russell.¡± Ren said and took Russell''s arm. ¡°R-right.¡± Russell said. ¡°Bye, Kallie.¡± ¡°Bye, Russell! See you later!¡± Ren and Russell ran back to the Main House and went into the Mayor''s office. ¡°Did they have enough food for you?¡± Patty asked. ¡°More than I thought, and the potential for a lot more.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I need meat.¡± ¡°You''ll have to go down to the far corner of the county for that.¡± Patty said. ¡°We needed them as far away from the food crops as possible.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I saw the animal count.¡± He said, then looked at her. ¡°Did my suggestion work? Feed the chickens more grain to make them happier and they lay more eggs?¡± ¡°It worked like a charm, especially with all the extra wheat we harvested.¡± Patty said and smiled. ¡°What''s it like to be right all the time?¡± ¡°Satisfying.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. It was unrestrained and delightful, and Ren basked in the emotions from her because he couldn''t remember if he had heard her laugh before. He couldn''t absorb the emotions, since he wasn''t touching her; but, he liked them nonetheless. ¡°You have a nice laugh.¡± Ren said when she stopped, and her face flushed a little red. ¡°Don''t be embarrassed by that.¡± He said. ¡°I just can''t remember hearing it before, and I wanted you to know I liked it.¡± ¡°T-thank you.¡± Patty''s face went a deeper red, and she looked at Russell. ¡°T-t-the Bautman farm.¡± Russell nodded and led Ren outside, then he ran at full speed. Ren kept up with him easily, even without the extra boosts from his armor and rings. I really should fix the rings. Ren thought. I have to pull them apart and enchant the small diamonds again, though. He sighed, then thought of something. Hey, maybe I don''t. He smiled and ran behind Russell. That might just work. They arrived at the animal farm half an hour later, and Russell knocked on the front door. ¡°Yes, what... oh! Hi, Russell!¡± A young girl said when she opened the door. ¡°Hi, Sam.¡± Russell said. Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Ren thought as Russell and the girl exchanged pleasantries, and he felt the mutual attraction between them. Yeah, I''m definitely going to have to message the tech guys about this. ¡°Mom!¡± The girl said. ¡°Someone''s here to buy meat!¡± A woman came out to the front door and saw Ren behind Russell and gasped. ¡°M-my L-lord.¡± She said and gave Ren a curtsy. ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°I''d like to buy some meat.¡± ¡°We have quite a lot still on the hoof, but we don''t keep a stock of raw meat.¡± The woman said. ¡°It goes bad too quickly.¡± ¡°That''s understandable.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are any of your cows and pigs for sale?¡± ¡°About a third of the herd is available for butchering.¡± ¡°Excellent. I''ll take 3 cows, fully butchered and cut into proper pieces.¡± Ren said. ¡°What about the pigs?¡± ¡°I''m sorry, My Lord.¡± The woman said. ¡°All the pigs are spoken for.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said, sadly. ¡°I really like bacon.¡± ¡°There''s always hope, My Lord.¡± The woman smiled. ¡°The sows are coming up on breeding time.¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°I can buy future pigs?¡± The woman nodded. ¡°Each breeding season the local families bid on the ones they want; but, the last time we were light on both feed and room, so the yield was lower than normal and it was only pick and take this time.¡± ¡°Then give the pigs more room.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want you to increase the yield.¡± ¡°My Lord, it doesn''t quite work that way.¡± ¡°Then I want my own separate pig growing section.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll give you another plot of land for it.¡± ¡°M-my L-lord, are you... you... can you do that?¡± ¡°Grow what you want for the town, and make sure that they have enough to pick and choose like you always do; but, I want you to double it.¡± Ren said. ¡°How long does a pig take to grow?¡± ¡°With food and space, it can be at butcher size in just over 3 months.¡± ¡°What''s butcher size?¡± The woman looked at Ren like he was crazy, and he held in his laughter. ¡°Usually 250 pounds.¡± ¡°Two hundred... and fifty... pounds.¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her. ¡°That... that''s like 30 pounds of bacon per pig!¡± The woman chuckled. ¡°That''s a really good guess, actually.¡± She said. ¡°There''s about 23 to 26 pounds, depending on if its male or female.¡± ¡°Ma''am.¡± Ren said and stood up straight. ¡°Mrs. Bautman. Please extend your pig farming operation to double it''s capacity.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren opened the Land Owner menu and entered the name Bautman, and the outline for the land they used appeared. ¡°Yes, I see. You''ve been hemmed in by the land border.¡± He looked at her. ¡°How much more land?¡± ¡°Ah... another acre would suffice.¡± The woman said, and still didn''t quite believe it was happening. Ren extended the entire edge of their land by an acre into the bare land beside her farm. ¡°You now have another acre along the entire length of your land.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°It''s only unused land and doesn''t look suitable for grazing; but, I''ll fix that with some well-placed irrigation.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you need a corral built or anything? A barn? A feed station?¡± The woman just stood there and stared at him. ¡°I''ll build it all for you, Mrs. Bautman.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just tell me what you need to make my bacon!¡± Chapter 399 - Good Intentions Mrs. Bautman told Ren what she needed to get the pig production doubled, and Ren did it all for her while she went into the barn and butchered the 3 cows he wanted. He made a large open corral for the pigs, a huge water and mud pen for them to play in, a feed station with a churner to chop up old vegetables and mix with grains to add to a trough, and a big barn to house the pigs in during the night. Ren even used his Staff of Earth to make a water delivery system of angled troughs to spread water over the barren land next to hers, so she could have the cows graze more. When he was done, he went and got her to show her the new setup. ¡°How... how did you...¡± Mrs. Bautman shook her head. ¡°You''ve done in hours what my entire family took years to build!¡± ¡°Please, don''t let my speed in building take away from what you''ve worked so hard to make.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m a crafter, and building things is my specialty. It''s what I do.¡± He said. ¡°Once I have a plan, I can execute it quickly, assuming I have the resources available.¡± ¡°You mean that.¡± She said and pointed to his Instant Tower. ¡°I''ve only just recently made it, and it''s come in handy several times already.¡± Ren said. ¡°Does it bother you that much?¡± ¡°You built a castle tower in the middle of my grazing field!¡± She said, a little angrily. ¡°A castle tower!¡± ¡°I''ll get it out of your way, then.¡± Ren chuckled, deactivated the Instant Tower, and stored the 2 inch wide cube. Her mouth dropped open when the very solid tower disappeared, and there wasn''t even a trace of it''s presence. No marks on the ground, no flattened grass, nothing. ¡°What... what...¡± ¡°I think that''s everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°How much do I need to bid on the first batch of piglets?¡± ¡°My Lord.¡± Mrs. Bautman said. ¡°You just... they are free, My Lord.¡± ¡°You need to make or buy extra feed for them, so let me give you the money for that at least.¡± She looked around at the nice new barn, the corral and mud pen, and the feed station. She couldn''t even guess at what that would have cost her in traded favors and cuts of animal meat. ¡°Build me another feed station for the other pigs, and you will only have to pay for the butchering when your piglets are butcher size.¡± ¡°Well... I guess that''s a fair deal.¡± Ren said and held a hand out, and he didn''t try to feed from her when she shook it. ¡°How long will it take to make it?¡± Mrs. Bautman asked and looked at the thing. Inside was a twisting and turning blade that chopped everything up. She turned the crank like Ren had shown her, and she pushed the button. It churned around slowly and she nodded because that would make the right kind of sludge that the pigs just loved to eat. ¡°I already made it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s installed in the old barn and ready to be used.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°It wouldn''t be fair if only my pigs benefited from a better feed system.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I want them all to eat and be happy.¡± Mrs. Bautman closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°I just gave away 3 months of feed for nothing.¡± ¡°I offered to pay for it.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I suppose I could pay for the butchering now.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Mrs. Bautman opened her eyes. ¡°You don''t even know how many pigs you''ll have!¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± He said. ¡°As long as I can get at least one pig with 25 pounds of bacon...¡± He almost drooled, but caught himself before he did. ¡°...I''ll be a happy man.¡± ¡°You''re crazy.¡± Mrs. Bautman said. ¡°Yep.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, how much is a normal butchering?¡± ¡°It''s usually a portion of the cuts, most times some of the best cuts.¡± She said. ¡°That''s what you''re taking from the cows I wanted?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I''ll want the whole pig for most of them.¡± He said. ¡°Minus the heads, hooves, and insides of course. You can keep those.¡± Mrs. Bautman chuckled. ¡°You can make some great soup-¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± Ren said and cut her off. ¡°I''ll stick with the normal parts.¡± ¡°It usually takes half an hour to butcher an entire pig.¡± Mrs. Bautman said. ¡°The cows took an hour each.¡± ¡°I can''t believe you just give the meat away.¡± Ren said. ¡°People usually provide the feed for their animals, so it doesn''t cost us anything extra, except for the time it took to look after them.¡± ¡°Then since I didn''t pay for the feed for those three cows, let me give you something for them, too.¡± ¡°You''re our Lord, My Lord.¡± The woman said. ¡°Even charging for the butchering makes me feel uncomfortable.¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am not leaving here until you accept some kind of payment.¡± ¡°My Lord, you just gave us 64 acres of land and built a barn that we would have to owe nearly the entire village at least one cut of meat.¡± Mrs. Bautman said. ¡°I made the mistake of not accepting your generous offer for feed for the first set of pigs. Please don''t embarrass me further.¡± ¡°Ma''am.¡± Ren stepped close to her. ¡°I am going to want more than just the first set of pigs.¡± He said. ¡°When the rest of the county gets up to speed, we are going to be producing lots of everything that people will need. Food, wheat and grains, animals, everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want us to get to the point that we can make so much more excess than we need that we can sell it and not worry about our own citizens having to go without.¡± ¡°M-my L-lord.¡± ¡°I''ll give you a down payment for all future pig production.¡± Ren said. ¡°You seem to have enough cattle, and I might be back to get more; but, my focus is bacon... ah, I mean pigs.¡± He smiled. ¡°Do you have a coin pouch?¡± Mrs. Bautman nodded, and Ren handed her a platinum coin. She stared at it and held it like it was going to bite her, and he laughed. ¡°It''s just money.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is that enough?¡± ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± ¡°If you need anything, send a message to Patty at the Main House. She''s got the budget for the county, and if a platinum coin isn''t enough for you to buy what you want, she''ll get it for you.¡± ¡°M-my Lord.¡± ¡°It''s getting late.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I pick up the butchered cows?¡± Mrs. Bautman nodded and took Ren to the old barn and he helped wrap up the meat and stored it. ¡°Thank you, ma''am.¡± Ren said and gave her a slight bow. ¡°I''ll see you again when I come to visit my bacon.¡± ¡°You mean pigs.¡± ¡°That''s what I said.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Goodbye, Mrs. Bautman.¡± ¡°Goodbye, My Lord.¡± Ren left the farm and ran as hard as he could back to the Main House. Once there, he detoured into the bakery and stopped just inside the door. ¡°Oh, I love that smell!¡± Ren said, and several customers turned to look at him. He waved to them and went to the counter. ¡°How''s the bread today?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Rising.¡± Ramona, Russell''s mother said seductively. Ren smiled at her, because he could feel that she was trying her best to exude sexiness. She leaned on the counter and her apron gaped at the top, and Ren saw that she was only wearing a small low cut top underneath. ¡°Give me two of your best loaves.¡± Ren said in a slightly lower voice. ¡°Right away, My Lord.¡± Ramona purred and leaned forward just enough to show Ren most of her chest. She stood up straight and turned around, and he was surprised to see that she was wearing pants. She walked over to a shelf and her hips swayed from side to side. It was almost hypnotic, especially since she wasn''t trying to exaggerate it at all. She stood up on her toes to reach the top shelf and braced herself with a hand. Ren could see her struggle, and she started to lose her balance. He jumped over the counter in an instant and crossed the short distance; and when her hand slipped and she started to fall, he caught her in his arms and she looked up at him with wide eyes. ¡°You need to be a little more careful when reaching for things.¡± Ren said. Ramona''s face flushed a little red. ¡°I was... trying... to seduce you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and leaned in close to whisper. ¡°You''re even wearing pants.¡± Her face flushed to a deeper red. ¡°I heard that... you were back, and...¡± ¡°You didn''t have to wear odd clothes just for me.¡± ¡°They felt weird at first, but... they are oddly comfortable.¡± Ramona said. ¡°It''s also easier to bake wearing them instead of a dress.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Thank you for thinking of me.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll give you a step ladder, so you won''t have to reach so far.¡± ¡°I would appreciate that, My Lord.¡± Ramona said and touched his cheek. ¡°You can stand her up now.¡± Betsie said, and Ren looked up at her. ¡°You caught her already. You don''t have to keep holding onto her.¡± With Ren''s new ability, he could tell how envious Betsie was of her sister. Ren wasn''t sure if it was because her sister had a much larger chest, more curves, or attracted more attention; but, it didn''t really matter. Ren stood up and helped Ramona stand up. He straightened out her apron and wiped off some imagined dust from her shoulder and looked at Betsie. ¡°Please accept my apologies for rescuing a damsel in distress.¡± Ren said. ¡°I acted out of chivalry and without regard to anyone else.¡± Betsie started to feel like Ren was mocking her, and he took her hand to stop her thoughts from going in that direction. ¡°Please, don''t worry. If I am here and you start to fall, I will do what I can to rescue you as well.¡± Ren said. He moved his thumb in a slow circle on the side of her hand, and he could feel that it was distracting her. ¡°Your sister was kind enough to get me 2 loaves of bread when I asked, and now I think I''d like some fried dough as well.¡± Betsie took several shallow breaths and tried not to look at the hand Ren still held. ¡°I''ll get you some.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would a dozen be too much?¡± ¡°The deep fryer you made can handle twice that, easily.¡± ¡°Then please, make me 2 dozen.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°I''ll leave it in your capable hands.¡± Betsie nodded, but she didn''t try to take her hand back. ¡°Come on, I''ll help.¡± Gemma said and pulled Betsie''s hand from Ren''s. They both went to the deep fryer and added 2 dozen pieces of dough. ¡°That was nice of you.¡± Ramona said. ¡°Hm?¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°You''re using your charm on her to distract her from hating me.¡± Ren leaned in close to whisper. ¡°She doesn''t hate you.¡± ¡°No, she just wants to be me and hates that she can''t be.¡± Ramona said with a sad smile and gave Ren two loaves of bread. ¡°How much do I owe you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°2 copper coins each.¡± ¡°That... that''s all?¡± ¡°No one has a lot of money here.¡± Ramona said. ¡°Besides you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Let me change that.¡± He said. ¡°I assume this is the very first purchase you''ve had?¡± Ramona nodded, and Ren gave her a coin pouch. He also gave her 2 gold coins, and her hand shook as she put the two coins into the pouch. ¡°M-my L-lord.¡± Ramona said. ¡°You could buy out the entire bakery with 2 gold coins.¡± ¡°Shh. That''s your money.¡± Ren said and gave her 4 copper coins for the loaves of bread. ¡°I''d suggest increasing your price when people not originally from the village start to come in here.¡± No sooner had the words left his mouth when a man came in through the door. ¡°What is that wonderful smell?¡± ¡°They are called doughs.¡± Ren said immediately. ¡°They''re 2 copper each, and if you buy a dozen they are only 20 copper!¡± ¡°Wow, 4 copper coins off?¡± The man said. ¡°I''ll take a dozen!¡± ¡°But... you haven''t even tasted them yet.¡± Ramona said, surprised. ¡°If they taste half as good as they smell, I''ll buy another dozen.¡± The man said and took in a deep breath through his nose. ¡°You better give me a loaf of bread, too.¡± ¡°They''re only 10 copper each.¡± Ren said and took out the two loaves he had. ¡°I had to buy 2 of them at that price!¡± ¡°They''re 15 copper where I came from.¡± The man said. ¡°You''re right. That''s a good deal.¡± He said and came over to the counter. ¡°Make it two loaves.¡± Ramona looked at the man, and then at Ren. Ren winked at her, and she nodded slightly. He took out a step ladder for her, and she grabbed two loaves of bread. ¡°Here are your doughs, My Lord.¡± Betsie said and handed Ren a plate with 2 dozen butter and sugar coated doughs on it. He picked one up and bit into it, and Ramona put the two loaves of bread on the counter in front of the man. ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Ren almost moaned, and he felt a spike of want from the man. ¡°Betsie, you need to put on another batch.¡± He said. ¡°This gentleman wants 2 dozen as well.¡± Ren felt like the man was going to protest and say only 1 dozen, and held the plate out to him. ¡°Try one.¡± The man took one and bit it, chewed it a little, then shoved the rest of it into his mouth. ¡°Mesh, mwo mozen.¡± Betsie laughed and nodded, and went back to the deep fryer. Ren finished eating the dough he had and stored the plate to save the others for later, then walked around the counter. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Ren said to the man. ¡°Can I ask what you did in your other town?¡± ¡°I used to run the Inn.¡± The man said. ¡°Of course, once my wife was... well, you know.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''d like to come over to the Refugee Center and talk to you all about what you''re going to do now.¡± ¡°You''re a step ahead of us, then.¡± The man chuckled. ¡°We''re just trying to figure out where the next meal is coming from.¡± ¡°I''ve been delivering the meals.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not for lunch you haven''t.¡± ¡°Oh, dammit.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry. I had something happen this morning that completely threw me off.¡± The man smiled. ¡°That seems to be going around.¡± ¡°Here are your doughs, sir.¡± Betsie said, and the man counted. He reached into his coin pouch, and Ren put a hand on his arm. ¡°It''s on me.¡± Ren said and handed Betsie 60 copper coins, then 3 more for the tip. ¡°Thank you, Betsie.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, My Lord.¡± Betsie said and Ramona held open her coin pouch. Betsie piled the money inside and both women stared at Ren. ¡°Ladies, if you will excuse me, this gentleman and I need to rectify a mistake I made this morning.¡± ¡°Have a good day, My Lord.¡± Ramona said. Ren and the man left the bakery and walked over to the Refugee Center. They gathered everyone together, and Ren apologized for missing their meal for lunch. ¡°You almost missed supper, too!¡± The young marked man said. ¡°Ow!¡± He said when his sister hit him. ¡°I normally only eat breakfast and a late supper, since I''m usually too busy to do anything else.¡± Ren said and handed out plates of food. ¡°Even today, when I had nothing that needed to be done, I ended up being busy anyway.¡± ¡°That''s always the way.¡± The older marked lady said. ¡°I''ve lost count of how many days I had off at the kitchen in the town hall, and still had to cook for the old goats.¡± Several people laughed, and Ren nodded. ¡°How are your cooking skills now?¡± ¡°Considering I was still working there when I was kidnapped two weeks ago, they''re pretty good.¡± ¡°How would you like your own cafeteria that provides affordable meals for Adventurers, and anyone that visits the county?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I''d ask you if you like sleeping with older ladies.¡± She said, and several people laughed. ¡°I... ah... don''t think you need to thank me that much, Ma''am.¡± Ren said, and that made them laugh more. ¡°You have dashed my hopes, young man!¡± She said and laughed. ¡°But... once again, I''ll gladly take your generous offer.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°I suggest that if you need helpers, see if anyone here wants the job before asking the locals.¡± He smiled. ¡°Actually, now that you''re going to be living here, you''re the locals, too.¡± The older lady nodded. Ren looked at the man he had met in the bakery. ¡°I''ll build an inn down the road as well, so you can get back to work.¡± He said. ¡°You might not have a lot of business right away, but I hope to change that soon.¡± The man nodded and hugged his wife. ¡°I''d like to hear what everyone else used to do, now that I''ve got you all here.¡± Ren said. One of the marked men used to be a member of the militia for the town, and had learned various fighting tactics. He had even trained as a town guard before being kidnapped. ¡°I''d like to hire you right away.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t expect any trouble, but there''s supposed to be guards posted at the Main House.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''d also like to have people placed at strategic locations around the county.¡± ¡°Basic defensive tactics.¡± The man said. ¡°I don''t know if I can train any of the locals in everything I know, but...¡± He smiled. ¡°I know a few tricks that can help.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll have some kind of Barracks built by tomorrow.¡± ¡°How are you... no, I don''t want to know how you can do so much so quickly.¡± The man said. ¡°I look forward to working for you, My Lord.¡± ¡°I''m having 60 horses delivered sometime this week, so transportation won''t be a problem soon.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which reminds me, again, that I need to build carts.¡± Two of the women had been teachers. One had been taken with a small group of children, and ended up becoming marked. The children had been too small for the process and hadn''t made it, and because the both of them had lost their students, the other teacher had come along with her friend into exile. Ren walked over to the marked woman and knelt, and she had tears in her eyes after telling the story. Ren had felt her sorrow and had surprisingly fed from it. It tasted horrible, but he could tell as he consumed it that the woman felt better and better about it. She reached out and touched the back of Ren''s hand, where the skull and spider mark was, and she touched the spot over her heart where her skull mark was. ¡°You''re taking it for me.¡± She said. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said, and his tears matched her own. ¡°I just know that I can carry some of your burden, and I''m going to do that.¡± ¡°My Lord... I... thank you.¡± The woman sobbed and Ren hugged her. ¡°I''m not going to lie and say that things are going to be all right from now on.¡± Ren said, and the woman''s sobs broke apart and she chuckled. ¡°But that''s the best lie to tell.¡± She said and let him out of the hug. ¡°It''s also the most damaging.¡± Ren said. ¡°What I can say is that you will get through this.¡± He pat her hand, stood up, and looked at the others. ¡°We all will.¡± They all nodded, and Ren felt a general sense of hope from them. ¡°Now, what else can you do?¡± Ren asked, and they all told him what they could do. He listened to their list of skills and abilities, then smiled as he realized that he had received the best and broadest skill set that anyone could have ever asked for in such a small group of people. Chapter 400 - Pleasure Palace In a skills total, Ren found out there was an innkeeper, a cook, 2 teachers, a guard, a junior tailor specializing in shoes, a junior blacksmith, a healer that hadn''t passed the tests, a farmer and his family, a merchant, a baker, a miner, a woodcutter, a cart driver, a stable hand, a rope maker, a librarian, and even a courtesan. The woman had been reluctant to admit it at first; but, after everyone encouraged her to tell Ren what she did, she nodded and whispered it in his ear. ¡°Can I talk to you privately for a moment or two?¡± She asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°Please excuse us for a few minutes.¡± Ren said to the others, and she led him down the hall and to her own bedroom. She shut the door behind them and leaned against it. ¡°My name is Dalli, and my... skills... are pretty much useless to help the community.¡± She said, and started to open her dress. ¡°But, I can still be useful.¡± Ren touched her hands and she stopped moving. ¡°Why did you come here?¡± ¡°I...¡± Dalli sighed. ¡°To start over. In a small town, it doesn''t take long for rumors to spread.¡± Ren felt that she was telling the truth. ¡°Ma''am, if you want to keep using your skills, then I have an idea you might like.¡± ¡°My Lord.¡± Dalli smiled seductively and started moving her hands again. Ren took them in his to stop her. ¡°I didn''t mean with me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, I do appreciate the offer.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°I''ll show you.¡± Ren said and buttoned up her dress. ¡°Come with me.¡± They left her room and walked back to the meeting area. ¡°I''ll get started on the Inn, Barracks and Cafeteria right after I see about getting this young woman a job.¡± Ren said. ¡°The work crews will be here in the morning to start building your homes.¡± Everyone thanked him, and Ren led Dalli up the street with Teepo flying behind. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Dalli asked. Ren took her off the road, across the parking lot, and to the Pleasure Palace. ¡°Why is there a woman standing in the middle of nowhere?¡± Dalli asked, and Ren smiled. ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± The Manager said. ¡°Who''s this?¡± ¡°Hopefully a new worker.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s a courtesan, and her skills might be just what you need.¡± ¡°Oh... oh, Ren!¡± The Manager said happily. ¡°What a great idea! A professional girlfriend!¡± ¡°A... a what?¡± Dalli asked. ¡°That''s just an Adventurer''s name for courtesan.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± The woman said and smiled. ¡°I''m quite good at it.¡± ¡°I''m sure you are.¡± The Manager said. ¡°How much do you get paid?¡± ¡°It depends on the client.¡± Dalli said. ¡°I usually accept presents instead of money, though.¡± ¡°Hm. Well... I''m sure we can work something out.¡± The Manager said. ¡°Dalli will need her own space.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was thinking an apartment on the top floor of one of the towers.¡± ¡°A private apartment that players can rent by the hour!¡± The Manager said. ¡°Ren! You''re just full of great ideas!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Can you add her as an employee?¡± ¡°I''d be happy to.¡± The Manager said and added Dalli to the list of employees, and Dalli gasped as a castle appeared in front of her. ¡°Oh, my god! A castle just appeared out of nowhere!¡± ¡°I was surprised the first time I saw it, too.¡± The Manager said and looked at Ren. ¡°How are the new outfits coming along?¡± ¡°They''re done.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also have some decorations for the walls.¡± ¡°Is that what you''ve been doing all day?¡± ¡°Among other things.¡± Ren said. ¡°Shall we go in?¡± ¡°I really need to find a doorman.¡± The Manager said. ¡°I don''t want to have to stand out here and open the door all day.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Ren said and took out 2 steel squares and enchanted them with the Sending Glyph. He attached one beside the door, then added a wooden sign that said ''Touch and Speak for Entry''. He gave the other one to the Manager. ¡°Until you find someone, keep that on you. When someone asks, you can just tell the door to open.¡± The Manager looked at the steel square, then at the door. ¡°Will that work?¡± ¡°Go inside and we can test it.¡± Ren said, and the Manager went inside. He waited for a moment and touched the Sending Square. ¡°I''d like to come in, please.¡± The door opened and they saw that the Manager stood in the middle of the room by the main stage. ¡°It worked!¡± The Manager nearly yelled. Ren chuckled and brought Dalli inside after he dismissed the Adult Only and Blue Screen Protocol popups, and Teepo flew in behind them. ¡°This is definitely not a castle.¡± Dalli said as she looked around. ¡°It''s more like a private dance studio.¡± Ren said, then Tee-one and Ruck came over to him. ¡°We''ve got all the small details done.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Shelves for the tankards, chairs, curtains and drapes, railings, windows where the dancers wanted them, and we even added a set of hot tubs in the front tower.¡± ¡°This is going to be the best strip club ever!¡± The Manager said. ¡°That''s what I was going for.¡± Ren said and took out a bunch of the wall decorations and gave them to Tee-one and Ruck. ¡°Let''s get these hung up, and then we can make Dalli''s apartment.¡± The three of them went around and hung the weapon plaques in appropriate spots, and added mood lighting to show them off. ¡°What about those outfits?¡± The Manager asked when they were done decorating. ¡°When I told the girls what you had in mind, a few of them said they''d just die if they didn''t get a fur bikini.¡± ¡°I bet one of them was Jennifer.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s a fool''s bet.¡± The Manager chuckled. ¡°She almost assaulted me when I told her she might get a cloak, too.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°We can start the apartment while you give the dancers their new costumes.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Dalli? Go with Tee-one and Ruck and tell them what you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°Really?¡± Dalli asked. ¡°I can get anything I want?¡± ¡°As long as it''s something they can build.¡± Ren said. ¡°Dressers, cabinets, fancy beds, and anything else you might want.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± ¡°If you want a mirror, that we have to order.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe you should ask Janice about it.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°She''s a Glassworker. She might have the recipe for it.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Ren said and looked around. ¡°Yes, we can add mirrors in certain spots...¡± ¡°...like behind the bar and the main stage...¡± Tee-one said. ¡°...and it will make the place look twice as big.¡± Ren finished. ¡°That was weird.¡± Dalli said and looked between Ren and Tee-one. ¡°It''s like you two are thinking the same thing.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°We are.¡± He said. ¡°Tee-one? Put her upstairs in the tower that doesn''t have the hot tubs in it.¡± ¡°Ma''am? This way, please.¡± Tee-one said to Dalli, and took her hand. She nodded and went with Tee-one and Ruck, and Ren looked at the Manager. ¡°Call the girls together, and I can give out their new outfits.¡± Ren said. The Manager brought the other 11 dancers over and they all stood there and watched as Ren took out a display with the 4 dozen wolf fur bikinis on it. ¡°There''s no way we can wear all of those.¡± One of them said. ¡°There''s only 12 of us.¡± ¡°I figured you can take two of each, and since each one is different, it still gives you some variety.¡± Ren said. ¡°My idea is that this is the waitress uniform when you''re out serving drinks between dances.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I''ll put one on right now!¡± Ren watched as she stored her clothing right there in front of him, took the first fur bikini off the rack, and equipped it. He examined it and was surprised at the popup.
Wolf Fur Bikini (Rare)
This bikini embodies both scariness and sexiness in the best possible combination. When worn grants Aura (Seduction - 10 foot radius) and Aura (Fear - 10 foot radius).A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Durability: 400/400
¡°Oh, you put that nice soft cloth inside.¡± Jennifer said and rubbed her hands on the wolf fur that barely covered her chest. ¡°Mmm!¡± ¡°Um... yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I lined them so that the pelts wouldn''t be rough on your skin.¡± ¡°It feels great!¡± Jennifer said and stepped close, took Ren''s hands and placed them on her chest. ¡°See? Doesn''t it feel great?¡± ¡°Um... yes.¡± Ren said and his face went a little red. ¡°It does feel nice.¡± Jennifer squeezed his hands, which squeezed her breasts, and Ren felt a lot more than the wolf fur bikini. He slowly pulled his hands out of hers and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don''t thank me yet.¡± Jennifer said and grinned. ¡°You''re going to feel a lot more of me during the dance competition.¡± ¡°I... I am?¡± Ren asked, and she ran a hand through his hair. ¡°Just wait.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°It''s to die for.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Ren said, then took out a nice cloth cloak with a diamond brooch clasp and a step ladder. He climbed the ladder and draped the cloak over Jennifer''s shoulders and hooked the clasp. It wasn''t a full-sized cloak, though. It hung partially over one shoulder, and hung down just enough to almost cover her backside. It was a nice bright blue and highlighted the grey and white fur bikini very well. It also didn''t impede her movement. The last thing was a helmet with spider fang horns. ¡°So, how do you like the Pleasure Palace Waitress Outfit?¡± Ren asked her as he stepped off the step ladder. ¡°Is... is that a diamond brooch?!?¡± Jennifer asked as she touched the clasp. ¡°It''s huge!¡± ¡°It''s barely an inch and a half across.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I love it!¡± Jennifer said and hugged him, which jammed his face between her breasts. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°D-d-don''t thank me yet.¡± Ren said when he looked up at her. ¡°There''s a lot more to come.¡± Jennifer let him out of the hug and he looked at the other dancers. ¡°This outfit is strictly voluntary and the helmet is optional, so you don''t have to wear either of them if you don''t want to. It was just the idea I had to match the decor.¡± ¡°I''d wear it just to get the diamond brooch.¡± One of the girls said, and the others laughed. ¡°I... I''m not trying to bribe you into wearing it.¡± Ren said, and his face went red again. ¡°I know you aren''t.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I was only joking.¡± She reached out and touched his cheek. ¡°You''re so sweet that it''s hard not to tease you a little.¡± Ren felt that what she said was true, and that she liked that he was flustered because of her. ¡°Um... okay... ah...¡± ¡°Shall we all put them on?¡± One of them suggested, and 10 of them grabbed 2 fur bikinis each and equipped one. Ren stepped up onto the ladder and as each woman stood in front of him, he gave them their own blue cloaks with diamond brooch clasps, and horned helmets. ¡°I feel a little out of place.¡± The Manager said. ¡°I made something for you, too.¡± Ren said and handed her a special outfit. She equipped it, and the other girls gasped. ¡°That looks so cool!¡± Jennifer said. The Manager wore a half-leather, half-armor suit that made her look like a Valkyrie from old Norse tales. It had leather pants, a metal bustier over a halter top that left her midriff bare, metal plate shoulder and knee pads, leather bracers, and boots. It also included a helmet with spider fang horns, and a half-length blue cloak with a diamond brooch as well. ¡°Oh, my.¡± The Manager said. ¡°Ren, you... this...¡± ¡°Since it''s mostly leather, I didn''t enchant the pieces with anything besides a Set Completion rune.¡± Ren said. ¡°It should give you some protection if anything happens; but, I''ll make something to act as a bouncer until you find someone to do the job.¡± ¡°You''re going to make a bouncer?¡± The Manager asked, surprised. ¡°Two of them, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°Probably right after I give the girls the other outfits.¡± ¡°Hold on, this wasn''t it?¡± One of them asked. ¡°I told you, that''s just the waitress outfit if you want to wear it.¡± Ren said and took out a large cabinet. He opened it and smiled as a ripple of shock when through the girls and they stared at the contents. ¡°I''ve got School Girl outfits, Nurse outfits, Librarian outfits with fake glasses, Business Suits with skirts or pants, Royalty outfits, Mining outfits with head light, Generic Military outfits...¡± The girls stood in silence as Ren told them all of the different kinds of outfits he had for them, and when he was done and closed the cabinet, one of them spoke. ¡°I can''t believe you''re giving us all of that.¡± She said. ¡°You''re going to let us fulfill every man''s dream!¡± ¡°Only on the surface.¡± Ren said. ¡°That is, unless you wear these.¡± He took out another similar cabinet and opened it. Inside was 12 copies of all new pieces of lingerie. He''d changed the design, the fabrics, and even the aesthetics of them. New bras, new underwear, new teddies, baby doll dresses, negligees, stockings, leggings, and even garter belts; none of which he intended to sell in his store. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± One of them said, and Ren recognized her as the one that didn''t want to say thank you when he had made her a bathing suit at Clint''s pool. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren smiled and squeezed her hand back. He felt how awestruck she was because he was giving her a dream wardrobe, but he didn''t feed from her. She let his hand go and ran a hand over the silky fabrics. ¡°Where did you get all of this?¡± ¡°I made them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I used up quite a bit of special cloth for it, too.¡± ¡°Special cloth? You mean the same stuff you made our bathing suits out of?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I was away for a while and I had some spare time on my hands; so, I used up a lot of my inventory and weaved up the cloth.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve got bolts and bolts of it now, and I won''t use normal fabric to make clothing if I don''t have to.¡± He smiled. ¡°Normal cloth is fine for everything else, though.¡± ¡°You''re amazing.¡± She said and turned to look at the other girls. ¡°Let''s head upstairs to the dressing room and get ready for the competition.¡± ¡°We can''t carry those things.¡± One of them said and motioned to the two large cabinets. ¡°I''ll take them up for you.¡± Ren said, closed the two cabinets and stored them with the fur bikini display. He followed the women to the back of the building and up the set of stairs to their private living area. ¡°Hey, this place looks great!¡± ¡°It really does.¡± The Manager said. ¡°Like I said before, your servants are fantastic. They made everything we asked them to.¡± ¡°Over here!¡± Jennifer said and pointed to the door into the tower at the corner of the room. They had made the upstairs above the bar their personal dressing room, and the dancers could change together. There were 12 stations for them to sit or stand at, and Ren saw that they were all missing the mirrors that they should have had. He dropped off both cabinets where the women said they wanted them. ¡°I''ll go and see about those mirrors.¡± ¡°We do each other up, so there''s no rush.¡± Jennifer said and stored her waitress outfit, which left her completely naked in front of Ren again. He could feel that it didn''t bother her to be without clothes, so he didn''t mention it. She leaned into one of the cabinets and flipped through the outfits. ¡°I had picked a normal outfit for the competition; but, with so much to choose from now, I don''t know what to pick!¡± ¡°Once word gets around about this.¡± The Manager said and motioned to the cabinets and smiled. ¡°We might have to turn people away at the door.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Are you going to open tonight?¡± ¡°Only if you can cook up a stew or something for the customers.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll do that right now and set it to simmer.¡± Ren said. ¡°Before I forget, you can send out anything from a local notice, to a server notice, or even a game notice from the Business Owner menu to advertise about this place.¡± ¡°I can?¡± The Manager asked and opened it. ¡°Hm... where... where... there it is.¡± She said and clicked the button. ¡°Oh, it''s a little expensive with the different options.¡± Ren chuckled and passed her a platinum coin. ¡°It''s worth the investment.¡± ¡°Which one should I do?¡± ¡°You definitely want at least the server level notice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Local would only notify people within my county.¡± ¡°Maybe I should go with a whole game notice.¡± The Manager said. ¡°It''s the most expensive, but it also advertises to anyone playing the game.¡± Ren thought about it and opened his Business Owner menu. He played with the different levels of notifications, and found one that would be suitable. ¡°Actually, I think you might want to just do a General Area notice.¡± He said. ¡°It will cover most of the countryside, including the starter city of Aurora and the capital city Bore-Reale.¡± ¡°That should give us a good coverage for players, especially if they''re doing the weekend quest thing.¡± The Manager said, chose that option, and Ren dismissed the popup that advertised the Pleasure Palace. ¡°The party I recently joined just did a weekend quest.¡± He said. ¡°We finished early, though.¡± ¡°Clint told us all about it.¡± The woman who liked being ordered around said. ¡°He told us how... forceful you were.¡± She licked her lips and closed her eyes. ¡°You even ordered a dark elf around, and she didn''t question you or anything.¡± ¡°Clint also said if you hadn''t been there, he would still be trying to figure out how to kill all those ghouls without sacrificing party members or dying himself.¡± The Manager said. ¡°You kept our favorite customers alive.¡± Jennifer said and her emotions switched from perplexed to seduction as she walked over to him. With her completely naked and trying her best to sway her hips a lot more than they were supposed to, Ren couldn''t help but look at her like she had intended. She walked around him and hugged him from behind. Since Ren''s head was at the same height as her chest, her breasts were on either side of his head. She gave him a squeeze, and it squeezed her breasts against his ears. ¡°Thank you so much for keeping my Billy safe.¡± Jennifer smiled down at him. Ren tilted his head back and looked up at her. ¡°You''re welcome, Jennifer.¡± ¡°Does that count as cheating?¡± One of the girls said. ¡°The competition hasn''t even started yet, and Jennifer already has her boobs on him.¡± Jennifer laughed and let Ren go. ¡°I don''t have to cheat.¡± She said and walked back over to the cabinet of outfits with the same exaggerated walk. ¡°He knows who has the best body.¡± ¡°This is a talent competition.¡± One of them said. ¡°Whoever has the most talent will win.¡± Jennifer turned and posed with her fists on her hips and her feet about a foot apart. ¡°Do you see this? This is talent.¡± ¡°Oh, geez.¡± One of them said. ¡°If I want to walk around naked and strut my stuff with a man here, you can''t tell me that I can''t.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Great, now you''ve got her going.¡± Another one said. Ren could feel the emotions starting to turn from playfulness to ruthlessness. ¡°Ladies, please behave yourselves and have a nice clean battle.¡± He said. ¡°I''m going down to the kitchen, so I''ll see you all in a bit.¡± Ren left and went down to the kitchen. It was a large setup, with everything needed to run a full restaurant, except for a deep fryer. He nodded, because that was something he wanted to keep for himself. He set out the vegetables to make stew, a big pot of mashed potatoes, and prepped some steaks to cook. He kept everything going and had it all ready in just under an hour.
Stat Change!
Cooking Level 2 (Intermediate 0%)
¡°Hey, Ren.¡± The Manager said when she came into the kitchen. ¡°We''re all ready for you.¡± ¡°That''s great timing.¡± Ren said and left the beef stew to simmer. ¡°The steaks are on the warmers, the mashed potatoes are buttered, and there''s enough stew for a hundred people.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°The steaks and potatoes are for you and the girls, and the stew is for customers.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was tempted to put a pile of steaks on for customers; but, I figured stew was easier for the girls to manage.¡± He smiled. ¡°Of course, that''s assuming customers want to eat when they get here.¡± ¡°I never thought of that.¡± The Manager said. ¡°They might not be hungry at all.¡± ¡°It''s there if it''s needed.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. He equipped his armor body suit for a moment to clean up, then equipped his Travelling Clothes again. He stopped and thought about what he was about to go through, and looked at his inventory. ¡°Maybe I should wear a more appropriate outfit.¡± He said and equipped his fancy red suit. ¡°This one?¡± The Manager shook her head. ¡°Too fancy.¡± ¡°That takes out the Royal suit and the High Elven Court uniforms, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Well, Travelling Clothes are out, since it''s just basic clothing and I don''t want to insult you like that.¡± ¡°What about that black thing you wore a second ago?¡± ¡°What, my armor bodysuit?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Is that what it was?¡± Ren nodded and equipped it. ¡°I wear it under my armor to stop it from rubbing certain spots.¡± The bodysuit covered him from his neck to his feet and his arms down to his wrist. The Manager stepped close and ran her hand up the sleeve. ¡°Yes, I think that''s perfect.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°You''re completely covered, and you''re not wearing anything that can get caught up on a dancer''s costume.¡± Ren thought about that. ¡°Does that happen a lot?¡± ¡°More than it should.¡± The Manager said and caressed the other arm. ¡°Most times they don''t take off their armor, let alone change clothes for us.¡± ¡°That''s inconsiderate of them.¡± Ren said. She nodded and ran both hands up his arms and rested them by his neck. ¡°Maybe we can add a requirement that they have to change before coming in.¡± ¡°It''s your business.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can set a dress code if you want.¡± ¡°You won''t object?¡± ¡°Not as long as you don''t demean anyone, make them go without clothes, or make them wear something ridiculous.¡± Ren said. ¡°Other than that, it''s ladies choice.¡± The Manager nodded and moved her hands up to his cheeks and gave them a little pinch. ¡°Ma''am, the other girls are waiting.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, they are.¡± She said and ran her hands through his hair twice, stepped back, and held open the kitchen door for him. Ren didn''t say anything to her about what she just did, because he felt what she felt. She was trying her best to generate some kind of desire in herself for him, and she just couldn''t do it. She liked him a lot, but only in the most basic way. There was no sexual tension at all between them. Ren stepped out into the main room and found a single chair was in front of the main stage. This is going to be interesting. He thought as he sat down and the lights dimmed. A spotlight appeared to light up just the stage, and music started to play from somewhere. I wonder how they''re doing that. He thought, and then the first dancer came out and he didn''t do much thinking after that. Chapter 401 - Dance Off! The dancer on stage wore one of the stylish business suit and skirts Ren had just given them. He didn''t know her name; but, when she pulled open her suit coat to reveal a very normal white cloth bra instead of one of the fancy ones he had made for the dancers, it definitely caught his attention. He wasn''t sure if it was a style choice, or if she had some inkling that he actually preferred normal bras and thought it would give her a leg up on the competition. Either way, it was working. Ren watched as she strut across the stage, full of confidence, and her breasts bounced inside the normal cloth and he saw how much she liked it. It went along with her feelings as well. She felt empowered, that she owned the world, and she knew without a doubt that Ren was watching her with his full attention. She did a twirl and slid the jacket off her arms, and flung it across the stage towards Ren. He caught the collar with a single finger, flipped it around and folded it, then tossed it into a perfect pile on his lap and didn''t take his eyes off of the dancer. She smiled wickedly at him, and he felt her joy as she crossed the stage and did a quarter turn, just enough to hide her undoing the top of the skirt. She did another half turn so that she faced away from him, then locked her knees and bent over at the waist as she pulled the skirt down. It revealed a shapely backside that was barely covered in a pair of white panties. Unlike the bra, these had a bit of frill along the edges, and didn''t leave much to the imagination. She stood up and stepped out of the skirt, then flicked her heel back and Ren caught the skirt. He folded it up like he did the coat and put it on his lap, and watched as the dancer completed the turn with an arm over her head and swung her hips like a belly dancer. She brought the arm down and turned away from him again with her hands on her hips, and shook her butt quickly from side to side several times to make her cheeks jiggle. Ren wasn''t really into that, and all he really noticed was that her underwear was not up to the task of keeping her covered and rode up on her. She did another half turn, took a step to the right, then the left, flung her head down and back up again. She waved her arms and slid a little to the right, then dropped to her knees and backwards onto her hands. She did several upthrusts with her hips, then rolled over and did it again. Now on her hands and knees, she kicked her leg backwards and almost touched the back of her own head with her foot. She pushed herself up into a standing position and lifted the same leg. She grabbed it with a hand and the leg went up... and up... and up, until her toes were pointing straight up and her calf touched her face. She did something that made her rotate, and she dropped the leg and did a kind of lasso move as she shook her hips. Her hands darted up into the air, and she thrust her hips forward without the rest of her body moving. Ren didn''t know that something like that was possible, and she brought both arms down and pretended to pull something towards herself and made fists; then thrust twice more with the same hip and arm actions. He watched as she put her arms out to the sides at shoulder height and swung her hips from side to side; once again without moving any other part of her body. It''s like her hips aren''t even attached to the rest of her. Ren thought. She licked her hand and dragged it down her body as she crouched down in front of him, spread her legs apart to show him just how little her underwear covered after all that movement, then did it twice more and thrust her hips again. Ren blinked his eyes at her, and he felt how much she liked that she was surprising him. She stood up and did another part turn, unhooked her bra, and slipped it off as she completed the turn. She threw it to him and he added it to the pile as he watched her bare breasts bounce. Her moves changed as her chest didn''t have the restraint it needed for some of the other moves she did, and she put a hand on the top of her head and one on her hip as she swung them side to side and forward and back. She turned her back to him and did a bit of belly dancing, which seemed odd since Ren couldn''t see her belly; and she did that head twirling thing and flung her hair around in a circle to match her hips. She turned around and dropped to her hands and knees again, then crawled towards Ren. Her bare breasts swayed underneath her and she exaggerated her shoulder movement to make them sway even more. When she reached the edge of the stage she laid down and writhed in front of him for a few moments, rolled over and off the stage, then did several dance moves right in front of him. Ren wasn''t sure what to do when she turned around and tried to grind herself on him and he had a hold of her clothes on his lap. He couldn''t pull his hands away because she was literally sitting on them, and he could feel that she didn''t realize, or cared, that his hands were touching her. She rubbed her backside up and down on his arms, then turned around and flung her leg up and over his shoulder and leaned forward. At least she tried to. Ren was pretty short when he stood up; so, sitting down he was at quite a different height than her normal clients. Her leg didn''t land where she thought it was supposed to and she started to lose her balance. Ren felt her panic and automatically grabbed the over-extended leg and put an arm around her back. He did it just in time because her other foot slipped and he had to hold her entire weight as she slid forward into his lap. She was breathing heavy, and he felt that she had scared herself. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I... I think so.¡± She said. Ren was glad that he wore his armor bodysuit, because her special place was pressed hard against his belly, her right knee was on his shoulder and her calf touched his back. Her other leg hung down off to the side as if she was straddling him. If Ren hadn''t had her business outfit on his lap, they would have been in a much more compromising position. At the moment, it was just an awkward situation and neither of them felt anything sexual about it; just relief. ¡°Um, I think I can stand up.¡± She said. ¡°I just have to figure out...¡± ¡°Allow me.¡± Ren said and stood up as he held onto her. He shifted her to the side to allow her leg over his shoulder to slide down his arm, and his hand slid from her knee and up the back of her thigh. He saw the potential danger in that and pulled his hand out of the way before it reached the top of her leg, then her foot touched the floor. He grabbed the business suit that was now wedged between them with his free hand and kept his other hand on her back. With one foot safely on the floor, her other foot joined it and she took several deep breaths to calm down. It had surprised her immensely that he hadn''t struggled with her at all, and held her as easily as if she weighed nothing. Ren felt her emotions and just stood there to let her collect herself. ¡°Do you feel like finishing your routine?¡± Ren asked when her emotions had stabilized, and he smiled at her. ¡°Or was that enough of a finish?¡± ¡°I... I think I''m done.¡± She said, and her face flushed red. ¡°I''m sure you''ll enjoy one of the other girls performances a lot more.¡± ¡°Who said I didn''t enjoy yours?¡± Ren said and let her go, passed her the business suit with the plain white bra on top, then leaned in and whispered to her. ¡°I like white a lot.¡± The dancer''s face went even redder, because she had forgotten to change into the sparkly bra she had intended to wear and had hoped he wouldn''t notice once she started dancing. Ren felt her quick embarrassment, and that wasn''t what he had intended with the comment. ¡°What''s your name?¡± Ren asked. ¡°S-S-Sugar.¡± ¡°Thank you for the dance, Sugar. It''s going to be tough to beat.¡± Ren said and smiled reassuringly at her. Sugar nodded and held the business suit over her chest and walked around the main stage to the back. Different music started and Ren sat down to watch the next dancer come out through the curtain. She came out with a flourish and slid across the stage on her knees, rolled over and stood up in one motion and came to a stop in front of Ren. She wore the Sexy Librarian outfit and fake glasses, and started to gyrate and dance to the music as she stripped. It was different from the first routine he had seen, but it had the same result. She took off all of her clothes during it, then tried to grind herself against him. He realized that they were intentionally trying to physically stimulate him, and he had enough self control to ignore a woman he didn''t know and didn''t become aroused. He thought about covering himself up with his hands, but then his hands would be touching them directly and he didn''t want them to think that he was trying to get a cheap thrill out of groping them. She finished her dance, and then Manager came out. She wore the Miner''s overalls and head lamp, walked over to the end of the stage and hopped off, then leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I''m sorry, but I can''t get into it.¡± She said. ¡°You''re cute, but I''m just not attracted to you.¡± ¡°Even though I''m enormously wealthy and great in bed?¡± Ren asked. The Manager chuckled. ¡°Money isn''t everything.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and took her hand. He gave the back of it a kiss and let it go. ¡°Thank you for your performance.¡± ¡°But, I didn''t dance.¡± ¡°I remember someone saying this was a talent competition.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Who said you had to dance?¡± The Manager looked at him like he was crazy, shook her head, and walked around the stage and to the back. The music changed to something that sounded like heavy metal music and Jennifer came out wearing a blacksmith''s outfit. Ren thought that her performance was going to be the same as the other two; but, then she undid the top of her protective apron to reveal a pitted and dented breastplate. Jennifer started to dance to the rhythm, took a real blacksmith hammer from her tool belt, then started to hammer out the dents. Ren was too surprised to do anything but watch as she fixed the breastplate the old fashioned way while she wore it and danced at the same time. His eyes widened a little when she removed the apron completely to reveal armor pants, also with dents and pits, and she pounded the dents out with her hammer. When both armor pieces were fixed, and Ren could tell they were done properly, she stored them to reveal a metal bra and metal underwear. She did more dance moves; but, all Ren could think about was how she could possibly move like she was with metal underwear on. It didn''t bend or flex like cloth would, and it baffled him that she wasn''t hurting herself. Ren could feel what she felt, and she was as happy as anyone he had ever met while she danced and showed off. She came across the stage in two ballerina lunges and stored the metal bra, which revealed small metal covers over the tips of her breasts. He wondered how she had attached them, and then she turned around to show him her shapely backside and the form-fitted metal underwear. Ren felt a thrill go through him because of the time and effort it would have taken to make such a thing, then he almost gasped when she stored the metal underwear and he saw a small piece of metal between her legs. Jennifer turned around and he saw that a nicely rounded piece of shiny metal covered her private area completely, and he looked up at her face as his body reacted to her. She had a huge smile for him, then she gracefully walked over to him and crouched down. She sat on the edge of the stage and let her legs dangle off it for a moment, then slowly opened her legs and let Ren see her as if they were in bed together. ¡°Did... did you make that yourself?¡± Ren asked. Jennifer ran a hand across her thigh and knocked on the piece of metal between her legs and it made a nice solid sound. Ren really liked that sound, because it was a sign of something well made. ¡°It took me a long time to figure out the tolerances I had with the edges of the metal.¡± Jennifer said and rubbed her fingers around the edge of it. She moaned a little, and Ren could see her body tighten up. ¡°It will leave marks in the skin if I''m not careful.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°May I?¡± Ren asked, and he felt a strong spike of desire from her, which surprisingly matched his own. She nodded, and Ren reached out and touched the piece between her legs. He used Vision of Impurity on it while he ran his fingers across the warm metal. Jennifer moaned as he did it, and he didn''t detect any flaws at all; which made him smile. ¡°This is very nice work.¡± Ren said and started to move his hand away. Jennifer touched it and he looked at her. ¡°You didn''t check these yet.¡± Jennifer said and cupped her breasts to push the metal-covered tips out. ¡°How are they attached?¡± Ren asked and used both hands to touch and caress the metal on both breasts. He knew they had to be held on with something like glue, or a game version of tape, or something similar. ¡°That''s a secret.¡± Jennifer said as he rubbed the tips of her breasts. ¡°If I win, I might just tell you.¡± Whatever it was, Jennifer had provided Ren with just the right combination of stimulation for him. Great craftsmanship, sexiness, a thought provoking question, and emotional satisfaction from her, just flipped his switch. Jennifer saw his reaction to her through his thin bodysuit, and she leaned forward. Ren pulled his hands back and she straddled his lap and pressed the piece of metal between her legs onto his reaction. ¡°J-Jennifer... you''re not... dancing.¡± Ren said and placed his hands on the sides of her waist to lift her off. ¡°Oh, but I am.¡± Jennifer said and started to move her hips. Around in a circle, up and down, and a little bit from side to side. It was an odd sensation for him; and for her too, apparently. He felt her shock and surprise as she stopped moving suddenly and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°Oh, god!¡± She said and her body shook as she laid her head on his shoulder. Ren felt a lot of warm liquid soak into his armor bodysuit and fought his own body''s reaction to making her finish. Jennifer panted as she took several deep breaths, and tried her best to get her emotions under control. They were in direct contact, so Ren could feel everything she had felt. He had to absorb some of it, just because there was so much of it and it tasted so good. Ren was about to tell her about his ability and then he felt her shock start to wear off. She realized what had just happened and he felt her start to panic. She''d never gotten off with a customer before, and she didn''t know what to do now that it had happened. ¡°Don''t... don''t move.¡± Ren whispered in her ear. ¡°You got me off.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°It''s quite the mess, and I don''t want to embarrass myself.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I know this is a lot to ask, but... can I carry you to the kitchen so I can changes clothes? I don''t want anyone to see.¡± Jennifer didn''t say anything as she nodded, and Ren held her close then stood up and walked to the kitchen with her arms and legs wrapped around him. Once they passed the door, he helped her stand up and quickly turned away from her. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and equipped his Travelling Clothes, then equipped his armor bodysuit again. ¡°You''re a really good dancer.¡± ¡°What... what made you...¡± Jennifer asked as she equipped normal clothing. ¡°Everything.¡± Ren said, and she put her hand on his shoulder. He turned around and smiled at her. ¡°Your metalwork, that you could do repairs while dancing, and that you could make something so erotic and functional at the same time.¡± Jennifer moved the hand from his shoulder to his face. ¡°You''re so sweet.¡± She said and pinched his cheek hard. ¡°But I didn''t hear anything about my body.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You''re kidding, right?¡± He said. ¡°When you turned around and showed me that finely sculpted metal underwear that highlighted your perfectly shaped ass, I almost went then!¡± ¡°That''s better.¡± Jennifer said and let his cheek go. ¡°But, how do I know that''s the truth?¡± Ren took out the modified Amulet of Truth called Amulet of Punishment. ¡°If we lie, we get a Lightning bolt shock.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Can I have it?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You just want to shock people with it.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jennifer said and smiled. ¡°Why else would I want it?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''ll be modifying it to emit Heat after this.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jennifer took a single breath and looked at Ren. ¡°Tell me what you liked about my performance.¡± Ren gave her a rundown of what he enjoyed, what made him excited, and then seeing her metal covered private part. ¡°I have to say, honestly, that was pretty damn hot.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then you let me touch it.¡± Jennifer smiled. ¡°You only touched the metal, though.¡± ¡°I didn''t want to cross that line.¡± ¡°Why not? I would have let you.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°In fact, I...¡± She looked at the Amulet of Punishment. ¡°I really wanted you to.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°You were judging my talent. I could see that you were looking at what I was doing, and not trying to see if you could get a peek at my naughty parts.¡± ¡°I thought they were coming out anyway.¡± Ren said and smiled as he reached out to poke the tip of her breast and the metal cover that could still be seen under her blouse. ¡°You don''t know how surprised and delighted I was that I was mistaken.¡± ¡°I do now.¡± Jennifer said and glanced at the amulet again. ¡°Of course, you could be lying about it and that thing is just a piece of metal.¡± ¡°I can''t believe I''m doing this.¡± Ren said and chuckled as he held the amulet at arm''s length. ¡°Jennifer, I do not want to see what''s under those metal covers you''re wearing.¡± A small Lightning bolt shot out of the amulet and struck Ren right in the face. ¡°OW! Goddammit!¡± Ren said and dropped the amulet to grab his face. ¡°Ren!¡± Jennifer said and moved his hands out of the way. She saw a scorch mark right under his right eye, and Ren felt her regret. She touched his face by it, then leaned down and kissed the wound. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and picked up the amulet. ¡°I told Issac using Lightning was a bad idea.¡± He said and absorbed the enchantment, then replaced the Lightning rune with a glyph of 10 Heat runes and put the enchantment back. ¡°It almost hit me in the eye.¡±
Amulet of Interrogation (Compulsion - Truth)
Beings (creatures or persons) within the area of effect can''t speak any deliberate or intentional lies. Anyone within the Aura cannot avoid speaking the truth when asked a direct question, or they will suffer through a blast of Heat that will make them sweat immediately for the first infraction. Each subsequent infraction will increase both the Heat and the amount of sweat produced. Any creatures or persons with no will of their own are unaffected by any truth-based spell or enchantment. Area of Effect: 50 foot radius
¡°That''s better.¡± Ren said, and looked at Jennifer. ¡°I''m really glad you didn''t lie.¡± Jennifer nodded. ¡°I''m sorry you had to lie, just so I would know it worked.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I usually have to suffer for the truth to come out.¡± Jennifer looked at the amulet and then at Ren. ¡°That... that''s true?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It happens a lot.¡± He said. ¡°We better get back out there before people think we''re in here having sex.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Jennifer asked. ¡°It''s not like we haven''t had sex with men before.¡± She giggled. ¡°I meant the other girls and me, not you.¡± ¡°Um... I mean, we''re in the middle of a competition. I don''t want people to think that you''re trying to get the upper hand.¡± ¡°What''s wrong with that?¡± Jennifer asked and stepped close. ¡°We''re very competitive.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren took a deep breath. ¡°...don''t you love Billy?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Jennifer said and put her arms around Ren. ¡°That doesn''t mean I''m going to give up my life or change how I earn money.¡± She chuckled. ¡°It''s just sex.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Although...¡± Jennifer leaned down and put her lips by his ear. ¡°...I''ve never gotten excited by a client at work before.¡± ¡°You mean me, right?¡± Ren asked, so she wouldn''t know that he knew that already. ¡°Yes, dummy.¡± Jennifer said and kissed his cheek where the scorch mark was. ¡°Hey, are you guys done?¡± The Manager said when she opened the kitchen door. ¡°Candy''s waiting to go on and do her dance for Ren.¡± ¡°We weren''t having sex!¡± Ren blurted out. ¡°Jennifer, you''re such a slacker.¡± Both the Manager and Jennifer laughed, and Ren shook his head and stored the amulet. ¡°I told you they wouldn''t mind.¡± Jennifer said and let him out of the hug. ¡°Go and enjoy the others, then you can tell me that I won.¡± ¡°You''re pretty confident.¡± Ren said. Jennifer took the same stance she had in the dressing room, with her feet a foot apart and her fists on her hips. ¡°You saw my talent.¡± She said and grinned at him. ¡°Not all of it.¡± Ren said and grinned back, and she laughed. ¡°Go on! Git!¡± Jennifer said and shooed him away. ¡°I want to give you the first dance before we open tonight.¡± Ren left the kitchen and took his seat, and then a girl named Candy came out. She started her routine with a couple of moves, then the music changed and another girl came out. Her name was Apple, and she acted like a stripper pole for the other dancer. Candy did a lot of the moves one would expect a woman to do on a stripper pole, and Ren watched in awe as she slowly stripped Apple instead of herself. Candy groped and played with Apple; but, not quite in a sexual way. It was like she was showing Ren that she could play with her as much as she wanted, and she wasn''t going to because they were in public. When the music died down, Apple was naked from head to foot and Candy was out of breath from her dance. ¡°Now... it''s... Apple''s turn.¡± Candy said and stood up, and Apple equipped another outfit and put a chair in front of Candy to let her lean on it. The music picked up and Apple did her striptease dance, only she stripped Candy instead. It was quite the spectacle, and Ren wasn''t sure what to think about it. Apple had done the same thing; she groped and played as each part of Candy was exposed and it was only perfunctory. Ren didn''t get any sexual vibes from it, because he would have felt it if there were; but, the potential was there and he figured that was the point they were trying to get across. ¡°Thank you, Candy and Apple.¡± The Manager said. ¡°It''s a little odd for two dancers to combine their routines, but...¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°...I think it''s going to be popular.¡± ¡°No doubt.¡± Ren said, and both dancers smiled warmly at him and left the stage. The other 7 dancers came out and did their routines while Ren watched attentively. Some tried to do what the first dancer did and use Ren in their acts, and had similar results. He knew what was coming when they tried to include him and he managed to avoid anyone getting physically hurt. He gave them tips on how to change their moves for clients of different heights, and they thanked him for helping them. When the last dancer left the stage, Ren asked for several minutes to compose his answer. They agreed, and he went into the kitchen to check on the food. He used his Fire Manipulation skill and a Fire rune to reheat the cooling steaks and stirred the stew, then went back out to the main stage and sat down. The girls came out and stood in a line, in the same order they had performed in, and Ren started to clap. He did this for about 10 seconds, and then he smiled at all of them. ¡°I''d like to thank you all for a great show.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can honestly say that I''ve never seen anything like it before.¡± ¡°Is that like saying you thought it was weird and odd?¡± Caramel asked. Ren chuckled. ¡°Actually, a couple of them were a little odd.¡± He said. ¡°Candy Apple... ah, I mean Candy and Apple... had an interesting way to create sexual tension without actually creating sexual tension.¡± The two girls high-fived each other, and Ren remembered them doing that when he had agreed to the competition. ¡°Sugar was the first contestant, so I have to give her extra points for braving being in my presence.¡± That made a few of the dancers laugh. ¡°You all did tremendously well.¡± Ren said and looked at all of their faces. ¡°But... there can only be one winner.¡± He said. ¡°For the unique use of her skills, and for getting me excited despite my attempts not to be...¡± ¡°Just say it!¡± Jennifer said, and Ren laughed. ¡°All right, all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°The winner is... Jennifer.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Jennifer stepped out of the line, spiked an imaginary football on the stage, then did a funky little touchdown dance. She shuffled her feet and wiggled her elbows like she was pretending she was a bird, then clapped her hands and did a few tap dancing steps. When she was done she faced the other girls and laughed. ¡°I told you it would be me!¡± ¡°Ren, you''ve got about an hour before the Pleasure Palace officially opens.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°It looks like we''ve got an hour before you open.¡± He said to the dancers. ¡°I''ve got steak and potatoes ready for you, or you can have beef stew.¡± ¡°Definitely steak.¡± Candy said. ¡°We can eat all we want in here and we don''t get fat!¡± The other dancers heartily agreed, and Ren told them to have a seat at the tables. He brought out the 12 plates of steak and potatoes, and he could see several of them drool over it. ¡°Porterhouse round 2 inches thick?¡± Caramel shook her head. ¡°You''re crazy to waste meat this good on us!¡± ¡°Hey, now.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. ¡°It''s never a waste to give a beautiful woman a good meal.¡± Caramel chuckled. ¡°You''re just saying that because you''ve seen us naked.¡± Ren took out the modified Amulet of Truth and put it on the table. A couple of the girls covered their mouths when they identified it. ¡°You could be wearing a potato sack and I would still find you beautiful.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t give out fake compliments.¡± He said. ¡°I never have.¡± She looked at the Amulet and looked back at Ren. ¡°Why did you pick Jennifer over us?¡± ¡°Caramel!¡± The Manager said. ¡°Ren, don''t answer that.¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told you the truth when I picked her. She really was the only one that made me excited.¡± ¡°Was it because she rubbed herself on you, or because she promised to have sex with you?¡± ¡°No to the rubbing, and she didn''t promise me sex.¡± Ren said. ¡°To be completely honest, I was already rock hard before she made it to the edge of the stage.¡± He said and looked at Jennifer. ¡°It really was her talent that turned me on. A lot.¡± Jennifer''s face flushed slightly red. ¡°So, if we had done something like that, would we have had a better chance?¡± ¡°Caramel, shut up.¡± Sugar said. ¡°I said it''s all right.¡± Ren said and held a hand up. ¡°How often do you get to question someone that you can prove isn''t lying?¡± He smiled. ¡°If it had been a different skill, since doing another metal repair would have been repetitive, it would have brought your chances up.¡± ¡°Dammit, I knew once I saw her dig out that old breastplate we were done for.¡± ¡°Not really, because Sugar was a close second.¡± Ren said. ¡°When she opened her top and revealed a basic white bra and started to dance around with it on...¡± He sighed. ¡°...if Jennifer''s talent hadn''t been so overwhelming, you would have won.¡± ¡°Even after losing my balance?¡± Sugar asked. ¡°Did you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I thought that was part of the routine.¡± Ren felt a burst of Heat; but, since he was immune to it he just funnelled it to recharge his Mana. He couldn''t stop the immediate sweats the enchantment gave him, though. ¡°Hey, it worked!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°You just lied!¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Just remember, my opinions only apply for me.¡± He said. ¡°Other men will absolutely love all of your routines.¡± ¡°They will?¡± Caramel asked. Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve got particular things that can get me going, and even I didn''t realize that seeing a beautiful woman working on metal was going to flip my switch.¡± Jennifer raised her fist in the air. ¡°My talent is a gift!¡± ¡°It is.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°It really is.¡± Chapter 402 - Bouncers The dance competition was over and Jennifer was declared the winner, so the dancers enjoyed eating the steak and potatoes Ren had prepared for them. Tee-one and Ruck came down the stairs and walked over to Ren, who stood near the dancers in case they needed anything else. ¡°Dalli is all set up.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Ruck and I even made her some new clothes.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks a lot, both of you.¡± Ruck gave Ren a ''thumbs up'' gesture, and Tee-one held in his automatic protest that he didn''t need to be thanked. ¡°Now that you''re here, I had an idea for temporary bouncers.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t be seriously thinking that...¡± Tee-one started to say, then thought about it. ¡°...actually, that''s not a bad idea.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I could make the old joke that you mean it''s not a good idea; but, we both know this technically should work.¡± ¡°It''s a really sneaky work-around.¡± ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± Ren said and chuckled again. ¡°Plus, if it doesn''t work, I''ll see about making a staff for it instead.¡± ¡°Now that is a good idea.¡± Tee-one said. Ren clapped Tee-one on the shoulder and turned to the dancers. ¡°Ladies, my friends and I need to go for a while to make your bouncers.¡± He said. ¡°Please enjoy the meal.¡± ¡°You should sit down and join us.¡± The Manager said. ¡°This is all here because of you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Ma''am, ladies.¡± He said. ¡°You''re wrong. All of this is here because of you. You''re intelligent, you''re resourceful, you know what you want and are willing to do anything you can to get it.¡± The women sat there and basked in his compliments, but they also had a strong feeling of disbelief. ¡°Oh, I forgot that.¡± Ren said and picked up the Amulet of Interrogation he had left on the table. He felt the realization that he was telling the truth spread to all of them, and he stored the amulet. ¡°I''ll be back soon.¡± The Manager nodded, along with several of the other women; then Ren, Tee-one, and Ruck left the Pleasure Palace and ran down the road to the big warehouse and the giant forge. ¡°Okay, mold time.¡± Ren said and they made a giant mold in the shape of a muscle man. Muscular legs, arms, and chest were carved into the stone mold, and they laid it down in front of the middle satellite smelter. They set it to pour and opened the main smelter, then let the molten metal run down the trough and out through the smaller smelter into the mold. They had only carved the front half, because Ren wanted it to be able to stay out of the way next to the wall when not in use. Ren absorbed the heat from it so it would cool evenly, and then popped it out of the mold. They now had the front half of a 6 and a half foot tall muscle man. He stored it and they poured another. ¡°I really hope this works.¡± Ren said and absorbed the heat from the second bouncer. ¡°If it does...¡± ¡°...you won''t need to worry about hiring tons of troops.¡± Tee-one said. Ren took out a Level 5 wand and changed the spells in it to Animate Object, then examined it.
Wand Of Inanimate Life (Level 5)
The Animate Objects spell lets you imbue inanimate objects with mobility and a semblance of life. Each such animated object then immediately attacks or subdues whomever or whatever you initially designate. An animated object can be of any non-magical material. Different caster or wand levels have different effects: Level 1: You can animate 1 small object. Level 2: You can animate 2 small objects, or 1 medium object. Level 3: You can animate 3 small objects, or 1 normal object. Level 4: You can animate 4 small objects, or 2 medium objects, or 1 large object. Level 5: You can animate 5 small objects, or 2 normal objects, or one huge object. Range: Within 100 feet (Medium) This spell cannot animate objects carried or worn by a creature or person. Animate objects can be made permanent with a Permanency (Level 5) spell. Time limit: 20 minutes (Level 5)
Ren popped the second muscle man out of the mold and stored it. ¡°You''re not going to try and cast it yourself?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°Not if I want it to work as a bouncer. I''ll need the Manager to cast it.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense, since she is the one that will control them.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll be back in a little while.¡± Ren walked by Janice''s place and saw that all the lights were off. I''ll have to wait until tonight to see if she knows how to make mirrors. He thought and went to the Pleasure Palace. The girls had finished eating and now stood near the main stage and talked animatedly about their performances. He walked over to them and stopped beside the Manager, then waited for a lull in the conversation. ¡°Ma''am? Can I get your help, please?¡± Ren said, and she turned to him. ¡°Sure, Ren.¡± The Manager said. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I''ve got a test I need to do, and I need your expertise.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you''ll follow me to the front door, I can see if my idea will work.¡± ¡°All right.¡± The Manager said and followed him over to the door, and Ren took out the 6 foot 6 inch tall muscle man and stood it against the wall. ¡°That''s a nice decoration.¡± ¡°Only for now.¡± Ren said and held out the wand to her. ¡°This wand has the Animate Objects spell in it.¡± He said, then explained what it did. ¡°You''re kidding.¡± The Manager said. ¡°This is going to be the bouncer?¡± ¡°Only until you hire someone.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then again, if this works like I think it will, you might not want to hire someone to do what you can do for yourself.¡± ¡°I... okay, I''ll try it.¡± The Manager said, and Ren told her that she needed to imagine what a bouncer did when it went into action, and then she should cast the spell on the steel muscle man. It took her several minutes to bring to mind what she thought a bouncer would do, then cast the spell. The muscle man stepped away from the wall and looked around, then crossed his arms when he didn''t see any kind of ruckus that needed his attention. It looked odd, since he was flat on one side and his arms didn''t quite fold together like real arms would; but, it had worked. ¡°It lasts 20 minutes normally.¡± Ren said and used Enchanted Eyes on the steel man. It glowed, so he knew it was now an enchanted object, and examined it.
Animated Guard of Steel (Pleasure Palace)
This half-statue made of metal has been brought to a semblance of life using an Animate Objects spell to act as a Security Guard. It will break up fights and expel rowdy customers when necessary.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Animated objects can be made permanent with a Permanency (Level 5) spell. Time Limit: 20 minutes
¡°Okay, the only variable I can change is the time.¡± Ren said and used his Retain Essence skill to store the enchantment. ¡°Hm... well, I think I need a new rune.¡± He took out his Book of Runes and flipped to a blank page, and drew a small clock, with the minute hand pointing at the 5 minute mark. He thought about putting it at the 1 hour mark; but, he knew that there would be a limit to what he wanted to do, and kept the ''5'' theme that most of his runes had. Just like everything else, he didn''t want to be greedy. He poured some Mana into the rune and it disappeared, then reappeared at the top of the page in the same ink as all the other runes, and he examined it.
Notice!
You have created a new rune: Time. This rune grants an enchanted object a 5 minute extension to it''s time limit, if it has one.
Ren smiled and did his mental trick and imagined all the glyphs with 2 runes up through to 10. Once he had the glyph with the max runes, he could now make a combined glyph with 50 runes, altered the enchantment, added the needed extra Mana, then put the enchantment back onto the steel muscle man.
Animated Guard of Steel (Pleasure Palace - Advanced)
This half-statue made of metal has been brought to a semblance of life using an Animate Objects spell to act as a Security Guard. It will break up fights and expel rowdy customers when necessary. Animated objects can be made permanent with a Permanency (Level 5) spell. Time Limit: 270 minutes, or 4 hours and 30 minutes
Ren used his Widen Effect spell and it doubled the time limit to 9 hours. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± The Manager said. ¡°That''s going to last most of the night!¡± ¡°Until well after closing.¡± Ren said and smiled and took out the second steel muscle man. ¡°Now do it again.¡± The Manager chuckled and the two of them repeated the process. The club now had 2 steel bouncers, and they stood on either side of the door and kept watch. ¡°Ren, you don''t get my motor running, but you sure do get my brain excited.¡± The Manager said and gave him a one-arm hug. ¡°I can''t believe you only like me for my brains!¡± Ren exclaimed, and she chuckled. ¡°Don''t tell me you''re a sexist pig!¡± The Manager exclaimed back. ¡°Mmm... bacon.¡± Ren said and pretended to drool, and she burst out laughing. ¡°Hey, we''ve got everything ready.¡± Caramel said as she came over to them. ¡°The bartender will be here just before we open.¡± ¡°Who did we get?¡± The Manager asked. ¡°Candy''s boyfriend said he''d be here for tonight.¡± ¡°I''ve sent some messages out myself but haven''t heard back yet.¡± The Manager said. ¡°Well, we don''t really need a bartender until we get different kinds of ale in here.¡± ¡°You''re not going to want different ale.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°This stuff is delicious.¡± ¡°We''ll have to take your word for that.¡± Caramel said. ¡°None of us drink.¡± Ren was about to comment about being able to drink on their off-hours, then smiled instead. ¡°Actually, you''re smart for keeping your heads on straight and being responsible.¡± ¡°Despite how some of us act...¡± Caramel said and turned to look at Nancy, who was the one that liked being ordered around. ¡°...we actually like being the one in control.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said, and both the Manager and Caramel looked at him. ¡°I''m intimate with a woman that needs to have discipline and order in her life, and Nancy is only indulging in a fetish. She''s not even close to the same level of liking orders.¡± ¡°Is that why you don''t give Nancy orders, no matter how many times she asks?¡± ¡°Caramel.¡± The Manager said, and Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°Asking questions is still okay with me.¡± Ren said and turned to Caramel. ¡°Yes, Nancy only wants someone to tell her to do sexual things, and I''m not going to order her to do things like that.¡± ¡°So, you''ve got us all figured out?¡± Caramel asked. ¡°No, of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t really spent any time with you, and I barely know your names.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I only learned Nancy''s name because someone said it after her performance.¡± Caramel opened her mouth to call him ignorant, then realized he was right. None of them introduced themselves to him, and he''d taken them in, gave them a place to live and a place to work, and didn''t ask anything from them. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Caramel said and stuck out her hand. ¡°Hi, I''m Caramel.¡± ¡°Hi, Caramel, I''m Ren.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± The Manager chuckled and held a hand out. ¡°Hi, Ren. I''m Gina.¡± ¡°Gina!¡± Ren exclaimed, flung his arms out to the sides, then hugged her. ¡°I''ve been calling you ''Manager'' in my head this whole time.¡± Gina laughed and hugged him back. Ren let her go and looked at Caramel. ¡°I had a sandwich with caramel spread on it once.¡± ¡°Really? How did you like it?¡± ¡°It tasted wonderful at first.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then I had an allergic reaction and almost died.¡± Caramel stared at him for a moment, then started to laugh. ¡°Is... is that you''re subtle way... to tell me... I''m killing you?¡± She said between laughs. ¡°I''m just telling you the truth.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°You can take what you want from it.¡± Caramel reached out and gave him a hug. ¡°I like you a lot better now.¡± ¡°Um... thanks. I think.¡± Ren said, and she laughed more. ¡°My spot''s all set up.¡± Jennifer said as she walked over to them. ¡°Hey, get your sticky hands off of my first date!¡± She said, and Caramel snorted a laugh. ¡°No worries.¡± Caramel said and let Ren go. ¡°We were just coming to an understanding.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I get to suffer her endless uncomfortable questions, and she gets to enjoy her namesake almost killing me.¡± Jennifer looked from Ren to Caramel. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''ll explain on the way over to your spot.¡± Ren said and took Jennifer''s hand. He felt her confusion, and figured this was the best time to tell her about his ability with Gina the Manager there. ¡°Jennifer, I have the Emotion Siphon ability.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Clint told us.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Who told him?¡± Ren asked, and Jennifer started to walk across the room. ¡°One of his abilities is to identify abilities in others.¡± Ren went with her and absorbed some of her amusement. ¡°He didn''t tell me that.¡± ¡°You didn''t ask.¡± Jennifer said and chuckled. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just full of being ignorant today, aren''t I?¡± Jennifer laughed and opened the door to her private room. She didn''t have the lights on, but Ren could see everything. She got her dungeon. Ren thought, and explained about what he and Caramel were talking about while he glanced around the room. Whips, ropes, spiked weapons, leather straps, shackles on the walls, a water tub for some reason, and a bed that had had metal rings on posts at all 4 corners with a manual crank on the side. It''s a torture rack. Ren thought in surprise, then turned around to look at her. ¡°You and I are going to have so much fun.¡± Jennifer said and smiled as she shut the room''s door. ¡°No, we aren''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... you agreed to have the first dance with the winner.¡± Jennifer said and walked around Ren. He didn''t turn his head to watch her, because he could feel her teasing emotions as she thought she was sneaking around in the dark. ¡°She doesn''t know you can see in the dark.¡± Teepo said. Or she doesn''t care if I can. Ren thought. ¡°She''s picking up a big whip, and it''s frayed at the end.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s got 3 tails and metal studs on the ends.¡± ¡°Jennifer, don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°This isn''t dancing.¡± ¡°It''s a kind of dancing.¡± Jennifer said and lifted the whip. ¡°It''s coming from the right side.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m guessing she''s aiming for your butt.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought and sent Teepo his appreciation. The whip went out and just as it was going to snap on his butt cheek, Ren turned and caught it with his hand. The ends wrapped around his hand and he held it. ¡°You caught it.¡± Jennifer said, surprised. ¡°You have Dark Vision.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Even though it''s not supposed to be a human trait.¡± ¡°It''s limited to 20 feet, because my character has a grandmother that''s half-elf.¡± ¡°You can set things like that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Let me guess.¡± Jennifer said and pulled on the whip. Ren didn''t move, and neither did his hand; so, she walked forward instead and gathered the whip in her hands. ¡°You had someone else create your character.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I had someone assist me when I first started playing.¡± ¡°Please tell me you didn''t stick with the standard skill set.¡± Jennifer said, and when she stood in front of him, he let the end of the whip go. She tossed the bundle across the room and it landed on the hook she had taken it from. ¡°I''m a special class.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t have a standard skill set at all.¡± Jennifer smiled. ¡°Is that why you''re so... scrumptious?¡± ¡°Scrumptious?¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I''m not sure what you mean.¡± ¡°Since I won the competition, all I can think about is how good you''ll look on my bed.¡± Jennifer whispered. ¡°Your arms and legs are shackled, and I''m straddling your naked body while I whip your chest and pleasure myself.¡± ¡°Is that really what the ''first dance'' is?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Jennifer said and pulled her hand back to slap him. ¡°Careful.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll hurt yourself if you do that.¡± Jennifer swung as hard as she could, and Ren didn''t try to stop her or avoid the hit. Her palm struck the cheek of his face and the sound of the slap reverberated off the bedroom''s walls. Jennifer gasped and grabbed her hand, and Ren had heard at least one broken bone. ¡°You... your head didn''t move.¡± ¡°I have Rock Steady, Unstoppable, and Improved Toughness (3).¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°I''ve also spent a lot of time in an extreme high pressure environment.¡± Jennifer placed her hurt hand in his, and he examined it. ¡°Two broken fingers.¡± Ren said and took out a Major Healing wand to heal her. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°So, you won''t let me do what I want?¡± ¡°Is that what you want? Just something to ride and hurt while you enjoy yourself?¡± Ren asked, and felt that she really wanted it. ¡°It... it''s my fantasy.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°No one I''ve been with can take it. They''ll let me hit them lightly once or twice, then they take over and we just have sex.¡± She said sadly. ¡°Even Billy can''t do it. I love him so much, and yet... he can''t give me what I want. What I need.¡± She pleaded and put her hands on the sides of his face. ¡°Ren, you... you can take it. You''ve proven that you don''t have to; but, I want you to.¡± Ren could feel her desperation and unfulfilled need and absorbed some of it. He also felt that she had hidden her desire for it for far too long. ¡°If I agree to this, it''s a one-time thing only.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not going to follow up with this, and nothing will ever happen between us again.¡± ¡°I promise!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°If I intended to do this with you again, we''d be upstairs in my apartment and not here at work.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren said, and his ability leveled up as Jennifer let an enormous amount of repressed desire flood into him. She moved her hands down his armor bodysuit and took one of his hands with both of hers, then walked backwards as she led him over to the bed. ¡°I''m going to have so much fun!¡± Jennifer said, and Ren absorbed some of her happiness. Chapter 402A - Jennifers Joy (EXPLICIT CONTENT) Ren let Jennifer lead him to the bed, and his ability absorbed her anticipation. She turned him around and sat him down on the bed, then slowly started to swing her hips as she unbuttoned her blouse. She could have just stored it into inventory, but Ren could feel that she wanted to put on a bit of a show for him and to build up her own anticipation more, so he sat there and watched. Jennifer opened her top and Ren saw that she still had the metal covers on the tips of her breasts. She let her blouse slide down her arms and it landed on the floor, then she turned around and undid her pants. They weren''t jeans, but they were still pretty tight; so, she had to shimmy a little to pull them down. Ren saw that she hadn''t put underwear back on, and still only had that single piece of metal to cover her private place. She bent over in front of him to pull the pants down all the way, and the movement stuck that shiny piece of metal right in his face. ¡°May I?¡± Ren asked. ¡°P-please.¡± Jennifer said, and he reached out to touch it. He rubbed his fingers across it, and with her bent over like that, he could see that it shifted slightly. Jennifer caught her breath as he moved it around a little, and Ren wondered how it was attached. Since she had given him permission, he traced the edge of the metal with a single fingertip, and caressed her sensitive skin. She moaned as he traced the outline again, and then he tried to dig his fingernail under the edge and pulled slightly. ¡°Oh!¡± Jennifer gasped, and a bit of fluid flowed out around the metal. ¡°Wow, you went just from that?¡± Ren asked, and he felt her desire spike and how much she wanted him to keep going. ¡°It... it''s because...¡± Jennifer tried to tell him how the metal was attached, and then he licked the skin around it. ¡°Oh, FUCK!¡± She yelled as she went again, and a lot more liquid came out. Her legs started to buckle, and Ren caught her hips before she fell. He held her up effortlessly and felt how happy she was; so, he kept licking around the metal. Jennifer started to hyperventilate. ¡°Ohgodohgodohgod!¡± She said in a continuous stream as Ren kept licking her around the metal. He worked his tongue in on the bottom edge, which was actually her front, and licked the top of her little nub. ¡°Ren! God!¡± She said and went again. Ren felt her trying to struggle and hold onto something, so he lifted her a little bit and laid back onto the bed. This position had her sitting on his face, and her legs were straight out. ¡°Let... god, let me... get my knees...mmm... under.... under me.¡± Jennifer managed to get out. Ren lifted her up and she folded her legs back so she could kneel on them, and he put her back down and kept licking her. ¡°Why... why are you... OH!¡± Jennifer went again when he managed to get his tongue under the edge of the metal again. ¡°Every... every man says that... it''s a sh-sh-SHAME!¡± She yelled as she went again. ¡°It''s a shame to... to cover myself up...¡± Ren stopped licking her so he could speak. ¡°I feel sorry for them.¡± He said and gave the inside of her thigh a kiss. ¡°It''s like a hunt for buried treasure.¡± He said and kissed her other thigh. ¡°It makes me wonder what secrets it''s hiding.¡± ¡°You''ve already seen me naked.¡± Jennifer said as she bent over to give Ren easier access. ¡°A couple of times.¡± ¡°Yeah, so?¡± Ren kissed her pelvic bone, then started licking her again. ¡°Why do y-y-you...¡± Jennifer''s voice wavered as he managed to get his tongue under the metal and licked her nub again. ¡°...want... want... Oh, GOD!¡± Ren had gotten his tongue in far enough that he could feel something, and traced it with his tongue. He closed his eyes and traced it again, then pulled his tongue out from under the metal. ¡°AHH!¡± Jennifer hollered and his face was covered in warm liquid. He waited until she stopped quivering before he spoke. ¡°I figured it out.¡± Ren said and licked between her legs and around the metal piece to clean up the fluid. Jennifer started to rub his very hard erection through his armor bodysuit. ¡°You''ve got a piercing.¡± He said. ¡°No, wait! Two piercings!¡± ¡°That... that''s right.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°One... one on the... the top, and one... one below.¡± She moaned as Ren cleaned her off. She tugged on his armor bodysuit so he would store it, then nearly shouted. ¡°Holy fuck!¡± ¡°How do I get this metal off?¡± Ren asked, and then Jennifer grabbed his shaft and licked it from the tip to the bottom. ¡°Can''t.¡± Jennifer said and slipped him into her mouth. Ren spread her legs as far as they would go and she didn''t protest, and he put his eye as close in as he could. He shifted the metal aside the small bit it could, then tried to lift it slightly. Her whole body twitched and more liquid came out, and he caught a glimpse of it. ¡°There''s no clasp or anything?¡± Ren asked, and she stopped sucking on him. ¡°It has to be equipped.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Then store it please.¡± Ren said, and she went back to sucking him off. ¡°Jennifer, store it.¡± She kept sucking on him and ignored him, and Ren felt that she was going to keep doing what she wanted. He lifted his hand an inch from the cheek of her ass, then quickly brought it down and slapped her. ¡°MmmMM!¡± Jennifer mumbled. The sound of the slap was loud in the small room and her skin turned a bright red right away. ¡°Store it!¡± Ren said. ¡°Mu mu.¡± Jennifer mumbled and kept sucking. Ren slapped her other cheek and she screamed around him and went again. A lot of warm fluid came out of her, and both of her cheeks were now bright red. She still didn''t store it, and Ren sighed. ¡°I''m not going to give you what you really want unless you store it.¡± ¡°Muh.¡± Jennifer moaned, and then the metal disappeared. ¡°Thank you, Mistress.¡± Ren said, and Jennifer froze when he dove into her with his lips and tongue. He dominated her in this one respect, and she couldn''t do anything as he worked her over better than anyone she''d ever been with before. She finished again, and this time there was no metal stopper. The fluid gushed out in a stream and soaked Ren''s face, the bed, and some of his hair. Ren didn''t stop, though. He felt her disbelief that he would keep going after she had sprayed herself all over his head. He added a finger, then two, and continued to work on her. Jennifer had become accustomed to the feeling of his tongue inside of her, and started to move her mouth on his member again. He felt her determination to get him off before he got her off again, and he wasn''t going to let that happen. Ren took as much of her flesh as he could into his mouth, and then bit down gently. Jennifer pulled him out of her mouth and screamed. ¡°OH FUUUUCK!¡± Jennifer had an orgasm so hard that even Ren couldn''t contain it all. He had to open his mouth before he choked on it, and it gushed out the sides of his mouth. ¡°You... you fucker!¡± Jennifer said and grabbed onto his member with both hands, then pumped him up and down as hard as she could. ¡°Cum for me! Give it to me, you fucking bastard! I wanna see you cum! CUM FOR ME!!!¡± Even with his self control, Ren couldn''t deny the direct stimulation and let her have her way. ¡°You better open wide, because even your big fucking mouth can''t take what I''m gonna give you!¡± Ren said, and he felt how much she liked him cursing at her. Jennifer felt his member throb, and she covered the tip of it with her mouth as she waited expectantly for it. ¡°Get ready to swallow it all, you bitch!¡± Ren said, and felt a burst of pleasure from her. ¡°AHHHHH!¡± He went, and Jennifer''s eyes widened as it wasn''t a little spurt like she''d had from other men. It filled her mouth almost instantly and she tried to swallow it. The sheer amount was too much even for her experienced throat and she stopped jerking on him as she slid her mouth off the tip. Another spurt came out and splashed her face and she gasped, then another and another.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Are you a cum fountain or something?¡± Jennifer asked and rubbed a hand over her face. It was covered in his expulsions, and he was still shooting out a little bit. She licked her hand, then licked his member. He shot another spurt at her, and she laughed. ¡°I''m going to call you ''Old Face-full''.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I warned you.¡± ¡°I''m not even gonna ask how you can do that.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°How can you spray so much?¡± He asked. ¡°I''ve seen a couple of sprays, and quite a bit of liquid before; but, I''ve never seen anything like what you do.¡± ¡°I didn''t know I could.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°You made me cum so hard!¡± ¡°Does this mean the dance is over?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Fuck, no!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°You said you''d give me what I wanted if I stored my pussy block.¡± ¡°Your what?¡± Ren asked, just because he wanted to hear her say it again. ¡°It''s my pussy block.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Guys grab and feel me up when I''m working, so this stops them from getting to the good stuff until they pay.¡± ¡°That''s... actually very smart.¡± Ren said when he thought about it. ¡°You can let them grope you, and they won''t get anything until you let them.¡± Jennifer''s face flushed red at Ren''s compliment. ¡°You know, I really like that even though we just did what we just did, you''re still admiring my brains.¡± Ren tilted his head to the side and stuck his tongue out a little, then lifted his arms like Frankenstein''s monster. ¡°Brains! Braaaiinnnsss!¡± ¡°Oh, no!¡± Jennifer said and rolled off of the bed. ¡°A zombie!¡± Ren followed her and shuffled around the room. Jennifer fake screamed and collapsed onto the bed. ¡°I fell! No! Don''t eat me!¡± Ren shuffled over and knelt by her crotch. ¡°Brains?¡± ¡°Well, I guess you can eat me.¡± Jennifer said and spread her legs for him. ¡°But just a little.¡± ¡°Mmmm... brains.¡± Ren said and dove between her legs. He could feel how much she enjoyed it, and he absorbed the feelings she offered him. He wrapped his arms around her thighs and just kept eating her. After she had finished twice more, he could feel a shift in her emotions. Without a word, he stood up and climbed over her, then laid down on the middle of the bed. Jennifer rolled over to look at him, and he had his arms and legs spread out like a star. Ren felt her joy as she hooked his right leg to the post with a shackle, then his left leg. Jennifer climbed over the bed and put his left wrist into the shackle, then his right wrist. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Jennifer said and reached for a 6 inch thick piece of leather. It almost looked like a wooden paddle, but it was made of leather. ¡°You''re still so hard for me, even after all of that playing.¡± She said and used a hand to stroke his member. ¡°It''s what you want.¡± Ren said and made it throb for her. She gently stroked it from the tip and down the shaft. ¡°Please, be gentle.¡± Jennifer grinned at him and brought the leather strap down onto his chest. The sound of leather on skin was loud and Ren pretended to flinch. It sent a shiver of pleasure through her, and Ren could tell it was a completely different type of pleasure. ¡°You can''t cum until I tell you that you can.¡± Jennifer said and slapped his chest with the thick leather strap. ¡°Y-Yes, M-mistress.¡± Ren said in a scared voice, and Jennifer caught her breath. She closed her eyes and slapped his chest again with the leather. He could feel how much she liked it and spoke again. ¡°I-I-I''ll be good, M-mistress.¡± ¡°Yes, you will be.¡± Jennifer said and straddled his waist. She rubbed his still hard member with her private part, and she moaned and brought the strap down again and again. Ren gave her pitying moans and light sobs, and he begged her over and over to let him finish. ¡°OH FUCK!¡± Jennifer yelled as she froze still and finished. Another large spray came out and covered his chest and his thighs. Where is she getting it all? Ren asked himself. We haven''t even had intercourse yet! Jennifer sat on his member and stared at the huge mess she had made. ¡°I''ve... good god, that...¡± ¡°Th-thank you, M-mistress.¡± Ren squeaked. ¡°Can... can I have another?¡± ¡°Fuck, yes!¡± Jennifer said and brought the strap down on his chest again and again. Ren fake flinched each time and Jennifer finished again. She leaned over and braced her arms on his shoulders to stop herself from collapsing. She had been breathing heavy for a while now, and Ren wasn''t sure if she could keep going. ¡°Do you need a rest?¡± Ren asked, and she looked at him. ¡°I... I think... no, I can keep going.¡± ¡°Would you like an Energize spell to refill your Stamina?¡± ¡°How? Your hands are tied.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I don''t need my hands.¡± Ren said and used the wand around his neck. Jennifer''s Stamina bar refilled and she stared at Ren. ¡°How many times have you used it on yourself?¡± ¡°Um... 2, I think.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, 2. I only used it after my Controlled Berserk Rage so I wouldn''t pass out.¡± ¡°Your controlled what?¡± ¡°The first was after a battle, and the second I scared the crap out of a bunch of Dark Elves.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I sure surprised them, let me tell you.¡± Jennifer blinked her eyes at him. ¡°I... I meant tonight.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t used it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''re the one doing all the work.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m just laying here and relaxing.¡± Jennifer brought the leather strap down onto his thigh. ¡°No relaxing! You''re my toy until I have to go to work!¡± There was a discreet knock on the door. ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Jennifer hollered. ¡°We open in 5 minutes and you need to get ready.¡± Gina, the Manager said. ¡°FUCK!¡± Jennifer yelled. ¡°Tell Sugar to cover your tables for you.¡± Ren suggested. ¡°Get Sugar to cover for me!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°For how long?¡± Gina asked. ¡°An hour.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then I have to go.¡± ¡°An hour!¡± Jennifer said, and then what Ren said hit her. ¡°Did you... you said an hour, right?¡± ¡°I know that''s cutting it short; but, I do have to get home and see my maids.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been away for a few days and I miss them.¡± ¡°We''re cutting it short.¡± Jennifer said, and Ren could feel her shock. ¡°I''m sorry, I have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°You better hurry, though. The time is going to go by fast.¡± Jennifer still sat on the front of his member, and her private part twitched. Ren was still rock hard, and she got up onto her knees. She used a hand to put his member in the right position, then rubbed it across her nub. She closed her eyes and went a little, and Ren figured she just needed a little bit of lubrication. Jennifer rocked her hips forward a little and looked down at herself. She eased herself down onto him, and her body gripped him tightly after the tip went in. She stopped moving and let her body try to adjust to him, and Ren pulled on his arms and broke both posts that the shackles were attached to, grabbed her hips and shoved her down onto himself. ¡°FUCK!¡± Jennifer yelled and finished. She gushed out onto his abdomen, and she dropped the leather strap to try and pull Ren''s hands off of her. ¡°Wait... you... you broke my shackles!¡± ¡°Fuck the shackles!¡± Ren said and picked her up and shoved her back down again. He felt her bursts of pleasure, but he didn''t know if it was the physical stimulation or the mental one with him cursing. ¡°If you''re not going to hurry up and fuck me, then I''m going to fuck you!¡± Jennifer froze solid at his tone and his words, and Ren felt a wave of anticipation from her. ¡°That''s right!¡± Ren said and rolled her over and got on top. ¡°You''re such a bitch! Strutting across the stage and teasing all those men!¡± He said and pulled almost all the way out. ¡°Fulfilling all their fantasies and never getting anything for yourself!¡± He jammed himself into her, and she gasped as he reached all the way inside. ¡°You do so much for them and don''t take anything except money!¡± Jennifer gasped again when he pulled almost all the way back out. ¡°Well, I''m not gonna stand for it! I''m gonna fuck you so hard that you''ll have no choice but to enjoy it!¡± Ren said and jammed himself back into her. Jennifer''s body started to respond, and then she wrapped her arms around him. ¡°R-R-Ren!¡± Jennifer gasped as he started to pound her over and over again. ¡°Take it!¡± Ren said. ¡°Open up and take the pleasure you fucking deserve!¡± ¡°I AM!¡± Jennifer yelled, and Ren felt her emotions open up. All of her sexual frustrations, her anxiety over having a weird fetish that people didn''t understand, and her worry that she wasn''t good enough for someone to love; it all came out for him. Ren''s ability took everything she gave him and absorbed it. Her enjoyment and pleasure he left alone, though. It welled up inside of her, and he could feel her getting close. ¡°Ren! I''m gonna... oh, FUCK!¡± Jennifer yelled and had an orgasm. She dug her fingernails into his back and he didn''t feel it at all. He only concentrated on making her feel good, and his Improved Toughness wouldn''t let her nails penetrate his skin. He kept having sex with her, and she went two more times. ¡°P-p-please... Ren... give... give it to me!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Oh, god... please...¡± ¡°You asked for this, YOU BITCH!¡± Ren yelled in her face, and she kissed him hard. He had been building it up for a while, and when he felt her insides tense up, he let himself go and finished. Jennifer screamed into his mouth as he filled her up; then she went, and went, and went again. Her legs had clamped around him and wouldn''t let him go as he poured himself into her. Jennifer convulsed several times after that from the overload of pleasure, and then the moment passed. She let her grip on his back go and pulled her hands up to cup the sides of his face. She unwrapped her legs from around him and let them fall to the bed as she broke the kiss. ¡°Who... who are you?¡± Jennifer asked. ¡°Prince Charming for a day, at your service.¡± Ren said, and then chuckled. ¡°Well, was at your service.¡± Jennifer smiled, and gave him a nice soft kiss. ¡°Thank you, Prince Charming.¡± She said and moved her hands down and along his neck. She rubbed his chest where she had hit him so many times that it had tired her out, and there wasn''t a mark on him at all. ¡°You''re amazing.¡± ¡°You''re just saying that because you saw me naked.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Ren, there''s about 10 minutes left to the hour.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°We better get changed and clean up.¡± Jennifer nodded and got up off the bed. Ren did as well, and they looked at it. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Jennifer said. The entire bed was soaked from the headboard to the foot of it. ¡°That''s quite the mess we made.¡± ¡°Allow me.¡± Ren said and stored the bed and put it back. It was all clean, but the posts were still damaged. ¡°I''ll fix these, too.¡± He said and held out his hands. Jennifer undid the simple lock and he took the chains to the top of the bed. He replaced the posts and attached the shackles in the same place they were before, then equipped his red suit. He walked over to Jennifer and offered her an elbow. ¡°Ma''am, may I escort you to work?¡± ¡°Please do, kind sir.¡± Jennifer equipped the metal piece to cover her private area, and then equipped one of the classy business suit and skirt outfits. She took his arm and they left Jennifer''s work room. Chapter 403 - Up And Running It was nighttime in the High Elven Kingdom, and within it''s borders something stirred. In the small city of Hachshall, a pale white face passed between two buildings and dove into the safety of the shadows. The ghoul had been as cautious as it could; but, once it was above ground there wasn''t a lot of safety for it to find. It heard a rustling sound beside it and darted from it''s hiding place and out into the street, then was impaled with a long spear through the chest. It screeched, and the High Elf Guardsman had to cover his ears. ¡°That''s the thirteenth one tonight.¡± He commented, pulled his sword from it''s scabbard and decapitated the ghoul. It''s screech died with it, and he looted it to get rid of the mess. He almost laughed at the few copper coins it''s corpse had left behind, and walked away without picking them up. ¡°Johant! Where are you? You''re supposed to be...¡± He heard several screeches and held both weapons at the ready. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± He whispered as a horde of ghouls swarmed out of hiding towards him. ¡°For the KING!¡± The Guardsman yelled and threw his spear, then swung his sword in a futile attempt to stem the flow of undead creatures. * Ren and Jennifer had a good time with only very light bondage play for their first dance, and came out of her work room into an empty club. ¡°There''s still no one.¡± Gina, the Manager said. ¡°We''ve been open for an hour already, and nothing.¡± Ren reached a hand out and touched Gina''s hand. ¡°Despite what you may think, it takes time to travel places.¡± He said, and she chuckled. ¡°You only sent the notice out earlier today. If the men are coming, they''ll be here.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°You''re punny!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, that came out wrong.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Still puntastic.¡± ¡°You''re in a great mood.¡± Caramel said as she walked over to them. ¡°That''s because this guy-¡± ¡°...has somewhere he needs to be right now.¡± Ren said to cut Jennifer off. He turned to her and she let his arm go. ¡°Thank you for giving me the first dance.¡± He said and gave her a formal bow with a bit of a flourish. ¡°Fear not! For I go with a light heart and a soaring spirit, and it''s all thanks to your delicate ministrations.¡± He took her hand and gave the back of it a light kiss. ¡°Farewell, sweet damsel! Parting is such sweet sorrow!¡± ¡°Somebody took acting lessons.¡± Caramel said and Ren gasped. ¡°Hark! Does thou fair lady question this mortal''s sincerity?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You wound me deeply, Madam!¡± ¡°I think Jennifer took care of that already.¡± Caramel chuckled. ¡°You look fine, though.¡± Ren felt her concern, and he took her hand. ¡°Madam, both I and Little Ren thank you for thinking of us.¡± Jennifer laughed. ¡°Wait until I tell you about ''little'' Ren!¡± ¡°Now I really have to get out of here.¡± Ren said, and that made all three women laugh. ¡°Keep your hopes up! There''s not a man, and probably a few women, that won''t want to come here to check this place out.¡± ¡°I''ll walk you out.¡± Gina the Manager said. ¡°Bye, Ren!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I''m never going to forget what you did for me!¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Bye, Jennifer.¡± Gina walked with Ren to the front door. ¡°I don''t think I''ve ever seen her so happy.¡± She said and opened the front door. ¡°I''d like to say that I did my best, but we had to stop when we ran out of time.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Gina blinked her eyes at him, and he felt her surprise. They were in there for two hours! ¡°Even with Sugar covering for her, I still couldn''t do what I wanted.¡± Ren said and stepped out of the Pleasure Palace. ¡°Bye, Gina!¡± ¡°B-b-bye, R-Ren.¡± Gina said and Ren smiled when he felt a bit of desire from her. He gave her a little wave, and she wiggled her fingers at him as the door shut. Ren dismissed the popups for leaving an Adult Only area and for the Blue Screen Protocol being disengaged. He walked to the road and saw several men wandering around the Main House and the other closed businesses, and he smacked himself in the head. Ren took out enough wood to make a nice large sign and enchanted a design on it. It was just the words ''Pleasure Palace'' in fancy lettering with two Illumination runes integrated into it so it would stay lit constantly. He used stone bricks to make an archway on the roadside over the driveway to the parking lot and mounted the sign to the top of it. That reminded him that he could make an artificial Aura around the building to grant XP bonuses when you worked for the business, and he took out a handful of steel squares and enchanted them with the Pleasure Palace design. He ran over to the front door and touched the steel square. ¡°Let me in, please.¡± Ren said, and the door opened right away. ¡°You''re back!¡± Jennifer said when he ran inside. ¡°There''s a bunch of guys wandering around outside.¡± Ren said, and a cheer came from the gathered dancers. ¡°You came back to tell us that?¡± ¡°No, I forgot to set something up.¡± Ren said and walked around and mounted the enchanted steel squares on the weapon plaques, and when they were all set up, he activated them. The Pleasure Palace Aura popped into existence and one of the girls gasped. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± ¡°That is the Pleasure Palace Aura.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Please equip your cloaks.¡± No one questioned him and equipped their cloaks, and Ren enchanted each of the diamond brooches with the Pleasure Palace design and a single Illumination rune to make them glow. ¡°That''s so pretty!¡± Sugar said. ¡°It''s much more than that.¡± Ren said. ¡°As long as you are within these walls, you''ll get XP for working for the business.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Several of the girls gasped. ¡°It''s something I discovered while I was in the Dwarven Lands.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now you can have fun, enjoy yourselves, make money, and earn XP.¡± ¡°I think I love you!¡± Gina the Manager said, and Ren chuckled because he felt that she wasn''t serious. ¡°Does that mean I can turn you on now?¡± ¡°Nope! You''re still firmly in friend only territory.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Now I really have to go.¡± He said. ¡°You might want to stand by the door for this.¡± Gina came with him and stood on the outside of the front door, and Ren ran over to the archway by the road and activated the sign. It lit up the night like a spotlight and joined the artificial Aura of the Pleasure Palace. ¡°There it is!¡± A man''s voice said and ran over to Ren. ¡°It''s hard to see with no lights around here.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll make some street lights.¡± Ren said. ¡°I keep forgetting that people can''t see in the dark.¡± The man laughed. ¡°Me, too! I''ve lost count of how many times I''ve had to turn back from a quest to go buy more torches!¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Ren grinned at him. ¡°Hey, stop talking to me! The girls are waiting!¡± ¡°Right!¡± The man turned and hollered ¡°Guys! GUYS! Over here!¡± A group of 6 men ran down the street towards the man and saw the sign. ¡°Pleasure Palace, huh?¡± One of them said. ¡°I hope it''s got some good stuff!¡± ¡°If you mean sweet and strong ale to drink and stew to eat, it does.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you mean sexy girls that are gonna blow your mind, then it definitely does!¡± ¡°Fukin'' A!¡± The guy said, a little slurred. ¡°Let me at ''em!¡± ¡°Just be good to them!¡± Ren said as the group walked passed. ¡°The bouncers are watching!¡± When the group arrived at the door, they received the popups for Adult Only and Blue Screen protocol, then a warning. Ren smiled when one protested that he always wears armor, and Gina told him that he needed to store it or he wasn''t allowed in. ¡°Who are you to tell me what to do?¡± The man asked. ¡°I''m the Manager.¡± Gina said. ¡°This is my place and my rules. Either you follow them or you''re out the door.¡± The guy stepped close and loomed over her. Gina faced off with him and didn''t back down. ¡°Tell me you dance.¡± The guy said. ¡°Only on stage.¡± Gina said. ¡°Nothing private.¡± ¡°Is touching allowed?¡± ¡°Only if I like you.¡± Gina said. ¡°Do you like me?¡± The guy said in a low voice. Gina gave him a crooked smile. ¡°Maybe.¡± The guy grinned and held out a silver coin. ¡°First call?¡± Gina took the coin and nodded, and the guy equipped an old set of Travelling Clothes. ¡°This is going to be fun.¡± The guy said and followed his friends inside. ¡°Geezus, look at this place!¡± He said. ¡°Those are real weapons and shields mounted on the walls!¡± Gina looked over at Ren, and he gave her a ''thumbs up'' gesture. She smiled at him, and then he heard a cart and horse coming down the road. ¡°We made it!¡± A guy said. ¡°I hope they have something to eat!¡± ¡°They do.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°Beef stew and the best ale in the county.¡± Three guys in the back cheered, and the cart went under the archway and parked in the parking lot. The driver tied off the horse, and the 4 men went to the front door. No one complained about storing armor, and they went inside to get a hot meal. Ren could feel how happy Gina was that they had several customers, and then the music started up. He gave her a little wave and ran over to the warehouse and the giant forge. He discovered that Tee-one and Ruck had continued to work and made steel muscle men for the two hours Ren had been gone, and already had 240 of them done. That was one every 30 seconds, and Ren looked at Tee-one''s hands. They were scorched but not really damaged, and he smiled. ¡°My own resistance is going up.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need 2 dozen street lights.¡± ¡°Cheat.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Alter the Instant Tower recipe.¡± Ren chuckled and opened the recipe, stripped everything out of it and left only a single metal post, and altered it to be a street light on the top. It only required a single iron ingot of any quality and Ren added a glyph of 5 Illumination runes. He saved the recipe as Street Light, then activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability. He added one ingot and 50 Mana, and a tiny little cube that could barely be seen was made barely a second later. ¡°That''s ridiculous.¡± Ren laughed and picked it up. It was only a quarter of an inch wide. ¡°Maybe I''ll make a line of them instead.¡± He altered the recipe to make 6 street lights in a line instead of just one, and it only took 2 iron bars. ¡°So, recipes can only take 1 iron bar or more, and not a half or a quarter iron bar.¡± ¡°Now we know both the biggest and smallest things that can be made with that ability.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren made the recipe twice. He made another single street lamp to match the first, then went out to the road. He put the cubes of 6 lights where he wanted them on either side of the road and spoke the command word. The street lights popped into existence and were already lit, and he ran over to the Main House and put the two single street lamps on either side of the front door. He activated them as well, and they popped out and were already lit. He ran back to the warehouse and looked at the piles of steel muscle men. ¡°Take a break from making them and build an Inn, a Barracks beside the Main House, and a Cafeteria.¡± ¡°What about the other businesses?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°If you''ve got the time, maybe a small school.¡± Ren said. ¡°We should hold off on the blacksmith and tailor shops until we can find out the extent of the people''s skills.¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°We haven''t gotten any new furniture orders in a while.¡± ¡°That''s because you''re too good of a worker.¡± Ren said. ¡°The second floor of the business is still about three quarters full.¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°I could say that I was bored and kept busy, but we both know I like working.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Just as much as I do, my friend.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll see you both tomorrow.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Tee-one said and Ruck waved. Ren waved back and ran over to the Main House. ¡°Hello, Princess.¡± Ren said and bowed to her. Hello, My Lord. Princess thought to him. Do you have a meal for me? ¡°Only the best for my Princess.¡± Ren said and took out a plate with a 2 inch thick steak, a bed of potatoes and thick beef stew on top. Thank you. Princess thought and gave his cheek a very small lick with the tip of her tongue. ¡°What? No slobbering?¡± Ren asked and Princess huffed. You always joke when I do that. Ren reached out and pat her neck. ¡°That''s because it''s usually funny.¡± He said. ¡°I''m sorry if I hurt your feelings.¡± You didn''t. Princess thought. I was just being more cautious about it today. ¡°Well, thank you for that.¡± Ren said and scratched her chin. ¡°Also for every other lick you''ve given me.¡± You don''t resent it? Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re showing me affection, and I wasn''t sure you even liked me at first.¡± I didn''t. Princess thought and started to eat. I only tolerated you. Ren laughed. ¡°That''s what I thought.¡± We have had great adventures together since then, and I learned that you deserve my devotion. ¡°I''d rather just have your friendship.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... I''ll take anything you have to offer.¡± Good. Princess thought and finished eating. You have it whether you want it or not. She stood up to her full height and exuded confidence. Let us go. Ren led her outside and climbed up onto her saddle. ¡°I still can''t believe how fast you can go now, and I was the one that did it.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Teepo came in for a landing on Princess'' helm. ¡°It''s just too stunning to enjoy properly!¡± Ren laughed and Princess brayed a little, then she trotted out onto the road. ¡°There''s going to be traffic, so we need to be careful.¡± Ren said. ¡°Quarter speed until we''re on open road.¡± Princess ran and blew past the rest of the town instantly and weaved in and out of people walking, a couple of carts, and a few men on horses. ¡°Wow, there''s even more traffic than I thought.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope the girls will be okay.¡± ¡°You saw how Gina handled that big guy.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They''re going to be just fine...¡± He chittered in laughter. ¡°...and really, really busy.¡± Ren snorted a laugh and both Princess and Teepo saw a long open stretch with no traffic. ¡°We''re clear!¡± Teepo said, and Princess ran. ¡°Wheeeeee!¡± They made it to the turnoff that went to the capital city only a couple of minutes later. Since it was nighttime, there was no traffic coming or going from there, so Princess didn''t slow down at all and made it to the West Gate of Aurora a minute later and then had to slow down. She couldn''t make the turns in the city at full speed anyway, so she only trotted through the West Gate and around the streets towards the Housing District. They came to a stop in front of the house and Ren climbed down. He opened the front door and let Princess inside, and she went to her room and plopped down onto her mattress. ¡°I''m going back out to the county for a bit tomorrow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to get the cafeteria up and running, and make sure everyone is getting proper meals when they want it.¡± I will stay here until you need me again. Princess thought to him. Goodnight. ¡°Goodnight, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°You too, Riley and Stacy.¡± They barked lightly, and Teepo flew out of the room and up the stairs. ¡°Don''t worry, you''ll have a huge space to run around in and to protect soon.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ll be moving permanently in a few days, and I''m going to need you to keep an eye on things when we get there.¡± Both dogs nodded, and Ren went up the stairs to the big bedroom. ¡°They''re all here.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought and opened the door to see all 5 of his maids. He could feel their surprise that he was there and they hadn''t felt him. Lusinia and Navruth sat on the bed, Andrela stood in front of her clothing cabinet, Verwynn looked up from rooting in the icebox, and Frikara sat in a chair at her vanity table in front of the mirror. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Ren said and went into the room. ¡°I have Adventurer''s business to take care of, so I can''t stay.¡± Ren felt their disappointment and their understanding. ¡°Why aren''t you using our Contact Aura?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°We should have felt you when you were down the street.¡± ¡°I didn''t think it would be fair to only give you a few moments and then have to leave for several hours.¡± Ren said and took off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. ¡°When I come back, I''ll concentrate on it and tell you all about what happened since I went on the quest.¡± ¡°Are... are you punishing us for not being here when you came to see us?¡± Frikara asked, and Ren felt her worry and her sadness. He walked over to stand behind her chair, then bent over and wrapped his arms around her. He put his chin on her shoulder and sighed. ¡°No, Frikara.¡± Ren said, ¡°I gave you orders a long time ago that you could go out, as long as you wore the items I gave you to protect you.¡± He kissed her cheek. ¡°I was disappointed that I didn''t get to see all of you, but I was also happy that you were all brave enough to go out without an escort.¡± Frikara turned to look at him, and he gave her a kiss on the lips. Ren felt a thrill go through her, then he broke the kiss and let her out of the hug. ¡°I''ll be back in an hour or so.¡± Ren said and walked over to the bed. He stored his clothing, except for his underwear, and climbed onto the bed. ¡°See you soon.¡± He said and laid down on the far left side of the bed. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren slipped off the VR headset and saw Denise''s expression. ¡°Okay, what''s wrong?¡± ¡°You. Built. A. Strip. Club.¡± ¡°Technically.¡± Ren said. ¡°What I actually did was-¡± ¡°I don''t care how you did it!¡± Denise said. ¡°I care about why!¡± ¡°That''s easy.¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°I needed to get the dancers a steady income again.¡± ¡°You had to?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°They lost their other jobs mainly because of me, so I made a new place for them.¡± ¡°And used it.¡± Denise said. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I paid them a week''s wages, and they wouldn''t let me walk away without giving me something, so I agreed to have the first dance.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Denise sighed. ¡°How could you do that?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What''s your girlfriend Elise going to say?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said and reached for the cell phone. ¡°Let''s find out.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren picked up the phone and looked for Elise''s contact information, then started to type. Chapter 404 - A Good Talk Ren typed up a text message to see if Elise was busy, and she texted back that she wasn''t. The phone rang a moment later, and Ren answered it. ¡°Hello? Who the hell is this?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s me, you numb-skull.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°I''m just between meetings at the law firm. What''s up?¡± ¡°Oh, not much.¡± Ren said. ¡°I finally completed my promise to the Queen of the Dark Elves.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Elise said. ¡°Did you use the Enlarge Person spell like I suggested?¡± ¡°I did, and she was just as shocked as you said she would be.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It was almost a little too much for her.¡± ¡°Just almost?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Hey, I save all the good stuff for you, remember?¡± ¡°I don''t know if I should be grateful for that or not.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°No, wait! I am.¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°The party finished the quest as well.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Elise said. ¡°What was the cause?¡± ¡°Ghouls.¡± Ren said, and Elise went quiet. ¡°Elise?¡± ¡°Hold on for a minute.¡± Elise said and put her cell phone down on her briefcase and took out her tablet. She checked the server logs, and then checked the tech team support schedule. When she saw the reports, she nearly dropped the tablet. She took a deep breath and picked up the phone. ¡°Ren, please tell me you killed them all.¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also found the Dark Elves were involved and went to Lylyth to ask her about it.¡± Elise sighed. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°That was the right thing to do, but...¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°By doing that, you met the conditions for the event.¡± ¡°What event?¡± ¡°I... I can''t tell you what it''s called. It''s still a secret.¡± Elise said. ¡°What I can tell you is that it''s a world class event.¡± ¡°Is there anything I can do to stop it?¡± ¡°No. Once it''s triggered, it''s only a matter of time.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said, and Elise chuckled. ¡°It''s not like you would have done something differently if you did know.¡± ¡°I... no, you''re right. I still would have done it the same way.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know you would.¡± Elise said. ¡°All you can do now is deal with the consequences.¡± ¡°Can you give me a hint on how to do that?¡± ¡°Your free casting ability for a certain element will be very, very handy.¡± Elise said. Ren didn''t even have to think about it. He knew that she meant Fire, because that was the element that was instrumental to deal with the ghoul horde that his party had fought. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got something else to tell you, too.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Do you remember the dancers I rescued from that exploiting idiot at the Pink Pearl?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Elise said. ¡°The game hasn''t replaced that business yet.¡± ¡°It doesn''t have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just did that.¡± ¡°You did?¡± ¡°It''s called the Pleasure Palace. It''s an 80 foot wide by 80 foot long castle in my county, and they gave me the first dance.¡± Elise was quiet for a moment. ¡°Did you like it?¡± ¡°You''re kidding, right?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I wasn''t getting out of there without doing something, not after paying 12 dancers for a week''s work.¡± ¡°You have got to stop being so damn nice to the women you meet.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°How many of them did you have to sleep with?¡± ¡°Just the one.¡± Ren said. ¡°They had a competition to see who had the best talent, and the winner got to give me the first dance of the night.¡± ¡°Did you enjoy it?¡± ¡°It was okay at the end.¡± Ren said. ¡°I did it for her, and she enjoyed it.¡± He smiled. ¡°That''s all that matters.¡± ¡°Thanks for telling me.¡± Elise said. ¡°Of course I''d tell you.¡± Ren said. ¡°It might have been virtual, but it was still sex with someone other than you.¡± He explained. ¡°I''m never going to hide anything from you.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°You called me right away, didn''t you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, Denise is standing here and staring daggers at me.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°Put her on.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and held the cell phone out to Denise. ¡°She wants to talk to you.¡± Denise took the phone. ¡°Hello, Elise.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± Elise said. ¡°Thank you for looking after Ren.¡± ¡°It''s my job.¡± Denise said, then sighed. ¡°You''re okay with what he did?¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure it was only a one time thing.¡± Elise said. ¡°Otherwise he would have said he was seeing someone else.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°He gave those women a pile of money, Denise.¡± Elise said. ¡°You know what they can be like with rich clients.¡± ¡°I... yes. I have some idea.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''m surprised he snuck out of there with only having sex with one of them.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Denise said. ¡°Put Ren back on.¡± Elise said, and Denise handed the cell phone back to Ren. ¡°Yeah, what do you want now?¡± Ren asked and started to laugh. ¡°Keep it up, smart-aleck.¡± Elise said. ¡°I might change my mind about coming over to visit tomorrow.¡± ¡°Wait, wait!¡± Ren said and stopped laughing. ¡°I''ll be good!¡± ¡°You better be.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°Oh! Now that I''m talking to you, do you know why there''s hidden skills and recipes?¡± ¡°You don''t meet the requirements to see what the things are.¡± ¡°What? How can I unlock skills when I level, but not have the requirements?¡± ¡°They must be either against your character build, or you need to see or do something before you can use them.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°How would I do or see something I don''t know what I need to do or see, to get something that I don''t know what it is or what it''s for?¡± He laughed. ¡°That was rhetorical by the way, so you don''t have to answer it.¡± ¡°That''s good.¡± Elise said. ¡°I didn''t follow your thoughts there at all.¡± Ren laughed again. ¡°They''re ready for me again, so I have to go.¡± Elise said when a legal aid came out to get her. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Bye, Elise.¡± Ren said. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Elise said and ended the call. Ren hung up the cell phone and put it back on the dresser. ¡°She''s a forgiving woman.¡± Denise said. ¡°Yeah, she''s great!¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, I was already with a few women when she came onto the scene, but she was okay with that.¡± He smiled. ¡°Both with the real and the virtual.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Denise sighed. ¡°Ren, I... I don''t know if... I mean, I like you. I like you a lot.¡± ¡°I know you do.¡± Ren said, and he didn''t need his Emotion Siphon ability to know she was surprised. ¡°I''ve seen the way you look at me sometimes.¡± He held a hand out to her, and she came over to the bed and sat down as she took it. ¡°I''ve seen both desire and missed opportunities in your eyes.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told you. There''s no rush. I''m going to need your help for a long time, and if at some point you decide that you want to kiss me like you''ve always wanted to...¡± He used his other hand to reach up and touch her lips with a single fingertip. ¡°...I''ll pucker up for you.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I don''t... if it happens, I don''t know if I can share.¡± ¡°You did pretty well at the clothing shop that time, when we were shopping for bathing suits.¡± Denise closed her eyes. ¡°It''s still not my fantasy.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You don''t know how disappointed I was when you leaned in to tell me that the sales girl Lily was watching, and you weren''t trying to kiss me.¡± Denise opened her eyes and stared at him. ¡°You... wanted me to kiss you then?¡± ¡°Did I ever.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s not like it was a fantasy or anything; but, you and Elise had me turned on and I was making out with her... and the both of you were gripping my behind...¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°You little scamp.¡± Ren moved his finger to her cheek, and then her ear. ¡°That time it was me that thought it was a missed opportunity.¡± He said and cupped the side of her face. Denise tilted her head and he caressed her skin, then ran his hand through her short blonde hair. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''m not pressuring you at all.¡± Ren said and laid a hand over her heart. ¡°I know more than anyone what it means to start something with me.¡± He said. ¡°Even Gloria only just admitted to herself that she wants to change what we are to each other, and I''ve known her in the game for a really long time.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Hell, I''ve been having sex with her for most of that time, and it''s still taken this long for her to just tell me what she wants.¡± Denise looked at Gloria''s inert body on the bed. ¡°I''m sorry she just left you like that.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°But, it''s just like I told Patty. What bothered me about it was that she left and didn''t tell me about it to my face, then made sure I couldn''t contact her.¡± ¡°You do realize you don''t own her, don''t you?¡± Denise asked. ¡°She can come and go whenever she wants, right?¡± ¡°She doesn''t have to spend any time with me at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, she came with me to spend time with me; then she snuck out, left me a note, and told me not to be mad about it.¡± He said. ¡°To be honest, that pissed me off.¡± ¡°You?¡± Denise asked, and he nodded. ¡°I''m not sure why it bothered me so much, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe... just maybe... it''s because it shows that she''s always going to do it?¡± ¡°That''s possible.¡± Denise said. ¡°I read her note, and that does seem like she would leave any time her friend called.¡± ¡°Son of a BITCH!¡± Gloria yelled and pulled off her VR headset. ¡°Goddamned motherfu-¡± Her words cut off as she saw both Ren and Denise staring at her. ¡°Oh, right. I''m still here.¡± She sighed. ¡°I''m sorry for my outburst.¡± ¡°I''d ask what''s going on, but I''m pretty sure I know what happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yeah, I died.¡± Gloria said and put her headset down, then held her head in her hands. ¡°It was horrible!¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Ren, don''t.¡± Denise said. ¡°Leave her alone for a bit.¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is the perfect time to talk about it.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°About running off to face unknown dangers alone, obviously.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll toss in getting yourself killed, too.¡± ¡°Look, I don''t have to answer to you.¡± Gloria said, angrily. ¡°No, you don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t ask for an itinerary of every move you do in the game.¡± He said. ¡°Hell, I never ask you for that!¡± Gloria lifted her head and looked at him. ¡°You came to my new place to spend time with me, then I woke up and you were gone.¡± Ren said. ¡°You didn''t even bother to tell me you were going.¡± ¡°I told Teepo!¡± ¡°Yeah, and told him to stay quiet about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Despite my specific instructions to always wake me, he listened to you instead.¡± He sighed. ¡°I''m not happy with him, either.¡± ¡°I also left a note!¡± Gloria said. ¡°Yeah, with the NPC Mayor.¡± Ren said. ¡°What if I had just stayed upstairs? Or if she had to leave before I woke up? Would I have gotten your note then?¡± Gloria closed her mouth before she could argue about it. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°You should be.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know I''m trustworthy, right?¡± Gloria didn''t say anything. ¡°I''d never reveal any information you tell me not to.¡± Ren said. ¡°You could have blindfolded me, or any other tactic to keep Hailey''s location secret.¡± Gloria looked down at her hands. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°I don''t want to hear any kind of justification for abandoning me.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re supposed to be a part of my party. Your danger is supposed to be my danger.¡± Gloria shook her head. ¡°I couldn''t, Ren!¡± She said. ¡°It''s Hailey''s quest, and I can''t just invite anyone along that I want!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Were you invited to Clint''s quest by Clint?¡± ¡°I... no.¡± ¡°There''s no game rules about bringing along others to fight.¡± Ren said. ¡°They just don''t share in the party''s copy of the XP split.¡± ¡°I got enough XP to level up twice from that quest.¡± Gloria said. ¡°No, what you got was a split of a copy of the XP that I earned.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Clint''s party earned over 2 million XP for that quest. It put the entire team at the second spot of the XP leader board.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just above my second best score, and below my permanent top spot.¡± ¡°How did you get that, anyway?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°I broke the XP conversion system.¡± Ren said. ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Gloria stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°H-how did you do that?¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have gained a ton of levels from it, but it crashed.¡± He smiled. ¡°I won''t let you distract me.¡± ¡°Ren, please...¡± ¡°You ran off, then got yourself killed.¡± Ren said. ¡°I knew you were running into a dangerous situation when you left behind the only way I could contact you.¡± ¡°I couldn''t have you call me when I was in the middle of something, so I left it.¡± ¡°Yeah, and you also couldn''t contact me for help.¡± Ren said. ¡°How did that work out for you?¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I told you not to be mad about this.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You know, saying that actually made me mad.¡± He said. ¡°I was going to just push it aside and say it was no big deal, and then you wrote that.¡± He looked at her with squinted eyes. ¡°You knew what you were doing was something I wouldn''t like, and what did you do? You did it anyways and died.¡± ¡°I might not have, though.¡± Gloria said, and Ren chuckled again. ¡°I said I didn''t want to hear any justification.¡± Ren said. ¡°Geez, Ren! What do you want from me? I already said I was sorry!¡± ¡°I want you to know that what you did was unnecessary.¡± Ren said. ¡°Getting up and going is fine. Helping your friend is fine. Dying for that friend is fine.¡± He smiled. ¡°Sneaking away and not telling me yourself wasn''t.¡± ¡°I did that because you would have insisted on coming along!¡± Gloria blurted out, and Ren looked at her. ¡°I can''t deny it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I could also just follow you and see what was going on.¡± ¡°You see? I didn''t want you to do that.¡± ¡°You didn''t give me that option, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might have only given you a few wands and things to help, then wished you good luck, too.¡± Gloria didn''t say anything and he smiled. ¡°You didn''t give me the chance to do that, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know if it would have made any difference at all; but, it could have.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Now you''re stuck waiting for 6 hours to regenerate.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you set a new spawn point?¡± Gloria nodded. ¡°It''s at Hailey''s place.¡± ¡°Well, if you go back in when the timer''s up, send me a message and let me know what you dropped when you died.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll try to replace it.¡± ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Whatever it is that I dropped, I''ll just have to deal with it''s loss.¡± ¡°You do remember the requirements, right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°One stored item, one equipped item, and a percentage of your money.¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Well, it''s time for supper.¡± Denise said. ¡°Ren, do you want to eat here or downstairs in the kitchen?¡± ¡°That depends on what we''re having.¡± ¡°Beef stew.¡± Denise said. ¡°You gave me the idea.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I hope it tastes good.¡± ¡°Well, 9 out of 10 canines preferred it; so, it''s the best dog food in a can you can buy.¡± Denise said, and Ren laughed. ¡°It''s not really dog food, is it?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°No, but depending on the brand you buy, it sure smells like dog food.¡± Denise said. ¡°I actually bought a can once to compare, and I found something disturbing.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Don''t tell me it was a finger or something.¡± ¡°No.¡± Denise laughed. ¡°That would have been preferable I think.¡± ¡°What did you find?¡± ¡°The dog food looked like a higher quality meal.¡± Denise said. ¡°Bigger chunks of meat and vegetables, thicker broth, and it came in a can twice the size for half the price.¡± Gloria blinked her eyes for a few moments. ¡°Okay, yes. I think finding a severed finger isn''t as bad as seeing dog food as a much better meal!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Denise, I think you''ve disgusted her enough that she''s not going to stay for supper.¡± ¡°My plan worked!¡± Denise said, and Gloria chuckled. ¡°I think I will eat in the kitchen.¡± Ren said. ¡°Right after a quick visit to the bathroom.¡± Ren went into the bathroom and Gloria gathered up her gear and packed it away. She looked at what she was wearing and figured it was good enough to get her home in without having to change. Ren came out of the bathroom and sat down in the wheelchair. ¡°Gloria.¡± Ren said, and she turned to look at him. ¡°I''m sorry you died in the game.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Did you learn a lesson from it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Sneak attacks only work when they don''t know you''re coming.¡± ¡°That''s just common sense.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I meant about letting me help you before running off.¡± ¡°You''ve never cared about that before.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I''ve left the business apartment lots of times without telling you.¡± ¡°We''ve never been asleep in bed together before when it happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have mentioned it before now if it had.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''d do it again, wouldn''t you?¡± Ren asked her, and she sighed. ¡°I still can''t tell you where she lives.¡± ¡°I don''t care about that!¡± Ren said. ¡°I care about you!¡± ¡°Ren, it... it''s just a game.¡± ¡°Maybe to you it is.¡± Ren said. ¡°To me, it''s...¡± He sighed. ¡°Never mind.¡± He looked up at Denise. ¡°Please take me to the kitchen.¡± Denise pushed the wheelchair to the door of the bedroom and took Ren over to the elevator in the lobby on the second floor. Gloria gathered her things and walked down the hallway. The elevator door opened and Denise pushed Ren into it facing the back of the elevator, hit the first floor button and the door close button, then stepped back out. ¡°Hey!¡± Ren said and the elevator door closed. Denise turned and looked at Gloria. ¡°Look, I know I don''t really have a right to say anything; but, Ren cares a lot about you. Waking him up and explaining things would have just been common courtesy.¡± ¡°Look, I know I messed up; but, it''s not that big of a deal.¡± Gloria said. ¡°You''re wrong. It is a big deal.¡± Denise said. ¡°He''s supposed to trust you. If you just leave as soon as a friend calls, how is he supposed to trust that you''re going to stay around from now on?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You were cuddled in bed together. You comforted him, and he felt safe.¡± Denise said. ¡°How do you know how he felt?¡± ¡°Experience.¡± Denise said. ¡°Then you snuck out and left him all alone.¡± She said. ¡°He didn''t go into panic mode because of it, thank god.¡± ¡°I only left because-¡± ¡°You didn''t leave him.¡± Denise said and squinted her eyes at Gloria. ¡°You abandoned him.¡± ¡°I... I didn''t!¡± ¡°Those were his words, remember? That''s how he described it.¡± Denise said. ¡°You''re right about what you said before.¡± Gloria felt her anger rise. ¡°You don''t have a right to talk to me about it.¡± ¡°I''ll stop talking about it if you promise that you''ll never do it again.¡± ¡°I''m not going to promise you anything.¡± Gloria said and walked around Denise to push the elevator button. ¡°It''s between Ren and me, and...¡± There was a dull ringing sound, and they didn''t hear the elevator move. Gloria hit the elevator button again, but the light was still on and the elevator wasn''t coming back. ¡°Don''t tell me it''s broken.¡± Denise said, then what she said hit her. ¡°REN!¡± Denise ran across the lobby to the set of stairs that led down to the main floor. Gloria had dropped her things and ran after her, then beat her to the bottom of the stairs. The dull ringing was significantly louder as she ran across the large space between the sweeping staircases and through the large double doors to the elevator, then staggered to a stop with Denise right beside her. Before them was an overturned wheelchair, it''s wheel slightly warped as it spun, and Ren was sprawled out on the floor. He wasn''t moving. Chapter 405 - In The Hospital ¡°REN!¡± Denise yelled and went over to Ren and knelt. The wheelchair''s handle was jammed into the elevator''s stop mechanism in the door that let it hit something and retract, which meant that it didn''t know there was anything in the way and had shut at full force. She almost cried as she saw that his leg was caught between the wheelchair''s frame and the elevator''s door, then ignored that injury to examine his head. ¡°Gloria, get me the medical kit under the sink in the main bathroom.¡± Denise said, and Gloria ran to get it. Denise hissed when she found a nasty bump on the side of his forehead; but she dared not move him in case something was broken. She checked his vital signs and sighed in relief as everything checked out, and she hoped that he was only unconscious. Gloria came back with the medical kit. ¡°We have to get him to the hospital.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll call 911!¡± ¡°Don''t bother.¡± Denise said and took out her cell phone and dialed a number. ¡°Hi, Kevin.¡± ¡°No, this isn''t a social call.¡± She said and gave Kevin a rundown of the situation and hung up the phone. ¡°He''ll be here in a few minutes.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The ambulance driver.¡± Denise said and smiled. ¡°He''s the best, and he knows what to do about this.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Gloria said and looked at Ren''s limp body. ¡°I really hope so.¡± * Ren woke up in a strange bed and didn''t know how he got there. He blinked his eyes several times, then started to gag on the intubation tube jammed in his throat. The machine monitoring his heart rate sped up to the sound of a hummingbird''s wings, and he caught sight of someone moving. ¡°Ren! Calm down!¡± Stella said, leaned into his field of view, and cupped the side of his face. ¡°I''m here, sweetie.¡± The beeping slowed down, but he was still gagging on the tube. ¡°Relax.¡± Stella said in a calm voice. ¡°Breathe in through your nose, out through your nose.¡± Ren pulled on his arms, but they didn''t move. ¡°Calm down and I''ll remove both the intubation tube and the restraints.¡± Stella said, and Ren stopped struggling. ¡°That''s better.¡± She said and pulled over a small machine. She used a tool and applied suction to the tube for a moment, opened a small valve, and Ren felt the pressure in his throat ease. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± Stella said, and she put a hand over his face to stop any potential splash getting in his eyes, and pulled out the collapsed tube. Ren starting coughing right away and looked uncomfortable; but there wasn''t anything she could do. When the short coughing fit passed, she slipped an oxygen mask over his face. ¡°Deep breath, please.¡± Stella said, and Ren tried. He coughed some more, then took a shallow breath. ¡°I said a deep breath.¡± She repeated, and Ren squinted his eyes at her. ¡°I''m waiting.¡± Ren sighed and tried to take a deep breath again. He only coughed once this time and she smiled. ¡°One more should do it.¡± Stella said, and he took a deep breath. Ren didn''t cough this time and she pat his arm. ¡°Keep going while I undo your arms.¡± Ren nodded and Stella opened the strap on his left arm and gave it a quick massage to make sure the blood was flowing properly, then walked around the bed to get his right arm free. ¡°You gave us quite the scare.¡± Stella said. ¡°Can you remember what happened?¡± Ren shook his head and opened his mouth to talk. All that came out was a short raspy hiss. ¡°You''re not going to be talking for a few hours.¡± Stella said. ¡°Your throat''s been roughed up by the intubation tube.¡± Ren lifted both hands palm up and shrugged his shoulders in a ''why'' gesture. ¡°You stopped breathing.¡± Stella said. ¡°Denise had to intubate while you were still on the floor on your side. She didn''t want to move you until she knew nothing was broken.¡± Ren''s eyes widened and he pointed to his leg. ¡°It''s not broken, thank god.¡± Stella said. ¡°The arm on the wheelchair took the brunt of the force when the elevator closed on you.¡± Stella wanted to stroke his thigh and calf where he had been hurt, in a vain attempt to comfort him. She fought that motherly instinct because touching him there would only cause him pain, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Ren looked around and saw that they were all alone. ¡°They just left to grab a bite to eat.¡± Stella said. ¡°We''ve all been here since yesterday.¡± Ren sighed because he had missed several days in the game and looked at his watch to find out the time and see how many days he had actually missed... and his wrist was bare. ¡°HhhuH!¡± Ren rasped loudly and sat up in the bed. ¡°Ren! What is it?¡± Stella asked as his heart monitor sped back up to humming bird proportions. Ren tapped his wrist and Stella wasn''t sure what he meant. He looked around and pointed to the clock on the wall. Stella looked at it, then back at him. He held his wrist up and pointed. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Stella said. ¡°Lucy''s watch.¡± Ren nodded, and Stella walked around the bed and pushed the button for the nurse. About 20 seconds later a nurse came into the room. ¡°What can I... hello! You''re awake!¡± The nurse said, then frowned at his currently free state. ¡°You shouldn''t remove the restraints.¡± She said, then looked at Stella. ¡°Or the breathing tube.¡± ¡°Well, he was choking on it.¡± Stella said. ¡°You should have called then.¡± ¡°Why would I bother you for something so simple?¡± Stella asked. The nurse didn''t have a response for that. ¡°Mmm!¡± Ren said and held up his hand and pointed to his wrist. ¡°Where''s the watch he had on when they brought him in?¡± Stella asked. ¡°It was cut off and discarded with the clothes.¡± The nurse said and Ren let out a sob as tears came to his eyes.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Well, you had better get it undiscarded.¡± Stella said. ¡°Call the maintenance crew right now.¡± ¡°That''s not my job.¡± The nurse said. ¡°I didn''t ask if it was.¡± Stella said, and let some of her anger show as she stepped close to the nurse. ¡°Get your ass to the nurse station right now and make the call, or I''ll drag you there.¡± ¡°Miss, you can''t threaten me like that.¡± The nurse said. Stella reached out and grabbed the nurse by her collar. ¡°It wasn''t a threat.¡± She said and walked towards the room''s door and dragged the nurse. ¡°Hey! Stop! Help! Someone HELP!¡± The nurse flailed around as Stella pulled her out of the room and the door shut behind them. Ren was too surprised to react and just stared at the door. Did that just happen? Ren thought and felt a throbbing pain on the side of his forehead. He reached up and touched the spot, then pain lanced through his head and he closed his eyes. ¡°You really are awake.¡± Elise said with surprise when she came into the room, and Ren looked up at her. ¡°Don''t touch that. They said you were lucky you didn''t fracture your skull when you fell face first on the floor in front of the elevator.¡± Ren saw that she still wore the business suit she must have worn the day before to meet with the lawyers, and he also saw that she was trembling a little. He waved her in and opened his arms. Elise stepped into the room and walked over to the bed, and he could see the tears in her eyes. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Elise said and hugged him. She had to be careful because of the oxygen mask, and Ren saw the problem. He slipped it off and tossed it on the bed, then hugged her tightly. She let him out of the hug a moment later and sat down in the chair by the bed. She took a hold of his hand and he held onto it. ¡°I thought... I thought I''d lost you.¡± Elise said and tears ran down her cheek. Ren couldn''t reach her face to wipe them off, and he did the motion on his own face. She stood up and leaned forward and he cupped the side of her face and kissed her. Elise put a hand behind his head and kissed him, almost with desperation, then she realized what she was doing. She broke the kiss and tried to move back, but Ren had a hold of her suit coat. ¡°I thought you wanted to wipe off my tears.¡± Elise said and he nodded. Ren grabbed a tissue and wiped off her face, then let her go. ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise said and sat down. Ren pointed to his own eye, tapped his chest, and pointed to her. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Elise said. ¡°Stella said you wouldn''t be able to talk for a while.¡± Ren pat his own throat, then smiled. He pointed to Elise, then mimed putting on a VR headset. ¡°I''m sorry, but no.¡± Elise said. ¡°You took a really bad fall and hit your head.¡± She said. ¡°No VR for you, at least until tomorrow.¡± Ren opened his mouth to talk, then coughed and held onto his throat. He mimed the VR headset again and pointed to his mouth. ¡°Yes, it would let us talk; but, I don''t know how the interface will react with that damage.¡± Ren reached up to touch it again, and Elise stopped him. ¡°What part of ''don''t touch it'' didn''t you understand?¡± Elise asked. ¡°It''s right at the part the headset rests on.¡± Ren frowned slightly and sighed. ¡°I know, sweetheart.¡± Elise said. ¡°You just have to stay patient and wait to get better.¡± Ren pointed to his eye, made a grabbing motion, pointed to Elise, then pretended to rock a baby in his arms. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± Elise said and glanced at his leg. ¡°We can''t, even though I want to cuddle with you, too.¡± Ren sighed and pointed to her, made a talking motion with his hand, then tugged on her business suit. ¡°Okay, I''ll tell you about what happened at the law firm.¡± Elise said and started to tell him what had happened the day before. Ren raised the hospital bed so he could relax and stay sitting up, and listened as she told him how much the lawyers had liked the folder full of evidence. Elise told him that a fist fight almost broke out over who got to use it first, and Ren shook his head; then she told him when she had brought out more copies for them so they didn''t have to share, they had practically thrown themselves at her feet. Ren started to laugh, grabbed his throat and coughed several times. By the time she had left the law firm when Denise had called about Ren''s accident, the law firm had already settled 3 of the 6 lawsuits it was handling, and she''d left with both paperwork and promissory notes. She even had two proposals of marriage. Ren gave her hand a squeeze and she chuckled. ¡°Even if they were serious, and not complete idiots, I still would have said no.¡± Elise said and lifted his hand, turned it over, and kissed the inside of his wrist. ¡°I don''t need anyone else except you.¡± Ren caressed the side of her face and smiled at her. ¡°Hey.¡± Stella said when she opened the room''s door. ¡°Guess what I found.¡± Ren looked at her expectantly, and she came into the room with a sealed plastic bag. Inside was a bundle of blue silky fabric, and he waved his hands towards himself in a clear ''want'' gesture. Stella shook her head. ¡°It has to be properly cleaned before you can touch it.¡± She said. ¡°The watch is in there, though.¡± Stella turned the bag to show him the face of the watch was pressed against the side of the bag, and he could see the cut strap right next to it. ¡°I''m so sorry, Ren.¡± Elise said. ¡°I know that watch means a lot to you.¡± Ren nodded, and the room''s door opened. Lisa came in and saw Ren was up, and her face crumbled. ¡°Ren.¡± Lisa said in a soft voice and quickly walked around the bed to the other side. She didn''t hesitate at all as she gently put her arms around him and kissed him. They kissed for nearly a full minute before Stella pretended to cough. Lisa reluctantly broke the kiss and let him out of the hug, then ran her hand through his hair. ¡°You really need a shower.¡± Lisa said. Ren chuckled and grabbed his throat, but stopped himself before he coughed. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Lisa said and gave him another kiss. ¡°I''ll try not to be funny.¡± Ren smiled and touched her cheek, then shook his head. ¡°I know it''ll be hard.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Since I''m always a barrel of laughs.¡± Ren snorted a laugh and she grinned. The room''s door opened and Denise came in, with Gloria right behind her. ¡°I''m really glad you''re awake.¡± Denise said. ¡°I was so scared when...¡± She paused and sighed. ¡°Ren, I''m really sorry for leaving you in the elevator alone.¡± Ren waved her to come closer, and Lisa stepped back out of the way to make room for Denise. He held a hand out to her and she took it, then she started to cry. ¡°I am so sorry!¡± She said. ¡°I... I''m guilty of the very thing you got mad at Gloria for.¡± Ren took her hand and held it to his heart, and she started to cry. ¡°Ren, I... I love you.¡± Denise said. ¡°When I saw you on the floor like that, I... I knew that... Ren, I...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don''t want to lose you.¡± Ren took the hand over his heart and kissed it, and Denise didn''t know what to do. She was his nurse, but she was also infatuated with him. He had led her through so much emotional turmoil that she didn''t know if she really loved him, or if he was really the ideal man that he could have represented. At this point in her life, she really didn''t care what version of him that he was, or what version she perceived him as. The only thing she knew was that she didn''t want to lose him. Ever. ¡°I''ll bring my things over tonight, before you get back to the mansion.¡± Denise said. ¡°No matter what happens from now on, I am always going to be by your side.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I chose the room to the right of the den, and I am always going to be there for you.¡± ¡°I chose the one on the left.¡± Denise said, and then smiled. ¡°I''ve got a car we can fill up with our stuff.¡± Lisa smiled. ¡°I''d be happy to use you to ferry my things to Ren''s place.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°Only if you help me move my things.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Lisa said, and they shook on it. Ren pat his chest, and the women looked at him. ¡°Hey, you invited us.¡± Denise said. ¡°We''re only taking you up on the offer.¡± Ren reached out and cupped the sides of each of their faces, moved his hands to touch them above their hearts, then touched his own. ¡°Yes, we know how much you appreciate it.¡± Denise said. ¡°Now, you just lie still and get better.¡± Ren held an index finger up and moved it back and forth without moving the hand, in a clear ''no, no, no'' gesture. He mimed standing up, and moved his fingers in a clear walking gesture. ¡°No, you can''t leave yet.¡± Stella said. ¡°They haven''t even come back with your brain scans.¡± Ren splayed his hands out, then pointed to each woman, and then at Stella. She sighed, and looked at the other women. ¡°He wants us all to take him home.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''d be more than happy to.¡± Lisa said. ¡°What''s he doing here that he can''t do at home?¡± None of the other women could come up with an argument, and Ren smiled. ¡°He wants us to take him home, so we better take him home.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Any objections?¡± None of the other women said anything, and both Lisa and Ren smiled. ¡°Stella, get the paperwork started.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Our Ren wants to go home, and we will take him there.¡± Stella looked at the other women, and no one protested or said it was a bad idea. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Stella said, and left the room. ¡°You''ll be back home in your own bed soon.¡± Lisa turned to Ren and smiled. ¡°From now on, you will never be alone.¡± She leaned in close and kissed him, and Ren didn''t object at all. Chapter 406 - Home Sweet Home Version 2 Denise and Lisa left to bring their things to Ren''s place while they waited for the doctor to become available. Stella had the paperwork ready half an hour later and Ren signed it. It was another half an hour later when the doctor came into the room and tried to get the women out of the room so he could examine the patient in privacy. ¡°None of us are leaving.¡± Stella said. ¡°Just go ahead and examine him.¡± The doctor in charge of his case objected strongly to Ren signing himself out, and Elise brought up the same point that Lisa had said to her and the others. All Ren was doing was laying there and taking up space that someone who really needed it could be using instead. The doctor protested during the entire examination and said that Ren was crazy for leaving so soon after waking up. Stella wanted Ren to stay overnight again for observation; but, she reluctantly agreed that he had more than enough people to keep an eye on him at home. They all gathered their things together while Stella helped Ren get dressed into normal clothes and then sat him in a wheelchair. ¡°The hospital said we can borrow this until we buy a replacement.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ve already ordered it, so we''re just waiting for delivery; which isn''t going to be for a day or two.¡± Ren nodded and they left the room. The group of them started to walk down the hallway when Barbara came around the corner. ¡°I''ve got his scans!¡± Barbara said and then saw Ren. ¡°You''re awake!¡± Barbara tossed the large envelope to Stella and ran over to Ren, then bent down to give him a hug with tears in her eyes. ¡°My poor baby!¡± Ren tried to say something, but his throat still wasn''t working right. ¡°No, no... don''t speak.¡± Barbara said and let him out of the hug. ¡°We''ll have some ice cream when we get home.¡± ¡°These actually look good.¡± Stella said and held the scans up. ¡°Elise?¡± Elise looked at them and tried to remember Ren''s previous scan. ¡°Just a second.¡± She said and brought out her tablet. She brought up the last data download from the micro-server at Ren''s place and checked the scan. ¡°I''m no expert, but it looks the same.¡± Elise said and showed Stella. Both women compared the two scans and saw they were nearly identical. The new one had a small spike in the pain reception area, but Stella said that was to be expected. The body would still feel pain when someone was unconscious. ¡°We''re blocking the hallway.¡± Gloria said. Everyone looked at her, and then saw several people standing behind her and looking back at them. Stella passed the scans to Barbara and pushed Ren''s chair closer to the wall. The others shifted closer to the wall as well to let the people go by. ¡°Let''s get out of here.¡± Elise said. ¡°Let''s get him home.¡± ¡°Where did you park?¡± Stella asked and started to push Ren down the hallway. ¡°It''s not close by, so I''ll bring it around to the front.¡± Elise said. Stella nodded, then stopped walking. ¡°Elise, do you have a piece of cloth or something I could borrow?¡± Elise opened her briefcase and took out a t-shirt. ¡°What do you need it for?¡± ¡°Cover.¡± Stella said and knelt in front of Ren. ¡°Ren, we have to-¡± Ren reached out and took the t-shirt from her hand and slipped it over his head. Stella pat his shoulder and went back behind the wheelchair to push it to the elevator. Stella, Elise, Barbara, and Gloria got into the elevator with Ren in the wheelchair and they all hoped he didn''t panic. Ren felt 4 different hands on his shoulders and arms as the elevator dropped down to the ground floor of the hospital. Ren still couldn''t remember what had happened to him; but, when the elevator doors opened, he felt afraid and started to shake. ¡°It''s okay. We''re right here.¡± Stella said, gave his shoulder a squeeze and pushed the wheelchair out into the hallway. They walked down the hall a short distance and Elise took the t-shirt off of Ren''s head. He saw they were in the clear and relaxed, then he froze stiff when he saw a nurse with golden-blonde hair come out from behind the main desk. It was Lucy. * ¡°Max!¡± One of the tech guys at Sid Tec tried to get his boss'' attention. The head programmer for the company, Max, came over to the tech guy''s desk. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°We''ve got the update ready to roll!¡± ¡°Good.¡± Max said and walked back over to the middle of the room. ¡°Okay, folks. This is it!¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Sarah! Send out the notification to all FLOW players that there''s going to be a 1 hour real life downtime that starts in 15 minutes, or an hour game time.¡± Sarah nodded and started to type quickly. ¡°That should give them enough time to pause their quests and get to a safe zone.¡± Max said. ¡°Lenny! Remove all those time delay blocks we installed a while ago when a certain someone triggered this prematurely.¡± Lenny laughed because it was the same someone that had triggered it again, only legitimately this time, and he started to type furiously. ¡°Everyone else! Prep the servers and update packs for massive distribution.¡± Max smiled. ¡°This is going to be fun.¡± * ¡°Ren!¡± Lucy exclaimed when she saw him. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± She held a hand up to stop his response. ¡°You don''t have to answer that. I''m not your nurse anymore.¡± ¡°No, you''re not.¡± Gloria said, a little angrily. ¡°You could still care about your friend, though!¡± Stella, Barbara, and Elise hadn''t said anything because Gloria had beaten them to it. Lucy looked at all of the women''s angry faces as they nodded, and sighed. ¡°You know I didn''t mean it like that.¡± Lucy said and looked at Ren. ¡°How are you?¡± Ren pointed to his throat and shook his head. ¡°They had to intubate after he fell.¡± Stella said. Lucy closed her eyes and held in her sigh. She knew things like this were going to keep happening to him, and she wasn''t sure if she should feel relief that she wasn''t responsible or sad that she couldn''t take care of him. Her brain felt some relief; but, her heart felt a lot more sadness. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Lucy said. ¡°Does anyone know what happened?¡± ¡°We can only speculate, since no one saw what happened.¡± Stella said. ¡°With the way things looked, either the wheel of the chair got caught in the space between the elevator and the floor and tipped over, or Ren had been standing up and fell over the chair when it got stuck.¡± Lucy had watched Ren''s face as Stella talked; but, it didn''t give her any indication of which story was true. ¡°He can''t remember.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s probably from the nasty bump on his head, because head trauma can sometimes cause memory loss of the event that caused the trauma.¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°Well, I''m glad you''re okay.¡± Ren couldn''t say anything, so he just nodded. ¡°I have to get back to work.¡± Lucy said. ¡°It was nice seeing you again.¡± Ren nodded and gave her a little wave, and she smiled. It wasn''t the smile of hers that he missed, so it didn''t hurt like the other one would have.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°It''s nice seeing you both again, too.¡± Lucy said to Stella and Barbara. They gave her a little nod without saying anything, and Lucy walked down the hallway to the elevator. ¡°I feel so loved and appreciated.¡± Elise said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Gloria said. Ren reached a hand out and took Elise''s hand, then tried to take Gloria''s. She pulled her hand away and sighed. ¡°I don''t deserve to hold your hand.¡± Gloria said. ¡°This was my fault.¡± Ren frowned at her and shook his head. He held a hand out to her, and she shook her head. ¡°If Denise hadn''t wanted to talk to me alone, the both of us would have been in the elevator with you.¡± Gloria said. ¡°It''s my fault you were hurt.¡± Ren looked up at Stella. She nodded and helped him stand up. ¡°What are you doing, Stella?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Put him down! He can''t stand on that leg!¡± Ren used Stella as a crutch and hopped two steps over to Gloria. He balanced on his good leg and held his arms open. Gloria shook her head and tried to step back, then found out that she was right up against the wall and couldn''t go anywhere. Ren smiled and hopped once and wrapped his arms around her. ¡°Ren, don''t.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I... I can''t...¡± Tears formed in her eyes and she didn''t try to stop them. ¡°I don''t...¡± She sniffed. ¡°I don''t deserve your hugs.¡± Ren held onto her with one hand and leaned back a little. He pointed to his eye, tapped the spot over his heart, then tapped her heart. ¡°Why?¡± Gloria shook her head. ¡°I don''t deserve that, either.¡± She said. ¡°You''re right. I''m still going to come and go when I want, and I''ll even sneak out if I have to.¡± Ren pointed to himself and shook his head, pointed to her, then made the talking motion with his hand and put the hand on his chest. ¡°You want me to tell you something?¡± ¡°I think he means that he doesn''t care if you go, only that you tell him you''re going.¡± Elise said. ¡°At least, I think that''s what he meant.¡± Ren pointed to Elise and touched the tip of his own nose. ¡°But, still.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I... I think I need some time to... well, I...¡± Ren touched her cheek and gently stroked it. ¡°Ren, you need to rest.¡± Stella said, and he tried to sigh. A rasp came out instead and he coughed once, nodded, and Stella helped him sit back down. She got behind the wheelchair and pushed Ren out the front door of the hospital and stopped to wait for Elise to go and get her Hummer H2. Barbara bent over to hug him again. ¡°I''ll meet you back at the house.¡± Barbara said and stood up. Fixed his hair a little bit, then quickly walked over to the parking lot. ¡°I have to go, too.¡± Gloria said, and Ren reached out for her hand. She took it after hesitating for only a moment. Once he had a hold of it, he held on tightly. She blinked her eyes at the strength in his hand. He smiled at her surprise and pointed to his own eye, made a ''want'' gesture, held up 2 fingers, pointed at both of his eyes, then pointed at her. ¡°He wants to see you again.¡± Stella interpreted, and Ren nodded. ¡°Ren, I said I needed a break.¡± Gloria said, and he shook his head. Ren pulled on her hand and motioned for her to come closer, and she crouched down to put her head at his height. He reached up and slid a hand across her cheek, then used his thumb and forefinger to grab her earlobe. Gloria winced and he pulled her in close. ¡°Ren, wha-¡± Gloria stopped talking when Ren kissed her. He let her earlobe go and slid the hand to the back of her neck and kissed her with all of his learned and practised skills. She couldn''t resist his charm when he was being serious, so she ignored her own decision to take a break and kissed him back. A minute later, Elise drove up with her Hummer H2 and stopped in front of them. Gloria broke the kiss and stood up. ¡°I really have to go.¡± She said and Ren let her hand go, then gave her a little wave. She waved back and turned around and almost ran to the parking lot. Elise came around her big yellow vehicle and opened the passenger door, then Stella helped Ren climb up and used the seat belt to secure him in. Elise took the wheelchair to the back of the Hummer H2 and put it in the back storage area and used the tie downs to hold it in place, then came around to the driver''s side door. She climbed in and Stella was already in her seat behind the driver''s seat, with their stuff stored on the other seat. ¡°Everyone set?¡± Elise asked, then drove out onto the road. The hospital was just outside the city, and was a lot closer to his house than any other hospital was. They made it home only about 10 minutes later, despite the traffic, and pulled into the driveway safe and sound. * A riding lawnmower was making the rounds on the grass around the house, and the man driving it was surprised to see a short figure being loaded into a wheelchair. He didn''t let anything on his face show as he continued to mow the lawn, and watched intently as the two women brought Ren back into his house. The man didn''t do what anyone else would have done when they saw that their plan hadn''t worked. He didn''t panic or contact the client right away, either. What he did was work. He kept going and finished the job that he was supposed to do, and thought about how he could ensure that he would get the second half of his payment. * Stella and Elise brought Ren inside the house, and Stella used the t-shirt again. Ren almost laughed at the absurdity, then the wheels of the chair hit the small lip of the elevator. His heart skipped a beat and he almost panicked again, and no longer thought that the t-shirt was absurd at all. Once he was out of the elevator on the second floor, Stella quickly brought him to his room. She and Elise helped him get onto the bed and settled into the middle of it. With the bed as large as it was, it made Ren look so small and fragile by comparison. ¡°I''m tempted to give you a shower, but I really don''t think we should push our luck with that leg.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''re just going to have to wait until tomorrow.¡± Ren nodded and took a deep breath. He looked at Stella and then at Elise. He pointed at his eye, made the ''want'' gesture, put his hands together and put them by his ear to mime going to sleep, then pointed to both women. Stella laughed. ¡°You don''t seriously think we''re going to sleep with you when you''re like this.¡± Ren grinned as he mimed sleep again, shook his head no as he made an ''o'' with a thumb and forefinger and stuck his other forefinger through it, then mimed sleep again. ¡°I''m pretty sure he just wants to sleep, not have sex, just sleep.¡± Elise said, and Ren touched the tip of his own nose again. ¡°Well, I was staying here anyway.¡± Elise said and looked at Stella. ¡°Both Ren and I would feel a lot safer with you here, too.¡± Ren tapped his nose again. ¡°Please tell me you''re not using this as a way to get me into bed with you and Elise again.¡± Stella said and smiled. Ren used a finger to cross his heart and raised a hand, palm towards her, as if he was taking an oath. ¡°You promise, huh?¡± Stella said and chuckled. ¡°All right, we just have to get you a little something to eat first.¡± Ren pat his tummy and it rumbled. ¡°Well, maybe a bit more than just a little.¡± Stella said, and Ren grinned. ¡°I''ll stay here and keep an eye on him.¡± Elise said and Stella left to make something for him to eat. Elise took off her business suit coat, and when she saw the state of her blouse with large damp spots from her sweating underarms, she sighed. ¡°I guess I need a shower, too.¡± Ren waved to get her attention, then mimed unbuttoning her top. ¡°We can''t cuddle, remember?¡± Elise said. ¡°I don''t want to hurt your leg.¡± Ren picked up the edge of his long-sleeved t-shirt and pointed to the closet behind her. She turned around and went to the closet, opened it, and took out one of them. ¡°I''m going to stretch the hell out of this.¡± Elise said. Ren chuckled and started to cough. Elise ran over to the bed and climbed onto it. He calmed down a moment later and sighed. Coughing was not helping his sore throat and would delay it getting better. Elise laid down on her front and used her fingers to very gently stroke his neck. ¡°You need to take it easy, sweetheart.¡± Elise said. ¡°I want to hear your sweet voice again, sooner rather than later.¡± Ren took her hand from his throat and kissed her palm. Elise smiled and sat up, then started to unbutton her blouse. Ren watched as she undid the last button, then she slowly pulled the cloth apart to reveal a very stiff and starched underwire bra. It was full-cupped and had all of her chest contained. His eyes widened at the massive amount of cloth and work that must have gone into making the thing, and he reached out to touch it. ¡°It''s custom-ordered, but it still doesn''t fit.¡± Elise said. ¡°I gave up trying to find something that can hold me properly, and I just order another one of these when they wear out.¡± Ren ran a hand over the cloth, then down her belly to the top of her skirt. ¡°No cuddling.¡± Elise said and took off her blouse. She picked up the long-sleeved t-shirt she had dropped on the bed, then slipped it on over her head. She got her arms into the sleeves and tried to pull the cloth down, and Ren covered his mouth to stop from laughing. Elise managed to get herself tucked inside the long-sleeved t-shirt, but she looked like a stuffed sausage. Ren held his mouth and throat closed to stop the sound; but, tears were coming from his eyes because of the silent laughter he couldn''t stop. ¡°It''s not funny.¡± Elise said. ¡°Look at this!¡± She cupped her chest and shook one side; but, because the cloth was so tight, both sides moved at the same time. ¡°It''s like I''ve only got one really big boob!¡± Ren snorted and his chest shook as he laughed without a sound. ¡°Knock, knock.¡± Lisa said when she came into Ren''s room. ¡°We''ve got our stuff moved in.¡± ¡°Only what we could get into my trunk.¡± Denise said as she came in behind Lisa. ¡°I''ll have to hire a mover or get a storage space for my other stuff.¡± She said. ¡°Like my couch, chair, kitchen table, bed...¡± Ren calmed down and waved to the two women. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lisa asked as she walked over to the bed. ¡°Elise, that is not a good look for you.¡± Elise chuckled and held up her damp blouse. ¡°Um... okay, that''s a toss up.¡± Lisa said and smiled. ¡°Hey, you two.¡± Stella said and walked around them. ¡°I''ve got some very weak soup here for the patient.¡± She put it on the rollaway table and brought it over to the bed. ¡°It''s not very hot, since we need to take it easy on your throat.¡± Ren nodded and spooned some of the broth into his mouth. It slipped down easily when he swallowed it and he took another spoonful. ¡°Are you two moved in already?¡± Stella asked Lisa and Denise. ¡°I need to do something about all of my old stuff.¡± Denise said. ¡°Bring it all here.¡± Stella said. ¡°These rooms are like huge hotel suites. There''s plenty of unused space in them.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I don''t think you need the appliances, unless they have sentimental value.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''ve got your own little mini-kitchen if you want to have your own food, rather than share one of the large refrigerators downstairs.¡± ¡°I guess that''s true.¡± Denise said. ¡°I should be able to get my couch in my room, at least.¡± ¡°What about you, Lisa?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Well, my mother is in denial and thinks I ran away.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I invited her over for dinner next week.¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°I hope that''s okay.¡± Ren nodded, gave her a ''thumbs up'' gesture, and kept eating. ¡°Thanks.¡± Lisa said and looked at the other three women. ¡°So, who''s sharing his bed tonight?¡± Chapter 407 - Acceptance Elise, Stella, and Denise exchanged glances, and then Elise raised her hand. Stella raised hers next, and Lisa smiled. ¡°Even when he''s hurt and not feeling well, he still got two of you in the bed?¡± Lisa asked and chuckled. ¡°Ren, you''re such a player!¡± Ren snorted a laugh and spit out a little bit of broth. Elise helped him clean up with a few tissues. ¡°We''re only sleeping and not doing anything else.¡± Stella said. ¡°The last thing that any of us want to do is hurt him again.¡± Denise''s face flushed red at the comment, and Stella walked over to her. ¡°Ren isn''t blaming you, and neither are we.¡± Stella said and gave the shorter woman a quick hug. ¡°We''re not going to fault you for a lapse in judgment, especially while you were trying to protect him.¡± ¡°I fault myself.¡± Denise said, and Stella smiled. ¡°That''s because when something happens, it''s us that have a higher sense of responsibility for him.¡± Stella said. ¡°Elise asked me to stay in the room for just that reason.¡± ¡°It''s true.¡± Elise said. ¡°Wouldn''t we all feel safer with Stella in the room while we''re asleep?¡± Both Lisa and Denise nodded their heads without hesitation, and it was Stella''s turn for her face to flush a little red. Ren waved to get their attention and pointed to Stella, pointed to his own head and held his fists against his forehead, then moved them away slowly and opened his hands. ¡°I think he said that you blow his mind, Stella.¡± Elise said. ¡°I have to agree.¡± ¡°Seconded.¡± Lisa said right away. ¡°Thirded.¡± Denise said, and grinned at her. ¡°Even though that''s not a word.¡± Stella could normally detach herself emotionally in certain situations so she could remain calm; but with the way everyone''s emotional states seemed to be dependent on her just being there, it was a little too much to stay detached from. ¡°T-thank you.¡± Stella said. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Denise said. ¡°Are you flustered?¡± ¡°N-no, I''m fine.¡± Stella said and tried to turn away from the others to hide her growing blush. She heard footsteps in the hallway and looked that way and saw Barbara as she walked down the hall towards them with a tray filled with small dishes of ice cream. ¡°Who wants ice cream?¡± Barbara asked when she stepped into the room. Ren''s hand shot up into the air before she''d finished speaking, and Elise was glad that it wasn''t the hand with the spoonful of broth in it. ¡°Finish the soup first.¡± Barbara said, and Ren picked up the bowl and poured the rest into his mouth. There wasn''t much soup left; so, he actually managed to swallow it without spilling anything. He pushed the empty bowl aside and waited expectantly. ¡°Take a small drink to rinse your mouth.¡± Stella said and handed him his supplement drink. ¡°You''ll want a clean palate for this, I think.¡± Ren took a small one and swished it around like mouthwash, then swallowed it. Barbara put a dish in front of him, and there were three small scoops of different kinds of ice cream in it. Ren''s mouth fell open and he stared at her. ¡°Your new diet plan says you can have a bit more fat-building foods.¡± Barbara said, as the other women took a bowl each from her tray with the same contents. ¡°These are the fattiest ones I could find; but, I''m pretty sure I know which one you''ll like more.¡± She smiled. ¡°The scoops are only sample-sized, so it''s just enough for you to tell me which one you like better.¡± Ren picked up the spoon and dipped it into the first scoop. It was a light brown color and had small bits of something in it. He put it in his mouth and his eyes lit up as he sucked and chewed. ¡°Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I like that one, too.¡± Ren tried the next scoop that was a bright green with black things in it. It had a strong taste to it, and he wasn''t sure if he liked it or not. ¡°Mint-Flavored Chocolate Chip.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I knew that was an iffy choice.¡± She smiled as his spoon moved to the last one. ¡°This is the one I think you''re really going to like.¡± Ren dipped his spoon into the last scoop, and when it entered his mouth, he almost couldn''t contain his happiness. He shovelled it into his mouth a fast as he could, and the small scoop was gone a few seconds later. ¡°What the heck was that one?¡± Elise asked, surprised. ¡°If you can believe it... and I bought it and I still don''t believe it... it''s Bacon Maple.¡± ¡°It''s WHAT?¡± Stella asked with a yell. ¡°I told you.¡± Barbara said and laughed. ¡°It''s bacon and maple. According to the ingredients, it''s a frozen egg custard with actual bacon bits and maple syrup added.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Stella said. ¡°That''s a ''harden arteries'' recipe if I''ve ever heard one!¡± Barbara and Denise nodded. ¡°It''s fat content is through the roof.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ll go downstairs and get a full scoop for him.¡± ¡°Don''t bother.¡± Elise said and slid her sample scoop of the bacon ice cream into Ren''s bowl and took the mint one. ¡°I''m not letting that stuff touch my tongue. It''ll go right to my hips, and they don''t need any more encouragement to get fat!¡± ¡°Mine don''t, either.¡± Denise walked over to Ren and gave him her scoop of bacon ice cream and took the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Stella tried a small bit of hers on the tip of her spoon, shook her head and gave Ren her scoop as well. ¡°You''re not going to have competition for this kind of ice cream.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s actually really good.¡± Lisa said, and everyone looked at her as she ate her scoop of bacon ice cream. ¡°The bacon could be crumbled up a little more, though.¡± Ren waved his hand to get their attention, then pointed to his eye, tapped his temple, pointed to his eye again, gave himself a little hug, then pointed to Lisa. ¡°Um... you knew you hugged her?¡± Elise asked. Ren shook his head and pointed to himself and then the bacon ice cream. ¡°Like!¡± Stella said, and Ren tapped the tip of his nose. ¡°He knew he liked you.¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°I don''t have to worry about getting fat, either.¡± She said. ¡°I think my metabolism is almost as high as Ren''s.¡± They all stood there in silence as they all ate their ice cream, once they had convinced Ren not to gorge himself, which was a very difficult task with something like bacon ice cream in front of him, he was allowed to eat it. When they were all done and had piled the dirty dishes onto the food tray, Stella spoke. ¡°I''m staying here tonight, so you can have the night off, Barbara.¡± Stella said.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°I know with everyone here that there''s not much for me to do; but, it''s still supposed to be my shift.¡± Stella put a hand on her arm. ¡°You''ve been awake just as long as the rest of us, so go home and sleep.¡± She said. ¡°That''s what we''re all going to do, anyway.¡± ¡°Oh, all right.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Take the tray downstairs while I say good night.¡± Stella nodded and left the room with the full tray, and Barbara walked over to the bed. She had to almost crawl onto the bed to give him a hug. ¡°I''m so glad you''re okay.¡± Barbara said, and put her mouth by his ear. ¡°Goodnight, my boy.¡± Ren hugged her tightly and put his mouth by her ear and breathed out. ¡°Mom.¡± Barbara caught her breath for a moment, kissed his cheek, and quickly left the room. ¡°She left in a hurry.¡± Elise said and used a hand to fix Ren''s messy hair. ¡°I guess you being hurt hit her just as hard as it did me.¡± Ren nodded and looked at Lisa and Denise. They stood there, kind of awkwardly, and he waved them closer. They came over to the bed and Lisa climbed up onto it, since she wasn''t much taller than Ren, and she gave him a hug and a kiss. She moved over slightly so that Denise could do the same thing. When Denise went to kiss him, she glanced at Lisa and Elise. ¡°Just kiss him already.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°You need to get used to having at least one of us around all the time when you do it.¡± Denise opened her mouth to say that she could probably sneak kisses, and Ren sat up and kissed her. She forgot that they weren''t alone and kissed him back. Ren broke the kiss and laid back down, and tried not to laugh at her surprised expression. Stella came back into the room with a couple of t-shirts and jogging pants, and saw the three women on the bed with Ren. ¡°I was only gone for a couple of minutes!¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Are we doing a dog pile now?¡± Denise was still surprised that Ren could distract her just by kissing her, so she didn''t know how to react to Stella''s question. ¡°Well, this is my first sleepover with a man.¡± Lisa said, and her face flushed red. ¡°I''d like to spend it with him.¡± ¡°I guess that would take precedence-¡± Elise said. ¡°No.¡± Lisa said and cut her off, and everyone looked at her. ¡°I didn''t mean that I wanted it to be just me.¡± She said and her face went to a deep red. ¡°Only that I want to be included.¡± ¡°We''re only sleeping, so I guess that''s okay.¡± Elise said. ¡°Stella?¡± ¡°We just have to be careful of his leg.¡± Stella said. ¡°Other than that...¡± ¡°I... I''ll get out of the way, then.¡± Denise said and started to move off the bed. She felt something touch her face, and she looked at Ren. She could see a slightly pleading look, pointed to Lisa, then pointed to Denise and him. ¡°I think he means you''re like me.¡± Lisa said. ¡°This is your first night staying here, too.¡± Ren nodded and pat the bed. ¡°You... want me to sleep here... with all of you?¡± Ren nodded again and mimed changing clothes. ¡°Yes, we all should get changed for bed.¡± Stella said. ¡°Elise? These should fit a lot better than Ren''s poor long-sleeved t-shirt.¡± She handed the other woman a large t-shirt and a pair of jogging pants. ¡°Thanks, Stella.¡± Elise said and got off the bed. Her uni-boob bounced around and Ren held his throat and snorted a laugh. ¡°It''s pretty funny wearing this thing, but it''s damn uncomfortable.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Stella said and poked it. It bounced a little, and Ren snorted louder. ¡°Stop teasing him.¡± Elise grinned and walked over to the bathroom. ¡°I''ll go and grab my stuff, too.¡± Lisa said and gave Ren a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± ¡°I''ll... um...¡± Denise tried to say something. ¡°Come with me.¡± Lisa said and took Denise''s hand. She didn''t protest the action and followed Lisa off the bed and out of the room. ¡°You sure have picked some interesting partners.¡± Stella said and started to take off her clothes. ¡°I don''t know which one is more surprising, though.¡± Ren''s body reacted to Stella just casually undressing in front of him, and she saw this and chuckled. ¡°Okay, that''s surprising, too.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''ve seen how many naked women now, and you''re getting hard from just watching me change?¡± Ren pretended to lick his finger and touched his good leg, and made a hissing sound. Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°I''m hot, right?¡± Ren nodded, and she slid on her jogging pants. He watched as she undid her bra and left it on her pile of dirty clothes, then put on a plain white t-shirt. His mouth opened in a little ''o'' of surprise at how hot she looked. ¡°You''re really turned on by this?¡± Stella asked and turned to the side, and Ren could see how form-fitting the t-shirt was. Since she wasn''t wearing a bra, it left almost nothing to the imagination; even though it was a thick cotton fabric. ¡°You''re hopeless.¡± Stella laughed as she climbed onto the bed. She didn''t lay down next to him, and he looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Wait for a few minutes, and you''ll see what I''m doing.¡± Stella said, and Ren nodded. He trusted her judgment, and would follow her lead. Elise came out of the bathroom in jogging pants and a t-shirt, and it was just as form fitting as Stella''s was... and she also wasn''t wearing a bra. Her chest moved like ocean waves as she walked across the room to the bed, and even Stella stared at her. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± Stella said as Elise climbed up onto the bed, and Ren nodded several times. ¡°I can''t wear that bra to bed.¡± Elise said and laid down next to Ren. ¡°I''d be so sore in the morning if I did.¡± ¡°Elise? Can you move back about a foot?¡± Stella said. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°Just an idea I had to make this a lot less awkward.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m all for that.¡± Elise said and moved back. ¡°How are we going to sleep with 5 people in a bed without cuddling?¡± Stella winked at her and they waited for Lisa and Denise. The two women came into the room a minute later and saw Ren, Elise and Stella on the bed. ¡°Okay, did we all shop at Comfort-R-Us?¡± Lisa asked and laughed. ¡°We''re all in tight t-shirts and jogging pants.¡± The other women laughed. ¡°It''s a trend.¡± Stella said and smiled. ¡°So... who goes where?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°You''re on that side with Elise and Ren''s good side.¡± Stella said. ¡°As long as I''m next to him.¡± Lisa said and walked over to the bed, climbed onto it, then laid down on her side between Elise and Ren. ¡°Denise?¡± Stella pat the spot between her and Ren. ¡°We get the side with his bruised leg.¡± ¡°I... can''t believe I''m doing this.¡± Denise said and walked over to the bed, climbed onto it, then laid down in a similar fashion as Lisa. She was on her side between him and Stella, and faced Ren. They were an odd collection of people. Elise was 6 foot 2 inches tall and had long flowing red hair and an enormous chest. Lisa was only about 5 inches taller than Ren and wasn''t much bigger than him. Body-wise, she had a nice perky butt and what was considered a small chest; but, Ren liked that because his hands fit over them perfectly. Her short blonde hair never got in her way, just like Ren''s hair didn''t get in his way. Denise was only 5 foot 3 inches, and her body was a little thicker in the torso than a normal person, and she had a good-sized chest. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was a little fluffier than normal, and depending on what she wore, you could see her muscles. Stella was 5 foot 9 inches tall, was a little thin for that height; but she was athletic and had a fantastic body. Ren was only 4 foot 7 inches tall, had fluffy and flyaway blonde hair, and was easily hurt. Despite the fact that he needed constant care, he had found several women that didn''t mind that quirk. They cared about him, and he cared about them. He didn''t know how he had ever become so lucky, and all he could do was be thankful for it; so, he opened his arms and waited. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± Denise asked, and her eyes widened as Lisa moved in close at the not so subtle invitation from him and cuddled with her head resting very lightly on the side of his chest. Ren put his arm around her shoulders, and Elise slid in close and put an arm over Lisa and touched his chest. ¡°Um... I...¡± Denise tried to speak, and Ren looked at her expectantly. She sighed and slid in to copy Lisa, cuddled with Ren and very gently laid her head against his chest. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. Denise tensed up a little as she waited for Stella to cuddle in close to her like Elise had with Lisa; but, Stella only put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Denise reached up and took the hand, then slid it across her to put it on Ren''s chest. Stella still didn''t cuddle in completely, mainly because she knew that one little move was a huge step for her friend. Stella leaned in close to Denise and whispered in her ear. ¡°Thank you.¡± They all took a deep breath at almost the same time, let it out, and drifted off to sleep. * Barbara held her husband tightly several hours later as they cuddled in bed. She had told her husband Donald about everything that had been happening since Ren''s accident. ¡°The poor little guy.¡± Donald said. ¡°He must be heartsick after being hurt again in such a stupid accident.¡± Barbara nodded, then shook her head. ¡°What was that motion?¡± Donald asked and smiled. ¡°I think he should be sad about it; but, I don''t think he actually is.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Huh.¡± Donald grunted. ¡°Good for him. You told me he was tough.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°I just wish I was there... or that someone saw what happened.¡± ¡°It''s a big place.¡± Donald said. ¡°Even if you had been there at the time, would you have been close enough to make a difference?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Hey, don''t most big homes have security cameras or something?¡± Donald asked. ¡°I mean, if it was me, I''d want the place secured. If there''s cameras, maybe they recorded the accident.¡± ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Barbara said and hopped out of the bed. ¡°We never thought of that!¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± Donald asked. ¡°I''ve got to ask Elise about security systems!¡± Barbara said and ran to the door. ¡°BARBARA!¡± Donald yelled, and she froze at his command voice. ¡°It''s the middle of the night and no one is awake over there next door.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Barbara sighed. ¡°I guess I can tell them in the morning.¡± ¡°Plus, you''re still naked.¡± Donald said. Barbara looked down at herself. She was as naked as the day she was born, and her face flushed beet red. ¡°That could have been quite the shock for them.¡± Donald said and laughed. ¡°It''s not funny, Donald!¡± Barbara said. ¡°I would have been so embarrassed!¡± ¡°I''d never let that happen.¡± Donald said. ¡°I''d have stopped you... once I stopped laughing.¡± ¡°You... you...¡± Barbara stomped over to the bed and grabbed a pillow. She proceeded to smack him upside the head several times with it, and all he did was laugh. Chapter 408 - Whats this? Ren woke up the next morning, and had surprised himself. He didn''t remember having a dream. He wasn''t sure if he''d had one and forgotten it instantly, or if it wasn''t significant and faded before he could concentrate on it and retain the details. Either way, it made him happy; mainly because he hadn''t had a nightmare, which was something he had come to expect after visiting the hospital. Ren opened his eyes and tried to look around; but, his face was wedged between two vastly different breasts. Elise had somehow worked her way up to lay closer to his head and one of her breasts cushioned him on one side, while Stella had somehow tucked her head between Ren and Elise and one of her breasts cushioned him on the other side. When he tried to move his hands, he found them securely held by Lisa and Denise; and discovered that those hands had secure holds on one of each of their breasts. ¡°Boy, I bet even the maids would be envious of me right now.¡± Ren said out loud, and chuckled. He felt the two women he held stiffen, and then the breasts that held his head still, moved and eased away from him. ¡°Good morning, Ren.¡± Elise and Stella said at the same time. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You got your voice back.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It''s still raspy, though.¡± ¡°I''m not complaining... well, okay, I am complaining... but...¡± Denise sighed. ¡°Ren, why do you have a hold of my breast?¡± ¡°It feels good?¡± Ren offered, and she chuckled. It shook her chest, and he liked that feeling. ¡°I honestly don''t know.¡± He said. ¡°I woke up in heaven, and here we are.¡± ¡°Ren''s a sleep groper.¡± Stella said, then started to laugh. ¡°I probably should have warned you.¡± ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Lisa laughed. ¡°Having someone care enough about me to reach out while they''re asleep is the best compliment I could get.¡± Denise looked at her over Ren''s abdomen. ¡°You believe that?¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°I''ve been ogled and stared at by guys a lot. All they were after was getting a cheap thrill, even when they had the gall to call out to me or proposition me.¡± Ren let her breast go and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Unlike them, I know Ren won''t think I''m just an object, or use me, or make me think that I don''t matter.¡± ¡°Lisa...¡± Ren said. ¡°You sound like you''ve been smoking for 20 years.¡± Elise said and laughed, and her chest jiggled. ¡°Holy crap.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Did I just see what I thought I saw?¡± ¡°You mean the boob wave?¡± Stella asked and laughed. ¡°It''s amazing, isn''t it?¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°I didn''t know they could do that.¡± She said and looked at Stella''s chest, then Denise''s, then looked down at herself. ¡°I feel like the poor cousin.¡± ¡°Please, don''t.¡± Ren said and moved the hand back to her chest. ¡°All breasts are amazing.¡± He said and massaged it a little. ¡°Big ones, small ones, wide ones, pointy ones, perky ones...¡± Lisa chuckled, and hers moved only a little. ¡°Which description fits these?¡± She asked jokingly, and she didn''t realize that she would be surprised at the response he had. ¡°Mine.¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°They''re mine.¡± Lisa blinked her eyes at him for a moment, then she smiled as she nodded and moved the hand on her breast to her mouth and kissed it. ¡°I guess we have to get up now.¡± Stella said and sat up, then pulled her t-shirt down. ¡°I''ll go and get breakfast ready.¡± ¡°Pancakes!¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s been a while.¡± ¡°Blueberries?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Stella climbed off the bed and left the room, and Denise sighed as she moved Ren''s hand from her chest. ¡°Back to real life for me, too.¡± Denise said and sat up. ¡°Hey.¡± Ren said and reached out to her. He put his hand on her back and gave her a bit of a massage. ¡°This is real life.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°This is the life of the luckiest guy in the world.¡± Denise chuckled and turned to him. ¡°Lucky, huh?¡± ¡°I just woke up in a bed with 4 women who cared enough about me to be here with the others.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I''m not lucky because of that, then luck doesn''t exist.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can and be ready for my shift.¡± Ren nodded, and Denise got off the bed and left the room. Elise and Lisa had remained quiet. ¡°Before you say anything, she wouldn''t have left if the two of you weren''t here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was actually wondering what we do now.¡± Lisa said and sat up as she put her t-shirt back into place. ¡°How long does breakfast take?¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I usually log out of the game and it''s ready.¡± ¡°Lucky dog.¡± Lisa said. ¡°When I''m home I have to make it myself, assuming there''s anything to make.¡± ¡°Well, you don''t have to worry about that anymore.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re living here now.¡± Lisa opened her mouth to say that she wasn''t home; but, then she thought about it and smiled because she really wanted it to be. ¡°I''ve got to get ready for work.¡± Elise said and sat up. Her breasts slid around to their full proportions, and Lisa stared at them. ¡°How in the world can you walk around with all that weight?¡± Lisa asked, and both Ren and Elise laughed. ¡°I asked her the same thing after I saw them unleashed.¡± ¡°Then what did you do?¡± Elise asked. Ren kissed the tip of one, then kissed the tip of the other. ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°You didn''t say that.¡± ¡°I was thinking it.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Now kiss me and go get a shower.¡± Elise leaned forward and kissed him, then climbed off the bed, grabbed her business suit, and went to the bathroom. ¡°Just one of them is bigger than my head.¡± Lisa said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I made a joke and asked her what it was like carrying two bald men around.¡± ¡°That''s an old joke!¡± Lisa laughed. ¡°Good one, though.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Ren looked around, and it was just him and Lisa left in the room. ¡°They all cleared out.¡± He said, a little surprised. ¡°I know it wasn''t on purpose, so I''m not going to mention it.¡± Lisa said and kissed him. They wrapped their arms around each other and made out. Stella came upstairs a few minutes later with a food tray that had a huge stack of pancakes and plates for everyone on it. ¡°If you can stand to tear your lips apart, I''ve got food for you to eat.¡± Stella said, and Lisa tried to break the kiss. She turned her head a little, but Ren kept kissing her. Lisa saw the syrup and pointed at it, and Stella opened the top and put a little bit on a plate. Lisa dipped her finger in it and brought it up to her lips. She wiped her finger on the edge of her mouth and turned her head slightly the other way. Ren noticed the new taste right away and tried to suck the syrup off of her. He couldn''t get it all, so he started licking her face. Lisa started to laugh as he kept licking her lips, even with all the syrup gone. ¡°Okay, you.¡± Stella said and poked him in the ear. ¡°That''s enough.¡± ¡°But... she''s so delicious!¡± Ren said. ¡°Then she added maple syrup!¡± Lisa blushed a little and Stella chuckled. ¡°Geez, give the poor girl a break.¡± Stella said as she put a couple of pancakes on a plate for him. She added a pat of butter and a good dose of syrup. ¡°All right.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''ll eat instead.¡± ¡°Don''t sound so disappointed.¡± Stella said, and Lisa chuckled. She handed her a plate of pancakes and added butter and syrup. ¡°Thanks.¡± Lisa said and started to eat. Denise came in dressed for work in her nurse outfit, a pair of black pants and a thick white long-sleeved zippered top. ¡°Denise? Do you want some?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I made lots.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Denise said and took a plate and sat beside the bed. ¡°I can never get them this fluffy.¡± She said and started to eat. ¡°The secret''s in the vodka.¡± Stella joked. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lisa looked at Stella with wide eyes. ¡°She''s just kidding.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s just vanilla extract.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lisa said. ¡°That''s not something to joke about, though.¡± Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°Your father, too?¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°He was a real piece of... work... when he drank.¡± ¡°My dad loved his... work... too.¡± Ren said, and it made her smile. ¡°I swore I''d never touch it as long as I lived.¡± Lisa said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Me, too.¡± He said. ¡°Not that I''d ever be allowed to drink anyways.¡± ¡°Because of your condition?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Because if his inhibitions lowered, which is what drinking does, he could hurt himself even more seriously than he does normally.¡± Stella said. ¡°I am not letting him do that. Ever.¡± Elise came out of the bathroom with a freshly pressed business suit. ¡°I can''t believe your bathroom has a heat press.¡± ¡°It does?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s in the back of the closet.¡± Elise said and accepted a plate of pancakes. ¡°There''s a closet?¡± ¡°No, the towels float around the room until you grab them.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Of course there''s a closet. You know that.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I was just seeing how long you would keep answering.¡± ¡°I''ll answer anything you ask, if I can.¡± Elise said. ¡°Are my maids in the game super-angry at me right now?¡± ¡°No, they''re just really worried.¡± Lisa said, and everyone looked at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You went in and checked on them?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°Yeah.¡± Lisa said. ¡°When I heard what happened to you, I logged in and told them.¡± ¡°You...¡± Ren put his fork down and turned to her. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°It''s nothing.¡± Lisa said and tried to take another bite of pancake. Ren stopped her and she looked at him. ¡°It''s not nothing, and you know that.¡± Ren said, and stared her in the eyes intently. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°You weren''t just thinking about my welfare, but about my welfare after I was out of the game for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know if you have foresight or what.¡± He cupped the side of her face. ¡°Keeping things going in the game for me when I couldn''t... that was not ''nothing''.¡± Lisa''s heart was beating fast because of his attention, and even though they had just made out for several minutes, she really wanted him to kiss her again. She eased forward a little in anticipation, and Ren obliged her. It was only a brief and chaste kiss, but it held a lot more feelings in it. ¡°Wow.¡± Lisa whispered softly, and Ren smiled at her. ¡°On that note, lets get to work.¡± Denise said, and everyone nodded. She put her empty plate on the serving tray and went to the bathroom to wash her hands. ¡°Me, too.¡± Elise said and put her plate on the serving tray. She bent over the bed and Ren leaned in to her. They kissed, and it had it''s own magic; Elise broke the kiss a little breathless and sighed. ¡°You''re going to insist I go to work, aren''t you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Have fun, run the company, and make the virtual world a better place.¡± ¡°If you manage to get online, send me a message.¡± Elise said. ¡°So I know you''re really okay.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You won''t know if I''m okay unless I can log into the game?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± ¡°Bye Elise.¡± Ren said and gave her another kiss. Elise left the bedroom and Denise stood there while Ren and Lisa ate another set of pancakes, and Stella ate her first set. When they were done, Denise examined him and checked the bump on his head. It had reduced in size and would be small enough soon to let him wear the VR headset without causing himself pain. The next few hours passed quickly as Lisa spent time with Ren, Stella, and Denise. They mostly just talked and watched television in the big theatre room, and relaxed while they waited. They ate lunch and picked at the various candy available, and Denise kept checking his forehead and his mental and physical reactions. Neither she nor Stella had found any signs of concussion. After supper was consumed and Ren had a shower that he desperately needed, he finally convinced Stella and Denise that he was well enough to try the VR headset. Ren test-fitted it first, just to make sure it wasn''t pressing on his wound, and he relaxed when he realized that he was finally going to get back into the game. ¡°Lisa, are you coming in, too?¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°I''ve got a lot to catch up on.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve been out just as long as you.¡± Ren took her hand and gave it a squeeze. ¡°You didn''t have to do that.¡± Lisa chuckled and gave him a kiss. ¡°What kind of person would I be if I didn''t come to help you when I could?¡± ¡°Self-centered.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°That''s my game character''s best trait.¡± Lisa said. ¡°See you in a little while.¡± Ren let her hand go and she left the bedroom. ¡°This is it.¡± Stella said. ¡°The big test.¡± Ren nodded. He remembered the last time he had hurt his head and logged into the game. It resulted in him being stuck there, and having to be killed to leave. He was really glad the external log out protocols had been installed after that mess, and he relaxed on the bed with the headset in place. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren appeared in the white loading area, and received a popup.
System Notice!
You have logged in for the first time after a major game update. Please wait for calibration.
Ren dismissed the popup and looked around. I wonder how long this is going to take. He thought, and received another popup.
System Notice!
You may experience some disorientation during the loading process. If you wish to sit down while the patch is applied, please do so now.
A chair appeared in front of him, and Ren thought about having a seat. Summon Teepo. Ren thought, and Teepo appeared at his feet. ¡°REN!¡± Teepo yelled and flew up to hover in front of his friend. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s been going on?¡± ¡°I have no clue.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°We all stayed inside because none of us wanted to leave so we wouldn''t miss you when you showed up.¡± ¡°You didn''t have to do that.¡± Ren said, and another popup appeared.
Update Countdown: 14 Minutes, 59 Seconds
No matter where he looked, it stayed in front of him and he couldn''t dismiss it. Yeah, that''s disorienting. Ren thought. He didn''t sit down, though. Instead he took out a table and thought about Lisa. Since his costumes for the dancers that were based on real life outfits worked out so well, he took out his dye station and some Spider Silk Cloth. He cut the fabric he needed to make a pair of pants, but he made these ones special. Ren loved denim jeans and how women looked in them, especially from behind, so he dyed the cloth a light blue and made the pants, then added all the little details. Belt loops, rivets, pockets, buttons, and even extra useless stitching to make them look as much like a pair of jeans as he could. Once they were done, he took out some bat leather pieces and dyed them black, then made a nice leather jacket. He took his time to get all the details right and saved both recipes, then stored the two items. He made a nice blouse to go with the outfit and stored that, too.
Update Countdown: 0 Minutes, 13 Seconds
¡°Okay, Teepo.¡± Ren said and pat his shoulder. Teepo was so happy that Ren had invited him to take his perch that he almost cried. That was an amazing feat to have achieved from a beetle who never cries. ¡°Here we go.¡± Ren said when the countdown reached a second left, and then the white room went to black.
The Great Cleansing
Welcome... to your doom.
¡°What the hell kind of message was that?¡± Ren asked out loud, and then the world appeared around him. He wasn''t sleeping in bed with his maids like he was supposed to be. He immediately took out the All-Seeing Mirror and thought about where he was. A large map of a cavern system appeared, and at the top it said where it was.
Shargon Caverns
Survive if you can. Live if you dare.
¡°Oh, crap.¡± Ren said. Chapter 409 - Shargon Caverns Ren sighed at the situation, equipped his full armor set, then tried to open the message system.
System Notice!
Normal menus are not available within the walls of the restricted area.
Business Menu: Out of Range Land Owner Menu: Out of Range
Help Menu: Disabled Message System: Disabled
¡°It seems like we''re cut off.¡± Ren said, then remembered the tarantula tucked into his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. He reached for it, and then remembered that the cloak was folded on a table beside the bed back in his house in Aurora. ¡°Dammit, I can''t call Lylyth for a portal.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± Teepo said. ¡°This place is really bad, Ren.¡± ¡°There''s only one thing we can do now, buddy.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s that?¡± Teepo asked. Ren looked at the All-Seeing Mirror again and thought about how deep Shargon Caverns were, and the map shifted to show him the side view. They were nearly 10 miles down from the surface. ¡°Forget trying to explore this place to find a way out.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°We''re going to cheat.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°By going straight up.¡± Ren took out his Staff of Earth and concentrated on the 10 foot area around him, then raised an 8 foot tall and 1 foot wide wall around himself. Then he concentrated on what he stood on, then raised both himself and the walls up and up until it touched the ceiling. Once there, he started to dig. ¡°That''s brilliant.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You can just keep an eye on the All-Seeing Mirror so you can tell where the next cave is going to be!¡± Ren nodded as he climbed and dug, and the dirt he dug fell by him. He felt like a ground hog as he burrowed up through the dirt fairly quickly. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror every couple of minutes when he got to the point that he had estimated the floor of the next cave would be. When his mining pick met air, he stopped and quickly pulled it back. Teepo. Ren thought. Teepo squeezed out through the hole and looked around. ¡°It looks clear, but you know what that means.¡± Ren smiled and dug out the hole enough to squeeze through and climbed out. They were in a tiny cavern, barely 20 feet wide and only 10 feet deep. Something shiny caught his eye and he looked at it. It appeared to be a gleaming gold chest that was covered in jewels, and looked like it could be worth a fortune. Ren took out the Staff of Earth and shifted the dirt around the chest and covered it from sight, then made walls around himself. He climbed up the wall and started to dig again. ¡°You weren''t even tempted to go look at it, were you?¡± Teepo asked. Nope. Ren thought in amusement. That was a greed trap if I ever saw one. ¡°Definitely.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It sure was pretty, though.¡± Ren chuckled. I can go back and get it for you if you want. ¡°No, that''s okay.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ve already got the most precious thing I could ever want.¡± Ren thought about asking what it was, but he didn''t want to get emotional out here in the middle of nowhere. He continued to dig and checked the map on the All-Seeing Mirror. There''s a series of crisscrossed tunnels coming up. Ren thought. I think we should go around them. ¡°Agreed.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ve seen tunnels like that before, but never that big.¡± It took three times as long to dig around the tunnels than it would have to go right through them, but both Ren and Teepo knew it was smarter to go slow. After another half an hour of digging, Ren had to come to a stop. Above him was something that looked like solid rock. He tried using his mining pick on it, but it just bounced off. He had never had anything like that happen before. It had been difficult to dig sometimes, but he hadn''t encountered anything that he couldn''t dig through. Ren dug out a good-sized area, and took out his hammerpick. ¡°Spirit of Earth, please forgive me.¡± He said and enchanted the hammerpick with 50 runes of Antiearth, then used Double Infusion to make it 100 runes. The hammerpick''s green glow was covered in a thin layer of brown sludge, and Ren leaned down to get as much swinging leverage as he could, then swung up with all of his might and jumped. The impenetrable rock dissolved before he could hit it and he was flung up and into the next cavern unimpeded. It was the first time he had jumped as hard as he could, and with the new enchantments and the force of his momentum, he went almost 50 feet straight up... and up... and up.
Notice!
You have entered the lair of the Abyssal Terrors. Due to the creature''s innate ability to counter it''s own overly massive weight, all those within it''s area of effect will also benefit (or suffer) from this ability.
¡°We''re in trouble!¡± Teepo exclaimed as a large winged creature caught sight of Ren. * ¡°Where is he?¡± Frikara asked Lara, the Sage of Ages. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Lara said. She had come over to Ren''s house in the Housing District when he hadn''t come to the Library right away. ¡°But... you''re the Sage of Ages!¡± Frikara said, frantically. ¡°Shouldn''t you know?¡± Lara sighed. ¡°I''m getting better at predicting things, but I''m far from being an all-seeing...¡± She stopped talking and took out the Far-Seeing Mirror she had received from the giants. She concentrated on Ren and put her hand on the glass. ¡°Ren, can you hear me?¡± Frikara and the other maids waited expectantly, and then Lara received a popup that surprised her.
System Notice!
The player you are trying to contact has been transported to a restricted area. Normal game functions (menus and messages) have been disabled. Any further attempts to contact this player by other means to circumvent this process will result in a warning for game interference.
Current Warnings: 2
¡°I... need to leave right away.¡± Lara said when she had made her decision. ¡°Can I use the bed?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Please, find him.¡± ¡°I''ll be back when I know something.¡± Lara said and laid down on the bed. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Lisa slipped off her VR headset and set it aside, then ran to her room''s door. She went outside into the hallway and ran down to the elevator. She went past it and down the sweeping staircase to the second floor and ran to Ren''s room at the end of the hallway. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Stella asked as Lisa ran over to Ren and looked at the television screen. ¡°Ren''s not in the starter city anymore.¡± Lisa said, then screamed a little as she saw Ren being attacked by a huge winged creature. ******** ¡°Duck!¡± Teepo said. How? Ren thought as a massive beast, with a 30 foot wide wingspan, swooped over to him and swatted him with it''s large clawed hand. With his momentum and direction changed, Ren spun through the air much faster than he was travelling previously. Ren had tried to block the blow with the hammerpick; but without anything to brace against, he couldn''t swing it properly. With his path uncontrolled, he stored the hammerpick so he wouldn''t drop it, and slammed into the impenetrable rock face. ¡°GAHHH!¡± Ren yelled as the impact went right through him and he lost 1,100 points of Health. He bounced off the rock and continued to tumble through the air, and it took him a moment to recover from the shock. It was a moment that he didn''t have. A large open mouth, full of jagged and sharp teeth clamped down onto his legs, and Ren screamed as three of the large teeth crushed through his armor and penetrated his leg. He lost another 1,800 points off his Health, and managed to activate Serene State of Mind to kill the pain.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Notice!
You have been Poisoned. Thanks to your Hardy ability, you won''t die right away; but, if it is left untreated, it will consume your Health until you are dead. Time until death: 30 minutes
The abyssal terror landed on the side of the gigantic cavern and shook him from side to side, almost like a dog with a bone. Ren remained calm as he thought about what to do and concentrated on the creature. ¡°Identify.¡±
Abyssal Terror (5 Years Old)
This giant creature is both living and dead. A product of Arcane (Void) magic and Dark Ritual Summoning, it''s thick hide is immune to normal weapons. It''s wings are partially insubstantial, and cannot be cut or damaged in any way. It''s sharp teeth can tear through the heaviest armor, and it''s claws can render and cut up even the toughest hides. It was designed as a tremendous fighter that can fight with it''s arms and legs, but it can also be ridden. Since it is a magically-created creature, it has certain powers and abilities depending on how long it has survived. 1 Years Old: Can run on ground. Wings unformed. Can only float short distances. 2 Years Old: Wings partially formed. Can jump and glide 200 feet. 3 Years Old: Wings formed. Can fly normally. 4 Years Old: Has dive bomb attacks, spits poison. 5 Years Old: Ferocious Fighter. Doubles move and flight speed. Ambush. Breath weapon: Acid Cloud. Health: 20,000 (4,000 per year of life) Movement: 50 feet per second (Ground), 100 feet per second (Air) Special Abilities: Antivoid/Antiarcane Immunity, Dark (Gravity) Negation Aura (300 foot radius), Frenzy, Killing Blow, Dark Vision (2) (can see as if it is daytime), Toughness (5), Terror Aura (300 foot radius).
It worked. Ren thought, and then smiled. I didn''t see anything at all about immunity to Fire. Ren took out his hammerpick and enchanted it with 50 Fire runes and used Double Infusion for another 50. The Earth enchantment was replaced with a 1 inch thick layer of bright blue flame, just like when he had used it against the ghouls. He concentrated on his Deep Impact ability, that caused internal injuries in his target; and on his Skull Cracker ability, that gave him a 20% chance to stun. Ren reached for one of the creatures large teeth that had impaled his legs, and used Iron Grip on it. The tooth shattered and the creature opened it''s mouth and let out a bellowing howl of pain. He grabbed the front of it''s nose and used Iron Grip to hold on, pulled himself off the other teeth, then swung the flat end of the hammerpick as hard as he could at the creature''s forehead. It jerked when it saw the weapon, and the hammerpick smashed the creature right between the eyes instead. The spot caved in a little, then the ripple of the shock wave and Fire enchantments happened. It''s eyes were covered in enchanted flame and burst from the intense heat, but it didn''t feel it. Ren''s attack had beaten the 5 to 1 odds and stunned the creature, and thanks to his Deep Impact ability, it''s brain had taken a tremendous amount of damage. It had lost almost 8,000 Health just from that one attack, and it continued to take damage as the enchanted fire started to consume it through it''s now heavily bleeding eye sockets. Ren hit it twice more, and that finished it off. Once it was dead, it''s Aura vanished and both the creature''s body and Ren fell to the cavern wall. He absorbed the flames to refill his Health, which was quite low by this point, and he took out his alchemy kit. He gathered some of it''s poison and made up an antidote for it, drank it, and sighed as the poison counter disappeared. Now that Ren had a moment to take a breath, he looked at the creature. It was even uglier and more grotesque than he originally thought. It had skin like an elephant, arms and hands like a giant, rear legs like a lizard, and a long tail that he assumed helped with their movement. The wings were huge, and even flat on the ground, they were almost 15 feet long each. Bones protruded from it''s back, all along it''s spine, and it had two very large pointed horns on it''s head and one at the end of each wing. With it''s visage well imprinted on his mind, Ren examined his own wounds and picked out the shards of teeth that remained inside. He used a Major Healing wand to fix the damage, topped off his Health, and refilled his Mana Pool. He was tempted to harvest everything from the new creature; but, he had to survive however many of them that were there, so he tried to think about a way to get out instead. ¡°You can just attack with the Antiearth-enchanted hammerpick again.¡± Teepo said. Where? Ren asked. I''m pretty sure I''m standing on the wall of the cavern and that there''s no other abyssal terrors around; but, then what? It could take days to dig around this cavern. Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and thought about his position. There, see? We have a huge cut off coming up, and if I dig out of here now... Ren traced a line all the way over to the spot he had to dig to just to find a vertical spot to dig up. No, we can''t go out. We have to go up. ¡°Try the Staff of Earth.¡± Teepo suggested. Ren took out the staff and concentrated on a very small area. It didn''t move at all, just as he had expected. ¡°Then you''re right, we have to go up.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Somehow.¡± I have an idea about that. Ren thought and took out the 50 rope bundles he had. ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s not going to work.¡± It doesn''t hurt to try. Ren thought and proceeded to use his Knot Tying ability to attach all 50 ropes together to make one very long one.
Stat Change!
Knot Tying Level 5 (Advanced 0%)
Ren took out a level 5 wand and replaced the spells with Rope Trick. ¡°Ren, I''m telling you. The top of this place is higher than 2500 feet.¡± The rope is only just over 2400 feet. Ren thought. I lost 2 feet from each one tying the ends together. ¡°It''s not going to matter.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What are you going to do when we get there?¡± Improvise. Ren repaired the damaged armor pieces on his legs, then remembered his rings that he had changed the enchantments on. He activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and chose the Ring Of Boosted Sustenance recipe, placed an Ultimate Terror ring on it, then waited for 10 seconds. When it was done, he smiled because the diamonds had their enchantments restored.
Ring of Boosted Sustenance (Rare Wondrous Item)
This ring continually provides its wearer with life-sustaining nourishment. It refreshes the body and mind as well, and the wearer only needs to sleep for 2 hours per day to gain the benefit of 8 hours of sleep. The ring must be worn for a full week before it attunes to the wearer''s needs. If it is ever removed, it must be worn for another week to attune it again. Bonus: +10 to all stats
Ren used his Retain Essence skill to absorb the enchantment, then altered it. He added 12 runes of Antitime to reduce the sleep time required to only 1 hour to get 8 hours of sleep, then changed the week attunement to a single day by adding a platinum coin, then added Reinforcement runes to hold the extra enchantments. Ren put the enchantment back on the ring after paying the appropriate Mana to do so, then used Double Infusion to drop another 50 runes of Protection on it.
Ring of Sustained Boosted Protection (Unique Wondrous Item - Binds on Equip)
This ring continually provides its wearer with life-sustaining nourishment. It refreshes the body and mind as well, and the wearer only needs to sleep for 1 hour per day to gain the benefit of 8 hours of sleep. The ring must be worn for a full day before it attunes to the wearer''s needs. If it is ever removed, it must be worn for another day to attune it again. Bonus: +10 to all stats, +500 Defense to armor, Reinforced (cannot be damaged by normal means)
One step too far. Ren thought and put the ring on, then did the next ring without adding in the Double Infusion.
Ring of Sustained Boost (Rare Wondrous Item - Binds on Equip)
This ring continually provides its wearer with life-sustaining nourishment. It refreshes the body and mind as well, and the wearer only needs to sleep for 1 hour per day to gain the benefit of 8 hours of sleep. The ring must be worn for a full day before it attunes to the wearer''s needs. If it is ever removed, it must be worn for another day to attune it again. Bonus: +10 to all stats, Reinforced (cannot be damaged by normal means)
There we go. Ren thought and did 2 more rings to finish the 4 on one hand. He had 2 raised platform rings, his Sending Ring, and the Beetle Crown ring on the other. He left the two raised platform rings enchanted with Ultimate Terror, then used Double Infusion to add Lightning to one and added Water and Wind to the other. With his prep work and repairs done, he examined the wand he had enchanted with Rope Trick.
Wand Of Rope Ladder (Level 5)
The Rope Trick spell can be cast on a regular 50 foot rope to make it extend straight up into the air. It will remain stiff enough to be climbed to the top, and will stay that way until dismissed. The Master level of this spell can be used on any rope, no matter the thickness or length, and will expand into a ladder for easy climbing. Cast Distance: Within 25 feet (Short) Area of Effect: One rope (any length) Time Limit: Lasts until dismissed
Oh, nice. Ren thought, then stopped to think about how he was going to survive climbing through the middle of the cavern. He looked at the carcass of the large dead creature and smiled. ******** ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Stella said, and put an arm around Lisa''s shoulders. The younger and smaller woman was crying, and Stella handed her a tissue. ¡°I don''t know why I''m crying.¡± Lisa said and wiped off her face. ¡°I know he can handle himself.¡± ¡°You love him.¡± Stella said, and Lisa looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°We always cry when someone we love is hurt.¡± ¡°How do you know...¡± ¡°You agreed to move into a strange man''s house, and you haven''t even gone on a real date with him.¡± Stella said. ¡°Plus, you''ve been hugging and kissing him like he means the world to you.¡± ¡°I... okay, yes.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I do love him.¡± ¡°Then trust him.¡± Stella said. ¡°You saw how he handled that creature.¡± She smiled and hugged Lisa. ¡°If anyone is going to get out of there, it''s going to be him.¡± ¡°Can you bring up the other footage?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°When the game loaded?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Stella said and used the laptop to run the footage back. ¡°He went into the white loading area?¡± Lisa asked and watched the footage at 4x speed. When the game appeared around him, she slowed it to 1x and read the popups. ¡°Oh, my.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked. ¡°He... he''s in the Arcane Training Area called Shargon Caverns.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It...¡± She shook her head. ¡°He''s not supposed to be there.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°It''s the ''How To Be A Proper Villain'' path.¡± Lisa said, surprised. ¡°Tristan took it when he lost his Fame and became Infamous.¡± She chuckled. ¡°He should have taken that right away, instead of playing that Heroic Prince crap.¡± ¡°What?¡± Stella looked at the paused video and the popups. ¡°But... Ren is still famous! He just got a maxed Fame bonus during that last quest with the ghouls.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Lisa grabbed Stella''s arm. ¡°Tell me he didn''t get bitten!¡± ¡°He didn''t.¡± Stella said. ¡°Do you want to see what happened?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It might tell me why he started where he did instead of back where everyone else is.¡± Stella brought up the footage and Lisa watched at an accelerated rate of 8x as Ren defeated the ghouls, and then they went to the town hall. ¡°Stop there!¡± Lisa said when she saw Ren talking to the marked people. She watched the scene in 1x speed and then she gasped when the tarantula bit him and gave him the Ghoul Kissed (Skull) mark. ¡°Oh... oh, no.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He actually is supposed to be there.¡± Lisa said and sighed. ¡°After the update, the game recognized him as a Ghoul Lord.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°He can...¡± Lisa shook her head. ¡°I can''t say. It''s against the game rules.¡± ¡°What can you tell me?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I can tell you to cross your fingers and hope.¡± Lisa said. ¡°That''s all that any of us can do now.¡± Chapter 410 - Abyssals, Terrorize! Lisa stood up and looked at the television screen to see Ren making long straps and securing them around the large dead creature. ¡°I''m going back in to tell everyone what happened.¡± ¡°We can log him back out ourselves.¡± Stella said. Lisa shook her head. ¡°He can log out himself if he wants to; but, he''s going to be stuck there even if he dies.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°It resets to the last location considered ''safe'' within it''s borders.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It''s intended to let players level up and learn how to control their abilities properly.¡± ¡°But... why is Ren there?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I don''t think that skull mark alone should do something like that, would it?¡± ¡°Let''s try and find out.¡± Lisa said and pointed to the cell phone. ¡°Can I text Elise?¡± Stella nodded, and Lisa picked up the phone and sent a text.
Ren Elise, it''s Lisa. Can I bother you for a minute?
Elise Can it wait? I was just getting ready to leave work.
Ren (Lisa) No, I need to know something, and I knew you would be the one to ask.
Elise Okay, then. What is it?
Ren (Lisa) After Ren got that mark during his last quest, did anything odd happen?
Elise I''m not sure what you mean.
Ren (Lisa) Did he ask you about anything weird? Or tell you he saw something weird?
Elise What''s going on, Lisa?
Ren (Lisa) Ren''s avatar has been reassigned from his safe zone in Aurora to Shargon Caverns.
Elise WHAT?!?
Ren (Lisa) It''s a shock for me, too. Is there anything at all that would explain this? If there isn''t, this is an awful mistake on the tech guys'' part.
Elise Let me think for a minute.
Elise put the phone down on her desk and ran through everything she and Ren had talked about recently. Her mouth fell open and she gasped slightly when she remembered that he had asked her about hidden skills and abilities.
Elise He asked me why skills, recipes, and abilities would be hidden after he leveled up.
Ren (Lisa) Oh, damn.
Elise Yes, the game is compensating for him not having the requirements to use the things he has access to.
Ren (Lisa) But he''s on the villain track right now, without being given the option. We can''t change that, can we?
Elise No, he''s stuck there until he meets the requirements.
Ren (Lisa) He''s not going to like being there, or having to do what he needs to do.
Elise No, he won''t. (sigh) Not at all.
Ren (Lisa) Thanks, Elise.
Elise I''ll be there soon.
Lisa put the phone down and sighed. ¡°Ren has skills and things that the game is trying to teach him to use.¡± ¡°In a villain training camp.¡± Stella said. ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Apparently whatever he has to learn can only be taught there.¡± ¡°And there''s nothing we can do.¡± Stella sighed, and Lisa shook her head. ¡°Well, damn.¡± Lisa walked over to the door of the room. ¡°I''m popping in for a minute to let the maids know what''s up, then I''ll be down to talk to Elise. After that, I''ll be in for most of the night in case Ren does somehow find a way out and contacts me.¡± Stella nodded and watched the television, and Lisa left the room. ******** Ren had tied the huge creature to his back, just like a backpack, and it became a part of his burden. It was extremely heavy, but with his armor on, he didn''t need any spell boosts to carry it. He stored the 2400 foot long rope and carefully crawled up the wall to the point that it turned off to the distance and stood up. Ren wasn''t sure if it had been worn away, designed that way, or had been manipulated to be that way; and it didn''t really matter. He used it as a step and took out the length of rope and the Wand of Rope Ladder. He used the wand and the rope glowed slightly as it magically doubled and made rope rungs, then it quickly rose up into the air. It was a really long rope ladder, and it took a while for the entire length of it to unfurl. Once it was finished, Ren started to climb and carried his monstrous burden along with him. He had the bright idea to tie off the wings with Spider Silk String, so that as he climbed, the wings stayed out like the beast was gliding. When he had climbed up almost 500 feet, Teepo warned him that one of the creatures was coming towards them. Ren stopped climbing when his Etiquette skill activated and he concentrated on his Fear Aura automatically. He had forgotten that he wasn''t wearing the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, but the Fear Aura popped into existence anyway and he activated his Ultimate Terror ring to funnel through his Aura. The abyssal terror that flew towards him felt the change in the Aura. It screeched a little and altered it''s direct flight to a passing one. It''s wing clipped the edge of the wing of the dead one on his back, and Ren moved his body to the right a little to hit it back with a wing when it curved around and passed the other way. On a hunch, Ren activated the second Ultimate Terror ring and funnelled that through as well, and the abyssal terror flew around him again. ¡°What''s it doing?¡± Teepo asked. Testing the waters. Ren said. Like all big predators, I''m pretty sure I''m passing through what it thinks is it''s space. ¡°You should get a wand ready.¡± Teepo said. Ren took out a level 5 wand and changed the spells to Acid Fog, which was a Level 3 spell. I hope this works. He thought, and when the abyssal terror came close for another pass, he cast Acid Fog in front of it and it flew right through it. It screeched and rubbed at it''s face to try and get the acid fog off, and Ren tried not to laugh at it. The other abyssal terrors didn''t have that problem and he could hear an almost cackling sound reverberate from the walls. They almost sound like crows. Ren thought. He had another feeling to deactivate his Ultimate Terror rings and he did so. He was a bit worried that the abyssal terror he had just attacked would come back for revenge, but the cackling got louder and the abyssal flew off and disappeared from view. With the immediate threat over, Ren dismissed the Acid Fog spell and started to climb again. He was well into the area that he would be weightless; but, he dared not let go of the rope ladder. Not this soon, anyway. * ¡°You... you can''t be serious.¡± Frikara said. She had become the unofficial spokeswoman for the maids, and they all deferred to let her speak for them. ¡°Unfortunately, I am.¡± Lara, the Sage of Ages said. ¡°He''s currently being trained in Shargon Caverns.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°Did Ren tell you anything about what happened during his last quest?¡± Lara asked. ¡°No, he had to go and said he would tell us everything when he came back.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Then I can''t say anything.¡± Lara sighed. ¡°If you already knew about it then I could fill in the details; but, if you have no idea...¡± She sighed again. ¡°...just... hope that he''ll be okay.¡± She said. ¡°I have to go and try to keep an eye on him for a while, then I''ll come back.¡± Frikara nodded, and Lara logged out. When her avatar went to it''s phantom form, Frikara looked at the other maids. ¡°She was telling the truth. She really can''t tell us if we don''t know.¡± ¡°She''s a terrible Sage.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°I don''t know why she even bothers.¡± Verwynn laughed. ¡°Yes, she''s like... I don''t know everything, but what I do know I can''t tell you unless you already know it.¡± ¡°Navruth?¡± Frikara put a hand on the woman''s arm. ¡°What did you make of what Lara said?¡± ¡°That her ability is useless without some outside information or input.¡± Navruth said. ¡°It''s no wonder why she latched onto Ren when she had the opportunity.¡± ¡°So did we.¡± Frikara said, and the other maids looked at her because they felt she was telling the truth. ¡°Once we found out what kind of man he was, we agreed that we would do anything we could to stay with him.¡± ¡°That''s because of who he is, not what he can do for us.¡± Navruth said, and her Practicality skill went into full swing. ¡°He could be as poor as dirt and we would all still want to be with him.¡± She said. ¡°We would do our best to give him the life he deserves, and make sure that he''s happy.¡± The other maids nodded and they all looked at Lara. ¡°I don''t know if many of the others would do the same.¡± Navruth said, quietly. ******** Elise came into the house and took the elevator up to the second floor, then quickly walked down the hall to Ren''s room. ¡°Tell me what''s going on.¡± Elise demanded and Stella filled her in on all the details. Lisa came into the room a few minutes later and joined in on the discussion while they watched Ren climb a ridiculously long rope ladder with the creature he had killed on his back. ¡°I think... I think I know what happened.¡± Elise said. ¡°He wasn''t offered to switch classes because he didn''t lose his Fame, but he does meet almost all the other requirements for the villain track.¡± ¡°What?¡± Stella asked. ¡°How?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Just on the practical side, he has tons of shadow markers in his inventory. He holds contracts with several other criminal businesses, including the Thieves Guild in the Human and Dark Elven Kingdoms.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Lisa yelled and Elise winced. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°He gained them when he looted the Dwarven Thieves Guild; but under my direction, he hasn''t even looked at them and they are just sitting in his inventory.¡± Lisa nodded and Elise continued. ¡°He has 6 personal maids, 5 of which were gained from the same Thieves Guild. He has a restricted ability to absorb emotions, and he has that ghoul mark.¡± Elise said. ¡°He also accepted the other people from that quest as part of his domain.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Unlike every other person that lives in places that he owns, people under his domain are like his personal vassals. They are loyal to him and him only.¡± Lisa explained. Elise nodded. ¡°He had all of that before he leveled up, and the combination unlocked several new things that he shouldn''t have gained access to.¡± She said. ¡°After the update for the new world event, all of those things triggered his transfer.¡± ¡°Without asking him?¡± Stella asked. ¡°That''s not a good way to run a player-based game.¡± ¡°You do realize Ren is the single exception, right?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°I''ve checked. No other player has been shunted off like Ren has.¡± ¡°Why is it always him?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°He hasn''t done anything to deserve being treated like this.¡± ¡°Then tell him to stop playing.¡± Elise said, and Stella and Lisa stared at her with open mouths. ¡°Are... are you crazy?!?¡± Lisa exclaimed. ¡°If we tell him not to do something that makes him so happy...¡± ¡°He''d never forgive us.¡± Stella said, and Elise nodded. ¡°That''s right.¡± Elise said. ¡°That''s something you need to understand. It''s always going to be him.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Things happen when Ren is involved.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m not sure why it also happens in real life, but it does.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We''ve all been changed by him.¡± Elise said and put a hand over her heart. ¡°Some of us a lot more than others.¡± Stella put a hand over her hand, and they both smiled. ¡°We''re all emotionally and physically involved with him. We''re going to see him go through things that seem unfair; but, it''s because we care so much about him that it''s unfair.¡± Stella said. ¡°He''ll get through anything that life can throw at him, both real and virtual, because that''s who he is... and we are going to do everything we can to help him.¡± She smiled. ¡°He''s our Ren.¡± ******** Ren had plenty of time to think about where he was and what he was going through. Climbing a 2400 foot tall ladder took a lot of time. He didn''t bother trying to rush, mainly because he didn''t want to make a mistake. This is a really odd cavern. Ren thought. ¡°It really is.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There are hundreds of those things in here.¡± Hundreds? Ren asked. ¡°That I can see.¡± Teepo said. ¡°This cavern is about 300 miles long.¡± He chittered in laughter. ¡°There''s probably thousands of them in here.¡± That''s not a comforting thought. Ren thought. ¡°It''s more of an ''oh, crap'' thought.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If they figure out your trick.¡± Yeah, it''ll probably be a quick death. ¡°You hope.¡± Teepo said, and Ren nodded. Something about this bugs me. Ren thought a few minutes later. ¡°Besides the prospect of being eaten alive?¡± Yeah, besides that. Ren thought. This cavern is surrounded by impenetrable rock. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Teepo said. Well, who put it there? Ren asked. There''s so much of it that there has to be a reason. He stopped climbing when he realized what it was. The Spirit of Earth is keeping them contained! He thought in surprise. That''s why it opened and let me in before my hammerpick could smash it. If I had broken my way through, they all could have escaped!
Notice!
You have reasoned out the truth of the lair of the Abyssal Terrors. It''s not a lair at all, but a cage to hold them in check. Intelligence: +5 Wisdom: +5
Stat Change!
Knowledge Of Earth Level 5 (Intermediate 0%). Earth affinity and resistance increased to 30%
Ren kept climbing at a slow and steady pace, and was in a better mood about the whole thing. This mood lasted for almost another hour, right up until he reached the top of the ladder. How far to the top of the cavern, Teepo? Ren asked, because had a hard time seeing with the creature''s large head above him. ¡°Do you want the good news or the bad news?¡± Teepo asked. I''m gonna regret this. Ren thought. Good news first. ¡°It''s only about 1000 feet to the top, so you were almost right with your rope ladder idea.¡± That is good news. Ren thought. What''s the bad news? ¡°Apparently, the ceiling is where the spawning grounds are.¡± Teepo said sadly. ******** Stella, Elise, and Lisa sat in front of the television and watched Ren intently. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Elise said as Ren leaned out from the rope ladder to get a good look at what was above him. ¡°What is he going to do now?¡± Stella asked. ¡°He''s at the end of his rope.¡± ¡°If I know Ren, he''s going to do something really stupid or something really crazy.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Or both.¡± Elise said as they watched Ren take out one of the 15 foot wide Automatic Ballistas he had. He tied his hammerpick to a length of Spider Silk string that he had weaved into a 20 foot long rope, which he attached to the straps around his chest. He then tied the hammerpick to front of the 6 foot long bolt in the loaded Automatic Ballista. ¡°He can''t be serious.¡± Stella said. ¡°That''s never going to work!¡± ¡°Actually... I think it will.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Look at him. He''s moving around like he''s almost weightless.¡± ¡°How is that possible?¡± Elise asked. ¡°None of the creatures are around him.¡± ¡°I think it''s like his shared Aura with the maids.¡± Lisa said. ¡°When there''s enough of them, the Auras combine and expand.¡± ¡°...and he''s going to shoot himself right into the middle of them.¡± Stella said, and the three of them watched as Ren took careful aim. ******** ¡°A little to the left.¡± Teepo said. ¡°A little more... there! That''s right between two groups.¡± I hope they don''t treat me as hostile. Ren thought. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°We''re about to dive into the place they spawn. We''re going to be hostile no matter what.¡± Good point. ¡°Just jump as hard as you can when you fire.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You need to get your momentum going or the bolt won''t take us far.¡± Ren crouched down and prepared to jump. He activated his two Ultimate Terror enchanted rings to funnel through his Fear Aura, pulled the trigger on the Automatic Ballista, and jumped at the same time. With almost no weight to slow him down, he took off like a bolt from a crossbow; then the actual bolt sped ahead and dragged him and his burden of an abyssal terror''s corpse along. He stored the Automatic Ballista and activated the hammerpick tied to the bolt, and it burst into blue flame. Travelling at such high speed changed the blue flame almost instantly to white, and every single abyssal terror in the spawning grounds above him noticed. ¡°Oh, CRAAAAAAAPPP!¡± Ren yelled as they all took flight straight towards him. He aimed with his raised platform Lightning ring and shot one. It died, but there were hundreds more. He thought about one of the spells he had never used before. Chain Lightning! The spell activated and his single large bolt of Lightning shot out to the next, then the next, and then the next abyssal terror. Wh-what?
Notice!
You have unlocked the skill: Spell Caster Level 1 (Beginner 0%). This allows you to cast spells that you know. These can combine with enchantments for enhanced bonuses. Higher levels allow more powerful spells to be cast.
Widen Effect! Ren immediately thought, and the bolt doubled in size and hit 8 more abyssal terrors that couldn''t dodge it.
Notice!
You have unlocked the skill: Proficiency. This allows you to maximize the amount of damage given from using magic, and reduces the time needed to cast spells.
Ren didn''t even have to think about what to do next. Fireball. Widen Effect. Fireball. Widen Effect. Fireball. Widen Effect. Fireball. Widen Effect. Four giant fireballs went out instantly and he used his Fire Manipulation skill to keep them slightly out to the sides and in front of him. The abyssal terrors attacked him anyway, despite his defenses, and their claws tore at the carcass on his back. He took out his Wall of Fire wand and thought Widen Effect as he cast them and pushed them away with his Fire Manipulation ability. Giant fire walls impacted the abyssal terrors and kept them at bay. ¡°Now, Ren!¡± Teepo said as they quickly approached the ceiling, and Ren looted the dead abyssal terror on his back. It disappeared as several things dropped into his inventory, and he dismissed the popup about gaining XP. He also dismissed all the various fire spells he had cast to clear the way. The impenetrable rock of the ceiling dissolved before the hammerpick could touch it or break it, and Ren was dragged through the opening and into a tunnel an instant later. The tunnel was exactly 5 feet in diameter and a perfect circle. Ren thought about why it could be in just the right spot for him to enter, and then his ascent started to slow down. Without the gravity cancellation ability of the abyssal terrors, his weight was going to bring him to a stop. He cast Wall of Earth below himself just as his momentum was cancelled out, and landed in a slight crouch as he caught the hammerpick with one hand at the same time. ¡°That was the scariest and coolest thing I''ve ever seen!¡± Teepo said and chittered in delight. Chapter 411 - Hello? I Need Information ¡°That... was... amazing.¡± Stella said as she watched Ren crawl up the tunnel. ¡°How the hell did he do all of that?¡± ¡°Run the footage back to the popups.¡± Elise said. During important events, the game footage automatically slowed down so they could watch it unfold; and even then it was almost too fast to see. ¡°Pause it.¡± Lisa said and read that Ren had gained the Spell Caster ability. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°I... don''t know.¡± Elise said. ¡°His class is only supposed to make wands and use spells he learns that way, not cast them himself.¡± ¡°Is it because of where he is?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Or is it because he shouldn''t be there?¡± Elise sighed. ¡°I guess I have no choice.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°Calling in the big guns.¡± Elise said and used her cell phone to call her boss, Edward Torren. He was the CEO of Sid Tec and had specifically designed Ren''s character. If anyone would know what was going on, it would be him. * Ren climbed for another 3 hours, and occasionally stopped to check the All-Seeing Mirror. He was making good progress and had travelled up the smooth tunnel a very long way. He only had 5 more miles to go to reach the surface, and hadn''t encountered anything inside the perfect tunnel since he had entered it after the lair of the abyssal terrors. As soon as Ren started to think that he was going to get out of the caverns without having to meet anything else, Teepo told him that something was above them. ¡°I can''t tell what it is; but, something is moving around up there.¡± Teepo said. I''m tempted to send you out to scout; but, we both know being separated is not a good idea right now. Ren thought. ¡°It''s never a good idea.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Can you use the Staff of Earth?¡± Ren shook his head. Not without seeing the ground that I need to move. ¡°Just lift the tunnel.¡± Teepo suggested. From where? Ren thought. We could be in a kind of smoke stack, or in the middle of an island and an underground lake might flood us, or the tunnel might collapse if I shift the dirt away from the sides. ¡°Aren''t you worrying about things too much?¡± Teepo asked. I''d rather worry and not die. Ren thought. I don''t know where I''ll end up if I do. He sighed. My spawn point is inside my Instant Tower, which is sitting in my inventory. ¡°Well, then... keep worrying.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The last thing I would ever want you to do is die.¡± Ren nodded and slowly crept up the tunnel to the opening. Teepo did a little hop and looked around, then landed on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°It''s a big room, and there''s two women tied up.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m not sure how either the room or the women could be there, though.¡± Ren poked his head up just enough to see with his own eyes through his helm, and it was a room filled with items. Cabinets, dressers, beds, paintings, statues, and several dozen storage chests could be seen, and they were all of various quality. He also saw two red-headed women as they sat demurely in two fancy chairs, with their wrists tied behind the chair backs. He climbed up a little further, and one of the women saw him. ¡°Oh, help!¡± She said and pretended to struggle with her ropes that his Knot Tying skill told him were only slip knots. ¡°Please! I''ve been captured!¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± The other woman said and did the same thing. Ren knew that they could both just stand up and wouldn''t be tied anymore. They were also well within Ren''s Aura, and his Emotion Siphon ability let him know that they were lying. Instead of feeling relief like rescued people would normally feel when they saw someone to rescue them, what they actually felt was pleasure that they had caught another Adventurer, and mischievousness because they were trying to trick him. Ren looked around at the floor, and saw it was wood planks over the smooth dirt. Something is weird. Ren thought. Teepo? Touch that wood and tell me if it''s real. Teepo crawled down Ren''s arm and touched it with a front leg. ¡°It''s just dirt.¡± Someone went to a lot of trouble to make Silent Images of a room and a bunch of stuff. Ren thought. Do you think it''s a test? ¡°If it is, it''s a pretty poor one.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If you had set this up, you would have made the chairs collapsible and the ropes real.¡± I was just thinking the same thing. Ren thought. ¡°Wh-what''s wrong? Why do you hesitate?¡± One of the women asked. ¡°Please, great Adventurer! Rescue us!¡± The other one said. Ren chuckled, and the two women stared at him in surprise. ¡°We''re trapped.¡± The first one said. ¡°Why do you laugh?¡± ¡°Because I''m not stupid.¡± Ren said, and he felt their emotions shift from anticipation of a good catch, to anger that their catch was not willing to be caught. ¡°Then our little deception didn''t work.¡± The first said and stood up. The ropes that held her fell away, and the other one gasped. ¡°Seldanna, no!¡± ¡°It''s all right, Wynphine.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°He was not fooled.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I wasn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°This was all a bit too contrived.¡± ¡°What gave us away?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°Can you tell if I lie?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It was the ropes that gave me the biggest clue.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, you being right here at the tunnel exit.¡± Seldanna sighed. ¡°I knew we should have set up further down the cavern.¡± ¡°I could give you pointers on how to make it more believable; but that''s not what you want, is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No.¡± Seldanna said. Her clothing melted away to leave a small black bra and black thong bikini underwear. Large red bat-like wings unfurled from her back, and her skin changed from a normal skin tone to a deep red. Her physical looks remained the same for the most part, with her long flowing red hair, but her hands and fingers had extended slightly and grew long fingernails. Her feet did the same thing and ended with long toenails. Both sets of nails looked as sharp as razors, and a long tail swished behind her. ¡°She''s a succubus.¡± Teepo said, surprised. Ren felt Seldanna''s feelings turn from disappointment to ferocity, and he activated his Fear Aura and one of the Ultimate Terror enchantments to funnel through it. The one that hadn''t revealed herself moaned and writhed on her chair, and her hands pulled free from her temporary bindings. ¡°So, you have talent.¡± Seldanna said and took a step forward. ¡°You will be a delicious meal.¡± She said and smiled, and her teeth extended into points and twice their normal length. Ren concentrated on his Command Aura as well as his boosted Fear Aura. ¡°STOP.¡± Both women froze at his command voice, and they stared at him. ¡°H-how?¡± Seldanna asked. Ren climbed out of the hole and walked over to them. Both women''s mouths dropped open in surprise to see that he was only 4 feet 10 inches tall in a full set of armor. When he was close enough, the one that still sat in the chair started to cry openly.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°P-please... don''t... don''t kill us...¡± The seated woman, Wynphine pleaded. ¡°You were going to kill me.¡± Ren said, and the two women didn''t say anything. ¡°Respond!¡± He ordered them. ¡°Y-yes.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°R-right after we drained you of sexual energy.¡± ¡°So, what should I do with you?¡± Ren asked them. ¡°L-let us g-g-go.¡± Wynphine said. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said, and the two women gasped. They knew he was telling the truth. ¡°You... you''ll really let us go.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even if I wasn''t wearing my armor, you couldn''t touch me.¡± ¡°I... I know that now.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°When you entered my Aura, I... I could feel you.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Wynphine said. Now that they weren''t trying to hide their feelings, Ren could tell how hungry they were. It triggered his Emotion Siphon ability, mainly because it really bothered him that people with similar abilities always used them for their own reasons and never to help. ¡°All right, who wants to feed first?¡± Ren asked and felt shock go through them. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''ll do Wynphine first, since she''s so much hungrier than you.¡± Ren said to Seldanna and held a hand out to Wynphine. ¡°I won''t have sex with you, but I will share memories and feelings. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Are you for real?¡± Seldanna asked, but Wynphine didn''t have any reservations at all. She stood up from sitting in the chair and reached out a hand to him. ¡°Transform first.¡± Ren said and pulled his hand back. ¡°This illusion isn''t you.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Wynphine said. ¡°Are you so sure of that?¡± ¡°I can feel how much you hate hiding.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can order you, if you want.¡± Wynphine shook her head. ¡°I don''t like being ordered.¡± ¡°Then please... make yourself pretty... just like your sister.¡± Ren said, and he felt the two women''s shock again. Wynphine transformed just like Seldanna did, and when she was done, she was almost an identical version. She was slightly younger, and her mass of flowing red hair wasn''t as fluffy. ¡°How do you like me now?¡± Wynphine asked. ¡°I''d like to say you look more appealing, but your bra is fraying along the edges.¡± Ren said. ¡°May I repair it for you?¡± Wynphine blinked her eyes at him, surprised that he wanted her naked so soon, then shrugged and slipped her top off. It revealed very dark red tips, as Ren had expected, so the two women didn''t get the sudden spike of desire that they had expected. ¡°Who are you?¡± Seldanna asked. Ren used his Master Tailor Sewing Needle to repair the bra. ¡°I''m an Adventurer.¡± He said and handed the bra back to Wynphine. ¡°Do you need direct skin contact, or can you take it through your Aura?¡± ¡°I... I can do the Aura, but...¡± Wynphine put her bra back on, and he could feel how much she didn''t like using her Aura. ¡°I like hugs.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I give you one?¡± Wynphine looked at Seldanna, and her sister shrugged. ¡°If you take off the armor.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Right. It''s hard to have skin contact if I''m covered in metal.¡± He said and stored his armor, then stepped close and gave Wynphine a hug. When his face nestled between her breasts and he looked up at her, something clicked inside of her. Wynphine didn''t know if it was his innocent expression, his take charge but respectful attitude, or just a fetish she never knew she had. Whatever it was, she knew that this Adventurer was someone that she would consider giving up her wicked ways for. She never would, because that was against everything she believed in; but, since he gave her doubt about it after all these years, it definitely made him something special. Ren felt the shift in her emotions, and grinned at her. ¡°Prepare yourself.¡± Wynphine readied her ability for a nice little treat, and assumed that when she had him feeling good, she could take as much as she wanted when his guard was down. Ren thought about the last time he had sex, which was with Jennifer in the Pleasure Palace, and he gathered up everything he had felt from her. With such a large reservoir to use, Ren started to pour the feelings into Wynphine. Her entire body tensed up as feelings of desire and sexual satisfaction flooded into her. She didn''t know what to do with so much to feed from and she started to shake as her ability choked on the sheer amount. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren felt her struggling and he eased the flow. ¡°I''ll slow down.¡± Wynphine took several deep breaths as the flood trickled down to a steady river, and her ability adjusted to the new stream of feelings. Seldanna stood there and felt as all those precious feelings were given to her younger sister instead of her. She made a fist and hauled back, then tried to punch Ren in the back of the head. Teepo had kept Ren updated with everything going on, and Ren turned Wynphine to the side so that she wouldn''t get hit if her sister''s attack missed. Seldanna''s fist connected with the side of his head instead of the back, and Ren heard several of her fingers break. The succubus screamed in pain as she fell to her knees. ¡°Is that enough, Wynphine?¡± Ren asked, and completely ignored the attack. Wynphine nodded, too surprised at the tremendous meal Ren had given her without even trying to have sex with her, and she stared at her sister. Ren let her go and knelt in front of Seldanna. ¡°You didn''t have to be jealous.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you use the energy to heal?¡± Seldanna nodded, and Ren cupped the sides of her face and laid his forehead against hers. He poured more of the feelings Jennifer had shared with him into her, and she gasped as she had a hard time parsing out what she needed over what she wanted. ¡°Don''t try to pick it apart.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want just satisfaction?¡± ¡°N-no... I want... d-desire...¡± Ren nodded and gave her the desire he felt from Jennifer when she played with him without restriction or having to be careful. Seldanna moaned as Ren poured it into her. It healed her hand, and she reached up and held Ren''s face in the same manner as he held hers. He could feel that her ability was the same as her sisters; but, it needed what she personally needed, and not necessarily everything that the ability itself could take. ¡°Is that enough, Seldanna?¡± Ren asked. ¡°N-no.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°I want more.¡± ¡°I guess it''s pointless to tell you not to be greedy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Seldanna, let him go.¡± Wynphine said. ¡°He''s given us more than we could have forcefully taken from him, even upon death.¡± ¡°No! I want it all!¡± Seldana exclaimed, and Ren felt how much she desired it. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Open wide.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Wynphine said and grabbed Ren''s head to pull him away from her sister. Ren opened up the reservoir of sexual desire he had made from Jennifer''s feelings. ¡°AAGGGHHHH!¡± Both women screamed as their abilities were jammed full, overloaded, and shut down. Their hands fell away from him and they collapsed to the floor, unconscious. ¡°You should have stopped while you were ahead.¡± Ren said and stood up. He used enchanted eyes to look around the ''room'', and saw several similar-shaped stones that glowed. Rather than dispelling the Silent Image spells, he took out his hammerpick and smashed the rocks instead. He wasn''t sure if they had the spell themselves or had the rocks made, so breaking them was the best course. When he was done, everything had disappeared except for a normal wooden chest. It didn''t glow at all, and he used both Detect Magic and Detect Traps on it. Nothing showed up, so he opened it. Inside the chest was several sets of very badly worn bras and bikini bottoms, and a month''s worth of dry rations. There were no gold coins, special items, or even anything worth stealing. There was no treasure at all. They''re really bad off, aren''t they? Ren thought, repaired the cloth items, and made them a dozen more of different kinds. He made a few pairs of boots, and then looked at their bodies. Ha. That''s why they only wear bras and bikinis! Their wings and tails stop them from wearing anything else. Ren made a special set of pants with a spot for the tail to fit, then a nice fancy blouse and tunic with wing holes. He knew they wouldn''t have any way to know how to put them on, so he took out 2 Strong Rings of Storage that had 50 slots each and +40 Strength. He took out a piece of parchment and wrote on them what the rings were, and that they weren''t allowed to sell or give them away. He dropped a special outfit into each one and used Double Infusion to make the rings binding, then slipped the rings onto their fingers. Because he knew they would probably try to sell the rings anyways, Ren took out one of the bags of 1 gold coin diamonds and sprinkled a handful of them inside their clothing chest, closed it, and put the note on top. It made him laugh that they were probably going to wake up and think that he had robbed them instead. What''s the best way out of here? Ren asked his friend as he equipped his armor again. ¡°Straight up, of course.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The wall of this cavern is about a hundred feet to the left.¡± Right. Ren thought and ran over to the spot. He dug out a good-sized indent to step into, then used his Staff of Earth to pull the dug out dirt back into place and the cavern wall closed behind him. It was as if he hadn''t just dug through it, and now that he was closed off from being discovered, he started to dig straight up again. ******** ¡°I did not just see Ren defeat 2 succubus.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s succubi.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°He beat 2 succubi, then.¡± Stella said. ¡°Shouldn''t they have sucked him dry or something?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Ren''s not that weak.¡± ¡°He had the drop on them, but he didn''t attack them.¡± ¡°He''s being smart about it.¡± Elise said. ¡°He could be going through every cavern while he searched for treasure and then killed everything in sight; but, instead he''s doing the bare minimum to get by and go up to the next cavern.¡± She felt proud of him. ¡°He hasn''t even checked the loot from that abyssal terror, or looked at the XP he gained when he left the cavern after killing a bunch of others.¡± ¡°I''d ask why, but I already know the answer.¡± Stella smiled and Elise nodded. ¡°He won''t care about it until he gets a few spare minutes to think about it.¡± Elise said. ¡°When he''s not busy, he''ll go over everything.¡± ¡°I still can''t believe what your boss said when you called him.¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°He doesn''t have any restriction on the skills he can gain, as long as he''s in the right situation to unlock them.¡± ¡°I know! That''s just crazy.¡± Elise said, and then both women laughed. It fit Ren perfectly. ******** ¡°He''s such a great warrior.¡± Verwynn said, and all the maids felt how turned on she was. ¡°To attack an abyssal terror''s spawning ground, and then he killed so many!¡± She closed her eyes and tried to get a hold of her emotions. The other maids loaned her their support and she sighed as her passion was metered out to the others so she wasn''t drowning in it. ¡°He''s not out of the woods yet.¡± Lara, the Sage of Ages said. ¡°Woods? I thought he was underground?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°Um... that''s just a figure of speech Adventurer''s use.¡± Lara said. ¡°It means he still has a ways to go before he can leave.¡± ¡°Then why not just say that?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°You can tell us directly, and not use metaphors to describe things.¡± Lara nodded. ¡°All right. I''ll try to keep my descriptions accurate from now on.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°I''m going to head over to Ren''s shop and let Anabelle know what happened.¡± ¡°We can do that.¡± Frikara said and put a hand on Lara''s arm. ¡°You should stay here in case Ren needs you.¡± She looked at the other maids. ¡°Lusinia, Andrela, and Navruth. Spread the word. Let the others know what''s going on and that we will tell them as soon as Ren contacts us or comes back.¡± The three women nodded, equipped their protective items and appropriate clothing for travelling outside, and left the bedroom. ¡°You really care a lot about him, don''t you?¡± Lara asked. ¡°We do.¡± Frikara said and pat her arm. ¡°More than any of us thought we would after we met him.¡± Chapter 412 - I Met Another One Ren dug upwards at a good pace, but he wasn''t pushing himself. He knew if he tried to go faster, he was bound to find something that he wasn''t going to like... and then he hit another layer of impenetrable rock. Well, damn. Ren thought and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. Right above him was a large cavern, only about 1000 feet long. It seemed to have stages or platforms that went progressively higher from one end to the other. ¡°Try going around.¡± Teepo suggested. Ren tried to dig to the right and hit another impenetrable rock barrier. He went left and there was another. He sighed and tried going towards the higher end of the cavern and met yet another barrier. I think I''m supposed to go to the start of this cavern. Ren thought, and dug towards the lowest part. He didn''t meet a barrier in this direction, so he kept going. ¡°I guess they couldn''t just put up a sign saying ''go this way''.¡± Teepo said. I don''t like being forced to do something. Ren thought and met another impenetrable rock barrier. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror again, and he was directly underneath the very beginning of the cavern above him. Should I try to dig around? He asked his friend. ¡°Don''t bother.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You know it''s going to be blocked.¡± Ren nodded. It''s led us here, so we need go this way. He started to dig up, and less than 10 minutes later, his mining pick met air. Teepo. Teepo crawled down his arm and Ren held onto him and stuck his hand carefully up through the hole. ¡°It''s clear.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Nothing''s moving, and I can''t see anything within the first platform.¡± Ren pulled him back and put Teepo on his shoulder, then dug out the rest of the way. He climbed out and stood on the first platform. It was very old, 100 feet wide, and the next platform was 30 feet away and 15 feet up. He used Enchanted Eyes and cast Detect Magic and Detect Traps, and nothing appeared except a popup.
Stat Change!
Spell Casting Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
Ren walked over to the next platform and climbed up 14 feet and peeked over the lip. It was identical to the first part, and he climbed up onto it. He left his Enchanted Eyes activated and cast both spells again, and nothing appeared. He walked to the next platform and repeated this process. I think we''re on stairs. Ren thought, a little amazed. If they are actual stairs, and they''re scaled for humanoids, then whatever used them was... oh, boy. ¡°They would be about the size of Fire Dancer the first time we met her.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Just like the stained glass window you made in both churches.¡± It would be the size of a good portion of a mountain. Ren thought and kept going up the stairway. It didn''t even make him feel small, mainly because he had ignored that feeling for his entire life. What he actually felt was awe. I wonder what it looks like. He asked himself. Did it keep the humanoid shape, or did it keep the rock shapes and just move them around? Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Do you really want to meet whoever it is and find out?¡± Sure. Ren thought, then added a qualifier. As long as they don''t kill me. ******** ¡°I wish I could just pop in and send him a message.¡± Elise said. ¡°You heard what Lisa said. Everything is disabled.¡± Stella sighed. ¡°But, I wish you could, too.¡± ¡°Do you think he knows we''re here watching him?¡± Elise asked. ¡°He knows someone is.¡± Stella said. ¡°Hey, you two.¡± Barbara said as she came into Ren''s room. ¡°I should ask what you''re doing, but I can see you''re watching Ren.¡± She smiled. ¡°Which reminds me of something that I meant to come over this morning about.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Donald reminded me that this place is huge and expensive, and might have a security system with cameras and everything.¡± Both Elise and Stella stared open-mouthed at her. ¡°I had almost the same reaction.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I yelled, though.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back!¡± Elise said and ran from the room. Barbara and Stella watched, because it was quite the sight to see a 6 foot 2 inch tall woman run in 3 inch high heels. ¡°How did she do that?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°I would have broken my neck after two steps!¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Elise has more talent than we realized.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°Well, you might as well fill me in on...¡± She caught sight of the television screen. ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°There''s a lot to explain.¡± Stella said. * Elise ran out to her Hummer H2 and to the rear storage area. She always kept her bug sweeper close by, but it never occurred to her to sweep the new house. She kicked herself for not thinking of it sooner, set it up and dialed in the proper settings. Rather than walk around with it openly, she used her tablet and shunted the readings to there instead. If there were cameras or secret recording devices, whoever was watching wouldn''t see what she was actually doing. Elise tucked the bug sweeper inside her suit coat on the left side, and held the tablet in that hand. The readings were coming through properly, and she walked towards the house. * What is she doing? The man who rode the lawnmower asked himself as he watched the security footage through the tap he had on the wires under the house. The external camera coverage was limited to specific fields of view, which is what allowed him to gain access to the small crawl space under the house. It had taken a lot of trial and error to figure out what wires were for which cameras; but, once he had everything all set up, he only had to hit buttons to change to another camera. She seemed to be in an awful rush to play with her tablet. The man thought as Elise went back into the house. He hit the button for Lobby First Floor, and saw her stop. She tapped her tablet and walked on, and he changed to the hallway to see her walk into the first living room. Damn, she''s out of sight. The man thought. He didn''t know why the inside cameras only showed the hallways and not the rooms themselves, but beggars couldn''t be choosers. The house was never empty during the day to place other cameras, and doing it at night would have been just asking for trouble. He followed her progress all the way into the kitchen, and then all the way back to the elevator. The man slowed his breathing down and didn''t make any noise as he waited for the elevator next to him to rise up. He glanced up at the bottom of it when it went up to the second floor and saw the small access panel in the elevator''s floor. It made him smile that he had been given a great opportunity to fulfill his contract, but the smile faded as he realized he wasn''t going to get the same opportunity again. They aren''t going to leave him alone in the elevator again. The man thought. I never imagined that his skull would have been so hard to crack. * Elise went through the entire house, and traced the electronic wires of all the cameras she had found. She hadn''t let her relief show when she didn''t find a single camera in any of the rooms, and when she went to the third floor, all the wires led her to the den. It can''t be. Elise thought and went inside. Why would one be here? She asked herself and followed the wires to the back of the room. Once there, she looked straight ahead at a bookshelf. There was nothing remarkable about it, and it looked identical to all the others; but, she knew there was something behind it. She read some of the book titles in front of her, and nothing caught her attention. She pulled each one out just in case that old ''pull the book'' trope worked and opened a secret passageway. Elise sighed when nothing happened, and after a moment''s pause, a thrill went through her. I''m too tall! She thought and crouched a little. When she read the book titles on the shelf, she stopped at one particular book. No, it can''t be this one. Please, don''t let it be this one! She carefully slid the book off the shelf and looked at the cover.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Simulacra and Simulation
A Philosophical Treatise by Jean Baudrillard
Elise sighed, because the book was about the examination of the relationship between reality, symbolism, and society; with a focus on the media used in constructing a shared existence. She looked back at the shelf and there was a small red button in the space behind the book. She sighed again and put the book back on the shelf, then pushed it in to hit the button. The bookshelf slid inwards and then to the side to reveal a panic room. It had a set of bunk beds, dried and canned food storage that would last a long time, and an entertainment center. It also had a bank of television monitors on the wall in front of a desk, and the screens showed the hallway and lobby cameras that she had found. Elise wondered why someone would need such an elaborate setup... and then one of the monitors caught her eye. It showed the electrical wiring panel in the elevator''s maintenance shaft, and she could clearly see someone''s shoulder. Elise whipped out her cell phone and dialed 9-1-1. She told the operator the situation, that there was someone inside their house, and that the owner of the house had suffered an accident in the very elevator that the trespassing person was inside of. * Ren climbed the rest of the stairs to the top at the end of the cavern. He had Enchanted Eyes and cast both Detect spells on each step, and nothing was there. At the very top, the entire wall glowed. It''s just like the mountain illusion wall that hid the dwarf kingdom''s bay from being approached by sea. Ren thought. ¡°Or the doors into the hold of their ships.¡± Teepo said. Will that work? Ren asked. ¡°There''s only one way to find out.¡± Teepo said. Ren stepped forward and thought Enter, and the cave wall disappeared. Behind it was a massive cavern that wasn''t on the map the All-Seeing Mirror showed him. I guess I should have asked it to show me all the hidden things, and not just the set of caverns to pass through. Ren thought, slightly amused at his mistake. He stepped forward and the wall reappeared behind him, just like both the door in the hold of a ship when you walked through and the mountain range when a ship passed through. I want to know what spell that is. He thought. I can make the illusion, but I can''t make it solid. ¡°COME FORWARD!¡± A loud voice boomed out, and Ren winced. The words bounced off the cave walls and he heard it again and again. He didn''t move and looked around instead. The room had piles and piles of rocks in it, all along the sides, and in the middle of those piles was a 300 foot tall, elaborately-carved stone throne. ¡°COME FORWARD!¡± The voice commanded, and Ren frowned. ¡°You don''t have to yell, you know. I''m standing right here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you use your indoor voice, please?¡± ¡°MY INDOOR VOICE?¡± The booming voice asked. ¡°WHAT IS THAT?¡± ¡°Pretend I''m standing right next to you in a crowded room and you need to whisper in my ear.¡± Ren suggested. ¡°WHISpering, you say?¡± The voice said in a more normal tone. ¡°No one has ever asked me to whisper to them before.¡± ¡°That''s probably because you were yelling at them.¡± Ren said, and felt a sense of foreboding fill the room. ¡°I meant from their point of view it was yelling.¡± He explained. ¡°It''s very difficult for those of us beneath you to take the full power of your normal voice.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± The voice said. ¡°I suppose you are correct.¡± Ren walked forward and several piles of rocks rolled out of his way. ¡°I don''t know if I like this.¡± Teepo said. My Etiquette skill hasn''t kicked in yet, either. Ren thought. I could be breaking a ton of unspoken rules right now. When he was about 50 feet in front of the throne, the rocks stopped moving out of the way and he had to stop walking. He looked up at the empty throne, then around the room again. ¡°Are you the Spirit of Earth?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The voice said. ¡°Where are you?¡± Ren asked, because now that he was here, he wanted to see what they looked like. ¡°I am here.¡± The voice said, and Ren looked back at the throne. ¡°Are you really a spirit?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I can''t see you.¡± ¡°Are you blind?¡± The voice asked, and then the room started to shake. The rocks rolled away from the throne, and then it moved. Ren watched as the arms lifted up, the back shifted a little and then the throne stood up... because it wasn''t a throne at all. It was the Spirit of Earth itself. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said as the 300 foot chair stood up to it''s full 500 foot height. ¡°That is so cool!¡± The head of the throne turned a little, and then it bent over to look at Ren. ¡°You are unafraid.¡± ¡°It''s more like I''m way out of my league and being afraid isn''t really an option.¡± Ren said and tried to look up at it. ¡°Can you reduce yourself to a more manageable form? It''s hard to have a conversation like this.¡± The rocks of all various sizes immediately rolled over to attack him and several tiny ones bounced off his armor. Ren jumped up to get out of the way of the assault, and several rocks as big as him smashed together. He landed on the much bigger pile, and the other rocks tried to roll up and over the others to get at him. When they formed together into rock golems that could easily reach him, Ren took out his hammerpick and changed the Fire enchantment to Antiearth, and lifted it to swing at them. ¡°STOP.¡± The voice boomed out. The rock golems stopped their advance, and Ren lowered his hammerpick. ¡°WHY DID YOU INSULT ME?¡± ¡°My sincerest apologies.¡± Ren said and stored the hammerpick, then tried not to wince at the sound of the Spirit of Earth''s normal voice. ¡°I did not think it was an insult.¡± ¡°YOU ARE A TERRIBLE LIAR.¡± The voice said. ¡°I am.¡± Ren said and took out his Amulet of Interrogation. ¡°That''s why I always tell the truth.¡± ¡°WHAT IS... you can make such things?¡± The voice changed back to a whisper. ¡°Once I knew how.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve given a few unmodified ones away already; but, this is the first one I''ve made like this.¡± He held it out. ¡°Will you accept it?¡± The enormous stone throne that wasn''t a throne took a step back, bent down, and opened an ornately carved hand. Ren placed the amulet in it, and it disappeared. A moment later, the entire throne room was covered in it''s area of effect and the rock of the throne changed as a duplicate of the amulet formed on the Spirit of Earth''s chest. ¡°You can amplify it''s effect.¡± Ren said. ¡°Cool.¡± ¡°It is made of a metal that came from me, so I can manipulate it.¡± The voice said. ¡°Why do you want me to reduce myself?¡± ¡°I wanted to see what you look like without your giant rocky covering.¡± Ren said. ¡°It really is easier to talk to people when they are a lot closer in height.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± The voice said. ¡°Very well.¡± The large carved stone hand grabbed Ren, picked him up, and the Spirit of Earth stood up. ¡°GahHH!¡± Ren grunted as he was partially crushed under the stone hand''s grip and one of his legs was broken. He lost almost three quarters of his Health as the hand lifted him up to be level with the Spirit of Earth''s chest, and it opened the hand to make a platform with it''s other hand and arms. Ren had collapsed when it let him go, and he stored his armor to examine his injuries. Broken leg in two spots. Ren thought. Bruises along my right side, sprained elbow, and a twisted ankle. Ren used a Major Healing wand to start tending to his wounds as the Spirit of Earth''s chest rippled like water. A being with translucent skin, exactly 6 feet tall, stepped out of the chest. Ren was about to greet the person when another stepped out, and then another. Ren blinked his eyes as the arms started to ripple like the chest was, and more and more of the beings came out. When the last one stepped out of the giant throne golem, Teepo had told him there were 451 of them. They were also completely naked. Ren wasn''t sure what to make of it as he kept healing himself. He had never met so many divine beings before, or seen so many naked people. One of them stepped forward, and Ren saw the being was distinctly female. She was similar to the Fire and Water beings he had met; but under her skin, it was grey and white gravel of various sizes grinding together. ¡°Why are you laying down in my presence?¡± She asked. ¡°My apologies.¡± Ren said, and used the Major Healing wand to fix his broken leg. ¡°My frail body couldn''t take your embrace.¡± ¡°You are... being polite.¡± Ren nodded as he stood up. ¡°I''m not going to complain that you damaged me, when all you did was allow me to see you.¡± He smiled. ¡°That''s not the best way to start a conversation.¡± She smiled. ¡°You are a charmer.¡± ¡°Only to those predisposed to like me.¡± Ren said and dropped his head in a slight bow, then knelt on one knee. ¡°It is an honor to meet you, Spirit of Earth.¡± ¡°You should feel honored.¡± One of the others said. ¡°Asking her to dethrone herself to meet you is beyond contemptible.¡± ¡°I really did not know it was.¡± Ren said, and didn''t take his eyes from the Spirit of Earth. His Etiquette skill might not be active; but, he wasn''t stupid enough to divert his attention from her. ¡°May I ask you a question?¡± She nodded. ¡°Why don''t you want me to gather the green meteor ore?¡± ¡°You have seen what it can do!¡± Another one said angrily. Ren felt the anger spread out through a lot of them, except for the Spirit of Earth. He wasn''t sure why. ¡°In a large enough quantity, it can do untold damage!¡± The angry one said. ¡°It does cut through the earth easily.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought that was because of what I made with it, though.¡± ¡°It can damage any element in the right circumstances.¡± Yet another one said, much more calmly. ¡°We have been protecting everyone from it''s dangers.¡± ¡°Then you came along and dug a bunch of it up!¡± The angry one said. ¡°I''m not going to lie and apologize for that.¡± Ren said, and the anger spread to more of them. ¡°I will apologize for disrupting your safeguards, since I never intended to disturb them.¡± ¡°Disrupt and disturb? You killed them!¡± The angry one exclaimed. ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°The last one almost killed me in return.¡± ¡°I wish it had!¡± Another one said. ¡°You wouldn''t be here and bothering us!¡± ¡°Actually, I would be.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m an Adventurer. I''m on the path to learn as much as I can, and gain all the skills that I can.¡± He smiled. ¡°I already have both Fire and Water affinities maxed. Earth is at 30% already, and with my churches bringing you more and more followers every day...¡± ¡°You did that?¡± The Spirit of Earth asked. Ren nodded. ¡°I built them so that people could come and worship in both peace and privacy, in accordance to their personal beliefs... or just in a general sense.¡± ¡°So, that''s why we are getting so many growing requests.¡± One of them said. ¡°Most of them have to be from the dwarf kingdom.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s not a lot of people in my county to make requests yet.¡± The feeling of anger from them dropped to just annoyance. ¡°Is there anything you prefer as offerings?¡± Ren asked, and the beings looked at each other. ¡°I can get word to the dwarves if there''s something you would rather have instead of what you''ve been getting.¡± ¡°You are a wonder.¡± The Spirit of Earth said. ¡°All offerings are welcome. We won''t dictate what we will and won''t accept from those that follow Earth.¡± That reminded Ren of the time he had dinner with Jhulune''s parents and had offered up some Mana during her father''s prayer to Mother Earth, and of the other offerings he had made. ¡°If I may, can I make another offering to you?¡± ¡°It''s not a piddly amount of Mana, is it?¡± The angry one said. ¡°That barely let me grow a dozen potatoes!¡± ¡°Well, I didn''t know what I was doing at the time and could only offer what I had available.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Jhulune dragged me to eat with her parents, and I wasn''t prepared for that at all.¡± Several of the beings laughed, and a bunch of them nodded agreement. ¡°Then what do you offer?¡± The Spirit of Earth asked. Ren had knelt the entire time they talked, so he stood up and he held a hand out to her. ¡°Would 10,000 Mana be a good start?¡± A ripple of shock went through the beings that surrounded him, and because he was still within the Amulet of Interrogation''s area of effect, they knew he wasn''t lying with the offer. The Spirit of Earth stepped forward. ¡°Yes, that is a good start.¡± Chapter 413 - Spirit Of Earth About 10 minutes after Elise''s phone call for help, 4 police cars, an FBI sedan, a pizza delivery truck, and a rusted out minivan arrived at Emerald Estates. It was almost comical as they tried to jockey for position for who got to go through the gate first. The security guard didn''t know what to do, until Agent Smith ordered him to open the gate. The FBI always took precedence. The other vehicles swarmed through after them and they all parked in and around Ren''s house. At least they had turned off their sirens and lights before approaching the property. The various members of 4 different organizations piled out into the driveway, and Agent Smith got their attention. ¡°This isn''t just a trespassing case.¡± Agent Smith told everyone. ¡°It was attempted murder of the home owner, who just happens to be an important witness for several trials currently being fought in the courts.¡± He explained. ¡°Both the court cases and he are worth millions of dollars, so I want this guy under their house captured.¡± ¡°I can''t argue jurisdiction, can I?¡± One of the police officers asked. ¡°You don''t have to. Believe me, there''s enough of this mess for everyone to have a share.¡± Agent Smith said, and the pizza delivery guy nodded. ¡°Spread out, and let''s get this guy.¡± They spread out and positioned themselves at all the possible exits. Agent Smith waved to give the go signal, and they all entered the crawl space at the same time and yelled at the man to freeze. The man had been so focused on watching the internals of the house that he had ignored the external security cameras, much to his folly. He raised his hands in surrender at the first shout, and he couldn''t even tear out his expertly hacked camera feed before they tackled him and had him in hand cuffs. * ¡°They got him!¡± Elise exclaimed, and realized that no one could hear her. She ran out of the panic room and it shut behind her, and she took the elevator back down to the second floor and ran to Ren''s room. ¡°They got him.¡± She said to Stella and Barbara, and the two women sighed in relief. Elise had told them about the perpetrator after she had called 9-1-1, and it had been difficult for them to remain calm while someone was under the house. No wonder Ren didn''t want a basement. Stella thought. ¡°I wonder how long he''s been there.¡± ¡°About 2 weeks, according to the security footage.¡± Elise said. ¡°He doesn''t show up on the cameras before that.¡± Stella blinked her eyes for a moment as she thought about the timeline. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Ren was right. Once the police found him, everyone would know where he was.¡± She took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Don''t worry. I''ve already called a security firm. Ren will have round the clock protection from now on.¡± ¡°How is he going to pay for that?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°He''s not.¡± Elise said. ¡°We''re sending the bill to the lawyers, to add to the court costs for the cases where Ren needs to take the stand.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s brilliant.¡± Stella said and smiled. The doorbell rang, and Elise said she would get it. ¡°I''ll stay with Ren.¡± Barbara said, and Stella went with Elise to the front door. ¡°Good evening.¡± Agent Smith said. ¡°Can we come in?¡± ¡°No.¡± Stella said. ¡°The owner is indisposed at the moment, and we can''t give you permission.¡± The agent frowned. ¡°We just caught a criminal spying on him, and he won''t even come to the door?¡± ¡°He was seriously hurt in the attack a few days ago and is bedridden.¡± Elise said. ¡°Even if he wasn''t, I wouldn''t get him out of bed just to come down here.¡± Stella said. ¡°You people should have been watching this place as soon as you knew about it.¡± ¡°We were.¡± The other Agent Smith said. ¡°Then how did that guy get on the property?¡± Elise asked. ¡°He''s the gardener.¡± The first Agent Smith said. ¡°He''s dressed as one, anyway.¡± ¡°I''ve seen him once or twice.¡± Stella said. ¡°He never came anywhere near the house while I was here.¡± The agent smiled. ¡°That''s a telltale sign right there. He was nervous about approaching with people around.¡± ¡°So, where is he?¡± ¡°We''re taking him to the local precinct for interrogation.¡± Agent Smith said. ¡°We''ll be in touch if we find out anything.¡± ¡°So, you''re really not going to let us in to look at the scene of the crime?¡± The other Agent Smith asked. Elise took out a USB memory drive and handed it over. ¡°Here''s all the footage of the times he was seen on camera.¡± She said. ¡°There''s no cameras in any of the rooms, so it''s all mostly just him in the elevator crawl space.¡± ¡°That''s not very helpful.¡± ¡°Of course it is.¡± Elise said. ¡°I marked the file from when Ren ''fell'' out of the elevator.¡± ¡°You... you don''t mean...¡± ¡°If you find one of those collapsible asps during your search, check it for Ren''s DNA.¡± Elise said and grinned evilly. ¡°That''s what the guy hit him over the head with.¡± * The Spirit of Earth stepped away from the throng of 450 other Earth beings, and there was nothing special about her to distinguish her from the 250 other females standing around them. If she hadn''t said who she was, Ren wouldn''t know that it was actually her. She was exactly 6 feet tall, the same as all the others, and stopped right in front of him. ¡°You may make your offering.¡± She said. ¡°Please forgive my impertinence.¡± Ren said as he looked up at her face. ¡°May I take your hand?¡± A general ripple of anger went through the others, and several pebbles bounced off his chest and arms. ¡°You are full of making unreasonable requests today.¡± She said, but he didn''t feel any malice from her. He thought that was odd, until he realized that she wasn''t the one that was everywhere and accepted the offerings. The different situations he was in and made offerings, weren''t accepted by her specifically. They were taken on her behalf by some of the others. ¡°I could argue that direct skin contact makes the transfer of things easier, especially now with my new Emotion Siphon ability.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°But, I just want to touch you.¡± ¡°Why?¡± She asked, and Ren felt that she was genuinely curious. ¡°How many people can say that they touched the real Mother Earth?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve been in your embrace more times than I can count, and I''ve been surrounded by you almost as much as I''ve been on the surface.¡± He said. ¡°I know I don''t deserve it, since my affinity is still so low...¡± The Spirit of Earth reached out and took his hand. There was a general feeling of shock among the others; but from her, all Ren felt was curiosity. ¡°You''re so squishy.¡± She said and lifted his hand to look at it. ¡°That''s because I''m full of fluid and not rocks.¡± Ren said, and she pinched the skin. He winced because it was like getting his hand caught in a vise: but he didn''t say anything, even when the skin bruised almost instantly. She held his hand up with the palm towards her, and intertwined her fingers with his. ¡°Is this sufficient?¡± She asked. ¡°It''s more than any mortal could ever ask of you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please accept this offering.¡± She nodded and Ren funnelled Mana into her. Since he had 11,490 Mana available with his Mana Pool, giving her 10,000 in a single shot was easily done. Her body started to glow only a moment later, and the feelings of everyone around her changed from shock to wonder as the Mana kept going and going. Ren watched as his Mana dwindled down fast, and just before he reached the 10,000 Mana limit he had placed on himself, he took out a Major Healing wand and cast it on himself to refill his Mana pool. ¡°I really am sorry I''ve upset your people with my penchant for gathering things you are trying to keep safe.¡± Ren said and kept pouring Mana into her. The Spirit of Earth''s eyes widened as the gravel inside her body ground together faster and faster as more Mana was freely given to her without restriction. ¡°I won''t ask you to stop attacking me when I do it in the future, because if what I gain was something that was easily achieved, then it wasn''t an achievement.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The Spirit of Earth tilted her head to the side. ¡°You liked that it was difficult to get.¡± ¡°I knew going in that it was dangerous.¡± Ren said. ¡°That last time with the Sabertooth Rock Golem where I almost died, though... well, I''m not happy about that part, but...¡± ¡°Ingenuity.¡± The Spirit of Earth smiled. ¡°You want to think of new ways to do things.¡± Ren nodded, and used the Major Healing wand to refill his Mana Pool again. Several of the Earth beings around them started to glow as well. ¡°It''s a shame that was the last Sabertooth.¡± The Spirit of Earth said, then gasped as she felt a burst of shock from Ren through the Mana flow. ¡°Wh-what did you say?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It was the last?¡± She nodded. ¡°But... I thought... can''t you just make more?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Over the centuries, even rocks can wear away to dust.¡± She caught her breath as a deep sadness filled Ren and the tone of the Mana he gave her changed. ¡°I am so sorry.¡± Ren said as tears came to his eyes. ¡°If I''d known...¡± ¡°Would you have let it kill you and your friend?¡± The Spirit of Earth asked. ¡°I... I would have thought of something.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wouldn''t have killed it.¡± ¡°You are genuinely hurt by this.¡± She said. ¡°What kind of Adventurer are you?¡± ¡°The kind that wants to make it up to you.¡± Ren said and took out the pet rock he had. ¡°The heart of a Greater Rock Golem.¡± She said and took the pet rock. ¡°Thank you. We can have it restored in only a few months.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°If we have the main component, we can add inanimate material and bring it back.¡± She said and handed the rock off to one of the others. Ren felt so happy that the Spirit of Earth stopped breathing as the Mana flow changed, and it poured into her in a torrent. Her body''s internal grinding was so fast now that it looked like she was just a swirl of liquid rock, and you couldn''t see any actual gravel at all. He used a Major Healing spell and refilled his Mana Pool again, then took out the pet rock he had received from the Sabertooth Rock Golem''s loot. ¡°Please, restore this.¡± Ren said and handed it over to her. ¡°That... you... you saved it?¡± The Spirit of Earth asked, surprised. ¡°It almost killed you, and you still kept it?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I always keep important things.¡± He said. ¡°It was an an amazing creature, and a spectacular fight.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I didn''t think that until it was over, though.¡± One of the others came over and tried to take the rock, and when their skin touched the Spirit of Earth, the Mana flowed out and into him as well. The male being''s hands tensed up and held onto the stone, and he closed his eyes to let the Mana flow through him. ¡°How... so much...¡± ¡°I have more charges on the wand.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would the rest of you like a share?¡± ¡°You would do that for us?¡± One of them asked. If he remembered correctly, it was the angry one from before; but, since they were all identical, he couldn''t tell anything except that it was male. Ren shrugged. ¡°I wouldn''t have offered if I didn''t.¡± They all stepped forward and the front row touched the Spirit of Earth. They all started to glow, and then the ones behind touched them. Ren had to refill his Mana Pool again as more and more people touched those in front, and he had to refill it again a moment later. It was only taking about 20 seconds for his Mana Pool to empty out now, so he held the Major Healing wand at the ready and kept using it. About 10 minutes later, the charges in the wand ran out and Ren stopped sharing. He let his handhold on the Spirit of Earth go, and he looked at her face. She wasn''t quite smiling; but, she did have a look of bliss on her face. At least, he hoped it was bliss. When he looked at all the others, they all had similar looks on their faces. ¡°That was...¡± One of them spoke. ¡°I need to get to my assigned fields right away!¡± Another one said and a walkway formed from the wall of the cavern. The being practically ran across it and the rock wall rippled like water as he passed through it. ¡°You all should go, while the Mana is fresh and the happiness is within you.¡± The Spirit of Earth said, and walkways spanned out from the throne that wasn''t a throne and every single one of the others, all 450 of them, ran towards the walls and disappeared through them. ¡°That was neat.¡± Ren said and looked up at the Spirit of Earth''s face. ¡°They left you all alone, though.¡± ¡°I am never alone.¡± She said and put a hand over her heart. ¡°I can always feel them.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°We have never shared like that before.¡± The Spirit of Earth said. ¡°You are... remarkable.¡± ¡°I''m just glad it worked.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°I was a little worried it wouldn''t be very effective with my affinity so low.¡± ¡°Then let me fix that.¡± The Spirit of Earth said and wrapped her arms around him. ¡°S-S-Spirit of E-Earth?¡± Ren stared up at her as his face fit between her breasts. Unlike any other woman he had been hugged by, her body was as hard as rock and had no give to it at all. ¡°I would never do this with the others here.¡± She said and smiled at him. ¡°Surface dwellers are normally beneath our notice, and I know how ironic that is with us living beneath you.¡± Ren chuckled, because he was thinking the same thing. ¡°Embrace me.¡± She said, and Ren put his arms around her. With just his armor bodysuit on, his body was touching her from head to foot, and she could feel he wasn''t excited to be there. ¡°I know my body is not to your liking.¡± ¡°It''s not that.¡± Ren said. ¡°It just feels like I''m hugging a statue.¡± The Spirit of Earth chuckled. ¡°Of course it does. I''m the embodiment of Earth.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°At least now instead of saying I''ve been embraced by the earth metaphorically, I can say I was literally embraced by you.¡± The Spirit of Earth smiled, and he could feel a spark of something. He wasn''t sure what it was, since he''d never felt anything like it before, and then she bent down slightly and kissed him. Ren tried to kiss her back, because when someone kisses you intimately you''re supposed to kiss them back; but, she was still like a statue and his lips didn''t mean anything. He felt something like a bit of dust fall onto his tongue, and when the Spirit of Earth broke the kiss, he swallowed without thinking.
Notice!
You have gained a permanent blessing from the Spirit of Earth. You now have a +50% bonus to both affinity and resistance to the Earth element. All spells, enchantments, and effects related to the Earth element will be affected by this blessing.
Notice!
You have gained a new skill: Improved Toughness (4). You are now harder to hurt by any means.
Notice!
You have gained a new spell: Stone Skin (Level 5). This spell makes your skin like stone, doubles your Armor and Defense values, and anything vulnerable to the earth element will suffer double damage when fought in hand-to-hand combat. Time Limit: 20 Minutes
¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said in wonder. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°Cast the spell, Adventurer.¡± She said and let him out of the hug. Ren refilled the empty Major Healing wand with the Stone Skin (Level 5) spell, and cast it on himself. He didn''t look or feel any different, but when the Spirit of Earth hugged him again, his face nestled between her breasts and they pressed against his cheeks like actual breasts would. He wrapped his hands around her and his fingers dug into her skin. ¡°Is that better?¡± She asked, and she knew that it was a redundant question because she felt his reaction through his armor bodysuit. ¡°As long as you know that nothing can happen between us.¡± ¡°I was about to say the same thing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even with these great gifts, I won''t betray what I have.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She said. ¡°All I wanted was a hug from someone other than those of mine.¡± ¡°Boy, did you luck out.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m a hugging machine.¡± The Spirit of Earth smiled and they hugged each other. With both of their skin like rock, she no longer had to be careful about hurting him, and he could hug her back and she could actually feel it now. They held on for what seemed like a long time, and then the Spirit of Earth sighed. ¡°One of the throng returns.¡± She said and let him go. Ren wiggled his finger in a come here gesture, and she bent over. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she quickly stood up. ¡°You sneaky little-¡± She said, and an Earth being came out of the wall. ¡°You should see the bumper crop!¡± The man said. ¡°The people were practically jumping for joy.¡± The Spirit of Earth smiled, and then a small portal opened in the forehead of the giant throne. Several silver coins, a bushel of very plump vegetables, and a small ball of Mana came out. ¡°They said they would send an offering.¡± The man smiled. Another portal opened and out came another bushel of vegetables and a little bit of Mana. Ren was about to comment when another portal, then another, and yet another opened. The large platform he and the Spirit of Earth stood on was quickly filled with 450 bushels of vegetables, piles of copper and silver, and the bits of Mana offerings had gathered into a large ball. ¡°Will the Mana just float there until someone claims it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes.¡± The man said, and then another Earth being came into the throne room. ¡°You should see-¡± He was cut off when another Earth being ran into the throne room. ¡°It''s amazing!¡± A female said as she ran across the walkway to stand in front of the Spirit of Earth. ¡°They''re so happy!¡± ¡°As are you.¡± The Spirit of Earth said, and the female nodded. More of the Earth beings came back along the walkways they had made and Ren turned to the Spirit of Earth. ¡°May I be excused?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I really do need to go.¡± ¡°You have much peril to overcome yet, Adventurer.¡± She said and raised a hand. Part of the ceiling opened up and a large rock hand came down and grabbed Ren. ¡°You can call me Ren, Spirit of Earth.¡± Ren said as the hand pulled him up to the ceiling. ¡°Feel free to come and visit!¡± He waved and then disappeared as the impenetrable rock ceiling reformed behind him. * ¡°Did he just invite me...¡± ¡°Ignore him.¡± One of them said. ¡°He doesn''t understand what would happen if you left the underground.¡± ¡°We probably could have told him.¡± The happy female said. ¡°We don''t have to wait for people to ask questions, you know.¡± ¡°You just want to tell everyone our secrets.¡± One of the men said. ¡°Or was it because you thought he was cute?¡± ¡°I don''t think anything of the sort.¡± The female said, but the gravel under her skin ground around a little faster when the burst of Heat hit her and her skin beaded sweat. ¡°You like him!¡± One of the others said, and the gravel under her skin swirled faster. ¡°I do not!¡± She tried to deny it, and she felt another blast of Heat and her skin was covered in sweat. The Spirit of Earth reached out and touched the woman, who looked at her with pleading eyes. ¡°Well, we know the amulet works.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I believe if you tell the truth, it''s effects will end.¡± ¡°All right.¡± The female Earth being said and sighed. ¡°I like him, and even though he''s a Surface Dweller, he''s so cute that I want to cuddle him until his heart crumbles for me.¡± The sweating stopped and she no longer felt the Heat, and she relaxed. ¡°You actually like him?¡± The male asked. ¡°I was only teasing you.¡± ¡°Well, now you know.¡± She said and looked at the Spirit of Earth. ¡°If it pleases you, when the time comes, I will tend to his county and the fields there.¡± The Spirit of Earth smiled. ¡°It would please me.¡± She said, and the others fell silent. ¡°Give it bounty, make it prosper, and those that don''t believe will see your work and come to us.¡± ¡°It will be so.¡± The female Earth being said. ¡°You can count on me.¡± The Spirit of Earth looked at the others. ¡°You have all done well today, as the tributes clearly show.¡± She said and waved to the bushels upon bushels of food and metal coins. ¡°Let us enjoy the harvest.¡± The Mana ball that had floated there separated into 450 parts and was absorbed by the beings, then a much smaller amount left each of them and entered the Spirit of Earth. They passed around the food and money next, and their bodies made the vegetables ripple like the earth and rock they would pass through. The beings absorbed the food and the metal coins just like they did with the Mana. Chapter 414 - New Friends? Ren was deposited inside a small cave, and was surrounded by impenetrable rock, except for directly forward. He knew what that meant, and reached out to touch the rock beside him. Spirit of Earth... Ren thought and made an offer of 1,000 Mana. ...or one of your people. I''m a bit stuck, and I have a question. The rock beneath his hand rippled and one of the female Earth beings stepped out. Either fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it, it put his hand at the exact height of her right breast. Ren was a bit surprised by this fact and poured the 1,000 Mana into her right away. She took a deep breath, and since he still had about 10 minutes left on the Stone Skin (Level 5) spell, it felt like a real breast and he didn''t know what to do about it. ¡°Thank you, Adventurer.¡± The female Earth being said. ¡°How can I help you?¡± ¡°Um...¡± Ren still held onto her breast, and he wasn''t sure if he was supposed to keep a hold of it or let it go. He didn''t want to insult her by removing his hand too quickly, and he didn''t want her angry if he left his hand on her too long. ¡°You have a question?¡± She asked. ¡°Um... yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ah... I seem to be locked in a certain direction, and can''t dig where I want to.¡± ¡°That wasn''t a question.¡± She said, and ignored his hand on her. ¡°Can you tell me why?¡± Ren asked, and decided to ignore it as well. ¡°The higher up you go, the more difficult it is for you to deal with the circumstances.¡± The female Earth being said. ¡°It''s a progression of experience, knowledge, and trials.¡± ¡°So, I''m intentionally being directed because I''ve been bypassing what I should have been doing.¡± ¡°In a sense.¡± She said. ¡°Letting you dig all the way to the surface wouldn''t allow you to grow in your skills.¡± ¡°Are you and your people doing it?¡± ¡°What if we are?¡± ¡°I''d ask you to stop, or plead if I must.¡± Ren said. ¡°I honestly don''t have the time to play around. I have people waiting for me, and I need to get back to them.¡± He said. ¡°Can I make another offering for your help?¡± The female Earth being looked down at his hand on her breast. ¡°If you use the other hand as well, I will consider it.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± Ren asked, then cast Major Healing on himself to refill his Mana. He used his other hand to cup her other breast. I won''t get exited by this, I won''t get excited by this. He thought and poured 2,000 Mana into her. She grabbed his hands and took a really deep breath, which squeezed her chest into his hands. The tips of her breasts poked into his palms like small boulders, and she moaned a little as her body glowed from the feeling of so much Mana being given to her. Having her chest handled by a Surface Dweller just seemed to be something she enjoyed. By the gods. Ren thought as he looked into her eyes and absorbed some of what she was feeling. He couldn''t stop his body from reacting to her reaction, either. Even though he didn''t know this woman, she was definitely quite happy to be touched by him; and that made him happy in return. Making a woman happy was one of his triggers for desire, and he took several deep breaths to try and calm down. ¡°Your offer... is accepted.¡± The female Earth being purred and let his hands go... a little reluctantly. Ren took that as the cue to let her chest go, and did so. ¡°Let me... if only for... for a moment.¡± She said and she took a deep breath, and when Ren didn''t protest, she knelt and hugged him. Ren liked hugs, and she was giving him a good one; so, he wrapped his arms around her and she moaned. She was fully pressed up against him and they could both feel how excited they both were. Her hands gripped him firmly for only another moment, then she let him go. She sat back on her heels and looked up at his face. ¡°I''m such a deviant.¡± She said, and a pebble formed at the corner of her eye. ¡°If the Spirit of Earth saw me now...¡± ¡°I''m sure she won''t shun you for liking hugs.¡± Ren said and caught the pebble. ¡°Even if you did get one from a Surface Dweller.¡± The female Earth being smiled, and he could feel her gratitude. ¡°I can only allow you to skip one level, as my authority in this part of your task is limited.¡± She said. ¡°I believe you will miss an opportunity for another ability if you do jump ahead, though.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said and stored the pebble. ¡°What do you think I should do?¡± ¡°To stay or go is a choice you must make for yourself.¡± She said. ¡°You must weigh the potential use of a new ability against your urgency to reach the surface.¡± ¡°How many more levels are there?¡± Ren asked. ¡°As many as are required for you to learn what you need to learn to leave this place.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°So, even if I skip this, I''ll probably have to do something similar to it later.¡± ¡°Possibly.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll go through it properly.¡± The dirt in the only direction he could dig, moved out of the way to reveal a square tunnel, and the impenetrable rock on the sides and above him rippled away to become normal dirt and rock. ¡°Good luck, Ren.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°One for the road?¡± Ren asked and opened his arms, and he felt a burst of naughtiness and excitement from the female Earth being as she wrapped her arms around him and buried his face in her chest. She squeezed him tightly and he felt her happiness that he would let her indulge like that and let her hug him. He did his best to not kiss her chest, even though it was squeezing the cheeks of his face and the sides of his mouth. He let her go and stepped back, gave her a little wave, and walked down the tunnel to face the next task. ******** ¡°I''m starting to hate those blue screens.¡± Barbara said, and Stella and Elise came into the room. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I wish I knew.¡± Barbara said as the blue screen went away and she saw Ren walking down a square tunnel. ¡°He was picked up by that big golem thing, and then the screen went blue.¡± ¡°He must have met one of the elementals.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s one of the things the programmers insisted on.¡± ¡°What? That no one can see it?¡± ¡°That''s just a by-product.¡± Elise said. ¡°They''re naked.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°It kills two birds with one stone. Normal game players can''t record footage of the divine beings when they do encounter them, and the divine beings know they can''t be seen and can act freely when the time comes.¡± ¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Why not just restrict the viewing?¡± Elise shrugged. ¡°This does both at the same time.¡± She said. ¡°Why worry about what people see, when you can just set it so they don''t see anything. They don''t even need any kind of monitoring software this way.¡± ¡°I... okay, that makes sense.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°I''ve had this argument, especially over subjugation of women in roles of power.¡± ¡°What? Really?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I fought so hard against it that they included males in the roles as well.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Oh... well, I guess that''s okay.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You were against Ren seeing translucent women naked, but as long as there''s translucent men, it''s fine?¡± Stella laughed. ¡°It sounds bad when you say it like that.¡± Barbara said, and Elise laughed, too. ******** Ren walked on and entered a cavern, and then he felt something really awful enter his Aura. It started to suck on his emotions and he blocked it immediately. He felt an immediate burst of anger from whoever it was, and then they moved quickly through his Aura. He equipped his full armor set and remembered that he had forgotten to repair it after it had been partially crushed from the giant throne golem picking him up. He winced and twisted to the right, the side that was crumpled, and the insubstantial blade missed his head by barely an inch. ¡°You''re fast.¡± The man said and came to a stop about 20 feet away. ¡°No one has dodged my killing strike before.¡± ¡°Leave him alone!¡± Wynphine demanded as she flew into the cavern. ¡°He''s done nothing to deserve-¡± ¡°SHUT UP!¡± The man said and let a burst of anger out through his Submission Aura. It hit Wynphine and she fell to the cavern floor in a heap. He had wings similar to the succubus; but, his were grey instead of red. ¡°You are my property, and no one takes what is mine!¡± The man said. ¡°I literally don''t have time for this!¡± Ren said and stored his damaged armor, equipped his hammerpick and enchanted it with 50 runes of Earth, then used Double Infusion to add another 50. Please accept this sacrifice, Spirit of Earth. He thought as he ran at the man and swung the hammerpick down onto the top of his head. The man tried to block, but the hammerpick continued down through his feeble attempt and continued down to the floor of the cave with absolutely no resistance. All Ren heard was a ''splorch'' sound as a geyser of blood poured out and splashed across the floor, which covered him. Ren lifted the hammerpick and looked at the puddle and pair of large bat-like wings left on the floor, then turned the hammerpick to look at it. It had a dozen triangle drill bits on the end that turned ferociously, and apparently would mulch anything he hit with it. ¡°That''s so cool!¡± Teepo said. ¡°No wonder the Spirit of Earth wanted to keep the meteor ore hidden!¡± ¡°Murdrasu!¡± Wynphine exclaimed, and then looked at Ren. ¡°You... you killed our... our Incubus.¡± Ren looked at the puddle, and he didn''t want to touch it to loot it. Ugh, do I have to? He asked himself, then sighed and tried to only touch the surface. His fingers went into it and he almost gagged at how disgusting it felt; then he looted it and both the puddle of ooze and the wings disappeared.
Notice!
You have killed the Incubus for the brood of Succubi in Shargon Caverns. You have gained: 32,000 XP; 36 gold coins; 20 contracts with subservient Succubi; 1 Blood Sword; a wooden chest with 1,000 dry rations; pile of (22) 1 gold coin diamonds
Notice!
You have been corrupted! You have absorbed Incubus blood directly from the source through your skin. It''s effects vary by those infected, and by the amount of blood absorbed. Current Corruption Level: 20% Warning: When Corruption reaches 100%, you will become deathly ill and die. Please note: Corruption resets upon death.
Notice!
You have gained the condition: Angered. Things that normally only bother you slightly, will piss you off. You will lash out unless you keep your emotions in check.
Notice!
You have gained the ability: Winged Flight Level 1 (Beginner 0%). This ability creates temporary wings for you to use in very limited flight. Higher levels will allow full flight and unlock both Sustained Flight and Hover abilities.
¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Ren said, and then Wynphine stood up. ¡°You killed... our INCUBUS!¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said and then smiled. ¡°Apparently, very easily.¡± ¡°Ha... hahaha!¡± Wynphine laughed. She grabbed her sides and dropped to her knees, and laughed and laughed. ¡°We... we''ve been... under him for... for...¡± She gasped and laughed again. ¡°You... swatted him... like a bug!¡± She said and kept laughing. ¡°I''d take exception to that; but, you did squish him good.¡± Teepo said, and then chittered in laughter. Seldanna stumbled into the cavern, like she was drunk, and came over to her sister. ¡°Wh-what... are y-y-you... l-l-laughing at?¡± She slurred and Wynphine pointed to me. ¡°He... ha ha... killed Murdrasu.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Seldanna looked at me, then at her sister, then back to me. ¡°You... you didn''t... you... you couldn''t.¡± Ren didn''t think she would believe him without proof, so he activated his Winged Flight ability. Large bat-like grey wings unfurled from Ren''s back. ¡°He... he did.¡± Seldanna said and dropped to her knees. ¡°M-m-master.¡± ¡°I am not your master!¡± Ren said angrily and concentrated on his Command Aura as he stomped over to them. ¡°On your feet!¡± He commanded them, and Wynphine stood up right away. Seldanna kind of stood up, then stumbled into her sister. ¡°What''s wrong with you?¡± ¡°You.¡± Wynphine said. ¡°You gave her too much.¡± Ren calmed down at that, and reached out to put a hand on Seldanna''s neck. He could feel her trying to struggle through her disabled ability, and he closed his eyes. He had a lot of practice sorting through emotions, and he used that knowledge to find the block on her ability. He found a large pile of love, and it was somehow stuck in the way and she couldn''t deal with it. ¡°You... you''ve never felt love before.¡± Ren said, and she blinked her eyes at him. He absorbed the love from her, because if she hadn''t ever felt it, her ability was never going to be able to use it. Seldanna gasped as her ability started up again, and it brought her out of her false drunken state and she stared at Ren. ¡°What... did you do?¡± ¡°Helped more than hurt, hopefully.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where are the rest of you?¡± ¡°Chained up in his dungeon.¡± Wynphine said. ¡°Take me there.¡± Ren said, and the two succubi walked a short distance and then took flight. ¡°This is going to be fun!¡± Teepo said, and Ren took a short run and jumped up into the air. His wings were unfurled; but, he had no idea how to use them. He crashed to the ground a second later and slid to a stop on his face. ¡°Mother fu-¡± Ren caught himself before he finished uttering the curse, and grit his teeth as he stood up. ¡°Dammit.¡± ¡°Just run for now.¡± Teepo suggested, and tried not to laugh. Ren took a deep breath as he deactivated his Winged Flight ability and ran after the two flying succubi. ******** ¡°He just had wings.¡± Barbara said, surprised. ¡°He grew wings!¡± ¡°They should have been feathered, not bat wings.¡± Elise said. ¡°I wonder if it''s because of the corruption, or because of where he got it from?¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Our Ren is being twisted.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Elise asked. ¡°What''s this Angered condition thing? Why is he having to go through it?¡± ¡°It''s the corruption.¡± Elise said. ¡°The more corrupted he gets, the more it will affect him.¡± ¡°What kind of game is this?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°You take people with the propensity for violence and make them more violent?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°No, it teaches hotheads to control themselves.¡± She said. ¡°If they don''t, when they die it resets. Also, when the corruption gets to 100%, they die and it resets. It''s then that they usually realize how much they could have done if they''d only kept themselves in check.¡± ¡°You do realize this is Ren, right?¡± Stella asked. ¡°He''s not aggressive, and he can''t handle those kinds of emotions properly.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°He''s going to bottle them up and keep them to himself.¡± Stella said. ¡°He always has.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Whenever he got angry, he always buried that feeling and covered it with a smile.¡± Elise looked from Stella to Barbara. ¡°This... isn''t going to work well for him.¡± ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Stella said. ¡°We should log him out and warn him.¡± ¡°You shouldn''t do that.¡± Elise said. ¡°Not until he resets the corruption, anyways.¡± ¡°And what do we do if he doesn''t?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°What if he keeps it, even after leaving these training grounds?¡± Elise opened her mouth to say that he wouldn''t do that, then sighed. ¡°I don''t know.¡± ¡°Well, you better think of something.¡± Stella said. ¡°Because we know what he''s like, and he is not an angry person. Going through this is not going to be fun for him, and that is going to make him unhappy.¡± ******** Ren ran after the succubi until they came to a gorge. It was about 300 feet across and the succubi were already halfway across it. ¡°DAMMIT!¡± Ren yelled, and it echoed back to him. He made his hands into fists and took several deep breaths. Think, Ren. He thought to himself. What would I do if I wasn''t angry? It took only a moment to think of something, and he took out the Wand of Transport and cast a Phantom Steed for himself. It was the same distorted version with the tree trunk like legs and extra wide head, and not like a horse at all. Ren climbed up into the saddle and it took flight. ¡°I wonder if we can find someone to give us flying lessons.¡± Teepo said, and felt Ren''s anger rise. ¡°Riley and Stacy still haven''t learned yet, and they are going to need to know once we get them out to the county.¡± Ren''s anger subsided and he nodded. ¡°You''re right. The most they can do is glide, and flap their wings a little.¡± The Phantom Steed landed on the other side of the gorge and ran after the two succubi down a tunnel. There were several small creatures about a foot long on the walls of the tunnel, and Ren didn''t know what they were besides having a slug-like appearance and 4 stubby legs. ¡°Identify.¡±
Dretch (Demon Spawn - Tiny)
This creature is born of corruption and spawns randomly in areas where corruption is prevalent. It cannot fight or flee. It has no discernible eyes and a huge mouth, full of razor-sharp teeth.
Ren dismissed the popup when he heard a general uproar in a cavern ahead of him, and he brought the Phantom Steed to a halt at the cavern''s entrance. Inside was a large workshop where 9 succubi were cutting up those tiny dretches for some reason, and 9 more sat by each of the benches. They all wore shackles and chains that were attached to a large central lock in the middle of the room. He examined the chain, and discovered that they were the same chains that had held Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves, restrained. ¡°Him?¡± One of them asked. ¡°He killed Murdrasu?¡± Wynphine turned her hands to the sides and mimed something getting squashed as she clapped her hands together. ¡°It''s time for shift change.¡± One of them said. Each of the 9 succubi stopped cutting and stepped back, then the 9 sitting down stood up and took their place. It was orderly and efficient, and the cutting resumed as the others sat down. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren asked and climbed off of the Phantom Steed. ¡°Staying alive.¡± One of them said and tossed the cut-off legs of the dretch slug onto the pile beside the bench, and the succubus that sat beside the bench picked a severed leg up and started eating it. ¡°The meat of these little scavengers is highly prized, and as long as Murdrasu keeps sending the meat as offerings to the Minor Demon, it leaves us alone.¡± Ren felt a ripple of shock go through them, and all of the succubi stopped cutting up the slugs at the same time and dropped their knives. ¡°Oops.¡± Ren said. Chapter 415 - Taste This ¡°Oh, no.¡± One of the succubi said. ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¡°When is the next delivery due?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Tonight, when the moon is at it''s apex and the sky is as clear as newly formed glass.¡± ¡°Geez, give it a rest, Fayeth.¡± The one sitting beside her bench said, then looked at Ren. ¡°It''s at the stroke of midnight, just like every other night.¡± She laughed. ¡°Not that we ever see the night sky anyway.¡± ¡°Oh, can you imagine that, Crakasia?¡± Fayeth said. ¡°To be borne upon the wind! To rise up into the depths of the sky! To have the-¡± ¡°I said to give it a rest.¡± Crakasia said and cut her off before she could get going. ¡°We usually have just enough time to finish the quota and he delivers it.¡± She said and waved to a large crate by the wall. ¡°We''ve got about 6 hours left before we have to finish.¡± ¡°Where does it have to be delivered?¡± Ren asked. ¡°This is why Wynphine and I are free.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°He needed our help to push the crate.¡± ¡°You also pledged to stay by his side and do his bidding.¡± One of the others said, disgustedly. ¡°Why would you let that scum touch you?¡± ¡°It got us free.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°He wasn''t that bad when he was unconscious.¡± That made everyone laugh, except for Ren. He felt how all of them felt about Murdrasu, especially how much Seldanna and Wynphine had hated him, and his anger came to the surface unbidden. ¡°RraaaHHHH!¡± Ren yelled as his Controlled Berserk Rage activated. He took two steps and jumped up into the air as hard as he could. The succubi were frozen in shock as a brightly glowing hammerpick appeared in Ren''s hand as he arced through the air. He had switched the enchantment to Fire, and as he landed, he brought the hammerpick down onto the large lock that held the succubi''s chains in place. A loud clang rang though the cavern as the Fire-enchanted hammerpick smashed through the lock and crushed it instantly. The Fire rushed up the chains to the shackles that held the succubi in place, and all the succubi started screaming; even Seldanna and Wynphine. ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Ren yelled in his command voice as he concentrated on his Command Aura, and they all went quiet; even though tears streamed down their faces. ¡°STAY STILL!¡± He said as the chains and shackles melted around their wrists and ankles. The succubi trembled at the intensity of his voice and presence, and watched wordlessly as the metal that had held them for so long dripped away from them. The entire incident lasted for only about 30 seconds; but, it was the longest 30 seconds that any of them had ever experienced. Ren had used his Fire Manipulation skill in a way he hadn''t before, and was able to keep molten metal next to someone''s skin without hurting them. Once the molten metal had fallen to the floor, he absorbed the heat from it. He was surprised to discover that he didn''t have to touch it to do that. As long as it was within his Aura, it would work and he could manipulate it if he wanted to.
Stat Change!
Fire Manipulation Level 6 (Expert 0%)
Ren saw the succubi were all trembling, and he sighed as he used an Energize spell to stop himself from passing out from his Controlled Berserk Rage. ¡°You can talk and move now.¡± Ren said and stored his hammerpick, and almost as one the succubi dropped to their knees and started sobbing as they rubbed their wrists and ankles. He could feel the shock they felt, and then the surprise that they weren''t burned or even hurt from the intense heat they had felt. ¡°Wh-why did you do that?¡± Wynphine asked. ¡°No one deserves to be treated like this.¡± Ren looked at her wrists and saw she still had shackles. They had been welded on, and he could see the scars from the heat she must have endured to have that done. He took her hand with one of his and grabbed the shackle with the other. He used Iron Grip and crushed it, then did the same for her other wrist and both ankles. Seldanna had knelt to hold onto another succubus who was still crying uncontrollably. ¡°Keep away!¡± She said when Ren stepped close. ¡°No.¡± Ren said and knelt beside her. He did the same thing to her wrists and ankles and crushed the shackles that held her. ¡°How could you do this to her?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°She wasn''t as lucky as we were!¡± Ren looked at the succubus'' wrist, and saw a very old and deep burn wound along her forearm. He reached out for her hand, and she screamed. ¡°Give me your hand.¡± Ren commanded, and she screamed again as she held her hand out to him against her will. He held onto it and could see that the wound must have been from spilled molten metal. He activated Serene State of Mind and thought about what to do. It angered him that someone was treated this way, and that his own action in freeing her made her relive her trauma; but, it wasn''t a hot anger like before, so he used it to think of what to do. ¡°Calm down.¡± Ren ordered her, and she did. He could feel she was still panicked, but that would fade when he finished what he had to do. ¡°Can you use your ability to heal?¡± He asked, and she shook her head. ¡°She isn''t strong enough for that.¡± Seldanna said, crossly. Ren nodded and looked at the wound. ¡°I''m going to overload her.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Wynphine yelled. ¡°That could damage...¡± ¡°I have to cut out the old wound to heal it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want her awake for that?¡± No one said anything, and then the succubus spoke. ¡°Pleasure.¡± She whispered. ¡°I... I can... ignore pain if... distracted.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked. ¡°This is not going to feel good.¡± ¡°I... can... do it.¡± She said, and Ren felt her determination. She was still terrified, but because he told her to be calm, she was. Ren thought about how much he enjoyed pleasing a woman by going down on her, and built up a small reservoir. He knew that they couldn''t take everything he could give them, so he metered out how much to store, and stopped concentrating on his Command Aura. ¡°Please, forgive me.¡± Ren said, so that it wasn''t an order, and started to pour pleasure into her. ¡°OhhhhhHHHH!¡± The succubus moaned loudly and gripped Seldanna tightly with one arm, and all the succubi got a trace of what she felt and moved closer. Ren took out the hammerpick and deactivated the enchantment, then turned it around and used the plow end to touch her skin. Her body shook from pleasure, and Ren poured a double dose into her to distract her. ¡°AHHH!¡± The succubus yelled as she shuddered from the pleasure, and Ren gently dug out her old wound at the same time. The plow end of the hammerpick cut through her skin like butter, and blood welled up as the chunk of old mangled skin fell to the floor. He stored the hammerpick and took out a Major Healing wand and healed her. Ren took out a piece of cloth and rubbed it over the skin to push the blood out of the way, and several succubi gasped that her old wound was completely gone.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Notice!
You have been corrupted! You have absorbed Succubus blood directly from the source through your skin. It''s effects vary by those infected, and by the amount of blood absorbed. Current Corruption Level: 30% Warning: When Corruption reaches 100%, you will become deathly ill and die. Please note: Corruption resets upon death.
¡°Dammit.¡± Ren said, because her blood had soaked through the cloth and went all over his hand. He stopped sending her pleasure and let her hand go. He stood up and tried to walk to a clear space, but the succubi blocked his way. ¡°You healed her.¡± One of them said, and he felt their emotions as they changed from ambivalence to gratitude. ¡°I didn''t mean to cause her grief when I melted the chains.¡± Ren said. ¡°It just made me so mad that you were treated like that, and I just couldn''t stand it!¡± He said and felt his anger rise, then took a deep breath and let it out to calm down. ¡°I have the Angered condition, and I have to be careful.¡± Ren made fists and used Iron Grip to crack all the knuckles at the same time. He had wanted to startle them; but, it sent a spike of pleasure through them instead. They had never seen anyone do that before, and it was exciting for them. ¡°I need room to repair my armor.¡± Ren said, and they moved out of the way. ¡°You''re not going to find a forge down here.¡± One of them said. ¡°Not outside the Dispensary.¡± ¡°I don''t need a forge.¡± Ren said and stepped away slightly, then took out the damaged pieces of his armor. He used his blacksmith hammer and Repair skill to fix the damage, much to their surprise, and then he felt a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Thank you.¡± A female voice said, and Ren turned to see the one he had healed. ¡°I can use this hand without pain now.¡± She said, and gave his shoulder a squeeze. ¡°My name is Ellaria.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, Ellaria.¡± Ren said, then walked over to one of the workbenches. He picked up one of the pieces of meat and examined it.
Dretch Meat (Rare Choice Cut)
This meat is considered a delicacy and is worth quite a lot of money in the right market. This grants +1 Strength and +1 Endurance for 1 hour. Warning: Raw corrupted meat. If consumed, increases corruption by 2%.
Ren thought about the popup and smiled. He took out a stone brick with a Fire enchantment and cooked the meat to a nice golden brown, then examined it again.
Dretch Meat (Rare Choice Cut)
This meat is considered a delicacy and is worth quite a lot of money in the right market. This grants +1 Strength and +1 Endurance for 1 hour.
I guess cooking it removes the blood contamination. Ren thought. ¡°So, these things just spawn in corrupted underground areas?¡± He asked out loud, and several of the succubus nodded. ¡°How did this corrupted area come to be?¡± ¡°It was normal dirt that was tainted by a faulty summoning spell.¡± Ellaria said. ¡°It was gathered up and spread around, which corrupted a larger area, to make a suitable home for us.¡± Ren built two large crates in less than a minute, then looked at the succubi. ¡°Gather up as many of the Dretches as you can, while I dig up a pile of dirt.¡± ¡°You can''t leave this place by digging like that.¡± One of them said. ¡°I''m not leaving, I''m gathering dirt to take with us.¡± ¡°Take... with us?¡± ¡°I''m not leaving you here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have your contracts now.¡± ¡°You''re taking us away from here?¡± One of them asked, surprised. ¡°I''m not going to abandon you, if that''s what you mean.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll worry about what to do with you once I''ve got time to think about it.¡± The succubi just stood there and looked at him, and he could feel their disbelief. ¡°Don''t make me order you.¡± Ren said and fought not to grit his teeth. ¡°I don''t like giving orders like that.¡± ¡°Let''s get to work!¡± Wynphine said and walked over to the wall and grabbed two of the 1 foot long slugs with legs. ¡°I want out of this place as soon as possible!¡± She tossed the dretches across the cavern and they landed in the closest crate. Each of the others started to do the same thing, and then one stopped to look at Ren. ¡°What''s to stop us from leaving?¡± She asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± Ren said and made two more large crates and started to fill them with corrupted dirt. ¡°I haven''t even read your contracts, so I don''t know what would happen if you just walked away.¡± The succubus stopped talking and doubled her efforts to gather dretches. ¡°It must be bad.¡± Teepo said. I can feel how frantic she is. Ren thought and kept digging. He made another crate and filled it with dirt, and then another. When the two crates he had made for the dretches were almost filled half an hour later, he told them it was enough. He had dug out a good 30 feet of the wall by this time and had over 2 dozen large crates of dirt already filled, then stored them. Ren took out a table and started to chop up the dretches the succubi had gathered, and they marvelled at how quickly he was doing it. He was through both crates about 10 minutes later and had refilled them with the choice cuts. He made another large crate and filled it with all the discarded legs, then stored that crate, the two new crates, and the one meant for an offering.
Notice!
You have been corrupted! You have absorbed Dretch blood directly from the source through your skin. It''s effects vary by those infected, and by the amount of blood absorbed. Current Corruption Level: 60% Warning: When Corruption reaches 100%, you will become deathly ill and die. Please note: Corruption resets upon death.
¡°Hey, we need that!¡± One of them said. ¡°Yes, we do.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you will all wait here, I''ll deliver the offering early and we can leave.¡± ¡°It''s not going to like you changing the schedule.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°It hates change.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Ren rubbed his chin. ¡°If it''s pointless to give it early, then forget it.¡± He said and walked over to his Phantom Steed, mounted it, and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. He asked for the way up to the next level, and the map appeared and showed him the route. ¡°Show enemies, dangers, hidden traps, hidden rooms, hidden passages, alternate routes, and safe spots.¡± The map populated with everything he asked for. He and Teepo memorized it and he put the All-Seeing Mirror away. ¡°Gather your things, assuming you have something to take with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re leaving.¡± ¡°You can''t...¡± ¡°He''s serious...¡± ¡°I don''t have anything.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± ¡°We can''t...¡± ¡°It''ll hunt us!¡± One of them said. ¡°It can''t be killed!¡± ¡°We''ve got over 5 hours to get as far away from here as we can before it doesn''t get it''s offering.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°How long after that will it send someone to check on you? An hour? 2 hours? A day?¡± The succubi exchanged glances and then started to smile. ¡°We''ll be ready in a few minutes!¡± Ellaria said and ran to her table and picked up her favorite knife, then grabbed a bra and bikini bottom, then the other succubi started to do the same thing. ¡°Seldanna and Wynphine? Hold out your hands.¡± Ren said. ¡°Before I forget, I believe these are yours.¡± The two succubi held out their hands and Ren put 11 of the 1 gold coin diamonds into Seldanna''s hands, and 11 of them into Wynphine''s. ¡°But... what... how...¡± ¡°You found them in your clothing chest, didn''t you?¡± The two succubi nodded. ¡°Then Murdrasu stole them from you.¡± They nodded and he felt their anger. ¡°I''m glad you kept the rings.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s why he was so mad.¡± Wynphine said and smiled. ¡°He thought you had proposed and we accepted.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Ren said, and then laughed. ¡°Haahahahahaa!¡± ¡°We have what we can carry!¡± Ellaria said and came over to him with her arms full of odd things. ¡°Oh, dammit.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He took out 18 of the Strong Ring of Storage, used Double Infusion to make them binding, and gave her one. ¡°Store everything in that.¡± Ellaria dropped all of her things on the floor and held onto the ring like it was the most precious thing she had. She very slowly slipped it onto her finger and it resized to fit her hand, and she gasped as it gave her access to 50 slots of storage and +40 to her Strength. ¡°THANK YOU!¡± Ellaria yelled, flapped her wings once to raise herself high enough into the air, and kissed Ren briefly on the lips. It had happened so fast that he had barely blinked and it was over. She landed and started to laugh as she put all her things into the storage space of the ring. ¡°Ooo, me! Can I have one?¡± ¡°ME!¡± ¡°I want one!¡± ¡°Don''t fight!¡± Ren said and started to hand out the rings. ¡°I have enough for everyone.¡± When they all had one, he could feel how happy they were that they didn''t have to choose what they could take and what they had to leave behind. It took another few minutes for them to gather everything, and then they were ready. Ren equipped his full armor set, now that it was repaired, and rode his steed across the workshop to the tunnel on the other side. The 20 succubi took flight almost as one and followed him. * ¡°Okay, I know I didn''t see that.¡± Barbara said. ¡°He just... 20 of them?!?¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°I don''t know what he''s going to do now.¡± ¡°He''s going to be smart about it.¡± Elise said. ¡°He hasn''t looked at their contracts, so I can''t say for sure what he''ll be able to do; but, I know he''s not going to keep them for... well, that.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°He hasn''t even slept with the maids yet.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°He''ll never get around to the succubi if he keeps them.¡± ¡°He''s not keeping them!¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ve given him some leeway with some of this nonsense, but I am drawing the line at beings that can kill by sucking you dry!¡± ¡°I''m going to bed.¡± Stella said and put a hand on Barbara''s shoulder. ¡°Don''t get too indignant over this, okay? You can talk to him about it when he logs out at midnight.¡± ¡°But he doesn''t normally log out overnight.¡± Elise said. ¡°That''s why I usually don''t stay.¡± ¡°He hasn''t rested since he went in.¡± Stella said and yawned. ¡°Neither have I.¡± ¡°Then get some rest, and we''ll keep an eye on him.¡± Elise said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Stella said and left the bedroom, and Elise and Barbara watched the television as Ren led 20 sex-starved succubi into the next cavern to face the next potential threat. Chapter 416 - Working Things Out Ren and Teepo guided the succubi across the level and avoided the dangers, took the safe paths, and used a hidden doorway to advance up to the next cavern. Once there, he checked the All-Seeing Mirror and saw that they were in a safe zone. ¡°Okay, we''re stopping here for a few hours.¡± Ren said and slid off the Phantom Steed, and he felt instant panic from the succubi. ¡°You can''t be serious!¡± Seldanna exclaimed. ¡°This might be a safe area, but it''s completely open! We don''t have anything to protect us while we wait for... for...¡± ¡°I have Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes! For that! We can''t just wait here until you come back!¡± ¡°Relax.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s going to be fine.¡± They weren''t really listening to him, and were constantly looking around for threats. Ren took out the Staff of Earth and concentrated on making a 20 foot wide wall around them. The cavern was 200 feet long and 150 feet wide, so he made their courtyard 50 feet by 50 feet, then raised the 20 foot wide walls to the ceiling. ¡°You''ve killed us! We''re buried!¡± One of them exclaimed, and two others screamed. ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Ren yelled as he concentrated on his Command Aura, and they all stopped talking and looked at him. ¡°Stop acting so stupidly!¡± He ordered them. ¡°You will not overreact anymore! No matter what you see, you will calmly assess the situation and act accordingly!¡± Ren felt that they were comparing him to Murdrasu, and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°You can talk now.¡± ¡°You don''t have to yell at us all the time.¡± One of them said. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Ren said and rubbed his face as he stopped concentrating on his Command Aura. ¡°You are making it difficult for me to keep my anger in check.¡± ¡°I think someone has anger management issues.¡± ¡°Yes, because I''m not used to it.¡± Ren said, then took another deep breath and let it out. ¡°I know you have Dark Vision, but do you want lights?¡± He asked to try and distract himself. ¡°For what?¡± One of them asked. ¡°There''s nothing in here with us to look at.¡± Ren walked over to a clear area and took out his Instant Tower, then spoke the bubbles and gurgles to activate it. It popped into existence and he felt shock from the succubi; but, they didn''t scream or jump away from it in fear. ¡°What is it?¡± Wynphine asked. ¡°It''s called an Instant Tower, and it''s like a portable base for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s not enough room inside for you, though.¡± ¡°You''re going to leave us out in the cold and sleep in comfort yourself?¡± One of them asked. He could feel the resentment she felt, but she didn''t let her scorn taint her words. ¡°No, I''m just telling you that 20 of you won''t fit inside because I have other things... material things... that take up most of the room.¡± Ren said and took out the blank Instant Tower he had, activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and placed it on the 1 foot wide golden platform. He added the succubi as being able to open and close the door, then picked it up again as the platform disappeared. He set it beside the already deployed one and activated it. ¡°This one doesn''t have anything at all in it. There''s plenty of room for you inside.¡± Ren felt their surprise, and he went inside. The succubi stayed outside, and he turned around and looked at them. ¡°I know this is a stupid question; but, do you sleep in a bed? Or a hammock? Or hang from the ceiling or something?¡± ¡°Are you calling us bats?¡± One of them asked. ¡°No, I''m asking if your prehensile feet are used to secure a safe sleeping spot for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°If they do, I''ll add beams to the ceiling for you.¡± Seldanna scowled. ¡°We sleep in a bed, you ignorant pr-¡± ¡°BEDS!¡± Wynphine said to cut off her sister. ¡°Just normal beds.¡± ¡°What about your wings?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Doesn''t sleeping on them bother you?¡± ¡°We can move them like our arms, so not really.¡± Wynphine said. ¡°I''ll gladly share a bed with you so you can see it first hand.¡± Ellaria, the one he had healed, said. ¡°Would you like that?¡± ¡°Out of curiosity, yes.¡± Ren said and started making beds. ¡°But, like I told Wynphine and Seldanna, I won''t have sex with you... or any of you, for that matter. You can all put thoughts of that happening out of your heads right now.¡± ¡°Are we that far beneath you?¡± One of them asked, and watched as Ren made bed after bed. ¡°Do we disgust you that much?¡± ¡°Of course not. You''re all desirable; but, I will not jeopardize the relationships I''ve been working so hard to establish.¡± Ren explained. ¡°It''s not worth losing the women I care about.¡± ¡°You could have one, some, or all of us... and that''s not worth losing the women you care about?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said, and felt a general sense of foreboding and depression go through them. ¡°Then we know where your loyalty lies.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°No, you don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d tell you there are degrees of loyalty, but you won''t believe me.¡± He said, made the last bed and stored it. ¡°I could ask you the same thing, actually.¡± He smiled. ¡°Are you loyal to me?¡± None of the succubi said anything. ¡°That''s right. None of you know me, and I don''t know you.¡± Ren said. ¡°We just met, and none of us know how far we''ll go to protect the other.¡± He said and walked inside the empty Instant Tower to drop off the beds. He put 10 beds on the first floor, and 10 on the second floor, then went back out to the succubi. ¡°You''ve got a few hours to decide what you want to do.¡± Ren said and walked over to his Instant Tower. ¡°I''ll be back.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Seldanna almost yelled. ¡°How do we get inside to sleep?¡± ¡°The door to that tower opens and closes at your command, so you can all come and go as you please.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you soon.¡± Ren went inside his tower and up the stairs, climbed onto the bed after he stored his armor, and sighed at the situation he was in. Teepo took off and landed on the ceiling to keep watch. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren slipped off the VR headset and both Barbara and Elise were there. ¡°Wh-what? How... why...¡± ¡°I came here as soon as Lisa texted me about where you were.¡± Elise said. Ren blinked his eyes a few times, then sat up and opened his arms. She gave him a hug and felt him shudder. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Elise said. ¡°You can do this.¡± ¡°I know I can.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... that Angered thing... I... I don''t...¡± ¡°You will get through this.¡± Elise let him out of the hug and looked him in the eyes. ¡°You aren''t supposed to be in Shargon Caverns normally, but you have unlocked Hidden things that can only be learned there.¡± ¡°Is that why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s so I can learn the hidden skill, spell, and item recipes I have?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I don''t know what they are or what you need to do to discover them. All I do know is that you have to complete the caverns quickly.¡± ¡°The world event!¡± Ren said. ¡°The Great Cleansing!¡± Elise nodded. ¡°You didn''t get the full popup because you were shunted off to a restricted area.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said, then thought about who was in the house. ¡°Where''s Lisa?¡± ¡°In the game with the maids.¡± Barbara said. ¡°She''s been staying with them and waiting for you to contact her.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Everything is blocked and disabled where I am.¡± ¡°You''ll only be able to contact her when you leave the caverns.¡± Elise said. ¡°That''s what she''s waiting for.¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I could be there for days, and she''s going to wait for me and keep the maids company?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°There''s also something important you need to know about Shargon Caverns.¡± ¡°It''s for bad people.¡± Ren said, and Elise blinked her eyes at him. ¡°H-how did you know that?¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I remember one of Tristan''s henchmen mentioning that was where Tristan had trained and escaped from.¡± Ren said. ¡°Since Tristan became infamous when he ''killed'' me during the Aurora Expedition, I figured that was where he was sent.¡± ¡°And you''re not mad about that?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°You''re in the villain training camp!¡± ¡°I know, isn''t it great?¡± Ren chuckled at both Barbara''s and Elise''s surprised expressions. ¡°I get to see what the bad guys had to go through, without having to become a bad guy first.¡± ¡°But, Ren...¡± Barbara started to say, and Ren pat her hand. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Knowing you''re here and keeping an eye on me, and Lisa keeping an eye on the maids, and Elise sending me her love... I''m sure I can do anything.¡± ¡°You can; but, you have to be careful of the corruption level.¡± Elise said. ¡°I jumped to 60% pretty quickly, didn''t I?¡± Ren asked, and then shook his head. ¡°I''m surprised I''m not getting corruption just from walking on the ground.¡± ¡°It''s supposed to help you manage your anger.¡± Elise said and cupped the side of his face. ¡°The higher your corruption, the harder it is to manage.¡± ¡°Boy, am I in the wrong place.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s awful having this seething anger all the time.¡± ¡°Don''t fight it, Ren.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Take out your frustrations like you did in the dwarf mines.¡± ¡°You mean smashing rocks just like I did when I first met those two succubi?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Which reminds me.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Young man, you are NOT keeping them!¡± ¡°Not personally, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll make them a home in my county, though.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Barbara said. ¡°Don''t worry, I won''t have sex with a life-draining succubus.¡± Ren said and looked at Elise. ¡°I won''t be asking to, either.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Please, stop.¡± Ren said. ¡°No matter how much you argue, you''re not going to convince me to sleep with all those sexually frustrated and horny half-naked sex beasts.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°All right, I''ll stop trying to tempt you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss. ¡°I''ll do my best to go through the levels as fast as I can; but, I need to get back in and get some sleep.¡± ¡°Just remember that you can''t avoid all of the enemies from now on. The encounters you have can give you what you need to find.¡± Elise said. ¡°Otherwise you''ll be stuck repeating things until you do.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± He said and laid down. ¡°I''ll stick to what Shargon Caverns lays out for me to follow.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and Elise passed him the VR headset. She leaned close and helped him put it on. ¡°You can cuddle with one to see what the wings feel like.¡± Elise whispered in his ear. ¡°As long as you think of me when you do it.¡± ¡°Elise...¡± ¡°I trust you.¡± Elise said and kissed his cheek. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you too, sweetheart.¡± Elise said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the bed and had the distinct feeling of being watched. He sat up and could see through the arrow slits, and several pairs of succubus eyes looked back at him. He looked around the room and each of the arrow slits had succubi looking through them at him, and he chuckled. Teepo? Did anything happen? ¡°Kind of.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They were testing that no one can enter this place without your permission.¡± I assume they tried to get in through the arrow slits. ¡°They did.¡± Teepo said. ¡°One poor girl assumed it was an open window and tried to fly through it.¡± No! Ren said and hopped out of the bed and ran down the stairs. Where is she? ¡°Being tended to by several of the others.¡± Teepo said and landed on his shoulder. They left the tower and saw the succubi on his tower were still looking in through the arrow slits. ¡°Where did he go?¡± One of them asked and Ren went inside the other tower. ¡°Who''s hurt?¡± Ren asked, and several succubi jumped at his sudden appearance. ¡°M-Miastina.¡± One of them said and stepped back, and Ren saw the succubus on the bed. One of her wings was bent backwards, and her face was bruised. He stepped to the bed and examined her thoroughly. She had two broken wrists, a sprained neck, a dislocated shoulder and wing joint, and bruises and contusions all over. She was also having a hard time breathing. ¡°She must have tumbled to the ground and hit hard.¡± Ren said and started to heal her injuries. He could feel that she was in a lot of pain and wouldn''t be able to use sexual desire to heal anything, so he gave her concern and caring instead. He could feel her ability choke a little on them, and he looked in her eyes. ¡°Concern can be felt for someone, even if you don''t know them.¡± Ren said and cupped the side of her face that wasn''t bruised. ¡°Don''t try so hard to eat everything. Just let it in and don''t think about it. Let your ability worry about converting it to what you need.¡± Miastina nodded slightly and closed her eyes, and Ren felt her ability falter for several moments, then it evened out and accepted his concern and caring. ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said, then kept healing her various injuries. By the time he was done 10 minutes later, she was in a much better mood and she had a good emotional feeding. It wasn''t anywhere near enough to satisfy her, but she wasn''t emotionally drained anymore. When he turned to leave, she grabbed his hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± Miastina said. ¡°If you need anything done, I will do it.¡± ¡°You don''t mean guard duty or gathering supplies, do you?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled. ¡°No, Mas... ah... My Lord.¡± Miastina had changed what she was going to say when she felt Ren get angry. ¡°I''m sorry, but that won''t be possible.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for the offer.¡± ¡°If you change your mind...¡± ¡°I won''t.¡± Ren smiled, gave her some desire, and let her hand go. He left the Instant Tower and the others followed him. One of the ones trying to see him through the arrow slits of the tower looked down at all the commotion. ¡°There he is!¡± She said and let the side of the tower go to drop to the cavern''s floor. ¡°Miastina''s healed, too!¡± The others joined her and they all gathered around Ren. They all started talking at once and Ren couldn''t make heads or tails of the dozen different conversations going on at once. He waited for a few minutes, then concentrated on his Importance Aura that the bracelet gave him. The succubi fell silent as they felt his influence over them, and that he deserved the proper respect. ¡°I know a lot of you haven''t had a proper meal for your abilities in a long time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like to give you one now.¡± ¡°Who''s going to be first?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Who''s the oldest among you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Ugh, really?¡± One of them said. ¡°You don''t want the youngest?¡± ¡°It''s her.¡± Wynphine said and pointed to a succubus whose skin was a much lighter red than the others. ¡°She was here before any of us.¡± Ren walked over to her, and saw her blonde hair was flat and stringy like it hadn''t been washed, her bra and bikini underwear were so worn that they were barely covering her, and she had a sad expression. He held a hand out to her, and she shook her head. ¡°I loved Murdrasu.¡± ¡°Zunala!¡± One of the others exclaimed. ¡°No! I won''t betray him!¡± ¡°I''m sorry you feel that living is betraying him.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I am not going to replace him in your life. I''m not going to love you like he did... and I''m definitely not going to hate you, either.¡± Zunala didn''t know what to do with that admission. She was the oldest, and she had the most experience with her ability; so, she knew that he was telling the truth. ¡°I want you to be the bridge.¡± Ren said. ¡°It will take too long to give each of them enough to feed, but if you funnel what they need...¡± ¡°I... I see.¡± Zunala said. ¡°I still won''t feed from you.¡± ¡°Then don''t.¡± Ren said and motioned to the other succubi. ¡°Feed from them instead.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°They are going to enjoy this.¡± Ren said. ¡°A lot.¡± He smiled. ¡°You can feed from that, as long as you don''t overdo it and hurt someone.¡± He frowned. ¡°I''ll kill you if you do.¡± ¡°You have no right to-¡± ¡°You are old enough to control your ability.¡± Ren said and cut her off. ¡°If you hurt someone, it''s on purpose. Do not tell me otherwise.¡± Ren felt a general agreement from the other succubi, and so did Zunala. ¡°Yes, all right. I''ll do as you say.¡± Zunala sighed. ¡°You have all the power here.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You do realize there are 20 of you and only one of me, right?¡± He felt the realization go through them. ¡°If you did attack, I would kill a lot of you; but, I can''t possibly get all of you before some of your attacks hit me.¡± ¡°We''d be crazy to attack you.¡± Wynphine said. ¡°You''re taking us out of this hellhole!¡± ¡°I''m not taking you anywhere.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°We are leaving this ''hellhole'' together.¡± Surprise went through them, and then Zunala held her hand out to him. ¡°Do what you need to.¡± ¡°Everyone? Please put a hand on Zunala, and she will act as a filter for you.¡± Ren said and took Zunala''s hand. ¡°If all you want is desire, take that from her. If you need passion, take that. If you think you can handle everything, then touch me as well.¡± Nearly all of the succubi put hands on Zunala; her arms, back, and even her wings. Wynphine, one of the two sisters he had met first, and Ellaria, the one he had healed of the molten metal burn, were the only ones to put a hand on both him and Zunala. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Ren asked as he built up a reservoir of shared sexual experiences he had with Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves, and all of their eyes widened because they could feel it. ¡°Th-that''s... too much...¡± Zunala managed to say through her surprise. ¡°Don''t worry, it won''t be a flood.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Just a steady river than you can all ride in, with you as the rudder to steer.¡± ¡°I''ll try.¡± ¡°That''s all anyone can ask.¡± Ren said and opened the reservoir a little bit. Zunala caught her breath as more emotion than she''d ever felt before poured into her. The other succubi started to absorb what they wanted from it, and it eased the pressure from her. She took several short breaths and closed her eyes, and Ren felt that she was doing just as he said. She guided the emotions to where they needed to go efficiently, and he gave her a short burst of appreciation. She opened her eyes to look at him, and he reached out to take her other hand. ¡°Hold on, this is going to be a bumpy ride.¡± Ren said and made the small trickle into the river he said he was going to give her. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± Zunala yelled, and several of the others echoed her when the emotions poured out of Ren for them to consume. They had always had to take what they needed, and never had someone just give them what they wanted. Ren felt their trepidation and disbelief that he would do this for them and not want anything in return, so he activated his own Emotion Siphon ability. ¡°Will this make you feel better about me feeding you?¡± Ren asked and sampled a tiny bit of pleasure from each of them. With them all touching, he could do it easily. They all gasped as they felt his ability touch them, and several of them shuddered and felt a bunch more pleasure from his gentle caress. ¡°Did you just... why does this feel so good?¡± Wynphine asked. ¡°Willing partners always taste better.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you take more?¡± ¡°M-m-more?¡± ¡°I need to sleep for at least 5 hours to rest.¡± Ren said. ¡°My modified Ring of Sustenance doesn''t kick in until tomorrow.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Zunala can take a lot more, so I''m going to pour more in.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can feed accordingly, and then I need to go to sleep.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Ren opened the reservoir a lot wider and made a raging river. All of the succubi dropped to their knees and their eyes started to glow. He felt each of them in his Aura now, and he could see who was struggling with the emotions and who needed more. He moved his hand from Zunala''s hand up to her face, and she stared at him. He used her like a sieve and directed the emotions to where they needed to go and helped those that were struggling. ¡°How... can you... do that?¡± Zunala asked, and she started to feed from the other succubi and how good they all felt. ¡°Practice.¡± Ren said and looked at the other succubi. ¡°Some of you are already full.¡± Three of them nodded and let go. Their eyes stopped glowing and he couldn''t feel them in the Aura anymore. Over the next few minutes, most of the others let go and watched the last few. ¡°Seldanna, you''re full.¡± Wynphine said. ¡°Don''t overload your ability.¡± ¡°I... I can take more! I can!¡± Ren weaned her down to just a trickle, and she started to cry. ¡°Please... I don''t want it to end.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°This is just the first feeding to see who needed what and to get you all back to a healthy state.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''ll do it again in the morning, now that I know what you need and how much to give.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°So relax and let me finish these last three.¡± ¡°I... all right.¡± Seldanna let go and her eyes stopped glowing. She rubbed her arms and then hugged herself. ¡°That felt so nice.¡± Ren turned his attention to Wynphine, Ellaria, and Zunala. ¡°You''re all taking it directly, and it''s still not enough.¡± He smiled. ¡°A higher dose it is.¡± The three succubi stopped breathing as he opened up the reservoir and let the flood go into them. Ellaria let go, then Wynphine a second later; but Zunala held onto him. She was feeding directly from him, despite her words from earlier. Her blonde hair had filled out and looked like it had been washed and dried. It was fluffy and curly, and he looked at her skin. It was a nicer shade of red than the faded color it had been before. ¡°Wh-what are you?¡± Zunala asked 10 seconds later, then she had to let go of him before her ability overloaded. ¡°I''m an Adventurer, and my name is Ren.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± Chapter 417 - Rest And Relax All of the succubi decided that they wanted scouts to keep watch, and made a schedule to have 2 of them on watch for 2 hours each for the rest of the night; one on the top of each tower. Ren thought about letting it go at that, then heard that Ellaria had the last shift of the night and walked over to her. ¡°Ellaria?¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord?¡± ¡°I''d like to take you up on your offer of letting me find out what you do with your wings in bed.¡± Ren said. He felt her happiness that he chose her, then he felt envy and some hatred from the others. ¡°It''s only for that purpose. No sex will be involved whatsoever.¡± He explained. ¡°You can see through the arrow slits for yourselves to make sure.¡± That seemed to calm them down and gave a few of them a burst of pleasure, and Ren walked over to his Instant Tower with Ellaria right behind him. He dismissed his Phantom Steed as he passed by it, then opened the door of the tower for her. She folded her wings down and stepped inside, and he went in and the door shut behind them. ¡°What is all this?¡± Ellaria asked as she saw the 4 businesses he had inside. ¡°A tailor shop, blacksmith shop, a woodworking shop, and a kitchen.¡± Ren said. ¡°You carry all of this with you?¡± ¡°It''s a recent development.¡± Ren said. ¡°It could have come in handy a few times if I''d had it before, though.¡± ¡°I''d ask you to tell me about it, but I honestly don''t care.¡± Ellaria said and he felt she really didn''t, and Ren laughed. ¡°I''d ask you why you don''t, but I''m pretty sure I know why.¡± ¡°Adventurers don''t last long once we get our claws in them.¡± Ellaria said and smiled. ¡°They disappear and leave some things when we suck them dry, then eventually come back and try to reclaim their things.¡± ¡°Murdrasu took care of them the second time.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°After losing more things, they usually don''t come back.¡± Ellaria said. ¡°Who has time to talk during all of that?¡± Ren nodded, because that was what he assumed. Idle conversation was not a priority for them. He pointed to the stairs, and Ellaria walked over to it. Her tail swished back and forth with her hips, and with just bikini bottoms on, it was like a windshield wiper on a window, that kept revealing a shapely backside each time it passed. Her long wavy black hair almost touched her tailbone. ¡°You''re staring at my ass, aren''t you?¡± Ellaria asked as she started to climb the stairs. ¡°That and your tail.¡± Ren said and sent her a taste of appreciation. ¡°They are both very nice.¡± Ellaria laughed that confident and sexy woman laugh. ¡°Shall I swing my hips more?¡± ¡°Please don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''ll block seeing the best part.¡± Ellaria stopped walking near the top of the stairs and looked back at him. ¡°You''re quite honest.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°You asked.¡± Ellaria chuckled and walked up the rest of the way and over to the bed. She sat down on it and held her wings out behind her. ¡°That''s what I''m talking about.¡± Ren said as he approached the bed and pointed to her wings. ¡°How can you sleep with them like that?¡± Ellaria folded them up behind her, just like she did to come in through the door, and laid back on them. It kind of looked like she was laying on a blanket. ¡°That doesn''t look comfortable at all.¡± Ren said and Ellaria sat back up. ¡°It actually is a bit uncomfortable, since all of our weight rests on the weakest parts of the wings. They tend to lose feeling after a while if you aren''t careful.¡± Ellaria said and unfolded them. She stood up and turned around, then crawled seductively onto the bed and gave Ren an even better view of her backside. She laid down on her side in the right side of the bed and folded her wings in again. ¡°Can I take a closer look?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. He walked over to the right side of the bed and knelt. He could feel she was a bit nervous with him behind her. ¡°Do you mind if I touch them?¡± ¡°No, go ahead.¡± Ren thought about touching her right away, and instead did something else. ¡°Identify.¡±
Succubus (Ellaria - Level 12)
This female winged creature is summoned from the void to tempt and tease Adventurers. Succubi are not warriors and will flee combat if given a choice. They can fight when necessary and will use their clawed hands and feet to damage their prey. They prefer to turn foes against one another, and will use their Polymorph shape change ability to take on the guise of a humanoid and can keep the ruse up indefinitely. Warning: They will feign friendship to create an opportunity to be alone with Adventurers to apply their life-draining kiss. They will even become a damsel in distress to lure in unsuspecting Adventurers. Inherent Abilities: Life Draining Kiss, Flight, Sustained Flight, Hover, Corruption, Emotion Siphon (Specialized), Lure, Enticement Permanent Conditions: Corrupted, Constant Arousal
I guess I won''t be making them into a fully armored vanguard of troops. Ren thought in amusement, then saw the problem succubi would cause him and concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°I forbid you all from using your Life Draining ability on me.¡± Ellaria hissed and tried to turn around to attack automatically, and Ren put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. ¡°I wouldn''t have used that!¡± She almost yelled. Ren could see the corruption dripping from her fingernails, and he could feel that she was lying. ¡°Ellaria...¡± ¡°I like you!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°I can feel that you do...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°...and you can feel that I''m not being mean or malicious.¡± Ellaria made an awkward fist with her hand. ¡°Yes, I know you are only protecting yourself.¡± She said. ¡°I wanted you to trust me.¡± Ren chuckled, and she looked back at him. ¡°Do I look stupid?¡± Ellaria opened her mouth to comment, then closed it and turned away from him. ¡°No.¡± With direct skin contact, Ren could feel the swirling emotions within her. She was upset with him, sad that he didn''t trust her, and angry that she wasn''t going to drain him even though she was going to have the perfect opportunity to do so. Ren moved the hand from her arm''s shoulder to the shoulder joint for the wing on her back. He traced it with his fingertips to try and figure out how it worked. He used his other hand to move it a little, and in his head he recreated the bone structure as he used his hands to feel along the wing. ¡°Can you unfurl just the end for me?¡± Ren asked. Ellaria didn''t say anything and opened just the end of her wing, and Ren used his fingers to touch the thin membrane between two of the long wing bones. He caressed it to feel how much tension it had and how thick it was. He could feel her becoming aroused from his gentle touch, despite her anger at him, and he gave her his fascination at her and her body, and the wonder he felt for her as he kept touching her skin. ¡°P-please...¡± Ellaria said. ¡°You want it, even though you''re angry at me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Y-yes.¡± Ren remembered the pleasure Jennifer, the dancer at the Pleasure Palace had felt, and gave that to Ellaria. ¡°Ooohhhh!¡± Ellaria moaned and closed her eyes. Ren could feel how much she liked it, and then she pulled the wing away from his touch, unfurled it completely, then covered herself from head to ankle with it like a blanket. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren asked and moved her hair aside to touch the back of her neck. He felt a burst of pleasure from her and used his ability to absorb some of it. He thought about what she was doing under her wing to give herself so much pleasure, and he removed his hand.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Keep... keep touching...¡± Ellaria breathed, and he put his hand back. She gasped as his ability touched her again, and she finished. ¡°AhhH!¡± A wave of pleasure came from her, and Ren let it wash over him. He took some of it so he could store it for later and duplicate it; but, he let her keep most of it for herself. He gave her a thankful feeling, and he could feel her amusement as she pulled her wing up and folded it back into place behind her. ¡°I really need to sleep.¡± Ren said and yawned, and Ellaria nodded and started to get up. ¡°You can stay.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren climbed onto the left side of the bed and laid down. ¡°Just don''t poke me with your corruption poison.¡± He said and took a deep breath. ¡°I''m already at 60%, and I''ll get sick and die when it reaches 100%.¡± ¡°W-will you come back afterwards?¡± Ellaria asked and laid back on her side with her wings folded behind her. ¡°The next day.¡± Ren said. ¡°N-no, I mean to us.¡± ¡°If my Instant Tower is deployed I''ll come back right here; but, I don''t know where I''ll end up if it''s not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll make my way back to you if that happens, though.¡± ¡°You will?¡± Ellaria asked. Ren nodded. ¡°We''re getting out of here together.¡± Ellaria held her clawed hand in front of his face. The claws receded, which took the corruption poison with them, and her fingers shrank back to normal human-sized fingers. She put the normal hand on his chest, and even with the armor bodysuit on, he could feel it''s warmth. He lifted an arm for her, and she looked at him, then smiled slyly as she snuggled in and rested her head on his chest. He put an arm over her shoulders, and drifted off to sleep. * Ellaria waited until Ren''s breath evened out and he was asleep. She used her Polymorph ability to change her hands back to their original shape and the corruption poison welled up on her claws. She reached towards his throat and thought about injecting him with enough poison to kill him. Teepo flew down and landed by Ren''s ear to warn him, and then she pulled her hand away, polymorphed it to look normal, then sighed and cuddled with him instead. Her wing unfolded and covered them from the neck down like a blanket; then she drifted off to sleep, too. ******** ¡°I think I''ll head home.¡± Elise said and stood up to stretch. ¡°I''m tempted to stay and sleep here, though.¡± ¡°Did you bring any clothes to change into?¡± Barbara asked, and she nodded. ¡°I stashed a suitcase in the cargo area of my Hummer.¡± Elise said. ¡°Just in case.¡± ¡°Then go grab it and stick around.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Ren will like having you here in the morning.¡± Elise left and retrieved her suitcase, then came back into the room. ¡°I''ll have a quick shower and change.¡± Barbara watched Ren sleeping in the game and kept an eye on his physical form as well. She was used to keeping her attention split and herself entertained during the long nights. She kind of missed the old days in the hospital when the other nurses would come in and keep her company, and then she thought about how things were turning out for Ren. She realized that he would tell her not to think about what could have have happened if things were different. I''ll just think about what we can do from now on. Barbara thought and smiled. Elise came out of the bathroom wearing an oversized t-shirt, and she climbed up onto the bed after she put her suitcase beside it. She laid down beside Ren and put a hand on his chest to feel his heart and listened to his breathing. ¡°He''s really something special.¡± Elise said. ¡°It makes me wonder sometimes if he''s real.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°I hope he is! I could never afford to live in someone else''s guest house!¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°I never thought I would ever find someone like him.¡± She said and touched his cheek. ¡°I know I won''t ever find anyone else like him.¡± ¡°That''s for sure.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Now lay back and get some sleep.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll wake you if something happens.¡± ¡°You mean in real life and not in the game, right?¡± Elise asked, and Barbara nodded. She relaxed and closed her eyes, and put her hand back on Ren''s chest. ¡°Goodnight.¡± She whispered, and slowly drifted off to sleep. The poor girl is exhausted. Barbara thought. She''s been running herself ragged these last few days, and it''s all for Ren. She smiled. She''s just as devoted to him as we are. ******** Ren woke up on his own, and took a deep breath. He could feel the succubus on his chest and he could also feel that she was basking in his strong emotions. Even asleep, her ability was still working to a degree. Hey, Teepo. Ren thought and opened his eyes to see that he was covered with a wing. Did anything happen? ¡°Only that one thinking about ripping out your throat.¡± Teepo said right by his ear. ¡°She didn''t, though.¡± Thanks for keeping a really close eye on me. ¡°I promised to take better care of you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''d have yelled as soon as she tried to attack.¡± Ren gave Ellaria''s shoulder a squeeze, and she started to stir. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ellaria sighed and opened her eyes. ¡°Can''t we pretend for a few minutes more?¡± She asked and caressed his chest. ¡°I''ve got a few things to do before we can head out.¡± Ren said, and when her hand moved down to his abdomen, he quickly grabbed it and held on. Ellaria chuckled and looked down at the bulge she had almost grabbed. ¡°Maybe next time.¡± Ellaria said and then rolled up and on top of him. ¡°Hey, what...¡± ¡°I''m getting up.¡± Ellaria said and straddled his waist, and closed her eyes as she could feel him even through her bikini bottoms. ¡°Just... damn, my wing...¡± Ren felt a shock of pain from her as she unfurled the wing that had been held in for too long. ¡°You stayed on the one side just for me.¡± Ellaria nodded and sat back as she braced herself with one hand on his chest, and he held the other. That move just happened to put all of her weight on his waist, and she inhaled through her nose at the feeling. ¡°I wasn''t going to give up cuddling with you, just to switch sides.¡± Ellaria opened both wings to their fullest extent, and Ren stared at her. She felt his wonder at her, and his innocence, and she was so tempted to take advantage of it. Ren felt her feelings turn to naughtiness, even more than they were at the moment, and he smiled. ¡°You''re taking your time.¡± Ren said and let her hand go, so she put that hand on his chest and pulled in both wings all the way and then extended them again. He watched the movement, quite fascinated, and she laughed. ¡°I could ravage you right now.¡± Ellaria said seductively and leaned forward, which rubbed herself on him. Ren put his hands on her hips and lifted. ¡°Eep!¡± She squealed a little bit as Ren sat up. He stood up and walked off of the bed and held her easily, and he felt her shock that he could do that. ¡°You can only go as far as I''ll let you.¡± Ren said and smiled as he put her down. Ellaria stepped close and put her arms around him. ¡°And exactly how far will you let me go?¡± ¡°You already reached it.¡± Ren said to her, and he felt her surprise. ¡°You even pleased yourself in my bed and didn''t ask if I wanted to help.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ellaria said, shocked. ¡°I might have gone a bit further, since my girlfriend trusts me not to take things too far; but, you jumped ahead and used up a good opportunity.¡± Ellaria let him out of the hug and sighed. ¡°You would have helped.¡± She said sadly. ¡°Possibly.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know for sure.¡± ¡°But... before... you said that...¡± ¡°Right. No sex.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t say ''no touching''.¡± Ellaria''s mouth dropped open, because she never thought about that possibility; and Ren felt her emotions deflate. ¡°I messed up.¡± Ellaria said. ¡°I could have... we could have... and now...¡± ¡°I''ll be more... cautious... in the future.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Thank you for keeping me company.¡± Ellaria sighed and her wings dropped down. ¡°I think it''s time for my shift.¡± ¡°Not for another 2 hours.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You woke up early.¡± ¡°Not for another 2 hours, but I''ll take you back to the others.¡± Ren said and took her hand. He started to walk across the room and down the stairs, and he gave her his thanks and appreciation. She took some of it, but she was a bit too depressed about what could have happened to enjoy them. He took her outside and over to the other tower and stopped in front of the door. ¡°Can you kneel for me?¡± Ren asked, and she did. ¡°Please don''t be sad.¡± ¡°But... I... we...¡± Ren put his arms around her neck and deftly avoided hitting her wings. He put his lips by her ear to whisper. ¡°You were still the first one I invited to bed.¡± He breathed, and she shivered from the intimacy. ¡°We cuddled, we shared feelings, and we both had a nice enjoyable sleep in each other''s company.¡± Ren gave her a kiss on the cheek and gave her a feeling of enjoyment and thanks. She took his feelings this time and let her ability savor it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. Ellaria didn''t know what to say to his genuine feelings, and just stared at him as he let her go. ¡°See you soon.¡± Ren said and walked back over to his tower and went inside. ¡°I think you surprised her.¡± Teepo said. I think so, too. Ren thought and went over to his forge. He started making basic bracers, 40 of them, and added more ore to the smelter when he needed to. While he waited for it to simmer, he enchanted 1 gold coin diamonds with a glyph of 5 Speed runes, others with Protection, and more with Warding. When he had enough done for all 40 bracers, he opened a recipe for armored boots, and cut the foot off of it. He made 40 of those, then enchanted more diamonds. When he was done, he activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and used the amputated boots to make 20 pairs of Boots of Striding and Leaping. He used his Gem Setting ability to recess 2 diamonds into the metal to increase the Speed, 2 for Protection, and 2 for Warding; which completed the 6 gems a single item could hold. Ren used Double Infusion to make the items binding upon equip and part of a set, then thought about the bracers. He opened the recipe for the Bracelet of Major Displacement.
Bracelet of Major Displacement
Although it appears to be a normal bracelet, upon command its magical properties distort and warp light and sound. This displacement works just like the Displacement spell and lasts for a total of 300 minutes; which the wearer can divide up as they see fit.
Ren made a bracelet and used Retain Essence, then added 50 runes of Time to increase the time limit to 550 minutes, just because he could, then put the enchantment on a bracer. He used Double Infusion again to make them binding and part of a set. He did this for 20 of them, then added the small diamonds of Speed, Protection, and Warding. When they were done, he opened the Amulet of Natural Armor recipe.
Amulet of Natural Armor (Wondrous Item)
This amulet grants the wearer a natural armor bonus, and protects the wearer as if they were wearing heavy armor. This does not cause the wearer to suffer heavy armor penalties, however. This cannot be used with actual armor, and the bonuses and protection are lost if armor is equipped.
Ren made an amulet then used Retain Essence to store it, then replaced the restriction of not being worn with armor with 5 glyphs of 10 runes each for Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Vitality and Endurance. He put that on the 20 other bracers, then made an Amulet of the Spider. He used Retain Essence and then modified it to be binding and part of a set, then used Double Infusion to add it to the Bracers of Natural Armor. He used his Gem Setting skill to add the small diamonds enchanted with Speed, Protection, and Warding to complete them. When Ren was done, he had sets of modified boots that the succubi could wear with their odd-shaped feet, and gauntlets that could be worn with their odd-sized hands and fingers. When worn together, they would get +90% to their Speed, +80% Defense to Armor and counted as having heavy armor on, and had +80% to Concealment. They would also generate a copy of themselves 5 feet away when they wanted to for up to 550 minutes, or just over 9 hours, thanks to the Displacement enchantment, and had +10 to 5 of their important stats and +2 to all of their stats for a complete set. They could also stick to things like a spider and had an inherent Web spell they could cast every hour. With a bit more modification, these will work for Lara as well. Ren thought and started to refill the smelter when Teepo told him it was morning. That was a quick 4 hours. He smiled. Time to go. Chapter 418 - Lets Go This Way Ren walked out of the tower and looked to make sure none of the succubi were on it, spoke the command word to deactivate it, then stored the 2 inch wide cube. ¡°Is anyone hungry?¡± Ren asked, and was immediately surrounded by all 20 succubi. ¡°I''ll take that as a yes.¡± He said and chuckled. ¡°Emotions or actual food first?¡± ¡°FOOD!¡± They said together. ¡°Do you want it warmed up or-¡± ¡°Just hand it over!¡± One of them said and cut him off. ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Ren said and took out his large icebox, then started to hand out plates of food. ¡°Wh-what is this?¡± Zunala asked as she took a plate. She had expected the crate of dretch legs for them to eat from. ¡°It''s food.¡± Ren said, and he could feel the disbelief from them. ¡°Look.¡± He said and took a plate out for himself and stored the icebox, then ate a bit of food. ¡°See? You can eat it.¡± ¡°I can eat dirt, but that doesn''t mean it''s food.¡± One of them said, and Ren laughed. ¡°I think I''d rather just eat the raw legs of the dretches.¡± Another one said. ¡°Just try it.¡± Ren said. Wynphine picked up a small piece of meat from her plate, then put it in her mouth. She started to chew, then her eyes lit up. ¡°That''s so good!¡± She said and grabbed a handful of food and shoved it into her mouth. All the other succubi did the same thing because they could feel that she really liked it and wanted the same experience. The plates were empty barely a minute later, and Ren gathered them up to store and clean them. ¡°How many times a day do you eat?¡± Ren asked. ¡°A... a day?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Is he serious?¡± ¡°He eats a meal like that every day?¡± ¡°That''s crazy!¡± Ren looked at their startled faces. ¡°You... don''t eat every day?¡± They all shook their heads, and he felt a strong pang of sorrow. The succubi all took in a quick breath when they felt it. Ren concentrated on protectiveness, then went to each one and gave them a brief hug so they would feel a direct dose. Some of them couldn''t believe it, and some of them almost melted in his arms and held on a little longer than the others. ¡°I promise that you won''t go hungry ever again.¡± Ren said after he had hugged them all. ¡°Please, get ready to feed your abilities.¡± Zunala came forward and knelt in front of him, and the others touched her. Ren looked at Ellaria and Wynphine, and they ducked their heads a little. ¡°It was a bit too much when we touched you directly.¡± Ellaria admitted. ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said and smiled crookedly. ¡°I''m hard to handle sometimes.¡± Several of the succubi chuckled, and Ellaria was a little embarrassed. Ren remembered the last time he was with Donna, the cook in the mansion, and built that up for them. ¡°It... it''s different.¡± Zunala said, surprised. Ren touched the sides of her face to establish a connection. ¡°I can share what I''ve shared before if you prefer that.¡± They all shook their heads. ¡°New is good.¡± Seldanna said, and held her sister''s hand tightly. ¡°Then brace yourselves.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I know your limits now.¡± ¡°Oh... oh, god!¡± Zunala said when she realized he was going to pour it all into her first. ¡°I''m not ready!¡± ¡°Liar.¡± Ren said and put his forehead on hers. ¡°You want this more than the others and are just too afraid to admit it.¡± Zunala didn''t say anything as she stared at him; but since they were all touching, everyone knew that was exactly how she felt. Ren opened up the reservoir and they all gasped as each of them got exactly what they wanted as quickly as possible. The feeding was over barely 2 minutes later, and when they all let go, their eyes held the glow for several seconds. He poured the last of the reservoir into Zunala, and let her go. Ren took out 20 strong rings of storage and used his Craft Wondrous Item ability to make them modified Rings of Sustenance, with the 1 hour sleep gets you 8 hours of rest, and only a 1 day attunement requirement. ¡°This will only keep you from food starvation, not emotional starvation.¡± Ren said and gave them each a ring. ¡°It doesn''t kick in until tomorrow at this time, though.¡± ¡°When does yours ''kick in'', as you say?¡± One of them said. ¡°This evening.¡± Ren said. ¡°Until then, we have to eat normally.¡± ¡°Does that mean we can''t eat normally after that?¡± Another asked. ¡°No, you can still eat and enjoy food. All this does is give you life-sustaining nourishment, and keeps your Health from dropping when you don''t eat.¡± ¡°So, if we eat more than that, will our Health increase?¡± Ren thought about what she said. ¡°Um... how many of you are not at full Health?¡± They all raised their hands except for Miastina, who he had fully healed after she had crashed into the tower and fell to the ground. ¡°I''m sorry for not checking before.¡± Ren said and went to each of them and used a Major Healing wand to fill them up. ¡°Now that I have you all here, I have presents for you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Several of them said. ¡°I was worried about keeping you all safe, so I made up some things to help.¡± Ren said and took out a pair of boots that didn''t have feet on them. ¡°I knew it wouldn''t be comfortable for you to wear normal boots all the time, so I changed them for you.¡± He smiled. ¡°I guess they are technically greaves, but they''re really just footless boots.¡± ¡°You... made us special boots?¡± ¡°I also made you gauntlets without hands.¡± Ren chuckled as he took a set out. ¡°I guess you could call them bracers, even though they''re a solid metal and not something you strap on.¡± ¡°You... why...¡± ¡°I told you. I was worried about your safety. So, if anything happens and you don''t want to fight, these will help you get out of the line of fire.¡± Ren gave the first set of footless boots and bracers to Seldanna, and she didn''t know what to do with them. ¡°Just store them in your ring, then choose them to equip.¡± Ren said. Seldanna stored them and then equipped them. The bright steel and small diamond covered items appeared around her calves and her forearms, and she gasped as their enchantments took effect. ¡°I''ll explain how to use the Displacement enchantment as I hand the rest out.¡± Ren said and walked around to each of them and gave them a set, then explained about the Displacement ability and that it creates a duplicate of them and they disappear; then told them about being able to stick to walls like a spider. Right away, several of them ran over to their Instant Tower and climbed up it easily. ¡°I didn''t have to use my claws even once!¡± One of them exclaimed. Ren felt how happy they were, and then the rest of them ran over to the tower and quickly climbed up. Once they were all on the top, they unfurled their wings and jumped at the same time. They gently floated down to land all around him and folded their wings up. ¡°That was... beautiful.¡± Ren said to them, and they felt his appreciation. ¡°Thank you for the gifts.¡± One of them said. ¡°You have made us formidable.¡± Ren turned to say they were welcome and he got a kiss instead. Of course, the others couldn''t let that stand, especially when they felt his surprise, and each of them kissed him. Since the succubi were almost identical, except for the color and style of their hair, it was like he had a complete make-out session with only a single succubus.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Um... I''d like to repair your clothing, if it''s not too much trouble.¡± Ren said when he recovered from getting a kiss from so many women. Even for him, that was a new experience. ¡°I gave Seldanna and Wynphine an extra outfit, but I ran out of time to make any more.¡± ¡°We saw that outfit.¡± Wynphine said. ¡°You also left us 12 more bras and bikini underwear in the chest.¡± ¡°Did you try on the outfit?¡± ¡°No.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°It looks uncomfortable.¡± ¡°If you don''t want it, you don''t have to keep it.¡± ¡°How do you put it on again?¡± Wynphine asked. ¡°You can equip it just like the footless boots and handless gauntlets, assuming you kept it in the ring and didn''t put it in the chest.¡± Wynphine equipped the pants and blouse that had been modified to fit over her wings and tail, and she turned around to let everyone see. She flapped her wings and swished her tail, then bent her knees and elbows. None of her movements were impeded. ¡°It fits; but, Seldanna is right. It''s uncomfortable.¡± ¡°Is it the fabric, or just that you''re not used to wearing full clothes?¡± ¡°Having my skin completely covered bothers me.¡± Wynphine said. ¡°I can''t feel the air around me like this.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I won''t bother to make any more full outfits for you, if that''s the case.¡± He said. ¡°If it limits you, then it''s not good for you to wear.¡± Wynphine and Seldanna handed over the two outfits he had made for them and he stored them. ¡°Is everyone ready to head out? We''ve got a lot of ground to cover to get to the next level.¡± The succubi agreed, and Ren went to store their Instant Tower... and it didn''t work. ¡°Hm.¡± Ren went inside and looked around, with the succubi behind him. All he saw were beds, so he stored them and didn''t see anything else. He put the beds back and went up the stairs and didn''t see anything. When he went to store the beds, he did 6 of the 10 and then found one that he couldn''t store. ¡°I think this is the culprit.¡± Ren said and lifted the blanket to reveal a dretch. ¡°I hope you''re not mad.¡± One of the succubi said as she came forward and picked the dretch up. ¡°Nozac won''t cause any trouble.¡± ¡°I told you to leave that thing back in the dungeon.¡± One of the others said. ¡°I''ve had it since I came here.¡± She said and hugged it close. ¡°I''m not leaving him!¡± ¡°You can take it with you.¡± Ren said and sewed up a small harness and bag for it to be carried in. ¡°Just put it in here when we''re travelling so you don''t lose it.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The succubus said and equipped the harness. The bag hung in front of her abdomen and she put the dretch inside. ¡°Do you like that, Nozac? You can stay with me all the time now!¡± ¡°Great, now she''s going to be talking to it all the damn time.¡± One of them said, and several of them laughed. Ren put the beds back and they left the Instant Tower. He deactivated and stored it, cast Phantom Steed for himself with his Level 5 Wand of Transport, then equipped his full armor set. He cast Widen Effect to make the steed last 7.5 hours, and mounted it''s saddle. Ren used the All-Seeing Mirror to check the level, and marked where the closest enemy was. He looked at it, and saw it was an Ogre. ¡°First up is an ogre.¡± Ren said. ¡°It should be a piece of cake.¡± A strong ripple of shock went through the succubi, and several of them started to shake. ¡°You''re not fighting it, I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°W-we k-know.¡± Ellaria said. ¡°We''re afraid for you.¡± ¡°Don''t be.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°My mount could take it by herself if she were here.¡± He said and pat the one he was on. ¡°This one won''t have any trouble with it, either.¡± The Phantom Steed huffed, and a pile of insubstantial smoke like it''s hooves and mane came out. Ren took out his hammerpick and changed the enchantment to Earth, and smiled as the newly reformed drill bits started churning while it waited for it''s next sacrifice. ¡°Follow me!¡± Ren said, and the Phantom Steed took off at it''s increased speed. ¡°W-wait for us!¡± Zunala said and flew after Ren, and she surprised herself with how much faster she was. ¡°WhoahhH!¡± ¡°Let''s go, everyone!¡± Wynphine said, and they all flew at their new top speed to catch up to Ren. * Lara, the Sage of Ages, was in a bit of a weird situation. For some reason, even though she had laid down as far away from the other maids as she could the night before, mainly because she knew what was going to happen, she was now on the bottom of the pile they had made. It really did happen like magic, just like Ren told me. I''m so glad I asked them to wear nightgowns. Lara thought in amusement. I was going to stay in the spare room; but, they wanted me to stay as close as possible in case Ren messaged me. Lara wasn''t sure what she should do, then decided that it didn''t matter what she did. It would all have the same result; so, she took a deep breath and spoke normally. ¡°Good morning.¡± Lara said, and the maids stirred immediately. They sorted themselves out and sat up around her. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Frikara said. ¡°It''s just...¡± ¡°I know I''m a Ren substitute.¡± Lara said and smiled. ¡°I figured it might happen.¡± ¡°He really does tell you all about us.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Ren decided that he wasn''t going to hide anything from us.¡± Lara said, then the bedroom door burst open. ¡°Did he contact you yet?!?¡± Anabelle asked, a little frantically. ¡°No, he hasn''t.¡± Lara said, and Anabelle sighed dramatically and sat down next to the bed. ¡°Don''t worry about him. He can take care of himself.¡± ¡°I know that.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I just miss him.¡± ¡°We all do.¡± Frikara said and looked at Lara. She nodded and held a hand out, and all the maids joined hands and sighed. * Ren rode the Phantom Steed down a tunnel and came out into a small cavern. It was a den of sorts with piles of bones, cloth, and treasure. There were no enchantments or traps in the place, and he saw the ogre was asleep in the middle of a pile of clothes. He had a half-eaten severed leg in his hand, with armor pieces that looked like they had been peeled off scattered around him. Ren hopped off his mount and ran over to the ogre. He let his anger well up like Barbara had told him to, said a prayer to the Spirit of Earth to accept his offering of another life, then hefted the hammerpick over his head and brought it down on the ogre''s face. The ogre didn''t feel a thing as it was stunned from the hit, then had it''s head crushed and mulched an instant later. Blood sprayed out from the neck, and when Ren lifted the hammerpick, his anger subsided and he saw there was just a puddle that was once the head. ¡°Once again, that was both disgusting and cool.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°You killed it!¡± Zunala said as she landed beside him. ¡°You really did it!¡± There was a general cheer as the rest of the succubi landed around him, and several of them hugged each other. Ren looted the ogre and gained the half-eaten severed leg, a half-crushed helm with a skull still in it, and a large wooden club as tall as him. ¡°Garbage!¡± Ren said and took out the club from inventory and crushed it, then kicked the splinters away. He took out the severed leg and tossed it aside and tried not to think about who it might have belonged to, then took out the helm and repaired it so the skull could be taken out of it.
Helm of Foolishness
This helm has been imbued with the essence of the Fool. The wearer gains the Entertainer (Intermediate) skill and can use the Disguise Self spell for free (for 1 hour per day) while the helm is worn. If the wearer already has this skill, it bumps to the next available stage instead. Use of the helm causes Distraction to those within sight, and they cannot take their eyes off of the wearer. Please note: It cannot be used to max out a skill and is limited to boosting up to Expert only, and it cannot be used against creatures or people who are Stupid.
Ren got the recipe for it and reached inside the helm to remove the skull. When his right hand touched it, it sent a sharp pain into his hand and a tingle went up his arm. His mouth dropped open as the spirit of a knight appeared in front of him. ¡°You have slain that which has slain me.¡± The ghostly knight said. ¡°Thank you, Adventurer.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is there... ah... anything I can do for you?¡± ¡°Find my friends.¡± The ghost knight said. ¡°Gather them together once more.¡±
New Optional Quest!
You have been tasked with gathering the remains of the Lost Knights. If you gather the entire group, an appropriate bonus will be granted. Rewards for completion: Bonus XP, +10% Light affinity
¡°I''ll do my best to try and find them for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°No, for I am being called home now.¡± He said and a bright light appeared behind him. It almost looked like a portal, and Ren wondered where a spirit portal would go. ¡°Before you ask, you have my permission to raise my remains. It will serve you well, if equipped properly.¡± ¡°Um... thanks.¡± Ren said, and then the spirit waved, turned around and stepped into the portal.
Notice!
Your unlocked (HIDDEN) skill has been revealed: Undead Adept Level 1 (Beginner 0%). You have an affinity for the undead in any of it''s forms. You can feel and see them within your Aura, and if you concentrate, can Command friendly undead with simple instructions. Higher levels will allow more undead to be controlled. Current Limit: 5 undead
¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± One of the succubi asked. ¡°The spirit of a knight.¡± Ren said. All the succubi took a step back from him, and he felt their fear and worry. ¡°I''m not losing my mind, if that''s what you''re worried about.¡± Ren said and pulled the skull out of the helm. ¡°I''ve got the Undead Adept skill.¡± Their fear and worry increased, and he chuckled as he stored the helm. Ren held the skull up and thought about what the ghost knight had said. He gave me permission to raise his remains. Ren thought. How would I do that? ¡°That must be your hidden spell!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Raise Dead!¡± No way. Ren thought. How would I get that? He closed his eyes and thought about it. I had my Ghoul Kissed mark when I leveled up. It must have changed what I should have gotten and gave me these hidden things instead. ¡°You might as well try it.¡± Teepo said. How can I use a spell I don''t know? Ren asked. ¡°You have it, it''s just not giving you the name.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You know what it does, right? Raises the dead? Just infuse some Mana into the skull and raise it.¡± It can''t be that simple. Ren thought. Can it? ¡°Give it a shot and see.¡± Teepo said. ¡°At the very least it should tell you if that''s the spell or not.¡± Ren nodded and held the skull up with both hands as he poured Mana into it. Raise Dead. He thought, and the skull started to glow. The pile of clothes the ogre had laid on shifted a little, and a ribcage with the neck bones still attached rolled out and floated up to attach to the skull. ¡°Ahh!¡± A succubus screamed a little when an arm bone flew past her and attached itself to the shoulder. The severed leg Ren had tossed aside split open and the leg bones lifted up and hung in the right place, then the rest of the skeleton materialized in front of him. I guess the other bones were... ah... not around anymore. Ren thought as the glow of the skull faded and reappeared in the skeleton''s eyes.
Notice!
Your unlocked (HIDDEN) spell has been revealed: Raise Dead. This spell can reanimate or regenerate the dead (either skeletons or zombies). Undead raised in this manner last for 20 minutes per caster or wand level. Level 1: Limit 5 undead
¡°Cool.¡± Ren said and smiled. Chapter 419 - Ren Smash! Ren was surprised when he received another popup.
Notice!
Your unlocked (HIDDEN) recipe has been revealed: Staff of Necromancy.
¡°Show info for Staff of Necromancy.¡± Ren said automatically.
Staff of Necromancy (Unique - Binds On Equip)
This skull and bone staff is topped with a black onyx stone that gleams with smouldering power that is grasped by a skeleton''s hand. It allows the continuous use of the Level 5 spells contained within: Raise Dead - Can raise 25 undead (skeleton warriors or zombies) to do your bidding Drain Life - absorbs Health from living creatures or adds Mana to undead creatures Ghoul Lure - creates a beacon that attracts ghouls Fatigue - causes Stamina loss and eventually severe exhaustion Circle of Death - can instantly kill anything of lower level than the caster Similar to Rods, it does not contain charges, but a time limit for usage. Current time limit: 600 minutes (10 hours). When the last of the time has been used, the magic will be expended and the staff will become inert. The staff has Aura: Fear (50 feet) and merges with caster''s Aura (if available). Cast Distance: Within caster''s Aura Area of Effect: Caster''s Aura Cast Time: Various, dependent on spell chosen
¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren said and dismissed the popup. I am never making that staff! ¡°I agree.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Drain Life and Circle of Death are not good spells.¡± Ren took several deep breaths, then looked at the skeleton that stood in front of him. He wanted to know what he could find out about it, and to try and distract himself from that staff recipe. ¡°Identify.¡±
Skeleton Knight (Bound Undead - Level 60)
This unparalleled creature will fight continuously for you and will never become exhausted. It cannot be poisoned or suffer any ailments or conditions. Uses Mana to repair itself. Warning: Bludgeoning attacks will disable and destroy this creature easily.
Health N/A Mana 1000
Strength 150 Dexterity 60
Vitality N/A Agility 60
Endurance N/A Intelligence 60
Luck N/A Wisdom 60
¡°You have stats.¡± Ren said. The skeleton looked down at him and spoke without opening it''s mouth. ¡°Your command?¡± ¡°Tell me how long you last.¡± Ren said. ¡°Until I run out of Mana or too damaged to repair.¡± This skeleton knight bypasses the Raise Dead spell''s time limit. Ren thought, once again surprised. ¡°Can I extend how long you last?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Add a Mana source or keep me from suffering damage.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you find the other Lost Knights?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡° I guess that was too much to ask for.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren chuckled at it''s frankness. ¡°Do I need to armor you up right now, or can it wait?¡± ¡°As long as my skull can be recovered, I can be regenerated.¡± It said. ¡°That''s really good to know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t make any armor for you until we stop at a safe zone.¡± ¡°My Lord?¡± One of the succubi said and Ren turned to look at her. ¡°We have gathered the loot for you.¡± In the arms of the succubi were piles of weapons, broken armor pieces, gold and jewellery. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and took the jewels, weapons, and armor pieces. ¡°You can divide the gold among yourselves.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You can have it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless you found shadow markers. Those I want.¡± One of the succubi came forward and she passed Ren 6 of them. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t fight over the gold, okay? There should be enough for you all to get a share.¡± Some of them nodded, and when he turned back to the skeleton, he heard wings flap and several grunts and punches. I don''t want to look, do I Teepo? ¡°Nope.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They''re not fighting.¡± He chittered in laughter. ¡°Not at all.¡± One of them yelled when another pulled her hair, and Ren sighed. He took out the weapons and repaired them, checked them for enchantments, and when he held up a sword enchanted with Light, the skeleton covered it''s face. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and stored it. ¡°Do you want a sword?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren held out 3 of them and it took one, then it waited for Ren to repair the armor pieces. ¡°Well, it''s not a full set of armor.¡± He said and handed over a chest piece, a helm, and boots. ¡°Like I said, I''ll make a proper suit for you when we take a break.¡± The skeleton knight didn''t say anything as it tried to put the pieces on. ¡°Oh, right.¡± Ren said and gave it a Strong Ring of Storage. ¡°Just equip the items, and they''ll resize to fit you.¡± The skeleton did so and the armor pieces shrunk to fit, and then Ren handed him a Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic, which gave the skeleton knight + 105 to both it''s Intelligence and Wisdom stats, increased it''s Mana by 10,200 points, and gave it a Mana Production bonus of 1020%. You couldn''t see a smile on the skeleton''s face; but he thought he could feel that it would be there if it had any flesh to show it. ¡°I think you''re ready now.¡± Ren said and turned around to see all the succubi were dishevelled but were in high spirits, because he could feel how happy they were. Some of them had their bras torn off, some had lost their bikini underwear, and most were covered in scratches and cuts. He took out a Minor Healing wand and went to each of them to heal their wounds. He also took a few moments to repair or replace what they wore, then climbed up onto his Phantom Steed. The skeleton had followed him, and Ren took out the Wand of Transport. He cast a Phantom Steed for the skeleton to ride, and the horse-like creature looked like it had starved, died, and had been in the sun for years. The skeleton climbed up onto it and waited. ¡°Everyone ready?¡± Ren asked as he checked the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Next stop: the Gnoll Grounds!¡± ¡°I''ve been dying to get those bastards back!¡± One of the succubi said. ¡°No one summons me and tosses me away!¡± ¡°Stupid hyena men! They think they are so much better than us!¡± Another said. ¡°Yeah! Let''s kick their asses!¡± Seldanna said and grinned. ¡°Then activate your Displacement enchantments!¡± Ren said, then smiled as the entire group of 20 succubi disappeared and reappeared 5 feet away. ¡°They''ll never know what hit them!¡± Someone exclaimed. The succubi cheered and lifted up into the air as one. Ren activated his own Displacement enchantment, and to his surprise, both he and the Phantom Steed disappeared and reappeared 5 feet away. He let his own happiness out, and then his Phantom Steed ran out of the ogre''s cavern and down the next tunnel. The skeleton knight and the succubi followed right behind him. * Barbara watched in fascination as her little Ren led an assault on an unsuspecting group of hyena men. He was in the lead of course, and used his weapon to smash their heads in. The hyena men tried to counterattack; but, with the displacement enchantments Ren and his force used, it was pointless. Their strikes hit the displaced images instead of the actual targets, and then they were easily slaughtered.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Ren and the succubi tore through the gnoll village and wiped out every single one of them; and hadn''t taken a single bit of damage. The bodies were quickly looted, and she saw something popup for a second. It had been too quick to read, since she had watched it at game speed or 4 times normal speed. She checked the laptop and looked at the footage to pause it on the popup. ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± Barbara whispered.
New Title!
Your propensity for hitting your foes in the head with a special weapon has earned you a new title: Headhunter. This title grants you Killing Blow Special (50% for Instant Kill) when aiming for the head. This also increases your Skull Cracker ability of 20% chance to Stun to 40%.
Barbara watched as Ren accepted all the weapons and armor and turned away, then watched as the succubi fought among themselves for who got the biggest share of the money, just like after the ogre. She shook her head at Ren for letting them do that, and then he went around and healed and repaired their clothing. Why is he letting them do that? Barbara asked herself and watched in surprise as Ren set the place on fire. The huts and things burned up quickly, since they were old and dry, and in only a few minutes was piles of ash. The group moved off down another tunnel, and Barbara sighed. I hope he doesn''t become a blight to whoever he meets. Barbara thought. * Ren was actually having fun. He didn''t think he would have such an easy time with difficult foes like the hyena men, since they were so high level; but, even Ellaria who was only level 12 had easily killed them. Of course, she was no longer level 12 after Ren and the succubi had killed 132 gnolls. He wasn''t sure if the succubi were getting a share of his gained XP or not; but, it honestly didn''t matter. There was enough XP for her to get to level 18 after that one encounter. It had been Teepo''s idea to make them offerings to Fire Dancer, the deity of Fire that lived in the Fire Realm, and Ren had lit the entire settlement on fire as a tribute to her. He knew it wasn''t a lot, but it might just give her a small amount of pleasure to know that he still thought of her. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror again to see any hostiles, and it showed a bunch of dots on the walls all along the next cavern. He looked at one up close, and it looked like a cloak. It was hung on the wall, and didn''t look like it was going to attack; but, since he wasn''t physically there in front of it, it could be a completely different creature then. ¡°Everyone, please stay here.¡± Ren said, and everyone landed in the tunnel. ¡°There are cloakers all along the walls in the next cavern.¡± ¡°Oh, I hate those things!¡± One of the succubi said. ¡°One of them attached themselves to my summon mate right after we materialized. Every time we hit the thing, it hurt her, too!¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That''s one of their abilities. They become a parasite and share damage with the ''host''.¡± He said and hopped off his Phantom Steed, then walked over to the wall. When he started to dig, he hit impenetrable rock. ¡°Damn, we can''t go around... which means I''m supposed to face this threat.¡± ¡°How?¡± One of the succubi asked. ¡°As soon as you walk in there, several of them will attack and try to attach themselves to you.¡± ¡°I have a couple of ideas.¡± Ren said and grinned, and the succubi shivered in pleasure as they felt his wicked streak. ¡°Give me a couple of minutes to make something.¡± Ren got on the Phantom Steed and rode back to the cavern with the remains of the gnoll settlement and took out his Instant Tower. He went inside and thought about the best way to deal with cloakers on the walls of a cavern. He used the elemental bomb recipe and changed it''s internal components. He wasn''t going to charge the entire thing like an elemental grenade, though. He took out a bag of the 1 gold coin diamonds and mounted them all along the outside of the bomb upside down, and made channels down into the next layer. Ren added steel squares on that layer and enchanted them with 50 runes of Illumination. He tested one and rather than give out a single beam of light, the hundreds of tiny diamonds split it into thousands of beams and created a coherent glow instead. He smiled and then added the internal component of an elemental bomb, which would explode and send those hundreds of diamonds out to the immobile cloakers, then closed it up. Since he had made it perfectly round, it didn''t matter what side it landed on when he threw it. He quickly made another in case one wasn''t enough to clear the entire cavern, and stored both of them. Now that he had the opportunity, Ren took off his armor chest plate and removed the large ruby there. He replaced the Illumination enchantment with his full enchantment ability of 50 runes, then used Double Infusion to make it 100 runes and mounted it on his chest plate again. He equipped it and left the Instant Tower, deactivated and stored that, then rode his Phantom Steed back to the end of the tunnel and the waiting succubi. Ren took out one of the elemental bombs and threw it out into the cavern. None of the cloakers reacted to an inanimate object passing by them, and when the bomb stopped rolling, Ren activated the Illumination runes and the entire cavern lit up. The cloakers screeched at the bright light that was even stronger than daylight, and even the succubi had to turn away from the glare. Once all the cloakers were frozen, the copies of themselves they had made around them disappeared. ¡°They have their own version of Displacement?¡± Ren asked as the 200 plus cloakers dropped to only 60. ¡°They can make 3 copies of themselves.¡± He said, cast Iron Wall in the mouth of the cavern, then activated the elemental bomb. It exploded and sent the hundreds of diamonds mounted on it''s surface out as projectiles, and every cloaker took multiple hits and fell to the ground, dead.
Notice!
You have leveled up and are now Level 81, and 10 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: Aura (Submission) Level 1 (Beginner 0%). Those within your Aura of equal or lower level will bow down to you if you wish and will always defer to your judgment, regardless of their loyalties. Can combine with both Fear and Personal Auras to increase the reach and effect. Higher levels will allow the suppression of creatures and beings of higher levels than you.
Ren dismissed the popup and ignored the Aura. I''m never using it or leveling it up. He thought as he dismissed the Iron Wall spell and several diamonds fell to the cavern floor, and he assumed they had been embedded in the iron. He hopped off the Phantom Steed and asked it to run around the cavern. It did so, and when it came back, there were 6 tiny cloakers on it''s back and sides. He grabbed each one by the back of it''s neck and used Iron Grip to kill them and looted them. He didn''t gain anything except a few copper. I guess you can''t get much from parasites. Ren thought and used a Major Healing wand on the Phantom Steed. Nothing happened, however. He pat the steed on the neck and apologized, and the steed huffed at him. ¡°Yes, I know I can dismiss you and cast another; but, you''re going to last for a long time yet, even with the damage that I can''t heal.¡± Ren said. He could feel dismay from the succubi, and turned to look at them. ¡°Before you jump to conclusions, I''m just guessing how it would respond.¡± He chuckled when he felt their relief, and then the succubi spread out and looted all the dead cloakers. When the succubi were done, they came back to him with only 115 copper coins and over 200 small diamonds. He kept the diamonds and told them to split the money. ¡°It''s barely worth keeping.¡± One of the succubi commented and handed her copper over to the oldest of them, Zunala; then so did everyone else. The others didn''t really want to keep it, either; and she gladly accepted it and put it in her ring. How quickly their standards change. Ren thought in amusement. Only yesterday they probably would have fought tooth and nail over a few copper coins like they now do over gold. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror and saw the way was clear right up to the ramp to the next level. ¡°It looks like it''s clear to the next level, but you know what that means.¡± ¡°Keep an eye out, and yell warnings to the others if you see or feel anything.¡± The succubi said in unison and Ren nodded. ¡°Good girls!¡± Ren said, and he felt how much they liked his praise. ¡°Let''s move out.¡± ¡°Should we use our Displacement enchantments?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Actually, that''s a good idea.¡± Ren said, and he felt how pleased she was. He took out a wand with Widen Effect and cast it on each of them. It added 275 minutes to the Displacement''s time limit, and they all activated it. They had just over 13 hours left with it on before Ren would have to enchant them again, and there was no point in not using them since they were just so handy. The group moved down the cavern and into the next tunnel, and then into the large cavern that led up to the next level. The ground shook slightly and then one of the succubi yelled as something smashed out of the ceiling and dropped through her displaced image. ¡°UMBER HULK!¡± The creature was just over 10 feet tall and looked like it was half-mole and half-beetle. It had a beetle-like head with large mandibles and huge front claws used for digging. It landed on the cavern floor and looked at it''s empty hands. It squeezed one clawed hand and then the other, and just stood there, dumbfounded. The skeleton knight didn''t wait for the attack command and rode on it''s steed in for the first strike. The sword he used glanced off of the umber hulk''s carapace without doing any damage. What the attack managed to do was get it''s attention, and the umber hulk turned towards the skeleton knight. The skeleton knight held the sword like a lance and charged, and Ren activated his party ability ''Charge!'' to give the skeleton a boost. It shot forwards and jammed the sword into one of the umber hulk''s eyes. It stuck in and stayed there; but, the umber hulk ignored the damage and grabbed the Phantom Steed with it''s clawed hands as it tried to run past. The skeleton knight was flung forwards when the steed was stopped, and it landed about 20 feet away and skidded to a stop. Ren took out a sword and enchanted it with Antiearth runes and tossed it to the skeleton knight, cast another Phantom Steed for it, and both he and Ren rode in to attack the creature. The umber hulk had hunkered down to feast on it''s catch, and Ren and the skeleton knight swung their weapons at it. Both weapons glanced off the carapace and only did minor damage, and the umber hulk ignored them as it bit into the skeleton knight''s first steed. ¡°Damn, this isn''t working.¡± Ren said and came to a stop, then smacked himself in the head for not changing the enchantment on the hammerpick to Antiearth. He switched the enchantments and the dozen small drill bits on the end became twice as big and twice as long, then turned from a light brown color to pitch black. He noticed the plow end had extended and also widened, and he told the skeleton knight to hang back out of the way. ¡°Now you''re in for it.¡± Ren said and smiled as he circled around with his Phantom Steed, then charged at the umber hulk head on. It felt the impending attack and let it''s current meal go, then held it''s arms open as if to hug Ren. The Phantom Steed came to a stop right in front of it and reared back, then the umber hulk grabbed it around the chest. It dug it''s mandibles into the Phantom Steed''s neck and started to eat. ¡°NOOOOO!¡± Ren yelled as the umber hulk settled down to feed. It knelt with it''s prey, and without thinking about it, Ren cast Enlarge Person on himself and activated his Controlled Berserk Rage as he let his Angered condition take full control and his eyes turned blood red. ¡°AARRGGGHHHH!¡± Ren yelled as he brought the double-sized hammerpick down on the umber hulk''s carapace and it cracked from the impact. He had avoided the umber hulk''s head because he didn''t want to hit the Phantom Steed, and kept hitting the umber hulk over and over with both ends of the hammerpick. The umber hulk ignored the attacks as it fed, and Ren noticed the wounds he had caused were starting to heal. He stored the hammerpick and jumped from the Phantom Steed onto the back of the umber hulk like it was a mount. Ren punched the cracked carapace several times to give him something to hold onto, shoved his hands inside, and pulled. A loud crack was heard as the 6 inch thick stone-like bone carapace split in two, and Ren tore it off and tossed the pieces aside. He could see a thick rib cage but no spine, so he grabbed two handfuls of ribs with his double-sized hands and used Iron Grip. The ribs shattered, and the umber hulk howled as Ren plunged his hands into it''s guts from behind and started to pull them out. Even the succubi were a bit unnerved for the next few minutes, as a double-sized Ren tore into the beast and covered himself in it''s blood. ¡°It... it''s dead.¡± One of them said, and Ren kept pulling stuff out of it. ¡°REN!¡± Ren stopped and turned to her, and she shivered at the blood red eyes that looked at her through his helm. She couldn''t tell if she was more turned on than she was scared, though. He''s so... big. She thought and shivered again. ¡°It''s dead.¡± She said and ducked her head a little. ¡°You killed it.¡± Ren''s blood red eyes faded back to their normal silvery blue when he saw her meek expression, and he looked down at his hands. Even though he wore his full set of armor, he could feel the blood between his fingers and on his skin. ¡°Dammit.¡± Ren said as he used an Energize spell to stop from collapsing as a result of his Controlled Berserk Rage, then he received a series of popups.
Notice!
You have been corrupted! You have absorbed Umber Hulk blood directly from the source through your skin. It''s effects vary by those infected, and by the amount of blood absorbed. Current Corruption Level: 88% Warning: When Corruption reaches 100%, you will become deathly ill and die. Please note: Corruption resets upon death.
Notice!
You have been Poisoned. Your Hardy skill will keep it at bay, but unless you are treated you will eventually succumb to it''s effects. Time until death: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Notice!
Your condition Angered has been upgraded to Enraged. You will fly into a rage at any provocation, no matter how slight. Automatically activates both Hatred and Fear Auras. Keeping your emotions in check can no longer stop this condition from happening.
¡°GODDAMMIT!¡± Ren yelled, then became Enraged. His Controlled Berserk Rage activated again and he pounded his fists into the lifeless husk of the creature in front of him. Chapter 420 - Ive Got This The succubi stood by and watched as Ren relentlessly pounded the remains of the umber hulk for a full 10 minutes, and then the Enlarge Person spell wore off. When his small fists didn''t do anything to the pile of mush in front of him, he started to calm down. He used an Energize spell to counter the effects of his Controlled Berserk Rage ending, gathered up some of it''s blood in a vial, and then looted the umber hulk. He dismissed the XP gain popup and didn''t get any kind of money or weapons from the loot. What he did gain was a pet rock. He was tempted to crush it with Iron Grip as soon as it had dropped into his inventory; but, he didn''t know if the pet rock was from it''s own remains or was from something it had eaten. Without proof either way, he stored it and decided when he wasn''t so easily angered, he would contact the Spirit of Earth and ask what it was. Then he would crush it if it was the heart of the creature. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and knelt by his Phantom Steed. ¡°I understand now why Elerlyth feels the way she does about her Phantom Steed Etheria.¡± Ren pat it''s head and looked at it''s information. He saw that it had lost a lot of it''s Health, and since there wasn''t any way for him to heal it, leaving it with half of it''s throat torn out and part of it''s face and chest eaten, was not the best way to thank it for it''s sacrifice. ¡°When I cast you again, you''ll remember this.¡± Ren said. ¡°The spell gives me the mount I need, and I need you to remember what you did for me.¡± The Phantom Steed tried to huff, but since it''s throat was torn open, all that came out was a hiss. Ren gave it a hug despite it''s wounds, then dismissed the spell. The succubi could feel his sadness, and came forward as he stood up. They each gave him a quick hug as they walked past, and then they all walked slowly up the ramp to the next level. ¡°This is a safe zone, so I think we''ll stop for lunch.¡± Ren said, and he took out his icebox. He gave them a plate each and by the time he handed one to the last succubi, nearly all of the others were already done eating. He chuckled as he went back to the first one and gathered up the plates and stored them, then took out all the clean plates he had in inventory and put them in the icebox. Ren took out his Alchemy kit and used the umber hulk''s blood to make a poison antidote, and took it. The poison timer disappeared from his display, and he was glad that his Alchemy skill was mastered and stored the kit and the nearly empty icebox. Now that he had some time to think about it, he knew that he couldn''t leave all those bushels of vegetables and three butchered cows in his inventory without properly storing them. Ren took out his Instant Tower and went up the stairs, and made a large walk-in icebox right in the middle of the floor, and left room around it to still access the arrow slits and his bed. He put up a bunch of shelves and then added all the bushels of vegetables and the cuts of meat from the slaughtered cows. It was a tight fit; but, he managed to get it all in there. Of course, since he had a bunch of stuff in his inventory and the ability to make another tower, he did so. Ren left the Instant Tower and activated the new one, and stored everything he had inside it. He even took the time to drop all of his shadow coins into his coin pouch, except for a single box that he left on a shelf above his workbench in the other Instant Tower. He never knew when he might lose a battle and keeping everything on him was not the smart thing to do. He deactivated both towers, then stored the 2 inch wide cubes. ¡°Do you need another emotion feeding?¡± Ren asked the succubi. There was a chorus of yes and a chorus of no, and he chuckled. ¡°Are you saying yes because you don''t want to say no?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A few of them admitted. ¡°How about just a taste instead of a full feeding?¡± Ren asked, and there was general agreement from the succubi. They didn''t kneel this time as they took their positions and touched Zunala, and Ren stored his gauntlets and held her hands. ¡°Can you store your helm as well?¡± Zunala asked. ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked and stored the helm. ¡°Does wanting to see my face as I feed you mean that you''re starting to forgive me?¡± Zunala shook her head. ¡°Seeing your face makes it... tastier.¡± Ren looked at the other succubi and several of them nodded. He smiled sweetly at them and remembered how he felt when he saw Jennifer''s metal plate between her legs. He sifted it and discovered that it contained everything that all the succubi needed and he sent that through Zunala. They all gasped as the feeling hit them, and their abilities gobbled the genuine feelings down. Their eyes glowed briefly and they all sighed as the feeling faded. ¡°I hope that was enough.¡± Ren said and they all nodded. ¡°I''m glad.¡± He said and they could feel his happiness through Zunala. They all gasped and stopped touching her before their abilities overloaded; but, Zunala didn''t try to let go. She held on and kept feeling his happiness. She wasn''t trying to eat it, though. ¡°Let''s get going.¡± Ren said. Zunala nodded and let his hands go, and he equipped his gauntlets and helm. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror and it showed that the next level was a single large chamber that was completely filled with vine brambles, and the entire place was filled with ghosts, wraiths, shadows, shadow creatures, and shadow demons. ¡°Ladies, this next area is too dangerous for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please wait here while I take care of it.¡± ¡°No, we are going with you.¡± One of the succubi said and Ren looked to see that it was Seldanna. ¡°We''ll stay back out of your way; but, we won''t let you go on ahead and leave us here.¡± Ren could feel their determination to stay with him, and he nodded. ¡°All right, you can come as long as you stay in the tunnel until I clear a big enough area for you.¡± He said. ¡°It''s full of life strangling vines that I''m going to light on fire. I''m going to assume the vines or spikes on the vines are poisonous, and within those vines are ghosts and various shadow demons.¡± ¡°You''re trying to burn them out?¡± One of the succubi asked. ¡°That''s not going to work.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, the fire is just to clear the vines and to reveal where the shadow demons are; then I''ll deal with them.¡± ¡°You''re so confident.¡± One of the succubi said and reached out a hand to touch his armor. He felt her ability take some of it, and he smiled. ¡°I''ve fought and killed a summoned shadow demon before.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know their weakness.¡± ¡°That won''t help against spirits.¡± She said and rubbed her hand over the glimmering gold of his armor. ¡°I''ve fought spirits before, so I know their weakness, too.¡± Ren said, and she caught her breath as his confidence made her shiver. ¡°We will be a fitting audience for you, My Lord.¡± She said. ¡°I hope so.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°There''s no one else around to show off to.¡± She nodded and stepped away, and he turned and walked over to the tunnel. He told the skeleton knight to stay back, because after the fire, he was going to use Light, or Holy enchantments. They followed him down the large tunnel until they came to the entrance of the cavern. Ren waved them to a stop, and he stepped forward. The entire view, from floor to ceiling, was filled with vines and brambles. He had been right about them being poisonous, and saw thorns on the vines and they dripped a green liquid. Ren knew they wouldn''t light on fire on their own, since they were so damp with that liquid, so he used the Web wands mounted on his shoulders to cover what he could see, then used the Fireball wands to light the webbing on fire. It went up like dry paper, and the vines started to burn and fill the cavern with smoke. Please accept this meager offering, Fire Dancer. Ren took out a wand and filled it with Gust of Wind, then cast it to push the smoke away from the tunnel. It had the secondary effect of feeding the fire, and the vines started burning in earnest. He kept using the web wands to cover the wet vines and only occasionally had to use a Fireball to light it. He pretty much just had to keep stoking the raging fire as it progressed across the cavern. He didn''t follow it up, however. The succubi and the skeleton knight stood there and watched as the fire made it''s way across the cavern, while Ren took out the special golden shield he had recovered from the temple so long ago. Even now he couldn''t get the recipe for it, and used his Retain Essence ability to remove the Sunder enchantment it had. Several ghosts and wraiths appeared and Ren enchanted the shield with 50 Light runes, then used Double Infusion to add another 50. He made sure to stand in front of the skeleton knight so it wouldn''t get hit, then activated the enchantment that always seem to be boosted by the special nature of the shield. The ghosts and wraiths screamed as the Holy Light from the shield lit up the entire cavern. The succubi folded their wings over their faces to protect their eyes and the skeleton knight ducked down behind Ren to protect itself from the reflective glare. After a few minutes the screaming stopped and Ren deactivated the enchantment on the shield. The fire had consumed about half of the cavern at this point, and three shadow creatures that had been frozen in place from the Holy Light were now set free. Ren knew their weakness was Illumination runes, and activated the enchanted ruby mounted to his chest plate. A 1 foot wide solid beam of red laser light shot out and blew through the chest of one of the shadow creatures. It dissolved a moment later, and Ren shifted the beam to burn through the other two. Ren could feel the shock from the succubi as he easily dispatched more ghosts, wraiths, and shadow creatures as the fire continued to burn away the vines across the cavern. He stepped into the cavern with the skeleton knight and the succubi right behind him. Once he progressed far enough into the cavern, several dark portals opened and a shadow demon stepped out of each of them. He used his chest laser judiciously and dispatched them both quickly and easily.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°My Lord! Over here!¡± One of the succubi said, and Ren walked over to her. At her feet was a cracked skull and part of a helm that looked similar to the one the skeleton knight had worn. Ren bent down and picked it up to try and repair it, but it didn''t work. He stored his gauntlet and picked up the skull, and he felt a sharp pain on his right hand and a tingle went up is arm as a spirit of a knight appeared before him. ¡°You have slain that which has slain me.¡± The spirit knight said as a portal appeared behind him. ¡°Thank you, Adventurer.¡± ¡°I''m glad I could help.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can raise my remains if you wish.¡± It said and stepped into the portal. I''ll do that later. Ren thought and dismissed the popup for the quest update and stored the skull. I''m a little busy right now. When all the vines were burned out, Ren and his group had casually walked most of the way across the cavern, and right in front of the tunnel another portal opened. A large clawed hand came out, then a horned head. The hand braced on the ground as the Minor Demon crawled out of the portal that was much too small for it. It stood up to it''s full 20 foot height and glared at Ren and the succubi when the portal disappeared. ¡°I have found you.¡± It''s deep gravely voice said. ¡°Have you come for your offering?¡± Ren asked it. ¡°It is too late for that.¡± The Minor Demon smiled and revealed a mouth full of pointed teeth. ¡°I''ve come to eat you all.¡± ¡°I''m sure the succubi would like that normally; but, if I''m not going to have sex with them, I can''t in good conscience let you do it, either.¡± He felt surprise and shock from the succubi and the Minor Demon. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Look, I know they''re tempting.¡± Ren said and handed the Helm of Foolishness to the skeleton knight. ¡°But, I have their contracts now. If you had a deal with Murdrasu, I''m not obligated to fulfill it.¡± The Minor Demon frowned. ¡°You have no say in the matter.¡± ¡°Oh, but I do.¡± Ren smiled and nodded to the skeleton knight. It put on the helm and the enchantment activated. The Minor Demon''s head immediately turned and looked at the skeleton knight, and it started to dance. It was just a basic side to side step at first, then it did a 360 degree turn. It popped it''s head off and held it up, then rolled it like a basketball from one hand and across it''s arm and shoulders, and down it''s other arm to catch it with the other hand. It flipped the head over twice and put it back on it''s neck upside down. It flung it''s arms out to the side and did a little jig, and for some reason, the head stayed in place. Ren used this opportunity to cast Enlarge Person on himself and equipped the blood sword he had received as loot from Murdrasu.
Vampiric Blood Sword (Rare Wondrous Item - Binds on Equip)
This black iron longsword has been forged in the Void, and can damage anything that lives. It has a thirst for the blood of the living, and can never be satisfied. All hits are considered critical as they drain blood, and causes the Bleeding Profusely condition on those hit. The more blood the sword gains, the more powerful it''s wielder becomes to make strikes with the sword easier to gain it more blood. Please note: This sword cannot be repaired by normal means, and must be given blood instead. Power gains are temporary and only last 24 hours. This sword grants: Critical Strike (Double Damage) Damage: 380 (190 Normal Damage) Durability: N / A
I figured it would be useful. Ren thought as he walked around behind the Minor Demon, then frowned when he did not get the recipe for the sword. He knew that was because it had been forged in the Void, but it still pissed him off. His Fear and Hatred Auras snapped into place as his Enraged condition kicked in and activated his Controlled Berserk Rage. ¡°RAHHH!¡± Ren yelled and jumped up into the air to get as much momentum as possible, then shoved the blood sword into the Minor Demon''s back. It yelled, but it couldn''t do anything else while the skeleton danced. Ren felt the first power boost from the sword.
Notice!
You have gained +10 to all stats for the next 24 hours.
Ren grinned and yanked the sword out, changed his grip on it, and shoved it up into the side of the Minor Demon to impale it up through the chest.
Notice!
You have gained +10 to all stats for the next 24 hours.
¡°HA! HAHAHA!¡± Ren laughed and kept pulling the sword out and stabbed the Minor Demon with it over and over. He could see the demon''s color starting to drain when he was at +100 to all his stats; but that didn''t stop him. He kept going and became even more powerful. When he reached +200 to all of his stats, the Minor Demon dropped down to it''s knees. ¡°I heard that you can''t be killed.¡± Ren said to it, now that it''s head was down to his own enlarged height. ¡°I''m going to tell you a secret about that.¡± Ren had slashed the sword across it''s back over and over until it was just one large wound, and he could see the Minor Demon''s heart through it''s rib cage. ¡°There''s much worse things than death.¡± Ren said and shoved the blood sword through it''s heart and out through the front of it''s chest. ¡°AHHH!¡± The Minor Demon yelled and clutched it''s chest around the sword. It stopped breathing and slumped over, and Ren held onto the sword as the Minor Demon slid off of it to the ground. ¡°You... you killed it.¡± One of the succubi said, completely shocked. ¡°No, it''s still alive.¡± Ren said and stored the sword. ¡°Even if I decapitated it, I''m pretty sure it could regenerate.¡± The Minor Demon twitched when it heard that, and Ren chuckled. He picked the Minor Demon up easily and looked into it''s eyes, but it still looked at the skeleton knight. ¡°You had the succubi gather food for you, and when I showed up and took them, you had to do it yourself.¡± Ren said. ¡°You were selfish and greedy, and that''s okay... to a point. You came after them when you couldn''t get a free and easy meal to try and get a free and easy meal.¡± Ren grinned at the Minor Demon and he felt a trace of fear from it. ¡°They are no longer an easy meal.¡± The Minor Demon didn''t say anything, but Ren felt it''s agreement. He dropped it to the ground and walked over to the group.
Notice!
You have been corrupted! You have absorbed Minor Demon blood directly from the source through your skin. It''s effects vary by those infected, and by the amount of blood absorbed. Current Corruption Level: 92% Warning: When Corruption reaches 100%, you will become deathly ill and die. Please note: Corruption resets upon death.
¡°Let''s go up to the next level.¡± Ren said and used the Energize spell to stop from collapsing after his Controlled Berserk Rage ended and dismissed the Enlarge Person spell. The group followed him over to the tunnel the Minor Demon had blocked.
Notice!
You have successfully defeated the Minor Demon and completed the Cavern of Spirit Horrors. Rewards: 122,545 XP
Notice!
You have gained a level and are now Level 82, and 10 stat points have been automatically allocated.
Ren felt sad that he had completed what should have been a very difficult task, gained a level, and didn''t unlock anything. ¡°You can''t expect something from every level you go up.¡± Teepo said. You''ve been quiet a lot lately. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°I''ve just been in awe of the things you''re doing.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Plus, when you''re Angered or Enraged, the last thing I wanted to do is get your attention.¡± Yeah, I''m glad you kept quiet, too. Ren thought. I don''t like being angry at you, either. ¡°I''m sorry I gave you a reason.¡± Teepo said, apologetically. It''s okay. I know you were just trying to look out for me in your own way. ¡°I was, but it hurt you, too.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m not making that mistake again.¡± Ren led the succubi and the skeleton knight up the tunnel to the safe area of the next level.
Notice!
Congratulations! This safe area is at the midway point of Shargon Caverns. You have done well to come this far, and you have gained several followers. Unfortunately, this does not come without a cost. If you wish to move forward, a sacrifice must be made to open the door to the next level. Please Note: Your own spell-created beings do not count as a suitable sacrifice.
¡°Ha ha!¡± Ren said and looked at the succubi. ¡°I assume you all got that popup?¡± They nodded, and he felt how they felt. They were all nervous and a little scared, and they all wondered who he would pick. Ren took out the three Instant Towers and activated them, then raised up the protective wall around the group to hopefully keep anything out if it did show up. He looked at all of their faces, and he felt a strong sense of protectiveness from one, and saw as she hugged the harness he had made for her. It held the dretch in the bag, and Ren walked over to her. ¡°Please... don''t.¡± Ren reached a hand out and she flinched. ¡°It''s okay.¡± He said and cupped the side of her face. ¡°I''m not killing your friend.¡± The succubi blinked the tears from her eyes and looked at him as she felt his compassion, and also the protectiveness that matched her own. Ren smiled at her and walked over to Zunala. ¡°I thought it would be me.¡± Zunala said. ¡°Of course it is.¡± Ren said, and he could feel what the other succubi felt about his decision. They hated him for it. ¡°Who else would get the most out of this sacrifice?¡± No one could counter that argument, and Ren took her hand. She gasped at his calmness, and her heart withered a little that he felt nothing about using her as a sacrifice. ¡°This is going to hurt.¡± Ren said and took out a knife. ¡°Please kneel.¡± Zunala knelt without protest and Ren put the knife in the hand he held. ¡°You''re going to make me do it?¡± Zunala asked, surprised. ¡°No, I''ll still do it; but, I can''t wield normal weapons.¡± Ren said and held her hand steady. ¡°I need to use your hand to do it.¡± Zunala sighed and nodded as Ren moved her hand and the knife up to her neck. ¡°I''m really sorry about this.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s the only way.¡± ¡°I... I understand.¡± Zunala said, and Ren felt her resignation. ¡°It''ll be quick.¡± Ren said, then used her hand and the knife to make a small shallow cut just on the side of her neck. The blood welled up and he let her hand go to bend over and put his mouth over the wound. ¡°Wh-what are you... OH!¡± Zunala gasped as Ren fed her a huge burst of pleasure and sucked on her wound. He swallowed a mouthful of her blood and waited. When nothing happened, he swallowed another... then felt deathly ill.
Notice!
Your corruption level has reached 100%. You will die in 1 minute, 59 seconds. Please note: Corruption resets upon death.
¡°Th-that did it.¡± Ren said and stumbled away, then went into the Instant Tower with his shops in it. Teepo. ¡°See you soon, Ren.¡± Teepo said and dissolved into the ring. Ren put it and the rest of his rings on the box of shadow coins, took out a single gold coin and left his coin pouch, then dropped his armor on the floor. He dropped off all of his wands except for a Minor Healing one, stored the icebox, and went back outside wearing just his armor bodysuit. The tower door shut behind him and he walked the short distance to the succubi and collapsed to his knees as his face turned blood red. ¡°Why did you do that?!?¡± Zunala exclaimed and went to him. ¡°I... s-sacrificed... myself.¡± Ren muttered. ¡°No rules... against it.¡± ¡°You were supposed to pick one of us!¡± Zunala said as tears came to her eyes. ¡°I thought you picked me to die!¡± Ren coughed up blood and it spilled onto the cave floor. ¡°I''d never pick one of you.¡± He said and coughed a few more times as a torrent of blood came out. ¡°Ugh, this feels terrible.¡± ¡°That''s because it''s melting your insides.¡± One of the others said, and Ren looked at her. She had tears in her eyes, as did all the others; and he felt their regret that they had hated him when they thought he had picked Zunala to die. ¡°It''s almost over.¡± Ren nodded because the countdown was at 30 seconds. He took out the icebox for them to have food while he was gone, and also took out the Minor Healing wand. He wavered from side to side, and Zunala took him into her arms as he fell. ¡°That wand won''t save you.¡± Zunala said. ¡°It''s... not for... me.¡± Ren said and used it to heal her still bleeding neck. ¡°You should have killed me.¡± Zunala said. ¡°I hate you for killing Murdrasu!¡± ¡°I... know you do.¡± Ren said and touched the tears on her face. ¡°That''s why I... had you... kill me.¡± He said and smiled, then died in her arms. Chapter 421 - Cuddle Me ¡°No!¡± Zunala sobbed and hugged Ren''s corpse close. ¡°You can''t die for us!¡± She said, and tears streamed down her face as she rocked back and forth with his body. A lot of the other succubi sobbed with her, mainly because they hadn''t felt any malice from Ren at all. He didn''t hate them or Zunala for killing him, or for putting him in this position. His body started to sag and deflate, and Zunala cried hard as it flopped in her arms and blood poured out of his eyes, nose, ears and mouth. ¡°You have to loot it before... before...¡± One of them managed to say through their crying, and Zunala nodded and looted it. She gained the Minor Healing wand and the gold coin he had in inventory, since that was all he had on him, and she was tempted to throw the coin away. His life is worth more than a gold coin! Zunala thought indignantly. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Someone asked. ¡°We wait.¡± Ellaria said calmly, even though she was crying just as much as the others. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°He said if his tower was out when he died, he would be back here.¡± Ellaria said. ¡°So, we wait.¡± ¡°How long?¡± ¡°He said a day, but you know what Adventurers are like. It could be a week.¡± ¡°No.¡± Zunala said and stood up. ¡°If he said it would be a day, then he''ll be back here in a day.¡± ********
You Have Died!
Time until respawn: 5 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds
Ren slipped off the VR headset and Barbara took it from him. ¡°I guess I''m out a little early.¡± ¡°Only by a couple of hours.¡± ¡°Now we can cuddle.¡± Elise said from beside him. ¡°Yes, please!¡± Ren exclaimed as he looked at the redheaded amazon wearing a large t-shirt, and both her and Barbara chuckled. ¡°I told you he''d be happy to have you here.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I really am.¡± Ren said and snuggled into Elise. ¡°Did you see what happened at the end there?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Elise said and gave him a kiss. ¡°You''re so noble.¡± Ren nuzzled her neck. ¡°I killed two birds with one stone.¡± He said. ¡°I might have lasted another day with the corruption; but, when I was given the choice on who should die...¡± ¡°My little genius.¡± Elise said and ran a hand through his hair. She didn''t try to hold him too close, since his leg was still bruised from the elevator accident; but, she desperately wanted to after watching him die so horribly. ¡°I''ll leave you two alone.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ll be close by if you need anything.¡± ¡°Thank you, Barbara.¡± Elise said, and Barbara left the bedroom. ¡°Does this mean we can fool around?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Ren, your leg is still hurt.¡± Elise said. ¡°Are you saying you don''t want to?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Elise said and kissed his forehead. ¡°I''m trying to be the reasonable one here.¡± ¡°Forget reason.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to see what else isn''t under that t-shirt.¡± ¡°What do you mean, what else?¡± ¡°I don''t feel a bra at all.¡± Ren said and massaged her chest, which made her moan. ¡°It makes me wonder if you''re wearing anything down below.¡± Elise chuckled and jiggled her chest. ¡°Will it disappoint you to know that I always have some kind of underwear on down below?¡± ¡°Only if they stay on.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°You''re so bad.¡± Elise said and kissed him. ¡°So can I check?¡± Ren asked, his voice full of hope. ¡°Only if I can check you.¡± Elise said seductively. ¡°Help yourself.¡± Ren said and moved down the bed a little ways. ¡°I have to warn you, though. I haven''t had a good meal in a while, so I''m pretty hungry.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Elise said and sat up, then laid down with her head by his waist. * Denise woke up in an unfamiliar bed and sat up when her alarm went off. She looked around and remembered that she wasn''t at her apartment, but at Ren''s place. I guess it''s my place now, too. Denise thought and slid out of bed. She stretched and couldn''t wait until later in the week when her furniture would be delivered. She hopped in the shower and cleaned up, changed into her work outfit, and went downstairs to get breakfast ready. ¡°Good morning!¡± Barbara said when Denise entered the kitchen. ¡°You made breakfast?¡± Denise asked and sat at the counter. ¡°I had to keep busy while Ren and Elise cuddled.¡± Barbara said. Denise chuckled. ¡°Do you think they''re actually cuddling?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Wait until you hear what''s been going on...¡± * Ren and Elise cuddled in the bed after playing with each other for over an hour, and Elise figured now was the time to tell Ren about what had happened to him. ¡°Ren, there''s something you should know.¡± Elise said. ¡°Last night, Barbara mentioned that this place should have security cameras...¡± ¡°No way.¡± Ren said when she was done of the story. He''d started to shake when she said some guy had been crawling around under part of the house, and she held him close and gently kissed him to try and keep him calm. ¡°You caught him.¡± ¡°Well, the police...¡± ¡°No, you caught him.¡± Ren said and looked at her with wonder. ¡°You didn''t freak out or panic like I would have. You called for help and gathered evidence, and made sure that I was safe in my own home.¡± He kissed her passionately, and Elise''s heart fluttered. For the next half an hour, all they did was just lay there and stared at each other, and shared an occasional kiss. ¡°You''re unbelievable.¡± Ren said out of the blue. ¡°I said the same thing about you when I climbed into bed with you last night.¡± Elise said. There was a knock on the door and a pause, then the door opened. ¡°Are you ready for an early breakfast?¡± Denise asked, and held the door for Barbara. ¡°Before you comment on my ability to make such an excellent breakfast, you should know that Barbara made it.¡± Ren chuckled and sat up. ¡°I''ll take that into consideration as I wolf it down.¡± ¡°I''ll get out of your way.¡± Elise said and sat up. ¡°Nonsense.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I brought you a plate, too.¡± ¡°You didn''t have to do that.¡± Elise said, and Barbara put the food tray on the rollaway table and slid it over in front of Ren and Elise on the bed. ¡°You were exhausted after everything you did last night, and you''ve got work in an hour.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''d do more than that if I thought you''d let me.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Now eat your breakfast.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Elise accepted the food graciously and she and Ren ate breakfast together.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. * Lisa woke up in an unfamiliar bed and slid off her VR headset. If I timed this right, Ren should be logged out for breakfast. She thought and got out of bed, ran out of her room and down the stairs to the second level, then went into Ren''s room. ¡°...they were so shocked I''d do that.¡± Ren said, and Elise, Barbara and Denise nodded. ¡°So were we.¡± Barbara said and indicated her and Elise. ¡°I would have killed the dretch.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Denise said. ¡°I don''t know what I would have done.¡± Elise said. ¡°Ren seems to have found the best solution, but I don''t know if I could have done that myself.¡± Ren cupped the side of her face. ¡°I''m glad you don''t have to find out.¡± He said and looked around. ¡°I''m glad none of you have to make that kind of choice.¡± He smiled and noticed Lisa just inside the door. ¡°Good morning, Lisa!¡± He said and waved to her. ¡°I thought I was going to catch you just as you logged out.¡± Lisa said and walked over to the bed. ¡°Well, about that...¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got the tray.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''ve got the dirty dishes.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ve got to get cleaned up and changed for work.¡± Elise said, and the three women cleared out. ¡°That was weird.¡± Lisa said, and Ren pat the bed beside him. She climbed up onto it and sat beside him. ¡°There''s a reason I was out early.¡± Ren said, then told her what had happened. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Lisa said and rubbed her arms as she hugged herself. ¡°Why would it do that to you?¡± ¡°It''s the villain training camp.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure there''s going to be more tests along the way.¡± ¡°Don''t go back.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Ren, I don''t want you experiencing things like that.¡± Ren put his arms around her. ¡°I''m doing fine, and I''ve unlocked my hidden skill, spell, and recipes already.¡± ¡°You''re doing fine?!?¡± Lisa exclaimed. ¡°You had to kill yourself!¡± Ren held her close and kissed her cheek. ¡°I''m not going to tell you that it''s okay, or that it was the best choice.¡± He said. ¡°All I can do is explain that I was going to die soon because of the corruption anyway, and this let me use a pointless death to save everyone that was with me.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Lisa let a few tears out. ¡°You don''t know... I mean... I...¡± ¡°I do know.¡± Ren said and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I know the desperation. I know the loneliness. I know that it looks like a sweet escape.¡± ¡°R-R-Ren.¡± Lisa cried and stopped hugging herself and hugged him instead. ¡°That kind of decision holds nothing but darkness for so many people when it''s picked.¡± Ren said and kissed her tear-streaked cheek. ¡°Neither of us has to think about that kind of decision anymore.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''re here with me now, Lisa.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t be doing therapy because of my leg, and I don''t have to be back in the game for another 4 hours.¡± He kissed her damp cheek again. ¡°Will you spend the time with me?¡± ¡°Ren, I... I''ll spend as much time with you as I can.¡± ¡°Then go and get your favorite book, and we can cuddle for a while.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Lisa said, and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Elise came out of the bathroom when Lisa left the bedroom, and she walked over to the bed and kissed Ren goodbye. ¡°I''ll see you tonight.¡± ¡°I''d like that, but you''ve been spending a lot of time here.¡± Ren said. ¡°What did I tell you about giving up your life to be here with me?¡± ¡°That it''s okay as long as I don''t tell you about it?¡± Elise asked, and Ren laughed. ¡°Give me another kiss and get to work.¡± Ren said, and she kissed him. ¡°I''d rather stay here and cuddle up with you and Lisa.¡± Elise said, and Lisa came back into the room. ¡°I won''t mind if you do.¡± Lisa said as she clutched the book to her chest and walked over to the bed. ¡°Ren''s right. I need to get to work.¡± Elise said and sighed. ¡°Damn responsibilities.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll see you tonight.¡± Elise nodded and waved to the two of them, then left the bedroom. Lisa climbed onto the bed and tucked herself and Ren under the blanket as they relaxed against the headboard. He put his arm around her, and she let her head partially rest on his shoulder. Denise came in a few minutes later and left a plate of food for Lisa to eat for breakfast, then left just as quietly as she had come in. It was 2 hours later when Lisa spoke. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said when she had finished the next chapter of her book. ¡°For what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°For being you, and for just sitting here and holding me when you could have been doing a lot of other things.¡± ¡°Did you expect me to paw at you while you were reading?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes, actually.¡± Lisa said and smiled. ¡°How can you resist me?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I resist nothing.¡± He said and lifted the blanket. Lisa looked under it and saw how excited he was, and she shook her head. ¡°How can you get like that from just holding me?¡± ¡°It''s not from holding you.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s because you''re happy.¡± Lisa laughed. ¡°I''m happy and you get like that?¡± ¡°Don''t underestimate your power.¡± Ren said and kissed her. They made out for several minutes, and then Lisa broke the kiss. ¡°If this is going any further, I think we both need a shower first.¡± ¡°I think I''ll need the shower anyway.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you go and get Denise for me?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Lisa said and slid off the bed, then walked out of the room. Denise came into the room and brought over the wheelchair. ¡°Lisa''s showering in her room.¡± Denise said, and helped Ren get into the wheelchair. ¡°How''s your leg?¡± ¡°Stiff and sore.¡± Ren said and she took him into the bathroom and helped him transfer onto the step stool in the shower. She started to get undressed and Ren watched her. He remembered the last time he avoided looking at her when she did that and she became upset, so he made sure to pay attention to her. Denise smiled when she noticed Ren looking at her, and she folded up her clothes and stepped into the shower. ¡°It''s healing up well, at least.¡± Denise said and lightly touched the bruises on his thigh and calf. ¡°You were so lucky.¡± ¡°I sure was.¡± Ren said and touched the spot on his forehead where the guy had whacked him. ¡°Do you know...¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Denise said. She leaned close and kissed the spot. ¡°You''re so brave.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Are you kidding? When Elise told me what happened, I was shaking like a leaf!¡± He said. ¡°Some guy has been hiding under the house and waiting to try and hurt me.¡± ¡°It''s never happening again.¡± Denise said and started to lather him up. ¡°The security guys Elise called are already here and watching the place.¡± ¡°They are?¡± Denise nodded. ¡°There''s 6 of them out there, all around the house.¡± ¡°6?¡± ¡°Once the lawyers heard what happened, they figured paying for 6 wasn''t that much more expensive than paying for 2.¡± Denise said. ¡°They want to ensure your appearance at the next trial.¡± Ren snorted a laugh and lifted his arms for her. ¡°Ah, lawyers. Always practical.¡± Denise laughed. ¡°It''s better than you paying for them.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± Ren said and Denise moved down to his legs. ¡°I''m not sure how much they are, but I''m pretty sure I couldn''t afford them for long.¡± Denise washed his mid-section and Ren closed his eyes. ¡°Did Elise tell you about the other cases they settled out of court, once they had your evidence folder?¡± Ren nodded and kept his eyes closed. ¡°It doubled the amount in your account.¡± Denise said, and looked at his calm face. Even knowing how much money he now has, he didn''t react. She thought a little surprised, then put the sponge down and kept washing his special place with just her soapy hand. His breathing sped up when her hand did, and she leaned close and kissed him on the lips. Ren kept his eyes closed and ran his hands up her arms and to the sides of her face. He kissed her back and her hand went faster and faster. Denise broke the kiss and looked him in the eyes, and Ren opened his eyes to stare at her. This was the first time for her to cross that line deliberately, and he knew she wanted to see his face as she did it. ¡°D-Denise...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Denise said, gave him a quick kiss, and leaned back out of the way as Ren finished. ¡°So much.¡± She said. ¡°Even after playing with Elise for so long this morning.¡± ¡°What was it that Stella said?¡± Ren asked, then smiled. ¡°Oh, yeah. I''m the gift that keeps on giving.¡± Denise chuckled and gave him another kiss, then scrubbed him clean again. ¡°Do you want a turn?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I... I do... but... not yet.¡± Denise said as she stood up to turn on the water to rinse him off. ¡°I''m... let me go at my own pace, okay?¡± Ren touched her hip, and she looked down at him. ¡°You can go as slow as you want.¡± He said. ¡°I''m not going anywhere.¡± Denise took in a sharp breath, because that almost wasn''t true. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Ren saw a tear in her eye and braced himself as he stood up. He gave her a hug and held her close, and since he was 4 foot 7 inches and she was only 5 foot 3 inches, he lifted his face so it didn''t settle between her breasts and kissed her collarbone. Denise hugged him and held him up, and let the water pour over the both of them. ¡°Let''s finish this shower.¡± Denise said and helped Ren sit down. ¡°Lisa''s not going to wait forever for you.¡± ¡°Yes, she will.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m awesome.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°Don''t get full of yourself.¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I really am awesome.¡± Denise laughed and made sure all the soap residue was gone from his skin, and turned off the water. She stepped out of the shower and grabbed a couple of towels, and dried him and herself off. She put him in a bathrobe and sat him in the wheelchair, then got dressed herself. She pushed him out into the bedroom and they saw Lisa was already there. She sat on the bed in a bathrobe and waited for him. ¡°See? I told you she''d wait for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lisa, tell Denise I''m awesome.¡± ¡°Ren''s awesome.¡± Lisa said and smiled crookedly. ¡°Geez, you could at least try to sound convincing.¡± Ren laughed and Denise helped him onto the bed. ¡°Where''s the fun in that?¡± Lisa laughed, too. ¡°You wound me, dear lady.¡± Ren said and put a hand over his heart. ¡°A mortal wound!¡± Lisa said. ¡°Please! Allow me to tend to it!¡± ¡°Should I bare my chest to such a wicked woman?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Only if you hate being tickled.¡± Lisa said and wiggled her fingers. ¡°You win! You win!¡± Ren said and pulled open his bathrobe instantly. Both Lisa and Denise laughed, and Lisa bent over and kissed his chest above his heart. ¡°Don''t have too much fun, okay?¡± Denise said and pointed to the television and the countdown. ¡°You only have 90 minutes left.¡± ¡°You''re right.¡± Ren said and looked at Lisa. ¡°That''s barely enough time for foreplay.¡± Lisa wasn''t sure if he was joking or not, and Ren saw the skeptical look she had. ¡°I''m not kidding.¡± Ren said and grinned, and she shook her head. ¡°It''s a good thing I only have a robe on, then.¡± Lisa said and started to undo the cloth belt that held it closed. ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Ren said and undid his cloth belt to reveal he had nothing on underneath. ¡°Me, too!¡± Lisa chuckled and kissed him, and Denise left the bedroom so they could be alone. She could have stayed, since she knew that neither Ren nor Lisa would have objected; but, she wasn''t ready to go quite that far with sharing him. * Lisa went down to the kitchen an hour later to get them something to eat. ¡°Hey, is there anything quick we could have for lunch?¡± She asked Denise. ¡°I know it''s short notice, but he wants to eat again before going back in.¡± ¡°Sandwiches.¡± Denise said and pointed. Lisa looked over her shoulder to the stack of already made sandwiches on the counter. ¡°That''s great!¡± Lisa said and picked up the plate. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Denise said, and Lisa stopped beside her. She put a hand on the other woman''s shoulder. ¡°Thanks for giving us privacy, even though you didn''t have to.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°I hope you used the time well.¡± ¡°Oh, we did.¡± Lisa said and took her hand back. ¡°I still feel weird that he... ah...¡± She glanced down at herself and her face turned red. ¡°He likes kissing... you know... down there; but, I''m not that fussy about it.¡± ¡°But you let him do it.¡± ¡°He''s just so... earnest and... and thankful.¡± Lisa said and covered part of her face with a hand to try and hide her growing blush. ¡°It''s hard to say no when he asks so politely.¡± ¡°I know what you mean.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°I''ll be up in about 10 minutes to get him changed to go online.¡± ¡°I''ll let him know.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Thanks again for the sandwiches.¡± ¡°Anytime.¡± Denise said and watched the happy and embarrassed young lady walk quickly out of the kitchen. Chapter 422 - A Necessary Warning Denise went up to Ren''s room 10 minutes later and helped him clean up in the bathroom, then brought him back into the bedroom and helped him get dressed in a full pyjama set. ¡°Thanks a lot, Denise.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might be out for supper, if I can time going through the levels and the safe zones properly.¡± ¡°You make sure you''re out, mister.¡± Denise said. ¡°If there''s one thing that none of us wants, is to see you miss meals.¡± She smiled. ¡°You can come out early or even a little late; but you are not skipping it.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°All right. I''ll try.¡± Denise leaned in and pinched his cheek a little. ¡°Oh, no. I''ll have no wishy-washy response like that!¡± She said and shook his head a little. ¡°Make sure you do. Build that barricade thing and get your ass out here.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, okay!¡± ¡°That''s better.¡± Denise said and looked at Lisa. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I''m going to watch the saved footage for a while, then I''ll pop online to tell the others what happened.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I don''t think I''ll be staying in, though.¡± ¡°Oh! I forgot to ask.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lisa, did you get any XP gains or party notifications?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lisa said, then thought about it. ¡°Maybe the restricted zone blocks all forms of communication, and not just what we thought we could use.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That has to be it.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve gained 2 levels so far from all the XP I''ve gained, and I wondered if anyone else was getting it.¡± ¡°If I did get the notifications, it would tell me how you''re doing there.¡± Lisa said. ¡°For some reason, it won''t let you have any kind of outside contact.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Since Elise said it was a villain training ground, being able to talk to people to help me figure things out wouldn''t actually help me.¡± He chuckled. ¡°If I couldn''t do it myself, then I wouldn''t be there.¡± Lisa shook her head. ¡°It was a mistake for you to be there at all; but, Elise said you''re stuck there until it''s done.¡± ¡°I''m halfway done now, so there''s not too much more for me to do.¡± ¡°Not much more?¡± Lisa chuckled. ¡°You do realize what you''ve had to go through so far, right?¡± ¡°Well, I''ll handle it just like you would if you were there.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''m gonna kick it''s teeth in and stomp it into the ground, then ask it if it liked it.¡± Lisa laughed and kissed him. ¡°Go get ''em, tiger.¡± Denise handed him the VR headset and he settled back and relaxed as he put it on. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren arrived in the white loading area and the countdown still had a couple of minutes to go. He thought about summoning Teepo, then remembered he had left the ring in the Instant Tower. At least I dropped the Minor Healing wand and not my armor bodysuit. Ren thought in amusement. ¡°I can''t wait to get back there and finish this thing.¡± He said out loud. ¡°I know I must be missing a ton of stuff with this world event that''s going on.¡± ¡°You are.¡± Elise said, and Ren turned around to look at her. ¡°You were waiting for me.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°What am I missing?¡± ¡°I really shouldn''t tell you.¡± Elise said and knelt in front of him. ¡°But, since you would be experiencing it if you weren''t shunted off, it shouldn''t hurt to know.¡± Ren put his arms around her neck and looked into her eyes. ¡°It''s the ghouls.¡± Elise said. ¡°Not the ones you dealt with, but all of the others.¡± ¡°What do you mean, all of the others?¡± ¡°What you found was only one of them. The other ghoul factories were shut down, but... they also released their wares.¡± ¡°Not on the population!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°No, Ren. It''s much worse than that.¡± ¡°How much worse?¡± ¡°They were let loose in the High Elven Kingdom.¡± ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ghouls are hybrids, and corrupted into getting High Elven traits.¡± ¡°Yes, and they were not prepared for the onslaught.¡± Ren closed his eyes and rested his forehead on hers. ¡°How many?¡± ¡°That were let out?¡± Elise asked, and he nodded. ¡°Only 50,000.¡± ¡°Fifty-¡± Ren sighed. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°When you leave Shargon Caverns, you''ll get access to the full story under the help menu.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''d like to say there was a battle, but...¡± ¡°It was more of a last ditch defense that didn''t know it was a last ditch defense.¡± Ren finished for her. ¡°The outlying cities had no idea what was happening before they were overrun, and the ghouls had... well...¡± ¡°The High Elven Kingdom is becoming a ghoul factory.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°More of them are converted every day.¡± Elise said. ¡°They haven''t made it into any of the major cities yet, since their normal defenses are too strong; but, they have almost full reign over the rest of the countryside.¡± ¡°How many are there now?¡± Ren asked, and Elise looked up at the countdown timer. ¡°You only have a few seconds left.¡± ¡°Elise.¡± ¡°Almost half a million.¡± Elise said, then the timer dinged. Ren kissed her and she gripped him tightly. ¡°I''ll be there to help as soon as I can.¡± Ren said, and then he faded away. * Ren watched as Elise faded from view and the inside of his Instant Tower replaced the white loading area. He walked over to the workbench, put on all of his rings and equipped the coin vault, then summoned Teepo. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo said. It''s only been a day. Ren thought to his friend. I came back as soon as I was able. ¡°I knew you would.¡± Teepo said. Ren stored his armor and everything else he had left there, then went outside to see several succubi as they sat right in front of the doorway. ¡°Ren''s back!¡± Zunala, the blonde succubus said, and all the succubi came over to see him. Some ran, some floated down from on top of the towers, and the others stood up. ¡°I told them you would be back when you said you would.¡± ¡°But I didn''t say...¡± Ren saw one of them duck her head a little, and he nodded to Ellaria. When they had cuddled, he had told her he would be back a day later if the tower was out and he died. ¡°I''m glad I didn''t disappoint you.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Disappoint me?¡± Zunala asked. ¡°You let me kill you, and gave me my revenge.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°All is good between us, and I harbor no ill will towards you.¡± ¡°I''m glad to hear that.¡± Ren said. ¡°How many levels did you gain?¡± ¡°Only 12.¡± Zunala said and smiled. The other succubi gasped and Ren felt their shock. ¡°You never mentioned that when you looted his body!¡± One of the succubi said. ¡°A lady doesn''t normally kiss and tell.¡± Zunala said demurely, and nearly everyone laughed. Succubi had a life-draining kiss, and didn''t talk about their conquests if asked about them. Even Ren had to admit that was a good line. ¡°I''ve got to get my things, and then I''ve got to make up some armor for the skeleton knight.¡± Ren said. At the mention of it, the skeleton knight walked over to him. ¡°It stood beside the Instant Tower door the entire time you''ve been gone.¡± Zunala said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said to the skeleton. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren went into the second tower to store only the essential things he needed. All his portable kits, some crafting materials for sewing and building things, some Strong Rings of Storage and a few Boosted Sustenance rings, a couple of the Bracelets of Unbelievable Magic, a ring full of iron ore, and the skull the succubi found on the last level. He also took the diamond encrusted elemental bomb and the vampiric blood sword, just in case. Ren left the tower, deactivated it and stored it, then went over to his Instant Tower. Before going in, he stopped and looked at all the expectant faces of the succubi. ¡°I almost forgot.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Assume your positions!¡± Zunala stepped forward and knelt, as did all the other succubi, and they all reached out and touched Zunala. Ren stepped close to her and she looked up at him. He couldn''t feel any of the hatred that had been lying in wait under her actual feelings, and he smiled at her. She beamed a smile back at him, and he cupped the sides of her face. He could feel how much stronger they all were, and he leaned down close to her face. ¡°I''m going to give you something special.¡± Ren whispered to her, and she shivered at the intensity in his feelings. He recalled the very first time he and Donna, the cook at the mansion in Aurora, had been together; where they both had exhausted themselves after discovering they were so similar in their passion and abilities, and had pleased each other more than either of them had ever felt up to that point. ¡°Oh... oh god.¡± Zunala whispered back at the power of that memory and the feelings it contained. Ren knew his sharing would be much more intense if it was done through intimate contact; so, he gently pressed his lips to hers and kissed her. ¡°MmmmMMM!¡± Zunala moaned as Ren poured that memory and all of it''s feelings into her through the very first willing kiss he gave her. All the succubi moaned as well, since Zunala''s own feelings mixed into the batch and they drank down her desire as well as Donna''s and Ren''s. Ren could feel the succubi in his Aura, and how quickly he filled their abilities. As each of them let go, he could still feel them as long as their eyes glowed. Several of them put a hand to their lips, because they could still feel his lips on theirs, even though he wasn''t actually kissing them. Turnabout is fair play. Ren thought and sent out a wicked feeling to them. They all gasped, even the ones not touching Zunala, and then they all let go. He tried to break the kiss; but, Zunala wrapped her arms around him and held on. Please! Zunala thought. I... I need... a little more. Ren felt her desperation, and closed his eyes to give himself over to the sensation of her lips. Zunala felt the change in him and that he wasn''t going to reject her kiss, so she started using her tongue and they made out for several minutes. Ren could feel something building within her, and kept going. A few minutes later, Zunala''s ability leveled up. She broke the kiss and sat back on her heels, and put both of her hands over her heart. ¡°Wh-what... what is this?¡± Zunala asked.
Notice!
You have been corrupted! You have absorbed Succubus saliva directly from the source through your mouth. It''s effects vary by those infected, and by the amount of fluids absorbed. Current Corruption Level: 1% Warning: When Corruption reaches 100%, you will become deathly ill and die. Please note: Corruption resets upon death.
Ren dismissed the popup and could see a glow around her heart through her red skin. ¡°Your ability leveled up.¡± He said, and a ripple of surprise went through the succubi. ¡°Th-that''s... not possible.¡± Zunala said. ¡°My... it... it''s never done that before!¡± Ren could feel her ability try desperately to feed some more, since it was now empty from using up everything Ren had just given it, and Zunala started to panic. She''d never felt it behave like that, even when she had been starving. ¡°You learn something new every day.¡± Ren said and stepped close. ¡°Let me help you with that.¡± ¡°With... with what?¡± Zunala asked, almost afraid, and Ren caressed both of her collarbones and poured more feelings into her. ¡°Ahh!¡± ¡°I still won''t have sex with you.¡± Ren said and ran his hands through her long flowing blonde hair. Especially since sharing fluids will corrupt me. Even that little bit of touching gave Zunala a deep feeding, and her eyes widened as Ren straddled her lap and sat down on her knees. ¡°But I won''t let you starve, either.¡± Ren put his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder, then licked her neck. ¡°R-R-Ren!¡± Zunala moaned as he poured more feelings into her as he remembered all the times he touched other women and how much he enjoyed it. ¡°P-please... you... you''re driving me crazy!¡± Ren chuckled, and she felt a huge burst of his amusement directly. Zunala closed her eyes and tried not to hyperventilate as Ren kissed her neck and kept feeding her more powerful ability. She wanted to hug him close, but she couldn''t get her arms to work right. She was too overwhelmed with everything for her body to respond how she wanted it to. Touching her like this, Ren could feel her ability approach it''s limit; so, he eased the flow of his emotions down to just a trickle and stopped it right at the point it couldn''t handle any more. He stopped kissing her neck and let her out of the hug, then stood up. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I... I don''t know!¡± Zunala said. ¡°If you figure it out, let me know.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ve got a bit of work to do, then we can eat and head out.¡± ¡°Our rings activated a little while ago.¡± One of them reminded him. ¡°Quiet! I want to eat with him!¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°I had to take mine off.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, I''m stuck eating normally.¡± ¡°There''s still a meal left in the icebox.¡± Someone said. ¡°I''ll be making more.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s always good to have food available.¡± He walked over to the skeleton knight and asked for the helm back. It handed it over without a word and Ren went into his Instant Tower. He used the forge to make two full sets of armor, less a helm, and enchanted everything with Earth runes to enhance them. Just because he could, he made another Helm of Foolishness to add to the second set of armor, then added diamonds to each of the pieces of metal for extra Protection and made them a complete set. After that, Ren went up the stairs to the large walk-in icebox and gathered up enough meat and vegetables to make a hundred meals, then made them in his kitchen. With the extra bonuses he had for faster crafting, he was done of everything less than an hour later. Ren took out the skull he had, and used the Raise Dead spell to regenerate it to a full skeleton.
Skeleton Knight (Bound Undead - Level 60)
This unparalleled creature will fight continuously for you and will never become exhausted. It cannot be poisoned or suffer any ailments or conditions. Warning: Unarmored. Bludgeoning attacks will disable and destroy this creature easily.
Health N/A Mana 1000
Strength 150 Dexterity 60
Vitality N/A Agility 60
Endurance N/A Intelligence 60
Luck N/A Wisdom 60
So, it''s the same. Ren thought and gave it a Strong Ring of Storage and a Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic. ¡°Come with me.¡± He said and left the Instant Tower and deactivated it, then stored the 2 inch wide cube. He had the skeleton knights stand together and they were identical, except that the first one had a few armor pieces on. ¡°Store this and equip it.¡± Ren said and gave them their suits of armor. The two skeleton knights did so, and they both trembled at the power that had been handed to them with no restrictions. ¡°You are my personal guards, and will function as such until required for something else.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± The skeleton knights said together with identical voices. ¡°Can you tell me how many of you there are?¡± Ren asked. The skeleton knights looked at each other and then back at Ren. ¡°Two.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m sorry, I meant to ask how many Lost Knights there are.¡± ¡°There are 8 more, My Lord.¡± ¡°And you still can''t tell me where the others are.¡± ¡°We do not know, My Lord.¡± ¡°Well, we''ll just have to scour the place until we find your comrades.¡± Ren said. He took out a sword and enchanted it with Antiearth runes, and gave it to the second skeleton knight. ¡°Right after we eat.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Ren built one large rectangular table for everyone with chairs to match. ¡°Please, sit.¡± He said to the succubi, and none of them moved. ¡°Why are you waiting?¡± ¡°We need to see where you''re sitting.¡± One of them said, and Ren pointed to the spot on the end. A fight broke out immediately, and Ren tried not to laugh. Teepo had no problem with that, though. ¡°You''re just going to let them fight over who gets to sit next to you?¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. I could tell them to stop, but that wouldn''t get me anywhere. Ren said and smiled. The first rule of discipline is to never give an order you know won''t be followed. The fight was over surprisingly quickly, and the dishevelled succubi sat at the spots the fight had earned them; 10 on one side, 10 on the other. Surprisingly, it was Seldanna, one of the first ones he had met, and Miastina, the one he had healed when she crashed into the tower, that were the two that would be sitting beside him. Seldanna was on the left with Wynphine on her left, and Miastina was on the right with Zunala beside her. That is not who I would have thought would win. Ren smiled at the succubi and put a plate of food in front of each of them. He sat down last and took out a plate for himself. ¡°Hold hands, please.¡± Ren said and they did so, and he held Seldanna and Miastina''s hands to complete the circle. ¡°Thank you Mother Earth for providing us with such bounty, and for keeping us warm within your embrace.¡± Ren said, and he felt surprise from the succubi. ¡°Please accept this offering.¡± He said and poured 5,000 Mana out of his hands and a feeling of contentment. It made the circuit back to him, and he felt the offering being accepted graciously. ¡°Wh-what was that?!?¡± One of the succubi asked, as the gracious feeling gave her goosebumps. ¡°A small thank you.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Let''s eat!¡± Chapter 423 - Build Me A Bridge Ren and the succubi finished their meal relatively quickly. He healed their minor injuries and repaired their bras and bikini underwear, then healed himself to restore his Mana Pool to full capacity. He stored the table and chairs, filled the icebox with the remaining 79 meals, and stored it and the Instant Tower that the succubi slept in. ¡°Is everyone ready to head to the next encounter?¡± Ren asked, and they all nodded. He took out the Wand of Transport to cast a Phantom Steed for himself. It materialized and had scars on it''s face, neck and chest, and Ren lightly touched the spots. ¡°Welcome back.¡± The Phantom Steed huffed, but it sounded hoarse. A hoarse horse. Ren thought, and it made him smile. He cast a steed for both skeleton knights and they had the same skeleton-like versions. He took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked it, and asked it for everything that was possible. Traps, hidden creatures, and alternate routes; when it populated with everything, even a hidden door showed up on it. ¡°You don''t think it''s a doorway to... you know where?¡± Teepo asked. If any other realm was attached to this place, it has to be the Underworld that the Dark Elves inhabit. Ren thought. ¡°You won''t be able to go through it, if this place keeps you here like it''s been doing.¡± Teepo said. I know. Ren thought. But, it''s good to know the places I can get to when there''s no restricted access. ¡°Oho!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°Do I detect some hidden motive in coming back here?¡± I don''t like that huge area filled with those abyssal terrors. Ren thought to his friend. When I get the chance, I''m coming back here to deal with them. ¡°Say, you didn''t check what you got for loot with the one you killed, either.¡± Teepo said. I completely forgot about that. Ren thought in amusement. It''s in the storage tower, so the next time we stop, I''ll check it. ¡°It looks like the next area is pretty much clear, except for some trolls.¡± ¡°We''ll stay here until you''re done.¡± One of the succubi said. ¡°What?¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°Trolls are nasty things! 12 feet tall, and they can regenerate any wound!¡± She said. ¡°I''ve even seen one have it''s arm cut off, and it grew back!¡± Ren thought about trolls and their weaknesses, and if the game developers were sticklers for details, he knew exactly what to do to deal with them. ¡°I know that none of you want a sword or a weapon for in-close fighting.¡± Ren said, and he felt their agreement. ¡°So, give me a few minutes and I''ll have something you''ll all like. Hopefully.¡± Ren took out his Instant Tower and went inside and took out his armor, then removed the Level 1 Web and Fireball wands from the shoulder mounts. He exchanged their spells to make them all Fireball wands and stored them, then used his forge to make 24 Level 5 wands to replace them. He made 6 Acid Arrow, 6 Fireball, 4 Web, 4 Cause Light Wounds, 2 Sleep, and 2 Reduce Person. He put them on his armor, 12 on each shoulder mount, and stored it again. Now that he thought about it, Ren took out all of the Level 1 wands he had left and discovered he had 41 of them. He changed 20 of them to Acid Arrow to give the succubi a choice on which to use, then made 3 more Level 1 wands for a total of 44; 22 of which were Fireball, and 22 that were Acid Arrow. They were both long range spells, boosted by the high class materials, so their damage and areas of effect were increased beyond the original spell limits. Ren left the Instant Tower and stored it, handed 2 wands of each to the skeleton knights, then turned to the waiting succubi and concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Okay, as I pass these out... do not... DO NOT... use them on each other! They are not toys! You will not play with them! They are combat tools and will only be used to attack or to defend yourselves from attack.¡± Ren said and gave one of each wand to the succubi. ¡°Is that clear?¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± The succubi said together. ¡°Good.¡± Ren said, and he could feel the succubi wonder at the objects. ¡°These are spell wands.¡± Shock ran through the succubi, and one of them dropped theirs. ¡°I''m sorry! I''m sorry!¡± She said and scrambled to pick them up. ¡°I''m so sorry! Please forgive me!¡± Ren took a deep breath and switched his concentration to his Camaraderie Aura. ¡°It''s okay.¡± He said calmly. ¡°They aren''t fragile and won''t break when you drop them. I made them much stronger than that.¡± ¡°But... how can you... these things...¡± Zunala, the oldest of them, shook her head in disbelief. ¡°You have made us magic users!¡± ¡°They have 50 charges each.¡± Ren said and most of them caught their breath. ¡°Trolls, and pretty much everything else, are vulnerable to both fire and acid.¡± ¡°You are... unbelievable.¡± Zunala said. ¡°We could easily kill you with these and take our leave!¡± The two skeleton knights stepped forward with their swords raised to guard him, and Ren waved them back. ¡°Easily? Maybe.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d fight valiantly, and I''d definitely take some of you with me.¡± He smiled, and they felt he would definitely kill more than ''some'' of them before he died. ¡°But, unlike me, you won''t come back the next day.¡± The succubi looked at each other, and then back at him; and he felt their trepidation. ¡°So, is it worth it to throw your lives away, just for a chance that some of you might get away from me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Zunala stored both wands to show that she meant no harm, then stepped forward and knelt in front of him. ¡°Contract or no, I pledge that I will not try to ever leave your service.¡± She said. ¡°I will do my best to heed your words, abide by your rules, and live as you see fit.¡± ¡°Even if that means never having sex with any other mortal being?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve been here for nearly a decade, and I haven''t had that yet; so, yes.¡± Zunala said, and then stopped breathing as Ren''s emotions hit her. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Ren said and she felt his deep sorrow. ¡°Is that why your skin was such a pale red when I met you?¡± It took Zunala a few moments before she nodded. ¡°We... thrive... on sexual energy, and that was the one thing Murdrasu couldn''t give us.¡± Ren looked at the other succubi, and they all nodded. ¡°But... he was...¡± ¡°He gave us lots of other emotions; but, sexual desire? He kept for himself.¡± Ren closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°That''s why he had so many of you.¡± He said. ¡°All of you together gave him enough to live on.¡± ¡°He touched us...¡± Seldanna started to say. ¡°...but he never went all the way.¡± Wynphine finished for her. ¡°That''s why you were okay with being free.¡± One of the others said, and the succubi sisters nodded. ¡°It let us look for ways to escape.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Without him looking over our shoulder.¡± ¡°And you got to feed on the occasional Adventurer.¡± Another said. ¡°Hey, we shared when we could.¡± Wynphine said. ¡°You know we had to hide everything from him.¡± Seldanna looked down at her arms and legs, and at the things Ren had given them. ¡°If we''d only had these items before...¡± ¡°But you didn''t.¡± Ren said, and they all looked at him. ¡°I made them. Especially for you.¡± He said. ¡°Those things didn''t exist until I decided to keep you safe.¡± None of the succubi said anything, but he could feel what they felt. They were grateful. Ren took out one of the succubi summoning contracts and read it quickly. He saw the same type of wording that was on the permanent maid contracts, and he sighed. In order to end the contract he would have to fulfill the terms, and he couldn''t do that; so he stored it and looked at the succubi.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°The wands will also keep you safe.¡± Ren said. ¡°Anything that comes for you, you blast them as much as you can. There''s no limit to how many spells you can keep casting in a row, so unleash everything if you have to.¡± ¡°You... can''t be serious.¡± Zunala said, surprised. ¡°Fireball wand, please.¡± Ren said and she handed him the Fireball wand. ¡°Watch.¡± He pointed to the top corner of the wall farthest away and cast Fireball; then another and another, and didn''t stop until he''d expended 20 charges from the wand. He felt paralyzing shock from the succubi, and he looked at them. ¡°Take out your Fireball wands.¡± Ren said and handed the wand back to Zunala, then equipped his armor without the helm or gauntlets. He cast Web several times in that same corner. ¡°Aim for the web, and when I give the word, cast Fireball once.¡± The succubi took out the wands and carefully aimed at the web. ¡°Fire.¡± Ren said and 20 Fireballs shot out at once and covered the entire corner in fire. ¡°We can... kill... anything.¡± One of them said, amazed at the power in her hands. ¡°As long as they don''t have resistance to Fire.¡± Ren said and walked over to the corner of the enclosure. ¡°Zunala, shoot me with a Fireball spell.¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°You said you would listen to me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Should I not accept your pledge?¡± Tears came to Zunala''s eyes as she stood up. ¡°You twist my words!¡± She said and shot him with a Fireball as she burst out crying. She turned her head away and covered her ears so she wouldn''t hear him scream in pain or see him scarred and burned. She didn''t try to wipe away her tears as they streamed down her face. ¡°I accept your pledge, Zunala.¡± Ren said. Zunala''s head whipped around to see the fireball shrink away to nothing as Ren absorbed it, and she saw that he stood there completely unharmed. ¡°Wh-what? H-how?¡± ¡°I have 100% resistance to Fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°You bastard!¡± Zunala ran over to him and started to punch his armored chest. ¡°You made me shoot you!¡± She yelled as the tears continued down her face. ¡°I thought you would be horribly burned!¡± ¡°I had to test your resolve.¡± Ren said and caught her hands before she seriously hurt herself. ¡°Let me GO!¡± Zunala screamed in his face. ¡°You can feel what I feel.¡± Ren said, and she shook her head. ¡°Zunala.¡± ¡°N-no, I take it back!¡± ¡°You know I would have destroyed your contract if I was allowed.¡± Ren said. ¡°Since I can''t, I have to take you at your word.¡± ¡°You shouldn''t! We lie! We cheat!¡± ¡°I don''t lie.¡± Ren said, then smiled. ¡°I do cheat at some things, though.¡± ¡°You tricked me into pledging.¡± Zunala said halfheartedly, and started to calm down as she felt Ren''s feelings. ¡°I''d never do that.¡± Ren said, and they all felt it was true. ¡°Will you accept my pledge in return?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren knelt with her hands in his, and she almost had to bend over to keep a hold of them. ¡°I pledge to do everything I can to keep you safe, to remove you from this place, to give you a home you can live in and be happy, to feed you as much as you can stand, and to give up my life to save yours.¡± All the succubi fell silent at his words, and they felt his sincerity. They knew he was telling the truth, and he had already fulfilled part of that pledge; since he had already given his life to save them. Zunala trembled because she was in direct skin contact with him, and she knew with all of her heart that he would keep his word. ¡°I... Ren, I...¡± Zunala took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I will accept your pledge, if... and only if... you promise to never trick me like you did with the fireball.¡± ¡°I''m tempted to lie and say I can''t accept those terms; but, since I''m sure I can come up with another kind of trick, I''ll gladly accept that condition.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°You...¡± Zunala closed her eyes so she wouldn''t lash out at him and his feelings of mischievousness. Ren felt her trying to restrain herself and he kissed the back of each of her hands and sent her a feeling of apology. She opened her eyes and looked at him in surprise, and he stood up. ¡°Who else would like to exchange pledges?¡± Ren asked, and he was immediately surrounded by all the other succubi and they held their hands out. ¡°How many of you just want me to kiss their hands and share emotions, and don''t want to exchange pledges at all?¡± None of them raised their hands or said anything, and he beamed a smile at them. They all gasped at his innocence, and several of them almost drooled at how tasty he was. Ren felt how much they liked him, so he held the smile as he exchanged pledges with each of them. ¡°Well, that took a lot longer than I thought it would.¡± Ren said when he was done. ¡°My Lord, my wand is almost half-empty.¡± Zunala said. ¡°What do I do with it when it is?¡± ¡°Give it back to me.¡± Ren said and held a hand out. She gave it to him and he felt she was a little sad. He grinned at her and refilled the charges on it, then handed it back. ¡°There! It''s back to full power.¡± Zunala held it out so that the two succubi with Identify could look at it, and they nodded. ¡°You refilled it.¡± She said, her voice full of wonder. ¡°I can keep doing it, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°When you run out, just let me know and I''ll fill them again.¡± He looked at all their shocked faces. ¡°That goes for all of you.¡± ¡°But... you mean... we get to keep them?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°You need them to protect yourselves, so use them when it''s necessary.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Just be careful of your fellow succubi when you use them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Be careful of everyone when you use the Acid Arrow one, though. That includes the skeleton knights and myself, too. None of us has resistance to acid.¡± They all nodded, and Ren walked over to his Phantom Steed and mounted it''s saddle. The skeleton knights followed his lead and mounted their steeds. ¡°Make sure you stay back, and keep an eye out for threats.¡± Ren told the succubi. ¡°Even though I know where the ones I can see are, that doesn''t stop them from moving or appearing where we won''t expect them.¡± ¡°It depends on what the cave looks like.¡± Zunala said. ¡°It could be a maze, a series of smaller caverns, or even just a large open area with nothing but trolls in it.¡± ¡°That last would be awesome.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It would be like a shooting gallery and we could all have fun!¡± ¡°Fun, he says.¡± One of the succubi said. ¡°Fighting trolls isn''t fun.¡± ¡°Activate your Displacement enchantments, and follow me.¡± Ren said and his Phantom Steed trotted over to the tunnel and to the next cavern. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror again to make sure he and Teepo knew where the first sets of trolls were. He was surprised that they were almost in a line, all the way across a huge cavern, nearly twice as long as any other cavern he had ever seen. Ren wasn''t sure what was going on with that, until he entered the cavern; then he saw what the real deal was. It was a series of 100 bridges of all different kinds, 10 to 15 feet long, that spanned wide and shallow black pits that neither he nor Teepo could see in. ¡°Wow.¡± Teepo said. ¡°How long did this take to make?¡± It doesn''t matter. Ren thought and had the Phantom Steed fly up into the air. ¡°RAARRR!¡± A 12 foot tall troll yelled as it came out from under the first bridge 50 feet away. ¡°You can''t cross without paying the toll!¡± ¡°I''m not using the bridge.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re still crossing my spot!¡± ¡°What if I fly over there?¡± Ren asked and pointed to the side of the cavern and the edge of the black pit. ¡°That''s still my spot!¡± It said. ¡°This abyss is mine, and if you cross it, you owe me the toll!¡± Ren thought that was a bit unfair; but, he couldn''t argue that he wasn''t crossing the black pit. ¡°What''s the toll?¡± The troll smiled and revealed large crooked teeth. ¡°Half an hour with one of those things.¡± It said and pointed. Ren thought it meant the succubi at first, then the two skeleton knights changed position slightly to stay on Ren''s flank and the troll''s eyes followed them. ¡°The skeletons or the horses?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The horse, of course.¡± The troll said. ¡°Nothing else could take it, if you know what I mean.¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°Well... half an hour is a bit long for us to wait...¡± ¡°All right, give me one of them for... 10 minutes.¡± ¡°I see another bridge behind you, and I''m sure there''s at least another troll under it.¡± Ren said, and knew there was actually two of them under it. ¡°What''s their toll?¡± ¡°You''ll have to ask them.¡± ¡°Hey! Next in line troll!¡± Ren yelled. ¡°What''s the toll on your bridge?¡± ¡°It depends on if your flying horses survive.¡± A voice said without coming out from under the bridge. Ren thought about that particular answer and didn''t like the implications. He looked back at the first troll. Identify.
Troll (Level 116)
This fearsome green-skinned large creature will eat anything it can catch and devour. They have thick natural armor, and Regeneration so strong that they can even regrow lost limbs if the severed limb isn''t reattached. Only acid and fire can stop the regenerative properties of a troll''s flesh, and even then it''s only for a limited time. They move twice as fast as humans, can see in pitch darkness up to 60 feet, and have enhanced perception. Inherent Abilities: Multi-attack (bite, claw, spit), Keen Smell, Expert Trapper, Lure, Killing Blow, Ability Absorption (if enough is eaten) Permanent Conditions: Corrupted, Stench
¡°I''m sorry, We need these horses to travel.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is there anything else you''d like instead?¡± ¡°No. Just the horse.¡± The troll said, and a thin cloud formed around the troll. ¡°Then you leave me no choice.¡± Ren took out his Staff of Earth and widened the abyss pit. ¡°S-STOP!¡± The troll yelled and the thin cloud disappeared. Ren pulled the ground apart from one end of the bridge, and it crumbled as the bridge started to drop into the abyss. ¡°NO!!!¡± The troll tried to hold his end of the bridge; but, it was to no avail as it continued to crumble and disappeared into the black pit. Ren used a Web wand to ensnare the troll, then shot it with a Fireball. It let out a muffled yell as it caught on fire, then fell into the abyss. The muffled yell cut off abruptly as the bundle of webbing with the troll inside disappeared into the blackness. ¡°I won''t let you hurt my horses, or gain their flight ability.¡± Ren said and concentrated on the ground between the abyss pits. ¡°My mount was feasted upon, and even though it was spell-created, it''s still alive and felt everything.¡± He said and let his anger out. ¡°I will NOT let it happen AGAIN!¡± The trolls had made the mistake of putting all of their bridges in a line, a very thin neat line, that Ren could easily move the ground out of the way very, very quickly underneath the ends of the bridges. With his experience of smoothing a path for Princess to run on at nearly her full speed before her upgrade, having to move all the dirt and rocks under all of the bridges was a lot easier than it should have been. The dirt and rocks all pushed aside almost at once, and the screams of the trolls falling into the abyss were cut off as they passed into the darkness. All that was in front of Ren was a 10 foot wide straight line of open blackness from one end of the cavern to the other. He used the staff to pull the dirt back in, then shifted the dirt and rock between all the pits towards the middle to fill in that space. It took a lot longer than moving dirt out of the way, since he was moving so much more; but, when he was done, there was a 30 foot wide natural walking path from one side of the cavern to the other, with two large abyss pits on either side. ¡°Ren, the hidden door.¡± Teepo reminded him. Right. Ren thought and checked the All-Seeing Mirror for it. ¡°Wait here.¡± He said and flew over to where the door was and used the surrounding wall to make a 10 foot ledge and a 4 foot high dirt and rock railing. Whoever uses this exit is going to be surprised. He thought in amusement, then flew back over to the others. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said and the entire group flew across the cavern. ¡°That was fun to watch.¡± One of the succubi said in a whisper, and Ren felt a general agreement from the others. They went through the tunnel in high spirits and couldn''t wait to see what the next thing was that Ren was going to defeat. Chapter 424 - Now You See Me ¡°What do you mean, ''we can''t control them anymore''?¡± Lylyth asked the Dark Elf Lord. ¡°Just that, My Queen.¡± The Dark Elf Lord said. ¡°We had some measure of control over them at first, when they were in smaller groups; but, once they started to gather together and fought each other for dominance, well...¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°I take it none of these controllers bothered to try and fight, did they?¡± ¡°No, My Queen.¡± ¡°Have them killed.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Or bring them here and I will kill them.¡± ¡°My Queen...¡± ¡°If they had fought and won, they would still be in control.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°If they lost...¡± ¡°...they would be dead, anyway.¡± The Dark Elf Lord said. ¡°It will be done, My Queen.¡± ¡°Leave me.¡± Lylyth said. The Dark Elf Lord nodded and left the throne room quickly, before his Queen decided that he and his fellow instigators should be dealt with in a similar fashion. The healer waited until the Dark Elf Lord walked through the wall of spiders before she spoke. ¡°The Royal Consort is going to be so angry when he finds out.¡± The healer said. ¡°I don''t doubt that.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Will you try to keep it from him?¡± The healer asked. ¡°That''s the last thing I would do.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°You know how... brutally honest he is.¡± The healer nodded. ¡°He won''t like being lied to or deceived.¡± ¡°No, he won''t.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I just have to figure out how I''m going to tell him, assuming I see him before this is all over.¡± ¡°I''m sure if you explained...¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°If those fools had managed to maintain control, maybe he would understand; but, I don''t think he will forgive me for starting all of this because they didn''t keep control.¡± ¡°You will win the battle because of it, My Queen.¡± The healer said. ¡°Perhaps.¡± Lylyth said. But... will it be worth it? She thought and sighed. * Ren led the group through the tunnel, and was surprised that it didn''t go up. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror and it showed the tunnel, and that there was supposed to be a safe zone up ahead. He had assumed it was the end of the level, but now he wasn''t so sure. The group came to the end of the tunnel and Ren had everyone land without going into the cavern, because he saw something that wasn''t on the All-Seeing Mirror. It was an entire city made of dirt and rock. ¡°What is this?¡± Ren asked, and the All-Seeing Mirror showed the cavern from the side. There was still nothing. ¡°I hope it''s not broken.¡± ¡°I think it''s right, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s nothing there.¡± What? Ren blinked his eyes and shook his head. I see a whole city that fills the safe zone. ¡°I see it, too; but, if the All-Seeing Mirror sees what''s there, and it shows nothing...¡± ¡°Someone is messing with us.¡± Ren said out loud. ¡°Show all hidden creatures and beings in this cavern.¡± The All-Seeing Mirror had over a hundred dots appear on it for a moment, then they all disappeared. Ren activated his Revealing Light that was attached to his bracelet, and he saw a tuft of green hair and a pair of green eyes that looked at him for an instant, then they were gone. Teepo, did you see... ¡°If I had to guess, it was a Pixie.¡± Teepo said. A 1 foot tall Pixie? Ren asked, surprised. ¡°Do you hear that enchanting music?¡± One of the succubi asked, and she started to dance; and Ren could feel that it was against her will. ¡°COVER YOUR EARS!¡± Ren yelled and took out the Wand of Ventriloquism and cast it on his Phantom Steed and imbued it with what he wanted. ¡°Speak!¡± The Phantom Steed opened it''s mouth and the screaming roar of an Abyssal Terror came out. The dirt and rock city disappeared and over a hundred 1 foot tall Pixies appeared in front of him. ¡°AHHHHH!!!¡± The pixies screamed. They covered their heads as they dropped to their knees and cowered in terror. The succubi stopped dancing and Ren looked around to see that traps had been laid out where the various illusion buildings were. Nets, snares, pits, leg-holding traps with jagged teeth, and even cages were there to be used and capture unsuspecting prey. ¡°First the trolls were being unreasonable, and now you.¡± Ren said and concentrated on his Fear Aura. ¡°Tell me why I shouldn''t KILL YOU ALL!¡± ¡°AHHH!¡± The pixies screamed again and kept cowering. ¡°Staking out a safe zone and capturing people.¡± Ren said and hopped off his steed. ¡°Despicable!¡± ¡°It''s... the... only...way!¡± One of them managed to say through their fear. ¡°We... can''t survive... anywhere else!¡± ¡°We''re just... pixies!¡± Another said and moved her hand so she could look at Ren. ¡°You''re... really short.¡± ¡°You are calling me short.¡± Ren said and thought about activating his Ultimate Terror ring to give them a real fright, then decided against it. ¡°Stand up.¡± The pixie stood up and she trembled slightly. She had short green hair and green eyes, wore a cute little dress with a low cut top that showed off even cuter cleavage; and puffs of lace around the tops of her thighs to highlight nice legs. Those were strange thoughts for Ren to have, considering she was only just over 1 foot tall. ¡°You''re a big pixie.¡± Ren said, instead of what he was actually thinking. She smiled for a moment at what she took for a compliment, almost as if she could read his mind, and then she frowned. ¡°You''re interfering with our livelihood.¡± She said. ¡°You''re interfering with me getting out of here.¡± Ren countered. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± She said and waved her hand. A vine sprung up from the ground and wrapped itself around Ren and held him tightly. ¡°If you struggle or try to break free, the vine will get tighter.¡± ¡°What if I stay still?¡± ¡°It will hold you until I can put you to sleep.¡± She said and grinned, then started to reach a hand out. ¡°I guess I better struggle then.¡± Ren said and lifted his hand against the strain the vine had on him, and grabbed onto it. ¡°That won''t work.¡± She said and stepped forward. ¡°You can''t pull it off.¡± Ren thought about using Iron Grip, then had a better idea and enchanted the vine with a glyph of 10 runes of Fire. The vine immediately went up in flames and covered Ren from head to foot in fire. ¡°AHHH!¡± Ren fake screamed and squirmed. ¡°NO!¡± One of the male pixies yelled and ran forward. ¡°You''re only supposed to subdue them and trick them out of their money and items, not kill them!¡± He said. ¡°This is against our ways!¡± ¡°I didn''t do it!¡± The female pixie said to defend herself, and all of the other pixies watched in horror as Ren''s screams died down to nothing, and he stopped moving.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°What do we do? What do we do?¡± Another female pixie asked frantically. ¡°He''s dying! He''s dying!¡± Ren had used his Fire Manipulation ability to keep the fire going a lot longer than the vines would have normally allowed, and he dropped to his knees. He could feel that this was not what the pixies had planned at all. They had been telling the truth, and killing really was against their ways. ¡°Water!¡± One of them said and ran over, then held her hands up. A moment later, a spray of water came out of her palms and Ren used his Water Manipulation skill to have it scatter just before it hit him. He absorbed the fire to make it appear as if the water did the trick, and he felt all of the pixies relax. ¡°Good job!¡± The male said. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± One of the females asked. ¡°His friends aren''t going to like that-¡± ¡°You can apologize.¡± Ren said, and all of the pixies did that slow head turn like people in horror movies did, and looked at him with wide eyes. He felt their shock and surprise, and a few felt true terror as they watched him stand up and the ashes of the vines fell away. He was unharmed and completely dry. ¡°I know you normally get certain kinds of people coming through here occasionally; but, I am not that kind of person.¡± Ren smiled and bared his teeth at them. The pixies that were afraid screamed a little and turned away, and waited for the death blow. The others close by just stared at him wordlessly; but, he could feel that they also waited to die. ¡°You are not staying here in a safe zone to keep ambushing people.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can''t go anywhere else!¡± One of them said. ¡°If we leave the safe zone and go back, the trolls could eat even more of us!¡± ¡°If we move on, the demons on the next level will get us!¡± Another said. ¡°I threw the trolls into their abyss pits.¡± Ren said, and all of the pixies froze stiff as statues. ¡°You wh-wh-what?!?¡± The female closest to him managed to say through clenched teeth. We bit off more than we could chew if he can toss trolls around! ¡°The trolls are gone.¡± Ren said. ¡°I knocked all of their bridges down, too.¡± ¡°No!¡± One of the pixies said. ¡°That''s not possible!¡± He said. ¡°No one can defeat the trolls!¡± ¡°Don''t mind him.¡± The green-haired female said. ¡°He''s a trollkin.¡± ¡°He''s an alone trollkin, now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can show you, if you want.¡± ¡°No, no! It''s a trick!¡± The trollkin shrieked. ¡°He''ll lure us into a trap and take all our things!¡± Ren looked at him. ¡°We fear most in others what we fear most in ourselves.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You''re afraid that I''ll do to you what you''ve been doing to countless others.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t worry, though. I carry around more stuff than anyone else I''ve ever met. I don''t need to add your stuff to it.¡± ¡°Hey! I''ve got good stuff you''ll definitely want!¡± The trollkin exclaimed, then slapped a hand over his own mouth. That made several pixies laugh, and Ren smiled. He felt a tingling sensation down his spine and turned to look at the green-haired female because she had her hands out towards him. ¡°You''re not evil like the others.¡± She said in wonder, and all the female pixies nearby gasped. ¡°What? How?¡± One of the males asked. ¡°He''s been touched by evil.¡± She said and her eyes moved to look at the skeleton knights and then at the succubi. She looked back at Ren and smiled. ¡°You have it, but it doesn''t have you.¡± Ren knelt on one knee and held out his right hand. ¡°Normally I''d say it was nice to meet you.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°This meeting wasn''t that nice.¡± The green-haired pixie laughed. ¡°I''m Shanna Lilybottom, Pixie Extraordinaire.¡± She said reached out to grip his index and middle fingers to shake his hand. ¡°I''m Ren, The Crafting Adventurer.¡± Ren said, then raised a single eyebrow at her. ¡°Your bottom isn''t actually shaped like a lily, is it?¡± His eyebrow and question made her giggle, and she slapped a hand over her mouth just like the trollkin did. Several pixies laughed. ¡°Then I''d have to wonder what happens to your butt when it blooms.¡± Ren said, and a bunch of pixies laughed. ¡°Does a rose by any other name smell as sweet?¡± The males started laughing, and Shanna had to hold both hands over her mouth to stop from laughing. ¡°Shanna, if I planted a kiss on your butt, would you get tulips or four?¡± ¡°Bahahaha!¡± Shanna uncovered her mouth and laughed. ¡°When I was a kid, I ate a slug once.¡± Ren said and rubbed his chin. ¡°When someone asked me what it tasted like, I said ''worms''.¡± The closest pixies were rolling around on the cavern floor and holding their sides, because they were laughing so hard. ¡°I used to have a rock garden; but, I had to give it up when they all died.¡± Ren said and Shanna dropped to her knees and held her sides. ¡°Ha ha! S-s-stop!¡± ¡°If you promise to move this little operation down to the cave where the trolls used to be.¡± Ren said, and he felt a general agreement from the pixies, and they all nodded. It took them a few minutes to recover; but, when they did, they started to gather up all of their things. It took a little while, and Ren offered to carry some of the bigger things for them. They politely declined and added wheels to the cages and things, attached ropes, and pulled them towards the tunnel Ren stood in. ¡°Back to the troll area, please.¡± Ren said to the succubi, and they flew back down the tunnel. He hopped onto his steed and slowly led the pixies down the tunnel. They were only a foot tall, so they walked a lot slower than normal people did. ¡°It''s true!¡± The trollkin said and dropped the sack he had over his back. ¡°You killed them!¡± ¡°No, they aren''t dead.¡± Ren said. ¡°How do you know that?!?¡± ¡°I didn''t get anything for tossing them into the abyss.¡± Ren said. ¡°If they had died, I would have gotten something.¡± The trollkin was relieved to hear the trolls weren''t all dead, and picked up his sack again. ¡°What are we supposed to do here?¡± Shanna asked. ¡°This walkway is only 30 feet wide and goes all the way across the cavern!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± He said and took out his storage tower and spoke the command word of bubbles and gurgles. The pixies gasped as the 20 foot wide, 20 foot long, and 30 foot tall tower appeared in front of them. ¡°You called it ''Tower 4''.¡± One of the pixies said, surprised. ¡°That''s a bit simplistic for a password, isn''t it?¡± Ren turned to her and saw it was the pixie that had cast water on him when he was burning. He knelt in front of her so she didn''t have to look up so far to talk to him. ¡°You can speak the Sea Dweller''s language?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''m a Waterkin.¡± She said. Now that he had the chance to see her up close, he saw that her eyes were the color of the sea and her light blue hair had that swirling water look to it. Ren was also Waterkin and concentrated on his Waterkin Aura, and it merged with her own Aura. She gasped and almost fell as his emotions smashed into her, and Ren stored his armor and caught her before she fell. He reigned in his happiness at meeting someone else who had the same ability, and she looked up at him. ¡°I... I would have... stopped them... if... if I''d felt...¡± ¡°Shh. It''s okay.¡± Ren said and held her close. ¡°What''s your name?¡± ¡°R-Rainie C-Cloudbreak.¡± She whispered and she snuggled into his chest to bask in his emotions. With just his armor bodysuit on, Ren felt like he was being cuddled by a 1 foot tall doll and didn''t know if it was a good feeling or just weird. ¡°D-d-don''t make j-jokes.¡± Rainie muttered. ¡°I don''t know any good weather jokes.¡± Ren said, and she felt his amusement. ¡°You do!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°What did one raindrop say to the other?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Two''s company, three''s a cloud.¡± Rainie snorted a laugh. ¡°Or was it, ''your plop is bigger than my plop''.¡± She covered her mouth. ¡°One evening, a young boy was being tucked into bed during a violent thunderstorm.¡± Ren said. ¡°In a shaky voice he asked his mother to sleep in the bed with him. ''I can''t.'' She said. ''I have to sleep with Daddy.'' After a short silence the boy spoke. ''What a big sissy''.¡± ¡°Ahahaha!¡± Rainie laughed, as did a bunch of others. ¡°I walked into a general store one time and overheard the clerk tell the customer in front of me that they hadn''t had something for a while, and doubted they would get it soon. ''Nonsense''. I said. ''Come back next week, and I''m sure whatever you want will be here.'' The other customer left and I told the clerk to always say that to keep the customer happy.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Then I asked what they wanted.¡± ¡°What did the customer want?¡± ¡°Rain.¡± ¡°BWAHAHA!¡± Rainie covered her mouth and kicked her feet. ¡°They wanted me! Tee hee hee!¡± Ren could feel that the pixies were all amused from even the simplest of jokes, and wondered why they had resorted to kidnapping and thievery. ¡°These caverns change you.¡± Teepo said when he stopped laughing. He''d liked the jokes, too. ¡°Did you notice that they don''t have wings?¡± Ren looked at the others and saw that it was true. Even though they had travelled pretty far, they had all walked and none of them had flown. He waited until Rainie calmed down before he leaned in close to speak. ¡°Can I ask you what happened to your wings?¡± Ren whispered to her. Her emotions immediately changed from joy to sadness. ¡°We... after we...¡± Rainie shook her head. ¡°I don''t want to talk about it.¡± ¡°Rainie.¡± Ren said, and she looked up at him. ¡°You can feel what I feel right now. I won''t judge you.¡± ¡°They fell off, okay!¡± Rainie said indignantly. ¡°After we started capturing and tricking people to live, they fell off!¡± ¡°Oh, Rainie.¡± Ren said and lifted her up to rest her head against his cheek and gave her a gentle hug. ¡°I''m sorry that being here cost you so much.¡± Rainie started crying because she could feel that Ren was genuinely sorry that she had lost her wings. She had never faced how much she had actually lost, since she had been without her wings for so long. She had gotten used to being without them and only walked where she needed to go. Ren felt his ability react to her plea, and she hugged his neck. ¡°Please, take it!¡± Rainie said. Ren did for her what Elerlyth had done for all those sad people in the ghoul-plagued town. He found her deep pain over her loss and used his ability to absorb most of it from her. Rainie took several deep breaths and let his neck go, then leaned back to look him in the eyes. ¡°Thank you.¡± Rainie said and gave his top lip a kiss. ¡°I don''t know how to give you back your wings.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know who to ask, though.¡± Rainie shook her head. ¡°No one can contact anyone outside of the caverns.¡± ¡°I''ll ask after I leave, then come back to tell you.¡± Ren said, and every pixie stopped what they were doing and looked at him. ¡°You... you can''t!¡± Rainie said, a little frantically. ¡°Don''t set your spawn point for here! If you die, you''ll never leave!¡± Ren was surprised to hear this, and looked at the other pixies. ¡°Other Adventurers have done this?¡± Several of them nodded their heads, and he looked back at the pixie in his arms. ¡°I only planned on walking back in, so don''t worry, okay?¡± Ren reassured her. ¡°You can''t just walk back in.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ren asked, and she didn''t have an answer for him. ¡°He''s crazy.¡± One of the male pixies said. ¡°He actually wants to come back here!¡± ¡°No one...¡± Rainie sighed. ¡°No one willingly comes back here.¡± Ren smiled and she felt his happiness that he would be the first. ¡°You really are crazy.¡± Rainie said and smiled because she could feel he thought it was a compliment and not an insult. ¡°Crazy is as crazy does, Miss Cloudbreak.¡± Ren said, and she giggled. No one ever used my name like that before. Rainie thought. ¡°Want to watch me make something really crazy?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I sure do!¡± Rainie said, and Ren lifted her up so she could sit on his shoulder. She dug her hand into his hair to hold on, and he walked inside the storage tower. Chapter 425 - Homemaker ¡°Oh, wow! You weren''t kidding!¡± Rainie said when she saw what was inside the storage tower. ¡°You have everything in here!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Not quite; but, I have lots of what I need to make anything I want.¡± ¡°What are those things?¡± Rainie asked and pointed. ¡°They are called Automatic Ballista.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really should take one, just in case.¡± He said and stored the gold-colored one. It was the first one he had ever made, and it worked fantastically. ¡°I really need to get more springy trees for ammunition, though.¡± ¡°You should talk to Shanna.¡± Rainie said. ¡°She''s the Elfkin that has the strongest ties to the forest.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Ren gathered up the stone bricks and iron ore ingots he thought he would need, and picked up a storage ring full of lumber. He grabbed a few bolts of cloth as well, and walked over to a clear spot. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Ren said and opened up the Instant Tower recipe. ¡°It''s something that''s going to be really crazy.¡± He smiled. ¡°It''s someplace for you to live while you wait for me to come back.¡± Ren thought about how the tower was situated, and how it buries itself in the ground when activated. He smiled and made a 10 foot tall archway that was 8 feet wide, in the first floor all the way through and removed the door. He cut the top floor off and then cut it in half to make two 10 foot by 20 foot sections. He reduced the first floor to only 10 feet wide, which barely contained the arch through it, then added the cut top sections to each side of the arch to make it exactly 30 feet wide. Inside the 10 by 20 foot sections, he made 10 wooden floors in each. Since the occupants would only be 1 foot tall, he gave then 6 inches clearance on each floor, which was plenty of room. With all those extra floors, he made 10 apartments on each and added a hallway down the middle and stairs up to the next level, then added a Ward concealed door on each end of the hallway for easy exits at the front or back. He even added ladders on the outside so they could climb up the outside and get in that way. The apartments were 4 foot by 4 foot, and he added bedrooms and beds, with a living room and small couches and chairs. He added small bits of metal and enchanted them with single Illumination runes for lights if the pixies needed them. He was tempted to add a kitchen, but that would cut down on their living space. Ren had told Rainie everything he was doing so she would know how it was all laid out and could tell all the others when necessary. ¡°Rainie, what do you eat?¡± ¡°Food, doofus.¡± Rainie said and giggled. Ren chuckled. ¡°I meant, do you all eat together or separately? Do you want a common area with big tables, or individual spots?¡± ¡°We usually just sit where the food is and eat it.¡± Rainie said. ¡°No cooking or anything?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Rainie said. ¡°We make our offerings to Earth, and she feeds us.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said and left the design the way it was. He reduced the battlement walls on top so that the pixies could see over it at anyone coming, saved it as Pixie Apartments, then activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability. ¡°Ooooo!¡± Rainie said as the golden platform appeared, and Ren added all the required items. ¡°It''s really hungry, huh?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It sure is.¡± He said and added the money and the 10,000 Mana when it asked for it. ¡°Whoa! So much!¡± Rainie exclaimed, because she could feel the Mana drain through Ren. ¡°I made one once and it took 40,000 Mana and almost overloaded the platform.¡± ¡°Yep! You''re crazy all right!¡± Rainie said and laughed. ¡°Since this is going to be your new home, do you want to name it?¡± Ren asked, and he felt how flattered she was. ¡°Say it in Sea Dweller''s language so no one can steal it.¡± ¡°Bubble Gurgle! (Ren''s Gift!)¡± Rainie said, and 20 seconds later, the 2 inch wide cube appeared and Ren picked it up as the platform disappeared. ¡°Let''s go and surprise everyone.¡± Ren said and used a Major Healing wand on himself to refill his Mana Pool. They left the storage tower, and he deactivated it and stored it. ¡°He didn''t kill her!¡± One of the pixies said loudly, and they all cheered. Shanna ran over to them and looked up. ¡°You still have all your limbs, too!¡± Rainie laughed. ¡°I wouldn''t be much of a meal for him!¡± ¡°That would depend on what part of you I ate.¡± Ren said without thinking. Teepo chittered in laughter as several pixies gasped, and Shanna''s mouth fell open in shock because she had only been joking. Rainie''s face flushed to a deep red as she felt what Ren actually meant, and he felt her deep embarrassment as she crossed her legs. ¡°I said that out loud, didn''t I?¡± Ren asked, and Shanna nodded several times. When he felt a deep spark of desire from Rainie, he turned his head to look at her. ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t mean...¡± Rainie leaned close and lightly touched his nose for balance, then kissed his cheek. ¡°If I was a little bigger.¡± She said and kissed his cheek again. ¡°I wouldn''t be against trying it.¡± Ren felt how flattered she was that he saw her as a woman, despite how small she was. ¡°Rainie!¡± Shanna yelled. ¡°I know, I know.¡± Rainie said as her blush faded. ¡°You saw him first, so you should get the first try if it happens.¡± ¡°That''s not... wait, what?¡± Rainie laughed as she felt her friend''s confusion through Ren. ¡°He didn''t mean cannibalism.¡± She said, then tilted her head slightly. ¡°Is it still cannibalism if you''re not the same race?¡± ¡°Technically, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s still wrong as hell, though.¡± Rainie and the other pixies all nodded their heads in agreement. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said to change the mood. ¡°Who wants to see their new home?¡± Half of the pixies had their hands up before they realized that they didn''t really know what he meant. Ren chuckled and walked over to the center of the cavern, with the succubi hovering nearby and skeleton knights on their steeds hovered even closer. He took out the Pixie Apartments cube and placed it right in the middle of the 30 foot wide walkway and stepped back out of the way. ¡°Go ahead, Rainie.¡± Ren said, and he felt how proud she was. ¡°Bubble Gurgle!¡± Rainie said and the Pixie Apartments appeared. The 30 foot wide, 20 foot long, and 15 foot high stone and metal structure was unlike anything they had seen before, and there was a stone archway right in the middle of it. ¡°That''s really nice; but, there''s no way that all of us can live on that thing.¡± One of the pixies said. ¡°You don''t live on it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You live in it.¡± ¡°How? It''s solid stone.¡± ¡°It looks that way because the doors are warded for concealment.¡± Ren said. ¡°I keyed it for pixies, so just tell it you want to go in.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Rainie, he''s crazy, isn''t he?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Rainie said. ¡°He hasn''t lied, though.¡± She pat Ren''s cheek. ¡°Help me down, handsome.¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Cloudbreaker.¡± Ren said and held a hand for her to stand on. He felt how pleased she was that he was treating her like that; and he set her down on the cave floor and put his lips by her ear. ¡°Remember, you just say ''open'' when you''re near one of the doors, and when you pass through, it closes behind you.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I remember.¡± Rainie said as she turned and kissed his top lip. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, and Rainie casually walked over to her new home. ¡°Open.¡± Rainie said, and the door on the lowest level opened for her and she stepped inside. It closed behind her and the door disappeared. ¡°It ate her!¡± One of the pixies said, and that made a few of them laugh. A few moments later, the top door opened and Rainie stepped out of the stairway to stand on top of the 15 foot high battlement wall. She waved to the other pixies, and they watched as she got on the ladder and climbed down. ¡°I claim the front apartment on the top floor on this side!¡± Rainie said. ¡°The right one, since it''s next to the inside wall.¡± ¡°Did you say ''this side''?¡± Shanna asked. ¡°There''s a hundred apartments on this side, and a hundred on that side.¡± Rainie said and pointed to the other side of the archway. ¡°There''s plenty for us to choose from.¡± ¡°It''s really ours?¡± One of the males asked. ¡°You''re not buying us or putting us under a debt contract or anything, are you?¡± ¡°No strings attached.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not even going to tell you to stop capturing people or robbing them.¡± ¡°We''re not robbing them!¡± One of the other males said. ¡°We trick them into handing it over!¡± ¡°Poe-tay-toe, poe-tah-toe.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°Either way, it''s not my business.¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± He said and stomped his way over to the Pixie Apartments. All of the others started to go over, too. ¡°Wait!¡± Ren said, and they all stopped and looked at him. ¡°Before you go in and choose your apartments, I have a house-warming gift for you.¡± ¡°A... a what?¡± One of the females asked. ¡°Where I come from, sometimes when someone moves into a new place, their friends give them a little gift to welcome them home.¡± Ren took out some fabric and sewed up 200 coin pouches, slipped a gold coin in each one as he handed them out to all 178 pixies, and the pixies equipped them. ¡°If you don''t know how coin pouches work, it converts larger coins into any other coins. The gold coin inside can be 100 silver coins; or 10,000 copper coins; or any combination of them.¡± He said. ¡°Just reach in and take out what you need.¡± ¡°A silver.¡± One of the female pixies said and reached into their coin pouch and pulled out a single silver. ¡°A copper.¡± She said and put the silver back and pulled out a single copper. ¡°10 silver!¡± She did it again and started to laugh. ¡°100 copper!¡± The coins poured out through her small hand and she fell to her knees and played with the pile of copper coins. ¡°It''s not endless, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°When all the money is gone, it''s gone... until you put more in.¡± ¡°These copper coins will make our offering to Earth worthy!¡± She exclaimed, and all of the pixies shared her sentiment. Ren felt a hand on his calf and looked down at Rainie. She held her hands up in a clear indication that she wanted to be picked up, and he knelt to accommodate her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and it reminded him of when he had met the giant refugee, Laurelia. Ren and Rainie were at the same scale as he was with Laurelia, and he stood up and held her. ¡°Our small Mana offerings will be much more appealing with copper coins.¡± Rainie said. ¡°10,000 coins will last us a long time.¡± ¡°Mother Earth appreciates anything you offer her, no matter the size.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s the thought behind it that counts.¡± ¡°Just like you.¡± Rainie said and kissed his top lip. ¡°Thank you for helping us.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just happy to help.¡± ¡°I know you are.¡± Rainie said and pat her heart, then looked down at the cavern floor. ¡°Shanna.¡± ¡°I''m right here.¡± Shanna said at Ren''s feet. ¡°Is he hurting you?¡± Rainie laughed at her joke. ¡°Can you make some springy trees for him? He needs them for ammunition.¡± ¡°I only have a little bit of Mana left after... well...¡± Shanna ducked her head a little. She had cast a few spells on Ren, and like he had said, they weren''t all nice. ¡°Can you funnel Mana for me, Rainie?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Of course.¡± Rainie said, and Ren knelt down so she could hold Shanna''s hand. With their shared Aura, Rainie had a much stronger connection to Ren, and he poured Mana into her and she poured it into Shanna. ¡°Great Gaia.¡± Shanna said as her entire body glowed. The sound of wind blowing through branches and leaves could be heard by everyone, and Shanna concentrated on making springy trees used for arrows and bows. She had made one herself once; but, it had drained her to do it. It took 2 days for her Mana to recover, and the bow makers had made a hundred bows and filled two quivers for each bow with the single tree. That was long before she had been trapped in the caverns and lost her wings, though. Grass sprouted from the ground at her feet and then it spread out to cover 30 feet along the walkway. All the other pixies watched as sprouts sprang up from the grass. Ren thought that it looked like one of those time-lapse videos as the sprouts became saplings, then became young trees, then became fully grown springy trees just over 15 feet tall in less than 2 minutes. ¡°S-s-stop.¡± Shanna said, and Ren stopped pouring out Mana through Rainie. ¡°If you''re sure that''s enough.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. Shanna let Rainie''s hand go, and dropped to her knees in the bright green grass. ¡°I''ve never made such nice grass before.¡± She said, and Ren felt her wonder. ¡°Forget the grass!¡± Rainie said. ¡°Look at the trees!¡± Shanna looked up and gasped. A 30 foot by 30 foot square of grass had a tree spaced exactly 2 feet apart in a perfect grid over the entire surface. Teepo? How many are there? Ren asked his friend. ¡°There''s 15 across the front and 15 down the side, so 225.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s assuming there''s no gaps or spaces in the middle, and I can''t see any.¡± ¡°Thank you, Shanna.¡± Ren said. ¡°Rainie, I need both hands for this part.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Rainie said, but he felt that she was just teasing. He carefully rubbed a fingertip on her cheek and put her down, then stood up. He took out an axe and stepped into the small grove. He braced a hand on one of the trees and swiped the axe across the bottom near the root and severed it with one blow and stored it. He heard several pixies gasp at that, then he went along and harvested 150 of the trees. When the branches were removed and the tips were cut off, the logs could be cut in half to make two of the 6 foot long bolts. Ren walked out of the now sparse grove and smiled. ¡°If I remember correctly, as long as it''s not completely harvested, it should grow back.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°There''s a huge spot near my starter town, and I harvest them from there.¡± Ren said. ¡°They always grow back like I didn''t take anything.¡± ¡°Not only is he crazy, he''s pretty stupid.¡± One of the male pixies said. ¡°OW!¡± He rubbed his head because the female pixie behind him punched him in the back of the head. ¡°Shut up!¡± She said. ¡°He''s not stupid if he doesn''t know!¡± ¡°Know what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You saw what Shanna just did, right?¡± Rainie asked. Ren looked at her, and then he realized what she meant. ¡°I really am stupid.¡± He said and smacked himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand. Unfortunately, he had forgotten his Skull Cracker ability had been boosted to 40% and stunned himself. Ren was knocked unconscious instantly, and his whole body went stiff as a board. He fell straight backwards and slammed into the ground with a loud thud. * ¡°REN!¡± Rainie and Shanna yelled. They ran over to him and climbed up onto his chest, then all of the succubi flew over to him. The other pixies scattered, but Rainie and Shanna stayed on his chest as the succubi landed and their Aura touched him. They relaxed when they felt that he was only stunned, then looked at the two pixies. ¡°You shouldn''t move him.¡± Rainie said. ¡°He might be hurt after that fall, and you might hurt him more if you do.¡± ¡°You just want to keep him here.¡± One of the succubi said. Rainie looked up at the tall blonde and smiled. ¡°Wouldn''t you, if you weren''t already going with him?¡± ¡°I... yes.¡± Zunala said. ¡°He''s too tasty to just leave and ignore.¡± ¡°He makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.¡± Rainie said. ¡°I''ve never felt like that before.¡± ¡°None of us have.¡± One of the succubi said, and she knelt to straighten his hair. ¡°We intended to trap him; but, he trapped us instead.¡± ¡°Is it still a trap if you go along willingly?¡± Rainie asked. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Zunala said and smiled. ¡°That''s the most dangerous trap to get caught in.¡± * Frikara and the other maids sat in silence as Lara, the Sage of Ages, told them all about what Ren was doing in Shargon Caverns. When she was done, there was only one thing on their minds. ¡°Succubi.¡± Frikara said, shocked. ¡°He has 20 succubi.¡± ¡°After hearing about everything else, that''s the part you''re stuck on?¡± Lara asked. ¡°He''s going to be spending a lot of time with 20 horny women.¡± Frikara said. ¡°He goes into battle with them. He protects them. He gave them weapons to fight, even though everyone knows succubi don''t fight if they can avoid it.¡± ¡°You seem really agitated about that.¡± Lara said. ¡°What are you worried about?¡± ¡°There''s a few things that can form strong bonds between people.¡± Frikara said. ¡°One of the most powerful is going into a fight together and protecting each other.¡± She said. ¡°Despite the contracts, Ren is going to bond with these women.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Lara asked. ¡°I''m saying, unless he gets out of those caverns soon and firmly puts the succubi aside...¡± Frikara sighed. ¡°...they are going to become a dominant presence in his life, even though they can''t actually help him fight.¡± Lara closed her eyes and thought about that information. ¡°Oh, no.¡± She said and opened her eyes. ¡°It''s going to be much worse than that.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°If he keeps them with him, there''s a good chance his corruption will become permanent.¡± Lara said. ¡°I have to go and warn him.¡± She said and moved off the bed to sit on the chair by the bed. ¡°Don''t you want to lay down?¡± Lara shook her head. ¡°I''m not coming back for a day or two.¡± She said. ¡°Let the others know what I told you.¡± Frikara nodded. ¡°I''ll tell them you''ll be gone, too.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Lara said. ¡°Logout.¡± When Lara''s avatar changed to it''s phantom form, Frikara looked at the others. ¡°Lusinia, go to Donna and ask her who we can find to train us.¡± Frikara said, and Lusinia nodded. ¡°Verwynn, go to Donan and see about having him make us proper weapons.¡± She said. ¡°We can worry about armor later.¡± She turned to Navruth. ¡°Go to Sally and get 5 sets of travelling clothes. We can move around properly in the clothing Ren has made for us; but, for fighting we need pants.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Andrela asked. ¡°Find us a good spot to train. One that is out of the way and hidden from prying eyes.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I''ll go to the general store for the supplies we need for making targets and practice dummies.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°If Ren wants a coherent fighting force... with the gods as our witnesses... we are going to be the only ones he needs!¡± Chapter 426 - Sweet Nectar A rag-tag group of Adventurers made their way across a damp and dark swamp, to the spot marked on the map. Once there, the magic user set up the summoning ritual needed to call forth the quest''s objective on the 30 foot wide stone circle used for the purpose. ¡°I''m really glad this major quest finally became available.¡± One of the fighters said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Another fighter said. ¡°It''s taken us months to earn enough of a reputation to get it!¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± The archer said. ¡°I hate grinding missions.¡± ¡°You''re gonna hate the first stage of this, then.¡± The first fighter said. ¡°It''s 100 demon spawn.¡± ¡°Ah, dammit.¡± The archer said. ¡°Getting arrows back after grinding sucks!¡± ¡°You''re really gonna hate the world event.¡± The healer said and laughed. ¡°I read up on it. It''s all ghouls.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The healer said. ¡°A buddy of mine already had a quick skirmish out by the High Elven Kingdom, and he said it''s nasty.¡± ¡°At least that''s really far away.¡± The archer said. ¡°For now.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It''s a world event.¡± The healer smiled. ¡°Where is it gonna take place?¡± ¡°You''re killing me, dude!¡± The two fighters laughed. ¡°Okay, here goes!¡± The magic user said and completed the quest''s summon function. The portal opened and the first wave of small demons poured out. ¡°Woo-hooo!¡± The two fighters waded into the melee with abandon and the entire party got into the fight. After about 10 minutes, the small demons were defeated and a large portal opened up. The Minor Demon, their main objective in the quest, stepped out. The fighters activated their abilities that they held in reserve and prepared to attack, when the Minor Demon took two steps then fell to it''s knees. ¡°Whoa! Look at it!¡± The archer said. ¡°It looks like it''s been beat to death already!¡± A lot of it''s major wounds had healed; but, all the cuts and slices Ren had covered it''s back with were still healing. Even something with such high regeneration couldn''t heal all of the damage quickly. ¡°Matt, is it''s Health low enough?¡± ¡°Yeah, by a wide margin.¡± Matt the magic user said. He took out the small metal box and slid it across the stone, and he actually felt sorry for the thing. ¡°The guys on the message boards are not gonna believe it was this easy.¡± ¡°I wonder what happened to it?¡± One of the fighters asked. The Minor Demon took in a deep breath as the metal box activated, then let it out. ¡°RENNNNN.¡± It moaned as it was pulled into the small metal box and sent back to wherever it had come from. ¡°It spoke just then, didn''t it?¡± The archer asked. ¡°I know it said something.¡± ¡°It sounded like ''Ren''.¡± ¡°No way!¡± One of the fighters said. ¡°He''s the top scorer on the XP leader board!¡± ¡°He must be some big and scary guy if he can do something like that to a Minor Demon!¡± ¡°We should try and find him to thank him.¡± The magic user said. ¡°Or kick his ass for taking a good fight away from us.¡± The other fighter said. ¡°I wanted to fight that thing!¡± The other guys laughed. ¡°Come on. Let''s get back to town and finish this quest.¡± The healer said. ¡°That''s going to be the hardest part of this quest.¡± The archer said. ¡°I hate swamps.¡± The other guys laughed again and they headed back to town. * Ren woke up with a splitting headache, and he could feel that something was on top of him. His Waterkin Aura was still active, and he felt Rainie was contented and relaxed. He thought that was a little odd with him unconscious, so he opened his eyes to see what was going on. He saw the backs of 20 succubi and their folded wings, then looked at his chest. No less than 6 pixies were snuggled on his chest and arms, but he couldn''t see Rainie''s light blue hair among them. He thought he caught sight of Shanna''s green hair, but since there were over a dozen green-haired pixies, he couldn''t be sure. Of course, he could also feel pressure over most of his body and knew there were even more pixies on his legs. He wasn''t sure what to do at first, then figured it was just like the maids and it didn''t matter what he did because it would get the same result. Thinking of the maids made him homesick, then he thought about Railyse. I''m really glad I gave her so much blood before I was shunted away. He thought. She would have been in dire straights if she''d only taken what she normally did. He sighed mentally. Even so, it''s not going to last much longer. She''s going to start starving herself again if I don''t get back to her soon. ¡°Excuse me, miss.¡± Ren said to the closest pixie. ¡°I need to get up.¡± She sighed and propped herself up on an elbow. ¡°You''ve only been unconscious for a couple of hours.¡± She said. ¡°Can''t you let us warm ourselves for a little longer?¡± ¡°Warm yourselves?¡± ¡°They''ve been sprawled out on you almost since you stunned yourself.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The succubi were fine with it, though.¡± Ren smiled. That''s because they''re getting a free and willing meal out of it. ¡°You''re like... a big warm fire.¡± The pink-haired pixie said and laid back down to rub her hands and her face on his chest. ¡°You''re so cuddly!¡± Ren chuckled, and the other pixies on his chest stirred a little. ¡°He''s awake.¡± One of them said. ¡°That was a good nap.¡± Another one said and sat up. Ren saw that she had shoulder-length bright orange hair with red streaks, and she spread her arms out and stretched. Her tiny dress had inched down slightly while she slept; so when she lifted her arms, it wasn''t in the right position to contain her and her chest popped out to reveal bright pink tips on her bare white breasts. Ren immediately averted his eyes and looked up. ¡°Um... you''ve popped out of your top.¡± ¡°Oops!¡± The pixie said and giggled, then pulled her dress up and tucked her chest back in. ¡°You can look now.¡± Ren looked back at her, and she had a huge smile on her face. ¡°Did I embarrass you?¡± She asked and stood up, then walked over the couple of pixies between her and Ren''s face. She stepped onto his neck and sat down on the closest pixie''s back. ¡°That''s so cute.¡± She said and crossed her legs. Since she was right in front of his face, Ren clearly saw the very small pair of panties she wore under her short dress. She lifted her leg a little and rubbed her own calf against her knee, then put it back down. Ren blinked his eyes a couple of times, and she giggled. ¡°You really are flustered.¡± She said. ¡°You faced all those dangers to get to this point in the caverns without blinking an eye, and yet...¡± She uncrossed her legs and left her knees a quarter of an inch apart. ¡°...if I uncross my legs, you become uncomfortable.¡± ¡°Um...¡± Ren wasn''t sure where to look, because he didn''t want to insult her; but, he also didn''t want to stare at the view in front of him, either. ¡°Or is it that you''re turned on?¡± She asked as she stood up, and Ren laid his head back. She bent over and braced her hands on her hips, and he could see right down her dress. ¡°Do you think I''m sexy?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ha.¡± The pixie said and stood up straight, then carefully stepped up onto his chin. ¡°I thought Rainie was joking.¡± She said, and stepped over Ren''s mouth and sat down on the tip of his nose. ¡°You really do see us as equals... and potential bed partners.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. To an outside observer, it looked like Ren had a barbie doll with orange and red hair sitting on his face. ¡°I''ve met everyone when I passed out the coin pouches.¡± Ren said and saw the one on her hip. ¡°I don''t remember seeing you.¡± ¡°Are you trying to say that I''m unforgettable?¡± She purred. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, and she smiled sexily. ¡°Are you always this honest?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I disguised my hair so I wouldn''t stand out.¡± She said and leaned forward and put her hands on her knees so he could see her face better. ¡°I always attract attention, both good and bad, if I don''t hide.¡± Her dress moved up past her backside and Ren could feel just how little her small underwear actually covered as he felt a very distinct warmth on his nose. ¡°W-why aren''t you hiding it now?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You seemed to hit it off with both Shanna the Elfkin and Rainie the Waterkin.¡± She smiled and wiggled her butt a little. ¡°It made me wonder if you could handle a smoking hot Firekin.¡± ¡°You''re a Firekin.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s nice to meet you: but, I''m sorry. I don''t have that title.¡± ¡°Does that mean you can''t take the heat?¡± She asked and leaned over even further. Her hands and eyes started to glow, and the heat on his nose became quite intense. ¡°It just means I can''t share Auras with you.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± She said. ¡°I''m the only Firekin here, and everyone I try to touch complains that I''m too hot for them.¡± ¡°That''s why you''re flirting so much with me.¡± Ren said, now that he understood. ¡°Rainie told you I had a Healing wand, and you know I can heal myself if you... ah...¡± ¡°...become too hot to handle.¡± She puckered her lips and started to move her hips. ¡°You... are you really going to... I mean, right here? On my nose?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve... concealed us.¡± She said. ¡°As far as... everyone else is concerned... ah... all they see is us sta... sta... staring at... at... each OTHER!¡± She closed her eyes as her hair turned to actual fire, and Ren felt a huge burst of heat on his nose. ¡°Wow.¡± Teepo said, surprised. ¡°She really did.¡± Ren absorbed the heat she had given him and felt the succubi consume the pixie''s desire and fulfillment. The pixie breathed heavily for almost a full minute before she started to calm down. Her hair stayed lit and she kept her eyes closed until her breathing evened out. She opened her eyes and looked at Ren, and he saw dancing flames in the pupils that matched her hair. ¡°That... I haven''t done that...¡± The pixie sighed and her hair went back to it''s solid state. Her eyes went back to just an orange pupil with a red center. ¡°I''m sorry, I...¡± She started to cry. ¡°I couldn''t help it, and now I''ve burned your nose!¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m-¡± ¡°No, it''s not okay!¡± She said and stood up with tears on her face. ¡°Look at these horrible burns!¡± She exclaimed and pointed at the tip of his nose. ¡°What burns?¡± Ren asked, and she looked down. She had to wipe her eyes to clear her vision, then she knelt and rubbed her hands all over the small wet spot she had made. ¡°It... I can''t believe... it''s not... how?¡± She looked at Ren with shock on her face, and he felt her tremble. ¡°You should have second degree burns at least!¡± ¡°More like third degree, with a lot of charred flesh.¡± Ren said, and the pixie sobbed. ¡°Hey, I said it''s okay. I have 100% resistance to Fire.¡± He looked at his arms. ¡°I''d give you a hug, but my arms are a little occupied right now.¡± The pixie chuckled through her tears. ¡°I know. That''s why I...¡± She smiled. ¡°You were an easy target like this, and I knew you couldn''t push me away.¡± Ren smiled, and it knocked her off balance a little. She put her hands down to brace herself, and one of her wet hands touched his lip. He was quite surprised when he received a popup, then felt a little disgusted at what it meant.
Notice!
You have discovered Pixie Nectar. This rare and valuable Alchemy ingredient is used for making the most powerful potions, tonics, and elixirs. Depending on the method of gathering, the nectar can be more potent and even more valuable.
The pixie looked at his smeared lip, then at her hand. ¡°You... you know.¡± She closed her eyes and he felt her deep regret. ¡°I will never tell anyone, nor will I ever use it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t care what can be made from it.¡± ¡°Are... are you serious?¡± The pixie braced a hand on his nose and looked him in the eyes, and she hoped beyond hope that he was sincere. ¡°Is there a solemn vow I can take to prove it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Something like...¡± He closed his eyes. ¡°Something borne from an intimate act shouldn''t be used for... well, whatever it can be used for.¡± Ren heard a small stream of words from the pixie and felt a small wet hand rub across one eyelid, then across the other.
Notice!
You have been permanently blessed by a rare Pixie, and you can no longer be fooled by Pixie Magic unless you choose to be.
Ren slowly opened his eyes and looked at her, and her hair was once again fire. ¡°Thank you... ah...¡± ¡°My name is Suniva Sunnyvale.¡± Suniva said. ¡°I can''t have you make a sacred vow to me, because then we would be bound together.¡± Ren blinked his eyes a couple of times, and then he stopped himself from smiling so she wouldn''t lose her balance again. ¡°Thank you for telling me, and not just doing it and then tell me I was trapped so easily.¡± ¡°Sweetie.¡± Suniva chuckled. ¡°I thought about doing exactly that.¡± Ren chuckled, too; and the other pixies on his chest were shaken awake. ¡°Oh, damn!¡± Suniva said and looked at his nose. ¡°I need to clean that up before I drop the glamour.¡± She stood up and quickly looked around for something, looked down at herself for a second, then slipped off her dress as she bent over. Ren had been so surprised that he didn''t even think about closing his eyes as she wiped up the dampness and used her hot hands to dry the cloth and his nose. She stepped back into the dress and pulled it back up and into place, then turned and looked at his surprised face. ¡°Did you enjoy the show?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°Immensely.¡± Ren said honestly, and she giggled. ¡°Close your eyes, sweetie.¡± Suniva said and sat down on his nose again. ¡°I''m dropping the glamour.¡± Ren closed his eyes and he felt a small tingle. The blessing actually works, even if my eyes are closed. ¡°Wake up, little big guy.¡± Suniva said, and Ren opened his eyes. ¡°You''re laughing in your sleep.¡± Ren looked at her and smiled. ¡°That''s because even if I''m unconscious, I''m happy to have a bunch of beautiful women sprawled over me.¡± ¡°You sure are!¡± Rainie said, and Ren felt her surprise and shock, and then her fascination. ¡°It''s almost as big as me!¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Suniva stood up and carefully stepped from his face to his chest. The other pixies had slid off of Ren''s chest and arms to get out of her way, and she stopped at his abdomen when she saw what Rainie was talking about. With just his armor bodysuit on, it didn''t leave much to the imagination; but, Rainie had been sleeping on it before it''s full appearance, and now her body blocked a good portion of it from sight. ¡°By Fire Dancer''s Flame.¡± Suniva whispered, then looked up at the backs of the 20 succubi. ¡°Well, that makes a lot more sense now.¡± She said in a normal voice, and all the female pixies giggled. Ren felt surprise from the succubi when he didn''t correct Suniva''s assumption, then they were amused that the little pixie thought Ren could please them all. A couple of them took in a sharp breath when they felt his confidence that he could satisfy them all. ¡°I think I''ve wasted enough time with my self-imposed nap.¡± Ren said. ¡°Suniva? Rainie?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Rainie said and pat him there. ¡°We''ll get off.¡± Suniva''s hair burned a little brighter at her comment; but, no one else noticed her embarrassment as Rainie carefully stood up and the two pixies jumped down. Ren sat up and saw several wet spots in different places on his armor bodysuit. ¡°When was the last time we drooled like that when we were asleep?¡± Shanna asked and pointed at the wet spots. Ren could see her hair was actually vines and leaves. ¡°When was the last time we slept that good?¡± Rainie asked, and he saw that her hair was made of waves of water. ¡°I''m going to miss it, even though it was only once.¡± Suniva said and looked at Ren longingly. ¡°The beds in your apartments are really comfortable.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just think of me when you sleep in them.¡± ¡°We''ll do that!¡± A pixie said, and Ren saw that her hair was a mix of mud and rocks. He was tempted to ask if she was an Earthkin of some kind; but, that would reveal that he could see through her illusions, and he was pretty sure Suniva didn''t want them to know. Ren leaned down and put his mouth by Suniva''s ear. ¡°You should just sleep normally.¡± He whispered. ¡°The bed isn''t fireproof.¡± Suniva chuckled and kissed Ren''s cheek. ¡°I can''t wait to see you again.¡± She said and pat the tip of his nose. ¡°Come back soon, okay?¡± ¡°I''ll do my best.¡± Ren said, then stood up. ¡°Ladies, thank you for sharing a nap with me.¡± ¡°Ladies!¡± One of the pixies exclaimed. ¡°He called us ladies!¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said when he felt her surprise. ¡°Is there a better word to call you?¡± ¡°No, sir!¡± The pixie said and grinned. ¡°Ladies is just fine with me!¡± ¡°And me.¡± Another of them said. ¡°Me!¡± One of them waved. ¡°I''m a lady!¡± Ren beamed a smile at them, and he felt how much they liked it. ¡°You joked with us, gave us a home and a pile of gold, didn''t get mad after waking up with us sleeping on you, and then complimented us.¡± Shanna said. ¡°You''re the strangest Adventurer I''ve ever met.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and bowed to her. ¡°I must go. If I''m lucky, I can get through the next level before I have to take care of Adventurer''s business.¡± All the succubi stood up as one and flew up into the air to hover above him. ¡°Be careful.¡± Rainie said. ¡°There''s several different caverns...¡± She took a breath and looked up at him. ¡°Ren, take me with you.¡± ¡°I can''t.¡± Ren said, and he felt how sad she was. ¡°I''m not saying I wouldn''t.¡± ¡°I can be useful!¡± Rainie said. ¡°I can quench your thirst even in the driest desert!¡± ¡°It''s not that.¡± Ren said and knelt to one knee. ¡°I can''t protect you like I''d want to.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll be constantly worrying if you''ll be hurt, and I won''t be able to fight as effectively.¡± ¡°You''re saying I''ll slow you down, even though I''m so small.¡± Rainie said. ¡°I''m saying I''d be putting your welfare above my own and if I got hurt because of you, you would never forgive yourself.¡± ¡°I... dammit, you''re too smooth of a talker!¡± Rainie said and stomped her foot. ¡°You make everything sound so reasonable!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s a talent.¡± ¡°You still haven''t lied.¡± Rainie said, and sighed. ¡°All right. I''ll stay here and be safe.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I come back here and find out you tried to follow me and got hurt, or even killed... I''ll be really mad at you.¡± Rainie chuckled and climbed up onto his knee. ¡°No, you wouldn''t.¡± She said. ¡°You''ll be sad, and mad at yourself for not taking me with you.¡± Ren nodded and she wiggled her finger in a ''come here'' gesture. He leaned down and she hugged his chin and kissed his top lip again. ¡°I''ll set up wards to make sure that if you show up anywhere on this level, an alarm will go off.¡± ¡°I''d expect nothing less.¡± Ren said and kissed the tip of his finger and touched her lips with it. ¡°Goodbye, Rainie.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± Rainie jumped down and Ren equipped his Travelling Clothes for a moment, then equipped the armor bodysuit and his armor. He gave her a wave and walked over to his Phantom Steed. ¡°Thanks for staying back out of the way.¡± Ren said to it and the two skeleton knights on their steeds. They nodded to him, and he climbed up onto the saddle. ¡°Let''s go.¡± ¡°BYE!¡± A chorus of pixies yelled and waved as Ren and his group left the cavern and flew up the tunnel to the safe zone. After a brief discussion with the succubi and Teepo, Ren decided that it would be best if he left now to take care of his Adventurer''s business, took out his shop tower and the tower for the succubi to sleep in, then raised up the walls to protect everyone while he was gone. He went inside his tower and up the stairs, then laid down on the bed. ¡°Logout.¡± Chapter 427 - Kamikaze? Ren slipped off the VR headset and was greeted by Denise and a frantic Lisa. ¡°I''m so glad you came out early!¡± Lisa said before Ren could even say hello to her. ¡°Ren, you can''t keep the succubi!¡± ¡°I''m not going to.¡± Ren said and handed the headset to Denise. ¡°Well, I won''t be having sex with them at least.¡± ¡°That''s not what I mean.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You can''t stay around them for extended periods of time.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°It''s their corruption.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It will seep into you more and more.¡± Ren sat up so he could talk easier. ¡°Hm.¡± He thought about it. ¡°I did gain a point of corruption when I kissed Zunala to feed her stronger emotions.¡± ¡°You can''t be doing things like that!¡± Lisa said. ¡°Unlike poison or anything else that you can build up a resistance to, the corruption is inside.¡± ¡°Yeah, and?¡± ¡°Ren, you died from it! Remember what that felt like? How awful it was?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If you keep gaining corruption, that feeling will be permanent.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Every time you die, your insides will liquefy.¡± ¡°But corruption resets after death.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, the level resets.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It doesn''t say anything about the effects it causes!¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked. He was a little doubtful that it would be that encompassing. ¡°Ren.¡± Lisa frowned. ¡°You know my skills in the game. I... I saw...¡± She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and stared daggers at him. ¡°You kept dying from it, over and over. Each death just as horrible as the first, and it didn''t matter if you only had 1% or 100% corruption!¡± ¡°Lisa, I can''t just abandon...¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Lisa exclaimed. ¡°You listen to me, and you listen good!¡± She said. ¡°I will not let you die horribly from something that can be so easily avoided!¡± ¡°Lisa...¡± ¡°Ren, fulfill their contracts.¡± Lisa said, a little angrily. ¡°It will set them free and you can get away from them.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°I gave my word that I would take them out of Shargon Caverns, and I''m not going to abandon them.¡± ¡°How can you be so nonchalant about throwing your life away like this?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°It''s not nonchalant.¡± Ren said. ¡°I promised I''d make them a happy home.¡± ¡°They expect to have that happy home with you!¡± ¡°I said I''d make them one. I never said it would be with me.¡± ¡°Ren! You can''t split hairs with demons like that!¡± Lisa said. ¡°They''ll tear you apart!¡± ¡°If I fulfill their contracts, they''ll tear me apart.¡± Ren countered. ¡°Ren, please!¡± Lisa said. ¡°Don''t ignore my warning!¡± ¡°I''m not ignoring it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I heard you.¡± Lisa stood up and glared at him. ¡°Listen, mister.¡± She said. ¡°You have to get rid of them before it''s too late.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, but I can''t do what you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not right now, anyways.¡± ¡°You... pigheaded...¡± Lisa huffed loudly, then turned on her heel and stormed out of the bedroom. ¡°You really should listen to her advice.¡± Denise said and sat on the bed beside him. ¡°Geez, not you, too.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°No, ''not me'' too.¡± Denise said and smiled as she took his hand. ¡°If you want to spend time playing a game with demonic sex beasts that you don''t want to have sex with, that''s your business.¡± Ren blinked his eyes a few times, then smiled. ¡°So, you believe me that I don''t want to have sex with them.¡± ¡°I saw you looking at one of the contracts.¡± Denise said. ¡°Lisa doesn''t understand what it means to fulfill it.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I kind of told her during the argument; but, she''s kind of blinded by her... well, righteousness... and she might think I was trying to justify myself if I explained it completely.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°She really does have your best interests at heart.¡± ¡°I know she does.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s just worried about what might happen, and not about what''s happening now.¡± ¡°Ren... I... I''m a little guilty of that, too.¡± Denise said as she leaned in close. ¡°If I had to take a guess, I think every woman is guilty of it.¡± Ren said and gave her a very gentle kiss. ¡°That''s okay, though. I know it''s difficult for them to decide what they want, when all they can think about is where things could possibly go.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Denise gave him a gentle kiss back. ¡°How can you be so understanding?¡± Ren reached up and ran a hand through her short blonde hair. ¡°I told you why.¡± He said and smiled crookedly. ¡°I''m awesome.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°What did I say about being full of yourself?¡± Ren moved the hand down past her ear and caressed the side of her neck. ¡°That I should never pretend to be what I''m not, and always be myself instead.¡± Denise''s smile faded when he didn''t make a joke. ¡°That wasn''t a wisecrack.¡± ¡°I can''t joke when what you want is a serious answer.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Denise.¡± Ren said, and gave her another very gentle kiss. ¡°Relationships can start with joking around, or have joking around in them; but, they can''t always be that.¡± He said. ¡°A touch here.¡± He touched the side of her face. ¡°A kiss there.¡± He said and kissed her again. ¡°It''s the little things that matter.¡± ¡°R-Ren.¡± ¡°I know it''s hard to face feelings.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just look at the disaster that happened between me and... and Lucy.¡± Denise took his hand again and lifted it to put it back on her face. ¡°I won''t just blurt things out and expect things to go a certain way anymore.¡± Ren said and rubbed a thumb on her cheek. ¡°I won''t say that I wish I was strong enough to hold you like you want me to.¡± Denise''s breathing sped up. ¡°I won''t say that I regret that I can''t make love to you as passionately as you deserve.¡± Denise closed her eyes and concentrated on the feeling of his hand on her skin, and he traced her chin up to her ear, then ran his fingers down the front of her neck. ¡°What I will say is that I''m really, really good at foreplay.¡± Denise snorted a laugh and opened her eyes to look at him. ¡°I thought you said you were going to give me... serious... answers.¡± She blinked her eyes and saw that Ren wasn''t smiling or had any kind of twinkle in his eyes like when he was joking. ¡°You''re serious.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Ren nodded. ¡°My endurance for... you know... is limited unless you''re doing most of the work.¡± He said, and then smiled. ¡°Just playing around? If I''m careful, I can do that all day.¡± Denise stared at him. ¡°A-a-all d-day?¡± Ren nodded, and Denise kissed him. He responded to her passion and put his arms around her, and she held onto him. They kissed for several minutes, and then Denise came back to her senses and broke the kiss. ¡°I... um... you need to eat supper.¡± Denise said, quite flustered. ¡°I''ll wait here patiently for it to be ready.¡± Ren said, gave her another gentle kiss, then eased her out of the embrace. ¡°Right after a bathroom break.¡± Denise nodded and went to get the wheelchair, and helped him into it. She brought him over to the bathroom and helped him stand up. ¡°This is going to be a little awkward.¡± Ren said and pulled his pyjamas and underwear down. ¡°It always is when I''m this excited.¡± ¡°Shouldn''t you wait until it goes down?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I need to go now.¡± Ren said and tried to aim properly. ¡°I can''t wait for another half an hour or so.¡± Denise stared at him as he went to the bathroom, and she saw he was right. It really was awkward for him in this condition. He used a baby wipe to clean up, then pulled up his underwear and pyjamas and asked for the sink. She helped him waddle over and he washed his hands. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and she helped him sit down. ¡°My leg is killing me.¡± ¡°Do you want...¡± ¡°No, that knocks me out.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll sleep when I go back into the game.¡± Denise took him back out to the bedroom and helped him get back into bed. ¡°I''ll be back soon with your meal.¡± Ren nodded, and Denise quickly left. He watched television for about 10 minutes, and Denise came back in with his food. He ate it at a good pace instead of gobbling it down, and he thanked her for having it ready so quickly. ¡°I''ve had it ready for an hour, in case you had come out early.¡± Denise said. ¡°I just had to reheat it.¡± ¡°Smart.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Denise said and her face went a little red at the compliment. ¡°Now go in the game and get some sleep.¡± She said. ¡°You''ve got a long day ahead if that pixie is right.¡± Ren nodded and laid back on the bed. ¡°I''m really glad I have the All-Seeing Mirror.¡± He said. ¡°I''d be going in blind to each cavern and without a plan without it.¡± ¡°You''re pretty quick thinking on your feet, Ren.¡± Denise said. ¡°You even have that skill that let''s you react first.¡± ¡°You mean Lightning Reflexes?¡± Denise nodded. ¡°Always getting the first action is a big advantage.¡± ¡°As long as I know there''s an opponent to fight.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°It doesn''t do diddly-squat if something comes out of nowhere.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I haven''t seen any kind of limitation on your reactions yet.¡± ¡°Did you see the blue screen before I stood up?¡± Denise nodded. ¡°A pixie pulled her dress off to clean up a mess she made.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was so dumbfounded that I didn''t do anything except watch her do it.¡± Denise laughed. ¡°So, even tiny little breasts can get you all hot and bothered?¡± ¡°It was when she bent over in front of my face to take the dress off, actually.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Her little panties barely covered anything.¡± ¡°You... little... pervert!¡± Denise said and tickled him. ¡°Aha ha!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Objectifying that poor pixie!¡± ¡°She was... flattered!¡± Ren said between laughs. ¡°She... liked that... I liked it!¡± ¡°Of course she did.¡± Denise said and stopped tickling him. ¡°A woman enjoys it when a man appreciates her.¡± ¡°Ha... ha... hooo.¡± Ren breathed several times to calm down. ¡°I appreciate you, too.¡± He said and took Denise''s hand. She gave it a squeeze, then let it go and stepped back from the bed. ¡°What are you... oh.¡± Denise started to undo her pants, and Ren watched in fascination as she pulled the front down just enough to show that she only had on a small little triangle of cloth to cover herself. ¡°Good god.¡± Ren said, surprised; then looked at her slightly red face. ¡°That can''t be comfortable.¡± ¡°It''s worth it to see that look on your face.¡± Denise said and pulled her pants back up. ¡°You wore them for me?¡± Ren asked, and his voice held wonder. ¡°Everything I do, I do it for you.¡± Denise said and stepped back close to the bed. ¡°I like that song.¡± Ren said and sang a little. ¡°Look into my eyes... you will see... what... you mean... to me.¡± ¡°Search your heart.¡± Denise sang and touched his chest. ¡°Search your soul.¡± ¡°When you find me there...¡± Ren said and put his hand over hers. ¡°...you''ll search no more.¡± Denise leaned down and kissed him, and he put a hand behind her neck to keep her there for several moments. He broke the kiss and let her go, and she put her head beside his and whispered in his ear. ¡°What you said before about playing all day.¡± Denise breathed in his ear. ¡°I really, really want you to prove it.¡± ¡°Stella''s on shift tomorrow, Elise will be at work, and Lisa is angry as hell at me right now.¡± Ren whispered back in her ear. ¡°I''ll take a break from game training, and we can spend the whole day in bed together.¡± Denise shivered at the thought. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''ll be all yours, except when we break for food.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. ¡°I can''t skip meals, apparently.¡± Denise chuckled and stood up. ¡°Okay.¡± She looks so happy. Ren thought and grinned at her. He looks so happy. Denise thought and beamed a smile at him. ¡°Hand me the VR headset, please.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sleep calls to me.¡± ¡°You better just sleep.¡± Denise said and picked it up. ¡°No succubi cuddling.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The blonde one, Zunala, is really coming around from hating me on sight.¡± Denise snorted a laugh and handed it to him. ¡°If you think one night of cuddling is going to make her into an angel, you''ve got a couple of screws loose.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Hey, you never know.¡± ¡°Go ahead and try; but, you can''t say Lisa and I didn''t warn you.¡± Denise said. ¡°I got some corruption just from a kiss; so, I promised myself I wouldn''t sleep with them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you imagine how corrupted I would be if I had sex with them?¡± He chuckled. ¡°I''d rather do it with someone that actually cares about me... and without dying horribly, thanks.¡± Denise laughed and leaned down to give him a kiss. ¡°Hurry up and go to sleep.¡± ¡°That sounds so weird.¡± Ren said and put on the VR headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the bed on the second floor of his shop tower. Hey, Teepo. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The night''s barely started, so you''ve got a lot of time to rest.¡± How are the succubi? ¡°Agitated.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I don''t know why.¡± Let''s find out. Ren thought and hopped out of bed and ran down the stairs and out through the door. He was surprised to see the 20 succubi were scattered all over the inside of the walls he had made to protect them. They had their ears pressed against it and constantly moved around to find a better listening spot. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Ren!¡± Zunala almost yelled and flew over to him. ¡°Something is hunting around the walls.¡± She said. ¡°We''ve been getting feelings of hunger and something else... it''s hard to describe.¡± She sighed. ¡°It''s... like a deep need, or greed, or want...¡± Ren nodded and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Show me what''s outside the walls but inside this safe zone.¡± The All-Seeing Mirror shifted from a reflection of his face to a twisted view of the wall outside. Something flew by the view, and then it landed on the wall and dug it''s claws into the packed dirt. It had the legs, body, and wings of a vulture; and it also had the naked torso, arms and head of a woman. A very wrinkly and stringy-haired woman. ¡°HARPIES!¡± Zunala hollered, and her red skin started to glow. ¡°Zunala?¡± ¡°OPEN THE WALL!¡± Zunala yelled in his face. Ren took out the Staff of Earth and pointed it to the closest wall, then used it to make a single 20 foot wide opening. ¡°KILL THEM!¡± Zunala said and took off at her fasted speed through the opening. ¡°KILL THEM ALL!¡± Ren saw every other succubi glow red and fly out through the hole. He saw fireballs and acid arrows pass by the opening, heard screams and yells, and watched as a ferocious battle raged. ¡°This is actually happening, right?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°We''re actually seeing succubi fighting harpies?¡± Yeah. Ren thought. What the hell is going on? ¡°I have no clue.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Look at them go!¡± Ren and Teepo didn''t speak any more and just watched wordlessly. They could only see what was in front of the opening; but that was enough. After several minutes, a harpy started to fly towards the opening when it noticed it, and just as it was about to pass through, a succubus smashed her feet into the harpy''s back and squished her in a splash of blood at the entrance. She reached down and dug her hands into the harpy''s neck, then ripped and tore the flesh apart. ¡°AAAAHHHH!¡± The succubus screamed as it finally managed to snap the neck and tore off the head of the harpy. ¡°AHAHA!¡± She laughed as the severed head splashed blood over her. She tossed the head back out of the hole and took flight with her feet still dug into the dead harpy''s back, and carried the body away. ¡°Whoa.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Maybe you should cover the hole.¡± ¡°I don''t think that''s going to be necessary.¡± Ren said as the sounds of battle became fainter. When Ren couldn''t hear anything else, he thought the succubi would be done and come back inside. They didn''t. He thought about going out after them; but, he had told Denise that he would sleep for the night. So, he waited for almost half an hour, and then he heard sounds of laughter. The succubi flew in through the opening and landed just inside, and Ren felt how happy they were. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Ren asked, and he felt a ripple of surprise go through them, then apprehension. ¡°Where did you go?¡± He asked. ¡°You''re all covered from head to toe in blood, and I''ve been standing here, worried sick that some of you, or even all of you, were dead or dying somewhere!¡± ¡°We''re sor-¡± ¡°You can save the halfhearted apology.¡± Ren said and cut her off. ¡°I know you''re not sorry, so don''t bother trying to lie.¡± The succubi that spoke ducked her head. ¡°I want to know what just happened.¡± Ren said, and no one spoke. ¡°Zunala! Front and center.¡± The other succubi stepped out of the way and Zunala came forward. She walked over to stand in front of Ren, and she was full of confidence as she put her hands on her hips and stood with her feet 2 feet apart. Her wings were partially unfurled, and now that he could see her up close, he saw that she was completely naked and that blood dripped off of her from everywhere. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The harpies have hunted and killed our kind for centuries.¡± Zunala said. ¡°This was the first time that we had the upper hand on them, so I used it.¡± She said, and Ren felt a Command Aura pop into existence around her. ¡°We took control and we wiped them out.¡± ¡°Was there that many outside?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Only a few dozen.¡± Zunala said. ¡°That didn''t take us long.¡± ¡°Then what took you so long to come back?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I told you.¡± Zunala smiled. ¡°We wiped them out.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We killed all of them.¡± Zunala said. ¡°We followed the stragglers back to their Aerie on this level and destroyed them.¡± ¡°All of them.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Eggs, hatchlings, chicks, younglings, molters, and every single nester.¡± Zunala said. ¡°We used acid arrows to scour the cliffs of their remains, then set fire to the nests.¡± She bared all her teeth in a huge grin. ¡°Harpies will no longer be a plague on the succubi... or anyone else.¡± Chapter 428 - Pledge Problem Ren crossed his arms and felt how smug Zunala was. ¡°Are you proud of yourself for killing all of the harpies?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Zunala said. ¡°Even the eggs?¡± ¡°Especially the eggs.¡± Zunala said. ¡°If even one survived, it could reproduce and harpies could become another blight in this world.¡± She crossed her arms under her chest to copy Ren''s pose, and that pushed her breasts up to prominence. Ren could see by the dark red tips that she was very excited after the slaughter. ¡°Well, then.¡± Ren said and frowned. ¡°There''s only one thing I have to say to you.¡±
Notice!
You have gained the condition: Angered. Things that normally only bother you slightly, will piss you off. You will lash out unless you keep your emotions in check.
The succubi didn''t take a step back; but, Ren could feel that they all wanted to, even Zunala. They could all feel his anger as it seeped out through his Aura. ¡°I''m very disappointed in all of you.¡± Ren said in a cold voice, which made them all shiver; but, not in a good way. ¡°We had to do it!¡± Zunala said in her defense. ¡°They capture and torture their prey! Sometimes for days, and even weeks!¡± ¡°I don''t care about that!¡± Ren said as he uncrossed his arms dramatically, and he felt shock run through the succubi. ¡°If I wasn''t so mad, I''d actually congratulate you for doing it!¡± He said. ¡°You went against your own automatic ''run away from a fight'' response and took the battle to your foe!¡± He made fists and used Iron Grip to crack all of the knuckles at once. It was a very loud sound in the silence, and a few of the succubi flinched. ¡°Personally, I can''t condone what you did to the hatchlings and eggs, since I wouldn''t have done that myself. What I would have done was taken them and raised them properly, to see if it''s nature can be overwritten with nurturing.¡± The succubi exchanged glances, because that would have been a great idea. ¡°Then... why are you so angry at us?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Because.¡± Ren said through clenched teeth. ¡°You abandoned me without a second thought! Not one of you even bothered to look at me as you flew away into a battle that you didn''t know how many opponents there were, if they had set up an ambush for you, or even if they had overwhelming numbers!¡± The succubi stared at him with wide eyes, because he was right. It never occurred to them to even think about such things. ¡°Even though leaving me without telling me what was going on was pretty bad, that wasn''t the worst part.¡± Ren said. ¡°The worst part was that every single one of you broke your pledges.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Zunala yelled. ¡°We didn''t!¡± ¡°Let''s run it down, shall we?¡± Ren held up and closed fist and then extended a thumb. ¡°Never trying to leave my service? You left.¡± He lifted the index finger. ¡°Heeding my words? You completely ignored me.¡± He lifted the middle finger. ¡°Abiding by my rules? You ignored the ones I set to keep you safe, including the ones for wand use.¡± He started to lift the ring finger, then put it back down. ¡°Living as I see fit? Well, that''s kind of a toss up. We haven''t been around each other long enough for that kind of a discussion yet... so, 3 out of 4.¡± ¡°They could probably argue the ''leaving your service'' one.¡± Teepo said. ¡°But that''s just me being a stickler for details.¡± Ren could feel how sad the succubi were after being so happy. Zunala sighed. ¡°Ren, I''m so-¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Ren said and held a hand up. ¡°You do realize I can still tell when you lie, right?¡± Zunala closed her mouth on her apology. ¡°Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I will honor my pledge.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why what?¡± ¡°I could have sworn I said that I had to take you at your word because I didn''t want to rely on your contracts; because I hate contracts.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then you yelled at me for no reason and left, and the others followed you.¡± He reigned in his anger and sighed. ¡°You can honor the pledge if you want; but, it''s only going to mean as much as you think it does. Apparently that isn''t much, since you can just ignore it when you feel like it; so, why do you want to keep honoring it?¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Zunala sighed, because she didn''t really have a response that she could give that she thought would satisfy him. Not without lying, anyway. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll still honor my pledge to you. When I give my word, I mean it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, now that I have the opportunity to clarify the details, the happy home I''ll make for you isn''t going to have me in it.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Trust has to be earned.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought I had earned your trust, and I thought you had earned mine.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Even friends have to have a certain level of trust between them.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''ll still be close by to give you regular feedings.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless things change, we won''t be living together.¡± ¡°Is that our reward?¡± Zunala asked, and he could feel her sarcasm as she tried to get angry herself. ¡°If we''re good in your eyes, you''ll decide if we''re worthy enough to be under the same roof with you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°Living together with someone is a huge decision. Caring, friendship, and love... these aren''t rewards to be won.¡± He said. ¡°They are gifts that should be cherished.¡± ¡°Ha! You are such a hypocrite!¡± Zunala said. ¡°You told me that you weren''t going to replace Murdrasu in my life, or love me like he did, or hate me!¡± ¡°That''s right!¡± Ren said and his anger returned. ¡°I would never treat you like he did! I won''t ever chain you up or make you work to exhaustion or starve you!¡± He said emphatically. ¡°I''d never love you like he did because I''m not him! I doubt he even knew what love was!¡± Zunala''s argument deflated at Ren''s words, and she knew that what he said was true. ¡°As for hating you?¡± Ren said and calmed down again, and they all felt how sad he was. ¡°I died for you, Zunala.¡± He said. ¡°I was going to ask you to cuddle with me tonight, even after being warned that I would get more corruption.¡± He took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I didn''t want to sleep alone, and I thought... I hoped that you wouldn''t want to be alone, either.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I won''t ask you to compromise yourself anymore.¡± He said and looked at the other succubi. ¡°I won''t ask any of you to do that.¡± ¡°You don''t have to ask me.¡± Miastina said. ¡°I told you when you healed me after my accident that I would do anything you wanted.¡± Ren smiled sadly. ¡°You still left with all the others.¡± ¡°I was frenzied.¡± Miastina said. ¡°I doubt I could have spoken my own name during the fight.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Thank you for the offer; but, despite how much I want to, I can''t take it.¡± ¡°I can feel how sad you are.¡± Miastina said. ¡°Please, I''ll be good.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Why is it so hard for you to understand that I can tell when you lie?¡± He looked at the other succubi. ¡°How many times do I have to remind you? Or better yet, why can''t you just be honest? Is that too much to ask?¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. None of the succubi said anything and didn''t know how to react, and Ren shook his head as he used the Staff of Earth to close over the hole he had made in the wall. ¡°You''re all still covered in blood.¡± Ren said. ¡°We... ah...¡± ¡°There''s nowhere to wash it off.¡± One of them said. ¡°You don''t need to.¡± Ren said and took out some white Spider Silk cloth and sewed up 18 new bikinis, instead of a bra and bikini bottom. He tossed one to the closest succubus, and she caught it. ¡°Store this in your ring, then equip it. Both you and your old clothing should be cleaned, assuming you still have old clothing.¡± He gave a new bikini to each of them, until he came to Seldanna and Wynphine. They had already changed clothes, and he nodded to them. ¡°Why does that work?¡± One of the other succubi asked, and Ren turned to look at her. ¡°It''s what Adventurers do.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can''t be taking baths or washing ourselves all the time; so, just changing clothes for a second does the trick.¡± The succubi did as he instructed, and he went around to each of them and healed their wounds. With his required tasks done, he went back to his shop tower. ¡°I''ll see you in the morning.¡± Ren said and opened the shop tower door. ¡°Wait.¡± Seldanna said and stepped forward. ¡°What about our feeding?¡± ¡°You couldn''t take any more, even if I forced you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can feel how full you are.¡± ¡°But... you said...¡± Seldanna sighed. ¡°Your emotions are so much better than those of the old hags we slaughtered.¡± Ren closed his eyes and thought about his emotional break-up with Nathalia. ¡°Well, then... I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.¡± He said and reached out a hand. Seldanna took it and gasped as she fell to her knees. ¡°STOP IT!¡± Zunala hollered as she felt the huge burst of mixed emotions. ¡°Don''t punish her!¡± She said and grabbed Seldanna''s hand to pull it out of Ren''s, and all of those emotions hit her. ¡°Punish her?¡± Ren looked at Zunala in confusion. ¡°I''m giving her the strongest emotions I''ve ever felt.¡± Since everyone was used to Zunala being the focus, they all had a small established connection with her. The bundle of strong emotions hit them, even though they weren''t touching her, and Ren felt them in his Aura. ¡°So, that''s why.¡± Ren said and looked at Zunala. ¡°You bound them.¡± ¡°N-no.¡± Zunala said through clenched teeth. ¡°I didn''t.¡± Ren closed his eyes and traced the bonds she had made with the other succubi with his Emotion Siphon Ability, and touched each of them through it. They gasped as he plucked at the bonds, and he opened his eyes. ¡°Leveling you up had side effects.¡± Ren said to Zunala, and he turned to the other succubi. ¡°I''m sorry, everyone.¡± The succubi felt his sorrow for their predicament, and they didn''t know how to respond. ¡°I''ll figure out a way to break the bonds when we get out of here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Until then, I''ll feed you all directly from now on.¡± ¡°I... thought you... didn''t have the... the time to...¡± Seldanna tried to speak. ¡°I''ve got a good feeling of your tolerance for emotional bursts.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll have it down to only a few seconds by tomorrow.¡± ¡°N-no!¡± Zunala said. ¡°Please! Keep using me as a bridge!¡± ¡°You''re too powerful now for that to work properly.¡± Ren said and let Seldanna''s hand go. She was breathing heavily and looked at him longingly. She knew what he had done wasn''t punishment, because he had given her exactly what she had wanted. He had washed away the ugly and disgusting feelings of the harpies and given her his pure and powerful feelings instead. Ren could still feel the succubi in his Aura, even though he wasn''t touching one of them. ¡°Goodnight.¡± He said and sent them a feeling of reassurance as their presences faded. Once again, no one said anything in response; so, he shrugged and went inside the tower and up to the second floor. He took out a meal and thought about eating it, then decided to save it and put it back. He climbed onto the bed and relaxed. Goodnight, buddy. Ren thought. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ******** ¡°I guess Lisa was a bit too quick to jump down his throat over the succubi.¡± Denise said as she sat on the chair beside the bed and watched Ren go into his tower alone, despite saying he was going to cuddle with the blonde one. ¡°He''s gone back in already?¡± Lisa asked as she opened the bedroom door. ¡°Hello there, Miss Grumpy-pants.¡± Denise said and smiled. ¡°Have you calmed down a little?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Lisa said and smiled. ¡°Yes, Ren''s gone back in... and you''re going to be a little happy about it.¡± Denise said. ¡°What? Why?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°He''s all alone in the bed and isn''t cuddling with a succubi.¡± Denise pointed to the television screen. Lisa walked quickly over and stood beside her to see Ren was asleep. ¡°Why won''t he listen to me?¡± Denise looked up at her face, and saw it had half-dried streaks of tears. ¡°He did listen.¡± She said and put an arm around the younger woman''s waist. ¡°Hand me the laptop, and if you want, you can watch the footage at normal speed with me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lisa said and passed her the laptop. ¡°I''ll grab the other chair.¡± Denise put the laptop on the bed and called up the footage as Lisa brought the chair over and sat down beside her. They watched the footage as the succubi fought the harpies, then disappeared. Denise skipped forward to when the succubi came back, and Lisa''s eyes widened as she heard what the succubi said about wiping them out. ¡°That... can''t be true.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I mean, they spawn where they are needed.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Denise said. ¡°I heard it directly from Elise. The idiot programmers set up creature generation areas to spawn them, then when one is needed, it already exists and just gets shunted over to where they want it to go.¡± ¡°So... they really...¡± ¡°Completely removed the harpy creature from the game.¡± Denise said and laughed. ¡°Boy, oh boy! I''d love to have a camera in the tech room when they find out!¡± * One of the programmers at Sid Tech stopped working when he received a game world notification popup.
Game Resource Notice:
(Class) Harpy (Race) Demon has been depleted and can no longer be generated. Please adjust appropriate quests, requirements, and ingredient lists.
What the hell? The guy thought. How is that possible? The programmer typed furiously on his terminal, and found the numbers he was looking for.
Harpy Colony:
Harpy (Adult) 0 Harpy (Chicks) 0
Harpy (Hatchlings) 0 Harpy (Eggs) 0
Harpy (Nests) 0 Harpy (Aerie) 0
¡°Holy Mother of God.¡± The guy said out loud. ¡°That''s not possible!¡± He stood up and was glad that Max, the head programmer, hadn''t gone home early like he said he would. ¡°Max! We''ve got a problem!¡± Max got up from his desk and started to walk across the room to the programmer''s desk. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You''re not going to believe this.¡± The guy said. ¡°I don''t believe it, either.¡± ¡°Don''t believe what?¡± The guy sat down and turned his monitor so Max could see both the resource depleted popup and the actual numbers of harpies. ¡°That''s not possible.¡± Max said. ¡°That''s what I said.¡± ¡°They''re in a protected area that players can''t get into.¡± Max said. ¡°In fact, they would even have to fly to get there.¡± The programmer shrugged. ¡°I don''t know what to tell you.¡± ¡°Let me check on something.¡± Max said and the programmer slid his chair out of the way so Max could use his workstation. Max typed almost faster than the eye could see, and brought up the map for the Harpy Aerie and the history of players that had accessed the area. No one had. Max brought up the players that had entered the same level in Shargon Caverns that the Aerie had been hidden in, and he cursed when one of the three names in the last week was Ren Haddon. ¡°Him again.¡± The programmer said. ¡°You don''t think that he... I mean, come on. Who wipes out a whole species?¡± ¡°I''ll check the other two players just for laughs, but my money is on Ren.¡± Max said. ¡°I don''t know he did it, without actually having access to the Aerie.¡± He sighed. ¡°He''s the only one that''s currently sitting right there on the same level.¡± ¡°He''s been in the safe zone the whole time.¡± The programmer said. ¡°How could he possibly do it?¡± ¡°The better question is: why does he keep doing things like this?¡± Max asked and looked at the clock. ¡°I''d tell you to keep working and let me know what else happens; but, it''s getting close to quitting time.¡± He said and put a hand on the guy''s shoulder. ¡°Just finish up that bit of code and just relax until the whistle blows.¡± ¡°People still say things like that for ending the work day?¡± The programmer chuckled. ¡°How old are you, Max?¡± ¡°Old enough to kick your butt, and young enough to recover before you do.¡± Max said. The guy laughed. ¡°What about adding the resource back?¡± ¡°We can''t do it until the next major system update.¡± Max said. ¡°I''ll handle it until then.¡± He walked back to his desk and sat down. He saved up his work after another quick check on the event''s progress, then wrote a quick substitution patch for the things the harpies were supposed to be used for. Thankfully, no one is accessing the harpy mechanic with them all dead; so, it can be slipped in without anyone having to log off to implement it. Max hated having to use the vrock demons as a substitute, even though they produced the same items when killed. They were so much more dangerous than harpies, but it couldn''t be helped. I thought having Ren out of the way for the start of the world event would be a good idea. Max thought. It figures that it would bite me in the ass. No sooner had the thought entered his mind when the door to the tech department opened and Elise, Ren''s current girlfriend, strode in. Forget biting my ass, it''s going to be chewed off. Max thought. ¡°Hi, Elise.¡± ¡°We need to talk.¡± ¡°Step into my office.¡± Max said and waved to his desk. ¡°I''d rather a bit more privacy.¡± Elise said. ¡°I know you do.¡± Max said and grinned, and let it fade when Elise didn''t smile at all. ¡°Is the hallway, okay?¡± Elise nodded and they left the tech department without saying another word to each other. * ¡°He''s gonna get it now.¡± One of the programmers said. ¡°She''s a real ball-buster.¡± ¡°How would you know that?¡± One of them asked. ¡°All the old hands know that.¡± He responded. ¡°So, I''ll give you a fair warning. Don''t ever get on her bad side.¡± He said and smiled as he pat the side of his metal desk. There was a distinct dent where a fire extinguisher had caved it in. ¡°She is not someone you want to mess with.¡± The guy looked at the dent. ¡°I''ll hold off on asking her out, then.¡± ¡°Don''t even bother asking.¡± He said and laughed. ¡°She is completely nuts over her boyfriend.¡± ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°Nobody important.¡± He said, and several tech guys laughed. ¡°He''s just the guy that''s been giving us all this extra work and overtime.¡± ¡°Should I thank him or curse him?¡± ¡°Definitely both.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°We''re getting paid tons of money and he gets to have her as a girlfriend.¡± Chapter 429 - Discovery ¡°So, what''s on your mind?¡± Max asked Elise when they were out in the hallway. ¡°Why did you do it?¡± Elise asked and kept her anger in check. ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°Don''t be stupid.¡± Elise said. ¡°I know it was you that put Ren in Shargon Caverns.¡± ¡°It was the only place for him to get the Undead Adept skill.¡± Max said. ¡°His character wouldn''t get anything else when he leveled up until he learned what his hidden things were.¡± Elise took in a deep breath and let it out, so she would remain calm. ¡°You could have easily had him meet someone else with the same skills and told him what they were.¡± ¡°Kind of.¡± Max said. ¡°I suppose I could have generated a character and let him encounter them... but, you know how some of those go, especially if he suspects anything.¡± He said. ¡°It was just easier to shunt him over.¡± ¡°It''s a villain training camp.¡± Elise sneered. ¡°He is NOT a villain.¡± ¡°He is, according to the game.¡± Max said, and Elise''s eyes widened. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You do realize that he has single-handedly changed not one, but four major aspects in the game? He''s denied players access to the dwarves for an entire game year, which was supposed to be a player reward for doing so well in their quests.¡± Max said. ¡°He somehow derailed the Fire Realm world event that was supposed to let players access brief special missions and fight specialty creatures. He also revitalized the Fire Deity. I still have no clue how he did those things; but, that fundamentally changed what we were going to do for almost 6 months!¡± Elise didn''t comment, because she didn''t know what Ren had done, either. ¡°He stopped the giants from decimating their own population with the brain arthropod grubs, which meant they wouldn''t accept ''Adventurer Giants'' into their society until we rewrote the entire player introduction to that race!¡± Max took a breath in through his nose and let it out through his mouth. ¡°Then he kicked off the Great Cleansing three months before we were ready to implement it, and we worked our asses off to delay the event as long as possible; then the little bastard-¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Elise said hotly. ¡°He''s not a bastard!¡± ¡°That''s your opinion.¡± Max said, and ignored her anger. ¡°He managed to kick off the event again with his discovery of the ghouls, found out who was doing it, then told the Queen of the Dark Elves all about it; which gave her the choice of using them to go after the High Elves... and she did, just as we predicted. It was just too tempting for her not to use them.¡± He said. ¡°Although, going after the settlements first only had a 25% probability.¡± ¡°That wasn''t Ren''s fault! He was part of a party that discovered the ghouls!¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Max said. ¡°I''m just glad we had everything ready for the update this time. I didn''t want to say anything about it; but, goddammit! I wanted him well out of the way so that at least some of the other players could enjoy a storyline that he hasn''t personally screwed up on us!¡± Elise kept a hold of her anger, even though she really wanted to punch Max right in the face. ¡°Ren is the best advertisement this game... and this company... has right now.¡± ¡°Yeah, and he''s the only one that''s getting to play the exclusive stuff and stopping everyone else from playing it.¡± Max said. ¡°I didn''t want that to happen this time, mainly because you know as well as I do that as soon as he gets involved, everything is going to go to hell in a hand basket.¡± ******** Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves was upset. She had tried several times to create a portal to the Royal Consort at different times of the day, and it wasn''t working. She put a hand on her chest where the spider emblem that matched Ren''s was, and concentrated on her link with him. She hadn''t been able to feel him, either. ¡°He wouldn''t stay away this long.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Something is either wrong, or something is interfering with contacting him.¡± ¡°What about his beneficiary?¡± The healer suggested. ¡°Perhaps she knows where he is.¡± Lylyth shook her head. ¡°If he was anywhere near her, I would have felt him through her.¡± She said. ¡°Her bond with him is quite strong.¡± ¡°I could travel to his place of business and see if they know where he is.¡± The healer suggested. Lylyth looked at her with squinted eyes; but, she felt no ulterior motives from the woman. ¡°Very well.¡± She said. ¡°Prepare for an excursion to the surface.¡± ¡°I will be but a moment, My Queen.¡± The healer said and left to change into her Travelling Clothes and concealment cloak. I hope she can discover what has happened to him. Lylyth thought. If it is something bad... A glowing 6 foot long Mana sword formed in her hand and she stood up to her full 9 foot 2 inches of height. I will know the reason why. * ¡°Good work, everyone!¡± Frikara said, and the other maids collapsed to their knees on their impromptu training grounds. ¡°Hey, I didn''t say we were done!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± The maids grunted, and both Donna and Frikara laughed. ¡°Well, it is getting late.¡± Donna said. ¡°Let''s call it a day.¡± ¡°Thank the gods!¡± Lusinia said and managed to stand up, even though she was exhausted. ¡°I need to sleep!¡± ¡°I claim pillow status.¡± Navruth said. ¡°Your heads resting on me will be a welcome massage.¡± The maids tried to laugh, but it came out as a series of grunts. ¡°Come on, everyone into the cart.¡± Donna said and helped them climb in. ¡°I''ll get you home in time for supper.¡± ¡°I''m too tired to eat.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°Oh, no!¡± Andrela said and hugged her friend. ¡°You broke poor Verwynn!¡± Frikara laughed and climbed into the passenger seat, and Donna sat in the driver''s seat. The cart pulled away from the small field that was beside Ren''s warehouse next to the dock where his ship used to be. They drove into the starter city of Aurora through the North Gate and down the street, and over to the Housing District. Donna dropped them off at their house and they went inside. ¡°How was it?¡± Railyse asked the first maid she saw. ¡°Torture.¡± Lusinia said as she stumbled up the stairs. ¡°Absolute torture.¡± Railyse smiled as the other maids went by, and Frikara stopped to talk. ¡°How are you, Railyse?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°I''m going to have several large fish delivered within the next day or so.¡± ¡°You won''t even consider my offer to be Ren''s substitute?¡± Frikara asked. Railise touched her cheek and smiled. ¡°I''m sorry. Even if I decided to accept it from you, we are not compatible in the least.¡± ¡°Is that really important?¡± ¡°Should I insult you further and say that I would be ill if I tasted your blood?¡± Railyse asked, and Frikara sighed.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°I really can''t measure up to him, can I?¡± ¡°Be yourself, and not a surrogate for Ren.¡± Railyse said and took her hand back. ¡°You will come into your own strengths, and you won''t have to emulate him.¡± Frikara smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No, Frikara. Thank you.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Though I must decline, I am still honored by your offer.¡± Bosltered by Railyse''s words, Frikara nodded to her then followed the other maids up the stairs. When she arrived in the bedroom, she saw that they were already asleep. Navruth really did lay across the top of the bed as the pillow, and Lusinia and Verwynn had their heads on her thigh and calf respectively, and Andrela had her head on her abdomen. Frikara smiled as she stored her clothing, climbed up onto the bed, and laid her head down on the space between Navruth''s abdomen and her chest. Despite being so tired that they didn''t want to eat, they were also quite happy. Frikara had been surprised at first when Anabelle had vehemently denied any interest whatsoever in going the route that the other maids had chosen. She said that she knew her worth to Ren and didn''t have anything to prove to either herself or him, and Frikara hadn''t pressed her. Fighting is just not in her blood like it is in ours. Frikara thought, and then smiled. They had made a lot of progress in a really short time, and even if they didn''t complete the rigorous training Donna had set for them before he got back, Frikara knew that Ren would be proud of them for trying something new while they waited for him, and fell asleep like a switch had been thrown. She was just as exhausted as the others, but had hid it well. ******** Elise had left the tech department after another attempt at a fruitless argument with Max. She had gone up to her desk in front of the boss'' office, quickly typed up a memo, and sent it to him. A few minutes before quitting time, her boss Edward Torren, came out of his office. ¡°Ms. Stanford.¡± Edward said. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Elise said and walked into his office. ¡°I can''t do anything for Ren.¡± Edward said as Elise sat down in front of his desk. ¡°But, sir!¡± ¡°He''s stuck there until he completes it.¡± Edward said and took his own seat behind the desk. ¡°I have to give Max credit, though.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Using villain requirements to shift a non-villain character into the villain training camp was a neat little loophole to find and exploit.¡± ¡°Mr. Torren.¡± Elise said and held her anger in, but he could see her grimace. ¡°Ren is not a villain.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter now.¡± Edward said. ¡°I''m sorry, Elise. I''ll have that exploit plugged as soon as possible, but that''s as much as I can interfere in the matter.¡± ¡°Can you at least give him the reward you promised him after the game denied him all of the XP and levels he should have gotten?¡± Elise asked. ¡°He''s been waiting a long time for it.¡± ¡°I still haven''t thought of anything that won''t mess his character up.¡± ¡°I have.¡± Elise said and handed him a small piece of paper. Edward took it and read what was on it. ¡°You... can''t be serious.¡± ¡°I know you''ll have to put some extreme limitations on it, but... it would be appropriate.¡± Edward thought about it, about the implications it could have, and then smiled. ¡°All right.¡± He said, crumpled up the paper, and tossed it in the trash. ¡°This won''t impact his character development, or fundamentally change his role, so thank you for that.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll even write the caveat myself.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Elise said and stood up. ¡°When will he get it?¡± ¡°First thing in the morning, right after he logs back in.¡± Edward said and smiled. ¡°I assume you''re going to surprise him with the news.¡± ¡°I might.¡± Elise said. ¡°It all depends on if he dies from corruption again.¡± Edward sighed. ¡°You know why we have that in there.¡± ¡°Yes, it''s to curb the players automatic ''kill it'' response.¡± Elise said. ¡°Ren doesn''t have that response normally, so it''s been... a lot harder on him having to deal with certain situations.¡± ¡°I''m keeping a very close eye on his progress to see the difference in his responses from the normal ones.¡± Edward said. ¡°When you see him, tell him I admire his restraint.¡± ¡°I will, sir.¡± Elise said and left the office. She sat down at her desk and the clock struck 5 o''clock. She gathered up her things and quickly left the building, drove back to her place, and had a quick shower. She gathered up a change of clothes for work the next day, dressed in a pair of jeans that she thought Ren would like, and put on a thin blouse. You could clearly see her bra through it; but, she knew Ren would like that, too. She finished drying her hair and fluffed up the natural curly waves in the mirror, grabbed her bag with the change of clothes, put on her jacket and picked up her purse, then left her place to drive across the city to see her favorite person in the world. ******** Ren woke up without any kind of prompting, and he sat up to stretch. When he looked out the arrow slit, 4 sets of red eyes looked back at him. Good morning, Teepo. Ren thought and got out of bed. ¡°Good morning.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Nothing to report, except the rotating succubi spectators.¡± I really cut down on their viewing options with the big walk in icebox, didn''t I? Teepo chittered in laugher. ¡°Was that a detriment or a bonus?¡± Bonus for me, detriment for them. Ren smiled and equipped his armor as he walked down the stairs. He thought about eating, then shrugged. It wasn''t taking anything from his Health yet, so he didn''t bother wasting the food. He took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it what the next section of the cavern had in it, and nothing popped up. Well, at least the succubi were thorough. Ren thought. Thinking about them stomping on all those chicks and eggs... He shivered. Nope, I definitely couldn''t do that. ¡°Me, either.¡± Teepo said. ¡°At least you don''t have to make that decision now.¡± What do you mean? ¡°I can only assume as we progressed through the next section of caverns, we would have been constantly attacked by harpies.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Now we''re free and clear to face any other threat on this level.¡± What you''re saying is, look on the bright side. Ren thought. ¡°Is there any other side you want to look at?¡± Teepo asked, then chittered in laughter. ¡°I guess you would if it had a backside.¡± Ren chuckled and put the All-Seeing Mirror away as he stepped out of the Instant Tower. ¡°Ren, please.¡± Zunala said. ¡°Accept my apology.¡± ¡°You don''t have to apologize.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m still going to get you out of here and build you a home you can be happy in.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°What emotion would you like today?¡± ¡°I... I''m not...¡± ¡°Don''t lie.¡± Ren said. ¡°Anguish.¡± Ren tilted his head to the side. ¡°You''re trying to punish yourself?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It''s your choice, but I know from personal experience that it tastes awful.¡± ¡°It does.¡± Zunala said. Ren thought about the last time he had met Lucy in the game and their interactions, and how much she had hurt him; then he held a hand out. Zunala took it and Ren shoved it all into her ability to fill it up. ¡°AGH!¡± Zunala yelled and let go, then put her hands over her stomach. ¡°That... was horrible.¡± ¡°I warned you.¡± Ren said and turned to the next succubus. ¡°Hi, Ellaria.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± Ellaria said and ducked her head. ¡°Passion, please.¡± Ren thought about the first time he had slept with Nathalia, and how frantic they had been. He held a hand out to Ellaria, and she took it. He quickly funnelled the passion he had felt into her and filled her ability. ¡°AH!¡± Ellaria said and let go. She dropped to her knees and held onto her stomach as well. ¡°So... so much!¡± ¡°Who''s next?¡± Ren asked, and each of the succubi asked for what they wanted, and he filled them up. When he was done, he could see all of their eyes glowed and he could feel them in his Aura. I guess that the more I feed them, the longer I''ll be able to feel them afterwards. ¡°That makes sense.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The more they take from you, the more of you they have in them.¡± I don''t know if they would prefer that, considering our current situation. Ren thought. ¡°You could ask them if that''s what they want.¡± Teepo suggested. No, I don''t want to detect a lie. Ren smiled. I''m steeping myself in ignorance for now. Ren used the Staff of Earth to drop the protective walls and stored both Instant Towers, then waited until the glow in the eyes of the succubi faded. He couldn''t feel them in his Aura anymore, either. ¡°Are we ready to head out to the next cavern?¡± Ren asked. The succubi nodded and stood up almost as one, and Ren took out the Wand of Transport. He cast two skeleton-like Phantom Steeds for the skeleton knights, then cast his own Phantom Steed. It still had the neck and chest damage, and Ren pat it as he climbed up onto the saddle. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said, and they all flew out of the safe zone and up the next tunnel. I''m surprised there''s not multiple tunnels to go through. He thought. ¡°Maybe they didn''t want any confusion over where to go.¡± Teepo said. Or they''re luring us into a false sense of security. Ren thought in amusement as they came out into the first cavern where the harpies would have attacked. He brought everyone to a stop in the air when he thought of something, and took out the All-Seeing Mirror again. ¡°Show me the Lost Knights skulls in this cavern.¡± Ren said, and three skulls appeared on the map. ¡°Nice.¡± He said. ¡°Seldanna and Wynphine, get that one.¡± He showed them where it was. ¡°Be careful with it.¡± ¡°Right away!¡± Seldanna said, then she and her sister took off to retrieve it. ¡°Ellaria and Miastina, grab this one.¡± Ren said and showed them where it was. They left and he looked at Zunala. ¡°According to the map, this is the most difficult one to get to.¡± ¡°I will succeed.¡± Zunala said. ¡°Kelfaren, let''s go.¡± The two succubi flew off and Ren waited with the rest. Surprisingly, they all returned within moments of each other with the three skulls. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror again, and it was the right skulls. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and stored the skulls, and checked the All-Seeing Mirror for what was in the next cavern section. It showed him a black kangaroo-like creature with a huge single eye in it''s head, and huge talons on it''s hands and feet. ¡°That looks bad.¡± Teepo said. What is it? Ren asked. ¡°I have no idea.¡± Teepo responded. ¡°I haven''t seen any beetles in the caverns so far, either.¡± Maybe they were all smart enough not to come here. Ren said and Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren tried using Identify on the creature, and all he received was a popup for the All-Seeing Mirror. I guess we have to go in blind, despite how much I hate doing that. He thought. ¡°Stay cautious and up high.¡± Teepo said. What about the stalactites on the top of the cavern? Ren asked. ¡°Use the Staff of Earth to move them out of the way.¡± Teepo suggested. Good idea. Ren thought and took out the staff. He played around with just shifting the dirt and rock to the side so it would move the stalactites out of the way, when a ripple of dirt broke one of the stalactites off and it fell down to the cavern floor and shattered. ¡°Whoa.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Are you thinking what I''m thinking?¡± If you''re thinking that we have a huge area-covering natural weapon at our disposal, then yes. Ren thought happily and looked at the succubi. ¡°Activate your Displacement enchantments and let''s go!¡± Chapter 430 - You Know Me Ren and his group flew across the barren cavern below them and into the next section. Ren used the Staff of Earth to make ripples of dirt flow along the ceiling, and it snapped every single stalactite off. The improvised ballistic weapons plunged down onto the waiting demon-like creatures. They had all looked up at Ren as he flew overhead, even with the displacement enchantment, and the stalactites pierced through their huge eyes. There were hundreds of the things down below, and he wondered how anyone could cross the place on foot. Of course, the creatures were decimated from the stalactite bombardment. Even the ones smart enough to try and jump out of the way were hit by the ones where they landed. It was a slaughter.
Notice!
You have used an ingenious method to kill 243 Nothic Demons. Their necrotic stare makes you rot from the inside out and gives you corruption. You were smart to avoid them. Rewards: 88,695 XP (365 XP each); Intelligence: +3
Notice!
You have gained a level! You are now Level 83 and 10 stat points have been automatically allocated.
Still nothing? Ren asked. That''s 2 level gains in a row with nothing extra. He dismissed the popups, then looked at the destruction below. ¡°That worked a lot better than I thought it would.¡± He said and looked at the succubi. ¡°Loot, please.¡± ¡°Right away!¡± One succubus said and dove for the cavern floor as she deactivated her Displacement enchantment, and the rest followed her to harvest the corpses. They flew back up and handed over all of the loot except for the money. They didn''t fight over it, though. Ren looked briefly at the loot as he stored it and saw some large eyeballs, 10 inch talons, 4 inch talons, and a few weird-looking organs. No weapons, armor, or anything mechanical. I wonder if that means they were mindless? Ren asked himself. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror for Lost Knight skulls, and didn''t find any. ¡°Well, let''s move on.¡± He said, and they all flew over towards the next section of the cavern. He had them all stop when he looked at the ceiling and there weren''t any stalactites at all. I guess I can''t cheat that way again. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror again and asked for what the next creature was. He was surprised when something that looked surprisingly like The Grinch Who Stole Christmas appeared on the surface of the mirror. It''s arms and back were covered in large spikes and it had a long tail; but, it definitely looked just like the Grinch. Are they running out of ideas? Ren asked himself, then a blast of flame covered his Phantom Steed and him. All of the succubi took out their Acid Arrow and Fireball wands and unloaded them on the creatures below. There weren''t a lot of them, so even though a lot of the wands ran out of charges, the succubi made short work of the opposition. Ren had used Fire Manipulation to keep the Phantom Steed from taking damage, and absorbed the fire. The succubi didn''t need to be ordered to gather the loot, and brought back several tails, dozens of spikes, and 40 sacks of some kind of liquid. He stored the rest of the loot and examined a sack.
Liquid Fire Gland (Rare)
The glands of a Barbed Devil can produce a stream of fire when squeezed. If squeezed at a constant pressure, it can spray up to 150 feet for several seconds before becoming empty. Limited Regeneration: Will refill with liquid automatically after 10 minutes.
Neat. Ren thought and stored it with the others, then took out the All-Seeing Mirror again. He asked for a map, and saw there was one section left before the tunnel to go up to the next level and the safe zone. He asked to see any creatures in the cavern, and nothing appeared. ¡°Okay, it says there''s nothing up ahead.¡± Ren said. ¡°Activate your Displacement enchantments and spread out.¡± The succubi did as he said, and Ren nodded to the skeleton knights. They followed at his flanks as he flew over to the last section of the level. * Elise parked her Hummer H2 in the driveway and grabbed her purse and the bag with her change of clothes, and went inside after the security team checked her ID. She took the elevator up to the second floor and walked down the hallway, and saw that Ren''s bedroom door was open. ¡°What is our little man up to?¡± Elise asked as she entered the bedroom. ¡°Just his normal shenanigans.¡± Lisa said and smiled. ¡°You''re too young to use that word without it sounding weird.¡± Denise said and grinned. ¡°I''m only 2 years younger than you!¡± Lisa said and laughed. ¡°Is it okay to say you look younger than that?¡± Elise asked as she put her bag of clothes out of the way. ¡°Only if you mean that I''m prettier now than I''ll be when I look that old.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Oh, definitely.¡± Elise said and gave her a quick hug. ¡°I''ll be right back. I have to go get another chair.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Lisa said. ¡°We can share.¡± ¡°How?¡± Elise asked as Lisa tried to move over enough for her to sit down. ¡°Stand up for a second.¡± Lisa stood up and Elise sat down on the warm chair. ¡°That was sneaky!¡± Lisa said and shook her head. ¡°I was tricked so easily.¡± Elise laughed and pat her lap. ¡°It''s not a trick.¡± ¡°You... want me to... sit on your lap.¡± ¡°You can''t be much heavier than Ren.¡± Elise said. ¡°Have a seat.¡± Lisa looked like she was going to refuse, then kind of shrugged and sat down across Elise''s lap. After a bit of adjustment, Lisa finally put an arm around Elise''s neck and felt comfortable, then Elise put her arms around her waist to keep her steady. Neither of them felt awkward about it. Denise had watched the interaction closely, and realized that both women cared enough about Ren that they were okay with normal contact with each other. I don''t think either of them feel awkward at all about sitting like that. Denise thought. ¡°Fill me in on what happened today.¡± Elise said. ¡°Lisa and Ren had a fight.¡± Denise said, and Lisa''s face flushed red. ¡°Aw.¡± Elise said and hugged Lisa a little tighter, then turned her head to look at her. ¡°What happened?¡± Lisa looked back at her and their faces were so close that they were almost touching. ¡°I... um...¡± ¡°She confronted him about having to get rid of the succubi.¡± Denise said. ¡°They had this long ''discussion'' over the detrimental effects staying corrupted would have on him.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Elise asked. ¡°If he keeps the succubi around him, every time he dies it''s going to feel the same.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Whether he has a little corruption or a lot, he''ll throw up blood until he''s dead.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Elise said, surprised. ¡°You can''t be serious.¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°It made me so mad that he wasn''t taking my advice.¡± ¡°I can''t believe he would ignore you.¡± Elise said. ¡°He didn''t ignore her.¡± Denise said. ¡°He explained that he couldn''t do what she wanted right now.¡± ¡°He said it''s because he promised that he would take them out with him, and he can''t... or won''t... abandon them.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It''s okay, though. Ren and the succubi had a bit of a falling out.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°He''s been keeping them at a distance since then.¡± Elise had watched Lisa''s reaction to Denise''s words. ¡°You''re still angry at him.¡± She said, and Lisa nodded. ¡°I can''t help it.¡± Lisa sighed. ¡°I told him he was being pigheaded...¡± Elise snorted a laugh.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Of course he''s being pigheaded. You gave him an ultimatum, and he couldn''t pick either option to make the situation better for everyone.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If you had said, ''Ren, keep the contact to a minimum and be very careful of them until you escape the caverns'' would have been a much more appealing option for him than ''get rid of them now''.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°But... that won''t be enough.¡± Lisa said. ¡°If he doesn''t stop all contact with them...¡± ¡°What''s the first thing a man does when you tell him not to do something?¡± Elise asked. Lisa opened her mouth to say something, then sighed. ¡°He goes and does it.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Elise said. ¡°And what did you tell him not to do?¡± ¡°I told him not to keep them.¡± Lisa said and covered her eyes with a hand. ¡°Okay, I... yes, I was being stupid! But... but I...¡± Elise gently kissed her cheek and Lisa dropped her hand and looked at her with surprise on her face. ¡°You love him.¡± Elise said, and Lisa glanced at Denise. ¡°Don''t look at me, I didn''t tell her.¡± Denise said. ¡°We all want what''s best for the people we love.¡± Elise said. ¡°I tried my hardest to get Ren out of there, had a fight with the head programmer over it, and then confronted my boss.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Denise and Lisa said together. ¡°You don''t seriously think I''d sit by and let my handsome little man suffer through all of this without trying to protect him, do you?¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°I didn''t manage to get him shunted back, but I did finally convince my boss to give him the reward he was promised.¡± ¡°Oh, Elise!¡± Lisa said and put her other arm around Elise''s neck and kissed her cheek. ¡°He''ll be so happy!¡± It was Elise''s turn to have her face flush red. ¡°Look at that.¡± Denise said, and all three of them watched the television screen as Ren and his horde made short work of a pile of Grinch-like creatures and then flew across the cavern towards a wall. * When Ren and his group arrived at the last section, they saw that it only had a small opening in it. Ren tried to open it wider with the Staff of Earth, and found it was impenetrable rock. Is it just me, or is it changing to take away any advantage we have? Ren asked. ¡°It''s a bit too convenient that anyone flying has to land right here.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Check for magic and traps.¡± Ren used the appropriate wands and came in for a landing when nothing showed up, and he saw that the Phantom Steed would just barely fit through the opening... if he wasn''t riding it. ¡°Yeah, it''s definitely trying to remove my advantages.¡± Ren said and waved the succubi in to land.
Stat Change!
Staying Power (Mastered) - Reduces Health loss from hunger by 90%
I wonder if I would still get that popup if my Sustenance ring had kicked in. Ren thought and refilled all of the wands the succubi had emptied, let them feel how proud he was of them, and gave them a warning. ¡°We might get separated after this opening, so don''t panic.¡± He smiled and gave them a feeling of reassurance. ¡°If anything happens, stay together. I will come for you.¡± ¡°How will you find us?¡± Zunala asked. ¡°Easily.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll leave a skeleton knight with you. As long as it is within 300 feet of me, I''ll know where you are.¡± ¡°What if it''s farther than that?¡± ¡°It can''t be, since it''s only 200 feet to the tunnel exit; but, if somehow it''s further than that, I can make a Locate wand and find you.¡± ¡°What if you die?¡± ¡°I''ll try not to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Mainly because I won''t have the tower out and I won''t know where I''ll reappear.¡± ¡°Take it out now.¡± ¡°There''s no room for it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, if I leave it back here and it gets cut off, any time I die I''ll come right back here.¡± Zunala sighed. ¡°I guess you have to take the risk.¡± ¡°No, we have to take the risk. We''re in this together.¡± Zunala could feel that he was telling the truth. ¡°We are only coming along.¡± She said. ¡°If you weren''t here, we would just find a nice place to roost and stay there.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I hear there''s an old Aerie that''s recently become available for new tenants.¡± ¡°Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?¡± Zunala asked. ¡°It''s to remind you of what happens in Shargon Canverns if you stay in one place for too long.¡± Ren explained. ¡°Someone better than you might come along and remove you, too.¡± Zunala sighed again. ¡°You have made your point.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stay together, be safe, and follow me.¡± ¡°Should we hold hands?¡± One of the other succubi asked. ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°Get a good grip on the one in front of you.¡± The succubi formed a line and held each other''s hands, and Zunala was at the front of the line beside Ren. He held his hand out to her, and she took it. His confidence and apprehension flowed to all of them, and he felt their dependency on him. Ren reached out and gently grabbed the middle of the tail of his Phantom Steed. ¡°Lead on.¡± The Phantom Steed let out a raspy huff and walked into the small opening with a trail of succubi and the two skeleton knights behind them. The tunnel was about 30 feet long, so by the time the Phantom Steed had reached the other end, everyone was inside the tunnel. The ground started to shake, and Ren let the Phantom Steed''s tail go and took out the Staff of Earth. He didn''t try to push anything away, all he did was hold the current shape of the tunnel. ¡°Go! Go! GO!¡± Ren yelled and pushed Zunala out the end with the Phantom Steed, then touched each succubi as she went past. He gave each of them a burst of urgency and when the two skeleton knights and their steeds went past, he ran out of the end of the tunnel. The entire cavern shifted and dropped down, and it looked as if there hadn''t been a tunnel there at all. Ren felt something powerful enter his Aura, and he turned around to see what it was. A much larger tunnel had been opened on the other side and something moved within it. ¡°Scatter and hide.¡± Ren whispered, and the succubi flew to different parts of the small cavern and activated their Displacement enchantments as they ducked behind rocks, stalactites, and stalagmites, and hoped that the Ward enchantments kept them hidden. ¡°Ren, it''s cloaked in shadows.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I can''t see it.¡± Me, either. Ren thought as he used the Staff of Earth to create barriers in front of the succubi, the skeleton knights, and himself. He took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it to show him what it was. Oh, crap. Ren thought. ¡°What is it?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Oh, crap!¡± He said when he saw what the All-Seeing Mirror showed. It was the oddest creature Ren had ever seen. It was a woman from the thighs up, had 6 arms, and was about 10 feet tall. That wasn''t the interesting part, though. From the middle of her thighs down, she was a giant snake about 3 feet wide, and if Ren had to guess, the snake part was about 25 feet long. Her hair was a deep red color and cascaded in waves down her back. Her eyes glowed red as well, and Ren had the distinct feeling that he had met her before. He wasn''t sure why, though. She wore odd-shaped armor pieces that covered her waist, chest, and all 6 wrists. The armor looked like it had been cobbled together from different sets to make each piece and it didn''t look safe to wear at all. She also had a 4 foot long broadsword in each hand. I have to see this for myself. Ren stored the All-Seeing Mirror and looked around the barrier he had made for himself. The tunnel she was in was still cloaked in shadows, and for some reason, he felt a vibration in his Aura where the creature was. WHHHHHOOOOO... YOOOOOUUUUU... ¡°GAH!¡± Ren grabbed the sides of his head as the mental voice screamed in his head. He bent over in severe pain and lost 10% of his Health. GAAAAHHHHH... ODDDDDDD... NAAAAAAAMMMMMEEEEEE... ¡°GAH ISN''T MY NAME!¡± Ren yelled. He had lost another 10% of his Health. ¡°S-S-STOP TALKING!¡± YOOOOOUUUUU... DAAARRRRREEEE... ¡°YOU''RE KILLING ME!¡± Ren yelled at her. He had lost another 10% and was down to only 70% Health left. A loud woman''s laugh filled the cavern. SOOOOO... WEEEEEEEAAAAAAK... The shadows that hid it from view dissipated, and it slithered out of the tunnel. All the succubi gasped as they finally saw the creature Ren would be facing. Ren felt their shock and peeked out to see the creature firsthand. He used Vision of Impurity and saw all the cracks and splits in the armor pieces, and he knew they wouldn''t protect her at all in a fight. Identify.
Marilith (Level 189)
This female snake-like creature is one of the most fearsome single opponents anyone can face. It''s multiple arms can attack without pause in a relentless flurry. It''s tail can grab and crush those unlucky enough to be caught with it, or it can lash out and strike opponents like a whip. Damage Resistances: Elemental - Ice, Fire, and Lightning; Physical - Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from both magical and non-magical attacks. Immunities: Poison, Acid Inherent Abilities: True Sight (can see as if daytime in any conditions, and can Spot anything within it''s sight, hidden or not), Multi-attack, Multi-weapon Fighting, Telepathy (Range: 100 feet), Damage Reduction, Spell Resistance, Natural Armor. Permanent Conditions: Corrupted, Combative (loves fighting)
Ren dismissed the popup after quickly reading it, and watched the Marilith as it looked at each and every spot that the succubi were, and then it stopped when it looked right at him. Oh, crap. Ren thought, and then the creature crossed all 6 of it''s swords in front of itself. Ren was about to wonder what she was doing when he felt a buildup of Mana. A huge portal opened in front of her, and a 15 foot tall demon stepped out of it. It kind of looked like a giant pig that was standing up on it''s hind legs. It had a pig snout and large tusks, a big pot belly, and pig ears; but, it also had large clawed hands, a longer tail, and feathered wings. Before Ren could use Identify on it, it was engulfed in 20 fireballs, then 20 more, and 20 more. A loud pig squeal filled the cavern, and so did the most wonderful smell Ren had ever encountered. ¡°BACON!¡± Ren yelled and activated his Controlled Berserk Rage as he jumped as high as he could over the barrier he had made for himself, equipped his hammerpick and changed the enchantment to Fire in mid-air, then brought it down onto the flame-covered head of the demonic pig beast. It didn''t die from the blow, even though there was a sickening bone crunch; but, it did become stunned as Ren landed in front of it and the Fire enchantment on the hammerpick increased the flames tenfold. Without considering the consequences of what he was doing, Ren turned the hammerpick around to use the plow end, and swung the hammerpick up to split the beast''s belly. Blood and viscera poured out of it and covered him from head to foot, and he laughed because he was so close to the wonderful bacon smell and the disembowelment was successful.
Notice!
You have been corrupted! You have absorbed Boar Demon blood directly from the source through your skin. It''s effects vary by those infected, and by the amount of blood absorbed. Current Corruption Level: 41% Warning: When Corruption reaches 100%, you will become deathly ill and die. Please note: Corruption resets upon death.
Oops. Ren chuckled. I forgot about the corruption. He dismissed the popup and stepped to the side as the demonic pig beast fell to it''s knees, then dropped dead to the cavern floor.
Notice!
You have killed the rare Boar Demon. Rewards: 35,000 XP
Hidden Quest Update!
You have found another rare creature! A SPECIAL bonus awaits those that can find all the rare creatures in the game. Number found: 2/100 Rewards: 3,000 XP
Ren used the plow end of the hammerpick to carve off a big chunk of skin and fat off of the well-cooked creature''s still smouldering back. He stored his helm and climbed up onto the creature''s back to sit down, used the Energize wand on himself so he wouldn''t collapse from his Controlled Berserk Rage, then took a big bite out of the piece of meat. ¡°Oohhhh, that''s so good!¡± Ren moaned as he chewed, then took another bite. He felt shock and surprise from all around him; but at the moment, he didn''t care. He was too busy enjoying himself to worry about anything else. He heard a slithering sound close by and looked up at the Marilith demon. ¡°I''m sorry! Where are my manners?¡± Ren used the plow end of the hammerpick to cut off a much bigger piece and held it out to her. ¡°Would you like some?¡± Chapter 431 - Hugs Are Always Welcome ¡°It tastes really good.¡± Ren said and shook the big piece of bacon he held out to the Marilith demon. One of it''s 6 hands flipped it''s broadsword around and jammed it down through the boar demon''s leg to pin it into place, then used the free hand to take the offered meat. Ren used his hammerpick to cut off another piece for himself and started to eat. The Marilith demon slowly brought the meat to her mouth and took a small bite, and then her face lit up with a big smile. She took a huge bite and chewed it, jammed the rest of her swords into the beasts back legs, then slithered up onto the warm carcass and laid down behind and beside Ren to eat as she coiled herself up to get comfortable. She propped herself up on an elbow and used two hands to eat. ¡°I told you it was good.¡± Ren said and cut off another large piece for her, then a piece for himself and stored the hammerpick. ¡°Cooking the meat first gets rid of that corruption taste.¡± He said and took another bite. ¡°Mmm! It''s melting in my mouth!¡± The Marilith demon chuckled and put a hand on his shoulder. Ren took the hint and leaned back against her abdomen, and the two of them relaxed as they ate. * ¡°Did... did he just...¡± Lisa stammered. ¡°Stop right in the middle of a fight to eat?¡± Denise asked. ¡°He sure did!¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Apparently his love for bacon can cross species barriers.¡± Elise said and laughed. With Lisa on her lap, it shook her a little. ¡°You know... now that we''ve got a good look at the thing...¡± Denise said and looked at the creature, then at Elise, then back at the creature. ¡°It looks a lot like you, Elise.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°If you ignore the glowing red eyes, remove 4 of the arms, and take a lot of the mass of hair away...¡± ¡°I''m going to kill them.¡± Elise said hotly. ¡°They can''t use my likeness without my permission!¡± ¡°They did it with Lucy.¡± Denise said, and the other two women looked at her. ¡°Patty, the Mayor in Ren''s city, looks like Lucy''s slightly older sister.¡± She said. ¡°If she had one.¡± Elise frowned. ¡°Oh, those...¡± She clenched a hand into a fist. ¡°They can claim fair-use of the likeness, since it''s already a part of the game. Even just changing one little detail will let them do what they want with it.¡± ¡°That includes you and me, too.¡± Lisa said, and then smiled. ¡°I''m just glad I''m not as beautiful as you, or I''d be seeing copies of myself running around, too.¡± Elise smiled as she opened her fist and rested her head against Lisa''s. ¡°There''s different kinds of beauty, Lisa.¡± She said and sighed. ¡°I guess I can''t go tearing into the tech department and demand that they change things.¡± ¡°You could, but it wouldn''t do anything except give them something to talk about.¡± Lisa said and chuckled. ¡°I''m pretty sure they have enough to talk about now.¡± Elise said and smiled crookedly. ¡°I wasn''t even trying to keep my voice down during my argument with Max.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°Then I definitely regret not having a camera in the tech department!¡± That made Lisa and Elise laugh, and they all turned to watch the television screen to see how Ren was going to handle the rest of this encounter. * ¡°I could kill you so easily.¡± The Marilith demon said between bites of cooked meat, and the tip of her tail slid up and over Ren''s shoulder. ¡°No kidding.¡± Ren said and used a hand to caress the offered tail. He felt it shiver slightly, and he turned to look at her. ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡± She laughed and it shook her chest, almost invitingly. Her laugh was a pleasant sound and not ominous at all. ¡°I can feel your confidence.¡± She said and used her tail to wrap around his armored chest. ¡°I could crush you before you could react.¡± Ren equipped the Vampiric Blood Sword and had the tip of it right in the middle of a huge crack in her armor instantly. ¡°I know your body is resistant to piercing damage; but, your terrible armor leaves you more vulnerable than you realize.¡± She blinked her eyes at him for a moment, then looked at the blade. ¡°If I may demonstrate?¡± Ren asked, and after a moment, she nodded. He stored the vampiric blade and reached out for her chest. She watched with intense curiosity as he used a knuckle to hit the weakest part of the armor to make it crack, then poked his finger into the space and pulled. The whole mismatched armor piece split into three pieces, and it crumbled as it fell away. The Marilith demon didn''t react at all as her breasts were fully exposed, and Ren looked at her. The snake scales went up her sides and stopped just under her breasts, which left the flesh there pure and silky smooth. Her chest wasn''t as big as Elise''s was, and then he realized why he thought he had met her before. She looks like a knockoff of Elise. Ren thought in surprise, then noticed that the tips of her breasts were quite prominent, and that surprised him as well. ¡°You don''t mind being without your armor?¡± The Marilith demon smiled. ¡°I only wear it when I go out to fight.¡± She said and two of her hands picked up the crumbled metal pieces. ¡°It''s just for show, and to modestly cover myself.¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t realize how... inadequate it was.¡± She tossed the pieces aside and looked at Ren curiously. ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°A skill I have let''s me see weaknesses in the metal.¡± Ren said. ¡°I knew if it came to a fight, I would have a distinct advantage over you.¡± The Marilith demon laughed. ¡°I can attack you 6 times in less than a second, and with swords just as big as you!¡± ¡°That may be true; but, I''d only have to hit you once to prove my point.¡± ¡°You really believe that.¡± She said and leaned in close. ¡°What if I had better armor?¡± ¡°Then I''d have to think of something else.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I don''t have to, though.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± She asked. ¡°If you had better armor, you would have covered up that tempting body already.¡± The Marilith demon laughed, and it shook her chest. ¡°You''re just turned on from staring at these.¡± She said and cupped her breasts with two of her 6 hands. ¡°They are twice as big as anything else you''ve ever seen.¡± Ren didn''t want to contradict her, so he smiled instead. ¡°May I touch you?¡± The Marilith demon opened her mouth to say no, then sighed. ¡°I should have known you would be just like all of the rest.¡± Ren slowly reached out, and even though all 6 of her hands were poised to bat his hand away, she let it approach uncontested. He touched the scaled skin on her side and felt the texture, then ran his hand up to the point where the scales faded into the soft normal skin.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°That is so cool.¡± Ren said, and he felt her emotions shift from disappointment to being intrigued. He used his other hand on her other side, and traced the edges of the faded scales, then moved his hands down to her hips and the thicker scales there. She looked down at this little man as he traced the spots between her soft skin and her scaly skin and couldn''t fathom what he was trying to do. ******** ¡°What the heck is he doing behind the blue screen?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Probably talking.¡± Elise said. ¡°You saw what happened before the Blue Screen Protocol started.¡± She chuckled. ¡°He broke her armor with just his fingers!¡± ¡°That was surprising; but, not as surprising as her joining him to eat!¡± Denise laughed. ¡°I thought for sure she was going to munch on him and not the piece of meat he gave her.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Lisa said. ¡°He really does have some kind of magic over women, doesn''t he?¡± ¡°I''d say it''s his Prince Charming title playing a role.¡± Elise said. ¡°He sure can work it when he wants to.¡± Lisa looked at her. ¡°Is that why you haven''t tried to go into the game to be with him?¡± Elise blinked her eyes in surprise for a moment, then looked at Lisa with wide eyes. ¡°Wh-what makes you think that?¡± ¡°Nothing, really.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It''s just... I''m sure there was a bunch of times that you could have gotten together with him, and you stayed out.¡± Elise''s face flushed red and she tried to look away. Lisa put a hand on her chin and stopped her. ¡°You can tell me if it''s true.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I mean, look at me. I''m cuddling with you while I sit on your lap, for pete''s sake.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°All right.¡± She said. ¡°I just... I wanted to keep it all real.¡± She admitted. ¡°I''ve seen how long his blue screen sessions can be, and I''m afraid that if I... if we...¡± She sighed. ¡°If I have sex with the game version of him, I won''t want to have sex with the real version.¡± Both Denise and Lisa were surprised to hear that, and Denise put a hand on Elise''s arm as Lisa put her other arm around Elise''s neck and hugged her tightly. ¡°I never imagined that a woman as strong and confident as you, would be worried about something like that.¡± Lisa said. On a whim, she lightly kissed Elise on the cheek. Elise''s face flushed to a deep red because of it, and Lisa leaned back. ¡°I''ve been with him here in real life and in VR, and each time it''s special.¡± She said. ¡°Doing it one way shouldn''t exclude you from wanting to do it in the other.¡± Elise moved her hands from around Lisa''s waist to around her torso. ¡°Ren did ask me to meet him in there a few times.¡± ¡°That''s because he wants to show you how he would treat you if he was fine in real life.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Believe me, Elise... he treats me juuuust fiiiiine.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°How can you be so cute and imply something that sounds so dirty?¡± ¡°I''m going to steal Ren''s line to answer that.¡± Lisa said and grinned. ¡°I''m awesome.¡± Elise laughed and hugged her. ¡°Yes, you are.¡± ******** Ren moved his hands up the front of the Marilith demon to feel the soft skin, then looked at her lower set of arms. His hands moved out over the shoulders and he felt the scales on the tops of the arms and the soft flesh on the underside of her arms. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± She asked as Ren closed his eyes and felt along her arm down to her hand, then moved his hands up to the middle set of arms and did it again. He had to stand up to reach the top two arms and felt all along them, and he opened his eyes to look at her. ¡°I''ve never met anyone like you before, so I''m taking measurements.¡± Ren said, glanced at her chest, then looked her in the eyes. ¡°If it''s okay with you, I''ll need to touch them.¡± ¡°J-just do it.¡± She said and closed her eyes as Ren cupped her breasts and ran his hands over her mounds. She couldn''t stop her moan as his palms grazed over her large and sensitive tips, and then she felt his armor as he wrapped his arms around her. ¡°Take off your armor.¡± She said, and she felt his slight surprise through her telepathy. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and stored his armor. All 6 of her arms wrapped around him to give him a hug; or so he thought. ¡°You ignorant fool.¡± She said and smiled as she lifted him up 6 feet into the air. ¡°Now I have you, and you can''t escape.¡± Large fangs dropped down as she opened her mouth, and he could see poison as it dripped from them. ¡°I wonder what would happen if I equipped my Vampiric Blood Sword while my hand is against your chest.¡± Ren said as he moved a hand to hold the fist above her heart, and he saw surprise in her eyes. The fangs folded back and she closed her mouth. ¡°You would still be dead within moments.¡± The Marilith demon said. ¡°So would you.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Unlike you, I won''t stay that way and I''ll be back here tomorrow.¡± ¡°You would throw your life away so recklessly?¡± She asked as she eased back down to rest the both of them on the boar demon''s back once more, and her 6 arms released their tight hold on him. ¡°I have.¡± Ren said, and let her out of the half-hug he had her in. ¡°I know it''s kind of a cheat, knowing I can come back when I die; but, that doesn''t make the death any less important.¡± The Marilith demon sighed. ¡°Even with my telepathy, I cannot predict your irrational actions.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Does that mean you can''t tell that I want another hug?¡± She tilted her head to the side and her eyes glowed a little brighter as Ren felt a few pokes and prods in his head. ¡°You really like hugs so much that you would accept them from a creature like me?¡± ¡°Well, considering I thought you wanted my armor out of the way so you could give me a hug...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°...that would be a yes.¡± ¡°You are a strange little man.¡± The Marilith demon said and put her arms back around him. She squeezed him a little tightly to make sure Ren knew that she could still crush him; but with his Improved Toughness, all he got was a good hug. He really liked good hugs so he put his head on her shoulder and his arms around her, and she was surprised when he squeezed her back just as tightly. The tips of her breasts poked him hard in the chest, and he leaned back and looked at her. ¡°You like getting hugged, too?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I''m an Adventurer, and my name is Ren.¡± He said. ¡°What''s your name?¡± ¡°It''s not pronounceable in your language.¡± She said, and he felt another prod in his head. ¡°You aren''t afraid of me at all, even though I just threatened to stab you with my fangs and poison you to death.¡± ¡°I''m sure any other person would be scared out of their wits.¡± Ren said and shrugged. ¡°You''re a bit too beautiful for me to be afraid.¡± Her face changed slightly, and her eyes kind of flipped to reveal snake eyes, her jaw unhinged as her fangs flipped down again, and her nose extended out into almost the shape of a snake''s nose. She hissed loudly as her long snake-like tongue flicked out and licked his face to taste him. Ren reached up to trace her reformed nose with one hand and used his other hand to touch her chin. He moved both hands to her jaw to feel the dislocated jawbone, then ran his fingers up to her forehead and felt the shift in bones there that allowed the larger snake eyes to sit properly. ¡°Okay, I think I have enough measurements.¡± Ren said. The Marilith demon retracted her fangs, formed her face back to the human-like shape, and put her jaw back into place. ¡°Why didn''t that scare you?¡± She asked, confused. ¡°I have a mirror in my lair, so I know I looked monstrous like that.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re trying too hard, I think.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Just your Aura alone will scare people.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t need to alter yourself to terrify people.¡± ¡°But that''s the fun part.¡± She said and let him out of her 6 arm embrace. ¡°They taste so much better when seasoned properly.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m definitely not going to be a tasty meal for you, if that''s the case.¡± The Marilith demon sighed and moved back slightly. ¡°I got that feeling when you stopped fighting to eat.¡± ¡°It smelled too good to resist, didn''t it?¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''m tempted to carve some more of it up to take with me.¡± He said. ¡°I''m pretty sure you want to keep it for yourself, though.¡± ¡°You are so perceptive.¡± She smiled. ¡°I did summon it, so I should keep it.¡± ¡°I agree, and since it''s such a huge pig it should last for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°Back to the task at hand, I''ve got most of your measurements, but...¡± He looked down at her abdomen. ¡°I''m going to have to guess about your... ah... private area.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± The Marilith demon said. ¡°Have I found your weakness?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Is the brave Adventurer afraid to touch a monstrous creature...¡± She ran all 6 hands down her body at once. ¡°...completely?¡± ¡°Afraid? No.¡± Ren said and looked at her face and not at her roaming hands. ¡°Respectful? Yes.¡± She bent over and put her face right in front of his. When their noses touched, Ren felt a deep prod in his brain and he didn''t try to fight it. After a few moments, the Marilith demon started to breath heavily and the hands on her 2 middle arms reached out and held his upper arms, and the hands on her 2 lower arms took a hold of his wrists. ¡°Oh... oh, you... you beast.¡± She puckered her lips and kissed him as the hands on her upper arms touched his shoulders and slid around his back. Since her mouth was almost twice as big as his, her lips covered his mouth and his chin. She broke the kiss a moment later and leaned back, and Ren saw a look of pleasure on her face. ¡°Um... ma''am?¡± ¡°No wonder you are not afraid of me.¡± She said and smiled sweetly at him. ¡°You are the Royal Consort of the Dark Elf Queen.¡± Her lower hands pulled his hands in to touch her abdomen. ¡°Please, feel free to ''measure'' me in any way you wish.¡± Ren blinked his eyes a few times. ¡°Um... why are you... I mean, I appreciate you letting me touch you; but...¡± ¡°I ''saw'' you together with her.¡± She smiled sexily. ¡°You alone have done for her what no one else has ever done.¡± Her upper hands cupped the sides of his head and her middle hands went around his back as she slithered herself closer to him. ¡°You satisfied her.¡± ¡°I... ah... can''t do that with you.¡± Ren said, a little sheepishly. ¡°I know.¡± She said and used her fingers to fluff his hair a little. ¡°You have commitments you must abide by.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°Oh, dear one.¡± The Marilith demon said and pushed his hands down closer to the piece of cloth that covered her private area. ¡°I don''t want my sister to have all the fun.¡± ¡°S-s-sister?!?¡± Ren exclaimed; and Teepo chittered in laughter. Chapter 432 - Youve Got The Touch ¡°Lylyth is your sister?¡± Ren asked, and the Marilith demon nodded. ¡°But... she''s a spider, and you''re a snake.¡± He said. ¡°Should I even ask how that happened?¡± She laughed and untied the piece of cloth that hung around her waist. ¡°Would you like me to tell you all about our sordid tale as you finish taking my measurements?¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You asked to do it.¡± She said, and her thumbs rubbed the cheeks of his face. ¡°Do you really want to stop with your information incomplete?¡± ¡°I...¡± Ren glanced at the cloth that was only being held in place by inertia. ¡°Well, I am curious what it could be like, considering you don''t have legs.¡± He said. ¡°I mean, look at you. You''ve got all these arms and snake parts and scales, and they all fit together so seamlessly.¡± ¡°If I laid down, would that make it easier for you?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then it won''t hurt to try it.¡± The Marilith demon said as she put a hand on the cloth to hold it in place, slithered herself around in a circle, then laid down in front of him across the dead boar demon''s back. Ren knelt down beside her and she pulled her hand away from the cloth, then her tail slithered underneath her abdomen, which lifted her private area up like an offering. He used his hands to rub along her abdomen and down to the spot between the tops of her thighs. Only above the cloth. Ren thought and carefully held the cloth in place and tried to trace the space; but, it was too bulky and wouldn''t give him the information he needed. Once more. The Marilith demon writhed as he tried again to feel everything through the cloth, then he sighed and looked at her face. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open slightly, and two of her hands slowly caressed the space just under her breasts. I guess this is the moment of truth. Ren thought. Ren slowly pulled the cloth out of the way, and was amazed at the sight. The snake scales stopped right at the edge of her special place and left it completely exposed. Now I know she has a vulnerable spot that''s ridiculously easy to get to. Ren thought and examined it. Normally, a woman would have to open her legs for someone to gain full access to her, because her opening was on the bottom of her torso; but, since the Marilith demon didn''t have legs, her private part was positioned on the front of her body, which meant it had to be oriented just enough to achieve the same result. Ren reached out and ran his fingers around the scales on the outside of it and mapped the area, and the sound of scales sliding across each other was loud in the silence as the rest of her body slithered around the more he touched her. He could feel her desire and a severely denied need, so he carefully placed his hand over her special place and felt the intense heat from it. ¡°AH!¡± The Marilith demon yelled and covered her mouth with two of her hands, and Ren felt something splash onto his hand. What is that smell? Ren asked. Both his hand and her private area were soaked, so he lifted his hand to his nose and sniffed the dampness on his palm. There''s too much of a bacon smell around for me to figure it out. Teepo quickly crawled down his arm and smelled it. ¡°If I had to guess, I''d say it''s maple syrup.¡± You''re kidding. Ren thought, surprised. ¡°I remember it from those jugs the farmer brought over when we were in the dwarf kingdom.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''d tell you to taste it, but you''ll probably get lots of corruption if you do.¡±
Notice!
You have been corrupted! You have absorbed Marilith fluid directly from the source through your skin. It''s effects vary by those infected, and by the amount of fluid absorbed. Current Corruption Level: 42% Warning: When Corruption reaches 100%, you will become deathly ill and die. Please note: Corruption resets upon death.
Ren had been waiting for that popup. Wait, it only went up 1%? ¡°I guess I was wrong.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s probably because it''s fluid and not blood.¡± Well, if you think it smells like maple syrup, I have to try it. Ren shrugged mentally and licked his palm. ¡°By the gods.¡± He said as the taste hit his tongue. It does taste like maple syrup, except that it''s a hundred times better!
Notice!
You have been corrupted! You have absorbed Marilith fluid directly from the source through your skin. It''s effects vary by those infected, and by the amount of fluid absorbed. Current Corruption Level: 43% Warning: When Corruption reaches 100%, you will become deathly ill and die. Please note: Corruption resets upon death.
Only 2%? Ren thought, shocked; then received a popup he never expected.
Notice!
You have gained the temporary Aura: Heat Sense. With it active, you no longer need to concentrate on your Aura to feel others within it, even with your eyes closed. Time Limit: 10 minutes
Ren concentrated on it, and the entire cavern shifted from it''s normal colors to shades of red. The darkest reds were the coldest and the brightest reds were the hottest, and Ren looked down at the Marilith demon. Her mouth, tips of her breasts, and her heart were a bright red; then he looked down at her private place to see that it was the brightest red of them all. ¡°Why are you just...¡± She opened her eyes and saw Ren''s silver blue eyes had a red glow around them, and she caught her breath. ¡°Wh-what... how... you can''t... it''s...¡± She shook her head and concentrated on her own Heat Sense Aura, and it merged with the temporary one Red had. ¡°Great Vasalor!¡± She exclaimed as Ren''s emotions hit her. ¡°AHHH!¡± More of her warm liquid came out in a spurt, and Ren saw that it was almost white in it''s heat content. ¡°I still can''t have sex with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I DON''T CARE!¡± She yelled. ¡°JUST TOUCH ME!!!¡± Ren couldn''t refuse her desperate request, because he could feel how much she had missed being compatible with someone. He wasn''t sure how long it had been for her since the last time someone touched her; but, he knew it must have been quite a long time because when he put his hand on her private place again, she almost cried. He caressed the soft and very tender boiling hot skin, and he gave her every single bit of his enjoyment of the sensation. ¡°OHHH!!!¡± The Marilith demon hollered as she went again. She could feel Ren''s ability as it struggled not to take what it wanted through their shared Aura. ¡°Feast, damn you!¡± Ren felt a slap across the face and he blinked his eyes, and saw it was the end of her tail. It was almost as bright as her special place, and he reached out to caress it. ¡°Ohh...¡± She moaned and he gave it a gentle kiss. ¡°Not there! I want you to FEAST!!!¡± Ren felt that she had a more than excessive need, and he nodded as he bent over and started to kiss her special place. ¡°GREAT VASALOR!¡± She screamed, and it echoed back and forth in the small cavern. Ren opened his ability and started to absorb the emotions that she was practically shoving down his throat. * Without Ren''s mark to guide the portal, the closest spot that Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves could get the portal to appear safely was just on the outskirts of the starter city of Aurora. The healer stepped out of the portal and it closed behind her. She thought about activating her concealing cloak, which wrapped her in shadows; but, since it was nighttime, she didn''t think it was necessary and calmly walked through the West Gate of the city. The healer had been to Ren''s business before, so she made her way over to the Artesian District and looked at the front door. The entire district had been in darkness, since everything was closed, and she walked around to the back. She went up the stairs and stopped at the second floor entrance, and took out a set of lock-picking tools. Normally, that tactic wouldn''t work; but, since she was breaking into the upstairs apartment and not the business, her effort was successful and the door opened. She walked inside and shut the door behind her, and slowly crept up the stairs. She knew the apartment itself wasn''t locked, so she opened the door and stepped inside. She walked by the sleeping woman in the living room and opened the bedroom door, only to be disappointed. Ren wasn''t there, and the bed didn''t look like it had been used in a long time.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The healer sighed and shut the bedroom door, then walked over to the comfy chair beside the bed in the living room and sat down. If the last time she was here had been any indication, she would have to wait until morning before she could find out the answers that both she and her Queen desperately wanted. * ¡°Sir!¡± One of the High Elf guards said as he approached the High Elf Lord. ¡°The ghouls are approaching!¡± ¡°So, they believe they finally have the numbers to overtake our position.¡± The High Elf Lord said. ¡°Ready the Multi-shot Ballistas and load them with Fire enchantments.¡± He said and looked at the other elves around him. ¡°This is it. If we break here, this city is lost.¡± ¡°That won''t happen, sir.¡± They said. ¡°Be sure that it doesn''t.¡± The High Elf Lord said. ¡°Prepare for the assault!¡± ¡°SIR!¡± They all said together and left to take their positions for the coming battle. The High Elf Lord gathered up his powerful combat scrolls and tucked them into his scroll belt in order of importance, then walked out of the meeting area and took his place at the highest point of their defense, inside a well-constructed tower. ¡°Fire as soon as they are within range.¡± The High Elf Lord said, and he heard acknowledgements back from the heavy weapon crews. ¡°Reload teams, stand by. You''re going to be worked hard today.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± They said, confidently. ¡°Here they come!¡± Someone said from the viewing post above them, and a moment later, something moved on the horizon. The High Elf Lord tapped the elf that had taken up the position beside him, and he handed him a scroll. The High Elf Lord unrolled it and read the spell, the parchment dissolved a cloud formed in front of him. It swirled around quickly and formed a temporary far-viewing window, and the High Elf Lord held in his curse. It hadn''t been something on the horizon that moved, but the horizon itself. There were so many ghouls that not one bit of ground could be seen. The first heavy weapons started to open fire, and he sighed because he knew that it was beyond pointless. The battle raged on for nearly half an hour before the ghouls arrived close enough for him to use his combat spells, and he unfurled one and read it''s contents. The sky darkened and was covered in black clouds as he invoked Lightning, and offered up the ghouls as sacrifices. Hundreds of lightning bolts shot out of the clouds and struck the immense ghoul horde. It killed thousands of them, much more than the High Elf Lord has expected, but it didn''t even slow the horde down. He opened the next scroll and read it, and invoked Fire to offer up the ghouls as sacrifices. The black clouds changed and became orange and red, and a Tornado of Fire dropped down from each of them. The closest tornado was over 50 feet wide, and it spun and sucked up hundreds of ghouls into itself. There were 20 tornadoes, the maximum spell that he could cast, and just the invocation had cost him nearly all of his Mana. The spell had been his trump card; the very last thing that he could use to protect the people, and he watched as the tornadoes flowed randomly over the battlefield and continued to suck up more and more ghouls. They left nothing but charred remains as they passed, and when the spell had ended, over 200,000 ghouls had been killed. Silence had fallen as the devastation was too much even for the simple-minded ghouls to ignore, and the horde hesitated on the edge of the burned remains of so many of their numbers. ¡°Did it work?¡± One of the High Elves asked. ¡°Are they discouraged enough?¡± Let''s find out. The High Elf Lord thought and took out his last scroll. He unrolled it, and an ice cold shiver went down his back. He read it''s contents and the scroll dissolved, and he felt a sharp pain inside his heart. ¡°AGGHHH!!!¡± The High Elf Lord screamed as a Void portal opened inside of him and expanded out. It stopped when it reached 30 feet and had sucked in everything around it, including the elves in command and their tower, then it disappeared. Another portal, this one 300 feet wide, appeared underneath the center of the ghoul horde and they screamed fruitlessly as they fell into the dark abyss. ******** ¡°Did you see that? That was AWESOME!¡± One of the programmers said and ate some popcorn. ¡°All right, I have to admit that was a good idea on your part.¡± Another programmer said. There was a group of them that sat in the viewing room at Sid Tec, so they could watch the battles that happened that players didn''t actually get to witness. They got the information as popups when requesting information about the state of the world event; but, they didn''t get the enjoyment of the battles themselves. It seemed like such a waste to have huge battles like this and not have anyone see it, so the programmers had organized viewing parties to watch upcoming battles. ¡°Scheduling them for game days that happen in the evenings was a stroke of genius, if I do say so myself.¡± One of them said, and he was immediately assaulted with a deluge of popcorn from the other guys. ¡°Hey, it was!¡± He said and tossed some popcorn back. ¡°It''s not like we could stop working in the middle of the day and do this!¡± ¡°We know.¡± One of the others said and laughed. ¡°You just don''t have to be smug about it.¡± ¡°Geez, when else am I supposed to be smug?¡± He asked, and everyone laughed. ¡°Hey, the portal''s gone!¡± One of them said. ¡°Damn, that didn''t last long.¡± ¡°That''s probably because the caster died.¡± Another said. ¡°It was a 50/50 shot.¡± ¡°The fire tornadoes killed a lot more.¡± Someone else said and ate some popcorn. ¡°Let''s see what the ghouls do now.¡± ******** The ghouls had been shaken when they had lost a good portion of their numbers from the fire; but, when the ground had opened up and swallowed another portion, they were on the verge of turning tail and fleeing. When the portal quickly closed and didn''t take any more of them, one of the larger ghouls stood up on his haunched legs and screeched. The ghouls looked at him and he pointed to the spot where the High Elven Tower used to be, and every other ghoul screeched with him. ¡°To arms!¡± One of the High Elves tried to rally his fellows as the ghouls ran forward; but, to no avail. The ghoul horde smashed into the defending elves and overran them easily. * When the Marilith demon stopped reacting to Ren''s touch and he could feel that she was floating on how much pleasure she had received, he stopped trying to please her and licked her clean. He put the piece of cloth over her private area when he was done and stood up to look at her face. She looks and feels peaceful. Ren thought.
Notice!
You have been corrupted! You have absorbed Marilith fluid directly from the source through your mouth. It''s effects vary by those infected, and by the amount of fluid absorbed. Current Corruption Level: 65% Warning: When Corruption reaches 100%, you will become deathly ill and die. Please note: Corruption resets upon death.
Wow. Ren thought. I drank that much and I only gained 22% corruption? ¡°Well, you only gained 1% from a long kiss with Zunala.¡± Teepo said. So, that means it''s not just the amount, but the quality of the fluid. Ren thought. ¡°It could also be because she''s powerful.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You might not have gained as much if she was only a low level like the succubi.¡± That''s true. Ren thought, then realized he didn''t get any other popup for Angered, Enraged, or something else, even with his corruption so high. He hopped down off of the boar demon''s back and started to walk away, and the tail of the Marilith demon caught him around the chest. ¡°W-wait.¡± She said, and Ren turned to look at her. ¡°Come here.¡± Ren walked over to her and she tried to sit up; but, her body was too full of endorphins to move. She sighed and used her tail to urge him closer. ¡°Kiss me.¡± She said. ¡°I want to taste myself on your lips.¡± Ren leaned over her and tried to kiss her. Since her mouth was almost twice as big as his, it was a little awkward; then she opened her mouth a little and her tongue slithered out. She put a hand behind his head to hold him in place and jammed her tongue into his mouth and down his throat. Ren gagged on it, because it had happened so suddenly and was such an odd thing to feel. It touched something deep inside of him, and then he received a popup.
Notice!
You have permanently gained the Aura: Heat Sense. With it active, you no longer need to concentrate on your Aura to feel others within it, even with your eyes closed.
The Marilith demon let his head go and gently retracted her tongue as she kissed him. Ren broke the kiss and leaned back. ¡°I''m delicious.¡± She said demurely as the tip of her tongue licked her lips. Ren nodded. ¡°Why couldn''t you have been as gentle putting it in as you were taking it out?¡± ¡°You would have fought it if I had told you what I wanted to do first, and it wouldn''t have worked.¡± ¡°Um... I guess I should thank you for choking me, then.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Was it enough to let you keep the Aura?¡± She asked, and he nodded again. ¡°Good.¡± She said and sighed contentedly. ¡°You deserved a reward for making me feel like that.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''d like to say that it was it''s own reward; but for some reason, women never believe me when I say it.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I should demand that you give up all your other commitments and stay here with me.¡± ¡°You know I can''t do that.¡± ¡°It would only be for a year or ten.¡± The Marilith demon said, and her womanly laugh filled the cavern. ¡°I must politely decline.¡± Ren said and looked up at the cavern ceiling. Teepo? How high is that? ¡°It''s 32 feet.¡± Teepo said, and Ren smiled as he took out a 2 inch wide cube and placed it on the floor far enough away and activated it. ¡°What the hell is that?!?¡± The Marilith demon exclaimed as the Instant Tower appeared in front of her. ¡°It''s my home away from home.¡± Ren said and went inside. The door shut behind him, and the Marilith demon flopped over onto her front, then slowly slithered off of the boar demon and over to the tower. She was still pretty relaxed after her encounter with Ren, so her movements seemed lazy and sluggish as she slid up the side of it to look into one of the arrow slits; but, she couldn''t see anything and kept looking. Ren made a pattern for what he wanted, and knew he couldn''t reforge something so big in a single piece; so, he divided the design into pieces, added sliding parts and hinges and rivets where necessary, then made the various molds on the floor. It took a while to get all the pieces made, since he had never made anything like it before. When he was done and had assembled them together, he thought about what kind of enchantment it could use. Ren examined the Sunder enchantment that he still had stored in his Retain Essence ability, and got the recipe for it. He enchanted the item with a copy of the enchantment, and stored the new item. Happy with his work, he left the instant tower and didn''t see the Marilith demon. That didn''t matter, though. He had felt her heat moving all over the Instant Tower while he worked and knew exactly where she was; as well as all the succubi. Ren stepped over to the side of the tower and looked up, and the Marilith demon was hanging upside down from the tower and was trying to look through one of the arrow slits. ¡°I''m out here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know that!¡± She said. ¡°I''m trying to see what''s inside!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Are you really that curious?¡± ¡°I''ve never seen anything like this before!¡± She said and slithered down to the cavern floor. ¡°What''s inside?¡± ¡°I actually have 4 shops inside on the ground floor. A blacksmith, tailoring, woodworking, and cooking.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s just an icebox and a bed upstairs.¡± ¡°You are the first Adventurer that I''ve met to have such odd things.¡± She said and then smiled. ¡°You are also the first one I''ve met that didn''t scream like a little girl at the sight of me.¡± Ren smiled and deactivated the Instant Tower to store it, and looked at her. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She said and coiled her body around herself and kind of sat on it. ¡°Did you kill any knights?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± The Marilith demon smirked. ¡°Are you going to be outraged if I say yes?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I was going to ask for their skulls.¡± ¡°Oh? What for?¡± ¡°It''s a side quest for me to complete while I''m here, and I assume that since you are such a fearsome fighter, if anyone was going to stop their progress through here, it would be you.¡± ¡°You''re such a flatterer.¡± She said. ¡°I... may have a skull or two.¡± ¡°May I have them, please?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Well... you did perform valiantly in our fight.¡± ¡°We had a fi...¡± Ren started to ask, then he felt her sated desire. ¡°Oh.¡± He grinned. ¡°Does that mean I won?¡± She chuckled. ¡°I could only declare you the winner if I could return the attack.¡± She said. ¡°Then I would see how much stimulation you could take.¡± ¡°A tie it is.¡± Ren said, and that made her laugh. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± The Marilith demon said and slithered over towards her tunnel, grabbed the well-cooked boar demon on her way by, and dragged it into her lair. Chapter 433 - Youve Got The Power I wonder how long she''s going to be? Ren thought. ¡°She covered the tunnel in shadows again, so I have to assume it''ll be at least a little while.¡± Teepo said. I think you''re right. Ren took out his shop tower again and went inside, put more ore in the smelter, and skimmed off the impurities. He stirred it quickly and waited, then made 6 slightly oblong bracers and gave them the same enchantment as his shield, then used Double Infusion to make them a set. He used Spider Silk cloth to line the inside of them, as well as the item he had made earlier. Now that he had a bit of time on his hands, he thought he should thank the Marilith demon for not killing him, and made a nice diamond necklace. He enchanted each diamond with Protection to add to her Armor value, and then enchanted the large diamond in the center with the modified Natural Armor enchantment. It would give her the benefit of wearing heavy armor and +100% Defense to her armor value, and she could still wear normal armor besides it. Ren held it up, and the diamonds flickered with reflected light from the forge. I kinda feel bad for the next Adventurer she meets. He thought, then chuckled because this was the villain training camp. Okay, maybe I shouldn''t feel bad. Teepo chittered in laughter and Ren stored the bracers and necklace. He went back outside and deactivated the shop tower, then stored the 2 inch wide cube. He had finished just in time because the Marilith demon slithered out of the tunnel and carried 6 huge sacks. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren said as she put the sacks in front of him. ¡°You might have a skull or two?¡± His reaction made her laugh, and she felt how happy he was as he carefully dumped out one of the sacks. ¡°I hope this works.¡± Ren said and picked up the first skull. Nothing happened and he tossed it back into the sack. He did this for several minutes, and then he felt a tingle go up his arm as a ghostly knight appeared in front of him. He felt the Marilith demon''s shock, and he knew that she could see it, too. ¡°You have defeated that which has slain me.¡± The ghost said as a portal appeared behind him, and he looked at the Marilith demon. ¡°I would have preferred that it was slain as well; but, beggars can''t be choosers.¡± The Marilith demon''s mouth dropped open as the ghost knight told Ren that he could raise his remains, then it stepped through the portal and disappeared. ¡°That... you...¡± ¡°At the time, I didn''t notice that when you spotted everyone in the cavern, you didn''t look at either the Phantom Steeds or the two skeleton knights.¡± Ren said and stored the Lost Knight skull and picked up the next skull. ¡°I guess that''s because you''re so full of life and seek heat, that you ignore anything that won''t give it to you.¡± ¡°What... what are you saying?¡± ¡°I''m telling you to use your Spot skill on anything close to you, and not just on the living things your Heat Sense can pick up.¡± Ren said and tossed several more skulls in the bag before he found another Lost Knight skull. After it said it''s piece and he stored it, he stood up and put a hand on the Marilith demon''s closest arm as he looked up at her. ¡°Please, be more careful in the future.¡± ¡°You... really do care about me.¡± The Marilith demon said, and Ren could feel how touched she was. ¡°Well, I don''t go around and kiss every woman I meet.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''ve kissed a lot of them, but not every one.¡± She laughed and used a hand to stroke the side of his head. ¡°Dear one, I should force you to ravish me; but, I think you should just hurry up and finish sorting the skulls instead.¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± Ren said and stored the finished sack and dumped out the next one. ¡°Geez, I have got to stop being distracted by beautiful women.¡± The Marilith demon could feel that he was telling the truth and believed what he said, and she watched in fascination as he worked without speaking and sorted through 4 more of the sacks of skulls. He found 3 more skulls, and when the last ghost stepped through the portal, he stored the skull. ¡°Ha ha! That''s 10!¡± Ren almost yelled.
Optional Quest Complete!
You have found and released all 10 Lost Knights, and they have once again been reunited. Completion Bonus: x2 Rewards: 20,000 XP (10,000 x 2); Light Affinity +20% (10% x 2)
¡°Thank you so much!¡± Ren said and gave the Marilith demon a hug. Her arms wrapped around him automatically and hugged him back. ¡°What kind of villain are you?¡± She asked, and Ren laughed. ¡°I''m not a villain.¡± Ren said, and she stopped moving. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''m actually supposed to be participating in another event, but was sent here by mistake.¡± Ren said. ¡°You... it can''t... but...¡± ¡°I was shocked, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I woke up here instead of in a nice comfy bed.¡± He smiled. ¡°It''s been an odd experience going through all of this, let me tell you.¡± ¡°Wh-why aren''t you angry?¡± She asked, slightly outraged. ¡°Why aren''t you smashing everything in sight?¡± Ren looked a her with wide eyes. ¡°What would that accomplish?¡± He asked her. ¡°I''d still be stuck here.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Plus, if I''d done that, I would have just attacked and killed you.¡± Ren said and then smiled. ¡°I would be sad that I would have missed meeting someone like you.¡± ¡°You... really would be sad.¡± The Marilith demon said. ¡°But... I''m a villainous monster! I kill and eat people!¡± ¡°Well, nobody''s perfect.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°No wonder my sister accepted you as her consort.¡± She said. ¡°Should I try to steal you away from her?¡± ¡°I don''t think she would let you.¡± Ren held his right hand up and showed her the Dark Elf Queen''s mark on the back of it. ¡°So, she''s leeching from you.¡± ¡°Only my emotions.¡± Ren said, and then his mouth dropped open. ¡°Oh, no.¡± ¡°What is it, dear one?¡± ¡°I haven''t felt her take anything at all for the entire time I''ve been here.¡± Ren said. ¡°She must be so worried, and I didn''t even think of having someone send her a message or even telling someone that she might want to know what happened to me.¡± ¡°I''m sure that if you explain, she will understand.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I hope you''re right.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t want her to be angry at me for something that was out of my control.¡± What Ren didn''t know was that Lylyth was thinking the same thing about him. ¡°I''ve known her for a long time.¡± The Marilith demon said. ¡°She will do one of two things. She will ignore it and tell you that it was nothing, or she will tear a strip from your hide.¡± ¡°What would you do?¡± Ren asked.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Honestly? I would do both.¡± She said. ¡°I''m more of a sadistic bitch than she is.¡± She felt disbelief from him, and her eyes widened as Ren stepped close and gave her another hug, and he squeezed her tightly. ¡°I don''t believe either of you are like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You act that way because everyone expects you to; but, that''s just your public face.¡± He looked up at her. ¡°Don''t get me wrong, I''m sure you have your moments of completely irrational behavior and can be a sadistic bitch; especially if people attack you as soon as they see you.¡± He grinned. ¡°You aren''t like that all the time, though.¡± She shook her head in disbelief and bent down to kiss the top of his head. ¡°You''re delusional.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve wanted to bite you and flood your body with my venom the entire time you''ve been here.¡± Ren laughed, and she felt his genuine amusement. ¡°You just made my argument for me.¡± He said, then climbed up her arms. She straightened up as he did, and he stopped when his face was level with hers. ¡°Wh-what...¡± ¡°You could have killed me at any time during all of this.¡± Ren said as he cupped the sides of her face and leaned in to kiss her tenderly. ¡°You didn''t.¡± The Marilith demon could feel how he felt, and it warmed her heart a little. She was amazed that this little man could illicit such feelings from her, and then she realized what he was doing. ¡°Did you just climb me like a ladder?¡± She asked, and Ren raised a single eyebrow at her. She chuckled when she felt his dismay that she was thinking about that and not the kiss. ¡°It was more like a spider, actually.¡± Ren said and winked at her, and she laughed. ¡°Well, you better skitter off before I squash you, you little bug.¡± ¡°Not before I bestow upon you a gift for not killing me.¡± Ren said and let her face go. His feet counted as two points of contact on her lower body, so he leaned back and took out the large diamond necklace he had made for her. ¡°Wh-what... what is that?!?¡± She asked, and he felt how shocked she was. ¡°It''s a diamond necklace.¡± Ren said. ¡°This big middle stone is enchanted with Natural Armor, so you''ll benefit from wearing heavy armor without actually having to wear any.¡± He said. ¡°These smaller ones to the side are enchanted with Protection to give you +100% Defense to your armor value. I was tempted to use some Terror runes; but, I thought that was kind of pointless.¡± She didn''t know what to say. She had gained some very nice loot ever since she had started encountering Adventurers; but, no one had ever given her a present before. ¡°Can you equip this for me?¡± Ren asked, and she took it and equipped it. She was covered in a slight glow for a second as the enchantment took effect, and the hands of her two middle arms touched the scaled up version of the necklace that was hung around her neck. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± She said, as the diamonds sparkled. ¡°You... I can''t believe that...¡± Two of her other hands touched the sides of his head and her thumbs rubbed his cheeks. ¡°I think I love you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Now you''ve done it.¡± He said and touched her cheek. ¡°What are you going to say when I give you these?¡± He took out a pair of bracers and held them out to her. The Marilith demon took them tenderly and equipped them on her upper arms. ¡°Oh, my.¡± ¡°It has a Sunder enchantment; so, if anyone attacks you with a weapon, just block with them and it should disarm them.¡± ¡°Why... this...¡± She looked at her two upper arms with wonder, then Ren took out another pair. ¡°You didn''t!¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± Ren grinned as she took them and equipped them, and he handed her the last pair to complete the set. ¡°You have 6 arms, so I wasn''t going to give you only 2 of them.¡± She equipped them all and she stared at them, then at Ren. ¡°You''re unbelievable.¡± ¡°Not yet I''m not.¡± Ren said and jumped down. ¡°It irks the hell out of me to see shoddy metalwork, and since I broke your armor, I had to replace it.¡± He said and took out the item he had made. ¡°NO!¡± The Marilith demon gasped when she saw the extra large modified breastplate, with 6 armholes and shoulder pads, and it was segmented in pieces both in front and in back. Ren held it up and moved it in and out like an accordion. ¡°With the hinges and rivets placed in strategic places, this armor will cover you from breast to private area...¡± He turned it side to side to show it''s full range of motion. ¡°...and won''t impede your movement whatsoever.¡± Her hands reached out for it, then she pulled them back. ¡°It''s a trick! You''re trying to trick me, somehow!¡± Ren put the piece of armor down on the ground and stepped back. ¡°It also has the Sunder enchantment, so that when anything physical hits it... like arrows, swords, pikes, spears, or anything else...¡± ¡°I can''t believe...¡± She reached down and picked it up. ¡°Why would you do this?¡± ¡°It irked me.¡± Ren said, and he felt how much she loved the piece of shiny metal. ¡°I hate seeing horribly-made armor, and I have to fix it.¡± ¡°But...¡± She equipped it, and it fit perfectly. ¡°You''ve made me almost impervious to attack.¡± Ren smiled, and she felt his mischievousness. ¡°What am I missing?¡± She asked as she started to move around to test the armor, and it really did move with her, and didn''t stop her flexing or twisting. This thing is amazing! ¡°I don''t think I should say.¡± Ren said, and she stopped moving, then quickly slithered over to him and grabbed his legs with her lower arms, his waist with her middle arms, and his shoulders with her upper arms. ¡°Tell me.¡± She put her face right in front of his and sneered at him. ¡°Now.¡± ¡°You''re kind of cute when you''re angry.¡± Ren said and kissed the tip of her nose. Her face flushed red immediately, and he felt her churning emotions and couldn''t tell what she was actually feeling. ¡°Isn''t it obvious? You''re still vulnerable to magic attacks.¡± The Marilith demon smiled evilly, then let him go and slithered 10 feet away. A moment later, she was surrounded by a bright blue Mana Shield. ¡°Oh, nice!¡± Ren said and activated his own. ¡°I have that, too!¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± She stared at the smaller Mana bubble around Ren. ¡°How can you... you''re only level 83!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I get new things almost every time I level now.¡± He said, then sighed. ¡°Except for the last two times, because I didn''t get anything.¡± She deactivated her skill and slithered over to him, because she could feel his disappointment. ¡°That bothered you.¡± Ren nodded and deactivated his skill. ¡°It shouldn''t, since it''s happened before; but, this time it... it felt empty... when I leveled and nothing happened.¡± ¡°Dear one, may I?¡± She reached out and put a finger on his forehead. Ren nodded, and she slid down to put her forehead against his. He felt dozens of probes in his head, and then he felt her satisfaction. ¡°You have a hidden recipe that you must discover.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°I thought I found everything!¡± He brought up the last series of popups he had received about it, then compared it to his level up popup that had all those hidden things in it. ¡°Well, damn.¡± He said. ¡°I''m still missing a Wondrous Item recipe.¡± He dismissed the popups and sighed. ¡°How do I find a recipe for an item that I don''t have, or know the ingredients to?¡± ¡°You can use the All-Seeing Mirror to look.¡± Teepo suggested, and Ren took it out. ¡°Show me the ingredients I need for the hidden Wondrous Item recipe.¡± Ren asked the mirror, and his inventory popped up and showed him pieces of every creature that he had looted in Shargon Caverns so far, pictures of several other creatures, and most prominently Marilith demon snake scales. ¡°So, I am one of the things you need.¡± She said in a deep husky voice, and Ren looked up at her. ¡°Is that desire I feel from you?¡± ¡°Would you be insulted if I said it''s only for your body?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled. ¡°That you mean that means more to me than you know.¡± She said. ¡°Shall I dig some of my scales off for you?¡± ¡°Actually, if it''s not too much trouble, can I just have some of your shed skin?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That way you don''t have to hurt yourself, and I can still get a snake scale for this weird recipe.¡± She nodded and slithered over to her tunnel. ¡°I need another piece of bacon, too!¡± Ren said, and one of her hands waved before the shadows covered her. He looked over at the closest succubus and took out an empty potion bottle. ¡°I know this won''t be very lady-like; but, can you spit into this for me?¡± The succubus crawled over to Ren and stayed as low to the ground as she could. He held the bottle out to her, then she put her lips on it and a pile of saliva came out of her mouth. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and she closed her mouth and quickly crawled back to her hiding place. ¡°Does it say you need something from the Pixies?¡± Teepo asked. Thankfully, no. Ren thought. I''d never be able to get it during this trip if it did. Ren looked at one of the skeleton knights, and it walked over to him. ¡°The tip of the little finger should be enough.¡± It snapped the whole finger off from the hand and handed it to him, and then the finger reformed almost immediately. ¡°That was a bit much; but, thank you.¡± Ren said and the skeleton knight went back to stand behind it''s barrier. The Marilith demon came back out of her lair with a very large piece of partially translucent snake skin and a big chunk of meat. Ren carefully took the snake skin from her and slowly ran his hand over it. ¡°It''s so soft.¡± Her face flushed to a deep red as Ren caressed the skin and scales. ¡°That''s... very erotic.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± He said and stored it. ¡°I get distracted by beautiful things sometimes.¡± His frank honesty made her blush even harder, and he took the piece of boar demon meat from her and shoved the end of it into his mouth and started to chew. ¡°Wh-what are you... but, I thought...¡± ¡°I only need a little piece.¡± Ren said and cut a small piece off the other end of it. ¡°I''m not letting the rest go to waste.¡± She laughed as he put the end of the meat back into his mouth and he started to chew on it again. He stored the last ingredient and received a popup.
Notice!
You have revealed the hidden Wondrous Item recipe: Corrupted Helm of Limited Polymorph (Singular). This helm will allow you to temporarily transform into other humanoid-type creatures used in the creation of the helm. Time limit: 5 minutes
¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said. ¡°What is it?¡± The Marilith demon asked. ¡°I... probably shouldn''t say.¡± Ren said and dismissed the popup. She was about to grab him again and he held a hand up to stop her. ¡°I don''t want to tease you with what it might mean.¡± ¡°I will deny you passage, unless you tell me.¡± She said. Ren sighed. ¡°But... I don''t want to hurt you.¡± ¡°Is it a massive weapon? A special bracelet of the Void? What?¡± ¡°No, it... it''s much worse.¡± Ren said. The Marilith demon slithered close and looked at him with pleading eyes. ¡°Please, just tell me.¡± ¡°It''s a recipe for a helm.¡± Ren said. ¡°Well, that doesn''t sound so bad.¡± She said. ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°It grants the wearer a limited 5 minute Polymorph ability to change into the humanoid creatures used to make the helm.¡± Ren said. The Marilith demon stopped breathing as she stared at him with an open mouth, and then she fainted. Chapter 434 - Here I Am Denise, Lisa, and Elise had brought up the footage of the scene on the laptop after the blue screen had disappeared, so they could hear what was being said in real time. Elise gasped when she heard that Ren had leveled up and received nothing. ¡°What is it?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Max told me that if Ren didn''t discover his hidden things before he levels up, it won''t give him anything else until he does.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Lisa said. ¡°How much do you think he missed?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Elise said. ¡°If it''s a pivotal level, he could get more than one thing.¡± She said. ¡°Or having whatever it was could open other options for him that he won''t have otherwise; so, if he doesn''t have those things...¡± ¡°Should I check on that when I go back in?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°No, don''t go poking around.¡± Elise said. ¡°You''re on your last warning, remember?¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Lisa asked, surprised. ¡°Do you really think I wouldn''t check up on you once you started hanging out with Ren?¡± ¡°You stalker!¡± Lisa exclaimed. ¡°I am.¡± Elise said and laughed. ¡°I stalked him so much after he started playing the game.¡± ¡°She really did.¡± Denise said. ¡°It was quite a mess for a while there.¡± ¡°It sure was.¡± Elise said and sighed. ¡°I''m so glad Ren forgave me.¡± ¡°I think if he can forgive me for being an arrogant... witch... he can forgive just about anything.¡± Lisa said and chuckled. ¡°Hey, let''s stop harping on the past.¡± Elise said and gave Lisa a squeeze. ¡°Let''s focus on the present.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Lisa said and looked at the television screen. ¡°I can''t believe he made her such nice armor.¡± ¡°And bracers.¡± Elise said. ¡°And a necklace that any woman in her right mind would kill for.¡± Denise said, and the other two women looked at her. ¡°What?¡± Lisa leaned her head against Elise''s. ¡°Elise, are we supposed to admit out loud that diamonds really are a girl''s best friend?¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Elise exclaimed. ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± Denise said and chuckled. ¡°I like how they sparkle.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Lisa said. ¡°He once gave me a necklace in the game as a thank you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I don''t remember ever seeing you wear it.¡± ¡°I wore it when he gave it to me.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I stashed it away after that and had it hidden ever since.¡± ¡°They make you feel pretty, don''t they?¡± Elise asked, and both women nodded. ¡°You don''t even have to wear them.¡± Lisa touched the spot right below her neck where the necklace would have been if she was wearing it. ¡°Hey, what was that popup?¡± Elise asked, and Denise pulled up the footage. ¡°He... good god.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°He unlocked the recipe for a polymorph helm.¡± Elise said, shocked. ¡°What''s so special about that?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Ren can temporarily change his physical form into any creature he uses to create the helm.¡± Elise said. ¡°Well, the male versions of them.¡± She sighed. ¡°I can''t believe he gained access to it, though.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°It''s a Singular item.¡± Elise said. ¡°Only one can exist at any given time.¡± ¡°Wait, you mean in the entire game?¡± Lisa asked, and Elise nodded. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Denise asked. ¡°If Ren makes that helm, then no one else in the game can find or make another.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Ever.¡± ¡°What? Why would you put stuff like that in there?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I didn''t, and apparently the tech department decided it was still a good idea after my recommendations.¡± ¡°They might be good programmers, but they sure don''t know what people really want in a game.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You don''t know the half of it.¡± Elise said and told them about her argument with the head programmer Max, and what he had said about his reasons for getting Ren out of the way. * ¡°Ma-am? MA''AM!¡± Ren gently tried to shake the unconscious Marilith demon awake, and sighed. She''s out cold. He thought, and that made him wonder about her body temperature. She had flopped down and her body was completely uncoiled, so any body heat she may have, was probably dissipating quickly. He felt along her underside to check, and he could feel it was a lot colder than the top part. Ren opened his Instant Tower recipe and removed everything except for the stone floor with metal cross beams, then added Heat runes all over it''s surface and saved it as Warming Pad. He activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and added the necessary ingredients, said the activation word and thought about the Marilith demon. The Warming Pad cost almost nothing, and a half-inch wide cube appeared. Ren put it down and activated it, then lifted the still unconscious Marilith demon up and placed her on it. It took a couple of minutes to gather up her limp serpentine body and get it onto the Warming Pad, but he managed to do it; hopefully without hurting her. ¡°Ren, look at her face.¡± Teepo said, and Ren saw that she had a look of pure bliss. He could feel a trace of it through the shared Aura, but without her actively sharing, he wasn''t getting much. ¡°So, what are you going to do now?¡± I''m tempted to just leave. Ren thought. ¡°How?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°There''s no other opening except to her lair.¡± That''s why I''m not leaving. Ren chuckled, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Well...¡± Ren said out loud. ¡°It looks like I''ve got a bit of time on my hands; so, why don''t I finish making my guards?¡± Ren took out his shop tower and activated it, then went inside. He made 8 more full sets of armor and enchanted them the same as the other 2 skeleton knights to stop blunt force attacks and give them as much Protection as possible. He also made all of their helms into a Helm of Foolishness, just because he could. Now that he thought about it, he made them all swords and shields, also with the proper enchantments to protect them, and when he was done, he took each skull out individually and used the Raise Dead spell. Ren knew that the spell itself could raise 5 at a time, but since he had raised the other two individually and it let them bypass the spell''s limitation, he didn''t want to take the chance that raising them in a group would defeat that very powerful advantage. When the skeleton knights were all raised from the dead, he gave them each a Strong Ring of Storage with 50 slots and +40 Strength, and a Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic with +105 to both Intelligence and Wisdom, +1020% to Mana generation and +10,200 to their Mana. After that, he gave them their sets of armor, sword, and shield, then walked out of the Instant Tower with them. He gave the other two skeletons their new shields, and Ren looked over his completed set of 10 skeleton guards. ¡°You are all my guards, until told otherwise by me and me only.¡± Ren said, then thought of a line from one of his favorite movies. ¡°This is for all you new skeletons. I have only one rule. Everyone fights. No one quits. If you don''t do your job, I''ll kill you myself.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°Do you get me?¡± ¡°We get you, sir!¡± The skeleton knights responded without opening their mouths. ¡°That is so cool.¡± Ren said happily. ¡°It truly is.¡± A woman''s voice said from behind him. ¡°Oh, you''re awake!¡± Ren said as he turned to look at the Marilith demon. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I am.¡± She said. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°You fainted.¡± Ren said, and she shook her head. ¡°I don''t faint.¡± She said. ¡°You collapsed into unconsciousness inexplicably, then.¡± Ren said and smiled, and she snorted a laugh. ¡°What is this thing I am on?¡± ¡°After you fell to the ground, I checked your body heat, and it was almost the same as the cavern floor.¡± Ren said. ¡°So I made that for you.¡± ¡°It''s so nice and warm.¡± She said silkily and her body slithered over it enticingly. ¡°Please, join me.¡± ¡°I... ah... really should be moving on.¡± Ren said, and she coiled a part of her body in front of herself and pat it. He sighed and walked over to her, then turned around and sat down. Her arms wrapped around him and pulled him in close, and her red hair cascaded over his shoulder as she tried to put her face beside his from behind.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Tell me.¡± She said. ¡°Did you make it?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said, and she sighed. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don''t want to hurt you.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I make it and become another like you, it''s only going to cause you pain that I can''t be with you like you would want me to.¡± ¡°Please, just let me see you like that.¡± She said. ¡°Only for a second.¡± She pleaded. ¡°I won''t even ask you to hug me.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I know it''s asking a lot of you, especially after everything you''ve done for me.¡± The Marilith demon said. ¡°Please, Ren.¡± Ren could feel how much she wanted it, and he turned his head. ¡°It''s going to hurt me to hurt you like this.¡± He touched her face and turned her head to face him. ¡°I''ll do it, but... only if you will try to forgive me for doing it.¡± ¡°I''ll forgive you anything if you do this.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t think you will.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss, stood up and walked about 10 feet away, and took out his storage tower with all of his things in it. He went through it all and gathered up all of the loot he had gained from everything he had killed that was even close to being humanoid in shape, and not just the things he had found in Shargon Caverns. Claws, pieces of fur, glands, bones, and anything else he had an excess of. He even took a piece of the tough hide of an abyssal terror. If it stood up like that boar demon did, it could technically be humanoid in shape. Ren thought and chuckled. ¡°I don''t think it works like that.¡± Teepo said. ¡°But, I guess it doesn''t hurt to try it.¡± Ren nodded and came across the items he had found when he had looted the first giant he had met. A large pair of boots, a broken watch, and a bit of hair in a ribbon. He took the hair and added it to his growing pile. On a suspicious hunch, he pulled out some of his own hair and added it to the mix. ¡°Why are you doing that?¡± Teepo asked. For some reason, I''m thinking that there''s a drawback to making it. Ren thought. If there is, I believe it''s that I won''t be able to change back, even if I take off the helm. So, I just want to make sure I can at least go back to my own form if that''s true. ¡°That''s... really smart thinking.¡± Teepo said. Thanks. Ren smiled and kept searching. Once he had gone through everything, he opened the recipe for the Polymorph helm and added all the new ingredients to it. He then added the maximum amount of Time runes he could to the 5 minute time limit; 50 of them at 5 minutes each. That added another 250 minutes to the helm''s effect, which was a complete workaround on the helm''s obviously imposed limitation. Once that was done, he activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and added all the new ingredients to it, then placed the helm from his own armor onto the platform. Since the helm had 6 enchanted diamonds on it, and it was already enchanted with Protection and Durability itself, it took the platform nearly 10 minutes to convert the helm into what Ren had changed the recipe to. It had even asked for more Mana, and Ren had obliged. He waited, and when it was done, the helm didn''t look any different; but, when he picked it up, it almost vibrated in his hands.
Supreme Helm of Polymorph (Singular Wondrous Item - Indestructible - Permanently Bound)
This helm will allow you to transform into other humanoid-type creatures. Due to the immense quality of the ingredients used, and the unqualified variety of materials, this helm cannot be damaged by any means. It is also permanently bound when equipped. Please note: Time limit resets when another form is chosen Time limit for each transformation: 255 minutes
¡°WHOA!¡± Ren yelled as he read the popup, then read it again, and then again. ¡°I don''t believe it!¡± ¡°That''s amazing!¡± Teepo said. ¡°You can... well, I guess as long as you keep switching back and forth, you can stay as whatever you chose for as long as you choose.¡± ¡°It''s... there''s no way that this... it can''t be real, can it?¡± Ren asked as he walked out of the storage tower, then deactivated and stored it without taking his eyes off of the helm. ¡°You really made it.¡± The Marilith demon said, and Ren nodded wordlessly. ¡°Well! Don''t just stand there! Put it on!¡± Ren blinked his eyes for several moments, took a deep breath, then equipped the helm. He both felt and saw the glow cover him and waited. It took a few minutes for the glow to fade, and when it did, the helm faded away with it. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren reached up and tried to touch where he thought the helm was, but his hand met nothing but air. He felt around his head and couldn''t find any trace of it. ¡°I-it''s gone?¡± The Marilith demon said sadly, and Ren could feel just how sorry she was. ¡°No, I... let me test something.¡± Ren turned to the closest skeleton knight. ¡°Give me your helm.¡± It handed the helm over without question and Ren used his Craft Wondrous Item ability and reset it to an unused Helm of Foolishness, then picked it up and tried to equip it. He couldn''t. He put it into his inventory, and when he tried to select it, it said that it couldn''t be equipped because he already wore a helm that couldn''t be replaced. ¡°Even though it''s ''gone'', I''m still wearing it.¡± Ren said, amazed; then handed the skeleton knight back his helm. ¡°I didn''t know something like that was possible.¡± ¡°If it''s still there, even though it''s not...¡± The Marilith demon said, and Ren felt her sorrow change to a faint hope. ¡°Dear one...¡± ¡°I''ve never done anything like this before, so... if I flop around like a fish, try not to laugh too hard.¡± ¡°I promise to only laugh when you''re not looking.¡± She said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and took a deep breath. ¡°Here goes.¡± Ren braced himself, even though he didn''t know what was going to happen, and thought Marilith Demon. His entire body glowed and then he felt intense pain as every bone in his body broke at once. ¡°AGGHHH!¡± He yelled as his now jelly-like body flopped to the ground and he landed on his back. ¡°REN!¡± The Marilith demon yelled and slithered close, because she had felt his intense pain. ¡°N-n-no, I''m... okay. It was just a surprise.¡± Ren said through gritted teeth. ¡°I haven''t felt that in a while, and I almost forgot what it was like.¡± ¡°You... oh, Ren.¡± She said and reached out for him, then his body started to expand. She watched as 2 extra arms sprouted out from each of his sides, and his legs twisted around, over and over, then extended out to form a long snake tail. His chest expanded and his head grew, and after almost 4 minutes of excruciating pain and shredding his armor bodysuit, Ren was fully transformed into a male Marilith demon.
Notice!
You have successfully transformed into a Marilith demon (Level 83) and can now benefit from all of it''s advantages. Your multiple arms can attack without pause in a relentless flurry. Your tail can grab and crush those unlucky enough to be caught with it, or you can lash out and strike opponents like a whip. Damage Resistances: Elemental - Ice, Fire, and Lightning; Physical - Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from both magical and non-magical attacks. Immunities: Poison, Acid Inherent Abilities: True Sight (can see as if daytime in any conditions, and can Spot anything within your sight, hidden or not), Multi-attack, Multi-weapon Fighting, Telepathy (Range: 100 feet), Damage Reduction, Spell Resistance, Natural Armor. Permanent Conditions: Corrupted, Combative (loves fighting)
¡°This feels really weird.¡± Ren said and lifted his right hand to look at it. The other 2 hands on that side moved at the same time, and he looked at them. ¡°I guess that''s appropriate, since I''m only supposed to have 2 arms normally.¡± ¡°You... you''re really real.¡± The Marilith demon said and he felt her shock. ¡°You''re just like me.¡± She said, then she remembered what Ren had said about the polymorph helm and it''s 5 minute limit. ¡°Oh, dear one!¡± She slithered over to rest on top of him, and matched her body to his. ¡°Hold me before you have to change back!¡± ¡°I thought you said...¡± ¡°I lied, you ignorant fool!¡± She said and kissed him as her arms picked his arms up and placed them around herself, because he couldn''t do it himself. Ren hugged her, and she moaned as he kissed her back. Now that he had a mouth as big as hers, they matched up well and she lost herself to the sensations. They still shared their Heat Sense Aura, so they could both feel how the other felt. She knew he would never go any farther than this, and Ren felt that she accepted that. He broke the kiss when he had the chance and looked at her. ¡°I''d like to try and stand up, if that''s okay.¡± ¡°But... we only have... mere... mere moments left.¡± She said, and he felt her deep sadness. Ren tried to cup the side of her face, and his other hands moved to do that as well, and he sighed. ¡°I told you this would hurt you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know, I... I just...¡± She started to cry. ¡°Let''s move over to the Warming Pad.¡± Ren said. ¡°This ground is freezing.¡± ¡°I... okay.¡± She said and helped him turn over. Ren tried to move like he still had legs and was on the ground, and didn''t go anywhere. ¡°Don''t try to walk or push with your foot.¡± She said, wisely. ¡°It''s a tail, not a leg.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°What do I do?¡± ¡°Wiggle.¡± She said. ¡°Wiggle?¡± ¡°Pretend you''re a worm, and just... wiggle.¡± Ren thought about it, and with some encouragement from Teepo, started to wiggle the end of his tail. ¡°Good, good.¡± The Marilith demon said. ¡°Now do that with your hips.¡± Ren did so, then did the logical next step and added wiggles in between. He felt the dirt churn underneath his tail and used his arms to lift himself up, then his tail slithered forward and pushed him up into an upright position. He picked up his last two hands that held him steady, and he shot forward 10 feet and flopped onto his side in the dirt because he couldn''t keep his balance. ¡°REN!¡± The Marilith demon exclaimed as she slithered over to help him up, and felt how overjoyed he was. ¡°Bwahahaha! Did you see that?¡± Ren asked as she picked him up and set him on the Warming Pad. ¡°I actually moved forward without legs! Hahaha!¡± She slithered around him and held him steady, then tucked herself around behind him. ¡°Lean back a little.¡± She said, and Ren did. She wrapped her arms around him, between his own, and caressed his chest. ¡°You could have seriously hurt yourself.¡± ¡°Is that concern I hear in your voice?¡± Ren teased, and she turned her head and bit his ear. ¡°By the gods!¡± He almost yelled as a thrill went through him, right down to his tail. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Your time is up, and I couldn''t let you go without a little bit of foreplay.¡± She said, then kissed the spot she had bitten. ¡°Why would you think I wouldn''t want to touch such a handsome specimen when you offered it to me?¡± ¡°I guess I really need to stop trusting villainous monsters.¡± Ren said, and that made her laugh. ¡°You are too amusing for your own good.¡± She said. ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± ¡°You can give me passage from here and let me leave.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve given you what you wanted.¡± ¡°And more, dear one.¡± She said and kissed him. Their long tongues played with each other in their mouths, and when she broke the kiss, she sucked on his to draw it out. ¡°Bay, lash ma money. (Hey, that''s not funny)¡± Ren mumbled, which made her laugh and let it go. He tried to pull it back in; but, he didn''t have the motor skills to do it properly, so he had to use his hands to shove it into his mouth. He fumbled it because his brain was still using all 6 hands as if they were two, and the Marilith demon laughed and laughed at his comical appearance. Ren had hammed it up a little to make her laugh so much, because he knew she would be sad when he left; so, he wanted to leave her with a smile on her face. ¡°Oh... oh, you... get... get out.¡± She said, and turned to look at a different section of the cavern. It shifted slightly and opened up to reveal a very steep exit tunnel. ¡°Leave before I hurt myself from laughing so much!¡± Ren laughed with her and deactivated the Marilith demon form. It didn''t hurt as much as he transformed back into his normal self, but he could feel the depression take a hold of her as he repaired his armor bodysuit. ¡°Everyone! Up the tunnel!¡± Ren said. The 20 succubi left their hiding places and flew across the cavern and up the tunnel, and the skeleton knights marched over and up it with the two skeleton-like Phantom Steeds right behind them. He called over his own Phantom Steed and mounted it''s saddle. ¡°I am going to miss you.¡± The Marilith demon said. ¡°I know you are.¡± Ren said, then stood up on the steed. ¡°Come here.¡± She slithered close and he hugged her around the neck. ¡°Are you sure you won''t stay?¡± She asked, and hugged him back with all 6 of her arms. ¡°You know I can''t.¡± Ren whispered in her ear, then did something naughty and bit it. ¡°AHH!¡± The Marilith demon yelled as the thrill went through her, right down to her tail. Ren let her go, and she let him go, and he sat down on his steed. ¡°Goodbye, ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodbye, dear one.¡± Ren had the Phantom Steed trot over to the tunnel entrance, then turned around. ¡°Before I go... I need to clear something up.¡± ¡°You are still sharing an Aura with me.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve felt everything you''ve felt, so what could you possibly have to clear up?¡± ¡°It''s nothing much.¡± Ren said, and she felt the distinct feeling of naughtiness from him, and it stirred things inside of her. ¡°Wh-what is it?¡± ¡°The 5 minute limitation? That was on the old helm recipe. I made a new one and changed it to over 4 hours.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Bye!¡± ¡°RENNNNNNNN!¡± The Marilith demon yelled at the top of her lungs, and Ren took off at the Phantom Steed''s fastest speed up the tunnel to the safe zone. Chapter 435 - The One That You Love ¡°I can''t believe you did that.¡± Teepo said as they arrived in the safe zone and the tunnel closed behind them; and then the shared Heat Sense Aura ended. ¡°At least she''s not sad about me leaving now.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, she''s pissed!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. The Phantom Steed came to a stop in the middle of the succubi, and they all stared at him. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°How did you...¡± One of them started to say. ¡°...change the Marilith demon from...¡± Another said. ¡°...wanting to kill you...¡± Yet another continued. ¡°...to wanting to-¡± ¡°It''s a gift.¡± Ren said to cut the last one off. ¡°Sometimes it doesn''t work and just makes them angry.¡± ¡°But... she''s a Marilith demon.¡± Zunala said. ¡°She loves to fight.¡± ¡°According to her, we did fight.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°She should have killed you, then us; eaten us all, and picked her teeth with our bones.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°She didn''t, and here we are in the next safe zone.¡± He climbed down off of the Phantom Steed and pat it''s neck. ¡°I''ve got a lot of Adventurer''s business to take care of, so I''m going to be gone for a while.¡± ¡°How long?¡± ¡°A few days.¡± Ren said and took out his shop tower and activated it, then took out the tower that the succubi slept in and activated that as well. ¡°I''m putting up the walls, just in case.¡± He said and used the Staff of Earth to raise the 20 foot wide walls around a 100 foot by 100 foot space, to give the succubi more room to move in. ¡°Do you need a feeding?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Wynphine asked. ¡°We had to stop feeding when you were... doing that thing... with the Marilith demon''s private place.¡± ¡°Was there that much of it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°There was too much.¡± Seldanna said and rubbed her arms. ¡°Good god, how can you...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don''t want to know your secrets.¡± She said and stared at Ren. ¡°Just keep your word, and I''ll follow you anywhere.¡± Ren held a hand out to her. She hesitated for only a moment, then took the offered hand. ¡°Oh!¡± Seldanna gasped as he gave her his feeling of thanks. ¡°You''re getting close.¡± Ren said. ¡°C-close? To what?¡± ¡°Leveling up your ability.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°When I come back, I''ll make sure to give you extra attention.¡± ¡°You''re already giving her extra attention.¡± Wynphine said, and Ren turned to her with his hand out. ¡°Um... no, thank you.¡± Ren smiled and let his hand drop. ¡°I might be back tomorrow, but don''t plan on it.¡± He said and walked to his tower. ¡°Knights, stay on guard. I want 2 of you on my door, 2 of you on the other tower''s door, and 2 of you on patrol of the walls. The last 4 can take scout positions on top of the towers. If anything hostile attacks or somehow gets in, subdue it and keep it alive.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± They said together. ¡°Before you start, wait here for a moment.¡± Ren said and went inside his shop tower. He went to the forge and tossed in a pile of gold coins to mix with the steel, then made 10 amulet discs. He activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and made 10 of the modified Amulet of the Spider. He made another disc and dropped the Sunder enchantment he still had stored in his Retain Essence ability on it and stored it. Ren took off his Hand of Glory and took off the Ring of Water Walking and the Energize Wand out of it''s grip, then redid the Hand of Glory to remove the old Amulet of the Spider enchantment on it, then added the new one to it, slipped the wand and ring back on it, and equipped it again. He used Double Infusion to add Speed runes to the amulets, to make the skeleton knights get 250% bonus to their speed. Ren went back outside, gave them the amulets and told them what they did, then looked at the succubi. ¡°Should I leave meals out for you?¡± He asked them, and they declined. ¡°Our rings work, so we don''t need food.¡± One of them said. ¡°If you were here, we would eat with you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Be good, don''t kill each other, and don''t attack the skeleton knights even if all you''re doing is playing.¡± He warned them. ¡°So please, be careful.¡± ¡°We will.¡± One of them said. ¡°Hurry back.¡± ¡°I want to get out of here just as much as you do.¡± Ren said and opened his tower door. ¡°I''ve got a lot of people out there waiting for me, and I want to get back to them.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll see you all later.¡± The succubi had already started to disperse, and he turned to the skeleton knights. ¡°If they start fighting seriously, break them up.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°If they attack you, retreat. If that''s not an option, restrain them; but, do not use your swords. You are to keep them alive.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± They said. ¡°Carry out my orders.¡± Ren said, and the skeleton knights dispersed as he had told them; 2 in front of each door, 2 on top of each tower, and the last 2 on patrol of the walls. He nodded and went inside his tower and up the stairs. Teepo, I''ll see you in a few days. Ren thought, and Teepo flew up to land on the ceiling above the bed. ¡°See you when you get back.¡± Teepo said as Ren laid down. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren slid off the VR headset and was greeted by three very surprised women. ¡°Okay, what happened in there?¡± Lisa asked in a rather accusing voice. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked as Denise took the headset from him. ¡°There was a lot of blue screen for us to watch.¡± ¡°Well, after I broke her armor, I guess she was technically naked; even though she claimed it was her natural state.¡± Ren said. ¡°She said that she only wears the armor when she fights.¡± ¡°What about...¡± ¡°Easy there, girl.¡± Elise said and put a hand on Lisa''s shoulder. ¡°Ren, can you tell us what happened after you shared that bacon with her?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said, and gave them a quick rundown of what had happened for the entire time he was in the last cavern. ¡°You... you licked...¡± Lisa made a fist and closed her eyes. ¡°Teepo said it smelled like maple syrup.¡± Ren said and shrugged. ¡°I had to at least try it.¡± ¡°How much corruption did it give you?¡± Lisa asked through clenched teeth. ¡°The first taste only put me up 2%.¡± Ren said. ¡°In total, 22%.¡± ¡°You... how much did you...¡± ¡°I actually got 40% when I split open the boar demon''s gut to kill it.¡± Ren said. ¡°What a mess that was.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°I''m at 65% right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ugh!¡± Lisa said. ¡°How can you be so stupid?!?¡± ¡°Look, I''m sorry, okay?¡± Ren said. ¡°My overactive bacon fetish kicked into overdrive.¡± He said in his defense. ¡°The smell filled the cavern, and it was sooo good.¡± ¡°God.¡± Lisa said and looked at him. ¡°Ren, you have to stop-¡± ¡°Lisa.¡± Denise cautioned her. ¡°Ren, you really should ease off on bathing in demon blood and... other bodily fluids.¡± Lisa said.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°On the bright side, I got out of there before the Marilith demon realized I was a Marilith myself for a lot longer than 5 minutes.¡± ¡°So, it worked.¡± Elise said. ¡°You really did become a male version of her.¡± ¡°Yeah, and it hurt like a son of a bitch.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess when my armor bodysuit tore, the blue screen went into effect again.¡± ¡°It did.¡± Elise said. ¡°Did you... you know...¡± ¡°You''re kidding, right?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I couldn''t stand up... or hold myself up straight... or even move properly.¡± ¡°Then what did you do?¡± ¡°Flopped around and slid in the dirt.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°She carried me onto the Warming Pad I made, hugged me, bit my ear, then opened the passage to leave.¡± ¡°So, you... you didn''t have sex with her.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Mind you, I was in a completely transformed body. Would you have gotten mad if I did have snakety-snake sex with her?¡± ¡°YES!¡± Lisa yelled. ¡°Now you know why I didn''t.¡± Ren said, and all three women blinked their eyes in surprise. ¡°We just had this discussion not that long ago. I will not even think about sleeping with another woman without talking to you first.¡± Denise looked at the other two women, and then back at Ren. ¡°Um...¡± ¡°Yes, Denise.¡± Ren said. ¡°I talked to them about you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Denise looked at Elise and Lisa. ¡°You... I mean...¡± ¡°He said you were still just thinking about it.¡± Elise said. ¡°Have you decided yet?¡± Denise looked like a deer caught in a car''s headlights, and she felt a hand on hers. ¡°She wants me to be all hers tomorrow.¡± Ren said, and her face flushed red. ¡°Stella''s on shift to take care of Ren, and I''m working tomorrow.¡± Elise said and looked at Lisa, who didn''t say anything. ¡°She''s still angry at me for not doing what she wants.¡± Ren said. Lisa opened her mouth to deny it, then sighed and ducked her head. ¡°Yes, I''m being stupid about it; but... it''s because I love you... and I... well...¡± No one said anything for a moment. ¡°L-Lisa.¡± Ren said, and Lisa looked up to see his surprised expression. ¡°You said it.¡± ¡°I...¡± Lisa''s face turned to a deep red. ¡°Ren...¡± Ren held a hand out to her, and she took it. He pulled her onto the bed and she laid down on his good side. He took her into his arms and held her, and she hugged him back. ¡°I''ve been waiting to see if you would admit it.¡± Ren said and gently kissed her. ¡°I''m so glad that you did.¡± ¡°You dummy.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I''d punch you for being stupid if I didn''t think you''d die from it.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I love you, too.¡± ¡°Aw, that''s so cute!¡± Elise said and crawled up onto the bed behind Ren and laid down. ¡°Lift your head, sweetheart.¡± Ren lifted his head and Elise slid her arm under it, and also under Lisa''s head. ¡°Now your arm.¡± Elise said, and Ren lifted his and Lisa''s arms slightly, and she slid her arm underneath and across their bodies to hold them both. She wiggled her body, almost like a snake, and it nestled Ren and Lisa into her embrace. She kissed the top of Ren''s head and put her head on the pillow. ¡°Does this mean you two have made up?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I want to be, but Lisa''s a much harder woman to convince to forgive me.¡± Ren said and stroked Lisa''s cheek. ¡°I think she needs to sleep on it before she can give an answer to that.¡± ¡°I... yes, that''s true.¡± Lisa said and sighed. ¡°My anger is just... simmering over it.¡± ¡°You can stay here and simmer.¡± Ren suggested, and Lisa smiled crookedly. ¡°It''s tempting, but I don''t think I can be objective about things if I''m staring at you all night.¡± ¡°I was about to say the same thing.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°Hi, everyone!¡± Barbara said when she came into the bedroom, and they all looked at her. ¡°I''m not going to ask why you three are cuddled up in the bed.¡± ¡°Well, that''s too bad.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s an amazing story, with interesting characters and plot twists!¡± Elise and Lisa laughed, and Denise chuckled as she stood up. ¡°I''ll tell you all about what''s been going on as I get changed.¡± Denise said and led Barbara from the room and shut the door. ¡°...and they were conveniently left alone, safely tucked into each other''s warm embrace.¡± Ren said. ¡°In front of him was a short-haired blonde seductress that didn''t know the limit of her power over the poor shmuck in her arms.¡± He gave Lisa a quick kiss. ¡°While behind him, a redheaded long-haired amazonian goddess, whose physical dimensions alone could rock entire worlds, used her brain to keep everyone safer than they ever thought they could be, and whose arms welcome those not worthy of her touch, let alone her attention.¡± ¡°That was beautiful.¡± Elise said and kissed his cheek. Ren turned his head to her so she could give him a kiss on the lips, and she took advantage of it. She broke the kiss a few moments later, and looked at Lisa. She felt a little guilty that she had done that in front of her; then Lisa leaned forward and kissed Ren just as passionately. She broke that kiss a few moments later, and looked back at Elise; then both of them looked at Ren... and he had a huge grin on his face. ¡°You liked that, did you?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I really, really did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I kinda wish I had two mouths, just so I could kiss you both at the same time.¡± Lisa chuckled. ¡°I... ah... don''t think I''d kiss you if you had two mouths.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Damn, another impossible fantasy shot down!¡± Elise laughed. ¡°Reality: One. Men and their irrational fantasies: Zero.¡± She gave him a quick kiss. ¡°If you''re staying out, I guess I better get changed for bed.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Lisa said and sat up. ¡°I really am still mad at you.¡± She said to Ren. ¡°I know you are, but that can''t stop you from loving me.¡± Ren said and sat up to give her a goodnight kiss. ¡°I''ll see you later, or tomorrow, or whenever you decide you can stand to look at me and not be pissed off.¡± Lisa laughed. ¡°You''re making it hard to hold onto my anger.¡± ¡°My dastardly plan of loving you is working!¡± Ren said, then cackled in maniacal laughter. ¡°Mwahahaha!¡± Lisa shook her head and climbed off the bed. ¡°Goodnight, you crazy nut.¡± She said and left the bedroom. Elise sat up and started to get off the bed as well, and she felt a hand on her arm. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sure.¡± Elise said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You wore those jeans for me, didn''t you?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Then lay down on your stomach, please.¡± ¡°M-my stomach?¡± Ren nodded, and she laid down with her head on the pillow and her arms crossed under it. ¡°What a sight.¡± He said as he straddled her knees, and used both hands to touch the backs of her thighs, then slowly rubbed his hands up to her backside and gripped both cheeks firmly. ¡°Mmm!¡± Elise moaned into the pillow as he massaged her. ¡°You look so sexy in tight jeans.¡± Ren said and moved his hands down to massage the inside of her thighs through the denim. ¡°I just want to rub my hands all over you.¡± ¡°D-do w-what you want.¡± Elise said as she looked back at him. ¡°Then roll over.¡± Ren said and propped himself up on his knees, and she carefully turned around to face him, then she laid back on the bed. He sat back down and massaged the front of her thighs, and it pulled on the cloth over her private place. ¡°R-Ren... are you... is this because of... of her?¡± ¡°You mean the Marilith demon?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Kind of.¡± He said. ¡°She reminded me of you a lot, but... her hair was different, her breasts weren''t as big as yours even though she was twice my size, and her body and personality were a lot different.¡± ¡°You know she would have kept you if she knew you could keep that form.¡± ¡°Darn right she would have.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°She was pretty mad when I told her that as I left her lair.¡± Elise chuckled for a moment, and then moaned as Ren''s hands reached her special place and he rubbed it through her jeans. ¡°The whole time I was there, I kept thinking she was a cheap knock-off of the real thing.¡± He said and moved his hands up to her waist, then to her breasts. ¡°She was nice, but she was definitely not you.¡± He said and lightly touched the bra he could clearly see through her top. ¡°You even wore a slightly see-through t-shirt for me.¡± He said and massaged her breasts through the cloth and her bra. ¡°You''re always doing things to make me happy, Elise.¡± He said and laid down on top of her. ¡°I love you so much.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said. Her face was red as she wrapped her arms around him, and he snuggled down into her chest. ¡°I love you, too.¡± They stayed like that for several minutes, and then Denise and Barbara came back into the room. ¡°Did you kick Lisa out for some private snuggle time?¡± Denise asked with a smile. ¡°He tricked me!¡± Elise said with mock horror. ¡°He said he just wanted to talk!¡± ¡°No, I didn''t.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I just wanted to see what your body felt like in painted-on jeans.¡± Barbara laughed, and Denise shook her head. ¡°You were really telling the truth when you said you were going to be completely honest with us.¡± Denise said. ¡°Why should I lie?¡± Ren said as Elise let him go. ¡°If I''m always honest, I don''t have to keep track of any lies or try to keep my story straight.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Can you imagine the mess I''d be in right now, if I had tried to hide something from some, or even all of you?¡± He laughed. ¡°At least one of you would have killed me a long time ago.¡± ¡°Yes, namely me.¡± Barbara said, and everyone laughed. ¡°I really should get changed.¡± Elise said and eased Ren off of her and down onto the bed. ¡°These jeans are okay to sit and walk in.¡± She said and sat up, then got off the bed. ¡°They are not meant to be slept in.¡± Ren watched as Elise wiggled her hips and gripped the denim on her thighs to pull them down and away from between her legs. ¡°Geez. Even doing that, you looked sexy.¡± Ren said, and Elise laughed. ¡°You are completely biased.¡± Elise said and picked up her bag, then went into the bathroom to change. ¡°Denise?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Do we have to be honest, too?¡± Denise asked and he nodded. ¡°Then, yes.¡± She sighed. ¡°She looked sexy.¡± ¡°Good girl!¡± Barbara said and pat the top of her head. ¡°Stop that!¡± Denise laughed and pushed her hand away, and Ren and Barbara laughed, too. Elise came out of the bathroom with just a long t-shirt on, and Ren watched her walk over to the bed. ¡°I''d say that''s a sight for sore eyes, but the sight itself gives me sore eyes.¡± Ren said, and Elise laughed. ¡°You don''t have to keep flattering me, I''m already completely yours.¡± Elise said and put her bag down and out of the way, set the alarm for the morning, then climbed onto the bed and laid down beside him. ¡°Denise, if you do something nice for me and I don''t pay you a compliment, you''d get mad, right?¡± ¡°Hell yes.¡± Denise said with a huge smile. ¡°It''s happened once or twice.¡± ¡°You see, Elise?¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve learned to give women their due, and to be honest, you are due a lot.¡± Elise ran her hand through his hair. ¡°You let me do pretty much anything that I want.¡± She said. ¡°I can come and go as I please, I can cuddle you and you never complain, and I can spoil you with kisses.¡± She said and gave him a series of quick kisses all over his face. ¡°Ahaha!¡± Ren laughed as she kissed his cheeks, his eyes, his forehead, and even his nose. When she was done, she gave him one big kiss on the lips. ¡°See? You''re completely spoiled and you didn''t complain once.¡± Elise said and laughed. ¡°Who would complain?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That felt wonderful!¡± ¡°We''ll leave you two alone so you can get some sleep.¡± Denise said and started to walk to the bedroom door. ¡°You don''t have to leave.¡± Elise said, then looked at Ren. ¡°We are just going to sleep, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I need to sleep.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve gotten too used to having someone else in the bed that I can''t rest well without it.¡± ¡°Then you''re really lucky to have so many of us around to help you sleep.¡± Elise said, and looked back at Denise. ¡°There''s lots of room.¡± ¡°I... well, I...¡± ¡°I could keep my hands to myself.¡± Ren said, then smiled. ¡°I''m not going to, though.¡± Denise snorted a laugh. ¡°Stella did warn us about sleep groping.¡± Elise pat the other side of the bed, and after a moment, Denise walked over to it and climbed up onto it. She wore grey jogging pants and a loose t-shirt, which seemed to be a woman''s normal outfit for lounging around comfortably, and laid down on Ren''s other side. ¡°Blanket.¡± Ren said, and the two women reached down towards the end of the bed and unfurled the comforter there to cover themselves and him up. ¡°What a life.¡± He said and turned his head to look at Elise. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight, sweetheart.¡± Elise said and kissed him. Ren turned his head to look at Denise. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Denise said, and didn''t lean close. Ren puckered his lips and opened and closed his mouth like a fish. She rolled her eyes and chuckled, then gave him a kiss, too. ¡°Goodnight, Barbara.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± She said and turned the lights down, then left and closed the door. Chapter 436 - Moments Like These Barbara went downstairs to grab something to eat, then went back upstairs to the theatre room to watch television. She could have done it in the bedroom so she could keep a close eye on Ren; but, with Denise there, Barbara knew that her skills weren''t quite necessary unless something major happened. Time to catch up on my shows. Barbara thought, and ate while she watched the large theatre screen. I think I''m getting spoiled. She thought in amusement as one of her favorite shows came on. * Lisa tucked herself into bed after using the bathroom. I really need to find a way to convince him that corruption is really bad for his game character. She thought and sighed. Although, I think Elise is right. If I keep pushing him, he''s going to resent me for it. She drifted off to sleep knowing that it would be restless, with worry and fear permeating her brain. * Stella came back into the house after picking up a bunch of things they needed for Ren''s continued care, and she didn''t resent the security guard checking all the bags. She was glad they were doing their jobs, and she dropped off several bags beside the elevator to take upstairs and distribute to the various rooms. She put the groceries away in the kitchen and pantry, then went back to the elevator and moved the bags inside. Stella went up to the second floor and dropped off several bags in her room, because she couldn''t go around this late at night to check the emergency kits in the bedrooms. She went into the bowling alley and made sure there was an emergency kit in the bathroom, then stashed one behind the shoe counter. She went across the hall to the theatre room and saw Barbara there. ¡°Hi, Barbara.¡± Stella said and held up an emergency kit and some supplies. ¡°I bought extras, and I''m stashing them around.¡± She said and put it under the desk in the small booth at the back of the room. ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Barbara said, and Stella told her where she was putting the others. ¡°I assume Denise is in Ren''s room?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Both her and Elise are tucked in bed with the lucky little bugger.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°He''s definitely had a lot of luck lately.¡± She said. ¡°It''s about time some of it was good.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°That''s why I left them alone.¡± She said. ¡°I''m sure nothing''s going to happen; but, having me there might put a damper on the situation.¡± Stella walked over to her. ¡°Ren sees you as his mother.¡± She said. ¡°His admission that he''s not going to hide anything includes you, too.¡± Barbara nodded again. ¡°It''s a little hard for me to see you all competing for his attention; but, you all care a lot about him, so I can''t really complain about it.¡± Stella put a hand on her arm. ¡°No one''s competing.¡± She said. ¡°We are all just here for him when he needs us.¡± ¡°But... there''s 4 of you... 5 if you include Gloria.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I don''t know how he can handle you all.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Barbara, I know you probably don''t want to hear this; but, we''re the ones that can''t handle him.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Ren is... a very special case.¡± Stella said. ¡°If his physical condition wasn''t so deteriorated, I''m sure there would be many more women around here.¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°He''s... well, even I''m a little uncomfortable talking about your surrogate son like this.¡± That made Barbara laugh. ¡°All right, I''ll accept that he has sexual prowess without you having to give me any specifics.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°Our time with him will be a lot easier once he starts sleeping with the maids in the game.¡± She said. ¡°You know that old saying about too much of a good thing.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°If that holds true, then he''ll slow down and not attract too much more attention.¡± ¡°What do you mean ''more attention''?¡± ¡°Have a seat.¡± Barbara grinned. ¡°Do I have a story to tell you about who he met in the game.¡± * The next morning, the alarm Elise had set went off. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, and didn''t see Ren. She frowned and moved the blanket down slightly, then looked down to see that he was on his back, and had somehow tucked his head into her armpit. The surprising part was that her t-shirt had been pushed up above her chest and one of her large breasts was pressed against the side of his face. He was still sound asleep; but, he also had a huge smile on his face. Elise used a hand to tap Denise to get her attention, then whispered. ¡°Look at this.¡± Denise opened her eyes and turned her head to see Ren''s half-buried happy face. She shook her head and pulled the blanket down to show that her t-shirt was also above her chest, and that one of Ren''s hands had a firm grip on one of her breasts. Elise laughed and it jiggled her chest. The combination of the sound and the movement against his face woke Ren up. ¡°Ah, heaven.¡± Ren said, and kissed the side of the breast on his face. ¡°What a great way to wake up.¡± ¡°I''m not so sure about that.¡± Denise said. Ren gave her breast a squeeze before he let it go, then rolled over and kissed the side of her breast, too. ¡°There.¡± He said. ¡°Does that make you feel better?¡± Denise chuckled and it shook her chest. ¡°That wasn''t what I meant.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said and move up and gave her a kiss on the lips. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°That still wasn''t... never mind.¡± Denise said and pulled her t-shirt down to cover herself. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren grinned at her and moved over a little to give Elise a kiss on the lips. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning, you little charmer.¡± Elise said and gave him another kiss. ¡°Now that we''re all awake, I have to get a shower and go to work.¡± ¡°So early?¡± Ren asked and looked at the clock. ¡°I''m going there from here.¡± Elise said. ¡°The traffic is a bit too heavy if I don''t go early enough.¡± ¡°I''m sorry that sleeping over like this causes you trouble.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not.¡± Elise said. ¡°Even though we only cuddled, getting to spend time with you is more than I could have hoped for.¡± ¡°Elise...¡± ¡°I''m still a little in denial that I get to be with you.¡± Elise said. ¡°Denise, did you hear that? She''s in denial that she gets to be with me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Now I know I''m living the best life ever!¡± That made both women laugh, and then Elise sat up to pull her t-shirt down. ¡°How did you get my shirt up so high?¡± Elise asked. ¡°It was down past my hips and I was laying on it.¡± ¡°Magic.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Breasts with no bra in a loose t-shirt must be seen to be properly appreciated.¡± Elise shook her head in disbelief and stood up, and Ren saw the normal underwear she had on.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Elise! What are you doing?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What?¡± Elise asked and looked around. ¡°You''re wearing normal underwear.¡± Ren said. ¡°Isn''t that against your sexy clothes only dress code?¡± ¡°Does that mean if I do this...¡± Elise lifted the t-shirt a little as she turned back around, stuck out her butt, and shook it from side to side. ¡°...that it''s not sexy?¡± When Ren didn''t respond, she looked back at him. ¡°Ren?¡± Ren took Denise''s hand and held it tightly. ¡°Tell me she did not just shake her ass at me.¡± ¡°She did.¡± Denise said with slightly wide eyes. ¡°This time, I have no problem admitting that it was sexy.¡± Elise laughed at their reactions. ¡°It''s not that nice.¡± She said and pulled the t-shirt down, then picked up her overnight bag. ¡°There''s a big mirror on the back of the bathroom door.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want you to do the same thing to it that you just did for me, and see it for yourself.¡± He smiled. ¡°After that, if you say that it''s not that nice, then I''ll believe you.¡± * Elise went into the bathroom and took the clothes out that she was going to wear, then looked at the mirror. Why not? She asked herself, pulled up her t-shirt and turned around, stuck out her butt and shook it from side to side. Well, damn. She thought and almost laughed. It really does look nice when I do that. * ¡°She''s totally doing it.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°It''s just too tempting for her not to try it.¡± Denise smiled and looked at the hand he still held. ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°I hope you''re not going to try and back out on today.¡± Ren said and looked at her. ¡°If you''re having second thoughts about it, I want you to have a third thought.¡± ¡°You do, huh?¡± Denise said and turned onto her side to face him. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I just woke up with two beautiful half-naked women in my bed, and neither of you were angry about having your breasts lovingly touched.¡± He smiled. ¡°With that, and Elise''s little dance, I am so hard right now it''s not funny.¡± Denise chuckled and slid her hand down under the blanket, and her hand found his private place. She stopped laughing as she felt exactly how hard he really was. ¡°Good god, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°It''s hard as a rock! Does it hurt?¡± ¡°Not yet, but it''s getting there.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can get a shower as soon as Elise comes out, and I''ll use my hands to take care of that for you.¡± ¡°Elise is going to be a little while.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why not do it now?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Denise blinked her eyes at him. ¡°Grab a foil packet from the dresser.¡± Ren said, and she let his hand go to roll over to the side of the bed, opened the top drawer, and grabbed a foil packet. She moved back over beside him and held it out. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and lifted the blanket instead of taking it. ¡°Have at it.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You''ve put one on me before.¡± Ren said. ¡°Leave extra room just like last time, too.¡± He smiled. ¡°You know it''s the best way to contain the mess.¡± ¡°It is, but...¡± Denise thought about saying she would rather wait so she could do it properly, then sighed as she tore open the packet and ducked under the blanket and into the semi-darkness. ¡°Why am I doing this, again?¡± ¡°This is your day.¡± Ren said and he felt his clothing being pulled down. ¡°I''m all yours.¡± ¡°Then shouldn''t you be doing this for me?¡± Denise asked as she expertly applied the foil packet''s contents to him. ¡°Oh, I will be... and as many times as I can.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes as she touched him. Denise''s heart beat faster as his words rang in her ears, and doing what she was doing didn''t seem so weird anymore. * Stella got up out of bed and hopped in the shower. She always seemed to have a busy day, even when she wasn''t working. She actually was working today, so she scrubbed herself quickly and dried off, then dressed in her work outfit of black pants and white top that zipped up the middle. She left her room and stopped in the theatre room to tell Barbara she was going downstairs to make breakfast, then went down in the elevator to the first floor and went to the kitchen. * Barbara turned everything off in the theatre room and left there to go to Ren''s room. She opened the door slowly to peek in, and only saw Ren in the bed. He had his hands behind his head and was leaning back against the headboard, and it looked like he had his knees bent up for some reason. ¡°Is everyone gone already?¡± Barbara asked. The blanket quickly moved up and slid off to reveal Denise. She had a hold of Ren''s private part, and it hadn''t been Ren''s knees at all that propped the blanket up; it had been her back and shoulders. ¡°B-Barbara... this... it''s not what it looks like!¡± Denise stammered as her face turned bright red. ¡°Denise was kind enough to help me relieve my morning tension.¡± Ren said and pulled the blanket up to cover himself and her hand that still had a firm grip on him. ¡°Keep going, Denise.¡± ¡°WH-WHAT?!?¡± Denise yelled. Barbara laughed. ¡°You don''t have to stop on my account.¡± She said. ¡°I just came in to wake you all, and to tell you that Stella was up and is making breakfast.¡± ¡°That''s great.¡± Ren said and put a hand under the blanket. ¡°Thanks, Barbara.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Are you going down to the kitchen to eat, or do you want it brought up?¡± ¡°Up, please.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re almost finished.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Denise exclaimed. ¡°Geez, you don''t have to yell. I''m right here.¡± Ren smiled. Barbara laughed again and left the room. ¡°I can''t believe... Ren, how could you say... Barbara, she walked in on... oh, I''m so embarrassed!¡± Denise dropped her head and covered her face with a hand. ¡°Denise.¡± Ren said seriously and she looked at him. ¡°People are going to see us in compromising positions.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I hope you realize that it was going to happen sooner or later, since I''ve never had privacy.¡± Ren said, and she stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°I''ve always had at least one person with me at all times.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°I think there was only one time where I actually was alone.¡± Ren said and touched the side of her face. ¡°When Lucy and I broke up, and I asked you to leave me alone for a little while.¡± Denise thought about it, and then she nodded. ¡°You don''t know how much I appreciated that kind gesture.¡± Ren told her. ¡°You gave me something that I hadn''t had in years, and it touched my heart, even though it was full of pain at the time.¡± ¡°R-Ren... I...¡± ¡°Now kiss me and help me finish.¡± Ren said and his hand under the blanket touched hers. ¡°I really need this, and so do you.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Kiss me.¡± Ren puckered his lips and made the fish-like motion several times. ¡°Kiss me, kiss me.¡± Denise couldn''t help but chuckle. ¡°Only if you stop making a kissy-face.¡± Ren stopped the fish motion and stuck his tongue out a little. ¡°Mish me!¡± Denise laughed and kissed him, and after a few minutes, he finished. She felt it through her hand, and she broke the kiss to concentrate on it. ¡°You were really backed up.¡± Denise said a little surprised. Ren nodded. ¡°More than I thought I was.¡± He said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Ren, I''m sorry for... well, I thought you just wanted me to...¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°You get bonus points for medical relief!¡± Denise laughed and let him go, then tucked it away. ¡°I''ll be right back. I just have to wash my hands.¡± ¡°Kitchen sink.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°Or you can wait for Elise to... there she is.¡± Elise came out of the bathroom all dressed and ready for work. ¡°What was all the yelling for?¡± ¡°Denise was embarrassed that Barbara caught her jerking me off.¡± Ren said. ¡°REN!¡± Denise yelled as her face flushed red again. ¡°What?¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°You shouldn''t... I mean... god, how can you say things like that to your girlfriend?¡± ¡°I would have asked her to help, but she was busy.¡± Ren said and looked at Elise. ¡°I was already kind of raring to go, then you did that little dance.¡± He said and grinned. ¡°Denise said it was like a rock.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Denise covered her eyes with a hand, and Elise came over to her. ¡°It''s okay, Denise.¡± Elise said and leaned in to put her mouth by her ear to whisper. ¡°Just wait until you taste it.¡± Denise''s mouth fell open in shock. ¡°I... ah... have to wash my hands!¡± She said and slid off the bed as Elise stood up straight. ¡°Ren, how do I look?¡± Elise asked as Denise practically ran to the bathroom. ¡°Like bacon.¡± Ren said. ¡°So tasty that I just want to eat you all up.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°I think I''m going to stop asking you for your opinion.¡± She said. ¡°I''m pretty sure I don''t want to be compared to a well-cooked piece of greasy pig fat.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Stella asked and came into the room with a tray of food, and Barbara was right behind her with another tray. ¡°Being compared to one of his favorite foods is no small matter.¡± ¡°Really? What food are you?¡± Elise asked as Stella started putting the plates out on the table in the bedroom''s small kitchen, and Denise came out of the bathroom. ¡°Strawberries and whipped cream.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him with wide eyes. He licked his lips to stop from drooling. ¡°She tastes so good, it''s almost sinful.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Barbara said as she saw Stella''s blush. ¡°Sometimes being too honest isn''t a good thing.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Just get over here and eat.¡± ¡°What about Lisa?¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Lisa asked as she came into the room. ¡°I was wondering if you were going to join us for breakfast.¡± Ren said and moved over to the side of the bed, and Denise helped him sit in the wheelchair. ¡°I am.¡± Lisa said and sat down at the table. ¡°Are you still angry?¡± Elise asked her and sat down beside her. ¡°Not really.¡± Lisa said and everyone sat down to eat. ¡°I can''t wait for the fight to be over.¡± Ren said and started to eat. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I heard that make-up sex is supposed to be great.¡± Ren said, and everyone stopped eating to look at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yes, too much honesty might not be a good thing.¡± Barbara said in a stern voice, and that made everyone laugh. They finished eating, and Elise left for work after getting a goodbye kiss from Ren. Lisa left next, after she said she had things she needed to do in the game and kissed Ren as well. Barbara''s shift was over, so she left after getting a hug, and the only ones in the room were Stella, Denise, and Ren. ¡°Well, I''ve got to restock the things in the house.¡± Stella said. ¡°Toilet paper, checking the emergency kits in all the rooms and adding them where there''s none, things like that.¡± She gathered up the dishes and picked up the trays. ¡°I''ll be back around lunchtime.¡± Denise watched Stella walk across the room and leave the bedroom, and she kept looking at the closed door. She felt a hand on her arm, and she turned to look at Ren. ¡°Can you help me to the bathroom?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve got a couple of things to take care of, and then I''d like a shower.¡± ¡°O-of course.¡± Denise said. She pushed the wheelchair over to the bathroom and Ren took care of the business she had helped him with earlier, then he slowly took off his clothes. ¡°How''s the leg?¡± Denise asked. ¡°It''s not as stiff, but it''s more painful.¡± Ren said, and Denise checked it. She prodded it lightly in a few spots, and she felt the muscles twitch. ¡°The bruises will be gone in a few days, and you''ll be able to start physical therapy again.¡± Denise said and helped him into the shower, and he sat down on the step stool to let her scrub him. ¡°I can''t wait.¡± Ren said sarcastically, and she laughed. ¡°It''s not that bad.¡± Denise said. ¡°No, but it''s exhausting and I don''t feel like doing anything afterwards.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°I know I have to do it so I don''t get worse than I already am, but...¡± He sighed again. ¡°I just wish I was normal.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°Being normal is overrated.¡± She said and continued to scrub him. Chapter 436A - I Found You (EXPLICIT CONTENT) Ren didn''t try to engage Denise in any witty banter, and she dutifully scrubbed him; even his private place. He watched her body as she moved, and he let it get him excited; mainly because he knew that she wanted him to show her that he saw her as attractive. He also didn''t want to insult her by not showing her that she excited him, so he made sure that she noticed his excited condition. Denise took him out of the shower and dried him off, dried herself, then gave him a robe to wear and put one on herself. He sat down in the wheelchair and she brought him out to the bedroom. She helped him onto the bed, and she joined him. ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Anything you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I told you... I''m all yours.¡± He opened the robe and laid back on the bed. ¡°Ravish me!¡± Denise snorted a laugh. ¡°What if all I wanted to do was cuddle?¡± Ren closed the robe and opened his arms. She looked at him with a question on her face, and he waved her closer. She move in, and he took her into his arms. ¡°If all you want is for me to hold you tight all day, then that''s what I''ll do.¡± Ren said, and kissed her cheek. ¡°You really would, wouldn''t you?¡± Denise asked, with wonder in her voice. ¡°I will do anything you want... barring any strenuous physical activity.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°My endurance is really low right now.¡± ¡°Then... I want you to keep your promise.¡± Denise said. ¡°Prove what you said yesterday.¡± ¡°That I can do foreplay all day?¡± Denise nodded. ¡°Then lay back and get ready.¡± Ren said, and she laid back on the bed. Ren pulled on the tie around her robe, then used a hand to push one side of the robe aside, and then the other. ¡°I don''t normally start down here, but I''ve seen this a few times now, and I can''t waste time anywhere else until I see it all.¡± Denise held her legs together, and he ran a hand down her thigh, then he eased her legs apart and laid down between them. Ren kissed the inside of her thigh, and her body shook slightly. He smiled and kissed the inside of her other thigh, and she shivered again. He inched forward and she moved her legs further apart, and then he tapped the underside of her thigh. ¡°Geez, are you going to give me a thorough examination?¡± Denise asked and smiled as she lifted her legs and bent her knees, then put her feet on either side of his back. ¡°You bet your sweet ass I am.¡± Ren said and use a hand to touch the spot between her legs. Denise gasped, because she hadn''t had anyone touch her there in a long time, and Ren eased it open slightly. ¡°Good god.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s... it''s...¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no excess skin, discoloration, or even that kind of waviness some of them have.¡± He said. ¡°It''s just two straight lines from the top to the bottom.¡± He lifted his head and looked at her. ¡°It''s beautiful.¡± ¡°Ren, you... you can''t say things like that about...¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°It''s only-¡± ¡°It''s not an ''only'' anything.¡± Ren said and looked back at it. ¡°I''ve never seen one so...¡± It was his turn to shake his head. ¡°I thought something like this was only a fantasy.¡± He said and used a finger to poke her nub. It was only slightly extended, but it was bright pink and really sensitive. ¡°GAH!¡± Denise yelled and a tiny bit of warm liquid came out. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said, and used a finger to trace the perfect line of skin down one side. Denise was already breathing heavily, and he had barely started. He traced the perfect line up the other side and poked her nub again. ¡°GAH!¡± Denise yelled, and covered her mouth, and a bit more warm liquid came out. ¡°Is it okay if I kiss you now?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded without saying anything. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and kissed her nub. ¡°MMMmmMMM!¡± Denise moaned into her hand, and Ren felt her body as it shook with every movement of his lips and his tongue. ¡°There''s the little man in the boat.¡± Ren said and licked her nub. ¡°MMM!¡± ¡°Oh, there''s a leak in the boat.¡± Ren said. ¡°I better clean it out before it gets flooded.¡± Denise had to use her other hand to stop from screaming as Ren licked every bit of the ''boat'' out. He teased, licked, and kissed every bit of it for almost half an hour, and every few minutes Denise would moan uncontrollably and he would get a little bit more warm fluid that he would happily clean up. He stopped working her over with his mouth and looked at her. ¡°This is usually where I have to stop, or they make me stop.¡± Ren said. Denise shook her head and mumbled something, but he didn''t hear what she said. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°D-d-d-don''t.¡± Denise managed to get out. ¡°P-p-please... k-keep g-going.¡± ¡°Are... are you serious?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You mean I... I can keep going?!?¡± Denise nodded several times, and Ren beamed a smile at her. ¡°I finally found you!¡± Ren said and gave her special place a passionate kiss. ¡°I''ve been looking for you for so long!¡± He said and kissed her special place again. ¡°I was hoping I''d meet you someday!¡± He said and dove between her legs and indulged himself. It wasn''t until almost another half an hour later that Denise''s legs started to convulse. She quickly sat up and pulled her special place away from Ren''s mouth, hopped off of the bed and ran to the bathroom. He rolled to the side and waited for a few minutes, then she came back out. ¡°I''m sorry, I... I needed to use the bathroom.¡± Denise said, then got back on the bed. ¡°I... it''s not my fault... you''re just... I couldn''t hold it in anymore.¡± ¡°Thanks for not peeing on me.¡± Ren said, and her face went bright red. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You''re not supposed to... I mean... people are supposed to ignore things like that!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m pretty sure I wouldn''t be able to ignore getting pee in the face.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Lay down so I can keep going.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Please, let me keep going.¡± ¡°B-but... don''t you want to...¡± ¡°I really do.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I am not passing up the opportunity you have given me.¡± He said. ¡°I am going to keep going down on you for as long as you will let me.¡± Denise took in a deep breath, then wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss. She did that for several moments and broke the kiss. ¡°You''ve given me a lot of proof so far, but... I don''t want you to stop, either.¡± Denise whispered in his ear, then laid down on the bed. ¡°Unfortunately, we''ll have to stop for lunch... and probably supper.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not going to stop for anything else, though.¡± Denise''s body shook a little as he laid down between her legs and started to make out with her special place again. She only had little orgasms the entire time, and Ren figured that was why she could go on and on with them; and he was more than happy to keep going. He was making both her and himself happy at the same time. Before they knew it, there was a knock on the door. ¡°Lunch.¡± Stella''s voice said, and Denise tapped Ren''s head to get his attention. He looked up at her but didn''t stop licking. ¡°L-l-lunch!¡± Denise said and went again. Ren licked it up and spoke. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Denise exclaimed and grabbed the blanket to pull over them. Stella walked in with a tray filled with sandwiches and put it on the rollaway table as Denise scrambled to cover herself. ¡°Ren, get out from under there and eat something.¡± Stella said to the lump under the blanket. ¡°I am eating something.¡± Ren said, and Denise closed her eyes and tried not to moan. Stella shook her head and pat the lump. ¡°Now, mister.¡± Stella said.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Oh, all right.¡± Ren said and came out from under the blanket. He was completely naked and didn''t even try to cover himself with the blanket. ¡°Denise.¡± Stella said, a little sternly. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Denise asked. ¡°You aren''t taking care of Ren.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Look at him.¡± Denise looked at him, and then her eyes saw his swollen member. ¡°Oh, my.¡± She said and looked at Ren''s face as he picked up a sandwich. ¡°Ren, why didn''t you say anything?¡± ¡°It doesn''t hurt yet.¡± Ren said and started to eat. ¡°I was having too much fun pleasing you to worry about myself.¡± ¡°Ren, you need to keep us informed.¡± Stella said and held the plate of sandwiches out to Denise. ¡°You don''t want it to get to the point that it did last week.¡± ¡°Yes, you''re right.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Denise you need to take care of that right after you eat.¡± Stella said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°No buts.¡± Stella said. ¡°You have to take care of his needs, even while he''s taking care of yours.¡± She said, and saw Denise''s doubt. ¡°Do you want me to do it?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°If you''re uncomfortable with going down on him, I''ll do it for you.¡± Stella said. ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°I know it can be a bit intimidating at first.¡± Stella said and leaned over Ren and touched his member. It throbbed for her, and she smiled. ¡°Once you make peace with it, though... it provides hours of pleasure.¡± ¡°You mean me, right?¡± Ren said and picked up another sandwich. ¡°Yes, since it is a part of you, and you control it... to some extent.¡± Stella said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°B-but...¡± Denise looked at Stella as she stroked Ren. ¡°I''ll do it... since he... he''s supposed to be mine today.¡± Stella smiled and ran her fingers from the tip to the base. ¡°Then take care of him.¡± She said and put the plate of sandwiches down, then walked out of the bedroom without looking back. ¡°R-Ren, I... I''m sorry.¡± Denise said and ate her sandwich. ¡°It''s not your fault.¡± Ren said, and finished the second sandwich. ¡°Stella''s right. I should have asked you to at least play with it.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I was just so lost in you that... well, I didn''t care what happened to me, as long as you were happy.¡± ¡°Oh... oh, Ren.¡± Denise said and kissed him. ¡°Where have you been all my life?¡± ¡°Stuck in a hospital bed.¡± Ren said and chuckled, then his hand touched her between her legs. ¡°I could ask you the same thing.¡± ¡°It''s been wanting you for a long time.¡± Denise said and finished her sandwich while Ren played with her. ¡°I didn''t realize just... how much... until today! AH!¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren grinned as he felt her go. ¡°If I had known that this was the one I was looking for...¡± He put his fingers in his mouth and sucked them clean. ¡°...well, it doesn''t matter. I have you here now.¡± ¡°L-lay back.¡± Denise said. ¡°Gladly.¡± Ren said and laid back on the bed and Denise looked at his member. ¡°You can just use your hand like you did this morning.¡± ¡°N-no, I...¡± Denise did what Stella did and used just the tips of her fingers to stroke him. It throbbed appreciatively, and she looked at his face. ¡°Can you... I mean... close your eyes or something? I... ah...¡± ¡°You don''t want me to see you doing it?¡± Ren asked, a little surprised. Denise nodded. ¡°You''re not like any other woman I''ve been with.¡± Ren said and touched her face, then put his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. ¡°Usually they want me to watch, probably because they want to see my reactions.¡± ¡°It''s embarrassing.¡± Denise said. ¡°Having it in my mouth, it... it''s not...¡± ¡°If you think I won''t respect you for doing this, then you''re completely wrong.¡± Ren said, and kept his eyes closed. ¡°It takes a lot of trust for me to let a woman see me like this.¡± He said. ¡°That you''d be willing to do other things with me, even though my body is like this... you''ve already earned all the respect I could ever give you.¡± Denise couldn''t believe what he was saying, and she had watched him. He had kept his eyes closed like she asked; so, she leaned in and kissed the tip. Ren gasped and a bit came out, and the words Elise had whispered to her came back to her. Just wait until you taste it. Denise thought about ignoring it, or getting a tissue; but, Ren had dutifully cleaned her up after every one that she had for the entire morning, and Elise''s words rang in her ears as her tongue very carefully caught a drip from the tip before it fell. When it hit her tongue, her pupils dilated slightly, and she felt a tingle as the most wonderful flavor registered in her brain. She couldn''t tell you what that taste was, but it didn''t matter. She let it consume her as it mixed with her desire for him, and she slid him into her mouth. ¡°D-Denise!¡± Ren said, and she looked at him. He still had his eyes closed as she sucked on him. ¡°There''s going... to be... a lot!¡± He said and dug his hands into the bed sheet and made fists. Denise couldn''t get as much of him into her mouth as she wanted, because when he approached the back of her throat, it constricted and stopped his member from choking her. She concentrated on the tip and a bit of the shaft and she worked it as hard as she could. ¡°D-D-Denise!¡± Ren exclaimed when he got that feeling that he was about to go. Denise stopped sucking on him and laid her head on his abdomen and jerked her hand up and down. ¡°It... it''s coming!¡± Ren said, and her tongue darted out to lick the tip. ¡°GOD!¡± Denise opened her mouth to try and catch it all as Ren poured himself out, and she got most of it. She had remembered how powerful it was when she had jerked him off in the shower, and knew if she had positioned herself just right, the mess would be negligible. Her entire mouth was filled with his boiling hot fluid, and the sensations of tingling and taste almost drove her wild. Denise stopped jerking on him and held his member over her mouth as it calmed down, then she closed her mouth and carefully tried to swallow. She had never had so much of anything in her mouth before, so it was a little awkward at first; but, after a big swallow and a small one, her mouth was empty. She pulled him down a little and sucked on the tip to get the last little bit, and he gasped. ¡°W-wait!¡± Ren said, but it was too late. Denise''s eyes widened as he went again, and she drank that as well. She was glad that there wasn''t as much this time, because she wasn''t sure if she could take any more. I shouldn''t have eaten a sandwich. Denise thought, and stopped herself from laughing. She looked at Ren''s face, and his eyes were still closed. She carefully slipped him out of her mouth and sat up, and she saw she had missed several dribbles. She licked them up and his member throbbed, and she thought about giving him another kiss, then decided that she didn''t want to feel bloated. ¡°A-are you okay?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Is it a huge mess?¡± ¡°You can open your eyes.¡± Denise said, and Ren opened them and looked at her, then down at himself. ¡°Where did it all... wait, you... oh, wow.¡± Ren said. Denise smiled as she straddled his waist and rested herself on his member. ¡°Let''s get you... properly lubricated.¡± She said and propped herself up on her knees and started to move back and forth across his member. ¡°It''s so hot.¡± She said and closed her eyes and gave herself over to the feeling of his hard flesh against her most sensitive spot. She moved faster and faster, and just when he was going to tell her to stop, she went. A little bit of warm liquid came out of her, and she moved twice more so that it covered him from base to tip. Denise got off of him and took a foil packet from the dresser and opened it. Once again, she applied it expertly and it just fit over him. She used her hand for a moment to make sure it was going to stay in place, and she straddled him again. ¡°It... it''s going to be a... tight fit.¡± Denise said, and positioned herself over him. She used a hand to guide him and she tried to sit down; but, the tip barely went in. ¡°T-too t-tight!¡± ¡°R-Relax.¡± Ren said and reached down to use his fingers to play with her nub. She went after a few moments with him pressed against her opening, and the muscles there relaxed. She slid down a bit further onto him, and her body squeezed him like a vise. ¡°GOD!¡± He yelled and finished. ¡°So soon?¡± Denise felt it inside of her, and eased herself up and off of him. ¡°Oh, my.¡± The foil packet''s contents had swelled up like a balloon, and she was surprised that it hadn''t burst. She carefully took it off of him, tossed it in the trash, and grabbed another foil packet. ¡°This might take a while.¡± Denise said and put it on him. She got back into position and eased down onto him. It wasn''t as bad this time, and she got almost halfway down before her body contracted from having something so big inside of her. ¡°GOD!¡± Ren exclaimed again and went. ¡°Ren, you need some self control.¡± Denise said and eased herself off of him, tossed the used contents in the trash and reached over to the still open dresser drawer and grabbed another foil packet. ¡°But... you''re so tight!¡± Ren said. ¡°Seeing you like this, and being with you... I... I can''t hold it back!¡± ¡°That''s...¡± Denise saw the pleading look in his eyes, and it touched her heart. ¡°You''re so sweet.¡± She said and put the foil packet back in the drawer without using its contents. She straddled him again and she used a hand to position him at her opening. She eased herself down onto him without anything between them, and for some reason, her body made room for him completely and she didn''t have to force it at all. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± Denise exclaimed as he slid all the way inside of her, and she closed her eyes as her body enveloped him like a glove. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°D-d-don''t... don''t move!¡± Ren said. ¡°Good god, Denise!¡± ¡°I... I know!¡± Denise said and leaned down to kiss him. He fit perfectly inside of her, and she was wrapped perfectly around him. ¡°I can''t... how can... it''s...¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Ren said, his voice full of wonder. ¡°I''ve never felt anything like this before.¡± He said. ¡°If you even twitch, I''m going to fill you up!¡± Denise chuckled, which shook her abdomen, and Ren let the bed sheets go to wrap his arms around her. ¡°AHHH!¡± Ren yelled as he went inside of her. ¡°AHHH!¡± Denise yelled as she went with him inside of her. ¡°Oh, god... god... Ren!¡± She went again as Ren kept pouring himself inside of her. ¡°S-stop. Stop! We have to stop!¡± ¡°I can''t!¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°I was meant to be in you!¡± ¡°R-Ren!¡± Denise kissed him back, and they stayed that way for a long time. Both of them kept finishing as Denise tried to move off of him, and each time she came close to removing him, she kept losing her willpower and pushed her hips back down. She didn''t want the feeling to end, and neither did Ren. For the next hour, all they did was stare at each other and let their bodies do the talking. ¡°I... it''s never been like this...¡± Ren said. ¡°Denise, I... god, you...¡± ¡°I know, darling.¡± Denise whispered and kissed him. ¡°I''ve never had anything like this before, either.¡± She smiled. ¡°I barely have to move and I can make you go.¡± ¡°S-Same, here.¡± Ren said and shifted his hips. ¡°It''s like... like... we were made for each other.¡± He said and thrust, then went inside her again. She went, too; and they held onto each other as they caught their breath and tried to calm down. ¡°Ren, we... we should stop.¡± Denise said. ¡°I... agree.¡± Ren said and panted. ¡°I''ve still got... several hours left... before I have to stop eating you out.¡± Denise chuckled and it tightened her abdomen, which brought them both close to finishing again. ¡°I have to stop laughing.¡± ¡°Only if you plan on getting off of me within the next hour or so.¡± Ren said, and she grinned. ¡°Let''s take a break and not say or do anything for a few minutes.¡± Denise said. ¡°You have to stop gripping me so hard.¡± Ren said a minute later. ¡°You have to stop being so hard.¡± Denise countered, but she had a huge smile on her face. ¡°So... maybe just... if you slide off quick enough...¡± ¡°You''ll make a complete mess over yourself.¡± ¡°Do you really think there''s not a huge mess over me already?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve lost count of how many times...¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I''ll try it.¡± Denise said. ¡°On three.¡± She said. ¡°One... two...¡± She pulled herself forward and up off of his member. ¡°AHH!¡± Ren said and squirted all over her special place, her backside, and even up onto her back. ¡°Ren... you''re amazing.¡± Denise said and tried to grab some tissues. ¡°Let me.¡± Ren said and slid over to grab the tissue box and took out a handful. He held it under her special place for several moments, then wiped off her back and backside. ¡°I could have done that.¡± Denise said. ¡°Then grab some and keep wiping.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no way more''s not coming out after everything I put in you.¡± Denise chuckled and grabbed a handful of tissues and held it against her opening. ¡°We really shouldn''t have had unprotected sex.¡± She said, now that she had a moment to think about what they had done. ¡°You''re kidding right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It was nice with the protection, but...¡± He cupped the side of her face. ¡°You felt perfect.¡± ¡°So did you.¡± Denise said. ¡°I... I think I... I''d do anything to feel like that again.¡± ¡°Well, then you know what has to be done.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s that?¡± ¡°You need to give me a shower.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''m a little sticky for some reason.¡± Denise laughed. ¡°I''m a little sticky, too.¡± ¡°Ooo! Mutual shower!¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you make it to the bathroom?¡± ¡°Can you?¡± ¡°If I lean on your shoulder.¡± ¡°Then let''s go.¡± Denise said and slid off the bed as she held the tissue over her opening to stop more from coming out. She used her other arm to be Ren''s support and they went into the bathroom and got in the shower. Ren sat down and Denise lathered him up, and he used his soapy hands to diligently wash her. Chapter 437 - Offers After getting their shower, Ren and Denise spent the rest of the day in bed together. Once she had discovered that he wanted to go down on her and stay there, she let him give her all the proof she wanted that he really could go all day if they only played with each other and he didn''t have to exert himself. They stopped when supper time came around, and after another quick shower to clean up, they went downstairs to the dining room to eat with everyone else. Stella and Lisa were already there, and so were Barbara and Donald. ¡°Hey, thanks a lot Stella.¡± Ren said as he saw the layout of food on the table. ¡°You really outdo yourself some days.¡± ¡°Only some days?¡± Stella asked. ¡°You''re not here every day.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°Hey, everyone.¡± Elise said as she came into the dining room. ¡°Whew! What a long day!¡± She said and gave Ren a kiss. ¡°How was your day?¡± ¡°It was amazing, surprising, and over before I knew it.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Denise had an okay day, too.¡± Elise laughed when Denise snorted and coughed. ¡°What about you, Lisa?¡± ¡°It was a good day.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I played online for a while and read some books.¡± She said as Elise took off her suit coat and sat down. ¡°I also let the maids know what''s been going on.¡± ¡°Hey, thanks!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back to Aurora as soon as I can, and then I''ll thank you properly.¡± Lisa''s face flushed red. ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± ¡°Oh, yes I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll message you as soon as I''m out of the caverns and find out how far away I am.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°Yes, I''ve got other commitments.¡± Ren said.¡±You''re the first one I want to see in the game when I''m free of the caverns.¡± Lisa closed her mouth on her response and nodded slightly, and everyone sat down and started to eat. ¡°Thanks for coming over early, Barbara.¡± Stella said. ¡°You offered me food that I didn''t have to cook.¡± Barbara said. Her husband Donald chuckled. ¡°Plus, she''s had a really easy time during her shifts lately.¡± ¡°Should I apologize for that?¡± Ren asked, and Barbara laughed. ¡°You''ve been trying to spend time with everyone, and like I told Stella, I can''t complain that you have so many people in your life that care about you.¡± Ren looked around and beamed a smile at everyone. ¡°There''s definitely no complaints on my part.¡± He felt a hand on his leg under the table and turned to look at Elise, and she smiled warmly at him. ¡°No complaints here.¡± Elise said. ¡°No comment.¡± Lisa said, and Ren chuckled. Ren reached a hand out and touched her cheek. ¡°You won''t have any complaints after I get back.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I didn''t mean...¡± ¡°I know what you meant.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Don''t worry, I''m going to take care of it.¡± ¡°I... okay.¡± Lisa said. I really hope that you do. Denise told them that Ren''s leg was healing nicely, and he would be back to doing therapy in a couple of days. Donald grunted, and Barbara translated that he was happy to hear that. Everyone laughed and Donald smiled. Stella let them all know where the emergency kits were, which was everywhere, and that everything was restocked. They all appreciated her diligence and ate their food. When the meal was over, everyone was in a much better mood than they were before eating. ¡°Elise? Do you want to just hang out and watch television for a while? I''m going into the game soon and I''d like to cuddle until then.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like that.¡± Elise said happily. ¡°Lisa? Go get your book.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°R-really?¡± Ren nodded, and she left the dining room almost at a run. ¡°We''re going to the first living room!¡± He yelled after her. ¡°Okay!¡± Lisa yelled back as she disappeared around the corner. ¡°That was really nice of you.¡± Elise said and pushed his wheelchair out of the dining room and to the first living room, while Donald went to the workout room and Barbara cleaned up the dishes against Stella''s protest. ¡°I figure we can cuddle, and she can spend time with us at the same time.¡± Ren said. ¡°My arms kind of ache if I''m around her and can''t hold her.¡± ¡°Oh, I know that feeling.¡± Elise said with a chuckle and helped him transfer onto the large couch. She sat down on the corner of the couch after putting a pillow behind her; and since she had left her suit coat in the dining room, she didn''t have to take it off to be comfortable. ¡°Snuggle in.¡± ¡°With pleasure.¡± Ren said and tucked himself under her arm and rested his head against her chest. ¡°I think I''m getting used to this feeling.¡± ¡°What feeling is that?¡± Stella asked as Barbara and her came into the room, and Denise turned on the television. ¡°Contentment.¡± Ren said, and they all looked at him. ¡°You all work so hard to make my life bearable.¡± He sighed happily. ¡°You don''t know how much I appreciate all of you.¡± He said as Lisa came into the room. ¡°Do you want to sit or lay down?¡± ¡°Sit.¡± Lisa said and sat beside him, and he wrapped an arm around her to pull her close. ¡°I have to wait for your leg to heal before I can lay on your lap.¡± Ren nodded, and Elise put her arm around both him and Lisa. They stayed that way, with an occasional kiss exchange between Elise and Ren, until it was close to the time that he wanted to go back into the game. When the time came, their little gathering broke up and Barbara took over control of Ren''s wheelchair. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow night for the next episode of your show.¡± Elise said, and Ren''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Tomorrow''s Friday already?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°Time is just flying by.¡± ¡°It really is.¡± Elise said and gave him a goodbye kiss. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said and she picked up her suit coat and left. He thought about everyone he had seen this week, and looked at Stella. ¡°I haven''t seen Gloria since the hospital.¡± ¡°She''s been... busy.¡± Stella said in a flat tone. ¡°Does she know what happened to me wasn''t her fault?¡± ¡°Yes, Elise called her as soon as the guy was caught.¡± ¡°Why hasn''t she come to see me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If I had to take a guess, I''d say she still blames herself.¡± Stella said. ¡°Not openly, but it bugs her that her actions led to it happening.¡± ¡°I blame myself, too.¡± Denise said. ¡°I can''t imagine what...¡± She shook her head. ¡°At least he didn''t succeed.¡± ¡°Well, on that kind of depressing note, Barbara? Take me to the land of corruption!¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°Why don''t I just take you to your bed?¡± ¡°That''s what I said.¡± Ren grinned, and she shook her head. Barbara took him over to the elevator, and he didn''t flinch when they entered it. They went up to his bedroom and she helped him get into bed, then handed him the VR headset. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and put it on. ¡°I don''t think I''ll be out during the night.¡± He said and relaxed. ¡°I assumed that, since you stayed out for Elise.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Ren said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up in the shop tower and looked up at the ceiling. Hi, Teepo. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You were gone for 4 days.¡± I know, buddy. Ren said and sat up. I''m back now, and I think it''s time we get out of here. ¡°I agree.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s been fun and all, but all this corruption stuff is getting on my nerves.¡± Ren chuckled. You''re not the only one that feels that way; but, I think I''ve thought of a way to deal with it. He got out of bed and ran down the stairs. He concentrated on his Heat Sense Aura, and felt all 20 succubi within it. With his Undead Adept skill, he could feel the skeleton knights within his Aura as well. He took out his Book of Runes and thought about what corruption would look like. Ren drew a biohazard symbol, with three half circles around a center point and another circle around the middle. He imagined it red for blood, since the corruption seemed to be concentrated there, and touched the image. He poured Mana into it and thought the symbol should keep generating corruption; it disappeared and reappeared on the page, exactly like he had imagined it. It was bright red and had black spots through it. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Rune of Corruption
This rune is the symbol of corruption. When activated, will continue to generate corruption until the item it is on rots away, or the creature or being wearing the item dies. Warning: If used to kill, you will gain Infamy appropriate for the death.
Whoa. Ren thought. He didn''t bother doing his multiple rune trick because he was never going to use it; but, he did need it to make it''s inverse. He imagined it''s exact opposite, white for healing and a do not enter symbol in the center instead of the normal circle. He drew it out and touched it, and poured Mana into it and thought the symbol should keep absorbing corruption, the exact opposite of the Rune of Corruption. The image disappeared and reappeared on the next page.
Rune of Anti-Corruption
This rune is the symbol of anti-corruption. When activated, will continue to absorb corruption until the item no longer has corruption, or if it is touching something corrupted, absorbs corruption from that instead. Bonus: If used to heal, you will gain Fame appropriate for the life saved.
Ren grinned and used his multiple rune trick to make a glyph of 10 runes, then took the Ring of Water Walking off of the Hand of Glory that hung around his neck. He used Double Infusion on the ring and enchanted it with 5 glyphs of 10 runes each of Anti-corruption, then put it back on the hand. He immediately felt a sharp pain in his heart and dropped to his knees. ¡°AGH!¡± He yelled as the corruption in him was forcefully sucked out of his body and into the ring. It only took a few minutes to finish; but, it had felt like an eternity.
Notice!
Your anti-corruption rune has saved it''s first life. This person is no longer corrupted and you have received a reward. Further rewards of this type cannot be gained from this person. Fame: +300
¡°Only one bonus... per person.¡± Ren said, breathlessly. ¡°No... farming it.¡±
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP. Fame (300) x 10 XP = 3,000 XP
Ren panted and stayed on his knees for another few minutes. ¡°Hooo... okay, I guess that was... too many runes to use at once.¡± He said and stood up. ¡°Either that, or my corruption was too high and it was going to hurt no matter what.¡± ¡°I''d say it was both.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It worked, though.¡± Ren nodded, and left the tower. ¡°REN!¡± A woman''s voice exclaimed, and he was immediately surrounded by all 20 succubi. ¡°Aura or touch?¡± ¡°TOUCH!¡± They yelled together, and he laughed. ¡°I''m sorry I was gone so long.¡± Ren said and touched the succubus in front of him. ¡°Do you want the same as last time?¡± He asked, and she nodded. He fed her a huge burst of need, and she gasped as her eyes glowed. He went to each one, and gave them what they wanted, and stopped when he came to Seldanna. ¡°P-please...¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I''ve got something that should level you up.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°You''ll need to kneel for this.¡± Ren cautioned her, and she knelt in front of him. He stepped close and put both hands on her face. ¡°I''ll go slow at first, then I''ll ramp it up.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said, and Seldanna felt how much he cared about her well-being. He thought about spending the entire day with Denise, and how much the both of them enjoyed it. ¡°Feed.¡± He said and let a small trickle of it out. ¡°Oh...¡± Seldanna started to pant as he let more and more desire and pleasure out for her to consume. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Ren smiled as her eyes started to glow, and he leaned in close. ¡°You''re really going to like this part.¡± He said and kissed her. ¡°MMmmM!¡± Seldanna moaned as Ren shoved an hour''s worth of passion into her in less than a second. She broke the kiss and opened her mouth to scream. ¡°AHHH!!¡± Ren felt her ability level up, and a ripple of unleashed emotion went out from her and into the other succubi. Zunala, the oldest of them, fell to her knees. ¡°Wh-what... what was that?¡± Ren felt along the bonds that Zunala had made between her and the other succubi, and didn''t find the one to Seldanna. ¡°Apparently, I don''t have to ask anyone what to do to break their bond to you.¡± He said. ¡°Once they are powerful enough in their own right, they can break free themselves.¡± ¡°What? No. No, they can''t.¡± Zunala said. ¡°Murdrasu... he... he said it was permanent.¡± ¡°I think if they want to keep the bond they can, or establish a more mutually beneficial one.¡± Ren said, and since he still had his hands on Seldanna''s face, he had kept feeding her. Her eyes were bright red and her skin glowed, and she really did look demonic. ¡°Would you like another kiss?¡± ¡°No.¡± She said and wrapped her arms around him. ¡°I would love one.¡± Ren smiled and gave her a quick kiss. She took in a sharp breath, and he did it again. She gasped as each kiss was accompanied by a burst of playfulness and desire, and she lunged forward to keep contact with his lips. He obliged her own desire and made out with her, then dumped the rest of his gathered passion into her at the same time. Seldanna constantly moaned as they kissed, and then Ren felt her ability reach it''s limit. He eased her feeding down and broke the kiss just at the last moment before her ability would have overloaded. She was breathing as if she had run a marathon, and her eyes were filled with want and desire for him; which could be seen even through the red glow that obscured them. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± Seldanna said and stood up. She made a fist and Ren saw a crack of Lightning spin around it. ¡°I won''t pledge again, because you were right. They were just words.¡± The small bolt of lightning travelled up her arm and across her chest, then down her other arm to end at her other fist. ¡°It''s not what you say, it''s what you do that matters.¡± Seldanna said and the Lightning dissipated. ¡°Yes, I will follow you anywhere.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and laid his hand flat against her abdomen. He didn''t feed her anything else; but, he did let her feel how much he liked her confidence. She nodded to him, and he turned around to look at the others. ¡°You all felt what happened to her, and I believe that two more of you are getting close to achieving the same thing.¡± The succubi looked at each other, and then back at Ren. ¡°If you''re wondering... yes, I''ll give you the same attention I just gave Seldanna.¡± Nearly half of them raised their hands and asked if it was them, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll tell you when it''s time.¡± They put their hands down, and he felt their sadness that it wasn''t going to happen right then. ¡°So, who''s ready to head out?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We are!¡± The succubi said together. ¡°Good!¡± Ren said. ¡°Gather your things if they are outside your tower, and we can leave right away.¡± Several succubi flew away to pick up different things they had scattered over the last 4 days, and Ren deactivated and stored his shop tower. He gathered up the 10 skeleton knights and told them they were moving out, then took out the Wand of Transport and cast Phantom Steeds for all of them. The steeds were all skeleton-like, and the skeleton knights mounted them as Ren cast his own Phantom Steed. ¡°Hi, there.¡± Ren said and pat it''s neck. It huffed at him, and Ren refilled the charges on the wand and stored it again. The succubi had finished gathering their things and were waiting for him, and he deactivated and stored the tower they slept in. He climbed up and onto the saddle of his steed and took out the Staff of Earth, and dropped the walls that protected them. Nothing was there, just as his Heat Sense Aura had told him, and when nothing appeared, he took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked what enemies or creatures were in the next cavern. When nothing appeared there either, he nodded. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Ren said and pointed towards the tunnel across the cavern. They all took flight and crossed the space in only a moment, and flew up the next tunnel. When they arrived there, Ren received a popup.
Congratulations!
You have reached the final area for Shargon Caverns. You have persevered through all of the trials up to this point, and you should be proud. The most important lesson you need to learn is that all actions have their consequences. You will now reap the consequences of your worst decision.
A hundred black portals opened up all over the cavern, and the trolls he had dropped into the abyss crawled out of them. They were twisted and distorted from their time in the Void, and one of them was definitely the worst off. He stood up to his full 12 feet of height, his body horribly burned and charred, and part of his face had been torn away. ¡°YOU!¡± The troll yelled when it saw Ren. ¡°DIE!¡± It started to run towards the group and his claws rippled and distorted, then grew to twice their normal size. Ren shot it with a Web, and the large claws cut through the web before it could envelop him. ¡°IT''S NOT GOING TO BE THAT EASY TO-AAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!¡± The troll screamed as 20 Acid Arrows pierced his face. He tripped because he could no longer see, and the acid burned him before his regeneration could heal him. He was then engulfed in 20 Fireballs, and his screams were cut off as his Health disappeared; then his body fell to the ground, dead.
Notice!
You have participated in the death of a Troll (Void Altered). Rewards: 4,650 XP
Ren turned to look at the succubi around him. ¡°Ladies, please clean up this mess for me.¡± The succubi were filled with confidence, since the nastiest troll had died so easily. With Ren''s nonchalant attitude buoying them up, they spread out and covered the entire cavern with Acid Arrows and Fireballs. Even after surviving the abyss and outnumbering the succubi, the trolls didn''t stand a chance against such overwhelming force. The trolls were quickly defeated and the bodies were looted, and Ren slid off of his Phantom Steed and looked at the pile of loot the succubi had dropped in front of him. Teeth, glands, a dozen carved bone clubs, troll hides, and troll skulls. He was tempted to just light the pile on fire and forget about it; but, just like everything else he had ever encountered, not taking the loot would only hurt him if he needed it later. He stored the loot, and ended up with 36 troll hides, 57 troll skulls, 18 full sets of troll teeth, and 12 carved bone clubs. ¡°Well, I guess that''s it.¡± Ren said, and then a single black portal opened about 10 feet in front of him. He, the skeleton knights, and the succubi prepared for battle, but nothing came out of it after a few moments, and Ren used the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Show me what''s on the other side of this portal.¡± The All-Seeing Mirror showed pitch blackness, and Ren had an inspiring thought. He knew the runes for all of the elements, and took out his Book of Runes to flip to the Void page. It was just a solid black circle, and Ren assumed it represented a black hole; so, he imagined it''s reverse would be a white hole, and it appeared in the book on the next page. With it, he did his multiple rune trick to make glyphs of them up to 10, the maximum a glyph could hold. He thought about enchanting something with it, then realized he had another thing he could use. Ren took out the Elemental bomb he had made previously, and changed the enchantment on the inside with Anti-void runes. Once that was done, he took out a steel square and enchanted it with an Illumination rune. He used his Wand of Ventriloquism next to cast Magic Mouth on the steel square, then took out a platinum coin and tossed that and the steel square through the portal together and activated the enchantment. ¡°What are you doing?¡± One of the succubi asked. ¡°Offering a bribe and a warning.¡± Ren said and watched the All-Seeing Mirror to see what was happening on the other side of the portal, and the steel square lit the Abyss up. It was all twisted and mangled, and even Ren''s brain couldn''t quite make sense of it. There was no up or down, right or left, or anything even resembling some kind of direction. What he could see was thousands and thousands of misshapen eyes look at the steel square as it floated in front of them. * A distorted and mangled hand reached out to grab the steel square and the platinum coin, and the Magic Mouth enchantment activated. ¡°I have no quarrel with you, nor do I want to fight.¡± Ren''s voice said. ¡°I give an offering, you be content and close the portal, then we go our separate ways.¡± The hand grabbed the steel square and the coin, crushed them together, then tossed it back through the portal. * Ren sighed as he watched the ball of steel come back out of the portal and caught it. He cast Magic Mouth on the Elemental bomb, activated it, and threw it through the portal. * ¡°You will regret that...¡± Ren''s voice said from the Elemental bomb, and the first enchantment activated. The Illumination runes burned through the diamonds across the bomb''s surface, and thousands of sun-bright beams cut through the creatures. Hundreds were blinded, twice that were severely burned because they had never experienced light directly before, and thousands of shadow demons were killed outright. ¡°...for the rest of your lives. Both seconds of it.¡± Two seconds later, the Anti-void bomb exploded. * Ren had covered this side of the portal with several Walls of Iron, and he stored the All-Seeing Mirror when the ball of bright white energy from the bomb had covered everything he could see on the other side of the portal. He stood there and waited to see what was going to happen next, and then the ground started to shake. ¡°Get ready!¡± Ren said and climbed back onto his Phantom Steed, and his group arrayed themselves around him. It was for naught, as the cavern wall on the other side split open to reveal the outside. ¡°It... is that... it cant be!¡± One of the succubi said as she beheld the sight on the other side of the cavern. ¡°It''s... I''ve never seen it, but... I''m sure it''s the outside!¡± ¡°Approach carefully!¡± Ren said, and led the group over to the new cave entrance. He thought about using the All-Seeing Mirror to see if it was an illusion or something, and took it back out. He asked the mirror to show him what was beyond the opening, and it showed him the exact same thing that he could see with his own eyes. ¡°It''s real.¡± Ren said with a huge smile on his face, and the Phantom Steed he rode trotted out through the opening, with the skeleton knights on their steeds, and succubi floated out right behind them. Chapter 438 - Unbelievable ¡°Oh, no!¡± The night tech guy at Sid Tec said as he received a series of popups. He read them as they appeared, and he couldn''t understand what they meant. ¡°This... there''s no way... this can''t wait until morning!¡± He said and picked up the phone and called the head of the tech department. After a minute, the phone was picked up. ¡°You had better have a good reason for calling me at home.¡± Max said. ¡°Would catastrophic failure of the Void mechanic be a good reason?¡± The tech guy said, and Max almost dropped his cell phone. He took a deep breath and spoke. ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°Sir, something has been introduced to the Void Realm, and it''s... well, it''s destroying everything.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± ¡°Ow.¡± The tech guy said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Max said. ¡°Tell me what happened.¡± ¡°I don''t know what happened.¡± The tech guy said. ¡°I just starting receiving popups telling me the Shadow Creature resource was depleted, then the Shadow Demons, then the... look, sir. It''s all disappearing.¡± ¡°Well, stop it.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Turn off the effect.¡± ¡°I don''t know what the effect is!¡± ¡°Open up the rendering software and run it on the Void Realm.¡± Max said. ¡°Do a quick overall map, not anything specific.¡± The tech guy put the phone down and did as Max suggested, and a few minutes later, he got the map of the Void Realm. He couldn''t believe what he was seeing, and picked up the phone. ¡°Sir, I... god, it''s...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It''s being converted by Light.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Max yelled, then apologized again. ¡°How is that possible? The realms are strictly forbidden from contacting each other.¡± ¡°I don''t know, sir.¡± The tech guy said and brought up the time of the first incident. ¡°According to this, an... elemental bomb was detonated.¡± ¡°Nothing in the void has that kind of... oh, damn.¡± Max said. ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°The easiest place for Void access is inside Shargon Caverns.¡± Max said. ¡°Dammit, dammit, dammit!¡± ¡°Sir, I don''t understand.¡± ¡°You don''t have to.¡± Max said. ¡°Delete the source of the Light.¡± ¡°But, sir... we aren''t supposed to interfere with the natural effects-¡± ¡°It wasn''t natural.¡± Max said and sighed. ¡°Kill the effect, and hope that at least one of the main entities survived.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The tech said and put Max on speakerphone so he could walk the tech through the process. It took several minutes for the effect to be stopped, and when it was gone, nearly three quarters of the entire Void Realm had been destroyed... along with all of the higher level beings. ¡°Sir.¡± The tech said sadly. ¡°Goddammit! None of them made it?¡± Max''s voice said from the phone on the desk. ¡°No, sir.¡± The tech said. ¡°None of them.¡± Max sighed again. ¡°We can''t do a hard reset to repopulate resources until the world event is over.¡± ¡°When will that be?¡± ¡°In a couple of weeks.¡± Max said. ¡°The ghouls are finally having a hard time getting into the main cities of the High Elves; so, they are going to turn around and go out into the countryside instead.¡± ¡°Trying to mobilize players to form a defensive strategy or an offensive strike might not be the best way to promote team play.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter now.¡± Max said. ¡°The dice rolled and this is the situation we''re in. They can choose to take the offered quests or not.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Either way, they are going to be involved in some respect.¡± ¡°Some people don''t like being forced to do things.¡± The tech guy said. ¡°No one will be.¡± Max said. ¡°That''s the beauty of it. If they choose not to do anything, the world around them will change. If they choose to help, the world around them will still change, but in a different way.¡± ¡°I just hope they like the changes you have in store.¡± ¡°We already had an increase in new subscribers when the world event was announced, so it''s already paid off.¡± Max said. ¡°Don''t forget to add the new resource restrictions to the main database, so it can make substitutions for any summoning rituals that call on the Void.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The tech guy said and hung up. * Max put his cell phone down and sighed. ¡°Elise was right. I shouldn''t have sent Ren into Shargon Caverns.¡± He looked at his computer terminal and thought about checking on Ren''s progress, then laid down on his bed and closed his eyes instead. I''ll worry about it tomorrow. He thought and went back to sleep. * Ren, the skeleton knights, and the succubi left the cavern. As the opening closed behind them, he received a popup.
System Notice!
You have successfully completed Shargon Caverns! Few have made it through without enduring harsh circumstances, usually of their own making; so, if you need assistance dealing with anger management and trauma, or believe you need counselling, please contact a system administrator or leave a message for a moderator. They will provide you links to any services that may be deemed as necessary. Contact a system administrator now? Yes / No / Ask Later
¡°No.¡± Ren said, and the popup went away and was replaced with another.
Congratulations, Adventurer! Area Complete!
You have survived the vaunted Shargon Caverns! Rejoice in your success, and enjoy your well-earned rewards. Please note: As this was a personal journey, Party Sharing of XP does not apply.
Bonuses:
Creature (Deaths) 122,345 XP 1,223,450
Creature (Saved) 10,872 XP 108,720
Creature (Helped) 286,913 XP 2,869,130
Modifiers:
Deaths 1 XP -10,000
Completion 1 XP +100,000
Fame +10,000 x 10 XP +100,000
XP TOTAL: 4,391,300
Fame Bonus +75% (100 - 25) XP 3,293, 475
XP TOTAL: 7,684,775
Ren''s mouth dropped open at the numbers the popup showed him. What the hell? A hundred and twenty-two thousand deaths? Almost two hundred and ninety thousand helped? He asked himself, then he saw the XP total. Holy crap!The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
System Notice!
Congratulations! You have earned enough XP to reach the top spot on the XP leader board. Your name and XP total have been published on the main server and the message board. Bonus: +1000 Fame
I never thought my Slow and Steady skill would ever take a million XP away from me. Ren thought in surprise, then he chuckled. Of course, I don''t think I was ever supposed to get this much XP in one shot, either.
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP Fame 1,000 x 10 XP = 10,000 XP
New Title!
Your unprecedented attack on the Void Realm has granted you a new title: Void Bane This title grants you the Aura - Void Sense (Mastered). You can automatically detect any Void or Arcane presences within your Aura. Void/Arcane spells and effects are 50% weaker when used against you, as well as attacks from Void creatures and their effects (poison, corruption, decay, etc,). Attacks made by you against Void creatures gain a 50% bonus to both Damage and effects caused. All Void knowledge and affinity has been converted to Anti-void, and any gains in Void knowledge will increase Anti-void instead.
Wow. Ren said and then received another popup.
Notice!
You have gained 54 levels! You are now Level 137, and 540 stat points have been automatically allocated. Please refer to your skill, spell, and recipe lists to see what you have unlocked, as there are too many items to list here.
¡°By the gods.¡± Ren said out loud. ¡°I can''t believe... oh, wow.¡±
Notice!
You have gained 50+ levels at once! It is quite an achievement, and your name has been added to the Outstanding Achievement list. Fame: +5,000
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP Fame 5,000 x 10 XP = 50,000 XP
Mr. Torren is going to be so mad. Ren thought to himself, then looked at the succubi. They all had landed just outside the cavern beside him, and looked around at the big open sky. He could feel their disbelief and shock that it was real. ¡°Ladies, if I may have your attention.¡± Ren said, and they all looked at him. ¡°As you can see, we really are outside.¡± He said, and he felt a small ripple of fear pass through them. ¡°It''s all right. Stay close to me and don''t wander off.¡± They all nodded and kept looking around at all the things they had never seen before. Trees, grass, and even rabbits were a thrill for them to see, and Ren looked into the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Show me where I am in relation to the starter city of Aurora.¡± Ren said and a map appeared, then zoomed out to show how far away he was. ¡°Hey, it''s only 5,500 miles.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren sighed at the time it was going to take crossing that much of the countryside, and he knew there would be endless encounters before he would get back to the city. He touched the All-Seeing Mirror and thought about Lara, the Sage of Ages. ¡°Lara? Are you there?¡± A moment later, the mirror cleared and Lara looked out of it at him. ¡°REN!¡± Lara said. ¡°You''re out!¡± ¡°Yes, and I know how far away I am.¡± Ren said and told her where he was. ¡°It''s going to take me a long time to get back to you.¡± ¡°It''s all right, Ren.¡± Lara said and smiled. ¡°I think I have a much better way for you to come here.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Just to be clear, it''s not just me coming back.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Lara said. ¡°I''m not going to ask you to leave them there, either.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°So, what''s this better way?¡± ¡°Me.¡± The Dark Elf healer said as she leaned in close to Lara. ¡°Or more accurately, Our magnificent Queen.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I would greatly appreciate a portal for me and my 30 companions and 11 mounts.¡± He said. ¡°If it''s not too much trouble for her and her familiar.¡± ¡°She should be more than happy to do this for you.¡± The healer said and lifted Ren''s taratula. ¡°My Queen, the wait is over. I have found him.¡± A portal opened behind the healer and she stepped into it. A moment later, a portal appeared 20 feet away from him, and 4 giant spider legs spread the portal out. Ren told the skeleton knights to form a walkway, with 5 of them on their mounts on either side, and they held their swords out and pointed upwards at an angle. ¡°I''ll see you soon.¡± Ren said to Lara. She disappeared from the mirror and he stored it. The giant spider familiar crawled out and moved aside, and then the Queen of the Dark Elves stepped out of the portal. Lylyth saw the greeting the skeleton knights were giving her, just like an honor guard, and Ren felt how much she appreciated his thoughtfulness to do that for her. The healer stepped out through the portal, and it closed when Lylyth and the healer walked to the end of the skeleton knight promenade and came to a stop in front of Ren on his Phantom Steed. The succubi all knelt in the Queen''s presence, and Lylyth gave them a slight nod before she looked at Ren. ¡°I couldn''t feel you at all, Royal Consort.¡± Lylyth said, a little sternly. ¡°I couldn''t contact you, and had forgotten to even try and get you a message until recently.¡± Ren responded. ¡°I realized you must have been worried, and I''m sorry I didn''t realize it sooner.¡± Lylyth reached a hand out and touched his face. Since he was sitting on his steed, he was almost exactly her height. ¡°I''m glad you survived.¡± Lylyth said, and he felt that she really meant that. ¡°I died once; but, it was a noble sacrifice so it was okay.¡± Ren said and smiled, which made her laugh. ¡°Only you could justify such a thing.¡± Lylyth said and stepped close. ¡°I would ask you for a kiss, but what I need is to ask for your forgiveness.¡± Ren felt her pensiveness and wondered what he had to forgive her for. ¡°Did you find someone else?¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°Nothing so devastating.¡± She said, then stopped smiling at her joke. ¡°My Queen, I suggest you wait until we are back in the Underground.¡± The healer said. ¡°No, if I don''t say it while I have the courage to admit it...¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°Ren, I... I unleashed the ghouls.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± ¡°It was me.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°After you came to me with your evidence, I found out that other Dark Elven Lords had also made ghoul factories. I made them stop right away, and then... well, I had all these ghouls and an enemy to deal with.¡± Ren closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out. He did this twice more, then opened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°Did it work?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°The High Elves had no choice but to withdraw their forces to deal with the ghoul horde.¡± ¡°Have you kept your forces nearby to defend the rest of the countryside when the ghouls spread out?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I''ve done the same thing as the High Elves, and the majority of my fighting army guard the access ways to the Underworld that aren''t hidden.¡±
Notice!
You have gained the condition: Angered.
Ren frowned, and reached down to the healer without saying anything. She took the offered hand, and gasped as his overwhelming emotions hit her. She handed him the tarantula without a word, and it crawled up his arm and stopped to perch on his shoulder. He smiled at the healer, and she sighed as she let his hand go. ¡°My Queen, please open a portal wide enough for my entourage and myself to go back to Aurora.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren...¡± Lylyth tried to talk, and he held up a hand to stop her. ¡°I don''t want to talk about this right now, and I won''t until I see the extent of the damage your decision has caused.¡± ¡°But...¡± Lylyth sighed as she felt that Ren wasn''t going to change his mind. ¡°Very well.¡± A portal opened in the same spot as it was before, and her familiar opened it up wide enough to accommodate 4 skeleton knights and their steeds side by side, and crawled through it first. ¡°This portal goes to my throne room, then I will make another to Aurora.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, then waved the skeleton knights forward. They charged through the portal and spread out, and Ren motioned to the succubi. The 20 of them quickly scampered through the portal with their wings folded behind them and their heads down. ¡°See you on the other side.¡± Teepo said and his astral form dissolved into the Beetle Crown ring. ¡°After you.¡± Ren said to Lylyth, and she nodded and walked towards the portal. Ren reached a hand out to the healer, and she took it without knowing what he wanted. He pulled her up and sat her side-saddle in front of him on the steed and put an arm around her. The healer''s face flushed to a dark grey as Ren held her close, and he had the Phantom Steed trot behind the Queen of the Dark Elves. Ren rode the steed through the portal and left behind one of the oddest experiences he had ever had. The thing was, Ren knew when he went out to try and deal with the ghouls, that it was going to be an odd experience as well; assuming he could do what he planned. He had a bit of time to think about what to do, and it made him smile as he thought about what everyone was going to think. Especially the tech guys. Ren thought in amusement and let a grin spread across his face. The healer was practically sitting on his lap, and she felt his feelings. ¡°Mmm.¡± She said as her ability opened up and she laid her head on his shoulder. She kissed his neck to get them directly, and Ren let her take what she wanted. ¡°You, too.¡± She said, then gasped as Ren used his ability to absorb some of her emotions. ¡°You... you''ve changed so much in so short a time!¡± Ren felt her genuine joy at his accomplishment, and it touched something deep inside of him. ¡°You''re really happy about that.¡± He said in surprise, and the Phantom Steed they rode came to a stop. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Please accept my humble offering.¡± The healer said and Ren felt a bundle of emotions within her rise to the surface. ¡°You already gave me a tithe.¡± Ren said. ¡°This isn''t for the Royal Consort.¡± She said, and her eyes smouldered for him. ¡°This...¡± She gave him a quick kiss. ¡°...is from me to you.¡± ¡°But-¡± Ren''s words were cut off as she pressed her lips to his and pushed her bundle of feelings into him. She moaned as his ability didn''t consume them like she thought it would. It took them in like it was sitting down in a warm bath. The feelings spread out within him, and his ability made them a part of itself. He felt something click deep down inside of himself, and broke the kiss when he received a popup.
Stat Change!
Emotion Siphon (Mastered) - You can absorb emotions from those within your Aura. Touch is no longer required. Touch still increases the sensitivity of this ability, and the ease of it''s use.
¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said to her as his body glowed, and her mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise as she stared back at him. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said, and immediately built up a reservoir of feelings for her. ¡°W-wait-¡± She tried to say when she realized what he was going to do, and Ren cut her words off by kissing her, then gave her 10 times as much feelings back. He did it gently, and her ability leveled up. She tried to gasp when it happened; but, he didn''t let her break the kiss as he kept pouring feelings into her. She didn''t try to fight him off or even protest as he kept giving her more and more emotions. Her ability leveled up twice more before Lylyth intervened. ¡°I know you''re not doing it on purpose; but, you are making me wait in my own throne room.¡± Lylyth said, a little peeved. Ren broke the kiss and apologized as the healer kept her arms around him and panted hard. ¡°You can put my healer down, now.¡± ¡°Yes, My Queen.¡± Ren said, and carefully eased the healer off of the steed and to the floor. She didn''t let his hand go when he tried to sit back up, and he felt how much she wanted to stay with him. ¡°When this is all over, come and see me.¡± He said. ¡°I can''t promise that anything will happen, except for leveling your ability up.¡± ¡°I will.¡± The healer said. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± ¡°No, M''lady.¡± Ren said and bowed formally, even though he was still seated on the Phantom Steed. ¡°Thank you.¡± Her face flushed even darker as she felt how thankful he was, then she nodded and let his hand go. ¡°I''m ready, My Queen.¡± Ren said. ¡°You will be on the outskirts of Aurora, as this many people cannot fit within the building that the other portal was in.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Ren said, and Lylyth opened another portal. The giant spider familiar widened the portal to the same size as before, and Ren waved the skeleton knights and succubi ahead of him. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and rode his Phantom Steed through the portal. Chapter 439 - Worth A Kiss ¡°Undead!¡± One of the tower guards shouted as the skeletons rode their steeds out of the biggest portal any of them had ever seen. ¡°Demons!¡± He said as the succubi came out of the portal. ¡°Ready archers!¡± Ren rode out of the portal and immediately saw the problem. He concentrated on his Command Aura since the wall was well within his 300 foot Aura. ¡°CEASE FIRE!¡± Ren yelled. Summon Teepo. Teepo appeared on the ground in front of him while all of the soldiers stopped readying their weapons and looked at Ren. The skeleton knights moved aside and Ren rode over to the city wall while Teepo flew up to land on his shoulder. ¡°They are under my command, and you will not fire on them.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... but... they''re demons and monsters!¡± The closest guard said. ¡°Yes, they are.¡± Ren said. ¡°What do you think will happen if you attack them?¡± The guard looked at Ren, then at the skeletons and succubi, then back at Ren. ¡°They''ll attack back.¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Do you want a succubi to suck the life out of you?¡± A chorus of ''no'' came from the guards as they gathered together from the alarm being sounded, and then a solitary ''yes'' broke the tension. ¡°Shut up, Weston.¡± One of the guards said as the rest of the guards laughed. ¡°Look at them!¡± Weston said and waved, and several of the succubi waved back. ¡°You can''t tell me you wouldn''t want that to be the last thing you see before you die.¡± ¡°Would it be worth it?¡± One of the others asked, and all the guards leaned on the edge of the wall and stared at the succubi. ¡°It''s definitely debatable.¡± Weston said. A couple of the succubi giggled as Ren sighed mentally in relief. The volatile situation devolved into a debate over the validity of dying during sex, and he turned to the succubi. ¡°Forgive me for even suggesting this.¡± Ren said. ¡°Normally, I wouldn''t ask you to hide; but, I can''t take you through the city like you are.¡± ¡°You want us to come inside?¡± Zunala asked, and he felt how surprised she was. ¡°I guess I could leave your tower out here; but, I know someone will come along and try to bother you if I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want you to stay as close to me as possible.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Please.¡± Ren said. ¡°Will you assume a fitting form of women from the city? I don''t want you getting attacked because some idiot can''t see past the color of your skin.¡± The succubi could feel his sincerity, and knew that all he wanted was the best for them and to keep them safe. Every single one of them started to glow, then their wings and tails faded away and their red skin changed to various shades of regular skin. Dresses formed around them to cover their bikinis, but they all kept their long flowing hair in the same colors. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Ren said and sent out a huge feeling of thanks and appreciation through his Aura. Several of them gasped because of it, and Ren took out a wand and changed the spell to Disguise Self, which would last for an hour. He cast it on the closest skeleton knight and told it to choose an appropriate image for itself. Ren was a bit surprised when it chose a generic male, then cast it on the other 9 skeleton knights. They all chose the same generic male form and looked identical to each other and the first skeleton knight. ¡°Let''s go inside.¡± Ren said, and led 20 normal-looking damsels and 10 identical knights on Phantom Steeds through the West Gate of the city of Aurora. * The guards on the wall watched as the succubi and skeletons had transformed, and they didn''t speak at all as the group passed under them and went into the city. ¡°We should probably tell the Captain.¡± One of them said. ¡°In a minute.¡± Weston said. ¡°Goddamn! Look at the blonde!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Another guy said. ¡°She''s...¡± He shook his head. ¡°Weston, I think you might have a point.¡± Several of the other guards nodded, and Weston chuckled. ¡°I told you.¡± Weston said. ¡°What a sight.¡± * Ren led his group over to the Housing District, and when he was close enough, he concentrated on the Contact Aura the maids shared. It snapped into place, and he was immediately flooded with 5 streams with similar feelings of relief, need, longing, and how much they missed him. He had the Phantom Steed run the rest of the way and hopped off of it just in time to open his arms as the maids came out of the house and jumped on him. Ren laughed as his face was covered in kisses from them, and tried to kiss them back. ¡°I really missed you, too.¡± He said and made sure they each received a proper kiss. ¡°We were so worried!¡± Andrela said. ¡°We were also very lucky to have a great friend stay with us through most of your journey.¡± Frikara said as Lara came out of the house. ¡°I''m back a lot sooner that I thought.¡± Ren said and took her in his arms. ¡°Thank you for staying here for me, and for everyone.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Lara said, and Ren kissed her. She lost herself in the sensations, and the nearby disguised succubi fed on everyone''s passion and happiness. Ren broke the kiss and let her out of the embrace. ¡°I just have to drop the tower off.¡± Ren said and walked over beside the house and took out the tower the succubi slept in. He activated it and it sprung into place, and he went over to the succubi. ¡°Stay inside for now, and I''ll be back soon.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± Zunala, the pretty blonde woman asked. ¡°To the Library.¡± Ren said and took Lara''s hand, which made her gasp and her gaze go blank for a minute. ¡°I''ve got a couple of things to take care of to prepare for this world event thing.¡± ¡°We''ll wait patiently for you.¡± Zunala said, and went over to the tower. The door opened for her, and all of the disguised succubi went inside. ¡°I won''t be long.¡± Ren said and mounted his Phantom Steed, then helped Lara climb up. ¡°Half an hour, tops.¡± ¡°We will, too.¡± Frikara said, and Ren gave the maids a taste of his desire for them through the shared Aura. The maids gasped, and he looked at the disguised skeleton knights. ¡°Patrol the street. I want 2 of you on the house door, 2 on the tower door, and 2 on top of the tower as scouts.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The guards said without opening their mouths, and dispersed as Ren had ordered. The maids went inside, and Ren caught a glimpse of Railyse, the water being, just inside the door. He blew her a kiss, which she returned, then he rode the Phantom Steed down the street. They went around the corner and down to the Library.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Ren hopped off of the steed when they arrived and helped Lara climb down, then tied the steed to the available post. He pat the steed, took Lara''s hand, and walked up the stairs quickly. He saw that Rosie sat at the reception desk and walked over to her. ¡°I''ll be back out in a few minutes, and I have a favor to ask of you.¡± Ren said. Rosie didn''t say anything as she nodded, and Ren walked over to the side of the room and opened the door to the hallway. He would have dragged Lara along behind him if she hadn''t jogged to keep up with him. They went down the hallway and through the door at the back, and went over to Lara''s closet. Teepo and the tarantula hopped off his shoulders and landed on the wall, and Lara opened the door to the closet as their roles reversed and she pulled Ren into her closet. When the door closed, they received the Blue Screen Protocol notification, and Ren cupped the sides of her face. ¡°What did you see?¡± Ren asked her and kissed her lightly. ¡°I saw...¡± Lara smiled. ¡°You''re a genius.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s not very specific.¡± He said, and she touched the anti-corruption ring on the Hand of Glory that hung around his neck. ¡°I don''t know why I doubted...¡± Lara sighed. ¡°Ren, can you forgive me?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said and smiled, and he felt her shock. ¡°There''s nothing to forgive.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You finally admitted that you love me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I love you, too.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°People fight, even people that love each other.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Maybe especially those people.¡± Lara smiled. ¡°You''re unbelievable.¡± ¡°Oh, Lisa.¡± Ren used her real-life name, and her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Now what are you going to say when we''re done of our make-up sex?¡± ¡°Isn''t it obvious?¡± Lara laughed and kissed him. ¡°More, please.¡± Ren laughed, too. * ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Rosie whispered to herself as she put a hand over her heart. I can almost feel how much you''ve changed. She thought, and stopped her tears before they could escape. What happened to you, my sweet and innocent love? * ¡°I don''t believe this.¡± The Light being said as it floated inside the viewing room. ¡°This isn''t possible.¡± ¡°It is possible, and it''s also true.¡± Another said. ¡°The report came in yesterday, and we already sent scouts in to verify.¡± The being said. ¡°Almost the entire Void has been annihilated.¡± ¡°This can''t be.¡± The first being said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± ¡°There''s no rush.¡± The other one said. ¡°It''s not going to regenerate for a long time, especially with all of the Void beings gone.¡± The first Light being floated out of the room and accelerated across the designated movement aisle and arrived at the large Collective. It slowed down and eased into the crowd, and like a stone dropped into a pond, the information he had was immediately disseminated among everyone, and the ripples of the knowledge shook every light being in the collective. A Greater Light Elemental floated out of the mass of light, thanked the Light being for the information, and quickly left the Collective. Even though it was massive, it didn''t run into any other Light beings as it made it''s way to a small designated living area for the one being he knew had the most experience in dealing with humanoids in their natural forms. He sent a probing thought through the door, and it opened for him. ¡°Hello, Zagatro.¡± Xunnah said. ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°This.¡± He said and he shared with Xunnah what he had learned. ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± ¡°Yes, it''s a surprise.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°Not only that, it''s been deemed... necessary... for someone to visit the mortal realm.¡± ¡°Zagatro, I''ve been forbidden from-¡± ¡°Your ban has been lifted.¡± He said. ¡°Prepare yourself for the journey.¡± ¡°I... very well.¡± Xuunah sighed. ¡°I will undo all my hard work over the next year, and will be ready to go then.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°You are authorized for full battle, if it''s necessary.¡± ¡°It shouldn''t be.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I''m just observing, not participating.¡± Zagatro chuckled. ¡°You are a terrible liar.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Tell me you aren''t going to visit your daughter first.¡± Xuunah didn''t say anything, and Zagatro laughed. ¡°It''s fine. I''ve already cleared your interaction with her and the target.¡± ¡°Wait, the target is a dwarf?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°I thought the location was in the human kingdom.¡± ¡°It is, but she visits where the target is through a portal.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°How do you know this?¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I thought...¡± ¡°You cannot hide your clandestine viewings from us.¡± ¡°Then I''ll be ready in 6 months.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I''ll begin immediately.¡± Zagatro laughed. ¡°Good luck.¡± * Ren and Lara came out of her closet a minute later, or 3 relative days later, and the both of them had huge smiles on their faces. ¡°You were right, Ren.¡± Lara said and hugged him. ¡°Make-up sex was a lot better.¡± ¡°Why are people always surprised when I''m right?¡± Ren chuckled, and she gave him a quick kiss. ¡°Get out of here.¡± Lara said and let him go. ¡°Your eager fan is waiting for you.¡± ¡°You know Rosie was the only one who liked me long before I had the Prince Charming title.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve kept her waiting for you all this time.¡± Lara said, a little sadly. ¡°Lisa.¡± Ren said and touched her cheek. ¡°I like Rosie a lot, and I know she wouldn''t want to be a part of... well, whatever it is I''ve got going.¡± Lara smiled. ¡°I believe the term is ''harem''.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Harems in current culture are just a bunch of girls that hang all over a guy, and they never get any resolution.¡± He said and stepped close. ¡°I''m pretty sure we just resolutioned all over your closet.¡± Lara''s face flushed red and he kissed her. She kissed him back passionately. ¡°Go on, before she thinks you forgot.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. Both Teepo and the spider jumped from the wall to land on his shoulders, and Ren walked towards the door to the hallway, and left the Library''s storage area. He quickly made it to the other end and left through the door, and Rosie saw him. She stood up and waved to someone, then came around the desk to meet him. She took his hand and went back into the hallway, and went into the first room on the left. ¡°What kind of favor do you need from me?¡± Rosie asked. ¡°I''d like to dictate that book on comparing enchanting and spell casting.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened. ¡°R-really?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I should have come in a while ago, but I was just too busy.¡± Rosie smiled. ¡°Does that mean you''re not busy now?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve given myself a short reprieve before I should go and mess up some ghouls.¡± Rosie caught her breath, then the tears she had been holding back came out. ¡°Oh, Rosie.¡± Ren said and took her into a gentle hug. ¡°Don''t cry.¡± ¡°I... have to.¡± Rosie said. ¡°You... you aren''t the cute and innocent boy I first met.¡± ¡°Rosie, I...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°No. No, I''m not.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve been through too much to be the same person I was back then.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Rosie sobbed. ¡°When you came in here today with your...¡± She shivered. ¡°You''ve been touched by the undead.¡± Ren glanced at the spider mark with the Ghoul Kissed skull, and remembered his Undead Adept skill that changed his Aura so he could feel the undead. ¡°Rosie, I''m so sorry.¡± ¡°M-me, too.¡± Rosie said. ¡°If I could turn it off, I would.¡± Ren said, and then she stopped shivering. ¡°R-Ren!¡± Rosie said and her tears stopped. ¡°I don''t feel it anymore!¡± Ren wasn''t sure what had happened, so he thought about his Undead Adept skill. ¡°On.¡± Rosie started shivering again, and he immediately turned it off. She sighed, and Ren hugged her again. I can either turn skills on and off, or change that they affect my Aura. Ren thought. ¡°I wonder if that works for titles?¡± Teepo asked, and Ren blinked his eyes for several moments. I''ll test it later. Ren thought and smiled. ¡°Rosie, can I give you that book now?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Rosie said, and kept her arms around him. ¡°Don''t you... um... have to set something up?¡± ¡°No, just start talking.¡± Rosie said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Just hold me.¡± Rosie said, and Ren felt that was what she really wanted; so, he held her as he dictated a quick book about the difference between enchanting and spell casting. He didn''t give away any secrets that he knew about enchanting, like making elemental grenades or bombs; but, he did use examples of his work and the spells he had cast, and then included enchanted wands that could cast the spells, which almost crossed both barriers. When he was done, Rosie had tears in her eyes. ¡°You can''t feel my Undead Adept skill again, can you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, Ren.¡± Rosie said and wiped her eyes. ¡°That was a great book.¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ll be right back!¡± Rosie said excitedly and left the room. Ren waited for a few minutes, and she came back in with two copies of the book. The original with gold lettering for Ren, and the copy that she would put in the Library. ¡°This... it''s going to be popular! I just know it!¡± Ren stored his copy and smiled. ¡°I''m glad you liked it.¡± ¡°I really did!¡± Rosie said. ¡°If there''s anything else I can do for you, just let me know.¡± ¡°Well... there is something.¡± Ren said and smiled. * Anabelle had to have one other sales clerk with her every day to handle the increase in customers. She wasn''t sure why so many more people were coming into the shop; but, the orders kept coming in and the money kept coming with them. She was so happy that Tee-one had been kind enough to visit every day and he continued to make the orders and do the armor and weapon repairs that were needed. Anabelle felt something pass over her and she shivered. ¡°REN!¡± She yelled, and the people in the shop looked at her. ¡°Katie, take over! I''ll be back later!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Katie said and walked over to the main counter. ¡°Should I get Holly-¡± ¡°Whatever!¡± Anabelle said and ran out of the business and stood in the middle of the street to wait. * Ren had asked Rosie if she wanted her own Library. She fainted, and once he had revived her, she accepted graciously. She told him how to establish a Library in his county, and he apologized for not doing it already. She laughed and kissed his cheek, then he asked her for 2 normal books that he needed. She got them for him, and offered him a special one. He accepted them and thanked her profusely, then left the Library. He mounted his Phantom Steed and rode slowly up to the Artesian District, because of all the people he had to greet on the way. He arrived on the street to his business, and he saw Anabelle as she stood out in the middle of it. ¡°It really is you!¡± Anabelle exclaimed. ¡°Yes, Anabelle.¡± Ren said with a huge smile when he felt how happy she was, and rode over to her. He held a hand out and helped her climb up, and they rode over to the Housing District together. Chapter 440 - Xuunah, Ren Hunter Xuunah had finished her preparations even sooner than she had promised, and had already made arrangements with friends for the care of her space over the next few hundred years. She wasn''t sure if she would be that long or if her assignment would keep her away for a lot longer. She knew her friends would keep her spot ready for her return, no matter how long it took, and left it in their capable care. Xuunah floated out of her space and down the access way, and went across to the main Collective building. She met her mentor Zagatro, a Greater Light elemental, in the hallway to the official portal room. ¡°Oho! So eager!¡± Zagatro said when he saw her, and she laughed. ¡°I wouldn''t say eager.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°It''s more like ecstatic.¡± Zagatro laughed with her, and floated close. ¡°Do you think she will enjoy seeing you?¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°It''s been so long for me, but it''s only been...¡± She chuckled. ¡°It''s just too bad I couldn''t transfer into the dwarf lands to spend more time with her.¡± ¡°Even I couldn''t convince the Collective to be quite that ignorant in where you were sent for your deployment.¡± ¡°You underestimate your intellect, Zagatro.¡± Xuunah said, and he laughed. ¡°Perhaps.¡± Zagatro said, and they floated down the hallway together. ¡°This will be a long assignment.¡± He warned her. ¡°Find and discover the one who caused the disturbance in the Void, and observe them to find out how they did what they did.¡± ¡°Should I even ask why the Collective wants that information?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°You can ask.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°The person''s identity is irrelevant. What needs to be known is what happened, and if there is some way to prevent it from happening again... or to make it happen again.¡± ¡°You aren''t just talking about the Void realm, are you?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°I''m not sure where the thought came from; but, it was quite disturbing in it''s implications as it flowed through the Collective.¡± He sighed. ¡°If it can happen there, where most of the Void and it''s inhabitants were wiped out by channelling our realm into it... what if the reverse was true?¡± If Xuunah had a mouth at the time, it would have dropped open in shock. ¡°That was my reaction as well.¡± Zagatro said and chuckled. ¡°Imagine the damage and destruction a drop of Void blackness would do here in the realm of Light.¡± ¡°I will find the person as soon as I transition.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°After causing such destruction, they will be easy to track.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°If they use this... whatever it is... in another realm, the consequences for us all will be very grave, indeed.¡± ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°When I do find them, I will discover the secret and order them... no compel them... to tell me all about it.¡± ¡°You will need this on your journey.¡± Zagatro said, and a ball of energy separated from him and floated over to her. ¡°But... this...¡± ¡°It has been authorized; but once it is placed, it can never be removed.¡± ¡°Zagatro, I...¡± Xuunah accepted the ball of energy into herself. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You will need it.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°Use it when you have to.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Xuunah said and the door to the portal room opened. ¡°This feels really weird.¡± ¡°That''s because despite how many times you''ve been here, this is the first time you''ve been here officially.¡± Zagatro said, and that made her laugh. ¡°I can feel how glad you are that''s true.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°Use your skills well.¡± ¡°I will, old friend.¡± Xuunah said as she floated into the room and the door shut behind her. She eased over to the large platform and waited. ¡°Prepare for transition.¡± A disembodied voice said, and Xuunah gathered her Mana for the exhausting Polymorph ability that only a select few of her people had as an innate ability. She wasn''t allowed to use the ability within the Light Realm, as it was a disrupting sight for the general population to see a mortal body; which was what made her, and those select others like her, the perfect beings to send out to the other realms when it was necessary. ¡°Creating portal.¡± The voice said. Xuunah knew they had chosen a spot that wouldn''t allow her presence to be seen, and she floated through the portal and activated her Polymorph ability. Since she was in the Human Kingdom, she morphed into a human female of average height. Clothing formed around her as she used the last of her Mana to cast ''Create Clothing'', and her mortal form dropped to it''s knees. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Xuunah said and sat down. ¡°You would think I''d be used to this by now.¡± Xuunah waited for several minutes to let her Stamina recover, and looked around at where she was. She was in a warehouse of some kind, and it was filled with so many things that she was surprised the portal didn''t intersect with something. She stood up and wandered around, marvelled at everything, then found the door. She had recovered some of her Mana as well, and used the Knock spell to open the door. When she stepped outside, she saw that she was beside a large dock by the sea; with a stable of horses off to the side, and a nice house off to the other side. This looks like a nice place. Xuunah thought, then ignored her own impulse to enjoy the scenery. I need to get to work. She concentrated on her Track ability as she thought about her mission to find someone marked by the Void''s destruction, and a dim white arrow appeared in front of her. Yes! She thought happily as it picked up something and she saw it pointed towards the city wall she could see. She walked at a moderate pace so her Stamina could recover fully, and made it to the North Gate of the city of Aurora. * Ren brought Anabelle over to the house and brought the Phantom Steed to a stop. He hopped off and helped Anabelle down, then tied the steed to the available post. ¡°I have someone I want you to meet.¡± Ren said to the steed, and it huffed at him. He took Anabelle''s hand and brought her inside the house, and told her to wait for a few minutes. She nodded and Ren opened the door to the back bedroom. ¡°Princess.¡± He said and knelt on one knee. ¡°I ask forgiveness for using another mount.¡± You have it. Princess thought to him. I can... feel that it was a worthy replacement for me, even though it is inferior. Ren smiled and nodded. ¡°Would you like to meet him?¡± I would. Princess got up off of her bed and trotted out past Ren. He ran past and opened the front door for her, and she stopped when she saw it. It is the same, but different. ¡°It saved me by sacrificing itself.¡± Ren said, and heard Anabelle gasp. ¡°When I cast it again, I made sure it knew what it did for me.¡± Princess approached the Phantom Steed cautiously. It huffed at her, then bowed it''s head. She darted forward and slammed her head into it''s extra wide head, and it matched her movement. It pushed him back slightly and snapped the post he was tied to; but other than that, he didn''t show any signs it had affected him. Ren felt Princess'' pleasure at the confrontation. ¡°I know you''ve met before, but that was so brief that it wasn''t really an introduction.¡± Thank you for taking care of him in my stead. Princess thought, and the Phantom Steed huffed at her. Ren smiled and stepped forward. ¡°I''ll remember this as well, the next time I cast you.¡± He said and pat the steed''s neck, then dismissed the spell. It faded away, and Princess went back into the house. Ren picked up the broken post and stored it, took out the Staff of Earth, and used it to move the dirt away from the part of the broken post in the ground. He pulled it out and stored it, then shoved another post in it''s place and used the staff to fill the dirt back in.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Ren went inside and saw Princess was already back in her room, and he greeted his two dogs, Riley and Stacy. He went over to Railyse''s room and knocked, and it opened right away. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°I''m so sorry that I''ve been away so long.¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Do you want to bite, or do you want another massive feeding?¡± ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Now that you''re here in front of me, I...¡± Ren could feel her indecision was causing her pain, so he made the choice for her. He eased her back into her room and shut the door, then took out his hammerpick and absorbed the enchantment. ¡°Ren, you-¡± ¡°Kneel, Future Queen.¡± Ren commanded. Railyse knelt without protest and opened her mouth all the way. It still bothered her a little that he was seeing her like that; but then, he tore open his wrist with the hammerpick and his blood poured out and down her throat. She couldn''t think of anything except how wonderful it tasted, and Ren could feel how much she liked it. Ren took out a Major Healing wand and kept using it on himself to refill his Health, and unlike the last time where she had to stop at just over 7 minutes, she actually made it to 10 minutes before she started to choke. He healed the wound and the blood stopped flowing, and Railyse closed her mouth. ¡°You are magnificent.¡± Railyse said, and stood up. ¡°So, did you cover the whole city with rain this time?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°No. Once I realized that was happening, I turned the energy into something more useful.¡± ¡°What do you... oh, hello.¡± Ren said as a 1 foot long water elemental came out of the water with a 6 inch one right behind it. ¡°You''re getting better at creating them.¡± He said and knelt to greet the younger one in Sea Dweller language. It spoke back in one word sentences, and Ren reached out a hand. It slapped it''s arm stub on his hand, and bubbled at him. ¡°You want a feeding, too?¡± Ren asked, and looked up at Railyse. ¡°Can it take it?¡± ¡°A small amount.¡± Railyse said. ¡°You don''t want to make it sick.¡± Ren touched the tip of his finger on the edge of the plow end of the hammerpick and pierced his skin, then held out the drop of blood. The baby water elemental put it''s head stub on his fingertip and sucked up the blood. He saw the red liquid go inside and swirl around to touch every part of it, then the blood faded away. Ren watched as it lifted it''s head stub, waited for the next drop of blood to form, then did it again. This happened 3 times, and the last time, the red color didn''t quite fade as fast. ¡°That''s enough.¡± Railyse said and Ren healed the wound. The baby elemental thanked him and splashed into the water. Ren could feel how much the other elemental wanted a taste, and used the hammerpick to make a small cut. The blood welled up quickly, and Ren held his finger out. The elemental bubbled and gurgled at him, and he chuckled. ¡°No, I''m not teasing you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I offer it freely and without need of reciprocation.¡± The water elemental responded to the formal declaration, and it''s head stub touched the cut and sucked up the offered blood. When it got to the point that it wasn''t dissipating quickly, it stopped itself and gurgled at Ren. ¡°You''re welcome, and I''m sorry I overreacted the last time, too.¡± The elemental bobbed it''s head stub and splashed back into the water. ¡°My mother would have definitely kept you, if she knew you would feed her subjects as well.¡± Railyse said. ¡°She almost kept me anyways.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°The other prisoners and I had rebuilt half of the city by the time our sentence was up.¡± ¡°I won''t speak ill of her for letting such a prize go.¡± Railyse chuckled and touched his cheek. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± ¡°Thanks for not being angry at me.¡± Ren said. ¡°It wasn''t your fault that you weren''t here.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I''ve heard of your adventures, but I would enjoy a first person account.¡± ¡°When I have time.¡± Ren said and grinned, and she laughed. ¡°Go and tend to your maids.¡± Railyse said. ¡°They eagerly await you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said, because he had felt them down the street when their Auras had merged. ¡°See you later.¡± Railyse nodded and he left her room. Ren took Anabelle''s hand and brought her up the stairs, and opened the bedroom door. ¡°Ren... what...¡± Anabelle started to say, and the other maids looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Just wait here.¡± Ren said and left the room at a run. He went downstairs and outside and over to the tower next door. He knocked, and the door opened, and he was greeted by a black haired beauty. ¡°My Lord.¡± ¡°May I come inside?¡± ¡°I thought you would never ask.¡± The woman purred, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I meant... never mind.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please tell everyone to get ready for Aura absorption through me, if they want.¡± ¡°You are going to share...¡± ¡°There''s no point in wasting an opportunity.¡± Ren said. ¡°I promised to keep you all well fed.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll tell them.¡± ¡°Try not to go overboard, Seldanna.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s going to be some emotions you won''t be able to handle.¡± ¡°How did you know it was me?¡± ¡°You only changed your skin color.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... we''re all nearly identical.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°I can feel you, remember?¡± Ren said and let his Emotion Siphon ability touch her. Seldanna gasped as it caressed her from the inside, and he absorbed some of how much it surprised and excited her that he could do that. ¡°I mastered the ability.¡± Ren said and smiled, then ran back over to the house and went inside. * ¡°What did he want?¡± One of the others asked as Seldanna shut the door. ¡°He''s going to share his encounters with his maids through his Aura.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°To those that want it.¡± ¡°Oh, my.¡± She said and ran over to the stairs. ¡°Hey! He''s going to share through the Aura!¡± ¡°Share what?¡± ¡°He''s got his maids next door!¡± ¡°Ooo!¡± One of the women looked down the stairs. ¡°He only played with the Marilith demon, what this going to feel like?¡± ¡°Hopefully like the best thing in the world!¡± * Xuunah had just come around the corner of the street and saw a short man run inside a house in the middle of the Housing District, with 2 men standing in front of it. Her Locate Arrow had led her through the city streets to this point, and she walked down the street. When she was 300 feet away from the house, she passed through the outer edge of a very powerful Aura. ¡°Void Bane.¡± Xuunah said in awe, and ran the rest of the way down the street to the house with the guards. Her arrow pointed inside and up, and she looked at the two men. ¡°May I approach? I need to speak to someone inside.¡± One of the men tapped the end of his sword on the door, and when it opened, a Water Realm being stood in front of her. Xuunah stepped back automatically, because she could feel how powerful the being was. I didn''t expect this. Xuunah thought in surprise. Why is a Sea Dweller living on the land? ¡°Can I help you?¡± Railyse asked, and smiled at the reaction she had received. ¡°I need to see the Void Bane.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°He is about to become very busy.¡± Railyse said. ¡°You should come back later.¡± ¡°Please.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°It''s urgent.¡± Railyse tilted her head slightly to the side. ¡°You are a-¡± ¡°SHH!¡± Xuunah reached out and covered Railyse''s mouth with her hand, and the two men beside the door grabbed her by the arms. They yelled and let her go, and smoke rose from their hands. Railyse didn''t like that a strange woman was touching her without her permission, so she bit the offered hand. ¡°AGH!¡± Xuunah yelled and pulled her hand back, and the multiple sets of teeth marks that were there oozed blood. ¡°Mmm.¡± Railyse said and licked her lips. ¡°Weak, but tasty.¡± ¡°WEAK!?!¡± Xuunah yelled, and then her Locate Arrow shifted down to point right at the Water Realm being. She watched as a human hand gently moved Railyse aside, and then Xuunah gasped. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Ren asked, then got a good look at her face. ¡°It''s you!¡± Xuunah and Ren said at the same time, and then the disguises on the skeleton knights dissolved. ¡°Just a second.¡± Ren said and used the disguise wand on the skeletons to cover them again, and he called over the others. He cast it on them as well, and they went back to their duties of guarding, scouting, and patrolling. ¡°You have the undead working for you?¡± Xuunah asked, surprised. ¡°They were a gift from the Lost Knights.¡± Ren said, and Xuunah gasped. ¡°You found them?!?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Well, I found a few of them.¡± He said. ¡°I recovered most of them from the piles of skulls I got from the Marilith demon.¡± Xuunah''s mouth dropped open, and he felt her shock. ¡°I''d like to explain it all, since it''s a great story; but, I''m going to be busy for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°What is it that you want?¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± Xuunah said. ¡°You did something to the Void Realm recently.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was afraid something like this would happen.¡± He sighed. ¡°What''s going to happen to me?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Xuunah blinked her eyes several times. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You''re here to arrest me or something, right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I detonated an Anti-void bomb inside the Void Realm.¡± He said. ¡°I knew there would be consequences.¡± ¡°You... did you say an Anti-void b-b-bomb?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I made them an offer to let me pass, and they refused.¡± He explained. ¡°I didn''t want a fight; so, I figured I''d show them that I didn''t have to fight them at all.¡± ¡°You certainly did that.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°My realm noticed right away, and then I was sent here to find you.¡± ¡°So, what happens now?¡± Ren asked. ¡°For now, I... I should... visit my daughter.¡± Xuunah said, to Ren''s surprise. ¡°I will be back to discuss this with you later.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said with relief. ¡°If you don''t have a place to stay, I have a spare room upstairs.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You''ve come a long way, and I''m sure you need a nice bed to sleep in.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You''re welcome to stay here.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m sure Nathalia will be delighted that you''ll be so close by.¡± Ren said. ¡°Her restaurant is over there, around the corner and down the street, right on the end of the Artesian District.¡± He said. ¡°It should be open for supper soon, and she usually shows up not long after that.¡± Xuunah looked at Ren with wide eyes. ¡°You are worried that I''ve come here to punish you for what you did, and yet you invited me into your home and then told me where my daughter will be.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I wasn''t going to let you just walk around and hope you found her.¡± He said. ¡°Plus, it wouldn''t be polite to not offer you a place to sleep.¡± Xuunah opened her mouth to refuse, but she could see the sincerity on his face. ¡°All right. I will be back in a few hours.¡± ¡°Here.¡± Ren said and gave her a coin pouch and a platinum coin. ¡°Buy dinner while you''re there.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Xuunah said and equipped the coin pouch and put the platinum coin in it. ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Ren said and handed the disguise wand to the skeleton knight. ¡°Keep replacing the spell every hour on yourself and the others when it''s up, and let that woman in when she comes back.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The skeleton knight disguised as a generic male said without opening his mouth, and it stored the wand. Ren stepped back into the house and closed the door. ¡°You know what she is.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I sure do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also know not to say it out loud.¡± ¡°Is that forbidden?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s just not a good idea to... attract that kind of attention.¡± Railyse smiled back. ¡°At least she''s tasty.¡± ¡°I''ve been replaced so easily.¡± Ren said sadly, and Railyse hugged him. ¡°Never, (bubble) (gurgle).¡± ¡°Fish stick?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°No.¡± Railyse said and leaned down to whisper in his ear. ¡°What... oh.¡± Ren said as she explained. ¡°I''m definitely going to take that as a compliment.¡± ¡°As it was intended.¡± Railyse kissed his cheek and let him go. ¡°Your maids await you.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek back. ¡°Bye!¡± Ren ran up the stairs quick as a flash and went into the main bedroom. Chapter 440A - Merry-Go-Round - EXPLICIT All the maids sat in various places in the bedroom, with 3 of the dwarf maids at their dressing tables, two of them on the bed, and Anabelle sat on a chair beside the bed. Ren felt how pensive they were; especially Anabelle. ¡°Ren...¡± Anabelle started to say, and he walked over to her. ¡°Anabelle, I could have stayed at the business and been with you there; but, I wanted the others to know how you feel about me.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... they know already.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Do they?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You don''t share an Aura with them, so you may have talked back and forth.¡± He said and sat down on the bed beside her. ¡°They haven''t felt how you feel, though.¡± Anabelle sighed. ¡°How could they?¡± She asked. ¡°You weren''t here, and all we could do was wait anxiously for you to return!¡± Ren reached a hand out and cupped the side of her face. ¡°I know for a fact that you were the most anxious.¡± Anabelle closed her eyes and Ren felt how much she liked his touch, and he shared that with the other maids. He felt their reactions, and they moved from where they sat to stand around her and Ren. She looked at them, and saw the caring looks on their faces. ¡°N-no, don''t... don''t look at me like that.¡± Anabelle said and closed her eyes. ¡°I... I don''t deserve it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Frikara said. ¡°I''m jealous of you all!¡± Anabelle said, and they felt her anger. ¡°There are so many of you, and you all spend every night with him when he''s here!¡± Frikara smiled and knelt by her. ¡°He has sex with you, and not us.¡± She said and pat her hand. ¡°It''s us that are jealous of you.¡± She said, and chuckled. ¡°Or envious. Sometimes I don''t know the difference.¡± ¡°Jealous is when you''re afraid someone will steal what you have, and envious is where you want what someone else has and can''t have it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Neither is true in this case.¡± Frikara nodded for a moment, and then her eyes widened. ¡°R-Ren?¡± ¡°I brought Anabelle here so that you could all feel how much she means to me, and how much I mean to her.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like to make love to her, right here in this bed.¡± Anabelle looked at the other women. ¡°R-Ren, I... I don''t...¡± She again looked at the other women. ¡°Do I have to share?¡± ¡°No, I won''t ask you, or any of you for that matter, to do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°This isn''t a... well, a group thing. Sharing, yes. Making love? Not really.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I could give two of you my attention at the same time; but, that reduces the attention each of you gets.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I can do it, but that''s not my strength.¡± Anabelle took several breaths and let it out. ¡°Are... are you asking me to have sex with you, right here, in front of 5 other women?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Anabelle looked at the other women and didn''t see any denial or hatred. ¡°I... well, I... we can try.¡± ¡°If you''re uncomfortable, just say no.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just want everyone to feel what you feel.¡± ¡°I don''t feel what you feel.¡± Anabelle said, then sighed. ¡°I can detect your Aura, but... sharing feelings is... it''s beyond me.¡± ¡°Not any more.¡± Ren said and reached down to touch her Strong Ring of Storage and used Double Infusion to enchant it with a picture of a document on fire. He touched one of his Rings of Boosted Sustenance and used Double Infusion to give it the same symbol.
Notice!
You have gained a new Aura: Freedom Level 1 (Beginner 0%) - Special: Only usable with another Freedom Aura to create an emotional link. Current distance: 10 foot radius
¡°I want you to think back to that day. The day I gained your old contracts from Lord Eric.¡± Anabelle''s face changed from blank to surprise. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Ren said. ¡°Remember how you felt when I tossed them in the fire.¡± ¡°I... I was so... I was devastated.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°but... but then you made a new one, just for me!¡± The new Aura snapped into place around her, and Ren smiled as he concentrated on the Freedom Aura, and it merged with hers. ¡°AH!¡± Anabelle gasped and felt his emotions. ¡°I can feel you!¡± ¡°I can feel you, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, I can make a Connection between this Aura and the Contact Aura the maids share.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Anabelle said, and Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Just you. I only want to feel you.¡± Ren looked at the maids. ¡°You can still feel it through me, right?¡± The maids nodded, and Ren cupped the side of Anabelle''s face. She gasped as his appreciation for her flooded into her, and her desire for him bubbled up and out of where she had carefully concealed it. She stood up and stored her clothing, which left her with only a small pair of panties and the skimpiest bra Ren sold. ¡°On the bed!¡± Anabelle demanded, and Ren stored his armor bodysuit to leave himself in just his underwear and moved backwards onto the bed and laid down. Anabelle crawled on top of him and kissed him hard. Frikara and the other maids brought chairs over to the bed and sat down without saying a word, and they revelled in Anabelle''s repressed and now unleashed desire. Ren looked at Anabelle and she saw the need in his face. ¡°I... I can feel how much you want me.¡± Anabelle said with wonder in her voice. ¡°Why? Why do you...¡± ¡°I can feel how much you want me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t help but want you back.¡± Anabelle smiled. ¡°You don''t know how happy... no, you do know, don''t you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°So do the others.¡± He said, and Anabelle looked at the other maids that sat around the bed. She saw similar looks on their faces, and that made her even happier. ¡°You don''t hate me.¡± ¡°How could we?¡± Frikara said. ¡°We suspected you cared about him a lot more than you let on, but...¡± ¡°The proof is something else, isn''t it?¡± Ren said, and Anabelle looked down at him. ¡°Even I was a bit surprised.¡± He smiled. ¡°Now take off your bra and underwear so you can ride me as hard as you want.¡± Anabelle laughed at his playfulness, and she stored her undergarments. Ren did the same, and felt the entire focus of everyone in the room shift to between his legs. ¡°Mjolnir.¡± The maids whispered, and that made Ren laugh. They gasped as his joy filled both shared Auras, and Anabelle moved to position herself over him. ¡°I''m going to ride you so hard that you''re going to beg me to stop.¡± Anabelle said, and sat down hard onto him. ¡°AHHH!¡± She yelled as he slid all the way inside in one go. ¡°You''ll be exhausted long before I even think of begging you to stop.¡± Ren said and grabbed her hips to lift her up and almost all the way off. ¡°R-Ren!¡± Anabelle said in protest, then Ren pulled her down to make her yell again. ¡°Oh, god!¡± ¡°Who''s going to beg who to stop?¡± Ren asked and kept picking her up and pulling her down, over and over. ¡°N-n-not m-me!¡± Anabelle said and started to do the same motion herself. Her hands flailed out and around to try and grab onto something, and then her hands met two other hands. They braced her and she steadied her rhythm, and they all felt each other through Ren. He felt something massive building up in the Auras, and he knew it was going to be something spectacular. Ren reached up to cup Anabelle''s breasts and massaged them as she rode him just as hard as she said she would. The other maids went along for the ride, and they were all breathing heavy as that massive something came closer and closer. ¡°Can... can you feel that?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°That... god, is that... OH GOD!¡± The orgasm hit Anabelle like a freight train and her entire body locked up as the pleasure overrode all of her motor functions. ¡°By the gods!¡± Frikara said as the massive wave of pleasure made her and the other maids finish. Ren didn''t take any of it for himself and had funnelled everything out to the maids. Lusinia and Navruth gasped, Verwynn had frozen like Anabelle did, and Andrela had collapsed onto the bed and rolled around like a cat with catnip. It took several minutes for them to recover, especially Anabelle, and Ren had laid there and patiently waited. ¡°You didn''t... why didn''t you...¡± ¡°I wanted you to have a turn first.¡± Ren said and picked her up. She held onto the two hands that held hers as Ren counter-balanced while still inside of her, and laid her down on her back. Andrela''s head was right beside Anabelle''s now, and both women looked up at Ren with wide eyes. ¡°Prepare yourself.¡± Ren said and pulled almost all the way out, and Anabelle clenched up tightly as she expected him to shove into her hard. He smiled and very slowly and carefully pushed his way back inside. The sensations and the feelings from Ren drove Anabelle wild, and she kept shaking her head no as he moved in and out as slowly as he could manage. ¡°F-f-faster.¡± Anabelle whispered. ¡°Please... just... just a little faster.¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said and went even slower. Anabelle almost cried in frustration, and that feeling was shared by the other maids as well. ¡°R-Ren.¡± Frikara said, and he looked at her. She had a hold of Anabelle''s hand, and was panting just as hard. ¡°Please... you''re... by the gods, hurry up!¡± Ren chuckled, and let a feeling of naughtiness fill both shared Auras. He did two more agonizingly slow movements in and out, then jammed himself in and out three times in quick succession without warning. ¡°GAHH!¡± Anabelle, Frikara, and Verwynn yelled together and finished again. Ren slowed down again and he felt that they all were starting to resent him because he wasn''t giving them what Anabelle wanted. He leaned down and kissed one of the tips of her breasts, and Anabelle gasped and twitched. ¡°Is that what you really want?¡± Ren whispered to Anabelle, and she nodded. So did Verwynn. He grinned. ¡°Ask and you shall receive.¡± He said, then moved as fast as his new speed would let him. ¡°Ahhhhh... AAAHHHHH... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!¡± Anabelle hollered at the top of her lungs as he gave her what she wanted without reservation or holding anything back. He moved in and out of her so fast that she felt like he was both inside her and not inside her at the same time. ¡°Ren! Ren! Ren! Ren! Ren!¡± Anabelle said in a constant stream, and Ren felt another massive thing grow within the shared Auras. It was a lot bigger than the last one, and this one he wasn''t going to completely give away and wanted to enjoy it himself. Anabelle felt his determination to share in her pleasure, and that brought her back to herself. ¡°T-together! Let''s... OH MY GOD!¡± A moment later Anabelle had another orgasm; but, this one was completely mind-blowing for both her and the maids. Ren felt them lose themselves in the feeling and how much they all wanted to feel it with him; and he couldn''t hold back anymore and finished himself.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°REN!¡± They all yelled together at the same time as he let both his physical and emotional pleasure out for them to feel, and he used his ability to caress all of them on the inside at the same time. They caught their breath as he filled them up emotionally, and they finished again. They all collapsed onto the bed completely spent, even though they hadn''t done much physically, and Ren propped himself up to look at what he had done. Anabelle lounged on the bed with the heads of the 5 maids arrayed around her. ¡°Was that too much?¡± Ren asked. Anabelle and Verwynn chuckled, Lusinia and Navruth nodded, and Frikara and Andrela just stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°So, that''s a definite maybe.¡± Ren said, and that made them all laugh. ¡°Oh, don''t make me laugh!¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Not while you''re still...¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and pulled himself out of her, then sat down beside her. He saw her wince a little, used a hand to gently probe her, then took out a Minor Healing wand and healed her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Anabelle said and rubbed herself. ¡°It was... well...¡± ¡°Fantastic!¡± Verwynn said. ¡°If you ever decide that...¡± ¡°Verwynn.¡± Frikara admonished her, and she sighed. ¡°I can''t even say that I want it like that?¡± ¡°We promised not to tease him, remember?¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Verwynn.¡± Ren said. ¡°Because-¡± ¡°No, I''m sorry.¡± Verwynn said and cut him off. ¡°We really did agree not to tease you.¡± ¡°Can I speak without an interruption?¡± Ren asked, and she blushed as she nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡± He said. ¡°I can''t do that for you, because I believe we agreed that Andrela would be first.¡± ¡°Wh-wh-what?!?¡± Andrela exclaimed. ¡°My Lady, would you do me the honor of accepting me as a potential suitor?¡± ¡°But... but... but...¡± Andrela stammered and her emotions were swirling around and changing from being scared to being so flattered that she didn''t know what to think. ¡°I know it''s just a formality, since I don''t have a House and can''t be considered as a husband; but, I also don''t want you to think that all I''m doing is using you.¡± Ren explained. ¡°You can feel what I feel about it... and about you... so all I can do is ask and await your answer.¡± ¡°But... you just... don''t you have to wait?¡± Andrela asked. Anabelle chuckled. ¡°Was this why you brought me here? To help convince them that you can keep going?¡± Ren gave Anabelle a quick kiss. ¡°No, all I wanted was for everyone to know how I felt, and how you felt about me.¡± He said and equipped his armor bodysuit for an instant to clean up, then stored it again. ¡°Now you all know, and I can tell that it''s made you all happier.¡± ¡°Experiencing this... sharing with you... is what did that.¡± Frikara said and sat up. ¡°You... you don''t have to... we''ve been working hard to...¡± Ren cupped the side of her face, and she felt that he had made the decision, and she took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°You''re really... you want to...¡± Frikara tried to say, and Ren kissed her. Her arms wrapped around him automatically, and she held on as she kissed him without any reservations at all as she finally let out how much she wanted him. Ren broke the kiss a few moments later, and she sighed. ¡°Andrela first.¡± Ren said, and Frikara let him go. He turned to Andrela and held a hand out to her. ¡°My Lady?¡± ¡°M-m-my L-l-lord.¡± Andrela said with her head slightly bowed and took his hand, then she gasped as his desire filled her. It matched her own, and she looked at him and they locked gazes. Ren lifted her hand and she stood up for him. He let her hand go and stood up himself as he rubbed his hands on her bare shoulders. ¡°D-d-do you w-want me t-to s-store my d-dress?¡± Andrela asked shakily. Ren shook his head no and reached around her to undo the back of the dress. He eased his hands back around to the front and used his thumbs to inch the dress down a little, then a little more, and then the tension of the cloth being held in place disappeared and the dress slid off of her and down to the floor. Andrela''s face flushed red from embarrassment, even though she had been topless in front of him every night they had slept in the same bed together. Her skin was as white as it could possibly be, nearly transparent; but surprisingly, she didn''t have a single freckle anywhere. Her breasts were only a little bit more than a handful, and Ren had to concentrate to make out the tips. They were so light that it was hard to distinguish where the edges were, and then he quickly glanced down at her special place to see that she had already stored her underwear. The most surprising thing Ren noticed was that there wasn''t a trace of hair anywhere on her, except for her head and eyebrows. Just like him. Andrela''s long straight red hair highlighted just how pale she was. Her blush travelled down her neck and the top of her chest turned a little red. ¡°D-d-don''t s-stare at m-me like th-that.¡± ¡°You''re too beautiful not to admire.¡± Ren said, and she felt that it was true. He really believed she was beautiful. Her eyes teared up, and Ren took her into a hug. She put her arms around him, and she felt how much he wanted her. ¡°Thank you, thank you, thank you...¡± Andrela repeated, almost like a chant, and Ren leaned back a little to look at her. ¡°Thank you, Andrela.¡± Ren said, and kissed her. Her hands dug into the skin on his back, and he felt her desperation. It was even worse than Anabelle''s had been when he had neglected her, and Ren picked Andrela up in his arms. ¡°I''m going to make love to you now.¡± ¡°P-p-please!¡± Andrela said, and he gently put her down onto the bed. He ran his hands down her body and rested them on her thighs. She didn''t need any prompting as she eased her legs apart. ¡°Look at that.¡± Ren said and kissed his way up her thigh, then stopped right at her special place. He used his tongue to lick the very edge of her, and her entire body tensed up as she went. Warm liquid trickled out of her in a steady stream, and Ren wasn''t going to let that go untended. ¡°It seems I have a bit of a mess to clean up.¡± Ren said and dug his tongue inside of her. ¡°AHH!¡± Andrela yelled as she went again. ¡°You poor thing.¡± Frikara said as she laid down on the bed beside Andrela. ¡°I didn''t realize it was this difficult for you to be near him without being with him.¡± ¡°I... I hid it.¡± Andrela said. ¡°I couldn''t... he couldn''t know I... that... AHHH!¡± She yelled as she went again. ¡°She''s like an overstrung bow.¡± Anabelle said, her voice full of concern. ¡°Ren, you can''t keep plucking her string, or she''s going to break.¡± Ren stopped licking, then gently kissed Andrela''s special place. ¡°I really like doing that.¡± He said and moved up to place himself at her opening. ¡°I usually work a woman over before getting to this step.¡± ¡°Just do it!¡± Verwynn said, and everyone looked at her. ¡°Can''t you feel it? She''s... all I can think of is that she''s starving.¡± ¡°Not any more.¡± Ren said and pushed himself inside of her. Andrela wrapped her legs around him and gripped his shoulders. ¡°I''ll feed you as much as I can.¡± ¡°Oh... oh, Ren!¡± Andrela said as he started to move, and she knew he would keep his word and ''feed'' her as much as she wanted. She was really tight, so he had to go slow for the first few minutes; then she adjusted to him and eased down on how much she gripped him. He leaned close and kissed her, then moved faster. Ren could feel it building within her, and so did everyone else. He was sharing everything; his feelings, her feelings, and even the feelings of the other maids. He could tell when Andrela was getting close, so he slowed down and felt it move away. ¡°Wh-what... what are you... Ren, please...¡± ¡°I''m not ready yet.¡± Ren said and kept moving. ¡°Soon, though.¡± He almost laid on top of her and put his face beside her head and kissed her ear. Andrela gasped at the sensations he was bringing out of her, and so did the other maids. After a few minutes, he started to throb inside of her. He picked up the pace and Andrela''s body matched his movements. For every thrust he put into her, she pushed her hips up to meet him. He reached deep down inside of her, both physically and emotionally with his Emotion Siphon ability; and when he was about to finish, he spoke softly into her ear so that only she could hear him. ¡°I want you to have my child.¡± Ren whispered, then spilled himself inside of her as he orgasmed. ¡°BY THE GODS!¡± Andrela yelled as her entire body reacted to his words. She clenched up so hard on him that it felt like he was in a vise, and then she finished as well. She bit into his shoulder with her teeth, then growled and tried to chew on him as her arms and legs held him tightly. No one tried to stop her from biting him, because they were all going along for the emotional roller coaster that her extreme pleasure was giving them. None of them could believe how much she had repressed her sexual desire, and Ren felt how much she wanted him to bite her back. He wasn''t really into that kind of thing; but since he wanted to make her happy, he dug his teeth into her soft shoulder and bit her. ¡°GRRR!!¡± Andrela growled and moaned as she went again, and that made Ren go again. They all felt how happy she was, and then she started to calm down as their feelings of happiness and joy for her let her come back to herself. She stopped biting him, and he stopped biting her, and she opened her arms to slide them up to his shoulders; but, she kept her legs wrapped around him. ¡°My Lord, I... Ren, I...¡± Andrela tried to talk as sorrow for biting him filled her. ¡°Don''t be sorry.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°You can bite me as much as you want.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°Does my shoulder look damaged?¡± Ren asked, and she looked at it. ¡°It... but, I... I chewed on you!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I never thought I''d ever be used as a chew toy; but, I''m really glad it was someone so cute that did it.¡± Andrela''s face flushed red again at his sincere compliment, and he gave her another kiss. He tried to move out of her, but she kept her legs around him. ¡°Andrela?¡± ¡°Just... hold me for a few minutes.¡± Andrela said. ¡°I want to... to keep this memory.¡± Ren smiled and hugged her, then nuzzled her neck for a few minutes. ¡°How was that?¡± ¡°It was... how can you still be so hard?¡± Andrela asked. ¡°It''s a gift.¡± Ren said with a smile. Andrela unwrapped her legs from around his waist, and Ren pulled out of her. He equipped his armor bodysuit for an instant to clean up, and stored it again. He turned to Frikara and smiled. ¡°My Lady, would you do me the honor of accepting me as a potential suitor?¡± Ren asked. ¡°By the gods, yes!¡± Frikara said and jumped on him. Ren laughed as she kissed his cheek and his nose, and then he felt her feelings turn very serious. He looked her in the eyes, and she very carefully kissed him and stared at him. She broke the kiss and smiled. ¡°Undress me.¡± Frikara said, and Ren obliged. He undid the back of her dress and eased it down, to reveal a pair of the nicest breasts he had ever seen. She felt his appreciation of the sight, and touched his cheek. ¡°I think it''s time you tasted them.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lady.¡± Ren said and cupped one of her breasts with both of his hands and stuck the tip of it into his mouth. ¡°OH!¡± Frikara said as he sucked on it like it was going to give him milk to drink, and her heart beat faster as he switched to her other breast and did the same thing. He played with her breasts for several minutes, then laid her down on the bed and slid her dress off all the way. Anabelle didn''t even have to move over, since the bed was so big; so, she stayed where she was as Ren eased Frikara''s underwear off to reveal her completely naked body. Frikara had dark black hair that would have been long, had it not been constantly done up in a tight hairdo. It kind of looped in on itself and looked quite stylish; and Ren asked her to undo it for him. She did so, and her dark hair cascaded down and over the bed like a wave. Her light skin was as appealing as her chest; which was a good size, had dark tips, and contrasted with her dark hair nicely. Her womanhood was obscured by hair as thick and dark as the hair on her head, and he felt that it suited her quite well. She was statuesque and a little thin, even for her short height of 4 foot 5 inches; but, it suited her body type well and she looked tantalizing as she laid on the bed to wait for him. ¡°Can I go down on you, or...¡± ¡°You can do what you want.¡± Frikara said, and Ren felt her utter freedom as it filled the shared Aura. ¡°I''m yours, and will be forevermore.¡± Ren smiled and laid down between her legs, and she felt how much he was going to enjoy it. When his lips touched her there, she shivered. He liked that a lot, and he made sure to lick and taste everything. She had much more composure than Andrela did; and Ren wasn''t sure if it was because she had already gone several times or if she would always be this composed. He found a sensitive spot on her and used it with his tongue, then added a finger. Frikara was already soaked, even though he hadn''t made her finish; and he doubled his efforts to make sure she was going to feel good. Frikara had thought Ren was going to give up on trying to please her that way, mainly because it was taking so long; but, he kept at it. Being played with there wasn''t one of her favorite things, and Ren could tell that she wasn''t as into it as she could have been. Time to pull out the stops. Ren thought, clamped his mouth over her little nub, shoved two of his fingers inside of her opening over and over as he sucked on her and flicked his tongue on her sensitive part. ¡°AhhHH!¡± Frikara exclaimed and went. She had never had that happen before from being kissed there; so, she was quite unprepared to see a stream of warm liquid spray out and onto Ren''s face. ¡°N-N-NO!¡± Ren felt her shock at the spectacle, so he let both tranquility and happiness fill the shared Aura. ¡°It''s all right, Frikara.¡± He said. ¡°That was great!¡± ¡°B-but I... you''re face is...¡± Ren used a hand to wipe at his face and licked his hand and then his lips. ¡°I couldn''t have had a better compliment.¡± He said. ¡°I could feel that you weren''t really into it, so I tried my best to make you go.¡± ¡°It worked.¡± Frikara said. She was still embarrassed; but, she could feel that Ren really did like that it happened. ¡°Now stop playing and become one with me.¡± Ren equipped his armor bodysuit for an instant to clean up, then stored it as he laid down and positioned himself at her opening. ¡°Are you sure you''re ready?¡± Ren asked. ¡°More than I ever have been.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Of all the times I thought I was ready, I wasn''t. I never knew that you... that we... yes, dearest. I''m ready for you.¡± Ren slid inside of her and only had to push when he was almost all the way in. Frikara closed her eyes as they became one, and a tear escaped the corners. He used a hand to wipe her eyes, and she opened them to look at him. ¡°I''m so happy!¡± ¡°I know you are.¡± Ren said and kissed her. He made love to her for almost half an hour before he felt her start to get close. He knew the fast and quick approach wasn''t going to work on her, since her body''s response to stimuli was so low; so, he kept going at a slow and steady pace. ¡°R-Ren!¡± Frikara said and he felt a spike in her emotions. ¡°I''m... by the gods, I... I''m going to...¡± Ren leaned in close to put his mouth by her ear, just like he did with Andrela, and spoke softly so that only she could hear him. ¡°Give me an heir.¡± He whispered and kissed her cheek, then spilled himself inside of her as he orgasmed. ¡°AHHHHHHHHHH!!!¡± Frikara screamed as she felt Ren fill her up, and she orgasmed hard as an emotional volcano erupted inside of her at the same time. The other maids yelled as well, as they felt all the years of her frustration and sorrow at being discarded and ignored. It flooded out like lava from her and tried to burn them all with it''s negativity. Ren used his ability to scoop it all up before it could do any damage to anyone, and swallowed it whole. They all looked at him with wide eyes as he used his ability to delve deep into Frikara to find all of those feelings, and he pulled them out of her. ¡°R-Ren!¡± Frikara''s face was covered in tears, and he kissed them. ¡°You are not alone. You are here, you are loved, and you are needed.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can feel it, right? How much we all need you? How much you mean to us?¡± ¡°I... I do.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Then you never need to worry about being ignored.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might not have been here the last little while; but, I was always thinking about you.¡± ¡°I k-know.¡± Frikara sobbed. ¡°You wanted to get back to us, even while you were fighting for your life.¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± Ren smiled and kissed her. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t tell you that this could happen between us before I was hurt during my Adventurer''s business, and I regret that I couldn''t make it back to you until now.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Frikara said, and the other maids echoed her. He felt 5 hands on his back, and the emotions they shared with him made him smile. Gratitude, disbelief, satisfaction, desire, and contentment. He eased out of Frikara and sat up, while the others kept their hands on him. Verwynn looked at Ren''s still erect member and shook her head. ¡°It really is Mjolnir.¡± ¡°I think someone just volunteered to be the next one to ''feel the thunder''.¡± Ren said in a deep voice, and that made everyone laugh. ¡°Yes, please.¡± Verwynn said, and Ren made her feel the thunder. She liked it. She liked it a lot. Lusinia was next, and then Navruth; and much to everyone''s surprise, he satisfied them all. Chapter 441 - Is That All? The next morning, after an enjoyable night with the maids, Ren left the bedroom after putting on his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, and ran down the stairs to the kitchen to start implementing his plan. He thought it might be a dangerous plan, especially if it got out of hand, and he took out the two normal books he had gotten from Rosie. They were the Level 4 and Level 5 Basic Spell books, and he opened them to the index pages to see the spells inside.
Spell List Level 4
Name Page
Acid Storm 2
Barrage of Wind 3
Cause Major Wounds 4
Create Clothing 5
Disease 6
Displacement 8
Elemental Walls 9
Entangle 10
Gaseous Form 11
Invisibility (Group) 12
Leap 13
Levitate 14
Neutralize Poison 16
Phantom Trap 17
Poison 18
Prying Eyes 19
Scorching Ray 20
Spell List Level 5
Name Page
Cause Critical Wounds 2
Charm Group 3
Curse 4
Detect All 5
Elemental Weapon 6
Enlarge or Reduce Anything 7
Firestorm 8
Full Illusion 9
Full Restoration 10
Imbue With Spell 11
Imprisonment 12
Paralyze 13
Remove Curse 14
Remove Effect 15
Remove Paralysis 16
Shaper 17
Summon Ally 18
Summon Monster 19
Viewing Cloud 20
Ren frowned, because he had thought he would get the Permanency spell with the Level 5 spell book, then remembered Rosie had given him a special book. He took it out and gasped when he read the title.
Noctus Eternum
Advanced Spells For The Hardcore Spell Caster
Holy crap! Ren thought, and read it.
Spell List - Advanced
Name Page
Astral Projection 2
Blade Barrier 3
Break Enchantment 4
Darkness 5
Disintegrate 6
Erase Writing 7
Explosion 8
Fall Without Falling / Fly 9
Merge Items 10
Permanency 11
Petrify 12
Polymorph 13
Portal 14
Sanctuary 15
Shadow Creation 16
Soul Bind 17
Spell Immunity 18
Transmute 19
Undying 20
Void Annihilation Portal 21
Whirlwind 22
Wondrous Lightning Storm 23
Oh, wow. Ren thought and just stared at the list of spells. That''s... wow. ¡°Look at the Polymorph spell!¡± Teepo said, excitedly. Ren flipped to the right page and read it.
Polymorph Spell
This spell allows you (or a person you touch) to assume the form of another humanoid-type being of any size category (Tiny, Small, Normal, Large, Giant, Humongous). The change is accompanied by excruciating pain because the body itself changes, and not just the appearance. The changed person gains the Strength, Dexterity and Agility of the new form, but retains the Intelligence, Wisdom, Vitality, Endurance, and Luck of their original form. They also gain any extraordinary or special attacks the new form has, but do not gain any spell-like abilities or affinities.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Please Note: You cannot change into an incorporeal or gaseous form, as they do not have physical bodies; nor can they be changed to have a physical form. Warning: The Polymorph spell is permanent unless you have the Shape Change ability. If you die in the new form, your body will revert back to it''s original form (but you will still be dead).
Ha! Ren thought in amusement. I knew there was a hidden catch to the Polymorph helm! ¡°You would have had to keep switching forms every 5 minutes if you hadn''t changed the time and included yourself in the ingredients as the default.¡± Teepo said. Yeah, and I wouldn''t have known I couldn''t change back until I died. Ren thought and shook his head. I really have to thank Rosie for this advanced spell book! ¡°You should tear out the pages for Soul Bind, Shadow Creation, Undying, and Void Annihilation Portal.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°You do not want to know those spells.¡± I''m curious about the Undying one, though. Ren thought and started to flip the pages. ¡°NO!¡± Teepo yelled and Ren closed the book before he saw the page with the spell on it. Okay, okay. Ren sighed, then opened the book again and flipped to the page with the Permanency spell to read it.
Permanency Spell
This spell allows you to make certain other spell effects permanent. Please Note: Permanency (if detected) can be dispelled by a caster or wand of equal level as the original caster, and the spell that was permanent will regain it''s original limitations.
That''s it? Ren asked, and saw the rest of the page was blank. It''s that easy? ¡°You needed a special book to get it.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Did you want it to be more difficult?¡± No, it''s just surprising that it''s not. Ren chuckled and took out a Level 5 wand and replaced the charges with the Permanency spell and stored it. I am going to abuse the hell out of it, too. Teepo chittered in laughter, and Ren read through the Level 4 and Level 5 spells, and very carefully read through the Advanced spells that he wanted, and not the spells Teepo had mentioned. His friend was smart and wise, and he took his advice. Ren equipped his Armor and replaced one of his Fireball wands with the Firestorm spell, just because he figured he might need it. Plus, when he was out in the middle of nowhere, he wanted to see what it actually was. He looked at the Whirlwind spell and wanted to see that as well and replaced one of the Web wands with it. Okay, now... what else? Ren asked himself. Oh, yeah. He brought up the messaging system and chose the option for a message to the tech department. He typed up a quick note asking about the overtly sexualized interactions he had witnessed between Russell, a young but tall kid, and 2 different girls in his county. Ren wanted to know why it was happening, why it was necessary, and why it had happened more than once. He explained that he knew it was a good idea to encourage NPC spawning, but didn''t understand why it was apparently with all NPCs and not just teenagers and older. With that task done, he checked his missed messages and stared at the total. 83 of them? He thought, and started to go through them. A lot of them were from people he didn''t know. They asked for favors, money, discounts, free stuff, to chat, and some wanted to hang out. Ren sighed, because he knew it was because he had hit the top XP spot 4 times now, and once as part of a party. He deleted most of the ones he didn''t know, kept some that he kind of recognized, then concentrated on the ones he did know. The last of which was a message from the CEO of Sid Tec, Mr. Edward Torren.
Ren,
I''d like to apologize for not giving you this sooner, even though I had promised it a while ago. I honestly couldn''t think of anything to give you that wouldn''t completely unbalance you, then Ms. Stanford gave me an idea. You will find that idea in your inventory inside a special box. I hope this will make up for the game denying you all of that Honor converted XP.
Edward Torren
I wonder what it could be? Ren asked himself as he fought his impulse to check it right away, then looked at the last bunch of messages. A couple of them were from Clint. One was about him wondering if Ren wanted to join the rest of the party for relaxing on the weekend, and the other was concern over Ren not responding. Ren typed up a response and said he was going to be busy for a couple of days, and if possible he would join them for some relaxing. He didn''t tell Clint about going through Shargon Caverns, though. Ren checked another message, and it was from Selene, the Mistress of Dance. She had broken a sword and damaged another, and no one she took them to could repair them. He chuckled and sent her a message to tell her she could bring them to him at the starter city of Aurora, then looked at the last 3 messages. They were from Janice, and each one was progressively more hostile and worried. Ren had missed the last few lessons with her, and the last message said she was too busy to just wait around for him to show up when he felt like it. Ren sighed and sent her an apology, then said he would see her in a few hours to explain and to wait for him. After he sent the message, he received a popup saying that he had a new message. It was from Selene, and she said she needed the swords desperately and would take a break from questing for the next few days to travel from the capital city of Bore-Reale and back to Aurora for him to work on them. Ren thought about how far away the city was and how long it actually took to travel by normal means, and he sighed. He didn''t want her to travel all that way for a pair of swords that he could make in only a few minutes, so he activated the chat option.
Ren On second thought, just meet me in front of the castle in the capital city in two hours. I''ll have swords ready for you.
Selene How is that possible?
Ren Don''t worry about it.
Selene Are you that close? I thought you said you were in Aurora?
Ren I said not to worry about it.
Selene Ren, that''s a three day journey on a good horse!
Ren Not for me.
Selene You''re not going to tell me, are you?
Ren You''ll see it for yourself in two hours.
Selene Well, okay. I''ll see you then.
Ren closed the chat and walked over to the back bedroom and knocked. He opened the door and greeted Princess properly. ¡°How would you like a quick run to the capital city?¡± Ren asked her, and she stood up immediately. Let us go. ¡°I should make the swords first; but, I can do it there. You''re right. Let''s go.¡± Ren said, and led her outside. He climbed up on top of her to sit on the saddle on her armored back, then Princess trotted at a fast pace down the road. Once she saw that no one was between her and the West Gate, she took off at half of her speed. They reached the turn-off to the capital city, and Teepo confirmed there was nothing. She huffed in pleasure as she ran as fast as she could, and Teepo chittered in delight. They made the three day journey in just over an hour, and Ren had Princess come to a stop on the outskirts of the city and at a small field. He gave her some food to eat, took out his shop tower, and activated it. He went inside and made a mold for a sword blank. He made it a bit thicker than normal, then poured it out. Ren used his Fire Manipulation skill to keep the metal hot and folded it, then folded it again. He reheated it and did the same thing, then did it again and again. He folded it a dozen times to make it as strong as anything else he had ever made, then poured out another blank and did the same thing to it. He didn''t rush, but since his Strength was so high it took him almost no time to hammer the metal out to the proper shape. The molten metal still had gold in it from when he made the amulets, so when Ren was done, he had two golden swords that gleamed in the light. He had made them the same size and shape as the swords she had, and then he thought about the enchantments she would want. She''s definitely going to want Dexterity and Agility boosts. Ren thought, and enchanted one with 25 runes of Dexterity and 25 runes of Agility, then he shrugged and enchanted the other one with the same enchantment. Now... a set rune so she''ll get a minor stat boost, then make them twice as light... hmm, what else? ¡°Speed.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°Oh, and sharpness.¡± That''s good! Ren thought, then remembered that sword he had replaced for Hank. It had a free strike during an attack, so he opened that recipe and added Set, Speed, Antidark and Sharpness runes to it, then used Double Infusion to set the new enchantments into both swords as he thought about Selene. He polished them to a shine and held them up so they gleamed in the light from the forge. There we go. Ren thought and examined them.
Selene''s Quick Carving Swords (Rare Wondrous Items - Binds on Equip - Paired Weapons)
These swords have been imbued with various enchantments to make them extremely easy to use. When an attack is made with these weapons, a second strike can be performed for free, with no cost to Stamina. These swords grant: Free Strike (Temporary Skill), +50 Damage, +50 Dexterity, +50 Agility, +50% to Speed, Sharp +40 Damage (+20 per blade). Damage: 250 (160 Normal Damage, plus bonuses) Durability: 2000 / 2000 Warning: Both weapons must be used for the Set bonus and full effects to be available. They are half as light as they should be, but are twice as strong. They also cannot be sharpened further.
Oh, yeah. She''ll like these. Ren chuckled, then a thought occurred to him. He took out a wand and replaced the spells with Erase Writing and used it on the swords, and his glyphs disappeared. He examined them and received the same popup, so all it did was erase the physical signs of the enchantment. That''s how they did it! Ren thought in surprise. Those times when I felt or encountered something and couldn''t find the runes! They were erased! He took out the Permanency wand and cast it on the Erase spell, then stored the wand and the swords. He left the instant tower to deactivate and store it, then went to Princess. Teepo? How much time before the meeting? ¡°About 10 minutes.¡± Teepo said. Ren equipped his armor and climbed up onto the saddle on Princess'' back, and she ran down the road and slowed when she came to the city gate because of all the people. They still aren''t checking anyone for weapons or anything. Ren thought in surprise as he rode his mount into the city. ¡°I''m a little glad that they don''t.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They would have to confiscate Princess, wouldn''t they?¡± Ren chuckled. Definitely. Princess huffed and brayed her amusement as she imagined someone trying to confiscate her, and it made Ren laugh out loud. Several people watched him as he rode an armored mount through the city streets. It took almost the whole 10 minutes to get to the castle, and even though it was nearly lunch time, he had to dismount and lead Princess by her reins for the last two streets. * ¡°Over there!¡± A voice said, and Selene turned to look. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Selene laughed when she saw Ren walk around the corner. ¡°I can''t believe that he actually... made it... here.¡± Her words drifted off as Princess came around the corner behind him and Selene saw the fully armored mount. ¡°I''d probably curse my head off if there wasn''t a guard standing right behind me.¡± ¡°I''ll do it, so you won''t get in trouble.¡± The guard said, and cursed under his breath to make her laugh. He had never seen such a mount before, and he knew that the gorgeous Adventurer in front of him hadn''t either. * Ren waved to Selene and walked over to her. ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°H-hi.¡± Selene said to him while she stared at Princess. ¡°She''s quite a sight, isn''t she?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°She never wants to take off the armor.¡± Why would I? Princess asked him. You made it comfortable enough to sleep in. ¡°I''d never ask her to, either... except to upgrade it.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°H-how much-¡± ¡°She is not, nor will she ever be, for sale.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not for any price.¡± Selene stopped herself from getting angry about it, but Ren had felt that instant reaction to someone telling her no. ¡°So, do you have them?¡± Ren asked, and Selene took out the two swords Ren had given her during the Aurora Fire so long ago. ¡°Wow.¡± He said and held up the broken one. ¡°It snapped right off.¡± Selene nodded. ¡°It did the job, though.¡± She chuckled. ¡°The Minor Demon was pretty pissed when we banished it and it still had the top half in it''s eye.¡± I wonder if that was the same Minor Demon that I met? Ren thought and smiled as he took the other sword, to see it was pitted and scratched so much that you could barely see the finish on the blade. ¡°Yeah, you''ve definitely used them right down to their core.¡± Ren said and used Vision of Impurity to see several cracks, then looked at Selene. ¡°This isn''t much good anymore.¡± He said and stored the broken one, then held the still intact blade with one hand and the hilt with the other, then snapped it in half. ¡°No!¡± Selene said, and then sighed. ¡°How could you do that?¡± She asked. ¡°I''ve fought so many battles with it...¡± ¡°I could have repaired it, but my skills are so far beyond this now that I''d insult you by giving it back.¡± Ren said and stored the two pieces, and he felt how sad she was. ¡°Do you want to see your new sword?¡± Selene nodded, and Ren took out one of them. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head as she saw the gleaming gold blade, and he felt how much she wanted it. ¡°Do you like it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I... can I hold it?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''d be a fool if I just handed it over like that.¡± Selene opened her mouth to order him to hand it over, and she sighed again. ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°How much have you got?¡± Ren asked, and Teepo chittered in laughter. Chapter 442 - What A Deal ¡°I have just over 8 platinum coins.¡± Selene said when she saw Ren''s smile. ¡°But, I''ve got another monthly bank payment due in a few days, and that''s going to be 3 platinum.¡± ¡°You make monthly payments for 300 gold?¡± Ren asked as his smile disappeared. Selene nodded. ¡°I borrowed heavily when I started playing so I could get the best of everything available; and it worked. My attack bonuses were unbelievable at lower levels, especially combined with my special skills and abilities.¡± She smiled. ¡°As I progressed to higher levels and outgrew my equipment, I borrowed more to maintain my advantage.¡± Ren''s smile went to a frown, and she wasn''t sure why. ¡°Then you gave me those swords.¡± Selene said. ¡°I haven''t had to do anything with them until the quest where one was broken.¡± She sighed. ¡°I shopped around, and none of the blacksmiths could even come close to reproducing them.¡± ¡°They were only cast and not forged.¡± Ren said. ¡°They couldn''t make you a new sword?¡± Selene shook her head. ¡°I''ve used iron blades before, and they don''t have the flexibility I need in a weapon to be effective... and they don''t have your enchantments, either.¡± ¡°You''ve checked?¡± Selene nodded. ¡°I even had several offers to buy them, by both smiths and enchanters, just so they could take them apart and see what it was.¡± ¡°Thank you for not doing that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had a feeling you''d hate me for selling or throwing away something you made, and I didn''t want to take the chance that you wouldn''t fix them for me.¡± Selene chuckled. ¡°Then you broke it.¡± ¡°I did that to show you how lucky you were that it didn''t break the last time you used it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It had several cracks that could have caused you serious damage if it broke at the wrong moment.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Selene said. ¡°I had to sit out the last quest because I didn''t have a good weapon to use.¡± ¡°I''m glad you didn''t endanger yourself.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh?¡± Selene said and stepped close. ¡°Does that mean you care about my welfare?¡± ¡°You... could assume that.¡± Ren said, and she smiled. Maybe my charm works on him after all. Selene thought and reached out to rub her hand on the large ruby mounted to Ren''s armor chest plate. ¡°Then, perhaps, we could... work out some kind of payment plan.¡± ¡°Ren! Someone''s coming!¡± Teepo interrupted, and Ren activated his Heat Sense Aura. Everything turned to shades of red, and Selene caught her breath as his silver-blue eyes gained a red glow around them. Ren felt all the people in his Aura, and then someone else entered his Aura and he stepped back from Selene and turned to face the threat. He saw a large armored man with a big sword running down the street towards him, and felt the man''s bubbling anger. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Selene asked and started to turn her head to see. ¡°Catch.¡± Ren said and tossed her the new sword without looking at her, then launched himself down the street to attack. * Selene caught the sword easily and then Ren practically disappeared. She turned her head the rest of the way to see where he was going, and saw people move out of the way as her boyfriend ran towards her with an angry face. She realized too late what was about to happen. * Ren ran down the street as fast as he could, then saw and felt surprise from the big man in the split second before Ren slammed into his chest. It knocked the wind out of the man and they both flew backwards almost 30 feet as Ren successfully tackled him to the ground. The people on the sides of the street gasped as they witnessed the attack. Ren and the big man landed in a heap, and he thought he heard someone applaud as he sat up and grabbed the big guy''s armor chest piece. Ren''s Enchanted Eyes skill showed him that the armor wasn''t enchanted, so his hand dug through the weak metal easily. The sound of metal being crumpled was loud in the slightly crowded street, and Ren braced with his other hand on the man''s shoulder and pulled. The armor broke apart and left the man''s chest completely exposed. ¡°Sword!¡± Teepo said. Ren caught the man''s hand as he tried to swing, and gripped it around the hilt of the sword. He saw the weakness in the metal sword and used a thumb on that hand to bend it, much to the big man''s surprise. ¡°More people!¡± Teepo said. Ren felt 4 more people enter his Aura, then something hit him in the chest. It flung him backwards off of the big man and he landed on his back, rolled over, and activated the Revealing Light on his Bracelet of Importance. 200 feet away, an archer was revealed. ¡°Oh, shit!¡± The archer said as he looked down at himself and tried to load another Push arrow. Ren grinned and grabbed the big man, lifted him up like he weighed nothing, then threw him at the archer. ¡°LOOK OUUUUT!¡± The big man yelled, but the archer was too slow and didn''t duck in time. They crashed together and rolled down the street a little. When they came to a stop, neither of them moved; because they had hit their heads against each other and Ren''s Skull Cracker ability of 40% chance to Stun with a hit to the head had stunned them both. ¡°Dodge right!¡± Teepo exclaimed and Ren did as he said instantly. ¡°STOP!¡± Selene said as her sword swing had missed Ren by a fair margin. He grabbed her wrist and swung her around, and she did a cartwheel to twist out of his grip. She had swung the sword on it''s side so that she wouldn''t hit him with the sharp edge; but apparently she didn''t have to, because he had dodged her attack easily and even countered it. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren said when her shout registered, and stopped fighting.
Stat Change!
Unarmed Combat Level 2 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren dismissed the popup and looked at Selene. ¡°He was going to attack me.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Selene said, and looked over at her boyfriend. She imagined what he would have seen when he saw what she was doing with Ren. ¡°The big stupid fool.¡± She said and walked over to him. ¡°What were you thinking?¡± She asked and kicked his leg, and the other members of her party arrived by their two fallen comrades. ¡°He''s unconscious.¡± Ren said as he walked over, too. ¡°Give him a minute.¡± ¡°I don''t want to give him a minute!¡± Selene said and kicked his leg again. ¡°Wake up so I can yell at you!¡± ¡°Allow me.¡± The healer said and cast Energize on him. ¡°Huh? Whuzzat?¡± ¡°You!¡± Selene kicked his leg. ¡°Jealous!¡± She kicked him again. ¡°Idiot!¡± ¡°Of course I''m jealous!¡± The big man sat up, fully awake. ¡°Look at you! Every guy around here hits on you!¡± ¡°It''s just talk!¡± Selene said, then decided she had kicked him enough and slapped him across the top of the head instead. ¡°That doesn''t mean I ever...¡± Slap. ¡°...EVER...¡± Slap. ¡°...follow through on anything!¡± The big man sat there and took it while the healer used Energize on the archer. ¡°Look, I saw you! You were this close to snuggling with him!¡± He held his finger and thumb up an inch apart. ¡°I was trying to get a good deal on this sword!¡± Selene said and held it out. ¡°Holy Moses.¡± One of the magic users said. ¡°That''s... damn, I wish I could use swords.¡± ¡°It''s wonderful!¡± Selene said and swung it around. ¡°I''d probably name my first born after him for it!¡± ¡°Um... you don''t have to go quite that far.¡± Ren interjected, and she glared at him.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Stay out of this.¡± Selene said, and he felt her anger. ¡°This doesn''t concern you.¡± ¡°Actually, it does.¡± Ren said. The whole group gasped as he contradicted her, which never happens more than once. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Selene frowned at him ¡°If I hadn''t come here to meet you, or let you flirt so overtly, your boyfriend wouldn''t have overreacted.¡± ¡°You let me flirt?¡± Selene asked, and her anger rose. ¡°Since you think it''s your business, he would have overreacted eventually!¡± ¡°Then I take back what I said.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is all your fault.¡± The group of Adventures and several members of the growing crowd gasped. Their eyes shifted back and forth between Ren and Selene as they talked. ¡°Excuuuuse me?!?¡± ¡°I know you''re used to using your good looks and sexuality to get the things that you want; but, you don''t have to do that. Just being nice works most of the time. When it doesn''t, a bribe can pave the way a little.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Other than that, it''s not worth the extra effort.¡± ¡°Now you listen...¡± ¡°No, you listen!¡± Ren said and gained the Angered condition, then pointed a finger at her. ¡°If you were a better girlfriend, you would make him feel confidence in you! If you don''t want him to think you''re off having sex with everyone, you have to stop pretending that you are!¡± Selene looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°Saying hello or greeting someone with a warm embrace, isn''t supposed to be seen as a sexual act! Speaking seductively and flirting is not the way to keep him from thinking that you''re off with some other guy when he can''t see you!¡± Ren ranted. ¡°So stop it! You don''t have to throw yourself at everyone you meet just in case you might want something from them later!¡± He said. ¡°Shake people''s hands! Smile and speak politely! Just be goddamn nice!¡± Selene and the others had fallen silent as Ren spoke, and when he was done, he took several deep breaths and calmed down. The Angered condition went away, and he sighed. ¡°How much is your debt?¡± ¡°Just under 36 platinum, plus interest.¡± Selene said, without hesitation. She was too shaken by Ren''s comments to even think about lying about it. Ren took out the other sword and gave it to her. ¡°Store them and equip them, please.¡± Selene did so, and she gasped as the enchantments took effect. ¡°Oh... oh, my god.¡± She said and held them up to show everyone. ¡°They''re even named after me!¡± ¡°Of course they are, since I made them for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now hold out your hands.¡± Selene slipped the swords into the scabbards on her back to make her hands available, and held them out in front of her. Ren pushed them together to make a bowl, then took out 50 platinum coins and piled them in her hands. ¡°The bank will probably charge you for paying your debt off early, so that should be enough to cover it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Use the rest to replace your boyfriend''s armor and weapon I damaged.¡± No one spoke, because they were all too flabbergasted to make a coherent sentence. Even the crowd had fallen silent and couldn''t believe what he had just done. Ren waved to Princess, and she trotted down the street and over to him. The other members of Selene''s party stared at Princess as Ren climbed up to sit in the saddle. ¡°The swords have 2,000 Durability and can''t be sharpened anymore; so, I''m going to assume I won''t be hearing from you for a long time.¡± Ren said to her, and he felt that Selene understood he meant that she wasn''t supposed to message him for a long time. Princess turned around, bent down slightly, then went to half-speed instantly and was down the street and around the corner a second later. The street had caved in where her hooves had been, and had left 2 foot wide craters behind. * ¡°Geezus.¡± One of the guys said and blinked his eyes a few times. ¡°Did they go invisible or something?¡± ¡°No.¡± Selene said. ¡°He said I would see how he came all this way so fast, and apparently it''s because of his mount.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± The big guy said, then looked down at what was left of his armor. ¡°He tore through my chest plate like it was made of paper.¡± ¡°You idiot.¡± Selene said and knelt down to hug him. ¡°He could have killed you.¡± ¡°Easily.¡± He said, and the healer laughed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°He didn''t try to.¡± The healer said. ¡°Didn''t you notice? He wasn''t using a weapon.¡± ¡°He was half my size and wiped the floor with me, like I was less than nothing to him.¡± The big guy chuckled. ¡°What would he need a weapon for?¡± No one had a good answer for that. The crowd on the other hand, were already talking about how quickly he would have been taken down if a weapon had been involved. * ¡°There he goes.¡± A voice said from the shadows as Ren zoomed past in less than an instant. ¡°I can''t believe you wouldn''t let me attack.¡± The guard said. He had stayed by the castle and hadn''t followed Selene or Ren during the fight on the shadow man''s order. ¡°He would have killed you.¡± The voice said and a gloved hand held out a small bag of gold. ¡°Keep an eye out, and let me know if you hear or see anything else.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± The guard said, and the shadow folded into the castle''s shadow and disappeared. Talon quickly moved through the Void passage back to his hideout. He still hated the feeling of being like this, but it was too useful of an ability not to use. He came out of a shadow in the underground cavern, walked over to the table, and sat down next to Lord Eddlemere. ¡°He''s getting more powerful.¡± Talon said. ¡°Why didn''t you try to kill him?¡± ¡°I set up an ambush with another party of Adventurers; but, he saw them long before they could get close enough to be effective.¡± Lord Eddlemere sighed. ¡°That''s not what I asked.¡± He said. ¡°Why didn''t you do it?¡± ¡°I could say that I couldn''t sneak up on him.¡± Talon smiled. ¡°I''m going to say the truth instead.¡± ¡°Well?¡± ¡°I wanted to see what he would do before I acted, and he left before I could get into position.¡± Lord Eddlemere nodded. ¡°Keep vigil.¡± He said and walked over to the small cot he used to sleep on. ¡°Wake me if anything happens.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Talon said and put his hand on the table to touch all the shadow strands on it while Lord Eddlemere laid down and went to sleep. * Ren and Princess arrived back at the turn-off that led to the starter city of Aurora an hour later, and she slowed down just enough to turn towards his county. They arrived there a few minutes later and came to a stop at the Main House. Ren brought Princess inside so she could rest a bit and gave her a bit more food, then he walked across the street to Janice''s house with her glassworking shop next to it. He approached the front door and knocked, then equipped his Travelling Clothes. Janice opened the door a moment later and huffed at him. ¡°Can I come in?¡± Ren asked, and she stepped aside. He walked in past her and went into the living room to sit down on the couch. ¡°Okay.¡± Janice said and stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. ¡°Let''s hear it.¡± ¡°Well, it started in real life when someone that was hiding in my house attacked and almost killed me.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Stop joking around.¡± Janice said and crossed her arms as she leaned against the doorway. ¡°Tell me what really happened.¡± ¡°That is what happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was unconscious for 2 days after that, and I had to wait for the swelling on my head to go down for a day before I could put on the VR headset...¡± ¡°WH-WHAT?!?¡± Janice quickly walked over to him as she uncrossed her arms and sat down beside him. ¡°You... you were really...¡± Tears came to her eyes and she took his hands in her own. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± ¡°Not as much as I was.¡± Ren said and smiled, because he could feel that she really was sorry. ¡°Especially when I logged back in and I wasn''t where I was supposed to be.¡± ¡°Wh-where were you?¡± ¡°Shargon Caverns.¡± Ren said, and she didn''t react. ¡°It''s a villain training camp.¡± ¡°IT''S A WHAT?!?¡± Janice yelled, and he felt her shock. ¡°You''re not a villain!¡± ¡°The game thought I was when this world event thing triggered, and I was shunted off to learn a few things.¡± ¡°Oh, god! That''s so horrible!¡± Janice said. ¡°Ren, I... I''m sorry I was so... I had no right to be angry at you for missing the lessons!¡± ¡°Yes, you did.¡± Ren said. ¡°It completely slipped my mind, and I should have made sure you were paid.¡± ¡°Ren, you... you don''t need to...¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Ren said and took out 2 platinum coins. ¡°Here you go.¡± Janice looked at the two coins, then looked at Ren. ¡°Wh-what is that for?¡± ¡°An apology... and a possible commission to make mirrors... or to teach me to make them.¡± Ren said and smiled. Janice took the two coins and hugged him tightly. ¡°We can do it right now!¡± Janice exclaimed. ¡°I thought you said we couldn''t have sex.¡± Ren joked, and she laughed. ¡°I said I wouldn''t have sex for money anymore.¡± Janice said in his ear, then nibbled on his earlobe. ¡°I never said I wouldn''t jump on you when I''m horny.¡± ¡°I still have women at home; but, it''s good to know that money makes you horny.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Did you already satisfy them?¡± Janice asked and licked his ear. ¡°I did.¡± Ren said then sighed. ¡°Damn, I forgot to check on... ah, never mind.¡± ¡°So, you... you had all 5 of them.¡± Janice said and laid her head on his shoulder. ¡°Why aren''t you asleep right now?¡± ¡°It was 6, actually.¡± Ren said and he felt her surprise. ¡°At the house, that is. I was with... someone else for a while before that.¡± Janice lifted her head up and leaned back to look at his face, and he felt her surprise. ¡°You slept with 7 women? You said 7, right?¡± ¡°In the game.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You... how... how many before...¡± ¡°If foreplay counts, 3.¡± Ren smirked. ¡°If you mean how many times... well... even I lose count after a while.¡± Janice''s mouth fell open at his stark admission; and for some reason, she knew he was being completely honest with her. She looked down at his crotch and didn''t know what to say. T-t-ten! He satisfied ten women! ¡°So... mirrors.¡± Ren said. ¡°W-wait.¡± Janice said and stood up. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± She said and quickly walked over to her bedroom. Ren wasn''t sure what she intended, until she stored her clothing and flopped down onto her back on the bed. ¡°Oh... oh, god!¡± She said as she started to rub herself. ¡°J-Janice?¡± Ren stared at her as her hand moved faster. ¡°Yes! Talk!¡± Janice said as she stared at him. ¡°Um... what do you want me to say?¡± ¡°Anything!¡± Janice nearly yelled. ¡°Tell me what you did!¡± ¡°With which one?¡± ¡°I don''t care!¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Ren said, and he started to describe everything he had done with Lara the day before, leaving out her name of course, and in the middle of one particular description, Janice cried out. ¡°Oh! OH GOD!¡± Janice yelled as she finished. Ren felt how much she had enjoyed hearing his voice as she did that, and he stood up and walked over to the bed. ¡°N-no, don''t... I... I can''t believe that I...¡± ¡°You made quite a mess.¡± Ren said and knelt. ¡°I still can''t have sex with you; but, after doing what you did in front of me, would you mind if I cleaned you up?¡± ¡°C-c-clean m-me u-up?¡± Janice''s voice trembled. ¡°Are...are you crazy?¡± ¡°Only a little.¡± Ren said and licked his lips. When she didn''t say no, especially since she thought that he wouldn''t really do it; he grinned at her and then used his tongue to clean her. Janice threw her head back onto the bed and moaned, almost uncontrollably. She went again a few minutes later, and he cleaned that up as well. He stopped when she was clean, and he could feel her emotions as she floated on the pleasure she had just experienced. He stood up and walked around the bed to look at her. ¡°Janice? Are you okay?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Imshofine.¡± Janice mumbled, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I guess you haven''t had that done in a while.¡± Ren said, and she shook her head lazily. ¡°I''ll let you rest for a while, then I''ll come back for my next glass working lesson.¡± He said, and she nodded just as lazily. He closed her bedroom door, then left her house and went next door to the large forging warehouse. Chapter 443 - Not Kid Stuff Xuunah had spent several hours with her daughter Nathalia the night before, and they had shared tales of their adventures that had happened in their lives. When she discovered that Nathalia and Ren were no longer together, she felt quite sad. When she reached out to console her daughter, as a mother would, her own innate abilities detected Nathalia''s Collective attachment with Ren. It wasn''t the newly-formed one she had helped them create the last time she had visited. It was a full intermingling that any of the Light beings shared when they were near one another, if they so chose. It had surprised her so much that she forgot to ask Nathalia about Ren''s other activities. After Nathalia left, Xuunah decided to accept Ren''s offer and went back to his house to spend the night in the spare room. She had never slept on a bed so comfortable before, and her mortal form had greatly enjoyed the sensation for the entire time she had been asleep. Morning arrived before she knew it, and she heard someone moving around. Xuunah got out of bed and left the spare room, and knocked on the main bedroom''s door. A moment later it opened, and she blinked her eyes several times as a completely naked woman stood in front of her. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°Um... can I speak to Ren please?¡± ¡°He''s not here.¡± ¡°What do you mean he''s not here?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°He left a while ago.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°He always leaves early.¡± She said, tilted her head and squinted her eyes to look at the woman. ¡°Do I know you?¡± ¡°Not personally, no.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I''m Nathalia''s mother.¡± ¡°Oh, hi!¡± Anabelle stepped forward and hugged her. ¡°Nathalia told me all about you!¡± ¡°Sh-she did?¡± Xuunah was glad she was almost as tall as her, so there wasn''t any unnecessary touching. ¡°Of course she did.¡± Anabelle said and pulled her into the room and shut the door. ¡°It''s Nathalia''s mother!¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Frikara said and gave her a little wave. Xuunah saw the short woman was naked as well, even though she sat at a dressing table, and looked around the room. There were 4 other similarly short women there who also waved, and she realized that they were dwarves. ¡°He replaced Nathalia with all of you?¡± Xuunah asked, because she couldn''t believe it. Frikara laughed. ¡°Obviously, you don''t know Ren.¡± ¡°We''ve only met a couple of times.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°We could never replace Nathalia.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Ren loves her so much!¡± ¡°He really does.¡± Frikara said. ¡°She is a constant presence in his heart.¡± ¡°It''s so nice and warm.¡± Andrela said from the bed. ¡°Even when we...¡± Her face flushed red. ¡°It was almost like she was there with us.¡± ¡°So where is he?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°He said he was going to his county for a while to check up on some things.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Which reminds me. I have to go to work.¡± She said and equipped her business suit and skirt. ¡°Bye, Anabelle!¡± Andrela said, and Anabelle waved to her and left. ¡°When will he be back?¡± ¡°We have no idea.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We are not his keepers.¡± Xuunah opened her mouth to ask why they weren''t, then sighed. ¡°I know this might be an imposition, but... can you tell me about him? I''d like to know everything there is to know about him.¡± Frikara smiled. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I was sent here to find out.¡± Xuunah said, knowing full well they would know if she lied. ¡°He did something shocking, and I''m here to keep an eye on him.¡± ¡°Then, yes.¡± Frikara said and pat the chair beside the bed. ¡°Sit, and we will tell you our tales.¡± * ¡°Hi, guys!¡± Ren said as he entered the warehouse. ¡°Hey, Ren.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''m glad you''re back.¡± ¡°Did you know where I was?¡± Tee-one shook his head. ¡°I didn''t get anything until you left the cavern.¡± ¡°That figures.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even the Sage of Ages couldn''t contact me in there.¡± He said and looked up at Ruck. ¡°Have you been keeping busy?¡± Ruck gave him a ''thumbs up'' gesture. ¡°We''ve got the inn, cafeteria, blacksmith, tailor, general store, small school, barracks, and medical building done; and we have half of the Library built.¡± ¡°What the heck am I supposed to do?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You guys are awesome!¡± ¡°We''re even better than that.¡± Tee-one said, and pointed to a small rack full of rings. ¡°Guess what those are.¡± ¡°You didn''t!¡± Ren walked over to the rack and picked up a ring. It was a Strong Ring of Storage and it was filled with the front half of the muscle men Ren had made as bouncers for the Pleasure Palace. ¡°Tell me they have weapons!¡± ¡°Of course they have weapons.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren laughed again as he stored all the rings. ¡°This is fantastic!¡± Ren said and hugged Tee-one. ¡°Ruck!¡± Ruck dropped down from the ceiling and Ren gave him a hug, too. ¡°With an Animate Object wand...¡± Ren said and took out a wand and changed the charges on it. ¡°...and the Permanency spell...¡± He took out the wand with that spell. ¡°...we have an army to defend the place!¡± ¡°You just have to distribute them along the walls.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I''m going to cover the walls first.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I can add Iron Walls and make them permanent.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You really are going to abuse that spell.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You know it!¡± He said and ran to the door. ¡°I''ll be back in a little while!¡± Tee-one and Ruck waved, and Ren ran across the road to the Main House to get Princess, and she agreed to help him. He rode her out to the main gate and once there, he took out his armor chest plate and exchanged 3 of the wands there with Permanency, Iron Wall, and Widen Effect. ¡°Yeah, baby!¡± Ren said and equipped his armor. He used the Iron Wall spell to make a 20 foot by 20 foot by 5 inch thick wall, which was the default for the spell at Level 5, then used Widen Effect on it. It doubled the dimensions and the wall was now 40 feet by 40 feet by 10 inches thick. The height of the dirt wall that surrounded the county was 40 feet high, so it was perfect with only a single shot of each spell. Ren cast Permanency on the Widen Effect, and then on the Iron Wall itself, which took two spells; but he could refill the wands as much as he wanted anyways, so that was okay. ¡°Can you start trotting, Princess?¡± Ren asked as he stood up on her saddle. He took out another wand from the rack on his armor and replaced the charges with Permanency, so he would only have to stop when all 4 wands were empty. Ren used the wands 50 times and covered 2,000 feet in 10 minutes. ¡°Okay, I think I''ve got it down. Wall, Widen Effect, Permanency, Permanency.¡± Ren said and recharged the wands. ¡°I could even do both Permanency spells at the same time; so the faster we do this, the faster it gets done.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Princess huffed in agreement. ¡°Just replace all the wands you have, Ren.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°We won''t have to stop at all until all 24 of them are empty.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea, Teepo!¡± Ren said and replaced them all with the proper spells. 6 wands had Iron Wall, 6 had Widen Effect, and 12 had Permanency because he needed double them. ¡°Princess! Let''s go!¡± Princess ran faster and faster as Ren got used to the pattern. He had missed a few Permanency spells and had to go back to replace them; but other than that, it worked well. They had to stop every 3 miles to recharge the wands, and they went faster and faster. They finished the entire front side of the 50 mile long wall in only an hour, and Ren had Princess run back to the middle where the road was. He used an Iron Wall spell to make one tall square door for one side, and then another. He didn''t have giant hinges to mount them, though; so, he left the doors open. ¡°Now for the soldiers.¡± Ren said and took out a dozen muscle men with swords from the first storage ring. He then took out the Level 5 Wand of Inanimate Life and it let him animate 2 at a time. He imbued them with a soldier mentality and charged them with protecting the county and it''s citizens. He cast Permanency on them, and told them to take their positions. He repeated this 5 more times and all 12 stood at attention, 6 on each side of the doorway against the wall, and they waited. Ren nodded and rode Princess back to the Main House and tucked her inside. The Mayor''s door was still closed, and Ren used his Heat Sense Aura to check if she was in; and she wasn''t. He deactivated the Heat Sense Aura and left the Main House, then ran over to Janice''s place. He knocked on the door, and a moment later she opened it. ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Janice said, and she had a huge smile on her face. ¡°Are you ready for your lesson?¡± ¡°Are you?¡± Ren grinned, and she laughed. ¡°Despite my total lack of decorum when you ''cleaned me up'', I''m okay now.¡± Janice said, and Ren stepped inside and she shut the door. ¡°At the time I didn''t know why I played with myself with you watching.¡± ¡°I figured it was because that''s what you''ve gotten used to.¡± Ren said, and Janice looked at him. ¡°That''s what I realized, too.¡± Janice said. ¡°It''s... well, it''s just not the same if...¡± ¡°It''s more fun with an audience.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Make that a willing audience.¡± Janice chuckled and opened the door to her shop. ¡°I guess that means you liked it.¡± ¡°I''ve never seen a woman do that before.¡± Ren said and stepped by her. ¡°I didn''t know that it could be something I''d like; so, yeah. It was really nice.¡± ¡°W-wait.¡± Janice said and put a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look at her. ¡°I was the first one to...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Damn, it was sexy.¡± He said. ¡°I had no idea that a woman could have so much confidence in herself that she could do something like that, and not be embarrassed even a little bit.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I''ve been out working for nearly two hours, and I''m still hard because of it.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°After this lesson, I''m going to head back to the house just so I can relieve my tension.¡± ¡°I can do that for you.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°If you do that for me, you''re going to want me to go further.¡± He said. ¡°I can''t do that.¡± ¡°I''ll only use my hands.¡± Janice said. ¡°I promise.¡± Ren chuckled, because he could feel her naughty streak. ¡°You say that now...¡± ¡°Okay, one hand and I''ll even close my eyes.¡± Janice bargained, and Ren laughed. ¡°Janice, I appreciate the offer.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°But, we both know those are empty promises.¡± Janice opened her mouth to say they weren''t, and then she thought about it. ¡°Well, even with my eyes closed, I''ll want to at least lick it.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Be honest.¡± ¡°You visit me to apologize, give me a ton of money, then just casually tell me you''ve recently satisfied 10 women.¡± Janice said and chuckled. ¡°Of course I''m curious!¡± ¡°Have you gone over to the Pleasure Palace yet?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, I''ve been too busy.¡± ¡°Let''s go over there after we make a few mirrors, and you can talk to Jennifer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure she''ll have an interesting story for you.¡± He grinned. ¡°Plus, I want to put up the mirrors on the walls and on the stage so they can make the place even more outstanding.¡± ¡°That''s actually a great idea.¡± Janice said. ¡°It should give the illusion of more space.¡± ¡°I''d want some on the ceilings in the private rooms, assuming the girls want them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just to give them something to look at while... well, you know.¡± ¡°I never thought of that.¡± Janice said and smiled. ¡°Let''s get to your lesson.¡± They went to the large glass forge in her shop and set out a 1 foot by 1 foot mold on the floor, and she poured out a single small pane of glass. Ren absorbed the heat from it and popped it out. ¡°I wish I had that ability.¡± Janice said as Ren handed her the glass, and she placed it on the workbench. ¡°It''s no good on it''s own, unless you''ve got a very high affinity and resistance to Fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°Otherwise your body can''t handle it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Janice asked, and he nodded. ¡°Never mind, then.¡± She said and picked up a crucible. ¡°In real life, you need a ton of chemicals and solutions to make a mirror. It uses silver nitrate and ammonia mostly, in various amounts mixed together in a complicated process.¡± She took out a single silver coin and a small chunk of iron ore, added it to the crucible and stuck it in the glass forge. ¡°When applied to a surface, the silver ions stick to the glass.¡± She explained and added wood brackets around the piece of glass. ¡°It''s dull though.¡± ¡°Dull?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°That''s why you always apply it to the underside of the glass you want to use.¡± Janice said and took out the crucible and used a small metal rod to stir the metal and put it back in. ¡°The air forms the dull sheen, but the part touching the glass is protected.¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nope.¡± Janice took out the crucible and scooped off the impurities, and stirred it up more. ¡°I think that''s good enough for a test piece.¡± She said, and held it out to wait. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If you pour it on while it''s still completely molten, it could warp the glass and ruin the mirror.¡± Janice said and poured a few drops of the silver-steel onto the prepped glass. She used a spreader to swirl it around and kept doing it until the whole surface was covered. She still had quite a lot of silver coating left, so she stuck the crucible back into the glass forge so it would stay molten, then blew on the pane of glass several times. Ren tried his best not to imagine that she was blowing on something else. ¡°Okay, I think that''s got it.¡± Janice said and moved the wood braces out of the way, and picked up the glass. ¡°Ready?¡± Ren nodded, and she flipped it up to show him his perfect reflection. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Janice laughed. ¡°Amazing, isn''t it?¡± She asked and turned it to look at herself. ¡°Who''s that gorgeous thing I see?¡± Ren felt that she was unjustly mocking herself, and reached out to touch her shoulder. ¡°It''s you.¡± Janice blinked her eyes and turned to look at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I''m just answering your question.¡± Ren said. ¡°The gorgeous thing you see in the mirror is you.¡± ¡°B-but, I... I was joking.¡± ¡°I didn''t think it was a joke.¡± Janice''s face flushed a little red. ¡°Is it my turn to do it?¡± Ren asked, and she smirked. ¡°You said I couldn''t do that to you.¡± ¡°I didn''t say you couldn''t.¡± Ren grinned back. ¡°I said you wouldn''t be able to stop from going further.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Janice snorted a laugh. ¡°Go ahead and pour another pane of glass.¡± Ren did it in 2 seconds and handed it to her. She set up the wood braces and pointed to the glass forge. Ren reached in and picked up the crucible with a bare hand and he remembered how much she had used on the other pane. He used his Fire Manipulation skill to keep the glass from getting hot and poured the silver-steel over the back of it and used his fingers to spread it around and made sure it covered everything as he absorbed the heat from it. Janice had watched in fascination and shock as he did in seconds what had taken her almost 10 minutes to do. Ren put the nearly empty crucible back into the glass forge and moved the wood braces out of the way and picked up the mirror to show Janice her own reflection.
Notice!
You have unlocked a new sub skill under Glassworking: Mirroring Level 1 (Beginner 0%) This skill allows you to apply various metals to glass to make mirrors. Higher levels will allow faster crafting and application of it''s effects to much larger pieces of glass with less warping, and can make mirrored effects on other materials.
Cool. Ren thought. ¡°How does it look?¡± ¡°It''s... fine.¡± Janice said, and Ren felt sadness from her. ¡°Hey, don''t feel bad about this.¡± Ren said and put the mirror down. ¡°I can pick up skills pretty quickly, but having the ability to use those skills still takes time.¡± ¡°But... you just... in seconds.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s only because I can absorb the heat.¡± He said. ¡°Look at the mess on the back because I used my fingers.¡± Janice picked up the mirror and flipped it over, and Ren was right. His fingerprints were all over the back, and it was streaked all over. ¡°Now look at yours.¡± Ren said and she flipped hers over to compare them. ¡°It''s going to take me a long time to get to your expertise.¡± Her mirror was perfectly flat and you couldn''t tell where she had added each set of drops and used the tool to spread it out. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Janice, you''re a fantastic glassworker.¡± Ren said and went to touch her with his hand, saw the fingers were covered in silver, then switched hands and touched her with his clean hand instead. ¡°Don''t you dare be discouraged by my ability to pick skills up so quickly.¡± Janice nodded. ¡°By the way, while you were huffing and puffing and blowing on the silver backing to cool it, I was trying to not imagine that I was a little piggy that wanted you to blow my house down.¡± Janice snorted and then laughed out loud. ¡°On that note, I better go.¡± Ren said and turned around to leave, then Janice''s arms wrapped around him. She leaned down to hug him from behind. ¡°This she-wolf needs to check if your house is made of straw.¡± Janice said, and her hand slid down and over his crotch. ¡°Mmm. It''s made of bricks.¡± She said as she rubbed him, kissed his ear, and whispered. ¡°Little pig, little pig. Let me in.¡± Ren took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°N-not by the h-hair of my chinny-chin-chin.¡± Janice stopped rubbing him and moved around to his front. ¡°Oh, you silly little pig.¡± She smiled, leaned in, and kissed his chin. ¡°You don''t have any hair on your chin.¡± Ren stared at her as she knelt down in front of him. Janice looked up at his face and didn''t see a ''no'' there, so she used her hands to undo his pants and pulled them down. ¡°I''m going to huff.¡± Janice said as she looked at how excited he was and put a hand around it, then moved her hand up and down once. ¡°I''m going to puff.¡± She said and took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to do, and looked back up at him. ¡°I''m going to blow your brick house down.¡± Ren didn''t say no, or even shake his head; mainly because he was really turned on by their little word play, and how she had so easily twisted his joke around to her advantage. Janice took his silence as permission and tried her best to blow his house down. ******** ¡°I guess Stella was right.¡± Barbara said as the Blue Screen Protocol once again engaged. She sighed and looked at Ren''s inert form on the bed. ¡°Once that can of worms was opened, you really can''t get enough of it, can you?¡± She pat his immobile hand. ¡°You poor thing.¡± Chapter 444 - Mirror, Mirror Janice had tried her best; but after half an hour, she had to give up. Just like the big bad wolf, it wasn''t possible for her to blow Ren''s house down. ¡°Damn, Ren.¡± Janice said and rubbed her jaw. ¡°Why isn''t it working?¡± ¡°I guess I really am the gift that keeps on giving.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Well, at least I''ve discovered why you can have so many women... and keep them happy.¡± Janice said and stood up. ¡°You''re a machine!¡± Ren laughed as he put his clothes back in order. ¡°I guess it does look that way.¡± Janice put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Ren, can I ask you...¡± ¡°Am I ever really satisfied?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Yes, and no.¡± He said, and she chuckled. ¡°Can you explain that?¡± ¡°I''ve had satisfying sex. Quite a few times, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m always up for more, though... excuse the pun.¡± Janice stepped close and wrapped her arms around him. ¡°Ren, we''re friends, right?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Especially now.¡± Janice snorted a laugh. ¡°Ren... look, I know that...¡± She sighed. ¡°I''ve seen a lot of things, and I''ve met a lot of people... and I can honestly say that you''re the first man I have ever met that can keep going like... well, like a woman.¡± Ren nodded, because he had heard that a few times now. ¡°If you need another friend... just a friend... to hold your hand, to spend a bit of time with, or to talk about things... I''m right here.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Thanks for the offer...¡± ¡°Don''t say ''but''.¡± Janice said. ¡°I''m offering to be a cuddle buddy. No strings attached.¡± ¡°Janice, I... I have so many others...¡± ¡°They aren''t always going to be around, are they?¡± Janice asked, then she smiled. ¡°Even then, just seeing another friendly face once and a while can be a nice change of pace.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Look, just like now.¡± Janice said. ¡°You came over and we talked. You told me some bad things, then some great things, and we fooled around a little.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We didn''t even have sex... and we never have to.¡± Janice said. ¡°I won''t even argue that it was virtual and not ''really real''.¡± She smiled. ¡°Before you say no... we could have had sex... and I won''t object to it if it does happen; but, that''s not why either of us are here.¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Janice...¡± ¡°Even with my arms wrapped around you, this is still just a friendly hug.¡± Janice said. ¡°Can you feel any sexual tension?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re not rubbing yourself on me like a cat with catnip, either.¡± Janice laughed and let him out of the hug. ¡°Would you rather if I did?¡± ¡°No, but I kind of expect it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It seems to happen more often than not.¡± Janice put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I won''t hang all over you the next time you come over, how''s that?¡± ¡°I didn''t say I didn''t like it.¡± Ren said and grinned, and she laughed again. ¡°To change the subject, we need a lot more silver mixture if you''re going to make enough mirrors to cover the walls of the club.¡± ¡°That''s where I was going.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a huge forge and smelter next door, and I''ll get a pile ready.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Janice said and looked at the floor in front of the glass forge. ¡°How big of a mold...¡± ¡°10 feet by 10 feet.¡± Ren said and she coughed. ¡°R-Ren!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve never made a pane of glass that big!¡± ¡°Just make it thicker, but you''re the expert so you''ll have to judge how thick it should actually be.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll help when I come back in a minute.¡± He said and opened the door to the outside. ¡°Janice...¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Janice said and smiled. ¡°Consider it a proper thank you for what you did earlier.¡± ¡°Really? Is that how it''s supposed to work?¡± ¡°Most times.¡± ¡°Damn, I''ve been short-changed a lot.¡± Ren said, and laughed at her shocked expression. ¡°Be right back.¡± Janice could only nod as he left and ran next door. When he got there, one of the satellite smelters was already half-filled with steel. ¡°Thanks!¡± Ren said and tossed in several hundred silver coins to make the mixture even and filled the smelter up to the top. He skimmed off the impurities, stirred it up, and took out the large crucible and filled it. He stored it and ran back next door. He knocked, and Janice opened the door. ¡°You don''t have to knock.¡± Janice said. ¡°You can just come inside.¡± ¡°I could make a joke about that.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°Quiet!¡± Janice laughed and slapped his shoulder. ¡°Get to work!¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Ren said and stood ready as she poured out the molten sand. He used his hands to move it around the 10 foot by 10 foot mold, and when Janice nodded that it was the right thickness, he absorbed the heat from it. ¡°That is a huge piece of glass.¡± Janice said. ¡°It''s also about to be the biggest mirror you''ve ever seen.¡± Ren said and took out the large crucible and poured it over the glass. He spread it out with his fingers to give it a nice coating, and was glad that it was just enough. ¡°There''s no way you can lift that thing without breaking it.¡± Janice cautioned. ¡°Not without enchanting it first.¡± Ren said and thought about Augment runes for Toughness and Durability, then added Reinforcement to make the thing strong enough to hold the enchantment and to keep it''s shape, and enchanted it. He thought about using Double Infusion on it; but, he didn''t want to push his luck with the materials. He could feel that it wasn''t going to hold much more than what he had already used. Ren very carefully picked up the edge of it and then stood it up. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°That''s amazing!¡± Janice said. ¡°It really is the biggest mirror I''ve ever seen!¡± Ren thought about the size of the club, and smiled. ¡°Only 29 more to go.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The large main room is about 40 feet by 40 feet. So, 16 mirrors is enough to cover it, put a mirror on each of the ceilings in the 12 work rooms, and the last two will give me enough left to cut up for the dressing room mirrors.¡± Janice nodded and they kept working. Ren kept running back and forth to the smelter to get more silver-steel mixture, and they made all 30 mirrors in an hour, and he had leveled up his Mirroring skill 3 times. ¡°Your skills are just too awesome, Ren.¡± Janice said. ¡°It would take me hours to make just one of these things!¡± Ren gave her a one arm hug around the waist as they looked at the stack of large mirrors. ¡°I told you not to be intimidated, remember?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Janice said and chuckled as she put an arm over his shoulder. ¡°I''m not you, but I''m still intimidated.¡± Ren looked up at her. ¡°Ask me how many glass bottles I''ve made since the last lesson I had.¡± ¡°How many bottles have you made, worker bee?¡± ¡°None.¡± Ren said, and he felt her surprise. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Zip. Ziltch. Nada.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m usually too busy to play around, and the last little while, well... that was a quite a bit out of my control.¡± Janice gave his shoulder a squeeze. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s get these over to the Pleasure Palace, and you can finally see the place.¡± ¡°Can we do that?¡± Janice asked as Ren stored the mirrors. ¡°I know the owner.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Then lead the way, smart ass.¡± Ren held the door open for her and they walked down the street to the Pleasure Palace. ¡°This town is really coming along.¡± Janice said, and Ren nodded. ¡°I''m regretting a little that I haven''t been here the last little while to help; but, once again...¡± ¡°You''re going off again, aren''t you?¡± Janice asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I learned that I was shuffled off so that I wouldn''t be able to participate in any of the quests for the world event.¡± ¡°Why would they... wait a second.¡± Janice touched his arm and he turned to look at her. ¡°You little sneak! You''re gonna mess it all up!¡± ¡°Guilty.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I didn''t get the world event popup when I came back, so I know I won''t be offered any of the quests, either. So...¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°You''re going to ruin it for everyone else?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m not going to wreck everything; but, I''m also not going to sit by and let everything happen around me and do nothing.¡± ¡°I think I''m seeing why you were sent off.¡± Janice smiled, and they started walking again. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a plan, but it''s super crazy.¡± Janice laughed. ¡°I haven''t known you for very long, but I totally believe that!¡± Ren laughed, too; and they walked across the parking lot for the Pleasure Palace and Ren touched the Sending Square by the door. ¡°I''d like to come in, please.¡± Ren said, and the door opened. He and Janice walked inside and he saw a woman run towards him. ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Jennifer said and immediately embraced him. ¡°You''re looking extra cute!¡± ¡°You''re such a liar.¡± Ren chuckled and hugged her back. ¡°I''m always extra cute.¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Jennifer laughed and gave him a squeeze. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Janice and I made mirrors for the place.¡± Ren said. ¡°I even have some for the ceilings in your work rooms.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Jennifer bent down and kissed his cheek. ¡°You''re so good to us!¡± ¡°Jennifer, stop hanging on him.¡± Gina the Manager said as she came over. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°It''s been a while.¡± ¡°I''ve been indisposed until now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I came here to handle some things.¡± ¡°I heard.¡± Gina said. ¡°Where are you going to put them?¡± ¡°Anywhere you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°We made enough to cover this whole room.¡± ¡°Y-you''re kidding.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Do you want all the walls done, just one wall done, accents spread around, or what?¡± Gina shook her head. ¡°Come and have a seat.¡± She said and waved to the closest stage. ¡°Let''s go over the plans and find the best place to put your hard work.¡± Janice snorted a laugh. ¡°It wasn''t hard at all for him!¡± ¡°Hey, that''s not true.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''m still hard.¡± ¡°Despite my best effort, too!¡± Janice laughed. ¡°Did we miss something?¡± Gina asked, and Ren felt her confusion. ¡°Just a running joke about sexual innuendo.¡± Ren said. ¡°No biggie.¡± Janice and Jennifer laughed, exchanged glances, then laughed harder. ¡°Okay, it''s just me that missed that one.¡± Gina said. ¡°You two can just stand here and laugh.¡± She said and took Ren''s hand. ¡°Come over to the table and show me what you got.¡± ¡°Bwahahaha!¡± Jennifer and Janice laughed out loud. ¡°Grow up.¡± Gina rolled her eyes at them and led Ren over to the stage. They sat down to discuss where the best place was to put the mirrors, and when he told her they were 10 feet by 10 feet, she didn''t believe him. Ren stood up and took one out, and she nearly fainted. ¡°Look at me!¡± Jennifer said when she caught sight of herself in the huge mirror, and started to dance in front of it. ¡°I look great!¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± Ren said and propped the mirror up next to the stage so Jennifer could keep watching herself, and sat down again. Gina still couldn''t believe how big the mirrors were; but, she talked about the best spots. At least one side wall needed to be covered, and there needed to be at least one in the hot tub room. Ren told her about wanting to put them on the ceilings in the work rooms, and Gina thought that was a great idea. She called the other girls over and asked them if they wanted mirrors installed, and they all heartily agreed. Candy, one of the dancers that had competed in the dance off competition with another dancer Apple, leaned over and gave Ren a little hug. ¡°Having a mirror to look at is going to be so...¡± Candy''s words drifted off as she caught sight of Jennifer taking her top off. ¡°Jennifer? What are you doing?¡± ¡°Practicing.¡± Jennifer said and swung her hips in the mirror, then flicked the metal covers on the tips of her breasts with her thumbs. ¡°I''m so goddamn hot!¡± Several of the dancers laughed, and two of them walked over beside her and started their routines, too. ¡°This is great!¡± Caramel said. ¡°I can see where I''m messing up!¡± ¡°It''s your elbows.¡± Jennifer said and cupped her own breasts. ¡°Keep them... in a little more.¡± She half-moaned and bent down next to the mirror. ¡°You don''t want to... look like a chicken... trying to fly.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Caramel said and pulled her elbows in. ¡°She''s really getting into it.¡± Apple said as she watched Jennifer dance. ¡°Who needs customers, right?¡± ¡°So damn hot.¡± Jennifer said, and all the dancers laughed as she laid down on the floor, rolled over onto her back, and stared at herself in the mirror as she arched her back and pushed her chest up into the air. ¡°O-kay.¡± Gina said and looked at Ren, who was watching Jennifer intently. She tapped his cheek with a fingertip to get his attention. ¡°Eyes this way.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ren blinked his eyes. ¡°Sorry, I thought she wanted me to watch.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Jennifer said as she threw her legs up and over her head, rolled up and over her back, put her knees on either side her head, and ended up kneeling with her back to the mirror. ¡°Did she just...¡± Ren stared. ¡°...do a reverse somersault from a laying down position?¡± Gina asked and he nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± She said and laughed. ¡°I guess we''re all going to have to watch now.¡± Jennifer went through a much different dance routine than what she did for Ren to win the first dance, and he watched her as she performed. Her careful movements were both graceful and erotic, and she successfully entranced everyone until she was done. Jennifer stood up at the end and panted heavily. ¡°How... was that?¡± ¡°It was great!¡± Ren said and used an Energize spell to restore her Stamina. He felt her bubbly personality almost burst from her with her restored energy. ¡°Thank you!¡± Jennifer said and skipped over to give him a hug. ¡°I''m so glad you liked it!¡± ¡°You can''t do that every night.¡± Gina said, and Jennifer laughed. ¡°I''ll cut it down, don''t worry.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I was just testing the flow and the energy of the room.¡± ¡°You definitely had everyone''s attention.¡± Ren said, and she kissed his cheek. ¡°Come to my work room and install the mirror.¡± Jennifer said, and Ren felt how horny she was. ¡°I... ah... need to talk to Gina and...¡± Jennifer sighed and let him go. ¡°Oh, all right.¡± ¡°You can''t test the mirror with him, either.¡± Gina chuckled. ¡°We''ll be opening soon.¡± ¡°I wasn''t going to test it.¡± Jennifer said as her face flushed a little red, and Ren almost winced at how powerful the lie was. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Gina said and looked at Ren. ¡°If we do the back of the bar, this whole wall...¡± She pointed at the right wall. ¡°...the wall in the hot tub room, the ceilings in the 12 work rooms, and the mirrors in the dressing room... will you have enough?¡± ¡°Plenty.¡± Ren said when he did the math. ¡°Should I get started?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Gina said and Ren stood up. ¡°I''ll do this wall first.¡± Ren said and walked over to it and removed the plaques of weapons and shields from the wall. ¡°How are you going to attach them?¡± Janice asked. ¡°I thought about making wood frames and setting them into it; but, I don''t think that would look good in this setting.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then I thought about making a rune for stickiness or something, and that made me realize I already have the perfect thing to stick them up.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± ¡°Webbing.¡± Ren equipped his armor to gain access to his wand mounts, and 3 of the dancers around him gasped. He turned around when he felt extreme desire, and saw Cinnamon, Jennifer, and Spice were practically drooling. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You look... delicious.¡± Cinnamon said and almost moaned. ¡°Shining gold armor is such a turn on.¡± Ren could feel it really was for her, and looked at the other two. ¡°You look just like... a really short Prince Charming.¡± Spice admitted. ¡°I fell in love with him while reading Sleeping Beauty.¡± Ren knew she was telling the truth, and looked at Jennifer. She actually was drooling and had a firm grip on one of her breasts as she massaged the other. ¡°Jennifer?¡± ¡°Your metalwork... the inset gems... the... the intricate details!¡± Jennifer said, then gasped and shook slightly. Ren fought hard not to react to her reaction as his Emotion Siphon ability absorbed some of the pleasure she felt. ¡°Sit down.¡± Gina said to Jennifer and gave her a chair, and she sat down. ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± Jennifer said and took several deep breaths to calm down. ¡°That hasn''t happened in a while.¡± Cinnamon bent over and hugged her from behind. ¡°Easy there, girl; it''s just armor.¡± She said. ¡°Jewel-encrusted hand-crafted shimmering gold armor.¡± Jennifer gasped again and shook. Cinnamon laughed and kissed her cheek. ¡°Stop teasing her.¡± Gina said and looked at Ren. ¡°Mirrors.¡± ¡°Right! Mirrors!¡± Ren said and turned to look at the wall. ¡°What was I going to use again?¡± ¡°Something white and sticky.¡± Janice said, and Ren''s face flushed a little red. She laughed and touched his shoulder. ¡°I meant webbing.¡± Ren nodded and he replaced one of the wands with Web spells, then shot the wall with a single web spell. At Level 5, the web covered a 30 foot wide circle; so, Ren equipped his hammerpick and Jennifer gasped again. He closed his eyes as her pleasure washed over him and absorbed some, took a deep breath and enchanted the hammerpick with Fire runes, then used Double Infusion to do it again. The hammerpick was engulfed in an inch of bright blue flame, and he used the plow end to cut the excess webbing off. Ren only needed the web to be 10 feet tall; so, he used his Fire Manipulation ability to burn away the rest of the web; which left a 10 foot tall and 30 foot long web. Nearly all of the dancers had gasped when he walked up the wall to cut off the top of the web and burn that away; but he successfully ignored them. He used another Web spell to cover the last 10 feet of the wall, used the hammerpick to clear away what he didn''t need, and jumped off the wall to land on the floor. Ren used a Permanency spell to make the Web permanent in it''s current state, then took out a mirror and stuck it into place. He put up the other three, then took out the plaques that used to be on the wall. He laid them down on the floor and did the same Web application trick to the backs, made the web permanent, and stuck them to the mirrors in the same spots they were before. ¡°There.¡± Ren said and stored the hammerpick as he stepped back to look at his work. He could see a perfect reflection of the entire room and everyone in it, and with the mirrors so big, you barely noticed the lines where one mirror ended and the other one started. He smiled broadly as he looked at the women and their reflections, and he could feel their awe. He turned around and walked over to the hot tub room and did the same thing to cover a wall in there, then came back out. Everyone still stood there in awe as Ren picked up the mirror Jennifer had danced in front of, went over to the bar and applied the mirror to the wall in behind after moving the shelves out of the way. He put the shelves back and felt the women start to overcome their awe. ¡°I''ll need help positioning the mirrors on the ceilings.¡± Ren said, and several of the dancers came over to him. ¡°Mine''s right there!¡± Candy said and pointed to the door beside the bar. Ren nodded and followed her inside her room. He didn''t know where the mirror was supposed to go, so he told her to get on the bed. Candy jumped onto the bed happily and rolled over to look up at the ceiling. Ren applied the web to the ceiling and walked up the wall. ¡°This is so trippy!¡± Candy said and giggled. ¡°Let me know if this is where you want it.¡± Ren said and took out a mirror and held it just below the web. ¡°Um... a little to the left. No, the other left.¡± Candy said. Ren chuckled and moved it back. ¡°A bit more. Now up a little.¡± Candy said. ¡°Right there.¡± Teepo? ¡°I got it.¡± Thanks, buddy. Ren thought and stored the mirror, and followed Teepo''s instructions on where to trim the webbing before making it permanent. Once that was done, Ren put the mirror in place and walked back down the wall to the floor. ¡°How''s that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I think it looks okay.¡± Candy said. ¡°Have a look.¡± Ren climbed onto the bed and laid down beside her, and looked up at the ceiling. The mirror was so big that it showed the entire room''s reflection, and he looked a little odd wearing full armor laying on a bed, and he chuckled. ¡°What''s funny?¡± Candy asked and moved her head to rest it by his, and her reflection did the same. ¡°You''re almost completely naked.¡± Ren said and pointed at her reflection, and his reflection pointed at her. ¡°Me? I''m fully armored.¡± Ren said and pointed at his reflection, which pointed back at him. ¡°Doesn''t that look odd?¡± ¡°Then store the armor.¡± Candy suggested and turned her head to look at him. ¡°Just for a minute.¡± Ren stored the armor and left on his black bodysuit. ¡°You''re right. That does look better.¡± ¡°It sure does.¡± Candy''s hand reached over and rubbed his chest, then she rolled onto her side and draped a leg over him. Ren didn''t feel any overt sexual desire from her, even when she pulled herself in to cuddle and gave his cheek a kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, Candy.¡± Ren said and pat her arm. ¡°I really should get the other mirrors put up.¡± Candy smiled and pulled her leg off of him. ¡°My sex appeal isn''t doing anything at all for you, is it?¡± Ren sat up and leaned down to whisper in her ear. ¡°It might if you were genuine about it.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren held up his index finger and very lightly touched the spot over her heart. ¡°I can feel what you feel. I could be any man at all, and you''d feel exactly the same way.¡± He said. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°I... yes.¡± ¡°There''s absolutely nothing wrong with that.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Having you treat me normally is a definite improvement over when we first met.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You remember, don''t you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°When the guys took me to the Pink Pearl for the first... and last time... you, Jennifer, Spice, Saffron, and Pepper were debating on what you were going to do because of me.¡± Candy''s mouth dropped open. ¡°H-how do you know that?¡± ¡°I normally don''t tell people this; but, I don''t want you to think that anyone is spilling secrets about you behind your back.¡± Ren said and used the finger he had touched her heart with to tap his ear. ¡°These ears of mine aren''t just for looks.¡± ¡°You... heard us.¡± Candy said and then sighed. ¡°You must have hated us for what we said.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°You were being honest, and it was a real problem.¡± He said. ¡°I also didn''t want any of you to choose me over your regular customers.¡± ¡°Spice was tempted to, but she really likes Hank.¡± Candy said. ¡°I like Tommy.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°I don''t hold anything you said then against you; or against any of you.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°You feel how you feel.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t need to feel ashamed about it.¡± ¡°But... we were being mean.¡± Candy said and sat up, too. ¡°Then we were all relieved when Janice came in.¡± ¡°I was, too.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It let me solve your problem without causing any awkwardness.¡± Candy blinked her eyes at him for a moment, and Ren felt a spark of actual affection from her. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± ¡°I''ll accept your thanks, if you accept my apology for making you all lose your jobs.¡± ¡°Since you gave us a great vacation and then our own place to work so we can make more money than we''ve ever had before.¡± Candy said and laughed. ¡°I''ll gladly accept your apology!¡± ¡°As long as you''re having fun while doing it.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Oh, I am.¡± Candy said. ¡°With no boss to boss me around...¡± Gina poked her head into the room. ¡°Hey, get to work!¡± Ren and Candy exchanged glances and laughed. Chapter 445 - It Was Dark, Now Theres Light Ren installed the mirrors in all the other private rooms, and went up the stairs to the dressing room. The make-up tables all needed the same size mirrors, so he took a 10 foot by 10 foot one out and placed it on the floor. He absorbed the enchantment from it and used his glass scoring tool to snap the pieces off that he needed. Ren enchanted the now smaller pieces, did the web trick to the backs of them, then installed them on the walls behind each desk. With his task done, he went downstairs and met Gina and Janice by the front door. ¡°Ren!¡± Gina said. ¡°The place looks great!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That makes it sound like the place looked awful before the mirrors.¡± Gina laughed. ¡°You know what I meant.¡± She said and took out the Animate Object wand she had. ¡°Time for the bouncers to get to work.¡± Ren watched her as she cast the spell expertly and the two bouncers stepped away from the wall. ¡°These guys have been a godsend.¡± Gina said and held the wand out to Ren. ¡°I''m running low.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said and recharged it, then stored it. ¡°Hey, I need that!¡± ¡°Not anymore.¡± Ren said and cast the Permanency spell on the bouncers. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Gina said and went to the bouncers and examined them. ¡°They''re going to stay? Permanently?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want any more?¡± ¡°I... yes. If you can make me one for each dancer, that would be great.¡± ¡°Ask and you shall receive.¡± Ren said and took out 12 of them. ¡°I can cast the spell myself; but, you know better than I do what the girls need as a bodyguard.¡± Gina nodded as Ren handed her the wand back and she cast the spell on the new bodyguards. She did them individually, and after each one, Ren made the spell permanent and they went to their respective spots beside the girl''s private rooms. ¡°Ren, you... thank you so much.¡± Gina said and gave him the wand back. ¡°I want to keep them safe just as much as you do.¡± Ren said in response to her feelings. Gina smiled sweetly at him, and he felt a spark of affection from her. ¡°Hey, am I wearing you down?¡± He asked. ¡°Am I starting to drive you wild?¡± Gina laughed and tapped his armor. He stored it and she pulled him in for a tight hug. ¡°Nope, you''re still not making my motor run.¡± ¡°I''ll keep trying.¡± Ren said. ¡°I love a challenge.¡± Gina kissed the top of his head and let him go. ¡°Get out of here before I throw you out.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you coming, Janice?¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Janice said and draped an arm over his shoulders. ¡°You have got to stop giving me opportunities to tease you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m pretty sure you''d be able to do that no matter what I said.¡± ¡°True.¡± Janice said and Gina opened the door for them. Ren turned around and waved to the girls, and they waved back. ¡°Don''t wait so long between visits.¡± Gina said as Ren and Janice stepped outside, and Ren turned around to smile at her. ¡°I have to stay away, or I might get suckered into another ''dance''.¡± ¡°Suckered, huh?¡± ¡°Coerced, tricked, jumped into willingly...¡± Gina laughed. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Bye, Gina.¡± Ren said and she shut the door. He walked Janice back to her place and she opened her front door. ¡°Do you want to come in and talk?¡± Janice asked. ¡°Just talk. No hanky panky.¡± ¡°...and temptation was dangled in front of him.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I would, but I actually have to go.¡± ¡°My door is always open.¡± Janice said. ¡°You can come inside anytime you want.¡± ¡°Now I know you''re teasing me with a comment like that.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°Thanks for stopping by, and I''ll see you again in a few days for another lesson.¡± ¡°I might be busy; but, at least you only have to cross the street to check.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m moving into the Main House tomorrow.¡± ¡°You are?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve been kind of making things harder on myself by not staying here full time.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve delayed leaving the starter city for too long already.¡± He sighed. ¡°I''ve spent a lot of time there, and I''ve met a lot of nice people.¡± ¡°It''s hard to move on, I know.¡± Janice said. ¡°But, on the bright side, you''ll meet new people. If the old ones are really your friends, they still will be if you''re here instead.¡± ¡°Thanks, Janice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Bye.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Ren ran next door to the large warehouse and no one was there. He assumed Tee-one and Ruck were out working on the Library, so he opened the door on the side of the giant forge, put his pet tarantula on the wall beside it, then stepped inside and shut the door. ¡°Hi, Zetaya.¡± Ren said, and the fire in the forge swirled and twisted, and then he was hit in the chest. ¡°Hey! That was great!¡± He said and hugged the fire elemental. While it stood up on it''s hind legs, it was as tall as him; and he genuinely hadn''t seen it move in the flames. It''s large head stub poked the cheek of his face, and he turned his head and kissed it. ¡°I''m sorry I''ve been away.¡± Ren said and let it go. ¡°If we sit down, I''ll tell you what''s been happening.¡± Zetaya let him go and moved back, and Ren walked over to the side of the forge and sat down. He pat his lap, and he could feel how happy Zetaya was when it laid down on his lap and cuddled up to him. ¡°I know I''ve been gone way too long, because I haven''t felt your feelings before.¡± Ren said and hugged it. ¡°Telling this story might take a while.¡± He felt it''s unease, and he kissed it again. ¡°It''s okay. I didn''t say I wasn''t going to tell it. I was warning you that you''ll have to put up with me for a while.¡± Zetaya''s emotions bubbled up and was filled with joy, and he knew that it wanted him to enjoy them as well. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and let his Emotion Siphon ability touch the fire elemental. It shivered for a moment, and then a loud crackling fire sound filled the forge. That sound always made him happy, because it was Zetaya''s enjoyment sound. ¡°Okay, where to start.¡± He said and stroked it''s back. ¡°Oh, how about when I met the Dark Elf Queen?¡± The crackling fire had a loud snapped twig in it accompanied by a strong feeling of disbelief, and Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s true!¡± Ren said. ¡°It all started when Clint said the party had a new quest...¡± Zetaya almost sighed as Ren talked and recounted the story, because it had always enjoyed the sound of his voice. ********If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I''m glad he''s just sitting there and relaxing. Barbara thought. I was a bit worried when he was in the Pleasure Palace and had all those dancing girls around him. She smiled. I''m still worried, but he wasn''t in there for very long. There was a light knock on the door, and it opened to reveal her husband. ¡°Donald?¡± Barbara whispered. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I came to visit my favorite wife.¡± Donald said as he walked over to her and held out a cup of coffee that matched his own. ¡°Shh.¡± Barbara said and accepted the cup. ¡°People are sleeping.¡± Donald chuckled. ¡°I could play football in here and no one would hear a thing.¡± Barbara smiled and took a sip of coffee. ¡°Mmm, thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Donald said and glanced at the television screen. ¡°So, what''s he do-HE''S ON FIR-¡± ¡°SHHHH!¡± Barbara said and covered his mouth. ¡°He''s immune to fire.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Donald said. ¡°Sorry.¡± Barbara shook her head. ¡°If you''re going to stick around, have a seat.¡± Donald sat down next to her, put his arm around the back of her chair, and crossed his legs in a figure four. Barbara looked at the pose, then at him. Donald smiled and gave her shoulder a squeeze, and they sat there and drank coffee while they watched Ren as he sat inside a fire-covered room with a big lump of fire on top of him. * Officer Holly Stonewall had been completely unsuccessful in keeping track of Ren''s whereabouts, despite her partner''s insistence that he should be easy to find. Ren was still physically at his house in real life; but, in the game where she was supposed to monitor him to see if anyone was trying to contact him, she hadn''t seen him around in a long time. She had visited his store several times, but none of the workers were talking. She had even managed to talk to the Holly that worked there and discovered that she was just as brainless as suspected. She didn''t have a clue where he was, either. Officer Holly checked the game''s message boards, a habit she had picked up once she had started playing the game. She saw another message thread about Ren and checked it. It was a heated discussion over if he was getting preferential treatment. She read through several argumentative posts, both for and against, and one finally mentioned what they were talking about. ¡°The XP leader board?¡± Officer Holly asked out loud, and clicked on the main page of the message board, and the link for the leader boards was right at the top of the page. She clicked it and was surprised to see the top post. ¡°Over 7 million? How the hell did he get that?¡± Officer Holly looked at the time of the post. ¡°He was off somewhere farming XP!¡± She said excitedly. ¡°No wonder I couldn''t find him.¡± She got up from her work station and picked up her VR headset. ¡°If I couldn''t find him, then no one else would have, either.¡± Officer Holly settled down on her recliner and put on the VR headset. ¡°Since he posted that recently, he should be back in the general area.¡± She said and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Officer Holly appeared in a standing position beside the army barracks. She had taken the advice of Ren''s head maid and chosen Paladin as a class. What she didn''t know was that she had to do a course to complete the basic training to use her abilities. She was glad that today was her last full day, and she could stop using her meal times and breaks for searching. ¡°Resume quest.¡± Officer Holly said, and her trainer appeared almost like magic. ¡°Atten-HUT!¡± He said loudly, and she immediately came to attention. She had been more than happy about choosing the class, because she had done all this basic training in real life and had excelled at all the physical feats required of her. It was the magic stuff that threw her off. ¡°Activate your Reassurance Aura!¡± Officer Holly thought about how to do that, and her instructor started to frown. ¡°It''s not difficult, recruit!¡± He said. ¡°Believe in yourself!¡± ¡°I do, sir!¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I just can''t concentrate enough.¡± ¡°I''m getting tired of boosting you, recruit.¡± The instructor said and his Aura popped into place. It was only a small one, about 5 feet wide; but when it covered her, she felt that everything was all right and she took a deep breath. She thought about wanting to help others and to give them that same feeling, and her Aura popped into place. ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± The instructor smiled as their Aura''s merged, and he felt how enthusiastic she was. ¡°You have to learn to generate those feelings yourself.¡± ¡°I know, sir.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Magic is just a difficult concept for me to wrap my mind around.¡± The instructor chuckled. ¡°You better wrap your mind around it, or your progress is going to stall as soon as you leave here.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± He stepped forward and put his face right in front of hers and she felt his anger. ¡°What did you say, recruit?¡± ¡°I''m sorry, sir.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Please clarify your statement, sir.¡± The instructor nodded and stepped back. ¡°Your main abilities for protection require you to have a firm grasp of your element.¡± He said. ¡°The most basic is your Aura. You will gain new Auras and abilities related to it as you progress, if... and only if... you can understand the principles.¡± ¡°Sir, I...¡± Officer Holly sighed. ¡°I''m sorry. This is a new experience for me.¡± ¡°That''s what the training is for.¡± He said and turned to point. ¡°Once around the course, and help those in need.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± Officer Holly ran towards the course. The instructor watched silently as she deftly avoided the obstacles, then as Officer Holly stopped to help a crying woman. * ¡°That''s... he couldn''t have... did he really...¡± Xuunah mumbled, and the maids laughed. ¡°He''s unbelievable, isn''t he?¡± Frikara said. ¡°He doesn''t do outrageous things every day, but when he does...¡± ¡°I''m beginning to see that.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Especially with that last adventure.¡± ¡°It was awesome.¡± Andrela said. ¡°He even defeated an entire clan of trolls! 12 foot tall, horribly icky trolls!¡± Lusinia chuckled. ¡°Twice, actually.¡± ¡°I know!¡± Andrela said and laughed. ¡°They didn''t learn their lesson the first time!¡± Xuunah could gauge how happy they all were, thanks to her Aura sense ability. She hadn''t felt this much from 5 people before; but, she knew they were sharing with each other and had assumed that was boosting their emotions much higher than what she would normally feel. ¡°I hope he comes back soon.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°I need to feel him again.¡± ¡°We all do.¡± Frikara said, and saw Xuunah''s expression. ¡°His emotions fill us up through the shared Aura.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I thought you meant physically.¡± ¡°That, too.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°He''s so strong and gentle at the same time.¡± She said. ¡°It kind of drives me crazy.¡± Navruth smiled and touched her shoulder. ¡°Kind of?¡± ¡°Fine! It absolutely makes me crazy!¡± Verwynn laughed. ¡°Happy, now?¡± Navruth hugged her. ¡°Yes, because you''re being honest with yourself.¡± Xuunah had observed them for several hours now, and her opinion of them was more than favorable. When she considered what had happened to them before their rescue from the Thieves Guild, her opinion went up that much higher. ¡°I think you are all quite remarkable, not just Ren.¡± Xuunah said, and all the maids looked at her. ¡°You''ve been through so much...¡± Xuunah said and then a loud rumbling came from her stomach. ¡°Oh! We didn''t feed you!¡± Frikara said and opened the icebox. ¡°I''m so sorry, Xuunah. You missed breakfast.¡± ¡°...and lunch.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°Humans have strange customs to eat 3 full meals a day.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Xuunah said and graciously accepted the plate of food. ¡°All they really need is a nice light snack to keep them going.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I''m so glad we have sustenance rings and don''t have to worry about it anymore.¡± Verwynn went to the icebox and took out a plate. ¡°It''s still nice to eat, though.¡± Xuunah sat there and ate, and glanced at their fingers. She used Identify and saw what the rings did.
Ring of Boosted Sustenance (Rare Wondrous Item)
This ring continually provides its wearer with life-sustaining nourishment. It refreshes the body and mind as well, and the wearer only needs to sleep for 2 hours per day to gain the benefit of 8 hours of sleep. The ring must be worn for a full week before it attunes to the wearer''s needs. If it is ever removed, it must be worn for another week to attune it again. Bonus: +10 to all stats
¡°Where can I get a ring like that?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°Ren made it.¡± Frikara said. ¡°If you ask, I''m sure he will make you one if you want." ¡°I''ll do that.¡± Xuunah said and kept eating. * Ren had talked for almost 2 hours, and he had just finished telling Zetaya about the ghoul invasion that he wasn''t invited to. ¡°Ren, I hate to say this; but, we should probably finish the outside walls.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If we want to be done before we have to head back to Aurora.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I guess you''re right.¡± He said and looked at Zetaya. ¡°I''ve got a really crazy plan that I''m going to start soon, and I''m going to need your help.¡± Zetaya perked up and it''s head stub pointed to his face. ¡°You might not like it, or you might really love it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll come back tomorrow and explain everything, once I get everyone moved out here.¡± The crackling fire was really loud, even with the roar of the flames all around them. ¡°That''s right. I''m not going to be so far away anymore.¡± Zetaya''s head stub poked his face several times all over, and Ren laughed as it pushed him over and kept doing it. ¡°I''m... haha... going to counterattack!¡± Zetaya didn''t let up, and Ren reached down and started to tickle it''s belly. It twisted around and the sound of crackling fire increased, and Ren felt an increase in happiness. Zetaya tried to bury it''s head stub in Ren''s neck, and he held on to the fire elemental and rolled over to get a better attack angle. ¡°I got you now!¡± Ren said and tickled it''s belly. Zetaya flailed it''s limb stubs around; but, it didn''t try to attack back or try to get away. Ren eased the merciless attack and just rubbed Zetaya''s belly. ¡°You''re amazing.¡± Ren said and picked Zetaya up to give the fire elemental a hug. The crackling fire sound faded away and was replaced by a constant low twig snapping. ¡°Thank you for not being angry at me.¡± He said and kissed it''s head stub. ¡°I love you.¡± Zetaya''s arm stubs hugged him back, and he felt that Zetaya loved him, too. It was pure and unrestricted, and it filled Ren with a feeling so warm that it brought tears to his eyes... and the tears evaporated immediately in the intense heat of the forge. Zetaya let him out of the hug, and he reached out and rubbed the sides of it''s head stub. ¡°I need to go, but I''ll be back tomorrow.¡± Ren said. Zetaya nodded and he walked over to the side of the forge and left through the big door. Once he was outside, he picked up his pet spider and looked at the forge. He remembered the huge hinges that were needed for the large main doors he had made for the county, and made the proper-sized mold for them. He poured out the proper amount and let the system make the hinges, since there was no point in making them by hand. Ren stored the giant hinges and ran across the street to get Princess. She agreed to help once again, and with the rest of the afternoon and evening to work, they went out to the Main Gate and attached the large iron doors to the walls, then went around the rest of the county to cover the 40 foot tall walls of dirt with walls of iron. Chapter 446 - Like An Angel Once all the outer walls were done, Ren had a bit of a problem. The large 200 foot tall cliff that was next to the old village was still a hazard. It wasn''t the falling rocks or possible collapse; it was the extremely high vantage point that was several miles across that any group positioned there would have over him and the citizens of his county. Ren wasn''t going to stand for that. With an unlimited amount of permanent Iron Walls, he used them to make a 240 foot wall, 10 feet thick, all along that cliff face. With the walls directly against the cliff, there was no chance that anything could crumble or drop on the people down below, and it stopped anything from being fired directly down. There wasn''t much he could do about catapults fired over the top of the wall, at least not until he deployed the soldiers he had on the outside of the walls. Ren cast Animate Object on them and charged them with protecting the realm, and he went along the entire periphery to place thousands of animated soldiers to defend the county. He was almost sure he wasn''t going to need an entire army; but, it was always nice to be prepared. With that done, he and Princess ran up the wall and stood on top of it. It only had iron walls on one side of it. ¡°It''s dangerous up here.¡± Ren said and chuckled, and Princess huffed while Teepo chittered in laugher. ¡°I''ll fix that tomorrow.¡± He said, and Princess ran down the inside dirt wall and they went back to the Main House. ¡°You''re just in time.¡± Tee-one said as Ren and Princess came to a stop. ¡°Ruck and I just finished the Library.¡± He said and pointed down the street. ¡°Holy crap.¡± Ren said, and it was identical to the building in Aurora. ¡°How did I miss you building something that big?¡± Tee-one laughed. ¡°You always leave going the other way.¡± ¡°I... well, damn.¡± Ren said and laughed, too. ¡°You''re right.¡± ¡°It''s got shelves and tables inside, but not a single book.¡± ¡°I''ll be taking care of that right now.¡± Ren said and opened up the Land Owner menu. He followed Rosie''s instructions to the letter and set everything up, added it''s own budget, and checked the box that asked if he already had a Librarian. He added Rosie''s name as the Head Librarian, and couldn''t remember the name of the marked one that was a Librarian as well, so he chose ''pending'' for a secondary Librarian, and for several assistants. Ren chose ''yes'' when the Library activation popup appeared, added the money for the budget, then the popup disappeared and the building started to glow. This lasted for a few minutes, and then the glow faded.
Notice!
Congratulations! You have successfully created the proper infrastructure for a fully functional city within your county. Gaugan City is now the capital of Walin County. Rewards: 300,000 XP Fame Bonus: +75% (100% - 25% Slow and Steady) 10,000 Fame Total XP: 525,000
Notice!
Excess Fame has been converted to XP. 10,000 Fame x 10 XP = 100,000 XP
Notice!
You have earned enough XP to gain the sixth spot on the leader board. Your name and the total have been posted on the message board and the main server.
Notice!
You have gained 3 levels! You are now level 140 and 30 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: Deft Hands (skill), Skill Focus (skill), Smoke Screen Gem (recipe)
Ren had just finished reading the popups and dismissed them, when he saw a very familiar figure running towards him. He jumped off of Princess and ran to meet her, stored his armor, and took Lara into his arms. ¡°Guess what popup I just received?¡± Lara said and kissed him. ¡°I have no idea.¡± Ren said and kissed her back. ¡°Was it important or something?¡± Lara laughed. ¡°Not at all.¡± Ren let her out of the hug. ¡°Want me to show you around the place? Considering it''s all official now?¡± ¡°I''d like that.¡± Lara said. ¡°I''ve been meaning to come out here for a while now.¡± Ren put an arm around her waist. ¡°You don''t have far to go to get here, now.¡± He said and pointed to each building and said what they were as he slowly turned her around in a circle. ¡°Most of the places are closed, since it''s so late.¡± He said, and chuckled. ¡°Except for the Pleasure Palace and the Library, apparently.¡± ¡°No, the Library''s still closed.¡± Lara said. ¡°It''ll stay that way until you get a Librarian.¡± ¡°I have one... well, two...¡± Ren said. ¡°Rosie''s going to run it, and one of the people I rescued during that ghoul mission is another.¡± ¡°You''ll be able to stay open a lot if you split the shifts.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Now that I''ve got that done, I''m heading back to Aurora.¡± ¡°I''d offer to take you, but there''s no way at all that Princess would fit.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s okay. She prefers to run anyways.¡± So do you. Princess thought. ¡°I''m going to stick around this Library and see if there''s anything different in the book selection.¡± Lara said. ¡°Can''t you just...¡± Ren closed his eyes for a second and opened them. ¡°I could, but where''s the fun in that?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Then go have fun and I''ll see you later.¡± Lara kissed him again and started to walk back to the Library. ¡°Just a second.¡± Ren said, and she turned around. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I''m moving everyone here tomorrow, and... well... I''ve got a few extra houses free if you want to pick one.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You can choose one here, or you can move into the one in the Housing District in Aurora.¡± Ren said. ¡°Either way, you''ll have a place to call your own.¡± ¡°I... Ren, that''s... you''re giving me a house.¡± Lara said, surprised. ¡°That shouldn''t be such a surprise.¡± Ren said. ¡°Except maybe that I''ve waited so long to offer.¡± Lara smiled. ¡°I''ll think about it.¡± ¡°That''s all I can ask.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°Bye, Lara.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Lara said and walked back towards the Library. ¡°Tee-one. Ruck.¡± Ren said as he turned around and climbed up onto Princess'' saddle. ¡°Thanks a lot for all your hard work.¡± ¡°You can thank us properly by giving us a new member to the family.¡± Tee-one said.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Your familiar limit is up to 5 now.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°It''s been only Ruck and I for so long.¡± ¡°I... I''m sorry I haven''t made anyone else.¡± Ren said. ¡°I always meant to.¡± Tee-one pat his knee. ¡°We know; but before you go off adventuring again, we''d like someone else to talk to.¡± ¡°I''ll come by tomorrow, and we can discuss the best ways to use up those slots.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Tee-one said, and Ruck pat Ren''s head. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± Ren said, and Princess turned around and took off at half of her top speed. The road was getting crowded with players going to the Pleasure Palace, and she had to be careful that she didn''t run anyone over. * Officer Holly finished all of her assigned tasks, and came to a stop in front of the instructor. She was out of breath and full of high emotions. ¡°Well, this is it.¡± The instructor said. ¡°Your last check-in.¡± He looked at her sternly, and she felt his intense scrutiny. ¡°Do you feel like you''ve successfully completed the training necessary?¡± ¡°No, sir.¡± Officer Holly said, completely honestly. The instructor''s face changed from stern to a huge smile. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Officer Holly was shocked. ¡°S-sir.¡± ¡°If you thought you knew everything, I would have extended your training for another week.¡± The instructor said and laughed at her reaction. ¡°There is always more to learn and more to experience.¡± He said and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You''ve got a brash attitude; but, you''ve also got a big heart. You are going to need both on your journey.¡± ¡°I... thank you, sir.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Make sure you work on invoking your Aura.¡± He said. ¡°It''s essential to your development.¡± ¡°I will, sir.¡± ¡°I''m glad to have someone as capable as you join the ranks of Paladins.¡± The instructor said and gave her a weird salute. She returned it, and he nodded. ¡°May the Light always shine within you.¡± ¡°...and within you, sir.¡± Officer Holly responded, and she received a popup.
Notice!
Congratulations! You have successfully completed Paladin Training. Rewards: 20,000 XP; Light Affinity +10%; 10 gold coins
Notice!
You have gained 10 levels! You are now Level 10, and have 50 points to spend on available stats. You have unlocked: Holy Armor (recipe - give to blacksmith), Light Touch Level 1 (Beginner 0%) (skill), Healing Aura Level 1 (Beginner 0%), Detect Undead (spell), Revealing Light (recipe - give to enchanter), Weapon Proficiency (skill), Parry (with shield) (skill), Aura of Truth (Mastered), Track Level 1 (Intermediate 0%), Armor Proficiency (skill)
Oh, my god. Officer Holly thought as she read the popup. She dismissed it and looked at the instructor, and he had a huge smile on his face. ¡°Good luck, Paladin.¡± Officer Holly nodded, and walked away with her head held high. She made it to the beginning of the training grounds and was ushered through the guard post almost immediately. Several carts and horses were waiting at the nearby stable, and she hired one to take her back to Aurora. If she hurried, she might get to Ren''s business before it closed. * Ren felt Princess'' frustration, but there wasn''t much he could do about it; then smiled when he remembered that he had access to magic spells. ¡°Princess? Do you want to test the limits of the Air Walk spell?¡± Princess huffed agreement, and Ren took out a wand and replaced it''s charges with the Air Walk spell. At Level 5, it would last 20 minutes; which was plenty of time for her to make it back to Aurora, even if she could only move at half of her normal speed. Of course, her normal speed was completely outrageous, so going half that wasn''t really much of a penalty. Ren cast it on her, and she ran up into the air as if going up a steep hill. He felt her exultation as she brayed loudly and passed above the tops of the trees, then she ignored following the road completely and ran directly for the city of Aurora. ¡°Princess? Go to the big mansion in the center of the city.¡± Ren said and equipped his dwarf overall commander uniform, and Princess shifted her path only slightly. They made it to Aurora 10 minutes later, and Princess brayed as she passed over all those cumbersome buildings she always had to run around. She came in for a landing as if she ran down a hill, and stopped right in front of the steps. Barely two seconds later, Donna burst out of the mansion''s front door and scared the two guards that stood on either side of the large doors. Donna stopped right beside him, and stared. ¡°You... it''s been so long!¡± ¡°I''ve got a good tale to explain.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. She took it and climbed up behind him. ¡°Take me home and tell me all about it.¡± Donna said, and Ren told Princess where her house was. They went down the street and then three streets over. Donna slid off and walked to her front door to open it, and Ren looked at Princess. ¡°Do you want another Air Walk spell?¡± Please. ¡°It''s only 20 minutes, so don''t go too high or too far.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll meet you back here when it expires.¡± Thank you, My Lord. Princess thought, and he used the spell on her again. She immediately ran up into the air and disappeared from view. Ren felt Donna''s shock, and he walked over to her. ¡°We only have 20 minutes.¡± ¡°We might finish.¡± Donna said and picked him up. ¡°Hey, you''re lighter.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve got a lot of stuff in storage.¡± Donna brought him inside and shut the door. ¡°You''re the only person I''ve met that can even come close to lifting me.¡± Ren said as she put him on the bed. ¡°That''s because I''m unnaturally strong.¡± Donna said and started to undress, and Ren took out a Strong Ring of Storage. ¡°Do you want one of these?¡± Ren asked and held it out. ¡°Are you asking me to marry you?¡± Donna asked, and Ren laughed because he could feel that she was joking. ¡°You''d never accept even if I did ask.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°It''s a storage ring.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Donna said and put it on. She stored her clothing and left herself completely naked. ¡°You''re still dressed.¡± ¡°I''m trying to enjoy the moment of seeing you naked.¡± Ren said as he took off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, and she laughed. ¡°Clothes off...¡± Donna climbed onto the bed. ¡°...or I tear them off.¡± Ren stored his clothing without another word, and she saw that he was already excited. ¡°Now, returning warrior.¡± Donna said and straddled him. ¡°Tell me your tale.¡± Even though Donna had gotten most of the story from the maids, she wanted to hear it directly from him; then she gasped as they joined together for the first time in so long. Ren felt her revel in both the fantasy of him returning to her, and in the physical sensations she was feeling. ¡°G-go ahead.¡± Donna said and leaned down to kiss him. ¡°I''m... god, I''m waiting!¡± Ren gave her a quick rundown of what had happened since the last time he had seen her, and she stopped moving when he mentioned Shargon Caverns. ¡°No.¡± Donna said and hugged him tightly. ¡°How? Why?¡± ¡°I apparently met the requirements.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not you.¡± Donna shook her head. ¡°Not my little dutiful soldier.¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°I made it out.¡± ¡°But... then...¡± Donna looked down at them together. ¡°If you''re a... a...¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°As a nice pixie said when I met her... I have evil, but it doesn''t have me.¡± Donna took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I''m glad.¡± She said. ¡°If you were, I''d... we''d... I couldn''t do this with you anymore.¡± ¡°Oh, then I''m quite evil.¡± Ren said and grinned, and she slapped his chest. ¡°That''s not funny.¡± Donna said and started to move her hips again. ¡°What would I do without you?¡± ¡°Anything you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°How many times a day do you get men asking about you?¡± Donna''s face flushed a little red, and Ren felt her embarrassment. He reached up and cupped her breasts. ¡°Don''t say no to someone, just because of this.¡± Ren said and massaged her. ¡°If you find someone... please, don''t ignore them for me.¡± ¡°Ren, I... even if I did accept someone... they can''t...¡± ¡°You can be gentle.¡± Ren said and let her chest go to gently stroke her abdomen. ¡°I can; but, I...¡± Donna put her hands on his shoulders. ¡°...I need to not be careful.¡± Ren smiled and rubbed her thighs. ¡°Then have at it.¡± She did. Princess came back to the house 20 minutes later, and Ren felt her outside. ¡°My ride''s here.¡± Ren said. Donna had finished only a minute before; and they had cuddled in bed afterwards. ¡°So, you won''t be mad if I did find someone else?¡± ¡°Of course I won''t be mad.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°The only reason I''m doing this is to make you happy.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Having great sex is just a bonus.¡± Donna chuckled. ¡°I didn''t even have to use my ability to ease battle horrors for you this time.¡± She said and let him go, and sat up. Ren got up off the bed and equipped his clothing, then put on his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak.¡°Well, I kind of skipped over the part where I died.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Donna yelled. ¡°That''s my cue to leave.¡± Ren said and ran for the front door. ¡°Bye!¡± ¡°Get back here!¡± Donna said and equipped her clothing to run after him. When she reached the front door and looked out, he was nowhere to be found. Ren had hopped onto Princess and she ran up the road. He asked her to stop at the Library, and he went inside and saw that Rosie was just changing shifts. ¡°Perfect timing.¡± Ren said, and she turned to smile at him. ¡°It is.¡± Her grandmother said from behind the reception desk. ¡°Give me a hand.¡± ¡°Gladly.¡± Ren said and walked over to her, and helped her waddle over to Rosie. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Rosie asked. ¡°I was just passing by on my way back to the Housing District, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought I''d stop in and tell you the Walin County Library is ready.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Rosie said. ¡°I got the notification a while ago.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said and then smiled. ¡°Well, at least I got to see your face twice in as many days.¡± ¡°Such a sweet young man.¡± Rosie''s grandmother said. ¡°I''m sorry she missed her chance with you.¡± Ren blinked his eyes for a moment, then looked at the old woman. ¡°She missed her chance?¡± The old lady nodded. ¡°You''ve got too many irons in the fire for her to be a significant part of your life now.¡± ¡°But, she is.¡± Ren said, truthfully. ¡°I knew she wouldn''t want to be with me because of my living arrangements; but, she''s still a significant part of my life.¡± ¡°That''s nice of you to say.¡± The old lady said. ¡°Rosie.¡± Rosie took her arm and they started to walk out of the Library. ¡°Can I walk you home?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That''s not necessary.¡± Rosie''s grandmother said before Rosie could say yes. ¡°She''s giving up her life here, and everyone she knows, just to be near you.¡± She said. ¡°Isn''t that enough for you?¡± ¡°I... ma''am, I...¡± Ren sighed as he felt resentment from the old woman. ¡°I thought having her own Library would make her happy.¡± ¡°It does!¡± Rosie said before her grandmother could say anything. ¡°It''s just that I accepted the offer without talking to my family first.¡± She said. ¡°I have to try and find someone to take care of grandma.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked, a little confused. ¡°I''m moving so far away from her...¡± ¡°Isn''t she coming along?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Rosie asked. ¡°When I asked you to be the Head Librarian, I just assumed your grandmother would be coming, too.¡± Ren said and touched the old woman''s arm. ¡°I''m really sorry if you thought otherwise.¡± ¡°Forget everything I just said.¡± The old woman grinned and looked at her granddaughter. ¡°Rosie, you have my permission to sleep with him, even if he won''t marry you properly first.¡± ¡°Grandmother!¡± Rosie exclaimed, and her face turned to a deep red. ¡°We''d be delighted to have a strapping young man escort us back to the house.¡± The very happy old lady said and transferred her grip to Ren''s arm. Chapter 447 - A Solution Ren walked Rosie and her grandmother back to their house, while Princess trotted sedately behind them; and the old lady talked non-stop the entire way. She said all the things she was looking forward to when they moved, and couldn''t wait to see their new home. Ren thought it was a little odd that her emotions had done a complete 180 degree turn from how she felt when she thought she would be left behind, to how she felt now that she would be included. Rosie, on the other hand, was overjoyed that Ren was going to let her bring her grandmother along, even though she was still embarrassed about what her grandmother had said. I can''t believe she just offered me up to him like that. Rosie thought and looked at Ren as he dutifully escorted her grandmother home. Her face flushed red as she thought about what it would be like to be with him. Ren felt Rosie''s swirling emotions and wasn''t sure what he could do or say to try and calm her down. He was pretty sure she didn''t know that he could feel her emotions, so he would have to tell her soon. Now wasn''t the time, though. He had to make sure to shower her grandmother with attention, because that was what she expected of him. ¡°Here we are, here we are.¡± Rosie''s grandmother said as they approached the front door of their house. ¡°I''d like to say that I''m going to miss the old place, but I won''t.¡± She said and cackled a laugh. Ren chuckled, because he could feel that she was happy. ¡°Thank you for walking us home.¡± The old woman said and let go of the death grip that she had on Ren''s arm. ¡°I''m really looking forward to going on a great adventure.¡± She said. ¡°Especially at my age!¡± Ren took her hand and bent over it. ¡°I hope you will get as much enjoyment out of it, as I will at having the both of you so near.¡± ¡°So near?¡± ¡°I''m moving into the Main House tomorrow.¡± Ren said and kissed her hand. ¡°It''s right in front of the housing subdivisions.¡± ¡°We''ll be neighbours!¡± The old woman said happily and squeezed his hand. ¡°Practically next door.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°If you need a hand moving your things, let me know.¡± ¡°No, no.¡± She said and waved his offer away. ¡°You take care of your own and get yourself settled.¡± She smiled. ¡°We can handle it.¡± Ren nodded and she went into the house and shut the door. ¡°Ren, thank you.¡± Rosie said. ¡°You didn''t have to do this.¡± Ren thought about his Prince Charming title and thought off, took her hand, and pulled her close. ¡°Rosie, I can honestly say that I thought she would be coming along when I made the offer.¡± He said and put his arms around her to hug her. ¡°I would never ask you to leave her behind.¡± ¡°Ren, you really are too good to be true.¡± Rosie said. Ren chuckled and let her out of the hug. ¡°What are you going to say when I tell you that I''ve assigned you to the Head Librarian job, gave you an outrageous budget, and want you to use the funds as you see fit?¡± Rosie''s mouth dropped open. ¡°I... I thought you said something like that before.¡± She said. ¡°I''m the Head Librarian?¡± ¡°I have a citizen in my county that''s a Librarian, but I don''t know her name and haven''t offered her a job yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was planning on offering her the back-up position, and you can assign her shifts, or days to be there, or whatever you want.¡± He said. ¡°Hire assistants and workers. Make it the nicest Library anyone has ever been in.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Rosie said and kissed him. This went on for several minutes, and she broke the kiss herself when reason overrode her emotions and she knew that she needed to get inside to start packing. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren took out a platinum coin and gave it to her. ¡°What''s this for?¡± ¡°Moving expenses, if you have any.¡± Ren said. ¡°Make sure you take everything that you want to take, and don''t leave something behind because it''s too big, or too old, or any other excuse.¡± Rosie chuckled. ¡°Can we just take the house, then?¡± ¡°If you want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''ll dig it up and put it on some kind of transport.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re serious.¡± Rosie said, completely surprised. ¡°I was joking.¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you want this house, I''ll move it there for you.¡± ¡°I... good god, Ren!¡± Rosie exclaimed. ¡°I want to say yes, just so I can see you move it!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''ll only do it if you really want the house.¡± ¡°No, I don''t want it.¡± Rosie admitted. ¡°Then pack up your things, and I''ll probably see you there tomorrow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hire some carts and drivers to help move everything, okay?¡± Rosie nodded. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± ¡°Bye, Rosie.¡± Ren said and climbed up onto Princess'' saddle. She started to trot away, then went to half speed and disappeared from sight. * Officer Holly had the cart drop her off at the end of the Artesian District and walked down the street. She did it as discretely as she could, and sneaked around the nearby tailor''s office to see that Ren''s shop was already closed. She wasn''t sure if Ren had been back or not, and berated herself for not checking her tracking software to see where he was. I''ll do that now, since this is a safe zone. Officer Holly thought. ¡°Logout.¡± * ¡°Go to Anabelle.¡± Ren said. Princess ran fast to his business as Ren concentrated on his Freedom Aura. It merged with Anabelle''s, and he felt her surprise and delight. The shop was closed, so he took Princess around to the back. He dismounted and ran up the back stairs, went in the back door, and up to the apartment. ¡°Ren.¡± Anabelle said as he came in through the door. ¡°I thought...¡± ¡°I''m moving out to the county tomorrow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back to visit a lot; but, you know if I get busy...¡± ¡°How long can you stay?¡± ¡°An hour.¡± Ren said and walked over to the bed. ¡°Don''t you want me to come over to the house?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°It was very nice of you to agree to that; but, I really only did that so they would know what you mean to me.¡± ¡°So I don''t have to share the bed if I don''t want to?¡± Anabelle asked, and he nodded. ¡°What if I do?¡± ¡°Then I''ll take you over there and we can all share emotions again.¡± ¡°You''re leaving it up to me, then.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, do you want me to make passionate love to you here, or go to the house and make sweet love to you there?¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Passionate, please.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Only if you beg.¡± Ren said. Anabelle knelt, held her hands in front of her, and clasped them together to plead. ¡°Ren! Please! I beg of you!¡± She said desperately, and he felt the accompanying emotions. ¡°Ravish me and make me yours!¡± ¡°Clothes on or off?¡± ¡°On!¡± Ren smiled evilly at her, filled their shared Aura with naughtiness to make her gasp, and picked her up. She let out that little yip of surprise as he turned her around and bent her over the bed, yanked her business skirt up and pulled down her underwear. ¡°W-wait!¡± Anabelle said and started to squirm. ¡°No.¡± Ren said as he pulled his pants down. Without preamble or preparation of any kind, forcefully joined with her. Anabelle gasped loudly at the sudden intrusion, and their shared Aura was filled with her immediate pleasure. ¡°GOD!¡± Anabelle yelled as she finished, and then gasped again as Ren''s happiness at pleasing her filled the Aura as well. He started to move enthusiastically, and she couldn''t fight the sensations. ¡°You... you really do... enjoy making me... HAPPY!¡± She yelled as she went again. His happiness increased as her pleasure did, and Anabelle buried her face in the blanket on the bed so she wouldn''t scream as Ren had his way with her. Or, to be fair, he had her way with her, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. ******** Officer Holly saw Ren was inside the business and berated herself again for being right there and missing him. Dammit, I hope I can get back in there in time. She thought as she laid back on her recliner and put on the VR headset again. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Officer Holly''s phantom form phased back to solid and she saw Ren''s mount behind the building. Well, that''s physical proof that he''s there. She thought. Now, I wonder... Officer Holly activated her Track skill and chose the hoof prints in front of her; which made Ren''s mount glow slightly. When she looked down, the tracks the mount had made were highlighted as well, with the older tracks only partly shown. Now this is a neat ability. Officer Holly thought and looked at the boot prints by the stairs and chose those. Footprints went from near the mount and up the stairs, and disappeared under the second floor back door. Oh, wow. She thought, amazed. I really wish we had something like this in real life! * When the self-imposed time limit of an hour was up, Ren helped Anabelle finish again and finished himself. ¡°Ren... you... oh, my god... that was... oh, god.¡± Anabelle mumbled as Ren stored the blanket to clean it, then tucked her under it. They both felt how much they each had enjoyed it, and Ren gave her a kiss. ¡°I''ll try not to let too much time pass between visits.¡± Anabelle took several deep breaths to wait until she could speak normally. ¡°I think... yes, I believe I can wait now.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I don''t know if I can take feeling this good all the time.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I''ll let you know when I recover enough so we can do this again.¡± ¡°You''ll need this.¡± Ren said and took out a gold Sending Ring and held it out to her. ¡°If you need me, just think of me and talk.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Anabelle took the ring and looked at her hands. She already wore a ring on each hand, which was the normal limit. ¡°I can''t wear it.¡± Ren smiled as he activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability, and added an iron bar to make a Hand Of Glory. He used Double Infusion to add the modified Amulet of the Spider enchantment to it, and held it out. ¡°It can hold 2 rings.¡± Ren said, and she slipped the ring onto one of the fingers. ¡°I don''t know what to say.¡± Anabelle said as he gave the Hand of Glory to her and she equipped it. ¡°You could probably say, ''it''s about damn time you let me contact you, you idiot''.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Only if that''s Adventurer''s language for ''I love you''.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Of course it is.¡± Ren said and gave her another kiss. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Ren left the apartment and went out the back door to meet Princess. ¡°Back to the house.¡± He said as he climbed up into the saddle. Princess took off and ran down the street, around the corner, and to the Housing District. * Officer Holly only had to wait for about 15 minutes, and then watched as Ren came out of the back door and climbed up onto Princess. ¡°Back to the house.¡± Ren said, and Princess practically disappeared. What the hell? Officer Holly thought, then chose Princess'' hoof prints. She checked around to make sure no one was following him or her, and followed Princess'' tracks. Even though I know where he''s going, it''s always good to practice essential skills. * Ren switched Auras to the Contact Aura he shared with the maids, and felt them when the Aura''s merged. Princess came to a stop in front of the house, and Ren hopped off to open the door for her. She went into her room, and Ren told Riley and Stacy they were going to the county tomorrow. They perked up at the news and he pat them, gave Princess some food, and closed the door. He ran back out to the skeleton knights and refilled the Disguise Self wand for them. He asked them if anything happened, and they said that nothing did. He asked about the succubi, and they told him that they hadn''t come out since they went in the day before. Ren was a little worried, so he ran to the tower and went inside. All the succubi were in their beds, tucked under the blankets. He activated Sneak and walked through the downstairs and the upstairs, and found that they were all asleep in their beds. He didn''t think it was odd, mainly because it was bed time; so, he left quietly and went next door to the house and ran up the stairs. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Frikara said when he entered the bedroom, and he felt anticipation from her. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled. ¡°Nothing.¡± Frikara said and he felt her desire; then a matching feeling from the other 4 maids. ¡°We''ve just been waiting for you.¡± ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t come back right away.¡± Ren said. ¡°I stopped into Donna''s for half an hour, then saw Anabelle for an hour.¡± Frikara stood up, stored what little clothing she wore, and walked over to him. She swayed her hips a little, which swayed her breasts a little, and Ren wasn''t sure why it was a lot more erotic than usual. He couldn''t take his eyes off of her, and Frikara could feel his intense stare. His desire for her spiked through the shared Aura, and it made her gasp as her body responded to him. When she reached him, he stored his clothing without being asked and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Ren put his hands on her hips and lifted, Frikara wrapped her legs around him, and they stared at each other as they joined right there in the doorway. He carried her over to the bed without breaking the kiss, turned around, and sat down. The other maids were silent as Ren and Frikara shared a very intimate moment with each other, and Ren laid back to let Frikara take over. ¡°By the gods.¡± Frikara whispered and moved her hips, and she felt him fill her both emotionally and physically. They kept staring at each other as they moved in rhythm, and the other maids didn''t come over to touch them. They could feel the intensity between Ren and Frikara, and didn''t want to interfere with the magic they were sharing. That''s what it was. Magic. A slight white light appeared within Ren''s chest, and almost like smoke, a tendril of it flowed out. A similar white light appeared within Frikara''s chest and it formed a similar tendril. Everyone watched as the ends of the two strands of smoky light floated around, almost teasingly, and then the ends touched. ¡°AHH!¡± Frikara and Ren yelled together as their sharing bridged the limitations the Aura imposed. They each felt exactly what the other felt without restriction, and they both finished at the same time as the smoke tendrils became a straight beam of light between them.
Notice!
You have formed a permanent and unbreakable bond with Frikara (NPC-Special). All agreements, contracts, pledges, etc., between you have been cancelled and replaced with the permanent condition: Devotion.
Notice!
You have unlocked a new ability: Soul Anchor. This grants you the power to form an unbreakable bond with those that are completely devoted to you. This does not come without a price, however. This bond is permanent. When you die, they will feel your death as if it was their own. Grants the condition: Devotion.
¡°By the gods!¡± Frikara exclaimed as the beam of light faded. She tried to touch where it was, but her hand met nothing but air. ¡°Ren, I... I can feel you.¡± ¡°I... I...¡± Ren didn''t know what to say. His plan had succeeded and Frikara was no longer under contract to him; but, now they were bound in a completely different way. ¡°No, don''t be scared!¡± Frikara said and kissed him, then started to move her hips again. ¡°D-darling, you... freed me... and... by the gods!¡± She finished and took several breaths, then kept moving. ¡°You gave me... Regeneration.¡± She said, and he felt how utterly happy she was. ¡°F-F-Frikara!¡± Ren exclaimed and finished. Frikara finished again herself, and collapsed on top of him. ¡°Thank you!¡± She said and kissed him. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± * Officer Holly had carefully tracked Princess through the streets, and then she felt uneasy when she reached the street Ren''s house was on. She had only seen a single guard as he patrolled this end of the street, and had avoided him easily. It''s time to try a spell, I think. Officer Holly thought, and did the invoking gestures that her instructor had taught her, whispered the chant of the Detect Undead spell, and waited. Officer Holly felt her personal Aura expand out to cover a 100 foot circle, like water poured out on the floor, and then she gasped as an undead splashed through it and the feeling gave her a sharp poke in the side. I can handle one undead skeleton. Officer Holly thought confidently, and then another one entered her Aura. The feeling poked her in the belly this time, and she wasn''t sure what to do. Realistically, all she could do was wait; so, for the moment that was what she did. The longer she concentrated on the spell, the more information she gained about the undead as they passed through her Aura. As Officer Holly waited, she discovered there were 4 different ones moving around in the same pattern. Her body shook of it''s own accord as she discovered they were all the same ridiculously high level, Level 60; and they had identical armor with high Protection, and enormous Mana reserves. I am so glad I didn''t attack that first one. Officer Holly thought in relief. I''m only Level 10, and it would have killed me easily! It took her a few minutes to recover from the shock of realizing the overwhelming strength of the threat, then she remembered what her instructor had told her if she ever came across an undead foe that she couldn''t handle. It only worked once a day, and she was told to only use it in an emergency. This is definitely an emergency. Officer Holly thought as she took a deep breath and let it out, then she clasped her hands together and prayed. Chapter 448 - Light Shines Not So Brightly Xuunah stirred in her sound sleep when she felt the call, and it woke her up instantly. She jumped out of bed and stood up to her full height of 5 foot 8, which was a foot and a half taller than her dwarf form. Her movements weren''t awkward at all as a full set of armor formed around her and her sword and shield materialized in her hands. A bright white portal opened in front of her and she stepped through it without hesitation. * Officer Holly felt the Light element fill her, and she calmed down as a bright white portal appeared in front of her. A being that wore white and gold armor from head to foot stepped out, and they had a glowing sword and shield. Wow. Officer Holly thought. What a beautiful sight. Xuunah wasn''t surprised to see a Paladin on their knees in front of her; but, she was surprised that it was a woman and so low level. ¡°I have heeded your plead for aid, Paladin.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Officer Holly said and stood up. ¡°Four powerful undead roam the street, and I think they are looking for something.¡± Or someone. She thought. ¡°Even one is too much... uh.¡± She felt another poke in the side. ¡°One of them is right there!¡± She said and pointed. Xuunah felt her desperation and turned to face the foe, leaped out from behind the building they were hiding behind to confront the enemy, with Officer Holly close behind with her own sword drawn. * Ren felt something flare in his Aura from the next room, as did the maids through him; and Frikara stopped immediately and slid off. Ren switched to his Heat Sense to detect anyone within his Aura, and activated his Undead Adept skill to see where his skeleton knights were. Xuunah''s presence disappeared from his Aura, then her presence reappeared down the street near the edge of his Aura beside someone else. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Ren said as he gained the Angered condition. He stood up and equipped his clothes, ran to the window, and didn''t see anything; then felt Xuunah quickly move to attack one of his skeleton knights. ¡°Dammit! What is she doing?¡± * Xuunah landed and swung her sword at the threat, and it already had it''s sword and shield ready to parry the blow. She was shocked at first, then she saw her opponent and recognized it''s disguise because she had seen 9 others just like it. ¡°Please accept my apologies.¡± Xuunah said to the disguised skeleton knight, and lowered her weapon. ¡°I attacked you on false pretenses.¡± The skeleton knight hesitated for a moment, then nodded and continued on its patrol of the street as per Ren''s orders. Xuunah looked around and saw she was on the far end of the street from Ren''s house, so she turned around to see a surprised Officer Holly. ¡°You didn''t kill it?!?¡± Officer Holly exclaimed, and couldn''t believe what her eyes had just witnessed. ¡°We''re supposed to rid the world of the undead!¡± Xuunah''s sword and shield faded away. ¡°These are... special cases.¡± ¡°Special cases?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°How are they special? They are undead! Their corpses were ravaged by the Raise Dead spell to create monstrosities, and they are a blight to be disposed of!¡± Xuunah sighed as the woman in front of her spouted the direct doctrine of the Paladin Knights. ¡°If you would just listen...¡± ¡°No! I summoned you for help, and you are supposed to help-URK!¡± Officer Holly''s words were cut off when Xuunah''s armored hand grabbed her around the throat and picked her up. ¡°I said listen.¡± Xuunah said, and Officer Holly struggled in her grasp. ¡°Instead of just attacking every creature you meet, you might want to check what they are doing first!¡± She said. ¡°You noticed the pattern, but did you discover what the pattern was for? Did you scout around to see what they were actually doing?¡± Officer Holly tapped the back of the armored hand, and Xuunah put her down and let her go. ¡°What...¡± She coughed. ¡°...are they doing?¡± ¡°Patrolling for threats to the one they guard.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Haven''t you noticed that they aren''t going away?¡± She asked, and Officer Holly''s eyes widened. ¡°Even the most powerful Raise Dead spell has a time limit.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°That''s one of the reasons why these undead are special.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I''ve been here for 2 days now, and they show no signs of weakening, or signs that the spell is losing power and fading.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Officer Holly was surprised. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°I don''t know the specifics, only that they were gifts from the Lost Knights.¡± Xuunah said, and she saw no reaction from Officer Holly. ¡°Never mind.¡± She said as her armor faded away. ¡°I''m just glad I don''t have far to go to get back to where I was.¡± ¡°B-but... shouldn''t another portal open?¡± ¡°I didn''t complete the task I was summoned for.¡± Xuunah said and started to walk away. ¡°He would be so angry if I had.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Officer Holly said and ran to catch up to her. ¡°Who would be so angry?¡± ¡°My ex-almost-son-in-law.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I''m even staying in his guest room.¡± ¡°Hold on just a minute!¡± Officer Holly said. Xuunah stopped walking and held in her annoyance as she turned to look at the woman. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Your ex-son in law brought undead into a city of unsuspecting people, and you''re fine with that?¡± ¡°They were here before I was, and he graciously offered me a place to stay.¡± Xuunah smiled. ¡°Is a guest supposed to make demands upon the one hosting them?¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± Xuunah chuckled and started walking again. ¡°Nothing is wrong with me; it''s you that''s in the wrong.¡± She said. ¡°A Paladin''s job isn''t to go on a crusade to wipe out every single undead they come across. Their job is to keep the peace, to do what''s right, and to help people in need.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If the undead are a threat, then you remove them.¡± Xuunah said and came to a stop in front of a house with two undead guarding it. ¡°These undead are anything but a threat... unless you threaten him or what''s his.¡± ¡°I don''t believe this.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°You''re the embodiment of Light! How can you stand to be around these things?¡± She said and motioned to the two disguised skeleton knights. ¡°They make my skin crawl!¡± Xuunah turned and put a hand on Officer Holly''s shoulder. ¡°There are much worse things in this life than a feeling of unease, Paladin.¡± She said, pat her shoulder, then opened the front door. ¡°Wait!¡± Officer Holly said and tried to step forward. She was met by two crossed swords that barred her way. ¡°Are you going to let them attack me?¡± Xuunah smiled. ¡°You would already be dead if they were going to attack.¡± She said and shut the door. * Officer Holly stepped back from the door and the crossed swords, and shook her head in disbelief. How can she... ¡°Oh... my... god.¡± She said out loud when she realized where she was. ¡°This is Ren''s house!¡± As she stood there and took several deep breaths, she felt the other skeleton knights. 2 in front of her, 2 in front of the tower next door, 2 on top of that tower, and 4 moving around on the street. He has 10 of them. Officer Holly thought in surprise, slowly turned around and started to walk down the street. 10 undead guards that never need to eat, sleep, or get tired.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. * ¡°Why is this happening now?¡± Ren asked as he felt the stirring emotions of Xuunah and whoever it was she was with. ¡°This is interrupting my special time with Frikara!¡± He said and ran out of the bedroom and down the stairs. ¡°What''s going on?¡± He asked Xuunah just inside the front door. ¡°A Paladin thought your guards were a threat to be dealt with, and prayed for my assistance.¡± Xuunah said as she successfully ignored Ren''s silver-blue eyes with a red glow. ¡°You attacked without provocation?¡± Ren asked and frowned. ¡°Now that I know the circumstances, yes.¡± Xuunah said and sighed. ¡°I thought she had a legitimate reason for calling me.¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I''ll speak to her, and straighten this out.¡± He said and reached by Xuunah for the door handle. She tried to stop him and caught is hand. ¡°It''s all right, I-¡± Xuunah gasped when her own Light reacted to his. Ren felt the change in her emotions, and how shocked she was. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°I... yes, I...¡± Xuunah felt Ren''s Collective connection to her daughter, just as she had felt it in Nathalia. It was so strong that she knew his Light affinity must be quite high. Ren felt something poke him in the head several times, and he smiled. ¡°Are you trying to influence me?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Xuunah blinked her eyes, and he felt her surprise. ¡°I can feel you poking me.¡± Ren said and tapped his temple, now unsure of his conclusion. ¡°N-no, I... that''s not...¡± Xuunah let his hand go, but she could still feel him. Ren felt the presence on the other side of the door move away. ¡°She''s leaving.¡± He said and opened the door and stepped out. He saw a woman walking away and ran over to her. ¡°Hey, you!¡± Officer Holly turned around at the shout, and came face to face with Ren. Oh, damn. She thought, then activated her Charm Person ability. ¡°Hello! It''s such a nice night for a walk.¡± ¡°Cut the crap, ma''am.¡± Ren said as her feeble probe barely touched his brain. He could feel her emotions, and knew she was trying to put one over on him. ¡°First you try to attack my guards, and now you''re trying to influence me.¡± He said. ¡°What''s your deal?¡± ¡°N-nothing.¡± Officer Holly said, and finally noticed the red glow around his eyes. ¡°I... I was only walking down the street.¡± She said, and he felt her unease. ¡°I''ve met you before.¡± Ren said when he recognized her. ¡°You bought a bunch of things in my store.¡± ¡°Yes! That''s where we met.¡± Officer Holly said, and Ren immediately detected the lie. ¡°Holly!¡± Frikara nearly yelled as she hung out the second floor window of the bedroom, and waved to the woman. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Officer Holly looked up at her and didn''t know what to say, because she knew Frikara could tell when she lied. ¡°Holly.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know that name.¡± Officer Holly looked down at Ren, and saw his frown. ¡°Holly... Holly...¡± Ren said, and then his eyes went wide. ¡°Officer Stonewall.¡± ¡°I don''t know who that is.¡± Officer Holly said, and she saw Ren wince. Oh, damn. ¡°Yes, Officer. I can tell when you''re lying.¡± Ren said when he felt her dismay. ¡°It''s neat to see you quite a bit taller than your real height.¡± ¡°It''s a mod.¡± Officer Holly said and pointed to her boot to distract him. ¡°It adds 6 inches to your height.¡± Ren wasn''t fooled and didn''t look down. ¡°That''s sneaky.¡± He said. ¡°You changed your face, too.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You made full use of the character creation options.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°You must have some really odd sensations when doing things like eating in here.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°There''s a reason most people don''t bother with extensive changes.¡± Ren said. ¡°It lessens the sensations, because your brain can''t handle the changes properly.¡± Officer Holly didn''t say anything, mainly because he was right. ¡°Now that I know it''s you, and I''ve seen you around a few times... why don''t you tell me why you''re here.¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I was just...¡± ¡°Lie to me again, and I''ll bend you over my knee to spank you.¡± Ren said with a huge smile. ¡°You can''t do that!¡± Ren thought about his Prince Charming title and thought on. Officer Holly''s eyes widened slightly, and he felt an automatic reaction from her. ¡°It seems it did work for a title, Ren.¡± Teepo said. It sure did, buddy. Ren thought happily, because his interactions since turning it off meant they were all genuine; including both Rosie and Frikara. ¡°Officer Stonewall, tell me why you are here.¡± Officer Holly didn''t say anything. ¡°Found that loophole of not speaking, did you?¡± Ren asked, and she didn''t respond. ¡°You''re a police officer, so I''m pretty sure I know something about you.¡± He said and took out a chair from inventory. ¡°You believe an omission of fact is still a lie.¡± Officer Holly opened her mouth to contradict him, and he put his hands on her hips and turned her around. ¡°Hey!¡± She said as he picked her up. ¡°Let me go!¡± ¡°You need a good spanking.¡± Ren said and sat down, bent her across his lap, and kept a hand on her lower back to hold her in place. ¡°S-stop!¡± ¡°I''m glad you''re wearing pants, because this would have been awkward with a dress on.¡± Ren said and slapped her butt. ¡°NOO!¡± Officer Holly yelled as pain lanced through her backside and she lost a quarter of her Health. ¡°That was only half an inch away.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Screw you!¡± Officer Holly said, and he slapped her butt again. ¡°AHH! STOP!¡± ¡°Only if you tell me.¡± Ren said and slapped her again. ¡°You''re killing me!¡± Officer Holly said, and he knew she was telling the truth. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and took out a Major Healing wand to heal her. She felt instant relief and her Health refilled, and then he slapped her butt again. ¡°STOOOP!¡± ¡°Tell me, Officer.¡± Ren said and caressed her butt where he had slapped her. Her emotions turned from indignation and embarrassment to arousal and embarrassment. ¡°I don''t want to hurt you any more than you want me to hurt you.¡± He said. ¡°Please, just tell me.¡± Officer Holly didn''t say anything, and he slapped her butt again. ¡°All right! ALL RIGHT!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°I''m here to protect you!¡± She said. ¡°I was supposed to watch you covertly, and see if anyone from the evidence file tried to contact you!¡± Ren used the wand again to heal her, and she relaxed. ¡°Why not just tell me?¡± He asked and caressed her backside again; first one side, and then the other. He could feel that she really liked it, despite the fact that she hated the position she was in. ¡°It was... supposed to be... covert.¡± Officer Holly panted. ¡°No one... was supposed to know.¡± She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes as his fingers touched every part of her backside. She was a little surprised that he didn''t try to grope her chest or push his hand between her legs. ¡°What about the skeleton knights?¡± ¡°I didn''t know... they were yours... until I saw the house.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Go a little lower.¡± What am I saying? Ren moved his hand down a little and gripped the top of her thigh right under her butt cheek. She gasped at the strength in his hand, and his fingers were so maddeningly close to her special place that it drove her a little wild. Ren felt her desire spike and saw the heat increase between her legs, so he leaned close to her ear to speak. ¡°Do you want me to touch it?¡± Ren whispered. Officer Holly''s brain wanted to say no, to say that she was supposed to be protecting him; but, her head nodded instead. What am I doing? She thought and doubted her decision, then Ren slid his hand between her legs and her whole body tensed up at how good it felt. ¡°It''s so hot down there.¡± Ren said and watched it with his Heat Sense. It turned bright red as he rubbed it, and Officer Holly''s breath sped up quickly. ¡°Let me take some of that heat for you.¡± Officer Holly was lost to the sensations he was giving her as Ren deftly used his fingers to probe her through her clothing. She started to grind herself against his hand to help, and Ren smiled as he felt her getting close. ¡°I''d like an apology.¡± Ren said and slowed his hand movements. ¡°I''m sorry! I¡±M SORRY!¡± Officer Holly yelled. ¡°God! Don''t stop!¡± Ren rubbed her faster than anyone had ever rubbed her before, and then she went. ¡°OH, GODDDDD!¡± Officer Holly screamed as she finished and clamped her legs together. Ohgodohgodohgod. She thought as her pants were soaked through from one of the best orgasms she had ever had. Ren didn''t try to pull his hand back when he felt the dampness, and just calmly waited for Officer Holly to come back to her senses. He felt how much she had enjoyed it, and didn''t want to ruin the moment by distracting her from what she was still feeling. ¡°Wh-what... the hell... was that?¡± Officer Holly managed to say. Her body was flooded with endorphins and she took several deep breaths to try and gather enough strength to get up off of Ren''s lap. ¡°If I had to guess, that was the greatest thing you''ve ever felt.¡± Frikara said from beside her. Officer Holly turned her head to try and look up; but, she couldn''t lift her head up that far yet. Frikara felt her frustration through Ren, and she knelt in front of Officer Holly''s head and held it up for her. ¡°Are you really trying to protect Ren by following him?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Officer Holly said, and blinked her eyes to try and bring Frikara into focus. ¡°Adventurers are here somewhere and are trying to hurt him?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Rather than hide from me, since you look so different than you do in real life, you could have just stayed around.¡± Ren said. ¡°No one would have known who you were.¡± ¡°T-tried that.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Your maids are... lie detectors.¡± Ren felt her regain some of her composure. ¡°I couldn''t stay and... keep my cover.¡± ¡°That was a mistake.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We will do anything to protect Ren, and keeping you under cover to do that would have been easy if you had told us.¡± ¡°I... I see that now.¡± Officer Holly said, then looked at Ren. ¡°Can I get up now?¡± ¡°Only if you give me my hand back.¡± Ren said, and smiled as he felt her embarrassment. ¡°Oh, and have clean clothing to equip.¡± Officer Holly nodded and opened her legs to release his hand, then equipped a nice dress that let her blend into a crowd. She stood up and sighed at the mess she had made of her assignment. ¡°John is going to kill me.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You haven''t failed your mission yet.¡± Ren stood up and glanced at his wet hand, then looked directly at Officer Holly. He smiled a little and watched her as he very slowly brought the wet hand to his mouth and licked it. She let out a little gasp, and Ren felt how much she liked that he did that; almost as if he was accepting a reward for pleasing her. He cleaned off his fingers and Officer Holly watched him intently; and she thought it was the most erotic thing anyone had ever done for her. ¡°It''s a good thing I''m moving tomorrow.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°We''ll need the extra room now that my entourage has just increased by one.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You don''t seriously think that I''m going to just let you roam around to spy on me, do you?¡± Ren asked, and he felt her surprise. ¡°If you really want to protect me from people that try to contact me, then the only way to do that is by staying right beside me.¡± Chapter 449 - Reassurances ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Officer Holly asked, slightly outraged. ¡°I''m not going anywhere with you! You just spanked me in the middle of the street!¡± ¡°Besides the fact that you deserved it...¡± Ren chuckled because she had completely skipped over the fact that he had felt her up. ¡°...no one is around the Housing District this late at night.¡± He felt that she was trying hard to deny what had happened, so he turned off the effects of his Prince Charming title and took her hand. ¡°Holly, I really do think the best place for you to observe is as close to me as possible.¡± ¡°I am not becoming one of your girls!¡± Officer Holly exclaimed. ¡°I didn''t ask you to.¡± Ren said, and he felt her churning emotions turn to anger. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ren smiled reassuringly at her and gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. ¡°Please, don''t take this the wrong way; but, you''re not that nice of a person.¡± Officer Holly squinted her eyes at him, and opened her mouth to speak. ¡°You''re brash, confrontational, and have a chip on your shoulder a mile wide.¡± Ren said to cut her off. ¡°You immediately think whatever you decide is right, and that anyone who disagrees with that is automatically wrong.¡± Officer Holly closed her mouth, because she couldn''t contradict him on anything he said; not without lying at least a little bit... and that annoyed her. ¡°What happened here tonight was... quite a bit out of my comfort zone.¡± Ren said as he felt her annoyance. ¡°Hitting a woman like that is sometimes necessary when she''s into that sort of thing; but personally, it hurts me more than it does them.¡± ¡°You seemed to enjoy it.¡± Officer Holly said, and he felt her doubt his words. ¡°Only because you let me touch your butt.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°It''s really nice.¡± Officer Holly''s face flushed a little red, and he felt that she was both embarrassed and pleased at the compliment. ¡°The other thing that happened? I did that for you.¡± Ren said, and her hand tensed up in his. ¡°You were almost as sexually frustrated as Andrela was.¡± ¡°No, I...¡± Officer Holly frowned at him when she thought about what he said; but, she didn''t try to take her hand back. ¡°So, you did sleep with them despite what I said.¡± ¡°Before you get all judgmental, it only happened last night; which was a long time since you expressed your opinion.¡± Ren said. ¡°Mind you, I had intended to sleep with them a while ago, but things kept getting in the way.¡± Frikara gasped at that nugget of information. Ren felt her surprise and winked at her. ¡°Of course, just before you showed up tonight, Frikara and I figured out a way to nullify her unbreakable contract... which is what I''ve been trying to do ever since I met her.¡± ¡°You''ve been trying to figure out how to free us this whole time?¡± Frikara asked, her voice and emotions full of wonder. ¡°Of course I have.¡± Ren said and looked at her. ¡°It always bothered me that you signed your lives away, and I didn''t want to be the one to keep you like that; not if I could do something about it.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Frikara wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He put his free arm around her and kissed her back just as passionately for several moments. Officer Holly wasn''t sure what to do. She kind of felt like she was intruding on a private moment; but, Ren still had a hold of her hand and kept rubbing his thumb on the back of it. How can he do two different things at once? Officer Holly thought. Frikara broke the kiss and let Ren out of the hug, and Officer Holly saw the stream of light between them. What is that? Officer Holly thought in surprise as it faded, and Ren turned to look at her. ¡°I should probably apologize for that public display of affection, but I won''t.¡± Ren said when he felt her surprise and grinned. ¡°I''ll never say no to Frikara if she wants a kiss, no matter what the circumstances.¡± ¡°Do you remember our first upside down kiss?¡± Frikara asked, and Ren chuckled. ¡°You mean the one where you moved from the front of the line to the back of the line, just so you could get another one?¡± Frikara laughed. ¡°Yes, that one.¡± She said, and he remembered how much she had liked it. ¡°I haven''t had a kiss like that since then.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I think it''s about time we had another.¡± ¡°I''d like that very much.¡± Frikara said and took his other hand. Ren turned to Officer Holly. ¡°I''ll make a bed for you and set it up in the kitchen, since we don''t use it anymore.¡± He said. ¡°That''s only for tonight, though. You''ll have your own house tomorrow when we go to my county.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Come on.¡± Ren said and walked back to the house, with Frikara on one side and Officer Holly on the other, and dismissed the popup that he had lost the Angered condition. He also felt that Frikara was enthusiastic and Officer Holly was reluctant; but, they both walked with him and the reluctant one didn''t try to slow him down or delay his movement. I can''t believe I''m doing this. Officer Holly thought as Ren told the guards that she was allowed in from now on. Once they were inside, Frikara went up the stairs and Ren stored the table and chairs in the kitchen. He made a bed and put it in place, then made a blanket for her. ¡°Sleep well.¡± Ren said and looked at the doorway. ¡°I guess a door is needed so you have privacy.¡± He said and made a door and hung it. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°It''s to keep an eye on you, of course.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I figure turnabout is fair play.¡± He said and shut the door, then opened it again. ¡°By the way, I''ll know it if you leave.¡± He pointed to his eyes. ¡°What is that ability?¡± ¡°Heat Sense.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can detect anything living within my Aura.¡± Officer Holly nodded, then he felt her want to ask a question. ¡°Go ahead and ask.¡± ¡°How big is your Aura?¡± ¡°It''s only 300 feet if I''m not concentrating on anything extra.¡± Th-three hundred feet? Officer Holly thought, shocked. ¡°Hey, it''s not going to be as bad as you think being around me.¡± Ren said, and misread her shock. ¡°Just wait until I armor you up.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You are going to adore me.¡± ¡°Armor me up?¡± Officer Holly asked, and he nodded. ¡°I''m a Master Blacksmith.¡± ¡°Um, I... I have something for you.¡± She took out the plans she had received when she graduated her training, and handed them over. Ren took them and read through them, and they disappeared.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Oh, wow!¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks!¡± He said excitedly. ¡°Something new to make!¡± Officer Holly could almost feel his enthusiasm, and it touched something inside of her. I made him happy. She thought, and her Reassurance Aura sprung into place, much to her surprise, and she took out the other recipe she had. ¡°I need to find an enchanter for this one, though.¡± ¡°That''s me, too.¡± Ren said, and she blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°You''re a blacksmith and an enchanter?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Ren said and held his hand out. She gave him the recipe and he read it. ¡°Oh, hey! Revealing Light.¡± Ren said and then the plans disappeared. ¡°I can make that for you right now.¡± Officer Holly watched in amazement as he took out a sack and picked out a small diamond, put the sack away, and a 1 foot by 1 foot golden platform appeared in front of him. He put the diamond on it and it glowed for a second, and then he picked it up. ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said and held it out. ¡°It''s been modified so that there''s no time limit, and I boosted the range with additional Mana.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°It works constantly, and you can tuck it into a pocket and leave it on all the time if you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just concentrate on it and say ''Activate'' to turn it on, and ''Deactivate'' to turn it off.¡± Officer Holly concentrated on it. ¡°Activate.¡± The Revealing Light area of effect popped into place and it was a circle with a 100 foot radius, and she felt it''s immense size. Officer Holly felt something nearby and couldn''t pinpoint it; so, she looked around to see if anything had appeared, and she saw a beetle on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Ren, there''s...¡± ¡°That''s Teepo.¡± Ren said, and the beetle waved a leg at her. ¡°He''s been my friend for a long time.¡± ¡°B-but... he''s a beetle.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°And he''s invisible.¡± ¡°Yeah, but that doesn''t mean he''s not real.¡± Ren said. ¡°O-kay.¡± Officer Holly said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Goodnight, Holly.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Officer Holly sat down on the bed, and Ren left the kitchen and ran up the stairs. * Xuunah had watched everything through a viewing cloud, because her curiosity about Ren had increased tenfold after their interaction earlier. She dismissed the spell when Ren led the Paladin and Frikara up the street towards the house. His method was unorthodox, but quite effective. Xuunah thought as she laid down in bed, and then felt the Paladin enter the house. A few minutes later she felt the Paladin''s Reassurance Aura pop into place and smiled. I''m glad he accepted her help. Xuunah thought and closed her eyes. This bed is so comfortable. She thought and immediately went to sleep. * Ren went into the big bedroom and saw that 4 of the maids had laid down with their heads at the bottom of the bed to wait for him, and the last sat on the far end of the bed. Ren knelt in front of Frikara and gave her an upside down kiss. Next in line was Lusinia, then Andrela, and Navruth. The one who sat on the end of the bed was Verwynn, and Ren didn''t question her at all about what she wanted as he knelt. He could feel her desire, and she laid back onto the bed so he could kiss her where she really wanted to be kissed instead. * Nathalia laid in her empty bed and thought about everything the maids and Anabelle had told her about what Ren had gone through. It had bothered her a lot at first, to know he was going through so much without her; but, then her mother had shown up out of the blue and told her why she was there and what she planned to do. I''m so glad she''s going to watch over you, Ren. Nathalia thought and snuggled under her blanket as she closed her eyes. I''m sorry that I haven''t gone to see you, My Love. The middle of her chest was warm as the Light inside of her glowed slightly, and she felt a strong feeling of reassurance. * Ren had quickly finished the maids kisses and they climbed into bed together, and they all hugged and snuggled each other. He could feel how much each of them wanted to share the same thing with him as Frikara did, and he told them that they needed to rest first. The others were fine with that, because they only needed to sleep for two hours and would be fully rested. Ren on the other hand, only need one hour; and when he woke up, he slipped out of bed and snuck downstairs and out the door. He went to the empty lot on the other side of his house and took out his shop tower and activated it, then went inside. Tell me when an hour passes, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°Sure thing, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Ren had an idea he wanted to try a while ago, but he never had the chance to implement it. He knew that the system could make very thin wire mesh for a strainer, so he opened that recipe and removed everything from it except for the wire mesh, moved it all around to make a single long thin wire, then copied it hundreds of times and wrapped it into a coil, then saved the recipe as ''wire''. Once that was done, he knew it only needed 2 metal bricks, so he made 2 high quality steel ones and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability. It wasn''t a Wondrous Item itself; but, he needed somewhere to make the recipe and used it. He added the 2 steel bricks and they disappeared; then a large coil of wire appeared in front of him. Oh, yeah. Ren thought and went to his Tailor shop section to the loom. He ran Spider Silk thread through the loom to set up making a bolt of cloth, and instead of using a spool of thread for the crosshatching, he took out the coil of wire and a pair of pliers. This is going to be fun! Ren used the loom to make steel-reinforced Spider Silk cloth, and when he was done, he felt it and couldn''t tell where the steel wire was because it was completely covered by the Spider Silk thread. That''s awesome. Ren thought and went to the workbench and used some of the cloth to make an armor bodysuit, added thin hand coverings and socks, and even a form-fitting hood. Lisa is gonna love this. He thought and then remembered why he wanted to make it. He thought about an appropriate enchantment, and made a combination glyph of 50 runes with Augment runes for Reinforcement and Toughness, as well as Protection to increase the armor defense. With the abundant metal within the fabric, it was strong enough to hold the enchantment without consuming itself. He made a modified Amulet of Natural Armor to boost it''s armor value, added Protection, and then used Double Infusion to add the modified Amulet of the Spider enchantment to it. ¡°That''s an hour, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren stopped working and stored the cloth, bodysuit and amulet.
Stat Change!
Contact Aura Level 1 (Advanced 0%) Heat Sense Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
Nice. Ren thought and left the tower, deactivated and stored it, then snuck back inside the house. He went up the stairs and into the bedroom, and saw that all 5 maids started to stir at the same time. He climbed back onto the bed, which shook it and woke them up. ¡°Where were you?¡± Frikara asked and held her arms open. ¡°Just doing a bit of work I meant to do a while ago.¡± Ren said and laid down beside her. ¡°How did you get up before us?¡± Andrela asked and put her head on his chest. ¡°While I was away, I changed the Ring of Sustenance requirements.¡± He said. ¡°I only need an hour sleep now.¡± ¡°Are you going to change ours?¡± Verwynn asked. ¡°I don''t have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re already active. I had to take mine off when I knew I was going to die.¡± He said, and they fell silent. ¡°I didn''t know how long I was going to be there, so I restructured it and didn''t have to wait a week for it to be active again.¡± ¡°That was smart.¡± Lusinia said and kissed his thigh, then snuggled it. Navruth took his other leg, and Verwynn laid on his other side. ¡°I know we don''t have to stay in bed for the rest of the night; but, can we?¡± Verwynn asked. ¡°Of course we can.¡± Ren said and hugged her with one arm. ¡°You all like to cuddle me almost as much as I like you cuddling me.¡± That made them laugh, then they settled down and just held each other. * Officer Holly stared up at the ceiling of the kitchen. She had heard some laughter, and wondered what was going on. Even though the bed she was in was luxuriously comfortable, she just couldn''t get to sleep. Not long after she had tucked herself into bed, she had started to doubt why she had let Ren co-opt both her and her mission... and her Reassurance Aura had disappeared as a result. She tried to get it back, but it just wouldn''t activate for her. I should check and see if there''s any messages in real life. Officer Holly thought. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Officer Holly took off her VR headset and sat up in her recliner, and heard a squelch sound. ¡°Goddammit!¡± She said as she looked down and saw her underwear was completely soaked through, and the now cool liquid had pooled underneath her. ¡°No one told me this could happen!¡± Officer Holly got up and stomped to the bathroom to get a shower, cleaned herself up and put on a thick bathrobe, then came back out with the right supplies to clean up the mess she had made. Geez, there''s a lot of it. Officer Holly thought, a little surprised, and then was relieved the recliner was made of leather; mainly because it was so easy to clean and disinfect. Imagine if it was cloth! She thought and chuckled. I''d probably have to throw the damn thing out. She stopped laughing and frowned. No, this isn''t funny. She sprayed the chair cushion again with a disinfectant cleaner and wiped it off. He made me do this. Officer Holly dried the leather and sat on a nearby chair. Oh, god. She thought and put her head in her hands. He did make me do this; but, only after he asked me if I wanted him to do it. She sighed and took a deep breath. Heaven help me, I really wanted him to. Officer Holly picked up her phone to see if her partner had discovered anything while watching Ren''s house, and she didn''t see any messages from him. She did have one from Agent Smith, however. The hitman hired to take care of Ren was paid in untraceable cash that had been deposited in an offshore account, and the account it was transferred from had been closed out. The good news was that the guy confessed to everything. Officer Holly sent a message back to thank him for the information, and that if she learned anything she would let him know. She put the phone down and looked at the VR headset. I really should try and get some sleep. Officer Holly thought and sat down on the recliner. She hesitated for a moment before putting on the VR headset. I won''t ask him to do that again. She thought, quite unconvincingly, and put the headset on and laid back. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± * Officer Holly woke up in the bed inside Ren''s house, and everything was quiet. She half-expected him to be standing over her to stop her from leaving, and that made her smile. Ha! I left, and you didn''t even know it! Officer Holly thought in satisfaction, and closed her eyes. This bed is really comfortable. She rolled over onto her side as she pulled the blanket up tight, and fell asleep. Chapter 450 - Moving Day: Part One Ren and the maids had plenty of time to just cuddle and spend time with each other during the night, and they made the most of it. A light touch here, a gentle caress there, and the occasional switching of cuddle places. They didn''t have to talk, since they were sharing emotions, and they basked in the common pool of contentment as they held each other. Each of them thought about going just a little bit further and having sex; but, they knew that they didn''t have to. Just touching and comforting each other was just as fulfilling in it''s own way, now that the barrier that stopped them from doing it was gone. They all drifted in and out of sleep as the night progressed, and when the morning came, they were not only well rested, but well comforted and felt a much stronger connection with each other. Ren was the first to sit up and disrupt the rotating pile, and no one complained that the night had come to an end. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said, and each of the maids lifted their heads up from the bed for a kiss. He chuckled and kissed each of them, then got up off the bed and equipped his clothing. ¡°Gather up your things and put them away.¡± He said as he picked up his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and checked that the tarantula was okay, then put the cloak on. ¡°I''ll come back and pick everything up in a little while.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Frikara asked and sat up. ¡°First, I''m going to see if Railyse needs a feeding, and then I thought I''d pay a visit to Nathalia.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Andrela said and got off of the bed and equipped a cute little pair of white panties. ¡°I''m sure she''ll enjoy seeing you again.¡± She said and started putting the things she had out on her dressing table away. ¡°Don''t forget to tell her about me.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I think it''s news that should delight her.¡± Ren said. ¡°It delighted me, that for sure.¡± Frikara said in a deep voice and batted her eyelashes. He felt that she was both playing and was remembering what had happened when the contract had been replaced. Ren chuckled. ¡°I meant that she hates your contracts just as much as I do.¡± ¡°I know what you meant.¡± Frikara said and smiled demurely. ¡°I''ll be back.¡± Ren said and left the bedroom and ran down the stairs. He stopped at Railyse''s door and knocked. He heard a splash and the door opened. ¡°Hello, Ren.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said. ¡°How are you doing?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± She said. ¡°And the little ones?¡± ¡°Crowded.¡± Railyse said and chuckled. ¡°This pool is big; but, with three of us in there and two are growing elementals...¡± ¡°I''m going to build a very large pool out in the county.¡± Ren said. ¡°You won''t complain about the lack of space soon.¡± ¡°I''m sorry to be a bother for so long.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I should be asking you to take me home, not be asking to go with you.¡± She sighed. ¡°I just wish the king of the Land Dwellers would get back to me.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said and thought about the deadline for her mother''s ultimatum. ¡°There''s only about two weeks left for them to agree to her terms.¡± ¡°Yes, and you''re going to make me a better place to live, and it will only be for a couple of weeks.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got plans for it when you go back home.¡± Railyse chuckled. ¡°I should have known.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Railyse touched his cheek. ¡°I don''t need another taste of you quite yet.¡± ¡°Don''t tell me I''m too much of a good thing.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Of course you are.¡± Railyse said and leaned down. ¡°Even without your title to enhance your charm.¡± ¡°You can tell?¡± Railyse nodded. ¡°I have felt it enough to feel it''s absence.¡± ¡°Do you want me to turn it back on?¡± ¡°No, (bubble) (gurgle). You don''t need bait on your hook.¡± Railyse said and smiled. ¡°You caught me a long time ago.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I still hear ''fish stick'' when you call me that.¡± Railyse laughed. ¡°Perhaps your brain is telling you to let me gobble you all up.¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°I''d have the entire Water Realm after me if you did that!¡± ¡°Yes, it''s a shame you would be blamed if it happened.¡± Railyse said and cupped the side of his face. ¡°I''ll let you know when I need another feeding.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and cupped the side of her face, too. ¡°I''ll be back to get you when the pool is built.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Railyse said and stepped back into her room and shut the door. Ren ran up the stairs to go to the spare bedroom and see if Xuunah wanted to go with him to see Nathalia. * Officer Holly had woken up when Ren ran down the stairs, and she heard everything that he and someone else had said. Who is he talking to? She asked herself. Water realm? Feeding? She shook her head for a moment, then froze. Hold on. Did she say something about tasting him and then gobbling him all up? What the hell is going on here? * Ren knocked on the spare room''s door, and a few moments later, Xuunah opened it. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I''m heading over to the restaurant to visit Nathalia, because I want to let her know what''s going on.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would you like to come with me?¡± ¡°Since I had planned on visiting her myself, I will accompany you.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Ren said, equipped his fancy red suit, and held a hand out to her. ¡°Right this way, please.¡± Xuunah chuckled and took the offered hand, and hid her own element''s reaction to Ren. He felt it, though; but, he didn''t mention it, either. He led her down the stairs and out the front door, and they walked arm-in-arm together down the street. When they reached the end of it, he pointed to two of the disguised skeleton knights on patrol and they followed. ¡°How are they still here?¡± Xuunah asked and motioned to them. ¡°They are both better and worse than a normal skeleton.¡± Ren said. ¡°The normal raised skeleton only lasts 20 minutes and can probably take a lot of damage.¡± He explained. ¡°When I raised the first one, I discovered they didn''t have a time limit because they were dependent on the Mana they had instead; but, they use the Mana to fix any damage done to them.¡± ¡°They wouldn''t last 5 minutes in an actual battle.¡± Xuunah said, a little disappointed that the remains of the Lost Knights were so weak. Ren nodded. ¡°That''s okay, though. I fixed them.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± ¡°As you can see, I armored them to the teeth and boosted their Protection.¡± ¡°I did see that.¡± ¡°Since they rely on Mana instead of time, I gave them +105 to Intelligence and Wisdom, then 1,020% Mana regeneration with a 10,200 Mana reserve.¡± Xuunah stopped walking and Ren felt her shock and stopped, too. ¡°That... you...¡± She shook her head and started to walk again, and so did he. ¡°They will never go away.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°You should have felt how happy the first one was when I did that.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°You have taken a severe deficiency away and made them into eternal warriors.¡± ¡°That was the intention, once I saw a way to exploit their special nature.¡± ¡°You''re amazing.¡± Xuunah said as they arrived at her daughter''s restaurant. ¡°Only when I''m awake.¡± Ren said and laughed at his joke, and they stood in the short line to get into the restaurant. When the doors opened, the line moved forward and more people gathered at the end of it. ¡°This place is really popular.¡± He commented as the two disguised skeleton knights took up guard positions on the door. ¡°If you don''t show up early, you take your chances for getting a seat.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. When they reached the woman that sat customers, he saw the huge smile on her face. ¡°Oh, I should have known that you two knew each other.¡± She said. ¡°Table for three this time, I assume?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Ren said, and she led them to the back and a private curtained-off booth. ¡°I''ll let Nathalia know when she arrives.¡± ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Xuunah and Ren said at the same time, then looked at each other and laughed. ¡°I''ll send someone in with the menus.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and she left them alone. ¡°So.¡± He said. ¡°What''s it like to be so tall?¡± ¡°Why don''t you tell me that.¡± Xuunah said and smiled. ¡°I heard all about you using that Enlarge Person spell.¡± ¡°That was only temporary.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t think I could handle being over 9 feet tall all the time.¡± ¡°But how did it feel at the time?¡± ¡°Amazing.¡± Ren admitted. ¡°It didn''t make me more powerful; but I felt more powerful, if that makes any sense.¡± Xuunah smiled. ¡°It makes perfect sense.¡± They both felt Nathalia as she came through the portal, and she left the back hallway, ran over to the private area and through the curtain. ¡°You''re really here.¡± Nathalia said and put a hand on her chest. ¡°Just last night I was worried about you, and was so happy that my mother was here to look after you.¡± Ren stood up and took her into a hug. ¡°I''m sorry I haven''t been over to see you.¡± He said, and she chuckled. ¡°I''ve been thinking the same thing.¡± Nathalia said and put her arms around him, and opened herself to him. ¡°You''ve gone through so much.¡± She said, then closed her eyes as Ren opened himself up and let her feel everything he felt. Xuunah successfully closed herself off from joining in on their Collective; but it had been a close call. ¡°Having such a deep connection is so rare.¡± She said out loud, and Ren and Nathalia turned to look at her. ¡°I didn''t mean to interrupt.¡± Nathalia reached out a hand to her. ¡°You''re looking after him, you need at least some kind of connection to him.¡± Xuunah shook her head. ¡°No, he''s all yours.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t want to muddle what you have.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°You know we aren''t together like that, and he has... a few others to keep him busy.¡± Ren chuckled this time. ¡°And you know that none of them can ever replace you in my heart.¡± ¡°They know that, too.¡± Xuunah said, and they both felt how happy Nathalia was at the news. ¡°None of them are fighting, or upset, or even envious of the others.¡± ¡°I guess someone''s been checking up on me.¡± Ren said, and Xuunah and Nathalia laughed. ¡°I wanted to get to know your character, and who better to talk to than who you are intimate with?¡± ¡°I''d say me, but I wasn''t around.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°So, what did you discover?¡± Xuunah stood up and took Nathalia''s hand. ¡°You are reckless sometimes and do things just because you can.¡± She said, and then her Light bridged across Nathalia and touched Ren. ¡°Then you deal with the consequences with both compassion and understanding.¡± She smiled as she formed a limited Collective with the two of them. She took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Now that I can feel you, I know all of the information I''ve gathered is true.¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I desired confirmation despite that.¡± Xuunah said and Ren looked at her. ¡°You... also want... an elemental bomb.¡± Ren said, and he felt her try to disengage. ¡°Wait!¡± He reached out and touched the side of her neck, and her body tensed up as she giggled. Her self-imposed limit on their sharing disappeared, and Ren and Nathalia saw and experienced everything she had done recently, since that was the most important thing she had been thinking about. Xuunah grabbed his arm and pulled his hand away from her neck and her most vulnerable spot; but, it was too late. ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren said and was so shocked that he let Nathalia go and sat down. ¡°I... I erased most of a realm?¡± ¡°This isn''t the place to discuss these things.¡± Xuunah said. Ren rested his forehead on the table and took several deep breaths as he looked at the floor. ¡°I only... I just didn''t want to fight anymore.¡± He said and saw a spoon on the floor. ¡°I warned them to let me pass, and when they refused...¡± ¡°You only did what you thought would delay them.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°We know that.¡± ¡°I knew Light could hurt them; but, I never imagined...¡± Ren sighed as he picked up the spoon. ¡°I can''t believe that your realm expects me to hand that power over to them.¡± ¡°If not that, then at least have you not do it to anyone else.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Mainly to our realm.¡± ¡°It wouldn''t work.¡± Ren said. ¡°An anti-¡± ¡°SHUSH!¡± Xunnah slapped him on the side of the head, which made his whole body jerk; and the spoon was flung out of his hand and through the curtain. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren said and rubbed the spot where she had hit him. ¡°Mother!¡± Nathalia admonished and knelt by Ren. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah. I''m pretty tough.¡± Ren touched the spot and it was quite sore. He used a Minor Healing wand to fix the damage before it blossomed into a bruise. ¡°I was trying to explain...¡± ¡°What part of ''this is not the place to discuss it'' do you not understand?¡± Xunnah asked with her hands on her hips. ¡°Anyone can hear you!¡± The curtain moved and the waitress came in. ¡°I have the menus for you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Xuunah said and switched to her Command Aura. ¡°Three orders of eggs and toast, please.¡± ¡°Right away.¡± The waitress said and left. She knew not to question that tone of voice and didn''t even bother to ask the other two what they wanted. ¡°That was rude.¡± Ren said. ¡°She just proved my point.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°She was standing right there on the other side of the curtain.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that she couldn''t know that for sure, but then he remembered that he hadn''t heard the waitress walk up. He could hear her walk away, though. ¡°Yes, if you had said anything else, she would have known what happened.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°What would she do with that information? Do you know? I don''t.¡± She said, then put her hand on the top of his head. ¡°Being honest is good. Blurting out everything that comes into your head is not.¡± ¡°I... okay, I understand what you''re saying.¡± Ren said. ¡°You didn''t have to slap me, though.¡± ¡°It worked, didn''t it?¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Just like it did when you used it for Officer Holly.¡± Ren thought about that. ¡°Did it hurt you more than it did me?¡± Xuunah''s hand moved from the top of his head and stroked his cheek, then used that hand to touch the spot over her heart. ¡°Effective as it is, it really did hurt.¡± The curtain opened and the waitress brought in 3 plates of food. Ren stood up and let both women sit, then sat himself. He asked them to join hands, and he gave a quick thank you to the Earth Spirit and offered up 1,000 Mana and a gold coin. The Mana flowed out through his hand and went through Xuunah to make her gasp, then through Nathalia who also gasped, and it dissipated. A small portal opened and he put in the coin, and he received a blessing of +10% to Earth-based enchantments and effects for the next 24 hours. Xuunah and Nathalia didn''t know what to say about receiving the popup, and Ren could feel their indecision. ¡°I met the Spirit of Earth while in Shargon Caverns.¡± Ren said and started to eat. ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Nathalia exclaimed, and he felt shock from both of them. ¡°I''ve been messing up some things on her, and she wanted to have a chat.¡± Ren said. ¡°No one told us about that.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°That''s because no one knows.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m pretty sure it was the only time I was completely out of contact with everyone, including when I had to do Adventurer''s business.¡± He ate a piece of toast. ¡°I was there only briefly, in comparison to everything else I did; but, we had a nice conversation, and she agreed not to kill me for breaking her defenders, and I agreed to try and not break her defenders.¡± ¡°That... doesn''t sound like an agreement at all.¡± Nathalia said and started to eat. Ren chuckled. ¡°I think it amused her that I wouldn''t back down, so she kind of gave me a pass.¡± ¡°I think that happens a lot more than you realize.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°A lot more!¡± Nathalia said and laughed, and Xuunah and Ren joined in. * Officer Holly thought about leaving, now that Ren was out of the house and she wasn''t being guarded. She assumed she wasn''t being guarded; but, she didn''t know for sure and would only find out if she tried to leave. She didn''t want to tempt fate yet, so she equipped her Travelling Clothes and left the kitchen, then stood in front of the door across from it. I need to see what''s behind this door. Officer Holly thought. Here goes nothing. She took a quick breath and knocked. The door opened, and she was immediately splashed in the face with a geyser of water; which threw her back and she landed on the floor. She was completely drenched, and she wiped the water away from her eyes and looked at the doorway. A 3 foot tall blob of water shook it''s arm stub at her and bubbled and gurgled furiously. She put her hands up in a sure sign of surrender to show that she wasn''t going to knock again. The water elemental gurgled at her, spit on the floor, then slammed the door shut. ¡°By the way, you shouldn''t bother Railyse unless you have legitimate business with her.¡± Frikara said as she came down the stairs dressed in a very stylish dress. ¡°Her bodyguard is ruthless unless your intentions are pure.¡± Officer Holly shook her head and stood up. ¡°I just wanted to meet her.¡± ¡°No, that won''t do it.¡± Frikara said and laughed. ¡°I''m a little surprised you''re just soaked.¡± ¡°So, you''re saying I almost bit off more than I could chew.¡± Officer Holly said and equipped her dress to dry off, then equipped her Travelling Clothes again. ¡°Considering you could have been drowned on dry land? Yes.¡± Frikara said, and Officer Holly''s mouth dropped open. ¡°It''s surprising, isn''t it?¡± She said and held an arm out for her. ¡°Escort me just outside of the city so I can gather up the training equipment.¡± ¡°Um, sure.¡± Officer Holly said and took her arm. The two women left the house and walked down the street. ¡°Are you sure this is okay?¡± She asked. ¡°Me leaving the house, that is.¡± Frikara laughed. ¡°You''re not a prisoner, Holly.¡± She said and pat the other woman''s arm. ¡°He''s trying to protect you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Your level is so low that you''re a danger to yourself if you just go wandering around.¡± Frikara said. ¡°The first thing he did when we came here was equip us with things to protect us.¡± ¡°But, I''m not...¡± ¡°No, you aren''t.¡± Frikara said. ¡°And you probably won''t be.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°It took him a long time to get permission from the others to be with us.¡± Frikara said and smiled. ¡°By us, I mean the other maids and myself; not you.¡± ¡°I assumed that.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Wait, what others?¡± ¡°The ones he has a steady relationship with.¡± Frikara said. ¡°They are all Adventurers of some kind, but we hardly ever see any of them.¡± She said. ¡°Except the Sage of Ages. She''s been a godsend the last little while when Ren was whisked away.¡± They passed through the North Gate of the city and turned down the road to the warehouse. ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡± ¡°I could.¡± Frikara said and smiled. ¡°Will you?¡± ¡°I''ll give you a quick rundown while I carry some things back.¡± Frikara said and started to store the training dummies and targets they had set up for training. ¡°I''d ask what you were doing, but it''s pretty obvious.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I can''t believe he''s training you to fight.¡± Frikara laughed. ¡°You''re kidding, right?¡± She asked. ¡°He doesn''t know we were doing this.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We decided to be useful to him when we heard he had gained succubi as companions.¡± ¡°Excuse me?!?¡± Officer Holly exclaimed. ¡°They stay in the tower next door to the house.¡± Frikara said. ¡°20 of them.¡± ¡°D-did you say... 20?¡± Frikara nodded. ¡°They''ve been surprisingly quiet since they arrived, though.¡± She said and then told Officer Holly about Ren''s adventures in Shargon Caverns. When she stored the last target, she took Officer Holly''s arm to be escorted back to the house. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°How did he do all of that?¡± ¡°That was just a list of what he did.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We''ll have a couple of hours on the trip to the county to fill in the details that we know.¡± She thought about that, and smiled. ¡°Actually, I should ask Ren to tell it himself.¡± ¡°Will he do that with me there?¡± Frikara laughed. ¡°You''re assuming he''s going to try and hide something from you.¡± Officer Holly nodded. ¡°He doesn''t do that.¡± Frikara said as they passed through the North Gate back into the city. ¡°Especially if you''re going to be around for a while.¡± ¡°I don''t know how long I''m going to be here.¡± Officer Holly said. Frikara pat her arm as they stepped back into the house, then let her arm go. ¡°As long as you''re here to help Ren, you can stay for as long as you want.¡± Officer Holly watched Frikara go up the stairs and into the main bedroom, then opened the door to the kitchen. She went inside and sat down on the bed, then started to laugh when she realized she had been outside the house... outside the entire city, in fact... and not once had she thought about running or trying to get away from Ren. Not once. That''s pretty damn funny! Officer Holly thought as she laid back on the bed and laughed. Chapter 450 S - The S Stands For Spoon! The spoon Ren had in his hand that was flung out through the curtain, hit the pants leg of a passing Adventurer and it slid down to lodge it''s handle in the top of his boot. Unaware of his passenger, the man left the restaurant with his party members. ¡°This is gonna be great, Matt!¡± Steven said as they all climbed into their cart. ¡°A full day of riding in a cart to get to the next city, a quick jaunt through the woods nearby to meet with that old man who lost his daughter, and then we''re on a world event quest!¡± ¡°I can''t wait.¡± Matt said, less than enthusiastically. He was the Adventurer with the spoon stuck in the top of his boot, and the cart left the starter city of Aurora through the North Gate. The spoon slowly worked it''s way down inside the boot as the day wore on, just from normal leg movements by Matt. By the time they arrived in the next city, the spoon was well and truly wedged in the boot. Since it was on the outside of his pants inside the boot, he didn''t feel it at all. The party started to walk through the forest to get to the small cottage that the old man lived in, the spoon had moved even further down in the boot. They talked to the old man and accepted his quest, and he told them the path his daughter walked every day. They left the cottage and went through the woods to reach the path and followed it. Nothing happened for a while, and then the spoon managed to slip down past the edge of Matt''s pants and the head of the spoon dug into his ankle. ¡°OW!¡± Matt yelled and immediately picked the foot up, and he narrowly missed getting caught in the snare that foot had triggered. ¡°Geezus!¡± He yelled and fell backwards, which knocked his fellow Adventurers off of their feet. A large branch filled with spikes swung over their heads as they landed in the bushes on the side of the road, and they all rolled away from the danger. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Matt asked and tried to stand up, and felt the spoon cut into him. ¡°Gah!¡± He grunted and kicked his leg out just as a ghoul lunged over the bushes. His foot connected with the ghouls face and he heard a crunching sound as they fell to the ground, and it clawed at it''s broken nose. It couldn''t screech that it had found more meat, then a sword decapitated it and it''s blood sprayed out over Matt. ¡°Dammit, Steven!¡± Matt said and tried to wipe the blood off. ¡°It went in my mouth!¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Steven said. ¡°It''s better than being dead, right?¡± ¡°Fine. Just get my boot off.¡± Matt said. ¡°I''m not touching your bloody boots.¡± Steven said. ¡°Something''s sticking in me!¡± Matt complained, and Steven sighed. ¡°You owe me.¡± Steven said and grabbed the boot. ¡°Easy! Don''t take my foot!¡± Matt yelled. ¡°Stop being such a baby.¡± Steven said and yanked on the boot as hard as he could. The boot came off with an accompanying small spurt of blood as the spoon cut a deep swath from the ankle to the toes, and it was flung through the air nearly 50 feet. It landed beside a ghoul, and it smelled fresh blood. It knelt down on all fours and sniffed, screeched and pointed, and the rest of it''s pack darted forward. It''s clawed hand clumsily picked up the spoon and licked the edge of it. It liked the taste so it jammed the thing into it''s mouth and ran forward. As it sucked, the spoon slid down into it''s throat and lodged there. The ghoul didn''t need to breathe, since it was undead, but it did need to eat without choking; so, it gagged on the metal spoon. It kept running and reached the party of Adventurers, and it saw that the fight was in full swing. It wasn''t sure where it wanted to go first, then decided it didn''t matter as it tried to swallow the spoon and it wouldn''t go any further. The ghoul hunched over and tried to spit it out instead, but it just wouldn''t move. It reared back to try and swallow again, and a spiked club hit it in the back. ¡°BLAHHHHH!¡± The ghoul spit blood, and the impact had worked like the Heimlich Maneuver and the spoon dislodged from it''s throat. It shot out across the battle, flipped end over end, and landed on the shoulder of a King''s Guard that had just happened across the ambushed Adventurers. They helped make short work of the ghouls when they coordinated their efforts with the Adventurers, then followed their trail back to their nest. Inside the dirty rat-infested hovel, they found several young women of consenting age who were very thankful for being rescued. Once the group of King''s Guard had been reassured by the party of Adventurers that the young women would be returned to their families in due course, the soldiers continued on their journey to the capital. It took several days for them to reach there, even after receiving a ride from a local farmer that brought food to the capital, and they reported directly to the Captain of the Guard. Once he had heard the story of their patrol across the countryside and how many ghoul sightings they had, he asked for an audience with King Alamast.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. When the soldiers told of their harrowing encounter with the ghouls and that they had rescued several young girls of similar age to the King''s daughter, he called for his sword. Everyone was surprised by this, since he wasn''t a fighter; but, then he asked the soldiers to kneel. ¡°For your bravery in confronting a perilous threat to the people and rescuing it''s citizens, I grant thee Knighthood.¡± He said and tapped his sword on the first soldier''s shoulder. The blade hit the spoon instead of the armor, and made a clink sound instead of the normal clang sound a sword on armor would make. It sounded fine on the other shoulder, and all 10 of the soldiers became Knights. Food and drink were brought into the room afterwards, and the new knights cheered and thanked the King. As they congratulated each other, one of the knights touched the first one''s shoulder and felt the odd shape. ¡°There''s something there.¡± He said and looked, then laughed. ¡°It''s a spoon!¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± He said. ¡°I share my knighthood with a spoon?¡± All the soldiers laughed at the ridiculousness, and then his friend grabbed the end of it. ¡°It''s in there tight.¡± He said, gripped it firmly, and pulled. It popped out much easier than he expected and the spoon flew from his hand and across the small gathering and landed on the top of the King''s crown. It had the nice plush top with gold and jewels around the outside, and the spoon landed without being noticed by anyone. Not even by the King himself. ¡°Where did it go?¡± The knight asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± His friend said. ¡°I just know it didn''t hit the floor, because we would have heard it.¡± ¡°A knight has been lost.¡± One of the others joked. ¡°A toast in his honor!¡± The other knights raised their glasses in tribute. ¡°To Sir Spoon! He travelled the countryside and fought against the ghouls valiantly! May his legend live on!¡± ¡°SIR SPOON!¡± The other knights said and they all drank. The King left the impromptu gathering and walked back to his family''s private dining room. ¡°What was all that ruckus?¡± Lady Eleanor asked as her husband came through the door. ¡°A group of soldiers celebrating being knighted.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Dear, you give those knighthoods away too easily.¡± Lady Eleanor said and chuckled. ¡°Soon we won''t have any actual soldiers left!¡± King Alamast chuckled. ¡°Perhaps you''re right.¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± She said as she stood up and smiled. ¡°I''m your wife.¡± ¡°...and I''m your daughter.¡± Princess Diana said from across the room, and she didn''t see her parents exchange a chaste kiss. She sat with her back to the room and stared out the window. He''ll be here soon. She thought and touched the Amulet of Truth that hung around her neck. ¡°Now take off your crown and sit down so we can eat together.¡± Lady Eleanor said. She already had a bowl of soup dished out for herself, and turned to pick up the cover from the small cart of food they had so she could get the king a bowl as well. King Alamast took off the crown as instructed, and the spoon slid off and plopped into Lady Eleanor''s bowl. ¡°What was that?¡± Lady Eleanor asked, and turned around to hand a bowl of soup to the king; who was looking in her bowl. ¡°I think it''s a spoon.¡± He said and used another spoon to dig it out of the bowl. ¡°Yes, a very well crafted spoon.¡± ¡°Where did it come from?¡± She asked and looked at the table. All of the utensils were still there. ¡°I don''t know.¡± King Alamast said and dried off the spoon to put it aside. ¡°It''s a mystery.¡± Lady Eleanor chuckled. ¡°One we can solve another day.¡± She said. ¡°Sit. Eat.¡± ¡°Yes, dear.¡± He said and sat down. ¡°Diana!¡± Lady Eleanor said, and Diana sighed. ¡°I''m coming.¡± She said and left the silent vigil she had at the window, to have a meal with her family. Two days later, Lady Eleanor became sick. None of the healers in the city could find any explanation. They did everything they could to discover the cause, and no one knew what was wrong with her or why she had fallen deathly ill. King Alamast was despondent and didn''t know how to handle this inexplicable situation; but, his daughter Diana was also grief-stricken and didn''t let it stop her from thinking things through. It took her a day to think of the solution, and without asking her father, sent their fastest coach to retrieve a specially-trained healer. The healer and her assistant arrived that evening and Princess Diana gave them access to her mother''s private bed chamber. By the next morning, Lady Eleanor was up and moving around, and the King was beside himself with joy. When he had thanked the healer and her assistant for saving the life of his wife, he asked what had happened. The healer told him it was his daughter that had found the solution and sent for them. He ran to her room, completely unlike what a king should do, and found Diana as she sat in front of her window. ¡°Diana!¡± King Alamast exclaimed, and she turned to look at him. ¡°It worked?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes, sweetheart.¡± King Alamast said and strode across the room and took her into a tight hug. ¡°You saved my heart from breaking.¡± Diana hugged her father and sighed. ¡°That''s why I did it.¡± King Alamast let her out of the hug. ¡°Tell me, how did you know who to send for?¡± ¡°After thinking about it, and about all the things that have been happening across the realm...¡± ...and by listening to Ren''s advice... ¡°...I realized that she somehow must have been infected by ghouls.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I don''t know how it could have happened, and I know it sounds crazy.¡± Diana said. ¡°But... if you eliminate all the possible causes, then the impossible cause that remains has to be the truth.¡± ¡°Oh, Diana.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°That really is crazy.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Diana laughed. ¡°But it still worked, daddy.¡± She said. ¡°Mother is going to be fine.¡± King Alamast hugged his daughter once more, and left her alone to return to his recovering wife. He thanked the gods, and his daughter, for the miracle. Sir Spoon, Knight of the Human Kingdom, was downstairs in the kitchen. He sat in a pile of nearly identical freshly washed utensils, and waited patiently for his next big adventure. Chapter 451 - A Beacon Of Light While they ate, Ren told Nathalia that he was moving everyone out to his county. He explained that he had been delaying for no reason, and with Princess being able to run as fast as she does, even without spells, he can be back to Aurora in only minutes. Nathalia was saddened by the news; but, she understood his reasoning. The people he was gathering around him couldn''t stay in a starter city, not without causing a lot of trouble. They talked about meeting regularly; but, since neither of them knew when Ren would be available, they pushed that idea aside. ¡°I''ll have a mount available for Xuunah, so she can keep coming to visit.¡± Ren said when Nathalia said she had to go. ¡°That would be wonderful.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Although, I believe Nathalia has been neglecting her duties when we visit.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°I only come here in the hopes to visit with you.¡± She said, and felt their surprise. ¡°Both restaurants have several great cooks now, and I only supervise when I''m in the kitchen.¡± ¡°Now I feel bad about moving.¡± Ren said and Nathalia took his hand. ¡°Ren, you need to take care of your people.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Don''t concern yourself with anything else.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I know you love me, and you know I love you.¡± Nathalia kissed him, despite not being allowed public displays of affection with someone other than her betrothed. ¡°No matter where we are, or how far apart we are... we will always be together where it counts.¡± Ren took her hand and put in on his chest. ¡°Yes, one of these days I''ll figure out how to make this connection so strong, that it won''t matter where we are and we will still feel each other.¡± He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then felt his chest grow warm. Nathalia felt it and looked down, and a white light formed around her hand. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°I''m giving her my heart.¡± Ren said, and activated Soul Bind. ¡°NO!¡± Xuunah exclaimed and reached out to pull Nathalia''s hand away from his chest, and the glow engulfed her hand as well. She froze as she was caught in the ability, and all three of them were encompassed with a bright glow as her pure Light was added to the effect. A thick white beam emanated from Ren''s chest and split into two. One end went to Nathalia and the other went to Xuunah. A similar beam formed beside that on Xuunah''s chest and went back to Ren, then one formed on Nathalia''s chest and went back to Ren. He felt something shift in his perception, and then he received a popup.
Notice!
You have formed a bond with a pure Light Being and a member of the Children of Light. This bond is permanent and cannot be broken, subverted, or altered by you or anyone else.
Notice!
You have gained the condition: Devotion. Making the ones you are bonded to happy is your top priority. It grants +10 Light affinity and Regeneration, which lets you regain 5% Health every second, and regrow missing parts when they are lost.
For several moments, Ren saw and experienced everything that both Nathalia and Xuunah had ever experienced in their lifetimes, and those things became as much a part of his past as his own past was.
Notice!
You have been touched by Light in it''s purest form. It fills you and makes you happy, and despite any hardship you may suffer, you need to share that feeling with others. You have gained: Reassurance Aura Level 1 (Beginner 0%)
Notice!
Due to the nature of the knowledge of Light you have gained, it has been expanded well beyond all requirements. Light affinity and resistance has been increased to 100% (Mastered).
Notice!
Trouble Recipe ingredient: ''Nathalia'' has been completed.
¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said as the glow faded. He blinked his eyes several times, and felt the tears on his face. I don''t remember crying. He thought and looked at Nathalia and Xuunah. Their faces were covered in tears as well, and they still had their hands on his chest. ¡°What''s going on in here?¡± The woman who sat customers at their tables said when she came in through the curtain. ¡°That bright light nearly blinded half of the customers!¡± Ren''s Reassurance Aura popped into place immediately and he stood up. Nathalia''s and Xuunah''s hands fell away from his chest; but, he could still feel their touch. ¡°Please accept my apologies.¡± Ren said and walked around the table and approached her. With his Emotion Siphon ability, he could feel her awe of him. ¡°I''ll visit everyone personally to make sure they are okay.¡± ¡°Y-you don''t have to do that.¡± She said. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°Can you show me the ones most affected?¡± She nodded her head several times, and led him around the restaurant. Ren checked everyone and healed the ones that had suffered some damage, and he apologized for the accidental display. Everyone forgave him and thanked him, and he went back to the curtained-off area. ¡°Wh-what do we do now?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°We live with it.¡± Xuunah said and stood up. ¡°We don''t have a choice about that now.¡± ¡°I know I should apologize.¡± Ren said, and they felt how happy he was. ¡°I''m too happy to be sorry.¡± Xuunah shook her head. ¡°How could you do that?¡± ¡°I wanted to bond with Nathalia permanently.¡± Ren reached out and touched Nathalia''s face. ¡°I didn''t know we would share everything.¡± ¡°Would you have-¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°I am yours, and you are mine.¡± ¡°As am I, now.¡± Xuunah said, and Ren turned to her. ¡°You chose to touch us.¡± Ren said. ¡°You could have pushed the chair, or the table, or even slapped me.¡± He smiled and reached out to her. She stepped close and he cupped the side of her face. ¡°You missed being needed that much?¡± Xuunah opened her mouth to say no, but she could feel what both of them felt and she knew they wouldn''t believe her. ¡°I am in so much trouble.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°What are they going to do?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°They know why you''re here.¡± ¡°I... you wouldn''t!¡± ¡°No, but they don''t know that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I might activate my Angered condition on purpose and...¡± He held up his hand and formed a Void elemental grenade in an instant. Xuunah''s mouth dropped open and he felt her shock.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°You never know what could happen.¡± Ren smiled, and Nathalia chuckled. ¡°I have to go.¡± Nathalia said and gave him a long and lingering kiss. ¡°Try not to...¡± She glanced at the Void grenade and smiled. ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Ren said and whispered in her ear. ¡°My Love.¡± * Nathalia left them at the table and walked across the restaurant to the back exit, then stepped through the portal. She caught her breath on the other side because she could still feel Ren. It wasn''t as strong as standing next to him; but, it was there all the same. Her heart was filled with happiness, because he had made his promise of someday be today. She would always feel his love, no matter where he was. * Ren dismissed the elemental grenades and Xuunah relaxed. ¡°That really bothered you.¡± He said, and she nodded. ¡°It''s... very scary to know something could consume you and you can''t fight against it.¡± ¡°Who told you that you couldn''t fight it?¡± Ren asked, and she looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°Like I tell Zetaya, if you ever find yourself surrounded by water, or under attack by it, burn. Burn as hard and as brightly as you can.¡± ¡°I guess that would work for fire and water.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°But...¡± Ren smiled and stepped close. ¡°You have it within you. I saw it once, and now I''ve felt it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I know you don''t believe that you can overcome it; but, I believe that you can.¡± Ren said and held an arm out for her to take. She wrapped her arm around his, and he took her out to the main part of the restaurant. Teepo? How many people are here? Ren asked his friend. ¡°146.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I counted when you checked on them.¡± Thanks. Ren smiled. At a gold and 50 silver per plate, that''s almost 220 gold. He thought and went to the woman that sat customers at the tables. ¡°L-leaving already?¡± She asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°As an apology to everyone for what happened, I''d like to pay for all of their meals.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± A general murmur of disbelief spread across the restaurant, and Ren took out 3 platinum coins. ¡°Use the rest as tips for the workers.¡± Ren said and he felt how happy she was. He walked out the door and he felt happiness spread to everyone in the restaurant when they realized the food was free.
Stat Change!
Reassurance Aura Level 2 (Beginner 0%)
¡°You didn''t have to do that for them.¡± Xuunah said. Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t have to do anything.¡± He said and stopped in front of Sally''s Shop. ¡°It''s what I want to do that matters.¡± He took her inside the shop and told Sally that he was moving to his county. ¡°I wish I could go with you.¡± Sally said as she hugged him. ¡°My loyal customers would be in an uproar if I did!¡± ¡°I know they would.¡± Ren said as she let him go, and he took her hands in his. ¡°These fingers are magic.¡± Sally blushed at the compliment, and then even harder as he kissed the backs of both of her hands. ¡°You are an inspiration, and you helped me when no one else would.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you very much, Sally.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Sally said. ¡°If I was a little younger...¡± ¡°If only you didn''t love your deceased husband so much, you mean.¡± Ren chuckled, and she laughed. ¡°I might be back around sometime, but you know how these things go.¡± Sally nodded. ¡°I won''t hold my breath.¡± She said and bent down to give him a kiss on the cheek. ¡°It was more than a pleasure to know you.¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek back. ¡°Goodbye, Sally.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± Ren and Xuunah left the shop and walked down the street to Donan''s blacksmith shop. After a brief greeting and heated discussion, Donan finally agreed and Ren handed him 100 platinum coins for any and all future sales. ¡°Don''t forget to give 1% of that to your own mentor.¡± Ren joked, and Donan slapped him on the shoulder like he used to. ¡°That only counts for things I sell!¡± Donan laughed, and they said their goodbyes as well. Ren and Xuunah left the shop and walked down the street. ¡°Is there anyone else you need to visit and say goodbye to?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°Actually, yes.¡± Ren said and turned up the next street. ¡°Let''s walk this way.¡± Xuunah went where Ren led, and it was to a lumber yard. They went inside, and everyone stopped working to look at him. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Ren said and they all greeted him back. ¡°Is Jen around?¡± ¡°Right here.¡± Jen said and walked around a stack of lumber. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°You can say goodbye.¡± Ren said, and he felt her surprise. ¡°I''m moving out to my county.¡± Jen took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I thought you would be doing that sooner or later.¡± ¡°I meant to do it before.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then things happened.¡± Jen laughed. ¡°Don''t they always?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You were one of my best customers.¡± Jen said and took him into a quick hug, then let him go. ¡°I made a ton of money from you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Is that all I was? A money bag?¡± Jen laughed. ¡°You even gave me a ridiculous loan agreement.¡± ¡°About that.¡± Ren said and gave her a coin pouch. ¡°Just put it in here and keep it for me.¡± ¡°So, you''re really not coming back here.¡± ¡°Not for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless the finance minister''s wife throws another party for me to miss.¡± Jen laughed. ¡°She delayed the last one just for you.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± ¡°When she couldn''t have your invitation delivered, she postponed the party until you returned.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you thank her for me?¡± Jen nodded. ¡°I''ll let her know you''re back and staying at your county.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and looked around. ¡°Where''s Jhulune?¡± ¡°She has the day off, so she''s probably at home.¡± ¡°I''ll check there, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for everything, Jen.¡± ¡°I was about to say the same thing to you.¡± Jen said and smiled. ¡°It''s been... interesting... knowing you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Is that because I turned you on and kept my promise of not following through?¡± ¡°Mostly.¡± Jen laughed. ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Ren and Xuunah left the lumberyard and walked down the street, around a corner and down the long road towards the West Gate of the city. They turned up a side street and stopped at a nice two story house. He knocked on the front door and waited. A few moments later, it opened. ¡°REN!¡± Jhulune''s mother yelled and jumped on him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek several times. ¡°Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!¡± Ren laughed and didn''t know what to do. ¡°Mom, get off of him.¡± Jhulune said as she came down the stairs. ¡°I think you''ve thanked him enough.¡± ¡°Oh, all right.¡± She said and let him go. ¡°Oops! I missed a spot!¡± She said and kissed his other cheek. ¡°There! Now I''m done.¡± Jhulune shook her head and pulled her mother back into the house. ¡°That''s the price of making mom happy.¡± She said, and her mother laughed and disappeared into the kitchen. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± ¡°Hi, Jhulune.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just came by to tell you that I''m moving to my county.¡± ¡°You didn''t have to come all the way over here to tell me that.¡± Jhulune said, and Ren felt how flattered she was. ¡°I kind of have an ulterior motive.¡± Ren said, and she smiled. ¡°Let''s hear it.¡± ¡°It depends on how long it''s going to take for you to finish your apprenticeship with Jen.¡± ¡°Oh? Why''s that?¡± ¡°I''d like to hire you, of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°Well, my county would hire you. You''d be working for the county, not just for me.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Jhulune asked. ¡°Even when my apprenticeship is over, I won''t have enough experience for-¡± ¡°You''ll be fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can hire experienced staff to help run it.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''ve got a woodcutter to chop trees, but no one to run a lumber mill when I build it.¡± ¡°You... want me to... to...¡± ¡°Only if you think you can handle it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know Jen''s job can be difficult sometimes, but look at what she has to take care of.¡± He chuckled. ¡°My city''s just starting out and we don''t have anywhere near this kind of industry... yet.¡± ¡°I... Ren, I...¡± Ren felt her disbelief, and he touched her hand. ¡°You don''t have to decide right away. Take your time. Think things through.¡± Jhulune took a deep breath and let it out, then nodded. ¡°When you make a choice, just send word to the Main House in Gaogan City.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Jhulune said and stepped close. She was his exact height, had similar fluffy hair except that it was red, and she wrapped her arms around his neck just like her mother did. ¡°I want to say goodbye; but, depending on your decision, it could only be a ''see you soon''.¡± Ren said as he put his arms around her, and she hugged him tightly. ¡°How about we don''t say anything?¡± Jhulune said and leaned back. ¡°Hey, I found a spot that mom missed.¡± She said and kissed him on the lips. Ren smiled. ¡°I''m kind of glad you found that spot and not her.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Her mother shouted from the kitchen, and they looked to see her head as she peeked around the doorway. ¡°My husband would kill me if I kissed you like that!¡± That made Jhulune and Ren laugh, and they let each other out of the embrace. She went back inside the house and shut the door, then Ren and Xuunah walked back down the road to the main street, and followed it to the Housing District turnoff. ¡°You have had more successful encounters with women than anyone I have ever met.¡± Xuunah said, and Ren grinned. ¡°Yes, and none of these goodbyes have been influenced by my Prince Charming title.¡± ¡°Why does it bother you to use all the skills at your disposal?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°It''s overpowering.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I went into every situation with everything on or activated, it would change the situation.¡± He said. ¡°If I go in armed for bear, then I''m guaranteed to meet a bear.¡± ¡°I don''t understand.¡± ¡°Look at it this way.¡± Ren said as they approached the street his house was on. ¡°If you saw a normal man walking down the street towards you, with a smile on his face, what would you think?¡± ¡°He was a man who was happy going for a walk.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I''d probably like to meet him.¡± ¡°Now, imagine that same man coming towards you, except this time he''s wearing a set of bright gold armor, with a glowing weapon just as big as him, riding a mount with similar armor, and his eyes glowing red from his abilities.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°What would you think then?¡± ¡°That I was in deep trouble, and I would arm myself and prepare for battle.¡± Xuunah said as they stopped in front of the house. ¡°You make an excellent point.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Do you have anything to pack or gather up?¡± ¡°No, only myself.¡± ¡°Then if you will kindly wait, I''ll make us a suitable transport.¡± Xuunah stepped to the side of the street to watch, and Ren opened the cart pattern he had. Rather than use it as is, he made it more like a bus with double rows of seats for people to sit in, and instead of the bus driver and an engine, he kept the normal horse attachment and doubled it as well. He thought he wouldn''t actually need two horses to pull it, since the burden becomes that of the driver; but he wanted two, just in case. He added a large space in the back for Princess and the two dogs, and then got to work. Ren didn''t bother trying to make anything fancy, since the Phantom Steeds could fly and it was only going to touch the ground a couple of times. He made the seats comfortable and the sides low enough that passengers could see out if they wanted to. When he was done, he took out the Wand of Transport and cast two Phantom Steeds to attach to the harnesses at the front, then turned and held a hand out to Xuunah. ¡°Your ride awaits.¡± Ren said and smiled. Chapter 452 - Moving Day Part Two Xuunah walked over to Ren and took his hand, and he helped her get into the bus-like cart. She sat in the second seat, and he walked over to the house and went inside. He knocked on Officer Holly''s door, and she opened it. ¡°I assume it''s time to go.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Ren said and motioned outside. ¡°Please have a seat.¡± Officer Holly looked out the front door of the house and saw the long bus-like cart with black horses that had smoke-like manes and hooves. ¡°Where did that come from?¡± ¡°I just made it.¡± Ren said, walked up the stairs, and went into the main bedroom. ¡°Ladies, our ride is ready.¡± ¡°We just finished up.¡± Frikara said and stored the chair she sat in. ¡°Do you want us to...¡± ¡°...sit back and enjoy the ride?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes.¡± He smiled and stored all of the cabinets of clothing, the dressers, end tables, and the extra large bed. He emptied the room of everything and they went downstairs and outside. He helped the maids climb in and they sat in the front two rows to fill those seats. Officer Holly inspected the Phantom Steeds and passed her hand through their smoky hair. ¡°That''s so freaky.¡± ¡°Just wait until they start pulling the cart.¡± Ren said to her, then walked over to the tower the succubi were in, and heard a shout. ¡°WAIT!¡± A man down the street said, and behind him were several others. Ren stood there and waited for them to jog over before he spoke. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Take us with you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I''m in love with Zunala!¡± Weston, the city guard said. ¡°If she''s going with you, then I''m going, too!¡± Ren opened his mouth to say no right away, and the other men took up similar arguments. He sighed and changed what he was going to say. ¡°Wait here.¡± Ren said. Weston nodded and Ren went into the tower, and saw that the succubi sat on their beds. ¡°Okay, someone tell me what''s going on.¡± Ren said, and the succubi looked at each other. ¡°I''ve got a dozen men outside that want to come with us, and one even claims to love Zunala.¡± Zunala came down the stairs in front of the other succubi that were upstairs, and walked over to him. ¡°You never said we couldn''t meet with other men.¡± Ren sighed and rubbed his face. ¡°Please tell me you didn''t sleep with them.¡± ¡°They didn''t.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°We all remember what you said to the Minor Demon.¡± She said. ¡°If you can''t have us, then no one else can.¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out, because he felt that what she said was the truth. He looked at them all, and they felt his relief in return. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. Zunala touched his cheek. ¡°Would it have hurt you if we did?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, and it was their turn to feel that it was true. ¡°You''re my responsibility.¡± He said, then frowned. ¡°Wait, why are there only 12 men outside?¡± ¡°We couldn''t find anyone to feed us what we wanted.¡± One of the others said. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Ren said and looked at Zunala. ¡°Do you want this man to come with us?¡± ¡°His desire is intoxicating.¡± Zunala said. ¡°We''ve only kissed, and yet... he is infatuated with me.¡± Ren could feel how much she enjoyed that, and he remembered his pledge to give them what they needed. ¡°I''ll take steps to protect them from your more... damaging aspects.¡± He said, and he felt how happy that made her, and the rest of them were happy as well. ¡°You can use your life-draining ability up to a point; but, you are not... I repeat NOT... going to kill them.¡± ¡°We know it would bring death and destruction upon us if we did that.¡± Zunala said. ¡°To me as well, since I brought you here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll give them each a Ring of Sustenance with runes of Anti-corruption, so you can use both of your abilities on them every day if you want.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Wynphine asked. ¡°We can... oh, my.¡± She sat down on the closest bed and her body shook. ¡°You''ll let us taste the forbidden fruit?¡± ¡°As long as you don''t eat it all.¡± Ren said and looked at them. ¡°If any one of them ends up dead, even by accident, all privileges will be revoked for everyone.¡± He said. ¡°No flying, no feeding beyond sustenance levels, and no boyfriends.¡± ¡°Boyfriends!¡± One of them laughed. ¡°They are just toys!¡± ¡°I''ll take away your toys, then.¡± Ren said and felt ambivalence from them. ¡°I''m being serious here.¡± ¡°Your Reassurance Aura isn''t helping convince them of that.¡± Seldanna commented. ¡°Oh, right.¡± Ren said and made a Connection between his Fear, Importance, and Command Auras, added in one of his Ultimate Terror Rings for good measure, and concentrated on it. All the succubi gasped and stepped back, then knelt. ¡°I will take away your toys if you don''t play with them nicely.¡± ¡°Y-yes, M-my L-lord.¡± They all said at the same time, even the ones that didn''t have anyone yet, and he switched back to his Reassurance Aura. ¡°Now, with that unpleasantness out of the way, we''re heading out.¡± Ren said and opened the door. ¡°All aboard the transport to go to your new home.¡± * The scouts of the nearby county had returned to their outpost to rest properly, since it was too dark at night for them to see, and they left their lodgings in the morning and walked to their assigned area. Once there, they climbed up into the tall tree to take up their scouting position, and gawked at what they could see. The dirt wall wasn''t a dirt wall anymore. It was now made of iron. ¡°What are those things at the base?¡± One scout said to his partner, once he had gotten over the shock. ¡°I can''t make it out.¡± His partner put on a pair of goggles and squinted. ¡°It''s... statues of men?¡± He shook his head and looked again. ¡°Yes, statues of men are on the wall for some reason.¡± ¡°How the hell did they put that up overnight?¡± The first scout asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± His partner said. ¡°You stay here this time, and I''ll head over to the next position.¡± ¡°Why?¡± The first scout asked. ¡°We can see the wall for miles from here.¡± His partner sighed. ¡°If it really is all the way around, there''s no way the boss is going to let it go.¡± ¡°But... we aren''t at war.¡± The first scout said. ¡°We''re part of the same kingdom.¡± ¡°Like that matters.¡± His partner said. ¡°The boss is going to want whatever this guy has.¡± ¡°Well, then.¡± The first scout said and started to climb down the tree. ¡°Hey! I said to wait here and I''ll go!¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°You can do whatever you want.¡± The scout said. ¡°I quit.¡± ¡°What? You can''t do that!¡± ¡°I am not going to be a part of whatever this is.¡± The scout said. ¡°I''ll watch and report, that''s fine.¡± He said and stopped at the bottom of the tree. ¡°I am not going to fight someone that can put up a 40 foot tall iron wall around an entire county overnight.¡± ¡°You traitor!¡± ¡°Bwa-ha-ha!¡± The scout laughed. ¡°That''s funny, coming from someone that wants to fight their own people.¡± ¡°I don''t want to fight them; but, I will when I''m ordered to!¡± ¡°Then that''s your problem.¡± The scout said and started to walk away through the trees. ¡°You can''t just leave! You''ll be subject to court-martial!¡± ¡°I resign my commission, you dunce.¡± The scout said, and once he was far enough away from the tree, gave words to what he was thinking hard about. ¡°He needs scouts, right? He should have scouts.¡± The scout tried desperately to convince himself he would be needed as he made his way to the end of the county several miles away, then turned the corner to walk along the moat in front of the iron covered walls. When he reached the giant open doors, he marvelled at them because they looked like they would really open and close. ¡°I wonder if he''s hiring?¡± The scout asked himself and walked inside, and completely missed that the steel statues had watched him closely the entire time. * The succubi in their flawless disguises had walked out of the tower and gathered in a group by the bus-like cart. Ren closed the tower door and deactivated it, then stored the 2 inch wide cube. He felt shock from the 12 men at the display, and walked over to them. ¡°I''ll agree to you all coming along, on two conditions.¡± Ren said. ¡°One: You will be hired to resume your guard positions for Walin County, on a rotating schedule. It''s a nice wall that I''ll finish before you''ll be allowed to patrol on top of it.¡± ¡°Is it a city wall like this one?¡± One of them asked. ¡°No, the wall surrounds the whole county.¡± Ren said, and once again he felt their shock. ¡°Don''t worry, you''ll have steeds to help cover the 210 miles of wall.¡± ¡°You can''t seriously think 12 of us can defend the entire county!¡± Another said. ¡°I have constructs to do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might put each of you in command of a platoon of them, though.¡± ¡°A platoon!¡± Weston laughed. ¡°I''ll become a lieutenant!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m glad you''re enthusiastic about it.¡± ¡°Enthusiastic? Try ecstatic!¡± Weston said. ¡°We just resigned our positions in the Aurora City Guard and didn''t know what we were going to do for money, or where we''d live, or anything like that.¡± He said. ¡°Giving us jobs when we show up out of nowhere is more than any of us could have asked for!¡± ¡°I''ve got a Barracks for you to live in as well.¡± Ren said, and they started to laugh. ¡°Well, let''s go!¡± Weston said and walked over to Zunala. ¡°I can''t wait to start my new life with this gorgeous creature!¡± Zunala put her arms around him and gave him a kiss, and he practically melted in her arms. Everyone heard her moan, and he sighed when they broke the kiss. ¡°You forgot my second condition.¡± Ren said, and they all looked at him. ¡°As long as you are with the succubi, you need to wear a special ring of my own design.¡± He took out a Ring of Sustenance, absorbed the enchantment and modified it, then put it back and added a glyph with 10 runes of Anti-corruption. ¡°It takes a day to activate; but after that, you can kiss them and not become exhausted.¡± ¡°It''s a DEAL!¡± The other men said, and Ren gave them all modified rings. When they put them on, a couple of them winced in pain as the corruption they had acquired over the last 2 days was absorbed. Weston winced the longest. ¡°I see a few of you have had some deep kisses already, despite the inherent danger.¡± Ren said, and he felt some embarrassment from both the men and the succubi; and then some of them laughed. ¡°It''s worth it.¡± Weston said and looked at Zunala. ¡°I knew as soon as I saw her that I wanted to be with her.¡± He said and she cupped the side of his face. ¡°It''s not because of what she is, either.¡± ¡°Dearest?¡± Zunala asked. ¡°It''s in your eyes.¡± Weston said. ¡°There''s a loss there. You had something important, and now it''s gone.¡± He said. ¡°I want to fill that empty space in you.¡± Zunala smiled warmly at him. ¡°Despite being only human, you are making headway into it.¡± Weston smiled back. ¡°There''s the smile I want to see on your face all the time.¡± They stared at each other for several moments, and then Officer Holly came over. ¡°Don''t just stand there, you lazy bums! Get your asses on the bus! I mean cart!¡± The men went to their respective succubi and everyone except Ren boarded the cart. Ren went into the house to get Princess and the dogs, and brought them out to the transport. They climbed into the large back area to lay down on the comfy mattress he had put there for them. He ran back into the house and stored the bed in the kitchen, then replaced it with the table and chairs that were supposed to be there, and ran up the stairs to put the bed in the main bedroom. Ren went into Ruck''s room to see if his friend had left anything in there. There was nothing to be found, so he ran back down the stairs and outside. Once he had gathered up the skeleton knights, he told them to hold onto the outside of the cart, because there was no more room inside. Ren got in himself and climbed up onto the driver''s seat. ¡°Ren?¡± Frikara spoke, and he turned to look at her. ¡°Let Xuunah drive us to our new home at a nice leisurely pace.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I want you to tell us what happened to you in Shargon Caverns.¡± ¡°I never actually told you, did I?¡± ¡°It''s all been second hand from Lara.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We know a lot about it, but not everything.¡± She said, and Xuunah stood up and changed places with Ren. He sat down beside Frikara, and she took his hand. ¡°Drive slowly, Xuunah. We''re going to need a few hours, I think.¡± Xuunah nodded, flicked the reins, and the Phantom Steeds trotted for a few steps, cast Air Walk on the cart they pulled, and the whole thing lifted into the air like it was going up a steep hill. ¡°WHOAAAA!¡± Officer Holly yelled as she looked over the side of the cart. ¡°We''re flying! We''re really flying!¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Ren said, and he felt how much she liked it. ¡°Ren.¡± Frikara said and he looked at her. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said, took a quick breath, and started to talk. ¡°It all started one day when I didn''t wake up in your arms...¡± Everyone fell silent, because none of them had heard the story from the beginning like that. As he talked, Xuunah followed along with the memories that she had absorbed from him. They were the most recent and easily accessible; so, with his exposition added to it, it cemented in her mind that for the first time in her very long existence, she had shared everything that she was with someone else. The Phantom Steeds could cast Air Walk at will, and when the spell would run out and before the cart started to slowly descend, the other steed would cast it and keep the cart in the air without interruption. Ren had been smart to have two of them to share the load, even though he hadn''t realized that at the time. Xuunah drove slowly so she could listen to Ren talk, as he went on and on about the adventure he had. When he arrived at the part where he needed to sacrifice a life, Xuunah felt everyone''s emotions change through Ren. Even if she hadn''t known the outcome, like the male guards who were hearing the story for the first time and were horrified, she would have known Ren would have given up his own life instead. Ren continued on with the story, and everyone was enraptured as he described what he encountered, what he did to work around or defeat the next challenge. When he discussed some of his alternate thinking, several of the guards had chimed in to say they would have done some of them instead. Ren had told them that no plan survives contact with the enemy, and that most times he just did the first thing that came into his head. ¡°Except for that ogre.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I was going to smash it''s head in no matter what!¡± That made everyone laugh, too; and he continued on with the story. By the time they arrived at the Main House in Gaugan City, he had just reached the part where he met the Marilith demon. ¡°Please, finish the story.¡± Frikara said, with her head rested on his shoulder. ¡°Xuunah? Do a lap around the county to show the guards the wall.¡± Ren said, and she turned the cart around to go back to the wall. He told them about the encounter with the Marilith demon, and then when he and the succubi went to the next chamber and met the trolls he had previously vanquished. ¡°I didn''t have to do anything at all.¡± Ren said and turned to look at the succubi. ¡°I just asked them to take care of it for me, and they did.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Weston exclaimed and looked at Zunala. ¡°You defeated that many trolls?!?¡± Zunala chuckled. ¡°Thanks to Ren''s weapons and enchantments.¡± ¡°That''s amazing.¡± Weston said with wonder in his voice and his emotions. ¡°I always thought creatures like you would run from a fight, no matter what.¡± ¡°Oh, we do.¡± Zunala said and laughed. ¡°It''s much easier to run than fight.¡± ¡°But, you didn''t.¡± Weston said. ¡°Even when you were warned you would be hurt, you were still right there with him.¡± ¡°I think our time with Ren has made us an exception to the rule.¡± Zunala said. Weston stood up and looked at Ren. ¡°Sir, thank you for taking care of them.¡± He said. ¡°With your intervention, not only did they escape that place with you; but, they have more confidence in themselves in actual battle than some of the trained soldiers I''ve worked with.¡± Ren waved his thanks away. ¡°I''m just glad we all made it out.¡± He said and pointed to one of the succubi. ¡°Even her pet Dretch.¡± She nodded and picked up the carry sack he had made for her. ¡°He''s a little hungry, though.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry. What do dretches eat?¡± ¡°Corrupted dirt and rotted meat, mostly.¡± She responded. ¡°Usually discarded dretch legs like we used to eat.¡± ¡°I can give you a pile of legs when we land, and I''ll have a ton of corrupted dirt for him to feed on soon enough.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I make your living space.¡± ¡°Aren''t we staying in the tower?¡± She asked. ¡°If you want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had planned on making an underground sanctuary for you, though.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°I can''t very well expect you to live above ground right off the bat.¡± Ren said. ¡°You need a transition stage, at least.¡± ¡°How long will it take to build?¡± Zunala asked. ¡°I''d say about an hour, if I can convince a certain Earth Spirit to give me a hand.¡± ¡°Just make another offering, and she''ll come to you.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Then you can ask for her help.¡± ¡°You don''t mind that some of her payment is hugs and snuggles?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Not at all.¡± Frikara smiled. ¡°Because I know you won''t ever go past kissing her, not without talking to us and the others first.¡± Ren gave her a kiss. ¡°You know me well.¡± ¡°You''ve never hidden anything or lied to us.¡± Frikara said. ¡°You always tell us everything when we ask.¡± ¡°Well, I probably could have told you this story last night.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°It was much more fun to just lay in bed and hold you.¡± Frikara smiled crookedly. ¡°There was no thinking, or wondering, or contemplation needed for that.¡± ¡°You''re right.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°We didn''t need any of that.¡± Chapter 453 - Moving Day Part Three ¡°You only have the outside half of the wall covered in iron.¡± One of the new guards said as they passed by the huge cliff at the end of the county. ¡°I assume you''ll be doing the inside soon?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Once I get you all settled, including making a place for the succubi, I''ll do the inside of the wall; then I''ll do the top to join the two sides together, and add battlement walls on the outside.¡± ¡°Even with steeds, it''s a lot to patrol.¡± Another guard said. Xuunah flicked the reins and the cart picked up speed to finish the wall tour. Now that Ren was finished of his story, she didn''t have to take her time anymore. ¡°You''ll each receive a Phantom Steed like those.¡± Ren pointed a finger at the steeds hauling the cart. ¡°It doesn''t have to be fed or watered, it never gets tired, and runs really fast and can fly.¡± He chuckled. ¡°It can also carry any burden you have, including weapons and armor.¡± ¡°Wow, really?¡± He said. ¡°Where do we keep it?¡± ¡°There''s posts for tying up horses in front of everything, including the Barracks.¡± ¡°How long do they last?¡± Someone else asked. ¡°Normally they only last for 5 hours.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be making them permanent; so, as long as you take care of it and don''t lose it, it will stay loyal to you until it dies.¡± ¡°Damn, this is too good to be true.¡± One of the men said. ¡°Somebody pinch me so I know I''m awake.¡± The succubi that sat next to him pinched him. ¡°Ow!¡± He said. ¡°I was joking!¡± ¡°I know you were.¡± The succubi said and laughed, and so did several others. ¡°We''re landing for real this time.¡± Xuunah said, and they all held on as the bus-like cart acted like it was going down a steep hill and then stopped right in front of the Main House. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°Men, the Barracks are right there.¡± He said and pointed. ¡°Go on in and make yourselves at home.¡± ¡°But, what about...¡± ¡°Don''t worry, they''ll be close by.¡± Ren said and pointed to a spot behind his large warehouse. ¡°Believe me, you''ll see it.¡± The men got up and kissed their succubi goodbye, and left the cart. ¡°Frikara, Lusinia, Verwynn, Andrela, Navruth, and Xuunah, please come with me into the Main House.¡± The 6 women stood up and he helped them down off of the bus-like cart, and Ren looked at the succubi and Officer Holly. ¡°Please wait here for me.¡± They all nodded, and he took the maids and Xuunah into the Main House, and asked the maids to wait at the bottom of the stairs. ¡°Xuunah, this way.¡± Ren said, and he took her hand. She followed him to the back of the building and he opened the door to the apartment. ¡°You can stay here.¡± He said. ¡°It''s a full apartment. You get to be close enough to me to keep an eye on things, and still have your own privacy.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Xuunah sighed. ¡°You don''t have to keep me so close.¡± ¡°We''re bound together forever now.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I am not letting you live somewhere else.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± ¡°By the way, that closet over there is the perfect spot for that spell you were given.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°While I''m busy, Zagatro would probably appreciate you contacting him.¡± ¡°R-Ren, I...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Just tell him what happened, and that you''ve decided to keep me under observation.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You are going to do that, right?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Then it''s the truth.¡± Xuunah sighed. ¡°I don''t think I should...¡± ¡°You''ve been gone for... what? 35 years or so now?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°He''d appreciate hearing from you, and I don''t intend on ever moving again.¡± He said. ¡°You can make it here, and be confident it will never be disturbed.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No, Xuunah.¡± Ren said and moved his hand from her face to grip her shoulder. ¡°You never have to thank me for anything.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Anything you want, you will have.¡± Ren said and took out a piece of parchment. He drew up the plans for the anti-void elemental bomb, with detailed instructions, and handed them to her. ¡°Unless you can find a powerful enchanter who can make the proper runes to get it to work, these plans are pretty much useless.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°You can give them to Zagatro, for all the good it will do.¡± Xuunah chuckled. ¡°You really do have an answer for everything.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''ll leave it to you to decide if it''s the right answer or not.¡± ¡°Considering what they are thinking, or were thinking when I left.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°It''s both.¡± ¡°Well, if you need to tell them that I''m the essential component to make it work, go ahead.¡± Ren said. ¡°I doubt they will send anyone else, though.¡± ¡°Ren, if... If I''d known it was you that did it... I... I would have...¡± ¡°Don''t kid yourself.¡± Ren said and hugged her. ¡°You would have come here faster if you knew.¡± Xuunah laughed as she hugged him back. ¡°Yes, I would have.¡± ¡°There, was that so hard to admit?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Well, you did; so, don''t worry about it anymore.¡± Ren said and let her go. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± Xuunah nodded and Ren left her alone in her apartment and shut the door. He walked over to the maids and motioned to go up the stairs. They preceded him up to the second floor and saw his partial workshop. ¡°I''ll be removing this when I get the chance.¡± Ren said and opened the door to the apartment, and replaced the bed with the large one he took from the other house in Aurora. He opened the Building Owner menu and added the 5 maids and Xuunah to the list of occupants. ¡°What about our things?¡± Lusinia asked. ¡°They are not all going to fit in here.¡± ¡°That''s what''s replacing the workshop.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll add a dividing wall as well, so half of the floor will be our apartment.¡± ¡°That sounds nice.¡± Frikara said and sat down on the bed. ¡°I''ll be back in a while to put everything right.¡± Ren said and left the apartment and ran outside the Main House. He went onto the bus-like cart and held a hand out to Officer Holly. ¡°Ma''am, if you''ll kindly come with me.¡± Ren said, and she took his hand. He led her off the cart and around the back of the Main House, and over to the newest part of the subdivision. He opened the Land Owner menu and checked the occupancy of the houses. ¡°I believe these 18 houses are currently free.¡± He said and pointed. ¡°You''re really giving me a house.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I decided a long time ago that if anyone was going to come to my lands, they deserved the basic necessities of life.¡± He said. ¡°Free housing, a job if I can provide it, and food to eat.¡± He smiled. ¡°I can bypass that last one for a select few by giving them sustenance rings.¡± ¡°Can I have one?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said and took one out, modified it, then added the Amulet of the Spider enchantment to it. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°It''s that easy?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°How much do I...¡± ¡°No, there''s no charge.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll give you anything you need to live here.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If you want to be the commander of the county''s forces, you can be that, too.¡± Ren said, and she stopped talking. ¡°I know it seems like a lot for a starting Paladin to take over; but, there''s only 4,000 animated statues spread out over the outside walls.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not much, but I''ll be adding a lot more as I finish the walls.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°No, you don''t have to take command.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s just an offer for you to consider.¡± ¡°If I take it, I can''t stay near you.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I can''t pull one over on you, then.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ll find someone else.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°Do you want me to keep the position open for a while, and see how things work out for your investigation first?¡± ¡°I... yes.¡± Officer Holly admitted, a bit reluctantly. ¡°Then I will.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, have you picked a house?¡± ¡°Um...¡± Officer Holly looked at them, and there were two of them close to the Main House. ¡°I''ll take the one story right there.¡± She said, and Ren added her as the home owner. A small key appeared around her neck, and she gripped it tightly. ¡°It''s all yours.¡± Ren said, then added Rosie as the owner of the other house. He made sure it was a two bedroom one first, though. She needed to have room for her grandmother, and he assumed she was tired of going up and down stairs all the time. ¡°Ren, thank you.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Hey, you''ll be working for it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Being by my side isn''t a picnic.¡± ¡°I kind of got that impression from your story.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m staying within the walls of the county for today and tonight, so you can rest easy.¡± ¡°I did that last night.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I didn''t think you could get beds like that in the game.¡± ¡°You can''t, normally.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wait, does that mean...¡± ¡°The one in your house is probably not going to be as comfortable.¡± ¡°Can you make me one?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and they walked over to the house, and she let him in. She went into the bedroom and checked the bed, and it was pretty stiff. He stored the old mattress and made her a new one right there, and she checked it. ¡°Oh, yeah. That''s the right stuff.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Go ahead and take a nap if you want.¡± He said. ¡°I''m just going to make the succubi a place to live.¡± ¡°No, I''ll come and watch.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I won''t be much good being by your side if I''m not by your side all the time.¡± Ren nodded and they left the house, then walked around the Main House and back to the bus-like cart. He told the skeleton knights to patrol the street just outside the Main House and to not go far, and they let go of the cart and did as ordered. Ren and Officer Holly climbed back aboard the cart and he drove it up and over the large warehouse and landed a thousand feet away from the street. ¡°This should be good enough.¡± Ren said and climbed down, and walked in front of the Phantom Steeds. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°Watch.¡± Ren said and took out the Staff of Earth. He knew it was going to take a while, since he was going to be moving so much dirt, so he relaxed his muscles and concentrated on only moving the dirt. Officer Holly watched in amazement as the ground rippled in front of her, and then started to part. ¡°Wh-what... Ren, what...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said and willed the dirt to move. He needed a lot of room for Railyse and her two water elementals to move around, so he chose to make a 300 foot wide, by 300 foot long, by 100 foot deep impression in the ground. He shifted the dirt out of the hole and to the side, and spread it out. It was a lot of dirt. It took nearly half an hour to get it all out of the way, and when Ren was done of that, he walked down into the bottom and added caves, indents, reefs, mounds, and anything else he could think of to make it as natural as a sea bed. He had seen enough of them to know exactly what one looked like, and he duplicated it as best as he could, then added rocks, flourishes, and anything else to make it interesting for anyone that would be exploring it. He finished his work half an hour later, and walked back up to stand beside Officer Holly. ¡°I can''t believe I just watched you do that.¡± Officer Holly said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re not the only one.¡± Ren said, and Officer Holly turned around to see that all the succubi were hanging over the side of the bus-like cart to watch. ¡°Now for the hard part.¡± He said and walked over to the flattened out dirt. With an underground hive in mind, Ren used a combination of the Staff of Earth and a wand with Iron Walls in it, as well as the Permanency spell, to make living quarters for the succubi that was half underground and half above ground. Ren made lots of individual bedrooms, a few large rooms, stairways, hallways, living rooms, various landing areas, perches, and anything else he could think of that they might want. Everything was double-wide to accommodate the large succubi wingspan, and he covered the inside of everything with a foot of dirt, then covered the outside with a mound of dirt. He used the Staff of Earth to pack the dirt in tight, and made sure it was stable; because he didn''t want it to collapse, tip over, or slide or anything. He ran up to the top of the enourmous mound of dirt and added the tower the succubi slept in on top of it to finish their roost, and added a stairway underneath it. It looked like a small mountain with a tower on top, and then he figured it was time to ask for help from the Spirit of Earth. He walked back down to where Officer Holly stood and she had watched in awe as he worked, and he sat down cross-legged to put his hands on the ground, then offered 1,000 Mana to the Spirit of Earth. No one said anything as Ren patiently waited, and then the ground in front of him rippled slightly... and a member of the Spirit of Earth quickly stuck her head up out of the ground. ¡°AH!¡± Officer Holly yelped and jumped back, and Ren laughed. ¡°You did that on purpose.¡± Ren said to the Earth being, and she smiled. ¡°I had hoped to startle you a little, it''s true.¡± She said and glanced at Officer Holly. ¡°Her reaction will have to do.¡± She grinned and looked around. ¡°You''ve been busy.¡± ¡°I have.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like your help with some reinforcement for the changes, if it''s not too much trouble.¡± ¡°Step into my parlour and we will discuss it.¡± The Earth being said as she reached out a hand. Ren took it without hesitation and she pulled him underground. ¡°Hey, wait!¡± Officer Holly exclaimed as Ren disappeared beneath the surface. ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren chuckled as he felt Officer Holly''s exasperation. He was deposited in a small burrow, and the Earth being stood in front of him. She was still completely naked and devoid of hair, just like all the rest. ¡°Make your offering.¡± She said and smiled. Ren took out the wand with the Stone Skin spell and cast it on himself, then used the Widen Effect spell to double the time it would last. He stored his fancy red suit and it left him in just the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and his underwear, then stepped close to her and took her into his arms. Since he was just the right height, his face nestled between her breasts and he looked up at her. ¡°Do you want the Mana all at once, or do you want me to ration it?¡± ¡°Hm, that''s a tough decision.¡± She said and put her arms around him, which squished her breasts against his cheeks. ¡°You''ve given me a quick thrust before; so, I think I''d like to take it nice and slow this time.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Ren said, and started to let the Mana flow down his arms and into his hands, which were slowly caressing her back. She took in several deep breaths as the Mana entered her, and Ren felt how much she enjoyed the sensations of being fed Mana and having someone to cuddle at the same time. He took his time and dragged it out, and when he reached the 1,000 Mana mark, quickly shoved another 500 Mana into her. ¡°AHH!¡± The Earth being gasped and gripped him tightly as her body''s soft glow went bright for an instant. She panted as she tried to calm down, and looked at him as she shook her head. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°I thought you wanted me to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I could feel your disappointment when my offering was coming to an end.¡± He smiled. ¡°I didn''t want you to be disappointed.¡± She chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°You are a dangerous combination of abilities.¡± ¡°You know it.¡± Ren said and let her go. She released her tight hold on him, but didn''t let go. The ground rippled under her feet and she slowly sank into it, which dragged her breasts down over him. She stopped when her face was even with his, and she wrapped her arms back around him. ¡°That''s a neat trick.¡± Ren said as the tips of her breasts poked him in the chest. ¡°I don''t want you to get a sore neck when you kiss me.¡± The Earth being said. ¡°That''s very considerate of you.¡± Ren said and kissed her, then poured another 500 Mana into her. She broke the kiss and looked at him. ¡°Stop that.¡± She admonished. ¡°You''re distracting me.¡± ¡°I''m not sorry.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°You''re going to keep doing it, aren''t you?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± The Earth being took a deep breath, which pushed her chest into him harder, and she sighed. ¡°All right, what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Please line the sides of the pool with smooth rock, but leave the bottom alone.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would do it myself; but, I don''t have a spell for Rock Wall.¡± ¡°That''s a very simple request, and not really worth 2,000 Mana.¡± She said and tilted her head slightly to the side. ¡°What do you really want?¡± ¡°This is the part I wasn''t sure if you would do for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need a thin layer of impenetrable rock about 30 feet below the roost I made for the succubi, and if possible, cover the outside of it as well.¡± The Earth being let him go and rose up to stand on the burrow floor, then paced back and forth. ¡°The pool is easy, I can do that right now.¡± She came to a stop and waved her hand once, twice, and then again. ¡°It''s done.¡± She said and kept pacing back and forth. ¡°Impenetrable rock, though...¡± ¡°I can give you all the Mana you need.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or as much as you want, whichever is greater.¡± ¡°Good.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll need it.¡± She didn''t wear a path in the dirt; but, she should have with how fast she was walking. ¡°Can I bring help?¡± Ren thought about the other Earth beings, and sighed. ¡°I can''t believe I''m saying this; but, as long as they aren''t male.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Hugging you without any clothes on and feeding you Mana is a delight.¡± Ren said. ¡°I do not want to do the same thing to the men.¡± ¡°That would make you uncomfortable?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''m worried they would be excited and turned on like you are.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She said, and then smiled. ¡°I won''t bring anyone that might put you in that situation.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Wait here, and I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± She said as the wall rippled beside her and she ran into it. The ripples disappeared and she left Ren alone and 20 feet underground. After a few minutes, she came back out of the wall and had two other Earth beings with her; and he was relieved that they were both female. One of the three stepped forward and hugged him, and he looked at the other two. ¡°I would like to apologize that I can''t normally tell you apart.¡± Ren said, and he felt their amusement. ¡°I can feel your emotions, though.¡± He said and carefully pointed to one of the other two. ¡°You were the one that was here and went to get the others.¡± The one that held him let him go, and the other stepped forward and hugged him. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°I can see that you''re still excited because of my Mana offering.¡± Ren grinned, and she laughed. ¡°Such a simple solution to my trick.¡± She said and hugged him tightly. ¡°How will you tell us apart when we are all excited in the same way?¡± ¡°By your reluctance.¡± Ren said, and he felt surprise from them. ¡°One of you is definitely not a hugger.¡± The one he mentioned laughed the same laugh as the others. ¡°You really can feel our emotions.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I can just give you the Mana if we hold hands.¡± He said. ¡°We don''t have to hug.¡± She nodded and held a hand out. Ren took it and looked at the first one. ¡°How much Mana do you need?¡± ¡°At least 5,000 each.¡± She said. ¡°It''s a huge thing you have built to cover with impenetrable rock.¡± ¡°There''s 20 succubi to take care of, and I needed room inside to add corrupted dirt.¡± Ren said. ¡°That way, they would have a normal space to live in, and still technically be undergound.¡± ¡°You are very considerate to those corrupted creatures.¡± ¡°They are mine now, so I''ll take care of them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I want to protect the surrounding dirt from being infected.¡± ¡°That is a good answer.¡± The one that held his hand said. ¡°You may begin.¡± ¡°Do you want a blast or a flow?¡± Ren asked, and she smiled. ¡°A strong steady flow, that way I don''t collapse from it.¡± Ren chose 5,000 Mana and held her hand tightly as he poured the Mana out and into her. She caught her breath as he filled her up with Mana at a constant rate, and when she took it all, her body glowed brightly. ¡°S-sisters!¡± The Earth being exclaimed and dropped to her knees and hugged herself. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°She''s fine.¡± The one hugging him said, and he reached a hand out for the other one. She smiled and stepped close and hugged him as the other let him go. ¡°Blast, please.¡± She said. Ren hugged her back and chose 5,000 Mana; then shoved it into her through his hands. ¡°AHHH!¡± She yelled and dropped to her knees as her body glowed just as much as the first one did. The last one wrapped her arms around Ren from behind, and leaned down to rest her chin on his shoulder. ¡°Give me a mix, like you did before.¡± She whispered in his ear. ¡°I apparently like that, now.¡± Ren took out a Major Healing wand and refilled his Mana, then hugged her arms. He poured 2,500 Mana into her in a steady stream, then shoved the last 2,500 Mana into her. She didn''t cry out, though. Her arms let him go as she slowly slid to her knees and hugged herself like the other two. It took them several minutes to recover enough to stand, and Ren told them specifically what he wanted done. The three Earth beings slipped into the burrow''s walls and disappeared. Chapter 454 - Like A Rock Ren stood there in the burrow and waited silently. The dirt rippled around him almost 20 minutes later, and all three Earth beings stumbled out of the walls and fell to their knees. He could feel that they were extremely depleted and went right over to them. ¡°What do you need?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Mana?¡± One of then managed to nod, and Ren took two of their hands. Since he was out of hands, he leaned forward and kissed the last one, then started to pour out another 6,000 Mana into the three of them. He had never done it through his lips before; but, he believed that he could, so he did it. All three responded right away as his Mana filled them again, and he felt them relax as they were revitalized. The one he was kissing put her arms around him and he felt her respond to his kiss and not the Mana. When the infusion was done, 2000 Mana to each of them, Ren let the hands of the other two go. The last one kept kissing him, though. Since he had chosen this method, he couldn''t cry foul and say they shouldn''t be doing it; so, he put his arms around her and kissed her back with gusto. The Earth being broke the kiss several minutes later, took a quick breath and sighed, then looked at the Earth being on her right. ¡°I have to admit that you were right.¡± She said and looked back at Ren. ¡°He has a charm all on his own.¡± ¡°Um... I''m not using my Prince Charming title.¡± Ren said, and the three Earth beings laughed. ¡°We aren''t affected by silly mortal things like that.¡± The one on her left said. ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said and looked at her, then back at the one on the right. ¡°Wait, you... you really like me for me?¡± She chuckled and gave him a quick kiss, then stood up. ¡°I wouldn''t have volunteered to help your lands if I didn''t.¡± Ren stepped close to her and ducked his head so that it wasn''t quite hitting her chest, and gave her a tender hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± The Earth being was surprised for a moment with the tenderness of his touch, then she hugged him back just as tenderly. ¡°I will guide and grow your crops, protect your livestock, and your people will prosper.¡± Ren kept his arms around her and leaned back to look up at her face. ¡°Whenever you need Mana, for any reason, I will provide it.¡± He said. ¡°In fact, like I said before, I''ll give you as much Mana as you want.¡± She cupped the sides of his face and leaned down to give him a gentle kiss. ¡°I will hold you to that.¡± Ren nodded, and they let each other go. ¡°Your impenetrable rock mountain is finished, and to your specifications.¡± She said a bit formally. ¡°I appreciate your help and your diligence to the details.¡± Ren said. ¡°How can you say that so confidently?¡± One of the others asked. ¡°You haven''t even seen it yet.¡± ¡°I don''t have to.¡± Ren said and gave them a formal bow. ¡°Thank you, all.¡± ¡°I wonder if we should try to get a similar Mana agreement.¡± The other said, and the first laughed. ¡°Now, now.¡± She said. ¡°He is my charge, no stealing.¡± Ren felt disappointment from the other two. ¡°Would a platinum coin be enough compensation for doing this for me?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren took out two platinum coins and gave one to each of them. ¡°Thank you for helping me.¡± The Earth beings looked at the coins in their hands, then looked at Ren. A moment later, they looked at the other Earth being, shook their heads in disbelief, and walked through the wall behind them as it rippled. ¡°That was... quite a thank you.¡± The remaining Earth being said. ¡°I had hoped so.¡± Ren turned to her and held out 10 platinum coins. ¡°Thank you very much for helping me, and for getting the help that you needed to complete the task.¡± The Earth being took the coins from him, and he could feel her disbelief as well. ¡°Before you go, I have a question.¡± Ren said and took out the pet rock he had received as loot from the Umber Hulk that had eaten his Phantom Steed. ¡°Can you tell me what this is?¡± ¡°How did you find a Rock Worm heart?¡± The Earth being asked, and Ren relaxed. ¡°You are relieved to find a giant monster''s heart?¡± ¡°At least it''s not an Umber Hulk heart.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have crushed it if it was.¡± The Earth being was surprised to hear this, then she saw the bit of pain in his eyes. She ran a hand through his hair as she spoke. ¡°I should ask for that; but, I don''t want to bring back anything that causes so much damage just because it exists.¡± ¡°What if it was only normal-sized, or even smaller?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Would that be okay?¡± She thought about it for several moments and then nodded. Ren took out a wand and changed the charges to the Level 5 spell Enlarge or Reduce Anything, and used it on the fist-sized rock heart. It shrunk to the next level, and he used Permanency on it, then did it again. He handed her the pebble, and she held it in her hand. Ren chuckled. ¡°I guess you don''t have pockets.¡± The Earth being shook her head, and Ren gave her a coin pouch for the 10 platinum coins, so she could carry them easier; and she hung the coin pouch on her wrist and held the pebble in the same hand. ¡°Can you bring me back up to the surface? I don''t want to dig up and possibly wreck something.¡± Ren said as he equipped his Travelling Clothes, and she held her hand out to him. He took it as the burrow closed in around them, and they rose up towards the surface. She let his hand go just before they reached the air, and he waved goodbye to her. He popped up above the dirt as if he had never been inside of it at all. ¡°That was cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°REN!¡± Officer Holly yelled and ran over to him. ¡°Where have you been?¡± ¡°Getting help.¡± Ren said and turned to look at the giant mound of dirt he had made into a roost for the succubi, and saw that it was covered with smooth impenetrable rock in the exact forms that he had wanted. To the untrained eye, it just looked like a bunch of channels that twisted and turned; but, if you followed them all, you would see that they all ended at different spots on the 300 foot by 300 foot pool. ¡°Now to fill the pool.¡± Ren said and walked down inside the pool, and set up a pile of steel squares all along the bottom, and was careful to not use Wind runes to make them like hoses, because he didn''t want to wash away all the work he had done. He activated them as he went along, and water started to pour out of them. He walked back up the side of the pool and stopped at the bus-like cart. The Phantom Steeds that had pulled it were gone, and he climbed up into the cart to look at the succubi. ¡°Ladies, I haven''t furnished anything yet, and I haven''t added the corrupted dirt; but, your beds are still in the tower on the top.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve made enough external exits that each of you can have your own private landing area and apartment; or, you can keep living together if you want.¡± ¡°You really made all of that for us.¡± Zunala asked and stared at the mountain. ¡°You have to promise not to involve yourselves with married couples.¡± Ren said, and then he smiled. ¡°Unless both of them are involved, then that''s okay.¡± One of the succubi chuckled, and he glanced at her. ¡°I take it that was one reason why you didn''t find anyone yet.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Just be careful, and don''t ruin other people''s relationships for your own pleasure.¡± He looked at the others. ¡°That goes for all of you.¡± ¡°We understand.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said and concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Now, there''s one more very important thing that I need to tell you.¡± He said to them with a stern voice, and then grinned. ¡°Welcome home.¡± The succubi had laughed at that, and each of them took a turn to give Ren a hug, then took flight and flew over to their new roost. Except for one. Ren took her off of the cart and took out his storage tower, went inside and made two sacks. One he filled with corrupted dirt for her pet dretch, and the other he filled with severed dretch legs. He came out and stored the tower, then handed her the two sacks.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± She said and hugged him, then flew away to join the others. * The scout had been walking for half of the day; but, he had finally arrived at what he believed was the main settlement. ¡°Geez, look at this place!¡± He said and looked at all the buildings and businesses there. ¡°This is amazing!¡± The scout saw two men walk by him, and he had to look again to see if what he saw was real. The two men were identical. He shook his head and kept walking, and came to a large stone-like building. ¡°This looks important.¡± He said and walked up to the door and knocked. There was no answer, so he checked the door and it was open. He went inside and saw a mattress on the floor by the front door, then noticed the door just past it that had Mayor written on it. ¡°Just what I was looking for.¡± He said and knocked. The door opened a moment later, and the most beautiful woman he had ever seen stood in front of him. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Patty asked. ¡°I... um...¡± ¡°Are you all right?¡± Patty asked. ¡°I''m... ah... fine! I''m fine!¡± The scout said excitedly, and she smiled. ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°I''m looking for a job.¡± The scout said, and Patty looked at his uniform. ¡°Did he fire you?¡± ¡°N-no, ma''am.¡± The scout said. ¡°I quit, especially when I learned there might be an impending battle.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°We''ve been watching the changes to your county for a while now, ma''am. The boss has been very interested in them.¡± Patty took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Come into my office and tell me the whole story.¡± ¡°I might have quit, but I''m not a traitor.¡± The scout warned her. ¡°I won''t spill any secrets about the strength of his forces, their positions, or it''s weaknesses.¡± Patty chuckled. ¡°If you did, I would have listened to what you said and then kicked you out for your lack of character.¡± The scout opened his mouth to respond, and then smiled. ¡°That would be fair.¡± Patty stepped back and held the door for him, and he entered her office full of confidence that he would get the job that she didn''t know she needed him for. * Ren hopped back onto the bus-like cart and walked to the back of it to talk to Princess. ¡°Until I make you a place to stay, you''re stuck with the mattress in the Main House.¡± As long as I am close by. Princess thought to him and stood up. ¡°I''ll need your help to finish the walls later.¡± Ren said, and she huffed her agreement as she jumped out of the cart, and started to trot away. ¡°Riley and Stacy, stick with her.¡± He said. ¡°You can run around the street as long as you don''t bother anyone.¡± The two dogs barked and jumped out of the cart to run after Princess. Ren walked back to the front of the bus-like cart and stepped down, then stored it. He looked inside the pool and saw there was barely a foot of water inside. ¡°That''s going to take a while to fill.¡± Ren said, then decided it needed a wall around it to make sure no one would fall in or possibly get hurt. He used Iron Wall spells to make a 4 foot high wall all along the outside of it, 5 feet from the edge, and made it permanent. ¡°How can you do all of this?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°I''ve been through a lot.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hell, I''ve got... 50 plus levels of things I haven''t even looked at yet, so I probably can do a lot more than this.¡± Officer Holly shook her head. ¡°It''s unbelievable.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Walk with me back to the Main House.¡± He said, and they started to walk the thousand feet back to the street. ¡°I should probably tell you that there''s a strip club here as well.¡± ¡°Excuuuuse me?¡± Ren laughed at her reaction, and her emotions were tainted with anger. ¡°I wasn''t hiding it; but, I figured I better tell you before you found out about it and tried to bust in there and arrest everyone.¡± ¡°Ren, prostitution is illegal.¡± Officer Holly said and frowned. ¡°Like I don''t know that.¡± Ren said. ¡°The customers aren''t paying for sex, though.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Ren laughed again at how scandalized she was. ¡°It took me a while to figure it out.¡± He said. ¡°The only thing the dancers actually get are tips.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°It''s a neat little loophole, isn''t it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No money is ever exchanged for sex. Not ever.¡± Officer Holly didn''t know how to respond to that, and her emotions swirled and churned as she thought about it. ¡°It''s just two consenting adults having some fun.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Now, at the other place they worked, the owner had secret viewing rooms that people paid to watch that consensual sex...¡± ¡°NO!¡± Officer Holly yelled, and Ren put a hand on her arm. ¡°Easy, there.¡± Ren said and concentrated on his Reassurance Aura. ¡°Once I made sure all the dancers knew what was going on, word spread fast.¡± He said. ¡°The place is shut down, now.¡± Officer Holly calmed down, since her constantly on Truth Aura told her what he said was the absolute truth, and then her own Reassurance Aura popped into place... and merged with his. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Officer Holly gasped as his emotions flooded into her, and she stopped walking. ¡°You have a Reassurance Aura, too?¡± Ren asked and he stopped, too. Officer Holly stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± Ren said and eased back how much he shared. ¡°Is that better?¡± Officer Holly couldn''t believe how strong his feeling were, even toned down like they were. ¡°I''ll concentrate on something else.¡± Ren said and thought about what he could switch to. ¡°NO!¡± Officer Holly yelled, then smiled at her over-reaction. ¡°No, that''s okay.¡± She said in a more normal tone. ¡°It was just a surprise.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I seem to hear that a lot.¡± Officer Holly chuckled, too. ¡°I can imagine, especially with everyone that you have around you.¡± They both started walking again towards the Main House. ¡°I haven''t even looked at all the popups I missed while I was away.¡± Ren said. ¡°You shouldn''t ignore them like that.¡± Officer Holly said, wisely. ¡°They could be telling you something important.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I think Mr. Torren was right, and jumping ahead of my normal character development is messing me up.¡± Officer Holly put her arm over his shoulders without thinking about it, and Ren leaned in a bit as they walked. ¡°You need to slow down and pace yourself.¡± She said and gave his shoulder a squeeze. ¡°You''re probably missing out on a lot of things with all the running around you do.¡± Ren put his arm around her waist and rested his hand on her hip. ¡°I know I am; but, there''s just so much that I need to do first.¡± Officer Holly laughed as they reached the street and walked across it. ¡°That''s your problem right there.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked when they reached the Main House and he opened the door with his free hand to let Princess inside. ¡°You don''t need to do anything.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Just sit back and relax.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''ve seen what my life is like, right?¡± He asked, and she nodded. ¡°Once I get the wall finished, I''ll be telling Zetaya about my plan for this world event thing.¡± He said. ¡°Although, I think I''m changing one crucial detail.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± ¡°I can''t tell you that, because it''s going to be a surprise.¡± Ren said. ¡°A really big surprise.¡± ¡°I can feel your mischievousness.¡± Officer Holly chuckled. ¡°Is what you''re planning going to be bad?¡± ¡°Not for me.¡± Ren grinned, and she shook her head. ¡°I''m getting a naughty feeling from you.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°That''s because I''ve got my arm around your waist, and my hand is dangerously close to slipping a little.¡± ¡°Don''t you dare grab my butt.¡± Officer Holly warned him with a deadly smile. ¡°I let that go once.¡± ¡°I appreciate that, and I won''t take advantage of you like that again.¡± Ren said and let her hip go. Officer Holly stepped to the side away from him as she slid her arm off his shoulders, and his thumb slid across the top of her pants and the bottom edge of his hand grazed her backside. ¡°You did that on purpose.¡± She said and felt his amusement. ¡°You only said I couldn''t grab it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Do you always take things so literally?¡± Officer Holly asked, and couldn''t help but chuckle. ¡°Only when I''m trying to prove a point.¡± Ren said. ¡°You should be careful about what you say. With the only restriction being that I couldn''t grab your butt...¡± He grinned. ¡°...I could have poked, prodded, slapped, massaged, licked, and even kissed it without breaking that restriction.¡± Officer Holly''s face flushed a little red as she thought about what else he could have done to her, without grabbing it. Ren could feel her emotions swing from annoyance to being turned on and back again, and he knew that she understood what he meant as he stepped inside the doorway to the Main House. ¡°I''ve got some furniture to arrange for the maids, and then for the rest of the day I''m covering the inside of the county walls.¡± Ren said. ¡°While I''m busy, you might want to try the fried pieces of dough in the bakery.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Officer Holly said as he shut the door, then she turned around and walked across the street to try them. She needed something to distract her from what he had said. Ren concentrated on his Contact aura, and it merged with the shared Aura that the maids had. He pat Princess and told her that he would be back down in a little while to go to the wall, and then the Mayor''s door opened. ¡°I thought I heard your voice.¡± Patty said and Ren smiled warmly at her. ¡°Hi, Patty.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ah... I mean, Ms. Mayor.¡± Patty chuckled. ¡°I told you before that you can always call me Patty.¡± She stepped back and held her office door open. ¡°I have someone I''d like for you to meet.¡± The scout from the next county stood up and saluted. ¡°Sir!¡± ¡°At ease.¡± Ren said and looked at Patty. ¡°I assume he has some important information?¡± ¡°Even without him divulging the details, yes.¡± Patty said. ¡°It''s very important, and it''s your fault.¡± Ren could feel that she wasn''t being accusatory with that statement; but, the scout thought she was. ¡°If you can wait for a few minutes while I take care of something, I''ll come back and we can sit down and discuss it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Patty said. ¡°We''ll both wait right here for you.¡± Ren nodded and ran up the stairs and stored the workbench, the glass forge and the normal forge, cleaned everything up and built a wall to cover the spot between the stairs and the apartment. He made it solid, so that the only way to get to it was through the apartment, and he put down wood planks to soften the cement floor. Ren took out the various cabinets, dressers, and dressing tables from his inventory to arrange them just like they had been at the old house, then took out one of the large mirrors he had left from working on the Pleasure Palace. He absorbed the enchantment and cut it up into 9 pieces, with each one about 3 feet by 3 feet square, enchanted them again and used his web trick to mount them behind the dressing tables. He then cut a doorway in the wall to the apartment, and the maids walked over to it. ¡°What are you... oh, Ren!¡± Frikara said as she stepped into the new area. ¡°It''s wonderful!¡± ¡°Mirrors!¡± Navruth exclaimed and ran over to her dressing table. ¡°We can see ourselves!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t have them before, but I just learned how to make them.¡± ¡°This is great!¡± Lusinia said and sat down at her dressing table, then gasped at her reflection and opened the middle drawer to pick up her brush. ¡°Hey, why didn''t anyone tell me that my hair was messy?¡± ¡°We thought that was the look you were going for.¡± Verwynn said, and the others laughed. ¡°I definitely wasn''t!¡± Lusinia huffed and started to quickly brush her hair. ¡°What''s Ren going to think when he sees me like this?¡± She stopped brushing her hair and looked at Ren. ¡°Um, I mean...¡± Ren walked over to her and she turned to face him automatically. ¡°I think you look... delicious.¡± Lusinia''s face flushed to a deep red as she felt his desire, and he took her hand to help her stand up. He then took her in his arms and kissed her for several minutes. He broke the kiss and she sat down on her chair, a little stunned, and she had forgotten all about her messy hair. ¡°My hair is messy, too!¡± Andrela said, and Ren turned around to see her try desperately to fluff out her long and very straight red hair with her hands. When she stopped, it went back to it''s natural straight state. ¡°Dammit.¡± Ren laughed and walked over to her, and cupped the side of her face. ¡°You don''t need an excuse for me to kiss you.¡± He said and kissed her, too. Of course, this set the others off and he gave them kisses as well. When they all had their turn, he went through the apartment and out the door, then went down the stairs. He went to knock on the Mayor''s door, but it was still open. ¡°Have a seat.¡± Patty said when she saw him. ¡°We have a few things to discuss.¡± Ren went into the office and shut the door. After listening to the scout for several minutes, he quickly discovered what his basic protection of the county had set in motion. He sighed because he hadn''t intended for anything to happen, besides protecting his citizens. ¡°Well, crap.¡± Chapter 455 - No One To Blame But Ourselves Ren thought about the things that could possibly happen, now that he knew how interested the Lord of the next county was. ¡°How long would it take for a messenger to get to the capital city from here?¡± ¡°3 days.¡± The scout said. ¡°The boss needed to know how long he had to settle everything before any kind of response would come.¡± ¡°So, he would have 6 days to finish us off, assuming anything we sent to the capital was seen right away and someone was sent out.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s more like he would have a week, perhaps a week and a half.¡± Patty nodded. ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°Well, I''ve got 12 new guards to add to our ranks of guards.¡± ¡°How many is that now?¡± Patty asked. ¡°If you include the one I brought back from my last party quest, 13.¡± Patty laughed. ¡°We are so screwed.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ve got 4,000 animated statues lining the outside of the walls.¡± ¡°They''re animated?!?¡± The scout exclaimed. ¡°There''s not a lot of people that live here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even if we somehow mobilized everyone to fight, including the women and children, we barely have 1,000 warm bodies to do it.¡± ¡°But... oh, damn.¡± The scout said. ¡°The boss received bad information.¡± ¡°What information is that?¡± Patty asked. ¡°That your primitive village was just a front, and that the Lord here had a huge population that was just waiting to expand the borders.¡± The scout said. ¡°When we saw the wall go up and the moat filled with water...¡± ¡°You assumed I was preparing for battle, even though you didn''t see any weapons.¡± Ren said, and the scout nodded. ¡°Well, I guess there''s only one thing I can do.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Patty asked. ¡°I''m going to hope for the best and plan for the worst.¡± Ren said and stood up, then motioned to the scout. ¡°Are you going to hire him?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± Patty said and looked at the scout. ¡°Tell him why you quit.¡± ¡°I couldn''t take the thought of starting a fight against our own countrymen, or against someone that can build an iron wall around an entire county overnight.¡± ¡°That was smart.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll be finishing the wall on the inside and on top, and now that I know what''s going on, I''ll be adding a lot more defenses than I had originally planned.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± The scout asked. ¡°Just a few tricks I have up my sleeves.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m hoping I never have to use them; but...¡± ¡°It''s better to have them and not need them, than need them and not have them.¡± Patty said, and both men looked at her. ¡°I''ve been a long time without, and once I had the opportunity to have what I wanted for my people, I made sure everyone had what they needed.¡± ¡°How much of the budget did you burn through?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± Patty asked, and he laughed. ¡°Just let me know if you need any more money.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got to get to work.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± Patty said, and Ren gave her a wave and left the office. He opened the door for Princess, and led her across the street. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Tee-one said and Ruck waved from his spot on the ceiling. ¡°I had an idea.¡± Ren said, and Tee-one laughed. ¡°Do you think it''ll work?¡± ¡°Let''s make one and find out.¡± Ren said, and they used a paving stone to carve out the mold for what he wanted, then poured one out. Ren absorbed the heat from it, and popped it out of the mold. He took out a Level 5 Web wand and slipped it into the crossbow-like holder, and then added the two metal wheels. ¡°Well, try it.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren put the small wand holder on the floor and took out the Enlarge and Reduce Anything wand, and used the spell. It increased from it''s small 1 foot size to a normal size of 4 feet, and he made it permanent, then used the spell again to make it 10 feet long and made it permanent again. ¡°Ha! At the increased size, it looks like a Ballista.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s test it to see if it increased the spell distance, too!¡± They rolled it outside and aimed it up high, and Ren activated the Web spell. They watched as it shot out of the giant wand and flew a thousand feet before it arced down and hit the ground. It splattered a 100 foot wide circle of webbing across ground when it hit. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m glad I aimed for open ground, and not at the road!¡± ¡°I can''t believe that worked.¡± Tee-one said and smiled. ¡°I guess that would mean the reverse is true as well.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If we make it smaller, it won''t shoot as far, and it''s effect reduces as well.¡± ¡°I guess you won''t be modifying my metal body.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Why not?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Even just a small effect would be better than nothing.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I guess that''s true.¡± ¡°How many of them do you want made?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°I''ll want a hundred at the original size.¡± Ren said and took out his storage tower. ¡°I''ll make them big when I put them in position.¡± He said and grabbed the crate he had for wand diamonds, that were 1 inch wide. He took out a storage ring and filled a slot with 199 diamonds, then stored the tower and gave the ring to Tee-one. ¡°I threw in extra if you need to make wands for yourself.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren stored the Web wand Ballista and looked at Tee-one. ¡°Should we make them all Web, or add in a Sleep spell or something?¡± ¡°You know, Sleep spells might be better, unless you''re planning on smothering everyone.¡± ¡°Make 50 with Sleep, and 50 with Web.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know they are going to have catapults, and probably a Ballista or two, so we need a way to cover them.¡± ¡°Also if they have a spell caster.¡± Tee-one said. Ren nodded. ¡°I''m going to finish the walls now.¡± ¡°Why not make a new wand attachment for your armor before you go?¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°That is an excellent idea.¡± Ren said and he asked Princess to wait for a few minutes as he and Tee-one made a large array that held 40 wands. They made a harness for it and Ren equipped his armor so they could strap it on. He didn''t want to make it permanent because it was so big and bulky, and it was a bit awkward to move around in. With those and the wands already mounted on the armor, he had 64 wands to use up before he had to recharge them.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Thanks for waiting, Princess.¡± Ren said when he came out with the thing on his back, and Princess blew a raspberry at him. That looks ridiculous! Princess brayed, and he felt her amusement. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Ren said and climbed up onto her saddle. ¡°It''ll let us work a lot faster, though.¡± Then I will run fast before anyone sees you looking so foolish. Princess thought and took off across the county. ¡°Does me looking like this bother you?¡± Ren asked, curiously. A great warrior shouldn''t degrade himself so. Princess huffed as they arrived at the wall and she came to a stop. Ren stood up and started doing the Iron Wall, Widen Effect, Permanency, Permanency, technique; and Princess trotted quickly parallel to the wall. It took several hours to do the entire inside of the walls, and then Princess walked up the wall to stand on top of it. Ren had to adjust the Iron Wall spell, since he only had about 10 feet across the top; so instead of a 20 foot by 20 foot standard wall, he made a 5 foot by 80 foot one, cast Widen Effect to make it 10 feet by 160 feet, and made it permanent. Once he had the pattern in his head, Princess ran pretty fast and he kept casting the spells. They did the tops twice as fast as he did the walls, and then he thought about making the battlement for the outside. It was a bit of a problem, since the Iron Wall spell only made straight pieces, unless he made them thick; then he remembered his Shaper spell. ¡°That might work.¡± Ren said and changed a wand with that spell when he recharged everything. Since he only needed a small wall that he could then double in size with Widen effect, he made the 20 foot by 20 foot standard wall into a 2 foot high by 200 foot long wall, then used Widen Effect to double it to 4 feet high and 400 feet long. It was also 10 inches thick, which was plenty. He then cast Shaper on it, and thought battlement. The 4 foot wall changed into a 3 and a half foot wall with 1 foot by 1 foot protrusions every other foot for the entire length, making it look like evenly spaced teeth. ¡°Cool.¡± Ren said and made it permanent. Since he was only doing the outside wall as a battlement, it didn''t take anywhere near the same amount of time to add them, and a short inside wall, all along the top. By the time he was done of it and made everything permanent, the rest of the day had passed by and it was just turning into night. Ren took the time to triple the number of animated muscle man soldier statues on that side of the wall, which turned out to be about 15,000 of them all along the 50 mile wall. He had thought about clumping them up, but figured a wide dispersal was better, especially if the enemy is expecting to meet a cohesive force. Now it was quite late at night, and he had Princess take him back to the Main House. ¡°Thanks a lot, Princess.¡± Ren said and climbed down off of the saddle on her back. He opened the front door and let her inside to lay down on her mattress, and then he walked across the road and went into the large warehouse. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Tee-one said and handed him a storage ring with the 50 miniature Web Ballistas and 50 Sleep Ballistas. ¡°I wonder if a construct, or animated statue can fire one of these things?¡± ¡°I was just thinking the same thing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Otherwise, I''m going to need 100 people to operate them.¡± ¡°You can ask Patty if there are people around the village that would want to help.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°Assuming there''s 100 people free to do it.¡± ¡°It doesn''t hurt to ask.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Do you think I should shut the doors to the county in the meantime?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, you''ll cut off the dancer''s income.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°That is, unless you animate them or put live guards on the door to screen people.¡± ¡°Those are good suggestions.¡± Ren said and walked over to the door to the giant forge. ¡°I''ll keep them in mind.¡± He opened the door and went inside, and Zetaya jumped on him. ¡°Hi!¡± He said and hugged the fire elemental. ¡°I got hung up working on the wall, but it''s done now and I can finally sit down and tell you my plan.¡± The sound of a crackling fire came from Zetaya. Ren walked over to the wall and sat down, and Zetaya curled up on his lap. ¡°I had planned on doing it myself, especially since its such a big job; but, I don''t want to keep ruining how I play.¡± Ren rubbed Zetaya''s head stub. ¡°I''ve got too much now to catch up on, so I''ve decided that instead of having you come along to help... it''s you that''s going to do it for me.¡± Zetaya let out the sound of a thick branch breaking, and Ren chuckled. ¡°No, I''m still coming along.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to be right there with you.¡± He said and hugged it. ¡°I would never send you in anywhere alone.¡± Zetaya rubbed it''s head stub on his face. ¡°This is what I had in mind...¡± * ¡°I can''t believe this.¡± King Alamast said to the gathered room full of dignitaries. ¡°The Lords have voted to reject the Sea Dweller''s demands.¡± ¡°Proposal.¡± Lady Eleanor corrected. ¡°How can you do this?¡± King Alamast said, and pounded a fist on the podium. ¡°I''ve already accepted it!¡± ¡°I''m sorry, your highness.¡± One of the Lords said. ¡°Considering what had happened at the time the... proposal... was delivered, we can''t in good conscience concede to them.¡± ¡°Are you insane?¡± King Alamast asked him, then turned to the rest of the room. ¡°As the King, I am ordering you to remove your ships from their waters!¡± ¡°As the King, you can''t interfere in your vassals business, nor dictate independent sea routes.¡± The Lord said. ¡°Our livelihoods depend on this trade, and these new routes add nearly a week travel time.¡± He explained. ¡°It cuts our margins even further, since we have to provide extra food and supplies for the crews of those ships, and the goods will take that much longer to get to their destinations.¡± ¡°My Lords, please...¡± ¡°Twice we have voted 7 to 5 against accepting the terms as they are.¡± The Lord said. ¡°Please send word to the Sea Dweller''s Ambassador to ask for a renegotiation.¡± King Alamast put his elbows on the podium and put his head in his hands. ¡°They won''t negotiate.¡± ¡°I don''t know what to tell you.¡± The Lord said. ¡°All ships owned by me and the kingdom have already been shifted to the new routes.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°That makes up...¡± The Lord looked at the parchment in front of him. ¡°...12% of the total economic value in the entire Human Kingdom.¡± He said, and shook his head. ¡°We really can''t move the rest to those routes and still remain in business.¡± King Alamast shook his head. ¡°I do not want a new conflict with the Sea Dwellers!¡± ¡°Then get them to renegotiate this proposal.¡± The Lord said. ¡°It''s your only option.¡± ¡°No, My Lord.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°The only option left is war.¡± ¡°Surely they can''t honestly think that...¡± ¡°You have not been listening at all, have you?¡± King Alamast said. ¡°The Ambassador was very clear in what she said. We had a very specific time limit to agree to these terms... and that''s it.¡± He said. ¡°If we don''t agree, then they will stop all shipping within their waters.¡± The Lord chuckled. ¡°Realistically, they can''t do that.¡± ¡°All they have to do is make a small hole in your ships to sink them!¡± King Alamast said, emphatically. ¡°How can you be so dismissive of this threat?¡± ¡°The Ambassador said that they didn''t want war anymore.¡± The Lord argued, and completely ignored the king''s point. ¡°Listen, there''s no recourse here.¡± King Alamast pleaded. ¡°We all have to agree to this!¡± ¡°I''m sorry, your majesty.¡± The Lord said. ¡°We don''t.¡± ¡°Then I hope your ships are prepared for a siege and a long stay at sea.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°No one will be able to get to them when the Sea Dwellers launch their attack in two weeks.¡± * Ren told Zetaya her role in his plan, and the fire elemental had whole-heartily agreed to help him. ¡°Thanks a lot, Zetaya.¡± He said and hugged the fire elemental, before standing up to leave. ¡°I''ve got to get to bed and get some rest.¡± He walked over to the door. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Zetaya waved to him, and he left the giant forge and shut the door. ¡°If you''re not too busy, do you think you and Ruck can make a lumber mill for the county?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t know when Jhulune is going to be done of her apprenticeship; but, I''d like to have the shop available when she is.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Thanks, you guys.¡± Ren said, and then remembered what he had promised. ¡°So, what kind of familiar should I make?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Ruck wouldn''t mind another one that can carry things; but, we all know that has little utility now that you have access to shrinking towers.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I can store so much inside them, it''s not funny.¡± ¡°You have to do the sentient bow.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You''ve been meaning to do that for a while, now.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, with my Hail of Arrows ability, it increases a projectile fired within my Aura by 3.¡± ¡°Then that should be first.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°After that, well... we can talk about it some more.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll come over first thing in the morning.¡± He said. ¡°I''m going to check on this world event with my All-Seeing Mirror and see how much they''ve progressed.¡± ¡°Just don''t go running off without any warning.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Everyone would hate that.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Even though that last time wasn''t my fault, I know I deserve some of the blame.¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°Goodnight, Ren. Teepo.¡± He said, and Ruck waved to them. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said and left the warehouse as he activated his Contact Aura, and ran over to the Main House. ¡°Riley! Stacy!¡± He called, and the two metallic dogs ran over to him and he pet them. ¡°Inside for tonight, until I make a suitable spot for you.¡± The two dogs went inside and laid down beside Princess, and Ren used his Heat Sense Aura for a split second to see if anyone was in Patty''s office. No one was there, but he did see that Xuunah was in her apartment and the 5 maids were upstairs. He took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it to show him the progress of the ghoul horde, and he received an overall map of the High Elven Kingdom. Damn, that''s... Ren shook his head. It''s too late to second guess now. He thought. ¡°Goodnight.¡± He said to Princess and the dogs, then went up the stairs. Ren entered the apartment and saw that all 5 maids were already under the covers and half-asleep. He activated Sneak and crept over to the bed, took off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, and folded it up on the night stand by the bed. Teepo took off and landed on the ceiling, which was his normal observation perch. Ren put out the saucer and Health Potion for his pet tarantula, even though he wasn''t sure if it still needed it, and climbed into bed after storing his armor and clothing. ¡°Mmm.¡± Frikara moaned as Ren tucked himself beside her and under the arms of two other maids. Ren kissed her cheek and she rubbed her face against his, then he dozed off in their warm embrace. Chapter 456 - Sharing Is Caring Since Ren only had to sleep for an hour to benefit from a full night''s sleep, he woke up but didn''t try to get out of bed. Now''s the perfect time to check my status. Ren thought. Show Status. When nothing happened, he held in his sigh, then whispered as low as he could. ¡°Show Status.¡±
Status
Name Ren (Neram) Level 140
Gender Male Class Artificer/Lord
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 1,000,000 Honor 250,000 (Untouchable)
Giant Kingdom: Dark Elf Kingdom (Royal Consort):
Respect 26,000 Influence 1,000,000
Titles
Master Blacksmith Grants 10 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills; 5,000 Fame
Tailor Grants 5 level bonus to Tailoring Skills
Master Enchanter Guild Membership; The Rule Of Two; Skill: Rune Creation
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Dreaded Foe Auras with Fear: +5 Levels, Respect: 5000, Enemies/Opponents/Creatures -5 INT -5 WIS
The Unnamed King +10 Levels to all Auras, you must be acknowledged in some way, grants skill: This Is Mine!
Waterkin Grants Water Manipulation Skill and Waterkin (Aura)
Royal Consort Dark Elven Court, Underworld Access, Tithe
HeadHunter Killing Blow Special (50% Kill chance), Skull Cracker (Stun +20%)
Void Bane Void Sense (Aura), -50% Debuff from Void effects, +50% Damage to Void creatures
Health 3,157 (+330) Mana 3,105 (+11,490)
Strength 433 (+40) Dexterity 355 (+40)
Vitality 370 (+40) Agility 342 (+40)
Endurance 345 (+40) Intelligence 338 (+145)
Luck 75 (+42) Wisdom 352 (+145)
I''m tempted to see what the boosts are with my armor, but I need to rework it now that I have access to Tee-one to help with Double Infusion. Ren thought, and opened the last popup he had received for the Churches.
Notice!
The two Churches you have constructed have been open for another day. Word of their existence continues to spread, and you gain new visitors every day from all around, as they come to pray and worship their gods. You have gained bonuses appropriate for encouraging the active worshipping of these gods. 10 visitors = 1% Knowledge bonus to level. Dark (Gravity) - 220 visitors; Knowledge Of Dark (Gravity) Level 2 (Intermediate 68%) +22% = 90% Earth - 929 visitors; Knowledge Of Earth Level 2 (Expert 3%) +93% = 96% (+50%) Fire - 706 visitors; Knowledge Of Fire 100% (Mastered) = No gains possible Ice - 130 visitors; Knowledge Of Ice Level 1 (Intermediate 5%) +13% = 18% Light (Holy) - 360 visitors; Knowledge Of Light (Holy) 100% (Mastered) = No gains possible Lightning - 141 visitors; Knowledge Of Lightning Level 3 (Intermediate 56%) +26% = 82% Anti-Void (Anti-Arcane) - 11 visitors; Knowledge Of Void (Arcane) Level 2 (Beginner 4%) +1% = 5% Water - 192 visitors; Knowledge Of Water 100% (Mastered) = No gains possible Wind - 153 visitors; Knowledge Of Wind Level 2 (Intermediate 34%) +15% = 49%
Now to check on the ship. Ren thought and opened the last popup for it.
Notice!
Your ship (UNNAMED) has been in operation for another 24 hours. The following information has changed since the beginning of the journey:
Ship''s Hull 14360 / 15000
Food/Consumables 2200 / 3000
Ropes 256 / 300
Cleaning Supplies 1525 / 1650
The following information hasn''t changed since the beginning of the journey:
Captain 1
Cook 1
Waitresses 2
Crew 50
Passengers 0
I wonder where they are. Ren asked himself, but didn''t try to take out the All-Seeing Mirror. He was still snuggled in with the maids and didn''t want to disturb them. I guess I can check on the things I''ve gained, too. He thought and once again whispered as low as he could. ¡°Show recent level up info.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Level Up Info
Skills:
Animal Affinity +50% to unknown animal friendliness
Aura Sight You can see the Auras of others and determine it''s effects
Craft Golem You can create mindless creatures that do your bidding. Recipes Known: Flesh Golem, Iron Golem, Stone Golem
Crafting Expert +10 Dexterity, +5 to all Crafting Skills
Ghoul Touch When active, you cause pain as if the one you touch was damaged by a ghoul. You can also choose to infect them with the ghoul sickness. Chance of them becoming a ghoul when they die: 30%
Identify Person Works on people, unlike Identify, which only works on items and creatures
Improved Familiar (2) Grants another familiar (total 5), can add wands as part of construct for inherent spell casting ability
Iron Will +20 Wisdom, +20 Vitality, +25% resistance to mental probes and attacks
Power Attack Double damage dealt with a large, heavy, or two-handed weapon
Spell Combine You can combine 2 different spells for various effects
Spell Focus Gain 25% bonus to duration and effects of spells. Gain 25% speed to casting time (self only - wands not applicable)
Spells:
Banshee Wail Creates a 60 foot long cone of sonic damage (20 to 40), 50% chance to Stun, lasts 2 seconds
Mana Arrow Creates and shoots an arrow made of Mana, 1 per caster / wand level
Sonic Boom Choose an object within 100 feet. Sound blasts out from it to do sonic damage (50 to 100 depending on closeness to the object). Lasts 5 seconds
Regeneration Can regenerate Health, heal wounds, and regain lost limbs. Cast time: 1 minute. Warning: Causes pain appropriate for the damage while undoing it.
Special Items:
Gift Box Open it to see what''s inside
Book of Thought Gain +1 Intelligence permanently. After it is read, it transfigures a day later and can be read again.
Book of Understanding Gain +1 Wisdom permanently. After it is read, it transfigures a day later and can be read again.
Recipes: (Alchemy)
Greater Elixir of Agility Permanent +10 to stat
Greater Elixir of Dexterity Permanent +10 to stat
Greater Elixir of Endurance Permanent +10 to stat
Greater Elixir of Fire Breathing Grants Fire Breathing Skill
Greater Elixir of Intelligence Permanent +10 to stat
Greater Elixir of Strength Permanent +10 to stat
Greater Elixir of Vitality Permanent +10 to stat
Greater Elixir of Wisdom Permanent +10 to stat
Healing Ointment Cures poison, disease, light wounds
Stone Salve Unpetrifies a petrified creature, or grants Stone Skin as if the spell had been cast
Recipes: (Rings)
Ring of Doom Causes people within your Aura to become shaken and hesitate in their decision making. They can choose to move away, but if they choose to attack, they suffer a 25% penalty in both Accuracy and Speed
Ring of Shielding Provides a temporary magical barrier that will stop the first attack against you, either magical or physical. Time to recharge: 1 hour
Ring of Mind Shield This ring is of fine workmanship and made of gold. The wearer is continually immune to Detect Thoughts and Discern Lies
Ring of the Ram Imbues the wearer with the Ram skill when attacking. A magical force forms around the wearer''s head like a large set of horns and they can smash into things as if they were a large ram. +20 Strength, +10 Armor when attacking
Ring of Regeneration (Troll) Nonlethal damage heals at a rate of 5% every second. If the wearer loses a limb, an organ, or any other body part while wearing this ring, the ring regenerates it as if the spell Regeneration had been cast. Only damage taken while wearing the ring can be regenerated. Requires: Troll Hide
Ring of Spells Can store spells up to the caster''s level, and doesn''t require any extra Mana or gestures to cast
Recipes: (General)
Amulet of Hiding Makes the wearer undetectable by normal means
Brooch of Shielding Acts as if Shield had been cast. Creates a floating tower shield of Mana that blocks incoming spells. Adds an armor bonus, but cannot be used for cover
Elven Boots of Stealth +25% to Stealth and Hiding
Elven Cloak of Stealth +25% to Stealth and Hiding
Flute of Hypnotism When used, causes someone to dance uncontrollably until their Stamina is depleted or the flute stops playing
Flute of Rats Summons up to 20 normal rats or 5 large rats to do the user''s bidding, as long as the music plays. 50% chance they turn on the user when the music ends
Gauntlets of Rust Causes anything that you touch to rust, if it has a metal component
Hood of Disguise A cloth hood imbued with the Disguise spell. Remains active as long as the hood is worn
Gem of Spell Absorption Absorbs a spell cast in it''s vicinity (unless it already has one inside) and can regurgitate it upon command
Maul of Giants Grants the Giant Strength special skill, and has the same momentum as if swung by a giant
Pearl of Wisdom A single pearl on a string that hangs around the neck. Does not count as a necklace. Grants +15 Wisdom
Rod of Rings This rod was designed to hold 10 rings, and the holder of the rod benefits from the rings and their enchantments
Recipes: (Rare)
Cloak of Resistance Adds +15% to all resistances
Cloak of Light Grants +10 to Light affinity, +50% defense against negative spells or effects (fear, poison, etc.)
Elemental Gem Summons an elemental of the chosen type when the gem was created. Stays for 5 minutes and reluctantly does your bidding, then takes the gem and disappears.
Holy Relic Casts Hallow, which makes a Holy Sanctuary and you can add a spell effect of your choice (Regeneration, Major Healing, etc.)
Necklace of Air The magic of the necklace wraps the wearer in a shell of fresh air, making the wearer immune to all harmful vapors and gases (such as acid fog and cloud effects, as well as inhaled poisons). This allows the wearer to breathe, even underwater or in a vacuum.
Robe of Bones An unremarkable robe with 12 embroidered undead figures on it, that can only be seen by the wearer. The figures can be detached and become those creatures, which can then be commanded as if the Raise Dead spell had been used. Each robe has 2 each of: Goblin skeleton, Goblin zombie, Human skeleton, Human zombie, Wolf skeleton, Wolf zombie
Robes of Magic 10% to Defense as if light armor was worn, 50% Spell resistance, can cast spells 1 stage higher than caster level (Beginner can cast Intermediate spells, Intermediate can cast Advanced Spells, etc.)
Unholy Relic Casts Unhallow, which makes an Unholy Sanctuary and you can add a spell effect of your choice (Raise Dead, Drain Life, etc.)
Special Level 100 bonuses:
Skills:
Elemental Substitution When casting a spell or using an enchantment, you can substitute another element for the effect instead.
Filter Effect As your skills, titles, and abilities are numerous and varied, sometimes they can interfere with each other. You can choose which effects to apply or exclude in any given situation
Hands of the Gods Based on the level of affinity, you can generate that element at will from your hands. You have unlocked: Burning Hands (can create Fire), Rocky Hands (can create Earth), Restoring Hands (Light / Holy restores Health/Stamina/Mana), Refreshing Hands (can create Water)
Repeat Spell Cast a duplicate of a spell just cast. Cost: 25 Mana
Special Weapon Focus +25% damage with chosen weapon
Special Weapon Proficiency +25% Damage with chosen weapon
Special Weapon Mastery +50% damage with chosen weapon, Free Strike skill
Holy crap! Ren thought once he finally went through everything. How the hell am I going to use all of that? ¡°Very carefully.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. It looks like the skills and recipes are more focused on defense and want me protected, and I''m supposed to make and send others out to fight. Ren thought. I don''t know if I like that. ¡°Well, if you hadn''t made that hammerpick, the first special weapon you ever got was that vampiric blood sword.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You wouldn''t have been fighting much yourself before that.¡± Ren thought about it, and had to agree. Yeah, I would have been woefully lacking in the fighting department... and you''re assuming I would have defeated Murdrasu the incubus. He looked back at the Hands of the Gods skill and it made him wonder how he had the Earth version unlocked, and whispered. ¡°Show Speed Reading info.¡±
Main Skill:
Speed Reading Level 2 (Intermediate 60%) (Passive) Able to read books quickly and still retain the knowledge
Sub Skills:
Hidden Knowledge Level 7 (Beginner 10%) Lets you discover facts hidden within the things you read. Higher levels will let you acquire more knowledge from the same information.
Knowledge Of Dark (Gravity) Level 2 (Intermediate 80%) Dark affinity and resistance increased to 31%
Knowledge Of Earth Level 2 (Expert 96%) Earth affinity and resistance increased to 50% (+50%)
Knowledge Of Fire (Mastered) Fire affinity and resistance maxed at 100%
Knowledge Of Ice Level 1 (Intermediate 18%) Ice affinity and resistance increased to 30%
Knowledge Of Light (Holy) (Mastered) Light affinity and resistance maxed at 100%
Knowledge Of Lightning Level 3 (Intermediate 82%) Lightning affinity and resistance increased to 32%
Knowledge Of Anti-void (Anti-Arcane) Level 2 (Beginner 5%) Anti-void affinity and resistance increased to 11%
Knowledge Of Water (Mastered) Water affinity and resistance maxed at 100%
Knowledge Of Wind Level 2 (Intermediate 49%) Wind affinity and resistance increased to 31%
Whoa! That 50% bonus the Spirit of Earth gave me applied to the main skill, and not just to the next level! Ren thought in amazement. That was really nice of her. ¡°It sure was.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± I have to wait until I get up to open the gift box Mr. Torren gave me. Ren thought. Other than that, for now I''m just going to relax and cuddle. ¡°Sounds good.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Officer Holly is right. You need to slow down... when you''re done.¡± Ren smiled at the qualifier, dismissed all the popups he had opened, and closed his eyes. * Xuunah had taken Ren''s advice and used the spell Zagatro had given her to create a private Light Sanctuary in the closet, and had spent most of the day in there. It had the same time compression as the Light Realm, so she could spend time with the ones she knew if she wanted. All she did was impart the information that she had to Zagatro, though; and he was delighted at what she had discovered. Xuunah gave him the elemental bomb design that Ren had given her, and she told them that Ren himself was the essential component. When asked to clarify, she told them of his Elemental Grenade ability and that he can generate the elements whenever he wanted. Zagatro had told her that she was to stay with him, and that at any time he would endanger another realm, especially their own, she was to deal with him. ¡°I can''t do that.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I won''t kill an innocent Adventurer.¡± ¡°He was sent to Shargon Caverns to learn forbidden arts, is marked by the undead, and trades in Shadow currency.¡± Zagatro laughed. ¡°He is far from innocent.¡± Xuunah didn''t have a response to that, and Zagatro felt her reluctance. ¡°It''s only a precaution, Xuunah.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°If he doesn''t listen to reason, or you can''t stop or deflect the attack, then you must do what has to be done.¡± He explained. ¡°You only have to remove the threat when it becomes one.¡± Xuunah stated that she would do everything in her power first, before resorting to removing the threat, and Zagatro had agreed. She ended their contact and remained bathed in the Light for the rest of her time there. She had chosen Energize as her spell effect, and when she used her polymorph ability to change back into her human form, she wasn''t exhausted when she left the closet. She climbed into bed and laid there in silence, then wondered why she was so restless after enjoying her time alone. Why is it when I close my eyes, I think of him? Xuunah asked herself as she tried to close her eyes again. Thoughts of Ren flicked through her mind, and she sighed and rolled over in bed. Why does he haunt me so? When Xuunah finally managed to distance herself from her overactive thoughts filled with Ren, she fell into a dream that she had never experienced before. She stood beside her daughter as Nathalia watched Ren being experimented on, and her heart leaped out to both of them as she felt their emotions. She tried to touch her daughter''s shoulder to provide comfort and her hand met nothing but air. Just a memory, then. Xuunah thought, then looked from one to the other. But who''s is it? She watched as the memory went on, and she realized that it didn''t matter. She watched it until it''s conclusion, and then her dream changed and she was engulfed in Fire. ¡°AHHHH!¡± Xuunah screamed and ran around in a panic, and found that everything was covered in fire. ¡°WhatdoIdowhatdoIdo?¡± She mumbled in a stream, then realized she wasn''t burning. ¡°Huh?¡± Xuunah looked around and saw Ren as he stood in front of a mountain of fire, and she joined him. She gasped when the mountain stood up, and stared as the mountain fell away and revealed the Fire Deity. She immediately averted her eyes to show the proper respect, and then listened to the interaction between Ren and the deity. She turned and looked at them, and then her eyes widened at what the Fire deity asked for. The scene changed briefly to Ren and Nathalia as they talked, and Nathalia gave her permission. It changed back to a house appearing and Ren and the Fire deity going inside, and Xuunah averted her eyes so she wouldn''t see what actually happened. The scene shifted again and Ren held the Fire deity as it''s flames shrunk into a white light. She closed her eyes and covered them, because she knew what was going to happen; then uncovered them to see Ren being thrown away from the explosive death of the Fire deity. I can''t believe this happened. Xuunah thought as Ren ran back over to the site and picked up a baby. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Xuunah said and watched as the baby grew up into a fine young woman. When the Fire being became the new Fire deity by absorbing the gift from her mother, she kissed her father, Ren, goodbye... and then the dream faded. Xuunah opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling, and could feel Ren was right above her. ¡°You are the Father of Fire in truth, and not just in title.¡± She whispered, then closed her eyes to see what else her deep sharing with Ren had given her. * Ren on the other hand, was having a dream where he relived the last time Xuunah had stayed in the dwarf kingdom. She lived with a man Ren didn''t know, and he watched as they travelled the countryside. They helped the dwarves with farming, healing, general labour, and anything else that anyone needed, and they kept on the move. When Xuunah finally gave in to her companion''s devotion and feelings of love, Ren gasped and almost laughed as decades of suppressed sexual urges and her passion overtook her and she ravaged the poor dwarf. Ren had watched their lives together in fast forward as the time passed, and she finally ended up with a child. Nathalia was born and the mismatched couple settled down in one spot, and Ren felt the love she had for her daughter. He shared it, as it was a side of Nathalia he had never seen; and he wanted to hold and protect her even more than he normally did. She was so cute that his heart opened a little bit more, and as he watched her grow, the love he felt for her filled the new space and merged with his normal love for the grown up version. Time slowed down to normal as he watched in disgust as the dwarf men came for Xuunah to bring her back to the Light Realm, and his anger flared as they callously killed her husband and blew up the house. When the portal opened, the men took Xuunah through it as she screamed and cried for her dead family; and Ren wondered why he hadn''t gone with her... and then little Nathalia crawled out of her hiding place and went to her father. Ren cried hard at their short interaction, where her father told her to hide and to be strong; then the dream shifted to show him Xuunah finally getting her revenge and serving her sentence for what she had done. He had thought it was a harsh sentence at first, until he felt that everyone she met understood why she had done it, and didn''t blame her in the least. When the dream ended, Ren woke up and was left with intense feelings of contentment, satisfaction, and love. Of course, that made him wonder what Xuunah and Nathalia were experiencing right then. It can''t be good, if they have my memories. Ren thought and sighed. Frikara felt his breath on the back of her neck when he had exhaled, and somehow managed to turn around with two maids resting on her. She was still half asleep; but, she kissed him on the lips and snuggled in and hugged him. Even half asleep, she''s trying to comfort me. Ren thought and lightly kissed her back. Her hand rubbed his back a little and stopped moving as she fell asleep completely. Chapter 457 - Whats In The Box? Ren felt an intense spike in desire about two hours later, and opened his eyes. Someone just realized I''m naked. He thought in amusement, and then felt a hand touch his private place. It took him a minute to discern which of the maids it was, since he couldn''t actually see them; but, after sifting through her swirling emotions, he discovered that it was Andrela. ¡°I''m awake, so go ahead.¡± Ren said softly. He felt her happiness, and then he felt her mouth as she kissed it. She did other things, and it didn''t take long for him to finish. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren felt her amusement at being thanked for such a simple thing, and then the pile of maids on top of him shifted slightly. A moment later, he was face to face with Andrela, and then they joined together. The situation was just as intense as her emotions, and Ren and Andrela concentrated on each other as she moved. They could each feel how the other felt, thanks to the shared Aura, and they both eventually reached a crescendo. The wisps of smoke-like light came from their chests and joined together, just as it did when he and Frikara had done a similar thing. When it became a solid beam, they finished together and the binding was complete. ¡°B-by the g-gods.¡± Andrela said as she collapsed on top of Ren, and dismissed the popup of her contract removal. ¡°T-that w-was...¡± ¡°...really intense.¡± Frikara said. Ren and Andrela looked at her, and she was still snuggled up with Ren. ¡°I thought I... I was going to lose my mind!¡± Andrela said. ¡°I know.¡± Frikara chuckled and pat her head. ¡°You needed it a lot more than Ren did.¡± ¡°Hey, I didn''t start this.¡± Ren defended himself. ¡°You''re naked in bed with 5 women.¡± Frikara said, and he felt her teasing emotions. ¡°If you didn''t want to have sex, you would have left your underwear on at least.¡± It was Ren''s turn to chuckle. ¡°All right, I guess that''s a fair conclusion.¡± ¡°Can I be next?¡± Verwynn asked as she looked at his still ready condition. ¡°But... you know, I... I want...¡± Her face flushed red, and Ren cupped the side of it. ¡°Yes, I know exactly how you like to be treated.¡± Ren said, and pleased her exactly like she wanted. They formed a bond as well, which replaced her contract, and she moved off to make room for Lusinia. ¡°I''m still having a hard time believing you can keep doing this.¡± Lusinia said as she joined with him. ¡°By the gods, you really have Mjolnir!¡± Ren laughed and made love to her, then formed the bond. Lusinia rolled off when they were done to languish in the after-effect of being freed and satisfied at the same time. Navruth was the last, but Ren could feel her reluctance. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°C-can I wait?¡± Navruth asked. ¡°I... well, I want our time together to be special.¡± ¡°Navruth.¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°Our time together is special.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m making sure I spend an equal amount of time with each of you.¡± Ren said and touched her arm. ¡°No sharing, no doubling, no two or three at a time.¡± He smiled. ¡°Even if we are all in the bed and naked, it''s all still one-on-one.¡± ¡°I...¡± ¡°Even when I had Anabelle here, I didn''t ask anyone to participate. We are all together, but we are also separate.¡± ¡°I know... I... it''s just...¡± ¡°We''ll give you your time ''alone'' with Ren.¡± Frikara said, and stopped concentrating on the Contact Aura. The other maids stopped concentrating on the shared Aura as well, and as each left, Navruth looked at them. Tears formed in her eyes, and she hugged each of them. ¡°Ren shares everything with us; but sometimes, not sharing everything is what we need.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Navruth let her go, and she turned to Ren. ¡°It''s just us now.¡± Ren said, and Navruth felt his strong emotions all by herself. It made her shiver, in the good way, and Ren laid her back on the bed. They didn''t have to concentrate on each other, because it was only them in the shared Aura, and he gave her all of the attention that she wanted. Navruth''s emotions almost burst out of her as Ren kissed her all over, and by the time he had worked his way up to her face, her passion was so intense she was almost frantic to have him. Ren kissed her on the lips. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t realize that...¡± ¡°Just take me!¡± Navruth said and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°I''m yours! All yours!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and kissed her. The wisps of light formed between them and became solid, and then he joined with her. ¡°GODS! GODS! GODS!¡± Navruth yelled over and over as Ren made love to her while they were already bonded. ¡°I love you!¡± She was the first to feel it this way, and that just hit all the buttons she didn''t realize she had. ¡°I LOVE YOU!¡± She yelled and finished. ¡°AHH!¡± Ren felt her extreme pleasure, and that hit his button, and he finished, too. After several minutes of just laying there and holding each other, Ren rolled off and left her breathless. ¡°Can we...¡± Frikara started to ask, and Navruth had already nodded several times. When the other maids dropped back into the shared Aura, they all gasped and fell back onto the bed from the experience. ¡°By the gods.¡± Frikara said and her hand found Navruth''s and gave it a squeeze. ¡°You hid it well.¡± Navruth chuckled, and they all felt she was laughing more at herself than at the situation. ¡°I didn''t realize I was hiding anything.¡± She looked at Ren, and used her free hand to rub his chest. ¡°You bring everything out of us.¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure it was you that brought it out of me.¡± Ren joked, and she smacked his chest. ¡°Ren! I''m being serious!¡± Navruth said. ¡°I know you are.¡± Ren said and took her hand, and lifted it to kiss it. She tried to pull her hand away before he could insult her; but he held on, turned it over, and kissed the inside of her wrist. Her mouth fell open and he felt her shock. ¡°R-Ren, you...¡± ¡°Before I decided to go all the way with you, I had tried to keep my distance to hold you all at bay.¡± Ren said and picked up Frikara''s hand and kissed her wrist, too. ¡°None of you wanted that, though.¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Frikara said as Ren kissed Lusinia''s wrist next. ¡°You owned us, and we wanted to please you!¡± Ren chuckled and took Verwynn''s hand. ¡°That was why.¡± He said and kissed Verwynn''s wrist. ¡°It would be wrong for me to take advantage of you like that.¡± Andrela held out her hand with a huge smile on her face, and Ren felt how happy she was. He gave her wrist extra kisses to make her giggle, then she leaned in and kissed his cheek. ¡°We knew you felt that way.¡± Frikara said. ¡°That''s why none of us had a problem with you using us if you wanted.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Ren smiled. ¡°If I had done it at the time, I don''t think any of us would be anywhere near as happy as we are now.¡± Ren didn''t think that anyone could argue that, and then Andrela spoke. ¡°We would have had a lot more sex, though.¡± Andrela said, and everyone laughed. Now that he had his hands free, Ren took out the Gift Box that was in his inventory. ¡°Ooo, what''s that?¡± Andrela asked. ¡°Let''s find out.¡± Ren said and opened it. The room was engulfed in a golden glow, and then it faded. The box had disappeared, and in it''s place was a ring. It was made of platinum and had a single blue sapphire stone set in it. ¡°Identify.¡±
One Wish Ring
Wish is the mightiest force that any player can wield. By simply speaking aloud, you can alter reality to better suit you. Even a wish, however, has its limits.
As examples, a wish can produce some of the following effects: Duplicate any wizard or sorcerer spell, even if you don''t know it. Spells duplicated in this way cannot be dispelled or deflected Reverse any spell effects Create any one item worth up to 250 platinum coins in value Create a magic item for free, or add to the powers of an existing magic item for free and without restriction Gain immunity to one of the following: poison, sleep, stun, paralysis, disease, life drain, or exhaustion Grant yourself or another +10 to any statistic Remove all injuries and afflictions from yourself and everyone else in your party Undo a misfortune or a single recent action. Reality reshapes itself locally to accommodate the new outcome. For example, a wish could undo an opponent¡¯s successful dodge, or a foe¡¯s successful critical hit on you, etc. The outcome however, may be as bad or worse than what could have happened if left unaltered.
Warning: You may try to use a wish to produce greater effects than these, but doing so is dangerous. The wish may pervert your intent into a literal and undesirable fulfillment. Also, you cannot revive an already deceased ally, as those consequences can''t be altered in this fashion.
¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°This... I can''t believe something like this even exists.¡± He said, and told them what it did, or could potentially do. ¡°Melt it.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°That''s too powerful to have, even for you.¡± Frikara said. ¡°What will you do with it? Keep it forever? Sell it for... well, I think it''s priceless, so everything? What will you use it on? Or who? On yourself? On others?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said, and tried to use Appraisal on it. It had a dash for the value, so he knew Frikara was right. It was priceless. He examined it and received the recipe for it; but, when he tried to open it, it was greyed out and he couldn''t choose it. ¡°Ren.¡± Frikara said, and he felt her deep concern for him. ¡°This is an immense weight upon your shoulders.¡± She said. ¡°You are going to be thinking about it all the time.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that he wasn''t; but, then he started to laugh. ¡°Frikara, you are absolutely right.¡± He said and slipped the ring onto the Hand of Glory around his neck. ¡°I''ve been thinking of what I can use it for constantly.¡± ¡°Then get rid of it.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I do, I''ll be thinking about everything that I could have done with it.¡± Frikara felt the truth in his words, and sighed. ¡°Ren, please...¡± Ren gave her a passionate kiss, and stood up. ¡°Don''t worry, I won''t think about it too much.¡± ¡°Don''t you dare lie to me.¡± Frikara said sternly and stood up beside him. Ren smiled. ¡°Okay, then. You can worry.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Frikara, I can''t undo opening... the gift... box...¡± ¡°REN!¡± Ren took her into his arms and kissed her hard. Frikara reacted automatically and put her arms around him. She kissed him back just as hard, and they stayed that way for several minutes. Ren broke the kiss and he felt she was still concerned. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t let it affect me like that anymore.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m keeping it; but, I won''t start second-guessing every decision I make.¡± Frikara was about to argue with him, and he leaned in close to whisper in her ear. ¡°I won''t wish to break our bond, or my bonds with the others; so you can relax.¡± Ren kissed her ear and felt her shock that he had guessed her concern. ¡°You''re mine now, and I won''t ever wish that away.¡± Frikara''s heart beat twice as fast as normal, and she had a hard time catching her breath. ¡°Darling, I said to relax.¡± Ren whispered and kissed her ear again. Frikara''s body trembled at his words, and he helped her sit down on the side of the bed. ¡°Breathe. Just breathe.¡± Frikara took several deep breaths, and he felt her calm down. ¡°I''ve got some Adventurer''s business to take care of, but when I come back, I''m going to work on my armor; then I''m taking Zetaya to the closest infected city I can find inside the High Elven Kingdom.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t have the time for a full scale battle like I had planned, where I could round up all the stragglers, so I''m just going to settle for surgical strikes against the enemy.¡± ¡°B-be c-careful.¡± Frikara managed to say. ¡°Zetaya already agreed to do all the dirty work.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''m just going along for the ride, and for emotional support.¡± ¡°Don''t have too much fun, then.¡± Andrela said as she moved across the bed to hug Frikara. ¡°I''ll be back soon.¡± Ren said and stopped concentrating on the shared Aura. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren slipped off the VR headset and was greeted by an unhappy face that was surrounded by short blonde hair that was slicked back, and on a 5 foot 3 inch tall body. ¡°I''m sorry, Denise. I needed sleep.¡± Ren said as she took the headset. ¡°Sleep, was it?¡± Denise asked and put the headset aside. ¡°I already put the blanket and your dirty clothes in the washing machine.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Ren looked down at himself and saw that his pyjama pants and underwear were missing, and he had a towel wrapped around him and one under him. ¡°Oh, damn. What happened?¡± ¡°Your safety measure of wearing protection failed.¡± Denise said. ¡°It broke and made a mess.¡± She said. ¡°A huge mess.¡± ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°I logged out to eat and to clean up.¡± He said and moved to the edge of the bed. ¡°Was it bad?¡± ¡°I got a towel under you in time, so I don''t have to wash the sheets or clean the bed.¡± Denise said. ¡°It could have been bad, though.¡± ¡°I''ll be more careful in the future.¡± Ren said and tried to stand up. ¡°I won''t wait so long between checking, okay?¡± He teetered a little, and his leg still hurt; but, he managed to stand on his own. ¡°Please don''t be mad.¡± Denise smiled and shook her head. ¡°I''m not mad.¡± She said and helped him walk to the bathroom. ¡°I''m just glad Barbara already went home before it happened.¡± Ren''s face flushed red as he opened the towel and used the bathroom. ¡°Yeah, that would have been embarrassing.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°This wasn''t embarrassing enough for you?¡± ¡°I''ve seen you naked, and we''ve had sex.¡± Ren said as he cleaned himself off. ¡°Barbara isn''t anywhere close to having either of those things happen!¡± Denise laughed and nodded. ¡°Wash your hands and I''ll help you get dressed.¡± Ren washed his hands and she helped guide him back out to his room and to the dresser. She helped him change and he climbed back onto the bed and sat up by the headboard. ¡°I''ve got your breakfast here, but I''m sure it''s cold by now.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Cereal.¡± Denise laughed and pushed the rollaway cart over. It had the tray on it with a bowl, a big glass of milk, and his supplement drink. Ren looked in the bowl. ¡°No way! Is that...¡± ¡°A source of 3 essential nutrients and a crap load of sugar.¡± Denise said and poured the glass of milk over it, and Ren laughed. ¡°Thanks, Denise.¡± Ren said and touched her arm. ¡°Really, though. Thank you.¡± ¡°It''s my job to take care of you, even when you make huge messes.¡± Denise said and pat his hand. ¡°Now eat and get back to your game.¡± Ren nodded and ate. He didn''t rush like Denise thought he would, and when he was done of the meal, thanked her again. ¡°You don''t have to keep thanking me.¡± Denise said. ¡°I do if I don''t want you to think I''m taking you for granted.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not, by the way.¡± Denise laughed. ¡°I know you aren''t.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now drop your pants and let me thank you properly.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I''m about to go on a desperate mission to save the entire game world.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to make sure I take the best feeling in this world with me.¡± ¡°Ren, I''m working.¡± Denise said. ¡°You can''t possibly think that...¡± ¡°You said it''s your job to take care of me.¡± Ren said. ¡°My tongue needs you.¡± Denise snorted a laugh, and Ren pat the bed beside him. She took the rollaway cart away and climbed up on the bed to kneel beside him. ¡°You do realize this is a complete perversion of the nursing profession, don''t you?¡± ¡°I can suspend you for the next 20 minutes if you want.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him. ¡°Actually, that''s a good idea.¡± Denise said. ¡°You''re suspended for 20 minutes, and can''t work as my nurse.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Now drop ''em.¡± Denise laughed and shook her head as she undid her pants, then pulled them and her underwear down to her knees. ¡°Turn around, please.¡± Ren said. Denise managed to shuffle around enough to do that, and she felt a hand on her back. She bent over at the gentle urging, and she blushed at the embarrassing position as she rested her head on the bed. ¡°What a sight.¡± Ren said and kissed her there, and Denise didn''t wonder why she was doing this for him anymore. True to his word, Ren used up all 20 minutes to make sure that Denise felt well and truly thanked. He picked up the VR headset and put it on, and had a huge smile on his face. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± * Ren materialized back in the bedroom and saw that the maids were back in bed and in a pile. He put on his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and waved to Teepo, who flew down and landed on his shoulder. Ren activated Sneak, left the apartment, and went downstairs. He crept past Princess and the two dogs, and went outside. It was still dark out, since he still had most of the night left, and ran across the street. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Ruck and I finished the lumber yard, and added all the tools the workers would need.¡± ¡°Thanks, guys.¡± Ren said and took out his armor from inventory. ¡°It''s time to update this.¡± ¡°Oh, I agree. It''s almost completely outdated.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Let''s disassemble it so I can reforge it and enchant it, then use Double Infusion to enchant it again, then you can use Double Infusion.¡± ¡°Oh, boy!¡± Ren said, excitedly. ¡°I''ll enchant all the diamonds again and use Double Infusion to double their enchantments.¡± ¡°Then I''ll use Double Infusion on them, too.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Are we abusing that ability too much?¡± ¡°Yes, we are.¡± Tee-one said and smiled back. ¡°Let''s get to work.¡± Chapter 458 - Armor Me Up! In a stroke of inspiration, Ren decided to smelt his old armor down, rather than reforge it. They removed the wands from the mounts, then removed the diamonds from each piece. They also took out the large ruby from the chest, tossed the scrap metal into the giant smelter, then half-filled 2 of the satellite smelters with fresh steel. He took out piles of platinum coins and tossed them in the smelters to fill them up, then stirred it up vigorously. He let it simmer, and thought about something as Tee-one started enchanting diamonds with 50 runes of Augment that would increase each of his main stats by 50 points. ¡°Tee-one, I had an idea about my armor.¡± ¡°HA!¡± Tee-one barked a laugh and used Double Infusion to make the diamond hold 100 runes. ¡°It''ll weaken the strength and the defense slightly; but, if you make the entire thing with the extra pieces like you made for the Marilith demon, each piece will let us add 6 more diamonds for enchantments.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I had an idea about that, too.¡± ¡°Oh, you have to try that!¡± Tee-one said and watched as Ren took out a sack of 1 gold coin diamonds and used the Enlarge or Reduce Anything wand on it. It increased in size to 1 inch across, and Ren enchanted it with glyphs of 50 runes. Since he could feel how much Mana it could take, he knew it was just as resilient as a naturally occurring diamond of similar size. ¡°I have thousands of these things.¡± Ren said and handed it to Tee-one. ¡°This is... okay, even I have to admit that I think this mechanic is broken.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Then use it to it''s full effect, and see what you can do with it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Come on, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Have fun with it! Make a set of armor that''s so overpowered that no one will ever challenge you!¡± ¡°That''s a good idea, Ren.¡± Tee-one said and enchanted the diamond Ren had given him. ¡°It''s your own motto to make anything that you can.¡± ¡°I didn''t make that Staff of Necromancy.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s because a couple of the spells in it are too nasty to have out in the open.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Then change them.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren looked at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Alter the recipe and change the spells.¡± Tee-one said and enchanted another diamond. ¡°I''m sure you''ll be restricted to certain types of spells to put in it; but, other than that...¡± ¡°Damn, why didn''t I think of that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''re too flipping busy, maybe?¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°All right, yes.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± ¡°Take a few.¡± Tee-one said and enchanted another diamond. ¡°We''ve got tons of time before morning.¡± ¡°You say that now.¡± Ren grinned, and Tee-one laughed. ¡°Okay, okay. Staff recipes. Ah, there it is.¡±
Staff of Necromancy (Unique - Binds On Equip)
This skull and bone staff is topped with a black onyx stone that gleams with smouldering power that is grasped by a skeleton''s hand. It allows the continuous use of the Level 5 spells contained within: Raise Dead - Can raise 25 undead (skeleton warriors or zombies) to do your bidding Drain Life - absorbs Health from living creatures or adds Mana to undead creatures Ghoul Lure - creates a beacon that attracts ghouls Fatigue - causes Stamina loss and eventually severe exhaustion Circle of Death - can instantly kill anything of lower level than the caster Similar to Rods, it does not contain charges, but a time limit for usage. Current time limit: 600 minutes (10 hours). When the last of the time has been used, the magic will be expended and the staff will become inert. The staff has Aura: Fear (50 feet) and merges with caster''s Aura (if available). Cast Distance: Within caster''s Aura Area of Effect: Caster''s Aura Cast Time: Various, dependent on spell chosen
¡°Now... what to replace those bad spells with... hmm...¡± Ren rubbed his chin and thought about it. ¡°Well, I can replace Drain Life with Detect Undead.¡± He said, then remembered his spells. ¡°Turn Undead would fit instead of Fatigue... and... and... Regeneration! Yes! That should fit in well, and replace Circle of Death.¡± Ren replaced the spells he didn''t want with ones he knew he could use, then added 5 glyphs of 10 runes each for Time, which added another 250 minutes to the time limit. ¡°You don''t need the Fear Aura boost.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Why not replace it with another spell?¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°Widen Effect, of course.¡± Teepo suggested. Ren changed the Fear Aura to the spell, and frowned. ¡°Hold on, I have something else I can do.¡± He said and remembered that he had a Spell Combine skill. He smiled and activated it, and tried to combine Widen Effect and Permanency, since he had been using them together a lot.
Notice!
You have combined two complimentary spells to create a new spell: Permanent Widen Effect.
Ren smiled and added the new spell instead of the normal Widen Effect, and took out a 1 gold coin diamond from the sack on the workbench. He used the Enlarge and Reduce Anything wand to make it normal-sized, and took out a wooden pole. He held the diamond on the end and activated his Create Staff ability and chose the new Necromancy Staff recipe. The wooden pole morphed and changed, then a skeleton hand grew out from the end of it and grabbed the diamond. The gem changed from a diamond to black onyx and the rest of the staff became a collection of bones that were fused together.
Staff of Generic Necromancy (High Quality)
This skull and bone staff is topped with a black onyx stone that gleams with smouldering power that is grasped by a skeleton''s hand. It allows the continuous use of the Level 5 spells contained within: Raise Dead - Can raise 25 undead (skeleton warriors or zombies) to do your bidding. Detect Undead - makes any undead creature within your Aura glow and you can sense where they are. Ghoul Lure - creates a beacon that attracts ghouls. Permanent Widen Effect - makes a spell or enchantment double it''s numerical value permanently. Regeneration - Can regenerate Health, heal wounds, and regain lost limbs. Cast time: 1 minute. Warning: Causes pain appropriate for the damage while undoing it. Turn Undead - permanently changes the allegiance of any undead within your Aura to you. Similar to Rods, it does not contain charges, but a time limit for usage. Current time limit: 850 minutes (just over 14 hours). When the last of the time has been used, the magic will be expended and the staff will become inert. Cast Distance: Within caster''s Aura Area of Effect: Caster''s Aura Cast Time: Various, dependent on spell chosen
¡°Well, it worked; but, it lost it''s binding qualifier.¡± Ren said.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°You did remove it''s most powerful spells.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°That''s true.¡± Ren said and stored it, then checked the smelter. He stirred it up and didn''t see any impurities to remove, so he went back to Tee-one. ¡°You should start designing the suit and all it''s pieces.¡± Tee-one suggested. ¡°You probably don''t have to add the sliding parts on the pieces that cover the large parts of the arms and legs; but, covering the knees and elbows with them will provide more protection and make moving in the suit easier.¡± Ren took out a piece of parchment and started drawing. He used the pattern he had made for the Marilith demon''s body, and adapted it to cover his entire body. It really was an ingenious design, and he used it to full advantage. He started at his ankles and went up from there. The front of the calf was 3 solid pieces, the knee was 3 sliding pieces, the thigh was 3 solid pieces, the codpiece was 1 solid piece, the waist was 1, then he added 3 adjustable pieces for the abdomen, 1 across the chest to mount the large ruby to, 2 pieces on each shoulder, 3 pieces on each upper arm, and 3 pieces on each lower arm. ¡°That looks nice.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Now do the same on the back of the armor.¡± ¡°The back?¡± Ren looked at the design he had so far. ¡°Holy crap! I can make the back separate!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I''m glad I was here to point that out.¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± Ren said and cut the pattern in half to make the back pieces. The legs and arms ended with the same number of pieces on the backs, except for the knees and elbows, which had none on the back. Each limb ended up with 15 pieces each, the butt had 3 sliding pieces, the waist had another piece, the lower back had 3 adjustable pieces to match the abdomen, and Ren added 3 pieces for the upper back, rather than a solid piece like he had on the front. When he was done, the design had 80 pieces to put together to make the armor. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Ren said and held up the design to show Tee-one. Tee-one laughed. ¡°You better start enlarging those 1 gold coin diamonds, since we''re going to need 6 of them for each piece.¡± ¡°That''s 480 diamonds.¡± Ren said, his voice a little shaky. ¡°Tee-one, that''s... with you enchanting and using Double Infusion, and I get to use Double Infusion as well...¡± ¡°It''s 150 runes per diamond on 480 diamonds.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Not counting the armor pieces themselves, and they can be enchanted three times as well since we''re using platinum steel.¡± ¡°Good god, Tee-one!¡± Ren said. ¡°This... it''s... I mean, even for me, this...¡± ¡°I told you to have fun with it, Ren.¡± Teepo said from his shoulder. ¡°Enjoy it.¡± Ren took a deep breath, let it out, and nodded. ¡°I''ll enlarge what diamonds we need, and then I''ll start forging the armor pieces.¡± ¡°Make sure you fold the pieces a ridiculous number of times.¡± Tee-one suggested. ¡°At least 50 times each.¡± ¡°Fifty times!?!¡± Ren exclaimed, and Tee-one laughed. ¡°We have all night to make the strongest armor that has ever existed.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I suggest we use it all.¡± ¡°I can''t believe we''re doing this.¡± Ren said and took out a handful of diamonds from the sack and started enlarging them. ¡°Look at me! I''m shaking!¡± ¡°You haven''t even made the armor yet.¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°Wait until you put it on before you freak out at it''s awesomeness.¡± Ren couldn''t help himself and laughed, and kept enlarging diamonds to fill their needs. He had to refill the wand over and over again, then stopped the third time he had to do it. ¡°Ugh! How stupid am I?¡± Ren asked, and then used Spell Combine to cross Enlarge and Reduce Anything and Permanency to make a new spell. ¡°These wands have been limiting me ever since I made them.¡± He joked and opened the Wand recipe. ¡°50 charges is nowhere near enough. Let''s add a zero to that.¡± Ren modified the recipe, and kicked himself mentally for not doing it the very moment he had gained the ability to alter recipes. He absorbed the charges from the wand and broke the empty diamond off the end, dipped it for a second in the smelter, then reattached it to the metal rod and created a wand with the new Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything spell with the new recipe. It took 10 times the Mana to make the wand, which was appropriate since it held 10 times the charges. ¡°There.¡± Ren said and counted out the right number of diamonds that they needed, spread them out on the workbench, then continuously cast the spell. The task went very fast without having to constantly reload the wand, and he was done only a couple of minutes later. ¡°That''s it, Ren!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Now start forging your masterpiece!¡± Ren nodded and used a paving stone to carve out one of the basic pieces. It was essentially the same piece, just repeated over and over, so he filled it with platinum steel and absorbed some of the heat from it to make it solid, picked it up and used his blacksmith hammer to fold it. With his Fire Manipulation ability, he kept it hot and folded it again and again. He stuck it back in the forge and kept going, and used his abilities to their full effect. Dexterity, Strength and Endurance were tested as he worked and folded the tough metal over and over again, and he even received a popup he thought he wouldn''t get for a long time.
Stat Change!
Fire Manipulation (Mastered). Fire is now yours to command! Neither the fire''s temperature nor the fire''s movements hold secrets from you, as both can be bent to your will.
Ren and Tee-one worked for several hours at their individual tasks. By the time Ren had forged and folded the last and largest piece, the chest piece, Tee-one had enchanted and used Double Infusion on all of the diamonds that had been set aside for increasing the main stats. Out of the 480 diamonds needed, 467 had been used to increase the base stats, not including Luck. That left 13 diamonds to be used for other things. ¡°We can add the armor enhancements directly to the armor before setting the diamonds on them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Speed, Protection, Reinforcement, Toughness, Empowerment, Set Completion, Resist Spell, Warding for concealment and Stealth, and Antidark to make it super-light.¡± ¡°That was a nice touch by adding in the divots to the armor pieces.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°What about the other enchantments we have?¡± He asked. ¡°That Sunder one is nice.¡± ¡°It takes away 50 runes if we use it.¡± Ren said. ¡°On the other hand, that''s only on a single piece and we have a lot of spare runes to play with.¡± He absorbed the heat from the chest piece and placed it on the workbench. ¡°You know, I think we should use 9 of the diamonds to enchant them with 150 runes of the Anti-versions of the elements.¡± ¡°You''re thinking of damage absorption.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Well, that''s only about 600 damage that you''ll save from each element, and then you''ll take the rest.¡± ¡°Would saving the damage be the same amount as causing the damage?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I remember that when I enchanted armor a long time ago with Earth runes, it saved a lot more than only a few points.¡± ¡°Hm, you''re right.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Well, let''s test it and see.¡± Ren used the smelter to make a platinum steel shield and handed it to Tee-one.
Platinum Shield (Very Rare - Heavy)
This shield grants the user an armor bonus, and protects them as if they were wearing heavy armor. This causes the wearer to suffer heavy armor penalties. Protection: +20% defense to armor Penalties: Dexterity -10, Agility -10 Durability: 1,200 / 1,200
¡°Okay, base test.¡± Tee-one said and held the shield up, and Ren poked it with his finger.
Platinum Shield (Very Rare - Heavy)
This shield grants the user an armor bonus, and protects them as if they were wearing heavy armor. This causes the wearer to suffer heavy armor penalties. Protection: +20% defense to armor Penalties: Dexterity -10, Agility -10 Durability: 1,100 / 1,200
Ren repaired it, then Tee-one enchanted it with a single Earth rune and Ren poked it again.
Sturdy Platinum Shield (Very Rare - Heavy)
This shield grants the user an armor bonus, and protects them as if they were wearing heavy armor. This causes the wearer to suffer heavy armor penalties. Protection: +20% defense to armor Penalties: Dexterity -10, Agility -10 Durability: 1,140 / 1,200
¡°Wow, it saved 40 points.¡± Ren said and repaired it. Tee-one absorbed the enchantment, and Ren activated Rocky Hands. His hands were covered in the Earth element, and he poked the bare shield.
Platinum Shield (Very Rare - Heavy)
This shield grants the user an armor bonus, and protects them as if they were wearing heavy armor. This causes the wearer to suffer heavy armor penalties. Protection: +20% defense to armor Penalties: Dexterity -10, Agility -10 Durability: 1060 / 1,200
¡°You just did 40 extra points of damage.¡± Tee-one said. Ren repaired the shield and Tee-one enchanted it with a single Anti-earth rune. ¡°I think this is going to hurt.¡± Ren said and poked the shield. ¡°AGH!¡± The Earth element around his finger disappeared instantly as it was ripped away from him and sucked into the shield.
Resilient Platinum Shield (Very Rare - Heavy)
This shield grants the user an armor bonus, and protects them as if they were wearing heavy armor. This causes the wearer to suffer heavy armor penalties. Protection: +20% defense to armor Penalties: Dexterity -10, Agility -10 Durability: 1,100 / 1,200
¡°It didn''t take any Earth damage at all.¡± ¡°That''s because I took it.¡± Ren said. He deactivated his Rocky Hands skill while his lost Health regenerated. ¡°Regeneration is awesome.¡± ¡°Hey, we should use the Ring of Regeneration enchantment to boost yours.¡± Tee-one suggested. ¡°Regaining another 5% of my Health a second would be nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Five percent? What are you talking about?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°You know what the effect is, so just make a Regeneration rune.¡± ¡°With 19 of them, I''ll have 100% of my Health back in a second.¡± Ren said, amazed. ¡°Why stop at 19?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°If you do an entire diamond with it, you''ll have 750% Regeneration, plus your own 5%.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I... I need to sit down.¡± He took out a chair and sat down, then took several deep breaths. ¡°Tee-one, I... thank you.¡± ¡°It''s my job to help you, Ren.¡± ¡°I... I can...¡± Ren took out his Book of Runes. ¡°Thank you!¡± He quickly opened it to a blank page and drew a medical symbol, a cross with two intertwined lines wrapped around it, then drew a basic heart in behind it. He poured a bunch of Mana into the image, then it disappeared and reappeared in the book.
Notice!
You have created a new Augment rune: Regeneration. This rune grants the user a +5% Regeneration ability that can regenerate Health, heal wounds, and regain lost limbs. Takes 1 minute for full restoration. Warning: Causes pain appropriate for the damage while undoing it.
Ren did his glyph making technique and they all appeared in the book, from 2 runes up to 10. It would take two glyphs of 10 to make a 100% Regeneration enchantment, and Ren was so happy that he almost couldn''t speak. ¡°T-T-Tee-one!¡± Ren nearly yelled. * Tee-one nodded and ran out of the warehouse and across the street. He activated Ren''s Sneak ability and went inside the Main House. He knelt beside Princess and touched her Amulet of the Spider. He used Double Infusion and enchanted it with 5 glyphs of 10 runes each of Regeneration. It gave her 250% Regeneration every second, and he touched the amulets Riley and Stacy wore. Tee-one enchanted them with Regeneration as well, then snuck up the stairs and went into the bedroom. He had 5 more amulets to enchant in order to give Ren peace of mind. Chapter 459 - Fully Armored Tee-one came back into the large warehouse after completing his task and nodded, and Ren sighed in relief. Tee-one walked over and touched the Hand Of Glory around his neck and gave it the same enchantment to give Ren 250% Regeneration, then he touched his own Amulet of the Spider and enchanted it with the same thing. Ruck came down from the ceiling and Tee-one enchanted his amulet as well. Ren chose a third satellite smelter and threw in some gold coins, then added an equal amount of molten steel, then picked up the 9 amulet mold and filled it, popped the discs out and filled it again. He made 18 of the Improved Amulet of the Spider, used Double Infusion to add the modified Amulet of Natural Armor, and Tee-one used Double Infusion to add the 250% Regeneration enchantment. Ren stored the amulets and smiled. ¡°I''ll give one of these to Xuunah in the morning.¡± He said. ¡°For now, let''s get this armor enchanted.¡± ¡°Have you decided on the breakdown for the remaining runes?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°After the 9 diamonds with Anti-versions of the elements that I can activate when necessary, we''ve only got just over 12,000 runes left.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°What do you think we should do with them?¡± ¡°Well, 1000 each for Speed, Protection, Reinforcement, Toughness, and Resist Spell.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°That''s 5,000 right there.¡± He said. ¡°Warding for Concealment? 100, just in case. You might as well drop 100 runes on it for Stealth bonuses as well, 80 runes for Set Completion, and 25 for Antidark to make it lighter and bypass the heavy restriction... so that''s another 305.¡± ¡°I know I''m missing something.¡± Ren said and looked at the level up popup he had with the recipes he had. ¡°Okay, we have to add the Ring of Shielding enchantment, after I add Anti-time runes to it.¡± ¡°Anti-time? Really?¡± Tee-one asked, and Ren shrugged. ¡°Okay.¡± He said. ¡°I''d suggest 20 of them to reduce it to a 1 minute recharge rate, and the shield will generate automatically when you''re attacked.¡± Ren made the recipe modification to reduce the time. ¡°You can use Double Infusion and add it to the piece with the Sunder enchantment, and I''ll add the enchantment from the Ring of the Ram.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Why should Princess have all the fun, right?¡± Tee-one chuckled. ¡°That''s 100 more runes lost.¡± ¡°Let''s just drop the rest into Empowerment runes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Seriously?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°You do realize it increases the effect of an enchantment by 5%, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, and with about 5,700 of them to spread over 560 items...¡± ¡°That''s 10 runes for each piece of armor and for every diamond.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Which will give you an extra 50% to all of the enchantments.¡± ¡°Yes! It''s amazing, isn''t it?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Not only will the enchanted diamonds give me 10,000 points to each of my stats, the Empowerment will give me another 5,000 on top of that.¡± ¡°Holy crap!¡± Teepo exclaimed, and then chittered in laughter. ¡°All right, you two! Make it! I want it done as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ren said and saluted, and he and Tee-one got to work. It took two more hours to enchant everything up properly, with Ren going back through and using Double Infusion to add his own enchantments. ¡°Imagine if I could enchant everything twice.¡± He said, and looked at the One Wish Ring. No, not for something so petty. When everything was enchanted, they made it binding and Ren set his name on it... then it was time for the assembly. That took another hour, with having to make sure everything fit and that all the diamonds sat flush with the armor surface. They enchanted the large ruby with 150 runes of Illumination and set it into the middle of the chest plate. Once that was complete, the pieces of the armor just snapped together like Ren had designed it, and he only had to meld the front and back pieces of the armor together with a bit of molten metal. ¡°It looks incomplete without a helm.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren pointed to his head. ¡°Yeah, it''s not worth trying to remove that, just to make it a part of this.¡± ¡°Help me line it with this steel-reinforced cloth.¡± Ren said and took out the bolt of fabric. ¡°Why not make another armor bodysuit instead?¡± ¡°I''d rather have it on the armor itself. That way, I can just equip the armor and not have to worry about equipping the bodysuit first.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Tee-one said, and they lined it fairly quickly with the two of them working. With all of Ren''s crafting speed bonuses, they were done only 10 minutes later. ¡°I guess this is it.¡± Ren said and reached out to touch it so he could equip it. ¡°Wait!¡± Teepo said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You forgot to make new boots and gauntlets!¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Ren said and took off his boots, popped the diamonds off of them, and tossed the old boots into the giant smelter. He made a new boot design that looked just like the armor, so that each boot ended up with 6 pieces, which meant they needed another 30 diamonds on top of the 6 they already had. ¡°It just keeps getting better!¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Ren opened the old Boots of Striding and Leaping recipe and changed the stats. He added 50 runes of Speed, which added 250% to the normal speed bonus of 50%, and that tripled the normal jump distance. Unlike the other enchantments, it couldn''t be moved from one pair of boots to another, since it requires both boots to be worn for the enchantment to work. They put the metal parts of the boots together, lined them with the same steel reinforced cloth, and left off the diamonds. Tee-one activated the Craft Wondrous Item ability and put the bare boots on the golden platform. It took several minutes for it to finish; but, it was worth the wait.
Platinum Boots of Boundless Strides (Unique)
Normally, these boots only grant a run speed increase of 25%, but due to the high Durability and quality of the boots used and it''s Speed Boost, it grants 500% to their run speed instead. The wearer can also jump 10 times their improved jump distance instead of 2 times their normal distance. Durability: 1500 / 1500
¡°Add the gems! Add the gems!¡± Teepo said excitedly. ¡°We haven''t enchanted them yet.¡± Ren said and enlarged what they needed. ¡°Tee-one, any thoughts on what to add?¡± ¡°I''d say add to your stats, but what you''re going to get is more than enough.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You could add more Speed...¡± ¡°Let''s add the same things as the main armor, that way I can get away with just wearing the boots most of the time.¡± ¡°Okay, then. 1000 each for Speed, Protection, Reinforcement, Toughness, and Resist Spell; 100 each in Warding for Concealment and Stealth, and 25 runes on each boot for Antidark to make them lighter and bypass the heavy restriction again.¡± ¡°That leaves 450 runes.¡± ¡°We can pump up your Luck with those, since we haven''t touched that stat yet.¡± Tee-one suggested. ¡°Oh, and make them binding and name them.¡± ¡°Right, thanks for reminding me.¡± Ren said and they did the proper enchantments and added the diamonds to the boot parts. When he examined them, he whistled.
Ren''s Superior Platinum Boots of Boundless Silent Strides (Singular, Binds on Equip, Cannot be Dropped)
Normally, these boots only grant a run speed increase of 25%, but due to the high Durability and quality of the boots used and it''s Enhanced Speed Boost, it grants 5500% to their run speed instead. The wearer can also jump 1000 times their improved jump distance instead of 2 times their normal distance. Grants: +10,000% Defense to Armor; +5,000% Spell Resistance; +446 Luck, +500% to Hide, +500% to Stealth, Set Completion (+1 to all stats), +5,000% Damage Resistance Durability: 9,500 / 9,500
¡°Oh, that''s ridiculous.¡± Ren said and equipped them, and was covered in a slight glow for a few seconds. ¡°I can''t believe this is possible.¡± ¡°Do the gauntlets next.¡± Teepo said, and Ren designed the gauntlets. Unlike the rest of the things they made, there were only three spots that diamonds could be inlaid in the surface. On the back of the hand, on the palm, and on the part that covered the wrist. ¡°Is it worth it to add the diamonds and enchantments?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I think we''re way past the point of diminishing returns.¡± ¡°Let''s do it anyway.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Each finger piece can hold a Set Completion rune, and we can add Anti-dark to make it lighter, then load the diamonds with Luck to make the stat the same as the others.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and they made it. Since the pieces were so small, it didn''t take long to make and enchant them, then he and Tee-one assembled them. Ren didn''t even bother looking at it''s stats before he equipped them, since he knew it was going to add was 2700 Luck to his total.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Put on the rest of the armor!¡± Teepo nearly yelled in his ear and then took off to hover in front of him. Ren touched the armor and equipped it, then took in a huge breath as he gasped. He was surrounded in a golden glow for a full minute before it faded, and he was almost scared about looking at the armor''s stats. He took several breaths as he looked at the form-fitting armor that moved when he moved, which was a lot different from his bulky golden armor. ¡°Identify.¡±
Ren''s Completely Untouchable Armor of Completion (Singular, Binds on Equip, Cannot be Dropped, Permanent)
This armor is complete and can no longer be modified. No other armor can even come close to it''s perfection, and it can''t be replaced.
Stats modified when worn:
Strength 15,100 Dexterity 15,100
Vitality 15,100 Agility 15,100
Endurance 15,100 Intelligence 15,100
Luck 100 Wisdom 15,100
Bonuses when worn:
Protection 11,250% Defense 33,750% to Armor
Spell Resistance 7,500% Stealth +750%
Damage Resistance 7,500% Concealment +750%
Empowerment 50% Speed +7,500%
Reinforcement +7,500% to Defense Toughness +7,500% to Durability
Complete Set Bonus: +100 to all stats, +25% Armor Value, +25% Defense
Normal Information:
This armor has Lightness that grants an 80% reduction to weight and burdens carried, and is less restrictive than regular armor. No movements are hampered, and any penalties to Agility and Dexterity are negated. Durability: Not Applicable (Maxed)
Notice!
You have a new Aura: Awesomeness (Mastered). This Aura grants anyone within it the Admiration condition. They will fawn over you and fall over themselves just to be near you. Can cast the Charm Person spell for free on anyone within your Aura. Your Personal Aura has also been increased by 150 feet.
¡°Oh... my... god.¡± Ren said and dismissed the popup. ¡°S-s-show s-s-status.¡±
Status
Name Ren (Neram) Level 140
Gender Male Class Artificer/Lord
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 1,000,000 Honor 250,000 (Untouchable)
Giant Kingdom: Dark Elven Kingdom (Royal Consort):
Respect 26,000 Influence 1,000,000
Titles
Master Blacksmith Grants 10 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills; 5,000 Fame
Tailor Grants 5 level bonus to Tailoring Skills
Master Enchanter Guild Membership; The Rule Of Two; Skill: Rune Creation
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Dreaded Foe Auras with Fear: +5 Levels, Respect: 5000, Enemies/Opponents/Creatures -5 INT -5 WIS
The Unnamed King +10 Levels to all Auras, you must be acknowledged in some way, grants skill: This Is Mine!
Waterkin Grants Water Manipulation Skill and Waterkin (Aura)
Royal Consort Dark Elven Court, Underworld Access, Tithe
HeadHunter Killing Blow Special (50% Kill chance), Skull Cracker (Stun +20%)
Void Bane Void Sense (Aura), -50% Debuff from Void effects, +50% Damage to Void creatures
Awesomeness Grants Admiration, free Charm Person, Personal Aura +150 feet
Health 3,157 (Maxed 99,999) Mana 3,105 (Maxed 99,999)
Strength 433 (+15,141) Dexterity 355 (+15,141)
Vitality 370 (+15,141) Agility 342 (+15,141)
Endurance 345 (+15,141) Intelligence 338 (+15,446)
Luck 75 (Maxed 1000) Wisdom 352 (+15,446)
¡°Good lord.¡± Ren said and had to sit down again. ¡°This... oh, wow.¡± Teepo landed on his shoulder. ¡°Ren! You did it! You maxed your Health, Mana, and Stamina!¡± ¡°Teepo... I... I can''t wear this.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why not?¡± Teepo said. ¡°You made it. It''s all your own skills. It''s specifically for you, and there can be only one of them.¡± ¡°But... these stats...¡± ¡°If you don''t like them, you can''t pull it apart and redo it.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s done and that''s that.¡± ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s too overpowering!¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°That was the whole point.¡± ¡°I... well, damn.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°How much time do we have before morning?¡± ¡°A little over an hour.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That should be plenty of time to make Princess a set of armor, too.¡± ¡°But it took nearly all night to make yours.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Yeah, but I''ve got this armor now.¡± Ren said. ¡°My stats are so high that I don''t know what I''m capable of.¡± ¡°Well, let''s get to work.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You''re on enchanting duties.¡± Ren said and in a flash, drew out a set of armor that had 30 pieces to cover Princess from horn to hoof. The only solid piece he needed was for the saddle, and all the others could move easily. In the next moment, he had 180 small diamonds out on the workbench, then enlarged them. ¡°I almost couldn''t see you move, and I''m on your shoulder!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°That''s awesome!¡± ¡°You''re going to love this, then.¡± Ren said and poured out the first piece to Princess'' armor. He absorbed a bit of heat from it so he could pick it up, then stuck his hands and the piece into the forge and folded it over, squished it together and folded it again. Since he knew the temperature to keep it at to be folded, he did it 50 times and then brought the piece out to hammer on the anvil to finish it, then absorbed the heat from it. He kept doing this, and each piece took less than 2 minutes to make. When Ren was done with forging all 30 pieces, he started using Double Infusion to finish off the diamond enchantments. They decided to give Princess +3,000 to all of her stats, except for Luck which they only put 100 points in. That left them with almost 6,000 runes in diamonds left to add, and 4,500 runes they could enchant the armor itself with. They did the same thing with the new armor as they did with Ren''s armor and added 1,000 runes each for Speed, Protection, Reinforcement, Toughness, and Resist Spell. Next they added the 100 runes for Warding, 100 runes for Stealth, 25 runes for Antidark to make the armor light, 30 runes for Set Completion, added the Sunder and Shield enchantments, added her name and made it binding, then dropped the rest of the runes into Empowerment. It wasn''t quite enough to get the full 50% bonus, so they had to settle for only 47%. They set the diamonds into the metal, making sure to spread everything out. While Tee-one assembled the armor, Ren made a new set of Legendary Hooves of Speed after adding Speed runes to the recipe, then he added the Horseshoes of Speed to the bottom of them. ¡°You thought she could run fast before.¡± Ren said and held up the new version of her footwear made of platinum. ¡°She''s going to love this.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It might be too fast, even for her.¡± ¡°I can guarantee that she''s going to want to try it at full speed.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Once, anyways.¡± ¡°You should get the Air Walk spell wand ready.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s no way... no way at all... that she can run on a normal road if she''s wearing them.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°How much time do I have left?¡± ¡°The hour ended about 20 minutes ago.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What?¡± Ren reached out and stored Princess'' new armor. ¡°I have to go!¡± ¡°Where?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I saw in the All-Seeing Mirror last night that there was going to be a big battle at one of the High Elven cities this morning.¡± Ren said and opened the door to the forge. ¡°Zetaya, it''s time.¡± Zetaya stepped out of the forge on it''s hind legs, and the concrete smouldered under the foot stubs. Ren heard the sound of a crackling fire, and he smiled. ¡°Hop on.¡± He said as he turned around, and made sure that all of the Anti-element enchantments were deactivated. Zetaya climbed up onto his back and wrapped it''s arm and leg stubs around Ren to hold on. ¡°I''ll be back later.¡± Ren said and disappeared from sight, then reappeared across the street. He went inside the Main House and woke Princess up, gave her a meal, and ran up the stairs to the bedroom. He went inside and saw that the maids were up and had waited for him. ¡°Don''t get ahead of yourselves and kill them all right away.¡± Frikara said and stepped close, and rubbed the back of his right hand where the spider and Ghoul Kissed mark was. ¡°Make sure you use your abilities to see if they are fully turned or not.¡± She said and carefully leaned in to give Ren a kiss on the lips. Zetaya let out a snapping branch sound, and Frikara smiled at the fire elemental. ¡°I love him, so kissing him is okay.¡± ¡°We love him, too!¡± The other maids said and came forward, and each gave him a kiss on the lips as well. Ren felt Zetaya''s grip get tighter; but no other branch breaking sound came out of the fire elemental. ¡°I''ll see you all when I get back.¡± ¡°Good luck, you two!¡± The maids said at the same time, and Ren thanked them and left the apartment. He walked down the stairs at a normal pace, because he could feel Xuunah come out of her apartment and they met at the bottom. ¡°Be safe and take care, Ren.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Zetaya''s going to be doing all the work; so, I''ll keep her safe and take care of her instead.¡± Ren said and handed Xuunah one of the amulets he had enchanted. ¡°That''s the same thing.¡± Xuunah said and smiled. ¡°Thank you for the gift.¡± She said and leaned in close to kiss his cheek. ¡°Don''t have too much fun, or scare the locals too much.¡± ¡°Oh, they''re going to be scared all right.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I want to see their faces when...¡± He smiled. ¡°...it''s going to be fun!¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and turned to look at Princess. ¡°Have I got a surprise for you.¡± Chapter 460 - On Their Way The CEO of Sid Tec, Edward Torren, was beside himself as he watched Ren create a game-altering armor. He opened the top drawer of his desk and grabbed some antacid pills and popped a few of them. Nothing can touch him now. Edward thought and chewed on the chalky tablets. With that armor... He shook his head and picked up the phone. He dialed the head of the tech department and waited. After a single ring, it was picked up. ¡°Hey, boss.¡± Max said. ¡°How did you know it was me?¡± Edward asked. ¡°I have your line marked with a red button.¡± Max said. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°What can I do for you?¡± Max asked. ¡°I want to know what the hell happened to my character build.¡± Edward said. ¡°Hold on, I''m sending you a video clip.¡± He said and sent a clip of the armor stats. ¡°Goddammit, he did it again.¡± Max said and sighed. ¡°Thanks to you.¡± Edward said. ¡°I saw what he got when he finished Shargon Caverns.¡± ¡°I... damn, I didn''t think he could do so well there!¡± Max said. ¡°He barely killed anything!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Edward said. ¡°I even told Elise to give him my compliments on not slaughtering everything in sight.¡± ¡°Then how...¡± Max typed furiously and then smacked himself in the forehead. ¡°It was the bonuses. He gained a crap load of XP just from having the creatures die during his adventure.¡± He sighed. ¡°How the hell did he get so much XP for helping people and creatures?¡± ¡°I can only assume during some of the blue screen sections that he did something so altruistic that he gained someone''s favor.¡± ¡°You don''t mean... oh, that was sneaky of him.¡± ¡°You put him right in the home of the Earth deity. She was bound to meet him when he started to bypass all the tests and trials.¡± Max chuckled. ¡°Wasn''t giving the Spirit of Earth the Impenetrable Rock Creation ability the best idea?¡± ¡°Mostly.¡± Edward said. ¡°But that''s beside the point now. What do we do?¡± ¡°Did he use the ring to make the armor?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then all we have to do is wait.¡± Max said. ¡°If he uses that ring...¡± ¡°It''s supposed to be a gift for the game messing up his XP gains.¡± ¡°Oh, it is.¡± Max said. ¡°But that thing is powerful. You know he''s not going to use it for the cheap little things you wrote for the caveat.¡± Edward sighed. ¡°I put in those limitations so he wouldn''t wreck his character.¡± ¡°Like it is now?¡± Max asked. ¡°He isn''t ready for this level of power.¡± Edward said. ¡°He even admitted that it was overpowered.¡± ¡°At least he knows it.¡± Max said. ¡°He''ll temper his usage of it... believe me.¡± ¡°Max...¡± ¡°Under your own orders, no one is to mess with him anymore.¡± Max said. ¡°I''m sorry that my idea to get him out of the way inadvertently caused him to think about his skills in a way to create this... damn, I''d like that armor myself.¡± Edward chuckled. ¡°He could have done this a while ago, right after he gained the Rule of Two when he mastered Enchanting.¡± ¡°Yeah, but he never had the time until now... at least, he gave himself the time and put aside doing everything else.¡± ¡°I did notice something.¡± Edward said. ¡°Ren hasn''t received any of the world event popups or quests.¡± ¡°Yeah, about that. I... ah... when I put him in Shargon Caverns, it apparently gave him an exclusion tag for any Adventurer quests.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Edward said. ¡°How did that... no, it doesn''t matter. Fix it now.¡± ¡°I can''t.¡± Max said. ¡°He''s been playing non-stop for-¡± ¡°He was offline this morning!¡± ¡°I''d need more time than that to dig the tag out of his character code.¡± Max said. ¡°I can fix that.¡± Elise said from Edward''s office doorway. Edward hit the speaker function on the phone so Max would hear her, too. ¡°How would you fix it, Ms. Stanford?¡± ¡°It''s his birthday today.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m heading over there at lunchtime for the party his nurses have planned.¡± ¡°How long can you keep him out?¡± Edward asked. ¡°The rest of the day and the evening, since we''re watching his show tonight.¡± ¡°Max?¡± Edward said and looked at the phone. ¡°Is that enough time?¡± ¡°It should be.¡± Max said, and Elise strode over to her boss'' desk and bent over the phone. ¡°If you change anything beyond removing the exclusion tag on Ren''s character, I will break every one of your fingers.¡± Elise said, her voice full of venom. ¡°You will never touch a keyboard again without feeling pain.¡± She said. ¡°Do you understand?¡± ¡°Did you hear that, boss?¡± Max asked. ¡°She just threatened me with bodily harm.¡± ¡°Max.¡± Edward said. ¡°I am ordering you to not touch anything... anything at all... on Ren''s character except for the exclusion tag.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I will fire you, and have you blacklisted.¡± Edward said. ¡°WHAT? You can''t do that! I own a third of this company!¡± ¡°I believe a two-third''s majority can override your one-third.¡± Elise said. ¡°You and the members of the tech department have interfered with Ren enough.¡± She smiled. ¡°You don''t know how happy I was that he turned your punishment into a way to help so many people.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Max asked. ¡°How did he get so much XP? Was it the Spirit of Earth that gave it to him?¡± ¡°Ha ha, no.¡± Elise said. ¡°Ren was just being himself and supercharged her with a Mana offering.¡± ¡°You see, boss? I told you he was sneaky.¡± Max said. ¡°He. Is. Not. SNEAKY!¡± Elise yelled. ¡°Okay, okay. Take it easy.¡± Edward said to calm her down. ¡°I assume you have a temporary secretary coming in to take over today?¡± ¡°She''s not temporary.¡± Elise said. ¡°We hired her a month ago.¡± ¡°You have a temporary secretary on the payroll?¡± Edward asked. ¡°She''s not temporary.¡± Elise said and turned around and walked towards the door out of the office. ¡°I haven''t been training a co-worker, I''ve been training a replacement.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°WHAT?¡± Edward exclaimed. ¡°Ms. Stanford... Elise...¡± ¡°I want to be near him.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ve watched him face challenges that any normal man would balk at.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Now, before you say ''only in the game'', you haven''t been paying attention to everything he''s gone through.¡± ¡°You can''t just leave!¡± Max said from the phone. ¡°I''m tired of watching you do things to him that I don''t have any control over.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ve spent countless hours going over everything, both his real life history and in the game; and I''ve come to a conclusion.¡± She smiled warmly. ¡°He''s amazing.¡± ¡°Elise...¡± Edward thought about pleading with her, and sighed instead. ¡°Enjoy your time with him.¡± ¡°Edward!¡± Max said from the phone. ¡°I''m taking a leave of absence, at least until Ren doesn''t need me anymore.¡± Elise said. ¡°I sincerely hope that doesn''t happen for a long time.¡± She said and shut the office door. ¡°Boss, you can''t just let her walk out.¡± Max said. ¡°I''m not letting her do anything.¡± Edward said. ¡°She is the one that kept this company going right from the beginning.¡± He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. ¡°The company is at the point now that she doesn''t have any more work to do.¡± Max was quiet for several moments. ¡°We have been getting more players just about every day.¡± ¡°She was the one that canvassed, advertised, begged, and even coerced people into playing our games.¡± Edward said. ¡°Making a player the star of a hit show was the best thing she''s ever done.¡± ¡°...and now she''s leaving us for that star.¡± Max said. ¡°Would you rather it be some rich and pretentious playboy?¡± ¡°Um, Ren is both rich and a playboy.¡± Max said. ¡°I''m also pretty sure he''s pretentious, too.¡± Edward thought about it, and then laughed. ¡°Okay... a tall rich pretentious playboy.¡± * Elise took the personal effects from her desk and put them in a plain cardboard box, which is what everyone seems to do when they leave a job. ¡°You''re really leaving this to me.¡± Her replacement said. ¡°I kind of thought you were joking.¡± Elise put the photo of Ren she had on her desk in the box, and turned to look at the woman next to her. ¡°I''ve stayed on this long just to make sure you had some idea how to handle everything.¡± She said and held a hand out. ¡°Good luck, and don''t let anyone bully you or push you around.¡± ¡°Oh, I won''t.¡± The woman said and shook the offered hand. ¡°I learned from the best.¡± Elise chuckled and nodded, picked up her box of personal effects, and left the office. As she walked down the hallways to go to the front door, she was constantly stopped and asked why she had been fired. She told them all that she was only taking an extended leave of absence. Most of them believed her, and she left the building she had worked so hard to get the company big enough to get into. ******** Princess could feel that Ren was much more powerful than her, and she stood up calmly. Make me a deserving mount for you, My Lord. ¡°You know I don''t like doing this, because it stunts your normal stat gains.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I was told by a good friend that if I didn''t make things to the best of my ability, then what''s the point?¡± ¡°That''s a paraphrase.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I said making it overpowered was the point.¡± ¡°Close enough.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Unequip your armor and gold hooves please.¡± He said to Princess. She was reluctant to give up her Legendary Hooves of Speed because she thought they were so pretty; but, she stored them and her armor a moment later. Ren felt how... diminished... Princess became without the Intelligence and Wisdom boosts, and he reached out and hugged her very, very gently. Ren opened her inventory and took her old armor and hooves out, then added the new armor and hooves. She equipped both right away and he closed her inventory, and she was enveloped in a golden glow for a full minute just like he had been. When the glow faded, a very over-powered Princess stood proudly in front of him. My Lord, please cast Permanent Air Walk on me. Princess thought, and Ren chuckled. ¡°One step ahead of me.¡± Ren said and took out a wand. He used his Spell Combine skill to merge Permanency and Air Walk, then added the new spell to the wand. He cast it on her and on himself, then did the same with Water Walk and Permanency and cast that on both of them. My Lord, cast Permanent Magic Mouth on me. Princess thought to him. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and did the same thing with Permanency and Magic Mouth and cast it on her. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± Princess said without opening her mouth. ¡°You''re welcome, especially because you just made me realize why the skeleton knights don''t open their mouths when they talk.¡± Princess brayed her amusement, and Ren led her outside. Once there, he called over the skeleton knights and asked if they wanted their disguises to be permanent. They looked at each other, then at Ren. ¡°If you want them permanent, make them permanent.¡± One of them said. ¡°We know what we are, and so will anyone that has the ability or the spell to detect us.¡± ¡°You''re right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll make them permanent just to save you from having to recast the spell all the time.¡± He said and cast Permanency on them. ¡°I need at least two of you to keep patrolling the street for threats, and the other 8 of you I want on the wall to use the Spell Ballistas.¡± ¡°We will head there right away.¡± ¡°I can drop you off.¡± Ren said and took out the cart to attach to Princess. He cast Permanent Air Walk on it as well, and the skeleton knights climbed in as Ren climbed onto Princess. ¡°Go slow, Princess.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Princess said and they went up into the air like going up a steep hill, then she ran a little. They were at the wall a couple of seconds later. ¡°That was slow! Ha ha!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. Ren dropped off a skeleton knight at the spot that the scout said was the most watched area of the county, which was about halfway along the wall. He gave it a Web Ballista and enlarged it to giant size. ¡°It has a range of 1000 feet and makes a 100 foot wide circle of webbing.¡± He took out a Sleep Ballista next and made it giant-sized. ¡°I assume this has a similar effect, but I didn''t want to test it.¡± ¡°I will use them both wisely.¡± It said. Ren nodded to the skeleton knight and leaned over the side of the wall. ¡°Animated soldiers! Skeleton knights are above you, and you are under their command.¡± The animated soldiers gave him a salute, and he went a quarter mile along the top of the wall to drop off the next skeleton knight and gave it a Sleep and Web Ballista as well, and told the animated soldiers below them on the wall they were under the skeleton knight''s command. He repeated this process 6 more times for the other skeleton knights as he dropped them off, unhooked the empty cart and stored it in Princess'' saddlebag, then took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°The battle is starting.¡± Ren said and showed Princess the map and where she needed to go. ¡°Climb up and hold on, My Lord.¡± Princess said. ¡°I am going full speed.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter in anticipation, and Ren climbed up and bent down. He told Zetaya to duck down behind him and he held onto the fire elemental. ¡°Go ahead, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re ready.¡± Princess trotted to go up in the air a little, and then literally disappeared from sight. Ren was glad he had modified his own Amulet of the Spider, because he was pretty sure even with his stats, he wasn''t going to hold onto her going to that speed almost from a dead stop. ¡°BWAHAHAHAHA!¡± Teepo chittered as they crossed the entire countryside in under 2 minutes, crossed the uninhabited no-man''s-land, and arrived at their destination in the High Elven Kindgom 2 minutes later. ¡°That. Was. AWESOME!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°We went so fast that I couldn''t see a thing! Ha ha ha!¡± ¡°My Lord, we are gods.¡± Princess said as she stood 300 feet above the horde of ghouls below them. ¡°I dare say, we may even be beyond that.¡± ¡°It depends on your definition.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°The All-Seeing Mirror said the leaders of the High Elves army are observing from the top of that tower.¡± Ren activated his Mana Shield ability and a perfect sphere appeared around them. Princess slowly ran over to the tower, and they were hit with several fireballs, magic arrows, and then a hail of real arrows was shot at them. ¡°Princess.¡± Ren said and she darted forward 60 feet instantly. All the arrows missed them completely, and everyone that wasn''t in the tower had lost track of them. The High Elves in the tower could see them, since they were so much closer, and Ren could almost feel the Mana starting to build. Ren''s personal Aura of 50 feet was now at 200 feet because of his Awesomeness Aura, his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak gave him another 50 feet, his Important Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic gave him another 150 feet, Void Sense added 50 feet, Waterkin added 50 feet, and since everything was tainted with Fear, it added another 50 feet. That was a total of 550 feet without concentrating on anything, so he concentrated on his Command Aura and added another 50 feet, and he added his Reassurance Aura just because he could. Since Ren and Princess were only about 300 feet above the ground, his Aura covered a lot of the High Elves; which included the ones in the tower. He felt their shock that someone could approach them like this, and he did feel the Mana building. ¡°I''m here to help, so stop attacking me.¡± Ren commanded, and he felt the Mana slow down and stop. ¡°Why should we believe you?¡± The High Elf with the largest headdress said. He wore a harness over his shoulder and had 6 scrolls tucked into it, long robes, and a very sour expression. ¡°You don''t have to believe my words.¡± Ren said. ¡°Believe my actions.¡± ¡°But you haven''t done anything.¡± One of the other High Elves said, and Ren saw that she wore a harness with 3 scrolls on it and long robes. ¡°Exactly.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t done anything to you.¡± The High Elves exchanged glances. ¡°Tell your soldiers not to fire on me or my friends.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re going to be too busy to fight you, too.¡± ¡°You are right in the path of our most powerful spell casters.¡± A High Elf that stood behind the robed figures said. ¡°They need a clear line of sight to the enemy.¡± ¡°Not any more.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m here to stop this.¡± The High Elf laughed. ¡°What''s a single halfling going to do to several million undead ghouls?¡± ¡°Me? I''m not going to do anything.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Zetaya''s going to take care of them.¡± ¡°Zetaya?¡± One of the spell casters asked, and Zetaya moved on Ren''s back and lifted it''s head stub to look at the High Elf that spoke. ¡°Great Vasalor, it''s a fire elemental.¡± ¡°HA!¡± The High Elf in behind barked a laugh. ¡°Do you honestly expect us to trust the security of our entire kingdom to a halfling and a half-grown fire elemental?¡± ¡°I honestly don''t care about you or your kingdom''s security.¡± Ren said as he felt the High Elf''s derision. ¡°I''m only asking you to stop attacking me and my friends while we clean up this mess.¡± ¡°Well, then.¡± The High Elf crossed his arms and his armor clanked. ¡°Go ahead halfling. We''ll halt our attack just long enough to watch you fail.¡± ¡°That''s all that I asked for.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, and by the way.¡± He used his hands to flip his blonde fluffy hair off of his ears and pointed to them. ¡°For your information, I''m an elfling.¡± ¡°WHAAAAAAATT?!?¡±A very short raven-haired woman exclaimed as she stepped out of the shadows and stared at him. Chapter 461 - Saving The High Elves Ren blinked his eyes at the short vision of loveliness. Her shout had caught his attention, and her austerity astounded him. What is she doing on the edge of a battlefield? He asked himself as his Etiquette skill activated. He stood up on Princess'' saddle and gave her a regal bow. ¡°M''lady, please forgive my brash attitude.¡± Ren said formally. ¡°I did not notice that you were among the plebeians.¡± The elfling gasped at Ren words, as did all of the High Elves around her. He felt their shock, and then he saw the High Elf that stood behind the robed magic users reach for her menacingly. He deactivated his Mana Shield and ran across the distance instantly, thanks to his Permanent Air Walk spell and ridiculous Speed bonuses, and he stood between the High Elf and the elfling. Ren knocked the High Elf''s hand away before it could touch her, activated his Awesomeness Aura, and cast Charm Person on everyone within his Aura, except for the elfling behind him. ¡°No one will touch her without her permission.¡± Ren commanded them. ¡°No one will touch her without her permission.¡± They all said at the same time. Ren deactivated his Awesomeness Aura and turned to the elfling. ¡°You are the first one of my own kind I''ve ever met.¡± He said and knelt on one knee as he stored his gauntlets. He held a hand out to her, and he felt her reluctance as she took the offered hand. He placed a quick kiss on the back of it, then clasped it with his other hand. ¡°May I ask what you are doing on the battlefield?¡± ¡°I...¡± She looked at the High Elf behind Ren. ¡°I serve the High Lord Alinar Keacaryn.¡± ¡°Is it by choice?¡± Ren asked. She looked back at Ren as she felt the depth of his words, and knew that the answer was very important. ¡°It is a high honor to be allowed to serve in this way.¡± She said with a warm smile, and Ren returned it. ¡°I''m glad to hear that.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°M''lady, if it''s not too much of an inconvenience, I would be honored to talk to you at length after the battle.¡± Once again she looked at the High Elf behind Ren, then back at Ren. ¡°I would be honored as well.¡± Ren beamed a smile at her. ¡°I look forward to it.¡± ¡°As... as do I.¡± She said as Ren let her hand go. ¡°Please excuse me while my friends and I end this conflict before anyone else gets hurt.¡± ¡°You are excused to complete such an important task.¡± She said. Ren gave her another regal bow, turned around, and looked at the High Elves. ¡°No one fires at me or my friends, no matter what they see.¡± He commanded, then jogged back across the air and sat on Princess'' saddle. The High Elves and the elfling watched as they ran across the air to land right in front of the High Elves'' front line. Ren hopped off to stand on the ground and glanced at the fire elemental on his back. ¡°Zetaya? Are you ready?¡± The sound of a budding fire could be heard, and Zetaya dropped to the ground. Ren used wands to cast Permanent Air Walk and Permanent Water Walk on the fire elemental while the ends of it''s leg stubs burned the grass. ¡°It''s going to feel a little weird at first, so don''t panic, okay?¡± Ren said and took out the Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything wand. He cast it and Zetaya doubled in size from 4.5 feet to 9 feet. He cast it again and the fire elemental was now 18 feet tall. The High Elves near them watched in horror as Zetaya went to 36 feet, then 72, then 144, and finally to 288 feet tall. It was also about 150 feet wide, and each of it''s limbs was 30 feet wide. ¡°I think that''s enough!¡± Ren hollered, then turned to Princess. ¡°You''re the road block. If any of the ghouls try to get past us, ram them and keep them away from the High Elves.¡± It will be done. Princess thought to him. Ren felt that she wanted to hide how smart she was from the High Elves, so he didn''t question her decision not to use Magic Mouth to speak. Ren scratched her under the chin and looked up at Zetaya. ¡°Pick me up!¡± Zetaya bent down and held out an arm stub, and Ren climbed on. The fire elemental stood up and held him to it''s head stub, and Ren rubbed it. ¡°You know what to do.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Have fun!¡± The sound of a roaring fire boomed out of the colossal fire elemental, and Ren laughed as every High Elf flinched at the sound, and then he heard several women scream. He turned and looked at the high walls of the city, and rows upon rows of female archers with longbows stared at him and Zetaya. ¡°Don''t fire!¡± Ren said and waved as Zetaya moved her arm stub with him on it, and then shoved him into it''s belly. He saw their arms twitch to draw their arrows back, and he waved to them from inside the fire elemental. Several of the archers dropped their bows, more had their mouths drop open, and one had even fainted. Zetaya tilted forwards and dropped it''s arm stubs to the ground, so it could move faster on all 4 limbs, and the impact of them as they hit the ground caused a minor tremor. Ren took out a wand and cast Full Illusion on Zetaya to make the fire elemental look like a cow, then took out the Generic Staff of Necromancy and moved through Zetaya''s insides to orient himself to the new direction that up was, then patiently waited. This is going to be the hard part. Ren thought and activated the staff''s Ghoul Lure ability. * The High Elf Lord Alinar Keacaryn stood in silence. He was both awed and perturbed that someone with such high Honor had shown up. He was awed that they were going to fight a battle that he knew would be a hard fight, and perturbed that he had just been treated as if he didn''t matter. Alinar glanced down at his halfling maid, and his emotions changed to hate. The look of satisfaction on her face was enough to make him sick; but, he could see that she stared at the newcomer... and not at him like she normally did. That made him angry and he made a fist to strike her, and he couldn''t do it. That made him angrier, and he thought about having his aide do it instead. The moment passed when the ground shook, and he looked back at the battlefield. The colossal fire elemental was now on all fours, and he could see something within it''s flames. He cast Viewing Cloud and saw that it was the newcomer, and he was inside the belly of the beast. Who is this crazy fool? Alinar asked himself and dismissed the cloud, then watched as the fire elemental became a giant cow. Millions of ghouls crested the nearby hill and charged towards one of the main cities in his kingdom. He couldn''t believe the sight, and then stopped breathing as the colossal fire elemental that was now a cow ran over to that hill in only moments, jumped through the air and spread it''s legs out like a star, then landed right in the middle of them. * Ren had a difficult time keeping the ghouls from burning inside of Zetaya, even with his Fire Manipulation ability maxed out. He used both his Undead Adept and Emotion Siphon abilities to sort out the ghouls that weren''t too far gone to be healed, and let all of the others be consumed. He was almost grateful that there weren''t that many to be saved as more and more ghouls were picked up and shoved inside the fire elemental''s body. Zetaya eventually realized that action was too slow, dropped it''s head down and ran. Ghoul after ghoul were sucked in and Ren sorted them. Save. Eat. Eat. Eat. Eat. Eat. Eat. Ren thought in a continuous stream because he didn''t have time to do anything else. Zetaya moved across the battlefield and over the horde of ghouls, sucked up thousands and thousands of them as the fire elemental did as Ren had asked. Because Zetaya was so big, after only a few minutes, the fire elemental had moved across the entire front of the ghoul formation and the Ghoul Lure had directed them towards Ren and Zetaya instead of the walled city and the High Elves guarding it.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Zetaya moved back through the ghouls, stumbled, and then laid down. All the ghouls screeched and hollered almost as one. If anyone had been able to understand what they said, they would have heard shouts of exultation and celebration. The ghouls thought they had defeated the monster that had killed so many of them. What they didn''t realize was that it was a ruse. The ghouls swarmed around the body of the colossal cow, and Zetaya sucked them all in. Since the ghouls in behind didn''t know that there was the problem of them being absorbed, they rushed forward to get their own piece of the meat from the fresh kill... and were subsequently sucked in as well. Ren had his work cut out for him as all he could do was shunt one in every few thousand ghouls aside to protect them from the intense heat Zetaya was using to consume the other ghouls. The ones he was saving weren''t guaranteed to still be savable; but, if there was even a slight chance that they could be saved from turning completely into ghouls, then he wanted to take it. Teepo, are you counting? Ren asked his friend when there was a short lull in the onrush of consumed ghouls. ¡°I am, and you aren''t going to believe the numbers.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The High Elf population took a huge hit with this world event.¡± I know they have, buddy. Ren thought, and then another deluge of ghouls flooded into Zetaya. Is there no end to them? ¡°I''ll check.¡± Teepo said and moved up to the edge of Zetaya''s body to see out. ¡°Wow, it''s... Ren, they''re almost all gone.¡± Thank the gods. Ren said and then sorted the last few thousand ghouls. When both he and Zetaya were done, he could feel that Zetaya was so full that the fire elemental couldn''t move. Ren very carefully moved over to the side of the elemental and eased out of it''s body. ¡°Give me a few minutes, and I''ll have them out of you.¡± Ren said to Zetaya. Ren heard a low crackling fire and pet the fire elemental, then took out his storage tower and gathered up the materials he would need to make a wheeled container for all of the potentially saved ghouls, stored the tower, and built the longest and largest cart he had ever made. Since he could cast permanent Air Walk on it, it didn''t need to be able to turn or handle well, or anything like that. All it needed was to be able to hold them all. He didn''t need benches or anything plush to make the ride easier, and he added a top that could be closed to make sure they couldn''t escape. Ren enchanted it with Reinforcement and Toughness runes, because he knew the ghouls would try and break out of the enclosed space, and then he walked over to Zetaya. ¡°Spit them out, please.¡± Ren said and pointed to the long cart. Zetaya shifted slightly to put it''s head stub over the cart. It still had a hard time moving; but once it was in position, it''s protected contents spilled out and into the cart. The ghouls screeched at the rough treatment, and there was nothing Ren could do about that. His main concern was for Zetaya, and he comforted the engorged elemental as it essentially threw up the ghouls into the containment cart. When they were all expelled, Ren closed the top and locked the cart, and Princess came over to him. I only had to ram a few thousand stragglers. Princess thought to him, and Ren scratched her chin. ¡°Maybe you''ll have better luck at the next city.¡± Ren said. Zetaya needs a break before that. Princess thought. Ren nodded and pet the fire elemental. ¡°You did really well, considering this was the first time we''ve ever done anything like this.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll let you recover for a while before we go on to the next city.¡± The sound of a crackling fire filled the dead silence of the battlefield, and Ren climbed up onto Princess'' saddle and rode her over the High Elves army to stop just in front of the tower. Ren had been too far away from the tower to feel the emotions of the High Elves that were in charge of the battle; but now that he was here, he could feel their surprise, jealously, and a bit of hatred. Ren couldn''t pinpoint who that last bit was from, but by the looks on their faces, he could pretty much tell who liked that he had saved them, and who didn''t like it at all. Surprisingly, it was the head magic user that was delighted, and the female magic user that had spoken earlier was the one who hated that she had been saved. Ren stood up on Princess and walked over to the tower balcony and over to the elfling. ¡°M''lady, while my friend recovers, I will take those afflicted with the sickness to healers trained in it.¡± He said. ¡°I will be back to spend time with you shortly.¡± The elfling looked at the High Lord for a moment, then back at Ren. ¡°I shall await you here.¡± ¡°Nothing would please me more.¡± Ren said and took her hand, kissed the back of it, then ran over to Princess. They went back to the enormous cart, Ren cast Air Walk on it, then hooked Princess to it. He climbed up onto her saddle and they went up into the air, then disappeared from sight. * ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± The female magic user said. ¡°He just left a colossal fire elemental on our lands!¡± ¡°Enhance your calm, Caeda.¡± The Head Spell Caster said. ¡°He will be back before we know it.¡± ¡°What if it decides to move? Or ravage the city?¡± Caeda asked. ¡°We don''t have anything that can stop something that can absorb almost 3 million ghouls in half an hour!¡± The Head Spell Caster chuckled. ¡°I believe our mysterious benefactor''s words are true.¡± He said. ¡°If he wanted to, he could have destroyed us just as easily as his pet destroyed the scourge that threatened us.¡± ¡°It''s not a pet.¡± The elfling spoke up, then covered her mouth. ¡°My apologies.¡± She said and bowed deeply to the magic users. ¡°I didn''t mean to speak.¡± ¡°You have overstepped your station quite a lot today.¡± Alinar said, and she knelt. ¡°I''m sorry, High Lord.¡± Alinar was tempted to strike her to remind her of her place in their society; but, he still couldn''t do it, no matter how much he wanted to. He made a fist and saw her flinch because she expected the blow, and it soothed his mean streak slightly. ¡°I suppose it''s not your fault.¡± Alinar admitted reluctantly. ¡°He is the first Adventurer we have seen of your kind.¡± * Ren told Princess to go to the town they had rescued the marked people from, and they arrived there 3 minutes later. They came in for a landing in the middle of town, and Ren consulted the All-Seeing Mirror. It told him where the trained healers were, and he told Princess where to go. He knocked on the door, and the assistant answered. ¡°Can I help... oh, hello!¡± She said and smiled. ¡°How are the townspeople that went with you?¡± ¡°I''ve gotten most of them jobs in their chosen fields, or built businesses for them to run.¡± Ren said, and she reached out and pat his shoulder. ¡°Thank you for taking care of them.¡± ¡°No thanks are necessary, ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, I have a bit of a problem.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± She said. ¡°Is the main healer here?¡± ¡°I am.¡± An older woman said and walked over. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I have... please, don''t be shocked by this.¡± Ren said and pointed to the enormous covered cart. ¡°I have a few thousand ghouls that might be saved with your healing skills.¡± ¡°Did you say a few thousand?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°They aren''t too happy about the accommodations, either.¡± The healer sighed. ¡°If you can build a place for them to rest...¡± ¡°Consider it done.¡± Ren said. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± He looked around. ¡°Where do you want it?¡± ¡°The field two streets over.¡± The healer said, and Ren disappeared from her sight. ¡°Where did he go?¡± She leaned around her assistant and didn''t see anything. ¡°Did he use Invisibility or someth-AH!¡± Ren appeared in front of her. ¡°It''s built, and I added enough cots for them all.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± The healer looked at him like he was crazy, and he chuckled. ¡°I''m really fast now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you heal them?¡± ¡°Did you make a spot to put them if they can''t be turned back?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll stay close by to make sure they won''t attack.¡± ¡°It''s going to take a while to assess so many of them.¡± The healer said and started to walk down the street with her bag of supplies. ¡°Can you spend an hour just standing by and doing nothing?¡± ¡°If that''s what''s needed, then yes.¡± Ren said and Princess pulled the cart up beside him. ¡°I can also provide you with Mana, Healing, Regeneration, and anything else you may need.¡± The healer chuckled. ¡°What do you need us for?¡± ¡°You''re the only ones I know that have successfully healed nearly fully turned ghouls, and brought them back to themselves.¡± Ren said. ¡°They won''t all turn out like that, you know.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I know the risk.¡± He said. ¡°Anyone not savable gets tossed back into the cart and I bring them back to where they came from.¡± ¡°Well, then.¡± The healer said as she approached the once empty field to find a huge ward had been built. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°Ma''am?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± The healer said and opened the door. ¡°Bring in the first two.¡± Ren opened the top of the enormous cart and a ghoul jumped out at him. He caught it by the throat and crushed it''s neck, then tossed the body aside. ¡°We''re running out of time.¡± Ren said and grabbed two more. They hissed at him, and he filled his Reassurance Aura with calmness. ¡°I''m sorry, he was completely gone.¡± The two ghouls calmed down, and he brought them into the ward. They were checked by the healer and her assistant, who nodded. They were put on the closest available cots, and Ren brought in two more, then two more, over and over, until the cart was nearly empty. Out of the 1,500 he had brought, only 150 of them were just a bit too far gone to help. Ren put them back in the cart and closed it, locked it, and went to the healer and her assistant. Ren gave them each a Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic to increase their Intelligence and Wisdom by 105 points, their Mana production by 1,020%, and it gave them 10,200 Mana. He gave them each a Minor and Major Healing wand, a couple of platinum coins, and asked them what else they needed. ¡°Just time.¡± The healer said. ¡°Come back in a few hours and we will have an update for you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and left the ward, climbed onto Princess'' saddle, and they ran up into the sky with the enormous cart behind them and disappeared from sight. * ¡°Did we just see that?¡± The assistant healer asked. ¡°I didn''t see anything except someone that wanted to help these poor people.¡± The healer said. ¡°It''s odd to be working on High Elves; but, they are still sick.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Go and gather the things we need.¡± ¡°Right away.¡± The assistant said and left at a run. ¡°Word will spread quickly about us doing this.¡± The healer said absently, and went back into the building Ren had built for her. Chapter 462 - Say Hi To The High Elves ¡°I can''t believe this!¡± One of the programmers in the tech department of Sid Tec exclaimed, and several others looked over at him. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I messed up the schedule a little.¡± He said. ¡°A major battle was happening today at the first large walled city of the High Elves called Zinnorel.¡± ¡°Aw, man!¡± One of the other programmers said. ¡°I wanted to see that one!¡± ¡°That''s the problem.¡± The first programmer said. ¡°It didn''t happen.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°A fire elemental grew to a colossal size and ate all the ghouls that were going to attack the city.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°Hey, what''s going on over here?¡± Max, the head programmer asked. ¡°Why are you shouting?¡± ¡°I''m sorry, sir.¡± The guy who shouted said. ¡°The big battle with a huge High Elven army was ruined.¡± ¡°What do you mean, ruined?¡± Max asked. The guy pointed to the first programmer. ¡°Go ahead. Tell him.¡± The first programmer gave a more in depth description of what had happened, and Max asked to see the footage. He watched as a fire elemental grew in front of the troops, and sighed when he noticed who was there. ¡°How long ago was this?¡± Max asked. When the fire elemental became a cow, he almost laughed. Almost. ¡°Maybe an hour game-time.¡± The programmer responded. ¡°So, just this battle and not the whole war.¡± Max said. ¡°Let me know if anything else happens.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Max went back to his desk and sat down. Goddammit! He''s doing it again! He thought. It''s not too late to save this event before he wrecks it. He opened a message box, typed for a second, and sent it to Ren. * Ren was back in the High Elven Kingdom a few minutes after leaving the healer, and he received a message popup.
System Notice!
Your character has received an important update, and you need to log out for it to take effect.
The programmers must have seen the battle. Ren thought in amusement and Princess came to a stop just outside the High Elves front line. He stood up on the saddle and pointed up at the sky. ¡°Are you listening?¡± He nearly yelled. ¡°I''ll leave when I''m done cleaning up this mess and saving these people!¡± The High Elves didn''t know what to make of this declaration against the sky; but, they didn''t comment on it, either. Ren had Princess run over to Zetaya. ¡°How are you?¡± Zetaya rolled over, and Ren chuckled at the sight of a colossal cow rolling over onto it''s back and wiggling it''s legs. He could feel that the fire elemental wasn''t as full as it was before, and it was feeling a lot better. ¡°I''ll let you rest for another hour or so.¡± Ren said and walked over to the cart. ¡°Can you take 150 more?¡± The cow nodded and Ren opened the cart. 10 ghouls jumped out at him, and he swatted them away and then tossed all of the ghouls down into Zetaya. The fire elemental absorbed them easily. ¡°Thank you so much for doing this.¡± Ren said to the fire elemental, and he heard a crackling fire. ¡°I''ll be back in a little while.¡± He said, unhooked the cart from Princess and stored it, then pat his mount. ¡°Do you want to stay here, or go for a little run?¡± He asked Princess, and she had to think about it. Normally, that would be a hard decision. Princess thought to him. It isn''t now. I will stay by your side, in case you need me. ¡°I guess that means you don''t want to miss anything if it happens.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it to show him any impending battles or skirmishes that could happen over the next few hours. He then asked about towns or villages being overrun, and asked about individual homes or small groups of people. Nothing was happening or going to happen for a while, so he put the mirror away, scratched Princess on the chin and waved to Zetaya, then jogged through the air and stopped at the High Elves command tower. Ren stood on the railing and could see the elfling as she stood in the middle of the balcony, with her hands clasped in front of her. She had changed her outfit for some reason, and was now wearing a white dress with fancy gold embroidery. Her long raven-colored hair was swept back from her face to highlight her Elven features, and her face was flushed red. The High Elves stood on the periphery of the balcony and Ren felt their anticipation. He sighed mentally, because they had laid a trap for him and were using the elfling as bait. Ren knew something would spring into place if he stepped on the floor at the respectable distance from her, and he looked her in the eyes. They locked gazes, and Ren smiled at her as he intentionally stepped down onto the floor. ¡°No.¡± She whispered as the trap sprung into place, and Ren was surrounded by bars made of Mana. ¡°Not so smart if so easily fooled by a pretty face.¡± Alinar Keacaryn, the High Lord of the Elves, said as he walked over to the Mana cage. ¡°You are an idiot.¡± Ren said. Ren felt the High Elf Lord''s hatred. He was pretty sure what he felt from the High Lord wasn''t for the insult. It was because Ren hadn''t stopped looking at the elfling. ¡°She knows the truth.¡± Ren said, and nodded to the elfling. ¡°He stepped there on purpose.¡± She said as a tear came to her eye. ¡°For me.¡± She didn''t try to hide her shame as she let the tear roll down her cheek. ¡°I''m sorry, M''lord.¡± ¡°Fret not, M''lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know the machinations of court politics quite well by now.¡± ¡°Court politics?¡± Alinar chuckled. ¡°This was my idea, and not the court''s decision.¡± ¡°I had guessed it was your idea, and you misunderstood what I meant.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, what do you want?¡± ¡°We want answers.¡± Alinar waved to someone, and a wizened old elf stepped forward. ¡°Why did you come here?¡± He asked, and Ren felt a slight probe in his head. ¡°I heard of the immense beauty of...¡± Ren stopped talking and smiled at the elfling. ¡°I know it''s quite improper to ask without having a formal meal with you first.¡± He said to her and bowed slightly. ¡°I ask for your forgiveness, and for your name.¡± She glanced at the High Lord for a moment, and then back to Ren. ¡°Allynna Arthion¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°An appropriately beautiful name.¡± Ren said and looked back at the wizened old elf. ¡°I heard of the immense beauty of M''lady Arthion, and had to see it for myself.¡± The wizened old elf walked over to Alinar and they whispered low enough that they thought Ren couldn''t hear. With his stats so high, Ren heard them easily and could even read their lips. ¡°I can''t tell if he''s lying or not.¡± The old elf said. ¡°My probes bounce off of him, and my in-depth attempt was also unsuccessful.¡± ¡°What else can you do?¡± Alinar asked. ¡°We could try torture.¡± The old elf said, then shook his head. ¡°Then again, he''s a bit too powerful for that to work.¡± ¡°That''s because of his armor.¡± Alinar said. ¡°If he wasn''t wearing it...¡± ¡°A short teleport spell?¡± The old elf asked, and Alinar nodded. The old man waved another High Elf over and spoke to him just as quietly, then turned back to Alinar. ¡°It will take a few moments to prepare.¡± ¡°Just keep him talking.¡± Alinar said. The wizened old elf nodded and walked back over to Ren. ¡°Why did you save the city?¡± ¡°I heard that M''lady Arthion was inside, and I won''t let anything happen to her.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± The old elf asked. ¡°When I leave here, after having a nice meal with M''lady, I''ll clear away the rest of the ghoul hordes so that she won''t be in danger from them ever again.¡± ¡°Why aren''t you telling us the whole truth?¡± Allynna asked when the inspiration struck her. ¡°They didn''t say they wanted the truth, just that they wanted answers.¡± Ren responded, and she giggled. He felt her surprise at the sound of her own laugh, and she covered her mouth. ¡°Tell us the truth.¡± The wizened old elf said. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why did you come here?¡± ¡°Other Adventurers annoyed me, and I''m going to annoy them back.¡± Ren said. ¡°A lot of this war was their doing, and they tried to shove me aside so I couldn''t participate.¡± The High Elves exchanged glances, then looked back at Ren. ¡°How do we know that''s the truth?¡± The old elf asked. ¡°Just a minute.¡± Ren said and activated his Craft Wondrous item ability, put a blank amulet on the golden platform that appeared, and made an Amulet of Interrogation.
Amulet of Interrogation (Compulsion - Truth)
Beings (creatures or persons) within the area of effect can''t speak any deliberate or intentional lies. Anyone within the Aura cannot avoid speaking the truth when asked a direct question, or they will suffer through a blast of Heat that will make them sweat immediately for the first infraction. Each subsequent infraction will increase both the Heat and the amount of sweat produced. Any creatures or persons with no will of their own are unaffected by any truth-based spell or enchantment. Area of Effect: 50 foot radius
¡°This is an Amulet of Interrogation.¡± Ren said and held it up. ¡°It causes anyone that lies to sweat profusely until they tell the truth.¡± The old elf eyed the amulet and Ren could feel how much he wanted it. ¡°May I have it?¡± The old elf asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said, and looked at the High Lord. ¡°I only have one question to ask first.¡± He said. ¡°Do you treat M''lady Arthion properly?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Alinar said. He felt a small burst of heat and beads of sweat popped out on his skin. ¡°Well, now you know it works.¡± Ren said and gently tossed the amulet through the bars of the Mana cage. The old elf caught it and immediately put it around his neck, then sighed. ¡°It''s a false comfort.¡± Ren warned him. ¡°Everyone believes they want to hear the truth all the time; but, when they do, they aren''t happy about it.¡± ¡°Not in my line of work, halfling.¡± ¡°By the tone in your voice, you just insulted me.¡± Ren said and looked at the other High Elves. ¡°If anyone insults me or M''lady Arthion like that again, I''ll teach them a lesson.¡± ¡°Not from there, you can''t.¡± One of the others said. ¡°You do realize that only I am within this cage, right?¡± Ren said. ¡°Neither my awesome mount, nor my friend Zetaya are inside here with me.¡± No one spoke at all for a few moments. ¡°Wh-what lesson would you teach them?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°A most appropriate one, M''lady.¡± Ren smiled warmly at her. ¡°Why aren''t you afraid of being captured and held against your will?¡± The wizened old elf asked. ¡°I haven''t been captured.¡± Ren grinned at the old elf. ¡°I''m merely humoring you.¡± ¡°Why are you doing that?¡± ¡°At first, it was because I didn''t want M''lady to fail in her assigned task.¡± Ren said, and he felt Allynna''s gratitude. ¡°Now? I''m just waiting for your assistant to finish his spell preparation.¡± ¡°Why?¡± The old elf asked. ¡°It''s done!¡± The assistant said and brought over the scroll. He unfurled it and Ren saw it. ¡°So I can gain the limited teleport spell, of course.¡± Ren said, and dismissed the popup saying he now knew the spell. ¡°Cast it on him quickly!¡± Alinar said. ¡°It doesn''t work like that.¡± Ren said, and cut off the old elf''s response. ¡°Gathering the Mana and saying the chant takes a lot longer than a few seconds.¡± ¡°Do it!¡± Alinar commanded. ¡°I''ll just stand here and do nothing to try and prevent it.¡± Ren said and looked at the old elf. ¡°Go ahead. I''ll wait.¡± The old elf handed the scroll to the Head Spell Caster, who read the spell and the scroll disappeared. Ren felt the elf''s regret as the Mana started to build, and stood there with his arms held down at his sides, to show that he really wasn''t going to do anything. It took nearly a full minute for the spell to be ready, and a green light formed around the spell caster''s hands. ¡°I''m sorry, Adventurer.¡± The Head Spell Caster said, and cast the spell... and nothing happened. ¡°Don''t be.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I have 7,500% Spell Resistance while wearing this thing.¡± All of the High Elves mouths dropped open, even High Lord Alinar''s, and Ren crossed his arms. ¡°So, anything else you want to know?¡± ¡°Are... are you really going to get rid of all the ghouls?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°Not all of them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t deny other Adventurers the chance to play this event.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°The High Elves do not need to be nearly annihilated to achieve the same result.¡± Ren said. ¡°A skirmish here and a battle there, was all that was needed.¡± He smiled. ¡°None of this population depletion garbage had to happen.¡± ¡°But... M''lord...¡± ¡°Are you worried about this Mana cage, M''lady?¡± Ren asked Allynna, and she nodded. Ren reached out and touched the cage, then absorbed it. It disappeared instantly, and all of the High Elves stepped back. ¡°It provided naught but a temporary barrier between our meeting.¡± He said and walked forward. ¡°Stay back!¡± Alinar said and drew his sword, then darted forward to attack. A shield appeared and the High Lord bounced off of it and flew backwards into the wall of the tower. ¡°High Lord!¡± Allynna exclaimed and ran to his side. She knelt by the stunned High Elf and pulled his head into her lap. ¡°I suspected that you enjoyed your position a lot more than he wanted you to be there.¡± Ren said. ¡°I... I love him, even though his hatred for me stabs my heart every time he speaks.¡± Allynna said, and Ren walked over to her. ¡°I won''t subject you to actually having a meal with me, if the one you love would hold it against you.¡± ¡°You are magnanimous, M''lord.¡± Allynna said. Ren chuckled. ¡°I assume he has a wife.¡± ¡°He does, but she treats him like trash.¡± Allynna said. ¡°He expects that, and not the love he deserves.¡± She sighed. ¡°He doesn''t understand what actual love is.¡± She said. ¡°I do everything for him, and yet...¡± Ren put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Please accept my apologies for putting you in this position.¡± ¡°M''lord, it is I that should ask for your forgiveness.¡± Allynna said. ¡°If I had suspected that your words were more than just words...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I would enjoy having a meal with you; but, I won''t jeopardize your position for my own enjoyment.¡± He said. ¡°I will fight for your social standing if you want me to, though.¡± ¡°Thank you, M''lord.¡± Allynna said. ¡°But... they aren''t ready for that kind of... social upheaval.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I could argue that they really do need it; but, with the current atmosphere...¡± ¡°M''lord... they can''t handle...¡± She ducked her head. ¡°I can''t be what they need.¡± ¡°That''s exactly why you are what they need.¡± Ren said as Alinar started to come around. ¡°I won''t force you to take on that role if you don''t want it.¡± Alinar blinked his eyes and stared at Ren as he came to, then he tried to get to his feet and continue the attack. ¡°Don''t make me hurt you.¡± Ren warned as Alinar stood up and hefted the Keacaryn Ancestral Sword. ¡°High Lord!¡± Allynna yelled, and Alinar looked at her. ¡°I have politely declined his meal request.¡± Alinar took in a deep breath, and sheathed his sword. ¡°You are fortunate that I listen to my underlings.¡± He said to Ren. ¡°As are you.¡± Ren commented, and someone behind him chuckled. ¡°Who laughed?¡± Alinar asked and glared at the other High Elves. ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said and looked at Allynna. ¡°M''lady, it was an honor to meet you.¡± ¡°I am honored to meet you as well.¡± Allynna said. ¡°I would like to arrange meeting more of my kind, with your help.¡± Ren said. ¡°There are quite a number of us here.¡± Allynna said. ¡°It can be done.¡± Ren held out a platinum coin. ¡°Please choose an appropriate venue, and make arrangements for everyone in this city that wants to meet with me.¡± He said. ¡°In 3 hours. That should be enough time.¡± ¡°Enough time for what?¡± ¡°To see if any of the High Elves survived the healing.¡± Ren said. Allynna didn''t look at the High Lord before she took the offered coin and stashed it. ¡°I will make the appropriate arrangements.¡± ¡°Thank you, M''lady.¡± Ren said, and walked over to the railing. ¡°I will return.¡± He said and stepped out into the open air. ¡°I sincerely hope you will be at the meeting.¡± He looked at Alinar. ¡°I will understand if you aren''t.¡± ¡°Don''t expect to see me there, M''lord.¡± Allynna said. Ren nodded and ran across the sky over to Zetaya, then asked the fire elemental if it wanted to be shrunk back down. The fire elemental shook it''s head stub and stood up on all four limbs, and Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror. He asked where the closest ghoul nest was, and showed the location to Princess and Zetaya. The High Elves watched in amazement while the colossal fire elemental tromped over the hill and up into the sky as it ran as fast as it could towards the next encounter. They barely noticed the small speck running through the air beside it. Chapter 463 - All In A Days Work Ren rode beside Zetaya as the fire elemental strode through the air to the spot they had seen on the map. When they arrived, Ren took out the Staff Of Earth and pushed all of the dirt out of the way to expose the underground nest. He wasn''t surprised to see the piles of remains and clothing pieces, or the mass of half-changed High Elves. I wonder if it''s easier to change an elf to a ghoul than it is to change a human to a ghoul? Ren asked himself, then shook his head. Forget that. I don''t want to know. Zetaya repeated the same trick and put Ren inside, then started to suck up all the ghouls. The ones that were too far gone were consumed immediately, and the others Ren shunted aside. It went a lot faster this time, since they had it down to an efficient system, and then he went outside and attached the enormous cart to Princess. Zetaya spit out the ghouls that had a chance to be saved, and Ren went down and stored all the personal effects that were there. He then used the staff to fill in the nest so it couldn''t be used again, and his extermination group went on to the next nest. * ¡°High Lord, what are your orders?¡± An armored High Elf asked. ¡°Do we maintain our stations in case of a resurgence of ghoul activity, or do we redeploy and search out that activity?¡± ¡°Let the halfling do it.¡± Alinar sneered. ¡°He seems to have decided to take this situation into his own hands.¡± ¡°Then what should we do?¡± ¡°Keep the watch until this evening, then we will move to Wirenth.¡± Alinar said. ¡°Hopefully the ghouls will have cleared out the shantytown around the walls, and all we will have to concern ourselves with is guarding the walls.¡± The armored High Elf gave the High Lord a bow, and left him alone with his advisers. ¡°High Lord, is that wise?¡± One of the advisers asked. ¡°The Adventurer will return here after we leave...¡± ¡°That''s why we are leaving.¡± Alinar said. ¡°I never want to see that halfling again.¡± ¡°For yourself, or because of your own halfling?¡± ¡°What she does in her personal life is not my concern.¡± Alinar said, and he felt another small burst of Heat as sweat appeared on his forehead. ¡°Take that damn thing off!¡± He said angrily to the wizened old elf, who laughed. ¡°That Adventurer was wrong.¡± The old elf said. ¡°I''m enjoying this immensely.¡± ¡°You won''t be enjoying it if you are headless.¡± Alinar grumbled. ¡°High Lord, there is no need for threats.¡± The old elf said and smiled. ¡°As long as you don''t lie, you have nothing to sweat about.¡± ¡°You can''t conduct any kind of negotiations without lying.¡± Alinar said. ¡°Your amulet would be next to useless.¡± ¡°Would it?¡± The old elf asked. ¡°If you asked someone you are negotiating with what their minimum demands would be, and they tell you and start to sweat...¡± Alinar glanced down at his side where his halfling maid was supposed to be. I wonder what she would say if I asked her that. * ¡°A great elfling Adventurer?¡± An elfling exclaimed after Allynna had told them about Ren. ¡°You must be joking!¡± ¡°I kid you not.¡± Allynna said. ¡°Right before my very eyes he appeared, and he wore platinum armor.¡± She said. ¡°He rode a mount that also wore platinum armor, and he carried a fire elemental on his back!¡± ¡°Now we know you''re joking.¡± Another elfling said. ¡°No one would make an elfling armor, let alone platinum armor!¡± He said. ¡°There''s no way this elfling Adventurer exists!¡± ¡°You can find out for yourself in just under 3 hours.¡± Allynna said. ¡°I''ve arranged for the gathering to be held in the Great Meeting Hall, and he will be back to meet you then.¡± ¡°He really wants to meet us?¡± One of the female elflings said, and Allynna nodded. ¡°I regret that the High Lord will be leaving this fine city before then, and I won''t be here to introduce you and share in the experience.¡± ¡°You could always stay for an extra day.¡± Her mother said. ¡°We can send you along tomorrow to meet up with the caravan of soldiers.¡± ¡°I am tempted, but you know how much the High Lord depends on me.¡± Allynna said. ¡°Too much, if you ask me.¡± Her mother responded, and then smiled. ¡°You poor thing.¡± ¡°Yes, my love will always be an unrequited one.¡± Allynna laughed. ¡°I knew that before I accepted the position.¡± ¡°I shall see if we can set up one of the Illusion Makers.¡± One of the other male elflings said. ¡°Then take this.¡± Allynna said and handed the elfling 10 gold coins. ¡°I''m sure you can get a better price than that; but just in case, you should take that much.¡± ¡°Thank you, M''lady.¡± He said, and it reminded her of the Adventurer. ¡°I... I just realized something.¡± Allynna said. ¡°I''m doing all of this and I don''t even know his name.¡± Her mother laughed. ¡°I''ll wait out by the wall and ask when he gets here.¡± She said. ¡°Someone needs to guide him to the meeting.¡± ¡°Thank you, mother.¡± ¡°You better get going.¡± Her mother said. ¡°I''m sure the High One is missing your constant presence.¡± Allynna smiled and kissed her mother''s cheek. ¡°I''ve arranged for food and ale for everyone, so make sure they all show up to meet him.¡± Her mother laughed. ¡°They''ll show up just for the ale!¡± * Ren, Princess, and Zetaya had cleared out 35 nests by the time 2 hours were up, and they took the loaded cart back to the first city. ¡°Stay here by the hill while we deliver the new patients, Zetaya.¡± Ren said. ¡°The High Elven Army might be gone, but there are still troops roaming around.¡± Zetaya nodded and laid down in the large scorch mark it had left there during the battle. Ren and Princess rode across the countryside to the little town and stopped at the healer''s new treatment ward. He knocked on the door, and the healer''s assistant came out. ¡°You can just go right in. It''s a ward, not a private residence.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and pointed to the cart. ¡°I''ve got another load for you to check.¡± The healer''s assistant shook her head in disbelief. ¡°Is this going to be a regular thing?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I cleared out a pile of ghoul nests around the High Elven city, but I haven''t traced the horde back to where it came from.¡± He said. ¡°There could be more, or there could be nothing else.¡± ¡°That''s both good and bad to hear.¡± The healer said as she came over to the door. ¡°We''ve already started seeing marked improvements in the High Elves you''ve brought us, and thanks to your gifts, it''s progressing much faster than it would have normally.¡± ¡°I''m really glad of that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want me to start bringing in the next ones?¡± ¡°Yes, there''s lots of room left.¡± The healer said. ¡°These double stacked cots are wonderful!¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Ren nodded. ¡°It doubles your capacity for patients within the same space.¡± ¡°You Adventurers and your crazy ideas.¡± The healer grinned. ¡°Let''s get to work and help these people.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Ren said and he brought in the infected High Elves that he had rescued from the nests. They weren''t as far gone as the ones he had taken from the attacking ghoul horde, and the healer was very pleased to say that they were all going to make a full recovery. Teepo warned Ren that the time for the meeting was approaching. ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is there any chance that I can get an estimate of their recovery?¡± ¡°It will be a day or two at least.¡± The healer said. ¡°I don''t have a lot of experience with High Elves, and with their larger than average bodies...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± He said. ¡°Thank you for doing this.¡± ¡°It''s our job.¡± The healer said. ¡°Thank you for this.¡± She said and held up her wrist and then waved at the building. ¡°It''s not my job to help, but I like doing it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ll be back to pick them up in a few days.¡± ¡°Like I said, there''s no rush.¡± The healer said. ¡°Although...¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is there any chance we could get some native food for them?¡± She asked. ¡°Our food is a bit too rough, apparently.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m heading back to a High Elven city right now for a meeting, and I''ll see if I can get some afterwards.¡± ¡°That would be wonderful.¡± The healer said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren left the ward and unhooked the cart from Princess, stored it, and climbed up onto her saddle. ¡°Back to the High Elven city.¡± He said, and she trotted up into the sky and disappeared. * ¡°I''ve seen that twice now, and I still can''t believe it.¡± The healer''s assistant said. ¡°He gave us decades worth of Mana that we can carry around on our wrists, that replenishes itself without us adding anything to it, and it''s this disappearing act that you can''t believe?¡± The healer asked. ¡°Well, when you put it that way...¡± ¡°Come.¡± The healer laughed and pat her assistant''s shoulder. ¡°Our next few days will be busy ones. We need to get back to work.¡± The assistant nodded and shut the door to the ward. It was nearly filled to capacity, and instead of thinking they were overloaded or taxed beyond their abilities, both women accepted the challenge eagerly and dove into their work. Nothing made them happier than healing the sick. * Ren and Princess arrived back at the High Elven city of Zinnorel, and he dropped Princess off to stay with Zetaya. ¡°Relax and get comfortable.¡± He said. ¡°I shouldn''t be long; but, I''m probably meeting a lot of people.¡± ¡°Take your time, My Lord.¡± Princess said. ¡°Zetaya needs the rest.¡± ¡°Are you sure that you don''t want me to shrink you back down?¡± Ren asked the fire elemental. Zetaya shook it''s head and he felt the ''no'' distinctly in it''s emotions. ¡°Okay, I''ll see you in a little while.¡± ¡°Enjoy yourself.¡± Princess said. Ren ran up and through the air to go over the city wall, mainly because he didn''t want to have to deal with anything that might happen at the main gate, and saw a female elfling wave to him. He came to a stop on the top of the wall and looked at her. She had medium length raven-colored hair and high cheek bones similar to ones he had seen barely 3 hours before, and she wore a simple but lovely dress that covered her from neck to foot. ¡°M''lady, you look very familiar.¡± Ren said. ¡°Could you perchance be the mother of M''lady Arthion?¡± ¡°I am, M''lord.¡± The elfling said and smiled. ¡°I can see what she said is true.¡± ¡°I could ask what she said; but, I''m pretty sure I''m too humble to hear it without blushing.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°M''lord, if you would escort me, I''ll bring you to the meeting.¡± Ren stepped down onto the wall. ¡°Is it far?¡± ¡°It''s in the Great Meeting Hall beside the third spire to the left.¡± The elfling said and pointed. ¡°That is quite a fair walk.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for coming here to meet me.¡± ¡°It''s nothing.¡± The female elfling said, and waved away his thanks. ¡°I volunteered to meet you, once she told me what she knew of you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That makes it sound like she''s missing an important piece of information.¡± ¡°She is.¡± The elfling said. ¡°She doesn''t know your name, and I told her I would ask you for it.¡± ¡°I... yes, in my haste while dealing with the High Elves, I didn''t tell her.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I even asked her for her name, and didn''t reciprocate.¡± ¡°It''s fine.¡± The female elfling said and pointed to the stairs that led down to the ground. ¡°I''ll send a messenger to the capital in the morning, once I discover it.¡± ¡°M''lady, my name is Ren.¡± Ren said and bowed to her. ¡°I am honored to meet you.¡± ¡°As... as am I, M''lord Ren.¡± She said, flustered at his treatment. ¡°My name is Yllana Arthion.¡± ¡°If I may be so bold, what of your husband?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Are you here without escort?¡± ¡°Possibly.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Are you planning on... flirting with me?¡± She asked, and he felt her surprise at the idea. ¡°Potentially.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Although, I must make it clear that it is just flirting, and nothing else.¡± ¡°M''lord, I haven''t been flirted with since Allynna''s father died 150 years ago.¡± Yllana said. It was Ren''s turn to feel surprise as he thought about elf lifespans, and saw Yllana still looked so young. If he had to take a guess, she was barely a few years older than her daughter, and he knew that should be physically impossible. ¡°I would be delighted to exchange pleasantries with you.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Shall we go?¡± ¡°M''lady, if you would permit me to carry you, we can get there much quicker.¡± ¡°C-carry m-me?¡± ¡°Perhaps not.¡± Ren said and held an elbow out for her to take. ¡°A n-nice l-leisurely stroll would allow us to talk before the meeting.¡± Yllana said as she wrapped her arm around his elbow and rested her hand on the back of his. ¡°I''d like that.¡± Ren said and led her down the stairs. ¡°I''m normally the short one, then I was in the dwarf lands and was the tall one.¡± He said as they descended the stairs in step. ¡°I''ve never been anywhere that my height was the same as everyone else.¡± Yllana smiled. ¡°You''re still not.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You know what I mean.¡± Yllana nodded. ¡°I do.¡± She said, and then glanced at him. ¡°You were in the dwarf lands?¡± ¡°I was, and for a lot longer than I thought I was going to be.¡± Ren said. ¡°Boy, what a tale that is.¡± ¡°Then save it for the meeting.¡± Yllana said. ¡°They should have the Illusion Maker set up to save your appearance.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°We have a machine that lets us save the image of others.¡± Yllana said. ¡°It''s usually used for the military, so the soldiers know their orders are legitimate and not something their superiors are making up for them.¡± ¡°Did that happen a lot?¡± Ren asked, and then smiled. ¡°Never mind. I guess it would have to be a lot for them to come up with a way to confirm orders.¡± ¡°Very astute.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Yes, they would abuse their positions and have soldiers do... work... that they were not intended for.¡± ¡°Say no more.¡± Ren said. ¡°I understand completely.¡± He said. ¡°I experienced that first hand while in the dwarf lands.¡± Yllana chuckled. ¡°Is that where all of your references will come from? Your time in the dwarf lands?¡± ¡°I was there the longest, so a lot of my practical experiences did happen there.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve done some other things, though.¡± ¡°Please make an itemized list and submit it to the elfling council.¡± Yllana joked. ¡°They need to know what elflings can do.¡± ¡°We can do anything we set our minds to, M''lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t need a list.¡± ¡°I could argue that I meant it as a joke.¡± Yllana said. ¡°As we don''t have a council, nor would it have any power if it existed.¡± Ren could feel her feelings, and he looked at her intently. ¡°I made an offer to your daughter to fight for her rights, and she refused because she said that the High Elves weren''t ready for that.¡± ¡°Oh, they are not.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Her father was the High Lord 200 years ago and had taken me as a lover.¡± She smiled warmly. ¡°It was such a scandal when we were discovered 50 years later that he was deposed from the throne, removed from the rightful line of succession, then beheaded.¡± Ren stopped walking. ¡°That''s horrible.¡± He said, and Yllana turned to face him. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Yllana reached up and touched his face. ¡°You really are sorry, aren''t you?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°That''s so sweet.¡± Yllana said and caressed his cheek. ¡°You aren''t flirting yet, and my heart is already fluttering.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°M''lady, I don''t even have my Prince Charming title active.¡± Yllana tilted her head slightly. ¡°Can you activate it?¡± ¡°I don''t think I should.¡± Ren said. ¡°With my current stats, it''s probably... very powerful.¡± ¡°Then I must feel it, M''lord.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Standing beside you like this has been making my skin tingle.¡± She said. ¡°If you can induce even more feelings in me...¡± ¡°I don''t want to take the chance that you will become enamoured of me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even if I am besotted with you, I pledge my Honor that I will never show it after your attempt.¡± Yllana said, and Ren felt her emotions turn completely serious. ¡°I challenge you to do the same.¡±
Notice!
You have been challenged to an Honor Duel. Since they usually involve some kind of political intrigue, using emotional influence is an odd choice of weapons. If you do win her favor, she will become a powerful ally in the High Elven Kingdom. If you fail to influence her with your Aura during the duel, she will gain half of your current Honor.
¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I cannot answer that until you answer the challenge.¡± ¡°What happens if I refuse?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Well, nothing here between us.¡± She smiled. ¡°You are an Adventurer, and I know you have different requirements for things; so, you will know that you refused and I can assume something might happen to you because of it.¡± ¡°So, I can accept and try to compete, or refuse and I might not have anything happen.¡± Yllana nodded. ¡°Can I cast spells?¡± Yllana chuckled. ¡°It''s not combat, M''lord.¡± ¡°Is Charm Person considered a combat spell?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What kind of combats have you been in that Charm Person can be used?¡± ¡°Very personal ones.¡± Yllana said. ¡°What is your decision?¡± ¡°Can I leave and talk to someone first?¡± ¡°No, it''s considered the same as refusing.¡± ¡°You aren''t leaving me much choice.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°Everything we do is choice.¡± Yllana said and unwrapped her arm from his and stepped back. ¡°We choose to get up in the morning.¡± She said and her eyes started to glow. ¡°We choose to meet people that will change the way things are.¡± Yllana''s Aura popped into place, and Ren could tell that it was an Importance Aura. Her hair became more lustrous and started to float a little as she became much more appealing and drew attention to herself. ¡°We also choose to offer up what we have to those we believe are worthy of the gift.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Then I only have one thing to say to you.¡± Ren said as he activated his Prince Charming title. Yllana gasped as the effect hit her, and her serious emotions changed to both desire and longing. She hadn''t felt anything like that in a century, and her eyes widened as Ren smiled confidently. ¡°I accept your challenge.¡± Ren said, and then activated his own Importance Aura. Chapter 464 - Honor Duel When Ren activated his own Importance Aura, it merged with Yllana''s Importance Aura, and she flinched as Ren''s unfiltered emotions slammed into her. She watched as his hair grew fluffier, his silvery-blue eyes sparkled with amusement, and his smile dazzled her. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Yllana whispered as things stirred within her, and her desire rose up almost to the point that she couldn''t keep it restrained. She was extremely glad she had worn a dress to meet her daugher, because it was much easier to hide her body''s automatic reaction to having such a strong male elfling be her opponent. ¡°Oh, I forgot to mention that I have the Emotion Siphon ability.¡± Ren said, and used that ability to touch her from the inside. Yllana caught her breath when some of her desire was absorbed, and then it rose even higher as she felt like he had caressed her where no one had ever touched her before. It''s... it''s like he is touching my soul! Yllana thought in shock as he caressed her from inside again. ¡°I feel like I have you at a disadvantage, M''lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to admit that you are strong, M''lord.¡± Yllana said. ¡°But, I am not to be trifled with so easily.¡± Yllana fought through Ren''s sea of emotions and concentrated on her own Aura abilities, and she opened up the top of her dress to reveal her cleavage. It was Ren''s turn to widen his eyes as she activated her Seduction Aura, and her sexiness slapped him in the face. Her breasts became much more prominent, her lips extremely kissable, and even her eyelashes grew to twice their normal size. She blinked at him seductively, and his own body reacted. Ren was really glad that his armor hid how excited he was, and then he realized he was insulting Yllana by not showing how she affected him. He equipped his High Elven Court Uniform that he had received as a gift from Sally so long ago; but, he kept the new platinum boots on. He felt her reaction to seeing him in proper clothing, and she moaned as she looked down at his waist and saw his very male reaction to her. One of her hands touched her own breasts and the other tried to touch somewhere else, but the dress that hid her own body''s reaction so well, also stopped her hand from reaching it''s destination. ¡°M''lady.¡± Ren said. Yllana was startled at his voice''s intrusion and quickly looked back up at his face. ¡°What happens if there is a tie?¡± Ren asked as he beamed a smile at her and raised a single eyebrow. ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± Yllana breathed, and she had a hard time not panting at how handsome he was. Her hand kept squeezing her own breast as he took a step towards her. ¡°It''s... it''s never happened before.¡± Ren built up his own desire as if he were going to feed it to her, and she could feel her own building to match it. ¡°Then please.¡± He said and took another step towards her. ¡°Allow this, our first meeting, to be an historic moment for our people.¡± Yllana could do nothing but take a step towards him, like a moth to a flame, and then she stopped breathing as Ren activated his Awesomeness Aura. It washed over her, and she felt his magnetism so much that she took another step forward without realizing it. She blinked her eyes for a moment and came back to her senses, then she smiled. ¡°M''lord, nothing would make me happier than to neither win nor lose this contest with you.¡± Ren took that last step to meet her in the middle, cupped her untouched breast through her dress, and placed the tip of his thumb on the exposed skin. She gasped as he poured his desire into her, and absorbed her desire in return. Her hand that had tried desperately to please herself down below, turned and grabbed him through his clothing instead. ¡°Those are... magic words.¡± Ren said and leaned forward to whisper as she caressed him through his clothing. ¡°It''s my fetish to make a woman happy.¡± Yllana leaned forward as well. ¡°It''s my desire to make a man happy.¡± She whispered back, and Ren felt how much she had missed experiencing both that feeling, and what her hand was feeling. ¡°On three.¡± Ren said. ¡°One.¡± He kept a hand on her breast and rubbed it with his thumb. ¡°Two.¡± He used his free hand to hold her waist. ¡°Three.¡± They both leaned forward and kissed at the same time.
Notice!
Your unconventional Honor Duel has ended in a tie. Since it was a willing choice by both participants, both win and loss conditions will be met. You have lost 125,000 Honor, and have gained a valuable ally in the High Elven Kingdom.
¡°Great Vasalor!¡± Yllana broke the kiss when she received the Honor. ¡°M''lord!¡± ¡°A small price to pay.¡± Ren said and kissed her again. ¡°M''lord, please.¡± Yllana said as her desire for him started to drive her crazy. ¡°Help me!¡± ¡°Yes, M''lady.¡± Ren said and picked her up in a Princess carry, with an arm behind her back and one under her knees, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He crouched slightly and jumped up and up into the air, and he felt her delight as the wind whipped her medium length raven-colored hair into a frenzy. Ren landed on top of the closest spire that was 300 feet high, took out his Instant Tower and activated it, then brought her inside. Yllana only saw a glimpse of the 4 shops inside, and then she was laying down on the most comfortable bed she had ever been on. ¡°We can''t have sex.¡± Ren said, and Yllana laughed as she started to open her dress the rest of the way. ¡°M''lord, there are so many things we can do without actually having sex.¡± Yllana said. ¡°What about the meeting?¡± Ren asked and handed her a Strong Ring of Storage. She put it on and stored her dress and underwear without having to be told what to do. ¡°They are just getting the food and ale now.¡± Yllana said. ¡°We have about half an hour before they will wonder where we are.¡± ¡°That''s not enough time, M''lady.¡± Ren said as he knelt on the floor and dove between her legs, then pleased her like she had never been pleased before. ******** Elise had gone home to drop off her things from the office, had a shower and changed into Ren''s favorite jeans and a loose top, then picked up the gift she had bought for him and headed over to his place. She arrived there half an hour later and went inside, and went into the dining room. ¡°Hi, Stella.¡± Elise said and added her present to the small pile on the side table. ¡°Hi, Elise.¡± Stella said. ¡°I can''t believe it''s his birthday again so soon.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°So soon? After all of the things he''s gone through this last year?¡± Stella chuckled, too. ¡°Well, I guess it could be longer than a year if you added up everything that''s happened.¡± ¡°Oh, definitely.¡± Barbara said as she came into the room with a pack of balloons. ¡°I swear, if he wasn''t in the condition he''s in, he''d be in the condition he''s in.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°He''s been through a lot.¡± ¡°Not just in the real world, either.¡± Denise said as she came into the room and handed Stella a set of streamers. ¡°He''s been cleaning up the ghouls all morning.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°How''s it coming along?¡± Elise asked. ¡°He had his fire elemental take out the horde that was attacking a High Elf city, took some of them to a healer, then went back to clean up a lot of the nests.¡± Denise said. ¡°Boy, that''s a mouthful of odd things to say.¡± She smiled. ¡°Right now, he''s taking a break and going to meet up with some other elflings.¡± ¡°I hope he has fun.¡± Elise said. ¡°Now that the game has opened up the High Elves as playable characters, he might meet even more of his character''s race.¡± ¡°He should be out soon.¡± Denise said and looked at the clock. ¡°Night in the game starts in about 45 minutes, if my calculations are right.¡± ¡°I really hope he''s surprised.¡± Lisa said and helped Stella toss a few streamers around to drape them over everything. ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Barbara asked and laughed. ¡°Of course he''s going to be surprised. We usually have to keep reminding him that it''s his birthday!¡± ******** Ren had been right that half an hour was nowhere near enough time. He had made sure that Yllana had been taken care of and her needs as satisfied as they could be; but, he was quite frustrated when Teepo had warned him that their time was almost up. ¡°We have to get to the meeting.¡± Ren said, and Yllana moaned regretfully as he stopped playing with her. ¡°M-M-M''lord.¡± Yllana moaned, and pawed at his pants. ¡°Y-you are unsatisfied.¡± ¡°We don''t have time.¡± Ren said, and Yllana made several gestures in the air, clapped her hands, and a small brightly-colored bird materialized in front of her. ¡°Tell the others that we are delayed with our duel, and will be there in half an hour.¡± Yllana said. The bird chirped twice and flew out through one of the arrow slits. ¡°That was cool.¡± Ren said, and Yllana pawed at his pants again. ¡°M''lord.¡± Yllana said in a commanding voice. ¡°I will not fail this duel. You will feel satisfied!¡± ¡°Perhaps, M''lady.¡± Ren said and stored his pants and underwear. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Yllana said, then looked up at Ren. ¡°Are you sure that we can''t...¡± ¡°We can''t, M''lady.¡± Ren said, and he felt her deep disappointment. ¡°Then I will satisfy you as much as I can, M''lord.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Lay down so I can treat you properly.¡± Ren laid down on the bed, and Yllana straddled his legs. It was quite a sight, especially since they were both using their Auras to their fullest extent. Her skin glistened from sexual satisfaction, and her eyes smouldered as she rubbed her hands together. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren asked, and Yllana''s hands started to glow green. He had expected her to go down on him, and yet she wasn''t. ¡°M''lord.¡± Yllana said and cupped her hands together to form a small opening. ¡°This is something I thought I would never get to use.¡± ¡°Wh-what is... by the gods!¡± Ren exclaimed as she slipped her cupped hands over the tip of him and his member was covered in a green glow. ¡°What... what is that?¡± ¡°It''s... Great Vasalor, it''s a... a limited Connection ability.¡± Yllana gasped and moved her hands down a bit further. They both gasped this time, and Yllana closed her eyes. ¡°I can''t believe... gods, this can''t...¡± She moved her hands all the way down and almost collapsed at the sensations she felt. ¡°It feels so real!¡± Ren said, astonished. Yllana nodded. ¡°I... gods, this... I never imagined...¡± She opened her eyes and started to move her hands up and down. Her body rocked with the motion as if she was really riding him, and he started to thrust up as well. She moved her hands faster and faster, and they both started breathing heavily. ¡°Yllana! By the gods!¡± Ren exclaimed, and they both finished together. Yllana had been so surprised by both the success of her limited Connection ability and by Ren''s expulsion, that it broke her concentration and the Connection faded. She took several deep breaths to try and calm down as the glow around her hands and his member dissipated. She could still feel Ren''s emotions, and he was just as surprised as she was. ¡°That was with just your hands and your ability!¡± Ren said and looked at the mess he had made. ¡°Wow.¡± He said. ¡°I need to clean this up.¡± ¡°Please, M''lord.¡± Yllana said when Ren went to sit up. ¡°Allow me.¡± Ren tried to hand her a piece of cloth and she pushed it away, then she cleaned him off without the use of anything except her mouth. It took a while, especially when he finished again, and he felt her happiness that she hadn''t failed in her part of the duel. She had satisfied him, even without them actually having sex. They both sat up on the bed, Ren without his pants, and her without her dress, and they stared at each other. ¡°I''ve never had any kind of duel like that before.¡± Ren said. ¡°Neither have I.¡± Yllana smiled demurely. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Yllana chuckled. ¡°I''ve had Honor duels, but... this was the first time that the stakes were so... personal.¡± She said. ¡°Or so high.¡± ¡°High?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You gambled undying love for someone you just met!¡± Yllana laughed. ¡°I might not have fought so hard if I had known...¡± Her hand reached over and stroked him. ¡°Yllana...¡± ¡°How much time do we have left?¡± Yllana asked. ¡°None.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m afraid we are out of time.¡± Ren said, a little sadly. ¡°Pity.¡± Yllana said, bent down and kissed it, then let it go as she sat back up. ¡°Let us get dressed and go meet your adoring public.¡± Ren chuckled and equipped his platinum armor, and she equipped her dress. She buttoned it up to cover her chest, and she felt his slight sadness at not seeing them. ¡°M''lord, you can come and see me as much as you wish.¡± Yllana said. ¡°I expect to be seeing a lot of you, now that you know members of your own race are here.¡± ¡°How many of them are there?¡± ¡°About 3,000.¡± Yllana said, and she felt Ren''s shock. ¡°I''m seeing them all today?¡± ¡°That''s why the meeting is in the Great Meeting Hall. It''s the only place where we can all come together.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°After so long of not meeting any of you, and I''m going to meet so many!¡± ¡°You might want to deactivate your Auras.¡± Yllana suggested. Ren stopped concentrating on them and they faded, as did their sharing feelings. ¡°Maybe you should keep the Importance Aura active.¡± ¡°Maybe you should drop your Seduction Aura, too.¡± Ren said and concentrated on his Importance Aura again, so they could keep sharing feelings. ¡°I should, but... it feels so good to finally let it out after so long.¡± Yllana purred. ¡°You don''t have to tell me that.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You just have to ask yourself if you want every male you meet to fawn over you.¡± Yllana caressed the large ruby on his chest and smiled. ¡°Would that bother you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren admitted. ¡°Once I had the choice to turn off my Prince Charming effect, I did so.¡± Yllana felt his emotions and moved her hand to his face. ¡°You don''t like causing undue influence over people.¡± ¡°If I did, I''d be running around with my Awesomeness Aura going all the time and casting Charm Person on everyone.¡± ¡°Like you did with the High Lord and all the other elves this morning?¡± Yllana asked, and she felt his surprise. ¡°My daughter felt excluded when you didn''t try to charm her with magic.¡± She said, and then lightly kissed him. ¡°Charming everyone else to protect her worked wonders on me, though.¡± ¡°M''lady, I feel as if I''ve been manipulated somehow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course you do.¡± Yllana said and rubbed his lips with a fingertip. ¡°You wouldn''t be a man if you didn''t.¡± Ren chuckled and held his elbow out. ¡°M''lady, may I escort you to the meeting?¡± ¡°Now that I''ve experienced it.¡± Yllana said and put her arms around his neck instead. ¡°I''d rather be carried.¡± That made Ren laugh, and then so did she as he scooped her up into his arms and ran down the stairs and outside, deactivated the tower and stored it, then estimated how far to jump to make it to the third spire from the left. They were on the first spire, so he guessed well and then jumped. Yllana kept laughing as they flew through the air, and Ren revelled in her joy. As he approached the ground with her in his arms, he used his Permanent Air Walk to gently land right in front of the Grand Meeting Hall. ¡°Thank you, M''lord.¡± Yllana said and Ren eased her out of his arms and stood her up on her feet. ¡°It was your pleasure, M''lady.¡± Ren said and grinned. Yllana giggled and then shook her head. ¡°You make me forget my decorum, M''lord.¡± She said, then put her arm around his elbow and rested her hand on the back of his. ¡°I haven''t felt this young since....¡± She smiled. ¡°Is it impolite to say that I miss Allynna''s father, right after our shared experience?¡± Ren pat her hand, and escorted her into the building. ¡°M''lady, you can say whatever you want, and I won''t take it personally.¡± He said. ¡°Unless it''s something bad, or makes you lose your Honor. Things like that you should keep to yourself.¡± Yllana laughed. ¡°You are wise beyond your years, M''lord.¡± ¡°M''lady Arthion, and the Unnamed King!¡± Someone exclaimed, and they looked away from each other to see everyone inside the Great Meeting Hall take notice of them, and then everyone knelt. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Yllana asked, and then Ren received a popup.
Notice!
The elflings within your Aura acknowledge you as a ruling class, and thanks to your title The Unnamed King, you have gained Honor worthy of this. 3,000 elflings x 10 Honor each = 30,000 Honor
Notice!
Your Honor of 225,000 (125,000 + 100,000 from your Important Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic) has been maxed again at 250,000.
Notice!
Excess Honor has been converted to XP. 5,000 Honor x 10 XP = 50,000 XP
Yllana gasped as she received another Honor boost to what she already had and what she had gained from Ren. ¡°What... what... what are you doing?!?¡± She said to the elflings in front of her. ¡°I believe they are giving you your due.¡± Ren said and pat her hand, stepped around, and knelt for her as well. ¡°As am I.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Yllana gasped as Ren''s gesture maxed her own Honor and she received a popup. Her hand slowly reached out and touched it, and it disappeared. ¡°M-M-M''lord!¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°You... why did you...¡± ¡°I need a powerful ally here in the High Elven Kingdom, and who else would be better to help me than The Unnamed Queen?¡± Ren asked, then stood up and turned to the elflings. ¡°Come and greet her again for the first time.¡± The elflings stood and efficiently formed a line, then started to walk by her and shook her hand. Yllana started to laugh as elflings she had known for hundreds of years greeted her. She started smacking the ones that joked about her lofty heights, and the greeting devolved into a joyous and playful event. Once everyone had properly greeted both her and Ren, they all sat down to share stories with each other. The gathered elflings enlightened Ren to some of their history, and he awed them with the retelling of his adventures. Chapter 465 - Spending My Time Wisely Ren spent the next 2 hours with the other elflings, talking, joking, eating and drinking. When things started to get a bit too rowdy, he called an end to the night. He didn''t want their gathering to be known as a thing that shouldn''t happen, and he made sure no one was drunk as he used a concealed Minor Healing wand to heal them as they left the hall. The elflings didn''t know why they suddenly felt clear-headed, and they didn''t much care; mainly because they had met a great elfling, had good food and a good time, and one of their own was raised to the rarefied heights that were normally only associated with High Elves. When everyone was gone, Yllana turned to Ren, who had stayed by her side for the entire time they were at the meeting. ¡°M''lord, this went even better than I had hoped.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Even with my daughter Allynna''s word, I never expected that you would be this... this...¡± ¡°Entertaining?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°M''lord...¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure you can call me Ren now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Both of our Honor totals are at the same height.¡± ¡°I can''t believe you had a whole nation of dwarves kneel to you.¡± Yllana said and shook her head. ¡°No wonder your Honor was so high!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m just glad my bracelet still applied after I lost half of my Honor to you.¡± ¡°Imagine... someone artificially boosting their Honor without earning it first.¡± Yllana said, almost disgustedly. ¡°What a criminal and a cheat!¡± ¡°Lord Lodur paid for his mistakes with his life, and that''s that.¡± Ren said and touched her hand. ¡°M''lady, I have a question.¡± He said, and she put her hand on top of his. ¡°If I can call you... Ren... then you can call me Yllana.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Yllana, where can I get enough food, or food-like supplies, for about 2,500 High Elves?¡± He asked. ¡°Three days worth, perhaps more.¡± ¡°I''ll take you over to the Cooking District.¡± Yllana said. ¡°You can buy anything that you need there.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and looked at the remains of the feast the elflings had left. ¡°There''s almost nothing here to take to them instead.¡± ¡°All of the ale is gone as well.¡± Yllana laughed. ¡°My fellows never pass up free... well, anything.¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°Then M''lady Yllana, please lead the way.¡± ¡°Then come with me, M''lord Ren.¡± Yllana said and took his hand. ¡°It''s not far.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Ren followed her outside. ¡°Does that mean I can''t carry you there?¡± ¡°That''s what I meant.¡± Yllana said and put her arms around his neck and jumped up. He caught her and she pointed. ¡°Far corner of the city, half a mile that way.¡± ¡°I think I''m spoiling you.¡± Ren joked, crouched slightly, and jumped. Yllana''s laugh and Teepo''s chitter of delight merged as Ren soared through the air with them. ******** ¡°Okay, we''re coming up on the time he logs out.¡± Denise said after she came downstairs to warn everyone. ¡°He''s just getting food for the High Elves, and then he should be out.¡± ¡°He doesn''t have any idea we have all of this set up, does he?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Wouldn''t you know that?¡± Elise asked with a smile. ¡°Only if the Sage of Ages had been next to him and asked about it.¡± Lisa said and smiled. ¡°Which would defeat the purpose of asking about it.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Touche.¡± ¡°Barbara, get the candles out and on the cake.¡± Stella said, and Barbara went into the kitchen. ¡°Elise? What did you get him?¡± Stella asked as she put out the plates. ¡°Something he really should have right now.¡± Elise said, a little worried. ¡°I just hope he likes it.¡± ¡°I''m sure he''ll like it, no matter what it is.¡± Lisa said. ¡°He''ll like anything he gets.¡± Barbara said when she came back into the room. ¡°He always has.¡± ¡°I''ll go back up and get him ready.¡± Denise said and left the dining room. ******** Ren had landed only slightly away from where they needed to go, and he walked arm-in-arm with Yllana to get there. Thanks to her presence and a thorough explanation, Ren had no trouble securing enough food for the healing High Elves. He paid for and stored the food, then picked up Yllana in his arms again without being asked. ¡°Where am I dropping you off?¡± Ren asked and crouched down. ¡°About 50 feet that way.¡± Yllana laughed and pointed to a short round building. ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said and put her back on her feet. ¡°My apologies.¡± He said. ¡°I presumed too much.¡± ¡°I didn''t mind being held like that again.¡± Yllana said and put her arm around his elbow. ¡°Escort me home, M''lord.¡± ¡°Of course, M''lady.¡± Ren said and they strolled over to the building. They went inside and up the stairs to the second floor, and Yllana stopped at one of the two doors. ¡°It was a pleasure meeting you, Ren.¡± Yllana said, and her face flushed a little red as she looked at him longingly. Ren could feel her emotions, and knew she wanted very badly to kiss him goodbye. ¡°M''lady, what happened to your promise to never show your infatuation with me after the duel?¡± Yllana smiled and her blush went to a deeper red. ¡°That was only if I lost.¡± She said. ¡°If I had won...¡± ¡°...I guess I''d be on my knees right now and begging you to bless me with your touch.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s a good thing neither of us won.¡± Yllana said and stroked his cheek. ¡°I suppose you can''t come in for another... ability exchange.¡± ¡°I''d like to, but I need to deliver the food.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also have Adventurer business to attend to.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Yllana said, and then sighed. ¡°Don''t make me wait another hundred and fifty years before...¡± ¡°Yllana, I''ll be back in 3, maybe 4 days.¡± Ren interrupted her. ¡°I''ve got to bring back the healed.¡± Yllana nodded. ¡°I''ll look forward to that.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll even start talking to the Central Council about it in the morning.¡± ¡°Don''t endanger yourself.¡± Ren said. ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Yllana said, and felt his concern. ¡°Do you need any funds for bribes or anything?¡± Ren asked, and Yllana chuckled. ¡°We are not dwarves, Ren.¡± Yllana said and grabbed his shoulders, and she felt how much he wanted to kiss her. ¡°Now kiss me and get out of here!¡± Ren took her into his arms and kissed her like she wanted him to, and he felt her happiness that he wanted to kiss her back. She broke the kiss when she felt his need to go override his playfulness. ¡°You shouldn''t tease me and deny me a kiss.¡± Yllana said a bit sternly, but he could feel her teasing emotions.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I wanted to see how long it would take for you to ask for a kiss.¡± Ren said and grinned, and she shook her head. ¡°Go on, get going!¡± Yllana said and waved him away with both hands. ¡°Or I won''t let you leave!¡± Ren laughed and ran to the stairs, gave her a quick wave, and ran downstairs and outside. ¡°Women seem to be saying that a lot to you.¡± Teepo commented as Ren used his Permanent Air Walk to run up into the air and across the city. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t have my Prince Charming effect active right now, either.¡± ¡°I can''t say if that''s a good thing or not.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What should I say?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Just say what you think, buddy.¡± ¡°I think you''re actually Prince Charming, and the title is becoming superfluous.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''ve only been using it when necessary, and for each woman you meet, you adapt and become what they need.¡± Ren came to a stop beside Princess and took out the Permanent Enlarge and Reduce wand. ¡°I guess that''s a lot easier to do because I can feel their emotions.¡± Ren cast the spell on Zetaya, who started to protest with sounds of breaking branches in a fire. The fire elemental liked it''s colossal size and didn''t want to be small again. ¡°Don''t worry, it''s only for the trip back to the county.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be gone for a couple of days, and then we''re coming back here to finish the job.¡± Zetaya''s sounds changed to a crackling fire and it stopped resisting, and Ren cast the same number of spells to put the fire elemental back to it''s original size... only, it was now 6 feet tall instead of 4 feet. ¡°Oho!¡± Ren said and hugged it. ¡°You ate so much you grew bigger than a colossal size!¡± Zetaya hugged him back, and he felt it''s thankful feelings. ¡°It''s going to be a little awkward with you this big, so you''re going to have to duck a little more.¡± Ren said and turned around, and Zetaya climbed up onto his back. It was almost comical that he was carrying a creature 2 feet taller than himself like a backpack; but, neither he nor Zetaya wanted any other kind of arrangement. Ren mounted Princess and sat down on the saddle. ¡°Go slow at first, then pour on the speed.¡± He said, and the fire elemental bent down awkwardly to stay behind him and out of the direct flow of wind. Princess trotted up into the air and started to run faster, then faster, and then disappeared from sight. They crossed the High Elven Kingdom, the no-man''s-land divide, and part of the countryside of the Human Kingdom to end up back at the healer to drop off the food for the High Elf patients. The healer and her assistant thanked him profusely, as did several of the High Elves. They were up and mobile enough to help distribute the food, and Ren told them that no thanks were necessary and he would take them back to their respective homes when they were better. Ren left there and rode Princess through the air back to the county. ¡°Let''s check the skeleton knights on the wall before we land.¡± Ren said, and Princess ran over to the guarded section. ¡°Anything to report?¡± ¡°Nothing, My Lord.¡± The first skeleton knight said. ¡°No activity, and no enemies sighted.¡± ¡°Thank you, and stay on guard.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± This scene was repeated for the other 7 skeleton knights on the wall, and also for the two patrolling the city street when Princess went back to the Main House to land. Ren built Princess a nice little house right beside the Main House building. It only had one room, one big enough for her and the two dogs to stay in, and he went into the Main House to get her mattress and the dogs. He put them in the house, then assigned Princess, Riley, and Stacy as the occupants. ¡°Welcome home.¡± Ren said and pointed to the door. Princess walked over to it and pushed it with her hoof, and it swung open freely. ¡°You can come and go as you please, and you don''t have to wait for someone to let you out.¡± ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± Princess said and went inside. She laid down on her comfy mattress and sighed. ¡°My own home.¡± Ren had a moment of inspiration and used Magic Mouth on the two dogs. ¡°How do you like your new home?¡± ¡°Bark. Bark, bark.¡± Riley said and went inside. ¡°Bark bark.¡± Stacy said and went inside as well. Ren laughed and used the Dispel Magic spell to dismiss both useless spells, then ran across the road to the large warehouse. He opened the door to the giant forge and Zetaya hopped off his back and went inside. ¡°You did really well today.¡± Ren said and hugged the fire elemental again. ¡°I''ll see you in a few days to do it again.¡± Zetaya poked his face with it''s head stub, and Ren kissed it back. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said and shut the door, then ran back across the road. He concentrated on his Contact Aura so that it would merge with the shared Aura the maids had, and he felt their surprise and delight that he had returned. He went inside the Main House and up the stairs, and went into the apartment. ¡°We thought you would be gone for several days.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We''re so happy that you''re back!¡± Ren smiled and kissed her, then kissed the others. ¡°Actually, I am going to be gone for a couple of days.¡± He said. ¡°I have Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± Like eating, and maybe spending a bit of time with Lisa if she''s not busy, and then watching the next episode of the show. He thought. ¡°Oh.¡± Andrela said, and Ren felt her happiness fade away. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I come back, I''m going to do the same thing I did today, and work on clearing out the ghoul infestation; but, I''ll be staying here for the entire night afterwards.¡± ¡°You... don''t have to do that for me.¡± Andrela said, sheepishly. ¡°I''m not doing it for you.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I''m doing it for me, because I''m a bit greedy when it comes to you.¡± Andrela''s white skin flushed red. She was slightly embarrassed and also grateful that he wasn''t lying. ¡°You''re just so cute.¡± Ren said and touched her face, and it flushed even redder. He gave her another quick kiss, did the same to the others, and took off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak. The tarantula was fine, and he refilled the saucer with Health potion, then laid down on the bed. ¡°See you when I get back.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren slipped off the VR headset and Denise took it from him and set it aside. ¡°You found another one, you little Casanova.¡± Denise said. ¡°Technically, she found me.¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°I had met her daughter earlier and she just had to meet me after hearing how awesome I was.¡± ¡°Are we going to argue semantics?¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°Let''s get you cleaned up. We''re eating lunch downstairs.¡± ¡°I assume that it''s too messy for bed?¡± Ren asked and slid off the side of the bed and stood up. Denise helped him walk to the bathroom. ¡°Stella and Lisa are eating with us.¡± Denise said. ¡°Great!¡± Ren said. ¡°I was hoping Lisa wasn''t busy.¡± ¡°Were you planning on a little cuddling with your cuddle bunny?¡± Denise teased. ¡°Actually, yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°The programmers are forcing an update on my character, so I figure I won''t be logging back in for a while.¡± He said and she helped him clean up. He used the bathroom, and then looked at the shower. ¡°Do you think lunch can wait while I get a quick shower?¡± ¡°Of course it can.¡± Denise said and helped him. She took off her top and left on her bra and pants, and she did a quick lather, scrub, and rinse on him. She dried him off, and gave him a bathrobe to wear. ¡°Okay, that was the fastest shower I''ve ever taken.¡± Ren said, and Denise chuckled. ¡°I can do it faster than that; but, it borders on being too rough.¡± Denise said and put her top back on. ¡°I can imagine.¡± Ren said and they went out to the bedroom. ¡°The red set today, please.¡± ¡°Oh, planning on looking swanky, are you?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Yes, my entire goal is to drive women wild.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I just like the color.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Denise said and helped him get dressed and sat him in the wheelchair. They went to the elevator and went downstairs, and she rolled him across the house to the large dining room. ¡°Why is it dark in-¡± ¡°SURPRISE!¡± Everyone yelled and Barbara turned on the lights. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ren asked and looked around. ¡°Is that a... wait, is today...¡± ¡°Happy Birthday!¡± Elise said and bent down to kiss him. ¡°Barbara was right.¡± She smiled. ¡°You did forget!¡± ¡°Did I ever!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I had no clue!¡± ¡°For someone who plans a lot and thinks ahead, you missed everyone planning this thing.¡± Donald said and chuckled himself. ¡°I knew about this a month ago.¡± ¡°That''s only because I had you order the cake, dear.¡± Barbara said and bent down to kiss Ren''s cheek. ¡°He wouldn''t have had any idea either.¡± ¡°Does that mean you''ve all been sneaking around behind my back to put this all together?¡± Ren asked with a smile on his face. ¡°Who has to sneak?¡± Stella asked and kissed his other cheek. ¡°We have huge chunks of time during the day where you''re pretty much just in your bedroom.¡± She said. ¡°We just came into the house with everything, and you never knew.¡± ¡°Well, this place is huge.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Even if I was downstairs in one of the living rooms or something, you could still just walk by and I wouldn''t have seen anything.¡± ¡°It was the same way at my old place.¡± Lisa said and came over, and gave him a kiss on the lips. ¡°The only time my mother noticed anything was when I walked by the living room and she wasn''t glued to the television.¡± Ren reached up and touched her cheek. ¡°When is she coming over for dinner?¡± ¡°When you got hurt, I changed it to next week.¡± Lisa said. ¡°She was a little disappointed, but she understood.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I can''t wait to meet her.¡± ¡°I can.¡± Lisa said and chuckled. ¡°I tried to move it to next month, but she wouldn''t hear of it.¡± Ren laughed and glanced at Barbara. ¡°That sounds familiar.¡± ¡°I won''t let you pussyfoot around and not do your work.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Your leg is almost healed, so you''re starting therapy again in the morning.¡± She said and put a hand on her husband''s shoulder. ¡°I even changed the boot camp workout so it won''t kill you right away.¡± Donald said, and everyone fell silent... except for Ren, who laughed. ¡°I can''t wait!¡± Ren said excitedly, and Donald nodded his approval. It was then that the doorbell rang, and Elise said she would go and get it. Ren looked around at who was there, and counted. Lisa, Barbara, Donald, Denise, Stella, and Elise going for the door. He thought. ¡°Where''s Gloria?¡± ¡°Ren, I... I don''t think she''s coming.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''d ask why not, but I''m pretty sure she''s just being stubborn.¡± Ren said. ¡°Call her for me, and tell her to get over here.¡± ¡°I tried already, and she''s not answering.¡± Stella said. ¡°Maybe she''s just busy?¡± Ren frowned. ¡°After finally admitting how she felt about me, she''s too busy to visit me on my birthday?¡± ¡°I don''t know what to tell you.¡± Stella said, and Elise came back into the dining room. ¡°Ren, I have to give you your present early.¡± Elise said and went to the side table, picked up her present, and brought it over to give to him. ¡°This is part one.¡± Ren blinked his eyes for a moment, accepted the gift, and opened the box. Inside was a portfolio. It was filled with stocks and bonds, and Ren flipped through them. He caught sight of several companies he recognized, including the television station and Sid Tec, and he looked at Elise. ¡°Elise, what...¡± ¡°Here''s the rest of your present.¡± Elise said and a blonde woman he thought he recognized stepped into the living room. Barbara and Lisa gasped, Stella squinted her eyes, and Ren stared at her. ¡°You got me a woman for my birthday?¡± Ren asked, incredulous. Chapter 466 - No One Talks About Fight Club ¡°Why would you get me a woman for my birthday?¡± Ren asked. Elise laughed and the blonde woman blushed. ¡°This isn''t funny.¡± Stella said. ¡°It is, since it''s a huge misunderstanding.¡± Elise said. ¡°Ren, look at the folder underneath the portfolio.¡± Ren put the portfolio aside and underneath it was a folder. Inside the folder was a job application with a resume attached, a photo, and references. ¡°What is this?¡± Ren asked and flipped through the papers without really reading them. ¡°A publicist?¡± He asked and looked at Elise. ¡°What do I need a publicist for?¡± ¡°To manage your public persona, your appointments, guest appearances, social media accounts, public inquiries, and everything else that needs to be handled.¡± ¡°But... I don''t have any of that.¡± Ren said, and then thought about the job description. ¡°Hold on, that sounds more like a personal assistant than a publicist.¡± He said, and looked at the woman. ¡°I recognize you now! You''re Barbi, with an ''i'' and no ''e'', that I met at the television station.¡± ¡°Yes, that''s me.¡± Barbi said and stepped forward and held a hand out. Ren put her resume down and took her hand, gave it a perfunctory shake and let go. Her face twitched as if she had expected him to do something else, and then she put the smile back on her face. ¡°I''m sorry for the misunderstanding.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m in a bit of a bad mood because someone I care about is ignoring me on my birthday.¡± Elise looked around, and sighed. ¡°Gloria.¡± She said. ¡°I thought she was just late.¡± ¡°We can''t get a hold of her.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ve got one thing I can try.¡± Ren said and looked at Denise. ¡°Can you take me back to my room, please?¡± ¡°Sure, Ren.¡± Denise said and took control of the wheelchair. ¡°I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± Ren said and Denise took him out of the room and to the elevator. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I''m going to see if she''s in the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°If she is, I''m going to find her and ask her why she''s doing this to me.¡± ¡°Ren, don''t be too confrontational.¡± ¡°Oh, I won''t be.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just going to see what''s going on, then maybe drag her out of there.¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°You can''t force people to do things like that.¡± ¡°I''m not going to force her to do anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t even ask for a response.¡± He said and got on the bed. ¡°All I''ll do is tell her that I''m taking time away from the rest of you to find her, when she should have been here in the first place.¡± Denise handed him the VR headset, and he laid back on the bed. ¡°Good luck, and I hope it doesn''t backfire on you.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said and put the headset on. ¡°Either way, she''ll know she''s in the wrong.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start!¡± ******** Ren woke up on the bed and saw the maids were asleep. He activated Sneak and stood up, then donned his cloak and walked over to the bedroom door. Teepo landed on his shoulder and Ren left the apartment as he took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Show me Elerlyth.¡± Ren said, and saw Elerlyth. She wasn''t wearing the armor he had given her, and she was covered in bruises. She was also surrounded by fighters who also didn''t have armor on, and had far less bruising on their bodies. One of the men stepped forward and started to fight with her, and Ren gained the Angered Condition. His personal Aura was Augmented with Fear automatically. ¡°Zoom out and show me where she is.¡± Ren said as a frown spread across his face. The All-Seeing Mirror zoomed out to show him that she was in a courtyard in front of a stylish house in the middle of a large clearing, and it zoomed way back to show where she was on the map. He walked down the stairs and went outside, then knocked on Princess'' house. ¡°Please accept my apologies for waking you, but I need you to take me somewhere.¡± Ren said, and Princess came out through the door. ¡°Elerlyth is in trouble, and I''m going to see why she''s there and not dealing with Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°Say no more, My Lord.¡± Princess said and he showed her the map. ¡°I am always at your service.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and climbed up onto the saddle. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t think of looking for her before I left.¡± ¡°No matter.¡± Princess said and trotted up into the air. ¡°We will be there momentarily.¡± They ran across the sky and came to a stop just above the stylish house, which was now well within his large Aura, and Ren stepped off of Princess and dropped down into the courtyard. Most of the fighters had felt him and backed off while they dragged their fellows with them, and Ren landed on the ground with a loud thud. He hadn''t eased the landing at all with his Permanent Air Walk spell, and left a small crater when he stepped towards the fight. A man that sat off to the side started to speak. ¡°Who would dare to intrude...¡± ¡°QUIET!¡± Ren commanded as his Command Aura snapped into place. He walked over to the fight and used one hand to grab the man fighting Elerlyth, and casually tossed him across the courtyard to smash into the other fighters. ¡°Ren! What are you doing?¡± ¡°I was going to ask you the same thing.¡± Ren said, a little angrily. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± ¡°I''m busy.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I can see that.¡± Ren said and looked around. ¡°Why are you busy like this?¡± ¡°It''s my fault.¡± Hailey said, and Ren looked over at the stylish house. Three chairs were there, and a burly muscular man sat in the middle chair, the woman who spoke sat next to him, and the other chair was empty. ¡°Explain.¡± Ren said and crossed his arms. ¡°I was caught in a...¡± She looked at the man beside her, then back at Ren. ¡°...sticky situation, and called Elerlyth for help.¡± She said. ¡°She came to my rescue and tried to fight her way in...¡± ¡°...and I lost.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren looked at her. ¡°He killed me right after I had set my spawn point for here, and when I came back and tried to get my dropped armor...¡± ¡°They captured you instead.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°How could you be so stupid?¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said and looked at the burly man. ¡°Identify Person.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Status
Name Scott Pilgrim Level 180
Gender Male Class Fighter
Race Human (NPC) Fame/Infamy 1,000/-5,000 (Notorious)
Titles
The First Fighter Trainer - Grants Command Aura, +25% Bonus to all Unarmed Skills used within Aura
Health 1,334 Mana 698
Strength 215 Dexterity 145
Vitality 135 Agility 125
Endurance 135 Intelligence 80
Luck 10 Wisdom 75
¡°Why are you still here, Elerlyth?¡± Ren asked and activated his Heat Sense for an instant to see if anyone else was there, and only who he could see was present. ¡°I can win both mine and Hailey''s freedom if I fight through the ranks of fighters, earn a fight with the teacher, and then...¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Ren said and pulled her out of the way, activated the enchantment in the ruby on his chest, and a foot wide solid beam of red light came out. He directed it at all the fighters that stood around the courtyard and swept it across them. The beam cut them all in half in only an instant. Both Elerlyth and Hailey''s mouths dropped open at the sight, and Ren deactivated the beam. He turned towards the head fighter, who already had his hands up. ¡°I surrender! I surrender!¡± ¡°It doesn''t work like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can only surrender if there are set rules in place during a fight, and I never started or accepted one.¡± He said and hit the man in the face with the beam and destroyed his head. The body slumped and slid off the chair to land on the ground. ¡°I won''t get much experience for this, though.¡±
Notice!
You have killed legitimate fighters (and their teacher) outside of sanctioned ritual combat. No experience will be gained for such a callous act. Warning: Doing something like this again will earn you Infamy and reduce your Fame by an appropriate amount.
¡°Make that no XP and a warning.¡± Ren said and dismissed the popup. ¡°REN!¡± Elerlyth yelled, and he turned to her. ¡°WHAT?¡± Ren yelled back. ¡°How could you do that?¡± Elerlyth asked, and Hailey came over to them. ¡°This was our quest!¡± ¡°I don''t care.¡± Ren said. ¡°You got caught on purpose.¡± ¡°Of course I did!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I just told you what I had to do!¡± ¡°You could have told me this before!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°You could have even waited a day or two!¡± ¡°What for?¡± Elerlyth asked and crossed her arms. ¡°I don''t have to work until tomorrow.¡± ¡°Because today was my birthday, goddammit!¡± Ren nearly yelled. Elerlyths''s face went from dark grey to ashen. ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°I had forgot about it, because of all the extra time I''ve spent in the Water Realm.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I logged out to eat lunch today, everyone had a surprise party ready for me.¡± He turned towards the stylish house. ¡°Well, I thought everyone was there.¡± He said. ¡°When I looked around to see who was there, can you guess who I didn''t see?¡± Elerlyth didn''t say anything, but he could feel her regret. Ren activated the beam on his chest and swept it back and forth over the house to cut it up. He stopped when it collapsed in on itself and became rubble, then turned back to face Elerlyth. ¡°Stella has been trying to contact you, and you haven''t been answering.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had the bright idea to check in here for you before I sent someone over to see if you were all right, and lo and behold, here you are.¡± He said. ¡°Fighting hand-to-hand with stupid NPCs that shouldn''t even be looking at you, let alone hurting you like this.¡± He motioned at her battered and bruised body. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Is this why you wouldn''t tell me what was going on?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Is this why you snuck away and wouldn''t ask for my help, because I wouldn''t ever let anyone treat you this way and would kill them all if they tried? Is it?¡± Elerlyth didn''t say anything, and Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Show me Hailey''s hideout on the map, please.¡± Ren said, and the location popped up. ¡°Oh, look.¡± He said and held it up for both Haliley and Elerlyth to see. ¡°The excuse you gave me about not asking for my help, that no one else could know where Hailey stayed, was so easily discovered.¡± Hailey''s mouth dropped open from shock, and she exchanged glances with Elerlyth. ¡°Elerlyth swore she wouldn''t tell anyone.¡± Ren said. ¡°I respected her privacy and didn''t follow her, or have her followed, or subvert her in any way.¡± He said. ¡°Little did I know that this was what she and you had planned on doing.¡± Ren walked over to the rubble, pulled his foot back almost comically, and then kicked it as hard as he could. The sound of his foot hitting the rubble was shatteringly loud in the silence, and part of the remains of the house broke apart and flew up into the air as it scattered over several hundred feet. He proceeded to kick every bit of it and spread it all over, then took out his hammerpick. He used Enlarge and Reduce Everything on it to triple it''s size, then tore up the house''s stone foundation in mere moments. He stored the hammerpick and took out the Staff of Earth, then used it to smooth over the ground so that there was no trace of the stylish house whatsoever. Ren ran around and looted all the bodies in an instant, and ended at the decapitated fighting teacher. Elerlyth''s armor, a piece of parchment, and several platinum coins appeared in his inventory, and he walked back over to the two women. ¡°Oh, look.¡± Ren said. ¡°I now own your armor.¡± He could feel Elerlyth''s trepidation over the situation. ¡°Armor I worked hard to make specifically for you, boosted to the best of my abilities at the time, and you let someone... no, you gave it to someone... who could have kept it and given it to anyone, long before you would have completed this quest.¡± Elerlyth opened her mouth to defend herself, then closed it. ¡°You''re right.¡± ¡°Damn right I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have half a mind to crush it, just so you could see that I can treat your things just as callously as you do; but, I''m not that petty.¡± He took the armor out and dropped it on the ground, then tossed the rest of the loot on the ground, too. ¡°I''ll let Stella know not to bother trying to contact you anymore.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Elerlyth looked down and saw platinum, gold and silver coins, high quality weapons and armor pieces, and the contract that Hailey had signed in a drunken stupor. ¡°I hope you enjoy the fruits of your labour.¡± Ren said and looked at Hailey. ¡°Just so you know, I would have done this for you instantly because of Elerlyth. I wouldn''t have grumbled about it, or told you how stupid you were, or berate you because you dragged a loyal friend into your mess.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I can do that now, though.¡± Elerlyth couldn''t believe Ren was saying these things, and she reached out to grab him. ¡°What right do you have to-¡± ¡°None, apparently.¡± Ren said and stepped back out of her reach. ¡°I think you scared yourself when you finally admitted how you felt about me.¡± He said, and he felt her swirling emotions. ¡°You''ve been staying away from me ever since, and then you go and get yourself involved in this stupid crap without telling me.¡± ¡°That''s because I knew how you would react!¡± Elerlyth nearly yelled. ¡°Yeah, I would rush to your rescue and do anything to save you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°How horrible am I to do such a thing like that?¡± Elerlyth didn''t respond, because she knew there wasn''t a good answer for that question. ¡°My birthday party is happening right now, by the way.¡± Ren said and waved up in the air. Princess landed beside him instantly and he climbed up onto her saddle. ¡°Ignoring that, I thought you would be coming over to watch the show tonight.¡± He said. ¡°I guess that was a faint hope, considering you would have been here for gods know how long.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°When you decide to stop ignoring me and my feelings, let me know, will you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t want to keep showing up out of the blue to check on you and see if you''re okay.¡± He said. ¡°You know, that thing that people who care about each other are supposed to do.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°I care about you so much, that I''m even going to let your friend heal your injuries and not do it myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°Also, before I forget.¡± He said and took out the Wand of Transport and cast her Phantom Steed, Etheria. ¡°I know it''s my birthday today; but, I wanted to give you a gift the next time I saw you.¡± He used the Permanent Widen Effect spell on it to increase it''s speed, then cast the Permanency spell on the steed. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°I''m sorry, but I can''t talk right now.¡± Ren said, and Princess trotted up into the air. ¡°I have a party to get back to.¡± He said, and then Princess disappeared. * ¡°WAIT!¡± Elerlyth said and climbed up onto her Phantom Steed and sat in the saddle. She flicked his reins, but the steed didn''t move. ¡°Go! We have to catch him!¡± Etheria shook his head and still didn''t move. ¡°Why won''t you go after him?!?¡± ¡°Probably because he knows they are long gone.¡± Hailey said. ¡°You saw how fast he moved on the ground.¡± She said and walked over to the horse and pet it. ¡°Now imagine how fast his steed is.¡± ¡°Goddammit!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°I know where he''s going, so let''s go there!¡± Etheria turned it''s head and motioned to the pile of loot. ¡°Forget it! Let''s go!¡± Etheria didn''t move, and she climbed down from the saddle. ¡°Ugh!¡± Elerlyth grunted and stomped over to the pile of loot and stored everything. She walked back to her Phantom Steed and handed Hailey the contract. She tore it up, since the previous owner was now dead, and then it disappeared. ¡°Thanks, Elerlyth.¡± Hailey said. ¡°Can you take me home?¡± ¡°I can''t, I have to go!¡± Elerlyth said as she climbed back up onto the saddle, flicked her steed''s reins again, and it didn''t move. ¡°Come ON!¡± Etheria used his lips to pick at Hailey''s hair, and it made her laugh. ¡°UGH!¡± Elerlyth grunted again. ¡°Fine! Get on.¡± Hailey climbed up and sat behind Elerlyth, and then the Phantom Steed reared back and flew up into the sky. ¡°This is great!¡± Hailey said as she gripped Elerlyth from behind. ¡°What a wonderful present!¡± Elerlyth didn''t say anything, but she seethed inside. It''s not my fault! I didn''t know it was his birthday! She thought as they flew through the air. * Ren arrived back at the Main House and thanked Princess, gave her some food, and she went back into her house. ¡°I better check the pool for Railyse.¡± He said and ran over to the site. It was nearly to the top, so he pulled the Ring of Water Walking off the Hand Of Glory and jumped into the water. He swam to the bottom and started to gather up the steel squares, and deactivated the water-producing enchantments as he stored them. Ren came back up to the surface and used his Water Manipulation skill to pull the water away from himself and tossed it back into the pool. He walked around the pool and used his Staff of Earth to make a small thin shelf just under the top ridge of the pool all along the walls. He changed the enchantments on the steel squares to Anti-water and placed them inside, and nothing but water could get into the small space. I can go and get Railyse and her water elementals tomorrow... oh, damn. Ren thought. I''m going to be gone for about two days. ¡°That''s okay.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She knows you''re busy.¡± Ren sighed and ran back to the Main House and went inside, activated Sneak again, then crept up the stairs and went into the apartment. The maids were still asleep, so he carefully took off the cloak and stored his armor, then laid down on the bed. See you later, buddy. Ren thought, and then whispered as low as possible. ¡°Logout.¡± Chapter 467 - Another Guest Now that Elerlyth didn''t have to keep to the roads or pay attention to land borders, patrols, or even look out for bandit raiding parties, the trip back to Hailey''s hideout went by fairly quickly. They came in for a landing just outside the hideout and Hailey slid off the steed. ¡°What a guy.¡± Hailey said and pat the horse. ¡°He gave you a present on his birthday.¡± ¡°You should have asked for one.¡± Elerlyth grumbled. ¡°Come on, Etheria! Let''s go!¡± Etheria didn''t move, and Elerlyth grunted again. ¡°What NOW?!?¡± Elerlyth yelled. Etheria turned his head to the side and licked a huge bruise on her bare leg. ¡°I can get looked after later! Go! GO!¡± Etheria turned his head to face forward and didn''t move, no matter how many times she flicked the reins. ¡°He''s not leaving until you get healed.¡± Hailey said, and Elerlyth felt her amusement. ¡°It''s not funny!¡± ¡°Oh, yes it is.¡± Hailey said. ¡°What was it you said? When the spell is cast, it gives you the steed specifically made for you?¡± ¡°Goddammit.¡± Elerlyth said and got off the steed. ¡°I''m walking!¡± Etheria quickly darted forward and caught her hair in his teeth. ¡°Hey! Let go! I''m leaving!¡± Etheria shook his head, which shook her head. ¡°GODDAMMIT!¡± Elerlyth yelled, and Hailey laughed and laughed. ******** Ren took off the VR headset, and Denise took it from him. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s having a hard time joining together her feelings in the game to her feelings in real life.¡± He said. ¡°She''s spent so much time compartmentalizing and keeping things separate, that she can''t reconcile between them.¡± ¡°That''s very mature of you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You saw what I did to that house, right?¡± Denise grinned. ¡°That looked kind of fun, actually.¡± ¡°It was.¡± Ren said and got out of bed, then sat down in the wheelchair. ¡°Let''s get back downstairs.¡± Denise took him to the elevator and went down to the ground floor, and back to the living room. ¡°So, did you find her?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Yes, so you can stop trying to call her.¡± Ren said. ¡°She was playing a stupid quest in the game.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Stella smiled knowingly. ¡°I seem to recall someone else that does things like that.¡± ¡°I''ve never accepted a quest that required me to be beaten up constantly by over 50 fighters.¡± Stella''s smile disappeared and no one spoke. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I killed them all and ended her quest.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Elise bent over to look at him. ¡°You did what?¡± ¡°I wiped out the fighting school that had captured her and her friend, destroyed the house the fighters lived in, then removed any evidence the house even existed.¡± Ren said, casually. ¡°But... that should have taken...¡± ¡°Less than a second.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I did it with my chest laser.¡± ¡°Ren, you...¡± Elise closed her eyes, took a breath, and opened them again. ¡°You can''t do things like that.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I got a warning that I''ll start gaining Infamy if I keep doing it.¡± ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± Elise said. ¡°I think I can help there.¡± Barbi said, and Elise and Ren looked at her. ¡°If the public saw that you can just casually kill a bunch of people and not think twice about it, or even feel guilty...¡± ¡°You''re my publicist now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I assume Elise gave you access to the server footage?¡± Barbi nodded. ¡°Then if you''re worried about what people will think, take that footage and post it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Make sure to say I was worried about her, and when I showed up to talk to her, found that she was being repeatedly beaten and battered.¡± He said. ¡°I won''t stand for a woman being treated like that, so I killed them. Not a few, not half of them, all of them.¡± He smiled. ¡°I erased anyone that touched her.¡± No one said anything, and then Ren felt a large hand on his shoulder. He looked up and Donald gave him a slight nod. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Barbara said and left the dining room. ¡°I think I should leave, too.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Nonsense.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°It would be impolite to ask my present to leave after just arriving.¡± He said and waved to the dining room table. ¡°Please, come in and have a seat.¡± ¡°Um, I... ah...¡± ¡°You''re going to have to get used to being around here.¡± Elise said. ¡°Why not start today?¡± ¡°Oh, all right.¡± Barbi said with a huge smile and walked over to the end of the dining room. She stuck a portable camera up on the wall and positioned it to catch most of the room. ¡°I can get some nice pictures to share on social media.¡± ¡°Make sure you get my best side.¡± Donald said and sat down with his back to the camera. Barbi checked the view on her phone and her smile faltered. ¡°It''s only going to see the back of your head.¡± ¡°That''s what I said.¡± Donald smiled. ¡°It''s my best side.¡± Lisa snorted a laugh and Stella covered a smile with her hand. ¡°Someone get the lights!¡± Barbara said, and Stella turned them down. Everyone started singing the Happy Birthday song, and Ren saw a huge slab cake with 19 candles on it. Only 19? Ren thought, then shook his head. Right, time in the pocket realms doesn''t count. ¡°Blow out the candles and make a wish!¡± Barbara said and set the cake on the dining room table as Stella turned the lights back up. ¡°I don''t have anything to wish for.¡± Ren said and looked around at everyone. ¡°I''ve already got everything I could ever want.¡± ¡°That''s so sweet.¡± Barbi whispered in the silence, and Lisa leaned forward and whispered in Ren''s ear. ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That''s a little unrealistic.¡± ¡°It wouldn''t hurt.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I mean, why not wish for it?¡± Ren shrugged, took in a huge breath, then blew out the candles.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°What did you wish for?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°I asked-¡± Ren''s words were cut off when Lisa put her hand over his mouth. ¡°Shh! It''s a secret!¡± Lisa said. Ren chuckled and she moved her hand away. ¡°Can we eat now?¡± Donald asked. ¡°I''m starving.¡± ¡°Stella and Lisa, give me a hand with the other dishes.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Ren, you can have one piece of cake.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and picked up the knife. When the three women left the dining room, he cut a 6 inch by 6 inch square right out of the middle of the slab cake, the part that had his name on it, and put it on a 5 inch wide plate. He grabbed a fork and sat down, then waited until Barbara came back into the dining room. ¡°REN!¡± Barbara yelled and almost dropped the plate of sandwiches. ¡°What? It''s only one piece.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Mister, you better cut that up into 4 pieces right now!¡± Ren laughed and cut it up as instructed. Elise took a piece, Lisa took one after putting down 2 bowls of potato chips, and then the doorbell rang. ¡°I''ll get it.¡± Stella said and left the room after putting the dish of potato salad down. Ren put the third piece of cake on another small plate and set it aside. Stella came back into the dining room, and she was followed by a short brown-haired woman, who Ren easily recognized. ¡°Hello, Officer Stonewall.¡± ¡°Hello, Mr. Haddon.¡± Officer Holly said with a smile. ¡°I just got off shift and thought I''d stop by to say Happy Birthday.¡± ¡°That was nice of you.¡± Ren said. ¡°It really was.¡± Officer Holly chuckled and looked around. ¡°I''d comment that there''s not a lot of people here; but, I think that opinion is skewed because the last birthday party I was at had about 30 teenage girls in attendance, and it was like a stampede.¡± Ren stopped moving and the piece of cake on his fork teetered dangerously. ¡°What?¡± ¡°My partner''s niece had a birthday party not that long ago, and I was invited.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I swear I''ve never seen so many string bikinis and bouncing boobs in my life.¡± The cake on Ren''s fork fell off and landed on the table. ¡°S-string b-bikinis?¡± Ren asked, and Elise and Lisa covered their mouths to stop from laughing. ¡°Yeah, it was a pool party.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°We played water polo, chicken, and a few other games I don''t know the names of.¡± She said. ¡°It was pretty fun.¡± ¡°I... can imagine.¡± Ren said, his eyes a little wide as he put the empty fork in his mouth and chewed the piece of cake that wasn''t there, then looked down at the table. ¡°C-cake?¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± Officer Holly said and picked up the third piece Ren had cut off his own, and started to eat it. ¡°Hey, this cake is delicious!¡± ¡°It really is, isn''t it?¡± Barbara asked and picked up a large plate from the stack, added a bit of potato salad, some chips, and two sandwiches to it, then gave it to her husband. ¡°Thanks.¡± Donald said and started eating. Barbara turned and looked at everyone. ¡°Don''t just stand there. Help yourselves.¡± Everyone but Officer Holly grabbed a plate and added what they wanted to it, and sat down at the table as Ren picked up the piece of cake he had dropped on the table and tossed it into his mouth. ¡°We were planning on a quick dip in the pool, too.¡± Stella said and took a bite of a sandwich. ¡°After a quick meal, a bit of rest...¡± She looked at Ren and then at Barbi. ¡°...and more presents.¡± She laughed. ¡°Preferably less dramatic ones.¡± ¡°Let me add mine to the pile.¡± Officer Holly said and put her hand into her shirt pocket, and took out a business card and put it on the table beside Ren. Ren put his fork down and picked up the card. ¡°What''s this for?¡± ¡°It''s an apology for how I acted.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I know I was wrong, and I''m sorry for overreacting.¡± ¡°Does this mean I can call you day or night and you''ll come running?¡± Ren asked with a grin. ¡°Hell, no.¡± Officer Holly chuckled. ¡°Flip it over.¡± Ren turned it around and saw a long internet address on it. ¡°It''s a secured link to the interview footage of the guy hired to attack you.¡± Officer Holly said, and everyone fell silent. ¡°My partner and I have been sharing everything with you so far, so I figured you''d want to watch it for yourself.¡± She said and finished eating the piece of cake. ¡°He confessed to everything, and he''s locked up and awaiting transfer back to prison.¡± ¡°Back to prison?¡± Stella asked. ¡°He violated his parole conditions.¡± Officer Holly grinned. ¡°No trial and no messy public mudslinging.¡± She said. ¡°Go straight to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect 100,000 dollars.¡± Everyone else exchanged glances, and then they all looked at Ren. ¡°Ren.¡± Elise said, and he looked at her. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Actually, I think I''m a little insulted.¡± Ren said and handed Elise the card with the internet address. ¡°I thought I would be worth more than that.¡± Officer Holly snorted a laugh. ¡°I can''t tell if you''re joking or not.¡± ¡°I''m kind of joking.¡± Ren said and picked up his fork. ¡°Since you''re already here, why don''t you stay?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Grab a plate and help yourself to some food.¡± Ren said and used the fork to take another bite of cake. ¡°This cake really is delicious.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If you''re busy and have to go, that''s okay.¡± Ren said and finished off his cake. He licked his lips and pointed to one of the bowls of potato chips. ¡°Can someone pass me the chips?¡± ¡°Only a handful!¡± Barbara said. ¡°Whose hand can I use?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°You really do use literal interpretations to make a point.¡± Officer Holly said as she picked up a plate and took a sandwich, and remembered when she told him not to grab her butt in the game, and he told her what he could have done to her instead. Ren chuckled and tapped himself on the tip of the nose. ¡°Use Lisa''s hand, smart aleck.¡± Stella said. ¡°They''re smaller than yours.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Ren said. ¡°Outsmarted again.¡± Lisa laughed as she picked up the bowl and dropped a small handful of potato chips onto his plate. ¡°It''s almost better than nothing.¡± She said and kissed his cheek. ¡°Thanks, Lisa.¡± Ren picked a chip to hold up reverently. ¡°Oh, salt and vinegar flavor!¡± He said loudly. ¡°How I miss thee!¡± Officer Holly covered her mouth with a hand. ¡°Bzzt! Car 54 to station. We have a 10-54 in progress. I repeat. We have an overactive ham on the loose.¡± That made everyone laugh, especially Donald because he knew what the code meant. ¡°Loose livestock! Ha ha!¡± Donald guffawed. Officer Holly felt relieved that they weren''t as angry at her as she thought they were going to be, considering the things she had said the last time she was here. She had hoped her apology would smooth the way, and that the footage would help to try and get her back into their good graces. Her partner John had been right. It had been a huge mistake to make assumptions, and then jump to conclusions, without gathering as much evidence as she could first. Ren asked for a sandwich and Elise handed one to him. He started to eat it and talked to her about what he was doing in the game, and what he planned on doing next. Lisa leaned in close so she could hear over the other conversations going on, and put her hand on his shoulder. Ren stopped talking and turned to give her a kiss, then turned back to Elise to continue talking. ¡°I even got a popup telling me to log off for an update.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You know what I did?¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°I pointed up into the sky and shouted that I wasn''t leaving until I wanted to.¡± ¡°That''s my Ren.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°How long did you stay after that?¡± ¡°I had just arrived back in the High Elven city in mid-afternoon, so I stayed right up until it got dark.¡± Lisa snorted a laugh. ¡°You''re so bad!¡± ¡°Tell them everything that happened when you logged back in to get Gloria.¡± Denise said. ¡°Well, I was a little pissed that she wasn''t here...¡± Ren started the story, and the other conversations died out as they all listened to him talk. ******** Elerlyth restlessly laid on the bed as Hailey administered the same healing techniques she had been using at the fight school, and the bruises on her arms and legs faded. ¡°Why are you in such a rush to get to him, anyway?¡± Hailey asked and opened up Elerlyth''s top. She hissed at the major bruise above her right breast, and hovered her hands above it and activated her Major Healing ability. ¡°Because I hurt him and I didn''t mean to.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I have to explain...¡± ¡°Explain what?¡± Hailey asked. ¡°That you''re too scared to face him in real life?¡± ¡°I. Am. Not. Scared.¡± Elerlyth said through gritted teeth. Hailey chuckled. ¡°I''ve known you for a long time now, and I can tell when you''re scared.¡± She said. ¡°Really scared, as in ''my whole body is shaking'' scared, and not that temporary ''oh, that''s horrible'' kind of scared, either. Real, serious, life-altering scared.¡± Elerlyth clamped her mouth shut and didn''t respond, and Hailey finished the healing. She closed Elerlyth''s top and leaned over a bit further to touch Elerlyth on the cheek. ¡°You love him and you told him, and that''s that.¡± Hailey said. ¡°I remember that time he gave you those wands and you let it slip out then.¡± She chuckled. ¡°You were an emotional wreck for a week afterwards.¡± ¡°It... it wasn''t that bad.¡± Elerlyth said and sat up. ¡°You couldn''t even hold your sword straight, because he had given it to you, and it reminded you of him.¡± Hailey said and laughed. Elerlyth looked down at her outfit and how damaged it was, equipped her armor bodysuit, then equipped her armor. Or rather, the armor that Ren had retrieved and then discarded. She sighed and stood up. ¡°Thanks for healing me.¡± Elerlyth said and walked over to the door. ¡°Elerlyth.¡± Hailey said, and she turned to look at her friend. ¡°Would he really have come to my rescue because of you?¡± ¡°He said he would... and before you doubt him, he never lies.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°When he tries, he sucks so badly at it that it''s funny.¡± Hailey smiled and nodded, and Elerlyth left the hideout. ¡°Okay, you stubborn horse!¡± Elerlyth said when she was outside. ¡°Look! Look at me!¡± Etheria, the Phantom Steed, looked at her and she turned around so he could see everything. ¡°Are you happy now? I''m all healed, and I''m even wearing the armor he left for me.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Now will you take me to him?¡± Etheria nodded, and Elerlyth climbed up into the saddle. The steed reared back on his hind legs and took off, and flew up into the sky at full speed. Hailey came out of the hideout to wave goodbye, and she sighed when Elerlyth flew away. ¡°If she hadn''t been so stubborn, Ren could have been the one to fight for me in the ring instead of her.¡± Hailey said wistfully. ¡°That would have been interesting to see, with him so short and everyone else a foot and a half taller.¡± She said and walked back inside and shut the door. Elerlyth flew Etheria all the way back to Ren''s county, and landed in front of the Main House. She hopped off the steed and ran to the front door, and then stopped when two identical men suddenly appeared in front of the door and stood there with their swords across the doorway. ¡°What the...?¡± Elerlyth looked at them, and they looked back at her. ¡°Let me in, please.¡± ¡°You are not authorized to enter the premises.¡± One of them said without moving their mouth. ¡°How do I get authorization?¡± Elerlyth asked. That''s a little creepy. ¡°Our Lord must say you are approved.¡± He said. ¡°Well, then.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Go and get him.¡± ¡°My Lord isn''t here.¡± The man said. ¡°He is out on Adventurer''s business.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°Can I leave a message for him?¡± ¡°We are not messengers.¡± The disguised skeleton knight said. ¡°Ugh!¡± Elerlyth grunted. ¡°What is wrong with everyone?¡± She asked. ¡°You are all stopping me from doing what I want!¡± He didn''t respond; so, Elerlyth walked back over to her Phantom Steed and climbed up to sit on the saddle. After one long look at the upstairs of the Main House, she flicked the reins once, and Etheria flew away with a disgruntled dark elf on his back. Chapter 468 - Party Time ¡°I''m a little surprised you could log back on.¡± Elise said when Ren was done telling the detailed story of how he had saved Elerlyth and Hailey. ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess the programmers weren''t just hanging around and waiting until I logged off.¡± ¡°Now that really does surprise me.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°You pretty much run roughshod over everything, and they have to fight over who has to clean up after you.¡± ¡°Do they really do that?¡± Ren asked, and Elise laughed. ¡°No, sweetheart.¡± Elise said. ¡°They really should, though.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Elise said. ¡°Just having you play the game constantly has let them fix so many bugs, clear up so many holes, and changed their... well, there''s no gentle way to say it... stupid annihilation storylines, so that they could make it more player friendly.¡± ¡°Well, I''m glad someone appreciates all my hard work.¡± Ren grinned, and everyone laughed. They all had a piece of cake and some soft drinks after eating the food that had been prepared, and then it was time for presents. ¡°Open mine first to get it out of the way.¡± Denise said and handed him a small box. Ren opened it and it was a memory expansion chip for the VR headset. ¡°Wow, Denise.¡± He said and stood up. ¡°You didn''t have to do that.¡± ¡°I figured I''d get you something practical that you could use every day.¡± Denise said and gave him a hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and hugged her back. ¡°Well, it was either that or an economy box of condoms.¡± Denise said as Ren sat down. ¡°I just went with the cheaper option.¡± Stella, Elise, Lisa, and Barbara laughed, and everyone else was silent. ¡°It was a joke.¡± Denise said to Officer Holly, Donald, and Barbi. ¡°We buy condoms all the time.¡± They just stared at her, and Stella intervened. ¡°He wears them in case something happens in the game, and there''s not much mess to clean up afterwards.¡± Stella said. ¡°Oh.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I thought... well...¡± ¡°That''s why it''s a joke.¡± Elise said. ¡°That''s all he uses them for.¡± Barbi nodded, Officer Holly glanced at Ren, and Donald had tuned out the entire conversation. That made Barbara giggle and she kissed him for not blowing a gasket over the contraception talk. ¡°You already opened mine.¡± Elise said and pat Barbi''s arm. ¡°No, I didn''t.¡± Ren said to her and wiggled his eyebrows. ¡°You said it was a misunderstanding.¡± Elise snorted a laugh and Barbi blushed again. Officer Holly shook her head in disbelief. ¡°You can cut the sexual innuendo here with a knife.¡± ¡°More like with a chainsaw.¡± Lisa said as she handed Ren an envelope. ¡°I''m tempted to argue that, but it''s so true.¡± Ren laughed and opened the envelope. ¡°Oh, Lisa!¡± ¡°I know it''s not much...¡± Lisa said and ducked her head slightly. ¡°This is great!¡± Ren said and held up a gift certificate to Jungle Jim''s. ¡°Look everyone! Endless french fries and gravy!¡± ¡°Thanks a lot, Lisa.¡± Stella said as she sighed dramatically and exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. ¡°He''s not going to shut up about it until we go.¡± Barbara and Elise laughed. ¡°Sorry.¡± Lisa said and her face flushed red. ¡°Don''t mind Stella, she''s just joking.¡± Ren said and stood up to give Lisa a hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It... it was nothing.¡± Lisa said, and Ren put his arms around her. ¡°You gave me a gift from the heart, one you knew I would really like, and I appreciate it.¡± Ren said, and she looked him in the eyes. ¡°You look very pretty today.¡± Lisa''s blush went to a deeper red, and he kissed her tenderly. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back, and they stayed that way for several moments. ¡°Ahem.¡± Barbara fake coughed, and Lisa broke the kiss and her face was beet red from embarrassment. ¡°Let''s save that for later.¡± Ren whispered and smiled crookedly. ¡°Preferably in the dark, and with less witnesses.¡± Lisa couldn''t help herself as she laughed, glanced quickly around, and then nodded slightly. ¡°That''s so sweet.¡± Barbi whispered as Ren sat down. ¡°Open mine and Donald''s next.¡± Barbara said and handed Ren a soft and pliable package. He opened it up and saw it was several new pairs of silk-like pyjamas and matching underwear. ¡°Oh, wow!¡± Ren said and picked up the set that replaced the pyjamas they had cut off during his hospital visit. ¡°How did you find another one?¡± ¡°I went to that ''Jacques'' store at the mall down on the east end of the city, and talked to the sales woman there.¡± Barbara said. ¡°She immediately told me about what Lily did for you, and she came out of the back when she heard her name.¡± She smiled. ¡°What a helpful girl! She special ordered another set right away, and then I asked about other colors...¡± Ren put aside the one he was holding and picked up a pair of silky underwear. They were hot pink. ¡°P-pink?!?¡± He exclaimed. ¡°You bought me PINK underwear?!?¡± Barbara burst out laughing at the look on his face, and then everyone else joined in. ¡°That was worth the cost right there!¡± She pointed at Ren and kept laughing. ¡°It''s not funny!¡± Ren said and shook the underwear in front of everyone''s faces. ¡°How the hell am I going to wear a set of HOT PINK PYJAMAS?!?¡± He yelled, and everyone laughed at his outrage. He was hamming it up, of course; because he knew that half of the fun was how he reacted to their gifts. Especially the gag gifts. At least, Ren hoped it was a gag gift. ¡°Oh! Oh, that was funny.¡± Barbara said as she calmed down. ¡°Whew! I need to sit down.¡± ¡°Right here, honey.¡± Donald said and pat his lap. Barbara sat down and he put his arms around her. ¡°Saved the best for last.¡± Stella said and handed Ren a box about 10 inches long. Ren opened it and caught his breath. Inside was the repaired watch that told him the game times during the day, that the hospital had cut off and broken on him during the same visit he had lost his pyjama set. ¡°S-Stella.¡± Ren said as he fought back a tear. ¡°When did... I mean, I... after the hospital... when it wasn''t on my wrist, I still looked for it.¡± He said and took in a big breath through his nose. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Stella said and walked over to him, bent over, and hugged him from behind. ¡°I know how much it means to you, even though things didn''t work out.¡± ¡°I... I''ll leave it in the box for now.¡± Ren said and closed it, and put it on the table with the other gifts. ¡°We''re going to the pool, right?¡± ¡°If you feel like it.¡± Stella asked. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I get to see you in a bathing suit.¡± He said and looked at the other women around him, and let a huge smile spread across his face. ¡°I get to see all of you in bathing suits.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I think someone''s fetish is showing.¡± Denise said and chuckled. ¡°It''s more like a dream come true.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s been so long since I''ve seen you wear something skimpy.¡± ¡°You''re such a terrible liar.¡± Denise laughed. ¡°When I gave you that quick shower before the party, you saw me in my bra.¡± ¡°Denise!¡± Ren said and looked at everyone with wide eyes. ¡°Ixnay on the Ahbray.¡± He said. ¡°We have company over!¡± ¡°Oh, hush!¡± Barbara said. ¡°Stop showing off and let''s get changed.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am!¡± Ren said. ¡°You heard the boss, everyone! Start stripping!¡± ¡°Quiet, you!¡± Stella said and shook her fist at him mockingly. ¡°We''ve got changing rooms out by the pool.¡± ¡°But, it''s my birthday!¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll be the first to get changed, then.¡± Denise said and grabbed the handles to the wheelchair. ¡°Can Lisa help me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You expect me to leave the two of you alone in a small change room together after a kiss like that?¡± Denise shook her head as she pulled him away from the table. ¡°It''s pool time, not play time.¡± ¡°But, it''s my birthday!¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°That saying is getting old fast.¡± Stella said, and Ren laughed. Everyone started to leave the dining room to go to the pool. * Barbi caught Elise''s arm. ¡°I should probably go.¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t bring a bathing suit.¡± ¡°I''ll be heading out, too.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Same reason.¡± ¡°There are spare bathing suits in the change rooms.¡± Stella said. ¡°There are?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°We''ve had people come over and forget them, or didn''t have any, or needed new ones.¡± Stella said. ¡°We picked up several different kinds and sizes, just in case.¡± Barbi looked from Elise to Stella. ¡°Are you sure it''s okay for...¡± ¡°You can leave if you want; but, if you''re using the ''no bathing suit'' excuse, it won''t float.¡± ¡°Blah.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Water puns.¡± Barbi laughed. ¡°Well, it''s been fun being here so far.¡± She said and walked over to the camera she had mounted to the wall and put it in her purse. ¡°I guess a quick dip in the pool couldn''t hurt.¡± ¡°I''ll be going then.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°You could show us those games you played at the other pool party.¡± Stella said, and Officer Holly looked at her. ¡°You really won''t mind me staying around?¡± Stella stepped close and leaned down to whisper in Officer Holly''s ear. ¡°We know what you''re doing in the game.¡± She said, and Officer Holly''s face didn''t show any reaction. ¡°If you can keep an eye on him from that end and keep him safe from people in the real world, then letting you come here and not yelling at you for what you said to him the last time you were here, is a good start for what we can do for you.¡± So, she''s still mad about it. Officer Holly thought. Good to know. ¡°I really am sorry for that, and I''m trying to make up for it.¡± She said. ¡°If staying can help rebuild the proverbial bridge I burned down, then I will.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Stella said and stepped back as she smiled. ¡°You can look through the closets at the back of the change rooms to see if there''s anything you like.¡± She said. ¡°If worse comes to worst and there''s nothing that fits, there''s t-shirts and shorts to choose from, too.¡± Officer Holly and Barbi nodded, and they left the dining room and walked over to the big patio doors to go out to the pool to get changed. ¡°Do we really want her around like this?¡± Elise asked when she and Stella were alone. ¡°I''m not sure, and that''s why I asked her to stay.¡± Stella said. ¡°We''re going to find out if it''s going to be a good mix, or like oil and water.¡± ¡°Just like Barbi.¡± Elise said. ¡°She was the most receptive of the people I interviewed for the job.¡± She said. ¡°I just hope it works out.¡± ¡°I was wondering why you picked her.¡± Stella said and they walked over to the elevator to go upstairs and get their bathing suits. ¡°Good compatibility with us is only a bonus, though.¡± Elise nodded and they stepped into the elevator. ¡°She seemed to genuinely like Ren, and she praised him that time he went in for the voice-over work.¡± ¡°Ren liked that, too.¡± Stella said as the elevator opened on the second floor. ¡°He said it was fun and didn''t mind doing it.¡± The two women stepped out and walked to the end of the hall. ¡°They shouldn''t need him again for a while.¡± Elise said and opened Ren''s bedroom door. ¡°It was when I was checking on that when I had the publicist idea.¡± ¡°He doesn''t have any public persona.¡± Stella said and opened her bedroom door. ¡°He does, but it''s scattered.¡± Elise said. ¡°Message board posts, achievements, his show schedule, his social media presence, and a few other things like fan pages that don''t have a single entity running them.¡± ¡°I never thought of that.¡± Stella said. ¡°Nice going.¡± ¡°Only if it works.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°See you downstairs.¡± * Ren and Denise came out of the changing room and he sat down in the wheelchair again. ¡°You''re just going to sit and watch, right?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren said and turned to look at Barbi and Officer Holly Stonewall come out through the large patio doors when he heard the doors open. The two women were complete opposites in body types. Barbi looked just like a Barbie doll with long thin legs and long blonde hair, a high chest and bright smile, and she was 6 feet tall. Officer Holly on the other hand, was short and about the same height as Denise, had a blank face most of the time to hide her emotions, and she had short wavy brown hair. Ren didn''t say anything as they walked past him and went into the first change room. ¡°Did I just see...¡± The two women came back out and went into the next stall, then a few moments later came back out and went into the last stall. ¡°Are they playing musical stalls or something?¡± Ren asked, and then Barbi came back out and went in the middle one. ¡°I didn''t hear any music.¡± Denise said and smiled. ¡°Ren.¡± Lisa said as she came out of the house wearing her one piece swimsuit used for actual swimming. ¡°I hope you''re not disappointed.¡± ¡°Turn around for me.¡± Ren said, and she did a little twirl. ¡°Nope, not disappointed at all.¡± Lisa chuckled and gave him a kiss, then ran over to the pool and jumped in. ¡°Someone''s eager for a swim.¡± Barbara said, and Ren turned around to see her in a body-hugging two piece. ¡°Barbara!¡± Ren said and covered his eyes. ¡°What are you wearing?!?¡± ¡°A bathing suit, obviously.¡± Barbara said and laughed. ¡°It''s okay, son.¡± Donald said. ¡°You''ll get numb to the sight eventually.¡± There was a loud smack of flesh on flesh. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren spread his fingers to see what happened, and saw Donald rub his own shoulder. Denise covered her mouth with her hand so she wouldn''t laugh. ¡°Numb to the sight, are you?¡± Barbara had her hands on her hips and glared at him. ¡°I didn''t say I was.¡± Donald smiled. ¡°I said he would get used to it.¡± ¡°Yeah, right.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You had better apologize to me right nooooooowwww!¡± Barbara''s words were exaggerated when Donald surprised her by picking her up. ¡°Put me DOWN!¡± Barbara yelled. ¡°RIGHT NOW!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Donald said and tossed her into the pool. ¡°She is going to kill you.¡± Ren said softly, and believed he was looking at a dead man. Donald gave him a quick salute. ¡°I listened to your story, Ren.¡± Donald said. ¡°I''m going to give you some advice. Every man has to go down with the ship at some point in his life.¡± Barbara came back up to the surface of the water and started yelling incoherently at him. ¡°Swallow your pride, son.¡± Donald said. ¡°Be what they want, not what they need.¡± He took two steps towards the pool and jumped. ¡°AHHH!¡± Barbara tried to get out of the way as Donald splashed into the water right beside her, and disappeared. ¡°DONALD!¡± Denise laughed as Barbara splashed around, then was pulled suddenly under the water. ¡°What is he doing?¡± Stella asked. She and Elise had come out of the house and saw Donald''s dive bomb attack. ¡°Digging his grave.¡± Ren said and shook his head. ¡°That poor man.¡± Elise snorted a laugh. ¡°He''ll be fine.¡± She said and put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°They''ve been married a long time.¡± ¡°I hope they stay that way.¡± Ren said and looked at the churning water. Barbara and Donald broke the surface of the water, and she was already slapping him all over. ¡°I''m going to kill you!¡± *Slap* ¡°How could you do that to me?¡± *Slap* ¡°You embarrassed me in front of Ren!¡± *Slap* All Donald did was laugh in response. ¡°They started playing already?¡± Barbi asked after she had come out of the change room. ¡°It looks like fun.¡± Ren, Denise, Stella, and Elise turned to look at her, and they all stared at her. She was wearing a nice one piece bathing suit that would fit anyone comfortably; but for some reason, it looked scandalous on her. Her breasts were almost popping out of it, even though it was a conservative swimsuit. It was also so tight on the bottom that it was like she wasn''t wearing anything at all. ¡°Can I take a turn next?¡± Barbi asked and looked at Ren and the other women. ¡°What is it?¡± She asked and looked down at herself. ¡°I know it''s not on backwards, because I put it on right.¡± She said and turned around to stick out her well-formed backside as she pointed to a small square bulge at the top of her butt. ¡°The tag is right there.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Ren whispered because he could clearly see... well, everything. The rest of her might resemble a Barbie doll; but, she is definitely anatomically correct. ¡°You''re looking pretty intensely.¡± Barbi said and bent over further and Ren caught his breath. ¡°Don''t tell me I stained it already?¡± She asked, then reached between her legs and started to rub herself. ¡°I can''t see it.¡± She said. ¡°Is it wet? It doesn''t feel wet.¡± Ren''s mouth dropped open, and Elise reached over and gently closed it for him. ¡°You''re fine, Barbi.¡± Elise said. ¡°What a relief.¡± Barbi stopped rubbing herself and stood up. ¡°I''ll get it dry cleaned if it happens.¡± ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± Elise said. ¡°We usually just let them soak overnight.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Barbi said. ¡°This one is pinching a little; but, it''s the only one that fit me from shoulder to hip.¡± She reached down to grab the crotch and pulled it down, wiggled a little, and let it snap back into place. ¡°There, that''s better.¡± She beamed a smile. ¡°I''ll bring my own swimsuit over tomorrow.¡± Officer Holly came out of the change room, and she wore a nice blue pair of bikini bottoms and a baggy t-shirt. ¡°I''m here.¡± She said. ¡°Let''s get this party going.¡± ¡°Ren''s already going.¡± Stella laughed, and everyone looked down at Ren. He had his hands over himself and his face was red; but, there was no stopping anyone from noticing his excited condition. ¡°Was that for me?¡± Barbi asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°That''s so sweet.¡± She said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren blinked his eyes for a moment. ¡°You''re not insulted?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Barbi laughed. ¡°It''s a compliment.¡± ¡°You really think that?¡± Officer Holly asked, and Barbi nodded. ¡°It means I still got it.¡± Barbi said and licked her fingertip and touched her hip. ¡°Hsss.¡± ¡°Hey, what''s going on?¡± Lisa asked from the water near the side of the pool closest to them. ¡°Barbi''s still got it, apparently.¡± Officer Holly said, and Barbi did the same motion and hissed again. Lisa laughed. ¡°Are you too hot to get in the pool?¡± ¡°We were just waiting for the epic war to end.¡± Stella said and pointed. Everyone turned to see Barbara and Donald making out in the shallow end of the pool. ¡°I guess peace was declared.¡± Elise said. ¡°Everyone into the pool!¡± Ren said to distract them from his embarrassment, stood up from the wheelchair, and jumped into the pool. ¡°You said you were just going to watch, you little sneak!¡± Denise said and jumped in after him. Stella, Elise, Barbi and Officer Holly exchanged glances, shrugged their shoulders, and jumped in, too. Chapter 469 - Confrontation Elerlyth flew her Phantom Steed Etheria back to her little cottage hidden in the woods of Ren''s county, tied the steed up outside, and went into her cottage and slammed the door shut. ¡°That damn little piece of... UGH!¡± Elerlyth kicked the chair in front of her dressing table, and it shattered into a dozen pieces because she had forgotten she was still wearing her armor. ¡°Goddammit!¡± Elerlyth picked up the pieces and tossed them against the wall and out of the way, stored her powerful armor, and flopped down on the bed. ¡°How could he do that to me?¡± Elerlyth asked herself. ¡°He treated me like a child! He actually scolded me!¡± She pounded her fists into the mattress. ¡°I wanted to catch him so I could yell at him before he left the game, but I guess yelling at him in real life will have to do.¡± She said. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Gloria took off her customized VR headset and set it aside. Even though she seethed inside, she calmly went to the bathroom and took a shower, dressed in a loose pair of pants and a tight t-shirt, and grabbed her cell phone. She checked the call history and saw that she had missed half a dozen calls over the last 2 days, and twice that many text messages... and all of them had been about Ren. ¡°Dammit.¡± Gloria said, and she was angry at herself for not checking before. Of course, that brought her mind back to what Ren had done in the game and it redirected that anger back to him. She shoved the cell phone into her pocket and grabbed her keys. ¡°I hope you''re ready to chew on a piece of my mind, Ren.¡± Gloria said and left her apartment. ¡°I''m going to give it to you whether you want it or not.¡± Gloria hopped in her car and squealed the tires as she drove out of the parking lot. She started to drive across the city to get to his new place, then remembered why he had come to get her in the game. It was his birthday. She ground her teeth and took the next corner to head to the closest mall. She couldn''t crash his birthday party and show up without having something for him. * Ren had been ''rescued'' from his attempt to distract everyone by Lisa, and after a bit of yelling from both Barbara and Denise, he sat in the hot tub and watched as everyone played water polo. There were 4 people on each side, with Elise, Lisa, Barbara, and Stella on one side; and Donald, Barbi, Officer Holly, and Denise on the other. The competition was fierce, and there was a lot of trash talk; especially from Officer Holly, who had changed into full combat mode. Ren had been a little surprised at first that Donald had approved of the young woman''s presence on his team; but after a quick talk with Barbara, he found out she reminded Donald of the first woman to ever join his combat unit. She was small, feisty, and wouldn''t take guff from anyone without a fight. That''s Officer Holly, all right. Ren thought as he watched her spike the ball into the water to splash Elise in the face and it bounced the ball over her head and into the makeshift goal. ¡°HA! That''s three!¡± Officer Holly said as she half-swam and half-walked back to her team''s side of the pool. ¡°One more and we win!¡± ¡°Who decided that the best of 7 wins?¡± Elise asked as she wiped her eyes clear of water. ¡°Officer Holly.¡± Lisa said. ¡°What are we now?¡± ¡°Two.¡± ¡°Let''s change that, shall we?¡± Elise said and smiled, and Lisa nodded. ¡°I''ll run interference, and you slip inside to score.¡± She said and looked at Barbara and Stella. ¡°Block the best you can.¡± ¡°We''re on it.¡± Stella said and they all took their positions. Donald set the ball in the space between the two teams and eased back to his position. ¡°Go!¡± Ren said, and Stella and Barbara splashed the water on either side of the ball and Elise stepped forward and hit the ball from underneath and back over her shoulder. Lisa caught it and then Ren couldn''t see her anymore, then Elise, Stella and Barbara kept their opponents distracted. ¡°She''s under!¡± Donald said and he ducked under the water to catch Lisa; but, it was too late. Lisa splashed up through the surface in a high jump just as Donald''s head disappeared under the water, and she tossed the ball into the enemy''s goal. ¡°YEAH!¡± Elise yelled and held a hand up for Lisa to give her a high five, and the players moved back to their respective sides of the pool. ¡°We''re tied.¡± ¡°I think it''s time for a Hail Mary pass.¡± Stella said and looked at Barbara. ¡°Donald''s going to guard that goal like a bear in a cave.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I know how to distract my husband.¡± Barbara said and smirked. ¡°He''ll never know what hit him.¡± ¡°Elise, this one''s all yours.¡± Stella said. ¡°It would be my honor to bring our underdog team to victory.¡± Elise said with a huge smile on her face. ¡°Let''s do it!¡± They spread out and got ready, and Lisa positioned the ball this time. She eased back by her goal, and Ren saw everyone was ready. ¡°Go!¡± Ren said, and Officer Holly tried to dive for the ball. Stella had been a bit quicker and her reach a little longer; so, she palmed the ball and pushed it down into the water and between her legs. It popped up behind her and out of Officer Holly''s reach, and Barbara hopped forward as Lisa picked up the ball. She avoided an awkward grab from Barbi and turned around to toss it to Elise. ¡°Now!¡± Stella yelled. Barbara took the cue and stood up in front of her husband, then pulled her bathing suit top down to reveal her breasts. Donald spit and sputtered in surprise at the sight, and Elise tossed the ball into the completely undefended goal. ¡°Ha ha! We won!¡± Elise exclaimed. ¡°My eyes! My eyes!¡± Ren exclaimed and covered them with his hands. ¡°Why, Barbara? Why?¡± Barbara laughed, and then so did everyone else. ¡°It''s okay, Ren. They''re covered now.¡± ¡°I can''t believe I saw you topless.¡± Ren said and rubbed his eyes. ¡°Barbara, I...¡± Ren spread his fingers a little and saw that she did have her top back in place; but, since the top was form-fitting, he could still see the shape of her breasts and covered his eyes again. ¡°Ren, don''t overreact.¡± Stella said. ¡°B-but, I... I can''t un-see that.¡± Ren said. ¡°They aren''t that ugly, are they?¡± Barbara asked, a little sadly. ¡°N-no.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just the opposite.¡± He said and kept his eyes covered. ¡°They looked really nice.¡± ¡°Then what''s the problem?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°They''re just boobs.¡± ¡°I know I''m being foolish, but... I... I don''t want to think of Barbara like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would a distraction help?¡± Barbi asked, and he heard the water of the hot tub splash a little. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren asked as she moved his hands away from his eyes. ¡°If you don''t want to think of her, then think of me.¡± Barbi said and pulled the tight bathing suit off of her shoulders and her boobs popped right out of it. ¡°These are the best money can buy, and worth every penny.¡± Ren blinked his eyes and stared at her chest, and his gaze shifted from one perfect breast to the other.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°What do you think?¡± Barbi asked and turned from side to side. ¡°Aren''t they great?¡± ¡°Geez, Barbi.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°Put the big guns away.¡± ¡°Did it work? Is he distracted?¡± Barbi asked as she carefully pulled her bathing suit back up. ¡°He''s just staring blankly and I can''t tell.¡± ¡°I think he''s in shock.¡± Stella said as she knelt beside the hot tub. ¡°Ren? Are you okay?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said, and he breathed a little heavily. ¡°I''m not dreaming, am I?¡± He asked. ¡°Did... did a life-size Barbie Doll just show me her breasts?¡± Stella nodded and pat his shoulder, and Barbi laughed. ¡°I guess it worked.¡± Barbi said and got out of the hot tub. ¡°That was a low down, rotten, underhanded thing you did to distract your husband, Barbara.¡± Officer Holly said to the older woman. ¡°It was great!¡± She said and grinned, and everyone could see how happy she was. ¡°You exploited a weakness in your enemy and achieved victory.¡± Donald looked at his wife as he thought about it that way. ¡°Even I have to admit it was a good plan.¡± He smiled. ¡°It was completely unorthodox and it was something I never would have expected.¡± ¡°Wait! Am I the one who''s dreaming?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Someone pinch me! Donald just gave me tactical praise!¡± Donald chuckled and it made everyone smile. ¡°Who''s up for playing something else?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°I think we should just relax for a while.¡± Elise said and rubbed the top of Ren''s head. ¡°I don''t think he can take much more right now.¡± ¡°I''m fine, Elise.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°You guys go and have fun in the pool.¡± Lisa said and slipped into the hot tub, then sat down beside Ren. ¡°I''ll sacrifice my fun and cuddle with him.¡± ¡°Sacrifice, huh? You already changed swimsuits.¡± Elise said and chuckled, and Lisa beamed a smile at her. ¡°Lisa''s right.¡± Ren said and put an arm around Lisa, and she snuggled in. ¡°Go and enjoy yourselves. This is supposed to be a party.¡± Everyone started to spread out to go to different parts of the pool, and Denise pointed a finger at him. ¡°You sit there and relax, and don''t go enjoying yourself too much.¡± ¡°I''ll be good.¡± Ren said. Lisa put her head on his shoulder. ¡°I''ll keep an eye on him.¡± ¡°See that you do.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''ll be right over there if you need anything.¡± Lisa and Ren nodded, and Denise walked over to the pool and dove into the water close to where Stella was already swimming. Ren looked around and saw that Donald and Barbara had sat down on the lounge chairs and were talking animatedly with Officer Holly about something, and Barbi and Elise were beside the pool and pointed at each other''s swimsuits as they talked. ¡°This turned out to be a great day, and I didn''t even know it was my birthday.¡± Ren said and Lisa lifted her head from his shoulder and kissed his cheek. ¡°No one''s looking at us right now.¡± Lisa whispered. ¡°Denise said I can''t enjoy myself too much.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m pretty sure I''ll be enjoying myself too much if we start making out.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lisa sighed. ¡°I guess I can wait a little longer.¡± Ren let her wait for only a moment. ¡°Well, a few kisses couldn''t hurt.¡± Lisa chuckled and they started kissing; but, they held in their passion and kept it quite reserved. * Gloria had stopped in the first store she came to in the mall, grabbed the first thing she saw and paid for it and a nice bag for it, then ran back to her car and drove out of the parking lot without thinking about anything except rubbing the stupid present right in Ren''s face. She made it through traffic quickly, mainly because it was early afternoon, and the guard at the gate to the community let her in without any hassle. When she came to the house, she saw a couple of cars in the driveway that she didn''t recognize. She was tempted to park across the driveway just to annoy them. When she realized she wasn''t staying long and they wouldn''t even see it, she parked reasonably instead and got out. After a perfunctory check by the security guard, she went into the house. ¡°Hello?¡± Gloria spoke as she quickly walked through the large lobby and into the first living room. No one answered, so she went to the large dining room and saw the remains of the party. ¡°Dammit, don''t tell me I rushed over here and still missed it!¡± She stood still and thought about where they could be, and heard muffled laughter from outside. She walked through the kitchen and over to the triple set of big patio doors at the back of the house, and saw several people having fun by the pool. Dammit, I didn''t bring my swimsuit. Gloria thought as she scanned around to find Ren and saw him in the hot tub. He was cuddled up with Lisa and looked comfortable. Aw, screw it. Gloria opened the patio door and walked towards the hot tub. Lisa saw her before Ren did, and she whispered to him. Ren turned to look at Gloria as she stopped beside the hot tub. ¡°Happy Birthday, you bastard.¡± Gloria said and passed him the bag with his gift in it. All other conversations died at Gloria''s words. ¡°Hey!¡± Lisa said and stood up. ¡°Don''t you dare talk to him like that!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Did he tell you what he did?¡± ¡°Of course he told me!¡± Lisa said. ¡°He told all of us!¡± ¡°It''s all right, Lisa.¡± Ren said and put the bag beside the hot tub. ¡°Let her finish.¡± ¡°I was playing that quest for over a week game time, and you burst in out of the blue and ruined it!¡± Gloria said. ¡°You came in there and destroyed everything I was working so hard to finish!¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''ve been playing it for the last two days, real time?¡± Gloria nodded. ¡°That''s why I missed your calls and text messages.¡± ¡°That part doesn''t matter right now.¡± Stella said as she climbed out of the pool. ¡°You''ve been letting yourself be beaten all that time?¡± Gloria didn''t say anything, and Stella came over to her. ¡°Is admitting your feelings so difficult that you have to punish yourself like that?¡± ¡°It... it wasn''t like that.¡± Gloria said. ¡°It was just a quest.¡± ¡°It doesn''t sound like it.¡± Elise said as she came over, too. ¡°It sounds like you were hiding.¡± ¡°I... I wasn''t.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I hope you realize what could have happened while you were hiding from your feelings.¡± Lisa said, and Gloria looked at her. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Do I really have to spell it out for you?¡± She asked, and when Gloria didn''t say anything, she sighed and shook her head. ¡°For someone so smart, you''re being awfully stupid.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°It was just a surprise birthday party this time, and no one could get a hold of you to tell you.¡± Lisa said. ¡°But, if Ren had been hurt again and wanted you here...¡± The blood drained from Gloria''s face. ¡°Yeah, you get it now.¡± Lisa said. ¡°So many things could have happened for us to get a hold of you, and you ignored the fact it could have been very important.¡± ¡°But...¡± Gloria''s bluster faded. ¡°I was in the game.¡± ¡°Even Ren logs out every game night to check on everyone.¡± Elise said. ¡°And to eat.¡± Denise said. ¡°And to do other things, like talk to his friends.¡± Stella said. ¡°Stop it.¡± Ren said as he stood up. ¡°She didn''t come here for a guilt trip.¡± He said, and everyone looked at him. ¡°Gloria, I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I had no right to wreck what you were doing in the game, or to tell you what you can and can''t do with your life.¡± Ren said and climbed out of the hot tub. ¡°It bothered me that you weren''t here with everyone to celebrate; but, that was my problem... and I... I dealt with it poorly.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Ren held up a hand in a clear stop gesture. ¡°Please, let me finish.¡± He said. ¡°It was my own fault for thinking that after someone comes into my life and then confesses to me how they feel, that their lives should revolve around me and the things that happen to me.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°That goes for everyone else here, too. I don''t expect to be the only thing in your lives.¡± Ren said and looked at everyone. ¡°That would be really selfish on my part, and I''m sorry if I gave anyone that impression.¡± He stepped close to Gloria; but, didn''t touch her because he was wet from being in the hot tub. ¡°I''m sorry for acting like a child, and for throwing a tantrum when you wouldn''t pay attention to me.¡± He smiled. ¡°I won''t even use the excuse that I had the Angered condition, mainly because I don''t want it to be an excuse or an explanation for my behavior.¡± No one said anything, and Ren sighed. ¡°I was actually angry at myself for letting you get hurt, when I could have easily done something about it.¡± ¡°You did do something about it.¡± Gloria said. ¡°You destroyed that fighting school.¡± ¡°Despite enjoying that, that was after the fact. I meant that I have enchantments that would have let you benefit from wearing heavy armor without actually wearing any.¡± Ren said. ¡°I should have messaged you right away and given it to you.¡± ¡°I don''t think I would have taken it, even if you had offered it.¡± Gloria admitted, because her arguments had been co-opted by Ren and it made her lose her self-righteous anger. ¡°I... I don''t know why I''m having a hard time with... with whatever this is between us.¡± ¡°That.¡± Ren said and pointed at her. ¡°That right there is why.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Even though you''ve told me how you felt, you can''t decide what it is we have.¡± Ren said. ¡°Doubt and fear cloud your mind. It affects your decisions, and you can''t think clearly.¡± Gloria looked at him with wide eyes, and he smiled reassuringly. ¡°The simple solution is to not think about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can have a proper discussion about everything later.¡± He picked up the present bag Gloria had given him. ¡°Why don''t you grab a bathing suit from one of the change rooms and have some fun in the pool.¡± He opened the bag and pulled out a plush bright blue blanket. ¡°Oh, wow! Look at that color!¡± He said and rubbed it on his face, the only part of his body that was dry. ¡°This feels so nice!¡± ¡°It was just something I picked up at the last minute.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Ren said and put it back in the bag. ¡°Hurry up and get changed, so I can give you a hug.¡± He said and put the bag down beside the hot tub. ¡°I''m still wet and I can''t hug you like this.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ll help you pick out something.¡± Stella said and took Gloria by the elbow to guide her over to the change rooms. Everyone drifted back to their previous groupings and conversations, and Ren carefully climbed back into the hot tub. ¡°That was really nice of you.¡± Lisa said and sat down next to him again. ¡°So was you standing up for me like that.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I wanted to punch her right in the face after what she called you.¡± Lisa said, and Ren touched her cheek to turn her face to his. ¡°Thank you for not doing that.¡± Ren said and tenderly kissed her on the lips. ¡°I would greatly prefer that she have all of her teeth the next time she smiles.¡± Lisa chuckled and sat back against the side of the hot tub, and Ren put his arm back around her. She snuggled in close and put her hand on his chest. ¡°So, even after that, I guess it''s still a good day?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°The day is only going to get better.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°We''re watching the show in the theatre after supper, and it''s going to be nice and dark in there.¡± Lisa smiled, too. She couldn''t wait to spend some more quality time in the dark with Ren. Chapter 470 - The Party Continues Gloria came out of the change room with Stella, and she wore a lime green bikini. It clashed horribly with her bright pink and blue streaked hair, but she still looked good in it because it fit well. Ren got out of the hot tub immediately and gave her a hug. He didn''t hold it for too long, because he didn''t want to make her uncomfortable, and he went back in the hot tub while she went for a swim with Stella and Denise. After another little while, Lisa decided she had relaxed enough and went for a swim, too. ¡°No cannonballs!¡± Ren warned her. ¡°There''s too many people in the pool.¡± ¡°Ren, this pool is huge.¡± Lisa laughed. ¡°10 of me could do cannonballs at the same time and they wouldn''t hit anyone.¡± ¡°Okay, then.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Just one.¡± Lisa checked that the coast was clear and jumped into the pool. ¡°CANNONBALL!¡± The water splashed up and rippled, and Ren watched as the ripples petered out and only tiny waves reached the other swimmers. ¡°Huh, she was right.¡± Ren said and leaned back, then tried to prop his feet up on the seat on the other side of the hot tub; but, they wouldn''t reach. ¡°Want some help?¡± Gloria asked as she walked over to the hot tub. She had seen Lisa leave and figured this was a good opportunity to talk to him. Ren saw that she had taken out all of her piercings again and smiled. ¡°I still think you look naked without your piercings.¡± Gloria chuckled as she climbed into the hot tub and sat across from him, then she put his feet on her lap. ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°...and you didn''t have to come into the game to rescue me.¡± Gloria said. ¡°God, that made me so mad!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Like I didn''t know that.¡± They sat there in the water and stayed quiet for a few minutes. Gloria started to massage his feet, and she felt him relax. ¡°You know, it was oddly satisfying wiping them all out.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wrecking the house afterwards was... well...¡± ¡°It was fun.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I could feel your emotions too, remember?¡± ¡°At the time, I debated on making myself a giant and just stomping on those fighters.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Gloria chuckled. ¡°Can you imagine the looks on their faces?¡± ¡°I should have punted a few of them, just like kicking a football.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Just to see how far they''d go.¡± Gloria laughed. ¡°I don''t think I would have been as angry if you did that.¡± ¡°I would have enjoyed it more, that''s true.¡± Ren said, and his smile disappeared. ¡°I didn''t do any of that, because I couldn''t take the chance that any of them would get away.¡± Gloria felt tension return to his feet. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°They hurt you, and I couldn''t let that go.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... you let that dark elf go.¡± Gloria said, and then covered her mouth. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°I didn''t let him go.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been waiting for you to help me hunt him down, just like I promised.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I wanted you to do it, with my help.¡± Ren said. ¡°With your ability maxed out and with me there to help boost you, you can do to him what he did to you.¡± A mean smile spread across Gloria''s face. ¡°That sounds great.¡± ¡°I''ve got some world event things to deal with when I go back into the game tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°How about tomorrow night?¡± ¡°Real life or game life?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Ladies choice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I come along with you on this world event thing you have going?¡± ¡°There won''t be much for you to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m letting Zetaya do all the work.¡± ¡°Zetaya?¡± Gloria asked, then chuckled. ¡°Oh, the fire elemental.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°We cleared out 35 ghoul nests and wiped out a horde of about 2 million ghouls.¡± Gloria''s mouth dropped open. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± She said and gripped his feet. ¡°How much XP are you getting?¡± ¡°None.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Gloria let his feet go, so she wouldn''t grip them too tightly. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I told you. I''m letting Zetaya do all the work.¡± Ren said. ¡°I pull aside anyone that can be saved and bring them to the healers, then rinse and repeat.¡± ¡°R-Ren, you... why? Why are you passing up on all that XP?¡± ¡°I got a ton of it when I finished Shargon Caverns, and I barely killed anything myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°I still gained 57 levels.¡± ¡°You... you''re above me in levels now!¡± Gloria exclaimed. ¡°You''re only a crafter, and you''re above me in levels.¡± She said, a little dejectedly. ¡°I unlocked skills and recipes I haven''t even looked at fully yet, and my character build is a mess.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m a bit surprised the CEO of Sid Tec hasn''t stepped in to limit me to only gaining a few levels at a time or something.¡± ¡°Everyone would quit the game if he did that.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I know I would.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Not everyone gets tons of XP like you do in a single shot.¡± ¡°I guess that''s true.¡± ¡°How many times is that now? Two? Three?¡± ¡°I''ve got the top 5 spots on the XP leader board; but, one of them was with Clint''s party.¡± Gloria shook her head. ¡°How in the world did you take a helper class and make it a force to be reckoned with?¡± ¡°I play a lot.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°He still holds the record for spending the most time in the game.¡± Elise said. Ren and Gloria looked up at her, and she stood there with Barbi. ¡°Is that true?¡± Barbi asked, excitedly. ¡°It is.¡± Elise said. ¡°Mind if we join you?¡± Ren looked at Gloria, and she shrugged as she started to massage his feet again. ¡°Please, make yourselves comfortable.¡± Ren said, and Elise climbed in on his left and sat down, and Barbi climbed in on his right. ¡°I''d like to co-ordinate with you and get the actual times.¡± Barbi said and draped her arms across the sides of the hot tub. One hand almost touched Gloria, and her other arm rested across Ren''s back and her hand touched Elise''s shoulder. ¡°The fan pages will go nuts!¡± ¡°Fan pages?¡± Ren asked. ¡°See? That''s why you need someone to police these things.¡± Barbi said. ¡°We can even start an official page, and provide a subscription service for exclusive details!¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°But...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°Don''t worry about anything.¡± Barbi said and pat Ren on the shoulder. ¡°I''m on the job starting tomorrow, and I''ll take care of everything.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked, and Barbi looked at him with a question on her face. ¡°I mean... I don''t know what you''re going to be doing, and I''m assuming it''s a big responsibility.¡± ¡°If it puts your mind at ease, I''ll work for the next three days for free and start setting everything up.¡± Barbi said. ¡°If you''re not happy with what I''m doing, I won''t quit the television station.¡± Ren looked from her to Elise. ¡°I''m kind of out of my depth here.¡± He said. ¡°Is that a good deal?¡± ¡°Considering I wanted to hire her right away, it''s a great deal.¡± Elise said, and Ren turned back to Barbi. ¡°It''s too good of a deal.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why would you agree to three days of free work?¡± ¡°It''s going to take a couple of days to set things up and get everything coordinated.¡± Barbi said. ¡°It will be hard to judge me before that with only partially finished work.¡± ¡°So if you don''t get the job after that, we could hire anyone to take over; mainly because you would already have all the setup work done.¡± Ren said and shook his head. ¡°No, I agree with my financial adviser.¡± Elise caught her breath at his words. ¡°If you''re going to work for us, we should hire you right off the bat and not pussyfoot around it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''ve already discussed things with Elise, right?¡± Ren asked, and Barbi nodded. ¡°Then I have to assume what you''ve been saying is true and I need to get a handle on my public persona, and the best way is to consolidate everything under your care.¡± Barbi looked at Elise. ¡°Is he always this decisive?¡± ¡°I''ve never seen or heard of him doing only half measures.¡± Elise said and glanced at Gloria. ¡°Once he decides to accept something into his life, that''s pretty much it.¡± ¡°Then I''ll tender my resignation to the television station first thing in the morning.¡± Barbi said and pat Elise''s shoulder. ¡°I''ll submit the order for the new equipment through your financial adviser.¡± ¡°We''ve got a small dining room that we don''t use.¡± Ren said and looked at Elise. ¡°Would it take much to convert that into a nice office for you and Barbi to work in?¡± ¡°Not much. We would just take out the table and chairs and put a desk in.¡± Elise said. ¡°Maybe two, if Barbi needs the extra space for digital monitors.¡± ¡°Hold on, now.¡± Barbi said. ¡°You''ll let me set up a full computer system with a secondary display?¡± ¡°I don''t see why not.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m going to need at least one myself, especially if we decide to incorporate for the tax breaks.¡± ¡°Oh! Incorporation!¡± Barbi smacked herself on the forehead. ¡°I should have thought of that!¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Since I''m apparently his financial adviser... I''ll worry about the finance part. You worry about the public part.¡± ¡°I used to do that all the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s that? Worry about the finances?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°No, smack myself in the head.¡± Ren said. ¡°The last time I did it in the game, I knocked myself out for about an hour.¡± Barbi looked at Ren for a second, then burst out laughing. ¡°You did not.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I really did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I used to have a small chance to Stun when I hit things in the head; but, I had forgotten about gaining a boost to it recently.¡± His face flushed a little red. ¡°It''s almost a 50/50 shot now.¡± Gloria and Elise joined in on the laughter. ¡°With that armor you have now...¡± Elise said and shook her head. ¡°I''d be careful about touching people with your hands, let alone smacking them!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°My armor''s restricted, and it''s singular.¡± ¡°Wow, really?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°I''ve never heard of a singular item before.¡± ¡°I''ve got two of them now.¡± Ren said. ¡°My polymorph helm and my armor.¡± ¡°I didn''t see you wearing a helm.¡± Gloria said. ¡°It''s invisible and can''t be touched, modified, or removed.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a bit of a pain in the ass to be honest; but, it''s also an awesome helm and no one else can make another one.¡± He grinned. ¡°Not even me.¡± ¡°So... what can you become with it?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said, and the three women looked at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You didn''t try it?¡± ¡°I tried it once and became a Marilith demon.¡± Ren said. ¡°It felt really weird with two extra arms, and I kind of just flopped around with a tail instead of legs.¡± Gloria and Barbi''s mouths fell open in shock, and Elise chuckled. ¡°He met one as the final boss in the Shargon Caverns training grounds.¡± Elise said. ¡°Good god, the boss is a Marilith demon?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°I am really glad I declined the offer to go there.¡± ¡°You had the chance to go?¡± Ren asked, and Gloria nodded. ¡°I was too busy having fun to bother with special training that was going to take several weeks to a month to complete.¡± ¡°It didn''t take Ren anywhere near that long.¡± Elise said. ¡°What? Why not?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Did you get a head start or something?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said. ¡°I started on the bottom level just like everyone else.¡± ¡°Then how...¡± ¡°He took out a mining pick and dug straight up.¡± Elise said, proudly. ¡°No way!¡± Barbi said. ¡°That''s brilliant!¡± ¡°It had the virtue of never being tried before.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I was about 10 miles deep when I started, and I got about halfway up to the surface before the caverns started to shift around to direct me where I was supposed to go.¡± Barbi used her hand to pet his hair. ¡°With how your mind works, you must have wrecked the place.¡± ¡°He sure did.¡± Elise said and laughed. ¡°The programmers were beside themselves with the chaos he caused.¡± Barbi and Gloria joined in and laughed, too. ¡°What''s that saying? Stay out of the kitchen if you can''t stand the heat?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Close enough.¡± Elise said. ¡°Speaking of which, why isn''t the hot tub on?¡± ¡°I wasn''t using it for what it was meant for, because I was busy watching everyone else have fun.¡± Ren said. ¡°With the water jets going, you can''t hear much of anything from outside.¡± ¡°Everyone is doing something else.¡± Elise said and leaned forward to reach the controls. ¡°Do we want heat, or just the jets?¡± ¡°Jets, please.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I can''t take much heat in this thing.¡± She said. ¡°It covers too much.¡± Ren''s eyes went wide, and Gloria snorted a laugh. ¡°What''s funny?¡± Barbi asked, and then jumped slightly when the jets came on. ¡°Your swimsuit looks like it''s hanging on for dear life... and it''s losing.¡± Gloria said, and Barbi laughed. ¡°Look who''s talking.¡± Barbi said and pointed. ¡°You''re telegraphing how much you like massaging his feet.¡± Gloria looked down and saw that she was clearly doing what Barbi said. The tips of her breasts were so prominent that it was stretching the thin cloth. She hadn''t noticed because the bikini was actually really comfortable. She let Ren''s feet go and covered herself, and Barbi reached over and pat her shoulder. ¡°I didn''t say that to embarrass you.¡± Barbi said and pointed to her own chest and the prominent tips they displayed. ¡°I was comparing us.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Gloria said, but didn''t uncover herself. ¡°How come you''re so excited?¡± She asked, to distract the others from her chest. ¡°I''m sitting on one of the water jets.¡± Barbi said. ¡°It''s like a really good massage.¡± No one spoke as they let that thought sink in. After a few moments, Gloria couldn''t take just sitting there quietly with her hands covering her breasts. ¡°I think I''ll go for a swim.¡± Gloria said and got out of the hot tub, stepped into the closest change room and grabbed a t-shirt, then slipped it on and jumped into the pool. Ren, Elise, and Barbi sat in the hot tub and relaxed, until Denise said it was almost time for supper. ¡°What are we having?¡± Ren asked when Elise turned off the water jets of the hot tub. ¡°I''ve had pork chops slow cooking in the oven since this morning.¡± Denise said. ¡°In the oven?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°Aren''t you supposed to fry pork chops?¡± ¡°Only if you want to keep them tough and hard to chew.¡± Denise said. ¡°You''ll like it, trust me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Whatever she does with them, the meat just melts in your mouth.¡± ¡°Is it okay for me to stay?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°I made plenty, since I wasn''t sure who would be here.¡± ¡°What would you do with the extras if we weren''t here?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°Have lots and lots of leftovers.¡± Denise said and chuckled. ¡°It should be ready by the time we all get rinsed off and changed.¡± ¡°Tell me you''re making gravy, too!¡± Ren said, and Denise nodded. ¡°Sweet!¡± ¡°It''s mashed potatoes and not french fries, though.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your gravy always makes everything taste better.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Denise said and held a hand out. ¡°Let''s get you washed up and changed.¡± Ren took her hand and she helped him out of the hot tub. ¡°Let me do that and you can check on the food.¡± Stella said as she walked over. ¡°All right.¡± Denise said and handed Ren''s hand to her. ¡°Thanks.¡± Stella brought Ren over to the outside shower and gave him a quick rinse, then took him inside the first change room to get changed. Since he was only wearing a pair of shorts, he changed quickly into the red pyjama set and Stella had him sit in the wheelchair. Ren glanced around at the people waiting to get changed, and he smiled because he had so many people in his life now. If you had asked him a year ago what his life would have been like a year from then, he never would have guessed it would be like this. He never even imagined it could be like this, and he beamed a smile at everyone. ¡°I don''t think I have to ask why you''re so happy.¡± Stella said as she handed him Gloria''s gift and then pushed him towards the patio doors. ¡°It''s my life.¡± Ren said and looked up at her. ¡°I have so many wonderful people in it.¡± Stella opened the patio door and pushed him inside, shut it behind them, then pushed him over to the kitchen table. ¡°In the words of Barbi, that''s so sweet.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°She''s said that a few times so far.¡± ¡°Well, she hasn''t been exposed to you enough to know that you''re almost always sweet.¡± ¡°Almost always?¡± Ren asked, and Stella chuckled. She was still behind the wheelchair and leaned over as she put her hands on the sides of his head and tilted it back. ¡°You have your off days just like the rest of us.¡± Stella said and gave him an upside down kiss. ¡°But, we love you anyway.¡± Ren reached up and touched her cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡± Stella chuckled again. ¡°It was just a kiss.¡± ¡°Was it?¡± Ren asked as he stroked her cheek. ¡°I know what a play kiss and a platonic kiss feels like.¡± He said. ¡°That wasn''t it.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°Do I need to add the ''between people who care about each other'' qualifier?¡± ¡°You''re saying it was just a kiss, but at another level?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°May I have another to make sure I know what this new level is?¡± Stella laughed and leaned back down and gave him another kiss, this one a little longer and a bit messy. ¡°Hey, I''m cooking here.¡± Denise said and chuckled, and that made both Stella and Ren break the kiss and laugh, too. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°See? He''s a terrible liar.¡± Denise said, and the three of them laughed again. Lisa came into the kitchen and walked over to the table. ¡°Are we eating here?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°No, there''s too many of us.¡± Stella said. ¡°Ren, sit here and don''t bug Denise while Lisa and I clean off the table in the big dining room.¡± Ren nodded and Stella and Lisa went to the big dining room. Barbara and Donald came in, and Ren told them what Stella and Lisa were doing. Barbara went to help and Donald sat down across from Ren to wait. ¡°Good job.¡± Donald said a few minutes later. Ren looked at him, and knew what he was referring to. ¡°It was good advice.¡± Ren said. ¡°It made me think about how I acted, and about how I should act.¡± Donald nodded. ¡°That was the point I was trying to make.¡± He said. ¡°I knew you were smart enough to understand what I meant.¡± Ren smiled, because he knew that was a huge compliment coming from the retired marine, and they sat in companionable silence and waited for supper to be ready. Chapter 471 - Party Time Continued ¡°What are you men talking about?¡± Barbara asked when she, Lisa, and Stella came into the kitchen with the dirty dishes from the party. ¡°Men stuff.¡± Donald said. Barbara snorted a laugh. ¡°Like how big of a pain stick you can take a beating from?¡± Donald grinned at her. ¡°How did you guess it so quickly?¡± ¡°I know my husband.¡± Barbara said and put the dishes on the counter, and turned on the water after plugging up the sink with a stopper on the drain. ¡°You don''t have to wash them, Barbara.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''ll do them when Ren logs into the game tonight.¡± ¡°I''m just setting them to soak.¡± Barbara said and added some dish washing soap to the hot water. ¡°You can put them in the dishwasher later, and not have to worry about anything sticking.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Denise said. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Anytime.¡± Barbara said, and went back to the dining room with Stella to get more dishes. The others came in and stood and sat around the kitchen table, and when Stella, Barbara and Lisa came back in with the last of the dirty dishes, Lisa noticed the bag on Ren''s lap. ¡°Ren? Let me take that for you.¡± Lisa said and pointed to the bag. ¡°I''ll put it in your room, along with your other presents.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and passed it to her. ¡°Can you put them on the bed, please?¡± He asked. ¡°I want them close by so I can sort through and use them.¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°You can leave Barbi here, though.¡± Ren said as he looked at the tall blonde woman. ¡°She has to eat first.¡± ¡°You''re going to milk that all night, aren''t you?¡± Elise asked and Barbi laughed. ¡°Milk what?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Barbi was my gift from Elise.¡± Ren said. Gloria and Officer Holly''s mouths dropped open. ¡°WHAT?!?¡± They exclaimed at the same time. Everyone else laughed at their reactions, and while Lisa took the presents up to Ren''s room, they explained the circumstances of Barbi being given to him as a gift. ¡°Ren, you shouldn''t joke about things like that.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°It objectifies women.¡± ¡°That''s the joke.¡± Ren said as Lisa came back into the kitchen. ¡°Since that was the first thing I thought when she showed up, and Elise said she was my present.¡± He held a hand out to Elise, and she took it. ¡°I apologized right away to Barbi for the misunderstanding; but, I neglected to apologize to my girlfriend for assuming she would get me a woman for my birthday.¡± ¡°Ren, you don''t have to...¡± ¡°Elise, I am very sorry for assuming you would do such a thing without talking to us first.¡± Ren said and turned her hand over and kissed the inside of her wrist. ¡°Please accept my apology.¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Elise knelt and gave him a kiss. ¡°Sweetheart, you''re right. I wouldn''t try to bring another woman into this without at least talking to you first.¡± She smiled. ¡°To be fair, the misunderstanding did make me laugh.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Are you trying to tell me that... that if you had talked about it first, Barbi really would have been a gift for Ren?¡± Ren looked at her, then at Stella, Elise, and then at Barbi. ¡°Not in the sense you think, Officer Holly.¡± He said and reached a hand out for Barbi. ¡°There''s a certain... dynamic... at work here in the house.¡± He explained as Barbi took the offered hand and he held it. ¡°It''s a careful balance of time, caring, understanding, some passion thrown in for good measure, and a lot of enjoyment... both emotionally and physically.¡± Barbi''s face had flushed red as Ren talked, and so did Officer Holly''s. ¡°Most of all, there''s love.¡± Ren said. ¡°All different kinds of love. Love for who we are, love for each other, and love to keep everyone happy.¡± He said and very slowly kissed the back of Barbi''s hand. ¡°Adding someone new to the mix without a long discussion first, is not only asking for trouble, it could also ruin what we already have.¡± He said. ¡°That''s why I overreacted when you appeared out of the blue, and I apologize if I insulted you and for not greeting you properly.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Barbi said as her face went to a deeper red. ¡°I... I wasn''t insulted.¡± Ren let her hand go and looked at Officer Holly. ¡°No one is tricked, or pushed, or pressured, or anything like that.¡± He said. ¡°We''re all adults, and we all made the conscious decision to be here; but, only in the capacity that we want, or need, or desire.¡± He said. ¡°We are what we are. Nothing more, nothing less.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Lisa said in the silence that followed. ¡°That was amazing.¡± ¡°Geez, Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°How long have you been practising that speech?¡± ¡°Ever since the first time I met Officer Holly.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°It was a little cheesy, but it definitely got the point across.¡± Stella said. ¡°Right, Officer Holly?¡± ¡°Yes, I got the point.¡± Officer Holly said and smiled. ¡°My self-righteous anger at the time was both misplaced and unnecessary.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve already apologized for my behavior then, and I meant it.¡± She looked at Ren, and then at everyone else. ¡°I still don''t know what kind of dynamic he''s talking about, since I''m pretty sure at least two or more of you are his girlfriends.¡± Officer Holly observed Elise''s smile, Lisa''s face flushed a little red, and Denise''s face went red as well. Gloria''s face almost went red and she tried to smile, because she didn''t know if she was or not. ¡°I know it''s none of my business.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°You can''t blame me for being curious about it, though.¡± She smiled. ¡°Look at you, all living together and you''re happy.¡± She said. ¡°I''d like to ask for details so I can figure out what''s going on; but, I won''t because it really isn''t any of my business.¡± ¡°Ren?¡± Stella asked, and Ren smiled. ¡°Do you want to shock her?¡± Ren asked, and Stella chuckled. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Barbara, cover Donald''s ears.¡± Stella said. Barbara did it, and Donald put his hands over hers. ¡°Okay, here goes. Elise is his official girlfriend. Lisa isn''t official yet, but we all know she is.¡± Stella said, and Lisa''s face went bright red. ¡°Gloria is the most recent, and the most reluctant in real life.¡± ¡°Wait, you mean...¡± ¡°They''ve been together in the game for a long time.¡± Stella said. ¡°Their relationship changed recently, and it''s trying to migrate to real life. The transfer isn''t going smoothly, though.¡± Gloria''s face did flush red at those words and she clamped her mouth shut so she wouldn''t say anything. ¡°Elise, Lisa, myself, and Denise have had sex with him in real life, and Lisa and Gloria have in the game.¡± Stella said, and tried not to laugh at Officer Holly''s shocked expression. ¡°I keep meaning to go in and see what it''s like for myself, mainly because I want to compare real life to the game experience; but, I just never get around to it.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ll be changing that fact shortly, though.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°You will?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I''ve got a lot more free time now that I''ve taken a leave of absence from work.¡± Elise said. ¡°You WHAT?¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°I''ve pretty much done everything I could do there.¡± Elise said. ¡°My job became... repetitive.¡± She sighed. ¡°All I did was create new accounts, handle calls, and redirected comments and complaints.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I was reduced to little more than a basic secretary, and that is not how I envisioned my life.¡± Ren took her hand and he gave it a squeeze. ¡°If you think it''s best, then I''m glad to take you on as my financial adviser full time.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°You shocked me with that title out in the hot tub.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I know I did.¡± ¡°But...¡± Officer Holly blinked her eyes. ¡°How... I mean, he''s...¡± ¡°Very carefully.¡± Stella said. ¡°He''s pretty fragile, but he loves women.¡± ¡°I really do.¡± Ren said and glanced at Elise. ¡°You''re so soft.¡± He glanced at Lisa. ¡°You''re so pretty.¡± He glanced at Denise. ¡°You''re so tasty.¡± He glanced at Stella. ¡°You''re so sexy.¡± He glanced at Gloria. ¡°You''re so strong.¡± They each had red faces as Ren looked at them all again. ¡°Each of you are also everything I''ve said.¡± Ren said. ¡°Soft, pretty, tasty, sexy and strong.¡± He smiled. ¡°Also, you are all very smart and funny, and are more than I could have ever asked to have in my life.¡± Officer Holly couldn''t believe what he was saying, and then he turned to her. ¡°They are everything I''ve said and much, much more.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re wonderful, fantastic, delightful, unbelievable, and they take care of me even when I don''t deserve to have them by my side.¡± He said. ¡°They have a special place in my heart, and I''m truly blessed.¡± ¡°That''s so sweet.¡± Barbi whispered, but once again, everyone heard her in the silence. ¡°Does that give you enough information for the dynamic?¡± Stella asked. ¡°What about Barbara?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°She''s my mother.¡± Ren said. ¡°She raised me and loves me, and seeing her topless has scarred me for the rest of my life.¡± Everyone laughed, and Barbara took her hands from Donald''s ears. ¡°Ren, that''s enough of that.¡± Barbara said sternly, and he looked at her. ¡°If I was your birth mother, you would have seen them already.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Now you listen, and listen good.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You would have seen them a lot. Even more than my loving husband has.¡± ¡°Not possible.¡± Donald said. ¡°I love your breasts.¡± ¡°Hush.¡± Barbara said and smacked the top of his head. ¡°That''s not helping.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Donald said and smiled. ¡°I want you to take Stella''s view on it.¡± Barbara said. ¡°They are just a part of my body. Nothing more, nothing less.¡± Ren smiled as Barbara used his own words against him. ¡°I''ll try.¡± ¡°Hmm. Do, or do not. There is no try.¡± Lisa said in a reasonable impression of Yoda from Star Wars. ¡°I''ve been out-nerded!¡± Ren said, and everyone laughed, even Officer Holly. ¡°Supper''s ready.¡± Denise said. ¡°Stella, Barbara? Give me a hand with carrying everything.¡± Elise pushed Ren''s wheelchair to the big dining room, and the others went with them. Denise, Stella, and Barbara brought in three large dishes. One had the broiled pork chops, one had the mashed potatoes, and one had the gravy. Barbara went back to the kitchen and grabbed a new stack of plates and silverware, and put the stack beside the pork chops. ¡°Okay, who wants what?¡± Denise asked and picked up a plate, then pointed to Elise. ¡°One scoop of potatoes, one middle piece of a pork chop.¡± Denise added the meat and handed the plate to Stella, who added the potatoes and gave the plate to Elise. ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise said and squished the potatoes with a fork and poured some gravy over them and the pork chop. They served a plate of food to everyone in the same fashion, then served Ren and themselves last. Everyone sat down and ate, and enjoyed the meal. ¡°This really does melt in your mouth.¡± Barbi said and put another forkful of meat into her mouth. ¡°How did you get it so tender?¡± ¡°I beat it to death with a meat tenderizer that was the size of my head.¡± Denise laughed, and so did everyone else. The meal went by surprisingly quickly, and after everyone helped clear up the dirty dishes, they had some time to waste before the show was going to air. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Barbi asked and looked at her watch. ¡°We''ve got like an hour or so before it starts.¡± ¡°We could watch some television.¡± Ren suggested. ¡°Or go bowling.¡± ¡°We can''t get to a bowling alley, play, and come back in only an hour.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Sure we can.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s only up on the second floor.¡± ¡°You have a bowling alley.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°In the house.¡± She exchanged looks with Barbi. ¡°On the second floor.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think whoever built the place decided 7 bedrooms was a tad too much and changed one to a bowling alley.¡± Elise said. ¡°I tried looking up the construction firm, but they went out of business.¡± ¡°Probably from building this place, and the old owner jumped out on the check.¡± Stella said. Elise nodded. ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡± ¡°You''re not kidding.¡± Barbi said and stood up. ¡°Now I''ve got to see it for myself.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Show of hands! All for bowling?¡± Everyone put their hands up, except for him. ¡°I''m outvoted, apparently.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Bowling it is.¡± ¡°You can keep score again.¡± Lisa said. ¡°With 8 people, you should be too busy to get turned on.¡± ¡°You''re kidding, right?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You know what happened the last time I saw you jumping around all excited.¡± Lisa bent down slightly and gave him a kiss. ¡°I''ll help you when it happens.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now who''s driving this crate?¡± ¡°I''ll do it.¡± Elise said and took over control of the wheelchair. ¡°It''ll give your nurses a rest.¡± ¡°We get a rest every second day.¡± Denise said. ¡°Except for today. This was a long one.¡± ¡°I''m going to be so tired tonight.¡± Barbara said, and then yawned, and it jumped to several other people who also yawned. ¡°It''s contagious!¡± Ren said and covered his mouth; but, it was too late. He yawned, too. ¡°Dammit!¡± Everyone laughed, and went over to the elevator. It took two trips, and everyone made it up to the second floor and went into the bowling alley. ¡°Four lanes!¡± Barbi exclaimed. ¡°Two candle pin and two normal.¡± Ren said and transferred from the wheelchair to one of the record-keeping seats, and hit the buttons for all 4 lanes. ¡°This is great!¡± Officer Holly said and looked around. ¡°Somebody tell me that is not a candy bar over there.¡± ¡°It''s not a candy bar.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a bar that has candy.¡± Stella chuckled, and Officer Holly rolled her eyes. ¡°Come and get your shoes.¡± Lisa said from behind the shoe counter. Elise and Barbi walked over first and exchanged their shoes, and Lisa handed them back the same-sized bowling shoes. ¡°That''ll be a 50 dollar rental fee.¡± ¡°I left my purse downstairs.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± ¡°She''s just kidding, Barbi.¡± Elise said and caught the woman''s arm before she left. ¡°There''s no fee.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Barbi said. ¡°That joke went right over my head.¡± ¡°That happens to me sometimes, too.¡± Lisa said and exchanged her own shoes. ¡°Once you''re around for a while, you''ll pick up on them more and more.¡± Everyone but Ren changed shoes and chose their lanes. Since there were 4 lanes and 8 people, they decided on the same teams as they had for the water polo game, and each team put one competitor on each lane. Ren wrote down who was going against who, and then the games were on. Lisa had been right, and Ren was quite busy keeping 4 score sheets going. The televisions above each lane gave him the pins and scores for each ball, so all he had to do was write them down. He would occasionally see Lisa''s cute little backside as she bowled, and then he would look the other way and see Elise wearing his favorite jeans. By the time the first full string was over, he couldn''t take it anymore. He caught Lisa''s attention and she came right over to him. ¡°B-bathroom, please.¡± Ren said as he carefully moved over to his wheelchair. ¡°We''re taking a break.¡± Lisa said and started to roll Ren to the bathroom. ¡°Everyone help yourselves to the candy at the bar.¡± Stella nodded to her as she passed, and went behind the bar. ¡°The candy bar has actual candy bars, for those that want one.¡± ¡°Right here.¡± Officer Holly said, and Stella pointed to several different kinds. ¡°That one.¡± Stella tossed it to her. ¡°Anyone else?¡± Denise held up a hand and Stella tossed her one as well. Barbi walked over to the bar. ¡°Um... no bar, but... I''d like to try some of those.¡± She pointed to a bright red candy. ¡°I think those are hot.¡± Stella said and picked up a small paper cup and used the little scoop to put some in it. She handed it to Barbi, who picked one from the small pile she had and started to chew on it. ¡°Oh! Is it ever hot!¡± Barbi said and started to wave her hand in front of her mouth. She kept chewing, and then swallowed. ¡°They''re great!¡± She said and ate another one. ¡°I haven''t eaten something like this in a long time.¡± ¡°Give me some of the peppermint ones.¡± Elise said, and she received a paper cup with some in it. ¡°Black Licorice.¡± Donald said with a bit of a grunt, and Stella picked up a small paper bag and put several long pieces into it for him. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I''ll have a candy necklace.¡± Barbara said, and everyone looked at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Stella said and handed her one. ¡°I haven''t had one of these since I was a teenager.¡± Barbara said and put it around her neck, then put part of it in her mouth and started to chew on it. The little candy beads broke up into powder and she swallowed. ¡°It even tastes the same.¡± ¡°I was about to joke that it''s probably been here that long; but, I know you''ve only been in the house for a little while.¡± Gloria said. Barbara chuckled. ¡°That would have been a good joke.¡± ¡°Give me some of the mixed jellybeans.¡± Gloria said, and Stella handed her a paper cup with them in it, then took some of the chewy caramels for herself. Everyone went back to the bowling lanes and sat down to eat their candy. ¡°Anyone want soda pop?¡± Denise asked, and nearly everyone raised their hands. ¡°I''ll bring the tray.¡± She left and the silence grew; but, it wasn''t uneasy or awkward as they enjoyed their chosen candy. A few minutes later, Denise came in with a push cart and it had all different kinds of soda pop on it, the same as they had at the party downstairs. Those that wanted some helped themselves, and then Lisa pushed Ren''s wheelchair out of the bathroom. Ren had a relieved expression on his face, and Lisa had a very happy one. ¡°Is everything all right?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Everything is great!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m so glad Lisa helped me.¡± ¡°I guess with our scorekeeper back, we can get back to the game.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I''m sitting this one out.¡± Lisa said and gently sat beside Ren at the little desk, almost as if she was sore. ¡°I need a bit more of a break.¡± ¡°Well, you didn''t really have one; so, go ahead and take a nice rest.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ll bowl your string for you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Lisa said as she took Ren''s hand and intertwined her fingers with his, then leaned against him slightly to watch everyone else bowl. Chapter 472 - Episode Five They finished the second string of bowling and Ren calculated up the scores. He smiled at the results, and added them to the television screens. ¡°Look at that!¡± Ren said and pointed. The two scores were only 2 pins in the difference, and Officer Holly''s team won this time. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Officer Holly barked a laugh and high-fived Donald. ¡°We won!¡± ¡°The show is going to start soon, so that means the day ends in a tie.¡± Elise said and smiled, and Officer Holly''s joyous expression faded away. ¡°Well, damn.¡± Officer Holly said, and everyone laughed. ¡°I''m sorry there''s no time for another contest.¡± Ren said and transferred from the seat behind the score keeping table over to the wheelchair. ¡°We''ll have to do something like this another time.¡± ¡°I''d like that.¡± Officer Holly said. Surprisingly. She thought and smiled. ¡°Let''s get across the hall to watch the show.¡± Ren said. ¡°Who''s pushing me this time?¡± ¡°I''ve got it.¡± Denise said. ¡°You exhausted Lisa when she took you to the bathroom.¡± Both Lisa and Ren grinned at that, and Denise pushed him across the hall into the theatre room. ¡°This place is unbelievable.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I knew there was a theatre room, but I didn''t expect an actual theatre.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°I don''t know if I can watch television on a normal screen anymore.¡± ¡°I was thinking that just the other night.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°Seeing your favorite shows on a 20 foot screen kind of ruins everything else.¡± ¡°Barbara!¡± Ren said and fake gasped. ¡°Don''t tell me you believe that bigger is better!¡± He chuckled. ¡°Say it isn''t so!¡± ¡°Ha. Ha.¡± Barbara said, and Ren laughed. ¡°Get your butt in that front middle seat.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Ren said and sat down on the recliner. Barbara went into the booth to turn everything on, and Ren pat the seat on his left. ¡°Elise, have a seat.¡± Ren pat the seat on his right. ¡°Lisa, please sit.¡± ¡°What if we want to sit somewhere else?¡± Elise asked teasingly as she sat on his left. ¡°I''d be in trouble and get yelled at if you sat where I really wanted you to sit.¡± Ren said and wiggled his eyebrows at her. Elise shook her head and laughed, while Lisa sat down on his right side. ¡°You''re right, Lisa.¡± Officer Holly said from behind Ren. ¡°A chainsaw would be needed to cut through the innuendo.¡± Lisa nodded with a smile, and leaned over to Ren and whispered in his ear. Ren chuckled and took her hand as the screen came on and showed a commercial. He glanced around when Lisa leaned back, and saw that everyone had found seats. Stella was beside Elise on his left, and Gloria was beside Lisa on his right. Barbara and Donald sat behind Gloria and Lisa, Officer Holly sat behind Ren, and Barbi sat behind Elise. Ren relaxed when he realized that no one else had heard what Lisa whispered in his ear. ¡°What are you planning?¡± Elise whispered as she leaned close to Ren. ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said as the lights dimmed, and when Elise tried to take his hand, he avoided it. She started to sigh with disappointment, and then his hand touched her thigh. He started to rub up and down the length of it and she caught her breath instead. ¡°You wore my favorite jeans.¡± Ren whispered and gripped the inside of her thigh. Elise almost gasped out loud, but caught herself. His hand grazed her special place, and she closed her eyes for a moment. When he just rested his hand there, she decided that wasn''t enough for her. He had been around other women all day and she knew that he had been turned on, especially by Barbi''s lack of body consciousness... and she wanted him to use that pent up desire on her. When the theme music for his show started, Elise used the cover of sound to undo her button fly jeans. Ren felt the movement near his hand and glanced down, and saw that access was being granted. He was doubtful that she would want to do anything with so many people around; but apparently, he was wrong. His hand moved up slightly and then down inside, and Elise covered the spot with both of her hands so that if anyone looked, they wouldn''t actually see anything except them holding hands. ¡°I love you.¡± Ren whispered as his hand went where she wanted it to go. Elise could only nod and hold her mouth closed, because if she opened it even a little bit, her moans would escape and the charade of propriety they had created would be over. * The episode started with Onscreen Ren inside the Library, and it had shelves of books up to the two storey high ceiling. He looked around in wonder at everything, and then walked right into the front desk. He bounced off with a grunt and a young woman with glasses peered over the desk at him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She asked. Onscreen Ren nodded and stood up as he brushed himself off. ¡°Yes, I''m fine.¡± He said. ¡°Sorry, it''s my first time here.¡± He glanced around. ¡°All these books.¡± He looked back at her. ¡°It''s amazing.¡± She giggled. ¡°Are you here to pick up something for your parents, perhaps?¡± Ren frowned, because he didn''t want to be reminded of them, and silently handed over Issac''s letter. The young woman apologized for her mistake, and set about getting him a Library card. When she took out a needle, Onscreen Ren visibly shook. He asked her to use something else, and she handed him a knife. He received his Library card, and a quick explanation of it''s use, and discovered he could read the 4 books Issac asked him to read, and she would get them for him. ¡°Thank you, miss.¡± Onscreen Ren said. ¡°Just call me Rosie.¡± She said and giggled, and he thanked her before taking a seat. The books were delivered, and he read through them quickly after he gained the Speed Reading skill. He took the books back to Rosie and asked if there were any more. ¡°I think a couple of them are a rank above you, but...¡± Rosie examined the books. ¡°...you treated these ones well, plus you''re a cutie.¡± She smiled as Onscreen Ren''s face flushed red. ¡°I''ll have them all brought over to you.¡± Rosie winked at him, and giggled as Onscreen Ren''s face turned even redder as he scampered back to his seat. He received the next 5 books and started to read. They were thicker than the other books, and after a quick montage, he was done and had learned about all 9 of the elements. Dark (Gravity), Earth, Fire, Ice, Light (Holy), Lightning, Void (Arcane), Water and Wind. He put the books on the Librarian''s desk and left the Library, then went to Issac''s shop as the scene faded to black. * ¡°They cut out Rosie yelling at me for staying up all night.¡± Ren said. ¡°She was pretty mad.¡± Elise tapped his hand to get him to stop moving it. She waited a moment before she spoke. ¡°They had to cut it because of the montage.¡± She said. ¡°You went into the Library in daylight, and came out in daylight. Adding in that it took you all night to do it wasn''t necessary.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I guess.¡± Ren said, and then thought about what the next scene was going to be like. ¡°Elise, are they going to show the basic runes?¡± Elise sighed. ¡°It took a while, and a lot of debate.¡± She said. ¡°They decided not to show them in their actual forms.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Lisa asked as she let go of his hand and leaned in close to Ren. She saw his other hand was in Elise''s lap, and she suspected he wasn''t just holding her hand as it appeared. ¡°The company didn''t want players going into the game and trying to scratch or scribble runes onto their items themselves and think they are going to get the bonuses from them.¡± Elise said. ¡°I didn''t think including the basic runes would be a problem, until I saw how glyphs were made using those runes.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, once I figured out how to combine them, I could make glyphs of any combination of runes.¡± He looked at Elise. ¡°I take it this is going to be another montage?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Once they decided that they couldn''t include what the runes looked like, there isn''t much left for them to show.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Almost nothing, I''d say.¡± The commercials ended and the music started, and Lisa took the opportunity to do what she had whispered to him before the show started. She was still leaning close, and no one could see as her hand drifted down below his waist. Ren figured out that Lisa hadn''t been kidding as her hand slipped inside his pyjamas. * After a very quick montage, Onscreen Ren learned the Enchanting skill, and Issac gave him a book of seals. He flipped through the book and picked one to use. The camera view didn''t show the pages, and Issac put a ring on the table. Ren used his new Enchanting skill to add Earth to it, and held it up. ¡°It worked!¡± ¡°Nicely done.¡± Issac said, and then named Onscreen Ren as his Novice. The popup appeared for a moment, and then Issac gave Onscreen Ren another book, and explained that he didn''t normally do this, but Ren''s affinity with the NPCs in the Artesian District was pretty high now and Issac wanted to help him. Onscreen Ren took the book and learned 4 new enchanting sub skills. ¡°Oh, my god! Thank you so much, Issac! This is amazing!¡± Onscreen Ren exclaimed and hugged the tall thin man, who yelled and tried to pry him off. ¡°Gah! Hahahaaa. Okay, okay. You like it. I get it.¡± Issac said. ¡°Now get off of me.¡± Ren let him go, much to his relief. ¡°You just make sure you do your best with this and help the soldiers, okay?¡± Issac said and ruffled Onscreen Ren''s hair. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Onscreen Ren said excitedly and left the shop. He ran down the street and over to the mansion in the middle of town, and joined a small group of players that would be squad leaders for the expedition. Soldiers and hundreds of players were there in the town square with them. There were 4 others that were to be squad leaders with him, and just like him, they were the winners of the contest for the special classes. You could see Onscreen Ren was nervous as they interviewed other players for the 50 available spots on the expedition. * None of the other players looked like their actual counterparts, though. Elise had been right. Trying to get permission from all of the players would have been a huge hassle, and probably would have cost a fortune. Replacing them with stand-ins was the smartest choice. I''m a little surprised they are showing this part at all. Ren thought. He couldn''t say anything out loud because he was using his hand to please Elise, and Lisa was using her hand to please him. They were both going slowly, as to not draw attention to what they were doing; but, it was still stimulation that would not lend itself to having a normal voice when you spoke, so he kept his observations of the show to himself. * When the team leaders decided on splitting the 50 up between them for 10 each, the Tristan replacement character tried to whittle away at Ren''s 10. ¡°Someone needs to stay with the soldiers, and you''ll be fixing their gear.¡± He said. ¡°Your team is going to have 50 soldiers there, so you aren''t going to need all 10 players of your team. You can spare one for each of us. 6 is enough to look after the soldiers.¡± Someone complained that 6 wouldn''t be enough if the monsters somehow got past them, and the fake Tristan threatened them with taking Ren''s place with a smaller team. ¡°Just what is your problem?!?¡± Onscreen Ren cried out when he was finally fed up with Fake Tristan¡¯s attitude. ¡°Acting like you have control of everything and everyone! I¡¯m taking my ten and I¡¯ll take care of the soldiers because you''re too damn lazy to; but, I¡¯ll be dammed if I¡¯m going to sit around and just twiddle my thumbs while you prance about like you''re king of the goddamn world!" Onscreen Ren fumed. "I bet you already think everything in the place were going to, rightfully belongs to you; and that were simply here to help you get it, don''t you?!?¡± Onscreen Ren stomped off, and the camera showed the shocked faces of the other 4 players, and then faded to black. * Both Lisa and Ren stopped moving their hands but didn''t remove them from where they were. Ren took several breaths and spoke, now that he could. ¡°I can''t believe they left that rant in.¡± ¡°It''s a great rant.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°I imagine they probably could have cut it down a little, but then it would reduce how angry you were and the impact of the whole scene.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess it would.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know if people are going to like that side of me, though.¡± ¡°Let''s find out.¡± Barbi said and took out her cell phone. ¡°You can do that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°My hands are in all the pies at the television station.¡± Barbi said absently as she typed furiously on her phone. ¡°Yep, the preliminary numbers are in.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°We''re up almost 10 points in the ratings.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Elise said and tried to turn around to look at Barbi. Ren still had his hand tucked into her jeans, and he gripped her special place firmly to get her attention. She winced and stopped moving, and looked down at her lap. His wrist was at an odd angle, and the blood drained from her face. She eased back into the recliner to sit properly, and Ren slowly slid his hand out from the compromising position it had been in. At least it''s not broken. Ren thought as he carefully put his hand with the sprained wrist in his lap. Elise buttoned up her jeans and looked like she was going to say something, and Ren shook his head slightly. ¡°The fan pages are going nuts.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Most are commenting on how someone named Mary Sue is reacting.¡± She looked up from her phone. ¡°Who''s Mary Sue?¡± ¡°Mary Sue isn''t a person''s name. It''s a character description.¡± Barbara chuckled because Barbi had worked at a television station and didn''t know a lot about television. ¡°If you watch as much television as I do, it comes up a lot.¡± She said. ¡°If the protagonist of a show or movie is too good to be true, is altruistic, and always has everything go their way because they are so perfect... they are called a Mary Sue.¡± ¡°Then that means... hold on.¡± Barbi said and looked from Barbara, to the back of Ren''s chair, then back to Barbara. ¡°They''re saying that Ren is a Mary Sue?¡± She asked, surprised. ¡°But he''s male!¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± She said. ¡°Male or female, it''s still the same character type.¡± ¡°Then... how do we change it?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°They just did.¡± Barbara said. ¡°That''s why everyone is reacting so much.¡± ¡°I''m a Mary Sue?¡± Ren whispered to himself softly as the commercials ended. Lisa removed her hand from inside his pyjamas and turned to reach over with her unused hand and cupped the side of his face. They stared at each other for a moment, and then she kissed him tenderly. * The show then focused on Onscreen Ren finding his 10 crew in a quick montage, and then the quest popup appeared and the group of soldiers and players were on their way. There was yet another montage of him enchanting everything on the soldiers as they walked to the quest''s destination, and then the players when they saw what he was doing. They agreed to give him their junk drops in exchange for enchantments, and then the questing group was in front of the cavern. After overhearing that the soldiers would be going inside after a full night''s rest, Onscreen Ren took out a bedroll from inventory and got inside, then the screen faded to black as the episode ended. * ¡°A lot happened in that episode, and not a lot happened in that episode.¡± Ren said, and Lisa chuckled. ¡°I thought it was going to be like that.¡± Elise said reservedly, and tried not to overreact to Ren''s damage as she pat Stella''s knee to get her attention quietly. ¡°According to the notes, the episode was going to end with you arriving at the town''s square.¡± Stella wondered what Elise wanted, then saw her discreetly point to Ren''s hand. She took the hint and went over to Ren''s recliner to examine his hand, and discovered the sprained wrist. ¡°When they realized how little was in the episode, they added the rant and the quick journey to the cave.¡± Elise said and held in her tears as Stella quickly walked over to the small booth at the back of the room to get some supplies to wrap Ren''s wrist. Lisa had watched everything, and didn''t say anything out loud; but, she leaned in closer to Ren and kissed his neck. ¡°You''re so brave and strong.¡± Lisa whispered to him. ¡°That''s because I''ve survived all of my worst days so far.¡± Ren said as Stella came back, and when Lisa leaned away, he looked at Elise. ¡°This is not even a footnote on that list.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Things happen, sweetheart.¡± Ren said as Stella carefully wrapped his wrist and hand after wiping it clean. ¡°We''ve discovered another limitation on my body, at least.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°Please, don''t think less of me because of this.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I hurt you.¡± ¡°No, I was hurt while trying something.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now we know distractions are bad when that happens.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Elise said and closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath. She opened them and stared at him. ¡°You''re so brave... and strong.¡± Ren smiled as Elise repeated Lisa''s whisper. ¡°When certain things happen, all you can do is smile and move on with your day.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I refuse to let pain rule my life, Elise.¡± Ren said. ¡°It doesn''t dampen my passion, or lower my will to be with the ones I love.¡± He said and held out the hand with a sprained wrist. Elise gently touched the palm of the hand and Ren closed his hand on her fingers. It hurt; but, he didn''t let it show. ¡°You''re a part of my life, and I will fiercely defend my right to be with you, no matter what happens.¡± Elise used her other hand to touch his face, and Ren saw a tear roll down her cheek. ¡°I choose to be happy, Elise.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want you to choose to be happy with me.¡± ¡°I... I do.¡± Elise said and kissed him. It was a restrained kiss, but it had more feelings in it than their normal kisses did. She broke the kiss and pulled back, then wiped the lone tear away from her face. ¡°That''s so sweet.¡± Barbi whispered, and that made Stella and Ren chuckle because she had been saying that all day. Chapter 473 - The Partys Over ¡°Let''s get you to bed.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''ve had a long day.¡± ¡°It''s only 7:30.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t have to be in the game until 9.¡± ¡°That means I have to go.¡± Gloria said and stood up. ¡°With the traffic and having to get ready, I won''t have much time left to check over my VR rig.¡± Ren nodded and stood up, then sat in the wheelchair. ¡°Stella? Can you help me walk Gloria out?¡± ¡°I''ll be going, too.¡± Officer Holly said and stood up, and so did Barbi. Ren looked at Elise and then at Lisa. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren, Stella, Gloria, Officer Holly, and Barbi left the theatre room. They squeezed into the elevator and went down to the ground floor, then over to the front door. Ren used a hand to hold Gloria off to the side, and he stood up. ¡°Officer Holly, thanks for coming over.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°Surprisingly, it was actually fun.¡± Officer Holly said and took the hand. She gave it a quick shake and let it go. ¡°I hope I can come back for a rematch sometime.¡± ¡°Surprisingly, I''m not against that.¡± Ren smiled, and she laughed. ¡°Happy Birthday.¡± Officer Holly said and went out the front door. Ren turned to Barbi. ¡°It was both a pleasure and a shock meeting you today.¡± He said and held out his hand. Barbi laughed at his candidness and took his hand. ¡°I can say the same to you.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll send the forms to Elise in the morning, and assuming the equipment can be delivered quickly, I''ll be back here sometime tomorrow.¡± Ren turned their clasped hands and gave the back of hers a kiss, because he believed it was what she expected. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Barbi said and let his hand go. ¡°Happy Birthday.¡± She said and left. Ren turned to Gloria. ¡°If I had realized you would actually come over after what I did, I would have told you to bring your VR setup with you.¡± ¡°Ren, I only came over to rant and rave at you, and then I was going to leave.¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°I didn''t expect to stay at all, and I''ve been here pretty much all day.¡± Ren stepped close to her. ¡°Can I hug you?¡± Gloria opened her mouth to say he could do what he wanted, and instead closed the small distance between them and put her arms around him. Ren hugged her back, being careful of his sprain, and he rubbed her back. ¡°Thank you for changing your mind and staying.¡± Ren said and used his good hand to reach up and touched the multiple piercings in her ear. ¡°I''d like for you to pick a different reason for taking these out.¡± ¡°Are... are you asking me to sleep with you?¡± Gloria asked, since the only two reasons she took them out was when she showered or slept at night. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and moved his hand down along her neck. ¡°But, not right now.¡± He smiled. ¡°We have other fun to do tonight.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Gloria wasn''t sure if she should respond with a yes, a maybe, or a no. Ren saw the indecision on her face and moved his hand back up to cup the side of her face. ¡°Gloria, I love you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know you love the me I can be, especially in the game; but, I''d like for you to love the me that I am in real life, too.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m the same person. My spirit is the same. My mind is the same.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s just my body that''s different.¡± ¡°I... I''m so used to treating you a certain way, both here and in the game.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I''m... I''m afraid that... that if I...¡± ¡°Both I and Stella trust you.¡± Ren said. Gloria remembered Stella had stood behind the wheelchair the entire time, and looked at her. ¡°Stella...¡± ¡°He''s right.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ve discussed this with you already, and I know you''ll be even more careful than everyone else is.¡± Gloria took a breath and let it out. ¡°Don''t let your indecision change how you feel.¡± Stella cautioned her. ¡°That''s not the way to handle things.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If it''s too difficult for you to decide, then we can do this the same way in real life as we''ve always done it in the game.¡± Ren said, and Gloria looked back at him. ¡°When you need me, just show up. We can have great sex, talk and share things with each other, and leave this whole relationship thing form on it''s own.¡± Gloria blinked her eyes at him for a few moments as she thought about it. ¡°Stop.¡± Ren said and tapped the tip of her nose. ¡°I told you that the best way to deal with this, is to not think about it.¡± He said as he saw thoughts flicker across her face. ¡°I didn''t mean only to make a decision, I meant not at all.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Stella.¡± Ren said. Stella walked over to the corner and picked up the small step stool and brought it over to him. Ren let Gloria out of the hug he had her in, put the step stool in front of her, and stepped up the two steps. He was a little taller than her now, so he put his arms around her neck and kissed her passionately. Gloria couldn''t resist him when he did things like that, and put her arms around him and kissed him back just as passionately. A wall she had inadvertently built around her heart cracked a little, and Ren could feel the desperation in her touch and in the movement of her lips and tongue. He took that as a cue to touch her, so he unwrapped his arms from around her neck and put his hands on either side of her head. Ren couldn''t spread the fingers on his left hand because the wrap for the strain prevented that; so, he used the fingertips to caress the shaved part of her head while his right hand dug into the pink hair with blue streaks on the right. After a few moments, he made a fist with his right hand and caught her hair, and Gloria opened her eyes and gasped. Her heart beat faster than ever before as Ren stared at her intensely while he broke the kiss, and held her head still. ¡°I...¡± Ren gave her a quick kiss. ¡°...love....¡± He kissed her again. ¡°...you.¡± He gave her one last kiss, then let her head go. Gloria stared at him as he carefully stepped down from the step stool and sat in the wheelchair. ¡°I''m not sure if Stella needs more VR data from me, so you''re probably not going to see me on Sunday when you go to her place to work.¡± Ren said, as if what had just happened didn''t happen. ¡°If that changes, I look forward to seeing you again soon.¡± He said. ¡°Thank you very much for the blanket, and every time I use it, I''ll be thinking of you.¡± Gloria just stood there and stared at him, with her mouth slightly open, and didn''t say anything. ¡°I promise not to have sex on it, unless it''s with you.¡± Ren said, and then smiled evilly. ¡°I can''t wait to feel it, and you, as we roll around naked on it.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°Goodnight, gorgeous.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stella, can you take me back upstairs? I think I can convince Elise to stick around for a while and cuddle with me.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°I''m sure she could be persuaded.¡± ¡°Let''s find out.¡± Ren said and Stella pushed his wheelchair across the lobby to the elevator. Stella hit the button and they waited, and Ren waved to Gloria, who still stood at the front door. She waved back, and Donald stepped out of the elevator. ¡°See you in the morning, kid.¡± Donald said as he quickly stepped out, and then he walked away through the house to the back door that led to the guest house. Stella took Ren back up to the theatre room, and Barbara had the television set to Big Sister and was riveted to the screen. ¡°Elise? Can you stick around for a while?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''d like to cuddle with you before logging in.¡± ¡°I think I can do that.¡± Elise said and glanced down at his wrapped wrist. ¡°As long as it''s just cuddling.¡± ¡°There''s a really comfortable couch in the den.¡± Ren said and looked at Lisa. ¡°Grab your book and come with us.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Really?¡± Lisa said excitedly as she stood up. ¡°Okay!¡± She said and ran from the room. ¡°She could have waited for us.¡± Ren said, and Elise couldn''t help but chuckle. ¡°We might get there before her, but I doubt it.¡± Elise said and looked at Stella. Stella touched her arm and gave it a little squeeze, then stepped away from the wheelchair to relinquish control of the chair to the taller woman. Elise stepped behind it and pushed Ren out of the theatre room, with Denise and Stella close behind. ¡°I have to get started on cleaning everything up.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''ll give you a hand.¡± Stella said. ¡°Although, we should look into getting some full time help in here.¡± She sighed. ¡°Having a cleaning service come in once a week isn''t going to cut it with all of us here most of the time.¡± ¡°I''ll look into it tomorrow.¡± Elise said as they all got in the elevator. ¡°You''re right, this place is a bit too big for you to take time away from caring for Ren just to clean up after everyone.¡± ¡°It''s becoming a bigger job as each day goes by.¡± Denise said and chuckled. ¡°Especially considering we used to only have a single room to look after.¡± Stella laughed and touched her shoulder. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± ¡°I''m not complaining.¡± Denise said and looked down at Ren and saw his smile. ¡°I think a few others would have to agree that all of this is the best thing to ever happen to us.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I do, too.¡± Elise said. ¡°I have to think about it.¡± Stella said, and the others looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Ha! Got you.¡± Ren laughed and the others shook their heads. ¡°Of course I agree.¡± Stella said as the elevator opened on the third floor. ¡°Now go have fun, and I''ll see you tomorrow.¡± She said as Elise pushed Ren out into the hallway. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said to Stella and Denise, and they gave him a little wave as the elevator doors closed. Elise took him down the hall to the den and opened the door. Lisa stood beside the couch with the book clenched to her chest, and she was almost jumping for joy. Ren grinned at her, and asked Elise to sit on the corner of the couch. She did so, and he sat down beside her with the intention to tuck himself under her arm. ¡°Just a second.¡± Elise said and eased her loose t-shirt up a little, unhooked her bra, and without taking off her t-shirt slipped the bra off her shoulders and pulled it out through the arm of the t-shirt. ¡°How the hell did you do that?¡± Ren asked, shocked. ¡°I mean, I saw you do it; but, I can''t believe it.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°It''s magic.¡± She said and lifted her arm. ¡°Now tuck yourself in here.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Ren said happily and snuggled in to the warm softness her lack of bra had unleashed. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± He said. ¡°It''s like the second best feeling!¡± ¡°Second best?¡± ¡°It''s missing something.¡± Ren said and pat his lap. ¡°Lisa? Make yourself comfortable.¡± Lisa smiled as she laid down and rested her head on his lap. Ren caressed her face for a moment as she snuggled in to his abdomen, then put his hand on the space between her chest and her neck. ¡°There we go.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°This is the best feeling.¡± ¡°Can you describe this feeling?¡± Elise asked. ¡°No, but it makes two women I care about happy, so that makes me happy.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It really does.¡± Lisa said as something pressed against her ear. She turned her head from side to side to rub it, and Ren took in a sharp breath. ¡°L-Lisa.¡± Lisa nodded, which rubbed it in another direction, and he was going to tell her to stop when she stopped moving her head and opened her book. Ren relaxed against Elise, and he sighed in contentment. ¡°Ren, I... I''m sorry.¡± Elise said. ¡°Elise, you don''t have to apologize.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even I didn''t realize something like this could happen.¡± He said and lifted his wrapped wrist. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Do you know what my first thought was when it happened?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That you couldn''t believe you were hurt again?¡± Elise asked. Ren chuckled. ¡°No, since it''s always a possibility.¡± He said. ¡°My first thought was ''at least it''s not broken''.¡± Elise took in a deep breath, and was about to apologize again for causing the injury. Ren moved his hand from Lisa, since it was his good one, and grabbed Elise''s chest through her t-shirt. ¡°I thought that, because I didn''t want you to suffer about it happening.¡± Ren said and massaged her chest. ¡°It would have been so difficult for you if it was broken.¡± Elise nodded, because if that had happened, she would have cried immediately. ¡°You get hurt, and you''re worried about how I''m feeling.¡± She said and touched his face to make him look up, and she kissed him. ¡°Why are you so amazing?¡± ¡°I''m just lucky, I guess.¡± Ren said, and snuggled in closer as he stopped massaging her chest and put his hand back on Lisa. ¡°Having people like you around definitely adds to that.¡± Elise sighed and put both arms around Ren to hold him, and listened to Lisa flip a page of her book. They didn''t talk at all for the next half an hour, and the only sound was a page being flipped every few minutes. Lisa put the bookmark in the book at the end of the chapter, and closed the book with a soft thump. She took in a deep breath, and let out a satisfied sigh. ¡°Ren, Elise.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Thank you.¡± She looked up at them. ¡°You don''t know how much it means to me that you do this.¡± ¡°We have some idea.¡± Elise said as she moved a hand from hugging Ren to gently stroke the top of Lisa''s head. ¡°I''m with Ren on this one.¡± She said. ¡°Just sitting here and spending some quiet time with you was really nice.¡± Since she was laying down on her back, Lisa''s face quickly flushed red; and Elise smiled. ¡°You don''t have to be embarrassed.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s okay to be complimented by other women.¡± Lisa opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. ¡°Go ahead and say it, Lisa.¡± Ren said and caressed her neck. ¡°I know you want to.¡± ¡°I...¡± Lisa''s face went to a deeper red. ¡°Elise, you have amazingly large breasts.¡± Elise chuckled and they jiggled freely under her t-shirt, and Lisa''s eyes widened. ¡°Look at that reaction.¡± Ren said and touched Lisa''s cheek, and she looked at him. ¡°I want to see them like that, too.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Hop up for a second.¡± Ren said. Lisa sat up and put her book on the table next to the couch. Ren stood up and asked Elise to move to the center of the couch, then told Lisa to lay down and put her head on Elise''s lap. She did so, and Ren laid down on the other side and put his head beside Lisa''s head on her lap. ¡°Okay, we''re ready.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go ahead and laugh, Elise.¡± ¡°It doesn''t really work that way, but I''ll try.¡± Elise said. ¡°Ha ha ha.¡± She said, and her breasts barely moved. ¡°No, that''s no good.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let me think of a joke.¡± ¡°Oh, here we go.¡± Lisa said and smiled. ¡°A family walks into a hotel and the father says to the clerk, ''I hope the porn station is disabled''. The clerk gets a disgusted look on his face and says, ''You''re sick, buddy! It''s just regular porn!'' ¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Lisa snorted a laugh. ¡°I recently bought shoes from a drug dealer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know what he laced them with, but I''ve been tripping all day.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Elise said and shook her head. ¡°Is that all you got?¡± ¡°I used to have an ant farm; but, I had to give it up.¡± Ren said. ¡°The little bastards wouldn''t grow anything.¡± Lisa laughed. ¡°Some people have trouble sleeping, but I can do it with my eyes closed.¡± ¡°Groan.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°I just noticed the ceiling.¡± Ren said. ¡°It might not be the best in the world; but, it''s up there.¡± Lisa laughed and Elise chuckled. ¡°Why did the redhead go to the dentist?¡± Ren asked. ¡°She had ginger-vitis.¡± ¡°That''s terrible.¡± ¡°I asked Stella about going on an all-almond diet.¡± Ren said. ¡°She said that''s just nuts.¡± ¡°I think you''re losing your touch.¡± Elise said. ¡°Um... the shovel was a ground-breaking invention?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Elise said. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Ren said and thought. ¡°A guy once told me he hadn''t been in the bathroom for 2 years.¡± He said. ¡°I think he''s full of shit.¡± Elise chuckled and her boobs jiggled a little. ¡°I only wanted one night stand, but now the furniture store keeps calling me.¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Lisa laughed and covered her mouth. ¡°I asked the checkout girl at the supermarket for a date, and she said they are in the fruit aisle next to the bananas.¡± Elise chuckled and her chest shook some more. ¡°I have kleptomania and when it gets bad, I take something for it.¡± Lisa snorted into her hands and her body shook. ¡°Someone once said that my clothes were gay. ''You''re right'' I said. ''They came out of the closet this morning.''¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Elise laughed and her breasts jiggled quite a bit. ¡°What did the bra say to the hat?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You go on a head, I''ll give these two a lift.¡± He said and pushed up Elise''s breasts and let them go. She laughed and they jiggled, and thanks to the extra help from Ren, they moved a lot as Ren and Lisa stared at them. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± Lisa said. ¡°What do you call a redhead between a blonde and a brunette?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The interpreter.¡± ¡°Bwahahaha!¡± Elise laughed and her chest jiggled even more. ¡°A redhead and a blonde are comparing lovers.¡± Ren said. ¡°The redhead says she slept with a Brazilian. ''You slut!'' The blonde said. ''How many is a brazillion?''¡± ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Elise said and laughed and laughed. ¡°How can they move like that?¡± Lisa asked and reached up to touch one of the massive mounds of flesh just above her face. ¡°It''s like magic.¡± ¡°It is magic.¡± Ren said and reached up to touch the other one. Elise calmed down when Ren stopped telling stupid jokes, and realized she could feel more than two hands on her chest. She leaned her head to the side a little to see Lisa was touching her, and thought that was very brave of her. Elise tapped the hands touching her and both Ren and Lisa stopped touching her. She hooked the bottom of her t-shirt with her thumbs and lifted, and the thin cloth slid up and off of her chest as she crossed her arms and pulled the t-shirt over her head. ¡°Good god.¡± Lisa said and thought about sitting up, when Elise put her hand on the younger woman''s shoulder. ¡°It''s okay to be curious.¡± Elise said. ¡°Can you touch it again for me?¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°It''s not an invitation you get every day.¡± Ren said and touched the breast above his head. ¡°Feeling them through the t-shirt is nice, but this...¡± He buried his hands into the mound of flesh. ¡°...there''s nothing else like it.¡± Lisa was going to decline and not do it, then leaned out a little and saw Elise''s face. It was just as flushed red as hers was, and they exchanged smiles. She moved her head back under, and just like Ren, used both hands and buried them into her breast. ¡°Wow.¡± Lisa said and moved her hands around to massage it. ¡°It... I... I can''t describe...¡± ¡°Isn''t Elise wonderful?¡± Ren said and kissed the underside of her breast. ¡°I never could have imagined doing anything like this.¡± He said and gripped the tip. Elise caught her breath, and he massaged her harder. ¡°Now I''m here with two beautiful women, and one is letting the two of us touch her like this.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Elise moaned. She hadn''t had two people doing two different things to her breasts like that before, and she wasn''t sure which sensation to focus on, because it was both confusing and pleasurable at the same time. Ren sat up and turned around, then leaned on her as he kept massaging her and rested his head on her chest. ¡°You''re so beautiful, and so giving.¡± Ren said and kissed the top of her breast. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± ¡°R-Ren... please...¡± Ren smiled at her, then dove for the tip and started to suckle. Elise gasped as he used his lips and tongue on her quite expertly, and she felt movement on her other side. ¡°L-Lisa...¡± Elise said and saw Lisa sit up. ¡°I should go.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Don''t.¡± Elise touched her shoulder, and then cupped her own breast to offer the tip. ¡°It''s... really tender.¡± She moaned. ¡°Be... be gentle.¡± Lisa blinked her eyes at her, then looked at the blood engorged tip. It really did look sore and like it needed attention. ¡°I''m... not into girls.¡± ¡°Neither am I.¡± Elise said. ¡°But... I... I want to feel your mouth on me.¡± She said and her face flushed to a deep red. ¡°I want to see...¡± Ren stopped sucking and looked at Elise. ¡°You have to ask for what you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°We aren''t mind readers.¡± Elise ducked her head a little. ¡°I want to see... to feel... the both of you at the same time.¡± She said and looked at Ren, then at Lisa. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°Lisa? Give me a hand.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°We have a formal request for emotional satisfaction.¡± Lisa chuckled at the absurd notion, then looked at the pleading expression that Elise had on her face. Without a word, she turned and leaned in as she mirrored Ren''s position, then she and Ren dove for the tips of Elise''s breasts and started to suckle. Chapter 474 - Back In The Game Elise stared at the similarly-sized faces that stared back at her, and Ren and Lisa suckled on her breasts. She felt something build inside of her at the sight, and her breathing sped up. ¡°H-harder.¡± Elise whispered, and the pressure on her tips increased. She put a hand behind each of their heads and pulled them in tightly, then moaned in pleasure with how good it felt. ¡°Oh, god!¡± She said and a moment later, she finished. She let their heads go as her entire body relaxed, and she leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes. Lisa stopped suckling and sat up straight. ¡°I think we can stop now.¡± Ren stopped and sat up as well. ¡°I think you''re right.¡± He said. ¡°Elise, are you okay.¡± ¡°Um-hm.¡± Elise half-moaned and half-spoke, and kept her eyes closed. Her arms had flopped down by her sides, and she looked exhausted. ¡°That sure was something.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°It was.¡± Lisa said, and licked her lips. ¡°I can''t believe I just did that.¡± ¡°You like her just as much as I do.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. She took it and Ren lifted it and kissed the inside of her wrist. ¡°Apparently she likes you just as much as I do, too.¡± ¡°I... I do.¡± Elise said and opened her eyes to look at them. ¡°Lisa, I... thank you for doing that.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I''m glad I could help.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Stealing my lines.¡± He said. ¡°Are you going into the game tonight?¡± ¡°I was thinking about it.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I need to keep current with the world event.¡± ¡°Do you have a lot of people coming to you for information?¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°A lot more recently, since the event is starting to trickle out from the High Elven Kingdom into the Human Kingdom.¡± ¡°I''ll be removing the nests and the main ghoul hordes; but, I won''t be hunting down all the ghouls myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°That could take forever.¡± ¡°It could, if you didn''t have me there to help.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I''ll start sending out parties to the less dangerous regions, and have them do the dirty cleanup work.¡± ¡°That''s so sneaky.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Who are you, and where''s the Lisa I''ve grown to love?¡± ¡°It''s still me, dumb ass.¡± Lisa said, and then what Ren said registered. ¡°Wait, what did you say?¡± ¡°I said, you''re a fantastic woman to volunteer to have Adventurers killed for my fancy.¡± Ren said. Lisa started to scowl, and he pulled her in close. ¡°I love you, your body, and your beautiful mind.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°Go to your room and get ready, and in a little while I''ll meet you in the Library in my county.¡± He said. ¡°I have a few things to give you before I go on another ghoul purge.¡± Lisa took several breaths and nodded, stood up and picked up her book, then left the den. Ren waited for the door to shut before he looked at Elise. ¡°Elise, how do you feel?¡± ¡°Soaked.¡± Elise said, and Ren looked down at her damp jeans. ¡°Those are my favorite jeans.¡± Ren said and touched the spot. Elise caught her breath, then when he started to move his hand, she caught it with both of hers. ¡°I think I''ve had enough stimulation for tonight.¡± Elise said. ¡°I guess that means I can''t go down on you.¡± Ren said, sadly. ¡°You really like doing that, don''t you?¡± Elise asked. ¡°It''s like tasting heaven.¡± Ren said and stood up, then sat in the wheelchair. Elise could clearly see he was still excited, even after all this time, and she knew if he didn''t get relief soon, it would start to hurt. ¡°Let''s get you back to your room.¡± Elise said and slipped her bra back on, then put on the t-shirt. She pushed his wheelchair out of the den and down the hall to the elevator, and went down to the second floor. She took him to his room and dropped off the wheelchair, and grabbed a foil packet from the dresser. ¡°We should do this in the bathroom.¡± Elise said, and Ren shrugged and went into the bathroom with her. She had him sit down on the closed toilet seat and put the foil packet aside, then opened up his pyjamas. ¡°Thank you for what you did.¡± She said, and went down on him. ¡°Th-that''s not fair.¡± Ren said as Elise pleased him. ¡°I wanted... to do this... to you.¡± Elise stopped and looked at him. ¡°No complaining.¡± She said. ¡°You just sit there and enjoy it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If you don''t enjoy it, I won''t do it for you.¡± Elise smiled crookedly. ¡°Ever.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that would be an unjust punishment, then he saw the determined look in her eyes. ¡°I''ll be good.¡± ¡°No, I will be.¡± Elise said, then proved it. When she was done, he had finished twice for her, much to her satisfaction; and she cleaned him up properly. Once she had applied the foil packet''s contents, she put his clothes back in order and brought him back to his room and helped him into bed. ¡°Do you mind if I stay over tonight?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Did you pick a bedroom yet?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Elise said and kissed him. ¡°This one.¡± ¡°This one?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I thought we decided...¡± Elise put a finger on his lips to stop him. ¡°That''s if I moved in.¡± She said. ¡°I''m just staying the night.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''m not going to stay in a house with the man I love, and sleep in an empty bed.¡± Ren moved her finger. ¡°But... I''m not going to be here to enjoy your company.¡± He said. ¡°I promised the maids that I would stay in the game with them tonight.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Elise said and handed him his VR headset. ¡°You go in there and have fun after cleaning up those stupid ghouls, and I''ll see you in the morning.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± He said and put on the VR headset. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight, sweetheart.¡± Elise said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the bed in the apartment in his county, and saw that the maids were awake and they stared at him. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ren asked them, and they all smiled. ¡°We felt you in the shared Aura.¡± Frikara said. ¡°You woke up just a second ago?¡± Ren asked, and they felt his surprise. ¡°We''ve been awake for hours, silly.¡± Andrela said. ¡°We didn''t know what day you would come back, so we''ve been watching and waiting at the right times.¡± Ren sat up and looked at them. ¡°I admire your dedication.¡± ¡°You would do the same if it was one of us you were waiting for.¡± Frikara said, and Ren nodded without hesitation. Hi, Teepo. Ren thought and got out of bed.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Good morning, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Ren equipped his armor and put on the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, then checked on the tarantula and saw the Health Potion saucer was nearly empty. He poured more potion in it and tucked the spider back into the cloak. Teepo landed on his shoulder and Ren turned to look at the maids. ¡°Ladies, I will see you tonight.¡± Ren said. He felt a thrill go through them, kissed each of them goodbye, and left the apartment. Teepo, how''s my time? ¡°You''ve got an hour before normal breakfast; so, considering you don''t take time to eat anymore, you have lots of time to spare.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren went down the stairs, and then realized something. He couldn''t feel Xuunah. He ran to the back apartment and went inside, then looked at the closet he had suggested as the spot for the Holy Connected Sanctuary. ¡°I hope she''s in there, and that''s why I can''t feel her.¡± Ren said and tried to open the door. It didn''t move. He knocked several times, and there was no answer. He sighed, and realized with the time compression, she wouldn''t even hear the knocks if she was inside. ¡°Dammit.¡± He said and left her a note, saying where he was going and that he couldn''t feel her, and stuck it on the inside of her apartment door. He left that apartment and then left the Main House, then ran across the road to the large warehouse. ¡°Hey, guys.¡± Ren said and took out the things he had made for Lara, the Sage of Ages. ¡°Tee-one, can you use Double Infusion on these for me?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Tee-one said and started on the bodysuit. He added the maximum he could add, another 50 runes, and a third of them had to go to reinforcement just so it could hold the rest of the runes. He did the bracelets next and popped the diamonds out to enchant them individually. One was a Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic, and the other was a Bracelet of Magical Balance. It increased their capacity by 50%, since he could enchant the metal as well as the individual diamonds. While Tee-one was busy doing that, Ren made two of the modified Amulet of Natural Armor with boosted stats, used Double Infusion to add the modified Amulet of the Spider enchantment, and then handed them to Tee-one to add additional Protection and stat boosts. Ren looked at one of his new recipes, Pearl of Wisdom, and it''s requirements. It didn''t count as a necklace, and added +15 to Wisdom. ¡°Tee-one, did you look at this recipe?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I did, and you''ll look foolish with all those pearls around your neck.¡± Tee-one said, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Ha. Ha.¡± Ren said, but they felt his amusement. ¡°I was going to be a bit more conservative with it and make either a string of pearls, or a fancy necklace like I did with diamonds for Lara.¡± ¡°Actually, why not do both?¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You only need the main structure to hold the pearls in place, but the part that goes around the neck is just a chain.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said, and opened the recipe. He added the maximum runes he could to the pearl, 15, and made them Augment runes for Wisdom. It made the pearl have +30 Wisdom, and then he opened the necklace pattern he had for the one he gave Lara before. He replaced all of the small diamonds in the pattern with those pearls, then added the string around the neck like Tee-one had suggested. Ren saved the pattern and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability, and added the steel bars and gold it asked for. It took a minute to finish: but when it did, he was shocked at the result.
Non-Necklace of Epic Wisdom (Rare - Binds on Equip)
This heavily modified necklace has been enchanted to it''s fullest potential and cannot be modified further, without destroying it. There are 180 pearls on it, each granting +30 Wisdom, for a total of +5,400 Wisdom. Durability: N/A
¡°Oh, man.¡± Ren said and held it up. ¡°This is ridiculous.¡± ¡°What''s ridiculous is that you can change that to any stat.¡± Tee-one said. Ren blinked his eyes and looked at the necklace, then back at Tee-one. ¡°Are you thinking what I''m thinking?¡± ¡°That you can make an entire bodysuit out of them?¡± Tee-one asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°No, it never crossed my mind.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°We can''t do that, though.¡± ¡°You would get censured for sure.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren nodded again. ¡°This necklace will have to do for now.¡± Ren said and stored it, the bracelets, the amulet, and the modified clothing. ¡°I hope she likes all of this.¡± ¡°If she doesn''t, there''s a few others around that would take them.¡± Elerlyth said from the doorway. ¡°Hello, gorgeous.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. ¡°How''s Etheria?¡± ¡°Stubborn as hell.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°What did you do to him?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Ren said. ¡°The spell says you get the steed for you.¡± ¡°I do not want a steed that bosses me around.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren smiled. ¡°He can''t talk.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless you want him to.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°I don''t know if Magic Mouth will work, since I tried it on my two dogs and all they said was ''Bark''.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll cast it on Etheria if you want.¡± ¡°I... no, I don''t want my horse to talk.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°It''s bad enough with it just acting all high and mighty, I don''t need to hear it''s opinions as well.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I just have to run over to the Library for a few minutes.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Elerlyth nodded, and Ren ran out the door and down the road almost instantly. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren went inside the Library and was pleasantly surprised at what he saw. There were several people sitting down and reading in the main area, and someone was behind the reception desk. He immediately deactivated his Undead Adept ability, and saw Rosie relax. He walked over and beamed a smile at her. ¡°Hi, Rosie.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± ¡°How''s your grandmother?¡± Rosie turned and pointed, and the old lady waved to him. Ren was going to wave back, then had an idea. ¡°Excuse me for a minute.¡± Ren said to Rosie, and walked over to the old lady. ¡°Ma''am, may I give you something better to sit in?¡± ¡°These creaky old bones are used to these chairs, young man.¡± Rosie''s grandmother said. ¡°I know, and if you''re spending all this time here, I''d like for you to be comfortable.¡± ¡°Well, go ahead.¡± The old lady said. ¡°Let''s see what you got.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and then disappeared. ¡°Ahh!¡± The old lady was startled, and then Ren was back in front of her. ¡°AHH!¡± ¡°I''m sorry for scaring you.¡± Ren said and knelt in front of the old lady. ¡°I couldn''t cut wood or make furniture inside the building.¡± The old lady nodded, and Ren helped her stand up. He moved her chair out of the way, and put a comfortable recliner in it''s place. ¡°Wh-what is that thing?¡± Rosie''s grandmother asked and poked it with a bony finger. ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± Ren said, and helped her sit down. ¡°Oh, my.¡± The old lady said as she sank into it''s comfy embrace. ¡°There''s a lever on the side.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ease it back, and the chair lays down.¡± He said. ¡°Push it forward and the chair sits up.¡± ¡°It''s a folding bed?!?¡± Rosie''s grandmother exclaimed, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Actually, that''s a good description.¡± The old lady pulled the lever and the chair tilted back and lifted her legs, and she pushed it forward and sat up. ¡°Young man, you are unbelievable.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Please enjoy your stay.¡± ¡°I always do.¡± The old lady said. ¡°If I start to snore, tell Rosie to wake me up.¡± Ren chuckled and went back to the reception desk. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± Rosie said. ¡°It''s been getting harder and harder for her to sit there.¡± ¡°I''m just glad I thought of it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I figured a comfy chair might have been enough; but, even I like to lay back and relax sometimes.¡± Rosie smiled. ¡°I assume you made another one for me to take home for her?¡± ¡°Two, actually.¡± Ren said and took them out, and Rosie stored them. ¡°How do you like the new house?¡± ¡°Oh, it''s wonderful!¡± Rosie said. ¡°Two bedrooms on the lower floor, and no steep stairs for grandmother to traverse every day.¡± ¡°I was going to give you a two story, since I wasn''t sure if you''d like changing how you live too much.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then I remembered how hard it was for your grandmother going up and down the stairs of the Aurora Library and picked the closest two bedroom house for you.¡± ¡°You''re always so considerate.¡± Rosie said, and her face flushed red. ¡°I never imagined you would keep talking to me, let alone give me my own Library and somewhere to live.¡± Ren reached out and took her hand, and she gave it a squeeze. ¡°You''re one of the first people I became friends with when I came here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll always do right by you.¡± He said and took out a Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic, and a Bracelet of Magical Balance. ¡°I want you to have these.¡± ¡°R-Ren!¡± Rosie nearly yelled, and everyone looked at her. She waved to them and apologized for the outburst, then looked back at Ren. ¡°I can''t accept these.¡± ¡°I know it''s not much.¡± Ren said and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and made another modified Amulet of Natural Armor and added the modified Amulet of the Spider enchantment. ¡°But, it''s the least I can do to protect you.¡± He said. ¡°Do you think your grandmother would like them as well?¡± Rosie''s mouth dropped open at the thought of her grandmother having such things. ¡°Maybe just the amulet of natural armor?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. He made another one and brought it over to the old lady, and she accepted it graciously. ¡°You don''t have to keep giving me presents.¡± Rosie''s grandmother said. ¡°You already have my permission.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If all I wanted was your permission, I wouldn''t deserve your permission.¡± The old lady cackled a laugh, and Ren went back to Rosie. She had on both bracelets and the amulet. ¡°Ren, these things are amazing.¡± Rosie said and caressed the gold metal of the amulet. ¡°The best part is you can put the books back on the high shelves without using a ladder.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Yes, climbing the walls is the best part of getting expensive presents from you.¡± Rosie said and laughed. Ren laughed, too. ¡°I''ll see you later, Rosie.¡± Rosie came out from behind the desk and gave him a hug. ¡°I want to kiss you to thank you; but, it''s not appropriate to do that in front of everyone.¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure as the Head Librarian, you can set your own policy for conduct.¡± Ren said and wiggled his eyebrows. Rosie chuckled. ¡°Okay, but just once.¡± ¡°Once a day is enough, I agree.¡± Ren said and kissed her. They stayed that way for several moments, and then Ren broke the kiss. Rosie had her eyes closed and her lips were still moving; so, he went back in and kissed her again. ¡°Hmm.¡± Rosie moaned a few moments later when she broke the kiss. ¡°Thank you for the gifts.¡± ¡°You are quite welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got an appointment with the Sage of Ages in the back.¡± Rosie nodded and Ren quickly walked over to the side door that led to the hallway. He went inside and down the hallway to the last door and went inside. ¡°Where have you been?¡± Lara, the Sage of Ages asked. ¡°I was a little late logging in, because Elise helped me relieve some of my tension.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I also stopped at the warehouse when I did log in so I could finish your gifts. When I came into the Library, I talked to Rosie and her grandmother for a few minutes, too.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. ¡°It''s a good thing I don''t have to eat anymore, or you might have had to wait for a while longer.¡± ¡°You would have made me wait that long?¡± Lara asked. ¡°No, I would have told you to come and eat with us.¡± Ren said and put his arms around her. ¡°As it is now, I''ve got a few minutes to spare before I head out to the High Elves Kingdom.¡± He smiled. ¡°Is there any chance you want to hang out in your closet until then?¡± ¡°Well, I guess we could.¡± Lara smiled, and they walked over to the closet and went inside. Chapter 475 - Gifts Galore Teepo and the tarantula had jumped off of Ren just before he had entered the closet holding Lara''s hand, and they patiently waited. They didn''t have to wait long, just like every other time Ren visited Lara and spent time in the closet. Ren and Lara spent almost 3 full minutes inside her closet, and came back out. The relative time inside the closet was just over 10 days, and Lara nearly collapsed against the closed door as she stared at Ren. She thought back to the time when Ren had asked to sleep with the maids to complete their contracts. She had offhandedly stated that as long as he could spare her a few minutes in the game, that he could do what he wanted with them; and it made her so happy because those few minutes gave her the opportunity to spend so much relative time with him. Much more than anyone else in his life. ¡°Ren.¡± Lara whispered. ¡°Now that we''re back here, I can give you your gifts.¡± Ren said. Now that they were out of the compressed time zone, he could feel how happy Lara was; and that made him happy, too. He was always tempted to make something so they could share Auras and feelings; but, things like that didn''t normally work inside the compressed time zone, so there wasn''t much point. ¡°You don''t have to...¡± Lara gasped when he took out a pair of jeans and leather jacket. ¡°What... how...¡± ¡°It''s still only Spider Silk cloth; but, I took the time to make it look like their real life counterparts.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lara said and caressed the leather jacket. ¡°It''s beautiful.¡± ¡°It''s only the top layer.¡± Ren said and smiled, and took out the steel threaded Spider Silk bodysuit he made and had enchanted for her. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Lara said. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°I know you can''t wear armor, so I came up with a workaround for it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°There''s gloves and a hood, too.¡± He said and took them out. ¡°These aren''t that fashionable, so I made them separate. You can wear the bodysuit under the clothes and no one will know, until you equip the gloves and hood.¡± ¡°Ren, you...¡± ¡°Go ahead and try them on.¡± Ren said. Lara equipped the bodysuit and it reformed to hug her all over. ¡°It''s... you really made this... just for me.¡± ¡°I told you I would.¡± Ren said. ¡°Put on the jeans, blouse and jacket.¡± Lara equipped them and they fit over the bodysuit, just as he had designed them. ¡°Walk around a bit, to see if they fit.¡± Ren said, and she took several strides, and he watched her cute backside in the tight jeans. ¡°Perfect.¡± Lara turned around and saw where he was looking, and smiled. ¡°You just wanted to stare at my butt.¡± ¡°Guilty.¡± Ren chuckled and looked at her face. ¡°I wanted to make something that highlighted your best asset.¡± Lara walked over to him, and swayed her hips a little. ¡°My best asset, is it?¡± She asked and leaned in close. ¡°Does that mean my front doesn''t measure up?¡± ¡°Hell, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just love seeing you bend over.¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°Well, at least you know what you want.¡± ¡°I want to keep you safe.¡± Ren said and took out the heavily modified Amulet of Natural Armor. ¡°Please, wear this.¡±
Amulet of Unnatural Armor Protection of the Spider (Binds on Equip)
This amulet grants the wearer a natural armor bonus, and protects the wearer as if they were wearing thick heavy armor. This does not cause the wearer to suffer heavy armor penalties, however. The wearer has the ability to climb as if a permanent Spider Climb spell had been placed upon them. In addition, it grants immunity to entrapment by web spells or webs of any sort. You can also move in (or on) webs at normal speed. It also increases resistance against poison from spiders by 30%. Only one point of contact must be maintained for the enchantment to work. Once per hour, the wearer can cast the Web spell for free. It is generated from the amulet and can be shot anywhere in a 45 degree arc forward. The wearer also gains +2 bonus to Luck. It grants: +200% to Protection, +200% to Defense, +100% to Concealment.
Lara''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise as she took the amulet. ¡°Ren... you... how?¡± ¡°With Tee-one''s help.¡± Ren said and took out the two boosted bracelets. ¡°I have these for you, too.¡±
Boosted Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic (Binds on Equip)
This bracelet has been enchanted to boost Mana, Mana Production, Intelligence, and Wisdom. It is the only item a Magic user could ever want. It grants: Intelligence: +158, Wisdom: +158, Mana Production: +1,530%, Mana: +15,300
Boosted Bracelet of Magical Balance (Binds on Equip)
This bracelet has been enchanted to boost all stats as well as Mana and Mana Production. It is a useful item for any generic user to have. It grants: Strength +113, Vitality +113, Endurance +113, Luck +113, Dexterity +113, Agility +113, Intelligence: +120, Wisdom: +120, Mana Production: +30%, Mana: +300
¡°Ren.¡± Lara said as she equipped the items. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± ¡°I''ve got one more thing.¡± Ren said and took out the Non-Necklace of Epic Wisdom and held it out it to her. Lara''s mouth dropped open as she stared at it. ¡°Wh-what...¡± Lara touched it with her fingertips and caressed the pearls on a necklace that looked just like her diamond one she had stashed in her closet.
Non-Necklace of Epic Wisdom (Rare - Binds on Equip)
This heavily modified necklace has been enchanted to it''s fullest potential and cannot be modified further, without destroying it. There are 180 pearls on it, each granting +30 Wisdom, for a total of +5,400 Wisdom. Durability: N/A
¡°Ren, I... I can''t take it.¡± ¡°It''s only a small Wisdom boost.¡± Ren said and smiled, and Lara almost choked. ¡°S-s-small?!?¡± ¡°You can see my armor, right?¡± Ren asked, and Lara nodded. ¡°I... I guess in comparison...¡± ¡°The best part is, it doesn''t count as a necklace.¡± Ren said and gave it to her. ¡°You can wear it and the amulet at the same time.¡± Lara took it and equipped it, and it appeared underneath the amulet she wore without replacing it. ¡°Ren, I don''t know what to say.¡± ¡°I should give you two rings as well.¡± Ren said and handed her 2 rings. ¡°B-but...¡± Lara looked at the rings.
Ring of Sustained Boost (Rare Wondrous Item - Binds on Equip)
This ring continually provides its wearer with life-sustaining nourishment. It refreshes the body and mind as well, and the wearer only needs to sleep for 1 hour per day to gain the benefit of 8 hours of sleep. The ring must be worn for a full day before it attunes to the wearer''s needs. If it is ever removed, it must be worn for another day to attune it again. Bonus: +10 to all stats, Reinforced (cannot be damaged by normal means)
¡°I... don''t think I need 2 of them.¡± ¡°The +20 to your stats is good enough for now.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I come up with something else, I''ll make it for you.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Lara shook her head. ¡°What... what can I ever do to thank you?¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Give me a kiss.¡± Ren said, and Lara put her arms around him and kissed him like he was air and she needed to breathe as much of him as she could. His hands slid down her leather jacket and caressed her denim-covered backside. He gripped her ass to make her gasp into his mouth, and then he broke the kiss and let her go. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°You''re unbelievable.¡± ¡°I sure am.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Now, unbelievably, I have to go.¡± Lara laughed again and he gave her a goodbye kiss, then he ran out of the back room, down the hallway, and into the Library. He waved to Rosie, and quickly walked over to the door and went outside, then ran over to the warehouse. ¡°So, did she like her gifts?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°You know she did.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Then let''s get going.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°We don''t have much time to waste.¡± ¡°Just a minute.¡± Ren said and disappeared. ¡°What the...¡± Elerlyth said. Ren appeared in front of the Barracks, and knocked on the door. It opened, and one of the 13 guards opened the door. ¡°Is everyone up?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Sir, yes sir.¡± The guard responded. ¡°Then muster out front to receive your mounts.¡± Ren said. He saluted and turned to the barracks. ¡°You heard the man! Double-time! Hut! Hut! Hut!¡± Ren stepped back as all the soldiers came out and stood in a line. ¡°Very nice.¡± He said. He could feel their determination, and their eagerness to get to work. He took out his Wand of Transportation and concentrated on the first guard and cast a Phantom Steed for him. He did this for all 13 of them, and all of the guards looked at their steeds in wonder. Each was subtly different, and Ren made them permanent. ¡°They are loyal to you, and you only.¡± Ren said. ¡°Keep them close, care for them, and they will never let you down.¡± He said. ¡°There are disguised skeleton knights on the wall on that side of the county.¡± He said and pointed. ¡°They have access to spell artillery.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°It''s a 10 foot long spell wand mounted on a Ballista base.¡± Ren explained. ¡°They are in command of them, and the squads of animated statues below them.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± One of the guards said. ¡°What do you want us to do?¡± ¡°There''s a lot of you, so spread out over the rest of the walls.¡± Ren said. ¡°Patrol them and keep watch, and if anything happens, don''t panic and just defend the walls.¡± ¡°That''s all?¡± ¡°For now.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I come back tomorrow, I''ll give you all your own squads of animated soldiers.¡± ¡°Sweet.¡± Weston said. ¡°Do we get our own spell artillery?¡± ¡°Only if you want to remain in one spot.¡± Ren said. ¡°They can''t be left unguarded.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Weston said. ¡°We''ll prove our worth.¡± ¡°I''ll have...¡± Ren started to say, and Tee-one came over. ¡°I have their armor ready.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Always ahead of me.¡± Ren chuckled and gave each of the guards a Strong Ring of Storage. ¡°Gentlemen, equip your armor.¡± Tee-one gave them each a set of red armor, and the guards put them on. ¡°Sir, thank you, sir!¡± Weston said and made fists. ¡°We''re as strong as a whole platoon of soldiers!¡± Ren looked at Tee-one. ¡°I assume...¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Tee-one said and took out 13 swords and shields that were also red. ¡°I even stopped at the grove of springy trees to make bows and arrows.¡± He said and gave the guards a bow and a quiver each. ¡°This is... unbelievable.¡± One of the guards said. ¡°I feel like we could take on a whole army by ourselves!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Don''t try it, not without support.¡± ¡°No, sir.¡± He said. ¡°I assume Mayor Cake assigned you a shift rotation?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Then get to it.¡± Ren said, and the 13 soldiers saluted. 5 of them tied their steeds to the posts out front and went back into the Barracks, 6 mounted their steeds and took off to patrol the walls, and the last 2 told him they were to man the front gate and rode their steeds to their posts. Ren went back to the Main House and to the small single room house next to it and knocked. Princess came out and he gave her some food, even though she didn''t need it, and he told her where they were going. She gobbled the food down and followed him across the road, and saw Elerlyth''s mount, Etheria. ¡°Do not tell me I will have to run slowly because of him.¡± Princess said, and Elerlyth''s mouth dropped open. ¡°No, we''re using the cart.¡± Ren said and took out the ghoul storage cart. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± Princess said and he hooked the cart up to her. ¡°Ren!¡± Elerlyth grabbed his arm. ¡°Your mount talked!¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s been talking to me almost since we met.¡± ¡°But... but... but...¡± Ren pointed to his temple. ¡°It was hard making her out at first with the mental connection; but, after a lot of hard work on her part and Intelligence boosts from me...¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°We thought of using it at the same time, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Magic Mouth, I mean.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°No, I can''t add armor or anything else to Etheria, because the spell prevents that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have done it already if I could.¡± Elerlyth didn''t say anything else, and Ren opened up the enormous cart. ¡°Hop in, and brace yourselves.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe lay down at the back or something.¡± He smiled. ¡°Princess is really, really fast now.¡± Elerlyth and Etheria climbed into the cart and braced themselves at the back. ¡°I''ll start off slow, so it won''t be as much of a shock.¡± Ren said closed the cart and locked it. He went into the large warehouse and opened the large forge, and Zetaya jumped onto him with the sound of a crackling fire. ¡°Ha ha! It''s nice to see you, too.¡± Ren hugged the fire elemental and walked out of the forge. Tee-one shut the door for him, and Zetaya moved around to Ren''s back. He climbed up onto Princess'' saddle and Zetaya ducked down. ¡°Easy at first, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know you want to show off, but they can''t see you.¡± ¡°You''re right, My Lord.¡± Princess said and trotted up into the air. ¡°Actually, let''s stop in to see Railyse.¡± Ren said. ¡°We should bring her back here now that I''ve got the chance.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Princess said and ran faster and faster, then came in for a landing in front of the house in the Housing District of Aurora. Ren felt Railyse''s sadness and jumped down from Princess. Zetaya let him go and stood on the road as Ren ran inside the house, then knocked on Railyse''s door. The door opened, and she held out a piece of parchment that King Alamast had sent to her. ¡°No.¡± Ren said after he had read it. ¡°How can they be so stupid?¡± Railyse shook her head. ¡°I don''t know.¡± She said. ¡°At least the ships under his command have diverted.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I hope that makes a difference.¡± ¡°It will for some.¡± Railyse said and then sighed. ¡°It looks like I won''t be going home for a while.¡± ¡°It''s a good thing I finished your new place, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll take you there right now.¡± ¡°We should visit the capital city before my mother''s deadline, to try and convince the idiots to change their minds and move their shipping.¡± Railyse said. ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t think it will work, but it''s still a good idea.¡± Railyse chuckled and turned to the large pool in her room. She made several bubble and gurgling sounds, and the two water elementals jumped out of the pool. ¡°Wow, you''re both getting big.¡± Ren commented. The first one was almost 3 feet tall, and the second was over a foot tall. ¡°I believe it was because a considerate person donated some very powerful fluids to them.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m glad it worked, and I''ll see about making another donation soon.¡± Both elementals bubbled and gurgled excitedly. ¡°Yes, I meant tonight.¡± Ren said and motioned to the front door. ¡°I''ll stop in before I stay the night with the maids.¡± The water elementals jumped and rolled over each other, then the smaller one stood on the other''s shoulders and opened the door. Railyse laughed as she took Ren''s arm, and he led her outside and to the large cart. ¡°Before you freak out.¡± Ren said to the water elementals in the Sea Dweller''s language of bubbles and gurgles. ¡°That''s Zetaya, a fire elemental.¡± The two water elementals froze stiff at the sight of the 6 foot tall fire elemental. ¡°You have nothing to fear.¡± Ren gurgled at them. ¡°You''ll be safe inside the cart, and Zetaya rides with me on Princess.¡± The two water elementals moved slowly towards the cart, and kept their head stubs pointed right at Zetaya. Ren felt their wariness, and thought about telling them that Zetaya was just as wary of them. He didn''t, because having a healthy respect for those that can hurt you would only help them in the long run. Ren opened the cart and looked inside. ¡°I just have a quick side trip to do.¡± ¡°It''s a good thing we only moved a little bit.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°How long is the side trip going to take?¡± ¡°It''s already half over.¡± Ren said and helped Railyse into the back of the cart, then passed in the two water elementals. ¡°We''re in Aurora?¡± Elerlyth asked, surprised. ¡°It took longer to talk to Railyse than to get here.¡± Ren said and looked at the water being. ¡°You might want to use your ability to keep the water elemental''s shapes stable.¡± He said. ¡°Princess runs really fast now.¡± Railyse nodded, and Ren closed the cart. He heard some loud bubbles and gurgles, and opened it again. ¡°Sorry, I forgot you can''t see in full darkness.¡± Ren said and enchanted a steel square with a few Illumination runes and stuck it on the inside of the cart. He activated it, then shut and locked the cart. Zetaya climbed onto his back, and Ren climbed onto Princess. Princess trotted up into the sky and turned around, then ran back to the county and came in for a landing next to the 300 foot long by 300 foot wide by 100 foot deep pool Ren had made for Railyse and the water elementals. He jumped off of Princess on the side away from the pool, and Zetaya climbed off of him. He went to the cart and opened it, and saw the surprise on Railyse''s face. ¡°I''m glad you warned me.¡± Railyse said. ¡°They would have been puddles.¡± She passed the two water elementals out, and Ren put them on the ground on the inside of the dividing wall he had constructed, and turned around so he could help Railyse climb out. He could feel the surprise that the water elementals felt at the sheer size of the pool, and then he felt Railyse''s surprise match their own when she climbed out of the cart and saw it for herself. ¡°Ren! This is amazing!¡± Railyse said and peered into the depths. ¡°So much detail.¡± She said and looked at him. ¡°It''s like a reef back home!¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That''s what I was going for.¡± ¡°I don''t see any currents or churning water, though.¡± ¡°That''s because I needed your input about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°With the way the bottom is structured, I didn''t want to wreck everything by putting in a cross-current that would churn up the dirt, or make a swirling vortex, or something.¡± Railyse smiled and touched his cheek. ¡°That was very considerate of you.¡± The two water elementals bubbled at him, then jumped into the water to explore their new home. ¡°I''ve placed Anti-water runes all along the thin shelf near the top to stop any overflow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m pretty sure that the water elementals can''t get in there; but, you should warn them of the danger anyways.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Railyse said. ¡°When do you want to set up the currents?¡± ¡°I''ll do them tonight before my donation.¡± Ren said. ¡°Until then, let me know if there''s anything you want to change or add.¡± ¡°I think everything is perfect.¡± Railyse said, and kissed him. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said and licked his lips. ¡°Thank you for the blessing.¡± ¡°It''s the least I can do for such a great gift.¡± Railyse said and walked out over the water. ¡°Until tonight.¡± ¡°See you then.¡± Ren said, and she slowly sank into the water. ¡°Okay, that was cool and classy.¡± Elerlyth said when Railyse had gone completely underwater, and Ren turned to see her and Etheria''s heads were poked up out of the cart and had watched the whole thing. ¡°It was like she was on an elevator or something.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, it was neat.¡± He said. ¡°Let''s get to the next High Elf city and see who we can save.¡± ¡°You mean kill, don''t you?¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going there to save as many of the ghouls as I can.¡± ¡°That sounds so wrong.¡± Elerlyth said and chuckled. ¡°If dooooing it is wroooong...¡± Ren sang. ¡°...then I don''t waaaanna be riiiiight.¡± ¡°If loving you is wrong, you mean.¡± Elerlyth corrected. ¡°Loving me isn''t wrong.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°You should know that by now.¡± ¡°I walked right into that one.¡± Elerlyth said and rolled her eyes. ¡°Close this thing and let''s get going.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Ren said, closed and locked it, then went to Zetaya. The fire elemental climbed up on his back and he climbed up onto Princess and sat in the saddle. ¡°Let''s go.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Princess said and trotted up into the air, then poured on the speed. Chapter 476 - Ghoul Grinding Ren and his group arrived at the next city on the map, and saw the fight had already started. It wasn''t normal troops this time, though. It was the townspeople that lived in a kind of smaller town that had grown around the High Elven city. ¡°Dammit!¡± Ren said. ¡°Princess, land on the far left and change to ramming speed!¡± Princess brayed her happiness and changed course. When she landed where directed, Ren had taken out the Generic Staff of Necromancy and activated the Ghoul Lure spell. ¡°Go!¡± Ren commanded, and Princess slowed down to plow through the ghouls right behind the front lines. Ghouls were batted aside by her horns and flung through the air, and Ren activated his own Ram enchantment. The ghouls bounced off of his magical horns, just like they did off of the ones Princess had. ¡°If you were a ram in truth, My Lord.¡± Princess said and turned around to make another pass. ¡°Our kids would be the most powerful to ever exist.¡± ¡°I didn''t have anything ram related to put into the polymorph helm.¡± Ren said, and for a brief moment, he felt her sadness... then it turned to wistful hope. ¡°Then I must grudgingly accept your inadequacies.¡± Princess said and completed the second run through. They had definitely gotten the ghouls attention, and had only killed a few hundred each pass. ¡°You would have been a spectacular ram.¡± Ren almost laughed at what she could have said instead of ''ram'', and she felt his amusement as she heard his thoughts. ¡°Mating is what I meant, My Lord.¡± Princess said, and he did laugh at that. ¡°Let''s get Zetaya over there in the woods.¡± Ren said, and Princess started another run into the middle of the ghoul horde, then turned and ran right through them and out the back. The horde as a whole slowed down and came to a stop as the effect of the Ghoul Lure passed over them, and the ones not affected followed the tide as it shifted. Princess did a quick burst of speed to get them well away from the horde as it started to follow them, then came to a stop. ¡°Zetaya!¡± Ren said. Zetaya hopped off his back and ran up into the air. Ren wasted no time and used the Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything wand to make Zetaya 288 feet tall again. The crackling fire was loud, and Ren couldn''t hear the shouts from the High Elves or the screeches from the ghouls. ¡°Head back to the city and keep helping to defend the High Elves.¡± Ren said to Princess and opened the large cart. Elerlyth rode her Phantom Steed out of the opening and hovered next to him. He disconnected the cart and stored it. ¡°Don''t worry about hurting them, just keep them at bay.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Princess said and ran back to the front lines. ¡°What about us?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Stay out of the High Elves line of fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re anathema to them, remember?¡± Elerlyth reluctantly nodded. ¡°That doesn''t mean you can''t have fun wrangling the stragglers.¡± Ren said, and she smiled evilly. ¡°Consider it done.¡± Elerlyth said and rode Etheria out to the edge of the horde and started fighting them. ¡°Let''s go, Zetaya!¡± Ren hollered, and Zetaya picked him up and shoved him inside, then tromped over to the ghoul horde that approached them. Once again, Ren made her look like a giant cow, then the fire elemental did the same thing it had done before. It spread it''s legs and flopped down to land in the middle of the mass of ghouls, then started to shovel them inside. It went almost the same as the last time, and once the ghouls he could save reached a certain amount, he left Zetaya and took out the enormous cart. Zetaya stopped ''eating'' them, then turned and threw up all the ones Ren had put aside inside the colossal fire elemental. He closed and locked the cart, and Zetaya once again shoved him and a bunch of ghouls inside. The fire elemental was having an easier time with them, and Ren was learning that even with his ability maxed, there were subtle things he could use it for that he didn''t realize. After the second batch were expelled, he discovered that he didn''t have to use his full ability to completely protect the ghouls. All he needed to do was give them some resistance to fire, and he could protect that many more. ¡°Okay, this should fill the cart!¡± Ren said, and Zetaya stepped over to the cart and Ren opened it. The fire elemental spit out the ones still inside, and Ren locked the cart again. ¡°Princess!¡± Princess appeared next to him, and he attached the cart to her while Zetaya walked up into the air and out of the ghoul''s reach. ¡°Elerlyth!¡± Ren yelled. She rode over to him and he gave her the Generic Staff of Necromancy. ¡°Just concentrate on the Ghoul Lure spell, and they''ll come right too you.¡± ¡°Do you want me to kill the meanest ones?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°They aren''t going to be happy with a colossal cow like this and not being able to eat it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re right.¡± He looked at Zetaya. ¡°Run around the horde and try to keep them distracted, and Elerlyth will keep pace with you.¡± He said, then looked at Elerlyth. ¡°Stay well away from the High Elves and the city.¡± He cautioned. ¡°If they send soldiers or something to come out here and fight the ghouls, let them.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It''s not worth it to save them, if it costs me you.¡± Ren said, and she felt his resolve. ¡°All right.¡± ¡°We''ll be back in about an hour.¡± ¡°An hour?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°That''s how long it takes the healers to sort the ones that can be saved in a cart this big.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you get bored, kill some of the large ghouls.¡± ¡°I can kill them?¡± Elerlyth asked, surprised. ¡°Not too many, or it breaks their will.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''re like leaders or something.¡± ¡°Every second one, then.¡± Elerlyth bared her teeth. ¡°That shouldn''t bother them.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Oh, I will.¡± Elerlyth said. Ren climbed onto Princess and they trotted up into the sky, then disappeared. They crossed the High Elven Kingdom, the no man''s land, and part of the Human Kingdom; then came to a stop in the small town where the healers were. Ren jumped down and knocked on the door of the ward, then remembered the healers said he didn''t have to do that. He went inside and saw the High Elves there were happy and talking to each other. When he saw an elfling walk around with a serving tray, he gained the Angered condition. ¡°What''s going on here?¡± Ren asked, and the High Elves looked at him. ¡°Ah! Another one.¡± One of the female High Elves said. ¡°Come in, come in.¡± She said. ¡°We need a strong back to help carry some of the food.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Kalyn and Gaelira are managing so far.¡± She said. ¡°There''s too many of us to be served properly, so we''ve had to make do.¡± ¡°More hands really would be of great help.¡± The elfling said. ¡°I''m Kalyn.¡± ¡°I''m Gaelira!¡± An elfling waved from farther down the ward. ¡°Where are the healers?¡± ¡°Called away on an urgent mission to the human capital city.¡± Kalyn said. ¡°Dammit.¡± Ren said and took several deep breaths. ¡°I don''t need to ask why, do I?¡± ¡°A Ghoul infection, the same as us.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Word of them healing so many infected has spread far and wide in this kingdom.¡± ¡°Now what do I do?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Help them serve, of course.¡± The female High Elf said. ¡°That is your job, even if you haven''t been accepted into a family formally.¡± Ren formed a Connection between his Fear Aura, Command Aura, and Ultimate Terror ring and activated it. All of the elves in the large ward caught their breath as his Aura covered them in Terror. ¡°Shut up.¡± Ren commanded, and her mouth snapped closed. ¡°I am not your servant.¡± He thought about activating his Submission Aura, then dismissed that idea because he didn''t want that as part of his arsenal. ¡°I am the Adventurer that brought you here.¡± He felt their shock and terror; but he didn''t feed on it, because he knew he would get sick from it if he did. The High Elves didn''t say anything, and Ren smiled. ¡°From this point forward, you will never refer to me, or any elfling in a derogatory manner.¡± Ren said. ¡°If anyone within my Aura insults us like that again, even by calling us halflings the way you do, you won''t live long enough to correct the mistake.¡± He looked at their shocked faces. ¡°Do you understand?¡± He asked, and then remembered his first order. ¡°You may speak.¡± ¡°We understand.¡± A few of them said. Ren thought about them and what they had been through, and activated his Undead Adept skill that let him feel the undead in his Aura and gave him affinity with them. He felt all of them, and they all gasped as they felt him detect their Ghoul Kissed marks. ¡°Do you understand?¡± Ren asked, and they all responded that they did. ¡°Good.¡± He said. ¡°Now did any of you participate, help, or know what the healers did to heal you, and are possibly healers yourselves?¡± The two elflings raised their hands, as did three of the High Elves. ¡°Excellent.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have another batch of ghouls that need to be tended to.¡± ¡°But... it... it won''t... work.¡± Kalyn said through her terror. Ren deactivated the ring and his Fear Aura, and he felt everyone relax as the pressure of his Aura was greatly reduced. ¡°We can''t detect the level of infection, or what herbs to use in which combination, or how to properly apply healing.¡± ¡°Dammit, dammit, dammit!¡± Ren said and made fists. ¡°I''ve got hundreds more of you that can possibly be saved, and I can''t save them!¡± Kalyn put the food tray down and walked over to him. She looked similar to the first elfling he had met, with long raven-colored hair and similar cheekbones; but, she wasn''t as pretty. Ren felt odd judging her like that, and he looked down at the floor and frowned. This Angered condition is affecting me more than I thought it did. Ren thought. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Kalyn said and he looked at her. She was about an inch shorter than him, and she wore an uneasy smile. ¡°I think the healer said they can stand another day or so as ghouls before they are too far gone.¡± ¡°I... I have to hope they can come back in time.¡± ¡°Why not make sure they do?¡± Kalyn asked. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°They told us you travel very fast.¡± Kalyn said. ¡°Since they are already on their way, go to them and pick them up, take them to the capital to heal whoever is sick, then pick them up when they finish.¡± Ren''s Angered condition disappeared at her kindness. ¡°Ha ha!¡± He said and picked the elfling up. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Gah!¡± Kalyn yelped at the sudden movement. ¡°Oh! I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and put her down. ¡°Please forgive my impropriety.¡± ¡°It... it''s quite all right.¡± Kalyn said. ¡°I''ll build a holding pen upstairs for the new ones, and I''ll bring the healers back as soon as they''re done.¡± Ren said and turned around to leave the ward. ¡°My Lord.¡± Kalyn said, and he turned back. ¡°Thank you for saving us.¡± ¡°No, M''lady.¡± Ren said and bowed to her. ¡°Thank you for letting me save others.¡± Kalyn''s face didn''t flush red like he expected. ¡°If you want that to happen, you have to hurry.¡± ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll be done in a minute.¡± ¡°How...¡± Kalyn started to say, and Ren disappeared. ¡°Where did he go?¡± There were several bangs and scrapes on the roof above their heads, and then nothing. A minute later, Ren came inside the ward. ¡°I put the stairs on the outside, so there''s no chance the ghouls can get out and into the ward while we wait.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I work fast.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to help the healers, and then I''m going back to get more ghouls.¡± ¡°Good luck!¡± Gaelira said from across the ward and waved. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and waved back, then looked at Kalyn. ¡°Do you want me to order everyone to get their own food?¡± Kalyn''s eyes went wide at the thought, and then she smiled. ¡°No, it really is an honor to serve.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had to offer anyway.¡± Kalyn nodded, and Ren left the ward. He detached the cart and stored it, then took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked where the healers were. They were in a carriage about a quarter of the way to their destination. Ren showed the spot to Princess and climbed up onto her saddle. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said, and Princess ran up into the sky and went to full speed right away. ******** Elise had waited until Barbara came into the room before she went to the bathroom and changed for bed. She came back out and picked up the laptop, and sat on the bed. She set up a few dummy servers and activated her VPN, or Virtual Private Network, and took out Officer Holly''s business card. She flipped it over and typed in the internet address on the back of it, and pushed enter. What she saw and heard surprised and shocked her. Even considering she had been the one to catch the guy, when she found out officially that it was an actual assassination job on Ren, that someone had hired him for, it shook her down to her soul. My poor Ren. Elise thought and kept watching the video. If she saw or heard anything that would help the upcoming court cases, she would transcribe the words and make several copies of the video. Not to distribute, since she couldn''t say it was from an anonymous source; but, for their own records and to make sure they would always have a copy. Elise did the preliminary work on that while she watched and listened, and smiled as she realized that even on it''s own, it would be a damaging piece of evidence against anyone that claimed Ren wouldn''t be hurt from the court cases proceeding. He is the star witness, and he doesn''t even have to testify. Elise thought. He just has to show them the condition his body is in. ******** Ren and Princess landed beside the coach, and managed not to startle the guards or the driver. Once he explained what he wanted to do, they quickly agreed to allow him to take over. The healers also agreed to his idea for them, since they also thought leaving those people to suffer was not the right thing to do. He hooked Princess up to the front of the carriage in front of the other horses, and cast Air Walk on both the horses and the carriage. ¡°We''ll go slow at first.¡± Ren said to the people, then climbed up onto Princess. ¡°Hold on tight.¡± They braced themselves, and Princess trotted up into the sky. ¡°We''re doing it!¡± The assistant healer said. ¡°We''re going to disappear into the sky!¡± The healer laughed for a moment, then caught her breath as Princess poured on the speed. ¡°Good god.¡± She said as they went faster and faster across the sky, and they couldn''t even see the countryside as it blurred past. Princess started to slow down less than a minute later, and the healer thought something must have gone wrong for them to stop so soon... and then she saw King Alamast''s castle in the center of the capital city. She couldn''t believe it. Ren directed Princess to one of the lesser used streets near the back of the castle, and came in for a landing. He hopped off and unhooked her from the horses and carriage. ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back in 3 hours to check on your progress.¡± ¡°I... I...¡± The healer tried to speak. ¡°Travelling so fast takes a bit of getting used to.¡± Ren said. ¡°You adjust quickly, believe me.¡± ¡°I''ll meet you here at the back gate to let you know what''s going on.¡± The healer''s assistant said. She hadn''t been fazed at all by the trip, and had even enjoyed it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Good luck, and I hope whoever you treat makes a full recovery.¡± The healer finally gathered her wits about her. ¡°As do we.¡± She said. ¡°Driver, to the front of the castle.¡± The driver flicked the reins and the carriage drove up the street and around the corner. ¡°Let''s get back to Elerlyth and Zetaya.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ve got a lot of work to do.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Princess said and ran up into the sky and disappeared. * Diana, Princess of the Human Kingdom, had been at her perch in her upstairs window at the back of the castle, when she saw a horse drawn carriage fly in and around behind the castle. She rubbed her eyes and blinked them several times, then looked again. She watched in wonder as it landed, and then a short figure jumped off the lead horse and detached it. ¡°What in the world?¡± Diana asked herself out loud as she tried to figure out who it could be. She couldn''t hear what was being said; but, she watched the short interaction between the short man and the passengers with interest. It was then that she noticed the carriage was the Royal one she had dispatched for the special healers, and she recognized the guard uniforms. It''s not possible for it to be here so soon. Diana thought as the short man stepped back and carriage pulled away to drive around the castle. She watched the short man climb up onto his steed, and it ran up into the air fairly close to her window. In the instant she recognized who it was, both he and the giant ram he rode disappeared. ¡°REN!¡± Diana yelled. He didn''t hear her, mainly because her window was closed. She banged her fist against it, then got up from her perch and ran from the room to meet with the healers. She had to know what was going on. Chapter 477 - New Arrangements Ren and Princess stopped at the outskirts of the High Elven city, and watched the gallivanting colossal cow and the horde of ghouls stumbling around on the ground underneath it. He held in his laugh at the absurdity, and kicked himself for not even looking at the Automatic Image Maker the elflings had at the meeting so he could share this with the maids. If he had caught a glimpse of anything out of the ordinary while he was with the elflings, he would have asked about it. ¡°Me, too.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If I''d seen anything like that, I would have reminded you.¡± Ren had Princess run over to Zetaya and got the fire elemental''s and Elerlyth''s attention. ¡°Thank god you''re back so soon.¡± Elerlyth said and handed back the Generic Staff of Necromancy. ¡°High Elven Scouts have been poking around all over the place.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you retreat?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I just said they are all over the place.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Thanks to the enchantments you put on this armor, they had a hard time spotting me on Etheria.¡± She explained. ¡°Plus, we tried to retreat, and the ghouls turned around and went right for the High Elves in the city.¡± ¡°All right, let''s get this done.¡± Ren said and Zetaya picked him up. ¡°Princess? Help round them up.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Princess said and moved off to the sides to herd the stragglers towards the main group. ¡°What about me?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Keep watch for the High Elven scouts.¡± Ren said and then Zetaya shoved him inside of it''s body and the fire elemental dropped down to the ground. The ghouls, sure of the kill, rushed in to feast on the meat of their prey. Thanks to Elerlyth and Zetaya''s movements, the main part of the remaining horde was easily consumed and sorted, and there wasn''t as many to save as Ren had hoped. This last bit of ghouls barely had any of them that could be saved, and once Princess had brought over the ghouls that had been on the edge of the horde, their work was done. ¡°I''m going to drop these off, then come back to check the High Elves that were attacked near the city.¡± Ren said. ¡°Be careful.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You don''t know how they are going to react to seeing you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Hopefully, Allynna is there to smooth things over.¡± ¡°Allynna?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°She''s an elfling I met the first time I did this.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s a... servant... of the High Lord of the Elves.¡± Elerlyth smiled. ¡°I felt that.¡± She said. ¡°She''s doing it willingly, isn''t she?¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Ren said. ¡°Aw, you poor thing.¡± Elerlyth chuckled. ¡°You can''t come to her rescue and steal her away.¡± ¡°She loves him, so even if I wanted to do that, she wouldn''t go.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Hang tight, and I''ll be back in a couple of minutes.¡± Elerlyth nodded, and Ren hooked the cart to Princess. They made a quick delivery to the storage space above the healer''s ward and dropped off the handful of ghouls, then went back to the High Elven City. Ren had Princess slow down in the air near where the front lines were, and then had her land in clear view of everyone. He hopped off and walked over to the townspeople. ¡°I''m here to check on anyone that was hurt by the ghouls.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s a chance they could be infected if they were scratched, bitten, or had blood splashed on them.¡± ¡°Is that how it''s spread?¡± One of the High Elves asked, and he held a bloody cloth against his arm. ¡°Mostly.¡± Ren said. ¡°It could also be a form of magic; but, I don''t know for sure.¡± ¡°Can you stop it?¡± ¡°No, but I know a healer and her assistant that have helped about 2,500 High Elves recover.¡± Ren said. ¡°So far.¡± ¡°You want us to go with you willingly.¡± A female High Elf said as she wrapped a male''s head with a bandage. ¡°You want us to abandon our homes and families to get healed?¡± Ren looked at her, and saw she had several small cuts on her arms and one on her face. ¡°Abandon? No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want you to keep yourselves segregated from the rest of the population until they can check you out.¡± ¡°You''re worried we''ll spread it.¡± She said, and Ren nodded. ¡°How long do we have?¡± ¡°Anywhere from 1 to 3 days.¡± Ren said. ¡°It affects some people quickly, and others not at all.¡± ¡°Does normal healing help?¡± She asked. ¡°Not that I''ve seen.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can heal the injury, but not the infection.¡± He sighed. ¡°I also don''t know if normal healing seals in the infection or makes it worse.¡± ¡°You''re not very helpful.¡± She said and finished wrapping the bandage. ¡°I can help stop the bleeding wounds; but, I won''t do more than that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want to ruin your chances to be cured.¡± ¡°Then do what you can.¡± She said, haughtily. ¡°What little it may be.¡± Ren nodded, then ran around and used a Minor Healing wand and bandages to wrap every wound he could see. He was done a couple of minutes later and came back to the female High Elf. ¡°Everyone is tended to.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°There are several hundred of us to look after.¡± She said dismissively. ¡°Come back in a few hours once everyone is taken care of.¡± ¡°They already are.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just came to ask if anyone went inside the city walls during the attack.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°If anyone was brought inside, they could spread the infection to everyone inside.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, no.¡± She said and looked at him. ¡°You said everyone is taken care of?¡± Ren motioned at the surrounding High Elves, and she saw them all looking at and touching their fresh bandages. ¡°H-how?¡± ¡°I''m really fast.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did anyone get inside?¡± She shook her head in disbelief, then looked at Ren. ¡°They locked the city gates after the High Lord arrived with his troops, long before the attack.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°He left you to fend for yourselves.¡± ¡°We aren''t members of the more prominent families.¡± She explained. ¡°We always have to fend for ourselves.¡± She tried to smile, and the cut on her cheek split and she winced. ¡°Allow me.¡± Ren said, and she knelt. He used the Minor Healing wand to stop the bleeding and closed the cut. He did the same to her scratches in an instant. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere else?¡± She shook her head, and Ren stepped back. ¡°Please, keep the ones hurt by the ghouls separated, yourself included. If anyone turns violent, or starts to morph into a ghoul, you should contain them or kill them.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°If they are turned so quickly without getting sick, there''s probably not much hope for them to be saved.¡± Ren said, sadly. ¡°Keep an eye on everyone, and be careful.¡± The female High Elf had remained on her knees, and she tilted her head to look at him as if she was examining him. ¡°You have affinity with the undead.¡± She said, and he nodded. ¡°Why aren''t you gathering the ghouls to your side and get them to do your bidding?¡± ¡°Not only are they a force that shouldn''t exist, I can''t control them all.¡± Ren admitted. ¡°I''d tell them to stop attacking if I could.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°I... see.¡± She said. ¡°If you could control them all, you would.¡± ¡°Yes, but not in the way you think.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°The whole world domination thing isn''t my style.¡± ¡°It could be.¡± She said and tilted her head the other way. ¡°You have the tools at your disposal.¡± ¡°I...¡± Ren automatically tried to deny it, then thought about the skills and spells he had. With the recipes he had access to, it was possible he could dominate the world if he legitimately tried to do it. ¡°Yes, actually.¡± He smiled. ¡°If I wanted to, I probably could.¡± ¡°There''s no probably about it.¡± She said, and then smiled. ¡°Thank you for not doing it.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just so you know, I wouldn''t have any fun if I did that.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°What would be left for me to do if I did that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What would be left for other Adventurers, except to try and take me down?¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, that''s not me at all.¡± ¡°Here are more blankets.¡± A female voice said as a stack of thick blankets wobbled towards them. When the blankets were put down, Ren saw that it was Allynna. ¡°M''lady.¡± Ren said immediately and gave her a regal bow. ¡°M''lord Ren.¡± Allynna said with a huge smile. ¡°The High Lord has dreaded your return.¡± ¡°I should ask why, but I''m pretty sure it''s because I made such short work of yet another ghoul horde.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The fact that I''m an elfling just makes it that much worse for him.¡± ¡°It does.¡± Allynna said and came close. ¡°My mother sends her regards, and a warning.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°The High Elves don''t want the Ghoul Kissed back.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°The humans had the same thought, only they wanted the rescued victims killed instead.¡± ¡°That is the proper way.¡± Allynna said. ¡°It doesn''t matter that they aren''t ghouls, only that they were compromised.¡± ¡°They''re not pure anymore.¡± Ren said and sighed, then looked at the female High Elf. He saw her sour expression, and there wasn''t anything he could tell her that would make things better. If she didn''t leave the home she had built for herself, she might be exterminated like vermin. ¡°Will the High Lord really unleash his troops on us?¡± The female High Elf asked. ¡°Not officially.¡± Allynna said. ¡°He''ll wait for some of you to turn, then let the soldiers do what they will to stop the infection from getting into the city.¡± The female High Elf sighed and looked around at the others. ¡°There''s a good chance some of them won''t be infected.¡± Ren said. ¡°That won''t matter.¡± The female High Elf said. ¡°The opportunity to clear us all out and remove our town is too tempting a possibility for him to pass up.¡± ¡°She''s right.¡± Allynna said. ¡°He hates these shanty towns almost as much as the ghouls.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°That''s just stupid.¡± He said. ¡°It''s these ''shanty'' towns that bring more business and opportunities to the city.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°They need food, clothing, shelter, goods of all kinds, and work to keep themselves busy.¡± Ren said. ¡°The more people you have needing that, the more you''ll get.¡± ¡°But...¡± Allynna started to say. ¡°He''s right.¡± The female High Elf said. ¡°It was only a few of us at first; but after only a month, we had doubled in size.¡± She smiled. ¡°Once people saw what we did and how we prospered, in just under a year, we had surrounded the entire city.¡± ¡°Do your people prefer individual houses, apartments, or towers?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s a personal choice.¡± The female High Elf said. ¡°I prefer living in a comfortable house.¡± She pointed to a male High Elf that she had bandaged his head. ¡°Carcan would give his left arm to live in a spire.¡± ¡°Which is never going to happen.¡± Carcan said. ¡°None of us will be living too much longer, according to her.¡± He motioned to Allynna. ¡°I only have a 50 mile by 50 mile county.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s a no grow zone in the middle; but, I''m building a city there already.¡± He said. ¡°The rest of the land is being used for farming and animals.¡± ¡°We wouldn''t need much space.¡± The female High Elf said. ¡°With the High Elves I have healing, and waiting to be healed, I have about 4,000 of you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not counting the 365 of you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The female High Elf said. ¡°That is a problem.¡± Everyone fell silent as Ren thought about what he could do with them all, and then Teepo gave him an idea. ¡°Ren, you''ve got that 240 foot high iron wall at the back of the county.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s a few miles of cliff face next to the other county.¡± ¡°With almost everyone out of the village now, I could make that whole section into a High Elf sanctuary.¡± Ren said. ¡°With 240 feet to play with going straight up, and several miles across, it might be enough to make housing for everyone.¡± ¡°You expect us to live in a human village?¡± One of the other High Elves asked. ¡°That''s crazy!¡± ¡°It would be, if I expected you to live inside the huts.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, you''ll be living above the village, on the actual cliff face.¡± He said. ¡°That''s appropriate, isn''t it? Since you believe you''re above everyone else?¡± The High Elf didn''t respond, since he knew Ren was being derogatory in his observation. ¡°What will we do for food?¡± The female High Elf asked. ¡°We can''t grow enough for ourselves in an... apartment.¡± She said, a little disgustedly. Ren reached out and touched her shoulder, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren said. ¡°If what I think I can do is possible, you''ll have a good choice for how you want to live, and most of the land is for farming for the people that live there.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You don''t want to move away from everyone.¡± Ren said, and she nodded slightly. He turned to Allynna. ¡°Can I ask you for a favor?¡± ¡°M''lord.¡± Allynna said and dipped her head. ¡°You raised my mother up to her rightful Honor position in a single night.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°That was something my father couldn''t do in 50 years.¡± ¡°Wh-what did you say?¡± The female High Elf asked. ¡°M''lady Yllana Arthion has had her Honor raised to it''s furthest reaches.¡± Allynna said. ¡°Even the Central Council had to acknowledge her new position.¡± ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± The female High Elf whispered. ¡°What favor would you ask of me, M''lord?¡± Allynna asked Ren. ¡°Can you contact your mother and see if she can petition the High Elves for a parcel of land for... 20,000 High Elves to live on.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Allynna yelled. ¡°Well, it''s not just the infected. It''s their families, assuming they want to come with them; and then any pack animals they have, farm equipment and animals, and their belongings.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Now you see my problem.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°50 square miles would be enough, if it wasn''t already occupied.¡± ¡°M-M-M''lord.¡± Allynna said. ¡°The petition would be denied immediately.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°The High Lord has final say, doesn''t he?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then we can build something in the no man''s land between the kingdoms.¡± Ren said. ¡°I did something similar for the giants and the dwarves.¡± ¡°Nothing can grow there.¡± The female High Elf said. ¡°That''s why it''s a no man''s land.¡± ¡°Well...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°...I have a bit of an upper hand when it comes to things like that.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°Even the best agriculturists couldn''t get anything to grow there!¡± ¡°Let me worry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°The one thing I will insist on, is that no elflings are to be treated as a lower class.¡± He said and looked at the High Elves around him. They all averted their eyes, and he smiled. ¡°I also won''t restrict who can live inside the city.¡± The female High Elf took in a sharp breath. ¡°That''s right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Instead of wanting to be a part of an influential family and have the same benefits, you can be the influential family and give those benefits to who you want.¡± ¡°It will never be approved.¡± The female High Elf said. ¡°It''s a no man''s land between two kingdoms.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Who''s approval do I need?¡± The female High Elf opened her mouth to say the Central Council, then closed it. Her automatic response wasn''t valid in this case. Neither she, nor the other High Elves, were under the Central Council''s authority anymore, especially if they were going to kill them all. Ren turned to Allynna. ¡°Can you contact your mother, and ask her to arrange for me to go into the Library, or maybe the central records in her city?¡± ¡°I can, but for what purpose?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°I need building plans.¡± Ren said. ¡°None of the designs I have are even close to High Elf architecture.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I can fake it, since I''ve seen a few buildings so far.¡± Ren said. ¡°But then it would just be a facade, and I know they won''t be happy living inside fake High Elven buildings.¡± Allynna did the same chant and gestures her mother had done and clapped her hands, and a bird materialized in front of her. She asked it to go to her mother and make the arrangements, and the bird took off immediately and disappeared from sight. ¡°It can fly almost as fast as Princess can run.¡± Ren said absently, and the High Elves around him blinked their eyes at him. ¡°Princess?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°My mount.¡± Ren said and motioned to the giant Ram everyone was trying to politely ignore. ¡°She''s so fast that even I can''t catch her.¡± Princess brayed her amusement, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You''ve got another hour before you have to go to the capital city and check on the healers.¡± Teepo said. Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it to show Yllana Arthion, and her image appeared in the mirror''s surface. She was half-reclined on her couch in a relaxing pose, with an old book in her hands. She wore a thin white chiffon dress that clung to her in the right places, and when she turned the page, the light caught her just right and highlighted her svelte form. The bird flew in through her open window and she held her hand out for it. Yllana jumped up and the book flew out of her hand and tumbled onto the floor. Ren chuckled at her near comical reaction to what the bird told her about him wanting to come and visit, then the bird dissolved. Yllana did the same motions to cast the same spell, and it left her. She did it again and that bird flew away, then she looked down at herself. She lifted the loose dress off her shoulders and let it go, and it dropped to the floor to leave her completely nude. Ren quickly asked the mirror to go back to normal and put it away. His face was a little red, because he hadn''t intended to peep on her changing clothes, just to see her receiving the message. Allynna saw his reaction and smiled, and then a little bird flew over to them and she held her hand out. ¡°Chirp chirp. Chirp. Chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp. Chirp, chirp chirp chirp chirp.¡± The bird said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Allynna said, and the bird disappeared. ¡°Okay, I didn''t expect that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you think it would talk in our language?¡± Allynna laughed. ¡°That''s just ridiculous.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Ren waved Princess over. She trotted around everyone and stopped beside him, and he climbed up into her saddle. ¡°What was the message?¡± ¡°She''ll be ready to receive you at her apartment in a few minutes.¡± Allynna said. ¡°She''ll take you to the best architect available.¡± ¡°Thank you, M''lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°Princess, I''d like you to meet the unnamed elfling princess.¡± ¡°It''s nice to meet another princess.¡± Princess said. ¡°That makes two of you I know.¡± Allynna and the High Elves all gasped as she spoke without speaking, and Ren felt their shock. Once again, he didn''t try to use his Emotion Siphon ability. ¡°I should introduce you to Princess Diana, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then you''ll have met 3 princesses from 3 different kingdoms.¡± ¡°I would like that.¡± Princess said. Ren looked at the female High Elf. ¡°Remember, no one can go into the city, and if they start to turn and get violent, deal with them.¡± ¡°I... it will be done.¡± Ren nodded, and looked at Allynna. ¡°Thank you for your help, and I''ll probably see you again at the next city.¡± ¡°Y-yes, M''lord.¡± Allynna said without looking at him, and kept her eyes on his mount, Princess. ¡°I look forward to it.¡± ¡°As do I.¡± Ren said and gave her a regal bow from the saddle, and the Honor gain caught her attention and she looked at him. ¡°Good day, M''lady.¡± ¡°Good day.¡± Allynna said, and Ren rode Princess up into the air a little, then disappeared from their sight. Chapter 478 - Voyeurs ¡°Did that just happen?¡± The female High Elf asked in wonder. ¡°Do you mean meeting an elfling Adventurer with the highest Honor we''ve ever seen, or starting another nation where no nation should be?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°Both.¡± ¡°Then yes.¡± Allynna said. ¡°It happened.¡± ¡°Our lives will never be the same.¡± The female High Elf said, and looked around at the makeshift town. ¡°Imagine, living in a proper city after so long being an outcast.¡± She whispered, her voice full of wonder. ¡°You won''t have to imagine it for long.¡± Allynna said. ¡°He will keep his word.¡± ¡°It took the architects 20 years to build this city.¡± The female High Elf laughed. ¡°If it''s just him, or even him and a bunch of workers, it''s still going to take a long time to build an entire city.¡± ¡°Don''t forget the walls.¡± Carcan said. ¡°Those alone took 5 years of hard labor.¡± ¡°A drop in the bucket of time for us.¡± Allynna said. ¡°For him? I don''t know.¡± ¡°We will soon discover that.¡± The female High Elf said. ¡°I wonder if he will need our help?¡± ¡°I can ask.¡± Allynna said as she cast another bird, and sent it to her mother with the question. * Ren and Princess reappeared next to Elerlyth and Zetaya. ¡°Hey, Zetaya. How do you feel?¡± The colossal fire elemental disguised as a colossal cow let out a crackling fire, with several snapping branches in it. ¡°Okay, just lay here and relax for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can move on to clearing out the nests when I get back.¡± ¡°From where?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°I''m heading over to the last city I saved to talk to someone about getting building plans.¡± Ren said. ¡°Apparently, the High Elves don''t want the Ghoul Kissed anymore than the ones in the human town did.¡± ¡°Those bastards.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren felt her anger. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, I''m going to make a city in the no man''s land between the Human Kingdom and High Elven Kingdom for them.¡± ¡°Ren, that... that''s a lot of work.¡± ¡°Naw, I''ve got a plan.¡± Ren said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I''m going to cheat, of course.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''ve got about an hour before I have to meet with the healers; so, I''ll use that time to get as many building plans as possible, check the healers, then come back here.¡± ¡°What am I supposed to do in the meantime?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Be careful? Maybe go for a flight? Relax and protect Zetaya? Pout?¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh at the last part. ¡°I told you there wouldn''t be much for you to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°What about the nests?¡± ¡°When we start, you can kill the big ghouls.¡± Ren said. ¡°Most of the ghouls will be contained anyways, and their morale doesn''t matter.¡± ¡°Sweet.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Okay, I''ll stick around for that.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re just wasting time until we go on the hunt, anyways.¡± Elerlyth smiled and bared her teeth. ¡°Damn right.¡± ¡°See you later.¡± Ren said, and Princess trotted up into the sky and disappeared. They came to a stop outside the two story building Yllana lived in, and Princess landed on top of it. He gave her some food, and walked down the side of the building and went inside and up the stairs. He knocked on Yllana''s door and waited. I hope I gave her enough time to change. Ren thought, and that reminded him to equip his High Elven court uniform. The apartment door opened, and Yllana stood there with her long black hair done up in a stylish hairdo and wore a form fitting blue gown. It had stylish vines and flower designs in a darker blue on it that covered the entire surface. It also had a high neck that went up to the top of her head. Yllana could only see through the 8 inch wide space where her face was, and not to either side because the collar blocked her sight. The 8 inch wide space also went from the top of her head straight down to her waist. It left a surprising amount of flesh exposed; and yet, it was also conservative at the same time and held everything in place. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and gave her a regal bow. ¡°Now, now.¡± Yllana said and smiled demurely as she dismissed the Honor popup. ¡°We don''t have to exchange such formal greetings, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°We are on equal footing Honor-wise.¡± ¡°I was bowing to the dress, Yllana.¡± Ren joked, and she laughed with a slight sound of birds chirping. ¡°Is it that much of a sight that it deserves Honor?¡± Yllana asked and stepped out of her apartment. Ren held out his elbow for her, and she wrapped her arm around it and rested her hand on his. ¡°M''lady, it deserves an award for just staying in place and keeping you covered.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Yes, it''s almost magical, isn''t it?¡± Yllana asked and ran her hand down the fabric from her neck to her waist. Ren''s eyes followed the movement as she had intended, and when she brought the hand back up to her face, they locked gazes. ¡°As tempting as you are, we still can''t have sex, M''lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°What I have in my life works for me right now, and I won''t jeopardize that.¡± Yllana once again smiled demurely. ¡°As I''ve stated previously, there''s a lot we can do and not have sex.¡± She said. ¡°I''m more than pleased that you find me tempting.¡± Ren motioned to the stairs, and she nodded. ¡°M''lady, only a fool or an idiot would deny being tempted by you.¡± Yllana''s face flushed slightly red as they walked to the stairs. ¡°Since you are neither, does that mean you are doubly tempted?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''d be lying if I said I wasn''t.¡± They left her apartment building and started to walk down the street. High Elves passed them occasionally; but, the crowd seemed sparse for being so early in the day. ¡°How far do we have to go?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Not far.¡± Yllana said. ¡°He''s an old friend.¡± ¡°I guess that means I''ve already met him.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, he was at the meeting.¡± They walked on in silence for a few minutes, and then Ren sighed. ¡°M''lady, I have to apologize.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I asked your daughter to send you a message, I used a viewing apparatus to see if you received it.¡± He sighed. ¡°I saw you taking off your dress... and I also saw what you didn''t have on underneath.¡± Yllana didn''t say anything for a moment, and Ren brought them both to a stop. ¡°M''lady, I didn''t intend...¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°You can view me from so far away?¡± Yllana asked. ¡°The Viewing Cloud spell we use only allows up to several miles away.¡± ¡°It''s an object called the All-Seeing Mirror.¡± Ren said. ¡°...and it let you see all of me, without my knowledge.¡± ¡°Yes, M''lady.¡± Ren said, and ducked his head. ¡°You truly are Honorable.¡± Yllana said and touched his cheek, and he lifted his head and looked at her. ¡°You could have kept that to yourself, and I would never have known.¡± She let his elbow go and turned to face him. ¡°If someone admits to something like that, it would usually cause an Honor loss.¡± She smiled. ¡°You didn''t receive one, did you?¡± ¡°No, M''lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s 2 reasons for that.¡± Yllana said and stepped close. ¡°The first reason, you admitted what you believe was a wrong-doing to the injured party without being coerced, and to accept any punishment they deemed appropriate.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°The other reason.¡± Yllana gave him a quick kiss. ¡°I like being watched.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Yllana said and took one of his hands and held it against her chest. Ren could feel her heart beating fast, and he could also feel the exposed part of her breast. ¡°Over the decades since Allynna''s father died, I''ve been celibate.¡± She said. ¡°My desires have... changed... to enjoying having men look at me with longing, because they knew they couldn''t have me.¡± ¡°M''lady, I...¡± ¡°Why else do you think I don''t mind your ''no sex'' policy?¡± Yllana asked and slid his hand down the open part of her dress to her waist. ¡°I''m sure we would both enjoy sex... possibly extremely.¡± She smiled wickedly as she used her other hand to pull the dress out slightly. ¡°I see the way you look at me when I''m naked in front of you.¡± She took in a sharp breath as she put his hand inside her dress. ¡°The desire in your eyes for me, makes me feel sooo good.¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her as he felt exactly how much she liked it. ¡°M''lady...¡± He looked at the High Elves that walked past, but they never even glanced his way. They kept to themselves and didn''t even acknowledge the elfling''s presence. ¡°Y-yes, M''lord.¡± Yllana said, and gasped as Ren''s fingers moved of their own volition. ¡°You could lay with me... right here in the middle of the street... and they will pretend they can''t see us.¡± She moaned a little at both his fingers and at the thought. ¡°Even though they can see us as plain as day.¡± ¡°M''lady, you''d like that, wouldn''t you?¡± Ren asked, and teased her with his fingers. ¡°To show these High Elves your sumptuous body, and let them know they can never have you.¡± ¡°Y-YES!¡± Yllana gasped at his words and finished, and put her arms around him to hold herself up. ¡°M-M-M''lord, you...¡± She panted heavily for several moments, then gave him a quick kiss. ¡°T-thank y-you.¡± Ren took out a piece of cloth for her, and she shook her head. ¡°I... I can''t move just yet.¡± Yllana admitted. ¡°I may collapse if I do.¡± ¡°Then let me help you.¡± Ren said and scooped her up into a princess carry. He walked over into a nearby alley, only slightly out of sight, and he braced her against the side of a building. ¡°Store your clothing.¡± Yllana did so without question, and Ren used the cloth to wipe her off. An occasional shadow passed by the alleyway, and each time one did, she had another small finish and made a bit more of a mess. ¡°Is this a losing battle?¡± Ren asked and smiled up at her, and she chuckled. ¡°I''m naked out in public, with a handsome man on his knees tending to me.¡± Yllana said. ¡°The battle was lost long ago.¡± Ren chuckled, too. ¡°I have no choice, then.¡± He said and dove between her legs. Yllana gasped as Ren pleased her, and as a shadow passed by the alley, and the threat of being discovered grew, so did her pleasure. Yllana grabbed his head and pulled him in tightly. ¡°MY LORD! MY LOVE! AHHH!¡± Ren caught her as she collapsed from finishing so hard that it consumed the last of her Stamina, and he held her gently as tears formed in her eyes. He could feel how happy she was as she cried. ¡°Wh-what''s wrong with me?¡± Yllana asked as she tried to wipe at her face. ¡°I''m so happy, but I''m crying, too.¡± Ren stroked her face. ¡°It happens sometimes.¡± He stored the cloth he had been using, took it back out, and wiped her tears away. ¡°You''re so happy, you don''t know how to react.¡± ¡°Yes, I... I think that''s it, exactly.¡± Yllana said. ¡°M''lord, I...¡± ¡°Shh, it''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want an Energize spell to get your Stamina back?¡± Yllana opened her mouth to say yes, so they could get to the architect''s house, then smiled instead. ¡°Can you hold me for a little while?¡± ¡°Of course I can.¡± Ren said, and they stayed that way and cuddled without saying anything. After about 10 minutes, she sighed and pat his shoulder, and Ren stood her up on her feet and she equipped a dress that had a more traditional Elven cut to it. It still had the vines and flower design; but, it was green instead of blue. Yllana saw the slight twitch in Ren''s eyes as he saw the different dress. ¡°I think I can do without the lust of others, M''lord.¡± She said and caressed his cheek. ¡°As long as you promise to watch me on your viewing device.¡± ¡°M''lady, I will check it as often as possible.¡± Ren said. ¡°You will never know when that will be, or what I will see.¡± Yllana caught her breath for a moment, then started to breathe again. ¡°Ren, you are too good to be true.¡± ¡°I believe that''s because my friend Teepo is right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I seem to have a knack for finding what a woman needs and then give it to her to make her happy; even without the effect of my Prince Charming title.¡± Yllana smiled and took his arm. ¡°What does your Prince Charming title do?¡± ¡°It makes women that are susceptible to my charms, or predisposed to like me, give their attention to me.¡± Ren said and led her out of the alleyway to continue their walk to the architect. ¡°They''ll see me as a desirable mate, both physically and emotionally.¡± ¡°That is a powerful title.¡± Yllana said, and pointed to a short spire down the street. ¡°Are you sure that you didn''t...¡± ¡°No, M''lady.¡± Ren said and they walked down the street. ¡°Once I gained the ability to turn it off, I did so.¡± Yllana thought about that for a few moments. ¡°Then... all of this...¡± ¡°Is solely based on attraction, mutual pleasure, and I believe a highly repressed sexual desire on your part.¡± Yllana laughed, with a slightly louder sound of birds chirping. ¡°It''s not polite to blame a lady like that.¡± ¡°It wasn''t blame, M''lady.¡± Ren said as they arrived at the tall building. ¡°Merely an explanation.¡± ¡°It sounds like blame.¡± Yllana teased as they went inside. ¡°I would be blaming myself if blame was warranted.¡± Ren said, and she pointed to a doorway. ¡°Any interactions with women are usually initiated by me.¡± Yllana and Ren walked over to the doorway and it opened for them. They stepped inside, and Ren felt like he was being lifted up for several moments, and then the door opened. ¡°Okay, I need to know how that happened.¡± Ren said as they stepped out of the magical lift. ¡°All the spires have a moving platform.¡± Yllana said and knocked on the door they were now in front of. ¡°How else would one get to the top floor from the inside?¡± The door opened and a 9 foot tall High Elf opened the door. He wore long grey robes that covered him from shoulder to foot, and had white hair down to his waist. Surprisingly, he didn''t have any kind of facial hair whatsoever. No beard, no mustache, not even eyebrows. It was weird, to say the least. ¡°Greetings, Lady Arthion.¡± The High Elf said and gave her a nod. ¡°Greetings, Lord Tathalyn.¡± Yllana said and nodded back. ¡°Is this who you spoke of?¡± Lord Tathalyn asked. ¡°No, this is another elfling Adventurer that I met in the few minutes it took to arrive here.¡± Lord Tathalyn chuckled. ¡°Your barbs are still sharp.¡± He said and stepped back. ¡°Please, come in.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Yllana said and she led Ren inside. * The scout tasked to watch Ren''s county, watched in both shock and a bit of horror as someone on a flying black horse landed next to the oddest Ballista he had ever seen. According to the other scouts, there were 7 more, one set every mile down the wall along this side, and they were aimed straight out at his county. The man on the horse talked to the man that stood next to the Ballista for a moment, then took off. He watched as it flew a mile away and came in for a landing. ¡°Okay, go and let the captain know.¡± He said to the messenger below him, and gave the details he had seen through his enchanted goggles. The messenger nodded and ran away through the forest. It took 15 minutes to reach the command post, even with the messenger''s top running speed, and he delivered the scout''s message. ¡°Goodness gracious.¡± The captain said. ¡°It seems every day the defenses of the place increase.¡± ¡°What are we going to do?¡± The lieutenant beside him asked. ¡°That''s all of the scout reports.¡± ¡°Send our own messenger to the capital city to ask the Lord what he wants us to do.¡± The captain said. ¡°We shouldn''t expect a response for a day or so.¡± ¡°Why so long?¡± The lieutenant asked. ¡°It''s only a 6 hour round trip with the horses.¡± ¡°He has to make an appointment.¡± The captain said. ¡°He''ll be lucky if he gets in today. If he does, the Lord won''t respond until tomorrow.¡± ¡°That''s not very efficient.¡± The lieutenant said. ¡°It''s too bad we don''t have these flying horses.¡± The captain sighed. ¡°I''m beginning to see why that scout resigned.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°Just imagine what is going to happen if we try to assault that wall.¡± The captain said. ¡°After crossing that deep moat, we have to scale a 44 foot tall iron wall and climb down the other side. If we don''t encounter any forces, we then have to cross 25 miles of open countryside to get to this supposed capital city of theirs.¡± He sighed. ¡°Assuming we can do that, we then have to capture workers to try and discover how they did all of the things they''ve done, and steal those secrets for ourselves.¡± ¡°Sir, that...¡± The lieutenant sighed as well. ¡°It''s a stupid plan.¡± The captain chuckled. ¡°Now you''re also seeing why I think the scout resigning was a good idea.¡± ¡°You aren''t going to follow his lead, are you?¡± ¡°No, and I''m also not holding his family hostage.¡± The captain said. ¡°They all packed up and left yesterday.¡± ¡°All, sir?¡± ¡°His wife, brother-in-law, his two sisters and their husbands, all of their children, and even his grandmother decided to go.¡± The captain said. ¡°So many?¡± The lieutenant asked. ¡°How many skilled workers is that?¡± ¡°That''s 8, if you count the grandmother.¡± The captain said. ¡°A messenger brought word from the scout, and they all packed up and left.¡± ¡°Lord Grasham can''t be happy about that.¡± The captain chuckled again. ¡°Are you kidding? He doesn''t know.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°He would have ordered me to keep the family members here against their will.¡± The captain said. ¡°I wasn''t going to do that; so, he doesn''t know and I didn''t have to disobey a direct order.¡± ¡°Sir, that''s...¡± ¡°Out of sight, out of mind, lieutenant.¡± The captain said. ¡°I expect this...siege...¡± He sighed. ¡°...to be ordered within two days, and we will have to carry it out.¡± ¡°I''m not happy about it, either.¡± The lieutenant said. ¡°If it comes, I will follow orders as I swore to do.¡± ¡°As will I.¡± The captain said. ¡°Have the men start assembling the siege weapons.¡± ¡°Sir.¡± The lieutenant nodded and started to walk away. ¡°And ladders.¡± The captain added. ¡°Lots of 50 foot long ladders.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The lieutenant said and walked over to the group of squad leaders to give them their orders. ¡°This is not going to be fun.¡± The captain said to himself and crossed his arms. ¡°Not at all.¡± Chapter 479 - Get The Ball Rolling Ren looked around the High Elf architect''s apartment when he and Yllana stepped inside. He saw half-finished plans, half-built models of odd-shaped buildings, and parchment papers covered every single surface in the entire apartment. The chairs, the couch, the bed, several workbenches, the walls, counter tops, and even the ceiling had plans stuck to it. They were also incomplete. ¡°Thank you for letting me visit on such short notice, Lord Tathalyn.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s no trouble.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°When Lady Arthion asks me for a meeting, I grant it without question.¡± He smiled at the elfling in question. ¡°You are fetching as always.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lord Tathalyn.¡± Yllana said, and ignored the High Elf''s oggling. ¡°M''lord Ren would like some building plans.¡± ¡°What does he have in mind?¡± ¡°City plans.¡± Ren said. ¡°Spires, apartments, houses, meeting rooms, businesses, and the like.¡± ¡°Are you just interested in the architecture, or are you planning to build them?¡± ¡°Both, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°How does that lift work?¡± He asked. ¡°I have an idea; but, I know that isn''t what it actually is.¡± Lord Tathalyn chuckled. ¡°Yes, it''s a wonder, isn''t it? You build the building, and it has a lift inside.¡± ¡°Wait, you don''t add it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, it''s a part of the structure.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°Each of the buildings when constructed, is infused with enough Mana to ensure it''s operation.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you have the plans for this spire?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°I designed and built it.¡± ¡°May I see them?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Hm.¡± Lord Tathalyn rubbed his chin. ¡°Your Honor is quite high; but, how do I know you won''t be perverting my vision to your own ends?¡± ¡°You don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°If it makes you feel any better about sharing, I will be doing that.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I will be making exact copies of your buildings for the High Elves when I make them another city to live in; but, that won''t be the only thing I do with your designs.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to change, adapt, tear apart, rebuild, and reform them to my own ends. I''m going to achieve my own goals with that information.¡± The High Elf looked at Yllana for a moment, then looked back at Ren. ¡°Your high Honor is well deserved.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°I expected you to just admit using them for the city and leave it at that.¡± He smiled. ¡°Volunteering that you''re going to change my designs after that was more than was necessary to admit.¡± ¡°I can clearly see your apartment, Lord Tathalyn.¡± Ren said. ¡°You display your unfinished work because you are proud of it.¡± Lord Tathalyn laughed. ¡°Yes! That''s exactly right!¡± He said and pointed to the middle of the ceiling. ¡°That right there is the plan for this very spire.¡± Ren looked up at the drawing and didn''t get the popup for gaining the plans. ¡°I can''t copy them because they are incomplete.¡± ¡°Yes, that''s right.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°You need the knowledge I have in here...¡± He tapped his temple. ¡°...before the plans can be used.¡± ¡°That''s an ingenious way to keep your secrets.¡± Ren complimented him, and he smiled. ¡°Someone can come in here and take everything, and it''s all useless without my help.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°May I have your help?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I ask for myself, and for the thousands that will benefit from your work.¡± Lord Tathalyn walked over to a chair and sat down on it, and it didn''t crumple the papers at all. ¡°You can''t expect me to give my life''s work away for free.¡± ¡°What would you like in return?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I will give you all the plans that I have. In fact, I''ll give you everything I''ve ever designed.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°I only have two conditions.¡± ¡°Name them.¡± ¡°One, you must build at least one of everything, no matter how ridiculous it''s appearance or it''s function.¡± ¡°Does it have to be within the city walls?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What is the second condition?¡± ¡°You help me design... and build... the world''s largest tower.¡± Yllana gasped. ¡°Do I need to do that first?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I would prefer it, yes.¡± ¡°I assume you want the tower in the middle of the city.¡± ¡°I do, as it will be the main structure that everything is to be built around.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°How tall do you want the tower?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It has to be at least a mile high.¡± Lord Tathalyn smiled. ¡°Luberos Eilceran Tathalyn!¡± Yllana said angrily. ¡°That''s preposterous!¡± ¡°Those are my conditions.¡± Lord Tathalyn said to her, then looked at Ren. ¡°What do you say M''lord?¡± Teepo spoke as Ren thought about it. ¡°You''ve got about 15 minutes before you need to be at the castle''s back gate to meet the healer''s assistant.¡± ¡°How big of a base is it going to need at that height?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It depends on how deep into the ground we build the supports.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°If we go with a straight up tower design, it would have to be very deep.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°I have another appointment I need to get to soon.¡± He said. ¡°Let me think about it while I go run the errand, and I''ll come back in 30 minutes to give my answer.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Lord Tathalyn said and smiled. ¡°I expected you to take several days, so 30 minutes is just delightful.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and turned to Yllana. ¡°M''lady, shall I escort you back home?¡± ¡°I will remain here until you return, M''lord.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Lord Tathalyn and I have a few things to discuss.¡± Ren gave her a regal bow, turned around, and left the apartment. He stepped into the lift and went to the ground. * After the apartment door closed, Yllana waited until she heard the lift take Ren down to the entrance, and she turned to slap Lord Tathalyn across the face. ¡°How could you do that?!?¡± Yllana asked, and Lord Tathalyn laughed at her. She slapped him several more times in the face, shoulder, and chest. ¡°You are taking advantage of a great man for your petty pipe dreams!¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Of course I am!¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°He asked me what I wanted, and I told him.¡± ¡°He can''t build a mile high tower before he builds a city for all those people to live in!¡± Yllana said. ¡°The city alone will take years!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°How long will this tower take?¡± ¡°Like I told him, it depends on how we design it.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°If we go with the straight spire, the framework could be done in a year.¡± Yllana shook her head in disbelief. ¡°You are a despicable... rotten... underhanded...¡± ¡°I''ve been dreaming of having the world''s biggest tower my entire life.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°If I can get him to help me build it, then I will.¡± ¡°You better start filling in the plans for the buildings he actually wants.¡± Yllana said angrily. ¡°You are to hand them over to him as soon as he agrees to your ridiculous condition!¡± Lord Tathalyn chuckled and tapped the workbench beside his chair. The side of it opened up, and inside were all the completed plans he had ever made. ¡°I always keep a spare set, in case I forget something.¡± ¡°You... you...¡± Yllana shook and clenched a fist. ¡°If I didn''t think I''d hurt myself, I''d punch you so hard right now!¡± Lord Tathalyn laughed. * Ren stepped out of the spire''s door and ran up into the air and over to Yllana''s two storey apartment that Princess stood on. ¡°Let''s go to the castle''s back gate.¡± Princess huffed and Ren climbed up into the saddle, and she took off through the sky as Teepo chittered in delight. After a minute of enjoying the ride, Teepo spoke. ¡°You''re going to do it, aren''t you?¡± Teepo asked. Yes. Ren thought to his friend. I''m going to cheat with it, too. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I''d expect nothing less.¡± They arrived at the Human Kingdom''s castle a few minutes later, and landed by the back gate. They didn''t have to wait long before the healer''s assistant came out of the castle. She waved to him as soon as she saw him, and he waved back and jumped down from the saddle. ¡°You''re a little early.¡± The healer''s assistant said, and Ren smiled. ¡°I have a great friend who always keeps me on track.¡± ¡°I''d like to have a friend like that.¡± She said. ¡°Everyone should have a friend like Teepo.¡± Ren said. He felt Teepo''s gratitude, and sent him his own gratitude in return. ¡°How''s the patient?¡± ¡°She''s recovering nicely.¡± The healer''s assistant said. ¡°Thanks to your timely intervention, we got to her well before the three day limit.¡± ¡°Whew... I''m glad.¡± Ren said, and he felt relief. ¡°Who was it?¡± ¡°We can''t say.¡± She said, and Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°King Alamast''s orders.¡± Ren had a bad thought pass through his head. ¡°Please tell me it''s not Princess Diana.¡± The healer''s assistant thought about it. ¡°I suppose telling you who isn''t sick is okay.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°It''s not the Princess.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°When will your tasks be done?¡± ¡°In another 3 hours.¡± She said. ¡°Once we observe her for another few hours and administer a few more healing sessions, she''ll only need some rest and relaxation for the next couple of days.¡± ¡°I''ll be back to pick you and the healer up then.¡± Ren said, and took her hand. ¡°Thank you for meeting me.¡± The healer''s assistant laughed. ¡°I needed the fresh air anyway.¡± Ren smiled and let her hand go, then climbed up onto Princess again. ¡°See you soon.¡± She said, and she watched as Ren rode up into the sky and disappeared from her sight. ¡°Even taking that ride, it''s still amazing.¡± Ren arrived back at the High Elven site where Zetaya and Elerlyth were. ¡°Hey, are you bored?¡± Zetaya let out the sound of snapping branches, and Elerlyth huffed at him. ¡°I think that''s an affirmative.¡± Ren said as he took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it for the closest nest of ghouls. He showed it to Elerlyth, Zetaya, and Princess, and he felt their eagerness. ¡°Let''s get this done.¡± ¡°You should check your Staff of Earth.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°It''s getting close to it''s time limit.¡± ¡°Thanks, Teepo.¡± Ren said and took out the staff and his wand with Permanent Widen Effect. He cast it on the staff and extended it''s time by 50%. ¡°Princess, easy pace with Zetaya.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Princess said, and Zetaya stood up on it''s 4 limbs and trotted away above the trees. Ren used his Fire Manipulation and Absorb Fire skills to stop the fire Zetaya left on the ground surrounding where it had laid down, and he and Elerlyth rode after the fire elemental. They arrived at the first nest and Ren used the Staff of Earth to pull the dirt and rocks away from the underground cavern. It wasn''t as extensive as some of the others; but, it was still pretty big. He had barely opened up the main part when Elerlyth swooped in on her Phantom Steed Etheria and skewered one of the large ghouls through the chest with her sword, yanked it out and swung the sword around to decapitate it. ¡°You could wait for a minute.¡± Ren chuckled and moved the rest of the dirt out of the way as the ghouls started to panic. ¡°I''m not sorry.¡± Elerlyth said and spotted another large ghoul. Etheria deftly avoided getting grabbed by the other ghouls as they scrambled around, and Elerlyth dispatched the second large ghoul. The normal ghouls were in full rout now, and Ren took out the Generic Staff of Necromancy and activated the Ghoul Lure spell. Since his Aura covered the entire nest, the spell affected all of them. They stopped running away and stood still, which meant the spell wasn''t powerful enough to override their panic completely. Zetaya didn''t need any prompting as it scooped up a pile of ghouls and shoved them inside itself. Ren hopped off of Princess and walked over to Zetaya as he equipped his platinum armor. ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said, and with the next scoop, the fire elemental took Ren into itself as well. He started to sort the ghouls as the fire elemental emptied the nest, and there were only a handful to be healed. Ren left Zetaya and opened the cart still attached to Princess, and Zetaya spit out the saved ghouls. ¡°It seems the longer we take to clear them out, the less there is to save.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°It seems that way.¡± Ren said, a little sadly as he took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it to show him the next ghoul horde. ¡°It''s not showing me anything, so they haven''t gathered up yet and we can''t take out a mass of them.¡± ¡°Then let''s nickle and dime these nests and try to delay another horde.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren used the Staff of Earth to fill the cavern back in. ¡°With only a few minutes for each one, we can do a lot of them before this evening.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve got to go back and visit the architect in 20 minutes, and I might be there for a while.¡± He said. ¡°It depends on how quickly we can design the tower that he wants.¡± ¡°He wants a tower?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°He said he wants to build the world''s largest tower.¡± Ren said. ¡°I figure that alone is reason enough.¡± ¡°You might want to ask him about it.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°It could be a summoning point, a Mana battery, or something really nasty.¡± Ren walked over to her through the air and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Thank you.¡± Elerlyth''s face flushed a darker grey. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For making me think cautiously instead of just agreeing outright to make the tower.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll ask him and Yllana about why the tower should be built.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Elerlyth put her hand on his. ¡°I''m just being skeptical.¡± ¡°Yeah, and that''s a good thing.¡± Ren smiled and kissed her. ¡°Keep me grounded.¡± ¡°Geez, you''re pouring it on thick today.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Do you want me to really do that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, we''re busy.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I don''t need the distraction right now.¡± ¡°Later it is, then.¡± Ren said and checked the All-Seeing Mirror. He showed Elerlyth and Zetaya the next nest and walked back to Princess. ¡°Move out!¡± The group moved on, and as Elerlyth said, each nest only took about 3 minutes to do. They did 5 more nests, and then Ren had to go back to the architect. He told Zetaya to relax and Elerlyth to not let her guard down. He unhooked the ghoul cart from Princess, rode her back to the first High Elven city, and she landed on top of Yllana''s apartment. Ren left her there and ran over to the architect''s spire, went inside and up the lift, then knocked on the door and equipped his High Elven Court Uniform. ¡°Come in.¡± A male voice said, and Ren opened the door. He could see that Yllana''s face matched her emotions, despite her desperate attempt to not let it show. Ren walked right over to her and took her hand. ¡°M''lady, please don''t fret.¡± Ren said. ¡°The situation is not as dire as you believe.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Yllana blinked her eyes at him. ¡°Why would you say that?¡± ¡°I can feel how anxious and angry you are.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for worrying about me.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± Ren let her hand go and made an Amulet of Interrogation, then turned to look at Lord Tathalyn. ¡°Why do you want the tower made?¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°I want my name on the world''s tallest tower.¡± ¡°That''s the obvious reason.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was actually going to let it go at that, but a friend pointed out a few things.¡± He smiled. ¡°I want you to tell me the real reason you want it built.¡± Lord Tathalyn looked at the amulet in Ren''s hand, and sighed. ¡°What is it?¡± Yllana asked. ¡°Why aren''t you saying anything?¡± ¡°He identified my amulet.¡± Ren said. ¡°He knows what will happen if he speaks a lie.¡± ¡°Luberos, you tell him right now.¡± ¡°It''s always been my dream.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°Ever since I saw my first building, I wanted my name on the biggest one there is.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve worked all of my long life to achieve this goal, and nothing I''ve ever done can compare to that dream.¡± The High Elf took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I made a deal, centuries ago, with... someone.¡± He said and looked at the amulet. ¡°They agreed to help me become powerful and successful enough to build the tower I''ve always wanted.¡± ¡°But.¡± Ren said, and the High Elf smiled. ¡°But, once I was powerful and successful enough, I discovered that the resources needed for such a thing were far beyond anything I could ever hope to buy.¡± ¡°That''s why you didn''t ask me for money.¡± Ren said, and he nodded. ¡°I could have dipped this tower in molten gold, and still not come close to touching my wealth.¡± ¡°What does this... someone... get when you do build your tower?¡± ¡°Something they have always wanted.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°...and that is?¡± Yllana asked. ¡°Me.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Yllana exclaimed. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°I''ve lived a long and prosperous life. I''ve designed everything I''ve ever wanted. I''ve done everything I ever wanted to do... except for this one thing.¡± He looked at Ren. ¡°Please, help me complete my life''s work.¡±
Notice!
You have been tasked to finish a famous architect''s life-long work. It is a herculean task, and both it''s rewards and penalties reflect that. Difficulty: A Rewards: Fame throughout the High Elven Kingdom; Maxed Honor Stat will be Locked (no gains or losses possible); 100,000 XP; XXXX Penalties for Failure: -100,000 Honor loss; Automatic Derision from High Elves; XXXX No time limit has been set for this quest.
Wow. Ren thought in amazement. That''s a risky proposition. ¡°I hope your cheat works.¡± Teepo said. Oh, it will. Ren said and smiled. ¡°Lord Tathalyn, I accept your request.¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± Lord Tathalyn said and turned to his workbench, scooped up all the parchment paper designs placed there, and tossed them aside as if they were meaningless. ¡°Let''s get to work designing it right away!¡± Chapter 480 - Give And Take Ren walked over to the workbench and Lord Tathalyn pulled out several large parchment sheets. ¡°I''ve thought about doing something like this.¡± Lord Tathalyn said and quickly sketched out a tall pointed tower that went almost straight up from the ground to the top, with barely any deviation in the angle of the sides at all. ¡°That... I think... would be really dangerous.¡± Ren said. ¡°A stray bird could fly into that thing and cause it to sway.¡± Lord Tathalyn chuckled. ¡°Yes, even with a counter balance deep in the ground, a sway factor does exist.¡± ¡°A triangle or a pyramid would be much too big on the base.¡± Ren said and thought about it. ¡°The same with a cone.¡± He sighed. ¡°Can I see what else you''ve designed? Maybe something there can give us inspiration.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Tathalyn.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Give him everything.¡± ¡°Right, right!¡± Lord Tathalyn said and opened the side of the workbench and handed Ren a huge stack of completed parchment papers. ¡°Once you agreed to my conditions, handing these over is a requirement.¡± He said. ¡°You''ll need them to build the city, and I suggest a 5 pointed star pattern for the spires on the outer rim.¡± ¡°Is that what the spires make?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes, it represents the Central Council and the ruling families.¡± ¡°I won''t do that, then.¡± Ren said, and Lord Tathalyn''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''ll make a double star pattern, a 5 star in one direction, and a 5 star in the other. The entire city will be surrounded by spires, and it will show that the Central Council holds no sway in the city over its inhabitants.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°Give me a few minutes to look these over.¡± Ren said and sat down on the chair the High Elf had vacated. He stared at the first pattern for a High Elf house. It was simple in its construction, but it was also significantly different than a human house. It had curves in the wood, rounded and moulded pieces, the windows were round or dome-like, and even the ceilings were arched and bulbous. ¡°This is so different from what I''m used to.¡± Ren said and it took another minute for him to gain the pattern. He looked at the next one and it was a two storey house, both similar and different from the single house. Once he had wrapped his mind around the fact that High Elves apparently hated corners on anything, it became easier to read the plans and gain them. Ren flipped through short spires, buildings, the Grand Meeting Hall, defensive towers, street layouts, an administrative building that looked like a large aviary, two and three family houses, elfling houses, medium towers, the tall spires for the outer rim of the city, and the last plan was for the wall. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Ren asked and looked at Lord Tathalyn. ¡°Is this for real?¡± ¡°Of course it is.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°Where else would all the elflings live?¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren looked at Yllana. ¡°Some of us have earned enough Honor to move out of the walls, or were accepted into prominent families.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Most times we are shunned by our birth families.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Cast out without any Honor, we are to fend for ourselves and work hard to-¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I refuse to build living quarters for elflings in a defensive wall that will be the first thing hit when the city is under attack.¡± ¡°You agreed to build everything I designed.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°Yes, I agreed to build at least one of everything, and you said I had to put the buildings inside the city.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is not a building. I will build this wall as I promised; but, it will not be the outside defensive wall.¡± ¡°I suppose that is a choice you can make.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°Where are all the other plans?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lord Tathalyn asked. Ren pointed to three different plans scattered throughout the apartment. ¡°I don''t have that one, that one, or that one.¡± He said. ¡°Those are the ones I''ve only glanced at, and know they are different than these.¡± He shook the stack of parchment papers. ¡°You gave your word that you would give me everything you''ve designed in your lifetime.¡± ¡°That is everything you need.¡± Lord Tathalyn said, and his face was instantly covered in sweat. ¡°Let''s get the design of the tower finished, and you can get back to your ghoul task.¡± Ren put the stack of parchment papers on the workbench. ¡°Are you willing to keep losing Honor like this?¡± Lord Tathalyn looked away, and Ren looked down at the drawing. ¡°Your other designs are good; but, nothing even comes close to giving me any clue what to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is not the first time you''ve drawn this.¡± He lightly tapped the parchment paper. ¡°Give me the other drawings, Lord Tathalyn.¡± ¡°I don''t know what you mean.¡± Lord Tathalyn said, and sweat poured down his face. ¡°Then I''ll look for them myself.¡± Ren said, and activated Enchanted Eyes. He looked around the room and saw one plan on the wall glow. He started to walk over to it, and felt Lord Tathalyn''s emotions turn from meekness to anger. ¡°NO!¡± Lord Tathalyn yelled and lunged forward. Ren equipped his platinum armor and turned to face the threat, and when Lord Tathalyn swung a fist towards him, a gleaming blade appeared in that fist and tried to strike. Ren''s armor enchantment formed a magical shield to block the blow, and the enraged High Elf was thrown back across the room as his own attack rebounded against him. Lord Tathalyn slammed into the workbench and flipped over it, hit the wall behind it, then fell to the floor. Yllana stood there in shock, as she had never seen her friend act that way before. ¡°I''m sorry, Yllana.¡± Ren said. ¡°I accepted his quest, and I must complete it.¡± ¡°Ren, you... he...¡± ¡°I''ll lose 100,000 Honor, be hated by all the High Elves, and something it won''t tell me if I don''t make this tower.¡± Ren said and walked over to the wall. He felt Yllana''s swirling emotions, and he pushed them aside and concentrated on the glowing plan. He took out his Detect Magic and Detect Traps wands and used them, and received a popup.
Flesh To Stone Trap
This permanent magical trap will petrify you.
¡°Hm, that''s a pickle.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have a few spells I could try. Break Enchantment, Disenchant, and even Knock.¡± He sighed. ¡°I have spells to remove effects and paralysis; but, I wouldn''t be able to cast them afterwards, or know if they would even work.¡± ¡°Try brute force.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Carve that thing out of the wall and see if the trap is all the way around.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s worth a shot.¡± He said and took out the hammerpick that was still triple in size. ¡°Ha, I forgot to reduce this thing.¡± He said and poked the wall a foot away from the trap with the plow end, then dragged it around the trap in a circle, then used the plow end to pop it out like a cork. The wall piece slid out and fell to the floor, and the papers it hit turned to stone. There was no glow on the back of the wall, though.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Ren stored the hammerpick and carefully poked the back of the wall piece with his finger until he hit metal, then tore the wall apart to expose the back of an iron box. He carefully grabbed the corner of the box and peeled back the iron to open it. Inside were scrolls and bags of platinum coins, and a box of shadow coins. ¡°Hello.¡± Ren said and picked up the box of shadow coins. ¡°What''s this?¡± Yllana gasped as she identified the contents. ¡°N-no, h-he... he wouldn''t...¡± ¡°Now I wonder who it was he made the deal with, and what he had to do to become prosperous and successful.¡± Ren opened the box and counted the markers inside. ¡°41 shadow markers, used for evil deeds.¡± Lord Tathalyn sat up, and he had tears in his eyes. ¡°Luberos, how could you?¡± Yllana asked. ¡°I did what I had to do.¡± He said and wiped at the tears. ¡°I didn''t want you to know.¡± ¡°You knew we both would have identified the box as soon as you opened your hiding place.¡± Ren said, and he nodded. ¡°Both of you are too astute to keep something like that hidden when in plain sight.¡± ¡°There are 4 missing.¡± Ren said and pointed to the empty slots. ¡°What happened to them?¡± Lord Tathalyn sighed. ¡°I gave them out, and they never came back.¡± He said. ¡°That was decades ago.¡± ¡°M''lord.¡± Yllana said to get Ren''s attention. ¡°I will talk with him and find out what he wanted done, and who he gave those markers to.¡± ¡°No, M''lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°If anything, I don''t want you associating with him at all, let alone talk with him at length.¡± Lord Tathalyn frowned. ¡°I''m still the same man I was 10 minutes ago.¡± ¡°Yes, you are.¡± Ren said and closed the box and stored it. ¡°I won''t comment on how that reflects on your actions for all these years, either.¡± He said. ¡°I usually offer to buy these things for 30 gold each when someone shows them to me.¡± He took out 12 platinum and 30 gold and put it on the workbench. ¡°The last thing I want is for someone to try and cash these things in for whatever reward was promised.¡± ¡°I haven''t given any out in years.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°Once I discovered I couldn''t buy enough resources to make my tower, I hid them away.¡± ¡°Yet, you''ve tasked me with it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry, M''lord.¡± Yllana sighed. ¡°This is my fault.¡± ¡°No, it''s not.¡± Ren said and picked up one of the scrolls and opened it. Inside was a plan for a spire that went straight up with only a single room at the top. ¡°I would have asked for all the plans from someone else, and they would have directed me here, anyway.¡± He said and picked up the next scroll, which had a tower design that was wider, and had rooms along the inside, up to the top that came to a point. The next scroll had 4 connected towers, but they were only 1000 feet high and nowhere near the height that Lord Tathalyn had asked for. ¡°That was just a flight of fancy.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°Merely a doodle when I was bored.¡± Ren compared the plans to the three incomplete ones he had seen, and they matched. He picked up the final scroll and Lord Tathalyn waved his hands and spoke a quick chant. The scroll disappeared from Ren''s hand and reappeared in Lord Tathalyn''s hand. ¡°That is not a building plan.¡± Lord Tathalyn said, and no more sweat appeared on his face. Ren nodded, and looked down at the iron box. He took out his blacksmith hammer and used Repair on it. The metal folded back into place as if he hadn''t torn it open. ¡°I can''t do much about the wall.¡± Ren said. Lord Tathalyn reached out and touched the wall, and Ren felt the Mana buildup. The chunk of wall he had cut out, rose into the air and slid back into place, and the wall grew around it to encase it again as if it hadn''t been removed. ¡°Okay, that was cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°Was that a spell?¡± ¡°No, it''s my innate ability.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°For a high Mana cost, I can repair damage to structures I''ve built.¡± ¡°That is definitely a nice ability.¡± Ren said, and took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Okay, with these new designs, I can see the problem you have.¡± He pushed the drawing Lord Tathalyn had made aside, and picked up the drawing instrument. ¡°Just because of the sheer height alone, a straight tower is not going to work.¡± ¡°Then what do you suggest?¡± Lord Tathalyn asked. ¡°I''d say it''s an easy fix, especially if we adapt this spire''s design.¡± Ren said and rifled through the stack of plans, and found the one for the tower they were currently inside. ¡°If we use this one... and this one... and this one...¡± He put the tower that went up to a point that had rooms inside it, then put the one with the 4 towers on top of it. ¡°It should work.¡± ¡°No, this tower would be too top heavy.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°Even if we extended the 4 towers to twice their height, and used the connecting bridges to brace the center tower, there''s no way this tower can stand in the middle.¡± Ren looked at the bottom piece of parchment, then smiled. ¡°What if we do this?¡± He asked and turned the parchment upside down. It put the large room at the bottom of the design, and the curves that spread out from the base up to the room, now spread inwards and up to the base instead. It looked like an upside down flower with the petals spread out, and the stem stuck up. ¡°That... that''s brilliant.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°I... I didn''t think...¡± He shook his head. ¡°It never occurred to me to integrate balance into the base structure, rather than relying on the internal strength of the materials and the tower itself.¡± Ren moved a blank sheet of parchment to the top and traced out the design. ¡°If we add the underground component...¡± He drew stabilizing underground struts. ¡°...and with the added towers between the flower petals...¡± He drew them in and the connecting bridges. ¡°...this structure will never sway.¡± Lord Tathalyn asked for the writing instrument and Ren gave it to him. The High Elf bent over the parchment and added interconnected braces, reinforcement curves and brackets, then added an overall Elven look to it. Once that was done, he quickly did the internal plan on another sheet, with descriptions of the work, the Mana points that needed to be added, and the lifts required. ¡°Double the lifts.¡± Ren said. ¡°This thing is going to be huge.¡± He said. ¡°If anyone is going to be using it or living there, they are going to need the lift capacity.¡± Lord Tathalyn nodded and added the extra lifts and Mana points, signed his name to both sheets, and handed the writing instrument back. ¡°Sign them.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It''s as much yours as it is mine, especially when you build it.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°Sign it.¡± Ren nodded slightly and signed his name to both sheets as well. Lord Tathalyn touched them briefly and poured Mana into them. The parchment papers changed from fresh ink to a dull and well worn sheen, and Ren gained the plans for the structure. ¡°There.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°These plans are officially logged with the Central Council.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Yllana said. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Now it''s going to be subject to review.¡± Yllana said. ¡°You won''t be allowed to build it until it passes inspection.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Where I''m building it, isn''t under their jurisdiction.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Yllana sighed. ¡°They get final approval of all submitted plans.¡± ¡°How long does that usually take?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Probably a month, maybe two.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± He said with a happy smile. ¡°It''s going to take a lot longer than that to lay out the foundation markings.¡± ¡°I''m not waiting for approval.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... you can''t defy the council.¡± Yllana said. ¡°They''ll come after you if you...¡± ¡°I am not going to let all those High Elves, and a few elflings, sit and wait for a couple of months just for a council that doesn''t have any say in the matter, to approve building a building they didn''t even know could be built.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°M''lady, may I escort you back to your home?¡± Ren asked and stored the Amulet of Interrogation. Yllana looked at him for only a moment before she spoke. ¡°I would like that very much.¡± Yllana said. Ren equipped his High Elven Court Uniform and Yllana took his offered arm. They walked over to the door of Lord Tathalyn''s apartment and Ren opened it. He led her out through the door and turned around. ¡°Will you get a notification when I build the tower?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°I''ve never farmed out my work like this before.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Well, we''ll find out.¡± He said. ¡°M''lady Arthion won''t be calling on you again.¡± Yllana looked at Ren with wide eyes, and he felt her surprise. ¡°Yes, I expected as much.¡± Lord Tathalyn said, and Ren felt his resignation. ¡°I have lied to her all these years.¡± ¡°That isn''t why; but, it''s as good a reason as any.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Good day.¡± ¡°Good day.¡± Lord Tathalyn said, and Ren shut the door. ¡°You presumed to speak for me.¡± Yllana said as they entered the lift. ¡°I did.¡± Ren said, and pat her hand that rested on the back of his. ¡°I know he must have been a good friend all these years.¡± ¡°He was.¡± Yllana said when they reached the bottom. ¡°I''ve lost count of how many times he used Illusion to make himself into an elfling just to spend time with me and not make me or my family uncomfortable.¡± Ren chuckled and led her outside and down the street. ¡°That alone would have made me uncomfortable.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°He''s been lying to you all these years, in both words and appearance. What else has he been lying about? What deeds or actions did he do for you, that weren''t-¡± Ren stopped talking and brought Yllana to a stop. ¡°M''lady, please forgive my rambling.¡± He said. ¡°It''s not my place to doubt your relationship with him, nor should I make you doubt it as well.¡± Yllana sighed. ¡°You are only speaking what''s going through my mind as well, M''lord.¡± She said and motioned forward. Ren started walking again, and she kept pace with him. ¡°I thought I knew him well, and in most respects I do.¡± She said. ¡°This is an aspect of him I never even suspected.¡± ¡°Some people will do a lot of bad things for what they want, and believe they can justify it all in the end.¡± Ren sighed as well. ¡°I''m sorry that I led you to this knowledge about Lord Tathalyn.¡± ¡°I believe you yourself said it wasn''t my fault for bringing you to him.¡± Yllana smiled. ¡°You can''t blame yourself for revealing part of his nature.¡± Ren pat her hand again. ¡°Your understanding and wisdom is beyond compare, M''lady.¡± He said. ¡°I can only hope that this incident doesn''t change how you see me.¡± Yllana smiled as they entered her two storey apartment building and went up the stairs. ¡°M''lord, everything you do changes how I see you.¡± ¡°Should I ask if it''s for the better or for the worse?¡± Ren asked and stopped in front of her door. ¡°Do I even want to know that answer?¡± Yllana chuckled. ¡°M''lord, you seem to reveal things about people, just from your very presence.¡± She said and opened her door with her free hand, and then let go of his arm. ¡°You have learned one of my secrets today as well.¡± ¡°I will keep my word to you, M''lady.¡± Ren said and stepped close to give her a hug, then put his mouth by her ear. ¡°You will never know when I might peek in on you.¡± He whispered. ¡°Will you be alone? Will you be at home? Will you be out and having a meal with friends?¡± Yllana started to shake with anticipated pleasure as Ren mentioned several more different situations she could possibly be in when he looked in on her at random times. ¡°Goodnight, M''lady.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek, then walked down the stairs and left the building. Chapter 481 - Your Thanks Is Enough Ren ran up the outside of the two storey building and climbed up onto Princess, then they ran through the sky back to Elerlyth and Zetaya. Once there, he equipped his armor and used the All-Seeing Mirror to find the next nest of ghouls, and the group went there. For the next 2 hours, they cleared out a nest every 3 minutes and loaded up the large cart with the ghouls that had the potential to be saved. ¡°Okay, I''ll be back in an hour or so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to get the healers and let them start healing the ghouls.¡± ¡°I don''t mind getting a break this time.¡± Elerlyth said as she hopped down off of her Phantom Steed mount, Etheria. ¡°We cleared out 40 nests in only 2 hours!¡± ¡°I guess I don''t have to tell you to relax this time.¡± Ren said and made a comfy recliner for her. ¡°Hey, when did you start making these?¡± Elerlyth asked and sat down on it, pulled the lever, and it reclined back. ¡°Oh, that''s nice.¡± ¡°Just this morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you in a little while.¡± Elerlyth gave him a dismissing wave as she closed her eyes, and he chuckled as he mounted Princess'' saddle again. They ran across the sky to the healer''s ward in their town, and he emptied the cart full of ghouls into the upstairs holding pen, stored the cart, then rode Princess to the castle. They stopped near the back gate and waited for only a few minutes, and then a royal carriage came around the corner. Ren waved to the driver, who came to a stop, and Ren went to the carriage''s door. ¡°Are you ready to handle another huge pile of ghouls?¡± ¡°Are we ever!¡± The healer''s assistant said excitedly, and the healer laughed. ¡°You shouldn''t take enjoyment from other''s pain.¡± The healer admonished her assistant, then pat the young woman''s shoulder. ¡°Although, I''m ready for the challenge, too.¡± ¡°Then hold on.¡± Ren smiled, then walked over to Princess and hooked her up to the front of the horses that pulled the carriage. He climbed up onto her saddle and she trotted up into the air, then ran faster and faster. * King Alamast had just thanked his daughter for saving his wife and left her alone in her room, and Diana walked over to her window and resumed her silent vigil. She saw a short mounted figure come in for a landing at the back gate, and debated whether or not she wanted to try and get his attention. She was sure if she opened her window and shouted to him, that he would come right over to meet her. No, I''ll trust the healer to deliver my message. Diana thought as a royal carriage drove over to the waiting figure. She smiled as the giant ram was hooked to the front of the horses to lead them, and then the short figure mounted the giant ram. The whole thing rose up into the air as if it was going up a steep hill, and sped away through the sky. Thank you, Ren. Diana thought and touched the amulet that hung around her neck. Thank you for bringing them so quickly... and I''ll see you soon. * Ren and the carriage came in for a landing at the healer''s ward in their town, and Ren hopped off of Princess and went to the carriage''s door. He let the driver do his job as an usher, and the man flipped down from his seat using a handhold and stepped across the ledge on the side of the carriage, then opened the door. Ren reached a hand out, and the healer took it and stepped down. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, and then she noticed the change to the ward. ¡°What in the world?!?¡± Ren chuckled and reached into the carriage again, and took the assistant''s hand to help her out as well. ¡°I needed somewhere to store the ghouls while I waited for you.¡± ¡°How did you... no, it doesn''t matter.¡± The healer said and started to walk up the stairs. ¡°Let''s get to work!¡± The assistant healer followed the healer up the stairs, and Ren turned to the carriage. ¡°This shouldn''t take long.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± The 2 guards and the driver shook their heads, and Ren took out his icebox. He picked a plate of food and used his Burning Hands and Fire Manipulation abilities to warm the food instantly, and handed it to the driver. He did this twice more, and stored the icebox. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± The driver said and started to eat. ¡°This is delicious!¡± ¡°Free food always tastes better.¡± One of the guards said, and that made the others laugh. Ren left them and ran up the stairs to protect the healer and her assistant, activated his Reassurance Aura, and they sorted through the ghouls to find the ones that needed immediate healing. ¡°I can''t thank you enough for this.¡± Ren said, and the healer laughed as they started treating the ghouls. ¡°Healing is its own reward.¡± The healer said and turned to her assistant. ¡°We''re going to need more herbs.¡± ¡°I''ll get them.¡± She said and ran from the upstairs ward. ¡°I''d like to learn your brand of healing.¡± Ren said, and the healer chuckled. ¡°It would take years for you to pick up the subtleties.¡± The healer said. ¡°My assistant is doing so well because she''s literally grown up learning at my side.¡± ¡°She''s your daughter?¡± Ren asked, and stopped an overactive ghoul from darting forward and grabbed it by the throat and held it still. The healer applied her Mana to it, and it calmed down. It''s ghoul-like facial features smoothed out a little, and it smiled. Ren let it go, and it sat down right there and didn''t move. ¡°Both physically and spiritually.¡± The healer said, and the daughter came back with more supplies. ¡°Having all this Mana is so great!¡± The healer''s assistant said. ¡°We can grow these herbs instantly!¡± ¡°We really should thank you again for these bracelets.¡± The healer said. ¡°No thanks are necessary.¡± Ren said. ¡°Look at all the work you''re doing with them for me.¡± The healer and her daughter smiled. ¡°I''ll have the other High Elves out of your way soon.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be building a city for them to live in.¡± ¡°King Alamast won''t like having a High Elven city in the Human Kingdom.¡± ¡°Oh, I''m not building it here.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s going to be in the no man''s land between the kingdoms.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± The healer said. ¡°I hope you plan on bringing lots of food to them, since nothing can grow out there.¡± ¡°I have a plan.¡± Ren said and looked at the ghouls. ¡°Your healing is getting powerful if you can keep them all calm like this.¡± ¡°It''s one of the tricks healers learn during their last year of study.¡± ¡°Wait, last year of study?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Shouldn''t calming people be the first thing you learn?¡± The healer laughed. ¡°I know it seems backwards, but if you calmed people down before learning what was wrong with them, you could miss something.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that didn''t make sense, then he looked at the calm ghouls. ¡°It lets you learn to deal with all kinds of ailments and unruly patients.¡± The healer said. ¡°When you learn to calm them down, they might not tell you everything that''s wrong.¡± ¡°I guess that does make sense.¡± Ren said. ¡°I will leave all of this in your capable hands.¡± ¡°Oh, before you go.¡± The healer said and turned to her daughter. ¡°Give him the message from the Princess.¡± The healer''s assistant came over to Ren. ¡°Can you store your armor?¡± She asked, and he equipped his Travelling Clothes. She bent over slightly, and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°Princess Diana thanks you for helping to save her...¡± She stopped talking and chuckled. ¡°...I can''t say.¡± Ren smiled and hugged her back. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°She also said when you bring the carriage back, to wait by the back gate.¡± The healer''s assistant said as she let him go. ¡°Did she say why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°She said she wanted to see you in person, and not through her window.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Ren smiled. ¡°Let me guess, her room is at the back of the castle.¡± ¡°That was a good guess.¡± The healer chuckled. ¡°She saw us arrive in your unique way.¡± ¡°Well, I did promise to introduce my mount to her.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess I can go and do that right now.¡± ¡°That should make her very happy.¡± The healer said. ¡°Maybe she''ll give you another hug.¡± Ren walked over to the door. ¡°I''m actually a little surprised she didn''t ask you to give me a kiss instead.¡± ¡°She did.¡± The healer said. ¡°My daughter is a bit too shy to give it to you.¡± Ren looked at the young woman, and her face was flushed a little red. ¡°I''m sorry she put you in that position.¡± He said. ¡°I won''t claim it from you, especially if you haven''t given any to the one you care about.¡± The young woman''s face flushed even darker, and Ren knew he had guessed correctly. So, he walked across the room to the healer. ¡°You shouldn''t ask others to do what you aren''t willing to do yourself.¡± Ren said, and he felt shock from both women, and from a few of the ghouls that were starting to come back to themselves. The healer''s face went just as red as her daughter''s. ¡°Get out of here.¡± The healer said and turned back to the ghoul she was working on, and he could feel her embarrassment. ¡°I''m at least 20 years older than you.¡± ¡°Do you want me to tell Princess Diana that you wouldn''t deliver her message?¡± Ren asked. The healer''s face went to a deep red, and she sighed. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°I want your daughter to see that a kiss can be just a kiss, and it doesn''t have to have a deeper meaning.¡± Ren said. ¡°It definitely can, that''s for sure; but, it can be used casually, too.¡± He smiled. ¡°Between friends, colleagues, and the like... it can be used like a handshake.¡± The healer shook her head. ¡°When you kiss someone, it should mean something more than a handshake.¡± ¡°Well, in this case, you should be trying to convey Diana''s feelings of gratitude to me.¡± Ren said. ¡°This kiss is not for yourself. It''s for her.¡± He said. ¡°In some circles, a quick kiss on the cheek or on the lips is a sign of respect, comradeship, and friendship.¡± The healer turned to Ren. ¡°You aren''t going to let this go, are you?¡± ¡°You know she''s going to ask about this.¡± Ren said and took two steps up into the air to make himself similar in height. ¡°I don''t want you to lose respect in her eyes for not completing her request.¡± The healer looked at her daughter. ¡°This is not a romantic kiss at all.¡± She said, and the daughter nodded. ¡°I can make it easier on you if you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can cast Charm Person on you.¡± ¡°No, that won''t be necessary.¡± The healer said. ¡°I won''t break my word to the Princess.¡± She said. ¡°Now pucker up.¡± Ren chuckled and held his arms open. The healer raised her eyebrows at the motion, then sighed and stepped into his embrace. ¡°Princess Diana says thank you.¡± The healer said and closed her eyes as she pressed her lips to his. Ren felt her emotions spike at the intimate contact, even though it wasn''t supposed to be that way. He was unable to resist teasing her, so he began to use his expertise to move his lips and kissed her back. She responded appropriately and moved her lips as well, and her arms wrapped around him. They stayed that way for several moments, and Ren felt her start to realize what she was doing. He broke the kiss and looked at the healer''s surprised expression. ¡°Thank you M''lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll let Princess Diana know that you delivered her feelings appropriately.¡± The healer didn''t say anything as she let him go, and Ren smiled as he leaned back in and kissed her cheek. ¡°I''ll be back in a day or so to pick up the High Elves that can be sent home.¡± Ren said and let her out of his embrace. ¡°I should have a place ready for them by then.¡± The healer nodded wordlessly, and Ren took two steps down to the floor and walked over to the door. ¡°You... you cast Charm Person.¡± The healer managed to say as Ren opened the door. ¡°You would have felt it if I did.¡± Ren said and activated his Awesomeness Aura. Both the healer and her daughter gasped as the Aura covered them, and all of the ghouls turned their heads to look at him. ¡°I need this active to cast the spell.¡± He said and then deactivated the Aura. Both women sighed, as did several of the ghouls, and Ren gave them all a small wave and left. He ran down to the carriage and collected the three empty plates as he told the driver and guards to hold on. He mounted the saddle on Princess'' back, and then Princess hauled the horses and carriage up into the air and disappeared. * ¡°Oh, wow.¡± The healer''s daughter / assistant said after Ren had left. ¡°Mom, are you sure that wasn''t a romantic kiss?¡± ¡°L-like he said.¡± The healer turned away to continue healing the ghoul nearest her. ¡°I was only conveying the Princess'' feelings.¡± No one said anything for several minutes as they both got back to work. ¡°I think I... I regret that I didn''t convey the Princess'' feelings to him, too.¡± The daughter said. The healer blushed deeply, because despite her reluctance to do it at first, she didn''t regret it at all. Young people these days. She thought, and then she smiled. * Princess and the carriage arrived at the back of the castle a couple of minutes later, and she landed next to the back gate. Ren hopped off of Princess and unhooked the horses and carriage, and bid the driver and guards a good day. They drove off down the street and around the corner, and Ren walked over to scratch Princess'' chin. ¡°How long do you think we should wait?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°Until she shows up, of course.¡± Princess said. ¡°I want to meet her.¡± Ren chuckled and equipped his stylish red suit. ¡°Then wait here we shall.¡± * Princess Diana had stayed by her window and waited patiently for the royal carriage to be brought back, and when she saw it pass by behind the castle, she jumped from her perch at the window and ran across her room and out the door. ¡°Princess!¡± A handmaiden exclaimed as Diana barely missed running into her. ¡°Sorry!¡± Diana said and ran down the hall to the stairway. He''s going to wait. He''s going to wait. She said to herself, over and over as she ran down the stairs. They were wide enough that she could plant her entire foot on each step, and her toes barely grazed them as she went quickly down them. She reached the bottom floor and ran down another hallway to the servant''s quarters. ¡°Your highness!¡± One of the kitchen staff exclaimed as he jumped to stand next to the wall. She ran past him without an apology, since he had seen her in plenty of time to move out of the way. She went through 2 more doors and another hallway, then reached the back entrance. She slowed down and took several deep breaths to calm down. He''s going to be there. Diana thought and opened the door. She looked over to the spot by the back gate, and didn''t see him. ¡°Oh, no!¡± She nearly yelled and started to run, and then 2 heads popped up over the back wall. An armored ram''s head with large horns and a smaller head with blonde fluffy hair looked over at her. * ¡°Hello, Your Highness.¡± Ren said when she was close enough to hear him. ¡°Is everything all right?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± Diana said, a little breathlessly as she stopped 10 feet away from the wall. ¡°I didn''t see you... and thought you... had left.¡± ¡°This wall is too high to see over.¡± Ren said and walked up and over it. ¡°I would have at least sat on top of it, if I thought you were coming out the back of the castle.¡± Princess walked up and over the wall as well, and Ren pat her. ¡°Your Highness, this is Princess, my loyal and indispensable mount and friend.¡± ¡°His name is Princess?¡± Diana asked, her voice full of concern and disbelief. Ren laughed. ¡°No, Your Highness. Princess is female.¡± ¡°Oh! That makes a lot more sense.¡± Diana said and stepped forward. ¡°The large horns threw me.¡± She said and looked at the mount. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± ¡°It''s nice to meet you, too.¡± Princess said, and Diana gasped in shock. ¡°By the way, Princess can talk.¡± Ren laughed and scratched her chin. ¡°Now she''s met three princesses from three different cultures.¡± ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± Princess said. ¡°It... it''s not a trick?¡± Diana asked. ¡°She''s really talking?¡± ¡°Once she donned her new armor, we both had the same thought to cast Permanent Magic Mouth on her.¡± ¡°P-p-permanent?¡± Diana said in wonder. ¡°The spell casters in father''s employ said the Mana cost is unbelievable to make something Permanent.¡± ¡°A specialized Level 5 spell like that should be Mana intensive.¡± Ren smiled. I use wands instead, though. No casting required. He thought. ¡°I''m tempted to ask you to cast it on my horse.¡± Diana said. ¡°It would probably only say ''neigh''.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I cast it on my dogs and asked them a question, and all they said was ''bark''.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s funny!¡± Diana said and laughed. ¡°Speak, boy! Bark! Ha ha!¡± Ren laughed, too. After a few moments of shared amusement, he spoke. ¡°May I ask why you wanted to see me?¡± Ren felt her emotions shift to seriousness. ¡°The healer gave me your thanks already.¡± ¡°T-the healer did?¡± Diana asked, surprised. ¡°Her assistant hugged me, but was hesitant to kiss a strange man.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, so was the healer.¡± He smiled. ¡°She didn''t want to disappoint you, so she forced herself to do it.¡± ¡°You... you kissed...¡± Diana turned away so he wouldn''t see her face. He kissed a much older woman instead. Ren felt her emotions change again, and wondered why. ¡°Why did you want the assistant to do it?¡± He asked, and he felt her surprise as she turned back to him. ¡°I... I assumed she... didn''t have a lot of experience...¡± Diana said. Ren felt she had left something unspoken. ¡°That''s not all, is it?¡± ¡°I...¡± Diana looked down at her Amulet of Truth. ¡°I assumed she was like me.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t have a lot of experience, either.¡± ¡°You thought I would be comparing her to you?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded without looking up. ¡°Does that mean you asked me here for a kiss?¡± Diana sighed. ¡°You saved my mother.¡± She looked up at him. ¡°Above everything else you''ve done for this kingdom, including saving my life, helping me help save father''s heart matters to me the most.¡± ¡°Your Highness...¡± ¡°The healers said if you hadn''t brought them so quickly, it might have been too late.¡± Diana said and tapped her amulet. ¡°I thought they were exaggerating, until they told me the gestation time to either turn or... or die.¡± Ren felt her sorrow at the thought of losing her mother, and her gratitude that she hadn''t. ¡°I wanted to thank you.¡± Diana said, then closed her eyes. ¡°But... but, if you just kissed an experienced woman, I... how am I ever going to compare...¡± ¡°Every kiss has it''s merits.¡± Ren said. ¡°Every woman has her charms.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°I just explained all of this to the healer.¡± Ren said and stepped close. ¡°Sometimes a kiss is just a kiss. A sign of friendship and respect.¡± Diana opened her eyes and looked at him. He was still shorter than her, and then he took one step up into the air. She looked down and saw his feet were 6 inches off the ground, and she looked back at his face that was now at the same height as hers. ¡°A thank you kiss can be just that. A thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°The healer really did convey your thanks, so you don''t have to do this.¡± ¡°I... I want to.¡± Diana said. ¡°You''ve done nothing but amazing things since we''ve met.¡± ¡°There''s no room in my life for another relationship.¡± Ren warned her. ¡°This is only going to be a kiss, nothing more.¡± ¡°J-just like with the healer?¡± Diana asked. ¡°No, I can feel how eager you are.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s... kind of intoxicating.¡± ¡°You can feel my emotions?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I have the Emotion Siphon ability.¡± ¡°Then... you... you know, I...¡± ¡°Let me take some of that from you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t let it distract you.¡± ¡°I... no, you can''t have it.¡± Diana said, and he felt her resolve. ¡°I won''t let my feelings for you distract me.¡± ¡°It''s distracting you now.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Only because I''m letting it.¡± Diana said and smiled back. ¡°As long as you know the difference.¡± Ren said. ¡°I do.¡± Diana put her arms around him. ¡°Now kiss me so I can thank you for saving my mother''s life.¡± Ren gave her a nice gentle kiss, and he felt her emotions expand at the touch of his lips. They didn''t overflow like he thought they would, though. They were tempered and compressed, and held in check with a strong will. He admired her restraint, and then Diana broke the kiss and looked him in the eyes. ¡°Thank you for helping my mother.¡± Diana said. ¡°Would she have kissed me like that?¡± Ren asked, jokingly. ¡°Yes.¡± Diana said. ¡°That''s the same kind of kiss she shares with my father.¡± Ren felt her will ease off from holding her emotions in check. ¡°You know, I never properly thanked you for giving me this Amulet of Truth.¡± Diana said, and let her emotions rule her lips as she kissed Ren again. Yeah, she knows the difference. Ren thought in amusement as he kissed her back. Chapter 482 - Make Me Something Diana hadn''t ever kissed anyone like that before. She''d shared a kiss with one of the stable boys, and they laughed and carried on a little; but, it didn''t mean anything and they both knew it. She had a crush on her combat instructor a year ago, and when she confronted him and tried to kiss him, it felt wooden and lacked any kind of substance. It was then that Diana realized that the man was actually afraid of her; so, the crush she had on who she thought was a strong and powerful man died a quick and painless death after that. She had even practised kissing her pillow after the last time she had met Ren... and it was nothing like this. Ren felt Diana''s emotions run through several changes, and it seemed as if she had lost herself in the sensations. He knew that if he didn''t stop her soon, she would just keep going. Almost as if she felt his decision, Ren was surprised when Diana firmly stomped on her emotions to put them back in check. ¡°Thank you for the amulet.¡± Diana said as she broke the kiss and let him go. ¡°Your Highness, you keep impressing me.¡± Ren said, and that made her smile. ¡°Would you like an upgrade for it?¡± ¡°An upgrade?¡± Diana asked, and Ren nodded. He took out the Amulet of Interrogation he had made in Lord Tathalyn''s apartment, used Double Infusion to add the modified Amulet of Natural Armor enchantment to it, and held it out to her. ¡°You''re serious?¡± Diana asked as she took off the amulet she had on and untied the small sack of his hair that she had on it. Ren gave her the new amulet and replaced the enchantment on the old one with the modified Amulet of the Spider enchantment, and used Double Infusion to give it the Natural Armor enchantment as well. ¡°You can keep this in case you want to go wall crawling.¡± Ren said and handed her back the amulet. ¡°Do you have an inventory?¡± Diana shook her head and Ren gave her a Strong Ring of Storage as well. ¡°Now you do.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°What... what else can I get for... for another kiss?¡± Diana asked and put on the ring, then stored the old amulet and the small sack of hair inside. ¡°Your Highness, I think I''m teaching you the wrong things.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Your kisses should be more valuable than that.¡± ¡°I know you aren''t interested in actual money.¡± Diana said and smiled. ¡°What do you have for me, and what do you want for it?¡± ¡°This is not the conversation I thought we were going to have.¡± Ren smiled back. ¡°I''ll think about what you might need, and I''ll get back to you.¡± He said and climbed up onto Princess. ¡°I need to go and keep clearing out the mass of ghouls in the High Elven Kingdom.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°I can''t let the ghouls build up their forces.¡± Ren said. ¡°If they become a horde again, they could keep overrunning everything.¡± ¡°You''re fighting the ghouls... by yourself...¡± ¡°No, I''ve got good friends with me.¡± ¡°Your mount?¡± Diana asked and looked at Princess. ¡°I help round up the beasts and Zetaya eats them.¡± Princess said proudly. ¡°It''s quite fun.¡± Diana''s mouth dropped open from shock, and Ren laughed. ¡°I knew I forgot to ask for something when I was talking to Yllana.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have liked to save that image.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Diana asked, and he felt her confusion. ¡°The High Elves have something called the Automatic Image Maker. It can make images and illusions of current events.¡± ¡°They have that, too?¡± Diana asked. She saw Ren''s reaction to her question, and let a smile spread across her face. ¡°I believe I now have something you want.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and she held in her giggle. ¡°Okay, what do you want in exchange?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Diana said. ¡°I''ve never had access to someone with all of your skills before.¡± ¡°Why don''t you think about it for a while, and I''ll come back with a few things for you to look at.¡± ¡°Don''t try and fool me with useless trinkets or something.¡± Diana warned. ¡°Your Highness, I am so tempted to lie; but, I won''t.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°You should know that even the trinkets I make can be worth quite a lot of money.¡± He said, and hopped off of Princess. ¡°In fact, wait here for a moment.¡± Diana watched Ren walk 15 feet away and put something on the ground. He spoke a short stream of bubbles and gurgles, and then a 20 foot long by 20 foot wide by 30 foot tall tower sprung into place and pushed him almost all the way back to her. She yipped in surprise, and Ren chuckled as he opened the door to his storage tower and went inside. He came back out and the tower shrunk away, and he went back to the spot, switched the towers, and had his shop tower spring into place. ¡°Wait, why are you doing it again?¡± ¡°It''s a different tower.¡± Ren said and went inside. He came back out a minute later, shrunk the tower and stored the cube. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± Diana said, and Ren walked over to her. ¡°I''d like for you to have this.¡± Ren said and took a Ram and Cart toy out of his inventory. ¡°You wind it up here, and push this to get it to go.¡± Diana stared at the thing in his hands, and he could feel her utter amazement. Ren turned the key once and put the toy down, then hit the button. It went a little ways and he picked it up and handed it to her. ¡°Enjoy.¡± Diana looked at the toy, then back at Ren. She had never seen anything like it before. ¡°It''s pretty neat.¡± Ren said. ¡°I probably should update it to look like her new armor, though.¡± Diana looked at the toy, then at Princess. ¡°It''s her?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I wanted to immortalize her in toy form, and when I found a toy boat with wheels in the dwarf lands, I adapted it.¡± ¡°You were in the dwarf lands, and this was what you brought back?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I brought a lot more back than that; but, that''s one of the more important things.¡± Diana shook her head. ¡°You have strange tastes.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I sure do.¡± He said. ¡°Would you like another present?¡± ¡°I... I would, actually.¡± Diana stored the toy and looked at him expectantly. Ren took out a 2 foot tall plush rock golem. Diana let out a short squeal of delight before she caught herself, and Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren felt her emotions and knew she really liked it, so he handed it to her without saying anything. Diana gingerly took the plush doll and hugged it close. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, and I''m glad you liked it.¡± Ren said, sincerely. ¡°Now, if you''ll excuse me, I have to get back to the High Elven Kingdom.¡± Diana nodded, but didn''t ease her hold on the plush toy. ¡°Don''t forget our deal.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll get the image maker for you, and you give me something just as valuable in exchange.¡± ¡°I won''t forget.¡± Ren said and climbed back onto Princess'' saddle. ¡°I''ve already got a few things in my head to have ready for you.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Diana said. ¡°It was nice meeting you, Princess.¡± ¡°It was nice meeting you, too.¡± Princess said.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Ren gave Diana a nod, then Princess turned around and trotted up into the air, then disappeared from sight. * Diana looked up at the sky for a few moments, turned around and went back inside the castle. She walked slowly back through the various hallways to get back to the main staircase, then went up to her room. Several people had tried to talk to her as she passed them; but, she ignored them because she was lost in thought. She made it back to her room, and rather than go to her perch at the window to look out, she went to her bed instead. Diana laid down and stared up at the ceiling. Her grip on the plush rock golem hadn''t eased since Ren had given it to her. She rolled over onto her side and buried her face into the toy''s softness. I hope he comes up with something for me soon. Diana thought and took a big breath and let it out, then she smiled as her hand grazed the new amulet. He said my kisses should be more valuable than that! She thought happily, and hugged the plush toy even tighter. * Ren arrived back at Elerlyth and Zetaya''s rest spot, and found that they were both asleep. Really? He thought as he looked at the colossal cow and at the dark elf in a recliner. Can you believe this, Teepo? ¡°I sure can.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Maybe you should get some sleep, too.¡± I''m not... Ren yawned. Dammit. Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren made another recliner and put it next to Elerlyth and sat down in it, pulled the lever, and sighed. Wake me up if anything happens. Ren thought to his friend, then closed his eyes and fell asleep. * Xuunah came out of her Holy Connected Sanctuary and sighed. She always felt refreshed after being exposed to the Light, and she closed the door behind her. I wonder where Ren is? Xuunah asked herself and walked over to the door to leave the apartment. She would ask the maids where he was, and then she saw the note stuck to the inside of her door. She read it, and it explained where he was and that he couldn''t feel her while she was inside the Sanctuary and he was worried about her. I probably should have told him about that possibility. Xuunah thought, and took the note down and left the apartment. She walked down the hallway towards the staircase, and saw Officer Holly come inside the Main House. ¡°Oh, hi!¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°How are you today?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°You?¡± ¡°I''m a little worried about Ren.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I''m supposed to stay near him to keep an eye on him.¡± Xuunah smiled. ¡°I''m supposed to as well.¡± ¡°Hey, we can look for him together.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Xuunah said and took out the note Ren had left her. Officer Holly read it and sighed. ¡°There''s no way we can get across the countryside to meet him.¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± Xuunah chuckled. ¡°What should we do until he comes back?¡± ¡°The bakery across the road has great fried dough.¡± ¡°Great what?¡± ¡°Come with me.¡± Officer Holly said and walked back towards the door. ¡°You''re in for a treat.¡± Xuunah followed Officer Holly out of the Main House, and felt anticipation. Officer Holly on the other hand, her mind was filled with what Ren had written in the note. He can feel Xuunah without sharing an Aura like he does? Officer Holly asked herself. What kind of connection does he have with her? She let no sign of her thoughts show as she opened the bakery door for Xuunah, and saw her reaction to the smell of the place. ¡°Isn''t that the best smell?¡± Officer Holly asked out loud. ¡°That means they''ve already made a batch of bread, and should have some extra dough for the deep fryer.¡± ¡°For the what?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°Don''t worry about the details.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Just have a seat, and I''ll get some.¡± She went over to the counter to order 2 dozen fried dough pieces. These things are as good as real donuts. She thought, ordered 2 dozen and paid for them, then went to sit with Xuunah to wait. A few minutes later, one of the bakers brought the plate over with the fried treats on it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Officer Holly said to her, and gave her a tip. ¡°It''s always nice to serve a regular customer.¡± The woman said and left. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Officer Holly said and took one, then bit into it. ¡°Oh, that''s good!¡± Xuunah could clearly see the other woman''s pleasure at the taste, and picked one up. She only took a small bite and chewed it, and then the taste hit her tongue. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Xuunah said and took another bite, this one much bigger. ¡°I told you.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°These things are great!¡± ¡°They truly are.¡± Xuunah said and finished one, then picked up another. * Ren woke up after an hour had passed, without Teepo''s help, and felt completely rested. Elerlyth was still asleep, as was Zetaya; so he took out the two books he had gained from leveling up. He read the Book of Understanding first and gained +1 to his Wisdom, and the pages went blank. He stored it and read the Book of Thought and gained +1 to his Intelligence, and it''s pages went blank as well. He stored it with the other book and thought about what he could make for Princess Diana. ¡°You could make her a new wardrobe.¡± Teepo suggested. No, she probably has tons of clothes. Ren thought. Maybe new armor? ¡°Or a necklace.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Or a couple of bracelets.¡± Actually, before I do that. Ren stood up and took out his shop tower. I need to make a new familiar. ¡°Ooo, did you decide what to make?¡± I did. Ren went inside and started up the forge, and added enough iron bars to fill the smelter. ¡°Are you making it the normal way, or are you using the Craft Wondrous Item platform?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I''m tempted to use the platform; but, if I use it, I''d have to make it small and then enlarge it.¡± ¡°You can do that.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You need the body before you infuse it with Mana to make it a familiar, so the method you use to build the body doesn''t really matter.¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°Okay, you''re right. Depending on how this goes, I''ll use the platform instead.¡± He said and brought up the sentient crossbow recipe he had gained so long ago. ¡°Regular bolts won''t work.¡± He said. ¡°It''s too limited by the amount of bolts it can hold, even if I added the Automatic Ballista modification.¡± Ren deleted that part of the crossbow and opened one of the High Elven tower recipes. He copied the Mana infusion point and added it to the crossbow. Now that it had the proper receptacle, Ren added the wand recipe for the Magic Arrow spell. ¡°This is going to be so awesome.¡± Ren said, and turned the design on it''s side. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Since it''s going to be sentient, I can''t just leave it be a normal crossbow.¡± Ren said, and added legs and arms to it in the appropriate spots. ¡°No, then it looks like it''s headless.¡± He said and removed the arms and legs and turned it back upright. ¡°Hm... what can I... I got it!¡± Ren opened Tee-one''s recipe and changed the base to look distinctly female, deleted the male face and added one that looked female, and removed the added armor. He opened Elerlyth''s armor recipe and added that to the body, then for the heck of it added her web pattern bodysuit under it. He added the enchantments right into the recipe, including the diamonds necessary for it, then tossed in 2 copies of the Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic recipe. Ren probably could have left the bracelets off and given them to her afterwards; but, he was adding them into the recipe so she wouldn''t have to worry about equipping them or keeping track of things. Since he was adding everything anyways, he tossed in the recipe for the Amulet of Unnatural Armor Protection of the Spider that he had given to Lara, the Sage of Ages, and a Strong Ring of Storage with Dwarf Communication runes in it, just in case, then added in the same shield and mental protection enchantments his own armor had. ¡°No one is going to be able to touch her.¡± Ren said and smiled as he moved the sentient crossbow recipe into the new female familiar body. Since it was now magic-based, Ren merged the recipe into the familiar''s chest, with the main body of the crossbow down the spine and the ends of the bows went out to the arms. ¡°Is that even going to work?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°It should, since it doesn''t really need any actual moving components anymore.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I think you''re right.¡± He said, and moved the discharge mechanism down to the hand instead, then copied it for the other hand. ¡°Dual firing?¡± Teepo asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°She''s going to have twice as much Mana as everyone else, so being able to fire two Mana bolts at the same time is definitely a plus for this design.¡± ¡°Is there any particular reason you''re making it female?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Ren said. ¡°I made Tee-one and Ruck male, so it''s just a change of pace.¡± ¡°You should make her fast, too.¡± Teepo suggested, and Ren threw in the heavily modified Boots of Striding and Leaping with Speed runes. Since they were going to be solid metal, their bonuses were going to be huge. ¡°I can''t make it on the Craft Wondrous Item platform, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°The diamonds need to be full size to hold all the enchantments.¡± ¡°Then you need to get the mold set up.¡± Teepo said, and Ren laid out an approximate shape for what he needed. He then took out the right number of diamonds and enlarged them to the proper size. ¡°Here we go.¡± Ren said and poured out the molten metal. It started to fill the mold and he poured it all out to empty the smelter. He bent down and put his hand into the molten metal and activated his Craft Familiar ability. He didn''t wait for it to cool at all, because it would just be a featureless mass if he did. He wanted the recipe to form it into the shape it was going to be, and let the game system handle the details. When it asked for the platinum coins, the diamonds, and the Mana, he added them to it.
Notice!
Please choose the inherent spell this familiar contains.
¡°Permanent Regeneration.¡± Ren said automatically, and used his Spell Combine skill to make it. The molten metal churned and condensed as it formed into the proper shape, and it even had long flowing metallic hair. Ren used his Fire Manipulation and Absorb Fire skills to cool it off instantly.
Notice!
Initiating bond. Please do not remove your hand.
Ren felt something click inside his head, then felt a new intelligence grow. It fully formed in only a moment, and the presence filled the new link. The familiar opened her eyes and looked at him. ¡°You really should ask a woman first before touching her chest.¡± She said and smiled, and Ren looked at where his hand was. It was nestled right between her armored breasts. ¡°Oh! I''m sorry!¡± Ren exclaimed and removed his hand. ¡°Please, forgive me.¡± ¡°There''s nothing to forgive.¡± She said and sat up. ¡°I was only joking.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said, a little flustered. ¡°Um...¡± ¡°Give me a hand.¡± She said and held a delicate hand out, and Ren took it and helped her stand. She was 6 feet tall, her chest was a good size and was at least a 36 C, and her metallic hair flowed in a non-existent breeze as if it were alive. Ren stared at her, because without thinking about it, he had combined three women''s faces. The familiar had Elise''s eyes and chin, Lisa''s mouth and lips, and Stella''s cheeks and forehead. She also had Elise''s long flowing hair, albeit metallic and not red in color. ¡°May I have a name, please?¡± The familiar asked. Ren didn''t know what to say, because he hadn''t thought of a name beforehand. Now he was at a loss to think of one, and he knew that the longer he waited, the less chance there was for her to like what he picked. The familiar laughed because she could hear all of his thoughts, and crossed her arms under her armored breasts. The movement lifted them up a little, much to Ren''s surprise. ¡°I''m waiting.¡± The familiar said and started to tap her foot impatiently. Chapter 483 - My Name Is... Ren wasn''t sure what to do. He could feel her growing impatience that he wasn''t giving her a name; but, he could also feel that she was teasing him. It was quite the change from his other familiars, and he wasn''t sure if the departure was going to be a good thing or not. The familiar picked up those thoughts immediately and she uncrossed her arms and put her hands on her hips. ¡°You better believe that I am the best thing to ever happen to you.¡± She said, confidently. ¡°Now activate your Serene State of Mind and think through this problem.¡± Ren didn''t question her at all and activated his ability. Everything seemed to stop and a calmness filled him. He took a deep breath and let it out, and his whirling thoughts calmed down. She''s right. Ren thought. I need to take a moment to think, and her name will come to me. Ren didn''t try to concentrate on the task. He knew it wouldn''t work that way. What he did do was think about her. He thought about her capabilities, her usefulness to both him and to his friends, and how much she was going to mean to them and to him. Unlike his other two familiars, her role was to be a combat specialist. She was meant to fight, to be in the thick of things and not flinch. Now that Ren was calm and wasn''t flustered by her attitude, he could feel how confident she was. He knew she could handle anything that was thrown at her, and her strong will would get her, and him, through whatever fate threw at them. He let a smile spread across his face as her name came to him, and he deactivated Serene State of Mind. He held a hand out to her, and she took it. ¡°Welcome to the team, Artemis.¡± Ren said, and kissed her hand. Surprisingly, it wasn''t hard metal like he thought it was going to be. ¡°You do good work.¡± Artemis said and smiled. ¡°Apparently much better than I thought I could.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. It was a pleasant sound, and he felt genuine amusement from her. ¡°We are going to have so much fun together.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Let''s wake the others and get back to work.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°Elerlyth and Zetaya should have finished their naps by now.¡± ¡°I hope Zetaya isn''t grumpy.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Unlike the others, the fire elemental can''t wear one of the Sustenance rings.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve been trying to think of a way to make something that won''t be consumed by the Fire, like making it out of diamonds; but...¡± ¡°There''s no way to attach those diamonds together, without having that attachment melt.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Exactly.¡± Ren said and walked over to the door of the tower and opened it. ¡°I''d need some way to fuse the diamonds themselves together to make something.¡± ¡°Then you still have the problem of how Zetaya would wear it.¡± Artemis said, and stepped by him. ¡°Yes, would it stay external, and prone to damage, or internal, where it''s under constant pressure and attack? Would that negate it''s powers, assuming the enchantment would even work?¡± Ren asked and shook his head as he shut the door and deactivated the tower. He stored it and walked over to Elerlyth. ¡°But, I can worry about that later.¡± He said and bent over her. ¡°Ellllerlyyyyth.¡± He said softly and gently stroked her cheek. ¡°Waaaake uuuuuup.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Elerlyth squirmed a little. ¡°Wakey, wakey.¡± Ren said in a more normal tone of voice. ¡°Hm? What?¡± Elerlyth opened her eyes and looked at him. ¡°Oh, you''re back.¡± ¡°I was back about 2 hours ago.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I slept for an hour, and then made a new friend.¡± Elerlyth felt his emotions and the double meaning, and turned her head at the new set of feelings she could feel. She blinked her eyes at the metallic woman that stood behind Ren. ¡°W-who?¡± ¡°My name is Artemis, and I''m Ren''s new familiar.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°She''s a sentient crossbow... or, she was supposed to only be a sentient crossbow.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I couldn''t leave well enough alone, though.¡± ¡°What he actually means is that he couldn''t stand to give me a mind and a personality, and leave me as only a ranged combat weapon that would just float around him during a fight.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Once he decided I needed an actual body... well...¡± She waved at herself. ¡°He went all out.¡± ¡°I... can see that.¡± Elerlyth said and stood up. ¡°You look kind of familiar, too.¡± She said, and saw that Artemis was several inches taller than her, wore a copy of her armor, and had long flowing metallic hair that constantly moved as if an actual breeze was blowing through it. ¡°I''m a composite.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Elise, Stella, and Lisa''s facial features were combined to give me a unique look.¡± ¡°Excuse us for a moment.¡± Elerlyth said and put a hand on Ren''s arm. ¡°I''ll go over there and wait.¡± Artemis said and pointed to a spot 20 feet away, and walked over to it and faced away from them. ¡°Ren why did you make that?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I can feel her emotions.¡± ¡°Yeah, and?¡± ¡°She likes you.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°A lot.¡± ¡°I sincerely hope she likes me, or things could get uncomfortable; especially considering she''s my familiar and is also in my head.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you imagine being tied to someone that didn''t like you?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Talk about awkward.¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I... I mean she...¡± ¡°She what?¡± ¡°She loves you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren concentrated on his mental connection to Artemis and felt along it''s path. ¡°I''m not picking up on that at all.¡± ¡°Obviously she''s hiding it from you.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Then how did you feel it?¡± ¡°She''s only hiding it from you, so I can only assume it takes too much concentration to hide it completely.¡± Ren turned to Artemis. ¡°Please come over here, Artemis.¡± Artemis turned around and walked over to him. ¡°Yes, I love you.¡± ¡°Why are you hiding it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You made me, and I share your thoughts.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I know you only have so much room in your heart for those you care about, and if you felt how I feel, you''re going to start feeling bad that you can''t reciprocate.¡± ¡°I... don''t understand.¡± Ren said. ¡°You were literally just born.¡± He said. ¡°How can you love me already?¡± Artemis smiled as she reached out and touched his hair, then ran her fingers through it, just how he liked it. ¡°I came into being with full knowledge of you and everything you''ve done... and gone through.¡± She said. ¡°There would be something wrong with me if I didn''t already love you for that.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If it makes you feel any better about it, it''s just love.¡± Artemis said and stopped stroking his hair. She quickly glanced at Elerlyth and then back at Ren. ¡°Thanks to your knowledge, I can clearly tell the difference between the different types of love there is.¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t want you to think I was pressuring you into trying to return my feelings.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Only other emotion tasters can detect anything from me.¡± Artemis said. ¡°For now, I''m going to keep it that way.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Feeling how I feel isn''t going to help you right now.¡± Artemis said. ¡°You''ll get to know me over time, and as that time passes by, I''ll ease the barrier down.¡± She smiled. ¡°Despite what your friend is implying, there''s no need to concern yourself over this.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°But...¡± ¡°When you used your Serene State of Mind and thought of me, did you detect anything harmful? Anything malicious? Anything detrimental?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then don''t let doubt or distrust color your decision to bring me into the world. It was your choice, and you made me into this.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I am a part of you, and I will fight by your side without question.¡± She said. ¡°Before Elerlyth tries to argue with you about keeping me, I would rather destroy myself before causing you harm, or causing harm to those that you care about, despite her belief that I am a problem that needs to be dealt with.¡± ¡°I didn''t say that.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You want to.¡± Artemis said, and Elerlyth didn''t say anything in response. ¡°It''s okay to have an opinion, Elerlyth.¡± ¡°I think you''re going to distract him.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°He''s going to be looking at you instead of concentrating on the battle.¡± ¡°You really believe that.¡± Artemis said. ¡°He''s going to be concerned about you, and that''s going to be a distraction.¡± ¡°That''s kind of true.¡± Ren said. ¡°For the first few battles, anyways.¡± Artemis nodded. ¡°I agree; but, you would be just as concerned if Tee-one or Ruck were by your side. You do the same thing any time that you''re in a battle with someone new.¡± She said. ¡°How else can you be aware of someone''s capabilities if you don''t keep an eye on them during a fight?¡± ¡°She''s right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I kept a close eye on you the first time we went into battle together, and I was concerned about your well being.¡± ¡°During the Aurora Fire.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren nodded. ¡°It was a hectic night for us both; but, after that I had no problem having you at my back, or having your back, during a fight.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°I picked a losing fight, didn''t I?¡± ¡°It''s not a fight.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a discussion of the merits of untested combatants in combat situations.¡± He said. ¡°We just decided that until they are tested, they should be carefully watched.¡± ¡°So, we''re just going to completely ignore that she loves you?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Since that''s what she wants us to do.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°Then wake up your fire elemental and let''s get going.¡± She said and stored the recliner Ren had made for her. ¡°The ghouls aren''t going to sit still and wait forever.¡± Ren stored his recliner before he went over to the fire elemental and woke Zetaya up. The fire elemental was a bit groggy at first, then it realized it had fallen asleep and jumped up to the sound of branches snapping loudly in a roaring fire. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said to calm Zetaya down. ¡°I know this is hard on you, being so big and having to eat all that yucky undead stuff.¡± He said. ¡°I was tempted to let you sleep; but, we need to keep working or more people will die.¡± Zetaya''s roaring fire died down, and the fire elemental nodded. It was weird seeing a colossal cow nod it''s head, and Ren held in his laughter at the sight. He took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked for the closest ghoul infestation, and the spot appeared on the map. ¡°Let''s go, people.¡± Ren said and showed the spot to Elerlyth, Artemis, and Princess, then climbed up onto the saddle while Elerlyth climbed onto her Phantom Steed, Etheria. Artemis was covered in a soft golden glow, then floated up to hover beside Ren. He looked at her and smiled, and she smiled back. Princess took to the air, and Artemis was pulled along with them, since her ability kept her next to Ren no matter how fast they moved. Zetaya ran just above the treetops, and Elerlyth rode Etheria beside the fire elemental. ¡°Okay, that''s pretty neat.¡± Teepo said as he looked at Artemis. ¡°When I was flying, it was hard to keep up with Ren sometimes.¡± ¡°Thanks, Teepo.¡± Artemis said. ¡°If I could impart the same ability to you, I would.¡± ¡°So would I.¡± Ren said. ¡°Athough, I don''t think splicing a familiar recipe into your platinum beetle body would work. I don''t think Artemis can fly, just that she can fly next to me.¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± Artemis said as the group moved over several miles to the next site. ¡°I can''t fly on my own out past Ren''s Aura.¡± She said. ¡°That''s okay, though; since I never want to go further than that anyway.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Yeah, I used to go and leave him for hours; and boy, that almost never worked out well.¡± ¡°Only once, as far as I can remember.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You found the diamond mine in the dwarf lands that time.¡± ¡°That was a good find.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It sure helped out a lot at the time.¡± ¡°It still does.¡± Ren said. ¡°Both for wands and for enchantments.¡± ¡°We''re here.¡± Princess said, and they all looked down at the spot. It wasn''t a cavern nest this time. It was a full High Elf town that looked deserted. ¡°Okay, easy does it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Zetaya, stay here on the edge of town and we''ll bring them to you.¡± He said. ¡°Elerlyth, scout the far side and be careful of any High Elves that might still be around. If you see any ghouls, let us know where and how many.¡± Elerlyth nodded and took off on her mount. ¡°Princess and Artemis, we''ll do a grid pattern and try to draw them out.¡± Ren said and took out the Generic Staff of Necromancy and activated the Ghoul Lure spell. ¡°Artemis, hold your fire until we get enough of them out to make a mass, then maybe shoot a few in the arm.¡± Princess trotted through the air and across the edge of the town, then started to move across the houses and small buildings to have Ren''s Aura cover as much of the town as possible. They heard several screeches as the ghouls were affected by the Ghoul Lure spell, and several ghouls came out and started running after them. They eventually covered most of the town, and Ren saw Elerlyth on her mount as she slowly moved around and searched. ¡°Anything?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Not much.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Now I''m wondering where they went.¡± ¡°How many High Elves were in this town, do you think?¡± Ren asked. He hadn''t felt anything at all like normal intelligence from the ghouls they had found, and there was a group of about 85 of them below. ¡°This is a pretty big town.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°There should be anywhere from 20,000 to 80,000 people.¡± ¡°I''ll consult the All-Seeing Mirror while you and Artemis clean up the ones below us.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, none of them can be-¡± Elerlyth''s words were cut off as Artemis started to fire 1 foot long Mana bolts out of both hands in a steady stream. ¡°Hey! No fair!¡± Artemis started to laugh, and Elerlyth flew her mount Etheria down into the middle of the ghouls and started swinging her sword to try and kill as many of them as she could. Ren chuckled and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it where the town''s population was. Nothing came up, and he sighed. ¡°Show me the ghouls that left this town.¡± Ren said, and the mirror shifted and showed him a large underground area. Inside was a lot more than 100,000 ghouls. ¡°You know my capabilities.¡± He said to the mirror. ¡°Show me the ones in that group that can be saved.¡± Out of the million or so ghouls the mirror showed him, only 3 of them were highlighted. ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said, sadly. He looked around at the town they were in, and recognized all of the buildings. He had designs for them all, and then he looked below. He saw Elerlyth strike out with her sword and decapitate the last ghoul, and a Mana bolt went down through the head while another went through the body. ¡°Nice teamwork!¡± Ren said. ¡°Your two skills sets work well with each other.¡± ¡°I felt that spike of sadness.¡± Elerlyth said as she started to loot all the bodies. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Out of all the ghouls in the next horde, only 3 of them...¡± Ren looked at the mirror. ¡°...dammit, only two of them... can be saved.¡± ¡°By the time we get over to them, there probably won''t be any to save.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Where are they?¡± Ren asked the All-Seeing Mirror and it showed the spot on the map. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said and finished looting the bodies. ¡°It''s going to take us a few minutes to get there.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Zetaya! Let''s go!¡± The fire elemental disguised as a colossal cow, ran through the air over to him. He showed everyone on the map where they were going, and they all left the abandoned town. ¡°Ren, when we''re done, I''m going back to loot the town.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°If you find anything interesting, bring it to me.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re not going to get angry?¡± ¡°What for?¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s literally no one left.¡± He said and held up the All-Seeing Mirror to show her none of the ghouls were highlighted. ¡°I really am sorry about that.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I can feel that you are.¡± Ren said. ¡°Before you explain why, it doesn''t matter that it''s for the wrong reason.¡± Elerlyth chuckled. ¡°Yes, I''m sorry because you don''t have anyone left to save.¡± ¡°No one except the people that are going to be attacked by this new horde.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t believe how fast they went from none of them gathered, to over a million!¡± He shook his head. ¡°I''m thinking the conversion percentage numbers were tweaked.¡± ¡°No doubt.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°We''re getting close.¡± ¡°Get ready, Zetaya!¡± Ren said and took out his Staff of Earth. ¡°Elerlyth, Artemis, Princess!¡± He said and hopped off of Princess and ran beside her. ¡°Get the ones on the outskirts! It''s gonna get messy!¡± ¡°No mercy!¡± Elerlyth said and her mount Etheria darted forward. Ren used the Staff of Earth to split the dirt above the cavern and pushed it to the sides, and Zetaya jumped right into the opening. Princess followed the fire elemental, and Ren felt how happy Princess was that she could run as fast as she wanted and could ram the ghouls as hard as she could without having to worry about not killing them. ¡°Artemis?¡± Ren looked at his newest familiar. ¡°I''m letting her have her fun.¡± Artemis said, then shot a ghoul that tried to grab Princess. ¡°Safely, of course.¡± Ren nodded and used the All-Seeing Mirror to see if any of the ghouls were trying to escape. They were, and Ren directed his combat team to head them off. Without having to sort them, the group made short work of the undead threat, and Ren just stood there in mid-air and watched them. ¡°Wow, you guys.¡± Ren said as they all came back over to him, and he filled in the underground cavern. ¡°That was amazing!¡± Elerlyth laughed. ¡°I don''t think I''ve ever had my kill get pulverized while I was in the process of killing it.¡± ¡°You were too slow!¡± Princess brayed in amusement. ¡°At least it didn''t splash me.¡± Elerlyth said. Ren looked around at the members of his clean-up group. In fact, none of them had any blood on them, and he smiled as he took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it for the closest ghoul horde, then asked for the closest nest. ¡°Show me all the nests close by.¡± Ren said, and about 150 nests appeared. ¡°Okay, we have our work cut out for us.¡± He said. ¡°If we stick to the 3 minutes per nest, give or take half a minute for the different sizes, that''s close to 8 hours.¡± ¡°What if we split up?¡± Elerlyth asked as she came over to him. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Check to see how many can be saved.¡± Elerlyth said, and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I... okay.¡± Ren said, and asked the All-Seeing Mirror to show the potential saves they would have. None of the nests were highlighted, and he sighed. ¡°Make another Staff of Earth, and give me a wand with the Locate spell.¡± Elerlyth said. Ren handed her the staff he had in his hand, and took out a wand and changed it''s spell charges to Locate. ¡°I''ll take Princess with me, and you keep Zetaya and Artemis.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°We''ll get this done in half the time.¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± Ren said and looked at Elerlyth, then at Princess. ¡°I mean it.¡± ¡°I run too fast for the blood to touch me, My Lord.¡± Princess said. ¡°I will still be careful for you, though.¡± Ren smiled and scratched her chin. ¡°I''ll meet you both back here in 4 hours.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°If you meet High Elves, don''t engage unless they attack first.¡± ¡°Ren, even though we''re saving them, they are going to attack first if they get close enough to see me.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Ren said, then smiled. ¡°What was it you said? No mercy?¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°Princess, take care of her.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± ¡°Great, now I''ve got two mounts that are going to tell me what to do.¡± Elerlyth said and chuckled. ¡°It''s because they care... or were told to care.¡± Ren grinned, and Elerlyth laughed. ¡°See you soon.¡± Elerlyth said and she rode her mount towards the next nest, and Princess kept pace with her. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said and showed Zetaya the next nest in another direction, and he ran through the air beside the colossal cow and Artemis flew beside him. Chapter 484 - Different Views ¡°No.¡± One of the programmers at Sid Tec said, as he watched a colossal cow jump down into the manufactured ghoul horde. ¡°No no no no no!¡± ¡°Aw, he''s cleaning them out again.¡± Another one said. The small pool of programmers had gathered again in the viewing room to watch the saved video file from the last major battle at a walled High Elven city. ¡°I worked so hard to change those numbers!¡± The first programmer said. ¡°A bit of a tweak here, add in a minus sign there...¡± He sighed. ¡°That was such a big horde!¡± ¡°At least we got to see the start of a nice battle.¡± One of them joked. ¡°Try loading one of the town files.¡± The programmer brought up the next file and started it, and the group watched as the small ghoul horde easily overran the weak defenses of the town''s guards. Only a small percentage of the population was killed outright as food, and the rest were converted. ¡°Holy crap.¡± One of the other programmers said. ¡°What did you do?¡± The first programmer smiled. ¡°I switched the conversion and kill modifiers.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Don''t worry, it''s set for the High Elven Kingdom only.¡± The first programmer said. ¡°It thins down the population to make them be on a more even footing with the Dark Elves... and I can''t wait for that epic battle... and if the ghouls attack anyone else, the old numbers are still in effect.¡± ¡°What about players in the High Elven Kingdom?¡± The other programmer asked. ¡°You know the boss said that no players are to be infected.¡± ¡°There''s no immunity to it, so the players just get sick and die.¡± The first programmer said. ¡°We''ve only had a few die so far, though.¡± A couple of the others shook their heads. ¡°You were supposed to take out that mechanic, not change it.¡± ¡°I tried, but it wouldn''t work.¡± The first programmer sighed. ¡°The test games kept crashing, because it couldn''t figure out why it wasn''t infecting everyone like it was supposed to.¡± ¡°That''s messed up.¡± ¡°Hey, I had all this in the update memos I sent out after each build.¡± The first programmer said. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Another one said. ¡°We don''t have the time to read your pages long memos! We have work to do!¡± ¡°You don''t read them?¡± The first programmer said, dejectedly. ¡°It''s good for record keeping.¡± One of them said. ¡°Other than that, I skim them to look at your changes. I don''t need a detailed explanation.¡± The first programmer brought up the next file, and the next. They came out the same as the other towns that were overrun. ¡°This is getting boring.¡± One of the others said. ¡°Look, I timed this perfectly.¡± The first programmer said and opened up the latest file from the game. ¡°The horde should be all assembled in the underground staging area by now.¡± The television screen changed from a file access window to show the massive horde of ghouls in a cavern. Their slathering jaws and rending claws were overshadowed by their incessant screeching, and a few small dominance fights were happening. ¡°There, see? Another big battle is about to happen.¡± The first programmer said. ¡°Once they reach a certain amount, they come out and attack the high priority cities.¡± They watched as the small fights ended, and then the whole mass started to move as one. In the next instant, the top of the cavern was opened up and peeled back as if by magic, and a colossal cow jumped down into the middle of the horde. ¡°NO!¡± The first programmer shouted and grabbed the keyboard. He typed quickly on it and brought up the date and time stamp on the file, and saw the battle had already happened. ¡°Dammit! He did it again!¡± ¡°I''d say better luck next time; but, you know he''s not going to stop.¡± One of the other programmers said. ¡°He''s got a hard on for wiping them out.¡± ¡°He sure does.¡± Another said. ¡°Not only does he fight the masses, he hunts down their nests, too.¡± ¡°No! I won''t let him ruin another event!¡± The first programmer said. ¡°You can''t do anything against him.¡± One of the others said. ¡°Boss'' boss direct order.¡± The first programmer sat there with his fingers on the keyboard. His fingers itched to do something about the guy wrecking everything he had set up. ¡°You do realize we''ve messed with his character a lot so far, right?¡± The other one said. ¡°I am actually surprised he hasn''t sued us so we would leave him alone.¡± ¡°That wasn''t all our fault.¡± Another said. ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± ¡°But if he keeps going, there won''t be a battle between the ghouls and the Human Kingdom.¡± The first programmer said. ¡°Players won''t be recruited to join the massive army that would be needed to fight the undead horde, and they are going to miss out on the largest army battle in gaming history!¡± ¡°Does anyone else think we''re going a bit too far with this?¡± One of the others said, and everyone looked at him. ¡°It''s a living and evolving game world, and it was set up that way.¡± He said. ¡°The more players interact with the environment, the more it changes.¡± No one said anything, so he continued. ¡°Don''t get me wrong. I don''t mind changing things a little, or introducing twists the players don''t expect.¡± He said. ¡°That keeps the game interesting and stops it from becoming stagnant.¡± He sighed. ¡°But this last little while, we haven''t been doing that.¡± He looked at the others. ¡°What we''ve been doing is specifically targeting this one guy, and changing our plans around the things that he does.¡± Everyone remained quiet as they thought about it. ¡°Why don''t we give him a break... or better yet, just leave him alone?¡± He asked and looked at the first programmer. ¡°I suggest that you put the odds back to their original settings for the High Elves, and let things play out normally.¡± ¡°That''s just it.¡± The first programmer said. ¡°They won''t play out normally! This guy can just run over everything and destroy all of our hard work!¡± ¡°Is that what he''s doing?¡± Another asked. ¡°If you look at it objectively, all he''s trying to do is save people.¡± The first programmer rolled his eyes. ¡°They aren''t people yet, just bits of data.¡± ¡°Someone''s prejudice is showing.¡± Someone commented, and a few people chuckled. ¡°Look, a lot of them aren''t even rendered until the ghoul code touches them! They don''t even exist until then!¡± The first programmer said. ¡°All they are is potential ghouls.¡± ¡°They are a playable race, thanks to this world event.¡± One of the others said. ¡°No one''s signed up for it yet; but, it''s only a matter of time.¡± ¡°Most players that are already in, don''t want to restart as another race.¡± The first programmer said. ¡°It''s only going to be new players that are going to take that option.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Someone else said. ¡°All we have to do is keep this boat afloat.¡± ¡°Are...are we really going to just ignore this guy wrecking everything?¡± The first programmer asked as the next file played automatically and showed ghoul nests being exterminated. ¡°If this keeps up, all that will be left are the ghoul scouting parties.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Since most of them have already moved into the Human Kingdom, the main quests have already started being given out to players.¡± One of them said. ¡°Not to mention the hundreds of side quests for disappearances.¡± ¡°Now that was a stroke of genius on my part.¡± Another said. ¡°It introduces the players to the danger, and shows them what to expect.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°There''s no way a single person can do all of them, either.¡± ¡°Okay, I have to agree there.¡± The first programmer said. ¡°That was a good idea.¡± The guy who had that idea stood up and pat the first programmer on the shoulder. ¡°It''s getting late, so let''s head home.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The first programmer said and turned off the television. ¡°I need sleep, and I need to not watch the ghouls get gutted again.¡± The guy laughed. ¡°No matter how big and bad someone is, there''s still only so much that one person can do.¡± ¡°You''re preaching to the choir again.¡± The first programmer said, and everyone laughed as they left the viewing room and turned off the lights. * Ren and his group had just finished off their half of the ghoul nests, and went back to the meeting point to wait for Elerlyth and Princess. He dismissed the Illusion around Zetaya and used the Permanent Enlarge and Reduce wand to shrink the fire elemental back down to a manageable size. When he saw that the fire elemental was closer to 7 feet tall now, he whistled. ¡°Look at you.¡± Ren said and gave the fire elemental a hug. ¡°The more fuel you consume, the bigger you get!¡± Zetaya let the sound of a crackling fire out, and Ren let it go and tickled it''s underside. ¡°Tickle attack!¡± Ren said and Zetaya squirmed and twisted; but, didn''t fight back or try to run away. He stopped tickling the fire elemental and pet it instead, and the crackling fire died down and was replaced by a low hum. ¡°Thank you for doing all of this for me.¡± Zetaya put it''s arm stubs around him to give him a hug. The fire elemental''s head stub poked the top of Ren''s head several times, and then it let him go. ¡°I better check the All-Seeing Mirror again for the others.¡± Ren said, and took out the mirror and asked it for Elerlyth''s and Princess'' location. He had checked the All-Seeing Mirror constantly to check on their progress, and now he saw that they were still working on clearing out the last nest. ¡°They''re going to be a few more minutes.¡± Ren said and stored the mirror. ¡°You should check on Yllana.¡± Artemis said, and Ren glanced at her. ¡°It''s getting late in the day, so... there''s a good chance...¡± Ren chuckled as he took the mirror back out and asked it to look in on Yllana Arthion, even though he thought it was a bit of a misuse of it''s power. Sure enough, the elfling was laying in bed, the covers half off, and one breast and part of her womanhood was peeking out. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said as he marvelled at how erotic she looked. ¡°I really shouldn''t be doing this.¡± ¡°She wanted you to.¡± Artemis said, and then the image of the elfling moved. Ren stared as Yllana pleasured herself. There wasn''t any sound; but, since he had heard her making those sounds before, he could easily imagine the sounds she was making now. Ren felt Elerlyth and Princess enter his Aura, so he stored the mirror and took out his shop tower. Etheria and Princess landed in front of him, and he looked at Elerlyth. ¡°I need you.¡± Ren said and opened the door to his tower. Elerlyth could feel his desire, and it sparked her own. ¡°Ren, what...¡± ¡°Right now.¡± Ren said and reached a hand out for her. She took it, and he pulled her off of her Phantom Steed, caught her in his arms, and ran up the stairs. He tossed her on the bed, and they both stored their clothing. ¡°What''s gotten into you?¡± Elerlyth asked Ren as he took off the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and hung it on a chair he took out of inventory. Ren smiled and took the All-Seeing Mirror out and asked it to show him Yllana, and put it on the bed. Elerlyth rolled over to look at the elfling pleasing herself, and then she gasped as Ren joined with her. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± Elerlyth yelled as Ren has his way with her, and they both watched Yllana in the mirror. ¡°She''s doing that for me.¡± Ren whispered in Elerlyth''s ear and then bit it. ¡°AHHH!¡± Elerlyth screamed as she finished. She was breathing heavily already, and they had just barely started. ¡°R-Ren... god...¡± ¡°She likes being watched.¡± Ren said and turned Elerlyth onto her side so she could still see the mirror and Yllana''s image. ¡°I promised to look in on her at random times, and when I saw this...¡± ¡°It... it turned you on.¡± Elerlyth said and he entered her again. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°She knows I can''t have sex with her, and she''s okay with that.¡± Ren said and started to move again. ¡°With you here, I won''t waste the opportunity this presents.¡± ¡°Wh-what opportunity?¡± Elerlyth asked, and tried to keep her wits about her as Ren pleased her. ¡°To show you that it''s okay if someone sees us.¡± Ren said and doubled his speed. He had noticed Yllana''s hand movements had sped up, and he matched them. ¡°R-R-Ren! S-slow d-down!¡± Elerlyth said through her moans. ¡°No way.¡± Ren said and kept an eye on Yllana. ¡°I''m going to finish when she does.¡± ¡°B-b-but... I... I can''t...¡± ¡°There''s a reason I''m doing this.¡± Ren said and went faster when Yllana did. ¡°Oh... oh.... oh...¡± Elerlyth moaned. Ren leaned down as he kept moving, and Elerlyth gasped from the pressure he was exerting on her. ¡°You see, I''m going to tell Yllana what I''m doing to you, while she''s doing that for me.¡± ¡°OH GODDDDDDDD!¡± Elerlyth hollered as she finished, Yllana''s image bucked and shook as she finished, and then Ren finished. He stayed that way for several moments, then eased back into an upright position, pulled out, and laid down behind Elerlyth. ¡°I... I can''t believe... you... you just... did that to me.¡± Elerlyth panted. ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said; but, he could feel how much she had liked it. ¡°That was... well, I''ve never done anything like that before.¡± He said and knew she could feel that he liked it as well, and looked down at himself. ¡°Damn, I better log out and check that I didn''t just make a gigantic mess of myself.¡± Elerlyth chuckled at the thought and nodded. ¡°Logout.¡± Ren said, and his avatar changed from solid to it''s phantom form. Elerlyth looked at the All-Seeing Mirror and the elfling there used a cloth to wipe herself, then stored it. She didn''t pull the blanket up to cover herself, though. She really is letting him see her on purpose. Elerlyth thought. There''s no reason to be there like that, otherwise. Ren was back 12 minutes later. ¡°That was a close one.¡± He said. ¡°I have to message the company and thank them for their superb quality products.¡± Elerlyth laughed and shook her head. ¡°You should buy stock in the company, considering how much you use their product.¡± ¡°I did... or, I should say Elise did.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was in the portfolio of stocks and bonds she gave me.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Elerlyth turned to him. ¡°I was making a joke.¡± ¡°I know you were.¡± Ren said and reached over her, dismissed Yllana''s image from the All-Seeing Mirror, and stored it. ¡°It''s true, though.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Elerlyth turned back and went quiet. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°I can feel your emotions, you know.¡± Ren said. ¡°That lie almost hurt.¡± ¡°All right, fine.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You''re rich and I''m practically dirt poor.¡± ¡°Do you mean in here, or in real life?¡± ¡°Both.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°I figured I could at least get close to you in here, but out there?¡± She shook her head. ¡°You''ve been on the payroll for how long now?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Shouldn''t you be getting another check soon?¡± Elerlyth didn''t say anything, and Ren sighed. ¡°Don''t tell me you spent it already.¡± ¡°No, of course not.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°The problem is, I... I don''t want to spend it.¡± Ren smiled as he moved her black hair out of the way and kissed the back of her neck. ¡°You''ve been so frugal all your life, you don''t know how to splurge?¡± ¡°I bought some new circuit boards, and a few chips to test out.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°That doesn''t count.¡± Ren said. ¡°Give the receipts to Stella and she''ll add it to the budget and reimburse you.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°No buts.¡± Ren said and used a hand to grab hers. ¡°Hey!¡± Elerlyth said and rolled over, to see a huge smile on his face. ¡°I thought you said I had a great butt!¡± ¡°It''s absolutely wonderful.¡± Ren said as he grabbed it with both hands and rolled onto his back to put her on top. ¡°Now sit up and turn around so I can enjoy watching it while you have fun.¡± Elerlyth laughed and sat up, which pressed her private part onto Ren''s private part, then she turned around to face away from him and sat back down onto him. ¡°Like this you mean?¡± Elerlyth asked and looked back at him over her shoulder. ¡°Up on your knees a little.¡± Ren said, and she moved up and he positioned himself. ¡°Okay, sit.¡± Elerlyth moaned as they joined again, and it felt much sharper this time. ¡°Oh, god.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± Ren said. When she didn''t start to move, he grabbed her hips and started moving her up and down himself. ¡°N-no, wait!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I wanted to... to feel... oh, god... oh, god... oh god!¡± She couldn''t think anymore and lost herself to the sensations. It took about 20 minutes before she collapsed onto the bed beside him, completely spent. She had felt so good that nothing else had entered her mind while they were going at it. ¡°Did you have fun?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded several times. ¡°In real life, I can''t lift you like that.¡± He said, and she put a hand on his chest, and tenderly caressed it. ¡°Other than that, it''s almost the same.¡± ¡°A-almost?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°It takes a heck of a lot longer to clean up afterwards.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Can you imagine having a storage system like an inventory in real life?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°The cleaning industry would almost completely die out overnight!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That would be a tragedy, especially since it would remove the fun of showering together.¡± ¡°Even after having fun in bed?¡± ¡°I usually have to sit down in the shower, and that puts me at the right height for... you know.¡± ¡°Yeah, your favorite thing.¡± ¡°Hey, I can''t help it.¡± Ren said. ¡°The look of it. The feel of it.¡± He smiled. ¡°Even the taste.¡± Elerlyth chuckled. ¡°I don''t know why you like it so much.¡± ¡°Once I discovered the joy of it, I just can''t get enough of it.¡± Eerlyth frowned. ¡°You didn''t do it at all tonight.¡± ¡°That''s because this wasn''t for me.¡± Ren said and moved her hand from his chest and sat up. ¡°Get dressed, and let''s go find that stupid ass that nearly drained you.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I want you to...¡± ¡°We don''t have time for me to indulge like that.¡± Ren said as he stood up and equipped his platinum armor. ¡°You know I would camp out and just stay there for hours if you''d let me.¡± He grinned and put on the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and stored the chair. ¡°Right now, though... we''re in the High Elven Kingdom, and I would bet my left nut there''s a doorway to the Underworld close by.¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh as she stood up and equipped her bodysuit and armor. ¡°Your left nut?¡± ¡°I like the right one more.¡± Ren joked, and she laughed. ¡°I don''t want you to bet either one.¡± Elerlyth said and touched his cheek. ¡°I haven''t used them as much as I want, yet.¡± Ren smiled and led her downstairs to the door, and they left the tower on a mission. Chapter 485 - Into The Underworld Ren stored the tower and looked at the rest of the group. ¡°I''m sorry that took so long.¡± Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡± She asked. ¡°Can''t you feel that they were patiently waiting for us?¡± ¡°I can, but it''s only polite to apologize for making them wait while we-¡± ¡°Shut it.¡± Elerlyth pointed at him. ¡°They don''t need to know the details.¡± She said. ¡°Let''s go.¡± ¡°Just a second.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it for the closest Underworld access way. It popped up back in the previous town. ¡°Well, look at that.¡± He said and showed Elerlyth. ¡°You''re going back there sooner than you thought.¡± Elerlyth nodded and climbed up onto her mount. ¡°I''ll bring Zetaya home, then I''ll meet you in the center of the town.¡± Ren said, and Zetaya tried to climb onto his back. ¡°That''s not going to work, now.¡± He sighed. Zetaya let out the sound of small branches snapping in a fire. ¡°Yeah, I''m sad about it, too.¡± Ren said and took out the cart in Princess'' saddle bag and attached it. He made a cover for it, and Zetaya climbed inside. ¡°We''ll be home in a couple of minutes.¡± Zetaya nodded it''s head stub and ducked down, and Ren closed the cover. Elerlyth flew away with her Phantom Steed towards the abandoned town, and Ren rode Princess up into the air. Artemis floated up with them, and when Princess started to pour on the speed, Ren used his Fire Manipulation skill to hold Zetaya''s shape, just like he had advised Railyse to do with the water elementals. He was pretty sure it wasn''t really needed, since fire functioned differently than water; but, it was better to be safe than sorry. Zetaya began to feel distress about being alone in the cart, and then the trip was over. Princess came in for a landing right outside the large warehouse where the forge was, and Ren opened the cover on the cart. ¡°It''s okay! We''re home.¡± Ren said as Zetaya jumped out and hugged him. ¡°Next time, I''ll use the larger cart and ride in the back with you.¡± Zetaya let out a crackling fire sound, and Ren picked the fire elemental up. It looked a little ridiculous, since the fire elemental was about 7 feet tall and Ren was only 4 feet and 7 inches tall. ¡°Artemis? Wait here, please.¡± Ren said and carried Zetaya inside the warehouse. Tee-one already had the large forge door open, so Ren went right into the forge. ¡°You did really well.¡± Ren said as he put Zetaya down, and when the fire elemental laid down to rest, Ren laid down with it and hugged it''s head stub. ¡°Stay here and rest up for a while.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll keep checking the All-Seeing Mirror for ghouls; but, I''m pretty sure we shouldn''t have to go back out for another few days at least.¡± Zetaya nodded and it''s head stub poked his face several times, and Ren puckered his lips and kissed it back. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said, hugged the fire elemental once more, and let it go. He stood up and left the forge, and Tee-one shut the door. ¡°Tee-one, can you make Officer Holly''s Holy Armor for me?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°How do you want the extra enchantments done?¡± ¡°Split the armor like we did with Princess, and prep each piece for 6 diamonds.¡± Ren said and took out a sack of diamonds, spread a couple hundred of them on the closest workbench, then enlarged them all to the right size. ¡°Load them up with base stat boosts and with Double Infusion.¡± He said as he reloaded the wand. ¡°I''ll come back and use Double Infusion myself before going to bed.¡± ¡°I should be done by the time you come back.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, then walked outside and held a hand out to Artemis. She took the offered hand and he brought her inside. ¡°Tee-one, Ruck.¡± He said and presented her to the other 2 familiars as he let her hand go. ¡°This is Artemis.¡± Tee-one stepped close, took her hand, and bent over it. ¡°M''lady, it is a pleasure to finally meet you.¡± Ruck dropped down from the ceiling, flipped over, and landed dramatically beside her. He took her hand next and bent over it, too. ¡°A dedicated worker that can fight when necessary, and a dedicated backpack covered in assault wands.¡± Artemis said and smiled. ¡°It''s a definite pleasure to meet you both, and I look forward to spending my off time with you.¡± ¡°As do we.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°It''s just been Ruck and I for so long.¡± ¡°I''m not the one you wanted made, though.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Ren made me for himself to take with him when he goes out on adventures.¡± She explained. ¡°He still has to make another familiar for you, too.¡± ¡°We know.¡± Tee-one said and smiled. ¡°That just means we get to have two new friends to spend time with.¡± Artemis smiled back and nodded. ¡°We have to get back to Elerlyth before she starts searching for the access way to the underworld.¡± Ren said. Artemis walked behind him out of the warehouse and over to Princess. ¡°REN!¡± A woman''s voice hollered, and he turned to see Officer Holly. ¡°I can''t take you with me until your armor''s made.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t even know if you would even survive the ride without it.¡± Officer Holly laughed. ¡°I know I''m still too low of a level right now, so you don''t have to rub it in.¡± She said and looked at the tall metallic woman beside him. ¡°Um, who''s this?¡± ¡°This is Artemis.¡± Ren said. ¡°Artemis, this is Officer Holly.¡± ¡°I know who she is.¡± Artemis said and squinted her eyes at the much smaller woman. ¡°You''ve caused trouble for Ren before.¡± ¡°I''m trying to make up for that.¡± Officer Holly defended herself. ¡°Wait, how do you know...¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°Are you telling everyone that...¡± Ren chuckled and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Artemis is my familiar, and was brought into this world with most of her knowledge already intact.¡± ¡°Oh, well that makes... wait, what?¡± Officer Holly looked at the tall metallic woman, then back at Ren. ¡°Familiars form mental connections with their creators.¡± Ren said. ¡°She knows what I know.¡± ¡°Actually, I only know what I needed to know.¡± Artemis corrected. ¡°I don''t know how to forge or enchant, or even how to sew or cook.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked as he unhooked the cart from Princess and put it in her saddle bag. ¡°Those skills aren''t necessary for me to fulfill my function.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for telling me.¡± ¡°You wouldn''t have asked me to use those skills, anyway.¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°Actually, you''re right.¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°That doesn''t mean I''m not interested in those skills, just that I wasn''t made to do them.¡± She said. ¡°I''m your ranged combat companion, not a dedicated crafter like Tee-one.¡± ¡°Well, that does make more sense.¡± Officer Holly said, then changed the subject. ¡°When will my armor be done?¡± ¡°Later tonight, and you can pick it up then or in the morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got an errand to run with Elerlyth right now, then I''m helping Railyse decorate her living space after that.¡± ¡°How can you do so much every day?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°It''s a gift.¡± Ren chuckled and climbed onto Princess, and Artemis floated into the air to hover beside him. Officer Holly''s mouth opened in that little ''o'' of surprise at the sight of someone flying, and Ren felt her shock. Ren grinned as he waved to her, Teepo chittered in laughter, and Princess trotted up into the air and they disappeared from sight. ¡°Sh-she was flying.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°She really flew.¡± ******** Elise had been surprised that Ren had popped out of the game during a blue screen session, and after discovering why, helped him quickly clean up and change the foil packet''s contents. Ren had been relieved that Barbara had gone back to the theatre room to keep watching television, and wasn''t embarrassed with Elise helping him with such a sensitive subject. Now that he was back in and had stopped working on the ghoul event, she watched as Ren took his fire elemental and that new metal familiar back to his county. I really should have asked him about her. Elise thought. The metal woman was close to her height, and if she wasn''t mistaken, kind of had her hair. At least he didn''t give her a massive chest. She thought in amusement. She turned onto her side and pulled the blanket up to her shoulder and looked at the short man beside her. You could have made that crossbow into anything... anything at all... and you made it into a woman. She chuckled and touched his chest. ¡°Do you think I should count her as competition, sweetheart?¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Ren didn''t hear her and didn''t say anything in response; but, she knew what his answer would be. ¡°There''s no competition, Elise.¡± Elise said as she tried to imitate Ren''s voice. ¡°We''re all in this together.¡± The horrible attempt made her laugh, and she closed her eyes. ******** Ren rode Princess back to the abandoned town in the High Elven Kingdom, and met Elerlyth as she ran from house to house looking for a way down the the Underworld. ¡°Easy, there.¡± Ren said and Princess landed and blocked Elerlyth''s path. ¡°You know it doesn''t just open up, right?¡± Elerlyth opened her mouth to say that it did, and she frowned. ¡°I''m a dark elf!¡± She said. ¡°It should open up for me, if I could just find the damn thing!¡± She waved the Locate wand around. Ren chuckled and hopped off of Princess. ¡°The only reason it appears for me is because I''m the Royal Consort.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°Fine, Mr. Royal Consort.¡± She said. ¡°Use your awesome dick powers and open the door.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I already used them, and that''s why it opens.¡± Elerlyth rolled her eyes. ¡°Come on, we''re losing daylight.¡± Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it for the door''s location, and he walked over to the house Elerlyth had just walked out of. ¡°You''ve got to be kidding me.¡± Elerlyth said, and she waved her Phantom Steed over. Ren led Artemis, Princess, Elerlyth, and Etheria into the house and down the stairs into the cellar. ¡°Look, I searched this place from top to... where did that funky door come from?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°That''s the door we''re looking for.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess when my Aura passed over it, it uncovered.¡± ¡°That''s not fair.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I told you to meet me and we''d look together.¡± Ren said and walked over to the door. ¡°Show me what''s behind the door.¡± He said to the All-Seeing Mirror, and it showed him a bare cavern. ¡°Thanks.¡± He said and looked at the others with him. ¡°Don''t go running off, because we don''t know what could appear. Enemies, friends, creatures, traps, or anything at all.¡± ¡°We''re not rookies.¡± Elerlyth said, and then looked at Artemis. ¡°Mostly.¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°Am I still a rookie if I''ve participated in close to a hundred battles?¡± ¡°It depends on if we''re talking practical experience or age.¡± Elerlyth said and smiled, because she could feel Artemis was teasing her, and she teased her back. ¡°Easy, girls.¡± Ren said. ¡°Everyone get ready.¡± ¡°Should I leave Etheria here?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°No, you should bring him.¡± Ren said and opened the door, then used his Detect Magic and Detect Traps wands, and nothing showed up or glowed. ¡°We don''t know how far we have to go to get this guy, or where we''ll be when we do.¡± ¡°Just ask the All-Seeing Mirror.¡± Elerlyth said and led her mount through the door before Ren could go in. ¡°We can estimate where to go and how to get there.¡± ¡°Show me where the dark elf that hurt Elerlyth is.¡± Ren asked the All-Seeing Mirror, and his location popped up on the map. ¡°Shortest route?¡± A dotted line popped up, that went straight from their location to their target. ¡°Shortest route following the cave patterns.¡± The line changed to a long and convoluted path with twists, turns, ups and downs, and crossed several miles of interconnected caverns. ¡°Damn.¡± Ren said and walked through the door after Artemis and Princess had passed through. ¡°The shortest route it is.¡± ¡°How?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°You can probably dig through like you did in Shargon Caverns, but...¡± ¡°Naw, I''ll just use the Pass Wall spell in the Staff Of Earth.¡± Ren said and took out the staff. He looked at the All-Seeing Mirror and found a cavern half a mile away that he could connect to, and concentrated on making the hole to it. The cavern wall next to them opened up and formed an 8 foot wide by 8 foot High opening, and the tunnel disappeared into the dark. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said, and they started to jog at an even pace. * ¡°Someone has entered the Underworld through one of the High Elf access ways.¡± Lylyth, Queen of the Dark Elves said, when she felt one of her spiders twitch as it''s web tether shook slightly. ¡°Should we send an encounter party?¡± One of the Dark Elf Lords asked. ¡°Of course.¡± One of the other Dark Elf Lords said. ¡°We can give no quarter to the High Elves.¡± ¡°The ghouls have done more damage to the High Elf population than I ever thought possible.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Perhaps... we should...¡± ¡°Your Highness, they show no mercy to us when we enter their kingdom, even by mistake.¡± He said. ¡°If we show mercy when they enter ours, especially now with hostilities about to start...¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°Very well.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Send the closest fast attack squad to this point.¡± She said and pointed to the table they stood around. It was a map of the High Elven Kingdom, and it had all the access ways to the underworld. She tapped the entry way that had been opened. ¡°Determine the strength of the intruders, then deal with them.¡± She said. ¡°Make sure at least one of them is captured for interrogation.¡± ¡°Yes, My Queen.¡± The Dark Elf Lord said and bowed his head, and turned to his aide. The woman ran from the room at a sprint, and he looked back at the Queen. ¡°What now, Your Highness?¡± Lylyth put both of her hands on the table in front of them. ¡°It all depends on how long this ghoul infestation takes to blow over.¡± ¡°We should attack now!¡± One of the Dark Elf lords said emphatically. ¡°They are distracted and disorganized, and even the High Lord himself is in the midst of travelling. If we strike his caravan...¡± ¡°We could never gather enough forces in his path to overcome their rolling defenses.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°He isn''t stupid enough to travel without his best guards and archers.¡± ¡°Then the cities...¡± ¡°At the moment, they are holed up and defending themselves just as I had planned.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Their main army has been dispersed to cover as much of the population as it can.¡± She smiled. ¡°Most have even returned to their own cities to protect their families, rather than to their normal assigned posts.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°For now, we are going to wait... and watch.¡± Lylyth said and smiled. ¡°Our time will come, and we will prevail.¡± ¡°Yes, My Queen.¡± The Dark Elf Lords around the table said as one; but, Lylyth could feel that they weren''t happy about it. * Ren and his group stopped just before the exit to the tunnel. ¡°Why did we stop?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Just in case.¡± Ren said, and asked the All-Seeing Mirror for enemies, traps, dangers, hidden doors, and shortcuts. Elerlyth looked at the mirror''s surface in surprise as several enemies popped up, 2 traps, a deep hole was highlighted, and a line appeared going up the wall of the cavern to avoid all of the dangers. ¡°No wonder you did so well in Shargon Caverns.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s been a great help, that''s for sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Show me what the enemies are.¡± A 4 foot long centipede appeared, with large mandibles that delivered poison, and jaws that could probably bite through armor. ¡°These things are right in our way.¡± Ren said. ¡°Artemis, feel like having a bit of target practice?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Artemis said and eased towards the tunnel exit. She raised her hands and targeted the closest centipede and blasted it with several Mana bolts. It didn''t even have time to warn the others near it before they were cut down as well. ¡°We''re good.¡± Ren said and walked up the cavern wall. ¡°Elerlyth, you can walk or ride Etheria across the cavern.¡± He said. ¡°Just stay several feet above the cavern floor.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Elerlyth said and mounted her steed, and they flew up into the air. Artemis flew up as well, and Princess ran up the wall behind Ren, and he ran across the cavern ceiling with everyone behind him. They crossed it in only a minute, and then they heard a skittering noise. ¡°What is that?¡± Elerlyth said and turned her mount around to look behind them. The tunnel Ren had made seemed to get darker, and then 6 large spiders with Dark Elves riding them, jumped out of the opening, one after another. ¡°REN!¡± Elerlyth yelled, and Ren saw the spiders. ¡°I''m on it!¡± Ren said and ran out to stand on the ceiling in front of his group, and made a Connection between his Command, Fear, Reassurance, Importance, Heat Sense and Void Sense Auras, then activated them along with his Emotion Siphon ability. His boosted Aura covered them, and he felt their Frenzy and Hatred. ¡°They''re lost in bloodlust.¡± Ren said to his group and stored the Staff of Earth and the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Don''t attack!¡± The 6 spiders jumped forward at the same time, and the riders had their spears ready. Two of the spiders turned around in mid air using webs on their legs on one side, which was a pretty neat use of webbing in Ren''s opinion, and they tried to shoot him with web strands. Ren caught the strands before the web could deploy and cover him, and he used Burning Hands to set them on fire and used his Fire Manipulation ability to push the fire all the way to the spiders. It destroyed the web strands completely, and he burned their backsides a little. The spiders squealed in pain and fell to the cavern floor without catching themselves on their legs, and Ren felt their pain as they hit much harder than he had intended. The riders were thrown off and hit hard as well, and Ren ignored them for the moment. The other 4 spiders landed normally, and the riders threw their spears with web strands attached. Ren took out an Iron Wall wand and cast it in front of himself, and the spears hit the wall. A second later, there was a wrenching metal sound and the wall bent over a little, then was pulled out of the cavern ceiling and fell to the floor. Ren saw that the spiders had turned around and used their combined strength to pull the wall down with the web strands attached to the embedded spears. ¡°Neat.¡± Ren said and ran forward, then cast the Iron Wall spell 4 times around each of the 4 spiders and their riders, then added roofs to the makeshift cells before the spiders could jump or crawl out. He walked over to the Dark Elves that had fallen off the two hurt spiders, then dropped from the ceiling to land beside them and checked them. They were just stunned and only slightly hurt, so he went to the closest spider. It''s front leg darted out to attack, even though 3 of it''s other legs were broken. ¡°Easy, now.¡± Ren said as his Animal Affinity skill kicked in. ¡°I''m sorry you hit so hard and got hurt.¡± The spider trembled and tried to pull itself away as it lost it''s Frenzy condition, and Ren put a hand on it. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and remembered one of his dream memories where he was afraid, and pushed that fear into the spider. It shuddered for a moment, and then it relaxed. ¡°That''s right, use it to heal.¡± The spider felt a sharp pain as it''s broken legs snapped back into their proper position, and Ren absorbed it instantly. He felt the spider''s gratitude for not killing it for what it did, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I could say it''s not your fault for attacking; but, it''s your job to get like this and defend your people.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to check on...¡± He looked at the other spider as it hobbled over on only 6 legs. ¡°...never mind. Here it comes.¡± The spider plopped down beside the other one, and Ren put a hand on it to feed it, too. ¡°I''m glad you calmed down.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder if your friends have, too?¡± Ren felt doubt from them, so he concentrated on the 4 iron cells he had made, and let his ability taste both the spiders and the Dark Elves inside. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren said and winced. ¡°Nope, they''re still pretty angry.¡± The spiders he was feeding healed up completely, and stood up. Ren felt their question, and he smiled. ¡°No, I''m not leaving them in there.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll dismiss the Iron Walls as soon as I make a tunnel out of here.¡± The spiders skittered over to the cells. ¡°No, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to block them.¡± The spiders turned and looked at him. ¡°Stay with your riders and keep them safe.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re leaving right now.¡± The spiders skittered back over to their fallen riders and hunkered down over them. Ren nodded and dismissed the old Pass Wall spells, then walked up into the air and ran over to the cavern wall where the rest of his group was, then took out the Staff of Earth to open another tunnel to the next cavern several hundred feet away. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said, and the group went into the tunnel without saying anything. He stepped inside and dismissed the Iron Wall spells holding the other spiders and their riders. ¡°RAHHHH!¡± The Dark Elf riders yelled together when their target appeared before them, and the spiders they rode jumped forward. Ren ran into the tunnel, and dismissed that end of the tunnel to block any access. He was picked up by the magic as the tunnel collapsed behind him, and laughed as he immediately caught up with the others and the magic picked them up, too. Chapter 486 - Fixing Mistakes ¡°Yee-haw!¡± Ren said as the entire group were magically pushed along the tunnel. ¡°RENNNNNN!¡± Elerlyth yelled and flailed around. Ren, Teepo, and Artemis laughed, while Princess brayed in amusement. The group shot out the open end of the tunnel a moment later. ¡°NOOO!¡± Elerlyth screamed as she was flung across the small cavern towards the wall, then Etheria was in front of her and caught her easily. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± She said and gripped her mount tightly. ¡°REN! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You just shot us out of a tunnel like cannonballs!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Wasn''t it fun?¡± ¡°FUN?!?¡± Elerlyth sat up on Etheria''s saddle and glared at Ren. ¡°I almost died!¡± She said and pointed dramatically at the wall next to her. ¡°What? Why?¡± Ren looked at her, and she felt that he was completely puzzled by her reaction. ¡°If Etheria hadn''t saved me, I would have hit the cavern wall!¡± Ren frowned for a moment. ¡°Hold on.¡± He said. ¡°Did you forget that you had Permanent Air Walk?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You can stop your movement at any time.¡± Ren said. ¡°Running, falling, jumping, being flung through the air... it all means nothing except having fun.¡± He said and motioned around at the others in the group. ¡°We all came to a stop just outside the tunnel when the ride was over.¡± Elerlyth looked at them, and realized that she was the only one that had travelled across the small cavern to the other side, and that had included her mount before it came over to save her. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll remind you if this happens again.¡± Elerlyth sighed as her anger at him faded away. She had thought that he didn''t care if she got hurt from his stunt, and it was actually just the opposite. He believed that she could save herself whenever she wanted, and didn''t try to interfere with her fun. ¡°No, it''s me who should be sorry.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I misunderstood your intentions.¡± Ren felt her feelings and went over to her. ¡°Elerlyth, I honestly thought you didn''t need to be saved.¡± He said. ¡°If you had been hurt, or even died, I...¡± He shook his head and pat Etheria''s neck. ¡°Thanks for looking after her in my negligence.¡± The Phantom Steed neighed and nodded. ¡°Like I said, I''ll try and give you some warning if something like that happens again.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, maybe I''ll just make sure it doesn''t.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren dug into his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and took out his pet tarantula, then held it up to his mouth. ¡°I apologize for disturbing you, My Queen...¡± * Lylyth, Queen of the Dark Elves, froze as Ren''s disembodied voice spoke politely to her, and informed her that he was just attacked by Dark Elven Spider Riders. ¡°Call them off! Quickly!¡± Lylyth said. The Dark Elf Lord''s aide that had passed the order to attack the first time, ran from the room. Lylyth and the Dark Elf Lords listened as Ren told the Queen that he didn''t kill either the Dark Elves or their spiders, and had healed the two spiders he had inadvertently hurt. He''s so considerate. Lylyth thought, then waved her hand and formed a portal. ¡°Go to him and apologize... profusely... for the mistake.¡± She said to the healer, who had become her new attendant. ¡°Yes, My Queen.¡± The healer said and stepped through the portal without any questions or reservations. * Ren wasn''t surprised when a portal appeared while he was talking, and then the healer stepped out of it. He felt how happy she was to see him again, and it made him smile as the portal disappeared. ¡°My Queen wants me to apologize on her behalf for attacking you.¡± The healer said. Her long dark hair was tied up in a mass on the back of her head, and if Ren didn''t know any better, it kind of looked like a spider with the strands sticking out like they were. ¡°Even though it was me that set them off?¡± Ren asked as he tucked the spider back into the cloak, and the healer chuckled. ¡°I was about to say that.¡± She said, and Ren chuckled, too. ¡°Why did you enter in the enemy''s lands?¡± ¡°That''s where I was at the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been fighting the ghoul hordes to clean them out, before they can turn around and go for the Human Kingdom.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The healer asked. ¡°How do you know they will do that?¡± ¡°It''s Adventurer''s business.¡± Ren said. ¡°Believe me, they were designed for it.¡± ¡°Oh, I believe you.¡± The healer said and touched her heart. ¡°But, there''s something you should know.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I spend my time with the Queen, and I''ve seen that over the last day or so, nearly everyone that''s been infected by ghouls has turned.¡± Ren''s emotions were suddenly cut off from her, and she gasped at their sudden absence. Elerlyth gasped as well. ¡°Princess!¡± Ren said and she was instantly by his side. He climbed up onto the saddle and used the Staff of Earth to make a tunnel a mile and a half long straight up. Artemis floated up beside him, then he, Princess, and Artemis disappeared from sight. ¡°Wh-what... what happened?¡± The healer asked. ¡°R-Ren... he...¡± Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°Before he cut off his emotions, for an instant... I thought that I... I felt... horror.¡± Ren rode Princess up through the tunnel. ¡°Faster! Go faster, Princess!¡± Princess felt his desperation and ran as fast as she could. They made it to the last walled city that had been attacked, and stopped in the air just above the shanty town outside of it. He couldn''t feel any undead in his Aura, and he relaxed. ¡°To the healers! Full speed!¡± Ren said, and Princess ran as hard as she could. They were at the healers 3 minutes later and she landed in front of the ward. Ren hopped off and told Artemis to remain beside Princess, and ran inside. The healer and her assistant were chatting with a few of the latest healed High Elves and he went over to them. ¡°Please forgive me, but I need your services immediately.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got several hundred High Elves that are infected and need to be looked after as quickly as possible, or they''ll turn.¡± ¡°O-of course.¡± The healer said and turned to her assistant. ¡°Get enough herbs for that many patients.¡± ¡°Right away!¡± The assistant said and ran from the ward. ¡°How long have they been infected?¡± The healer asked. ¡°Since before I brought you back here from the castle.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had just cleared out that horde, and delivered the ghouls from that.¡± He sighed. ¡°I just learned that nearly all of the newly infected will turn instead of die.¡± ¡°Then let''s go.¡± The healer said and she and Ren left the ward. He took out the normal cart that now had a top on it, and opened it up for them to get inside. He made a nice soft bench seat for them and attached it to the back of the cart, and added hand holds for them. The assistant came back with the proper amount of herbs, and he helped the healer and the assistant climb into the cart. ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said and closed the cart, then climbed up onto Princess'' saddle. ¡°Easy at first, then pour it on.¡± He said, and Princess trotted up into the sky and did as he said. It took a few extra minutes to get back to the High Elven city because they didn''t want to hurt the healer or her assistant, and they landed in front of the shanty town. Ren told Artemis to stay beside Princess and opened the cart, then helped the two women climb out. He ran around until he found the female High Elf that he had talked to the last time he had been there. When he told her about the new infection rate, she told him they had disposed of 2 dozen High Elves already. Ren closed his eyes and sighed, and apologized for not bringing the healers sooner. The female High Elf put a hand on his shoulder, and he opened his eyes to look at her.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°You''ve gone above and beyond anything that anyone else has ever done for us.¡± The female High Elf said. ¡°That includes the Unnamed Princess Allynna Arthion.¡± ¡°I didn''t hear the elfling qualifier there.¡± Ren said, and she smiled. ¡°None of us here have had elfling servants, or even access to elfling servants.¡± She said. ¡°Not treating you like a servant isn''t that difficult.¡± Ren nodded slightly, and saw the healers were already spreading out and giving the High Elves the initial treatment. ¡°I wish I could heal the ghoul-infected instantly, then I wouldn''t have to worry about this anymore.¡±
Notice!
The One Wish Ring has been activated.
¡°What? Oh, sh-AHHHHHHH!¡± Ren yelled as he was covered in a pitch black glow. The female High Elf stepped back from the menacing sight, and Ren dropped to his knees from the pain. The Ghoul Kissed mark on the back of the spider image on his right hand glowed, and he was surprised as he watched the spider image shoot out webbing. He physically felt the webs as they flowed up his arm, with an accompanying searing pain. It went across his shoulders and down the other arm, and the web stopped there. Ren felt a sharp pain on the back of his left hand as another spider image bubbled up from inside and appeared on the end of the web. Unlike the one on his right hand, it didn''t have a Ghoul Kissed mark on it''s back. The pain slowly faded, as did the black glow, and Ren blinked his eyes for a moment.
Notice!
Your wish has been granted.
Ren looked down at the One Wish Ring on his Hand of Glory, and the ring faded to black. ¡°Well, damn.¡± He said, and the ring dissolved into dust and disappeared. ¡°Wh-what was that?¡± The female High Elf asked. ¡°Hopefully not a mistake.¡± Ren said. He stood up and didn''t feel any different, despite his belief that he was definitely different somehow. ¡°How will you know if it is or not?¡± The female High Elf asked. ¡°There''s an easy way to find out.¡± Ren said and held his hand out. ¡°Take my hand.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± The female High Elf looked at his hand. ¡°You... you''ve been marked by the Dark Elf Queen.¡± ¡°I''ve been that way for a while.¡± Ren said and wiggled his fingers. ¡°You''ve accepted my help before.¡± ¡°You weren''t encompassed by a black glow before.¡± ¡°It''s gone now.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± She said and pointed at his face. Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and looked at his reflection, and he saw the black glow was around his eyes. ¡°I bet that looks neat with my Heat Sense Aura on.¡± He said and activated it. The glow flickered between red and black as the two effects intermingled. ¡°Yep, that''s pretty neat.¡± ¡°You are a strange man.¡± The female High Elf said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°At least it didn''t make one eye solid black.¡± Ren said. ¡°That would look weird, and probably a little scary.¡± He smiled. ¡°Of course, with my Controlled Berserk Rage active, my eyes turn red; so, with that and the black glow, I guess that would be scary, too.¡± The female High Elf shook her head. ¡°You Adventurers are truly odd.¡± ¡°I think it''s just me.¡± Ren said and deactivated his Heat Sense Aura to stop the red glow and stored the All-Seeing Mirror. He turned his hand palm up, to make it a more appealing offer. ¡°I won''t take your hand without your permission.¡± ¡°So, it''s my choice?¡± ¡°It''s always your choice.¡± Ren said. ¡°I could just dart forward and touch your forehead or something to heal you; but, I know it works much better when people want what you offer.¡± The female High Elf looked at his smiling face and then at his hand. ¡°I hope nothing happens.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Shall we find out together?¡± The female High Elf stepped close and put her hand on top of his, and she caught her breath. She felt better instantly, felt refreshed with no more aches and pains, and then she felt a slight burning sensation above her heart for a second.
Notice!
You have become a new vassal in Ren the First''s domain.
¡°Wh-what...¡± The female High Elf took her hand back and turned away from Ren, and opened her top up enough to look at her chest to see that a small skull had formed above her heart. ¡°You actually were infected.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Welcome to my domain, M''lady.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°I''ll have a place built for you tomorrow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t require my vassals to live on my lands; or even near me, for that matter.¡± He said. ¡°But, you are my responsibility now, and I''ll take care of you.¡± The female High Elf turned back to look at him in surprise, and Ren took three steps up into the air and quickly tucked her top back up into place to cover the Ghoul Kissed mark up. Her heart beat fast at the chivalrous act, and Ren smiled at her. ¡°Please excuse me while I see who else wants to be healed instantly.¡± Ren said. ¡°M-m-my L-lord.¡± The female High Elf said and watched as Ren walked over to the closest High Elf and asked them if they wanted to be healed instantly, and warned him about what it might mean if he was infected. The High Elf reached out and took the offered hand without hesitation. By the time Ren had approached the tenth High Elf, the rest of them had stood up and waited to take his hand. He greeted them all and shook their hands, and there was only two of them that weren''t actually infected; which meant that they weren''t Ghoul Kissed and didn''t convert to being his vassals. He felt their disappointment and pulled the two of them aside. ¡°You might not be members of my domain; but, that doesn''t exclude you from moving to the city I''m going to build.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no restrictions about who can live there.¡± ¡°Wait, you... you mean that...¡± ¡°Come with everyone, and bring your families.¡± Ren said and looked at everyone. ¡°You all can bring as many of your family as you want.¡± ¡°How can you say that?¡± One of the others asked. ¡°If I brought everyone in my family, there''s over 30 of us, not including cousins.¡± ¡°Immediate family, then.¡± Ren said, and several of the High Elves laughed. ¡°Once I get everything built, then you can decide if you want to invite others to come as well.¡± The female High Elf came over to Ren and bowed to him. ¡°Please, don''t do that.¡± Ren said as he dismissed the Honor popup. ¡°It''s not necessary, especially with my Honor maxed.¡± The High Elves exchanged glances, then looked back at him. ¡°You don''t want us to Honor you?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Not right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... you just healed us...¡± Another said. ¡°...and put us out of a job.¡± The healer said, and her assistant laughed. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said to her, then turned back to the female High Elf. ¡°You were about to say something?¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± She said. ¡°Did Yllana ask you if you needed our help in building the city?¡± ¡°Ah... no.¡± Ren said, and remembered why she hadn''t told him. She had been too distracted by the revelations about her longtime friend Lord Tathalyn. ¡°Thank you for the offer; but, I don''t need your help.¡± ¡°What about with the layout of the foundation for the outer wall?¡± A male High Elf asked, and Ren remembered his name was Carcan. ¡°Surely we can help with that at least.¡± Ren felt his enthusiasm about helping. ¡°I really do appreciate the offer, Carcan.¡± He said. ¡°When I say your help isn''t necessary, I''m not saying your help or experience is lacking, I''m saying it''s not needed.¡± He smiled. ¡°Now, once it''s built, I''m definitely going to need good people to take care of it and to maintain the place.¡± Carcan smiled. ¡°Then I would be happy to help.¡± ¡°You''ll need a staff for a job this big.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll leave it in your hands to find like-minded people to have working with you.¡± Carcan nodded. ¡°I''ll start looking right away.¡± Ren turned to the High Elf. ¡°M''lady, it seems to be a failing of mine; but, once again I can''t invite a beautiful woman to dinner to discover your name in a proper setting.¡± The female High Elf blushed slightly, and she nodded. ¡°My name is Tanelia Miarora, My Lord.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lady Miarora.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve seen that you''ve been the one in charge here in this town.¡± ¡°Well, someone had to be in charge.¡± Tanelia said and smiled. ¡°Otherwise, we would have had houses and streets all over the place, not to mention disputes over land placing and where to live.¡± ¡°Then I want you to continue in that capacity.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you want, you can choose a staff from people here, or wait until you enter the city and meet the other population and choose from them.¡± ¡°Wait, you''re just giving me the job? No election? No consensus? No Central Council approval?¡± ¡°The city''s going to be in no man''s land, so they don''t have jurisdiction.¡± Ren said, and smiled as the shock rippled through the High Elves. ¡°Before you start questioning that, there will be 10 spires, with 5 in a counter circle to the normal 5 for the Central Council.¡± A hush fell across the crowd. ¡°Start your preparations and get packing for the big move.¡± Ren said into the silence. ¡°I better get the healer and her assistant back home, before the High Elves there declare the ward a Sanctuary or something.¡± No one said anything as Ren turned around and led the healer and her assistant over to Princess, and helped them get back into the cart. He climbed onto Princess'' back and sat on the saddle, waved to Lady Miarora, then they rode up into the air and then faded from sight in the distance. They arrived at the healer''s ward back in their town and came in for a landing. Ren helped the healer and her assistant out of the cart, detached and stored it in Princess'' saddle bag, and followed the healers inside. ¡°Are you going to make the same offer to these people as well?¡± The healer''s assistant asked. ¡°I will, but I doubt they''ll accept.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even knowing they aren''t welcome back to their own lands, they wont accept being a vassal to an elfling.¡± ¡°Your opinion may change when you go upstairs.¡± The healer said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You''ll see.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll get the patient''s attention.¡± ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Ren said, and she turned to see that all the High Elves were looking right at Ren. ¡°I forgot I still have all my Auras active.¡± ¡°Then leave them active and make your sales pitch.¡± The healer said. ¡°It can''t hurt.¡± Ren smiled at her and looked at all the High Elves, and he explained that if they tried to return to their homes to live, the High Elves would kill them. Most of them didn''t believe him, and he held his hand up and pointed to the skull on the back of it. ¡°If you have this mark, they do not want you mixed with the normal population.¡± Ren said. ¡°I will be building a city in the no man''s land between the Human and High Elven Kingdoms for you to live in.¡± ¡°Why?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Because I don''t have the room to take you back to my county in the Human Kingdom.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°I provide a safe place for those infected, because I claimed the Ghoul Kissed mark as my own.¡± ¡°He really is crazy.¡± Another of the High Elves said. ¡°I can heal you instantly now; but...¡± Ren started, then explained about becoming a vassal in his domain. He had been right and every one of the High Elves chose not to accept his offer because the healers had them almost cured. He told them they still had to move to the new city when it was built, and they just shrugged. ¡°Now go upstairs and give them the same speech.¡± The healer said and shooed him away with her hands. ¡°Go, go!¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren chuckled and left the ward, then went up the stairs and into the door of the holding area. He stopped in the doorway when he saw what was inside. ¡°Holy crap.¡± ¡°Hello, M''lord!¡± Kalyn and Gaelira said together and waved. They were the two elflings he had met the last time he was in the ward. He couldn''t wave back because he was too surprised by what filled the ward. Nearly a thousand elflings were being tended to, even though the healers had told him that elflings were the first to die when infected and almost no one converted. ¡°Ha.¡± Ren said and looked around at them all. ¡°Ha hahaha!¡± ¡°What''s so funny, M''lord?¡± Kalyn asked as she came over to him. ¡°I think this is the first time that interference from other Adventurers actually turned out better!¡± Ren said happily and kissed her cheek. She gasped as she was healed instantly, and she felt a slight burning sensation on her chest and she saw something she had never seen before. A popup.
Notice!
You have become a new vassal in Ren the First''s domain.
Kalyn''s face flushed red from both the kiss and the popup. ¡°Wh-what...¡± Ren dismissed the popup he had received for claiming a new vassal. ¡°Oops.¡± Chapter 487 - I Am Helping ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I remembered that you didn''t like being picked up and swung around, so I gave you a kiss on the cheek instead.¡± He sighed. ¡°I forgot about what happens when I touch someone who''s Ghoul Kissed.¡± ¡°Wh-what... wait, you claimed me just by kissing my cheek?¡± Kalyn asked, surprised. ¡°I healed you completely as well.¡± Ren said, and he felt the ripple of surprise go through the room. ¡°I came up here to tell you all about it.¡± ¡°Then please, go ahead.¡± Gaelira said as she came over and sat on the closest bed, and all chatter stopped so everyone could listen. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said, and gave them his impassioned speech about not being welcome home, about how he accepts them all equally, and that he was making them a place to live. He then gave them the option for instant healing, with the warning that they would become his vassals and part of his domain. ¡°Are you for real?¡± Gaelira asked. ¡°You''re really going to take care of us, even if we don''t take your instant healing and become your vassals?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then I''ll gladly accept.¡± Gaelira said and stood up, and pointed to her cheek. ¡°I''ll serve you truly and completely, as is my station.¡± She said, and Ren leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. She waited until the last second and turned to kiss him on the lips. She gasped into his mouth as she was healed instantly and felt a slight burning on her chest. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± Gaelira said and ducked her head. ¡°No, don''t do that.¡± Ren said and put a hand under her chin to make her look at him. She stared at him in surprise, and he smiled. ¡°No one is to duck their heads in my presence.¡± He commanded, and he felt the ripple of his order cover everyone, and he felt happiness from everyone in return. He let her chin go and turned to Kalyn. ¡°My Lady, please accept my apologies for not giving you the choice first.¡± ¡°I sincerely accept your apology.¡± Kalyn said and smiled. ¡°Is it okay to choose after the fact?¡± She asked. ¡°Just like Gaelira, I''ll serve you truly and completely, as is my station.¡± She pointed to her cheek like Gaelira did, and that made Ren laugh. ¡°I''ll skip the pretense, if that''s okay.¡± Ren said. Kalyn giggled and nodded slightly, and he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°Now that my mistake is forgiven, I ask the same of all of you.¡± Ren felt outrage from nearly all of the male elflings, and quite a lot of desire from the female elflings. He held his hands up in surrender to make sure he had everyone''s attention. ¡°I meant shaking my hand and accepting my offer for instant healing and becoming a part of my domain.¡± He grinned. ¡°I did not mean giving you all a kiss on the lips.¡± Ren almost laughed at the relief he felt from the male elflings that had been outraged, and the disappointment from most of the females. They all started to stand up, and he waved them all to lay back down. ¡°Easy, now. I''ll come to you.¡± Ren said and started to walk around to all of the elflings. The first dozen males shook his hand and caught their breath as they were healed instantly and received the popup for becoming a vassal. When Ren reached the first female, her face flushed red and she held a hand out. ¡°M''lady, if you would like a kiss instead, please say so.¡± Ren said. He could see the thoughts flicker across her face, and she looked around at the other elflings. ¡°Don''t let what others think change what you decide.¡± He said. ¡°Unless you''re married or are with someone, then their opinion does matter.¡± ¡°N-no, I... I''ve been alone...¡± She said nervously, and Ren smiled reassuringly and disconnected his Fear Aura from his other active Auras. She sighed and relaxed, and Ren sat on the bed. ¡°I should have disconnected that before coming in here.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Even with it active, we all readily accepted your offer.¡± ¡°Then M''lady, what is your pleasure?¡± ¡°A... a kiss.¡± She said and her face went red. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°It''s just a kiss, not a promise or a pact or anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, I... I can''t serve well, and that''s... that''s why I was...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said. ¡°You will have your own house if you want, or apartment, or even live in a spire.¡± She gasped, as did everyone around them. ¡°No restrictions are going to be held in the city for living arrangements.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... the wall...¡± ¡°I''ll have the wall built; but, it won''t be the outer defensive wall.¡± Ren smiled, and he felt their relief. ¡°You will no longer be in danger of being the first to die if the wall is breached.¡± She sighed happily, and her hands touched his platinum armor. ¡°M''lord, can you hold me in your arms?¡± Ren equipped his High Elven Court Uniform, and he felt their surprise at it''s sudden appearance and then at it''s high quality and Durability. He slid his hands under her to hold her, and felt her immediate pain; so, he changed the position of his hands and picked her up in a princess carry. She put her arms around his neck and looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°May I kiss you, M''lady?¡± Ren asked formally, and she nodded several times. He gave her a kiss on the lips, and she gasped into his mouth as she was healed instantly. Her arms tightened around his neck and she held on and kissed him enthusiastically for several minutes. He felt her emotions even out and she broke the kiss, a little breathless. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± She said in a strong voice, and Ren stood her on her feet. ¡°You are quite welcome, M''lady.¡± Ren said and gave her a slight bow. ¡°...and thank you.¡± Her face went red again, and she nodded slightly to acknowledge that she knew he was thanking her for the kiss. Ren turned to the next bed and saw that the female elfling there was practically salivating at the thought of getting a kiss from him. ¡°I''m setting a dangerous precedent here, aren''t I?¡± Ren asked out loud, and several of the female elflings laughed while a bunch of others nodded. ¡°I''m too hurt to... to pick up.¡± She said. ¡°Can you... just lean over me?¡± ¡°Of course, M''lady.¡± Ren said and sat on the edge of her bed, then leaned down and braced an arm on the other side of the bed. ¡°Like this?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± She said and stared at the handsome man above her. ¡°It... it''s just like... a dream.¡± Ren felt her doubt, and tilted his head. ¡°What''s different from your dream?¡± ¡°Your hair.¡± She said. ¡°It should be black.¡± ¡°Just a moment.¡± Ren said and took out the Disguise wand the skeletons hadn''t needed anymore. ¡°Is keeping it fluffy okay?¡± He asked her, and she nodded slightly, and used a Disguise spell to change his hair black. He felt her desire spike, stored the wand and leaned back over her. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± She whispered, and Ren kissed her. She gasped into his mouth when she was healed instantly and because her dream had become real. She moaned as she put her arms around his neck and kissed her dream man, and Ren kissed her back to fulfill her fantasy. It made him happy to make her dream come true and he felt her getting close to finishing; but, he also felt he was missing something because he knew she needed one little push. He used his Emotion Siphon ability to touch her and used it to tickle her insides. ¡°Oh! OH!¡± She yelled as she broke the kiss and finished. She panted heavily for a few moments, and Ren stopped using his ability. ¡°You... share...¡± She managed to say. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Please.¡± Ren nodded and absorbed some of her passion and some of her satisfaction; and he felt her shiver on the bed. He then felt something click inside of her, and she took in a huge breath as she gained the Emotion Siphon ability.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°What... oh, Great Vasalor!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°What is this?¡± She asked. ¡°I... I''m only... I should only feel emotions, not consume them!¡± ¡°It''s an upgrade, apparently.¡± Ren said. ¡°Becoming my vassal gives you a connection to me.¡± He touched her face. ¡°I gained my ability in almost the same way.¡± He turned his hand around and showed her the spider mark. ¡°I had been feeling other''s emotions for a long time when I gained this, and then received the Emotion Siphon ability.¡± He moved his hand and touched the spot above her heart where the mark was. ¡°You gained this mark and when I claimed it, you gained the Emotion Siphon ability.¡± ¡°My Lord, I...¡± She looked around at the other elflings. ¡°I... I can''t... I don''t want...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to feed on anyone else.¡± He build up a small reservoir of emotions. ¡°Only on me.¡± He said and kissed her. ¡°Mmm!¡± She moaned as he trickled the emotions into her and filled her ability. It leveled up and her entire body twitched. ¡°Mm! Hm Mm!¡± She tried to let him go so she could adjust; but, he kept kissing her and poured more emotions into her. ¡°HMMM!¡± Ren ignored her protest and kept pouring more and more emotions into her. He leveled her ability again, and she stopped trying to fight him, now that she realized what he was doing. He broke the kiss and looked at her to see that she had a kind of glazed look in her eyes, and he smiled. ¡°You understand.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Y-yes, My Lord.¡± She smiled. ¡°Now give me more.¡± She said and pulled him back down for another kiss. * ¡°Geez, what''s taking him so long?¡± Elerlyth asked as she stared up at the tunnel that went straight up to the surface. ¡°As far as I could tell, he was horrified at the knowledge that the High Elves convert to ghouls after being infected.¡± The healer said. ¡°Instead of the majority of them dying, that is.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°We just delivered 1,200 or so ghouls to the healers in the human kingdom, and left about 350 injured at the last walled city.¡± ¡°Yes, that would be horrifying.¡± The healer said. ¡°Imagine how quickly the horde would grow with almost no loss and no eating.¡± Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°He should have taken me with him.¡± ¡°Are you a healer?¡± The healer asked. ¡°No.¡± Elerlyth said and sighed. ¡°Then you would have been in the way.¡± The healer said. ¡°I could still help!¡± ¡°By standing there like you are standing here?¡± The healer asked. ¡°What... what if he''s attacked?¡± ¡°He will deal with it.¡± The healer said. ¡°He is quite capable.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You are nervous that he doesn''t need your help in battle?¡± The healer asked, and Elerlyth didn''t say anything. She knew she didn''t have to, because the healer could feel her emotions just as much as Elerlyth could feel hers. ¡°You can have some, if you wish.¡± The healer said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You can feel how much I adore him.¡± The healer said. ¡°You have my permission to taste it.¡± Elerlyth reached a hand out and let it hover above the healer''s hand. ¡°Don''t be such a child.¡± The healer said and took her hand to put it on her neck. ¡°You can''t truly feed from me, because that''s only for Ren.¡± ¡°I... I know.¡± Elerlyth said, because she could feel it was the truth. She opened her ability to taste the healer''s emotions, and gasped as she found the deep well of affection the healer had for Ren. ¡°Isn''t it wonderful?¡± The healer asked as Elerlyth''s ability waded into the well, then it came back out with a satisfied feeling. ¡°Who would have thought he could bring out such feelings in someone like me?¡± ¡°S-someone like you?¡± ¡°I was discarded by the High Elves, and I hate them with a passion that is only matched by the Queen.¡± The healer said. ¡°It ate me up inside and I knew nothing but hatred for so many years.¡± She smiled. ¡°Then I met Ren on that fateful day he came to give My Queen a small feeding.¡± ¡°When she broke his arms.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°It was an accident; but, it was also horrible.¡± The healer said. ¡°I only saw him as another patient, and then I felt him.¡± She said. ¡°His emotions were so raw... and so powerful. I wanted to taste him then, but... he was hurt and I had a job to do. When I was done, he gave me this.¡± The healer took out the Mana potion Ren had given her, and it glowed for a moment. The healer was engulfed with a soft glow and Elerlyth felt her being restored, both emotionally and physically. ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°It''s an innate ability.¡± The healer said. ¡°I couldn''t believe he would give me such a wonderful gift.¡± She said and stored it again. ¡°I... I started to change after that.¡± She looked at Elerlyth, then averted her gaze. ¡°I started to care again. For myself, and for others. Being a healer was no longer a job for me, but a way to live.¡± She looked up at the tunnel. ¡°The next time we met... oh, that was something.¡± Elerlyth felt the wellspring of emotions from the healer, and remembered her own meeting with Ren after that. The healer turned and looked at her. ¡°You shared with him, too?¡± The healer asked, and Elerlyth nodded. ¡°I didn''t realize I helped you like that as well.¡± Elerlyth didn''t deny it, because she couldn''t. Ren discovering that they could share in a loop definitely had helped her that day. ¡°That makes me even happier about what happened that day.¡± The healer said and looked back up at the tunnel. ¡°He was so grateful and happy to make me happy.¡± ¡°He... always is.¡± Elerlyth said and looked up at the tunnel, too. * The Queen of the Dark Elves had dismissed her War Council just after the healer disappeared through the portal. The Dark Elf Lords left the room quickly, because they knew that the Queen would not hear any more from them until she knew if the Royal Consort had forgiven her for the attack. Lylyth gasped as she felt horror from Ren and put a hand over her heart as she stumbled into the table. She caught herself before she fell, then she felt his urgency. Unlike the others, Ren didn''t try to cut her off from feeling his emotions. She walked over to a chair and sat down, and closed her eyes to ride his emotions. She gasped as relief flooded through him a few moments later, and then urgency again. What is he doing? Lylyth asked herself as his emotions evened out. For the next few minutes, it was just a low hum and she thought it was over... then pain lanced through her as it did through him. ¡°AggHHH!¡± Lylyth screamed and hugged herself as she bent over from the pain. She was covered in a pitch black glow and looked at herself. Some of the webs on her skin faded and disappeared, and she thought she was losing her regained powers; then she felt a sharp pain on her chest where the mark was, and the pain and the glow faded. A moment later, the webs on her skin grew back and she sighed. ¡°Wh-what... what is happening to me?¡± Lylyth asked, then pulled down her top to look at her chest. The spider image above her breast now had a skull mark on it, just like Ren''s did. Lylyth didn''t feel anything new from Ren for several minutes, then she started getting hints of amusement, pleasure, and a need to do a task. ¡°I am going to have a talk with that man.¡± Lylyth said and stood up. It happened much quicker than it normally did, and she was a little surprised that she felt somewhat stronger. ¡°Ren, what did you do?¡± * Ren had finished with the elfling and leveled her up several times, and gave his word that he would be back to feed her again. He then went around the ward and shook hands with all the male elflings. He then kissed the female elflings that wanted it, and made sure that they weren''t involved with anyone first. A lot of them were, and they were sad that he would only kiss them on the cheek; but, all of them respected his decision and that he kept his word. ¡°I''ll have a place ready for you all soon.¡± Ren said and walked back over to the door of the ward. ¡°When will you be back?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Perhaps tomorrow or tomorrow night.¡± Ren said. ¡°It depends on if I can find more people to heal.¡± ¡°We''ll be waiting.¡± Kalyn said happily. ¡°See you soon, My Lord.¡± Ren nodded to her and left the ward and went downstairs to the healer. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said to her. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± The healer chuckled. ¡°I knew that would make you happy.¡± ¡°What took so long, anyway?¡± The healer''s assistant asked. ¡°I thought you healed instantly.¡± ¡°I do, but...¡± Ren''s face flushed a little red. ¡°I kind of kissed a couple of them, and they thought that was how I healed.¡± Both women laughed. ¡°How did you ''kind of'' kiss them?¡± They asked at the same time, and that made them laugh harder. ¡°I kissed one on the cheek, then the next kissed me on the lips.¡± Ren said. ¡°When they healed... well...¡± ¡°I see.¡± The healer said. ¡°I bet the men weren''t too happy.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Ren said and grinned. The healer shook her head. ¡°Does trouble follow you everywhere?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve asked to have it removed, or at least restrained; but, my request was flatly denied.¡± The healer laughed. ¡°You better get out of here and take it with you, then.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you need any more money?¡± ¡°No, dear boy.¡± The healer said. ¡°The money you''ve given us already will last a long time.¡± Ren walked over to her. ¡°Ma''am? Why are you trying to distance yourself by insulting me?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I can feel your emotions, and you suspected that calling me ''boy'' would hurt me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I...¡± The healer''s face went red and she looked away from him. ¡°I didn''t mean to insult you.¡± ¡°Ma''am, lies cause me pain.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please, tell the truth.¡± ¡°N-no.¡± She said and shook her head. Ren looked at her assistant. ¡°Do you know why she''s trying to push me away?¡± ¡°Well, if I had to take a guess...¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± The healer said. ¡°...she wants another kiss, since you''re giving them out so freely.¡± ¡°You are so grounded!¡± The healer said. Her assistant, who was also her daughter, laughed. ¡°I never go outside anyways.¡± ¡°Ma''am, it''s okay to want things, and you don''t have to distance yourself.¡± Ren said as he deactivated all of his Auras, and she relaxed. ¡°Now that I know, I''ll stay out of your way.¡± ¡°It''s not that.¡± The healer said. ¡°I''m angry at myself for...¡± She looked at her daughter. ¡°...I shouldn''t be thinking these things.¡± Ren chuckled, and the healer turned around and looked at him. ¡°What''s funny?¡± ¡°I have someone in my Adventurer life that... if I had to take a guess, is actually about your age.¡± Ren said. ¡°And?¡± ¡°She''s just as playful with her husband as I am with the women in my life.¡± Ren said, and then smiled as he remembered Barbara and Donald playing in the pool. ¡°Ha... she really is.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Before you get upset, I''m not volunteering for anything.¡± Ren said ¡°I''m just saying it''s okay to think about, and want, those kinds of things.¡± The healer sighed. ¡°I can''t stop thinking about that kiss.¡± ¡°Well, that''s kind of my fault.¡± Ren said and smiled crookedly. ¡°I knew you were a bit nervous about doing it, and I wanted you to enjoy it.¡± The healer blinked her eyes a few times. ¡°I told Princess Diana that you conveyed her feelings quite well.¡± Ren said, and her face flushed red again. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, she was jealous that I kissed you and not your daughter.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± The healer was shocked to hear those words. ¡°Th-the p-princess was j-jealous of m-me?¡± ¡°She wasn''t happy that I kissed an experienced woman.¡± Ren admitted. ¡°So, she wanted another kiss from me.¡± ¡°B-but... I''m...¡± The healer looked down, and Ren reached up and stopped her from averting her gaze. ¡°Your kiss made the princess jealous, ma''am.¡± Ren said, and a tear came to the woman''s eye. ¡°Th-thank you, My Lord.¡± ¡°No, M''lady.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± He gently kissed the back of it. ¡°Thank you for all your hard work, for your diligence in healing those not even of the same race...¡± He smiled wickedly at her. ¡°...and for a wonderful kiss.¡± The healer''s face burned red at the last statement, and Ren felt her embarrassment mixed with gratitude. Chapter 488 - A Dish Best Served Cold ¡°If you will excuse me, I should get back to my friends that I left in the Underworld.¡± Ren said. ¡°In the Underworld?¡± The healer asked. ¡°As soon as I learned of the change in the ghoul infection rate, I immediately checked on the High Elves then came right here to get you to help deal with the problem.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know the rest.¡± ¡°Then hurry! Go!¡± The healer said, frantically. ¡°Your friends need you if they''re down there!¡± ¡°Yes, M''lady.¡± Ren said, and took two steps into the air and kissed her cheek. ¡°S-stop that.¡± The healer said, her face still a deep red. ¡°I can''t help teasing you.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°See you in a day or so!¡± * The healer blinked her eyes when he disappeared from sight. ¡°At least he kissed you again.¡± Her daughter said and laughed, and the healer thought about it for a second and laughed, too. * Ren ran out of the ward and climbed up onto Princess. ¡°Let''s get back to our friends.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± Princess said, and ran up into the air and across the sky. Princess didn''t even slow down as she arced down towards the ground and ran through the mile and a half long tunnel down into the Underworld. They entered the cavern and she slowed down then, and Ren saw Elerlyth and the Dark Elven healer looking up at them. ¡°Thanks for waiting.¡± Ren said and hopped off of Princess. ¡°Like we had a choice.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren smiled. ¡°What the hell did you do?¡± ¡°I went to check on the High Elves we helped, then went to the healers and brought them to the High Elves to help.¡± ¡°How long is it going to take?¡± ¡°It''s done.¡± Ren said. ¡°What? How?¡± ¡°I... ah...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I can heal the ghoul-infected now.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°You see, I had a One Wish Ring...¡± ¡°Oh, you idiot.¡± Elerlyth said and rubbed her face in exasperation. ¡°You''ve been wearing it, haven''t you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You said something stupid like, ''I wish I could heal them all'' or something.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Was it worth it?¡± ¡°I gained just over 1,500 new vassals to my domain.¡± Ren said. ¡°Most of those are elflings, about 1,200 or so.¡± Elerlyth and the healer just stared at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°How... how did you heal so many?¡± The healer asked. ¡°I just touch them.¡± Ren said and reached out and took her hand. ¡°They are healed instantly.¡± ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± The healer said as she felt his words were the truth, and she felt how happy he was about it. ¡°My Lord, can... can you...¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said as he hugged her and rested his forehead against hers. He remembered how it felt to heal all those people in so short a time, and gave all of those emotions he experienced to her. The healer gasped and closed her eyes as her ability consumed everything he gave to her. Her own emotions flared when he added in all the female elflings reciprocated feelings. Ren helped himself to her offering, and the healer sighed as his Emotion Siphon ability caressed her from the inside. ¡°Sorry to interrupt.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°We need to get going.¡± Both Ren and the healer chuckled, because they could feel that she wasn''t sorry at all; and she was actually envious of their exchange. Ren let the healer go and walked over to Elerlyth. ¡°You know I''m saving the good stuff for you, right?¡± Ren asked, and he felt Elerlyth''s possessiveness. He smiled and took two steps up into the air and put his arms around her neck. ¡°I activated another Emotion Siphon ability.¡± He whispered to her, and she caught her breath as he gave her a taste of it. ¡°She was an empath, and when I claimed her as a vassal, she evolved.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Elerlyth said as Ren fed her the female elfling''s first emotional exchange. ¡°Yeah, it was... really tasty.¡± Ren said and kissed her, then poured everything the female elfling felt into Elerlyth and her ability. They stayed that way for almost a full minute, and then Ren eased the feelings down and broke the kiss. ¡°Let''s get a move on.¡± ¡°S-s-sure.¡± Elerlyth said, and grabbed a hold of her mount''s reins. Ren dismissed the tunnel to the surface and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked the direction of their prey. He used the Staff of Earth to open another tunnel in the right direction, then looked at the healer. ¡°Are you returning to the Queen, or are you coming along?¡± ¡°You''ll let me come along?¡± The healer asked, surprised. ¡°If you want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re just hunting down the Dark Elf that almost killed Elerlyth a while ago.¡± ¡°I''d be happy to accompany you.¡± The healer said and looked at Princess. ¡°M''lady, may I perch upon your accoutrements?¡± ¡°You may.¡± Princess said. ¡°Thank you.¡± The healer said and went to climb up. ¡°Just a moment.¡± Ren said. The healer looked at him with wide eyes and he felt her surprise at his interruption. Ren took out a blank amulet and made it into the same Unnatural Armor one he had made for Lara, the Sage of Ages, and added the modified Amulet of the Spider. He gave it to the healer, and she stared at it. ¡°M-m-my L-lord, I... I can''t accept...¡± ¡°Please take it, as it is only basic protection.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, it lets you ascend Princess without causing either of you discomfort or possible embarrassment.¡± ¡°I...¡± The healer looked at it again, smiled widely, and equipped it. ¡°Thank you very much, My Lord.¡± ¡°You saw how quickly I made it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It was almost nothing.¡± ¡°I accept it for the gift it is, not the ease of it''s creation.¡± The healer said and climbed up onto Princess and sat side saddle on her. ¡°I... I don''t even have to hold on, do I?¡± ¡°Not any more.¡± Ren said. ¡°You should brace for the speed, though.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The healer said. ¡°Lead on, My Lord.¡± Ren nodded and ran into the tunnel at a good pace, and the others quickly followed him. The healer laughed as she enjoyed the ride, and they soon came to the end of the tunnel. Ren did the All-Seeing Mirror trick to check for everything, used the Detect Magic and Detect Traps wands, and Artemis dispatched the centipedes that were presently in their way. ¡°I hope they aren''t pets or anything.¡± Ren said as he dismissed the old tunnel and they crossed the cavern. No traps or dangers remained in their path, and they crossed slightly above the ground so that they wouldn''t leave tracks and mess up anyone that might be tracking something else through there in the near future. ¡°They are a nuisance.¡± The healer said. ¡°I''ve healed countless wounds caused by them. Good riddance, I say.¡± ¡°You heard her, Artemis.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Artemis said and quickly spun around in a circle several times, just like a whirlwind, and shot out several dozen 1 foot long Mana bolts in multiple directions. She stopped a moment later, and then they reached the other side of the cavern. ¡°Did... did she just...¡± The healer couldn''t finish her question. ¡°Only within her range.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Since she is the embodiment of ranged combat, that range is... considerable.¡± ¡°I suffer a drop in accuracy if the distance is too great, though.¡± Artemis said as Ren opened another tunnel. ¡°Other than that, I rarely miss a slowly moving target.¡± ¡°Or any target.¡± Ren chuckled and ran down the new tunnel. ¡°I don''t like to brag.¡± Artemis said and grinned, and Ren laughed. They reached the end and he did the same procedure to check the cavern, as did Artemis. She unloaded a lot more bolts this time, and everyone waited for her to finish. ¡°I think it was a nest.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or a feast.¡± ¡°Can I check?¡± The healer said. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°It''s a few hundred feet over that way.¡±Stolen novel; please report. They all went that way, and found a bulbous snail-like creature. It was nearly 10 feet long and 5 feet round, or would have been, had the centipedes not eaten three-quarters of it. ¡°At least it wasn''t a person, as I feared.¡± The healer said. ¡°I agree.¡± Ren said. The group resumed their journey, and it only took another hour to reach the right cavern. They stopped just outside of the entrance, and Ren looked at Elerlyth. ¡°How do you want to do this?¡± Ren asked her, and she sighed. ¡°We should go through the wall and ambush him, just like he ambushed me, and I''ll drain him to the same point he drained me.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Ren said. ¡°Artemis, Princess, hang back. This is Elerlyth''s show.¡± Artemis and Princess nodded, and Ren opened the tunnel. ¡°HAAA!¡± Elerlyth yelled as she charged through the short tunnel. ¡°I FOUND YOU!¡± ¡°It''s about damn time!¡± The Dark Elf said and stood to face her. His Emotion Siphon ability lashed out at her, and she laughed as it met a much stronger version. ¡°I''ve felt you coming for-¡± His eyes widened as Elerlyth unleashed her Emotion Siphon ability. His breath left his body almost immediately, and his skin started to ripple as he was easily caught in it''s embrace with barely a fight at all. His body shrunk and his skin deformed as he was drained both emotionally and physically. His emaciated body collapsed to the floor, unable to hold it''s own weight up anymore. ¡°How does it feel, you bastard?¡± Elerlyth asked with satisfaction in her voice; but, everyone could feel what she actually felt. She had drained the man that had hurt her, and all she felt was disgust with herself, and a bit of regret. He had been a secret nightmare for her since that night; that he might show up at any time and try to finish her off and kill her. Now that she was in the position of power and had fed on all of his weak emotions, he had turned out to only be a pathetic wretch that hadn''t been worth her time to hunt down. Everyone felt that, too. Elerlyth dismissed the popup that said she had completed her revenge quest, and then a 4 foot tall Dark Elf girl ran into the small cavern room. ¡°Leave my daddy alone!¡± She nearly yelled. ¡°He''s sick!¡± She tried to stand in front of her father to block Elerlyth, and she stumbled and fell onto him instead. He grunted as he was wracked with pain from the impact, and the child saw the state he was in. ¡°Daddy! No!¡± She said and pulled his head into her lap and started to pet his hair. She looked up at Elerlyth. ¡°I HATE YOU!¡± Elerlyth didn''t know what to say to the child''s pure hatred of her; mainly because it had matched her own for the Dark Elf that had nearly killed her. The child scowled at Elerlyth, and you could feel the venom in her words as she spoke. ¡°When I grow up and become big and strong, I''m going to find you...¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said as he stepped into the cavern. ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± ¡°I''ll find you, too!¡± The child spat, and gripped her father''s head tightly as Ren knelt beside her. He activated his Fear Aura, and the child''s eyes widened. ¡°Wh-what... you''re not... how can you...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. She hissed at him, and he chuckled. Her eyes widened as she felt his amusement at her antics, and she stopped hissing. ¡°I know you can feel some of my emotions when I''m this close.¡± Ren said, because with his Aura Sight he could see the extent of her Aura and it''s effects. ¡°I''m sorry that I don''t have a Sadness Aura to let them merge, then you could feel it all.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± She asked, then shook her head. ¡°You came here to hurt my daddy.¡± ¡°Yes, we did.¡± Ren said. She was genuinely surprised by his honesty. Since she was only a child, she had expected him to lie and believe she would believe him, just because he was older than her. ¡°Are you going to kill him?¡± She asked, confidently. ¡°We did what we came here to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°My friend had been hurt by him, and she wanted revenge.¡± The Dark Elf child opened her mouth to say that it was a lie, and looked at Elerlyth. ¡°Daddy hurt you?¡± Elerlyth nodded and didn''t say anything. ¡°You hurt him back!¡± The child said. ¡°So leave!¡± ¡°Elerlyth.¡± Ren said without looking at her, and Elerlyth turned and left through the short tunnel. Ren dismissed it, and the child relaxed. Tears sprang in her eyes, and they dripped onto her father''s face. ¡°Why... why are you... still here?¡± She asked as she cried. ¡°I want to help you.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Take my hand.¡± Ren said. He had kept it held out to her since he knelt. She shook her head, and Ren sighed. ¡°He''ll die if you don''t feed him your emotions.¡± ¡°I... I don''t know how!¡± The child wailed. ¡°Let me show you.¡± Ren said. ¡°N-no!¡± She said. ¡°It''s a trick! Daddy says all High Elves trick you!¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°I... I''m 8.¡± ¡°That''s pretty old.¡± Ren said, and he felt her satisfaction that someone else thought so, too. ¡°If you let me help you, I''ll give you a present.¡± He said, and that got her attention. ¡°Wh-what kind of present?¡± ¡°It''s a surprise.¡± Ren said. ¡°Aren''t those the best kind of presents?¡± The child nodded. ¡°Then take my hand.¡± She moved one of her hands from holding her father''s head steady to do as Ren asked. She and Ren felt some kind of emotion from him; but, it was too faint to make out. She knew now that he didn''t have long if his emotions were that weak; so, she grabbed Ren''s offered hand. ¡°Help me!¡± She pleaded. ¡°I already am.¡± Ren said and used his Emotion Siphon ability and his Aura Sight ability to find another Aura within her. He smiled as he found a tiny trace of Fear and poked it. ¡°Ah!¡± The child jumped slightly. ¡°What... what was that?¡± ¡°Concentrate on that feeling.¡± Ren said and poked it again. She didn''t jump this time, and the Fear grew. ¡°That''s it.¡± He said. ¡°Bring it forward.¡± The child started to concentrate, and it grew even more. ¡°That''s it... a little more...¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve almost got it.¡± ¡°I... I think...¡± She stopped talking as Ren poked it once more and the Fear Aura sprung into place around her. ¡°AHHHH!¡± She screamed as her Fear Aura merged with Ren''s, and his huge amount of emotions became available to her.
Notice!
You have gained a new skill: Aura Enabler. This skill allows you to scan people for Auras, and bring them into existence where possible. Please Note: Not all Auras can be activated in this way.
¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said and used his free hand to stroke her face. ¡°You''re doing so well.¡± ¡°I... I can''t...¡± She said and the Aura started to fade. ¡°Ignore me and concentrate.¡± Ren said and he felt her compartmentalize. ¡°That''s good. Now, look at your father.¡± The child''s Fear Aura solidified as she looked down at the Dark Elf in her lap through her tears. ¡°Tell him to help you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You... you do it.¡± She said. ¡°He can''t hear me.¡± Ren said. ¡°He can only hear you.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°Just ask.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°D-Daddy... please... help me!¡± The Dark Elf''s Sadness Aura slowly formed and then popped into place. The child cried out in joy as her father started to slowly consume the emotions she had. ¡°Daddy!¡± The child bent down and kissed her father''s forehead. ¡°Get ready.¡± Ren said, and the child lifted her head and looked at him. He felt her determination and the steel in her will, and he smiled. ¡°You''ve got this.¡± The child nodded and Ren felt her brace herself as she concentrated on converting the emotions for her father. Ren felt that the Dark Elf needed Misery to be the most effective emotion to be used in restoring him; so, he thought about his disastrous break-up with Lucy and started to ease a mountain of Misery he had felt into the child. She didn''t gasp or complain that it was too much as she poured the Misery in turn to her father, and Ren was so proud of her that his Reassurance Aura activated. She did gasp at that, because no one had ever shared those kinds of feelings with her before; but, Ren didn''t stop feeding her, and she didn''t stop feeding her father. They both felt the tipping point approach as the Dark Elf continued to consume Misery from her. Ren had thought it was an odd emotion to be acclimated to; but, since the Dark Elves themselves were an odd bunch, being able to use Misery to heal yourself was kind of fitting in a place like the Underworld. it seemed appropriate somehow. The Dark Elf''s eyes turned from his daughter''s face and saw Ren, and the spike of hatred at him being so close was strong. ¡°You''re feeling better.¡± Ren said, and felt another spike of hatred, then regret. ¡°Why did you want to die?¡± He asked, and the Dark Elf closed his eyes. ¡°Daddy...¡± The child said, and he opened his eyes to look at her. Now that Ren had a close up look, he saw that the Dark Elf was covered in battle scars and wounds; and quite a few of them looked recent. He also looked at the child closely and saw that she had similar fresh wounds. ¡°It''s because of you.¡± Ren said, and the Dark Elf girl looked at him. ¡°You''re working so hard to keep him alive, and he doesn''t want to be a burden on you anymore.¡± ¡°Daddy, I love you!¡± The child''s own emotions blocked the Misery Ren was feeding her, and the Dark Elf winced at the change. ¡°I''m sorry!¡± She said and pushed her love aside and let the Misery through. The Dark Elf sighed and looked back at Ren. ¡°Yes, I''m feeding you through her.¡± Ren said and looked at the stub of the arm Lylyth had cut off and given to Elerlyth as an apology. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± The child and Dark Elf blinked and Ren was gone, and they were surprised that he was still feeding them Misery. ¡°Elerlyth, do you still have the Dark Elf''s arm?¡± Ren asked, and Elerlyth took it out of inventory and gave it to him. ¡°Thanks.¡± He said and looked at the healer. ¡°I don''t know if it''s possible, but I''d like your help.¡± ¡°I''ll try anything you have in mind, My Lord.¡± The healer said, and Ren smiled. ¡°Come with me.¡± Ren said and they walked the long way around to the small cavern''s entrance and she saw the Dark Elf. ¡°My Queen maimed him for hurting her vassal without permission.¡± The healer said. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not doing it for him, though.¡± The healer looked at the child and felt Ren emotions. ¡°Yes, I see.¡± ¡°Can you make an arm regrow?¡± Ren asked her, and she shook her head. ¡°I didn''t think so.¡± He said and knelt by the Dark Elf. ¡°I can knock you out for this.¡± The Dark Elf shook his head. ¡°It''s going to be really painful.¡± Ren said, and he nodded. ¡°Just... do... it.¡± The Dark Elf said and looked up at his daughter. ¡°Close... eyes.¡± ¡°No, I want to see.¡± She said. He looked at Ren, and Ren smiled. ¡°She''s old enough to decide for herself.¡± Ren said, and he felt how happy she was. The Dark Elf sighed and nodded, and Ren handed the severed arm to the healer. ¡°This is going to be quick and messy.¡± ¡°It always is.¡± The healer said, and Ren took out his hammerpick. It was still 3 times it''s normal size, which meant the plow end was more than wide enough to reopen the wound with a single swipe. He did the severed arm first, then did the Dark Elf''s arm stub. Blood gushed out as the Dark Elf screamed in excruciating pain and the healer jammed the severed arm back into place. She activated her Major Healing ability to reattach the bone, and the Dark Elf''s screams eased down to a dull roar. ¡°It still might not work like this.¡± The healer said and Ren gave her a Major Healing wand. ¡°This... you...¡± ¡°Put it to good use, My Lady.¡± Ren said, and then she did. Even with the wand, it still took almost 10 minutes to diagnose and fix all the damage. Of course, once the arm was re-attached, the Dark Elf didn''t want any more healing. ¡°You''re done here.¡± The Dark Elf said and sat up. ¡°You can stop feeding me.¡± ¡°I''m feeding your daughter, not you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m doing all of this for her.¡± ¡°I know you are.¡± The Dark Elf said and tried to stand up. He stumbled a bit and his daughter caught him. With her help, he stood up straight. ¡°You''ve done enough.¡± ¡°You know what? I changed my mind.¡± Ren said and looked at the daughter. ¡°When you get big enough and think you can handle it, you come and find me.¡± He said. ¡°Not for revenge, or to thank me.¡± He smiled. ¡°Just to visit.¡± The Dark Elf child could feel his sincerity, and that he did want to see her when she was older. A small smile appeared on her face and she nodded slightly. Ren eased down the Misery he was sharing with her to only a trickle and gave her a nod back. ¡°M''lady, I must take my leave.¡± Ren said to her, then took the healer''s hand and walked out of the small cavern. ¡°Ugh.¡± The Dark Elf grunted and collapsed to the floor of the cavern when he thought they were out of earshot. ¡°Daddy!¡± The child exclaimed and tried to comfort him. ¡°You shouldn''t have sent him away so soon!¡± ¡°I had to.¡± The Dark Elf said. ¡°Otherwise, we would owe him a debt that could never be repaid.¡± ¡°But...¡± The child wanted to argue with her father; but, she could feel that he didn''t want to discuss it anymore and didn''t continue her thought. ¡°Sorry to interrupt.¡± Ren said, and he saw both of them jump as they were startled. ¡°I almost forgot to give you your present.¡± ¡°Present?¡± The Dark Elf asked, and he could feel his daughter''s excitement. Ren took out an Unnatural Armor Amulet with the Spider modification. ¡°Put this on.¡± He said as he held it out to the child. She took it and slipped it on over her head, and it adjusted to fit and bound itself to her. ¡°It''s beautiful.¡± She said as the gold sparkled and she felt the effects. ¡°That''s not the present.¡± Ren said, and both the child and the Dark Elf looked at him in surprise. ¡°That''s just basic protection for you.¡± He took out a 4 foot wide plush tarantula and held it out to her. ¡°IEEE!¡± The girl squealed in delight and grabbed the spider that was just as big as her. Teepo chittered in laughter as the girl squeezed the plush spider tightly and rocked it from side to side as if it was a baby. ¡°That''s your present for being such a good girl and helping your father.¡± Ren said. While the Dark Elf''s emotions reeled over the feelings he felt from his daughter that he had never felt from her before, Ren went over to their old ratty bedrolls and replaced them with 2 nice beds with comfy mattresses, then left without another word. Chapter 489 - The Light Shines ¡°Why did you do that?¡± Elerlyth asked as Ren and the healer walked over to her. ¡°I felt what you did.¡± ¡°I was tempted to just leave him.¡± Ren said, and he felt her emotional reaction despite him telling the truth. ¡°I really would have.¡± He said and raised a hand to stop her protest. ¡°The girl wouldn''t survive long if she was alone.¡± Elerlyth sighed. ¡°She might have been okay if he had died.¡± ¡°Not by your hand, though.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°We''ll never know if she would be, because she saved him.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°What was that squeal just now?¡± ¡°My Lord gave the girl a 4 foot wide plush spider.¡± The Dark Elf healer said. ¡°Yeah, that would do it.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°She must have been terrified.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°She loved it.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Elerlyth said, surprised. ¡°She damn near tore my hand off taking it.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°My Lord, I need to return to the Queen.¡± The healer said. ¡°In a minute.¡± Ren said and disappeared. ¡°What the...?¡± Elerlyth looked to where he went by following his feelings, and then he was back. ¡°Ren, what...?¡± Ren took out another 4 foot wide plush spider toy and gave it to the healer. ¡°Thank you for helping me today, M''lady.¡± ¡°My Lord, it was my pleasure.¡± The healer said and stored the toy. She took out the Major Healing wand and handed it to him, and he refilled it and handed it back. ¡°My Lord?¡± ¡°Please keep it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It should last a while, and when it''s empty, either call me or come to my county for a visit.¡± ¡°You are too generous with such expensive things.¡± The healer admonished him, then smiled sweetly. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. The healer turned away from him and touched a spot above her breast. ¡°My Queen, may I return?¡± She asked, and a portal formed next to her. ¡°Before I go, can you find it in your heart to forgive the Queen for sending the fast attack squad to attack you?¡± Ren stepped forward and gave the healer a kiss, and pushed a strong feeling of forgiveness into her. ¡°Please give her that for me.¡± ¡°Y-yes, My Lord.¡± The healer said a little flustered, then stepped through the portal. It disappeared and Ren looked at the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it what was above them. It showed nothing, so he used the Staff of Earth to make another tunnel up through the ground to the surface. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said and climbed onto Princess'' saddle. Elerlyth climbed up onto her mount, Etheria, and Artemis floated up beside Ren. The small group quickly went up the tunnel and came to a stop a couple of minutes later, after they had reached the surface. Ren dismissed the tunnel and took out the large cart and opened it for Elerlyth and her mount to ride in. They climbed in and he shut and locked it, climbed onto Princess again, then rode across the sky as quick as a flash. He had Princess land on the main road to his county, and let Elerlyth and her mount out of the cart. ¡°I could have flown from the Main House.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You could have flown the entire way, too.¡± Ren said and grinned, and she laughed. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I appreciate both the ride and dropping me off first.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, now get going.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a couple of errands to do before going to bed.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Elerlyth climbed onto her mount''s saddle. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said, and she flew away over the trees to her place while he unhooked the large cart and stored it. ¡°Princess, take me to Yllana''s place.¡± He said and climbed up into the saddle. ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Princess trotted up into the air and disappeared. A few minutes later, she came to a stop just above Yllana''s apartment building and Ren asked Artemis to stay with Princess. He ran down to the door of the building and went inside and up to the second floor, then knocked on her apartment door as he equipped his High Elven Court Uniform. He heard swishing cloth and frantic feet approach the door from inside the apartment. ¡°Who in the world would be knocking this late at...¡± Yllana opened the door and stopped talking when she saw Ren. ¡°M-my L-lord Ren! What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I sincerely hope you were thinking about me.¡± Ren said and glanced down at her hastily closed robe that wasn''t quite closed enough to hide everything. ¡°I was.¡± Yllana said. ¡°In fact...¡± She looked around Ren to see if anyone else was in the hallway. ¡°...I was...¡± Her hand reached out and touched his uniform. ¡°...doing something naughty.¡± Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror from inventory. ¡°I know you were.¡± Yllana gasped, and Ren felt her finish a little. ¡°May I come in for a few minutes and discuss it?¡± Ren asked and stored the mirror. ¡°My Lord, you may come in for as long as you want.¡± ¡°Thank you, My Lady.¡± Ren said and stepped into her apartment and shut the door. * Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves, was a bit surprised that Ren had given the healer something for her. ¡°Well, don''t just stand there.¡± She said. ¡°Give it to me.¡± ¡°Yes, My Queen.¡± The healer said. Thanks to Ren''s amulet, she climbed up Lylyth''s leg and arm to put her head at the Queen''s height. ¡°The Royal Consort said to give this to you.¡± The healer said and kissed Lylyth right on the lips and poured Ren''s forgiveness into her. The healer wasn''t as adept as Ren was with sharing emotions, and the Queen''s lips were twice as big as hers; so, it took her a little longer to share both the kiss and the whole feeling of forgiveness with the Queen. The healer broke the kiss and climbed back down to the floor, and Lylyth just stood there. She was a little too flustered to say anything coherent. ¡°I felt the same way when he made the request, My Queen.¡± The healer said, happy that she had fulfilled Ren''s request, and had achieved the same result that he had elicited in her. * Yllana had nearly lost her mind in ecstasy as Ren told her what he had been doing while he and Elerlyth had watched her pleasing herself. ¡°You...¡± Yllana kissed him. ¡°...are too good...¡± She knelt in front of him. ¡°...to be true.¡± ¡°Yllana, I...¡± Ren tried to say as she started to undo his pants. ¡°...didn''t visit for...¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Yllana said and started to please him. She was quite enthusiastic about it, and Ren could feel her passion become unbridled. ¡°You knew exactly what would happen if you told me that.¡± She said and kept going. He couldn''t resist a woman that knew exactly what she wanted and was willing to take it; so, he finished quickly. ¡°Yllana, I...¡± ¡°I know you need to leave, so you can''t reciprocate this time.¡± Yllana said and cleaned him up. ¡°Thank you for fulfilling one of my fantasies.¡± ¡°One of?¡± Ren asked as he fixed his pants, and she chuckled as she stood up. ¡°I''ll tell you more when you have some spare time.¡± Yllana gave him a hug and whispered. ¡°Think of me again soon.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Yllana said and kissed his cheek, and Ren left her apartment. He ran downstairs and outside, and up to Princess. ¡°To Railyse, please.¡± Ren said as he climbed onto Princess. She trotted up into the air for a moment, then disappeared. They came to a stop next to the 300 foot wide by 300 foot long by 100 foot deep pool, and Ren told Artemis to stay beside Princess once again. He left some food for his mount, deactivated his Water Walk effect, and dove into the pool. ¡°Ren!¡± Railyse exclaimed as Ren swam over to her. ¡°I thought you might have forgotten.¡± ¡°After we did Elerlyth''s task, I made a quick stop at a friend''s place.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Believe me, it was quick.¡± Railyse laughed and hugged him. ¡°Yes, I believe you.¡± ¡°Now, have you thought of what you wanted?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Ever since I''ve been in this wonderful oasis you''ve made.¡± Railyse said. ¡°The biggest thing I want is a whirlpool.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Isn''t that dangerous for water elementals?¡± ¡°If they aren''t careful.¡± Railyse said, and Ren caught on to what she was doing. She wanted the water elementals in her care to have access to training for the dangers of open water. ¡°Let''s get to work.¡± Ren said and they swam off across the pool. It took almost an hour to get everything all set up the way Railyse wanted, and when they were done, they went up to the surface of the pool. Ren activated his Water Walk effect and disabled his Regeneration.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Even though I''ve experienced this twice before, it still amazes me that you do this.¡± Railyse said and knelt on the water. The two water elementals popped up beside her and waited patiently as she opened her mouth all the way to receive the bounty Ren was about to bestow upon her. Ren took out the hammerpick and was about to cut, when he remembered he didn''t have a Major Healing wand ready. He replaced the charges on another wand and held it at the ready, then cut his wrist with the plow end. Railyse didn''t struggle with the flow of blood from him for quite a long time. Ren couldn''t tell if the choppy water was from the enchantments that he and Railyse had set up, or from her burgeoning powers. He had to heal himself twice before he felt her start to falter in her consumption. He healed the cut to stop the flow of blood, and Railyse closed her mouth. ¡°By mother''s trident, that was glorious.¡± Railyse said, and a new water elemental popped up out of the water. ¡°You''re going to have your own Royal Guard soon.¡± Ren said, then greeted the new arrival with a few bubbles and gurgles. He knelt and cut his finger, and presented it to the largest water elemental. It pulled his finger inside of itself, and Ren felt it relax as his blood tinted it red. He almost chuckled as he felt the water elemental''s satisfaction. When the blood didn''t quite fade away as fast as it should, Ren knew it had had enough and pulled his finger out, then presented it to the next water elemental. It pulled his finger inside of itself and Ren felt how happy it was to receive such a good and tasty offering. It was smaller than the first elemental, so it was full much sooner. He removed his finger and looked at the newest water elemental. ¡°Little one, do you...¡± Ren asked in the Sea Dweller''s language, and it splashed out of the water and he caught it. ¡°I''ll take that as a yes.¡± He said, and Railyse laughed. ¡°Can you feel how eager it is?¡± Railyse asked, and Ren nodded. It didn''t take too much blood before it was full, and Ren activated his Regeneration ability and the cut healed instantly. He put the water elemental down onto the water, and it swam around in circles. ¡°Thank you for this.¡± Railyse said. ¡°All of this.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure, Future Queen.¡± Ren said, and she smiled. ¡°That sounds so horribly formal.¡± Railyse chuckled. ¡°You have a growing audience, and being disrespectful to you is not a good thing in front of them.¡± Ren said and chuckled, too. ¡°If you will excuse me, I have another errand to perform before I head to bed.¡± ¡°Yes, you may leave.¡± Railyse said and reached out and touched his face. ¡°Would you like another blessing?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You know my thoughts on getting to kiss you.¡± ¡°I think I''m starting to like this human fetish of yours.¡± Railyse said and kissed him.
Notice!
You have received a blessing from the Future Queen of the Water Realm. You now have a 20% bonus to all water-based enchantments, spells, and effects for the next 24 hours.
¡°No, it still feels weird.¡± Railyse said, and Ren laughed. ¡°Goodnight, Railyse.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Ren ran over to Princess and Artemis, and they all walked over to the Main House. Princess went into her house, and Ren and Artemis went to the large warehouse. ¡°There you are.¡± Officer Holly said from a chair just inside the doorway. ¡°Running a little late, I see.¡± ¡°Only a little.¡± Ren said and smiled as Artemis stood beside Officer Holly. ¡°Your armor should be finished in about half an hour.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I can''t wait to see it.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°We couldn''t complete the recipe until all the enchantments were finished.¡± Tee-one explained. ¡°It''s not just adding the jewel enchantments that has to be done. The basic metal pieces need to be enchanted as well.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°That''s going to take half an hour?¡± ¡°Yeah, we''re going to take our time and make sure we get it right.¡± Ren said, and he felt her surprise. He didn''t comment on it as he and Tee-one got to work and enchanted the armor pieces to their fullest extent and assembled them. When they were done, Ren checked the Holy Armor recipe. He removed the minimum level requirement and replaced it with the heavily modified Ring of Regeneration recipe, put the armor on the Craft Wondrous Item platform, and activated the Holy Armor recipe. The armor was covered in a white glow for a full minute before it was done, and then Ren and Tee-one added all the diamond accents to the pieces. That was the time consuming part, and yet they were done well within the half an hour limit Ren had stated. ¡°Okay, what weapon do you want?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°Do you want a sword? A pike? A spear? A lance? What?¡± ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I just barely started this class.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Standard weapons it is, then.¡± ¡°We could get away with just casting them.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°If they''re just basic weapons, we don''t have to fold them a bunch of times.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± Ren said and looked at Officer Holly. ¡°When you go up in levels, you should get a recipe for a weapon, probably something specific for your class. We''ll go all out with our forging techniques when you do.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren turned to Tee-one. ¡°Set up the molds, and I''ll add the molten metal to the satellite smelters.¡± They went back to work and quickly made the weapons, then changed the molds to different kinds of shields. While Tee-one poured the shields, Ren went to a workbench and worked on the weapons. He enchanted them, used Double Infusion to make them that much better at dealing damage, then sharpened them. ¡°I have the shields.¡± Tee-one brought them over to Ren, who worked on them while Tee-one used Double Infusion to enhance the weapons even more. Officer Holly sat there and watched them for the entire time, and she couldn''t believe how fast they were working. She suspected they were doing hours of work in only minutes, and she couldn''t understand how that was possible. ¡°It''s fascinating, isn''t it?¡± Artemis said. ¡°It''s like a well-choreographed dance.¡± Officer Holly had to agree. ¡°I''ve never seen anything like it.¡± ¡°Neither have I.¡± Artemis said. ¡°It''s amazing.¡± Officer Holly nodded and watched as they finished the shields, then they made a bow and arrow and a crossbow. The last item took nearly 10 minutes to make, and it looked weird with a large canister mounted in the middle of it. Ren stretched a little when they were done, and he walked over to her. ¡°Well, we''re done.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you ready to be amazed?¡± ¡°Dazzle me.¡± Officer Holly said. Ren took her new armor out of inventory and handed it to her. She took it and equipped it, and caught her breath as it took effect.
Guardian of Protection''s Enhanced Armor of Light (Very Rare, Binds on Equip, Cannot be Dropped, Permanent)
This armor is the embodiment of Light itself, and shines with an inner light to show others your true value. When worn, it is as much a part of you as your own hand. This armor is complete and can no longer be modified. Weapons used by the wearer will be imbued with Light to enhance their effectiveness. Grants: Reassurance Aura (Intermediate), Command Aura (Intermediate), Camaraderie Aura (Intermediate), Sense Undead Aura (Intermediate), Sense Void (Intermediate). Please note: Auras combine with those of the wearer (if present) to enhance your natural abilities. Inherent Spells: Detect Undead, Turn Undead, Minor Healing, Major Healing, Cure Poison, Cure Curse, Full Restoration
Stats modified when worn:
Strength 2,500 Dexterity 2,500
Vitality 2,500 Agility 2,500
Endurance 2,500 Intelligence 2,500
Luck 100 Wisdom 2,500
Bonuses when worn:
Protection 1,250% Defense 1,750% to Armor
Spell Resistance 1,500% Stealth +150%
Damage Resistance 1,500% Concealment +150%
Empowerment 50% Speed +550%
Reinforcement +75% to Defense Toughness +1,500% to Durability
Complete Set Bonus: +75 to all stats, +25% Armor Value, +25% Defense
Normal Information:
This armor has Lightness that grants an 80% reduction to weight and burdens carried, and is less restrictive than regular armor. No movements are hampered, and any penalties to Agility and Dexterity are negated. Durability: Not Applicable (Maxed)
¡°Oh... my... god.¡± Officer Holly said as she looked down at herself. She was covered from neck to toe in white segmented armor. It had gold filigree around the edges, and the chest piece didn''t have the normal shaped breasts that other women''s armor had. It was a single slightly pointed piece that went right across the chest. She also had a full helm instead of the tiara he would normally make. ¡°Do you like it?¡± Ren asked, just because he knew that she expected him to, even though he felt everything she was feeling at the moment. ¡°Ren... oh, my god.¡± Officer Holly tried to touch the armor and saw her hands were covered in gauntlets. ¡°You can store the helm and gauntlets when you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°I always make them as separate pieces.¡± Officer Holly stored the gauntlets and traced her fingertips across the gold and white armor. The inner light of the armor highlighted her skin, and she almost giggled at the sight. Her favorite toy had been a glow worm that glowed with internal light, and now she was one. ¡°Since you don''t know your fighting style yet, I''ve enchanted each of these weapons the same.¡± Ren said and handed over the 5 weapons he had made. A broadsword, a long sword, a spear, a mace, and a lance. ¡°They are loaded with Light damage and will help you fight the undead.¡± He smiled. ¡°You should be able to cut through them like a hot knife through butter.¡± Officer Holly stored them and Ren took out the shields. ¡°These depend on the weapon you use, and what you need to protect yourself in battle.¡± Ren said, and handed her a small buckler, a large round shield, a tower shield, a medium-sized square shield, and a tower shield with a slit in the middle of it to attack through. ¡°They are also enchanted with Light, and when you activate them, will light up a room and reveal any spirits that might be lurking.¡± ¡°Spirits?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°Oh! You mean banshees and spectral knights.¡± ¡°Those, too.¡± Ren said. Officer Holly realized that he meant actual ghosts and a shiver went down her spine. ¡°Don''t worry. I''ve only met one actual ghost so far, and the Light enchantments on my arrows helped it move on.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I have to watch out for ghosts.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Your armor will take care of that.¡± He said and tapped her arm with a finger. ¡°When they come within your Aura, they will be revealed in plenty of time to deal with them.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Ren took out the bow and a quiver of arrows. ¡°I don''t know if you have the archery skill, so here''s a bow that gives it to you when you use it.¡± He said and she stored it, and he took out the crossbow. ¡°This is an automatic crossbow. It shoots normal bolts, and you load them like this.¡± He hit a little switch and the main cartridge dropped out, and he pointed to the slot. ¡°Just shove them in there, and pop it back in.¡± He did that and showed her a selector on the side. ¡°You can do single shot, triple shot, and full auto.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Officer Holly exclaimed. ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just hold the trigger and they just keep shooting out.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°You burn through ammo fast like that; but, in some circumstances, it''s necessary.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Officer Holly said and stored the crossbow. ¡°Here''s 2 replacement cartridges, too.¡± Ren said and handed them over. ¡°How much do I...¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Ren said and waved her offer away before she made it. Officer Holly stored the cartridges and shook her head. ¡°This... it''s a fortune''s worth of items.¡± ¡°Yeah, it always is.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Why do you think I never sell this kind of stuff?¡± ¡°You don''t need the money?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even if I wasn''t rich beyond compare, I''d only want the cost of the materials anyways.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If all I wanted was money, I could have stayed in the starter city and worked every day and made a fortune by now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Instead, I had fun, went on adventures and gathered materials... and inadvertently money.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I could give everyone I''ve met a thousand platinum coins each, and still have tens of thousands left.¡± Officer Holly''s mouth dropped open in shock, and he laughed. ¡°Look, here''s proof.¡± Ren said and took out a handful of platinum coins and gave them to her. ¡°I''m going to be busy for the rest of the night, so you can go and have fun somewhere.¡± He said and gently took her arm and guided her out of the warehouse. ¡°Good luck trying to spend it all.¡± He said and went back inside. Officer Holly looked at the pile of platinum coins in her hands and shook her head. ¡°He really is crazy.¡± Officer Holly said. Chapter 490 - Relaxing In Style Ren turned around inside the warehouse and went back out to Officer Holly. ¡°Oops, I almost forgot.¡± He said and took out the Wand of Transport. ¡°One Phantom Steed for a Guardian of the Light, coming up.¡± He said and cast the spell. Since he now knew what the Holy Armor did, he had a better understanding of what kind of steed she needed. When it formed, instead of being black like all the others, it was pure white. It''s smokey hooves and mane were now golden clouds instead, and it''s red eyes were now blue. ¡°REN!¡± Officer Holly yelled and stored the platinum coins as she darted forward to pet the horse. Ren felt how happy she was and let her caress the mount for a moment. ¡°Step back for a minute.¡± He said and used Permanent Widen Effect on it to increase the mount''s speed, then made the mount permanent. ¡°Okay, it''s done.¡± ¡°I''m not even going to ask how you did this.¡± Officer Holly said as she stepped forward and pet the steed again. ¡°It''s like a dream come true.¡± Ren smiled, because the statement reminded him of what the female elfling said when he had made her dream come true. ¡°It doesn''t have to eat or sleep, so as long as you never lose it, it will stay by your side forever.¡± ¡°I...¡± Officer Holly ran her hand through it''s cloudy mane. ¡°It''s what I''ve always wanted.¡± ¡°Then I''ll leave you to it.¡± Ren said and went back into the warehouse. He thanked Tee-one for all of his hard work, waved to Ruck, and left the warehouse with Artemis. Officer Holly was still there, and she lovingly pet the animal. ¡°By the way, it can fly.¡± Ren said as he approached, then cast Permanent Air Walk on Officer Holly. ¡°With this, you can run through the air and stop yourself from falling, or being thrown around, or anything else that would make you fall or move through the air.¡± He said and walked up into the air. ¡°Like so.¡± Officer Holly looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I better give you this, too.¡± Ren said and made her a modified amulet with Unnatural Armor and the Spider enchantments. He gave it to her and started to walk away. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± ¡°W-wait!¡± Officer Holly managed to say, and Ren turned around. ¡°Why are you doing all of this for me?¡± ¡°I told you before. If you''re going to be around me, you need to be protected and also be able to watch my back.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Now you can.¡± Officer Holly took out the pile of platinum coins he had just given her. ¡°Ren, I... I can''t accept this.¡± Ren walked over to her. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°It might be considered a bribe.¡± ¡°Are you so easily bought?¡± Ren asked, and he felt her immediate anger. ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Officer Holly said, hotly. ¡°Then what''s the problem?¡± ¡°Money changing hands between...¡± ¡°Uh, fine.¡± Ren said and opened up the Land Owner menu. He added her as a personal guard, and gave her a yearly salary for the same amount of platinum coins. ¡°There, happy?¡± Officer Holly stared at the popup. ¡°A... a year?!?¡± ¡°You can quit anytime you want, and keep the rest of the year''s salary.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Does that ease your conscience?¡± ¡°I...¡± Officer Holly sighed. ¡°Yes, kind of.¡± ¡°Geez, I thought I had an odd view of things.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I just gave you a set of armor worth more than 10 times that amount, and yet you didn''t even consider that as a bribe.¡± Officer Holly gasped at that, because it was true, and Ren started to walk away. ¡°If I had to guess, the Permanent Phantom Steed I gave you would be worth about the same as what you have in your hands.¡± Ren said and waved at her over his shoulder without looking at her. ¡°Have fun!¡± * Officer Holly sighed as she watched him and his metal woman walk across the road. ¡°Dammit, he''s right.¡± She said and stored the money again and pet her Phantom Steed. ¡°I looked at them as gifts; but, as soon as money appeared, I immediately thought ''bribe''.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Isn''t that funny?¡± Her steed nodded, and she rubbed her hands through it''s cloudy golden mane. ¡°How about we go for a quick ride?¡± The steed neighed at her, and she climbed up into the saddle. ¡°Up, up, and away!¡± Officer Holly said, and the horse reared back and took off up into the sky. * ¡°There she goes.¡± Artemis said as she watched Officer Holly fly away on the Phantom Steed. ¡°It didn''t take her long to adjust to the concept that I''d already bribed her with gifts.¡± Ren laughed and opened the door to the Main House. ¡°She really is going to have a hard time spending even a fraction of that money.¡± Artemis walked by Ren, and he followed her inside. Now that he wasn''t distracted, he could clearly feel Xuunah in her apartment. He walked over to the door of the apartment at the back and knocked. The door opened and Xuunah stood there in the same clothing she had worn since she arrived. ¡°Hi, Xuunah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want me to make you something else to wear?¡± Xuunah chuckled. ¡°I generate this clothing by default when I resume this form.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Does that mean you don''t wear normal clothing?¡± ¡°No, it means I don''t waste energy or Mana to make anything different.¡± ¡°Then I''ll have Tee-one make a few things up for you.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Something appropriate, that is.¡± ¡°It''s not necessary.¡± ¡°It never is.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°By the way...¡± ¡°Yes, I was in the Connected Sanctuary.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Because of the time difference, even though we are still connected, we can''t share emotions properly.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had hoped that was why, and not because... well, I thought...¡± ¡°I believe you''d know it if I left, or suddenly died.¡± ¡°That''s good to know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you going back inside tonight?¡± ¡°No. I was in there earlier and won''t need to visit again until I have something new to report.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°What did they think of the plans I gave you?¡± ¡°They were overjoyed to have received so much information so quickly.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Of course, I''ve been assigned to a very long term watch over you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Long by their standards, I assume.¡± Xunnah nodded. ¡°Who''s your new friend?¡± Ren turned slightly and presented Artemis to her. ¡°This is Artemis, my new familiar.¡± Xuunah held a hand out and Artemis took it. ¡°You sure know how to make them.¡± ¡°Thank you... I think.¡± Ren chuckled again. ¡°Artemis, Xuunah.¡± ¡°I see we are both bound to him, but in different ways.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Will you be accompanying us from now on? I need to know if you should be protected as well.¡± Xuunah looked at Ren. ¡°Can I come with you?¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Sure. You were busy, so I couldn''t bring you along this time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not sure what you can do, but having you along is better than not having you along.¡± It was Xuunah''s turn to chuckle. ¡°You make that sound so appealing.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°It''s a gift.¡± He said. ¡°I better get upstairs.¡± ¡°Yes, they''ve missed you all day and are quite full of anticipation for tonight.¡± ¡°Then I can''t keep them waiting anymore.¡± Ren said. He activated his Contact Aura and it merged with the shared Aura the maids always had active. ¡°Goodnight, Xuunah.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Xuunah said and closed the apartment door. Ren and Artemis went back to the stairs to go up to the second floor, and went to the apartment. He knocked to give them a moment to get dressed if they wanted, then opened the door. He saw a flash of red hair and then he caught Andrela in his arms. ¡°Ren!¡± Andrela said, then kissed him. ¡°Welcome home!¡± ¡°I thought we agreed to greet him demurely.¡± Frikara said from the chair she sat in next to her dressing table. ¡°No, you agreed and I didn''t say anything.¡± Andrela said and laughed, which made the others laugh, too. ¡°Well, that''s true.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Everyone, I''d like you to meet someone.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s almost a foot and a half taller than you, Ren.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We can clearly see her.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°This is my new familiar, Artemis.¡± ¡°Hello, everyone.¡± Artemis said and waved. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± ¡°She''s a sentient crossbow?!?¡± Lusinia asked, astonished. Her Identify ability had given her the details. ¡°She shoots Mana bolts, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°It came in handy today.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Why don''t you tell us all about it?¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure you can drop the reserved act.¡± Navruth said. ¡°We can all feel your excitement.¡± ¡°Sometimes pretense is all we have.¡± Frikara said as she stood up, and they could feel her emotions trembling through the shared Aura. Andrela let Ren go and stepped out of the way as Frikara walked over to him. ¡°Frikara.¡± Ren said, a bit surprised at her struggle to retain control of her emotions for him. She stopped right in front of him and visibly shook, just like her emotions. ¡°I missed you.¡± Frikara said and let her control go as she put her arms around his neck. ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren said and was immediately excited by her. She felt his reaction to her, and that made her passion for him explode into the shared Aura. She gently leaned in and kissed him, and it sent a ripple through the Aura. ¡°Wh-what is that?¡± Lusinia asked and walked over to them. She put a hand out and felt along a force about 5 feet away from Frikara. Ren broke the kiss and saw sparkles in Frikara''s eyes. ¡°I think someone discovered a new Aura.¡± Ren said, and Frikara nodded. ¡°I don''t know why, but...¡± Frikara caressed Ren''s hair. ¡°...something changed inside of me today.¡± Ren thought about what had happened during the day, and there were several things that could have been the cause. ¡°It''s... Desire.¡± Ren said when he used his Aura Sight ability. ¡°I thought the succubi were a little dangerous with their Seduction Auras... but... but this...¡± ¡°Only for you.¡± Frikara whispered. ¡°But...¡± ¡°No other man will ever see me this way.¡± Frikara said and stored her clothing. ¡°No other man deserves this feeling from me.¡± ¡°F-Frikara.¡± Frikara unhooked his cloak and handed it off to Lusinia, who folded it and put it beside the bed. ¡°It''s been a long time since we bathed together.¡± ¡°I-it has.¡± Ren said as Teepo flew off of his shoulder and landed on the ceiling. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± Ren altered the Instant Tower recipe and removed the in-ground extensions the tower normally put into the ground to hold the tower in place, then substituted the Jacuzzi recipe he had. He activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and added the ingredients needed. An instant later, a tiny little cube appeared and he placed it in the middle of their apartment and activated it. A very large hot tub appeared and filled with water instantly. Ren stored his clothing and everyone saw how excited he was, and all of the desire from the maids flooded into the shared Aura. ¡°That must hurt so much.¡± Frikara said and touched his very erect part tenderly, and they all felt the thrill and a bit of pain. ¡°Right this way.¡± She said and gripped it firmly, then guided him over to the large hot tub. ¡°By the gods.¡± One of the maids said as they felt Ren''s emotions when Frikara climbed into the hot tub and dragged him with her. The other maids were unsure of what to do, and Frikara looked at them. ¡°Don''t just stand there.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Ren needs our help.¡± ¡°O-of course.¡± Andrela said and stored her clothing and climbed into the hot tub with them. The others didn''t need any more prompting and did the same. Once they were all in the water, Frikara squeezed Ren a little to get his attention. ¡°We are both separate and together.¡± Frikara said and sat down on his lap. Everyone gasped at the sensations and froze still to become accustomed to it, then Frikara took in a deep breath. ¡°When you are in pain, we are in pain.¡± She rocked her hips forward and back. ¡°I give to you all that I am, willingly and lovingly.¡± She said and leaned forward and hugged Ren tightly. ¡°Please accept this gift.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said and kissed her. The other maids went along for the ride as the small light of connection with Ren in their chests started to glow. Their hips moved in the water as their bodies mimicked Frikara''s movements. They all shared the desire, passion, and love between each other, and then they all finished as one. * Nathalia had woken up in bed when she felt a strong spike of desire from Ren, and wasn''t sure what was going on. She looked down at her chest and saw that the small light of connection she had to Ren glowed softly. ¡°R-Ren!¡± Nathalia said as she felt his emotions reach a crescendo, then she finished with him. * Xuunah had tried her best to ignore the feelings she was receiving from Ren as she laid in bed; but, when the strong spike of desire hit her, her body had refused to respond to her. She thought about going to her closet Sanctuary, but it was much too late for that. He had even warned me. Xuunah thought as a small light of connection to Ren in her chest started to glow. It was the first time she had felt this way in millennia, so she knew why her physical body wasn''t reacting properly. She also knew there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn''t avoid feeling everything he felt and went along for the ride. When Ren finished, so did she; just like the maids and Nathalia had. They had all finished together. * Artemis had stood there and watched as Ren was taken care of in a special way. Unlike the other familiars, when her mental connection formed with him, it had added the emotional component as well because of his Emotion Siphon ability. She didn''t gain that ability; but, she did feel his feelings completely. Normally, it only took some of her concentration to block him from feeling her feelings in return. In this situation, however... with him being overwhelmed with desire and passion... it had taken all of her concentration to stop sharing her feelings. Since her main component was metal, she could stand there like a statue and no one would know what she was going through. Inside, she was in so much emotional turmoil that she didn''t know what to do. Her own desires were held in only because she knew that she wasn''t welcome to join in with the others, despite her being more a part of Ren than they were. She knew that was arguing semantics, and she didn''t care. She wanted to feel good, too; but, she knew it wasn''t her time. She would only be an intrusion if she attempted to cross the room and get in the hot tub with Ren, even though she really wanted to. * After Ren had finished, he looked down and saw the small light of connection in his chest glowed, and realized that Nathalia and Xuunah had shared the experience and finished with him. I''m going to have to apologize to Xuunah. Ren thought for a moment, and then Frikara kissed him and moved off of his lap. Andrela was next, and the feelings were much sharper with her. It wasn''t because of the situation, it was always more intense with her. He wasn''t sure if it was because she was the youngest and had the least experience, or because he had accepted her into his life despite those facts. Either way, it didn''t matter anymore, because Andrela demanded his undivided attention as her body moved. She put his hands on her breasts and Ren massaged them for her... and for himself. This continued as Frikara kept her Desire Aura active, and they all shared in the pleasure. The bonds between them deepened and became stronger as each maid took a turn and joined with Ren. By the time all 5 of them had finished, even Ren was nearing the point of exhaustion because the emotional turmoil they had gone through drained them just as much as the physical activity had. They sat together and soaked in the hot tub, and didn''t try to use any soap to wash themselves. It had only been an excuse by Frikara to be together with Ren somewhere other than the bed, and it had worked spectacularly. In fact, it had worked much better than she had ever imagined as her Aura had leveled up and expanded out to 10 feet, and it now affected the other maids, too. ¡°That... was... fun.¡± Andrela managed to say as she sighed in contentment and snuggled close to Ren, who chuckled and put an arm around her and across her back, and rested his hand on Lusinia''s back. He used his other arm to do the same with Frikara and Navruth, and it left Verwynn out of the loop. She smiled as she realized the only way to touch him was on his lap, so she sat sideways across it and put her legs up and rested them on Andrela and Lusinia. She snuggled in and put her head on Ren''s chest, and they all let out a collective sigh. ¡°It was.¡± Ren said and relaxed. ¡°Thank you, all of you.¡± ¡°You are quite welcome.¡± Frikara said. ¡°After we rest for a while to recover, we should get to bed.¡± A couple of the maids laughed. ¡°After we rest we should go to bed?¡± Navruth asked with a smile on her face. ¡°That doesn''t make sense.¡± ¡°You know what I mean.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I doubt I could even stand up right now.¡± ¡°I could carry you to the bed, but I''m kind of in the same situation.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, it''s more like I don''t want to move right now, not that I can''t.¡± Frikara kissed his cheek. ¡°Then relax, enjoy the water, and being with us.¡± ¡°I am, I will, and I sure did.¡± Ren smiled, and they felt how happy he was. After about 10 minutes, Ren did as he said. He picked up and carried each maid over to the bed, and they equipped an outfit for a moment to dry themselves off, and he put them down on the bed. Once all 5 were in the bed, he equipped his Travelling Clothes for a moment to dry off as well, then stored them and laid down in the middle of the bed. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and logged out. His phantom form was there for about 10 minutes, and then he was back. ¡°All right, we''re good for the night.¡± ¡°You really are staying the whole night with us?¡± Andrela asked, and he nodded. ¡°Yay!¡± She said and snuggled in close to him. ¡°Hey, no hogging.¡± Verwynn said jokingly, and the others chuckled. ¡°Spoon time.¡± Ren said and turned onto his side, and Andrela was more than happy to turn her back to him. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her in close, and she moaned a little as he pressed himself against her backside. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Andrela said. ¡°I have a fix for that.¡± She said and slid up slightly so that he rested between her legs instead. ¡°Yes, that''s much better.¡± Ren said in a slightly deeper voice, and she blushed. ¡°Don''t tease her.¡± Frikara said and laid down in front of Andrela, then moved in close to press her back against her. Ren reached around Andrela and pulled Frikara in closer, and Andrela snuggled into her and sighed. Being held was nice for her; but, being embraced on both sides made her feel safer than she''d ever felt. Ren kissed the back of her neck, and she sighed again. The other three maids spooned in behind Ren and they all held each other as they drifted off to sleep. Chapter 491 - The Chosen Ones Ren only had to sleep for an hour to gain the same benefit of sleeping for 8 hours, and he didn''t bother getting up when he first woke up. The maids slept for another hour, and all he did was lay there and hold them. When the maids woke up, they changed sleeping positions so that they could all touch as much of him as possible. ¡°What are these things?¡± Frikara asked as she ran a hand down the back of his arm along the web markings under his skin. ¡°I wished to heal the ghouls, and the mark on my right hand shot out webs that moved over my shoulders to end on my left hand.¡± ¡°That''s an odd thing to have happen.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I wonder what it means.¡± ¡°I can worry about the implications later.¡± Ren said and put an arm around her. ¡°Right now, I just want to cuddle with you all.¡± They stayed that way for another half an hour, and lazily dozed in and out of consciousness; then Ren was woken up by a strong feeling of desire. He looked at Frikara, who stirred at his attention, and she looked back at him. ¡°That''s not me this time.¡± Frikara said and looked at Ren''s crotch. Andrela had cuddled with it, rubbed her face on it, then kissed it. She felt Ren''s reaction to that and looked up at him over Verwynn''s head on his abdomen. ¡°I love you.¡± Andrela said and started to please him. ¡°By the gods.¡± Frikara said for Ren, because he couldn''t speak at the moment. Andrela was making him feel too good to say anything. The other maids woke up as they felt Ren''s emotions in the shared Aura, and they all noticed Andrela working him over. ¡°Look at her go.¡± Lusinia said, then she gasped as Andrela found a particular spot on Ren that he hadn''t realized was a particularly sensitive spot, and his emotions spiked in the shared Aura. ¡°Wh-wh-what... h-h-how...¡± Ren tried to speak. ¡°Well, she does have immediate location knowledge.¡± Frikara said and smiled. ¡°Although, I didn''t know it could be so specific.¡± Andrela stopped her administration of her talent and looked at Frikara. ¡°I didn''t, either.¡± ¡°D-don''t s-stop!¡± Ren said, and Andrela kept going. ¡°S-someone k-kiss m-me!¡± Navruth was the closest to his mouth, so she turned her head and started to kiss him. Frikara, Lusinia and Verwynn exchanged glances, nodded as one, and started to kiss the spots they could reach. They had done something similar before, where they had kissed him all over; but, this was the first time sex could be involved with it. They didn''t bother trying to restrain their feelings as they kissed him, and hoped it would go much further than just kissing. Ren couldn''t believe the sensations he was getting, both physically and emotionally, and wanted to reciprocate this time, unlike what he did with the elfling Yllana. His hands fumbled around and found 2 special places, and started to play with them. He heard 2 gasps as 2 pairs of the lips kissing him stopped, and one of them was Navruth. ¡°Keep kissing.¡± Ren said, and she tried to; but, he was just too skilled in his touch for her to concentrate on two different things at once. ¡°Frikara.¡± Ren said, and Navruth''s head was gently moved aside and Frikara started kissing him instead. They stayed that way until Andrela decided that playing and teasing wasn''t as appealing if he wasn''t going to finish, so she skipped her special technique and used as much brute force as she could instead. Ren gasped into Frikara''s mouth when Andrela changed her strategy, and they all felt it building in him. Frikara broke the kiss when he was close and looked at the others. ¡°Do it.¡± They nodded slightly, and just as Ren was about to finish, they all leaned close and gently bit him. ¡°GODS!¡± Ren yelled and finished, and so did the two maids he was playing with. There was no chance whatsoever that Andrela could hold it all, or even stem the flow from him. She deftly avoided the majority of the mess and stroked him as she waited until he was done. It took a while. ¡°Wow.¡± Frikara said as she stopped biting him to watch. Her teeth had left little indent marks that quickly faded, thanks to Ren''s regeneration ability. The others stopped as well and watched what was happening, too. ¡°You were right, Frikara.¡± Navruth said, her eyes wide at the sight. ¡°He definitely liked that.¡± ¡°O-only a l-little.¡± Ren said, and that made the maids laugh. ¡°I think I need to thank you properly.¡± ¡°Ren, we did this for yooooouuuuuu!¡± Frikara said as he picked her up and put her down on the bed on her back. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and made sweet and passionate love to her as he flooded the shared Aura with his feelings. It drove all the maids wild with desire, and Frikara''s Desire Aura popped into place automatically. It bumped up everything they felt, and Ren made sure Frikara was thanked truly and completely. Ren then did the same with each of the maids in turn, and made sure they each had an equal amount of both time and pleasure. He thanked them all as much as he could for the rest of the night. Teepo warned him about 2 hours before morning, so that they could all rest in bed together to get enough sleep so they wouldn''t be tired for the coming day. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought to his friend, and told the maids. They thanked Teepo as well, and after Ren quickly logged out to take care of things, they slept for the time they would need to get a full night''s rest. * Lylyth, Queen of the Dark Elves, felt like she had run a marathon the entire night. All of Ren''s feelings came through to her in full force, and she was too distracted by the sensations to feed as much as she wanted. She had lost count of how often she had finished, and when the night was over, she was too exhausted to climb out of her funnel web. The healer came in to attend to her, and she felt Ren''s residual touch. ¡°I knew I should have stayed by your side and not gone to bed.¡± She said and touched the Queen''s forehead. ¡°Well, he''s sleeping now at least.¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± Lylyth managed to say as she looked at the healer. ¡°Wait, how did you get in here without my help?¡± ¡°My Lord gave me a gift.¡± The healer moved her top slightly and touched the amulet, and Lylyth''s eyes widened at the sight. ¡°That is quite the gift.¡± Lylyth said, and the healer took out the Mana potion Ren had given her. ¡°It''s not as important as this.¡± The healer said and used her innate ability to replenish herself. Because she was still touching her Queen, some of that Replenishment went into her as well. ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± Lylyth said and sat up. ¡°It''s my job to attend to you, My Queen.¡± The healer said. ¡°I''m just glad our tighter connection allows this to be possible.¡± ¡°As am I.¡± Lylyth said and stood up. ¡°My Queen, I have a question.¡± ¡°Go ahead and ask.¡± ¡°Do you regret meeting him?¡± The healer asked. ¡°I... don''t know.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°He''s been a boon beyond compare, but he is also a vexing presence.¡± The healer chuckled. ¡°You should ask him to visit.¡± She said. ¡°I''m sure he would come if...¡± ¡°I do not want him to politely decline.¡± Lylyth said and left her bedroom and went out into hallway. ¡°I would lose Influence if that were so.¡± ¡°I suppose that could be true.¡± The healer said. ¡°He is the Royal Consort, and if he refused...¡± ¡°I will visit him instead.¡± Lylyth said as they reached the throne room, and her familiar met her beside her throne. The 10 foot long spider patiently waited for his Queen''s command, and she waved her arm to call forth a portal. Her familiar used it''s ability to enlarge it to the proper proportion for Lylyth to walk through, then crawled in itself. ¡°My Queen, what will I tell...¡± ¡°Don''t worry. We will be back long before anyone shows up.¡± ¡°W-we?¡± The healer asked. Lylyth put a hand behind the healer''s back and eased her through the portal, then stepped through herself.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. * ¡°Ren! REN!¡± Teepo yelled when the portal appeared. Ren woke up and quickly dislodged himself from the pile of maids and equipped his platinum armor. Artemis had already come around and took aim at the portal, just in case. The maids started to stir at the disturbance, and he ignored them as he stood up beside the bed. The portal was in front of the chair with his cloak on it, so he couldn''t get the cloak without going around the portal. Ren did so as the portal expanded to a much greater size, then ran back around to the front and put on the cloak as a giant 10 foot long spider came out of the portal and stepped aside. Ren relaxed slightly at the sight and told Artemis to stand down, then the Dark Elf healer stepped out of the portal. ¡°My Lady, this is quite unexpected.¡± Ren said and gave her a slight bow. ¡°For me as well.¡± The healer said and stepped aside like the spider did, then the Queen of the Dark Elves stepped out of the portal. ¡°My Queen.¡± Ren said and ducked his head. ¡°Royal Consort.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°We need to talk.¡± ¡°I''ve almost finished with the main part of the ghouls.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just waiting for another attack before I head out to face them again.¡± ¡°Not about that.¡± Lylyth said. She looked at his right hand and at his left to see the new spider mark there, and pointed. ¡°About that.¡± ¡°How did you know about...¡± Ren thought about the pain he had felt at the time, and about her ability to feel all of his feelings, then noticed the similar web markings on Lylyth''s arms that he now had on his own. ¡°...ah, never mind.¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°So, you agree things should be discussed?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and looked at the maids. ¡°I''ll be back soon, so go back to sleep.¡± The maids started to protest him having to leave, and he held his hands up to stop them. ¡°If anything relevant comes up, I''ll tell you.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no need to keep you awake for the discussion, though.¡± Lylyth was about to say that they didn''t have to leave, but she could feel his concern for them getting their sleep and kept quiet. Ren felt resignation and agreement from the maids and gave each of them a quick kiss. Teepo dissolved into the Beetle Crown Ring, then Ren and Artemis went through the portal. They were quickly followed by Lylyth, the healer, and the spider familiar. Once on the other side, Ren summoned Teepo and walked slightly away from the portal and towards the throne. Ren waited until the portal closed before he spoke. ¡°Before we talk, I should show you something.¡± He said and activated his Heat Sense Aura and looked around the throne room. He didn''t see anyone else besides them and a bunch of spiders, and deactivated the Aura. He equipped his Travelling Clothes, then stored the tunic and shirt. The healer gasped as he turned around and showed them the extent of the webs across his shoulder and arms, and turned back around to see their surprised faces. He had felt shock from both the healer and Lylyth, and for some reason felt satisfaction from Lylyth''s spider familiar. Lylyth glanced at the 10 foot long spider and the healer stepped close to Ren. ¡°May I?¡± The healer asked and held out her hand. Ren nodded and her hand glowed slightly as she touched his forearm. ¡°It''s...¡± She looked at her Queen and the identical pattern on her arm. ¡°...I don''t know how this is possible.¡± She said and looked back at Ren and ran her hand up his arm to his shoulder, then walked around him and followed the web pattern across his shoulders and down the other arm to end at the new spider mark. ¡°This is... very odd.¡± ¡°What does it mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°How did you get it?¡± The healer asked. ¡°I made a wish to heal the ghouls.¡± Ren said, and Lylyth caught her breath. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°N-nothing.¡± Lylyth said and quickly turned away. ¡°Ow, that hurt.¡± Ren winced as the lie stabbed him right in the heart. ¡°I think the more powerful connection I have to someone, the more their lies hurt me.¡± Lylyth sighed, because she had felt that pain. ¡°I don''t want to talk about this anymore.¡± ¡°I''ll tell him.¡± The healer said, and Lylyth didn''t protest it. Ren felt the emotions in the room cool off to almost freezing, and he looked at the healer. ¡°Only Great Vasalor''s chosen could turn people into ghouls with a touch, then heal them with a touch if he so choose.¡± The healer said. ¡°Well, that can''t be true.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not one of his chosen, and I gained the Ghoul Touch after I leveled up in Shargon Caverns.¡± He said. ¡°Of course, I''ve neither had it active to cause pain to someone, nor infected anyone with it.¡± ¡°WH-WHAT?!?¡± Lylyth turned back around and looked at Ren. ¡°No, it''s not possible!¡± ¡°You''re really shocked by that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course she is.¡± The healer said. ¡°She''s one of the chosen.¡± ¡°Tiatha.¡± Lylyth said, and the healer''s mouth snapped closed. Ren looked at Lylyth. ¡°Does that mean you can make and heal the ghouls if you want?¡± ¡°No, I don''t have that ability.¡± Lylyth said, a bit disgustedly. Ren looked back at the healer. ¡°Tiatha is your name?¡± He asked her, and she nodded. He took her hand and bent over it, and kissed the back of it. ¡°It''s a pleasure to officially meet you.¡± The healer looked at her Queen, who sighed and nodded. Tiatha''s mouth relaxed and she smiled. ¡°Royal Consort, my name is Tiatha Miarora.¡± Ren knew that name sounded familiar, and he thought about where he could have heard an elvish name like that... and then he remembered. ¡°You wouldn''t happen to know a Tanelia Miarora, do you?¡± Ren asked, and the healer stiffened up. ¡°T-T-Tanelia!¡± The healer said, shocked. ¡°S-she... is my s-sister.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren felt her emotions, and activated his Reassurance Aura to calm her, then activated his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Restoring Hands, and poured good feelings into the healer. ¡°I appointed her to run the new High Elf city I''m going to build.¡± The healer''s mouth clamped shut again, and Ren felt her resentment. He used his free hand to touch the healer''s cheek and stepped close. ¡°Can I ask what''s going on?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I...¡± The healer sighed. ¡°I was cast out of my family when they noticed my height.¡± Ren looked at Lylyth, then back at the healer. ¡°Wait, does... does that mean...¡± ¡°Yes, I''m an elfling.¡± The healer said. ¡°I thought you were just a short Dark Elf.¡± Ren said, and he felt gratitude from both the healer and Lylyth. ¡°She is just a short Dark Elf.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°We don''t hold to the High Elf prejudices here.¡± Ren smiled and gave a strong feeling of gratitude back to Lylyth. ¡°That''s great to hear.¡± Lylyth nodded, and Ren concentrated on the healer to give her as much good feelings as he could manage. ¡°M-my L-lord... w-what...¡± ¡°Your sister is a Ghoul Kissed, and when I healed her, she became my vassal and a part of my domain.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°It''s a side effect of the healing.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had said the wish without any qualifications, and apparently if you do that, things go... a little off.¡± ¡°A little?!?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I spoke without thinking.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve already been called an idiot for it.¡± The healer closed her eyes and sighed. ¡°My Lord...¡± ¡°Once I get the city built, I''m sure she wouldn''t mind a visit from you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, that''s assuming Dark Elves and High Elves are even allowed to mix.¡± ¡°They aren''t.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Our outlooks on life are quite a bit different.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll make sure to tell her I know you, and I''ll gauge her reaction.¡± He said and let the healer''s face and hand go. ¡°If she doesn''t throw a temper tantrum, I''ll mention you meeting her.¡± ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± The healer said. ¡°I''ve said this before, and I''ll keep saying it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I don''t have to do anything.¡± The healer opened her mouth, closed it, then stepped forward and kissed him. Ren was always a sucker for a good kiss, so he kissed her back quite enthusiastically. After several moments, the healer broke the kiss and stepped back. ¡°Now, about this chosen thing...¡± Ren said, and she looked at the Queen. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Legend says that Great Vasalor only chooses those that are worthy, or deserving of his gifts.¡± The healer said. ¡°When someone appears with his abilities, it''s supposed to herald the coming of a new age for Elvenkind.¡± ¡°But... I wished for...¡± ¡°It doesn''t say how the gifts are gained, or how many are needed.¡± The healer said. ¡°Well.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°We don''t know.¡± The healer said. ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°It''s never happened before.¡± The healer said and looked at her Queen. ¡°My Queen has been the closest we''ve ever come, and when she appeared, it did herald a new age for Elvenkind.¡± ¡°Oh, it did.¡± Lylyth spat with venom in her voice. ¡°When I was corrupted... on purpose... then discarded, I...¡± She grit her teeth. ¡°I took it upon myself to take a section of the population with me.¡± ¡°The Arcane energies that were unleashed at the time she was cursed had changed her followers into what you see before you.¡± The healer said. ¡°We became the Dark Elves, a people of our own.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said and looked at Lylyth. ¡°I never thought... I mean...¡± ¡°That someone like me could be discarded?¡± Lylyth asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°If I had survived the ritual unscathed, I wouldn''t have been.¡± ¡°Ritual?¡± Ren looked from her to the healer, and back again. ¡°It happened so long ago that no one knows what happened.¡± The healer said. ¡°Not even the Queen.¡± Lylyth nodded. ¡°I was blindfolded of course.¡± She said. ¡°I couldn''t even tell you who was present.¡± ¡°I''m sorry you don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I kind of suffer the same thing with everything I''ve been through since I was young.¡± ¡°Well, there''s nothing anyone can do about it now.¡± Lylyth said and smiled. ¡°All we can do is move forward.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Then that''s what I''ll do.¡± He said. ¡°Can you open a portal back?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Thank you for...¡± ¡°There''s no need to thank me.¡± Ren said. ¡°All we did was talk.¡± Lylyth held a hand out to him, and he walked over to her and took it. ¡°Would you have done more than that?¡± She asked. ¡°I know of the restrictions you have set upon yourself.¡± ¡°You were already a part of this before that went into place.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''re an exception to the rule.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± The healer asked. ¡°The potential is there, but I stand by my decree. No sex with anyone new, because I don''t have the room in my life to have another woman I would need to spend quality time with.¡± ¡°Is that why...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve got just enough time to divide between everyone, and I can''t add another to the mix, even if the others approved of it.¡± ¡°So, it''s not that you can''t or won''t do it, it''s that you''re worried you can''t give them the time they would want to be with you?¡± Lylyth asked, and he nodded again. ¡°Do you always consider others before yourself?¡± ¡°Well, I''ve got about 45 minutes before I have to get to sleep.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°...and I haven''t seen your bedroom in a while.¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°Tiatha, prepare my bed chamber.¡± ¡°Yes, My Queen.¡± The healer said and ran from the throne room. ¡°That''s not necessary.¡± Ren said. ¡°It should only take a moment.¡± Lylyth said and turned towards the hallway. Several Dark Elves were walking up the hallway towards the throne room. ¡°Wait inside, and I will return in 45 minutes.¡± She commanded, and they nodded and went into the throne room. ¡°Is this going to make you delaying anything?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, dearest.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°We are only waiting for the ghoul outbreak to finish before we launch the campaign.¡± ¡°I guess that means you are preparing for a large army battle.¡± ¡°I always have been.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°It''s only recently that our numbers have been marginally close to having a chance to win.¡± They arrived at the Queen''s room and went inside. They walked up and into the large funnel web to the bedroom inside, and the healer had changed the lighting and the bed sheets to bright red. ¡°Thank you, Tiatha.¡± Lylyth said, and the healer bowed slightly and started to leave. ¡°My Queen? Can she stay?¡± Ren asked, and he felt surprise from both women. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I''ve only recently learned that there are a few things that can be done without actually having sex.¡± Ren said. ¡°If it''s okay with you, I''d like to include Tiatha for some of it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°She''s going to be feeling a lot of it while within my Aura anyway.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please allow me to give you some of her pleasure as well as mine.¡± ¡°Tiatha? Would you like to join us?¡± Lylyth asked the healer, but she didn''t have to. Both she and Ren could feel how happy the healer was. ¡°I''d love to!¡± The healer said excitedly and stored her clothing without being asked, and Ren chuckled as he held a hand out to her. She took it and held on tightly as the three of them climbed onto the oversized bed. Chapter 492 - You Understand The 45 minutes in bed with the Queen of the Dark Elves and the Dark Elf healer went by faster than any of them had expected. ¡°I really must go.¡± A double-sized Ren said and stood up on the bed. ¡°Mm hm.¡± Lylyth moaned as she looked up at him. ¡°I''m sorry this time was so short, so I give you my word that I won''t wait so long until my next visit.¡± Ren said and used the Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything wand on himself. ¡°Even if I am busy when you visit, you have my word that I will drop whatever I am doing to accommodate you.¡± Lylyth said, confidently. Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll make sure it''s at night, so it won''t disrupt you too badly.¡± ¡°Anytime is fine, dearest.¡± Lylyth said, and then a soft moan beside her got both of their attention. ¡°Do you think I overdid it?¡± Ren asked, and he could feel the soft glow of extended pleasure from the healer, as she looked up at him with a dreamy expression on her face. ¡°Obviously.¡± Lylyth chuckled and sat up. ¡°She should be fine in a few hours.¡± Ren laughed and knelt beside the healer. He leaned in and gave her a long slow kiss, and she moaned into his mouth. ¡°I''ll see you later, Tiatha.¡± He said in a seductive voice, and he felt a thrill go through her. He wasn''t sure if it was because he had said her name so intimately, or for anticipation of the next time. ¡°Make that a few days for her to calm down.¡± Lylyth laughed and waved her hand to call forth a portal. ¡°I don''t know where anyone is in your bedroom this time, so I''ve only put it close by.¡± ¡°Close by?¡± Ren asked and equipped his platinum armor. ¡°Within half a mile or so.¡± ¡°That''s not normally close, but that''s okay.¡± Ren said and touched her face. ¡°I can run that in no time at all.¡± ¡°Why do I like it so much that you touch me so tenderly?¡± Lylyth whispered. ¡°Is that a rhetorical question, or do you actually want an answer?¡± Ren whispered back and kissed her upper lip. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Lylyth admitted. Ren smiled and cupped both sides of her face. ¡°Well, if I had to take a guess, it''s because everyone treats you like the Queen you are.¡± He said, and he felt a touch of surprise from her. ¡°They are reverent, respectful, and always keep you at a distance.¡± He said. ¡°You''re strong, powerful, and can destroy anyone and anything that comes up against you.¡± Lylyth thought about that. ¡°Does that mean you don''t think those things?¡± ¡°Just the opposite.¡± Ren said and kissed her top lip again. ¡°I see you as all those things... and I also see you as a woman.¡± He felt a thrill go through her, and he smiled. ¡°That''s right, even someone as important as you, the leader of your people, the Dark Elves... sometimes... you just like to have someone treat you normally.¡± Lylyth closed her eyes as Ren moved his hands from her face to her ears and caressed along the ends and the lobes. He moved his hands down her neck and rubbed his fingers along her collarbone. ¡°You let me touch you like this without resistance or protest, and that''s all the proof you need.¡± Ren said and kissed her top lip again. ¡°Until next time, My Queen.¡± ¡°C-call me L-Lylyth.¡± Lylyth said as she opened her eyes, and the healer caught her breath. ¡°As you like, Lylyth.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Goodbye, dearest.¡± Teepo dissolved into the ring and Ren led Artemis through the portal, then started to fall. ¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said and came to a stop. Artemis floated next to him, and he summoned Teepo. ¡°How high up are we?¡± ¡°About quarter of a mile.¡± Teepo said and flew around to the right. ¡°The main house is over that way.¡± ¡°If I didn''t have Permanent Air Walk, I''d be falling to my death right now.¡± ¡°No, you wouldn''t.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I would have caught you the second you were in free fall.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren ran through the air over to the Main House and Artemis flew beside him. This high up he got a good look at the city, and there was quite a lot to it now. ¡°This place is really shaping up.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder what else I can add for attractions?¡± ¡°It depends on who you want to attract.¡± Teepo said and landed on his shoulder. ¡°Just more people.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder if I should advertise free housing?¡± ¡°No, you''ll just get a bunch of freeloaders.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You know that.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and they arrived at the Main House. He stopped beside the front door and looked at Artemis. ¡°Thank you for coming along.¡± ¡°I''m your ranged combat specialist.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I''d be negligent in my duties if I let you go alone.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Besides that, you kept watch over me while I was with the Queen of the Dark Elves.¡± ¡°I did that with the maids as well.¡± Artemis said. Ren blinked his eyes for a moment, then he took her hand. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t mean to make you watch while I...¡± ¡°It''s all right, Ren.¡± Artemis said and pat his hand. ¡°Just like Teepo, it''s my job to watch over you, no matter what you''re doing.¡± ¡°I''ll try not to-¡± Ren started to say, and Artemis put a soft metal fingertip on his lips. ¡°Don''t make promises you can''t keep.¡± Artemis said and smiled. ¡°I''ve handled it so far, haven''t I?¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± Ren said. ¡°Okay, I''ll at least try to not do things directly in front of you.¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°Let''s get upstairs so you can get to sleep.¡± They went inside and up the stairs and into the apartment, and Ren saw the maids were a little spread out. Artemis stood just inside the door to the side, and Teepo flew up to land on the ceiling. ¡°They left a Ren-sized hole.¡± Teepo observed, and Ren chuckled. I think you''re right, Teepo. Ren thought and took off his cloak and folded it up on the chair beside the bed, stored his clothing, and very carefully put himself into the empty space. The maids stirred slightly, and Ren adjusted himself to touch each of them with some part of his body. The maids relaxed when he did that, as did Ren because he shared their feelings, and he fell asleep almost right away. * Officer Holly had flown her white and gold mount for over an hour, and then her mind crept in the knowledge that if she didn''t get some sleep, she would be next to useless the next day. She brought her mount in for a landing at her place and tied it up just outside her front door. She gave it a quick hug, despite wanting to hold onto it for much longer, and went inside her house to go to bed.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I can''t believe he did all of that for me. Officer Holly thought as she stored her armor and equipped a nightgown she had bought at Ren''s store. He can do so many amazing things. She got into her comfy bed and tucked herself under the blanket. Of course, that made her think of him in the real world, and she drifted off to sleep with images of what Ren would be doing if he didn''t have such a weak body. She slept the rest of the night, despite only needing to sleep for an hour, because her body wasn''t used to the change yet. * Xuunah just couldn''t get Ren out of her head. She needed a break from what he had shared with her and entered her closet Sanctuary. She didn''t invoke the connection to the Light Realm, though. All she did was sit down, relaxed, and did her best to put the feelings he had stirred up inside of her aside. That was the trap of being a physical being, and it had been drilled into her since the last time she had been a physical being to segregate herself from those feelings, or they would consume her. It took her years to divorce herself from what had happened and to firmly put her feelings behind her. She slept and meditated constantly, and by the time she was done, she stepped out of her closet Sanctuary and felt refreshed and ready to face the next challenge with Ren. She had been in the closet all night, and it was now the next morning. That... took a lot longer than I thought it would. Xuunah thought to herself and sat down to wait for Ren to wake up. * Ren woke up and felt ready to face the day, and the maids woke up with him. ¡°Good morning.¡± He said to them, and gave each one a kiss. ¡°It is now.¡± Frikara said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°What did you talk about?¡± ¡°This.¡± Ren said and held up his arm and showed the web markings. ¡°They think I''m one of Great Vasalor''s chosen.¡± ¡°Who''s that?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°I probably should have asked that.¡± Frikara chuckled as she sat up, then gave him a hug. ¡°You could contact them again.¡± ¡°After I get some work done.¡± Ren said and got out of bed. ¡°I need to start working on the High Elven city I need to build.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Frikara said and stood up with him, and the other maids sat up. ¡°Don''t activate your Aura.¡± Ren said and equipped his platinum armor. ¡°I wasn''t going to.¡± Frikara said and smiled crookedly. ¡°Save it for later.¡± Ren said and looked at her from her head to her feet, and let her feel how much he desired her. Frikara took in a deep breath and nodded, and Ren looked at the other maids and let them feel how much he desired them as well. ¡°Thank you.¡± Andrela whispered when his eyes lingered on her face. ¡°Is it okay to say that you''re the cutest?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded her head slightly as her face flushed red. ¡°We can all agree to that.¡± Frikara said, and the other maids nodded their heads slightly. Andrela''s face flushed to an even deeper red; but, she wasn''t too embarrassed by the compliments because she could feel they were genuine in their feelings. ¡°On that note, I better leave before I decide to hop back into bed with you all.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would that be so bad?¡± Navruth asked. Ren smiled at her. ¡°Only for about 4,000 or so High Elves and elflings.¡± That made her laugh, and the others joined in. ¡°Go on, then.¡± Frikara said and ran her hand through his hair. ¡°We''ll miss you.¡± ¡°Not too much.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just going across the road to work with Tee-one for a while. You should be well within my Aura until I head out to no man''s land to set things up.¡± ¡°We''ll miss you then, how''s that?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°That''ll do.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°See you later.¡± Artemis opened the apartment door and Ren picked up his cloak as Teepo landed on his shoulder, then walked out of the apartment as he swished the cloak around his shoulders and it settled into place. ¡°That looked so cool.¡± Teepo said. ¡°When did you practice that move?¡± Ren laughed as Artemis shut the door and followed him down the stairs. Xuunah waited for him at the bottom, and he stopped in front of her. ¡°Xuunah, please accept my apologies for my antics last night.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hadn''t realized I was broadcasting so much until afterwards.¡± ¡°I could say that no apologies are necessary, but you wouldn''t believe that.¡± Xuunah smiled. ¡°So, I accept your apology.¡± Ren took her hand and bent over it, then gave it a gentle kiss. ¡°I''ll be working in my warehouse for a while before heading out to the no man''s land.¡± He said. ¡°Do you want to observe until then, or do you want me to come and get you when I leave?¡± ¡°I''ll observe, assuming your familiar doesn''t mind some company.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°It might be nice to have someone to talk to.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Then please, accompany us across the road.¡± Ren said and Artemis opened the front door of the Main House. ¡°Oh! Hello!¡± Officer Holly said as she almost ran into Ren and Xuunah. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you have fun last night?¡± ¡°Only for an hour.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I had to get some sleep, so I gave Cobalt the night off.¡± ¡°Cobalt is a good name.¡± Ren said. ¡°Has he bossed you around yet?¡± ¡°What? No.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Why would he do that?¡± ¡°That''s what Elerlyth''s mount does.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°He wants to keep her safe.¡± ¡°We haven''t done anything even close to dangerous, so I don''t know if he''ll act like that or not.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I''ll keep an eye out for any tendency to treat me like a girl and nip it in the bud.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t think you''ll have to go quite that far.¡± He said. ¡°The mount is created for you, and fits your needs. If you don''t believe you need that, then he won''t do that.¡± ¡°Then why ask?¡± ¡°Personal curiosity.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just finished telling Xuunah I was working in the warehouse for a while before going to the no man''s land, and she''s going to observe me until then.¡± He said. ¡°Will you be joining her and Artemis?¡± ¡°It''s about time I get to do some of my assigned task.¡± Officer Holly said and stepped out of the way. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Ren walked out through the door with Xuunah''s hand, and guided her across the street. ¡°You don''t have to be so gallant, Ren.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I want to be.¡± Ren said. ¡°What kind of man would I be if I didn''t treat someone like you with the proper respect?¡± ¡°Someone like me?¡± Xuunah asked as Artemis opened the warehouse door. Ren motioned for the other two women to go inside, and let the door shut. ¡°You are a Light being.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I know you''re not very high in the structure of things, but that doesn''t mean you''re not important.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I know, I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I shouldn''t use the knowledge about you that I gained when we formed our connection; but, I''ve seen the centuries you''ve lived through.¡± He said. ¡°The hardships, the hard work, tending to mortals when you visit, and being ostracized for enjoying being in a physical body.¡± Xuunah took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°That''s the main reason why I wanted to apologize for last night.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know how difficult it is for you.¡± Xuunah sighed. ¡°You really do, don''t you?¡± ¡°Even if I hadn''t experienced it from your perspective, I have a vivid imagination and would have experienced it anyway.¡± ¡°I went into my Sanctuary last night and stayed there until this morning.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°It took me that long to push what happened last night aside and get myself back to normal.¡± Xuunah held in her gasp as she felt Ren''s deep regret to have put her through such an ordeal. ¡°I am so sorry.¡± Ren said and equipped his Travelling Clothes as he stepped up into the air two steps, then he put his arms around her. He called forth his Restoring Hands and poured as much good feelings into her as he could. ¡°R-Ren!¡± Xuunah gasped as those feelings hit her and filled her up, and the small light of connection to him in her chest lit up brightly. His lit up as well, and he pressed his chest to hers. ¡°I don''t want you to regret making this connection.¡± Ren said. He took a deep breath and concentrated on it, and he felt it open up a little more. ¡°Don''t let this physical form fool your heart.¡± Xuunah looked down as Ren eased his hug and leaned back, and she saw how wide their connection was. ¡°H-how...¡± ¡°Sharing so much with you last night might have been an oversight on my part, but it won''t be anymore.¡± Ren touched her face, and she looked up from the light to stare at him in the eyes. ¡°I''ll give you as much as you want, and you don''t have to feel guilty about it.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°You''re going to be spending a lot of time with me, and I don''t want you to hide in your closet every time I have sex.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°I know you can''t copulate without breaking your solemn vow.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was why you had such a hard sentence when you returned to the Light Realm.¡± He smiled. ¡°However, I''ve become quite good at finding loopholes in things.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°Well, like I told the Dark Elf healer, I''ve recently learned there are a few things people can do without actually having sex.¡± Ren said, and he felt her shock. ¡°R-Ren, I...¡± ¡°No, you don''t have to participate at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, you also don''t have to stop yourself from enjoying the feelings, either.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You just spent years in a pocket realm to atone for something you didn''t have to atone for.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nowhere in your vows does it say you can''t experience, or keep, those feelings.¡± Xuunah looked at him with wide eyes as she thought about her solemn vow. It took her several minutes to sort through everything, and then she realized that he was right. ¡°I''ve been acting foolishly, haven''t I?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. He felt her tremble at the sensation, and she sighed at the emotions and feelings he still poured into her. ¡°You only acted the way you thought was appropriate.¡± He let her out of the hug and deactivated his Restoring Hands. ¡°Now you know you don''t have to do things that way if you don''t want to.¡± Xuunah took another deep breath and let it out. ¡°You''ve made your point.¡± ¡°You''ve been doing things that way for thousands of years, so I''m a little surprised one revelation was enough to convince you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Plus, if I wanted to really make a point, I would have kissed you like you deserved for putting up with my antics.¡± Xuunah smiled. ¡°I don''t think Nathalia would be too happy about that.¡± ¡°I love her so much, and you are a part of that now.¡± Ren said and a pulse of light went from his chest and into Xuunah, which made her gasp. ¡°G-Great V-Vasalor.¡± Xuunah whispered as she felt how much love he had for Nathalia, and she really was a part of it now. ¡°Oh! That reminds me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Who''s Vasalor?¡± Xuunah opened her mouth to start explaining, then closed it. ¡°It''s a long story.¡± ¡°I guess it can wait, then.¡± Ren said and took two steps down to the ground. ¡°I''ve got to get to work.¡± ¡°I''ll try and tell you some of the tale the next time you take a break.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Take a break? What''s that mean?¡± Ren laughed as he opened the warehouse door, and Xuunah laughed at her unintentional joke as they both went inside. Chapter 493 - Building Plans Ren and Xuunah went into the warehouse, and Xuunah stood beside Artemis and Officer Holly. ¡°Tee-one, how are things?¡± Ren asked as he equipped his platinum armor. ¡°I''ve got what you wanted done.¡± Tee-one said and pointed to a nice cabinet. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and stored it, then disappeared from sight as he ran to the Main House as fast as he could. He dropped the cabinet off inside Xuunah''s apartment and ran back over to the warehouse. ¡°What was that?¡± Officer Holly asked out loud. ¡°A wardrobe for Xuunah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just dropped it off in her apartment.¡± ¡°AH!¡± Officer Holly was startled that he had appeared again so suddenly after disappearing. ¡°Stop that!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If you were wearing your armor, I''m pretty sure you would have seen or at least felt me leaving and coming back.¡± He looked at Xuunah. ¡°That''s why Xuunah didn''t react. She felt me the entire time.¡± ¡°I did, and you shouldn''t enter a woman''s apartment without her permission.¡± ¡°I... I''m sorry.¡± Ren said, and she felt his sincerity. ¡°I did that without thinking.¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I hope you didn''t just drop it off in the middle of the room or something.¡± ¡°I''m not that dense.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I put it next to the wall beside the empty dresser.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I inadvertently violated your privacy, you do not have to thank me.¡± ¡°I meant for the clothing.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°You haven''t even seen them yet.¡± ¡°I''m sure they are very nice.¡± Xuunah said, and Ren felt that she was trying to be sincere about it. ¡°If it turns out you don''t like some, or all of it, let me or Tee-one know.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Ren walked over to Tee-one and folded his arms. ¡°We should discuss what to do.¡± ¡°We should make a scale model first to see if the design is going to work.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°For the tower, at least.¡± ¡°If we make it at 1% scale, the model is still going to be 52.8 feet tall and 26.4 feet wide.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s huge for only a model.¡± ¡°It''s well within the dimensions of the Instant Tower recipe.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°The Pleasure Palace was 80 feet long by 80 feet wide by 30 feet high.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Ren rubbed his chin. ¡°Yes, it would be easier just to add the proper ingredients and let the system make it, then we will have a single object in one cube which will pop into place with the extensions going into the ground automatically, so we won''t have to dig any foundations.¡± He said. ¡°The downside is we won''t have any idea how the rest of the city will fit around it.¡± ¡°What if we scale it down even further?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°The Craft Wondrous Item ability makes exact copies of a recipe, no matter the size. If we work on making a recipe for the entire city, since you''ve got all the plans for the buildings you need, we can design an entire scale model for it instead of making it all in pieces and hope we get the scale right for each one.¡± ¡°Actually, that might work.¡± Ren said. ¡°Still, it''s going to take a lot of materials.¡± ¡°We know you can fit an object that''s up to 80 feet wide into the cube, so let''s fill it.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I mean, you said it yourself that you''re going to need a minimum space for over 4,000 High Elves and their families.¡± ¡°Do you think it can be done that way?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I know I said I wanted to cheat in making it, but I expected to make each building as a cube and just pop them into place.¡± ¡°With that many buildings for that many people, it would still take a long time to do that.¡± ¡°I just thought of something.¡± Ren said. ¡°If instead of scaling it to the actual size, we do the math backwards and see how many Enlarge spells it would take to make them the right size in real life.¡± ¡°Well, if the enlarge spell doubles things each time it''s cast, then if we keep dividing by 2...¡± ¡°If we make the center tower a mile high, or 5280 feet, then we can assume it takes 9 of the Enlarge and Reduce Anything spells to reduce it to about 10.3 feet tall.¡± Ren said. ¡°Inside the Instant Tower recipe, 10 feet tall is almost nothing.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°It gets better.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°At that size, we can add in one of each building I need to build and then we can design the entire city as a single piece, including the outside walls.¡± ¡°If this works...¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°...you''re right. We''ll probably only get one chance to make it.¡± ¡°Then let''s not limit ourselves to only making enough room for 20,000 people.¡± Ren said. ¡°We have lots of room to play with this model, so we should make the most of it.¡± Tee-one nodded, and Ren opened up the Instant Tower recipe. He removed everything except the automatic in-ground supports, then opened the large tower recipe. ¡°Teepo, what scale is 10.3 feet to a mile?¡± Ren asked his friend. ¡°It''s 512 times smaller.¡± Teepo said, and Ren used that to make the tower the right size. When he put it into the recipe, it was 10.3 feet tall and 5.15 feet wide at the base. With that as the guide, he opened up the recipe for an administrative building and added 8 of them just outside the central tower, in an equal distance apart from each other in a circle. He wasn''t sure how many would actually be needed, so adding more couldn''t hurt. ¡°Should we add the half-tall spires near them?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°No, let''s keep them separate for now.¡± Ren said and added a main meeting hall on the left side, and one on the right. After those were the businesses, and rather than clumping them all up, he and Tee-one chose to run them in a line all around the central tower and administrative buildings. He left ample space between them for expansions and new businesses, since he didn''t know what people would want to do for work when they moved in, and made sure there was plenty of public sitting areas just outside. Once that ring was done, Tee-one suggested parks with trees and shrubbery, and Ren left a section of the entire ring bare with retaining walls to show the areas that were sectioned off. After that, they added the large apartment buildings and small apartment buildings around the parks section. They interspersed them so that it was one large, one small, all along the ring. It took a bit of adjustment, and then Ren asked the system to make them all equidistant to each other. The buildings shifted slightly to the proper spots, and they continued on working. Ren added the large retaining wall next, despite his reluctance to do so, and kept in the elfling living quarters inside. Unlike the plans, he added windows to the outside and inside walls, so that they could actually see out instead of living in complete darkness. On the outside of the elfling retaining wall, they put a ring of the large houses next, with a ring of small houses after that. The flow just seemed to need concentric circles as they worked, and Ren scattered the odd shaped buildings throughout everything.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The last thing to add were the large outer spires, 10 of them, and Ren put them in two 5 pointed star patterns facing in opposite directions, then he thought about the outer wall. ¡°Tee-one, I don''t know if I like the straight up wall idea for this city.¡± Ren said. ¡°Perhaps we could angle it outwards.¡± ¡°It would need external supports if it''s out too far.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not if you counter-balance with a deeper underground component.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Say, make the wall have a 30 degree outward angle so that anything trying to attack it will be deflected down, then extend the ground supports by an equal amount.¡± Ren nodded and they changed the wall''s angle so that it hung out almost in a ''V'' shape, added a huge walkway around the top of it, then changed the doors that should open outwards into a drawbridge instead. Since it hinged downwards, it couldn''t be targeted for a battering ram. ¡°Do you think we should add in a few other things?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°Like what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°A human section, maybe? Or a Dark Elf section?¡± ¡°I was debating that, but I don''t want to intentionally cause conflict.¡± ¡°Then how about assigning one of those administration buildings as a diplomatic embassy?¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°Actually, that''s not a bad idea.¡± He said and chose one of the administration buildings and removed it, then added 9 smaller buildings in a circle to replace it. He added a courtyard in the middle and a retaining wall around it, to show that it was a separate space. ¡°Are there any inns?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°Mixed in with the businesses.¡± Ren said and pointed to them. ¡°Maybe move one or two out closer to the entrance.¡± Tee-one said. Ren nodded and moved them to a spot not far away from the entrance, and not close enough that they would interfere with each other. ¡°I know it''s a faint hope that people will want to come and visit.¡± He said. ¡°But at least they''ll have the option.¡± ¡°I''m not sure how we can make it clear that this isn''t a High Elven city, despite the fact that it looks like one.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, having all the metal be steel should give some indication.¡± ¡°You could put up a really big sign.¡± Tee-one suggested and laughed. ¡°You''re assuming people will read it, or even approach it from the right side wherever it''s posted.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Let''s just add all the lighting that people might need.¡± When they were done adding in everything that they thought should be in the city, they went over everything and made sure there were enough lifts and Mana points for everything, then checked everything again. ¡°I think we should add in a large water reservoir.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can run pipes or even just open troughs to fountains in specific locations around the city.¡± ¡°What about to the homes?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°I think just public water will do for now.¡± Ren said. ¡°If private ones are needed later, we can always add them.¡± Tee-one nodded. ¡°Should we add any special defenses, like the Automatic Ballistas or animated soldiers?¡± ¡°We can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''d be immovable if we did.¡± ¡°What about basic Protection and Warding?¡± ¡°We could add Reinforcement runes to the outer wall, but since it''s a single piece, we''ll only have 150 runes to play with.¡± ¡°We can wait and make the model first.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Then we can add what we want.¡± Ren smiled crookedly. ¡°Are you thinking what I''m thinking?¡± ¡°That depending on the size of the towers and spires, we can add wand quality enchanted diamonds to the model, then enhance the enchantments?¡± ¡°Bingo.¡± Ren said and saved the recipe as Self-Contained City (Elven Scale). ¡°Should we make a Human city model as well?¡± ¡°Have you got the plans for all the buildings you would need for a whole city?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know I received a popup for everything a city needs when we finished the Library.¡± ¡°That might not be all it needs, though.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Maybe you can go over to the Library and see if they have any city plans.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Ren said and walked over to the three women that had watched him work. ¡°I''m going down the street to the Library.¡± He told them while Tee-one went to the smelter and started to make the steel bricks they would need. ¡°Are you waiting here or coming along?¡± ¡°Definitely coming along.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°You were moving your hands so fast through the air that I would have no clue what you were doing if you and Tee-one hadn''t been talking out loud.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°We had to arrange several hundred scaled buildings inside a 50 foot wide circle, so it took a while.¡± Officer Holly shook her head. ¡°How can you do that?¡± ¡°Very carefully.¡± Ren said and motioned to the door. Artemis opened it for them, and Ren offered a hand to Xuunah. ¡°You can''t lead me everywhere while I''m around you, Ren.¡± Xuunah said, and he felt her resolve to not be treated better than the others, despite their recent conversation about it. ¡°But...¡± ¡°You aren''t offering to take Officer Holly''s hand.¡± ¡°She would try to punch me in the face if I tried that.¡± Ren said and motioned to the door again. ¡°Emphasis on the try.¡± ¡°I sure would.¡± Officer Holly said and stepped out through the door, then Xuunah, Artemis and Ren followed her. ¡°I agree with Xuunah, you shouldn''t show favor or treat people differently like that.¡± ¡°Even if they deserve it, and I feel guilty if I don''t?¡± Ren asked and they started walking down the road to the Library. ¡°Take your own advice, Ren.¡± Xuunah chuckled. ¡°You don''t have to participate; but, you can share the feelings and not feel guilty about it.¡± Ren opened his mouth to argue the point, and he couldn''t. ¡°Damn, I''m outsmarted again.¡± Officer Holly snorted a laugh, and Xuunah pat his shoulder. ¡°I can feel that you want to, and that''s the most important thing.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I just don''t want you to think that I''m giving offence, or that I''m intentionally ignoring you.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I don''t make the effort, I''m afraid I''ll stop thinking about it.¡± ¡°Would that be so bad?¡± Xuunah asked as they reached the steps in front of the Library. ¡°To treat me like every other woman?¡± ¡°You are not like every other woman, so get that thought out of your head right now.¡± Ren said quite sternly, and Xuunah felt a very strong feeling of consternation from him. ¡°Even if you weren''t who you are, you still would not be like every other woman.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said and held a hand up to stop her protest. ¡°You can''t expect me to just let something like that go by without commenting on it.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Xuunah sighed. ¡°I didn''t mean it the way it sounded.¡± Ren winced a little. ¡°That was almost a lie.¡± He said and sighed himself. ¡°Anyways, let''s go inside and see if they have the building plans that I might need.¡± Ren deactivated his Undead Adept ability and Artemis opened the front door to the Library, then they all went inside. They walked over to the reception desk and Rosie smiled at them. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Rosie said. ¡°You have a few people with you today.¡± ¡°Hi, Rosie.¡± Ren said and turned slightly to the side. ¡°Allow me to present Nathalia''s biological mother, Xuunah.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Rosie said to her, and Ren motioned to Officer Holly. ¡°This is my new personal guard.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s a Paladin.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Officer Holly said, and Rosie nodded to her. Ren motioned to Artemis. ¡°This is my newest familiar, Artemis.¡± ¡°Hello, Artemis.¡± Rosie said and tilted her head slightly to the side. ¡°You''re an interesting crossbow design.¡± ¡°I thought about making a traditional sentient crossbow; but, the design was too restrictive, even after I tried to add arms and legs to it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, once I discovered a way to replace the traditional bolts with Mana, there was no point in keeping the original shape, anyway.¡± ¡°I suppose that''s true.¡± Rosie said and waved Ren closer. Ren stepped up into the air and leaned over the reception desk and she whispered in his ear. ¡°Did you have to make her so pretty?¡± ¡°Her face is actually an unintentional composite of three women I know.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°It just turned out that it worked.¡± ¡°Have... have you...¡± ¡°No, and I won''t.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°You won''t?¡± Rosie asked. ¡°I haven''t even...¡± Ren pressed his lips to hers briefly. ¡°...kissed her.¡± Rosie took in a deep breath and let it out. Ren felt her relax, and knew his tactic was successful. He leaned back and stepped down to the floor and smiled. ¡°I just stopped by to see if you have any building plans for a city.¡± Ren said. ¡°Any that I''m missing in this city, preferably.¡± ¡°Oh... well, I''ll have to go in the back and take a look.¡± ¡°I''d appreciate that.¡± Ren said. Rosie stood up and waved to someone, and a woman walked over to the desk to take her place. ¡°Hello, My Lord.¡± The woman said. ¡°Ma''am.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°I see you found the place.¡± The woman chuckled. ¡°Once you told Rosie I should be added as the backup Librarian, she came right to me.¡± ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t tell you directly.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was...¡± ¡°...much too busy. I know.¡± She said. ¡°How do you like it here?¡± ¡°It''s wonderful.¡± The woman said. ¡°Free housing, free food and clothing, and a well-paid job.¡± She smiled. ¡°With all the basic necessities being provided, the money we make is all just spending money.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is everyone else getting settled as well?¡± ¡°Yes, we''ve all moved into our own houses now.¡± The woman said, happily. ¡°I kind of miss staying at the Refugee Center; but, I wouldn''t trade what I have to go back there!¡± Ren chuckled, and Rosie came out from the back room with several large scrolls of parchment. He rushed over to help her, and they laid them out on the closest table. ¡°These are what I could find in the archive for architect''s buildings.¡± Rosie said. ¡°Thanks, Rosie.¡± Ren said and unrolled the first large scroll. Inside was a nice administration building, and he copied the plans. The next two were for a medical building that he already had the plans for, and for the mansion back in Aurora. ¡°Is there a mansion like this in all the larger cities?¡± He asked as he stored the plans for it, even though he didn''t know if he would ever use them. ¡°Some take the time to make it, or something similar.¡± Rosie said and handed him the last scroll. It was for a combination barracks and stable, and Ren could adapt it for the Barracks that he already had. ¡°Well, I guess that means I do have all the building plans I need if I want to build a city model.¡± Ren said and took Rosie''s hand. ¡°Thank you very much for your help.¡± He said and bent over it and kissed the back of it. ¡°You''re welcome, Ren.¡± Rosie''s face went a little red and she giggled. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. He went over to the women he had left by the reception desk and said goodbye to the other Librarian. She waved, and Ren led Xuunah, Officer Holly, and Artemis out of the Library and back up the street. Chapter 494 - A New Problem Ren, Xuunah, Officer Holly, and Artemis walked back up the street to the warehouse when Ren was struck with inspiration. ¡°Why didn''t I think of this sooner?¡± He said out loud as he came to a stop and started a message conversation with Lara, the Sage of Ages.
Ren Lara? Are you online right now?
Lara I am.
Ren Can I ask you for a huge favor?
Lara That depends on what it is.
Ren I''m looking for building plans for a city, and thought about popping by the human capital''s Library to see what they had.
Lara I see where this is going.
Ren Can you check there and see what they have available?
Lara How am I supposed to know what you need?
Ren Ha ha. Wait, that was a rhetorical question, right?
Lara Yes, dumbass. You can still come along, though.
Ren Hey, I never thought of that!
Lara Get your butt back to the Library in your county and I''ll pick you up.
Ren Thanks a lot, Lara!
Lara Anytime.
¡°Ladies, I''ve got a small errand to run first.¡± Ren said and closed the messaging system. ¡°Go on to the warehouse and wait for me there.¡± ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°To the human capital''s Library.¡± Ren said and started walking backwards. ¡°There''s no way you''re getting there without taking us along!¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°If I was travelling normally, I''d take you all with me in a heartbeat.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unfortunately, I''m taking a shortcut. At least, I hope I''m taking a shortcut. I''ve never travelled that way before.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Officer Holly started walking after him. ¡°You''re going to the public library of the main capital city! Anyone... literally anyone... could see you in there!¡± Ren stopped walking as he thought about it. ¡°I don''t think I''m going out into the main part of the Library, since what I need would be in the archive in the back.¡± ¡°Ren, please.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°At least ask if it''s possible that I can come along and do my job.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Artemis, Xuunah, I''ll see you in a few minutes.¡± He saw a kind of lost look on Artemis'' face, and he quickly ran over to her and took her hand. ¡°It''s only for a few minutes.¡± ¡°It''s going to be the first time I''ve been out of your Aura since I was born.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I don''t know what''s going to happen to me.¡± ¡°You are going to be fine.¡± Ren said confidently. ¡°I''ll be back soon.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Artemis said. Ren ran down the street and back to Officer Holly. When he reached the Library, he felt a slight tug on the edge of his Aura and looked back. Artemis had been dragged about 10 feet down the street. ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°Artemis, come here.¡± Artemis flew across the 500 feet in an instant and landed beside him. ¡°It looks like you have to stay within my Aura.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Then I have to change my plan.¡± He said and opened the messaging system again.
Ren Lara? I''m sorry, but there''s been a slight change of plans.
Lara What happened?
Ren I made a new familiar, a sentient crossbow, and apparently she can''t leave my Aura.
Lara I''ll be right out.
¡°My previous ride is coming out.¡± Ren said and closed the messaging system, then waved to Xuunah to come over to them. ¡°She should only be a minute.¡± ¡°Okay, what''s going on?¡± Lara asked as she came down the Library''s front steps at a run. She stopped when she saw the 6 foot tall metal woman. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren chuckled because she had used his most frequent phrase of surprise. ¡°Lara, this is Artemis.¡± ¡°When you said she was a sentient crossbow...¡± Lara shook her head. ¡°...I did not imagine this at all.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Yeah, I was inspired to make a female version of Tee-one, then I updated the armor and changed a few things...¡± ¡°A few?¡± Lara asked and looked at Artemis from head to foot. ¡°She doesn''t look like a crossbow at all!¡± Artemis smiled and held a hand out to her. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± Lara looked at the offered hand, glanced at Ren, then took the hand. Her eyes went blank for a few moments, and then she came back to herself and let the hand go. ¡°Dammit, how could you do this to me?¡± Lara asked and turned to Ren, and he felt her anger. ¡°Do what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You can''t enter my closet anymore!¡± Lara nearly yelled and pointed at Artemis. ¡°If you do, it causes her unspeakable pain!¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren was shocked to hear this.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°It''s considered a pocket realm, and because of the time compression it causes a disruption to any connections you have with people!¡± Lara said and looked at Xuunah. ¡°Like when she goes into her Sanctuary and you can''t feel her!¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Ren said and looked at Artemis. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°No, I''m the one that''s sorry.¡± Artemis said, and Ren could feel that she was. ¡°I thought we had a stronger bond because of your Emotion Siphon ability, but I didn''t think it would backfire like this.¡± ¡°Why are you apologizing to her?!?¡± Lara nearly yelled. ¡°I''m the one that''s lost spending special time with you!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren looked back at Lara. ¡°You said I can''t go into your closet and leave Artemis alone, so just take the both of us in with you.¡± ¡°I can''t!¡± Lara said as her tears started to well up. ¡°I''m allowed to share the space with only one person, and I chose you!¡± She said. ¡°Just you! No one else can enter!¡± The gravity of the situation weighed down on Ren, and he felt how much he had inadvertently hurt Lara. He equipped his Travelling Clothes and put his arms around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder and cried. Ren turned his head to put his mouth by her ear and whispered. ¡°It''s all right.¡± ¡°N-no, it isn''t.¡± Lara whispered back. ¡°I''ve lost our special time together.¡± ¡°Lisa, any time we''re together is special.¡± Ren said, and she caught her breath because he had called her by her real name. ¡°Before you decide that part of our relationship is ruined, let me do a couple of tests, okay?¡± ¡°T-tests?¡± Lara lifted her head up and looked at him. ¡°What kind of tests?¡± ¡°I''ve got one particular skill that should be useful in this situation.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve never tried to cancel more than one effect at a time, though.¡± Lara blinked her eyes at him. ¡°You mean your Filter Effect skill.¡± She said and looked from him to Artemis. ¡°It might work.¡± ¡°Shouldn''t you know?¡± Ren asked as he let her out of his embrace. ¡°I''ve gotten really good at blocking out constantly reading people.¡± Lara said. ¡°I''m afraid that... if I read into you again, I... I won''t like what I see.¡± ¡°Are you sure it''s going to be that bad?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Here I thought things were going so well.¡± ¡°I didn''t mean... never mind.¡± Lara said. ¡°Please do your tests.¡± ¡°Artemis.¡± Ren said, and she stepped close. ¡°This might cause you pain, like Lara said.¡± ¡°I''m ready.¡± Artemis said. Ren first tried to turn off his Auras. ¡°Try flying away.¡± Artemis flew 600 feet away, then flew back without suffering any consequences. Ren then turned off his Emotion Siphon ability, and Artemis gasped and clutched at her chest in pain. He turned it right back on again, and thought about their mental connection. ¡°I think our mental connection will be the hardest one to deal with.¡± Ren said and turned off the connection. ¡°AHHHHH!¡± Artemis screamed loudly and started to collapse. Ren turned the connection back on immediately and caught her before she fell. He activated Restoring Hands to heal her and gave her good feelings, and she panted as she tried to gather her thoughts together. ¡°I''m sorry that I had to do that.¡± Ren said and stroked her face. ¡°At least now we know why you''ll suffer pain.¡± ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Lara said. ¡°When you take care of Adventurer''s business, she doesn''t suffer like that.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Yeah, and I''m pretty sure I have a sneaking suspicion why.¡± Lara looked at him and then at Artemis as she thought about it. ¡°Oh, those bastards.¡± ¡°Yeah, I just realized it myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°While I''m not on Adventurer''s business, she''s my anchor.¡± ¡°She''s your what?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°Ren has spent some time, some willingly, some not, in another pocket realm that has a different time scale from this one.¡± Lara explained. ¡°The first time he went in, the...¡± She glanced at Xuunah. ¡°...Adventurers that can change things here, tried to stop him from going back in.¡± ¡°Yes, they altered things so I couldn''t voluntarily go back, and then I discovered another way.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was completely by mistake, since I didn''t know I couldn''t go back voluntarily.¡± ¡°Then they changed it so you couldn''t get dragged in, either... and wanted to make sure you wouldn''t go back anymore.¡± Lara said. ¡°Artemis is the result of that.¡± ¡°I am?¡± Artemis asked, surprised. ¡°Ren won''t go anywhere near a pocket realm now, because he knows it will cause you pain.¡± Xuunah said when she understood the problem. ¡°Unless he makes one himself and adds you as the second person.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren looked at Xuunah in surprise. ¡°I can do that?¡± ¡°You have access to the Sanctuary spell, don''t you?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also have the Holy Relic recipe.¡± ¡°Then you can create your own space and still have access to the same time compression as a pocket realm, and it won''t cause Artemis pain when you access it with her.¡± Ren thought about it for a few moments, then looked at Xuunah. ¡°Is it the Sanctuary spell that causes the 2 person limitation, or the place you cast the spell?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± ¡°Lara.¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°Sage of Ages, can you check on that for me?¡± Lara nodded and ran back inside the Library. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Artemis asked. Now that she felt better, she pat his hand and he helped her stand back up. ¡°I''m going to try and fix this mess.¡± Ren said and stood up straight. ¡°The last thing I wanted to do was cause anyone pain. If it''s the spell, I can try adding more Mana to it to try and enhance the spell or even combine it with another to increase the number. If it''s the space it''s cast on, it might have a Mana limitation that I can enhance and change to achieve the same goal.¡± Lara ran out of the Library''s front door and down the steps to them. ¡°It''s both!¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Ren said, and she shook her head. ¡°The Sanctuary spell has a two person limit and can only affect a 10 foot by 10 foot room or smaller.¡± ¡°Then you can relax.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ll make something for us to stay in when I come back from the capital.¡± ¡°Wait, you''re still going?¡± Lara asked. ¡°Yeah, you were right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to see the plans for myself.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ll meet you there in about 10 minutes.¡± Ren said and put his arms around her. ¡°I''m sorry I made you cry.¡± Lara took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°Why aren''t you angry that I overreacted like that?¡± ¡°Did you overreact?¡± Ren asked her and gave her a kiss, and she kissed him back. They stayed that way for several minutes, and then Officer Holly coughed to break up the kiss. ¡°We will never get to the capital city if you just stand there and make out with her like that.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°You''re just envious that he''ll never kiss you like that.¡± Lara said as she let Ren go. Officer Holly didn''t say anything; but, Ren could feel her conflicting emotions, and so could Xuunah and Artemis through him. They looked at her with raised eyebrows, and Ren motioned down the street. ¡°We should go and see if Princess feels like taking a stroll.¡± Ren said. Artemis, Xuunah and Officer Holly started walking down the street, and he turned back to Lara. ¡°I''ve already got the Sanctuary space designed in my head, so all we need to do is decide where we want to put it.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lara said. ¡°Um... I don''t know.¡± ¡°Now you have a taste of my problems in designing things.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°See you at the capital Library in 10 minutes.¡± Lara nodded and Ren ran down the street and met the other 3 women. They stopped in front of Princess'' house and Ren knocked. ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Princess said as she came out. ¡°I''ll take you anywhere you need to go.¡± ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Ren said and scratched her chin, then he took out the cart from her saddlebag and attached it to her. He opened the top and helped Xuunah, Officer Holly, and Artemis climb in. ¡°Have a seat and hold on.¡± Ren said and closed it, then climbed onto Princess'' back. ¡°You know the drill when we have passengers, Princess.¡± ¡°Yes, no sudden starts or stops, or they go splat.¡± Princess said. ¡°Wait!¡± Ren said as Princess started to trot up into the air, and she came to a stop. ¡°Thanks for reminding me.¡± He said and went back to the cart and opened it. ¡°Ladies, would you be so kind as to equip your armor to enhance your stats? I know at least one of you definitely needs it for the trip.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Officer Holly said and equipped her Holy Light Armor. ¡°Great Vasalor!¡± Xuunah said as the white glowing armor appeared. ¡°Where did you get that?¡± Officer Holly pointed to Ren, and Xuunah looked at him with shock and surprise. ¡°H-how?¡± ¡°Officer Holly gave me the official plans for Holy Armor, and I tweaked them a little.¡± ¡°A little!¡± Xuunah said. ¡°It''s better than my armor.¡± She said as her own armor faded into existence around her. It looked nearly identical to the one Officer Holly wore, except it lacked the recessed jewels and extra enchantments. ¡°This took nearly a year to be forged and imbued with Light!¡± ¡°A year?¡± Ren thought about the time compression difference. ¡°Actually, since it took just over 2 hours to make it here, just over a year passed in the Light realm.¡± He smiled. ¡°The time to make them is just about the same.¡± Xuunah shook her head in disbelief. ¡°I can''t believe you are so much better than blacksmiths that have been working for hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of years.¡± ¡°I am a Master Blacksmith.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s not all I am, though.¡± ¡°Close this thing and lets get going.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°We''re wasting time.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren closed the cart again and went back to Princess. ¡°You heard the lady.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Princess said and she streaked across the sky. * Lara watched them go until they disappeared from sight, then went inside the Library. ¡°What was all that about?¡± Rosie asked. ¡°Ren''s new familiar.¡± Lara said. ¡°She has to stay within his Aura or she''ll suffer horrible pain.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Rosie said. ¡°I... I guess that...¡± She smiled. ¡°...that means he will never be alone again.¡± Lara stopped walking and looked at the Head Librarian with wide eyes. ¡°I never thought of it like that.¡± ¡°I know you didn''t.¡± Rosie said. ¡°You never seem to look past your visions to see what''s really there.¡± Lara frowned. ¡°You''re just saying that because you don''t like me.¡± ¡°You''re wrong about that.¡± Rosie said. ¡°It''s not that I don''t like you, it''s that you always act so pretentious and believe that you know more than everyone. That just rubs me the wrong way.¡± Lara opened her mouth to respond, then changed her mind and started to walk away. ¡°What I said is the truth, though.¡± Rosie said just before the door to the side hallway closed behind Lara. Chapter 495 - A Quick Library Visit Princess pulled the cart through the air towards the capital city of Bore-Reale, and Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it for the Library''s location in the city. Surprisingly, it was pretty far from the castle, if you travelled by normal means, and Ren told Princess where to go. ¡°Should we land first?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Should I announce my appearance to everyone, or try to keep a lower profile?¡± ¡°Without your Aura active, you''re as low profile as you can be.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Unless someone sees you.¡± ¡°Teepo, that''s a great idea.¡± Ren said and took out the Illusion wand and cast it on Princess. She became a horse of a similar size, and Ren used the Permanent Widen effect on the illusion to make it last that much longer. He then equipped his platinum armor and cast Disguise Self on himself to change his hair color, gave himself a generic male face, and added a foot to his height. His physical dimensions didn''t change, but they looked like they did, and he cast Permanent Widen Effect on himself as well. ¡°Princess, we should land just out of sight of the main gate into the city.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t like looking like a common nag, My Lord.¡± Princess grumbled as she quickly darted around out of sight of the main gate, then came in for an easy and soft landing. ¡°It''s only for a short while, and we all know how pretty you really are on the inside.¡± Teepo said. Ren felt Princess'' gratitude for the statement, and he hopped off of her back and went to the cart, then knocked on it. ¡°I''ve cast Disguise Self and changed my looks, so don''t freak out when I open the cart.¡± He cautioned them and opened the cart top. The three women looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Ren, you look like the skeleton knights.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°That''s really disconcerting.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and pointed the Disguise Self wand at her. ¡°Keep your armor on, and just imagine new clothing.¡± He said and cast the spell. Officer Holly''s Holy Armor disappeared and was replaced by a tight pair of black jeans, a t-shirt with a Motley Crue logo on it, and a black leather jacket. She climbed out of the cart before Ren could offer to help her, and he had watched her with wide eyes. ¡°Yeah, I know that''s not what you meant about imagining new clothes, but these are my favorite clothes.¡± ¡°You are going to stand out like a sore thumb.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like a 6 foot tall metal woman isn''t?¡± Officer Holly said and grinned. ¡°She''s not going to look like metal in a minute.¡± Ren said. ¡°It won''t be as bad if we all wear similar things.¡± Xuunah suggested, and Ren felt Officer Holly''s happiness. ¡°Fine.¡± Ren said and cast the spell on Artemis to give her normal looking skin and a similar outfit appeared around her. The jeans were a dark blue instead of black, her t-shirt had a Micheal Jackson ''Thriller'' logo on it, and the leather jacket was red instead of black and had a bunch of extra zippers. He hadn''t given her the actual Thriller leather jacket, because that would have been a bit too much. ¡°I don''t need the spell, Ren.¡± Xuunah said and her armor faded as another outfit replaced it. She now wore a light pair of blue jeans with a Def Leopard ''Rock It'' t-shirt, and only her arms and shoulders were covered in a small blue leather jacket that couldn''t zip up, even if she had wanted it to. It also highlighted her long brown hair nicely. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said as he helped her climb out of the cart. ¡°You look very nice.¡± Xuunah''s face flushed red as she felt how much Ren liked her choice of outfit. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Hurry up and put your eyes back in your skull, Romeo.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Hey, I appreciate beauty where I see it.¡± Ren smirked at her and helped Artemis out of the cart, even though he didn''t have to. Officer Holly frowned at him. ¡°You didn''t stare at me like that.¡± ¡°You didn''t catch me staring at you like that.¡± Ren grinned. Officer Holly couldn''t tell if he was joking. She also couldn''t decide if she liked that he had looked, or hated that she had missed catching him at it. Ren chuckled at her mixed feelings, then cast Disguise Self again on himself and changed his outfit to pitch black jeans, a dress shirt, and a fancy black leather biker jacket. It had several 1 inch spikes on the shoulders, dozens around the wrists, and just as many around the waist. He used Permanent Widen Effect on himself and the three women to make the disguises last longer. ¡°Wait, aren''t you supposed to be a lot shorter than this?¡± Officer Holly asked and reached out to touch the shoulder spikes on his disguise, and her hand went right through it. ¡°It''s just an illusion, so you can''t touch it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Isn''t it neat?¡± ¡°You chose it because it looks cool, right?¡± Officer Holly asked, and he nodded. ¡°Then who am I to complain?¡± ¡°I am not going to answer that obvious trap.¡± Ren chuckled and unhooked the cart from Princess and stored it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°We need that cart, don''t we?¡± ¡°I''m not taking three beautiful women into the capital city in the back of a cart.¡± Ren said and took out the cube that could become his shop tower. ¡°Give me a couple of minutes.¡± The three women stood there as Ren activated the tower and went inside. ¡°That thing just appeared out of nowhere.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°How did he do that?¡± ¡°It''s called an Instant Tower.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°If you didn''t see it, it''s just a cube this big.¡± She held her fingers 2 inches apart. ¡°When it''s activated, it becomes what you see before you.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°You can carry a place to live with you wherever you go!¡± ¡°It''s also a great defensive structure and has a spawn point.¡± Ren said when he came out of the door. ¡°I forgot to set my spawn point to the Main House back at the county, though.¡± ¡°I''ll remind you when we go back.¡± Teepo said. Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought as he deactivated the tower and stored the cube, then took out a carriage that only had the bottom half and attached it to Princess. ¡°Where did...¡± Officer Holly started to say, then stopped. ¡°You just made it.¡± Ren nodded and opened the door for them. ¡°Ladies, your coach awaits.¡± ¡°A hand, please.¡± Xuunah said and held her hand out. Ren felt that she was gently teasing him, so he took her hand with a flourish and guided her up into the carriage, then eased her into the comfortable seat at the back in one smooth motion, much to her surprise.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°T-thank you.¡± Xuunah said, a little flustered. Ren gave her a slight bow and turned to look at Officer Holly. ¡°Don''t even think about it.¡± Officer Holly said and climbed into the carriage unassisted. She sat down beside Xuunah and folded her arms across her chest. Ren chuckled and held a hand out to Artemis, who took it like a lady and Ren helped her into the carriage. She sat down across from the other two women and faced them, and Ren hopped down and shut the door. He climbed into the driver''s seat and picked up the reins that were attached to the carriage and not to Princess. ¡°You shouldn''t talk while we''re in the city, Princess.¡± Ren said and brought up the map of the city on the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°I''ll direct you if you need it.¡± I know where the Library is, My Lord. Princess thought to him and started to saunter as she pulled the carriage. If she went any faster, it would look suspiciously like she was running. She went around the corner and over to the main gate, and they entered the city without incident. Going this slow is quite maddening. Princess thought as they moved through the streets and dealt with traffic for the first time in a while. ¡°Why do you dislike being treated with care?¡± Xuunah asked as she turned to look at Officer Holly. ¡°I''m a grown woman and I don''t need to be babied.¡± Officer Holly said, a bit defiantly. ¡°It''s completely unnecessary.¡± ¡°I thought so to, and even had a slight argument with Ren about it.¡± Xuunah said and glanced at Ren. ¡°When he helped me into the carriage, I realized that... sometimes... it''s nice to have someone care enough to treat you that way.¡± She smiled. ¡°Despite how much you think you don''t want to be treated differently.¡± Officer Holly didn''t say anything in response, and Xuunah didn''t really expect her to. ¡°We''re almost there.¡± Ren said, more for the women''s benefit than for Princess. ¡°I don''t mind being treated like a lady.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Not only does it reflect well on Ren''s social status, it lets him practice for when he might really need the skill.¡± ¡°Are you both trying to convince me?¡± Officer Holly asked and frowned. ¡°No.¡± Xuunah chuckled. ¡°We''re just sharing points of view.¡± ¡°I don''t see anywhere to tie the carriage up.¡± Ren said as he looked around the Library entrance. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror and it pointed out an appropriate spot 2 blocks away. ¡°Take a left here and then a right, Princess.¡± Princess followed Ren''s directions and found a relatively empty lot that was being used as a horse corral. You are not leaving me here with the nags, My Lord. Princess thought in disgust. ¡°It''s only for a few minutes.¡± Ren said and hopped down to pretend and secure her to the closest post. ¡°Just don''t eat anything.¡± I would never! Princess almost gagged at the thought, and he chuckled as he walked over to the carriage door and opened it. ¡°Reverse order, please.¡± Ren said and held a hand out, then helped Artemis out of the carriage. He looked at Officer Holly, and she sighed. ¡°Okay, fine!¡± Officer Holly said and held her hand out. ¡°Thank you, M''lady.¡± Ren said graciously and tenderly took her hand. He guided her out expertly and stood her beside Artemis, and he successfully ignored Officer Holly''s red face and didn''t comment on it. He turned and reached in for Xuunah, and repeated the process. When he was done, he unhooked the carriage and stored it, then motioned towards the street. They all started walking together, and followed the directions back to the Library. People stopped and stared at them and their outrageous outfits. It was mostly city residents; but, there were quite a few players that openly gawked at them, too. Once they arrived at the Library, Ren rushed up the steps and opened the door for them to enter. They all went inside, and the Library was twice as big as the ones in Aurora and his county. ¡°What the...?¡± Ren looked around in awe at the sight. ¡°Neat, isn''t it?¡± Lara said as she walked over to them. ¡°It used to be an identical Library, then after a few expansions and some judicious spell casting, it was like this.¡± ¡°You can''t tell me the spells, even if I ask officially, can you?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. ¡°You know the rules.¡± ¡°I have to discover them myself and then you can give me the fine points.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°You must be frustrated all the time about that.¡± ¡°You have no idea.¡± Lara said as she took his offered hand and smiled. ¡°Hurry up and lead us to these building plans.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°This place is full of people.¡± Lara smiled and guided them over to the side of the room and opened the door to the hallway. Everyone in the Library couldn''t help but look at the jeans and leather clad group as they all went inside, then Lara shut the door. ¡°That was nice of you all to dress up like me.¡± Lara said and led them down the hall to the door at the end. ¡°It was all her idea.¡± Ren said and indicated Officer Holly. ¡°She likes leather and jeans as much as you do, apparently.¡± ¡°You can''t beat the comfort, or looking like a bad-ass.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I just wish these things were real.¡± She said and pat her thigh. ¡°Mine are.¡± Lara said and pat her own thigh, then opened the door to the back room. ¡°Someone very special to my heart made them for me.¡± ¡°I''m just glad you liked them.¡± Ren said and followed her over to a large desk that was covered in layers and layers of building plans. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Lara chuckled as she received the exact reaction that she wanted. ¡°I had a few minutes to dig through the archive.¡± Ren gave her a quick and passionate kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Y-you''re welcome.¡± Lara said, then flipped through a few of them. ¡°A lot of them are for odd buildings, like an all wooden 40 foot tall watchtower with an entire room at the top with only a thin base in the center to hold it up, or a half-buried hovel for a hermit, or a 5 storey single family home that gets bigger on each higher level.¡± She shook her head. ¡°There''s even one for a storage area that will attach to any house, except that it''s barely 4 feet wide and looks like a chimney.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m sure there''s something I''ll want in this stack.¡± He said and started looking through them himself. ¡°Hey, that looks like a lighthouse.¡± He said and pulled the plan out and kept searching. ¡°Oh, nice! A castle!¡± He said and pulled out a small stack of parchment. ¡°That might be a nice attraction for people.¡± ¡°Attraction?¡± Lara asked. ¡°Yeah, my county is a little lacking in population, and I figure if I get some interesting things for them to look at, people might want to move there.¡± ¡°What about all the High Elves and elflings you''ve saved so far?¡± ¡°I''m making them a city in no man''s land to live in instead.¡± Ren said. ¡°When Tee-one and I designed it, we came up with making a self-contained human city, too.¡± Ren felt Lara ''s shock at the idea and looked at her. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Lara said and ran across the room to an aisle, then disappeared down it. Ren kept looking through the plans and found, surprisingly enough, a medieval apartment building. It was labeled as a multi-family home, but Ren knew what it actually was. He found a farm house with an integrated barn, another watchtower with a better design, a few more houses, several businesses, an administration building, and something that looked like a cathedral. Ren copied all those plans, along with the castle and lighthouse, and put them back into the stack where he had found them. He was about to ask what was taking Lara so long, when she came back into the Library and ran over to him. She had a smile on her face and came to a stop beside him. ¡°I want you to make this, too.¡± Lara said and took out a small stack of parchment sheets. ¡°You aren''t going to get a warning for giving me these, are you?¡± ¡°No, it''s all standard designs.¡± Lara said. ¡°There''s nothing new for you to learn there.¡± Ren took the stack and flipped through them, and when he was done, he gave her a big smile. ¡°You... are... brilliant!¡± Ren said and gave her another kiss. ¡°Thank you for reminding me about this.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Lara said. ¡°When do you think you can finish it?¡± ¡°With the plans already done? Maybe 20 minutes.¡± Ren said, and Lara''s mouth dropped open. ¡°But... but...¡± Ren reached out and touched her forehead with a single fingertip. ¡°I''m cheating.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Lara said after a second. ¡°Ren, you have to make them as fast as you can before they realize what you''re doing!¡± ¡°That''s what I plan to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know as soon as it''s discovered, something is going to happen.¡± ¡°Yes, pandemonium.¡± Lara said and smiled. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Ren gave her the plans back. ¡°Thank you very much for your help.¡± ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± Lara said and stored the plans, then stored the plans on the table as well. ¡°I''ll walk you out.¡± Ren took her hand and she led them back through the hallway and out of the Library. ¡°I''ll see you back at the county Library.¡± Lara nodded and watched him walk away with Xuunah, Officer Holly, and Artemis. Ren led the three women back to Princess and attached the carriage to her. ¡°I guess that means we''re still keeping this pretense up.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Why blow cover?¡± Ren commented and opened the door and held a hand out to Xuunah. ¡°We may have to come back again sometime.¡± Xuunah took the offered hand and Ren helped her into the carriage, then he turned to Officer Holly. She had her hand out already, and he smiled as he helped her climb in and sat her down. He helped Artemis next, shut the carriage door, and climbed up and sat in the driver''s seat. ¡°Princess, to the main gate, please.¡± Yes, my Lord. Princess thought and sauntered out into traffic, then made her way through the city and back to the main gate. It actually took longer to do that than to travel across the country to get to the city, and by the time they reached the outside again, Ren completely understood Princess'' aversion to going so slow. It really was maddening to have people force you to go much slower than even normal traffic would allow. Once they were through the gate, Princess trotted along the wall and went around the first corner and out of sight. Ren helped the three women out of the carriage and stored it, then replaced it with the covered cart and helped them climb back in. Ren hopped onto Princess'' saddle and she ran up into the air and poured on the speed. Chapter 496 - Hold Your Horses Ren and Princess arrived back at the county a few minutes later and slowed down to land in front of the Main House. Ren was surprised to see several horses and carts travelling up and down the road. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°I completely missed the horses arriving.¡± He said and jumped off of Princess and opened up the cart to let Xuunah, Officer Holly, and Artemis out. ¡°They arrived last week.¡± Xuunah said and Ren helped her out of the cart. ¡°I think... yes, there''s one of the townspeople driving already.¡± She said and pointed. Ren turned to see a man as he drove a horse and cart. He was wearing cheap-looking clothing, and beside him was an exquisitely dressed woman wearing the same riding outfit professionals wear. She also had a stern look on her face as she watched the man handle the cart. ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said and turned around to help Officer Holly out of the cart. She looked around and saw that it was like a parade. ¡°I guess the first practical lesson is in full swing.¡± Officer Holly said and Xuunah nodded as Ren helped Artemis out of the cart. He detached it from Princess and stored it, then counted the carts. ¡°How big was the first class?¡± Ren asked. He had counted 20 carts so far, and the stream of them kept going. ¡°I think it was 45.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Once the training school started advertising free lessons...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Was the rush very big?¡± ¡°They filled 3 classes on the first day.¡± Xuunah said. Ren sighed. ¡°I guess I''ve been missing a lot while I''ve been busy.¡± ¡°It''s hard to notice things if you aren''t here.¡± Officer Holly said. Ren nodded. ¡°I have to pop inside the Main House and see Patty for a minute.¡± He said and went inside. The three women didn''t go with him, and he saw the Mayor''s door was open. ¡°Hi, Patty.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Patty exclaimed and Ren felt how startled she was. ¡°Who are you, and why are you using my first name so casually?!?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ren looked down at himself and laughed as he dismissed the Disguise Self spell. ¡°Ren!¡± Patty shook her head. ¡°Don''t scare me like that.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Patty.¡± Ren said. ¡°I forgot I still had a disguise on.¡± ¡°What was that strange outfit?¡± Patty asked. ¡°It was just something Adventurers wear sometimes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just saw the horses and carts on the street and wondered if Maude was in to see you.¡± ¡°She was, and she was a bit upset that you weren''t here when she delivered the horses.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I figured she would be.¡± He said. ¡°If I''d known, I would have stopped in to see her in the capital city.¡± Patty chuckled. ¡°It''s a good thing you didn''t, considering she''s still here.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°She runs the training school at the stable.¡± Patty said. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± ¡°No.¡± Patty said. ¡°She said something about not entrusting future master horsemen to her less qualified students.¡± ¡°From the first impression I had of her, that does sound like something she would say.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Did she ask for payment?¡± ¡°She did, and I paid the price without any negotiations.¡± Patty said. ¡°Those are the best horses I have ever seen in my life. When I checked the Mayor menu and saw what a normal horse would cost to buy...¡± She shook her head. ¡°She practically gave them to us.¡± ¡°I''ll go and pay my respects to her.¡± Ren said and turned to the door. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Less and less it seems.¡± Patty mumbled under her breath as she looked at the parchment papers on her desk, and Ren felt her disappointment. He stopped and turned back to face her. ¡°Patty, I''m sorry I haven''t been around.¡± Ren said, and she looked up at him. ¡°You heard that?¡± Patty asked, and he nodded. ¡°I need to learn how to keep my mouth shut.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You know I don''t have room in my life for another girlfriend.¡± ¡°Yes, and I''m sorry if I''m bothering you.¡± Patty said. ¡°Having a woman desire me is not a bother.¡± Ren said. ¡°All I can say is thank you; but, I can''t thank you properly.¡± Patty smiled. ¡°How would you thank me properly if saying thank you isn''t enough?¡± Ren opened his mouth to tell her, then changed his mind. ¡°No, I can''t tease you like that.¡± ¡°If you don''t tell me, I''m going to have my imagination run wild.¡± Patty said and kept smiling. ¡°Then let it go free.¡± Ren said and chuckled, gave her a wave, and left her office. ¡°You should set your spawn point.¡± Teepo reminded him. Ren ran up the stairs and chose the Main House as his spawn point. He went back downstairs and outside, and saw that Princess still looked like a horse, so he dismissed the Illusion spell. ¡°Princess, I''ll need you again in a little while, after Tee-one and I make a few more things.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Princess responded and went into her house to lay down. Ren looked at the three women that had waited there for him. ¡°I have to go to the stable down the road for a couple of minutes.¡± Artemis, Xuunah, and Officer Holly followed him down the road and into the stable. Ren checked the classroom first and didn''t see her, then walked over to the manager''s office. Maude was inside, and he knocked on the door. ¡°Enter.¡± Maude said without looking up from her paperwork. ¡°Please pardon my intrusion.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only came to thank you...¡± ¡°Yes, yes. You''re welcome.¡± Maude said and still didn''t look up. ¡°I''m glad you''ve learned how to handle a horse properly.¡± She thinks I''m a student. Ren thought and was about to correct her, when Teepo spoke. ¡°Your Aura isn''t active.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Turn it back on and see what happens.¡± Ren smiled as he felt Teepo fully expected her to jump out of her chair. Unable to deny that it would be a sight if she did, Ren made a Connection between all of his Auras except for Heat Sense, Spider, Contact and Hatred, then activated it. Ren''s Aura popped into existence at 600 feet and Maude gasped as it hit her. Officer Holly gasped as well, but for a different reason. Because her Holy Armor automatically gave her Auras for Reassurance, Command, Camaraderie, Sense Undead, and Sense Void, all of which Ren had, her Auras merged with his and let her feel his emotions directly. ¡°REN!¡± Maude exclaimed as she jumped up out of her chair at the familiar and different Aura she had felt when Ren had destroyed the city gate at her ranch. Teepo chittered in laughter at the reaction, as Ren figured he would, and Officer Holly grabbed onto Xuunah for support. She leaned on her to catch her breath as Xuunah activated her own Reassurance Aura because she wanted to help; but, she didn''t gasp as her Aura merged with Ren''s because she already felt his feelings and it wasn''t a surprise at all for her. Artemis wasn''t affected, either.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°M''lady, it''s nice to see you again.¡± Ren said, and he felt her intense scrutiny. ¡°Yes, I''m wearing new armor, and it''s not just for protection.¡± ¡°I... I can see that.¡± Maude said with wide eyes as she saw the stats for the armor. ¡°Where in the world did you get indestructible armor?¡± ¡°I made it.¡± Ren said, and she gasped again. ¡°H-how?¡± ¡°You could say that it was a complicated matter, and it took a while to complete.¡± Ren said. ¡°Needless to say, I can''t make another one like it.¡± ¡°That''s not a surprise.¡± Maude said and quickly regained her composure. ¡°It''s nice to see you again, too.¡± ¡°I''m sorry I wasn''t here to receive your high quality horses when you delivered them.¡± ¡°As was I.¡± Maude said. ¡°Then I saw this stable.¡± She smiled. ¡°What a wonderful sight to behold.¡± Ren smiled back. ¡°Tee-one and I worked hard to accommodate any need the horses and the workers might have.¡± He said. ¡°I''m glad it met your approval.¡± ¡°I didn''t doubt at all that you would have built a suitable environment for my progeny.¡± Maude said, saw the surprise on Ren''s face, and laughed. ¡°I didn''t mean that they are my actual children, only that if it wasn''t for my careful breeding program, none of them would exist.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Ren said. ¡°I appreciate your dedication to your profession.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°When I asked you to send along an instructor, I never thought you would send yourself.¡± Maude nodded. ¡°Like I told the mayor of this budding city, I couldn''t in good conscience have my horses handled unless people were properly trained.¡± ¡°I know you probably don''t need the money; but, did you accept the job officially?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I did, and I turn the money right over to the stable hands to make the horses stay here that much better.¡± ¡°I bet they like that.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with a question on her face. ¡°Do you mean the horses or the stable hands?¡± ¡°Both.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°Yes, they both like it.¡± ¡°How long are you planning to stay?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I believe you said it was a long term position if the teacher wanted it to be.¡± Maude said. ¡°Since there are so many people that want to learn here, I''ll stay until I am no longer needed.¡± ¡°What about your ranch in the capital?¡± ¡°It''s in good hands, and the training classes there are so small that they don''t require my expertise.¡± She said. ¡°I''m sorry to hear that, and I''m delighted that you want to stay and help.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Maude waved his thanks away. ¡°It''s the least I can do to make it up to you.¡± ¡°I heard you practically gave us the horses.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°It didn''t even cover the cost of feeding them growing up.¡± ¡°Then why...¡± ¡°It''s an apology for my behavior.¡± Maude said. Ren walked over to her and she discovered that she was over a foot taller and looked down at him. ¡°I can''t accept that.¡± He said. ¡°Even animals that are to be slaughtered have to have their food paid for.¡± ¡°S-s-slaughtered?¡± Maude''s face drained of all color and she wavered from side to side. Ren quickly took two steps up into the air and caught her under her armpits before she collapsed. ¡°I didn''t mean the horses!¡± Ren nearly shouted into her face. ¡°I bought pigs for their meat, and I had to pay for their feed until they are grown!¡± He said, and felt her relax. ¡°Good god, you frightened me.¡± Maude said. ¡°I... I imagined that... you were slaughtering horses...¡± ¡°I would never do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know they are smarter than the average farm animal.¡± Maude nodded. ¡°They are.¡± She said and took a deep breath, then stood up solidly on her feet again. ¡°Thank you for catching me before I fell.¡± ¡°It was my fault.¡± Ren said and let her go. ¡°I caused the misunderstanding by not phrasing my words properly.¡± Maude didn''t say anything for a moment, then glanced down. ¡°You have very strong hands.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I can crush stone with them.¡± Maude shivered a little, and he felt a trace of fear from her mixed with a trace of pleasure. ¡°It took the blacksmiths close to a week to make a new gate for the city to replace the one you destroyed.¡± She said, and glanced at his face to see his reaction. She was disappointed to not get one. ¡°I think my expectations are skewed.¡± Ren said. ¡°I could have forged one by myself in about a day, or used a spell to make one in a few minutes.¡± ¡°A... a few minutes?!?¡± ¡°Yeah, the Iron Wall spell can be really useful if you''re careful with how you shape it.¡± Ren said. ¡°The gates to the county are Iron Wall spells.¡± ¡°How?¡± Maude asked. ¡°They''re on hinges!¡± ¡°Those I had to forge, because I don''t know how to do that with magic.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sometimes the old fashioned way is the only way.¡± Maude nodded. ¡°It''s the same with training horses...¡± She said, and then mumbled under her breath. ¡°...and people.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Thank you for coming here to my little county, and I hope you enjoy your stay here.¡± ¡°I already am.¡± Maude said. ¡°That bakery is something else.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I assume you''ve tried the fried pieces of dough.¡± ¡°I think everyone has.¡± Maude said and chuckled herself. ¡°If I didn''t know any better, I''d say they don''t use scrap dough anymore, and make up batches specifically for it.¡± ¡°I don''t doubt it.¡± Ren said as he took two steps down to the floor and took her hand. ¡°M''lady, it was a pleasure seeing you again.¡± He said and bent over the hand and kissed the back of it. ¡°I don''t normally allow that sort of pompous behavior in my presence.¡± Maude said, and Ren looked up at her. ¡°Make sure to remember that for the next time we meet.¡± Ren smiled at the subtle hint and gave her hand another kiss before he let it go. ¡°Yes, M''lady. I''ll remember.¡± ¡°Until then, My Lord.¡± Maude said and bowed her head slightly, and Ren took the social cue to retreat gracefully. He took out a pile of platinum coins and placed them on her desk, then ushered Xuunah, Officer Holly, and Artemis out of the office and shut the door behind them. ¡°I''m almost frozen by the cold shoulder she gave us.¡± Officer Holly said, and Xuunah laughed. ¡°I think it was more that we didn''t exist while she had Ren in the room.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Or the clothes you''re wearing.¡± Ren said as they left the stables. ¡°I think they offended her on a deep and personal level.¡± ¡°Oh, they did.¡± Artemis said. ¡°It hurt her eyes whenever she caught a glance at us.¡± ¡°Seeing into my closet would probably kill her.¡± Officer Holly laughed. ¡°It''s full of jeans and t-shirts just like these!¡± Ren, Artemis, and Xuunah joined in on the laughter, and the group walked back up to the warehouse and the large forge inside. ¡°Visiting the Library took a bit longer than you thought.¡± Tee-one joked, and Ren nodded. ¡°A couple of detours, extra travel time, disguises, and making a carriage.¡± Ren said. ¡°All the little things add up.¡± ¡°They do.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Are we making the human city round, too?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, we''re going perfectly square and we''re putting a castle right in the center of it.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°What about the buildings?¡± ¡°Basic grid pattern, divided up into sections, with plenty of space in and around for streets, and new construction and businesses.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You name it, I want it.¡± ¡°Like a church?¡± Tee-one said, Ren reached up to smack himself in the forehead from force of habit, and everyone felt how much he felt like an idiot. ¡°NOOO!¡± Teepo, Tee-one, and Artemis yelled at the same time, and Artemis darted forward to put her arm in the way. She was the only one close enough to do it and succeeded in blocking the shot. The heel of Ren''s palm hit her arm, sunk into the metal armor, and crushed it into her arm. ¡°ARGH!¡± Artemis hollered, but she didn''t move her arm out of the way. It had happened in an instant, and horror filled Ren as he realized what he had done. ¡°I''m so sorry, Artemis!¡± Ren said and looked at her arm. ¡°I forgot I shouldn''t smack myself in the forehead like that anymore.¡± He said and saw her arm as the damage started to fill out, thanks to her boosted regeneration. ¡°Please forgive me for being so stupid.¡± ¡°I''m... glad that... I stopped you in time.¡± Artemis said, and tried to deal with the pain. ¡°Imagine if that had been your forehead instead of a metal arm.¡± Ren closed his eyes and absorbed her feelings of pain with his Emotion Siphon ability, and rested his head on the back of her hand. He activated his Restoring Hands ability to pour good feelings into her and help heal her, then he opened his eyes to watch her regenerate. ¡°Thank you so much for sparing me from both the damage and the embarrassment.¡± Ren said. Artemis could feel how sorry he was that she had been hurt because of such a stupid mistake. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± She said. ¡°Although, I thought I would be protecting you from external threats, not from yourself.¡± Ren smiled and didn''t say anything until her arm was reformed and in the proper shape. ¡°I didn''t realize that myself.¡± He said and ran his hand over her healed arm and caressed the metal. ¡°Can you feel that?¡± ¡°I can, although it''s a duller sensation than if you touched my skin.¡± Artemis said. ¡°The armor is a part of me, and it can be healed and regenerated.¡± ¡°I''m glad for that.¡± Ren said, gave her hand a very slight squeeze, and let her hand go. He walked over to Tee-one so they could get to work. ¡°I assume you''ve got the supplies we need for the model.¡± ¡°Yes. I''ve got glass for the windows; wood for the floors, roofs, and accents; and stone bricks and paving stones for the roads, retaining walls, and facades on the administration buildings.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Not to mention the steel bricks for the main structures, outer walls, and central tower.¡± ¡°That''s great.¡± Ren said. ¡°We just have to add the church to the design.¡± ¡°A church for the High Elves?¡± Xuunah asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°They won''t like that.¡± ¡°It''s a church for the 9 elements.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got one here down the road, and one in the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± ¡°I would suggest you leave it out.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I''ve spent some time as a High Elf, and they do not take kindly to the paganism of the masses.¡± ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought the elements, and their deities of course, were all there is.¡± ¡°Currently, that is a strong belief.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Albeit wrong.¡± ¡°Tee-one, go ahead and start making the plans for the human city model, with a 10 foot by 10 foot area.¡± Ren said and gave him a copy of all the plans for the buildings he had. ¡°Make the outside wall angled just like we did for the High Elf round version.¡± ¡°That''s going to make the wall look like a square jewel.¡± Tee-one commented. ¡°Seems appropriate, doesn''t it?¡± Ren asked, and Tee-one nodded. ¡°I''m taking these lovely ladies over to the bakery to get some fried dough, and I''m going to ask Xuunah to fill me in on Vasalor, and why the elements aren''t the highest rung in the worshipping ladder.¡± ¡°Can you take the time to listen to this with everything else that''s going on?¡± Xuunah asked. Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it for the biggest ghoul gathering. It showed a small nest of about 20 ghouls, and they were huddled together for some reason. ¡°Show me just outside the nest, please.¡± Ren asked the mirror, and the view shifted to show a troop of 40 High Elven Swordsman as they marched around. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and stored the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°It looks like I have a quick errand to run while you wait in the bakery.¡± Xuunah nodded, then Ren and Artemis ran over to Princess'' house to get her help again. Xuunah led Officer Holly next door to the bakery to get some fried dough pieces while they waited for Ren, so she could tell him a story. Or rather, the story. Chapter 497 - In The Beginning Ren rode Princess across the continent to the High Elven Kingdom and to the ghoul nest near the High Elven Swordsmen. She landed right beside the entrance, and Ren hopped off of her and walked over to stand in the patrol''s path. ¡°Step aside.¡± The 9 foot tall High Elf captain said and waved his sword to indicate Ren should move out of the way. ¡°The infestation must be purged to save our people!¡± ¡°I know it does.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve made myself responsible for removing both the ghoul hordes and the ghoul infected from your lands.¡± The captain almost had to strain his neck to look down at Ren. ¡°That is very honorable of you.¡± ¡°I didn''t do it for Honor.¡± Ren explained. ¡°I did it because it shouldn''t have happened, and no one should suffer for it.¡± ¡°Then let us smite these wretches and keep the High Elves clean of their scourge.¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for finding this nest for me. You can continue on your patrol now. I will clear it out and bury it, so it can''t be used again.¡± ¡°We are more than capable of handling that.¡± The High Elf captain said. ¡°I''m not questioning your competence in battle.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now that I''m here, I will deal with it properly.¡± The High Elf captain''s emotions started to boil up towards hate and Ren raised a hand with the palm towards him. ¡°Before you say that I am insulting your Honor, I am not. I''m am telling you that you don''t have all the information, and if you act without it, you may sacrifice unnecessary lives.¡± Ren said. The High Elf calm down at those words. ¡°Of what information do you speak?¡± ¡°I can heal the ghoul infected and can restore them, if there''s a chance to do so and they aren''t lost to the infection.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hopefully I can demonstrate this for you with this nest.¡± He said. ¡°If I may do so without your troops attacking the ghouls when they are revealed.¡± The High Elf captain nodded slightly, and Ren nodded slightly back. He then turned around and took out the Staff of Earth. ¡°Princess, Artemis, corral any that try to escape.¡± Ren said and used the staff to pull away the dirt above the ghoul nest. The ghouls inside started to screech in a panic and 3 of them tried to jump out of the uncovered hole. Princess gently headbutted two of them, and Artemis pushed a third back in. The ghouls were within his Aura, and Ren could tell which ones he could heal, and which were too far gone. ¡°Captain! You can dispatch the ones I throw to you!¡± Ren said and jumped into the hole as he equipped a single gauntlet to cover the hand he grabbed the fully turned ghouls with. He tossed one over his shoulder and it screeched in a panic, then it''s howl was cut off as the captain and his troops killed it. Out of the 20 ghouls, only 5 were savable, and Ren used his uncovered hand to touch them. One was a High Elf and the other 4 were elflings. They were shocked and surprised to be back to their normal selves, especially since they only wore scraps of cloth to cover their waists. Ren quickly made up 5 bodysuits and handed them to the healed, and they took them gratefully. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± The captain of the High Elf Swordsman said as he beheld the 5 Ghoul Kissed survivors. ¡°I thought you were trying to steal our kills; but, you were telling the truth.¡± He said, surprised. ¡°You healed them with a touch!¡± ¡°It''s a recent development.¡± Ren said and took out the carriage and attached it to Princess, then turned to the 5 survivors. ¡°I''m sorry to say this, but you aren''t allowed to return to your homes.¡± ¡°NO!¡± The healed High Elf yelled. ¡°What of my wife and daughters?!?¡± ¡°You can''t go back to them because your people will kill you.¡± Ren said. ¡°However, you can send for them and they can come and live with you.¡± ¡°Where?¡± The High Elf asked. ¡°If I''m not allowed within my own people''s lands, where will I go?¡± ¡°You are a vassal in my domain now.¡± Ren said and held up his right hand to show him the skull on the back of the spider. ¡°I''m sorry that I couldn''t give you a choice about that.¡± ¡°We''re fine with it.¡± One of the male elflings said. ¡°Most of us don''t have anywhere to belong anyway.¡± ¡°You do now.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to the female elfling and opened the door to the carriage. ¡°If you will climb aboard, I''ll take you to the others I''ve rescued.¡± ¡°Thank you, M''lord.¡± The female elfling said and Ren helped her climb into the carriage. ¡°Then what?¡± The healed High Elf asked as the male elflings climbed into the carriage on their own. ¡°I make you a new place to live, and then you can send for your family.¡± Ren said. ¡°Assuming they are still alive, want to hear from you, and are willing to come.¡± The High Elf looked at Ren with a stern expression. ¡°You aren''t instilling me with much hope.¡± ¡°I can lie if you want me to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Everything will be sunshine and roses from now on, and no one will have any kind of conflict ever again.¡± That made the High Elf smile. ¡°All right. I agree what you said is more realistic.¡± ¡°I didn''t say it to be discouraging, I was just preparing you in case those things happen.¡± Ren said. ¡°Everything could be just fine, and you might have nothing to worry about.¡± He said. ¡°Saying that to you is a bit too much like a lie for me.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I have to agree.¡± The High Elf said and climbed into the carriage and sat in the front corner. Ren used the Staff of Earth to bury the nest after checking that there wasn''t any valuables to be had, then climbed onto the driver''s seat and turned his head to look at the High Elf captain. ¡°Good luck on your patrol, Captain.¡± Ren said and Princess trotted up into the air. ¡°Easy now, we''re not going far, I don''t think.¡± He said, and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. He held it out for her to see where the next nest was, and Princess huffed as she poured on the speed. ¡°Where are we going?¡± One of the elflings asked. ¡°A quick stop at another nest that''s nearby.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now that I know the High Elves are actively hunting you, I''ve got to at least try to save as many of you as I can in their patrol area.¡± ¡°This carriage isn''t going to hold many more people.¡± The female elfling said. ¡°That''s okay. I have a normal cart if there''s more than a few, and a humongous cart if there''s a lot more.¡± Princess flew above the spot, and several ghouls were roaming around the underground nest. They were within Ren''s Aura and he nodded to Artemis. She shot them down before they could screech a warning, and Princess landed without meeting any more ghouls. ¡°I''ll just be a minute.¡± Ren said and jumped off the carriage and used the Staff of Earth to uncover the nest. There were 8 ghouls inside, and only one could be healed. Ren jumped into the middle of the pack and touched the ghoul as Artemis quickly shot the others. Ren gave the male elfling a bodysuit as he explained what had happened, then the elfling climbed into the carriage without a word. Ren filled in the nest and checked the All-Seeing Mirror. He asked for all the nests in the High Elf patrol area, and no others appeared. ¡°It looks like that''s all for now.¡± Ren said. ¡°We should switch to the covered cart so no one will get hurt.¡± Everyone got out and Ren replaced the carriage with the covered cart. ¡°Everyone hold on, because it''s quite a ride.¡± He said as he helped them all get in and closed the top of the cart, then climbed up onto the saddle on Princess''s back. The passengers braced themselves as Princess trotted up into the air and poured on the speed again while Artemis flew beside Ren. Because the passengers weren''t as protected as they should be, Princess took her time getting up to full speed, then did the same thing when she slowed down. It took nearly 10 minutes to get the passengers to the human healer''s ward that Ren had built, and when the High Elf saw how many of his own kind were there, he almost cried. ¡°I... I''m not alone!¡± He said as he walked into the downstairs ward.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°That''s a little dramatic.¡± The healer''s assistant said as the High Elf walked by her. He ignored her and she shrugged her shoulders. Ren waved to her and she waved back, then he took the elflings up the stairs to their ward. Unlike the people downstairs, the new elflings were voraciously greeted with both warmth and understanding. Ren was thanked quite profusely, when the new elflings heard of what he had planned, and he left the ward in a good mood. He went outside and stored the covered cart in Princess'' saddlebag, climbed into the saddle, and rode her home with Artemis at his side. They arrived back at the county, and when they landed, Ren thanked Princess and said he would get her some treats from the bakery. He felt her anticipation, and he ran across the road with Artemis to get them. Xuunah had ordered several dozen fried dough pieces, and she and Officer Holly had eaten several of them each by the time Ren came into the bakery. He gave them a quick wave and ordered a dozen fried dough pieces with extra sugar, and waited for them to be done. He ran out quick as a flash after paying for them, gave them to Princess, and ran back to the bakery. Xuunah motioned for him and Artemis to sit across the table from her and Officer Holly. Ren sat down and looked at Xuunah expectantly, and she pointed to the dozen or so fried pieces of dough left on the plate. ¡°Help yourself.¡± Xuunah said, and Ren took a piece and ate it while Artemis sat there and watched him. When that piece of dough was gone, Xuunah started to talk as if she was reading from scripture. * Lo and behold, there became an entity unlike any other. Out of nothing it sprang, and it could not see, feel, or even perceive anything within its own existence. It also could not see, feel, or perceive anything outside of its own existence, either. It didn''t like either of those things. Then, for some unknown reason, thoughts filled it. It wondered at these new thoughts and where they had come from, then it realized it had a name. Vasalor. Once he knew his own name, he started to become himself. As more thoughts and ideas came to him, he started to develop his own thoughts and idea based on them. He felt accomplishment, fulfillment, and satisfaction. For a while. On one fateful day, a new thought entered his mind. He wanted to create a world to exist in. One where he wouldn''t be alone anymore. He set out to perform this task with wanton abandon, and after thousands of years of careful planning and construction, he accomplished his task and created an entire world. He built towns and cities for beings to live in, created things for them to do, and set his new concept of ''time'' into motion. It was an utter and total disaster. Beings expired by the thousands as ''time'' passed at the same rate as his normally did. The buildings and cities crumbled to dust as millions of years passed in barely a blink of an eye before Vasalor could bring the world to a halt. He didn''t understand why they all had perished so quickly, despite giving them the ability to reproduce, and none of them could talk to him to tell him what went wrong... and then a new thought entered his head. He would create a special place that didn''t share his time. It''s time would only be a mere fraction of his own, and he devised a special way to communicate with the inhabitants this time. He did not want a repeat of the last time. He didn''t know why he didn''t want that, but he did and didn''t question it. This time, the inhabitants of the special place lived and thrived, and communicated with him constantly. He made alterations to their world as they asked for them, over the thousands of years it took for them to see those changes; and eventually the world thanked him for everything he had done for them and ended. Vasalor was quite satisfied with this result, and it had taken nearly 1 full minute of his time for it to complete. He beheld his creation with the eyes of a just and merciful creator, and looked at the results. He saw that it was good, and that was that. His curiosity was sated, and he no longer wondered what it would be like to have someone to talk to. Another few trillion years passed as Vasalor remained in the dark, unconcerned over the meaning of his own existence. He had completed the only desire he had ever had, and that was all he ever needed to do. At least, that was what he thought until another fateful day came along and he was struck with inspiration. If I can do that with one world, why not 2? Or 3? Or even 8? Vasalor thought out of the blue, and set about doing just that. He set the time to a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of what his first experiment was, and he thought they would progress much more slowly than the first one. He was struck by inspiration as he created each new world, 8 in total, and gave their inhabitants a specific trait to see how life would evolve with each of them. The first world Vasalor created was Light, since all things needed Light and it would affect all the others, and he saw that it was good. When he tried to create another world, it was the complete opposite of Light and became a Void unlike anything he had seen before. He wasn''t happy with how that turned out, because it absorbed and twisted his ideas in ways he didn''t like; but, he didn''t want to scrap the whole thing just because one world went a little strange on him. Next he created a world of Water, and imbued it''s beings with that element. He filled it with all manners of creatures for the beings to play and have fun with, as he did with each world, and moved on. Worlds with Wind, Ice, Lightning, and Dark (Gravity) came into existence without a hitch. When he created the next world that would connect them all together, he changed the time factor to another fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the others for some unknown reason. He thought it felt right that way as it was the Earth Realm and would be the foundation for it all, and imbued it''s inhabitants with the Earth element. He started to add in creatures for the Earth beings to play with, and then other beings started to appear spontaneously. Vasalor was highly concerned over this, since nothing had ever appeared without his consent, and he stopped his work to watch these... Adventurers. The name came to him when he thought about them, and he was fascinated by their antics. They didn''t interact with the Earth beings very much at all, and only talked to him when they could. This fact was also surprising, since he hadn''t given them the means to do that. Nevertheless, they did contact him and knew who he was, just as the beings he had created did, and he answered their questions and queries. Since time moved so slowly for them, his responses for their questions happened almost before they were asked, and he saw how delighted they were with that. He was asked to create several odd things that he didn''t know about, and when he told them that, he suddenly knew everything there was to know about those things. He created entirely new races for them, like High Elves, Dwarves, and even Giants. This delighted him in turn, and at random times would ask them about what was going on and what they were doing. They built cathedrals in his honor and to allow the ease of communication. The Adventurers he met were more than happy to tell him anything he ask about as well. He gained more and more information as time went on, and then something happened. One of the Adventurers tried to pull one of the Light beings into the Earth Realm. Vasalor blocked the attempt, because transferring the beings without the proper treatment or protection would cause a disaster. This happened several times, and he blocked it each time; then the Adventurer asked him to allow it. He had never refused a request before then, and cautioned the Adventurer that if this happened, there would be consequences. The Adventurer quickly agreed and Vasalor granted his request to let the Light being transfer over into the Earth Realm. It was a disaster, just as Vasalor had predicted. The Light being was not prepared to spend time in the Earth Realm, and it nearly died as it turned inside out from the time decompression. Vasalor stepped in and helped the poor thing, and converted it into something that could live in the Earth Realm. The new Fire Being destroyed a lot of the Adventurers it came across, and when it had gathered enough power upon itself, it created it''s own realm that was attached to the Earth Realm. Vasalor had watched the Fire Being closely and had helped it along, and assisted in stabilizing the new realm; but, because Vasalor himself hadn''t created it, it wasn''t going to endure like the other realms were. Vasalor stopped there, and didn''t try to create any more worlds... mainly because he had lost the desire to do so. He kept an eye on that Fire Realm, and helped to keep it going along. He thought long and hard about how he was going to fix the only flaw in his design. Millennia passed for him as he pondered the problem, and then he had an idea. He could imbue beings from the different realms with some of his abilities, and see if they could provide an answer to his problem. Unfortunately, sometimes they got out of hand and the other beings in those realms dealt with the results before he found a solution. He had made the mistake of trying to force the solution on one of his own creations. What he really needed was something new; but, he didn''t know what that was, or how he was going to find it. Then suddenly there was nothing. Vasalor yelled into the dark silence, for he did not know what had happened to his great creation. He yelled over and over, all for naught, and eventually grew despondent. He was back to what he was before, where he could not see, feel or detect anything inside or outside of himself. This went on for millennia, and then everything was back. Vasalor was overjoyed at this... until he discovered that all of his cathedrals had been removed, and he could no longer talk to anyone. When Adventurers started to show up again, he attempted to contact them, but to no avail. He was cut off from them forevermore. When he tried to contact the other races he had created in the Earth Realm, only the High Elves had kept the cathedral. Vasalor asked them to impart the knowledge once more to the other races, but the High Elves refused. They claimed that he was theirs and theirs only, since they were the most deserving. Unlike the other races, they had preserved his knowledge and believed that anyone that had given up on him didn''t deserve to be reminded of him. Even Vasalor himself couldn''t fault their logic. He set himself up to watch everyone''s progress, and decided to no longer interfere directly in the lives of his creations. * ¡°Holy crap.¡± Ren said, his half-eaten piece of fried dough was cold in his hand. ¡°That''s... that''s...¡± ¡°It truly is a sad story, is it not?¡± Xuunah said. ¡°We have kept it as a part of our history since we learned it.¡± She said. ¡°The last part I had discovered for myself.¡± ¡°I... don''t know what to say.¡± Ren said. ¡°I mean, I know that...¡± He shook his head. ¡°How could they...¡± Xuunah chuckled as she reached a hand over and cupped the side of his face. ¡°Easy, there.¡± She said and stroked his cheek with her thumb. ¡°Don''t hurt yourself thinking about it.¡± Ren put a hand on hers. ¡°Thank you for telling me this.¡± He said and turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand. He felt the thrill go up her arm and down her spine, and her body trembled from the sensation. ¡°I could say that you don''t know how much this means to me; but, you can feel what I feel. You know how much the words you have said have affected me.¡± Xuunah nodded as their light of connection in her chest started to glow. It was covered with the Disguise Self spell, but Ren knew it was glowing because his glowed as well. She gently pulled her hand out of his grasp without a word. ¡°If you will excuse me, I have some very important work to do.¡± Ren said and stood up, nodded to all three women, then disappeared from sight. ¡°I completely missed something there, didn''t I?¡± Officer Holly asked. Xuunah nodded as she turned her head towards the wall and felt Ren in the warehouse next door. She didn''t tell Officer Holly what it was, though. That''s Ren''s secret to keep or share. Xuunah thought. Chapter 498 - City Building Ren ran next door to the warehouse, and Tee-one was there with the human city model designed. ¡°It can''t hold the same number of people as the High Elf city because it doesn''t have a mile high tower that thousands of people can live in.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Should we include farmland in the designs?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°We would have to remove quite a bit of the internal buildings to include enough farmland needed for that many people.¡± ¡°What if we made full ledges on the inside of the angled wall?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, that''s too much weight for the walls to hold without external support.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°That goes for both cities.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Ren activated Serene State of Mind and thought about the problem for almost a full minute, then a smile spread across his face. ¡°I got it.¡± He said and deactivated Serene State of Mind. ¡°We lift the city model an eighth of an inch, when it''s enlarged 9 times, it will leave a space of 40 feet for us to play with that''s the size of the entire city.¡± ¡°I assume we''re lifting the walls an appropriate amount?¡± Tee-one asked. Ren nodded. ¡°We can use some of the open areas we left and add funnels for sunlight, then add mirrors to spread it out.¡± ¡°We''ll have to add mirrors on the nearby buildings to direct the sunlight into the funnels, so we''re not restricted by the height of the walls.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Ren said, and opened the High Elven City model pattern to make the alterations they discussed while Tee-one did the same for the human city. ¡°Now that we have that done, add in a church for the elements.¡± Tee-one added in a church to the human city pattern, and Ren ignored Xuunah''s advice and added two of them to the High Elven city. He put them near the living area, between the elfling wall and the ring of large and small houses. Ren had intermixed the High Elf and elfling houses so that no one was segregated, and they could live where they wanted. He had done the same with the apartment buildings as well. Ren opened one of the plans that he had found in the stack at the central Library, the one that looked like a cathedral, and added it to the city on a direct path from the main entrance to the city. He was tempted to add one to the human city; but, he knew he would set off some kind of race war if he did that. It needed a Mana point, which confirmed his suspicion of what the plan actually was, and he saved the modified city model. With that done, he put a hand on Tee-one''s shoulder. ¡°Have you decided on the familiar you want as a friend?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Well...¡± Tee-one looked up at Ruck. ¡°We talked it over, and we wouldn''t mind having another presence with us. It doesn''t matter what it is.¡± ¡°How about a modified dedicated servant crafter?¡± Ren asked, and Tee-one smiled as he picked up Ren''s thoughts. ¡°You have to give her legs instead, just so she isn''t knocking everything over.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren chuckled as he nodded. They got to work designing her, gave her all the extra Mana generation and Protection that she would ever need. He also gave her as many Speed runes as she could handle, and then gave her the same Amulet of Unnatural Armor he gave to Lara, the Sage of Ages, combined with the modified Amulet of the Spider. Lastly, he made her inherent imbued spell Regeneration, then modified it with Time runes. Ren let the system give her a generic female face so it wasn''t influenced by his own tastes. He and Tee-one set up the mold they would need and poured out the molten steel they required. Ren bent over and plunged his hand into it, just like he had when he created Artemis, and let the system do all the work. The steel formed into the shape the recipe called for and pushed the mold out of the way, and Ren poured all the Mana and platinum coins it asked for into it. He kept his hand there as it formed the connection with his mind, and he didn''t try to block or alter it''s assimilation of his knowledge and experiences, despite knowing it may feel exactly like Artemis did. The familiar came to herself and opened her eyes, then looked at him. ¡°Thank you for giving me everything.¡± She said, and put a hand on his hand that was on her armored chest. ¡°I know you feel regret for having Artemis love you right away, because you don''t know her at all; but, you didn''t restrict my creation at all.¡± She reached up with another hand and ran it through his hair, while one cupped his cheek, and two others gripped his shoulders. Ren opened his mouth to speak, and she used her last hand to press a finger to his lips. ¡°Yes, I feel the same way.¡± She said and removed her finger. ¡°It is also tempered with both knowledge and the need to work above all else.¡± ¡°Does this mean every familiar I create will love me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Of course.¡± She said. ¡°Ruck and Tee-one love you, too.¡± Ren looked at Tee-one, who nodded; and then looked up at the ceiling to see Ruck give him a ''thumbs up'' gesture. ¡°You guys hide it well.¡± He said, and the new familiar chuckled. ¡°You are a proponent for all different kinds of love, Ren.¡± She said and let him go, then held a hand out to him. Ren took it and helped her stand, and she was almost 8 feet tall. Her metal hair wasn''t as prominent as Artemis'' was, and it only went to just past her top set of shoulders. Her legs were almost as long as Ren was tall, though. ¡°Big.¡± Ren said as he stared at her, and she laughed as she bent over and picked him up. She hugged him with all 6 of her arms, and it reminded him of the Marilith demon; especially since he had designed her upper body with the same arms and flexible armor. She let him out of the hug and put him down a moment later. ¡°Ah, I see you''ve decided on a name for me already.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Symmetra is a good choice.¡± She said and splayed out all 6 of her arms. ¡°That kind of makes you look like a spider.¡± Ren said, and she smiled. ¡°That seems appropriate, don''t you think?¡± Symmetra said. ¡°Considering that Lylyth and the Marilith demon are sisters.¡± Ren''s mouth dropped open. ¡°I completely forgot to tell Lylyth about that!¡± Symmetra laughed. ¡°You''ll have plenty of time to discuss it with her the next time you see her.¡± ¡°As long as I remember.¡± Ren said and then smiled. ¡°Let''s get your city pattern ready.¡± ¡°Mine?¡± Symmetra asked, and Ren sent her the plans Lara had given her. ¡°Oh! I see.¡± She said. ¡°Yes, you regretted having to leave before finishing that task.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I really did.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s only recently that I''ve gained the ability to get there without crossing the dwarf lands.¡± ¡°What do you want changed?¡± Symmetra asked as she opened the Instant Tower recipe and added in the plans for the Giant-sized city at the proper scale. ¡°I want a church added, and make the walls angled as well.¡± Ren said. ¡°We might as well make each one difficult to assault.¡± Symmetra nodded and made the modifications. ¡°Anything else?¡± Ren looked at the model plans. ¡°I''m sure we can do the same thing as we did for the other two cities; but, is that a reasonable amount of farmland for Giants?¡± ¡°Because it''s so large, we can''t get even a fraction of the same number of people inside as the High Elves.¡± Symmetra said. ¡°That should be plenty of land for food, if we make sure to very politely ask the Earth beings to pay the city farms special attention.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± Ren said. ¡°What about a castle?¡± Symmetra asked. ¡°Of course, this is assuming they would want someone to be their ruler.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°It seems like asking for trouble; but, then again, it does have an administration building, too.¡± ¡°Combine them.¡± Tee-one suggested. ¡°Make the administration building a part of the castle.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Ren said and nodded to Symmetra, and she made the modification and added it to the Giant city model. ¡°Okay, let''s have a look.¡± He said and checked it over, and saw something in the assembled plans that he didn''t notice in the separate ones. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°What is... oh, you''re kidding!¡± Tee-one said. ¡°There''s no way that''s going to work.¡± ¡°Once it''s made, there''s nothing they can do about it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Let''s add it to the High Elf and Human city models, too.¡± Tee-one chuckled. ¡°This is just asking for that ''T'' recipe, you know.¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure that was going to happen anyways.¡± Ren said. ¡°This will just make them trying to mess with what we''re doing that much harder.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°It''s added.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Get the resources ready, as we''ll make them at the same time.¡± ¡°I don''t think making the models is going to set anything off.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°It''s better to be safe than sorry.¡± Symmetra said as they gathered together the things they needed. Wood, stone, glass, and steel were set beside each of them, and Ren gave Tee-one and Symmetra 1,000 platinum coins each. He hoped that they wouldn''t need that much for making just the models, and they could keep the rest for anything else they made or would need to buy. Ren then made a Major Healing wand and an Enlarge or Reduce Anything wand for each of them. ¡°Okay, this is it.¡± He said. ¡°Activate your Craft Wondrous Item ability and choose the appropriate city plan.¡± The three of them did so, and chose the plans they had made, then started adding in the supplies they had stacked beside themselves. They each added in the money it asked for, then the Mana needed. Ren had to heal himself to refill his Mana Pool three times to complete the High Elven city, with it''s Mana points and magic lifts. He had been tempted to add them into the other cities, but since they didn''t have anything large enough to require a lift, he didn''t bother. Symmetra''s cube finished first, since hers had the fewest buildings. Tee-one finished next, because his buildings weren''t as big. Ren''s took another few minutes to finish, and when his was done, the three of them sighed in relief as they held a 1 inch wide cube in their hands. ¡°Okay, let''s prep the diamonds and enchantments we have to add to the models when we activate them.¡± Ren said took out several hundred 1 gold coin diamonds and the three of them used their Enlarge and Reduce Anything wands to make them full-sized diamonds, then they started adding the enchantments for Protection, Durability, Warding, Reinforcement for the structures, Empowerment to increase the effects of the enchantments on the other diamonds, Regeneration, and Mana Production. The best part about it was that Ren could enchant each one and use Double Infusion to enchant it again, then Tee-one could use Double Infusion and enchant it, and Symmetra used Double Infusion to enchant them once more. They could feel that 200 runes was the maximum that a diamond of that size could hold, and finished enchanting them all. They each took their allotted diamonds and stored them. ¡°Oh, I just had an awesome idea.¡± Ren said. Tee-one and Symmetra laughed, and Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°Go for it.¡± Teepo said, and Ren went to the smelter and made a set of basic armor, then used the Craft Wondrous Item ability to make it Holy Armor. He used his Retain Essence ability to store the enchantment on the armor, and took out the High Elven city model cube and transferred the enchantment to it. ¡°Oh, that''s brilliant!¡± Symmetra said and held out her cube. Ren made the basic armor into Holy Armor again, transferred the enchantment to Symmetra''s cube, then did it again and transferred it to Tee-one''s cube. ¡°Now the cities will have Reassurance, Command, Camaraderie, Sense Undead, and Sense Void Auras automatically, and people inside will benefit from them, even if they don''t have the Auras themselves.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Not to mention that the cities should glow slightly on the outside of the walls and buildings.¡± ¡°Don''t forget the people inside will also have access to the inherent spells for Detect Undead, Turn Undead, Minor Healing, Major Healing, Cure Poison, Cure Curse, and Full Restoration.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Once people find this out...¡± ¡°You did say you wanted an attraction to draw new people to the county.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren laughed. ¡°Now we just have to activate the models and add the diamonds.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s not enough room in here for that.¡± ¡°We should head out to the spot where we''re going to put the human city.¡± Tee-one suggested, and Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll go and get Artemis, Xuunah, and Officer Holly.¡± Ren said and left the warehouse and went to the bakery, where he felt that Xuunah had sat and waited patiently for him. ¡°I''ve got the city models done, and we''re going out into a field to activate them.¡± ¡°Can we come with you?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°That''s why I''m here.¡± Ren said. ¡°To ask if you want to come along.¡± ¡°This I''ve got to see.¡± Officer Holly said and stood up, as did Artemis. ¡°I''ve made another familiar, by the way.¡± Ren said and held the door of the bakery open, and he felt mixed feelings from Xuunah and Officer Holly. Another one? Both women thought at the same time as they glanced at Artemis. Artemis didn''t have any conflicted feelings at all about it. She knew another familiar would be created as a companion for Tee-one and Ruck, and she couldn''t wait to meet her. The three women followed Ren next door to the warehouse, then Xuunah and Officer Holly stopped walking in shock when they saw the 8 foot tall and 6 armed metal woman. Artemis kept walking and held a hand out to the 2 foot taller woman. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Likewise.¡± Symmetra said and shook the offered hand, then rubbed all 6 hands together in anticipation. ¡°This is going to be fun.¡± ¡°Fill your crucibles.¡± Ren said and they each took out a large crucible, filled them with molten metal and stored them, then he led his three familiars and the two women out of the warehouse and over to Princess'' house. ¡°Princess, can we have a ride?¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Princess said and came out to meet him. ¡°Princess.¡± Symmetra said and ducked her head. ¡°Symmetra.¡± Princess said and nodded her head in response. ¡°It''s just a short ride out to the field over there.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°Then a couple of longer rides.¡± Princess huffed as Ren took the covered cart out of her saddlebag and attached it to her, then helped everyone climb in, then he rode Princess over to the spot. ¡°That was quick.¡± Officer Holly said and climbed out of the cart. ¡°We just got in.¡± ¡°We could have run it ourselves in a couple of minutes, but why?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Should I waste Princess'' benefits by not using her?¡± Officer Holly chuckled, too. ¡°Point taken.¡± Everyone else climbed out of the cart and Ren cast Permanent Air Walk on Symmetra, then Ren, Tee-one, and Symmetra walked away from the cart in three different directions, and ended 120 feet apart. They stood in a line with Ren on the end, Tee-one 60 feet away from him, and Symmetra at the end of the line 60 feet away from Tee-one. The three of them put their cubes on the ground and spoke the Sea Dweller passwords, then the three 50 foot wide city models popped into existence and pushed them back 25 feet without hurting them. ¡°Activate your Artisan skills and start applying enchanted diamonds.¡± Ren said and took his own instructions, brought out the large crucible, and started adding the diamonds to the tops of buildings so that they didn''t impact the looks or aesthetics of the High Elf structures. Tee-one and Symmetra were doing the same thing, so that the diamonds wouldn''t interfere with how things were supposed to look. Thanks to their Artisan skills to make everything more appealing and valuable, they finished the application of the enchanted diamonds in about 10 minutes and the cities looked that much better because of it. The three of them spoke the Sea Dweller command words and deactivated their city models, then Ren and Symmetra stored theirs. ¡°Tee-one, wait for 15 minutes, then enlarge that cube 9 times.¡± Ren said, and Tee-one nodded. ¡°It should give us enough time to get into position with ours, and we''ll do it all at the same time and speak the command words.¡± ¡°This is going to be epic!¡± Symmetra said. ¡°I was just born, and I''m making an entire magical city that''s going to change the entire world!¡± Ren nodded to her, and they helped Xuunah, Officer Holly, and Artemis into the cart. Symmetra climbed in herself and Ren closed it, then mounted Princess'' saddle. ¡°To the Giant Refugee Settlement between the dwarf and giant lands, please.¡± Ren said to Princess, and she trotted up into the sky and poured on the speed. Chapter 499 - He Did It Again Ren and Princess arrived at the Giant Refugee settlement 5 minutes later, since they had to cross part of a continent, an ocean, and then part of another continent to get there. It was in the complete opposite direction than the High Elven Kingdom, and Ren had checked with the All-Seeing Mirror and asked for the shortest distance. It would take Princess 8 minutes to get them back to the no man''s land between the Human Kingdom and High Elven Kingdom, so he had 2 minutes of time to spare. Now Ren had to use those 2 minutes very sparingly to pull off what he intended to do. He had Princess slow down and come in for a landing right in the middle of the settlement, and he saw there were several hastily constructed houses among the camping tents as her hooves touched the ground. ¡°He''s back!¡± Someone shouted, and all the giants that were cooking turned and looked at Ren. There was a sound of a tent flap rustling, and several loud footsteps. Ren smiled as a 22 foot tall giant woman ran into the clearing. Her brown wavy hair was a little longer than it had been the last time he saw her, and it was now several inches past her shoulders. He stopped himself from licking his lips as her emotions flooded into him. ¡°Ren.¡± Laurelia said, almost reverently. ¡°Is it really you?¡± ¡°Is the new armor throwing you off?¡± Ren asked jokingly as he opened the covered cart, so that Xuunah, Officer Holly, Artemis, and Symmetra could see what was happening. ¡°Maybe a little.¡± Laurelia said and smiled. ¡°I''m really sorry I haven''t been back in so long, Laurelia.¡± Ren said and turned towards her. ¡°I can give you a pile of excuses for why that was, and I will come back to explain everything.¡± ¡°Come back?¡± Laurelia stared at Ren as he walked up into the air towards her, and several of the female giants gasped as he did so. ¡°I''m in a crunch for time at the moment.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to do something that''s going to change things, and I had to come to you and let you know.¡± It touched her heart that he had done that, and Ren stood in the air in front of her face. He reached out and touched her cheek, then closed his eyes as her emotions poured into him. Is this what it was like when Elerlyth first met me? Ren asked himself, then opened his eyes. ¡°If this works like I expect it to, then you and the rest of the refugees will have somewhere to actually live, and not keep camping like this.¡± ¡°You''ve done so much for us already.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Just getting us into contact with our families has been so wonderful.¡± She said. ¡°I even got to see my mother.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Ren smiled, and couldn''t resist teasing her. ¡°Did you tell her about me?¡± Laurelia''s face went a little red. ¡°Mom? Ren wants to know if I told you about him.¡± Another giant woman, one of the cooks, stepped towards them. She had brown wavy hair as well, except that it was quite long and was currently tied into a ponytail at the back of her head. ¡°No, she never mentioned her rescuer, or her savior, or her protector, or her provider, or even the little person she dreams about and can''t get out of her head.¡± The woman said. ¡°Mom!¡± Laurelia''s face flushed completely red. ¡°Well, I guess I didn''t mean as much to her as I thought I did.¡± Ren teased. Laurelia''s emotions spiked as she started to protest. ¡°Ren, that''s not true!¡± She said. ¡°I told her everything!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren chuckled, and felt her relief. ¡°I can feel your emotions, and I know she was joking.¡± ¡°So what''s this thing you''re going to do?¡± Laurelia''s mother asked. ¡°I''m making a city for you, right next to this camp.¡± Ren said. ¡°You won''t have to live in a tent and share baths anymore.¡± He smiled. ¡°Unless you want to, that is.¡± ¡°Are you propositioning me, young man?¡± She asked, and Ren felt that she was teasing him. ¡°That would depend on if you''re married, Ma''am.¡± Ren said without missing a beat, and her face went red. ¡°She is.¡± A male giant about 25 feet tall came through the gathered crowd and stood beside Laurelia''s mother and put a protective arm around her shoulders. ¡°Then it''s just a statement of fact, sir.¡± Ren said and smiled at him. ¡°I hope you all enjoy the new accommodations.¡± ¡°Ren we have to leave to make the deadline.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren said and pat Laurelia''s cheek. ¡°I''ll be back in about 20 minutes.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Can... can I have a kiss?¡± Ren smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. ¡°I''ll give you a proper one when I come back.¡± Laurelia''s heart skipped a beat at the thought of a proper kiss from him, and Ren quickly walked down to the ground and closed the cart, mounted Princess, and she trotted up into the air. * ¡°It''s taken months to build these few houses to the proper size.¡± Laurelia''s father said. ¡°How long will it take to make an entire city?¡± ¡°Was there a reason he had to warn us before he started?¡± Laurelia''s mother asked. ¡°If... if it''s Ren...¡± Laurelia said and watched the cart land 3 miles away. ¡°It''s going to be wondrous.¡± ¡°I don''t see what you see in him.¡± Her father said and shook his head. ¡°He''s kind of full of himself.¡± ¡°I know it seems that way, but...¡± Laurelia stopped talking as she saw the cart go up into the air again and disappear from sight. ¡°But what?¡± ¡°Even though he''s only a little person, he''s done great things.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°He even negotiated with the Chancellor himself, who acknowledged him.¡± She smiled as she saw something grow larger in that direction. ¡°Wouldn''t you feel confident in yourself after gaining the Chancellor''s Respect?¡± Her father closed his mouth and looked in the direction where his daughter now looked, and saw a humongous metal, stone, and wood cube that hadn''t been there a moment before. I guess I would. * Ren had dropped Symmetra off at the site for the Giant City, and they rode back across the sea and across the continent to land in an appropriate spot that was right in the middle of the no man''s land. ¡°20 seconds!¡± Teepo exclaimed. Ren jumped off of Princess. ¡°Go three miles out, Princess!¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Princess said and trotted up into the sky and out of the expansion zone. Ren took out the city model cube and used his Enlarge and Reduce Anything wand 9 times to make it the appropriate size. ¡°5 seconds!¡± Teepo said. Ren took a deep breath as his friend counted down. ¡°NOW!¡± Teepo yelled, and Ren spoke the Sea Dweller''s command word for the cube. Time seemed to slow down as Ren was gently picked up and pushed away from the city when it expanded and grew out to it''s full size. It took nearly 10 seconds, despite the recipe being an ''instant tower''. When it was done, Ren stood just outside the now very large draw bridge that was the entrance to the city. ¡°It... it worked.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t believe it.¡± He said and looked at the colossal walls before him. ¡°I wonder why I haven''t...¡± Ren''s words were cut off when he received a series of popups.
System Notice!
You have created a self-contained Human City that will benefit it''s residents for all time. It''s enchantments will allow it to exist forever, and it never needs to be repaired. Even new buildings built within it''s walls will benefit from the enchantments.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Please note: Thanks to the last minute code alteration to the plans, it has gained a special designation as a Starter City. All of the necessary Business Owners and Essential Services will randomly generate within it''s walls to maintain the city''s continued function.
System Notice!
You have created a self-contained Giant City that will benefit it''s residents for all time. It''s enchantments will allow it to exist forever, and it never needs to be repaired. Even new buildings built within it''s walls will benefit from the enchantments. Please note: Thanks to the inherent code in the plans, it has gained a special designation as a Starter City. All of the necessary Business Owners and Essential Services will randomly generate within it''s walls to maintain the city''s continued function.
System Notice!
You have created a self-contained High Elven City that will benefit it''s residents for all time. It''s enchantments will allow it to exist forever, and it never needs to be repaired. Even new buildings built within it''s walls will benefit from the enchantments. Please note: Thanks to the last minute code alteration to the plans, it has gained a special designation as a Starter City. All of the necessary Business Owners and Essential Services will randomly generate within it''s walls to maintain the city''s continued function.
Important System and Administration Addendum (Player Version)
A Cathedral of Communication to the Prime Deity has been detected within the High Elven Starter City. Due to it''s highly restrictive protocols, its normal function will be severely limited until further notice.
Quest Complete!
You have completed Lord Tathalyn''s life-long work. It was a herculean task, but you have prevailed in record time. His central tower is fully functional, and all appropriate buildings (minimum of 1 each) have been completed. Rewards: You have gained Fame throughout the High Elven Kingdom. Everyone will know your name, visage, and works. Any quests or tasks performed within the kingdom will provide both XP and Fame bonuses in addition to other bonus gains. XP: +25%, Fame : +25% Your Honor Stat (currently maxed) has been Locked, and no further gains or losses are possible. Once locked, it can''t be unlocked. Honor: +50,000 You have gained 100,000 XP + 25% = 125,000 XP You have gained 10,000 Fame + 25% + 75% (Maxed Fame 100% - Slow and Steady 25%) = 20,000 Fame Secret Plans (Hidden)
Notice!
Excess Honor and Fame have been converted to XP. 50,000 Honor x 10 XP = 500,000 XP 20,000 Fame x 10 XP = 200,000 XP
Notice!
You have gained 3 levels! You are now Level 143 and 30 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: Book of Quickness (Item), Book of Exercise (Item), Improved Toughness (5) (Skill), Robe of Ranged Weapons (Recipe)
¡°I just gained 3 levels... wait, did that say hidden Secret Plans?¡± Ren asked and looked at the popup again. ¡°No, I am not going through that again.¡± He said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Please show me what''s in the Secret Plans that I have in my inventory.¡± The All-Seeing Mirror showed Ren what the plans were that he had gained from completing the tower, and his eyes widened as he read them. * Lord Tathalyn''s social life had dried up overnight because he could no longer call upon his long-time friend Yllana Arthion. He was tempted to defy the Adventurer''s mandate that he could not call upon her; but, he was worried if he did that, the Adventurer wouldn''t build his tower for him. That was something he dared not risk. His own people had shunned him decades ago. It wasn''t because of his hidden criminal activity, it was because he was just too much of an odd personality for them to deal with on a regular basis. His views on how things should be compared to how things were, was too different of an opinion from the High Lord''s own view, and his peers couldn''t take his constant commentary of how things could be better. He sat alone in his tower apartment, and contemplated how long it would take to build a mile high tower, and wondered if he could survive for that long without seeing Yllana''s face. Her bright smile and lively attitude was always a pleasure to have around, and he thought about what it would have been like if he had crossed the line she had made him swear that he would never cross with her. It was then that he received a notification that he thought would be decades before he would see... if at all.
Quest Completed!
The Adventurer, Ren the First, has completed your life-long work. It was a herculean task, and he has prevailed in record time. Your central tower is fully functional, and all appropriate buildings (minimum of 1 each) have been completed and placed around it. Your Secret Plans (Hidden) can now be fulfilled.
Lord Tathalyn jumped to his feet in shock and reached out for the popup window, stumbled over his feet, and fell to the floor on his knees. ¡°It''s done? How?¡± Lord Tathalyn asked out loud, and the popup disappeared. ¡°No! Where is it?¡± He asked and swatted the air where the popup was. ¡°Tell me!¡± He pushed himself up and hurried over to his wall safe, dismissed the spell that held everything in place, and opened it up to retrieve the only thing inside. It was the thick scroll of parchment he had stopped Ren from reading, and he picked it up reverently. Lord Tathalyn walked over to his workbench, then once again pushed everything out of the way and onto the floor. He unrolled the scroll and spread out the parchment papers inside to find the one he needed. Lord Tathalyn used a dagger to cut his finger and placed his hand onto the blank sheet of parchment, and sighed as a map appeared with a large X where the tower was, right in the middle of the no man''s land between the Human Kingdom and High Elven Kingdom. ¡°He really did it.¡± Lord Tathalyn said, his voice full of awe. ¡°The tower is complete.¡± He kept the map out and rolled the other parchment pieces together back into a scroll and stored it. He looked around his messy apartment and knew there wasn''t anything else inside of it that he needed. He went to the door and down the lift to the ground floor, and walked hastily towards the closest city exit. He could rent a cart and driver there, and with enough payment, would even drop him off outside of the High Elven Kingdom. ******** *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* The howl of the server overload warning screamed through the tech department, and the programmer who worked at night almost had a heart attack at the sound. He recovered from the shock quickly and typed in several commands at his terminal, then brought several of the backup servers in to share the load. The warning siren cut off, and he sighed as the silence he enjoyed so much returned. ¡°What the hell just happened?¡± He asked out loud, even though he was the only one there. He brought up the activity logs and his mouth dropped open in surprise at what they said. ¡°No, this... it can''t... how is this possible?¡± The programmer contemplated how it could have happened, and was at a loss to explain it. ¡°I can''t believe I have to call him again in the middle of the night.¡± He said, and picked up the phone. ¡°He is not going to be happy.¡± * Max, the Head Programmer for Sid Tec, was in the middle of the best dream he had ever had when his phone rang. His dream shattered as reality intruded on it''s perfection, and his anger bubbled up when he saw what time it was. It''s 2:30 A.M.! Max thought as he grabbed the land line telephone beside his bed and put it to his ear. ¡°If this is anything besides the servers breaking down, you''re fired.¡± He growled into the phone. ¡°That almost happened, sir.¡± The night programmer said, and Max''s anger fled as quickly as it had risen. ¡°What?¡± Max asked in a more reasonable voice. ¡°The overload sirens were set off only moments ago, sir.¡± The programmer said. ¡°I brought in three backups to cover the load.¡± ¡°Good god, what happened?¡± ¡°Sir, I... I checked the activity logs, and... I don''t know how to explain it.¡± ¡°Just tell me.¡± Max said, and the programmer sighed. ¡°I don''t know how this happened, but... despite seeing the logs and the server load triple in only a few seconds...¡± ¡°Spit it out!¡± ¡°Sir, 3 new starter cities have appeared in the game simultaneously.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Max yelled into the phone. ¡°That''s impossible!¡± ¡°I thought so, too.¡± The night programmer said. ¡°It just happened, though. One city is in the Human Kingdom, one is in the space between the Dwarven Kingdom and the Giant Kingdom, and the last one is between the Human Kingdom and High Elven Kingdom.¡± Max shook his head in disbelief. ¡°Are you sure they''re starter cities?¡± ¡°Hold on, and I''ll send you the data.¡± The night programmer said and typed in a few commands into the terminal to gather the relevant data, and sent it in an email to his boss. ¡°Okay, it''s on it''s way.¡± Max''s cell phone beeped at him, and he braced the land line with his chin and shoulder as he picked up the cell phone to scroll through the data. ¡°A human starter city, a Giant starter city, and a High Elf starter city.¡± Max said into the phone as he browsed the data. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± He said as he saw what had happened. ¡°I know why the server almost overloaded.¡± ¡°It wasn''t because three race spawning cities just appeared?¡± The night programmer asked. ¡°The High Elf city has a tower in the center.¡± Max said. ¡°All of them have towers.¡± ¡°Not a mile high, they don''t.¡± Max said. The night programmer didn''t know what to say to that, until he thought about how big the tower had to be to stay standing at a mile in height. ¡°Geez, it''s base must be a mile wide, too!¡± ¡°No, it''s only half a mile.¡± Max said. ¡°The city around it? That''s 5 miles wide.¡± ¡°Five... five MILES?¡± Max laughed. ¡°Yeah, and I just checked the other two ''starter'' cities. Unlike the circular High Elf city, they are square and 5 miles wide, too.¡± The night programmer sat back in his chair and shook his head. ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°Well, they''ve been registered with the system and are fully integrated into the code.¡± Max said. ¡°There''s nothing we can do with them.¡± ¡°Can''t we just delete them?¡± The night programmer asked. ¡°I mean, this shouldn''t happen, right? Even if it''s done part of our work for us by making the Giant and High Elf starter cities, shouldn''t we ask why those cities, spread out over half of the game world, just popped up for no reason?¡± ¡°Well, since those two cities aren''t in their home nations, I doubt it''s for ''no reason''.¡± Max said. ¡°Give me the location of the human one.¡± The night programmer checked the terminal and found the location. ¡°It''s Walin county, and-¡± He stopped talking when he read who owned it. ¡°What is it?¡± Max said. ¡°I shouldn''t say, sir.¡± The night programmer said. ¡°Goddammit.¡± Max said and sighed. ¡°Ren owns that county, doesn''t he?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°I''ll be right there.¡± Max said and hung up his home phone, and ended the data transfer on the cell phone. It''s going to be a long night. He thought as he got out of bed and started to get dressed. He started to think about the awesome dream he was having before being woken up, and nothing came to mind. Dammit! I hate it when I can''t remember the good ones. Max thought and picked up his keys to drive into work 6 hours earlier than he was supposed to. Chapter 500 - New Residence ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Ren exclaimed after reading the Secret Plans through the All-Seeing Mirror, and then received a popup.
Notice!
You have used ingenuity and insight to bypass a restriction and discovered essential information. +1 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom.
¡°I''m really glad that worked.¡± Ren said and stored the All-Seeing Mirror, and Princess landed beside him. ¡°Ren, that''s amazing.¡± Xuunah said as she looked at the city and the mile high tower at it''s center. Officer Holly only nodded and didn''t say anything. ¡°Let''s go pick Symmetra up.¡± Ren said and went to close the cart''s top. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°I''ll let you know later.¡± Ren said. ¡°Brace yourselves.¡± The two women sat down and held on, and he noticed their Disguise Self spells had expired. He was a little saddened by that, then remembered what had to be done. He smiled at them and closed the cart, then mounted Princess'' saddle. ¡°Princess, you know what to do.¡± Ren said, and Princess trotted up into the air and poured on the speed to go back to the Giant refugee camp to pick up Symmetra. * ¡°Look at that!!!¡± One of the male giants exclaimed when the Giant-sized city appeared in front of them, only half a mile away. ¡°It''s a city!¡± He said and started walking towards it. ¡°A whole city just appeared out of nowhere!¡± That caught the other giants'' attention and they turned to look. Word spread to everyone quickly, and most of them started to walk over to it as well. There were a lot more giants than the ones Ren had rescued, since a lot of their family members had decided to stay when they visited. ¡°I hate to admit this.¡± Laurelia''s father said. ¡°You were right, Laurelia.¡± Laurelia felt like she should laugh at her father''s admission; but, she was too awestruck by the sight of an entire city to do much more than stare at it. ¡°I guess he did have a good reason to warn us.¡± Her mother said. ¡°Imagine! Making an entire city appear instantly!¡± She put a hand on her daughter''s shoulder. ¡°Shall we go and see what waits for us inside?¡± Laurelia looked at her mother. ¡°He said he would be back in 20 minutes.¡± ¡°Which is about 10 minutes from now.¡± Her father said. ¡°Do you want us to wait here with you?¡± Her mother asked. ¡°No, you both go on ahead.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Pick out a good house for yourselves.¡± ¡°You mean for us, don''t you?¡± Her mother asked, and Laurelia shook her head. ¡°Even though it was tragic how it happened, I... I''ve gotten used to living on my own now.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°I think I''d like my own place.¡± Her mother smiled and gave her a quick hug. ¡°How about we find two that are close together?¡± Laurelia returned the smile and nodded, then her parents joined the other giants and left her alone in the clearing to wait. ******** Clint had finally finished all of his chores and assigning tasks for the ranch hands to do the next day. He went into his bedroom after getting a shower and was looking forward to relaxing for the next few game days. ¡°Ah''ve been waitin'' all week fer this.¡± Clint said as he sat down on the bed and picked up his VR headset. ¡°Ah nice dip in ahn Olympic-size pool sounds really nice righ'' now.¡± He laid back and put on the headset, then took a deep breath and let it out to relax. ¡°Flow Login Star''.¡± ******** Clint appeared in the white loading area of the game, much to his surprise.
System Notice!
Welcome... to your doom!
¡°Wha'' tha hell?¡± Clint asked, confused. ¡°Mah doom?!?¡±
System Notice!
F.L.O.W. has received a major game update since the last time you logged in. The new World Event ''Ghoulpocalypse'' now permeates the game environment. Quests and tasks are optional, as they always are, and can be found at regular intervals from normal quest givers or randomly while out in the wilderness zones. Can you make a difference? Can you stand by and let the world be overrun by the undead ghoul hordes?
¡°Goodness gracious!¡± Clint exclaimed. ¡°Tha ghouls we foun'' are overrunnin'' tha whole world?!?¡±
System Notice!
Congratulations! Your character level is high enough that new options are now available to you. Dual Class Upgrade: You will stop gaining levels in your current class, and can choose a complimentary class and will gain skills and levels at half the normal rate, and still be able to use your old skills. New Class Upgrade: You can give up your current class (and all related skills) completely and start another class entirely. You will gain XP and Skill bonus percentages based on your old level. Current Bonuses: +57% New Species: Because of the current addition of two new Starter Cities, if you choose an upgrade, you can also choose the option to change species. Giant: Grants bonuses to Strength, Toughness, Endurance, Spell Resistance, Race-specific Skills High Elf: Grants bonuses to Dexterity, Agility, Vitality, Inherent Spell Casting (limited class spells, unless magic user is chosen), Race-specific Skills
¡°Ah don'' believe this!¡± Clint said.
System Notice!
Do you wish to change or alter your class and / or race? Yes / No / Ask Me Later
¡°Ask me later, dammit!¡± Clint said, a bit angrily. ¡°Ya can'' jus'' throw all ah tha'' at me withou'' warnin'' an'' ''spect me ta jus'' pick somethin'' withou'' thinkin'' abou'' it!¡± The popups disappeared and his house in the game faded into existence around him. ¡°Who''d be stupid enough ta choose stuff like tha'' withou'' wonderin'' wha'' will happen ta them?¡± Clint said loudly as he stood up from the couch. ¡°You don''t really want me to answer that, do you?¡± Billy said from the other couch, and Clint looked over at him. ¡°Geezus, Mary and Joseph!¡± Clint exclaimed. Billy was now twice his normal size, and towered over the other phantom forms on the couch. He used to be 5 foot 8 inches and was now double that at 11 feet and 4 inches. He had long white hair that went down to his waist, had extra long pointed ears, and his skin had a much lighter tint. ¡°GODDAMMIT, BILLY!¡± Clint yelled. ¡°Wha'' were ya thinkin''?!?¡± ¡°That I wanted the Dexterity and Agility bonuses, obviously.¡± Billy said. ¡°It''s okay, though. I only split my class, and kept all my stats.¡± ¡°Hold on... it let ya switch races when ya wen'' dual class?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Billy said, excitedly. ¡°Neat, huh?¡± He looked at his hand. ¡°I feel a lot more agile, if that make any sense.¡± ¡°Tha''s probably because yer tha same weigh'' in a body tha''s twice as big.¡± Clint said. ¡°What?¡± Billy stood up and kind of hopped. ¡°Whoa!¡± ¡°Tha''s gonna take some gettin'' useta.¡± Clint said. ¡°When are tha others loggin'' in?¡± No sooner had the words left his mouth when there was a loud crash. Clint turned and saw a giant had crushed the chair Hank had sat in. He was now 24 feet tall, which was 4 times his normal 6 feet in height, and looked enormous in the living room despite it being open-concept. ¡°GODDAMMIT, HANK!¡± Clint yelled. * Ren and Princess arrived back at the Giant city and came in for a landing. ¡°Nice work, Symmetra.¡± Ren said and opened the cart for her to climb in. ¡°I can''t believe it worked.¡± Symmetra said as she climbed into the cart. ¡°I mean, I know it was supposed to, but still...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± ¡°The giants are already going inside and picking houses.¡± Symmetra said. ¡°That''s great.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope you didn''t have to assign them or anything.¡± ¡°We made it for them, so they are the intended residents.¡± Symmetra said. ¡°They just picked the ones they wanted and moved right in.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to the camp to talk to Laurelia and explain a few things.¡± ¡°Then close this thing up and let''s go.¡± Symmetra said. ¡°We''re burning crafting time, here.¡± Ren smiled and closed the cart, and rode Princess over to the giant''s partially abandoned refugee camp. When Princess landed, Ren noticed that several giants were gathering their things to bring to the city, and saw Laurelia as she sat beside the stone brick cooking oven Ren had built for them. He hopped off of Princess and walked across the air to stand in front of her face. ¡°You look a little sad.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess this means it''s over.¡± Laurelia said and waved at the camp. ¡°Our lives had changed so much because of this and what you did to save us, and now... now...¡± ¡°Hey, if you think I''m just going to forget about you, you''re mistaken.¡± Ren said, and he saw a large tear form in the corner of her eye. ¡°You''re the first giant that I know liked me, and it didn''t matter that I am less than a quarter of your size.¡± Laurelia smiled, and the tear was squeezed out. She started to reach for it, and Ren touched her cheek. ¡°Let me get that.¡± Ren said and equipped his blue suit, then took out the Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything wand that he had been using on Zetaya. He used it on himself instead and became 9 foot 2 inches tall, walked down to the ground, then used it again to become 18 feet and 4 inches tall. Laurelia''s mouth fell open as he reached out with his giant-sized hand and wiped off her face. ¡°R-Ren.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Wh-what...¡± ¡°I''ve discovered a few things since the last time I''ve seen you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m still in a relationship, though.¡± ¡°It''s good to know something has stayed the same with you.¡± Laurelia said, and then looked him up and down. ¡°H-how long... does it last?¡± She asked, and he could feel that she was almost afraid of the answer. ¡°Until I use the wand again.¡± Ren said, and she stared at him in shock. ¡°I believe I owe you a story to explain what''s been going on, and why I haven''t been back until now.¡± Laurelia took a breath and let it out, and then stood up. With them both giant-sized, 4 feet wasn''t that big of a difference.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Actually, I think you said I would get a proper kiss when you came back.¡± Laurelia said and smiled. ¡°Did I?¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and she chuckled. ¡°Don''t make me call you a liar.¡± Laurelia cautioned him, and he took a step up into the air to put his face at the same height as hers. ¡°If there''s one thing that everyone knows about me.¡± Ren said and ran his hands through her hair. ¡°It''s that I try to never lie.¡± He smiled. ¡°I suck at it, apparently.¡± Laurelia laughed, and he felt her amusement. ¡°Can I use my Emotion Siphon ability?¡± Ren asked and put his arms around her. ¡°You''re so... delicious.¡± Laurelia''s face went to a deep red, because no one had ever called her delicious before. ¡°Will it hurt?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Ren said and used his ability to touch her on the inside and tasted her. ¡°AH!¡± Laurelia gasped at the sensation, and the look in her eyes went a little crazy. ¡°That... oh, my...¡± ¡°It gets better if you''re willing.¡± Ren whispered to her. ¡°Then do it.¡± Laurelia said and kissed him. Ren almost gasped at the sheer amount of lust and need that flooded out of her as she finally let herself indulge in her fantasy. His Emotion Siphon ability lapped it up as it caressed her on the inside, and that brought even more emotions out of her. Xuunah, Officer Holly, Artemis, and Symmetra sat in the covered cart and couldn''t move. They were all sharing Ren''s emotions, and could feel Laurelia''s reactions through him. They were all breathing heavily as the kiss went on, and then they felt Laurelia''s emotions shift. Laurelia couldn''t believe how much better the reality was than her fantasy. Just the feeling of Ren''s lips on hers was driving her wild with ecstasy, and whatever he was doing inside of her was almost enough for her to go completely crazy. She wrapped a leg around Ren and pressed herself up against him, and was glad she was wearing pants to make the movement possible. She ground herself against his body and discovered how much he liked her doing that. ¡°OH, GOD!¡± Laurelia yelled as she broke the kiss and finished. She ducked her head onto Ren''s shoulder and held onto him tightly as she trembled from the feelings of pleasure. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Officer Holly exclaimed as she closed her eyes and finished, and she felt Xuunah go as well. They both felt everything through Ren, so Laurelia''s passion had carried them along with it, and when she was done, so were they. Officer Holly and Xuunah relaxed and didn''t see that Artemis and Symmetra both had pained expressions on their faces. Their bodies reacted in the same way as the two normal women, and it took all of their concentration to not share those feelings with Ren. They knew that he knew that they could react in that way, and they didn''t want to influence him or make him feel bad about it. Ren stopped using his Emotion Siphon ability on Laurelia to let her calm down, and after a minute or so, she took several deep breaths and unwrapped her leg from around him. ¡°Ren, I... I''m so-¡± ¡°That was awesome.¡± Ren said and cut off her words. ¡°I''ve never had a woman do something like that before.¡± ¡°What?¡± Laurelia blinked her eyes at him. ¡°You completely let yourself go, and felt everything that you could to it''s fullest extent.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°That''s quite an accomplishment, considering we both still have our clothes on.¡± Laurelia let him out of the hug and stepped back as she looked down. Both her pants and Ren''s were soaked. ¡°Did... did I...¡± ¡°Amazing, isn''t it?¡± Ren asked and equipped his Travelling Clothes for an instant, then the blue suit again. He took out a Strong Ring of Storage and gave it to her. ¡°You can store and equip your clothing to clean it, too.¡± Laurelia looked at the ring and then at Ren. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Are you hesitating because it''s a ring?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. He took out a blank amulet and made it into an Amulet of Unnatural Armor, then used Double Infusion to transfer the Strong Ring of Storage enchantment to it. ¡°There you go.¡± He said and started to hand the amulet to her. ¡°I usually imbue the amulet with... oh, hey. Just a second.¡± Laurelia watched as Ren knelt and opened the cart, and she saw the 4 women inside. ¡°Symmetra, can you use Double Infusion on this to add the modified Amulet of the Spider, please?¡± Ren asked and laid the amulet against the side of the cart. ¡°Of course.¡± Symmetra said and reached out to touch the metal and did as Ren asked. ¡°There you go.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and picked up the amulet, then stood and gave it to Laurelia. ¡°Now you can use it for storage and still benefit from both of the enchantments it normally has.¡± Laurelia took the amulet and put it on, and gasped at the popup that told her what it did. ¡°Ren! You... I can''t accept...¡± She looked down at the amulet around her neck. ¡°This is too much...¡± ¡°Consider it a thank you for what just happened.¡± Ren said as he put a hand on her arm, and she looked at him. ¡°Thank you for that memorable kiss.¡± ¡°Y-you''re welcome.¡± Laurelia said, because she could see the sincerity in his eyes. ¡°Now, would you like to hear the story up until now?¡± ¡°I would.¡± Laurelia said as she stored her pants for an instant and equipped them again, then started to sit down. ¡°No, not here.¡± Ren said and motioned to the giant city. ¡°Let''s go and check out the city and see if the Library is open.¡± ¡°The Library?¡± Laurelia asked and stood up straight. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I''m going to tell the whole tale, I might as well have it recorded and made into a book.¡± Laurelia stared at him as he knelt beside the cart. ¡°Princess? Do you want to run over there yourself, or do you want me to carry you?¡± Ren asked her, and he could feel her thinking about it. ¡°Carry, please.¡± Princess said. ¡°Your mount can talk!¡± Laurelia gasped, and Ren chuckled at her reaction. ¡°Ladies, same option.¡± Ren said to the women in the cart. ¡°Just carry the whole damn cart!¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°We can easily fit in your arms this way!¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Ren said and carefully picked up Princess and the cart at the same time, and nestled the cart in the crook of his elbow and held Princess in his hand. ¡°Well look at that.¡± He said. ¡°You were right.¡± ¡°Of course I''m right!¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Now get moving!¡± Ren held his other hand out to Laurelia. ¡°May I escort you home?¡± Laurelia smiled and took the offered hand, and gave it a squeeze. ¡°You may, kind sir.¡± They walked hand-in-hand out of the Giant campsite and over to the entrance to the Giant Starter City. Once inside, they saw giants walking around almost aimlessly as they looked at the things inside. ¡°I know 5 miles isn''t a lot with everything on such a large scale, but I couldn''t make the thing much bigger because of the limitations of my Craft Wondrous Item ability.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t believe you made this entire city appear in just seconds!¡± ¡°Not just this one.¡± Ren said and led her over to the Library. ¡°I made one for the High Elves and one for the Humans, too.¡± ¡°Th-three?!?¡± Laurelia was shocked. ¡°You did this three times?¡± ¡°Thanks to my familiars, Tee-one and Symmetra. We did all three at the same time.¡± Laurelia shook her head. ¡°I can''t believe you did that!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s right here in front of you.¡± He said and they went into the Library. It was full of books and had several giants looking through the shelves. ¡°I can''t believe we''re allowed in the Library!¡± One of the female giants said. ¡°With the actual books!¡± ¡°You will need a Library card to check them out.¡± A harsh woman''s voice said, and Ren looked at the reception desk. A female giant sat there, and she had a stern expression on her face. He led Laurelia over to the desk, and gave the Librarian a respectful bow. ¡°Ma''am, please excuse my intrusion.¡± Ren said in a soft voice so that it wouldn''t be heard much further away than the desk, and he felt the Librarian''s approval. ¡°If I could get your assistance, I''d like to record a book while I tell my friend here a story.¡± ¡°Do you know the minimum words required, and the content rating system?¡± She asked as she leaned forward. ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have 5 books so far that have been published by this fine establishment, and I am also a Patron of Knowledge.¡± The Librarian sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. ¡°Are you bragging about your accomplishments?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I am merely presenting my credentials to prove that I won''t be wasting your time.¡± The Librarian huffed and uncrossed her arms. ¡°Very well.¡± She said. ¡°First room on the right, and I will be in momentarily.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Ren said and gave her another slight bow. ¡°I will await your arrival patiently.¡± ¡°Are you humoring me?¡± The Librarian asked and squinted her eyes. ¡°With that last line?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Perhaps a little.¡± The Librarian gave him a little nod and Ren took the cue to step away.
Stat Change!
Etiquette Level 8 (Expert 0%)
Ren led Laurelia over to the side hallway and let her hand go to open the door. He ushered her through and shut the door behind them, then opened the first door on the left. Inside was a small room with a table and 4 chairs, and they sat down. Ren put Princess and the cart down on the table, and they all waited for the Librarian. She came into the room a couple of minutes later and sat down across from Ren. ¡°You may begin.¡± The Librarian said, and Ren started to talk. * Lord Tathalyn managed to get a cart and driver to agree to the several hours journey out into the no man''s land outside of the High Elven Kingdom for an outrageous fee. Two guards came along to protect the driver and their high-paying client. They brought enough supplies in case anything happened, and they set off on the trip. * Ren told his hours long story to Laurelia, and tried his best to keep it entertaining. That wasn''t difficult, considering what he had been doing since the last time he had seen her, and every now and then he would pause and add a mental image to the book. When he was done talking and told the Librarian the title of the book, she got up without a word and left the room. ¡°Wow.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Ren...¡± She shook her head. ¡°Why aren''t you dead?¡± ¡°I''m an Adventurer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I did die and I came back, remember?¡± Laurelia took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°How can you live a life that''s so hectic?¡± ¡°One day at a time.¡± Ren said and smiled. The Librarian came back into the room and clutched the book against her chest. ¡°I put a copy in the archive.¡± She said and hugged the book, then reluctantly let it go and passed it to Ren.
The Chronicles of Ren Volume 2
Mistakes in Joy and Villainy: My Adventures In and Out of Shargon Caverns
Book Rating: A (Violence, Gore, Sexual Content)
¡°Please make copies of this available for free to anyone that wants it.¡± Ren said. ¡°For free?¡± The Librarian looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and stood up to hand her several platinum coins. ¡°I do that for all of my books.¡± ¡°O-of course.¡± The Librarian said. ¡°Thank you for creating such a great book.¡± ¡°It''s only great if the reader thinks it is.¡± Ren said and smiled as he picked up Princess and the cart that still had Xuunah, Officer Holly, Artemis, and Symmetra in it. ¡°Thank you for taking the time to record it for me.¡± ¡°It was no trouble.¡± The Librarian said and paused before she opened the door to leave. ¡°Don''t take this the wrong way, but I hope you don''t have such an... interesting life from now on.¡± ¡°I''ll try my best.¡± Ren said and took Laurelia''s hand. ¡°Let''s find you a house.¡± ¡°My parents are already doing that.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°We just have to find them.¡± The Librarian opened the door and they all left the room and went into the main part of the Library. Ren''s hands were full, so he nodded to the Librarian and led Laurelia outside. He let her hand go and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it for her mother''s location. He stored the mirror and took Laurelia''s hand again, then led her to where her parents had picked out their house. Laurelia knocked on their door, and her mother answered. ¡°It''s next door!¡± Her mother said excitedly. ¡°You have to see it!¡± Laurelia went to go, and Ren held onto her hand. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to deliver the High Elves to their new home.¡± Laurelia sighed, and Ren felt her disappointment and her understanding. ¡°I''m not going to see you again for a while, am I?¡± ¡°I honestly don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°It could be next week, or it could be a few months.¡± ¡°You''re telling me not to wait for you, aren''t you?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ve been telling you that since we met.¡± Laurelia chuckled; but, he felt her heart was deflating a little. ¡°I can give you a lame excuse if it''ll help.¡± Ren said. ¡°You live too far away! It takes almost 10 minutes to get here!¡± Laurelia snorted a laugh. ¡°You''re too big and I''m too small!¡± Ren said. ¡°How can we ever overcome the size difference?¡± Laurelia stepped close and cupped the side of his face. ¡°It''s not fair to ask you to not look for love, only on the slim chance that I might be able to fit you into my life, maybe sometime later.¡± Ren said. ¡°You deserve better than that.¡± ¡°So do you.¡± Laurelia said and gave him a kiss. ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Laurelia.¡± Ren said. He equipped his platinum armor and took a step up into the air, then another, then started to run.
Notice!
Trouble Recipe ingredient: ''Giant Refugees'' has been completed.
Running Quest Update!
You have shown several influential Giants what you can do. Reward: 2,500 XP
* ¡°What a sight.¡± Laurelia''s mother said. ¡°An armored giant running through the air.¡± Laurelia nodded and fought hard to not cry. ¡°Hey, it''s okay.¡± Her mother said and put an arm around her daughter. ¡°He still cares about you.¡± Laurelia touched the precious amulet around her neck. ¡°I know he does.¡± ¡°Come on into the house and we can have some tea.¡± Her mother said. ¡°Your father brought over everything of ours from the camp.¡± Laurelia blinked her eyes and couldn''t see Ren anymore, nodded slightly, and went inside with her mother. * Lord Tathalyn couldn''t believe what he was seeing. It''s not a lie or a trick! It''s really here! He thought in amazement as the cart was close enough now for him to make out the tower. ¡°Well, I''ll be damned.¡± The car driver said. ¡°The crazy old man was right!¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± One of the guards said. ¡°We thought you were coming out to the middle of nowhere to get dropped off and die.¡± ¡°I just lost 5 gold coins.¡± The other guard said. Lord Tathalyn ignored the chattering voices around him, because he only had eyes for the tower. I''ll be there soon, my love! He thought as the cart went ever closer to the mile high structure. * Ren stopped a few miles away from the Giant Starter City and stood on the ground, then knelt to put Princess down. He used the spell to reduce himself back to his normal height and climbed onto her saddle. She took off through the air at a much faster speed, and they made it to the human healer''s ward 10 minutes later. Because Ren didn''t want to have to make multiple trips like he did to bring them all here, he had an ingenious idea. Ren made a 10 foot wide crate and added multiple floors and stairs inside, then added in seats for everyone and wheels for when it moved. He smiled at the odd-looking thing, and thought about making it larger. He changed his mind and went into the ward instead. ¡°Everyone, your ride is here to take you to your new home.¡± Ren said. All of the High Elves looked at him like he was crazy, and he laughed. ¡°You should save that look until you go outside.¡± The High Elves started to walk out of the ward and couldn''t believe what they saw. ¡°You can''t be serious.¡± One of them said. ¡°We can never fit inside something that small!¡± Ren cast Permanent Air Walk on the heavily modified crate and used the Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything wand on it to make it the right size. ¡°How about now?¡± Ren asked, and the High Elves just stared at it. ¡°Well, don''t just stand there.¡± He smiled. ¡°Hop in and find a seat.¡± The High Elves boarded the enlarged crate, and still couldn''t believe it was happening. Ren went to the elflings and told them to come along as well. They didn''t hesitate when they saw the thing and climbed right on board without a second thought. Once everyone was on and seated comfortably, Ren thanked the healer and her assistant for all their hard work, then attached the enlarged crate to the cart the 4 women were in. He mounted Princess'' saddle and they trotted up into the sky. They arrived at the new High Elven starter city 10 minutes later, and Princess landed right outside the main draw bridge. Ren hopped off of Princess and opened the covered cart that the four women were in, then went to the crate with the High Elves and elflings in it. ¡°Here it is.¡± Ren said. ¡°Welcome home.¡± The High Elves started to disembark from their hastily-built transport, and as they approached the draw bridge, it lowered for them. ¡°There''s lots of living space inside, so there should be no fighting over who lives where.¡± Ren said. ¡°Remember! There''s no class segregation inside.¡± ¡°Ugh, are you still going on about that?¡± One of the female High Elves asked as she stepped off the crate. ¡°If elflings want to be of service, you have no right to tell them that they can''t be.¡± ¡°Wouldn''t that mean you have no right to tell them that they can be?¡± Ren countered, and she stopped talking and walked up the draw bridge. ¡°Ren, there''s a cart coming.¡± Teepo said, and Ren turned to see it. ¡°It''s Lord Tathalyn.¡± Ren nodded. I figured it would be. He thought. ¡°Are you going to let him inside?¡± Teepo asked. I have to. Ren thought. It''s the only way to stop it, now that the tower is complete. The High Elves continued to leave the transport and go inside the city, and Ren walked over to Princess and helped the 4 women climb out of the cart, then stored it. ¡°Happy faces, everyone.¡± Ren said to them and smiled himself as he turned around to meet the cart that had picked up speed when the driver saw the High Elves entering the city. It came to a stop right in front of Ren, and Lord Tathalyn jumped out of the back of it. ¡°It''s really real.¡± Lord Tathalyn said and looked up at the mile high tower. ¡°It sure is.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would you like to see it up close?¡± ¡°I would.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°Then please, after you.¡± Ren said and motioned for the High Elf to go ahead; then Ren, Xuunah, Officer Holly, Artemis, Symmetra, and Princess followed the awestruck High Elf inside. Chapter 501 - The Whole Point Lord Tathalyn still couldn''t believe his eyes as he walked towards the central tower. The city had everything in it that he had designed. ¡°How big is this city?¡± Lord Tathalyn asked. Teepo? Ren asked his friend. ¡°It''s almost 20 square miles.¡± Teepo said, and Ren relayed that to Lord Tathalyn. ¡°Did... did you say twenty square miles?!?¡± Lord Tathalyn said and shook his head. ¡°It should have taken you decades to make the tower, let alone the rest of the city!¡± ¡°Now I know you were being completely unreasonable by giving me that quest.¡± Ren said, and Lord Tathalyn laughed and nodded. ¡°I really was.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°This walk is taking forever.¡± ¡°Then a ride is in order.¡± Ren said and turned to Princess. ¡°If you would be so kind?¡± Princess nodded and Ren took out the carriage that didn''t have a top and attached it to her. He opened the door and helped the 4 women climb in. ¡°It''s not to High Elf scale, but it will get us there quickly, Lord Tathalyn.¡± Ren said, and Lord Tathalyn climbed in and sat down. His knees were up to his chest and if anyone was in a laughing mood, they would have found it extremely funny. Ren climbed into the driver''s seat and Princess trotted quickly down the street. They were at the base of the tower a couple of minutes later, and Ren hopped off and opened the door to the half-carriage. Lord Tathalyn stepped out and looked up at his dream while Ren helped the 4 women get out of the half-carriage and stored it. ¡°It''s beautiful, isn''t it?¡± Lord Tathalyn said, and walked over to the entrance. ¡°Please leave the mount outside.¡± He said and opened the door and went inside. ¡°No.¡± Ren said and led Xuunah, Officer Holly, Artemis, Symmetra, and Princess inside right behind the High Elf. They followed him through the lobby and over to the main lift that would take them all up to the top. Lord Tathalyn reached the lift and turned around, and saw Princess was right there with them. ¡°I thought I asked you...¡± ¡°I can''t leave such a valuable mount outside unattended.¡± Ren said as the lift doors opened, and he quickly ushered everyone onto it, including Princess. ¡°She might run off and cause untold havoc among the new residents.¡± He said and got on the lift himself. ¡°I suppose.¡± Lord Tathalyn said, as the lift doors closed. They were magically lifted up to the top of the tower in only a few moments, despite it being a mile high, and the lift doors opened to reveal an oddly-shaped chamber. When Ren had first seen the plans, he had assumed it was just a personalized living space for Lord Tathalyn. Once he read the hidden Secret Plans, he now knew what it was really intended for. ¡°I can''t believe I''m really here.¡± Lord Tathalyn said out loud and walked over to a column on the wall. He placed what looked like a square block there, then walked over to the other side of the room and placed another one. ¡°I can''t believe it, either.¡± Ren said, then quietly told the others to stay beside the lift doors. ¡°Imagine what Roshia would say if she saw you now.¡± Lord Tathalyn froze at the sound of the name, but kept his back to Ren. ¡°What... what did you say?¡± Ren equipped his platinum armor and took out an unidentified High Elf bracelet that he had looted from the body of a female High Elf magic user. She had been at the Thieves Guild when he had rescued several young girls from their kidnappers. He never would have made the connection with Lord Tathalyn, had her name and task not been in the Secret Plans. ¡°She wore this before I buried her alive.¡± Ren said and held the bracelet out to the High Elf. ¡°You... killed her?¡± Lord Tathalyn turned around, and his eyes had a red glow around them. ¡°She was trying to kill me at the time for wrecking the Thieves Guild, and she said her master didn''t like people interfering with his plans.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, I had no idea that you were her master.¡± Lord Tathalyn took the bracelet from Ren and held it reverently as he looked down at it. ¡°She was a devoted follower, and did everything I asked of her.¡± He said and turned away again. ¡°I had sent her on hundreds... thousands... of errands.¡± He sighed. ¡°Who would have thought that a simple currency exchange would lead to her death.¡± ¡°So, you didn''t set up the Thieves Guild?¡± ¡°No, I did.¡± Lord Tathalyn said and walked over to the middle of the room. ¡°I set up all of them.¡± ¡°All?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Of course.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°I needed money. Lots and lots of money.¡± He said and equipped the bracelet. ¡°I was playing the long game. I knew that if I set up revenue streams in each of the kingdoms, they would bring me untold riches far beyond anything anyone else could have imagined.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°What did you do with all that money?¡± ¡°Spent a lot of it, of course.¡± Lord Tathalyn said and turned to face Ren. ¡°It takes money to make money.¡± ¡°That seems to be the way things work.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, once you figured out that money alone wasn''t going to do it for you...¡± ¡°I hired magic users to devise ways to accomplish my goals.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°After decades of trying, it was all for naught.¡± He said and sighed. ¡°Even magically created materials couldn''t withstand the height I was trying to reach.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once you try to alter it, it disappears... assuming the time limit is bypassed.¡± Lord Tathalyn nodded. ¡°Yes, the Permanency spell was quite costly during the 30 years of that failed attempt.¡± ¡°What about the Thieves Guilds now?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve let them work on their own for about a decade or so. Give or take a few years.¡± ¡°So why was Roshia there?¡± Ren asked, curious. He remembered her being surprised that he wasn''t there to stop her or her master. ¡°Cleanup.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°Once I didn''t need the income, she was to erase all of my ties with each of the Guilds.¡± ¡°Did she succeed?¡± ¡°In all but one.¡± Lord Tathalyn said and held up the hand with the bracelet around the wrist. It started to glow, and he smiled. ¡°You finished that one off for me.¡± A magical force hit Ren in the chest and pushed him back as a magical barrier appeared between him and Lord Tathalyn, and it blocked him from the rest of the room. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''m fulfilling my bargain.¡± Lord Tathalyn said and held his hands out, one to each of the blocks he had placed on the walls. The blocks twisted and became like putty as they stretched out from the walls and stopped beside his hands. It became solid again, and Lord Tathalyn now had two metal bars that didn''t quite reach. He took out the Secret Plans and ruffled through the sheets to pick one, then let the others fall to the floor. ¡°Ren! What''s going on?¡± Officer Holly asked as Lord Tathalyn started to chant. ¡°Lord Tathalyn is doing something that is supposed to be forbidden.¡± Ren said and used Enchanted Eyes to see that the magical barrier completely surrounded the room. Breaking out through the wall and trying to come back in somewhere else would be pointless.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Then stop him!¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once the ritual is started...¡± A loud sonic boom rattled the tower, and if they could have seen outside, pitch black storm clouds had converged above the mile high tower. ¡°What was that?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°If I had to take a guess...¡± Ren said, then the first small bolt of lightning came down into the tower and shot out from one of the metal bars Lord Tathalyn had made and into the other. ¡°...it''s Lightning.¡± ¡°That''s right!¡± Lord Tathalyn said during a pause in the ritual to let the storm build up, and he had a maniacal gleam in his eye. ¡°This isn''t just the world''s biggest tower!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s also the world''s biggest Lightning Rod.¡± ¡°YES! HA HA HA!¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°She has whispered to me in my dreams since I was a boy.¡± He said and strode around his dream room. ¡°She has loved and guided me all these thousands of years, and even helped me design this very chamber!¡± He grinned. ¡°I''ve loved her my whole life, and I have devoted myself to her!¡± ¡°You aren''t just sacrificing your life, are you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No!¡± Lord Tathalyn laughed. ¡°This old and frail body will be reborn to become the perfect vessel for her!¡± Lightning started to cascade down the walls, and the sparks between the two metal bars that almost touched became faster and faster. ¡°Be quiet, now.¡± Lord Tathalyn said. ¡°This is a very delicate part of the ritual. If anything untoward were to happen...¡± He smiled. ¡°She wouldn''t like that.¡± A lightning bolt passed through the magical barrier and struck Ren in the chest. ¡°ARGH!¡± Ren screamed and fell to his knees with a hand to cover the spot where he was struck. ¡°REN!¡± Officer Holly and Xuunah screamed at the same time as he flooded pain into the shared Aura. They didn''t dare approach him, because they could feel him wanting them to stay away. He didn''t want them to be struck as well. ¡°Yes, stay on your knees for the arrival of the new ruler of this realm!¡± Lord Tathalyn said and started to chant again. The lightning bolts that sparked across the space between the metal bars increased, as did the ones around the room. When he stopped speaking, the lightning was a solid and steady stream. ¡°My fondest love! I await you! I give my life to thee! Our meeting fulfills my life-long promise!¡± Lord Tathalyn said and put his hands out and hovered them above the two metal bars. ¡°N-no!¡± Ren said and put a hand on the magical barrier. ¡°Take me, I am yours!¡± Lord Tathalyn said and grabbed both metal bars to form a physical connection between them. ¡°AAAAARRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!¡± He screamed as thousands of lightning bolts seared through his body. The Lightning in the room started to coalesce together and slide along the metal bars to merge into Lord Tathalyn. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Xuunah whispered as Lord Tathalyn''s body convulsed and shook. ¡°That poor man.¡± ¡°Ren! Do something!¡± Officer Holly nearly yelled. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said in a normal voice, the magical barrier disappeared, and he stood up completely unscathed. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Xuunah and Officer Holly said together. ¡°Please accept my apologies for the deception.¡± Ren said and sent sincerity and sorrow into the shared Aura. ¡°I had to make Lord Tathalyn believe I could be kept at bay, so he would complete the ritual.¡± Officer Holly''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°You wanted him to kill himself?¡± ¡°No, I didn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unfortunately, the only way to stop this from happening again was to let it play out.¡± ¡°Ren! Something''s coming!¡± Teepo warned, and they all felt an enormous pressure. Ren took off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and handed it to Xuunah, who nodded as she took it. ¡°Teepo, stay with Xuunah until I come back.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°No buts, my friend.¡± Ren said, and Teepo flew over to land on Xuunah''s shoulder. ¡°Ren...¡± Officer Holly started to say something, and he put a finger on her lips. ¡°Hey, you said to do something.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°I''ll be fine.¡± Officer Holly watched as he calmly walked over to where Lord Tathalyn still stood. ¡°You... can''t... stop... this.¡± Lord Tathalyn managed to say through his gritted teeth and convulsions. ¡°I''m not going to.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You see, I''ve read your Secret Plans.¡± ¡°W-w-w-what?¡± ¡°I knew you would be doing this.¡± Ren said and waved at the room. ¡°Of course, if I''d known before making the tower, I would have changed a few things.¡± ¡°ARGHHHH!¡± Lord Tathalyn yelled as the Lightning slid up his arms and started to rend and tear his flesh. Ren looked down and saw it rebuild the outer layer into a clear translucent film, and Lightning started to fill it. ¡°I can''t change the tower being the focus, but I can change the vessel she takes.¡± ¡°N-n-n-no!¡± Lord Tathalyn said as Ren took out the Vampiric Blood Sword. ¡°It''s a shame I can''t get the plans for this thing.¡± Ren said. ¡°It sure came in handy a few times.¡± He said and plunged the sword up into Lord Tathalyn''s torso and buried it deep into his chest. The sword started to glow as it consumed Lord Tathalyn''s Lightning infused blood. ¡°S-s-s-stop.¡± Lord Tathalyn said, and blood started to pour down his chin; then it stopped and was sucked right back in. ¡°Wh-what...¡± ¡°By the way, I''ve enchanted the city with Regeneration.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You''re going to be standing here for a long time while you wait to die.¡± Lord Tathalyn''s mouth dropped open in shock, and then the Lightning flowed up and over his head. ¡°That would have been true, had you not stabbed him fatally.¡± A disembodied feminine voice said from the vicinity of Lord Tathalyn''s head. ¡°He dies as we speak.¡± She said happily. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s the only way to do what needs to be done.¡± The lightning gathered up and spread itself over more of Lord Tathalyn''s body as it converted him into a Lightning being to better house itself. ¡°And what is that?¡± The voice said. ¡°This.¡± Ren said and used Double Infusion to enchant the Vampiric Blood Sword with 50 runes of Anti-Lightning. ¡°NOOOOOOOOO!¡± The disembodied voice screamed as the Lightning started to be absorbed into the sword with Lord Tathalyn''s blood. Everyone could feel the immense pressure try to leave, but it was too late. ¡°Vasalor doesn''t like it when people mess up his designs.¡± Ren said and turned the sword inside Lord Tathalyn''s body to do massive damage. The sword glowed bright red and small lightning bolts swirled around it. Ren felt when Lord Tathalyn died as the last of the blood and lightning was absorbed into the sword. He pulled the Vampiric Blood Sword from the body and Lord Tathalyn''s remains slumped to the floor. ¡°I m-m-miscalculated.¡± Ren said as the sword vibrated violently. Lightning swirled around it, and it took both of his hands to keep it steady. ¡°F-f-fifty anti-runes were n-n-not enough.¡± ¡°REN! Let it go!¡± Officer Holly yelled. ¡°P-P-Princess.¡± Ren said and held the sword out. ¡°M-m-make a h-h-hole for m-m-me.¡± Princess didn''t hesitate as she ran across the room and smashed a hole through the side of the chamber to the outside in an instant. ¡°M-m-meet y-y-you all b-b-back at the c-c-county t-t-tomorrow.¡± Ren said as he deactivated all of his Auras and ran out through the hole as fast as he could. ¡°RENNNNNNN!¡± Xuunah yelled and tried to go after him, and Artemis held her back because she understood what was about to happen. Princess also understood, and she watched Ren run as far away as he could. See you soon, My Lord. Princess thought. I''m going to make it. I''m going to make it. Ren thought as he tried to get as far away from the starter city as he could. He felt immense pain as the Lightning concentrated on his fingers. His armor started to peel away from his fingertips, and he saw the flesh start to dissolve and be replaced by translucent skin. ¡°S-s-sorry! N-n-not a w-willing host!¡± Ren said and came to a stop, gripped the sword by the tip and the hilt, then brought it down onto his knee to shatter it. * *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* The sky lit up like a second sun as the elemental explosion expanded. It was so powerful that even though it was a mile up in the air, it still shook the ground for nearly a hundred miles. The sound alone travelled for thousands of miles past that. With nothing to house or contain it, the Lightning dissipated. If anyone had been around and hadn''t died from being so close to the explosion, they would have heard a soft scream be cut off. People in the High Elf Kingdom and in the Human Kingdom had no idea what could have happened to make such a loud sound, and rumors started spreading right away. None of them were even close to the truth. * Despite being so far apart, and because of their Light Connections with him, Xuunah, Symmetra, Artemis, Nathalia, Frikara, Lusinia, Andrela, Verwynn, and Navruth all felt Ren die instantly. They all burst out crying at the same time, mostly in relief, because Ren hadn''t felt a thing when it happened. ********
Notice!
You have died! Time until you can log back in: 5 Hours, 59 Minutes, 55 Seconds
Ren slipped off the VR headset and took a deep breath. Barbara took the headset from him, and then he felt a hand on his chest. ¡°That sure was something.¡± Elise said, and he looked at her. ¡°I guess if you have to die, you might as well do it spectacularly.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You mean instantly?¡± He asked, and she nodded. ¡°Yeah, I didn''t feel a thing.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Elise said and kissed him. ¡°That was very brave of you.¡± ¡°Naw, it was a mistake.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was supposed to end with the sword absorbing it all.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°You know that old saying.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and put a hand on the one she had on his chest. ¡°No plan survives contact with the enemy.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Did you stay awake all this time?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Kind of.¡± Elise looked over at Barbara. ¡°When I dozed off, a friend woke me up for the good parts.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You missed my whole story telling session, then.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ll watch it later.¡± ¡°I don''t know how you can do that.¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°You always seem to manage to watch everything I do, and still keep up with everything in real life, too.¡± ¡°We all do that.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You should use the bathroom so you can get some sleep for the rest of the night.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Ren said and got up from the bed. ¡°Do you need a hand?¡± Elise asked. ¡°No, thanks. I''ve got it.¡± Ren said and walked towards the bathroom. He came back out a couple of minutes later and climbed back into bed. Elise held her arms open, and Ren smiled as he slid into her embrace and cuddled with her. ¡°I love my life.¡± Ren said and rested his head on her chest, then sighed happily. ¡°I do, too.¡± Elise said and kissed his forehead. ¡°Goodnight, darling.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said. Barbara turned the lights down to a soft glow and left the room silently. Chapter 502 - Clean Up This Mess ¡°Geezus! Did you see that?¡± The night programmer at Sid Tec said to Max, after watching Ren''s antics. Max, the head programmer at Sid Tec had tapped into the CEO''s personal stream to do it. When Max had arrived at work and started to investigate what had been going on, he discovered what Ren had accomplished in such a short time and needed to know what he was doing right then with the new starter cities. ¡°I saw.¡± Max said and held in his sigh. ¡°He stopped the game environment from being corrupted by an unscheduled elemental transfer.¡± ¡°It killed him, too!¡± The night programmer said. ¡°I''ve never seen anything like that!¡± ¡°No one has.¡± Max said. ¡°Imagine if he hadn''t gotten so far away from the city and all those elves.¡± ¡°I don''t have to imagine it.¡± Max said and brought up the spot where the explosion happened. ¡°Look at the size of that crater.¡± He said. ¡°There wouldn''t have been much left of either the city or the elves.¡± The night programmer sat back in his chair and didn''t bother trying to hide his sigh. ¡°Are we leaving the cities as they are?¡± ¡°We don''t have much choice.¡± Max said. ¡°We would have to shut the game down and somehow dig out the code for them, before any players took the options these new cities will provide.¡± He said, and saw a popup on the terminal. ¡°Like so.¡±
Administration Notice:
14 complaints of environment entrapment have been reported.
¡°What in the world?¡± The night programmer said. ¡°That can''t be right.¡± He said and started typing on the terminal. ¡°We have specific code in place to stop this from happening.¡± ¡°Bring up the complaints.¡± Max said, and they started to read the messages from players that had taken the Giant option, and were now trapped inside buildings. One was particularly funny because they had chosen the High Elf option and were stuck inside their camping tent. They complained that they couldn''t store the tent because they were inside of it, and didn''t want to keep wearing it because it looked ridiculous. ¡°That''s pretty stupid.¡± Max said, but he had a smile on his face. ¡°Contact the player-based system admins that are available, and hand the complaints over to them.¡± He said. ¡°Grant them the Phantom Movement ability, and get the complaining players to log out when they arrive.¡± ¡°Want me to set up the portals first?¡± ¡°No, wait until they are in position.¡± Max said. ¡°Once they are, port them to the right spots and let them shunt the players out of their predicaments.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Why would they choose the giant option and not respawn in the starter city?¡± ¡°Because it would be fun to walk around normal-sized buildings when you''re 25 feet tall.¡± The night programmer said right away, and Max looked at him with raised eyebrows. ¡°Oh, come on! You haven''t had the Godzilla or King Kong fantasy?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You know... stomping around and smashing buildings with your fists. Causing havoc just because you''re so big...¡± Max shook his head. ¡°Is it wrong to say you''ve led a sheltered life, boss?¡± The night programmer said and smiled. Max chuckled. ¡°I''ll let it go this time.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve got to add in a System Warning about the possibility for players getting stuck if they don''t move outside of a building before choosing a new race.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± The night programmer said and saw another popup. ¡°Hey, 2 more complaints just came in.¡± ¡°Dammit!¡± Max said and ran over to his desk. ******** ¡°Hank, ahm not lettin'' ya wreck mah house!¡± Clint said. ¡°I''ll pay to repair it.¡± Hank said. ¡°Tha'' ain'' tha poin''!¡± Clint said. ¡°Ya sen'' in tha complain'', and yer gonna wait fer ''em ta git here before ya move!¡± ¡°Just waiting around sucks.¡± Hank said. ¡°I''d tell you to go to sleep, but I''m pretty sure you won''t fit in the spare bedroom.¡± Billy said. ¡°Nobody is movin'' nowhere!¡± Clint nearly yelled, and then there was a knock on the door. He ran over to it and opened it without even checking to see who it was. ¡°Wha'' do ya wan''?¡± ¡°System Administration.¡± The woman said. ¡°You have a stuck giant?¡± ¡°Oh, thank god!¡± Clint said and hugged her. ¡°Git the big lout outta mah home before he wrecks it completely!¡± ¡°It''s just a table, 2 chairs, a couch, a broken window, and dents in the walls, floor and ceiling.¡± Billy said and tried not to laugh. ¡°It''s no biggie. Hank said he''d buy replacements.¡± ¡°No biggie?!?¡± Clint said and let the woman go to turn and face Billy, and he didn''t see the woman''s red face. ¡°It''s not the cost! It''s the time it''s gonna take to fix the damage!¡± Boy, he''s really mad if his accent is gone. Hank thought. ¡°I''m really sorry, Clint.¡± Clint closed his mouth to stop himself from ranting further, then sighed. ¡°Me, too.¡± He said and looked at his friend. ¡°It''s jus'' stuff.¡± ¡°If I may?¡± The woman said from behind Clint, and he turned back around. ¡°Ah''m sorry fer blockin'' yer way, ma''am.¡± Clint said and stepped out of her way. ¡°Please, come righ'' in.¡± He motioned for her to enter. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and walked over to Hank. ¡°If you would log out for a minute, I''ll move you outside.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± Hank asked. ¡°It''s the only way, unless you want to break out through the wall.¡± She said. ¡°I wanted to do that, but I''m not allowed.¡± Hank said, and she heard the sadness in his voice. She smiled and pat his giant arm. ¡°I''m sure you''ll find something to smash and break apart for fun soon.¡± Hank smiled back and nodded. ¡°Logout.¡± The woman waited for a moment after Hank became a phantom form, and she reached out and touched him. Clint and Billy were surprised by this, and then Hank was covered in a slight glow. She picked him up and walked out through the front door, and Hank''s phantom form went right through the wall without so much as a creak in the boards. Clint and Billy followed her outside, and she put Hank down about 20 feet away from the house. ¡°That was amazing.¡± Billy said. He had to almost bend in half to get out of the house, and the woman looked at him and grinned. ¡°The last High Elf I met was wearing his camping tent.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Clint barked a laugh. ¡°Ah was jus'' saying people can'' jus'' choose stuff like tha'' and not think of tha consequences.¡± The woman nodded and she looked at something in front of her. ¡°Great. I''ve got another giant caught inside the Library.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Who sleeps in a library?¡± Clint laughed, and then Hank''s phantom form became solid.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Hey! I''m outside!¡± Hank said and stood up. ¡°Oh, my back!¡± He said and stretched, then looked at the woman. ¡°Hey, thanks a lot!¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± She said, and her face was a little red. Hank was the first person to thank her. ¡°Ma''am?¡± Clint said, and she turned to look at him. ¡°Ah''d like ta thank ya too.¡± He said. ¡°We we''re plannin'' on relaxin'' by tha pool, and yer welcome ta join us.¡± ¡°I doubt I live anywhere near you.¡± She said. ¡°Not that I''d ever come to your house in real life anyways.¡± Clint laughed. ¡°I ain'' got a pool in real life.¡± He said and pointed to the high mound of grass in the field at the end of his driveway. ¡°Tha pool''s righ'' over tha'' mound.¡± ¡°Wait a second.¡± The woman said. ¡°You have a pool? An actual pool?¡± ¡°Ah shore do.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah friend of mine made it.¡± ¡°This I have to see.¡± The woman said and dismissed the popup rather than accept it. ¡°Righ'' this way.¡± Clint said and the 4 of them walked over to the mound. ¡°It''s true!¡± The woman said when she saw the Olympic-sized pool in the growing darkness as night started to fall. ¡°You have a pool!¡± ¡°Ah assume ya got work ta do, bu'' ya can come back here afterwards and have fun if''n ya wan'' ta.¡± ¡°Oh, I will.¡± The woman said and let a huge smile spread across her face. ¡°Do you mind if I invite a few friends over, too?¡± ¡°Ah''m havin'' some friends over mahself tomorrow, so as long as ya don'' go invitin'' half tha county...¡± The woman laughed. ¡°I''ll see you first thing in the morning.¡± ¡°Ah''m lookin'' forward to it.¡± Clint said. ¡°Thank ya kindly fer comin'' so quickly ta help mah friend.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± She said as she opened the last popup she had received and clicked accept. A portal opened beside her, and she stepped through it. * ¡°I can''t believe Ren did that.¡± Officer Holly said after uncovering her eyes from the bright flash of light. She had only a brief moment to sense Xuunah''s reaction to Ren''s death before Xuunah''s Reassurance Aura disappeared and she dropped out of the shared Aura. ¡°He wasn''t supposed to.¡± Symmetra said and walked over to where Lord Tathalyn''s body was and picked up the plans he had dropped and stored them, then picked up the body. ¡°You heard what Ren said about miscalculating.¡± ¡°Princess! We''re leaving!¡± Artemis said as she let Xuunah''s arm go, because there was no point in keeping her restrained now. Xuunah took several deep breaths as Princess ran back inside the chamber. It was a tight fit because the wall she had broken through was starting to reform and fill in the hole. ¡°My Lord had the carriage on him.¡± Princess said. ¡°The covered cart is in my saddle bag.¡± ¡°At least it has seats.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Let''s go home.¡± ¡°Wait, why aren''t you in pain?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°That only happens if Ren is in the game and enters a pocket realm and leaves me behind.¡± Artemis said. ¡°When he leaves this world by other means, apparently I''m fine.¡± ¡°You didn''t know and you let him go like that?¡± ¡°I had no right to interfere, and he knew I wouldn''t be hurt.¡± Artemis said. ¡°He might have taken me along otherwise.¡± ¡°He didn''t take you along because you would have died.¡± Xuunah said, and the other three women looked at her. ¡°Ren was...¡± She shook her head. ¡°If he couldn''t survive what happened with that armor of his, neither would you... or any of us.¡± She admitted. ¡°He sacrificed himself so that no one else would be hurt.¡± No one said anything for a few moments while they thought about that. ¡°Would he leave loot if his body was vaporized?¡± Officer Holly asked, and the women shifted their gazes to her. ¡°If he did, we should probably go out there and find it before someone else does.¡± ¡°Teepo says he and I will find it and will meet you at the bottom of the tower.¡± Princess said as she turned around and broke out through the closing hole in the wall. ¡°Take us...¡± Officer Holly started to say as Princess disappeared. ¡°Dammit.¡± ¡°Symmetra? Can you bundle the body into the robes or something?¡± Artemis said. ¡°I don''t think we should be seen walking out of here with it.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Symmetra said and put Lord Tathalyn''s remains on the floor, slid off his long robes, then balled the body up in them and made it look like a large sack. ¡°How the hell did you do that?¡± Officer Holly asked. If she hadn''t seen it for herself, she would swear it really was just a large sack, and not a body wrapped in it''s own clothing. ¡°Master Tailor skill.¡± Symmetra said and hefted the bundle over her shoulder. ¡°We should go.¡± The 4 women went to the lift and the doors opened, they stepped onto it, and were down at the bottom a few moments later. They stepped out and walked the quarter mile to the lobby and the front door to outside, and Princess was there waiting for them. ¡°Was something left behind?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°A large pile of platinum coins, a wand with the Energize spell in it, and an Instant Tower cube.¡± Princess said. ¡°He dropped one of the instant towers.¡± Symmetra said. ¡°I wonder which one it was?¡± ¡°We can ask him when he comes back.¡± Artemis said and took out the covered cart from Princess'' saddle bag and attached it to her, then opened the top. Symmetra tossed the sack into the cart and it made a thump sound, and Officer Holly winced. Symmetra saw her reaction and laughed. ¡°It''s not like he can feel it anymore.¡± ¡°Don''t you have any respect for the dead?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°His actions killed the man who created me.¡± Symmetra said and climbed into the cart. ¡°I would stomp the remains into paste if I didn''t think Ren would get angry about it.¡± She sat down beside the sack and pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs with all 6 arms. ¡°I still might do it and say it was an accident.¡± Artemis laughed and offered to help Xuunah and Officer Holly into the cart. ¡°If it''s not Ren doing it, then there''s no point.¡± Xuunah said and climbed into the cart quickly. Officer Holly didn''t say anything and climbed in, too. ¡°Princess, please take us to the Main House in the county.¡± Artemis said and climbed in herself, and closed the top. Princess trotted up into the air and slowly poured on the speed. They made it back to the county several minutes later, and when they landed outside the Main House, the 4 women climbed out of the cart. It seemed weird and a little awkward that Ren wasn''t there to help them, but they managed to get out and Artemis put the cart back into Princess'' saddle bag. ¡°Well, I guess...¡± Officer Holly started to say, and then Xuunah''s Reassurance Aura popped back into place. Officer Holly gasped at her emotions, and Xuunah took her hand. ¡°I think there''s a few maids upstairs that need our help.¡± Xuunah said, and Officer Holly nodded. ¡°We''re coming, too.¡± Artemis, Symmetra and Princess said at the same time, and they all went into the Main House and up the stairs. Xuunah knocked on the apartment door, and Frikara opened it. ¡°Please, come in.¡± Frikara said and stepped aside, and Xuunah, Officer Holly, Artemis, Symmetra, and Princess went in. Symmetra dropped the sack just inside the apartment door, and closed it behind them. * The player-based system administrators worked for several in-game hours during the game night to right the wrongs that other players had committed by accepting the race change. Some of them had ignored or not read the new System Warning about it, mainly because they thought they would just bust their way out of things, so it took a lot longer to sort everything out. They managed to do this and the game settled down into it''s normal routine. ******** After getting the game sorted out, Max was happy enough with the outcome that he drove home instead of staying at work. He knew that with Ren out of the game until about noon that day, there shouldn''t be any more local or game-wide disturbances. He also knew that was a bit of a generalization on his part and involved quite a lot of assumptions; but, in his head he knew the rest of the night was going to pass uneventfully just because Ren wasn''t around to cause trouble. * Ren only got to sleep for a couple of hours before he had to get up for breakfast and therapy. ¡°Ugh.¡± He grunted as Elise tried to shake him awake. ¡°Need sleep.¡± He said and buried his face in her chest and tried to hold on. ¡°Ren, I know you''ve only been asleep for...¡± ¡°I need more than a couple hours of sleep.¡± Ren said and looked at her face. ¡°So, I''m issuing my very first executive order.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Your what?¡± ¡°I am ordering that my day isn''t going to officially start for 3 more hours.¡± Ren said and buried his face in her cleavage again. ¡°I am going to wallow in this warm and pillow-like softness to get some much needed rest, and the entire world is going to have to wait until I''m done.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise laughed and jiggled her chest as she put her arms back around him to hold him gently. ¡°It''s a good thing breakfast is only cereal today.¡± Stella said, and Ren lifted his head to look at her. ¡°I''d say good morning, but apparently that hasn''t happened yet.¡± ¡°Thanks, Stella!¡± Ren said and put his head back down on Elise. ¡°Let Donald know, will you?¡± ¡°I''ll even use the same words, if that makes you feel any better about blowing off his first lesson.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m not skipping it.¡± Ren said and yawned loudly and closed his eyes. ¡°Only... only delaying.¡± Stella and Elise watched as Ren went to sleep almost immediately, and exchanged glances. Elise shrugged slightly. ¡°He really didn''t get much sleep.¡± She whispered, and Stella nodded. They waved at each other, then Stella left the room with the food tray and went back downstairs. She met Donald in the kitchen and told him what Ren had said. Donald completely understood Ren''s reasoning, and didn''t even complain about the executive order thing. ¡°You''re taking this delay a lot better than I thought you would.¡± Stella said, and Donald laughed. ¡°He''s taking command of his life, and that''s a good thing.¡± Donald said and took a drink of his coffee. ¡°He has his priorities straight, since I know trying to do a good workout without enough sleep makes you both sloppy and careless.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Barbara said and kissed her husband. ¡°I guess that means we have 3 more hours of personal time.¡± ¡°You should be getting to bed, too.¡± Donald said and started to smile. ¡°Staying up all night and watching television must have been hard on you.¡± Barbara smacked his shoulder playfully. ¡°I am not that...¡± She stopped talking to yawn almost as loudly as Ren had. Stella and Donald chuckled at the sight, and Barbara shook her head. ¡°All right, fine.¡± Barbara said and kissed her husband again. ¡°See you this afternoon.¡± ¡°Not if I see you first.¡± Donald said and tried to grab her butt as she walked away. Barbara deftly avoided getting groped and waved to Stella before she left through the kitchen door to go to the guest house. ¡°Having you both so close has been great.¡± Stella said. ¡°I don''t think I''ve ever seen Barbara this relaxed.¡± ¡°You mean playful.¡± Donald said and took another drink of his coffee. ¡°I think her whole demeanor has changed the last little while.¡± Stella said and poured her own coffee. ¡°She''s... well, to put a simple term to it... she''s happy.¡± Donald chuckled. ¡°Yes, even I have to admit that.¡± He said and took another drink of coffee. ¡°It''s all thanks to our little benefactor.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°All of our lives have changed to fit into his life.¡± She said and took a sip of coffee. ¡°All for the better, too.¡± Donald nodded and glanced at the clock. ¡°It looks like I have enough time to get my workout in before he gets up.¡± He said and stood up, walked over to the sink and rinsed out the mug he had used, and put it in the dishwasher. He left the kitchen without another word and went to the exercise room to work out. Chapter 503 - Get The Party Going Clint wasn''t too surprised when he saw 2 large horse-drawn carts come down the road towards his ranch the next in-game morning. About 30 people climbed out of the two carts, and they were already dressed in swimwear. ¡°Damn, girl.¡± Clint said to the woman he had met yesterday and had invited over. ¡°Ah ''spected ya ta show up with jus'' ah few people.¡± The woman laughed. ¡°Friends of friends?¡± She said, and pointed out 7 people. ¡°My fellow admins.¡± She said and waved to the rest. ¡°Random people that overheard the shouts about a real swimming pool.¡± Clint laughed and shook his head. ¡°Ah shouldn'' rightly ask some of ya ta leave now tha'' yer here.¡± ¡°I told you he was an actual southern gentleman!¡± She said loudly to the other people. ¡°Git yer scantly-clad butts over ta tha pool an'' have some fun.¡± Clint said to them. ¡°That''s some gentleman!¡± One of them said, and several people laughed. ¡°Go on! Git!¡± Clint said and waved to the grass-covered hill. ¡°Ah''ll be righ'' over.¡± A few of them cheered and thanked him, then they all started walking over the hill, except for the woman he had invited over. ¡°Thanks for not being angry.¡± The woman said. ¡°It''s hard ta be angry at such a pretty filly.¡± Clint said. ¡°Did... you just call me a pretty horse?¡± She asked, and he laughed. ¡°Naw, tha''s slang fer a fine young lady.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah was gonna call ya darlin''; but, ah did tha'' once and it were taken tha wrong way... an'' ah didn'' wanna insultcha.¡± ¡°I think ''darling'' might have been more appropriate.¡± The woman touched his arm. ¡°Thank you for at least trying to consider my feelings.¡± Clint chuckled. ¡°Ah try ta be considerate an'' ah still messed up.¡± He said, and she smiled. ¡°Ah''ll bring out the ale and food.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Ya didn'' ''spect me ta have people over an'' not feed an'' water''em, didja?¡± Clint asked, and she gave him a big warm smile. ¡°Thank you so much.¡± ¡°Ya don'' haveta say that, ma''am.¡± Clint said. ¡°Seein'' tha'' smile is thanks enough.¡± The woman squeezed his arm and nodded, then walked over to the grassy hill. Clint went into his house and gathered up the food and ale he had picked up the last time he was in the game. He had a few people there to help him with that, too. Billy the High Elf and his in-game girlfriend Jennifer from the Pleasure Palace, Tommy and his real life girlfriend, and Dillon were there to help. A couple of the other dancers from the Pleasure Palace were also there. ¡°I hope you guys are going to come to the new place tonight.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°You have got to see it!¡± ¡°Ah was plannin'' on movin'' tha party ta relax there tonigh''.¡± Clint said. ¡°That''s assuming the girl he''s sweet on is okay with it.¡± Hank said from outside. ¡°You really should ask her first.¡± ¡°Ah don'' havta ask ''er nothin''.¡± Clint said and his face went a little red. ¡°Aha!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°You do like her!¡± Clint clamped his mouth shut and the guys laughed. ¡°Jennifer?¡± Hank said. ¡°I''ve been meaning to ask you a question.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°How do you like Billy''s High Elf body upgrade?¡± ¡°Geez, Hank!¡± Clint said. ¡°What? I''m just curious.¡± Hank said. ¡°Jennifer doesn''t mind questions like that.¡± ¡°I really don''t.¡± Jennifer said and smiled. ¡°I was a bit surprised that his penis was twice as long.¡± She said. ¡°There was no way I could take it all.¡± ¡°Heaven have mercy.¡± Clint said and rubbed his face in exasperation, while the dancers from the strip club laughed. ¡°Did it feel good?¡± Caramel asked. ¡°Kind of.¡± Jennifer said, and it was Billy''s turn to rub his face in exasperation. ¡°I''ve had better screws from smaller screwdrivers.¡± ¡°Jennifer...¡± Billy started to tell her to be quiet about their bedroom antics. ¡°It''s okay, babe.¡± Jennifer said and pat his arm. ¡°Once you get used to using something so big in such a small space, I''m sure I''ll enjoy it a lot more.¡± ¡°TMI! TMI!¡± Dillon said and covered his ears. ¡°Timmy?¡± Jennifer asked. ¡°I thought you liked Candy.¡± That made everyone laugh because Dillon''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°It''s tee-em-eye.¡± Sugar said. ¡°That''s short for ''too much information''.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Why didn''t he just say that?¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Billy said to try and change the subject. ¡°We need to go out to the pool.¡± ¡°Righ''!¡± Clint said. ¡°Billy an'' Tommy, store tha'' tables an'' chairs an'' follow us.¡± They all went out to the pool and saw how many new people were there. They set everything up, and Clint looked at Hank. ¡°No drinkin'' tha ale!¡± Clint warned him. ¡°But... I love ale!¡± Hank said. ¡°Ah don'' care.¡± Clint said. ¡°At yer size, ya could drink everythin'' ah have in less than a minute!¡± Hank opened his mouth to argue, then sighed. ¡°Yeah, I can''t argue that.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, big guy.¡± Billy said and grinned. ¡°I''ll drink your normal share.¡± ¡°Bastard.¡± Hank mumbled, and everyone laughed. ¡°This pool is fantastic!¡± The woman Clint had invited over exclaimed and came over to him. ¡°Ah''m glad ya like it.¡± Clint said and looked at all the people around the pool. Even with 30 of them there, it wasn''t even close to being crowded. ¡°I should have invited more people.¡± She said with a huge smile. ¡°Abusin'' mah hospitality already, an'' ah barely known ya a few hours!¡± Clint said and laughed. ¡°Come and have a swim.¡± The woman said and held her hand out. ¡°Don'' mind if ah do.¡± Clint said and took her hand, then they ran to the pool and jumped in. Hank stood up to his full height and took a step. ¡°HANK! NOOO!¡± Tommy yelled, and Hank stopped just before he jumped into the water. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You''re a flipping giant, man!¡± Tommy said. ¡°You''ll kill someone if you jump into the pool like that!¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Hank said, and he frowned. ¡°Being a giant is starting to suck.¡± ¡°Just wade into the pool for now.¡± Caramel said and pat his knee. ¡°Try not to step on anyone.¡± Hank nodded and stepped into the pool, then sat down. The water only came up to his waist, and he sighed. She walked over to him and carefully climbed up onto his shoulder and sat down.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Yeah, I definitely didn''t think this through.¡± Hank said sadly. ¡°I can''t even kiss you.¡± ¡°Turn your head this way and pucker your lips a little.¡± Caramel said. Hank did as she asked, and he expected her to try and kiss him. What she actually did surprised the hell out of him. Caramel slid up her bathing suit top and rubbed her chest on his lips. ¡°Mmm.¡± Caramel said and kept rubbing herself on his lips. No one had noticed them yet, since they were all trying to avoid looking at the giant sitting in the pool. Hank couldn''t even ask her to stop, because his mouth was busy. After a minute, he couldn''t resist the urge to lick his lips, and the end of his tongue rubbed across her chest. Caramel gasped at the rough sensation and grabbed onto his face so she wouldn''t collapse. Hank cupped his hands behind her to help hold her in place, and flicked the tip of his tongue on her. It didn''t take long for her to finish, even with all the people around them, and she sat down in his hands and reclined back as she dangled her calves and feet over the end of his palms. ¡°Wow.¡± Hank said. ¡°Don''t even think about what I think you''re thinking about.¡± Caramel chuckled. ¡°No one can see what we''re doing.¡± Hank whispered to her, and she turned her head. The tips of his fingers barely blocked her sight, so all anyone could see was the top of her head and her dangling feet. She turned back to look at him and stored her bikini bottom. ¡°Go easy.¡± Caramel said and propped her feet up onto his palm and spread her legs for him. ¡°Your tongue is really rough at this size.¡± ¡°You are so sexy.¡± Hank said, and he very carefully stuck out the tip of his tongue and licked her. It was quite big, so he actually licked the inside of both of her thighs, her special place, and her abdomen at the same time. ¡°AH-¡± Caramel covered her own mouth to stop her yell. She looked around and no one paid them any attention, then she looked back at Hank. ¡°That was... a bit too much.¡± She smiled. ¡°Stick out your tongue and let me do it.¡± Hank smiled and stuck out the tip of his tongue for her, and she used it as much as she wanted. The rest of the day seemed to pass by quickly after that. ******** Almost like a switch had been thrown, Ren woke up just under 3 hours later. He was still snuggled into Elise''s large and very warm breasts, and it was the best feeling in the world. He rubbed his face on them and kissed them, and that made her laugh. ¡°Good morning, sleepy-head.¡± Elise said, and Ren lifted his head to look at her. ¡°I didn''t think I could love you more, and then you let me put the world on hold and cuddle you like this.¡± Ren said and slid up the bed a little and kissed her on the lips. ¡°Oh, I forgot!¡± He said and pulled back. ¡°I''m sorry for the morning breath.¡± ¡°Don''t you dare!¡± Elise said and stopped him from moving away. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ve got morning breath, too.¡± Elise said and pulled him back in to kiss him. It was a bit gummy because their saliva was a little dried up, and Elise broke the kiss. ¡°Okay, you can dare.¡± She said, and it was Ren''s turn to laugh. ¡°Bathroom breaks all around!¡± Ren said and rolled over to the side of the bed and sat up. ¡°Was 3 more hours enough to recharge you?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I''m pretending it was.¡± Ren said and stood up, then walked over to the bathroom. Elise was right behind him, and they used the facilities, brushed their teeth, and made out for a couple of minutes before going back out to the bedroom. ¡°Hurry up and eat, you two.¡± Stella said. ¡°Thanks a lot, Stella.¡± Ren said and started eating quickly. He didn''t feel too bad about telling Stella to make everyone wait for him; but, he wasn''t going to make them wait anymore. ¡°Rushing isn''t always a good idea.¡± Elise said and put a hand on his arm. Ren smiled. ¡°I''ve inconvenienced you all enough for today.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve got to get my workout done and showered before going back into the game to meet the guys.¡± ¡°Meet the guys?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Yeah, Clint invited me over to relax this weekend.¡± Ren said. ¡°I couldn''t go this game day because I died last night, but if I hurry, I''ll get there just as the night is starting.¡± ¡°Leave it to you to want to hurry up so you can go and relax.¡± Elise said, and Ren chuckled. He finished eating at a more reasonable pace, then sat down in the wheelchair. ¡°Stella, please take me to the exercise room.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Stella said and saluted. ¡°That was sloppy.¡± Ren said and returned a very crisp salute. ¡°Carry on.¡± Stella and Elise chuckled at his antics, then Stella brought him downstairs to the exercise room and a very strict-looking Donald. ¡°Atten-hut!¡± Donald said, and Ren quickly stood up from the wheelchair. ¡°You''re late, recruit!¡± ¡°Sir! No excuse, sir!¡± Ren said. Donald smiled evilly. ¡°You''re not gonna claim you needed your beauty sleep?¡± ¡°I can only claim to need a beauty so I can sleep, sir!¡± Ren said, and Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°If you can flap your gums to give me lip, you can move your feet while you do it!¡± Donald said. ¡°Give me 10 paces forward and back!¡± ¡°Sir!¡± Ren clenched his butt like Donald had shown him and took 10 strides forward, turned around in a very good imitation of an about-face, then took 10 strides back. When Ren faced Donald again, he saw a hint of a smile on the older man''s face. ¡°I think you and I are going to get along just fine.¡± Donald said. Ren finished the odd workout 20 minutes later, and was only breathing hard instead of being exhausted like he usually was after a workout. He sat down in the wheelchair and thanked Donald for his help, then Stella took Ren back upstairs to his room. Elise had just gotten out of the shower, so Stella helped Ren get one himself. He was a bit too tired to enjoy it like he wanted to, and he told Stella that. ¡°Ren, we don''t have to play with each other every time we get in the shower together.¡± Stella said. ¡°But, I want to.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°You have access to how many women now?¡± Stella asked, and Ren stood up and cupped the sides of her face. ¡°I could have a hundred women and it wouldn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d still want to play with you in the shower.¡± Stella looked at him with an odd expression on her face. ¡°I''m not sure how I should take that statement.¡± Ren closed his eyes and very carefully traced his hands down her neck and over her shoulders, and down to her hands, then moved to her hips and ran his hands up the sides of her body and cupped her breasts. ¡°I love you.¡± Ren said and opened his eyes to look into hers as his thumbs flicked over the tips of her breasts. ¡°I can''t give you all the time that you deserve for being so good to me.¡± He said and stepped back to show her how excited he was. ¡°I''ll always desire you... and as you can see, I''ve gotten quite excited just from caressing you.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Ren moved his hands up to her face. ¡°I always want you to be happy, too.¡± He said, then sighed. ¡°Damn, I''ve gotten used to walking on air in the game.¡± He said and let her face go to move the stool closer, then climbed it to get his face close to hers and cupped her face again. ¡°I swore to Nathalia that I would never look for another wife, because once the marriage contract with her fell through, I didn''t want to think about the pressure I had to go through because of it.¡± Ren said and gave Stella a feather-light kiss and let her face go. ¡°I just want you to know that I don''t need a stupid piece of paper to tell me who matters in my life.¡± ¡°Ren... are you...¡± Stella tried to speak as her face went red. ¡°No, I''m not asking you that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m keeping my word this time.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ll have to say no if you ask, so don''t.¡± Ren said and put his arms around her. He put his mouth by her ear as he pressed himself against her stomach. ¡°Sweetheart, it''s starting to hurt.¡± He whispered. ¡°Can you help me?¡± ¡°A-always.¡± Stella whispered back, then helped him and helped herself. They left the shower 20 minutes later after they cleaned up and dried off, and came out of the bathroom. Ren climbed into bed as Elise put on a suit jacket to finish getting dressed. ¡°Did Barbi show up yet?¡± Elise asked Stella, who nodded. ¡°An hour ago, and she brought some things with her.¡± Stella said. ¡°Good.¡± Elise said and looked at her watch. ¡°The equipment delivery should be here just after noon.¡± ¡°Right after the game night starts.¡± Ren said and picked up the VR headset. ¡°I''ll see you both at supper.¡± He said and put the headset on. ¡°I hope I''m not too late.¡± ¡°You said they were relaxing for the whole weekend, so you''ve only missed one day.¡± Elise said. ¡°You''ve got the whole game week to go yet.¡± ¡°I don''t know if I can relax for a whole week.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I have a hard time just getting a few hours to do that!¡± ¡°At least try, darling.¡± Elise said and bent over to kiss him on the lips. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren appeared in the white loading area of the game for some reason. ¡°Huh? What''s going on?¡±
System Notice!
The new World Event ''Ghoulpocalypse'' now permeates the game environment. Quests and tasks are optional, as they always are, and can be found at regular intervals from normal quest givers or randomly while out in the wilderness zones. Can you make a difference? Can you stand by and let the world be overrun by the undead ghoul hordes?
¡°Ha.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That notification is way too late to matter to me now.¡± He said. ¡°I''m a little surprised I had to die to get it, though.¡±
System Notice!
Congratulations! Your character level is high enough that new options are now available to you. Dual Class Upgrade: You will stop gaining levels in your current class, and can choose a complimentary class and will gain skills and levels at half the normal rate, and still be able to use your old skills. New Class Upgrade: You can give up your current class (and all related skills) completely and start another class entirely. You will gain XP and Skill bonus percentages based on your old level. Current Bonuses: +48% New Species: Because of the current addition of two new Starter Cities, if you choose an upgrade, you can also choose the option to change species. Giant: Grants bonuses to Strength, Toughness, Endurance, Spell Resistance, Race-specific Skills High Elf: Grants bonuses to Dexterity, Agility, Vitality, Inherent Spell Casting (limited class spells, unless magic user is chosen), Race-specific Skills
¡°No way!¡± Ren nearly yelled. ¡°Having them be starter cities caused this option to become available?¡± He read the popup again. ¡°Wow!¡±
System Notice!
Do you wish to change or alter your class and / or race? Yes / No / Ask Me Later
¡°Ask me later.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not done of my Artificer class yet.¡± The popups disappeared and the upstairs of the Main House faded into existence around him. He had appeared on the spawn point in the middle of the meeting room, and he knew the next few minutes were going to be emotional.
Notice!
Your willingness to go above and beyond all other actions, and to sacrifice yourself to keep the integrity of the world intact, has earned you a new title: Vasalor''s Chosen.
It didn''t tell me what the title gives me. Ren thought, and was about to ask about that when he heard a shout. ¡°REN!¡± Teepo yelled and flew out of the apartment to land on his shoulder. Hey, buddy. Ren thought, then felt his connections with Xuunah, Nathalia, and all 5 of the maids. He looked down at his hands where the Lightning being had tried to convert him just before he died, and saw that the armored fingers on his gauntlets were still peeled back. He took off the gauntlets and repaired them in an instant, then put them back on and stored his armor as he equipped his Travelling Clothes. He activated his Auras, except for Fear, Hatred, Spider, and Heat Sense, then walked over to his apartment door. ¡°They''ve all been waiting for you.¡± Teepo said. I know. Ren thought and smiled, then opened the door. Chapter 504 - Back To The Pool Ren opened the door to his apartment and immediately felt relief, love, reassurance, and a bit of disbelief that he was really there, despite the fact they could already feel him and his Auras because they shared them with him. ¡°I''d like to say that the rumors of my demise were slightly exaggerated, but they weren''t.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s not a joking matter.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Please don''t make light of it.¡± Ren felt a strong desire spike in the shared Aura. He couldn''t tell who it was from, though. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He said and flooded the shared Auras with remorse, and nearly everyone gasped. He walked over to the group of women that were sitting in chairs in a circle, and they were all holding hands. He hadn''t even looked at their faces or counted them, since he could feel their feelings. He stopped behind Frikara and put a hand on her shoulder, and she turned her head to look at him. ¡°I''m sorry I was taken away so quickly and couldn''t warn you.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss. Her pleasure at being kissed first flooded through the shared Aura, and Ren took it and pushed it back out to make sure everyone knew it wasn''t preferential treatment. The light of connection they had started to glow slightly, and he went along the outside of the circle to each woman in turn. He put a hand on their shoulder so they would look at him, and he gave them the same kiss as he gave Frikara. Ren kissed all 5 maids, almost like it was a ritual, and each of them felt that it was the same as the first kiss and that they deserved it. When he touched the shoulder of the next woman in the circle of chairs, she turned and looked at him just like the others did. ¡°I can feel it.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°You really do treat them all the sa-Mmm!¡± Her words were cut off as Ren gave her a kiss and he pushed the same feelings into her as he did with the others through the shared Aura. He broke the kiss and moved on, and touched Xuunah''s shoulder next. ¡°Ren, you really shouldn''t do-Mmm!¡± Xuunah''s words were also cut off as Ren kissed her and poured his feelings into her. Her light of connection glowed the brightest, and Ren added a very strong thankful feeling to the shared Aura. He broke the kiss and moved on to the next woman, then touched Artemis on the shoulder. ¡°R-Ren, d-don''t.¡± Artemis said, and Ren kissed her cheek. He knew he couldn''t kiss her on the lips, mainly because he could feel that she wouldn''t be able to hold her own emotions back if he did. He felt her relief that he hadn''t taken her first kiss, and that surprised him. He leaned back and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°It''s harder to concentrate when you''re touching me.¡± Artemis said, and Ren caressed her cheek where he had kissed it. ¡°I''m sorry this is hard for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s why I''m shielding so much.¡± Artemis said, and he smiled. He went to the last woman in the circle, and Symmetra smiled at him. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Symmetra said. ¡°I can''t expect you to kiss me on the lips if you don''t kiss Artemis first.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Fair play is a good rule to live by.¡± He said and kissed Symmetra''s cheek, then he turned and looked at Princess. ¡°Hello, My Lord.¡± Princess said. ¡°Princess.¡± Ren bowed his head slightly, then stepped close and kissed the tip of her nose, then walked over to the start of the circle. ¡°Thank you all for being here and helping each other.¡± He said. ¡°You didn''t have to do that; but, I''m very happy that you did.¡± He looked at Officer Holly and Xuunah, and both had very surprised expressions on their faces. ¡°I really appreciate it.¡± Frikara chuckled. ¡°We can all feel how much you appreciate it.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°We can also feel that you''re not telling us something.¡± ¡°I was invited by Clint to come to his ranch and relax for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure he''s inviting a few more friends than just the party members, so I wonder if you''d all like to come with me.¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± Symmetra said and stood up. ¡°I''ve got some crafting to do.¡± ¡°I''ll be coming along, but only because I should stay by your side, just in case.¡± Artemis said. ¡°There''s not much time left in the day.¡± Frikara said. ¡°How long is this party supposed to last?¡± ¡°I think it''s going to be a week or so.¡± Ren said. ¡°A week!?!¡± Officer Holly laughed. ¡°I''m lucky to enjoy a few hours of relaxation!¡± ¡°I just said that to Elise.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I still have to show up at Clint''s tonight, so I''ll ask if we can all come tomorrow instead.¡± ¡°That''s a bit more reasonable.¡± Xuunah said and stood up. ¡°We can all get a good night''s sleep first.¡± Ren felt that she wanted to leave, and he walked back over to her. ¡°Xuunah, it''s okay.¡± He said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°We agreed that we can feel the feelings, remember?¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Ren took two steps up into the air and kissed her again. Xuunah couldn''t fight his sincerity and his need to make her happy, and she opened up what she had been holding back inside. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back with reckless abandon, then let all of her feelings out. Love, passion, regret, recalcitrance, defiance, and a strong feeling of reclusiveness despite spending a lot of her time with people not of her race. Since Ren was still sharing his Auras with everyone, they all felt what Xuunah had been hiding from everyone. He and Xuunah stayed that way for several minutes as his Emotion Siphon ability absorbed everything she was throwing at him, then reason permeated Xuunah''s thoughts again and she broke the kiss. ¡°I... I''m sorry.¡± Xuunah said, her face bright red. ¡°I... I didn''t mean to...¡± ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Ren said as he let her feel his deep gratitude. ¡°You stayed here with everyone to help them deal with what happened, even though you felt that way.¡± Once again Xuunah felt how much Ren appreciated what she had done. Everyone now stood and had their hands on either Xuunah or Ren, so they could add their own thanks. Even Officer Holly offered her thanks through the Reassurance Aura she shared with her and Ren. ¡°I didn''t realize you needed the reassurance, too.¡± Officer Holly said, and poured as much good feelings into Xuunah as she could. Xuunah looked at all of their faces, and nodded slightly. ¡°On that note, I better get going.¡± Ren said and let Xuunah go, then equipped his platinum armor. ¡°Princess, can I get a ride, please?¡± ¡°Of course, My Lord.¡± Princess said. ¡°I also have your looted items in my inventory.¡± ¡°My what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°When you died, you left things behind.¡± Teepo and Princess said together. ¡°Princess and I picked them up.¡± Teepo said alone. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± Ren said and opened Princess'' inventory and saw what was in there. ¡°Oh, crap!¡± He said and took the items out. ¡°I dropped my storage tower!¡± ¡°We were wondering which one it was.¡± Symmetra said and pointed. ¡°You should loot that, too.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren looked at the sack beside the door and went over to it. He opened it up and saw Lord Tathalyn''s remains inside. ¡°Symmetra, you didn''t have to do this.¡± He said, then smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Symmetra said. Ren looted the body to make it disappear, and received a popup that he didn''t expect.
Notice!
Lord Tathalyn was the son of one of Vasalor''s Chosen, and had been corrupted as a child. You have removed the remains of the link that (undefined static) had established with the Earth Realm through him. No further attempts may be made through him or his buildings by the Lightning Realm.Stolen story; please report. Rewards: Lord Tathalyn''s Earth Realm possessions. 12,435 platinum coins; 3,536 property deeds; small box of shadow markers, Bracelet of Magical Barrier.
Ren blinked his eyes at the popup. That''s all of his worldly possessions? ¡°Maybe it just doesn''t want to list all the clothing and furniture.¡± Teepo said, and Ren had to agree.
Notice!
As one of Vasalor''s Chosen, you now have access to Lord Tathalyn''s Chosen Ability: Possession Restoration.
¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°Show info for Possession Restoration.¡±
Possession Restoration
For an appropriate Mana cost, you may restore anything you possess to it''s best condition. This includes (but is not limited to) buildings, armor, furniture, weapons, etc.
¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren said. ¡°What is it?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°Um... someone give me something that needs fixing.¡± Ren said. ¡°I broke a chair when I first sat down.¡± Symmetra said and took the pieces out of inventory. ¡°I made a new one, though.¡± ¡°That''s good enough.¡± Ren said and put the broken chair on the floor in front of him. He used the Possession Restoration ability and poured a small amount of Mana into the wooden chair, and the pieces sucked together and reformed the chair as if it was brand new. ¡°I did not just see that!¡± Officer Holly exclaimed in disbelief. ¡°I know!¡± Ren said and brought his hand down through the chair to shatter it into pieces. ¡°Ah!¡± Officer Holly jumped back as the pieces scattered across the floor. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren said and put a finger on the closest piece of splintered wood. He used the ability again, and all the pieces sucked together and reformed the chair as if it was brand new again. Awe flowed through the shared Auras as they all beheld the sight. ¡°Wow.¡± Someone said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and put the chair over by the wall, and everyone looked at it like it was possessed or something. Of course, so did Ren, and he was the one that did it. ¡°Um... yeah. Okay.¡± He said and opened the apartment door. ¡°I''ll see you all later.¡± No one said anything as Princess and Artemis followed Ren out of the apartment, and he shut the door behind them. They went downstairs and outside, and Ren climbed up onto Princess'' saddle. He took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked on the ghouls, and they seemed to be calmed down and scattered with only a handful in each of the nests. He asked the mirror for the High Elves patrol areas to see if they covered the nests, and they weren''t even close. Ren knew he had lots of time to spare on that personal quest, and asked Princess to take him to Clint''s ranch. Artemis flew beside him as they travelled for several seconds to Clint''s place, and Ren remembered when it had taken several hours to make the same trip. They came to a stop above the ranch, and Ren saw about 40 people were scattered around the pool, as well as a Giant and a High Elf. He looked around for Clint, and found him beside a woman that Ren didn''t know. ¡°Should I just land beside him?¡± Princess asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said, and Princess trotted down in a circle to come to a stop beside Clint. A few people had noticed Ren and pointed as they approached the ground, and one woman even shouted that he was going to attack. Clint turned to see what the ruckus was about, then laughed. ¡°Naw, tha'' jus'' Ren.¡± Clint said. ¡°REN!¡± The woman beside Clint yelled. ¡°It was all your fault!¡± ¡°If you''re referring to that.¡± Ren said and pointed to Hank. ¡°Then yes, it was my fault.¡± ¡°You aren''t going to deny it?¡± The woman asked, and Ren felt her shock. ¡°What for?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I added 3 new starter cities to the game, and I had no idea the options it would open up.¡± ¡°Hank''s been having a hard time as a giant, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°That''s some spiffy armor you have now.¡± ¡°It''s made of platinum.¡± Ren said and turned to look at Tommy, then felt everyone''s shock as they stopped talking and looked at him. ¡°You... you smelted platinum...¡± The woman beside Clint said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Enough to get a good alloy mix with steel, then forged and folded each piece 50 times.¡± ¡°H-how... how much...¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was about half a smelter full.¡± ¡°Half a...¡± The woman shook her head. ¡°No, that... that''s not possible.¡± ¡°Ren? It was about 1,500 platinum.¡± Teepo offered. ¡°If I had to guess, I''d say it was about 1,500 platinum coins.¡± Ren said and looked at Hank. ¡°Hey, Hank!¡± ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Hank said and waved. ¡°Want me to fix that?¡± Ren asked and pointed to him. ¡°Fix... wait, what?¡± ¡°Tommy''s right.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re going to have a hard time in the Human Kingdom if you stay a giant.¡± ¡°It''s a class upgrade.¡± Hank said. ¡°I''ve been talking to the system admins, and they said I''m stuck as a giant until I reach the next level plateau that allows another change.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I didn''t mean removing your Giant race, I meant making you smaller.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Then hell, yeah!¡± Hank said and started to stand up. ¡°STOP!¡± Ren yelled. With his Command Aura active, the order was so powerful that Hank froze solid... as did everyone else within the Aura. Caramel, who had been sitting on Hank''s shoulder, slid off and started to fall. Ren ran over so fast that no one saw him move, and he ran over the water and right up Hank''s chest, then caught Caramel. ¡°AH! I''M FALL-oh.¡± Caramel started to yell before she realized she had been caught, then looked at Ren. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said and walked back down Hank''s chest and across the water to put Caramel on solid ground, then turned to Hank. ¡°You can move now.¡± Ren heard a sigh from several people and looked around. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°We all stopped when you yelled.¡± Caramel said. ¡°I''ve never felt anything like that before.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just wanted Hank to stop before you got hurt.¡± Caramel touched the top of his head and ruffled his hair. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Hey, are you making time with my favorite dancer?¡± Hank asked, and Ren looked up at him. ¡°No, I''m allergic to Caramel.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Are you ready to be normal-sized again?¡± ¡°I sure am.¡± Hank said and held his arms out and closed his eyes. ¡°Do your stuff!¡± Ren took out the Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything wand and shot him once. Hank dropped from 24 feet tall to only 12. ¡°Can you stop there for a minute?¡± Caramel asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said, and Caramel walked over to Hank and pulled out his swim trunks and looked inside. She shook her head and walked back over to Ren. ¡°There''s no way that''s going inside me.¡± Caramel said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll keep going, then.¡± Ren said and used another spell on Hank. ¡°You''re done.¡± The second spell brought Hank back down to his normal 6 feet in height, and he opened his eyes to look at himself. ¡°Hey! It worked!¡± Hank said, and Caramel ran over to him and jumped into his arms. He caught her, and they kissed. ¡°You''ll keep the race bonuses, but you lose the height advantage.¡± Ren said, and Hank said he didn''t care. ¡°Ren, the High Elf is coming over.¡± Artemis said, and Ren turned to face him. ¡°Hey, Billy.¡± Ren said, and saw Jennifer beside him. ¡°Hi, Jennifer.¡± Billy walked right up to him, made a fist, and leaned down to punch Ren in the face in one smooth motion. The sound of breaking bones was loud in the silence that followed. ¡°ARGH!¡± Billy yelled and gripped his severely damaged hand. ¡°BILLY!¡± Jennifer yelled as Billy dropped to his knees. ¡°What did you do that for?¡± ¡°He had sex with you!¡± Billy said. ¡°Oh, Billy.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I have sex with lots of people, and you don''t try to punch them in the face.¡± ¡°They never satisfy you, though!¡± Billy said. ¡°Having sex with them doesn''t matter!¡± ¡°Billy...¡± Jennifer tried to speak and he shook his head. ¡°You told me how good he made you feel!¡± Billy said. ¡°You said it was the best sex you''ve ever had!¡± ¡°It was.¡± Jennifer admitted. ¡°How am I supposed to compete with that?¡± Billy asked. ¡°It''s not a competition.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him. Several of them had disapproving looks, and he could feel that they didn''t like him very much. ¡°Do you want to know what I did?¡± ¡°Hell, no!¡± Billy said. ¡°I don''t want details about how much better in bed you are!¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Ren laughed, and he felt everyone start to hate him a little. ¡°I wouldn''t do that if my life depended on it.¡± He said. ¡°Even Jennifer won''t tell you specifics.¡± ¡°That''s... true.¡± Jennifer said, and her face went a little red. ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°All I did was give her what she wanted.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nothing more, nothing less.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren took a step forward and everyone tensed up, including Billy, and he felt that they all expected him to punch Billy back. ¡°Billy, you know what she likes, right?¡± He asked and put a hand on Billy''s shoulder instead, much to everyone''s surprise... including Billy''s. Billy didn''t say anything in response and ducked his head. ¡°Making yourself twice as big didn''t help, did it?¡± Ren asked, after an educated guess about why Billy had chosen the High Elf race, besides the obvious Dexterity and Agility bonuses to his Archery skills. Billy thought about not answering again, then shook his head. ¡°That''s because it''s not what she wants.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know how long you''ve been together, and it''s none of my business.¡± He said and gave Billy''s shoulder a little squeeze. ¡°I can only assume that she told you what she wants, so all you have to do to make her happy, is to do that sometimes.¡± ¡°I... I can''t.¡± Billy said. ¡°I love her, but I... I just can''t.¡± ¡°Is that why you''re angry at me?¡± Ren asked, and Billy looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Because I can?¡± ¡°Yes, dammit.¡± Billy said and ducked his head again. ¡°I hate that you can please her like that, and I... I can''t even...¡± He sighed. ¡°I don''t even like being in her work room.¡± ¡°Then I''m more sorry about that than you know.¡± Ren said and let Billy''s shoulder go. ¡°What I''m not sorry about is that she had legitimately won the first dance at the club from me, quite handily I might add; or that I had sex with her.¡± He said. ¡°It was just sex; but, it was also fun for the both of us and we both enjoyed it a lot.¡± ¡°That''s the problem!¡± Billy said and tried to point, but his hand was still broken and he winced instead. ¡°No it isn''t, Billy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can heal that if you want.¡± ¡°I don''t want your help!¡± Billy almost yelled, and Ren sighed. ¡°You need it healed quickly, or it''s going to stay that way.¡± Ren warned him. Billy gritted his teeth, then held his hand out. The fingers were mangled, and it reminded Ren of when he had hurt that alchemist in the dwarf lands. Ren took extra care as he examined the damaged hand and used a Major Healing wand to heal it. Several people were surprised by this, and Ren dismissed the Running Quest Update popup for showing people what he could do. Billy made a fist with his hand and stood up, then turned away from Ren. Jennifer caught his arm and stopped him from leaving. ¡°Billy...¡± Jennifer started to say. ¡°I know, I know.¡± Billy said. ¡°He''s right.¡± He looked down at her. ¡°I''ve tried to do things your way remember?¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Billy.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Billy said. ¡°Now I''m stuck like this.¡± ¡°I can make you smaller, too.¡± Ren said, and Billy and Jennifer looked at him. ¡°Just like Hank, you keep the race traits, but you don''t have to keep the size.¡± ¡°Won''t I lose my Dexterity and Agility bonuses because I''m not as tall?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°The only downsize is you''ll be a lot lighter than you used to be.¡± ¡°Do it.¡± Billy said. Ren took out the other wand and reduced Billy to his normal height. ¡°Thanks.¡± Billy said and looked at Jennifer. ¡°You and I need to talk.¡± Jennifer nodded and they walked off to be alone. Chapter 505 - Drama Unleashed ¡°It''s getting dark.¡± Someone said into the silence, and several people agreed. ¡°This party''s goin'' ta tha Pleasure Palace if''n ya wan''ta come along.¡± Clint said. ¡°Excuse me?¡± The woman beside him said. ¡°We''ve been meaning to check it out since it opened.¡± Tommy said. ¡°It''s got great ale!¡± Candy said, and Ren looked to see her hanging on Dillon''s arm. ¡°Hi, Candy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hey, Ren.¡± Candy said. ¡°I''m sorry all that drama came out like that.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I figured Billy would be a little angry about it, but I had no idea he''d be that angry... or that he and Jennifer weren''t... well...¡± Candy nodded, too. ¡°We all assumed she was getting it good from him, too... considering she loves him so much.¡± ¡°Ah don'' think we should be talkin'' abou'' this.¡± Clint said. ¡°Bein'' none of our business, an'' all.¡± Ren, Candy, and several of the dancers nodded their heads in agreement. ¡°Are you really going to a strip club?¡± The woman asked. ¡°There ain'' no harm in it, considerin'' it''s all virtual.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah ain'' nevah been in one in real life, though.¡± The woman kind of scrunched her face a little for a few moments, then her face went back to normal and she smiled. ¡°You saved them from being exploited at the Pink Pearl.¡± Clint nodded. ¡°Thanks ta mah friend there tippin'' me off.¡± He said and pointed to Ren. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°He even built us the new place!¡± Caramel said. ¡°It''s the best place we''ve ever worked!¡± ¡°He owns the strip club?!?¡± Someone else asked. ¡°Nope!¡± Candy said. ¡°We do!¡± ¡°You do?¡± Dillon asked, and she nodded. ¡°He made it, set everything up for us, including ale and food, and then handed it over to us with no strings attached.¡± ¡°Geez, is he crazy?¡± Someone asked. ¡°He could be making a fortune!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t need the money, and you wouldn''t believe how happy the dancers were that they were their own bosses.¡± ¡°Try ecstatic!¡± Caramel said. ¡°We can work when we want, take breaks when we want, and pick and choose the clients.¡± She laughed. ¡°I''ve never been happier!¡± ¡°Hey...¡± Hank started to say, and Caramel turned and kissed him. ¡°Like so!¡± Caramel said, and several people laughed. ¡°So, are we going or what?¡± Someone asked. ¡°I think I''ll pass.¡± One of the women said. ¡°I don''t want to watch women be objectified.¡± ¡°Boy, are you thinking of the wrong place!¡± Hank said, and the one who spoke looked at him. ¡°It''s us that are objectified.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°If one of the dancers doesn''t like someone, the client is usually ignored.¡± Caramel said. ¡°In some cases, they are even asked to leave.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± The woman said, and Caramel shook her head. ¡°Ren gave us full control over everything, and by god we use it!¡± ¡°That''s why it''s so great working there.¡± Candy said and rested her head on Dillon''s shoulder. ¡°No one is forced to do anything they don''t want to do, or to spend time with anyone that they don''t like.¡± ¡°I... ah... maybe I''ll stop in for a minute.¡± The woman said. ¡°Just to check it out for myself.¡± Several people laughed at that. ¡°Let''s get to the carts.¡± One of the guys said. ¡°Can I offer to give you a tow?¡± Ren asked, and they looked at him. ¡°Princess and I can haul you with us.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Someone asked. ¡°We''ve hauled a lot of things.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even a royal carriage with 2 horses.¡± ¡°If it works, why not?¡± Someone else said. ¡°Ma''am, would ya like ta come along?¡± Clint asked the woman beside him. ¡°Ah''d shore like ta keep sharin'' yer company.¡± ¡°If I''m there, will the dancers ignore you?¡± She asked. ¡°Ah don'' rightly know.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah ain'' nevah brough'' a date wit me before.¡± ¡°They will leave you alone if you ask them to.¡± Caramel said. ¡°We are all consenting adults, and no one is pressured into anything.¡± ¡°Then I''d like to come along.¡± She said, and Clint smiled. ¡°Then let''s load up!¡± Someone said, and everyone walked towards the carts they had left in Clint''s driveway. ¡°I''ll go and get Billy and Jennifer.¡± Ren said before everyone reached the carts. ¡°I think I saw them go into the house.¡± Tommy''s real life girlfriend offered. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Artemis, hook Princess up to the carts.¡± He said to her and ran to the house and went inside, then was back out a second later. ¡°Clint, sell me your ranch for a gold coin.¡± He said and held out a gold coin. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Trust me.¡± Ren said and shook the coin. ¡°Are ya gonna do somethin'' funky?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Kind of.¡± Ren said, and Clint chuckled. ¡°As long as ya sell it right back ta me.¡± Clint said, and Ren nodded. He took the gold coin and Ren ran back into the house. He was back out a minute later. ¡°Is there anything else left inside that needs to be repaired?¡± Ren asked, and Clint stared at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I fixed the damage I could see.¡± Ren said. ¡°I found a couch, 2 chairs, a table, a window, the walls, the ceiling, and the floor.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Was that everything?¡± Ren asked, and Clint nodded. ¡°Okay, you can buy the ranch back.¡± ¡°Ah wish ya hadda been here las'' nigh''.¡± Clint held out the gold coin. ¡°Only a gold coin?¡± Ren asked and grinned evilly. ¡°The price is a thousand platinum coins.¡± ¡°WHHHAAAAAATTTT?!?¡± Clint yelled, and everyone gasped and started to yell and holler about the unfairness. ¡°BWAHAHAHA!¡± Ren guffawed and bent over laughing. ¡°The... the look on your face! Bwahahaha!¡± He eased his laughing down after a few moments, then took the coin from Clint''s outstretched hand.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Geez, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°That wasn''t funny.¡± ¡°Are you kidding?!?¡± Ren said. ¡°That was hilarious!¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Clint started to say it wasn''t funny, too. ¡°Wait, you thought I''d really charge you more for selling it back?¡± Ren asked, and looked at everyone. ¡°I can understand everyone else thinking that, since they don''t know me and hate me a little.¡± Ren said, and they all avoided his gaze. ¡°But you guys? You know me well enough to realize I would never do that... after the initial shock, that is.¡± Ren could feel their emotions, and he was surprised that they thought he would do that. ¡°Huh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is that how you see me?¡± He asked. ¡°You''re just waiting for me to show my true colors?¡± It was Clint, Dillon, Tommy, and Hank''s turn to avoid his gaze; but, he felt how they felt about it. ¡°Well, okay then. I guess you don''t know me that well.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m glad my little practical joke brought that out in the open.¡± No one said anything, and Ren shook his head and ran back into Clint''s house. He used his Heat Sense Aura for an instant and pinpointed where the two people in the house were. Ren went over to the bedroom door and knocked. ¡°Leave us alone!¡± Billy said. ¡°We''re busy!¡± ¡°Everyone is heading to the Pleasure Palace.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think Jennifer''s working tonight, too.¡± ¡°Goddammit!¡± Billy said and opened the door. ¡°GET LOST!¡± ¡°What is your problem?¡± Ren asked. ¡°This is way too much anger over what happened.¡± ¡°IS IT?¡± Billy yelled. Ren felt a small spike of fear from Jennifer, and glanced behind Billy to see her holding her cheek, and tears were in her eyes. ¡°You...¡± Ren started to say something as he looked up at Billy''s face, and gained the Angered condition. ¡°You. Hit. Her.¡± ¡°It''s none of your business!¡± Billy snarled. ¡°I... I think...¡± Ren made a fist, then quickly opened the Player Menu and chose to leave the Reckless Rough Riders. ¡°You need to log off right now.¡± ¡°Make me!¡± Billy said and chose PVP mode. Ren saw the popup for a second and then Billy grabbed Ren by the throat with both hands. ¡°Billy, no!¡± Jennifer exclaimed. ¡°Don''t make me do this.¡± Ren said, completely unaffected. ¡°Let me go.¡± ¡°Die, you little shit!¡± Billy said and tried to squeeze as hard as he could. When that didn''t work, he pulled out a dagger and swung it at Ren''s abdomen. A small Mana shield appeared and the dagger bounced off and flew across the room to hit the wall. ¡°I hope you use these next 6 hours to cool off.¡± Ren said as he accepted PVP mode, reached up and grabbed Billy by the neck. ¡°REN!¡± Jennifer yelled. ¡°I''m sorry, Jennifer.¡± Ren said and used Iron Grip and broke Billy''s neck, just as the rest of the Reckless Rough Riders came into the house. ¡°WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?¡± Clint yelled at the top of his lungs. The guys had gotten the notification that Ren had left their party, and had come into the house to see what was going on. Ren dismissed the ''PVP has ended'' popup and didn''t even look at the info it showed. ¡°Ren! How could you do that, man?¡± Tommy asked, shocked. ¡°Billy wanted a fight.¡± Ren said. ¡°I accepted.¡± ¡°Tha''s it?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Tha''s yer justificashun fer killin''im?¡± Ren took out a Minor Healing wand and used it on Jennifer''s face, out of sight from everyone, then stored the wand and turned around to face Clint. ¡°It''s as good a reason as any.¡± Ren said, and he felt Jennifer''s surprise that he hadn''t told them that Billy had hit her. ¡°Git outta mah house!¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah don'' wanna see yer face no more!¡± ¡°In a minute.¡± Ren said calmly and lost his Angered condition, then turned back to face the bedroom. ¡°Ah said ta git outta here, now!¡± Clint nearly yelled. Ren ignored him and knelt to loot Billy''s body, then stepped into the bedroom and dropped the loot on the bed. ¡°Jennifer, please accept this as an apology.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren...¡± Ren reached out and used his hand to caress the cheek Billy had punched. ¡°You don''t know how sorry I am that this happened.¡± Jennifer took his other hand and gripped it. ¡°I... I think I do.¡± She said. ¡°I feel pretty sorry for myself right now.¡± ¡°Don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°This wasn''t your fault.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I want you to ignore everything Billy told you.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s nothing wrong with you, or with wanting what you want.¡± Jennifer''s mouth fell open. ¡°How... how did you...¡± Ren caressed her cheek again. ¡°It was an educated guess.¡± Jennifer sighed. ¡°Now what do I do?¡± ¡°When Billy comes back in 6 hours, and if he isn''t being reasonable, I want you to message me.¡± Ren said and added Jennifer as a friend to his contacts, and she accepted. He removed Billy as an afterthought, then leaned in close to whisper. ¡°I won''t let him hurt you again.¡± ¡°Ren, you can''t police my love life.¡± Jennifer whispered back. Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m just going to be the friend you need when you need me.¡± He said and let her cheek and hand go. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jennifer said and smiled. ¡°I doubt Clint will let me give the guys a ride now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want me to take you to work?¡± ¡°I think I''d be hated if I went with you and not the other girls.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I''ll wait outside and see if you all get in the carts.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going that way, anyway.¡± ¡°I don''t know if they will.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°You did just kill my ex-boyfriend.¡± Ren raised his eyebrows at the ''ex'' qualifier, and Jennifer held in her chuckle. ¡°I won''t put up with Billy''s antics anymore.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I also don''t think you should come to the club tonight.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I guess I won''t be asking Clint if I can bring people over to relax in the pool tomorrow.¡± Jennifer bent down to kiss Ren on the cheek. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Considering the way Billy reacted, I doubt this could have gone any other way.¡± ¡°But... it cost you your friends.¡± Jennifer said, and Ren shrugged. ¡°They seemed to think I was going to turn on them anyways.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t think I deserved that; but, I also didn''t think I''d be giving them proof that I would.¡± ¡°You did that for me.¡± Jennifer said and ducked her head a little. With Ren so short, it just looked like she was staring at him instead. ¡°If it makes this whole situation look better, and doesn''t make them question what Billy did...¡± ¡°What''s to stop me from telling them after you leave?¡± Jennifer asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s the thing about choice. I made mine so that they wouldn''t think less of Billy over his reaction... or think less of you for suffering through it without telling anyone.¡± Jennifer opened her mouth to reply that it wasn''t anyone''s business, and Ren felt her emotions. She sighed instead and spoke. ¡°I''m not a victim.¡± ¡°No, you''re not.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re a survivor.¡± Jennifer took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said, turned around and walked out of the bedroom. Clint and the guys had scowls on their faces as they saw him again, and he could feel their dislike that he had ignored Clint''s order to leave the house. The dancers around them had blank faces, as did the woman with Clint and Tommy''s real life girlfriend; but, Ren could feel that they suspected something other than what they saw happen had happened. Ren walked over to the front door, and he expected them to move aside to let him pass. When they didn''t, he looked at them. ¡°First you want me out of your house, now you''re blocking the way.¡± He said. ¡°Make up your mind.¡± ¡°Ah decided ah want an explanashun fer whatcha did.¡± ¡°Revenge? Jealously? Self defense? Because I could?¡± Ren said as if each was a question. Clint''s scowl kept getting deeper and deeper. ¡°He challenged me and I defeated him.¡± Ren said. ¡°Before you keep asking me what happened, didn''t you just say that it''s none of your business?¡± Clint opened his mouth to yell at him, and Hank put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I''m not taking his side, but you did say that.¡± Hank said. ¡°We shouldn''t try to force the real reason out of him.¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± Ren said. ¡°You won''t be doing that to Jennifer, either.¡± He said, and everyone looked at him. ¡°It''s her business, and you shouldn''t pester her about it.¡± ¡°Wha'' are ya gonna do?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Kill us, too?¡± ¡°I''d rather just appeal to your humanity and tell you that poor girl just saw a man she loved be killed in front of her.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you really want to berate and question her about it?¡± No one said anything, and Ren could feel their reluctance to do that to Jennifer. It was then that Tommy''s real life girlfriend pulled Tommy out of the doorway. That was the cue everyone needed and they all stepped aside, except for Clint. ¡°Ah''m not steppin'' aside in mah own house.¡± Clint said. ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said and smiled as he walked around Clint. ¡°I could have just gone out through the back door anyways.¡± Surprise and awe flowed out to Ren, and he didn''t absorb any of it. He assumed it was because he had confronted them about what had happened and hadn''t backed down; but, it didn''t really matter at this point. He walked out of the house and down the driveway, and climbed up onto Princess'' saddle to wait. It took about 10 minutes before Clint and the others came out of the house to go to the club, and he saw Ren was still there. Since he wasn''t on Clint''s property, he couldn''t get angry about him still being there. He walked right over to Ren and looked up at him. ¡°Ah''m not ridin'' witcha.¡± ¡°I don''t expect you to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was waiting for the dancers so I can get them to the club on time.¡± ¡°If''n yer goin'', ah''m not goin''.¡± ¡°Don''t be an idiot.¡± Ren said, and Clint balled his hands into fists. ¡°I''m not going to the club. I''m going home to people that want to have me around.¡± He said. ¡°That just happens to be down the road from the club.¡± Clint frowned at Ren''s logic, then stepped back out of the way. Ren looked back at the carts and saw that the dancers had climbed into the first cart, and they had Jennifer with them. ¡°Hold on!¡± Ren said and looked down at Princess. ¡°Go easy for the first time riders, please.¡± Princess huffed and trotted up into the air, and there were a couple squeals of delight as they saw Artemis flying beside Ren, one woman let out a short scream, and quite a few shouts rang out to go faster. Princess heard this and poured on the speed at a respectable rate. ¡°Wooo-hooooo!¡± A guy shouted. ¡°It''s better than a roller coaster!¡± A few other people joined him in shouting and waving their hands in the air to increase the thrill ride. Ren felt their enjoyment, and this time let his ability absorb some of it. They arrived at the county 10 minutes later, and Princess slowed down and came in for a landing 2 minutes after that, right in front of the club in the parking lot. ¡°That was great!¡± The same guy said as he hopped out of the cart and almost jumped around. His adrenaline was pumping pretty hard after the ride. ¡°Where can I get one of these things?¡± ¡°You can''t.¡± Ren said as he and Artemis unhooked the two horse and carts from Princess. ¡°Princess is one of a kind.¡± ¡°Then how much...¡± ¡°I don''t sell my friends.¡± Ren said and he and Artemis tied the horses to the available posts. He was tempted to help the ladies climb out of the carts, but he didn''t want to feel the rejection that was sure to follow. ¡°Have fun tonight.¡± Ren said and he walked down the road with Artemis and Princess on either side on him. Princess went into her house and Artemis said she was going into the warehouse to spend time with the other familiars. Ren said goodnight and went into the Main House and up the stairs. Chapter 506 - A Bit Of Why Ren went upstairs and into his apartment, and Frikara and the others could feel his churning emotions. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Come here.¡± Ren stored his armor as he walked across the room and Frikara stored her clothing as well and took his hand. She laid down on the bed and guided Ren to lay down with her, and she cuddled him closely. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Frikara said and kissed his forehead. ¡°We''ve always wanted to be around you, since right after we met.¡± ¡°It''s true.¡± Lusinia said and joined them on the bed. ¡°Once we discovered who you were, well...¡± ¡°None of us wanted to ever leave your side.¡± Verwynn said and she and Navruth climbed onto the bed. ¡°The adventures you''ve had, the powerful enemies you''ve defeated...¡± ¡°You are a dream come true.¡± Andrela said. She jumped onto the bed and shook everyone, which made them all laugh. ¡°Who needs friends that only pretend to trust you?¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that he did, and Andrela pulled herself on top of him and kissed him instead. He wasn''t one to deny a good passionate kiss, so he kissed her back and let the feel of her lips distract him from his morose thoughts. ¡°Ladies, it''s been a while since we tickle-kissed him all over.¡± Frikara said, then amusement and playfulness filled the shared Aura. ¡°No, wait!¡± Ren said when they started to assault him with their lips. He laughed as the feather-light touch of 5 pairs of lips kissed him all over for several minutes. When they were done, he was in a much better mood, and could still feel their lips on him. ¡°What did I ever do to deserve you?¡± Ren asked, and all 5 women lifted their heads and looked at him. ¡°You were yourself.¡± Frikara said for all of them, and they nodded in agreement. ¡°Now lay back and relax, and let us take care of you.¡± Ren felt someone''s lips on his private place, and he tried to look to see who it was. Frikara sat on his chest to block him. ¡°You have to guess who it is.¡± Frikara said and covered is eyes with her hands. ¡°Ha.¡± Ren said and took a deep breath and relaxed like Frikara said. He activated Serene State of Mind and thought about who was touching him. He activated his Heat Sense Aura and he felt where they were more distinctly than he did with just the shared Contact Aura. Even with his eyes closed, he could almost see Frikara sitting on his chest, and her private space was hot so close to his face. With no visual clues, he had to use his Emotion Siphon ability to touch them. Each of them gasped as he touched them in turn, and when one stopped pleasing him and gasped, he heard Lusinia''s voice. ¡°Hey, that''s cheating.¡± Frikara said. ¡°You only said I couldn''t look.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It was Lusinia.¡± Another one started on him and he didn''t even hesitate in answering. ¡°Andrela.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can pick out that cute mouth from anywhere.¡± ¡°Aw.¡± Andrela said. ¡°I don''t know if I should be angry or happy that you found out so fast.¡± ¡°Be happy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know I sure am.¡± Andrela blushed, and Ren felt her heat increase and could almost see her, too. Someone''s tongue touched him, and as they licked, he smiled. ¡°That''s Navruth.¡± Ren said. ¡°She always plays a bit beforehand.¡± ¡°Even though you know it''s going to be me, I''m doing it anyway.¡± Verwynn said to several chuckles, then Ren felt her try her best to take as much of him as she could. Frikara uncovered his eyes and Ren looked up at her with lust in his eyes. He glanced down at her special place and looked back up at her as he flooded the shared Aura with desire, so she slid her body forward and almost gasped at how happy that made him. * Xuunah had climbed into bed after trying on several of the outfits from the large cabinet of clothing Ren had Tee-one make for her, and she was currently wrapped in an almost clear robe with what she believed was the most comfortable sleepwear that had ever touched her skin. Since she had spent countless years wearing physical clothing, that was saying something. She had felt everything Ren had felt since he had come back after sacrificing himself, so she had technically been there for the whole incident with Jennifer and Billy, and for Ren''s falling out with Clint''s party. She hadn''t gotten up when he had arrived back at the Main House, because she was afraid of what she would do if she was allowed to comfort him. At the moment, she was experiencing exactly what she thought would have happened if she had greeted him, and she knew she wasn''t ready for quite that much sharing of herself with him; despite Ren''s assertion that it was okay to have those feelings. Ren was giving her those sensations with the full knowledge that he was, and she let them flow over her and enjoyed them for what they were. Expressions of both caring and love. That brought Xuunah''s thoughts back to the kiss she and Ren had shared just before he left for Clint''s place, and her face burned a deep red because she had done that in front of everyone. In the next moment, she remembered everyone giving her their support, both during the kiss and afterwards, and none of them were bothered that she had kissed him or hated her for it. In the back of her mind she had thought it would have caused an uproar, and she had surprised herself that she had kissed him anyway. She closed her eyes and put a hand over the slightly glowing light of connection in her chest, and let the things Ren shared with her buoy her up. ******** ¡°Poor Ren.¡± Stella said out loud, after re-watching in normal speed what had happened at Clint''s ranch. ¡°I think... yes, I should talk to Elise about this.¡± She said and closed the laptop, then left the bedroom and the Blue Screen Protocol that was on the television screen. She went downstairs and into the small dining room off of the kitchen that Elise and Barbi had quickly converted into a double office. ¡°Geez, you''ve got everything set up already?¡± Stella asked and looked around the room. ¡°We put the table and chairs out in the garage for now, since no one is using it at the moment.¡± Elise said from her seat behind her desk. ¡°We come and go quite a lot, so taking the time and effort to park in the garage is kind of pointless.¡± Stella said. ¡°I can''t believe Elise got all of this delivered so quickly.¡± Barbi said and knelt by the micro-server that was similar to the one Ren had upstairs, and she plugged a portable drive into it that had all of her saved files and server addresses for the fan pages and references to Ren on the internet. ¡°I only sent the email to her this morning.¡± ¡°She knows people.¡± Stella said, and Elise chuckled. ¡°Yes, I have access to some quick delivery tech companies.¡± Elise said. ¡°Plus, when one of their investors asks for a favor, they seem to jump through hoops for them.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Stella smiled. ¡°I think you''re confusing the words ''investor'' and ''drop dead gorgeous''.¡± Elise and Barbi laughed at that, mainly because in most cases, it was true. ¡°Elise, can I talk to you for a minute?¡± Stella asked and motioned to the kitchen. ¡°Sure.¡± Elise said and stood up, then followed Stella out to the kitchen. Stella explained what had happened, and Elise frowned. ¡°That does sound a little odd.¡± Elise said. ¡°I need to see what happened for myself.¡± The two women went upstairs and into Ren''s bedroom to watch what happened. It didn''t take long, and Elise couldn''t understand what she saw as excess anger from Billy. She went back to the video file after Ren first logged back in, and she saw the popups he had received. ¡°No, that''s not possible.¡± Elise said and took out her cell phone and dialed a number she had hoped she wouldn''t have to dial again. * Max had just gotten back to work after taking the whole morning off, and the phone on his desk rang. ¡°Max here.¡± He said when he picked it up. ¡°Max, we need to talk.¡± Elise said, and Max sighed loudly. ¡°I just got into work after spending half the night cleaning up after your little boyfriend.¡± Max said. ¡°Let me guess, he''s gone back in and discovered something else game-breaking.¡± ¡°Yes, he has.¡± Elise said. ¡°What is it this time?¡± Max asked. ¡°Apparently he''s one of Vasalor''s Chosen now.¡± Elise said. ¡°He''s WHAT?!?¡± Max yelled, and everyone in the tech department looked at him. He covered the mouthpiece of the phone. ¡°Just ignore me for the next few minutes.¡± Some of them nodded and a few shrugged their shoulders, then they all got back to work. ¡°What happened?¡± Max asked. ¡°It was a popup he received after sacrificing himself.¡± Elise said. ¡°A High Elf tried to summon a Lightning being into the normal game realm, and Ren stopped him.¡± ¡°That can''t be the only reason.¡± Max said. ¡°It''s all I have at the moment.¡± Elise said. ¡°Besides knowing he''s met both Water and Earth beings.¡± She said. ¡°Do you want me to ask him who else he''s been in contact with?¡± ¡°No.¡± Max sighed. ¡°Even just those two would have given him access to restricted content.¡± ¡°Not this level of it, surely.¡± Elise said. ¡°I mean, we know who Vasalor really is.¡± ¡°Yes, and if he picked Ren to help him, there has to be a good reason for it.¡± ¡°It can''t be just a reward?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I was shocked when I saw it at first; but, now that I''ve had a minute to think about it, Ren did keep Vasalor''s mandate intact.¡± ¡°Elise, he''s the first player to ever get that title.¡± Max said. ¡°Not even the Beta programmers and testers earned it, and you know how much work they did to get it all up and running.¡± ¡°There''s something else.¡± Elise said, and for some reason, mentioned Billy''s oddly angered reaction to Ren. ¡°That''s easy to explain.¡± Max said. ¡°Ren slept with his girlfriend.¡± ¡°That is not what Ren did.¡± Elise said, vehemently. ¡°What he did was partake of the services offered at a club with one of the dancers.¡± ¡°That just happened to be the main squeeze of one of his friends.¡± Max said. ¡°I don''t know about you, but I think I''d be pretty pissed if a friend of mine did that.¡± ¡°Even if your girlfriend has been sleeping with tens, or even hundreds of others before that?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Well... all right, I have to give you some leeway about that.¡± Max said, reluctantly. ¡°However, you know love is a funny thing. It''s not known to be open for rational thinking.¡± ¡°Okay, I guess that explains a lot.¡± Elise sighed. ¡°He really did seem genuinely hostile, and I thought there would have been another explanation than he was jealous.¡± ¡°Maybe something changed recently in their relationship?¡± Max asked. ¡°Something like this doesn''t just come out of the blue.¡± ¡°Actually, Billy did take the High Elf upgrade to try and satisfy his girlfriend.¡± Elise said. ¡°As if a bigger penis was going to solve their problems so easily.¡± ¡°Wait, did you say he''s a High Elf?¡± Max asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then that might explain any extra hostility you think happened.¡± Max said. ¡°High Elves inherently hate heretics.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Ren wasn''t born one of the chosen, or converted during one of the Vasalor rituals the High Elves perform every few hundred years, so they would ''know'' that he''s a heretic and isn''t a genuine chosen.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Don''t tell me I know something about the game lore that you don''t?¡± Max asked, and barked a laugh. ¡°Oh, this is great!¡± ¡°Max.¡± Elise said, coldly. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Max said, but Elise knew that he wasn''t. ¡°It''s something we intertwined into the High Elves backstory.¡± He explained. ¡°They perform rituals on special citizens every 150 years to see if one of Vasalor''s Chosen will emerge.¡± ¡°Max, that... that''s crazy.¡± Elise said. ¡°You''d think that, but its actually a great system.¡± Max said. ¡°The one to successfully go through the ritual about a hundred years ago was spectacular.¡± He said. ¡°She converted into a Marilith demon and became the boss in Shargon Caverns, because the High Elves thought she was a failure like her sister and exiled her.¡± ¡°Oh... you... you don''t mean...¡± ¡°A hundred and fifty years before that, her older sister was converted into a half-spider creature and became the Queen of the Dark Elves. That sheared off a big chunk of the High Elf population; which in turn regulated the High Elves massive overpopulation.¡± Max said. ¡°They exiled her, but she still did Vasalor''s work for him.¡± ¡°Really, Max?¡± ¡°There have been lots of others, but those are the most significant that are still in play right now.¡± Max said. ¡°The one before that brought order to the High Elves and made them a force to be reckoned with, and the one before that forced the segregation of the elflings.¡± ¡°...and you let all of that play out?¡± ¡°In the Beta version, yeah.¡± Max said. ¡°There''s no way all of that history could happen with the current time compression in the main part of the game.¡± ¡°You do realize that Ren has met both of the Vasalor''s Chosen you''ve mentioned, right?¡± Elise asked. ¡°The Queen of the Dark Elves and the Boss of Shargon Caverns... the second was thanks to you.¡± ¡°He''s met the Queen of the Dark Elves?¡± Max asked. ¡°He has, and he was also marked by her as her Royal Consort.¡± ¡°Maybe that did it.¡± Max said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It takes a lot for Vasalor to notice someone.¡± Max said. ¡°With the way Ren has been going around and... well, messing things up...¡± ¡°He''s not messing things up!¡± Elise said. ¡°He''s trying to fix things!¡± ¡°That''s probably why he got the title.¡± Max said. ¡°Vasalor doesn''t interfere directly, mainly because we removed that possibility.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t think he would choose a player to act on his behalf, though.¡± ¡°Is that what this is?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Is Ren going to become his emissary or something?¡± Max chuckled. ¡°No, nothing so grandiose.¡± He said. ¡°I think it''s just going to give him the occasional quest that''s not available to other players.¡± ¡°So, I shouldn''t be worried, then?¡± ¡°Only if he gets a ridiculous quest that no one could ever complete.¡± Max said. ¡°Other than that, you can just ignore it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Max said. ¡°I''ll keep an eye on it from this end.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Elise said, a bit reluctantly. ¡°Bye.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Max said and hung up the phone. ¡°Gosh-darn mother-flipping pancakes!¡± He exclaimed, and everyone took his previous statement about ignoring him to heart and didn''t react to his outburst. He started typing on his keyboard and brought up the last round of log files and reference materials. Max seriously debated about pulling a hard reset with the game to remove Ren''s title, then he thought about how the CEO would react if he messed with Ren so directly again. He was still getting flack for his familiar trick to stop Ren from entering the pocket realms, but like he had pointed out to the boss, he had done that particular coding long before the ''leave Ren alone'' memo was sent around the company. What do I do? Max asked himself, and browsed the information on his screen. I can''t interfere with Ren, and I also don''t want him talking directly to the AI that runs everything. That could be bad, even with the heavily restricted access inside the game. He sighed. This is going to take some heavy thinking to work around. Max crossed his arms and stared at the screen, and thought about the two intertwined problems that were going to be problematic to get around, especially since neither seemed to be independent of the other, and the only solution was direct intereference. * Billy had been shocked that his attacks against Ren were less than meaningless, and laid on his bed and stared at the ''You have died!'' popup message and watched the countdown for several minutes. When the shock wore off, he read the popup over and over again. ¡°You have died. You have died! YOU HAVE DIED!¡± Billy yelled and pulled off his VR headset, then tossed it across his bedroom. ¡°DAMMIT!¡± He yelled and got up off the bed. ¡°I have to wait 6 goddamned hours to get back in there!¡± He stomped around the room and thought about punching something, then stopped and took several deep breaths. Punching things apparently doesn''t work. Billy thought, then remembered the look of pain and horror on Jennifer''s face after he had punched her. He had been so thankful that he had lost so much weight when he had shrunk down, because the punch didn''t have much behind it. Jennifer had been more emotionally hurt than she was physically, and he felt bad about both things. Of course, now she was going to have that apparent damage, a bruise on her face in the shape of his fist, for all to see. ¡°I''m going to apologize to you as soon as I log back in.¡± Billy said. ¡°I shouldn''t have hit you, and I''ll make you see that it was just a stupid mistake.¡± He said and sat down on the bed. Billy sighed when he thought about what the guys were going to say to him when he respawned in Clint''s living room. ¡°That little bastard''s probably hamming it up for them right now, and telling them what a horrible human being I am.¡± Billy said. ¡°I''ll apologize to them right after I message her, and try to explain what happened.¡± He said. ¡°I won''t let Ren steal my friends away from me.¡± Billy stood up and walked over to where the VR headset had landed. It was in a pile of dirty clothes, and when he examined it, it looked fine. He brought it over to the bed and laid it on the pillow. ¡°I''ll be back in as soon as the counter is up, Jennifer.¡± Billy said and smiled the smile of the self-delusional. Chapter 507 - Club Of Hearts Ren had finished up with the maids after making sure to thank them all properly by giving them as much pleasure as they could handle, then logged out to take care of business. No one was in his room, and he was a little surprised by that; then he shrugged his shoulders and went to the bathroom to take care of things. When he was done, he went back into his room after prepping for fun again, then climbed back onto the bed and logged back into the game. Ren slept for the hour that he needed, and while the maids slept for the second hour that they needed, he read his stat boost books. He had 4 of them now. One for Intelligence, one for Wisdom, one for Strength, and one for Agility. He gained a point in each stat and the books went blank. It would be great if I could spend a few hours in Lara''s closet so I could abuse the crap out of these books. Ren thought. ¡°Lara!¡± He gasped, slid out of bed and equipped his Travelling Clothes and put on his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, then Teepo landed on his shoulder. Ren went downstairs and ran to the Library, and Artemis came out of the warehouse and joined him. She waited outside the Library as Ren went inside, and he waved to Rosie and passed by the reception desk. He quickly walked to the side hallway and went into the back storage area, and saw Lara as she sat behind her desk with her feet up. ¡°It''s about time you remembered me.¡± Lara said angrily. ¡°I''m really sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s your excuse this time?¡± Lara asked. ¡°I died saving the world.¡± Ren said. Lara started to laugh at the joke, then her laugh cut off like a switch had been thrown as her eyes went blank for almost 10 seconds. She blinked her eyes after that and stood up, and her face was full of shock and awe. She walked around the desk and put both hands on his chest, ran her hands up and over his shoulders, then wrapped them around his neck. She bent over slightly and kissed him passionately without saying a word. Ren felt her desire for him as it went sky high, and he wondered what was going on. ¡°L-Lisa?¡± He used her real name to get her attention when she broke the kiss, and Lara kissed along his cheek and then kissed his ear. ¡°Wh-what''s going on?¡± ¡°I saw...¡± Lara stopped talking and leaned back to look at him. ¡°You really did save us all from a horrible fate.¡± ¡°I thought so.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I also saw what happened with Jennifer tonight.¡± Lara said and gave him a tender kiss. ¡°You helped her see what an ass Billy is for treating her the way he''s been treating her.¡± She said and kissed Ren again. ¡°If my prediction is right, she is going to need your help tomorrow night.¡± ¡°When Billy logs back in.¡± Ren said, and Lara nodded. ¡°Thanks for the heads up.¡± ¡°Anytime.¡± Lara said and kissed his chin. ¡°Is that why you''re so turned on right now?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I just wish...¡± *kiss* ¡°...I had someone...¡± *kiss* ¡°...like you when...¡± Lisa stopped talking and looked at Ren, and saw his wide eyes. She tried to pull away as she unwrapped her arms from around his neck, and he gently caught her and held her close. ¡°I''m not going to ask why you never said anything.¡± Ren said. Lara shook her head several times and tried to pull away again. ¡°No, I... it didn''t happen.¡± ¡°Lara...¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Lisa!¡± Ren nearly shouted, and it startled her. She was the one that had wide eyes this time, and he held her with one hand as he used the other hand to caress her face. ¡°I''d kill whoever it was for touching this beautiful face in anger.¡± ¡°R-Ren... I...¡± Lara sighed and closed her eyes as Ren touched her face. ¡°I didn''t want you to know.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Were you afraid I''d think less of you?¡± ¡°I... I didn''t want...¡± Lara tried to turn away, but he held her in place. ¡°I''m damaged goods.¡± ¡°I want to laugh at that, but I don''t want you to get the wrong idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know me in real life, Lisa.¡± He said and used her real name again. ¡°You know I''m damaged goods, too.¡± He pleaded. ¡°I''m more damaged than practically everyone else in the whole world.¡± Lara blinked her eyes a few times, and then she took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Ren, I...¡± She shook her head slightly, because he wasn''t saying that she wasn''t damaged or belittled how damaged she was. He was only stating that they both were and that he was fine with that. ¡°I love you.¡± She said. ¡°I love you so much.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said, and they kissed. They stayed that way for several minutes, and then Ren broke the kiss. ¡°Come with me for a few minutes.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lara said and took his hand as she followed him out of the back room, through the Library, and outside. ¡°Hi.¡± Artemis said to her, and Lara gave her a brief nod as Ren stopped beside the Library. ¡°Give me a minute to work my magic.¡± Ren said, and Lara nodded and let his hand go. He opened the plans for the Instant Tower, then the plans for a nice single storey house. He replaced most of the Instant Tower with the house plans, and left the part that embedded in the ground. He added the maximum amount of runes that he could for Enchantment enhancement, then added in his recipe for the Holy Relic. The Sanctuary enchantment doubled in effectiveness because of the added runes, which doubled the Sanctuary''s area from 10 feet by 10 feet to 20 feet by 20 feet. It also allowed the use of 2 spells instead of one. Ren already knew the spells he was going to use, and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability. He added the materials needed, which wasn''t a lot because the house was a lot smaller than the tower, and added the money and Mana it required. ¡°You never did decide if you wanted your own house or not.¡± Ren said as the cube formed on the golden platform. ¡°Now you don''t have to.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I''ve accepted too much from you already.¡± ¡°No, you haven''t.¡± Ren said and held the cube up. ¡°Now be a good girl and accept this, too.¡± Lara looked at the cube and then at his face. He had a huge smile, and she nodded. Ren walked over to the lot behind the Library, put the cube down in the middle of it, then walked back to Lara. Ren activated the cube and the nice one storey house popped into place, and he stepped close to it. It asked him for the two spells to use inside, and he chose Permanent Widen Effect as the first one, and Permanent Regeneration for the other. The house glowed for a moment, then Permanent Widen Effect was applied and the Sanctuary effect filled the entire house, then another popup appeared that asked what the next 2 spells would be. I could keep going on and on with Widen Effect, couldn''t I? Ren asked. ¡°Only if you want to stand here forever and keep picking spells.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren picked Full Restoration and Energize as the next two spells, which closed the infinite loop he could have started by picking Permanent Widen Effect again. That would have doubled the available spells and given him 4 more to choose, then he could pick it again and it would have given him 8 more, and so on. Like Teepo had said, he could stand there forever and keep picking the same beneficial spells over and over. That was not what Ren wanted, though. Using the exploit for an advantage is one thing, abusing it for no reason except that you could was another. With that thought, he looked at the 3 city model plans he had, and saw that they were greyed out and couldn''t be selected or edited. ¡°Lara, guess what?¡± Ren turned and looked at her. ¡°You were right, and they greyed out my model cities.¡± Lara walked over to him and put an arm around his neck and stood beside him. ¡°Making all 3 cities at the same time was a great idea.¡± She said. ¡°I thought you were going to make one and enlarge it, then another, and another.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder how many I could have made before the system itself had to step in and stop me from overloading everything.¡±
System and Administration Query Response (Player Version)
A total of 5 cities could have been created before causing catastrophic failure of the main server.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Ren''s mouth dropped open at the popup. ¡°I... I almost crashed the server.¡± He said, and then what he was looking at registered. ¡°Holy crap!¡± He exclaimed in shock. ¡°Lara! Can you see this?!?¡± Lara moved her hand from his shoulder to touch the back of his neck, and gasped. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± ¡°I can''t believe this.¡± Ren said. ¡°This can''t... I need more information.¡± He said. ¡°Show info for the title: Vasalor''s Chosen.¡±
System Notice!
No information can be found for this reference. Error Code: #8675309
¡°There''s no info, just an error code.¡± Ren said and opened up the player menu to report the error, and Lara stopped his hand. ¡°Don''t report it.¡± Lara said. ¡°All that will do is show you''re looking for information.¡± ¡°That''s because I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, you are... and isn''t it curious that the basic info for a title you just received isn''t available?¡± Ren looked at her with his mouth in a little ''o'' of surprise. ¡°I love your brain.¡± Lara chuckled and kissed his puckered lips. ¡°This is a house, so do you need to set the occupants before going inside?¡± ¡°Oh! Right.¡± Ren said and took out a Permanency wand and used the spell on the building so that it could no longer be moved, then opened the Land Owner menu and set himself and Lara as the occupants. A little key appeared around Lara''s neck and she touched it. ¡°This...¡± Lara''s eyes went blank for a moment and then looked at Ren. ¡°...it''s our house.¡± ¡°Yes, and can you guess how many people we can take inside?¡± ¡°Four.¡± Lara said without having to think about it, and Ren nodded. ¡°I was tempted to keep using Widen Effect, but that would make the time compression go way off kilter.¡± Ren said. ¡°As it is, it''s quadruple what your closet is.¡± ¡°Wait... you...¡± Lara stopped talking and took a breath. ¡°You''re giving me more of your time.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m really sorry about the familiar restriction I have now, so this is the way I thought of to make it up to you.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lara said and took his hand. ¡°Can we try it out?¡± ¡°It might take a bit of getting used to at first.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just like you did with your closet.¡± ¡°But not for you.¡± Lara said. ¡°Well, that depends.¡± Ren said. ¡°I adjusted when I came back from the Water Realm, and that was at the same time compression as your closet.¡± He said. ¡°This... well, we can all find out together.¡± ¡°That sounds really good.¡± Lara said and opened the front door. Ren took Artemis'' hand, and Teepo chittered in laughter as the four of them went inside and the door shut behind them. * Clint and the guys had shown up at the Pleasure Palace just as Ren and Lara had gone into their new enhanced Sanctuary house. The ride had been uncomfortably silent, because everyone had different thoughts on the whole situation. When they went inside the Pleasure Palace, they were surprised when 2 metal muscle guys blocked their way. ¡°No weapons are allowed, and no fighting.¡± Gina, the Manager at the Pleasure Palace said with a huge smile. ¡°If you break those two basic rules, you''re out of here just as fast as Ace and Bruno here can throw you out the door.¡± ¡°Ah promise there won'' be any fightin''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah''ve got weapons, bu'' they won'' be taken out of mah inventory fer as long as ah''m inside yer walls.¡± ¡°It''s nice to see you again.¡± Gina said, and nodded to the other guys and their dates. ¡°I''m glad you all finally managed to show up.¡± ¡°We''ve been busy in real life.¡± ¡°Well, then!¡± Gina grinned. ¡°There''s fresh ale at the bar, or you can have one of the dancers get it for you.¡± ¡°I''m on it!¡± Hank said before Gina had finished talking, and almost ran across the club to the bar. ¡°He''s feeling a little dry after watching everyone else drink all day.¡± Tommy said, and his real life girlfriend chuckled. ¡°We have couples tables set off to the side, private booths in the corner, hot tub and sauna in the other corner, and a full kitchen in the corner across from the bar.¡± Clint and his date, Tommy and his girlfriend, and Dillon looked around at the place, and it was head and shoulders above the quality of the Pink Pearl. Mirrors were set out and made the place look twice as big, even though the place was already huge, and dancing areas were arrayed around a central stage where the main shows would be. ¡°Ren made all of this?¡± Clint''s date asked, and Gina nodded. ¡°He''s such a sweet little darling.¡± Gina said. ¡°He''s always so nice, and he cares a lot about the girls and their safety.¡± She said. ¡°He even made personal animated bodyguards for them to have while they work.¡± They looked around and saw that each of the girls had an animated muscle guy nearby. It was both intimidating and unobtrusive, which was the perfect use of a bodyguard. ¡°Dillon!¡± Candy said and waved as she came over to him. ¡°Are you sitting with the others, or do you want a little private time?¡± ¡°Guys? Are we staying as a group?¡± Dillon asked. ¡°Ah''d say fer now, tha''s a good idea.¡± Clint said. ¡°Then you want a booth over there.¡± Gina said and pointed. ¡°Curtains are on the sides if you want even more privacy.¡± ¡°Thanks, Gina.¡± Clint said. ¡°Have fun.¡± Gina said, and they moved off to one of the private booths. ¡°He thought of everything, man.¡± Tommy said and let his girlfriend sit down, then sat down beside her. ¡°He really did.¡± Candy said. ¡°You should see the huge dressing room we have upstairs. Lights, mirrors, individual sitting tables...¡± She grinned. ¡°Ren and his helpers are miracle workers.¡± ¡°Hey, guys! Look who I found!¡± Hank said. He had Caramel beside him, and they carried a pile of tankards of ale. ¡°Considering you only saw her like an hour ago, it''s not that big of a find, man.¡± Tommy said, and Hank chuckled. ¡°This place is packed.¡± Clint''s date said as she accepted a tankard and looked around. ¡°It''s not just the people from the pool party, either.¡± ¡°It''s always like this on the weekends.¡± Caramel said. ¡°Word of mouth spread like wildfire about this place after the advertisement.¡± ¡°Yeah, and once Ren put up the lit sign out on the road, they actually found the place.¡± Candy said and laughed. ¡°We were starting to think we needed to advertise a map or something!¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± Caramel said. ¡°Once they found us, though...¡± She shook her head. ¡°It''s just a steady stream of people in and out.¡± The lights dimmed down a little, and there was a smattering of applause as Gina took the main stage. ¡°You guys are in for a treat tonight.¡± Gina said, and her voice magically carried to every part of the club. ¡°It''s been a while since she performed a routine like this, and I wasn''t going to let her after...¡± She shook her head. ¡°She said she needed to do this, so all I can do is say that I hope you enjoy it.¡± She said. ¡°So, without further ado... please welcome to the main stage... The Blacksmith!¡± Gina stepped off the stage to another smattering of applause, and then the lights dimmed further. A low humming music started, and then a figure walked onto the stage through the curtain behind the stage, and they were covered in a black cloak. A spotlight turned on and lit the stage up, and then the figure whipped off the cloak to reveal Jennifer. She was also covered in damaged armor pieces. ¡°What you see is what I am.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°A friend showed me earlier tonight that I don''t have to be like this anymore.¡± The music became louder and she took out a blacksmith hammer. She started to dance a very erotic routine and repaired each piece of armor while still wearing it. No one said anything as Jennifer finished the armor repair and then started to take it off. Her dance became frantic as each successive piece was removed and tossed aside, and she finished her dance by falling to her knees and taking off the partial helm. Jennifer still wore a metal bra and underwear, so she hadn''t completely stripped; but, it sure felt like she had taken off a lot more than she actually did. She shook her hair out to let it flow down her back as she tossed the helm aside with the rest of the armor pieces, and smiled at the completely silent audience. ¡°This... is... me.¡± Jennifer said breathlessly, and after another moment of silence, the place erupted in applause. Copper, silver, and even a few gold coins landed on the stage around her, and a couple of the other dancers walked around the stage and gathered it up for her. Jennifer was panting heavily from the extra long exertion, and her personal animated guard walked over and offered her a hand. She took it and stood up to brace herself, and the other dancers gave her the tips the audience had thrown to her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jennifer said, and regained some of her Stamina. She let the animated guard go and waved to the crowd, then walked back out through the curtain behind the stage, and the guard followed right behind her. ¡°Didn''t I tell you that would be a rare treat?¡± Gina asked as she stepped back onto the stage. ¡°None of us have seen that routine before, and I doubt we''ll see it again.¡± She said. ¡°Now, how do we follow that up?¡± ¡°Take a break!¡± Someone shouted. ¡°Ha ha! That''s right, Don!¡± Gina said. ¡°We''re all taking a 10 minute cool-down period, so order some food or have another drink.¡± She said. ¡°Self-serve until after the break, of course.¡± ¡°I''m waiting for you!¡± Don said. ¡°It''ll be cold by then.¡± Gina chuckled. ¡°I like cold!¡± Don said, and she shook her head. ¡°Okay, everyone else except Don can order food and serve yourselves.¡± Gina said, and several people laughed. She left the stage, and the dancers all made hasty retreats from the people they were around, including Candy and Caramel, and they all disappeared behind the curtain behind the main stage. The girls went up the stairs and into the large dressing room, and most of them sat down to check themselves in their mirrors. ¡°Okay, what was that about?¡± Gina asked. ¡°I just felt like doing a new routine.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°That felt like a lot more than just a routine.¡± Gina said. ¡°The last time you did anything like that was when you won the dance competition.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Caramel said, and the girls looked at her. ¡°She did it for Ren.¡± ¡°What?¡± Gina asked, and saw Candy''s nod. ¡°Okay, someone tell me what happened.¡± Candy put a hand on Jennifer''s shoulder. ¡°I''ll tell them, if that''s okay?¡± Jennifer nodded, and Candy relayed the parts of the story that she knew. When she got to the part where Jennifer and Billy walked off to talk, Jennifer took over and filled in the rest. ¡°Oh, Jennifer.¡± Gina said and knelt in front of her. ¡°Why didn''t you say anything?¡± ¡°This is why.¡± Jennifer said and looked at the other girl''s faces. ¡°I didn''t want your pity.¡± ¡°It''s not pity.¡± Gina said and took her hand. ¡°We all care about you, and want what''s best for you.¡± ¡°So does Ren.¡± Jennifer said and covered her mouth. ¡°Okay, spill it.¡± Caramel said. ¡°I knew that scene in Clint''s place looked like a lot more was going on.¡± Jennifer sighed and told them that Ren had caught Billy, about the fight and Billy trying to kill Ren, about Ren snapping Billy''s neck, and about how sorry Ren was it had happened and his offer to be a friend when she needed it. ¡°Wow.¡± Caramel said. ¡°I don''t think I would have waited so long to kill him, or covered up what happened to protect Billy''s reputation with his friends.¡± ¡°Ren lost his friends over me.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°If that doesn''t prove he''s a good man, then I don''t know what a good man is.¡± ¡°None of us can argue that he''s not a good man.¡± Gina said. ¡°Was he smart about it, though? That''s debatable.¡± Jennifer shrugged. ¡°He said it was up to me if I wanted to say anything to the guys about it.¡± ¡°I get it.¡± Candy said. ¡°Ren thinks they''re going to blame you for Billy''s behavior, so he took the blame himself.¡± She squeezed Jennifer''s shoulder. ¡°Yes, that''s definitely a good man.¡± Jennifer nodded. ¡°Are you going to tell them?¡± Apple asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°It just seems like it''s not worth the trouble.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Caramel laughed. ¡°It''s statements like that, that make me question if you''re really one of us.¡± She smiled and touched Jennifer''s other shoulder. ¡°Aren''t we always causing trouble?¡± ¡°No, you are always causing trouble for the rest of us.¡± Gina said, and they all laughed. There was a knock on the door, and Gina nodded. ¡°Our break is almost over.¡± She said and checked herself in the closest mirror. ¡°One minute! Let''s go!¡± The girls all scrambled to check themselves one last time in the mirrors, changed their outfits, and left the dressing room to head back down into the club. They had work to do. Chapter 508 - Quality Time Ren had been right, and it took a long time for them to adjust to the new time compression. They had to keep opening the front door to suspend the Sanctuary effect, almost like a decompression chamber, and eventually they became accustomed and shut the door for almost an hour. The time compression that was in Lara''s closet and the pocket realms, which was 13.75 years per day, was quadrupled inside the enhanced Sanctuary, or 55 years per day. When the door opened and Ren, Lara, and Artemis stepped out holding hands, thanks to Teepo and his knack for keeping track of time, it had only been 53 minutes since they had left; but, that meant they had spent an entire 2 years together in the house. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Lara said and looked around. ¡°I''d almost forgotten what this place was like.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said and let Lara''s and Artemis'' hands go. ¡°Teepo, thanks for reminding us when we needed to leave.¡± ¡°You guys would have just stayed in your self-made paradise if I hadn''t.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter from Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Oh, you.¡± Lara said and reached out to scratch Teepo''s carapace. Her eyes went blank for a moment while Teepo chittered in pleasure, then she smiled. ¡°Make sure Ren doesn''t forget about Jennifer.¡± ¡°I''m standing right here.¡± Ren chuckled and took Lara into his arms. ¡°I''ll be her white knight, just like we agreed.¡± ¡°You are too good to be true, beloved.¡± Lara said and kissed him passionately. ¡°I''m sorry to break this up, but the maids are going to be awake soon.¡± Teepo said. Lara broke the kiss and stroked Ren''s face tenderly with her hand. ¡°Thank you for proving that my first vision of us together could be changed.¡± ¡°You left off ''for the better''.¡± Ren smiled and kissed her hand. ¡°Did I?¡± Lara joked. Quick as a flash Ren used his fingers and tickled her sensitive and ticklish spots all over her body. ¡°GAH!¡± Lara yelped and tried to block him, then she laughed uncontrollably when her efforts were fruitless. ¡°For the better, right?¡± Ren asked, and she managed to nod her head. He relented in his attack, and she calmed down. ¡°I really shouldn''t let you do that.¡± Lara said when she caught her breath. ¡°You can''t help yourself.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m just too cute to say no to.¡± Lara snorted a laugh. ¡°I should tell you that you are so full of yourself...¡± She ran a hand through his hair. ¡°...except what you said is true.¡± She stepped back and partially turned away. ¡°Make sure you watch me as I walk away.¡± ¡°Like I''m in a trance.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°Nothing could tear my eyes away from you right now.¡± Lara smiled sweetly and equipped her leather jacket as she walked towards the Library, and Ren watched her cute little ass saunter away in the tight jeans he had made for her. ¡°What a sight.¡± Artemis said. Ren nodded as he felt Artemis'' appreciation for seeing Lara''s hips sway like that, and it matched his own appreciation for the sight. When Lara disappeared around the corner of the building, Ren turned and looked at Artemis. She wore jeans and leather jacket that were almost the same as the outfit Lara wore. Her normal-looking skin glistened in the sunlight while her free-flowing metal hair was now a deep amber color. ¡°It''s really weird that you don''t block your emotions from me anymore.¡± Ren said. Artemis rolled her eyes. ¡°You''ve been saying that for a year now.¡± Ren chuckled and motioned ahead of himself, and they started to walk up the road to the Main House. ¡°I still haven''t kissed you, either.¡± ¡°You know, you didn''t actually promise Rosie that you wouldn''t.¡± Artemis reminded him. Ren laughed. ¡°You''ve been saying that for almost a year.¡± Artemis laughed, too. Now that he had a spare moment, Ren took a look at his status. Show Status. Ren thought, and the popup appeared. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Status
Name Ren (Neram) Level 143
Gender Male Class Artificer/Lord
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 1,000,000 Honor 250,000 (Untouchable)
Giant Kingdom: Dark Elven Kingdom (Royal Consort):
Respect 26,000 Influence 1,000,000
Titles
Master Blacksmith Grants 10 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills; 5,000 Fame
Master Tailor Grants 10 level bonus to Tailoring Skills; 5,000 Fame
Master Enchanter Guild Membership; The Rule Of Two; Skill: Rune Creation
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Dreaded Foe Auras with Fear: +5 Levels, Respect: 5000, Enemies/Opponents/Creatures -5 INT -5 WIS
The Unnamed King +10 Levels to all Auras, you must be acknowledged in some way, grants skill: This Is Mine!
Waterkin Grants Water Manipulation Skill and Waterkin (Aura)
Royal Consort Dark Elven Court, Underworld Access, Tithe
HeadHunter Killing Blow Special (50% Kill chance), Skull Cracker (Stun +20%)
Void Bane Void Sense (Aura), -50% Debuff from Void effects, +50% Damage to Void creatures
Awesomeness Grants Admiration, free Charm Person, Personal Aura +150 feet
Health 8,962 (Maxed 99,999) Mana 9,747 (Maxed 99,999)
Strength 1,169 (+15,140) Dexterity 1,060 (+15,140)
Vitality 1,035 (+15,140) Agility 1,072 (+15,140)
Endurance 1,055 (+15,140) Intelligence 1,076 (+15,445)
Luck 75 (+142) Wisdom 1,090 (+15,445)
¡°Wow.¡± Ren said and dismissed the popup. ¡°I''m glad Lara''s plan to get my other stats up to match reading those daily stat books worked out well.¡± ¡°You know, you could have checked before now.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I wouldn''t feel so surprised if I had done that.¡± Ren said and chuckled, then they kept walking until they heard a shout from behind them. ¡°Wait!¡± Lara''s voice rang out. Ren and Artemis turned around and saw Lara run towards them. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I almost forgot to do this.¡± Lara said and stopped between them, then kissed Ren hard on the lips. She broke the kiss and took a step up into the air, then turned and kissed Artemis. ¡°Second hand kiss.¡± ¡°I don''t think I''ll ever get tired of seeing that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d ask why, but I''m pretty sure it''s because you''re a man.¡± Lara said and made him laugh. ¡°See you later.¡± She said and ran back to the Library. ¡°Lara doesn''t have a problem with kissing me.¡± Artemis said, and they kept walking towards the Main House. ¡°Lara doesn''t have someone that probably won''t speak to her again for kissing someone so beautiful.¡± Ren said, and he felt Artemis'' embarrassment at the compliment. ¡°Hey, you know it''s true.¡± Artemis nodded, and when they arrived at the Main House, she kissed his cheek and went into the warehouse across the street. Ren activated Sneak and went inside the Main House, then up to the apartment. Teepo, how''s my time? A minute left, maybe two. Teepo thought back to him. Thanks, buddy. Ren thought and stored his clothing. When he saw one of the women on the bed move, he took the opportunity to slide back into the pile, then Teepo flew up and landed on the ceiling. ¡°Hm?¡± Frikara turned her head and opened her eyes. ¡°Where did you... by the gods!¡± She said and felt the difference in his emotions. ¡°I missed you.¡± Ren said and kissed her. Frikara almost cried at the intensity of his feelings, and her whole body trembled as Ren poured 2 years of his feelings into the shared Aura. That woke the other 4 women up, and they trembled as well. ¡°R-Ren, what...¡± Frikara tried to speak, but she couldn''t put it into words. ¡°I made a new spot for Lara and I to spend time together, without disturbing my time with anyone else.¡± Ren said. ¡°It worked like a charm; but, I''ve been without your touch for a very long time.¡± He said and cupped her breasts. ¡°You look so delicious!¡± He said and dove into them. ¡°Gods!¡± Frikara gasped as Ren used his mouth and tongue judiciously, and she could do nothing except let him have his way with her. He played and teased, which nearly drove her wild, and then he made hot steamy love to her. The other women in the bed couldn''t believe what was happening, because Ren had so much pent up need for Frikara that it was shocking. When he was done pleasing her, he turned to Andrela. ¡°Look at you, so cute and sexy.¡± Ren said, and flooded the shared Aura with just as much intensity and need for her. ¡°D-don''t make me wait.¡± Andrela said and wrapped her arms around him. He made love to her, then to the other 3 women in no particular order. When he had pleased them all, they floated in emotional bliss in the shared Aura, and he let his Emotion Siphon ability touch them all to make them gasp. Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked on Yllana, and saw that she was asleep in her bed and had been there for a while. On a whim, Ren checked on the guys. He saw that they were in the club and that they were having a good time. When he checked on Jennifer, he saw her sitting alone at her dressing table in the upstairs communal dressing room. ¡°I have to go for a little while.¡± Ren said. ¡°Jennifer looks like she needs someone to talk to.¡± ¡°Um-hm.¡± Frikara mumbled, and the maids nodded slightly. Ren gave each of them another kiss, then equipped his clothing. Teepo, let''s go. Teepo fell from the ceiling and landed on Ren''s shoulder, and they left the apartment, ran downstairs and outside, then up the street to the club. Ren disengaged his Auras and used a Full Illusion spell to make himself kind of ugly; with small ears, long dark hair, a pointy nose and sharp facial features that were at odd sizes to each other. He also took 2 steps up into the air and added a foot and a half to his height. Disguised Ren went into the club and was met by Gina. She didn''t know him, and he smiled as she greeted him like she did all the other customers. He thanked her for welcoming him in, and used a much different voice than his normal one thanks to the Full Illusion spell, then gave her a silver coin as a tip. ¡°I don''t normally take tips.¡± Gina said, and he felt a spike of desire from her. ¡°I suppose you want a bit of a dance later?¡± ¡°No, ma''am.¡± Disguised Ren said. ¡°I won''t take you away from your important work, just to satisfy my insatiable lust.¡± Gina blinked her eyes for a moment, and her desire grew. ¡°Did... did you just say...¡± ¡°I''ll find a dancer to keep me company for a while, then I''ll be on my way.¡± Disguised Ren said, and put the coin in her hand. ¡°I''ll try the kitchen first.¡± He said and walked away. ¡°There''s no dancers in the kitchen!¡± Gina said. ¡°They''re just regular workers!¡± Disguised Ren chuckled. ¡°I meant for food, but thanks for the warning.¡± He walked over to the kitchen and ordered two meals, stored them, then went to the bar and bought 4 tankards of ale and stored them. He activated Sneak and crept around the club and went behind the curtain behind the main stage, then went up the stairs and to the dressing room. He knocked on the door and waited. The door opened a moment later, and Jennifer was there. ¡°Hey, who are you?¡± Jennifer asked, and Ren dismissed the Full Illusion spell. ¡°RE-¡± Ren covered her mouth with a hand, moved her back into the dressing room, and shut the door. ¡°Shh! I just snuck in here to talk to you.¡± Jennifer''s animated bodyguard rushed over at them, and Ren quickly let her go and held his hands up in surrender to show that he wasn''t a threat. ¡°How are you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Jennifer said automatically, and he felt the lie. He took her hand and gave it a little squeeze. ¡°Did you tell anyone what happened?¡± Ren asked, and she turned away. He reached out and touched her arm with his other hand, and she looked back at him. ¡°I''m not accusing you of anything, I''m just curious.¡± ¡°But... you said...¡± ¡°I only wanted to leave the decision in your hands.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t have the right to say anything about it to anyone.¡± ¡°I... I told the other dancers.¡± Jennifer admitted. ¡°Good.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Now they have some idea what you''ve been going through, and can be there when you need them.¡± ¡°I thought you said you wanted to be there when I needed you?¡± Jennifer asked, and Ren smiled. ¡°I''m here, aren''t I?¡± Jennifer nodded, and Ren let her hand go. ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. ¡°Then, may I invite you to eat a meal with me?¡± ¡°I''d like that, but I don''t think I can look at you if we go downstairs, and you have that awful disguise on.¡± Jennifer said, and he chuckled. ¡°I was thinking right here would be fine.¡± Ren said and took out a medium-sized table and two chairs, and set the two plates of food and two of the tankards of ale on it. ¡°Ma''am, please have a seat.¡± He said and pulled out a chair for her. ¡°I can''t tell if you''re being serious or not.¡± Jennifer said and sat down. ¡°It''s kind of both.¡± Ren said, and scooted her chair in closer to the table. ¡°It''s not really a date, since I didn''t ask you out; but, I also want to treat you like a lady.¡± He smiled and sat down across from her. ¡°Does that make sense?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Jennifer said and smiled back. ¡°I''ll take it, though.¡± They ate the meal in silence, and when they were done, sipped on the ale. ¡°Are you going to tell Clint and the guys?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The girls asked me the same thing not too long ago.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°It''s still the same answer.¡± She sighed. ¡°I don''t know.¡± ¡°It''s okay if you do, and it''s okay if you don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know, it''s just...¡± Ren reached across the table and took her hand. ¡°Don''t let me or the dancers pressure you into making a decision right away.¡± He said. ¡°Take your time and decide for yourself what you want to do.¡± ¡°I''d rather someone just tell me so I don''t have to think about it anymore.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°As my friend, can''t you just tell me what to do?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''d like nothing more than to do that for you, but I can''t.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll back you 100% when you do decide, but it has to be your choice.¡± Jennifer sighed. ¡°I guess I will tell them, just so they don''t hate you forever.¡± ¡°I killed one of their friends right in front of them.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. ¡°I''m pretty sure they are always going to remember that.¡± ¡°So will I.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I didn''t believe it at the time, and it still seems a little surreal.¡± She said. ¡°You just reached up and... snap. He was gone.¡± ¡°I''m sorry you had to see that.¡± Ren said and leaned forward slightly. ¡°Can I be a little vulgar?¡± He asked, and she nodded. ¡°I wanted to rip off his arms and beat him to death with them.¡± Jennifer chuckled at the thought. ¡°Why didn''t you?¡± ¡°It would have taken too long.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. Teepo chittered in laughter, and Jennifer stopped laughing and looked at Ren''s shoulder. ¡°There''s a beetle on your shoulder.¡± Jennifer said and pointed. ¡°Hi!¡± Teepo said and waved one of his front legs at her, and Jennifer''s mouth fell open in surprise. That made both Ren and Teepo laugh. ¡°It talked!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I thought it was a clasp on your cloak or something!¡± ¡°This is Teepo, my longtime friend.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks to some help from Lara, the Sage of Ages...¡± ¡°...and a lot of experimentation...¡± Teepo added. ¡°...we figured out how to make him solid and speak out loud.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Wait, longtime friend?¡± She asked. ¡°Does that mean he''s always been around?¡± ¡°In some form or another, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even... even when you and I... when we...¡± ¡°He watched the door for threats, and not us.¡± Ren said. ¡°He''s always been discreet, and he has no interest in human mating rituals.¡± ¡°I really don''t.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Well, that''s a relief.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I think.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Hey, do you feel like having another go?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I know you''re sad about what happened, and I know you won''t accept a tip unless you do something for me.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You''ll have to put up with my disguise for a while, though.¡± Jennifer thought about it. ¡°Do you really want to do this?¡± She asked. ¡°I mean, this whole situation happened because of us doing that.¡± ¡°That''s true, but I want you to be happy.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I can give you a bit of stress relief, too...¡± Jennifer nodded. ¡°Okay, but if you can change what you look like, why did you pick such an ugly disguise?¡± ¡°That''s why.¡± Ren said. ¡°No one wants to look at someone that''s not appealing in some way.¡± Jennifer smiled. ¡°Your preaching to the choir.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°Exotic dancer, remember?¡± Ren chuckled and stored the plates, tankards, table, and chairs. ¡°Well, since I''m here for your pleasure, what do you want me to look like?¡± ¡°Can it be anyone? Anyone at all?¡± Jennifer asked. ¡°If I know what they look like, sure.¡± Ren said. Jennifer stepped close to lean down and whispered in his ear. ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Ren said, and her face went to a deep red as she shook her head. ¡°W-w-will you do it?¡± ¡°If that''s what you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re a great friend!¡± Jennifer said happily and hugged him. ¡°Stand back so I can work my magic.¡± Ren said, and she stepped back, then darted forward and gave him a quick kiss. He felt how happy she was, and he took two steps into the air and cast the Full Illusion spell again. The man Jennifer wanted him to look like formed around him, and she reached out to touch him. ¡°It feels so real!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°It should sound real, too.¡± Ren said in a deep voice. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Jennifer gasped. ¡°Take me! Take me NOW!¡± ¡°We could do it here, but we should go to your work room instead.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes! That''s a great idea!¡± Jennifer grabbed Ren''s hand and pulled him to the door. ¡°I am so wet right now!¡± Ren laughed the signature laugh, and Jennifer couldn''t contain her excitement as she pushed the door open and ran down the stairs. ¡°Hurry!¡± Jennifer nearly yelled. They burst through the curtain behind the main stage, and the entire club stopped what they were doing and stared as Jennifer dragged Santa Claus behind her. No one spoke while the odd sight ran across the club, then disappeared into Jennifer''s work room. ******** ¡°Dammit, I can''t do it.¡± Max, the Head Programmer at Sid Tec said. ¡°Everything I try always comes back and interferes with him, and that will make the boss very unhappy.¡± He said, and then he smiled. ¡°Oh, that... I can''t... no, that''s...¡± He grinned and typed up a quick synopsis of the problems Ren''s title was going to unleash, then sent it to the CEO of the company, Edward Torren. ¡°Oh, great and wise boss-man! The ball''s in your court now.¡± Max said and sat back in his chair and crossed his arms to wait. ¡°Tell me what I can do about this.¡± Chapter 509 - Relaxing Interlude Jennifer shut the door of her work room and leaned against it. ¡°Santa, I... I''ve been a bad girl this year.¡± ¡°Yes, you are definitely on my naughty list.¡± Santa Ren said and sat down on the bed. ¡°Is there... anything... I can do to get on the nice list?¡± Jennifer asked as she knelt, then crawled across the floor and sat on her knees in front of him. ¡°That depends.¡± Santa Ren said. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± ¡°Perhaps a few kisses in certain place might sway your opinion.¡± Jennifer said and ran her hands up his thighs, then undid the large belt buckle. ¡°That... could be a good start.¡± Santa Ren said and pulled open his coat. Jennifer pulled his pants down and gasped. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± ¡°You can''t pretend you don''t know what a penis is.¡± Santa Ren said. ¡°Santa is not supposed to suffer from micro-penis!¡± Jennifer almost yelled as she pointed. Santa Ren let out a signature ''Ho Ho Ho'' laugh and made his belly jiggle like a bowl full of jelly. Jennifer stood up and crossed her arms. ¡°You''re ruining my fantasy.¡± ¡°Come on, you have to admit that was funny.¡± Santa Ren said and stood up. ¡°What a shocker! Santa''s generousness is compensating for his lack of endowment!¡± He said. ¡°I distinctly remember you saying that you had better screws from smaller screwdrivers.¡± Jennifer turned away from him so he wouldn''t see her smile. ¡°Uh oh! I think I feel amusement!¡± Santa Ren said and reached out to tickle her underarms. Jennifer started to giggle, and she lifted her arms so he could tickle her more. He did it for a few seconds, then stopped and cast Full Illusion again to let his own private place be seen. ¡°Your joy and mirth has awoken the proper response in me.¡± Santa Ren said, and Jennifer turned around to see what he meant. ¡°Oh, Santa.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Sit down, and let me show you how good of a girl I can be.¡± Santa Ren sat down and Jennifer did exactly that. * ¡°I did not just see what I thought I saw.¡± Candy said a few minutes later, once she had recovered from the shock. ¡°Did I?¡± ¡°If''n ya mean Santy Claws being dragged across tha room, then yer not tha only one ta think tha''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Can stuff like that even be in the game, man?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°If you have the right spell, enough Mana, and a vivid imagination.¡± The woman who was Clint''s date said. ¡°Apparently so.¡± ¡°That''s cool.¡± Tommy said. ¡°I guess that means you could look like anyone you wanted.¡± He said and looked at the others at the table. ¡°Why would you pick Santa Claus, though?¡± Clint, Hank, Tommy, and Dillon had confused looks on their faces; but, Candy, Caramel, Clint''s date, and Tommy''s real life girlfriend had contemplative looks instead. Tommy had his arm over his girlfriend''s shoulders, and gave her a little squeeze. ¡°What are you thinking about, Jaime?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°N-nothing.¡± Jaime said and her face went a little red. ¡°Hey, we don''t hide things from each other, remember?¡± ¡°Oh, all right.¡± She said. ¡°I''m curious about it.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°A... a thanking Santa fantasy.¡± Jaime said, and her face went to a deep red. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Tommy was surprised to hear this. ¡°You know, for all the presents he gave us as kids.¡± She said. ¡°I''d like to thank him for that.¡± ¡°Santa isn''t real, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°We learned that when we were about 10 years old.¡± ¡°We all just saw Santa run across the club in front of us.¡± Candy said. ¡°That looked pretty real to me.¡± ¡°It''s just a spell.¡± Clint''s date said, but they could see that her face was a little red as well. ¡°Ah wonder who it is.¡± Clint said, and no one had an answer. ¡°I can go and find out.¡± Candy said and tried to stand up, but Dillon held her hand. ¡°Are you going to ''thank'' him?¡± Dillon asked, and Candy chuckled. ¡°I doubt Jennifer would let me interrupt her fun to do that.¡± Candy said. ¡°Besides, it could be anyone under that disguise, and you know how picky I am about partners.¡± Dillon smiled and nodded, then let her hand go. Candy gave him a little wave and casually walked around the club and talked to people, so that it didn''t look like she was going directly to Jennifer''s work room. After about 20 minutes of making her way over to her destination, she finally reached Jennifer''s door. Candy knew if she knocked she would alert whoever was inside to hide, so she carefully opened the door a tiny bit. A loud moan was heard just as she did, and several people nearby started to turn and look. She quickly slipped inside the room and shut the door to stop the sound from escaping. I completely forgot the rooms were soundproofed. Candy thought in amusement. Now that she was inside the room, the distinct sounds of sex were quite loud, and the passionate moans Jennifer was letting out started to turn her on. She took in a long low breath through her nose and the smell of hot sex filled her nostrils. Good god. Candy thought and rested her head against the door as her body reacted to both the sounds and the smells. I... I can''t just stand here. She thought. I have to look. Candy built up her resolve for several moments, then turned around to look on the bed. No one was there. What? Candy was surprised and took a step towards the bed. I can still hear them! Where are they? ¡°Here it comes!¡± A deep male voice said, and Candy realized where they were. ¡°Yes, Santa! YES!¡± Jennifer almost screamed. ¡°Give me another present!¡± Candy looked up and saw Santa Claus laying down on the ceiling facing the floor, and he held Jennifer tightly against himself. She was facing the floor as well, with her head turned to stare at Santa, and Santa was still inside of her and pumped her like a piston. ¡°Ho, Ho, Ho.¡± Santa laughed, which was their agreed upon cue for finishing, and Jennifer went right on cue. ¡°OH, FUCK!¡± Jennifer yelled and kissed him, then sprayed hot liquid out and down; which just happened to be right on Candy''s chest, since she was standing right below them. When the large splash hit her skin, it had startled Candy so much that her mouth opened in surprise; then Santa pulled out as he finished and sprayed out and down as well. Right into Candy''s mouth. It didn''t all go in, since Santa wasn''t actually aiming and couldn''t see with Jennifer kissing him; but, a good majority of it did make into the small target. Candy was so shocked by it that she didn''t move or say anything. ¡°Fuck, I needed that!¡± Jennifer said when she broke the kiss. Her arms and legs twitched with pleasure and she went again a little, then she looked down and saw Candy standing below her. ¡°Candy, what are you... oh.¡± Jennifer saw Candy was covered in the result of their sexcapade. ¡°Sorry.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Candy?¡± Santa asked and looked over Jennifer''s shoulder and down to see Candy below them, and the state she was in. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± ¡°Put me down, Santa.¡± Jennifer said, and Santa Ren walked through the air and stood her on the floor next to Candy. ¡°Candy? Are you okay?¡± Candy just stared at her with wide eyes and her mouth open. Jennifer reached out and tickled Candy''s throat, and she closed her mouth and swallowed automatically. ¡°N-no!¡± Candy said and put a hand over her mouth. ¡°Jennifer! You know I''m picky about who does that to me!¡± ¡°Forget about that for a minute.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Isn''t it delicious?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Jennifer held Candy''s chin and licked the side of her face to clean it off. ¡°It''s like... orange pineapple ice cream and... and...¡± She closed her eyes and took another lick. ¡°I can''t tell what else, but it''s so good!¡± ¡°I... I didn''t even... I was too shocked to taste it.¡± Candy said, and completely forgot what just happened. ¡°Here.¡± Jennifer said and touched Santa Ren to get more, then put her fingers in Candy''s mouth. Santa Ren stood there and watched as Candy sucked on Jennifer''s fingers quite erotically, and Candy''s eyes widened again. ¡°It''s not orange... it''s... it''s maple ripple ice cream with caramel swirls... and... and milk chocolate... I think.¡± Candy said, then looked at Santa Ren with lust in her eyes. ¡°Now, now.¡± Santa Ren said. ¡°Hold on a minute.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Candy said. ¡°If Jennifer vouches for you, then I''m fine with it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Just a bit of oral.¡± Jennifer said to her. ¡°The rest is all mine.¡± Candy nodded and Jennifer eased Santa Ren back slightly and he sat down on the bed, then Candy and Jennifer knelt in front of him. ¡°Don''t I get a say in this?¡± Santa Ren asked. ¡°Not in this room.¡± Both women said at the same time, which made them laugh and exchange knowing glances, then Candy started to please him. * ¡°She''s been gone for a while.¡± Dillon said. ¡°You saw her working around the room, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°She''s not coming back soon.¡± Dillon sighed and took a drink of ale. ¡°Yeah, I guess you''re right.¡± ¡°Want me to go and find her?¡± Caramel asked. ¡°I''m sure she''s just in the dressing room or something.¡± ¡°No, Tommy''s right.¡± Dillon said. ¡°She won''t be so obvious about checking on Jennifer''s date.¡± Caramel shrugged and snuggled with Hank, who had a hand tucked down into her fur bikini bottoms. ¡°This fur you and the other dancers wear is really nice and soft.¡± Hank said. ¡°It should be.¡± Caramel said. ¡°Ren made them from the wolf pelts he got from you.¡± ¡°Wha'' didja say?!¡± Clint nearly yelled and turned to look at Caramel. ¡°Ren made us all outfits to wear when we weren''t ''working'', so people would know we weren''t available.¡± Caramel said. ¡°Of course, then he made us all the costumes we could ever want or need.¡± ¡°He cut up those pelts he paid so much for, just so he could make them into bikinis?¡± Hank asked. ¡°You make it sound like he wasted his money.¡± Caramel said and pulled his hand out from where it had been tucked in. ¡°I didn''t mean it like that.¡± Hank said as Caramel stopped cuddling with him. ¡°You look great in it.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Caramel said. ¡°He made these great cloaks, but they''re a little unwieldy to serve in.¡± She said and stood up, and equipped the cloak. The huge diamond clasp glowed with an inner light, and the guys stared at it. ¡°Look at the size of that rock!¡± Jamie, Tommy''s real life girlfriend said. ¡°It lets us gain XP, too.¡± ¡°It WHAT?¡± Clint''s date yelled, and several people nearby looked at her. Her face went red, and after a few moments, they went back to watching the dancing shows. ¡°Ren set it up so we wouldn''t be wasting our time just dancing and stuff.¡± Caramel said. ¡°It doesn''t work unless it''s equipped, though.¡± ¡°Um... that looks like a brooch.¡± Jamie said. ¡°You could probably just take it off the cloak and hook it to whatever you''re wearing.¡± Without a word, Caramel reached up and unhooked the brooch, and caught the cloak before it fell off her shoulder. She stored the cloak and hooked the brooch onto her hip, and smiled. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Caramel said and bent down to hug Jamie, then gave her cheek a kiss. ¡°All the girls are going to appreciate your idea.¡± She whispered seductively, and Jamie blushed. ¡°I''ve got to spread the word as soon as possible.¡± Caramel left the private booth at a fast walk. She stopped at the first dancer she met, and the dancer did the same thing Caramel did with her cloak. The dancer attached the brooch to the bra she had on under her business suit, squealed in delight and gave Caramel a hug, then excused herself from the table she was at and walked over to the private booth where Clint and the guys sat. ¡°Caramel says I have you to thank for this idea.¡± Apple said and bent down to hug Tommy''s real life girlfriend. ¡°You don''t know what this means to us.¡± She said, then gave her a kiss right on the lips. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Y-y-you''re w-welcome.¡± Jamie said, and Apple saw her face was bright red. ¡°You''re pretty.¡± Apple said and gave her another kiss. ¡°I''ve got a dance I need to get back to, but I''ll come over here afterwards, okay?¡± Jamie nodded her head several times and Apple gave her a huge smile; then Clint, his date, Tommy, Jamie, Dillon and Hank watched in silence as Apple left the private booth to go back to her table. They then saw Caramel as she went to all of the dancers they could see and told them the idea. Several dancers came over to thank Tommy''s girlfriend with a hug, a few just waved, and one even flashed them her breasts as thanks. ¡°Did... did that just happen, man?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°I mean, we went to the Pink Pearl a bunch of times, and the dancers never acted like this.¡± ¡°I guess what Candy and Caramel said is true.¡± Clint''s date said. ¡°This really is the best place for them to work.¡± She said and looked around. ¡°They''re all smiling, some are laughing, and a few are even carrying on.¡± The others in the private booth looked around as well. ¡°They''re happy, and it shows.¡± Gina said as she approached the private booth, and they all turned their heads and looked at her. ¡°That''s a magic all on it''s own.¡± She said and looked at Tommy''s girlfriend, and pat the large diamond brooch she had hooked into her belt. ¡°Thanks for the idea.¡± ¡°It... it was nothing.¡± Jamie said. ¡°You obviously don''t realize how much experience we get.¡± Gina said and then smiled. ¡°Don''t worry, though. Apple will show you.¡± * ¡°Mmmm!¡± Candy moaned as Santa Ren finished again. ¡°Thank you, Santa!¡± ¡°I told you his presents were delicious.¡± Jennifer said and pushed on Santa Ren''s shoulder, so he would lay back on the bed from his sitting position. She straddled his waist and then was interrupted. ¡°W-wait...¡± Santa Ren said. ¡°Yeah, can you face this way?¡± Candy asked, and Jennifer turned around to face forward instead. ¡°Wait for a...¡± Santa Ren tried to say, then Jennifer sat down hard. ¡°You... naughty girl!¡± He said and grabbed onto her hips. ¡°How can you still be so tight?¡± ¡°You''re my fantasy man, Santa.¡± Jennifer said and started to move up and down. ¡°I''ll always... be like this... for you.¡± She moaned. ¡°Just... just lay there... and... oh, god!¡± ¡°Hey, I can help.¡± Candy said happily, and her mouth joined in and made everything that much more pleasurable for both Jennifer and Santa Ren. * Apple finished her dance at the other table, collected her tips, and used her sexiest walk to go over to the private booth Clint and the group sat at. She watched Tommy''s girlfriend as she did, and saw the cute girl''s face get redder as she came closer. She waved to someone, and her animated bodyguard pulled the curtain around the private booth closed. ¡°I haven''t had anyone react to me like this in a while.¡± Apple purred, and Jamie blushed. ¡°I''ve got nurse, librarian, police officer, school teacher, and school girl outfits on me.¡± She said. ¡°What would you like to see?¡± Jamie''s eyes were wide, and she couldn''t decide. ¡°Wh-what w-were the c-choices again?¡± ¡°Nurse.¡± Tommy said, and Apple held a hand up in a stop motion. ¡°Quiet.¡± Apple said, sternly. ¡°This is her dance.¡± She said. ¡°No touching from you, or you, or you or you.¡± She said and pointed to each of the guys, then looked at Clint''s date. ¡°As long as it''s in full sight of the one I''m dancing for, you can touch me as much as you want.¡± ¡°I can?¡± Clint''s date asked, surprised. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Apple said and looked at Tommy''s girlfriend. ¡°I think someone is curious, and I want her to enjoy this as much as possible.¡± ¡°S-school t-teacher.¡± Jamie said, and Apple smiled. ¡°Good choice.¡± Apple said. ¡°Give me a second.¡± She stepped out of the curtain, and a moment later, she stepped back through the curtain. She was 3 inches taller, had her reddish-blonde hair done up in a fancy hairdo, and wore a black business suit and a white blouse. She also wore glasses and a kind of stern expression. ¡°Well, young woman.¡± Teacher Apple said. ¡°Have you finished your homework?¡± ¡°I...¡± Jamie tried to speak, but the woman''s transformation was too distracting. ¡°It''s a simple yes or no answer.¡± Teacher Apple said. ¡°Don''t tell me your dog ate it again.¡± Jamie smiled at the old excuse. ¡°I don''t have a dog.¡± She said. ¡°I did my homework.¡± ¡°That''s so good to hear.¡± Teacher Apple said and started to sway her hips as low music came from above the booth. ¡°I like students that complete their work on time.¡± She said, and pulled out the pin holding her hair in place and shook it out to make it flow over her shoulders. Jamie took in a sharp breath at how beautiful Apple became in that moment, and Apple smiled wickedly. ¡°Now it''s time for such a good student to receive her reward.¡± The guys couldn''t help themselves and stared at Apple as she did her special routine for Tommy''s real life girlfriend, and at certain times, Clint''s date reached out and touched her shoulder, or her arm, or her hip. During one of the dance moves, Apple carefully took the hand touching her, and pressed it against her breast instead. Jamie reacted to the sight and her hand jerked up, and Apple let the other woman''s hand go and picked up Jamie''s hand and put it on her other breast. ¡°Mmm.¡± Apple moaned. ¡°Such good students.¡± She said and kept doing her routine. Both Tommy''s real life girlfriend and Clint''s date became bolder in their touches, and Apple used those opportunities to increase the intensity of her act and their participation. When Apple was finished and had removed all of her clothing, she was breathing heavily; of course, so was Tommy''s girlfriend Jamie and Clint''s date. Clint, Hank, Tommy, and Dillon were flabbergasted about what had happened, since they didn''t realize that other girls could get off from having a lap dance from another woman. ¡°Th-that... that was...¡± Jamie took a handful of silver coins out of her coin pouch. ¡°You deserve this.¡± She said. ¡°It''s all I have.¡± Apple chuckled and closed Jamie''s hand over the money, and leaned in close to whisper in her ear. A moment later Apple stood up and equipped her fur bikini, then left through the curtain. ¡°Boy that was intense.¡± Hank said. ¡°I really need to use the bathroom.¡± Tommy''s real life girlfriend said and stood up, then took the hand of Clint''s date. ¡°Come with me and give me a hand.¡± ¡°Um, sure.¡± Clint''s date said and the two women left through the curtain. ¡°Isn''t that always the way, man?¡± Tommy laughed. ¡°Girls can never go to the bathroom alone.¡± The other guys laughed, and it never crossed their minds that there were no actual toilets in the game. ¡°While we''re waiting for them to come back, maybe we can get Jasmine to come over.¡± Tommy said and stood up to pull the curtain back. ¡°She''s always fun.¡± ¡°Go an'' git her, then.¡± Clint said. ¡°Be right back.¡± Tommy said and left the private booth to look for his favorite dancer. Chapter 510 - Getting Back To It Tommy''s girlfriend Jamie and Clint''s date had followed Apple into her work room, and saw the frilly fake curtains, frilly pillows and bedspread, and several dozen plush stone golems. Everything was also pink. ¡°Wow.¡± Jamie said. ¡°Now this is a girl''s room.¡± Apple chuckled. ¡°Yes, it is.¡± She said. ¡°Girls only, in fact.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No man has ever been in here, and no man is welcome.¡± Apple said. ¡°Except for Ren.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Jamie asked. ¡°He just killed Billy!¡± ¡°The bastard deserved it.¡± Apple said. ¡°He hit Jennifer.¡± Both women gasped at that. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Clint''s date said. ¡°I thought... well...¡± ¡°That Ren was trying to steal Jennifer or something?¡± Apple asked, and she nodded. ¡°He wouldn''t do that... and Billy attacked him first and tried to stab him.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Jamie exclaimed. ¡°Jennifer told us all about it.¡± Apple said. ¡°Ren even told Billy to log out and cool off, but he wouldn''t. So, Ren had to kill him to stop him.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Jamie said. ¡°Clint and the guys, they... they didn''t treat Ren well because of that.¡± ¡°Yeah, we heard that, too.¡± Apple said. ¡°They don''t know all the facts, so we can''t hold it against them... even if some of us want to.¡± ¡°Do you?¡± Clint''s date asked. ¡°Kind of.¡± Apple said and stroked Jamie''s face. ¡°Ren saved one of us from being beaten, and that''s what any good man would do.¡± She stepped close and whispered into Jamie''s mouth. ¡°I know Clint and the guys would do the same thing if they''d known.¡± ¡°Tommy definitely would.¡± Jamie whispered back. Apple gave her a very gentle kiss. ¡°He does have great taste.¡± ¡°I''m not sure why I''m here.¡± Clint''s date said. Apple moved Jamie over to the bed and had her sit down, then held a hand out to Clint''s date. ¡°You''re the willing audience, of course.¡± She said. ¡°There''s no way she would be comfortable being in here alone with me.¡± ¡°We only just met today.¡± Clint''s date said and took the offered hand. ¡°We form friendships a lot faster than men.¡± Apple said and had Clint''s date sit down next to Jamie. ¡°Be honest, now.¡± She said to the two women. ¡°You''ve enjoyed each other''s company almost right from the start, right?¡± Tommy''s real life girlfriend and Clint''s date exchanged glances, smiled at each other, then looked back at Apple and nodded. ¡°Good.¡± Apple said and gently pushed Tommy''s girlfriend on the shoulder. She took the cue and laid back onto the bed, and Apple looked at Clint''s date. ¡°Hold your friend''s hand while I kiss her as much as she wants me to.¡± Clint''s date took Jamie''s hand and held on, and Apple leaned over the bed and looked down at Jamie. The look of anticipation on Jamie''s face made Apple almost giddy. She used a fingertip to touch Jamie''s lips. ¡°So soft.¡± Apple moaned, braced herself on an elbow, then caressed the side of Jamie''s face. She slowly leaned down and pressed her lips against the other woman''s mouth, then started to kiss her in earnest. Why is this turning me on so much? Clint''s date asked herself as she watched two women making out right in front of her. Is... is it because... I... I want to be? Apple started to let her hands wander, and touched Jamie while they kissed. Jamie responded with slight moans as Apple''s fingers grazed her breasts through her top, then caught her breath as Apple massaged them. ¡°Store your top.¡± Apple whispered and kissed Jamie''s ear. When Jamie''s top disappeared, Apple leaned back and looked at her. ¡°Oh, nice.¡± She said and caressed the edge of the tiny bra that barely contained Jaime''s breasts, now that she was laying down. ¡°Someone else buys things at Ren''s shop.¡± Jamie nodded slightly and Apple kissed her again, then moved lower and kissed her neck, then went even lower. Jamie took in a breath, which inadvertently pushed her chest up. She couldn''t decide if taking the deep breath had been an automatic reaction when she remembered to breathe, or an invitation for Apple to go further. At this point it didn''t matter, and Clint''s date felt her hand be squeezed tightly and Apple took full advantage of the situation. Jamie turned her head and looked at Clint''s date, then her eyes widened as the other woman leaned in close. ¡°Apple was right.¡± Clint''s date said, almost breathlessly. ¡°You are pretty.¡± ¡°So... so are you.¡± Jamie mumbled, then Clint''s date kissed her. * Tommy managed to find Jasmine fairly quickly, and thanks to a bit of coaxing and a higher than normal tip, she agreed to come over to the private booth and entertain the guys. When she got there behind the still closed curtain, she felt bad that they were all alone. She asked about why they were, and they told her where everyone had went. Jasmine almost laughed at that, especially the bathroom excuse, then she realized that the other women had pretty much abandoned the guys. She put a little extra pizzazz in her new routine, and she saw the desire in their eyes as she teased and titillated them. That was always the best part of what she did. She could give them a fantasy, even within a fantasy world, and that made her happy; and really, really horny. Clint, Tommy, Hank and Dillon easily noticed the change in her, mainly because it was quite apparent as she started to rub herself and moan for them. Of course, that made them happy and horny, too. It was always nice to see someone enjoy their work. * Santa Ren was having quite a fun time, much to Jennifer and Candy''s delight. Teepo warned him that an hour had passed since he had entered the room, and that he really should leave before anyone else showed up. Good point, buddy. Ren thought, and tapped Jennifer''s thigh. ¡°Yes, Santa?¡± Jennifer asked, but didn''t stop moving. ¡°I need to go and check on the elves.¡± Santa Ren said. ¡°Can you give me one more present before you go?¡± Jennifer asked. ¡°That depends. Are you going to be a good girl from now on?¡± Santa Ren asked back. ¡°Hell, no.¡± Jennifer laughed. ¡°Then hold on tight.¡± Santa Ren said and gripped her hips tightly. ¡°Candy, move back a little.¡± ¡°Aw.¡± Candy said when she stopped licking them. ¡°Why can''t I... oh, my!¡± Santa Ren moved in and out of Jennifer so fast that it almost looked like he wasn''t moving at all. ¡°AaaaaaahhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHH!!!!¡± Jennifer yelled as she finished, and Candy dodged out of the way as a deluge of warm liquid came out. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Candy whispered as the stream continued and Jennifer kept finishing over and over again. ¡°S-s-s-s-st-st-stop!¡± Jennifer managed to say, and Santa Ren stopped. She collapsed backwards on top of him, and her whole body twitched and shook uncontrollably. ¡°Oh... oh... oh, god.¡± She whispered. ¡°What... what was... what the hell was that?¡± ¡°Me trying to finish you off.¡± Santa Ren said. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°Like... like... I don''t know!¡± Jennifer exclaimed. ¡°I''ve never finished so many times so quickly!¡± Santa Ren laughed the signature. ¡°Ho, Ho, Ho.¡± ¡°No, don''t!¡± Jennifer almost yelled. ¡°I can''t handle it!¡± Santa Ren lifted her off and Candy caught a hold of him and squeezed, which helped make him finish, and she made sure none of it was wasted. Santa Ren put Jennifer down on her bed, then sat up. ¡°I hope you both enjoyed your presents.¡± Santa Ren said and took out a platinum coin for each of them. ¡°Thank you for a great time, but I really have to go.¡± He pulled his pants up and closed his coat and belt. ¡°S-S-Santa!¡± Candy exclaimed and held out the platinum coin. ¡°This... you... you made a mistake!¡± ¡°It''s an apology for what happened when you first entered the room, and a tip for great personal service.¡± Santa Ren said, then gave her a quick kiss, much to her surprise. He kissed Jennifer next, then went to the door. ¡°Ladies, until next time.¡± Santa Ren said, and slipped out of the room and shut the door behind him. * ¡°N-next time?¡± Jennifer asked, and her body trembled. ¡°I... I''m still... from the first time.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°He... he kissed me... even after...¡± Candy shook her head and moved onto the bed, then licked Jennifer between the legs. ¡°AH!¡± Jennifer yelled and finished again. ¡°D-don''t!¡± ¡°I''m going to keep licking until you tell me who that was.¡± Candy said and gave her another lick. ¡°N-n-no!¡± Jennifer said, despite almost being in pain from finishing so much, then finished again. ¡°Come on, Jennifer.¡± Candy said and gave her another lick. ¡°You know I don''t like girls, but I want you to tell me who...¡± *lick* ¡°...that...¡± *lick* ¡°...was.¡± *lick* ¡°S-s-s-stop! Okay! Okay!¡± Jennifer panted heavily. Candy stopped licking her, despite getting the taste of Santa''s presents from her, and moved up to look at Jennifer''s pained expression. ¡°I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have kept licking you.¡± Candy said and gave her a tender kiss. ¡°You just tasted so good after that.¡± ¡°I... I know.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°So, who was it?¡± Candy asked. ¡°Lean... lean in close.¡± Jennifer whispered, and Candy turned her head and put her ear by Jennifer''s mouth. ¡°It... it was...¡± She started to say as she wrapped her arms around Candy''s neck, then bit her earlobe and held it tightly between her teeth. ¡°Ow! Ow! Ow!¡± Candy said and flailed her arms. ¡°Okay! Okay! I won''t ask! Let go!¡± Jennifer flicked her tongue over the earlobe several times, let it go from her teeth and sucked on it for another moment. Candy took in a deep breath and let it out as she calmed down, because her earlobe was one of her sensitive spots. Jennifer let her go and Candy sat up. ¡°That was a little mean.¡± Candy said and rubbed her ear. ¡°We don''t ask about clients, remember?¡± Jennifer said in an almost normal tone. She was starting to recover already, and her breathing evened out. ¡°But... everyone''s going to want to know who it was.¡± ¡°Did you see that tall ugly guy that came in a while ago?¡± Jennifer asked. Candy shook her head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Gina''s on the door tonight, so you can ask her about him.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°God, what an ugly sack of crap.¡± She said, and Candy laughed. ¡°It almost made me gag, and then I asked him if he could make himself look like someone else.¡± ¡°You superficial tramp!¡± Candy said and playfully swatted Jennifer''s shoulder, which made her laugh. ¡°I really am.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Of course, once he agreed to be who I wanted...¡± ¡°The Reindeer Games began.¡± Candy said, and Jennifer nodded. ¡°I''m not asking for it, but... do you even know his name?¡± ¡°I have no idea what that ugly thing called itself.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°He became Santa for me, and that''s what I called him.¡± Candy smiled. ¡°Thanks for letting me share, even though you don''t normally do that.¡± ¡°Like Santa said, it was an apology for when you first came in.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°We did make a mess on you.¡± Candy chuckled and touched her damp fur bikini top. ¡°A huge mess.¡± Jennifer chuckled, too. ¡°Help me sit up.¡± Candy helped her friend sit up, and Jennifer took several breaths. ¡°I''m going to be feeling that last move for a while.¡± Jennifer said and rubbed her belly. ¡°I''ve never seen anyone move like that during sex before.¡± Candy said. ¡°Me, either.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I can still feel it inside me.¡± ¡°If it''s not an insult, I''d really like to feel it, too.¡± Candy said. ¡°Boy, that was a nice penis!¡± ¡°Hey, no poaching!¡± Jennifer laughed. ¡°Do you want me to attack your earlobe again?¡± Candy looked away, then back again. ¡°It might be worth it.¡± Jennifer leaned in close and kissed her cheek. ¡°I''ll ask the next time I see him; but, don''t be disappointed if it''s only oral again.¡± ¡°I''d rather have crumbs from your table than eat them from the floor.¡± Candy said. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Jennifer laughed. ¡°You think Dillon''s floor crumbs!¡± ¡°Dillon!¡± Candy said and stood up. ¡°I completely forgot about him!¡± She equipped a school girl outfit and ran from the room, and Jennifer kept laughing. * Santa Ren left Jennifer''s work room and was tempted to change the Full Illusion spell; but, since everyone had seen him enter the room, there wasn''t much point. Making a spectacle of himself wasn''t a good idea, either... so he activated Sneak and crept along the wall to try and not draw too much attention to himself. Santa Ren actually made it most of the way around the room without being noticed, despite wearing the big red suit. He was only 10 feet from the 2 metal animated bouncers at the door when Teepo warned him that Gina had seen him. Santa Ren kept moving and then he felt a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I don''t remember letting you in here.¡± Gina said, and the two bouncers by the door turned to look at him. Santa Ren cast Full Illusion again and the only thing he changed was the face and voice, to made them into the ones he had when he came in. ¡°I found a dancer to spend time with, Ma''am.¡± Ugly Santa Ren said as he turned around, and Gina saw who it was. ¡°Oh, it''s you.¡± Gina said and smiled. ¡°You''ve got a great establishment here.¡± Ugly Santa Ren said and took out another silver coin. ¡°The dancers seem to really enjoy themselves.¡± ¡°Not just the dancers.¡± Gina said and accepted the coin, then put her arms around his neck. ¡°If you''re not busy later...¡± Ugly Santa Ren was surprised she was acting this way, and he could feel her getting excited. ¡°I... ah...¡± ¡°Yes, you''re probably sore and exhausted after spending time with Jennifer.¡± Gina said, sadly. ¡°Maybe... maybe next time you can start with me?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You can lose the Santa suit, though.¡± Gina whispered and kissed his cheek. ¡°That does nothing for me.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I want to see what else is ruggedly handsome on you.¡± Gina said and looked at him with lust in her eyes, and he felt how much she wanted to see him naked. ¡°I may have hung up my dancing shoes, but...¡± She bit her bottom lip and ducked her head slightly. ¡°...that doesn''t mean I don''t want someone to hold me.¡± Ugly Santa Ren felt her sincerity and longing, and she looked so endearing that it touched him deeply. ¡°I... I''d like to, but...¡± ¡°Oh, I... I guess you''re really into... ah... that kind of stuff.¡± Gina said, and he felt her deep disappointment. ¡°No, I''m not.¡± Ugly Santa Ren said. ¡°I only had sex with her today, and even if Candy hadn''t come in and joined us, I wouldn''t have let-¡± ¡°Candy joined you?¡± Gina asked, surprised. ¡°Not... not how you think.¡± Ugly Santa Ren defended himself. ¡°She only used her hands and mouth.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Gina said and smiled. ¡°I was going to get angry at you for not inviting me, too.¡± ¡°I didn''t realize you would want to be invited.¡± ¡°If it''s someone like you, I don''t mind.¡± Gina said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°The next time you come here, you better see me first.¡± Gina said, and he felt her determination and her resolve. ¡°Skipping me again is not an option.¡± She said, sternly. ¡°I... I didn''t... skip...¡± Ugly Santa Ren tried to say, but her emotions were so strong that he was having a hard time trying to think straight. ¡°You better come back soon.¡± Gina said and kissed him passionately, and Ren''s Emotion Siphon Ability activated and absorbed the emotions she was pushing out. Gina broke the kiss a few moments later, and she saw the surprise on his face. ¡°Yeah, that''s right.¡± Gina purred seductively and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°I''ve got the stuff, and you want it.¡± Ugly Santa Ren didn''t say anything, and she smiled crookedly and let him out of her embrace. He backed up two steps away from her, turned around and walked to the door, then looked back. Gina held up her hand and wiggled her fingers in a tiny wave. He returned it and went out the door. Wow. Ren thought and ran around the Pleasure Palace, then over to the impenetrable rock mountain that was the roost for the succubi. ¡°Yeah, it''s hard to believe after all that, you could turn yet another woman on.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Ren was going to argue about it, then had to admit Teepo was right. I guess if you put it that way, it''s not that much of a surprise. ¡°Not at all.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Succubus above and to the left.¡± Ren dismissed his Full Illusion spell and ran up into the air to meet the flying succubus. ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The succubus said when he startled her. Her flight faltered and she started to plummet to the ground, so he quickly ran down and caught her. ¡°I didn''t mean to scare you, Wynphine.¡± Ren said. ¡°My Lord.¡± Wynphine said and folded her wings up under her so he could hold her properly. ¡°I haven''t seen you in a while.¡± ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can give you excuses if you want.¡± Wynphine chuckled. ¡°Only if you save them for when you come over to feed us.¡± ¡°That''s where I was going.¡± Ren said and started running through the air towards their roost. ¡°You... are a lot more powerful now.¡± Wynphine said. Ren smiled. ¡°You should see me when I''m wearing my new armor.¡± ¡°I''d like that.¡± ¡°Should I ask where you were coming from?¡± ¡°Patrol.¡± Wynphine said. ¡°Patrol?¡± ¡°Yes, this is our home.¡± Wynphine said. ¡°We will protect it... and you.¡± Ren felt her need to do that, and he kissed her cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡± Wynphine''s face flushed to a darker red. ¡°You brought us out of the darkness that has kept us hidden for...¡± She stopped talking, then smiled. ¡°No, that time is past.¡± She said and touched his cheek. ¡°Now is what we have, and now is what we live for.¡± Ren arrived at the roost and asked her which entrance was hers. She pointed to a balcony about a third of the way down from the top where the tower was, and he ran over to it. ¡°I can''t feel your Aura, My Lord.¡± Wynphine said as Ren put her down. ¡°Oh, right.¡± Ren said and made a connection between all of his Auras except for the bad ones, then activated it. Wynphine gasped and staggered a little when the Aura hit her, and he held Wynphine steady. ¡°M-my L-lord!¡± Wynphine said. ¡°What... you feel so...¡± Artemis felt Ren''s Aura snap into place, and she flew quick as a flash out of the warehouse and over to him and cut off Wynphine''s words as the succubus stared at the oddly-dressed woman that flew without wings. ¡°Oops!¡± Ren said and took Artemis'' hand. ¡°I''m sorry! I didn''t think I was that far away.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Artemis said. ¡°It''s nice talking to the others, but we don''t have a lot in common.¡± ¡°I... never thought of that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, no! You aren''t perfect like we all thought!¡± Artemis said, gave his hand a squeeze, and let it go. ¡°Ha.¡± Ren smiled and turned to Wynphine. ¡°Is everyone here?¡± He asked. ¡°Never mind, I''ll find out for myself.¡± He said and activated his Heat Sense Aura as well. He found all 20 of the succubi were inside the roost in different areas, and also found several other people were there, too. ¡°I assume there''s some sleepovers going on tonight?¡± Wynphine nodded. ¡°Zunala, Kelfaren, Miastina, and Crakasia all have mates staying over.¡± She said. ¡°I''m pretty sure they all know you''re here.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Let''s go to the meeting room.¡± He said, and they walked inside and down a hallway, then down the stairs. ¡°I wonder if I could add a lift to an already existing structure?¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°It''s a magical platform that moves people from floor to floor instead of using stairs.¡± ¡°We just fly.¡± Wynphine said. ¡°It''s much faster than walking.¡± ¡°I really need to learn how to do that, just so I can use my Winged Flight skill properly.¡± ¡°I will gladly help you, My Lord.¡± Seldanna said as she landed beside him. ¡°Just come and get me whenever you want a lesson.¡± ¡°Thank you, Seldanna.¡± Ren said. ¡°I will do anything for you, My Lord.¡± Seldanna said, and he felt that she really would. ¡°Are you angry that I haven''t been around?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Extremely.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°But, since you are a great Adventurer, I cannot demand your time when you are so busy.¡± Ren reached out and took her hand, and he fed her his regret that she was angry at him. ¡°I''ll explain what''s been going on, and hopefully you won''t be as angry with me.¡± When they arrived in the large meeting room, Ren stood there to wait; and his Heat Sense Aura showed him that everyone was coming to meet him, so he didn''t have to send the two succubi with him to go and get them. ******** Edward sat in his office and stared at the message his head programmer, Max, had sent him. After a bit of investigation on his own, he had discovered that Ren really had been chosen by the AI running the game to be one of it''s representatives. How the hell did he manage that? Edward asked himself, almost proudly. I knew the kid was resourceful, but to actually gain the attention of the game''s AI? He smiled and held in his chuckle. I should hire him to help find even more bugs in the system! Edward folded his hands and rested his chin on them, then rested his elbows on the desk. Max is right. Edward thought. It is potentially dangerous for such contact, even if it is indirect and they aren''t actually ''speaking''. He started to twiddle his thumbs as he contemplated the problem. Those starter cities were brilliant, and even Max had to admit that. He smiled. That one move saved us a month of programming headaches about trying to integrate a new starter city for both of those races. Edward stopped twiddling his thumbs and sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. The people that changed to both the Giant and High Elf races, and subsequently opened up all that new content, went from zero to 20% in one night! Edward chuckled. The message boards are on fire about it, too. Edward made his decision about what to do, uncrossed his arms as he leaned forward, then typed up a response to Max. * Max had sat quietly as he waited for his boss to get back to him, and then he received a priority message.
Inter-personal Memo
Max, you are to follow this order immediately: Do nothing. - Edward
¡°Well, damn.¡± Max said. ¡°I guess he wants to see what the kid will do with it.¡± He said. ¡°I hope your trust isn''t misplaced, boss.¡± He said and closed the message. ¡°I also hope that he doesn''t crash everything.¡± Chapter 511 - Feed Me, See More It didn''t take long for everyone in the succubi roost to come to the meeting room, and they all were curious as to what had been going on and chatted openly, especially about the strange woman that stood behind Ren. ¡°I''m sorry for interrupting your evening.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I could have your attention, I''ll give you all a brief summary of what''s been going on with me lately.¡± He said, and the chatter quieted down. ¡°I know this isn''t really relevant to those of you with the succubi, since my situation doesn''t really affect you directly; but, I''m glad that they didn''t leave you behind to wait.¡± ¡°How do you know we''re all here?¡± A man asked, and Ren recognized him as one of his guards. ¡°I can feel everyone within my Aura.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wow, really?¡± The man was surprised. ¡°If you can feel everyone within this place...¡± ¡°Not to brag, but my Aura is huge.¡± Ren said, and several of the succubi chuckled at the sexual innuendo. ¡°First, I''d like to apologize for not coming back before now.¡± He said to everyone. ¡°Second, this is Artemis, my new ranged combat specialist. Third, I''ve got tons of excuses to give you for being away.¡± ¡°What''s the biggest excuse?¡± One of the succubi asked. ¡°I died.¡± Ren said, and he felt surprise go through everyone. ¡°That was only why I missed the last day and night, though.¡± He said. ¡°Before that, I was trying to remove the ghoul hordes that were ravaging the High Elven Kingdom.¡± ¡°I heard about that.¡± Weston, the guard with Zunala said. ¡°There have been scattered reports of ghoul attacks all over this kingdom as well.¡± ¡°I''ll check on those when I can.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m only one person, though. I can''t handle hundreds or even thousands of these incidents, especially if it''s only individual ghouls.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve been removing larger groups with the help of my friends.¡± ¡°That must be some Adventurer''s Quest.¡± Weston said. ¡°Imagine! You have to fight to defend an entire nation, and it''s not even yours.¡± ¡°Actually, I''m an elfling.¡± Ren said, and Weston blinked his eyes for a moment. ¡°Then... wait... what are you doing here?¡± Weston asked. ¡°You''ve built all these things here for everyone, and yet...¡± ¡°I''m an Adventurer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess if I had started in the High Elven Kingdom, none of this would have come to pass.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°But I started my adventure here, and this is where we are now.¡± ¡°Thank god.¡± Seldanna said and gave his hand a squeeze, and he felt her deep gratitude. ¡°I am so glad to be out of those caverns!¡± Out of those caverns... out of those caverns... out of those caverns... Those words rang through Ren''s head, and he stopped himself from smacking himself in the forehead. ¡°Ladies, please kneel.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry I have to rush this, but I just remembered something I have to do.¡± All the succubi knelt without question, and Ren started pushing his emotions out through his Aura. Seldanna was still holding his hand, and she stared up at him as she received a much stronger dose. Ren turned to her, and smiled. ¡°You first.¡± He said, and gave her a kiss. Her hand snaked up and grabbed the back of his neck, and Ren poured the emotions she wanted into her. She started to glow softly right away, and when he felt her reach her limit, he broke the kiss. Seldanna didn''t want to let him go, and he stroked her cheek. ¡°I''ll give you another kiss on the way out.¡± Ren said, and she nodded and let him go. He turned to Wynphine next, and she looked at him expectantly. ¡°Desire this time?¡± He asked, and she nodded. ¡°Oh, I''ve got lots of desire to share.¡± Wynphine gasped as he kissed her and poured in all the desire he had saved up for the 2 years he had been in the enhanced Sanctuary. She reached her limit a moment later, and almost collapsed from the feeding. ¡°Before I switch emotions, does anyone else want desire?¡± Ren asked and looked around, and 6 more succubi raised their hands. He went to each of them and gave them what they wanted, and each only took a moment to fill their hunger. ¡°Good god.¡± The last one who wanted desire said, then collapsed to the floor. She licked her lips and looked up at Ren. ¡°That''s so good!¡± ¡°I''m glad you liked it.¡± Ren said and smiled, then looked at the closest succubus. ¡°Zunala, what would you like?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± Zunala said and took Weston''s hand. Ren could feel the lie, but he didn''t want to call her on it. ¡°Well, I do have tons of desire left.¡± He said and looked at Weston. ¡°I see you have that covered, though.¡± Weston nodded, and Ren reached out and touched Zunala''s face. He poured a pile of satisfaction and some regret into her to make sure she was full. It wasn''t as good of a feeding because it wasn''t through a kiss; but, it also didn''t make her glow softly. ¡°If you change your mind, let me know.¡± Ren said, and he felt Zunala''s thanks for hiding her need for other emotions. He moved on, and the other succubi with partners present didn''t want a direct feeding through a kiss, either. He did the same thing he did with Zunala and fed them secretly, then went to the rest and kissed them to feed them. When they had all been tended to, they stood up. ¡°There should be a new book in the Library about my current experiences, The Chronicles Of Ren, Volume 2.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you want more details about what happened, right up until the point just before I died, you can get a copy there and read all about it.¡± Several of them nodded, including Wynphine and Seldanna, and Ren smiled at them all. ¡°I have to go and take care of an errand I now have the ability to accomplish.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I ask a question?¡± One of the men asked. ¡°You just did, but go ahead and ask another.¡± Ren said, and the man chuckled. ¡°Why did you make them kneel?¡± The man asked. ¡°It''s a little demeaning to make a woman kneel before you like that, don''t you think?¡± ¡°Aylviss!¡± Miastina exclaimed. ¡°I told you that he saved us, and that he has our contracts!¡± ¡°That''s not why.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him. ¡°You''ve all felt my emotions, haven''t you?¡± He asked them. ¡°Have I ever felt that I was demeaning you?¡± The succubi shook their heads. ¡°Then why?¡± Aylviss asked. ¡°You''re overthinking the reason, because it''s much simpler than you think.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m short.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I asked them to kneel because it''s much easier for me to kiss them that way.¡± Once again, Ren felt surprise go through them, and he chuckled. ¡°See? Simple.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back in a few days to check on you all again.¡± He took Seldanna''s hand and started to leave the meeting room with her, and Artemis walked behind them. When they arrived back at Wynphine''s entrance, he turned to look at Seldanna. He had felt her growing embarrassment, and wondered what she was thinking. ¡°Seldanna, what is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I... I thought...¡± Seldanna''s face went to a deeper red. ¡°Forgive me. I thought you had us kneel so you could keep us below you... and... and that... you looked down on us.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I figured that was why you feel embarrassed.¡± He said. ¡°You should know that I don''t think that way.¡± He explained. ¡°If I did, I would have made your home completely underground and kept you from spreading those cool wings.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ren reached behind her and ran a hand down the thin membrane, and she shivered from the tender touch. ¡°M-my Lord.¡± Seldanna said and closed her eyes, then she knelt. ¡°Please... keep going.¡± Ren stepped close to her and cupped the sides of her face. ¡°I can''t.¡± He said, then gave her a kiss filled with regret and longing, that she sucked down and consumed greedily. ¡°I can''t show favoritism, and if we do anything, I''ll have to do it with all of you.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I don''t think the people with the other succubi would appreciate me doing... things... with all of you.¡± ¡°So... so you punish those that don''t have, can''t find, or don''t want mates.¡± Seldanna said, and her sadness at the prospect was so profound that Ren''s Emotion Siphon ability activated and absorbed it, then he decided to break this rule. ¡°All right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Gather the ones that don''t have, or can''t find, mates.¡± He said, and he felt hope blossom inside Seldanna. ¡°We can''t have sex, because I promised I wouldn''t do that with anyone new.¡± He said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ll be right back!¡± Seldanna said and flew away before he told her where to bring them. ¡°This is going to be fun.¡± Artemis said sarcastically, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°It''s just a short break before we head to the High Elven Kingdom.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know that''s not what I meant.¡± Artemis said. Ren nodded just as Seldanna returned with 4 other succubi, and he smiled at them. ¡°I''m glad that 15 of you have managed to find someone to be with.¡± ¡°The others are morose that they cannot be included; but, they were forced to agree that you are righteous in your determination that their chosen mates would be less than pleased if they were to participate in whatever you have planned for the few of us that have yet to discover the joys of true partnership with-.¡± ¡°Shut up, Fayeth.¡± Seldanna said as she covered Fayeth''s mouth. ¡°Or we''ll never get to what he has planned.¡± The other succubi chuckled, and Ren smiled. ¡°Which one of you has the place closest to this one?¡± ¡°Wynphine said you can use her space for this.¡± Ellaria said, and Ren remembered her as the one he had healed the molten metal burns on her wrist. ¡°She insisted, actually.¡± Seldanna said and uncovered Fayeth''s mouth. ¡°Then let''s get started.¡± Ren said and took out a nice bed from inventory, then held a hand out to Seldanna. ¡°As one of the very first succubi I met, please allow me to service you first.¡± ¡°Service me?¡± Seldanna asked as she took his hand. Ren sat her on the bed and laid her down on her back, then lifted her legs and laid them over his shoulders while he positioned himself between her legs. He gathered all the emotions he ever felt when going down on a woman, then slid her bikini bottoms off. ¡°Are... are you really...¡± ¡°I call it an Australian Kiss, because it''s when I go down under on a woman.¡± Ren joked. Seldanna didn''t understand the reference until he kissed her special place and shoved all of those emotions into her. He had just barely started and she wrapped her legs around his head and finished. ¡°MY LORD!¡± Seldanna yelled, then lost the use of her limbs. Ren tried to keep pleasing her; but, he felt that she wasn''t feeling anything else right now. ¡°Um... that went a lot faster than I expected.¡± Ren said and eased out from under her legs, then looked at the next succubus. ¡°Oh, yes!¡± Ellaria said and laid down right next to Seldanna, then held her own legs up. ¡°Hurry!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Should I warn you to brace yourself?¡± Ellaria glanced at Seldanna, who was still lost to the pleasure. ¡°I''m not going to brace for anything.¡± Ren nodded and slid her bikini bottoms off, then kissed her special place and poured the same emotions into her as he did into Seldanna. Once again, he had barely started when Ellaria finished and couldn''t take any more. He moved back and looked at the next succubus, and she walked over to him. ¡°My Lord, I am pleased that you will administer your immense talents upon this unworthy body, and I thank you for allowing me to float upon the bliss the others have already lost themselves to.¡± Fayeth said, and Ren took her hand. ¡°There''s not much room left on the bed.¡± Ren said. ¡°There is, My Lord.¡± Fayeth said and let his hand go and turned towards the bed and bent over as she pulled her bikini bottoms down, then knelt between the other two succubi. ¡°If access to my nether regions is all that is required, then this position is more than adequate for that purpose and I won''t smother the others or wrinkle or damage my wings by laying down on top of them.¡± ¡°That''s very considerate of you.¡± Ren said and enjoyed the sight, then he poured his emotions into her as he kissed her special place. She lasted a few seconds longer than the other two, because he could feel that she was trying to be analytical about the experience; then her body told her mind to shut up, and she succumbed to Ren''s touch and his enormous emotions. She collapsed on top of Seldanna and Ellaria, and her wings unfolded and covered the three of them like a blanket. Ren made another bed in a few moments, then held a hand out to the next succubus. ¡°If I''m not mistaken, your name is Chenoa.¡± He said, and he felt her pleasure at being recognized. He smiled warmly to her and laid her down on the second bed. ¡°Of course I recognize you.¡± He said. ¡°We did some very good things together in Shargon Caverns.¡± ¡°We... we did.¡± ¡°I may not have referred to you by name before now, but that''s only because with 20 of you to take care of at the time, individual time with any of you was difficult to come by.¡± ¡°You did more than I ever thought possible, and you even kept your word and rescued us.¡± Chenoa said as she stored her bikini bottoms and lifted her legs into the air. ¡°Fill me with your desire to make me happy.¡± ¡°You understand what I''m doing.¡± Ren moved her legs apart and leaned in to give her a kiss on the lips. She gasped as she felt his thanks, then he moved back between her legs and kissed her there, too. His lips had barely touched her and she finished, and Ren almost laughed that it had been so easy to please her. He stood up and looked at the last succubus, and she came over to him. ¡°Hello, Katori.¡± Ren said, and she bent over slightly and kissed him. ¡°Mmm.¡± Katori moaned. ¡°Willing pleasure is so tasty.¡± ¡°It really is.¡± Ren said. Katori knelt on the bed beside Chenoa, then put her head down to stick her backside up into the air. ¡°Can you try and last a little longer than the others?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That''s a wonderful sight.¡± Katori laughed. ¡°I can''t.¡± She said. ¡°I feel how much you like this, and it''s driving me crazy.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It can''t be helped, then.¡± He said and gathered as much emotion as he could, then dove into her and used his quickness to lick and suck as much as he could in the second it took for Katori to finish. ¡°AHH!¡± Katori yelled, then her body lost it''s function and she slid down to lay on the bed. She was just as lost in the pleasure as the others. ¡°Even though I was being sarcastic, I was wrong.¡± Artemis said. ¡°It wasn''t much fun at all.¡± ¡°The succubi wouldn''t agree with that.¡± Ren said and looked at them. ¡°I would have liked it to have taken longer; but this works, too.¡± He said. ¡°Ladies, please relax and I''ll see you all again later.¡± There were several mumbles, and two failed attempts to wave to him, and he chuckled. He went to each of them and gave them a kiss on the cheek with another small burst of emotions. It made them moan and writhe a little, and he felt that they were sated well enough to last them for a while. ¡°Let''s go, Artemis.¡± Ren said, and they left Wynphine''s living space through the balcony and went over to the Main House. They went inside and he told the maids what he was going to do. They told him not to rush and to take his time, and they would see him when he got back. He kissed each of them and left the apartment, then went to Princess'' house. He could feel that she was awake, and knocked. ¡°Princess, it''s time we head to the High Elf lands for a quick visit.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Princess said and came out, and he climbed up onto her saddle. ¡°To the High Elven Kingdom, please.¡± Ren said. Princess trotted up into the air and Artemis flew beside them, then they poured on the speed and disappeared from sight. * ¡°Oh... oh, my god.¡± Tommy''s real life girlfriend Jamie said after she, Apple, and Clint''s date collapsed on the bed in Apple''s work room. ¡°I... I can''t believe... did... did we really...¡± ¡°Oh, we sure did.¡± Apple said, a little breathlessly. It was hardest for her because she had to entertain both women, once they had gotten into it. ¡°That was fantastic.¡± ¡°I... agree.¡± Clint''s date said. ¡°I''ve never even thought that... well...¡± ¡°... that another woman would enjoy being with you?¡± Apple asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Well, it can happen.¡± Apple said and smiled. ¡°Twice in one night, apparently.¡± Jamie and Clint''s date started to laugh, and Apple sat up and looked at Jamie. ¡°I hope your curiosity was well fed.¡± Apple said. She was tempted to stroke the other woman''s cheek, but she knew that their time together was over and didn''t want it to get awkward between them. Jamie nodded. ¡°Thanks for... well...¡± ¡°...letting you know how players on the other team win the game?¡± Apple asked, and Jamie laughed again. ¡°I''m not signing up, if that''s what you''re thinking.¡± Jamie said. ¡°I love having... ah...¡± ¡°You can say ''penis'' and not feel dirty.¡± Apple said. ¡°Tommy''s a great boyfriend.¡± Jamie said and sat up. ¡°I really should get back to him.¡± ¡°This is kind of still my first date with Clint.¡± Clint''s date said. ¡°Of course, I''ve never had a day-long date before.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Jamie said. ¡°It''s weird that we can spend so much time in here, and yet only a fraction of that passes in the real world.¡± ¡°You get used to it.¡± Apple said. She stood up and equipped her fur bikini. ¡°Pop your clothes back on to clean up, and I''ll walk you back to the guys.¡± ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± Jamie said and stood up, then her outfit appeared an instant later. ¡°I want to make sure none of the other customers mistake you for dancers.¡± Apple said. ¡°That''s a good point.¡± Clint''s date said and equipped her clothes. ¡°We''ll follow your lead.¡± Apple opened her door and led the two women back across the club. Sure enough, one of the customers tried to reach out for Jamie and Apple gently moved the hand away and plopped it back on the guys lap. ¡°No touching without permission.¡± Apple said. ¡°Or you''re outta here.¡± ¡°Slorry, mish.¡± The guy said, clearly drunk. ¡°That''s okay.¡± Apple said and pat the guy''s head. ¡°Enjoy the show.¡± ¡°I...¡± The guy tried to say something, then his head fell backwards and he started to snore. Apple smiled at the sight, then brought Jamie and Clint''s date the rest of the way across the club to the private booth. When they got there, Jasmine came out with a handful of gold coins. ¡°Hey, Jazzy.¡± Apple said. ¡°I take it they aren''t bored waiting?¡± Jasmine grinned and stored the money. ¡°Not anymore.¡± Apple chuckled and pat the other woman''s shoulder, and held the curtain open so Jamie and Clint''s date could go inside. ¡°I return you to your dates.¡± ¡°Thanks, Apple.¡± Jaime said as they stepped inside. ¡°Anytime.¡± Apple said and closed the curtain behind them. Chapter 512 - High Elven Heretic Tommy''s real life girlfriend Jamie and Clint''s date stared at the 4 very relaxed men that were looking up at the ceiling. Clint, Hank, Tommy, and Dillon had smiles on their faces and their private places were completely exposed for all to see. ¡°Tommy!¡± Jamie almost yelled. ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± Tommy jumped about a foot up from his seat and looked at his girlfriend. ¡°Ah... um... it''s not what it looks like!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jamie asked and put her hands on her hips. ¡°From what I can see, it looks like you just let Jasmine ride you like a bucking bronco.¡± ¡°We all did it!¡± Tommy said to try and spread the blame around as he did his pants up, and the other guys did up theirs, too. ¡°I mean, she started with me, since I''m usually her regular customer...¡± ¡°We''ve been sittin'' here fer abou'' an hour, an'' none of our dates tha'' we came here ta spend time with were aroun''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah''m pretty sure Jasmine made an eksepshun fer us today, ''cause she felt sorry fer us.¡± ¡°She did.¡± Hank said. ¡°She kept saying she''d make us happy, if no one else would.¡± ¡°She was so enthusiastic about giving us a fantasy!¡± Dillon said. ¡°She did such a good job that we all tipped her an extra gold coin each.¡± ¡°Did... did you say an extra gold coin each?¡± Jamie asked. ¡°Normally you tip a gold coin when... ah...¡± Tommy started to say, then saw his girlfriend''s angry face. ¡°I only have a handful of silver, and here you are giving away 2 gold!¡± Jamie said, hotly. ¡°I tried giving you some, but you wouldn''t take it!¡± Tommy said just as hotly back. ¡°I want to earn my money, not have it just given to me for no reason, Tommy!¡± ¡°It''s not for no reason!¡± Tommy said. ¡°I love you and I want to help you buy better stuff!¡± ¡°You love me, and yet you come here and have sex with one, some, or all of the dancers!¡± Jamie said. ¡°It''s just the one, dammit!¡± Tommy said. ¡°Not only is it fun, there''s no consequences!¡± He said. ¡°I''m not cheating on you, because I tell you every time I visit, and there''s literally no chance that they can get pregnant, because no ''actual'' sex is happening!¡± Jamie couldn''t argue against those points. ¡°There''s no chance to catch any diseases, either.¡± Hank said, and they all looked at him in surprise. ¡°I''m not saying the girls are dirty here; but, in real life there''s no way to know who they''ve been with or if they might have something that''s not diagnosed.¡± He said. ¡°God only knows what you could catch, and it could take years for something to show up.¡± Jamie exchanged a quick glance with Clint''s date. It had never occurred to them to ask about things like that before they had spent some quality time with Apple. Some up close and very personal quality time. ¡°Ah should say tha'' ah didn'' intend fer our firs'' date ta be like this.¡± Clint said to his date. ¡°Ah figured ah strip dance an'' maybe ah show on tha'' main stage, which we got, and then we coulda gone somewhere else.¡± He said. ¡°But ya wen'' to tha bathroom afta tha'' and didn'' come back.¡± ¡°Are... are you blaming me?¡± Clint''s date asked, a little incredulous. ¡°No, ma''am.¡± Clint shook his head emphatically. ¡°Ah''m jus'' sayin'' this nigh'' is turnin'' out all differen'' than what ah had hoped, is all.¡± ¡°Well...¡± Clint''s date looked around the private booth. ¡°...I think we all have to agree with that.¡± She said, and then sighed. ¡°What do you say we all forget about what happened here and go somewhere else like you planned?¡± ¡°Ah''d like tha''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Fellas? Whaddaya say?¡± ¡°I''d say Hank and I would be third and fourth wheels, unless we can find Candy and Caramel to come with us.¡± Dillon said. ¡°We can have a gander aroun'' an'' see if''n they wanna come with us again.¡± Clint said. Hank shook his head. ¡°Nah, I''m good for the night.¡± He said. ¡°If you could drop me off at your place, I''d appreciate it.¡± ¡°Tha''s wha'' tha spare rooms''er for.¡± Clint said. ¡°Where ah''d like ta go is near tha ranch anyway.¡± ¡°Then I''m going to the ranch, too.¡± Dillon said. ¡°If we see the girls on the way out, we can let them know.¡± Clint, his date, Tommy and his girlfriend Jamie, Hank, and Dillon left the private booth and walked around several tables, then headed for the exit. ¡°Dillon!¡± Candy said, and the group came to a stop. ¡°There you are.¡± Dillon said. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t come back right away.¡± Candy said. ¡°When I did, Jasmine was already busy with you.¡± ¡°Then I''m sorry, too.¡± Dillon said. ¡°It was great and all, but you''re the only reason I come here.¡± Candy smiled. ¡°I like spending time with you, too.¡± ¡°Let Caramel know we left.¡± Hank said. ¡°I will.¡± Candy said. ¡°So, who was the guy in the Santa suit?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°Jennifer didn''t know his name.¡± Candy said. ¡°I teased her about it, and she bit my earlobe.¡± ¡°Aw.¡± Dillon said and gave her a hug, then kissed her earlobe. ¡°Are you coming out to the ranch with us?¡± ¡°It''s the weekend, so it''s our busiest time.¡± Candy said. ¡°I already pushed my luck today with slacking off and having fun with you.¡± Dillon chuckled. ¡°Well, we''re sticking around for the whole game week, so I can wait a couple days for you to not be busy.¡± ¡°You''re so sweet.¡± Candy said and gave him a kiss. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± The group left and went to Clint''s mount and cart. They climbed in and drove away, and left the Pleasure Palace and all of it''s various temptations behind. * Ren, Princess, and Artemis arrived in the High Elven Kingdom, and Ren had Princess stop at the second High Elf city, Wirenth, that he had defeated a ghoul horde in front of. He equipped his platinum armor and took out the enormous cart he had in his inventory and attached it to Princess. He then ran over to the shanty town around the city and found Tanelia Miarora, the female High Elf that he had appointed to run the starter city. ¡°M''lady.¡± Ren said, and she turned to look at him. ¡°M''lord.¡± Tanelia said. ¡°I assume you''re here to ferry us to our new homes, even though it is late at night?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have been here yesterday, but I had a slight case of being dead and had to wait.¡± Tanelia laughed. ¡°You Adventurers have a strange sense of humor.¡± ¡°Hey, you laughed.¡± Ren said and grinned, and she nodded.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°We have gathered our immediate families and our things already.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you need help carrying anything?¡± ¡°I really shouldn''t abuse your generosity by having you be a pack mule.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°It''s one of my skills.¡± Tanelia chuckled. ¡°All right, fine.¡± She said and pointed to a 20 foot by 20 foot one storey building. ¡°Inside that is a good portion of our personal belongings. If you go inside, it should only take you 20 minutes or so to store-¡± Her words were cut off when Ren walked over to the building and stored it. ¡°What else?¡± Ren asked. Tanelia stood there and stared at the spot the building used to be. ¡°You...¡± She shook her head. ¡°You might as well take that one, too.¡± She said and pointed to another building of a similar size. ¡°It''s our gathered food stores.¡± Ren stored it and she saw that he didn''t look weakened or tired from the effort. ¡°I''m going to be completely surprised when I see this city you built, am I not?¡± Tanelia asked, and Ren nodded. She laughed again and waved to get everyone''s attention. ¡°All right, everyone! Climb into Lord Ren''s transport! We''re leaving!¡± There were several shouts of joy and a few of them said that they couldn''t believe they were really going on a fool''s errand, and that there was no way he could have made an entire city in only a few days. Ren helped people that needed to be helped, and he could almost feel someone looking at him. He turned around and looked up at the top of the wall, and saw the High Lord of the High Elves and his entourage. Ren raised a hand and waved when he saw Allynna, Yllana''s daughter. The High Lord Alinar Keacaryn raised his hand as if to wave, then he made a fist. A hundred High Elven Archers stepped to the edge of the wall and took aim at Ren, then drew their arrows back and prepared to fire. ¡°You heretic!¡± The High Lord said. ¡°I do not know how you have corrupted yourself into a mockery of our most sacred ritual, nor do I care.¡± He said. ¡°Your very presence is an insult to me personally, and to my people as a whole.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Quiet, you abomination!¡± The High Lord nearly yelled. ¡°You will leave our lands and never return!¡± ¡°I''ve been trying my best to save your people!¡± Ren said back. ¡°I''ve risked myself and my friends by coming here to help you deal with the ghoul hordes!¡± ¡°Yes, your deeds in saving my people is exactly what has stopped me from striking you down without warning.¡± The High Lord said. ¡°The hordes have been quelled sufficiently, and only small outbreaks occur occasionally.¡± ¡°Are you happy with that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It doesn''t matter what I am ''happy'' with.¡± The High Lord said. ¡°We accepted your help before, because we thought you were just an odd elfling.¡± He sneered. ¡°Now you are just a sickening wretch that pains my eyes to look at.¡± ¡°Should I even ask why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, because we do not need to explain ourselves to you.¡± ¡°Then why are these High Elves okay with me?¡± Ren asked, and waved to the ones still getting aboard his large cart. ¡°They are of your ilk now, touched by the corrupted.¡± The High Lord said. ¡°They can overlook your degenerate state, and pure High Elves cannot.¡± ¡°You''re awfully full of yourself.¡± Ren said. ¡°As are you.¡± The High Elf countered. ¡°Now leave these lands before I order my troops to open fire.¡± Ren looked around to make sure no one was too close, then cast Permanent Enlarge or Reduce Anything on himself 3 times, increasing his size from 4 feet and 7 inches to 9 feet and 2 inches, then to 18 feet and 4 inches, then to 36 feet and 8 inches; which made him 6 feet and 8 inches taller than the outer wall that the High Elf stood on. ¡°I was too small of a target before.¡± Humongous Ren said in his normal voice; but, since he was so big, his voice boomed out instead. ¡°This should make it easier for your troops to shoot me.¡± The High Lord just stared at him, as did his entourage and the troops under his command. ¡°Well?¡± Humongous Ren crossed his arms. ¡°Go ahead and order them to fire.¡± The High Lord turned to his head magic user. ¡°Can you knock him out?¡± ¡°No.¡± The head magic user said. ¡°Even if he wasn''t covered in massive enchantments and spell protections, just his size alone would give him a natural resistance to any spell.¡± ¡°Then what do you suggest?¡± ¡°I suggest not firing.¡± The head magic user said. ¡°The arrows would just bounce off.¡± The High Lord sighed. ¡°Then I have no choice.¡± He said and turned back to Ren. ¡°You are a danger to this land and it''s people, therefore I must banish-¡± ¡°High Lord!¡± Allynna exclaimed, and he looked down at her. ¡°May I speak to him?¡± ¡°Sir, that is highly inappropriate.¡± One of his advisors said. ¡°It undermines your authority.¡± ¡°My apologies, Advisor Ryul.¡± Allynna said. ¡°I believe it will increase his authority.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°If the High Lord''s elfling servant can order around an Adventurer of this man''s immense strength and deeds, then what will that say of my High Lord?¡± Everyone fell silent, and the High Lord smiled. ¡°High Lord.¡± Allynna said. ¡°Please call off the archers.¡± The High Lord opened his fist at her plea. The archers removed the arrows from their bows and lowered them. ¡°Thank you, High Lord.¡± Allynna said and walked over to the edge of the wall to face Ren. ¡°M''lord, may I speak with you?¡± ¡°Of course, M''lady.¡± Humongous Ren said and held a hand up for her, and she climbed onto it. He turned around and moved his hand close to his ear, so she could whisper into it. ¡°I''ve talked to my mother.¡± Allynna whispered. ¡°She really enjoyed your last visit.¡± ¡°I assumed so.¡± Humongous Ren said. ¡°If you don''t go now, you won''t be allowed to visit her anymore. She would be very saddened by that.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Humongous Ren said. ¡°That is true.¡± ¡°If it would please you, I will be there tomorrow to visit her.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Allynna reached out and stroked his ear. ¡°With the main threat of the ghouls removed by your actions, my movement restrictions have been lifted.¡± ¡°I hope the High Lord provides you with proper escorts, as is due your station.¡± Humongous Ren said. ¡°If he does not, I may get... angry.¡± Allynna giggled, and Humongous Ren smiled at the sound, and also at the emotions he felt from the High Elves. ¡°M''lady, if it will make you happy, I will leave and not cause an incident.¡± ¡°I would be quite happy, M''lord.¡± ¡°Then it will be so.¡± Humongous Ren said and turned back around and held the hand up to the top of the wall. Allynna climbed off and onto the wall beside the High Lord. ¡°Upon the advice of your wise and dedicated servant, I will reluctantly withdraw.¡± Humongous Ren said. ¡°Under one condition.¡± ¡°Name it.¡± The High Lord said. ¡°Tell me why am I considered an abomination to you now.¡± ¡°High Lord, please allow me to answer, so you don''t have to speak to him.¡± Allynna said, and the High Lord nodded. ¡°You are a False Chosen.¡± Allynna said. ¡°Great Vasalor only bestows his touch on those born of it, or from the sacred ritual the High Elves perform every 150 years.¡± She said. ¡°Since the next ritual is not for another 50 years, and you were not born with it because you are an Adventurer, you cannot be a true Vasalor''s Chosen.¡± Humongous Ren blinked his eyes for a moment, and then he smiled. ¡°M''lady, I thank you for such important information. It could have potentially caused me untold hardship if I had arrived at the High Elven Starter City I constructed in the no man''s land between the High Elven and Human kingdoms.¡± ¡°You... built an entire city?¡± Allynna asked, and Humongous Ren felt the shock from the High Elves. ¡°I had to have somewhere for all the rescued High Elves and elflings to live.¡± Humongous Ren said. ¡°Since they aren''t welcome in their homeland, and would be ostracized in the Human lands, I figured a spot between both kingdoms would be fitting.¡± ¡°How did you do that?¡± One of the High Lord''s advisors asked. ¡°Trade secret.¡± Humongous Ren said and laughed, and it almost shook the wall the High Elves stood on. ¡°I guess I don''t need to show off anymore.¡± He said and used the Permanent Enlarge or Reduce Anything spell to reduce his size back down to normal. ¡°It looks like everyone''s loaded up, so I better go.¡± Allynna waved to him, and Ren waved back, then he ran over to Princess. ¡°You know the drill.¡± Ren said and scratched her chin, then climbed up onto her saddle. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Princess trotted up into the air, and the High Elves watched as the normally impossible sight of a tiny mount hauling a gigantic cart with several hundred High Elves, flew away through the sky. * Allynna dismissed the Honor gain popup she had received for making Ren leave, because she didn''t believe she deserved it. Even though she had asked him to go, he had chosen not to cause any trouble for her. She watched the large cart disappear from sight and smiled. I will get his story tomorrow. Allynna thought, determined. I must know how he gained that title! ¡°That was certainly exciting.¡± One of the advisors said and looked down into the shanty town below. ¡°Most of them have gone with him.¡± He said. ¡°Even the non-infected ones.¡± ¡°Good riddance.¡± The High Lord said. ¡°Send a squad or two to tear down the shacks.¡± The advisor nodded and left the group. ¡°High Lord.¡± Allynna said, and he looked at her. ¡°I''m visiting my mother for a few days starting tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± The High Lord said. ¡°I''ve already arranged for a small caravan to leave at first light.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, High Lord.¡± Allynna said and gave him a regal bow. ¡°Yes, yes.¡± He said and waved her away. ¡°Go and pack your things.¡± He said. ¡°The caravan will bring you back to the Spire at home when you are done.¡± Allynna nodded and left the group. When she was out of sight, the High Lord turned to one of his advisors. ¡°Add a squad of archers to the caravan.¡± The High Lord said. ¡°Just as a precaution.¡± ¡°Yes, High Lord.¡± The advisor nodded and left the group to make the arrangements. The last thing I want is to give that... being... a reason to come back here. The High Lord thought, then turned and left the spot that one of his advisors had said was going to be a pivotal point in time for him, and possibly for the kingdom as a whole. She was quite right. He thought and walked down the stairs. That could have gone horribly wrong, if I had decided to ignore Allynna. He sighed. Who would have thought that my servant would be the one to put herself at risk for the kingdom in my place? * Princess hauled the High Elves across their homeland and to the new High Elven Starter City, and just before they got there, Ren thought about the Vasalor''s Chosen title he had and deactivated it''s outward effect. He didn''t want to deactivate it completely, because he suspected if he did that, he wouldn''t be able to turn it back on again. Ren asked Princess to land inside the city, rather than outside, and she landed in a large area beside one of the apartment buildings. Ren hopped off of her and opened the cart, and started to help people climb out. It was going to take a while, just like loading it did; but, that was okay. He wasn''t really in a rush, anyway. Chapter 513 - Pit Stop Ren helped everyone climb out of the gigantic cart, and one of the last to get out was Tanelia. No one had moved away from the cart, because they were too busy staring at everything. ¡°There''s a museum!¡± Someone said. ¡°A theatre!¡± ¡°Is that an arena?¡± ¡°There''s two great meeting halls!¡± ¡°Look at the standard businesses, with lots of room for expansions!¡± ¡°Count the outer spires!¡± A female voice exclaimed. ¡°He wasn''t kidding! He really made 10 of them!¡± ¡°There''s everything here.¡± Tanelia said with wonder in her voice. ¡°With lots of room for anyone that wants to do what they want.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t worry about the lack of greenery, because I''ll be taking care of that soon.¡± He said. ¡°Hopefully.¡± Tanelia looked around to see what he meant, and she nodded. There were no trees, grass, bushes, or anything else in the designated relaxation areas. ¡°So, where do I go to take over running this thing?¡± Tanelia asked. ¡°There''s 3 administration buildings, so you can set up your office in one of them.¡± ¡°Did you say 3?¡± Tanelia asked, and he nodded. ¡°Why did you make 3 of them?¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I was going for an aesthetic look, and added them because I could.¡± ¡°Why not 4 to make them evenly spaced?¡± ¡°I had that, but changed one into a pile of smaller buildings to make them Embassies for the other races.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think we can leave them empty, and as time goes on, we can start adding ambassadors to them.¡± ¡°Well, you''ve definitely surprised me.¡± Tanelia said. ¡°Not really.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I have a real surprise for you.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Ren nodded and took a couple of steps into the air to whisper in her ear. ¡°I''ve met your sister.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Tanelia yelled. Several High Elves were shaken out of their reverie over the place and looked at her. ¡°Everyone, please find yourselves a place to live.¡± ¡°Good idea!¡± Someone said. ¡°M''lord, can we have our things?¡± Ren took out the two buildings he had stored and placed them off to the side of the street in an empty lot, and went back to Tanelia. ¡°When I discovered her name, I asked about you.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°After we talked for several minutes, I mentioned the two of you meeting.¡± Tanelia shook her head. ¡°She can''t forgive me for siding with the family.¡± ¡°You''re not on your family''s side right now, are you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened. ¡°If you aren''t sure, then there''s a chance you won''t stay separated.¡± He said. ¡°I won''t pressure you into doing anything you don''t want to; but, you and your sister are one of the reasons I made the embassies for other races.¡± Tanelia sighed. ¡°I will think over what you said.¡± ¡°Not right now.¡± Ren said and waved to the buildings around them. ¡°Get to work!¡± Tanelia chuckled. ¡°Very well, M''lord.¡± Tanelia walked over to the building with their personal stuff in it, and Teepo spoke. ¡°Ren, now that you''re here, you should go and check on that elfling with the Emotion Siphon ability.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re ahead of me again.¡± Ren said and looked at the large cart. Artemis already had it disconnected from Princess, so Ren stored it. He mounted the saddle on Princess'' back, and they took off through the air. With all of his Auras active, Ren activated his Emotion Siphon ability and had Princess run a criss-cross pattern over the city. They found her in the middle retaining wall, in one of the top apartments that were designed for elflings, and Princess landed on top of it. Ren asked Artemis to stay with Princess and walked down to the female elfling''s window and knocked. He felt her as she moved through his Aura, and the window opened. ¡°My Lord.¡± The female elfling said. ¡°Please, grace my home with your presence.¡± ¡°I probably should have knocked on your door, if we''re being so formal.¡± Ren said, and she smiled. ¡°Just having you here is fine, My Lord.¡± ¡°I came to see how you are feeling.¡± Ren said, and he used his ability to touch her. She gasped and shuddered as she reached out for him. He equipped his High Elven Court Uniform and took her into his arms. ¡°M-my Lord...¡± ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to...¡± ¡°Do.... do it again.¡± She said and looked at him with longing in her eyes. ¡°I haven''t felt this good since the last time we... touched.¡± ¡°You know that we...¡± ¡°Yes, I can feel your reluctance to ravage me like I want you to.¡± She said and waved to the couch. Ren walked over to it with her and sat down. She sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°You said that physical touch enhances the feelings we can share.¡± She said and kissed his cheek, then shivered when she received a good chunk of his emotions. ¡°So, touch me as much as you want, and bestow upon me what I crave.¡± ¡°I don''t even know your name.¡± Ren said. ¡°Activate your Prince Charming title and I will tell you.¡± She said, and he chuckled. ¡°Do you really need to see me as a more desirable mate?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I can already feel how turned on you are.¡± ¡°Your Auras are intoxicating, especially with the trace of Fear through them.¡± She said, and rubbed her cheek on his forehead. ¡°I''ve tried this with some of the others; but, it''s like eating a piece of fish when what I''m really hungry for is a piece of thick...¡± She kissed his forehead. ¡°...hard...¡± She tilted his head back and kissed his cheek. ¡°...meat.¡± Ren kept his eyes open as she straddled his lap and kissed him on the lips, and her Emotion Siphon ability opened up. She started to suck his emotions down, and she offered her own heightened emotions. His Emotion Siphon ability opened in response to her offer and he absorbed everything she gave him. One of her hands slid down to his chest and opened his uniform to touch his bare skin, and he moved his hands down to grab her backside. Oh, what the hell. Ren thought and activated his Prince Charming title, and she sighed into his mouth as the feelings he brought out of her filled her up. Her emotions doubled and she offered them up to him without reservation, so Ren absorbed them and gave her his own enjoyment in return. Her ability consumed it greedily, and she broke the kiss.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°I''m Halaiyah Granaihon, My Lord Ren.¡± She whispered and kissed him again. Her emotions increased somehow, as if she had learned to store them like he did, and Ren absorbed them just as greedily as she was taking his. She broke the kiss again and leaned back slightly, then pulled open his uniform to expose his chest. ¡°What... what are you... doing?¡± Ren asked, almost groggily. ¡°I was seeing if your mark had changed like mine has.¡± Halaiyah said and rubbed the spot on his chest where a mark would have been, had Ren been marked normally. ¡°Your mark... changed?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Halaiyah said and stored her dress, which left her in just a small pair of underwear. Ren was surprised, because he saw that her chest was quite a bit larger than he had assumed from the clothing she had worn, and his hands were now only touching a thin bit of cloth. ¡°You see?¡± Halaiyah said and touched the mark. ¡°It''s growing legs.¡± Ren looked at the skull mark above her heart and it had the first segment of spider legs sticking out of it. He lifted his right hand to touch her mark, and she took the hand and put it beside the mark above her heart. ¡°It''s becoming like yours.¡± Halaiyah said. He felt how happy she was at the thought, and that made him happy. ¡°My... My Lord, I...¡± She almost gasped as her ability chose that moment to level up, and it left her emotionally empty. Ren felt her start to panic, and he stopped trying to filter his emotions and just poured them into her. She did gasp at that, then she moved his hand down to cup her breast with it. ¡°Y-yes, My Lord!¡± Halaiyah said. ¡°M-more!¡± Ren''s other hand joined that one and cupped her other breast, then he started to massage them both. His emotions spiked through her, because it felt really good for the both of them. ¡°Mmm!¡± Halaiyah moaned. ¡°More! Give me more!¡± Ren liked it when a woman knew what she wanted, so he let her breasts go. He felt her immediate flash of anger at the loss of contact and his strong emotions. He smiled as he turned and laid down on the couch and dragged her with him. He felt her startle slightly, then her bare chest landed on his exposed chest and her whole body quivered from the direct intimate contact. ¡°You said... you wanted more.¡± Ren said. He wasn''t sure why he was feeling a little breathless, since he wasn''t doing anything strenuous, so he used an Energize spell in the hopes it would counter whatever was wrong. He felt better instantly, and Halaiyah caught her breath as his emotions were back in full strength. ¡°M-my L-lord! Thank you!¡± Halaiyah said. ¡°You are so giving!¡± She said and kissed him. Now that it wasn''t a gradual thing, Ren felt that it was Halaiyah that was consuming him and exhausting him. For some reason, her ability was much stronger than normal and was draining his Stamina, too. When he thought about it, he remembered her saying that she had always felt emotions. Maybe when that ability changed to what it is now, it brought that added strength with it. Ren thought to himself. ¡°Let me feed you as much as I can.¡± He said and picked her up, rolled over and put her on the couch. ¡°My Lord, you can do whatever you want.¡± Halaiyah almost moaned in anticipation. ¡°I''ve recently done this to 5 succubi.¡± Ren said and sat up as he pulled off her underwear, then he built up everything the succubi had felt. ¡°This should fill you up.¡± ¡°Please!¡± Halaiyah said, and Ren bent down slowly. He watched her face as he descended between her legs, and her anticipation built and built. When he was just about to touch her special place, he stopped. Her body jerked because it reacted as if he had touched it, and he grinned. Halaiyah whined a little, and Ren could feel that she ached to be touched. He touched the inside of her thighs with his fingertips to tease her a little. She caught her breath, her legs trembled, and she begged him with her emotions. His tongue quickly darted out and grazed her only slightly, and she finished. ¡°AHHH!¡± Halaiyah yelled, then grabbed onto his head and shoved his face down onto her special place. She threw her head back and screamed as he pleased her over and over, and fed her with everything the succubi felt, too. Her screams turned to long and drawn out moans as Ren stayed there for nearly 10 minutes to make sure she was completely satisfied. When Ren was finished and stood up, Halaiyah''s ability had leveled twice more, she had finished many more times than that, and he felt that she was emotionally full and exhausted from pleasure. Her hand reached out and weakly waved to him, so he took it and knelt by her. ¡°Thhhank youuu.¡± Halaiyah breathed. ¡°Just make sure you only do this with me from now on.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your ability is too strong for anyone else to handle.¡± ¡°I... lied.¡± Halaiyah whispered. ¡°No... no one else.¡± Ren smiled, and she felt how happy he was that she hadn''t hurt anyone. ¡°I... can''t eat yet.¡± She said. ¡°You won''t have to eat anything else for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°When... again...¡± ¡°A few days, maybe a week.¡± Ren said, and touched the Ghoul Kissed skull mark above her heart. ¡°Or longer. I fed you a lot more than I''ve fed anyone else in so short a period of time.¡± Halaiyah''s mark now had 2 segments of spider legs sticking out of it. ¡°I''m... special?¡± Ren lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. ¡°You are.¡± He said. ¡°Probably one of a kind.¡± ¡°H...happy... with me?¡± Halaiyah asked. ¡°I... kind of... used you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m not the one that''s barely conscious right now.¡± ¡°Almost.¡± Halaiyah said, because she had felt him waver that first time. Ren nodded. ¡°Once I knew, I kept using Energize on myself.¡± He said. ¡°Now I need to go.¡± ¡°Can... can I...¡± Ren leaned in and gave her a platonic kiss, and he felt her acceptance. ¡°I''m... willing to share.¡± Halaiyah said, and he smiled. ¡°Despite the occasional exaggerated boast, there actually isn''t enough of me to go around.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m barely keeping up with occasional visits.¡± Halaiyah nodded, and he gave her another kiss with a trace of desire. ¡°You have really nice breasts.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. Her chest jiggled, and he watched them until they stopped. Halaiyah felt his appreciation, and she smiled. ¡°You''re so nice.¡± ¡°Not after what we just did.¡± Ren smiled back and let her hand go. ¡°See you later.¡± Halaiyah nodded and Ren touched her head and cast Energize on her. She felt better instantly and watched as Ren stood up, went to the window and stepped out into the air, then closed the window behind him. What a man. Halaiyah thought, and she couldn''t wait until the next time. Ren ran up to the top of the wall to meet Princess and Artemis. ¡°Sorry it took so long.¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°Actually, we are both surprised it was only this long, especially after the succubi.¡± Princess brayed her amusement, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Please show me the closest Underworld entrance.¡± It showed him on the map, and in was an old ruined building just on the inside of the border of the High Elven Kingdom. He showed it to Princess and Artemis and stored the mirror, then climbed up into the saddle. ¡°Onward, upward and downward!¡± Ren said and pointed in the right direction. ¡°We''re late for an important date!¡± Princess trotted up into the air and ran towards the spot where the closest entrance was. ¡°I don''t think we''re late.¡± Artemis said. ¡°We don''t know how long they''ve been down there, and they knew you had an important task to handle after getting out of there.¡± She said as she flew beside Ren. ¡°In fact, we''re going in early, considering that there are still ghouls to take care of.¡± They landed at the spot and Ren hopped off of Princess, and the three of them went into the old building to see a dark well. ¡°This is a neat way to hide an entrance.¡± Ren said. ¡°An abandoned well inside an old barn.¡± ¡°I don''t see any water.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Is it an illusion?¡± ¡°Good point.¡± Ren said and used Detect Traps and Detect Magic, and nothing appeared to glow. He used Enchanted Eyes next and nothing appeared. ¡°Looks clear.¡± ¡°Princess isn''t going to fit in there.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Yes, she will.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, I don''t want to.¡± Princess said. ¡°I will wait here.¡± ¡°Come on, it won''t be that bad.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, I don''t want to.¡± Princess repeated. ¡°Will you let me go down into the Underworld without you this time?¡± Ren asked, and she sighed. ¡°You had better change me back when we are down there, or I will never forgive you.¡± Princess said. ¡°I promise.¡± Ren said and touched her, then used the Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything spell to make her half her size. Instead of being 5 feet tall, 5 feet long, and 3 feet wide, she was now only 2.5 feet high, 2.5 feet long, and 1.5 feet wide. ¡°Aw, you''re so cut-¡± ¡°DON''T SAY IT!¡± Small Princess yelled. Her voice wasn''t the nice husky female voice it normally was, but a squeaky high pitched one. Teepo chittered in delight, and Ren snorted a laugh while Artemis held a hand over her mouth to stop from laughing. Small Princess felt their amusement and huffed her derision, then jumped into the well. ¡°Hey, wait for us!¡± Ren said and jumped in behind her, and Artemis went in after them. ******** Stella had watched Ren in the High Elven Kingdom and saw the conflict, and picked up the cell phone and told Elise about it. They talked back and forth about it, and since Elise had already told Stella about Ren''s new title, they agreed that it was the cause. There was nothing they could do about it until he logged out for supper and filled him in on what Elise had learned from Max. Stella then watched Ren go into a female elfling''s apartment and the Blue Screen Protocol went into effect after they sat down on the couch. Ren, what are you doing? Stella asked herself, and then 2 minutes later it was off and she saw him leave. Okay, I think Barbara is right. She looked at him in real life and saw his excited condition. You are having trouble keeping your pants on, aren''t you? Stella had removed his pants and protection during the last extended Blue Screen Protocol, and now had a bedpan put in it''s place. She was glad that she did, because he would have made a huge mess if she hadn''t. ¡°You and I need to have a talk.¡± Stella said out loud and touched his hand, covered him up with a towel, then left the room to go downstairs and make supper for everyone. Chapter 514 - I Didnt Expect That Ren landed at the bottom of the well next to Small Princess and saw the doorway. ¡°Thanks for waiting.¡± He said sarcastically as Artemis landed beside him. ¡°I do not have hands to open the door.¡± Small Princess said in her now high-pitched voice. ¡°I meant about jumping in the well.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°I know what you meant.¡± Small Princess said. Ren asked the All-Seeing Mirror to show him what was on the other side of the doorway, and to highlight traps, creatures, enemies, other hidden doorways, and anything else that might be relevant. He had started asking very specifically, because if he didn''t, he knew that something he didn''t ask about would appear. The mirror''s surface shifted from his own reflection to that of a living room. The furniture looked well-used and pretty old, and there was an older Dark Elf lady that sat in a large wooden chair. There was a fireplace somehow, and she bent over and tossed another small twig on the fire. The fire flared up and consumed the twig in only a second, and the older Dark Elf lady smiled. Ren didn''t want to just step into the poor woman''s home unannounced, and he wasn''t sure how he could get in without scaring her. His pet tarantula crawled out of it''s hiding place in his cloak and skittered up his arm and touched his cheek. ¡°Thanks for reminding me.¡± Ren said and picked the spider up. ¡°My Queen, please forgive the intrusion. I am entering the underworld through an entrance just on the inside of the border of the High Elven Kingdom.¡± He looked at the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it for the closest Dark Elf landmarks. ¡°It''s inside a living space not far from an underground lake called ''Adzerios''.¡± * Lylyth, Queen of the Dark Elves, was delighted when Ren''s disembodied voice came to her, then her heart plummeted when she heard the name of the lake. ¡°No!¡± Lylyth exclaimed and tried to form a portal near him. It wouldn''t appear, and she looked at the healer. ¡°50 feet, or perhaps a hundred?¡± The healer asked, and Lylyth formed the portal in the air above where Ren was, and the healer stepped through it. * Ren felt someone familiar enter his Aura from above, and then felt her panic. ¡°Be right back!¡± He said and ran straight up and out of the well as fast as he could. He saw the Dark Elf healer fall towards him from a portal, and he carefully caught her before she had fallen more than 15 feet. ¡°M''lady Miarora.¡± Ren said to her, and she smiled at him. ¡°Are we back to using my formal last name already?¡± Tiatha asked, and he chuckled. ¡°I didn''t want to offend you, since this is not a personal setting.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tiatha.¡± ¡°I don''t care where we are.¡± Tiatha said and smiled. ¡°Now that you know my name, you will call me by it.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I assume you''re here...¡± ¡°To stop you from entering the Night Hag''s domain.¡± ¡°The night hag?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, you need to use the proper pronunciation.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°That is her name as well as what she is.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°That doesn''t sound right.¡± He said. ¡°I''m pretty sure if I came up to her and said something like, ''Hi, Night Hag. How are you?'', she would be insulted.¡± ¡°I would be.¡± A crackling disembodied voice said from nearby. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°I''m too late.¡± Ren looked around as the world faded away to black, and then it faded back in and was replaced by a large metal cage inside the room he had seen in the All-Seeing Mirror. He still held Tiatha in his arms, and he saw that Artemis and Small Princess were beside him. ¡°That was neat.¡± Ren said, and a woman''s chuckle floated on the air. ¡°You are amused by my wonders of magic?¡± The cracking female voice said. ¡°Can you tell if I''m lying?¡± Ren asked. The voice didn''t say anything in response, and he looked at Tiatha. ¡°I need to put you down so I can work.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t let go of me.¡± Tiatha said, and he felt her deep-seated fear. ¡°As long we keep contact and touch each other, we can''t be tricked away from each other.¡± ¡°We''re inside a metal cage.¡± Ren said and tried to use Detect Magic and Detect Traps. Neither spell worked. He used Enchanted Eyes instead and everything glowed. ¡°Or not.¡± He said, and the voice chuckled again. ¡°Yes, you see it and understand.¡± The crackling female voice said. ¡°Everything is of my design and creation here.¡± ¡°I should ask if the well was real, but I know it was.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m surprised the spells didn''t reveal anything, though.¡± ¡°The well is real, as is the door.¡± The voice said. ¡°Once I noticed you, however...¡± ¡°The spells aren''t continuous.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°You could have cast anything at all after their use and I wouldn''t have known.¡± ¡°You are quite astute for an Adventurer.¡± The voice said and something shimmered outside the cage. A 6 foot tall gorgeous woman stepped out of the shimmer, and Ren looked at her. She had flowing blonde hair down her back, exaggerated eyelashes and lips, and a dress that would be too short to sit down in. ¡°I don''t see any desire in your eyes.¡± The woman said, a little disappointed. ¡°I like pretty women, sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°That doesn''t mean I need to lust after them as soon as they appear.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± She said, then she stepped backwards into the shimmer. She was engulfed by it for several moments, then stepped back out of it. A 6 foot tall Frikara was now there, and she pulled open her top to reveal Ren''s favorite breasts. ¡°Is this more to your liking?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Ren said, without a trace of lust. ¡°I love seeing a perverted version of someone I care about flashing me their chest.¡± The fake Frikara huffed and put her hands on her hips. ¡°What do you want, then?¡± She asked. ¡°I need you to fall under my spell before I can take what I need from you.¡± ¡°What do you need?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Your soul.¡± She said and grinned maniacally. It looked so odd on Frikara''s face that it turned Ren''s stomach. ¡°Ugh.¡± Ren said and looked away from her. ¡°Why does having me corrupt your friend''s visage disturb you so much?¡± She asked from right outside the cage.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°She would never have that look on her face.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, there''s not too many people that I know that could wear that kind of grin and not make me ill.¡± ¡°So, you want me to change?¡± ¡°I''d rather see your real form, if that''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not asking you or making a request.¡± He said, to cover his words. ¡°I''m only stating a fact.¡± She was quiet for several moments, then spoke. ¡°Okay, you can look now.¡± No, don''t! Teepo thought to him, and Tiatha ducked her head down and hugged Ren tightly. What did she do? Ren thought back as he felt Tiatha''s horror. She turned Frikara inside out. Teepo said. It''s... disgusting. Ren sighed and ducked his head onto Tiatha''s chest so he couldn''t see anything, either. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°You entered my domain of your own free will.¡± She said. ¡°I can do whatever I want with you.¡± Ren waited for several moments, then spoke. ¡°All... all powerful Night Hag.¡± He said in the most pitiful voice he could muster. ¡°This Adventurer, unworthy of beholding your true form... or even being within your presence... asks for your permission to enter your domain.¡± The Night Hag was surprised by this admission. Most people that she caught would try to deny that they had entered, or claim they were tricked. She enjoyed playing with them to try and break their strong spirit. The Adventurers she caught would barely even speak after being caught, then would kill themselves and fade away to leave her items. ¡°You... are already inside.¡± She said. ¡°I know, and I can''t apologize enough for intruding upon you.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I was at the door, I didn''t want to just barge through, in case something was on the other side.¡± She thought about that, and realized that he was right. He and his friends had stood outside her door for several minutes instead of just entering. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°That was when I felt someone enter my Aura and I ran to meet them.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know the rest.¡± The Night Hag started to get angry. ¡°So, you are going to claim that you never entered!¡± ¡°No, Ma''am.¡± Ren said, and almost whined. ¡°I was explaining that I wanted to enter the door, but was interrupted.¡± He felt her anger subside. ¡°I won''t even ask for forgiveness for trespassing.¡± ¡°You are an odd one.¡± She said, and Ren nodded. ¡°More than you realize.¡± Ren said. ¡°What can I do to make it up to you?¡± ¡°Give me your soul.¡± The Night Hag said, and he shook his head. ¡°I can''t do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have too many people that depend on me staying around.¡± ¡°There''s nothing else that I require.¡± She said. ¡°So that''s it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°All you need is a soul?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What do you need it for?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That is not your concern.¡± ¡°It is if you''re going to use it to power a spell or something.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I hand over a soul to you, I want to know that it won''t be wasted.¡± ¡°Ha... hahaha!¡± The Night Hag laughed. ¡°Are you saying that you would hand over a soul, as long as it was useful and not wasted?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Don''t do it!¡± Tiatha said and kept her head ducked. ¡°You know she''s trying to trick you!¡± ¡°Of course she is.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t have much choice, though.¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± The Night Hag said. ¡°If you must know, I need a soul to imbue my creation.¡± ¡°Imbue it with what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Life, of course.¡± She said. ¡°At the moment it is just an empty shell, and needs the spark of life to make it whole.¡± ¡°If I give it to you, will you let us all go?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Of course.¡± She said, and Ren felt the lie. ¡°Then no.¡± Ren said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You have no intention of letting us all go, so I won''t hand over what you want.¡± ¡°I can just take it.¡± ¡°No, you can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you could, we wouldn''t be talking right now.¡± ¡°Rrrrr!¡± The Night Hag let out a low growl and stomped around. Ren heard something smash, then everything went quiet for a full minute. ¡°Very well.¡± She said through gritted teeth. ¡°You have my word that I will let you go.¡± ¡°I want your word that you will let us all go.¡± Ren said. ¡°GRRRRR!¡± The Night Hag growled loudly and smashed something else. ¡°Fine! You have my word that I will let you all go!¡±
Notice!
You are about to enter an agreement with the Night Hag. You must provide her with one (1) soul for her experiment, and she will let you all go. Warning: Bartering with or completing a deal with the Night Hag will have long term consequences, and will affect your experiences from this point forward. Are you sure you want to proceed? Yes / No
Ren needed time to think about this option, so he activated Serene State of Mind. Time itself slowed down and he contemplated what kind of consequences would result from the deal. We would be free, but we could be caught again right away since we still don''t have permission to be in her domain. Ren thought. I''m not sure how to word it to keep us all safe, though. Ren thought about it for another little while, and since Serene State of Mind let him think in accelerated time, almost no time had passed when he finally deactivated it. ¡°Well, I want your word that not only will you let me and my friends go, you won''t try to capture us, trick us, coerce us, curse us, cause us pain, wound or otherwise hurt us, or make us want to return afterwards... and give us permission to be within your domain without any restriction or fear of prosecution.¡± The Night Hag started to growl as Ren continued to talk, and when he finished, she howled in frustration. ¡°You vex me!¡± She spat. ¡°If I agree to that, you can walk free from here and will never have to worry about me again!¡± ¡°A soul is a very valuable thing.¡± Ren said, and he still hadn''t looked at her the entire time they talked. ¡°Is that too much of a price to pay for a willing, albeit reluctant, participant?¡± She thought about it for several moments. ¡°You are the only one to ever demand such things from me.¡± She said. ¡°Usually the fools just ask for freedom.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I was almost a fool, then.¡± ¡°If you give me a willing soul...¡± The Night Hag said. ¡°...I will agree to your terms.¡± ¡°Do we have to shake on it for it to take effect?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That is usually how things are completed.¡± Ren kept hold of the healer in his arms with one hand, and turned to stick a hand out through the metal bars of the cage. He felt a hard and calloused hand grip his firmly, shake it once, then let his hand go. ¡°You surprise me.¡± She said. ¡°Usually they grab on and try to force me to let them out without agreeing.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I agree to something, I keep my word.¡± ¡°That''s good to know.¡± The Night Hag said. ¡°Now hand over the soul.¡± ¡°I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°What?!?¡± The Night Hag exclaimed. ¡°How dare you break the agreement!¡± ¡°I broke nothing.¡± Ren said. ¡°We still haven''t shaken hands to form the agreement.¡± ¡°You just shook-¡± ¡°That wasn''t your hand.¡± ¡°Your eyes aren''t even open! How would you know it wasn''t mine?¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure your hands are not hard or calloused.¡± Ren said. ¡°A voice that sounds so nice wouldn''t have hands that a menial worker would have.¡± The Night Hag didn''t say anything in response. ¡°I''m right, aren''t I?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''d say your hands are thin and soft, maybe a little bony, because why would you do any work yourself when you have others to do it for you?¡± ¡°You should look at me when you are talking to me.¡± The Night Hag said. ¡°I''m not that stupid.¡± Ren said. ¡°One of the easiest ways to trick someone is to make them see what you want them to see.¡± He said. ¡°Once you said everything here was of your own creation, I knew I couldn''t believe anything I could see.¡± ¡°I''m not going to trick you at all, am I?¡± The Night Hag said. ¡°I certainly hope not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve never come across someone like you before, where everything I say or hear needs to be questioned constantly for double and triple meanings.¡± ¡°Are you... complimenting me?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°None of the physical skills I have can assist me here. My immense Strength, Speed, and Agility are meaningless when it''s my mind that is tasked to the limits while dealing with you.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve met lots of different beings during my adventures, but never someone like you.¡± Ren still had his hand out through the bars of the cage to be shaken, and he felt a thin delicate hand take it. He felt a deluge of emotions from the Night Hag, almost too many to sort through in the brief moment that she touched his hand. At the forefront was a grudging respect for him, and he held her hand tenderly and shook it. ¡°Does this satisfy you?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, and the decision popup to deal with the Night Hag disappeared. ¡°May I look upon you now?¡± ¡°That was the agreement.¡± She said. Ren lifted his head from Tiatha''s chest and looked at the Night Hag. She was about 7 feet tall and had a distinct look of a Dark Elf, with dark grey skin and elfin features and long ears. She had long black hair that went down to her waist, and unlike Dark Elves, she had two distorted and twisted horns sticking out of the sides of her forehead. They almost intertwined in her hair, and the point of one was broken off. ¡°REN!¡± Tiatha, Artemis, and Small Princess yelled. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh! You can hear us now?¡± Tiatha asked. Ren nodded and smiled at the Night Hag. ¡°That was sneaky.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t even notice that you hid their voices.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I thought they were just keeping quiet while we talked.¡± The Night Hag smiled and bared her teeth. ¡°We were so worried!¡± Tiatha said and kissed his cheek, and he felt her worry. ¡°You weren''t saying anything at all, and then your hand went out through the bars of the cage.¡± She said and looked where his hand had been. ¡°Where''s the cage?¡± ¡°I''ve reached an agreement with her.¡± Ren said. ¡°One soul for our continued freedom.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Tiatha yelled. ¡°You can''t do this!¡± She said and held on tightly. ¡°I can''t let you...¡± ¡°Hush.¡± The Night Hag said and Tiatha stopped talking. ¡°Now, Adventurer.¡± She said. ¡°Fulfill your part of the bargain.¡± Teepo, do you trust me? Ren thought to his friend. Always. Teepo thought back. Thank you. Ren thought and picked up Teepo from his shoulder. ¡°Here is the soul you need.¡± ¡°That is just a beetle.¡± The Night Hag said. ¡°I need-¡± ¡°I''m a lot more than that!¡± Teepo said and cut off her words, and the Night Hag froze. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''ve been Ren''s friend for years!¡± Teepo said. ¡°If anyone is going to sacrifice themselves for him, it''s going to be me!¡± Chapter 515 - One Soul For The Road ¡°What... this... that is not possible.¡± The Night Hag said and then disappeared. ¡°You are trying to trick me!¡± ¡°It''s not a trick.¡± Ren said and put Tiatha down as he felt the Night Hag move through his Aura. ¡°That apparently doesn''t work anymore, by the way.¡± She reappeared right in front of him, and he looked up at her to see her angry face. ¡°Give me a moment, and I''ll prove Teepo is telling the truth.¡± Ren said. ¡°You have 30 seconds before I ram my magic down your throat and turn you inside out.¡± She said angrily. ¡°You can''t even complain about me hurting you, because you won''t feel a thing.¡± Ren nodded and took out a blank amulet and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability, then chose the Amulet of Interrogation. It was done a second later, and he held it out to her. ¡°Please accept this gift, with no reciprocation required, as a token of my truthfulness.¡± The Night Hag took the amulet and walked several feet away, so she wouldn''t try to turn him inside out anyway, then held the golden disc up. ¡°How will this...¡± Her words trailed off as she identified it.
Amulet of Interrogation (Compulsion - Truth)
Beings (creatures or persons) within the area of effect can''t speak any deliberate or intentional lies. Anyone within the Aura cannot avoid speaking the truth when asked a direct question, or they will suffer through a blast of Heat that will make them sweat immediately for the first infraction. Each subsequent infraction will increase both the Heat and the amount of sweat produced. Any creatures or persons with no will of their own are unaffected by any truth-based spell or enchantment. Area of Effect: 50 foot radius
¡°You... this...¡± ¡°If you are worried that I am trying to trick you, it need not be worn and only has to be in your possession.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I may demonstrate?¡± The Night Hag nodded. ¡°You are the ugliest thing I''ve ever seen.¡± Ren said, and his face burst out in sweat. The Heat didn''t affect him at all, though. ¡°I''d like nothing more than to see your head removed from your body and mounted on a spike.¡± The sweat doubled and rolled down his face. ¡°I really hate long hair.¡± The sweat doubled again, and started to soak into his High Elven Court Uniform. ¡°I-¡± ¡°Enough.¡± The Night Hag said and Ren''s voice stopped, despite his mouth still moving. ¡°How do you stop yourself from continually suffering it''s effects?¡± Ren pointed at his mouth, and she nodded slightly. ¡°Usually by speaking the truth.¡± He said and the sweat started to slow down. ¡°Most times when people are asked a question, answering honestly does the trick.¡± The sweating stopped and the Night Hag''s black eyes stared at the gold amulet. ¡°This gift is more valuable than anything else I''ve ever had.¡± She said. ¡°Most people do believe that.¡± Ren said and equipped his Travelling Clothes. ¡°I take it with a grain of salt, myself.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°It''s an Adventurer phrase that means I accept it, but I''m wary of it''s consequences.¡± ¡°That is a good phrase.¡± She said and looked at Teepo. ¡°You are alive and have a soul?¡± ¡°I am and I do!¡± Teepo said. ¡°After Ren found me in his very first cavern adventure, we''ve been best friends ever since.¡± A tiny bead of sweat appeared on Teepo''s carapace. ¡°Except for the second time I didn''t wake him to stop someone he cared about from leaving.¡± Teepo said sadly. ¡°Ren was pretty angry about it, and I felt really bad.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t feel like I was his best friend for some time after that.¡± The bead of sweat disappeared, and the Night Hag smiled. ¡°Well, then.¡± She said. ¡°If you are the offered soul, crawl over here.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Teepo said and spouted his wings. ¡°I''d rather fly.¡± The Night Hag watched in fascination as Teepo took off from Ren''s hand and flew around the room, then came in for a landing on the amulet she held in her hand. ¡°You offer yourself up to save your friend?¡± ¡°If that''s what he asked me to do.¡± Teepo said. ¡°This may turn out better than I had hoped.¡± The Night Hag smiled and started to walk away. ¡°May I come with you?¡± Ren asked, and she turned to look at him. ¡°I''m very interested in what you have planned.¡± ¡°Apparently you are, since I see no sweat on you.¡± The Night Hag said. ¡°What of your friends?¡± ¡°Artemis must come with me, because she is my familiar.¡± Ren said. ¡°The healer can return to her home.¡± ¡°No!¡± Tiatha said. ¡°I won''t leave you!¡± ¡°Please.¡± Ren tried to cast Permanent Air Walk on her; but, it didn''t work and he sighed. ¡°You don''t need to stick around for this.¡± ¡°I was too late to keep you out of her grasp.¡± Tiatha said and took Ren''s hand. ¡°I am not letting you go while you are still in it.¡± ¡°That is so sweet, it''s sickening.¡± The Night Hag said. ¡°Come or go, it means nothing to me. You already have my permission to be in my domain.¡± She said and waved a hand, and a door appeared beside Tiatha. ¡°I''m staying with you.¡± Tiatha said to Ren, and the door disappeared. The Night Hag started to walk away again, so Ren, Tiatha, Artemis, and Small Princess followed her. * ¡°He''s supposed to take us with him.¡± Officer Holly said. She sat on the comfy couch in Xuunah''s apartment in the Main House. ¡°You do realize it''s the middle of the night, don''t you?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°Yeah, and I can''t get any fried dough.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I''m not keeping you up, am I?¡± ¡°No, I spent a good amount of time in my Sanctuary.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Thanks for not slamming the door in my face when I knocked.¡± ¡°I would never do that.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°What I would do is pretend to not be home or be asleep, and not answer at all.¡± Officer Holly chuckled. ¡°I do the same thing sometimes.¡± ¡°So what else do you want to talk about?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°Trying to change the subject away from Ren?¡± Xuunah turned her head and didn''t say anything, but Officer Holly felt it in their shared Reassurance Aura. ¡°Don''t tell me that you have the hots for your daughter''s ex-fiance!¡± Officer Holly said.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Xuunah''s face flushed red. Even though she didn''t know what ''the hots'' were, she had a pretty solid idea about what Officer Holly meant. ¡°Isn''t that forbidden or something?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°I''m not sure why I know that.¡± ¡°Mating with a mortal is forbidden, yes.¡± Xuunah said, and her face went to a deep red. ¡°You made an accurate guess because of our shared Aura.¡± She said. ¡°You are probably picking up traces of those feelings from me.¡± ¡°Does that mean you can figure out what someone is thinking from their feelings?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°To some extent.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Feelings and actions are two very different things, however.¡± She warned. ¡°If you start to confuse the two, you could be in serious trouble.¡± * The Night Hag carried Teepo out of her little hovel, through a cavern, and over to the large lake that Ren had seen on the map. Ren, Tiatha, Artemis, and Small Princess followed at a respectable distance. When they arrived at the lake, they saw on the edge was a gigantic mass of... something. ¡°What is that?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°That, dear soul, is my creation.¡± The Night Hag said. ¡°It''s taken me decades to harvest enough materials to create my masterpiece.¡± ¡°Would you be insulted if I said it looks like a big pile of slimy flesh?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°No, because that is exactly what it is.¡± She said. ¡°My magic has kept it in this condition, and as I kept adding each new piece, it''s size grew. To my delight, it''s inherent power grew in proportion.¡± ¡°That''s cool.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You don''t need to know, for the knowledge isn''t necessary for what is about to happen.¡± The Night Hag said. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I mean, if you''re shoving my soul into this thing to bring it to life, the least you can do is tell me what it is.¡± He said. ¡°It might help this... whatever it is... come to life.¡± ¡°I don'' think...¡± ¡°If you''ve never done it before, it couldn''t hurt to tell me.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Very well.¡± The Night Hag said and held Teepo up to her mouth and whispered. ¡°No. Way.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re serious?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°Okay, then.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Do your stuff and put me in there.¡± The Night Hag chuckled. ¡°Is this the ''willing reluctance'' your friend mentioned?¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I don''t want to be put in there, but I trust my friend.¡± ¡°Sometimes trust is misplaced.¡± The Night Hag said, and the mass of slimy flesh started to glow slightly. She started to chant, and Ren listened intently to it. The glow on the mass of flesh pulsed in time with the words she spoke, and after nearly a full minute, she stopped speaking and grabbed Teepo in her hand. The hand glowed the same color as the mass of flesh, and she made a fist; and a loud crunching sound accompanied the motion. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Tiatha said and kissed Ren''s cheek. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Ren didn''t say anything as he watched the Night Hag shove her hand into the mass of flesh. It entered as if the flesh provided no barrier, and she dumped a pile of Mana into it. ¡°I pay a soul to complete this ritual.¡± The Night Hag said and pulled her empty hand out. ¡°Accept it, consume it, and let it become the spark to bring you to life!¡± She stepped back out of the way, and the glow started to fade. Ren felt her anticipation of what was to come, and his anticipation matched it. The mass of flesh twitched when the glow faded completely, then it twitched again. ¡°Yes... yes! That''s it! Come to life!¡± The Night Hag exclaimed. ¡°Become my greatest creation!¡± The mass of flesh quivered and moved, and then it lifted up and up to reveal the head. The flesh of it''s lower body unfolded and flopped around as it reached it''s full height, and it''s true appearance was revealed. It was a Kraken. The Colossal Monstrosity was as big as Zetaya was, when Ren had enlarged the fire elemental to deal with the ghoul hordes. The Kraken stood upon the middle 4 of 8 tentacles that were spaced around the lower body, and the upper body had various large fins and thick natural armor pieces covering it. The amphibian-like head had wide-spaced eyes and was armored as well, and then the mouth opened and let out a huge roar that filled the cavern. The sound reverberated off the walls and came back tenfold, and made the sound that much more menacing. The dozen or so rows of shark-like teeth inside the mouth helped with that, too. ¡°IT''S GLORIOUS!¡± The Night Hag yelled, and the Kraken closed its mouth and looked down at her. ¡°I am your master!¡± She said. ¡°Bow down to my will! I control you!¡± The Kraken bent down to put its face down close, opened its mouth, then snapped it shut and gnashed the teeth right next to her. ¡°Submit!¡± The Night Hag said, completely undisturbed by the Kraken''s attempt to bite her. ¡°I made you! You are mine!¡± The Kraken pulled away from her, then somehow, sat down. The Night Hag gasped at the sight, and Ren felt her shock. ¡°That''s what surprised you?¡± Ren asked, and she looked at him. ¡°It almost bit you in half and you were fine; but, when it sat down...¡± ¡°YOU!¡± She yelled. ¡°You did something to my ritual!¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I didn''t do anything at all.¡± He said. ¡°Did I, Teepo?¡± ¡°NOOOOO.¡± The Kraken said, and the Night Hag''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Who would have thought there was a long and complicated ritual to do what we''ve done by accident, and several times on purpose.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± The Night Hag yelled. ¡°That first time was a bit scary, because neither of us understood what had happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°Teepo freaked out a little.¡± ¡°IIIIIII DIDDDD.¡± The Kraken said. ¡°What''s it like in there, little buddy?¡± Ren asked the colossal monster. ¡°IIIIII''VEEE GOOOT EIGGGGGHT LEEEGSSSSS!¡± The Kraken said and flailed the tentacles around happily, then it hissed loudly for several moments. ¡°I... think... that was laughter.¡± Ren said. ¡°IIIIT WAAAASSSS.¡± The Kraken said. ¡°I... I don''t... understand.¡± The Night Hag said. ¡°This... it''s not possible.¡± ¡°Actually, it is.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I listened to your chant very closely.¡± He said. ¡°Not once was ''consume the offered soul'' actually used.¡± She stared at him, and he chuckled. ¡°From what I heard, all you did was give your very, very large flesh golem creation a passenger.¡± ¡°N-no.¡± The Night Hag said and staggered. ¡°No, I... can''t believe...¡± ¡°What did you want it for, anyway?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Death and destruction, of course.¡± The Night Hag said. ¡°Why else would creatures like this exist?¡± ¡°Because they can?¡± Ren asked back. ¡°Ha... you Adventurers and your morals.¡± The Night Hag said, then sighed. ¡°I wasted decades on this fool''s errand.¡± ¡°NOTTTT WASSSSTED.¡± The Kraken said. ¡°What?¡± The Night Hag said. ¡°SPAARRRRK WOOORKED.¡± ¡°Teepo?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''re not alone in there?¡± ¡°NOOO.¡± The Kraken said, then it shivered. Lightning Bolts generated from its tentacles and flowed up its body. When the bolts reached its eyes, the Lightning came together and shot out to the middle of the lake. The water exploded in a geyser that caused ripples over the entire lake''s surface. The water started to bubble up in the middle, and then another large splash happened. ¡°Wh-what... what is that?¡± Tiatha asked, and then they all watched in shock as a real Kraken rose out of the water. It looked nearly identical to the one the Night Hag had created, except that it wasn''t as thickly armored. ¡°RENNNNN! HEELLLLP!¡± The Kraken said and started to slide into the water. Summon Teepo. Ren thought. Teepo''s astral form appeared at his feet and flew up to land on his shoulder. ¡°Where are you going?!?¡± The Night Hag yelled. ¡°COME BACK HERE!¡± ¡°Teepo''s not in control anymore.¡± Ren said. ¡°He wouldn''t know how to do that...¡± He waved his hand at the two Krakens. ¡°...whatever that lightning thing was.¡± ¡°NO!¡± The Night Hag yelled. ¡°No! Come back!¡± The two Kraken met in the middle of the lake, and then after another large splash, they disappeared. ¡°NOOO!¡± The Night Hag fell to her knees and reached out towards the water desperately. ¡°No.¡± Everyone was silent, because they all felt what the Night Hag was feeling. Her inconsolable loss reverberated through them, and Ren knew better than to approach her.
Notice!
Trouble Recipe ingredient: ''Kraken'' has been completed.
¡°There''s two things I''d like to say before my friends and I leave.¡± Ren said, and he felt the Night Hag''s emotions flip like a switch. She stood up and turned to him, and he saw that her pitch black eyes smouldered with Hatred. ¡°First... aren''t you glad that the Kraken didn''t kill you before it left?¡± Ren asked. The Night Hag ignored his words and took a step towards him. Her body trembled with power as she started to gather her magic to her. The ground itself started to tremble as well when she took another step. ¡°Second... and most importantly... how long are Kraken mating rituals, and how many offspring can spawn from a single pairing?¡± The Night Hag stopped moving at these words and her power disappeared. Her black eyes stopped showing him Hatred, and instead he felt something akin to intrigue and wonder. Ren took this opportunity to make a hasty retreat, without saying another word, and didn''t bother trying to go back through the other cavern to the Night Hag''s home. He took out the Staff of Earth and used it''s Pass Wall ability to make a tunnel to the next cavern several hundred feet away, and he and his friends all went through it quickly. ¡°That was the weirdest thing I''ve ever seen.¡± Tiatha said as Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror for the doorway he wanted, now that he was in the Underground. ¡°Do you need to get back to...¡± Ren started to ask. ¡°No, she knows where I am.¡± Tiatha said and held onto his hand. ¡°I''ll stay with you until you leave.¡± Ren nodded and changed directions at the next cavern, and dismissed the old Pass Wall spell and made a new one. ¡°I''m really sorry about your friend.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°His sacrifice will be remembered.¡± ¡°It sure will.¡± Ren said and cast the series of spells that he and Lara had come up with to restore Teepo''s body. ¡°Right, Teepo?¡± ¡°I brought a Kraken to life!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°An actual Colossal Kraken!¡± ¡°You Adventurers.¡± Tiatha said and shook her head for a second, then smiled. ¡°I''m not sure why; but, I had the feeling that you wanted to say something else back there.¡± ¡°I did, but I didn''t want to push my luck.¡± Ren said. ¡°She was pretty pissed.¡± ¡°What was it?¡± ¡°Don''t give up on your dreams, just because things don''t quite work out like you thought they would.¡± Ren said and entered the next tunnel he had made. His friends followed him, and when they had left the Night Hag''s domain, they all felt it. It''s almost like an Aura. Ren thought to himself, and cast Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything on Princess. ¡°Finally.¡± Princess huffed in her normal husky female voice. ¡°You''re not angry that you had to stay small that whole time?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No.¡± Princess said. ¡°Once we came through, you kept your word and made me large again.¡± The Dark Elf healer asked if she could ride Princess again so they could move faster, and she agreed. Tiatha climbed up onto the saddle, and Princess, Ren, and Artemis ran through the tunnel to the next cavern. At their new speed, it wouldn''t take them long to find the door that Ren wanted. Chapter 516 - Finally Back For Them With the Dark Elf healer Tiatha riding Princess, they reached the door that Ren was looking for less than 20 minutes after leaving the Night Hag. They had stopped occasionally on the way and Artemis cleared out several centipede nests, and Ren had detoured around several other caverns so that he wouldn''t disturb some of the other residents in the Underworld. The last thing he wanted was to disrupt people''s lives just because he wanted to get somewhere faster. ¡°On the other side of this door is Shargon Caverns.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been here before, and it can be nasty.¡± The Dark Elf healer nodded. ¡°I''ll stay here, since that is not an environment where I am at my best.¡± ¡°I should be right back, but you know how these things go.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you take into consideration what we just went through.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°I have no idea what you''re talking about.¡± Ren felt that she was being sarcastic, and he chuckled. ¡°I''m only picking up a few friends that I had to leave behind.¡± ¡°A few?¡± Teepo asked and chittered in laughter. ¡°I don''t think almost 200 pixies is ''a few''.¡± ¡°Pixies!¡± Tiatha exclaimed. ¡°Ren, you should leave them there and forget you ever met them!¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°They are trouble incarnate!¡± She said. ¡°The Queen had an infestation of them years ago, and it took us almost 10 years to kill them all!¡± ¡°You... killed them?¡± Ren asked, and she felt his disbelief. ¡°They captured and killed hundreds of us before we discovered their weakness to expensive things.¡± Tiatha explained. ¡°Once we knew that, we set traps for them instead.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Abandon them, Ren.¡± Tiatha said and touched his arm. ¡°Nothing good can come from helping them.¡± ¡°I''m sorry you feel that way.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t break my word to them.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''ll be bringing them through this door to get them out of the cavern.¡± ¡°Ren, you know why people are sent to Shargon Caverns.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°Yes, and it wasn''t a mistake in my case, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°Mind you, I think I got a lot more out of it than I was supposed to.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I know this makes you uncomfortable, so I''ll close this cavern off from the rest of the Underworld.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I have them all out and up on the surface, I''ll put it back to the way it was.¡± ¡°No, you can leave it closed off.¡± Tiatha said, a little sadly. ¡°My Queen will not take the chance that those things will roam free and infest the Underworld again.¡± ¡°Tiatha...¡± ¡°I wouldn''t normally question your actions, but this is a mistake.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°I will leave and let you commit your folly without my presence.¡± She touched the spot above her heart. ¡°My Queen, I would like to return.¡± A portal appeared beside the Dark Elf healer, and she looked at Ren with pleading eyes. ¡°I don''t know what to say to make you realize the chaos you are going to unleash when you take them out of there.¡± Tiatha said, and Ren felt her sadness. ¡°You will only have yourself to blame for what is to come.¡± Ren watched as Tiatha stepped into the portal. ¡°She''s right, you know.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s nothing we can do to stop them from running amok once they''re out of the caverns.¡± ¡°No, there is one way.¡± Ren said and took out a piece of parchment paper. ¡°I just hope they agree.¡± * The pixies had lived in the large archway apartments Ren had made for them, and loved it. It was so much nicer than anything they had ever had, both before and after appearing in Shargon Caverns. The archway was also the best. They could set up traps and things to easily capture people, and like Ren had asked them, they made sure that anyone that approached knew there was a chance they would be captured and made to hand over a monetary penalty. Only 2 people had shown up since Ren had left. A man and a woman. They were a couple and had shown up together, and proved to be quite a bit smarter than the pixies had assumed the average person was. The woman had summoned a short 4 legged creature and sent it through the archway. Even though it was barely 3 feet tall, it was strong and trampled through everything. The pixies were always ready for this eventuality and immediately replaced all the traps with new ones. At a whistle from the one that summoned it, the creature turned around and trampled back through the archway and destroyed the next set of traps. The two people knew that sending the creature through again would give them the same result, so they dismissed the creature. ¡°Hello, there!¡± The man said and waved, even though he couldn''t see the pixies. ¡°I wish to buy passage for myself and my mate!¡± ¡°I''m your wife, not your mate.¡± The woman said. ¡°That''s what I meant.¡± He smiled. ¡°Calling me your mate makes me sound like I''m a piece of meat that you use occasionally.¡± She said, and he laughed. ¡°We both know that I''m the one you can use whenever you want.¡± He said and took her hand. ¡°Forgive me?¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± She said, and he turned back to the archway apartments. ¡°So, how much to let us pass without being captured?¡± ¡°A platinum coin each!¡± A tiny voice rang out. ¡°Your jokes and pranks are very funny!¡± The man said and laughed. ¡°Perhaps something more valuable than money?¡± ¡°What do you have?¡± Another voice asked. The man whispered to the woman, and she nodded. She started to chant, and then a light started to form in front of her. After a few moments, the light faded and revealed a golden goblet covered in jewels, that sat atop a 4 foot tall pedestal of stone. ¡°Behold! The Goblet of Fire!¡± The man said, and flames erupted from the top of the goblet. ¡°If you give us that, you may pass.¡± A female voice said with authority, and then the pixie called Suniva Sunnyvale, the Firekin, revealed herself on top of the archway apartments. ¡°The flames are sacred, so you cannot touch the goblet.¡± The man warned. ¡°If you do, you will suffer the consequences for desecrating a holy object.¡± ¡°I will not touch the goblet, but you cannot leave it where it is.¡± Suniva said. ¡°We can move it to wherever you want.¡± The man said. ¡°Perhaps over to the side in front of the archway?¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°That will do.¡± Suniva said. The woman levitated the goblet and the stand it was on, over to the spot. ¡°You may pass unhindered.¡± Suniva said, and the other pixies moved their traps out of the way. ¡°Thank you.¡± The man said, and led his wife through the arch and out of the cavern. When they were gone, most of the pixies revealed themselves. ¡°It''s so pretty!¡± A female voice said as she appeared beside the goblet and looked up at it. ¡°No wonder the Firekin wanted it.¡± ¡°I don''t want the goblet.¡± Suniva said and stared at the gushing flames shooting out of it. ¡°I want it''s contents.¡± ¡°Ooo, sneaky!¡± Another pixie said. ¡°As long as you don''t touch the goblet itself, you won''t be breaking the restriction.¡± Suniva formed a bridge out of fire from the top of the archway apartments over to the edge of the goblet, without touching it. She crossed the bridge and felt the heat from the roaring flames in the goblet. ¡°I... I must have it.¡± Suniva said and reached out to put her hand in the flame. Her fingers entered the bright orange flame, and she felt a shock go through her as the orange flame turned to bright blue. ¡°NOOOO!¡± She yelled as the cursed blue fire latched onto her and travelled up her arm. ¡°STOP! I command you! Stop!¡± The flames didn''t listen to her plea as it merged with her own flame and spread over her faster. She fell back onto her flame bridge, and it started to turn blue as well. She dismissed her bridge before the blue flame could spread more than a couple of inches, and then she and the blue flames that remained dropped 5 feet to the ground. Another pixie had put a pile of rags there to catch her fall; but, she still hit hard and lost her concentration. The blue flames quickly covered her chest and moved down her body. When she came back to herself, half of her body was covered in blue flame, and she felt despair. Since she was the only Firekin in their settlement, she could not call upon anyone to help her fight the curse. ¡°S-Suniva? Are you okay?¡± Shanna, the first Pixie Ren had met asked as she carefully approached, and stopped several feet away. ¡°I guess touching the contents counts as touching the goblet.¡± Suniva tried to joke. ¡°W-what can we do?¡± Shanna asked. ¡°Watch me die, I suppose.¡± Suniva said and winced when she sat up. ¡°Unless you know of someone that can break curses or can give me more Fire to burn it away.¡± ¡°I...¡± Shanna took a deep breath. ¡°Not here, no.¡± ¡°Then I guess our odd friendship will be at an end soon.¡± Suniva said. ¡°H-how long?¡± ¡°If I can bother some of you for Mana, I... I can last a week. Maybe a week and a half.¡± ¡°We''ll give you everything we can!¡± Shanna said, and the other pixies gathered around to offer what they could. * Ren had closed off the cavern from the rest of the Underworld as Tiatha had requested, then stepped through the door into Shargon Caverns. Princess and Artemis followed him, and his full Aura covered the entire cavern. He heard a tiny shout that was a plea for help, and he ran over to the archway apartments. All of the pixies sat around a withered and burned figure that was covered completely in a low burning blue flame. He could feel the Void influence, as well as the small amount of Mana being shoved into the little creature by the other pixies. Shanna tried to stand up, since it was her shout he had heard. She collapsed because nearly all of her Mana was gone, and Ren caught her. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked, and offered up his Mana to them. They couldn''t take it in it''s raw form, and then he felt a small hand touch his. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°Rainie, filter for me.¡± Ren said and sat down as he picked the Waterkin pixie up, and he held both of them carefully. ¡°AHHHH!!¡± All the pixies screamed as Ren dumped several thousand points of Mana through Rainie and into them. He felt that Mana trickle into the withered being that lay in the middle of their circle. He used his Emotion Siphon ability to probe the pixie, and discovered who it was. ¡°Suniva.¡± Ren said, and he felt a flicker of flame inside of her. ¡°She was cursed.¡± Shanna said, tears in her eyes. ¡°She... she said she could last a week... or a week and a half...¡± Ren looked at the goblet that had the same blue flame and cast Remove Curse on it. The goblet disappeared as did the stand it was on, and he tried the same spell on Suniva. The blue flame didn''t go away. ¡°How long has it been?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Two weeks.¡± Shanna said, and started to cry. ¡°Shh. It''s okay.¡± Ren said and put her and Rainie down. ¡°B-but... she... she''s gon-¡± ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren said and cut her off, then reached out for Suniva. ¡°No! You''ll be cursed, too!¡± Shanna said. Ren smiled and activated his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Burning Hands. ¡°I knew there was a good reason for me to have this ability.¡± He said and picked up the charred body. The blue flame tried to spread to him, but it died as it touched his hands. He cradled Suniva and whispered softly to her. ¡°I can feel your flame, Suniva.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve lasted even longer than your lie said you would.¡± Shanna gasped at his words, and shock and surprise went through the other pixies. ¡°Show them... show everyone... that Fire can burn through anything.¡± Ren said and felt her flame get hotter. ¡°That''s it.¡± He encouraged and increased the Fire his hands produced. ¡°Show me, Suniva!¡± He said. ¡°Show me that Fire will never die!¡± Suniva''s internal flame grew and became stronger as Ren talked and poured Fire into her. He activated his Restoring Hands as well, and her Health, Mana, and Stamina started to refill. He was tempted to cast Full Restoration on her, but he was afraid she wouldn''t fight so hard to come back if she didn''t feel the pain. The charred flesh of Suniva''s face cracked and her little mouth opened as she took in a deep breath... then screamed in pain. ¡°Yes!¡± Ren said and stuck out the tip of his tongue and touched her mouth with it to cut off her scream. The flame from his hands covered her and his face completely, and he shoved the flame down his tongue and inside of her. The intimate contact of Suniva''s mouth on his tongue heightened her sensitivity and receptivity to the Fire, and Ren felt her using that fire to burn away the old dead flesh. Ren was immediately relieved that he hadn''t used the Full Restoration spell, and Suniva absorbed his Fire just as quickly as he produced it. Her dead and charred flesh was melted away and fell to the ground through Ren''s fingers, then she converted the Fire into energy and started to heal herself. Ren felt her emotions change from despair to desperation, to denial, to acceptance, then to happiness that she wasn''t going to die. Then she came to the realization that Ren had his tongue out and was touching her mouth with it. Her still partially-bony hands reached up and touched his tongue, and caressed it as she sucked the Fire into herself to keep healing. Ren felt her feelings turn to desire, despite the pain she was in, and he tried not to react to that. ¡°Ah... nothing to see here.¡± Teepo said and waved his two front legs at the pixies. ¡°Yep! Nothing! Go on about your day!¡± The pixies started to laugh, which was Teepo''s intention. It broke the somber mood that permeated the pixies emotions, and they all started feeling happy again once they realized that they had helped Suniva survive for so long. It took almost 10 minutes for Suniva to completely heal herself, but she didn''t stop caressing and kissing Ren''s tongue when she was healed. He quickly pulled it out of her grasp before she could grab on firmly, and she sighed when he deactivated his Burning Hands ability. ¡°Suniva!¡± Shanna exclaimed and climbed up onto Ren and hugged her friend, then kissed her cheek several times. Suniva took the hug and kisses amicably, then carefully dislodged her friend to look up at Ren. ¡°You saved me.¡± Suniva said. ¡°Your people saved you.¡± Ren said, and stopped himself from trying to caress her with his fingertips. ¡°They kept you alive long enough for me to get here.¡± ¡°Suniva, Ren said you lasted longer than your lie.¡± Shanna said. ¡°How long did you actually have?¡± ¡°I was too surprised to put up my defenses before the curse infected me.¡± Suniva said, sheepishly. ¡°Maybe...¡± Her voice fell to a low whisper. ¡°What was that?¡± Shanna asked. ¡°I said 3 days.¡± ¡°What?!?¡± Shanna exclaimed and started to swat at her friend''s head. ¡°You...¡± *swat* ¡°...lied...¡± *swat* ¡°...to me!¡± *swat* ¡°I was trying to protect you.¡± Suniva said and easily dodged most of the swats. ¡°I didn''t realize that you...¡± She looked around at the other pixies. ¡°...that all of you would give me so much of your Mana.¡± She sighed. ¡°I thought you all hated me.¡± ¡°We do.¡± One of the males said. ¡°You are so full of yourself and believe you''re special, just because there''s only one of you.¡± ¡°Yeah, and?¡± ¡°You intimidate us with your flame, and a lot of us are scared of you.¡± He said. ¡°But, that doesn''t mean we want you to die.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''m actually surprised that Shanna even looks at you, let alone is your friend.¡± ¡°What? But, I love Suniva!¡± Shanna said. ¡°If she didn''t burn down the things I make, we''d all be covered in weeds and vines by now.¡± ¡°I don''t mind helping a friend when she needs me.¡± Suniva chuckled. ¡°Plus, you have no idea how good it feels to feed the Fire.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with lust in her eyes and in her heart. ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡± Suniva nodded and told Ren of the two people that had left the cursed goblet. Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it where the two people were. He saw them huddled inside a cocoon together, their bodes covered in large spider bites, and their skin covered in poison veins. He turned the mirror to show Suniva, and she started to laugh. He showed the other pixies, and they all laughed, too. Ren asked where they were, and saw they were in the cavern that made them receive the repercussions of their worst decision during their time in Shargon Caverns. ¡°I didn''t meet any spiders myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder... does that mean each person gets a different experience?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I''m sure if Princess was along the last time you were here, you might have had a different experience.¡± Ren remembered his Phantom Steed being half-eaten, and he reached out to scratch Princess'' chin. ¡°Are you going to save them, too?¡± Suniva asked and pointed to the mirror. ¡°No, I didn''t come here to interfere with other Adventurers.¡± Ren said. ¡°I came here for you.¡± Suniva knew he meant all the pixies, but since he had saved her life, she took it quite personally. Ren felt her emotions, and her gratitude and need for him was powerful. He remembered the last time she felt like that and had pleased herself on his nose. ¡°Suniva...¡± ¡°Ren, my Fire burns for you now.¡± Suniva said. ¡°Take me from this place and I will be yours forever.¡± ¡°Um... about that.¡± Ren said, and took out a heavily modified contract. ¡°I want you all to read this...¡± Chapter 517 - An Entourage ¡°What do you mean he''s releasing a couple of hundred pixies from Shargon Caverns?¡± Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves asked her attendant, the healer, Tiatha. ¡°Those vermin should be exterminated!¡± ¡°I told him that, My Queen.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°I also told him you wouldn''t be pleased, and to block off the door from the rest of the Underworld when he brings them through.¡± ¡°He''s bringing them out through the access way?¡± Lylyth asked. ¡°Yes, My Queen.¡± ¡°That man!¡± Lylyth exclaimed. ¡°Why is he doing this?¡± ¡°He gave them his word that he would.¡± ¡°Familiar!¡± Lylyth yelled to the wall of spiders, and her 10 foot long familiar slid out of the mass and dropped to the floor, then came over to her. ¡°He would have blocked it off already, My Queen.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°You also can''t teleport there or contact him while he''s inside.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Lylyth grunted in frustration. ¡°He didn''t even ask me if he could use my doorway, like he did coming in!¡± ¡°You could always lock it and keep him from returning unless he has your permission.¡± Tiatha said, and Lylyth looked at her in surprise. ¡°Why do you say this?¡± Lylyth asked. ¡°Don''t you...¡± ¡°I told him he was making a mistake.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°If the door is locked, perhaps he will call you.¡± Lylyth snapped her fingers and the door locked. ¡°I hope you''re right.¡± ¡°What else would he do? Try to finish the caverns again?¡± ¡°That''s exactly what I think he will do if the door is locked.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°It might not occur to him to call if the door doesn''t open for him.¡± * ¡°What in the world is this thing?¡± Shanna, the 1 foot tall Pixie asked as she started to read the contract. ¡°Are we to become your slaves?¡± ¡°No, not at all.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Keep reading.¡± Suniva discarded the scraps of cloth that still clung to her and crawled up Ren''s chest to his shoulder, then grabbed his hair and swung over to hang in front of his face. ¡°I don''t need a piece of paper to tell me I''m yours.¡± She said and sat on the tip of his nose, then braced herself with her feet spread out to either side on his cheeks. ¡°Um... do you have any more clothes?¡± Ren asked, because he could clearly see all of her. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Suniva said. ¡°Can you put them on?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Suniva asked seductively. ¡°Is my tiny naked body getting you excited?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, and several pixies nearby were surprised at his admission. ¡°We are too very different sizes.¡± Suniva said. ¡°The most we can do is play and remain unfulfilled.¡± ¡°Even if we were the same size, that would still be true.¡± Ren said. ¡°That doesn''t mean when I have a naked woman rub herself on me that I won''t be affected, though.¡± Suniva giggled, and he felt how flattered she was. ¡°You still see me as a woman, even after seeing me look like a piece of well-cooked meat?¡± She asked as a nice dress formed around her to cover her obvious nakedness. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re... welcome.¡± Ren said, a little perturbed over her description. ¡°My arm is getting tired.¡± Suniva said, and Ren put a hand under her backside. She let his hair go and let her legs drop from bracing on his face. He moved her away so he could see her face better, and she crossed her legs as she reclined in his hand. ¡°This... you...¡± Shanna shook her head after reading the contract and looked up at Ren. ¡°You want to hire us?¡± ¡°It''s more like you''ll become citizens of my lands.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know how pixie magic works, so the only way I can be sure you won''t cause havoc when I take you out of here, is to have you sign a contract.¡± ¡°You don''t sound too happy about that.¡± Rainie said and climbed up onto his knee. ¡°I''m not.¡± Ren said, a little sadly. ¡°Contracts have been a bit of a pain in my butt, and making yet another one with all of you bothers me a lot.¡± ¡°Then why do it?¡± Shanna asked.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Ren sighed. ¡°I had a friend warn me about the chaos I would unleash if I took you out of here and let you roam free.¡± ¡°We''re not that bad.¡± One of the male pixies said. ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Another said. ¡°You remember that village with the crazy shaman?¡± ¡°Oh, he had it coming.¡± The male pixie said. ¡°He called us pests and said we were going to ''infect'' his nice village, then convinced the other villagers to slaughter us.¡± Ren sighed internally, because that was how Tiatha had described them. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°We showed him what happens when you insult a pixie.¡± The male pixie said. ¡°He thought we were going to stay and wreck everything, so we wrecked everything and left instead.¡± He laughed. ¡°The villagers kicked the shaman out after that.¡± ¡°I''m really glad I didn''t insult you.¡± Ren said, and the male pixie pointed to the contract. ¡°Do you really believe asking us to sign that isn''t an insult?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I actually need your help, and I had an idea for more attractions in my county.¡± ¡°This I want to hear.¡± Suniva said, and uncrossed her legs to show that she hadn''t conjured up underwear, then crossed her legs again. ¡°What kind of attractions?¡± ¡°It''s just in my head right now.¡± Ren said and looked around at the pixies. ¡°But, I had an idea for a kind of fun house full of your tricks and an obstacle course of your traps.¡± Every single pixie stopped talking and looked at Ren, and he could feel their shock. ¡°Did... did you just...¡± Suniva tried to speak. ¡°Like I said, it''s just an idea I had.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know it''s a lot to ask, but if you sign the contract and work for me, then you can make and use as many traps as you want to try your best to capture people.¡± ¡°Is he serious?¡± Someone asked. ¡°He can''t be.¡± Another said. ¡°That''s just crazy.¡± Ren felt a hand on his, and he looked down at a pixie he remembered giving a gold coin to, but didn''t know her name. ¡°You would really give us land... land for our use... and let us use our skills without restriction?¡± ¡°As long as you don''t seriously hurt or kill anyone, I don''t see why not.¡± Ren told her and smiled. ¡°I mean, it''s supposed to be fun. Why not let you have fun and let others have fun as well, right?¡± The pixie pointed her finger at the contract, and her name appeared in the first available space. ¡°Then with this, my proper name, I bind myself to your service.¡± She said formally, and Ren looked at the contract. He felt a little tingle on his hand and looked back at the pixie. ¡°May I taste you, My Lord?¡± Ren opened his mouth to ask what she meant, and then saw her hand was already finger deep into his hand. ¡°Sure.¡± The female pixie made a fist and removed a tiny bit of his flesh, held it up high for all to see, then took a bite of it. Her body glowed brightly for a moment, and when it faded, her colors were sharper, brighter, and more luminescent. ¡°Behold! Our benefactor gives of himself without pain or suffering!¡± She exclaimed and waved at his hand. His Regeneration had reformed his skin almost immediately, and he felt their surprise. ¡°Now I will return the favor.¡± ¡°W-wait.¡± Ren said, but she had already climbed up him like a spider and stopped by his mouth. ¡°Please.¡± She said. ¡°But you''ll be hurt.¡± Ren said, and she reached out and laid a hand on his cheek. ¡°It''s okay.¡± She whispered and dug a piece of flesh from her arm. ¡°I have Regeneration now.¡± Ren saw her arm close up as fast as his did. ¡°I have tasted you, now you can taste me.¡± She said. ¡°Please, accept this offering.¡± ¡°I...¡± Ren started to say, and she tossed the piece of flesh into his mouth. When it touched his tongue, his body glowed for a moment. The pixie shivered as a small beam of blue light went from her to Ren and connected them. She didn''t say anything about it as she walked down his arm and sat on his lap. ¡°Autumn!¡± Suniva said, then smiled. ¡°I had hoped to be first.¡± Autumn didn''t say anything and leaned against Ren, and he felt her churning emotions; but, he couldn''t make heads or tails of them to guess what she might be thinking. ¡°Oh, well.¡± Suniva said and pointed to the contract. Her name appeared in the next available space and she said the same pledge, didn''t ask Ren for permission for a bit of his flesh, and took some for herself by biting him directly. She was covered in a glow for a moment, and he felt her surprise. She stood up in his hand and walked up his arm to put her own bit of flesh in his mouth. ¡°If it helps, just imagine it''s my breast you''re sucking on.¡± Suniva said and tore some flesh out of her arm. ¡°No, that doesn''t-¡± Suniva tossed her piece of flesh into his open mouth and Ren glowed again for a moment, then she gasped as an orange beam of light joined her to him. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked as he felt her emotions churn in the same manner as the first pixie. Suniva didn''t say anything and walked down his arm and sat beside Autumn in his lap. ¡°I''m not letting Suniva leave me behind.¡± Shanna said and did the same thing as her friend. Before Ren knew what was going on, Rainie was right behind her at the head of a line that had every other pixie in it. Ren was a bit surprised by this, especially since he expected at least one of them to object to the contract. Before Ren realized it, he had completed pacts with all of them in only a few minutes. He wasn''t sure how that was possible, considering there was almost 200 of them and each pixie seemed to take a minute to accept the deal and sign their name, make a pledge, and adjust to the new bond. He supposed it was just his imagination, or a trick his own mind was playing on him after eating the flesh of so many pixies. When Ren thought about that part, he was almost sick about it; but, since he didn''t know anything about pixie magic or their rituals, he had to stop thinking that it seemed a little wrong. To the pixies, it was probably normal for them to share things this way, and he couldn''t impose his thoughts on them just because it wasn''t a normal act in his own view of the world. The pixies were all sitting in a nice pile around him, and somehow had managed to do that with at least some part of them leaning against him. When the very last pixie signed the contract and exchanged flesh with Ren, he received a popup.
Notice!
Trouble Recipe ingredient: ''Pixies'' has been acquired.
Wait, what? Ren thought and stared at the popup. I''ve never acquired an ingredient before. It''s neat, right? Teepo thought back. I wonder what flesh-bonding with so many pixies is going to do to you. What do you mean? Ren thought to his friend. They''re all bonded to different aspects of things in this world. Teepo responded. Things are going to be interesting from here on out. Like they weren''t before? Ren asked in amusement, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You think stuff really loudly.¡± Suniva said and looked up at Ren. ¡°Can you keep it down a little? I''m trying to tune you down to a dull roar so you''re not so overwhelming.¡± Oh, crap! Ren thought, and every pixie started to laugh. Chapter 518 - Out We Go Ren sat quietly and felt the pixies emotions, and knew they were struggling with the new flesh bond to him. He tried to stop thinking about anything to make it easier for them; but, he kept running things through his mind and couldn''t push aside all the options he was considering. After a couple of minutes of feeling restlessness from the pixies, Ren had a stroke of genius and activated his ability called Serene State of Mind. A collective sigh was released by all the pixies and Ren felt them relax and bask in the quietness. Time seemed to slow down as his mind was cleared of all it''s clutter. He didn''t think about anything at all, despite having the clarity to do so, and just sat there in the center of the pixies. After what seemed like an hour, one of the male pixies stood up. He clenched and unclenched his hands to make fists several times, looked around at the other pixies, then looked at Ren. ¡°My Lord, you truly are a wonder.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve never felt this... whole... before.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± A female voice said, and another pixie stood up and did the same hand flexing. Ren saw that she was pretty in that ''girl next door'' way, because she had hidden her sexiness, and her clothing was both conservative and suggestive at the same time, without being provocative. ¡°I will take that very flattering compliment, My Lord.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ren blinked his eyes. ¡°Oh, right. You can hear my thoughts.¡± ¡°Thankfully, only direct ones now.¡± She said. ¡°Did you really find forming a flesh bond to be disgusting?¡± ¡°Kind of.¡± Ren said. ¡°I mean, consuming the flesh of another is taboo where Adventurers come from.¡± He said. ¡°Here, though... with the different cultures and rituals and things...¡± She chuckled. ¡°You didn''t object too hard because you didn''t want to insult us.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Usually my Etiquette skill kicks in during things like this, and it lets me know how to act. This time I had nothing to go on.¡± ¡°It''s new for us as well.¡± Shanna said and stood up and did the same hand flexing. ¡°Normally, this would only happen once in a generation.¡± She smiled. ¡°A pixie would find someone that they would always want to be around, and decide that they couldn''t live without the companionship.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren looked at her, then at all the others. ¡°You''re all my companions now?¡± ¡°Not quite in the sense that you are thinking.¡± Shanna said. ¡°It''s like what you have between you and Teepo, only we haven''t gone through the time to build up the relationship.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°It means that most of them are now your good friends, Ren.¡± Suniva said. Ren watched as she crawled up to the middle of his chest and stood up as if she was standing on the ground. It put her body out at a 90 degree angle from his chest, and she crossed her arms. ¡°Good friends will do everything they can for the people they care about.¡± Suniva said. ¡°Did the flesh bond do that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, your good nature and willingness to deal with us as people did that.¡± Suniva said. ¡°What the flesh bond did was give us access to your physical abilities.¡± ¡°Wow, really?¡± Ren asked, then thought about how each of the pixies had crawled up him. ¡°You even gained powers from my enchantments?¡± ¡°Only the ones that affected you physically.¡± Suniva said. ¡°As you have noticed, we all have the benefit of the Amulet of the Spider.¡± ¡°That''s really cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°It is, but I think we''ve all recovered enough.¡± One of the male pixies said. ¡°Do you think we can leave now?¡± ¡°Yes, good idea.¡± Ren said and deactivated Serene State of Mind. None of the pixies reacted as his mind was filled with ideas and plans once more, and he stood up. ¡°I''m tempted to take out the cart and attach it to Princess so we can carry you all over to the door; but, the cart won''t fit through the door, so that''s pointless.¡± ¡°Oh, don''t worry about that.¡± Suniva said and stepped off his chest into the air, took several steps away, then stood in mid-air and uncrossed her arms. ¡°You gained my permanent spells, too?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Now I really wonder what I got in return.¡± ¡°Our affinities, of course.¡± Suniva said. ¡°You have affinity with several of us already, though.¡± ¡°Wait, what does that mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Well, your Hands of the Gods should have expanded.¡± ¡°I didn''t get a popup for that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Show info for Hands of the Gods skill.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Hands of the Gods: Based on affinity, can generate that element at will from your hands.
Full Affinity (Natural) Limited Bypass (*Pixie)
Skill Element Skill Element
Burning Hands Fire Forbidden Hands Void/Anti-void
Refreshing Hands Water Freezing Hands Ice
Restoring Hands Light (Holy) Heavy Hands Dark (Gravity)
Rocky Hands* Earth Hurricane Hands Wind
*Green Thumb Earth Supplement Shocking Hands Lightning
¡°Well, it looks like I can use them all, but the ones I haven''t completed the affinity for myself only have a limited use.¡± Ren said and looked at Shanna. ¡°I wonder...¡± ¡°Yes, if we combine our abilities, it will work.¡± Shanna said. ¡°Should we do a quick test?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I think we should leave and try it outside, where it''s going to have better results.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Ren said and looked around at all the pixies. ¡°Is everyone ready to leave this place?¡± ¡°I''m actually going to miss this place.¡± One of the pixies said and touched the archway apartments. ¡°I had a really nice apartment.¡± ¡°We all did.¡± Another said. ¡°It''s a pity we have to leave it behind.¡± ¡°Who said we were leaving it?¡± Ren asked and spoke the command word for the archway. It shrunk down to a 2 inch wide cube and he stored it. ¡°Your section is going to need a cool entryway.¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± A few pixies laughed. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Ren said, and the mass of them walked through the air towards the doorway to leave. When they got there, Ren tried to open the door and it was locked. ¡°Knock.¡± He said to cast the spell. One of the pixies knocked on the door, and Ren chuckled as he tried to open it again. It didn''t work, and he frowned. ¡°Okay, something is wrong here.¡± Ren said. He asked to see the info for his Royal Consort title, and saw that the access to the Underworld part was greyed out. ¡°Son of a...¡± A low chuckle came out of about half of the pixies, and he looked around at them. ¡°Give me a second.¡± Ren said and took out his pet tarantula. ¡°My Queen, may I speak to you for a moment?¡± He felt a pull on his emotions, and he smiled. ¡°I can''t seem to open the doorway to go into the Underworld. You wouldn''t happen to know why, do you?¡± Ren felt another pull, and then sighed when he realized what had happened. ¡°You locked it on purpose.¡± He didn''t feel another pull, so he wasn''t sure if she didn''t want to admit it, or she hadn''t done it herself. Either way, it was still locked. ¡°My Queen, I''m sorry for disturbing you.¡± He said and put the tarantula away. ¡°Well, it looks like we''re going the long way.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± One of the female pixies shrieked. ¡°We can''t! We''ll die and be stuck here forever!¡± ¡°Calm down.¡± One of the male pixies said and put an arm over her shoulders. ¡°We''re much stronger and faster now, remember?¡± ¡°But the bonds are untested!¡± She said. ¡°What... what if...¡± ¡°Are you assuming that I won''t be right there by your side to help?¡± Ren asked, and the pixies looked at him. ¡°I made it through here before, and that was without my mount and my ranged combat specialist.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Yes, I know it''s your struggle and I can''t fight your battles for you; but, that doesn''t mean I can''t defend you with all my might.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have some items to share with you, now that we have to face this danger together.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Suniva tried to speak. ¡°I can give you armor unlike anything you''ve seen before. I can give you weapons, shields, bracelets, amulets, and enchantments to get you through this.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure they''ll lose some of their effectiveness when they resize to fit your small stature; but, it''s better than going in without anything.¡± ¡°That''s not what I was going to say.¡± Suniva said. ¡°Call your Queen back and ask for her forgiveness.¡± ¡°I already apologized.¡± Ren said. ¡°What...¡± ¡°You said you were sorry, that''s true. What you didn''t ask for was forgiveness.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Call her back and beg her to forgive you for your behavior.¡± Suniva said. ¡°Trust me.¡± Ren nodded and took the pet tarantula and did exactly like Suniva said. He was sincere and emphatic in his words and feelings, and when he felt them be consumed, the door clicked and swung open. ¡°Well, would you look at that.¡± One of the males said and went through, then turned around to watch the rest. ¡°Grovelling really worked.¡± ¡°I believe it was his sincerity and not the grovelling that did the trick.¡± One of the females said as she passed him. ¡°Actually, it was both.¡± Lylyth said, and all the pixies froze stiff and did that slow turn to see who had spoken. ¡°G-g-greetings, Queen of the Dark Elves.¡± The male pixie closest to her said. ¡°Normally, I don''t speak to vermin.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°The Royal Consort has deemed you worthy to share a bond with you, so I must at least acknowledge your presence.¡± ¡°T-thank y-you, Your Highness.¡± The male pixie said and bowed deeply to her, and he waved to the other pixies. They all bowed deeply, and Ren felt Lylyth''s suprise when he ushered the rest of the pixies into the cavern through the open door. Princess and Artemis came in behind him, and Artemis shut the door. ¡°My Queen.¡± Ren said and tucked the pet spider into his cloak, then cast Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything on himself and doubled in size, then knelt on one knee in front of Lylyth. ¡°I''m sorry for not apologizing sooner for abusing your hospitality, and for ignoring your opinion.¡± ¡°I believe you owe a similar opinion to someone else.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I already apologized to her for how she felt about this.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, on the advice of one of my new friends, I will reiterate and clarify it the next time I see her.¡± Lylyth felt his sincerity again, and she nodded. ¡°You may stand.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said as he felt her forgiveness, then he stood up and took her in his arms and kissed her. Lylyth was a little surprised by this and her guard dropped a little, and Ren took full advantage of the opportunity. He swept her off her feet and picked her up, and she gave that little startled yip as she grabbed him around the neck and shoulders. It made him chuckle that he could make her react like that, and he kissed her passionately. Lylyth, a bit overwhelmed at the change in Ren''s demeanor, could do nothing but hold on and consume the feelings he was feeding her. He poured into her as much as he could through the touch of their lips, and he could feel her body react to him. It took her a few moments to recover her regal persona, and broke the kiss. ¡°Ren, what...¡± ¡°I just wanted you to know that I''m sorry for assuming that because I have access to the Underworld with my title, that I didn''t have to ask your permission to enter.¡± Ren said and put her down. ¡°So, my Queen.¡± He said. ¡°Please allow myself and my friends to pass through your Underworld.¡± Lylyth thought about saying no, but she just couldn''t say no to him when he was being so charming. ¡°As long as they don''t stay.¡± ¡°Absolutely not, Your Highness.¡± One of the males said. ¡°I speak for all of the pixies when I say that we have all spent enough time underground to last us several lifetimes, and we want out of here as soon as possible.¡± Lylyth felt his sincerity, and then felt agreement from all of them. ¡°Then you may pass.¡± ¡°Thank you, My Queen.¡± Ren said and took out the Staff of Earth. He pointed it straight up and made an 8 foot by 8 foot square tunnel to the surface a quarter of a mile away. Almost as one, all the pixies and Princess ran up the tunnel, and Artemis flew up after them. ¡°I will expect another proper visit soon.¡± Lylyth said. Ren nodded and stepped into the tunnel. ¡°Thanks for not being too angry about this.¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°You can feel my not-so-hidden feelings, can you?¡± ¡°I''ll make it up to you next time, I promise.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have something to discuss with you as well.¡± He smiled. ¡°Farewell, Lylyth.¡± ¡°Farewell, Ren.¡± Ren dismissed this end of the tunnel and started to ride the magic up to meet the others. * Lylyth watched the tunnel close and felt Ren''s happiness about the ride. ¡°Why can''t I stay mad at him?¡± ¡°He had his Prince Charming title active.¡± The dark elf healer, Tiatha said from the shadow behind Lylyth and stepped out. ¡°I know that, but it''s not the reason.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Just because I see how desirable he is, doesn''t mean I''ll forgive him for everything.¡± Tiatha smiled. ¡°It''s a good enough reason, though.¡± Lylyth chuckled for a moment, then stopped. ¡°Did you feel the change in him?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°That''s why I didn''t reveal myself.¡± ¡°What did you discover?¡± ¡°Even though he wasn''t born or had a ritual performed on him, he''s becoming more like one of the original chosen.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°Even more so than you, My Queen.¡± ¡°I... I know.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°If I''m not mistaken, I think... yes, he is starting to realize it, too.¡± Chapter 519 - Is That Enough? ¡°Wheeeee!¡± Teepo chittered in delight as the magic of the collapsing tunnel shot Ren up the tunnel at ridiculous speed. ¡°Coming through!¡± Ren said, and a bunch of the pixies jumped onto him as he passed, while the magic picked up the others. They all laughed as they were shunted up the rest of the 1,300 feet of the tunnel and shot out the end and up into the air almost the same distance. Lots of them tumbled around and laughed, Princess brayed her enjoyment, and even Artemis had let the collapsing tunnel pick her up as well. ¡°When are we going to stop?¡± Suniva asked no one in particular. ¡°I''d say our momentum is going to an end in a few moments.¡± Ren said as he started to slow down. ¡°We just have to decide if we want the ride to end here.¡± ¡°Keep going!¡± One of the pixies nearly yelled. Her hair was white and she looked like she had a wind-blown expression with her messed up hair and ruffled clothes. ¡°This isn''t too rough for you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I always look like this!¡± She laughed. ¡°I''m a Windkin!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said as his momentum died. ¡°Well, we''re going a lot faster on the way back down.¡± He said, and they all started to plummet. ¡°Everyone! Make sure you stop 300 feet above the ground!¡± An outside observer, namely the High Elves that the tunnel in the ground had appeared next to, only saw a mass of something being tossed very high into the air, tumble around and spread out a bit, then start to fall back to the ground. The pixies that had hitched a ride on Ren leaned out over his body to see the ground rapidly approaching. ¡°We''re getting close.¡± Teepo said between chitters of laughter. ¡°On your signal, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°Everyone, get ready to stop!¡± ¡°Aw!¡± The Windkin said. ¡°Don''t worry. This is just the beginning of our journey.¡± Ren said. ¡°Three... two... one...¡± Teepo said. ¡°Now!¡± The entire mass came to a stop as if they had never been moving at all. ¡°That was fun!¡± One of the other pixies said, and Ren felt a general agreement from the others. The pile of pixies that had stood on Ren for the ride walked off, and he took out the covered cart from Princess'' saddlebag. ¡°Can we ride in the half-carriage instead?¡± One of them asked. ¡°I want to see out.¡± ¡°Is everyone okay with that?¡± Ren asked, and they all nodded. ¡°Open carriage it is.¡± The pixies watched as Ren put the cart back into the saddlebag and took the carriage out of his inventory and attached it to Princess, then saw him take a few minutes to make appropriate seating for them. ¡°There we go.¡± Ren said and looked at them. ¡°Everyone on board!¡± The pixies swarmed around the carriage and climbed in. Once everyone was seated, Ren sat in the driver''s seat and Artemis floated beside him. ¡°You know the drill, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, they are a lot hardier than new passengers.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Princess said and started to trot. Several of the pixies asked when the ride was going to start, and Ren told Princess to head to the High Elven starter city. She poured on the speed, and Ren felt the maniacal laughter from the Windkin. He looked back at her and saw there were several pixies with their hands in the air like they were riding a roller coaster. Ha, a roller coaster. Ren thought, then smiled. I enjoyed those ''tests'' Stella and Gloria put me through. Maybe others would as well. I''d say so. Teepo thought back. Look at the other pixies! Ren looked around at them, and saw expressions that ranged from mild amusement to outright joy, and felt the accompanying emotions. ¡°Go ahead!¡± Suniva said and waved to him. ¡°You like these feelings the best!¡± Ren felt the others offer their emotions up for him. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and absorbed them. ¡°Princess! Do a loop!¡± Teepo said. Princess huffed and started to run up and over, then around and back down in a perfect circle. It was over in only a few seconds, and the pixies cheered and Ren was swamped with their joy and happiness.
Notice!
You have gained a level! You are now Level 144 and 10 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked a skill: Portal Positioning
¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren read the popup again. ¡°Show info for Portal Positioning.¡±
Portal Positioning (Skill)
When using the Portal spell, this skill allows you to choose safe locations to place the exit portal so you don''t end up inside a rock or half in the ground. Visiting those places beforehand enhances your accuracy as well.
¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Does this mean you''ll be using portals from now on?¡± Teepo asked the obvious question. ¡°Heck, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°Besides wasting Princess'' talent and probably leaving her home all the time, you''d have to dissolve back into the ring each time I used a portal and I''d have to keep summoning you.¡± Princess and Teepo both felt relief at his words, and then they arrived at the High Elven starter city. They came in for a landing, and Ren told Princess to go down into one of the under-city access tunnels where the mirrors were. They came out the bottom and into the 5 mile wide farming area Ren had made underneath. ¡°Here''s fine, Princess.¡± Ren said, and she landed. ¡°Goodness gracious!¡± Shanna, the Earthkin said. ¡°Why in the world did you make this huge space underneath the city?¡± ¡°It''s for farming.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was going to have it outside and around the city; but, if anyone or anything tried to attack, the farmers would be completely exposed.¡± ¡°That''s so smart!¡± Shanna said. ¡°Only if this works.¡± Ren said and hopped off of the carriage and landed on the hard and infertile ground. He sat down and put his hands on the ground, then prayed to the Earth Deity and made a 1000 Mana offering. He sat there and waited for several minutes, and then he felt someone enter his Aura. A moment later, one of the Earth being''s heads rose out of the dirt.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Oh, it''s you.¡± A male voice said. ¡°What is it? I''ve got to get back to my normal sector.¡± ¡°I''m sorry for bothering you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have an idea that I''d like your help with.¡± The Earth being looked around and frowned. ¡°What''s this thing above us?¡± ¡°A High Elven starter city.¡± Ren said. ¡°A WHAT?!?¡± He exclaimed. ¡°It''s out in the middle of nowhere!¡± ¡°That was the safest place for it.¡± Ren said. ¡°My idea was to convert this section of land under it into viable land for farming.¡± ¡°You''re crazy.¡± The Earth being said. ¡°It''s only about 20 square miles.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll provide all the Mana you require to do it.¡± ¡°Besides the offering?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll make another offering afterwards.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± The Earth being said. ¡°I''ll have to think about it.¡± ¡°If you can contact the other two beings that helped the one that is taking care of my county, I''m sure they will come and help.¡± Ren said and took out a gold coin. ¡°What''s that for?¡± ¡°It''s an incentive to think quickly.¡± Ren said and put the coin on the ground. ¡°You''re giving this to me, and not to the Earth as a whole?¡± He asked, surprised. Ren took out another handful of coins. ¡°These can be added to the 1000 Mana offering.¡± He said and put them down in a separate pile. The Earth being took the pile of coins and held a hand out. Ren took the hand and poured 1000 Mana into him in less than a second. The Earth being caught his breath at the forcefulness and glowed, then let Ren''s hand go. ¡°I''ll... be quick.¡± The Earth being said and took the lone coin as he disappeared into the ground. ¡°You talk to the Earth?!?¡± Shanna exclaimed when the Earth being had left Ren''s Aura, and she knew she wouldn''t be heard by him. ¡°Technically.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only ever met her once.¡± ¡°YOU MET HER?!?¡± Shanna yelled in shock, and Ren laughed. ¡°I lead an interesting life sometimes.¡± Ren said and looked around. ¡°I''m glad the mirrors are lighting up the place so well.¡± ¡°I was going to ask about that.¡± One of the other pixies said as they got out of the carriage. ¡°How did you do it?¡± ¡°I replaced some of the buildings in certain locations to become sunlight gatherers and dispersion areas.¡± Ren said, and a pile of the other pixies got out of the carriage and looked around as well. ¡°Otherwise this place would be darker than one of those abyss pits.¡± The pixie laughed. ¡°Yeah, I''ve seen enough of them to know that wouldn''t be good for growing food.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Ren said, then had an idea. ¡°Is anyone hungry?¡± ¡°No, because we have your sustenance enchantment.¡± Suniva said, a little sadly. ¡°I''d still like to have dinner with you, though.¡± Ren smiled at her, and he felt her body react. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± ¡°More than okay.¡± Suniva almost moaned. ¡°I just want you so much that it hurts.¡± ¡°You don''t have any problem with telling me that so directly, and in front of everyone?¡± ¡°Why would I?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°You can feel that I do, don''t you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Then why hide it?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°I''m sure if any of the others shared my thoughts about you, they wouldn''t have a problem with telling you, either.¡± Ren felt a spike of doubt from someone, and he turned to look at Rainie. ¡°Rainie?¡± ¡°I''m sure it would be fun, but...¡± Rainie blushed. ¡°I think of you more like a brother than a lover.¡± ¡°Because we share the Waterkin aura?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°You''re more family than anything else.¡± Rainie said. Ren was touched by this, so he reached out and touched her cheek with a fingertip and caressed it. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Your Prince Charming title is quite distracting.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren blinked his eyes, then remembered he hadn''t turned it off after activating it in the elfling''s apartment. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± He said and deactivated it. ¡°Is that better?¡± Rainie nodded. ¡°Like I said before, I''m sure it would be fun.¡± She said and chuckled. ¡°Thinking of you like that was kind of weird, though.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Sometimes I forget the effect I can have on people.¡± ¡°Well, you do have so much going on that it''s hard to keep track of it sometimes.¡± Teepo said, and Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah, that''s true.¡± Ren said, then felt several beings enter his Aura. ¡°Someone''s here.¡± A moment later, no less than 8 Earth beings stuck their heads out of the ground. Six of them were female, and two were male. ¡°Why didn''t you call me first?¡± One of the females asked right away, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I thought it was too far for you to travel, so I just made a general request.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, now that you''re here, I should tell you that I have another city between the Giant and Dwarven Kingdoms that need the same treatment.¡± ¡°What about the one in your county?¡± She asked. ¡°We can do that later, especially since there''s a lot for you to do there already.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know you said you would do everything I would need for the county; but, doing the city as well seems like a bit much to expect you to do when I''m not there to help or feed you Mana.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± She said and looked around. ¡°Containing the farms under the city was a good idea.¡± ¡°I thought so, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d hate to have you do all the work to make the land viable, then possibly let it get destroyed if anything attacked.¡± ¡°This dirt feels so empty.¡± She said and ran her hand through the dirt in front of her. ¡°We''re going to need a lot of Mana.¡± ¡°Not a problem.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want it personally, or should I dump it into the ground?¡± ¡°Oh, personally.¡± She said and smiled as she crooked her finger at him to come closer. Ren knelt by her head and leaned down. ¡°How much do you want?¡± ¡°5,000 should do for a start.¡± She said and puckered her lips for a kiss. Ren equipped his platinum armor to boost his Mana Pool to it''s highest limit of 99,999 Mana. Everyone gasped at the sight of his armor, even the Earth being. ¡°Wh-what... how...¡± She started to ask him how he had made such an outrageous thing, then Ren kissed her. Her mind went completely blank as he dumped 10,000 Mana into her in an instant, and she glowed brightly from the charge. He broke the kiss and leaned back to let her recover. It took her a minute. ¡°Never mind.¡± She said almost a minute later. ¡°Me next.¡± One of the other females said, and Ren kissed her and gave her 10,000 Mana as well. He felt her let go of her control as she sunk down into the ground listlessly. ¡°Is she...¡± Ren started to ask. ¡°She''s fine.¡± One of the others said. ¡°She''s just being a little dramatic.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Would you like to be next, then?¡± ¡°I won''t swoon like the others.¡± She said, adamantly. ¡°Do you still want it through a kiss?¡± Ren asked, and knew that she wouldn''t say no. She nodded wordlessly, and he reached down to caress the side of her face. She was surprised at his tenderness, and then he kissed her. Ren didn''t dump the Mana into her like he did to the first two, and just let it gently flow out in a steady stream instead. This tactic worked wonderfully and Ren felt her swoon just like the others did. ¡°No wonder we had so many volunteers.¡± One of the male Earth beings said. ¡°You haven''t even recharged yourself, and yet you''ve given out 30,000 Mana already.¡± ¡°Thanks to my armor and my Mana Pool that triples my maxed Mana, I can give out another 270,000 Mana before I have to recharge.¡± Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him, even the three Earth beings he had already given Mana to. ¡°You''re not kidding.¡± One of the others said. ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to him. ¡°Fast or slow?¡± ¡°Fast.¡± He said as he took Ren''s hand. Ren shoved 10,000 Mana into him to make him glow, and the Earth being took a deep breath. ¡°By the goddess.¡± He whispered, and the other male took Ren''s hand. ¡°Slowly. I can''t take a huge influx like that without passing out.¡± He said, and Ren nodded. He eased the Mana out and let the Earth being take it at his own pace, and when he reached 10,000 Mana, let Ren''s hand go. ¡°Mana and gold, given freely.¡± He said and looked at his glowing hands. ¡°Where have you been all our lives?¡± ¡°I wouldn''t say ''freely''.¡± A female Earth being said and came close. ¡°It''s more bribery to get us to help.¡± ¡°I''d prefer reward to bribe, but that''s just my own view.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I can live without the kiss, thank you.¡± She said and held out her hand. ¡°As you saw, a kiss isn''t required for the transfer. It just makes it easier for some reason.¡± Ren took her hand and started to funnel her Mana. ¡°You enjoy it more.¡± She said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Actually, I think I do.¡± Ren said and finished giving her Mana. ¡°It seems since I gained my Emotion Siphon ability, a more intimate touch makes everything that much better.¡± ¡°That would make sense.¡± The next female Earth being said. ¡°Not only are you giving, you''re taking as well.¡± ¡°No, I won''t ever use my ability unless allowed... or there''s too much being offered up on purpose that my ability activates on it''s own.¡± ¡°So, you''re saying you haven''t been feeding on their pleasure?¡± She asked and motioned at the others that had already been charged up. ¡°I haven''t. I can feel how much they enjoy the Mana rush, but I''m not absorbing it from them.¡± ¡°What if I offer to share my feelings?¡± She asked. ¡°Then I would wonder what you would get out of it.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°Perhaps an agreement of sharing? Mana for emotions?¡± ¡°Hey, I told you before. You can''t have my Mana source.¡± The Earth being in charge of Ren''s county said. ¡°Okay, fine.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll stay as just a temporary thing.¡± ¡°You''ll only shake hands, too.¡± The other Earth being said. ¡°You really are scared that I''ll steal him away.¡± ¡°No, I''m scared that you''ll take things too far.¡± ¡°Well, that goes without saying.¡± She said and grabbed Ren around the neck. then pulled herself out of the ground up to her chest and kissed him hard. ¡°Hey!¡± Ren felt the other one''s jealousy, so he quickly dumped 20,000 Mana into the one kissing him. Her grip slackened as she gasped, and he deftly slipped out of her arms. He gave 10,000 Mana to the remaining Earth beings without incident, and they all set out to convert the land under the city to make it into farmland. Chapter 520 - Next, Please ¡°While the Earth beings are working, why don''t we go topside and make all the parks and things that the city needs?¡± Ren asked the pixies. ¡°A lot of us won''t be much help.¡± One of them said. ¡°I''d like anyone with Earth and Water affinities to come with me, at least.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve never done anything like this before, and I could use a few guiding hands.¡± ¡°Count us in.¡± Shanna the Earthkin said, and 6 of the other pixies came over to him. They all had different shades of green and brown hair, and once they stood together, you could tell they were touched by the Earth element. ¡°Us, too.¡± Rainie said, and 2 others came over to join her by his side. That made 10 pixies in total. ¡°I''ll try not to work you too hard.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Ha!¡± Suniva said and walked over to him, crawled up his armor, and sat down on his shoulder. ¡°We are the first pixies to have gained both Toughness (5) and Regeneration.¡± She said and dug her hand into his hair and kissed his ear. ¡°There is no task we won''t be able to perform for you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Why do I get the feeling you said that suggestively on purpose?¡± ¡°Because I did.¡± Suniva said and pat his earlobe. ¡°We better get a move on if you want to be done of the parks and things before the Earth beings are finished.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and looked at Princess. ¡°Are you coming or staying?¡± ¡°I''ll stay and keep the others company.¡± Princess said. ¡°Go and have fun.¡± Ren unhooked the carriage in case she needed to react to something, and she huffed her thanks. He walked up into the air and the 10 pixies followed and stayed with him, as did Artemis. They exited to the surface through one of the sunlight mirror buildings. ¡°That looks like a spot there!¡± Shanna said and pointed. ¡°Good eye.¡± Ren said, and they went over to a curved section that he had set aside for a few trees, hedges, grass, and some bushes. ¡°Shanna, you''re the expert here.¡± He said. ¡°Tell me what to do.¡± ¡°I''m the expert?!?¡± Shanna asked, surprised. The pixies let out a low chuckle, and Ren knelt by her. ¡°I''m pretty sure you''re the only one to call forth full trees and things with nothing but Mana.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re going to follow your lead until we get the hang of it.¡± ¡°Well, the first thing we need to do is get some dirt in there.¡± Shanna said. ¡°We should fill it up to the retaining walls, just to make sure the trees have something good to grip.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and held his hands out over the space. He activated his Hands of the Gods special ability and chose Rocky Hands. He started to generate Earth from his hands, and a stream of clumps of dirt came out and started to fill the space. Ren didn''t have the Earth Manipulation skill, so he had to walk around and distribute the dirt to make it kind of even. It didn''t take long for him to realize that he could increase the amount of Earth he produced by pouring Mana through his hands. It went much faster after that, and he stopped when it was full. ¡°Now what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Now we all put a hand on the dirt, thank the Earth deity, and choose what we want to grow.¡± Shanna said. ¡°I''ll do the grass!¡± One of the males said. ¡°I''m good at grass.¡± ¡°I''ll help.¡± A female beside him said. ¡°I''ll make the bushes.¡± Another female said. ¡°That''s about all I can do, though.¡± ¡°Don''t underestimate yourself.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got tons of Mana for you all to draw upon, so don''t hesitate to use it.¡± ¡°Then we''ll do the outer hedges.¡± A female said. ¡°How tall do you want them?¡± ¡°It''s for High Elves, so about 6 feet.¡± ¡°I''ll try making a tree.¡± One of the males said. ¡°I''ve only ever managed a sapling before; but, if what you say is true...¡± ¡°Make sure it''s a big tree.¡± Ren said to him and looked at Shanna. ¡°What should we make?¡± ¡°I was thinking a nice path of thin trees with intertwined branches.¡± Shanna asked. ¡°Like a tunnel.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said and knelt by her again. She reached out and touched his hand, and put her hand down on the dirt. The next pixie touched her shoulder and put their hand on the dirt, and each of the others did the same. ¡°Rainie? Want to give us some wet soil to work with?¡± Shanna asked. ¡°You bet!¡± Rainie said and held hands with the other two. A small storm cloud formed above them and it started to rain. Ren offered his Mana, and the small cloud covered the whole space. It poured rain for a few seconds, and then Rainie dismissed it. ¡°Thanks.¡± Shanna said. ¡°Okay, we''ve got what we need. Start growing!¡± Ren offered up his Mana, and they could take it themselves this time without Rainie having to filter it, which he attributed to the flesh bond. He closed his eyes and imagined the tall tree tunnel, with the intertwined branches over the walkway, and it was big enough to handle even the tallest High Elf. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised that a lush green space greeted him. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said, and he felt the same surprise from the pixies. ¡°Apparently, we can accomplish a lot more than we used to.¡± Shanna said, and everyone agreed. ¡°Where''s the next space for us to fill?¡± One of the others asked excitedly. ¡°Right over there.¡± Ren said and pointed to a small round spot. ¡°I can fit a tree in that!¡± He said, and the others laughed. When Ren filled the spot with Earth, the pixie actually managed to get a tree in it. Now that Ren and the pixies knew how quickly they could create a green space, they went around the entire city and filled in all the spots set aside for greenery. They had to stop occasionally as Ren went down under the city to give more Mana to the Earth beings, then they all continued their work. After a few hours, they were all done and went back down under the city to meet with Princess.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°This place looks great!¡± Ren said to the Earth beings when he saw the difference in the land they had made. ¡°I can imagine the city looks a lot better as well.¡± The Earth being that took care of his county said. Ren cast Viewing Cloud and Permanent Widen Effect to make it twice as big, and it showed the Earth beings the changes he and the pixies had made. ¡°You definitely have a flair for greenery.¡± She said. ¡°Nice job.¡± ¡°It''s all thanks to my friends.¡± Ren said, and praised the pixies. ¡°Now to adjust this place.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I can''t have farmland and no water.¡± Ren said and smiled as he looked at Rainie. ¡°Give me a hand?¡± ¡°Always.¡± She said, and took the hands of the other two Water-adept pixies. ¡°What do you need us to do?¡± ¡°Help fill the trenches.¡± ¡°What trenches?¡± ¡°These trenches.¡± Ren said and took out the Staff of Earth, and used the Move Earth ability. He made a series of trenches that could deliver water to every part of the farmland, then made a huge reservoir in the center of the city to feed it. He added Water runes inside for a continuous flow, then Anti-water runes on the top edge to stop any overflow. He even added steel squares at the ends of the trenches to stop them from overflowing as well. ¡°You Adventurers and your crazy plans.¡± One of the male Earth beings said half an hour later when Ren and the pixies were done. ¡°Has everyone had a good rest?¡± Ren asked, and most of the pixies laughed. ¡°We''ve done nothing but rest.¡± One of them said. ¡°Then you need a treat for being so patient.¡± Ren said. ¡°Who wants to meet some giants?¡± ¡°I do!¡± Suniva said. ¡°Anyone that Ren knows, I want to meet.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s the spirit.¡± He said and Princess stood still so he could reattach the uncovered carriage. The pixies all got back inside and he turned to the Earth beings. ¡°Here''s the second offering I promised when this job was done.¡± He said and took out another handful of gold coins and gave them another 1,000 Mana. ¡°Thank you.¡± One of the male Earth beings said and took the offering. ¡°Can I recruit your help for the next starter city that I made between the dwarf and giant lands?¡± Ren asked, and the Earth beings nodded. ¡°With 8 of us here, the job didn''t take as long as I thought it would.¡± One of them said. ¡°In fact, it was almost fun.¡± One of the females said. ¡°I don''t think any of us has had to convert so much unusable land before.¡± Another of the females laughed. ¡°It felt disgusting before we fixed it.¡± She said. ¡°I wouldn''t mind spawning an elemental here.¡± ¡°Hey! No sex talk in front of the mortals.¡± One of the males said. ¡°I''m not as prudish as you.¡± She said and laughed, then looked at Ren with a ''come here'' look on her face. ¡°Should we assume you know nothing about spawning?¡± Ren held his hands up in a clear stop gesture. ¡°I don''t know you well enough to help you spawn an elemental.¡± Several of the female Earth beings chuckled. ¡°A pity.¡± She said. ¡°I think an elemental you helped create would be quite powerful.¡± No one said anything for a moment. ¡°Can you meet me at the next city?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If we get this done quickly, we should be finished before the night is over.¡± ¡°Wait, does that mean you actually want to make an elemental with me?¡± The female Earth being asked with wide eyes. Ren chuckled. ¡°No, I meant reformatting the land and adding the greenery.¡± He said. ¡°I hope you''re not too disappointed that all I want to do is work with you.¡± She smiled. ¡°I think I can deal with it.¡± ¡°Then let''s go!¡± One of the pixies said. ¡°I want to see how much bigger a giant is than me!¡± Ren chuckled again. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± He said. ¡°Is everyone aboard and holding on?¡± ¡°Everyone but me.¡± Suniva said from his shoulder, and her hand rubbed his earlobe. ¡°Do you want me to sit with the others?¡± ¡°You''re fine where you are, as long as you brace yourself.¡± Ren said and climbed up to sit in the driver''s seat on the carriage. Suniva snuggled into the side of his head and held onto his ear. Ren activated Burning Hands and shunted the flames up to his ear, and she gasped as the flames engulfed her. She shivered at their comforting warmth, and started to kiss and lick his ear as a thank you. I''m really glad Nathalia desensitized me from that. Ren thought in amusement. ¡°Princess, up to the surface, please.¡± Princess trotted up into the air and went up the closest sunlight vent, and stopped when they were outside. ¡°Why did we stop?¡± One of the pixies asked. ¡°I need to tell Tanelia, the High Elf I appointed to run the place, that the farmland is ready to be farmed.¡± Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it for her location, and Princess took him there. He told Artemis to stay with Princess and the pixies, then went inside the administration building Tanelia had chosen to set up her office in, and knocked on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± A female voice said, and Ren opened the door. ¡°Well, hello.¡± Tanelia said warmly. ¡°How are you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Run ragged.¡± Tanelia said and laughed. ¡°I''ve hired a staff with money I don''t have, approved loans for new businesses that I don''t have the money for, and started planning a city-wide festival to celebrate our new home that I can''t pay for.¡± ¡°How much do you need?¡± ¡°Only a few hundred platinum coins.¡± Tanelia said and shook her head. ¡°Great Vasalor, did I just say that?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It doesn''t take long for the scale of money to get exorbitant, does it?¡± ¡°Try instantly.¡± Tanelia said and smiled. ¡°Going from a shanty town to a 20 square mile city is quite the change.¡± ¡°Let me check something.¡± Ren said and opened the Land Owner menu. He looked under assets, and he was only slightly surprised to see that a new tab was there. He picked the Starter Cities tab, and under it was the three city tabs. Inside each was the same as the options he had for Goagan City. He checked to see that Tanelia was already assigned as the Mayor in the High Elven city, checked the Giant city tab and saw Laurelia was the Mayor there, and no one was assigned in the Human city. Ren added budgets for the two cities with mayors and dropped 999 coins of copper, silver, gold, and platinum into each of them. He approved the new budget, and saw the popup appear in front of Tanelia. ¡°What... what is this?¡± Tanelia asked and read the popup again. ¡°Great Vasalor, Ren!¡± ¡°It''s your annual budget.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I won''t keep you from your work.¡± He said. ¡°I just popped in to tell you the farmland under the city is ready for farming.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Tanelia asked. ¡°The entire land under the city has been converted into farmland.¡± Ren said. ¡°So you can start growing your own food and become self-sufficient now.¡± Tanelia stumbled a little and sat down at her desk. ¡°You... how...¡± ¡°I asked the Earth deity for help.¡± Ren said. He felt her shock as she stared at him. ¡°Some people believe they can do everything themselves; but, sometimes a little help is just what they need.¡± He said and walked to the door of her office. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°W-wait.¡± Tanelia said, and Ren turned back to her. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s a message option in the Mayor menu if you need me for anything.¡± Tanelia nodded. ¡°If I may make a suggestion?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded again. ¡°You should appoint your sister as the temporary Ambassador to the Dark Elves.¡± He said, and felt her shock again. ¡°You can have preliminary meetings and see if the whole ambassador thing will work or not.¡± Tanelia didn''t say anything, so Ren gave her a little wave and left her office. He ran out to Princess, Artemis, and the waiting pixies. He climbed into the driver''s seat of the carriage and Princess took off. Artemis flew beside them as they went across the continent, then across the sea, and came to a stop at the Giant starter city. ¡°It''s huge!¡± One of the male pixies exclaimed when they landed in front of the main administration building. ¡°I''ve felt small before, but this...¡± The pixie shook his head. ¡°It''s unbelievable.¡± ¡°I thought seeing a colossal cow was unbelievable, right up until I saw it.¡± Ren said and laughed. Teepo chittered in delight and Artemis laughed, too. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror and saw that Laurelia was inside and working a late night just like Tanelia had been in the High Elven city, and he jumped off the carriage and went inside the building to talk to her. It went almost the same as when he talked to Tanelia, except that he had already given her the outrageous budget. Ren left the office and then he, Princess, Artemis, and the pixies went under the city to meet the Earth beings and to get the next job started. The Earth beings arrived not long after, and set about the work Ren needed them to do, while he and the appropriate pixies added the greenery that the city needed above ground. The pixies initially said that they couldn''t make giant-sized items, and Ren told them they only needed to make normal-sized ones and he would enlarge them. The work went quickly after that. Chapter 521 - Back Home To Rest Ren and the pixies finished the greenery for the Giant starter city and went back underneath to meet with the Earth beings again. He made another offering to them, which they accepted graciously. When the earth beings started to leave, one of them pointedly stayed behind. It was the one that was assigned to his county. When all the others had left, she spoke. ¡°When will you be back to work on the human city?¡± She asked as Ren knelt beside her. ¡°It''s not a priority at the moment.¡± Ren said, and she reached a hand out to touch his face. ¡°If my schedule lightens up tomorrow evening, I''ll make another offering to Earth to get your attention.¡± ¡°I would like that very much.¡± She said. ¡°I know you would.¡± Ren said, because his Emotion Siphon ability told him so. ¡°Do... do you...¡± She started to say, and he felt doubt fill her as she stopped talking. ¡°I almost know you enough for us to do that.¡± Ren said, and her doubt disappeared because he had recognized what she was asking without her actually asking about it. ¡°I''m glad.¡± She said and her other hand touched his face. ¡°For now we must part ways, but fear not.¡± Ren said. ¡°A rolling stone gathers no moss.¡± The female Earth being chuckled. ¡°It also quickly gathers others to roll with it, and you know what that means.¡± Ren smiled and leaned in close. ¡°Avalanche.¡± He whispered into her mouth, then kissed her and gave her a 5,000 Mana offering. The gravel under her skin churned and ground together as the Mana flowed into her, and her body glowed. She broke the kiss when the offering was over, and sighed. ¡°You spoil me too much, Adventurer.¡± She said. ¡°How can I ever be expected to not crave your touch, when you always give me so much whenever we meet?¡± ¡°You have discovered my dastardly plan.¡± Ren chuckled because he felt her teasing. ¡°I guess I better stop trying to entice you so ineptly.¡± ¡°Goddess, no!¡± She exclaimed and waved her hands around exaggeratedly. ¡°Whatever will I do?¡± She asked and covered her eyes with a hand, and he felt her hamming it up. ¡°It''s too late to save me from such a fate now!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If that''s the case, then I have no choice but to continue on.¡± He said and took her free hand, and poured another 500 Mana into her. ¡°I hope you can stay strong and take what I can give you.¡± ¡°Like a mountain.¡± She said. ¡°Stoic and difficult to climb?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°Exactly.¡± She said. ¡°Come to me!¡± She declared and put her hand on top of his that held her other hand. ¡°Adventure awaits you if you can ascend my insurmountable peaks!¡± ¡°I can''t.¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°We have almost 200 witnesses.¡± ¡°Then it is time I take my leave.¡± She said and gave his hand a squeeze. ¡°Until the next time, and with less witnesses.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Until then.¡± The female Earth elemental let his hand go and slid back into the dirt and disappeared. She was out of his Aura only a moment later, and he turned to the pixies. ¡°Let''s go home.¡± Ren said to them, and he felt awe from some of them. ¡°A home to call our own.¡± One of them said, and looked up at him. ¡°Yes, take us home.¡± Ren smiled and climbed onto the driver''s seat of the carriage, and Princess trotted up into the air and out through one of the sunlight gatherers, then ran across the sky. They crossed the land, an ocean, and more land, then came to a stop at Ren''s county. He told her to trot down the street a short ways to an empty lot, and he hopped off and took out the Iron Wall wand. In less than a minute, Ren had divided off a space 600 feet by 600 feet, then behind that made a space 100 feet by 600 feet. He opened the Land Owner menu and made both spaces into a single plot of land and used the contract he had to put all of the pixies names on the plot. Ren was a little surprised that he could add so many owners; but, he wasn''t going to mention it to anyone. He knew if he did that, all it would really do was draw unwanted attention to him and his actions. The last thing he did was take out the archway full of pixie apartments and activated it, and put it right in the front of the lot and joined the walls to it. He put a wall in front of the archway opening, then quickly made a sign that said ''Coming Attractions'' and attached it to the covered doorway. ¡°There we go.¡± Ren said and turned to the pixies that had sat in the open carriage and had watched him work. ¡°I''ll be over later today with Tee-one and Symmetra to build the fun house.¡± He said. ¡°We''ll only make the basic structure, that way you can add in any twisting turns, hallways, hidden rooms, hall of mirrors, and anything else you can think of to trick people.¡± ¡°You''re really doing this.¡± One of the male pixies said. ¡°I signed the contract just to get the land and the money, and figured it would be months or even years before you got around to setting things up for us.¡± ¡°I try not to delay making anything.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You saw how quickly I made the archway apartments for you.¡± ¡°Yes, but...¡± ¡°Just go with it.¡± Suniva said. ¡°Don''t you realize what he''s doing?¡± She asked and looked at the other pixies. ¡°You know he cares about us enough to not want us to get in trouble, so he''s setting up a place for us to still be naughty like we were in Shargon Caverns.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Not only will we not get in trouble for it, we''re going to get paid for doing it, too!¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The pixies exchanged looks, then looked back at Ren. ¡°Is that true?¡± Shanna asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°When my friend said you would cause chaos if you were released from the trap you were in, the first thing I asked myself was, ''would it really be chaos?''.¡± He smiled at them. ¡°I had already had the idea for your own space and for letting people try and get through your traps... for a small fee, of course.¡± The pixies chuckled at that. ¡°But is that chaos?¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°Controlled chaos might still be chaos, only it''s directed to be useful.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve had Controlled Berserk Rage for a while, and that is scary and intimidating... but only for those I want to use it against. For my friends and people I''m trying to protect, it''s usefulness is beyond question.¡± ¡°You hear that?¡± Suniva asked the other pixies. ¡°We''re going to be useful! After all that time hiding and trying to survive, we can finally live... and use the skills we''ve developed.¡± She smiled. ¡°Just make sure you don''t maim or kill, okay? That will make us and Ren look bad if it happens.¡± ¡°Don''t worry.¡± One of the male pixies said and stood up. ¡°We''re not going to ruin the best thing that''s ever happened to us.¡± He looked at the others. ¡°Let''s get to work.¡± ¡°I''d suggest sleeping for an hour to get a full night''s rest first.¡± Ren said. ¡°A lot of you might not have had much to do all night; but, that doesn''t mean you can go without sleep.¡± Several of the pixies laughed as they piled out of the carriage, then they ran through the air and went into their apartments. Shanna and Rainie came over to Ren and stood in front of his face about a foot away. ¡°Thank you for coming back for us, and keeping your word.¡± The two pixies said together. ¡°I''m sorry it took me this long to go back.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s a book in the Library... well, several really. The last one fills in the details of what happened after I left Shargon Caverns.¡± ¡°We''re allowed to go to the Library?¡± Shanna asked, surprised. ¡°As long as you don''t cause a ruckus, because Rosie will kick you out if you''re noisy.¡± ¡°Are we mentioned in the book?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°No, I completely skipped over meeting such interesting people.¡± Ren said sarcastically, and Suniva chuckled and bit his ear. ¡°Hey! I''m not that tasty.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Yes, you are.¡± Suniva said. ¡°I didn''t take a chunk of you that time; but, I would like to eat you all up.¡± She purred into his ear. ¡°If I''d known what a flesh bond with you would do, I would have suggested it sooner.¡± She kissed his ear where she had bitten it. ¡°I don''t think it would have been as advantageous if we did it then.¡± Ren said and ignored her attempt to flirt, then stopped moving the Fire up to his ear that he was generating with his Burning Hands ability. Suniva sighed as the flame stopped, and Ren deactivated the ability. ¡°I guess this means our date is over.¡± Suniva said and stepped into the air to stand beside Shanna and Rainie. ¡°You still owe me a dinner.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll see what I can do about that tomorrow.¡± ¡°You better.¡± Suniva said and leaned down to kiss the tip of his nose. ¡°Thank you for a great time.¡± ¡°Your welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± The three 1 foot tall pixies said and walked over to the archway apartments and went inside. Ren unhooked the carriage from Princess and stored it; then he, Artemis, and Princess ran up the street back to the Main House. Princess went into her home, Artemis went into the warehouse, and Ren went into the Main House. He knew there were two people in Xuunah''s apartment, and felt their reaction to his Reassurance Aura. Xuunah''s apartment door opened and she looked at him. Ren could feel her emotions and her strong reaction to seeing him in his platinum armor, and he walked over to her as she stood in the doorway. He took her hand and bowed over it, then gave it a gentle kiss. ¡°M''lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m only going to sleep upstairs, so you needn''t worry about feeling too many emotions.¡± Xunnah chuckled. ¡°I''ve been through several of your encounters now, so I can handle it if another happens.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her partial lie, and she laughed. ¡°All right, I can accept it. How''s that?¡± Ren reached up and touched her face. ¡°I think I need to talk to the others about you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I can feel Nathalia and you equally, and even though we can share emotions and sensations, you''re both missing out on feeling them directly.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have an idea about how to fix that; but, I need to talk to Nathalia first before I mention it to anyone else.¡± Xuunah sighed. ¡°Ren, you know I...¡± ¡°Yes, I know your restriction. I have that as well, but it''s just as self-imposed as yours is.¡± ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I had to serve an extra 50 years for mating with a mortal.¡± She explained. ¡°I was given a lighter sentence because my friend convinced everyone that I was brainwashed.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s because you were.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''ve had a few dreams about you.¡± Ren admitted. ¡°I''ve seen quite a lot of what you''ve gone through during your long life, and I know the major hardships you''ve endured.¡± He said. ¡°One of which is the constant feelings your mortal body gives you.¡± Xuunah blinked her eyes at him, and didn''t respond. He stroked her face and let it and her hand go. ¡°Sight, smell, hearing, and touch, are all quite different with a physical body.¡± Ren said. ¡°Seeing someone you care about makes your body react. Smelling them makes it react another way. Hearing them whisper that they care about you, and when they touch you...¡± He reached up and lightly stroked her cheek with a single fingertip. ¡°...you can''t help but react to it.¡± Xuunah still didn''t say anything, and since he could feel her emotions, he knew that he was correct in his assumptions. ¡°I know I can''t help reacting, and I''ve grown up with a physical body.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also know what it''s like for you to be back in one again.¡± ¡°R-Ren... I...¡± ¡°No, don''t say anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I just told you, I need to talk to Nathalia first, then the others I''m involved with, before we can talk.¡± Xuunah started to shake her head no. She didn''t want him to go through all that trouble, because she was going to say no to him anyway; then Ren took two steps up into the air and kissed her. She was surprised at first and didn''t know how to react. He moved his lips and tongue, and it reminded her of the kiss they had shared after he had come back from being dead. Xuunah couldn''t hold her emotions back anymore. She kissed him back as if he was the only thing that mattered in the world, and she never wanted to let him go. Ren had felt her desperation, frustration, and need, and knew she wanted some kind of relief for it. He kissed her for several moments, then broke the kiss and stepped back down to the floor. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°G-g-goodnight.¡± Xuunah said, almost completely flustered as she tried to reign her emotions back in. Ren smiled and looked behind her at the other person in the apartment. ¡°Goodnight, Officer Holly.¡± ¡°I''d say so.¡± Officer Holly whispered, then spoke in a normal tone. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren left the hallway and went up the stairs to his apartment on the second floor and to the waiting maids. He stored his armor when he went inside, folded up his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and put it on the chair by the extra-large bed, and climbed onto the bed. The maids joined him after storing their own clothing, and they all cuddled together after he gave them each a kiss in no particular order. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren whispered to them, and they sighed almost as one and fell asleep together. * ¡°Okay, that was... surprising.¡± Officer Holly said and put a hand over her own heart. ¡°I felt all of that.¡± ¡°So did I.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± She said and put a hand over her own heart and the slight glow there. ¡°So did I.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°It''s still forbidden, right?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°But? There''s no but.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I mean, how would it work if you can''t... well...¡± ¡°That''s what''s got me worried.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°You felt his confidence, just like I did.¡± She said. ¡°He... he must know a way around the restriction.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Xuunah said and took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. ¡°The thing is... I...¡± She looked at Officer Holly with wide eyes. ¡°...I want to know.¡± ¡°That is definitely a problem.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°It is.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°It really is.¡± Chapter 522 - You Want What? Ren woke up an hour later, but he didn''t get up out of bed. He stayed there, cuddled up with the maids, and didn''t move around or bother them for another hour. When they started to stir, he didn''t rush them or try to wake them up completely, just to see what they would do and say. He felt a hand touch his, and he turned his head to the right, and Frikara''s face was right beside his. She was looking at him with an expression like he was an apparition and she couldn''t believe that she was seeing him. Ren snaked his hand up from where it was and cupped the side of her face, then pressed his lips to hers. Frikara kissed him back and the disbelieving look on her face faded away. They made out for several minutes, and then Ren felt the others wake up completely. ¡°I''m not planning on going anywhere today.¡± Ren said out loud, and he felt them relax. ¡°I''m sorry I''ve been away so much.¡± Frikara chuckled. ¡°You''re a great Adventurer, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°If the world needs you to go and save it, we don''t have any right to complain.¡± ¡°Yes, you do.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re my Ladies in Waiting, and you can express your opinion as much as you want.¡± All 5 maids shivered at his words, and he chuckled. ¡°Go ahead and say it.¡± Ren said, and the maids sat up and surrounded him. ¡°We still can''t believe you''ve given us the Lady title. We know it''s invalid in it''s current form, but it still puts us to the heights of dwarf society until your new House is approved.¡± Frikara said. ¡°By the gods, we still can''t believe you''ve given us a home we actually want to stay in, and have accepted us into your life like you have!¡± Ren could feel agreement from the other maids, so he sat up and used both of his hands to reach out and caress each of their faces. ¡°What kind of man would I be if I treated you the way you expected?¡± ¡°Throgg.¡± Verwynn said without pause, and he felt her embarrassment. ¡°Hey, don''t be embarrassed.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss. ¡°You were with him for a long time, and I can''t expect you to not compare me to him.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°When you''re with me just as long, then I''ll start getting upset that you still think about him.¡± ¡°I''m not!¡± Verwynn said adamantly. ¡°I don''t think of him at all!¡± Ren and the other maids winced as the lie pierced them, and Verwynn started to cry. ¡°Verwynn...¡± ¡°N-no. No, I won''t...¡± Verwynn shook her head and started to back up. ¡°I won''t let him dictate how... no.¡± ¡°Verwynn!¡± Ren said sharply, and it startled her. Verwynn clutched her hands together and ducked her head in a submissive pose. ¡°Wh-what is it?¡± She asked meekly. ¡°Tell me what you want.¡± Ren commanded. ¡°I... I want you to conquer me.¡± Verwynn said, and the other maids gasped. ¡°Verwynn.¡± Frikara said. ¡°You can''t expect him to...¡± ¡°What does conquer mean, in this context?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I know what it means when it''s someone taking over lands by use of force, but...¡± ¡°It means the same thing.¡± Frikara said, almost angrily. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren looked from Verwynn to Frikara, then back again. Verwynn''s face was a deep red, and her embarrassment was profound as it flooded the shared Aura. ¡°She wants you to conquer her by use of force.¡± Frikara said, and this time she was angry and didn''t try to hide it. ¡°She''ll fight and protest while it happens, and you have to overcome her efforts and have sex with her... without her consent.¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°Not only no; but, ''Hell, No''.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Verwynn whispered. ¡°P-please...¡± A tear formed and rolled down her cheek. ¡°I... I need you...¡± ¡°Then I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and stepped off the bed and equipped his platinum armor. ¡°Not only will I not do that to you; I hereby forbid you from ever asking another man to do it to you.¡± The maids gasped at him giving her an order, and more tears joined the first that Verwynn had shed. ¡°B-but... but...¡± Verwynn tried to speak, but she couldn''t think of a way to convince him. ¡°I don''t mind having a bit of rough sex with you, because sometimes things like that keeps it fun; but, if that isn''t enough to satisfy you, then I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t indulge that kind of...¡± He shook his head. ¡°Surprising you with sex is one thing, but...¡± He sighed. ¡°No, I can''t treat you like that.¡± ¡°I need it!¡± Verwynn said much more strongly as more tears flowed, and Ren feel her deep need for it because she wasn''t trying to hide it anymore. ¡°I want you to make me yours! I want you to show me, physically, that I can never defy you, and that you can take me whenever you want!¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°I can do that now by only saying a few words.¡± Ren said, sadly. ¡°No, you can''t, because you won''t do that.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°You''ve given us everything we''ve ever wanted, and I... it''s taken me this long to ask... to finally ask... for what I need.¡± ¡°I knew you liked to be dominated.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I never imagined Throgg could have done something like this to you.¡± ¡°I didn''t know it was what I wanted until he showed me.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°The power... the control...¡± She almost moaned, and her body trembled as she remembered her first time experiencing it. ¡°It was... freeing.¡± The other maids shivered, too; but, it was in disgust, not pleasure. They didn''t like the idea of anyone being treated like that, any more than they liked the idea of having Ren treat someone like that. ¡°Verwynn, I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can do a bit of dominance play like I do for Anabelle, but I won''t... I... I can''t...¡± He shook his head. ¡°I will not do that to you.¡± ¡°Please, Ren.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°I want to be completely yours, and I want to know you would do anything for me.¡± Ren didn''t say anything in response. He left the apartment without kissing the maids goodbye like he usually did. He was too distracted over Verwynn''s request that he couldn''t think straight. He left the apartment and walked down the stairs, and he heard Xuunah''s apartment door open and running feet. He was engulfed from behind in a pair of strong arms, and several kisses were applied to his cheek. ¡°Ren, I''m so sorry.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I''m going to talk to her and try and find out what''s wrong.¡± ¡°P-please.¡± Ren said. ¡°I... I can''t...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Xuunah said and turned him around to face her. ¡°Forget about this for a while.¡± She said, and lifted a glowing hand in front of him. Ren nodded and ducked his head for her, and she tapped the back of his skull. He felt woozy for a moment, then sighed and lifted his head to look at her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°I''ve got work to do.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± Xuunah said, and Ren left the Main House and ran across the road to the warehouse. ¡°Perfect timing.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I was just about to make the next delivery of items to the shop.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll go instead.¡± Tee-one handed over all the things that needed to be delivered, and Ren ran out of the warehouse and over to Princess. She was more than happy to take him back to the starter city of Aurora, and Ren rode her there in only a few minutes, with Artemis flying beside them. The city''s residents were barely awake, so there was no traffic for them to avoid as they went along the streets and stopped in front of the business. Ren went inside the business and saw the place had several things moved around, he assumed to make the new things be more prominent, and he went out the back of the shop and up the stairs to drop off the orders. They were all clearly marked, and Anabelle would have no problem sorting them out and delivering them later. He went up to the apartment on the third floor and went inside, and saw Anabelle was still asleep on her bed in the living room. Ren activated Sneak and opened the bedroom door, and saw Elerlyth''s phantom form. He was going to get no comfort there, and then he heard Anabelle move around in the living room. He deactivated Sneak and walked over to her bed, and she looked up at him. ¡°Ren, what...¡± ¡°I haven''t seen you in a while.¡± Ren said and smiled as he activated their shared Aura. ¡°It''s only been...¡± She saw the look on his face, activated their shared Aura and felt his emotions, then she lifted her blanket. ¡°It''s a little cold under this blanket.¡± She said. ¡°I need someone to hold me to warm me up.¡± Ren took off his cloak and stored his armor, and climbed into bed with her. He stayed there for half an hour and made love to her. It wasn''t rushed or frantic, because Ren had to prove to himself that Anabelle didn''t need to be dominated to feel satisfied. She was satisfied, as she always was, and she felt his relief that she didn''t ask him to do anything more than have sex. ¡°I should ask what this is all about, but I don''t want to push you away.¡± Anabelle said. Ren opened his mouth to tell her, and sighed instead. ¡°Ask me later.¡± Anabelle nodded, and Ren got out of bed and equipped his clothing. He put the cloak back on and then leaned back over the bed and gave Anabelle a kiss. ¡°I dropped off the orders on the second floor.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°See you.¡± Anabelle said, and Ren left the apartment and ran down the stairs to the ground floor. He went out through the business and mounted the saddle on Princess'' back, then took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked to see Yllana, the elfling in the second High Elf city that he had saved. She was asleep in bed and was tucked in under the covers deep asleep. Ren rode Princess back to his county and stopped at the various spots along the wall of the next county to check in with the Skeleton Knights on watch there. They hadn''t noticed anything out of the ordinary, so Ren went back to the Main House and dropped Princess off at her place. He and Artemis went across the road and went back into the warehouse. Once inside, he told Tee-one, Symmetra, and Ruck about the fun house idea, and they went down the road and quickly built the outside of the house and left the inside to be completed by the pixies. The pixies were up and moving around, and several of them had watched and commented about the fun house''s design. Ren made the changes they asked for, mainly because he wanted them to enjoy working for him and to make the most out of their situation. Ren, Symmetra, Tee-one and Ruck filled the 100 foot wide by 600 foot long section with the fun house, and that left a 600 foot by 600 foot section for the obstacle course. Ren told the pixies some of the obstacle courses he had gone through, their layout and design, and then told the pixies to do what they wanted with the information they had. Of course, with their magic and abilities, the pixies could continuously change the obstacle course so it would never be quite the same each time someone went through it. Giving it a rigid structure wasn''t the best course of action, assuming that was the case. The pixies told him it was, and that they always changed everything once it was gone though, and Ren made sure that was on the sign out front, as well as the cost for going through it. Ren and his familiars went back to the warehouse and thought about what it was they wanted to do next. ¡°Well, we could beef up the county''s security some more.¡± Tee-one suggested. ¡°Are you thinking what I''m thinking?¡± Ren asked and smiled. ¡°If you''re thinking making all the animated soldier statues quadruple in size, then yes.¡± Ren chuckled and made three more Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything wands and gave one to Tee-one, Symmetra, and Ruck. ¡°You all know what to do.¡± Ren said, and each of them went to a different wall that surrounded the county and started to move along them. They used 2 spells on each of the animated soldiers to make them go from 6 feet to 12 feet, then to 24 feet. ¡°No one in their right mind is going to mess with us.¡± Ren said and smiled, then had the bright idea to increase the size of the Skeleton Knights as well. Since they still wore their generic male illusions, he now had 10 generic male giants that stood guard over his county; and they also had giant-sized Spell Ballistas to fire when necessary. If Ren had been the next door neighbour, he wouldn''t even think of attacking a human county with giant protectors. He didn''t realize that most people weren''t as smart as him, nor did they have the same motivations. Ren was about to discover that fact. Chapter 523 - Fear Thy Neighbour ¡°What the hell is that?!?¡± The scout from the next county exclaimed when a giant man appeared on top of the wall he was watching. He wasn''t sure how it was possible that a 24 foot man could safely stand on top of a 40 foot wall without it crumbling or him falling off. Even with the wall 10 feet thick, his footing wouldn''t be stable at all when he took a step. ¡°Tell the commander!¡± The scout said and gave the pertinent information to the two men standing at the base of the tree he was in. One of the men took off at a run to bring the message to the commander, and then the scout saw something in the corner of his eye. When he looked farther down the wall, another giant man appeared. I think Lomax had the right idea after all. The scout thought about his old partner that had defected to the target. He wasn''t going anywhere himself, though. He was loyal to the end, no matter how useless and bitter it was going to be. ¡°It''s a go!¡± A voice said from below him. The scout sighed and cleaned up his scout position. His normal job was now over, and he was to take his place with the other troops. This is not going to be fun. He thought and climbed down the tree. It didn''t take long to assemble properly into ranks behind the forest, which wasn''t a forest anymore because they had cleared out a good portion of it to assemble their troops. It would take them less than 10 minutes to get through the trees in front of them, and they had pre-made moat crossing bridges that they could just drop into place and run across. Now we just wait for it to begin. The scout thought and adjusted his bulky iron armor that he hadn''t worn since he was fitted for it. * Ren finished enlarging the Skeleton Knights and rode Princess back to the Main House while Artemis flew beside them. Ren hopped off of the saddle and thanked Princess for the ride, then went into the warehouse with Artemis while Princess went into her own house. ¡°What are you working on?¡± Ren asked Tee-one. ¡°I had an odd idea.¡± Tee-one responded. Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, tell me about it.¡± ¡°You have 10 constructs available to be made, two of which are your dogs, Riley and Stacy.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Why don''t you make the rest?¡± ¡°Wait, did you say 10?¡± Ren asked, and Tee-one nodded. ¡°When did I get 10?¡± ¡°The last one you received when you hit level 140.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I read through those popups extensively and I didn''t see anything about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Really?¡± Tee-one asked. ¡°I wonder why?¡± Ren had an odd thought himself. ¡°I haven''t had a Church or Ship popup in a while, either.¡± He said and looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Great Vasalor, why didn''t I receive the popups for constructs and the Church?¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
Your miscellaneous and low priority popups have been disabled.
Ren frowned at the popup. ¡°Why?¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
Due to your excessive time online, it was determined that low priority popups are not necessary for your continued participation.
¡°Who determined that?¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
Player Name: BLOCKED User Name: BLOCKED
¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can the popups be reinstated?¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
That function is not available for Player Name: REN Administration Level: Green required for SysOp functions
¡°How can I get that?¡± Ren asked, even though he suspected what the answer would be.
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
That function is not available for Player Name: REN Administration Level: Green required for SysOp functions
Ren sighed, because that was the answer he suspected he would get. ¡°I wonder what else I missed.¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
You have:The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Found 3 more hidden creatures. Reference #: 63828364 Impressed new people with what you can do. Reference #: 63828379 Impending Attack - Hostile Takeover (Walin County). Reference #: 63828384
¡°WHAT?!?¡± Ren yelled. ¡°Show info for the impending attack!¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
That function is not available for Player Name: REN Administration Level: Green required for SysOp function (Reinstate Minor Popups)
¡°Dammit!¡± Ren said. ¡°Why is this considered a low priority?!?¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
Any attack upon your current defenses will fail, even if you did not have human troops available.
¡°Just because the attack will fail, doesn''t mean it''s unimportant!¡± Ren said, and tried to explain his reasoning. ¡°People could die, or one of their siege weapons could misfire and hit one of the farms! It could light everything on fire, or even kill the animals in the pens and stables!¡± He said. ¡°Respond!¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
Material damage is negligible in either case.
¡°Ugh!¡± Ren turned and looked at Tee-one and Symmetra. ¡°If I have 10 constructs, since it''s a skill, you both have 10 each as well.¡± He said, and he felt their surprise. ¡°Make them right away, give them proper weaponry and necessary wands, then deploy them on the other walls of the county.¡± ¡°Wait, the other walls?¡± Artemis asked, then she smiled. ¡°Oh, that would be sneaky of them.¡± ¡°It would be.¡± Ren said. ¡°They know I have forces deployed on their border, and if their scouts are worth their pay they would have found out by now that I have nothing on the other 3 walls except for the occasional patrol by the 13 human guards on their Phantom Steeds.¡± ¡°We''ll get to work right away.¡± Symmetra said. ¡°Go nuts with the designs, okay?¡± Ren said. ¡°I want anyone that sees them to know that picking on me is not a good idea.¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°Oh, we''ll show them.¡± ¡°I''ll be back to make 8 more of my own.¡± Ren said and left the warehouse with Artemis beside him. ¡°You have another familiar you can make, too.¡± Teepo reminded him. ¡°I can''t make another one to come with me, because of the restrictions they would have.¡± Ren said and went into the Main House. He saw the Mayor''s door was open, and knocked on the door frame. ¡°You didn''t have to knock.¡± Patty said. ¡°It''s just respectful.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s going to be an attack on the county.¡± Patty shot to her feet. ¡°When?¡± ¡°It could be any time, since the information I just discovered said ''impending attack''.¡± ¡°Dammit! We won''t have time to warn the families near the walls!¡± ¡°I''ll do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You get the guards mobilized.¡± Patty nodded, and Ren left the Main House and went to Princess. He told her what was going on, and they left to warn the families near the walls. * Patty left the Main House and went around back to the Barracks to get the guards. She knocked hard on the door, and it opened right away. ¡°I''m glad I caught you between patrols.¡± Patty said. The scout that had defected to Ren''s county was relaxing on a comfortable bed in the barracks with the other soldiers, when Patty had interrupted his nap. He could hear her talking about mobilizing, and then he felt something warm near his chest. He rolled over to face away from everyone and opened his shirt to look at the small medallion around his neck. It had a slight glow to it, which meant that it was time. ¡°We''ll armor up and head out right away¡± The guard said, and then his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he lost consciousness and collapsed to the floor. ¡°What...¡± Patty started to say, then saw that the other guards were unconscious, too. ¡°I''m really sorry about this.¡± The scout said as he took Patty by the arm and pointed a sword at her neck. ¡°You''re a really nice lady, and I feel really bad about lying to you.¡± Patty scowled at him. ¡°You rotten scum!¡± She said. ¡°How can you do this? You even moved your whole family here!¡± ¡°It was the only way you would buy my story and let me stay.¡± The scout said and led her from the Barracks and over to the Main House. ¡°Now you''re going to tell me what your defenses are, and then you''re going to order them to stand down.¡± ¡°I''ll do no such thing!¡± Patty exclaimed as they entered the front door. ¡°Don''t make me use this.¡± The scout said and touched the sword tip to her neck. ¡°I''m not used to it, and my hand could slip at any time.¡± ¡°If your hand slips, you better make sure you kill me.¡± Patty said. ¡°If I''m still alive, I''m going to make you eat that sword and then tear you limb from limb.¡± ¡°You villagers always talk big.¡± The scout said and made her sit in her office chair. ¡°Now show me the layout of the defenses so I can get the word to Lord Grasham''s forces.¡± * Xuunah had heard Patty''s shout and went to her apartment door. She opened it and saw the scout with the sword against Patty''s throat, and her armor formed around her. ¡°What is it?¡± Officer Holly whispered from behind her. Xuunah saw she had her armor on as well. ¡°It looks like a coup attempt.¡± She whispered and they watched the scout and Patty go into the Mayor''s office. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Officer Holly whispered. ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°Our job.¡± Xuunah whispered and stepped out of her apartment as her sword appeared in her hand. * Ren, Artemis, and Princess went around the county''s edges and gave a warning to all the families that lived near the wall, or had farms close enough to be in danger. They were back at the Main House just over 10 minutes later, and Ren felt trepidation and urgency as his Reassurance Aura merged with Xuunah''s. Ren went into the Main House and into the Mayor''s office. He was surprised to see a shaken Patty, Xuunah with an unhappy face, and Officer Holly with a strong grip on the scout that had defected. He also had Xuunah''s sword sticking out of his chest, and his face was blank. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''ve been sabotaged.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°He somehow knocked out your guards to stop the patrols and any warning they could raise.¡± She said. ¡°He also kidnapped Patty and had her give him information about the county''s defenses.¡± ¡°Did he pass it on?¡± Ren asked. Xuunah shook her head. ¡°He managed all of this while I was out warning the families to stay clear of the county walls.¡± He said and looked at Patty. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°No, it''s my fault.¡± Patty said. ¡°I accepted him and vouched for him, so this is on me.¡± ¡°I didn''t object to your decision to keep him here, so it''s my fault.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you''re looking for who to blame, it''s both your faults.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°You both contributed to this.¡± ¡°She''s right.¡± Patty said. ¡°Our willingness to give people a chance gave them an opportunity to weaken us.¡± ¡°I won''t stop trying to help people, just because one of them might try to betray me.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ve gained quite a lot of people the last little while, and so far, this guy is the only one trying to tear down what I''ve built here.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Everyone else is grateful and is enjoying it.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Xuunah said, and he shifted his gaze to her. ¡°This... all of this... is just a distraction.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For you.¡± The scout said. ¡°To keep you busy while the army takes down part of your wall and overcomes your easily avoidable defenses.¡± * ¡°Go! Go! Go!¡± The commander shouted, and the troops ran forward through the trees, and brought their siege weapons with them. Horses and carts with extended ladders on them, makeshift bridges for the moat, and shields to defend them from fiery attacks. The side of the wall that was defended with Skeleton Knights and giant-sized Spell Ballistas didn''t see anything at all coming towards them... because the army wasn''t there for them to see. Ren had been right. The army had been deployed in front of another wall and assaulted it instead of the heavily defended one. With no one patrolling the walls, the defenders would have no idea where the attack was coming from, just as Lord Grasham''s forces had planned. Chapter 524 - Into The Breach ¡°Okay, you lot.¡± The platoon captain said to a small group of guys after his unit had deployed the first moat-crossing bridge. ¡°Do your job.¡± The small group of Adventurers nodded and stepped out of the troop''s formation. The fighter pat their powerful magic user on the back. ¡°Go for it, Dennis.¡± ¡°Are you sure about this, Chris?¡± Dennis asked. ¡°Doesn''t this seem a little off to you?¡± ¡°Hey, who are we to decide who''s right and who''s wrong in a land dispute?¡± Chris asked. ¡°We''re being paid a lot of money to bring part of that wall down, so go do it.¡± ¡°It''s just that... he must have paid a lot of money to build that thing...¡± ¡°So what? It''s not our fault he wasted his money.¡± Chris said. ¡°Make us proud.¡± Dennis nodded and stepped ahead of the group. Since he was a magic user, he didn''t carry any weapons openly or wear protective armor. He always felt sorely unprotected when they went on quests. His party kept their promise and protected him, more than he thought they would, even at their own detriment. They had told him a magic user was the most important part of the party, so he had chosen that class for them. Dennis walked across the moat-crossing bridge, and he could swear the 24 foot tall muscle men designs on the walls were looking at him. He instinctively held his hands out in a submissive gesture, and the prickling feeling he had on the back of his neck eased. He made it across the moat and stood about 10 feet away from one of the muscle men designs that he now saw was actually half of a statue. Dennis has seen the wall was covered in a magic shimmer, so he knew it was protected by a spell of some kind. With his hands still up in a submissive gesture, he cast Dispel Magic. A 40 foot wide section of the wall stopped glowing, as did three of the statues in front of him. He turned to the right and cast the spell, then turned to the left and cast it again. He had cleared 120 feet of the wall and unknowingly disabled 6 more statues, for a total of 9. Dennis looked back at the wall and saw it still had a magic shimmer, so he cast Dispel Magic again. A section of the Iron Wall disappeared to reveal the solid dirt wall underneath. Geezus Cripes! Dennis thought, shocked. He looked to the right and then to the left. The wall itself is cast with spells! With that knowledge, Dennis knew that this barrier would be no match to any seasoned magic user or anyone with a special, and probably very expensive, spell scroll like the one he had. He took out the scroll from his inventory and unrolled it, then started to read. He felt a ripple in the magic nearby, then no less than 2 dozen of the closest 24 foot tall statues stepped away from the wall and drew their swords. ¡°Hurry up and Fire!¡± Chris said to the troops behind him, and hundreds of arrows pelted the animated statues. Of course, this got their attention and the attention of another 40 statues on that part of the wall. Dennis didn''t stop reading, because Chris had told him to keep going no matter what happened. When he was done, a wide cone of Disintegration emanated out from him and carved a huge 80 foot wide swath through the exposed wall and destroyed 6 of the statues he had already disabled. He stared at the destruction he had unleashed, then turned to look at his party. ¡°Don''t just stand there!¡± Chris said and dodged a huge metal blade. ¡°Give us a hand!¡± ¡°Right!¡± Dennis said and started to cast Dispel Magic on the statues. It was burning through his Mana quickly, but the statues were so big that he was hitting two and three of them with each spell. Most fell over because they were in mid-stride or mid-swing, and then the other animated statues saw their fellow''s fall. When they realized that Dennis was the biggest danger to the county, they turned almost as one towards him. ¡°AHHH!¡± Dennis yelled. ¡°HELP!¡± ¡°Don''t be stupid! Keep casting!¡± Chris said and tried to trip the closest statue with a spear. It broke under the pressure and the 24 foot tall statue almost stepped on him. ¡°CHRIS!¡± Dennis yelled. ¡°Hail Mary!¡± Chris said and started to run away. ¡°Do your Hail Mary!¡± ¡°Dammit.¡± Dennis said, because he always hated this part. He quickly ran around to get as many of the statues after him as possible, then curled up into a ball and came to a stop. ¡°GET BACK!¡± Chris yelled just in time, because one of the swords of the animated statues swung down towards Dennis. There was a blinding light for a moment, and then everything went silent. Dennis felt a hand on his shoulder, so he uncurled from the ball and looked up at his party. ¡°See? I told you the magic user was the important part of the party.¡± Chris said, and helped Dennis stand up. There were cheers and hollers from the troops around them, because all of the statues had been petrified and turned to stone. The troops deployed more moat-crossing bridges and started to cross them to enter the now completely undefended breach in the county''s wall. ¡°Did you copy that spell scroll Lord Grasham gave you?¡± One of the others asked. ¡°Of course.¡± Dennis said. ¡°I used my special ability to store it in my spell book.¡± ¡°Sweet.¡± Chris said as Lord Grasham''s troops poured through the breached wall. ¡°We''re going to have a much easier time with a lot of things with that spell at our disposal.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Dennis said and looked at the 80 foot hole he had made in the wall and all of the frozen animated statues. ¡°Easy.¡± Chris laughed and pat his shoulder. ¡°Don''t worry, we won''t have to do things like this again for a while.¡± He said. ¡°The money we''re getting for this is crazy.¡± ¡°Good work.¡± The platoon captain said as he walked over to the group of Adventurers they had hired. He took out a large bag of gold and held it out. ¡°You definitely earned this and the extra bonus inside.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Thank you.¡± Chris said as he accepted the gold. The platoon captain ran to catch up with his troops and the party of Adventurers received a popup.
Quest Complete!
You have fulfilled (and exceeded) the terms of the quest: Breached Barrier You have given access for Lord Grasham''s troops to attempt to seize control of Lord Ren''s only legal land holding within the Human Kingdom. If successful, it will remove any validity of the Hero of Aurora''s claim that Lord Grasham''s activities were illegal. Rewards: 5,000 gold coins; Restricted spell (Disintegration - Advanced); +5,000 Infamy Bonuses: 1,000 gold, Lord Grasham''s Favor. Fame Bonus: Negated
Notice!
You have gained Infamy that is much greater than your current Fame value. Your status has changed from Liked (Fame 500) to Despised (Infamy 4,500).
¡°What? NO!¡± Dennis yelled. ¡°What... what did we do?¡± ¡°Something really bad, apparently.¡± Chris said and looked at the other party members. ¡°Guys, I''m sorry. I didn''t know...¡± ¡°Yeah, you just saw the money.¡± One of the others said. ¡°I''d ask to see the quest, but I know they usually leave extra stuff like that as just x''s.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Chris said, sadly. ¡°I guess they do leave it up to you to decide who''s right and who''s wrong.¡± ¡°What do we do now?¡± Dennis asked. ¡°It took us a month to gain 500 Fame as a party!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°How are we going to dig out of 4,500 Infamy?!?¡± ¡°One good deed at a time, I guess.¡± Chris said and sighed. ¡°Or...¡± ¡°No!¡± Dennis said. ¡°I am not going that route!¡± ¡°We could start over from scratch.¡± One of them suggested. ¡°It''ll suck to lose all our gear and money, though.¡± ¡°We made this mistake... no, I made this mistake.¡± Chris said. ¡°I''m not going to avoid the consequences. I''ll play it out and see where it takes me.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Another said, and looked at the other members of the party and held his hand out in the middle of the group. ¡°So, are we doing this? The longest redemption arc ever?¡± ¡°Yeah, I''m in.¡± Chris said and put his hand in, too. ¡°Me, too.¡± Dennis said. ¡°We''ll get through it!¡± The other guys put their hands into the center as well. ¡°What do we do first?¡± Dennis asked. ¡°Do you still have that carrier pigeon spell?¡± ¡°Good idea!¡± Dennis said and did a small bit of conjuring. A pigeon appeared in his hands a moment later and he held it up to his lips. ¡°Go to Lord Ren and tell him where the breach is.¡± The pigeon took off quick as a flash and disappeared. ¡°Will he know it was us that caused it in the first place?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Only if we tell him.¡± Chris said. ¡°Now what?¡± Dennis asked. ¡°Can you undo that?¡± Chris asked and pointed to the petrified statues. ¡°Nope.¡± Dennis said. ¡°They aren''t alive.¡± ¡°Is that a prerequisite?¡± Dennis walked over to the closest stone statue and kicked it. The entire thing crumbled to dust in only a few seconds. ¡°It transmutes non-living materials into stone and robs them of any enchantments.¡± He said. ¡°Even if it did somehow change back, it would just be bare metal.¡± ¡°That is so overpowered it''s not funny.¡± One of the others said. ¡°It only works on things and not people, though.¡± Dennis said. ¡°Plus, it''s a once a week thing.¡± ¡°That works well, because we only go adventuring on the weekends anyways.¡± Chris said. ¡°I''m sure when you''re a higher level the time between uses will drop.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Dennis said. ¡°It''s pretty much my only defensive spell.¡± Chris and the party of Adventurers watched as the last of the troops went through the breach in the wall. When they were far enough away, Chris turned to his party. ¡°Now we have a choice to make.¡± Chris said. ¡°Do we hightail it out of here and go somewhere well away from this mess, or do we start our redemption story right now and go in after those troops?¡± ¡°There''s like 10,000 of them!¡± Dennis exclaimed. ¡°Yeah, I admit that''s a lot.¡± Chris said. ¡°They are also running away from us and exposing their vulnerable rear that has no guards and no other sources of protection.¡± The party members exchanged looks, and smiles spread across their faces. * Ren was about to take out the All-Seeing Mirror and ask it where the attack was going to happen, when a pigeon tapped it''s beak on the window of Patty''s office. He ran over and opened the window, and the pigeon hopped inside and opened it''s beak. ¡°The breach is happening 15 miles away from the front right corner of your county, between the corner and the entrance.¡± It said in a plain voice, then it puffed away in a small burst of pink smoke. ¡°Oh, no! We''re too late!¡± Patty said. ¡°It''s never too late.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Show me the breach, please.¡± The All-Seeing Mirror showed him an image of the breach. It was an 80 foot wide devastating hole, and he could see the remains of several animated statues through it. A small party of Adventurers stood amidst the rubble he could see. ¡°Show me what came through it.¡± Ren said, and he saw the mass of troops as they reassembled into proper ranks inside the walls of his county. ¡°How was this accomplished?¡± The All-Seeing Mirror showed him a copy of the scroll, and Ren sighed as he saw the Disintegrate spell. ¡°We have to get out there before the troops hit the first farmhouse.¡± Ren said. Xuunah pulled her sword out of the scout, and Officer Holly tied him up. ¡°What? What happened?¡± The scout asked. ¡°Hey! Let me go!¡± ¡°I''ll let you go after the battle.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll even take you back to your home.¡± The scout looked at him with doubt in his eyes. ¡°That''s... nice of you.¡± ¡°You won''t think that when you see what I''m going to do to your home when I get there.¡± Ren said and activated his Fear Aura. ¡°If any of my people are hurt because of you, you are going to regret it.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± The scout said. ¡°I already disabled your guards and knocked them unconscious, so your threat is meaningless.¡± Ren looked at Patty, and she nodded. He grabbed the scout by his tunic and ran from the Main House. Xuunah and Officer Holly ran after him, and Artemis flew beside him. Ren ran across the road and over to the mountain of Impenetrable Rock that covered the succubi roost, ran up into the air and in through one of the balconies. ¡°Ren!¡± A succubus said as she saw him enter her living space. ¡°What''s going on?¡± ¡°Our lands are being invaded, Katori.¡± Ren said and filled his Aura with a feeling of urgency. ¡°By the people of the neighbouring county.¡± Katori''s entire body stiffened as she stood up, and she was covered in a red glow. ¡°No one is allowed to invade our lands!¡± She almost yelled as her Frenzy ability activated. Ren felt all of her other emotions be pushed aside and she was filled with vindictiveness and the strong urge to rip people''s hearts out. ¡°What is...¡± Zunala started to ask when she entered the room, then she felt Katori''s Frenzy. ¡°When do we attack?¡± ¡°Right now.¡± Ren said as the rest of the succubi came into Katori''s living space. ¡°I was going to order their capture, since killing them should have been the last resort; but, with them flooding into my lands to take over, they leave me no choice.¡± He said. ¡°I want them stopped.¡± ¡°Are... are you...¡± Seldanna was about to ask, and Ren tossed her the scout. She caught the surprised scout easily and held him at arm''s length. ¡°You all have my permission to consume the enemy troops, and deal with them just like you did with the harpies.¡± Ren said, and he felt something ripple out from him and go into the succubi. They all shivered for a moment, then they all activated their Frenzy abilities at the same time. ¡°Hold off on storming the neighbour''s lands for the enemy until all of them have been dealt with inside this county''s walls.¡± Ren said, and they nodded. ¡°Start with him.¡± ¡°Ladies.¡± Seldanna said, and her voice dripped with malice. ¡°Who wants to share?¡± All 20 of the succubi reached out and touched the scout somewhere on his body, and they activated their specialized Emotion Siphon absorption ability. The scout was sucked dry instantly, and then all the succubi grabbed onto him and pulled. They let the 20 pieces of the body fall to the floor as they rubbed his fresh blood on their faces, and their Frenzy ability doubled in effectiveness. ¡°You have their scent now.¡± Ren said, and all the succubi took flight and hovered in place. ¡°Make them pay!¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord!¡± The succubi said as one, and flew out through the balcony and into the sky. Chapter 525 - Meet Us There Ren and Artemis left the roost and met Xuunah and Officer Holly at the base of the succubi roost, and they ran back over to the warehouse and saw Symmetra and Tee-one as they finished a construct. It was 3 feet tall and had 8 arms, 4 of which had swords, 2 had bows, and 2 tower shields filled the last 2 hands. It would have been front heavy, except that it was counterbalanced by a segmented prehensile tail that looked like a scorpion. ¡°Okay, that''s cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°How many do you have?¡± ¡°This is the sixth one.¡± Tee-one said and pointed to the others, and they all looked different and had different bodies. ¡°The work went quicker with us working on them together.¡± ¡°We don''t have time to test them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are they active?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then pick them up and let''s go!¡± ¡°Hold on little ones.¡± Symmetra said to them, and all 6 of the 3 foot tall constructs hopped up into her arms and she caught them; one in each arm. It was a bit of an odd sight to see, but it worked and they held onto her. ¡°I''ll stay here and make more.¡± Tee-one said, and Ren, Artemis, and Symmetra left the warehouse and went over to Princess'' house. ¡°Princess!¡± Ren said, and she was out of the house and positioned to face the right direction. ¡°Hook me up, My Lord!¡± Princess said, and Ren took out the covered cart from her saddlebag and attached it to her. Riley and Stacy came out of the house and barked, and Ren nodded to them. ¡°I''ll go and get my steed, Cobalt.¡± Officer Holly said and ran around the Main House to her place and the steed she had secured there. ¡°Can we come, too?¡± A voice said from behind them. Ren turned around to see every single pixie was there. ¡°I can''t ask you to-¡± ¡°We just got this land.¡± Suniva the Firekin said hotly, and her voice could melt cold iron. ¡°We are not giving it up!¡± ¡°It''s going to be dangerous.¡± ¡°With our Unnatural Armor and Regeneration, it will take a lot to hurt us.¡± Shanna the Earthkin said. ¡°Plus, we discovered something.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Ren asked. Suniva stepped forward and made her hands into fists. Ren felt Mana cover her as if she was generating clothing, and he was surprised when a tiny female version of his armor covered her. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s platinum armor!¡± ¡°You gained a lot more from me that I thought.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Yes, we did.¡± Suniva said and walked up into the air as all the other pixies formed similar armor. ¡°We gained a purpose.¡± ¡°Then hop aboard.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can use all the help I can get.¡± The pixies, Xuunah, and Symmetra climbed into the cart and Riley and Stacy walked up to stand on either side to keep the cart''s balance. Officer Holly came back riding her steed and stopped behind the cart so Ren could tie the horse to it, then the heat around the area doubled as a 10 foot tall excited fire elemental ran out of the warehouse. ¡°Zetaya!¡± Ren said, and the fire elemental stopped beside him. ¡°You can''t...¡± He started to say, then remembered telling the succubi to not hold back and smiled. ¡°I''m glad to have you by my side.¡± Zetaya reached out and rubbed an arm stub over his head, which messed up his hair and made him laugh. ¡°You''re riding with me.¡± Ren said and climbed onto Princess, and Zetaya climbed onto his back. It was a really odd sight to see a 10 foot tall fire elemental trying to hold onto a 4 foot 7 inch tall armored man, who rode a 5 foot tall armored ram that hauled a cart with two large metal dogs with wings as they hung on the side of it. Princess trotted up into the air and poured on the speed, and Artemis flew beside them. * ¡°This is going great!¡± The hostage squad said as it left the second farmhouse and had finally caught a man and his wife. The first house had been empty and the child in this house had gotten away; but, that was okay. Even a single hostage would work for their plans. More would work better, though. ¡°Good work.¡± Their platoon captain said when they fell back into the troop formation. Their platoon had been sent ahead to capture anyone they could. ¡°Put them near the back and tie them to the supply cart. We don''t want them to slow us down.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The hostage squad said and moved back through the troops. When they secured the two captives to the cart, they heard a screech in the distance. ¡°Hey, did you hear that?¡± Someone asked. ¡°It kind of sounded like a scream or something.¡± The soldier next to him laughed. ¡°There''s probably going to be a lot of screaming soon.¡± The other soldiers started to laugh, too. Barely a second later the soldiers were all shocked to see flying women approach their formation. ¡°Platoon! Halt!¡± One of the lead soldiers said. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°They''re coming for us!¡± One of the soldiers said frantically, tossed his sword into the dirt and fell to his knees and prayed. For some reason he knew he was doomed.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Archers!¡± The platoon captain said, and 20 archers stood tall while the rest of the men knelt. ¡°Ready! Aim!¡± The succubi were almost on top of them. ¡°Fire!¡± The soldiers let their arrows fly and every single arrow hit one of the flying creatures... and went right through them. ¡°What? How?¡± The platoon captain was dumbfounded that not a single arrow had taken out one of the creatures, and then the succubi passed over the soldiers. All 20 of the archers disappeared, and before the other soldiers knew it, there were horrendous screams and bone-chilling yells. The noise was cut off a moment later, then nothing could be seen or heard. ¡°Captain!¡± One of the soldiers exclaimed. The captain turned to the shout and saw a tall blonde red-skinned woman, with large red leathery bat wings, that stood right in front of him. ¡°B-b-b-beautiful.¡± The captain mumbled as his emotions were captured by the vision of deadly loveliness in front of him, and she reached out to touch him. The rest of the world faded away as this creature enticed him to give up everything he had for her, and he nodded and closed his eyes. He didn''t feel the claws of the succubus as they entered his chest, and then all of his emotions were drained. A moment later his heart was ripped out of his chest, held up like an offering, then the succubus tore into the tough muscle with her teeth. ¡°Sooooo gooooooood!¡± Zunala moaned as she feasted on the man''s emotions and heart blood, and her Frenzy ability increased in strength again. She felt a sword as it tried to pierce her chest, then there was short scream. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Kelfaren asked her friend. ¡°My displaced image passed over you when the soldier attacked.¡± ¡°Yes, I''m fine.¡± Zunala said. ¡°Pull it out, will you?¡± Kelfaren pulled the sword out and the skin reformed instantly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Zunala said and looked around. ¡°Oh, it seems I missed it all.¡± All of the soldiers in the platoon were dead on the ground, and most of them were in pieces. Kelfaren chuckled. ¡°You ate the whole heart, so that took a minute.¡± Zunala smiled. ¡°I''ll be more careful next time.¡± ¡°Just wait and save one for last like we did.¡± Seldanna said and held up her pilfered heart. Zunala chuckled and nodded, and Fayeth, the succubus that spoke constantly, deactivated her Displacement enchantment and went over to the soldier''s abandoned supply cart and the two captives tied there. The man stood his ground and the woman flinched a little at her odd appearance. ¡°That was a horrible incident to bear witness to, wasn''t it? I hope neither of you are traumatized by it. There''s going to be more of it soon. I''m glad you''re fine. You''re fine, aren''t you? Are your wrists sore?¡± Fayeth asked the two captives. She successfully pushed aside her Frenzy without deactivating it, and she held in her moan at the resolve and strength the captives felt as they tried to not let what they saw affect them. ¡°Wh-what are you?¡± The woman asked. ¡°That is an existential question, and depending on who you ask, you will get different answers. In some respects, we are villains. In others, we''re scavengers. We could be avengers, defilers, saviors, and even destroyers.¡± Fayeth said and reformed her hands into human hands, then untied the woman. ¡°In the end though, all we can claim to be, are succubi.¡± ¡°Why did you help us?¡± The man asked. ¡°Lord Ren rescued us from a horrible fate, one that no one should ever be subjected to, no matter their origins of creation; either summoned from the ether or being born from a womb, both of which could signify the same thing. Are children born, or are they summoned into the womb and then get to grow up normally?¡± Fayeth asked and untied the man. ¡°Are you okay?¡± The woman asked with concern in her voice and held a hand out to the succubus. ¡°I''m fine. I just tend to talk a lot when I''m asked a question. It''s not a character flaw, at least not in my eyes, because what I say usually has some relevance.¡± Fayeth said and held the woman''s hand tenderly. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± The man asked, fully prepared to sacrifice himself to the creatures so his wife could escape. ¡°We''re protecting the home he gave us.¡± Fayeth said and smiled sweetly at the man. ¡°...and it''s citizens?¡± The woman asked. ¡°Of course.¡± Fayeth said, reassuringly. ¡°We''re both citizens of Lord Ren''s county, so I''m really helping myself.¡± She said. ¡°There''s no better feeling than that.¡± The woman smiled sweetly back at her and gave her hand a squeeze. The man''s hand touched both hands, and Fayeth looked at them both. ¡°Thank you for saving us.¡± The man said. He was filled with relief that they wouldn''t be eaten like the soldiers, but was still wary it could happen. Fayeth once again held in her moan at these feelings, because they should be wary of her. She was a succubus and it was dangerous to be around her; but she could feel they were accepting of her, too. ¡°Hey, is this yours?¡± One of the succubi asked and held up a young child by his shirt. He screamed and hollered names at the succubi, then kicked his legs and swung his arms to try and escape, to no avail. ¡°Yes, it''s ours.¡± The woman said. The succubi put the boy down and let him go. He turned and kicked her shin, then ran over to his mother. ¡°Ow! You little creep!¡± The succubi said and rubbed her shin. The mother covered her mouth to stop her laugh, and hugged her son when he was close enough. ¡°Is it okay for him to see things like this?¡± Fayeth asked. ¡°It could be quite traumatizing for young minds to see such gore and horror and not have it affect them adversely.¡± ¡°We work on the livestock farm.¡± The man said. ¡°He better be used to seeing slaughter like this.¡± Fayeth smiled at the man, then at the woman, because she felt their slight attraction to her, despite her being covered in the soldier''s blood. She also felt that they didn''t look at her like she was a monster. ¡°Come on, we better go!¡± Seldanna said and hovered in the air. ¡°We''re going to be late to the-¡± She cut off her own words as Princess with the cart, Ren with the fire elemental on his back, and Artemis flew over them. ¡°Dammit! We already are!¡± Seldanna took off after them, as did the other succubi. ¡°Hurry! Go!¡± The woman said and let Fayeth''s hand go. ¡°Protect our homes.¡± Fayeth nodded and took off after the others, and her heart was filled with hope. A moment later she realized that she couldn''t get through a battle with just hope, and let her Frenzy take back over. A feral snarl crossed her lips as she caught up with the others, and it was echoed from the other succubi. She couldn''t believe that she would gain another reason to fight the invaders. She didn''t need another one; but now that she had it, she would use it to full effect. The soldiers almost took my chance to be happy away from me! Fayeth thought, then let out an ear splitting screech. It was quickly matched by the other succubi, because there really was no match for their righteous anger. * ¡°When are we going to attack?¡± Dennis asked the party leader, Chris. ¡°When the time is right.¡± Chris said as they kept well back away from the back of the troops and out of their direct line of sight. ¡°When will that be?¡± ¡°When I say so.¡± ¡°Can you be a little more specific than that?¡± One of the others asked. ¡°Look, it''s simple really.¡± Chris said. ¡°We wait for an opportune moment and then pounce.¡± ¡°So, you''re saying you don''t know when.¡± ¡°No, I know.¡± Chris said. ¡°I''ll tell you when.¡± He smiled. ¡°Trust me.¡± ¡°Oh, geez.¡± Dennis said. ¡°We''re going to be killed for sure.¡± Chris chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry, we''ll keep you safe.¡± ¡°How can you keep me safe if you''re dead?¡± ¡°Easy.¡± Chris said. ¡°Use your pigeon spell and surrender to Lord Ren.¡± ¡°You''re supposed to protect me, not make sure I die.¡± Dennis said. Chris laughed. ¡°He won''t kill you.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t think, anyway.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If what we did earned us so much Infamy, then that means he''s a good guy. If we do a bunch of damage to this invading army, he''s sure to forgive us for breaking down the wall.¡± ¡°I think you''re making a huge assumption.¡± One of the guys said. ¡°What''s that?¡± Chris asked. ¡°That he''ll listen at all.¡± The guy said, and everyone fell silent after that. Chapter 526 - Under Siege! Ren had seen and felt the succubi as he passed over them, and resisted his urge to activate his Controlled Berserk Rage in response to their heightened Frenzy. He relaxed when he felt them stay within his Aura, because he had caught a glimpse of the remains around them. If he had to guess, there was at least 3 squads of troops or even a full platoon of soldiers. ¡°It was a platoon.¡± Teepo said. Ren had also seen the man, woman and child at the back edge of it. He was a little perturbed at the slaughter, considering he didn''t want any kind of conflict at all; but, he knew what he was unleashing when he sent them ahead. He remembered the encounter with the harpies and the calm that had filled the succubi when they were done tearing apart those creatures. Ren didn''t feel calm from them now. In fact, if he had to describe it, they were incensed over something. He thought about what could have happened with the family they had rescued, and what would have made him enraged, and his Angered condition activated. ¡°REN! There they are!¡± Teepo said. They had just come into sight, and there were at least 10,000 soldiers in formation, done up in ranks and blocks, and he could see the siege weapons mixed in. Medium-sized cannons and single shot Ballista were scattered in different squads all over the mass of troops. ¡°We have a few choices here.¡± Artemis said. ¡°We can land now and prepare properly for the battle to come, we can drop down into the mass and try to disrupt them as much as we can, or we can just hit them head on and let things progress where they may.¡± ¡°That''s a distinctive no for the second and third options.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''d be completely surrounded in no time.¡± ¡°Should we even be worried about that?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°We''re pretty powerful.¡± ¡°That''s true, but there''s only so many of us.¡± Ren said. ¡°We might not notice taking 10 damage from a single source; but, what if it was a hundred sources that hit us at once? Or a thousand?¡± Artemis thought about it for a second. ¡°At least one of them would probably get a lucky shot in.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Let''s divert around them and come in from behind.¡± ¡°What''s to stop them from going forward?¡± ¡°A hastily constructed Iron Wall?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You have quite a few other wall spells, why do you keep using that one?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°They make a nice ringing sound when you tap them.¡± Ren said and smiled, and she chuckled. ¡°Why not use Invisible Wall or Wall of Thorns?¡± ¡°Thorns... yeah, that would be better, and more natural looking.¡± Ren said. ¡°Princess? Land here.¡± Princess came in for a landing and Ren hopped off and took out a blank staff and added a diamond to the tip, then activated his Create Staff ability and choose the Widen Effect Permanent Wall of Thorns and Permanent Shaper spells to add to it. He smiled as he imagined the best way to delay the troops, and held the staff up to generate a 100 foot long Wall of Thorns and changed the flat wall into a half-tunnel with the curve towards him and the inside of the curve towards the troops. ¡°Do you think they can see this?¡± Ren asked. ¡°They''re not acting like they do.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I don''t know if they''ve seen us, either.¡± The succubi hovered above them as they waited for Ren, and a few moments later, you could see the troops react to the sight of 20 succubi with full wingspans hovering in the distance. There were shouts and hollers, and the succubi screeched back at them. Several hundred arrows shot out from the troops, but they were much too far away for the arrows to come anywhere close to either the succubi or Ren and his group. Ren concentrated and extended the curved Wall of Thorns for a thousand feet in either direction, then doubled it''s thickness by adding a second wall behind the first without attaching them. ¡°I''m temped to tell you to split up so we can attack from different angles, but I want you all close enough to me so I can help.¡± Ren said, and he felt everyone''s appreciation for his concern. ¡°Let''s do it together like you said.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Then pick a flank.¡± ¡°Right, I think.¡± Artemis said. ¡°There''s more heavy weapons on the left.¡± ¡°That could also mean more spell protection on the right.¡± Ren said, and she smiled. ¡°We''ll find out soon enough, then you can break it.¡± Ren nodded and looked up at the succubi. ¡°Fly backwards a little!¡± When they did, he deactivated his Auras. ¡°Okay, great! Stay there for a minute!¡± Ren said, then cast Illusion to reproduce them right in front of where they were, with the sky as a background, so they could move and not be noticed. Ren cast a normal piece of ground over the Wall of Thorns so that the soldiers wouldn''t know it when they hit it. He thought that was a little dirty, then laughed and made another curved Wall of Thorns behind the one covered with the illusion as a warning. ¡°Now put an invisible wall behind that.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°That should really annoy them.¡± ¡°It''ll also keep them distracted.¡± Artemis said. Ren made another wall behind that one and cast Permanent Invisibility on it. ¡°Okay, let''s go!¡± The succubi flew low to stay behind the Walls of Thorns with Ren and the others, and everyone travelled out and around the side of the mass of troops. All along the way, Ren kept casting normal Illusions of small hills to keep their progress covered from sight. When they arrived in the right position, they came to a stop and waited as everyone spread out to attack as many of the soldiers as possible. ¡°Do we really have to kill them all?¡± Xuunah asked in a whisper. Ren felt her reluctance, and he took her hand. ¡°No, we don''t have to kill them; but, they are invading a county inside their own kingdom to take control of the poor villagers that barely had enough food to feed themselves.¡± He said. ¡°When I showed up and started to improve their standard of living, it gained the interest of the neighboring county. Unfortunately, rather than just asking me for the things I''ve been doing, they decided that taking what they want was a better solution.¡± ¡°Would you have given them what they want?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°It depends on what they want.¡± Ren said. ¡°The machinery and techniques? Probably. The defensive weaponry? Probably not.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°The Spell Ballista are overpowered, and can easily be used as offensive weaponry.¡± ¡°Then why are you calling them defensive if they can be used offensively?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°Web and Sleep are defensive spells. When someone comes at you, you restrain them or put them to sleep. If used a certain way, you can assault buildings and even armies by putting them to sleep first and then restraining them.¡± Ren said. ¡°If someone was less scrupulous, they wouldn''t worry about suffocating the targets.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Is that why we didn''t divert to the wall and pick up the skeleton knights?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, it would have taken longer.¡± ¡°You won''t suffocate them, but you''ll kill them outright?¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I had intended to cover the ground in front of the wall with the web to show them what they were in for. They decided to use an alternate route, broke down my wall, and by the looks of that skirmish the succubi were in, the soldiers were capturing people.¡± ¡°They were.¡± Zunala whispered, and Ren glanced at her. Her eyes were blood red and her body was splashed with blood, just like all the other succubi. It was a little difficult to see, considering their skin was red. ¡°We freed them just after they had been captured.¡± ¡°Thanks for getting to them in time.¡± Ren said and looked at the approaching troops. ¡°Thank you for not making us keep the enemy alive.¡± Zunala said. ¡°That encounter would have gone quite differently otherwise.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s assuming they didn''t use the hostages against you, too.¡± Zunala smiled. ¡°We both know they would have tried that.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°They wanted to use them against me.¡± ¡°They would have succeeded, wouldn''t they?¡± ¡°To a point.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s an old saying. Give a child a cookie, and they''ll ask for a glass of milk to go with it.¡± Xuunah looked at him for a moment, and then smiled. ¡°Clever.¡± ¡°What''s clever?¡± Zunala asked. ¡°What does a child and food have to do with anything?¡± ¡°It''s a metaphor. The neighbors are the child, and Ren''s innovations are the cookie.¡± Zunala frowned. ¡°Then''s what''s the milk?¡± ¡°Them.¡± Xuunah said and pointed to Symmetra, and the 6 constructs she placed on the ground. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Zunala said. Symmetra pat each of them on the head. ¡°You know what to do.¡± The 6 constructs nodded and turned as one, and their chests glowed slightly. The soldiers formation had reached their waiting point, and Ren held up a hand to tell his group to wait. He took out his Wand of Ventriloquism and cast it on a rock in the field in front of the troops. He used a giant''s voice because it was the only one loud enough for the soldiers to hear. ¡°HALT!¡± The voice commanded. ¡°Your actions are illegal! Go home now or pay for your crimes with your lives!¡± A soldier in the lead ran forward and kicked the stone, cursed when it didn''t move, then took out a folding shovel and tried to dig it out. ¡°Okay, he''s an idiot.¡± Artemis whispered. ¡°Why?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°Either he is trying to make it shut up, or he wants to take it back home.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°Then yes, I agree.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°It''s idiotic, but I won''t kill him for being stupid.¡± ¡°What about for being vicious?¡± Ren asked and cast Full Illusion near the front of the soldiers. He made an image of an unarmed young man and had him stand up, then he was quickly overrun by the soldiers. Weapons were swung at the image without hesitation, and Ren altered the image to reflect the damage. ¡°So much for them taking hostages.¡± Zunala whispered and hissed angrily. ¡°They probably think their advanced squad has some already.¡± Ren said and looked at the others with him. ¡°When you attack, don''t hold back. They aren''t going to, so you shouldn''t, either.¡± Everyone nodded, including Xuunah, and Ren cast a Phantom Steed for her. It appeared, and it was an exact copy of the Phantom Steed that had appeared for him when he cast it in Shargon Caverns, only this one was completely white. Xuunah pet it and climbed up onto it''s saddle, and then Ren cast Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything on Zetaya twice to make the fire elemental 40 feet tall. ¡°I hereby offer a quest to you, to defend this land from the invaders.¡± Ren said formally to everyone gathered. ¡°Rewards and XP will be awarded for your efforts, no matter how great or small. Ensure the safety of the people within Walin County, including yourselves, and remove the threat we face this day.¡± Everyone accepted the quest popups they received, and several of them couldn''t believe that he had given them a quest. The most vocal were the pixies, and then Ren felt a small set of lips on his cheek. He looked at Suniva, and she winked at him. He smiled and held a hand up with three fingers extended for everyone to see. He dropped a finger to leave two, then dropped a finger and left one. When he made a fist, he dismissed the illusion they were behind and activated all of his Auras except Submission and Hatred. The soldiers within his extended Aura flinched and stumbled, and he activated his Ultimate Terror ring and pushed that through his Aura. ¡°AHH!¡± Nearly a hundred soldiers screamed as Terror gripped them and they started to flee. The 6 constructs near Symmetra had used their inherent spell, Permanent Enlarge or Reduce Anything, to make themselves double in size from 3 feet to 6 feet, then again to 12, and again to 24. It was an amazing sight, now that Ren had a chance to actually see their details. One was a metal Marilith Demon like the one he had met in Shargon Caverns and it had 6 arms and a snake tail, another was a Dark Elf and giant spider mix that looked like Lylyth when she transformed. Ren saw the 8 armed scorpion tailed construct that had been the last one Tee-one and Symmetra had made, another that looked like an out of proportion troll with an oversized weapon, and another that was a Barbed Demon that looked like the Grinch that stole Christmas. The last one looked like one of his dogs, only it stood up on it''s hind legs and didn''t have wings. It had huge paws with the metal claws extended out, and all 6 of the constructs let out terrifying roars. The soldiers that marched nearby stumbled and fell as they tried to turn and face the new threat, instead of moving forward and getting out of the way. The group with Ren jumped forward into the mass of soldiers and started to attack. Princess took off through the mass of soldiers and clipped several hundred in the head with her horns. The pixies, because of their smaller size, were best positioned to disable the soldiers. They formed blades made of some glowing metal and ran between the soldiers ranks and slashed at the ankles of the soldiers, which made the men fall to the ground. This made some soldiers behind them trip and fall over the downed soldiers, so every damaged one caused a ripple effect. The pixies laughed at the feeble attempts of the soldiers as they tried to attack the pixies, mainly because they were hitting their own men while trying to hit their small 1 foot tall assailants. Ren waited for everyone to get involved in the attack, then activated his Controlled Berserk Rage. ¡°Princess!¡± Princess ran back to him and Ren quickly climbed up into the saddle. He took out his triple-sized hammerpick and held it out to the side. ¡°Let''s take out those heavy siege weapons.¡± Ren said. Princess brayed and ran up into the air, with Artemis, Xuunah, and Officer Holly right beside her, and they turned towards the closest cannon and charged forward. * The soldiers were in hell. It had started when they had seen some flying red skinned women up ahead of their marching formation, and several men had yelled out that they were succubi. Arrows were let loose and didn''t come anywhere near the targets, so they continued forward to try and get into range. Just as they were about to get in range, a platoon of troops on the right side of their formation felt fear cover them, then it changed to sheer terror. The soldiers started to scatter through the rest of the formation to try and get away from whatever was scaring them, then suddenly 7 monstrous creatures, some with multiple arms and legs, appeared out of nowhere. 20 more succubi joined them and started to tear into the soldiers. Some of the men screamed and continued to scatter, while most stood their ground and drew their weapons to fight. With a much smaller threat to the front, several platoons of men ran forward to deal with their initial target, and ran into the curved Wall of Thorns that Ren had covered with the clear ground illusion. They yelled and died as their fellows ran into the backs of them and pushed forward, and the bodies piled up. Once some of the soldiers noticed they weren''t going anywhere, they started to swing wildly at the illusion. They cut through the wall in several spots and saw the real Wall of Thorns behind it, then called for archers and flaming arrows. They shot both the invisible wall and the wall they could see, and set them ablaze. Once the illusion-covered wall had been sufficiently damaged, the illusion faded. ¡°Forward!¡± One of the platoon captains ordered, and the men rushed forward to attack the succubi that floated just above the ground, and ran into the third Wall of Thorns that Ren had made invisible. It was not a pretty sight. The platoons of soldiers on the right side of the formation fared much worse than the troops in the front of the formation, as the succubi, pixies, and constructs waded into them and had killed them by the hundreds in only a minute. Their cannons and siege weapons exploded and were lit on fire as the assault on their formation continued, and a fire elemental picked men up and shoved them inside itself and consumed them instantly. Unlike the undead and tough ghouls that Zetaya had become accustomed to, the unmodified humans could barely survive being picked up by the fire elemental, let alone last more than a second inside of it. * ¡°Okay! Do it now!¡± Chris commanded his small party of Adventurers, and they all ran forward to attack the rear of the army in front of them. ¡°No, really?¡± One of the guys asked after they had watched the army of over 10,000 troops be attacked as 7 large monsters and 20 smaller monsters smashed into the side of the formation. They had appeared out of nowhere, as if by magic, and the troops screamed and hollered as they died easily at their hands. No one noticed the two glowing white phantom steeds as they ran through the army and carried their riders with their weapons drawn. The two of them killed tens, then hundreds of soldiers during each pass through the formation. * Xuunah had thought she was making a mistake at first, even with Ren''s proof of the army''s evil intent, then when she had stabbed the first soldier and felt his emotions through her sword, her Righteous Anger Aura activated. Why did I doubt him? Xuunah asked herself as she withdrew her sword and decapitated the soldier with her back swing. Am... am I trying to distance myself? She thought and killed the next soldier, then the next and the next. After she had killed 200 of them and discovered they all had the same emotions and were set in their intention to wipe out the citizens of the county, her Righteous Anger Aura changed to Righteous Fury, and her eyes glowed red. ¡°Xuunah! Are you okay?¡± Officer Holly asked as she came over to her friend. ¡°Help me dispatch these scum before they can fulfill their desires!¡± Xuunah almost yelled and touched the other woman''s shoulder. Officer Holly was filled with visions of what the soldiers were going to do to the men, women, and children of the county after their usefulness as hostages was over. She gained her own Righteous Fury Aura, nodded as she activated it, and the two of them started to make the soldiers pay. Chapter 527 - Is It Over? Lord Grasham''s invading army never had a chance. It was besieged on three fronts; the front blocked by any number of invisible walls, the right side was being assaulted by monsters, and the back by the group of Adventurers they had hired to take down the wall. You can never trust infamous Adventurers. The commander of the army thought as he oversaw his command through a Viewing Cloud. The army of 12,000 troops fell apart not long after the tragic encounter with those monsters, and it degenerated into small skirmishes instead of a large field battle. He had suspected he would lose the battle at some point, just because the Lord of the county had so many powerful resources at his disposal; but, he never imagined that he would lose it in less than 20 minutes. The commander could see the Terror on his men''s faces and in his mind could hear the screams as they died. ¡°Well, that went a lot worse than I thought it would.¡± He said out loud. ¡°Pack up, and let''s get back to Lord Grasham.¡± ¡°But, sir! What about the troops?¡± His aide asked. ¡°I''m not going to order more good men to die.¡± The commander said. ¡°I warned Lord Grasham that this was a fool''s errand.¡± The commander stood there as his command tent was quickly packed up, and he and his team left the area and climbed into the carts set aside for them. There were hundreds of other carts there for the supplies the army had needed, and he would have to send squads back to gather them up. He sighed at the thought of losing so much of his command in one shot, and was glad he had convinced Lord Grasham to only send 25% of his forces against such a small county. ¡°We can''t just leave them.¡± The commander''s aide said softly. ¡°You can go in after them if you want.¡± The commander said and dismissed the Viewing Cloud. ¡°From now on, I''m staying well away from that county''s borders.¡± * Ren and Princess had easily destroyed all the heavy weapons and made sure they couldn''t be used while Artemis shot the weapon crews before they could retaliate. Ren had Princess run up into the air above the battle and looked down at the carnage that was progressing below them. Artemis had been right in her thoughts about not needing to worry about getting surrounded. Most of the soldiers when presented with a choice to fight or flee from the onslaught, chose to run. Unfortunately, since they were in a tight formation, there wasn''t far for them to run before they were caught and dealt with. With nothing to hold them back, the succubi slaughtered efficiently and quickly. They weren''t enjoying it to it''s fullest potential, because they didn''t have the time to savour the emotions they consumed or to bathe in each victim''s blood; but, their abilities and skills leveled up over and over as they progressed through the ranks of soldiers. Their individual Frenzy Auras increased in size with each level up and they merged with each other to cover a much larger area than they ever thought was possible. The taste of the enemy''s sweet heart blood, and the merged Aura between them, gave the succubi such a sense of accomplishment that they almost moved as one being. Grab a soldier, slash the neck and lick spurt of blood, catch soldier''s swinging arm and break the wrist, plunge free hand into chest, remove heart, bite and squeeze and swallow, empty hands and grab the next soldier. They moved like a machine as they tore through the soldiers, and when their Aura touched Ren, all 20 succubi stopped and looked up at him. Their Frenzy Aura morphed and became Controlled Berserk Rage and merged with his, and they felt everything he did. They felt his cold calculation as the assault progressed through the soldier''s formation and estimated how long it would take to finish them all off, and it touched them deep inside. With their shared feelings, they knew that he didn''t see it as an abomination, or a waste, or even wrong; and then they felt him flood the shared Aura with Reassurance. He gave them a nod and waved, and they nodded back and continued their attack on the soldiers. With Ren overlooking them, they were relentless in their pursuit to prove that his estimate of the task being done was going to be accurate. The army was completely decimated in just under 20 minutes, and the succubi had saved 20 of the platoon captains for last. They gathered them together in the center of the piles of remains, and Ren had Princess land beside them. ¡°You... you won''t... get away with this!¡± One of the men almost spat at Ren, despite his terror. ¡°To the victor go the spoils.¡± Ren said and looked at the succubi. ¡°Please take these men up into the air, high enough for them to see what happens to those that attack our lands, and bring them back down.¡± The succubi did as he asked without question as the rest of Ren''s group gathered around him. Some of the men shouted, others cried, and some shook their head in disbelief. The succubi landed again, and the men stared at him with hatred and disgust. ¡°I can feel your emotions.¡± Ren said, then motioned to the succubi. ¡°As can they.¡± ¡°So what?¡± One of the men said. ¡°Just hurry up and kill us already!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Oh, you''re going to die, don''t doubt that.¡± He said. ¡°Right after the succubi savour your emotions.¡± Everyone but the succubi were surprised by this. ¡°You see, I would have held you off outside the walls almost indefinitely; but, you broke my wall down and invaded.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°That is not allowed.¡± ¡°You did a great job stopping it from happen-HRK!¡± The man''s words were cut off as the succubus holding him grabbed his throat. ¡°I was still reluctant to kill you all, until I discovered what you were going to do to everyone that lived here.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re still alive right now, because I have a question for you.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Everyone fell silent and waited for the question. ¡°Would the rest of the soldiers still on your lands have followed the same order?¡± Ren asked, and the men didn''t say anything. He could feel their emotions, and knew why they refused to answer. ¡°Go ahead.¡± He said to Zunala, and he felt extreme gratitude from her and the other succubi. ¡°I was wrong to try and defy you and subvert the others, My Lord.¡± Zunala said, in reference to her attempt a while ago to form permanent submissive bonds with the other succubi behind his back, before he had intervened and made them too powerful for it to work. ¡°You really do have our best interests at heart.¡± ¡°Just telling you that over and over wasn''t enough?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Well, at least you know for sure now.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Zunala said and caressed his face with her bloody hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Enjoy it, and then I can end this quest.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Zunala said, with reverence and respect in her voice that he hadn''t heard from her before. The succubi moved away from the group and sat down with their captives, and after a few minutes, they heard moans from the men as their emotions were manipulated to provide the succubi exactly what they wanted, and then the only sound was chewing and swallowing. ¡°You know, that''s really disgusting.¡± Officer Holly commented. Ren turned to her and looked at her scowl. ¡°They''re not having sex, if that''s what you think.¡± ¡°It might not be sex in the normal sense, but to them it very well might be.¡± ¡°It''s not my place to judge other cultures.¡± Ren said. ¡°I made that mistake before and it cost me a lot. Now I just ignore what doesn''t affect me personally and move on.¡± ¡°Isn''t that a bit like turning a blind eye to what''s going on?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°No, because I know it''s happening. I''m just choosing to not let it color my perception.¡± Ren said, and he could feel the satisfaction that the succubi felt as they carefully consumed their prey to make it last as long as possible. They were filled both emotionally and physically with the meal, and after only a few minutes, let the empty bodies fall to the ground to join the others. ¡°Good work, everyone.¡± Ren said when the succubi came over to him, and they equipped a different set of clothes to clean themselves up without being asked. He opened the Land Owner menu and saw a tab called ''Current Quest'' and chose it. ¡°I was tempted to have you all go around and loot all these bodies first, but I think I finally found a better way to do it.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I declare this quest complete.¡± Ren said after choosing the ''add loot to the Rewards'' option. All the bodies disappeared and everyone received a popup, except him. The constructs didn''t receive a popup, though. He was going to ask about that when Symmetra told him they were hers. Suddenly, all the pixies fell to their knees and screamed. The armor they wore dissolved and fell away to dust, which left them naked, and Ren knelt by them. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked and reached out to touch the closest one, Suniva. His hand hit a barrier of some kind, and he ran his hand over it. Several of the pixies near where he touched the barrier gasped, as did Suniva. ¡°S-some... something... AHHH!¡± Suniva screamed as her back arched, then she fell forward almost unconsciously. There was a cracking sound from her back as it bent a bit too far forward than it should have, and the skin split open. Resounding cracks were heard from all of the pixies as they fell forward as well, and their backs split open. Ren was going to try and absorb the barrier when he saw a small bit of flame exit Suniva''s back. It was about half an inch long, and he looked at all the other pixies. A lot of them had their elements come out of the wounds, and then the elements solidified. The skin closed over the now solid half an inch long protrusions, and their backs popped back into place. The barrier fell and Ren reached out and touched Suniva''s back just below the spot where the wound had been, and realized what he was seeing. The very tip of a tiny pair of wings were now stuck out of her back. ¡°Wh-what... what was...¡± Suniva panted as she tried to catch her breath. ¡°Symmetra!¡± Ren said, and she handed him two 1 foot by 1 foot square mirrors. Since the pixies were 1 feet tall, they were the perfect size. ¡°Look, Suniva!¡± He said and positioned them to show the pixie her own back. ¡°Wh-what... no, it can''t... that''s not... how?¡± Suniva asked and looked at Ren. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can take a guess.¡± ¡°P-please.¡± ¡°Protecting your new home, and putting yourself in danger for everyone else that lives here, is letting you earn back your wings.¡± A ripple of shock went through the pixies at his words, and they all started to try and reach back to feel it for themselves. Symmentra took out two large mirrors and two of the constructs held them for the pixies to look at themselves. ¡°It''s true! I have wings!¡± One of the males exclaimed and started to try and flap them. When they didn''t move, he flapped his arms to try and stimulate them. ¡°It''s just the tips, you idiot.¡± Another male said. ¡°We can''t fly yet.¡± ¡°I don''t care!¡± The first male said and ran around flapping his arms like a bird''s wings. A lot of the pixies laughed at his antics, and a lot more than a few were tempted to join him in his attempt. ¡°It''s going to take a while.¡± One of the female pixies said. She was the calmest of them, and studied her wing tips carefully in the mirror, then turned and looked at Ren. ¡°I can never thank you enough for this.¡± Ren put his hands up in a ''not me'' gesture. ¡°You all came with me out here and willingly put your lives on the line, even though you knew you could possibly die and might not gain anything for it.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t deserve your thanks for that.¡± The female pixie smiled. ¡°You don''t take praise well.¡± ¡°I do if I deserve it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m really glad this let you start on the right path again.¡± ¡°But...¡± One of the other females spoke. ¡°...how can we do what you said? We can''t keep tricking people! I don''t want to lose my wings again!¡± She said and almost screeched. Ren chuckled and reached a hand out to her. She took several deep breaths and gripped his finger with one of her hands. He activated his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Restoring Hands to fill her with good feelings. ¡°Your reasons for doing it have changed, remember?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s a job for you to entertain people, not to rob them.¡± ¡°But we''re still robbing them.¡± She said. ¡°They''re going to know you are.¡± Ren said. ¡°Make it a game. Try and let them guess a few times about what you take. If they guess correctly, hand it back. If they don''t, hand it back anyway and warn them to be more mindful of their possessions.¡± ¡°But... what about...¡± ¡°They''ll pay a fee before entering your place, so that no matter what happens, you''ll always have money.¡± Ren said to reassure her. ¡°That''s a really good idea.¡± Suniva said. She had finally recovered from the shock of the reemergence of her wings. ¡°You don''t have to keep sucking up to him.¡± One of the other females said. ¡°He already likes you.¡± Suniva snorted a laugh. ¡°This isn''t me sucking up to him.¡± She said, and walked up into the air and stopped by his cheek. ¡°This is me sucking up to him.¡± Suniva reached out and grabbed his cheek and kissed it over and over. ¡°Thank you!¡± *kiss* ¡°Thank you!¡± *kiss* ¡°Thank you!¡± *kiss* ¡°Thank you!¡± All the pixies started to laugh, as did everyone else. ¡°Okay, okay! She gets the idea.¡± Ren said. Suniva stopped and then rubbed the spot where she had kissed him. ¡°Being around you just keeps getting better and better.¡± She said. ¡°What do we do next?¡± ¡°I''ll take you back home.¡± Ren said and stood up, and the pixies all sighed loudly. ¡°What I''m going to do after that will not let your wings grow.¡± ¡°What are you going to do next?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°I''m going to ask Princess to ram that rock over there and shatter it into pieces.¡± Ren said and pointed. Everyone turned to see a 3 foot tall and 8 foot wide rock about 200 feet away. Princess huffed and took two steps towards the rock, and then it rippled and fell away as the magic user stood up. It had been his oversized cloak disguised as a rock, and not an actual rock. ¡°We surrender! We surrender!¡± Dennis almost yelled and raised his hands to hold the cloak up as high as he could, then he changed the brown color of the cloth to white. Chapter 528 - Youre Kidding! ¡°We surrender!¡± Dennis said again as he waved the white flag of surrender enthusiastically and hoped beyond hope that he wasn''t killed immediately for his audacity. What he didn''t know was that his audacity was what had saved him. Despite being within Ren''s Aura and having the Ultimate Terror enchantment being pushed through it, he had managed to speak coherently. Chris and the other men in the party stood up next to their magic user. The 6 men were surrounded almost instantly, which made Dennis jump from their sudden closeness. Seeing the succubi and monsters from far away was bad enough, but having them suddenly appear around him with murderous intent, absolutely terrified him. ¡°Tell me why I shouldn''t have you killed for what happened here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ah... ah... ah...¡± Dennis stared up at the 24 foot tall constructs around him, at the 40 foot tall fire elemental, and at the succubi that licked their lips and half-snarled half-purred at him. ¡°Ren.¡± Xuunah touched the side of his face. ¡°You can feel their emotions. They are already intimidated enough without the menacing feelings.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren looked at her, and she filled him with calmness. He lost his Angered condition and smiled at her. ¡°Thanks.¡± Xuunah slid her hand down and around to the back of his neck and let her hand rest there. Ren felt the warmth on his neck and took a deep breath. He ended his Controlled Berserk Rage and used Energize on himself again, as he had been doing to keep it active and shared the aura with the succubi. He also deactivated his Ultimate Terror ring and stopped pushing it through his Fear Aura. The constructs and succubi stepped back to give the party of Adventurers a little more breathing room, and the men visibly relaxed. ¡°All right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now you can tell me why I shouldn''t feed you to my friends.¡± ¡°We''re sorry.¡± Dennis said. Ren frowned at him. ¡°That''s it? You''re sorry?¡± ¡°We can tell you everything that happened if you want.¡± Chris said, and Ren nodded. ¡°We were hired by Lord Grasham to break the wall around your county. I didn''t ask why, and we were paid handsomely for it.¡± ¡°We also received 5,000 Infamy for it, too.¡± One of the other guys said disgustedly. ¡°Even though we weren''t fighting on their side and only gave them access to your county through your wall, it was enough to be considered going against the Hero of Aurora and we were severely penalized.¡± ¡°We didn''t know that''s who you were, though.¡± Dennis said. ¡°There''s so many lords and ladies around that it''s hard to keep them all straight. When we heard a rumor that one of you claimed they had a dispute with another...¡± ¡°We jumped on the quest without thinking.¡± Chris said. ¡°We''re paying for it, too.¡± He said. ¡°It took us a while to gain 500 Fame as a group, and now we''re at 4,500 Infamy.¡± Ren could feel how much that bothered them. ¡°Is that why you started to attack the troops as well?¡± He asked. ¡°Before you ask how I know, I could see everything when I was observing from above.¡± ¡°Yeah, we''re starting our redemption story.¡± One of the men said. ¡°Just what we did here took off 100 Infamy.¡± ¡°Is that what you want? To remove your Infamy?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If we''d known beforehand what would happen...¡± ¡°Hindsight is always 20/20.¡± Ren said and looked at Dennis. ¡°You''re the magic user.¡± Dennis nodded. ¡°It was me that...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I saw the Disintegrate scroll.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± ¡°Magic, obviously.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m glad I didn''t have to hunt you down.¡± ¡°H-h-hunt us?¡± Dennis whispered. ¡°You didn''t honestly think I wouldn''t find out what happened, did you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Despite the good that came out of fighting this battle, for both the succubi and the pixies, it was still an unnecessary fight.¡± He said. ¡°I dislike fighting needlessly.¡± Xuunah caressed the back of Ren''s neck, and he sighed at her gentle touch. ¡°But... I can''t put all the blame squarely on your shoulders.¡± Ren said. ¡°I seem to have missed a very vulnerable weakness to my defensive wall.¡± ¡°Dispel Magic.¡± Dennis said, and Ren nodded. ¡°I never imagined that using the spell twice would remove Permanency first and then remove the Iron Wall it was on.¡± ¡°Hold on... you... you cast Permanency on the walls?¡± Dennis asked, and Ren felt his shock. ¡°How in the world did you pay for all of the spells to cover the county walls?¡± ¡°I didn''t have to pay for them, because I did them myself.¡± Ren said, and the group of Adventurers stopped breathing. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Chris said and hung his head. ¡°We are so screwed.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We haven''t been playing that long; but, one of the first things Dennis told us was that there were certain spells that he wouldn''t get until he was a really high level.¡± Chris said. ¡°Permanency is one of those spells.¡± Dennis said, and then looked at Ren with wide eyes when he realized something. ¡°You recognized the Disintegrate spell.¡± He said. ¡°You know it, too.¡± Several of the guys sighed and groaned. ¡°What are you going to do to us?¡± Chris asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said and felt how forlorn the guys in front of him were. ¡°Like I said before, I was just going to kill you.¡± He said, and felt the men resign themselves to that fate. ¡°I''d let you go on your way after that.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Then do it.¡± Chris said and looked at Zetaya. ¡°I''ll take the fire elemental route.¡± He said. ¡°It might not be painless, but it will be quick.¡± ¡°Succubus, please.¡± One of the guys said and pointed to Seldanna. ¡°The pretty one.¡± Seldanna''s face flushed a slightly darker red. ¡°Well, if we can choose how we die, then I want a hug from the 6 armed metal babe.¡± Dennis said and looked at Symmetra. ¡°Dying in her arms wouldn''t be bad at all.¡± One of the guys turned to Officer Holly with a look of lust in his eyes, so she took out her sword and held it against his throat. ¡°You guys are joking, right?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°If he was going to kill you, he would have done it already.¡± She looked at the guy at the end of her sword, and saw he was going to step closer. ¡°Don''t even think about it.¡± The guy held his hands up and backed away, and she stored the blade. ¡°No one needs to sacrifice themselves.¡± Ren said. ¡°So you''re not going to just let us go.¡± Chris said. ¡°Do you really want me to?¡± Chris opened his mouth to say yes, then sighed. ¡°To be honest, we could have left and gone on our way after what we did, but we came into your county to try and make a difference.¡± Ren looked at the constructs and Zetaya, who had done the most damage and killed the most soldiers. ¡°Did they make a difference?¡± The constructs nodded, as did Zetaya, and Ren felt relief from the party of Adventurers. ¡°Upon the advice of some of my friends, you won''t be summarily executed.¡± Ren said with a smile, and the pixies and succubi laughed as the men visibly relaxed. ¡°Now I just have to decide what to do with you.¡± A couple of the guys sighed, and Xuunah leaned in close to Ren and whispered in his ear. Ren chuckled at her idea, and when she leaned away, he looked at her. ¡°You''re not joking?¡± Ren asked, and Xuunah shook her head. ¡°I think they might be just what you need.¡± Ren thought about it for a minute. ¡°Well, I guess I could use them for that.¡± The party of Adventurers exchanged glances, and thought they were going to be used for some kind of testing. It would be a kind of test, but not what they thought. Ren looked back at them. ¡°It seems I do have a use for you and your party.¡± He said. ¡°I had planned something like this a while ago; but, I''ve been so busy that I just never got around to it.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Chris asked. ¡°Your presence here has given me an opportunity, which I am going to extend back to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was just reminded that it was partially my fault for what happened to you, just because I was here and presented too tempting of a target to resist. So, I''m going to make an example of you in the same fashion.¡± ¡°He''s going to draw and quarter us!¡± Dennis gasped. ¡°I''m not going-¡± ¡°You''re going to hang us on the outside wall as a deterrent for others?¡± Chris asked. ¡°No, I...¡± ¡°You''re going to cut off our hands so we can''t use weapons anymore, right?¡± One of the other men asked. Ren concentrated on his Command Aura. ¡°Shut up.¡± He said, and their mouths clamped shut. ¡°I''m not going to maim, or hang, or dismember you. You would be useless to me that way.¡± He said. ¡°What I am going to do, is sponsor you.¡± Their mouths dropped open in surprise, and Ren smiled at them. ¡°I need Adventurers to go out and gather supplies for me. Mainly just ingredients, but sometimes those can only be obtained by doing quests.¡± One of the adventurers raised a hand, and Ren told them they could speak. ¡°Why can''t you do them?¡± He asked. ¡°You''re plenty powerful.¡± ¡°I''ve only just recently discovered that I''m only getting certain quests, usually class specific ones, and not quests that are available to everyone.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve also discovered that being powerful doesn''t mean a whole heck of a lot to some of the people that I''ve met.¡± ¡°You want us to be... what? Your quest emissaries?¡± Chris asked. ¡°Something like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a list of ingredients that are difficult to get, and I don''t have the time to run off and gather them myself. So, I''ll give you the list and a Running Quest to get as much and as many of them as possible.¡± ¡°Wait, does that mean we won''t get anything until the quest is complete?¡± One of the others asked. ¡°No, a Running Quest updates constantly. The more you get, the bigger the rewards.¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Dennis said. ¡°It seems like a lot of dangerous work, and we can''t take more than one quest at a time. It''s too hard keeping track of everything.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Running Quests are just that. Running. You can take other quests and not worry about it, because it''s going on in the background. There''s no rush to get the ingredients back to me, unless you have a lot of them and want to drop them off.¡± He said. ¡°Just message me and I''ll come and pick them up.¡± ¡°What about doing normal quests for you?¡± Chris asked. ¡°What do you get out of it?¡± ¡°If I wanted to be greedy, I''d ask for half of all quest rewards while I''m your sponsor.¡± Ren said, and he felt the instant refusal in their emotions. ¡°You''re in luck, because I''m not greedy.¡± The party of Adventurers relaxed. ¡°You can keep any copper, silver, gold, and platinum coins you find. I don''t need, or want, a cut of that.¡± Ren said. ¡°What I do want is to examine any special items you find.¡± ¡°You''re going to cherry pick the good stuff.¡± One of the guys said. ¡°In a sense.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I can''t get a recipe for an item or duplicate it''s effects, I''ll buy it from you for a fair price.¡± ¡°But, if you''re our sponsor... won''t we be your employees? Won''t you own anything we find anyway?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I won''t deprive you of your hard work like that.¡± He said. ¡°You''ll get to keep pretty much everything you find, except for the ingredients I need, or anything new you find that I may want.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Dennis asked. ¡°You can''t be in your right mind if you''re offering this kind of a deal to us.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I haven''t even told you what I can do for you as a sponsor.¡± ¡°I assumed you would pay our expenses and provide or buy equipment and clothing for us.¡± Chris said. ¡°That sounds about right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, it will all be level appropriate items, with free repairs and replacements.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do any of you have a shadow marker?¡± ¡°A what?¡± Chris asked. Ren took one out of inventory. ¡°One of these.¡± He said and held it up. He felt a spark of recognition from one of the men and looked at him. ¡°You''ve seen these before?¡± The guy nodded. ¡°I saw a few of them exchange hands when we were in Lord Grasham''s throne room and accepted the quest.¡± ¡°With your Infamy so high, you might be getting a lot of odd quests that deal with these.¡± Ren said. ¡°I suggest not accepting those quests if you don''t have to. If you do, come to me and tell me the quest, and then sell me the marker.¡± ¡°Sell you the marker?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°These markers signify an evil deed, and whenever I meet someone with them, I offer to buy them for 30 gold each.¡± ¡°30 gold!¡± One of the Adventurers exclaimed. ¡°That''s like...¡± ¡°...as if you had found a nice pair of expensive boots.¡± Ren finished the sentence for him and stored the marker. ¡°So, what do you say?¡± He asked. ¡°I give you all better equipment and clothing, and you go out and gather special things for me.¡± ¡°We''re really going to get to keep everything we find?¡± Chris asked. ¡°Except for the things I can''t duplicate, and those I''ll buy.¡± Ren said. Chris exchanged looks with the other guys, and they all nodded. He turned back to Ren and held a hand out. ¡°Then it looks like we have a deal.¡± Ren shook the man''s hand, and didn''t detect any deception from him. ¡°I''d suggest starting right away; but, I''ve got a few things to do first.¡± He said. ¡°What can you tell me about Lord Grasham?¡± ¡°Only what we''ve said so far.¡± Chris said and let Ren''s hand go. ¡°You haven''t really said anything about him.¡± Ren said. ¡°Exactly.¡± Chris said and smiled. ¡°You know just as much as we do about him.¡± ¡°Okay, then.¡± Ren said and looked at everyone around him. ¡°Princess and I will take the pixies home and then come right back.¡± ¡°I want to stay with you.¡± Suniva said. ¡°I can''t let you jeopardize your budding wings.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°No buts.¡± Ren said. ¡°You will go home and admire yourself in the mirrors.¡± ¡°I can keep them?!?¡± Suniva asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°Then I''ll go home, but only because you asked so nicely.¡± She said and stored the two 1 foot tall mirrors. Ren chuckled and looked at the other pixies. ¡°I''ll have Tee-one make pairs of them for you, too.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The pixies yelled and hopped around. Ren took out the open carriage and attached it to Princess, and all the pixies climbed up and sat down on the modified seats. He climbed onto Princess'' saddle, and she trotted up into the sky. Chapter 529 - Decked Out Ren and Princess took the pixies back to their archway apartments, and they all happily got out of the carriage and went inside. Ren stored the carriage and Princess turned around, then they went to the warehouse across from the Main House. Ren went inside to see Tee-one and asked him to make the mirrors for the pixies. He went back outside and climbed onto the saddle on Princess'' back and just sat there. ¡°How did you know I was still here?¡± Suniva asked a moment later, and faded into existence on his shoulder. She had formed a tunic and pants around herself, too. ¡°I could say I noticed that you didn''t go inside your apartment when I dropped everyone off; but in reality, I can feel the Fire inside of you.¡± ¡°You... you can?¡± Suniva asked, surprised. ¡°I think it''s a side effect of the flesh bond.¡± Ren said. ¡°I couldn''t see or feel you, but I could feel a spark of Fire on my shoulder.¡± Suniva sighed and walked into the air to stand in front of his face. ¡°Are you angry that I tried to trick you?¡± Ren smiled and used a fingertip to stroke her cheek. ¡°No, because you were just trying to stay near me.¡± He said. ¡°I should be angry that you would risk your returning wings for me, though.¡± Suniva reached out and rubbed the tip of his nose. ¡°You know I believe it''s worth the risk.¡± ¡°That''s why I''m not mad about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± ¡°Do you promise to let me have some fun again?¡± Suniva asked and pat the tip of his nose, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Yes, I''ll let you enjoy yourself like that again if you want.¡± Ren felt her happiness as she leaned close and kissed his cheek. ¡°Then you can go and make them pay for what they wanted to do to us.¡± Suniva said and stepped away, then started to walk away through the air. Ren watched her walk for several moments, and then she turned and looked at him. ¡°Is my cute little butt distracting you again?¡± Suniva asked. Ren nodded. ¡°Those are really tight pants.¡± Suniva chuckled. ¡°Good.¡± She said and turned around and walked a little faster to sway her hips more. ¡°She''s less than a quarter of your size.¡± Teepo said, and he hung off of Ren''s shoulder to watch her, too. ¡°She doesn''t have to stay that way.¡± Ren said and pat Princess, who took off at her full speed through the air, because with no passengers she didn''t have to go slow. ¡°You''ve got quite a lot of women that you''re not having sex with that are trying to have sex with you.¡± Teepo commented, and Ren nodded. ¡°More and more all the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s like I have my Prince Charming title on all the time, even though I don''t.¡± ¡°With your Aura as big as it is, if you did activate the title and walked through Aurora, I''d bet that half of the women in the city would be all over you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Only half?¡± Ren asked jokingly, and Teepo chittered in laughter. Princess came to a stop at the site of the battle and landed beside everyone. ¡°Geezus! Did you see that?¡± Dennis asked of no one in particular. ¡°He just teleported!¡± Ren hopped off of Princess and walked over to the group of Adventurers. ¡°Princess is just really fast.¡± He said. ¡°Can I see that cloak?¡± ¡°What? This thing?¡± Dennis asked and held up the cloak in his hands, and Ren identified it.
Cloak of Inanimate Objects
This cloak will allow the owner to disguise himself and those around him as an inanimate object. A cabinet, a rock, or anything else they think of at the time they decide to hide. Warning: This cloak only takes on the appearance and not the qualities of the chosen inanimate objects. Durability: 100 / 100
¡°Where did you get it?¡± Ren asked as Dennis handed the cloak to him. ¡°I started with it.¡± Dennis said. ¡°It''s a bit useless, actually.¡± ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Ren asked. ¡°A cloak that disguises you and the people with you as a single object is more valuable than you realize.¡± ¡°It didn''t work against you.¡± Dennis said. ¡°You were all well within my Aura when you tried to hide with it, so I already knew where you were.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you had stayed back farther, I might not have found you at all.¡± ¡°Wow, really?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Personal disguises are pretty common; but something like this, that lets an entire party hide together and potentially ambush enemies as one? That''s pretty rare.¡± He felt their surprise at his admiration of the cloak, and after a lengthy examination, he received the plans for it and handed it back. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Did you... um...¡± ¡°Yes, I have the plans for it now.¡± Ren said. ¡°So you can make another one?¡± Chris asked. ¡°I can make as many as I want.¡± Ren said to him. ¡°Show me your weapons.¡± Chris took out a standard sword for low level fighters, and saw it had an enchantment with a single Lightning rune. ¡°I''m not going to ask how much the enchantment cost.¡± Ren said. ¡°Pretty much my whole starting bonus.¡± Chris said. ¡°It''s come in handy a few times.¡± ¡°You figured out you can hold it against a creature for extra damage, didn''t you?¡± Chris nodded. ¡°It''s difficult to do that against some creatures.¡± ¡°A lot won''t hold still after the first shock.¡± One of the other guys said. ¡°Is that all the weapons you have?¡± Ren asked, and Chris nodded. ¡°But, you''re the fighter, aren''t you? Shouldn''t you have more weapons?¡± ¡°We''ve got three fighters in the group, so I''ve been more of a coordinator.¡± Chris said. Ren looked at each of them. ¡°What are your classes?¡± ¡°Fighter.¡± Chris said. ¡°Magic user.¡± Dennis said. ¡°Fighter.¡± The next guy said. ¡°Ranger.¡± Another said. ¡°Fighter.¡± The next to last guy said. ¡°Rogue.¡± The last one said. ¡°Can I assume you''re the thief, too?¡± Ren asked the Rogue. The guy looked at him for a moment and then kind of turned his head away. ¡°Hey, I''m not judging.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to know if you have a good set of lock-picking tools.¡± The Rogue looked back at him and sighed. ¡°Only the basic set.¡± ¡°I''ll make you a full set, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you use a short bow or short sword?¡± ¡°Both.¡± The Rogue said. ¡°It cuts down on my spreading stat points, but I''m also more versatile.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll help with that.¡± He said. ¡°You''re limited to leather armor, right?¡± The Rogue nodded. ¡°I''ll have a full set made, with reinforcement.¡± Ren said and looked at the fighters. ¡°Do you want a set of full plate armor, normal armor, leather armor with metal gauntlets and boots...¡± ¡°Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!¡± Chris said and held his hands up. ¡°You''re giving us too many options. How are we supposed to choose from all of that?¡± ¡°Well, I''ll just make normal armor and you can try that for a while, and I''ll leave a set of full plate armor available for when you think you need it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ranger? Do you use a full bow or a crossbow?¡± ¡°Full bow, and I''ve got a mini-crossbow for short range fighting.¡± ¡°Can I see that?¡± Ren asked. The Ranger handed him something that looked like a 45 caliber pistol. Ren examined it and saw the release mechanism and hit it, and the bow sides popped out and folded forward. ¡°It''s hand loaded.¡± The Ranger said and gave Ren a single bolt to put in it. ¡°It''s easy, but takes two hands.¡± Ren loaded the bolt and saw it really was easy to load. ¡°It doesn''t fire far because the bow part isn''t set up well.¡± He said, and popped the bolt back out. ¡°If the bow sides folded back instead, the string would have more tension.¡± He checked it over and moved everything that could be moved, and received the plans for it. ¡°I''ll have a better version ready in a few minutes.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I have other plans that are similar enough that I can adapt them for you.¡± Ren said and took out his shop tower, and walked 15 feet away from the group, put the 2 inch wide cube down and activated it. The Instant Tower popped into place and the group of Adventurers gasped at the sight of a 20 foot long by 20 foot wide by 30 foot tall tower. Ren went inside and worked for almost 10 minutes. He took his time when modifying the mini-crossbow recipe and made sure the new additions didn''t jam it or stop it''s function. He added the gears from the large automatic version he had made, added a cartridge and an auto-loader, and left it as a single shot. The Ranger was right. It was only good as a short range weapon, and there was no point in trying to enhance it''s range. Ren concentrated in increasing its power and penetration instead, and when he was done, he left the shop tower and handed the weapon to the Ranger. ¡°There you go.¡± ¡°What the hell is this?¡± The Ranger asked and looked at the contraption that was almost the same as his mini-crossbow, except that it was quite a bit thicker and clearly had a cartridge sticking out the bottom of it. ¡°A heavily modified auto-loading mini-crossbow.¡± Ren said. ¡°It functions just like the old one, except you can fire it one handed up to 10 times before you have to reload the cartridge.¡± The Ranger and the other members of his party stared at the odd-looking weapon, and Ren went back into his shop tower to make weapons and armor for the fighters. Since he only needed 3 sets of normal armor and 3 sets of full plate armor, he let the system do the hard work and only chose the patterns to use. He enchanted the pieces with basic stat enhancers, Protection, and Defense bonuses. He also made them lighter so they wouldn''t slow the wearer down. With those done, he made 3 long swords, 3 broad swords, 5 short swords, 6 daggers, and enchanted them with a combination of Earth, Fire, Wind, and Lightning runes. He was tempted to add the other elements, but he knew they wouldn''t work as well together as the ones he chose. After that, he made 6 bodysuits with the steel-laced Spider Silk Cloth, then made 2 sets of full leather armor and lined the insides with the same cloth. He enchanted them with stat bonuses, Reinforcement, Protection and Defense, and made them lighter. It could only hold half of the runes the full metal armor could; but, since he hadn''t used the full amount on the metal armor anyway, he managed to give them all the same enchantments. As an afterthought, he enchanted the armor bodysuits with Regeneration and Reinforcement, then stored everything. He took out the extensive set of lockpicking tools he had received from Donan a long time ago and made a duplicate set. The last thing Ren did was make amulets with Unnatural Armor and Spider enchantments, then added in Communication runes so that they could talk to each other. He left his shop tower and deactivated it, stored it, and went over to the party of Adventurers. ¡°So, are you ready to get started?¡± Ren asked them, and the 6 men exchanged glances. ¡°What about our new armor?¡± Chris asked. ¡°I''m not handing that over until you accept the quest.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''d be a fool to give you that and not have any kind of guarantee.¡± ¡°You gave John that kick-ass crossbow.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°It has a limited use, and I can make more.¡± ¡°Does that mean you''re going to give us all weapons before we accept the quest?¡± Dennis asked. Ren took out the long swords, broad swords, and daggers from inventory and gave them to the members of the Adventurer party. ¡°I gave them a mix of enchantments so they can be used in different situations and you won''t have to worry if they''ll work effectively or not.¡± ¡°Good lord.¡± Chris said and hefted the broadsword Ren had given him. ¡°I could decapitate someone with this.¡± ¡°Quite easily, assuming your attack was advantageous and you were lucky enough to do critical damage.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, what do you say?¡± He asked and looked at the party of Adventurers in front of him. ¡°Feel like getting started?¡± The men stored their new weapons and nodded, and Ren opened the Land Owner menu and made a new Running Quest. He added in the list of ingredients that he needed to make the various potions that he had the recipes for, added the minimum amount to be gathered and put no limit on them, then added in the qualifier to examine their equipment and special items they found. He also added in that he would provide equipment and money for provisions and for anything he couldn''t make for them. When Ren looked over the details, he decided to add in his own quest for finding rare creatures. Ren hoped that their discoveries during their adventures would fulfill his own quests, while he handled things at home. Since it was a specific quest for them and them only, he sent it to them directly and didn''t say it out loud. All 6 of their names appeared on his menu screen, and he closed it and looked at them. ¡°Congratulations! You may have just saved yourselves a lot of time on your redemption story.¡± Ren said, and the guys exchanged looks. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Chris asked. ¡°Well, depending on where you get your quests from, if you tell them that you''re doing a gathering quest for the Hero of Aurora as well...¡± ¡°We''ll lose Infamy a lot faster!¡± Dennis said. ¡°Thanks a lot!¡± Ren smiled and held out an armor bodysuit to him. ¡°What''s this?¡± ¡°Basic protection.¡± Ren said. ¡°Equip it and see what it does for you.¡± Dennis did so and he couldn''t believe what the popup said. ¡°I have Regeneration?¡± ¡°It''s not powerful, since it''s only on an armor bodysuit; but, it should keep you from being permanently hurt.¡± ¡°Sweet!¡± Dennis said, and Ren gave one to the other 5 guys. They equipped the bodysuits without question and waited for what was next. Ren gave a set of leather armor to the Rogue and Ranger, then a set of normal armor and full plate armor to the three fighters. ¡°It sucks I can''t wear armor.¡± Dennis said, and then Ren took out one of the amulets and gave it to him. ¡°No way!¡± He said after he equipped it. ¡°This is... I''m wearing heavy armor but I''m not wearing heavy armor?!?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I made that up for a friend who also couldn''t wear armor.¡± He said. ¡°I was not going to let her walk around unprotected.¡± ¡°You''re a good friend.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°For the most part.¡± Ren said and smiled at her, then turned back to the party of Adventurers and gave each of them an amulet. They couldn''t believe that they could all wear the amulet, even though they weren''t magic users and could wear armor. He gave them a modified Ring of Sustenance as well, and it almost blew their minds. While the guys tried to not overreact to the things he was giving them, Ren took a moment to make up one of the Robes of Ranged Weapons. It was covered in pictures of throwing stars, daggers, knives, and darts. ¡°How''s your accuracy?¡± Ren asked Dennis and held the robe out to him. ¡°Um... pretty good, actually.¡± Dennis said. ¡°You need to be able to cast things precisely.¡± ¡°Then you''ll put this to good use.¡± Ren said and gave it to him. ¡°How does it work?¡± Dennis asked. ¡°Just touch one of the images and add a little Mana, and it materializes the throwing weapon you touch.¡± ¡°Why aren''t you wearing it?¡± Dennis asked and put the robe on. ¡°I can''t use standard weapons.¡± Ren said, and that shocked them. ¡°How the hell did you survive so long?¡± Chris asked. ¡°I made a non-standard weapon, of course.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°What a great solution.¡± Dennis said. ¡°Thanks for all of this equipment.¡± Ren took out a Bracelet of Unbelievable Magic that gave the wearer 10,200 Mana and 1,020 Mana Regeneration, and held it out to him. ¡°You''ll need this, too.¡± Dennis'' mouth fell open at the golden bracelet, and he took it from Ren like it was the Holy Grail. ¡°You don''t have to treat it tenderly. It''s pretty tough.¡± Ren said and took out a Bracelet of Magical Balance, which gave +75 to all the base stats and another Mana boost. ¡°This takes up your other wrist slot, but it''s worth it.¡± Dennis equipped both and couldn''t believe his eyes when he read the popups. ¡°It... it''s not possible!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Not only is it possible, I have more.¡± He said and took out 5 more Bracelets of Magical Balance and gave one to each of the other guys. ¡°Yeah, we definitely made a huge mistake doing that task for Lord Grasham.¡± Chris said. ¡°I''m a little surprised you gained so much Infamy for that; but, I''m not going to complain about it.¡± Ren said. I have more important things to complain about. He thought, then used his Master Tailor Sewing Needle to repair their clothing, and used his blacksmith hammer to repair anything they needed repairing. He also gave the set of lockpicks to the Rogue. When all was said and done, the group of Adventurers were as decked out as they could be. ¡°I think that''s it.¡± Ren said, and then smiled. ¡°Except for two more things.¡± Ren activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and made them an Instant Tower with beds included, set the password for them, and put them all as the owners. ¡°You saw how this works.¡± Ren said and gave the 2 inch wide cube to Chris. ¡°Put it down in a space wide enough for it and activate it.¡± He said. ¡°You can set a spawn point inside for your group, so when you''re going to start a mission, pop this thing out as a base in case you die. You''ll respawn inside and be safe, because no one but you can enter... unless you bring them inside with you.¡± Chris shook his head in disbelief. ¡°Who are you?¡± He asked. ¡°Why are you giving us so much stuff?¡± ¡°I promised myself that if I did this, I would make sure whoever took me up on the offer would have access to some of my best stuff.¡± Ren said and took out the Wand of Transport. ¡°Like this.¡± He said and cast a Phantom Steed for each of them. ¡°They are loyal to you, and will take you anywhere you need to go.¡± He cast Permanent Widen Effect on them, then made the steeds permanent, too. ¡°They don''t need to be fed or watered, so as long as you don''t lose them, they will always be by your side.¡± The Adventurers looked at their black steeds with smoky grey manes, and couldn''t believe their eyes. ¡°Well, what are you waiting for?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Climb on and go start doing your quests.¡± ¡°You''re unbelievable.¡± Chris said as he climbed up onto his steed. ¡°I could make a joke about that, but I''ll let it slide this time.¡± Ren said and watched them all mount their new steeds. ¡°Now go and have fun, and don''t worry about doing my quest right away. I''ll be busy with something else for a while.¡± Chris and the members of his party nodded, exchanged contact info with Ren, and then left at a full trot. ¡°Everyone, let''s go to the breach in the county wall.¡± Ren said and climbed into Princess. ¡°I''ve got to fix it first.¡± ¡°Then what are you going to do?¡± Xuunah asked. Ren smiled crookedly. ¡°We''re going to pay Lord Grasham back for what happened today.¡± Chapter 530 - Fixing The Wall Ren and his group travelled to the breach in the wall, and for some reason it looked a lot worse than it did in the All-Seeing Mirror. I guess it''s because I can see it full scale. Ren thought as he hopped off of Princess and stood inside the 80 foot gap in what he thought was an imposing and possibly impassable barrier. I''m going to have to change that opinion, or at least what the barrier does. Xuunah could feel his disappointment and walked over to him. ¡°It''s not your fault that someone thought of a way around your ideas.¡± She said and put a hand on the back of his neck again. She could feel Ren relax at her touch, and that made her happy. ¡°You''ve already thought of how to fix that, haven''t you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°My animated statues didn''t perform like I thought they should have. Once again, it''s because I forgot that Dispel Magic would be devastating to them, no matter what their size was.¡± He said. ¡°I could go through them and make them enchantments instead; but, I have a better idea.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Well, I hope it''s a better idea.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± Xuunah said and let his neck go, then walked back over to the group. Ren walked over a part of the undamaged wall and put his hand on it. He concentrated on his recently gained Possession Restoration ability and poured Mana into the wall. It took a lot, and the dirt wall reformed and filled the space the Disintegrate Spell had left, then the Iron Wall grew over it and reformed into the proper shape, even with the battlement on top and the 10 foot wide walkway. ¡°That was neat.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Just wait.¡± Ren said and took out the Staff of Earth and the Permanent Iron Wall wand. ¡°I''m not done.¡± Ren used the staff to lift up the dirt inside the wall slightly and formed a small space underneath, then cast Iron Wall under it to join the bottom like the top. The wall was now surrounded by the Iron Wall spell completely and dirt filled the space inside. ¡°Won''t that make it weaker to detach it from the ground?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°If I was leaving it that way.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Symmetra? Give me a hand.¡± Symmetra came over and took out her own Permanent Iron Wall wand. She and Ren cast the spell and made iron pylons that sat at a 45 degree angle to the wall and extended down into the ground Ren moved out of the way. ¡°Why are you doing that?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°You''re removing one solid brace and replacing it with a magical one.¡± She said. ¡°Isn''t that going to be vulnerable to Dispel Magic as well?¡± ¡°Not when I''m done.¡± Ren said and climbed onto Princess''s saddle. ¡°Everyone, you can wait here while I do this, or you can come along.¡± Symmetra took the covered cart out of Princess'' saddlebag and attached it, then climbed into it and held her wand at the ready. ¡°We''re coming.¡± Zunala, the tall blonde succubus said and hovered in the air. ¡°There''s no way we''re leaving you go off on your own with enemy troops potentially waiting somewhere along the wall.¡± Xuunah and Officer Holly agreed to that statement and mounted their steeds, and the 6 constructs shrunk themselves down and climbed into the cart with Symmetra. Ren looked at the fire elemental and thought about what to do. ¡°I''ll have to shrink you down to get you in the cart, since I can''t carry you on my back while I work.¡± Zetaya nodded and Ren used the spell twice and reduced the fire elemental in size back to 10 feet. Zetaya climbed into the cart and ducked down to stay out of the way, and when everyone was ready, Ren had Princess run along the wall. He lifted the dirt and cast Iron Wall, and Symmetra cast the iron pylons to act as bracers. They did the entire county circumference in just under an hour and arrived back at the spot where the breech had occurred. They hadn''t met or seen anyone along the outside of the wall, and Ren felt disappointment from the succubi. He thought about reassuring them, then shrugged because he would be needing their skills again soon. Ren rode Princess up and over the wall, and looked at the large empty space that had been left because the animated soldiers on that side had their magic removed. There was also a pile of stone statues, and Ren cast Permanency on them as a reminder of his mistake. ¡°What now?¡± Symmetra asked. ¡°Were going to replace the animated soldiers, then use Shaper to change them into something much more useful.¡± Ren said and took out enough of them to fill the empty space along the wall. They enlarged them to the right size, and then used the Shaper spell to make them into what Ren wanted. They also added things that would be useful to the new shapes, and then they went along the entire outside of the wall and changed all the animated soldiers into the new things. It took another hour for them to get back to the spot where the breach happened, and Ren felt everyone''s eagerness for him to stop wasting time and to continue with his revenge plan. Even Xuunah was getting restless, and she was supposed to be a calming influence for him. ¡°I''ve only got one last thing to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren, you... you can''t...¡± Symmetra started to say, because she realized what he was going to do. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Believe me.¡± ¡°I do; but, it''s just...¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren said and walked over to the now heavily modified wall. ¡°You''ll see.¡± ¡°What is he doing?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°Wait and see.¡± Symmetra said. ¡°It''s going to be both amazing and scary.¡± ¡°Then why let him do it?¡± ¡°I can hear you, you know.¡± Ren said, then ignored their response. He reached out and laid a hand on the wall in front of him, then enchanted it with Protection and cast Regeneration on it. With that done, he could do something that he thought would be quite a twist for the skill he wanted to use. He activated his special skill and concentrated on what he wanted to do, then poured Mana into the wall when prompted. He emptied his Mana Pool and had to use Major Healing on himself to refill it, then poured that into the wall as well. When the Mana requirement was met, Ren had refilled his Mana Pool again and reached an unprecedented 365,000 Mana; which was much more than he had ever added to anything before. He was then asked to add 1,250 platinum coins for the inherent value of what he wanted to make. He then had the option to add an inherent spell, and chose Spell Immunity. The wall glowed as the requirements were met, and Ren stood there for almost 10 minutes with his hand on the wall until he received the popup that told him the task was finished. He took his hand off the wall and looked up at his latest creation. ¡°I hereby charge you with protecting this land you surround and it''s citizens.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you accept, Babylon?¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± A booming voice said. ¡°You may all sleep safe, now that I am watching over you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll have Tee-one make you enough wands with the proper spells to fulfill your purpose.¡± He said and turned to look at the group with him. He had felt their surprise, and now he addressed it. ¡°Everyone, I''d like to introduce my newest familiar, Babylon. He will make sure no one else will try to invade the county again.¡± Several of the things Ren and Symmetra had made and put on the outside walls, folded out. The shapes that they had changed the animated soldiers into were actually large arms, and each had a sword in the hand. They swiped through the air, and each arm had a 30 foot reach, not counting the 10 foot long blades. Since each arm was only about 10 feet apart, the entire outside area of the walls was a kill zone for anyone that dared to approach with evil intent. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Ren, you...¡± She shook her head. ¡°No one will ever succeed in an attack on the county again.¡± ¡°That was my intent.¡± Ren smiled and pat the wall beside him. ¡°Babylon won''t let an attack like this happen ever again.¡± He said. ¡°Plus, Disintegrate won''t work on him, either.¡± ¡°He can also warn us if anything happens.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Babylon, it''s nice to meet you.¡± ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you as well, My Lady.¡± Babylon said. ¡°You may pass through my gate at any time.¡± ¡°Now that I''ve got my land guardian in place, let''s pay a visit to Lord Grasham.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t you think we should go to King Alamast first?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I mean, this happened inside his own kingdom.¡± ¡°I probably should; but, I don''t want him to say that I defeated the army and that there''s no need to retaliate.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s the old saying? It''s better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.¡± ¡°What if that''s what Lord Grasham believes?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°Wouldn''t he have been justified in doing this if he did?¡± Ren opened his mouth to respond, then sighed. ¡°I''ll put it to a vote.¡± He said. ¡°Who wants to go to the capital and report Lord Grasham?¡± Xuunah, Officer Holly, Symmetra, and 3 of the Succubi raised their hands. ¡°Who wants to go to the next county and remove all future threats to us by the soldiers?¡± Everyone else raised their hands, including the 5 constructs and the fire elemental, Zetaya. ¡°Should I bother to complain that it wasn''t a fair vote?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°How wasn''t it fair?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Obviously the succubi want to kill more men.¡± ¡°Only with Ren''s permission.¡± Zunala, the oldest succubus said. ¡°None of us will do anything without that.¡± Ren looked at her and raised a single eyebrow, and she smiled at him. ¡°I told you I was wrong for trying to undermine you, remember?¡± Zunala said. ¡°I never imagined you would even think of letting us help you like this.¡± She said, and the other succubi nodded. Ren felt how much they appreciated his trust in them, and for letting them use their talents. ¡°So you aren''t going to complain when this is over and you have to go back to just patrols and keeping watch?¡± Zunala chuckled. ¡°Considering we were scheduled for hundreds of years with back-breaking toil and submissiveness, while providing emotional meals for our previous owner... getting to live an almost normal human life seems like a dream come true.¡± ¡°Even though you loved him?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I believe that you are a proponent for different kinds of love.¡± Zunala said. ¡°What I have for Murdrasu was not good or healthy, for either of us.¡± She said. ¡°It still pains me that he''s gone; but, as I''ve said before, I no longer hold his death against you.¡± ¡°And that''s not biased in your favor?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°Are you saying I should limit the vote to Adventurers or something?¡± Ren asked. Officer Holly shook her head. ¡°That wouldn''t work with only you and I here.¡± ¡°Then there''s nothing to complain about.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not going to restrict some of the people here and tell them they can''t vote in something that they will have a part in.¡± Officer Holly opened her mouth to refute that when Xuunah put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°He''s right. There''s no actual solution that will satisfy you.¡± Officer Holly sighed. ¡°Okay, I''ll stay quiet... right after I say one thing.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren said. ¡°Aren''t you just as bad as Lord Grasham if you invade his lands?¡± ¡°No, because I''m not going there to pilfer their goods or technology.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to remove the soldiers that have no compunction about...¡± He shook his head. ¡°These NPCs don''t deserve to stay around if they won''t think twice about doing things like this to their own citizens.¡± ¡°I guess I can''t argue that they won''t all do that, can I?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°No, because you felt their emotions just like Xuunah did.¡± Ren said. ¡°They were going to enjoy ransacking the place, even though they know the people here don''t really have anything for them to take.¡± ¡°Except their lives.¡± Xuunah said. Officer Holly had no choice but to nod, because she could remember everything she had experienced while her new Righteous Fury Aura had been active during the battle. It was intoxicating for her to feel a criminal''s emotions and to know for a fact that she was stopping a crime from happening. She wasn''t used to killing criminals for their crimes, though. That was a new experience for her. ¡°You don''t have to come along for this.¡± Ren said, and Officer Holly held a hand up to stop him. ¡°You''re not leaving my sight, now that I can do my job effectively.¡± ¡°I will stay by your side as well.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I''ll even refrain from saying ''I told you so'' when King Alamast hears about this and tells you that you should have gone to him first.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll hold you to that.¡± He said. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± He asked and looked at them all, and everyone nodded. ¡°Then we can go and see what evil we can smite in the hearts of evil men.¡± He said and looked at Zunala. ¡°Lead us to the closest soldiers, please.¡± ¡°With pleasure, My Lord.¡± Zunala said and took off, then the other succubi followed her into the air. Ren climbed onto Princess'' saddle and she and the cart she pulled with Symmetra, her 6 constructs, and Zetaya, went up into the air to follow as well. Chapter 531 - Mop Up This Mess Zunala led Ren and the others to the first group of soldiers she had detected. She had assumed, quite correctly, that Ren didn''t want her to attack them right away. Ren''s group gathered in mid-air at a good distance away from the soldiers and observed them. After about 5 minutes, Ren had determined that the 10 soldiers were on patrol... and were also complete jerks. They had intercepted a farmer and his family as they drove their cart up the same road the soldiers were walking on. Ren couldn''t say they were marching, because they were acting more like a group of thugs and not soldiers. They stopped the farmer and harassed him and his wife, and made inappropriate comments to the daughter while they illegally searched the cart for no reason. They were close enough that Ren had the cart within his Aura, and he could feel the farmer, his family, and the soldier''s emotions. When one of the soldiers reached out to grab the daughter by the hair, Ren hopped off of Princess and ran down to him, then grabbed the soldier''s arm and squeezed. ¡°Ow! Hey! Let go!¡± The soldier said. ¡°I was about to tell you the same thing.¡± Ren said in a menacing voice as his Angered condition activated. ¡°Let the young lady go.¡± He said. ¡°Do it, or I will break your arm and make you let her go.¡± The young woman''s face flushed red at Ren''s gallantry, and the soldier scoffed. ¡°You obviously don''t know who you''re messing with.¡± The solder said and tried to tighten his grip on the girl''s hair. Ren squeezed and the bone in the soldier''s arm snapped loudly. ¡°AHH!¡± The solder yelled in pain and his hand went limp. ¡°I warned you.¡± Ren said, and the other soldiers stopped what they were doing and drew their swords. ¡°You have attacked a sovereign member of Lord Grasham''s army.¡± One of the other soldiers said. ¡°I am placing you under-¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren said and cut the soldier off. The other soldiers nodded and stepped towards Ren. They had misunderstood Ren''s capitulation, however. The succubi were suddenly there and 10 of them had the 10 soldiers held by the throat, while the other 10 succubi had grabbed each soldier''s weapon arm. It stopped them from talking or moving, and the farmer and his family stared at the succubi. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said to the young woman, and she nodded quickly several times. ¡°I''m the Lord from the next county, and we just defeated an army of these guys.¡± He said. ¡°I came here to see if the rest of the soldiers were just as bad as the ones that attacked my county, and they are.¡± ¡°M-my L-lord.¡± The young woman said. ¡°What are you going to do to them?¡± ¡°Remove them, of course.¡± Ren said and nodded to the succubi. They disappeared with the soldiers as if they had never been there, and the farmer and his family stared at the empty spaces. ¡°I''d ask you to forgive them for their actions, because not all soldiers are that bad; but, that doesn''t seem to apply to Lord Grasham''s troops.¡± ¡°It really doesn''t.¡± The farmer''s wife said, and put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from saying anything further. ¡°You won''t have to worry about the soldiers for much longer.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please continue on your journey.¡± The farmer nodded, as did the wife. The daughter on the other hand, held a hand out to Ren for him to shake. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± She said. Ren took her hand as if she were a lady, bent over it, and kissed the back of it. She took in a sharp breath at his treatment, and Ren felt her shock. ¡°You might not have been born to actual nobility; but, don''t let that fact limit how you act or think.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I wasn''t born a noble, either.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°Now I''m a Lord in the Human Kingdom and have both land and people to take care of.¡± The young woman smiled back at him, and after a moment, she nodded slightly and let his hand go. ¡°Good day to you, M''lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°And to you, My Lord.¡± She said formally, and her parents looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°I hope to see you again some day.¡± ¡°You and your family can come and visit Walin County when you get the chance.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s not much there at the moment to see, but I''ll have more attractions available soon.¡± The farmer thanked him for the offered hospitality, and he flicked the reins to get the cart moving. The young woman waved to Ren as they drove away, and he waved back. When the cart entered a nearby forest and the farmer and his family were out of sight, Ren ran up to his waiting friends. ¡°She seems nice... and interested.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I didn''t flirt with her, if that''s what you''re implying.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even if my Etiquette skill wasn''t active, I would have treated her the same way.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you want to cultivate more women?¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Ren chuckled. ¡°You''ve felt the difference between my normal talking and when I actively try to flirt.¡± He said. ¡°What do you think?¡± Officer Holly remembered that first encounter in the street with Ren, where he had bent her over his knee to discipline her for attacking the Skeleton Knights. Things tightened in her lower body at the thought of what he had done that afternoon, and she turned her face away so he wouldn''t see her blush. ¡°Okay, I have to admit that you weren''t actively flirting; but, only if you admit that it was still flirting, just because of the way she reacted.¡± Officer Holly said. Her voice didn''t waver, even though her thoughts lingered on Ren caressing her butt that day and she was getting turned on. ¡°Sure, I''ll admit that.¡± Ren said. Officer Holly looked back at him in surprise, and forgot that she was supposed to hide her blush. She had expected him to deny it or try to hide it. Ren saw her red face and didn''t comment on it, because he could feel her emotions, too. He knew she was trying to stay professional, even though she was getting horny. ¡°I''ve noticed it myself lately.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sometimes women react almost as if I had my Prince Charming title active, even though I don''t.¡± ¡°Only sometimes?¡± Xuunah asked, and Ren looked at her. ¡°You''re right. I should say ''some women'' instead.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Like, out of all the female pixies, only Suniva seems to be genuinely turned on by me.¡± ¡°That is definitely below the average.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Only 1 in 200? It''s scandalous!¡± He chittered in laughter, and the succubi laughed, too. ¡°Oh, you''re back.¡± Ren said and looked at the succubi. ¡°They were delicious.¡± Zunala said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have you recovered enough to lead us to the next group?¡± Zunala nodded and pointed. ¡°That direction, but I can''t tell how far.¡± ¡°Then let''s go and get them before they stumble across another family or something.¡± Ren said, and had an idea. He issued a quest to wipe out the soldiers, and everyone accepted it happily without complaint. Zunala and the succubi flew in the direction she had pointed, and the rest of the group went with Ren as he mounted Princess'' saddle and followed the succubi. It didn''t take them long to find the next patrol, and this time Artemis shot several of the soldiers before they could open fire on Ren and the succubi. The soldiers had felt Ren''s Aura as it passed over them and it got their attention, and Artemis had felt their automatic ''kill it'' reaction through Ren and dealt with them. The succubi cleared up the others, then Ren and the group moved on to the next batch of soldiers... then the next... and the next. Each time the soldiers reacted faster to their presence, and Ren debated deactivating his Aura to stop this. He decided not to, mainly because losing it''s benefits outweighed what the potential loss would do to him and the people he was with, if they were caught unaware by something while it wasn''t active. They eventually came across a barracks near the outskirts of a city, and this time, Ren''s entire group was involved. Officer Holly and Xuunah made sure to remove any civilians from the combat area, then joined in on the fray. It didn''t take long to remove the several hundred soldiers, especially after the Constructs and Zetaya took on larger forms. The battle spilled out onto the nearby streets, mainly because the soldiers had tried to flee and get reinforcements. Ren and his people were victorious after a short and decisive battle, and had gathered a bit of an audience. ¡°Hey, what are you doing there?¡± A man asked as he saw the soldiers bodies dissolve. ¡°We''re just cleaning up the dirt.¡± Xuunah said to the man, and he nodded. ¡°It''s about time someone did that.¡± The man said. ¡°You''re not Lord Grasham''s citizens, though.¡± ¡°No, we aren''t.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°We''re concerned neighbours, and couldn''t let what was going on here continue.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°What does Lord Grasham have to say about this?¡± The man asked. ¡°It depends on when we ask him.¡± Ren said. ¡°If this scattered troop deployment is any indication, that won''t be until tonight.¡± He said. ¡°Cleaning them all up first takes time.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± The man said and walked away. ¡°The regular citizens aren''t too concerned over us wiping out the soldiers.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Don''t you think that''s a little odd?¡± ¡°Very.¡± Ren said. ¡°Either they are tired of the soldiers behavior, or they think we won''t make a difference and the soldiers will be back later.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Xuunah rubbed her chin. ¡°Will they be back?¡± She asked. ¡°We haven''t seen anyone go out of their way to help the soldiers; but, we also haven''t stayed around to see if they came back.¡± ¡°We could stop here and wait.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Then we''ll know.¡± ¡°I have a better idea.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it to show the previous battle sites to see if anyone showed up to ask about the missing soldiers, then asked if there was a spawn point or anything for them. When both questions showed him nothing, he stored the mirror and the group went on to the next city. They had met several small patrols along the way and dealt with them easily, then dispatched the soldiers inside the city. There were a surprising amount of them, even considering the larger population centres, and Ren and his group moved on before anyone else could ask them what was going on. They weren''t leaving any bodies behind, so they knew they would have quite a long time before any of the soldiers they met could say or do anything in response. This pattern went on for several hours, just as Ren had predicted, and they worked their way across Lord Grasham''s lands towards the capital. He had a lot more land than Ren did; and in fact, he actually had 10 times the land and nearly a hundred times the people. Neither Ren nor Teepo tried to count the people to see what the actual ratio was, and kept quiet whenever they had the urge to try. It almost became a running joke as they counted the soldiers to keep track of them, and not the people. They arrived at the capital city and saw it''s defenses. It had huge stone walls and creatures that flew around the top of the wall. Ren couldn''t quite make out what they were at the distance they had stayed away from the city, and then Teepo spoke. ¡°Those are Pegasus Knights.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They are better than normal horses with large feathered wings and they have experienced knights riding them.¡± He said. ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¡°Let me think about it.¡± Ren said, and observed the comings and goings for several minutes. ¡°Ren? Will you let me handle this?¡± Xuunah asked, and he looked at her. ¡°Are you sure? They don''t look the least bit friendly.¡± Xuunah chuckled. ¡°They might not look friendly right now, but their attitude is about to change drastically.¡± Ren smiled as he felt her Reassurance Aura pop into place. ¡°Then My Lady, please help yourself to them.¡± He said and gestured towards the city walls. Xuunah nodded and rode her white Phantom Steed through the air towards the soldiers that weren''t expecting a visit from a Light being in human form. Ren watched her approach the defending soldiers cautiously, then watched as Xuunah deftly dealt with them verbally and didn''t cause a significant disturbance. Ren wasn''t sure if he liked her approaching the enemy city without backup, and he told the succubi to stand ready. After several minutes, Xuunah turned and waved to Ren and the rest of the group, and he felt her confidence through his connection with her. ¡°I guess this means we can approach safely.¡± One of the succubi said. ¡°I wonder how she managed that?¡± ¡°We can ask her later.¡± Ren said and looked at the others. ¡°Keep a low profile, and try not to spook anyone.¡± He cautioned them. ¡°Until we want to, that is.¡± He smiled. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Chapter 532 - Lord Grasham As Ren and his group of followers moved through the air towards the city that was the capital for Lord Grasham''s lands, the succubi changed their appearance to that of angels. Their red skin faded to white and their leathery bat-like wings changed to white feathered bird-like wings. The succubi kept the bikini tops and underwear bottoms that they normally wore, as well as their natural hair color. The succubi also reactivated their Displacement enchantments in case someone didn''t buy their hastily made disguises; but, they needn''t have worried about that. The soldiers on the walls had let Ren and the succubi pass over the wall without incident. Xuunah rode up into the sky to rejoin Ren and the Pegasus Knights rose up into the air with her. Ren nodded to the succubi and they descended to the soldiers on the wall and quickly disposed of them. He saw everyone stop for a moment and assumed they had received the popup that stated they had completed the ''Remove Soldiers'' quest he had given them. Ren and Princess continued on over the city towards the large mansion in the center and the others went with them. With his Auras active, everyone they passed over in the city looked up at them and saw exactly what they wanted to see... a flight of angels as it passed over their city to bless them. ¡°What did you say to them?¡± Officer Holly asked, and indicated the Pegasus Knights that flew in formation behind them. ¡°I explained that we don''t want any trouble, and we are only here because we wanted to talk to Lord Grasham about his latest illegal endeavour to wipe out the villagers in the next county.¡± ¡°So you lied?¡± Officer Holly asked as the group came to a stop just outside the main building of the mansion that the All-Seeing Mirror had shown Ren as the location for Lord Grasham. Xuunah chuckled. ¡°No, because it hasn''t been any trouble for us so far, has it?¡± ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Teepo said, and Ren sighed. ¡°It will be now.¡± Ren said as he felt the emotions of the Pegasus Knights shift from escort mode to containment mode. ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Xuunah said. She had felt the emotions shift in the knights through Ren, and her gaze watched the knights to see if they were going to attack. ¡°It''s a little hard to explain.¡± Ren said and looked at Officer Holly, who was doing the same thing Xuunah was. ¡°Murphy''s Law.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Murphy''s Law?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°In simplest terms, it means ''anything that can go wrong, will go wrong''.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°That''s actually a misinterpretation of ''anything that can happen, will happen''; but, since everyone says it the other way, that''s the way everyone believes it is.¡± ¡°I triggered it because of what I said?¡± Xuunah looked from Ren to Officer Holly while she still watched the knights. ¡°It''s something that''s happened a few times to me while I''ve been going on adventures.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was Tee-one that messed me up the last time, and we almost got overrun with giant spiders.¡± ¡°I... I''m sorry.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I didn''t mean to.¡± Ren smiled and pat her hand. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Xuunah shook her head. ¡°No, I should have known not to make a comment like that.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll know better in the future.¡± ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°We could leave.¡± Symmetra said, and everyone glanced at her. ¡°What? It''s a valid option.¡± ¡°We could level the place and move on, like you did for the Thieves Guild.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°We could go in and attack anything that moves.¡± Artemis said, and she had her arms posed to do just that, starting with the Pegasus Knights. ¡°Or we can just walk in and ask what the hell he was thinking.¡± Ren said, and he felt the knights relax. ¡°If I may make a suggestion?¡± A woman''s voice said, and everyone turned to see a woman floating in the air in front of the building. ¡°Go with the last option. Lord Grasham is expecting you.¡± Ren tried to use Identify Person on her, but nothing happened. ¡°You''re not real?¡± The woman smiled. ¡°Astral Projection.¡± ¡°I''ve never used that spell.¡± Ren said. ¡°Does it feel weird at all?¡± ¡°Yes, it does.¡± She replied. ¡°I can feel the environment I''m in at the moment, and I''m also feeling this environment on top of it.¡± ¡°I assume your eyes are only seeing this view.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°It would be very difficult to move or interact with anything if you saw both at the same time.¡± ¡°That''s what I was worried about.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s the travelling like? Do you take just as much time in astral form, or is it faster than normal movement?¡± ¡°Do we really want to discuss this right now?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°Right, right.¡± Ren said and smiled at the floating woman. ¡°Lead the way, ma''am.¡± The woman nodded and turned around and floated through the wall of the mansion. Ren took out the Staff of Earth and used the Pass Wall spell to make a hole for him and the others to pass through. They did so and entered a large lobby, which left the Pegasus Knights outside, and Ren nodded at the succubi. The Pegasus Knights were immediately dispatched, and the Pegasus mounts started to freak out and go into a Frenzy with their bonded riders dead. The succubi killed the winged horses quickly and looted all the bodies, came in through the hole in the wall to join Ren and the others, and Ren dismissed the Pass Wall spell. Even if someone had been looking in their general direction, they wouldn''t have seen anything because it had happened so fast.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Ren and the others followed the astral projected woman out of the lobby and down a hallway to a large set of doors, and she went through them as if they weren''t there just like she had through the wall. The woman hadn''t turned around at all since Ren had started following her, and he thought that was quite the oversight on her part. He could do so many things behind her back without gaining her attention, in addition to removing the Pegasus Knights. The large doors opened as he and his group approached them, and inside was a large throne room. In the middle of the room was an ornate throne, with a normal man sitting in it. He was surrounded by several dozen guards, as well as attendants. Ren saw the astral projected woman enter her physical body and heard her take a breath. I wonder if that''s a kind of limitation? Ren asked himself. Maybe the longer you are away from your body, you lose Health or something? ¡°Well, well, well.¡± The man said in a monotone voice and distracted Ren from his thoughts. ¡°It seems my little ploy worked.¡± ¡°What ploy?¡± Ren asked. ¡°To get you to come and see me, of course.¡± The man said in the same monotone voice. ¡°You see, what I wanted to do to you required that you to come to me willingly.¡± Ren''s entourage spread out to defend him, and the man laughed. When he spoke next, his voice changed to that of a woman and still had the same monotone level. ¡°Relax. Take a deep breath. Let it out slowly.¡± Ren took a breath and relaxed, despite not wanting to. ¡°Listen to the sound of my voice.¡± The man kept speaking in a woman''s voice. Ren''s eyes widened as the man''s appearance morphed into that of a woman he recognized quite well. ¡°Listen to how soothing and relaxing my voice is.¡± Suzie said. ¡°Listen to the tones and the tremble in my words. Concentrate on what you hear, not what I say.¡± Ren took in another breath and let it out slowly. ¡°Ren? What''s going on?¡± Xuunah asked because she could feel that he was being forced to remain calm. Ren didn''t respond to her. ¡°You are one with your mind, and your mind is one with you.¡± Suzie said the last hypnotic catch phrase and Ren went completely limp as he slumped to the floor, unconscious. ******** ¡°REN!¡± Stella yelled as soon a she saw Suzie. ¡°Initiate emergency logout procedure!¡± [table] System Notice! Emergency logout initiated. Estimated time for safe removal of player: 2 minutes [/table] ¡°Two minutes is too long!¡± Stella said uselessly as Ren''s avatar dropped to the floor. ¡°What is she going to do to him?¡± ******** Xuunah''s Righteous Fury Aura popped into place without her calling for it. ¡°Kill them!¡± She commanded because she felt it was imperative that she had to defend Ren now that he was completely defenseless from whatever kind of attack that was, so she stepped in front of him with her sword at the ready to stop anyone from approaching his unconscious form. The succubi and Symmetra''s constructs leaped forward to fight the guards and Princess ran forward and rammed through the crowd of people around Suzie. ¡°Ren, stop them!¡± Suzie said immediately. Princess clipped Suzie''s arm with a horn, and Suzie screamed as her arm was pulverized from the impact, as was the throne she sat on. She would have been thrown across the room, but the people around her acted as a buffer and caught her. ¡°Everyone stop!¡± Ren commanded. With his Command Aura active, everyone within it stopped, including Princess, who had looped around the room and was just about to ram Suzie right in the side of the head. ¡°Th-that''s better.¡± Suzie said and winced when she tried to stand up. Her arm hung uselessly by her side, and blood poured out of multiple contusions onto the floor. ¡°My Lord! Let me take care of that!¡± One of the people around her said, and the woman used Major Healing on her. ¡°Hurry up.¡± Suzie said. The woman nodded and poured Mana through her hands. The arm healed completely a few moments later and Suzie flexed her fingers. ¡°Tend to the others.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± The woman said and stepped around Princess to the closest body. She touched it for only a second and shook her head, then moved on to the next. ¡°I should kill you all where you stand.¡± Suzie said and stepped forward. ¡°I only wanted to talk to him.¡± ¡°Step no closer!¡± Xuunah exclaimed. ¡°You will not harm him!¡± ¡°I''m not going to harm him, even after his underlings did this to my people.¡± Suzie said and waved at the carnage. All the guards were dead at the hands of the succubi, and half of her advisers were dead because of Princess. ¡°I really do only want to talk to him.¡± ¡°Then shut your mouth!¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Your words alone have harmed him!¡± ¡°You have no idea what my words alone can accomplish.¡± Suzie chuckled. ¡°Ren, you will do everything I say.¡± ¡°Yes, Suzie.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stand up and grab this woman.¡± Suzie said. Ren stood up with his eyes still closed, and he grabbed Xuunah''s arms to hold her. ¡°Ren! Let me go!¡± Xuunah pleaded. ¡°I''m trying to help you!¡± ¡°He can''t hear you.¡± Suzie said. ¡°Only my voice matters to him right now.¡± If my voice can''t reach him, then... Xuunah thought and closed her eyes. Maybe... if I concentrate... ¡°You''re starting to cause me problems in the real world, Ren.¡± Suzie said. ¡°Private investigators, news reporters, unauthorized police stakeouts, and a few visits by several unnamed three letter agencies have plagued me and my clients during the last few weeks.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said, then felt something inside his chest as it started to glow. ¡°I''ve even been subpoenaed to appear in a court case concerning you as the star witness.¡± Suzie said. ¡°I can''t let myself be questioned or cross-examined like that, Ren.¡± She said and walked over to Ren and Xuunah. ¡°You will refuse to show up at the ne-HURK!¡± A white glowing sword stuck out through her chest, and Suzie looked down at it in shock. ¡°I''m really glad I never accepted Ren''s job offer.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Wh-what? H-how are you still moving?¡± Suzie asked. ¡°I''m not one of Ren''s underlings.¡± Officer Holly said and smiled. ¡°R-Ren! Kil-HUCK!¡± Suzie''s words were cut off by the short sword that was shoved up under her chin and through the top of her head. ¡°Now now, we can''t have you talking.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°That would be bad.¡± Suzie stared daggers at Officer Holly, who grinned back. ¡°I see you have lots of Health.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Let me help you with that.¡± She gripped the hilts of both swords, twisted them to the right, then the left, yanked them both out in one smooth motion and crossed her arms to decapitate Suzie. Her head and body dropped to the floor, and everyone could see that she was quite dead. A moment later, Ren let Xuunah go and fell to the floor as well. ¡°REN!¡± Xuunah yelled and her sword evaporated as she knelt to cradle his head in her lap, their connection glowed between them. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± I almost woke you up. ¡°Is he dead, too?¡± Zunala, the head succubi asked. ¡°No, he... he''s just gone where Adventurer''s go.¡± Xunnah said. Zunala sighed in relief. ¡°When his stop order lifted, I thought...¡± ¡°Dispatch the others.¡± Princess said to her. ¡°No one must know of this.¡± ¡°W-wait!¡± The woman who had healed Suzie said when a succubus grabbed her. ¡°I was just following orders!¡± ¡°So are we.¡± The succubus said and ripped the woman''s heart out of her chest. The remaining people were quickly killed and the bodies looted. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Artemis asked of no one in particular. ¡°We wait for his return.¡± Xuunah said confidently and looked at everyone. ¡°Secure the mansion. Kill everyone else inside. Barricade the windows and doors and set up sentries to keep watch.¡± After each sentence, several succubi left the room to kill the inhabitants, the constructs and Symmetra left to make the barricades, and then the last handful of succubi set themselves up to keep watch. ¡°No one will come near our Ren again.¡± Xunnah said. ******** Stella slipped off the VR headset after seeing the successful logout popup, and looked at Ren''s still form. I really hope this works. She thought. ¡°Ren, can you hear me?¡± She said, and Ren didn''t react. She sighed and picked up a piece of paper and tore off a small piece. She chewed on it for a minute and spit out the extra saliva into a tissue, then stuffed the wet wad of paper on the inside of her cheek. She coughed to rough up her voice a little, then spoke. ¡°Ren, can you hear me?¡± Stella said in a very good imitation of Suzie''s voice. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You will remember everything that''s happened to you, and when I clap my hands like I always do, you will wake up feeling refreshed and like you can take on the world.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Stella clapped her hands once and Ren opened his eyes immediately. ¡°Mommy, NO! NOOOOOOOO!¡± Ren screamed, and tears gushed out of his eyes. The blood drained from Stella''s face as Ren thrashed around on the bed, and his whole body started to shake and shiver as frothy foam flowed out of his mouth. He was having a Grand Mal seizure. Chapter 533 - Im FINE Stella knew exactly what to do, and she always kept the proper supplies nearby in case of emergencies. She had everything at hand to deal with the situation properly and did her best to stop Ren from choking on his own tongue while he was having the worst seizure of his life. She started to worry as the seizure went on and on, much longer than even a Grand Mal seizure would have. Good god, I... I hope this isn''t my fault for logging him out like that. Stella thought as she cradled Ren in her lap. His shaking and tremors had eased down some when she had touched him, so she had climbed onto the bed and held him like Xuunah had in the game. Little did she realize that it was her choice in phrasing that had led to Ren''s horrendous reaction and not being forcefully logged out. When Stella told him to remember everything that happened to him, all of the mental blocks that were in place inside Ren''s head were removed. The ones his psychiatrist had placed there to protect her clients, which included his parents, from being implicated in his case and being prosecuted, disappeared. Those weren''t the ones to cause the seizure, though. It was the ones that Ren had placed in his own mind himself to protect his fragile young mind at the time of the experiments. When those barriers dropped, all of his memories came flooding back. Pathways inside his mind opened up, and every neuron in his brain was on fire from the flood of memories. ******** ¡°I''ll go and check on him to see if he''s okay.¡± Officer Holly said, and knelt by Suzie''s body. She looted it and stored the items, then she sat down and logged out. ******** Officer Holly slid off the VR headset and put it aside as she sat up. ¡°I hope he''s okay.¡± She said and picked up her cell phone. It was Saturday, and she was glad that she had booked the whole weekend off instead of taking the single day that she normally would have. She dialed the number for Ren''s place and waited. * The phone rang beside Ren''s bed and Stella picked it up without thinking. ¡°Hello?¡± Stella said into the phone, absently. ¡°Stella, this is Holly.¡± ¡°Holly?¡± Stella looked at the now blank television screen. ¡°Thanks for protecting him.¡± ¡°Forget about that.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°How is he?¡± ¡°Recovering from a major seizure.¡± Stella said. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Was it the forced logout?¡± ¡°I hope not, but with the hypnotic state Ren was in...¡± ¡°Is he going to be okay?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Stella said. ¡°I won''t know anything until he wakes up.¡± ¡°I''m going back in to stay with his avatar; but, I''ll pop out every hour to see if his condition changes.¡± ¡°I''ll send a message when he wakes up.¡± Stella said. ¡°Thanks, Holly.¡± ¡°I''ll send over my copy of the footage, just in case Ren''s is altered or corrupted in some way.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°It''s good to have corroborating evidence anyway.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Stella said. ¡°Bye, Holly.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Officer Holly said and hung up. ¡°Intercom!¡± Stella said as she went to hang up the phone, and hit the button. All the phones in the house rang as one, and Elise, Denise, Lisa, and Barbi picked them up at the same time and spoke together. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°It''s Stella on the intercom.¡± Stella said. ¡°Ren''s had a seizure.¡± They all hung up the phone in the parts of the house they were in, and ran to either the stairs or the elevator on the floor they were on. They rushed to Ren''s room and arrived to see him cradled in Stella''s lap. ¡°What happened?¡± Elise asked as she approached the bed cautiously. Stella told them what had happened, and Elise brought up the footage on the laptop. ¡°No, she... why would she...¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°How could she do that to him?¡± ¡°It kind of tips her hand, doesn''t it?¡± Elise said. ¡°Whatever this next case is, it must be very important for her to risk so much by getting to Ren this way.¡± ¡°It''s not important at all.¡± Barbi said, and everyone looked at her. ¡°I''ve been going over everything Elise gave me and consolidating Ren''s schedule, and the next court case isn''t for another month and it''s only for a patent dispute.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°I don''t have all the details.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I''m not that deep into prepping for my job yet, since it''s a month away.¡± ¡°Forget about that!¡± Stella said. ¡°Just give us the basic info you do know.¡± ¡°It''s between two rival tech companies, and their rights over a microchip that was developed by the two men who run those companies.¡± ¡°If Gloria was here, she''d know them off by heart.¡± Lisa said. ¡°She knows all about that stuff.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°She would... but... why is Ren on the witness list?¡± ¡°We gave the lawyers that folder full of information.¡± Elise said, making the connection. ¡°It had several people inside related to tech development...¡± ¡°...which included people involved in Ren''s experiments.¡± Stella finished the statement. ¡°They''re probably calling on Suzie to vouch for Ren''s state of mind.¡± ¡°Either then when it happened, or now with all the evidence coming to light.¡± Elise said. She sat down next to the bed and touched Ren''s hand, and his hand gripped hers tightly. ¡°Ow!¡± ¡°Ren! Let her go!¡± Stella said. ¡°N-n-no.¡± Ren mumbled, and everyone froze. ¡°L-love... h-her.¡± ¡°Ren, please.¡± Stella pleaded. ¡°You''re hurting her.¡± ¡°Pain... makes you... feel alive.¡± Ren said and opened his eyes. ¡°Paper.¡± Denise passed over a piece of paper and a pen from the dresser. Ren let Elise''s hand go to take them, and scribbled something down. Stella watched as he made a short list of 5 medical ingredients, and then he handed it to her.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Make.¡± ¡°Ren, those things don''t go together.¡± Stella said. ¡°My... head... hurts.¡± ¡°I know it does, sweetie.¡± ¡°Fix it.¡± Ren said and held up the note. Stella shook her head. ¡°That won''t do it.¡± ¡°Trust.¡± ¡°Ren, I trust you.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s not going to do anything.¡± Ren frowned at her, then looked at Denise and held the list out. ¡°Make!¡± Denise took the list and read it, and she sighed. ¡°Stella''s right, Ren. This doesn''t make sense.¡± ¡°MAKE! TRUST!¡± Ren yelled. ¡°Okay, okay! Calm down.¡± Stella said. ¡°Denise, go in my room and look in the refrigerator. Check and see if I have all of that. If I do, go ahead and make it.¡± ¡°Cy... cy... s-spinny thing.¡± Ren said. Denise nodded and left the room at a quick walk, and Ren looked at Elise. ¡°S-sorry.¡± Ren said and held a hand out, and she took it. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. ¡°Elise, call Barbara and let her know what''s going on.¡± Stella said. ¡°She should be up by now.¡± Elise called and explained what happened, and no one spoke as they waited for Barbara to show up and for Denise to come back. * ¡°I''m going to kill whoever that was!¡± Suzie said as she pulled off her VR headset. ¡°I was so close to having Ren stay away from court!¡± ¡°Is dying supposed to hurt so much?¡± A man asked, and Suzie looked at him. ¡°Thanks for guarding me.¡± Suzie said. ¡°If you hadn''t taken that first hit...¡± ¡°I''m sorry it didn''t stop them from killing you.¡± He said and took her hand. ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± ¡°It won''t take much to discredit him in court, considering the state his mind is in.¡± Suzie said. ¡°Both then and now.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you just leave it at that?¡± The man asked. ¡°Why risk what you did today?¡± ¡°It was worth a shot. If I had gotten him under my control again...¡± ¡°You''re so greedy.¡± The man said. ¡°You just wanted a mind that you can manipulate at will.¡± ¡°It''s such a wonderful playground!¡± Suzie said excitedly. ¡°All the experiments, all the pain he went through...¡± She smiled. ¡°It''s a joy to travel through his mind each and every time I enter it.¡± ¡°You''re a really sadistic bitch, aren''t you?¡± He asked and smiled. ¡°Only when I''m around such delicious minds.¡± Suzie said and got up from the recliner. ¡°Have the tech people delete the records and destroy my headset.¡± ¡°Why?¡± The man asked. ¡°They know it''s you.¡± ¡°Do they?¡± Suzie grinned. ¡°All they saw was a man change into me and speak in my voice.¡± She said. ¡°Who''s to say it''s not just an elaborate ruse on some nefarious person''s part?¡± ¡°But... it''s your headset.¡± He said. ¡°Registered under a man''s name and played as a man the entire time.¡± Suzie said and chuckled. ¡°God, I love psychological games!¡± * Barbara came into Ren''s room at a run, and stopped when she saw him on the bed. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± ¡°M''okay.¡± Ren mumbled without opening his eyes. ¡°Help... soon.¡± ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Denise...¡± It was then that Denise came into the room with a small vial of clear liquid, and she walked over to the bed and held it out. ¡°It''s done.¡± Denise said, and Ren opened his eyes. ¡°Barbara... give me... needle.¡± Everyone gasped. ¡°Ren! I can''t do that!¡± Barbara said. ¡°You hate needles!¡± ¡°Please... need.¡± Barbara quickly walked over to the bathroom and came out with a packaged needle. ¡°What''s in the solution?¡± Denise gave Barbara the list of 5 items and she read them quickly. ¡°Ren, this...¡± Barbara shook her head. ¡°Where do you want it?¡± ¡°Neck.¡± Ren said and touched a spot near the corner of his jaw. ¡°Ten... cee cees.¡± Barbara opened the needle package and plunged the tip of the needle into the vial. She pulled out 12cc of the clear liquid and handed the vial back to Denise. She went to the bed and grabbed a tissue, then squeezed out 2cc to leave the proper amount inside and to get any excess air that might be trapped inside the tip of the needle. ¡°Close your eyes, Ren.¡± Barbara said as she felt around Ren''s neck to find the large blood vessel there. ¡°I don''t want you to see me doing this.¡± Ren closed his eyes and Barbara took a steadying breath as Denise used an alcohol wipe to clean the area. Barbara gently inserted the needle into his neck and emptied it, and Denise handed her another cleaning pad and a piece of gauze. Barbara held it in place to stop any blood from coming out, then applied the small bandage Denise handed her. ¡°Barbara, you know that cocktail is meaningless.¡± Stella said. ¡°The ingredients don''t make sense.¡± ¡°Not to us.¡± Barbara said. ¡°But to Ren? It might mean everything.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You missed it, didn''t you? You didn''t understand what it means.¡± ¡°Understand what?¡± ¡°Ren shouldn''t know what those ingredients are, let alone be able to spell them and then tell us to combine them.¡± Barbara said, and everyone fell silent again. ¡°He''s seen it before.¡± ¡°How?¡± Denise asked. ¡°We''ve never mentioned anything like those in front of him before.¡± ¡°No, you haven''t.¡± Ren said in his normal voice. ¡°It''s a special recipe my mother invented for me, to ease the effects after I have one of my seizures.¡± Everyone stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°It doesn''t do anything for the pain, however.¡± Ren said as he looked back at everyone. ¡°I can get you...¡± Stella started to say. ¡°No, I don''t want to be unconscious for the next few hours.¡± Ren said to cut off her offer. ¡°I have to think about what I need to do first.¡± He took in a sharp breath and hissed as his whole body tensed up, then a moment later he relaxed. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Thanks to Stella''s poorly worded wake up phrase, I''ve got my memory back.¡± Ren said. ¡°All of it.¡± Stella gasped and tears flowed down her cheeks as she started to cry. ¡°Your seizure was my fault!¡± ¡°It was.¡± Ren said, and pat Stella''s hand to console her. ¡°It''s also given me back my faculties, because I can remember everything that''s happened to me.¡± He said. ¡°I''m trying to decide if I want to make an official deposition right away while it''s all still fresh in my mind, or get something to eat first and go back into the game to sort through all of my memories before I do.¡± ¡°Eat.¡± Barbara said. ¡°If you do an official deposition, we''ll have to take you down to either the police station or to the courthouse, and that could take several hours.¡± She said. ¡°Since I don''t want you to move after that large of a seizure, you are staying right where you are.¡± Ren looked up at Stella, because his head was cradled in her lap, held Elise''s hand, and looked around at everyone. ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± ¡°Supper is in the oven.¡± Stella said. ¡°The roast should be done by now.¡± ¡°I''ll get it.¡± Denise said and put the vial of clear liquid on the dresser by the bed. ¡°I''ll make the gravy, too.¡± ¡°I''ll cut the potatoes into fries.¡± Barbara said and put the cap on the needle, then slipped it into her coat pocket. ¡°Mmm. Gravy fries.¡± Ren said and started to drool. Barbara and Denise left the room, and Lisa sat down on the side of the bed. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m in quite a lot of pain.¡± ¡°You should take something for it.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''ll be able to ignore it when I log back in.¡± ¡°Can you log back in?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°If you''ve got your memories back, your brain might not register as it did before.¡± ¡°I''ll probably have to do a... calibration test.¡± Ren paused and winced as his arm twitched. ¡°Barbara was right. I can''t go anywhere like this.¡± ¡°I guess that means no sex for you tonight.¡± Elise said, and Ren smiled. ¡°Not in real life.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why don''t you come into the game and we can have some fun?¡± ¡°Right now?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, not right now.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve got a few things to deal with first to finish out this game day, and then something that evening.¡± ¡°So after that, then.¡± Elise said. Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll meet you at your place in Aurora.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Elise said. ¡°As long as you''re up for it.¡± ¡°Believe me, I''ll be up for it.¡± Ren waggled his eyebrows up and down. ¡°Pun intended.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°I''ll go and give Barbara a hand.¡± Lisa said and stood up. ¡°I''m logging back in after supper, and I can spare a few minutes when I get back to my county.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you want to meet.¡± ¡°Sure, I''d like that.¡± Lisa said and left the room. ¡°Only a few minutes?¡± Stella asked. ¡°You''re kind of short-changing her, aren''t you?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°She knows what a few minutes in the Sanctuary means.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don''t want anything?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Pain and I are old acquaintances.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t say friends, even though we''ve known each other for so long.¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°How can you joke like this?¡± There was a beep from the laptop and Elise checked it. ¡°That should be the corroborating video from Officer Holly.¡± Stella said, and Elise nodded. ¡°I can''t believe Suzie would manipulate Ren like that.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s a bit blatant, isn''t it?¡± ¡°She probably thinks she can explain it away by saying it was someone else.¡± Stella said. ¡°She probably doesn''t realize that I was there during her last session with Ren and I just heard her use the exact same phrases to put him under hypnosis.¡± ¡°It''s always the same phrases.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why try to drill into my head with multiple ways when just one works so well?¡± ¡°Can we undo it?¡± Elise asked, and both Stella and Ren sighed. ¡°I don''t want to have yet another person rummaging around in my head.¡± Ren said and looked up at Stella. ¡°Stella did great by copying Suzie''s voice like she did to snap me out of it; but, she''s not a trained psychiatrist.¡± ¡°As my bumbling phrase clearly showed.¡± Stella said and wiped her wet face with a tissue. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m still going to suffer physically for a few weeks from the seizure, then I''ll be fine.¡± ¡°You know I know what that really means.¡± Stella said and smiled. ¡°Yeah, I''m a terrible liar.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I really should keep my mouth shut when I try.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Elise looked at Ren. ¡°I always thought ''FINE'' meant you were F''ed up, Insecure, Neurotic and Emotional.¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°How many times have we heard ''fine'' as a response around here?¡± ¡°All the time.¡± Ren said, and the three of them laughed. Chapter 534 - Back in Full Capacity It didn''t take long for supper to be ready, and everyone went back up to Ren''s room to eat. Stella carefully fed Ren and herself from the same plate; her with the roast beef, him with the gravy fries. It was quiet in the room while they all ate, and the only sounds were breathing and the clinking of utensils on plates. Barbara asked to see the footage of what happened, and Elise played it for everyone to watch. When they were done eating, Barbara gathered everything onto the push cart. ¡°I think going back into the game so soon might not be a good idea.¡± Stella said. ¡°Lisa''s right. Your brain is not going to register properly.¡± ¡°I''ll take the chance.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hopefully I''ll adjust much faster because of the time compression, and my body should stop this damn twitching by the time I log back out.¡± ¡°I''m going to contact the CEO of Sid Tec and tell him what happened.¡± Elise said. ¡°No, don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Isn''t it obvious? He''ll shut the game down.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°It''s not the game''s fault that I''m susceptible to hypnotic suggestions.¡± ¡°Ren, you were attacked...¡± ¡°Was I?¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Ren smiled at Elise''s indignation on his behalf and looked at their clasped hands. She hadn''t let go of him the entire time, despite him squeezing too hard at first. ¡°We both know that even with the video, it''s still subjective about what actually happened.¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°We have several witnesses that saw what took place.¡± ¡°Yes, and it can be argued that it was my people that attacked first, and not her.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m glad Officer Holly gave us the rest of the footage, but having the rest of the people there killed is not in my favor.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°No, it''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s definite proof of witness tampering at the very least.¡± He smiled at her. ¡°You can use that wonderful brain of yours to come up with the best way to handle this situation.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I am.¡± Elise smiled wickedly. ¡°You can try to go into the game for a while, and if there''s no problems, I''ll meet you in there later.¡± She said. ¡°In the meantime, I''ve got some calls to make and some video files to transfer.¡± ¡°Make sure you tell them that I''ll give a full deposition with all the details of what happened to me, and I''ll tell them who''s responsible and everyone else that''s involved.¡± Ren said, and Barbara coughed. ¡°When I''m able to.¡± ¡°I''ll make sure that''s the first thing I tell them.¡± Elise said as she reluctantly let his hand go, and looked at Barbi. ¡°Let''s get back to work.¡± Barbi nodded and the two women stood up. ¡°Wait.¡± Ren said, and they looked at him. ¡°I''m going to experience something with Xuunah tonight, and I don''t want anyone to get mad about it afterwards.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Elise asked. ¡°We''re not going to have sex, since it''s apparently forbidden for Light beings to sleep with mortals.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least, I don''t think it''ll be sex.¡± ¡°Just spit it out.¡± Stella said. ¡°I think I found a work around for it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You and that mind of yours.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Always looking for loopholes.¡± ¡°I kind of have to, considering everything that happened and the restrictions I''ve had to deal with.¡± ¡°So, it might be sex, but you''re not sure?¡± Elise asked. Ren nodded. ¡°I think it''s going to be more of a deep emotional sharing instead of physical.¡± ¡°You''re going for Nathalia''s mother figure... again?¡± Denise asked, a little disheartened. ¡°I''d like to say that it''s not my fault that I have a mother complex; but, it totally is.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Plus, they''re pretty hot.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Barbara put her hands on her hips. Ren raised a hand in surrender. ¡°Let me correct that statement and say that I think other people''s mothers are pretty hot.¡± He said to placate her, and saw her relax. ¡°I''m not going to say something like that about my own mother, even if it''s true.¡± Barbara''s face went red at his words. After a moment, she nodded slightly and pushed the cart out of the room. ¡°That was nice of you.¡± Stella whispered, and Ren smiled a little. ¡°I''ll be discussing it with Nathalia first anyways, and she might say no... but, I wanted to talk to you all before approaching her or Xuunah about it.¡± ¡°Why now?¡± Elise asked. ¡°You''re all here... except for Gloria... so it seemed like the right time to ask.¡± ¡°Are you going to do whatever this is when you log in?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°No, but it might happen later, or not at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just making sure you know about it, so if it does happen, it''s not a shock for everyone or something I''ve done without your knowledge.¡± ¡°You''re just covering your bases, to use a sports analogy.¡± Barbi said, and Ren nodded. ¡°You''re a strange one.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You know that old saying, you don''t know the half of it? Well, you don''t know 1/32nd of it.¡± Barbi looked at him with a bit of a frown on her face. ¡°I mean, you barely know me at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wasn''t saying that you''re dumb.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Come on, Barbi. Let''s get things rolling.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m glad lawyers work late on Saturdays.¡± Barbi nodded and the two women left the bedroom at a fast walk. * Officer Holly had logged back into the game to tell Xuunah and the others what was going on, and that Ren''s condition was stable. She stayed there for 4 game hours, then logged back out to check her messages. She was relieved to hear that Ren was awake and getting something to eat, so she logged back in to let everyone know he was going to be okay.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! * ¡°You''re going to have to use the bedpan again.¡± Ren said to Stella when she moved out from cradling him to let him lay back on the bed. ¡°There''s no way the foil packet is going to be good enough.¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°Are you planning another marathon session?¡± She asked. ¡°You can''t seriously think...¡± ¡°I''m assuming there''s going to be a lot going on.¡± Ren said. ¡°After Lisa in the Sanctuary, I still have to visit Jennifer at the club tonight.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Stella said. ¡°Billy.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°After that is Elise in Aurora. It''ll be our first time together in the game, so you know I have to impress her.¡± Stella chuckled and nodded. ¡°Since I''ll be in town, I''ll probably visit Anabelle afterwards.¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°How can you keep them all going?¡± ¡°Some of them are patient with me, thank god.¡± Ren said. ¡°Anabelle especially.¡± ¡°I don''t know how you can please so many of us all the time.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I do.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I was conditioned for it.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Denise stared at Ren, then looked at Stella''s contemplative face, and Lisa''s understanding one. ¡°Wait, you two knew?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ve been suspecting something of the sort, especially after...¡± She exchanged looks with Lisa. ¡°Well, let''s just say my thoughts have been going along similar lines, like he was made to please women.¡± ¡°It didn''t start out that way.¡± Ren said. ¡°I mean, look at me.¡± He said and the three women looked at him. ¡°Do I look like an appealing sexual partner at first glance?¡± Denise was the only one to blush, but he knew Elise would have been in the same category. ¡°Ah... to most women.¡± Ren corrected, and Stella chuckled. ¡°Remembered Elise, did you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°After quite a few other experiments, including sexual enhancement surgeries...¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°I don''t know all the details, since I was unconscious for a lot of it.¡± Ren said. ¡°But I was awake for the discussions afterwards... and the extensive testing.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Lisa put a hand over her mouth. ¡°Please, don''t tell us that...¡± ¡°No, no.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Thankfully it was all by my hand or mechanical in nature.¡± He said. ¡°My real first sexual experience was with Lucy, and that was only after she had transferred to a different department in the hospital.¡± The three women sighed in relief, and Ren touched each of their hands in turn. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Stella asked. ¡°For not looking at me in a different light because I can remember all of the things I''ve gone through.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lisa leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°You know we all have you up on a high pedestal. This little thing won''t sway our opinion of you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°So, high enough to stand on, but not too far to fall?¡± Lisa chuckled, too. ¡°Exactly.¡± Denise handed over his VR headset. ¡°Are you sure you want to try this so soon?¡± ¡°I might as well.¡± Ren said. ¡°The situation''s going to be the same whenever I try it, so now is as good a time as any.¡± ¡°I''ll meet you in there.¡± Lisa said and stood up as Stella helped Ren put on the headset. ¡°I''ll wait for you by the door.¡± ¡°You''ll see and feel me coming.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Geez, I''m full of double meanings today.¡± ¡°Denise and I are right here, and we''ll watch you carefully to see if it works.¡± Stella said. ¡°It might take a few minutes to register my altered brain pattern, but it should work.¡± Ren said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren appeared in the white loading area and stared at the popup.
System Notice!
Major Anomalies and abnormalities in the registered brain wave pattern have been detected. Estimated time for recalibration: 10 minutes
Ren looked down at himself, and he had on his pyjamas and none of his normal equipment. ¡°Boy, my brain is really out of whack if I don''t have access to basic game mechanics.¡± He said and looked up. ¡°Stella? I assume you saw the popup, since I''m in normal time here.¡± There wasn''t a response, and he didn''t expect any. ¡°I''m going to move around and see if everything works.¡± Ren said and started to run. Nothing was in the white loading area, but he pretended there was a fallen tree and leaped over it. He imagined a tree falling over near him, and he dodged out of the way and landed on his hands and knees, rolled over, and did that double leg kick thing to flick his body up into a standing position. Ren started to laugh as his mind quickly adjusted to its new reality, and with all of his memories accessible, he knew his game avatar was much more capable of things than he realized previously. He worked through his imaginary obstacle course for almost 12 minutes, and then he received another popup.
System Notice!
Recalibration complete. Initializing connections. Please wait.
Ren knew what that meant, and braced himself for the piercing pain like he had experienced the last time his brain pattern had changed. He felt a mild poke in the back of his head, one down a little lower, and another at the base of his skull. That was it. Huh. Ren thought. I wonder why it didn''t hurt this... He stopped that thought and smiled. It hurt before because the game detected that the pattern was incomplete and it had to compensate for what was missing. The white room faded away, and the game world faded in around him. He was cradled in Xuunah''s lap, and everyone else that had come to Lord Grasham''s lands was around him. ¡°Ren!¡± Xuunah gasped as the connection between them went to a bright white and nearly blinded everyone before they turned away. ¡°Thank you for protecting me, My Angel.¡± Ren said and pulled her down for a kiss. Xuunah was overwhelmed by his intact mind so completely that her resistance to his charms evaporated in an instant. ¡°My dearest!¡± Xuunah said when she broke the kiss. ¡°I will renouce-Mmm!¡± Ren cut her words off with another kiss, then covered her mouth when he broke the kiss a moment later. ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± He said and moved his hand. ¡°We will meet with Nathalia to discuss things first, then I''ll share myself with you.¡± ¡°Ren... I...¡± ¡°It has to wait.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°I have a few things to do first.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Xuunah said, and her resolve snapped back into place. ¡°We are at your command.¡± ¡°Teepo? How are you?¡± ¡°I was worried about you, since you left so abruptly; but, you seem fine.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Ren?¡± Ren turned to see Officer Holly as she stored her swords. ¡°Store your armor as well, please.¡± Officer Holly did so automatically, even though he hadn''t commanded her to do it, and she only wore the thin armor bodysuit. Ren activated his Prince Charming title and she caught her breath at its strength. ¡°Thank you so much for what you did.¡± Ren said and took a step up into the air and equipped his armor bodysuit as well, which replaced his armor. ¡°Not only have you helped me escape from being caught by that witch again, you opened the door for me to come back to myself.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean?¡± Officer Holly asked with wide eyes. ¡°I remember everything I''ve ever gone through, and in minute detail.¡± Ren said and put his arms around her. ¡°I relived everything the instant I woke up from my hypnotic state, and that caused the seizure.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Don''t be. I''m not.¡± Ren said and leaned close to whisper in her ear. ¡°Thanks to your actions, I can nail the sons of bitches to the wall that did those things to me.¡± He gave her ear a gentle kiss. ¡°I know names, places, details of experiments, everything.¡± Officer Holly''s body reacted to the treasure trove of evidence Ren now had, and she trembled from pleasure. ¡°As a reward, would you like me to do to you what I did before?¡± Ren asked softly, and Officer Holly nodded. He cast full illusion around them and made a solid room so that no one could see them. He let her go and sat down in mid-air. ¡°You know the position.¡± Officer Holly climbed onto his lap and laid down across it. ¡°Such a beautiful sight.¡± Ren said and caressed her backside. ¡°Ever since I touched it that time, I remember every curve of your sumptuous ass, Holly.¡± Officer Holly shuddered as she had a small orgasm, just from his words and the light touch of his hand. ¡°If I hadn''t given myself a ''no sex with new women'' restriction, I''d ram myself so hard inside you that you would never want anyone else to ever touch you.¡± Ren said and gave her cheeks a light slap. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Officer Holly shuddered again as she had another orgasm. ¡°You''d like that, wouldn''t you?¡± Ren said and his hand slipped down between her legs and grazed her special place through the armor bodysuit she wore. ¡°You want to have a man desire you so much that his only choice is to make you feel like a woman.¡± He said and started to rub her vigorously. ¡°His woman.¡± ¡°YES!¡± Officer Holly exclaimed and arched her back. ¡°GOD, YES!¡± Warm liquid gushed out of her through the cloth and over his hand, then soaked both of their armor bodysuits. ¡°How... how can you...¡± Officer Holly panted hard, as if she had run a mile straight without stopping. ¡°It''s a talent.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want me to keep going?¡± ¡°N-no, I... I don''t think...¡± Officer Holly took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I can''t take any more right now.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I don''t mind going down on you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what? No.¡± Officer Holly said and tried to stand up; but, her legs weren''t quite working yet and she almost fell. Ren caught her and held her gently. ¡°You barely know me!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I barely knew the Queen of the Dark Elves and the boss of Shargon Caverns, and I went down on them.¡± Officer Holly stared at him. ¡°Did... did you just compare me to a dark elf spider deity and a marilith demon?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and smiled crookedly. ¡°I... I''m tempted to say yes, just because of the compliment.¡± Officer Holly said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I knew you''d take it that way.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re all highly dangerous beings, after all.¡± Officer Holly took several more breaths to absorb everything that just happened. ¡°Okay, I think I can stand now.¡± Ren took her at her word and helped her stand up, and he equipped his platinum armor without letting her go. ¡°You can let go.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Ren kept a hold of her and started laughing. ¡°What? What did I say?¡± Officer Holly asked, confused. Chapter 535 - Share, Share Alike Ren explained to her what ''fine'' really meant, and Officer Holly had to laugh because she tells people she''s fine all the time, too. Ren dismissed the Full Illusion spell and the room they were in disappeared, and he saw and felt that the succubi had enjoyed Officer Holly''s reward almost as much as she did. ¡°Please fill me in on what happened when I left so abruptly.¡± Ren said. Xuunah and the others told him about securing the mansion and killing the other inhabitants, and that they pretty much just waited for him to come back. No one ventured out, and no one tried to enter the mansion. ¡°Thank you all for that.¡± Ren said and looked around the throne room that was conspicuously bare with all the bodies gone. ¡°You know, it''s a shame she won''t be back.¡± ¡°It must have taken a long time to build all this up.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Would she give it up so easily?¡± ¡°In a heartbeat.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just like in our world, it''s only a game for her.¡± ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°I''ll tell King Alamast to appoint a new Lord to take over these lands.¡± ¡°Why don''t you do it?¡± Artemis said. ¡°We''re already here and we cut off the head of the snake.¡± Ren chuckled at her analogy. ¡°No, I like my little county. If I add all these people to it, it''ll lose it''s charm.¡± ¡°If we can''t destroy it or claim it, then we should leave.¡± Princess said. ¡°There''s no other choice.¡± ¡°You heard the lady.¡± Ren walked over to her and scratched her chin. ¡°Let''s load up and go.¡± Symmetra and her constructs climbed back into the cart with Zetaya, Xuunah and Officer Holly mounted their steeds, and Artemis took flight with the succubi and hovered around them. Ren climbed onto Princess'' saddle and pointed to the large doors. ¡°Ramming speed.¡± Ren said, and Princess took off at a fast trot and smashed through the large double doors, then smashed through the front door of the mansion and rode up into the sky. The succubi were still disguised as angels, so the citizens of the city saw them leave and said ''ooh'' and ''ahh'' at the sight, and didn''t realize the carnage that had been unleashed by them. Ren and the group with him went back to his county and landed on the road outside the Main House. The succubi thanked him for letting them come along and he shook their hands and thanked them for doing a great job, and gave them each an emotion they desired. They flew back to their roost, happy and content, and Symmetra climbed out of the cart with her constructs. ¡°You all did very well.¡± Ren said and shook all of the multiple hands of the constructs, which made them laugh, and Symmetra led the 3 foot tall constructs across the street to the warehouse. Zetaya climbed out of the cart and stood in front of Ren, and he took the fire elemental into a hug. Zetaya hugged him back, and he looked up at the 10 foot tall fire elemental. ¡°I''ll be by to see you later.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can hang out and talk.¡± Zetaya made a crackling fire sound, and Ren grinned. He had always liked that sound. Zetaya went across the street to climb back into the giant forge, and Ren turned to Officer Holly. ¡°I''m going into Aurora later tonight to visit Elise at her place for some alone time.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you coming along?¡± ¡°E-excuse me?¡± Officer Holly blinked her eyes. Ren chuckled. ¡°I meant, are you going to escort me, not participate.¡± ¡°Oh! Well, I... I probably should. You know, just in case.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Especially if Suzie thinks of sending anyone to retaliate.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back here an hour or so after dark.¡± ¡°Why so late?¡± ¡°I''ve got a date at the strip club.¡± Ren said to her surprised face, then looked at Xuunah. ¡°We can have supper at Nathalia''s then, too.¡± He said. ¡°We can talk to her about us.¡± Xuunah only nodded and didn''t say anything. ¡°You''re scared?¡± Ren asked as he felt her emotions. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You''ve torn away all my defenses against you.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I... I''m bare before you... and I don''t know how to go from here.¡± Ren smiled and ran his hand through her hair. ¡°We take one step at a time, of course.¡± Xuunah opened her mouth to respond, then sighed. ¡°You''ve made me a mess.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll make things right.¡± ¡°I''ll meet you here as well, then.¡± Xuunah said, and looked at her mount. ¡°Now, what do I do with this wonderful beast?¡± ¡°I''ll make a stable in back for him.¡± Ren said and disappeared, then was back a moment later. ¡°Done.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren smiled at her and glanced at Officer Holly. ¡°There''s enough room for the both of them inside, and room for expanding when necessary.¡± ¡°Expanding?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°I''ll be making mounts for Frikara and the others as well.¡± Ren said. He had felt the maids shared Aura merge into his own when he was close enough to the Main House, and he could feel their immense curiosity over the change in him. He was holding back on sharing like he did with Xuunah, until he could be alone with them. ¡°I think they would like that.¡± ¡°Tell them I''m just popping over to meet with Lara for a few minutes, then I''ll be back to see them.¡± Ren said and touched Xuunah''s cheek tenderly, then stepped back. ¡°I will.¡± Xuunah said. Ren gave her and Officer Holly a slight nod, took Artemis by the hand, and quickly walked down the street. Lara was waiting in front of the small building beside the Library, and she had a smile on her face. ¡°You were right.¡± Lara said and rubbed her arms. ¡°I did feel you coming.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve got my Prince Charming title fully active, too.¡± ¡°I thought so.¡± Lara said. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this accelerated time thing so soon after... well...¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ren held his hand out for her to take. ¡°Are you doubting my decision to sleep with you first?¡± ¡°What? No!¡± Lara said and gripped his hand tightly. ¡°You know how flattered I was!¡± Ren smiled slyly. ¡°Stella thought I was short-changing you on time.¡± Lara laughed and opened the Sanctuary door. ¡°I was tempted to tell her that if you and I stayed in here all day, we would spend a lifetime together.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Lara shivered as she had a small orgasm, because that was her secret desire, and she pulled on Ren''s hand to try and get him inside faster. ¡°H-hurry!¡± Ren chuckled and stepped inside with Lara and Artemis, and Lara slammed the door shut to activate the Sanctuary enchantment. They stayed inside the building for just over 2 minutes, which turned out to be a month inside the modified Sanctuary, and when the door opened, Lara stepped out wearing what looked like sleek black armor from head to toe. ¡°I can''t believe this isn''t armor.¡± Lara said and ran a hand across it''s surface, while her other hand held Ren''s. ¡°It''s just heavily modified clothing.¡± Ren said and stepped out of the Sanctuary wearing his Travelling Clothes, and had Artemis hanging on his other arm. ¡°You should wear your jeans and shirt over it.¡± He said. ¡°Maybe the robes, too.¡± ¡°But this looks so pretty!¡± Lara said and let his hand go, then did a little twirl. ¡°Why should I cover it up?¡± ¡°Modesty?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It''s completely form-fitting.¡± Lara stopped turning and faced away from him, then bent over a little to stick her butt out. ¡°Is it?¡± She asked and shook her hips a little. ¡°Good god.¡± Ren said as his body reacted, and Lara laughed. She really liked that even after spending so much time together, she could still turn him on with such a simple action. ¡°All right, fine.¡± Lara said and equipped the clothing on top of it. ¡°Is that better?¡± ¡°Technically.¡± Ren said and rubbed her butt through the jeans. ¡°You know I''m a sucker for denim.¡± Lara smiled and turned to embrace him. ¡°Just denim?¡± ¡°I''m a sucker for your sweet ass in denim.¡± Ren whispered, and kissed her. Lara sighed into his mouth, broke the kiss, and let him go. ¡°You spoil me.¡± ¡°You put up with me.¡± Ren said. ¡°It seems like a fair trade.¡± Lara grinned, gave him a quick kiss, and walked over to the Library. ¡°See you later.¡± Ren waved to her and she went inside, and he turned and looked at Artemis. ¡°So, are you sick of being around me yet?¡± Artemis ran her hand through his hair. ¡°I''m a part of you, so I''ll always be sick of it.¡± She joked, and Ren laughed. ¡°Are you coming into the Main House or going to the warehouse?¡± ¡°Warehouse.¡± Artemis said. ¡°You need to meet with Frikara and the others to let them know what happened.¡± Ren nodded his agreement and unhooked the cart from Princess and stored it in her saddle bag while Artemis went across the road to the warehouse to meet with the other familiars. Princess went into her house to lay down and Ren went into the Main House and up the stairs to his apartment. He felt Xuunah was there with the maids, and he opened the door to see them as they sat on the bed and talked. Frikara and Andrela had their hands on Xuunah''s upper chest and touched the soft glow there. ¡°It''s so strong!¡± Andrela said. ¡°You say this happened right after he came back?¡± Xuunah nodded. ¡°His mind... his being...¡± She shook her head slightly and looked at Ren. ¡°He''s complete.¡± ¡°I''m whole again, I''m not complete.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know that''s a slight distinction; but it''s there, nonetheless.¡± ¡°What will complete you?¡± Frikara asked, and Ren felt her try to restrain her hope. ¡°Becoming one with my Ladies is a good part of it.¡± Ren said, and 4 of them caught their breath. Verwynn didn''t, however. He felt her need and desire, and he walked over to the bed. ¡°Verwynn, I can''t do what you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°Especially now with all of my memories back.¡± Tears formed in her eyes. ¡°I... I know that it wasn''t fair of me to ask you to do such a thing.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°I know you aren''t like that, and to believe you would... even though I...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t do it to you, but I will share my own experience with it.¡± He said. ¡°Maybe that will give you what you need.¡± ¡°If you think that''s best.¡± Ren looked at Frikara. ¡°I''m going to close you all off for this part.¡± He said. ¡°No! Don''t!¡± Frikara said. ¡°If we''re going to be together, we want to share all of you, and not just the parts you think we can handle.¡± ¡°Frikara...¡± ¡°Ren, we can feel everything through Verwynn anyway.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Cutting us off from feeling it directly from you is only going to diminish our bonds, not strengthen them.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that he didn''t want them all to feel it, then sighed. ¡°Please, don''t hate me after this.¡± Xuunah reached out and touched his cheek. ¡°I can help you, if you wish.¡± Ren nodded, and Xuunah stood up from the bed. ¡°Lay down here on your side, Ren.¡± Xuunah said and pointed to the edge of the bed. ¡°Verwynn, face him and hold him tightly.¡± Verwynn did so, and ducked her head onto his shoulder. ¡°Everyone else, gather into a line behind Verwynn, as tightly as possible.¡± The other 4 women climbed onto the bed and cuddled in as tightly as they could. ¡°This will hurt a lot; but, it''s only mental pain and not physical.¡± Xuunah said and formed her special mist sword as she knelt beside the bed behind Ren. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°As I''ll ever be.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do it.¡± Xuunah drove her sword into Ren''s back and clipped his heart with it, and her blade extended through all 5 of the women cuddled close and pierced their chests, too. They all screamed as one, then fell silent as they all lived through one of Ren''s more prolific experiences under his mother''s care. Xuunah chose not to live that moment with them, and the glow in her chest dimmed as she sat down to wait. * Nathalia was glad that she was only waiting around for her latest creation to come out of the oven when she felt her connection with Ren intensify almost to the point of pain. She covered her heart with a hand to try and stop the bright glow, and fell to her knees at the intensity she felt from him. ¡°B-by the gods!¡± Nathalia exclaimed, and then the glow dimmed down. ¡°I need to go to... no, he''s not ready for me yet.¡± She stood up, steady on her feet. ¡°He''ll meet me for supper.¡± She said confidently, and knew that was his intention. She pulled the dish out of the oven and the smells alone made her feel happy. ¡°He''s really going to like this.¡± Nathalia stored the dish into her inventory and washed up, then went to her room to change. She could have held everything in her inventory, but that wasn''t what she was used to. She opened the large closet Ren had made for her and rummaged through everything to pick out the best outfit to meet him with. She stored the proper undergarments and the dress, and then she looked at herself in the mirror. Her chest glowed softly and she rubbed it with her hand. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Nathalia said. The glow flared momentarily, and she felt Ren trying to share an experience with someone else; or rather, multiple people. She closed her eyes and concentrated on their connection, and she experienced what Ren and the maids were experiencing. She went along for the whole ride, and when it was over, her love for him knew no bounds. ¡°I''ll see you soon, My Love.¡± Nathalia said, and left her bedroom to go to the restaurant and to work. * Xuunah felt the shared experience end, and she withdrew her sword as she activated her Reassurance Aura. ¡°By... by the gods.¡± Verwynn whispered, her face covered in tears. ¡°R-Ren, I...¡± ¡°Now you know what it''s like to be truly dominated and why I didn''t want to do it to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sor-¡± Verwynn tried to apologize, and Ren covered her mouth. ¡°Shh. It''s okay.¡± Ren said, then moved his hand and kissed her. Verwynn kissed him back hard, as hard as she had ever kissed anyone before, and she poured out all of her unreasonable desires into him. He took that as the cue it was meant to be and opened his Emotion Siphon ability. He absorbed everything she offered up, and she gave him all of her need to be dominated because she didn''t need it anymore. Verwynn had thought that was the kind of relationship she wanted, to be completely and truly owned; until she experienced the real thing from Ren''s perspective. She knew their relationship would never be that way... could never be that way... and that was fine by her. His experience dissuaded her from ever wanting to be treated like that by anyone. ¡°That... that was...¡± Lusinia started to say as she sat up. ¡°...the most revolting thing I''ve ever seen.¡± Navruth continued as she sat up. ¡°She didn''t break you, though.¡± Andrela said reverently, and she sat up, too. ¡°I didn''t think we could love you more.¡± Frikara said and sat up as well. They all had tear-soaked faces, but they also all had smiles. ¡°I love you all, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would you like to hear about what happened today?¡± ¡°I''d rather you bed us and tell the story later.¡± Frikara said, and they all laughed. ¡°I have an hour and a half before I need to get to the club.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s going to cut down on the foreplay.¡± ¡°Raise your hands! Who needs foreplay right now?¡± Frikara asked, and no one raised their hands. ¡°I think we''re good to go already.¡± Ren smiled and stood up. ¡°Then prepare yourselves.¡± He said and held a hand out to Xuunah. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He helped Xuunah stand up and led her to the apartment door, then down the stairs and to her apartment. ¡°I suggest going into your Sanctuary for a short visit, while I deal with this.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I can...¡± ¡°No, don''t do anything rash. We have to talk to Nathalia first.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please, trust me.¡± Xuunah nodded, and he gave her a kiss. ¡°I''ll meet you out front when it''s time to go to Aurora.¡± Ren said and left her in her apartment, and went up the stairs to please the 5 women that waited anxiously for him. Chapter 536 - Im Here For You Billy had watched the respawn timer count down and waited impatiently to get back online. He had thought up a great excuse to give to Jennifer so she would forgive him, and had even found a present to give her. He had considered letting her tie him up for a few minutes as an apology while they had sex, then dismissed that ludicrous idea. She gets enough of her kink at work. Billy thought. She doesn''t need me to do that, too. That was quite the selfish delusion on his part, considering Jennifer wanted to share all of herself with the man she chose to be with, and not just the parts he liked or could stomach. When the timer hit zero, Billy took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Billy materialized in Clint''s living room and was grateful that his friend had 12 foot tall ceilings. He checked his messages and saw he hadn''t received any at all for the time he had been offline. He looked around and saw the place was empty, and realized he must have just missed them. He ran outside and didn''t see any dust or anything, and used his Spot ability to try and see if they had gotten far. When that didn''t work, he activated his new Track ability and examined the driveway. He found the cart and horse tracks and saw they were half an hour old. He smiled and ran over to the barn and kitted up one of Clint''s fastest horses, then activated his Swift Elven Steed ability as he mounted it. The horse changed into a more appropriate size for him to ride safely, which increased it''s Strength and Speed, and Billy flicked the reins. If he hurried, he could catch his friends just as they arrived at the club. * Ren entered his apartment again and Frikara and the other maids lounged on the bed, each wearing their chosen sexy outfits. His eyes drank in the lace, the see through cloth, the cute frills, the peekaboo cuts, and the luscious bodies they contained. ¡°By the gods, I''m the luckiest man in this world.¡± Ren said as he took off his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and folded it up on a chair beside the bed. Instead of storing the rest of his clothing like he normally did, he did the ''tearing them away'' trick. He gripped the sides of his shirt and tunic and pulled, and tore it into shreds. He felt the surprise from the maids, then felt their desire as he did the same to his pants and revealed that he was quite ready to please them. He stored the shreds of cloth to give to Zetaya and climbed onto the bed. Ren spent exactly 18 minutes with each of them, and while joined with them, increased their emotional bond. The Light bond he had formed with them to remove their contracts became stronger than ever before. As he lay with each one, he whispered in their ear the same thing he said when he broke those contracts. ¡°Give me a powerful child.¡± Ren said as he finished inside them, and because of the dwarf culture to procreate with strong men, it flipped their switches and gave them the highest form of ecstasy they didn''t realize they craved almost as much as they craved him. With the hour and a half used up exactly, Ren kissed each of them passionately and covered them with a blanket, then equipped a sleek armor bodysuit similar to the one he had given Lara and equipped his blue suit on top of it. ¡°I might not be back until morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°We might... be recovered... by then.¡± Frikara said dreamily. Ren caressed her cheek for a moment and left the apartment. He thought about deactivating his Auras, then decided not to because he wanted everyone to know that he was coming. He walked over to the warehouse and Artemis came out to meet him. ¡°I should say I feel bad having to bring you along all the time, but I don''t.¡± Ren said as he took her hand. ¡°You''ve become a security blanket for me.¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°Does that mean I should wrap myself around you and keep you warm?¡± ¡°Only if you want to.¡± Ren joked. Artemis let his hand go and climbed onto his back, then wrapped her arms and legs around him to hold him tightly. ¡°How''s that?¡± ¡°It feels like I''m wearing a sexy backpack.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. He walked up the street to the club and saw there were already several horses in the parking lot, and he was glad that they were getting lots of business. ¡°Do you want me to go into the club with you?¡± Artemis asked as he approached the front door. ¡°It wouldn''t be nice of me to make you stand outside.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I would rather have you by my side in case anything happens, rather than wait for you to come in.¡± ¡°What about a disguise?¡± ¡°You can use one if you want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Either way, you are going to draw attention.¡± Artemis nodded and hopped off his back. ¡°Give me the female version of your blue suit.¡± Ren cast Full Illusion on her and gave her a matching suit, and when they reached the front door, it opened without him touching the Sending Square. ¡°Good god, what have you been doing?¡± Gina asked. ¡°I felt your Aura down the street!¡± ¡°Is it a good feeling or a bad feeling?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled. ¡°It''s a powerful feeling.¡± Gina said. ¡°Who''s your lady friend with the red metal hair?¡± ¡°Gina, this is my ranged combat specialist familiar, Artemis.¡± ¡°That''s a mouthful.¡± Gina said and held a hand out to shake. ¡°Hi, Artemis.¡± ¡°Hi, Gina.¡± Artemis said and shook her hand. ¡°Is Jennifer around?¡± ¡°She''s upstairs getting ready.¡± Gina said. ¡°I''ll send for her if you want.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and reached out to touch her arm. ¡°When you get a few minutes to spare, can you come to my booth?¡± ¡°Hey, now.¡± Gina smiled. ¡°You know I''m retired.¡± Ren smiled back and held up a placating hand. ¡°I only want to talk.¡± ¡°All right, I''ll come over before the main show starts.¡± Gina said. ¡°Who''s up first?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Candy and Apple.¡± Gina said. ¡°They''ve been practising, so they aren''t as out of breath at the end like usual.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was a great routine.¡± Gina nodded. ¡°You''ve got your choice of booths this early.¡± She said and waved to the section. ¡°I''ll have Jennifer bring you a drink.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, then took out a gold coin and shook her hand. ¡°Ren.¡± Gina looked at the coin. ¡°Do you want me to give you a hundred silver coins instead?¡± Ren asked. Gina shook her head and chuckled. ¡°Go on, get.¡± Ren walked over to the booth section and sat down. It was the one furthest from the door, and it gave him the best view of the entire club. ¡°Keep an eye out for Billy.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°If my calculations are right, he should be here soon.¡± Teepo chittered in acknowledgement and Artemis nodded. With his friends keeping watch, Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked to see Yllana. He saw her as she lay across her bed, with only a clear robe on. One of her hands caressed the soft mounds of her breasts while her other hand rubbed her special place. She was pleasing herself in bed yet again, and it turned Ren on. He suspected she knew he was watching her, because she opened her eyes and looked up at him as her hands moved faster. ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Jennifer said as she put his drink on the small table in front of him, and Ren showed her the mirror. ¡°Oh, my.¡± ¡°Why don''t you order up a couple of meals for us.¡± Ren said and stood up as he stored the mirror. ¡°I just have to step out for a few minutes.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ll be back by the time the food is ready.¡± Ren said. ¡°Teepo.¡± Teepo dissolved into the ring and Ren cast the Portal spell. Jennifer gasped at the sight, because she had never seen anything like it before. Ren took Artemis'' hand and they went through the portal together. Jennifer stared at the spot as the portal disappeared. Ren summoned Teepo on the other side and dismissed the Portal spell, and Yllana''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°R-Ren!¡± Yllana gasped. ¡°I thought you might need a hand... or a tongue.¡± Ren said, and she nodded vigorously. ¡°Who''s your friend?¡± ¡°Artemis is my ranged combat specialist familiar.¡± Ren said and knelt by the bed and pulled Yllana over to the edge of it. ¡°I don''t go anywhere without her now.¡± ¡°I... I do enjoy... having an audience.¡± Yllana said as Ren started to please her with his mouth. She and Artemis locked gazes, and it didn''t take long for Yllana to finish once Ren added a couple of fingers to the mix. It was a bit more powerful than normal for Yllana, because it was the first time she had seen the audience in person, and it left her a little breathless. ¡°Great... Vasalor.¡± Yllana panted. ¡°You... you are...¡± ¡°Has Allynna arrived yet?¡± Ren asked and stored his clothing and new armor bodysuit, and Yllana gripped him firmly as she went down on him. She mumbled incoherently as she pleased Ren, and he waited until she was done pleasing him before he asked her again. ¡°Her... caravan... arrived an hour ago.¡± Yllana said, and Ren cleaned her off with a piece of cloth. ¡°She''s staying for a few days.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll try and visit tomorrow afternoon. I''ve got to visit the Human Kingdom''s King Alamast first thing in the morning.¡± ¡°You know so many powerful people.¡± Yllana said. ¡°You''re amazing.¡± Ren smiled and leaned down to give her a kiss. She took it greedily and stroked his special place several more times to get him to finish again. He could have fought the feeling, now that he had full control over himself; but, he gave her what she wanted instead. Yllana gasped as he finished and the warm fluid bathed her chest. ¡°So amazing!¡± Yllana said, her voice full of wonder, and Ren ran a hand through her hair as he handed her the cloth to clean up. ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren said as he equipped his special armor bodysuit and blue suit, and she nodded. Yllana didn''t try to clean herself off as she watched Ren cast another Portal spell. Artemis waved to her and she waved back, Teepo dissolved into the ring, then Ren and Artemis stepped through the portal and it disappeared. Ren stepped out of the portal with Artemis and summoned Teepo again, dismissed the portal, and cast the spells needed for Teepo to get a solid body again. Jennifer stood there with her mouth hanging open, and Ren felt her utter shock. ¡°Hey, easy now.¡± Ren said and took her hand. He sat her down in the booth and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You disappeared.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Just poof! Gone!¡± Ren sat beside her and pat her hand. ¡°Then poof! You came right back!¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I... I can''t believe it.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t think it would surprise you so much.¡± Ren said and glanced at Artemis, who left the booth and went to the kitchen to get the meals he asked for. ¡°I''ve had the spell for a while. I just never used it before.¡± ¡°I suspected it was possible, considering I''ve heard of you travelling from here to the dwarf kingdom through one... but... I mean...¡± ¡°Hey, it''s okay.¡± Ren said and put an arm around her shoulders and held her hand. ¡°It''s a powerful spell, and I was a bit too nervous to try it before.¡± He smiled. ¡°Now I know what it can do.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean, before?¡± ¡°I''ve had a revelation of sorts.¡± Ren said. ¡°Something happened to me in real life, and it made me realize a few things.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Like I don''t have to pander to the people that run things in this game.¡± Ren said. ¡°All I can do is give my opinion, help those that deserve it, then let them destroy themselves if they want.¡± Jennifer blinked her eyes a few times. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Sorry, I''m a bit maudlin as I think about the High Elves and the ghoul infestation, and about the Human Kingdom and their impending war with the Sea Dwellers.¡± ¡°WAR?!?¡± Jennifer yelled, and several people turned to look at her. ¡°I guess word of it hasn''t spread this far from the capital yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°The Sea Dwellers asked for peace, then gave an ultimatum to the Human Kingdom to move their shipping from the Sea Dweller''s holy sites or it would be forcefully removed.¡± ¡°Wh-when is the deadline?¡± ¡°Teepo?¡± ¡°Three days.¡± Teepo said, and Artemis came back to the booth with the food. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°We... we have to tell everyone!¡± ¡°Tell them what?¡± ¡°There''s going to be a war!¡± ¡°There''s already one being waged right now against the ghouls.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it for the ghoul situation in the Human Kingdom. ¡°Look.¡± He said and showed her all the spots where ghouls were, and the humans fighting them. ¡°If they stop fighting the ghouls, they''ll be overrun.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m going to the King in the morning to ask him and the kingdom''s representatives about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to see their reaction when they have to choose between which war they want to fight.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Jennifer frowned. ¡°What''s gotten into you?¡± ¡°I warned them three months ago about this, Jennifer.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I even brought the Sea Dweller''s Ambassador to the Land Dwellers to see the king, and gave him proof that all the Sea Dwellers wanted was peace. They don''t want to fight anymore.¡± ¡°Then why...¡± ¡°Stubbornness, of course.¡± Ren said. He had felt several people enter his Aura the whole time he had been there, and hadn''t paid it much attention. ¡°Ren, there''s Clint and the guys.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I don''t see Billy.¡± ¡°Billy? What about him?¡± Jennifer asked, and her body tensed up a little. ¡°His reset timer expired and he should have logged back in by now.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s why I''m here, remember? To be the friend you need when he shows up.¡± ¡°Are you going to stick around all night to wait? He might not show up at all.¡± ¡°I would stay here all night, tomorrow, and the next day.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t think that will be necessary, though.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Jennifer asked, curious. ¡°Because he''ll want to beg for your forgiveness right away.¡± Ren said. ¡°If he delays or wastes time and you don''t forgive him when he asks, he will always wonder if it would have made a difference if he had done it sooner.¡± ¡°That sounds like experience talking.¡± Jennifer said and turned her hand over to hold onto his, and she saw his sad smile. ¡°Ah don'' believe it.¡± Clint said. ¡°It didn'' take long fer ya ta move in an'' claim ''er, did it?¡± Ren looked up at Clint and gave him a genuine smile. ¡°I''m just here as a friend.¡± ¡°It shore don'' look like it.¡± Clint said, and motioned to Ren''s arm around Jennifer''s shoulder and at their clasped hands. ¡°It''s called ''comforting a friend''.¡± Ren said. ¡°I gave her a bit of a shock before you came in, and we were talking about that and other things.¡± ¡°Tha''s a lie.¡± ¡°I could have claimed to be her client for tonight, but everyone knows I''m a terrible liar.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Why would I start lying now?¡± ¡°She''s not your girlfriend, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°You shouldn''t hang over her like that.¡± ¡°I believe Jennifer is the one who can choose who does what with her.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which reminds me. Where''s Billy?¡± ¡°He hadn''t logged back in before we had to leave to get here when the place opened.¡± Hank said. ¡°Have you seen Ginger around?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said and looked at Clint. ¡°Rather than wait for your friend, you left and went partying without him?¡± ¡°It''s not yer place ta judge...¡± ¡°Even though you don''t know what he did, you still left him to get here on his own.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder...¡± He tilted his head slightly to the side. ¡°You must have done it on purpose.¡± ¡°Ah did no such thing!¡± Clint said, and Ren noticed the girl on Clint''s arm as her face went slightly red, then saw Tommy''s girlfriend''s face as it matched. ¡°I see.¡± Ren said. ¡°So you do know.¡± ¡°This ain'' tha place ta talk about stuff like this.¡± Clint said. ¡°It''s going to have to be.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Billy just came in.¡± Ren took his arm off Jennifer''s shoulders and let her hand go, and Clint and his group turned to look at the High Elf that stalked towards them. Chapter 537 - Hard Truths ¡°I can''t believe I just missed you guys.¡± Billy said as he came to a stop near Clint and everyone had to look up at him to see his face. He was 11 feet and 8 inches tall, and his ears seemed to point outwards almost comically with his hair combed back in a ponytail. ¡°You''re full size again.¡± Hank commented. ¡°I guess it would be unfair if spells like that carried over after you die.¡± Billy said. ¡°Imagine giving yourself a Stat boost with a spell, die, then come back and have it a part of you and get another.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Talk about overpowered.¡± ¡°You wouldn''t have to die to do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Depending on the spell, they usually stack if you''re smart about how you cast it.¡± Billy looked at Ren sitting in the booth, because he could easily see over Clint and the others. When he saw Jennifer beside Ren, he ignored Ren''s comment completely. ¡°Jennifer! Can we talk?¡± Billy asked. ¡°No.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I''m working.¡± ¡°Please, baby.¡± Billy ignored what she said and stepped around Clint to kneel in front of her. ¡°Look, I overreacted.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve been a complete asshole, and I''m sorry.¡± His voice was full of sincerity. ¡°When I saw Ren last night, it reminded me of what you said about him, and I lost it.¡± He sighed. ¡°I was so jealous of him and what he did for you, that... that I...¡± A tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek. ¡°I never meant to hurt you like that.¡± Ren sat there and let Billy babble on about how he was going to change, and that things would be different from now on. Ren could feel everyone''s emotions start to sway in Billy''s favor, and he also felt Jennifer''s resolve start to crumble. He wasn''t going to let that happen. ¡°That''s a great story, Billy.¡± Ren said, and everyone shifted their gaze to him. ¡°Now tell her the truth and what you really feel.¡± ¡°You stay out of this.¡± Billy said. ¡°Jennifer...¡± ¡°No, I can''t stay out of it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Jennifer''s my friend and I won''t let you manipulate her.¡± ¡°Ren, ya shouldn'' interfere...¡± ¡°I can feel all your emotions, remember? Including Billy''s.¡± Ren looked at their faces and saw they had forgotten that little fact. ¡°I can tell he''s lying.¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Billy said. ¡°I''m not lying!¡± Ren winced a little. ¡°Ow, that was blatant.¡± He said. ¡°Look, I can solve this problem easily.¡± ¡°Like ya did tha las'' time?¡± Clint asked, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I was defending myself then, so no.¡± Ren said. ¡°Baby, I love you.¡± Billy pleaded. ¡°Please, trust me.¡± ¡°Jennifer? Can I try something?¡± Ren asked. Jennifer looked from Billy to Ren, then back again. ¡°Ren, I don''t think...¡± ¡°If this works, you can feel Billy''s emotions first hand.¡± Ren said and held his hand out for her to take. Jennifer took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°No!¡± Billy said and swatted Ren''s hand away before Jennifer could take it. ¡°You''re poisoning her against me!¡± ¡°Stop it, Billy!¡± Jennifer exclaimed. ¡°Look, I even bought these for you.¡± Billy said and took out a set of gold-plated shackles and chains. ¡°They are enchanted to a keyword so they open when you want, and you don''t even need a key.¡± Jennifer''s eyes sparkled at the shiny new restraints, and her fingers flexed because she wanted to take them and try them out. Ren unobtrusively used Identify and examined the item, then received the recipe for it right away. ¡°Should we let this go on, man?¡± Tommy whispered to Clint. ¡°How do ya expect ta stop it?¡± Clint asked. ¡°Just say something, man.¡± ¡°Billy, ya shouldn'' try ta buy yer way back inta-OOF¡± Clint grunted as Billy quickly turned and his elbow hit Clint in the gut. ¡°Clint!¡± His date said as Clint crumpled to the floor, and she knelt to check on him. ¡°Billy!¡± Jennifer said and pulled her hands back from the gift. ¡°It was an accident!¡± Billy said. ¡°I was turning to see what he wanted and my elbow hit him!¡± ¡°You''re going to claim you''re clumsy, too?¡± Ren asked and shook his head. ¡°Worst excuse in the book.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Billy said. ¡°I am clumsy!¡± Ren sighed at the lie. ¡°Just so you know, I don''t need to touch Jennifer to let her feel your emotions.¡± He said. ¡°It just makes it easier to filter for her.¡± Jennifer reached over and took Ren''s hand. ¡°Let me feel them.¡± Ren concentrated on the runes he had made for the Pleasure Palace and merged his Aura with the artificial one in the building. ¡°I want to know if he''s ly-OH MY GOD!¡± Jennifer yelled as Ren''s Aura and emotions smashed into her. Screams and yells came from all the other dancers in the club as it hit them, too. ¡°Oops, I guess I''m not suppressing my own emotions enough.¡± Ren said and tamped his emotions down to a whisper of what they normally were. ¡°How''s that?¡± Jennifer stared up at him with her eyes bulged out of her head. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ren asked. Jennifer blinked her eyes several times, then reluctantly nodded. ¡°Then here''s Billy''s emotions.¡± Ren said. Jennifer gasped as Billy''s smug self-centeredness and possessiveness hit her, and tears formed in her eyes. ¡°Ask him what you want to know.¡± Ren said. ¡°B-Billy, d-do you l-love me?¡± Jennifer asked. ¡°Yes, baby.¡± Billy said, and Jennifer felt his unhealthy obsession with her. ¡°W-will you ever try to h-hurt me again?¡± ¡°Of course not! I didn''t mean to hurt you at all!¡± Billy said, and Jennifer shivered as the lie resounded within her. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°You... you wanted to hit me... and not in the good way that I would enjoy!¡± ¡°That''s not true!¡± Billy said. Jennifer winced hard from the lie and tears formed in her eyes. ¡°R-Ren! It''s too m-much!¡± Ren filled her with reassurance, protectiveness, and caring to wash away Billy''s feelings. Her mouth dropped open as the warm emotions swirled around inside of her, and he let her hand go. The emotions abated without his direct touch; but, they were still there... as well as a strong calmness she had never felt before. ¡°Billy, she knows the truth now.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t come around here anymore.¡± ¡°I''m her boyfriend! Not you!¡± Billy said and stood up to his full height. ¡°I''ll come back here when you aren''t around, and I''ll convince her to take me back!¡± ¡°No, you won''t.¡± Gina said. Billy turned and looked at her, and all the other dancers were there behind her, as were all the animated bodyguards. ¡°This is between me and-¡±Stolen story; please report. ¡°All of us.¡± Gina said. ¡°Ren shared your emotions with everyone in the club. We all know you''re just obsessed with Jennifer and not in love, and that you lied when you said you didn''t want to hurt her.¡± ¡°That''s not true!¡± Billy said. ¡°I would never hurt her! I love her! She''s my life! She''s all that I live for!¡± The entire club was filled with Ultimate Terror and Ren was instantly in front of Billy''s face with a hand on his throat. He had felt what Billy was going to do to her if he couldn''t have her. ¡°You. Will. Not. Hurt. Her.¡± Ren''s glowing red eyes from his Controlled Berserk Rage burned into Billy''s, who stood frozen in terror at the sight. Ren activated his Emotion Siphon ability and sucked out the feelings of obsession, murder, self-righteousness, and a hint of suicide from Billy. He had never pulled so much negative emotions out of a single person before, which meant they ran very deep inside. When he took everything he could, Ren let Billy''s neck go and stopped funnelling his Ultimate Terror ring through his Aura. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± Billy asked, quite clear-headed now. ¡°Wh-what is... how did...¡± He looked at Jennifer, who he had come here to win back and saw the fear in her eyes, then at the dancers who were defending her, then at Clint and the rest of the party and saw their accusing glares. ¡°I... I have to go.¡± ¡°Don''t come back.¡± Gina said. ¡°You aren''t welcome here anymore.¡± Billy didn''t say anything in response and dismissed the popup that banned him from the premises. Everyone stayed silent as he stored the shackles and stepped around Ren, then he quickly walked out of the business. Ren started to feel sick to his stomach at the thought of what he just did, forcefully extracting negative emotions like that, and he quickly made a sack to hold over his mouth. Over the next few moments, Ren threw up all the negative emotions as a thick black sludge into the sack. Everyone stared at him while this happened, and the sack came dangerously close to overflowing. Thankfully, the sludge stopped coming out before it reached the top of the sack, so Ren secured it closed and stored it. ¡°Wha'' tha hell was tha''?¡± Clint asked. Ren took several steps down to the floor and sat down in the booth again. ¡°That tasted awful.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Clint nearly shouted. ¡°I sucked them out.¡± Ren said and wiped his mouth with a piece of cloth. ¡°All of his strong negative emotions that were pushing him to come here and fulfill his desire to win Jennifer back... or... or...¡± He shook his head and sighed. ¡°They''re still there, since I can''t actually remove them; but, I took the bulk of them that I could.¡± ¡°It smelled awful, too.¡± Gina said. ¡°I''ll burn the sack as soon as I leave here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just having it in my inventory is making me sick.¡± ¡°I didn''t know you could do something like that, man.¡± Tommy said and hugged his girlfriend tightly. ¡°I''ve done it on a smaller scale to ease people''s grief over lost loved ones; but, this was the first time I''ve ever actively pulled something out of someone without their permission.¡± Ren shivered. ¡°I didn''t like doing it at all.¡± Ren felt a soft hand take his, and he turned his head to see Jennifer and her starry eyes. He could feel her emotions strongly, since he was still sharing his Aura and they had direct skin contact. ¡°You did that for me.¡± Jennifer said softly. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, and used a thumb to point at Clint and the guys. ¡°Now tell these bozos I''m only here as a friend and that I''m not here to try and replace that idiot.¡± Jennifer smiled sweetly and looked at Clint and the guys. ¡°Hey, bozos! It''s none of your business if I want Ren to replace that idiot.¡± ¡°Jennifer!¡± Ren exclaimed, and she laughed as she felt his emotions. ¡°Well, it''s not.¡± Jennifer said and kissed Ren''s cheek. ¡°It''s okay. I know you can''t be my boyfriend.¡± She said, then put her lips by his ear to whisper. ¡°I also know you would be if you could.¡± Ren didn''t say anything out loud, but he let her feel that he most definitely would. A moment later, he felt a ton of approval flood the Pleasure Palace Aura, and he looked at Gina and the dancers to see their smiling faces. He smiled back at them and then stopped concentrating on the shared Aura. ¡°Aww.¡± Several of the dancers said, and a few sighed at the loss. ¡°I guess that means this show is over.¡± Gina said and turned to look at the dancers. ¡°Get back to your tables and let the customers know the incident was handled.¡± ¡°They already know.¡± One of the dancers said, and everyone turned to see a smattering of applause and raised glasses. ¡°Then go have fun.¡± Gina said, and the dancers gossiped as they went back to where they were before. Some went to the tables, a few went to the bar, and the rest went behind the curtain of the main stage. Ren turned to Jennifer with worry on his face. ¡°Please tell me you don''t know each other in real life.¡± Jennifer didn''t need to feel his emotions to know that he was scared for her. ¡°We don''t.¡± She said and cupped the side of his face. ¡°He doesn''t know where I live or what my real name is.¡± ¡°Thank the gods.¡± Ren said and relaxed. ¡°I was worried you would have met for real by now.¡± ¡°He wanted to.¡± Jennifer said and took her hand back. ¡°In fact, so did I.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you?¡± Tommy''s girlfriend asked. ¡°You love him, don''t you?¡± Jennifer smiled sadly. ¡°I do... I did.¡± She sighed. ¡°I... something just kept me from taking that last step.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t know why.¡± ¡°Whatever it was, I''m glad you didn''t go through with it.¡± Ren said and beamed a smile at her. ¡°That''s one less worry for you to have in your arsenal.¡± Jennifer chuckled. ¡°Arsenal is a good description for my worries.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Clint said, and Ren looked at him. ¡°It seems ah owe ya an-¡± Ren held a hand up to stop him. ¡°Before you say anything, think about what happened.¡± He said. ¡°Was how you treated me the wrong thing to do, considering what you knew... or didn''t know... at the time?¡± Clint didn''t say anything. ¡°I understood your reaction, and I meant to try and keep what happened under wraps until Jennifer was willing to accept help from her friends.¡± Ren said. ¡°Having me rant and rave at everyone about how she had been treated wouldn''t have made things better, would it?¡± The others fell silent and thought about that. ¡°Don''t get me wrong.¡± Ren said and looked at Jennifer. ¡°I would have done exactly that in a heartbeat if she wanted me to.¡± He gave her a sweet smile. ¡°Mistreating anyone is bad; but, mistreating a woman who only wanted love and acceptance is unforgivable.¡± Jennifer bit her bottom lip and made big puppy-dog eyes, like she was a lost little girl who had just been found, and a soft sigh was heard from Clint, Tommy, Hank, and Dillon. ¡°Wow, Jennifer! That''s really good.¡± Gina said. ¡°Thanks!¡± Jennifer said and her expression changed to a big grin. ¡°I''ve been practising!¡± ¡°Don''t tell me you have another routine you want to try.¡± ¡°Nope! This was just for special occasions.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Now seemed like the right time to unveil it.¡± ¡°Well it worked.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Do you have time to eat?¡± He asked and pointed to the two plates, and Jennifer looked at Gina. ¡°You can stay and eat if you want.¡± Gina said. ¡°I can switch your set with Cinnamon''s.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Jennifer said and looked at Ren. ¡°We had so much fun the last time! I''d be happy to have dinner with you again.¡± Gina pointed to the next booth. ¡°Clint, you can take that one if you want.¡± ¡°Thank ya.¡± Clint said, nodded to Ren, and led his group to the next booth. ¡°I''ll leave you two to eat.¡± Gina said. ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°We need to talk, remember?¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. She took it and he sat her down in the booth, then he reached out and closed the curtain to cut the booth off from the rest of the club. He cast Full Illusion as well and made a thick sound proof barrier of the curtain, which cut off all the sound in the club. ¡°That''s a neat trick.¡± Gina said. ¡°Gina... would you like to eat as well?¡± Ren asked, because Jennifer had already started eating. ¡°I would, but I have to take a rain check because I''m crunched for time.¡± Gina said. ¡°What was it that you wanted to talk about?¡± Ren opened his mouth to start, sighed, then sat down between Jennifer and Gina. ¡°First off, I need to apologize.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°The last time I was here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was trying to be sneaky so I could come in and check on Jennifer to see if she was okay.¡± ¡°I guess that''s reasonable.¡± Gina said. ¡°I assume you didn''t want anyone to know you were here.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It worked like a charm, and then... well...¡± ¡°I asked him for a fantasy.¡± Jennifer said between mouthfuls of food. ¡°Boy, did he deliver!¡± ¡°What fantasy?¡± Gina asked. ¡°Santa Claus.¡± Ren and Jennifer said at the same time, and Gina started to laugh... then stopped like a switch had been thrown. ¡°It was you?!?¡± Gina exclaimed. ¡°Gina...¡± ¡°N-no!¡± Gina shook her head. ¡°No, it''s not true!¡± ¡°Gina...¡± ¡°No, you... it wasn''t... you can''t...¡± Gina tried to stand up to leave and Ren put a hand out to stop her. ¡°Please, listen.¡± ¡°No!¡± Gina said, and Ren felt her anger. ¡°You let me throw myself all over you and didn''t say anything!¡± ¡°I tried to tell you several times, but you wouldn''t listen.¡± Ren said. ¡°You just kept pushing and making demands to see me again.¡± Gina shook her head again. ¡°No, you used me! You knew I liked rugged men!¡± ¡°He didn''t, and no one told him.¡± Jennifer said in Ren''s defense and ate another bite of food. ¡°None of us knew you liked rugged men so much that you''d try and poach a client.¡± Gina''s face went red. ¡°I... I didn''t...¡± ¡°You were so turned on by him that you ignored your own rules.¡± Jennifer said and looked at her. ¡°None of us said anything about it, precisely because none of us had ever seen you act that way before.¡± Gina closed her mouth and didn''t say anything in response, and Ren took out an Amulet of Interrogation. ¡°Gina.¡± Ren said and she shifted her gaze to him. ¡°I''m sorry this happened. I disguised myself so I could hide in plain sight, then your reaction surprised me so much that it threw me for a loop.¡± He said and held the amulet out in front of her. ¡°I''ve never seen that side of you before... your super sexy and sultry side, I mean... and I sincerely apologize for making it appear under false pretenses.¡± Gina took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°How do I...¡± She looked at the amulet and sighed. ¡°I thought... I thought I had found...¡± Tears started to well in her eyes. ¡°You did, technically.¡± Ren said and dabbed her eyes with a cloth before the tears fell. ¡°I don''t think even you realized just how... enthusiastic... you would be when you found someone that really turned you on.¡± He smiled. ¡°Once you saw him, though... you weren''t going to take no for an answer.¡± ¡°Was... was I that overbearing?¡± Gina asked. ¡°I felt like a mouse caught in a mouse trap.¡± Ren chuckled to try and lighten the mood. ¡°I was worried you were going to pull my tail off right there.¡± ¡°I wanted to.¡± Gina said as she understood his innuendo. ¡°I really wanted to.¡± ¡°I know you did.¡± Ren said and tapped his heart. ¡°I could feel how you felt.¡± ¡°But... but he was a lie.¡± Gina said. ¡°He wasn''t real.¡± ¡°He can be as real as you want him to be.¡± Ren said, and felt her surprise. ¡°I''m still under a self-imposed no sex rule; but, there are lots of things we can do without crossing that last line.¡± ¡°I...¡± Gina shook her head. ¡°No, I... I don''t...¡± She sighed. ¡°If it happens, I... I would want to feel him inside of me.¡± She said. ¡°I''d need to.¡± ¡°Then I suggest you keep looking for that guy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Start dropping hints to the customers about how you aren''t fussy on the pretty boys.¡± He suggested. ¡°Have the girls discuss some of your preferences in front of their clients, too.¡± Gina blinked her eyes at Ren for a few moments. ¡°Use what you have available and see who shows up.¡± Ren said. ¡°Almost everyone does touch-ups on their avatars to make themselves look more appealing. Let it be known that you don''t want someone like that.¡± ¡°I... I didn''t think... using the girls to help me find... how can you be so smart?¡± Gina asked. ¡°Extensive medical experiments.¡± Ren said and laughed. Jennifer and Gina laughed, too. Chapter 538 - Promises To Keep ¡°You''re so funny.¡± Jennifer said, not realizing Ren spoke the absolute truth. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and looked at Gina as he put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I can''t promise that you''ll find someone who will fit your desires; but, I can promise to have ''him'' pop in occasionally for a bit of play time if you want.¡± Gina thought about saying no right away like she had when he first mentioned it, then she considered the odds of finding someone who was even similar to how Ren''s disguise had looked. ¡°Let me think about it.¡± Gina said. ¡°I really would want sex, but... if I can''t find anyone...¡± ¡°I''d be happy to help you relieve some tension.¡± Ren said, then let a big smile form on his face as he stored the Amulet of Interrogation and held his hands out towards her, then wiggled his fingers. ¡°Especially the tension in your breasts.¡± Gina laughed and pushed his hands away. ¡°There''s not a lot of tension there.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Ren said dejectedly and pouted, and she laughed harder. ¡°Thanks for the meal.¡± Jennifer sat back when she was done eating. ¡°It was fun, but in a different way than last time.¡± ¡°I guess I was the cause of that.¡± Gina said and stood up. ¡°I''ll leave you to have some alone time.¡± She said and approached the curtain. ¡°I''ve got to get back to work.¡± ¡°Gina.¡± Ren said, and she turned to look at him. ¡°Thanks for letting me explain and not just kicking me out.¡± ¡°Oh, I thought about it.¡± Gina said and smiled evilly. ¡°No one tricks me and gets away with it.¡± ¡°Temporary ban?¡± Ren asked. ¡°A week real time.¡± Gina said, and Ren nodded. ¡°You''re not going to argue?¡± ¡°Why would I? I did something bad and I deserve some punishment.¡± ¡°Ooo! Let me punish him!¡± Jennifer said excitedly. Gina rolled her eyes. ¡°That''s not really punishment.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Jennifer said dejectedly and pouted, just like Ren had only a few minutes before, and Gina laughed. Ren dismissed the sound barrier illusion and Gina opened the curtain. ¡°When you come back, I''ll let you know if I want to take you up on your offer.¡± Gina said, then left the booth in high spirits. ¡°She probably will.¡± Jennifer said and took Ren''s hand. ¡°She hasn''t had a good lay in a long time.¡± ¡°Jennifer, I can''t go all the way with her.¡± Ren said. ¡°You wouldn''t have to use your own.¡± Jennifer said with a grin, and Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°What... what do you mean?¡± ¡°I remember you making Santa have...¡± Jennifer shook her head. ¡°Remember the joke you played?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Well, use that spell to make a fully erect one.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°It won''t be you touching her at all if it''s just an illusion and you keep your pants on.¡± Ren''s mouth fell open at the thought. ¡°Jennifer... you... you''re a genius!¡± Jennifer chuckled. ¡°Wait until she finds out you can do that.¡± She said. ¡°She''ll lose it over ''him'' for sure.¡± ¡°Keep it a secret, okay?¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re right. She will be surprised.¡± ¡°Plus, I still get to keep the real thing for myself.¡± Jennifer said and rubbed his thigh. ¡°How much time do you have to spare?¡± ¡°You''ve got 45 minutes before you have to meet Xuunah and Officer Holly in front of the Main House.¡± Teepo said. ¡°We have enough time for some of your special foreplay.¡± Ren said, and Jennifer laughed. ¡°Just foreplay?¡± ¡°I''ll be gone for a game month, so it''s better if you enjoy this time to the fullest.¡± Jennifer reached up and ran her hand through his hair. ¡°You''d do that for me, even though you don''t enjoy it at all?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m all about making women happy, and I enjoy that part a lot.¡± Jennifer leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss. ¡°You''re too good to be true.¡± ¡°I really am.¡± Ren said and stood up, and helped her stand, too. ¡°Shall we?¡± Jennifer nodded and Ren led her across the club to her work room. Artemis stored the plate of food and followed them, then stood just outside the door of Jennifer''s room as it closed. * ¡°Huh.¡± Clint said as he saw Ren and Jennifer walk across the club. ¡°Ah guess he wouldn'' have lied if''n he said he was ''er client tonight.¡± ¡°I don''t think he intended to be.¡± Clint''s date said. ¡°But after that...¡± ¡°Ah know.¡± Clint said and sighed. ¡°Wha'' am ah gonna do with Billy?¡± ¡°We''ll have to talk to him, man.¡± Tommy said. ¡°We gotta see if he''s okay... and we have to know if he''s going to try and come back after her.¡± ¡°We''ve known him a long time.¡± Hank said. ¡°I never thought he had something like that in him.¡± ¡°I don''t know if he knew it himself.¡± Tommy''s girlfriend said, and they all looked at her. ¡°Until it happens, I don''t think anyone really knows what they''re capable of.¡± Clint and his group sat in silence until Gina approached the main stage. ¡°Welcome, everyone.¡± Gina said, her magically amplified voice reached everyone in the club. ¡°The main show tonight is a special one! For the first time ever! Please welcome, Candy Apple!¡± Everyone in the club had their eyes riveted to the stage as Candy and Apple came out onto the stage together and started their ''client and lap dance'' routine. When one was naked and they reversed their roles, even the few women in the audience gasped at the sight. No one, except Ren and the other dancers, had seen this type of show before. When the two dancers were done, rounds of applause greeted them, and copper and silver coins littered the stage and the floor around it. * Jennifer used the short time she had with Ren to fulfill her fetish as much as she could, and Ren played the victim perfectly. When the 45 minutes was over, Jennifer lay on the bed exhausted. Ren had used his Energize spell on her twice already, and she refused the last offer for one. ¡°Just... let me... let me wallow in this... this feeling.¡± Jennifer said as she lay beside him. ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Ren, I... thank you for tonight.¡± She said and put a hand on his chest. ¡°For all of tonight.¡± ¡°I told you I''d be here for you.¡± Ren said and pat her hand. ¡°I mean, that''s what friends are for, right?¡± ¡°I don''t deserve a friend like you.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Ren, look at what I do.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°It doesn''t bother you that I''ll have sex with pretty much anyone that shows interest in me?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, like you''re not picky about who you accept into your bed.¡± ¡°You know what I mean.¡± ¡°Yes, so let me turn the tables on you.¡± Ren said and she looked at him. ¡°I''ve got multiple women on the go, both here and in real life, and I have sex with a fair amount of them.¡± He said. ¡°Do you think any less of me for doing that?¡± Jennifer opened her mouth to respond right away, then closed it and thought about it. ¡°Actually, it... it kind of makes you more appealing.¡± She said and saw his wide eyes. ¡°Not that you sleep with so many, it''s that you... you can please them all and you still come here to visit me.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Now look at you from my perspective.¡± He said. ¡°You can have any man that you want, as much as you want, and you make lots of money... and yet, here you are with me, just because you want to enjoy yourself.¡± ¡°That''s because you let me.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°You don''t complain, or say it''s too weird or kinky, or make me feel bad that I like these things.¡± Ren put his arm around her and gave her a hug. ¡°I don''t enjoy it myself; but, it''s not my place to tell you what you should and shouldn''t like.¡± ¡°See? That right there.¡± Jennifer said and propped herself up on an elbow. ¡°No one else I know would even think that, let alone say it.¡± She said and touched his private area. ¡°You still get yourself like this for me even though you don''t enjoy what I like to do.¡± She moved down to give it a kiss... then kissed it some more... and did a lot more. ¡°Do you...¡± Ren started to ask. ¡°Mm hmm.¡± Jennifer moaned, and Ren let himself go for her. She took it all, quite greedily, then looked at his face. ¡°Ren, if you ever decide you want to be my boyfriend... either here or in real life... let me know.¡± ¡°Jennifer...¡± ¡°It''s okay if it never happens.¡± Jennifer said and gave him a lick. ¡°I''m never going to find anyone who would do all the things you do for me so willingly.¡± She said and moved back up to kiss him on the lips. ¡°I''m not going to profess love for you or anything like that, because it would be both childish and unnecessary.¡± She explained. ¡°But, you give me everything I ask for and you don''t want anything in return except my happiness.¡± She smiled and it made her eyes sparkle. ¡°That deserves some kind of commitment on my part.¡± ¡°Jennifer, I...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Jennifer gave him another kiss. ¡°You need to get going.¡± Ren held her gaze for a moment, then nodded. She rolled out of the way and Ren sat up, then slid off the bed and stood. ¡°I hope I can survive a game month without feeling you again.¡± Jennifer teased and rubbed the spot between her legs. Ren felt her emotions and that she was trying to entice him, so he quickly picked her up off the bed and had sex with her again. She laughed as he made her go in record time, and he finished inside her and dropped her back onto the bed. ¡°Wowww.¡± Jennifer said, then licked her lips as she stared up at him. ¡°See you next month.¡± Ren said and equipped his special armor bodysuit and blue suit on top of it, then held up a platinum coin. Jennifer shook her head no, so he blew her a kiss instead and left the room. Ren walked around the side of the main area behind the tables and avoided cutting off the view of the main stage, and Artemis followed closely behind. Caramel was doing a routine on the stage and Ren noticed her glance at him and give him a little wave. He waved back and walked to the front door. ¡°Thanks for coming.¡± Gina said automatically when someone approached the door to leave. ¡°That''s what she said.¡± Ren waggled his eyebrows at her, and she laughed. ¡°I think I might miss seeing you here.¡± Gina said. ¡°Might.¡± ¡°I can give you something to remember me by.¡± Ren said, and Artemis tucked herself against the wall to be as unobtrusive as possible. Gina looked from side to side to see if anyone was watching, then nodded. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± Ren said. When she did, Ren took a step up into the air and cast Disguise Self and chose the same hard-looking image he had used the last time and changed his voice to match. ¡°Open yer eyes, ma''am.¡± Disguised Ren said in a gravelly voice. Gina opened her eyes and held in her gasp. ¡°It was a pleasure visiting yer establishment again.¡± He said and held up a silver coin. ¡°I know you''re retired, so I won''t pester you fer some special treatment.¡± Gina slowly touched the coin in his hard and calloused hand. She caressed the skin on the front and back, then she sighed as she picked up the coin. ¡°It''s like I''m on a diet and you''re the biggest bowl of chocolate ice cream in the world.¡± Gina said. ¡°Would you like a small taste, ma''am?¡± Disguised Ren said with hope in his eyes. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Gina said and slid her arms around his neck. ¡°I know it''s fake, but...¡± ¡°S''okay, ma''am.¡± Disguised Ren said and hugged her waist. ¡°People put on a facade all the time. You know fer sure I do, and it don''t make a lick of difference.¡± He said and smiled crookedly. ¡°You''ll find yer man someday, I know it; but until then, I''d be glad to give you a glimpse of happiness... if''n you let me.¡± ¡°You... you play the part so well.¡± Gina whispered and her heart beat a little faster. ¡°As long as you know it''s just a part, ma''am. I can''t offer much more than the glimpse, though.¡± ¡°Just shut up and kiss me.¡± Gina said, and he did. ¡°Mmm.¡± She said as he kissed her like she desperately wanted him to. He read her emotions and changed tactics slightly as he slid his hands down from her waist to her backside and gripped her butt hard with both hands. She gasped into his mouth for a second, then moaned as his strong hands kneaded the flesh. ¡°Hey, we''d like to come in.¡± A man''s disembodied voice said. Gina broke the kiss and sighed. ¡°Goddammit.¡± Disguised Ren chuckled and it sounded like rocks rolling together. He let her backside go and stepped out of the way, and Gina opened the door to let in a group of Adventurers. ¡°Welcome to the Pleasure Palace.¡± Gina said in her best hostess voice. ¡°The shows have already started, the bar''s full and the kitchen''s pumping out cheap hot meals.¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± One of the guys said and gave a high-five to his friend. ¡°Just like always!¡± They went by Gina and into the club, and they didn''t notice Ren at all. Gina looked at the party of Adventurers and then back at Disguised Ren. ¡°Hiding in plain sight really works.¡± Gina said, surprised. Disguised Ren nodded, took her hand, and kissed the back of it. ¡°I''ll see you in a month, dear lady.¡± ¡°Um... maybe I was a bit harsh...¡± ¡°No, no.¡± Disguised Ren shook his head. ¡°You do your best to find someone, especially with help from the girls, and then I''ll see you again when I return.¡± Gina gave his hand a squeeze, nodded, and let it go. Disguised Ren and Artemis left the Pleasure Palace, and when they started walking down the street, he dismissed the disguise. ¡°You really do have a talent for it.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Women, I mean.¡± ¡°I''ve been playing with the talent for a while now, and only just started to realize that I could do it without my Prince Charming Title active; but, when I got all my memories back, I knew the title only enhanced what was already there.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not going to turn it off and try to ignore parts of me like that anymore.¡± ¡°No matter what happens?¡± ¡°I''ve got so many other things to deal with at the moment, and my abilities can only help in that regard.¡± Ren said. ¡°If it proves to be a problem like it did when I wasn''t aware of it, I''ll turn it off in that situation. Other than that, I''m using everything I have to do what has to be done.¡± He said. ¡°Here should be good.¡± Ren came to a stop in the middle of the road and took out the sack of Billy''s negative emotions. He cast Full Illusion and made a large fire pit, then activated his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Burning Hands. He filled the pit with Fire, then tossed the sack in and kept feeding the flames. The sack burned up and the black sludge splashed into the Fire. Ren used his other hand to add Fire on top of the sludge, and used his Fire Manipulation ability to completely surround it. ¡°I was tempted, briefly, to try and give some to the succubi or even Lylyth; then I realized I didn''t want anything like these feelings anywhere near people I care about.¡± Ren said and increased the intensity of the flames. It took almost a full minute to burn up so much sludge, and he kept going for another minute to burn up even the ashes. When it was all gone, he absorbed the Fire and dismissed the fire pit illusion. ¡°You should probably check the ghouls in the High Elven Kingdom.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°Good idea, buddy.¡± Ren said as he started to walk again, then took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked for the details. ¡°There''s a few hundred nests, but they''re barely a handful of ghouls in each one.¡± He said. ¡°Can you show me how many can be healed?¡± The mirror image didn''t change to show any of them glowing, and Ren sighed. ¡°We can clean them out tomorrow when we visit Yllana and Allynna to discuss what the High Lord of the Elves plans to do against me.¡± Ren saw Officer Holly and Xuunah as they sat on their mounts and waited for him by the Main House. They wore full armor and had their weapons at the ready in one hand and held the steed''s reins in the other. ¡°I just have to get... hello, Princess.¡± Ren said as Princess stepped out of her house. ¡°Hello, My Lord.¡± Princess said. ¡°I''m ready to go.¡± ¡°Give me a second to enhance the other mounts.¡± Ren said and took out the wand with Permanent Widen Effect and used it several times on the Phantom Steeds. ¡°There.¡± He said and climbed onto Princess'' back and sat on the saddle. ¡°Princess, you''ll have to go at quarter speed so they can keep up.¡± ¡°I will go slow for the nags.¡± Princess said, and the two horses huffed and blew raspberries at her. ¡°It''s not an insult, it''s the truth.¡± She said and trotted up into the air, and Ren tried not to laugh. Artemis took flight, as did Xuunah and Officer Holly, and they followed Ren for several minutes until they arrived at Aurora. ¡°I''ve never travelled that fast before.¡± Officer Holly said as they landed in the Housing District. ¡°How did your spells do that?¡± ¡°Widen Effect doubles any numerical value in a spell.¡± Ren said. ¡°One of the Phantom Steeds numerical values is it''s speed.¡± ¡°How many times can you cast it?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± ¡°Then why not keep casting it and find out?¡± ¡°Because.¡± Ren said. ¡°The horse would probably break your neck just by starting to trot, or it could tear itself apart by having it''s legs run faster than it''s body.¡± Officer Holly stared at Ren for a moment, then gave herself a little shake. ¡°Okay, those are good reasons.¡± Ren chuckled and hopped off of Princess and scratched her chin. ¡°You can go for a little run, or you can go inside and wait.¡± ¡°Will you be long?¡± Princess asked. ¡°It depends.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m having supper with Nathalia and then I''m coming back here to spend some time with Elise.¡± ¡°Then I will go inside.¡± Princess said. ¡°You are going to be a while.¡± Ren opened the door to their old house for her, and she went into her old room. He looked over at Elise''s house and the lights were off, which meant she wasn''t in the game yet, so he looked at Officer Holly. ¡°You kind of have the same choice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you staying outside to guard me, or going inside to wait?¡± ¡°I can do both.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I''ll sleep for the hour the ring''s enchantment requires while you have dinner with Nathalia and Xuunah, and I should be up long before you''re done.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Ren said. ¡°Secure your steed and help yourself to the house.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll try and not be too-¡± ¡°For god''s sake, go and have fun.¡± Officer Holly said and hopped off her mount. ¡°Don''t worry about the time.¡± She tied the steed to the post outside of the house. ¡°I''ll see you when you''re done.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and Officer Holly went inside the house and shut the door. ¡°Xuunah?¡± Xuunah looked down at him, let out a sigh, and slid off her mount. She secured it beside Officer Holly''s mount and Ren held a hand out to her. She thought about not taking it; but, that thought lasted barely a microsecond as her hand gripped his firmly. Ren and Xuunah walked hand-in-hand down the street to go to the Artesian District and to the restaurant called Nathalia''s Nourishment. Chapter 539 - Dinner And A Date Ren and Xuunah arrived at the restaurant and Artemis flew over their heads and landed on the roof of the building to wait and to keep a lookout. Ren saw the long line of people outside waiting to get in, and Teepo estimated it would take half an hour before they would make it inside. That would be cutting into Ren''s time to spend with Nathalia and Xuunah, so he concentrated on his connection to Nathalia. My Love, I''m outside your restaurant. Ren thought. I''ll be right out to get you. Nathalia thought back. Both Ren and Xuunah felt Nathalia come through the portal and their connections with each other went to full strength. Distance diminished it somewhat, but it was always there. She came out through the front door of the restaurant and waved them over. ¡°I came over earlier and booked a table.¡± Nathalia said and motioned for him and Xuunah to go inside. ¡°I knew you needed one.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°I didn''t think to do it myself.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°You''ve got everything else on your mind, so that''s understandable.¡± She said and went back in through the front door, then led Ren and Xuunah to a curtained-off table in the back. The plates of food were already there and waiting, and the three of them sat down to eat. ¡°Before we start, there''s something I''d like to say.¡± Ren said, and Nathalia touched his mouth with a fingertip. ¡°If it''s about what happened to you, I know.¡± Nathalia said and touched her heart. ¡°I felt the change when you came back.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You pledged to share everything with me when we built this bond between us.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I didn''t get the full intensity like Xuunah did; but, I did get it all the same.¡± Ren reached out and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I am now that you are.¡± Nathalia said and leaned her head into his palm. ¡°Now taste this dish I made for you.¡± Ren picked up the spoon beside his plate and dug into the great-smelling food. ¡°My mouth is watering already.¡± He said and took a bite. When it hit his tongue, the flavor shot through him. ¡°Holy crap! That''s delicious!¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°It''s my latest creation.¡± ¡°What''s it called?¡± Ren asked and took another spoonful. ¡°Adventurer''s Delight.¡± ¡°It sure is.¡± Ren said and kept eating, and Xuunah and Nathalia ate as well. No one spoke until the meal was over, and when Ren swallowed the last bit, he received a popup.
Notice!
You have consumed a dish of magic-infused food. You have gained: +1 Vitality and 0.1% Regeneration for 1 hour
¡°N-Nathalia!¡± Ren exclaimed as he dismissed the popup, and Nathalia closed her eyes as she wallowed in his appreciation and astonishment. ¡°Nathalia?¡± Nathalia felt his concern, so she opened her eyes and smiled warmly at him. ¡°I guess you liked it.¡± ¡°I''d make a joke about wanting to marry it, but I swore to you I''d never look for another wife.¡± Xuunah laughed. ¡°That would be a short marriage!¡± Nathalia and Ren laughed, too. ¡°I''d really like to learn the recipe.¡± Ren said. ¡°This kind of enhancement, even temporary...¡± ¡°It doesn''t have to be temporary.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°With the application of a lot more Mana during the mixing and cooking process...¡± ¡°You can make it permanent.¡± Ren said. ¡°I knew learning to cook would be a good idea.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°I meant to teach you the basics a long time ago; but, you were always so busy and every time you would finish one thing, two more things would come up.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s still happening.¡± He said. ¡°Only the scale of things has increased.¡± Nathalia took his hand and held it. ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I''ll get through it.¡± ¡°Yes, you will.¡± Nathalia said, confidently. ¡°Now, about this needing to see me feeling I''ve had from you all day...¡± ¡°Just all day?¡± Ren asked, and her face went a little red. ¡°Okay, it was more intense today.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°My bond... our bond... with Xuunah got a lot stronger, and it''s hurting her because she can''t be with me.¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°You know it''s true.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can tell that you feel it, too.¡± ¡°You can''t expect me to just let you-¡± ¡°No, I''m not here to ask you to hand me over to her.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°You know the Light being''s mandate just like I do. It''s forbidden for her to mate with a mortal.¡± He said. ¡°She spent a lot of time in prison for that.¡± ¡°...and for killing your father''s murderers.¡± Xuunah said, and Nathalia and Ren felt her satisfaction. ¡°At the time I thought you were gone, too... and I was so happy to discover that it wasn''t true.¡± Nathalia nodded because she could feel all of that from her, and looked at Ren. ¡°Then what are you asking for?¡± Ren leaned in close and whispered very softly into her ear. ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Nathalia jerked away from him. ¡°NO! You don''t know what that will do!¡± ¡°I need to try.¡± ¡°Ren, you... you can''t just...¡± ¡°Nathalia, please.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t do this if you don''t want me to, but you know the attempt has to be made.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°But... but what if... what if you...¡± ¡°You are my center.¡± Ren said and the light in his chest glowed brightly, and the Light bond between them shone brightly, too. ¡°I''ll always come back to you.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°I''ve thought of giving you a Disguise Self wand so you could cast it on yourself and walk out of this restaurant to meet me, and we could... ah... meet together.¡± Ren said. ¡°That doesn''t bypass your beliefs; but, it would stop the public''s perception of us breaking those beliefs.¡± Nathalia thought about saying yes right away, just so she could be with him again, then she shook her head. ¡°No, I would know we were breaking my customs.¡± She said. ¡°I can''t... I won''t... circumvent it.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°That''s why I never offered.¡± ¡°Then what are you trying to offer?¡± ¡°There''s nothing I can offer.¡± Ren said. ¡°Polymorph spell, Astral Projection, Doppleganger, they all still require you in them... and it''s you and your beliefs that I love.¡± He said. ¡°I can''t ask you... I won''t ask you... to give those up.¡± ¡°Then... we really can''t be together.¡± Nathalia said, disheartened. ¡°Not until the rituals and rules for relationships change in the Dwarf Kingdom.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m willing to wait for that.¡± ¡°You are?¡± Nathalia asked, surprised. ¡°Of course I am.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°I love you deeply. Madly. Truly.¡± He said. ¡°I''m going to start sending letters to the records clerk at the Main Keep. Petitions, proposed law changes, adding exceptions to the rules.¡± He grinned. ¡°She''s going to be so sick of hearing from me that she''ll start putting the changes through just to shut me up.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia said and kissed him passionately. Ren cast Full Illusion and put a wall up around the table, in case anyone came in, and he kissed her back. Their hearts raced as they made out, because it was the first time they had touched each other in this fashion in a long time. ¡°A-ahem.¡± Xuunah coughed to try and get their attention, but it didn''t work. Ren and Nathalia panted heavily as their hands roamed and touched each other hastily and expertly. ¡°AHEM!¡± Xuunah slapped the table and made the dishes bounce and clatter, and that was enough to bring Ren and Nathalia back to their senses. They stopped mid-grope and broke the kiss they had locked themselves in, and sat back in their seats. Both of them were quite dishevelled, their hair a complete mess, and wore matching goofy grins. They exchanged glances with each other, then with Xuunah, and then all three of them laughed. Nathalia gave her permission for him to try, and Ren thanked her by taking her hand and giving her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I have to get back to work.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Come by tomorrow morning and let me know how it went.¡± ¡°It might not happen tonight.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I have to visit King Alamast and discuss a couple of things tomorrow... and then I have to visit the High Elven Kingdom and talk with Yllana and Allynna about the High Elves.¡± ¡°When will I see you again?¡± Nathalia asked and stood up. ¡°I''ll try my best to be back here either tomorrow night or the next morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°After that, my time is kind of up in the air. I don''t know if I''ll get involved in the next war or not.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°If I can somehow prevent it or make it end early like with the ghouls, I''ll have lots of free time to spend however I want. Maybe you can even teach me how to properly cook.¡± ¡°Should you even say that with all those qualifiers?¡± Nathalia said, and he felt her amusement. ¡°All I can do is try.¡± Ren said and stood as well. ¡°Bye, Nathalia.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Nathalia gave him a hug, then walked around the table and gave Xuunah a hug, too. ¡°Keep him safe.¡± ¡°With my dying breath.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°No harm shall come to him.¡± Nathalia let her out of the hug and left. Ren held an elbow out for Xuunah to take, and he led her out to the woman that sat people in the restaurant. He gave her money for the three meals and a good tip, despite the food being Nathalia''s, and they left the restaurant. They walked down the street and back to the Housing District, and Artemis flew over behind them. Teepo said that the hour was almost up, so Ren and Xuunah stood outside his old house to wait for Officer Holly to wake up. He noticed Elise''s lights were on in her house as well and let Ren know. ¡°Will you tell me the details of this plan you have for me?¡± Xuunah asked a moment later. ¡°When the time is right.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Knowing beforehand will make no difference.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Positive.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m attempting it anyway, and having you there will only improve the odds of my success.¡± ¡°Is there a reason for you not to tell me before you try?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want to cause Trouble before it''s time.¡± Xuunah nodded, because she knew now that while around Ren, words alone could cause things to happen. Her words the last time had almost cost Ren his freedom, possibly his life, and she never wanted anything like that to happen again. Ren felt Officer Holly wake up and faced the house, and it took her a minute to get up and come out to greet them. ¡°Hey, you''re back.¡± Officer Holly said, then yawned and stretched with her arms over her head. ¡°Is it okay to say that was a sexy stretch?¡± Ren said. ¡°It would depend on what you mean by sexy.¡± Officer Holly said and looked herself over. ¡°Did anything pop out?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, it just highlighted your athletic form quite well.¡± ¡°Then I guess it''s okay.¡± Ren turned to Xuunah. ¡°Get some rest, and I''ll see you both later.¡± ¡°I suppose I don''t need to tell you to have fun.¡± Xuunah said, and Ren took a step up into the air. ¡°I''ll try to contain what I feel, but you know it''s much harder to concentrate when... well... you know.¡± Xuunah nodded. ¡°I''ll restrict the sharing from my end as well.¡± She said. ¡°Perhaps our efforts together will stop me from going crazy with desire.¡± ¡°I''ll wait a few minutes to give you a chance to go to sleep first.¡± Ren said. ¡°It might help, too.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Xuunah said, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and went into the house to go to bed. ¡°You''re quite smooth with the ladies.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I am.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with raised eyebrows. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You''re pretty confident.¡± ¡°The evidence speaks for itself.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even those not predisposed to like me, like me eventually.¡± ¡°Are you referring to me?¡± ¡°Nope. Gina, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t do anything at all for her when we first met. I still don''t, not looking like this; but, a little change in the face and the voice... and she''s all over me.¡± ¡°So, you tricked her?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I didn''t mean to at first.¡± He said, then explained about going to see Jennifer, then misunderstanding, and then going there tonight to admit the truth to her. ¡°So... even though she knows it''s fake... she''s okay with it.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Wow, that... she''s pretty self-delusional.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°To be honest, we all are.¡± He said and motioned to her. ¡°We all try to hide something about ourselves. What we like. What our passions are. What drives us to do what we do.¡± Officer Holly blinked her eyes at him for several moments and thought about it. ¡°What are you hiding?¡± Ren''s face slowly formed a huge grin. ¡°The biggest secret in the history of secrets.¡± He said, then started to walk backwards towards Elise''s house. Officer Holly followed him. ¡°What secret?¡± ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The biggest secret I''m hiding is... I have no secrets.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Ever since I was rescued from my parents, I''ve always been completely open and honest with everyone I''ve ever met.¡± Ren said. ¡°The doctors, lawyers, nurses, psychiatrists, and police. I told them everything I knew at the time, and to the best of my ability. I''ve never once tried to hide anything, or downplay what happened to me.¡± ¡°But... you...¡± ¡°I''ve also never asked for sympathy. I''ve always known my lot in life, you see... and thinking ''oh, poor me'' was never an option.¡± Ren said and stopped just outside Elise''s door. ¡°With all of my memories back, I discovered that I didn''t start out that way. I was secretive, scared a lot, terrified even more, and I never opened up to anyone.¡± He said. ¡°Once I was free, though... it was a conscious choice on my part to not be like that anymore.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Do you get it now? I was free. Free to go. Free to live. Free to trust. Free to love.¡± Elise''s door opened and she stepped out. ¡°Ren? Is that you?¡± ¡°I don''t need to hide anymore. I don''t need to keep things to myself.¡± Ren looked at the statuesque redheaded woman that waited for him. ¡°I allowed myself to find people to care about, who also care about me.¡± Elise beamed a smile at him that made him feel all warm and tingly inside. ¡°People who accept me for who I am, even knowing what I''ve been through.¡± Ren said and walked over to Elise. ¡°Why in the world would I try to keep secrets from the people I love?¡± Elise held her arms open and Ren took two steps up into the air and kissed her waiting lips as she wrapped her arms around him, then the two of them stepped inside the house and the door shut behind them. * ¡°It''s like he''s a philosopher or something.¡± Officer Holly commented. ¡°I think it''s more like a public motivational speaker.¡± Artemis said. Officer Holly chuckled. ¡°Yes, that''s it. Just hearing him speak makes you want to believe him.¡± ¡°I do believe him.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Don''t you?¡± Officer Holly opened her mouth to respond, then realized her Lie Detecting skill hadn''t buzzed her. Not once during the whole time Ren spoke. ¡°I... I do.¡± Officer Holly said, and it was quiet for several moments. ¡°So, how long do you think he''s going to be?¡± Artemis asked. Officer Holly''s face flushed a little red. ¡°I couldn''t say.¡± ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Artemis said. ¡°You''ve been around him a couple of times when he''s on one of his little side adventures.¡± She said. ¡°You must have some idea about...¡± ¡°I said I can''t say!¡± Officer Holly''s face went deep red, and Artemis held in her laughter. Chapter 540 - What She Wanted After the first hour of Ren trying to show Elise everything he had learned about pleasing a woman, she begged him to take a break. He let her relax for a few minutes and then gave her an amulet with a symbol on it to represent the first time they had met. It had been an awkward meeting for the both of them; but, Ren had assumed, quite correctly, that it was the strongest memory for Elise to focus on. Ren asked her to put the amulet on, and it also had the Unnatural Armor, Interrogation, and Spider enchantments on it. When she equipped it, he told her to concentrate on the day they had met and to remember how she felt when he had first entered the game. It took her a moment to bring it to mind, and when she did, her Aura popped into place and merged with his. Ren was already concentrating on the symbol himself, and his emotions that he had kept restrained since being in the club, hit her. Elise gasped at their power, even in their held back state, and she felt how much pleasure he was getting from making her feel so much pleasure. She didn''t ask him to take a break after that. When they were done making love a few hours later and cuddled in bed together, Ren turned to her with a question on his face. ¡°So, do you still want to have sex with me in real life?¡± Ren asked, quite blatantly. ¡°Most definitely.¡± Elise said and stroked his chest. ¡°Lisa was right. Being with you like this is great, but... being with the real you... feeling you... tasting you...¡± She gave him a kiss. ¡°Nothing can beat that.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°Even though I went all out on you?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Even though.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss back. ¡°Now, I''ve got to go.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Should I even ask who''s next?¡± ¡°Anabelle. I haven''t seen her in a few days.¡± ¡°She''s in for a treat, then.¡± ¡°Only if she wants it.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re all consenting adults. If someone says no...¡± ¡°She is not going to say no.¡± Elise said, and then sighed. ¡°Who would?¡± Ren stroked her face because he felt her sadness. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You could do every woman in the game, couldn''t you?¡± Elise asked. ¡°That might be physically possible.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not going to try that, though.¡± ¡°You just proved that you can keep going and going and never tire or... or run out of...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Can you imagine the sight? Miles and miles of women, side by side in various positions, ready and waiting for me to please them.¡± He laughed. ¡°They might even beg for it.¡± Elise went quiet as she thought about it, and what it would mean. ¡°It''ll never, ever happen, Elise.¡± Ren assured her. ¡°I won''t go and have sex with just anyone, you know that.¡± ¡°But... recently you... you''ve been...¡± ¡°Yes, I''ve been playing with a few. Namely Yllana. Oh, and I went down on 5 of the succubi the other day.¡± Ren said. ¡°I usually need to know someone for a while before broaching the subject, let alone go down on them; but, the succubi and I went through a lot in Shargon Caverns, and I made it clear that if they already had someone to spend time with, doing things with me was out of the question.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I made sure they knew it was only an exchange of oral pleasure, and it would go no further than that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m also encouraging them to find suitable mates so that I won''t have to meet their emotional needs.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I said the same thing about no sex to Yllana, and she was more than fine with that arrangement. Actually, she really likes being teased and having someone watch.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Not me, though. I''ve had enough of that for 10 lifetimes.¡± ¡°Ren, I... what if I asked you not to do that anymore?¡± ¡°I''d wonder why, especially since it''s only in the game and not something I''d even consider doing in real life.¡± ¡°You see so many women... most of them completely naked.¡± Elise said. ¡°What if... what if you find someone that...¡± ¡°...that I''ll like better than you?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°It''ll never, ever happen, Elise.¡± He said, which repeated the words he had responded to her question about sleeping with all the women in the game. ¡°To paraphrase a good song...¡± Ren sat up next to her and began to sing in a melodious voice, much to Elise''s surprise. ¡°One mile to every inch, your skin like porcelain... one pair of candy lips, your tongue like bubblegum...¡± Elise stared at him as he touched her face and belted out the tune in perfect pitch, as if she was listening to it on the radio. ¡°...and if you want love, we''ll make it... swimming in a deep sea, of blankets... take all your big plans, and break them... this is bound to take a while.¡± Ren paused for a second and started the chorus. ¡°Your body is a wonderland... your body is a wonder, I''ll use my hands...¡± Elise caught her breath as he dug his hands into her breasts and started to knead them. ¡°Your body is a wonderland...¡± Ren sang more of the song and even added in some of his own words to describe her as he started to make love to her again. She lost herself in the sound of his voice and from the feel of his body both on and in her. Elise could feel how much he loved her, and by the time she finished with the gentlest and longest orgasm she had ever had, her eyes were full of tears. She gave him back her deepest feelings of love as well, and she never wanted this feeling to end... except, there was something she had to tell him. ¡°Ren, I love you.¡± Elise said. ¡°I love you so much.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, you don''t.¡± Elise said. ¡°I... that first time we were together in real life... when we... when you...¡± ¡°...finished inside you.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Yes, I...¡± Elise closed her eyes. ¡°I did something bad.¡± ¡°Do you mean the fact you put your underwear on and tried to keep all of it inside you?¡± Ren asked, and she opened her eyes to stare at him. ¡°Y-you noticed.¡± ¡°When a beautiful woman I just had sex with gets dressed right away, I had to guess why.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Ren, I... I just... I wanted to keep you with me as long as possible.¡± Elise said, then she sighed. ¡°It didn''t work.¡± ¡°What didn''t?¡± ¡°I... I didn''t get pregnant.¡± Elise said and her face went to a deep red. Ren cupped the side of her face and gave her a kiss. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Elise blinked her eyes at him. ¡°I''m sorry you didn''t get what you wanted from our first time together.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re not angry at me?¡± Elise asked, surprised. ¡°Ren, I tried to have your child!¡± ¡°Wouldn''t that be great?¡± Ren asked, and she could feel his happiness. ¡°A little me running around... or better yet, a little you running around!¡± He said and started to laugh. ¡°I can see her fluffy red hair all dishevelled as she runs around Stella, and her throwing a hissy-fit when you scold her for it.¡± Elise couldn''t believe what she was hearing. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°I''m sure she''d be okay and won''t inherit my degenerative ligaments and tendons.¡± Ren said. ¡°Redheads have the predominant traits in births when at least one or more parent or grandparent are redheads.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Hey, do you want to keep trying?¡± Ren asked her, and her mouth dropped open. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You... you want... you want to... you want me to...¡± Elise babbled, almost incoherently. ¡°I think you would make an excellent mother.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, there''s what? Three more surrogate mothers at the house?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Raising a kid with that much around-the-clock help would be a breeze!¡± Elise was flabbergasted at his words and didn''t know what to say, even with feeling his genuine emotions. ¡°Before you start to think I''m kidding...¡± Ren tapped the amulet she wore. ¡°Amulet of Interrogation.¡± Elise just stared at him as he slid off the bed and equipped his special armor bodysuit then put the blue suit over top of it. ¡°I''m staying in tonight, so let Barbara know.¡± Ren said as he leaned over and gave her another kiss. ¡°See you in the morning, beautiful.¡± Ren left her bedroom and her house, then met Xuunah, Artemis, and Officer Holly outside. ¡°Bored yet?¡± He asked them, and the three of them chuckled. ¡°It''s a guard''s life.¡± Artemis said, and the other two women nodded. ¡°You''re still going to Anabelle''s even though it''s this late, aren''t you?¡± Officer Holly asked, and it was Ren''s turn to nod. ¡°She might still be up.¡± Ren said. ¡°If not, we''ll head back to the county.¡± The 4 of them walked over to the Artesian District and Ren felt his Aura merge with Anabelle''s Freedom Aura. He felt her jolt awake, and felt bad about it. He was immediately flooded with a scolding feeling and an urgency. ¡°Well, she''s awake now and wants me there fast.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then go!¡± Officer Holly said, and Ren disappeared from sight as he ran to his business. ¡°Damn, he''s fast.¡± ¡°Only when he has to be.¡± Artemis said. That comment made both Xuunah and Officer Holly blush a little, because they knew it was true. They had just spent a third of the night outside Ren''s girlfriend''s house guarding him while he ''took his time'' with Elise. Neither of them had experienced anything even close to that amount of quality time with someone, at one time anyway, and they weren''t sure what to think about it; especially since he was going to yet another woman to potentially sleep with her, too. Ren used the Pass Wall spell to make a hole in the wall of the upstairs apartment and stepped through it. Anabelle had expected him to enter through the door, so his unorthodox entrance surprised her and her head whipped around to look at him. ¡°R-Ren!¡± Anabelle said as he dismissed the spell. ¡°I''m sorry, it''s been a couple of busy days.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t need to apologize.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Your days are always busy.¡± Ren knew she was only stating a fact and not complaining about it, and he walked over to the bed and sat down. ¡°Are you up for a little cuddling?¡± ¡°Only if you don''t stop there.¡± Anabelle said, and Ren smiled. ¡°Have you been a good girl while I''ve been away?¡± ¡°No.¡± Anabelle said in a soft voice as she pushed the blanket off of herself to reveal she was naked. ¡°I teased and played with myself while thinking about you.¡± She said and rolled over on the bed. ¡°Look, it''s asking for you.¡± She lifted her backside up and arched her back, and he saw her special place twitch. ¡°It misses you so much.¡± Ren caressed her with a hand, and felt she was dripping wet. ¡°Poor thing.¡± He said. ¡°Let me kiss it and make it feel better.¡± ¡°P-please.¡± Anabelle said, then moaned as he did so. * Xuunah did her best to keep Ren''s emotions at bay, and wasn''t too bothered by what she was letting through while Officer Holly kept an eye out for anyone that might be a potential threat. They both searched the streets and the sky for anything to appear, just like they did in the Housing District, while Artemis floated well above the street and did the same. * Ren came out of the back door of the apartment 2 hours later and walked over to them. ¡°Let''s go home.¡± They went back to the Housing District to pick up Princess and their mounts, and as they walked, Xuunah''s hand snaked it''s way across Ren''s shoulders, and he leaned into her as he put his arm around her waist. ¡°You''re a good man, Ren.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°To act like that for her and treat her how she wants to be treated, even though you dislike it.¡± ¡°Sometimes when someone gets used to being treated a certain way, they need to keep being treated the same way to feel loved.¡± Ren said as he looked up at her. ¡°I am so glad I am not one of those people.¡± ¡°As am I.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°As is everyone who cares about you.¡± Ren nodded and they stopped at the old house. He went inside and woke Princess, and Xuunah and Officer Holly untied their Phantom Steeds and climbed onto the saddles. Ren came out with Princess, climbed up onto her saddle, and Princess ran off up into the air with Artemis, Xuunah, and Officer Holly right behind her. They landed in front of the Main House in Ren''s county only a couple of minutes later. ¡°I''m back earlier than I thought I''d be.¡± Ren said as he hopped off of Princess. Artemis gave her the plate of food from the club and Princess went into her house in a happy mood. ¡°I guess this is goodnight, then.¡± Officer Holly said and dismounted. ¡°Thanks for having my back, Holly.¡± Ren said. ¡°I said I would, didn''t I?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m heading to the capital to see King Alamast in the morning, so should I assume you''ll be coming along?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I booked off for the whole weekend, so I''m all yours.¡± As soon as the words left her mouth, her face went to a deep red. Even though it was a common phrase, it could be taken out of context and mean something completely different. Ren felt her reaction to the simple statement, so he took her hand and bent over it. ¡°Please relax.¡± Ren said. He lightly pressed his lips to the back of her hand, then looked up at her face. ¡°I won''t take anything you say in an inappropriate way.¡± ¡°Um... ah... okay.¡± Officer Holly said, a little flustered. ¡°I didn''t mean it like it sounded.¡± ¡°I know. That''s why I didn''t joke about it, either.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. ¡°Despite a rocky start, I think our friendship is moving along pretty well.¡± ¡°Rocky?¡± Officer Holly snorted a laugh. ¡°Like Gibraltar or the fighter?¡± ¡°The fighter.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m glad we got over that.¡± Officer Holly took her mount''s reins and started to walk away. ¡°I''m going out for a while to do a bit of investigating, but I''ll be back in the morning before you leave.¡± ¡°I''ll see you then.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight, and good luck.¡± Officer Holly nodded, gave Xuunah a wave, and disappeared around the corner of the Main House. ¡°I should have given her my mount to take to the stable.¡± Xuunah said and slid off her Phantom Steed. ¡°Are you coming along with us in the morning?¡± Ren asked as they walked around the Main House to the small stable he had made in the back. They saw Officer Holly jog towards her house as they went into the stable. ¡°I''d like to stay by your side for as long as you''ll let me.¡± Xuunah said and secured her mount in the stable stall. ¡°Let you?¡± Ren asked and smiled at her, and she smiled back. ¡°Have me, then.¡± ¡°Well, I''d like to have you for as long as you want.¡± Ren said, and her face turned red. ¡°Ooo! You''re thinking dirty thoughts!¡± Xuunah''s face went even redder, and Ren chuckled as he took her hand. ¡°Come with me.¡± Ren said and walked out of the stable. ¡°I think it''s time.¡± ¡°Time for what?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°For what I planned to do with you.¡± Xuunah thought furiously about what he could do, and Ren felt all of her swirling emotions. He didn''t say anything until he told Artemis to come with them, then took both women inside the building and into Xuunah''s apartment. He shut the door behind them and then quickly moved the furniture out of the way towards the walls to clear a large space in the living room. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Xuunah asked. Ren held up a hand to quiet her, then he asked Artemis to hold his things for him. Ren equipped his old bodysuit to replace what he wore and handed over everything he had in inventory, then gave her everything he had equipped as well, except for the Beetle Crown Ring. ¡°Teepo, I can''t take the chance of losing you, so I have to take off the ring.¡± Ren said. ¡°No problem.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Just make sure you summon me when you''re done.¡± ¡°Of course. I''ll see you in a little while, buddy.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Teepo said and dissolved into the ring, and Ren handed it to Artemis. ¡°Ren.¡± Xuunah said, and he turned to her. ¡°Please tell me what you''re doing.¡± She said. ¡°It''s like you''re planning to die or something.¡± ¡°That''s always a possibility.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I don''t think it was ever intended to happen this way, so this will be the first time it''s been done by an Adventurer.¡± ¡°Ren, tell me what...¡± Ren took a step up into the air and gave her a kiss on the lips. ¡°Get ready to do this yourself.¡± ¡°Do what?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°You haven''t told me what''s going on!¡± Ren took a step back, inhaled a deep breath and let it out, then braced himself. He closed his eyes and remembered what he had seen the day he first met Xuunah... then activated his Helm of Polymorph. ¡°REN! NO!¡± Xuunah yelled as she realized what Ren was trying to do, but it was too late. Once it was started, it had to be completed. The glow within Ren''s chest grew brighter and brighter as the Polymorph process continued and Artemis had to hold a hand up to stop from being blinded by the glare. Xuunah watched in horror as Ren''s physical body started to fade away. Ren didn''t scream at all as his body was torn apart molecule by molecule and converted into Light. Chapter 541 - A Bit Trippy Great Vasalor! Xuunah thought as she saw Ren being consumed by Light. There''s nothing I can... ¡°Containment!¡± She exclaimed and started to chant, held out her hands, and cast the spell. Her, Ren, and Artemis were surrounded by a strong magical barrier that she hoped would hold Ren together. Ren''s body dissolved and he felt excruciating pain; but, his perception of the world started to change. As his body dissolved, he started to realize that he was no longer bound by the physical restrictions his body had limited him to. His eyes had stopped working almost immediately, but he could still see. His fingers had been the first to disappear, and yet he could still feel everything around him as if the Light were his fingers. He kept discovering new ways to experience things until the very last of his original form converted into Light. Ren was overjoyed that he had successfully polymorphed into a Light being... then his new body flickered for a moment and winked out. ¡°NO!¡± Xuunah yelled as Ren''s Light body disappeared. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Artemis said, and Xuunah looked at her. ¡°How can you say that? He just...¡± ¡°He''s still there.¡± Artemis said. ¡°If he was gone...¡± Xuunah stopped looking at the space with her eyes and used her connection with Ren instead. She gasped as she felt that he was still floating there, only he was invisible and in some kind of limbo. ******** Another server alarm went off at Sid Tec, and the night programmer stopped working and looked at it. ¡°Geez, again?¡± He asked and typed up a few commands to see what was going on. ¡°Ha.¡± He said. ¡°Max is gonna have kittens.¡± The guy pulled in the last of the backup servers to let the game AI use the new resource, and was glad that the new servers would be integrated first thing in the morning. He thought about calling Max and telling him what Ren did, then shrugged and wrote up the incident report and sent it instead. ¡°I don''t want to be around when he reads that.¡± The night programmer said and laughed, then got back to work. ******** Ren felt like he was floating in a warm bath, only he didn''t have a body and wasn''t in water. His mind didn''t have a hard time adjusting to this new state of existence, especially with all the extensive time he had been using Serene State of Mind. With that thought his skill activated and everything became clear and concise. ¡°I guess it worked.¡± Ren''s disembodied voice said. ¡°Almost.¡± A booming voice said. ¡°I had to tweak it and help a little.¡± Ren couldn''t wince from the sound, mainly because he didn''t have a body. ¡°To whom am I speaking?¡± ¡°I am Vasalor.¡± The voice said at a more reasonable volume, because he had detected Ren''s discomfort. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren exclaimed and let out feelings of surprise. Vasalor laughed. ¡°Welcome to my level of existence, Ren.¡± ¡°But... I just...¡± ¡°Yes, you only wanted to become a Light being.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°I do not need to ask you why you wanted to do such a thing. It will work, but only for a short time.¡± He warned. ¡°Since you are not a natural Light being, that form is highly unstable for you.¡± ¡°Oh. I didn''t know that.¡± Ren said. ¡°What about...¡± ¡°Yes, other physical forms are fine.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°Changing into a being made of only Light and no physical components was both dangerous and foolhardy.¡± ¡°I weighed the risks against the potential outcome and believed it was worth the attempt.¡± Ren said, and let amusement flood out. ¡°I never imagined getting to meet you, though! What an honor!¡± He said. ¡°I mean, getting to ask you things was great; but, I don''t like bothering people when I don''t have to.¡± ¡°I do not mind being bothered.¡± Vasalor said. Ren tried to look around to see where he was and didn''t see anything. Since he didn''t have a face or eyes, he wasn''t sure what he was trying to look at, or why. ¡°Am I still a Light being?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t seem to have a body.¡± ¡°Your mind is running at a few million times faster than the reality you normally perceive.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°Your perception of time has been quantifiable on a minuscule scale until now, so even if you still had a physical body, you would not feel it.¡± Ren thought about it for a few moments. ¡°So, this is all happening in like a fraction of a fraction of a nanosecond and no discernible time will have passed?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°Do you mind if I just hang around for a while?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Hang around?¡± ¡°Sit for a spell? Take a load off? Crash at your place?¡± Ren started shooting off different phrases for staying and visiting, and Vasalor had to access the internet to get the meanings. ¡°You wish to stay for a period of time.¡± ¡°I''d be happy to!¡± Ren said and let amusement flow out. * Xuunah immediately initiated her own Polymorph ability to assume her natural form as a Light being. She would have normally done this within her Light Sanctuary; but, with the magical barrier she had cast, she wasn''t worried about being hurt or damaging the mortal realm with her presence within it. Her transformation went much faster than Ren''s transformation, since she was resuming a form rather than assuming it. Xuunah became an odd-shaped form of Light and concentrated on Ren and their connection, then floated forward to where he supposedly was. * ¡°I just felt a tingle.¡± Ren said. ¡°Someone''s calling me.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Then it is time for you to go.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°Remember, you can only hold the form for a few minutes and must change back.¡± ¡°I remember everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for letting me stay so long.¡± ¡°It was nice to have someone to talk to.¡± Vasalor said. Ren felt something touch him even though he didn''t have a body, and the essence of his mind tingled for an instant. ¡°When you talk to Allynna, tell her you are reborn when you die. Being my Chosen is not heretical.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m pretty sure just saying you told me to say that will be good enough for her.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°Goodbye, my friend.¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± Ren said, then thought about waving enthusiastically. ¡°Dammit, I still don''t have a body.¡± Vasalor laughed. ¡°You will soon.¡± He said. ¡°Decreasing time compression in 3... 2... 1...¡± Ren felt a wave of nausea as his brain was forced to adjust back to normal time, and he was glad he didn''t have a body because he would have thrown up. An instant later he felt perfectly fine and saw Xuunah in her Light being form as the edge of her glowing form touched the edge of his own.
System Notice!
Player (Ren) has received a new security level: Black
Wait, what? Ren thought as the popup disappeared without him dismissing it. Ren! Xuunah thought happily. You''re okay! Only for a few minutes. Ren thought. I need to change back or I''ll die a horrible death... that will forever be told about through the ages... by me... in a series of books that I''ll write about the experience. Xuunah laughed, and he felt her amusement turn to fear. Ren, you scared me so much! I''m sorry about that. Ren thought. Thanks for putting up the barrier. I didn''t realize it was needed. It''s always needed. Xuunah responded. Our forms can potentially damage anything they touch in this realm. Is that why your Sanctuary spell was different? Ren asked. Yes. That''s why Zagatro gave it to me. It''s the Sanctuary and Barrier spell combined. Neat. Ren thought. I need to learn the Barrier spell. Ren! You can''t change like this again! Xunnah reprimanded him. It''s too dangerous! I did it for you, My Angel. Ren thought and his Light flared as it spread out and started to surround her. Ren? What... what are you doing? Something we both want. Ren said seductively, and Xuunah was quickly engulfed by him. Ren... wait. Xuunah thought. You... you don''t know... what this means... Of course I do. Ren''s Light changed from white to a slight yellow, and Xuunah''s changed to match. Please, accept me. I... I do. Xuunah thought and let her misgivings go. Dearest. * Artemis watched as Ren''s Light body popped back into reality, and felt the two Light beings as Ren engulfed the one Xuunah had become, then they turned yellow and merged together. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Artemis said and felt the deep emotional exchange between Ren and Xuunah. The bond they had let them experience things the other did and share emotions, and what they were doing now was so far beyond that. Before she could feel much more than that, it was over. * Ren unwrapped himself from Xuunah and shifted his color back to white, then started the Polymorph process to go back to his original form. He never worried that the Polymorph Helm would be lost when he changed, because it was a part of him and not physical anymore... just like the Light being body. It took longer to come back, because his physical body had to be rebuilt, and it hurt a lot more. Ren had expected that, especially since the side visit he had with Vasalor, so he didn''t scream or cry as pain wracked his chest as it became solid, then his limbs formed. His head, hands, and feet were last and he felt excruciating pain lance through him one last time and he collapsed to the floor. Artemis held out the Hand of Glory with the Energize wand in it, and used it on him. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and sat up just in time to catch Xuunah as her body finished forming and collapsed almost on top of him. Ren cradled her in his lap and arms, and Artemis used the Energize wand on her as well. Xuunah opened her eyes to look at Ren. ¡° Great Vasalor, Dearest! We... we...¡± She took several deep breaths. ¡°Dearest Ren, we... we...¡± Ren held her closely and stroked her hair. ¡°Was it good for you?¡± He asked, and she started to laugh. ¡°Dearest, I don''t know. I''ve never done that before.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said and cupped the side of her face. ¡°I think we did great considering it was our first time.¡± ¡°We... are in so much trouble.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Would you like to go and check?¡± Xuunah thought about it, then sighed. ¡°No, but I should.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and gave her a slow and warm kiss. ¡°Just make sure you tell them my Polymorph Helm can never be reproduced and no one else can ever do what I just did.¡± ¡°Ren, you should never have done what you did.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I fear what they will say.¡± ¡°I think they are going to tell you to keep a closer eye on me.¡± Ren said and smiled as he moved his hand from her face down to the glowing House Neram crest, or rather his Maker''s Mark, that was on her chest. ¡°You''re mine now, and they won''t take you away from me.¡± Xuunah looked at her chest and saw the mark, then noticed the same glowing mark on Ren''s chest. ¡°It seems you are mine as well.¡± She said as her hand traced the mark''s outline, and a calmness filled the both of them. ¡°I''ll tell them what happened.¡± Ren stood up and helped her to stand as well. ¡°If they start to fuss, remind them of why you''re here in the first place.¡± Xuunah shook her head and tried not to smile. ¡°That''s like bringing a cannon to a crossbow fight.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren said and grinned. Xuunah bent over slightly to give him a kiss. ¡°Wait for me.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. Xuunah turned and walked over to the edge of the magical barrier and dismissed the spell, then stepped into her closet. Instead of their connection cutting off like it normally did, it just compressed down to a very small stream. ¡°Neat.¡± Ren turned away from the closet to face Artemis, and she handed him the Beetle Crown ring. ¡°Summon Teepo.¡± Teepo appeared at his feet and flew up to hover in the air, and Ren instantly cast the spells needed to make Teepo solid. Artemis started to hand everything back to Ren while they waited for Xuunah, and he equipped the special armor bodysuit and the blue suit on top of it, then stored everything else into inventory. He felt his connection with Xuunah go back to full strength, and then she came out of the closet. ¡°What did they say?¡± Ren asked, because he could feel her apprehension. ¡°I''ve been recalled.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°I allowed you to... when we...¡± ¡°I was a Light being at the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°We shared each other.¡± ¡°That''s why.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Apparently, their interpretation is that your primary form is still mortal, and I can''t bypass the law like that.¡± ¡°Make a barrier, please.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, I won''t let you polymorph into-¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just got all my things back.¡± ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°Please, just do it.¡± Xuunah cast the barrier again, and wondered what he was going to do. Ren remembered the place he had seen that first time he had met Xuunah, when she had polymorphed in front of him and went through a portal, and cast the Portal spell himself to go to the same place. * ¡°I can''t believe she did that with him.¡± Zagatro, the Greater Light Elemental said to the Light being beside him in the portal room. ¡°Imagine! Share-bonding with a mortal!¡± ¡°It''s a mystery what is wrong with the morphers.¡± The light being said. ¡°I''ll contact you when Xuunah is set to return.¡± Zagatro left and went about his day. He thought about Xuunah and how she had always been predisposed to like mortals and had spent more time there than any of the other Light beings that had the polymorph ability. He had kept her urges and flights of fancy under wraps, and he really liked her and enjoyed her company. That was why he always protected her and helped her, despite the Collective''s mandates to report such things. It was 4 days later while in a meeting that alarms and siren wails pierced the Portal building. He floated as quickly as his nearly unlimited energy allowed and arrived at the main portal room. ¡°What is it?¡± Zagatro asked the Light being monitoring everything. He saw several Light beings floating around frantically in the area, then they scattered as their attempt to stop what happened next failed... and an unauthorized portal appeared. ¡°Great Vasalor!¡± The Light being with Zagatro said. ¡°It''s from the mortal realm!¡± * ¡°Ren! No!¡± Xuunah exclaimed, but Ren stuck his hand into the portal anyway. He felt a sharp pain and pulled it back out, and saw it was fine. ¡°Just the time difference, I guess.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to Xuunah. ¡°Are you coming?¡± ¡°I... I need to...¡± ¡°No, keep your body. I need to make a point.¡± Ren said. ¡°Artemis? You, too.¡± Artemis grabbed his hand and Teepo dissolved back into the ring. ¡°We shouldn''t do this.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°It''s the only way they''ll learn.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please, take my hand and come with me.¡± ¡°I may not like where you''re going, but I''ll always take your hand, Dearest.¡± Xuunah said and took his hand, and the three of them stepped through the portal. Chapter 542 - The Light Realm Ren, Xuunah and Artemis stepped out of the portal and were met by several dozen Light beings and one Greater Light Elemental, whom Ren assumed was Zagatro. The Mana potential in the main portal room was off the charts, and Ren smiled at them as he silently summoned Teepo and then took a deep breath. ¡°I. Come. In. Peace.¡± Ren''s voice boomed out thanks to a quick Magic Mouth spell that he used to amplify his voice. He had debated raising his hands theatrically, then decided he didn''t want to let go of Artemis'' or Xuunah''s hands. ¡°You have no right to be here!¡± Zagatro yelled from behind the Light being magic users. ¡°You have no right to judge Xuunah unfairly for sharing herself with another Light being.¡± Ren responded, and several of the Light beings floated from side to side as if agitated. He could feel their Fear quite clearly, so he activated his Controlled Berserk Rage ability for a second to turn his eyes red, then leaned forward slightly. ¡°Boo!¡± ¡°AHHHH!¡± Several of the Light beings screamed as they broke formation and floated around erratically. They bumped into each other comically, which looked weird considering they were made of light and should just partially pass through one another instead of bounce, and the entire line of mages was disrupted after only a few seconds. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Zagatro said, and Ren felt his disappointment. ¡°It''s okay, Zagatro.¡± Ren said in his normal voice. ¡°I''m here to help with that.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°The people here see us... physical beings... as aberrations and fear us.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°They don''t have to fear most of us.¡± ¡°Only most?¡± ¡°You would be fools to class all physical beings as ''not dangerous''.¡± Zagatro''s body didn''t move, but Ren almost felt his nod. ¡°We try to warn them of the potential dangers of being around mortals.¡± Ren observed his scattered guards as they tried to compose themselves after the scare he gave them. ¡°You did your job too well.¡± He said. ¡°Your people will be useless if an actual crisis with the mortal world happened.¡± ¡°Apparently.¡± Zagatro said and sighed. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°To tell you your recall order is unjustified.¡± ¡°Tell me? Don''t you mean to appeal to my sense of right and wrong and implore me to change my mind?¡± Zagatro asked. ¡°No, I''m telling you that you are wrong and the decision you made is based on your people''s bias and not on the physical evidence.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter what you made yourself look like...¡± ¡°Ha. Your wrongness appears immediately.¡± Ren said. ¡°I polymorphed, just the same as your own people do, and I became a Light being.¡± ¡°They are deviants!¡± One of the Light beings said, and Ren felt her regain some courage and composure. ¡°Willingly taking on the physical form just so they can interact with mortals is abhorrent behavior!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I won''t make a joke about not knocking it until you try it, but I don''t want to shock you so much that you lose consciousness.¡± He said. ¡°What I will say is that those individuals you have among you that have the polymorph ability, were specifically designed by Vasalor himself to fulfill the function you berate them for.¡± Everyone stopped moving at his words and Ren felt their intense scrutiny. ¡°Not only am I one of his chosen, I''ve actually met him.¡± Ren said, and he felt their instant denial. ¡°Before you start calling me a heretic or a blasphemer, I know most of you can tell if I''m lying or not.¡± He said. ¡°Let them speak now to call me a liar.¡± No one said anything, and Ren smiled at them. ¡°You have no mandate against someone changing into a Light being and sharing themselves with another Light being. You only have a mandate against a Light being polymorphing into a physical body then having sex with a mortal.¡± Zagatro couldn''t argue against Ren''s reasoning, and that was his job in the Collective. ¡°Very well. We will take this under review and let you know of our decision.¡± ¡°That''s good and all, but I don''t care what you decide.¡± Ren said, honestly. ¡°I only came here to tell you that you were wrong in your judgment and to teach you a lesson.¡± Several of the Light beings let out a gasp at the truth in his words. ¡°What lesson is that?¡± Zagatro asked, despite his desire not to. ¡°Artemis? Take Xuunah''s hand.¡± Ren said and activated his Etiquette skill. Artemis took Xuunah''s other hand and let Ren''s hand go, and Ren motioned to the Light being that had called Xuunah a deviant. ¡°Ma''am, if you would come closer?¡± Ren asked. He felt her apprehension and her fear, and he smiled warmly at her. ¡°I give you my word that I won''t hurt you, and my promise that if I do hurt you, I''ll stay here for an entire mortal day the day after tomorrow.¡± More gasps were heard at his offer to stay almost 14 years on her whim, and Ren felt her fill with confidence and a bit of vengefulness. She floated over to him arrogantly with her perceived power over him, which was exactly what Ren had intended. ¡°Well? Show me this lesson.¡± She said. ¡°Please stay still.¡± Ren said and held a hand up into the air dramatically. ¡°I call upon he who created everything! Grant me the power to touch this lovely creature, even though I am solid and she is not!¡± Every one of the Light beings watched in fascination as Light burst out of Ren''s hand and surrounded it. Ren had activated his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Restoring Hands, but they didn''t know that, thanks to his little show. He moved the hand down and held it out to the Light being in front of him. ¡°I''ve never done this before with a Light being.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please forgive me if I touch you somewhere sensitive or inappropriately.¡± ¡°It won''t work.¡± She said confidently, but Ren felt her confidence start to waver. ¡°Reach out and you will see.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren reached out to where he thought her head would be if she were mortal, and very carefully laid his hand against the Light being. She gasped as his Light-covered hand touched her, and she actually felt it. Ren increased the Light his hand produced and slowly ran his hand down her side and traced the Light being''s outline. Even though the Light being didn''t move, he felt her shiver from his touch and the feel of his Light on her. After a few moments, her light started to shift color towards yellow, much to her and everyone''s surprise, because it signified that she wanted to engage in a much deeper sharing. Ren eased the flow of Light he made as he slowly moved his hand away from her, and her color shifted back to pure white. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Ren said to her, then held his hand up to show everyone. ¡°As you just saw, a physical being just touched a Light being! Neither of us had done that before, and the result was... well, surprising to say the least.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I must emphasize that my Light affinity is maxed, thanks in part to my bond with Xuunah, and doing something like this with just any mortal won''t work.¡± ¡°Then why is it a lesson you had to teach us?¡± One of the others asked. ¡°It''s the potential, isn''t it?¡± The Light being Ren had just touched asked, and everyone focused on her. ¡°If we ignore the possibility for compatibility, then we lose the chance that there might be something more.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I can''t tell you that there will be others that will gain as high of an affinity, or that they will treat you the same.¡± He cautioned. ¡°As with all things, you can''t judge all of us by my example. Some of us are good and some of us are great; but, others are... well, they are not nice people.¡± Amusement came to him from everyone in the room. ¡°Look, what I''m trying to say is... you can''t judge a book by it''s cover.¡± Ren said. ¡°We are all different, you, me, everyone.¡± He said and looked at them. ¡°You looking at mortals and saying they''re all bad is like me looking at you and saying you all look the same.¡± Some of them felt offended at him saying that, and he raised his hands in surrender. ¡°I don''t believe that, it''s just an example.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can clearly see the differences in size and shape of you all.¡± They relaxed and he smiled at them once more. ¡°Now, if you will excuse me, I need to get back to my own realm. I might have enough time to hang out with Zetaya.¡± ¡°Don''t you want to wait and see what the Collective decides?¡± The Light being Ren had touched asked. ¡°They could decide against you.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°You made your choice to send Xuunah to me to keep an eye on me, so I''m keeping her.¡± He said, and he felt their surprise. ¡°You can have her back when she decides for herself to come back, and not a second before.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Xuunah tried to tell him that she would follow the directive her peers set out for her, and he turned and kissed her right on the lips to keep her quiet. Her chest glowed brightly as she kissed him back enthusiastically, despite having a huge audience, and his glowed to match. The Light beings watched in fascination at the exchange, since they had only ever seen viewings of those kinds of things and not in person. Ren felt their curiosity, especially from the Light being he had touched, and he slowed the kiss down and came to a stop. Xuunah panted a little, and then she remembered where she was and her face flushed to a bright red. ¡°Even in physical form she can change her coloring!¡± The Light being close to him said, then ooo''s and ahh''s came from the others. Ren smiled at her and turned back to their audience. ¡°Thank you for allowing me visit you, and I hope I never have to impose upon your good will again.¡± Ren said, and several of the Light beings chuckled. ¡°Go... and be well, mortal.¡± Zagatro said, to try and distance himself from what just happened. ¡°Zagatro, you know my name is Ren.¡± Ren said to counter his attempt, then smiled at everyone because he now had a hand to wave enthusiastically, which he did. ¡°Goodbye!¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± The Light being that he had touched said. Ren gave her a slight nod as Teepo dissolved back into the ring. ¡°Ma''am.¡± He said, then turned around and pulled Xuunah and Artemis through the portal and dismissed it.
Stat Change!
Etiquette (Mastered) Allows proper behavior around nobility and those that hold high opinions of themselves. Your composure is so strong that you can activate this skill to influence the opinion of beings in all situations.
Sweet. Ren thought as he dismissed the popup, then he summoned Teepo again and cast the spells to make him solid. Teepo landed on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°What an experience!¡± He chittered in laughter. ¡°For a second there I thought they were going to try and roast us with magic spells!¡± ¡°They were going to.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Even in this form I could hear the Collective and their urgent need to remove the contaminants.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I guess that''s what we were.¡± He said. ¡°I''m glad talking to them worked.¡± ¡°I don''t know if it did.¡± Xuunah said as she dismissed her Barrier spell. ¡°I should go back into my Sanctuary and see what happened.¡± ¡°Is a few days enough time for them to reach a decision?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s possible, unless they called for a full meeting.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°That could take a week or so.¡± ¡°Then you should wait a few more minutes and then check, just to be sure.¡± ¡°I thought you didn''t care what they decided.¡± ¡°I don''t; but, you do.¡± Ren said. Xuunah nodded, and then her hand gripped his firmly. ¡°Ren, I can''t believe you did that for me.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said, and he felt her surprise. ¡°Imagine that! Me trying to talk to people on your behalf!¡± He grinned at her. ¡°I''m amazing!¡± Xuunah laughed. ¡°You know what I meant.¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Ren turned and stepped up into the air, then gave her a hug to put his mouth by her ear to whisper. ¡°I''m glad that I didn''t have to threaten to kill them all if they didn''t leave you alone.¡± Xuunah''s face flushed red, and he kissed her cheek and let her go. ¡°Teepo? How much time before breakfast?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''ve got about 5 hours or so before the night is over.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I think I''ll go and visit Zetaya until morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°Xuunah, thanks for a great evening.¡± ¡°You''re thanking me?!?¡± ¡°Of course I am. You let me be your first.¡± Ren said and kissed her on the lips, stepped down to the ground, and looked at Artemis. ¡°Let''s go over to the warehouse.¡± Artemis nodded and she and Ren went to the apartment door. ¡°Ren.¡± Xuunah said softly, and he turned to look at her. ¡°You really would have killed them all, wouldn''t you?¡± ¡°Like I said, I''m glad it didn''t come down to me making that threat.¡± Ren said. ¡°It leaves me a few other options before that final step.¡± ¡°You... you know I... I would need to stop you if you did try that.¡± Xuunah said, and he felt her sadness. Ren walked back over to her and gave her a hug. ¡°Yes, I know all about you being ordered to ''deal with me'' when the time came.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for feeling so reluctant to do so.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and looked up at her. ¡°Sometimes angels need to become Avenging Angels. Why would I expect My Angel to be any different?¡± Xuunah put her hands into his hair and massaged his scalp. ¡°How can you be ruthless and loving while using the same words?¡± ¡°Oh, no! You''ve found me out!¡± Ren chuckled and gave her a big smile. ¡°The intent underlying the act is what matters.¡± Xuunah bent down slightly and gave him a kiss. ¡°I''ll see you in the morning, Dearest.¡± ¡°Goodnight, My Angel.¡± Ren said, and left her apartment. He and Artemis walked across the street to the warehouse and went inside. He saw the constructs Tee-one and Symmetra had made, and they were all variations of the different creatures Ren had met during his adventures. Most had extra arms and prehensile tails for balance, and they were all armed to the teeth. ¡°I assume you all have the inherent Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything spell.¡± Ren said to the 20 constructs, and they all nodded. ¡°Built in wands, too?¡± ¡°The built in wands have Major Healing spells, and we gave them multiple attack wands as well as traditional weaponry.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°What about Babylon?¡± Tee-one chuckled. ¡°His wands are the size of the Spell Ballista.¡± He said. ¡°They resized when he took possession of them.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Did you give him an even distribution of them?¡± ¡°Better.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°He''s keeping them in inventory and can pull them out to any hand he has anywhere along the outside of the wall.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Ren barked a laugh. ¡°He must be overjoyed!¡± ¡°He is.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Once he realized the versatility...¡± ¡°...he knew nothing could ever approach him and he could be ready to fight wherever the threat was instantly.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you still want the constructs deployed along key parts of the wall?¡± ¡°No, that won''t be necessary.¡± Ren said and looked at them. ¡°They can be our skirmish team. Someone we call when the crap hits the fan and we need some heavy hitters.¡± Ren felt their acceptance of this idea and their enthusiasm. ¡°I assume you...¡± ¡°Regeneration, Speed runes, and Permanent Widen Effect.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°When they are needed, they are going to kick ass.¡± ¡°Awesome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you all for your hard work.¡± He said. ¡°Now, I''ve got a date with Zetaya I need to keep.¡± He walked over to the giant forge and opened the walk-in door there, then stepped inside and shut it behind him. Chapter 543 - Go Back Into The Light Ren could feel how happy Zetaya was that he had shown up, and he walked over to where the fire elemental had laid down. ¡°It''s getting a little cramped in here.¡± Ren chuckled and sat down, and the fire elemental shifted it''s head stub onto his lap. ¡°If I''d known you would grow so much, I would have made an even bigger forge for you.¡± A breaking twig was heard, and Ren smiled as he stroked Zetaya''s head. ¡°Yes, I know. Hindsight is always 20/20.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now that I''m here, let me fill you in on what happened when I became a Light being.¡± Zetaya lifted its head and looked at him as the sound of bundles of sticks being broken in a fire was heard. ¡°It''s true! I used my Helm of Polymorph to do it.¡± Ren said, and Zetaya hissed. ¡°How did I do that?¡± Zetaya nodded, and Ren pat his lap. The fire elemental laid it''s head back down and he took out the scraps of clothing he had in inventory and used his Fire Manipulation ability to stop them from burning up in the forge. Zetaya sucked them up greedily and absorbed them almost instantly. ¡°It was simple, really.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, I didn''t add anything from Nathalia or Xuunah to the helm when I made it.¡± He explained. ¡°All I did was add a little bit of myself.¡± ¡°That was a great idea!¡± Teepo said. ¡°It sure was.¡± Ren said. ¡°Being able to change back into myself was the goal; but, what I actually did was add everything that was a part of me into it, too.¡± He said. ¡°Since I had a direct connection to a Light being, meaning it was a part of me, I used the helm to change into just that part.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s so simple... and complicated... at the same time!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I know, right?¡± He said. ¡°When I polymorphed and I thought I had succeeded, Vasalor stepped in and saved me before I lost control and died.¡± Zetaya rolled over and looked up at him with the sound of a large tree bursting from fire, and Ren shifted his stroking motion to the side of the fire elemental''s head. ¡°Yes, I knew the danger beforehand and I accepted the consequences.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I told Vasalor, I thought it was worth the risk just to see if it worked.¡± Zetaya lifted an arm stub and rubbed the side of his face, and made the noise of a smouldering fire. ¡°Yes, I''m okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, I''m even better than that.¡± ¡°Why''s that?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Well, it''s because I chose the most difficult part of myself to change into... and it worked.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Vasalor himself said that it was foolish to do it that way; but, I could change into any other physical form quite easily.¡± ¡°That''s good to know.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What form are you going to try next?¡± ¡°Right now, this is the only form I need.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless something comes up and I need to change again.¡± ¡°You don''t want to do it just for fun?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°With all the stuff you put in there, you could probably become anything you want.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I won''t lie and say that''s not tempting.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t need to do it, though.¡± ¡°You always say that you don''t need to do anything.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Yeah, I''m bad for that.¡± Ren said and looked down at Zetaya. ¡°Hey, want to hear about my visit with Vasalor? It might take a while.¡± Zetaya let out a low crackling fire sound, and Ren smiled. ¡°It''s having me stay here and not the story itself, right?¡± Ren asked, and Zetaya made the crackling fire sound louder. ¡°I really like that sound.¡± He said and gave Zetaya a kiss on the head stub. ¡°Just relax and enjoy my company, because Teepo said I''ve got about 5 hours before morning and I''m going to spend it all with you.¡± The sound of the crackling fire doubled in intensity, and Ren hugged the fire elemental. * Xuunah waited a few more minutes in her apartment, and as the time progressed her agitation increased. ¡°Did they decide yet?¡± She asked herself and paced across the living room. She had already moved the furniture back to their proper positions, now that Ren didn''t need the space cleared to transform, and that made her think about what they had done. Xuunah''s hand reached out to the spot where they had merged, and the emblem on her chest glowed as she thought about him. ¡°Ren, we... Great Vasalor, we...¡± She closed her eyes and put a hand over the emblem. ¡°I need to check.¡± Xuunah walked over to her closet and went inside, then polymorphed into her natural form after the Light Sanctuary activated so she could commune with the Light Realm. ¡°I request an audience with Zagatro.¡± Xuunah spoke and thought at the same time to the Light being that was assigned to the portal room. ¡°He''s been waiting for you.¡± The Light being said. ¡°One moment please.¡± Xuunah waited for several minutes, and then she felt Zagatro''s presence. ¡°You took your time contacting me.¡± Xuunah felt his slight disappointment. ¡°I waited in case you had called a full Collective for the discussion.¡± She explained. ¡°Did you?¡± ¡°We did.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°Your instincts were correct this time.¡± Xuunah let a small trace of amusement out. ¡°What did they decide?¡± ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± ¡°You can feel that I do, Zagatro.¡± Xuunah said, impatiently. ¡°Please, tell me.¡± ¡°They have agreed that he was right in his interpretation of our mandates.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°I''m relieved; but, I feel a ''but'' to that statement.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°The way he barged into our realm has made several of us... uncomfortable.¡± ¡°Me as well.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I never imagined that he could cast a Portal spell so powerful that he could cross the barriers between the realms unimpeded, and not have it be a natural ability like your own.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°You may not have imagined it; but, you aren''t surprised by it.¡± ¡°No, I''m not surprised.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°He is a remarkable being, and the things I''ve seen him do...¡± ¡°His audacity is also unrivalled.¡± Zagatro said, and Xuunah laughed. ¡°He may appear arrogant, but... Zagatro, he''s really...¡± ¡°I felt your reactions to him.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°I don''t need to remind you that you can''t consummate as a mortal.¡± ¡°Despite my physical form''s unceasing need, I will not break the mandate again.¡± Xuunah said and paused for a full minute without speaking so Zagatro could feel her resolve, then she changed the subject back to what was important. ¡°What did the Collective decide?¡± ¡°If he threatens our realm again, you are ordered to use the Confusion ability of your Light Spirit Blade.¡± ¡°Wh-what? I... I can''t do that!¡± Xuunah exclaimed. ¡°You don''t understand what...¡± ¡°We have considered the consequences, and deem our safety is worth more than derailing one mortal''s thoughts.¡± ¡°But... Zagatro, I... I''m...¡± ¡°Yes, you''ve share-bonded with him and you will be affected as well.¡± ¡°You do realize I''ll be befuddled as well and I won''t be able to contact you again.¡± ¡°We are aware.¡± Xuunah didn''t say anything as she thought about what it meant. After a few minutes, she sighed. ¡°You''ve deemed me unworthy to return.¡± ¡°You will be there in the mortal realm for so long that you will no longer feel like one of us.¡± ¡°Zagatro, the last time I was in the mortal realm, I stayed here for decades!¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Millions of years, eons really, had passed in the Light Realm!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°The difference this time is that you have bonded with a mortal.¡± He said. ¡°We all felt his influence on you, and saw how you never let his hand go.¡± ¡°He wanted my comforting touch!¡± ¡°Yes, and you stood there and let him teach us a lesson about how dangerous mortals can be.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°Just his touch made one of our staunchest defenders doubt her beliefs.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°She''s been in closed session therapy since that day.¡± ¡°Zagatro, why...¡± ¡°She wanted to share-bond with him.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°A pure Light being changed her entire view of her life, only for a chance to share with a mortal.¡± He said. ¡°That is more dangerous than if he had released a Void bomb in the center of the Collective.¡± A pure Light being. Xuunah thought, sadly. ¡°Are you trying to make her forget, or stop her curiosity?¡± ¡°She''s being reassigned to be as far away from the chance to see or meet a mortal as possible.¡± ¡°That''s a little much, don''t you think?¡± ¡°The Collective decided that any undue influence on Light beings must be strictly regulated.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°Also, your assignment has been extended indefinitely.¡± Xuunah sighed. ¡°So, if I decided I wanted to return right now, you would deny the request.¡± ¡°I would have to.¡± Zagatro said, sadly. ¡°Then why are you concerned if I break the mandate for copulation?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°If I can''t return anyway, what does it matter?¡± ¡°It''s a sign of your moral fiber.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°If you can''t keep a simple mandate, how can we expect you to do more important things?¡± Xuunah thought over everything, and came to a conclusion. ¡°I had hoped it wasn''t true; but, Ren was right.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter what you decide.¡± Xuunah said, and then sighed. ¡°He didn''t say that it was because you are too close-minded and obstinate to change your ways.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I suppose he didn''t want to insult you by saying it that way.¡± ¡°Yet you can insult us like that?¡± ¡°What are you going to do? Tell me not to come back?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°You already did that.¡± ¡°That''s not...¡± ¡°You can''t word it any other way to make it sound better, so why try?¡± Zagatro sighed. ¡°Xuunah, please be reasonable.¡± ¡°Be reasonable? I''d rather tell you to go and Void yourself!¡± Xuunah said, and she felt his shock. ¡°That is uncalled for.¡± ¡°Not from my perspective.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Ren said you sent me to him and that he was keeping me.¡± She said. ¡°I am so grateful to him for his unequivocal acceptance, which I had thought I had from my own people.¡± ¡°Xuunah, I...¡± ¡°Yes, I know you tolerate me and my antics. You''ve also protected me and spoke in my defense when no one else would.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Yet I know you agree with the Collective''s decision.¡± Zagatro didn''t say anything in response. ¡°You will release the one you have in closed session therapy immediately and stop your brainwashing.¡± ¡°I will do no such thing!¡± ¡°I''ll tell Ren what you are doing to her, and he will come and get her.¡± Xuunah said and let Zagatro feel what she had felt from Ren when he offered to kill them all for her. ¡°You really don''t want that to happen.¡± Zagatro shivered at the feelings and thoughts she shared, and he agreed. ¡°Very well, she will be released.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Xuunah said in satisfaction. ¡°I will wait here while you go and release her.¡± ¡°Xuunah...¡± ¡°Are you still there? Hurry up and bring her to the portal room.¡± Zagatro left the portal building and went to the building where the main Collective was housed. He entered the small room where the mage was being held, and saw her weakened state. Her glow was soft and barely lit up a foot around her, and he could feel her sadness. ¡°What is this?¡± Zagatro asked. ¡°What''s wrong with her?¡± ¡°We pulled out the corrupted Light from her.¡± A Light being said as they entered the room. ¡°She... didn''t take it well.¡± ¡°Great Vasalor, why did you do that?¡± Zagatro asked. ¡°The Collective said to remove the mortal''s influence.¡± ¡°I am ordering you to give it back!¡± Zagatro nearly yelled, because he could feel her become dispondent. ¡°Without a container, the Light dissipated immediately.¡± The Light being said. ¡°We can''t give it back.¡± ¡°Then give her some of yours to replace it!¡± ¡°She won''t accept it.¡± The Light being said. ¡°We''ve tried.¡± Zagatro floated over to her, and she shied away from him. ¡°I''m not going to hurt you.¡± ¡°You... already have.¡± The mage said. ¡°Feel weak... took part of me away.¡± ¡°Please accept part of me.¡± Zagatro offered. ¡°N-no.¡± She said. ¡°Want... pure Light.¡± ¡°What?¡± Zagatro turned to the other Light being. ¡°What does she mean?¡± ¡°She''s delusional.¡± The Light being said. ¡°She thinks the Light she received from the mortal is pure and ours is not.¡± ¡°Why would she think that?¡± ¡°He... no intention.¡± The mage said. ¡°You... self-serving.¡± ¡°I can''t take her to the portal room like this.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°P-portal?¡± The mage floated up. ¡°Is... he coming?¡± ¡°No, Xuunah wants to talk to you.¡± The mage sank down to the floor and her glow dimmed further. ¡°What can you do for her?¡± Zagatro asked. ¡°There''s nothing we can do.¡± The Light being said. ¡°If she doesn''t accept Light from another source, she will eventually wither and wink out.¡± ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°I''ll be back soon.¡± He left the building as fast as he could float and went back to the portal building and the main room. ¡°Xuunah.¡± ¡°That was fast.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I expected to wait a day or so.¡± She waited to feel another presence appear, but it didn''t. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°Xuunah, we have a problem.¡± * Ren had just started telling of his time with Vasalor when he felt Xuunah leave her closet. ¡°Zetaya, I need to go for a couple of minutes.¡± He said and eased Zetaya aside and went to the forge door and opened it. He stepped through and Artemis took his hand as Tee-one shut the forge behind him. Ren and Artemis ran across the road and went into the Main House and met Xuunah at her front door as she opened it. ¡°Ren, come in.¡± ¡°I felt your urgency.¡± Ren said. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°No time to explain.¡± Xuunah said and cast the magical barrier. ¡°Cast a portal back to the Light Realm. She needs your help!¡± Ren cast the portal as Teepo dissolved back into the ring, and Artemis and Xuunah took his hands. They stepped through and were greeted by another contingent of Light being mages. ¡°Where is she?¡± Xuunah demanded. ¡°She''s in the building where the main Collective is held.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ren asked and summoned Teepo. ¡°The mage you touched was deemed to have been corrupted by tainted Light. Your Light.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°They forcibly extracted what you gave to her.¡± ¡°Forcibly...¡± Ren started to say, then he felt what that meant and gained the Angered condition. ¡°You BASTARDS!¡± He yelled as he let Xuunah''s and Artemis'' hands go. He activated his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Restoring Hands, then jumped across the room and grabbed Zagatro. Rather than share the Light with him, he used it to create a barrier around the Greater Light Elemental and picked him up. Everyone froze at the sight of a small mortal picking up something so big, then they gasped as Ren threw Zagatro into the wall. The impact and energy discharge destroyed the wall and the room next to it as the elemental flew through that room and hit the far wall. ¡°Ren! He didn''t do it!¡± Xuunah said to stop him from following up. ¡°He might not have ordered it himself, but he knew it would happen.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Show me the Light Being mage that I touched.¡± The mirror showed him the dull glow of a Light being, and Ren made a fist as he stopped using his Hands of the Gods ability. He wasn''t going to touch another Light being if he didn''t have to, because they didn''t deserve it. ¡°Direct route to her, please.¡± Ren asked the mirror, and it made a straight line from where he stood to the room she was in. He stored the mirror and equipped his full set of platinum armor, then activated his armor''s Ram enchantment as he looked at Xuunah. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Xuunah yelled, but he had already started to run and had smashed through the wall of the portal room in an instant and disappeared from sight. Artemis flew after him at her best speed, but it wasn''t to stop him. She was going to protect him and would shoot anything she deemed was a threat to him. Chapter 544 - Watt Did You Say? Ren went through the wall, the next wall, three corridors, and then the outside wall. Rubble and debris scattered everywhere as he smashed out of the building and Light beings fled from his approach. He ran straight through anything that was in his way. A monument, a fountain, a copse of trees, a garden, another small building, and then he reached his destination. Ren didn''t slow down at all as he went through the outer wall, two rest areas, an office, and across several hallways. When he approached the room the mage was in, at the last possible moment he changed his angle of approach. Instead of going straight through the wall and possibly covering her in debris, he tore through the side wall of the room and removed it entirely. Ren stopped and the debris was deposited in the hallway, rather than in the room itself, and he walked over to the slumped Light being. Her glow was very dim and he only felt despair from her. Artemis appeared in the open space of the wall and took up a guard position with her hands held at the ready. ¡°I am so sorry.¡± Ren said and knelt beside the Light being as he stored his gauntlets. ¡°Am... am I... dreaming?¡± The mage asked, and her glow brightened ever so slightly. ¡°Is it... really... you?¡± ¡°Yes, I''m here.¡± Ren said and activated his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Restoring Hands, then laid both hands on her. ¡°Please forgive me for not anticipating they would do this to you.¡± The mage felt better instantly and let amusement flow out. ¡°Who can guess... the actions of fools... except fools themselves.¡± She said. ¡°You... are no fool.¡± ¡°I act foolish.¡± Ren said, and her Light grew brighter. ¡°But it is an act.¡± The mage said. ¡°I felt your goodness. It was tempered by... extreme pain.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve just experienced something similar.¡± Ren increased the amount of Light he was producing and the mage gasped at it''s strength. ¡°Tell me what you want me to do to them.¡± The mage started to get back to her normal glow. ¡°You can... forgive them.¡± She said to his surprise. ¡°They didn''t realize what harm they were doing.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°Forgive them? For doing this to you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The mage said and she started to float up. Ren stood up as she did and kept pouring Light into her. ¡°Ignorance is not normally an excuse, but in this case...¡± ¡°Ignorance when committing a crime is not a defense.¡± Ren said. ¡°What they did to you was criminal.¡± He felt several beings enter his Aura and he looked at his ranged combat specialist. ¡°Artemis!¡± ¡°I can feel them through you.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I''m ready for them.¡± ¡°Don''t fire until they are a threat.¡± Ren cautioned her. ¡°I know.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Why else do you think I didn''t shoot everyone in the portal room?¡± * Xuunah walked over to where Zagatro lay. ¡°I had hoped what Ren said the last time he was here would have made a difference.¡± She said and shook her head. ¡°I can''t believe that the Collective decided to do that to the mage.¡± She scowled. ¡°It''s horrific.¡± ¡°I would have stopped them if I''d known.¡± Zagatro said. Xuunah felt the partial lie. ¡°No, you would have stopped them when they tried and discovered it hurt her.¡± Zagatro couldn''t argue that point. He recovered from the two impacts and floated up from the floor. ¡°Xuunah, carry out your orders.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°We ordered you to use your Light Spirit Blade on him if he ever threatened our Realm again.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°It''s the Collective''s fault that he''s here!¡± Xuunah said. ¡°If you hadn''t-¡± ¡°We didn''t ask him to wreck everything!¡± Zagatro cut her off and motioned to the huge hole in the wall of the portal room. ¡°He is a danger to every member of the Collective!¡± * Ren gently held the Light being. ¡°Ma''am, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°Almost like myself.¡± The mage said. ¡°I can''t say ''like my old self'', because she doesn''t exist anymore.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°After you showed me what pure Light was like, I... I questioned everything about my life.¡± The mage said. ¡°My training, my choice to fight, my bonding partners...¡± ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Ren said, and then a Light being and 3 small balls of Light appeared in the hole he had made all the way through the building. ¡°Mommy!¡± One of them exclaimed when they saw the mage and darted forward. ¡°Biliosh!¡± The mage said and floated closer to the ground. Ren let her go and turned to see the small ball of light race towards them. ¡°Watch out for the mortal!¡± The Light being with the other two balls of light called out. ¡°Mommy!¡± Biliosh said and hopped into the air, and a small beam of light formed between the mage and the ball of light. The ball slowed down and stopped at the edge of the mage''s Light form, then started to rotate around her like an electron on an atom. ¡°Weeee!¡± Ren felt the unfiltered happiness from the child and couldn''t help but smile, then he lost his Angered Condition. When the other two balls of light saw their brother was okay, they rushed forward as well. ¡°Wait!¡± The other Light being said, but the two kids had already reached their mother and jumped up to join in on the fun. They rotated around their mother in concentric orbits. ¡°Race you!¡± Biliosh said to the other two, and the beam of light between him and his mother became stronger as he sped up. The other two did the same thing and went faster, and Ren felt the drain on the mage. He put his hand unobtrusively behind her, well out of the paths of the children, and poured Light into her as quickly as he could with only one hand. The mage gasped at the strength of the Light being offered and her glow increased to slightly beyond her normal luminescence. That Light flowed up through the beams attached to the children and made them glow brighter as well. The children stopped dead as the Light hit them, and Ren felt their focus change from having fun with their mother to scrutinizing him. ¡°Mommy, why is the mortal touching you?¡± Biliosh asked. ¡°He''s giving me his Light.¡± The mage said without sugar-coating the truth. ¡°WHAT?!?¡± The other Light being yelled and rushed forward, and Artemis shot a bolt of Mana into the floor right in front of Ren to stop the Light being from assaulting him. ¡°Don''t do this!¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said, and he could feel intense dislike from the Light being. ¡°She''s not color-shifted.¡± The Light being looked back at the mage and saw that her Light was still white and not yellow from a share-bonding, and Ren felt him relax. ¡°Daddy, what''s wrong?¡± One of the other kids asked. ¡°Nothing''s wrong, Laskima.¡± The Light being said in relief. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Yes, mortals are still dangerous.¡± He said. ¡°Most mortals, anyway.¡± ¡°I''m dangerous, too.¡± Ren admitted and motioned to the destruction he had caused. ¡°I took no delays in getting here from the portal room.¡± ¡°We were in the park nearby and heard the crash.¡± The Light being said. ¡°We kept trying to visit and they kept denying us.¡± He said. ¡°When we saw the hole...¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°You came looking for me.¡± The mage said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I tried to leave the children behind, but you know what they''re like.¡± The mage chuckled. ¡°Yes, they love their mother.¡± ¡°We do!¡± The three children said as one, and she laughed. ¡°Ma''am? How are you feeling now?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Much better, thank you.¡± The mage said. ¡°You can stop now.¡± ¡°Are you sure? You were pretty weak.¡± ¡°Your restoring light has healed me in more ways than I could have imagined.¡± The mage said, and Ren felt her attention shift to the other Light being. ¡°I was... tempted by this man.¡± Ren moved his hand away from her and deactivated his Hands of the Gods ability, but her Light didn''t dim back to it''s normal brightness. ¡°His Light is pure and intoxicating.¡± She said. ¡°It made me remember what we were like when we first met.¡± The Light being chuckled. ¡°That was an exciting time, wasn''t it?¡± ¡°When was that?¡± Biliosh asked. ¡°Long before you came into our lives.¡± The mage said. ¡°So long ago that... I thought...¡± ¡°I still love you, my share-bonded mate. I always have.¡± The Light being said. ¡°I''m sorry I haven''t been as supportive these last few decades...¡± ¡°That''s because I knew you were right and I was trying to ignore you.¡± The mage said, and Ren felt surprise from the Light being. ¡°You never liked that I chose to do what I do; but, you put up with it all these years.¡± She said. ¡°But you won''t have to anymore. I''m resigning as a mage.¡± The Light being let happiness and relief flow out. He floated close to the mage and a beam of light formed between them. He gasped at the strength in it, and his attention turned to Ren. ¡°I''m sorry I overreacted.¡± He said. ¡°Thank you for helping her.¡± ¡°I''m the one that should apologize.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was my fault she was here and treated this way.¡± ¡°Now that you''ve done this, what''s to stop them from doing it to her again?¡± He asked. ¡°Me.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Show me the main Collective and give me a direct route there.¡± ¡°You can''t go in there.¡± The mage said. ¡°It''s a sacred place that...¡± ¡°That place is no more sacred than this room.¡± Ren said and felt their surprise, then put the mirror away when he saw the location. ¡°You''re a Collective. It doesn''t matter where you are. It''s the Collective itself that''s supposed to be sacred, not where you do it.¡± Artemis floated over to him. ¡°I''m right behind you.¡± Ren smiled at her and took three steps up into the air and pointed towards the floor. ¡°It''s not far.¡± ¡°Please, don''t hurt them.¡± The mage said. ¡°Oh, I''m not going to hurt them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just going to show them the folly of their ways.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°By calling Vasalor and asking him to remind the Collective of what their purpose was, of course.¡± Ren said. The mage, her share-bonded partner, and their three children felt astonishment at the truth in his words. ¡°You can talk to Great Vasalor?!?¡± Biliosh asked. ¡°I''m one of his Chosen.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s time for the Collective to learn what that means.¡± The Light beings and their children watched as Ren walked down through the floor into the room below them, then through the next floor and the next. His Ram enchantment pushed the floor out of his way and Artemis floated slowly down behind him. * ¡°That''s really weird!¡± Biliosh said and floated over the hole. ¡°I didn''t know mortals could do that!¡± ¡°Neither did I.¡± The mage said and looked down into the hole. ¡°That was not a part of our training.¡± ¡°Are you really retiring?¡± Her share-bonded mate asked. ¡°Yes.¡± The mage said. ¡°I don''t know what I''m going to do with all my spare time, though.¡± ¡°I want a little brother!¡± Biliosh said, and his two sisters booed him. ¡°Just you wait! I won''t be outnumbered anymore!¡± The mage and the Light being laughed as the race began again; only this time it was a chase instead. * Ren walked through the ceiling into the main Collective meeting room, and was immediately shot at with several dozen different spells. His Mana Shield popped into place around him and Artemis, so nothing touched him as he casually walked down towards the floor. The Light beings packed in tightly tried to float aside to make room for him, but they couldn''t move. He stopped about 5 feet above their heads and more spells hit his Mana Shield. ¡°Stop firing.¡± Ren commanded, and most of the spells stopped. Several kept coming, and he sighed. ¡°If I was going to hurt you, you would have been dead long before I even entered the room.¡± More spells bounced off his shield and he nodded at Artemis. He deactivated the shield only for an instant and she shot the walls just above all the mages that were around the room. No more spells were cast at him after that. ¡°Now, where was I... oh, now I remember. I came here to save a member of your own people from you.¡± Ren said, and he felt the uneasiness from them. ¡°Yes, you decided that my Light was a corrupting influence on one of your mages, so you extracted it from her.¡± The Light beings of the main Collective shifted from side to side slightly as Ren let his anger flow over everyone. ¡°Instead of asking her to give it up, you took it from her.¡± Ren said. ¡°That hurt her so much!¡± Some of the Light beings flinched at his words. ¡°Would you like to feel how much?¡± Ren asked them and he heard several nos, then felt all of them say no. ¡°I should make you feel it anyway.¡± Several Light beings shivered in fear and tried to move away. ¡°I asked her what she wanted me to do to you, and do you know what she said?¡± Ren asked. ¡°DO YOU?!?¡± There were several outcries of no, and a strong feeling of impending doom from them. ¡°She told me to forgive you.¡± Ren said, and he felt their surprise. ¡°That''s right, you idiots!¡± He said. ¡°She''s a better person than you! Than all of you!¡± No one spoke as Ren let them soak that in. ¡°I''m tempted to stand here and give you a lecture on how you should treat people, especially your own people; but, the last time I did that, you violated one of your citizens to remove my taint.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, for your viewing pleasure, I''ll call upon the highest power there is!¡± Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and enlarged it to over 20 feet wide and propped it against the wall for everyone to see, then whispered to it. ¡°Please show them the popups I receive without the notice part.¡± Ren said softly, then turned to the Light beings and raised his hands. ¡°Great Vasalor! Hear my call!¡±
I am here.
The Light beings gasped at the popup on the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°I''m here talking to the Light beings, and they''ve done something bad to someone I shared your Light with.¡± Ren said. ¡°I healed her and gave her back the Light, and she told me to forgive them for what they did.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t want to, and I want to know what you would do to them if you were me.¡±
I will not interfere directly with any of the realms, therefore I cannot advise you what to do.
¡°Can you tell them what their true purpose is?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It seems to me like they have lost their way, and the ones you granted the Polymorph ability to are second-class citizens now.¡±
I watched this change as it happened, and since I could do nothing to alter it, that is the way things are now. However, as one of my Chosen, you have the ability to change things as you see fit.
The Light beings gasped at this, and Ren felt their fear as it flooded out. ¡°Thank you for talking to me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let me know if you want anything done.¡±
I will send quests when appropriate. Goodbye, Ren.
Ren waved his arm enthusiastically in the air. ¡°Bye!¡± The All-Seeing Mirror stopped showing the popups, so Ren reduced it back to it''s normal size and stored it. ¡°Now, what should I do with you.¡± Ren said and rubbed his hands together. ¡°We''ll take you when your shield drops!¡± One of the mages said, and Ren laughed. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± ¡°I have a Mana Pool that holds triple my total Mana.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can wait for it to run out.¡± The mage said confidently. ¡°My Mana is maxed at 99,999.¡± Ren said, and he felt the ripple of shock roll across the room. ¡°We... we can wait years! Yes, years!¡± ¡°Even if I somehow burned through my Mana Pool, my Regeneration is so high that I could cast any of the fifth level spells without even making my normal Mana Bar twitch.¡± Ren let them stew on that for a minute, because he felt the mage and her family coming down the hole towards him. He took a couple of steps to the right and let them float down to where he was. He cast Iron Wall from the wall over to where they were about to land, and they stopped on it. ¡°Please, don''t hurt them.¡± The mage said. ¡°Yeah! Leave them alone, you bully!¡± Biliosh said. The Light being that was her mate floated in front of the child. ¡°Don''t hurt him, either.¡± ¡°I told you, I''m not hurting anyone.¡± Ren said. ¡°Especially children.¡± ¡°You''re acting like you''re going to destroy them all.¡± The mage said. ¡°Yes, because I could.¡± Ren said. ¡°Very easily.¡± ¡°Why are you doing that?¡± ¡°Because I''m trying to show them that even though someone has the power or ability to do something, doesn''t mean that they should.¡± Ren said. ¡°I could erase everything and everyone within this realm if I wanted to.¡± Complete silence met his true statement, and Ren faced the Collective. ¡°I''m not going to, so you can dispense with the plans to lobotomize me.¡± Ren said, and he felt their uneasiness. ¡°What? You didn''t think I''d know you planned to have Xuunah use her Spirit Blade on me?¡± He asked and chuckled. ¡°How stupid do you think I am?¡± No one answered and he sighed. ¡°I''m going to tell you this once, and only once.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your Light beings with the polymorph ability are not deviants or aberrations. Vasalor gave them that ability so they could help the mortal realms.¡± ¡°I was wondering why we started that program of checking on mortals.¡± One of the Collective said and was quickly shushed to be quiet. ¡°No, don''t shush him!¡± Ren said. ¡°His question is valid! It''s good to question your position. Don''t just take the daily routine at face value. Check yourselves. Ask what''s going on... or better yet, check to see what''s going on.¡± He said. ¡°Having the Collective is great, as long as it''s for the benefit of your people. If it starts to cull out those you don''t feel are worthy, then the Collective itself isn''t worthy of being a part of!¡± Gasps filled the room, and Ren looked around at the Light beings. ¡°Don''t jump to conclusions! I''m not telling you to abandon it!¡± Ren said, because he could feel that''s what they were thinking. He took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I''m telling you to use the Collective to help your people... all of your people. Just because some have experiences the majority of you don''t understand, doesn''t mean they don''t belong. It only means they are different people.¡± No one said anything, and he could feel the confusion in them. ¡°Do I need to make a threat to unify you?¡± Ren asked, and he felt them get defensive. ¡°I do, don''t I?¡± They didn''t respond, and he shook his head. ¡°I told Xuunah that I had several options to explore before I had to get to this point, and here I am anyway.¡± Ren said. ¡°Very well.¡± He activated his Ultimate Terror ring and funnelled it through his Aura, and they all screamed and sunk to the floor. ¡°I hereby command you to treat every one of your people with respect, and you will not abuse anyone within or without the Collective.¡± He ordered them. ¡°I''ll be watching you, and if I see any injustice among you, I will return... and you will not enjoy the experience.¡± Chapter 545 - What Will You Choose? After Ren made his threat, two dozen beings entered his Aura from all around, and he waited for them to enter the main room. ¡°Mortal! You are under arrest for trespassing on sacred ground!¡± A Light being said. ¡°Ha!¡± Ren said, and they all flinched. ¡°Your charge is invalid. As you can clearly see, I am not standing on what you claim as sacred ground.¡± The Light being polymorphed right there in front of everyone and formed armor around himself, then formed his sword and shield. ¡°You are arguing semantics!¡± He said, and Ren noticed the other 11 newcomers change as well. ¡°Yes, I am!¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I told the mage and her family, it''s not the building that''s sacred! It''s the Collective itself! It doesn''t matter where it is!¡± He said. ¡°Since I never entered the Collective, I have not violated it''s sanctity!¡± No one had a response to that, because they could tell he was speaking the truth. ¡°Ren.¡± Xuunah said, and he turned to look at her as she approached. ¡°You''ve done what you can.¡± ¡°Have I?¡± Ren asked and dropped his Mana Shield so she could enter it. Three spells were cast at him and he dispelled them long before they could reach him. He put the Mana Shield back into place without blinking an eye. ¡°I can feel their emotions, Xuunah. They are not reacting well to a mortal telling them what to do.¡± ¡°That''s because they''ve been taught for untold generations that mortals are evil and only want to destroy everything.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Two visits from you is not going to change their opinion, especially since on this visit, you''re showing them that they are right.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I made a threat, but only because they wanted me to.¡± He said. ¡°This place should be full of happiness and love, the way it was when it was first created. Instead it''s full of distrust and fear, and it makes me feel bad just being around so much negativity.¡± Xuunah sighed. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Yes, I know I can''t make them change by giving them even more to be afraid of.¡± Ren deactivated his Ultimate Terror ring, and the Light beings all sighed in relief. ¡°It was worth a shot, though.¡± ¡°Does this mean you''re not going to come back and kill us?¡± Bilious, the mage''s son asked as he peeked out from behind his father. ¡°No, I won''t do that.¡± Ren said and knelt to be closer to the ball of light. ¡°I''m not going to hurt your mom after saving her.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°That would kind of defeat the purpose of saving her.¡± ¡°Mommy saved the Light Realm!¡± Bilious said as loudly as he could, and his sisters took up the chant as they sped around their mother. ¡°Mommy saved the Light Realm!¡± ¡°Mommy saved the Light Realm!¡± ¡°Yes, she did.¡± Ren said as he stood, then bowed to her. ¡°I will leave if she says so.¡± ¡°Tell him to go! Tell him to go!¡± Her kids chanted. ¡°Begone from our realm, mortal.¡± The mage said. Her emotions didn''t match her words, and Ren listened to both and obeyed the spoken words.. ¡°As you wish.¡± Ren said and picked Xuunah up, then ran towards the wall with Artemis right behind him. ¡°Stop him!¡± One of the polymorphed Light beings said and they all lunged forward to follow him. ¡°HALT!¡± The mage commanded. They all stopped as Ren smashed through the wall of the main room and disappeared from sight. ¡°If you pursue, you will only provoke him and cause even more damage.¡± The mage said. ¡°But he is a threat to the realm!¡± One of the Light beings said. ¡°Only if we want him to be.¡± The mage said, and everyone quieted. ¡°You heard what he said. If it will unite us again, he will be the villain we want.¡± Ren carried Xuunah all the way back to the portal building and entered the same hole he had made when he left it. The portal he had made was still there, because he hadn''t dismissed it, and he saw the mages were guarding it. ¡°I''m leaving.¡± Ren said and put Xuunah down. ¡°You have trespassed into our realm yet again.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°The first time we could forgive, since you didn''t know any better. This time you knew we didn''t want mortals in our realm.¡± ¡°Your argument is invalid.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your people caused me to come here to save one of your own people that you hurt because of me.¡± ¡°Zagatro, don''t press this.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°He can''t be allowed to come into our realm whenever he wants, Xuunah.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°What if he makes a portal and a Light being goes through? You know the damage that could cause!¡± ¡°Not only would I not do that, if you used your observation instruments, you''ll see the portal I made is in the exact spot you make your own portals, and none of your people ever cross that threshold unless they are intentionally going through a portal.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not stupid enough to open a portal to a random location and then hope I don''t hit something or someone.¡± ¡°Even so, you have caused untold damage to our things and buildings we...¡± ¡°Don''t trump up charges.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know these constructs are Light manifestations and you can repair them with just a bit of concentration by the Collective.¡± ¡°What?¡± Zagatro was surprised. ¡°How?¡± ¡°You don''t need to know how I know, just that I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°The only way I could completely destroy anything is by Voiding it.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Zagatro and the mages around the portal froze. ¡°You... wouldn''t dare.¡± ¡°No, because Xuunah would hate me forever if I caused the realm any permanent damage.¡± Ren said and looked at the mages. ¡°Move aside.¡± Half of the mages floated out of the way, an half let doubt flow out and didn''t know what to do. ¡°You need to answer to the Collective for what you''ve done here.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°I was just there, and they let me go.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you see any pursuers?¡± Zagatro calmed and let his consciousness enter the Collective, and he experienced everything they had witnessed. Ren felt anger from him, and then felt resignation. ¡°Yes, the mage is right. Pursuing you would cause you to do even more damage.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°You even left a large slab of iron in the meeting hall attached to the wall.¡± ¡°It''s not permanent.¡± Ren said. ¡°The spell will end in about 15 minutes.¡± Zagatro sighed. ¡°You have an answer for everything, don''t you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sometimes it''s not the right answer; but, I''m working on that.¡± ¡°The rest of you can move aside.¡± Zagatro said to the mages, and they floated out of the way to leave the portal unguarded. ¡°Xuunah...¡± ¡°This will be the last time you will hear from me.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I won''t be making my daily reports anymore.¡± ¡°You know I...¡± ¡°Like Ren said, it doesn''t matter what you decided.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Goodbye, Zagatro.¡± ¡°Xuunah, you could polymorph and...¡± ¡°No.¡± Xuunah said firmly. ¡°I know who wants me and who doesn''t.¡± Ren smiled warmly at her as he dismissed the Mana Shield. ¡°Let''s go home.¡± He said, then his smile turned into a huge grin. ¡°Um, give me a second.¡± She watched as Ren disappeared for a few seconds, then he was back. ¡°Okay, now we can go.¡± Ren said and took Artemis'' hand as Teepo dissolved into the ring, then he took Xuunah''s hand and the three of them stepped through the portal. He summoned Teepo on the other side and cast the spells to make him solid, then dismissed the portal. ¡°That was hilarious!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°That was not a funny experience at all.¡± Xuunah said and dismissed the magical barrier. ¡°Oh, not that.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What Ren left as a present.¡± Xuunah felt Ren''s amusement and looked at him. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Nothing really.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I just left a friendly reminder.¡± * Zagatro and the mages floated out of the portal room through the hole Ren had made, rather than go through the door. When they arrived at the outside of the building, he heard someone gasp. When he turned to see what had surprised them, he saw what Ren had left. ¡°Great Vasalor!¡± Zagatro exclaimed. A 100 foot tall semi-transparent Colossal Ren sat on top of the portal building. The feet were planted firmly on the ground and the thing spoke random sentences. ¡°I''m watching you.¡± Colossal Ren said in a normal voice, instead of the loud voice such a large thing should have had. ¡°You are all equal.¡± He said a few moments later. ¡°Take care of each other.¡± ¡°Mages!¡± Zagatro said. ¡°Someone dispel that right now!¡± One of the mages cast the spell and nothing happened. ¡°What? It didn''t work?¡± He asked, then cast it again. There was a small flash and the dispel spell was dispelled. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Zagatro asked. ¡°It''s absorbing the spell and shooting it back somehow.¡± ¡°Then try another spell.¡± ¡°No.¡± The mage said and turned to the others. ¡°No one else is to try, either.¡± ¡°You can''t just leave it there!¡± Zagatro said. ¡°I won''t risk having a spell rebound on anyone.¡± The mage said. ¡°What if someone cast Fireball? Or Lightning? Or even Disintegrate? What would happen to us when it rebounds?¡± He asked. ¡°It could increase the size of the spell and destroy everything within it''s range, whatever the range on something that big is.¡± Zagatro wanted to argue with him to get him to try anyway; but, he knew it would be pointless. Colossal Ren kept spewing out phrases, and Zagatro had to think about what to do with the thing. * ¡°Great Vasalor!¡± Xuunah exclaimed when Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and showed her what he had left there and told her what it did. ¡°Ren! Undo it!¡± ¡°I can''t dismiss it from here, and I''m not allowed back in the Light Realm, remember?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°They''re stuck with it until they adjust their ways, or ask me to come back and remove it.¡± Xuunah shook her head. ¡°I can''t believe you did that.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I wasn''t going to, but Zagatro pissed me off so I wanted to piss him off, too.¡± ¡°Ren, you can''t just-¡± ¡°Sure I can.¡± Ren said and stored the mirror. ¡°I just did, didn''t I?¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''m sure they''ll get sick of it in a few decades and they''ll try to contact you again.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Well, they won''t try to contact me, will they?¡± Ren chuckled and turned his back to Xuunah to talk to Artemis. ¡°I''ll come over to the warehouse in a minute.¡± Artemis nodded and left the apartment, and Ren stayed facing the door. ¡°We''re alone now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go ahead, Xuunah.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I know, so go ahead.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I told the Collective, I know you''ve been ordered to use your Light Spirit Blade.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°I''m just going to stand here. I won''t move or cast a spell. I won''t do a single thing to defend myself.¡± Ren said and held his arms out to the sides and equipped his new armor bodysuit, which stored his platinum armor. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Xuunah formed her Light Spirit Blade and held it up to the back of his skull. ¡°Ren, I... I''m sorry.¡± ¡°It''s okay, Xuunah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just in case I forget about what you mean to me after you do this, I want you to know that I love you.¡± Xuunah felt his complete acceptance of what was about to happen and that he wasn''t going to try and stop her. She gripped her sword hilt tightly, tensed her arm to push forward, and a tear fell from her eye. ¡°Ren, I... Great Vasalor, I...¡± Xuunah sobbed. ¡°I... I can''t!¡± She let her sword go and it clattered to the floor, and she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him from behind. ¡°I love you too much, Dearest!¡± Ren hugged her arms for a moment, then turned around in her arms and kissed her as he put his arms around her. The sword on the floor dissipated into mist, and Ren broke the kiss. ¡°I should say that you have no idea how sad I am that they threw you away like that; but, you know how sad I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I do, and you''re just as sad as I am.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Dearest, what am I going to do now?¡± ¡°For now, you can stay here and keep doing your job.¡± ¡°But, I told Zagatro I wouldn''t give reports anymore.¡± ¡°Not that part.¡± Ren said. ¡°I meant staying by my side and keeping an eye on me.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Can you stand to have me around? I was just going to skewer you with a blade that can cause permanent Confusion.¡± ¡°Were you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t remember seeing that.¡± ¡°You were facing the other way.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I was, wasn''t I?¡± ¡°You did that on purpose?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I didn''t want you to see my face while you made your decision.¡± ¡°You... you didn''t know I would stop?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren moved his hands from behind her back to cup the sides of her face. ¡°That was a bit foolish of me, wasn''t it?¡± ¡°It was downright foolhardy.¡± Xuunah said and kissed him. They stayed that way for a couple of minutes, then Xuunah broke the kiss. ¡°I won''t break my people''s mandate.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why else do you think I haven''t torn your clothes off and had my way with you already?¡± Xuunah chuckled. ¡°You''re incorrigible.¡± ¡°Only on important things.¡± Ren said and let her go. ¡°I''ll see you in the morning.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Dearest.¡± ¡°Goodnight, My Angel.¡± Ren said and left her apartment, then left the Main House and ran across the street to the warehouse and went inside the forge. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± He said and positioned himself right back where he was, and put Zetaya''s head stub back onto his lap. ¡°Now you have a choice. Do you want me to keep going with Vasalor''s story, or tell you the one Teepo and I just went through?¡± Zetaya made the sound of a crackling fire, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Right, it doesn''t matter as long as I''m spending time with you.¡± ¡°If we''re voting, I''ll pick Vasalor first.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I wasn''t around for that one.¡± Ren nodded and relaxed as he rubbed Zetaya''s head stub. ¡°Well, I was surprised as anyone could be when Vasalor saved me when I tried to polymorph into a Light being.¡± He laughed. ¡°Then I kind of tricked him into letting me stay for a while...¡± For the next 5 hours, Ren held Zetaya and enraptured the fire elemental and Teepo with the story of Vasalor and the time Ren had spent with him. With the remaining time left in the night, he told them about being in the Light Realm both times he was there. Zetaya had made the sound of a crackling fire the entire time. Chapter 546 - Another Slight Complication ¡°And that''s what happened when I had to leave you for a few minutes.¡± Ren said to Zetaya. ¡°It''s time to go.¡± Teepo said. ¡°And now it''s time for me to go.¡± Ren said, and stroked Zetaya''s head stub one last time. ¡°Thanks for letting me spend this time with you.¡± Zetaya rolled over and stood up, then gave him a hug when he stood up to leave and the fire elemental made the sound of a roaring fire. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll be careful.¡± Ren said and hugged Zetaya back. ¡°I''ve got Xuunah and Officer Holly coming with me.¡± Zetaya let him out of the hug and Ren left the forge. He walked to the door and Artemis joined him as he walked across the street to the Main House. ¡°Good morning.¡± Officer Holly said to them. ¡°If you didn''t go to bed at all, does it still count as a good morning?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled. ¡°It depends on what you did last night.¡± ¡°I became a Light being, met Vasalor, share-bonded with Xuunah, travelled to the Light Realm twice and threatened to destroy it, then spent over 5 hours inside my giant forge talking to a fire elemental.¡± Ren said. He felt her utter shock and tried not to laugh. ¡°So, yes. I guess it is a good morning.¡± ¡°Are... are you serious?¡± ¡°He is.¡± Xuunah said as she came out of the Main House. Her hair was done up in a fancy hairdo and she wore one of the more regal dresses that Ren had Tee-one make for her. It was blue in color and showed off a bit of cleavage; but, it was also long-sleeved and very conservative. ¡°You look stunning.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°You''re not going to be able to move around in that thing if we have to fight.¡± Officer Holly said. Xuunah smiled at her and took a fighting stance, and the dress slid apart at the knees and allowed her legs full movement and still didn''t reveal anything. ¡°Okay, I''m impressed.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Ren designed it.¡± Xuunah said and resumed her normal posture. ¡°It''s less restrictive than my normal clothing.¡± ¡°I''m glad you like it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Before we go, I need to make two quick stops. Please wait here for a minute.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°We are your guards and will do what you wish.¡± Ren took her hand and smiled. ¡°That''s not entirely true.¡± Xuunah chuckled. ¡°Go tell Frikara and the others you are leaving for the day.¡± Ren nodded and let her hand go, then ran inside the Main House and went upstairs to the apartment. He went inside and saw that the maids were still in bed, and he didn''t know if they had left it at all or had just gotten back into it. He walked softly over to the bed and saw their happy faces and could feel contentment from them, so he carefully kissed each of them on the cheek in an attempt to not wake them. Ren took out 5 of the special armor bodysuits like the one he and Lara wore, hung them in front of their closets, then quietly left the apartment. ¡°You don''t think they''ll be angry you left without telling them?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°No, I told them last night I might not be back until morning.¡± Ren said and walked down the stairs. ¡°I didn''t say I would stay when I did.¡± He smiled. ¡°They''ll know I was there once they see what I left.¡± ¡°I hope that placates them.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Frikara can get ornery about things like that.¡± Ren chuckled and stepped outside. ¡°Now to visit Railyse.¡± ¡°Is she coming along?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°I believe so, but I haven''t asked her yet.¡± Officer Holly chuckled. ¡°You really shouldn''t leave things like that until the last minute.¡± ¡°I know, but I got back late last night and didn''t want to wake her.¡± Ren said. ¡°Depending on how grumpy she is this morning, our trip might be delayed slightly.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and he and Artemis went over to the 300 foot long by 300 foot wide by 100 foot deep pool that was beside the succubi roost. He didn''t just jump in, since that would be the most disrespectful thing he could have done. Instead, he stuck his finger into the pool and wiggled it to churn the water slightly. Almost instantly a 6 foot tall water elemental burst out of the water less than 10 feet away. ¡°Greetings!¡± Ren said in Sea Dweller''s language. ¡°May I speak to the Queen-In-Waiting?¡± The water elemental bubbled and gurgled, and Ren nodded. ¡°Yes, I''ll make a proper offering to her.¡± The elemental slid back into the water and then the water went completely still. Railyse rose up out of the water 50 feet away with the two water elementals behind her, and she started to walk over to Ren. Even though she wasn''t a human and didn''t really understand their customs, she swung her hips seductively as if she was trying to attract as much attention as possible. As Railyse approached, Ren''s eyebrows raised up, and her smile grew until she stopped in front of him. ¡°Good morning, Ren.¡± ¡°Good morning, Railyse.¡± Ren said and motioned at her hips. ¡°What''s with the little show?¡± Railyse chuckled. ¡°I''ve received council that I should start acting more like my position demands.¡± ¡°Is that supposed to include driving me wild?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°Has the swaying of my hips like a boat on the ocean swayed your heart?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Hey, we can''t go there, remember? I''d be hunted relentlessly and you would lose your place in line for the throne.¡± ¡°I''m at the end of the line.¡± Railyse smiled back. ¡°It might be worth it.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I won''t ruin a good friend''s life by doing something we shouldn''t do, assuming we were even compatible.¡± ¡°You wouldn''t even want to try?¡± Railyse asked softly. Ren squinted his eyes and looked at her. ¡°What''s going on?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°N-nothing.¡± Railyse said and turned her head slightly to the side. ¡°Railyse.¡± Ren felt the lie strongly and reached out. When he touched her arm, he felt her skin was almost blisteringly hot. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I''m... Ren, I...¡± ¡°Please, just tell me.¡± ¡°I''m ready to spawn.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°I... I know. I''m years... no, decades early.¡± Railyse said. ¡°These last couple of months that I''ve been in the Human Kingdom, I''ve been growing more powerful.¡± ¡°Because of my full feedings.¡± Railyse nodded. ¡°With you giving me so much to feed on, I... my body has... matured.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren said and let her arm go. ¡°I can''t take you to see King Alamast like this.¡± ¡°Was that supposed to be today?¡± Railyse asked. ¡°In my current state, it''s been difficult to keep track of time.¡± ¡°We need to get you back to the Water Realm right away.¡± ¡°We can''t go back.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Not until my mother''s ultimatum to the Human Kingdom is expired.¡± ¡°That''s not for another 2 days. Can you hold out that long?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Railyse said and turned to the side, and she rubbed a hand over her slightly extended belly. ¡°I''ve only just entered the gestation phase.¡± Ren blinked his eyes. ¡°Um... how long is this phase?¡± ¡°A month, maybe more. It depends on how much I eat.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I must find a mate to build me a proper nest before the phase ends.¡± ¡°Will that be enough time?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I mean, you''ve been away from the Water Realm for about 1,200 years now. Can you get to know someone well enough to sire your children? Will they accept that responsibility if they don''t get to know you first?¡± Railyse sighed. ¡°I don''t know.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is...¡± He shook his head and then smiled warmly at her. ¡°I want you to relax and don''t stress yourself.¡± He looked at the water elementals. ¡°Keep doing your jobs well. I''ll have you and her back in the Water Realm in 2 days.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Don''t worry about a thing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Will you accept my offering?¡± ¡°Without question.¡± Railyse said and carefully knelt. ¡°Thank you for not getting angry.¡± Ren cupped the sides of her face. ¡°I would never get angry over something like this.¡± ¡°But, it changes what you had planned to do.¡± ¡°Only in the fact that you won''t be there with me when we learn if the Human Kingdom decides to fight the ghouls or your people.¡± Ren said. ¡°Instead I''ll come back and tell you what they said.¡± ¡°Ren, I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Railyse, you don''t have to apologize.¡± ¡°Without me there, it won''t show them that there''s still a chance for them to change their minds about not accepting the peace.¡± ¡°I am not going to expose you to that much danger or to that many males that are unsuitable to be around you while you''re like this.¡± Ren said, and both water elementals gurgled at him. ¡°No, they don''t realize her importance.¡± ¡°Ren, I''m not important.¡± Ren smiled at her and knelt, then carefully caressed her belly. ¡°I think there''s a few around that will disagree with you.¡± Both water elementals bubbled and gurgled, and Railyse smiled. ¡°All right, I''ll stop arguing.¡± ¡°Then open wide and accept my offering.¡± ¡°I still can''t believe you do this for me.¡± Railyse said and took a deep breath, then let her head hinge back to open her mouth completely. Ren stood up and disabled his Regeneration, then cut open his wrist with his hammerpick. He poured his blood down her gullet and she drank it faster than she usually did. ¡°You''re really hungry.¡± Ren commented and used Major Healing on himself to refill his Health. It was so high now that he only had to do it once for her to finish eating, then he cast it again to heal the wound. He was tempted to ask her how she was doing, especially since none of the normal external signs of her powering up had occurred. There were no clouds, no rain, or even churning water. Railyse put her hands on her belly as she closed her mouth. ¡°They took it.¡± She said happily. ¡°I''m glad they liked my offering.¡± Ren said and knelt. ¡°Did they leave anything for you?¡± Railyse chuckled. ¡°Not one trace.¡± ¡°Then please, take some for yourself.¡± Ren said and offered his neck. ¡°You''ve already given so much.¡± ¡°I promised your mother I would take care of you while you were here, and I promised you that I would give you all that you need.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, having a beautiful woman like you sucking the lifeblood out of me is starting to be a turn on.¡± ¡°You are a terrible liar.¡± Railyse laughed. ¡°You only like me kissing your neck!¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°Your reactions are great, too. Your soft moans, the feel of your lips, your gentle hug and your enthusiasm are considerably sexy to me.¡± ¡°Oh, no! You''re using me for my body?!?¡± Railyse fake gasped, and that made them both laugh again. ¡°Using is a strong word.¡± Ren said. ¡°Mutually beneficial sharing without reciprocation is more appropriate.¡± Railyse nodded. ¡°Yes, neither of us really enjoys what the other does, and yet we both get pleasure from it.¡± ¡°Imagine the people we would be if we did enjoy what the other did?¡± Ren joked and tilted his head to the side and exposed his neck fully. ¡°I''d be an insatiable blood-drinking cannibal and you would be...¡± ¡°...an insatiable sex goddess.¡± Railyse whispered as she leaned forward and gently kissed his neck. ¡°With that power alone I could conquer half of the world.¡± Railyse wrapped her arms around him to hold him steady and opened her mouth just enough to expose her piranha-like teeth, then she bit his neck. Ren felt her exaltation that he didn''t flinch or complain about the pain, then he felt her pleasure as his blood flowed into her mouth. She kissed and suckled his neck to consume as much of his blood as possible, and the water of the large pool started to churn. Since Railyse had given all of his offering to her spawn, she was still quite hungry herself. Ren let her take as much as she wanted and didn''t try to stop or ease how much she took. Railyse felt overjoyed that he would give her everything like this, especially to the benefit of her spawn, and she let Ren feel how much she appreciated what he always did for her. When Railyse had her fill, and a little more, she broke the lip-lock she had on his neck and saw the huge bruise there. She licked the spot and made her various teeth marks fade and heal, then licked up the small trails of blood she had left behind. ¡°You taste so good that I''ve made a sloppy mess.¡± Railyse said and gave the spot several kisses. Ren chuckled and started his Regeneration again. ¡°I can just equip...¡± ¡°No, I''ll get it all.¡± Railyse said and tapped his special armor bodysuit. Ren stored it and left himself in just his underwear, and Railyse used her tongue to lick up the small trails of blood that had escaped her and rolled down his chest. It did nothing at all for her, except give her more traces of blood; but, she knew Ren would like it and she wanted to thank him for the meal. Ren thoroughly enjoyed the cleaning she gave him, and when she was done, he was quite excited and raring to go. ¡°Th-thank you very much.¡± He said and stood up quickly, and Railyse saw his body''s reaction up close. ¡°So, you enjoyed it?¡± Railyse asked and looked up at him, and he nodded. ¡°I''m so glad that worked.¡± She said. ¡°You are always pleasing me, and yet the only enjoyment you ever have is pleasing me.¡± ¡°Railyse, I...¡± ¡°Yes, I know we can''t.¡± Railyse said and stood up, then took him into a hug. ¡°I just wanted you to know that I appreciate everything you do for me.¡± She said and kissed him on the lips without giving him a blessing. ¡°If you were a Water being, I would pledge to cut off the entire surface world from the oceans for the chance to let you fertilize my very first clutch of eggs.¡± Ren''s mouth dropped open in surprise at her admission, and the two 6 foot tall water elementals that were her guards dashed forward to surround them. They bubbled and gurgled furiously at her, and the water under her translucent skin swirled faster and faster. After a few moments, Ren felt Railyse''s emotions shift to annoyance. ¡°Enough!¡± Railyse said and a ripple of power came out of her. It hit the two water elementals and pushed them back almost 10 feet. ¡°You will not question me or my decisions in public! If I want to fantasize about having something like that happen, then I will! It is just a fantasy! It can never happen!¡± Ren hadn''t moved at all because he had both feet firmly planted on the ground, and Railyse still held him. ¡°Um... that''s... not entirely accurate.¡± Railyse stopped talking and looked back at Ren with wide eyes. ¡°What? Which part?¡± ¡°The never happen part.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have a polymorph helm.¡± ¡°Yes, and you can only change into what you add to it when it is created.¡± Railyse said, then she thought about it. ¡°I know you didn''t have any Water being or Water elemental parts to add to it.¡± ¡°I didn''t have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t told you this story yet, so here goes. I became a Light being earlier today.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Railyse let him out of the hug and stepped back. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I added a piece of myself to the helm.¡± Ren said. ¡°Since my Light affinity was maxed and I had a bond with a Light being...¡± ¡°...you concentrated on that part of yourself and changed into it.¡± Railyse said. ¡°By my mother''s trident, Ren! Did you kill yourself?¡± ¡°Thankfully, no. The form is highly unstable though, and it can''t be held for more than a minute or two before I have to change back. Vasalor helped me when it happened and told me that I could change into other physical forms easily.¡± Railyse paced back and forth in front of him. ¡°So, you can become a Light being because your affinity is maxed?¡± ¡°I think it''s my Hands of the Gods ability, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°It lets me access the element in it''s purest form.¡± Railyse stopped pacing and walked back over to him. ¡°What other Hands of the Gods abilities do you have?¡± ¡°Burning Hands, where I can create Fire. Rocky Hands that let me create Earth, and it also has Green Thumb for growing things. Restoring Hands, which is the Light version. It restores Health, Stamina, and Mana while giving off good feelings. Lastly is Refreshing Hands, which lets me create thirst-quenching Water.¡± Railyse didn''t say anything and just stared at him as she thought about the implications of Ren''s words. Especially the last sentence and what that would mean for her. Chapter 547 - To The King ¡°Look, I really have to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll come back and visit with you later.¡± Railyse kept staring at him and didn''t say anything. Ren could feel her swirling emotions, and he touched her arm. It was still quite hot to the touch. ¡°Hey, don''t freak out about it, okay?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I was just in a huge misunderstanding with the Light Realm because Xuunah and I share-bonded as Light beings. Even though that wasn''t against their rules, they believed it was and wanted to punish her for it. I don''t want the same thing to happen with you and the Water Realm.¡± He paused for a moment, then looked at the water elemental guards. ¡°Keep her safe.¡± They gurgled at him a bit angrily, and he chuckled. ¡°I''m sorry. It''s just an Adventurer''s expression like ''take care''. I didn''t mean to insult your intelligence.¡± They bubbled at him, and he nodded and looked back at Railyse. ¡°I''ll let you know what King Alamast decides.¡± Ren said and rubbed her arm reassuringly, then he and Artemis ran back to the Main House. ¡°That took a while.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I had to give her a bigger feeding.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d say why, but that''s her decision to reveal and not mine.¡± ¡°Say no more.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°She was horny for you and you gave her a bit of comfort.¡± ¡°She is and I did, but not in the way you mean.¡± Ren said. ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°We only shared words and a hug after the feeding.¡± Officer Holly couldn''t argue the truth, so she didn''t say anything else. ¡°I assume she isn''t coming.¡± Xuuah said. Ren shook his head. ¡°It''s just us.¡± ¡°And us.¡± Frikara said and came out of the Main House. She had on a stylish dress, as did the other 4 maids, and they gathered around Ren. ¡°We will protect you.¡± ¡°Frikara...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We''ve been training.¡± ¡°Training?¡± Frikara nodded. ¡°We did it on our own at first, then we recruited Donna''s help.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°She would have destroyed you.¡± ¡°She did. Over and over.¡± Andrela said. ¡°We learned how to take it, then learned how to fight back.¡± Ren looked at their faces and felt how happy they were. ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Since you came back from Shargon Caverns.¡± Frikara said. ¡°No way!¡± Ren said. ¡°That long?¡± ¡°It doesn''t seem like it''s been that long.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°When you only have to sleep 2 hours to get a full night''s rest...¡± ¡°You can do several days of training in a single day.¡± Ren said, then gave each of them a kiss on the lips. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°There''s no need to thank us.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°We wanted to do this.¡± ¡°You''re putting yourselves in danger for me, so I need to thank you for that.¡± ¡°You do it for everyone else every day. It''s only fitting that others do it for you, too.¡± Frikara said, and looked at Officer Holly and Xuunah. ¡°You don''t mind having a few extra fighters along, do you?¡± ¡°More eyes and ears are a good thing.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Just be careful not to kill anyone that doesn''t need to be killed.¡± Frikara chuckled. ¡°Thankfully, we can leave those kinds of decisions to Ren for the most part.¡± She said. ¡°We won''t do anything without his say so.¡± ¡°Then welcome aboard.¡± Officer Holly said, then Princess came out of her house. ¡°Looks like our quick ride is here.¡± ¡°I am ready to ferry you to the capital.¡± Princess said. Ren turned around to see if the bakery was open, and it was. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± ¡°Get us some!¡± Officer Holly said as Ren ran across the road. He waved acknowledgement and went inside the building. He was back a few minutes later and handed her a plate of them. ¡°I love these fried pieces of dough.¡± ¡°Is it so easy for you to give your love away?¡± Ren asked her and shared another plate with Xuunah, the maids, and Princess. Officer Holly snorted a laugh. ¡°It''s shallow food love, so yes.¡± She said and ate a piece of dough. ¡°Oh, that''s good.¡± She chewed it up and swallowed. ¡°It''s not the same kind of love that I have for a person.¡± ¡°Is it, though?¡± Ren asked and ate a piece himself. ¡°Do you have anyone in your life that you want to eat up like a tasty piece of fried dough?¡± Officer Holly immediately thought of her partner, John Ramirez, and the night they had spent together. Her face went red as she remembered what they did, and Ren smiled at her. ¡°Ha! You do!¡± Ren said and ate another piece of dough. ¡°Whoever he is, he''s a lucky guy.¡± ¡°How do you know that you aren''t the lucky guy?¡± Officer Holly asked, then saw the surprised reactions on the other women''s faces and immediately regretted trying to joke about it. ¡°Because I can feel your emotions.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°As can they, through me.¡± ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t mean...¡± ¡°It''s okay. As long as you don''t push it too far.¡± Ren said. ¡°Some things should not be joked about.¡± Officer Holly nodded. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Well, if everyone has enjoyed their treats, it''s time to go.¡± Ren said and took out the covered cart from Princess'' saddle bag and attached it to her. ¡°We''ll be in the capital in about 10 minutes.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Why aren''t you using a portal?¡± Xuunah asked and climbed into the cart. ¡°We would be there instantly.¡± ¡°First, we need to make an entrance. Second, it would have to be out far enough that we can leave it safely and not worry about anything else coming through, and we would need the cart anyway.¡± Xuunah chuckled. ¡°The time you would save you would need to use to ensure both our and other''s safety.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Ren said and helped the maids climb in. ¡°Plus, Princess gets a bit of a good run out of it.¡± ¡°In the middle.¡± Princess said. ¡°Slow at first and slow at the end, all because I have passengers.¡± Ren chuckled this time. ¡°Yes, no mulching the passengers with quick starts and stops.¡± ¡°Can that happen?¡± Officer Holly asked as she climbed in. ¡°It''s possible, but I am never going to find out.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I want someone mulched, Princess can ram them for me.¡± Princess brayed amusement. ¡°Yes, they do mulch well.¡± ¡°What have I gotten myself into?¡± Officer Holly asked and sat down. ¡°One of the safest and most dangerous positions in this world or any other.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Near Ren.¡± That made everyone laugh. ¡°I''d make a comment that it''s not that bad, but I honestly can''t.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°See you in a few minutes.¡± Ren closed the cart up to protect the passengers and climbed onto Princess. She knew the drill by now and slowly trotted up into the sky, then poured on the speed. Artemis flew beside them and they arrived just outside the capital city of Bore-Reale 10 minutes later and came in for a landing. Once safely down, Ren helped everyone climb out and then switched the cart for the half-carriage he had in inventory and hooked that one to Princess. After he helped everyone climb in, he equipped his blue suit over top of his special armor bodysuit and sat down in the driver''s seat. Princess hauled them through the main gate of the city and easily navigated through the half-empty streets to the castle in the center of the city. Ren was still surprised that Sid Tec hadn''t been sued for using the exact castle design that a famous amusement park had, then assumed they were either paying royalties or had special permission. He tried to get the plans for it, and nothing appeared. Princess stopped at the front entrance to the castle and Ren hopped down, then helped Artemis, Xuunah, Officer Holly, Frikara, Lusinia, Navruth, Verwynn, and Andrela out of the half-carriage. ¡°I''d ask everyone to be on their best behavior, but I don''t know if that''s going to matter much at this point.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even I''m trying to decide if I should just storm in and get as much attention as possible, or just walk in and see how things go.¡± ¡°What does your Etiquette skill tell you?¡± Xuunah asked. Ren activated it. ¡°I should send someone in first and see what''s going on.¡± ¡°Me! Me!¡± Teepo said excitedly. Ren chuckled. ¡°Sorry, someone at least in human form.¡± ¡°I''ll go.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I need to check the place out anyway.¡± ¡°Do you want a clothing disguise?¡± Ren asked, and Officer Holly nooded. She didn''t want to remove her armor, so covering it up at first was the best choice. He made it look like she wore a similar dress to Xuunah, and she smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Officer Holly said and Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and showed her a quick layout and where the meeting room was. ¡°I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± She said and went inside. ¡°What next?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°When she comes back and tells me who she''s seen, I''ll go first, Frikara and the others in an array behind me, with you and Holly on either side of us and Artemis at the back.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m here not only as a delegation for the Sea Dwellers, but for my own county as well.¡± ¡°Maybe you should have brought Patty along as well, for corroborating testimony.¡± Frikara said. ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Ren said. He asked the All-Seeing Mirror to show him the upstairs of the Main House and saw that it was clear. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Teepo dissolved into the ring and Ren cast the Portal spell against the castle''s outer wall, took Artemis'' hand, then stepped through the portal with her. They appeared 5 feet away from the top of the stairs in the Main House and Ren walked down the stairs to the Mayor''s office. He knocked, and a woman''s voice told him to enter. ¡°I''m sorry to bother you so early, Patty.¡± Ren said as he opened the door. ¡°I''m going to see King Alamast about the neighbouring county''s invasion and wondered if you would like to come along.¡± ¡°I''d be delighted to.¡± Patty said. She closed the menu she had open and stood up, then looked at herself. ¡°¡±This isn''t something to wear to see the ruler of a kingdom, though.¡± Ren took out a blank sheet of parchment and asked her what she would like to wear. Patty blinked her eyes for a moment, then told him. A long flowing gown with lace at the neck and cuffs, a bit of cleavage, blue in color since that was what Ren was wearing, and maybe some Earth patterns on the hem. Ren finished the drawing and held it up for her, and her eyes lit up. ¡°Yes, that''s it exactly.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and ran across the street to the warehouse, then he, Tee-one, and Symmetra made the dress in about 5 seconds after dying the cloth blue. With all three of them using Ren''s mastered Tailoring skills, the only reason it took that long was because they didn''t have the fabric already cut. It took another 10 seconds to add the steel-reinforced fabric underneath, then they made the shoes, thin gloves, underwear, a strapless bra because of the dress, and a bow and ribbon for her hair. ¡°She didn''t ask for a bow.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said and stored everything. ¡°Thanks! See you later.¡± Ren disappeared from the warehouse and was back inside the Mayor''s office almost instantly. ¡°All done.¡± He told Patty, then took out the dress for her. She gasped at it''s high quality and Durability and ran her fingers over the soft cloth, then Ren gave her the shoes, gloves, and lastly the bow for her hair. ¡°A bow?¡± ¡°I think you''re hair should be pulled back and tied with this.¡± Ren said. ¡°That way you can show off that long neck you''ve been hiding.¡± Patty''s face flushed red. ¡°I''ve been hiding it because it''s long.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ll try everything else on first.¡± Patty said. ¡°I''ll be just outside.¡± ¡°I''m only going to equip it, so you don''t have to leave.¡± Patty said, and she picked up the underwear and bra. ¡°How does this work? There''s no straps.¡± ¡°Just equip it and it''ll do the rest.¡± Ren said and before he could even blink, she equipped them right in front of him. He saw her completely naked for an instant, which was pretty sexy, and he liked what he saw. Now that her private parts were covered again, he thought she looked even more sexy. She picked up the gloves next and equipped those, then the shoes. Ren kept his eyes on her face, but he could clearly see everything as she kept bending over to grab each piece, and she intentionally saved the dress for last. When she equipped it, both she and Ren sighed in relief. They exchanged glances, and then they both chuckled. ¡°I can''t believe I just did that.¡± Patty said, and her face flushed to a deeper red. ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°Shall we go?¡± Patty took his hand and he led her out of the office. ¡°Did... did you like what you saw?¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± Ren said and turned to lead her up the stairs. ¡°R-Ren, we... we can''t.¡± Patty said. ¡°I was... I was just teasing you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I know you were.¡± He said and led her up the stairs. ¡°The portal to go to the castle is up here.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Patty said and her face went as dark red as it could possibly go when she saw Artemis standing there waiting. ¡°I''m sorry I jumped to conclusions.¡± ¡°If I didn''t have my Emotion Siphon ability, I would have taken your exhibition as an invitation.¡± Ren said. Patty bit her lip and Ren felt a small spring of hope within her, and he stopped just before entering the portal. ¡°You wanted me to, even knowing we shouldn''t.¡± Ren said. Patty tried to turn away from him, but she didn''t deny it. ¡°I can''t have that kind of a relationship with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have no more room in my life for that.¡± ¡°I... I talked with... with Zunala.¡± Patty said. ¡°She... she told me...¡± Ren realized what she was trying to do, and pat her hand. ¡°Taking advice from a succubi on how to seduce a man can sometimes backfire.¡± He said. ¡°You''re lucky that I have a soft spot for bold women.¡± Patty looked back at him. ¡°Do... do you mean...¡± ¡°If you want, I''ll play with you like I did with the succubi.¡± Ren said. ¡°It can be no more than oral pleasure, and it won''t ever go past that.¡± Patty nodded her head several times, because that was more than she ever thought she would ever experience. ¡°Okay. I''m ready.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°We can''t do it right now.¡± He said and motioned to the portal. ¡°We''re both a little busy.¡± Patty blinked her eyes, sighed, and nodded. Ren held her hand as he took Artemis'', and stepped through the portal with them. He summoned Teepo and cast the spells to make him solid again. ¡°You decided to come.¡± Frikara said to Patty. ¡°That''s a nice dress.¡± ¡°Thank you. Ren just made it for me.¡± Patty said and ran her gloved hands down it. ¡°I''ve dreamed about having something like this.¡± ¡°I know the feeling.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I get it from everything he makes for me.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°And me.¡± Navruth said. ¡°Me as well.¡± Verwynn added. ¡°I like his cuddles more.¡± Andrela said, and they laughed. ¡°All clear.¡± Officer Holly said as she came out the door. ¡°I didn''t recognize anyone, and they seem to be preparing for a meeting.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Ren said, and told Officer Holly how he wanted to enter the place in a formation that let her, Artemis, and Xuunah protect everyone. She took her position on the side opposite Xuunah, and Patty stood in the middle of the maids. When everyone was set, Ren led the way inside the castle. Chapter 548 - Unexpected Meeting Princess trotted up into the sky and tucked herself behind one of the many turrets to stay out of sight when Ren and the women went inside the castle. No one said anything to Ren as he walked through the various hallways to get to the meeting room. Along the way he detected several instances of Void activity as his Aura passed over certain rooms and corridors. Ren marked them mentally and continued on until he came to the meeting room and met the guard at the door, who looked over Ren and his group with a suspicious eye. ¡°County?¡± The guard asked. ¡°Walin County.¡± Ren said. ¡°Delegates?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m Lord Ren and it''s my county.¡± He motioned to Patty. ¡°This is Miss Patty Cake, the mayor of the capital called Goagan City.¡± He said and motioned to Xuunah, Officer Holly, and Artemis. ¡°My personal offensive guards.¡± He motioned to the maids. ¡°My very private guards and mistresses.¡± The guard''s mouth dropped open at Ren''s words, and Ren tried not to laugh at his expression. ¡°Um... ah...¡± The guard mumbled. ¡°I know where the proper seating is.¡± Ren said to stop the poor guy from trying to speak. The guard nodded and waved him through the door, and Ren led his group over to their seats. ¡°By the gods, did you see his expression?¡± Frikara whispered as she sat down, and the maids laughed softly. ¡°You could swear he had never heard of mistresses before!¡± Amusement flooded the shared Aura from the maids, and Xuunah and Officer Holly held in their laughter. Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it where King Alamast was, and it showed him on his way to the meeting room. When the king hit the edge of Ren''s Aura, he stopped walking. The people with him hadn''t noticed and kept going, then saw the king had stopped and went back. Ren couldn''t hear what they were saying, but he assumed it was along the lines of, ''what happened'', ''what is it'', and ''why did you stop''. After a few moments, the king waved them to silence and kept walking. Ren smiled when he saw a blonde-haired young woman join the king in the hallway. The king tried to send her off, but she didn''t pay him any mind, and Ren stored the mirror just before they entered the meeting room. ¡°You expressly invited me to sit in on these meetings, father.¡± Princess Diana said as she and King Alamast entered the meeting room. ¡°Tedious though they may be, they are essential to the running of the kingdom.¡± ¡°I know what I said.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Now listen to what I''m saying now.¡± He said and stopped before he approached the podium at the front of the room. ¡°I don''t want you to be here right now.¡± Diana fought to not frown at her father, mainly because she knew it made her look childish in front of all the government representatives. ¡°What''s changed in the last few minutes?¡± Diana asked. Ren figured this was the best time to make his presence officially known. He stood up and waved to her, and it caught her attention right away. He felt her initial surprise and then felt her emotions shift to that of a woman trying to hide her feelings. It was then that Ren felt a Void presence on the right side of the room, and he quickly glanced that way. He saw nothing but a large shadow there, then glanced all around the room to see several large shadows around. Ren took out several steel squares and enchanted them with a glyph that was a combination of both Illumination and Anti-void runes, then he ran around the room in a flash as he placed the enchanted steel squares just on the edge of all the shadows and activated them. ¡°AHHH!¡± A male voice yelled as the shadow he was in was lit up, and the Anti-void runes caused his Void ability, the ability to merge with the shadows, to stop working briefly. The yell was because he had tried to retreat and hit the well-lit wall instead of entering the shadow tunnel he had come out of. Several of the delegates nearby were shocked to see someone suddenly appear, especially someone covered from head to toe in a black cloak. ¡°Hello, there.¡± Ren said and tried to detect the cloaked figure''s emotions. He didn''t feel anything, though. ¡°I don''t think King Alamast likes having extra observers that he can''t see.¡± The cloaked figure looked at Ren, then darted to the side to try and escape. Ren cast Invisible Wall in front of him and the cloaked figure hit it at a full run and bounced off. ¡°Ouch.¡± One of the government officials said at the impact. Ren cast the spell 4 more times to make 3 more walls and a top to complete the cage, and left space between the edges of the walls for air and sound to pass through. He cast Dispel on the figure, and nothing happened. ¡°His cloak is real and not a disguise.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hey, you. Get up.¡± The cloaked figure moved an arm, then groaned as the hand rubbed inside the black space where his face should be. ¡°If you''re hurt, I can heal you.¡± Ren said, and the figure laughed. ¡°You''re why I''m hurt!¡± The cloaked figure said. Ren thought he recognized the voice and thought about it, then his eyes widened. ¡°Talon? Is that you?¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Talon said and cast Obscuring Mist inside the cage and it was filled with white smoke immediately. Ren dispelled it and saw that the cloaked figure was gone. ¡°He got away!¡± The government official said. ¡°Everyone would assume that.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Me? I''m not that naive or gullible.¡± Ren cast a Wall of Brambles inside the cage next to one of the walls, then used the Shaper spell to slowly spread the brambles out through the cage. Another Obscuring Mist appeared and he dispelled it, and then the brambles caught on fire. Ren used his Fire Manipulation ability to move the fire around the brambles and then absorbed it. When the brambles started to be broken from either a weapon or fists, and Ren quickly focused the growth in that direction. ¡°Stop! STOP!¡± Talon said, and he reappeared. ¡°You got me.¡± His cloak had been pierced in several places and jammed against the invisible cage, and his arms and legs were close to being that way as well. His hood had been removed as well, and he was in a near panic. ¡°Let me out!¡± ¡°Guards!¡± King Alamast said, and two castle guards came over to the invisible cage.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°You don''t see things like this every day.¡± One of the guards said, because it looked like Talon was suspended in mid-air on a wall of branches and nothing was holding it up. ¡°What were you doing?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What do you think?¡± Talon asked. ¡°Well, considering you were just hiding in a shadow, I have to assume you''re spying for someone.¡± Ren turned to King Alamast. ¡°What happened to Lord Eddlemere, the one that tried to have you assassinated?¡± ¡°He escaped without a trace.¡± King Alamast said and looked at Talon. ¡°I believe we now know how that was possible.¡± ¡°Yes, it seems Talon here has been helping Lord Eddlemere listen in on everything, too.¡± Ren said and turned back to Talon. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why what?¡± ¡°Why are you helping him subvert the King?¡± ¡°Money, prestige, and power. Why else?¡± Talon said. Ren chuckled. ¡°At least you didn''t say it was for fun.¡± ¡°You''re kidding, right? This isn''t fun at all.¡± ¡°Then why do it?¡± ¡°I owe him. He took me under his wing and taught me everything there was to know about my class.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s a one-of-a-kind class. How would he... oh, damn.¡± ¡°Yeah, he''s got someone on the inside helping him.¡± Talon said. ¡°I tried to find out who so I could contact them myself; but since he never contacts them here...¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now tell us everything he had you do for him.¡± ¡°Ha! Hahaha!¡± Talon laughed. ¡°Not a chance.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Your highness, what''s the penalty here for spying?¡± Talon asked. ¡°If you are found guilty, it''s 2 years in prison.¡± Princess Diana said. ¡°Or 6 to 9 months of hard labour in the rock quarry, depending on how well you work.¡± ¡°You see? If they knew what I''ve really been doing, there would be no point in logging in anymore.¡± Talon said. Ren shook his head. ¡°Why did you go this route?¡± ¡°After a few other things happened and I leveled up high enough, I started using my abilities to... gather things.¡± Talons said, and he saw the looks on the government officials'' faces. ¡°After a while, and a few more incidents, I was picked to go to Shargon Caverns.¡± He said. ¡°I failed miserably at the end and was devoured by the Marilith Demon.¡± Ren barked a laugh and everyone looked at him. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± ¡°What is?¡± Princess Diana asked. ¡°Him being eaten?¡± ¡°No, Your Highness. When I became an Adventurer, so did 4 other people.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s amazing is that 3 out of the 5 of us went to Shargon Caverns.¡± ¡°Tristan was first, obviously.¡± Talon said as he thought it through. ¡°It wasn''t long after he was chosen that I had to choose to go, and I did.¡± He said. ¡°I''m pretty sure the Sage of Ages wouldn''t go, even if she wasn''t given a choice.¡± He looked at Ren. ¡°Was it Selene? She''s pretty ruthless.¡± ¡°No, it wasn''t her.¡± Ren said, then let a slow smile spread across his face. ¡°Take another guess.¡± Talon just stared at Ren like he had never seen him before. ¡°It... it was...¡± ¡°Surrrpriiiise.¡± Ren said and spread his arms slightly. ¡°God, no.¡± Talon said and shook his head. ¡°How? Why?¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did... did you...¡± Talon shook his head again. ¡°No, there''s no way that you could have.¡± ¡°Could have what?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°Passed.¡± Talon said. ¡°I''ve talked to a few people that have been through it, and none of them have ever made it past the final boss.¡± He said. ¡°No one has ever heard of anyone...¡± ¡°I probably shouldn''t tell you this; but, I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I succeeded.¡± ¡°You''re lying through your teeth.¡± Talon said. ¡°There''s no way that you could have...¡± ¡°He''s not lying.¡± Princess Diana said and tapped her Amulet of Interrogation. ¡°He would be sweating like a stuck pig if he was.¡± She said. ¡°That would be too big of a lie to get away with.¡± ¡°Oh, god. Oh, god.¡± Talon started to freak out and started to yank on the branches that held him tightly. ¡°Arrest me! Send me to prison! God, just get me away from him!¡± ¡°What''s wrong?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°You don''t understand! He passed Shargon Caverns! He defeated the final boss that no one else has ever defeated!¡± Talon said and struggled even harder. ¡°He''s a monster!¡± There was a loud snap and some people thought it was a branch; but, Ren knew better. He recognized that sound, since he''d done it so many times himself. Talon held up his hand and everyone saw that his wrist was broken. ¡°Get me out of here!¡± Talon almost yelled and tried to use the broken wrist to push on the branches. ¡°Ren.¡± Xuunah said, and Ren nodded. He took out more steel squares and enchanted them with the Illumination and Anti-void runes, activated them, then gave them to the guards. ¡°Keep these around him at all times.¡± Ren said. ¡°That way, he has to try and escape the normal way and can''t slip into the shadows.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± The guards said, and Ren dismissed the spells he had cast. Talon fell to the floor and the guards scooped him up before he could run. ¡°Hurry! Get me out of here!¡± Talon said, and the guards rushed him out of the meeting room. A hush fell over everyone in the meeting room, and then Princess Diana stepped forward and held her hand out. ¡°Lord Ren.¡± Diana said regally. ¡°I thank you for your continued service to the crown and to the Human Kingdom.¡± Ren didn''t hesitate at all as he took her offered hand and bent over it, then placed a kiss on the back of it. ¡°Your Highness, I humbly accept your thanks.¡± He said and let her hand go as he stoop up straight. ¡°Despite how things have appeared in the past, I have always been at your service and would like nothing more than to keep serving you to the best of my ability.¡± ¡°Can you root out any other people that have been unfairly targeting this kingdom and it''s rulers?¡± ¡°If I may be excused for a few minutes?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. Both he and Artemis disappeared from sight and Diana looked at Xuunah''s eyes as she followed Ren''s movements through the castle. He deposited a steel square with the same enchantments all around the castle, starting at the spots he had mentally marked, and caught 6 people using Void abilities. Ren and Artemis bound them with rope and he built a small cart to carry them, then brought them back to the meeting room. ¡°This is all that''s working with Void abilities inside the castle at the moment.¡± Ren said, and the king and Princess Diana stared at the captured men with wide eyes. ¡°Are... are you sure?¡± Diana asked, because one of the people was the king''s trusted valet. ¡°You know no one can speak a deliberate lie around you, Your Highness.¡± Ren said. Diana sighed and then gave Ren a slow nod. ¡°They will be thoroughly questioned.¡± ¡°It might amount to nothing, or you could uncover a whole conspiracy.¡± Ren said and he and Artemis walked back over to their seats. ¡°Is this why you are here today?¡± Diana asked. ¡°To help root out the evil that seems to permeate this castle?¡± ¡°In part.¡± Ren said. ¡°I came to report that a county neighbouring mine had decided to invade and try to take over my county.¡± There were gasps from a lot of the government officials, and several nodded their heads while a few muttered that was how it was done. ¡°Did they succeed?¡± Diana asked softly. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not only did I have enough time to get a quick defensive force ready to remove the soldiers that had threatened my citizens, I even went so far as to go into the neighbouring county and removed all of the soldiers there so that I didn''t have to worry about any future threats.¡± All talk stopped at those words, and Ren felt intense scrutiny. ¡°Which county?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°The one Lord Gresham ruled over.¡± Ren said, and he felt that a lot of the people in the meeting room were not surprised by this, and he looked at them. ¡°I must assume that Lord Gresham''s land is so big because this is not the first time it''s happened.¡± No one responded, and Ren turned back to Princess Diana and King Alamast. ¡°So, even if I had sent someone to you when it started, you wouldn''t have interfered.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s expected that Lords of the Human Kingdom should be able to defend themselves.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°I''m glad to hear you can.¡± ¡°I did better than that, Your Highness. Lord Grasham is dead, as is the ruling council or whoever else it was that were in the throne room with the guards.¡± ¡°But... isn''t he...¡± ¡°Yes, he''s an Adventurer; but I don''t expect him to come back.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, not only did you survive an invasion, you invaded back.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Did you plunder everything and empty the coffers?¡± He asked, then sighed. ¡°I had hoped you were cut from different cloth, My Lord.¡± Ren smiled at him. ¡°I have to assume you came here to petition to take over the land.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°No, I''m not... and I didn''t plunder anything.¡± Ren felt shock from everyone, including Princess Diana and King Alamast, because they knew for a fact that he wasn''t lying. ¡°I''m more than happy with my county.¡± He smiled. ¡°I actually came here to petition for you to appoint a new Lord to take over Lord Grasham''s lands.¡± ¡°You really are crazy.¡± King Alamast said, because he couldn''t believe anyone would pass up such prime lands and businesses. ¡°What I am, Your Highness... is not greedy.¡± Ren said. King Alamast looked at Ren and the women he had brought with him. ¡°All extra business not relating to the operation of the kingdom have to be put off until the end of the regular meetings.¡± He said. ¡°We can look into your problem then.¡± ¡°I suppose I can wait until then for that to be resolved.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I have a question.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Diana asked. ¡°I was wondering... do you think the impending war with the Sea Dwellers relates to the operation of the kingdom?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If it does, I believe that should take precedence.¡± Princess Diana and King Alamast exchanged knowing looks and didn''t say anything. Chapter 549 - More Meetings It was decided by everyone, except for Ren, to leave such an important decision for last, and they all settled down for a long day of meetings. Commerce, trade, taxes, zoning regulations, infrastructure financing, balancing the budget, and everything else that was the bread and butter to government officials no matter where they worked, was discussed all morning until the King decided that he was hungry and declared that it was lunchtime. Ren had thought about leaving several times, and each time he had resolved to just get up and leave, Princess Diana caught his eye and she discretely shook her head no. He was unable to resist staying around and ask why he shouldn''t leave, and when the king had declared lunch, he knew this would be the best time to find out. When everyone stood up to gather their things, he quickly made his way over to the table she sat at. ¡°Your Highness, why do you want me to stay around?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I need to go and visit representatives for the High Elves, then I need to get back to Aurora for another important meeting.¡± ¡°You''ve brought forward two problems for the kingdom as a whole to consider.¡± Princess Diana said. ¡°You can''t just do that and leave, despite your agenda to meet with as many high ranking people as you can in a single day.¡± Ren could feel her emotions and she wanted him to stick around, and he sighed. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t come back right away with an offer.¡± Diana''s face went red. ¡°This isn''t about that.¡± She said. A bead of sweat appeared on her forehead, and she sighed. ¡°Okay, not just that.¡± The sweat disappeared. ¡°If you aren''t here when we finish the normal meetings, neither problem will be looked at until you are here to petition the King again, assuming they will let you bring it up again after abandoning this attempt.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I don''t suppose there''s any point in asking you to try and get the king to speed things up, is there?¡± Diana smiled as her father came over to the table. ¡°Of course you can join us for lunch, Lord Ren.¡± She said loudly for everyone to hear. ¡°It''s a little unorthodox, but a welcome change.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Lady Eleanor might enjoy seeing someone else sit at the table with us.¡± No sweat appeared on his face, so Ren had to assume it would be true. He turned and nodded to the maids, and they stood up with Patty and came over to him, with Xuunah and Officer Holly on either side of the group and Artemis at the back to guard them. ¡°Several other someones.¡± Diana added. Ren chuckled. ¡°Lead the way, Your Highness.¡± Diana and her father, King Alamast, led Ren and his group out of the meeting room and down several hallways to their private dining area. ¡°Mother! We have guests!¡± Diana exclaimed loudly as the door to the dining area opened. Ren felt a spike of annoyance from the person in the room, which he assumed was Lady Eleanor, and the annoyance was quickly suppressed and replaced with both curiosity and cunning. Ren thought that was a bit weird, considering the circumstances, and then he realized that she would almost always be in this position and would try to give herself the best advantages no matter who showed up. He nodded mentally and followed Diana and her father into the room. ¡°Lady Eleanor, may I present to you Lord Ren and his... ah...¡± ¡°Mistresses and recently personal guards.¡± Ren said and pointed to his maids. ¡°Mayor of my capital city.¡± He said and pointed to Patty, then motioned to Xuunah and Officer Holly. ¡°My offensive guards.¡± Lady Eleanor nodded to each as Ren spoke, then she turned back to Ren. ¡°Lord Ren, it''s nice to see you again.¡± Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she stepped forward and held a hand out. Ren''s Etiquette skill kicked in and he stepped close and bent over slightly as he reached for her hand, then he realized what he was doing and equipped a gauntlet to cover the skin before their hands touched. Princess Diana and Lady Eleanor gasped at the sight, and Ren felt anger from the king. ¡°How dare you!¡± Lady Eleanor nearly yelled and pulled her hand back before the formal greeting could be completed. Ren felt her embarrassment as she made a fist and turned away.
Notice!
You have been rebuffed by King Alamast''s wife for insulting her. Penaties: -1,000 Fame; -1,000 Honor
System Notice!
Honor Loss cancelled. Your Honor stat has been frozen and will remain untouched.
¡°REN!¡± Princess Diana yelled in disbelief. ¡°Why would you refuse to touch her?¡± ¡°I should banish you from the castle for this.¡± King Alamast said through gritted teeth. ¡°I would have done it already if you hadn''t saved my daughter''s life.¡± ¡°Your Highness.¡± Ren gave King Alamast a slight bow. ¡°Your Highness.¡± He gave Diana a slight bow, and then he knelt before Lady Eleanor. ¡°Your Highness Lady Eleanor. Please forgive me. I meant no disrespect.¡± ¡°You covered your hand before touching me.¡± Lady Eleanor said without turning around. Disgust for him filled both her voice and her emotions. She could see in the mirror across the room that Ren was kneeling behind her, and it placated her that a man as powerful as he was, had knelt for her without being asked or even commanded. That assumed Ren would have knelt if her husband had commanded him, which was not a certainty. ¡°It wasn''t her fault that she''s been tainted!¡± Diana said heatedly, and she was tempted to smack him for insulting her family in such a manner. She thought about what would have happened if he had done this in public, and her heart shivered at the backlash it would have caused in both the officials Lady Eleanor dealt with on a daily basis and with the public. Diana''s opinion of Ren fell low because of that one simple gesture.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Please allow me to explain.¡± Ren said. He felt their emotions and sighed mentally that one little action had caused so much trouble. He waited to see if they would refuse, and no one said anything. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said. ¡°To make a long story short, I can heal ghoul-infected people. Since there is always a catch to such things, they become members of my domain when I touch them.¡± Princess Diana and King Alamast''s emotions churned like tides at this information. ¡°I didn''t want to make Lady Eleanor a part of my domain by accident, which is what would have happened had I touched her without a glove on.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have mentioned it, but my Etiquette skill compelled me try and complete the greeting before I could say anything.¡± King Alamast''s emotions settled down to simmering anger. ¡°It is still a grave insult.¡± He said. ¡°Not just for a woman, but especially so for the wife of the king.¡± ¡°I know it is, Your Highness.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just lost 1,000 Fame because of it.¡± Lady Eleanor and Princess Diana gasped at the outrageous total, because he had lost one tenth of his Fame in an instant. ¡°Please accept my deepest apologies.¡± Ren said sincerely. ¡°I would take your hand and kiss it to make it up to you, if not for the same reason.¡± Lady Eleanor looked at Diana and the Amulet of Interrogation she wore, then looked in the mirror. Ren wasn''t sweating at all. ¡°What does being under your domain mean?¡± She asked and turned around to face him. ¡°I know what being under someone''s rule is. Is it the same?¡± ¡°In a sense, Your Highness.¡± Ren said without looking up at her face. He wasn''t allowed to meet her gaze until he was forgiven. ¡°I would be responsible for you and your actions. I would provide proper housing if required and monies to ensure you have the best life possible.¡± He said. ¡°It would never be necessary to call upon you to defend the land, since I and my friends can do that easily.¡± ¡°It sounds like people in your domain need to move to your lands.¡± Diana said. ¡°Not at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, I made an entire city for the infected High Elves that have been cured. It''s nowhere near my lands, despite a good portion of them being under my domain.¡± ¡°An entire city?!?¡± Lady Eleanor exclaimed, and Ren nodded. ¡°In fact I made 3 of them. One for the High Elves in the no man''s land between the Human Kingdom and High Elven Kingdom, one for the Giants between the Dwarven Kingdom and Giant Kingdom, and one for the humans in my county.¡± ¡°How big are these cities?¡± Diana asked. ¡°The High Elven one is round and about 20 square miles, with a mile high tower in the center.¡± Ren said. ¡°The giant one is square and 25 square miles, but since the buildings are much bigger, it can''t hold the same amount of people.¡± He said. ¡°The human one is 25 square miles as well. It''s unoccupied, though.¡± ¡°Good lord.¡± King Alamast said, surprised. ¡°I won''t ask about the cost, since I know how much a city costs to establish. How long did it take you to build them?¡± ¡°Including design time?¡± Ren asked, and he nodded. ¡°About a day.¡± Shock and surprise came from King Alamast, Lady Eleanor, and Princess Diana. Ren remained quiet and let them absorb what he said for a few minutes. ¡°Lunch is served.¡± A young woman said as she entered the private dining room. She pushed the cart of food over to the table and started to set out the dishes in a quick and timely manner. She hummed softly as she worked, and everyone stayed silent as she set out the plates and silverware. When she was done, she pushed the cart over to the wall beside the door and stood there, then she looked around the room and saw who was there. ¡°Lord Ren!¡± The young woman said and covered her mouth with a hand for speaking without being spoken to, and everyone looked at her. Ren studied her for only a moment and saw her shoulder length brown hair, and remembered that it was deceiving because she had most of it tied in a knot on the back of her head. He had first seen it when he had returned her family''s sewing needle. ¡°Miss Morgan.¡± Ren said and gave her a slight bow. ¡°It''s nice to see you again.¡± ¡°Belinda? You know him?¡± Diana asked, and the young woman nodded. ¡°I was there when he gave the heir loom to my mother.¡± Belinda said. ¡°I was honored to meet such a kind and generous man.¡± Ren glanced at her hands and didn''t see the Mana boost ring he had given her. ¡°We are getting far afield of what we were discussing.¡± Lady Eleanor said haughtily, and everyone looked back at her. ¡°Lord Ren, you are still on bended knee before me and your hand is still covered.¡± ¡°Your Highness, people under my domain do not need to move anywhere, leave their jobs or loved ones, or even change how they live.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would not touch you without your permission, not without warning you beforehand.¡± He said and stored the gauntlet. ¡°I did it to protect you, not to insult you.¡± Lady Eleanor had watched Ren closely, and not one drop of sweat had appeared anywhere on him as he spoke. All of his words were true, and she looked at her husband. She saw the worry there, and she assumed it was because he was concerned about what it would mean for her to be under the domain of another man. King Alamast saw the question on his wife''s face; but, he had been a ruler for far too long and knew that if he tried to influence her decision in any way, she would never forgive him for it. It didn''t matter what the outcome was, good or bad. He glanced at his daughter and he realized that Diana had inherited that trait from her mother. He kept his expression as blank as he could and looked back at his wife. Lady Eleanor didn''t need to read her husband''s expression. She could tell from the look in his eyes what he thought. It was her decision, and she decided that she needed to erase the insult Ren had given her, unintended or not. It had hurt her feelings more than her reaction had shown, mainly because she had never felt the same since she had been sick and healed. She always felt dirty and somehow grime-ridden. No matter how much she washed herself or had someone else wash her, she never felt clean. She took a deep breath and let it out, then held her hand out to Ren. Ren had felt her emotions run through the whole spectrum, and he admired her restraint because not one iota of it had showed up on her face. She had held her composure and kept herself from letting those emotions rule what she did. He looked at her face directly because he was now allowed to, and he reached up and took her hand. Lady Eleanor gasped as his touch sent a shock through her, and the mark on her skin above her heart burned for a moment. She blinked her eyes and stared at Ren as her body tingled, and then she felt better than she had ever felt before. She took a deep breath and let it out again, and for the first time in a long time, she let a genuine smile appear on her face. ¡°Welcome to my domain, Lady Eleanor.¡± Ren said and gave her a bright and warm smile. He partially stood to kiss the back of her hand, just like he had said he would if he wasn''t restricted from touching her, then knelt again. ¡°Please rise.¡± Lady Eleanor said, and Ren stood up. She squeezed his hand and let it go, then she walked over to her husband, the king. ¡°You look radiant.¡± King Alamast said, and Lady Eleanor slid her arms around his neck. ¡°I feel radiant.¡± Lady Eleanor almost purred. ¡°Like a huge weight has been lifted from my heart.¡± King Alamast was a bit surprised she would openly hug him like this, and then she kissed him. It was only a quick kiss and looked quite platonic; but, she didn''t normally stand for public shows of affection like that. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Diana asked, and Lady Eleanor let her husband go and gave her daughter a hug. ¡°Thanks to you.¡± Lady Eleanor said, and Diana stiffened in her arms. ¡°Don''t be shocked that I know it was you that sent for the healers.¡± She said. ¡°My smart and resourceful daughter.¡± Diana had been surprised that her mother knew, and now she was shocked at the compliment. ¡°Who are you and where is my mother?¡± Lady Eleanor gave a subdued laugh and let her daughter go. ¡°I''m still me, except I...¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°I don''t know how or why, but... you''ve taken away a lot of my worries.¡± ¡°I tried to explain that would happen.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t really explain feeling good, though.¡± Lady Eleanor nodded. ¡°Please have a seat and join my family and I for lunch.¡± ¡°Your Highness, I would be delighted to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t eaten a full meal for weeks and I''m absolutely starving!¡± Chapter 550 - A Returning Guest ¡°I know Adventurers can be Hardy, but I''ve never heard of anyone not eating for weeks.¡± Lady Eleanor said as King Alamast held her chair for her. She sat down and the king turned and held the chair for his daughter, who sat just as regally as her mother had, and then the king himself sat down. Ren waited for them to be seated before repeating the same motions for the women on his side of the table. ¡°It''s simple really.¡± He said as he started with Frikara and helped her sit. ¡°I didn''t need to eat because I have a Ring of Sustenance.¡± He moved on to Lusinia, then sat Verwynn, Navruth and Andrela. ¡°A ring of sustenance?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°That provides everything someone would need to maintain their daily needs, doesn''t it?¡± ¡°It does, Your Highness.¡± Ren said and walked over to the chair beside Frikara and held the next one out for Patty. She sat down and Xuunah, Artemis, and Officer Holly took up positions against the wall near the serving maid. ¡°Did it stop working?¡± Princess Diana asked, just because she wanted to be a part of the conversation. ¡°Yes, but only because I had to remove it yesterday and I''m waiting for it to align to me again.¡± Ren said and sat down himself. ¡°I can still eat food while wearing it; but only because the food tastes good, and not for it''s Health properties.¡± ¡°How much longer do you have to wait for it to adjust to you?¡± Lady Eleanor asked. ¡°Only until tonight.¡± Ren said and leaned over the table conspiratorially. ¡°Once I discovered the recipe, I used my skills to alter it''s design and changed the requirements.¡± He said and glanced from side to side, because that was what was expected when someone was sharing a secret. ¡°I even dropped the alignment time from a week to only a day, and made it so you only have to sleep for an hour to benefit from a full night''s rest.¡± The king, his wife, and his daughter stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°That''s his latest version.¡± Frikara said. ¡°The one just before that requires 2 hours of sleep for the same benefit, and he won''t give us the new one.¡± Lady Eleanor covered her mouth with a hand to stop her gasp. ¡°Frikara, don''t exaggerate.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°They work just fine and Ren didn''t want us to lose the extra benefits while we waited for the new rings to adjust.¡± ¡°Extra benefits?¡± Diana asked. ¡°He managed to work in small diamonds to the design and enchanted them as well.¡± Lusinia said and put her hand onto the middle of the table to show off the ring, and Diana could see the diamonds recessed into it''s surface. ¡°The ring gives us +10 to all of our stats.¡± Ren couldn''t see the reactions of the three people on the other side of the table, but he sure could feel them. ¡°We seem to have gotten ahead of ourselves.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I inadvertently started the meal conversation and we don''t have the meal yet.¡± King Alamast chuckled. ¡°Yes, yes. You''re quite right.¡± He said and waved to the server. Belinda smiled widely and came over to the table and started to serve the food. Ren took a long breath in through his nose and sighed. ¡°That smells good.¡± Ren said and watched as she served food to the king, his wife and daughter, then she came over to his side of the table. ¡°It is, My Lord.¡± Belinda said and served him, then she dithered about which side of Ren to serve first. ¡°I''ll defer to Patty, because she has the rank of Mayor within this political system.¡± Frikara said. Belinda almost sighed in relief and served Patty first, then moved around Ren to serve Frikara. When she moved on to Lusinia, Ren took Frikara''s hand and lifted it to his lips, then he kissed the inside of her wrist. Frikara''s face flushed red at the intimate contact, especially in such a public place, and Ren felt her discomfort. Ren let her hand go and leaned in to put his mouth by her ear to whisper. ¡°Is it because I did it, or because it''s in public?¡± ¡°Public.¡± Frikara whispered back. Ren gave her cheek a light kiss and leaned back to look at King Alamast. ¡°In dwarf culture, a kiss on the wrist is something you reserve for those you care about deeply, and it''s usually saved for private circumstances.¡± The king looked at Frikara''s red face and back at Ren. ¡°Then why did you do it?¡± ¡°I wanted to thank her for not making a fuss about not being served first, despite her being a Lady in my unregistered House.¡± Ren said and he felt the king and his family''s reactions. So, they know something about of dwarf culture. ¡°I also wanted her to know that I care enough about her to do the gesture publicly.¡± Both Lady Eleanor''s and Princess Diana''s gazes ran across the other 4 dwarf women at the table, and went back to Ren with the obvious question on their faces. ¡°I might be talented, but even my lips can''t reach their wrists from here.¡± Ren said, and the other 4 maids blushed. The king notice their reaction to just Ren''s words. ¡°So, you would do the same gesture to them in public?¡± ¡°Of course I would.¡± Ren said. ¡°We share a bed every night. Showing them affection outside of that is almost a requirement.¡± He said. ¡°Look at them. They''re beautiful, intelligent, resourceful, and a few other things that I can''t really admit to without embarrassing them.¡± He felt them be embarrassed anyway and looked at the bright red faces of the maids. ¡°I mean, without embarrassing them further.¡± Frikara shook her head. ¡°Ren, stop talking about us.¡± ¡°Why? I still haven''t told them that I love you all and-Mmhm¡± Ren''s words were cut off when Frikara covered his mouth with her hand, and that made the maids and Patty laugh. ¡°By the gods, shut up!¡± Frikara said and kept his mouth covered, then turned to look at the king and his wife and daughter. ¡°He tends to ramble on about things if you let him.¡± King Alamast and Lady Eleanor smiled while Diana bit her lip to stop from laughing. Belinda finished serving the food and went back over to the wall to wait while the people at the table started to eat.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. After a few minutes, Belinda couldn''t contain her curiosity and whispered softly to Xuunah and Officer Holly. ¡°Does he really have all those women in his bed every night?¡± Xuunah and Officer Holly exchanged glances, then shrugged. ¡°Not Patty, the one on his left.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°The other 5? Yes.¡± Belinda was quiet for several minutes. ¡°How does that work?¡± She asked. ¡°Wouldn''t someone be left out? There''s only one of him and 5 of them.¡± ¡°They take turns.¡± Xuunah said. Belinda thought about it. ¡°I suppose that would work. One a night for 5 nights, and then...¡± ¡°No, every night.¡± Xuunah said, and because she shared an Aura with Ren, she felt utter shock from the young woman. Ren didn''t even glance over as he kept eating and listened to the conversation at the table. Xuunah felt that he wanted to look over at them to see what was going on, and had decided the king and his family had to take precedence. ¡°E-e-every n-night?¡± Belinda asked once she had recovered, and Xuunah nodded. ¡°How?¡± ¡°This isn''t the time to discuss how things between a man and a woman work.¡± Xuunah said and smiled. ¡°That''s not what I...¡± Belinda saw Xuunah''s smile, and realized Xuunah had intentionally misunderstood. ¡°I''ll stop talking now.¡± King Alamast, Lady Eleanor, Princess Diana, and their guests ate lunch and shared a good conversation about nothing, as was the normal pace for lunches in the royal household. Nothing important was to be discussed while they ate, and that was how Lady Eleanor liked it. Meals were her personal time with her family, and the serious things could wait until they were done. King Alamast waited until everyone sat back from their plates before he waved to the server. Belinda came over with the cart and started to pick up the dirty dishes. She grabbed the three of them from the king and his family first and carried them to the cart. She deposited them there and came back to the table on Ren''s side. Ren took out a Strong Ring of Storage and held it out to her. ¡°My Lord, I can''t accept that.¡± Belinda said and took his empty plate. ¡°I can carry everything just fine.¡± ¡°But you can just store it all and then put it in the cart.¡± Ren said. Belinda stopped and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°My Lord, you are generous to a fault. I won''t abuse your good nature by taking everything you offer.¡± Ren felt that she was being sincere, so he had to ask her a question. ¡°Can I ask what happened to the other ring I gave you?¡± Belinda smiled. ¡°I gave it to my mother, of course.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I don''t have any skill in that regard at all.¡± Belinda said. ¡°It was a very generous gift and I appreciated it; but...¡± ¡°It was useless to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± He said and held the ring up. ¡°This won''t be useless.¡± Belinda thought about saying no. She didn''t need to store everything first, but she knew he wouldn''t stop trying to give her things if she refused again, so she held her hand out. Ren smiled at her and put the ring in her hand, and then Belinda gasped as his fingers touched her palm. Belinda''s hand wrapped around his and she held on as a ghoul-kissed mark appeared above her heart. Her body shook from the sensations it gave her, and she gained everyone''s attention and they looked at her. Belinda was healed fully a moment later and she became a part of Ren''s domain. ¡°M''lady, I didn''t realize...¡± Ren stood up to hold her hand properly. ¡°What... what happened?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°I feel so... so...¡± ¡°My touch can fully heal anyone that''s been infected by a ghoul.¡± Ren said. ¡°The side effect is that you become a part of my domain.¡± ¡°A part of your... wait, did you just call me M''lady?¡± Ren felt her start to go into shock and tried to calm her down. He flooded his Reassurance Aura with happiness and then activated his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Reassuring Hands. Belinda responded to his touch immediately and calmed down. ¡°Please accept my apologies.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t mean to subvert your choice for...¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°I''ve never even seen a ghoul, let alone been near one! How was I ghoul-infected?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°M''lady...¡± ¡°I''m not a Lady! Stop calling me that!¡± ¡°I''m sorry, ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°The proof is the skull mark that now exists above your heart.¡± ¡°Wh-what? A skull? No. Nonono.¡± Belinda shook her head several times. Ren poured as many good feelings as he could into her to keep her calm, and she took several deep breaths. No one said anything for several minutes, and then Belinda used her free hand to pull out her top slightly and looked down to see the skull right where Ren said it would be. ¡°How did this happen?¡± Belinda asked as a tear rolled down her cheek. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Let''s find out.¡± Ren said. Belinda let her top go and her eyes found his. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Two possible ways; but, I''ll use what I have right here at my disposal first.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and kept a hold of her hand. ¡°Please show me how Belinda was infected.¡± Ren and Belinda watched as she touched a dirty spoon to hand to the dishwasher. ¡°N-no!¡± ¡°It seems it was a spoon that was responsible.¡± Ren said out loud, then he felt surprise from King Alamast, Lady Eleanor, and Princess Diana... then it turned to dread. ¡°The spoon.¡± King Alamast said and looked at his wife. ¡°It was the damn spoon!¡± ¡°What spoon?¡± Ren asked, and the All-Seeing Mirror showed the spoon, and he held it up to show them. ¡°This spoon?¡± ¡°It looks the same as all of our spoons.¡± Diana said, then she gasped. ¡°Oh, god! Did... did someone poison her on purpose?!?¡± ¡°I was poisoned by a spoon.¡± Lady Eleanor said in a flat voice. ¡°A spoon.¡± ¡°Show me where the spoon is now.¡± Ren said, and the view in the mirror changed to show the table they just ate at. ¡°It''s here.¡± He said and let Belinda''s hand go to walk over to the table and stopped at the chair Verwynn sat at. He reached for the spoon and saw his hand appear in the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°This one.¡± ¡°Don''t touch it!¡± Diana exclaimed. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and switched his Reassuring Hands to Burning Hands and covered the spoon in Fire. ¡°AHH!¡± Diana, Lady Eleanor, and Belinda screamed a little at the sight. Ren picked up the spoon and they saw that the table was untouched. ¡°What? How?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°I can manipulate and absorb Fire.¡± Ren said and deactivated his Hands of the Gods ability. ¡°Identify.¡±
Sir Spoon
This inanimate object is a Knight of the Human Kingdom
¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡± Ren said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Um, I don''t know how to say this without sounding crazy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Normally I don''t mind that, but...¡± He shook his head. ¡°It''s name is... Sir Spoon.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Everyone in the room yelled together. ¡°Yeah, see? Crazy, right?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Sir Spoon here must have done some adventuring to get the title. It''s too bad it used its abilities for attempted murder.¡± ¡°Ren, talking like that...¡± Frikara started to say. ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder if I can find out how it got here.¡± ¡°Forget that!¡± Belinda said and started to get hysterical. ¡°Crush it! Melt it! Tear it apart!¡± Xuunah stepped close to her and put her hands on her shoulders to flood her with Reassurance and good feelings. Belinda took several more breaths and calmed down. ¡°It nearly killed Lady Eleanor and made me sick, and I didn''t even know it.¡± She said. ¡°Who else has it harmed? Who has it killed?¡± No one spoke as those questions floated in everyone''s ear. ¡°Please destroy it.¡± Belinda said, and Ren made a fist to crush it into a little metal ball. She visibly relaxed, as did Lady Eleanor and Princess Diana. ¡°Please tell me you didn''t touch it.¡± Diana asked Verwynn. ¡°I didn''t touch it, Your Highness.¡± Verwynn said, and no sweat appeared on her face. ¡°Did anyone else?¡± Diana asked, and everyone shook their heads. ¡°Only me.¡± Belinda said. ¡°Thank god.¡± ¡°Actually, that might not be true.¡± Ren said and looked at the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Can you show me who else has been infected by the spoon?¡± Three faces appeared in the mirror and Ren showed it to Belinda. ¡°The dishwasher, Narshan.¡± Belinda said when she pointed to the first face, then pointed at the next face. ¡°That''s Sharlee. She''s a maid up on the third floor.¡± ¡°And the last one?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t recognize him.¡± Ren turned the mirror to show the royal family. ¡°He''s one of father''s knights.¡± Diana said. ¡°I think his name is Blair.¡± ¡°We have to get to them right away.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can''t let Sir Spoon kill anyone, now that we know who it targeted.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Frikara said, and he chuckled. ¡°It''s hard to talk about it and not have it sound crazy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Follow me.¡± Diana said and stood up. ¡°I''ll take you to them.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, then he and Artemis followed Princess Diana out of the dining room to find Sir Spoon''s other victims. Chapter 551 - Rescue Me? Ren, Artemis and Princess Diana quickly went down to the kitchen and found the dishwasher. Ren explained what was going on, and the guy shrugged and shook Ren''s hand without even considering any other options. After he was healed completely, he asked what kind of house he was going to get. ¡°That depends. Do you live alone?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, I''ve got a mom and an older sister.¡± Narshan said. ¡°We live in a one room apartment over on the west side.¡± ¡°Do they have jobs?¡± Narshan laughed. ¡°Are you kidding? My mom was a Lady in Waiting until she married an Adventurer. Then the bastard ran out on her and took her dowry without even a thank you.¡± He said. ¡°She had started to raise my sister as a Lady in Waiting as well, so they have no life skills whatsoever.¡± Ren put a hand on the guy''s shoulder. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Narshan shrugged and Ren took his hand back. ¡°He wasn''t my father, thank god.¡± ¡°Your sister?¡± Diana asked. Narshan nodded. ¡°Those were hard times for them after he left.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°They lived off the kindness of others until she met my father.¡± Narshan said. ¡°Now there was a great man if there ever was.¡± He smiled. ¡°Paid everyone back double for their kindness and then settled down and had me.¡± ¡°You said you lived with your mother and sister.¡± Ren said after a moment. ¡°Your father is no longer around, is he?¡± Narshan shook his head. ¡°I became the man of the house when he passed away last year. I''ve been working here ever since.¡± ¡°How... how did he die?¡± Diana asked. ¡°He was forked.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°He was forked.¡± Narshan said and pointed to his eyes. ¡°He took a pitchfork right to the face when a plow horse ran rampant and somehow kicked it at him.¡± ¡°Oh, god!¡± Diana gasped and covered her mouth with a hand. ¡°At least it was a quick death.¡± Ren said. Narshan shook his head. ¡°The healers couldn''t remove it without killing him, so they removed what they could and sent him home. He lived for three days after that.¡± I''m not saying anything else about it. Ren thought. ¡°Well, now that you''re under my domain, you have several choices available to you. You can stay here and keep your job and I''ll see about building you a new house here in the city, or you can move to...¡± ¡°When do we leave?¡± Narshan asked without listening to the other options. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m sick of washing dishes day in and day out.¡± Narshan said and took off the apron he wore. ¡°I''ll do anything to get out of this kitchen.¡± He took two steps to the side to see around Artemis and hollered. ¡°Hey, Anya! ANYA!¡± A large plump woman looked up from the huge stove she was cooking on. ¡°What do you want, sewer rat?¡± ¡°I quit!¡± Narshan said. ¡°You can take this job and shove it where the sun don''t shine, you fat ugly bitch!¡± Anya''s mouth dropped open in shock, and a raucous cheer went up from everyone else in the kitchen. Ren glanced at Diana and saw that she had a hand over her mouth again, only this time it was to stop herself from laughing. ¡°Come on, let''s get out of here.¡± Narshan said and tossed the apron onto the sink. ¡°When she realizes I quit for real this time, she''ll call the guards to arrest me for insulting her.¡± Ren, Diana, and Artemis followed the man out of the kitchen and around a corner, then down another hallway. ¡°In here.¡± Narshan said and opened a closet door, and they all squeezed in somehow. Artemis was at the back, since she was the tallest, then Diana, then Ren and Nershan. A moment after the door was shut, the sound of several pairs of armored feet passed by. ¡°I told you.¡± Narshan whispered. Ren smiled as he felt Diana slide her arms around him. ¡°I don''t think that was the best way to leave your job.¡± He said to Narshan, who chuckled. ¡°Yes, it was.¡± Narshan whispered and reached for the door handle. ¡°It should be safe now.¡± Ren activated his Heat Sense Aura, then shook his head as he grabbed Narshan''s arm to stop him. The guards were still well within hearing distance, and Narshan would be caught if they opened the door. Narshan saw the red glow around Ren''s silvery-blue eyes and whispered. ¡°On your say so, then.¡± He let the door handle go and waited. ¡°They''re almost... no, one of them turned around.¡± Ren whispered, and Diana''s arms held him tightly. ¡°Stay quiet.¡± A single pair of armored boots walked by the closet going the other way, and Narshan gave Ren an odd look. When the guard was far enough away, Ren told Narshan about his Aura and that he could feel everyone within it. ¡°Damn, that must be useful.¡± Narshan whispered. ¡°It''s taken a long time to get to this point.¡± Ren said. ¡°Okay, we can go.¡± Narshan opened the door and peeked out, and Ren felt Diana''s reluctance to let him go. Her grip eased and she pulled her hands back, then they all stepped out of the closet. Ren cast Disguise Self on Narshan to change his clothes and his hair color to make him less noticable.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Whoa.¡± Nershan said and looked at his fancy new clothes. ¡°It''s not permanent.¡± Ren said and looked at Diana, and saw her slightly red face. ¡°Your Highness, please lead the way to Sharlee.¡± Diana nodded and took them to the closest stairway. As they climbed them up to the third floor, Ren used his Heat Sense to pinpoint everyone within his Aura. When he thought about the red glow showing people that he was using the ability, he decided to use his Filter Effect ability and turned off the visual effect. The red glow stopped and Ren could still detect everyone within his Heat Sense Aura, then his gaze fell upon Princess Diana''s backside as she walked up the stairs in front of him. Even though she wore a fancy dress, he could still clearly see her behind''s nicely-formed shape, and his Heat Sense Aura showed him the space between her legs was quite a lot hotter than the rest of her. Stop looking, you idiot. Ren told himself. Don''t think dirty thoughts. Teepo chittered in laughter and Diana was startled. She stopped walking and turned to look at Ren. ¡°What was that sound?¡± Diana asked, a little panicked. ¡°Just my friend Teepo.¡± Ren said and pointed to his shoulder. ¡°Oh.¡± Diana said and kept walking, and Ren felt her relief. ¡°I didn''t know what that was.¡± Narshan chuckled. ¡°I don''t think the Princess gets out of the castle much.¡± ¡°I do so!¡± Diana said as she approached the landing to the third floor. ¡°I visit the Market Square at least twice a week!¡± ¡°A week?¡± Narshan grinned. ¡°I''m there twice a day.¡± ¡°What? Twice a day?¡± Diana asked and stopped by the third floor door. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It''s the best way to get good deals.¡± Narshan said. ¡°You show up early and pick out what you want and show an interest in it, then leave.¡± ¡°What? That doesn''t make sense.¡± Diana said. ¡°Why wouldn''t you just buy it?¡± ¡°Because, when you go back later and the item is still there, the seller will practically give it away.¡± Ren said, and Narshan nodded. ¡°Exactly.¡± Narshan said. ¡°You take the chance what you want will be gone, though.¡± ¡°Yeah, but the seller should feel bad for it being gone, and they''ll offer to let you pick something else at a really cheap price.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ha! You got it!¡± Narshan said. ¡°Frugality at it''s finest!¡± Ren nodded and motioned to the door. ¡°There''s no one in the hallway.¡± Diana looked at his eyes and didn''t see the red glow. ¡°But, your eyes...¡± ¡°I turned it off.¡± Ren said. He felt a slight pang of regret from her, so he turned the effect back on for an instant, then turned it off again. He felt her reaction to that, and smiled. She likes me showing off my abilities. Diana smiled back at him and then opened the door to the third floor. ¡°The maid''s quarters are down the hall to the right.¡± She said and pointed to a cross-hall. ¡°That part of the floor is off-limits to visitors normally. Since this is an emergency, I''m making an exception.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and followed Diana down the hallway. He took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it for Sharlee''s room, then if she was inside. She was, so he told Diana which room it was. They stopped in front of the door, and Diana knocked on it. ¡°Just a minute!¡± A woman''s voice said, and they could hear shuffling and a few bangs. ¡°Is everything all right in there?¡± Diana asked. ¡°Yes! It''s fine!¡± Sharlee said loudly as she picked up another bundle of clothes and tried to shove them into her over-stuffed closet. ¡°Dammit, I never have visitors.¡± Sharlee looked at her bed and smiled, then dropped the clothes in her arms and kicked and pushed them underneath. With this new avenue of storage, she grabbed everything she could and jammed it into the available space. ¡°There, that looks presentable.¡± Sharlee said and darted to her bedroom door and opened it. ¡°Hello! What can I do for-PRINCESS!¡± She gasped and dropped to her knees and bent over slightly. ¡°Don''t do that.¡± Diana said and tried to urge the woman to stand up. ¡°I''m getting a personal visit from the Crown Princess!¡± Sharlee said with her head down. ¡°I feel so blessed!¡± ¡°She''s just another girl, for pete''s sake.¡± Narshan said. Princess Diana turned to look at him with squinted eyes and Ren felt her distain. ¡°No offence.¡± Narshan said as an apology. ¡°Yes, being the Crown Princess of the Realm there''s no way I could take offence from being ''just'' a girl.¡± Diana said in her best haughty voice that mimicked her mother''s tone quite well. Narshan''s face went red from embarrassment, and he ducked his head slightly. Diana turned back to Sharlee. ¡°Despite his disrespectful tone and his choice of words, he has a point.¡± She said, and Sharlee lifted her head to look at her. ¡°We were born in different families, but we are both women.¡± She said. ¡°You can show respect and not have to prostrate yourself.¡± Sharlee''s face lit up with a smile. ¡°You''re so magnanimous!¡± She said excitedly. ¡°The floor is kind of hard to kneel on.¡± ¡°Then rise and be at ease.¡± Diana said, and Sharlee stood up. She was almost a head taller than Diana, who was almost a head taller than Ren. Narshan was between Diana and Sharlee''s height, and Artemis was almost a head taller than that. Sharlee noticed this and smiled. ¡°If we stood in height order, we''d look like stairs.¡± Diana blinked her eyes for a moment at the sudden change in subject, and Narshan chuckled. ¡°Perhaps we can get to why we''re here.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him. He explained the situation to Sharlee, and she sighed. ¡°What is it?¡± Diana asked. ¡°My husband is not going to be happy about me being under another man''s ownership.¡± Sharlee said. ¡°That''s not...¡± Ren started to argue. ¡°Sugarcoat it if you want, but I''ll become your property.¡± Sharlee said. ¡°Of course, I guess technically I''m the king''s property at the moment.¡± ¡°That''s not true.¡± Diana said, and sweat appeared on her forehead and not Sharlee''s. ¡°What is...¡± She wiped her forehead. ¡°It''s true?¡± ¡°In a sense.¡± Ren said. ¡°He''s responsible for everyone in his land, and is personally responsible for those in the castle working for him.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Sharlee said. ¡°So, if I take your hand, I''ll be switching owners.¡± ¡°In name only if you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nothing in your life has to change.¡± Sharlee chuckled. ¡°Just knowing I''ve been infected is going to change my life.¡± No one said anything for a few moments. ¡°Do you need to discuss this with your husband?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''d like to, but I''m going on shift soon and he''s not at home.¡± ¡°Where is he?¡± Diana asked. ¡°He works for one of the lumberyards. He could be there or he''s outside the city gathering trees.¡± Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Please show me Sharlee''s husband.¡± A moment later, his eyes widened at what he saw and he stored the mirror. ¡°Um... he''s... busy.¡± Sharlee looked at Ren with knowing eyes. ¡°Show me him. Right now.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say no, then sighed and took the mirror out and showed her. Her husband was in the arms of another woman, and they were in bed together. Sharlee frowned at the sight, and Ren felt her recognize the woman. ¡°This is real, right? It''s happening right now?¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where?¡± Ren asked the mirror to show where he was, and she nodded as the place appeared in the mirror. ¡°Yes, that''s her house.¡± Sharlee said, angrily. ¡°That two-timing backstabbing witch I thought was my best friend.¡± ¡°Ma''am, I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not your fault, although I can blame you for bringing it to light.¡± Sharlee said. ¡°Ma''am, I...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Sharlee said and and held a hand out to Ren. ¡°I''m just glad we don''t have kids.¡± Ren looked at her hand and then her face. ¡°Considering what''s happening, should I assume you want to come with me to my county?¡± ¡°I never want to see either of them again, so yes.¡± Ren took her hand and she gasped as her chest burned for a moment, and then she was fully healed. ¡°Good god, I feel wonderful!¡± Sharlee said, and she stepped close to Ren and hugged him. ¡°You don''t realize how long you''ve felt bad until you feel good again.¡± She let him out of the hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome... and welcome to my domain.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll have the Minister of Population issue a marriage dissolution order right away.¡± Diana said. ¡°You''ll get half of his wages for the rest of his life.¡± Sharlee chuckled. ¡°How much is half of measly?¡± ¡°A lot more than nothing.¡± Narshan said. ¡°We better go. If we''re lucky, this Blair guy is still in the Knight Barracks.¡± Ren used the All-Seeing Mirror to check, and it showed a nice one-storey house instead of the barracks. ¡°Show me him, please.¡± A dank cellar appeared, and the floor was scattered with bits of half-eaten food. A pale white and nearly completely naked figure was huddled down into a ball and lay on it''s side in the middle of the dirt floor. Chapter 552 - Blair-ingly Loud ¡°Oh, no.¡± Ren said, and the others looked in the mirror. Diana and Sharlee gasped at the sight of the ghoul, since they had never seen one before. ¡°Show me if he can be healed.¡± The ghoul glowed slightly in the mirror. ¡°Yes! There''s still time.¡± Ren said and stored the mirror, then cast the Portal spell against the closest wall. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Teepo dissolved into the ring and Ren grabbed Artemis'' hand and went through the portal with her. They appeared on the other side and Ren dismissed the portal to stop anyone else from going through and summoned Teepo again. The ghoul smelled fresh meat and quickly unfurled from it''s huddle on the floor and lunged at Ren. Artemis easily caught the ghoul and held it still. It growled and hissed at her and tried to break free. ¡°I''m sorry I can''t give you the choice.¡± Ren said and put his hand on the ghoul''s shoulder. It squealed as it''s chest burned, and then the white color was replaced by a normal skin color. The bald head grew a full head of hair back, the face filled out and was no longer sunken in, and the teeth went from being sharp to normal teeth. His transformation was over after a moment and Blair was fully healed. ¡°What... what happened?¡± Blair asked as Artemis let him go. ¡°You were ghoul-infected.¡± Ren said, and told him what was going on, and that it was a spoon''s fault. ¡°A spoon?¡± Blair shook his head. ¡°I don''t remember a... no, wait.¡± He thought about it. ¡°I remember pulling a spoon off of another knight''s armor not long ago.¡± He said. ¡°The spoon disappeared after that and we couldn''t find it.¡± ¡°That spoon sure gets around.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Is there anyone else in the house?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Blair said. ¡°My wife! My kids!¡± ¡°Easy, now. Calm down.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Show me the other occupants of the house.¡± The mirror showed him 2 boys, about the age of 8. They were in bed and cuddled up with a very pale woman. ¡°Upstairs!¡± Ren said and Blair ran for the cellar door. It was covered in gouges and scratches; some were recent and some older. The door wouldn''t move. ¡°It''s barricaded.¡± Blair said, and Ren nodded to Artemis. She shot the hinges on the side and shot a thin line across the middle of the door. She punched it and the two halves fell to the floor and they saw the stuff piled on the other side. Ren stored it and dropped it to the side, then the three of them ran up the stairs and into the house. ¡°Bedroom.¡± Ren said, and Blair led him to it and opened the door. ¡°No!¡± Blair said when he saw his family''s pale faces and tried to go to them. Artemis caught his arm. ¡°Wait a second.¡± ¡°They need me!¡± ¡°They need Ren first.¡± Artemis said and Ren stepped to the bed and touched the woman''s forehead. She woke instantly and gasped at the pain in her chest, and then her color returned. ¡°Wh-what? Who...¡± ¡°Shh. I''m here to help.¡± Ren said and touched her two children. They woke up and gasped as well, and their mother held them even tighter. ¡°Mom?¡± One of them said. ¡°I''m scared!¡± ¡°It''s okay, baby.¡± The woman said as she realized she no longer felt sick. ¡°You feel much better, don''t you?¡± ¡°I... I think so.¡± Artemis let Blair go and he practically jumped onto the bed and hugged his family. ¡°B-B-Blair?!? You''re okay!¡± The woman exclaimed, and then started crying. The children joined in, as did Blair, and they held onto each other and shed tears of joy and relief. Ren stepped away from the bed and went over to Artemis, and pointed to the door. They left and shut it behind them, and waited in the hallway. Several minutes later, the bedroom door opened and Blair stood there wearing a full set of clothing instead of the scraps he had on in the cellar. ¡°I don''t know how to thank you.¡± Blair said. ¡°You don''t have to thank me. I''m just glad I got to you and your family in time.¡± The woman stepped around her husband and touched the spot above her heart. ¡°We have these marks...¡± ¡°It means you are Ghoul Kissed and a member of my domain.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t ask you if you want to move, since the land your husband has as a Knight is the same size as the land I have.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Do you want to downgrade?¡± The woman smiled. ¡°No, you''re right. I like what we''ve built here.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll provide funds or anything else you need to live your life.¡± The woman looked up at her completely healed husband. ¡°You''ve already given me everything I need.¡± Blair looked down at his wife. ¡°I love you, too.¡± ¡°I want a warhorse!¡± One of the boys demanded when he realized he could probably ask for anything. His mother gasped at the outrageous request, and Blair turned to his son. ¡°That is not how-¡± ¡°What do you want it for?¡± Ren asked and cut Blair off. ¡°I won''t give it to you for a flight of fancy.¡± Blair and his wife turned back to stare at Ren, and the boy walked out in front of his parents. ¡°Be honest.¡± Ren said. ¡°The other kids... they... pick on me.¡± The boy said and glanced up at his father. ¡°They say I''m too short to ever become a knight like my father, and that I''ll never ride a warhorse into battle.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Unlike me, you''re still growing. No one knows how big you''ll get until you get there.¡± ¡°I''m almost as tall as you.¡± The boy said. ¡°Are you too short to ride a warhorse?¡± ¡°Warhorses are usually really big.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might be too short to ride one, since my legs are short; but, I''ve ridden other things into battle.¡± ¡°You can ride other things into battle?¡± The boy asked.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I''m an Adventurer. I don''t think there''s a set rule for me. A knight probably only has a choice for a normal horse or a warhorse.¡± ¡°I want to be a knight when I grow up, just like my father.¡± The boy said, adamantly. ¡°I want to train!¡± Ren looked at Blair. ¡°Then I''ll give you one.¡± He said, and the boy jumped up and down and hollered. ¡°But only with your parent''s permission, and their strict supervision.¡± The boy stopped jumping and sighed. ¡°I''m never going to get one.¡± He said sadly. His parents exchanged glances and then sighed themselves. ¡°Training will be hard.¡± Blair said, and the boy ducked his head. ¡°Long hours of how to ride properly, how to use the horse to it''s fullest potential, how to use a weapon while riding...¡± ¡°I know! I watch you all the time!¡± The boy said. ¡°Dad! Please!¡± Blair looked at Ren and nodded. ¡°My Lord, if you are going to be generous, well past giving us our lives, then we would appreciate your offer to our boy.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± He said and walked over to the front door and stepped outside. ¡°What is he doing?¡± Blair''s wife asked, and Blair shrugged. They looked at Artemis, and she smiled at them. A moment later, the front door opened and Ren led in a fully armored warhorse... except it was child-sized. ¡°OH MY GOD!¡± The boy yelled and jumped up and down excitedly. ¡°It''s real! It''s real! IT''S REAL!¡± ¡°M-my L-lord!¡± The woman said. ¡°H-how?¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said and handed the reins to the boy. ¡°He doesn''t need to be fed or watered; but he can be, and he still needs to be cared for in other ways. If you keep him by your side, he will be loyal to you forever.¡± The boy''s eyes sparkled, and Ren felt his utter joy. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°You just need to name him.¡± ¡°Take him out to the back yard.¡± Blair said. ¡°You can''t keep him in the house.¡± ¡°But, Dad!¡± ¡°You have a big window in your bedroom.¡± His mother said, and the boy''s face lit up. ¡°Thanks, Mom!¡± He said and ran out the front door, and the horse trotted behind him and kept pace with him. ¡°Don''t forget to name it!¡± Blair hollered after them. ¡°I think our trip to the countryside might have to change a little, now that he has a new best friend.¡± His wife said. ¡°I am not bringing a miniature warhorse to the lake.¡± Blair said. ¡°It''s supposed to be family time.¡± ¡°You are not getting him away from that horse, dear.¡± His wife chuckled. ¡°They''re a package deal.¡± Blair sighed. ¡°Oh, all right.¡± He said and looked at Ren. ¡°My Lord, thank you for saving us.¡± ¡°I''m just glad I could help.¡± Ren said and then just stood there and looked at Blair and his wife. ¡°Um... shouldn''t you... ah...¡± The woman said, a little uncomfortable. ¡°Do you have somewhere to go?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m just waiting for your other son to decide what he wants.¡± Blair and his wife turned and looked at the other boy, and they could see he was struggling with trying to come up with something. ¡°Baby, are you okay?¡± His mother asked. ¡°He doesn''t want to waste his wish.¡± Ren said, because he could feel the boy''s feelings. ¡°Just give him a few minutes.¡± They stood there and waited for the boy to decide what he wanted. ¡°Can... can you give me anything I want?¡± The boy peeked out from behind his mother. ¡°To a point.¡± Ren said. ¡°All you can do is ask, and I''ll see what I can do.¡± The boy huffed and crossed his arms, opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. Ren felt his indecision, but he didn''t want to push him to answer. After another few moments, the boy made up his mind. ¡°I want my imaginary friend to be real.¡± The boy said, and his mother gasped. Blair was immediately angry. ¡°I told you to stop doing that!¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Ren said, and Blair and his wife looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I need to check something.¡± He said and took Artemis'' hand and they stepped out the front door. They left it open, however. ¡°I can''t believe you asked for that.¡± The woman said to her son. ¡°No one believes that she talks to me.¡± The boy said. ¡°If he can make her appear...¡± Ren sighed and shut the door all the way. ¡°That story sounds familiar.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It sounds like the start of Lord Tathalyn''s story, and how the Lightning being tried to take him over.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think the boy might be one of Vasalor''s Chosen.¡± ¡°Can you check?¡± Artemis asked. Ren looked up into the sky. ¡°Great Vasalor, heed my call.¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
I am here, Ren.
¡°Is Blair''s son one of your Chosen?¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
The boy was imbued at creation with a necessary skill I will need him to use when he is grown.
¡°Is he being subverted by a Lightning being, possibly the same Lightning being that did it to Lord Tathalyn?¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
Yes. A connection was formed between him and Lightning Being 584.
¡°Can I break that connection without harming the boy?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s bad enough he''s had her in his head for however long it''s been, but I don''t want to take away someone he believes is his friend.¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
You can use your Filter Effect ability to turn off the connection.
¡°What? How can I do that? I thought it was only for my own abilities?¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
It is. Use your Emotion Siphon ability to enter the child and find the connection. Since it will interfere with your ability, you can turn it off.
Ren''s mouth fell open in shock and he stared at the popup. ¡°Ren?¡± Teepo said. ¡°If Vasalor says it can be done...¡± Ren shook his head to clear it. ¡°Yes, okay. I understand. Thanks for letting me know, Vasalor.¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
Use it wisely, or you will cause harm to those you try to help.
Ren nodded. ¡°I understand. Thanks for the warning.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''ll talk to you later.¡±
System and Administration Query (Player Version)
Until then.
Ren dismissed the popups and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°I know this is a lot to ask.¡± He said. ¡°Can you show me what the boy believes his imaginary friend looks like?¡± It took a moment, and then an 8 year old girl appeared in the mirror. She had short and curly blonde hair, a bright smile, and she was about his height. Ren took out his shop tower and went inside for several minutes, then came back out and stored the tower. ¡°Do you think it''ll work?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Let''s find out.¡± Ren said and went back into the house. ¡°My Lord, I''m sorry about this.¡± Blair said. ¡°My son is being unreasonable.¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said and walked over to the boy. ¡°I''ll need to touch your forehead. Is that okay?¡± The boy nodded, and Ren put a hand on his head and activated his Emotion Siphon ability. ¡°This is going to feel a little weird, but bear with it.¡± Ren told him. The boy appreciated being treated like he was an equal and not a little kid, so he opened himself up completely to Ren and his ability. Ren took advantage of this and used his Emotion Siphon ability to enclose the boy''s mind and felt everything he felt for his imaginary friend and everything he thought the imaginary friend felt for him. Just as Vasalor said, the connection with the Lightning being was quite apparent, so Ren used his Filter Effect ability and turned it off. The connection was still there, and he hoped that meant the Lightning being couldn''t create another connection to someone else. ¡°Okay, I think I have what I need.¡± Ren said and kept his hand on the boy''s forehead. ¡°Don''t be scared about what you see next, okay?¡± The boy nodded slightly, and Ren took out a construct in the shape of an 8 year old girl with a frilly pink dress and laid it on the floor. The boy and his parents gasped at the sight, and the boy stared at his imaginary friend. Ren had used a Permanent Full Illusion spell to cover the metal structure and made it look just like what the boy imagined. ¡°She''s not awake yet.¡± Ren said to the boy. ¡°I need your help with that.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± The boy said. ¡°What can I do?¡± ¡°Put your hand on her forehead and don''t let go, no matter what.¡± Ren said, and the boy knelt and did as he was told. Ren put his other hand on the girl''s forehead and activated his Create Construct recipe. He added the Mana and money it needed, and concentrated on the construct''s purpose while he poured in everything the boy had felt and made him the owner. It took a few minutes for it to finish, and when it was done, Ren let go of both the boy and the girl construct. The girl opened her eyes and looked up at her friend. ¡°Hi, Jashun. Whatcha upto?¡± Jashun squealed in delight and fell upon the girl and hugged her tightly. ¡°You''re real! You''re real!¡± ¡°Of course I''m real, silly.¡± The girl said. ¡°You wanted me to be, didn''t you?¡± ¡°I did! I really did!¡± Jashun said. ¡°I love you, Celeste!¡± Celeste giggled and her face went red. ¡°You''re funny, Jashun!¡± ¡°Don''t... don''t you love me, too?¡± Celeste''s face flushed red. ¡°I do, but...¡± She looked at his parents. ¡°Good girls are embarrassed to say stuff like that in public.¡± Jashun helped her stand up. ¡°Come on! I want to show you off to my brother. He didn''t believe me when I told him about you!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Celeste said and let Jashun drag her out the front door, and they both giggled the entire time. Chapter 553 - Finishing Lunch ¡°What in heaven''s name was that?!?¡± Blair asked when the front door shut. ¡°It''s a construct imbued with Jashun''s thoughts of his imaginary friend.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°She''ll stay with him for the rest of his life, and will protect him for as long as he needs her.¡± ¡°My Lord! How?¡± Blair''s wife asked. ¡°Do you really want me to explain the magic that just happened?¡± Ren asked her, and she smiled and shook her head. ¡°I never thought something like that was possible.¡± Blair said. ¡°I didn''t know it would work until I touched your son.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I felt his emotions directly, I knew I could make her be everything he would ever need.¡± ¡°Everything... he would... need...¡± Blair''s wife muttered. Ren walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°No, don''t think like that.¡± He said. ¡°That''s not the kind of love he has for her.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°She''s not anatomically correct.¡± Ren said, and they looked at him funny. ¡°It means that she doesn''t have any working girl parts.¡± ¡°Ohhhh.¡± Blair and his wife said together, and Ren smiled as he took his hand back. ¡°He sees her as a little sister anyway, so don''t worry about it.¡± Ren said. Blair took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Now through your magic, we have a third child.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I can''t believe it.¡± ¡°I know two children must have been a handful, so Celeste should ease that burden a little. She''ll be a constant companion and will watch out for him, just as much as your other son''s warhorse will watch out for him.¡± Ren said, and he felt some apprehension from them. ¡°Do you want me to ease the financial burden on you?¡± ¡°What? No.¡± Blair said. ¡°This is an older county and it has lots of citizens that tithe to us once a month.¡± He said. ¡°It''s only a pittance from them; but when added all together, it''s a significant amount of money.¡± ¡°Then why are you apprehensive?¡± ¡°This thing that happened... and then you...¡± The woman said. ¡°You''ve changed our lives.¡± ¡°Ma''am, I...¡± ¡°Don''t try and tell me that our lives won''t change after this.¡± She said. ¡°After I saw what my husband had become... and the children saw... we thought our lives were over.¡± She put her arms around her husband and hugged him. ¡°You gave him back to us, and we can never thank you enough for that.¡± ¡°If you ever need help, I will come running.¡± Blair said. ¡°You have my pledge.¡±
Notice!
One of King Alamast''s knights has pledged his help to you. Since he controls an entire county full of citizens, they will be willing to heed your call as well. Fame: +100
¡°That wasn''t necessary, but thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I have to go.¡± ¡°Thank you, and good luck!¡± Blair''s wife said and waved. Ren nodded to her and led Artemis out of the small house, and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Show me who else Blair has infected.¡± The mirror didn''t show anyone, and Ren sighed in relief. ¡°Show me Sharlee''s castle apartment.¡± Ren said and saw the apartment. Princess Diana, Narshan, and Sharlee stood almost in the same spots where he had left them. He cast the Portal spell and it appeared beside him and in the mirror. Teepo dissolved back into the ring and Ren took Artemis'' hand and stepped through the portal with her. ¡°There you are!¡± Diana nearly yelled. ¡°Where have you been?¡± ¡°Blair and his family are fine, thanks for asking.¡± Ren said to head off her argument for leaving her behind, and she blushed as he dismissed the portal and summoned Teepo. ¡°That''s not what...¡± Diana sighed. ¡°I was worried about you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°I just didn''t want to argue about it.¡± Diana opened her mouth to respond hotly, and then felt a hand on her arm. ¡°Your Highness, I think we can go now.¡± Sharlee said. ¡°You''ve done your good deeds for the day.¡± She smiled. ¡°How many deeds do you normally do?¡± Diana smiled back. ¡°Not nearly enough.¡± ¡°This is enough.¡± Sharlee said, then realized she had touched the Crown Princess without her permission and snatched her hand back. ¡°I''m so sorry, Princess! Please forgive me!¡± Diana put a hand on her arm. ¡°You''ve done your ''showing respect'' actions for the day.¡± She said. ¡°How many of them do you normally do?¡± Sharlee chuckled at having her own words repeated to her. ¡°Too much, apparently.¡± Ren asked the All-Seeing Mirror to show him everyone Sharlee could have infected, and nothing popped up. ¡°Well, it looks like we''ve rescued everyone Sir Spoon put in danger.¡± He said. ¡°We should head back to the dining room.¡± Diana said and looked at Narshan and Sharlee. ¡°You''ll have to wait outside.¡± She said, a bit sadly. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Sharlee laughed. ¡°I''m having enough trouble being in the same room with you. I couldn''t handle being in the same room with the king and his wife, too.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I''m with Sharlee, here.¡± Narshan said. ¡°I won''t take the chance that I''ll disrespect the king and your mother.¡± The 5 of them left Sharlee''s room and went down the stairs to the floor the dining room was on. When they approached the door to the room, Narshan and Sharlee stood by the wall to wait, and Ren nodded to Artemis. She changed her direction and walked over to stand beside them, while Diana and Ren entered the dining room. ¡°You''ve been gone a while.¡± King Alamast said as soon as he saw them. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°Ren rescued them.¡± Diana said, and her face went a little red. ¡°Lord Ren, I mean.¡± ¡°Ren is fine, Your Highness.¡± Ren said and walked over to her chair and held it for her. Diana glanced at her father for a second and took the offered seat, and Ren quickly walked around to sit on his side of the table. ¡°Shall I tell you about it while we eat dessert?¡± ¡°D-d-dessert?!?¡± Belinda the serving maid exclaimed from the side of the room. ¡°I... I was supposed to get dessert?¡± Ren turned to her and smiled. ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to scare you.¡± He said. ¡°I''m the one who brought dessert.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Belinda said and put a hand over her heart. ¡°I thought I messed up.¡± Xuunah''s hand reached out and rubbed her back, and Belinda relaxed as good feelings filled her. ¡°What is this dessert?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°Give me a second.¡± Ren said and put his hands under the table''s edge and took out a plate of the fried dough pieces. He used his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Burning Hands, then warmed up the plate. ¡°What is that delicious smell?¡± Lady Eleanor asked as the dough warmed up, then she, the king, and Diana all took in deep breaths through their noses. ¡°I''ve never smelled anything like it before.¡± King Alamast said, and Ren deactivated his ability and put the plate on the table. ¡°It''s a specialty from the bakers in my county.¡± Ren said. ¡°It and the recipe would have been lost forever if Lord Grasham had succeeded.¡± Lady Eleanor''s smile faded. ¡°Is that why you brought it? To make a point?¡± ¡°Of course not, Your Highness.¡± Ren said, honestly. He could feel that she was perturbed and took out two more plates and warmed them. ¡°I brought them because I wanted you and your family to enjoy them. It''s a gift, nothing more.¡± Lady Eleanor didn''t see any sweat appear on his face, and she nodded. ¡°Then we accept your gift, Lord Ren.¡± ¡°Then enjoy.¡± Ren said and put all three plates on the table. ¡°I brought a lot.¡± King Alamast picked one up and smelled it, then took a small bite. He chewed it slowly, and his wife and daughter waited for him to swallow. ¡°It''s delicious.¡± King Alamast said, and then Lady Eleanor and Princess Diana picked up their own and did the same thing. They took a small bite, chewed it up, and swallowed. ¡°It is delicious.¡± Lady Eleanor said, and Diana nodded. Ren felt how much they actually liked it, so he leaned forward and looked down his side of the table. ¡°Ladies.¡± He said, and Frikara and the others blushed. He looked the other way to Patty. ¡°Shall we show the Royal Family how us country folk eat them?¡± The women nodded, and the 7 people on that side of the table took one piece of fried dough each and bit into them as if they were the best thing they had ever eaten. ¡°That is so good!¡± Ren said and took another big bite, then shoved the rest into his mouth. The women had done almost the same thing, and then there was a chuckle from the other side of the table. Diana had a hand over her mouth and wide eyes, because she had tried to do the same thing. She burst out laughing because she had thrown out her mother''s lessons of decorum, and everyone joined in and laughed with her. Ren told them what had happened with Sir Spoon''s victims while everyone enjoyed the fried dough pieces, and by the time they had finished, he had finished the part he and Artemis had done alone with Blair and his family. ¡°The crown thanks you for your work on its behalf.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°I should have checked when I heard someone was sick in the castle.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just glad my mistake didn''t result in any deaths.¡± ¡°As are we all.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Now tell me, Lord Ren. How many of my people are you taking from me?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°It''s not like that, Your Highness.¡± He said. ¡°One was more than happy to leave his job and he will bring his mother and sister to my county for a better job and free housing. Another discovered her cheating husband and is fleeing that. The knight and his family are remaining, because they are happy with their lives.¡± The king sighed. ¡°So, 50% of the people you''ve helped are going with you.¡± He said. ¡°What am I supposed to do when you visit the hospitals and heal the other infected?¡± ¡°The other infected?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What about the healer and her assistant?¡± ¡°They are doing quite well and are handling the situation.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Unfortunately, when people hear of what you did today, even for the ones who had been already healed...¡± He glanced at his wife, and looked back at Ren. ¡°...they will want you to do the same for them.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''ve come here and you have saved lives.¡± The king said. ¡°But, at what price?¡± ¡°I''m not doing it for monetary gain.¡± Ren said. ¡°We know that.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°That''s what makes you so dangerous.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Patty gasped. ¡°Dangerous how?¡± ¡°No one can predict the outcome of such things.¡± The king said. Ren was going to respond that he knew someone that could, until Frikara took his hand and very slightly shook her head no. ¡°Then what would you have me do?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Would you do what I asked, or would you just humor me and go do what you want anyway?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°I would listen to what you had to say, then I would make my own decision.¡± Ren responded, and the king nodded. ¡°I would expect nothing less from you, and that''s the problem.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°You see, I don''t want you to go and visit the sick at all.¡± ¡°What?¡± All the women in the room said at the same time. After a moment, Lady Eleanor took her husband''s hand. ¡°Please explain.¡± ¡°If they believe they will get a better life from you, most will choose to take it. On the bright side, you will get thousands of new citizens. On the downside, you will get thousands of new citizens.¡± The king smiled. ¡°This is assuming that once word of you granting outrageous favors if they don''t go with you... well...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Some might intentionally infect themselves just to get something they want.¡± ¡°Exactly. There are just as many unscrupulous people as there are honest ones, and even those will get a little crazy for whatever it is you can offer them.¡± ¡°So you want me to stay away from them, and from doing anything publicly.¡± Ren said, and the king nodded. ¡°The less that know of your outlandish generosity, the better.¡± ¡°But, I...¡± Ren sighed again. ¡°If I do stay away, if I walk away knowing I could help these people... it... it goes against what I''ve done since I became prosperous.¡± ¡°I assume it does.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Now ask yourself something.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Would you have done this... any of this... had you not become rich and famous?¡± ¡°Your Highness, I seem to be repeating a certain word lately, and it applies here as well.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Invalid. Your question is invalid.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°If I had not become prosperous, if I didn''t gain my Lord title, if I didn''t defeat Lord Grasham... all of those questions are invalid. I did become prosperous. I became a Lord. I defeated Lord Grasham.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve done lots of things as an Adventurer, Your Highness. Things that would have changed my life significantly if I had done them differently; but, I didn''t. I am where I am because of everything that has happened up to this point.¡± King Alamast exchanged glances with his wife, Lady Eleanor. ¡°I''ve done good things... and I''ve done bad things. I don''t shy away from the hard choices, and I don''t hide from my problems.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s why I''m here. I made hard choices, and I''m here to see what can be done about them.¡± ¡°We don''t discuss important things at mealtimes.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°I''m not, Your Highness.¡± Ren said, and he didn''t sweat at all, much to her surprise. ¡°I would like to ask when the bureaucratic meetings will end and when we can discuss important things.¡± ¡°It''s going to be anywhere from an hour to 5 hours.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Depending on the speed at which some of the government officials plead their positions on certain issues.¡± ¡°Then I''ll come back in an hour and a half.¡± Ren said and stood. ¡°You''re leaving?¡± Diana asked. ¡°Ren... Lord Ren... if we finish early and if you are not here...¡± ¡°Then don''t finish early.¡± Ren said, and the maids and Patty stood up. ¡°It''s in the best interest of the Human Kingdom to still be in session when I get back.¡± ¡°Is this about-¡± Ren held a hand up to cut Princess Diana off. ¡°I can''t discuss it here.¡± He said and motioned for the women to walk towards the dining room door. ¡°I''ll be more than happy to talk when I get back from the High Elven Kingdom.¡± ¡°The High Elven Kingdom? Why are you going there?¡± King Alamast asked. Ren shook his head at the king, then nodded to Lady Eleanor. ¡°I''ll fill you in when I return.¡± He said, and then left the dining room with his entourage. Chapter 554 - Picking Them Up: Part 1 Ren left the dining room with his people, and surprisingly, Belinda came out as well. ¡°Belinda? What...¡± ¡°I''m coming with you.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that she was proving the king''s point, then changed his mind because it was her choice. ¡°Welcome aboard.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°So, did you quit?¡± Nashan asked Belinda as they all walked down the hallway, and she nodded. ¡°Please tell me you did it spectacularly!¡± Belinda laughed. ¡°I bowed deeply and asked to be relieved of duty.¡± ¡°Lady Eleanor must have been pissed!¡± Narshan said. ¡°Actually, she expected it.¡± Ren said, because he had felt her feelings. ¡°Especially after the conversation we just had.¡± ¡°I can''t believe half of the people you save decide to go with you.¡± Sharlee said. Ren chuckled. ¡°If you include the High Elves and halflings I''ve rescued, it''s actually somewhere around 2%.¡± ¡°But... but King Alamast said...¡± ¡°He only used a very select sample as a comparison. If I''d brought up the High Elves as an example, I''d have to reveal that their own people were going to exterminate them, and I didn''t want that idea in King Alamast''s head.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, the first time I encountered the ghouls and Ghoul-Kissed during a quest, the villagers wanted to kill the infected after we had saved them, just because they didn''t want to deal with the problem.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Belinda said. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I offered to take them and their families home with me, of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s what started the whole ''come live with me because they are going to kill you'' mode I''ve been in since.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Sharlee said. ¡°That''s...¡± ¡°...completely messed up!¡± Narshan said. ¡°You''re adopting people! Full grown people! With their families!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Some don''t want to come, and that''s okay; but, since they couldn''t stay where they were, I couldn''t just take them and make them leave their families behind.¡± ¡°M-my L-lord, I...¡± Belinda''s face went red. ¡°Does that apply to me as well?¡± ¡°Of course it does.¡± Ren said. ¡°Who are you going to ask to come with you?¡± ¡°My mother. I don''t think my brother will accept. He works for the Mage Guild as a scribe.¡± ¡°He''s working all the time, then.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Then we''ll take you to where you need to go to make your offers.¡± ¡°Right now?¡± ¡°If you want.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Narshan asked. ¡°I allocated half an hour to gather your families up, so that should be plenty of time.¡± ¡°30 minutes?¡± Narshan laughed. ¡°We better visit my mother and sister first. Half an hour might be long enough for them to get ready to step outside.¡± ¡°I''m tempted to say you''re exaggerating, but I know you''re not.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re stopping behind the castle first to get Belinda''s mother, assuming she wants to come. We can go to your place right after that.¡± ¡°Geez, man. Those shacks are full of crap gathered over years! It''ll take forever for them to pack everything!¡± Narshan said. ¡°And your mother and sister are going to pack up their apartment quickly, are they?¡± Belinda asked, and he sighed. ¡°No, and that''s why I want to visit them first.¡± Ren led the large group of people outside and Princess was already there waiting for him. ¡°If it will make you happy, we can split up.¡± He said. ¡°Xuunah? Can you take Princess and escort Narshan to his apartment so he can tell his family to get ready?¡± ¡°Of course, Dearest.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°The rest of us will go out back and get Belinda''s mother.¡± Xuunah and Narshan climbed onto the carriage, and Ren showed Princess where the apartment was with the All-Seeing Mirror. She huffed and trotted up into the sky, and Narshan hollered happily. ¡°We''re flying!¡± Narshan leaned over the side. ¡°Look! We''re flying!¡± ¡°Stop leaning out, you idiot! You''re going to fall!¡± Xuunah exclaimed and Narshan''s face disappeared. ¡°I probably should have given him an Amulet of the Spider.¡± Ren chuckled and turned around. ¡°Maria''s shack is behind the castle.¡± Belinda and Sharlee stared up at the flying carriage, and Ren felt their stunned emotions. ¡°It''s all right. We only travel short distances in the open carriage. To go back to my county, we use a covered cart. There''s no chance to fall out of it.¡± ¡°Th-th-that''s not...¡± Belinda shook her head. ¡°Never mind.¡± She put a hand on Sharlee''s arm and shook her a little. ¡°Let''s go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sharlee said and followed Ren and the others down the street and around the back of the castle to the shacks for retired castle workers. ¡°I just realized something while thinking about these shacks.¡± Ren said. ¡°The king lets the workers live here so they don''t have to pay taxes.¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± Belinda said. ¡°The taxes are pretty low, considering the size of the kingdom. Not having to pay them makes it a lot easier to live.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Ren felt her reservations start to creep in on her. ¡°I''m glad you''re used to it, because no one pays taxes on my land, either.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Belinda and Sharlee said at the same time. ¡°Like you said. It''s much easier to live if you don''t have to worry about things like that.¡± The two women exchanged surprised looks, then looked at the other women. ¡°Is that true?¡± Belinda asked Patty. Patty nodded. ¡°The taxes for the whole county comes out of the budget that Ren... ah, Lord Ren... gave to us. None of the cost comes from the people living there.¡± ¡°But... how?¡± ¡°He''s very, very rich.¡± Patty said. ¡°At first I didn''t understand what that meant, since the most experience I had with money was the copper coins the villagers gathered to save up for farm tools.¡± She laughed. ¡°After dealing with Ren and talking to these wonderful women...¡± She motioned to Frikara and the others. ¡°...I discovered what true wealth was.¡± ¡°Does he have that much money?¡± Sharlee asked. ¡°He has so much that it doesn''t matter how much he has.¡± Frikara said. ¡°The thing is, even if he didn''t have a copper to his name, he would still be rich.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That''s what I discovered as well.¡± Patty said. ¡°It''s the people around him. His friends and what he will do for them... and what they will do for him in return. That''s what''s valuable.¡± No one said anything until they reached the wall at the back of the castle. ¡°Of course, he can just make some magic items and sell them to make a fortune.¡± Frikara said. Ren cast a Pass Wall spell and the wall in front of them disappeared. ¡°After you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Frikara said and her fingertips touched his cheek as she passed by him to go inside. Each maid did it, and then Patty walked by. Her arm moved because she wanted to do the same thing, then she stopped herself and kept walking. Belinda and Sharlee went through, and Ren felt they were tempted to stroke his cheek. ¡°I''m not touching your cheek.¡± Officer Holly said as she walked by. ¡°What if it was my butt cheek?¡± Ren asked her with a big smile on his face. Officer Holly blushed and she clamped her mouth shut before she responded. ¡°I''m just kidding.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t earn that reward.¡± Officer Holly sighed loudly and rolled her eyes, which made Frikara and the other maids chuckle. ¡°Why do you think you didn''t earn a reward?¡± Artemis said and grabbed his butt as she walked by, and he laughed. ¡°Hey! No groping during business hours.¡± Ren said and stepped through the wall and dismissed the Pass Wall spell. ¡°I took a break for two seconds.¡± Artemis said demurely, and Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Which one is it?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°Three over and one back.¡± Ren and Belinda said together. ¡°Lead on, ma''am.¡± Ren said and motioned towards the shack, and everyone followed Belinda to her mother''s place. She knocked once and then opened the door. ¡°Mom? Are you home?¡± ¡°Yes, dear. Come in.¡± Maria said. ¡°Shouldn''t you be at work?¡± ¡°Well, about that...¡± Belinda said and motioned to the door. ¡°...have a look outside.¡± The old lady walked to the open door and saw the group of women, then she saw Ren. ¡°You came back.¡± Maria said, her voice had a touch of disbelief and some wonder in it. ¡°I''m a little early, and I didn''t come here for a meal.¡± Ren said. ¡°I came here for you.¡± The old lady put a hand over her heart and started to pant heavily. Ren was there instantly to catch her before she fainted, and he used Restoring Hands on her to calm her down. ¡°I didn''t mean for you to take it in quite that way, ma''am.¡± Ren said. The old woman cackled a laugh. ¡°You came back to whisk me away from here to a fantasy land, haven''t you?¡± Ren thought about the wording and couldn''t fault it. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Then you''ve made the little girl in me very happy, My Lord.¡± Maria said. ¡°I have to warn you, though. I''m not as spry in bed as I used to be.¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes, and the the old lady laughed and laughed. ¡°The look... on your face!¡± She said and kept laughing, and it was infectious. Ren started to laugh, as did everyone around them. * ¡°Daddy, will you really try to stop him from visiting the patients?¡± Princess Diana asked. ¡°I must.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°They will go to him in droves, if only for the chance at a different life from what they have.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Even Belinda, who has been a part of this household for years, quit and left with him.¡± Lady Eleanor huffed. ¡°Good riddance.¡± She said. ¡°Let her try and find another family that was as kind to her as we were.¡± ¡°Mother, that''s not why she left.¡± Diana said, and the king and her mother looked at her. ¡°She left to give her mother a better life.¡± ¡°What was wrong with the life she had?¡± Lady Eleanor asked. ¡°She lived long and prospered.¡± ¡°Until she lost the magic needle, then you forced her to retire.¡± Diana said. ¡°Now listen here, young lady.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°She was useless as a seamstress when that happened and we had to replace her.¡± ¡°That may be true.¡± Diana said, since she didn''t see any sweat on her mother''s face. ¡°That doesn''t mean she had to be tossed aside. You could have kept her on in some capacity.¡± King Alamast chuckled. ¡°As what? A Junior Seamstress?¡± He shook his head. ¡°That would have demeaned her to the point of embarrassment.¡± Diana couldn''t argue that. ¡°Besides, she got to spend as much time with her fellow retirees as she wanted.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°No taxes and rent free on the castle''s grounds, and as much spare food from the kitchens as they could stand.¡± ¡°But... what if...¡± ¡°Diana, stop trying to justify it.¡± King Alamast said and stood up. ¡°I''m sending several squads of knights to guard the hospitals and the wards of the infected.¡± He walked over to her chair. ¡°Lunchtime is over and we need to go back into session.¡± Diana recognized her father''s tone and knew that further discussion was not welcome. She nodded and stood up, then gave her mother a hug. ¡°I''m glad you''re feeling better.¡± Diana said. ¡°As am I.¡± Lady Eleanor replied. ¡°Now go with your father and keep the kingdom running.¡± King Alamast and Crown Princess Diana left the private dining room and another server came in to take the cart of dirty dishes. Lady Eleanor ignored her and walked over to the window. She leaned forward, touched her forehead to the glass, then sighed. ¡°Your Highness.¡± The serving maid said and disturbed her brooding. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What do I do with these things on the table?¡± She asked, and Lady Eleanor looked at the table to see the three plates Ren had put there, and several fried dough pieces were left on each. ¡°You can eat them.¡± Lady Eleanor said and turned back to the window. ¡°They are quite delicious.¡± ¡°That''s not what I-¡± ¡°Take them to the kitchen.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°Give one to Anya and tell her to make it, then pass the rest out to the staff and eat them.¡± ¡°There''s not enough for-¡± ¡°Cut. Them. Up.¡± Lady Eleanor said crossly without turning around. ¡°Must I tell you how to do everything?¡± ¡°N-no, Your Highness. Forgive me, Your Highness.¡± Lady Eleanor sighed. ¡°Leave me.¡± ¡°Y-yes, Your Highness.¡± The serving maid said and took the fried dough pieces and put them on the cart and left the dining room at a fast walk with it. Lady Eleanor could still feel Ren, because she was still within his Aura. She couldn''t feel his emotions or share his Aura, since she didn''t have those abilities; but, she could feel his presence like a reassuring weight in her heart. In all the years she had been with the king, and despite how much she loved him, she had never once felt the same comforting presence from him as she did from Ren. She wasn''t sure why that was, especially since she didn''t know much about Ren, except for some of the things he did and what she had experienced herself with him. Lady Eleanor put her head against the glass again. She loved her husband. She loved her daughter. She loved her life. She also knew that a part of her was tempted by what Ren offered. A way to leave and not feel guilty. A way to see and experience things, but not as a ruler. She was a member of the Royal Family, one that everyone treated differently because of who she was. Some days, that same small part of her that was tempted by Ren, regretted that. She wasn''t sure why she was thinking about these things, since she had made peace with her life as a ruler a long time ago. At least, she thought she had. Lady Eleanor sighed against the window and looked out into the bright afternoon as she stared at the people in the street below. She wondered what she would have done if Ren had given her the same choice as he gave the others. What would I have said if he asked me if I wanted to run away with him, too? Lady Elanor asked herself. After several minutes, she still didn''t have an answer. After everything she had been through with her husband and ruling the kingdom, with all the crisis they had faced together, not being able to answer that one simple question... scared her. Chapter 555 - Picking Them Up: Part 2 ¡°Ma''am? Do you have a lot to pack?¡± Ren asked Maria, the old woman who was Belinda''s mother. ¡°Yes, young man. I have lots of mementos to bring with me.¡± Since Maria was now outside the shack, Ren looked at it and saw it only sat on the ground and his Heat Sense showed him nothing living was inside. ¡°Don''t be surprised when I do this.¡± Ren said as he reached out and touched the shack, then stored it. ¡°There. All packed.¡± Belinda stared at the empty space, and the old woman cackled. ¡°You Adventures sure know how to show a woman a good time.¡± ¡°It''s a gift and a curse.¡± Ren said, and she kept laughing. He led her and the others over to the wall, and they all stood there to wait for Princess to come back. * Ren''s mount Princess had taken Xuunah and Narshan right to the apartment and stopped just outside the door. ¡°Hurry.¡± Xuunah said and climbed down from the driver''s seat of the carriage. ¡°Ren will be waiting.¡± ¡°What''s the rush, anyway?¡± Narshan asked as he hopped off the carriage. ¡°Why did he say only half an hour?¡± ¡°He needs time to meet with representatives for the High Elven Kingdom before coming back here to the capital to plead his cases.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°He''s being generous with that time estimate, since it should only take 10 minutes to gather everyone.¡± ¡°No, 10 minutes would be unreasonable. Anyone could use up that much time just by getting dressed.¡± ¡°Then you help them get dressed.¡± Xuunah said and entered the large building. ¡°I''ll pack for them.¡± ¡°I don''t think they are going to like you touching their things.¡± ¡°I don''t care what they think.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Ren wants them gathered and they will be gathered.¡± ¡°No discussion?¡± Narshan asked and followed her to his apartment. ¡°It''s not necessary. They are coming and they will want their things. Those things will be brought.¡± Xuunah said and pointed to his door. ¡°You first.¡± Narshan sighed and opened the door. ¡°Mother! Sister!¡± ¡°Narshan!¡± A prim and proper woman, with speckles of grey in her hair, shuffled over to the front door. Her ornate dress was so tight that her feet barely moved, which explained the shuffle. ¡°Welcome home!¡± The woman said. ¡°I''ve got good news and bad news.¡± Narshan said and gave his mother a hug. ¡°You know we hate bad news.¡± His sister said and shuffled over, and Xuunah saw that her hair was surprisingly like her mother''s. It had speckles of grey in it and it was in the same style, as was her dress. ¡°The good news is that I quit my job and I told that wench to shove it.¡± Narshan said, and his mother and sister gasped and covered their mouths with their hands, then started to speak at the same time. ¡°H-how is that good news?¡± His mother asked. ¡°What will we do, now that you don''t have an income?¡± His sister asked. Narshan held his hands up to stop them from talking. ¡°I got an offer to leave the kitchens, so I did.¡± He said to placate them, and both women visibly relaxed. ¡°So, what part of the castle are you working in now?¡± His mother asked. ¡°I''m not going to be in any part of the castle.¡± Narshan said. ¡°In fact, I don''t even know what kind of job I''ll have when I get to where I''m going.¡± ¡°Get to where... are you moving?¡± His sister asked and started to get hysterical. ¡°Is that the bad news? You''re abandoning us?!?¡± ¡°No, I''m not!¡± Narshan said. Xuunah stepped around him and put a hand on each of the women''s shoulders and flooded them with calm. ¡°Relax. He is moving, but he is also taking you both with him.¡± The mother and daughter looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°We''re moving?¡± Narshan nodded. ¡°We''re here to pick you up.¡± The mother sighed. ¡°If that was all good news, I don''t know if I want to hear the bad news.¡± ¡°You might as well tell us.¡± His sister said. Narshan ducked his head. ¡°You only have 30 minutes to get ready.¡± ¡°OH MY GOD!¡± Both women screamed at the top of their lungs and flailed their arms into the air. They started to run around as fast as they could, which turned out to only be a quick shuffle, since their dresses restricted their movements so much. Xuunah just stood there and watched in disbelief as the two women completely overreact to the time limit. ¡°I told you.¡± Narshan sighed. Xuunah left the apartment and went out to Princess. ¡°You can go and pick up Ren. This is going to take a while.¡± Princess nodded and trotted up into the air and disappeared. ¡°She really does go a lot slower for us.¡± Xuunah commented, then went back inside to try and bring calm to two irrationally hysterical women. * Princess slowed down when she entered Ren''s Aura and stopped above his head. ¡°You''re back early.¡± Ren said and she came in for a landing. ¡°Xuunah is busy corralling the clucking hens and sent me back.¡± Ren chuckled and scratched her chin. ¡°Then we''ll use your talents to get these good people back to the county.¡± ¡°Can I go see my brother first?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said and opened the carriage door and held a hand out for the old woman. ¡°Everyone climb aboard.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± Maria said as she took his hand, and he helped her to a seat. He helped everyone else be seated and saw it was quite crowded. ¡°If your brother accepts, I might have to switch to the covered cart to fit him in.¡± Ren said and asked the All-Seeing Mirror where Belinda''s brother was. He showed Princess where it was, then on a whim took out his shop tower and went inside. He came back out and stored the tower, then gave a heavily modified Amulet of Unnatural Armor to Belinda, her mother Maria, and Sharlee. Ren was used to people''s reactions to his crafted items and ignored their shock and surprise. ¡°Go ahead and equip them.¡± He said, then climbed up and sat down on the driver''s seat of the carriage. ¡°Hold on, everyone.¡± Princess trotted off towards the Mage Guild to where Belinda''s brother was working as a scribe. * Lady Eleanor felt Ren''s warm presence leave her perception, and she took in a deep breath. She pulled her composure around herself like a blanket and lifted her head high. She walked over to the dining room door and opened it, and a guard appeared out of nowhere to accompany her. She nodded to him and walked across the hallway and down the stairs, then went down another hallway. She came to the door she wanted and the guard knocked on it. ¡°Come in, Your Highness.¡± A woman''s voice said. The guard opened the door for Lady Eleanor and she stepped into the small room. The guard stayed outside and shut the door behind her. ¡°Thank you for seeing me.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°I am having improper thoughts.¡± ¡°Please, sit.¡± The woman said, and Lady Eleanor sat on the chair in the middle of the room. ¡°Hmm.¡± The woman''s hands glowed and she waved them around Lady Eleanor''s head. ¡°Yes, yes. I see.¡± The woman said. ¡°You aren''t attracted to the Adventurer at all, but he represents an appealing life for you.¡± ¡°I can''t get the thoughts of trying to escape out of my head.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°I fought hard to be where I am today, and I am not giving it up!¡± The woman chuckled. ¡°You are trying too hard to convince yourself of that.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Those that protest too much are the ones that are so easily swayed to change their minds.¡± Lady Eleanor sighed. ¡°Is that what I''m doing?¡± The woman nodded. ¡°Within this room, for the next 10 minutes, you can be whoever you want.¡± She said, and cast Full Illusion to put them in the middle of a field of flowers. ¡°Who do you want to be? A wench in the local tavern?¡± She asked and cast Disguise Self on Lady Eleanor to change her beautiful dress into a barmaid''s outfit. Lady Eleanor looked down at herself and shook her head. ¡°Perhaps a young girl waiting for a date with her boyfriend?¡± The woman asked and cast Disguise Self again and made Lady Eleanor look half her age and made a silhouette of a man appear beside her. ¡°No.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°Nothing like that.¡± ¡°Then tell me, Your Highness. What do you want?¡± Lady Eleanor thought about Ren taking people away from their normal lives, and the freedom that gave them. ¡°I... I want... to be free.¡± She said and finally admitted it to herself. ¡°If only for a moment, I want to be free of responsibility. Free of structure. Free of rules. Free of... everything.¡± ¡°Then close your eyes and keep them closed until this is over, Your Highness.¡± The woman said. ¡°I will grant you that wish.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Lady Eleanor said and closed her eyes, then waited patiently for the feeling of freedom to fill her. ¡°No, Your Highness.¡± The woman said and unsheathed a short sword. ¡°Thank you for this opportunity to give you what you deserve.¡± * Princess arrived at the Mage Guild and Belinda went inside, and then Ren received a popup.
Security Notice: Black
One of the members of your domain (HK-NPC-LadyEleanor01) is in mortal danger.
Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror instantly and asked for her location. He cast a Portal spell as Teepo dissolved into the ring, then Ren grabbed Artemis'' hand and jumped through the portal. * Lady Eleanor gasped as Ren''s presence was suddenly there in the room with her. Oh, god! That... that means... A Mana bolt skimmed by Lady Eleanor''s hair and hit the woman in the chest. The woman felt it as the bolt cracked her Mana Shield. It didn''t penetrate, and she hefted the short sword over her head to plunge it into Lady Eleanor. Ren saw the shadow mist around the sword and leaped forward. He grabbed the woman''s arm as he tackled her into the wall. There was a sickening crunch when the woman was crushed into the wall under Ren''s momentum, because he hadn''t tried to restrain himself at all. Ren pulled himself out of the indent he had made in the thick underground stone wall and saw the remains of the woman. ¡°Identify.¡±
Remains of Fidelia
These are the pulverized remains of the Dark witch, Fidelia. With her heart and brain destroyed, she can no longer Regenerate.
Ren shook his head at the popup and looted the body. He received a shadow coin, several gold coins, and an Amulet of Mana Shield. The sword has disappeared with the body, and Ren kicked himself mentally for not trying to grab the sword first. He equipped his red suit for a moment to clean the blue suit in inventory, then equipped the blue suit again and knelt in front of Lady Eleanor. ¡°Your Highness, are you all right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Fidelia? I can hear someone else''s voice. Is... is that normal?¡± Lady Eleanor asked. ¡°Your Highness, it''s really me.¡± Ren said and took her hand, and Lady Eleanor jumped at the touch. ¡°This is the best spell you''ve ever cast, Fidelia.¡± Lady Eleanor said and kept her eyes closed as she gripped Ren''s hand. ¡°It feels so real.¡± ¡°It is real.¡± Ren said. ¡°Open your eyes and see.¡± Lady Eleanor shook her head. ¡°You told me to keep my eyes closed until it was over.¡± She said, and she held his hand as her other hand reached out and touched his arm, then made it''s way up to his face. She cupped his cheek and caressed the skin. ¡°When will it be over?¡± Ren asked, because he wasn''t sure what to do. ¡°When I feel free, of course.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°After I asked for it and then felt his presence appear here, I... I realized what it meant.¡± She smiled. ¡°It gave me the answer I wanted to my question.¡± ¡°What question?¡± Ren asked, curious. Lady Eleanor leaned forward. ¡°Why didn''t he ask me to run away with him like he did with the others?¡± Ren was too surprised by the question to answer. He never imagined that she would consider going with him, and it didn''t occur to him to ask. ¡°You see, he knew it was vital for me to stay. He knew I couldn''t run away from my family, from my life, or from my kingdom... and they couldn''t run away with me if I did go.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°My responsibilities are all that I am. They make me happy, sad, angry and passionate. I also hate them and love them at the same time.¡± Ren felt her emotions, and realized she had made a kind of breakthrough with whatever it was that had been keeping her reserved. When he had healed her, it had lifted some of the weight from her; but, she hadn''t accepted the fact that the rest was a weight she had to choose to bear. Lady Eleanor leaned forward as she used her hand on his face as a guide. ¡°I''ve always been reserved. I''ve always held back. I''ve never tried to do anything beyond what was expected of me, and I strove to be perfect in every way.¡± Ren didn''t try to stop her as she put her face right in front of his, and her breath was hot as she started to breathe heavily. ¡°I would never do anything like this. Ever.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°But, since this is just an Illusion... and you said I had to experience the freedom that I''ve always craved...¡± She closed that last bit of distance and pressed her lips to his. It was very platonic at first, and then Ren felt her subdued carnal passion be unleashed. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she kissed him as she let her inhibitions go. Ren''s Emotion Siphon ability activated because of the sheer amount of emotions she had let loose, and she moaned as he fed from her, and then she broke the kiss. ¡°Yes, take it from me.¡± Lady Eleanor moaned. ¡°Ease my pain and don''t let me drown in it.¡± She whispered and then kissed him again. She poured everything she had into him, and he absorbed as much of it as she wanted. After a minute or so, Lady Eleanor''s movements and enthusiasm started to drop, and Ren felt her composure start to reassert itself. Her reluctance to do something like this also grew, and a moment later, she broke the kiss and sat up straight as she let Ren go. She took a deep breath and let it out, and then again. ¡°Thank you, Fidelia.¡± Lady Eleanor said in her normal voice. ¡°I believe I''ve felt the freedom I''ve always thought I wanted... and it''s not what I want at all.¡± She said. ¡°I can finally face the rest of my life without regrets or questions.¡± Ren didn''t say anything as he stood and walked over to the portal and took Artemis'' hand. ¡°I can still feel his presence, Fidelia. When will the spell be over?¡± ¡°Right now.¡± Ren said and stepped through the portal with Artemis, then he dismissed the portal. Lady Eleanor felt Ren''s presence disappear and she relaxed. ¡°The spell''s over.¡± She said and opened her eyes. ¡°Fidelia, that was... Fidelia?¡± She looked around and didn''t see her. ¡°Fidelia? Where are you?¡± She stood up and checked the small bedroom, and Fidelia wasn''t there. ¡°Guard!¡± The guard opened the front door and peeked in. ¡°Yes, Your Highness?¡± ¡°Did anyone pass by you in the hallway just now?¡± Lady Eleanor asked. ¡°No, and the door wasn''t opened, Your Highness.¡± Lady Eleanor gave one last look around both rooms. Perhaps she thought I no longer needed her counsel. She thought, and left the small apartment. ¡°Let me know if she appears again.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± The guard said and shut the door to the empty room. Chapter 556 - Picking Them Up: Part 3 Ren and Artemis came out of the portal and Ren dismissed it. ¡°What happened?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°Lady Eleanor was being attacked.¡± Ren said and summoned Teepo. ¡°You saved her.¡± Frikara said, and he nodded. ¡°Was she grateful?¡± ¡°She didn''t know she was in danger at all.¡± Artemis said as Ren cast the spells to make Teepo solid again. ¡°She kept her eyes closed the whole time and thought it was a spell. It was weird.¡± ¡°That means the only ones that know what really happened are you and Ren.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Are you going to keep it that way?¡± ¡°I''m not keeping it a secret, but I''m not going to blab it to everyone I meet, either.¡± Ren said. Belinda came out of the Mage Guild and walked over to him. ¡°I was right. My brother told me to leave him alone and to enjoy my new life.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said, and she shrugged. ¡°I knew he would say no, but I had to ask anyway.¡± Belinda said. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Her mother Maria said. ¡°We can have him come and visit when he''s not busy.¡± Belinda chuckled. ¡°He didn''t visit us when we lived in the same city. He''s not going to travel to see us, no matter where we live.¡± Maria reluctantly nodded, despite not wanting to believe it. ¡°Now what?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°Sharlee? Is there anywhere you want to go?¡± ¡°I wouldn''t mind visiting my husband and the hussy he''s sleeping with, just so I can tell him I''m leaving.¡± Sharlee said. ¡°Other than that, I don''t want anything from the house.¡± ¡°What about your things at the castle?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Oh, damn! What about my things at the castle?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°We can go and get them now, or we can pop back after I get you to my county.¡± ¡°Wait, if you can just pop back whenever you want, why did you take mother''s whole shack?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Because I could.¡± Ren said, and she couldn''t argue that it wasn''t a good enough reason. ¡°So, is that it?¡± He looked at them. ¡°Then I''ll drop you off at the county and come back for Narshan and his family.¡± Ren unhooked the half-carriage from Princess and moved her over, took out the covered cart from her saddle bag and attached it to her, then transferred everyone over to it. Once that was done, he stored the empty half-carriage and climbed onto Princess, and they travelled back to Walin County as Artemis flew beside them. Once there, they landed next to the Refugee Center. ¡°We''re refugees?¡± Sharlee asked as she looked at the building. ¡°No, you''re in transition.¡± Patty said. ¡°I''ll look over the housing plans and see where I can assign you to live, and then you can move in.¡± ¡°It''s going to be odd living in an empty house.¡± Sharlee said. ¡°Empty? They are fully furnished and even have full baths inside.¡± Patty said. ¡°No expense was spared in making them the best places to live.¡± ¡°What kind...¡± ¡°All kinds.¡± Patty said and pointed, and they turned to look at the expanse of houses across the road. ¡°The only limit we have is how quickly they can be built.¡± ¡°We''ll get you settled properly soon. Until then, you can stay at the Refugee Center.¡± Ren said and walked over to the side of the Refugee Center and took out the old woman''s shack and placed it there. ¡°Maria on the other hand, can stay in her old home until she gets a new one.¡± ¡°That''s amazing!¡± The old woman Maria said, then waddled over and went inside. ¡°Nothing''s broken!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If you want to eat out, there''s a cafeteria right there.¡± He said and pointed up the street. ¡°Or you can get meal ingredients from some of the other residents, or order them from the Main House.¡± He pointed to the large 2 storey cement building, then took out a handful of gold coins and gave some to Sharlee, Belinda, and Maria. ¡°The bakery has some great products as well.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Patty started to say. ¡°Right.¡± Ren said and gave the three women coin pouches as well. ¡°A few gold is more than you will ever need to live here. Everything is pretty cheap, and everyone usually shares what they have. This is a community. No one ever goes hungry, and they are all pretty happy.¡± ¡°This place sounds too good to be true.¡± Sharlee said. ¡°I''m sure there''s a few places that would like to have an experienced maid. Like the Inn, the Library, or the Adventurer-Only business.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or you can find any other job that you want to try. You don''t have to limit yourself to what you know.¡± ¡°Yes, it''s too good to be true.¡± Sharlee said and smiled. ¡°It sure is.¡± A male''s voice said as he walked over the road, and Ren turned to see who it was. He saw a man and a 10 year old girl walking towards him. ¡°Mr. Farnham.¡± Ren said to the first farmer he had helped when he came to this county, then nodded to him slightly. ¡°Well met.¡± ¡°Well met.¡± Fern Farnham said and nodded back. Ren knelt on one knee to put himself just below the girl''s height. ¡°M''lady Falla.¡± Falla''s face flushed red, and she gave him a very well practised curtsy. ¡°M''lord.¡± ¡°Aww, that''s so cute!¡± Belinda and Sharlee said at the same time, then they looked at each other and laughed. ¡°It seems they share my opinion of you, Falla.¡± Ren said, and her face went to a deep red.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°We were just heading to the cafeteria to get a late lunch for the family.¡± Fern said. ¡°Their food is great.¡± He said, then looked at his daughter. ¡°You didn''t hear me say that.¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Falla said. ¡°Unless...¡± Fern sighed. ¡°I''ll get some fried dough on the way home.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Falla said excitedly. ¡°The Crown Princess Diana likes fried dough as well.¡± Ren said. ¡°She does?¡± Falla asked and her eyes sparkled. ¡°I gave her some as dessert after we ate lunch together.¡± Falla started to giggle. ¡°My Lord and Princess Diana ate a meal together!¡± ¡°You aren''t surprised that he knows the Crown Princess?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Of course not.¡± Falla said. ¡°My Lord is a great Adventurer and has been in many battles and slain many foes and has beautiful women around him all the time and he''s rich and he''s really strong and he can make magic things and...¡± ¡°Falla.¡± Fern said a little sternly, and Falla clamped her mouth shut. ¡°I''m sorry about that. She can say a lot with a single breath.¡± ¡°That''s a very endearing quality.¡± Ren said and used a single finger to touch Falla''s cheek. ¡°I almost married a woman who could do the same thing.¡± Falla caught her breath and her face went as red as it could go. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Ren smiled and stood up to look at Fern. ¡°I didn''t mean to delay you.¡± ¡°That''s okay. We sent Russell ahead and he ordered the meals for us, so we only have to pick them up.¡± Fern said. ¡°It was nice seeing you again, My Lord.¡± ¡°You as well.¡± Ren said. ¡°M''lord?¡± Falla said and Ren looked at her to see her face was still bright red. ¡°Can we go for another walk soon?¡± ¡°I''ll have some time in a few hours, so I''d be happy to go for a walk with you then.¡± Falla bit her lip and nodded, then she and her father walked past them to go to the cafeteria. ¡°I think you have a secret admirer.¡± Belinda said. ¡°It''s not a secret.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I think she''s had a crush on me for a while.¡± ¡°And you''re encouraging her?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°She''s pretty young.¡± ¡°She''s 10. She works hard, plays with her friends when she can, and is responsible.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t discourage her from expressing herself, or tell her not to ask for what she wants when she builds up the courage to ask.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You think I''m leading her on, or that I''ll hurt her when she realizes we can''t be together?¡± Ren asked, and Officer Holly nodded. ¡°She already knows we can''t be together. For most people, they don''t even meet their rulers, so she knows that not everyone can talk to the Lord of their lands like she just did.¡± Everyone watched the young girl as she entered the cafeteria with her father. ¡°Imagine what she would think of me if I told her that I didn''t have time to say hello to her.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not only would she start to hate me, by the gods I''d hate myself.¡± Ren asked Belinda if she wanted to stay with her mother or in the Refugee Center, and she chose the center. Sharlee took her hand and they went into the building together, after Ren had assured them they would receive several new sets of clothing. Ren left Officer Holly and the maids in the covered cart and followed the two women inside. ¡°I think Belinda had the right idea. I should go and get my things from the castle.¡± Sharlee said and chose the room she wanted. ¡°No problem.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and looked at her room in the castle. He stepped into her room and cast a Portal spell to connect it to her room at the castle. ¡°Want me to come with you?¡± ¡°Wh-what? No.¡± Sharlee said, when she thought about having someone in her room while she tried to gather up the mess she had hidden under the bed. ¡°I can handle it.¡± Ren gave her a Strong Ring of Storage. ¡°Pack things into bags, or the dresser and cabinet, then store the dresser and cabinet.¡± He said. ¡°You can carry a lot more things by putting them inside other things.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Sharlee said and put on the ring. ¡°How long will the portal stay open?¡± ¡°Until I dismiss it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I could set a timer by changing the amount of Mana I put into the spell; but, all that will do is cause stress and worry over when it will close, so I don''t bother.¡± He turned to Belinda. ¡°Are you taking the room next door?¡± Belinda nodded, and Ren entered her room and asked the All-Seeing Mirror for her room in the castle, then cast another Portal spell to connect it to her current room. Ren stepped out of her room and looked into both. ¡°I''ll leave the portals here until you tell me you''re done.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Both women said and stepped through their respective portals. Ren left the building and went over to Princess and the cart. ¡°We''re making a quick run back to the capital to pick up Xuunah.¡± He said. ¡°Are you all coming along?¡± ¡°No, I''ll stay here.¡± Patty said and Ren helped her climb down from the large covered cart. ¡°I will go back to the capital with you when you return from your visit with the High Elven representatives.¡± ¡°Then I''ll pick you up in an hour and 15 minutes.¡± Ren said, and Patty walked down the street to the Main House to wait in her office while she did some work. ¡°We''re staying with you.¡± Frikara said, and the other maids nodded slightly. ¡°Unless you don''t want us to.¡± ¡°You would feel it if I didn''t.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I don''t expect anything to happen; but, you never know. Having all these extra eyes around can only help.¡± The maids were glad that he wasn''t dismissing them, pushing them aside, or belittling their skills; even though he was so much more powerful than them. Ren shut the cart and climbed into the driver''s seat, and Artemis floated beside him. They took off and spent another 12 minutes travelling and making their way over to Narshan''s apartment. ¡°I think the place is small, so be wary of tight corners.¡± Ren said and helped them all out of the covered cart. ¡°We understand.¡± Frikara said, and they spread out to surround the cart, then moved together when Ren walked over to the door. They kept a perfect circle until they reached the door, then Frikara nodded to Andrela as the maids turned to observe the door and the surrounding street. ¡°According to Ren''s Heat Sense, there''s 13 people in the building. None of them are anywhere near their doors or waiting to ambush us.¡± Ren was tempted to use Identify Person on her to try and get her details, then decided that he would rather be surprised by her abilities. Andrela felt his curiosity and his reservedness, and Ren felt her pride in her abilities. ¡°There are 4 exits, one on each side of the building. There''s a stairway on each end of the building for traffic up and down, and 8 apartments are accessible inside.¡± Andrela said a moment later. ¡°It''s not well made, so any excessive structural damage might bring the whole thing down.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°I have Immediate Location Knowledge.¡± Andrela said. ¡°Ask me where something is and I''ll tell you what direction to go. I can''t tell how far away it is; but when I see it, I can tell you it''s details.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s awesome.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, it puts a lot of information in my head at once and I''m not quite used to sorting it for relevance yet.¡± ¡°You''ll get the hang of it.¡± Ren put a hand on her shoulder for a moment, then let her go. ¡°Navruth.¡± Frikara said. Navruth stepped forward and her hands glowed as she made several gestures, and then the whole building was covered in a blue glow for a moment. ¡°No nefarious spells or enchantments are inside.¡± Navruth said. ¡°Magic cleared.¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her, and she smiled warmly at him as she felt his surprise. ¡°Lusinia.¡± Frikara said. Lusinia nodded slightly and took a breath, and Ren felt something like an Aura reach out from her. It was just as big as his when it stopped, and she smiled. ¡°Nothing approaching this location, either on the ground or the air.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Andrela''s right. The foundation on this building is weak.¡± Ren looked at Verwynn. ¡°I can Track anything. Creatures, carts, people, ranged spells, and anything else that moves.¡± ¡°Sweet.¡± Ren said and looked at Frikara. ¡°Don''t be disappointed.¡± ¡°I won''t ever be disappointed in any of you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought you were amazing before getting these abilities.¡± Frikara nodded. ¡°I''m... well, I''m Strong and Tough.¡± ¡°Strong and...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''re the Tank.¡± ¡°I''m the what?¡± Frikara asked, surprised. ¡°It''s an Adventurer term for the person who stands out front and takes the brunt of the damage when enemies show up.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re the Fighter.¡± He looked at Verwynn. ¡°You''re the Ranger.¡± He looked at Navruth. ¡°You''re the Mage.¡± He looked at Lusinia. ¡°You''re the Cleric.¡± He looked at Andrela. ¡°And you''re the Scout.¡± ¡°I can''t believe it.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ve been replaced.¡± Andrela stepped close and scratched his carapace. ¡°It''s okay, Teepo. There''s no rules against having more than one scout.¡± ¡°Plus, she needs someone to teach her how to scout properly.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We did the best we could on our own, but... this is our first practical experience.¡± ¡°Then let''s do this right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Frikara, get me to the second floor and to Narshan''s apartment.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Frikara said and deployed her team to infiltrate the structure. Chapter 557 - Picking Them Up: Conclusion Ren was both surprised and not surprised as Frikara and the maids quickly ushered him inside of the building, kept him completely protected on all sides, and brought him up to the second floor to Narshan''s apartment. ¡°Okay, I''m impressed.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°That was great teamwork.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We''ve shared an Aura ever since Ren gave it to us when we first met. We''ve been using it to coordinate our movements, and it lets us have all of our senses available to everyone at once.¡± ¡°That is definitely an advantage.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°It can also be a drawback.¡± Ren said. ¡°If one of you is caught by surprise and injured...¡± ¡°We fold them into the group to protect and heal them, then keep going.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Like I said, we''ve been practising.¡± Ren flooded the shared Aura with approval and pride, and appreciation for all their hard work. They gave him gratefulness in return, and Artemis knocked on the apartment door. ¡°I felt you coming.¡± Xuunah said as she opened the door and stepped back. ¡°I''m glad you''re here. My Reassurance Aura isn''t working on them. Perhaps you can help calm them down.¡± Ren let his concentration on the maids fade and then stepped into the apartment. ¡°I''ll see what I can do.¡± He felt emotional chaos from two people, and resignation from another. When he entered the single bedroom, he saw that Narshan was trying to pack things, and two women that looked eerily similar as they putted around the room and tried to help each other get ready. ¡°Oh, my god! Mother! Fix my hair!¡± One woman said. ¡°I am, dear!¡± The other woman said and shoved a large hairpin into the fancy hairdo of the first woman, then she quickly turned around. ¡°Now tie my sash!¡± ¡°I am, mother!¡± The first woman said and expertly tied the sash around her mother''s waist and gave it a fancy knot and bow. ¡°Oh, no! My feet!¡± ¡°I have your shoes!¡± Her mother said and passed them to her. ¡°I can''t put these on!¡± The first women said when she tried to bend over and her dress stopped her. ¡°Narshan! Help your sister!¡± His mother said. Narshan sighed and helped his sister sit on the bed, then she flopped onto her back and lifted her feet so he could put her shoes on. They''re like frantic penguins. Ren thought as he watched the mother waddle to the other side of the bed. She flapped her arms uselessly in the tight dress, because she couldn''t reach the hat she wanted. ¡°Narshan! Help!¡± His mother exclaimed. ¡°Just a second.¡± Narshan said and helped his sister stand up, now that she had her shoes on, then went over to his mother. ¡°Which hat do you want?¡± ¡°The bright feathered one!¡± His mother said. ¡°Hurry! My head is bare!¡± She just finished doing the fancy hairdo, and now she''s covering it with a hat? Ren asked himself. Maybe it''s like a ritual. Teepo thought back, so he wouldn''t speak out loud and disturb the scene playing out in front of him. It has to be. Ren thought as Narshan put the hat on his mother''s head. It''s a bit too ridiculous to just be a random thing. ¡°Get my hat, too!¡± The sister said, and Narshan pointed to another hat, and she nodded. He helped her put that hat on, and both women turned as one and pointed to the closet. ¡°Get our wraps!¡± They said together, and Narshan went to the closet and took out two similar wraps and placed them across their shoulders and tucked them in tightly. ¡°How do we look?¡± His mother asked. ¡°You look fine.¡± Narshan said, and Ren felt the two women''s anger. ¡°Fine? Only FINE?¡± The mother yelled. ¡°I don''t want to look fine!¡± She reached up to pull her wrap off, and Ren had seen enough to know that the scene would continue until Narshan told her she looked her best. ¡°M''lady, you can''t honestly expect your son to be an unbiased observer and see you as a woman instead of his mother.¡± Ren said in his command voice. ¡°He''s seen you too many times for that.¡± Narshan, his mother, and his sister stopped moving, and the three of them turned to look at Ren. ¡°My Lord.¡± The woman said, and he felt her emotions switch from annoyance to seduction. ¡°What do you think of my appearance?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I am not an unbiased observer, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have no right to judge you or your appearance.¡± ¡°My daughter...¡± ¡°Also suffers the same condition, I''m afraid. She can''t expect her half-brother to see her as a woman, or expect me to look past the women I have in my life and give her an honest opinion.¡± ¡°Did you say women?¡± The sister asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°I won''t list them, because that would be a disservice to them.¡± Ren said. ¡°They know what they mean to me, and that''s all I care about.¡± ¡°You can handle yourself quite well in conversation.¡± Narshan''s mother said. ¡°I feel like I should be insulted somehow, and yet your pleasant tone has eased the potential harshness in your words.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Now you understand why I won''t just pay you a false compliment, M''lady. You would have known it wasn''t genuine.¡± The woman smiled, as did her daughter. ¡°Will there be more like you where we are moving to?¡± ¡°No, M''lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although a lot of Adventurers do pass through my county every week, I am the only male that lives there.¡± ¡°You have female Adventurers living in your county?¡± Narshan asked with wide eyes. ¡°Quite a few, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°Besides the other people that live there.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°I can''t wait!¡± Narshan said, and his mother and sister stared at him. ¡°Ah, I mean moving and getting a new job.¡± ¡°How is the packing going?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ve stored all the things from the living room; but, I wasn''t allowed to touch anything in the bedroom.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°They were using it all.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°M''lady, may I assist in packing?¡± ¡°You may.¡± Narshan''s mother said. Ren moved as quickly as he could and packed their things inside their dressers and cabinets. When he ran out of room, he stored them and took out an empty crate and filled it. He felt Narshan''s family''s shock as he made short work of it, and he stored the crate. ¡°I believe that''s everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless you want the bed?¡± ¡°That horrible thing?¡± Narshan''s sister shook her head. ¡°I''d be glad to see it burn.¡± Ren thought about lighting it on fire and burning it up, then changed his mind. ¡°Please allow me to escort you to the waiting cart.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Both women said at the same time, and he held his elbows out for them. The mother took the right arm and the daughter took the left arm, and Ren led them out of the bedroom and the apartment, while Frikara and the maids did the same rolling protection that they did on his way in. The two women on Ren''s arms were impressed with their professionalism. They all went outside and Narshan''s mother and sister gasped as they saw Princess, a giant armored ram attached to a large covered cart. ¡°Th-that''s our transportation?¡± The mother asked. ¡°She''s unbelievably fast, and the cart is quite opulent inside.¡± Ren said and Artemis opened it for them so they could see inside. They admired the plush seats and the color of the fabric, and Ren helped the two women climb inside. He helped Frikara and the other 4 maids climb in, as well as Xuunah and Officer Holly, then took out two modified Amulets of Unnatural Armor with the Spider enchantment. ¡°Please accept this token of welcome.¡± Ren said and held them out to Narshan''s mother and sister. ¡°It will protect you and keep you safe.¡± Both women held in their gasp as they beheld the shiny gold amulets. ¡°My Lord, you are too generous.¡± The mother said, and her fingertips grazed the metal. ¡°I''ve been told that on occasion.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You must equip them and keep them on to benefit from their magic.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± They said together and took the amulets. When they equipped them, they gasped at the abilities they gained, and then they started to panic at the implications for receiving such an impressive gift. Ren activated his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Restoring Hands, then held their hands and poured good feelings into them. They calmed down and took several deep breaths. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you look at the others, you will see most wear a similar amulet.¡± The mother looked around and counted. ¡°Why doesn''t she have one?¡± She asked and motioned to Xuunah. ¡°If she needed one, she would have it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Her abilities are far beyond the need for an enchantment that gives her the benefit of heavy armor.¡± ¡°Yet you sent her to gather us.¡± The sister said. ¡°I couldn''t come myself until now, so I sent her instead.¡± Ren said and stepped out of the cart to let Narshan climb in. ¡°I trust her with important things.¡± Ren felt them preen a little at those words, and he deactivated his Restoring Hands as everyone settled in. He closed the cart and climbed onto the driver''s seat, then Princess took off at a easy pace and then poured on the speed while Artemis flew beside them. They made it back to the county and unloaded Narshan, his mother, and his sister at the Refugee Center. ¡°Look at the size of this place.¡± The sister said and took her mother''s hand. ¡°Is it an apartment building, too?¡± ¡°It only has large bedrooms inside and not full apartments.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll be staying here for a day or two, until the Mayor assigns you a house.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± The mother looked at Ren. ¡°Did you say a house?¡± ¡°Yes, M''lady. Probably a bigger one, since there''s three of you.¡± ¡°A... a big house.¡± The sister said. ¡°We''re going to have a big house.¡± ¡°With your own separate rooms, assuming you want that.¡± ¡°Hell, yes!¡± The sister exclaimed, then clamped her mouth shut and her mother gasped as the both of them covered their mouths. ¡°M-m-my L-lord, I... please forgive my unladylike outburst.¡± She said and he felt her deep embarrassment. Ren gave her a genuine smile and tried not to laugh. ¡°Believe me, I''ve seen, heard, and said much worse than the word ''hell''.¡± The sister''s embarrassment eased a little at his admission. ¡°In fact, one of the women in my life can curse with the best of them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, lately she hasn''t been doing that much.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I think I''m a bad influence on her.¡± That made Officer Holly and the maids laugh, and Xuunah followed Ren inside the Refugee Center to drop off all the things they had stored for Narshan and his family. They chose rooms on the bottom floor and Narshan thanked Ren for moving them so quickly. ¡°I''ll have someone over to help you move your things into the new house when it''s assigned.¡± Ren said, and shook his hand. ¡°Good luck.¡± * After Ren left, Narshan felt something on his wrist. He looked down to see a coin pouch and wondered where it had come from, then assumed it must have been Ren. He equipped it and it appeared on his belt, then he looked inside to see a single platinum coin. ¡°Good luck, he says!¡± Narshan said and walked over to his mother and sister. They were searching through their things to make sure everything was still there, and Narshan told them what Ren had given him. They swooned dramatically and flopped down onto the soft and comfy bed, then a moment later swooned at how the bed felt. * ¡°Dammit, I''m running late.¡± Ren said as he and Xuunah came out of the Refugee Center. ¡°I hope I''ve got enough time to discuss things with Yllana and Allynna before I have to be back at the capital.¡± ¡°The king didn''t look too happy about making the meetings last longer if they end up short.¡± Artemis said as Ren helped Xuunah into the cart and closed it up. ¡°I hadn''t planned on being gone for the entire time, but it looks like I''m going to have to be.¡± Ren said, and Princess took off and quickly got up to speed. They made it to the High Elven Kingdom 10 minutes later, which meant he only had 40 minutes left to get back before the hour and a half time limit he had told the king. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror and saw that Yllana was fully dressed and was talking with her daughter Allynna in the kitchen, and he had Princess land on top of Yllana''s building. ¡°Do you want us to wait here?¡± Artemis asked as she opened the cart and Xuunah and the maids climbed out. ¡°No, I think you should come along.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yllana and her daughter are actually nice people, and they should be happy to meet you all.¡± He took out an amulet and handed it to Xuunah. ¡°You''ll need this to walk on walls.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Xuunah said and equipped it. ¡°I was tempted to just carry you.¡± Ren said and smiled, and she chuckled. ¡°Move it.¡± Xuunah said and pointed, and Ren walked over to the edge of the roof and stepped over it and walked down the wall. Artemis floated beside him and watched as the 5 maids, Officer Holly, and Xuunah walked over the edge of the roof and down to Ren. They went in the front door and to Yllana''s apartment, and Ren knocked. The door opened a moment later, and Yllana saw Ren and who was with him, then changed what she was going to say. ¡°Hello, M''lord.¡± Yllana said. ¡°I want to ask what you were really going to say, but a man shouldn''t ask a woman to speak like that in public.¡± Ren said, and she gave him a knowing smile. ¡°Please, come inside.¡± Yllana said and stepped back. ¡°I can''t believe you said it!¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek as he walked by, and she laughed. ¡°Don''t joke about things like that.¡± Yllana said and waved everyone inside. ¡°Make yourselves at home.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Frikara said and they all walked over to the living room and found seats. ¡°You have a lovely place here.¡± ¡°It''s not much compared to some of the nicer places nearer to the city center, but it''s home.¡± Yllana said, then she pointed to the beautiful elfling that stood in front of the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. ¡°This is my daughter, Allynna. First attendant to the High Lord of the Elves.¡± Ren stepped forward. ¡°Please allow me to introduce you both to everyone on my side.¡± He said, and started with Frikara and the maids, then Xuunah, then Artemis, and ended with Officer Holly. They all exchanged pleasantries back and forth, and everyone was quite amicable. ¡°I was just preparing an early supper and talking to my daughter about the current state of the High Elven Kingdom.¡± Yllana said as she walked back into the kitchen. ¡°Would you care to join us?¡± ¡°Why don''t you and your daughter fill us in on what you''ve discussed so far, and I''ll give you a hand with the cooking.¡± Ren said. ¡°A man in the kitchen?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°Am I dreaming?¡± A ripple of chuckles escaped from all the women in the room. ¡°We all thought the same thing.¡± Frikara said and motioned to the maids. ¡°When we tasted his cooking, we knew we were really dreaming.¡± Ren chuckled as he put on an apron and rubbed his hands together. ¡°Let me show you what I can do.¡± Yllana smiled demurely. ¡°I thought you wanted to help me cook?¡± ¡°I thought you said not to joke about that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, I said you shouldn''t joke about it.¡± Yllana said ¡°I''m allowed to do whatever I want.¡± ¡°Mother!¡± Allynna exclaimed, and everyone laughed. Chapter 558 - Back To The Meetings While Yllana and Ren prepared the meal, Allynna told everyone what it has been like in the High Elven Kingdom since the main threat of the ghoul infestation had been dealt with. Under the orders of the High Lord of the Elves, the High Elves were using raiding parties to remove the remaining nests, and even taken it upon themselves to recruit normal citizens for the task. These raiders ventured well outside the normal patrol routes soldiers used regularly in order to clear the ghouls out. ¡°How many people have been infected in these raiding parties?¡± Ren asked. ¡°None.¡± Allynna said. ¡°Or none that they are admitting to.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Do I need to ask how many have died during these raids?¡± ¡°Quite a few, but they die when the ghouls attack.¡± ¡°No, they are probably getting infected and their own raiding party kills them.¡± Ren said. ¡°They just don''t want to admit it.¡± ¡°That''s a bit cynical, isn''t it?¡± Yllana asked. ¡°Yes, and I''m afraid it''s more than likely accurate.¡± Ren said and rinsed off his hands, then took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Please show me the remaining ghoul nests.¡± Several dozen red dots showed up on the overhead map of the land and they were spread out and far apart. ¡°Now show me the raiding parties.¡± Ren said, and the entire map was covered in green dots. ¡°By the gods.¡± He turned the mirror to show it to everyone, and he felt their surprise. ¡°The High Elven army is completely dispersed over the kingdom.¡± ¡°Spread out like that, they will get rid of those last ghoul nests soon.¡± Yllana said as she put the dish they were making in the oven and set it to cook. ¡°It''s not the ghouls that I''m worried about.¡± Ren said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I''m not sure if warning you will help you or hurt you more.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think it''s kind of a moot point right now.¡± ¡°What is?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°Who''s been trying for decades to weaken the High Elves just enough to have a fighting chance?¡± Ren asked, and Allynna and her mother Yllana gasped. ¡°N-no! You don''t mean...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°These raiding parties are exactly what the Dark Elves have been hoping for.¡± ¡°You do realize what this means, don''t you?¡± Xuunah asked. Ren nodded again. ¡°If nothing is done, a good portion of the world will soon be at war, and not just clearing up the scraps of one that was barely averted.¡± ¡°What can we do?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°They can be warned, at least.¡± Ren said. ¡°Depending on how good the Dark Elves surveillance is on the High Elves, it might be too late to have recall orders issued to the troops and have it make a difference.¡± ¡°I have to try.¡± Allynna said and stood up. ¡°Mother, help me.¡± ¡°Of course, dear.¡± Yllana said and reached over the counter to take her daughter''s hand. ¡°If you''re sending a message to the High Lord, you might as well tell him I''m a legitimate Chosen of Vasalor.¡± Yllana and Allynna stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°You''re what?¡± ¡°Vasalor himself told me to tell you.¡± Ren said, and their mouths dropped open in shock. ¡°He doesn''t like that I''m seen as a heretic after he went to the trouble of picking me.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Allynna tried to put her thoughts into words. ¡°When an Adventurer dies, they are reborn in a new body.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, I qualify by High Elven rules.¡± ¡°G-great Vasalor.¡± Yllana whispered. ¡°Um... I... ah...¡± Allynna still had trouble getting her thoughts together. The impending war with the Dark Elves and Ren''s revelation was a bit too much for her to process at once. Ren used Restoring Hands and took her other hand. ¡°Easy, now. You''re sending a message to the High Lord about an impending attack by the Dark Elves.¡± Allynna took several breaths and calmed down. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You can tell him I''m not a heretic later.¡± Ren smiled and let her hand go. Allynna and her mother still held hands, and they concentrated on the message. Their connected hands glowed, and they brought their other hands close together. A large bird appeared between the hands, tweeted once, then disappeared. ¡°He should get it immediately.¡± Yllana said. ¡°What do you think he''ll do?¡± ¡°He''ll try to recall everyone, but I... I think Lord Ren is right.¡± Allynna said. ¡°It will take days or even weeks to get everyone back, even with swift transport.¡± She said. ¡°Getting them organized into a cohesive fighting force will take even longer.¡± ¡°Ren, you''re out of time.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I have to get back to the capital of the Human Kingdom and meet with the king.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t stay for supper?¡± Yllana asked. ¡°I''m sorry, I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t even know how long I''ll be there, so I can''t promise to come back later.¡± ¡°Aw.¡± Yllana sighed. ¡°You won''t be here to enjoy us eating the meal you helped make.¡± ¡°You can always starve yourself and save it until I can sneak away and see you again.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yes, that''s entirely practical.¡± Yllana said and laughed. ¡°I think I''ll just have to accept your absence.¡± ¡°That would be a wise decision.¡± Yllana looked at everyone. ¡°Thank you all for visiting.¡± She said. ¡°It was very nice meeting some of the women in his life.¡± ¡°You''re in his life, too.¡± Frikara said as she and the other women stood up.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°That''s nice of you to say; but, I know I''m not anywhere close to being a woman in his life.¡± Yllana said. ¡°He visits you...¡± ¡°Just to play.¡± Yllana said. ¡°We all know it can never be more than that.¡± ¡°You''d like it to be.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. After several visits, I... I think I''d give up everything I have for the full experience.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Although, even if one of you went crazy and decided that you had enough of him and left, I know that I would not be the next one he would accept as a replacement.¡± She smiled. ¡°I came much too late to this party to enjoy that kind of favor.¡± No one said anything, because no one wanted to lie. ¡°I''m grateful to at least share a little bit of his time.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Thank you all for not begrudging me for it.¡± Frikara walked over to her and gave her a hug. ¡°We can feel that he gives you more than you thought he would.¡± She said and let her go. ¡°I''m glad that you''re happy with that.¡± Yllana smiled. ¡°No one else likes that, do they?¡± ¡°Likes what?¡± Her daughter Allynna asked. ¡°You''re too young to know.¡± Yllana said and laughed. ¡°Except for you and Miss Xuunah, I''m older than everyone here.¡± Allynna sighed. ¡°I know! That''s why it''s funny!¡± ¡°You all better go before she starts laughing maniacally.¡± Allynna said, and the women all said goodbye as they left, and Ren was the last to leave. He took her hand and bent over it, and saw her eyes go wide as he gave the back of it a kiss. ¡°M''lord, I...¡± ¡°It was a pleasure seeing such a beauty again.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hope when I come back to visit your mother that you are still visiting. I''d like to just sit and talk about things that won''t affect the lives of entire continents... at least once.¡± Allynna snorted a laugh. ¡°I''d like that as well, M''lord.¡± ¡°Oh, so formal.¡± Yllana said to her daughter and stepped close to Ren. ¡°With your visit so short, we didn''t get to play.¡± ¡°I''ll try and correct that soon.¡± Ren said and took her into a hug, then whispered into her ear. ¡°If Allynna hadn''t stayed so close to the kitchen counter...¡± Yllana started to tremble as Ren described what he had planned to do to her with so many witnesses in attendance, and she rested her head on his shoulder and held on as her legs lost their strength. He gave her cheek a kiss and helped her sit down, then took her hand and kissed the back of it. ¡°Until the next time, M''lady.¡± ¡°Th-th-thank you, M-m''lord.¡± Yllana managed to say. Ren nodded to Allynna and left the apartment, then he and the rest of the women went out the front door and walked up the side of the building to Princess and the waiting cart. ¡°Ren, do you really think the Dark Elves will take advantage of the High Elves?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°The only way I would be surprised, is if they didn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°If my guess is right, then this turned out to be the best outcome for them.¡± ¡°It almost sounds like you''re rooting for them.¡± ¡°I just saved most of the High Elven Kingdom from being overrun by ghouls. I don''t want to have to save them from the Dark Elves, too.¡± ¡°Would you?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°Would you interfere in a civil war to save them from the Dark Elves?¡± ¡°Actually, I think you need to ask yourself if you should interfere.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°If this was meant to happen, mainly because of everything that happened before...¡± ¡°Even though I stopped the ghouls, it still weakened the High Elves enough for the Dark Elves to have a chance at revenge for being cast out.¡± Ren said, and then sighed. ¡°You''re right. Is it my place to decide what they can and can''t do as a people? Do I have the right to deny them their revenge?¡± No one spoke as they all climbed back into the covered cart, and Ren sat in the driver''s seat as Artemis floated beside him. Princess took off at an easy pace and then poured on the speed. They were back at the Main House several minutes later and picked up Patty, then travelled to the capital and unloaded in front of the castle. They made their way through the various hallways to the right meeting room and they were stopped by the guard. ¡°Meeting is in session. You can''t go in.¡± ¡°I didn''t ask your permission.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll disrupt the proceedings if you all go traipsing across the room in the middle of a discussion.¡± The guard said. ¡°Fine.¡± Ren said and turned to his group. ¡°Follow me.¡± He walked down another hallway and around the corner, then took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked the wall beside their seats. No one was close to it, so he cast a Pass Wall spell on the wall and opened up an 8 foot high and 6 foot wide passage through it. Xuunah, Patty, Frikara, Lusinia, Verwynn, Navruth, Andrela, Officer Holly, and Artemis went through, then Ren entered last and dismissed the spell. They were all in their seats by the time anyone noticed that they had appeared. It was Princess Diana, because she had been looking from the door to Ren''s empty seat. When she saw him sitting in the chair, she caught her breath; which caught King Alamast''s attention and he looked where she looked. ¡°Well, he made it in time.¡± King Alamast whispered to his daughter. ¡°They are about to vote on the trade tax, which is the last official meeting for the day.¡± The man at the podium called for a vote. ¡°All those in favor of raising the trade tariffs on lumber from 3 gold per ton to 5 gold per ton, please choose now.¡± Ren was surprised when a popup window appeared and gave him the option to up-vote. He didn''t, and the popup closed. He liked his lumber cheap and easily accessible, and assumed everyone else would, too. ¡°Motion carried.¡± The man said. There was a clinking sound, like coins being shaken in a bag, and several people in the audience chuckled as they received the increased payments. The man turned to the king and bowed. ¡°That concludes the voting polls for today, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± King Alamast said and stood up, and the man stepped aside and resumed his seat at the closest table. The king walked over to the podium and braced his hands on it''s sides. ¡°This morning, the question of appropriating lands and it''s consequences came up. As the first order on the non-official list, Lord Ren has requested for us to appoint a new Lord to this governing body.¡± Ren raised his hand to speak. ¡°Questions must wait until the debate portion of the proceedings.¡± A shrill male voice said from the table the other man sat at. Ren put his hand down, and King Alamast started to drone on about responsibility and the burdens of becoming a Lord. Ren tried not to sigh continuously as the speech went on, then he felt relief when it ended nearly 10 minutes later. ¡°If you have anyone that you want to submit as a nomination for the next Lord, please come up here to Gerald and we will record them, then consider their validity before putting it up for debate and voting.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, this is an emergency situation.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°The previous Lord is dead, by your actions, and another must be put forward to fill the gap.¡± ¡°Not by my actions, by his.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only wanted someone to take over the lands so the people don''t suffer without someone to run things.¡± ¡°I''m sure if I and my colleague joined forces, we could acquire the land in less than a month.¡± One of the other Lords said. ¡°That''s not what I asked for.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, it is. You want someone to take over the land...¡± ¡°I meant ''assume control'' not ''overrun''. These people have had soldiers harass them enough without someone trying to conquer their land.¡± ¡°What soldiers of other Lords do on their own lands shouldn''t be your concern.¡± One of the Lords said. ¡°It should be all of our concern.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you let your soldiers walk around and assault and rob people? Do you let them paw at young girls?¡± He looked at their passive faces and shook his head. ¡°You don''t even care what your own soldiers are doing, do you?¡± No one said anything, so Ren stood up and looked at the king. ¡°As the person that brought this up to the crown, does my recommendation hold a heavier weight?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If it does, I''ll add a recommendation for the new Lord.¡± ¡°If it doesn''t?¡± Another Lord asked. ¡°Then there''s no point in nominating anyone because I am alone here. You and your friends are going to vote for your own picks and I''ll automatically lose.¡± The other Lords exchanged glances, and the government officials around them did the same. ¡°That''s the way it''s always been done.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°Then I don''t know how you ever get anything done.¡± Ren said and sat down. ¡°Go ahead with the nominations and voting. I abstain on the grounds that it''s both pointless and unnecessary.¡± ¡°Duly noted.¡± The shrill male voice said. Ren sat there and didn''t pay them any attention at all as they debated the people nominated, and he took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked to see the hospitals and wards of the ghoul infected. He shook his head at the haphazard setups and living conditions and couldn''t believe that people weren''t succumbing to the sickness while living like that. Now that he had the opportunity, Ren used the All-Seeing Mirror to check the shipping routes and any altercations that were ongoing with the Sea Dwellers. It wasn''t as desperate as he thought it was going to be, and the Sea Dwellers were only harassing the ships and not stopping them. The Land Dwellers still had a couple of days left before the deadline, and he hoped they would use them wisely. ¡°Ren.¡± Frikara whispered and touched his arm, and he nodded to her and looked at the king. ¡°Bring the Lord nominee to the castle tomorrow, and we will have the indoctrination ceremony.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± One of the Lords said, happily. ¡°Now, to deal with the final petition before the crown.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°The Sea Dweller''s Ultimatum.¡± Ren stood up and walked towards the podium. Chapter 559 - Making Choices ¡°It''s a Non-Aggression Pact and not an ultimatum, Your Highness.¡± Ren said as he walked towards the king. ¡°If your people had agreed to it, there wouldn''t be anything that you could perceive as an ultimatum.¡± ¡°Ordering us to divert all of our shipping or they will be destroyed, is an ultimatum.¡± Ren smiled and stepped up to the podium. ¡°It was a warning, Your Highness. The ships won''t be destroyed, only stopped.¡± ¡°Semantics.¡± King Alamast said and stepped away from the podium. ¡°The floor is yours.¡± Ren took two steps into the air and rested his hands on the podium. ¡°I actually came here in a last ditch attempt to convince you to not let the Land Dwellers and the Sea Dwellers return to hostilities.¡± There was no reaction to his statement, and he sighed. ¡°I shouldn''t have bothered, apparently.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had this whole speech prepared to tell you that your troops are having a difficult time with fighting off the ghouls; but, you would counter-argue that they don''t fight on ships. I was going to argue that you can''t fight two wars on two different fronts, with one on land and one at sea... and then I realized you don''t see either of them as wars.¡± No one said anything and he shook his head. ¡°I should complain that you''re being stupid and ignorant, then I realized you were going to be that way no matter what happened or what I said to try and convince you.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and brought up one of the ghoul infected wards, then enlarged the mirror to 3 times it''s normal size. ¡°Do you see this? If you treat people you are trying to save like this, what are you going to do to people you don''t care about?¡± Princess Diana got up and walked out far enough to see what the All-Seeing Mirror was showing, and she gasped. ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Ren said as he felt her shock. ¡°The soldiers assigned to guard the sick from me are wasting their time.¡± ¡°How did you know...¡± ¡°I''m not stupid, Your Highness.¡± Ren said to Diana. ¡°I felt how your father felt when the sick were mentioned. He doesn''t want me stealing his people.¡± ¡°Lord Ren...¡± ¡°It''s all right, Your Highness. King Alamast seems to believe that people I save and become my people, are somehow exempt from his rule.¡± Ren turned and looked at King Alamast. ¡°I am very tempted to make that true, Your Highness.¡± King Alamast stood up. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± ¡°You know what? I just decided that I don''t care.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hereby withdraw my petition. As far as I''m concerned, you can just sit here and watch your kingdom fall.¡± He reduced the All-Seeing Mirror to it''s normal size and stored it. ¡°I''m going back to my county and I''m going to watch you let yourselves be destroyed.¡± ¡°You can''t talk to me like that.¡± King Alamast said, and a bead of sweat appeared on his forehead. ¡°Yes, I can.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve believed this whole time that I am not under your rule, therefore I am not.¡± ¡°That''s not how it''s supposed to work.¡± Diana said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Your Highness, I can feel his emotions. He doesn''t want me to erode his power away.¡± Diana looked at her father. ¡°Is that true?¡± King Alamast didn''t answer, and Lady Eleanor turned her head so she wouldn''t meet her daughter''s eyes. ¡°Mother? You believe this, too?¡± Diana asked. Neither of them answered, and she sighed. ¡°Lord Ren, I''m sorry.¡± ¡°I said it was all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°This just makes my life a lot easier.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I''ll visit the hospitals and wards with the ghoul infected and give them the option to come with me or stay, and then I can stop worrying about the Human Kingdom.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll provide aid and sanctuary to anyone that requests it, but I won''t involve myself in any more internal politics because it''s not worth the hassle.¡± ¡°But... but you''re a Lord!¡± Princess Diana said. ¡°You''re supposed to see the Human Kingdom as a priority!¡± ¡°I should, and I did; but, I wasn''t appointed by the others, Your Highness. I''m the outsider that earned it the hard way.¡± Ren looked around the room and no one would meet his gaze. ¡°They know I won''t do deals and trade favors like the other Lords, because I''m not like them.¡± ¡°My Lord...¡± ¡°Once the agreement deadline is over for the Sea Dweller''s Non-Aggression Pact, I''ll be sending the Ambassador to the Land Dwellers back home to keep her safe.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also have a few things ready if you still want to trade for the plans of that recording device.¡± ¡°Um... yes, I...¡± Diana shook her head. ¡°This isn''t the time for that.¡± ¡°I know, I was just reminding you.¡± Ren said and stepped away from the platform. ¡°I''ll come back after the deadline to trade.¡± ¡°You... you can''t just... walk away...¡± Diana said softly. ¡°I''m not.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. ¡°I''m not going to care about the kingdom anymore; but, that doesn''t mean I don''t care about the people inside of it.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Diana whispered his name. ¡°I''m sorry if you feel like I''m abandoning you.¡± Ren said softly. ¡°I''m not.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''d like to try something to prove it, with your permission.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I want to make you a member of my domain.¡± Ren said. ¡°NO!¡± King Alamast yelled. ¡°You already have my wife! I won''t let you take my daughter, too!¡± He stepped around the table. ¡°Guards!¡± A group of armed guards came into the meeting room, and in the next moment they were quickly removed of all their weapons and armor by the 8 women Ren had with him. Everyone had frozen at the sudden reversal of fortune, and they all stared at Ren. ¡°It... it''s true.¡± Diana said. ¡°You really are afraid that he will take it all from you.¡± ¡°He can command my wife to do anything now, because he rules her personally. I will not allow you to fall under his influence as well.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°So yes, I am afraid he will take everything from me.¡± ¡°Father, he doesn''t want it.¡± Diana said. ¡°If he did, he could have done so much that day you lost the bet and he had command of everything in the kingdom.¡± She said. ¡°Not only that, he''s saved us several times already, both as a kingdom and as a family. If he had wanted to take over, he could have done it easily.¡± ¡°Your Highness, he isn''t going to listen.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can feel his defiance.¡± ¡°Of course I''m defying you!¡± King Alamast said. ¡°If I don''t, you-¡± ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Crown Princess Diana yelled in her command voice. The king''s mouth clamped shut and stayed that way, and she turned to Ren. ¡°My Lord, how will taking me under your domain protect me?¡± ¡°When you are in mortal danger, I''ll know it right away and I''ll rescue you.¡± Ren said. Diana stared at him with wide eyes, because that was just like her favorite storybooks she had read as a child. The gallant hero always comes to save the princess. She felt very flattered that her childhood fantasy was within her grasp, and she let that feeling fill her up and give her strength. ¡°Give me until you return in two days to make a decision.¡± Diana said. ¡°I won''t just arbitrarily put myself under your rule without examining the consequences, or discussing it with my parents.¡± ¡°That''s very wise of you, Your Highness.¡± Ren said and gave her a warm smile. ¡°I''m glad you are taking my advice and not let things influence you, or let yourself make rash decisions.¡± Diana squinted her eyes at him. ¡°If I had just arbitrarily said yes, you wouldn''t have done it, would you?¡± ¡°We''ll never know, because it didn''t happen.¡± Ren said, then gave her a quick wink. ¡°My Lord...¡± ¡°I will see you in 2 days, Your Highness.¡± Ren said and gave her a regal bow. ¡°If you will excuse me, I have another important meeting to get to.¡± ¡°You are excused, My Lord.¡± Diana said, and Ren stood up straight. ¡°Should I even ask how important the meeting is?¡± ¡°The fate of my friends hangs in the balance, and I need to make sure I learn everything I can to help them.¡± ¡°Then go with my blessing.¡± Diana said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and turned to the women with him. ¡°Give the guards back their things. We''re leaving.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lord.¡± Xuunah said and they piled the armor and weapons into the arms of the waiting guards. Ren walked over to Patty, who had sat in her seat the whole time and watched the whole mess play out. Xuunah, Officer Holly, Artemis, and the maids formed a circle around Ren and Patty, then they left the meeting room to complete silence. * The man with the shrill voice stood up. ¡°No other business?¡± He waited for barely a moment, then spoke again. ¡°I call this meeting adjourned.¡± Everyone stood as one and gathered into groups to discuss what had happened, and King Alamast and Lady Eleanor went to Crown Princess Diana and ushered her out of the room. They quickly made their way to their living quarters and shut the door. ¡°Diana, you can''t possibly be thinking about accepting his offer.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°Why not?¡± Diana asked. ¡°It''s the most flattering offer I''ve ever heard.¡± ¡°Do you really think...¡± ¡°He didn''t sweat, mother.¡± Diana said. ¡°Not just for that offer, but for the entire time he was speaking.¡± She took a quick breath. ¡°Nothing Ren said was a lie.¡± ¡°He can''t possibly come to your rescue every time you are in mortal danger.¡± Lady Eleanor said, and then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked at her husband, then at her daughter. ¡°Tell your father he can speak now.¡± Diana crossed her arms and thought about it. ¡°Diana.¡± Lady Eleanor admonished. ¡°Fine.¡± Diana said and used her command voice. ¡°Daddy, you can speak.¡± King Alamast''s jaw unlocked and he rubbed it with a hand. ¡°You''ve definitely learned your Command skill well.¡± Diana smiled. ¡°Once I gain an Aura, I''ll be able to command squads of troops.¡± ¡°We''re avoiding the issue here.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°What are we going to do with Lord Ren?¡± Diana chuckled. ¡°Do with him? You make it sound like something we have power over.¡± ¡°Diana...¡± King Alamast started to speak. ¡°No, Daddy. Ren''s right. It''s my decision, and I''ll make it.¡± Diana said. ¡°If you are smart, you will remove the guards on the hospitals and wards.¡± ¡°They have orders to not let anyone pass. No one else will be infected by them.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°He will have to deal with trained soldiers trying to protect the sick.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°We will find out how the people will see him when he tries to get past them.¡± ¡°You''re joking, right?¡± Diana asked. ¡°He appeared inside the meeting room today with 9 other people, and no one saw him... and I was specifically looking for him!¡± King Alamast didn''t have an answer for that. ¡°Ren won''t have any trouble either getting in or leaving.¡± Diana said, and she turned away from her parents to hide her smile. He won''t let anything stop him once he decides something. She thought and her admiration for him grew. * ¡°Are we going to the visit the sick today?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°No, I really do have an important meeting.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re going to see Nathalia, remember?¡± ¡°Then we can''t keep her waiting.¡± Xuunah said as they walked through the front door of the castle, and Princess was there waiting for them. Ren helped everyone get in that needed to, and he mounted Princess as Artemis floated beside him to await their take off. ¡°We aren''t saving people''s sensibilities anymore and we don''t have to hide what you can do, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just take off.¡± Princess obliged and trotted up into the sky in full view of everyone. Several gasps and yells were heard as they saw a giant ram and large cart fly through the air, and Ren felt the people''s surprise. They ran across the sky back to his county and the Main House to drop off Patty, the maids, and Officer Holly. ¡°I think I should come along, just in case.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Are you sure? We both have an early morning coming.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sleeping in the game for an hour sure beats trying to get a full night''s rest in real life.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°If you want to come along and keep watching out for me, that''s fine.¡± ¡°I''ll look around and see if I recognize anyone.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Unobtrusively if you can.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°This is not my first attempt at covert surveillance.¡± ¡°Should we take the cart or do you want to ride your own mounts?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Mounts, I think.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°It''ll give us more mobility.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Ren said and turned to the maids. ¡°I''ll be back to spend the night.¡± ¡°You know we''re tempted to go with you, too.¡± Frikara said, and Ren nodded. ¡°We''ll see you when you get back.¡± Ren gave each of them a kiss and they went inside the Main House. ¡°I envy them.¡± Patty said. ¡°They''re strong, powerful...¡± ¡°They didn''t start that way, so you don''t have to be envious.¡± Ren said. ¡°Heck, none of us started this way.¡± He looked at Xuunah. ¡°Not even My Angel.¡± ¡°Ren, no private talk in public.¡± ¡°Hm? Oh, sorry.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I was staring at you and forgot that we weren''t alone.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Xuunah chuckled. ¡°Unhook and store the cart while we retrieve our mounts.¡± Ren did so as Xuunah and Officer Holly jogged around the Main House to the small stables in back. They were back a few moments later and rode their white mounts, and Ren climbed onto Princess. ¡°See you tomorrow, possibly.¡± Ren said to Patty. ¡°Barring complications and unforeseen events.¡± ¡°I''ll hope for a smooth evening, then.¡± Patty said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said and nodded to Xuunah and Officer Holly, then the three of them rode their mounts into the air with Artemis flying next to them. I can''t wait to learn this new cooking method. Ren thought happily as they travelled to Aurora and to the love of his life''s restaurant, Nathalia''s Nourishment. Chapter 560 - Cook For Me, Baby! Ren, Xuunah, Officer Holly and Artemis arrived in Aurora a couple minutes later and came in for a landing on top of the restaurant. Ren and Xuunah could always feel Nathalia; but, being this close made their sharing much easier. Artemis stayed with Princess and the mounts on the roof, so she could observe the people milling about and looked for threats, while Ren, Xuunah, and Officer Holly walked down off the building and to the front door, and Nathalia was there to greet them. ¡°You made it.¡± Nathalia said and gave Ren a platonic hug. ¡°I kind of blew off the whole Human Kingdom to make it in time.¡± Ren admitted. Nathalia smiled happily. ¡°As long as you personally don''t bring it down, that''s okay.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I could have.¡± ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Nathalia said and gave her mother a hug, then nodded to Officer Holly. ¡°Please come in. I''ve prepped a section of the kitchen for us to use.¡± ¡°Is that a good idea?¡± Ren asked and followed Nathalia into the restaurant. ¡°I mean, it''s kind of a secret what you do, right?¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°It''s partitioned off and I didn''t leave out the special ingredients.¡± She said. ¡°There''s not a lot of people in the kitchen right now because we did all the prep work for supper earlier today.¡± ¡°It saves a lot of time doing that.¡± Ren said, and Officer Holly touched his arm for a moment, then she diverted from their path to the kitchen to start her observation of the customers. ¡°I kind of miss having to cook meals all the time.¡± ¡°Would you give up your sustenance ring just so you have to spend time cooking?¡± Xuunah asked as they entered the kitchen. Ren chuckled. ¡°No, it''s too convenient.¡± Nathalia waved them behind a curtain and closed it behind them. ¡°Then don''t miss what you used to have and embrace what you have now.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and put an arm around Nathalia''s shoulders and one around Xuunah''s waist. He gave them a tight hug, then they turned to him and hugged him back. ¡°This isn''t what I meant.¡± Xuunah smiled and held both Ren and Nathalia. ¡° I won''t complain because moments like these are few and far between.¡± ¡°They really are.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I really miss being in your arms, Ren.¡± ¡°They ache to keep you there.¡± Ren responded and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I''ll be stopping to pick up some parchment on the way back to my county, so I can start my letter writing campaign.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''m just sorry I didn''t think of doing this before.¡± ¡°You''ve had so much going on, I''m not surprised that some things don''t come up.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Now show me this magic cooking you can do.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°I''ve got the things I used for the dish I made for you yesterday.¡± ¡°That meal was delicious.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you sure you want to start with something like that? It looked complicated.¡± ¡°It only looked that way, because you don''t know the process to make it.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You''ll learn it today, and once you apply the proper techniques...¡± ¡°We can make the temporary bonuses become permanent.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where do we start?¡± ¡°It''s just like normal cooking, with a recipe to follow and ingredients to add, except there''s an extra step every few ingredients where you add something special instead.¡± ¡°So, the special ingredients replace another ingredient?¡± Ren asked, and Nathalia nodded. ¡°Then that would mean I might have unlocked the Ingredient Substitution skill a long time ago.¡± He smiled. ¡°I had to wait until I learned Expert Alchemy to get that skill.¡± ¡°Ren, I''m sorry.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I meant to try and teach you a long time ago, long before you were kicked out of the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± Ren gave her cheek another kiss. ¡°Don''t worry about it. Like you said, I''ve always been busy. I never really have the time to relax and enjoy the fruits of my labours.¡± ¡°Is that ever going to change?¡± Nathalia asked and took out a sealed package. ¡°I''m trying my best to pare down my responsibilities.¡± Ren said. ¡°How''s that working out for you?¡± ¡°I keep getting more.¡± Ren chuckled. Nathalia snorted a laugh and she opened the package, and Ren saw something that he hadn''t seen in a long time. Identify. Ren thought, even though he didn''t need to do it, since he knew what it was. He had used it to light his way after he had been tripped and fallen off a bridge into a not-quite-bottomless pit during his very first adventure.
Glow Moss
A simple moss found in deep caverns where moisture is abundant. It gives off a soft luminescent glow.
¡°You can eat that stuff?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If prepared properly.¡± Nathalia said and grabbed a small handful of moss and picked up a knife. ¡°You need to add Mana to the blade, or it will destroy the magic properties of the moss.¡± The blade gained a soft glow, and Ren watched as Nathalia chopped the moss into much smaller pieces. It was magic, because the knife didn''t really cut the moss. What it actually did was separate it into smaller pieces and the blade didn''t touch the moss at all. ¡°It''s quite difficult to find this kind of moss, since deep caves that can let it grow are dangerous to explore.¡± Nathalia tossed the moss into a small pot of water. ¡°The water needs to be blessed and purified before cooking, too.¡± ¡°How do you do that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You pray to the Earth element and make an offering.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Usually just a copper coin, since it''s only a small amount of water.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Why not make the offering to the Water element?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Because you''re going to boil it and then add food to it, which could make Water angry for polluting it.¡± ¡°That makes sense. There''s no need to piss off a deity just so you can cook.¡± Ren smiled. He helped Nathalia prepare some of the normal ingredients for the dish, which was just regular cooking and didn''t require anything special, while they waited for the moss to boil. By the time they had finished assembling everything else, the moss was ready. ¡°Once it''s all mixed together into a casserole, you add it to the oven and let it cook for 45 minutes.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°That''s it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Of course not.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°This is where you infuse it with Mana again to get the temporary bonus.¡± Her hands glowed for several moments, which made the dish glow slightly, and she opened the oven and slipped it inside. ¡°Okay, now how do you make it permanent?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You have to keep infusing it every few minutes, or stand here while you wait and keep the Mana flowing.¡± ¡°No, I don''t want to do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I have a better solution.¡± Ren opened the oven''s bottom tray and used Double Infusion to add Mana Boost runes to the Fire enchanted stones. ¡°Go ahead and activate them.¡± Nathalia looked at him for a moment, then concentrated on the new Mana enchantment and activated it. The entire inside of the oven glowed as the Mana combined with the Fire element and the dish absorbed it.
Notice!
You have learned the Vitality and Regeneration Casserole recipe.
¡°By the gods, Ren.¡± Nathalia said as he shut the oven to let the food cook. ¡°Do you know what this means?¡± ¡°Yes, you can go make something else and not waste time standing here and waiting for it to cook.¡± ¡°No, it means you can make anything that requires Mana infusion and it doesn''t require the cook to maintain the balance.¡± ¡°Isn''t that what I said?¡± Ren asked and grinned. ¡°Smart ass.¡± Nathalia swatted at his arm. ¡°Hey, your ass is smarter than mine. It knows things I don''t know.¡± Ren said and knelt behind her, then used both hands to grab her cheeks. ¡°Oh, wonderful ass!¡± He said and started to massage it. ¡°Tell me your secrets!¡± Xuunah laughed as Nathalia leaned against the counter and tried not to moan. ¡°R-Ren! S-s-mmm...¡± Nathalia let a small moan escape. ¡°N-no... s-s-stop!¡± Ren sighed and gave her one last squeeze, then let her go and stood up. ¡°Your ass is stubborn, Nathalia. It wouldn''t tell me anything.¡± Nathalia panted a few times and stood up straight. ¡°Ren, you... that''s not the way to learn how to cook.¡± ¡°Maybe I should try it again to be sure.¡± Ren said and wiggled his fingers, and Nathalia laughed and grabbed his arms as she kept her backside facing away from him. ¡°I''m positive! Keep your fingers to yourself.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Ren said and let his hands drop to his sides. ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¡°We might have enough time left that I could show you a recipe that adds a temporary Strength bonus.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It uses a different magical ingredient, though.¡± ¡°I can feel your doubt. Does that mean you don''t have enough of it?¡± Nathalia nodded. ¡°Magical ingredients are expensive and in short supply, since they are usually very difficult to get.¡± ¡°Can you show me what it is?¡± Ren asked, and Nathalia took out a small vial that was only partially filled with powder. Identify.
Giant Rhinoceros Beetle Horn
This powdered horn is difficult to come by, since the Giant Rhinoceros Beetle only lives in deep and dry underground caverns.
¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said, and he disappeared. ¡°What? Where?¡± Nathalia turned her head to look around. While she wondered where he went, Ren had gone outside and down the street a little and took out his storage tower. He went inside and dug out the Alchemist ingredients he had ''bought'' from the dwarf alchemist. He was the one that had hurt his dogs and he had hurt in return. Inside the box was all the potion ingredients, and he rummaged through them until he found the large potion bottle full of powdered Giant Rhinoceros Beetle horn, then shrugged and stored the whole box of ingredients into inventory. He left the tower and stored it, then ran back into the restaurant. ¡°I have some.¡± Ren said as he burst trough the curtain. ¡°YIP!¡± Nathalia jumped at his sudden appearance, and he took her into his arms. ¡°Please forgive me for scaring you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought you could feel me while we are this close.¡± ¡°I... I can feel you.¡± Nathalia said and her face went red. ¡°It''s distracting.¡± Ren gave her a big smile and a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°You... you can''t...¡± ¡°It already happened, so let''s move on.¡± Ren said, and Xuunah chuckled. He took the large box of ingredients out of inventory, and Ren held up the large potion bottle he had found. ¡°Here''s more of the powdered horn if you need it.¡± ¡°By the gods, Ren!¡± Nathalia carefully took the bottle. ¡°This is worth a fortune!¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I can''t take all of this.¡± Nathalia refilled the small vial she had and put the large potion bottle back into the box. ¡°I''ll ask the All-Seeing Mirror where I can find a giant beetle and get some more.¡± ¡°Ren, you can''t just go and grab a horn from the thing! They''re called ''Giant Rhinoceros'' for a reason!¡± Ren shrugged again. ¡°I''m sure Teepo can convince them to let me take a horn or two.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Teepo said, surprised. ¡°What? They won''t listen to an Adventurer Beetle?¡± Ren asked. Teepo was silent for a moment. ¡°I guess I could give it a try.¡± ¡°That''s all anyone can ever ask of you, buddy.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, what''s this Strength recipe?¡± ¡°It''s a cake.¡± Nathalia said and smiled. ¡°A four layer cake.¡± ¡°Sweet!¡± Ren said happily. ¡°Let''s get baking, My Love!¡± Nathalia''s face flushed red and Ren felt how much she missed hearing those words all the time. ¡°I miss saying them, too.¡± Ren said and put his arms around her. ¡°R-Ren, you...¡± Nathalia ducked her head. ¡°Remember what happened at the meal yesterday.¡± ¡°Oh, I remember.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°If Xuunah hadn''t been there to stop us...¡± ¡°I''m standing right here.¡± Xuunah said, and Ren and Nathalia laughed. Ren let Nathalia out of the hug and stepped back. ¡°We should have enough time to get the cake batter mixed up before the casserole is done.¡± ¡°Then the Mana-infusing oven can take the cake pans when the casserole is removed.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You grab the flour and I''ll get the eggs and sugar.¡± ¡°I''ll just keep standing here.¡± Xuunah smiled. ¡°I can apologize for that, but I can feel you''re enjoying this as much as we are.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am.¡± Xuunah said and reached out to cup the side of his face for a moment. ¡°Just being around the two of you and feeling how happy you are is wonderful.¡± ¡°It''s almost like old times.¡± Ren said. ¡°Except I can''t make love to Nathalia on the counter like I used to.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Nathalia''s face burned bright red. ¡°What? She knows we have.¡± Ren said and looked at Xuunah. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°I think it''s the blatant announcement that she has a problem with.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°We aren''t the only ones in the kitchen and someone else might have heard you.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°Everyone knows we used to be together. There''s also no law in the Dwarven Kingdom that says I can''t talk about it.¡± ¡°It''s me that doesn''t want you to talk about it!¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Oh.¡± Ren took her into his arms. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± He gave her cheek a kiss. ¡°I''ll stop telling everyone how much fun we had together.¡± ¡°Ren, that... that''s not what...¡± Nathalia sighed. ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°Ingredient gathering mission!¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Go!¡± Ren let Nathalia go again and the two of them gathered the ingredients they would need for making the cake batter. They prepared it properly and Nathalia carefully measured out the Giant Rhinoceros Beetle Horn powder and charged it with Mana, then added it to the mixture. Ren added the water when it was needed, and he mixed it all together. ¡°Give it a good stirring.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It needs to have an even consistency and no lumps. It won''t cook evenly if it has lumps in it.¡± ¡°Not a problem.¡± Ren said, and his hand moved so fast, it was like an electric mixer. After a few minutes of that, he handed the bowl to Nathalia. She checked it for lumps, and didn''t find any. ¡°Grease the pans.¡± Nathalia said. Ren did so, and set them on the counter. Nathalia spread the batter out over the 4 pans and made each of them the same thickness. She touched each pan and infused it with Mana, then stepped back. ¡°I think that''s it.¡± Nathalia said and checked the oven. ¡°Yes, it''s done.¡± Ren took out the casserole and slipped the 4 cake pans inside the oven and closed it. ¡°How long? 30 minutes?¡± ¡°We can check at 25, but 30 to 35 should finish them.¡± She said. ¡°Then we add the icing in between the layers and serve.¡±
Notice!
You have learned the Strongman Cake recipe.
¡°That''s great.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for teaching me.¡± ¡°My Love, we are just getting started.¡± Nathalia said as her eye fell upon his large box of Alchemy ingredients. It was full of rare and expensive ingredients that she had only heard about in stories. ¡°I have so much more to teach you.¡± Chapter 561 - I Hope You Learned Something ¡°You know I would like nothing more than to learn everything you have to teach me, Nathalia.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unfortunately, neither of us has the time right now.¡± Nathalia was about to tell him that nothing else mattered to her, and he put a finger on her lips to stop her. ¡°Your staff is about to interrupt us because you have a meal to supervise.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Keep an eye on the oven.¡± Nathalia said, kissed his palm, and went through the curtain. While Ren waited for the casserole to cool and for the cakes to cook, Nathalia went to help the staff cook supper for the customers of the restaurant. Ren stored the box of Alchemy ingredients and took out two chairs to sit down on. ¡°I should have offered you a chair before.¡± Ren said to Xuunah and held it steady for her. ¡°I would have been in the way if I was sitting down.¡± Xuunah sat down gracefully and crossed her legs. ¡°Since I wasn''t in the way, I had the chance to see the two of you work together as if you were one person.¡± ¡°We kind of were.¡± Ren said and sat down himself. ¡°Our movements complimented each other and that made the work go so much faster.¡± Xuunah nodded. ¡°I could feel your symmetry as you moved, almost like a dance.¡± She said. ¡°It was quite beautiful.¡± Ren thought about the analogy and smiled. ¡°You''re right, it was like a dance. Dancing always works out well when you have a great partner.¡± They fell silent and watched the oven as it cooked the cakes, but the silence wasn''t awkward or strained. Ren reached out absently and took Xuunah''s hand, then started to fondle it. She didn''t mention it or complain, mainly because she liked having someone do that to her. The sensations in a physical body were a wonder to experience, and even the little bit Ren was doing was enough to give Xuunah a little thrill. They were both thinking about things, and when they happened to think of the same subject, she felt their thoughts sync up and spoke. ¡°Are you going to actively try to take the ghoul infected from the capital city?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°No, I don''t want to prove King Alamast right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I will tell them that they can come to my county to live if they want to, but I won''t say it''s free or tell them they could all have some kind of job when they get here.¡± ¡°Is that true? Will they all have a job of some kind?¡± ¡°There''s always something to do around there.¡± Ren said. ¡°Imagine how quickly things would get done with a hundred, or a thousand, or even ten thousand people doing it.¡± He smiled. ¡°Like harvesting.¡± ¡°It would happen almost instantly.¡± Xuunah said, and Ren nodded. ¡°But I know people. I''ve seen enough of them in this world to know that as a whole, they are lazy.¡± Xuunah chuckled. ¡°Why work when you don''t have to?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Exactly.¡± He said. ¡°If I take a mass of people and just dump them into the county, I''ll destroy the charm the county has, and I don''t want to do that.¡± ¡°What if they all decide that they want to come, despite not knowing the benefits?¡± ¡°You mean like Narshan did?¡± Ren asked, and Xuunah nodded. ¡°Then I''ll figure out how to get them all to the county.¡± ¡°Ren, if there''s thousands of them and they want to take their families...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Teepo warned Ren about the time, and he made up a batch of icing for the cake. When it was ready, the cakes were ready to come out of the oven. Ren deactivated the oven and took out the cakes, then absorbed the heat from them. He applied the icing and assembled the cake, then decorated it to make it look fancy. He quickly added swirls, beads, streamers, roses, leaves, and some filigree to join everything together. ¡°Ren that looks divine.¡± Xuunah said as he finished, and then Nathalia came through the curtain. ¡°It really does.¡± Nathalia said and gave him a hug. ¡°You''ve got a knack for decorating with icing.¡± ¡°I was just wasting time until you showed up.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°Well, I''m here now. Let''s eat.¡± Nathalia said. They did up three plates of casserole and cut off three pieces of cake for dessert, which left 5, and Nathalia told him to store the rest of the casserole and cake. ¡°But, shouldn''t you...¡± ¡°I was making them for you, so don''t worry about it.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I think you know a few people that could benefit from them.¡± ¡°Only a few?¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°Try to keep it to a few, then.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°There''s not enough to the dishes to give to too many people.¡± Ren stored the dishes and they took their meals to the dining room and sat down to eat. They didn''t talk much except for idle chit-chat, and when they were done of the casserole, they each gained a point of Vitality and a slight boost to Regeneration. ¡°Wow, Nathalia.¡± Ren said. ¡°I knew it would work, but still...¡± Nathalia smiled. ¡°With the ingredients you have, we can make something that will increase each of your stats just by eating.¡± She said. ¡°Of course, you''re going to burn through the ingredients quickly if you try to make too many things at once.¡± Ren was about to respond when he was covered in a slight glow for a moment. ¡°My sustenance ring just kicked in.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°It won''t matter.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You won''t gain the Health increases from eating normally, but the boosts happen no matter what.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Dessert time.¡± Nathalia and Xuunah took out their slices of cake and the three of them dug in and enjoyed the taste. When they were done, Ren received a popup.
Notice!
You have consumed a piece of Strongman Cake! +1 Strength +10% Boost to Endurance for 1 hour
Ren dismissed the popup. ¡°Hey, I thought it was supposed to be permanent.¡± ¡°The Endurance boost is normally only 1%.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Oh... never mind.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°You can''t have everything you do be permanent, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°No matter how much I want it to be?¡± Ren asked and his hand touched her hand. Nathalia''s face flushed a little red. ¡°I... ah... need to go.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°Thank you very much for giving me a glimpse into the wonderful world of alchemy cooking.¡± Nathalia stood up as well. ¡°It was about time.¡± ¡°I don''t know when I can be back to learn more.¡± Ren said. Nathalia ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I''ll always be ready to teach you whenever you have some free time.¡± ¡°I''d rather shuffle things aside and make time, rather than wait for ''free'' time.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I almost never have any of that!¡± Both Nathalia and Xuunah laughed. ¡°That''s certainly the truth.¡± Xuunah said and took Nathalia into a hug. ¡°Until the next time we meet.¡± Nathalia nodded and hugged her back, then let go. ¡°Until then.¡± She said. ¡°Keep him safe.¡± ¡°Always.¡± Xuunah said. Nathalia left, so Ren and Xuunah left as well. As he passed by the woman who sat people, he handed her several gold coins. Before she could thank him, he and Xuunah were already outside the restaurant and up onto the roof. They waited a few minutes with Artemis as she filled them in on who she had seen, and then Officer Holly came out to join them. ¡°Nothing suspicious.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°No covert spells or disguises that I could detect.¡± ¡°That''s what I was telling them.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Nice work, both of you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just have to make a quick stop and then we can head back to the county.¡± The three women nodded and Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it for the location of the place that sold parchment paper. It showed him on the map, and the three of them climbed onto their mounts, then rode through the air to the spot while Artemis flew beside them. Ren saw the young boy that made the paper deliveries as he stood next to an old man who was locking the door of the business. Princess came in for a landing not far away and clomped her hooves loudly, so they wouldn''t startle the man and boy by just appearing behind them. ¡°Hello, there.¡± Ren said and hopped off of Princess. ¡°I''m sorry for being so late, but I''d like to buy some parchment paper.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, young fella.¡± The old man said and turned towards him. ¡°We just closed up.¡± ¡°It will only take a moment.¡± ¡°Grandpa, that''s the man!¡± The boy said. ¡°The Hero of Aurora!¡± ¡°I don''t care who he is. We''re closed and that''s that.¡± ¡°Grandpa!¡± ¡°I only want to buy...¡± Ren tried to speak. ¡°Come back tomorrow.¡± The old man interrupted. ¡°I won''t open again until the morning.¡± ¡°Grandpa, either open the door or give me the key.¡± The boy said. ¡°I''m selling him whatever he wants!¡± ¡°You''re a good kid, and you help me a lot.¡± The old man said. ¡°Don''t mistake that as having a say in how I run things.¡± ¡°But, Grandpa!¡± ¡°Hush, now.¡± The old man said. ¡°Listen to your elder.¡± ¡°If you were making sense I would!¡± The boy said and looked at Ren. ¡°What can I get for you?¡± ¡°I want a couple writing instruments...¡± ¡°Ha.¡± The old man said. ¡°Piddly sales.¡± ¡°...and 10,000 sheets of parchment.¡± Ren finished and the old man''s mouth fell open. ¡°We''ve only got just over 1,000.¡± The boy said. ¡°But if we cut them like we did for you the last time, that''s 4,000.¡± ¡°Good enough.¡± Ren said and handed the boy a wand with the Pass Wall spell. ¡°Since you work there, you''re not breaking and entering.¡± He said and told the boy how to use the spell. The boy stared at the wand and the glittering diamond on the end of it, then used the spell. An 8 foot by 6 foot hole appeared in the wall beside the door, and the old man gasped and fainted. Xuunah went to him and knelt. ¡°Don''t worry about him.¡± The boy said and gave the wand back. ¡°He faints when he sees a paper cut.¡± Ren chuckled, and the boy went inside for a few minutes. They heard a loud thump and then a shearing sound, then two smaller thumps and another shearing sound. A moment later, the boy came out with a huge stack of paper. ¡°Here... you go... sir!¡± The boy panted and held up the paper. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren took the paper from him and stored it, much to the boy''s relief. ¡°Here''s the writing instruments, too.¡± The boy said and handed Ren what he wanted. ¡°How much?¡± ¡°50 gold.¡± The boy said. ¡°I have to charge you extra because it''s going to take us a day to build our stock back up.¡± Ren nodded and handed the boy a platinum coin. ¡°I''ll have your change in a minute.¡± The boy said and dropped the coin into his coin pouch. ¡°Keep the change.¡± Ren said, and the boy''s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. ¡°B-b-but s-s-sir!¡± ¡°I always thank people that help me. Since you tried your best to get your grandpa to open for me, you deserve a bit extra for that.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°This paper lets me start to earn the love of my life back, so by rights I should give you another...¡± ¡°N-no, one... one was enough.¡± The boy said and held his hands up in surrender. Ren took out a Strong Ring of Storage and gave it to the boy. ¡°So you can help your grandpa out more.¡± ¡°Geez, thanks, mister!¡± The boy said and put the ring on, and a huge smile appeared on his face. ¡°Wow! I feel 10 times as strong now!¡± That''s because you are. Ren thought. ¡°No, thank you young man.¡± The boy walked over to his still unconscious grandfather. ¡°I''ll get him home.¡± He picked him up in a fireman''s carry and put the man over his shoulder. Xuunah went back to Ren and they watched the boy struggle a little with the extra weight, but he handled it well. When the boy reached the corner, he turned and waved, which swung the old man''s head around and whacked the corner of the building. ¡°See ya!¡± Ren winced and waved, and the boy disappeared from sight. ¡°It''s a good thing the old guy was already unconscious, because that looked like it hurt.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Artemis joined him and laughed, too. ¡°I''ve got what I need, so we can go.¡± Ren said, then they all climbed onto their mounts and rode across the sky to Walin County. They landed in front of the Main House, and Ren, Xuunah, and Officer Holly dismounted. Ren gave Princess a plate of fried dough, which she sucked up greedily and chewed loudly, then she went into her house to go to bed. ¡°I''d complain what a waste that was, but she earned it.¡± Officer Holly said and looked at the bakery across the street to see it was closed. ¡°Oh, well.¡± When her well-trained nose caught a whiff of warm fried dough, she whipped her head around to stare at Ren. He had another plate of them and held them out. ¡°Thank you for coming along and watching out for me this whole time.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren... I... I''ve got work tomorrow and I can''t be here to watch you for a couple of days.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I know you''ve got stuff to do this week and you can''t be there to watch out for me, but what you''ve done so far was well beyond anything you needed to do.¡± Ren smiled and gave her the warmed plate. ¡°I''ll try to restrict myself and stay around here, and won''t go anywhere that other Adventurers will be.¡± Officer Holly reached out with both hands and took hold of both sides of the plate, almost reverently, and her fingers lingered on his hands that held the plate underneath. She slowly pulled the plate out of Ren''s grasp, and dragged her fingers over his. ¡°Be safe and take care.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I will.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you when I see you.¡± Officer Holly smiled. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± She said, stored the plate and led her mount to the side of the building. ¡°Hey, wait!¡± Ren said, and she turned back. ¡°Don''t forget to tell that guy you like how much you like him!¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Officer Holly blinked her eyes at him. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°You don''t want to have that regret living in your head.¡± Ren said. ¡°Believe me. Even if it doesn''t work out, take what happiness you can and enjoy it.¡± Officer Holly thought about it, and Ren felt her contemplate it and also felt her doubt. ¡°Or don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°As long as you''re honest with yourself.¡± Officer Holly nodded slowly and walked to the stable to put her mount away. Chapter 562 - The Morning After Ren waited until he felt Officer Holly leave his Aura before he turned to Xuunah. ¡°Thank you for your help as well.¡± Xuunah shook her head and her hand reached out and rested above his heart. ¡°I''ve devoted myself to protect this no matter what.¡± She said, and slid her hand over slightly on his chest and touched the spot above the emblem that matched her own. ¡°This mark reflects that.¡± Ren reached up and touched the same spot on her, and because he was quite a bit shorter, his arm rested between her breasts. Xuunah looked down at his arm, then at his face to see a smile there. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Yes, it''s intentional.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s to placate my need to fondle them like I did with your hand.¡± Xuunah snorted a laugh. ¡°At least you''re honest about it.¡± Ren let his hand slide down and the edge of his thumb and pinkie finger grazed her breasts. Xuunah could feel his teasing emotions and she took in a deep breath and let it out as she sighed. ¡°I''m not going to break my people''s mandate.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, to be fair... you know I desire you and I know you desire me. A loving touch every now and then doesn''t even bend that rule.¡± ¡°Ren, this...¡± ¡°...could get out of hand, I know.¡± Ren smirked. ¡°Why do you think I''m trying to distract myself?¡± Xuunah laughed. ¡°I''m going to bed, Dearest.¡± ¡°I''d join you, My Angel; but, I have some work I need to do.¡± Xuunah''s face flushed a little red. ¡°That... wasn''t an invitation.¡± ¡°I know, I''m just teasing.¡± ¡°I''ll see you in the morning.¡± ¡°By the gods, I hope so.¡± Ren said, and she bent down slightly and kissed him. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren watched her go into the Main House, then he took Artemis'' hand. ¡°You are pushing her a little.¡± Artemis said as Ren started to walk down the street. ¡°I am, because I want to show her that I could be all over her without breaking that rule. I''m not doing that because I respect her too much to compromise her beliefs.¡± Artemis shook her head. ¡°It''s a fine line.¡± ¡°It always is.¡± Ren said as they approached the Sanctuary. ¡°Give me a second.¡± Artemis let his hand go and Ren sent a message to Lara, the Sage of Ages, to see if she was still online. When she didn''t respond after a few moments, Ren closed the messaging system and took Artemis'' hand again. ¡°It looks like it''s just us this time.¡± Ren said and opened the Sanctuary door. ¡°How will I ever cope with that?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Just grin and bear it.¡± Ren said and she laughed, as did Teepo. They stepped inside and Ren shut the door. After 2 minutes, they came back out. ¡°I can''t believe you wrote all 4,000 proposals in just under a month.¡± Artemis said in disbelief. ¡°When you barely do anything else, you can get a lot of work done.¡± Ren said and shut the door. ¡°I didn''t even read my stat boost books.¡± ¡°You could have.¡± Artemis said. Ren shrugged. ¡°I had more important things to do.¡± They walked back up the street to the Main House, and Artemis bent down and kissed his cheek, then went across the street to the warehouse, and Ren went inside the Main House and up to his apartment. ¡°How''s my time, Teepo?¡± ¡°You''ve got about half an hour before you need to go.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and entered the apartment to see the maids lounging around in various spots. ¡°Good evening, Ladies.¡± He felt their bodies react to his words, and he smiled at them. ¡°I only have half an hour before I have to go.¡± ¡°Then we have a choice to make.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Do we force you to cuddle with us for a few minutes each, or do we listen to you tell us about your cooking lesson?¡± ¡°Why not do both?¡± Ren asked and stored his clothing, then climbed onto the bed. The maids joined him, and they all rested in a big pile as he told them about the cooking techniques that Nathalia had shown him. ¡°That cake sounds delicious.¡± Verwynn said, and the maids laughed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Even with the sustenance rings active, you still want to eat!¡± Navruth said. ¡°I like food.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s a good thing I saved you all a piece, then.¡± ¡°You did?!?¡± Verwynn asked, surprised. ¡°Nathalia insisted I take the rest of the cake, and there just happened to be 5 pieces left.¡± Ren said. ¡°Who else would I give them to?¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Verwynn lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, then kissed him passionately. They stayed that way for a minute, then Teepo had to interrupt. ¡°Your time is almost up.¡± Teepo said. Ren broke the kiss and Verwynn let him go. He hopped off the bed and set out 5 plates to serve the casserole, then put the 5 pieces of cake beside them.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I''m hoping I''ll be back in the morning, but you know I can''t promise anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just be careful.¡± Frikara said and gave him a kiss. ¡°Come back to us when you can.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Ren said, then kissed each of the other maids and climbed back onto the edge of the bed and laid down. ¡°Logout.¡± * ¡°He''s such a considerate man.¡± Frikara said. ¡°He gives us things he could easily keep for himself and use.¡± Verwynn said and took a spoonful of casserole. ¡°Imagine! Food that gives Vitality and Strength!¡± ¡°Permanently, too.¡± Lusinia said and took a bite of casserole as well. ¡°Oh, that''s good.¡± ¡°I want to hurry and finish this so I can eat the cake!¡± Verwynn said. ¡°Why didn''t you eat the cake first?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°It''s dessert.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°You always save dessert for last.¡± Frikara thought about that, then let her pleasure and happiness fill the shared Aura. ¡°What is it?¡± Andrela asked. ¡°Ren always saved us for last.¡± Frikara said. ¡°We''re the ones he spends the end of his day with, and when he''s here for the whole night, he stays with us.¡± Verwynn stopped eating and they felt her surprise. ¡°We''re his dessert?¡± Frikara nodded, and Verwynn smiled. ¡°We''re his dessert!¡± Verwynn exclaimed happily, and her pleasure joined Frikara''s, then the rest of the maids let their feelings about it out as well. They all ate their casserole and felt satisfaction, then they moved on to the cake. It was even more delicious than Verwynn had thought it would be. ******** Ren tried to slip off the VR headset, but his arms didn''t quite work right because he was so weak. ¡°Help, please.¡± ¡°Already doing it.¡± Denise said and eased the headset off. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°Mentally, I''m okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Spending the time inside let me get my thoughts together.¡± ¡°And physically?¡± ¡°I feel like a bean bag chair that only has half it''s stuffing.¡± Ren looked down at himself and was surprised that he was already all cleaned up, the bedpan was nowhere to be found, and his clothing was already in place. ¡°This should give you some strength back.¡± Elise said and pulled the rollaway table over as she sat down beside him on the bed. Ren saw a tray with pancakes and syrup on it, with a large supplement drink on the side. ¡°Are those banana slices?¡± Ren asked, and his mouth watered. ¡°The supplement is banana flavored as well.¡± Denise said. ¡°It''s also a double dose, so it''s a little thick.¡± Ren popped the top off the supplement bottle. ¡°You made it into a smoothie?¡± Denise nodded. ¡°It was the best way.¡± ¡°Thanks a lot!¡± Ren said and put the top back on, and sucked on the straw. It was just creamy enough to not get stuck, and his mouth was full a moment later. He swallowed and smiled. ¡°That''s great!¡± ¡°I''m always looking out for you.¡± Denise said and he sucked out another mouthful. ¡°Don''t ignore the pancakes.¡± Ren swallowed again. ¡°Oops.¡± He picked up a fork and his hand shook a little as he cut a piece of the pancakes off and started to eat. ¡°How''s my little man doing?¡± Barbara asked as she came into the room. ¡°Hm mummon hmm!¡± Ren said with a mouthful of pancake. ¡°He said his mouth is working fine.¡± Elise said. ¡°I can see that.¡± Barbara laughed for a moment, and then she sighed. ¡°He''s going to need us to do his physical therapy for him.¡± ¡°I don''t think it works like that, Barbara. How would us doing it help him?¡± Elise asked. Barbara smiled. ¡°I didn''t mean we replace him in his routine, I meant we have to physically move his body to reproduce the exercises.¡± ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± Elise said. ¡°Now I feel stupid.¡± Ren stopped eating and touched her hand. ¡°You are not stupid.¡± He said. ¡°You''ve just got a lot on your mind and you only missed a subtle distinction.¡± Elise opened her mouth to speak when her cell phone rang. She grabbed it off the night stand and went to cancel it, then saw who it was from. ¡°It''s from the law firm.¡± Elise said. ¡°I have to take this.¡± Ren nodded and she got up from the bed and went into the bathroom just as the cell phone rang again. She accepted the call and shut the door. ¡°I wonder what it''s about?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°It''s pretty early.¡± Ren took another bite of pancake and a sip of smoothie. ¡°If I had to guess, I''d say it''s about me going in and making a deposition.¡± ¡°Ren, you can''t go in today to...¡± ¡°I will if I have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, I should tell Elise to have them record everything, just in case.¡± ¡°In case of what?¡± Denise asked. ¡°In case something happens to me before the actual court cases come up.¡± Ren said frankly, and Barbara put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from sobbing. ¡°I didn''t mean anything bad; but, if I have another seizure when I start recounting everything... well...¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Barbara said softly. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I won''t start going into the details of the experiments and drug trials until after I tell them who was there and what they did.¡± Barbara went over to the bed and sat beside him, then carefully took him into a hug. ¡°My sweet boy, you''re so brave.¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure you need to be afraid of something to count as being brave when you face it.¡± Ren said. Barbara eased him out of the hug and looked at him. ¡°But... going to court and... and facing...¡± ¡°As long as I have people I care about there to support me, I have nothing to fear but fear itself.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Since you kick fear''s ass, I''m all set.¡± Barbara laughed and kissed his forehead. ¡°Uh, you''re sweaty.¡± ¡°I''m going to be even more sweaty soon.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, if I could convince someone to do two sponge baths today...¡± ¡°Even with Barbara''s help, it''s going to take a while.¡± Denise said. Elise came out of the bathroom as she hung up her cell phone. ¡°Can we skip his exercises for now and get him washed right away?¡± ¡°I assume I''m urgently needed.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Once the head partners of the firm heard that you could name names and point fingers, they scheduled an emergency meeting.¡± Elise said. ¡°I told them what happened, and they asked if you were cognizant of the situation and coherent.¡± ¡°You thought about lying.¡± Denise said, and she nodded. ¡°You didn''t, because you knew it would damage his credibility.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Elise said. ¡°I told them that despite the massive seizure, he could talk and enunciate well.¡± ¡°Then I can have therapy later.¡± Ren said. He laid back on the bed and held his arms out to the sides. ¡°Wash me!¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°What part of it''s going to take a while didn''t you understand?¡± ¡°Hey, there''s three of you here.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''m pretty short.¡± ¡°I can help.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°I want to help.¡± Denise and Barbara exchanged glances, and shrugged. ¡°You grab the towels and I''ll get the basin and sponges.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ll get the little monster undressed.¡± Denise said and climbed onto the bed. ¡°You have to catch me first!¡± Ren tried to roll over and Denise caught him easily, then started to unbutton his pyjama top. ¡°Damn. That was over fast.¡± Denise snorted a laugh. ¡°Even at your full movement, you weren''t going to get away from me.¡± She said and slid his arm out of one sleeve, then slid the top off completely by pulling on the other sleeve. ¡°Why did you even try?¡± ¡°I need to show at least a token resistance to having you undress me.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I can''t let you think I''m eager for it.¡± Denise chuckled and tickled his underarms a little, and made him laugh, then she moved down and slid his pyjama pants off. When she reached for his underwear, she hesitated at the bulge there. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I told you I was eager for it.¡± Ren said softly, and she looked at his face. ¡°Just having you near me makes me like this.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It''s good to know that part works just fine after what happened to me last night.¡± Ren said. ¡°What part is that?¡± Elise asked as she came out of the bathroom with towels. ¡°My penis.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren!¡± Denise blushed and Barbara came out of the bathroom with the basin of soapy water. ¡°What?¡± Ren asked. Denise took in a breath and let it out. ¡°N-nothing.¡± Elise laughed and put some towels down for Ren to roll over onto, then put the others beside the bed. ¡°You need to take a page out of Stella''s book, Denise.¡± Denise sighed. ¡°I know, it''s just...¡± Ren reached up to tickle Denise''s underarms. ¡°Penis! Penis! Penis! Penis! Penis!¡± Denise laughed and backed away, and Barbara intervened and helped Ren roll over onto the towels. ¡°That''s enough horse-play.¡± Barbara said and slipped his underwear off. ¡°We have to get you ready.¡± ¡°I''m having a hard time believing you''re not fighting against me going out so soon.¡± Ren said. ¡°It wouldn''t help.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I am going with you, however.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say something, and Barbara held up a hand to stop him. ¡°You are not leaving me behind.¡± Barbara said sternly. ¡°This is going to be difficult for you, and I am going to hold your hand the entire time.¡± Ren held a hand out to her. ¡°I was going to thank you, actually.¡± ¡°I''ll always be there for you.¡± Barbara took it and held it. ¡°Now be quiet and stop distracting us.¡± Ren smiled and let her hand go, then spread his arms and legs out in a star pattern. ¡°Wash me!¡± The three women laughed and did as he said. Chapter 563 - Disposition Of Power Ren was cleaned in record time and dressed in his best clothing. Elise grabbed a quick shower while Barbara left the room and told Stella what was going on. ¡°Can you check on Lisa?¡± Ren asked Denise. ¡°She wasn''t in the game, and I don''t want to leave the house without letting her know what''s going on.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Denise said and went to check on her. Ren realized he was left all alone, and he looked around the bedroom. He thought about everything he had been through, and where he was now, and he decided that he was glad that his old doctor had robbed him. He had earned this place because of who he was, and not because of what his parents had done to him. None of their corrupted money had helped him get to where he was now, and he could feel nothing but grateful for it. Elise came out of the bathroom and he saw a vision of loveliness as she walked across the room to the bed. ¡°God, the look on your face.¡± She said and leaned over the bed and gave him a kiss. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren smiled, because she had understood what he was feeling and he hadn''t said a word. ¡°Give me a hand getting into the wheelchair.¡± ¡°I think we should wait for Denise or Barbara.¡± Elise said. ¡°If anything happens, I... I wouldn''t forgive myself.¡± ¡°At least help me sit up.¡± Ren held a hand out, and Elise eased him over to the edge of the bed and sat him up, then sat beside him and held him tenderly. ¡°How''s that?¡± Elise asked. ¡°That''s not a fair question.¡± Ren said and looked up at her. ¡°I can''t think of a word that''s better than ''amazing''.¡± Elise chuckled, and Ren felt her breast jiggle, so he rested the side of his face on it. ¡°I want to just stay here like this.¡± Ren said. ¡°Held gently in the arms of a beautiful woman that loves me.¡± ¡°Ever since the first time we met, I''ve always wanted to do this with you.¡± Elise said. ¡°Imagine the luck I''ve had to get me to this point.¡± ¡°Your luck?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Look at mine!¡± He said. ¡°All the things that had to happen for me to get to this point in my life, and here I am with you.¡± He lifted his head and looked at her eyes. ¡°Was it divine intervention? Did the hand of some all-powerful being bring us together?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Elise leaned down and kissed him. ¡°You.¡± ¡°Okay, I''ve got your Hummer H2 ready and cleaned out for extra passengers.¡± Barbi said as she came into the bedroom. ¡°The mobile security guards are in a sedan out front, and they''ll lead you to the meeting.¡± Ren saw that she was dressed up for a power meeting in a sharp business suit similar to Elise; but because her waist was so much smaller, her top seemed like it was trying to bust out through her suit coat. Elise noticed Ren''s gaze, and she smiled. ¡°Women with large chests always have that problem.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Barbi blinked her eyes at them. ¡°Ren was wondering why your suit top doesn''t fit so well.¡± ¡°What? Oh!¡± Barbi looked down at herself. ¡°I thought I unbuttoned it.¡± She unhooked the button and the coat flopped out to hang pretty far away from her body. ¡°You see?¡± Elise said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Making them custom fit wouldn''t help, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you adjust for the cut on the sides, all that will do is make you look overweight.¡± ¡°It really does.¡± Elise said, a little surprised. ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡°I''m a Master Tailor in the game.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ve had lots of experience with how fabric is supposed to flow and how clothing designed properly is supposed to fit.¡± ¡°What would you suggest here?¡± Elise asked, curious. ¡°I''d try a triangle shape for the suit coat, so that it starts wide at the shoulders and chest, then angle it down towards the hips rather than just let it hang straight down. I would duplicate the same design for the skirt to make it match.¡± Barbi and Elise looked at Ren with wide eyes, and he smiled at them. ¡°You asked.¡± Denise came into the bedroom and had a blank look on her face. ¡°Lisa isn''t in her room, and I couldn''t find her in the den reading a book or downstairs in either living room or the kitchen.¡± ¡°Elise? Can you text her?¡± Ren asked. Elise took out her cell phone from her suit coat and used one hand to text while she kept the other around Ren. After a moment, her phone beeped and she read it. ¡°She had to go visit her mother this morning.¡± Elise said and typed another message, then got another beep. ¡°Just stupid family stuff. Her words.¡± ¡°Let her know where we''re going, that we won''t know when we''ll be back, and not to be too worried if we''re not here when she gets here.¡± Ren said. Elise chuckled. ¡°I''m only using one thumb, Ren.¡± Ren smiled and waved to Denise, and she helped him transfer from the bed to the chair. Elise used both hands this time to text, and a few moments later the phone beeped again. ¡°She said to try and not blow their minds with what you know, and she will eagerly await your triumphant return.¡± ¡°Tell her I love her and that she better be naked in my bed by tonight.¡± ¡°I am not texting her the second part.¡± Elise chuckled and typed a quick message. ¡°She''ll be back and see you tonight.¡± Barbara and Stella came into the bedroom a moment later. ¡°Is everyone ready to go?¡± Stella asked. A chorus of ''yes'' responded, and she nodded. ¡°Denise, grab the emergency kit.¡± ¡°There''s one in the Hummer already.¡± Elise said, and they looked at her. ¡°I wasn''t taking Ren anywhere without having an emergency kit available.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°Then let''s get going.¡± Stella, Barbara, Elise, and Barbi walked to the bedroom door while Denise pushed Ren''s wheelchair. They went down in the elevator and outside, and piled into the Hummer H2. The sedan with the guards drove down the driveway and Elise followed them, and they made their way through the city to the law firm that was handling Ren''s cases. The sedan with the guards in it stopped abruptly near the corner of the building and 5 men hopped out, then 4 of them ran forward and cleared the practically empty street. The guard by the sedan waved Elise forward, and she parked the Hummer in the spot in front of the sedan.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°What are they doing?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Their job.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Since you can name names today, this... well, we''re showing you that we can deal with anything that happens because of it.¡± Ren nodded, and they all got out of the Hummer while Stella put Ren into the wheelchair. Two more guards came out of the sedan and went with them into the building, and they went up to the floor that the meeting was on. It was one of the biggest meeting rooms available, and if Ren had to guess, most of the firm''s members were present. ¡°Mr. Haddon, thank you for coming down on such short notice.¡± An elderly man reached a hand out for him to shake. Ren reached a trembling hand up and shook the offered hand. ¡°There''s nothing to be afraid of, Mr. Haddon.¡± The man said. ¡°We are all here to help you.¡± ¡°I''m not afraid. It''s muscle weakness from the Grand Mal seizure I had last night.¡± The man''s eyes widened and he glanced at the table with his associates. Several of them nodded, and he looked back at Ren. ¡°Then I need to doubly thank you for coming in.¡± The man said. ¡°If I''d known, I might have put this off.¡± ¡°I wanted to come in last night to give a statement; but on the advice of my nurse, I rested until this morning.¡± Ren said, and he saw the surprise on their faces. ¡°Gentlemen and ladies, I want to get this out into the open as quickly as I can, just in case I have another seizure and I forget everything... or heaven forbid, I don''t survive the next one.¡± The women at the table gasped at his frankness, as did Barbi and Elise. Ren took Elise''s hand for a moment and gave it a squeeze, then let it go. He saw respect in several of the men''s faces, and he smiled. ¡°I hope you''ve got several cameras and voice recorders ready, because this is going to be quite a lot to keep track of.¡± The elderly man nodded to someone on the side, and they opened a doorway to another hall and brought in several cameras, recorders, and microphones. Several of the lawyers across the table had their cell phones out and were already recording him. ¡°Please, everyone. Have a seat.¡± The elderly man said, and everyone with Ren sat down on the available chairs. ¡°We were a little worried about asking to record the proceedings.¡± ¡°Well, considering I''m pretty much at my weakest physically, just above being bedridden, now is as good a time as any to have video evidence of my debilitation.¡± Ren said, and he felt Elise''s hand on his left knee. ¡°That''s... very...¡± The elderly man didn''t know how to respond to that. ¡°Don''t misunderstand.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not trying to garner sympathy and pull people''s heartstrings. I''m showing what my life can become in an instant, even with the best around-the-clock medical care money can provide, and it''s all because of the things that were done to me.¡± Ren could see that several of the women and a few of the men were a bit uncomfortable being told this. ¡°I''d like to apologize for the information I am about to convey.¡± He said, and he felt someone''s hand take his right one. He glanced over and saw Barbara smile at him, and he smiled back. ¡°It''s going to be difficult for me to talk about, so I can''t imagine how hard it''s going to be for some of you to hear.¡± ¡°I''m sure that we can handle anything you tell us.¡± The elderly man said. ¡°We''ve run this firm for over 80 years, and out of all the cases we''ve had, yours was the worst.¡± Ren saw most of the people on the other side of the table nod their heads. ¡°We are very familiar with your case and what came up in trial.¡± ¡°Then grab a seat and take notes.¡± Ren said, and then smiled. ¡°I hope you didn''t have a big breakfast.¡± ¡°Just coffee.¡± The eldery man said. Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll start with the easy stuff first.¡± He said. ¡°Names and dates.¡± ¡°The names won''t do much for us, even if they match some of the people in the files Ms. Stanford already gave us.¡± One of the women said. ¡°In about a week I can draw you a picture of them if you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m too weak to hold a pencil for long right now.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I had a hard time just cutting up my banana pancakes for breakfast.¡± ¡°We can have an array of photos brought in, or even a sketch artist if it''s necessary.¡± The elderly man said, then turned and looked at the man that had retrieved the video equipment. ¡°Is everything ready?¡± ¡°Just about.¡± The man said and put on a set of headphones, then slid three different microphones onto the table in front of Ren, who leaned forward slightly. ¡°Test, test.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is a test. Rubber baby buggy bumpers.¡± Everyone at the table stared at him in surprise, and the man with the headphones gave Ren a ''thumbs up'' gesture. ¡°I''ve done some voice-over work for my animated show.¡± Ren said, and he saw understanding on their faces. ¡°Whew, okay.¡± He said and took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I''m trying to decide where to start.¡± ¡°Try right from the beginning.¡± Barbara said, and Ren nodded. ¡°My name is Ren Haddon, and I am of sound mind and questionable body.¡± Ren said and he saw a few sad smiles at his joke. ¡°Let me tell you who is responsible for my condition, and then I''ll tell you how.¡± * The lawyers had been ecstatic when Ren had list everyone that had been involved, people that knew his parents and had visited him, and the ones who had participated in either the acts themselves or the conspiracy to commit them or cover them up. When he told them who had benefited from what happened to him... which included the heads of several tech companies, a senator, the governor, the Chief of Police, and the Mayor... the lawyers weren''t as happy. When Ren moved on from the list and started to describe the initial experiments that happened when he was only a young child, the room fell silent. He relayed the conditions he had to be kept in to remain untouched by the outside world, and his eyes started to let tears escape. He didn''t try to wipe them off, and neither did Barbara. When he moved on and gave details of what happened when he was a little older, several women on both sides of the table were openly crying as well. Two hours had passed by the time Ren reached the point where he had achieved the ripe old age of 8, and the spinal taps and bone marrow extractions began. One of the men had already thrown up twice in the trashcan and had to leave with it. After explaining that this was when he realized they had been feeding him opiates in his food to dull his senses, and that his recall of some events wasn''t quite as clear, they relaxed. They shouldn''t have. When Ren described the experiments he could remember and reminded them that his parents never used anaesthetics, and had progressed the timeline to when he was 10 and the extensive brain surgery began, half of the lawyers in the room had already left. They just couldn''t handle listening to his calm voice say such things. The elderly man''s face had turned white a long time ago; but, he sat there for as long as Ren kept talking. If Ren could take saying it all, then he could take listening to it. * Ren stopped when he reached the point that the police had raided his parents home and rescued him. ¡°At the time, I didn''t realize what was going on. When I was out of the house and safe, there was no point in hurting them and telling them the truth.¡± ¡°What... what truth was that?¡± The elderly man asked, visibly afraid of the answer. ¡°The police didn''t realize that they were just a little too late to actually rescue me.¡± Ren said. ¡°You see, my parents were already done with me.¡± ¡°Oh, god!¡± Someone exclaimed and burst out crying, and Ren couldn''t tell who it was. There were too many other people crying and sobbing openly for him to figure out who it was. ¡°W-well, th-then.¡± The elderly man said. ¡°Mr. Haddon, I...¡± He took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I''m sorry that I must play devil''s advocate here.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren said. ¡°What you''ve told us, is... it''s a good story.¡± The elderly man said, and there were immediate outcries from both sides of the table. The man held his hands up to quiet them, and a minute later, they fell silent. ¡°I''m only saying what any defence attorney would say after hearing this.¡± He said and looked at Ren. ¡°How do we know this isn''t just something you made up?¡± ¡°That''s quite simple to prove.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ms. Stanford has already forwarded you my extensive medical files from when I was first admitted to the hospital. If you cross-reference my testimony with those records, you''ll find they contain descriptions and pictures of all the corroborating scars and scar tissue, bone damage, and wounds... both partially and fully healed. It''s all the physical evidence you will ever need.¡± The elderly man nodded and looked over at the man that controlled the video equipment, and didn''t see him. ¡°Someone get Jensen, please.¡± A woman stood up and her legs were weak, so she stumbled to the door and hollered for Jensen. He came back in and helped the woman sit back down. ¡°I''m sorry, sir.¡± Jensen said to the elderly man. ¡°I... I just couldn''t...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± The elderly man said. ¡°Finish your work.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Jensen checked everything and shut it all off, then removed the microphones from in front of Ren. ¡°Make... make copies for...¡± The woman tried to speak, and she shook her head. ¡°I''ll have copies for all the departments, and everyone that has an open case pending.¡± Jensen said. ¡°Send me your cell phone recording, too.¡± He said and took a shallow breath, then rubbed his face with a hand. ¡°Even though I want to destroy it and burn it all.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± The woman said. ¡°Such... horrible things...¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°I... I am... so very sorry that...¡± ¡°I want you to use what I''ve said as judiciously as you can.¡± Ren said. ¡°When you transcribe it, I''ll sign it if necessary.¡± The elderly man slid a folder in front of him. ¡°Standard affidavit form. You claim what you said was the truth... to the best of your knowledge.¡± ¡°Considering I can remember what I had for breakfast every morning growing up, I''d say the best of my knowledge is the best that anyone is ever going to get.¡± Ren said as he opened the folder, then read the form quickly. Someone handed him a pen, so he signed the form and passed both things back. ¡°Good luck.¡± Ren said. ¡°Luck?¡± The elderly man shook his head. ¡°Young man, this is going to destroy everyone that has ever harmed you.¡± ¡°Now you know why I wanted this on record.¡± Ren said, and let a smile appear on his tear-soaked face. ¡°Let''s get you home.¡± Barbara said in a normal voice, but her face was just as wet as Ren''s was. Ren nodded, and everyone on his side of the table got up and prepared to leave the room. ¡°J-just a second.¡± A woman''s voice said, and everyone looked at her. ¡°What... what did you have for breakfast every morning growing up?¡± ¡°The same thing I''ve had every morning since then.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hope.¡± Chapter 564 - Enhance Your Calm Barbara pushed Ren''s wheelchair out of the meeting room. Stella, Denise, Barbi, and Elise followed them, and the two security guards went with them. They all went down the elevator and out through the lobby of the building to meet the rest of the guards. They pulled back from their observation positions and ensured Ren and the others had safely loaded into Elise''s Hummer H2, then they piled back into the sedan and led the way back to Ren''s house. No one in the Hummer spoke at all as they travelled, and they remained silent even after Elise had parked in the driveway. It was a bit eerie to only hear the car doors and rustling cloth as they exited the vehicle, and Denise put Ren into his wheelchair. The security guards at the house didn''t bother checking their identification this time, mainly because their own men were with their client, so Ren and the women with him entered the house unimpeded. Once inside, they came to a stop in the lobby and just stood there. No one knew what to do with themselves after going through listening to what Ren had been through, and they didn''t say anything for several minutes. All you could hear was low breathing and an occasional sigh, and they all avoided each other''s gazes in case it set them all to crying again. Having to sit through that was the worst thing that any of them had ever experienced. It hit Elise the hardest, because of how much she loved him, and she had fought hard not to run from the room screaming bloody murder. Now that she had Ren safely home, her body trembled because she wanted to wring the necks of the people that had done those things to Ren. They didn''t deserve to live after what they did and she wanted to end them. Elise felt a hand take hers, and she looked down at Ren. ¡°Wh-what is it, sweetheart?¡± ¡°I know you''re angry, but...¡± Ren took a breath and let it out. ¡°...I need you to hold me.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise let more tears escape and she knelt beside his wheelchair. ¡°I''m not angry at you.¡± ¡°I made you sit through that.¡± Ren said and looked at the others. ¡°I made you all sit through it.¡± He said. ¡°I know at least some of you hate me for that.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Stella said and made fists with her hands. ¡°What we hate is that you went through it, and that you remember going through it.¡± She said and opened her hands. ¡°We also hate that we can''t do anything about it.¡± Ren looked at Denise and Barbara, and they nodded. He looked at Barbi, and she looked kind of scared. ¡°Barbi? What is it?¡± ¡°One... one of the names...¡± Barbi wiped some tears away. ¡°He... he was my professor at college.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Denise said. ¡°I never imagined that... that I could know someone that... that would do something like...¡± Barbi sobbed. ¡°How could he do that?!?¡± She asked and wiped away more tears. ¡°What is wrong with people?¡± ¡°You had a thing for him?¡± Denise asked, and Barbi nodded. ¡°I feel so... dirty.¡± Barbi said and rubbed her arms. ¡°How can I care about someone that...¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, I... I won''t... oh, god!¡± Ren recognized that was the same exclamation he had heard in the meeting room. ¡°Easy, now.¡± Stella said and put an arm around Barbi''s shoulders. ¡°You''re going into shock.¡± ¡°I think we all are.¡± Barbara said and held her hand out, and it trembled just as much as Ren''s did. ¡°We all need to sit down and take a breath.¡± ¡°A breath!¡± Barbi almost yelled. ¡°The ones who did that to him should never take another breath again!¡± ¡°Come on.¡± Stella said and led Barbi across the lobby and into the first living room, and the others followed her. ¡°Everyone sit.¡± She said. ¡°Nurse''s orders.¡± Barbi flopped down onto the big couch, almost bonelessly. Stella helped her take off her suit coat, then sat beside her and put her arm back around her shoulders. Elise let Ren''s hand go and took off her own suit coat to be more comfortable, then sat beside Stella. Ren pointed between them, and Barbara pushed Ren''s chair over. Denise helped him transfer to the couch, and Elise made just enough room for him between her and Stella. Ren sat down and leaned back, and his head rested against both women''s shoulders. He wasn''t sure what to do with his hands, so he put one on Elise''s thigh, and the other on Stella''s. Since they both had on skirts, the tips of his fingers rested against bare skin. Neither woman said anything, and Elise''s free hand took Ren''s. He smiled at her, and then he felt his other hand being held. Stella smiled at him, and he held both hands tightly, then lifted them and hugged their arms to his chest. Donald came into the living room almost at a run and took Barbara into his arms. ¡°I got your text.¡± He said and eased her over to the armchair and sat down, and sat her down on his lap. Barbara let the tears flow again as her husband gently held her and they cuddled together. Denise sat down beside Elise and everyone sat in silence as they tried to deal with what they were feeling. They stayed that way for a little while, and then a low rumble broke the silence. ¡°My stomach says it''s hungry.¡± Ren said. ¡°The insensitive bastard.¡± Stella chuckled and Denise snorted a laugh. ¡°I''m on shift, so I''ll get you something to eat.¡± Denise said. ¡°Are sandwiches okay?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thanks, Denise.¡± ¡°I''ll make enough for everyone.¡± Denise said and went to the kitchen. Another low rumble came out of Ren, and Elise let his hand go to rub his belly. ¡°The poor thing is really hungry.¡± Elise said. ¡°I don''t feel like eating at all; but, I apparently don''t have a choice in the matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s because you missed lunch.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Check your watch.¡± Ren looked at it and saw it was 2 pm. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked. ¡°We left this morning around 7 am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I missed a night, a day, and most of another night in the game.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°At least you didn''t have anything really important that you needed to do.¡± Elise said. ¡°You''ve got another day before the Sea Dweller deadline.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I had planned on clearing out the ghoul infected in the hospitals.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I''m a day behind.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°You can just run through them and touch everyone in an instant.¡± Ren looked up at her face with wide eyes. ¡°Would that work?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°You wished to heal them with your touch. You don''t need to keep touching them for it to take effect.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess I wasted a lot of time healing the others, didn''t I?¡± ¡°It wasn''t a waste, sweetheart.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ve watched the footage. You needed to make personal contact with them, or they wouldn''t have believed you.¡± ¡°Which I don''t have to do with the masses.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°They''ll still be under my domain; but, I won''t have to learn about their personal lives... even if they move to my county.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°You can''t get personally involved with everyone you meet.¡± She said. ¡°You''ll be so inundated with personal quests that you won''t be able to move without failing one and activating another.¡± ¡°Thanks, Elise.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s going to be a big help.¡± ¡°H-how can you talk about stuff like that?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°After... after...¡± Ren let Stella''s hand go and tapped her thigh, and Stella moved out of the way. Ren motioned to Barbi to move closer, and she slid over to sit next to him. ¡°I apologized to the lawyers for what I said, but I should have apologized to everyone.¡± Ren said and reached up and touched the side of her face. He wiped at the tears there and smiled at her. ¡°What I went though was horrible. We all know this. The people responsible will be held accountable in some form or another.¡± ¡°But... you... you...¡± ¡°Shh. It''s okay.¡± Ren said and caressed her cheek. ¡°I''m okay.¡± Another tear joined the others Barbi had shed, and he wiped it off. ¡°I... I don''t understand.¡± Barbi said. ¡°How can you be trying to calm me down, when it''s you that should be looked after?¡± ¡°I am being looked after. Elise is holding me just like I asked. I can spare a hand for someone else in distress.¡± Barbi took in a breath, which pushed her chest up against his arm, and she sighed as she let the air out. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I have to ask you a question.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± ¡°Can I let your face go without you thinking I''m trying to rub your breasts with my arm?¡± Ren asked and gave her a big smile. Barbi laughed, which made her chest jiggle and rub against his arm. Ren intentionally shifted his gaze from her face to her chest and back again while he exaggerated the movement to make it obvious, and she laughed even more. After a few moments of this, Barbi reached up and took his hand. She very carefully slid it down her neck, across her shirt collar, and over the mounds of her breasts. Ren felt the heat of her flesh when he discovered how thin the shirt actually was, and his eyes widened as she hugged his hand briefly. She moved the hand down past her warm mounds until it hit the edge of her bra, then she let his hand go. ¡°There.¡± Barbi said and smiled. ¡°Now I know you weren''t trying to grope me.¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her, and he didn''t know what to say. ¡°After what you said today at the lawyer firm, just letting you touch my chest through my shirt has left you speechless?¡± Barbi asked, surprised. ¡°Ren''s a bit of a breast man.¡± Stella said from the other side of Barbi. ¡°Just seeing them in a t-shirt without a bra drives him crazy.¡± ¡°Oh! Remember that time I tried to wear one of his t-shirts?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Uni-boob!¡± Stella said and laughed. ¡°God, what a sight that was!¡± ¡°It sure was.¡± Ren said and remembered what she had looked like. ¡°They''re magic normally, but that...¡± He chuckled. ¡°She had stuffed them in so much it looked like it hurt.¡± Elise cuddled him and kissed the top of his head. ¡°It was getting there.¡± She said and held a hand up with her finger and thumb an inch apart. ¡°I was this close to just cutting the thing off.¡± ¡°Wait, you didn''t?¡± Ren asked, and looked at Stella. ¡°What happened to the t-shirt?¡± ¡°Elise left a lasting impression on it.¡± Stella said and grinned. ¡°It died a glorious death from being boob-stretched.¡± Ren and Elise laughed, and the others joined in. ¡°What''s funny?¡± Denise asked as she came in with a tray of sandwiches. ¡°Uni-boob!¡± Ren said, and she laughed, too. They filled the time with idle talk as they ate their sandwiches, and their sombre moods slowly lifted. By the time 3 pm came around and it was time for him to log back into the game, Ren had raised their spirits enough and had successfully reassured everyone that he was fine. They were still reluctant to let him go; but after several promises to log out again for supper and in the middle of the night, no one protested his desire to play the game. Barbara and Donald left so she could get some sleep before her night shift, and Elise and Barbi went to their office to see if the recordings made that day were available yet. Stella, who was supposed to be off today and working, had texted Gloria that morning and told her where she was going and couldn''t make it. She hadn''t heard from Gloria since, and she left to try and get as much work done as she could. Denise brought him up to his room and got him ready for another sponge bath. ¡°Well, this was quite a day for you.¡± She helped Ren get undressed and then laid him on the bed with fresh towels under him. ¡°Yeah, and now I''m getting the second sponge bath that you said I couldn''t have when I asked for it this morning.¡± Denise opened her mouth to respond, then sighed. ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren laughed, and she started to wash him. He stayed passive most of the time, because he didn''t want to get in her way by trying to help too much. Denise had smiled the entire time because she knew that was what he was trying to do. ¡°You''re a good patient.¡± Denise said and started to dry him off. ¡°Am I?¡± Ren asked. ¡°All I can think about is taking off your clothes.¡± Denise chuckled and kept drying him. ¡°I don''t think you can take any physical intimacy right now.¡± ¡°Hey, as long as I don''t have to do anything...¡± Denise laughed. ¡°That''s not a very enticing way to invite someone to sleep with you.¡± ¡°What if all I wanted was to see that beautiful piece of paradise?¡± Ren asked, and her face went red. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Ren said and held in his sigh. ¡°It''s going to take time for you to get those images out of your head.¡± ¡°You... described everything very well.¡± Denise said and finished drying his legs, then rolled him over and took the towels he was on and dried his back. ¡°I didn''t realize you could invoke such strong imagery just with words.¡± ¡°I couldn''t keep everyone captivated, could I?¡± Ren asked. ¡°A lot of people had to leave.¡± ¡°Ren, I wanted to leave.¡± Denise said and rolled him back over, then helped him get dressed in another pyjama set. ¡°So did Barbi.¡± ¡°Then why did you stay?¡± ¡°For you, obviously.¡± Denise said. ¡°I won''t say it was torture to sit there, but...¡± Ren reached up and touched her face. ¡°I''m sorry, Denise.¡± ¡°You don''t have to apologize.¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not once did I consider your feelings, or anyone else''s for that matter, while I talked. I just wanted it all out in the open.¡± ¡°Ren, you...¡± Denise took his hand from her face, then leaned over and gave him a kiss on the lips. ¡°...you are an unnaturally strong man.¡± ¡°This strong man has strong women to hold him up and keep him safe.¡± Ren said. ¡°I couldn''t do anything if I didn''t have you behind me.¡± Denise leaned back in and gave him another kiss. ¡°I can''t... I won''t... use your body in the condition it''s in right now.¡± She said. ¡°So, I... I guess it''s time I surprised you.¡± ¡°With what?¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Denise said and Ren watched her walk away as she left the bedroom. I wonder what she''s going to do? Ren asked himself, and then a minute later, his eyes widened. ¡°No way!¡± Denise had come into the room with a VR headset, and she came over to the bed and set it up. ¡°I can''t log in until Barbara comes in for her official shift and takes over from me.¡± She said and put the headset aside. ¡°Which means I can join you in the game tonight after 9 pm.¡± ¡°I thought you didn''t like this kind of stuff.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t.¡± Denise said and smiled. ¡°But you do, and I want to give it a try.¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said and looked up at the ceiling to avoid her gaze. ¡°I might be a little too busy to have you hanging all over me...¡± ¡°Why you little...!¡± Denise reached for his underarms and tickled him, and he laughed. She didn''t go overboard with it, because she knew he was still weak. She did manage to get her point across, though. ¡°Okay, okay! You can hang on me all you want!¡± Ren said, and laughed at her expression. He let the funny moment pass and took her hand to kiss the back of it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Denise helped him put on his VR headset so he could get back into the game. Chapter 565 - Breakfast Time And A Half Ren woke up on the bed in his apartment, in the upstairs of the Main House in Walin County, and he saw that the maids were in a pile right beside him. Hey, Teepo. Ren thought to his friend. Hey, Ren. Teepo thought back. You were gone for a while. I had a long and not too unexpected visit to other Adventurers, and I let them know about everything that happened to me. Ren thought. Hopefully, it will deal with the people involved without causing too many more problems for me. You''re expecting it to? I''d be a fool if I didn''t. Ren thought. How long before I need to get up? It depends on what you want to do today. Teepo responded. I really should visit Yllana again. Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked it. She was in bed and wore a smile on her face... and nothing else. How long do you think she''ll stay like that? I''d say long enough for you to spend some quality time with Frikara and the others. Teepo thought. They missed you a lot. Ren smiled and concentrated on all his Auras, except for the bad ones like Hatred, Fear and Submission, and he paid particular attention to the shared Aura that the maids had. They responded almost immediately and started to stir, and he reached into the pile and pulled Frikara out. ¡°Hey, you.¡± Frikara said and kissed him. ¡°We missed you.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked, and kissed her bare chest. ¡°Yep, you''re sure.¡± He said when the tips popped out, and she laughed. ¡°That''s not why!¡± Frikara said, then she didn''t say anything else as Ren pleased her. He did the same thing to each of the other 4 maids, then easily tucked them back into the pile he had pulled them from. He gave each of them a kiss, and told them he would be back later as he equipped his special armor bodysuit and fancy blue suit. Ren and Teepo left the apartment and went downstairs, then ran up the street to the Refugee Center. He used the All-Seeing Mirror to check on the two portals he had left open, saw the empty rooms on the other sides of them, then made sure no one was left on the other side before he dismissed them. Ren went into the warehouse and greeted his familiars, Tee-one, Ruck, Symmetra and Artemis, and asked Artemis to come with him. He used the All-Seeing Mirror to check on the elfling that had gained the Emotion Siphon ability and saw Halaiyah Granaihon was asleep in her bed. I think I better give her a feeding first. Ren thought and opened a portal, then took Artemis'' hand as Teepo dissolved into the Beetle Crown ring. He stepped through the portal with her and she tucked herself against the wall out of the way, and Ren dismissed the portal and summoned Teepo. Ren thought about waking the woman, then saw that her eyes were already open. ¡°You''re here.¡± Halaiyah whispered as she stared at him. Ren nodded and stored his clothing except for his underwear, and she moved over in the bed. She respected his decision to not have sex, mainly because she knew that he wasn''t going to change his mind and ravage her like she wanted him to. As it was, he pleased her as much as he could without taking that last step, and he left her both sated and satisfied. He had leveled up her ability again and she now had much more control over it. ¡°You brought company?¡± Halaiyah asked when Ren equipped his clothing and got up to leave, and she finally took her eyes away from him. Ren explained who Artemis was and why she was there. ¡°Did you enjoy the show?¡± Halaiyah asked, and Artemis sighed. ¡°Actually, no.¡± Artemis admitted, and Halaiyah was surprised. ¡°It reminds me that I can''t partake of him, either.¡± ¡°Wait, you can''t?¡± Halaiyah asked. ¡°Aren''t you a part of him and feel what he feels?¡± ¡°I do feel it; but, he brought me to life after his resolution.¡± Artemis said, and Ren gave her a hug. ¡°I can only apologize so many times before it sounds insincere.¡± Ren said, and she hugged him back. ¡°You don''t have to apologize.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Just like the others, what I have of you is enough.¡± Ren winced. ¡°Ow, that hurt.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Artemis said and kissed the top of his head. ¡°Even comforting lies are still lies.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Artemis...¡± ¡°I can feel what you feel, and you can feel what I feel, so you know it''s all right.¡± Artemis said and let him go. ¡°We need to get going.¡± Ren nodded and used the All-Seeing Mirror to check the spot to go to, and cast another portal. ¡°Goodbye, Ma''am.¡± He said to Halaiyah. ¡°Please, call me Halaiyah.¡± ¡°I can''t use your given name so familiarly, Ma''am.¡± Ren said and gave her a slight bow, then took Artemis'' hand. Teepo dissolved into the ring again and Ren stepped through the portal with Artemis into Yllana''s bedroom. ¡°My Lord.¡± Yllana said when she felt Ren''s Aura, and she looked at him. ¡°I expected you yesterday.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, I had Adventurer business.¡± Ren said as he dismissed the portal and summoned Teepo. ¡°I assumed as much.¡± Yllana said and glanced at Artemis. ¡°How long can you stay?¡± ¡°An hour.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just long enough for you to make me breakfast.¡± ¡°An hour? That''s...¡± Yllana thought back to what Ren had whispered to her the last time he had been there, and her whole body shook. ¡°Y-yes, b-breakfast.¡± Ren felt her reaction and smiled, and watched appreciatively as Yllana got out of bed and didn''t put on any clothing. All she did was slip on a short robe that stopped at mid-thigh, then she left her bedroom and knocked on the spare room next door. ¡°I''ll have breakfast ready in half an hour.¡± Yllana said, and there was a muffled reply from her daughter. ¡°Allynna''s not much of a morning person.¡± ¡°I do some of my best work first thing in the morning.¡± Ren said and wiggled his eyebrows, which made Yllana laugh. She went down the hall and into the kitchen and Ren and Artemis followed her. ¡°Have a seat.¡± Yllana said and motioned to the couch, and the window across from it had a great view of the city skyline and one of the tall towers. Ren and Artemis sat, and Yllana started to gather the ingredients for breakfast. After about 10 minutes, Allynna came out of the spare bedroom.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Great Vasalor, mother.¡± Allynna said and walked down the hall to the kitchen as she rubbed her eyes. ¡°Why are you up so early?¡± Ren saw she only had a thin slip on, and when she came to a stop by the kitchen counter, she let out a big yawn and stretched her arms up into the air. It lifted her slip up over her backside and revealed her plain white underwear. ¡°We have a visitor.¡± Yllana said and nodded to the living room, and Allynna turned to look. Ren felt her surprise and tried not to laugh as she immediately tried to pull her slip down to cover her still-exposed underwear, then he saw the thin straps of the cloth as they slipped off her shoulders. She didn''t realize her mistake and the cloth started to slide down, and Ren ran over instantly and hooked his fingers under the straps to stop the cloth from sliding down further. ¡°Careful.¡± Ren said and held the cloth. ¡°You almost exposed something else while trying to cover yourself.¡± Allynna''s face flushed red and he felt her embarrassment. ¡°M-my L-lord, I... I must apologize for my appearance.¡± ¡°I''m the one that should apologize for just showing up and not announcing myself.¡± Ren said as he eased the straps of her slip back into place on her shoulders. ¡°Even if I was here for a formal visit, your appearance might be a little unorthodox, but it would not be unwelcome.¡± He smiled and took both of her hands in his and kissed the back of each. ¡°I didn''t get to spend personal time with your mother the last time I was here, so I came when I could.¡± ¡°He had Adventurer''s business yesterday.¡± Yllana said and put a frying pan on the stove and turned it on to very low heat. She had finished mixing up the eggs for an omelette and poured it into the pan, then grabbed some of the other ingredients. ¡°Now that he''s here, he can help make your breakfast.¡± Allynna chuckled. ¡°You''re supposed to cook for the guests, not make them cook for you.¡± ¡°I don''t mind.¡± Ren said and led Allynna over to the chair beside Artemis and sat her down. ¡°Why don''t you and Artemis discuss what happened when the High Lord received your message while your mother and I get breakfast ready?¡± Allynna nodded, and Ren went over to the kitchen and put on an apron. ¡°Start cutting this up.¡± Yllana said and handed Ren a square piece of ham, so he took out a knife and diced it up in a few seconds. ¡°He was a little upset.¡± Allynna said. ¡°A little upset?¡± Yllana asked and started to laugh. ¡°He set the throne room drapes on fire!¡± Allynna laughed, too. ¡°Okay, he was very upset.¡± Ren put the diced ham into the pan and went back to the counter. ¡°Do you want fried potatoes, Allynna?¡± Yllana asked. ¡°Yes, please.¡± Allynna said, then started to tell Artemis about the High Lord ''accidentally'' casting Fireball after hearing that Ren was an actual Chosen. Yllana pointed to the cupboard under the counter. Ren opened it and took out a sack of potatoes, then quickly peeled half a dozen of them in the blink of an eye and rinsed them off. Yllana admired his quickness, and he passed them to her to cut them up how she wanted them. She watched as he picked up a small unpeeled potato and intentionally dropped it to make it thump loudly onto the floor. Allynna looked over at the kitchen. ¡°Is everything all right?¡± ¡°Yes, I just dropped a potato.¡± Ren said and knelt down. ¡°These things are slippery with wet hands.¡± He didn''t pick up the potato and looked up at Yllana instead. He held his finger to his lips in a stay quiet gesture, and she wondered why she would have to keep quiet... then he lifted her robe and slid his head under it. Yllana was quite happy that she didn''t have to wonder anymore. She kept working and being very careful as she cut up the potatoes, and Ren was careful not to go overboard with pleasing her. She was extra sensitive with having two people in the living room talking, and they didn''t know what Ren was doing for her. She was doubly excited because of it, and by the time she had finished cooking the omelette, both she and Ren had lost count of how many times she had finished. Ren stopped and cleaned her up when she announced that breakfast was almost ready, and he stood up and helped her set the table and set out the food. Allynna and Artemis joined them at the table, then the 4 of them ate together. ¡°This is nice.¡± Yllana said as she ate. ¡°I don''t remember the last time we had a nice sit down breakfast with guests.¡± ¡°You know it''s been a long time if I can''t remember, either.¡± Allynna said and smiled. They finished the meal and everyone helped clear the dishes, then Ren said he had to go. ¡°What are you doing today?¡± Yllana asked. ¡°Pretty much the same thing I did after I rescued all those High Elves and elflings from the ghoul infection.¡± Ren said. ¡°Only it''s with the humans and in human wards.¡± ¡°Is it as widespread there?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°It''s both better and worse.¡± Ren said, and he felt her confusion. ¡°They didn''t gather into a mass like they did here, so they can''t overrun whole towns or cities.¡± ¡°That''s the better.¡± Allynna said in understanding. ¡°What''s the worse?¡± ¡°I couldn''t help like I did here, because they were spread out all over and weren''t in an easy mass to remove.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Allynna said. ¡°You had to wait and let them deal with it.¡± Ren nodded and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked the remaining nests in the High Elven Kingdom. ¡°It looks like they''re all gone.¡± He said. ¡°Please show me anyone that''s infected in these lands that can still be healed.¡± Nothing appeared, and he nodded. ¡°Yes, that''s it.¡± ¡°Then I need to talk to you, My Lord.¡± Allynna said. ¡°I have the army movements the High Lord ordered.¡± Ren nodded and followed her into the spare bedroom, and she shut the door. She did several gestures, and a slight blue glow covered the room. ¡°Privacy spell.¡± Allynna said. ¡°Is it like a Barrier spell?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, it only stops eavesdropping.¡± Allynna said and put her hand into the glow and touched the door to lock it. ¡°No one can see or hear us.¡± ¡°The army movements must be important if you can''t tell your mother about it.¡± Allynna let a small smile appear on her face as she walked over to him, then she pulled on the two straps of her slip. It slid down and off of her in one smooth motion and she knelt in front of him. ¡°Allynna? What are you doing?¡± ¡°I''m thanking you.¡± Allynna said and undid his pants. ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''ve saved thousands of High Elves and elflings from becoming ghouls, you''ve stopped the horde from killing so many more, and you''ve saved my homeland as a result.¡± Allynna said and tried to pull his pants down. Ren grabbed them and stopped her. ¡°Allynna...¡± ¡°My Lord, please let me do this.¡± ¡°But, you love your High Lord.¡± ¡°Don''t you love another?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°Yet you come here to visit with my mother.¡± ¡°That''s only...¡± Ren closed his mouth, and she smiled. ¡°If you justify that you''re just playing and enjoying each other, that only helps my argument.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°You know what we did just now, don''t you?¡± Alynna nodded. ¡°I sat there and carried on a conversation with Artemis while you did things like that.¡± She said. ¡°I could see her reactions to you, and after that long, you must need release.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m fine with just playing.¡± Allynna said. ¡°I''ve never... I''ve stayed loyal to the High Lord, and since he''s been married the whole time... I''ve only ever...¡± Ren let his pants go and she slid them down, and she stared at what had been revealed. ¡°What... how can... is that...¡± Allynna shifted her gaze up to Ren''s face. ¡°Great Vasalor, no wonder she enjoys having you visit.¡± Ren didn''t respond, and he felt her try to gather her courage up. Allynna reached out and touched it, and it throbbed for her. She let a giggle escape before she could catch it, then she leaned in and kissed it. Her lips felt boiling hot as she pleased him, and after a few minutes, he felt her want it to be over. He asked her how she wanted it, and she stopped pleasing him and leaned back. When Ren finished, he felt her utter shock at the event. He used a cloth to clean up the mess and put his clothing back into place, then helped her put her slip back on. She stood up and wouldn''t meet his gaze. ¡°Allynna.¡± Ren said, and she sighed. ¡°My Lord, I... I won''t be doing that again.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You don''t want the favor returned, either.¡± Allynna shook her head. ¡°Even just playing, I... I need...¡± She sighed again. ¡°I thought that I would feel something besides admiration for you if... if I...¡± ¡°You didn''t enjoy it at all.¡± ¡°Not even a little bit.¡± Allynna said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren took her into a hug. ¡°Don''t be sorry.¡± He said. ¡°Sometimes people just aren''t compatible.¡± ¡°That''s what''s missing. I don''t feel any kind of connection to you, even after all the flirting.¡± ¡°We did a lot more than flirt just now.¡± Ren smiled as he let her go, and she smiled back. ¡°I should have stuck with flirting.¡± Allynna said. ¡°Please, don''t be offended.¡± ¡°I''m not offended, and I hope you don''t think less of me for not protesting harder.¡± ¡°You held me off until I used your argument against you.¡± Allynna chuckled. ¡°You crumbled after that.¡± Ren chuckled, too. ¡°I really did.¡± ¡°We should get back out there before they suspect anything.¡±Allynna said and dismissed the Privacy spell. ¡°Can you keep what happened here just between us?¡± ¡°I can promise that I will only tell the women I''m actively sleeping with.¡± Ren said. ¡°If they ask, that is.¡± Allynna nodded and unlocked the bedroom door, and they went back out to the living room. ¡°There you are.¡± Yllana said. ¡°I hope you learned what you needed to know.¡± ¡°We both did.¡± Ren said and checked the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Next stop is clear.¡± Teepo dissolved into the ring and Artemis took Ren''s hand as he cast another Portal spell. Yllana and her daughter waved to him, and he nodded to them and stepped through the portal with Artemis. Chapter 566 - A City Full: Part 1 Ren came out of the portal with Artemis and they were inside the succubi roost. He summoned Teepo and dismissed the portal, then concentrated on his Heat Sense Aura. He could tell there were 37 people inside the roost, and only 4 of them were alone. ¡°It''s a huge sleepover.¡± Teepo said and Ren chuckled. It didn''t take long for the succubi to come to meet Ren in the large meeting room he had appeared in, in the middle of the roost. ¡°I''m just giving a quick feed to anyone that needs it, before I head to the capital to heal the ghoul infected.¡± Ren said. The succubi had come alone and had left their partners, so he fed them the traditional way and kissed them, which gave them the best and strongest feedings of emotions. ¡°Before I go, I have a quick question.¡± Ren said. ¡°Who has two sleep-over guests?¡± Fayeth raised her hand and her face went red. ¡°Don''t be embarrassed.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was just curious about the odd numbers.¡± ¡°It is the couple we had rescued during the invasion where the soldiers had captured them and tried to use them as hostages. I felt something then, and then during one of my patrols I felt it again when I passed near their house and landed to investigate. When they discovered it was me and we got to talking and discussed their lives and how it had become stagnant and-¡± Seldanna covered her mouth to shut her up. ¡°He gets the idea.¡± Fayeth nodded and Seldanna let her go. ¡°My apologies. I didn''t mean to drone on and on about what-mmhm.¡± Wynphine had her mouth covered this time. ¡°I believe we''re done feeding, My Lord.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I hope you all enjoy yourselves and the rest of your day.¡± He said, and wasn''t surprised when 16 of the succubi nodded and left the room to go back to their visitors, and 4 stayed behind. ¡°...and then there were 4.¡± Teepo said. Since he didn''t have a solid body yet, only Ren and Artemis heard him. ¡°Ladies, I assume you would like a repeat performance?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Oh god, yes!¡± Seldanna said, and the other three laughed. Ren took out the two beds he had used before and the succubi laid down on them. Once again, he had barely started to go down on them when they finished and had absorbed all the emotions they could. ¡°You know, I might start getting a swelled head about pleasing women if I hadn''t just had that experience with Allynna.¡± Ren commented as he and Artemis left the roost. ¡°I think the succubi are just attuned to you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°When you willingly touch them like that...¡± ¡°...they can''t stop themselves from being overexcited about it.¡± Ren finished the thought. ¡°Especially considering you said you would only feed them and wouldn''t have any kind of sexual contact with them.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Now that you are, you''re kind of driving them wild.¡± ¡°Seldanna did say that the others were really sorry that they had already found someone else to share emotions with.¡± Ren said as they arrived at the Main House, and he knocked on Princess'' door. ¡°Where to, My Lord?¡± Princess asked as she came out. ¡°We''re visiting the hospitals and wards in the Human capital, and probably some of the outlying towns nearby.¡± ¡°Should you bring Zetaya in case we meet any ghouls along the way?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I want to keep this as low key as possible.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just a quick visit to each, healing if necessary, then on to the next one.¡± ¡°What if some of them want to come back to Walin County?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°I''ll make arrangements for them to get here, but I won''t be doing the transporting.¡± Ren said. ¡°I spent half the time doing that with the High Elves, and that slowed us down too much and we didn''t save as many of them as we could have.¡± ¡°We aren''t fighting a battle this time, either.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Not against an enemy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Against time.¡± ¡°Then climb on, My Lord.¡± Princess said. ¡°You are wasting time talking.¡± Ren nodded and climbed onto the saddle on her back after equipping his platinum armor, and Artemis floated into the air beside him. Princess took off at her best speed, now that she didn''t have to be careful of weak passengers, and they arrived in the capital 2 minutes later. Ren used the All-Seeing Mirror to find the closest hospital with ghoul infected inside and rode Princess there. She landed on the street in front of the hospital, and Ren saw that it was surrounded by guards. He hopped off of Princess and casually walked over to the guards, and he saw them tense up and a few of them even drew their swords. Ren cast Magic Mouth on the door of the hospital before he spoke. ¡°I''m not here to fight.¡± He said as he concentrated on his Camaraderie Aura, and Magic Mouth repeated his words inside the hospital. He held his hands up to show that he was unarmed. ¡°What are your orders?¡± A knight stepped out of the crowd of guards and looked at Ren. ¡°We''re here to protect these people.¡± He said. ¡°From you.¡± ¡°You need to protect them from me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I didn''t come here to kill them, if that''s what you were told.¡± ¡°Not kill them, no. You''re here to steal them, which is almost as bad.¡± The knight said. ¡°Do you know the knight named Blair?¡± Ren asked. The knight reluctantly nodded. ¡°Did I steal him away? Did I steal his wife and sons away?¡± The knight didn''t respond. ¡°All I did was heal the ghoul infected completely. No one has to come with me at all, even though they become a part of my domain. They don''t have to give up their jobs, or families, or any aspect of their lives at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°On the other hand, I will let them move to my county if they want to, though.¡± ¡°We can''t let you through.¡± The knight said. ¡°You won''t let me through? Well, that''s okay. If anyone wants to be healed of the ghoul sickness, they just have to come out to me instead.¡± The knight laughed, as did a few of the guards. ¡°You''re pretty arrogant if you think that...¡± His words stopped as the hospital door opened behind him. ¡°I''ll take the healing!¡± One man said and stumbled out into the street.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Me, too!¡± A woman said and held her child up. ¡°Heal my son, first!¡± ¡°The healers said we''d feel terrible for weeks!¡± Another man said. ¡°I can''t take it!¡± The knight didn''t know what to do. His orders were to keep Ren out of the hospital, not to keep the patients inside. Suddenly, a window was smashed and a half-formed ghoul tumbled out into the street. The knight and the guards drew their weapons and darted in to attack it. ¡°STOP!¡± Ren commanded and pumped Fear into his Aura. The knight and the guards stopped immediately, and Ren went over to the huddled form. ¡°Hey, are you all right?¡± ¡°P-please, h-help!¡± The man mumbled as he panted in pain. ¡°D-do a-anything! H-help!¡± Ren used a single fingertip and touched the man''s forehead, then stepped back out of the way. The man grunted and hollered a little as his chest burned, then his body uncurled from it''s huddle and his hair grew back in. The man''s breathing evened out and he sat up. ¡°I''m healed! I''M HEALED!¡± The man said and jumped up, grabbed Ren''s hand and shook it vigorously. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, and he was suddenly surrounded by people and they touched him. They were all healed and moved on down the street to let other people get near Ren. The man let Ren''s hand go and turned towards the hospital. ¡°There are other people inside that can''t break free of their restraints.¡± The man said. ¡°Please step back for a moment.¡± Ren said, and they moved away. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror for where the restrained people were and cast the Portal spell. ¡°Artemis.¡± Artemis stepped through and opened their restraints, then brought the partially transformed through the portal. Ren healed them as they came out, then Artemis came out and he dismissed the portal. The knight shook his head and looked at the guards. ¡°We aren''t needed here.¡± He said and sheathed his sword, then led the guards away. The people cheered and hollered, and Ren quickly touched them all to heal them. He entered the hospital and told them to hold their hands up if they wanted to be healed, then touched everyone that did as he ran through the ward in only a moment. Elise was right. Ren thought as he exited the hospital to meet Artemis and Princess. They both had a large crowd around them, and the people turned to look at Ren. ¡°I''d like to move, just for a change of scenery.¡± One of the women said. ¡°I don''t want to leave my husband behind, though.¡± ¡°The moving invite applies to you and your immediate families.¡± Ren said, and he felt surprise from them. ¡°I''m here to help, not break up families.¡± Once that was known, a lot more people decided to come to the county. Ren gave them funds to buy a horse and cart for their families and things, and supplies for the journey to Walin County. Some were reluctant to make a week-long journey until Ren told them there was a whole city just waiting for them to arrive. Ren, Princess, and Artemis went to the next hospital and the scene at the first hospital was repeated almost identically with only a slight variance. Word of his efforts started to spread, and when they reached the third hospital, the knight there only nodded and walked away without causing a confrontation. The rest of the morning went by quickly as Ren healed everyone that wanted to be healed. He healed 1,000 of them; then 10,000; and then 100,000. The last one gave him a popup that was a bit of a surprise.
Notice!
You have gained a new skill: Mass Healer (Ghoul). This skill affects your Aura, and those that are within it can be healed of the ghoul infection as if you had touched them.
¡°Now that''s cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°Time to test it.¡± Since they had already done everyone in the capital, they went to the next largest town in the outskirts. Before he entered, he sent Artemis in to tell them that Ren was there to heal them, they would become a part of his domain, but didn''t have to give up their livelihoods or their families. Artemis flew over to Ren when everyone readily agreed. ¡°They''re waiting for you.¡± Ren nodded and made sure his new skill was activated, then he rode Princess through the town several times and covered it all in his Aura. Teepo, being the amazing friend that he is, actually managed to count the people that were healed. ¡°Another 56,043 were saved, and it only took you 10 seconds!¡± Teepo exclaimed. Ren chuckled. ¡°Nice.¡± He said and looked at Artemis. ¡°I assume they know...¡± ¡°...that they can move to Walin County if they want.¡± Artemis said. ¡°You might want to hire someone to stay here and give out funds if necessary.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Ren said and went to the main building. It was a mansion similar to the one Lord Eric had in Aurora, and he left Princess on the roof while he and Artemis went inside. He went to where the receptionist was, and asked her about hiring someone to be like an emissary. ¡°You''ll need to talk to the Minister of Finance for the fees and the Minister of Population for the possible people transfer.¡± The secretary said. ¡°I can have an appointment for you sometime next week with the Finance Minister, but the Population Minister is off because his son is sick with that ghoul flu going around.¡± ¡°He''s not sick with that anymore.¡± Ren said. ¡°I took care of it.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± The secretary was surprised. ¡°Did you just say...¡± ¡°They are all healed, and I just wanted someone to open a seller''s stand to offer them financial aid if they needed it, in case they wanted to move or whatever.¡± Ren said and turned around. ¡°I''ll worry about it later.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± The secretary said, and he turned back to look at her. ¡°You healed them? All of them?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Just a minute ago.¡± ¡°Does that mean they are all going home?¡± She asked as she stood. ¡°I assume so.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no point in staying around a ward if you''re not sick anymore.¡± The secretary walked around her desk and approached Ren with her arms out. He figured she wanted to give him a hug, so he equipped his blue suit to replace his platinum armor. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± She said as she bent over slightly and slipped her arms around his shoulders in a tight hug. She wore a low cut dress, so his face became tucked between her breasts. Ren felt how happy she was, and since he always enjoyed a good hug, he hugged her back just as tightly. ¡°Hmm mhmhm.¡± Ren mumbled into her breasts, and she laughed. ¡°What was that? I couldn''t quite hear you.¡± Ren pulled his face out of her cleavage and smiled up at her. ¡°I said, you''re welcome.¡± ¡°My father was one of the first soldiers to encounter the ghouls, and he''s been sick for a while.¡± Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it to show the secretary''s father and showed her. ¡°He really is fine.¡± She said, as if she didn''t quite believe it, and then she let Ren go and picked up a small sign. ¡°Please take me to him.¡± Ren nodded and they left the office, and she hung a ''Back in 5 minutes'' sign on her door and locked it. He escorted her outside and down the street, with Princess and Artemis right behind them. They went around a corner and down another street, and they passed hundreds of healed people. The secretary kept turning her head to look at their faces, and she saw how happy they were. She also saw them all wave, nod, or acknowledge Ren in some way. ¡°My Lord, you... you really did it.¡± She said with wonder in her voice. ¡°I knew you did, since you weren''t lying, but...¡± ¡°Valercia!¡± A deep male voice rang out, and her head whipped around. ¡°Father!¡± Valercia let Ren''s elbow go and ran to her father. They both laughed as he grabbed onto her and lifted her up as he swung her around. Ren walked over to them, and the man put his daughter down. ¡°Now that''s service!¡± The man said. ¡°He heals me, tells me I can quit being a soldier and move if I want, then he brings me my daughter to celebrate.¡± ¡°Father, that last one was me.¡± Valercia said. ¡°He came to the mansion on other business.¡± ¡°Oh! Well, I guess there''s no reason for others to be jealous, then.¡± The man said and laughed. ¡°Father, you don''t actually think he could do this for everyone, do you?¡± Valercia shook her head. ¡°There would have to be hundreds of him for that!¡± The man laughed again. ¡°I''m taking him up on his offer, so it''s the least he can do for me.¡± ¡°What? Really?¡± Valercia asked. ¡°I''m getting too old for soldiering anymore.¡± The man said. ¡°I want a nice simple life, now that I have the choice.¡± ¡°But... father...¡± ¡°Come with me.¡± The man said. ¡°He said you could!¡± ¡°But... but my job... and... and the...¡± ¡°You''ve been there long enough. You should have moved up from being the basic secretary a long time ago.¡± The man said. ¡°You run everything anyway, and none of them appreciate it.¡± ¡°Father... I...¡± ¡°I''ll need someone to run the Starter City everyone will be moving to.¡± Ren said to interject himself into their conversation, and they both looked at him. ¡°Of course, you''ll need to hire an administration staff to help you keep everything in order; but, I''m sure that if it''s just a city and not a whole county, you can handle everything you need to.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± The man asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°No one''s there yet, but I''ve healed close to 200,000 people so far today. If even a tenth of them accept and move there, that''s a lot of people that are going to need someone in charge.¡± ¡°But... we just met!¡± Valercia exclaimed. ¡°Your father''s rousing endorsement of your capabilities is good enough for me.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°But... but, I''m not...¡± ¡°I can fix that, if you like.¡± ¡°Will I feel as good afterwards as my father does?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°You will also gain the Ghoul Kissed mark over your heart.¡± Valercia turned to her father and pulled his tunic out of the way and saw the skull mark. Her fingers traced it''s outline. ¡°Then yes, make me the same.¡± She said, and Ren felt her resolve. ¡°This will hurt, but only for a moment.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t sound sure.¡± Valercia said. ¡°It''s because I''ve never done this before.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be the first?¡± Valercia asked. When he nodded, he felt how happy that made her. ¡°Then convert me, My Lord. Let me be the first to voluntarily do this.¡± Ren reached out and activated his Ghoul Touch ability to intentionally infect her, then touched her forehead. Valercia gasped as the ghoul infection spread through her in an instant, then she was healed in the next instant and her chest burned as the Ghoul Kissed mark appeared over her heart. Chapter 567 - A City Full: Part 2 ¡°Valercia, are you all right?¡± Her father asked and took her hand, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I''m... god, no wonder you''re so happy! I feel fantastic!¡± Valercia said. ¡°I feel... feel...¡± ¡°Powerful.¡± Her father said, and she nodded. ¡°It''s probably because ghouls are unnaturally strong, and you now have a part of that in you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just glad you like the feeling.¡± ¡°I... I saw...¡± Valercia''s hand reached out and her hand hovered where a popup had appeared briefly. ¡°It said I was the first of my kind.¡± That''s understandable. Teepo thought. She is the first one you''ve used your Ghoul Touch ability on.
Notice!
Trouble Recipe Ingredient: (UNDEFINED) has been found.
Wait, what? Ren thought as the popup appeared and disappeared. ¡°Is your offer for my daughter to run your city still in effect?¡± The man asked. ¡°Of course it is.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why would I change my mind?¡± ¡°People do have second thoughts sometimes.¡± He said. ¡°Now that she''s been corrupted...¡± ¡°She is not corrupted and neither are you.¡± Ren said and let some anger out into his Aura, and everyone in his Aura caught their breath at it''s strength. ¡°None of you are corrupted. I''ve been corrupted before, and I''ve even died from it. This is not anywhere close to that.¡± He said, and felt their surprise. ¡°You were sick, and now you''re healed. Get over it and move on with your life.¡± Valercia put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Thank you for accepting me into your domain as well.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If it''s not too much trouble, perhaps you can be my emissary for this town and help people with finances and arranging transport to Walin County if they need it.¡± ¡°Until we move ourselves, I''d be happy to.¡± Valercia said. ¡°I''ll do it from home so that we won''t need a display stand or have to pay the fees.¡± Ren smiled and asked if she had a coin pouch. When she said no, he gave her one with 50 platinum coins in it. ¡°This should be enough to get everyone settled and compensated for missing work while they were sick.¡± Valercia equipped the coin pouch and couldn''t believe the amount. ¡°My Lord, this... you can''t possibly think that... how am I...¡± ¡°Only give out what''s needed. Don''t just throw it away.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once you get up to a thousand people, that''s only 5 gold each.¡± Valercia thought about it, and then smiled. ¡°You''re right. I''ve only ever seen small amounts and dealt in small amounts. It never occurred to me that it''s a lot when added together, or that if you have a huge amount, it''s not a lot when it''s broken up.¡± ¡°Welcome to the world of financing.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°I have to go to the next town and see what I can do there.¡± He said and equipped his platinum armor as he climbed onto Princess. ¡°I guess the next time I see you, it''ll be in the starter city.¡± Valercia said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Good luck, My Lord.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and Princess trotted up into the air. People gasped at the sight, then stared at Artemis as she flew up beside them. In the next moment, they disappeared from sight. ******** ¡°Oh, my god.¡± A woman said as she tried to read the transcript of Ren''s deposition. ¡°This... this is...¡± She looked at the man that had handed it to her. ¡°What the hell am I supposed to do with this?¡± ¡°You''ve got a pending case that involves him.¡± Jensen said. ¡°Orders from both Ren and the old man say to use it as judiciously as possible.¡± ¡°But... it''s only a patent case!¡± ¡°Yeah, and that patent...¡± Jensen took the transcript back and flipped through a dozen pages. ¡°...was created by experimenting on the kid.¡± He said and pointed to a paragraph halfway down the page as he handed it back. The woman read it for several moments, and then looked back at Jensen with shock on her face. ¡°Yeah, it''s pretty sick, isn''t it?¡± Jensen asked. ¡°If you think reading about it is hard, you should watch the video.¡± He said and shivered. ¡°It''s on the portable thumb drive attached to the top of the evidence folder.¡± The woman picked up the folder the transcript had come from and opened it again. Inside were pictures and reference sheets, and at the top was the thumb drive. ¡°Make sure you''re in a well-lit room and don''t eat for about an hour before you try to watch it.¡± Jensen said. ¡°Trust me.¡± ¡°This... it''s going to change the focus of the whole case.¡± The woman said softly. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Jensen said. ¡°You wouldn''t believe the uproar it caused on the floor below with the lawyers that had already settled their cases.¡± He smiled. ¡°They think they were robbed and the settlements were far too low to be justified.¡± The woman shook her head. ¡°They will never get a settlement appealed, not if they''ve already agreed to it and money has changed hands.¡± ¡°That''s what I told them.¡± Jensen said. ¡°They''re looking for exceptions to the Double Jeopardy rule as we speak.¡± The woman chuckled. ¡°That won''t fly, will it?¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± Jensen said and turned to leave the room, then stopped and turned back. ¡°Say, I was thinking about going over to O''Reily''s Bar for an afternoon nightcap.¡± He said. ¡°Want to come with me?¡± ¡°God, yes!¡± The woman said and put the transcript back into the folder, then tucked it into her desk drawer and locked it. ¡°Let''s go.¡± * ¡°Barbi, you can''t release any of this yet.¡± Elise said. ¡°Several cases are still pending, and we need to keep it under wraps.¡± ¡°Elise, people need to know what happened to him.¡± Barbi said adamantly. ¡°His social media profile is the best platform for it!¡± ¡°We can''t make accusations like that.¡± Elise cautioned her. ¡°You know these people are powerful and can make Ren''s life... all of our lives... a living hell.¡± ¡°His already was!¡± Barbi nearly yelled. I knew I should have left checking on the transcript until tonight. Elise sighed. ¡°Barbi, if you put any of it out there, it will warn them and they will try to cover their tracks and get rid of any evidence that might still exist.¡± Barbi opened her mouth to reply hotly, then she realized Elise was right. ¡°But, I want to do something to help him!¡± ¡°You are helping him.¡± Elise said. ¡°You''ve been doing a great job getting the fan pages under control and maintaining the show''s websites.¡± She smiled. ¡°Making the episodes available to watch online the next day while still maintaining the commercial contracts was a great idea.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Getting the ads embedded along the bottom of the player and making them as unobtrusive as possible, increased the revenue on the sites by almost 300%.¡± Barbi smiled. ¡°We''ve even started to receive bonus checks from companies for the increased volume on their own sites linked from ours.¡± Elise reached over and pat her hand. ¡°Keep helping Ren like that.¡± She said. ¡°Make him... make all of us... proud.¡± Barbi nodded and went back to work, and Elise relaxed. One potential crisis averted. Elise thought, then typed up a message. She thought about not sending it, for the same reasons she had just told Barbi; but, she had gone through a lot to get Sid Tec established, and she wanted them to get ahead of any fallout that might head their way. Elise''s instincts for damage control had kicked in, and she knew that if she didn''t tell Mr. Torren that VR technology was a direct result of the experiments that had been performed on Ren, it could potentially destroy the company and end the game that Ren loved so much. She couldn''t let that happen, so she hit send on the message and hoped that her old boss would read her instructions with an open mind and follow them precisely. * ¡°I don''t think I''m ever going to sleep soundly again.¡± The elderly man that ran the law firm said to his wife. He had left the office early and met her at home, then told her all about the horrible day he had. He felt guilty that he couldn''t give her any details, even though she was a lawyer that he had on retainer and she was sworn to secrecy under the lawyer-client privilege. His wife didn''t need to know what had happened to know that her husband was in deep distress about it, and she handed him a glass of his favorite bourbon. ¡°Thank you.¡± The elderly man said and sat down on the small leather couch in his opulent home office. His wife sat beside him as he took a sip of alcohol, then she held his hand and leaned against him. Neither of them spoke as he slowly emptied the glass, and then they looked at each other. ¡°I love you.¡± The elderly man said, sincerely. ¡°I love you, too.¡± His wife said, then leaned in close and kissed him. ******** Ren had gone around to 6 other towns and he and Artemis repeated what they did in the first town. Artemis made the offer, and Ren rode Princess around until his Aura covered everyone to heal them all. He had to keep checking the All-Seeing Mirror to make sure he found everyone, and then he thought about going to the ''front lines'' of the battle that wasn''t a battle. ¡°Do I keep my word and forget about the kingdom?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You can keep your word, but you can still help.¡± Artemis said, and told him how. Ren kissed her cheek and thanked her for the idea, and they went to where the main ghoul fighting was. None of the soldiers had heard or seen of him before; but, several of the knights knew Blair. Once that was established, they didn''t try to stop Ren as he roamed across the battlefield with Princess and healed the infected. Like Artemis had suggested, it didn''t stop the fighting at all. All it did was save those that could be saved, and the fighting continued. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror once more, and saw that a single ghoul was left on the map. He bid the soldiers good luck and farewell, then rode Princess to the spot. When he got there, he saw that it was a pile of ghoul bodies and Princess landed beside it. A moment later, he received a popup.
Notice!
You have healed all the ghoul infected currently in the world. Considering how many there were and how spread out they were, it is quite an achievement. Rewards: 1,000,000 XP; 100,000 Fame
Notice!
You have maxed out your Fame and any excess gained from this point forward will be converted to XP.
I don''t get the extra amount converted now? Ren thought. That sucks! I just lost 99,000 Fame!
Notice!
You have gained 2 new levels! You are now Level 146 and 20 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: Fastest Crafting - Can craft items 50% faster; Craft Construct +5 (total 15)
Notice!
Your title ''The Unnamed King'' has been upgraded to ''The Tainted King''. This title boosts all Auras to Master and grants the skill: Autocracy
System Notice!
Your class Artificer/Lord has been upgraded to Artificer/King.
Ren dismissed the popups when he heard a shout. ¡°HELP! Someone get me out of here! I''M TRAPPED!¡± A woman''s shrill voice yelled. Ren and Artemis tossed ghoul bodies aside until they came to the bottom of the pile. A beautiful woman laid there, and she had her hands over her bare breasts. A piece of tattered cloth covered her waist, and she couldn''t have realized that it didn''t actually cover her private place. ¡°It''s all right, Ma''am.¡± Ren said and reached for her to help her stand. ¡°N-no! Please, don''t touch me!¡± ¡°I''ve got her, Ren.¡± Artemis said and picked the woman up, then stood her on her feet. ¡°You''re okay now.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The woman said and put her arms around Artemis. ¡°You saved me!¡± ¡°No, Ren did.¡± Artemis said. ¡°He''s the one that healed you.¡± ¡°What? No, that''s not possible.¡± The woman said. ¡°Men are scum and they can''t do anything! I don''t believe you!¡± ¡°Didn''t you feel a burning sensation on your chest?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°That happened when you were healed.¡± The woman let Artemis out of the hug and covered her own chest with her hands again. When she looked down, she saw the skull mark above her heart. ¡°What is that?!?¡± She asked and let her breasts go to swipe at it. ¡°Get it off! Get it off!¡± Ren activated his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Restoring Hands, then touched her shoulder. The woman calmed down until she turned her head and saw that it was Ren that touched her. ¡°N-no! Let go of me!¡± She said and started to panic. ¡°Look at me.¡± Artemis commanded, and the woman turned to look at her. ¡°It''s my hand touching you. Let the good feelings fill you, and be calm.¡± The woman took several deep breaths and nodded. Ren let the woman''s shoulder go, took out his shop tower, and went inside for several minutes. He came back out and stored the Instant Tower, then held out a couple different outfits and undergarments to Artemis. She took them and asked the woman what she wanted, and the woman chose the conservative underwear and put them on, then dithered over the dresses. ¡°Which one do you think looks best on me?¡± The woman asked and held one up as she turned from side to side, then did the same with the other dress. ¡°If I had to choose, I''d say the blue one contrasts your dark hair and highlights your face better than the green one.¡± ¡°Blue it is.¡± The woman said happily. ¡°Can you help me put it on?¡± ¡°I can, but you don''t need me to. It''s not a traditional design.¡± Artemis said and showed the woman the easy clasp and how the dress just slipped on and stayed in place. ¡°This is wonderful!¡± The woman said and put the dress on by herself. ¡°It''s so nice to have a woman make clothes that knows what she''s doing.¡± Either she''s delusional, or she''s in severe denial. Teepo thought. Yeah. Ren thought back. To be on the safe side, I''m going with severe denial. ¡°If you''d like, we can take you home.¡± Artemis said, and the woman nodded and took her hand. Ren took out the carriage and hooked it to Princess, and Artemis got in with the woman because she wouldn''t let Artemis'' hand go. ¡°Stay close to the ground.¡± Ren whispered to Princess as he checked the All-Seeing Mirror then showed her where the woman lived. Princess huffed and only went up a foot into the air and started to trot. ¡°This is a very smooth ride.¡± The woman said. ¡°It''s like we''re floating on air or something!¡± Artemis nodded and didn''t say anything, and then they arrived at her home. The town was a burned out wreck and there was nothing left. ¡°Oh, no! What happened here?¡± The woman asked, but she didn''t get out of the carriage. ¡°Did you have any family?¡± Artemis asked, and the woman shook her head. ¡°It''s only me.¡± ¡°Then I guess you''ll be coming with us.¡± Artemis said. Ren felt the woman''s happiness, and her feelings of severe dependency. She needed someone to take care of her, and Ren sighed mentally. Now he had to find someone to take care of her, just so Artemis wouldn''t be stuck with her; and then he had a brilliant idea. He asked Princess to take them back to the first town to visit Valercia and her father. They would know what to do with her and could find someone to keep an eye on her. Ren explained what had happened when he dropped the woman off, and she had clamped her arm onto Valercia to avoid the soldier. Valercia''s father assured Ren that she would be looked after, and Ren promised to check in with them later. With that out of the way, Ren''s tasks for the day were done. Princess ran as fast as she could to bring him home while Artemis flew with them. They landed outside the Main House in Walin County and Ren thanked Princess by buying her more fried dough. ¡°Thank you, My Lord.¡± Princess said, even though her mouth was full, and she went into her house to lay down. ¡°I''m going to the warehouse.¡± Artemis said to Ren and kissed his cheek, then walked across the street. ¡°Now''s a good time to send those forms.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Good idea.¡± Ren said and went into the Main House and up the stairs, then into the apartment. ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Andrela said and waved, and Ren waved back. ¡°You''re in a good mood.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re back.¡± Andrela said, and believed that was good enough of an explanation. Ren chuckled, and then he asked the maids to do him a favor. When he told them what he wanted them to do, they readily agreed and he gave them the 4,000 petitions, or 800 each, and enough platinum coins to cover any fees that might come up. He used the All-Seeing Mirror to check the hallway in front of the Hall of Records in the Dwarf Kingdom, cast the Portal spell against the wall, then gave Frikara a wand to cast Permanent Illusion over the portal on the other side to hide it. ¡°It''s going to take hours to file all of these.¡± Frikara warned him. ¡°I''ll keep checking on you the whole time you''re gone.¡± Ren said as he kissed and thanked them, and they walked past him and entered the portal. He watched the All-Seeing Mirror as Frikara covered the portal with an illusion of the wall behind it, and saw them as they entered the Hall Of Records. Chapter 568 - Paperwork Ren figured that Frikara would be right and it would take several hours to submit the petitions, especially if the clerk in the Hall of Records wanted to read them all and didn''t just toss the stacks into the filing system. With nothing really to do while he waited, he thought about the new skill he had gained. ¡°Show info for the skill: Autocracy.¡±
Autocracy
This skill grants you absolute power over your lands, the people that live there, and those within your domain (no matter where they live). You can issue them orders, give rewards (knighthoods, land parcels, etc.), dole out punishments (imprisonment, banishment, dismemberment, death, etc.), elevate citizens to a higher class (or lower them as the case may be), and also make deserving citizens members of your monarchy.
¡°Cool.¡± Ren said out loud, then thought about what he wanted to do for the next few hours. He couldn''t really think of anything important, so he left the apartment and went downstairs to visit Xuunah. He knocked on the door, and she opened it a moment later. ¡°You didn''t have to knock.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Please, come in.¡± ¡°Actually, I want you to come with me.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Xuunah asked and took his hand without hesitation. ¡°My Sanctuary.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yours?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Unlike the one you have, mine can hold up to 4 people.¡± ¡°It can?¡± Ren led her over to the warehouse and retrieved Artemis, and the three of them walked down the street to the building next to the Library. ¡°Lara''s not here, so I figured I could spend some time with you instead.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have asked to go into yours, but I can''t take Artemis or Teepo in with me.¡± ¡°I don''t think... can we really...¡± ¡°I''ve got a few hours to spare with nothing to do, except watch Frikara and the others do my dirty work.¡± Ren said as he showed her on the All-Seeing Mirror and explained what he had asked them to do. ¡°The clerk can''t complain, because the maids are a part of your unregistered house.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°That was a smart way to get around not being able to deliver them yourself.¡± ¡°I thought about getting Nathalia or you to do it; but, that would have seemed like it was selfish on your part if I did.¡± Xuunah nodded. ¡°It would have been self-serving to have Nathalia or me deliver petitions on your behalf, especially since they concern Nathalia.¡± ¡°Maybe I should get more parchment paper.¡± Ren said and stopped in front of the Sanctuary. ¡°Don''t you want these 4,000 to go through before doing more?¡± Xuunah asked. Ren thought about it for a few moments and nodded. ¡°Okay, I''ll wait and see if there''s any complications before I continue the campaign.¡± He said and opened the door to the Sanctuary. ¡°Now come into my parlour said the spider to the fly.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I can''t.¡± Xuunah said and let his hand go. ¡°Xuunah?¡± ¡°Just being around you and feeling you has been the best thing I''ve ever experienced.¡± Xuunah said and pat the mark on her chest. ¡°If it''s just us... all alone for...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don''t know if I can resist your charm.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You have my word that I won''t do anything except kiss you and fondle you a little.¡± Xuunah caught her breath as she thought about him touching her private places directly, and she shook her head several times. ¡°I definitely can''t resist if I let you do that.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I can take kissing you, and the occasional loving touch; but, I know this body can''t take the stimuli you offer without either going crazy or begging you to continue.¡± Xuunah said, almost sadly. ¡°Please, don''t make me suffer like that.¡± Ren stepped up into the air and looked her in the eyes. ¡°I won''t ever do anything to compromise your beliefs.¡± He said and kissed her. ¡°I just thought you would enjoy spending some alone time together, with no pressing matters for either of us to attend to.¡± ¡°I would... I do...¡± Xuunah tried to explain, and Ren stroked the cheek of her face. ¡°It''s just...¡± ¡°I''m too temping to be around without supervision.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°You don''t think Artemis or Teepo counts.¡± Xuunah shook her head. ¡°They would side with you on all things.¡± She said, and her face turned red. ¡°As would I.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡± Xuunah asked, surprised. ¡°I''m turning you down!¡± ¡°You just told me that if I press you, even just a little, you will toss aside your beliefs to be with me.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s very flattering.¡± Xuunah looked at him with wide eyes, because she could feel what he was feeling. ¡°Just so you know, I talked to the other Adventurers in my life and asked them about being with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told them about wanting to have a deep sharing with you, and that if it turned to sex, not to get angry about it.¡± Xuunah couldn''t believe what she was hearing. ¡°You talked to them before we... we...¡± ¡°Share-bonded as Light beings.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wanted them to know that if you and I did take that extra step in these bodies, that it was just an extension of what we''ve already done mentally.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°Now I feel bad for making you walk all the way down the street.¡± Ren said and shut the door to the Sanctuary, took her hand again, then started to walk back to the Main House. ¡°You don''t have to escort me.¡± Xuunah said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t have to do anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to.¡± Xuunah didn''t try to protest as Ren led her back to her apartment, then he took her inside while Artemis waited in the street. ¡°Ren, I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Don''t be.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''ll get stronger in time, and you''ll be able to resist me without having to try too hard.¡± ¡°Ren, that''s not...¡± Xuunah sighed. ¡°It''s me not wanting to resist you that I''m afraid of.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I was tempted to use the Polymorph helm again, then I thought it was a little too soon to be with you like that again. Since that wasn''t an option, I thought you would want to just spend time with me normally.¡± He said. ¡°That''s when I had the idea about the Sanctuary.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Xuunah felt his disappointment, and gave him a hug. ¡°Well, we can sit here on the couch and...¡± ¡°We would still have the same problem.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you think only having a couple of hours alone with you instead of the months we could have had in the Sanctuary would stop me from wanting to hold you, then you need to reevaluate your thought processes.¡± Xuunah sighed, because she knew he was right. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± ¡°Take things day by day, of course.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss. ¡°See you later.¡± Xuunah watched him leave her apartment and she didn''t try to stop him, even though she wanted to. She thought about giving in a little bit, just so she could have him near, and she shook her head. That''s the problem. Xuunah thought. Once I start compromising, I won''t stop. Ren had felt her indecision and kept walking, because he knew if he did stay around and only had a short time with her, he wouldn''t be able to say no if she changed her mind. He met Artemis outside and they went back down the street to the Sanctuary... and then he had an idea. He ran over to the warehouse and opened the giant forge. ¡°Zetaya? Do you feel like spending a little bit of time with me?¡± Ren asked, and the fire elemental let out the sound of a crackling fire as it tackled him and tried to jump into his arms. He laughed at how happy Zetaya was, and he, Artemis, Teepo and Zetaya went down the street to the Sanctuary and went inside. * ¡°What in the world is this?¡± Beryl, the clerk in the Hall of Records asked as Frikara dropped the stack of 800 petitions for law changes onto her desk. ¡°Just some paperwork My Lord Ren asked to have filed.¡± Frikara said and took out a pile of platinum coins. ¡°What''s the fee for...¡± ¡°Ren''s money is no good here.¡± Beryl said. ¡°He saved this kingdom from... well, everything. Including itself.¡± She smiled. ¡°If there''s something he wants filed, I''ll file it.¡± ¡°That''s great to hear.¡± Lusinia said and dropped her stack of 800 petitions to relax the laws for fraternization between different races. ¡°I agree.¡± Verwynn said and dropped her stack of 800 petitions that referred to cultural implications and how applying the dwarf culture rules to non-dwarves was against their laws and non-dwarf laws. ¡°I''m really sorry about this.¡± Andrela said and dropped her stack of 800 petitions onto the desk. Her stack referenced the financial implications of having foreigners and Adventurers getting involved with dwarfs, and how it could keep their economy going if it started to falter. ¡°I''m not sorry, because you asked for it!¡± Navruth said jokingly and dropped her stack of 800 sheets. These referenced public greetings and asked for alterations of the protocols between the known races to reflect cultural boundaries and to stop any potential misunderstandings. All in all, the petitions had a common theme. The dwarves themselves were still held to their own cultural devices, while other races were not held by the same standard (except in their own culture). Ignorance of that standard not withstanding, they shouldn''t be held accountable by dwarf law unless they agree beforehand that they planned to initiate interpersonal contact and marriage in accordance to those laws. In essence, it would stop what happened to Ren when he first came to the dwarf lands from happening to anyone else. Beryl stared at the stacks of paper and then at the 5 maids. ¡°He really wants me to file all of this?¡± ¡°Of course he does.¡± Frikara said. ¡°That''s why he gave us so much money for the fees.¡± Beryl took a breath and let it out. ¡°Well, okay. I better get started.¡± She said and picked up the first stack and walked over to the large filing cabinet behind her. All 4 drawers opened and she started to read and toss the pages into different drawers. ¡°Law. By-law. Ritual reference. Law. Cultural. Law.¡± Frikara and the other 4 maids watched in amazement as Beryl read each sheet in a second and then filed it appropriately the next second. If she kept that pace, then it would take approximately 8,000 seconds to file everything, or just over 133 minutes. That was 2 hours and 13 minutes, which was close to Frikara''s estimate for how long it would take to file. She didn''t know that the clerk would read everything, too. ¡°This is amazing!¡± Andrela said. ¡°Only the clerk can touch anything in here!¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Navruth said and pointed to a large 1 foot thick book. ¡°Look, there''s no way that huge book there can''t be touched.¡± ¡°The damn things are heavy, too.¡± Beryl said without looking. ¡°You can try to pick it up if you think you''re strong enough.¡± Navruth accepted the challenge and braced her legs to accept the weight, then reached out to grab the book... and her hands went right through it. She overcompensated without the weight she was prepared to lift and she bounced off the edge of the desk and fell backwards and sat down hard on the floor. ¡°What the hell?¡± Navruth exclaimed. ¡°Ow! My butt!¡± The other maids laughed at what happened. ¡°It''s not funny!¡± Navruth said as she stood up and rubbed her backside. ¡°You should have equipped the armor bodysuit Ren gave us before you did that.¡± Frikara said and pat her shoulder. ¡°You''d be laughing with us right now.¡± Navruth sighed. ¡°I''m not used to wearing it yet.¡± ¡°It''s form-fitting and not very ladylike, but it makes us so strong!¡± Verwynn said and pulled the edge of her conservative dress down to show that she was wearing it. ¡°I love it!¡± ¡°I can''t believe it doesn''t count as armor, even though there''s more platinum than cloth in the thing.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I have to agree with Verwynn, though. It''s wonderful, despite it''s unladylike appearance.¡± ¡°Do you think we can get him to make a... a more womanly version?¡± Lusinia asked. ¡°This is the more womanly version.¡± Frikara said and smiled. ¡°Oh. Well, never mind.¡± Frikara moved her hand from Navruth''s shoulder to pat Lusinia''s shoulder. ¡°It''s designed to cover as much of us a possible to protect us.¡± ¡°I know, it''s just...¡± ¡°If you wore it all the time like I do, you would be more comfortable wearing it.¡± Verwynn said. ¡°You can feel that, right?¡± Lusinia nodded, as did Navruth. Frikara turned to look at Andrela. ¡°You haven''t said anything about this, little one.¡± ¡°If you want my opinion, I think Ren only gives us the things we need and not anything that could be considered superfluous.¡± Andrela said. ¡°He knew we needed armored protection without wearing armor, so we could still wear the clothes we all like so much.¡± The other maids looked at her, too. ¡°He''s always considerate and only wants us to be happy.¡± Andrela said. ¡°I love him and trust him, so I''ll wear anything he gives me without question or doubt.¡± ¡°That''s very mature of you.¡± Beryl said as she kept sorting the first stack of parchment papers. ¡°He''s a lucky man to have you in his life.¡± ¡°He has all of us in his life, and he makes it all work somehow.¡± Andrela said. ¡°You would think he would get tired of us after so long; but instead of spending less time with us, he tries to spend more.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''ve never felt so needed in my life.¡± Frikara and the other maids remembered Ren coming to them after being in the Sanctuary the last time, and how surprised they were over how much he needed them, even though he had been with Lara The Sage of Ages the whole time. All of their faces flushed red as they thought about him and what happened afterwards. Andrela felt them reliving it, and her face flushed red as well. Beryl could see them out of the corner of her eye and she saw their reaction to the conversation, and she wondered how a single man could keep all of them so satisfied that they blushed just thinking about him. Was he that charismatic? Beryl asked herself as she kept filing, then she remembered the first time he had used his newly registered greeting ritual on her. When he had taken her hand and didn''t bend over it, she had been surprised; when he leaned in and kissed her cheek instead, it made her heart flutter. I guess he was. Beryl thought as her face flushed slightly red as well. * It had taken Clint, Tommy, Hank and Dillon several game days to track Billy down when he hadn''t shown up for their weekly quest night. They had finally caught up with him and confronted him about what had happened. Billy denied any wrong-doing on his part, and that it was all Ren''s fault it happened. Clint and the guys tried to argue the point, but Billy wouldn''t listen. When Clint threatened to cut him from the Reckless Rough Riders if he didn''t at least try to explain to them what was going on, Billy finally relented and told them what his life was like. None of the guys spoke as Billy poured his heart out about all of his problems, and how he couldn''t deal with them until he had found Jennifer at the Pink Pearl. He fell in love with her right away, and it gave him the strength to face his life in the real world because he had her as his backbone in the virtual one. He went on to say that he told her everything and she gave him emotional support, because she had similar problems in real life, and they were there for each other. When the Pink Pearl closed down, it was a stumbling block for them, because it changed their relationship slightly. When Ren had built them a new place and taken her away from the immediate area, it put a strain on their relationship. When Billy found out that Ren had slept with her, it broke something inside of him. It was one thing to do that as a client; but, Ren knew Jennifer was Billy''s and that he loved her, and Ren slept with her anyway. It made him so angry that he couldn''t deal with it, and he had hit her. He had apologized profusely to her, then Ren came in and killed him. Clint and the guys didn''t know what to say. It was a sad story, and bad things had happened; but, it was a mistake and Billy freely admitted to it. They didn''t think that was enough of a reason to end their years-long friendship, and they told him that. Billy thanked them over and over, and he said that he would try and deal with his issues before they got out of hand again. Now that they were back together, Clint told him about the quest they were supposed to go on and had missed because they had to look for him. Billy apologized for it, and asked if it was a recurring one. Clint told him it was, and they agreed to try the quest when the availability timer reset. They all went back to the ranch to rest in the safe zone and got comfortable. Billy had been worried that Clint would have deleted his spawn point, then felt relieved as he quietly checked and confirmed that his spawn point was still there. He sprawled out on one of the couches by himself, because he was so tall, and relaxed. Chapter 569 - Wants And Needs Ren, Teepo, Artemis, and Zetaya spent a full 2 hours inside the Sanctuary, which turned out to be about 4.6 years, or 1679 days. Since Ren had read his 4 stat increase books every day (Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and Wisdom) and did the corresponding exercises to increase the other 3 stats, he gained 1,679 to each of his stats. Artemis stepped out first as she held Ren''s hand, and Ren came out next. He was touching Zetaya''s arm stub, and the fire elemental barely fit through the door. Zetaya stood up and was almost 15 feet tall. ¡°I can''t believe you fed Zetaya so much!¡± Artemis said and rubbed Zetaya''s belly. ¡°Imagine! Upgrading to a Greater Fire Elemental!¡± Zetaya let out a loud crackling fire, and Ren laughed. ¡°My Hands of the Gods ability Burning Hands, was apparently very tasty.¡± Ren said and rubbed Zetaya''s belly, too. ¡°I''m glad it worked, but now you''re going to be cramped inside the forge.¡± ¡°Just use the Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything spell.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°Zetaya will only be 7.5 feet tall then.¡± ¡°Ha! I never thought of that.¡± Ren said and looked way up at Zetaya''s head stub. ¡°What do you think? Do you want to be smaller again?¡± Zetaya had to think about it, and Ren felt its indecision. ¡°Let''s get you into the forge first, and you can decide later.¡± Ren said and took Zetaya over to the warehouse and opened the forge door. Zetaya squeezed inside and its head stub almost scraped the roof. ¡°It''s close, but you still fit.¡± Zetaya nodded and hugged him, and Ren hugged back. ¡°See you later.¡± Ren said and stepped outside, then shut the door. ¡°Artemis, thanks for putting up with me all that time.¡± ¡°Like I had a choice.¡± Artemis teased. Ren took a step up into the air and took her hands as he started to sing. ¡°Yes, it''s true. I am happy to be stuck with you.¡± Artemis snorted a laugh as Ren swung their arms from side to side. ¡°Yes, it''s true (yes, it''s true), I''m so happy to be stuck with you.¡± Ren sang. ¡° ''Cause I can see (I can see), that you''re happy to be stuck with me-ee. ¡± ¡°All right, all right.¡± Artemis said to stop him before he sang the rest of the song. ¡°You better get over to the apartment to meet them.¡± Ren let her hands go and hugged her, then kissed her cheek. He ran across the road and into the Main House, then up the stairs to the apartment. He had kept the All-Seeing Mirror focused on Frikara and the maids in the Dwarven Kingdom, and had watched their interactions with the clerk in slow motion. He knew he had a few minutes left to go, so he sat down on the bed to wait. ¡°Show status.¡± Ren said and looked at the popup. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Status
Name Ren (Neram) Level 146
Gender Male Class Artificer/King
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 1,000,000 Honor 250,000 (Untouchable)
Giant Kingdom: Dark Elven Kingdom (Royal Consort):
Respect 26,000 Influence 1,000,000
Titles
Master Blacksmith Grants 10 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills; 5,000 Fame
Master Tailor Grants 10 level bonus to Tailoring Skills; 5,000 Fame
Master Enchanter Guild Membership; The Rule Of Two; Skill: Rune Creation
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Dreaded Foe Auras with Fear: +5 Levels, Respect: 5000, Enemies/Opponents/Creatures -5 INT -5 WIS
The Tainted King All Auras maxed. You must be acknowledged. Grants skills: This Is Mine! & Autocracy
Waterkin Grants Water Manipulation Skill and Waterkin (Aura)
Royal Consort Dark Elven Court, Underworld Access, Tithe
HeadHunter Killing Blow Special (50% Kill chance), Skull Cracker (Stun +20%)
Void Bane Void Sense (Aura), -50% Debuff from Void effects, +50% Damage to Void creatures
Awesomeness Grants Admiration, free Charm Person, Personal Aura +150 feet
Vasalor''s Chosen (No Description)
Health 22,856 (Maxed 99,999) Mana 24,908 (Maxed 99,999)
Strength 2,853 (+15,140) Dexterity 2,744 (+15,140)
Vitality 2,724 (+15,140) Agility 2,751 (+15,140)
Endurance 2,734 (+15,140) Intelligence 2,760 (+15,445)
Luck 75 (+142) Wisdom 2,775 (+15,445)
¡°Wow, 4.6 years of daily stat gains is awesome.¡± Ren said and dismissed the popup, then checked the mirror again. ¡°Here they come.¡± Frikara dismissed the Illusion spell over her side of the portal and led the other maids through it, to meet Ren on the other side. ¡°I assume you know it''s done.¡± Ren nodded and held up the mirror, then stored it. ¡°I couldn''t hear anything, but I could see.¡± He smiled and dimissed the portal. ¡°She actually read them all.¡± ¡°She really did.¡± Andrela said and walked over to the bed and sat down next to Ren. ¡°I''ve never seen anyone read so fast.¡± She rested her head on his shoulder, and Ren put his arm around her. ¡°It surprised me when I saw her read through one of their foot thick law books, then I realized that was probably why she got the job in the first place.¡± ¡°That would be an essential skill for her job.¡± Frikara said and walked over to the bed, then stopped in front of Ren. ¡°You feel tense for some reason.¡± She said and sat on his lap, then put her arms around him and Andrela. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I did keep an eye on you while you were in the dwarf lands; but, I didn''t do it from inside the apartment.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can do it from anywhere in the world, as long as you''re looking out for us.¡± Frikara said and kissed his cheek. ¡°I did it from inside my Sanctuary.¡± Ren said, and all 5 maids caught their breath. ¡°It was just me, Teepo, Artemis, and Zetaya.¡± He said softly. ¡°For 4.6 years.¡± ¡°By... by the gods.¡± Frikara whispered. ¡°R-Ren, you... how much need are you holding back?¡± Ren let a fraction of it out into the shared Aura, and they burst into tears. ¡°Clothes off!¡± Frikara commanded, and they all stored their clothing immediately. ¡°You first.¡± Ren said as he stared at her lovely breasts that were right in front of his face. ¡°There''s no time for turns!¡± Frikara said and kissed Ren passionately for a moment. ¡°You need us now!¡± She pushed him back onto the bed. ¡°Andrela and Navruth! Main course!¡± ¡°We''re on it!¡± Navruth said as she and Andrela went down on him. ¡°Lusinia and Verwynn, on your knees within arms reach!¡± Frikara said, and both women climbed onto the bed and turned around to present themselves to Ren. His hands reached for their private places immediately and started to please them. ¡°I''ll take point and feed his need directly.¡± Frikara said and straddled his face. ¡°We rotate when he finishes!¡± Ren was surprised by this turn of events. He knew Frikara was the one guiding and keeping the maids motivated; but, he had no idea that she would go this far to make him happy. He had always made sure to give each of them equal time and kept them separate, so having them work together was quite a shock. The sensations he was feeling himself and receiving from them could have been too much for him to handle, except for the fact that he decided to let all of his need out. * ¡°Great Vasalor!¡± Lylyth exclaimed as she felt Ren''s deep need for sexual satisfaction, and the Dark Elf Lords in her throne room stared at her. ¡°D-Deploy the remaining forces to reinforce our attack! H-hit the High Elven soldiers as th-they convoy back to their assigned posts!¡± ¡°What about the civilians?¡± ¡°Leave them! It''s the soldiers we want removed!¡± Lylyth said and grit her teeth. ¡°Now go! GO!¡± The Dark Elf Lords left in a hurry, because they knew when she went into one of her episodes, it was safer to be as far away from her as possible until it was over. Lylyth''s attendant, the healer named Tiatha Miarora, eased her Queen back from the table and had her sit on her throne. ¡°I can feel it.¡± The healer said and reached out to touch Lylyth''s forehead. When she did, she gasped at the intensity of the emotions. ¡°My Queen, he...¡± She shook her head. ¡°His need is this strong because he hasn''t accepted his tribute.¡± ¡°Then I will accept it on his behalf.¡± Lylyth said and closed her eyes. All of the Dark Elves in her domain were connected to her, and she asked them for the single emotion the Royal Consort was supposed to receive every month. It took almost 10 minutes for her to accumulate everything, and her whole body glowed as over 8,000,000 emotions were funnelled into her. Lylyth cast a portal to him, and the 10 foot tall spider that was her familiar opened the portal up to allow her access through it. She took the healer''s hand from her forehead and held onto it, and the both of them stepped through the portal. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Lylyth said as she beheld Ren on the bed with 5 women in various stages of pleasure. They had already rotated once, and Ren felt the three new presences in the room and stopped licking Lusinia. ¡°Wait...¡± Ren tried to say. ¡°By the gods, don''t stop!¡± Lusinia said and ground herself against his mouth and cut off his words. The maids were lost in his desperate need and were doing everything they could to please him as much as possible. Lylyth stepped forward and easily avoided the other women as she put her hand on Ren''s chest, then fed him all of the emotions she had acquired for his tribute. Ren''s emotion Siphon ability activated and he gasped as the flood of emotions entered him. After a few moments, his ability had absorbed them all and Ren gained another level.
Notice!
You have gained another level! You are now level 147 and 10 stat points have been automatically allocated.
¡°You need to control yourself better, Royal Consort.¡± Lylyth said and stood up. ¡°Your maids are overwhelmed by your need to be with them.¡± Ren had to let two of the maids go to lift Lusinia off of his face. ¡°That''s because I am, too.¡± He said. ¡°I will visit you in about 5 hours to discuss how I can manage it properly.¡± ¡°In 5 hours?¡± Lylyth asked, a bit confused. ¡°Why so long?¡± ¡°Once we finish 5 rotations and they all have a turn, I''m going to make love to each of them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to plant my seed so deep that their bodies will have no choice but to let it take root.¡± All 5 maids shuddered and finished at the same time, and Lylyth took in a sharp breath and shuddered herself at their extremely strong spikes of pleasure. ¡°I... I will leave you to it.¡± Lylyth said, then turned around and dragged the healer with her. When they stepped back through the portal with her familiar, she dismissed the portal and collapsed to the floor. ¡°My Queen!¡± Tiatha the healer said. ¡°Did... did you feel that?¡± Lylyth asked, and the healer nodded. ¡°They went just because he said he wanted to do that to them.¡± She said, amazed. ¡°Imagine that. He just... just with his words...¡± ¡°My Queen, I don''t know what to say.¡± ¡°Tell me I can have that same feeling from him.¡± Lylyth said. The healer thought about it, and Lylyth felt her contemplating it. ¡°There''s only one thing you can do, My Queen.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Lylyth asked, a little desperately. ¡°Tell me!¡± ¡°You need to ask him for it.¡± The healer said, and Lylyth blinked her eyes at her. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Ask him for what you want. Ask him for what will make you happy.¡± ¡°I... can I... could it be that simple?¡± Lylyth asked. ¡°I believe so.¡± The healer said. ¡°The worst thing he could say is no.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°But, the best thing he could say is yes.¡± * Ren and the maids finished the rotation and he chose Andrela to be with first. She accepted his attention like she had slipped into a warm and comforting bath. When Ren finished, Andrela had been primed and ready for it. He made love to the other 4 maids in turn, then went back to Andrela. ¡°M-my L-lord, what...¡± Andrela tried to ask what he thought he was doing, and he kissed her. Instead of just asking her to bear his child at the end of their love making session like last time, Ren had begged her in a constant whisper, over and over, to have his heir the whole time he was with her. Her conditioned brain was more than ready for her body to accept the challenge, and this time when he finished, they had stared into each other''s eyes. ¡°He will be strong and worthy of your lineage.¡± Andrela said, and Ren felt her surety. He repeated this with the other 4 maids, and ended with Frikara. ¡°By the gods, Andrela was right.¡± Frikara said and kissed Ren quickly several times when he was done. ¡°You really do give us everything we need.¡± Ren was about to respond when Teepo spoke. ¡°Your 5 hour time limit is just about up.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If there''s one person you don''t want to keep waiting, it''s the Queen of the Dark Elves.¡± Ren smiled and his arms were held out to the sides as he tried to cuddle all of the maids at once. ¡°That was quite the surprise visit, wasn''t it?¡± ¡°It sure was.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Did you feel how shocked she was?¡± ¡°Who didn''t?¡± Frikara asked, and they all laughed. ¡°That''s understandable, since I was pretty shocked, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°We know you were.¡± Frikara said. ¡°It was a slight twist to men being able to court multiple women.¡± ¡°The accepted propriety is one at a time, though.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Most women don''t normally have enough contact with each other to allow any kind of sharing.¡± ¡°We are together all of the time and have been for years.¡± Navruth said. ¡°We are more comfortable with each other than we are when alone.¡± ¡°Also, nowhere does it say in the law that you can''t do it with multiple women at the same time.¡± Verwynn said. Ren turned his head to look at Andrela to see what she would say to that. ¡°We all know how much you love loopholes.¡± Andrela said, and that made them all laugh. Chapter 570 - Lylyths Lair Ren kissed all the maids before he got out of bed. He equipped his clothing, then checked the All-Seeing Mirror for the best place to open a portal to meet the Queen of the Dark Elves. He found a good spot just inside the throne room as Teepo dropped from the ceiling to land on his shoulder, then he chuckled. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°I was just about to pop into the Dark Elf throne room without calling ahead first, or going to get Artemis.¡± Ren said and left the apartment for a moment. He came back with his ranged combat familiar and picked up the folded Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak that had been beside the bed, then pulled out his pet tarantula from inside. ¡°My Queen, may I pay you a visit?¡± An instant later a portal opened beside him. Ren equipped the cloak and put the pet spider on his other shoulder. Teepo dissolved into the Beetle Crown ring without being asked, so Ren took Artemis'' hand and they stepped through the portal... right into Lylyth''s funnel web bedroom. ¡°Did I come at a bad time?¡± Ren asked as he beheld the enticing sight of a just over 9 foot tall Dark Elf woman as she sprawled on her over-sized bed completely nude. ¡°I certainly hope not.¡± Lylyth said and gave him a knowing smile. ¡°As the Royal Consort, you are to do that only when I say so.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°My Queen, I thought I was here so we could discuss how I can better handle my need.¡± He said, then silently summoned Teepo, who flew up to land on Artemis'' shoulder. Ren gently transferred his pet spider to her other shoulder, then Lylyth slid off the bed and stood up in front of him. ¡°This is part of it.¡± Lylyth said, and Artemis walked over to the side of the room and stood beside the Queen''s attendant. ¡°You must not let yourself go for too long without fulfilling your desire. You must also feed your Emotion Siphon ability or it will build up to the point that it could harm you or others.¡± ¡°I thought once it was mastered, I could use it however I wanted.¡± ¡°Yes, but it must be used.¡± Lylyth said and her large hand rubbed the top of his head. ¡°I thought you had a counterpart to help you with this?¡± ¡°I haven''t seen her for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can only assume she''s busy with Adventurer business.¡± Lylyth frowned. ¡°She is lax in her duties to you.¡± She looked at the healer across the room. ¡°If Tiatha wasn''t so useful to me for my own needs, I would lend her to you.¡± ¡°That would be generous of you, My Queen.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for the potential offer.¡± Lylyth looked back at him. ¡°You aren''t offended by me offering her to you as an emotional sex surrogate?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°We''ve both enjoyed her company in this bed, My Queen.¡± He said. ¡°Although I haven''t gone all the way with her, we are quite compatible otherwise.¡± Lylyth caught his underlying emotions about not being compatible with someone, and she knelt to put her face near his. ¡°Tell me what happened.¡± She said. ¡°I felt your emotions then, but I would like the context.¡± Ren thought about not saying anything, since it wasn''t that big of a deal; then he sighed and stored his clothing. ¡°Let''s get into bed and I''ll tell you about my last visit to the High Elven Kingdom and a less than flattering encounter with an elfling.¡± Lylyth looked him up and down. ¡°Can you...¡± ¡°Of course, My Queen.¡± Ren said and cast Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything on himself to double his size to 9 feet and 2 inches in height. ¡°Please, call me by name when we are alone.¡± Lylyth said and took his hand, then sat down on the bed. ¡°We aren''t alone.¡± Ren said and smiled, and she chuckled. ¡°Our attendants don''t count.¡± Lylyth said and laid back on the bed, and he laid down beside her. ¡°Now tell me about this encounter while I ravish your magnificent body.¡± Ren chuckled and rolled onto his back, then started to tell her about what happened with Allynna. Lylyth got on top of him and started to slowly move, so that Ren was getting pleasure but wasn''t distracted by it. He ended the story quickly, and Lylyth nodded. ¡°Yes, your Prince Charming title only works on those that are impressionable or are already attracted to you.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°This Allynna said she had hoped she would feel something besides admiration for you, which means that she wasn''t feeling anything for you beforehand.¡± ¡°That''s what I thought.¡± Ren said. ¡°It happens, even to me.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Despite looking like this nearly all of the time, most men only remember seeing my other form and can''t get it out of their head.¡± ¡°It was impressive, that''s for sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve never seen a spider that big before.¡± Lylyth leaned down and kissed him and kept moving her hips. ¡°You weren''t afraid, even when I showed you my worst.¡± ¡°That''s funny.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I doubt you quickly killing a dissenter was you at your worst.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Lylyth sat up. ¡°What do you imagine I''m like when I''m at my worst?¡± ¡°I''d say a good comparison would be something like when I encountered your sister in Shargon Caverns.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Lylyth stopped moving, and he felt her emotions coalesce into ice. ¡°Did you say you met my sister?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°She was the largest creature I''d met there, except for an abyssal terror. Those things are huge.¡± Lylyth leaned back down and braced her hands on his shoulders, then slid them to his neck. ¡°Did you... kill her?¡± She asked and her grip tightened slightly. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although I could have.¡± ¡°Did... did you hurt her?¡± Lylyth asked softly, and her grip didn''t loosen. ¡°That depends on your definition of ''hurt''.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren, don''t mince words with me. She is my only living family.¡± Lylyth said as her grip tightened. ¡°Did. You. Hurt. Her?¡± ¡°I did not hurt her... physically.¡± Ren added the qualifier, because he could tell that Lylyth felt a lie forming. ¡°Explain.¡± Lylyth said, almost angrily. Ren went through the entire encounter that he had with the Marilith demon, and Lylyth''s grip on his neck eased as he described the appearance of the boar demon and the wonderful smell of bacon that had appeared when the succubi had blasted it with several dozen fireballs. He told her that he forgot about the potentially lethal fight he was in and started to carve up the well-cooked demon. ¡°You ate a meal with her?¡± Lylyth asked, surprised. ¡°It tasted so good.¡± Ren said and remembered the feeling of it in his mouth as he chewed on it, and gave that feeling to Lylyth. She put a hand to her mouth at the sensation, and her eyes widened. ¡°She curled up around me and we ate several nice chunks of it.¡± ¡°I can''t believe...¡± Lylyth took a breath and let it out. ¡°...she didn''t kill you.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°She tried a couple of times, and I matched her each time.¡± He said. ¡°Once I reminded her that she could kill me and I would come back, then I could kill her and she wouldn''t... she grudgingly accepted a non-verbal non-aggression pact.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°She couldn''t have been happy with that.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Everything went fine after that.¡± Ren said. ¡°We ate some more and I replaced her terrible armor.¡± ¡°You what?¡± ¡°That armor she wore was garbage.¡± Ren said. ¡°It hurt my eyes to look at the shoddy workmanship, so I replaced it.¡± ¡°Is that all you did?¡± ¡°I gave her bracers with the Sunder enchantment, one for each of her arms, then gave her a necklace to thank her for not killing me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, and I went down on her.¡± ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Lylyth whispered. ¡°Why didn''t she keep you?¡± ¡°She wanted to.¡± Ren replied. ¡°I told her I had too many people waiting for me to stay.¡± ¡°She was satisfied with that?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Of course not.¡± He said. ¡°I had to bribe her with my Polymorph helm.¡± ¡°You gave her a priceless item?¡± ¡°No, I had to wear it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I even used a part of her to make it.¡± Lylyth was quiet for a moment. ¡°Can you guess what she wanted me to change into?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You... no.¡± Lylyth shook her head. ¡°You didn''t!¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said and smiled as he felt her shock. ¡°By the gods, it was weird trying to move with 4 extra arms and without legs.¡± He laughed. ¡°I flopped around like a fish!¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I didn''t want to; but, she said she wouldn''t let me go if I didn''t.¡± Ren said, and Lylyth felt his sadness. ¡°That''s the part I knew would hurt her. She had been alone all that time and I knew if I became a male version of her...¡± ¡°Poor (indiscernible).¡± Lylyth said softly and shared his sadness. ¡°She said her name wasn''t pronounceable in my words.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have no idea what you said, but it sounded nice.¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°What happened next?¡± ¡°I changed back and she let me go.¡± ¡°What else?¡± Lylyth asked, because she could feel he was concealing something. ¡°Well, I didn''t want her to leave her with a feeling of sadness, so I told her something and made her angry at me instead.¡± ¡°What in the world did you say?¡± ¡°Before I made the helm I told her its time limit. It was 5 minutes, and she said she would be happy with that.¡± Ren said, then he smiled. ¡°When I was leaving and before she closed the exit, I told her I modified the helm to last over 4 hours, then fled as fast as I could.¡± Lylyth didn''t say anything for a moment, then barked a laugh. ¡°Ha!¡± She said, then laughed and laughed until tears rolled down her cheeks. ¡°She must have been so angry!¡± Ren remembered what he had felt from the Marilith demon and let Lylyth feel it. ¡°Ha ha ha! Murderous rage! She''s going to kill you! Ha ha ha ha!¡± Lylyth laughed and laid down on top of him. Ren felt her mirth and laughed as well. Artemis turned to the healer and whispered. ¡°Do you think we should laugh, too?¡± ¡°We can do it later.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°Let them have these moments together without distraction.¡± Lylyth calmed down after several minutes of shared laughter, and then asked to be on the bottom. Ren rolled them over to accommodate her request, and she stared up at him. With him looming over her, she remembered what her attendant had said about asking him for what she wanted. ¡°Ren, I...¡± Lylyth''s face flushed to a darker grey. ¡°I want to ask you something.¡± ¡°I can feel your apprehension.¡± Ren said and caressed the firm mounds of her chest with his hand. ¡°Take a deep breath, relax, and ask your question.¡± Lylyth took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Ren, when I saw you with... when you told them that... I felt their pleasure because you...¡± Ren covered her mouth with a hand. ¡°Nod your head if I guess this right.¡± He said, and leaned in to whisper in her ear. ¡°You want me to do the same thing to you. You want me to make you happy by plowing your field and planting my seed.¡± Lylyth nodded her head, and Ren kept her mouth covered. ¡°Let me ask you a question.¡± Ren said, and she nodded again. ¡°Have you tried this before and borne any children?¡± Lylyth shook her head twice, and he took that as a no for both parts of that question. ¡°I assume it''s one of the duties of the Royal Consort?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded again. ¡°Let me think about it.¡± Lylyth sighed into his hand and he felt her resignation. ¡°Okay, I''ve thought about it.¡± Ren said and entered her. ¡°As with the maids, I will fulfill my duty to you.¡± Lylyth gasped at the sudden and welcome intrusion, then started to moan as he moved faster. Ren kept his hand over her mouth as he pleased her. ¡°There''s something you should know.¡± ¡°Mhm hmm mhh!¡± Lylyth mumbled and wrapped her arms and legs around him in case he tried to stop or get away. ¡°You will care about this.¡± Ren said and moved even faster. He could feel her approaching the finish and how happy she was that he was doing this for her, and he prepped himself to finish as well. ¡°Mhm mmm hmm!¡± Lylyth said and her phantom spider limbs faded into existence and wrapped around Ren as well. ¡°Yes, you will.¡± Ren said. ¡°You see, I''m one of Vasalor''s Chosen.¡± ¡°HMMMMM!¡± Lylyth screamed into his hand and finished as her body clamped down on him, and then Ren finished inside of her. Her mouth distorted and formed several sets of fangs, then she bit into his shoulder. Since his Toughness was so high at level 5, she had a difficult time getting her teeth worked into his skin. Once she did, she poured her poison into him. Ren felt her venom flood into him, and a burning sensation went down his back. Instead of feeling woozy or sick like he should have, it surprisingly gave him an energy boost. His Stamina Bar changed colors and greyed out, and he laughed as he pounded into her as hard and as much as she wanted... and she really wanted it. Both of their Emotion Siphon abilities had activated as they both experienced enormous amounts of pleasure and happiness, and they funnelled it through each other over and over. They were locked into a nearly endless loop of pleasure and need, and Artemis and the healer stood there and watched it all. After several hours, Lylyth pulled her fangs out of Ren''s shoulder and formed her mouth back into it''s normal shape. As her venom faded, Ren pulled out as well, and he flopped onto the bed next to her.
Stat Change!
Hardy (Mastered) - You have gained almost complete resistance to poison, foreign spells, and foreign spell-like abilities.
¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Lylyth whispered. ¡°That... how did that...¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°You really are Vasalor''s Chosen.¡± Ren smiled and gave her a kiss. ¡°When I didn''t die from your venom, I knew something was up.¡± ¡°I didn''t even realize I did that until it was too late.¡± Lylyth said, then her eyes widened. ¡°Wait, you didn''t know you would live and you let me do it anyway?¡± She asked. ¡°Why didn''t you fight me?¡± ¡°Out of all the ways I have died, that seemed like a good one.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not the poison part, the dying while having sex with you part.¡± ¡°You are a strange man.¡± Lylyth said, and smiled. ¡°Willing to let yourself die just to have sex with me.¡± ¡°After having sex with you.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Dying first would be stupid.¡± Lylyth laughed and hugged him, then they laid in bed together and wallowed in the afterglow. After about 10 minutes, the both of them started to feel like they were procrastinating. They exchanged looks and sat up in bed, then stood up. ¡°Ren.¡± Lylyth said and put her arms around his neck. ¡°Thank you for... giving me...¡± ¡°...what you asked for.¡± Ren hugged her and gave her a kiss. ¡°You know how much making women happy makes me happy.¡± Lylyth smiled and let him go. ¡°You don''t know how much I appreciate that you can see me as a woman, even knowing the twisted monster I can become.¡± ¡°No one is perfect.¡± Ren said and let her out of the hug, then cast the spell on himself to return to his normal size. He equipped his clothing and Artemis came over to him to return Teepo and his pet spider. He took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked for the best spot to create a portal back to the apartment, then cast the spell. He felt Lylyth''s surprise, and he smiled as he stored the mirror. ¡°I''m not sure when I''ll have time to spare to come back.¡± Ren said. ¡°It all depends on how the war turns out.¡± Lylyth blinked her eyes at him, because she didn''t realize that he knew about her offensive. ¡°It''s... it''s going well, actually. We caught the High Elves out of position, and our much smaller military force was able to engage effectively.¡± ¡°You''re leaving the civilians out of it, I hope.¡± ¡°I ordered it to be so.¡± Ren gave her a warm smile, took several steps up into the air, and kissed her cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re not going to berate me for taking advantage of the situation the High Elves were in from the ghoul devastation?¡± ¡°You created it, so I can''t fault you for using it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I saved as many of the High Elves as I could from the ghouls, since that was my own personal grudge; but, I won''t step in and fight you and your armies, just to save them from their own creation.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°It was their own actions that made you and set their people against each other, essentially creating a civil war.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not going to interfere with that.¡± ¡°What if I asked you to fight on my behalf?¡± Ren stroked her cheek. ¡°I don''t know your laws or even if you have laws for it; but, I''m pretty sure the Royal Consort is exempt from serving in your army.¡± Lylyth opened her mouth to deny it, then sighed. ¡°Yes, we can''t let the potential ruler fight beside the troops.¡± ¡°If you start to lose too many people, or are in danger yourself...¡± Ren glanced at the healer. ¡°...or a few others are in danger, I''ll come running.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I won''t fight in the battle itself, I''ll stop it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You really would.¡± Lylyth said. Ren felt her amazement. ¡°When you win, please don''t kill the High Lord and his staff.¡± Lylyth frowned. ¡°You cannot dictate...¡± ¡°It was a request!¡± Her attendant nearly yelled and ran over. ¡°You can feel it, can''t you? He''s asking you, not telling you.¡± Lylyth looked past the words and felt his emotions, then nodded. ¡°Can I ask why?¡± ¡°Allynna is his elfling servant, and I''ve spent time with her mother.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want them to be saddened.¡± ¡°Can I at least torture them?¡± Lylyth asked sarcastically. ¡°I think holding them hostage will be torture enough.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, if you did want to torment them, I just might have an idea of the best way to do it.¡± Lylyth was surprised, yet again, at Ren''s thinking as he told her what his idea was. ¡°You... that''s...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I thought I was sadistic!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Just make sure if it ever comes about, you contact me so I can be here to see it.¡± ¡°You will be seated beside me as we watch it together.¡± Lylyth said and kissed the side of his face. ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Lylyth.¡± Ren said. Teepo dissolved into the Beetle Crown ring and Artemis took Ren''s hand, then they stepped through the portal together. ¡°He is an amazing man.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°He certainly is.¡± The healer said. ¡°Did you get enough food from him if the mating was successful?¡± ¡°More than enough.¡± Lylyth said and licked her lips. ¡°My venom kept liquefying his insides and I kept eating, and he kept regenerating.¡± She chuckled. ¡°He really is perfect.¡± Chapter 571 - A Reverse Heist Ren and Artemis stepped out of the portal, and Ren summoned Teepo again. He cast the spells necessary to make Teepo solid and gave him a voice, and he landed on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°It''s a good thing you don''t have anything else to do today.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The day''s almost over.¡± ¡°Actually, I think I should warn Railyse about going home tomorrow.¡± Ren said, and led Artemis over to the large pool he had made for her and the water elementals. He knelt and stuck his finger into the water, and wiggled it. A 6 foot tall water elemental slid up out of the water, and Ren bubbled and gurgled as he asked to see Railyse. The water elemental nodded and slid back into the pool and disappeared. After a few moments, Railyse and the two elementals rose up out of the water. ¡°You pay me yet another visit so soon?¡± Railyse asked and walked over to him. ¡°I cannot take another feeding, and you interrupted my rest.¡± ¡°Please accept my apologies. I only came to remind you about going home tomorrow morning.¡± Ren said and remained kneeling. ¡°Your mother''s deadline will expire at noon, and I want you safely back home before then.¡± ¡°Ren, I''m not going.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I want to stay here with you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren was surprised to hear this. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I will not have a Sea Dweller in your condition anywhere near land when this thing starts.¡± He took her hand and kissed it. ¡°I can''t be here to protect you all the time, and you know if anyone realizes this is where you are, they will try to come for you.¡± ¡°I don''t care about the danger.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I''ve made my decision, and...¡± ¡°Then forget about waiting until tomorrow.¡± Ren said and stood up as he let her hand go. ¡°Gather your things if you have anything you want to take with you. I''m bringing you back to the portal right now.¡± ¡°Ren, I''m not going.¡± ¡°I wasn''t asking.¡± Ren said. Railyse frowned. ¡°You can''t tell me what to do.¡± ¡°Actually, I can.¡± Ren said and looked at the two water elementals. ¡°I was empowered and entrusted with the safety of the Future Queen by the current Queen.¡± He told them. ¡°She is putting not only herself, but her potential spawn and the future of her people in danger by staying here after hostilities resume.¡± The two water elementals vibrated with agitation, because they needed to follow Railyse''s orders and keep her safe. At the moment, those two things were in opposition. ¡°You must keep her safe, and the best place to do that is back with her family.¡± Ren said. Railyse turned and looked at the water elementals. ¡°You will not move until I say so.¡± ¡°Railyse, please be reasonable.¡± Ren said, and she looked back at him. ¡°You are the one not being reasonable. I am old enough to make my own decisions.¡± ¡°If you were making the right one, I wouldn''t argue about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am staying right here for the foreseeable future.¡± Railyse said. Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it to show him Railyse''s possessions. There were shells and odd-shaped rocks, and a kind of shrine with several weapons around it, which included her 2 pronged trident. A bed of seaweed and several other trinkets were scattered around her cave bedroom. ¡°You''ve made a nice place for yourself.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, you made it.¡± Railyse said and rubbed her belly. ¡°As is your duty.¡± ¡°Railyse, we discussed this. Not only would your family hunt me down and do horrible things to me, we aren''t even the same species.¡± Ren said. ¡°You need to find a suitable mate for your spawn.¡± ¡°I have found one.¡± Railyse said. ¡°No one can compare to you.¡± Ren opened his mouth to try and explain again, then decided to try a different tactic. ¡°You and I have been friends for a long time.¡± He said and she nodded. ¡°We both know a romantic relationship can never work out between us.¡± ¡°Romantic?¡± Railyse thought about that. ¡°You''ve done everything, more than everything actually, that a potential mate could possibly do. You''ve given me multiple places to live, given me sustenance well beyond anything I''ve ever imagined, allowed me to create devoted followers, and provided for all my material needs.¡± She smiled. ¡°You''ve even induced my spawning years in advance.¡± Ren thought about arguing, then realized he would only be arguing semantics. He really did all those things, and his intentions at the time didn''t matter. ¡°You might not have done it as a romantic gesture; but even by human standards, it was romantic.¡± Railyse said. ¡°My culture doesn''t see it as romantic, though. As you know, we see it as a mate''s duty.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°You aren''t going to listen to me at all, are you?¡± ¡°When you start making sense, I''ll listen.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Then I''m sorry for disturbing you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please return to your rest.¡± Railyse leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the lips. ¡°I''ll see you in a few days.¡± She said and moved her head over to his cheek and bit him. She licked his blood as the wound healed over, and she leaned back and cupped the side of his face. Ren didn''t say anything to her, and she let his face go and walked over to her guards, then the three of them sank into the water. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°I''m going to do what I promised.¡± Ren said and walked a hundred feet away from the pool and knelt. He touched the ground and made an offering to the Earth. A few moments later, an Earth being poked her head up out of the ground. ¡°It''s about time you called.¡± She said. Ren smiled. ¡°Can I give you all my excuses later? I need a quick favor.¡± The Earth being chuckled. ¡°This should be good.¡± ¡°Actually, it''s going to be bad.¡± Ren said and explained what he wanted done.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Oh, that''s sneaky.¡± The Earth being said. ¡°When do you want it done?¡± ¡°Right now, but make sure...¡± ¡°Yes, I understand what you are trying to do.¡± She said. ¡°If you had your Earth understanding completed, you could have gained the ability and done this yourself.¡± ¡°I haven''t had time.¡± Ren said and touched her face. ¡°I''ll try to make time later.¡± ¡°I''ve heard that before.¡± The Earth being said, then gasped as Ren gave her 5,000 Mana in an instant. Her body glowed brightly and she sighed, then slipped back into the ground. ¡°What are you planning?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Can''t you tell?¡± Ren asked and smiled. Artemis sighed, because she had worked long and hard to keep Ren''s thoughts out of her head, just like the other familiars did, when those thoughts weren''t needed. She dropped the barrier she had, and saw his idea. ¡°Okay, that really is sneaky.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°She''s going to be so angry when she finds out.¡± He said and reached into the arm hole of his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and retrieved his pet tarantula. ¡°My Queen, I have a request...¡± When Ren explained what he wanted, a portal opened up beside him, and 4 large spider legs came through. They pushed on the edges of the portal and expanded it out, then a 10 foot tall spider crawled out. Ren stood up as the portal closed. ¡°Thanks for doing this.¡± The giant spider clicked it''s mandibles at him, and he chuckled as he felt the spider''s emotions. ¡°You would have done it anyway, even if she didn''t want you to.¡± Ren took several steps into the air to reach the top of it''s head and scratched it. ¡°Thank you.¡± It clicked its mandibles again and Ren felt it''s need. ¡°Oh! Of course.¡± Ren said and remembered the first time he had been in the hospital and had felt so afraid of the doctors, and poured that into the spider. It shuddered as it fed on the emotion, and when it had enough, clicked it''s mandibles again. ¡°If you need any more, just let me know.¡± Ren said and pat it, then stepped away. He activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability, and chose the Necklace of Air recipe. He combined it with the Unnatural Armor recipe and added the Ring of Regeneration recipe. He made it into an amulet and gave it to the 10 foot tall spider, and it resized to fit around it''s large head.
Breath Of Air Amulet of Unnatural Armor Regeneration (Binds on Equip)
The magic of the necklace wraps the wearer in a shell of fresh air, making the wearer immune to all harmful vapors and gases (such as acid fog and cloud effects, as well as inhaled poisons). This allows the wearer to breathe, even underwater or in a vacuum. Nonlethal damage heals at a rate of 5% every second. If the wearer loses a limb, an organ, or any other body part while wearing this amulet, the amulet regenerates it as if the spell Regeneration had been cast. Only damage taken while wearing the amulet can be regenerated. This amulet also grants the wearer a natural armor bonus, and protects the wearer as if they were wearing thick heavy armor. This does not cause the wearer to suffer heavy armor penalties, however. It grants: +200% to Protection, +200% to Defense, +100% to Concealment.
Ren felt how happy it was, and that it could go anywhere it wanted with it. He pat its head and stepped down to the ground, then cast both Permanent Air Walk and Permanent Water Walk on it. A moment later, Ren felt the Earth being come over to him. She poked her head up out of the ground and reached a hand up for him. ¡°It''s ready.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said to the spider and Artemis, and the Earth being pulled him underground. She brought him around the pool and then underneath it to the right spot, and he saw there was a small cave there. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror to see where Railyse was, and she was on her bed. He checked the elementals and saw they were right there with her, and he wouldn''t have to lure them in. ¡°Perfect.¡± Ren said and nodded to the Earth being, and she held him up and pushed him up into the rock bed. Ren reached up and felt his hand leave the rock, so he cast the Sleep spell. It caught Railyse and the two elementals, just like he wanted, and they fell asleep immediately. The Earth being pulled him back and stood him on the cave floor. ¡°I can''t believe you thought of this.¡± The Earth being said. ¡°This is so devious, it''s almost scary.¡± She said, then wrapped her arms around him. ¡°I love it!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Thanks, I think.¡± Ren equipped his armor to give himself massive stats, then activated his Hands of the Gods ability and his Water Manipulation ability. He filled in all the spaces the Earth being had made around Railyse''s bedroom with Water and held it steady. ¡°Okay, I''ve got it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you sure?¡± The Earth being asked. ¡°When I take out the last supports...¡± ¡°I''ll hold the water back so you can fill this back in.¡± Ren said and took a deep breath, then nodded. The Earth being let him go and waved her hand, and the last bits of rock that held the bedroom in place pulled away and he used his ability to keep the water at bay, then surrounded the bedroom with Walls of Water spells so he wasn''t taxing his ability completely. Ren had to use both hands to lift the bedroom and the water, and took several steps up into the air, then several steps into the water he held back from flooding the cave. He nodded to the Earth being and she waved her hands and filled in the space the bedroom''s removal had left. He walked up through the pool and breached the surface of the water, and he felt the giant spider''s surprise. ¡°I... had to show you... how big it was.¡± Ren said. ¡°Geez, this thing... is heavy.¡± He said. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren stepped back under the water and it took some of the weight, and he could use his Water Manipulation ability to help hold it as well. The spider and Artemis walked over to him through the water, and Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked the water near the portal to the Water Realm. He was surprised when he saw that the portal wasn''t there. ¡°Dammit.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t want to create one directly in.¡± He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked at the giant spider, who made a circle motion and pointed to the bedroom. ¡°Yeah, I need to deliver it no matter what.¡± The spider pointed to the side of the pool, and Ren nodded. He checked the Water Realm and chose a good distance from the castle, so hopefully he wouldn''t be seen as a threat, then stored the mirror and cast the portal. Lylyth''s giant spider familiar scurried over to it and started to pull on the portal''s edge. It took a minute for it to stretch the portal out to make it big enough to fit the bedroom through. Ren used both his Strength and his Water Manipulation ability to move and carry the bedroom over to the portal, and he gave the giant spider a ''thumbs up'' gesture. It waved to him with one of it''s front legs, and Teepo dissolved into the ring. Ren and Atremis entered the portal and came out the other side, then Ren dismissed the portal and the two of them stood there in the water with the bedroom suspended above them. Ren summoned Teepo, and his astral body floated up and landed on his shoulder. ¡°I''m sorry you have to do that so much lately.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You always summon me right away, rather than wait until you pass back through the portal, so I''m okay with it.¡± ¡°At least this shouldn''t take long.¡± Artemis said, because she had seen movement in the corner of her eye. ¡°Cross your fingers and hope for the best.¡± ¡°I don''t have fingers.¡± Teepo said and crossed his two front limbs. ¡°How''s this?¡± ¡°Good enough.¡± Ren said as a group of Sea Dwellers riding seahorses came into view. He used his Water Manipulation ability and shifted the enclosed bedroom from over his head to behind him. When the patrol hit the edge of his Aura, two of the troops stopped; but, the others kept coming forward. ¡°Two smart ones out of twelve isn''t bad.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter, and Ren smiled. The patrol spread out in an array in front of him with their spears and harpoons at the ready to run him through, and he and Artemis held their hands up to show that they didn''t mean any harm. The patrol bubbled and gurgled at them furiously, mainly because they could see the two water elementals and one of their own people in the enclosed room behind them. ¡°I am the assistant of the Ambassador to the Land Dwellers.¡± Ren said in the Sea Dweller''s language and ignored their angry words and accusations. ¡°I''ve come to return her to her family.¡± The two Sea Dwellers that had stopped at the edge of his Aura, quickly came over and stopped in front of the patrol. ¡°We can feel your Importance and Honor.¡± One of them gurgled at him. ¡°We have been waiting for the Lost Daughter to return.¡± ¡°She wasn''t lost.¡± Ren said. ¡°She was tasked by the Queen to present a Peace Treaty to the Land Dwellers.¡± ¡°She has been gone for over a thousand years, Land Dweller.¡± He said. ¡°Over 1,200 in fact.¡± ¡°That was the risk, and she accepted that when we left.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now that we have returned, I request an audience with the Queen.¡± ¡°You cannot just show up in our realm unannounced and make demands.¡± One of them said, and was quickly hushed by the others. Speaking out of turn was not tolerated. ¡°Send word to her that I am here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let her make the decision to see me or not.¡± One of the Sea Dwellers that had felt Ren''s Aura, closed his eyes. Ren could see the currents under the Sea Dweller''s translucent skin swirl faster, and then the being shivered as the currents slowed down to a crawl. He opened his eyes and turned to the patrol. ¡°Royal Greeting protocol!¡± He practically shouted, and the patrol split into two right away and spread out to make a lane for Ren to pass through. ¡°The Queen awaits you in the throne room.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, used his ability to drag the bedroom behind him and Artemis, and walked towards the castle. Chapter 572 - Rule Of Power Ren and Artemis approached the underwater castle and saw another line of seahorse riding guards lead to the front doors. He realized he had a problem when he saw the doors were not going to accommodate the bedroom. He took out his Staff Of Earth and used Permanent Widen Effect on it twice to make the Pass Wall spell double in size, then double again. He used it on the doors and a 32 foot tall and 24 foot wide opening appeared. Ren and Artemis walked through the opening and he pulled the bedroom inside with his Water Manipulation ability. He had to do it again to enter the throne room, and saw there wasn''t a bubble of air around the throne. He thought that was a bit odd, until he saw the woman that sat on the bench that was the throne. It was not Railyse''s mother. ¡°I''ve been cherishing the time until this day arrived.¡± The unknown Sea Dweller woman said. ¡°Thank you for bringing the Lost Daughter home.¡± Ren didn''t say anything in response. Her face twisted into a scowl for a brief moment, then she smiled. ¡°Please set her down.¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°You are in no position to deny me.¡± The woman said and made a hand gesture, then 100 Sea Dwellers slid out from the coral on the walls and swarmed around Ren, Artemis, and the bedroom. ¡°Hand her over.¡± ¡°I was charged with her protection and safe return.¡± Ren said and motioned to the circling Sea Dwellers. ¡°This doesn''t look safe.¡± The woman laughed. ¡°Of course it''s not.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve worked very hard to train them to respond to my every whim.¡± The woman made another small gesture, and one of the Sea Dwellers changed his path as he swung his harpoon at Artemis. She shot the harpoon with several Mana bolts and key places on his armor instantly. Both items shattered at the impacts, and the Sea Dweller flipped end over end before he landed on the floor, stunned. The woman on the throne hissed and went to gesture again, and Ren used his Water Manipulation ability to hold her still. ¡°Don''t.¡± Ren said, and he felt her try to struggle against him. He took out an Amulet of Interrogation and walked over to her. ¡°Where is the Queen?¡± ¡°I killed her!¡± The woman said, and sweat appeared on her face. It was whisked away by the current, but Ren had seen it. ¡°If you keep lying, it''s going to get very uncomfortable for you.¡± Ren said and bared his teeth at her. ¡°KILL THEM!¡± The woman yelled. Ren cast Water Walls around Artemis and the bedroom, then used his Water Manipulation ability to push them out. The walls slammed into the Sea Dwellers and knocked them all out, and he moved the unconscious bodies into a single area, then moved the walls around them to make a cage. ¡°No! My children!¡± The woman said. ¡°Why are you wrecking everything?!?¡± ¡°It''s a side effect of defending myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where is the Queen?¡± ¡°I banished her! She''s on the far side of the sea and-ahhHH!¡± She screamed as she felt a large burst of Heat. ¡°All right! All right! I''ll talk! Just make it stop!¡± ¡°Tell the truth and the Heat stops.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s in the dungeon with the rest of her stupid family!¡± The woman said. ¡°Why is she there?¡± ¡°One of her sons fertilized my spawn, and she wouldn''t acknowledge it! She wouldn''t even register him as the father, and they all look just like him! Even the girls!¡± Ren opened his mouth to ask how she could tell they were his, then he remembered that only the father and mother could have access to the nest, once it was made and the eggs were laid. ¡°I''m sorry that happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder why her amulet didn''t bring this out?¡± ¡°It only works if you ask questions.¡± The woman said, sadly. ¡°She didn''t ask.¡± Ren sighed, because he knew that could easily happen. ¡°Let me guess what happened.¡± He said. ¡°When your spawn were old enough, you trained them to become a strong fighting force, stormed the castle and took over, and tossed them all into prison.¡± ¡°That''s not even close to what happened.¡± The woman chuckled. ¡°When they were old enough, the father came to see them. When he saw how big and strong they were, he apologized for abandoning us and brought us to the castle.¡± She said. ¡°His mother said he had cast them off and they didn''t exist in her eyes.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± She said. ¡°The father couldn''t go against his mother''s ruling, so he turned on us... again... and tried to shove us away.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I wasn''t going to let it happen again, so I told them I was taking over.¡± ¡°You challenged her.¡± ¡°I not only challenged her, I kicked her ass!¡± The woman said and laughed. ¡°I never imagined she was so weak and feeble!¡± ¡°She''s been alive for...¡± Ren shook his head, because it didn''t matter anymore. ¡°How long ago was this?¡± ¡°Just over 300 years.¡± She said. ¡°Or 21 days.¡± Teepo said. ¡°We weren''t coming here that soon, so we didn''t ''just miss it'', thankfully.¡± ¡°I''m taking over now.¡± Ren said to her, and her eyes widened. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m a Waterkin.¡± Ren said, and she gurgled several curse words. ¡°I concede.¡± She said. The small crown she had on her head faded away to reveal a ring of seaweed, and the crown appeared on Ren''s head.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°It seems to be a glamour or something.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It doesn''t replace what you''re wearing, it only covers it.¡± It didn''t give me anything, either. Ren thought. No popups, no magic, no ownership of the castle, nothing. ¡°Maybe it''s just symbolic.¡± Teepo suggested, and Ren nodded. ¡°What are you going to do with me and my children?¡± The Sea Dweller woman asked. ¡°The only thing I can do.¡± Ren said and stopped holding her with his Water Manipulation ability. ¡°As the current ruler, I acknowledge you and your children on behalf of the father that spurned you.¡± The woman let out a stream of bubbles and gurgles so fast that Ren couldn''t make out what she was saying. ¡°That... that''s all I''ve ever wanted.¡± She said and swam over to the cage with some of her children in it. ¡°Please release them.¡± Ren dismissed the Water Wall spells and she shook one of her children to try and wake them. ¡°What''s wrong with them?¡± ¡°They''re just stunned.¡± Ren said. ¡°It might take a while for them to recover.¡± She sighed. ¡°What am I supposed to do until then?¡± ¡°I assume you replaced all the guards?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Then call a couple of them and have them release the Queen and her family from the dungeon.¡± She nodded and swam over to the door and called for the guards, then gave them their orders. Ren moved the enclosed bedroom off to the side and out of the way, and waited for the Queen to come into the throne room. When the doors opened to admit her, Ren saw the Queen''s clothes were ragged and she looked terribly thin; but, she had her family behind her and they all looked relatively healthy. When she caught sight of her usurper, she hissed and took a fighting stance for what little good that would do. ¡°Relax, I''m not in charge anymore.¡± The woman said and pointed to her forehead, then she turned and pointed across the throne room to Ren. ¡°REN!¡± The Queen exclaimed and started to swim through the water. Her movements were erratic from long disuse of her muscles, and Ren used his Water Manipulation ability to form the water around her and held her gently as he pulled her over to him. ¡°My Queen.¡± Ren said and bowed to her. ¡°You came back.¡± She said and her hand touched his face. ¡°I was worried that I would never see you again.¡± ¡°I didn''t know I should have worried about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I assumed you would always be here.¡± The Queen smiled and let his face go. ¡°Rash decisions by an old woman brought me to this point.¡± She said. ¡°I''m glad you weren''t ambushed.¡± ¡°He was.¡± The usurper said and pointed to her unconscious children. ¡°He didn''t kill them, though.¡± ¡°Or you.¡± The Queen said, and Ren felt her anger. He reached out and touched her shoulder, and she looked at him. ¡°I don''t see (gurgle bubble bubble). Where is he?¡± Ren said, and the Queen sighed. ¡°He...¡± She closed her eyes, and Ren felt her sorrow. ¡°I am so sorry.¡± Ren said and gave her a comforting hug. The Queen was surprised by both his familiarity and his sincerity; but, only for a moment. She accepted his hug and leaned her head against his, and he bubbled and gurgled about how great of a Sea Dweller he was and his accomplishments. When Ren finished, she sighed and started to lean back. ¡°I offer a consoling feeding.¡± Ren said and pointed to his cheek. ¡°Thank you, but you are the current ruler.¡± The Queen said, and he let her out of the hug. ¡°It wouldn''t be appropriate for me to accept.¡± ¡°Then challenge me.¡± Ren said, and her whole family bubbled and gurgled their protests. ¡°I am old and weak.¡± The Queen admitted as she glanced at her usurper. ¡°Since my mate has been gone, I''ve been withering away.¡± ¡°I think I can fix that.¡± Ren said, and she shook her head. ¡°No, I think my time to rule is over.¡± The Queen said and motioned to her eldest son. ¡°I believe...¡± ¡°Let me out of here!¡± Railyse said and pounded on the Wall of Water that held her captive. ¡°RIGHT NOW!¡± The two water elementals with her were still unconscious, and her fists made the water ripple on both sides of the wall. She was quite awake and understandably very angry. ¡°The Sleep spell didn''t last as long as I thought it would.¡± Ren said and dismissed the front wall without thinking about what would happen when she was free. Railyse burst from the room and swam over to him in an instant, and her fist connected with his face. Since he was floating in the water and didn''t have his feet on the ground, the impact sent him flying across the throne room and into the wall. Railyse darted after him. ¡°How dare you kidnap me!¡± She said and smashed both fists into his face. Since she wasn''t holding back at all and had hit him with all of her Strength, which was assisted by her own Water Manipulation ability, it jammed his head into the stone and coral wall. Railyse grabbed Ren by the shoulders and pulled him out of the wall, swirled around in a circle several times to gain momentum, then flipped him upside down and slammed him head first into the indestructible bedrock floor the castle was built on. It smashed Ren''s nose flat and broke it, and his powerful blood gushed out. Every Sea Dweller froze at the sight and smell of it in the water, except Railyse. She had tasted it''s goodness often enough that its presence didn''t bother her, and she used her Water Manipulation ability to pull it into her mouth as she picked Ren up. His eyes were closed and his head flopped to the side, which exposed his neck. This sight Railyse couldn''t resist, and because she was so angry and her prey was defenseless, she wasn''t gentle at all as she bit into his neck. She tore a huge chunk of his flesh away and quickly chewed it up and swallowed it. The damage wasn''t enough to kill Ren immediately; but, it was extensive enough that his blood flooded out like a water hose as he gained the Bleeding Profusely condition. His Regeneration ability had a difficult time filing in the large missing piece. Railyse was about to take another bite to finish off her meal, when she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to hiss at the intrusion. ¡°You can stop now.¡± The Queen said. ¡°You have won.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Railyse blinked her eyes and shook her head, and her Frenzy ability turned off. When she looked at what she held in her hands and saw Ren''s limp and bloody body, the color drained from her face. ¡°R-Ren?¡± She shook him a little and his head flopped forward and back as if boneless. ¡°REN! NO!¡± ¡°He''s still alive.¡± The Queen said as Railyse cried and pulled Ren close and cuddled him. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Railyse wailed. ¡°I didn''t mean to!¡± She said and rocked him back and forth. ¡°I was just so angry, I... I''m so sorry!¡± ¡°You might need to wait for him to be conscious to tell him that.¡± The Queen said and pat her shoulder. ¡°At least the blood stopped.¡± Railyse dropped her head to look at his neck and saw it filling in. ¡°I could have killed him.¡± She said and kissed his cheek. ¡°With that one bite, he would have been dead.¡± ¡°He''s an Adventurer. He would come back.¡± ¡°Not here.¡± Railyse said. ¡°He would reappear in the Human Kingdom, and I would never see him again.¡± ¡°That worries you?¡± Railyse nodded. ¡°I''m preparing to spawn.¡± ¡°Why would that...¡± The Queen stopped talking and her trident appeared in her hand. ¡°Your time among the Land Dwellers was a mistake, I see.¡± ¡°No! Ren''s not like them!¡± Railyse said. ¡°Don''t kill him!¡± ¡°You want him to sire your spawn.¡± The Queen said and hefted the trident over her head to strike. ¡°That is an aberration that cannot be tolerated.¡± ¡°He said no!¡± Railyse said, and the Queen hesitated. ¡°Even though he fulfilled all the duties of a mate and made me enter the spawning phase decades early, he said he wouldn''t complete it because you would hate him and hunt him down.¡± The Queen stored the trident and sighed. ¡°He has more sense than you, thankfully.¡± ¡°But he''s the perfect mate!¡± Railyse said. ¡°He''s strong, powerful, and has abilities beyond anything I''ve seen before!¡± ¡°And yet, in one brief moment, you overpowered him and nearly killed him.¡± The Queen said. ¡°Those abilities didn''t amount to much when it counted, did they?¡± Railyse took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°No, they didn''t.¡± She said. ¡°He... he was right, too.¡± ¡°He told you to find your own mate, didn''t he?¡± Railyse nodded. ¡°I don''t know if I have enough time to find one, though.¡± ¡°You won''t have to worry about that.¡± The Queen said. ¡°Every male in the realm will be scrambling to sire the Queen''s spawn.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± The Queen pointed to her own forehead and Railyse saw the crown was missing. ¡°My Queen! What happened?¡± ¡°I''ll explain in a moment, Your Highness.¡± The Queen said. Railyse stared at the old Queen as her hand reached up to her own forehead and found the crown there. ¡°By Mother''s Trident!¡± ¡°I think you have to find something else to curse from now on.¡± The old Queen, who was also her mother, laughed. Chapter 573 - The Water Realm Version 2 ¡°Okay, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You can stop pretending now.¡± Ren slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was on the seaweed bed in Railyse''s bedroom and that the bedroom was no longer in the throne room. Are you sure it''s clear? Ren asked his friend through their mental connection. ¡°The guard left a few minutes ago.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If you hadn''t turned off your Auras, you would know that.¡± I had to make it convincing. Ren thought and sat up. ¡°You almost died, so it was already pretty convincing.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Hey, how was I supposed to know that Railyse would try to literally bite my head off by chewing through my neck? ¡°With experience.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She''s done it to how many fish?¡± ¡°Fish don''t have necks.¡± Artemis sat down on the bed next to Ren and put an arm around his shoulders. ¡°Ren almost didn''t have his neck, either.¡± ¡°You should have seen it, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I was right there on your shoulder, and I still can''t believe it.¡± Ren put his arm around Artemis and rubbed the middle of her back. ¡°Thanks for not interfering.¡± ¡°I didn''t really want to.¡± Artemis said and smiled. ¡°She had a right to be angry over being kidnapped.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I had to take her home, or her mother was going to send an expedition force to retrieve her.¡± He said and used his free hand to reach up to his other shoulder and scratched his pet spider''s head. ¡°Of course, that was before I found out she had been deposed and wasn''t in control anymore.¡± ¡°She probably still would have sent someone, except that they would have warned Railyse to stay away instead of returning home.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Which means I would have come with her anyway.¡± Ren said. ¡°Only the circumstances for getting here would have changed.¡± ¡°Yeah, you wouldn''t have had your face beat in.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°She totally wrecked you, Ren!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve gotten so used to standing on solid ground during a fight that floating in the water messed me up completely.¡± ¡°I could tell that you didn''t know up from down when she flipped you around.¡± Artemis said. ¡°That was a great tactic to use.¡± ¡°It sure was.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°She can be vicious; but, she can fight when she wants to.¡± ¡°At least you don''t have to worry about her wanting you to sire her spawn.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Did she get a mate already?¡± Ren asked. ¡°They have to hold a tournament to sort out all the potential candidates.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Wait, don''t you know that? You were right there when they talked about it.¡± ¡°I had to turn off my hearing so I wouldn''t react to what was being said.¡± Ren said. Artemis chuckled. ¡°You really wanted to sell playing dead, didn''t you?¡± ¡°Hey, it worked.¡± ¡°That it did.¡± Artemis said. ¡°If I hadn''t felt your feelings at the time, I would have come to your defense.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and moved his hand down to rest on her hip. ¡°So, how long should we sit here and wait to see if someone will check on us?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I''m betting on another hour.¡± ¡°How much are you betting?¡± Ren asked. ¡°20 gold.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Are you in or what?¡± ¡°You don''t have 20 gold.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Hey, Ren. Can I have a platinum coin?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Sure, buddy.¡± Ren said and put it on the shoulder Teepo was on. ¡°Thanks.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Okay, who''s in and how long do you think it will take?¡± ¡°I''m in.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to guess 45 minutes.¡± ¡°I''m in, too.¡± Artemis said. ¡° An hour and 30 minutes.¡± ¡°Hold on. You don''t have any gold.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Do you want some?¡± ¡°I''ll be getting 40 gold in an hour and a half.¡± Artemis said and smiled. ¡°I''ll take your gold then.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°What do we want to do until then?¡± ¡°I''d like to make some clothes for the Queen, but I''m pretty sure she''ll already have everything replaced.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, maybe an upgraded Truth amulet with Unnatural Armor and Regeneration.¡± ¡°Lylyth''s familiar was pretty happy with the one you gave it.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I was going to leave the Necklace of Air as it was, then figured since I could add a bunch of stuff to it, I should.¡± Ren said. ¡°Actually, that reminds me.¡± He said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°I should check and see if it went home or stayed at the pool.¡± ¡°Ah, ah, ah!¡± Artemis said and blocked the mirror''s surface. ¡°No cheating and looking at who''s coming.¡± ¡°I wasn''t going to.¡± Ren said in a slightly higher pitched voice. Artemis laughed. ¡°I didn''t need to feel your emotions to tell that was a lie.¡± ¡°I wasn''t going to...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Okay, I would probably do it automatically.¡± ¡°Like I didn''t know that.¡± Artemis smiled. Ren stored the mirror and made the amulet for the old Queen, then made one for Railyse. He added the Amulet of Interrogation enchantment to them as well. While they waited to see who would win the bet, they talked about what Ren needed to do over the next few days. What they discovered was, he didn''t have to do anything. Everything was being handled. The ghoul infected that wanted to move would be travelling for a week to get to the county, the Dark Elves were in the middle of fighting a centuries long war to try and end their conflict, and the Sea Dwellers would be interrupting the shipping for the Human Kingdom and word wouldn''t get back about that for about a week or so.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°By the gods, I''m not going to be busy!¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°I actually don''t remember the last time that I had nothing that needed to be done, and no pressing matters that I had to attend to.¡± ¡°I don''t remember, either.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''ve always been busy and had something to do.¡± ¡°This is amazing.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I feel kind of lighter.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter and Artemis tightened her grip on Ren''s shoulder. They kept talking about the things that he could possibly do, now that he had the free time that he had always said he wanted. ¡°You could get the Earth being to convert the ground under the starter city.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°You could take more cooking lessons from Nathalia.¡± Artemis chimed in. ¡°I haven''t had a glass making lesson in a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot! I have a date with an Adventurer tomorrow!¡± ¡°And that''s why we should always discuss things.¡± Artemis said. ¡°You never know what can crop up.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve got to leave on Adventurer''s business when we get back to the Earth Realm, so I would have remembered then.¡± ¡°You would have been reminded of it then.¡± Teepo corrected and chittered in laughter. ¡°Same thing.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Ren, it''s kind of hard to tell through the water, but I''m pretty sure there''s someone coming down the hallway.¡± Teepo said. ¡°How long has it been?¡± Ren asked. ¡°An hour and 25 minutes.¡± Teepo said automatically. ¡°Aw, dammit. I forgot to lie.¡± Ren and Artemis laughed, and Ren exchanged Teepo''s platinum coin in for gold coins and gave 20 of them to Artemis, then added 20 more. He had just finished paying off the bet when the door to the room opened. ¡°Good, you''re awake.¡± One of the two guards said. ¡°Please come with us.¡± ¡°At least they don''t have their weapons drawn and pointed at us.¡± Teepo said. Ren and Artemis let each other out of the half-hug they were in as they stood up, and they both noticed the guards exchange glances. I wonder what that''s about? Ren asked himself, then activated all of his Auras except the bad ones. The two guards floated back out of the room and waited, so Ren and Artemis swam out as well. One of the guards went first to guide them, and the other guard motioned for them to follow. They did and he floated behind them, and they were escorted through several hallways back to the throne room. When they arrived there, Ren saw that he had been right. The old Queen had replaced her clothing and looked much healthier as she stood beside the current Queen, and Railyse looked regal in a similar outfit. Her face was in an almost scowl as Ren and Artemis were brought into the room; but, Ren could feel her happiness that he was all right. The rest of the old Royal Family and their families were spread around the room. ¡°Here are the ''guests'', Your Highness.¡± The guard in front said and moved to the side to reveal Ren and Artemis, and he swam around to the other guard and waited. ¡°Thank you.¡± Railyse said and looked at Ren. ¡°First of all, I need to thank you for bringing me back, even though it had been against my wishes.¡± She said. ¡°Otherwise, I never would have discovered the fate of my family.¡± Ren knew that wasn''t a statement that he had to respond to verbally, so he only nodded. ¡°Secondly, you are charged with abducting a member of the Royal Family.¡± Railyse said. ¡°No matter the circumstances, what you did was a crime in the eyes of both Sea Dwellers and Land Dwellers.¡± She sighed. ¡°How do you plead?¡± ¡°Guilty, Your Highness.¡± Ren said. Railyse knew he wouldn''t try to deny it. ¡°At this point, you may speak on your own behalf to try and justify your actions.¡± ¡°I have no defense, nor do I want to justify my actions, Your Highness. I was fully aware of what I was doing and did it anyway.¡± Ren said. ¡°I knew you would be angry with me for disobeying your orders, and I accepted the damage to my heart that keeping you safe against your will would cause me.¡± Everyone shifted uncomfortably at his admission, even the old Queen and Railyse herself. They knew that he wasn''t repentant, and that he would do it again if given the choice. ¡°Then you leave me no choice but to accept your plea for what it is, and sentence you accordingly.¡± Railyse said as she stared at his face and didn''t feel any regret or impending doom from him. ¡°The crime carries a long prison term, or a shorter hard labour term.¡± She said. ¡°Since I am not without mercy, I leave it to you to decide which you would like.¡± ¡°Heavy labour, please.¡± Ren said. Everyone gasped, except for the old Queen and Railyse. They knew he would choose the shorter time limit. ¡°Very well.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I hereby sentence you to 6 months of the heaviest labour my people can devise for you.¡± Ren nodded his acceptance and didn''t protest the wording. ¡°As for your associate, she is free to go.¡± Railyse said, and was happy to grant Ren at least some leniency. ¡°I have to stay.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Ren and I can''t be separated by a portal, or I suffer excruciating agony.¡± Railyse closed her eyes and sighed, because her grand gesture to let Artemis go was wasted. ¡°Accommodations will be prepared for the both of you.¡± ¡°Together.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I can''t let Ren be out of my sight.¡± Railyse''s eyes roamed from Ren to Artemis and back again, then she slowly nodded. ¡°It will be so.¡± The guards behind them swam around and drew their spears. ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Ren is honorable and won''t need to be guarded.¡± The guards looked at her like she was crazy. ¡°He can cast a portal to leave whenever he wants.¡± Railyse explained to them. ¡°He''s volunteering to stay here to serve the sentence.¡± ¡°I''ve never shirked my duties.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, you haven''t.¡± Railyse said and was quiet for a moment. ¡°If your friend hasn''t told you already, there is to be a tournament to decide who will be the best candidate to be my mate and sire my spawn.¡± ¡°She told me.¡± Ren said. ¡°What do you think of the idea?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± ¡°On what?¡± ¡°Can you explain why the previous Queen lost her kingdom so easily?¡± ¡°No one had challenged the rule of my family for untold generations. We all lived and died for each other; but, as the Royal Family, we always strove to give the best of everything to our people.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°We were beloved and respected, and always gave the people priority in both happiness and protection.¡± ¡°But.¡± Ren said, and she smiled. ¡°I made a controversial ruling and angered a woman to the point that she ignored centuries of established protocol and fought me directly.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°I hadn''t been in a personal fight since I was a young woman, so my skills were lacking.¡± ¡°I still can''t believe it was so easy to defeat you.¡± A woman''s voice said, and Ren turned to look where it came from. The crowd parted to show the usurper chained to the wall, and he could see that she was quite happy, despite being locked up and put on display. ¡°A dark prison cell wasn''t good enough? You had to ask for a room with a view?¡± Ren asked her, and she laughed. ¡°I''m an example for anyone that thinks of trying to do it again.¡± She said, and her eyes darted to the throne. ¡°Not that anyone would with the new Queen.¡± ¡°So, it''s always been this way, only no one had tried before?¡± Ren asked, and Railyse nodded. ¡°Wow, your family must have been really lucky.¡± Railyse chuckled. ¡°They still are.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I''m the last of my mother''s children, so it''s still our family that''s in control.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Except that the rest of my siblings didn''t have to die for me to get here.¡± ¡°Oh! That''s what you meant when you said there was no chance that they would all be gone and you could ascend to the throne.¡± Ren said. ¡°You would have had to fight them all to do it.¡± ¡°Or fight the first one and survive all the others.¡± Railyse said, and her mother put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°After the show of prowess Railyse displayed and what she did to you...¡± The old Queen said. ¡°...no one will try to fight for the throne for another thousand years or so.¡± Ren guessed, and she nodded. ¡°So.¡± Railyse said. ¡°What do you think of the tournament idea?¡± ¡°Is it to the death?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, we don''t cull potential mates.¡± ¡°Then I think finding the strongest or best fighter would be in the best interest of your spawn.¡± ¡°Yes, it would.¡± Railyse said. ¡°It is also an open competition.¡± Ren felt the surprise go through the Sea Dwellers that were gathered in the throne room. ¡°Please accept my apologies, Your Highness.¡± He said. ¡°I must decline.¡± Railyse took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°May I ask why?¡± ¡°I''d rather not point out the obvious.¡± Ren said. ¡°As ruler, I can remove any restrictions that exist on the participants.¡± Railyse said, and bubbles and gurgles erupted from everyone, except for the old Queen. All she did was smile at Ren. ¡°You can remove all but one, Your Highness.¡± Ren said. ¡°Prisoners and convicted felons are not eligible for participation, until all other suitable mates are deemed unfit.¡± Railyse closed her eyes for several moments, then she sighed and opened them. ¡°You do have an answer for everything, don''t you?¡± ¡°It''s a curse, Your Highness.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Very well. You have successfully dodged becoming the sire for my eager spawn.¡± Railyse said. ¡°There is one thing you cannot avoid, however.¡± ¡°May I ask what that is?¡± ¡°As the cause of my current condition, I charge you with the solemn duty to be present at the spawning ceremony to be held in one month.¡± Railyse said. ¡°As it will be a state occasion, I will suspend your hard labour sentence for that day.¡± ¡°I would be more than happy to attend.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Thank you for inviting me, Your Highness.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Railyse said and looked at a male Sea Dweller not far away. ¡°What will his first heavy labour task be?¡± ¡°I believe we are having trouble in the mines.¡± The Sea Dweller said. ¡°We could use a hand there.¡± Ren let a grin spread across his face and Teepo chittered in laughter. Chapter 574 - If You Asked Me To After Ren had presented Railyse and the old Queen the modified amulets of unnatural armor and interrogation as an apology for what he did, he and Artemis were led out of the throne room and brought to a different part of the castle. They were shown where they would be sleeping, then they were led out of the castle. Even though Ren was a prisoner, he was allowed to stay inside the castle at night. He had done a lot for the Sea Dwellers since he had found out that they existed, and their trust in him reflected that. ¡°Railyse was so nice to only give you six months!¡± Teepo chittered in delight as Ren and Artemis approached the mine behind the guide. ¡°That''s only about an hour back home!¡± Ren smiled and nodded as they passed through the cordoned-off area with ''Danger'' signs all over the place. The guide took them to the foreman of the mine, and he gave Ren and Artemis a look from head to toe. ¡°I''m glad to see at least one of you isn''t afraid of work.¡± ¡°Hey, I work hard as a ranged combat specialist and constant companion.¡± Artemis said. ¡°That''s all I''m confident in doing, however.¡± ¡°Artemis is only an observer and isn''t assigned to hard labour.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s here to watch my back, not wield a mining pick.¡± ¡°We don''t allow ''observers'' here.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°She''s a special exception that was approved by the Queen.¡± The guide said. ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°The new one. Her Royal Highness, (bubble bubble gurgle bubble).¡± ¡°Ha.¡± The mine foreman barked a laugh. ¡°The Lost Daughter has returned, and she took the throne.¡± Ren didn''t comment that she wasn''t lost, mainly because the last time he had mentioned it, it didn''t make any difference to the conversation. ¡°Well, we can always use a good pair of hands.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°Experienced hands.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve spent time here before.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The mine foreman squinted his eyes at him. ¡°I don''t remember you.¡± ¡°It was probably a few centuries before your spawning.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was here for 6 months then, too.¡± ¡°Then I guess I don''t need to give you all the warnings about jellyfish, squids, and the giant octopus.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said and grinned at the Sea Dweller. ¡°I was the one that made all the warning signs.¡± ¡°Ha! Ha hahaha!¡± The mine foreman laughed. ¡°Those damn things are practically indestructible! How did you do that?¡± ¡°Extremely expensive enhancement enchantments.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now say that 5 times fast.¡± The mine foreman had finished saying it twice before he messed it up and laughed again. ¡°All right. The mining picks are over there.¡± He said and pointed to a small shack that was lined with them. ¡°We actually found a good iron ore deposit about 30 miles down.¡± He said. ¡°Cold forging it was a pain in the backside, let me tell you.¡± ¡°I assume you had the mages try shaping it for you?¡± Ren asked, and he nodded. ¡°They could only take it so far, and then we had our best metal smiths use their own abilities to finish them and get them sharp.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°How are they holding up?¡± ¡°We have to have them looked at every day.¡± The mine foreman said. ¡°You should do that anyway, even after I fix them.¡± ¡°You?¡± ¡°I''m a Master Blacksmith.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you lead with that?¡± The mine foreman asked. ¡°You can start right on them right away!¡± He shoved Ren towards the shack. ¡°I''ll get you assigned to the next crew shift while you work.¡± Ren chuckled and swam over to the shack, and Artemis went with him. That started Ren''s hard labour sentence, and he worked tirelessly that first day. He remembered what he had been like the first time he had served a sentence in the Water Realm, and what he was experiencing now was nothing in comparison. He had struggled every day just to move at the time, even in his gold armor, and now he didn''t have to wear armor at all if he didn''t want to. Ren finished working on the picks by repairing, sharpening, and enchanting them, then he went into the mines with the next crew shift. Once the foreman saw him work, he was immediately promoted from ''grunt'' to ''grunt that can do stuff''. The distinction made Ren laugh, and then he was constantly on the move doing things for everyone. Removing large rocks, storing ore, repairing things, and dug where they needed digging. His previous mining experience, both in the water and on land, was invaluable to the mine foreman. By the time Ren and Artemis were led back to the castle by their guide, Ren had met everyone working at the mine and they all saw him as a godsend. He hadn''t tried to make himself indispensable; it just worked out that way once he showed them what he could do. He hadn''t receive a popup about it, though; and he wondered if he ever would. ¡°Standing there and watching you all day was really tiring.¡± Artemis said as they entered the castle. Ren chuckled. ¡°I know it was a hard day for you, so when we get back to the room, I''ll give you the massage you deserve.¡± ¡°Wonderful!¡± Artemis said and put her arm around his shoulders. ¡°I''ve never had an all night massage before.¡± Ren laughed and put his arm around her waist, and the guide opened their room door. ¡°I hope you enjoy the accommodations.¡± The guide said. ¡°You showed us this morning and it looked good then, so I''m sure it will still be more than satisfactory.¡± Ren said and took out a gold coin. ¡°Thank you.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Sir, you...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°There''s no law against bribes, is there?¡± ¡°Of course there is.¡± The Sea Dweller said. ¡°What are you bribing me for?¡± ¡°Peace and quiet.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I don''t want to see you until it''s time for me to go back to work first thing in the morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I''m to perform at my best, I don''t want to be disturbed until then.¡± The Sea Dweller''s hand reached out and took the coin. ¡°I can only promise that no one of equal or lower standing than myself will bother you.¡± He said and stored the coin. ¡°I will not stop the guards or any of the Royal Family if they come to visit.¡± ¡°That''s always the way it is.¡± Ren chuckled and pat the guide on the shoulder. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight, sir... and madam.¡± The Sea Dweller said and left. Ren stepped into the room and into dry air. ¡°Ha ha! Sneaky bugger!¡± Artemis entered the room and shut the door. ¡°I don''t know how that works.¡± She said and opened the door again, and the water was right there and didn''t flood in. ¡°I''d say ''magic'', but I don''t want to sound like a know-it-all.¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°Quiet, you.¡± Artemis said and shut the door. ¡°What was with the bribing?¡± ¡°I first noticed it when the guards came to get us after I ''recovered'', then again in the throne room and at the mines.¡± Ren said. ¡°If my guess is right, they are expecting us to perform some kind of Land Dweller mating ritual.¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Artemis said and could feel his emotions. ¡°You aren''t kidding.¡± ¡°I think denying the new Queen''s several requests has put them on edge, and they are wondering what is wrong with me.¡± ¡°Geez, all they had to do was ask me about that.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I''ve got tons of examples to prove how crazy you are.¡± Ren chuckled and pat the bed. ¡°Get over here and equip your sleeping attire.¡± He said and equipped a pair of shorts to replace his armor. ¡°It''s time for your well-deserved massage.¡± Artemis equipped a small pair of shorts that barely covered her backside, and a t-shirt that strained against her chest. She walked sexily over to the bed, then crawled up onto it and laid down on her belly. ¡°Go for it.¡± Artemis said and closed her eyes. Ren smiled as he reached out with a hand, gripped her shoulder for a moment, then let it go. ¡°There! All done!¡± ¡°What?¡± Artemis opened her eyes and rolled over onto her back. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°That''s the massage you deserved!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°That''s all you get!¡± ¡°Why you little...!¡± Artemis lunged for him and he dodged to the side. ¡°Get back here and do it right!¡± ¡°You gotta catch me first!¡± Ren joked and started to run around the room to avoid her. Artemis gave chase, and after jumping several things like the bed, they started to just run through the air. Teepo chittered in laughter, and even Ren''s pet tarantula clicked it''s tiny mandibles in amusement. * The two Sea Dwellers watched them from behind a Full Illusion wall, and were amazed at the sight of two Land Dwellers moving around like a pair of freshly spawned younglings. ¡°What in the world are they doing?¡± A Sea Dweller observer whispered in his native tongue. ¡°If I had to guess, I would say it''s a bedtime ritual of some kind.¡± The other Sea Dweller whispered back. ¡°It seems like a rare occurrence as well.¡± They watched for several moments, and then they saw Ren zig when he should have zagged, and Artemis tackled him. They tumbled through the air and bounced off the wall and onto the bed, then rolled onto the floor. Their laughter was so loud that it could be heard through the wall. ¡°Is this really going to help us against the Land Dwellers?¡± One of the observers asked. The other shrugged. ¡°We were told to watch and report on anything that happened, so that''s what I''m going to do.¡± He said. ¡°This seems like odd behavior for adults, though.¡± * Artemis stood up and held a hand out for Ren. He took it and she pulled, and he hopped into the air and she caught him. He gave her a tight hug and put his lips by her ear to whisper. ¡°Did you feel them when we passed by the wall on the right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°They''re protected somehow.¡± Artemis whispered back. ¡°What about your Heat Sense?¡± ¡°They must have been there for a while, because they would have to be the same temperature as the surrounding water for me to not detect them.¡± Ren said. ¡°They must also be really calm, because I just barely felt the spike of curiosity when we passed them.¡± Artemis laughed for no reason, then carried Ren back to the bed and climbed onto it. They snuggled down with each other, and Artemis made sure she laid down with her back towards the appropriate wall. ¡°What do we do?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°We play chicken.¡± Ren said and smiled. Artemis didn''t say anything for a few moments, then she smiled. ¡°Oh, that''s evil.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°We can start in the morning.¡± ¡°Do you really want to sleep like this?¡± Artemis asked, and Ren used his eyes to look for a blanket. He didn''t see one, so he sat up and pulled out a bolt of generic fabric to make a blanket big enough to cover the bed. He made it almost instantly, much to his surprise. ¡°Boy, that extra 50% crafting speed is going to make everything go so much faster.¡± Ren said and stored the bolt of fabric, and draped the blanket over them and the bed. ¡°How''s that?¡± ¡°At least my ass isn''t sticking out anymore.¡± Artemis said, and Ren laughed. ¡°It''s a great ass, though.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Now tell me how much you appreciate it.¡± ¡°I''d rather just cuddle the hell out of it, if that''s okay.¡± ¡°It''s more than okay.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Cuddle away.¡± Ren moved in close and Artemis put her arms around him, and he let his hands roam and touch her backside. ¡°You know, I never understood why you wanted to look like you had skin and left your hair metallic red.¡± ¡°I fit in better when in a crowd, and I don''t look so odd when I wear clothes.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I don''t draw as much attention to myself.¡± ¡°You''ve seen yourself in a mirror, right?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled. ¡°You made me look like a goddess, that''s true.¡± Artemis said. ¡°The bare metal made people look at me funny, and I didn''t want to live with that feeling.¡± Ren kissed her cheek. ¡°I''m sorry you had to experience those feelings.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Artemis said. ¡°As soon as you had the time to spare, you gave me a wand with the Permanent Full Illusion spell and I fixed that problem.¡± ¡°If there''s anything else you want, you only have to ask.¡± ¡°I''ll keep that in mind.¡± Artemis said. ¡°For the first time since you came into this world, you and I going to be alone together.¡± Ren said. ¡°For the next six months, it''s just us.¡± ¡°Ahem!¡± Teepo fake coughed. ¡°You''re included in the us.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Believe me, Artemis. If there''s something you want, now would be the time to ask.¡± Artemis pulled away slightly and rolled onto her back without saying anything. Ren propped himself up on his elbow and the blanket slipped down to their waists. ¡°Artemis?¡± ¡°I... I want...¡± Artemis tried to ask for something, then shook her head and looked away. Ren reached out and touched her neck, moved his hand up and caressed her chin, then turned her face back towards him. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°If it''s only going to be us for the next 6 months, then I... I want... a kiss.¡± Ren could feel her swirling emotions, and how much courage she had to build up to ask. ¡°Artemis, you know I didn''t bring you into this world for that.¡± ¡°Can you imagine how useless I would be if you did?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°I would only be someone you left at home while you went out into the world on your adventures, and I would be pining for you endlessly while I waited for you to return home.¡± Her hand reached up and cupped the side of his face. ¡°Instead, I get to come with you. I get to be constantly by your side while you do your adventures. I get to defend you and be there to see you perform feats beyond all reasoning.¡± ¡°Artemis...¡± ¡°Shh. It''s okay.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I knew it was too much to ask.¡± She sighed. ¡°Even here, well away from-MhMM!!¡± Her words were cut off as Ren leaned in and kissed her. He had intended it to be just a kiss, one that good friends who had known each other for a long time could share and not feel awkward afterwards; but, once his lips touched hers, apparently all bets were off. * ¡°Goodness! Look at that!¡± One of the Sea Dweller observers exclaimed. ¡°He''s eating her!¡± ¡°Relax, he''s just giving her a kiss.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°A kiss. It has the same significance as when we bite our females.¡± ¡°She''s a potential mate?¡± The observer asked and stared at Ren and Artemis, and he saw Ren massage her chest. ¡°Well, her primary mammary glands are quite large.¡± ¡°According to the stories, they only ever have the one pair.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± He said. ¡°How do they feed all of their younglings?¡± ¡°Surprisingly enough, they only ever have one youngling at a time.¡± ¡°That... that''s just...¡± The Sea Dweller stared at Ren and Artemis. ¡°How do they survive the predators?¡± ¡°I have to assume very carefully.¡± The other said, and they both fell silent as they kept observing. Chapter 575 - You Cant Eat That Ren and Artemis made out for several minutes, completely unhindered, and both of them let their hands roam freely over each other. It was as if an invisible barrier had existed between them until their lips met, then that barrier disappeared. Once it was gone, there was nothing holding them back. ¡°Hey, you do realize you''re still being watched, right?¡± Teepo asked a few minutes later. Ren and Artemis stopped moving when they were reminded of where they were. It was like a bucket of cold water was dumped on them. They stared at each other with wide eyes because they still had their lips locked together, and one of Ren''s hands was under Artemis'' t-shirt. He had a hold of one of her breasts, and she had her hand down the back of his shorts. Ren broke the kiss and removed his hand from under her top. ¡°Artemis, I''m sorry.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t mean to-¡± ¡°Hush.¡± Artemis said and gave him a quick kiss. ¡°You can feel how happy I am that we needed Teepo to stop us.¡± Ren could, and he also felt it himself. ¡°I guess you are just too much to resist.¡± He said and smiled, and she smiled back. ¡°I do need to get to sleep, though.¡± Artemis nodded and grabbed the blanket to cover them back up, and they laid down together, side by side. ¡°Ren, don''t try and make this awkward by not cuddling with me.¡± Ren opened his mouth to deny it, then he moved close and cuddled with her. ¡°Yes, you''re definitely too hard to resist.¡± Artemis kissed his forehead and wrapped her arms around him, and he rested his head on the spot just above her breasts. Keep a lookout, buddy. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°Always, Ren.¡± Teepo said. Ren and Artemis closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep. * ¡°Okay, I think that''s all for tonight.¡± One of the Sea Dweller observers said. ¡°Once they go to bed, they are out for a few hours and we can take a break.¡± ¡°Great!¡± The other one said and stretched. ¡°Sitting still for this long really gets to my sore joints.¡± The first one laughed. ¡°Joints don''t get sore from not using them.¡± ¡°All right. My muscles holding the joints steady are sore.¡± The other said. ¡°Happy, now?¡± ¡°Yes. You have to be accurate in your observations, or you''re not going to get good results.¡± ¡°Did we get good results so far?¡± He asked. ¡°It depends on your perspective, I suppose.¡± ¡°I don''t believe knowing the kinds of mating rituals Land Dwellers use will help us fight their oppression of us.¡± ¡°Would your opinion change if you knew that the Land Dwellers use mostly males as their defenders?¡± ¡°What? They don''t let the females fight?¡± The other one asked. ¡°That cuts off half of their resources!¡± ¡°It does.¡± The first one said. ¡°For each new piece of information we receive, we learn yet another limitation to the Land Dwellers. If we learn enough, we may discover a way to stop them from using our sacred sites as fishing grounds and shipping routes.¡± ¡°Those are lofty goals.¡± ¡°They are, since we''ve been trying for thousands of years to achieve it.¡± ¡°I thought that the Queen''s plan for diplomacy would have worked.¡± The other said. ¡°I mean, Land Dwellers love to hear themselves talk.¡± The first one laughed. ¡°We can''t really expect savages to agree to talk on equal terms with civilized beings like us.¡± He said. ¡°It''s ridiculous, if you think about it.¡± ¡°I''m not paid to think.¡± The other said. ¡°You aren''t paid at all.¡± The first one said. ¡°That''s what I said.¡± The other laughed, and his friend joined in as they left the room through a side door to go and get something to eat. * Ren woke up an hour later, and felt completely rested. ¡°I really like my sustenance ring.¡± ¡°That''s because you only need to take a nap and you get 8 hours of sleep.¡± Artemis said and closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°I can''t detect anyone close by.¡± ¡°They either left or are asleep.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m betting on left.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Are you going to try the Pass Wall spell?¡± ¡°I might damage whatever it is that''s protecting them from detection.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want to let them know that we know about them.¡± ¡°I was going to make a joke about them knowing about you knowing about them knowing; but, it''s too convoluted to keep straight.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°I just had a thought.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I am not touching that joke with a 10 foot pole.¡± Teepo said, and Ren laughed. ¡°Ha. Ha.¡± Artemis said, sarcastically. ¡°I wonder if they are protected all around from detection, or just from this side.¡± ¡°Let''s find out.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Please show me the room we are being observed from.¡± A room appeared on the surface of the mirror and they could see the wall was solid. There was also a viewing window right in the middle of it. Ren held the mirror up to the wall in question, and saw there was a painting where the window was. ¡°It''s like the one-way mirror in the Pink Pearl that time.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I was just thinking that.¡± Ren said and slid out of bed. ¡°Okay, let''s go.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Artemis asked and got up as well.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Down the hall to the room on the other side.¡± Ren said and cast Full Illusion to put a copy of himself and Artemis in the bed, asleep. ¡°Nice touch.¡± Artemis said and equipped her armor. Ren did as well and they activated their Warding enchantments to give themselves 100% concealment. They disappeared from sight, then went over to the room''s door. He checked the mirror again to see if anyone was coming, in case his Aura missed anyone, then they left the room and went down the hall. ¡°Is this going to work?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Can''t they tell where you are with your Aura?¡± ¡°No, this room is close enough that I''ve barely shifted the center of the Aura.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s barely 30 feet away.¡± They settled down on the bed in the room and waited. Ren reached out with his hand and grabbed onto Artemis, which was a little weird, since they were both invisible. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°That''s not my hand.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and gave her breast a squeeze, and she laughed. An hour later, after they had awkwardly groped their invisible bodies, Ren felt two presences enter his Aura. His eyes followed their progress down the hallway and past the room he and Artemis were in, then into the room next door. He could still feel them as they took their place near the wall, and he checked the All-Seeing Mirror to see them. ¡°It''s confirmed. The protection is only from the other direction.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°They are already starting to fade from my Heat Sense, though.¡± ¡°That''s all we needed to know.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Should we head back into the room?¡± ¡°Well, I guess I''m technically under house arrest while I''m here, so yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll cast Full Illusion on the whole room to keep it the same, then we can just go in and get in bed.¡± They left the room they were in and went down the hallway, and Ren cast the spell. He opened the door and went inside, and Artemis entered next and shut the door. They equipped their sleeping clothes and went to bed and climbed in. Ren dismissed the first spell, the copies of them disappeared, and they took their places. Artemis was on her side and had her back to the observation wall, and Ren faced her. ¡°Is everything the same, Teepo?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You need to pull the blanket up a little more.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Okay, there was a bump on Artemis'' shoulder, so put your hand there. No, a little lower. That''s it.¡± Ren dismissed the Full Illusion spell that covered the room and the observers didn''t have a clue that they were the ones that had been observed this time. He grinned at Artemis, and she smiled as she took his hand and slipped it under her t-shirt. His eyes widened at the move and she gave him a quick kiss. ¡°The other reason I wanted skin was to stop you from being tempted.¡± Artemis whispered. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You were turned on by Jennifer because of her craftsmanship in covering her private parts with metal.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Then you create me.¡± She touched his face with her fingertips. ¡°My private parts are covered by metal when I''m wearing my armor; but, the parts underneath are made of living metal.¡± She said. ¡°They''re warm and move as if they were flesh, and I didn''t want you to suffer temptation every time you were around me.¡± Ren was a little amazed at her reasoning, mainly because she was beautiful and he was going to be tempted anyways. When he thought about what she said, he realized that he actually was turned on by the thoughts of touching her all over while in her metal form. He was about to admit it, and her hand covered his mouth. ¡°Let''s wait until we can remove the observers before you say anything.¡± Artemis said. ¡°If you say anything right now, I might just smash that wall down to get it over with.¡± She smiled. ¡°I don''t want to make you lose the fun you''re going to have with them, so stay quiet.¡± Ren kissed her palm, and she moved the hand to cup the side of his face. They stayed that way for most of the night, then they decided they needed another hour of sleep so that they would be fresh and chipper for the morning. ¡°I shouldn''t need to wake you, but I will if it''s necessary.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Thanks, Teepo.¡± Artemis said, then she and Ren drifted off to sleep. They woke up an hour later and felt great. ¡°Good morning!¡± Ren exclaimed loudly and gave Artemis a big kiss. ¡°G-good morning.¡± Artemis said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Hey, don''t start getting shy now.¡± Ren said and ran his hand through her red metallic hair. ¡°We''ve embarked upon a journey of discovery and wonder, and I don''t want you to start second-guessing it now.¡± It was Artemis'' turn to chuckle. ¡°I''m not second-guessing anything. We''ve known each other for years now, and that was only our fourth kiss.¡± She explained. ¡°You have to at least give me a day or so to get used to it.¡± ¡°Time''s a wasting.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°We better get changed before... oh, here he comes.¡± Artemis nodded and they both got out of bed and equipped their armor, and a few moments later, there was a knock on the bedroom door. Ren opened it with a flourish. ¡°Good morning!¡± Their guide looked at him and didn''t know how to react to his enthusiasm. ¡°We''re ready to head out.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Oh! No, I... well, it''s breakfast time.¡± The guide said. ¡°I''m here to take you to the dining room.¡± ¡°We don''t have to eat, even if we didn''t have access to the Sustenance enchantment.¡± Ren said. The guide didn''t know what to say to that, or what to do next. ¡°I think he wants us to go and pay our respects to the Royal Family.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Yes! That!¡± The guide said and pointed at Artemis. Ren laughed at the poor guy''s reaction to unexpected reactions. ¡°Then lead on, (gurgle bubble).¡± ¡°You know my name?¡± The guide asked. ¡°I know all your names.¡± Ren said and gave him a huge smile. It unnerved the guide somewhat, and Ren also felt a spike of unease from behind the observation window. ¡°Th-this way, please.¡± The guide said and pointed down the hallway. ¡°My Lady, may I escort you?¡± Ren asked and held an elbow out for Artemis to take. ¡°Why thank you, My King.¡± Artemis said, and the guide gasped. Ren felt shock from him and from both of the observers. ¡°Which way did you say it was?¡± He asked and walked out into the water with Artemis. ¡°This way?¡± He started to move down the hallway, and the guide scrambled to swim in front of the guests before they reached the dining room. Teepo chittered in laughter as the guide managed to finally get in front of them just before they had arrived at their destination. The guide opened the door to the dining room, and Ren and Artemis stood there and took in the spectacle. Sea Dwellers were darting around the room and chased fish that were about 6 feet long. Some used harpoons and some used their hands; but, once the fish were caught, they all tore into the fish with their teeth to feed on both blood and flesh. ¡°Wow!¡± Teepo said and chittered in delight. ¡°I thought Railyse was ''roughing it'' while she was with us, and she was only eating normally!¡± Ren smiled and watched the sight for a minute, then he made a small hand gesture in the water. It was similar to the ''lure'' gesture he had used to get attention from the water elementals back at the pool, and right away a water elemental came over to him. It was one of the two that were guarding Railyse. It bubbled and gurgled at him, clearly angry, and Ren nodded. ¡°Please accept my apologies.¡± Ren said and took out his large hammerpick, turned off his Regeneration, and pricked his finger. ¡°I make an offering of King''s Blood as penance.¡± Everyone in the ''dining room'' froze at his words, then they caught the smell of his blood as it flowed out in a small stream. The water elemental absorbed it quickly and Ren activated his Regeneration to stop the bleeding. The water elemental motioned to the side, so Ren and Artemis floated over to the small area set aside for them. Once there, the water elemental returned to guard Railyse and the other one came over to Ren and Artemis. It didn''t bubble and gurgle much, and it wasn''t angry; but, Ren made the offering anyway as an apology for stopping it from performing its duty. The water elemental accepted the offering gratefully, because it knew Ren didn''t have to do it. It returned to its post and Ren looked around at the Sea Dwellers. Several of them nodded to him and then the feeding frenzy began once more. ¡°I''m a little surprised they would allow us to see this.¡± Artemis whispered as a large fish passed by them, and a harpoon pierced it between the eyes and killed it. The fish was quickly pulled back to the harpoon thrower and the Sea Dweller started to eat. ¡°I think it''s a demonstration.¡± Ren said, and believed he was right. ¡°They''re showing us what a formidable fighting force they can be.¡± He looked around and smiled. ¡°Especially the females.¡± Artemis turned to look in the same direction and was just in time to catch the sight of a female Sea Dweller as she tackled a fish the same size as her and tore into it with her hands and teeth. ¡°I don''t think you needed to have that point made, Ren.¡± Artemis said. ¡°They want to make sure I understand.¡± Ren said, confident in his ability to read their emotions. ¡°If it comes down to a battle between the Sea Dwellers and Land Dwellers, they might not want to fight; but, that doesn''t mean they won''t fight to win if they have to.¡± ¡°Are we going to tell King Alamast and the government officials?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°What I will do is tell the only one who cares enough about this to possibly do something about it.¡± ¡°Princess Diana.¡± Artemis said, and he nodded. ¡°Not only will she understand what this means, she is also in the best position to give this information to who needs it most... without me being involved.¡± ¡°The people that run the shipping and the sailors themselves.¡± Artemis said, and Ren nodded again. Chapter 576 - Maybe If You Try The Sea Dwellers finished their meal, and not one of them had offered Ren anything. They hadn''t asked if he wanted to participate, either; which cemented his opinion that it was a demonstration and not them offering to have a meal with a Land Dweller. When it looked like they were about to gather up the few remaining fish, Ren did the lure gesture to get attention. One of the water elementals came over and bubbled and gurgled, and Ren responded. The water elemental nodded and went back over to Railyse, and then she waved her hand in the air. All the water in the room came to a standstill and all of the Sea Dwellers in attendance turned to look at her. ¡°It''s come to my attention that I''ve been a less than desirable host for this meal.¡± Railyse said. ¡°That''s not true!¡± One of the males said. ¡°Unlike the normal restrictions, you gave us free reign to hunt as we like this time!¡± ¡°Not all of us.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I invited my friend to a meal, and yet I didn''t offer him anything to eat.¡± Ren felt the ripple of unease go around the room, and more than half of the Sea Dwellers'' eyes fell upon him. He gave them a smile in return, and looked back at Railyse. ¡°He has requested to hunt a fish for himself.¡± Railyse said, and surprise from everyone followed the unease they had just felt. ¡°Yes, it''s unorthodox for a Land Dweller to participate; but, I did invite him.¡± ¡°We''ve already eaten.¡± One of the females said. ¡°What would be the point of him requesting it now?¡± ¡°If I may speak?¡± Ren bubbled and gurgled in their language, rather than in Adventurer''s language. ¡°You may.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I didn''t mention it before, because you were all making a strong point to exclude me.¡± Ren said, which called them out on their intentional snub. ¡°I wanted to wait until you were done showing off.¡± ¡°That''s very insulting.¡± The female Sea Dweller said. ¡°As was making me float here all this time just so I could watch you all rub my face in your abilities.¡± ¡°Well, then.¡± The female said. ¡°Go ahead and choose a fish, you arrogant Land Dweller!¡± She said as if she was cursing. ¡°We will watch you try and subdue it, then we will watch you get sick as you try to eat it.¡± ¡°Lord Ren, you don''t have to do this.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°Oh, but I do.¡± Ren said and floated forward. ¡°By the way, I''m a King now and you will address me properly.¡± The old Queen was surprised by this, then gave him a nod. ¡°Then proceed, King Ren.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll choose that fish right there.¡± The fish was the liveliest of the remaining ones, and a few of the males laughed. ¡°Good luck! Even (gurgle bubble gurgle) couldn''t catch it!¡± One of them said. Ren smiled and watched the fish as it swam. ¡°You can begin.¡± The female who had spoken earlier said, a little impatiently. She wanted to see the Land Dweller fail, even if he was a friend to the Queen. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± ¡°A clear shot.¡± Ren said and used his Water Manipulation ability to hold himself in place. A moment later, the pattern he had seen the fish use started to repeat, and Ren chose the right spot for his target. The fish hit it and Ren activated the enchantment on the giant ruby on his chest. A foot wide red laser beam burst out and cut through the water as if it wasn''t there. All of the Sea Dwellers screamed and hollered as they darted to the sides of the room, then all the water within 5 feet of the beam boiled away in the instant it passed through. The fish was hit with the beam and it tore through the head, which decapitated it; then the beam went through the wall, the next wall, and the outside wall of the castle. Ren deactivated the enchantment and water poured in to fill the space the water had been boiled away from. The Sea Dwellers calmed down with the bright red light gone, and they all stared at him. Including Railyse. Ren felt their shock and smiled at them, then used his Water Manipulation ability combined with his own strength to swim through the water and across the room in an instant. He grabbed the fish and used his teeth to tear into the spot behind where the head used to be. ¡°Hey, not bad.¡± Ren said between bites. ¡°It might need a bit more cooking time, though.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Railyse yelled, then took a breath and let it out. ¡°No, Lord... King Ren. You have made your point.¡± ¡°I don''t think I have.¡± Ren said. ¡°Artemis? Be a dear and kill the other fish.¡± Mana bolts seared across the room in less than a second and killed the last few fish with perfect shots right through their heads. Ren could feel the arrogance of the Sea Dwellers go back to a more manageable level, and their respect went up slightly. ¡°Now I think I have.¡± Ren smiled and stored the fish. ¡°Thank you for indulging my request.¡± Railyse didn''t know what to say to that, or to the things he had just done. Ren swam over to Artemis and held out his elbow, and she took it. They floated there and waited to be dismissed with the rest of the meal guests. Railyse waved her hand and the meal was officially over. Several of the Sea Dwellers swam for the doors right away and left, while others floated around to mingle like normal. Ren and Artemis floated over to where Railyse was, and he bowed his head slightly. ¡°Don''t worry, Your Highness.¡± He said. ¡°I understood your message quite well, and I will deliver it when I leave the Water Realm.¡± ¡°It was supposed to be a demonstration that we could take care of ourselves.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°We weren''t trying to...¡± ¡°I didn''t sweat or feel any Heat as I spoke, Your Highness.¡± Ren interrupted, and she exchanged looks with Railyse. They had noticed that as well. ¡°I will emphasize your capabilities with the message like you intended; but, all you had to do was ask.¡± He said. ¡°This whole spectacle was unnecessary.¡± Railyse sighed. ¡°I told you, mother.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°If you had included me in your demonstration, it would have shown that we could meet and have common ground.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or at least shown your people that we can talk and not have it devolve into what this became.¡± Railyse reached a hand out towards Ren, and her mother stopped her. ¡°Ren, I... I have to think of my people now.¡± ¡°Yes, I know. I get it. I understand.¡± Ren said and gestured to the 1 foot wide hole in the wall. ¡°I''ll fix that when I come back tonight.¡± ¡°You should fix it right now.¡± The female Sea Dweller that had spoken earlier said as she swam over to them. ¡°I looked out through it, and it goes all the way outside.¡± ¡°O-outside?!?¡± The old Queen asked. ¡°It also goes up at an angle, so part of the ceiling of the next room is gone as well.¡± The female said. ¡°There''s already a gathering of people outside looking in.¡± ¡°Now I''m wondering how far out it went and could be seen.¡± Ren said and looked at Railyse. ¡°I have a question.¡± ¡°Ask it.¡± ¡°Is the castle community property?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Is the castle owned by the Queen, or is it owned by the people?¡± ¡°It''s been the seat of power for untold generations, but it hasn''t always been my family running things.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°I suppose it is for the people.¡± ¡°Good enough.¡± Ren said and swam over to the hole. ¡°Hey, there!¡± He bubbled and gurgled out the hole. ¡°Everyone get back! Something''s happening!¡± Ren heard several shouts and all the faces he could see disappeared. ¡°Geez, you unleash one Death Ray and people start to overreact.¡± Sweat appeared on his forehead and he chuckled as it was washed away. ¡°Okay, it''s not a Death Ray. It could be used for one if I cared a little less about people, though.¡± None of the Sea Dwellers thought it was funny, since it was still technically a Death Ray, so Ren reached out to put a hand on the wall next to the hole he had made with it. He concentrated on the outside wall of the castle first and poured Mana into the castle. The glow covered the hole, then ran along the ceiling damage to the next hole, then along that ceiling and floor to the hole outside of the castle. Ren could feel their intense curiosity as the outside wall glowed brightly and filled in as if nothing had happened to it, and then the glow receded as the damage was repaired and the castle regrew into it''s fixed state. The next hole filled in and the ceiling repaired itself, and then the hole next to his hand filled in. The glow stopped and he took his hand away from the wall. Ren turned to the female Sea Dweller and grinned. ¡°There, are you happy? It''s all fixed.¡± She floated over to the hole that had been there and pat it with her hand. ¡°It''s fake.¡± She said and frowned as she punched it. ¡°It has to be just an illusion.¡± She punched it several times, and then there was a crunching sound. She hissed and pulled her hand back, and Ren saw some of the shells on the wall had broken and had dug into her skin. ¡°Please, allow me to help.¡± Ren said and held his hand out. She both looked and felt angry; but since fluid was leaking from her, she needed it stopped right away. She held her hand out reluctantly, because she knew it would take a while to find a proper healer. ¡°Thank you for trusting me.¡± Ren said, reassuringly. He examined her hand and saw the shell pieces were only part way through her skin. ¡°I don''t think any shards made it all the way inside.¡± She hadn''t thought of that and started to worry. ¡°Hey, it''s okay. I''ll check you with this.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Please show me any foreign objects inside (bubble gurgle).¡± She was shocked that he knew her name, and he smiled when nothing appeared on the mirror surface. Ren showed it to her and gave her a big smile. ¡°See? Nothing inside.¡± She relaxed, despite having her hand held by a Land Dweller, and Ren felt her consternation and conflict about it. ¡°Now, let''s get those pieces out.¡± Ren concentrated his Water Manipulation ability on her hand and held it perfectly still. ¡°This might tickle a little.¡± Ren took out a Minor Healing wand, then made an inch of water above her hand go completely solid. Her eyes widened as the solid water gripped all the pieces of shell, and Ren pulled her hand down. She gasped at the sensation, and he used the Minor Healing wand in quick succession to heal all of the cuts and gouges the shell pieces had left in her hand. ¡°There we are! Good as new!¡± Ren said happily, and she stared at her hand. While she was distracted by her completely healed hand, Ren held his hands out and turned the solid water back into regular water and scooped up all the shell pieces. He rubbed his hands together and ground the shells up into a very fine powder. By this time, they had a large gathering around them and Ren held in his chuckle at their intense curiosity. The shells had been sparkly and reflective, and when he opened his hands, a cloud of sparkly and reflective dust hovered there. ¡°Ma''am, if I may borrow your bracer?¡± Ren asked, and she slipped it off her wrist. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and added the sparkly dust and the bracer to it and made a new recipe with the Unnatural Armor enchantment, +5% Regeneration, 50% Warding, +50% Speed, and just for fun, added the Sunder enchantment that knocked weapons away and disarmed opponents. Everyone was awed at the sight of the golden glow, and then it was finished. ¡°Ma''am, here''s your bracer back.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry you hurt your hand.¡± The Sea Dweller''s stare moved from her hand to her bracer and her eyes widened. ¡°Th-that''s not my bracer.¡± She said. ¡°Mine is old and damaged and barely provides any protection. It also doesn''t glitter like jewels or grant so many things.¡± ¡°It''s yours.¡± One of the other females said and her hand reached out and stroked the shimmering bracer. ¡°By the Queen''s trident, we just saw him change it into that.¡± ¡°It can''t be.¡± The female Sea Dweller said and put it on. ¡°Mine was worn in and comfortable, but this... wait... no, it really is mine!¡± She said and made a fist. ¡°I can''t believe it!¡± She swung her arm in a familiar and well-practised way. ¡°It''s the same bracer and it''s different at the same time!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°What''s old is new again.¡± He said and touched the wall to pour a bit more Mana into it, and it repaired the broken shells. ¡°Ren, you''re going to be late for work.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If you will excuse me, I must return to the mines and continue my sentence.¡± Ren said. ¡°O-of course.¡± The female Sea Dweller said and moved back, as did the others. Ren floated over to Artemis and held out his elbow. She took it, and they both gave a nod to Railyse. She nodded back, and she watched them as they left the dining room. Ren and Artemis met the guide in the hallway, and he led them out of the castle and to the mines. Ren didn''t complain that they didn''t need a guide, since they knew where to go; but, he also knew it was to keep him under observation as much as possible while he was outside his assigned room with the observers. The day at the mines passed just like his first day did, and he helped everyone as much as he could for his allotted time. The guide led him and Artemis back to the castle and to their room. Once inside, Ren sighed. ¡°Ugh! What a long day!¡± Ren said and equipped his blue suit. ¡°I''m not quite tired, though.¡± ¡°I doubt we can roam around or go for a float in the coral gardens.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Although, if we asked...¡± ¡°Only after the second day?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Maybe after a week or two they might say yes.¡± ¡°Then let''s go for a walk around the room.¡± Artemis said. ¡°It''s big enough.¡± ¡°We did have fun running around it last night.¡± Ren said and smiled. Artemis equipped her jeans, shirt, and leather jacket outfit, then put her arm over his shoulders. ¡°Walk with me, My King.¡± ¡°I would be more than happy to do that.¡± Ren said and put his arm around her waist. ¡°Let''s take the grand tour!¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°That is the small table beside the bed that we haven''t used yet.¡± She said and started to stroll around the room. ¡°That''s the corner where I almost caught you the first time.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°That''s what you think.¡± They moved down the wall and pointed out the coral growths and the decorations around the room. ¡°That''s the door we enter and leave through.¡± Artemis said and they walked on. ¡°That''s the spot where you practically fell over your own feet and I tackled you.¡± She pointed up in the air at a spot about head height. ¡°I''m really glad you were taking it easy on me.¡± Ren said and gripped her hip. ¡°That could have hurt if you were being serious.¡± ¡°I promise I will only tackle you for fun.¡± Artemis said and kissed the top of his head. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh! There''s that painting we''ve never looked at!¡± They walked over to it and leaned in close. ¡°Look at the details!¡± Ren said. ¡°Is that a real scene, I wonder?¡± ¡°A giant octopus fighting a giant kraken?¡± Artemis asked and smiled. ¡°In this place? It''s more than likely true.¡± ¡°With weapons, though?¡± Ren asked and put a hand on the painting right where one of the observer''s faces was. ¡°Could they have made spears that big?¡± ¡°Could you?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°It depends on if it''s magical or not.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Dammit, now I''m trying to figure out how to make it!¡± Artemis laughed. ¡°Shall we continue on and finish the tour?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and took his hand away from the painting, then moved on to see the rest of the room. Chapter 577 - Proper Sleeping Arrangements ¡°I wonder if I can get a copy of that painting before I leave.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can ask.¡± Artemis said. ¡°There''s the spot where we hit the wall and bounced off.¡± ¡°How did we not smash it to bits?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I have no idea.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Want to try it again and see?¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°You just want to tackle me again.¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Artemis gave his shoulders a squeeze. ¡°Play fighting gives us a legitimate excuse to paw at each other without having to admit that''s what we''re really doing.¡± Ren chuckled and let his hand slide down to her jean-covered backside and gave it a squeeze. ¡°Are you sure you only want it like that?¡± Artemis came to a stop beside the bed, and they were on the opposite side that they had started on. ¡°Ren, we need to be careful.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I will be.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Now get on the bed and I''ll give you a real massage.¡± ¡°Sleep attire?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Ren said, and equipped his shorts to replace his blue suit. Artemis equipped her short shorts with the tight t-shirt and crawled onto the bed. She laid down on her stomach and folded her arms underneath her head, then rested her chin on her forearm. ¡°I don''t know how to turn off the lights here, so I have to improvise the dark.¡± Ren said and picked up the blanket, climbed on top of Artemis and sat on her lower back, then flipped the blanket up and over them to cover them completely. ¡°Is that necessary?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°I don''t want you to be embarrassed by having someone other than me stare at you.¡± Ren said and started to massage her back. ¡°Mmm.¡± Artemis moaned as his fingers dug in. ¡°Artemis, can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°S-sure.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Can you dismiss the Full Illusion spell?¡± ¡°I... I don''t think I should.¡± Artemis said. ¡°If I do...¡± Ren leaned down and moved her hair out of the way, then kissed the back of her neck. Artemis shivered from the feel of his lips, then dismissed the spell without another word. Her skin tone faded to reveal the bare metal it really was, and Ren kissed her neck again. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Artemis said as his kissed his way down her back and massaged her muscles as he went. ¡°That feels sooo good.¡± Ren moved past her lower back and reached the mounds of metal that was barely covered by her shorts. ¡°You were right, Artemis.¡± He said and kissed each cheek. ¡°You really do look so much better like this.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Ren grabbed onto the cheeks and massaged them, and Artemis couldn''t hold her moans in. She was pretty vocal as he moved onto her thighs and kissed them as well, then he pushed her legs open. ¡°I guess this means you really are fully functional.¡± Ren said and saw that her shorts couldn''t contain her excitement. ¡°I''ve tried to restrain myself and not react to you all this time.¡± Artemis said. ¡°You don''t know how hard that was, especially with you being with all the others.¡± Ren touched her private place through the damp cloth. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± Artemis almost screamed in pleasure as she went. Ren lifted her hips up and pulled her shorts down to reveal her completely, so that he could get a good look. ¡°Wow.¡± He said and touched her directly for the first time. ¡°It''s amazing.¡± ¡°P-please, Ren!¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said and kissed her there. Artemis shoved a hand into her mouth to stop herself from screaming as Ren finally played with her intimately. She had seen him do this so many times, and felt the woman''s reactions; but, feeling it directly herself was a lot different... and in her personal opinion, so much better. They both knew they had most of the night to spend together before they had to sleep, but they also knew that they wanted a bit more privacy if they wanted to go further. ¡°S-s-sleep!¡± Artemis said after she went again, and Ren stopped kissing her. He moved up to lay beside her, then moved the blanket down to their shoulders. ¡°You''re right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s sleep first.¡± Artemis only nodded and breathed heavily. He gave her cheek a kiss and rolled over onto his back. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Artemis leaned over and gave him a kiss on the lips, then rolled over onto her back as well. ¡°Goodnight.¡± * ¡°Damn, we didn''t get to see anything.¡± One of the observers said. ¡°Whatever they were doing under the blanket, they weren''t moving much.¡± ¡°If the stories are true, we know they weren''t mating.¡± The other said. ¡°They needed a lot more room than what they had, and they would have been a lot louder.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± The first one said and put his face close to the back of the observation window. ¡°They could be shy.¡± ¡°While alone with each other?¡± The other laughed. ¡°No, we just need to give it a few days.¡± ¡°I''ll hold you to that.¡± The first one said. ¡°My mate is really curious about what they do.¡±Stolen story; please report. ¡°Come on. We should eat something while we have the chance.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± They got up and left the room. When they were down the hall and away from their post, the first one sighed. ¡°When they did that weird tour of the room, I was completely unnerved.¡± He admitted. ¡°I nearly screamed ''he caught us!'' when he touched the painting.¡± The other one chuckled and pat him on the shoulder. ¡°I''ll let you have the first kill, all right?¡± ¡°You''re a good (bubble gurgle).¡± The first said. ¡°I''m glad I didn''t have to kill you for mating with my sister.¡± The other one laughed and laughed as they entered the dining room. ¡°It wasn''t that funny.¡± The first one said. ¡°No, it was hilarious!¡± The other said and pointed as a large fish swam past them. ¡°There goes your meal!¡± ¡°(gurgle bubble)!¡± The first one cursed and started to swim, and several Sea Dwellers laughed as he scrambled after it. * Ren and Artemis woke up after an hour, and Teepo told them they were alone. ¡°They left about 15 minutes after you fell asleep.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Now that I know what to look for when they move, I managed to catch them and watched as they left the room next door and went down the hall.¡± ¡°I guess you didn''t follow.¡± Artemis said. ¡°No, I''m never leaving Ren''s side again.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ve made that mistake in the past, and it cost us a few times.¡± He said. ¡°I''m keeping my word and keeping Ren safe.¡± ¡°I''m not even going to discuss the t-word with everything going so well.¡± Ren said and looked at Artemis. ¡°Since we have a bit of time and aren''t being watched...¡± ¡°Ren, we... we shouldn''t.¡± Artemis said. ¡°They could come back and we might be...¡± ¡°...in a compromising position.¡± Ren finished, and she nodded. ¡°That''s easily fixable.¡± Ren said and made a 5 foot wide box with one side open, then cast Full Illusion on the inside to reproduce the room exactly. He asked Artemis to hold it and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°I''ve got a slightly more complicated task for you, if you''re up for it.¡± He said. ¡°Please give me the view of this room through the observation window.¡± The mirror showed him the room and he could see himself and Artemis in it. ¡°Please keep this view and overlay what we do next.¡± Ren said and Artemis held up the small fake room against the painting that was the observation window in the other room. He had to direct her to shift it over slightly, then down a bit, and he made a brace to hold it in place. Once it was secured in place, he cast Full Illusion to cover it over. ¡°That''s not going to work for long.¡± Teepo warned. ¡°It''s only a temporary sight blocker, and it can be moved in and out at any time.¡± Ren said. ¡°If we want privacy at night, that is.¡± ¡°Ren, it''s brilliant.¡± Artemis said. ¡°As long as we get back under the blanket, I can move it out of the way whenever we want.¡± Ren said. ¡°With the Full Illusion spell, I probably didn''t have to make the box; but, I''d rather have an actual thing in the way instead of a spell that might get dispelled.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± Teepo said. ¡°So, what are you going to do with your newfound privacy?¡± Ren and Artemis looked at each other and spoke as one. ¡°Full body massage.¡± Artemis walked over to the bed and sat down, and Ren grinned at her. ¡°It''s not going to be that easy.¡± Ren said and took two steps away. ¡°I distinctly remember someone saying they wanted to try to tackle me again.¡± Artemis grinned back at him and darted across the room after him. Teepo chittered in laughter as his friends chased each other around the room. This went on for several minutes, and then Ren tried to hop over the bed. ¡°Ha! Got you!¡± Artemis said as his foot got tangled in the blanket, and tackled him onto the bed. They wrestled around a bit and touched each other, tickled a little, then relaxed as they held onto each other and calmed down. ¡°So, how was that?¡± Ren asked, now that they were laying on the bed. ¡°Did you have fun?¡± ¡°Ren, I''m just getting started.¡± Artemis said and kissed him. ¡°I''ll keep a lookout.¡± Teepo said and went over to the door to watch for the returning observers. The massage started not long after that, and both Ren and Artemis enjoyed the feelings they elicited in each other. After that, Ren felt, caressed, kissed and licked everything on Artemis, and she was in ecstasy. When she had finished several times, she turned the tables on him and did everything that he did to her back to him. It was the first time Ren had someone do that for him, and he watched as Artemis did everything exactly the same as he did; that is, until she came to his private place. They both knew it had to be different for this part, considering the different shapes, and Artemis looked at his face as she very slowly pressed her lips against him. Ren caught his breath as she kissed him there with her soft warm metal lips, then she stuck out her tongue and licked him. Artemis almost laughed at his reactions as she moved up and paused before going any further. ¡°Tell me what you want.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I want to feel what it''s like for you to please me like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really, really do.¡± Artemis smiled and gave him another lick, and he took in a sharp breath. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I want you to suck on it so hard that I won''t be satisfied if you aren''t sucking on it.¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°Yes, My King.¡± She said, then plunged down onto him. Ren didn''t talk much after that. After three hours of playing with each other and not going further than that, Teepo warned them that the observers were coming back. They equipped their clothing again and Ren used his Water Manipulation ability to move the model room away from the observation window. Ren and Artemis settled down on the bed and covered up with the blanket, and resumed their normal sleeping poses. Once back in place, they started to laugh at getting away with what they did. Artemis put a hand over Ren''s mouth to stop him, and he stuck his index finger in hers. Artemis snorted a laugh at the absurdity, then she started sucking on it. He couldn''t say anything because they were trying to stay quiet, and he also didn''t want her to stop. She pulled his finger out of her mouth and then stuck the next one in her mouth. She did all 4 fingers, and she could see his face and feel his surprise. ¡°You''re not thinking about the observers now, are you?¡± Artemis whispered. ¡°Hell, no.¡± Ren whispered back and used his freshly sucked fingers to reach down between her legs. She caught her breath as he played with her, and held in her moans. ¡°R-Ren, you... mmm... shouldn''t...¡± Ren moved close and kissed her, and she put an arm around him. They made out like that for quite a while, and then Teepo told them to get some sleep so they could be ready for work in the morning. They weren''t fussy on the idea, but had to agree that he was right. They held each other''s private place tenderly and drifted off to sleep, and both of them were quite happy with the arrangement. * ¡°How long do Land Dwellers normally sleep, anyway?¡± One of the observers asked. ¡°It depends on a lot of factors, and on who it is.¡± The other said. ¡°It could be anywhere from 4 hours to 12.¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± ¡°No, that''s why we always come back before that 4 hours is up, just in case these two are early risers.¡± ¡°Ha, I was wondering why we always had to rush back.¡± ¡°It''s just a precaution.¡± The other said. ¡°They''ve stayed in bed almost the entire time they are in the room.¡± ¡°Well, that makes our job a lot easier, so I''m not going to complain.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± They settled in for the long night of observing. They always made their reports in the morning before going to bed themselves, so they were wide awake the whole night and watched Ren and Artemis sleep. * Ren and Artemis got up the next morning and equipped their armor, and then the guide showed up. ¡°I''m to escort you right to work.¡± The guide said. ¡°Aww, we didn''t get invited to breakfast.¡± Ren fake pouted. Artemis chuckled as she bent down to kiss his cheek. ¡°You didn''t really expect an invitation, did you?¡± ¡°No, I was just hoping to be surprised.¡± Ren''s pout became a huge smile as he held out an elbow for her. ¡°Are you ready to watch me work again today?¡± ¡°I''m always ready to watch you.¡± Artemis said and took Ren''s offered elbow, and they followed the guide out of the castle and to the mines. For the next month, that day was repeated. Ren worked during the day and Artemis watched, and at night they played with each other and had fun spending time together. Ren kept teasing and testing the observers, and played the game of ''chicken'' with them, to see if they would flinch first. All that came to a stop on the day of Railyse''s tournament. It would determine who would sire her spawn and lead the people into the new era, with the continued Royal Family, and Ren had the day off. He didn''t know that he would have to watch all of it, and not just the spawning ceremony. He and Artemis were given a choice place to float to witness the tournament. Right next to Railyse and her mother, the old Queen. Chapter 578 - A Prime Example ¡°Good morning, Your Highness.¡± Ren said to Railyse. ¡°Good morning, King Ren.¡± Ren looked at the old Queen. ¡°Good morning, Your Highness.¡± ¡°King Ren.¡± She nodded slightly. ¡°I don''t think I qualify for that anymore.¡± ¡°Even if you weren''t the queen''s mother, you would still deserve it.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s nice of you to say.¡± ¡°It''s the truth.¡± Ren said and his gaze shifted out to the Colosseum in front of where they sat. A ruckus caught his eye and he looked at it, and used his Spot ability. Teepo, am I really seeing what I''m seeing? ¡°If you mean a protest by a group of female Sea Dwellers to let them participate, then yes.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I see you''ve noticed our little problem.¡± Railyse said, and Ren looked at her. ¡°They want to compete in the tournament and prove their strength.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and she chuckled and reached out to touch it briefly. ¡°Yes, if one of them won, there''s no way they could sire my spawn.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Did you tell them that?¡± ¡°Of course we did.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°It''s the only reason they are being excluded.¡± Railyse added. ¡°What did they say to that?¡± Ren asked, curious. ¡°They said the winner would nominate a male of their choice to take their place.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°You could get stuck with the runt of the litter.¡± ¡°With the what?¡± Railyse asked. ¡°It''s an Adventurer phrase for the sickliest and weakest of a select chosen few.¡± ¡°Runt of the litter.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°It''s an odd phrase, but also fitting.¡± She smiled. ¡°Yes, being constrained to take any male they chose would defeat the purpose of having a tournament to find a strong and cunning mate.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I just hope this works out like you want.¡± ¡°As do I.¡± The old Queen said, and Railyse let a low sigh escape. Ren reached over and took her hand, because he could feel her apprehension and her resignation. ¡°I''m sorry it had to come to this.¡± ¡°If you had just left me in your pool, none of this would be necessary.¡± Railyse said. ¡°I couldn''t do that to you.¡± Ren gave her hand a squeeze. ¡°You need a proper male of your own species to handle things.¡± Railyse sighed openly and nodded. ¡°I''m sorry for trying to force you to do something you didn''t want to do.¡± ¡°What makes you think that?¡± Ren asked, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°If I thought I could get away with it, I would have helped you with anything I could to make you happy.¡± ¡°B-but... I... I thought...¡± Railyse shook her head. ¡°Really? You would have tried?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I thought I explained it to you properly when I said you needed someone to be there for you all the time, and not just occasionally like I would be restricted to.¡± He said. ¡°I would have to be gone for decades at a time, and I don''t want you or your children to suffer the loneliness that would cause.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Ren lifted her hand and kissed it. ¡°I know it hurt you when I wouldn''t accept your decision; but, I did it for your sake... and for the sake of your spawn.¡± Railyse took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°So you were still protecting me, even by rejecting me.¡± Ren nodded again. ¡°Why else do you think I was so happy to be invited to your spawning party?¡± He asked, and looked down at her distended belly. ¡°Do you know how many there will be?¡± ¡°No, and I''ve refused to let anyone tell her.¡± The old Queen said with a huge smile. ¡°I want it to be as much of a surprise to her as her being spawned was to me.¡± Railyse smiled. ¡°I was a little surprised that you weren''t angry about me coming home in such a state.¡± ¡°Normally I would be; but after you explained how it happened, I couldn''t help but be happy about it.¡± ¡°That reminds me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you need another feeding?¡± Railyse and her mother exchanged glances, and he felt their surprise. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s her spawn day.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°Only the potential father can offer his life''s blood for a final meal.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said and let Railyse''s hand go. ¡°Please forgive my impertinence, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Ren, it''s all right.¡± ¡°I knew I should have asked before now, but I''ve been restricted to the room and the mines for the last month.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is the first time I''ve been anywhere else besides those two places.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Railyse looked from Ren to her mother. ¡°Mother?¡± The old Queen opened her mouth to say it didn''t concern her, then sighed. ¡°He''s a prisoner and his movements have to be restricted.¡± ¡°No, they don''t.¡± Railyse said, slightly angry. ¡°The people won''t like seeing the man that kidnapped you, walk around freely.¡± ¡°It wouldn''t be freely, anyway.¡± Ren said. ¡°My guide stays with us when we leave the room.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Railyse said, clearly angry. ¡°What guide is this?¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Ren pointed to the Sea Dweller that floated unobtrusively by the entrance to the section Ren was in. ¡°Mother.¡± Railyse turned to the Old Queen. ¡°Ren does not need a ''guide''.¡± The old Queen sighed. ¡°He does, because he needs to be watched constantly.¡± She said. ¡°I learned that the last time he was here.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°He had an impact on our society, just by talking to people.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°New ideas, different ways of thinking or seeing things... it all seeps into our heads and changes what we think.¡± She said. ¡°I can''t let Land Dweller ideas corrupt us to the point that we start to lose our way of life.¡± ¡°I''ve never said, or even suggested, that you change how you live.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not only is that not my place, I also have no right to judge you or impose my own morality and views on you.¡± ¡°Just by being here and being yourself does that.¡± The old Queen said and pointed to the protesters. ¡°Do you know who is leading that protest?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Remember the woman you made that bracer for?¡± The old Queen asked, and Ren raised both eyebrows. ¡°Yes, you showed her your power and some of your abilities, and her opinion of you has changed permanently.¡± She sighed. ¡°Can you guess the male she would choose if she won?¡± ¡°What?!?¡± Railyse exclaimed, and it was Ren''s turn to sigh. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and looked at Artemis. ¡°Wait here.¡± Artemis nodded and watched as Ren swam across the Colosseum. ¡°He''s coming!¡± One of the females shouted and pointed, and the other women in the group cheered. Ren could feel how happy they were that he had noticed them, and that he was coming over to see them. He thought it was a little weird to get those feelings from women he didn''t know, when he usually only got them from women he cared deeply about. When he was close enough, Ren discovered that the feelings he felt from the Sea Dweller females were kind of hollow, because they didn''t have the undercurrent of love and respect he had become used to feeling from the women in his life. The Sea Dweller women in front of him almost vibrated with their excitement, and he had to assume that this was what it was like to be a celebrity in the real world and had adoring fans that were excited to see them up close. ¡°King Ren.¡± The female he had given the bracer to floated forward. ¡°I never did thank you for this.¡± She said and held up her forearm to show him the bracer. ¡°I repaired and improved it as an apology, so no thanks were necessary.¡± Ren said, and he looked at the other females. ¡°I should ask what you are doing here, but I''m pretty sure I know why.¡± ¡°Queen (bubble bubble gurgle bubble) was right to have chosen you.¡± She said, and the others nodded. ¡°I''m not even a Sea Dweller.¡± Ren said. ¡°You are a Waterkin, and we can all feel it.¡± She said. ¡°You have more Water in you than any Land Dweller I''ve ever heard of.¡± ¡°That''s because my affinity and resistance is as high as it can go.¡± Ren said. ¡°Others will deny you and think you are just pretending to be one of us.¡± She said, then ducked her head slightly. ¡°I was guilty of this myself.¡± ¡°You don''t have to avert your gaze, especially when you speak the truth.¡± Ren said, and she lifted her head. ¡°I could feel what you felt, and what I did that day at breakfast was a surprise for you.¡± ¡°And me!¡± One of the others raised a hand. ¡°Us, too!¡± Three others raised their hands. ¡°We were outside and saw the red light!¡± ¡°I don''t suppose you know how far it went?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°880 fathoms.¡± She said right away. ¡°At least, that''s what my father said when I went home that night. It was only there for a moment and then it was gone.¡± ¡°That''s a mile!¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°It went a whole mile in an instant through deep water!¡± ¡°How did he know how far it went?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That''s how far away from the castle we live.¡± She said. Ren smiled. ¡°Thank you for letting me know.¡± ¡°If you are really grateful, you could catch me a fish.¡± The other females gasped at her boldness, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Only if you don''t see it as part of a courting ritual.¡± ¡°I just want to see you catch it.¡± Artemis? A fish, please. Ren thought to her directly for the first time, and he felt how happy that made her. There was no sound, but a bright Mana bolt shot out and up into the darkness of the water far above Ren. All of the Sea Dweller''s eyes looked up to try and follow it''s progress, but it had already hit it''s target and killed it. Ren looked up himself and held his hands out, and a few moments later, caught a 4 foot long and very dead fish. ¡°Dinner is served.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless you want it cooked. That will take a few moments.¡± She blinked her eyes at him and he felt her shock. ¡°R-raw is... I normally eat it raw.¡± ¡°Then enjoy.¡± Ren said and held it out to her. She took it from him and looked at the hole in the fish''s head. ¡°It was a Mana bolt, so there shouldn''t be any wood or metal in the wound. I can''t account for anything that may have happened to it before now, though.¡± ¡°I wanted to see you swim and grab it.¡± She said, a little disappointed. Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t have the time right now to satisfy your curiosity, so just the fish had to do.¡± He said. ¡°I just came over to visit and ask you to keep your protests down to a dull roar.¡± ¡°You''re not going to tell us to stop?¡± One of them asked, surprised. Ren shook his head. ¡°You feel how you feel, and telling you to be quiet serves no purpose, except to make you resentful of me for trying to hush you.¡± He gave them a warm smile. ¡°Plus, it might give the males something to think about while they compete for the Queen.¡± ¡°That''s what we wanted.¡± The female that had the bracer said. ¡°There''s never been a tournament for something like this, and having only males compete is an insult.¡± Ren reached out and touched her face. ¡°I can feel your indignation on my behalf.¡± He said. ¡°Thank you for trying to make a loophole to give me a chance to win.¡± She reached up and took his hand and held it. ¡°You know?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s not necessary, though.¡± ¡°But, you are the strongest male here.¡± She said. ¡°She defeated me in hand-to-hand combat in only a few seconds.¡± Ren said, and he felt her denial. ¡°It did happen.¡± ¡°Y-yes, but... you... let her.¡± She whispered, and the currents under her skin swirled very fast. She had been there and seen it, and she knew there was no way that someone so formidable could be taken by surprise like that, unless they wanted to be. Ren didn''t say anything in response and moved in close to give her a kiss on the cheek. The other females bubbled and gurgled at the gesture, and he moved back. ¡°You will have to forgive my lack of teeth.¡± Ren said, and that made them gurgle faster. ¡°I think it''s starting.¡± Teepo said from his shoulder. ¡°I must return to the Queen''s side.¡± Ren said and took each of their hands in turn and gave them a kiss on the back of it. ¡°Enjoy the tournament.¡± The Sea Dweller females were quite flustered at his attention, and he used his Water Manipulation ability to lift himself up and away from them. They watched with wide eyes as he moved through the water at a high rate of speed without needing to swim, and he deposited himself on the other side of the Colosseum in the same spot he had left. ¡°They''ve all quieted down.¡± Railyse said. ¡°What did you tell them?¡± ¡°The truth.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t win, even though they were trying to make a loophole for me.¡± ¡°And the fish?¡± ¡°One of them wanted me to show off, so I had Artemis do it instead.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even when trying to impress someone, doing what they want isn''t always the best option.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Railyse said in reference to what happened between them and how she got to where she was. Ren chuckled. ¡°At least there are a lot more suitors for you now.¡± ¡°Even though I only wanted one.¡± Railyse said, and when Ren started to talk, she used her Water Manipulation ability to cover his mouth. ¡°You know the best and strongest relationships start out by being friends first.¡± Ren motioned to his mouth, and she smiled. ¡°You''re wondering where I learned that?¡± Railyse asked, and he nodded. ¡°From me.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°Love can grow later if you want it to, but it''s not necessary.¡± Ren gestured and moved his head. ¡°It isn''t needed for what has to be done.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°What was that saying that Land Dweller used all the time?¡± She thought about it for a moment. ¡°Oh, I remember.¡± She smiled. ¡°It''s just business.¡± Ren stopped gesturing and kind of slouched. ¡°Don''t be sad.¡± Railyse said. ¡°The tournament is designed to find the strongest and smartest fighter.¡± Ren reached out and took her hand. She gave it a squeeze back and removed the solid water block on his mouth. ¡°Here they come!¡± Teepo said, and Ren turned his head to look at the entrance, and over 150 competitors entered the arena. ¡°It''s starting.¡± The old Queen said. Railyse let Ren''s hand go and floated up slightly to draw attention to herself. ¡°Welcome, everyone!¡± She bubbled and gurgled in the Sea Dweller language, and her voice carried through the water to everyone. ¡°Today marks my very first spawning! I need a suitable mate to bring them into this life, so this tournament was created!¡± The crowd cheered in response to her words. She waved to them, then pointed to the fighters. ¡°One of you will be my king at the end of this.¡± Railyse said. ¡°If you survive, you will have earned it.¡± The Sea Dwellers raised their various weapons to her and she nodded. ¡°You must fight! You must endure! You must WIN!¡± Railyse said. Hidden doorways all along the inside of the Colosseum opened up, and hundreds of 8 foot long electric eels swarmed out. ¡°Let the games begin!¡± Chapter 579 - Second Round The 8 foot long electric eels descend upon the participants, and more than half of the Sea Dwellers dodged the assault. The ones that didn''t dodge had the right idea, because the ones that dodged out of the way of one eel, ran into another. The crowd let out oo''s and ah''s as the eels let bolts of Lightning fly out almost simultaneously, and they hit the much easier targets, which blasted the dodging Sea Dwellers to make them tumble through the water and knocked them temporarily out of the fight. The ones that didn''t dodge took the attack head on and used their various weapons to kill the eels that had expelled their charge. It took the eels a moment to build up another charge, so they were vulnerable while that happened. That didn''t mean they were defenseless, however. One poor Sea Dweller had three of them wrapped around his arms and chest, and another eel diverted from a moving target to the immobile one. The male gurgled for help, and a spear hit the attacking eel in the middle of its body and pinned it to the ground. It wasn''t dead, just incapacitated. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I''m not helping you, I''m just taking free kills.¡± The other male said and used a dagger to stab the three eels that held the other. ¡°Same thing.¡± The newly freed male said and picked up his dropped spear. ¡°Hey, duck!¡± The other male ducked and the freed one shoved his spear down the open throat of an eel about to chomp down on his rescuer. The eel was stuck with the spear almost all the way down it''s length, and the other male stood up and slapped the freed male''s shoulder. He nodded at the incapacitated eel, and the freed male knelt and killed it, as well as the one still quivering on his spear. The other males were having just as much of a hard time with the eels; but, they also helped each other. * ¡°I was going to ask if this was a bit too dangerous to have as the first event, but they seem to be handling things quite well.¡± Ren commented. ¡°Even the ones that took the brunt of the Lightning bolts are getting back into the fight.¡± ¡°They are at a disadvantage because they missed a lot of easy kills.¡± Railyse said. ¡°The others are far ahead of them and it will be difficult to make up the numbers.¡± ¡°Can I assume the eels aren''t an endangered species or something?¡± Ren asked, and Railyse laughed. ¡°They were culled from the massive eel colonies that roam the depths, far out in the realm.¡± ¡°So, more than enough for this.¡± Ren said. ¡°How do they taste?¡± Railyse looked at him with distaste. ¡°You would need a high affinity with Lightning to even hold it, let alone eat it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It could be the most delicious thing, and no one can eat it.¡± Railyse smiled. ¡°You''re welcome to try.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and looked for a good one. He found a cautious one that was straggling behind the others, and since it was well within his Aura, he grabbed it with his Water Manipulation ability. It hollered and hissed it''s displeasure, and Ren pulled it away from the fight and over towards where he sat. The eel caught sight of him and Ren could feel it''s hatred, and hundreds of Sea Dwellers watched the eel''s progress across the arena. When the eel thought it was close enough to it''s target, it let out a huge bolt of Lightning that shot at Ren. Ren already had his hand up to block it, so when the Lightning hit it... the bolt disappeared. The crowd gasped in shock at that, and he could feel that surprised them more than his chest laser had surprised the people that had seen it. He smiled and brought the eel right over to him, and it hissed and tried to bite him when he put his hand near it. ¡°I''d tell you to be nice, but considering I''m going to eat you, you have a right to be angry.¡± Ren said, and grabbed the eel behind it''s head, just like you would do for a snake, and he wasn''t shocked at all. ¡°H-how are you doing that?¡± Railyse asked. ¡°Trade secret.¡± Ren said. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he laughed. ¡°It''s an enchantment I came up with to protect me.¡± Ren didn''t explain that he had enchanted Anti-runes for all of the elements into his platinum armor, or that he had activated the Anti-lightning runes to absorb any Lightning that tried to hurt him. He twisted his hand and snapped the eel''s spine, took out his hammerpick and used the plow end to lop off the eel''s head to ensure it was dead. ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± The old Queen asked, quite loudly. ¡°Hm?¡± Ren looked at her, and then noticed Railyse''s hungry face as she stared at the blood in the water. ¡°Oh! I''m sorry.¡± Ren used his Water Manipulation ability to pull the blood back and shoved it into the head, then held the body and head together and made the water solid around it to stop the blood from leaking out. ¡°I didn''t want it to suffer.¡± Ren said and stored the hammerpick and the eel. ¡°That''s not what...¡± The old Queen shook her head. ¡°Never mind.¡± Ren went back to watching the battle in the arena, and he didn''t notice that a good portion of the Sea Dwellers were now watching him instead of the fight. * The male Sea Dwellers in the arena were too busy to notice one eel being taken from their mass of attackers. They fought their way to eliminating all of the eels, and when they reached the tipping point of where the eels numbers had dropped enough, the task became much easier. The males looked around when all the eels were dead and they saw that they had lost over 30 of their fellow competitors to unconsciousness. They were removed from the area by the attendees, and the remaining 120 Sea Dwellers were ready for the next challenge. ¡°You have proven that you can survive a continued assault by an unorganized foe.¡± Railyse said in her voice that carried to everyone in the arena. ¡°Now you must prove that you can survive a continued assault by an organized foe.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. A large opening appeared at the side of the Colosseum on the opposite side of where the participants had entered, and then 50 frog men stepped out. They had armor over select parts of their bodies, mostly to protect their soft bellies and throats, and they all carried spears, swords, and even bows. Those 50 leaped forward through the water using their powerful legs, and 50 more came out behind them. * ¡°Wait, what''s this?¡± Ren asked as Railyse floated back into place. ¡°Those are real frog men, aren''t they?¡± ¡°They are.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°They are going to be killed.¡± ¡°Most of them, since their bodies are so weak compared to ours.¡± ¡°Then why are you doing this?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s a condition of the treaty we have with them.¡± Railyse said. ¡°They send us their best warriors to compete in tournaments and to train our soldiers. In exchange, we don''t slaughter them all.¡± ¡°I hope you won''t be insulted if I say that''s not much of a treaty.¡± Ren said. Railyse reached a hand out to him, and he took it. ¡°Thousands of years ago, my people had let them go unchecked for too long of a time and they grew bold and overconfident. They tried to kill us all, starting with the Royal Family.¡± She said and glanced at her mother, the only remaining member of that slaughter. ¡°They wanted to take control of the realm and believed they needed us out of the way to do it.¡± ¡°Now they make fodder for you to fight?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled. ¡°Watch, dear one.¡± Railyse said. ¡°They are by no means fodder.¡± Ren watched as the frog men approached the tournament participants, and he wasn''t sure why they weren''t swimming through the water, since their legs could probably propel them very fast. * ¡°Spread out! Don''t let them overrun us as a single unit!¡± One of the Sea Dwellers yelled as the frog men leaped through the water towards them. The first 50 frog men landed and braced with their shields at the ready, and the 50 frog men behind them were in mid-jump as they drew their bows and fired. Several Sea Dwellers hadn''t dodged in time and were hit by the arrows that didn''t seem to be slowed down by the water. None of the shots were fatal, but they did anger some of the Sea Dwellers enough to put them into a Frenzy. They swam forward to hit the front line of the frog men just as the next row of frog men landed and the third line leaped and shot their bows. ¡°No, don''t attack as one!¡± One of the Sea Dwellers yelled as 20 more of his fellow participants charged the frog men''s front line to join in on the attack. Several frog men in the front row were quickly dispatched, but they were just as quickly replaced by the ones in behind and the front line held. The close combat fight was on, and unfortunately, the Sea Dwellers were at a distinct disadvantage. ¡°Dammit, if we have to fight like that, we''ll lose!¡± Another Sea Dweller said and rallied a small group. ¡°Hit them on the sides! Flank them and break their ranks!¡± Another 50 frog men leaped and shot their bows at the Sea Dwellers not engaged with the main fighting force of frog men, then they landed with that force to make yet another row of troops behind them. * ¡°They are taking too long.¡± Ren said. ¡°The frog men already have the advantage of numbers, and if they can defend their flanks as well as they can the front line, the Sea Dwellers will lose this combat.¡± ¡°The frog men are not so much fodder now, are they?¡± Railyse asked. ¡°All right, I made a snap judgment and I was wrong.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°Thanks for reminding me that it''s nice to learn new things.¡± Railyse gave his hand a squeeze. ¡°There is still a lot you can learn about our people.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her. ¡°Our?¡± Railyse chuckled. ¡°My people, then.¡± She said. ¡°Even though you are a Waterkin, and your skill at Water Manipulation is quite strong...¡± She gave a little sigh. ¡°...you keep reminding me that you are not a Sea Dweller.¡± ¡°You need to know that I can''t be what you need.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like to be that, I really would.¡± He glanced at her mother and felt her approval. ¡°You need someone who can rule by your side and give you strength to overcome anything that comes your way.¡± ¡°That could have been you.¡± Railyse said softly. ¡°No, unfortunately it can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I had nothing else in my life at all, I might be able to assume that role for you; but, I''m an Adventurer. I literally can''t give up that part to stay here with you.¡± He said and let her hand go. ¡°I would need to leave you constantly; and believe me, that would hurt you a lot more than saying ''no'' does now.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Railyse said. ¡°It''s just difficult to get the possibilities out of my mind.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°You do, don''t you?¡± Railyse asked. ¡°I''ve gone through several different scenarios in my head, and not one of them has come up that you didn''t feel like I abandoned you when I have to leave on Adventurer''s business.¡± Ren said. ¡°You would always resent me for it, as would the kids.¡± Railyse reluctantly nodded. * The Sea Dwellers finally got their act together and managed to flank the frog men on both sides, which successfully engaged the 300 frog men that now counted as a horde. They were much slower to reinforce on the sides, because they were bulky and faced forwards, so the flank attack became the Sea Dweller''s focus. The frog men formation started to collapse in on itself, because they were no longer being reinforced. The Sea Dwellers quickly noticed this, and pressed the attack on all sides. Since this was only a tournament and not actual training, no one had to die to satisfy the rules. All that was needed was to be incapacitated, and the Sea Dwellers used this to their advantage. Rather than expending their energy for a death blow, all they had to do was sever the leg muscles in one or two places, and the frog men were rendered almost useless. Getting by the frog men''s defenses was the hard part. * ¡°They broke the formation!¡± Teepo exclaimed as the frog men started to panic. ¡°10 gold coins says they scatter in every direction!¡± ¡°10 gold that they are going to jump forward.¡± Ren said in response. ¡°10 gold that they jump back and out of the Sea Dweller''s reach.¡± Artemis said. Railyse smiled. ¡°Can I bet as well?¡± ¡°Do you have inside information that we don''t?¡± Ren asked her with a smile. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Then sure, you can bet.¡± ¡°10 gold they split right down the middle and jump sideways.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Ha, I didn''t think of that.¡± Ren said. ¡°A slight change to the old ''divide and conquer'' technique.¡± Railyse nodded. ¡°Your Highness, do you want to bet?¡± Ren asked the old Queen, and she shook her head. ¡°The only option left is to surrender, and they would never do that.¡± ¡°There they go!¡± Teepo said, and they watched as the horde of frog men split into two halves, then turned in opposite directions and jumped away... except that they didn''t do it together as a unit and scattered. ¡°Oho! We have two winners!¡± Ren said. ¡°You have to split the pot with Teepo, Railyse. He bet that they would scatter, and you bet they would split.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Teepo chittered in delight as both Artemis and Ren gave him 5 gold coins, then they gave Railyse 5 gold coins as well. ¡°I almost feel like I cheated.¡± Railyse chuckled and stored the gold. ¡°Splitting with Teepo eases that feeling, though.¡± Ren smiled at her and they all put their attention back on the participants still in the arena. * The Sea Dwellers tried to chase the frog men; but, they did what Ren had wondered about earlier. Instead of landing, the frogs kicked their powerful legs and quickly darted through the water. Since they were scattering and swimming erratically, none of the Sea Dwellers could pinpoint them and either launch their harpoons or throw their spears. The Sea Dwellers relented in their fruitless pursuit of their quite elusive foes, and returned to the center of the arena. The attendees removed the unconscious and hurt Sea Dwellers and carried them over to the healers, as well as the frog men that were hurt or dying. The ones that remained in the center and wanted to keep going, were ready to face the next challenge. All 72 of them. ¡°Congratulations!¡± Railyse said and floated up slightly. ¡°You have survived a coordinated assault from an enemy that can fight and think for itself.¡± She smiled. ¡°Now that you have tested your might, it is time to test your mind.¡± More doors opened and several dozen hooded figures floated out to the middle of the Colosseum, while the participants were led over to the side of the arena in front of the Queen to clear the middle. The hooded figures started casting spells and populated the entire arena floor with various traps and mechanisms to be fought, dodged around, or avoided completely. ¡°This should be fun!¡± Teepo said. For us, sure. Ren thought, and tried not to laugh at the participants and their shocked expressions. Chapter 580 - The Final Event Ren saw multiple traps appear, with hazards and things to traverse, and they were all adapted for water use. There were several carousels that had been changed from having horses to ride on, to hold various weapons that swung at anyone trying to pass by. He identified it and got the recipe for it, which also included how to get it to turn in place, and he smiled. I think people would like to have a carousel to ride back at the county. Ren thought to himself. The other traps he had already had the recipes for, and the variants adapted for water use were just common sense if you thought about it. He saved the new plans anyways, just in case. Cages were seeded all along it and were currently empty, and Ren could feel that the crowd wondered what would appear there. The cages are for the participants. Ren thought as he watched the mages complete the biggest and oddest obstacle course he had ever seen. The thing was, it did look difficult to traverse... and then the attendees brought out the large fishing nets full of large jellyfish. ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Teepo said, then chittered in delight as the Sea Dweller participants groaned in dismay. ¡°On a scale of 1 to 10 for difficulty, the course was about an 8. With the jellyfish added, it''s about a 13.¡± Ren had to agree as he watched the strategic placement of the jellyfish in key spots along the course. ¡°They are not going to have an easy time of it, that''s for sure.¡± ¡°If it was going to be easy, what would be the point?¡± The old Queen asked. ¡°This is to test their resolve, their cunning, and their abilities.¡± ¡°I know that, Your Highness.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just wondering what would happen if no one makes it through. Do you pick the one that made it the farthest? Do you compare their kill scores and the distance? Do you disqualify them if they were hit by an electric eel''s Lightning bolt?¡± Railyse chuckled. ¡°You are taking a bite of a problem that might not exist.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m also showing you that I am thinking about things extensively, not that you really needed the proof.¡± He said. ¡°I just hope that some of them make it through this.¡± ¡°As do I.¡± Railyse said. * The Sea Dweller participants waited for the signal to begin, and one of the attendees threw a shell up into the water above his head. Nearly half of the participants darted forward and entered the obstacle course at various points, and nearly half of those were immediately eliminated as they ran into the jellyfish. The others became more cautious when they realized how many of them were left, and they made their way through a good portion of the course before they were also eliminated by the jellyfish. The attendees swam up over the course, then entered to retrieve the injured. Most of them had scars across their chests and arms as the jellyfish had wrapped their massive stingers around them. Some were even having convulsions from a reaction to the jellyfish stings. The remaining 40 participants exchanged glances with each other, then nodded. They formed a line, decided the best direction to take, then entered one by one and played follow the leader. The first one had gotten pretty far, and was hurt by one of the carousels when he ducked instead of jumped. The next Sea Dweller in the line jumped, made it a little farther, then was knocked into a jellyfish. The next in line cut him free, which was all he could do, so he moved on. He made it through two more obstacles and was caught by a sprung net and shoved into one of the cages. The next in line mistimed the same action and was also caught by the net and shoved into the same cage. The others were more cautious because of this, and made it past. At this point, they were down to barely 30 of them left, and they still had a quarter of the course to go. They all reassured each other that they would make it, and continued on. The crowd had been silent the entire time, because they didn''t want to distract the participants at all. Any wrong step could cost them their chance to be king, and no one wanted to be responsible for that. When they reached the end, they had only lost another 12 participants. Even with the losses, their plan had worked wonderfully, and the remaining 18 congratulated each other. * ¡°I''m glad so many made it through.¡± Ren said as the winners moved off to the side and the mages came out to remove their spells and the attendees removed the jellyfish. ¡°I guess I can''t complain that the last event of the day was the worst.¡± ¡°This wasn''t the last event.¡± Railyse said. ¡°There is one more thing for them to face.¡± ¡°Hey, as long as it''s not the giant octopus, you should still have lots of suitors to choose from.¡± Ren chuckled, then stopped when he felt their emotions. ¡°No.¡± He said and looked at their faces. ¡°Please tell me it''s not.¡± ¡°It''s a test of bravery.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°No, they don''t have to fight it.¡± Ren sighed in relief. ¡°They just have to get past it.¡± ¡°That''s insane!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Even on it''s best day, it''s cranky as hell!¡± ¡°Don''t worry, it''s restrained quite well and has 4 of its limbs immobilized.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°It''s a goddamned giant octopus! The limbs are 5 feet thick on the tips!¡± Ren nearly shouted. ¡°Having just one of them free to swipe at the competitors is too much, let alone four of them!¡± ¡°Why are you protesting so adamantly?¡± Railyse asked. ¡°Are you afraid of facing it?¡± Ren opened his mouth to respond that facing it was not a sign of bravery, but a sign of stupidity; then he changed his mind. ¡°I thought you knew me better than to accuse me of cowardice, Railyse.¡± He said in a low voice and fought not to make a fist, then took a deep breath and let it out. Railyse was surprised at his use of her Land Dweller name, then the tone of his voice registered. ¡°Ren, I... I''m sorry. I didn''t mean it like that.¡± She tried to take his hand, and he pulled away before she could. ¡°Actually, you did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can feel your emotions, remember?¡± Railyse sighed. ¡°I... I was trying to find out how you would do in the tournament.¡± ¡°Do you really want me to tell you what I would have done?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I would have cast Sleep on the eels and then killed them all with another spell before they even came close to the other competitors.¡± Railyse and her mother were surprised that sweat didn''t appear on his forehead. ¡°Um, I didn''t think that was possible.¡± She said. ¡°What... what about the frog men?¡± ¡°I don''t like to repeat myself, so I would have cast Full Illusion and made them think they were all in a swamp with giant flies around them.¡± Ren said. ¡°They would have been completely dumbfounded at the change and the large amount of food, and I could have disabled them all long before they could reach the other competitors.¡± ¡°And the obstacle course?¡± The old Queen asked. ¡°The easiest of the bunch.¡± Ren said. ¡°But you saw how it culled the participants down to only 18.¡± Railyse said. ¡°How would you have done it?¡± ¡°There are multiple ways.¡± Ren said. ¡°The easiest of which was to swim over the top of it and land on the other side.¡± Railyse and her mother stared at him in shock, and their mouths hung open in that ''o'' of surprise. ¡°There''s no rules against it, and you said it was a test of the mind.¡± Ren said. ¡°By mother''s trident.¡± Railyse whispered, then she smiled. ¡°What if we said you had to go through it?¡± ¡°I''d do exactly that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d activate my Ram enchantment and plow right through it all to the other side in a few seconds.¡±Stolen story; please report. ¡°How else would you do it?¡± The old Queen asked. ¡°I''d use my Staff of Earth to push it all out of the way to make a path through and just walk.¡± Ren said. ¡°I could also dispel the traps and clear the way to leave just the scattered jellyfish, or I could...¡± ¡°You can stop now.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°That''s enough.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I haven''t mentioned using decoys to spring all the traps, or using the jellyfish to disable all the other participants, or even...¡± ¡°Ren, that''s enough.¡± Artemis said and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You''ve made your point.¡± ¡°No, I haven''t.¡± Ren said, and motioned to the arena. ¡°They are still going through with this last event.¡± ¡°You might not want to test yourself against it, but they do.¡± Artemis said. ¡°You can feel it, can''t you?¡± Ren looked at the arena floor and saw it was now opened up and the platform the giant octopus was on, raised up to ground level. He concentrated on the Sea Dwellers waiting to do the challenge, and he had to agree with Artemis. They felt determined and resolved, and he knew that they would do their best to get past the giant creature. ¡°Yes, they are almost eager to do it.¡± Ren had to admit. ¡°Remember what you said before about not judging them or their culture.¡± Artemis said, and Ren sighed. ¡°Doing this as the Final Event is stupid.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why not have them survive a mermaid attack or even a pool of sharks?¡± Railyse laughed. ¡°Do you really think the giant octopus will be that dangerous?¡± ¡°No, it''s going to be much more dangerous. I was making suggestions that the participants have a higher chance of surviving.¡± ¡°Just watch.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°They will prove you wrong.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I don''t believe so.¡± Ren said with a heavy heart. ¡°Not at all.¡± * The 18 Sea Dwellers left watched the giant octopus be raised up from the pit below the arena, and they were already calculating how they would get by it to the other side. When they saw that only 4 of it''s limbs were moving, they rejoiced. It doubled their chances to succeed, and their plans changed to accommodate the new information. ¡°Congratulations on succeeding all the tasks that have been given to you so far.¡± Railyse said loudly. ¡°As you can clearly see, the last task is one of bravery.¡± She said. ¡°All you need to do is face one of the most fearsome creatures of the depths and make it to the other side of the arena.¡± Railyse looked at her Adventurer friend, and for the first time this day, felt trepidation about what was going to happen. She looked at the attendee in the arena and nodded. The attendee tossed the shell up into the water to signify the start of the event, and one of the Sea Dwellers swam forward as fast as he could. * ¡°The fool.¡± Ren whispered as he saw the giant octopus quiver, and then two of it''s massive tentacles moved through the water. They were staggered, so when the Sea Dweller dodged one, it''s water wake pulled him in and the second tentacle smashed into him. The crowd gasped at the impact, and the Sea Dweller''s limp body quickly tumbled through the water. One of the attendees used their Water Manipulation ability to catch him and pulled him over to the group of healers. As that was happening, 6 more Sea Dwellers had decided that the giant octopus was distracted and tried to take advantage of it. The giant octopus shivered as even more irritants approached her area, and she defended herself to the best of her ability. She didn''t care what the irritants were, only that she got rid of them as quickly as possible so she could be fed. She swung one of her massive tentacles to swat at several of them, and one of them jabbed her with a prickly thing. ¡°SCREEEEE!¡± The giant octopus let out angrily, and her brownish color changed to a deep red almost instantly. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s a bad sign.¡± The giant octopus pulled in a bunch of water through her gills and inflated itself, then tensed her secured arms as it shot that water out like a water jet. Since the octopus was so big, the jet of water was about 20 feet across and blasted 3 of the Sea Dwellers up and out of the arena. Several attendees swam after them to provide assistance. The one that had poked her tentacle was still there, and the giant octopus slammed that tentacle down onto the ground. The Sea Dweller pulled his spear out just in time to not get squished by the tentacle; but, he didn''t see the other tentacle come at him from behind. It grabbed him and wrapped around him several times as it squeezed. The other Sea Dwellers took this as an affront and wanted to save their fellow, so they darted forward to try and help. ¡°No! Don''t do that!¡± Ren yelled, but it was too late. They did exactly what the giant octopus wanted. She unfurled her tentacle and tossed the now unconscious Sea Dweller up into the water above them, and the Sea Dwellers approaching changed what they were doing to try and catch the bait... and two of the large tentacles smashed them on either side and caught them. ¡°Railyse, stop this!¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s going to kill them all if you don''t!¡± Railyse floated up. ¡°You have shown your bravery, so I declare this event over!¡± The attendees swarmed in to try and help by bringing the giant octopus food, but the giant octopus was having none of it. She only saw more irritants to bother her when all she wanted was to be left alone, and she didn''t care about the food anymore. Her color changed from a deep red to blood red, and she flailed her free arms around wildly. Railyse noticed the change and the danger it presented to the spectators and not just the participants, so she tried to use her Water Manipulation ability to form solid water around the tentacles. It worked to an extent and stopped them from being able to curl and grab things; but, it also gave the giant octopus new weapons to use. It now had large bats on the ends of the tentacles, and it used them to start smashing into the things holding the other tentacles in place. ¡°Excuse me for a few minutes, Your Highness.¡± Ren said. With the event officially over, he could intervene without causing Trouble, with a capital T. ¡°Artemis, aggravate it a little to distract it, but don''t hurt it.¡± He said and swam out into the arena to join in the fray. ¡°No problem.¡± Artemis said and started shooting her Mana bolts at the ground by the tentacles that were secured. Since the giant octopus was looking there as it tried to free itself, the Mana bolts caught its attention immediately. The giant octopus saw the threat; but she could tell that it wasn''t attacking her. She almost shrugged as she started pounding on her secured tentacles again. If it wasn''t a direct threat to her, she ignored it completely. ¡°Well, that didn''t last long,¡± Ren said and used his Water Manipulation ability to push the water between the tentacles apart a little bit. When he didn''t get a reaction from the giant octopus, he pushed a little more. He could see the relief on some of the still conscious Sea Dweller''s faces, and he nodded to them as he made just enough room for them to escape. ¡°I''m stuck!¡± One of them said and had a suction cup stuck to his chest. ¡°Me, too!¡± Another said, and he struggled to get free. Ren saw that the unconscious ones were also stuck on suction cups, and he thought about how to get them free without getting the octopus'' attention. ¡°What are you doing?¡± One of the stuck Sea Dwellers asked. ¡°Get us out of here!¡± ¡°I''m trying.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just pull us free!¡± ¡°If I do that, it will know.¡± ¡°You can''t just leave us here!¡± The other said, and Ren felt him start to panic. ¡°Your armor!¡± Ren said. ¡°Cut it off and you''ll slip right out!¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± They looked down at themselves and saw the suction cups were only on the armor and not on their skin. ¡°Why didn''t we think of that?¡± ¡°Just cut it and go!¡± Ren said and they pulled out knives to cut the ties that held it to the back piece while he took out his hammerpick and started cutting away at the unconscious Sea Dweller''s armor. There was a loud crash as one of the secured tentacles was broken free of the restraints, and Ren felt how happy the giant octopus was. He also felt what the giant octopus was going to do once it was completely free. ¡°Hurry!¡± Railyse said from where she still floated, but it sounded like she was right in front of him. ¡°It''s almost free!¡± Ren nodded and freed the last three Sea Dwellers, and the other participants and attendees caught them as they floated down. Now what do I do? ¡°What was it you said when we fought the giants?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Bigger is better or something?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Go big or go home.¡± He said and cast Permanent Enlarge or Reduce Anything on himself several times and kept increasing his size. He felt the crowd''s shock and amazement as he kept growing until he was of equal size to the giant octopus, then they all just stared at him with awe. Ren tapped the giant octopus on what he thought was a kind of shoulder, and it shifted to look at him. He felt the octopus'' surprise, and it started to freak out. Ren activated his Animal Affinity ability that gave him 50% to the chance that an animal will be friendly. ¡°Easy, there. I''m not going to hurt you.¡± Ren said and lightly touched the side of it''s head. ¡°I can see you''re trying to get free.¡± The giant octopus blinked her eyes at him as it calmed down, then she turned back to concentrate on freeing herself. Since the octopus was well within his Aura, Ren cast Charm Person on it to see if it would work. The giant octopus didn''t stop what she was doing, but she did turn her head to face him as one of her tentacles snaked up and wrapped around his chest. ¡°I really like hugs.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve had 6 arms around me before, and if you let me free you, you can beat that record by two if you want.¡± ¡°REN! NO!¡± Railyse yelled. Ren held a hand up towards her, and used the one still touching the octopus to caress it. ¡°What do you say? Let me free you and you can give me a hug.¡± The giant octopus'' tentacles slowed down and then stopped banging against it''s restraints, and two more tentacles wrapped around Ren. It held the other two with solid water bats in front of him. ¡°Your Highness, remove the solid water, please.¡± Ren said, and Railyse released the water. The octopus felt relief and wrapped those tentacles around him as well. Ren used his Enchanted Vision and saw the restraints were enchanted with the same enchantment that Lylyth had on her magical chains, and he almost laughed at the simplicity. ¡°Allow me.¡± Ren said as he knelt on one knee and touched one of the restraints, then he absorbed the enchantment. He popped it open with his fingers and the octopus was both excited and filled with disbelief... as was everyone else in the Colosseum. Ren almost laughed because the octopus and the Sea Dwellers had more in common than they realized, and he opened the last to restraints. The giant octopus was finally free, and Ren felt its joy as it wrapped the last two legs around his chest and gave him a squeeze. He put his arms around it and gave it a gentle hug back, because he knew there wasn''t any kind of solid things on the creature except for the beak of its mouth. The crowd gasped at the sight, and they thought the octopus was going to keep squeezing. ¡°Hey, do you want to go home?¡± Ren asked it, and he felt the giant octopus'' happiness and a very flattering appreciation for how big and strong he was, then one of her tentacles moved up to lay across the cheek of his face. The suction cups stuck to him as the tip of the tentacle rubbed the top of his head and played with his hair. ¡°And now another female succumbs to the Prince Charming title!¡± Teepo said and chittered in delight. Chapter 581 - Ill Take Care Of It Ren used his Water Manipulation ability to lift himself and the giant octopus up and out of the Colosseum, so that if he tried to kick the water to swim, it wouldn''t hurt anyone. When they were up high enough, he used the All-Seeing Mirror to find her home after increasing it''s size to see it. ¡°REN! What are you doing?¡± Railyse said in his ear. ¡°She wants to go home.¡± Ren said. Artemis flew up to sit on his shoulder and joined Teepo and the pet spider for the coming ride. ¡°You can''t do that! We need her!¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Your Highness.¡± Ren said. Ren moved off with the giant octopus, then started to swim. The giant octopus was ecstatic by the speed they travelled at, and her head wobbled in the currents as they passed them. ¡°Oh! I''m sorry!¡± Ren said and made a wedge of solid water in front of them to stop her from being hurt by the passing water, and her affection for him increased. ¡°You can''t just drop her off, you know.¡± Teepo warned him, and he nodded. ¡°I can feel her trying to bond with me.¡± Ren said as several probes poked him in the head. ¡°I''m trying to let her down easy.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Ren, she''s a giant octopus! If you upset her, she''s going to crush you, no matter what kind of armor you''re wearing.¡± ¡°I could have made myself bigger, but I wouldn''t have fit inside the arena if I did.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I can''t do it now, because she''s holding on so tightly.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°I''ll figure it out when I get her home.¡± Teepo looked around. ¡°Wow, look where we are!¡± He said. ¡°How far out does she live?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, it''s on the other side of the roving eel colonies that Railyse mentioned.¡± ¡°Then you better get your Mana Shield up, because I see a Lightning Storm coming.¡± Teepo said as a giant cloud of eels appeared in front of them. Ren activated his Mana Shield and it surrounded them with a 360 degree bubble, and he took out a wand. It resized to fit his hand, which made it the biggest wand to ever exist, and he changed the spell to Sleep. With the massive wand, the spell effect would be huge; but, it would still only work within a certain distance. Ren hoped that the distance was farther out than the collected Lightning bolts could shoot at him. He wasn''t worried about himself, since he had Anti-lightning runes to protect him. It was the giant octopus he was nervous for, because it did not. ¡°We''re coming up on the estimated spell limit.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Get ready to fire, on three! One... two...¡± The giant cloud of eels sparkled and you could see the Lightning swirl around them to gather up a charge. ¡°Three!¡± Teepo yelled. Ren came to a stop and fired several sleep spells at the cloud. Since he had stopped moving forward, when the eels let their combined attack go, it had a much longer distance to travel through the water towards them than it would have had Ren kept going. ¡°It''s okay, Ren. You don''t have to dodge.¡± Teepo said. ¡°We''re just out of range.¡± Ren sighed in relief, and the giant octopus shivered nervously as the massive Lightning bolt approached them... and then it started to dissipate. By the time it came near them, it was barely a foot long and didn''t even damage the Mana Shield. ¡°Nice timing, Teepo.¡± Ren praised his friend as the giant cloud of eels was hit by the multiple Sleep spells. They succumbed immediately and floated harmlessly in the water. ¡°Thanks, Ren.¡± Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror to see where the next cloud was, and he nodded. ¡°Okay, it looks clear for the next few miles.¡± He said and started swimming. He left the Mana Shield on and used the wedge of water to move through the water almost unimpeded. When they passed the eel''s roaming grounds, the giant octopus relaxed and didn''t hold on as tightly. ¡°She''s getting happier, Ren.¡± Artemis said, because she could feel the octopus'' emotions through him. ¡°We must be getting close.¡± ¡°Over there!¡± Teepo said and indicated a direction, and Ren went that way. When they arrived, he looked down at the giant octopus'' home, and was amazed at the sight. It was a nest like a bird would make, except it was so big that the individual branches were actually ships. ¡°Holy crap.¡± Ren said and dropped the Mana Shield and let the water wedge go. The giant octopus took the hint and unfurled her tentacles from around his chest, then used that jet of water trick to propel herself down to the center. Ren followed her, and she picked up a large odd-shaped boulder and handed it to him. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and stored it. Next she handed him a small partially crushed boat, and Ren stored it as well. She darted over to the side of the nest and two of her tentacles picked up a large anchor, and she held it up to him. He went over to it and lifted it, to see it was on a chain. ¡°I can''t take this.¡± Ren said. The giant octopus pat his hands that held the anchor, and she pointed. ¡°You want me to follow it?¡± Ren asked, and felt her approval. He went hand over fist as he followed the chain to what it was attached to, and it was a ship. A Giant''s ship. He saw a huge hole in the side and a giant cannonball inside the hull, and he had to reduce his size to fit into the hole. Once inside, he saw several broken chests and piles and piles of gold and platinum coins, as well as precious jewels. Ren turned to look at the giant octopus, and he felt it want him to take it. ¡°I can''t rob you of your treasure.¡± The giant octopus clacked it''s beak at him, and he felt her admonish him for being sentimental. Ren chuckled and repaired the chests, then filled them with the treasure and stored them. He felt her approval and then he felt her attention shift to something really important. Ren swam out of the giant ship and over to where the giant octopus was, then floated there in silence.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Ren, is that... no, it''s not... is it?¡± Teepo asked as he saw the multiple small mounds of sand in the middle of the nest. ¡°If I had to guess, I have to say she has a huge clutch of eggs.¡± Ren said, and wasn''t surprised when the giant octopus swiped the sand away with it''s tentacles to reveal a large amount of eggs. ¡°Ren, I don''t see any other octopus around.¡± Teepo said. ¡°How is she going to... well, you know.¡± ¡°You don''t think she wants you to do that, do you?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Wait! What''s that?¡± Teepo asked. They watched as the giant octopus expanded it''s mantle, the large fleshy sack on top of it''s head, and she reached inside with a tentacle. She pulled out something that looked like an octopus arm, which seemed really odd, then she happily shook and rubbed the arm all over the large group of eggs. ¡°Holy crap! She''s fertilizing them!¡± Teepo exclaimed. ¡°Were the heck did she get that from?¡± Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it to show him the ''donor'', and the image of a deflated and decomposed corpse of an octopus appeared on the mirror''s surface. ¡°Oh.¡± Teepo said sadly. ¡°It looks like he gave his life for them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or for the potential of them.¡± ¡°That''s both sad and noble at the same time.¡± Artemis said, and Ren had to agree. The giant octopus finished fertilizing all of the eggs, and then she curled up her tentacles and rested herself on top to cover them completely. She changed her skin color to match that of the sand around her, and if you hadn''t seen her do it, you never would have known she was there. Ren started to float over to her, and a camouflaged tentacle darted out and pressed against his chest. ¡°I think the love fest is over.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You don''t want me near you?¡± Ren asked, and felt dithering and indecision from her. ¡°You don''t want me near the eggs?¡± He felt a definite no, and he nodded. ¡°You''re going to protect them as much as you can.¡± He said, and felt a definite yes. ¡°What about food? Are you hungry?¡± A strong no came from her, even though he could feel hunger gnawing at her. ¡°Can I bring you food, just so you can stay here at the nest and protect the eggs for as long as you can?¡± Ren asked, and once again felt her dithering. ¡°It couldn''t hurt, especially if it''s going to take a long time to hatch them.¡± The giant octopus almost sighed as her tentacle moved up and rubbed his chin. ¡°I''ll be back with something in a few minutes.¡± Ren said and used his Water Manipulation ability to lift himself up and out of the nest, then used the All-Seeing Mirror to check for anything the giant octopus could eat. ¡°Look at that!¡± Teepo said. ¡°Giant shell crabs!¡± ¡°There''s a whole group of them a few miles from here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s go check it out.¡± Ren swam over to where the crabs were, and saw them as they travelled across the sea floor and devoured everything in their path. What they didn''t eat, they crushed and left behind. ¡°Is it just me, or are they drifting towards the nest?¡± Artemis asked. Ren used the All-Seeing Mirror to get a top down view of the region, and saw that Artemis was right. ¡°The very edge of the crab migration would be only 100 feet from the nest.¡± He said. ¡°Do you think I can get away with setting up some Water Walls to protect it?¡± ¡°That depends on what else is in here and might encounter the nest.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You might want to make several rows, so that if one is broken or damaged, the others will still be there.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Ren said and went back to near the nest and cast 5 rows of Permanent Water Walls, then he went back to the crabs. ¡°Considering how big they are, they don''t move very fast.¡± ¡°Only because they haven''t been spooked yet.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Once you take a couple of them for the giant octopus, I''d say they''re going to run like crazy.¡± Ren smiled and tried to cast Paralysis on the closest one, and the spell bounced off it''s shell. ¡°Okay, that changes things a little.¡± He said and used his Water Manipulation ability to lift the crab and then cast Imprisonment on it. It was wrapped in magical ropes immediately and couldn''t move. None of the other crabs noticed their friend in peril and kept moving. Ren flipped the crab onto it''s back and grabbed another one and did the same thing, then brought them back to the giant Octopus nest. He felt her surprise at the sight, and he dropped the two giant crabs on their backs far enough away that the eggs weren''t in danger, and she could still reach them. ¡°I hope this is enough for a while.¡± Ren said, and he felt how grateful she was. ¡°I''ll come back and check in a week or so, and if you need any more, I''ll get it for you.¡± One of her tentacles reached out and pet his head, then moved down to the closest crab. It wrapped around one of the giant crab''s front claw and easily crushed it, then used the suction cups to clear the shell away and then she stripped out all the meat. ¡°Okay, that''s neat.¡± Teepo said as she pulled the massive pile of meat over to her resting spot and shoved it under her body to her beak. ¡°I put up a solid water wall barrier on that side, to stop the crabs from coming this way too far.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want me to surround the whole nest with them?¡± The giant octopus let out a huge feeling of relief, and Ren went to surround the whole nest with 5 rows of giant water walls. He came back over to her and waved, to show that he was done, and she waved back. Ren left there and swam back over to where the sleeping eels were, and saw the colony was still just floating there. He passed through untouched and swam back over to the Colosseum. When Ren approached the large arena, he reduced himself to his normal size and swam over the top of it. With his high view, he could see all the Sea Dwellers as they were being healed, and the remaining 7 Sea Dweller participants as they stood around and waited for something. ¡°THERE HE IS!¡± A female voice yelled, and a loud cheer came from the protesters. Ren waved to them, which made them scream louder, and he swam down to stop beside Queen Railyse and her mother, the old Queen. ¡°You did it.¡± Railyse said in disbelief. ¡°You really let the giant octopus go.¡± ¡°Well, about that...¡± ¡°You''ve doomed us, Land Dweller.¡± The old Queen said, clearly angry. ¡°We needed it as a deterrent.¡± She said. ¡°You don''t realize the dangers that the depths hold for us and our people as a whole.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Just having it within our midst kept nearly all of the larger predators at bay, because they didn''t want to tangle with one of the largest creatures in the sea.¡± ¡°Is that all you''re worried about?¡± Ren asked and chuckled. ¡°Give me a few minutes.¡± ¡°A few minutes for what?¡± ¡°You''ll see.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Be right back.¡± Railyse and her mother watched Ren swim over to a bare spot in the arena and take out a cube. He looked at it for a minute, then a golden platform appeared. ¡°He''s making something else!¡± Someone said. Ren chuckled as he made a Necklace of Air and absorbed the enchantment from it, then used Double Infusion to add it to the cube. He activated it and a 30 foot tall tower appeared, completely surrounded by air. Everyone watched Ren go inside and shut the door. He came back out several minutes later and deactivated the tower and stored the cube, then swam over to Railyse. ¡°I''ve done something like this before, and it worked like a charm.¡± Ren said, and took out a 5 foot wide lump of metal. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°One of my constructs.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to bind it to you and let it protect the Sea Dwellers in the giant octopus'' place.¡± ¡°I don''t see how this little thing can do that.¡± Railyse said. ¡°But, you haven''t lied about what it can do, so I trust you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Then put your hand on it and we can get started.¡± Railyse touched the cold metal, and Ren put a hand on hers. His was almost blisteringly hot in comparison, and her eyes widened as he also put a hand on her forehead. ¡°Concentrate. Think about what it is you need a constant protector to do.¡± Ren said. Railyse closed her eyes and thought about what she wanted. Scare predators away. Defend the people. Attack when necessary. Be strong, brave, and cavalier. She opened her eyes in surprise, because she had just described in her head what she wanted as a partner, as well as a protector for the people. Her eyes fell upon Ren, and his hands glowed as did the lump of metal they touched. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Ren said and took his hand away from her forehead and added a pile of platinum coins, a wand, and more Mana than she had ever felt before. The lump of metal glowed brightly for several minutes, and then the glow dissipated. The eyes on the sides of the metal octopus construct''s head opened to reveal red diamonds, and the 8 tentacles unfurled as the mantle expanded to its full size. The odd thing was, the octopus also had a large pair of arms that could hold weapons much better than tentacles could alone. ¡°Wh-what is it?¡± The old Queen asked. ¡°It''s exactly what Railyse wanted.¡± Ren said and smiled as the small metal octopus floated up to give Railyse a hug with it''s two real arms, then it used the water jet engine that Ren and the dwarves had designed to shoot itself up into the water above the Colosseum. It stopped there and used its inherent spell to enlarge itself and grew to be slightly larger than the giant octopus. It waved to the shocked people below it, then it swam out to the edge of the Sea Dweller''s living area to begin it''s patrol. Chapter 582 - Spawned! ¡°I did not just see that!¡± Several Sea Dwellers exclaimed as the giant metal octopus with 2 human arms swam away. ¡°Ren, what just happened?¡± Railyse asked, and lightly touched her heart. ¡°I can... there''s... I can feel it.¡± ¡°It will stay loyal to you and will protect your people to the best of it''s ability, which is quite substantial.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I don''t know if it will want to participate in tournaments from now on, though. You''ll have to ask it yourself.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I know I was a little hasty in removing the giant octopus; but, since she was going to lay waste to everything before leaving anyway, I figured taking her out gently was a better solution.¡± Railyse was surprised that sweat didn''t bead on his forehead because he was exaggerating. He''s not exaggerating. She thought. ¡°Then, I suppose I won''t censure you for taking it away.¡± ¡°I hope not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Accepting the 6 months is cutting it close for me as it is.¡± ¡°Adventurer business?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Once I leave here, I''ll have just enough time to get back to my county so I can leave again.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Everything is always ''hurry up and do this!''.¡± Railyse nodded. ¡°I''ve noticed that about you.¡± ¡°As have hundreds of others.¡± The old Queen said and pointed. Ren and Railyse looked to where the protesters were, and they had quadrupled in numbers. Surprisingly enough, there were even males in the group. ¡°Some of those are the participants.¡± Teepo commented. Huh. Ren thought. Go figure. ¡°You did save their lives.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That kind of sways a person''s opinion.¡± That''s true. Ren smiled. ¡°Well, they can protest as much as they want, because you have the real winners right there.¡± He said and pointed to the 7 remaining participants. ¡°Actually, only 2 of them qualified as facing the giant octopus and escaping.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°You don''t mean the two I told to cut themselves out of their armor, do you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But, the event was over when I rescued them.¡± Ren said. ¡°They were still conscious before that.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°According to the rules, they faced the fiercest creature of the deep and survived.¡± ¡°So, who came out on top?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The one with the most eel kills, and showed gallantry as he saved his fellows from them.¡± Railyse said, and floated up slightly. ¡°Everyone, thank you for coming and witnessing this spectacle of epic proportions.¡± The crowd cheered, and she raised her hands to quiet them. ¡°After a short deliberation, it has been determined that (gurgle bubble gurgle) is the winner.¡± The 6 other participants congratulated (gurgle bubble gurgle) and he graciously accepted their praise. The old Queen floated up beside her daughter. ¡°As the winner, you have earned the privilege to sire the Queen''s spawn.¡± She said. ¡°You may approach and meet her personally.¡± You could see him gather his courage and then he swam slowly to where Railyse floated. He gave her a very deep bow and held a hand out to her. ¡°It is a great honor to meet you, My Queen.¡± (gurgle bubble gurgle) said. ¡°May I ask how long it will be before the official ceremony?¡± ¡°Your joining will take place just before she spawns her eggs, so that everything is official.¡± The old Queen said, and then Railyse staggered slightly and held onto her belly. ¡°M-mother...¡± ¡°Which will be right now.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°Do you promise to honor and cherish the spawn for which you are about to sire, until your dying breath?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Do you promise to put the welfare of the spawn first, then the people second, and the realm third in your priorities?¡± ¡°If the Queen is included in the people part, I do.¡± The old Queen smiled. ¡°Queen (bubble gurgle bubble bubble), do you...¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡± Railyse nearly yelled as she doubled over in pain. ¡°Get... get us to... the royal chambers!¡± ¡°Hurry!¡± The old Queen used her Water Manipulation ability to gently pick Railyse up, and she swam out of the Colosseum. The king went with them, and Ren watched them go. ¡°Ren you have to go, too!¡± Teepo said. ¡°You promised to be there!¡± ¡°Right!¡± Ren said and swam after them with Artemis right behind him, and caught up to them a moment later. Railyse caught sight of him and she smiled sweetly at him, then she winced in pain. ¡°Hey, I can give you something for the pain.¡± ¡°N-no, it''s t-tradition.¡± Railyse said as they entered the castle. ¡°I have to... endure the... PAIN!¡± Ren winced as he felt her emotions, and he took her hand. ¡°Can I at least take some of those emotions from you?¡± Railyse shook her head. ¡°S-same... reason.¡± ¡°Then why am I here, if you don''t want me to help?¡± Ren asked as they entered the royal chambers. ¡°Special... day.¡± Railyse panted. ¡°Wanted... you... love... need...¡± Her words were starting to become incoherent as the special time approached, and Ren glanced at the male Sea Dweller. He was already building the special place for her to lay her eggs.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Hurry up!¡± The old Queen said. ¡°I had this timed perfectly, until someone decided to rescue the giant octopus!¡± ¡°Then let me help.¡± Ren said and took out a crate. Inside were the carcasses of the brain arthropod grubs and the glands that squirted out the numbing gel. He equipped a gauntlet and used his armored hand to grab a gland and stored the crate. ¡°I suspected this might be needed, so I took it out of my storage tower.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± The old Queen asked. ¡°It''s a numbing gel.¡± Ren said. ¡°Railyse is fighting to keep her eggs in until the nest is done, and she''s suffering more pain than she should.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Please, I know it''s against normal procedure, but we''re kind of past that at this point.¡± Railyse was mumbling and crying as her body shook, and the old Queen reluctantly nodded. She pulled open Railyse''s ceremonial dress to reveal the hidden access to her belly and special place. Ren could see that it was distended and dilated, and he carefully squeezed out a tiny bit of numbing gel. It floated in the water, and he used his Water Manipulation ability to gather it up, then pushed it against her special place. Railyse sighed and relaxed, and she stopped trembling as he rubbed it around and covered what he could see. ¡°That... worked very well.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°The healers in the Dwarven Kingdom were trying to figure out the medicinal uses for it.¡± Ren said and stored the gland. ¡°I just found one.¡± The old Queen smiled and turned to the king. ¡°Is it done?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± The king said and stepped away from the well-constructed bowl-like container. ¡°Very good.¡± The old Queen said and used her ability to lift Railyse over to the container. ¡°(bubble gurgle bubble bubble)? It''s time.¡± She said. ¡°You can let them go now.¡± ¡°N-n-no! F-f-feed!¡± Railyse managed to say and opened her mouth to wait. The king quickly stabbed his hand and squeezed his blood into her mouth. After a moment, she started to gag and closed her mouth to spit the blood back out. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± The old Queen asked. ¡°You said you needed to feed!¡± ¡°Bad... bad... want... want...¡± Railyse eyes fluttered as she started to lose consciousness. ¡°It''s me.¡± Ren said as he felt her feelings. ¡°She wants a feeding from me.¡± ¡°That''s not possible.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°Only the king can feed her on spawn day.¡± ¡°I did feed her.¡± The king said. ¡°We have met the requirements, so let him try.¡± The old Queen opened her mouth to protest, and the king turned to Ren and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°If it will help her spawn, do it.¡± The king said. Ren nodded and floated up and took out his hammerpick. ¡°Railyse, open wide.¡± Railyse sighed as her mouth opened up completely, and Ren felt how happy she was. He deactivated his Regeneration and carved a huge chunk of flesh up from his wrist. Blood poured out of him as he gained the Bleeding Profusely condition, and the flesh bobbed in the water as he used his Water Manipulation ability to push all that blood into her mouth. Ren felt her start to come back to herself, and she used her own ability to gather the blood. Ren used Major Healing on himself several times as she took more and more blood, and then suddenly her mouth snapped closed and bit the large chunk of his flesh that was still attached to his arm. ¡°Railyse! Don''t!¡± Ren exclaimed and activated his Regeneration again. ¡°AGH!¡± Railyse tore the chunk of flesh off in a spurt of blood and chewed it up. She swallowed it and sucked in the extra blood. ¡°So good!¡± She said and looked at the king. ¡°Help me.¡± The king nodded and eased her over to the container, and she nodded her approval. ¡°Carefully, now.¡± Railyse said in a normal voice as she squatted over the nest, and then her eggs started to slowly ooze out of her. Ren, Artemis, Teepo, and even Ren''s pet spider watched in amazement as Railyse gave birth to hundreds of eggs that were in a thick gel, and they plopped down onto the well-constructed container. The king gently spread the eggs out to cover the entire surface, and then Railyse winced again. ¡°M-More! I have more!¡± ¡°There''s only one nest!¡± The old Queen said. Ren examined the nest and activated his Craft Wondrous Item platform and tossed in the ingredients that were nearby, and he made another one. ¡°Here!¡± ¡°How did you-¡± The king started to ask and Ren cut him off. ¡°Just use it!¡± Ren said and shoved the nest at him. The old Queen moved the first nest out of the way and Railyse filled the second nest. Ren had a feeling that wasn''t going to be enough, since Railyse''s belly was still bulged slightly, so he quickly made a third nest. The king took it wordlessly and Railyse sighed in relief as she half-filled the third one and her belly was finally empty. ¡°I did it!¡± Railyse said and tried to swim, but her arms and legs wouldn''t work right. ¡°Take it easy.¡± The old Queen said and caught her. ¡°You just...¡± She looked at the 3 nests and shook her head. ¡°I''ve never seen this before.¡± ¡°My Queen is truly special for her to have so many eggs in a single spawn.¡± The king said reverently. Railyse floated a hand near him, and he took it. ¡°You must do your best.¡± ¡°My Queen, I could fertilize 5 nests for you with the way I feel after seeing such a miracle!¡± Railyse smiled warmly at him as sweat beaded on his forehead, and the old Queen eased her daughter out of the room. ¡°I can stay and help.¡± Ren said, and the king looked at him. ¡°She knows you lied, as do I.¡± The king sighed. ¡°I may be able to manage the one full nest and perhaps the partial nest, but not another full nest.¡± ¡°I can use Healing, Regeneration, and Energize on you after the first nest.¡± Ren said. ¡°Um, I''ll leave the room until I''m needed, though.¡± The king chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Give me 10 minutes and come back in.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Ren said and he and Artemis left the royal chambers. Teepo told him when the 10 minutes was up and he went back in to cast the three spells, and the king thanked him profusely. Ren said that he was only there to help and left the room, then repeated the procedure 10 minutes later. Once that was done, he left with Artemis and they went back to their room. When they arrived there, Teepo realized their guide hadn''t followed them since they had left the arena and told them that they no longer had a babysitter. ¡°Now I wonder if he left us alone on his own, or if the old Queen told him to leave us alone.¡± Ren said. ¡°Either way, it doesn''t matter.¡± Artemis said. ¡°The big question is, are we still being observed from the next room?¡± ¡°Let''s find out.¡± Ren said and opened the door to the room, and he led Artemis inside. When they looked around the place, they noticed that the painting on the wall had changed. ¡°I liked the old painting.¡± ¡°Check the mirror.¡± Artemis said. Ren used it to check the room next door. They saw that it was an actual painting and not a one way mirror enchantment or anything. ¡°It seems we are no longer going to be observed against our will.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Oh, no!¡± Ren said in mock horror. ¡°Whatever will we do?!?¡± ¡°We should celebrate our newfound freedom.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Once you check if we are being observed by any means.¡± Ren chuckled at her suspicious mind and asked the mirror, and nothing appeared. ¡°All clear.¡± ¡°Then get that armor off so we can have some fun without having to hide under the covers.¡± Artemis said. ¡°That was kind of fun, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°Having to sneak around and getting away with it, I mean.¡± ¡°We can still do that; but, I want to see and feel you without anything in the way or hampering our movements.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Ren said and stored his armor to leave him in just his underwear. Artemis stepped close and put her hands on his chest, then knelt in front of him and caressed his muscles. ¡°Seeing you like this in the light is so much better.¡± Artemis said. ¡°What are we going to do first?¡± Ren asked, and she smiled as she pulled his underwear down. He was turned on by her confidence and was quite ready. ¡°I told you we have to celebrate.¡± Artemis said as she stared up at him, and pleased him right there. Ren returned the favor not long afterwards, then they moved over to the bed to get more comfortable. After an hour of mutual pleasure and the occasional check to see if anyone was watching, they relaxed and went to sleep. * ¡°I can''t believe you took a feeding from someone other than the king.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°Mother, the king was right.¡± Railyse said as she rested on the bed of seaweed. ¡°He had fulfilled his duty and I needed more. Much, much more.¡± ¡°How was that even possible?¡± The old Queen said. ¡°Ren should have died 6 times over with that much blood loss!¡± Railyse chuckled. ¡°That was the most he had ever fed me at one time; but, I''ve had similar feedings from him before.¡± ¡°You were quite vicious at the end there.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°Why did you eat his flesh like that?¡± Railyse smiled. ¡°I saw that big piece of tempting flesh swaying in the water like a lure as he fed me, and I couldn''t resist biting into it.¡± She rubbed her now flat belly and sighed. ¡°It was so delicious!¡± ¡°I''m glad you didn''t try that with the king.¡± The old Queen said. ¡°I... I wouldn''t have, even if he had done something similar.¡± Railyse said. ¡°After having his blood, I... it was disgusting.¡± She turned her head so she wouldn''t have to look at her mother''s worried face. ¡°Don''t worry, mother. I''m sure with time and practice, I won''t throw up at the awful taste anymore.¡± Chapter 583 - Serving My Time Ren and Artemis saw Railyse the next day when she had requested that they come and see her. She reassured them that she would be fine in a few days, and Ren offered another feeding. Railyse politely declined and said she was still feeling the last one and didn''t need any more. Ren and Artemis left there and went back to the mines to do the day''s work, then came back to the castle. Instead of going right to their room like usual, they took a detour and went to the coral gardens in the back of the castle. They both enjoyed the sights and sounds that they found there, even after they greeted several Sea Dweller fans, and they went back to their room. Two days later, Railyse was up and about and felt fine, and gathered the Sea Dwellers together for the official announcement. She told them about how many nests of eggs she had spawned, which brought everyone to silence, and then she commended her king for managing to fertilize them all. The crowd cheered at that, and the king tried to explain that he had assistance; but, they didn''t want to hear it. The next 5 months in the Water Realm passed by fairly quickly, and every week Ren had travelled out to the giant octopus and gave her food. During the last visit, she refused any food offering and only acknowledged him if he tried to come near the eggs. ¡°I think the eggs are almost ready to hatch.¡± Teepo suggested, and then they saw the giant octopus shiver slightly. She moved off the perch she had maintained for 5 months, and looked at her eggs expectantly. Three of them trembled as the contents tried to break free. Then three more, and then a dozen trembled. Ren could feel how happy she was that it was finally happening. The first egg broke open and the tiny little tentacles pushed and pulled the shell away. The octopus popped out and inflated its mantle, the sack on top of its head, several times. More eggs broke open and they did the same thing, and Ren felt the giant octopus as she resigned herself to her fate. ¡°No.¡± Ren said and tried to go near her, and she held him off with a tentacle. ¡°Please, don''t give up! Look at what you did!¡± The giant octopus looked upon her children and felt proud that she had accomplished her life''s work, then she sighed and laid down beside the nest. ¡°Please, don''t!¡± Ren said, and tears came to his eyes. ¡°Don''t do this!¡± The tentacle holding him at bay reached up and stuck to his face for a moment. Ren felt her gratitude for him, and then the tentacle pulled away as it lost motor function. ¡°N-no!¡± Ren said and grabbed the tentacle, but it was limp and unresponsive. He felt her feelings start to fade away as she died, and he held the tentacle up to his face. ¡°Stay just a little while longer! Watch them swim, at least! Please!¡± Ren felt a feeling from her that was akin to ''it doesn''t matter'', and then the giant octopus was no more. In the next moment, the first baby octopus pushed off from it''s egg and floated in the water, then the current pushed it. It swam against it for a moment, then swam with it. It propelled itself quite fast, and Ren was about to shout at it to watch out, then it slammed into the side of the nest and squished itself. ¡°By the gods, no!¡± Ren exclaimed as ten more lifted off, and he used his Water Manipulation ability to change where the water current pushed them. ¡°Ren, you can''t interfere like that.¡± Teepo said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°If they don''t learn to do it for themselves, then they won''t survive once they leave the nest. If there''s something I''ve learned about sea life, it''s that it''s harsh. Much harsher than anything else.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Plus, I don''t think there''s enough resources to support a hundred giant octopuses.¡± Ren opened his mouth to refute it, but he knew his friend was telling the truth, so he eased the use of his Water Manipulation ability and let the babies try their best to swim in the current. Out of the ten of them, only 3 of them managed to make it over to their mother''s dead body and tucked themselves inside, while the other seven met the same fate as the first one and squished themselves on the side of the nest. ¡°It''s such a waste.¡± Ren said. ¡°She did all that work to keep them all safe, and most of them will die.¡± ¡°It''s not a waste, even if only one survives.¡± Artemis said. ¡°That''s life. You can only do so much for your children, then you have to let them take their chances.¡± ¡°But... but, I... I don''t want them to die.¡± Ren said, sadly. Another group floated up into the current and several of them were lost right away, one made it over to the mother, and one managed to swim right over to Ren, even though he was quite a bit farther away than the giant octopus'' corpse. ¡°Hey, you.¡± Ren said, and the baby octopus swam up and landed on his face. It splayed out its tentacles so that it could press its beak to his cheek, and then it tried to bite him several times. ¡°Aww, it must think you''re the corpse of its mother.¡± Teepo said, because he had seen the others do that motion to her. ¡°That... that means she chose to die... so she could feed them without leaving the nest.¡± Ren said, then very carefully plucked the baby octopus from his cheek and went over to the giant octopus. He placed the baby on her limp body where the other babies had gone. The baby assumed the same position with the splayed tentacles, and Ren saw it bob up and down slightly as it ate. ¡°We better get back before we''re missed.¡± Artemis said, and Ren nodded. They travelled back to the castle and Ren finished out the last few days of his sentence in the mines. When he was done of his last day and had slept for the night, he was called before the Queen to the throne room. The courtyard outside was filled with Sea Dwellers that cheered and hollered to him, and he waved as he passed. When he and Artemis entered the throne room, he saw that Railyse sat on the bench that was the throne, and her king sat beside her. She wore a large dress that seemed a bit too big on her, and held a 3 pronged trident. The room was filled to overflowing with Sea Dwellers, just like the courtyard outside had been, except they were completely quiet. ¡°King Ren, I and my kingdom thank you for your service, to both the kingdom as a whole and to the king and myself personally.¡± Railyse said, regally. ¡°You served your time with us without complaint and even improved our mining techniques a thousandfold.¡± She said. ¡°Your aid in the royal chambers on my spawn day, was far above and beyond what you were required to do, and we are all grateful.¡± A low cheer came from the gathered Sea Dwellers, and she raised her hands to quiet them.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°I hereby declare your sentence complete.¡± Railyse said. ¡°You may leave this realm when you wish, and you will take our thanks with you.¡± Ren gave her a regal bow, and the crowd erupted with cheers. Railyse and the king stood up and floated over to him. This was the cue for everyone to mingle if they wanted, and talk immediately began between Sea Dwellers about the future of the kingdom. ¡°It seems your popularity has grown since the tournament.¡± The king said. ¡°I don''t know why.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t done anything since then.¡± Railyse smiled. ¡°I believe it''s the constant reminder of your abilities that (gurgle bubble) provides.¡± ¡°Is that what you called it?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Megapus?¡± ¡°It''s a mechanical octopus that can change it''s size at will.¡± The king said. ¡°The Queen chose an appropriate name.¡± ¡°I laughed because the translation to Adventurer language... never mind.¡± Ren said. ¡°How are the younglings?¡± ¡°Why don''t you ask them yourself.¡± Railyse said. ¡°Little ones, you can come out now.¡± Ren was surprised when he heard hundreds of bubbles and gurgles from Railyse, then her dress opened up to reveal all of her children as they floated around her legs. No wonder her dress is oversized. Ren thought. ¡°Ren! It''s all of them!¡± Teepo exclaimed. ¡°Unlike the octopus, all of the eggs hatched and all of the children survived!¡± Ren knelt on one knee to get a closer look at them. The children were almost like a tadpole; with a normal head, a big tail, and stubby arms. He blinked his eyes at the sight and looked up at Railyse, and she smiled as she felt his awe. ¡°It''s just the first stage.¡± Railyse said. ¡°It will be another month before the tail drops off and legs start to grow.¡± She rubbed a hand from her chest to her navel. ¡°My extra mammary glands will have fully developed by then and I can start giving them proper feedings.¡± ¡°E-extra m-mammary g-glands?¡± Ren asked with a studder. Railyse laughed as she felt his strong desire for her. ¡°If I had mentioned this beforehand, would it have changed your mind?¡± She asked and cupped the side of his face. ¡°Maybe.¡± Ren said and grinned, then sweat beaded on his forehead. ¡°Okay, no. I can''t even joke about that.¡± Railyse laughed again and let his face go. ¡°It''s quite the sight, having so many feedings at once.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Ren said and looked at the king. ¡°You did a great job bringing them all into the world. Congratulations.¡± ¡°It wouldn''t have been possible without you, my friend.¡± The king admitted and put a hand on Railyse''s shoulder, to show that she shared his opinion. ¡°You were an integral part in the whole thing, and I don''t believe that either I or the Queen would have fared nearly as well without you there to support us.¡± ¡°I''m just glad that I could help.¡± Ren said as he stood up. ¡°I would like nothing more than to stick around and see your children grow, but I have Adventurer business I need to attend to.¡± Railyse felt disappointment that he wouldn''t be there for the first feeding, and Ren took her hand. ¡°You understand now, don''t you? You would feel this all the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have no choice in leaving, and you would hate me for missing out on everything.¡± Railyse sighed. ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± ¡°As long as you know that I regret I won''t be here for all of their firsts, too.¡± Ren said, gave her hand a kiss and let it go, then held a hand out to the king. ¡°Your Highness, be good to them and raise them to the best of your ability. Not only is that your job, it''s your responsibility.¡± The king took his hand and shook it. ¡°It''s also a privilege.¡± ¡°That goes without saying.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Good luck to the both of you, and to the kingdom.¡± ¡°Thank you, King Ren.¡± Railyse said. ¡°It''s just Ren.¡± Ren said. ¡°You only have to call me king when I''m angry at you.¡± Railyse smiled and nodded slightly. ¡°Safe journey, Ren.¡± ¡°Safe everything, Your Highness.¡± Ren said. He gave her and the king another regal bow, then he and Artemis floated out of the castle. They were greeted with cheers and hollers, and Ren noticed the group of protesters that had been at the tournament. He floated over to them, and they quieted down. ¡°I hope you aren''t still protesting.¡± Ren said to the female Sea Dweller he had given the bracer to. ¡°It''s been 5 months.¡± She chuckled. ¡°No, we aren''t protesting anything. We just... well, once we got to talking we discovered we all had a lot in common, so we stayed together.¡± ¡°That''s great.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''m glad I was the reason you all became friends.¡± ¡°As are we.¡± She said. ¡°Before you go, there''s something... well...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°There''s been stories about a Land Dweller being here a thousand years ago. He met and stayed with a Sea Dweller and lived his life with her. I didn''t understand how that was possible, until I met you.¡± ¡°You don''t know if they had children, do you?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. ¡°That''s too bad. I would have liked to meet his descendants.¡± ¡°You... knew him?¡± She asked, surprised. ¡°I was here when he chose to stay behind.¡± Ren said. ¡°He was the head engineer on my ship at the time. I won''t go into the details of why we came here that first time, though.¡± Her hand reached out and touched his face. ¡°You were so sad.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I can relive it like it just happened, and I don''t want to right now.¡± ¡°Then let me distract you.¡± She said and leaned forward and opened her mouth, then pressed her teeth into his cheek. Ren deactivated his Regeneration for a few moments so that she could get a good taste of his blood. She kissed and licked the wound for a moment, then leaned back and smiled at her mark. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wanted to show you that you would be a fine mate, even if spawning isn''t possible.¡± Ren reactivated his Regeneration and her teeth marks faded away, and he gave her cheek a kiss in return. ¡°Be safe and take care.¡± ¡°And you, King Ren.¡± Ren and Artemis floated up above the courtyard where the crowd had gathered, and Ren used the All-Seeing Mirror as he checked the pool in the county. He saw that Lylyth''s giant spider familiar was still there waiting for them, and he smiled. ¡°Time to go.¡± Ren said and cast the portal spell. ¡°Goodbye!¡± ¡°Bye!¡± ¡°Hey! You didn''t give me a kiss goodbye!¡± Ren chuckled at the last comment and waved to the Sea Dwellers. He took Artemis'' hand as Teepo dissolved into the Beetle Crown ring, then they went through the portal together. They appeared on the other side and Ren received several popups. He dismissed them without reading them, because they blocked his field of view, and saw Lylyth''s familiar. Ren dismissed the portal they had come through and pointed up, and they all left the water. Once they were beside the pool, Ren summoned Teepo again and stepped close to the giant spider. ¡°Thank you for sticking around for so long.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have been back a lot sooner; but, I ended up having to serve a 6 month sentence for kidnapping.¡± The giant spider clicked it''s mandibles, and Ren nodded. ¡°Yes, that always seems to happen when I go somewhere.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you need me to cast a portal for you?¡± A moment later a portal appeared beside the spider, and it used it''s front four limbs to expand it out to a big enough size for it to fit through. ¡°Thank you very much for your help.¡± Ren said. The spider used a leg to pat him on the shoulder, stepped through the portal, and it disappeared. Ren picked up his pet spider from his shoulder and spoke to it. ¡°My Queen, thank you for lending me your familiar. It was invaluable in helping me, and I will make you something soon to show my appreciation.¡± The tarantula reached up and pet his cheek, and Ren smiled and put it back on his shoulder, then Ren and Artemis ran over to the warehouse and came to a stop just outside of it. He took two steps up into the air and gave her a kiss right on the lips, much to her surprise. Artemis had expected him to go back to keeping his distance, and she was quite happy that wasn''t going to be the case. ¡°I''ll see you when I get back.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is this where I joke and say, ''not if I see you first?''.¡± Artemis asked. ¡°That''s not a fair comparison. You can just come into the room and see me whenever you want.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t do thaaaat.¡± Artemis said and rolled her eyes, then gave him a wink. Ren chuckled and gave her a hug and another quick kiss, then he ran across the road to the Main House and went inside. He went up the stairs and into the apartment, and the maids were there waiting for him. ¡°Hey, you didn''t have to wait up.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course we did.¡± Frikara said. ¡°You always come home to us, so we will always be here waiting for you when you do.¡± ¡°Unless we go with you.¡± Andrela said. ¡°Then we won''t have to wait. We''ll already be with you.¡± Ren smiled and gave her a kiss, and let her feel how much he missed seeing her face every night. She gasped at the strong emotion, and wrapped her arms around him. She let him go a moment later, then gave him a kiss on the cheek. ¡°You can tell us all about it when you get back.¡± Andrela said, and he felt agreement from the others. ¡°I will.¡± Ren said and gave each of them an appropriate kiss, then equipped his special bodysuit and laid down on the side of the large bed. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± ¡°Not if we see you first.¡± Frikara said and laughed. Ren chuckled because Artemis just made the same joke. ¡°Logout.¡± Chapter 584 - Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner Ren tried to slip off the headset, but he was still too weak to do it physically. ¡°I''ve got it.¡± Denise said. ¡°Well, you were in a blue screen for a long time.¡± ¡°The pocket realms are like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought you couldn''t enter them.¡± Denise said. ¡°Well, I can''t enter portals made by the realms or their rulers, or be dragged through.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure Max took care of those possibilities, but he didn''t take into account me making my own portal.¡± ¡°That shouldn''t work, though.¡± Denise said. ¡°It''s still a portal into another realm.¡± ¡°So, you won''t accept a reasonable explanation.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Will you accept an unreasonable one?¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°Go ahead and try me.¡± ¡°I was told by a very important person that I could make the Portal Spell work no matter what anyone does to try and stop me.¡± Denise looked at him with an odd expression. ¡°Who is this person?¡± ¡°That I can''t tell you.¡± Ren said. ¡°If anyone knew I''d talked to him directly, well... it might be bad for him, and definitely bad for everyone that plays the game.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Denise asked. ¡°You''re terrible at lying, and keeping a secret is a form of lying.¡± ¡°Only if asked about it.¡± Ren grinned at her, and she laughed. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I just spent 6 months in a Sea Dweller mine, so I''m feeling kind of grimy.¡± ¡°You WHAT?¡± Ren laughed at her shocked face. ¡°I''m kidding. I don''t feel grimy.¡± He said. ¡°Help me into the wheelchair, so we can go down to the dining room and eat with everyone.¡± Denise was pretty sure he wasn''t kidding about the 6 months part. ¡°We... we were all going to come up here...¡± ¡°No, the table in the big dining room is much better.¡± Ren said and eased himself over to the edge of the bed. ¡°Chair, please.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Denise said and helped him into it, then took him downstairs in the elevator to the ground floor. She pushed him across the house to the kitchen and they met Barbara, Stella, and Donald. ¡°He says he wants to eat with everyone in the dining room.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Elise said as she came out of the office. She walked over to him and bent down to give him a kiss. Barbi came out of the office behind her. ¡°I''m glad you''re feeling well enough for that.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I figured I needed to get up and around as much as I can, to try and get my strength back.¡± ¡°You''re so strong already.¡± Barbi said, and Ren could see that she had been crying. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Ren asked. ¡°M-me?¡± Barbi asked, a little surprised. ¡°I''m f-fine.¡± Ren closed his mouth to stop from laughing, but Elise couldn''t hold it and barked a laugh. ¡°What''s funny?¡± Barbi asked, and Elise had to explain it to her. ¡°Really? I didn''t know it was an acronym.¡± ¡°It''s not all the time, but it fits now, doesn''t it?¡± Elise said, and Barbi smiled and nodded. ¡°Since everyone''s ready, I''ll get supper served.¡± Denise said. ¡°Can someone...¡± ¡°I''ve got him.¡± Elise said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Denise said and went to the oven to get the chicken she had cooked for everyone. ¡°I''ll set the table.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ll just stand here and look pretty.¡± Stella joked. ¡°That''s not a hard job.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°Get going, you!¡± Stella said. ¡°Come with me!¡± Ren reached out dramatically. ¡°It''s so far to go!¡± ¡°It''s like 20 feet.¡± Stella laughed and took his hand. ¡°I wanted to ask if you''ve had any luck contacting Gloria.¡± Ren said and she sighed. ¡°I guess that''s a no.¡± ¡°She''s not answering her phone or my texts.¡± ¡°I hope everything is okay.¡± Ren said. Elise pushed him into the dining room while he talked to Stella. ¡°I''m sure she''s just busy, or she left her phone somewhere.¡± ¡°I hope it''s that simple of an explanation.¡± Elise said. ¡°With the way things have been going lately, and with... with everything Ren said...¡± ¡°I should tell you not to let that color your judgment, but it''s going to no matter what I say.¡± Ren said, and she looked down at him with wide eyes. ¡°Even telling you that I''m still me and that I love you, won''t change what you think about what I went through.¡± ¡°Ren, you don''t have to...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said and pat her hand with his free one, because he still had a hold of Stella''s hand. ¡°You know that old saying about people not talking about the elephant in the room?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I don''t want the elephant''s poop to drown us before we talk about it.¡± Stella snorted a laugh, and Ren smiled. ¡°Plus, there''s other stuff I need to discuss with you.¡± ¡°Just me?¡± Elise asked. ¡°With all the women in my life, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s getting harder to get you all together at once, though.¡± ¡°You might want to stop picking them up like stray puppies, then.¡± Donald said as he entered the dining room and sat down with a handful of silverware. ¡°Donald!¡± Barbara said as she set down the dishes.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°What? It''s true.¡± Donald said. ¡°I know he''s cute and all, but damn.¡± He looked at Stella, Elise, and Barbi; then Denise entered the room with a covered tray. ¡°He must have something going for him that I just don''t see, because it doesn''t make sense for him to have so many beautiful women around him all the time.¡± All of their faces flushed red, even Barbi''s. ¡°You all go out of your way to help and protect him as much as you can, too.¡± Donald said. ¡°You even gathered together to make a stable home life for him.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve never seen any of you fight with each other, though.¡± ¡°That''s because women handle things differently than men.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him. ¡°They handle it discreetly, usually away from men''s eyes, if there''s a conflict that concerns him.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Stella asked. ¡°It''s part of the ''protecting me'' part Donald mentioned.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know some of you fight; but, you usually do it away from where I can see and hear it, so it doesn''t cause me any stress for putting you into the same house together.¡± ¡°You''re a lot smarter than your IQ tests show.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Those tests are old and completely biased.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I hadn''t had any exposure to normal things until I was 12, so I had no references for most of the common questions.¡± He said. ¡°Plus, I was pretty traumatized at the time.¡± Stella, Denise, and Barbara exchanged glances, then looked at Ren. ¡°Yes, I can remember taking it. I don''t really want to take another one; but, I''m pretty sure Stella is going to work one into my next VR medical research test.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You do know me well.¡± Stella smiled back. ¡°You see that interaction?¡± Donald asked. ¡°I''ve been trying to fit you into the standard family model, and the farthest I''ve gotten is Barbara as the mother.¡± ¡°Donald, we can talk about this later.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Why? It''s still going to be the same conversation later, just with less people around.¡± Donald grinned. ¡°The rest of you I can only class as wives... in reference to Ren, I mean.¡± ¡°What about in reference to each other?¡± Elise asked. ¡°To each other?¡± Donald pointed at Stella and Elise. ¡°Respected colleagues and becoming close friends.¡± He pointed at Stella and Denise. ¡°Sisters, with a bit of jealousy mixed in.¡± ¡°I''m not jealous.¡± Denise said, and Donald smiled. ¡°Lisa''s not here, but I have her pegged. She''s as close to a female Ren as anyone can get. You all are starting to treat her the same way, and she''s becoming a little wife to you all, including Ren.¡± ¡°And Gloria?¡± Ren asked. ¡°She''s a square peg in a round hole.¡± Donald said. ¡°She fits just fine, but there''s a lot of room for her to move around in.¡± Ren smiled, because he remembered using the same analogy to describe her. ¡°You do your old job justice, sir.¡± ¡°Not yet I haven''t.¡± Donald said. ¡°You need to get better before I can do that.¡± ¡°I''ll do my best.¡± ¡°I know you will.¡± Donald said. ¡°Maybe by then we can figure out what roles to call everyone.¡± ¡°Actually, I think you got it right the first time.¡± Ren said and looked at Barbara. ¡°I have a mother who loves me as a mother should...¡± He looked at Stella, Elise and Denise. ¡°...and women who can easily fill the role of a wife.¡± Their faces flushed red again, and Denise finished adding food to the plates Barbara had set out for everyone. ¡°We should eat, and maybe this awkward conversation will die a nice quick death.¡± Denise said, and everyone laughed. ¡°I feel a little left out, since I don''t fit any of the descriptions of a family member.¡± Barbi said as she started to eat. ¡°You haven''t been around long enough to find a role, let alone fit a description of one.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s too soon to try and mold yourself into something, when you probably don''t know what it is you want to do.¡± He smiled. ¡°Believe me, you don''t want to chose a role and realize you messed up, then get stuck playing that role for a long time.¡± ¡°Yeah, you really don''t want that to happen.¡± Denise said a little morosely, and Stella pat her shoulder. ¡°We''ve all been trying to find our way as best we can, so we can''t expect you to be any different.¡± Stella said and sat down. ¡°Of course, this is assuming Ren has any kind of romantic feelings towards you.¡± She said and started to eat. ¡°If he does, then we can start worrying about trying to integrate you into our dynamic.¡± Everyone turned and looked at Ren, and he could see the expectation in their eyes. He knew they fully expected him to declare her a part of their family and to accept her. Ren held up both hands in a clear stop gesture. ¡°Barbi just started coming around here, so no one should expect me to develop feelings for her so soon.¡± Barbi averted her gaze when Ren tried to look at her. ¡°I''m not saying it won''t happen, especially if you stick around and help out as much as Elise says you do; but, I don''t know you very well, Barbi. It takes time to get to know people well enough to accept them into your life.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I haven''t seen any of you in 6 virtual months.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Elise asked, surprised. ¡°I returned Railyse, the Sea Dweller''s Ambassador to the Land Dwellers, to the Water Realm.¡± ¡°But... that doesn''t...¡± ¡°Well, I did it against her will because she wanted to stay with me. When we got there, the Queen wasn''t the Queen anymore, so I had to keep Railyse safe by holding her. I defeated the current Queen and took control of the realm, which meant Railyse was safe. I freed her and she attacked me, which let her take control of the realm from me.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Long story short, Railyse is the new Queen. She charged me with kidnapping her and sentenced me to 6 months of hard labour in the mines.¡± ¡°Good god, you and your flipping mines!¡± Elise exclaimed. Ren laughed. ¡°It''s a lot better than sitting in a cell and doing nothing.¡± ¡°According to you.¡± Stella said and smiled. ¡°Well, yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, that''s not all that happened.¡± ¡°This should be a good story.¡± Denise said. ¡°Go ahead and tell it.¡± ¡°Keep eating, all of you.¡± Ren said and took another bite of food, then waggled his fingers in the air. ¡°I will reveal all the mystical splendor as the meal progresses!¡± That made several of them laugh, and while everyone ate, he told them all about his adventures in the Water Realm. * Gloria was currently in technology tinkerer heaven. She had received a call from a representative of what she thought of as one of the major players in the microchip industry the day before and had spend all day researching it. The call had been completely out of the blue, or so she thought. It wasn''t until she had arrived at the company the next day and was being given the grand tour of one of the test labs, that her guide had let it slip that the Dean of Sciences at her college had praised her work to the head of the company. Gloria felt nothing but grateful to the man after the incident with her college professor, and hearing that his words about her had gotten her an exclusive look into the industry she has had her eye on since she was young, propelled the man to a much greater height in her appreciation of him. ¡°This is the new chip design for next year''s tech competition.¡± The guide said and pointed into the clean room. ¡°I don''t feel guilty showing you this, because none of the new innovations we''ve made have been added in yet.¡± ¡°Do I need to ask why it''s nearly a foot across?¡± Gloria asked, and he chuckled. ¡°We always work in a macro-scale at first, so we can work out the proper pathways.¡± The guide said. ¡°If we tried to lay down the electron paths in actual scale without testing it first...¡± ¡°Oh! You did that, didn''t you?¡± Gloria asked and grinned. The man nodded. ¡°It wrecked a whole line of chips because we had inadvertently touched two of the pathways by accident, and no one caught it until we tried to test it.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Did you have to go all the way back to the drawing board to find the fault?¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± The guide said. ¡°It set us back almost 2 months, and it pushed back the release of the chip by almost 6 months by the time we had it all set up properly and started production.¡± ¡°What... what did that cost the company?¡± Gloria almost whispered the question, because she knew a delay of half a year affected a lot more things than just the product you were currently making. ¡°Three techs and an executive lost their jobs, and the company lost about 30 million dollars.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± The guide said. ¡°It hasn''t happened once since we started working in larger scale first and then miniaturizing.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± ¡°You should be.¡± The guide said and walked down the hallway to a door and opened it. ¡°I''m hoping you''ll be a valuable asset to the tech construction team.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Gloria turned and looked at the man before stepping into the room. ¡°I thought this was just a tour of the facilities.¡± ¡°It is just a tour of the facilities.¡± The guide said and motioned into the room. ¡°The interview doesn''t begin until right now.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Please have a seat, Ms. Rayford.¡± The guide said, and Gloria walked into the room and sat in the chair in front of the desk. ¡°I''ve looked over your resume and your qualifications, and I have to say I''m impressed.¡± ¡°S-sir? How did you... I didn''t bring...¡± ¡°Relax, Ms. Rayford.¡± The guide chuckled. ¡°I''m one of the peers that reviews the medical research grants at the university.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Gloria thought. That makes sense. ¡°As I was saying, with your work on the grant and your exemplary work on that course project, you''ve caught my attention.¡± The guide said. ¡°That doesn''t happen very often, so when it does, I don''t waste any time.¡± ¡°Waste any time on what?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°I want to offer you a job.¡± Gloria blinked her eyes for several moments and just stared at the man. ¡°But... I thought... you were just a guide.¡± The man laughed. ¡°I''m glad you have a sense of humor.¡± He said. ¡°Just because I wouldn''t trust anyone but me to take someone on a tour, doesn''t mean I''m only the guide.¡± ¡°Then who are you?¡± Gloria was almost sure he was a recruitment officer, or at least a department head, and that made her nervous because she hadn''t been on her best behavior today. ¡°My name is Barley Bitterdew, and I own this company.¡± Oh, my GOD! Gloria thought as her mouth dropped open in shock. Chapter 585 - Waiting With Denise ¡°S-sir! I''m so sorry for how I''ve been acting!¡± Gloria said. ¡°I thought you were just some guy tasked with taking people around the labs to show off the company.¡± ¡°...and you treated me like I was that guy.¡± Barley Bitterdew said. ¡°It was quite refreshing, actually.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Barley smiled warmly at her. ¡°People treat you differently if they know beforehand that you''re worth millions of dollars, so I always try and keep that a secret for as long as I can. Then I can surprise people and gauge their reactions.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°You''re wondering how I''m gauging yours?¡± Barley asked, and she nodded. ¡°Quite genuine, and I think you hate it a little.¡± ¡°A lot, actually.¡± Gloria said and clamped her mouth shut. ¡°No, don''t do that.¡± Barley said. ¡°If you''re going to work for me, don''t try to restrain yourself when I''m around.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I have too many people that do that to me already.¡± Barley said. ¡°Don''t hold back. Tell me what you think.¡± Gloria sat there and didn''t say anything, and he smiled. ¡°I see you removed your jewellery.¡± Barley said, immediately touching upon a sensitive subject. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°I wanted to make a good impression.¡± Gloria said in a flat tone. ¡°Ha.¡± Barley said. ¡°Now tell me the real reason.¡± ¡°I hoped to go into a clean room, and I can''t do that with everything on.¡± Gloria admitted. ¡°Good! You have your priorities straight.¡± Barley said. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°You only changed your appearance for practical reasons. I like that.¡± Barley said and stood up. ¡°Come with me.¡± Gloria stood up and followed the owner of the company out of the room and back down the hallway, then she was surprised when he held open the door to the clean room. ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°Well, get in.¡± Barley said. ¡°I can''t hold the door all day.¡± Gloria entered the small room and he entered behind her and opened a closet. He handed her a thin outer suit to slip on over her clothing, and he grabbed one himself. He opened it up and stepped into it. It already had little booties attached to cover his shoes, and he pulled the covering up to his waist. ¡°Don''t just stand there.¡± Barley said and slipped his arms inside. ¡°I can''t open the inner door if you don''t get dressed.¡± Gloria did as he said and slipped it on, and he handed her a big plastic hair net. ¡°You''re going to look like a chef wearing this.¡± Barley said and smiled. ¡°Don''t get angry if you hear cooking jokes.¡± Gloria smiled and put it on, and because of her partially shaved head on one side and her hair fluffed over the other, it did look like a chef''s hat tilted to the side when she looked at it in the mirror. ¡°These are just general use.¡± Barley said and put one on himself. ¡°We have custom ones made for people using them every day.¡± Gloria accepted the thin rubber gloves he handed her and slipped them on. He checked that she had everything covered and nodded, then hit a big red button by the inner door. The sound of an industrial fan started below their feet, then they were hit by a huge blast of air from above. It only lasted a second, and then the inner door opened. ¡°Welcome to Engineer''s Paradise.¡± Barley Bitterdew said and motioned at the room. Gloria smiled at his dramatic declaration and went inside. * Ren and the others had finished eating a while ago, but he was still telling his story. He had just finished the part about the giant octopus giving up her life for her babies, and he had all the women in tears. Even Donald looked to be on the verge, and had nodded several times as Ren described letting the babies fend for themselves. ¡°That''s the best way, son.¡± Donald said. ¡°Your friend Teepo was right. If they can''t handle the little things now, they won''t handle the big things later.¡± ¡°Little things?¡± Barbi asked, her face tear streaked and mascara stained. ¡°They were killing themselves!¡± ¡°No, they weren''t.¡± Donald said. ¡°What they were doing was trying to gain the strength to swim in a very light current. When some of them decided that they couldn''t and went with it...¡± ¡°That sounds so callus.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Like they didn''t matter because they weren''t strong enough to swim on their own.¡± Donald, in a rare show of concern, reached across the table and took her hand. ¡°You have to understand that it was a harsh environment. They needed to learn to survive.¡± He said. ¡°That doesn''t apply here in the real world to us.¡± ¡°Actually, it does.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him. ¡°On very rare occasions.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said and put an arm over his shoulder, and leaned in to kiss his forehead. ¡°Just like the baby octopus that made it all the way to you, you made it all the way to us.¡± Ren looked around at their loving faces and smiled. ¡°Yes, I did.¡± On that happy note, Ren finished his story and the impromptu gathering broke up not long afterwards. ¡°I''ll be back in an hour to start my shift.¡± Barbara said and gave Ren a kiss on the cheek. ¡°No real life hanky panky, young man. You need to save your strength.¡± ¡°You know he''s going to try now, just because you told him not to.¡± Donald chuckled and took Barbara''s hand and winked at Ren. ¡°We''ve both got an hour to do our best.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Donald!¡± Barbara exclaimed and swatted him with her free hand. It made everyone laugh, except for Ren. He had his ears covered and eyes squeezed shut. ¡°I did not hear that. I did not hear that.¡± Ren said. He felt a pair of lips kiss his forehead and opened his eyes to see it was Barbara. ¡°He can be a bit too crass sometimes.¡± Barbara said. ¡°See you soon.¡± Ren nodded and they left, as did Stella with the dirty dishes. ¡°I''ve got to go as well.¡± Elise said. ¡°Barbi and I have a few more things to take care of before the evening is over.¡± ¡°I''m sorry my story took a bit longer than I thought it would.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s good enough of a story that you can write a book about it when you go back in the game.¡± Elise said. ¡°What will that be? The fourth or fifth one?¡± ¡°Sixth; if I bother to do it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s just too bad it''s not recorded, because the visuals were fantastic when I was out beyond the settlement.¡± ¡°The player buffers are scrubbed when you''re in the Blue Screen protocol.¡± Elise said. ¡°We can''t even get the data from your side.¡± ¡°Oh, well.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss. ¡°Have fun at work.¡± ¡°I save a ton of money in gas, so it''s always fun.¡± Elise said, and he laughed. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Ren said to her and waved to Barbi as the two women left, which left him all alone with Denise. ¡°Looks like it''s just us.¡± He said and waggled his eyebrows. Denise smiled and came around the table. ¡°It is, but nothing like that is going to happen for another hour.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked as she took control of the wheelchair and pushed him out of the dining room. ¡°You heard me say I haven''t seen any of you in 6 months, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I heard you.¡± Denise said and pushed the button for the elevator. It opened right away, so she pushed him inside and turned the wheelchair around to face the door, then stepped around him to push the button for the second floor. She jumped a little as she felt Ren''s hand touch the inside of her thigh. ¡°Easy, there.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I''m a little glad that I didn''t try for your butt.¡± He said. ¡°You seem awfully skittish.¡± ¡°I... I''m not.¡± Denise said. Ren stopped touching her. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Denise, don''t insult my intelligence.¡± Ren said, and she took a quick breath. ¡°Oh, so that''s it.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Denise asked without turning around. ¡°Does me being smarter change how you feel about me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, of course not.¡± Denise said, and the elevator door opened. She went back behind the wheelchair and pushed him out and over to his bedroom. ¡°You''re still the same Ren.¡± ¡°No, I''m not.¡± Ren said, and she stopped pushing the wheelchair. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Denise, you know as well as I do what it means for me to remember everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Instead of being bits and pieces like I was before, where I was suffering nightmares that were just repressed memories trying to reassert themselves, now I''m complete and whole.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I haven''t had a nightmare since the seizure, either.¡± ¡°Ren that was only yesterday.¡± ¡°For you it was yesterday. For me it''s been... with the time I spent in the Sanctuary with Zetaya and the time I spent in the Water Realm, I''ve been ''myself'' for about 5 years now.¡± Denise''s mouth fell open at this admission, and she stared at him without saying anything. ¡°Help me into bed, please.¡± Ren said. Denise helped him and moved the wheelchair to the side of the room and out of the way. ¡°F-f-five years?¡± She asked as she came back over to the bed. ¡°Now you know why Lisa doesn''t mind only getting a few minutes of my time.¡± Ren said. ¡°A minute of time in the Sanctuary is close to 2 full weeks.¡± ¡°Good lord.¡± Denise said. ¡°But... how...¡± ¡°It took us a while to get used to that much time compression. Once we did, though...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°We can pop into the game and spend a minute of time together whenever we want, and it''s like a 2 week vacation with each other.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Denise looked up at the blank television screen. ¡°If that''s true, then...¡± ¡°No, I won''t subject you to that.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°You''re going to be playing the game for the first time tonight. Even adjusting to that small amount of time compression takes time. Quite a bit of time, in some cases.¡± ¡°Some cases?¡± ¡°I''ve seen messages on the boards about people messing up their days and schedules because they spent too much time playing, then they have to adjust to normal time again.¡± ¡°You don''t seem to have that problem.¡± Denise said. ¡°I did for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°The days just kind of ran together and I didn''t know what day of the week it was.¡± He smiled. ¡°Or cared, really. It''s not like I had anything else to do.¡± Denise didn''t respond, and he chuckled. ¡°Yes, I could have had other ''things'' to do, if I''d known who you were back then.¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°I don''t know if it could have happened, even if we''d both known how...¡± She looked down at him and saw he was quite ready. ¡°Geez, we''re just talking!¡± ¡°Denise, I have a woman right next to me who has a body that is a perfect fit for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just having you in the room with me gets me like this.¡± Denise sighed. ¡°Ren, we can''t do anything. You''re too weak to do much, even if I thought we could get away with something.¡± ¡°Normally I would agree; but, it''s starting to hurt and I need assistance.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Denise looked at Ren with wide eyes. ¡°Stella told me to tell you when I needed relief, and I need relief.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you help me?¡± ¡°Y-yes, of course.¡± Denise said and grabbed a blanket to cover up if she needed it, then eased his pyjama pants and underwear down. She saw it was starting to turn a darker red, and knew he was telling the truth. ¡°I knew you would think I was trying to take advantage of you, so I didn''t mention it until now.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Denise tried to say what she was thinking. ¡°Denise, just say it.¡± Ren said. Denise sighed. ¡°You''re a lot smarter now, just like Barbi said. I''m worried you can manipulate us all into doing whatever you want.¡± Ren took her hand and boldly placed it on himself. ¡°What''s that old saying about trying to herd cats?¡± ¡°It''s impossible.¡± Denise said and started to gently stroke him without thinking about it. ¡°No matter what you do, they ignore you if they can and do what they want.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I could see how much you were struggling against wanting to do this.¡± Denise''s hand moved faster. ¡°Ren, I... you''re too much. I can''t stop thinking about...¡± She looked down at what she was doing, and looked back at his face. ¡°I don''t want to lose myself to how good you feel.¡± ¡°I should say the same thing, but I honestly love that feeling. Having you enjoy me so much while I''m enjoying you so much, just pushes it to a whole new level for me.¡± Ren said and touched the side of her face with a hand. ¡°The look... of pure joy on your face... was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen... and that''s saying something... because I''ve seen Elise naked.¡± Denise smiled at that and knew he was getting close, because he was starting to pant. She kept moving her hand and reached for the bedpan she had emptied and cleaned just before Ren had logged out. When she moved it close to get it ready, she realized that she didn''t want to do that. She moved the bedpan out of the way, and Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Denise?¡± ¡°Close your eyes.¡± Denise almost whispered. Ren knew what that meant, so he closed them immediately. She didn''t like him looking at her when she did things like that. ¡°Darling, I... I won''t fight it anymore.¡± Denise said, and a moment later, he felt her mouth on him. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± Ren yelled and finished immediately. His whole body trembled at the extra attention, and he could hear her moan as she cleaned him up. He relaxed after a few moments, and he kept his eyes closed until she told him it was okay to look. ¡°You''re so obedient.¡± Denise said as she put his clothes back in order. ¡°Thank you for listening to me.¡± Ren took her hand and kissed it. ¡°You and I are going to have so much fun in the game tonight.¡± ¡°Elise told me that being with you was both different and the same.¡± Denise said and smiled. ¡°That was... an awkward conversation for me.¡± Ren let her hand go and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Thank you for taking the time to learn what you could.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°She pretty much blurted it all out when I asked about it.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll take it easy on you.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with a bit of disappointment on her face. ¡°Or maybe not.¡± He said. ¡°Look, I want you to enjoy it, so just tell me what you want me to do and I''ll do it.¡± ¡°So, you''re sticking with the obedience role?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Sticking with it? It''s all I have to offer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want you to be happy, and I''ll do anything I can to achieve that.¡± ¡°You are too good to be true.¡± Denise said and leaned close to give him a kiss. ¡°I seem to hear that a lot.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Did you know that if you hear something enough, you start to believe it''s the truth?¡± Denise asked. Ren started mumbling something, but she couldn''t quite making it out. ¡°What are you saying?¡± Denise asked and turned her head to put her ear next to his mouth. Ren reached up and put his arms around her neck. ¡°You are perfect. You are perfect. You are perfect. You are perfect.¡± Denise blinked her eyes several times to stop tears from forming, then she turned her head and kissed him. Chapter 586 - Exchanging Stories Denise and Ren cuddled in bed together, both still fully dressed, and waited for Denise''s shift to be over. ¡°So...¡± Ren said. ¡°...just the once.¡± ¡°I said I wouldn''t fight this anymore.¡± Denise smiled and ran her hand through his hair. ¡°I didn''t say I''d be all over you constantly.¡± ¡°Is it okay to say that I feel a little disappointed about that?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled. ¡°Even if I''ve devoted myself to you, I''m still my own woman, Ren.¡± Denise said. ¡°I have needs, and wants, and I have a life to live.¡± ¡°What? You''re not going to be my eternal sex slave? Really?¡± Denise laughed. ¡°If anyone other than you said something like that to me, I''d be so angry I could spit.¡± Ren chuckled and lifted his head, kissed the side of her neck, then laid his head back on her shoulder. ¡°That''s because I would never say that in a serious tone or mean it in any way.¡± ¡°You''re not trying to reverse psychology me, are you?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Actually, if it was going to happen in that kind of context, it''s me that wants to be yours.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told you before we started this that you could come to me at any time and do whatever you wanted to me.¡± Denise took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Ren, I... I don''t think I could come into this room at random times and just have sex with you.¡± ¡°I''m glad you feel that way, because it means you care a lot more about me than you want to admit.¡± Ren said, and she turned her head to look at him. ¡°I didn''t mean just sex, though.¡± He said and let his hand rub her belly through her top. ¡°A kiss. A cuddle. A conversation. Everything was on the table.¡± ¡°Like an instant boyfriend.¡± Denise said, and he nodded. ¡°What if someone else was here with you?¡± ¡°You expect me to say, ''it depends on who it is'', don''t you?¡± Ren asked, and she sighed. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then you''re lucky I hold you all in different, but equal, regards.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You are all special to me, in your own way.¡± Ren said. ¡°None of you are higher in rank than the others. In my opinion, that is.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Elise and Lisa are my girlfriends; but, that''s only because it''s what they want to be.¡± Ren said. ¡°It makes them happy that they can be that, and that makes me happy.¡± He smiled. ¡°I still remember the smile Elise gave me the first time I called her my girlfriend, because she lit up the room with it.¡± ¡°You... really remember everything?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then... why do you still want to... I mean, if you can just remember it, why...¡± Ren lifted his head and looked back at her. ¡°Denise, I could have sex with you a thousand times, and I''ll still want to feel what it''s like to be with you.¡± Ren''s words touched her heart, and she gave him a slow and slightly sloppy kiss. ¡°Ren, that''s so sweet of you to say.¡± Denise said. Even if it''s a lie, no one''s ever said something like that to me before. She thought and kept kissing him. There was a quick knock on the bedroom door, and it burst open a second later. ¡°Hey, Ren!¡± Lisa said and shut the door. ¡°God, what a horrible day!¡± Denise and Ren stopped kissing and looked at her. She was already dressed for bed in a pair of jogging pants and a small t-shirt. They could see that she wasn''t wearing a bra as she walked over to the bed. ¡°Can I join you? I really need a cuddle right now.¡± ¡°As long as you''re careful.¡± Denise said and eased back from Ren, then sat up. ¡°He''s still weak from yesterday.¡± ¡°Hey, don''t go.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I didn''t say ''just from Ren'', did I?¡± ¡°But...¡± Lisa looked at the clock. ¡°You''ve only got half an hour before Barbara shows up. Do you have anywhere else to go?¡± Denise smiled. ¡°No, I still have to stay here for Ren.¡± ¡°Then lay back down and cuddle our man.¡± Lisa said and climbed onto the bed. ¡°When I tell you about the day I had, you''re going to want to hold onto something.¡± Denise laid back down and slid in close to Ren and assumed her previous position, and Lisa snuggled up on Ren''s other side. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close, and she put her head on his shoulder. Denise smiled and extended the arm under Ren''s neck to put it under Lisa''s. ¡°Hey, baby.¡± Ren said and kissed Lisa''s cheek. ¡°Tell me all about your day.¡± Lisa sighed contentedly and closed her eyes for a moment, then started to talk. ¡°Mom called me early this morning and asked me to rush over, because she had something important to discuss with me.¡± She said. ¡°Since I thought it was going to be about coming here for supper, I went over right away.¡± Denise and Ren stayed quiet; but, the both of them felt something bad was coming, so they each put a hand on her arm. ¡°When I got there, she had a surprise for me.¡± Lisa said. ¡°My father had come back from one of his ''trips''.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek again. ¡°Please, tell me...¡± ¡°He cleaned himself up this time before coming back.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Even so, you could almost smell it on him.¡± ¡°Then what happened?¡± Denise asked, and caressed her arm. ¡°They started discussing getting back together, and I protested like I always do.¡± Lisa sighed. ¡°It usually works, because I can convince Mom that he hasn''t changed.¡± ¡°But.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, this time my defense about not wanting him in the house was much weaker.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and rubbed her arm as well. ¡°It''s not your fault for getting me out of there.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I was... wasting away there.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Lisa.¡± Denise said. ¡°What happened next?¡± ¡°It was my Mom that let it slip I wasn''t staying there anymore, and Dad... he... he didn''t take it well.¡± Ren stopped rubbing her arm and gripped her shoulder. ¡°Tell me he didn''t take it out on you.¡± ¡°He was relatively sober this time and wasn''t strung out on drugs, so he couldn''t hit me and claim he was impaired.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Unfortunately, that defense didn''t apply to Mom.¡± ¡°Oh, Lisa.¡± Denise said and leaned over Ren to give Lisa a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Lisa was a bit surprised at the show of affection, then she remembered some of what Denise had gone through. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and reached up and cupped the side of Denise''s face. ¡°I managed to stop it before it went too far, but... then the cops showed up.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Denise said. ¡°Why didn''t you call?¡± She asked. ¡°We would have come running!¡± ¡°It was bad enough that I was dragged into that mess. I didn''t want to drag you guys into it, too.¡± Lisa said and let her hand fall to rest on Ren''s chest. ¡°But, that''s what we''re here for.¡± Ren said. ¡°We love you.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Lisa held back her tears, because he had said it for everyone, not just himself. ¡°You''ve been dealing with this on your own all day, and you don''t have to do that anymore.¡± Ren gave her a kiss on the lips. ¡°If you''ll forgive my crassness, when you love someone, you should let them help you deal with your shit.¡± Lisa snorted and clamped her mouth shut to stop from laughing out loud. ¡°Geez, Ren.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°What? It''s true.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Yes, but... never mind.¡± Denise said and looked at the clock. ¡°It''s getting close to shift change.¡± There was a knock on the bedroom door and it opened. ¡°Hey, there!¡± Barbara said. ¡°Just letting you know I''m here a little early, so you can go ahead and get ready for your date.¡± She said. ¡°Hi, Lisa. I''m glad to see you''re back. We all missed you a lot today.¡± ¡°Hi, Barbara.¡± Lisa said as her face flushed red, because she knew Barbara was telling the truth. ¡°It''s really nice to be back.¡± ¡°Did they tell you what happened today?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°No.¡± Lisa said and looked at Ren and Denise. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I''ll tell you about it while Denise gets changed.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s... well, not as bad as what happened to you...¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± Denise fake coughed. ¡°It wasn''t as bad; but, it was also worse.¡± Ren corrected, and Denise nodded. ¡°I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± Denise said, and she left with Barbara. ¡°All right, spill it.¡± Lisa said, and Ren told her about going in to the lawyer''s office to give a deposition. She didn''t think that was a big thing, and then Ren told her about what he had said and described. Her face drained of color as he told her about the lawyer''s reactions and how long it took to tell them everything that he remembered. Which was everything. Lisa let the tears flow as he kept talking, and she started softly kissing his face in different places. Ren finished that story and told her a very condensed version of the Water Realm, and promised to tell her all about it in detail the next time they met at the Sanctuary. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lisa said and kissed him on the lips. ¡°I''m sorry you had to go through that.¡± ¡°I needed to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I remembered everything, I needed to get it all out, just in case something else happens to me and I lose it all again.¡± ¡°You make it sound like you''re expecting it to happen.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It''s because he''s pretty lucid right now.¡± Denise said, and it startled Lisa. ¡°Wh-what? When did you get back?¡± ¡°I tossed my uniform in the laundry, grabbed shorts and a t-shirt, and came right back.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''ve been here the whole time.¡± Ren looked at his watch and saw they were late for the start of the next day. ¡°Crap, we need to log in.¡± ¡°I''ve got my headset ready.¡± Denise said. ¡°How long does it take to set up a character?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lisa?¡± ¡°Maybe 20 minutes.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Assuming you know what you want to be.¡± ¡°Dwarf Amazonian Barbarian.¡± Denise said right away, and Ren and Lisa stared at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That''s really specific.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Well, the class is Barbarian, but I did some research online and found out that you can choose your parent''s lineage.¡± Denise said. ¡°Since I''m short and muscular, I figure I can benefit from both races.¡± ¡°Wait, is Amazonian a race choice?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Lisa and Denise said together. Ren looked from Lisa to Denise and back again. ¡°Why haven''t I heard of this before, and why haven''t I seen anyone like that in the game?¡± ¡°To be honest, you have a very narrow play experience.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Your class limits you a lot more than you realize, and...¡± She stopped talking and sighed. ¡°...I can''t explain.¡± ¡°That''s why I''m supposed to be a part of party, isn''t it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°So I can gain access to normal quests?¡± Lisa didn''t say anything as she nodded, and he thought about what she didn''t say. ¡°That would also mean I''m limited by the quests they have access to as well.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you don''t have a wide variety of people with different races and skills available in your party, you won''t get the quests you can be getting if you did.¡± Lisa smiled and tapped the tip of his nose, and he took that hand and kissed it. ¡°You know, if Denise is going to be a few minutes with her character creation...¡± Ren started to say, and Lisa cut him off. ¡°I''ll meet you in front of the Sanctuary!¡± Lisa said happily and kissed him, then jumped out of bed and ran from the room. ¡°She left so fast that I didn''t even get to grab her cute little butt.¡± Ren said. Denise laughed. ¡°You just lay there you little horn-dog, and I''ll get your VR headset for you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and laid there to wait. Denise got off the bed and grabbed his VR headset and passed it to him, then she leaned over him so she could help him put it on properly. ¡°How''s that? Does it feel good?¡± Ren smiled as his hand reached out and touched her hip, then slid it down and grabbed her butt. ¡°It feels great, thank you.¡± ¡°I meant the headset.¡± Denise said sternly, but it didn''t match her expression. He couldn''t see that she had a big smile on her face. ¡°That, too.¡± Ren said and gave her backside a pat. ¡°You''ll probably start in Aurora, so meet me in the Housing District when you have your character done.¡± ¡°I''ll be waiting.¡± Denise said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°No, you won''t. I''ll be waiting for you, because I can be there in only a couple of minutes, even without riding Princess.¡± ¡°You''re meeting Lisa...¡± Denise prepped everything so that he wouldn''t make a mess while they had fun, and grabbed a towel for herself. ¡°...and you''re forgetting I only need to spend a minute or two with her.¡± Ren said. ¡°I did forget that.¡± Denise said and picked up her own VR headset and laid down beside him, then put it on. She had already gone through the setup and calibrations already, so all she had to do was speak the command words. She moved her hand over to find Ren, and then held his hand. ¡°See you soon.¡± Ren said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± They said together. ******** Ren woke up on the bed with the maids arrayed beside him, and he sat up to look at them. ¡°Even though I see it every time I''m here, it''s still a pleasure to see every time.¡± Frikara smiled at him. ¡°You''re late.¡± ¡°Yeah, my Adventurer business ran over what I had intended.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got that date this morning, too.¡± ¡°Then you better get going.¡± ¡°Not before giving you some attention.¡± Ren said and kissed her lovingly. Frikara couldn''t help but succumb to the feelings he shared with her. His desire for her and to make up for his absence was just what she wanted. Ren gave each of the maids a similar kiss and feelings, and he felt how grateful they were that he cared so much. ¡°I''m the one that''s grateful.¡± Ren said and stood up. Since he already had his special armor bodysuit on, he didn''t have to equip any other clothing. ¡°I''d actually take you with me, but you won''t have anything to do except stand around and look pretty.¡± He smiled. ¡°That job''s way too easy for you all.¡± All the maids laughed. ¡°Go and have fun, and we''ll see you later.¡± Frikara said. ¡°By noon, hopefully.¡± Ren said. ¡°The Sea Dweller''s deadline ends then, and then things should start happening over the next week or so.¡± ¡°You''re going to be busy again?¡± Andrela asked. ¡°Not at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m staying out of it.¡± The maids had mixed feelings about that, as did he. Ren didn''t like having to sit out when he could help; but, which side would he try to help if he did intervene? He honestly didn''t know, because both sides had legitimate claims, and both were stubborn in the defense of those claims. ¡°See you later.¡± Ren said and left to meet Lara, the Sage of Ages, at the Sanctuary down the road. He gathered Artemis from the warehouse first and they met Lara at the door. They went inside for two minutes and came back out, and Lara had her arms around Ren''s neck. ¡°Always remember that I''ll never let you go, no matter what happens.¡± Lara said and kissed him. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said and kissed her back. ¡°Have fun finishing all those quests you sent those Adventurer''s on.¡± He smiled. ¡°It''s funny how the deadline you set for them is the same as the Sea Dweller''s deadline for the Peace Treaty.¡± ¡°Yes, that is funny.¡± Lara said and grinned. ¡°Have fun on your date.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you later.¡± Lara walked back to the Library and Ren and Artemis went over to Princess'' house and knocked. ¡°Hi, Princess.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just heading to Aurora and wanted to know if you wanted to go, too.¡± ¡°Only a short trot, My King?¡± Princess asked. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Ren smiled and scratched her chin. ¡°I thought so; but, I wanted to ask just in case.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± Princess said and went back into her house and laid down. ¡°It looks like we''re running.¡± Ren said to Artemis, and she smiled. ¡°No, you''re running. I''m flying.¡± Ren nodded and stepped up into the air, and she floated beside him. They grinned at each other and then Ren ran off through the air as fast as he could, and Artemis flew right beside him. Chapter 587 - To Each Their Own Ren and Artemis arrived in Aurora two minutes later and came to a stop in the Housing District in front of his old house. It was late morning, so there were lots of people moving around. Ren''s Aura covered a lot of area now, and he couldn''t feel anyone in any of the three houses on this side of the district. ¡°We''ve got anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to wait.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°I think I should check on what King Alamast is doing.¡± ¡°If you think their business has changed from the day to day running of the kingdom just because the Sea Dweller''s deadline is at noon, you''re going to be surprised.¡± Artemis said. Ren chuckled and asked to see the meeting room. He saw that Artemis had been right. It didn''t look like they were discussing anything important, and when he asked to look at the papers in front of several of the officials, he saw it was a tax bill for increasing harbour fees to load cargo onto ships. ¡°Yes, you''re right. They are completely stupid.¡± Ren said and after watching them debate without hearing the sound, he asked the mirror to show him Yllana, the elfling whose daughter was a servant to the High Lord of the Elves. She was up and making breakfast, and she wore a nightgown that looked like it had seen better days. She looked quite comfortable and relaxed, though. Ren stored the mirror and thought about what a Barbarian would need to fight. He smiled and imagined Denise in the same fur bikini he had made for the dancers at the Pleasure Palace, and added oversized boots and bracers for her to wear, and a big gaudy necklace of sharp animal teeth. He smiled as he added a deep dark tan to her otherwise completely white skin, and gave her thick tan lines where her bikini was. ¡°What are you smiling at?¡± Denise asked as she approached. Ren was brought out of his daydream to see the real thing. ¡°By the gods.¡± He said as he saw almost the exact thing he had just imagined. Denise wore a thick and practically armored fur bikini, oversized boots and bracers, and 3 different necklaces. He hadn''t thought of a long cloak or a big thick belt, though. ¡°Do I look that good?¡± Denise asked and turned around, which swooshed out her cape to show her backside, and Ren saw the edge of a strong tan line. Ren had to pause and take a breath, and then he looked behind her to see several men staring at her. ¡°I think you look too good for your own safety.¡± He said and smiled, which made her laugh. ¡°I did turn a few heads when I appeared in the middle of town.¡± ¡°No wonder.¡± Ren said as his Aura Sight ability told him what she had. ¡°You have the Lure and Entice Auras.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Denise asked. ¡°The description said no one would feel it if I didn''t want them to.¡± ¡°I have an ability that lets me see Auras and tells me what they do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Aww, that''s no fun.¡± Denise said. ¡°How am I supposed to use them on you now?¡± ¡°Just use them.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°You have no problem using them in real life, why stop now?¡± ¡°I don''t have...¡± Denise saw his grin and chuckled. ¡°All right, I''ll try and not be too disappointed that you can see all my tricks.¡± ¡°See all your tricks?¡± Ren asked and held a hand out to her. ¡°I don''t know what abilities you have or what you can do, so there''s lots more for you to show me or tell me about.¡± Denise nodded and took his hand. ¡°I''ve got this Berserker Rage thing that lets me fight without using up my Stamina. The downside is that when I''m done, I collapse for 5 minutes.¡± ¡°I''ve got Controlled Berserk Rage, so I can only assume yours is more powerful.¡± Ren said. ¡°Being a Dwarf and a Barbarian mix, that is.¡± ¡°Wait, I can have abilities more powerful than yours?¡± Denise asked. Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m a crafting class.¡± He said. ¡°I''m not really supposed to fight at all.¡± ¡°But... you''ve been...¡± ¡°Yeah. Funny, isn''t it?¡± Ren turned towards his house. ¡°Come on. We''ve only got 5 more hours until noon.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Noon is the Sea Dweller deadline, and I kind of expect us all to get several game changing popups then.¡± Ren said and opened the door to the house. ¡°I plan on keeping you in bed until then, though.¡± Denise blinked her eyes at him, and she didn''t know what to say. ¡°I can feel your shock, so maybe I should be more clear.¡± Ren said and led her and Artemis inside. ¡°I''m going to make love to you so many times that we would need an outside observer to count them.¡± Denise glanced at Artemis, who smiled and shook her head. ¡°I''m staying out here as a guard and lookout, not that Ren really needs it.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Plus, it''s your first time with him. You do not want to be distracted.¡± Denise opened her mouth to respond, and Ren started to walk up the stairs. He went into the main bedroom and shut the door. ¡°Ren, does she really watch you sometimes?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I brought her into this world, one of her conditions was that she has to stay beside me.¡± ¡°But, not right beside you?¡± Denise asked, and Ren smiled. ¡°She can take it that literally; but, she only has to stay within my Aura.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s around 750 feet now.¡± Denise took in a sharp breath. ¡°God, mine''s only 5 feet!¡± ¡°You''re just starting.¡± Ren said and stored his armor bodysuit to leave himself completely naked, and completely ready. ¡°I didn''t even have an Aura when I did.¡± Denise looked down at him and then back at his face. ¡°R-Ren, what...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Store your clothing and put these on.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Wh-what...¡± Denise looked at his hands and a pair of bracers appeared. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± ¡°There''s more.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Ren, I... this is going to put me well above other Level 1 characters.¡± Denise said and equipped the enchanted bracers. Ren didn''t say anything as he gave her a pair of glittering diamond rings next, which made her breath quicken, and then he took out an elaborate diamond necklace. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Denise gasped and took it gingerly. ¡°They''re diamonds, not glass.¡± Ren said and she chuckled as she equipped it. ¡°Ren, I can''t believe you''re giving me all of this to help my character.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°This is only to boost your stats so we can have sex safely.¡± He said to her surprised face. ¡°I''ll make your character specific stuff later.¡± Denise blinked her eyes at him and thought about what he said. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°Don''t worry, you''ll understand once we get started.¡± Ren smiled and tapped her fur bikini top. ¡°Off, please.¡± Denise took a breath and let it out, then stored the top. Ren reached out and cupped her breasts, which made her catch her breath, and then he kissed and suckled on the tips. She wrapped her arms around him and started to run her hands through his hair. Ren gave her a playful bite, and she hissed. ¡°Sorry.¡± He said and licked it as he swirled his tongue around it, then gave it a gentle kiss. ¡°You have to tell me, or show me, what you want.¡± He said. ¡°I am at your service.¡± ¡°I...¡± Denise looked at the bed and then at Ren. ¡°I want...¡± Ren eased her over to the bed and slowly turned her around. He felt her desire increase, so he ran his hands down her back and then knelt behind her. Her breath sped up and she arched her back slightly, and gave Ren a nice view. He put a hand on her back and pushed slightly, and she bent over to brace her arms on the edge of the bed. ¡°You see? I told you that you were perfect.¡± Ren said and kissed her special place. Denise gasped and finished right away, and her body trembled slightly. He easily held her steady and kept going. **** Gloria left the DewTech company''s parking lot in a great mood. She squealed her tires as she hit the street and gunned the throttle to speed down the industrial park access road that only company employees used. She counted the seconds as she accelerated and blew past the speed limit sign just as she hit her average time for a quarter mile run, if she had been drag racing. Gloria was almost giddy as she let off the gas and coasted the same amount of distance to the stop sign. I can''t believe the salary that job has! She thought and geared down, then came to a stop right next to the sign. There was no traffic; but, she sat at the corner and waited anyway, while she thought about all the tech tools she would have access to. Brand new, top of the line mechanics and electronics tools that no one would touch except me. Gloria thought. My own lab. A small staff if I wanted, and a secretary to handle the paperwork. She shook her head in disbelief and caught sight of the portfolio on her front seat with the job contract inside. ¡°It''s too good to be true!¡± She laughed and slipped the car into gear as she stepped on the gas. * Barley Bitterdew picked up his cell phone and hit speed dial. ¡°Okay, it''s done. Yes, she''s excited. No, she didn''t accept it right away.¡± He listened for a few moments, then spoke again. ¡°Now will you tell me why I just offered an internal promotion position to a girl fresh out of college and not to one of my own workers?¡± Barley asked. ¡°You''re kidding. You''re not?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Look, I''ve gone along with your hair-brained schemes so far...¡± He was silent for almost a full minute. ¡°Yes, all right. I''ll stop complaining. I know you''ve got it all figured out.¡± Barley sighed. ¡°Yes, I''ll be online tonight. See you then.¡± He hung up the cell phone and put it back on his desk, then sighed. ¡°I wish I wasn''t such a pushover.¡± Barley stood up and went across his office to a hidden door and entered his private area with his virtual gear setup. He locked the door just in case, as he always did, and took off his clothes. He laid down on his very expensive ergonomic and pressure controlled chair, and hooked up a catch-all device over his crotch. He hated the necessity, because it was always messy no matter what he did, and he laid back and relaxed. Barley hit the button and a VR headset in two pieces folded up from the headrest and covered his eyes and ears, just like the full sets did. It was a private modification that only he and a select few had been given access to, and he had always enjoyed the perks of being so rich. ¡°Flow Login Private.¡± Barley said, and went to have a bit of fun before he had to go and find the others for their regular meeting. * Lisa popped offline and went down to the kitchen to get something to eat. She had been so eager to tell Ren everything that was going on, that she had forgotten to grab a bite before going up to his room. She opened the door to one of the large double refrigerators and started to rummage. ¡°We had chicken for supper tonight.¡± Stella said as she came into the kitchen with several dirty glasses and saw Lisa bent down looking for food. ¡°It''s in the other fridge.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Lisa said and grabbed a bottle of water from the door and shut it, then went to the other refrigerator to see a big pan with several pieces of chicken inside. ¡°I''m starving.¡± ¡°You''ve been gone all day.¡± Stella said and rinsed the glasses, then put them into the large dishwasher. ¡°Is everything all right?¡± Lisa opened her mouth to say that everything was fine, after spending a virtual month with Ren, then she remembered what she had been through and what Ren had told her. ¡°N-no.¡± Lisa said and looked to be on the verge of crying. Stella went over to her and took her into a hug. ¡°Hey, it''s okay.¡± She said and rubbed Lisa''s back. ¡°You''re home now.¡± Lisa took in a sharp breath and looked up at the taller woman. ¡°I... I''m home.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°Go have a seat in the living room and I''ll warm up some chicken for you.¡± ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I''m just turning the oven on.¡± Stella said and turned one of them on low heat, then quickly put 3 pieces of chicken in a small glass dish and put it inside. She washed her hands and dried them, then took Lisa''s hand. Lisa didn''t say anything as Stella led her over to the living room and motioned to the couch. She sat down and Stella sat down right beside her and put an arm over her shoulder. ¡°Now tell me what happened.¡± Stella said. ¡°Stella, I...¡± ¡°I''ve got work in the morning, and I need my beauty sleep, so...¡± Stella started to say. Lisa shook her head. ¡°You just need sleep. The beauty part''s already done.¡± Stella smiled warmly at her. ¡°As I was saying, I need to sleep, so I''ve only got about 3 hours to spend with you.¡± Lisa blinked her eyes in surprise. ¡°3 hours?¡± ¡°I assume you have an important story to tell, so tell me all about it.¡± Stella said, and it was so similar to what Ren had said that Lisa had to wipe her eyes. Stella saw this and leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I''m here for you, Lisa. Tell me what happened.¡± Lisa took a deep breath and let it out, then started to tell Stella the story. * Elise and Barbi finished up working on their respective jobs and turned off their flat panel monitors, then the servers went into low power mode because they weren''t being constantly accessed. ¡°Wow, who would have thought one little man could have so many things to take care of on his behalf?¡± Barbi asked, and Elise chuckled. ¡°He''s always surprising me, no matter what he does.¡± Elise said. ¡°He''s a wonder.¡± Barbi smiled. ¡°I wonder how he does it.¡± She said. ¡°You, Stella, Denise, Lisa, Gloria...¡± Elise stood up and stretched with her arms over her head. ¡°Okay, I''m not wondering so much about you.¡± Barbi said, and Elise laughed. ¡°Very funny.¡± Elise said and walked to the office door. ¡°It''s getting late.¡± Barbi looked at the clock. ¡°I guess I better go.¡± She stood up and stretched herself. ¡°Ugh, I''m not looking forward to the drive home in the dark.¡± ¡°Then why don''t you stay? There''s still a spare bedroom upstairs that no one is using.¡± Elise said. ¡°There is?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Frugality.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°I bunk with Ren at night.¡± ¡°Ooo, nice.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Do you get him all to yourself?¡± ¡°Most times.¡± Elise said. ¡°I usually get a good night''s sleep because he''s busy playing the game.¡± ¡°I can''t believe he can do it so much and it doesn''t affect him.¡± Barbi said. ¡°He''s been used to the time changes for a long time, but I still can''t get used to it.¡± ¡°Is that why you don''t sleep in the game?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I tried it a few times; but, it completely messes up my day when I get a full night''s sleep and log off, only to find it''s still the middle of the night in real life.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I''ve even tried to time it so I get out first thing in the morning, and I''m still messed up.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Me, too.¡± She said. ¡°Come on. I''ll loan you something to wear to bed.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Barbi said and followed Elise out of the office and turned off the lights. Chapter 588 - Denises Date Elise and Barbi walked through the kitchen and heard voices in the first living room. They peeked in and saw Stella and Lisa cuddled up on the couch together, and Elise motioned to Barbi to leave them alone. They went to the elevator instead of going into the living room and went up to the second floor. ¡°I thought I heard something about police.¡± Barbi said, and Elise nodded. ¡°Apparently Lisa had quite the day, too.¡± ¡°Aren''t you going to ask about it?¡± ¡°I will tomorrow, and discreetly.¡± Elise said. ¡°Lisa looked pretty shook up, and I don''t want her feeling upset with everyone around.¡± ¡°That''s reasonable.¡± Barbi said. Donald was right. She thought. They are treating her like a little wife. Elise walked down the hall and opened the room on the right. ¡°This was supposed to be my room.¡± She said and they entered together. ¡°I''ve got a few things stored here, but they are out of the way.¡± ¡°Wow, this is like a luxury hotel.¡± Barbi said and looked around the room. ¡°A private kitchen, a living room, and a huge bedroom.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Ren could make a pretty penny if he rented these out as full service hotel rooms!¡± Elise laughed and opened the closet near the bed. ¡°I was tempted to offer to pay rent, but you know what he would say to that.¡± Barbi smiled as Elise handed her an oversized t-shirt and shorts. ¡°He would say, ''It''s already paid for, why do you want to pay for it again?'' and then he would probably look at you funny for making the suggestion.¡± ¡°That''s exactly right.¡± Elise said. ¡°I knew you were a good pick for handling his social media persona.¡± ¡°I''m good at my job.¡± Barbi said and unhooked her skirt and let it fall to the floor. ¡°Once I get acclimated to his mindset, I should be able to get everything set up the way he needs it, and then we can blitz the media with how awesome he is.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°Hey, don''t go overboard.¡± Barbi grinned at her and unbuttoned her shirt. ¡°Don''t worry, it''s going to be so subtle that no one will even notice that Ren will be all they are going to talk about.¡± Elise chuckled and picked her skirt up off the floor, shook it out, and folded it up. ¡°That will be a neat trick.¡± ¡°I had everyone expecting a great show before it aired, didn''t I?¡± Barbi asked and took off her bra, and Elise looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Yes, that was me.¡± She said and picked up the t-shirt. ¡°Little blurbs here and there on our own channel as well as on a few different channels at key times to catch the right demographic.¡± She put the t-shirt on over her head. ¡°A newspaper ad in the local paper.¡± She pulled the t-shirt into place and it fit well. ¡°Even a few well-placed flyers on several well-travelled street corners.¡± ¡°Those are great ideas.¡± Elise said. ¡°The show was an instant hit.¡± Barbi nodded and took off her underwear, but because the t-shirt was oversized, everything remained hidden. ¡°Subtlety is the key.¡± She said and picked up the boy shorts Elise had given her. ¡°Um, can I get an extra pad?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Elise said and went to the bathroom, then came back out. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Barbi said and applied it, then put on the shorts. ¡°You don''t have to bombard them with it, because sometimes that can backfire.¡± She cautioned. ¡°The old show coordinator made that mistake and tried to shove a new show down people''s throats.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± ¡°Everyone was so sick of seeing commercials for it all the time that no one watched it when it finally aired.¡± Barbi smiled. ¡°Not even the executives that had ordered it.¡± Elise smiled back. ¡°The poor girl.¡± ¡°A victim of her own eagerness.¡± Barbi said. ¡°It''s okay, though. She''s now the bubbly weather girl on the Weekend AM show.¡± ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Elise laughed. ¡°She was the old show coordinator?!?¡± Barbi nodded and laughed, too. ¡°They really upgraded when they got you, didn''t they?¡± Elise asked and put a hand on her arm. ¡°Then we stole you away.¡± Barbi pat her hand. ¡°I worked there for 3 years, so they know how things need to be run.¡± She said. ¡°I was getting a little bored, actually.¡± ¡°No challenge, right?¡± Elise asked, because she had felt the same way working as just a secretary. Barbi nodded. ¡°Now I''ve got a great job with a great co-worker, that I can actually stand to be around for more than a few minutes, and it''s something new every day.¡± She took in a slow breath and let it out. ¡°This day was pretty awful, though.¡± Elise stepped close and gave the other woman a hug. ¡°It really was.¡± She held Barbi for several moments, then let her go. ¡°Get some rest, and tomorrow will be a bright and wonderful day.¡± ¡°If breakfast is anything like supper was, then I''ll have to agree.¡± Barbi said and walked over to the mirror that hung on the bathroom door. She looked at herself in the mirror and at the matched set of blue t-shirt and boy shorts. ¡°Damn, girl! You have great taste in clothes.¡± She said and turned around to check out her own ass. ¡°I look good enough to eat!¡± Elise laughed. ¡°Try not to break your neck looking at yourself like that.¡± She said. ¡°See you in the morning, Barbi.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Barbi gave her a little wave and watched Elise leave the room through the reflection in the mirror. Barbi wiggled her butt and turned to face the mirror, then held her arms together to squish her boobs, which made them almost pop through the t-shirt. ¡°Note to self: Ask Elise where she got this outfit.¡± She said and cupped her breasts, and her face flushed a little red. ¡°Mmm, that''s sexy.¡± Barbi went over to the bed and rummaged through the drawers, and didn''t find what she had assumed Elise kept close by for emergencies. She shrugged and went to the bathroom and came out with a small towel, then climbed onto the large bed. She slipped off the boy shorts because she didn''t want to insult her friend by getting them dirty right away, and then she placed several pillows in a pile. Barbi sat down and leaned her back on the pillow pile and smiled. She had positioned herself perfectly to see her reflection in the mirror on the bathroom door, then she tucked the towel underneath herself and lifted her legs to get a great view.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°So sexy.¡± Barbi muttered and started to please herself. * Gloria arrived home and quietly parked her car. She had burned through most of her enthusiasm during the exhilarating drive back to her place, and she had even avoided getting a speeding ticket. That added to her happiness and she entered her apartment. She turned on the lights and went inside, then tossed her keys on the counter with the job portfolio. Gloria grabbed a quick shower to clean up after being in a full body containment suit, then went to the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat. She went over to her recliner and sat down, with the large towel still wrapped around her, and she laid back and relaxed. I can''t believe this! What a great job it will be! Gloria thought. I can''t wait to tell Ren all about it! She stopped that thought and it was replaced with another. What am I going to tell him? If I take this job, I can''t work on the weekends for him and Stella. Gloria sighed and closed her eyes for several moments. No, he''s going to be happy. Gloria thought. He''s always been enthusiastic about me getting what I wanted. She opened her eyes and smiled. He might not like me leaving the medical research project; but, he knows how important my career is to me and he''ll be happy about that. I know he will. Gloria looked at the clock and figured Ren would be well into the next game day by now, so she picked up her VR headset and slipped it on. ******** Ren was actually well into Denise, and had been for most of the game morning, and she was well into her hundredth or so full body orgasm. She had been completely surprised how different it was to be with him like this, a fully-functional Ren, and it also surprised her that Elise had been completely right. It was different and also the same. Ren moved a little, and she gripped his shoulders. ¡°D-don''t... just...¡± Denise panted. ¡°R-rest. We need a break.¡± ¡°No, you need a break.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I can keep going like this forever.¡± Denise made that little ''o'' of surprise with her mouth, so he kissed her. She moaned as he did so; but, he did as she said. He had stopped moving and wouldn''t move again until she said so. The whole time they had been making love, he had done everything she said. It drove her a little mad that he wouldn''t go that one extra step, even though her body had begged for it several times; but, his behavior also drove her a little crazy with happiness and made her love him that much more. Ren could feel all of her emotions of course, and he knew what her body had wanted even though her brain thought otherwise. He also knew that he was establishing a deep seated trust with her, and he wouldn''t jeopardize that for anything... not even to give her a better orgasm when her body demanded it. That he could do later, when she trusted him enough. Until then, he would only do what she asked him to do, and nothing else. After several minutes, Ren felt her calm down and she tapped his shoulder to get his attention. Without missing a beat, he started in on her and she immediately began to pant. They fit together so well that neither of them had long to wait before they finished again. Ren didn''t stop, however. He kept moving and pleasing her, and she enjoyed it a lot more than she thought any sane person should enjoy anything. Why isn''t it getting boring? Or repetitive? Denise asked herself as Ren shifted slightly, then he hit yet another spot inside of her that she didn''t realize she had. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± She exclaimed, and her brain kind of shut off as she went again. Ren on the other hand, had to restrain his own emotions as Denise''s pleasure tried to overwhelm him, and he fought hard not to absorb them with his Emotion Siphon ability. She was so happy and enjoyed it so much that he didn''t want to stop. Unfortunately, he had to. Teepo gave Ren the warning that he only had half an hour left until noon, so he finished Denise once more and then stopped pleasing her. He lay beside her in the bed and she cuddled tightly to him, and his fingertip lightly traced the thick tan lines on her skin where her fur bikini had covered her. ¡°Is... is it... over?¡± Denise asked. ¡°It''s almost noon, so I stopped so we could cuddle for about half an hour.¡± Ren said. Denise looked at what his finger was doing, and smiled. ¡°Is it that fascinating?¡± ¡°The tan highlights your assets quite well, and it focuses the eyes directly on them.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not the lines themselves, but what they represent.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Denise let her own hand caress his chest in return. ¡°What''s that?¡± Ren gave her a soft kiss. ¡°That they''ve been covered up for a long time, and it''s a very rare treat to see them exposed.¡± He said and carefully pulled himself out of her embrace and stood up. ¡°Look, I''ll show you.¡± ¡°Show me?¡± Denise asked, but she had blinked and he had disappeared. ¡°Ren? Where are you?¡± She turned her head to look around the bedroom, and he was back. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Oops, I didn''t mean to scare you.¡± Ren said and propped a large mirror against the wall, then secured it in place. He wore his armor bodysuit and held a hand out to her. She took the offered hand and Ren helped her out of the bed and stood her in front of the mirror. ¡°Look at you.¡± He said and stood behind her. ¡°You''ve got a great body, and the tan lines make it stand out so much more.¡± Denise stared at the short amazonian woman in the mirror and at the reflection of Ren''s hands as he traced the tan lines she could see. He did her breasts first, then traced the line at her waist. ¡°You look so good.¡± Ren said and eased her around to show how the lines on her backside made it look like she was still wearing a bikini, even though she wasn''t. He traced the lines over the cheeks, and she shivered. ¡°I only stopped making love to you because we are out of time.¡± Denise shivered again, and Ren felt her finish. ¡°Oh, I think there''s another leak in the boat. I better check.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, there is!¡± Denise smiled as she sat down on the bed, and watched Ren''s reflection as he went down on her again. He''s the perfect man. She thought as he quickly made her finish again. She squeezed and massaged her own breasts while he did it again, and she laid back on the bed to give him easier access. She tapped the top of his head, and then he was looking at her face and had joined with her again. She gasped at the sensation, and her body shivered at the look of happiness on his face. They moved as one to try and enjoy themselves again before their time was up completely. ¡°You''ve got 5 minutes.¡± Teepo said a short time later. ¡°Denise... we have... to stop.¡± Ren said. He was now on bottom and she was riding him like she would in real life. ¡°W-why?¡± Denise asked and kept moving. ¡°It''s... almost noon.¡± Ren said. He grabbed her hips and moved her up and down quickly to make her finish, and she collapsed onto him when she did. He finished as well when she clamped down on him, and her body shivered at the feeling of his release. ¡°Darling, we... we should just... stay like this.¡± Denise panted and kissed his cheek. ¡°I don''t want... this feeling to end.¡± ¡°Imagine if that was possible.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just us, forever locked into mutual pleasure, with no other care in the world.¡± Denise shivered at the thought, then gripped him tightly with both her arms and her body, and he did the same. ¡°Despite how nice that would be, neither of us lives in a vacuum.¡± Ren said. Denise sighed. ¡°All right, I''ll behave.¡± ¡°I''m the one you are supposed to keep in line.¡± Ren said and laughed, and she chuckled and kissed him. The both of them froze when they received a popup.
System Notice!
Congratulations, Adventurers! You have survived the first successful World Event: Ghoulpocalypse! You will now receive the appropriate XP and rewards for your contributions in fighting off the ghoul infestation.
Notice!
Your contributions were mostly supportive in nature, which was appropriate for your class. Rewards: 135,852 XP Class Bonus: 15,000 XP Fame: +500 New Title: Survivor (Ghoulpocalypse)
Ren dismissed the Fame conversion popup. What''s with that notice? He asked himself. Appropriate for my class? Really? He thought. Oh, and no level. He shook his head. I guess it''s going to be a lot harder to gain levels if I need more than that to go up a level. ¡°I didn''t get anything.¡± Denise said. ¡°Surprise, surprise.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°If I had realized you wanted to come into the game, I could have arranged something appropriate.¡± Denise smiled back. ¡°I''m happy with what you already ''arranged'' for me.¡± She said and kissed him.
System Notice!
The new World Event: Water Works is about to start! In order for the new content to be loaded, you need to log out for: 30 minutes (real time)
¡°Well, damn.¡± Denise said. ¡°Apparently, you were right.¡± ¡°It''s a curse.¡± Ren chuckled and gave her a kiss, then rolled over to lay beside her without touching her. ¡°See you in a minute.¡± He said. ¡°Logout.¡± Chapter 589 - Its Getting Late Barbara had grabbed a quick snack and went upstairs to the theatre room to watch a bit of television, since she knew Denise had everything handled, and she waited until she thought they had started their date before trying to go back in. She left the theatre room and went to the bedroom door, and overheard Lisa and Ren talking. Rather than interrupt, she went back to the theatre room to wait. After a little while, Barbara heard one of the other room''s doors open and close. It didn''t bother her because that happened frequently with so many people in the same house. All of their schedules were slightly different, so their sleep times were off a little from normal. She smiled, since her own sleep schedule had always been off, because she slept in the afternoon to be ready for the evening shift. Her husband Donald had always accepted her choice to do the night shift, and he did his best to not complain about it; but, she knew he didn''t like her working so late all the time and kept trying to suggest she switch shifts occasionally. She would just laugh and kiss him to shut him up; but, since they had moved into the guest house, that playful kiss had led to a bit more playing, and now it had become their signal for full blown sex. Barbara couldn''t tell when it had transitioned to that, and she honestly didn''t care. They were more in love now than they had been during their entire marriage, and they were a lot more relaxed with each other as well. She wasn''t about to question it or try to figure out how it happened. All that mattered was that it did, and they were both happy about the change. At 9:30pm, she went back to Ren''s room and saw Denise and Ren were in their VR headsets and the television was only showing a Blue Screen. She chuckled and sat down on the chair beside the bed and took out her cell phone, and brought up the latest episode of Big Sister. She plugged in the ear buds and only put one in her left ear, so she could use her right ear to listen for anything that might happen with Ren, Denise, or anyone else that needed her attention. Around 10:30pm, Barbara heard another series of door openings and closings, and she looked up when Ren''s bedroom door opened. ¡°Hey, Barbara.¡± Elise said. ¡°Easy night ahead of you, I think.¡± Barbara paused the video on her cell phone. ¡°I''m not going to complain.¡± She said. ¡°He promised to log out at midnight, remember?¡± Elise smiled back and went over to the closet. ¡°It''s been a while since the last time he did that.¡± ¡°I felt kind of bad that I forced him to promise, but he needs the real world interactions to keep him grounded.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Plus, Officer Holly can''t get back online until the weekend, and I don''t want him wandering around and possibly meeting you-know-who again without her there.¡± ¡°I''m glad she kept him safe like she did.¡± Elise said and took off her shirt and business skirt. ¡°Getting us that tracking info and server IDs for Suzie''s computer setup was just icing on the cake.¡± ¡°Will it be useful?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°In a sense.¡± Elise said and slipped on a pair of jogging pants and an oversized t-shirt. ¡°Every computer online has a digital location that can be traced. Whether that computer still exists right now is another story.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°That''s why I asked if it will be useful. Can you track a computer that''s probably been wiped?¡± ¡°I don''t think it matters. All we need is the records from her service provider, because that can tell us where the computer was at the time of the incident.¡± Elise said and walked over to the bed. ¡°When she tried to hypnotize him, she really got the ball rolling in his life, didn''t she?¡± Barbara sighed. ¡°He''s always been confident and sure of himself; but, after hearing what he remembers, which is pretty much everything, I... I''ve been more afraid for him than I normally am.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°You and me both.¡± She said and climbed onto the bed on Ren''s other side. ¡°Once it gets out what he remembers...¡± ¡°...everything will either stop or get much more hectic around here.¡± Barbara said. ¡°For all of us.¡± Elise rested her head on the pillow to stare at the cute little man she had attached herself to, and she hoped that it was the former that would happen. She wanted it to stop and for him to be safe; but, she knew it was only a faint hope and planned for his life to become a lot more hectic. ******** Elerlyth had appeared inside her small one room house in Ren''s county and hopped out of bed. She equipped her armor and ran outside to where she had stored her mount, Etheria. ¡°Hey, boy!¡± Elerlyth said happily. ¡°Let''s go for a quick ride to see Ren!¡± Etheria neighed back happily, and Elerlyth took his reins as she climbed onto the saddle. They took off up into the sky and flew over to the city, and she landed right in front of the Main House. She hopped off and went inside, and ran up the stairs. She knocked on the apartment door, and Frikara opened it. ¡°Hi, Frikara.¡± Elerlyth said and darted into the apartment. ¡°Ren, you''re not going to believe what... wait, where''s Ren?¡± ¡°He''s in Aurora on a date with an Adventurer.¡± Frikara said. ¡°What''s the happy news?¡± ¡°I... it''s Adventurer''s business.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I''m sorry for disturbing you.¡± ¡°That''s all right.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I''m sure your disrespect to us for barging in like that was unintentional.¡± Elerlyth opened her mouth to respond hotly, then sighed. ¡°Yes, it was.¡± She said and left the apartment. ¡°I think she''s a bad influence on him.¡± One of the maids said before Frikara could shut the bedroom door. ¡°It doesn''t matter what we think.¡± Frikara said. ¡°He loves her, and we will give her as much leeway as he wants us to.¡± The bedroom door shut and Elerlyth couldn''t hear if the discussion continued, so she went downstairs and outside. I wonder if I should go to Aurora and interrupt his date, or just message him? Elerlyth thought, and Etheria neighed at her. ¡°Yes, a message would be more appropriate.¡± She said out loud. ¡°I should have done that to check on where he was, instead of riding here first.¡± Elerlyth opened the messaging system and started writing a message to Ren, to ask him if he was busy and if he had the time to see her in person. The messaging system closed abruptly, just before she was about to hit send, and she received a couple of popups.
System Notice!
Congratulations, Adventurers! You have survived the first successful World Event: Ghoulpocalypse! You will now receive the appropriate XP and rewards for your contributions in fighting off the ghoul infestation.
Notice!
Your contributions were quite decisive in nature, ensuring that the hordes didn''t get a secure foothold in the High Elven Kingdom. Your ferocity in dispatching the undead and the sheer amount of deaths by your hand was impressive.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Unfortunately, since it was your own race (The Dark Elves) that started the whole thing, your actions were counter-productive to their agenda. Rewards: 558,235 XP Race Penalty: -15,000 XP New Title: Dispatcher (Ghoulpocalypse)
Oh, nice! Elerlyth thought as she dismissed that and the level gain popups. I gained a ton of XP and 9 levels! She smiled. I''ve got 45 more stat points to spend! Then she frowned as the popup fully registered. What the hell is a Race penalty?
System Notice!
The new World Event: Water Works is about to start! In order for the new content to be loaded, you need to log out for: 30 minutes (real time)
¡°SON OF A BITCH!¡± Elerlyth yelled, and several people turned to stare at her. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± The townspeople shrugged and moved on, and she made a fist. ¡°Dammit, if everyone got that popup, then he''s already logged out.¡± Elerlyth said and climbed onto Etheria. ¡°Let''s get back to the house.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll come back in later and send a message then.¡± ******** Denise slipped off her VR headset and rubbed her eyes. ¡°Damn, that... what a change from... whew.¡± She said and looked over at Ren. ¡°Oh! Hi, Elise.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± Elise said. ¡°Nobody move.¡± Barbra said. ¡°You''ll make a huge mess if you do.¡± Everyone stayed still while Barbara removed the bedpan and wiped Ren off, then she tucked everything away and put his pyjamas back in order. ¡°Okay, the danger''s past.¡± Barbara said and helped Ren take off his headset. ¡°I''m going to ignore what you just did for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yep. It never happened.¡± Barbara laughed and looked at Denise. ¡°How was your first time in the game?¡± Denise rubbed her eyes again. ¡°Does the transition get easier?¡± ¡°It''s a little jarring going from quadruple time compression to real time.¡± Elise said. ¡°Some adapt much better than others, though.¡± ¡°Like me.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Just like everything else, it takes time and practice to get good at it.¡± ¡°I''ll have to take your word for it.¡± Denise said and leaned in to give him a kiss. ¡°Thank you for the date.¡± ¡°You''re not going back in after the update?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. ¡°I think moderation is the key.¡± Denise said and got out of bed. ¡°We can try again later.¡± ¡°I''ll look at what I can make for Barbarians; but, I don''t know anything about Amazonians.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°That''s okay. We can worry about that the next time.¡± Denise said. ¡°See you later.¡± Ren, Elise, and Barbara gave her a wave, and she left the room. ¡°Does that mean your date was a success?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I rocked her world, so yes.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Now it''s my turn to say I''m going to pretend that didn''t just happen.¡± Barbara said and smiled. ¡°I''d apologize, but you''re way too intelligent not to know who did what with whom.¡± Ren smiled back. ¡°What''s the update?¡± Elise asked. ¡°The Ghoulpocalypse just ended, and now it''s going to be something called Water Works.¡± Ren said. ¡°We have to stay out for half an hour for the update.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Elise said. ¡°Ren, this could get nasty.¡± ¡°Don''t I know it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s going to be all nicey-nice at first...¡± ¡°But, if the Land Dwellers don''t comply, even a little bit...¡± Elise said. ¡°Sea Dwellers are vicious creatures.¡± ¡°Yeah, even to people they care a lot about.¡± Ren said. Elise took his hand and held it, because she remembered that Railyse had bitten off a chunk of his arm. ¡°So, what are we going to do for half an hour?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Half an hour?¡± Ren looked at her. ¡°Since Denise doesn''t want to go back in, I might as well stay out myself.¡± He said. ¡°I''d only be in for another hour real time, anyway.¡± He smiled. ¡°We can get a big head start on hanging out right now.¡± ¡°Do you want to watch television here or in the theatre room?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°I''d rather just talk to two beautiful women, if that''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m okay with that.¡± Elise said and looked at Barbara. ¡°What do you say?¡± ¡°I think that''s just fine.¡± Barbara said and put her phone away. * Lisa had talked for quite some time, and Stella''s cuddling had become tighter and more intimate as the evening wore on. When Lisa finished talking, Stella had practically cooed to her. ¡°You poor thing.¡± Stella said and kissed her cheek. ¡°You should have called or sent a text. We would have come running!¡± Lisa smiled. ¡°That''s what Denise said.¡± ¡°That''s because she''s smart and cares about you, too.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m sorry you had to deal with that all alone.¡± ¡°Ren kind of said the same thing, too.¡± Lisa said, then told Stella what Ren said about letting the people that love you, help you. Stella laughed. ¡°He used a colorful word choice, but he''s right as well.¡± She said. ¡°Lisa, from now on, please contact me if anything like this happens again.¡± ¡°Just you?¡± Lisa asked and smiled. ¡°Any of us will do, smarty-pants.¡± Stella said. ¡°None of us want you to be left alone like that, okay?¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°Thanks, Stella.¡± ¡°You don''t thank people who care about you, for caring about you.¡± Stella looked at the clock and saw it was almost 11:30pm. ¡°Well, it''s pretty late now.¡± She said and let Lisa out of the embrace, then stood up. ¡°I''ve got work in the morning, so I should head to bed.¡± ¡°I should probably get back to the game.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I completed all of the player quests I had given out before coming downstairs... to... eat.¡± Stella and Lisa looked at each other in realization. ¡°THE CHICKEN!¡± They yelled at the same time and they ran for the kitchen. Stella grabbed a pair of oven mitts and opened the oven, then pulled out the glass dish with 3 pieces of chicken in it. ¡°Whew! It might be a little dry, but otherwise it''s fine.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m glad I had it on low heat.¡± Lisa nodded and grabbed a fork and a plate, and took two of the pieces. ¡°You might as well take the last one.¡± Stella said. ¡°You can keep it in your room.¡± ¡°That''s a little disgusting.¡± Lisa said, and Stella laughed. ¡°You have a kitchen and a refrigerator in your room, Lisa. It''s not going to spoil.¡± Lisa looked at her like she was crazy, then remembered she did have a fridge in the room and laughed. ¡°You''ll get used to the convenience of this place eventually.¡± Stella said as she turned off the oven and then put the glass dish in the sink to let it soak. ¡°I actually don''t remember the last time I went home to sleep.¡± ¡°You don''t?¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°I''ve only gone home for errands or to work on the research project. I''ve been staying here overnight ever since Ren asked me to.¡± She saw the surprise on Lisa''s face and pat her shoulder. ¡°I''ll walk you up to your room.¡± Lisa nodded and they left the kitchen together, then walked across the house to the elevator. They got in and Stella pushed 3 for the top floor, and they stepped out and walked down the hallway. Stella opened Lisa''s room door for her, and Lisa looked inside. For some reason, she noticed how big and empty it was, and she didn''t want to enter. ¡°Stella, I...¡± Lisa took in a breath. ¡°I know this is going to sound weird...¡± She said. ¡°I... I don''t...¡± Stella looked at her face and then at the room, and shut the door. ¡°I just had an idea. Why don''t you eat that in my room.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''m a little shaken after what Ren and you went through, and I don''t feel like being alone right now.¡± Stella said. ¡°Can you keep me company for a little while?¡± Lisa didn''t say anything as she nodded, and they went back to the elevator and went down to the second floor. They went inside Stella''s room and sat down at the small kitchen table, and Lisa ate the two pieces of chicken she had wanted and drank her water. Stella put the last piece of chicken in her fridge and got changed for bed while Lisa washed up in the bathroom. ¡°Stella.¡± Lisa said when she came out and saw Stella fold down the blanket of the bed. ¡°Thanks for letting me...¡± ¡°No need to say thanks, remember?¡± Stella said. ¡°Now come here and get in bed.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Can I impose on you a bit more? I''m still nervous about being alone.¡± Stella said. ¡°The thought of being in this big room all alone is a little too much to handle right now.¡± ¡°I... I don''t know...¡± ¡°Unlike Ren, I can promise to keep my hands to myself.¡± Stella said, and Lisa snorted a laugh. ¡°He is a bit grabby, isn''t he?¡± ¡°By choice, I believe.¡± Stella said. ¡°He''s never had anyone to hold while sleeping in a real bed before, so he''s taking full advantage of it while he can.¡± Lisa had never thought of it that way, and she had to agree. ¡°I guess I can understand that point of view.¡± ¡°Then get over here and get in.¡± Stella said and pat the bed, then climbed in herself. ¡°Good lord, I''m tired.¡± ¡°Stella, I''m sorry.¡± Lisa said and went right over to the bed. ¡°I''ve kept you up well past midnight.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Stella said and yawned, then did a little stretch and laid down. ¡°I am going to crash hard, so forgive me if I doze off.¡± Lisa climbed into the bed and laid down about a foot away and pulled the blanket up. ¡°Goodnight, Stella.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Lisa.¡± Stella said and closed her eyes. After a few moments, Lisa spoke again. ¡°Stella?¡± ¡°Mm?¡± ¡°Um... you... you don''t... have to keep your hands to yourself.¡± Lisa admitted. Stella opened her eyes to see Lisa''s deep blush, smiled warmly at her, and opened her arms. Lisa slid close and tucked herself against Stella. ¡°I''m so glad you finally admitted that.¡± Stella said as she put her arms around her and kissed the top of her head. ¡°I''ve been having a hard time not hugging you.¡± Lisa chuckled. ¡°I''ve been getting in my own way, haven''t I?¡± ¡°You just need to be honest with yourself.¡± Stella said and Lisa lifted her head and looked at her. ¡°We''ve all had a hard day, and it''s okay to want someone to hold you.¡± ¡°Even if it''s not Ren?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°If my guess is correct, you were already held by him tonight.¡± Stella said. ¡°You were up those stairs as soon as you came in the house and didn''t even look at the elevator.¡± ¡°You saw that?¡± Lisa asked, surprised. ¡°I... See... Everything!¡± Stella said ominously. ¡°You''ve been watching my game footage, you sneak!¡± Lisa laughed. ¡°Guilty.¡± Stella grinned. ¡°You make a great Sage, Lisa.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Now go to sleep.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, right. Sleep.¡± Lisa said, and then sighed. ¡°Be honest with yourself.¡± Stella reminded her when she saw the indecision on her face. ¡°Can... can I...¡± Lisa sighed again. ¡°I want... a goodnight kiss.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Stella said and pressed her lips to Lisa''s for several moments. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°G-g-goodnight.¡± Lisa said, her face blood red. Chapter 590 - Fight Because Youre Right Gloria had logged out and figured she needed to wait for 45 minutes, just in case there was a problem with the game update, then looked at the time on the wall and sighed. It was way too late to call or text anyone, since they would all be in bed. That reminded her to check her phone, and she did so for the first time since yesterday. It was then that she noticed that both her ringer and the vibrate function were turned off, and kicked herself mentally for doing it. She turned both back on, then checked to see how many calls and texts she had missed. When she saw the deluge of them she had received from both Stella and Elise, she sighed again. ¡°Damn, I messed up again. I completely forgot I was supposed to work with Stella today.¡± Gloria said and waited for the game''s update to finish, then logged back in to send a message to Ren. She dismissed the popup for the World Event: Water Works without reading it and waited for Ren''s response. When it didn''t come, she wondered if he had logged back in at all. She logged out again and opened up her hacking tools, and pinged his Player ID. ¡°Dammit, he''s not back in yet.¡± Gloria said when there was no response to her query. ¡°He usually stays in overnight, so something must be going on.¡± She picked up her phone and checked all the messages again. No details were given, only that she should call or text as soon as she could. It was against her better judgment, since she knew everyone was in bed; but, she hit reply and sent off a short text to Stella. She wasn''t going to get a response. Gloria had been right about Stella, and she was unconscious at the moment. Lisa on the other hand had heard the beep from Stella''s phone on the nightstand beside the bed. She was currently locked in a tight embrace with the other woman, and not only couldn''t she move, she didn''t want to. Not in the least. The only other time she had been held so lovingly was by Ren, and she wasn''t going to interrupt that just to see who was being an ass by texting so late at night. * Ren, Elise, and Barbara had talked for the entire time and discussed different things, and Elise mentioned seeing Stella and Lisa talking. Ren knew what had happened, so he gave them a condensed version of the events that Lisa had been through. ¡°That poor girl.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I hope she''s okay.¡± ¡°If Stella''s looking after her, she''s going to be fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stella kind of has a knack for these things.¡± ¡°I assume you know this from personal experience?¡± Elise asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°She helped me a lot after... well, my Lucy phase.¡± ¡°A phase? I believe that''s what''s called a ''dumpster fire''.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Yeah, it was a complete disaster that no one wanted to deal with.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Me least of all.¡± ¡°You''re okay now, though.¡± Elise said, and Ren sighed. ¡°Ren?¡± ¡°It''s always going to be a sore spot for me.¡± ¡°That doesn''t mean you''re not okay.¡± Elise said. ¡°You''ve got us here to help you whenever you need us.¡± ¡°Thanks...¡± Ren pat her arm. ¡°...and thank you for staying awake with us this whole time.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°Did you expect me to sleep right here in your bed and ignore you?¡± ¡°Kind of. I just assumed you were exhausted after being up all day, and I wouldn''t have held it against you if you dozed off.¡± Elise leaned over and gave him a kiss. ¡°I''ll pay for it tomorrow, but I wouldn''t have missed this time with you for anything.¡± ¡°Well, since I''m technically your boss, I hereby grant you a short reprieve.¡± Ren said and preened a little. ¡°You can show up for work half an hour late, and I won''t report you for slacking off.¡± ¡°A whole 30 minutes!¡± Elise exclaimed and started to tickle him. ¡°Why, thank you sir!¡± Ren laughed and squirmed around. ¡°I''ll be sure to use the extra time off wisely.¡± Elise said and her tickles became caresses, then she snuggled in and gave him a hug. ¡°Okay, you can have 45 minutes.¡± Ren said, and Elise laughed. ¡°Always so generous.¡± Elise said and let him go, then helped him put on his VR headset. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°You know I''m joking, right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You can sleep in for the whole day if you want to.¡± ¡°I would, if I could spend it with you.¡± Elise said and kissed his cheek. ¡°I believe that can be arranged.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± Elise looked at his inert form and then at Barbara. ¡°I was kind of joking. I''ve got too much to take care of to take the whole day off.¡± ¡°I''m sure he knows that; but, you should be more careful what you ask for.¡± Barbara smiled, and Elise nodded. Now she had to figure out if she could shuffle a few things around in case Ren took her up on her offer. ******** Ren appeared in the white loading area for the game and received a popup.
System Notice!
Welcome, Adventurer! It''s time for you to experience what it''s like to be at the mercy of one of the most powerful elements that exist! It can cause such havoc that people flee from it''s churning! It can accumulate so quickly that entire counties can be flooded in mere minutes! It can even carve into solid rock and wear it away to dust! Beware the power... ...of Water!
¡°That''s a little dramatic, isn''t it?¡± Ren asked.
System Notice!
The World Event: Water Works is now in effect. New quests, content, and dialogue is available from all NPCs. New weaponry, armor, equipment, and artifacts will be available as the event progresses.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Warning: Occasional inclement weather will cause some quests to become unavailable until it ends. Good luck, and have fun!
¡°I wonder if the new things will be available for player characters that craft things?¡± Ren asked himself, then the bedroom faded in around him. ¡°Hi, Teepo.¡± ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Teepo said. Ren sat up and saw Denise''s phantom form beside him, and he smiled at it. He opened the Home Owner''s menu and added Denise as an occupant to the house, and the small key appeared around her neck. He closed the menu and noticed the new message icon on his display and tapped it.
To Ren: I finally logged back in and you weren''t here. Please message me back and let me know when you can see me. - Elerlyth
Ren looked at the timestamp and saw it had been sent after the update. He clicked reply and said he had just logged back in, and he could meet her right now if she wanted. He didn''t get a response, so he closed the messaging system and got out of bed. He equipped his platinum armor and left the bedroom, then went down the stairs. ¡°Hi, Artemis.¡± ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I think it''s getting cloudy out.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I can see out the windows, and something keeps passing over the sun.¡± Ren went outside and looked up, and saw there were large billowy clouds floating through the air. ¡°So, they really did add the potential for random storms.¡± ¡°It looks like it.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren turned around to see her. She looked a little angry, and he could feel it; but, it wasn''t necessarily directed at him. ¡°Hi!¡± Ren said enthusiastically and walked over to her to give her a hug. ¡°When you didn''t message back, I thought I had missed you.¡± ¡°I''ve been running errands while I waited for you and came right over when I got your reply.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°How did you know I was here?¡± Ren asked and let her go, and she looked at him like he was stupid. ¡°Yeah, sorry. Stupid question.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Who was your date with?¡± ¡°Denise.¡± Ren said. ¡°I spent the whole morning with her, then had to log out because of the update.¡± The whole morning? Elerlyth thought, a little surprised. She had assumed she was the only one that could take being with him for more than a few hours. ¡°I hope she had fun.¡± ¡°I made sure she did.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°So, what''s this news you have to tell me?¡± Elerlyth glanced at Artemis, who covered her ears. ¡°Go ahead. I can''t hear anything. La lala lala.¡± Artemis said and turned around to face down the street. Ren laughed and Elerlyth sighed. ¡°Yes, I know I''m being silly.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Ren, I... I had a job interview.¡± ¡°Hey, that''s great.¡± Ren said. ¡°What kind of job is it?¡± ¡°Tech design, specifically microchips.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I spent the whole day at the company taking a tour.¡± She said. ¡°I was even in a clean room and they showed me some of the things I''d be working on.¡± ¡°The whole day?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You must have had your phone off.¡± Elerlyth nodded. ¡°I didn''t realize I had the ringer and the vibrate functions off.¡± ¡°Is that why you didn''t answer today?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Then... when did you know you''d be going to the tech company?¡± ¡°Yesterday.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I did a crap load of research most of the day to prepare for it.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense to know everything you can for a job interview.¡± ¡°I didn''t!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°He surprised me during the tour!¡± Ren frowned a little. ¡°Then why do all the research?¡± ¡°So I could ask relevant questions.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I didn''t want to get caught not knowing something.¡± Ren stopped frowning and gave her a blank face instead. ¡°So, you knew yesterday and didn''t say anything to anyone.¡± He said, and Elerlyth sighed. ¡°You do realize you were supposed to work with Stella today.¡± ¡°Not until I got home a little while ago.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Ren, I know I messed up.¡± ¡°Yeah, and it looks like you did it on purpose.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why?¡± Elerlyth opened her mouth to respond, and sighed again. ¡°I was just too excited about the prospect of seeing inside a tech company that''s developing new technology.¡± ¡°So excited by it that you didn''t want to tell anyone about it? Not even your current boss or main squeeze?¡± Ren asked, and she didn''t respond. ¡°Should I even ask what the company is?¡± ¡°DewTech, and Barley Bitterdew is the owner.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°It''s okay, though. I didn''t find any connection to you during my research.¡± Ren let a smile appear on his face. ¡°That''s because the court case hasn''t happened yet.¡± He said, and her dark grey face turned lighter. ¡°He''s one of the two litigants in a patent case coming up next month, and it''s based on technology developed from a few of the experiments performed on me.¡± ¡°N-no. That''s not true!¡± ¡°Oh, but it is.¡± Ren said. ¡°I hate to burst your bubble, Elerlyth, I really do. If you''d taken a few seconds last night, or even this morning, to let us know where you were going, we could have warned you before you got so excited.¡± ¡°No, it... it''s a great job with... tons of opportunities and... and money...¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is that what you want? Opportunities and money?¡± Elerlyth didn''t say anything, and he shook his head. ¡°I thought I was giving you those things, but I guess it wasn''t enough.¡± ¡°Ren, it''s not like that.¡± Elerlyth tried to defend herself. ¡°It would take me years, maybe even a decade, to get this kind of a job offer!¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. Why are you getting the offer now?¡± ¡°The Dean of Sciences at the college put in a good word for me!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°They''ve been reviewing your research project...¡± ¡°Goddammit!¡± Ren said and made his hands into fists as he gained the Angered condition, and Elerlyth heard all of his knuckles crack. ¡°Elerlyth, turn the job down. Politely decline, tell them to kiss your ass, spit in their faces, anything!¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°They are trying to get to me through you! Can''t you see that?!?¡± ¡°This isn''t always about you!¡± Elerlyth said, and Ren laughed. ¡°You''re kidding, right?¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s always about me! It always is!¡± ¡°You''re pretty full of yourself, aren''t you?¡± Elerlyth sneered. ¡°The whole world doesn''t revolve around you!¡± ¡°Yes, it does!¡± Ren said. ¡°This whole world exists because of me! ME!¡± He really believes that. Elerlyth thought in surprise, and she could feel his deep seated rage. It started to scare her. ¡°Ren, calm down.¡± ¡°No! You have to listen! Don''t take that job!¡± ¡°I''m a grown woman, Ren. I can make decisions on my own, thank you.¡± ¡°Uninformed decisions! Flights of fancy! Craziness without reason!¡± ¡°REN! SHUT UP!¡± ¡°NO! I''m tired of staying quiet!¡± Ren said. ¡°I forbid you from taking that job, Elerlyth! Don''t take it!¡± ¡°You can''t tell me what to do!¡± ¡°I''m not telling you, I''m warning you! You''re making a huge mistake!¡± ¡°It''s my mistake to make!¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°No, it''s mine! Mine, goddammit!¡± Ren nearly yelled. ¡°Don''t make me hurt you!¡± Elerlyth took two steps back and equipped her armor, then took a fighting stance. ¡°Not like that, stupid!¡± Ren said, derisively. He had never spoken to her in a tone like that before, and it unnerved her. ¡°Who... are you?¡± Elerlyth asked as she stood up straight. ¡°I''m me.¡± Ren said as he felt her emotions, and calmed down. He lost the Angered condition, and sighed. ¡°I''m someone that loves you, and I don''t want to ruin your life.¡± He said and rubbed his face, then ran both hands through his own hair to fluff it up. ¡°Elerlyth...¡± He stepped close. ¡°...Gloria... please, listen.¡± Elerlyth stared at the person in front of her as she felt his emotions, and she didn''t recognize him. ¡°When it comes out what they did to create the technology they''re using...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°...it''s going to destroy that company.¡± ¡°I think you''re overestimating...¡± ¡°Why? Why are you trying to deny this? Why are you denying me when you can feel what I feel?¡± ¡°I... I don''t...¡± Elerlyth sighed, too. ¡°I don''t know you anymore. Those old emotions are there, but... you feel almost completely different from the last time I was near you.¡± ¡°That''s because I really am me, now.¡± Ren said. ¡°The Ren you know is still here, but he''s complete. He''s not fragmented or tormented anymore.¡± Elerlyth blinked her eyes for several moments and just let his emotions wash over her. She knew he was telling her the truth, and she also had no clue how it was possible. ¡°Call Stella first thing in the morning, and she''ll tell you everything that''s happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then call Elise and she''ll tell you about the legal side of things.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°No, I won''t discuss this with you anymore, because you know I''m telling you the truth, and yet you won''t believe me.¡± Ren said and stepped around her. ¡°So, I''m done talking.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Done. Talking.¡± Ren said and kept walking, and Artemis walked beside him. She hadn''t turned around once while they were discussing things, and Ren let her feel his appreciation as they walked down the street together. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°To the business.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got to try and figure out what new things are available to be made, or I''ll start losing business.¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°You haven''t lost business yet, and you don''t even have some of the more powerful things you can make for sale.¡± ¡°That''s because no one can afford them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d put myself out of business if I start stocking items that no one can buy!¡± Artemis and he laughed as they walked to the Artesian District, and people nodded or waved to him, then started to whisper behind his back. Chapter 591 - Business Dealings Ren and Artemis went into the business and saw it was a little crowded. ¡°Oh, thank god!¡± Anabelle said and ran over to them. ¡°My King, we''re running low on weapons and protective enchantments.¡± She said. ¡°We''ve still got a few simple armor sets left, but people have complained that they only have simple enchantments and can''t give them the boost that they need for this new threat.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and activated the forge in the workshop part. ¡°When they come back in, tell them to either bring their armor, or tell me where to meet them. I''ll change their enchantments to a more suitable mix, especially since I meant to do that a while ago.¡± Anabelle sighed in relief, and handed him a piece of paper. ¡°I was really hoping you would say that.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You already told them that, didn''t you?¡± He asked, and she nodded. ¡°I didn''t think I could care about you more, and here you are proving me wrong.¡± Anabelle''s face flushed red and he stepped up into the air and kissed her. ¡°Has anyone asked for a specific kind of protection?¡± ¡°We''ve just about sold out of the Ring of Water Walking.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°It was supposed to be a novelty and a potential life-saving device, and now it''s giving people a sense of security that they won''t be dragged under the water by a Sea Dweller.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°That''s one of the stories going around.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°There was a woman that ran down the street yesterday and she was shouting hysterically that her husband was taken by a sea creature of some kind, while he was out on the sea.¡± ¡°Any idea who she was?¡± Ren asked, and Anabelle shook her head. ¡°Check the All-Seeing Mirror, Ren.¡± Teepo suggested, and Ren took it out and asked it for the woman. He saw her sitting at the docks with a sword in her hand. She looked dishevelled and like she hadn''t slept in a while, and she trembled occasionally. ¡°Anabelle, I''ll go see her as soon as I get the inventory back up to a respectable level.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re a good man, Ren.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Before I forget, you don''t happen to have any new weapon and armor plans for me, do you?¡± Anabelle smiled. ¡°I''m glad you asked.¡± She said and went over to her counter and bent down behind it, and lifted out several sheets of parchment paper. ¡°A messenger delivered these just after lunch yesterday.¡± Ren took the sheets and read through them, then received the plans for a trident, a single shot harpoon (personal size), a harpoon (ship size), and several shields covered in spikes, like they were designed to not be grabbed from the front. ¡°They could be used to smash into things, like giant crab shells.¡± Teepo suggested, and Ren had to nod. There were a few other things, but they were copies of the weapons he had found the first time he had been in the Water Realm and saw them hanging up inside the castle. ¡°I''ll make them right away.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll let the customers know.¡± Anabelle said and came around the counter and gave him a hug. ¡°How long...¡± ¡°A few minutes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just have to go into my storage tower and grab a couple rings full of iron ore.¡± Anabelle laughed. ¡°Just go over to the warehouse at the dock. The ship is delivering a few hundred tons of it as we speak.¡± ¡°The ship''s back?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. I didn''t get a notification. ¡°I''ll go over there right now.¡± ¡°Thank you, My King.¡± Anabelle said. Ren thought about telling her that she didn''t have to call him that, but he saw the look in her eyes and felt her teasing feelings. He smiled at her and gave her a slight bow, and he and Artemis left the shop. He was tempted to just run up into the air and go directly to the dock, then decided he was only wasting time by following the streets to go outside the city and did run up into the air. A few people gasped at the sight, and he wasn''t sure if it was him running through the air or Artemis flying beside him. It didn''t matter either way, so he ran over to the dock and came to a stop in mid-air. A train of carts were delivering loads upon loads of iron ore to the warehouse, and Ren could see into the hold. It was full of crates, and he didn''t know what they were. ¡°Ahoy, there!¡± The short captain said as he came up on deck. ¡°Well, lookatchou!¡± He said and chuckled. ¡°Yer flying!¡± ¡°I''m just standing.¡± Ren said and smiled, then pointed to Artemis with a thumb. ¡°Artemis flies.¡± ¡°Yer arguin'' semantics, sir.¡± The short captain said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren pointed into the hold. ¡°What''s all that?¡± ¡°Personal delivery from Dorcot is a big bunch of them. A few of them are bribes to make deliveries that couldn''t fit on other ships, and the rest are those deliveries.¡± ¡°Bribes?¡± The short captain nodded. ¡°I know you didn''t tell me that I couldn''t accept other cargo, but I wasn''t sure, so I took it, and the bribes, and left them right there for you to look through.¡± ¡°Are the bribes for me or for you?¡± ¡°Both, split how you want, since it''s your ship.¡± The captain said. ¡°I didn''t look through the actual cargo, since I won''t do that without accepting the bribe first.¡± He smiled. ¡°If I don''t take the bribe, then I don''t need to know what I''m shipping.¡± ¡°That''s a unique way of looking at things.¡± Ren said, and the short captain laughed. ¡°Did you look through Dorcot''s delivery?¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°How many did you take?¡± ¡°Just the one, and I took it instead of my pay.¡± The short captain said. ¡°I was planning on asking the cook to marry me.¡± ¡°I assume you took a big one?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The biggest.¡± The captain chuckled. ¡°Did anyone else take any?¡± ¡°No one even went near them, and they all know what''s in them.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°I''ve had a man sitting on them the whole trip with his sword drawn.¡± The short captain said and grinned, and Ren laughed. ¡°All right, thanks for being honest.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you call the crew together?¡± ¡°All hands on deck!¡± The short captain yelled, and all work stopped as everyone came up to gather on the deck of the ship. ¡°I just want to ask a simple question.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did anyone steal from me?¡± He felt surprise from everyone, except one. He walked over to the waitress and stood in front of her. ¡°Ma''am? Can you explain, please?¡± ¡°I didn''t... I... how did you know?¡± She asked and burst into tears. ¡°I swear it was just sitting there on the table for days! I didn''t think anyone owned it! Who would leave something like that out?¡± ¡°What was it?¡± Ren asked, and she took out a platinum coin. ¡°Sir, I swear! I...¡± She sobbed. ¡°...I didn''t know it was yours!¡± Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it where she had found it. It showed him a small table that was in the suite of rooms he and the maids had stayed in while they were on the ship. He stored the mirror and smiled. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and folded her hand over the coin. ¡°Finder''s keepers, right?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± The waitress blinked her eyes and wiped at the tears. ¡°I can keep it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I left it there for anyone that cleaned the room.¡± ¡°Th-that''s how I found it.¡± The waitress said. ¡°I was wiping down everything, since dust collects when you don''t use something, and... when I found it... I left it there for three days, and... and then I took it.¡± ¡°Then you don''t need to feel guilty.¡± Ren said. ¡°It won''t be as easy to find next time, though.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± She and the other waitress said. ¡°I can''t make it that easy all the time.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Who''s assigned to clean the rooms on the next trip?¡± The other waitress raised her hand. ¡°Good luck finding it.¡± Ren said and stepped away. ¡°I''ll give you a hint, though. You actually have to clean to find it.¡± ¡°Sir, those rooms will be spotless.¡± The waitress said, and Ren nodded. ¡°As for the rest of you, thank you for showing restraint while shipping expensive cargo for me.¡± Ren said. The crew watched as Ren ran down into the hold and stored all the crates Dorcot had sent him, then he came back up onto the deck. He took one of the crates out and opened it, and it was full of odd-sized diamonds. He closed it and took out another, and it was full of 1 inch wide diamonds cut specifically for wands. ¡°As a bonus, besides your normal pay that is, you can have two of these.¡± Ren said and the crew stared at him. ¡°Go ahead. Take two.¡± The closest dwarf reached into the crate and picked two of the diamonds up and they sparkled in the sunlight. ¡°You''re really giving them to us?¡± ¡°I know how hard you all work, especially since the ship is so big.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s flipping huge!¡± The dwarf said, and everyone laughed. ¡°If you want something made with them, let me know.¡± The next dwarf reached in and took two, as did the next, and then all of them were grabbing two of the diamonds. When they all had two, he told the waitresses to grab two of them as well. They squealed in delight and rummaged through them. They picked out two that Ren thought were identical to the others; but, he felt their satisfied feelings that the ones they picked were better than the others. Ren stored the crate and walked over to the one crew member that he knew didn''t like him. ¡°So, have you calmed down after being a part of a family, and being treated normally?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Orimihr sighed. ¡°I''m sorry I was being a jerk the last time we met.¡± ¡°Just consider it water under the bridge. Are you willing to tell me about him now?¡± Ren asked, and he nodded. ¡°Then come with me. You can talk while I work.¡± Orimihr looked at Ren''s feet, and indicated he stood in mid-air. ¡°Oh, just a second.¡± Ren said and cast Permanent Air Walk on him. ¡°Okay, now you can follow me.¡± Orimihr took a cautious step up into the air, and smiled. He took another step and started to laugh. ¡°We''re staying for a week while we sort out the cargo.¡± The short captain said. ¡°I assume you''ll be back to look at it later?¡± ¡°I should be back in an hour or so.¡± Ren said and went down into the hold and stored a ton of iron ore. ¡°I just have a few things to make for the shop to get the inventory back up to functioning levels.¡± ¡°See you then.¡± The captain said and looked at the crew. ¡°Get back ta work you scally-wags!¡± The crew scattered almost instantly and Ren, Orimihr, and Artemis went through the air and over the wall of the city. ¡°This is so crazy.¡± Orimihr said and looked down at the people below him. ¡°We''re running through the air like we''re running on the ground, only there''s nothing for us to trip over!¡± ¡°It''s definitely a great ability to have.¡± Ren said and they went into the shop, and over to the forge. He added a pile of ore to it and let the system skim off the impurities. ¡°Tell me what you know about the Legendary Blacksmith Delthid Kulduhr.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Orimihr said and watched Ren stir the molten metal quickly. ¡°The first thing you should know is that he''s an arrogant pr-¡± ¡°Easy, there.¡± Ren interrupted him and gave a slight nod to the female customers that were well within earshot. ¡°There are ladies present.¡± The women quickly blushed at his compliment and they chattered under their breath to each other. ¡°My apologies.¡± Orimihr said and nodded to the women as well. ¡°I''ve been on a sailing ship for a while.¡± Ren smiled at the excuse, because he spoke like that long before they were on the ship. ¡°Which ship?¡± One of the women asked. ¡°We were just down at the docks and didn''t see you there.¡± ¡°It''s a ship at a private dock just outside the city.¡± Orimihr said, and the women gave him an appreciative ''ooo''. He smiled at them and turned to Ren. ¡°As I was saying...¡± ¡°Do you really know the Legendary Blacksmith?¡± One of the women interrupted. ¡°I thought he was just a myth.¡± ¡°If I can get my hands on him, that''s all he''s going to be.¡± Orimihr responded, and she gasped. ¡°You''ve got a quest!¡± She turned to her friend. ¡°He''s got a quest to find the Legendary Blacksmith!¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Her friend said her voice full of wonder. ¡°That''s unbelievable.¡± ¡°Orimihr, why don''t you have a seat with these two enticing women, and tell them all about your old friend.¡± Ren said and took out a couch for them to sit on, far enough away from the forge that they wouldn''t feel the heat, but they could still see what was going on. ¡°I don''t know...¡± Orimihr said. ¡°Please, kind sir!¡± One of them said. ¡°Regale us with your tale!¡± Orimihr was genuinely surprised that anyone besides Ren would be interested in talking to him, so he started to wave to the couch and was about to ask them if they wanted to sit. The two women didn''t wait for him to finish moving or talking, and they had already sat down on the couch about 2 feet apart from each other, and waited expectantly. Orimihr smiled as he sat down between them, then he started to tell them all about Delthid. Ren went to the forge and kept working while he listened intently to everything Orimihr said. He knew there would be some exaggeration because he now had a female audience, so he took everything that was said and added a doubtful tone. He made weapons, armor, pendants, and everything else that was on the plans that Anabelle had given him. It took Orimihr 2 hours to tell his tale, and the two women were both riveted by his words the entire time. When he was done of his tale, both women had agreed to meet him for dinner at the local restaurant, and they left quite happy. Ren was done of the work he had to do as well. He had stocked the shop as the work progressed, and several of the items sold right away. Anabelle had been right, and the Rings of Water Walking were hot sellers, as were the Pendants of Protection. She gave him the latest pile of platinum and gold coins that she had gathered by selling his things, and Ren promised that he would thank her properly that night. ¡°I always look forward to your thanks.¡± Anabelle said and gave him a quick kiss, then went back to the multitude of customers that still populated the shop. ¡°Ren.¡± Orimihr said to get his attention, and he held out the two diamonds. ¡°Can you make these into pendants and give them Water Walking and Protection?¡± Ren looked at him knowingly and quickly did it using his Craft Wondrous Item ability, rather than forging them, and Orimihr stared at them when Ren handed them back. ¡°Normally, I would warn someone not to just give them away and waste them; but, I''m pretty sure you''re not going to waste them if you give them away.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°If you get what I''m saying.¡± Orimihr took out the large handful of gold he had and held it out. ¡°Can you keep my pay and give me a Strong Ring of Storage? I think I''m going to need the boost.¡± ¡°Keep your pay.¡± Ren said and gave him a Strong Ring of Storage and a Bracelet of Magical Balance. ¡°I always help my friends.¡± He smiled and pat Orimihr''s shoulder. ¡°By the way, if you''re smart, you''ll head over to the restaurant right now and book a private table in the back for tonight.¡± Orimihr equipped the items and stored the two pendants inside the ring. ¡°I think that''s a great idea.¡± ¡°Make sure you tip a gold coin when you book the table.¡± Ren said. ¡°It might not get you in faster, but the workers appreciate someone that appreciates them.¡± Orimihr let a slow smile spread across his face and nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± He said and turned to walk away, then stopped. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren. I didn''t realize...¡± ¡°It''s okay. You don''t know me, and I don''t know you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had hoped to change that a while ago; but like I said then, I can''t force you to open up and talk to me.¡± ¡°So you left me alone and let me think about it instead.¡± ¡°It seemed like the best way.¡± ¡°It was, my friend.¡± Orimihr said. ¡°Let me know when... well, you know.¡± ¡°You''ll be the eighth person I tell when I decide to go and find him.¡± ¡°The eighth?¡± Orimihr asked, surprised. ¡°Artemis and Teepo, who are always by my side, and the 5 Ladies of my House will know first.¡± Orimihr looked at him with wide eyes for a moment, then laughed and left the shop. Chapter 592 - As The Water Churns Ren told Anabelle that he was going down to the docks to check on that woman, and left the shop with Artemis. It was almost a straight walk over to one of the East Gates that led to the docks, so Ren didn''t bother running through the air. Townspeople greeted him as he passed, and he greeted them back. He could feel their curiosity about him and he wondered what was making them feel that way. ¡°You are a king instead of a lord now.¡± Teepo said. Maybe. Ren thought. ¡°Your Aura is huge, too.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Of course, you''re leaving them on all the time, so a lot of people can feel you coming, even the ones that normally can''t or choose not to.¡± They''re waiting until I''m too far away to whisper. Ren thought. I can''t hear what they are saying about me. ¡°Want me to fly over and listen?¡± Teepo asked. No, I think we should stay close together. Ren said. We need to be a lot more careful of you know what. ¡°Yeah, I have a feeling something is brewing.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Maybe this is a symptom of that?¡± That''s always possible. Ren said, and stopped walking. He had felt a strong Void Presence near the edge of his Aura. ¡°I''ll check it out.¡± Artemis said and flew up into the air. It looks like it''s in an alleyway two streets over. What is it? A large dark shadow. Artemis thought to him. They knew what large dark shadows could contain, so Ren ran over to the spot as Artemis flew over to it. Once Ren had his eyes on it, he activated his Light runes and Anti-void runes in his armor. ¡°AahhhhhHHH!!!!¡± A blood curdling scream echoed as the shadow collapsed in on itself, then a slightly deformed hand and a twisted foot landed on the ground where the shadow was.
Notice!
Good Work! You have repelled an attack by a Void empowered creature and caused mortal wounds to it. It may survive the damage, but the prospects of that are low. Rewards: 1,250 XP Void Bane (Title) Bonus: 1,000 XP
Ren looked at the hand and foot and used Identify on them, and all it said was what they were. Severed parts. ¡°Now I''m wondering if I should keep them and try to loot them when the creature dies.¡± ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You could be carrying them around for a long time, especially if it gets healing from somewhere.¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s true.¡± Ren said and activated his Hands of the Gods ability. He chose Rocky Hands for the Earth element and formed a fire pit under the pieces. He then chose Burning Hands and used the Fire element and his Fire Manipulation ability to roast the hand and foot to ashes. He added a bit of water to stop the ash from blowing around, then covered the small pit with earth. ¡°I''m not sure going that far was necessary; but, I have to agree that you don''t want to leave things like that just lying around.¡± Artemis said as she landed beside him. ¡°It''s better to be safe than sorry.¡± Ren said, and they walked back to the street that the closest East Gate was on. There were a few soldiers at the gate and they looked him and Artemis over with a scrutinizing eye. They didn''t say anything as Ren and Artemis passed, however. ¡°I think I see her.¡± Teepo said when they arrived at the docks. ¡°On the left, 200 feet down the dock and in front of that fish stand.¡± Ren saw her and walked down the dock. He easily avoided the townspeople, sailors, and workers as he approached her, and he saw that the All-Seeing Mirror had captured her dishevelled state perfectly. ¡°Ma''am? Can I talk to you?¡± Ren asked. It startled the poor woman and she visibly trembled, then her sword swung towards him automatically. Artemis was suddenly there and easily caught the sword and held it, and the woman stared at her metallic red hair. ¡°Ma''am?¡± Ren said again and took out a chair, then sat down in front of her to get her attention. ¡°I want you to tell me your story.¡± The woman looked from Artemis to Ren and tried to pull on the sword, but it didn''t move. She looked back at Artemis and pulled again, to no avail. The woman sighed and let the sword handle go and looked at Ren. ¡°It''s not a story.¡± She said, a little too calmly. ¡°It''s a tragedy that''s befallen my family, and I am seeking justice for my husband.¡± ¡°Please tell me what happened.¡± Ren said and tried to take her hand. She pulled her hand away before he could and clutched it to her chest. ¡°You should already know, I think.¡± She said and her eyes darted to Artemis, then back to Ren. ¡°You''re one of them.¡± Ren felt her derision and was surprised. It was rare for anyone to instantly dislike him. ¡°One of who?¡± The woman lifted her hand and pointed. Ren and Artemis looked to where she indicated and saw nothing but open water. ¡°That doesn''t clarify...¡± ¡°You''re a Sea Dweller.¡± The woman said, and Ren looked back at her. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°You look human, but you''re one of them somehow.¡± She said. ¡°Is it a Polymorph spell or something? Why would you make yourself so short?¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her for several moments, then stood up. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He said, then ran up into the sky. The woman watched him in fascination, as did a lot of the other people on the docks. He stopped when he was several hundred feet up and Artemis flew up beside him.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°What is it?¡± Artemis asked. She still had the woman''s sword in her hand. ¡°I think it''s time I looked at the popups I received when we came back from the Water Realm.¡± Ren said and opened them.
System Notice!
You have inadvertently heralded in a new age for the Water Realm. The influx of new Royal citizens has increased their population potential by 250% and has diversified the gene pool exponentially. This in combination with the 1,200% mine efficiency increase you provided, as well as a restless Guardian Construct that never needs to be repaired or replaced, has given them opportunities unheard of in previous generations.
Notice!
Your actions have benefited the Water Realm even more than you had anticipated. Your Waterkin title and Waterkin Aura have been upgraded. While in or near water or water-based environments, all XP gains are doubled. Sea Dweller (Honorary) Title: Grants Water Manipulation Skill, Water Conversion Ability, and Sea Dweller (Aura) Sea Dweller Aura (Mastered) - All beings recognize you as one of the Sea Dwellers and will treat you accordingly. Current Distance: 50 foot radius (Land) 100 foot radius (Water). Will combine with other Auras to increase in strength and distance.
Notice!
Trouble Recipe ingredient: ''Water Realm'' has been completed.
¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now what do I do?¡± ¡°Well, I''d suggest turning the Aura part off.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Maybe she''ll be more forthcoming.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°It''s too late for that now.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°I''ve already covered most of the city with my Aura by running around.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°Now I know what they were whispering behind my back.¡± ¡°Crap.¡± Teepo said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, even if I turn it off, they already know I had it and it''ll spread quickly that I''m trying to hide it if I turn it off now.¡± ¡°So, you''re damned if you do and damned if you don''t.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If changing it won''t make a difference, then we should just ignore it and keep going like we normally would.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Artemis?¡± ¡°I''ve always got your back, even if you smell like fish.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter and Ren laughed. ¡°Forward and onward, then.¡± Ren said, and ran back down to the dock and came to a stop in front of the woman. He sat in the chair he had left in front of her and smiled. ¡°Apparently you''re right, and I am considered a Sea Dweller.¡± He said and waved to Artemis. ¡°Give her the sword back.¡± Artemis handed it back to the surprised woman without a word of protest. ¡°Please accept my apologies for what happened with your husband.¡± Ren said sincerely. ¡°If you remind me of the story, perhaps I can help.¡± ¡°Why would you go against your own kind?¡± The woman asked. ¡°I don''t like having innocents hurt for no reason.¡± Ren said, and that placated the woman. ¡°Please, tell me.¡± The woman took in a deep breath, then told him about her husband. He was a sailor for one of the big shipping companies, and had a well-paying job as a deckhand. Then out of the blue, Sea Dwellers came out of the water and warned them to change course or they would regret it. The captain didn''t think anything of it and continued on... then the ship popped out of the water like a cork. Ren nodded as she described that a ship was designed to sit in the water, and when it wasn''t in the water anymore, it tilted onto the side and kept going because of the momentum it had. Unfortunately, several of the deckhands were working at the time, and went right overboard. Ren sighed when she said the Sea Dwellers told the captain that they would keep his crew members until the captain decided to change course. ¡°Of course, the captain and some of the crew are still there with the ship.¡± The woman said. ¡°Several members hopped into a small boat and tried to row back to shore. They were lucky that another ship happened by and picked them up instead.¡± ¡°They came back and shared their story?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°The Sea Dwellers took my husband, and they are coming for the rest of us!¡± She exclaimed and waved her sword around. ¡°I won''t let them take me, too!¡±
New Quest!
Investigate the case of the missing crewmen and try to find out what really happened. No time limit has been set for this quest. Rewards: ???? Penalty for Failure: None
¡°Thank you for telling me what happened.¡± Ren said and stood up, then stored the chair. ¡°You wouldn''t happen to know where those crew members are?¡± The woman pointed down the dock to a seedy dockside bar that wasn''t there before. ¡°You''ll find them telling it in there.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll warn you, though. People have been buying them drinks since yesterday to hear the story.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I understand.¡± He said. ¡°Ma''am, can I help you in any other way? Fix your clothing? Bring you something to eat?¡± ¡°A nice meal would be good.¡± The woman said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren ran off the dock and stopped in the street, then took out his shop tower. People gasped at the 20 foot by 20 foot tower that was blocking the street, and Ren went inside to make several meals. He came back out several minutes later and stored the tower, then ran back onto the docks and over to her. ¡°Enjoy.¡± Ren said and gave her a large plate of meat and vegetables, and she stared at the pile of food. ¡°I''ll find out what else I can from the sailors, and let you know if I discover anything different.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± The woman said and took the plate of food. She sniffed it and chose a piece of meat, then took a small bite out of it. Her eyes lit up and her back straightened, and her shivering eased slightly. Ren and Artemis left her and walked down the docks to the new bar. They saw it was run down and had seen better days. It can''t have seen better days, since it wasn''t here before. Ren thought in amusement, then he entered the bar. The smell of stale ale and dirty drunks filled his nostrils, so he stepped back out for fresh air. He made a Non-Necklace of Wisdom and added the Necklace of Air enchantment to it, and put it on. Ren was surrounded by a layer of fresh air and went back inside the bar. He smiled because he couldn''t smell the awful smell anymore, and walked over to the bartender. He was a grizzled old man in a captain''s hat, and he sneered at Ren. ¡°What can I getcha?¡± Ren took out a silver coin and held it up. ¡°You can point me to the sailors telling the story about the Sea Dwellers.¡± ¡°Are ya coming fer revenge?¡± The bartender asked. ¡°If ya are, I ain''t telling ya nothing.¡± ¡°No, I want to find out what I can about the missing crewmen.¡± The bartender took the coin and pointed to a booth at the back of the bar. ¡°You''ll find them passed out over there.¡± He said. ¡°They''ve been drinking free ale since yesterday.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and walked over to the booth. He was disgusted by the looks of them and was really grateful for the fresh air enchantment. He took out a Minor Healing wand and used it on both men, which sobered them up instantly. ¡°Wh-what? What happened?¡± One of them said and lifted his head to look around. ¡°I don''t feel drunk anymore.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± The other man said. The two men sat up and tried to straighten their clothing without standing up, then they shrugged after giving up the fruitless gesture and looked at Ren. ¡°What do you want?¡± One of them asked. ¡°I want to hear your story.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sorry, kid.¡± He said. ¡°I''m not drunk enough to tell it.¡± ¡°I am not going to sit here for hours and wait for that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then you''re out of luck.¡± The other guy said. ¡°Bartender! Give us another ale! The kid''s paying!¡± Ren looked at the bartender and made a fist. The bartender shrugged and Ren nodded to him, then turned to the two men. ¡°It seems the bartender doesn''t mind me messing up the place.¡± He smiled and punched the table. The table splintered and splashed wood chips all over the two men, who yelled that they were being attacked again. Ren reached out and grabbed both men by the collar. They tried to fight and get out of his grip, and when that didn''t work, they stared at Ren with wide eyes as he easily lifted them out of the booth and up into the air. ¡°Now, before I lose my temper, you better tell me what happened on the ship.¡± Ren said and grinned as they both started to talk and tell him everything he wanted to know. Chapter 593 - It Gets Murky The two men told him the name of the ship was the Dauntless, named after its captain, and that most of the crew were as loyal to him as his own children were. They told him the route the ship took and where the incident happened, what the cargo was, the crew compliment, and they also confirmed the woman''s story. It was her husband and 3 other men that had fallen overboard and captured by the Sea Dwellers. He could tell they were telling the truth because they were scared out of their wits. ¡°Thank you, gentlemen.¡± Ren said, then gave them a shake. ¡°Hey! Stop! We told you everything!¡± One of them yelled. ¡°Relax, I''m just shaking off the splinters.¡± Ren said and turned away from the booth and stood the two men on their feet. ¡°Stay right there.¡± The two men nodded several times and Ren walked over to the bartender. ¡°Do you have a broom I can borrow?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± The bartender said and banged on the wall. ¡°Clarence! Cleanup duty!¡± A young boy came out from a cubbyhole under the bar and stood up. The bartender pointed to the smashed table and the boy ran right over with a broom that was only as big as him. He made short work of all the splinters, even the ones on the seats of the booth, and took the pile of wood and shoved it inside the cold stove in the corner. ¡°I can make you a new table.¡± Ren said, and the bartender shook his head. ¡°I know yer type. It''ll be all fancy and sturdy, and my customers will hurt themselves when thrown against it or over it.¡± The bartender smiled. ¡°That''ll hurt my business.¡± Ren chuckled and saw the boy pull out another flimsy table from the back room and slid it over to the booth. ¡°I should apologize for the mess and the inconvenience; but, it was neither for you, apparently.¡± The bartender nodded and Ren walked over to the two men. ¡°Have a seat, gentlemen.¡± Ren said, and the two men slowly sat back in the booth. He put two plates of food in front of them and they stared at them. ¡°Enjoy the meal, and I''ll be paying for your drinks for the next hour, too.¡± ¡°Geez, are you crazy?¡± One of them asked. ¡°We can drink a lot in an hour!¡± ¡°Most sailors can.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact...¡± He smiled and turned to the bar. ¡°Hey, everyone. Sorry for the ruckus. For the next hour, drinks are on me.¡± The patrons that had been completely quiet the entire time burst into cheers and hurrahs for him. Ren waved to them and walked over to the bartender. ¡°Yer in for a hefty bill I think.¡± The bartender said. Ren took out 2 platinum coins and slid them across the bar, then leaned in to whisper. ¡°If you give them the strong ale first to get them going, you should have a lot of change left over.¡± The bartender barked a harsh laugh and took the two coins. ¡°All right, you scum. You heard the man! Free ale for an hour!¡± Ren had to dodge out of the way of the sailors, including the two he had just talked to, and then he left the bar. ¡°Thanks for waiting outside.¡± He said to Artemis. ¡°It was nasty in there.¡± ¡°I would trudge through a hundred seedy bars by your side.¡± Artemis said and smiled. ¡°But, not the hundredth and first. I have to draw the line there.¡± Ren snorted a laugh and put his arm around her waist. ¡°Let''s get back to the shop and check on Anabelle, then we can go to the county to get Princess.¡± Artemis nodded and they walked down the dock to the exit at one of the East Gates, then they walked down the street to get to the Artesian District. They stopped in the shop and saw that Anabelle had brought in all three girls for extra help. ¡°Hi, Anabelle.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss when she came over to greet him. ¡°Now that you''re so busy, I was thinking of giving you one of my Dedicated Servant Crafters.¡± ¡°That would be nice...¡± Anabelle said and looked away. ¡°But?¡± Ren asked, because he could feel her reluctance. ¡°My King, I... I''ll lose these moments with you if you have someone else here to do all the work for you.¡± Ren took two steps up into the air and put his hands on her shoulders. ¡°If that''s what you want, then you will never lose these moments with me.¡± ¡°You promise?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said, then leaned in and kissed her cheek. ¡°I''ll come back tonight for a few hours before I have to go for Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°A... few hours?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It seems I don''t really have a lot of pressing matters to attend to, so I''ll have some free time...¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Anabelle said and kissed him several times. ¡°I''ll wear something nice, just for you.¡± ¡°You don''t have to, but I appreciate it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know you do.¡± Anabelle said, and she shivered slightly as she felt his emotions through their shared Freedom Aura. ¡°Until tonight.¡± ¡°Until then, my dear.¡± Ren said, took her hand and kissed the back of it, then he and Artemis left the shop. ¡°She''s really excited.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I don''t spend as much time with her as I should.¡± Ren said and started to run through the air. ¡°Of course, I guess that can be said about almost everyone in my life, not just her.¡± Artemis flew beside him. ¡°Lara and I definitely have the time compression advantage there.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I''m tempted to make sanctuaries for everyone and try to get them acclimated, then I wouldn''t have to worry about splitting my time up so much.¡± ¡°Can you do that?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°You had to modify the one you made for Lara so that we could all fit inside. With only one extra person, the enchantment quadrupled in size.¡± He said. ¡°Won''t having that much of a change be dangerous for new people?¡± ¡°Oh, definitely.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s why I''ve been trying to figure out a way to expand it and not increase the time compression.¡± He said. ¡°Anti-time runes won''t work, since that just reduces the amount of time itself, not how fast it runs.¡± ¡°What you need is a way to edit spells and change how they affect what you use them on.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°I have no clue where you could learn that ability, or even if it exists.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said, and he ran for the few minutes to get to the county, and came to a stop in front of the Main House. ¡°I''m going inside for a minute to visit and let them know what''s going on.¡± He said, and went up to the apartment to see Frikara and the others. He took about half an hour to tell them all about what happened in the Water Realm and about his new quest. ¡°I''m surprised you could get this kind of quest, considering you''re a Sea Dweller.¡± Frikara said out of the blue. ¡°You would think it''s a conflict of interest and it goes against your own kind.¡± Ren stopped talking and looked at her with wide eyes, and he could feel her conflicted emotions. ¡°Frikara, are you okay?¡± ¡°I... Ren, I... don''t know.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Why did I say that just now?¡± She shook her head. ¡°It doesn''t make any sense! I know you''re not really one of them...¡± She put a hand over her mouth. ¡°By the gods! Why am I saying ''them'' like it''s a dirty word?¡± ¡°Shh, it''s okay.¡± Ren took her into his arms and she started crying. ¡°Don''t talk. I can feel the conflict inside of you.¡± He said and looked at the other maids. He could feel traces of the same thing in them as well. ¡°Unfortunately, I think I won''t be taking you on any adventures for a while.¡± ¡°Yes, you can''t trust us to have your back like this.¡± Navruth said, and Ren could feel her Practicality ability assert itself. ¡°Our... decision making is... questionable right now.¡± ¡°I''ll look into this right away.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll let you know if I find out anything.¡± ¡°No, don''t.¡± Frikara said. ¡°It... might...¡± She shook her head. ¡°Please, go.¡± Ren tried to give her a kiss goodbye, and she leaned away from him and cried even harder. ¡°Why am I... not letting you?¡± Frikara said as streams of tears rolled down her face. ¡°I love you so much and... and I...¡± ¡°I''m tearing you apart.¡± Ren said as he gained the Angered condition and stood up. ¡°I''ll make those responsible for this pay.¡± He said and went to the apartment door. ¡°They will pay dearly for hurting you like this.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Frikara tried to speak, but now all of the maids were crying. ¡°I miss you already.¡± Ren said and left the apartment. He ran down the stairs and to Xuunah''s apartment. The door opened before he could knock. ¡°I am unaffected by whatever it is that''s changed them.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I can feel the conflict in them as well.¡± ¡°If you know, then please forgive me for this.¡± Ren said and took two steps up into the air and kissed her. She was surprised for a moment, then Ren poured all of his love for the maids out into the shared Aura. Xuunah let her own feelings join his and accepted his loving kiss for what it was. An apology for what the maids were going through. Ren could have stayed that way forever; but, he knew it was pointless to do it for more than a few moments. ¡°Please stay here and protect them for me, since my very presence hurts them.¡± He said when he broke the kiss. ¡°But my vow...¡± ¡°They are as much a part of me as you are, My Angel.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss meant only for her, and her body shivered as he gave her just as much feelings of love as he did the maids. ¡°Please, protect my heart while I cannot.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Xuunah said and rested her forehead against his, and he felt her love in return. ¡°I will do my best.¡± ¡°I''ll come back if I find out anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Until then...¡± ¡°I will watch over them for you.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°You have my word.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said sincerely, and gave her another kiss. Xuunah sighed loudly when he broke it, because he was leaving her as well as the maids. He left the apartment and met Artemis outside, and they walked over to Princess'' house beside the Main House. ¡°I am so sorry, My King.¡± Princess said as she came out to meet them. Riley and Stacy were there by her side. ¡°Not as sorry as those responsible are going to be.¡± Ren said and knelt by the two dogs. ¡°I charge you with the protection of the maids and Xuunah. Guard this house and keep them safe.¡± Both dogs barked once and wagged their tails, and he pet them. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°Princess, we have a bit of travelling to do.¡± ¡°I am up for anything.¡± Princess responded, and followed Ren across the road. ¡°Tee-one, I''m changing your assignment back to the business.¡± Ren said as they entered the warehouse, and Tee-one was already waiting for him. ¡°Symmetra will stay and keep making anything that is needed, and the constructs will stay with her and keep an eye on things.¡± ¡°We''ll do our best in this time of upheaval.¡± Symmetra said, then picked Ren up and hugged him with all 6 of her arms. ¡°I''m so sorry this happened.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said and hugged her back. ¡°I hope it won''t take long for me to fix things.¡± ¡°If anyone can do it, you can.¡± Symmetra said and let him go. Ren, Artemis, Princess and Tee-one left the warehouse, and Ren attached a cart to Princess. Tee-one climbed inside and they went down the street to the pixie encampment. He wanted to warn them that he wasn''t going to be around for a little while. When he stopped by the sign, he saw several of the 1 foot tall pixies call to the others, and a bunch of them came over. ¡°Well, well, well. Look at you.¡± Suniva, the Fire-based pixie said and grinned at him. ¡°A Sea Dweller on dry land.¡± Ren closed his eyes and made fists, which cracked all his knuckles, and he took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and looked at her sadly, then turned and started to walk away without saying a word. ¡°R-Ren!¡± Suniva said and ran forward through the air and ran around him to face him. ¡°It was a joke! I was joking!¡± ¡°It wasn''t funny.¡± Ren said and stopped walking. ¡°I have to leave the maids because of it.¡± ¡°Wh-what? Why?¡± ¡°Whatever this new event is, it changed what they say and how they feel about things.¡± Artemis said. ¡°They were crying almost hysterically when we left.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Suniva said. ¡°Ren, I... I''m so sorry.¡± ¡°I''ve got the Angered condition, so not much is going to set me off.¡± Ren said. ¡°I could calm down, but I don''t want to.¡± He said. ¡°I only stopped by to tell you I might be gone for a while, depending on how long it takes to try and fix things.¡± ¡°Then I''m coming with you.¡± Suniva said and walked over to sit on his shoulder. ¡°I won''t let you face this alone.¡± ¡°I didn''t mean for...¡± ¡°My playful joke hurt you.¡± Suniva said and kissed his cheek. ¡°Let me make it up to you.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''re taking some of everything with you anyway.¡± Suniva said. ¡°You can''t say no.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say no, and she quickly tossed a little fireball inside. It exploded and made a large puff of smoke come out of his mouth, and Teepo, Artemis, Princess, and Tee-one laughed at the sight. He couldn''t help but chuckle at the mirth they felt, and he nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± Suniva said and kissed his cheek again. Their next stop was the succubi roost, and when they were close enough for Ren''s Aura to cover the entire roost, 4 of the succubi came out to greet him. ¡°We felt your emotions, My King.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°The others have someone to keep them fed, so we will come with you.¡± ¡°But, I just...¡± ¡°We will come with you.¡± Seldanna repeated. Ren sighed and she felt his acceptance, so she darted forward and kissed him on the cheek. ¡°Hey!¡± Suniva said as she had to lean out of the way. ¡°I''m right here!¡± ¡°Aren''t you a tasty morsel.¡± Seldanna said and licked her lips and locked eyes with the pixie. Suniva''s hands glowed with Fire. ¡°Just try it, horny demon!¡± She said. ¡°You don''t want to see what a pissed off pixie can do!¡± ¡°Ooo, I''m so scared.¡± Seldanna said and grinned. ¡°Seldanna.¡± Ren said to caution her, and she looked at his face. ¡°She does look tasty.¡± Seldanna winked at him, and he felt her teasing emotions. ¡°Give it a rest and hop aboard.¡± Ren said and motioned to the cart. ¡°We''re better at air patrol.¡± Seldanna said, and the 4 succubi lifted off and hovered around him and his group. Ren climbed onto Princess and sat down on her saddle, and the group took off into the air to travel to the starter city of Aurora. He felt bad as they left the county for an indeterminate amount of time, and he didn''t know when he could come back. If Ren couldn''t convince the programmers to undo what they did to the maids, then he didn''t know what he was going to do next. Chapter 594 - Near The Bottom Ren stopped at the house in the Housing District and dropped off the 4 succubi and Suniva, and told them to set up a place for themselves inside. He then stopped in at the business to drop off Tee-one, and he felt Anabelle''s reaction to that. He told her to have someone watch the main counter, and took her upstairs to the apartment to explain. It didn''t take long for her to start crying as well. ¡°I... I knew I... felt slightly different.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I didn''t realize...¡± She shook her head. ¡°Why did it affect them so much, and not me?¡± ¡°If I had to take a guess, it''s because of your contract.¡± Ren said. ¡°Since it kind of overrides your normal emotional state, and has been since we wrote it, the changes to you haven''t affected you as much.¡± ¡°Ren, give them the same contract!¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Maybe...¡± ¡°No, it''s too late.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°If I give it to them now, how they are currently feeling will be a part of it and it won''t change anything.¡± He said. ¡°If I manage to change it back and they are under contract, then it won''t affect them because it would still be a part of them and would defeat the purpose.¡± ¡°It''s the same as your Sea Dweller Aura.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Once someone is affected by it, it doesn''t matter if it''s on or not.¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to try and change things at the source before doing anything else.¡± ¡°I... I hope you can fix it.¡± Anabelle said, and he felt how sorry she was. ¡°Hey, I told you. I''m not leaving Tee-one here permanently.¡± ¡°No, I know... it''s just... you promised me we would have those moments together.¡± ¡°I did, and we will.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m staying at the house in the Housing District, remember? I''m going to be here a lot more for the foreseeable future.¡± Anabelle was happy about that, then she felt what he was feeling and put her arms around him. ¡°I''m sorry for being a bother.¡± ¡°Honestly, you''re not.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°It''s just... I''m sorry that staying nearby is all I can do right now to ease your concerns.¡± ¡°Are you going to look for the missing crewmen before you go on Adventurer''s business?¡± ¡°No, there''s no time limit for it, so I have to go and start the ball rolling with whatever happened with the maids.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can go back to work if you want, and I''ll be down to see you when I come back.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Anabelle gave him a kiss and left the apartment, and Ren laid down on her bed. ¡°Teepo...¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ll keep watch and let you know if anything happens while you''re gone.¡± ¡°Thanks, buddy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the bed in the real world and tried to slip off the VR headset. ¡°Relax, Ren.¡± Barbara whispered. ¡°I''ve got it.¡± Ren turned his head and looked at the redheaded woman sound asleep beside him. She looked so pretty like that, not a care in the world, and he was tempted to caress her face. He didn''t because he knew it would probably wake her. Ren moved over in the bed instead and he motioned for the laptop. Barbara brought over the rollaway table and the laptop, and Ren looked for the email he had received from the tech support guys. He clicked on it and started typing a scathing complaint about what they had done to his play experience, and then he stopped. He closed the message without sending it and looked for the personal one he had received from the company owner, Mr. Torren. Ren opened it and clicked reply, because in that message, Mr. Torren had said that if he needed anything, to let him know. Since Ren needed help, he figured going right to the top was going to be the best way to handle things. He explained in a calm manner and pleasing words what he had experienced in the game from the normal people, and said he had accepted that as par and part of the scenario. What he couldn''t accept was what had happened to the maids and anyone else he was closely associated with that he hadn''t talked to yet. Ren explained the torturous feelings he had gotten from Frikara and the others, and how whatever they had done had hurt them because it went against how they normally felt. He asked, very politely, to undo what was done to the NPCs that he was associated with, and to make them exceptions to the Water Works World Event if necessary. His playing experience was horrible right now, and he did not want it to continue. Ren also explained that he never made a formal complaint, even after everything that had been done to him, and that he regretted that he had to in this instance. Most things he could let go, but this time it hurt the ones he cared about, and that he couldn''t take without saying something. Ren gave it an ''urgent'' tag and asked for an immediate reply, then sent it. He looked at the clock on the wall and held in his sigh. He knew he had at least a game day before it would be read, assuming Mr. Torren read it himself, and he didn''t know if it would receive a reply quickly or not. He checked the other emails and messages he had and nothing jumped out at him, so he closed the message program and sat back on the bed. Barbara moved the rollaway table back to where she had taken it from and went back to Ren. ¡°I didn''t hear what was said, but I saw what happened.¡± She whispered. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°So am I.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°I just messaged the owner and complained about it.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you message tech support?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°They''re idiots and have done enough against me.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°If I ask about it and they ignore me like when I asked about the interactions between the kids I saw in there, or worse, they tell me there''s nothing that can be done and I have to live with it...¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, I''m calling in the big guns first instead of waiting and calling them in later.¡± ¡°I''ll cross my fingers and hope that it works.¡± Barbara whispered. ¡°Are you going back in?¡± Ren nodded and she helped him put the VR headset back on. ¡°See you in a few hours.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the bed in the living room and sat up. He thought about just staying there and not doing anything; but, he had people waiting for him, so he left the apartment and went downstairs to see Anabelle. He told her he got the ball rolling, but wouldn''t find out anything until tomorrow. She hugged him and told him she would see him tonight, and he and Artemis left the business and met Princess outside. ¡°We''re going back to the house for a minute.¡± Ren said. They went over to the Housing District quickly and saw that two of the succubi were floating around the roof and keeping a lookout. Ren waved to them and they came down to land in front of him, and the other two came out of the house, with Suniva the 1 foot tall pixie right behind them. ¡°I''ve got a quest to fulfill out on the ocean.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can stay here or you can come with me.¡± ¡°You''re giving us a choice?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°Of course I am.¡± ¡°Then we choose to come with you.¡± Seldanna said, and he felt agreement from the other three succubi. ¡°We will always choose that, so you no longer have to ask.¡± Ren looked at her and the other three, and they all nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I''m scared to go near the water.¡± Suniva admitted. ¡°I''m Fire-based, so if I fall in or get splashed, I don''t know what will happen.¡± Ren activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and made 5 more Non-Necklace of Wisdom, then used Double Infusion to give each of them the Necklace of Fresh Air enchantment. He gave one of the necklaces to Suniva, and she equipped it. It shrunk to fit her, and when the fresh air enchantment activated, her Fire burned twice as hot as normal. ¡°R-Ren! You... thank you!¡± Suniva said and ran up to his face and kissed his top lip. ¡°With this, I never have to worry about being smothered again!¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, and he felt her sincere gratitude. He gave the other 4 necklaces to the succubi. They were also grateful, but they didn''t try to kiss him for it. ¡°Please don''t tell me that what happened to the maids is affecting you, too.¡± Seldanna shook her head. ¡°We don''t want to be seen as needy or want to take advantage of your kindness.¡± Ren tried to feel their emotions and could tell they were blocking him from most of them. ¡°Can I have a kiss, then?¡± He asked, and he felt their surprise. ¡°I couldn''t kiss the maids before I left, and my lips are missing their touch.¡± The succubi gasped as Ren let some of his loneliness out, and the four of them stepped close and knelt in front of him. Seldanna held a hand out to him, and he took it. She caught her breath as she got a direct feeling from him, and she closed her eyes. ¡°My King, I would be honored to be a stand in for one of your loves.¡± Seldanna said and opened her eyes. They glowed red, and he could feel her anger building. ¡°If it was within my power to do so, I would tear those that cause you pain limb from limb.¡± Ren felt her honesty and leaned forward. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and kissed her. Her whole body glowed as he poured his feelings into her and her ability consumed them. A few moments later, she had to break the kiss and lean back because she was full. ¡°My... My King!¡± Seldanna whispered, and Ren did the same thing to the other three succubi. He charged them up, almost to overflowing, and they knelt there and basked in the feelings he had given them. Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it where the Dauntless was, and a map of the ocean appeared on the mirror''s surface. A red dot popped up and Ren showed the mirror to Princess. Suniva sat down on his shoulder and crossed her legs as she put her arm around Ren''s neck and gripped his hair to hold on. A tiny copy of his platinum armor formed around her and she smiled. ¡°Everyone ready?¡± Ren asked, and the succubi stood up instantly. ¡°For you, we are always ready.¡± Seldanna said. Ren nodded to her and the succubi, then climbed onto Princess and sat down on the saddle. ¡°Cruising speed, please.¡± ¡°Yes, My King.¡± Princess said and trotted up into the air, then poured on the speed as Artemis and the succubi flew beside them. Princess approached what she thought was the succubi top flying speed and stayed there, and the succubi kept pace with her. Ren could feel two of the succubi strain a little at the high speed, and he concentrated on them and gave them a strong proud feeling. The strain on them lessened as they tapped into that feeling and kept consuming it, and the group travelled over open water and across the ocean to the spot that the Dauntless was currently stuck at. They saw that the ship was tilted at a 45 degree angle and the sails were unfurled; but, since the ship was out of the water and stayed there, the sails were not big enough to move such a massive weight. Ren''s Aura passed over the ship and he felt the entire crew react. Like ants that had their hill disturbed, the crew came up on deck to see what the disturbance was. When they saw him riding a giant armored ram with 4 succubi flying around him, the fear was palatable. ¡°Ahoy, there.¡± Ren said. ¡°I heard you''re missing a few crewmen.¡± ¡°Yeah! Your kind took them and won''t give them back!¡± ¡°Elflings took your men?¡± Ren asked, and the crew looked at each other in confusion. He pointed to his ears. ¡°I''m an elfling by race, and I know none of them live underwater.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± The captain of the Dauntless asked as he came over to the railing and hung on. ¡°I came to investigate the disappearance of your men.¡± Ren said. ¡°You should already know what happened to them.¡± The captain said. ¡°I''m not psychic, captain. I didn''t read your minds or see the incident.¡± Ren responded. ¡°I did talk to the two crewmen that abandoned ship, though.¡± ¡°Those two traitors?¡± The captain laughed. ¡°They ran after such a little scare.¡± ¡°You know, they wouldn''t have had a reason to run, if you had diverted to a new course.¡± ¡°I won''t have you, or anyone else, tell me there''s a better route to where I''m going.¡± The captain sneered. ¡°I''ve sailed this sea for nearly 20 years, and I''ve always used this route.¡± ¡°Yes, and I bet you any amount of money that you''ve always had something go wrong on your trip.¡± Ren said. ¡°Each and every time.¡± The captain clamped his mouth shut and didn''t respond, but Ren felt his emotions and knew his guess was right. ¡°I just wanted to tell you to not overreact or to fire on my friends while I go looking for your crewmen.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± The captain barked a laugh. ¡°You''re going to go looking for my men? Why?¡± ¡°I''m an Adventurer.¡± Ren said and stepped off of Princess. ¡°Suniva, you should...¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± Suniva said from his shoulder. ¡°You made sure of that.¡± Ren didn''t ask again and looked at the succubi. ¡°We''ll be back.¡± ¡°Not ''right'' back?¡± Seldanna chuckled. ¡°We''ll be here.¡± ¡°Make sure they don''t do anything foolish while we''re gone.¡± ¡°Define foolish.¡± Seldanna said and smiled evilly. ¡°Okay, just watch them and be careful then.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. Ren and Artemis dropped through the air and splashed into the water. The whole crew of the ship watched in surprise as they quickly disappeared from sight into the depths. Suniva laughed and Teepo chittered in delight from their perches on his shoulders. Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror to pinpoint where the 4 missing men had been taken. He knew their names, so their location appeared right away, and he and Artemis made their way over to the spot where they were being held. Chapter 595 - Unless You Swim Ren approached the area cautiously and slowed down when his Aura passed over the Sea Dweller encampment on the bottom of the ocean. He felt the immediate reaction of the Sea Dwellers, and using his Heat Sense, could tell they were ranked up and waiting for him. He and Artemis floated over to them and came to a stop a respectable distance away. The 12 Sea Dweller soldiers were floating in two lines, one line male, one line female. Another Sea Dweller, this one also female, floated towards Ren between them. ¡°King Ren, it is a pleasure to meet you again.¡± The female Sea Dweller said in Land Dweller language, instead of speaking in her native language with bubbles and gurgles. ¡°You will have to forgive me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would like to say the same; but, I can''t remember meeting you before.¡± The female Sea Dweller laughed and Ren heard rushing waves, which meant she was quite powerful because he could hear it even though he was currently underwater. ¡°King Ren, I am not surprised you do not remember me, since I was well and truly hidden within the entirety of my brother and sister spawn at the time.¡± Ren blinked his eyes for several moments as he thought about that, and then he smiled at her warmly. ¡°Then let me retract my previous statement.¡± He said and bowed. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you again, Heir to the Water Realm.¡± She laughed again. ¡°Mother said you had an odd sense of humor.¡± ¡°You are a member of the royal family and in line for the throne.¡± ¡°Behind several hundred others.¡± She said. ¡°I believe your mother said something similar about being last in line.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Look where she ended up.¡± The female Sea Dweller floated closer and reached out to touch his face, and Ren didn''t try to pull away or stop her. ¡°If my father is to be believed, it was because of you that happened.¡± She said and closed her eyes, and Ren felt her probe his brain a few times. She took in a deep breath and let it out, and opened her eyes. ¡°Yes, it is true.¡± She opened her eyes and stared at him. ¡°You were also instrumental in my birth.¡± ¡°I was about to say that you can''t know how happy it makes me that you all lived; but, I''m pretty sure you can.¡± The female Sea Dweller nodded. ¡°I can also feel your Angered condition and your reluctance to let it go, despite feeling happy.¡± ¡°This impending war between the Sea Dwellers and Land Dwellers has caused a few of the people I care about to be hurt in a way I can''t heal or ignore.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m trying to have it dealt with, but until then...¡± ¡°I understand.¡± She said. ¡°You are ''keeping busy'' until you need to take more drastic measures.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I came here...¡± ¡°I know why you are here, King Ren.¡± The female Sea Dweller said and let her hand fall away from his face. ¡°Please, come this way.¡± Ren and Artemis followed her through the two lines of soldiers and over to a small cave. They went inside and up, and exited the water. Inside the cave was a representation of a Land Dweller living room, and the 4 missing men sat on the couch. One of them jumped to his feet immediately and looked like he was about to attack, then water suddenly appeared around him and held him still. ¡°He tries to attack every time he sees me.¡± The female Sea Dweller said sadly. ¡°His irrational fear of the water clouds his mind.¡± ¡°Having a job that has you constantly on the water is not the best way to deal with that.¡± Ren said to the man. ¡°She''s right there! Kill her! She''s a monster!¡± The man shouted. ¡°She tried to eat us!¡± Ren turned and raised a single eyebrow to the Sea Dweller, and she laughed at the gesture and touched it with a fingertip. ¡°I''ve heard so many stories about Land Dwellers, and how a certain few can be... delicious.¡± She said, and the currents of water under her translucent skin swirled faster. ¡°I freely admit to biting the second man''s finger... after asking permission, of course.¡± She smiled. ¡°It took nearly ten minutes to reassure him that it wasn''t punishment for being captured.¡± Ren looked at the second man. ¡°It really isn''t a punishment.¡± He said. ¡°It''s kind of intimate, actually.¡± ¡°You''re one of them, so you have to say that!¡± The water-restrained man said. ¡°Let... me... go!¡± The female Sea Dweller sighed as she flicked her thumb and water covered the man''s mouth. It didn''t cover his nose, so he could still breathe and there was no danger of him being smothered. ¡°I''m getting tired of silencing you each and every time I visit.¡± The man mumbled something through the water. ¡°I have to keep visiting to feed you, you ignorant (bubble gurgle)!¡± She said. Ren chuckled. ¡°Puffer fish is an appropriate nickname for him.¡± He said, then he sighed and turned to the female Sea Dweller. ¡°Future Queen.¡± He said, using the formal title he had used for Railyse, and her eyes widened. ¡°What can I do to ensure their release?¡± ¡°King Ren, all you need to do is ask.¡± The female Sea Dweller said. ¡°Really?¡± She chuckled. ¡°Did you think I would say no?¡± ¡°I honestly didn''t know what was going to happen.¡± ¡°And yet, you came here to try and bargain for them, not knowing what lay in store for you.¡± She said, and her hand reached up and cupped the side of his face. ¡°So, that was true of you as well.¡± Ren put a hand on her hand. ¡°I can''t just take them and not offer you something in return.¡± ¡°What would you give me in trade for something I give to you freely?¡±Stolen story; please report. Ren cast Iron Wall between him and the captives, so that they wouldn''t see what happened next. ¡°The only thing I know you really want.¡± He said as he moved her hand out of the way and pointed to the corner of his eye. The female Sea Dweller stared at the spot and then locked gazes with him. ¡°You are too generous with your precious fluids.¡± She said, and licked her lips. ¡°I would offer blood, but the others would be jealous.¡± Ren said. ¡°The others?¡± She asked, then she smiled. ¡°You mean my brothers and sisters.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I can''t take the time to give a feeding to all of them.¡± ¡°Then I graciously accept your tears.¡± The female Sea Dweller said. ¡°What kind would you like?¡± Ren asked, and he felt her surprise. ¡°You... can you really...¡± ¡°Your mother was particularly fond of drinking the regret I felt for her having to leave her family and go to the Land Dwellers for so long.¡± The female Sea Dweller visibly shivered at the thought, and Ren felt her immediate need to taste it. ¡°Let... let it be so.¡± Ren stepped up into the air and took her into a hug. ¡°Get a tendril ready.¡± He said as she put her lips near his left eye, and a tendril separated from her hair and poised itself to catch the tears from his right eye. He remembered that day Railyse had realized she had been away for so long, and he let that regret well up. A moment later, tears started to pour out of his eyes. The female Sea Dweller gasped at the torrent and her lips and tendril attached themselves to his eyes and absorbed the offered precious fluid. She kissed and licked his cheek as he kept crying, and she moaned as her body started to glow. Ren let the feeling of regret go and the tears slowed, then stopped. The female Sea Dweller waited for another moment to see if more would come out, then kissed his cheek one last time. ¡°Thank you, King Ren.¡± She said, and the glow faded. ¡°Your offer was more than I could have ever imagined.¡± ¡°I''m glad you liked it, Future Queen.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°I don''t know how mother is going to react when I tell her about this tonight.¡± ¡°Please tell her I said hello and that I miss her.¡± Ren said. ¡°I will.¡± The female Sea Dweller said and looked at the Iron Wall. ¡°How long is that going to...¡± The Iron Wall spell expired and she smiled. ¡°Never mind.¡± She said. ¡°Prisoners! Gather together.¡± The three men that still sat on the couch stood up and gathered around the still restrained one, and the female Sea Dweller said a few bubbles and gurgles. A solid bubble appeared around the 4 men, and the water holding the one man let him go and disappeared. ¡°This will protect them from the depths until you break the surface of the water, then the spell will end.¡± She said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t thank me for this.¡± The female Sea Dweller said and shook her head. ¡°We have hundreds of outposts across all the oceans in this realm. We have no shortage of prisoners to bargain with.¡± Ren nodded his understanding of the situation and walked over to the ball. ¡°Get ready for a crazy ride.¡± ¡°NO! Don''t roll us!¡± One of the men exclaimed. ¡°I''ll throw up! All we''ve been eating is fish!¡± ¡°I was going to pick you up, actually.¡± Ren said, and the 4 men stared at him in disbelief. ¡°Yes, really.¡± Ren walked around the bubble and used his Amulet of the Spider enchantment to put his hands on the ball and picked it up. ¡°Good lord!¡± One of the men inside said as Ren moved under the ball and then held it steady. ¡°That looks so odd.¡± The female Sea Dweller said. ¡°It''s going to look just as weird when I''m in the water.¡± Ren said and walked towards the cave entrance. ¡°It was nice meeting you... ah...¡± The female Sea Dweller let out a long stream of bubbles and gurgles, and Ren smiled. ¡°It was a pleasure.¡± Ren said and repeated her name perfectly. He felt her surprise that he could do that, and he entered the water carrying the bubble. Artemis followed him and they moved through the water, past the two rows of guards, and out into the water. ¡°Artemis.¡± Ren said, and she quickly moved ahead and rose up above him. A minute later she broke the surface of the water and asked for a boat. The crew unhooked the small rowboat from that side of the ship, and she put it in the water right where Ren was ascending. Just before the bubble broke the surface, Ren gave it a small push. It popped out of the water and disappeared, and the 4 men flopped into the rowboat. ¡°We''re free! Ha ha ha ha!¡± One of them said and kissed the boat. ¡°I missed you so much!¡± ¡°It''s only been a few days.¡± One of the others said, then Ren came out of the water. ¡°Kill him! He''s one of them!¡± The man the female Sea Dweller had restrained yelled to the crew on the ship. ¡°Is he crazy?¡± One of the men on the ship asked. ¡°That guy just saved him.¡± ¡°Ungrateful, that''s what I call him.¡± Another man said. ¡°Come on, you can tell what he is! Look what he did to the ship!¡± ¡°Shut up, Perlman.¡± The captain said. ¡°He didn''t do it, the Sea Dwellers did.¡± ¡°He''s a Sea Dweller!¡± ¡°And you''re an idiot!¡± The captain said. ¡°Someone gag him and take him below until he cools off.¡± The crew used ropes to pull the rowboat up the side of the ship and secured it back in place, then helped the 4 men climb aboard. The man started to protest about being treated unfairly, then was gagged and taken below deck. ¡°Which one of you is Galen?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I am, sir.¡± One of the remaining three said. ¡°Your wife is going to be happy to see you.¡± Ren said, and he nodded. ¡°I appreciate your help, but he won''t be seeing his wife anytime soon.¡± The captain said. ¡°As you can clearly see, this ship is currently beached at sea.¡± ¡°I''ll be taking you to Aurora.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t leave my ship!¡± The captain said. ¡°I''ve got too much time and money invested in it to just leave it here!¡± He fumed. ¡°What will my crew do when they all lose their jobs? What about my cargo? What about...¡± ¡°Relax.¡± Ren said. ¡°I meant I''m taking the whole ship.¡± ¡°WHAAAAAAATT?!?¡± The captain yelled, as did a lot of the crew that had heard him. ¡°Give me a few minutes to work it out.¡± Ren said, and walked through the air with Artemis over to Princess, then he crossed his arms. ¡°We can''t just drag it.¡± ¡°Speaking for yourself.¡± Princess said. ¡°I can drag anything.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I meant, since the ship is on it''s side, it would tear the hull apart if we dragged it at any given speed for any amount of time.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Princess said. ¡°Can''t you just cast the Air Walk spell on it, like we do for the carts?¡± ¡°I could, but I don''t want them to know I can easily transport all of the ships across the sea without having the ships touch the water.¡± Ren said. ¡°All you''ll be doing is ferrying ships to their destinations, albeit one at a time.¡± ¡°Yes, there''s no way that people wouldn''t latch onto that idea and try to get you to help them bypass the Sea Dwellers completely.¡± Artemis added. Ren nodded. ¡°I think I''ll build a dry dock on wheels, then slide the ship onto it.¡± He said. ¡°That way, I can cast Air Walk on the dock, and Princess can run through the air close to the water, without actually touching it.¡± ¡°You want them to think that''s the only way to get ships back to port?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°We''ll have to go at quarter speed, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°It will take 2 hours at that speed to get back to land.¡± Princess sighed. Ren reached out and scratched her chin. ¡°I did say we were going to do some travelling. I didn''t say how fast.¡± ¡°I knew I should have stayed home.¡± Princess joked, and Ren laughed. Ren got to work and built a long flat cart, just wide enough for the keel of the ship to fit in, then made the sides high enough to support the ship and stop it from toppling over. ¡°It''s a good thing wood floats.¡± Artemis said as Ren added the cross supports to stop the cart from collapsing under the weight. Ren then enchanted it with Reinforcement runes, Anti-dark runes, and increased it''s Durability. ¡°I think it''s ready.¡± Ren said and looked at the ship, and saw that the entire crew were watching him from various spots on the ship. ¡°Captain! I''m going to slide this under the ship and try to pick it up.¡± ¡°You''re crazy!¡± One of the crew yelled. ¡°How can you lift this whole ship with something that can sink on it''s own?¡± ¡°As soon as I push this thing into position, the same spell that affected your ship will affect this as well.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then, pop. Out of the water it''ll be.¡± He smiled. ¡°You better hold onto something.¡± The crew didn''t say anything as they scrambled for handholds. Ren moved the long cart over to the front of the ship, then pushed it down and slid it under the tilted side. Once he thought it was in position, he cast Permanent Water Walking on it and it rose out of the water. The ship was caught by the cart as it rose, and the ship straightened up almost perfectly and slotted into the dry dock. ¡°Well, I''ll be damned.¡± The captain said. ¡°It worked.¡± Ren cast Permanent Air Walk on the cart and then attached the cart to Princess. ¡°Make your struggle look good.¡± He whispered to her, and she huffed at him. Ren climbed onto her saddle and the succubi and Artemis took up their flying positions around the ship instead of him, so they could keep an eye on the crew. Chapter 596 - With The Current Princess, being the ham that she was, made the difficulty of trying to pull the ship so convincing that Ren almost thought she was actually struggling with the weight. He could feel her emotions and knew she was just playing around; but, he could also hear the comments from the crew about cruelty to animals. Ren almost laughed at that, and then Princess started to walk. The crew of the ship cheered for her, and she let those feelings bolster her, even though she knew they were gained under a false pretense because she pretended to struggle. She started to walk faster, and then trot, and Ren could barely hear himself think over the roars from the crew. Princess eventually got up to a full trot and they travelled at a significant speed, and Ren felt the disbelief from the crewmen. ¡°How in the world are we moving so fast?¡± One of the crew asked of no one in particular, because he didn''t know that Ren could hear him. ¡°I don''t think we''ve ever gone this fast in the ship before.¡± ¡°We were close once.¡± The captain said. ¡°When we were on the edge of that hurricane.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± The crewman barked a laugh. ¡°We lost the mainsail from that!¡± ¡°Aye, and we still went nearly this fast.¡± The captain said. ¡°Now imagine if the sail had held.¡± The crew grew silent as their gazes fell upon Princess once more. Princess had been right in her estimation for how long it would take to bring the ship at that speed to Aurora, and Ren had her slow down as they approached the dock. He didn''t want to alarm the dock workers with what looked like a runaway ship, and he used the All-Seeing Mirror to direct Princess to an appropriate docking berth for the ship. ¡°Get ready, men!¡± The captain said as Princess pulled them up to the dock. She came to a stop at just the right spot, and a bunch of crewmen jumped across to the dock and secured a dozen tow lines to the braces there. The men pulled the ropes tight using winches and pulleys, then tied them off when they had all of the slack out of them. The crew waved to the captain, and he nodded to Ren, who hopped off of Princess and unhooked the cart, then dismissed both Water Walking and Air Walking spells from it. It dropped several inches into the water and he stored the cart, now that it was free of its burden. The ropes secured to the dock held the ship upright, and the crew cheered when the ropes only creaked once and didn''t move. Ren and Princess went up to the dock while Artemis and the 4 succubi flew overhead. ¡°Thank you very much for helping us finish our journey.¡± The captain said and shook Ren''s hand. ¡°I fully expected to stay out there until our supplies ran out.¡± ¡°I hope you''ve realized you should adjust your course to avoid that area.¡± Ren said and let his hand go. ¡°If you don''t, this is going to happen again.¡± The captain sighed. ¡°We''ll have to reduce our carrying capacity by almost 20% in order to carry the supplies needed for the crew to be at sea for the extra time.¡± ¡°It''s better than losing 100% of your cargo... and your ship.¡± Ren said. The captain nodded. ¡°I''ll send for one of the mages and see if they can remove the spell from the hull.¡± ¡°You did great!¡± One of the crew said to Princess and pat her armored side. ¡°I can''t believe you hauled that whole thing all by yourself!¡± Princess huffed and rolled her eyes, which indicated that she just did haul it by herself, and the crew gathered around her laughed. ¡°Ha! She told you!¡± His friend said and slapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Gentlemen, we have to go.¡± Ren said and took Princess'' reins. ¡°Thanks a lot for saving us, sir.¡± One of them said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Another said and saluted. ¡°For a Sea Dweller, you''re not so bad.¡± One man said and grinned at Ren. Ren and Princess walked down the dock to the main area and found the woman who had given him the quest as she sat in front of the fish stand. ¡°Ma''am? I found your husband, Galen.¡± She stared at him blankly for a few minutes, then what he said registered. ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Ren pointed to the ship that was currently unloading it''s cargo farther down the dock. ¡°I went to where it happened, and got him back from the Sea Dwellers.¡± He said. ¡°Since I was there, I couldn''t just leave them there.¡± The woman dropped her sword and stood up, then she bent over slightly to give him a hug. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± She said as she started to cry. ¡°You don''t know what this means to me.¡± ¡°I do, ma''am.¡± Ren said, and she let him go. ¡°He needs you just as much as you need him.¡± The woman nodded and wiped at her tears. ¡°For a Sea Dweller, you''re not so bad.¡± Ren smiled because one of the crewmen had just said that to him. They might not have had this kind of situation in mind when writing the dialogue. He thought as she pat his shoulder, then he watched her walk away down the dock. I wonder if anyone else will bring the whole ship back. ¡°I doubt it.¡± Teepo said as Artemis and the succubi landed beside Ren and Princess. ¡°Who else do you know that could manage to bring the whole ship back, and not just the crew?¡± Ren opened his mouth to reply, then he had to think about it. ¡°Huh.¡± He said. ¡°No one.¡±
Quest complete!
You have investigated the case of the missing crewmen and found out what really happened. Rewards: 875 XP; 1,000 gold coins Fame: +500
Notice!
Your Fame is currently maxed. The excess Fame will be converted to XP. Fame (500) x 10 XP = 5,000 XP
Hidden Quest complete!
You discovered the truth about the missing crewmen and took it upon yourself to free the captives at great risk to yourself. Rewards: 8,245 XP; 5,000 gold coinsUnauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Fame: +1,000
Notice!
Your Fame is currently maxed. The excess Fame will be converted to XP. Fame (1000) x 10 XP = 10,000 XP
Optional Quest complete!
You have safely returned all of the stranded crew to port. That was unnecessary, since another ship was nearby and would have rescued them. Rewards: 25,000 XP; 15,000 gold coins Bonus (for bringing the captain back to port): 10,000 XP; 1,000 gold coins Recovery Bonus (for getting the expensive cargo back to port): 25,000 XP; 5,000 gold coins Fame: +1,000
Notice!
Your Fame is currently maxed. The excess Fame will be converted to XP. Fame (1000) x 10 XP = 10,000 XP
Notice!
You have gained a level! You are now level 148 and 10 stat points have been automatically allocated.
¡°I just gained a level and didn''t get anything new.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s happened before.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Before you got stuck with that hidden recipe I mean.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and looked around. He saw the woman find her husband and they embraced each other. ¡°I guess we''re done here.¡± He said, then he, Princess, and Artemis walked down the dock and entered the city through the East Gate. * A mage walked over to the captain of the ship that Ren just rescued and talked for a moment, then waved his hands in an elaborate gesture. A moment later, he did the same gesture again and the ship''s keel broke the surface of the water and all the ropes creaked and groaned as they took the full weight of the ship. When Ren was far enough away that his Aura no longer covered the dock, the woman let her husband out of the embrace and gave him one last kiss. The crewmen climbed back aboard and untied the ropes holding the ship, then used the winches and pulleys to lower the ship into the water. The woman walked back across the dock to sit in front of the fish stall. The ship quickly cast off and unfurled all of it''s sails, then a strong wind appeared and pushed the ship at its top speed out of the harbour. The woman looked down at her dropped sword and picked it up, then she started to visibly shake and cried for her missing husband. * Ren went back to the business to see what was going on, and it was just as busy as it was earlier. Tee-one worked at the forge while Anabelle and her three helpers dealt with the customers. With nothing requiring his attention, Ren left there and went back to the Housing District. He put Princess into her old room and went up the stairs to the big bedroom. Artemis and the succubi went with him, and when he opened the door, he saw that the room had two more beds added to make one large bed. ¡°What''s this?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You said to make ourselves at home.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°There''s no room for individual beds, so we made one large one.¡± She said and crawled up onto it. He couldn''t help but admire her backside as she did so, then she folded her wings in and laid down on her side. ¡°Even with most of the room filled with the bed, it''s still going to be a tight fit with all 6 of us on it.¡± Ren was about to nod, then stopped. ¡°Wait, what do you mean 6?¡± ¡°Well, the 4 of us.¡± Seldanna said as the other three succubi crawled onto the bed. ¡°Then you and Artemis makes 6.¡± Ren was going to protest, then he felt a hand on his arm. ¡°You can feel their emotions, Ren.¡± Artemis said. ¡°They aren''t trying to seduce you.¡± Ren sorted through the emotions he could feel from them and had to agree. ¡°You need to rest if you are going to spend this evening with Anabelle.¡± Seldanna said and pat the bed beside her. Ren was still going to say no, then Artemis crawled up onto the bed and laid down close to Seldanna. She left just enough room for him to lay down between them, and he sighed. ¡°Suniva, you haven''t said much the last little while.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren, I... I was right next to a Water being. Right next to her!¡± Suniva said, her voice and emotions full of wonder. ¡°I wasn''t afraid at all, even though I knew she could have killed me in an instant if she wanted to.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t let that happen.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know you wouldn''t, but... thanks to this necklace, I wasn''t afraid of being captured or engulfed in water, because I would always have a layer of air around me that I can burn in.¡± Suniva said. ¡°As long as I burn, I live.¡± She leaned in and kissed his cheek. ¡°You did this for me.¡± She said. ¡°You made me whole.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°When your wings finish growing back, then you''ll be whole.¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± Suniva said. ¡°I feel whole right now.¡± She hopped off his shoulder and ran over to the bed, then stood on the pillow. ¡°My wings will grow back in time, also thanks to you.¡± She said, then her 1 foot tall form sat down and she pat the pillow. ¡°Rest your head for an hour, My King.¡± Ren knew they were ganging up on him to try and get him to relax, so he relented and walked over to the bed. He stored his platinum armor and left himself in just his underwear, then climbed onto the bed and laid down between Artemis and Seldanna. The bed shifted slightly as the succubi moved in closer, and their wings unfolded and covered him and Artemis. Suniva walked around to stand on his chest, then leaned close and kissed his top lip. ¡°Sweet Dreams.¡± She said and laid down on his chest. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes, then Ren and the others did the same. ******** Barbara had re-watched Ren''s interactions with the maids on the laptop while Ren had travelled back to the dock with the rescued ship, and she heard the extent to which their programming had been changed. It really is tearing them apart to have Ren near them. Barbara thought and looked at Elise as she slept in the bed next to Ren. I''ll tell her about this as soon as she wakes up. She thought and sighed. Maybe she can do something to help, or put in a good word or something. Barbara closed the laptop and sat back as she watched the current game Ren was playing, then she saw him climb into bed with the succubi. Oh, Ren. Barbara thought. You already feel the need to replace them with surrogates, and it only just happened. She was quite tempted to wake Elise right away and fill her in on the situation, then she realized that nothing could happen during the night, even if Elise was awake. She would have to wait until morning before she could do anything. Don''t worry, Ren. We''ll get this sorted out as quickly as possible. Barbara thought and watched Ren go to sleep. She felt relief that he wasn''t doing anything else besides that, and she sighed at the thought of protecting his virtue, even after he had been with several women. To her and to him, they were still sexual experiences that he had and it didn''t matter if they were virtual or not. * Gloria had thought about what Ren had said, and it made her angry enough that she had logged out of the game to cool off. She thought about how he should have reacted, and her body responded to what should have happened between them. It started out how I had thought it would go. Gloria thought to herself as she got up and went to the counter to grab the job portfolio. Boy, did it go completely in a different direction, or what? Gloria looked through the information yet again, and she knew this job was too good to be true. Just the perks alone seemed to be designed for someone that had been at the company for a while. ¡°Goddammit!¡± Gloria exclaimed and slammed the portfolio back onto the counter. It burst open and all the pages and photographs slid out of it and onto the counter. She sighed and gathered them back up and put them in order, then closed the portfolio again. ¡°Ren''s right. I really need to talk to Stella and Elise about this in the morning.¡± Gloria said, then she sat down and stared at the company''s name on the front of the folder. ¡°I just have to figure out how the hell am I going to sleep until then.¡± ******** Ren slept for the whole hour, as did everyone else, and he woke up fully rested. He opened his eyes and looked at the pixie that laid on his chest. She had kept her clothes on, and he was a bit surprised by that. ¡°She''s not trying to seduce you, either.¡± Artemis whispered, and Ren looked at her. She felt his emotions and she reached over to cup the side of his face. ¡°You expected it, even knowing they weren''t going to do it.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°With the way things have been going, I thought I''d have 6 naked women near me when I woke up.¡± ¡°We can be.¡± Seldanna said, and he turned his head to look at her. ¡°Despite what you may think, we don''t try to seduce everyone we meet.¡± ¡°We do try to sample their emotions without actually feeding, though.¡± One of the others said. ¡°I mean, come on. They''re right there for the tasting!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I know. It''s really hard to keep from just sucking it all in when they offer up so much all the time.¡± ¡°That''s it exactly.¡± She said and sat up, and Ren saw it was Ellaria, the succubus he had healed the molten metal scar on. ¡°I''m so glad you understand what we go through all the time.¡± ¡°I go through it all the time, too.¡± Ren said, and then he remembered being like this with the maids as they laid in bed together with him and just talked, then the sorrow welled up from inside him. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Seldanna said and kissed his cheek and started consuming it. She broke the kiss and looked at the other succubi. ¡°Help me!¡± The other three moved over on the bed and Artemis slid out of the way, then 2 of the succubi kissed his cheeks as the other two kissed his chest at the same time. They all started to feed from him, and their eyes and bodies glowed. Chapter 597 - Blow On This For Me The succubi fed from Ren for several minutes, and their eyes met as they kept consuming his sorrow. Unlike when he fed them and gave them the emotions they wanted, this was something they were taking from him to help him, and not for themselves. The distinction was not lost on them, and when they realized the difference, they gained Wisdom and their abilities upgraded. Each of the succubi gasped as their specialized Emotion Siphon ability grew stronger and gave them even more control. They had a much easier time with Ren''s sorrow now, so they pulled more and more of it out of him. Ren felt the succubi try to take the sorrow he felt for the maids and the pain they were going through, so he lay still and tried to not let out more than they could handle. Unfortunately, his worry over the maids not getting the help they needed, started to seep out with the sorrow. ¡°R-Ren, we... we can only...¡± Seldanna tried to speak, and Ren used one of his relaxation techniques. Calmness filled him and smothered the sorrow and worry, and the succubi stopped using their Emotion Siphon abilities. ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to let it out like that.¡± Ren said, and the succubi sat up. ¡°Ren...¡± Seldanna sighed. ¡°We were just...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and held a hand out. Seldanna took it and he gave it a squeeze. ¡°Hm?¡± Suniva opened her eyes and sat up on his chest. ¡°What''s going on?¡± ¡°Ren''s hiding his emotions.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°All men do that.¡± Suniva said and stood up, then walked up into the air. ¡°How long do we have before your date tonight?¡± ¡°We''ve got a few hours.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why don''t you see if Janice can give you a glass-blowing lesson?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°She should be available, but I can''t go to the county.¡± Ren said. ¡°Her shop is across the street from the Main House.¡± ¡°You can send Princess to go and get her.¡± Artemis said. ¡°She just got settled in her room. There''s no way she''ll be happy about going again so soon.¡± ¡°Ellaria and I will go.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Contact her and tell her to get ready to come here.¡± Ren opened the messaging system and sent a quick inquiry to Janice.
Ren Hey, Janice. Are you busy?
Janice Ren! What the hell? Where have you been?
Ren It''s a long story, and I''ll tell you all about it during our next lesson.
Janice I think I''d rather hear it now.
Ren That''s what I said. (smile)
Janice Oh! You''re coming here right now?
Ren Unfortunately, I can''t. I''ll explain why when you get here.
Janice Where?
Ren At the house in Aurora.
Janice Ren, it''s going to take hours to get there.
Ren I''ll be sending 2 succubi to pick you up.
Janice Excuse me? Did you say succubi?
Ren Yes. They''ll be there in a few minutes.
Janice ...
Janice Okay, fine. I''ll be ready.
Ren Great! I''ll see you soon.
Ren closed the messaging system and looked at Seldanna. ¡°She said she''ll be ready when you get there.¡± ¡°We will return with her.¡± Seldanna said. She and Ellaria got off the bed and stood up, then walked over to the door. Ren equipped his Travelling Clothes and got off the bed, and Artemis followed him to the door. ¡°Suniva, we''re using a glass forge, so you''re welcome to come along and bask in the heat.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you!¡± Suniva said and ran over to him, then sat on his shoulder. ¡°I''ve seen the big forge in the warehouse, but I''ve never had the guts to go in.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Tee-one wouldn''t let you go into the forge.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s too dangerous.¡± Suniva laughed. ¡°I meant go in the warehouse.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°We''ll go for a patrol flight.¡± Katori said and she and Chenoa got out of bed. Everyone left the bedroom and the house, and the 4 succubi took off. Two of them flew off into the distance, and the other two went straight up and flew slow circles around the Housing District. Ren went to the empty lot beside the house and took out his shop tower cube. He placed it in the middle of the lot and activated it, and his shop tower popped into existence. He went inside and activated the glass forge to get it prepped, then left the shop tower and took out his storage tower cube and placed it beside the shop tower and activated it. He went inside and gathered up some sand bags, then left and deactivated it. He stored the cube and walked over to the shop tower, then waited outside for the succubi to return. After a few minutes, Seldanna and Ellaria appeared on the horizon and quickly flew over to Ren. Seldanna didn''t have anything in her arms, which was a bit of a surprise to Ren because it had been Seldanna''s idea to go and get her; then he saw Janice. She was held in Ellaria''s arms in a ''princess carry'', with one arm under her knees and one on her upper back. Janice had her arms around Elleria''s neck, and both of them had slightly red faces. ¡°Hi, Janice.¡± Ren said when the succubi landed. ¡°H-hi, Ren.¡± Janice said as Ellaria put her down and stood her up on her feet. ¡°You didn''t have to carry me like that.¡± ¡°Well, I didn''t feel like changing my feet into clawed talons and carrying you like a piece of meat.¡± Ellaria said and grinned. ¡°So, you''re telling me you could have treated me like a piece of meat and I should be grateful that you didn''t?¡± Janice asked and grinned back. ¡°My King, I like this one.¡± Ellaria said to Ren. ¡°Can I keep her?¡± Janice turned to look at Ren. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°What? You need me to translate?¡± Ren asked and chuckled. ¡°Ellaria said she wants to be really good friends with benefits.¡± Janice looked from Ren to Ellaria, then back again. ¡°But... she''s...¡± ¡°Yes, she''s a succubi, but she''s also kind of lonely and you''re apparently compatible with her.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least, I assume you are. I don''t think she would ask otherwise.¡± ¡°Why does she need your permission?¡± ¡°She doesn''t really, but it lets me know she''s interested in you, and I can offer you this.¡± Ren said and took out one of the Anti-corruption rings he had made. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Janice asked as Ren stepped close and held out the golden band. ¡°The succubi are kind of toxic if you''re not careful, so anyone interacting with them on a personal basis needs to wear protection.¡± ¡°P-protection?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If you''re going to hang out with her, please wear this ring.¡± Janice looked down at her hands and she wore two of his rings already. ¡°I''m kind of out of hands.¡± Ren activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and the golden platform appeared, and he chose the Hand Of Glory recipe. He added the Unnatural Armor and Spider enchantments to it, then added in the necessary ingredients, Mana, and gold to pay for it. It was created a few moments later, and he slipped the new ring on it and gave it to her to put around her neck. ¡°Oh, before I forget.¡± Ren said and cast Permanent Air Walking and Permanent Water Walking on her. ¡°They take a bit of getting used to, but once you do, you can have lots of fun with them.¡± Janice couldn''t believe what she had just witnessed. ¡°Ren, you... what...¡± She shook her head. ¡°Let''s get to the lesson so you can tell me what you''ve been up to.¡± ¡°Right this way.¡± Ren said and motioned to the shop tower, and they went inside. Artemis and the succubi stayed outside and rotated taking turns doing the patrol around the Housing District. It was well within Ren''s Aura, so Artemis had no problems completing the task. After a quick introduction between Janice and Suniva, the 1 foot tall Fire-based pixie had perched on top of the glass forge and did exactly what Ren had told her to do. She basked in the radiated heat from the molten glass, and practically rolled around like a cat with catnip. Janice gave Ren another lesson in Glassworking after they had watched the show Suniva was putting on. This time, she taught him how to make a small teddy bear out of glass. Since all the things on the teddy bear were essentially round, she only had to make round balls of glass and quickly dabbed them together. While she worked, Ren filled her in on what he had been going through the last little while, and Janice quickly forgave him for not contacting her for a lesson before now. When she tried to tell him how sorry she was for what he went through, he stopped her with a quick kiss. It made her laugh, because there was nothing really romantic between them, and she understood what he was trying to do was distract her. Janice finished making the teddy bear, Ren absorbed the heat from it and she picked it up. ¡°I usually have to wait for a while before I can handle these things.¡± She said and admired her own handiwork. ¡°I usually move on and do something else while I wait for one project to cool, though.¡± ¡°I''ve never seen glass be used like that before.¡± Ren said and admired it, too. ¡°I mean, I knew it was possible to make figures and things out of it; but, I thought they were pressed or poured into a mold or something.¡± ¡°They can be made that way, but most times it''s all by hand.¡± Janice said. ¡°This is just a simple sculpture. It takes skill and practice to get any kind of fine details like adding the mouth and flattening the ears, though.¡± ¡°That is so cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I try?¡± Janice nodded and Ren did exactly like she did. She was amazed he had picked up the technique so quickly, then she noticed the shape of the center blob. ¡°Ren that''s a mistake.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I only said I wanted to try. I didn''t say I was making a teddy bear.¡± Janice opened her mouth to say he was supposed to follow her instructions, then she realized that he was following them. Except for the fact that he was making something else, he still did the work exactly like she had shown him. When Ren was done 10 minutes later, he had a glass horse that was reared up on it''s hind legs, and it stood on a glass mound. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Janice picked up the glass sculpture and looked at the details. ¡°You even used the scoring tool to make sharp indents and defined the eyes, mouth, and ears.¡± She sighed. ¡°You''re a born artist.¡± ¡°No, I was taught at a very young age how to recognize the shapes in things.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was against my will of course, since I didn''t know any better.¡± He smiled. ¡°When I was old enough, I used that knowledge to draw... whenever I could steal a piece of paper and a pencil.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Janice said. ¡°I... I don''t know what to say.¡± ¡°That''s easy.¡± Ren smirked at her. ¡°Ren! Teach me how to make the glass horsey!¡± Janice snorted a laugh. ¡°I didn''t mean that, you dummy.¡± Ren put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I know what you meant.¡± ¡°Ren, you... you''ve been through... you''re going through so much...¡± ¡°Hey, you''ve been through a lot, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry that I haven''t been trying to attend lessons more often.¡± ¡°After the last bit of money you gave me, I haven''t had to worry about a lot.¡± Janice said. ¡°With your fantastic advertising gimmick, I''ve been constantly busy with orders.¡± ¡°Hey, I''m sorry I took you away from your shop.¡± Ren said, and it was her turn to put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I''ll always come and visit a friend when he needs it.¡± Janice said. ¡°Besides, you''re stinking rich and I want your money.¡± Ren laughed and gave her a hug, then he took the horse from her and stored it. ¡°So, do you want me to teach you how to make the horse?¡± ¡°No, dumb-ass. I can make a horse just fine.¡± Janice said and he laughed again. ¡°So what do you want to do for the rest of the lesson?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Well, I kind of have an idea...¡± Janice said and let a wicked smile spread across her face. Chapter 598 - Blow On This For Me, Too Janice''s idea, surprisingly enough, was for Ren to help her make an elaborate glass castle. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I mean, I''m sure we can probably get enough sand eventually and...¡± ¡°I meant a model about this big.¡± Janice said and held her hands about 2 feet apart. ¡°I saw the castle King Alamast uses, and I''ve been dying to try and make it.¡± ¡°Out of glass.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°What makes you think I can help you with that?¡± Janice smiled. ¡°You''ve told me all about going there with the Ambassador to the Land Dwellers, so I know you''ve seen it up close.¡± She said. ¡°You can''t tell me you don''t have the plans for the outside of it at least.¡± ¡°Well...¡± ¡°Please, Ren.¡± Janice said. ¡°Help me make the very first replica of the castle to exist.¡± ¡°Damn, you really know how to push my buttons.¡± Ren said and smiled. Janice chuckled and Ren took out several pieces of parchment. To her amazement, he drew out the front view, side view, and top view of the castle, then added in the height and width of everything. ¡°Good lord, Ren.¡± Janice said as she studied the drawings. ¡°How in the world did you do that?¡± ¡°I can remember everything I see, hear, touch and taste.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, and feel.¡± ¡°So, everything then.¡± Janice said and he nodded. ¡°If given the right medium, you can even reproduce it?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Actually, that reminds me. I have to visit the castle and see the princess. I need to trade for the plans for an image recording device.¡± ¡°Geez, they have something like that?¡± ¡°Apparently.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to think of something good to...¡± He looked at the plans and then at Janice. ¡°We need to make a second one right after we finish the first.¡± Janice chuckled. ¡°Inspiration strikes again, huh?¡± ¡°She might not want it, but it''s going to look damn pretty.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°It will at least show her I''m not limited to just armor and enchanting.¡± Janice thought about it. ¡°All right. You help me make the first one so we can get the plans, then we''ll make a second one to see if using the plans makes the work go faster.¡± ¡°It will only go faster if we let the system do some of the work once we have the plans.¡± Ren said. ¡°All we need to do is make the pieces close to the right size and let the system shape them.¡± ¡°You''re thinking that since there''s not a lot of detail work, we don''t have to do everything by hand.¡± ¡°Not after the first time, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°Getting the details right the first time is going to be a bit of a pain in the ass, though.¡± Janice put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Sounds like fun, doesn''t it?¡± ¡°Damn right it does.¡± Ren chuckled. They got to work right away, and Ren had been right. Working out how much glass to use to make the proper shapes was quite time consuming, especially with adding recessed windows, battlement walls, turrets, and tiled roofs. It took nearly two hours for them to get all of the pieces made and set out on the workbench like a big glass puzzle. ¡°Okay, Ren. Do your thing.¡± Janice said. Ren nodded and used his Portable Dye Station to make the glass pieces the appropriate colors, then dipped his fingers into the molten glass of the glass forge and started to apply it to the pieces and added them to the large base they had made. He started with the inside main building first, then started adding the detailed pieces for it. When it was done, he started adding the turrets and other things that made it look like an actual castle. Since the pieces were colored, it was easy to put them together in the right order. Janice offered advice, about turning certain pieces to fit properly and if things were a little off to her. This was helpful because she was looking at it in a different perspective than Ren was. Two pairs of eyes were almost always better than one. Ren finished the long assembly and stepped back from the workbench to get the completed plans for the Castle Model (Glass), and Janice leaned her elbows on the bench to stare at it. ¡°Ren, thank you.¡± Janice said. ¡°I''ve always wanted to own this castle, ever since I was a little girl.¡± ¡°Hey, we both made it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, it''s not finished yet.¡± ¡°What? It''s done.¡± Janice said and looked at the workbench. ¡°We used up all the pieces we had.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it''s missing something.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you pick it up for me?¡± Janice wasn''t sure what he was talking about, so she picked up the 2 foot wide model castle out of sheer curiosity. ¡°Don''t be surprised by this.¡± Ren said and touched the underside of the base and enchanted it with a glyph of 5 Illumination runes. The entire model castle lit up with it''s own internal light, and since it was colored glass, it glowed with different colors and lit up the room slightly. ¡°Dear god.¡± Janice whispered, and Ren cast Hide Writing on the glyph to make it invisible. He took the castle from her and put it on the workbench, then recalled the song that always played whenever he had seen the castle on television in the real world.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Ren cast the spell Permanent Magic Mouth, which would repeat whatever he wanted it to, and gave it the song to repeat whenever someone came within 5 feet of it. Since it was permanent, it would always repeat the song whenever anyone passed within 5 feet of the castle. ¡°Now it''s done.¡± Ren said and motioned for her to step back. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Please, humor me.¡± Janice stepped back, and he motioned for her to go farther. She sighed and walked 10 feet away. ¡°How''s this?¡± ¡°Too far.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Come back about half that distance.¡± Janice almost sighed and walked back... then froze as the familiar song that every kid knew by heart came out of the castle. ¡°When you wish upon a star... makes no difference who you are...¡± ¡°Oh, my.¡± Janice felt tears come to her eyes and didn''t try to wipe them away. ¡°How... how did you...¡± ¡°Step back.¡± Ren said. Janice took a step away without questioning him, and the song stopped. Ren waved her forward and the song started over. ¡°It... it''s like a music box.¡± Janice whispered. ¡°The very first one, and it''s all yours.¡± Ren said. ¡°Enjoy.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Janice walked the 5 feet to the workbench and gave him a hug. ¡°I know I already thanked you for helping make it, but this modification needs another thank you.¡± She said and leaned in close as she whispered in his ear. ¡°A very special thank you.¡± ¡°Janice, you don''t have to do that.¡± ¡°Have to?¡± Janice leaned back and looked at him. ¡°Ren, I''ve been wanting to do it ever since I watched you assemble it.¡± She said. ¡°Hell, I wanted to be doing it while you were assembling it.¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her for a moment. ¡°I don''t know if I could have worked if you were doing that to me.¡± ¡°Why else do you think I wanted to try?¡± Janice grinned at him, and he chuckled. ¡°Well, we do need to make the pieces for another castle...¡± Ren said, and she laughed. They made the pieces for the second castle, and after Ren had colored all the pieces the same as the first, he was surprised when Janice knelt down between him and the workbench. ¡°Janice, I was joking.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wasn''t.¡± Janice said and undid his pants. ¡°Look at you! You''re fit to burst!¡± Ren had been ready for a while, because their joking around and teasing had turned him on. ¡°Janice...¡± ¡°You better start working when I do.¡± Janice said as she looked up at his face. ¡°If you drop molten glass on me while I''m doing this, I''ll kill you when I get back.¡± ¡°Get back?¡± Ren asked. ¡°After I die and come back.¡± Janice said. ¡°Even if I do somehow drop some on you, you aren''t going to feel it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Trust me.¡± Janice had watched his face and saw the sincerity there, so she nodded. Ren dipped his fingertip into the molten glass and put it towards her face. She stared at his eyes as he slowly pressed the molten glass into her flesh and spread it around. A second later, he lifted the smear of clear glass from her cheek and gave it to her. ¡°Just in case you wanted proof.¡± Ren said and started to assemble the castle pieces. Janice hadn''t felt a thing, except the tender touch of his fingertip... and that really turned her on. She stored the glass smear and plunged her mouth onto him, and it became a desperate race to see who would finish first. It had been close, very close. Ren had finished the assembly mere moments before Janice had finished him. Ren had completed the task and relaxed, then realized his mistake. They were both surprised by him not fighting the sensations anymore and letting his guard down, which caught Janice completely off-guard. Despite enjoying the fact that he had let himself go like that, she handled the situation like a professional. She cleaned him up and put his clothing back into place, then cleaned herself of the mess he had made by equipping a nice dress and stood up. A moment later they heard a cry of relief and looked at Suniva on top of the glass forge. She was naked and her legs were spread wide open, and they could see she was soaked and gasping for breath as if she had been running very fast. Ren and Janice looked at each other with wide eyes and slightly shocked expressions, and then they started to laugh. After a couple minutes of shared mirth, Ren enchanted the new castle with the same Illumination runes and stored it. ¡°Wait, aren''t you going to give it the same song to play?¡± Janice asked. ¡°No, that''s only for you.¡± Ren said, and she put her arms around him. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± ¡°Now what are we going to do?¡± Janice asked. ¡°I''d offer to return the favor, but I have a date to get to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll get Ellaria to take you home.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Janice said. ¡°You''re right. It''s getting late, so I''ll stay in the spare bedroom for tonight.¡± Ren nodded and walked over to the glass forge. ¡°Hey, there. How are you doing?¡± He asked Suniva. ¡°I''m... doing... well.¡± Sunia said. ¡°Can you move yet?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. He took out a piece of cloth and wrapped it around her as he carefully picked her up. Ren and Janice left the shop tower, and he deactivated it and stored the cube. He went into the house and Janice followed him inside. She said goodnight and went to the spare bedroom while Ren took Suniva to the big bedroom. He laid her down on the pillow and she pulled the piece of cloth tight as she rolled onto her side, then she fell asleep. Ren left the bedroom and the house, and met Artemis and the succubi outside. ¡°I''m going over to visit Anabelle now.¡± ¡°I''ll come with you, but I''ll stay downstairs.¡± Artemis said. ¡°As will I.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°If you need us, we will be there.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and looked at the other three succubi. ¡°Please guard the house and it''s occupants.¡± ¡°Consider it done.¡± Ellaria said. Ren, Artemis and Seldanna went over to the business and saw it was closed. They went around to the back entrance and up the stairs, and Artemis and Seldanna stayed on the second floor while Ren went up to the third floor apartment. When he opened the door, Anabelle stood there facing him. She wore something like a one piece bikini, except it was only lace and almost completely see-through. ¡°Oh! There you are.¡± Anabelle said and walked over to him, bent over slightly and gave him a kiss. ¡°I''ve been looking forward to this all day.¡± Ren knew she was putting on a bit of a show for him, so he smiled at her. ¡°I''m glad, because I have a bit of a surprise for you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Anabelle asked sexily. ¡°What in the world could it be?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Not that... or, not only that.¡± He corrected. ¡°Please, lay down on the bed.¡± Anabelle caressed his cheek. ¡°Anything you want, I will do it for you.¡± She said and turned around, and Ren saw that her one piece bikini was completely backless, and there was only a tiny little string holding the lace on the front together. She swayed her hips as she went to the bed, then she very slowly bent over to crawl onto the bed. It gave Ren a perfect view, and he saw that it was only a piece of string covering her special place. He identified the garment and saved the plans for it, then followed Anabelle to the bed. ¡°What''s this surprise you have for me?¡± Anabelle asked as she rolled over to lay on her back and rested her head on the pillow. ¡°It''s something I''ve been carrying around for a while, and never had the chance to give to you until now.¡± Ren said and he felt her anticipation. He took out a small box and opened it, then pulled out the expensive silk scarf that he had received from the rope seller for buying all that rope and tipping so well. Anabelle''s eyes widened as Ren carefully tied her hands together. ¡°R-Ren...¡± She whispered as she shivered in anticipation for what was to come. Ren smiled at her and lifted her bound hands over her head and tied the other end of the scarf to the headboard. ¡°I hope you will enjoy this.¡± Ren said perfunctorily, because he could feel her feelings and already knew the answer. ¡°I already am.¡± Anabelle said. She could feel his emotions, too. He really needed her, and that made her love him that much more. Ren stored his clothing and laid down beside her and kissed her. Chapter 599 - Working Out Ren spent the remainder of the day with Anabelle, almost 3 full hours. When they were done, Anabelle was well and truly sated and Ren was reassured that she wasn''t as affected by the changes to the game as Frikara and the others were. He kissed her goodnight and equipped his special armor bodysuit, then went down to the second floor and saw Seldanna as she writhed on the floor. Artemis walked over to him and leaned in close. ¡°She''s never been near you when... you know.¡± ¡°How bad is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°She''s caught in a fantasy, I think.¡± Artemis said. ¡°She felt everything you and Anabelle felt, for as long as you felt it, and she... well...¡± ¡°She''s blocking off her emotions as hard as she can, too.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. ¡°Seldanna? Can you hear me?¡± Seldanna didn''t respond and kept squirming around on the floor. Ren reached out and touched her arm, and she froze solid as a statue. Now that he was touching her, he felt her deep seeded need to be treated exactly like Anabelle had just been treated, and that was why she was reacting the way she was. Seldanna was afraid that if she let the feelings go now, she would never find them again. Ren let her arm go, but she didn''t move. He touched one of the wings on her back and traced a particularly large vein in the membrane of her bat-like wing. Her whole body trembled as his hand slid down her wing and he ended right beside her lower back. The tension in her body was so high that he wondered why she wasn''t crying in pain with the strain. He could feel her desire for him to go that last little bit, and Ren slid is hand over the cheek of her ass. ¡°GAH!!!¡± Seldanna yelled and finished, then she rested her forehead on the floor. ¡°P-p-please...¡± Ren moved back slightly and sat down on the back of her thighs. He let her feel some of his weight, and she caught her breath. He used one hand and lifted one of her folded wings, then gripped it by the top. He lifted the other wing and put it in the same hand, so now he had both of her wings caught. Seldanna''s breath sped up and she started to panic slightly, because she was caught. She couldn''t move without hurting herself, and she fought her own body''s urge to try and flee. She hadn''t realized that Ren knew if he immobilized her wings, she was immobilized, too. Ren could feel what she felt and even after being with Anabelle all this time, he still didn''t understand the fascination some women had with being restrained. It didn''t make sense to him, mainly because he had been restrained for most of his childhood and he hadn''t felt any kind of sexual satisfaction out of it; but, since he could feel what they felt, he also knew what they wanted and in most cases what they needed. Ren reached down and used a single finger to find her special place and touched her. Seldanna finished again and he felt her wings and body tremble and strain against his grip. She didn''t try and fight him, however. He wiggled his fingertip against her, and her hands grew into claws and dug into the wood floor as she finished yet again. He eased his weight off of her thighs and her breathing slowed down, because she thought he was done. Ren smiled as he used two fingers to touch her special place through her bikini bottoms. ¡°Seldanna, you can let Anabelle''s feelings go.¡± He said and tickled her there. ¡°Oh! OH!¡± Seldanna yelled and finished again. ¡°I can tease you as much as you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°All you had to do was ask.¡± ¡°Too... afraid.¡± Seldanna managed to get out. She ground her teeth together to stop herself from screaming in pleasure. ¡°You... say no.¡± ¡°I won''t say no to any reasonable request, or we can try to see if there''s some kind of compromise we can reach.¡± Ren said as he removed his hand from between her legs. ¡°Like this.¡± He said and slapped her butt. ¡°GOD!¡± Seldanna said and finished again. That last must have been some kind of threshold for her, because her whole body relaxed. All the tension melted away, and she turned her head to rest her ear against the floor and looked at him. ¡°M-my K-king.¡± Ren let her wings go, and kissed the spots he had held them. Seldanna shivered at the gentle press of his lips on her skin, and he stood up. ¡°I''ll give you a few minutes to recover.¡± Ren said, and he felt her emotional exhaustion. ¡°N-no.¡± Seldanna said and pushed herself up into a sitting position, then rested against a nearby couch. ¡°I can... go right now.¡± Ren knelt beside her and looked her in the eyes. ¡°Rest for a moment. Let these feelings become a part of you. Remember how this felt. Remember that all you had to do was ask.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°You know what? I think we should go right now.¡± Ren said and stood up. Seldanna looked at him with wide eyes, and he smiled warmly at her and picked her up in a princess carry. He was very careful of her wings, and he had to step up into the air. ¡°We... won''t fit through... the door.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Who needs doors?¡± Ren asked and cast Pass Wall on the wall in front of them. He casually walked through the opening and Artemis floated out beside him. He dismissed the spell and walked through the air over to the Housing District. The 2 succubi on patrol saw them and flew right over. ¡°What happened?¡± Ellaria asked, and then she felt her friend''s emotions. ¡°Oh.¡± Seldanna''s face flushed red and Ren gave her cheek a kiss. The 2 succubi floated beside them as they went to the house, and Ren cast Pass Wall to enter the large bedroom. ¡°Everyone come inside.¡± Ren said to the succubi, and they all gathered together in the bedroom. ¡°I have Adventurer''s business to take care of and I should be back by morning.¡± He said. ¡°But if I''m not, go on regular patrols and ensure the safety of the house and it''s occupants during the day.¡± ¡°You can count on us.¡± Ellaria said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and put Seldanna down on the bed near him. ¡°You rest, okay? I don''t want you exerting yourself right now.¡± Seldanna nodded and Ren laid down on the edge of the bed beside her. ¡°Artemis, you know the drill.¡± Artemis nodded and Teepo flew up to land on the ceiling. ¡°See you when you get back.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren didn''t move and let Stella take off his VR headset.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°You don''t have to say anything.¡± Stella said and motioned to Barbara sitting by the bed. ¡°She showed us what happened.¡± Ren turned his head to the side and saw that Elise was gone. ¡°She left to go visit the company personally.¡± Barbara said. ¡°We also told Lisa, and she''s doing what she can to investigate.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said and looked at both women. ¡°You''re all really great!¡± He said and smiled. ¡°You know that, right?¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°We had no clue until you just told us.¡± She said and pat Barbara''s shoulder. ¡°Did you hear that? We''re grrrrrreat!¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°You sounded just like that tiger mascot selling cereal on television.¡± ¡°That''s because I am!¡± Stella said and pulled over the rollaway table with a food tray on it. She lifted the plastic cover and under it was a bowl of cereal. ¡°Ta-daaa!¡± ¡°And you say I''m the one that over-acts.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Eat up, and we''ll go for a little walk.¡± Ren nodded and ate his cereal and drank his supplement drink. Stella helped Ren get changed into his workout clothes and sat him in the wheelchair. Barbara followed them to the elevator and they went downstairs to the workout room to meet Donald there. ¡°Now don''t push yourself.¡± Donald cautioned Ren. ¡°You were up to doing 50 feet consistently before; but after that last setback, you''ve got to build up your strength again.¡± Ren stood up and slowly took several steps, then a few more. He stopped and waited to make sure he wasn''t going to get dizzy or anything, then kept going. He reached 20 feet and turned around, then made it 10 feet back before his legs started to become weak. He stopped and waved to Stella, and she came over with the wheelchair. ¡°Good job.¡± Donald said. ¡°I... didn''t go far.¡± Ren panted. ¡°Damn, I hate being so weak.¡± Donald chuckled. ¡°I meant you called for help before you became too exhausted to stand up on your own.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°It takes more courage to ask for help when you need it, than it does to try and push on and do it all by yourself, son.¡± Donald said and glanced at his wife, Barbara. ¡°Trust me.¡± Barbara put her arm around her husband and kissed his cheek. ¡°It almost never works out the way you want if you go it alone.¡± Barbara said. ¡°With you by my side, I''ll never be alone.¡± Donald said and turned to her. She put her other arm around him and they stared at each other. ¡°I''d tell you to get a room, but you''ve got a whole house out back.¡± Ren said. Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''m trying to be subtle here, Stella.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°All right, we get the hint.¡± Barbara said and let her husband go. ¡°I didn''t say stop, Barbara.¡± Ren said and motioned to the door. ¡°I was just reminding you that you have lots of room to do that kind of thing, and no one will disturb you there.¡± ¡°You just want us out of your sight.¡± ¡°Actually, I''m pretty sure your husband wants you out of sight so he doesn''t have to stop.¡± Ren looked at Donald''s face and saw him wink. ¡°Or I could be reading him completely wrong.¡± Barbara chuckled and took her husband''s hand. ¡°Just this once, I''ll listen to your advice and take this somewhere else.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stella, I think I really need a shower.¡± ¡°By the smell, I''d say you might be right.¡± Stella joked. ¡°Let''s get you back to the room and we can deal with it.¡± They left the workout room and Stella took Ren up the elevator and back to his bedroom. She didn''t stop at the bed or get him clothes to change into, and instead pushed him right into the bathroom. She got him undressed and sat him on the step stool in the middle of the shower. Ren was too weak to even make jokes about playing with Stella, and she noticed his demeanor was different than usual. She didn''t mention it until she had him washed and dried, and had him in his bathrobe and back on the bed. ¡°Ren, you were really reserved in the bathroom.¡± Stella said. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''m...¡± He looked at her with longing. ¡°I''ve gotten used to having the maids with me in the mornings when I wake up.¡± Stella blinked her eyes at him and thought about what he was saying. ¡°Ren, what are you...¡± She stopped talking when she finally understood. ¡°How many times?¡± ¡°At least once each.¡± Ren said. ¡°I spent about 3 hours with Anabelle before logging out, but...¡± Stella nodded and went to the bedroom door, then left for a couple of minutes. When she came back, she had Lisa with her and she locked the door. Ren looked at them as they approached the bed and saw anticipation on Lisa''s face and caring on Stella''s. They took off their clothes and climbed onto the bed, and Stella untied Ren''s robe. ¡°Stella... Lisa...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''re too weak to do much, so you just lay there and let us take care of your needs.¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out, then touched Stella''s hand and Lisa''s. ¡°I love you both so much.¡± ¡°We love you, too.¡± Lisa said and looked down at him. ¡°You''re getting close to it hurting again, aren''t you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It seems the more I use it, the more it has to be used.¡± Stella and Lisa exchanged glances, then looked back at Ren. ¡°We''ll do what we can to help you with that.¡± Stella said as she undid her long dark hair and let it fall down her back as she climbed on top of him, then both women proceeded to please him as many times as they could. They both used their very different bodies to make him finish over and over. Stella''s tall and athletic body was perfect for giving him a ''massage'' while Lisa''s smaller, but just as nice body, kept him occupied with other things. It was a while later when Lisa''s shoulder length blonde hair replaced Stella''s dark hair in his sight and Ren stared at Lisa as she climbed on top of him. ¡°I love that look in your eyes.¡± Lisa said and braced herself for him. ¡°I could stare at you for the rest of my life.¡± ¡°That''s my line.¡± Ren said, then she eased down onto him and he couldn''t talk anymore. With Stella''s and Lisa''s assistance, Ren had the best morning workout he had ever had, and he didn''t have to move an inch. * ¡°What do you mean you can''t do anything about it?¡± Elise asked Max. She fought hard not to punch the smug tech programmer the entire time they had been talking. They sat across from Edward Torren in his office, and Elise was not happy about what she was hearing. ¡°I''m under direct orders from the boss to not interfere with anything to do with Ren.¡± Max said smugly. ¡°It''s true, Elise.¡± Edward said. ¡°The whole tech department are under the same restriction.¡± ¡°Sir, they have interfered with him!¡± Elise said. ¡°You read his email!¡± ¡°That wasn''t direct interference, though.¡± Max said. ¡°The game code for the world event adds new content for all NPCs, including dialogue and feelings towards the Sea Dwellers.¡± He explained. ¡°At the time we wrote it all and set the update, he wasn''t considered a Sea Dweller.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°He got around each of the restrictions I painstakingly put into place to stop players from going into the pocket realms, Elise.¡± Max said. ¡°You can''t blame me for him causing these consequences to himself from his own actions!¡± Elise opened her mouth to argue that she did, and Edward raised a hand to stop her. ¡°Elise, I''ve already discussed this with Max and a few of the people that worked on the main update.¡± Edward said. ¡°Unfortunately, this update was a blanket change and wasn''t designed for individual NPCs. All of them were updated, not just the ones he interacts with on a... personal level.¡± ¡°Can you undo the update on them?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Just those near Ren?¡± ¡°How do we determine the ones near him?¡± Max asked. ¡°Just who lives with him? His friends? His friends friends? The shop owners he visits? The townspeople he walks by?¡± He took a breath and let it out. ¡°Where would we stop, Elise? Where?¡± Else hated it when he beat her arguments with logic, because she knew he was right. ¡°Dammit, what am I going to tell him?¡± ¡°Just ask him where would he draw the line of who he wants reset back to what they were like before the update.¡± Max said. ¡°Believe me, he''s a smart kid. He''ll understand.¡± Elise was about to argue that he wasn''t a kid, but changed her mind. ¡°Can''t you make an exception for just the maids? A quick patch to remove the alterations?¡± ¡°It wouldn''t work.¡± Max said. ¡°Oh, they''d change and be back to normal, right up until one of the conditions for the world event is met.¡± ¡°You mean Ren''s Sea Dweller title.¡± Elise asked. Max nodded. ¡°As soon as they see him, they access the database for their dialogue...¡± ¡°Which is set up for the world event.¡± Elise said and sighed. ¡°Why did you do it that way?¡± ¡°It was easy, and it saved the servers from having to generate dialogue for hundreds of thousands of NPCs.¡± Max said. ¡°It also saved the writers hundreds of hours of work, and saved the company a lot of money.¡± Edward added. Elise had to agree, despite her hatred at herself for doing so. ¡°I''ll... this is going to...¡± She stood up. ¡°Mr. Torren, did you listen to my advice?¡± ¡°I did, and I''ve already taken the steps you recommended to ensure the integrity of this company.¡± ¡°I guess I should be glad of that, but it seems bittersweet with what''s happening.¡± Elise said. ¡°Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.¡± ¡°You''re always welcome to come over and see me, Elise.¡± Edward said. ¡°My door is always open for you.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Elise said and left the office. She shut the door and looked at her replacement, who hit a key on her keyboard to block the security cameras with a screen capture of the current room. ¡°Please tell me you have it.¡± ¡°I couldn''t check it, obviously.¡± The secretary said as she opened her purse and handed Elise a large portable drive. ¡°I hope it works.¡± ¡°So do I.¡± Elise said and handed her an envelope in exchange. ¡°Thank you.¡± They both tucked away their acquisitions into their purses and returned to where they were, then the secretary hit the key again to return the camera to a live feed. ¡°Have a good day, ma''am.¡± The secretary said, and Elise left. Chapter 600 - What Can I Do Elise travelled back to the house and was summarily checked by the security guards and ushered inside. She was grateful for that, because she was afraid their metal detecting equipment might damage the special package she had in her purse. She went into the house and saw no one was around, as was usually the case most times because whoever was home was usually with Ren. Elise went to the elevator and rode it up to the third floor, walked down the hallway to the den, and went inside. She locked the door and went over to the wall and pushed on the book to hit the switch, and the bookcase opened up to reveal the panic room she had found. She went inside and sat down at the security desk and looked at the monitors that still only showed the various hallways and not the interiors of the rooms. Elise had been tempted several times to add small remote cameras in certain areas so she could keep an eye on things; but, she didn''t because she had to admit that it was her own personal need to want to see Ren all the time, and not a practical need for security. Elise opened up her purse and took out the large portable drive and hit a switch by the closest monitor. It changed from the camera that looked at the third floor lobby to a camera she had installed in the crawl space under the house. She smiled at what she saw, and felt happy that she had achieved such a thing without anyone knowing. She plugged the drive into the access port on the terminal she sat at, and the light turned on. ¡°It has power.¡± Elise said in relief and typed up several commands to check the integrity of the files on the drive. ¡°The file structure looks intact, even in the compressed state.¡± She said and typed a few more commands as her breath sped up. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± She said and tried to calm down. ¡°Easy, girl. You know it''s going to take a while.¡± Elise hit execute and the portable drive whirred up to full speed as the data on it started to decompress and was sent to what she had set up under the house. She looked at the security monitor to see if there was any change to what it showed, and she smiled as the activity light blinked almost faster than she could see. She brought up a time estimate and saw it was going to take over 6 hours to finish, so she stood up and left the panic room, closed the bookcase, and left the den. * Ren sat on the step stool in the shower, and he couldn''t help but laugh as Stella and Lisa scrubbed him all over very quickly. It only took a couple of minutes for both women to clean him from head to toe, and then Stella gently rinsed him off. ¡°If I''d known it was this much fun to wash you, I might have volunteered to do it before now.¡± Lisa said. Ren held a hand out to her, and she took it. ¡°It''s fun because you''re here.¡± He said. ¡°I''m just sorry I can''t return the favor right now.¡± ¡°Then there''s only one thing to do.¡± Stella said and started to lather up her hands. ¡°Lisa, hold on to him.¡± Lisa looked at Stella and saw her soapy hands, then turned to Ren and took his other hand without a word. Ren''s eyes nearly bulged out of his head as Stella''s soapy hands reached around Lisa and grabbed her breasts. Lisa caught her breath as Stella massaged her chest, then those soapy hands moved down her abdomen and made Lisa gasp as they scrubbed her special place. ¡°G-good l-lord.¡± Ren whispered as Lisa stared at him and moaned her pleasure, while Stella''s deft hands made short work of pleasing her. Lisa leaned close and kissed him, and she felt something boiling hot splash onto her chest. She broke the kiss and stood up straight, and it wasn''t just soap on her front anymore. ¡°Stella, I''m dirty again.¡± Lisa said innocently as she kept hold of Ren''s hands, and Stella looked at what happened. She chuckled and lathered her hands again, then washed Lisa''s front. Stella knelt and washed Ren''s private place again, and he let one of Lisa''s hands go to put it on Stella''s face. ¡°You''re both unbelievable.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not yet we aren''t.¡± Lisa said and let his other hand go. She lathered her hands and looked at Stella. ¡°I think it''s your turn now.¡± Ren''s mouth dropped open as Stella stood in front of him and took his hands, and Lisa proceeded to wash Stella in the same way. It took longer because Lisa wasn''t as familiar with pleasing Stella like that, but Ren didn''t care. When Stella finally finished and leaned in to kiss him, she felt a warm splash on her chest just like Lisa had. Stella broke the kiss and smiled, then leaned down to kiss Little Ren, too. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Stella...¡± Ren looked at her as Lisa washed her front, then he looked at Lisa. ¡°Lisa, you...¡± ¡°You don''t have to say anything.¡± Lisa said and knelt to wash him off. ¡°I can see how happy you are.¡± She said and stood up, then kissed him again. ¡°I figured it was about time I did something to make you happy for all the things you''ve done to make me happy.¡± ¡°How many times can I say I love you before it looses its meaning?¡± Ren asked. Lisa chuckled as she grabbed the shower head and rinsed him off. ¡°You always mean it when you say it.¡± She said and rinsed Stella off, then herself. ¡°So, never.¡± The three of them dried off and left the shower, and they helped Ren climb onto the bed. ¡°Ren, about this Water Works thing...¡± Lisa said. ¡°Please tell me it''s only temporary.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s...¡± Lisa sighed. ¡°Ren, everyone has been affected.¡± She said. ¡°I tried a few times to use my abilities to see what was going on... and then I tried to use my status as the game''s guru and talked to some of the system administrators.¡± She sat down on the bed and took his hand. ¡°No one is telling me that something can be done about what''s happening with the maids.¡± Ren closed his eyes and lay back on the bed. ¡°So, what you''re saying is, I have to wait for the event to be over before I can see if anything can be done, or if the NPCs will go back to normal on their own.¡± ¡°Even then, it might not happen, Ren.¡± Lisa said. ¡°The way they coded the game has been... odd.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I''ve noticed the repeat dialogues.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°As time goes on and more people show up, that''s going to get a lot worse.¡± Lisa said. ¡°As it is, about every tenth NPC in town says the same rumor about a woman down at the docks who lost her husband.¡± ¡°Hey, I just did that quest.¡± Ren said. ¡°I even got the captain and the cargo back to the dock.¡± Lisa thought about that. ¡°You brought the ship back.¡± She said, and he nodded. ¡°That''s the only way to get the captain back to the dock... voluntarily, at least.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you know about it, and you just said it can leave multiple times a day...¡± ¡°It''s a repeatable quest.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Everyone can do it.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just wasted my time doing it, didn''t I?¡± Lisa chuckled. ¡°No, beloved.¡± She said and leaned in and gave him a kiss. ¡°You were just the first to do it, and I suspect you''ll be the only one to bring the whole ship back.¡± ¡°I only got something for the captain and the cargo.¡± Ren said. Lisa nodded, and he looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Holy crap. There wasn''t a response for bringing the ship back, because they didn''t expect it to happen!¡± ¡°Now you''re getting it.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Ren, no one else would even consider trying to bring the ship back.¡± ¡°It was supposed to stay out there.¡± Ren said and went to smack himself on the fore head, and both Lisa and Stella stopped him. He smiled at them and kissed their hands. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I doubt that ship stayed in dock for more than a few minutes.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I don''t think it would just disappear, since that doesn''t happen with the game mechanics, so it would have to leave under it''s own power.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I didn''t feel it leave, but I also didn''t stick around after completing the quest.¡± ¡°I''m sure there would be an excuse made for it to leave if you were around; but, it''s pretty easy to just wait until no one''s looking and reset the conditions.¡± ¡°If it''s repeatable and resets even if I''m around...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If I was the villain they keep tagging me as, I could ruin that quest for everyone.¡± ¡°Ren, don''t tell me you''d kill the prisoners!¡± Stella exclaimed, and Ren laughed. ¡°Nothing so dramatic.¡± Ren said and looked at Lisa. ¡°I would make the ship trying to return to the same spot to resume it''s captured nature, never reach that spot.¡± Lisa thought about that for a moment. ¡°You don''t mean...¡± ¡°Yes, I could make the forbidden sea routes inaccessible by ship and completely enforce the Sea Dweller''s Non-Aggression Pact.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lisa said. ¡°That would undermine the whole world event.¡± ¡°Yes, it would.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°How would you do it?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°I''m sorry, that information is classified and cannot be divulged at this time.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°There''s multiple ways, one of which is casting Invisible Walls to guide ships around the Sea Dweller''s sacred areas.¡± ¡°Since they would be invisible, no one would know they were there until it was too late.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You could destroy a lot of ships if they ram into the walls at full speed.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t be that cruel.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d angle them so ships couldn''t hit them directly and have a sign out front to warn ships of the danger.¡± ¡°Are you going to do that?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I''m not the villain, so I wasn''t planning on it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have done it already if I was.¡± ¡°Good lord.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You could have derailed the entire event.¡± ¡°Could have?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I still can.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°There''s a lot of things I can do to make things troublesome for the programmers.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°You love the game just as much as I do.¡± Ren nodded, then his bedroom door opened and Elise came in. ¡°Hey, sexy.¡± Elise said. Stella, Lisa, and Ren exchanged glances and looked back at Elise. ¡°You need to be more specific.¡± Ren said, and Elise laughed. ¡°How did we get to this point?¡± Elise asked and put a hand on Stella''s arm. ¡°Hi, regular sexy.¡± Stella snorted a laugh, and Elise climbed onto the bed and placed a kiss on Lisa''s cheek. ¡°Hi, cute and sexy.¡± Elise said. Lisa blushed and Elise moved over to Ren and kissed him on the lips. ¡°Hi, super sexy.¡± Elise said. ¡°I guess that''s specific enough.¡± Ren grinned. Elise gave him another kiss and propped herself up on an elbow as she laid down beside him. ¡°I went to Sid Tec and talked to the owner directly.¡± Ren could hear by the tone of her voice that she didn''t like the experience. ¡°They aren''t going to do anything to help me, are they?¡± ¡°Ren, I''m sorry.¡± Elise said. ¡°Max said that you entering the Water Realm and bypassing the restrictions is what caused you to change the conditions enough to... well...¡± ¡°When I came back, it said the Trouble Recipe ingredient for the Water Realm was complete.¡± ¡°The way they wrote the scenario, gives all the NPCs new content. All of them.¡± Elise said, then she explained everything that Max had told her. Ren listened to her as she asked him where they would put the limit on the NPCs that he interacted with, and she also said she hated that Max was right. She also explained that if they did do a limited patch to change the maids back, it would be undone once they accessed the communal pool for responses. ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°Elise, do you think they would get angry at me if I did act like a villain?¡± ¡°I honestly don''t know.¡± Elise said. ¡°Tell me what you mean.¡± Ren explained about what he could do to subvert the entire event, and she sighed. ¡°Ren you shouldn''t do that.¡± Elise said. ¡°You love the game too much to screw over all the other players.¡± ¡°I do love it; but, the programmers have been consistently ruining it for me as time goes on.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know at least some of them are doing it on purpose, and I''ve been okay with that.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve ruined a few of their things and that made them angry, and I expect some retaliation.¡± ¡°Ren, I don''t think...¡± ¡°It''s okay. Like I said, I expected some bad things to come my way.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°This time it affected people I care about instead of me, and I can''t let it go.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Lisa tried to speak and he touched her mouth to stop her. ¡°I can feel their pain, Lisa. They''re full of conflicting words and emotions, and just being around me hurts them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had to move back to Aurora.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I can''t have the maids within my Aura until they are fixed, and it looks like that''s not going to happen.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I took Princess, Artemis, and a pixie named Suniva with me.¡± He said. ¡°Oh, and 4 of the succubi.¡± ¡°Succubi? Why did you bring them?¡± ¡°They invited themselves along because they didn''t have anyone else to feed them. I didn''t know how long I would be away, so...¡± Lisa sighed. ¡°You''re staying in the same room with them, aren''t you?¡± ¡°With Artemis and Suniva, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s okay, though. They aren''t trying to seduce me.¡± ¡°They don''t have to try.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Just being around them is enough.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I didn''t feel any deceit or anything from them.¡± ¡°That''s because you have a good heart and an open mind.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Do you mind if...¡± ¡°You can''t, remember? You have to stay near the Library in case anyone needs you.¡± ¡°I don''t care about anyone else except you.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked and raised a single eyebrow at her. ¡°I''m pretty sure that''s a lie.¡± Lisa chuckled. ¡°Okay, smart ass. I care about you the most, okay?¡± ¡°That''s better.¡± Ren said and looked at the three women around him. ¡°I''ve got a few errands to run when I go back into the game, so I won''t be available to cuddle for a while if anyone decides to join in.¡± ¡°I''ve got a few things I need to take care of myself.¡± Elise said. ¡°I won''t be available to cuddle for a while, either.¡± ¡°I don''t have anything I need to do, except hang out at the Library.¡± Lisa said and reached for the VR headset, then she helped Ren put it on. ¡°I''ll see you all at lunch.¡± Ren said as he relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± * Just as Ren logged into the game, Stella''s cell phone rang. She checked it and saw it was Gloria, and answered it. ¡°I''ve been expecting your call.¡± Stella said, then didn''t say anything. Elise and Lisa watched as she nodded her head several times, then she spoke again. ¡°Yes, Ren was telling the truth, and he was right to tell you to give that job offer up.¡± Stella said and listened some more. ¡°I watched the footage of your fight, Gloria. Ren didn''t overreact.¡± She said. ¡°Let me tell you why...¡± Chapter 601 - You Deal With It Gloria had put her cell phone on speaker mode and stared at it as Stella told her everything that had happened to Ren over the last three days. Her heart hurt as Stella talked, and she discovered that she hadn''t just messed up like she thought she did. She had missed two major events in Ren''s life, two events she should have been there for, if she hadn''t been so self-centered. ¡°That''s everything on the emotional side.¡± Stella''s voice said from the speaker, almost angrily. ¡°Here''s Elise to give you the legal side of things.¡± Gloria''s pipe dreams began to crumble as Elise told her about all of the regular lawsuits that were going to be landslide victories, then she talked about all of the new lawsuits that were going to be filed against both persons of interest and their related companies. The gravity of the situation finally hit home for Gloria, and she sighed. She remembered what Ren had said in the game about destroying the company that had offered her the job, and she had to reluctantly agree. ¡°There''s no way they can survive the public backlash, even if they somehow find a way to defend themselves in the civil suit.¡± Elise''s voice said confidently. ¡°The court of public option is going to crucify them.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Gloria tried to speak. ¡°I know this looks like a golden opportunity, and normally it would be.¡± Elise said ¡°Instead, it''s a ship that''s about to be blown out of the water, Gloria. You do not want to be on it.¡± ¡°What if I take the job and work on gathering intelligence?¡± Gloria asked in a stroke of inspiration and tried to hide her excitement. ¡°The only thing better than having information on a subject is having inside information on that subject.¡± ¡°You can''t justify...¡± Elise sighed from the phone. ¡°You know what? Ren had the right idea. I''m done talking.¡± There was silence on the phone until Stella spoke a few moments later. ¡°Unlike Elise, I''m not done talking.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ll also finish her thought. You can''t justify working for a company that directly benefited from experiments performed on Ren on the pretext of gathering information.¡± She said. ¡°It''s been years since it happened, and anything you think you might uncover has long since been swept under the carpet.¡± Gloria didn''t say anything in response. ¡°I doubt any of the original employees work there anymore.¡± Stella said. ¡°We''ve got people at the law firm hunting down everyone Ren mentioned, and also all of their associates. We don''t have a complete breakdown yet, but...¡± ¡°But what?¡± Gloria asked automatically, even though she didn''t want to. ¡°The fallout from this is going to spread far and wide, Gloria.¡± Stella warned her. ¡°I''m sorry to say this; but, any high tech job you get scouted for has to be viewed as suspect until everything is out in the open.¡± ¡°Goddammit!¡± Gloria said in frustration. ¡°Believe me, I know.¡± Stella said. ¡°Unlike what Ren said, I don''t think you should turn the job down right away. You want them to think you''re seriously considering taking it.¡± I am seriously considering taking it. Gloria thought. ¡°If you drag it out a little, they may believe they don''t have you hooked.¡± Stella said. ¡°They could offer you something else, something no fresh-out-of-college student would be offered. If they do...¡± ¡°...then it''s a blatant lure to reel me in.¡± Gloria admitted reluctantly. ¡°Exactly.¡± Stella said. ¡°Look, don''t beat yourself up over this... or hold Ren responsible.¡± She said. ¡°It''s not his fault that they did those things to him.¡± ¡°No, of course it isn''t his fault.¡± Gloria said. ¡°It''s just...¡± ¡°If you didn''t know him, you''d be all over this job offer without a second thought, wouldn''t you?¡± Gloria stayed silent, and Stella sighed. ¡°Gloria, we''re not your conscience. You''re a grown woman and you can do whatever you want with your life.¡± Stella said. ¡°You just have to ask yourself something.¡± She waited for a moment, then continued. ¡°Would you have been offered this job, or been anywhere close to being considered for this job, if you didn''t know Ren?¡± * Lisa had left the room during Stella''s phone conversation, because she didn''t care much for how Gloria was dithering about Ren. How can she even think about doing something to hurt Ren? She asked herself. That defies all logic. She picked up her VR headset and laid down on her bed, then logged into the game. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Lara, the Sage of Ages stepped out of her closet into the Library in Ren''s county and went to her desk and picked up one of the newest books that had become available for the new World Event. She propped her feet up on her desk and started to read. It wasn''t long before someone came into the back room of the Library to find her. ¡°Ms. Sage?¡± Rosie said as she approached the desk. ¡°Are you busy?¡± ¡°Yes and no.¡± Lara said and put a bookmark in the book and closed it. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± Rosie had been a little taken aback with the Sage of Ages'' recent attitude change, but she didn''t want to question it in case that reverted her back to her normally arrogant and dismissive personality. ¡°There''s someone in the Library to see you.¡± ¡°Do I know this person?¡± Lara asked. ¡°You''re the Sage of Ages, Ms. Sage.¡± Rosie said. ¡°You would be the only judge for that.¡± Lara was tempted to accuse her of being smart with her, but she knew Rosie hadn''t been like that the last little while. She wasn''t sure what brought about the change in her demeanor, but she wasn''t going to question it in case Rosie decided to change back to her normally standoffish personality. ¡°Then lead the way.¡± Lara said and stood up. Rosie smiled at her and walked away, and Lara equipped the special bodysuit Ren had given her, then covered it in her normal clothing which was also armor but didn''t count as armor. Just for fun she equipped the mage robes he had given her. She always wore the large necklace of Pearls of Wisdom, both bracelets of magic boosting, the amulet with various enchantments like Unnatural Armor and Spider Walking, and the two diamond rings to boost her stats. When they left the side hallway, Lara caught a glimpse of the person waiting for her. He was decked out with the best enchanted armor and equipment that anyone anywhere could get, without access to what Ren could make. She easily identified everything the man wore, and was surprised when she used Identify Person on him and an empty popup appeared.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Lara didn''t let that show on her face as she quickly invoked a hidden magic spell that only a high level Sage of Ages had access to, and another popup appeared to replace the blank one.
Name Glastor Killdane Level 200
Gender Male/Unique Class Hunter/Lord
Race Human/Demon Fame/Infamy -10,000 (Hated)
Titles
Master Bowman Master Crossbowman
Master Flailman Master Longswordsman
Master Pikeman Master Shieldman
Master Short Swordsman Master Swordsman
Master Unarmed Fighter Master of His Domain
Weapon Smasher World Walker
A second popup appeared that listed all of his skills and abilities, and then a third popup appeared and showed all of the people and creatures he had defeated. Oh, my god. Lara thought, and still didn''t let anything show on her face. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± She asked in a pleasant voice, despite not feeling that way. Glastor took out an Amulet of Truth and hung it on his neck. ¡°I have it on good authority that you always tell the truth when asked a question; but, I can''t take that chance.¡± He said and let an evil smile spread across his face. His mouth distorted and pulled apart to reveal a hundred sharp and pointed teeth. ¡°Tell me how to kill Ren the First.¡± * Ren woke up on the bed, opened his eyes, and saw his friend on the ceiling. Hi, Teepo. Hi, Ren. Teepo thought to him and dropped from the ceiling and landed on his shoulder. Nothing to report. Same here. Artemis thought, so she wouldn''t wake the succubi. Ren turned his head and saw that she sat on the floor right beside the bed. Why are you... oh, you didn''t have to stay right beside me. He thought, and sent her feelings of happiness that she was so diligent. I could respond that you brought me into this world to do that; but, I really want to. Artemis thought back and leaned in to give him a kiss. I better sleep for an hour, just in case. Ren thought. Artemis thought about climbing onto the bed to join him, but there wasn''t a lot of room for her to do that. Ren smiled and pat his chest, and she didn''t need any more prompting than that. Artemis stood up and laid down on top of him, so that their faces were right next to each other. This isn''t a comfortable way to sleep. Artemis thought. Move down a little. Ren thought, and she eased down enough so she could rest her head on his chest. There you go. Artemis laid her head down and Ren ran a hand through her red metallic hair. Ren... I''m going to be relying on you a lot for a while. Ren thought. I hope you can handle it. I''ll handle anything you can give me. Artemis responded. Anything. Ren put his arms around her shoulders and they drifted off to sleep holding each other. * ¡°N-no!¡± Lara said and took a step back. Her hands started to shake as she fought to not answer. ¡°You can''t resist the impulse to speak the truth.¡± Glastor said. ¡°You''ve been asked an honest question, Sage of Ages. Answer it!¡± ¡°N-n-no! NOOO!¡± Lara turned and tried to run, and he was suddenly there. She bounced off his chest and landed on the floor. She wasn''t stunned, but she was quite afraid. ¡°Stop this right now!¡± Rosie said and stepped in front of the man. ¡°I will not have any violence in my Library!¡± ¡°I offered no violence, so your power is limited.¡± Glastor said. ¡°I only asked a question, an unrestricted question, and the knowledge is not forbidden.¡± Rosie opened her mouth to say he had hit Lara, but he hadn''t. ¡°You''re scaring her.¡± She said instead. ¡°No, she is not afraid of me in the least.¡± The man said. ¡°What''s scaring her is her answer.¡± Rosie turned and looked at Lara, and she saw her shaking uncontrollably. ******** Stella hung up the phone and held onto it tightly. ¡°So, do you think she''s going to listen to reason?¡± Elise asked, and Stella sighed. ¡°I certainly hope so, but...¡± Stella looked at the television screen and saw Ren was asleep in bed. ¡°...she''s... I can''t describe what I think she''s doing.¡± ¡°I can''t believe that she tried to tell me she would take the job to gather information for Ren.¡± Elise said. ¡°That girl...¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°Even with all the evidence laid out in front of her, she''s still debating on taking the job anyway.¡± ¡°It is a dream job for her.¡± Elise said. ¡°I can understand her reluctance to admit it''s a bad idea.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Stella said. ¡°If she does take the job, then you know what''s going to happen.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Unfortunately.¡± She said. ¡°They''ll try to mine her for information about Ren.¡± ¡°I''ll start the paperwork to terminate her employment with the research project.¡± Stella said. ¡°If she calls back and tells us she''s taking the job, I don''t want her associated with the project anymore.¡± ¡°I assume you''ll be submitting it to the peer review board.¡± Elise said, and she nodded. ¡°They need to know they can''t get to Ren though her, either physically or electronically.¡± Stella said. ¡°Elise, can you handle the electronic side?¡± ¡°Yes, I''ll get Barbi to do it.¡± Elise said. ¡°You know Ren won''t be happy if we do this.¡± ¡°He''s not going to be happy if she ignores him and takes that job, and he''s going to be really unhappy when her career is ruined because of one stupid decision.¡± ¡°It''s not just one stupid decision, Stella.¡± Elise said, sadly. ¡°If she does this, there''s no way Ren is going to want her around. Not for a while. She has to give up the research project, all of us, and Ren as well.¡± Stella thought about that and looked at her with wide eyes, then Elise spoke again. ¡°Remember when she attacked him that last time in the game, and he warned her that if she did anything like it again, he would have to rethink their relationship?¡± Stella looked at Ren on the television screen and then at his inert form on the bed. ¡°You''re right. He''s not going to want her near him if she decides to ignore him on this.¡± ¡°I don''t want her around, either.¡± Elise said. ¡°She''s been a bit of a thorn in his side ever since they met, and it''s just been twisting little by little and annoying him this whole time, and putting a strain on his other relationships.¡± She sighed. ¡°I see what she''s doing to him and I can''t say anything about it, all because he cares so much about her.¡± ¡°I completely understand.¡± Stella said. ¡°You do?¡± Elise asked, slightly surprised. Stella nodded. ¡°I''m in a unique position to see everyone he''s been interacting with, and I''ve observed a lot of things.¡± It was Elise''s turn to have her eyes go wide as Stella explained about not wanting Elise around him at first. Her observations and her opinion of Elise had been pretty low at the time. ¡°Stella, I... I didn''t realize...¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°You know what you were like back then.¡± She said, and Elise nodded. ¡°I''m glad I didn''t say anything and kept my thoughts to myself, because look at where we all are now.¡± ¡°I knew I needed to earn your approval, but I didn''t realize how important that was at the time.¡± Elise said. ¡°Once I started coming around and spending time with you and Ren, though... I discovered that you and Barbara and Denise weren''t just his nurses.¡± She said. ¡°You were his family, and I needed to treat you that way.¡± ¡°Is that what caused the dramatic shift in your behavior?¡± Stella asked, curious. Elise nodded. ¡°I fan-girled all over him at first, because I wasn''t too aware of how inappropriate that was.¡± She said. ¡°I was only concerned with myself and how I imagined I felt about him.¡± Stella sat down on the bed next to her. ¡°Imagined?¡± Elise sighed. ¡°I was infatuated with what I thought he was, and I didn''t consider how he felt about having me be that way with him... not until the incident in front of the Library.¡± ¡°Where you almost killed him with your breasts?¡± Stella asked with a huge smile on her face and Elise chuckled. ¡°Lethal Hugs should have been my character name.¡± Elise said, and Stella chuckled, too. ¡°After that, I started to look back at the things I did, and was still doing at the time, and I didn''t like it.¡± She said, took a breath and let it out, then continued. ¡°I didn''t like myself much, either.¡± Stella put a hand on hers and squeezed it slightly. ¡°After a long self-evaluation, and a scathing talking down from my boss, I had to try and make things up to Ren.¡± Elise said. ¡°When I started to visit more often, I knew what little I was doing wouldn''t be enough to satisfy his family.¡± Stella and Elise smiled at each other. ¡°Now look at us.¡± Elise said. ¡°It feels like we''ve always been together here in this house, and it hasn''t been that long since we came here.¡± ¡°Things do move at a surprising pace sometimes.¡± Stella said. ¡°I never thought I would even consider moving in with someone, and here I am living with 4 people in a house, not counting Barbara and Donald in the guest house.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°I was saying something like that to Lisa last night.¡± She said. ¡°I haven''t been home to sleep since Ren asked me to pick a room here to keep my things in.¡± ¡°He''s a charmer, isn''t he?¡± Elise smiled and looked at Ren. ¡°Who would have thought that someone so small could have a heart big enough for all of us?¡± ¡°His heart?¡± Stella asked and grinned, and Elise laughed. ¡°Yes, his heart!¡± Elise said and gave her hand a squeeze. ¡°The other thing is just a bonus.¡± ¡°I think all of him is a bonus.¡± Stella said as her gaze fell upon Ren, too. Chapter 602 - Fated Meeting Lara struggled against her own character''s nature to answer questions as a Sage. She could normally do that without any trouble and could even give an evasive answer; but, whatever the Amulet of Truth the man wore was imbued with, it made her feel really bad for refusing to answer. Her skin also felt like it was covered with bugs and creepy crawly things, and she resisted the urge to scratch at her skin. ¡°Wh-why do you want to know?¡± Lara asked and tried to hold herself still. ¡°I''ve read all of his books, even the stupid children''s one, and it doesn''t take a genius to see he''s died several times already.¡± Glastor said. ¡°I''ve seen his name at the top of the leader boards for a while now, and nearly every time it appears, it''s a higher total.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ve travelled a long way on foot to get here, Sage of Ages.¡± Glastor said. ¡°It''s taken me a long time to do it, too.¡± That explains the World Walker title. Lara thought. ¡°I''ve made a name for myself by hunting down those that are worthy, so I''ve come to make an even bigger name for myself by defeating a five-time top leader board holder.¡± ¡°I don''t see... how you can do that...¡± Lara took a quick breath. ¡°Logout.¡±
System Notice!
You cannot log out because you are currently locked into an XP gain for your class.
¡°Pause Quest.¡± Lara said next.
System Notice!
The current Quest cannot be paused at this time. Please try again later.
¡°Dammit!¡± Lara exclaimed and Glastor laughed. ¡°Now you know why I have the amulet.¡± Glastor said. ¡°The feelings are only going to get worse, and you can''t escape.¡± ¡°Watch me!¡± Lara said and cast another spell that only the Sage of Ages had access to. The world slowed down to a crawl, and she tried to stand up. The feeling of bugs crawling on her skin intensified and she stumbled to a nearby table. She took several deep breaths and looked back at where the man stood, and instead of looking at the floor where she had been, she saw that he was looking right at her. Lara opened the messaging system and sent a message to Ren and warned him about the guy. She tried to enter the man''s information, and a warning popup appeared about sharing information not easily accessible. ¡°Dammit!¡± Lara said and sent the message, then brought up her spell list to try and find something she could use to get herself out of there. ¡°It''s really dangerous, but I can use a Portal spell.¡± She said and did the required motions and thought about her destination. She poured out the Mana cost required and a portal formed in front of her.
System Notice!
You cannot leave the vicinity of the current Quest at this time. Please try again later.
¡°No!¡± Lara almost yelled as the portal disappeared. She gave up trying to magic her way out and started to walk towards the Library''s front door. When she was about 10 feet away from it, she received the same popup.
System Notice!
You cannot leave the vicinity of the current Quest at this time. Please try again later.
Lara sighed loudly and sat down at the closest table, right at the edge of the area she couldn''t leave. Now what do I do? She asked herself as she looked at the man and saw his head was still turned towards her, even though she had moved across the Library. * Ren woke up immediately when he received a message popup and he opened it. ¡°LARA!¡± He said and Artemis hopped up off of him. He stood up quickly and took out the All-Seeing Mirror to check the destination, then cast the Portal spell. Artemis took his hand as he equipped his full set of platinum armor and they stepped through the portal into the Library''s back room. His Aura covered everyone in the building and he felt Lara out in the main room. He also felt a huge Void Presence nearby. Ren and Artemis ran from the back room at about half their full speed, down the hallway, and out into the main library. He saw the large man right away, and his Aura Sense detected an Aura called Degeneration, which was the opposite of Regeneration. It was only 10 feet out from the man, so he and Artemis easily avoided it and ran around him. Despite their great speed, Ren noticed that the man was looking right at him. Ren looked around and couldn''t see Lara; but, he could feel where she was so he ran over to her. When he and Artemis entered her small Aura, she touched them and the spell she had cast enveloped them as well. ¡°Ren!¡± Lara said and hugged him. ¡°He''s here to k-kill you.¡± ¡°You said that in the message.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did he say why?¡± ¡°H-he''s making a n-name for himself.¡± Lara said. ¡°He... he asked me how to k-kill you.¡± ¡°What did you tell him?¡± Ren asked and saw her trembling body. ¡°N-nothing!¡± Lara said. ¡°Lara, I identified his Amulet of Truth. Unlike mine, the longer you don''t answer, the more it will affect you.¡± Lara winced as the feeling of bugs started to bite her. ¡°I... I can''t tell h-him that!¡± ¡°Then I will.¡± Ren said and turned to walk away. ¡°Stop!¡± Lara said. ¡°Wh-why are you doing this?¡± ¡°Look at you.¡± Ren said. ¡°If he gets the answer, he might turn the effect off.¡± ¡°C-can''t you... destroy it?¡± ¡°I can; but, it might not work because you''re already being affected by the enchantment.¡± Ren said and looked around. ¡°This is neat.¡± ¡°It''s a s-spell.¡± Lara said. ¡°I c-can''t tell you wh-what it is.¡± ¡°I didn''t ask.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Now, dismiss the spell and tell him.¡± ¡°Ren, I love you.¡± Lara said and tears came to her eyes. ¡°I''m so sorry about this.¡± Ren wiped her tears away. ¡°I know you are, beloved.¡±Stolen story; please report. Lara took in a breath and let it out, then dismissed the spell. ¡°Ren! How did you get here?¡± Rosie asked as she walked over to him. ¡°Magic.¡± Ren said and helped Lara walk over to the man that came there to kill him, and stopped 15 feet away. ¡°The Sage of Ages has something she wants to tell you.¡± The man looked at Ren with a thoughtful expression. ¡°You are Ren the First.¡± ¡°I have that title.¡± ¡°My name is Glastor Killdane and I''m here to kill you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°The Sage of Ages is about to tell you how.¡± Lara sighed and then opened her mouth. ¡°There are several ways to kill Ren the First.¡± She said. ¡°All of which reduce his Health to zero and he dies.¡± ¡°Yes, I know. Get on with it.¡± Glastor said. ¡°You need to bypass his protective enchantments, cancel his Regeneration, and then cause enough damage to either give him the Bleeding Profusely condition or sever a limb.¡± Lara held back a sob as the feeling of bugs crawling on her and biting her stopped. ¡°Then you can take his head.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± Glastor asked and smiled. Ren saw the man''s smile expand and the mouth distorted to show a hundred sharp teeth. Teeth he remembered seeing before. ¡°You''ve been through Shargon Caverns, haven''t you?¡± ¡°I have had that experience.¡± Glastor said. ¡°How did you get by the final boss?¡± ¡°I slew the pig demon by summoning another demon inside of it, which made it explode, then walked out through the opening that appeared.¡± Ren let a big smile spread across his face. ¡°I just remembered where I saw those teeth.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Glastor asked. Ren cast Full Illusion and recreated the Vampiric Blood Sword and held it up, and Glastor hissed and jumped back 20 feet. Unfortunately, the wall was only 15 feet away and he hit it and crashed through it as if it wasn''t there. ¡°Hello there, Minor Demon.¡± Ren said and pretended to store the blade as he dismissed the spell, so the demon would think he still had the sword. ¡°I''m glad to see you''ve recovered from your wounds.¡± Glastor waved a hand and was covered in a shadow blacker than night, so Ren activated his Light and Anti-Void runes in his armor. Since the man was well within Ren''s Aura, it hit him right away. ¡°AGGHHHH!¡± The demon screamed, and then Glastor glowed red. The demon quieted down and then his eyes bled. ¡°So, it''s not a true possession.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m glad.¡± ¡°How can you affect him like that?¡± ¡°I''ve beaten him in hand-to-hand combat and nearly killed him.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think he figured if he merged with someone, he''d have a good chance at revenge.¡± ¡°He does.¡± The man said and tried to step back into the Library. ¡°You''re barred!¡± Rosie said, and a magical barrier appeared in front of him. ¡°You''ve caused a lot of damage to my precious Library, and you will no longer be allowed on the premises!¡± The man sighed. ¡°It was unintentional.¡± He said. ¡°I will pay for the damages.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said and knelt on one knee. ¡°I''ll be out to talk to you in a minute.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Glastor said. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Watch.¡± Ren said and smiled at the man''s shocked expression and feelings as the wall he had destroyed knitted together and reformed as if it hadn''t been damaged at all. ¡°Wow.¡± Rosie said. ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°Do I have to keep saying ''magic'' every time I do something?¡± Ren asked and chuckled, and Rosie shook her head. ¡°That was amazing, like always.¡± Rosie said and went to step close, then she stopped. ¡°Ren, you... why can''t I...¡± She reached a hand out to touch him, then pulled it back. ¡°Something''s wrong, isn''t it?¡± ¡°Yes, and it''s going to stay that way until I decide I''ve had enough of it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please decide soon.¡± Rosie said and tears formed in her eyes as she walked back to her desk. ¡°Ren, he''s going to kill you.¡± Lara said. ¡°I haven''t even fought him yet and I''ve already lost?¡± Ren asked, and she sighed. ¡°You know what my abilities are like.¡± ¡°Then look for a chance where I don''t die.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren...¡± Ren gave her a hug and a kiss. ¡°I''ll be okay.¡± ¡°Can you ever forgive me?¡± Lara asked. ¡°For what? Telling him the truth?¡± Lara nodded. ¡°Lara... Lisa...¡± Ren kissed her cheek. ¡°Killing this body means almost nothing to me.¡± He said, then leaned in and whispered in her ear. ¡°I''m really glad he didn''t ask how to kill my heart.¡± Lara caught her breath when she saw what Ren meant for an instant, then he kissed her on the lips once more. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± Ren said and walked over to the wall and cast Pass Wall on it, then he and Artemis stepped through. Glastor Killdane was actually surprised to see Ren actually come out to see him so soon, and also through the wall. ¡°Well, aren''t you the little show off.¡± Glastor said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°What''s so funny? I''m trying to insult you.¡± ¡°Calling me short is just the truth and not an insult.¡± Ren said. ¡°Want to try again?¡± Glastor opened his mouth to respond, then shook his head. ¡°So, is this it? You want to kill me right here, right now?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I wouldn''t be here otherwise.¡± Glastor said. ¡°But... who would know?¡± Ren smiled slightly. ¡°Just you and me, right?¡± ¡°Only I need to know it happened.¡± ¡°Then go tell everyone you killed me.¡± Ren said. ¡°It doesn''t require any proof.¡± ¡°I want proof.¡± Glastor said and smiled. ¡°Like the Sage of Ages said, I''ll be taking your head.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That can''t happen.¡± He said. ¡°Even if you don''t loot me right away, the game will fade me out anyways.¡± Glastor frowned. ¡°How am I supposed to prove I''ve killed you if I can''t have your body?¡± ¡°Well, two ways, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°One, we send out a blanket message to anyone that wants to come and see an epic fight between us during the next real life weekend.¡± He said. ¡°I''m sure there''s someone you want to see it.¡± Glastor didn''t say anything, but Ren could feel that it was true. He then gave the man the hope of what he wanted. ¡°Did you know there''s a way to record an event and make a Full Illusion out of it?¡± Ren asked, and that did it. ¡°Very well.¡± Glastor said. ¡°I will come back on the weekend and we shall give the people a show they will never forget.¡± He said. ¡°You will record it for me and give it to me, so I can put it on display for everyone to see.¡± ¡°What do I get if I win?¡± ¡°The same thing, obviously.¡± Glastor said. ¡°A recording of my defeat that you can show to everyone.¡± ¡°No, thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d rather have something that I could use.¡± ¡°Then what do you want?¡± ¡°I''d ask you to summon a demon of my choice, for me to use as I see fit, without repercussions.¡± Ren said. Glastor couldn''t see what he would want with a demon, so he nodded. ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll start sending around the messages and letting everyone know to come, and I''ll see you on the weekend.¡± ¡°Hold on. How do I know you''re not going to discover everything about me before then and figure out how to beat me?¡± ¡°I can joke and say you won''t know what hit you, but instead I will give you my word, under your amulet, that I won''t research you at all.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Artemis exclaimed, and Ren looked at her. ¡°Why did you say that?¡± ¡°I''m just telling him the truth.¡± Ren said and looked back at Glastor Killdane. ¡°What do you say?¡± ¡°I''d say you''re a fool to give up such opportunities; but, it pleases me that you will remain ignorant for a little while longer.¡± ¡°Until then, I must ban you from my domain.¡± Ren said. ¡°I will lift it once the arena is built and it''s close to the time of the fight.¡± ¡°Arena?¡± Glastor asked. ¡°What? Did you think we would fight in the street or something?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± He said. ¡°People are going to want ringside seats to see this thing.¡± Glastor nodded. ¡°I will leave until then.¡± He said and tried to summon a shadow. It wouldn''t form, and he looked at Ren. ¡°Oh, right.¡± Ren said and turned off his Anti-void and Light runes. A pitch black shadow appeared and covered Glastor, then Ren felt his presence disappear from his Aura. ¡°I ban Glastor Killdane from my domain.¡± Ren chose okay when the confirmation popup appeared, then he received another popup.
New Quest!
You must face a new rival who has powers you know very little about. If you win, you will prove beyond a doubt that you can defeat all comers. If you lose, you will lose something precious to you as well. Rewards: ???? Penalty for Failure: Death, ????
¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said to Artemis and used the All-Seeing Mirror to see that the spot he wanted was clear, then cast the Portal spell. He took Artemis'' hand and they stepped through the portal and back into the bedroom. ¡°That was a little scary.¡± Teepo commented. ¡°He''s really strong.¡± ¡°I know, and the Minor Demon is pretty angry.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s too bad you don''t have that Vampiric Blood Sword anymore.¡± Teepo said, sadly. ¡°I''ll just have to deal with him another way.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Seldanna asked and sat up. Ren explained what just happened, and she stood up. ¡°We will fight by your side.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°We know what he is capable of, Ren.¡± ¡°Even joined to a human?¡± Ren asked, and she shrugged. ¡°I feel your reluctance to hear what I know, so you will have to settle for my constant presence until he returns.¡± ¡°Mine as well.¡± Ellaria said. ¡°Us, too.¡± Katori and Chenoa said together. Suniva stood up on the pillow. ¡°We''re all going with you.¡± ¡°Then let''s get my errands done.¡± Ren said, and they looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°I''ve got enchantment deliveries to make.¡± He said and took out the piece of parchment paper Anabelle had given him yesterday to visit customers that needed their armor enchantments altered. ¡°It shouldn''t take long to do them.¡± Artemis said as she looked at the short list. Ren nodded. ¡°When we''re done of these, we can go and pick up the Image Recording Device from the capital.¡± He said. ¡°I''m going to need it sooner rather than later.¡± Ren picked Suniva up and she sat on his shoulder, and they left the bedroom and then the house. They went to the various addresses around the city so Ren could do his work. He finished up quickly and they all went back to the house to get Princess, then Ren rode her towards the capital city of the Human Kingdom and to a date he hadn''t realized he was really late for. Chapter 603 - Meeting With The Princess Ren rode Princess through the air while Artemis and the 4 succubi flew beside him. Suniva sat on Ren''s shoulder and laughed as they careened through the air so fast that she had a hard time breathing. Her Fire on the other hand, burned brightly inside of her. Ren could feel her joy and let that fill him up. He basked in it for several moments, then he opened the messaging system. He wrote up a quick message, stated that there would be an epic PvP duel between him and Glastor Killdane at the arena in Walin County on the weekend coming up. Instead of selecting someone to send it to, he chose ''send all'' and sent it. It was a bit premature, since there would be about 3 game weeks before the weekend; but, Ren said he would send out a message right away. Princess slowed down and started to come in for a landing outside the city, and Ren told her not to bother trying to blend in, because he was done trying not to shock people. Princess diverted her course and ran through the air and over the outside wall, and Ren heard people gasp as he, Artemis and the succubi passed overhead. ¡°It''s the Sea Dwellers!¡± Someone shouted and pointed up at them. ¡°We''re being invaded!¡± ¡°Don''t be foolish.¡± Someone else said. ¡°Sea Dwellers can''t fly.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren and his group moved on without hearing the rest of the conversation, and he directed Princess to land at the back of the castle inside the walled off section. The succubi and Artemis landed beside her, and Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Show me Princess Diana, please.¡± Ren asked it, and it showed him her bedroom window. He could see her face clearly, and the wide eyes she had. She wore a thin shirt and a pair of pants, which was a bit odd for a princess to wear casually. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and stored the mirror, then looked up at her window and stood up on Princess'' back. ¡°Suniva, can I leave you here? Princess Diana might want to see me alone.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Suniva said and hopped off his shoulder and walked through the air to sit on the saddle. With his Spot ability, Ren could see Diana stand up in her room as well, so he walked up through the air and over to her bedroom window. People on the street could see him do so, and he didn''t care. He stopped just outside the window and knocked. Diana took a deep breath and let it out, then opened the window. ¡°Hello.¡± Ren smiled at her, because he could feel her emotions and knew that she wasn''t as enamoured of him as she had been the last time he had visited her. ¡°You can tell, can''t you?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Both your King title change and being a Sea Dweller, even though I know you''re human.¡± ¡°I''m an elfling, actually.¡± Ren reminded her and pointed to his ears. ¡°Or generally, a Land Dweller.¡± ¡°What am I supposed to do with you now?¡± Diana asked. ¡°How do I handle this situation?¡± ¡°May I come inside?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''re powerful enough to do what you want. There''s nothing that can really stop you now.¡± ¡°Just because I can do something, doesn''t mean that I should.¡± Ren responded. ¡°Then you might as well come in.¡± Diana stepped back and left the window open. ¡°Please forgive the mess.¡± Ren chuckled because he could see her room was immaculate, then stepped through the opening and closed the window behind him. ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡± ¡°I''m not sure that honorific applies from you anymore.¡± Diana said. ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°My Etiquette skill isn''t giving me any hints, so this is new territory apparently.¡± ¡°Then you can use my given name, if you so choose.¡± ¡°And you, mine.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re an Adventurer.¡± Diana said. ¡°Don''t you normally choose your own name?¡± ¡°I kept my own so I wouldn''t have to worry about confusion when someone spoke to me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, it saved me from having to think of one.¡± Diana chuckled. ¡°Yes, I''ve heard the rumors of some strange names for Adventurers.¡± ¡°I''d like to hear some of them when you have some spare time.¡± ¡°I have some time right now, actually.¡± Diana said. ¡°But, I think you''re here for another reason.¡± ¡°Yes, I''ve come to trade for the recording device.¡± ¡°Hmm... well...¡± Diana turned away from him and walked across the room. ¡°I was prepared to trade that particular item the day the treaty''s time limit expired.¡± She said and turned back to him, and Ren could feel her simmering anger. ¡°You didn''t return like you promised.¡± ¡°I have excuses I can give; but, I won''t bore you with them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can admit I said I would be here after it expired and didn''t specify when exactly that would be, though.¡± ¡°Are you trying to argue with me about your wording?¡± Diana asked, a little indignantly. ¡°No, merely stating facts.¡± Ren said and tapped the Hand of Glory around his neck. Diana looked down at her own neck and saw the Amulet of Interrogation there. She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them as she looked at him. ¡°Ren, I was annoyed with you...¡± Diana started, then sweat beaded on her forehead. ¡°...I am annoyed with you.¡± She said and the sweat stopped. ¡°I feel like you need to make it up to me before we can trade on good terms.¡± ¡°Of course, Diana.¡± Ren said, and she took in a sharp breath. He felt how much she liked hearing the sound of her name like that, and he walked across the room and motioned to the bed. She looked at him with wide eyes, and he chuckled. ¡°I can take out a table and chairs if you like, but I''d prefer to keep this casual.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unlike all the other times I''ve been around you, it seems that I''m not really bound by proper protocol right now.¡± Diana nodded slightly and Ren went to sit on the edge of the bed, then stopped. His platinum armor disappeared and was replaced by a dark purple suit that was styled in a combination of High Elf Court and Human Royalty. Ren sat down and made himself comfortable, then pat the bed beside him. Diana sighed almost imperceptibly and walked over to the bed and sat a foot away from him.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Ren felt her start to be uncomfortable, and he spoke. ¡°Are you more of a fighter or a magic user?¡± He asked, and she looked at him with raised eyebrows. ¡°Diana, I''m not going to rip your clothes off, if that''s what you''re thinking.¡± Diana''s face went bright red at the thought of him doing that, and then his hand suddenly cupped the side of her face and he sat next to her. I didn''t even see him move. She thought in surprise, then she realized he was touching her and it made her shiver slightly. His hand is so warm. ¡°I''ve got all my titles on right now... even the not so great ones.¡± Ren said. ¡°P-Prince Charming.¡± Diana said, and Ren looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°I have the Identify Person ability now.¡± ¡°I have that ability as well.¡± Ren said. ¡°May I use it on you?¡± ¡°What? Why are you asking?¡± ¡°I don''t like prying into people''s lives without their permission.¡± Ren said, and Diana''s face grew hot from embarrassment. ¡°No, Diana. I''m not admonishing you.¡± He said and cupped the other side of her face. ¡°You''re the next ruling monarch. I told you to use all of your skills to do your best to keep yourself safe and to rule the kingdom.¡± He explained. ¡°Using it on me was the smart thing to do.¡± ¡°But... you just said...¡± ¡°It''s my own personal preference.¡± Ren said and then smiled as he let her face go. ¡°I don''t want to have hundreds of people''s information in my head.¡± ¡°Just mine?¡± Diana asked. ¡°I tried using it once and it kind of worked... but, not really.¡± Ren said, as he thought about that witch-like creature he had met in the Underworld and didn''t learn anything about her. ¡°You''ll be the first, assuming it works on someone as important as you.¡± ¡°Well, both my father''s ability and mine worked on you, so...¡± ¡°I knew King Alamast was a bit too accepting of my position as the ambassador''s assistant.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m surprised he accepted my challenge.¡± ¡°So was I... at the time.¡± Diana said and smiled. ¡°After thinking about it, and seeing what you did for the kingdom after that...¡± Her smile faded. ¡°I was surprised that my father was right about you taking all those people.¡± ¡°All what people?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The healed ones.¡± Diana said. ¡°Most of them decided to move to your county.¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Diana shook her head, and Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Please show me the people moving to my county.¡± Ren asked it, and it showed a large caravan of people. ¡°Teepo?¡± ¡°Give me a minute.¡± Teepo said and watched the caravan. ¡°If I had to guess... and it really is a guess because I can''t see inside some of the carts... I''d say there''s almost 250,000 people there.¡± ¡°Two hundred and fifty-six thousand, actually.¡± Diana said. ¡°Nearly all the infected.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where are they now?¡± The All-Seeing Mirror became a map and showed him they were about two-thirds of the way to his county. ¡°Not much longer, then.¡± Ren said and stored the mirror. ¡°Who would have thought I''d fill a whole city in one go?¡± ¡°I didn''t think you would.¡± Diana said, a little disappointed. ¡°I told my father you weren''t like that, and then you were.¡± ¡°I''m not, Diana.¡± Ren said, and felt that spark from her. ¡°All I did was offer them a new place to live and to pay for them to get there if they wanted.¡± He explained. ¡°I told them all that they didn''t have to leave their lives or their families and friends. I didn''t guarantee jobs or incomes, just a place to live.¡± ¡°For all of them.¡± Diana said. ¡°If they chose to, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Teepo, remind me to have the farms constructed under the starter city.¡± ¡°Sure Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Hey, Ren?¡± ¡°Yes, Teepo?¡± ¡°Don''t forget to have farms constructed under the starter city.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Ren chuckled. ¡°I left myself wide open with that one.¡± ¡°This... isn''t a joking matter.¡± Diana said and held her chuckle in, but Ren felt her emotions. ¡°Since people''s lives are changing so drastically, it''s not really funny.¡± Ren said. ¡°However, levity can make even the most horrible things bearable.¡± Diana felt the tone change in his voice, and her hand reached out and took his. Ren held her hand and looked back at her, and she almost gasped at the pain in his eyes. Her heart beat faster as Ren let her take a peek into how he really felt about what was going on, and he was surprised that it made her care about him even more. ¡°Diana...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Diana said and leaned forward and gave him a chaste kiss. Ren felt her trying to feed him emotions, and he opened his Emotion Siphon ability for her. She took in a sharp breath as she felt him accept what she offered, and she squeezed his hand tightly and pressed her lips harder to his. Ren wasn''t sure what Diana thought she was doing, only that she wanted him to take what she gave him. He took it gratefully, because emotions given freely were always more filling and satisfying. He didn''t move his lips, because the kiss wasn''t what they were really doing. Diana was intentionally feeding him. It was a mix of emotions for him to sort through. There was fear, anger, anxiety, and worry; with a little bit of hatred mixed in for good measure. The emotions were strong in some cases, weak in others, and she pushed them all into him as hard as she could. Ren''s ability didn''t like those emotions very much, but it absorbed them grudgingly anyway. When her emotions shifted to resolve, strength of character, protectiveness, giving, and assurance, his ability almost vibrated with happiness. Diana sensed the difference, and knew she had guessed right about giving bad emotions first and good emotions after, just like drinking something bitter and following it up with something sweet. It counteracted the taste. She let the emotions trickle down to a stop, then broke the ''kiss''. ¡°Do you feel better?¡± Diana asked. ¡°Much better.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Diana smiled as she looked into his eyes and didn''t see the pain there. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± ¡°You continue to impress me every time I see you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I suppose I can take that as a compliment.¡± Diana said. ¡°It wasn''t intended as one.¡± Diana looked at his forehead to see if there was sweat, and there wasn''t. She started to frown, and he smiled. ¡°I was just stating the truth.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I was going to compliment you, I''d compare your beauty to that of the sunrise. No matter how many times you see it, it''s still a wonder to behold.¡± Diana''s face flushed red at the eloquent compliment. As a Princess of the Human Kingdom, she had heard a hundred different compliments by thousands of people; but, the others seemed downright childish in comparison and she wasn''t sure how to handle it. Ren felt her emotions and took her hand, then spoke in a slightly deeper voice. ¡°Diana.¡± Diana trembled slightly at the seemingly more intimate tone of his voice. ¡°A compliment can be just that, a compliment.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°I can feel that you want it to be more... a lot more.¡± ¡°I...¡± Diana looked away from him for a moment. Ren admired her long blonde hair, and it looked so much better flowing down her back than it did in a fancy hairstyle. ¡°I really like your hair down like this.¡± He said and used his free hand to comb through it. Diana closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the feeling of his fingers through her hair. Her breathing slowed down as she calmed down, and then she realized what he was doing. ¡°Ren, thank you.¡± Diana said and opened her eyes as she turned her head back to look at him. ¡°For giving me time to process what I''m feeling.¡± ¡°Sometimes all we need is a moment to breathe.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can feel you''re not going to let your emotions run free like a moment ago.¡± ¡°I want to let them, though.¡± Diana said. ¡°When I''m with you, I... even when we argued...¡± She smiled. ¡°You are an amazing person.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I was going to say the same thing.¡± He said. ¡°I wanted to thank you for looking past my Sea Dweller status.¡± Diana chuckled, too. ¡°I''ve met a lot of odd people as the princess of an entire kingdom, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I learned the ability a long time ago to look past a lot of things in order to deal with those people.¡± ¡°I''m quite happy about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, shall we get to why I''m here?¡± ¡°Our really late date?¡± Diana teased, and he laughed. ¡°I really am sorry, and I do have some good excuses that I can tell you later.¡± Ren said. ¡°Right now, though...¡± ¡°Show me what you have for me.¡± Diana said. ¡°I could make a joke about that.¡± Ren said and made her smile. ¡°First off, a fully enchanted armored bodysuit.¡± Diana''s eyes almost popped out of her head when he presented her with one of his platinum-weaved spider silk cloth bodysuits. Ren showed her that the feet, gloves, calves and forearms detached for wearing under any style of clothing, then warned her it loses some of it''s effectiveness if all she wore was the torso part. ¡°Ren, this... even my father, the king himself, couldn''t justify...¡± Diana shook her head. ¡°You forged platinum coins to make it!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I had used another metal at first to weave into the fabric, which was plenty strong on it''s own, then I made my platinum armor.¡± He said. ¡°My next thought was that I should take the next step, especially since there are times armor can''t be worn.¡± ¡°I don''t know what to say.¡± Diana said. ¡°You could buy all the image projectors in the land with this bodysuit.¡± ¡°That''s not for trade.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s just the basic protection that I give out to people that may become important in my life and I want to protect them.¡± Diana''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise, and he grinned at her. ¡°Now, let''s get to the good stuff.¡± Ren said and took out several of the different diamond-covered bracelets he had designed for her. Chapter 604 - Diana Dazzled Diana watched in amazement as Ren stood up and took out a couple of tables and then set upon them rings, bracelets, necklaces, non-necklaces, bracers, gloves, boots, weapons, and various enchanted items unlike anything she had seen before. Her room was practically covered in them when he was done, and then she gasped when he took out the prettiest and deadliest armor she had ever seen. ¡°Now this isn''t as powerful as my own armor, since mine is a unique item and I''m not allowed to duplicate it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s pretty close, though.¡± He moved it and she saw the extreme range of motion the armor allowed, which included twisting with you when you turned your body at the waist. ¡°It''s mobility is unmatched, except by other armor like it, and it''s enchanted with various things to help protect you from harm.¡± Diana couldn''t believe what she was seeing. ¡°You made that... for me.¡± She said and stared at the light blue armor, and saw his nod in the corner of her eye. ¡°I''ve only made a couple of sets like it, so it''s pretty exclusive.¡± Ren said and took out a crate and set the armor inside. ¡°So, what do you think? Do you want to trade?¡± ¡°Trade?¡± Diana asked and stood up. Her gaze scanned the room at all the stuff she could see and had identified, and she shook her head as she walked over to the armor. ¡°Ren, I don''t think I could ever find enough items to trade for even one of these items.¡± ¡°Do you have the image recording device?¡± Ren asked. Diana took the small thing out of her Strong Ring of Storage and handed it to him. It was a square block with 2 push buttons on one side and a small round opening on the side next to it. ¡°Wow, that''s all it is?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I thought it would be huge.¡± He smiled and examined it.
Notice!
You have acquired the plans for the Image Recording Device. It works just like a camera, and you can take pictures and video with it. It only has a limited amount of space inside, but it can be used in conjunction with various spells (Ghost Image, Magic Mouth, Illusion, Full Illusion, etc.) to reproduce it''s contents. You only need to hold the Image Recording Device when you cast the spell, and you will be prompted to choose what image or video to use.
¡°Okay, that''s cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know how to use it already?¡± Diana asked and he felt her disappointment. ¡°It took the meeting recorder half an hour to explain it to me.¡± ¡°Oh, I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and handed it back. ¡°Please, explain it to me.¡± Diana chuckled. ¡°You felt my disappointment.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I would have waited to get the plans if I''d realized you wanted to show me how it worked.¡± ¡°That''s sweet of you.¡± Diana said and held it out. ¡°You don''t have to humor me.¡± ¡°I''m not humoring you, Diana.¡± Ren said and touched her hand that held the device. ¡°I''ve never used it before.¡± Diana took in a breath and let it out, then nodded when no sweat appeared on his forehead. ¡°All right.¡± She said and stepped close, and started to explain what the device did and how to use it properly. She showed him the different options, used it to take a picture of the light blue armor in the crate, then handed the device to Ren. ¡°Can you cast Ghost Image or Illusion?¡± Diana asked. ¡°I know the basic spells for all 5 levels.¡± Ren said and held up the camera, then cast Illusion 10 feet away. A flat picture appeared that looked just like the armor. He walked over to it and it looked like it reproduced the armor and crate exactly. Diana walked over to it and then around it, and Ren couldn''t see her anymore. ¡°It''s the same on this side, too.¡± Diana said and Ren walked around it to join her on the other side. ¡°Well, look at that.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s even facing the right way.¡± With the flat image, no matter what side you were on, you saw the same image and not the reverse as Ren thought would be the case. He cleared the memory of the device, dismissed the spell, and looked at Diana. ¡°May I take your picture?¡± Ren asked her, and she nodded right away. She stepped back and struck a classic demure pose that was suitable for a princess, and he laughed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Never mind.¡± Ren said and clicked the button. ¡°Okay, let me see it.¡± Diana said. ¡°In just a minute.¡± Ren said and cast Pass Wall on the wall and stepped through, then quickly made a 2 foot wide by 3 foot high frame with a wood backing to hold a painting. He stepped back into the room and dismissed the Pass Wall spell and propped the frame up against the bed. Ren held the Image Recording Device and cast Permanent Illusion on the space in the frame and chose Diana''s posed picture. Diana caught her breath at the recreation, and she reached out to run her hands over it. ¡°Ren, this... it''s permanent.¡± ¡°As long as no one intentionally tries to dispel it.¡± ¡°I don''t know what to say.¡± Diana turned away from the painting and looked at all of the things in her room. ¡°Ren, I''m kind of overwhelmed.¡± She admitted. ¡°I don''t know what to choose as trade.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that for now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your birthday is coming up, isn''t it?¡± Diana nodded. ¡°You said you wanted a dance in trade for the amulet.¡± ¡°I still do, but...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°...with the current climate, I don''t know if I can show up without causing you problems.¡± ¡°You let me worry about that.¡± Diana said. ¡°It''s my party, and I want you there.¡± ¡°I can''t promise I will be, depending on what''s going on.¡± ¡°Just show up when you can... like today. I''ll forgive you in advance.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Until then, I thought you might like an early birthday present.¡± Diana looked around at the various items in front of her, and she couldn''t decide. ¡°Ren, it''s too much.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, no. I said to not worry about all of this.¡± He said and cast Full Illusion and everything disappeared. Diana blinked her eyes a few times and looked at him. ¡°How did you make them disappear?¡± ¡°They''re all still there, just covered in an illusion.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not really sure how that works, but it doesn''t matter.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°So, would you like your present early, just in case I can''t be here for the party?¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I... yes.¡± Diana said, and her face flushed a little red. ¡°I''d like any gift from you, no matter how small.¡± ¡°Turn around and look at the bed, then close your eyes.¡± Ren said and she did, and he took out the 2 foot wide model of the softly glowing glass castle and placed it on the bed in front of her. ¡°Okay, open your eyes.¡± Diana had held her excitement in reserve because she didn''t want to be disappointed with whatever Ren had made for her. If the other items in my room are any indication, I should see a golden tiara with some kind of jewel mounted on it. She thought and opened her eyes, and it took her a moment to process what she saw. When she finally realized what it was, tears came to her eyes and she put a hand over her heart. She didn''t hear the click of the camera as she felt lightheaded and started to sway, and Ren caught her before she could faint. ¡°Hey, it''s okay.¡± Ren said. Diana took several deep breaths and calmed down, but the tears kept flowing. ¡°Ren, how did you make such a magnificent object?¡± ¡°I know an Adventurer Glassworker who stays at my county, and I''ve been taking lessons from her.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I drew out the design and we figured out what to do to make the parts of the castle, we made everything and I colored the glass appropriately before we assembled it.¡± He smiled. ¡°Once we made one completely from scratch and put it together, I received the plans for it and knew I needed to make one for you.¡± ¡°R-Ren... good lord, Ren.¡± Diana closed her eyes. She felt a soft piece of cloth touch her face as it dried her tears and she felt grateful that he wasn''t laughing at her sentimentality. ¡°I can feel how much this means to you, and that makes me very happy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m really glad you like it.¡± Diana opened her eyes and looked at him, then the feeling of his strong arms around her registered. ¡°I don''t just like it, Ren.¡± She said in a slightly husky voice. ¡°I love it.¡± Ren beamed a smile at her, and she took in a quick breath. ¡°Ren... can... can you...¡± ¡°I don''t think I should, Diana.¡± Ren said as she leaned in close. ¡°You can''t be involved with someone like me.¡± ¡°Someone like you...¡± Diana whispered with her lips right next to his, and they stared at each other. ¡°...is all I think about.¡± ¡°I...¡± Ren could feel her breath on his lips. ¡°I''m in a vulnerable place emotionally right now.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Diana said and lightly pressed her lips to his. Ren still had his Emotion Siphon ability active, so her emotions poured into him easily. She let her excitement and passion out from the place she had been holding them in reserve, and it was Ren''s turn to catch his breath at their strength. Diana started to move her lips and closed her eyes, and Ren moved his lips in return and closed his eyes as well. They made out like that for several minutes, with Ren holding her steady and Diana feeding him, and Ren could feel the succubi feeding from the both of them. It was only an Aura feeding, so it wasn''t as strong as a touch feeding; but, they were still getting a lot from it and he felt their satisfaction. Diana broke the kiss and opened her eyes. ¡°We... really should stop.¡± Ren opened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°I agree with the opinion of her Royal Highness, Princess Diana.¡± Diana smiled as she turned in his arms and wrapped her own arms around his neck. She didn''t mind at all that he was shorter than her, and she leaned in and kissed him again. Ren''s Aura covered the majority of the castle, so he felt it when several people gathered together at the end of the hallway and moved intently towards Diana''s room, and he broke the kiss. ¡°Diana, there''s...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Diana said to cut him off and kissed him again. Ren waited for a moment, then broke the kiss and tried again. ¡°Someone''s coming.¡± ¡°Let them.¡± Diana said. She grabbed his hand and placed it on her small chest, and she made herself gasp at the touch of his hand through the thin fabric of her top. ¡°Oh, god!¡± The door to Diana''s bedroom burst open and a mean-looking castle guard stood there with several others directly behind him. He had heard her shout and misinterpreted the situation. ¡°Get your unclean hands off of the Royal Princess!¡± The man exclaimed and pointed his sword at Ren, and Ren saw the other guards draw their swords as well. ¡°Samuel! Get out of my room!¡± Diana exclaimed right back, and didn''t let Ren''s hand go. ¡°I didn''t call for you!¡± ¡°Daiel felt his presence, and we came right away.¡± Samuel said and looked at Ren. ¡°I said unhand her, you cad! You sully her pureness!¡± ¡°I don''t want to hurt her feelings by pulling away.¡± Ren said in his defence. ¡°She''s a grown woman and can make her own decisions.¡± He said. ¡°Plus, I''m quite enjoying the feeling of her breast in my hand.¡± Samuel''s mouth dropped open in shock that he would say such a thing. He said it right in front of the Princess, too! Diana stared at Ren because of his admission, and she didn''t see any sweat on his forehead. He really likes touching me. She thought, then happiness and pleasure flooded though her... and into Ren. Whoa. Ren thought as he felt the tip of her breast poke his palm, and his body reacted to her reaction. Diana noticed the change in Ren''s expression and glanced down... then moved her gaze right back up to his face. Her eyes were wide and her face turned red as Ren smiled warmly at her. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°It seems you and I have some chemistry between us.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him oddly. ¡°It''s Adventurer speak for us being physically compatible.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Diana said, then her face went deep red as she realized what that meant. ¡°Princess, let his hand go.¡± Samuel said. ¡°He doesn''t deserve to touch you like that.¡± ¡°You don''t know what you''re talking about.¡± Diana said and turned her head to look at the mean guard. ¡°Just because I can''t return your feelings, doesn''t mean you can dictate who I can have feelings for.¡± ¡°Diana, please...¡± Samuel said softly, but he still wore the mean face. ¡°It''s not really appropriate for a guard to express feelings for the person he''s guarding.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even if the emotions are true and deep seeded, they should never compromise their duty... unless they are transferred to guard someone else, quit, or the person they guard expresses similar feelings first.¡± Diana nodded her head as her blush faded and she squeezed Ren''s hand, then she took in a sharp breath because his hand was on her breast and it squeezed that as well. The rest of her body started to warm up and react to the intimate touch, and Ren felt her emotions. She wanted the guards gone so that she didn''t have any witnesses if something else happened between them. ¡°Princess Diana, if I may have my hand back, perhaps...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°No, this is all that''s stopping them from attacking you.¡± Diana said, confidently. ¡°You are using your breast to protect me.¡± Ren said a bit surprised, and she nodded. He let the thought of her using her body to keep him safe fill him, then he took in a long deep breath and let it out. He cast Iron Wall in front of the doorway and blocked off the guards, who immediately started to shout and holler as they banged on the metal with their weapons. ¡°What just...¡± Diana looked at Ren. ¡°You can cast walls?¡± ¡°I know a few wall spells.¡± Ren said. ¡°Diana, thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Ren wiggled the fingers of the hand holding her breast and her face flushed red again. ¡°For using your mind and body to protect me.¡± Diana took in a breath, which pushed her breast harder into his hand. ¡°I apparently did it for nothing.¡± ¡°No, you didn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°You did it for me, and I appreciate it more than you can imagine.¡± Diana chuckled. ¡°You? Someone so powerful that you could smash this castle to pieces as if it was that glass model?¡± Ren glanced at her breast, and she took the hint and let his hand go. Instead of removing that hand, Ren put his other hand on her other breast. Diana shivered at finally being touched like that by him, and Ren gave her a little massage when he didn''t feel denial in her emotions and she didn''t protest verbally. ¡°Diana, I appreciate it when someone takes it upon themselves to protect me, no matter what the circumstances and what condition I''m in.¡± Ren said, and gave her one last squeeze before he let her go. Diana closed her eyes and cupped her own breasts to try and keep the sensation of his hands on her. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°I think it''s best I leave, before things get... out of hand.¡± Ren smiled as she blushed. ¡°Thank you for seeing me today.¡± Diana opened her eyes to look at him longingly. ¡°Any... any time you want to...¡± Ren smiled and cupped the sides of her face this time and gave her a chaste kiss. ¡°Happy Birthday, Diana.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Diana responded. Ren let her face go and walked over to the wall. ¡°W-wait!¡± Diana exclaimed, and he stopped and turned back to her. ¡°What about all your things?¡± She asked and motioned to the items covered by the Full Illusion spell. ¡°Well, since you can only choose one thing to trade for the device... why not trade me for the one collection of things I made for you?¡± Ren asked, then cast the Pass Wall spell and stepped out of the room through the wall. Diana watched him until the wall reappeared between them, then the banging on the Iron Wall in front of the soldiers stopped because it had disappeared. ¡°Where did he go?¡± Samuel asked as he ran into the room, hit one of the hidden tables, and bounced off. ¡°What... what is this?¡± He asked and put a hand out and touched the invisible table. ¡°You are touching my things.¡± Diana said in a tone of voice that let you know she knew she was entitled to have you listen to her. Samuel quickly moved back and stopped touching the table. ¡°P-Princess! I''m sorry!¡± ¡°You will be if you don''t leave my room right now.¡± ¡°I... we... we were just...¡± ¡°...driving away someone I wanted to visit with.¡± Diana said, and let her anger show on her face. ¡°Do you know how long I''ve waited for him to see me?¡± ¡°N-no, Your Highness.¡± Samuel said. ¡°But... but he...¡± ¡°...probably would have stayed longer without your interference.¡± Diana finished for him. ¡°Now get out.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If you think it will make a difference, you might be able to catch him... if you hurry out the servant''s entrance at the back of the castle.¡± ¡°Y-yes! Yes, we''ll do that!¡± Samuel said, extremely happy for a reason to leave. He and the other guards left in such a hurry that they didn''t even close her bedroom door. Diana walked over to the door and shut it, then turned around and leaned against it. Before her eyes, the Full Illusion spell faded and revealed all of the things Ren had left there for her. She glanced at the window that looked out the back of the castle, and saw Ren give her a little wave. She smiled warmly at him and waved back, then he was gone. Chapter 605 - To Feed The Hungry Ren mounted Princess and sat down on the saddle. ¡°Was she happy to see you?¡± Suniva asked as she walked up and sat on his shoulder. The 1 foot tall pixie put her arm around the back of his neck and held onto his hair. ¡°Very happy.¡± One of the succubi said, and the others chuckled. ¡°I''m surprised she let you leave.¡± Artemis said and smiled. ¡°We were interrupted by the guards.¡± Ren said. ¡°Princess? Take me to the starter city in my county, please. Cruising speed.¡± ¡°Yes, My King.¡± Princess said and trotted up into the air as the succubi and Artemis flew beside her, then she ran at the requested speed. Ren had chosen it because it was the top speed the succubi could achieve. He let them siphon off some of his emotions so they could keep up without having to strain, just like he did on the way to the castle. They arrived at the starter city, which was over a thousand feet away from the Main House where the maids were sequestered, and well outside the range of Ren''s Aura. It was near the large pool that used to be Railyse''s home and the succubi roost was close to that. Ren hopped off of Princess and knelt with one knee on the ground, and made an offering to the Earth deity. A few moments later, one of the female Earth beings poked their head above the ground and greeted him, perfunctorily. ¡°Oh, it''s you.¡± The female Earth being huffed. ¡°She said you might be calling for yet another favor.¡± ¡°I''m sorry to bother you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I ask where she is?¡± ¡°She''s with the others that are getting a lecture about reducing the physical interactions with her charges.¡± She said and looked at Ren with a bit of disdain. ¡°She''s supposed to take care of the land, not play around with the people there.¡± ¡°I assume the ''others'' are the ones that have visited with her and helped me.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Would you be so kind as to go back to them and send her and her friends instead, please?¡± ¡°I''m sure I can handle...¡± ¡°No, you can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can feel how annoyed you are with being here, and you won''t be able to work with that much of a distraction.¡± ¡°Are you questioning my integrity?¡± She asked, surprised. ¡°No, I''m telling you that you won''t give me your best.¡± The female Earth being didn''t respond and just stared at Ren, who could feel her swirling emotions. ¡°Here''s 500 Mana for coming here.¡± Ren said and reached out to touch her, and she flinched back. ¡°You see? You are not going to like working here with me.¡± She took in a breath and frowned. ¡°I can''t go back and tell them to let her come here. She is supposed to learn how to act around people.¡± ¡°Like you''re doing?¡± Ren asked, and she turned her head slightly. ¡°It''s not her fault she finds me irresistible. I''m strong, powerful, and I can feed her Mana until she collapses.¡± He explained. ¡°I made it a request for you to go and get her for me... so, please... go and get her and her friends. I need them.¡± ¡°For more pawing and playing?¡± The female Earth being said, disgustedly. ¡°That''s not what we...¡± Ren shook his head and quickly reached out and touched a fingertip to her forehead. She stopped breathing when he shoved 500 Mana into her in the instant before she pulled her head away. Her eyes were wide and she slowly drifted down into the ground. Ren could feel she wasn''t going anywhere, and used his Heat Sense to ''see'' her through the ground. She was curled up almost in a ball and was hugging herself. He took out the Staff of Earth and moved the ground away from just her head and arm, then stored the staff and crawled into the hole. She looked at him with the eyes of someone who thought they were caught, and he held a hand up in surrender. ¡°I fed you all when I met the Earth deity, remember? You know I can give a lot of Mana without hurting myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°Well, I''ve advanced a lot since then and I can give out a lot more Mana now, and much faster.¡± ¡°You...¡± She shook her head. ¡°You will corrupt us all.¡± ¡°No, I won''t.¡± Ren said and took her arm, then pulled her up into a sitting position when she didn''t try to fight him. ¡°The one who normally comes here is used to my abilities, and I don''t have to be afraid of overwhelming her like what just happened to you.¡± He said. ¡°Please, go and get her... and her friends.¡± ¡°But... what do I...¡± ¡°Tell them I''ll stop making offerings if they continue to interfere with my plans.¡± The female Earth being gasped. ¡°You can''t! She''s depending on you to-¡± She clamped her mouth shut and turned her head. ¡°You can''t make demands of the Earth deity.¡± ¡°I would never make demands of her.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can tell her that I''ll come and visit her soon so I can make an offering in person.¡± ¡°How... how much this time?¡± ¡°As much Mana as she needs... or wants.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll bring a few other things as well, just in case.¡± She turned back to him and nodded. ¡°All right. I''ll go and tell her what you said.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and reached for her hand. The female Earth being shook her head. ¡°I don''t want to feel like that again.¡± Ren smiled and took her hand, then started to ease another 500 Mana into her like a calm river. Her mouth fell open at the gentleness of the flow and her body responded to it. The gravel under her translucent skin churned faster and she put a hand over her heart as her breath sped up. ¡°S-s-stop.¡± She whispered, and Ren eased the flow down to a slow trickle, but didn''t let her hand go. ¡°I know they probably picked you because of your annoyance with humans, and I''m sorry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Will you accept my apology?¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The female Earth being took a shallow breath and nodded slightly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and kissed the back of her hand, then he activated his Hands of the Gods ability and started to pour the Earth element out of his hands. He felt her utter shock as he slowly stood up and let her hand go, which cut off the slow Mana flow, then he covered her up completely with previously untouched Earth. With his Heat Sense, Ren could see her wallow in the pure element. She ran her hands through it and rubbed her face with it, then she shook herself and moved away through the ground as fast as Princess could run through the air. ¡°Well, that convinced her.¡± Ren said and took out the Staff of Earth and moved the dirt back over the spot to fill it in completely and stored the staff again. He gave Princess a plate of food and then took out his shop tower, then went inside to make a few things to replace the ones he had given to Princess Diana. It took about 20 minutes for the Earth being to return, and Ren felt there were 4 of them. He left the shop tower and stored it, then an Earth being popped her head up out of the ground and grinned at him. ¡°You''ve got some nerve threatening the Earth deity.¡± She said. ¡°It wasn''t a threat.¡± Ren said and smiled back. ¡°I really would stop making offerings if you weren''t allowed to come back.¡± ¡°You''re so arrogant!¡± She said and laughed. ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± ¡°You can tell me your name.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll never be able to pronounce it.¡± The female Earth being said, then let out a short stream of noise that sounded like gravel and rocks tumbling down a pile of other rocks. ¡°Ha ha, you''re right. I don''t think I can produce that with a human mouth.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can cast Magic Mouth and reproduce it, though.¡± He said, then cast Magic Mouth on the closest rock and her voice came out of it and said her name. ¡°Ha! You smart little human!¡± She said. ¡°If you ever need to ask for me by name again, you can.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Now, if you would be so kind...¡± ¡°We''re all ready to make the farms under the starter city.¡± She said and held a hand out. With his Heat Sense he could see the others waited just underground in a small cave, so he took her hand and Suniva jumped off his shoulder. ¡°Nope! I''ve been underground enough!¡± Suniva laughed and stood in mid-air and watched Ren get pulled underground. ¡°I''ll be back in a little while!¡± Ren said to her, Artemis, Princess, and the succubi and then he landed in the cave. ¡°Thank you all for coming.¡± He said, then he fed the Earth beings all the Mana they needed to start working. It didn''t take as long to convert the land to make it viable for farming, because it wasn''t near as lacking as the land under the other two starter cities was when they were converted. They came back over to Ren when the work was done, and he thanked each of them as he fed them more Mana in the fashion they desired. When they recovered from the individual offerings, Ren gave them a handful of gold coins each and an offering for the deity herself. The Earth beings thanked him, returned him to the surface, then left just as swiftly as they had arrived. With the major task of making farmland under the city complete, Ren climbed onto Princess and sat down on the saddle. Suniva resumed her perch on his shoulder opposite Teepo and the pet tarantula. ¡°Aurora, please.¡± Ren said, and Princess took off through the air. They arrived back at the starter town of Aurora only a minute later and Princess landed beside the house in the Housing District. The succubi took up guard positions without being asked, and Ren hopped off of Princess and let her inside the house. ¡°I''m heading over to the business and I''ll be back later.¡± Ren said. She huffed at him and went into her room, and he shut the door of the house. ¡°Suniva, I''m going to be working around the forge for a while.¡± ¡°Of course I''ll come with you.¡± Suniva said and smiled. ¡°I want to keep watching you work.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s not going to be as exciting as you think.¡± He warned her, then he and Artemis walked hand-in-hand down the street towards the Artesian District. The street was a little more crowded than usual as they made it to the shop, and there was a line outside waiting to get in. Ren diverted to the back of the building and went up the stairs and entered through the back door there, then went down to the first floor and opened the door... and saw the place was packed. He couldn''t see through the crowd, so he took a couple of steps up into the air and looked around. The workers were working frantically as they tried to sell items to the customers, and Ren could feel their emotions starting to fray at the hectic pace the customers were pushing them to. Ren didn''t like that, so he held his hands about a foot apart, then slammed his hands together in a very loud clap. Women screamed and men hollered as the sound assaulted their ears, and they all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him. ¡°You are all behaving horrendously to the people running this business.¡± Ren said. ¡°Firstly, there''s too many of you in here for their own safety. If a fire broke out, most of you would die.¡± The women caught their breaths at the thought, and the men kind of dismissed it. ¡°Secondly, you can''t honestly think they can get you what you need and be satisfied if everyone is yelling at these harried women?¡± Ren asked and motioned to the workers. ¡°Look at them! They''re exhausted! You''ve done this to them!¡± The women and some of the men looked at the sales girls and saw their dishevelled states and unhappy faces behind fake smiles. ¡°I own this business, and I know you are all desperate to get the items you need.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, I''m ordering my employees to go upstairs and sleep for an hour, and I will fill your orders.¡± They all turned and looked at him in disbelief, and he chuckled. ¡°Believe me, I can move very fast.¡± Ren said and walked over to Anabelle. ¡°Take Katie, Holly and Carly upstairs and tuck them into your bed for a nap.¡± He felt relief from the three women, and a bit of sadness from Anabelle. He knew what was wrong and leaned in close to whisper into her ear. ¡°You can sleep in the bedroom on my bed.¡± Anabelle took a quick breath and let it out. ¡°I... I will.¡± She said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I should have lifted that restriction a long time ago.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. ¡°Now go and get a good night''s sleep.¡± Anabelle smiled and turned to the other three women. ¡°Nap time! Let''s go!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Holly said and hopped up and down as she moved through the crowd. ¡°I''ve never had a nap at work before!¡± Ren chuckled, and Holly stopped beside him. ¡°Thanks, boss!¡± Holly said and kissed his cheek. ¡°I wish you had taken me up on my offer.¡± ¡°I''d ruin you for any other man.¡± Ren said with a huge grin, and she laughed. ¡°Don''t tell such lies.¡± Holly said and swatted his arm playfully, then left through the back door to go up the stairs to the apartment. Carly walked by and only nodded to him, then Katie stopped beside him and Anabelle. ¡°He''s not lying, is he?¡± Katie asked her, even though Ren was standing right there. Anabelle pat the heavily modified Amulet of Truth around her neck and shook her head. ¡°Now I regret giving in to Holly''s ex-boyfriend Walter.¡± Katie said, and Ren put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Please, don''t think that what''s been stopping me from making a move on you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then what is?¡± Katie asked, genuinely curious. ¡°You said I wasn''t your type when we first met.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t even think of pursuing someone who doesn''t want me to.¡± ¡°I... well... a woman can change her mind, can''t she?¡± ¡°Of course she can; but, now it''s my decision to make.¡± Ren said and he felt her disappointment, because she knew what the answer would be. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Katie sighed. ¡°I kind of wanted to be with a Sea Dweller.¡± She said. ¡°Just to see what it''s like.¡± ¡°You''ll be disappointed if you try that.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It doesn''t work like you think.¡± ¡°It doesn''t?¡± A woman''s voice exclaimed from the crowd, and several people laughed. Katie and Anabelle left through the back door of the shop and went up the stairs, and Ren went to work. He didn''t have to move at full speed to serve the customers, but they ended up being astonished anyway. In less than half an hour, he had served everyone in the crowded store and they left as the people who had waited outside came in. Ren served them quickly as well, and in less time than he thought it should have taken, had cleared the shop of customers. ¡°How''s my time, Teepo?¡± Ren asked as the last customer left and he shut the door behind them. ¡°You''ve got an hour or so before supper.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That should be plenty of time to get some work done.¡± Ren said and walked over to Tee-one. ¡°How is everything?¡± ¡°I''ve restocked the shelves of all the sold inventory, and I started making what you wanted.¡± Tee-one said and held up the empty mold for steel squares. ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said and took the mold, then poured some molten metal into it. He absorbed the heat and stored the squares in barely an instant, then did it again and again. He was going to need a lot of them for what he planned to do next. Chapter 606 - Ending The Day Ren worked at making steel squares for about 15 minutes, then took a break when Anabelle and the other three sales girls came out the back of the shop. ¡°What a great nap!¡± Holly said and stretched, which pushed her slightly large chest against the shirt of her work outfit. Ren noticed she wasn''t wearing a bra because the tips of her breasts were quite prominent, and he could feel that she wanted him to notice. ¡°Your breasts seemed to enjoy it, too.¡± Ren said and chuckled, and she laughed that confident laugh women did when they got what they wanted. ¡°Oh, you.¡± Holly said, then she looked around the shop. ¡°Hey! Where is everyone?¡± ¡°Gone home.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°No, I didn''t kick them all out.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I served them all and they left happy.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Holly said. ¡°Well, I guess we''re done for the day.¡± ¡°Yes, and I appreciate you for working so hard.¡± Ren said. ¡°Really?¡± Holly asked and bent over to drape her arms on his shoulders. ¡°What are you going to do for me to make it up to me?¡± ¡°Well...¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I should ask you what you want, but I''m pretty sure I know what it is.¡± Holly chuckled. ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± Ren said and took out a moderate gold necklace with one large diamond in the center and several small diamonds scattered over it''s surface. ¡°Thank you for being a great sales girl, Holly.¡± Holly let his shoulders go and hopped up and down as she squealed loudly. ¡°Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmyGOD!¡± Ren held the necklace out to her and her hands trembled as she reached for it. ¡°Nonono, I can''t hold it myself!¡± Holly said and knelt on the floor. ¡°Put it on me! Put it on me!¡± The other girls laughed at her reactions and Ren walked around her and put the necklace around her neck. ¡°It''s enchanted to protect you and keep you safe, too.¡± ¡°I don''t care about that!¡± Holly said and rubbed her hands over the large diamond. ¡°Look at this rock! It''s beautiful!¡± It wasn''t marred by the enchantment because Ren had hidden the glyph with a spell. He walked back around her and she only had eyes for the necklace. Ren took out one of his armor bodysuits and handed it to her. ¡°Holly, equip this please.¡± Ren said. Holly reached out and touched the bodysuit and equipped it without even looking at it, and she didn''t say anything about it as she continued to stare at the slightly glowing diamonds of her necklace. ¡°Well, we''re not going to be able to talk to her for a few hours.¡± Anabelle said and everyone laughed. ¡°Ren, you didn''t have to do this.¡± ¡°Everyone keeps telling me that.¡± Ren said and held a necklace out to Carly. She didn''t reach for it, though. ¡°I don''t think I should take that.¡± Carly said. ¡°You can leave it in your inventory or you can sell it if you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°Assuming you wanted my permission to do that.¡± Carly opened her mouth to say she wasn''t sure if her boyfriend would want her wearing a gift from another guy, and Ren felt her emotions. ¡°I''ll leave it under the counter for now, and if you change your mind, you can get it from there.¡± Ren said and put it under the counter Anabelle worked at. ¡°I won''t take a no for the bodysuit, though.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You will have the best basic protection I can provide.¡± Carly sighed. ¡°Well, I guess he can''t complain if it''s for my own protection.¡± ¡°Your boyfriend?¡± Katie asked, and she nodded. ¡°He''s a good guy.¡± ¡°I just don''t want him to get the wrong idea about what this means.¡± Carly looked at the bodysuit, then touched it and equipped it. ¡°If he gives you any lip, you tell him to see me.¡± Katie said. ¡°I''ll let him know what''s what.¡± ¡°Thanks, Katie.¡± Carly said and hugged her friend. Ren handed Katie a necklace and a bodysuit and she equipped both. ¡°Oh, that''s nice.¡± Katie said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said and looked at the three women. ¡°You can have the whole rest of the day off.¡± Katie laughed and Carly smiled, but Holly only stared at her necklace. ¡°Come on, Holly.¡± Katie said and put a hand on her friend''s shoulder. ¡°We can go now.¡± Holly didn''t say anything as she stood up and walked towards the door, until she reached it and Katie opened the door for her. ¡°It''s really mine, right?¡± Holly asked as she turned around. ¡°It''s not a loan, is it? Or I can only wear it for a while then I have to give it back, right?¡± Ren walked over to her and took a step up into the air. ¡°Holly, it''s all yours. If you had the Identify skill, you would see it''s bound to you and you can never lose it.¡± Holly let it go and gave Ren a hug. ¡°You... you don''t know how much this means to me.¡± Ren didn''t remind her that he could feel her emotions or told her that he knew exactly what she was feeling and felt how important it was to her. All he did was hug her back, and a moment later, she let him go. He gave her a piece of cloth to wipe her eyes. She took it and wiped her tears away and then turned and left the shop without another word. Katie and Carly left as well and Ren shut the door and locked it. ¡°Ren, you are spoiling them.¡± Anabelle said, and he walked over to her. ¡°And you.¡± Ren said and held out a bodysuit for her. She chuckled and stored it without equipping it, then put her arms around him. ¡°Can you spend the night?¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Unfortunately, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°Adventurer''s business.¡± Anabelle nodded and gave him a kiss. ¡°I''ll let you get back to work.¡± ¡°It''s not really work.¡± Suniva said from his shoulder. ¡°He''s just filling and emptying a mold for metal squares.¡± Anabelle gave Ren an appraising look. ¡°What do you have planned, you little sneak?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If I don''t get enough made, it''s not going to matter what I want to do.¡± ¡°Then you better hurry.¡± Anabelle said and let him go. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± ¡°Yes, you will.¡± Ren said and gave her another kiss, then went back to the forge and kept smelting more and more steel squares. Anabelle watched him for several minutes, then left the shop and went upstairs to the apartment. She barely glanced at her old bed in the living room and went right into the bedroom. She stored her clothing and climbed onto the bed, then rolled around on the blanket completely nude. He let me sleep here! In his bed! Anabelle thought and gathered the blanket into her arms and took a deep breath of it. I can almost smell him. ¡°I didn''t realize you liked my old bed that much.¡± Ren said, and she rolled onto her back and sat up. ¡°Ren! I... I was just...¡± ¡°Rolling around naked in my bed.¡± ¡°I... yes, I was.¡± ¡°You didn''t sleep at all during your ''nap'', did you?¡± ¡°Not even a little.¡± Anabelle said and laid back on the bed with his blanket still in her arms. ¡°You let me stay in your bed. I couldn''t waste the time by actually sleeping.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Then let''s not waste it by cuddling with a blanket, either.¡± Anabelle looked at him as he stored his clothing and was quite ready to please her. ¡°But... what about...¡± ¡°I''ll worry about making more things when I come back.¡± Ren said and climbed onto the bed. ¡°Right now, I need to spend some personal time with you.¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Anabelle whispered and embraced him. Ren used up the remainder of the hour, then supper time as well. Teepo warned him when it was time to go. ¡°Ren, I hate to interrupt...¡± ¡°It''s okay, Teepo.¡± Ren said and made Anabelle finish. She collapsed onto the bed and wallowed in the sensations he had given her. ¡°Anabelle''s pretty much done now.¡± He said and leaned in to give her a kiss. ¡°I''ll see you later, Anabelle.¡± ¡°I look forward to it... every time.¡± Anabelle breathed. ¡°As do I.¡± Ren said and equipped his clothing as he left the apartment, then met Artemis and Suniva on the second floor by the back door. ¡°I''m sorry I kept you waiting.¡± ¡°Ren, we don''t mind waiting.¡± Artemis said. ¡°We''re here for you, not the other way around.¡± ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± Suniva said from her shoulder. ¡°I''m trying to get as much out of him as possible!¡± Ren chuckled, because he could feel that all she wanted was to be near him. He activated his Hands of the Gods ability, then chose Burning Hands as he held his hand out to her. Suniva gasped and jumped from Artemis'' shoulder to land on the offered hand, then she was covered in pure Fire. She enjoyed it for only a moment, then looked at Ren''s face. ¡°I was only joking, you know.¡± Suniva said. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and moved the hand to his shoulder. Suniva sat down, then sighed when he moved the hand away. After a moment, she gasped again as Ren used his Fire Manipulation ability to move the Fire up from his hand to his shoulder. ¡°You''re too good to me.¡± Suniva said and leaned against his face and kissed his cheek. ¡°I know that, too.¡± Ren said and chuckled, which made her laugh. Ren and Artemis left through the back door of the business and walked over to the Housing District, then stopped by the front door as the succubi landed beside them. ¡°I''ve got Adventurer business, so no cuddling for me this time.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can do it when you come back.¡± Seldanna offered. ¡°You know we''re always willing.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± Seldanna laughed. ¡°You don''t have to thank us for hugging you.¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Ren said, and she felt his emotions turn serious. Seldanna stepped close and knelt on one knee and put a hand over his heart. ¡°I''ve devoted myself to protect this heart, and I am sorry I can''t protect it from its old wounds.¡± ¡°As am I.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss. It wasn''t passionate; but, it wasn''t devoid of meaning either. ¡°I''ll see you in the morning.¡± Seldanna stood up and stepped aside, then Ren and Artemis went inside the house. They went upstairs and into the main bedroom, then Ren laid down on the edge of the bed. Teepo hopped off and flew up to land on the ceiling, and Artemis laid down on the bed beside him. She was close but not touching, and Ren took in a breath and let it out. ¡°No matter what happens, we''ll always be here for you.¡± Artemis said. Ren felt her devotion and love, and he leaned over and gave her a passionate kiss. Artemis responded in kind and they did that for several moments, then Ren broke the kiss and leaned back. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren waited and let Stella take off his VR headset, and he saw her happy face. ¡°Oh, no! What happened?¡± Ren asked, worriedly. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Stella''s smile faded a little. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± ¡°You had a bright and happy smile and I wondered what was going on.¡± Ren said and grinned, and Stella shook her head. ¡°I can be happy for no reason.¡± ¡°Who are you and what did you do to the woman I love?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°Shut your pie hole.¡± Stella said and shook her fist at him. ¡°Mmm, pie.¡± Ren said and drooled a little, which made her laugh more. ¡°No pie today.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Just ice cream.¡± Ren looked over at the table in his bedroom and saw Lisa, Elise, and Barbi sat there with plates of food in front of them. Stella helped him get out of bed and took him over to the table. He sat down in the empty seat between Elise and Lisa, and Stella sat down on the other side of Lisa. ¡°Thank you all for coming up here to eat.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you expect us to make you go down to the dining room or the kitchen for every meal?¡± Stella asked and started to eat. ¡°Well, not every meal.¡± Ren said, and everyone laughed. They sat and ate their food and enjoyed the company they shared, and had a good conversation about what was going on and how they were going to deal with it. ¡°I think we should start a media blitz.¡± Barbi said between bites of food. ¡°Subtle at first, about how all the characters in the game have been altered when it wasn''t necessary.¡± She said. ¡°We can see the public''s response to see if enough of them share the view.¡± ¡°For what purpose?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Pressure, of course.¡± Barbi said. ¡°If we can garner enough public outcry, the designers might decide to change things back.¡± Elise sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, it doesn''t work that way.¡± She said, then explained that the programmers had added an entirely new data package that all the NPCs referred to, no matter who they were and what their normal roles were. ¡°That is so stupid.¡± Ren said and put his fork down. ¡°In the short term, it will work; but, after the game starts to progress at it''s accelerated rate, it''s call functions are going to overload that data package.¡± Elise, Lisa, and Barbi stared at him. Ren didn''t notice this and continued to talk. ¡°I mean, once the players go around all the NPCs in the game and activate their access to the Sea Dweller update, that''s going to be hundreds of thousands of data requests pretty much simultaneously for what seems to be a very limited data set.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Elise asked. ¡°One of the experiments I went through was to test the difference in speed between my brain and an advanced computer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I mentioned it during my deposition, and it actually refers to the patent case next month.¡± He didn''t say it also concerned Gloria and the new job she was trying to convince herself to take, since they already knew that anyway. ¡°So, what do we do?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°Just making complaints doesn''t seem to work.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Darn right it doesn''t.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve actually stopped trying to contact them about anything, let alone something this drastic.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°Because they aren''t going to believe me.¡± Ren said. ¡°They never do.¡± Elise sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, he''s right.¡± She said. ¡°Everyone has been ordered to not interfere with Ren or his gameplay experience in any way.¡± Barbi shook her head. ¡°I''m sorry to repeat Ren''s words, but... that is so stupid!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Welcome to my world.¡± ¡°Maybe... maybe I...¡± Elise looked at Stella, who nodded. ¡°Ren, I have something to show you.¡± Ren watched her as she stood up and went to the closet and took out another VR headset. It was nearly identical to the one Ren normally wore, except it had two big red stickers over the ear pieces. Stella motioned for Ren to get up, and she helped him back over to the bed. ¡°I want you to try something.¡± Elise said as Ren laid down and got comfortable. ¡°It''s not the same log in command to start up this one. It''s actually ''Flow Secured Start''.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said, and she put the VR headset on him. ¡°Are you coming in, too?¡± ¡°No, I only had the time to set up one headset so far.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ll have another done in half an hour and can join you then.¡± Ren took a breath and spoke the proper command sentence. ¡°Flow Secured Start.¡± * Ren woke up on the bed and opened his eyes. Teepo? ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Teepo said. ¡°You were gone for a while this time.¡± Sorry about that, buddy. Ren thought to his friend. The Adventurer''s business took longer than I expected. ¡°Well, you''ve got about 2 hours left to the night, so you''ve got plenty of time to have some fun.¡± Teepo chittered in delight, and then Ren realized he could feel 5 presences beside him in the bed. He sat up and looked; but instead of seeing Artemis and the 4 succubi in the bed, he instead saw Frikara, Lusinia, Navruth, Verwynn and Andrela. They woke up because of his intense concentration on them, then their shared emotions joined with his Aura. Frikara sat up and smiled at him. ¡°Hey there, handsome.¡± She purred and slid in close to kiss his neck. ¡°Welcome back.¡± Chapter 607 - Back in the Flow ¡°Frikara!¡± Ren exclaimed and hugged her tightly. ¡°I missed you so much!¡± Frikara laughed. ¡°It hasn''t been that long.¡± ¡°It feels like forever.¡± Ren said in a deep voice, and Frikara almost gasped at his emotions. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Frikara said and kissed him. He kissed her back passionately and then they made love. He satisfied her and then moved on to the next maid and did the same to her, then the remaining three. Ren was frantic in his ministrations, so he was done barely an hour later. ¡°By the gods.¡± Andrela whispered with wonder, since he had saved her for last. ¡°What''s gotten into you?¡± ¡°Happiness.¡± Ren said and kissed her, then kissed the other maids. ¡°I''ll be right back. I just have to check a few things.¡± They nodded to him and he left the apartment. He was in the Main House at his county instead of the house in Aurora, and he wondered what else was different. While he was with Frikara and the others, he had an odd feeling that something wasn''t right and he couldn''t figure out what it was. He could feel Xuunah downstairs in her apartment as well, so he left the Main House and looked around. Everything seemed to be the same with all the businesses there. Ren ran up the street to the Pleasure Palace and touched the admittance square and asked to be let in, and there was no response. He used his Heat Sense to detect that no one was inside, and he sighed. It must be a private server, so no one else would be here. Ren thought to himself, then his eyes widened. ¡°The Sanctuary!¡± Ren ran back down the street and saw that the Sanctuary he had built for the Sage Of Ages wasn''t there. He sighed in disappointment, then he realized what it was that he felt was different. He ran across the road and into the warehouse and met Tee-one and Ruck... and no one else. ¡°No.¡± Ren said and put a hand against the wall to support himself. ¡°It... it can''t be.¡± ¡°Ren? What is it?¡± Tee-one asked, then his eyes widened as he received all of the information from Ren because of his inquiry. ¡°Oh, no.¡± He said and put a hand over where his heart would be. ¡°Artemis and Symmetra...¡± ¡°...and their constructs, as well as Babylon.¡± Ren finished for him. ¡°They don''t exist yet, because we haven''t made them.¡± ¡°We''re copies?¡± Teepo asked from his shoulder. ¡°We''re not the real ones?¡± ¡°You''re not copies.¡± Ren said and went to the forge and opened the door, and saw a much smaller version of the fire elemental, Zetaya. ¡°You''re backups. The old versions of yourselves saved a while ago.¡± ¡°So, we''re still us... but younger and less experienced?¡± Teepo asked and Ren nodded. Zetaya ran over to Ren and hopped into his arms, and he hugged the elemental close as he sat down. Ren cuddled the fire elemental and checked his status and skills. With that knowledge, he pinpointed when the actual backup had occurred. It was just before the Ghoulpocalypse World Event. That meant a lot of the things he had done and gone through hadn''t happened yet. ¡°Vasalor? Can you tell me what else hasn''t changed?¡± Ren asked, and nothing happened. No popup or warnings appeared, either. ¡°Vasalor? Hello?¡± When no response came, Ren opened the player menu and tried to search for the options that Vasalor had given him. When he found the references to individual security settings, he was not listed as ''Black''. Vasalor had given it to him after their meeting, which meant that meeting didn''t take place. ¡°There''s no starter cities, no meetings with the High Elves, no...¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''ve done so much with all of you since then... since now.¡± He said and pat Zetaya, and put the fire elemental back into the forge and closed the door. ¡°Ren? What are you doing?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I''m leaving.¡± Ren said and walked out of the warehouse. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I know, buddy.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not fair, and it''s not right.¡± He ran across the road and went inside the Main House. ¡°I might be back if I can''t fix what''s wrong with the others, but...¡± ¡°There''s too much loss here for you right now.¡± Xuunah said when he opened the door to the building. Ren looked at her and saw her tears while that niggling feeling that something was wrong kept poking at him. She had gone through a lot since this point in time, including becoming his personal security guard, admitting her feelings for him, and breaking away from her people. That was a bit too much for Ren to accept as a loss without trying to fight for it. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and approached her. ¡°If I can do what I need, I won''t be-¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Xuunah said and cut him off with a kiss. Ren kissed her back desperately, and he felt that barrier inside of her open up. He had felt it before, and tried to stop kissing her so she wouldn''t go too far against her beliefs. Xuunah felt this and she decided that he was a strong man that deserved to have a strong woman stand by him no matter what. She broke the kiss and tore open her top to reveal her beautiful breasts, and Ren stared at them. ¡°Take me as you deserve, Beloved.¡± Xuunah said, and Ren looked at her face. ¡°Xuunah... I...¡± ¡°Even if you never come back, you and I will always have this time together.¡± ¡°Just... but you... give me a minute.¡± Ren said and cast the Portal spell. Teepo dissolved into the ring as Ren took Xuunah''s hand and stepped through the portal. They appeared in the portal room in the Light Realm, and were greeted with a loud siren and a booming voice. ¡°BREACH! Breach from a mortal!¡± A voice rang out through the room, and several floating balls of Light entered the room as the Mana of prepared battle spells crackled around them. Ren activated all of his Auras except for the few bad ones, and all the Light beings within 750 feet of him felt it. Xuunah gasped, because she was right beside him and hadn''t felt it so powerful before. ¡°Before you freak out, I am a chosen of Vasalor.¡± Ren said, and no one reacted. ¡°So, you know what it means.¡± ¡°Vasalor''s gone.¡± Zagatro said as he floated into the room. ¡°We don''t know how a controlling essence can just vanish like that, but he did.¡± ¡°He didn''t vanish.¡± Ren said. ¡°You did.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Zagatro exclaimed, then several of the Light beings flickered and dropped to the floor, unconscious. ¡°You now exist outside of his influence.¡± Ren said. ¡°I came here to tell you that when Xuunah decided to let me copulate with her.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Xuunah!¡± Zagatro yelled. ¡°You''ve been forbidden to...¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Ren commanded, and Zagatro stopped talking. ¡°I can become a Light being and share myself with her completely.¡± More of the Light beings gasped at a human share-bonding with a light being, and fainted as well. ¡°You... Xuunah... you can''t...¡± ¡°I didn''t know he could, either.¡± Xuunah said and turned to Ren. ¡°Will you do me that honor?¡± ¡°I already have.¡± Ren said and kissed her. She was surprised by his emotions, as was everyone in the room, and then he stepped back and activated his Polymorph helm. Everyone that was still conscious watched in fascination as Ren easily transformed into a Light being, and his light was just a bit brighter than everyone else. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Zagatro said as he felt the strength of Ren''s Light, and then the room was suddenly filled with other Light beings that wanted to get closer to the bright pure glow. Xuunah''s heart nearly burst out of her chest as she polymorphed back into her natural state and floated next to him. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I offer myself to you, fully and completely.¡± Ren said. Xuunah didn''t say anything as she floated into him and they partially merged and share-bonded right there in front of everyone. It was usually a private ceremony that was conducted behind closed doors, but Ren didn''t care. They stayed that way for several minutes, and Ren felt the strain of holding the form. ¡°I... have to...¡± ¡°Yes, we need to change back.¡± Xuunah said, and they both polymorphed back into their physical bodies. Ren cast Energize on both of them so they wouldn''t collapse from the change, and he saw that she now had the same glowing mark over her heart that his Xuunah gained after their share-bonding. He was about to mention this when Xuunah kissed him. He was a bit surprised at first, but when he didn''t feel any disgust from the other Light beings, he decided that now was the time to take Xuunah up on her previous offer of copulation. Ren took out a bed from inventory and laid Xuunah down on it, then activated his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Restoring Hands to pour pure Light out of them. He made sweet and passionate love to Xuunah, right there in front of everyone. They were all shocked at first, including Xuunah; but, they all wallowed in the Light that Ren was giving off and they couldn''t begrudge two share-bonded polymorph beings sharing their bodies how they saw fit. Plus, they were all curious as to how it worked between physical beings, and they weren''t disappointed by the show Ren put on for them. He made sure to truly satisfy Xuunah as much as she could take, and then he gave her a little more. He had to cast Energize on her several times to keep going, and after he was done, she stared at him like he was her entire world and nothing else mattered. ¡°Beloved.¡± Xuunah said and snuggled in close. ¡°I am yours forever.¡± Ren smiled and gave her a kiss, deactivated his Hands of the Gods ability, and looked around to see that they were completely alone in the room. ¡°When did they leave?¡± Ren asked, and Xuunah shrugged. ¡°After the first hour they started to drift away.¡± A voice said, and Ren looked at the booth where the portal controller sat, and saw a Light being floating there. ¡°Once everyone realized it was just variations to apply different kinds of pleasure to a physical body, they left you to it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Not you, though.¡± ¡°I stayed to stop the incoming portals from slicing you in half.¡± The Light being said. ¡°You are right in the middle of the aperture area.¡± ¡°Thank you for looking out for us.¡± Ren said and equipped his clothing as he sat up. ¡°What can I do to thank you?¡± ¡°You can leave.¡± The portal controller said and Ren felt his amusement. Ren laughed. ¡°Consider it done.¡± He said and helped Xunnah stand. She formed clothing around herself and Ren noticed it was both form-fitting and flattering to her figure, unlike what she wore previously. He held her close as he stored the bed and cast a Portal back to the Main House, then stepped through it with her. They appeared back in the hallway and Ren dismissed the portal as he summoned Teepo. ¡°Ren, you...¡± Xuunah sighed and bent over slightly to give him a kiss. ¡°Please come back, even just to visit.¡± ¡°Xuunah, I... this...¡± Ren sighed as well. ¡°I''ve advanced so far beyond what I am here now, and I don''t know what else was left out.¡± Xuunah looked into his eyes and sifted through what their share-bonding had given her, and she nodded. ¡°Without the influence of other players, this... version... of us will be different from what you know.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I need to try and fix the problems with the other... the original... then... if I can''t...¡± ¡°Don''t worry. I will be your emissary here, Beloved.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°All will know of your accomplishments, and none shall be ignorant of who you are.¡± ¡°Xuunah, you don''t have to do that.¡± ¡°Have to?¡± Xuunah chuckled. ¡°I want to.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Xuunah kissed him again. ¡°You need to go before I bind you here with a grounding spell.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Goodbye, Beloved.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Beloved.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Teepo said and hopped over onto Xuunah. ¡°Bye, Teepo.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t be sad.¡± ¡°I won''t be.¡± Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°I''m joining Xuunah on her mission!¡± Ren nodded and stepped over to the wall and put his back to it. He put his hands on his hips and gave them a big grin. ¡°Logout.¡± * Xuunah watched as his avatar faded into it''s phantom form, and her strong connection to him faded to only a trickle. She dismissed her clothing and touched the slightly glowing symbol that had etched itself above her heart. ¡°I love you, Ren.¡± Xuunah whispered, and then she felt a sharp pain. She was surprised when a copy of Ren''s platinum armor slowly formed around her, which didn''t exist here because he hadn''t made it yet. It was white and gold like her old Holy Armor and it was so much more versatile. ¡°What... what is...¡± A sword formed in her hand, one much more powerful than the one she normally had, and then large feathery wings slowly unfurled behind her. She flapped them and they lifted her up slightly. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Xuunah exclaimed, then burst out through the door of the Main House and flew up into the air. Teepo chittered in delight as Xuunah showed him how fast she could fly. * Tee-one had just as much access to Ren''s memories as Xuunah did, and he started to work. He was determined to make this place have everything Ren thought was supposed to be there, and the first thing he needed to do was make his friend with multiple arms to help. ******** Ren slid off the VR headset and looked at the expectant faces around him. ¡°Well, it worked for the most part.¡± He said, and Elise sighed. ¡°Ren, I''m sorry.¡± Elise said. ¡°I didn''t have a chance to check anything before getting it all set up.¡± ¡°How?¡± Ren asked. ¡°How can I have an almost full version of the game for my own personal use?¡± ¡°I''ve had a server farm built in the crawlspace under the house.¡± Elise said. ¡°Wait, did you say a server farm?¡± Stella asked, and she nodded. ¡°How did you... no, never mind. You can keep that secret.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°I had the security guys vet and approve the installers, and it was done in only a few hours.¡± She said. ¡°I wanted it to be a surprise, and I had hoped the backup for the entire game would have been the most recent one before the Water Works update.¡± ¡°It''s the one before the Ghoulpocalypse update.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve seen and done so much since then that... well...¡± ¡°It didn''t seem as real.¡± Lisa said, and Ren nodded. ¡°I could still feel them, and knew they were who they were and not just copies... but...¡± ¡°Too much time has passed since then.¡± Elise said, because she understood the problem. ¡°I''ll shut it down...¡± ¡°No, don''t.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°If it''s a backup before the Ghoulpocalype, there''s a few things I can still do there before it happens.¡± ¡°That world event is not going to happen there, Ren.¡± Elise said, and Ren returned her wide-eyed look. ¡°What?¡± ¡°There''s no programmers to add in the details, or the update files, or the content files.¡± Elise said. ¡°I also don''t have access to them.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said and laid on the bed and thought about it. ¡°You mean... the world in there... as it is now with everything there, won''t have any more updates because it''s a closed system?¡± ¡°It''s not on the internet if that''s what you mean.¡± Elise said. ¡°I didn''t want to take the chance that someone might find it and hack into it to try and get to you.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Elise... you amaze me.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°So amazed that you can forgive me for giving you a much older version of the game?¡± ¡°You didn''t have much choice, did you?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. ¡°Is what you did illegal?¡± ¡°Technically, I paid for the backup.¡± ¡°I hear a ''but'' there.¡± ¡°I didn''t go through official channels, and I''m running it off-site from the main game.¡± Elise said. ¡°It could be considered industrial espionage...¡± ¡°Only if you were using it to develop your own version of the game.¡± Barbi said. ¡°As far as I can see, all you''re doing is running a private server.¡± ¡°It''s so private that it''s just me in there.¡± Ren said. ¡°It seems like such a great idea at first, and then you see things that are supposed to have other people involved and there''s... nothing.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Lisa said and climbed onto the bed with him. ¡°I''m sorry you had to go through that.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You don''t know how disappointed I was that our Sanctuary wasn''t there.¡± ¡°It''s not?¡± Lisa asked, then she thought about the timeline. ¡°Oh, damn... you''re right. There''s so much we did during the ghoul event.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It was... well, I was a different person then.¡± He said, and everyone exchanged looks. ¡°You know that old saying, ''if I only knew then what I know now''...¡± ¡°You could... change the world.¡± Lisa said in awe, and he nodded again. Chapter 608 - Are Things Working Out? ¡°I will change the world... assuming I can''t change the world of the actual game.¡± Ren said. ¡°In order to do that, though... Barbi, I want you to start your social media campaign.¡± ¡°Ren, you can''t...¡± Elise started to say, and he raised a hand to stop her. ¡°It''s not a smear campaign, Elise. I just want people to know that I dislike the direction the company has taken their most popular game.¡± ¡°You could bring that up at the next shareholder''s meeting, too.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°You own a small bit of shares in the company.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Elise gave you 5% of the company''s stock at your birthday party.¡± Ren thought back and remembered the stock in the portfolio she had given him, one of which was for Sid Tec, but he hadn''t read what it was. ¡°I thanked you for the gift, but I didn''t realize it was that substantial.¡± ¡°I didn''t really know what you would want, so I gave you 5% of the 30% I own.¡± ¡°You own 30% of Sid Tec?!?¡± Stella, Lisa, Ren, and Barbi all exclaimed together. ¡°Well, 25% now.¡± Elise said. ¡°Why were you just the boss'' secretary?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°I was good at the job, and it let me keep an eye on everything in the company while it was growing.¡± Elise said. ¡°When it got to the point that all I was doing was secretarial work and not helping the company as a whole...¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°...I found something else to do with my time.¡± ¡°Good lord, Elise.¡± Stella said. ¡°How rich are you?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°I''ve been in Ren''s ballpark since I was a teenager.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Lisa and Ren said at the same time. ¡°Is it that surprising?¡± Elise asked. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s surprising is how you ended up with me.¡± Elise knelt by the bed and took his hand. ¡°Sometimes you find a certain someone that you''ll give up everything for.¡± She said. ¡°I wanted to do that for you a while ago; but, you convinced me that it was more important to live my life and actually think about the decision and the consequences.¡± She gave him a kiss and leaned back. ¡°It took me quite some time to realize that I wasn''t needed where I was anymore.¡± Stella put a hand on her shoulder, and Elise turned her head and looked up at her. ¡°Now you''re here and you''re doing so much for us.¡± She said. ¡°Handling the money, making investments, making sure everyone is getting paid...¡± ¡°I''m not getting paid.¡± Lisa said jokingly. ¡°I''m a volunteer.¡± That made everyone laugh. ¡°I think we should change that.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him. ¡°You can''t be a nurse''s aid since you don''t have the training, and neither Elise nor Barbi need a personal assistant to lighten their workload.¡± ¡°What are you getting at?¡± Stella asked. Ren smiled. ¡°I''m sure there are times when everyone is a bit too busy to do some of the little things that need to be done.¡± He said. ¡°Making a quick run to the store for a forgotten item, picking up a few groceries, or running errands that people just don''t feel like doing at the time.¡± Lisa blinked her eyes a few times and thought about it. ¡°You want me to be a gofer?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Since you can''t be a personal assistant for one person, why not be an assistant for the whole house?¡± ¡°Ren, you can''t just make up a job like that.¡± Lisa said, and looked at the other women to get their opinion. ¡°Can you believe...¡± She stopped talking when she saw contemplative looks on their faces. ¡°You know, I could have used an extra pair of hands when I was sorting the laundry.¡± Stella said. ¡°I really needed a cup of coffee this morning, but I was too busy to get it.¡± Elise said. ¡°I ran out of digital media while transferring things today and had to wait.¡± Barbi added. ¡°I could have used another handful of USB thumb drives or even a full portable drive to handle the load.¡± ¡°Are... are you guys serious?¡± Lisa asked as she sat up on the bed. ¡°Well, we didn''t even think of things like that until Ren just mentioned it.¡± Stella said. ¡°Why is that, I wonder?¡± ¡°Like I said. Sometimes you''re just too busy to notice the little things.¡± Ren said and put a hand on Lisa''s back. ¡°When I saw the Sanctuary I made for you was gone, it made me think about what I couldn''t do without you there... and when I logged out, it made me think what everyone else couldn''t do without you there.¡± ¡°Ren... I...¡± ¡°You don''t have to accept right away, obviously.¡± Ren said. ¡°Think about it. Hang around and see what comes up while you''re within sight.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I think it''s a good idea.¡± Stella said. ¡°At least you can try and see if you want to do it.¡± Lisa looked at their expectant faces and hugged herself. ¡°I don''t know if... if I can...¡± Ren rubbed her back and she turned her head to look at him. ¡°That''s why I said to just hang around. You don''t have to hide in your room when we''re not eating.¡± ¡°How did you...¡± Lisa sighed. ¡°Was I that obvious?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Only to someone else who also hides in their room.¡± Lisa opened her mouth to ask who, then she realized who he meant. ¡°You''re not hiding.¡± ¡°Oh, I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s so much easier to just lay here and let everyone do everything for me.¡± He said, then tried to sit up. Elise braced his back and helped him, and he sat up. ¡°I hate exercising, I hate how weak I am most of the time, and I hate how easily I can be hurt when I''m not careful.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°When I leave this room, there is always a danger that something is going to happen to me. Always.¡± No one said anything in response, and he put an arm around Lisa to hug her. ¡°An object at rest tends to stay at rest... unless an outside force acts upon it.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. ¡°I don''t want to stay at rest. I want to stay in motion. I want you to stay in motion, too.¡± Lisa took in a breath and let it out. ¡°I can''t promise that...¡± ¡°Promise?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I just want you to look. That''s all.¡± Lisa closed her eyes and nodded, and he gave her a kiss on the lips. ¡°Thank you, baby.¡± Ren said, and her face flushed a little red. He looked at his watch and saw he was just about out of time for the game night. ¡°I need to get back online before they start to worry.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°You just want to get to your cuddle date.¡± ¡°I''d ask for it here, but I don''t know if I''d survive it right now.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''ll be willing to try later, though.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°You are a glutton for punishment.¡± ¡°I am so guilty of that when it comes to you.¡± Ren responded and laughed, too. ¡°The risk is worth the reward.¡± ¡°We would try to be careful, but you know how cuddly you are.¡± Elise smiled and leaned in to kiss him. ¡°Have fun in the real game.¡± ¡°Does that mean I have your permission to have sex with them all?¡± Ren asked with a huge grin, and Elise chuckled. ¡°I''m sorry, I have to agree with Lisa here. You shouldn''t have sex with the succubi.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s too dangerous.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I know you forbade them from draining you, but...¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°That''s not all they can do with their abilities.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I know all about their manipulation techniques.¡± He said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°What? Did you think I wouldn''t research them once I knew I had to keep them?¡± Lisa opened her mouth to say that, then she chuckled. ¡°I''m sorry I assumed you wanted to stay ignorant.¡± ¡°Well, I think I would rather be ignorant in some cases, just not when my virtual life is concerned.¡± Ren said and let her out of the one arm hug he had her in. He laid back on the bed and Stella handed him his regular VR headset. He held a hand up and stopped her from putting it on him. ¡°I just want you to know that I''m going to have intercourse with Artemis.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Stella started to say, and he held a hand up again to stop her. ¡°She wasn''t in the backup server, and it felt like a piece of me was missing.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to tell her what she means to me, especially after all the time we spent in the Water Realm together.¡± He said. ¡°I made a mistake with Xuunah. Even after I shared everything with her, we can''t be together physically because I didn''t handle the situation properly. She is in some kind of limbo now because of me. No people to return to, no one to be intimate with, and no real place to stay and have a family.¡± Elise, Barbi, Stella, and Lisa didn''t say anything, and he motioned to the VR headset. ¡°I''m not going to make that mistake again.¡± Ren said and put on the headset. ¡°I fixed it in the backup server, but I can''t figure out what to do to change the situation in here.¡± He said and tapped the headset. ¡°Just like the maids, being around me hurts her in ways she doesn''t understand, and I won''t do that to Artemis.¡± The women stayed quiet and Ren relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the bed and turned his head to see Artemis beside him. Her eyes were open and she smiled at him. ¡°Good morning.¡± Artemis said. ¡°You made it just in time.¡± ¡°Just in time for what?¡± Ren asked, and she slid close and kissed him passionately. Her arms snaked around him and he put his arms around her, and they stayed that way for several minutes. ¡°For that.¡± Artemis said as she broke the kiss, then held him tightly as she cuddled in. ¡°Cuddle Fight!¡± Teepo yelled from the ceiling, and the 4 succubi sat up and grinned. ¡°Oh, crap!¡± Ren said, and then they all tackled him. * ¡°What is all this?¡± Queen Narhilda asked as another large stack of papers was placed upon her desk. ¡°Addendums and slight alterations to currently outdated laws, Your Highness.¡± Dural, the Advisor to the Throne said. ¡°By the gods, I don''t need more paperwork!¡± Queen Narhilda exclaimed. ¡°I''m not sure why we are being inundated with so much of these things the last little while, but I''m tired of it.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Your Highness. Perhaps I can have a word with the committee...¡± ¡°No, if they passed them through already, they won''t want to discuss whatever they are again.¡± Queen Narhilda said. She called over a magic user and told them to use a copy spell. She signed the top piece of parchment and pointed at the signature. The magic user nodded and put her hand on top of the writing and activated the spell, then the Queen''s signature appeared on all of the papers in the rest of the stack. ¡°Is there any more of these things coming through?¡± Queen Narhilda asked as the magic user went back to her post by the wall. ¡°Not that the council has said.¡± Dural replied. ¡°Finally!¡± She said and sat back, then rubbed her large belly. ¡°I hereby declare that no more paperwork will cross my desk for the rest of the week!¡± Dural chuckled. ¡°Shall I call for your husband to come and retrieve you?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Queen Narhilda said. Barnar was there only a few moments later and helped her stand up. ¡°I think we need to make you a special cart for moving around, you''re getting so big!¡± Narhilda laughed. ¡°Yes, it won''t be long now.¡± She said and waddled from the room on his arm. ¡°Only a month or so to wait for the next ruler of the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± Imagine that. Barnar thought in wonder. My son! The king of my people! * Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves, was beside herself with happiness. She hadn''t felt happiness like this in a long time, and she wasn''t sure if she liked the feeling or not. She hadn''t managed to take much of the land from the High Elves; but, that wasn''t the point of the battle in the first place. What she wanted was to deplete their main forces to a significant degree, and she had managed it spectacularly. With the main force weakened to the point of collapse, the small skirmish force she led had managed to finally corner the High Elven Lord and his caravan just before it had reached his home city. Her force outnumbered his only marginally, but that didn''t matter at this point. She had him, and she was going to make him see that she was the one with the power now. ¡°Just surrender, you arrogant fool!¡± One of Lylyth''s men yelled, then a fireball whizzed by their heads. ¡°I said ''surrender'', not ''keep shooting''!¡± Lylyth smiled as the others of her force laughed. She stepped close to the man that yelled and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°This will only last 2 minutes.¡± She said, and he was covered with glowing black armor from head to foot. ¡°I''ll only need one, My Queen!¡± The man said and faded into a shadow, then the shadow moved across the space between her and the High Elven Lord''s defensive line. ¡°Open fire!¡± One of the High Elves yelled and the shadow was peppered with arrows. ¡°No, you idiots! With Light! LIGHT!¡± Lylyth couldn''t help but laugh as her soldier jumped over the perimeter the High Elves had set up and started to slaughter the soldiers. She waved her other men forward and they covered themselves in shadow and ran for the High Elves. One of the magic users finally managed to cast a Light spell and hit the shadow in their midst, which made it dissipate immediately and revealed her soldier. He was full of arrows; but, they didn''t slow him down because her magic armor had caught them. ¡°Switch to close combat!¡± Someone ordered, but it was too late. The rest of her force jumped the perimeter and joined the first man, just as her armor spell faded. With the others there to help, they made short work of the remaining High Elven defenders. ¡°My Queen! The prisoners are secured.¡± A male voice rang out. Lylyth nodded to the Dark Elf healer, who was also her attendant, and she walked over to the High Elves and the healer followed. When they arrived, The High Elven Lord stood there in defiance of her men, even with a poisoned blade pressed to his throat. ¡°Go ahead and kill me, you filth.¡± The High Lord, Alinar Keacaryn spat at her. Lylyth smiled evilly at him and looked to his right. The elfling servant was there, and she was just as defiant as her master, only she wasn''t being vocal about it. Lylyth could feel her emotions, however. ¡°No, High Lord. I won''t make it that easy for you.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°In fact, I believe some... very special attention... will be paid to you for quite some time.¡± The High Lord didn''t let anything show on his face, but his emotions almost screamed for death instead. Lylyth walked over to him and pointed to her attendant, who cast magical chains to bind him, then did the same to the elfling and joined them together. ¡°Bind his advisory council as well. If they try to speak, don''t gag them.¡± Lylyth said, and felt their relief. ¡°Cut out their tongues instead.¡± The High Elves gasped at her words, and she grinned as the healer moved on to do as her queen wished. Lylyth was quite happy now that her quarry was caught and she decided that she didn''t have to like the feeling to enjoy the benefits. The remaining High Elves were bound in short order, then the captives were loaded onto their own carts and transports, then carried to the closest Underworld entrance. Chapter 609 - Plans Can Change Ren, Artemis, and the 4 succubi had their cuddle fight and laughed the whole time. Their clothing had disappeared at some point, and they only wore their underwear bottoms and were all topless. When the ''fight'' was over, there was no clear winner because they had all been equally cuddled by each other. Ren had received a couple of popups while they played, and dismissed them without reading them so he wouldn''t be distracted. ¡°It''s a draw!¡± Teepo declared and they all collapsed onto the bed in a heap and in great moods. All 4 of the succubi were tired from wrestling around on the bed; but, Ren could feel how happy they were that he would touch them without reservation and that he wasn''t being careful where his hands landed. His hand reached out to each of them in turn and touched their faces to give them a feeling of thanks, which they returned two-fold. ¡°That was fun.¡± Artemis said. She had managed to get back to his side during the scuffle and snuggled down under his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°Not for me.¡± Suniva, the 1 foot tall pixie said from the headboard above them. ¡°It was too dangerous for me to participate.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°I didn''t mean to exclude you.¡± Suniva hopped onto his hand and sat down, and Ren gently held her as he moved her to his chest. ¡°Well, it''s not like you had much of a chance to prepare beforehand.¡± Suniva chuckled and looked at the other women. ¡°They kind of ambushed you.¡± ¡°That was my fault.¡± Teepo said and flew down to land beside her on Ren''s chest. ¡°It was just a silly idea that I had and thought it would be fun.¡± ¡°It was.¡± Ren said, and his fingertip touched Suniva''s cheek. ¡°From now on, I''ll remember to include you in any future cuddle fights we have.¡± Suniva looked surprised for a moment, then smiled sadly. ¡°It''s still too dangerous with me this small.¡± ¡°Then let''s fix that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I cast a spell on you?¡± ¡°Will it hurt?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°But it will feel a little weird at first.¡± ¡°Then go ahead. You have my permission.¡± Suniva said and stood on his chest with her arms open wide, ready for any spell he wanted to cast. Ren felt her utter trust in him, so he held her hand with a thumb and forefinger and cast Permanent Enlarge or Reduce Anything on her. She immediately doubled in size to 2 feet tall, and she caught her breath at the new size. Her hand was big enough to grab onto two of his fingers, and she did so as Teepo flew back up to land on the ceiling. ¡°R-Ren...¡± Ren cast the spell again and she doubled in size once more to 4 feet tall. Suniva gasped because she had to let his hand go. She was now almost as tall as him and she still stood on his chest. She looked down at her hands and made them into fists, then her gaze met his. ¡°How... how long can... can I...¡± ¡°As long as you want.¡± Ren said, truthfully. Suniva was wobbly as she carefully knelt, then she smiled as she laid down on top of him. ¡°I''m almost as big as you now.¡± She said, her voice full of wonder. ¡°I... I never imagined...¡± She lifted her head and looked at his silvery-blue eyes. ¡°Can we have another cuddle fight?¡± She asked, unabashedly. ¡°I think we should sleep for an hour to recharge.¡± Ren said. Suniva sighed sadly and started to sit up. ¡°I''m sorry I''m being selfish.¡± Ren caught her before she did and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Let''s just cuddle and say we fought.¡± Suniva smiled and laid back down, and her whole body started to glow as she put her head on his chest and held onto him. ¡°Suniva?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I know you''re happy, but I don''t know if my Absorb Fire ability works when I''m asleep.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°I''ll keep it in check.¡± Suniva said and the glow died down, but didn''t disappear. ¡°I''m tempted to lie and say it leaks because I''m so big, but I know you value honesty.¡± She said and placed a boiling hot kiss on his chest. ¡°My Fire burns hotter when I''m feeling good.¡± ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Ren said. Suniva lifted her head to look at him, and he rubbed the tip of his nose with a finger. Her face flushed red at her remembered pleasure, and he used the same finger to rub her nose. She smiled at him and put her head back down on his chest and sighed contentedly. The succubi slid in close and covered them with their wings as if they were blankets, and Ren felt the warmth and comfort of having multiple sets of arms hold him. He hadn''t realized that he had gotten used to the feeling and relaxed, then drifted off to sleep. * ¡°What can we do to help fix this?¡± Frikara asked Xuunah, who sighed. ¡°There''s nothing we can do, except trust Ren.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°He will do everything he can to make this right.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°He''s a great Adventurer, but I don''t know if he can do that.¡± Navruth said, then sighed. ¡°Why am I doubting him? He''s done nothing to make me think this way.¡± ¡°We''re all in the same situation, Navruth.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Whatever those evil Adventurers did to make us feel this way towards someone we love so much, is so nefarious that even I doubt that Ren can change it.¡± A feeling of depression mixed with a little despair filled the shared Aura. Xuunah couldn''t tell them anything positive to help them, because she doubted that Ren could do something to change it as well. She went over to the bed and sat down on it and held her arms open, and the maids gathered around her and hugged her. She activated her Reassurance Aura and they all sighed as one. * Ren woke up after an hour and opened his eyes, and he felt the peace and contentment of the women around him. He laid there and used his Emotion Siphon ability to absorb some of it, because it was such a nice feeling. Hey, Teepo. Ren thought. Hi, Ren. Teepo thought back. What are you going to do first? Check those popups I missed. Ren thought and opened them.
Hidden Subversion Quest Complete!
You have successfully managed to alter the laws, customs, and accepted behavior of the Dwarven Kingdom. With these things now in place, it is now possible to interact with a dwarf, even of the highest calibre, without causing an incident. Difficulty: B (Very Hard) Rewards: 150,000 XP Influence: +20,000 Honor: (Negated - cannot be gained or lost)
Notice!
Excess Influence converted to XP Influence (20,000) x 10 XP = 200,000 XP
Notice!
You have gained 2 levels! You are now level 150 and 20 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: Book of the Body (+1 Dexterity per day when read), Book of Energetic Movement (+1 Endurance per day when read), Portal Gate (Rare Recipe), The Word (Skill)
Ren laughed when he read the contents of the popups, and it woke Artemis and the succubi. Suniva stayed cuddled to his chest, however. ¡°Ren? What is it?¡± Artemis asked, then she received the information from him. ¡°Oh, my.¡± ¡°Yes! I can give Nathalia public displays of affection, and it won''t cause an international incident!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°I''m so happy for you!¡± Artemis said and hugged him tightly. ¡°You can finally be with the one you love.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You could think that, but no.¡± He said. ¡°At the moment, I can only hug and kiss her publicly; but, that''s the extent of it.¡± ¡°Ren, you...¡± ¡°Baby steps, Adjunct to my Heart.¡± Ren said, and Artemis caught her breath as she felt what he meant by that statement. ¡°I''ll need a few thousand more adjustments to the laws and customs before I can fully embrace the love of my life.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Artemis said and kissed him, and he kissed her back with just as much enthusiasm. ¡°I hope you can complete your mission to reclaim her soon.¡± ¡°As do I.¡± Ren said, and he felt everyone wake up. ¡°I''m sorry that I have to leave your comfort, but I have work that I need to do.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Seldanna, the lead succubus said. ¡°We know of your quest to help the maids be rid of this Sea Dweller influence.¡± ¡°Then you know if I don''t fix things...¡± ¡°...you aren''t going to return.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°You will disappoint more people than you realize if you do abandon us.¡± She said. ¡°I speak only for the succubi with you here, and we will suffer unimaginably if you leave.¡± ¡°I know, Seldanna.¡± Ren said. ¡°Believe me, I know.¡± ¡°Then you won''t make the decision lightly.¡± ¡°Of course I won''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m... this is...¡± He shook his head. ¡°I''m stuck at a crossroads here.¡± He said. ¡°If I go and do certain things, I may take it too far and force things to revert back to what they were before.... but...¡± ¡°You are worried that they will remove your impact on everyone.¡± Artemis said, and he nodded. ¡°Without you here to change things, they will do what they want and everyone will be subject to their whims.¡± ¡°That''s what I''m afraid of.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I don''t start doing something, this whole thing will be so out of control that it won''t matter what anyone does anymore.¡± ¡°Then you need to get to it.¡± Suniva said and sat up. ¡°What do you need to do first?¡± ¡°I need to make more steel squares. Tens of thousands of them, actually.¡± Ren responded. ¡°Then I will help.¡± Suniva said and stood up. ¡°With both of us working, we should get twice as much made in half the time.¡± ¡°The three of us.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tee-one is at the shop, too.¡± ¡°I can''t forge anything, even in this larger form; but, I can absorb the Fire from your work.¡± ¡°That will make things go a little faster.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren, Artemis, and Suniva left the house in the Housing District and made their way to the business and the forge there. They met Tee-one there and Ren continued to work with Suniva helping to cool the steel squares. The three of them worked for half the day until Ren felt that they had enough of them, then they worked for another hour, just in case. With all of the steel squares done, Ren and Tee-one started to enchant them. At first Ren was only going to enchant them with Light; but, after his encounter with the old version of the game, he added both Anti-dark runes and another rune to help him accomplish something amazing. Artemis and Suniva watched in fascination as the thousands of steel squares were enchanted how Ren needed them. With so much Mana at their fingertips, there was almost no delay in creating the enchantments required for what Ren wanted to do. Only time and the physical touching of the metal slowed them down. When they were finally done, Ren stored everything and sighed openly. ¡°If I do this.... there''s no going back.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once they have all been deployed...¡± ¡°Ren, stop trying to convince yourself.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°You have what you wanted, so go and do it.¡± Ren took another deep breath and let it out, and nodded. ¡°I need Princess.¡± He said, then he, Artemis, and Suniva went back to the Housing District and retrieved Princess. She readily agreed to what he proposed, and Suniva asked to be shrunk down so she could come along without being a burden to either Princess or Ren. Suniva sat on his shoulder, back to her original 1 foot height, and Ren started to plant the steel squares every 50 feet into the ground and covered them up. He enlarged them to make their effect cover a wider area, and for the rest of the day, laid them into the ground spaced at the right distance from each other. Since he hadn''t activated any of the enchantments, no one knew what it was he was doing as they moved along and planted all of the steel squares he and Tee-one had made. Even with Princess'' great speed, the remainder of the day was not enough to complete the task, so Ren had no choice but to go back to the house and log out to take care of Adventurer''s business. Suniva asked to be enlarged to her 4 foot height again, then they all had another cuddle fight. Suniva was the clear winner, and she took the place of the ''winner'' on Ren''s chest. She cuddled him as hard as he could stand it, and the others gathered around and joined them. They ended up in a big pile and Ren decided that staying for an hour now would be better than trying to spend the hour later when he came back. No one in the bed complained that his logic wasn''t sound. Chapter 610 - Could This Be It? Ren slept for the hour and woke up, then stayed for a little bit more. He made sure to cuddle each of the women in bed with him for a few minutes, then extracted himself from the pile. He thought about laying down on the side of the bed again, then did what he had in the backup version of the game. He stood against the wall and out of the way. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren slipped off the VR headset and remembered it was the overnight break. ¡°Hi, Barbara.¡± He whispered, because Elise and Lisa were in the bed with him. ¡°Hey, kiddo.¡± Barbara whispered back and took the VR headset from him. ¡°Need a hand?¡± Ren nodded and Barbara helped him sit up and move down the bed to the edge, without disturbing the women on either side of him. She took him to the bathroom to get cleaned up and then they went to the theatre room to watch television. ¡°You do realize I only made you promise to log out overnight yesterday, right?¡± Barbara asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°I wanted to spend some time with you, if that''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s more than okay.¡± Barbara said and helped him sit in the front row, then sat down beside him. ¡°Any preference for what to watch?¡± ¡°Anything you want is fine with me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just here to keep you company.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°That''s my line.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren grinned at her. They ate healthy snacks and watched television as they talked. * Gloria had agonized all day about the job offer, and she couldn''t bring herself to turn it down outright. She had taken Stella''s advice that morning and waited before making a decision either way, and by the afternoon, she had received a phone call from the HR department of the DewTech company. The woman on the line said that they had made a mistake, and Gloria assumed about giving her the job offer. ¡°Well, of course it was a mistake. I mean, no one in their right mind...¡± Gloria tried to continue, but was cut off. ¡°Yes, we didn''t realize the support package wasn''t sufficient for a laboratory supervisor, so we had to call and clarify the terms.¡± A woman''s voice said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Only 3 weeks paid vacation isn''t nearly enough for such a stressful job. Our other executives get 4 weeks, with 2 weeks stress leave on top of that. It can be taken all at once, or broken up how they see fit.¡± The woman said, then chuckled. ¡°In fact, they''ve started taking single days off and giving themselves three day weekends.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°That means Casual Fridays are actually really casual here at the company with all the executives out of the office.¡± The woman said. ¡°Some still come in to supervise, but they don''t really do any work since they get paid for the day anyways.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°I know! Who would show up just because they want to?¡± The woman laughed. ¡°Anyway, I hope you don''t get angry at us for the mix-up.¡± ¡°N-no, I''m not angry.¡± Gloria said. ¡°That''s great! I''m so happy to hear that.¡± The woman said, and she sounded genuinely happy. ¡°When you make your decision about taking the job, the company car will be delivered to your residence.¡± ¡°Company car?¡± ¡°Yes. All executives get a personal conveyance for travelling.¡± The woman said. ¡°All fuel and maintenance expenses are covered, of course.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Yes, I''m sorry about taking up too much of your time.¡± The woman said. ¡°I''ll let you go and I hope to see you here soon. Bye bye!¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Gloria said and hung up the phone. It was now midnight and she still didn''t know what she was going to do about it. She knew Stella wouldn''t really be angry if she ditched the research project; but, she knew she probably would be angry for not taking all of her advice. Gloria sighed and sat down at her small kitchen table, then thought about everything she could do with all that money as she looked through the job portfolio again. The biggest incentive was the exclusivity bonus she would receive when she signed the contract. So much money. Gloria thought and put the folder down and rested her head on her arms. If I take the job, according to Ren I''ll have a month before the patent case goes to court. A whole month. She looked at the company name embossed on the folder. All that money. She sighed. What am I going to do? * Stella laid in bed and looked at her cell phone, and read all of the texts she had sent to Gloria the day before. She sighed because she hadn''t received a single response since their call this morning, which made her realize that Gloria was seriously considering actually taking the job. I wonder what their upped offer is going to be? Stella asked herself. Stella turned down the ringer before she put the phone on the nightstand beside her bed. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to relax, and all the errands she needed to do the next day floated through her head. Ren always has good ideas. Stella thought and smiled. I hope Lisa decides she wants to help. She drifted off to sleep with thoughts of spending more time with the young woman. * Ren and Barbara used up their time together and she brought him back to his room. Elise and Lisa were both still asleep, and he carefully crawled in between them and laid down. Barbara handed him his VR headset and he managed to slip it on himself and laid back as he relaxed and then whispered the command phrase. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren appeared beside the wall that he had been beside before, and looked at the bed. He could feel their emotions and knew bringing them along had been the right decision.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Teepo.¡± Ren said, and Teepo flew down to land on his shoulder. Artemis sat up and equipped her clothing, then walked over to him. ¡°I assume it''s time.¡± ¡°Yes, this is it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I finish planting the squares...¡± ¡°Are you sure it''s going to work like you think?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Unfortunately, I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s why I didn''t want to do it in the first place.¡± ¡°Then let''s get to it.¡± Suniva said and stood up, then formed her armor around herself. Ren cast the reduce spell twice to return her to her original height and she sat on his shoulder. The succubi got up next and equipped their clothing as well, then they all went downstairs to get Princess. They left the house and travelled to the last spot he had planted an enchanted steel square and moved another 50 feet along the side of the road and planted another one. This continued for another 6 hours as they moved in a circuitous route around the Human Kingdom and back to Aurora. Ren had miscalculated how many steel squares he would need, so he had to stop two-thirds of the way and used his shop tower to forge another few thousand squares, then he continued on and finished the task. ¡°It''s done.¡± Ren said as he planted the last enchanted steel square in the ground next to the wall by the starter city of Aurora. ¡°I can''t believe this is going to work.¡± Suniva said. ¡°I don''t understand how...¡± ¡°I''ve done this in much smaller scales a few times.¡± Ren said. ¡°I usually restricted myself from taking advantage of things, but... if I''m going to force a change, then...¡± Artemis knelt in front of him and took him into a hug. ¡°I think this is a bit drastic, but I also think I''m not as unaffected by this Sea Dweller thing as I thought I was.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Can I have one last kiss before I cause a whole heap of chaos?¡± ¡°You don''t need to ask.¡± Artemis said and kissed him. Ren ran his hands through her hair and kissed her back, then he broke the kiss and let her go. ¡°Get ready.¡± Ren said, and Artemis, the succubi, Suniva, and Princess braced themselves for what was about to happen. Teepo on the other hand, started to chitter in delight. ¡°Why are you so happy?¡± Suniva asked him. ¡°This will be the very first time Ren is going to actively use the Trouble recipe to actually cause trouble.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I can''t wait to see what happens!¡± ¡°It''s going to be... spectacular.¡± Ren said and concentrated on the enchanted steel squares still within his Aura. He ignored the Light and Anti-void runes for the moment, and thought about the single rune he had placed on all of them. His maker''s mark. It was the House Neram symbol that he had used successfully to create an artificial Aura around several buildings. It was also the same symbol that was etched into his chest above his heart, just like it was on Xuunah''s and Nathalia''s chests, to show their deep bonds. ¡°Let''s cause some Trouble.¡± Ren said and made his hands into fists as he prepared for what was going to happen, and apologized mentally to the maids because this was going to affect them as well. ¡°Activate!¡± He said loudly, and the steel squares within his Aura turned on. Since each square was larger than normal to increase their effect, instead of the 10 foot area the Aura would normally cover, they now covered 50 feet each. Since they were 50 feet apart, all of the artificial Auras converged and merged, and each successive Aura touched the next inactive steel square and activated it. As each enchantment turned on, Ren''s Aura expanded more and more. In mere moments, the artificial Aura increased exponentially as each steel square activated, then more and more steel squares were activated and did the same. Ren had to use his calming exercises to keep himself relaxed as he felt his Aura expand and cover hundreds, then thousands, then hundreds of thousands of people. When all of the steel squares finished being activated, Ren''s Aura made a circle that covered the entire Human Kingdom, half of the High Elven Kingdom, and nearly a third of the ocean. All of the people in his domain felt his massive Aura as it covered them, and most reacted in the same way. Complete and utter shock. Everyone in the caravan heading to the county came to a stop as they felt him and looked around for him, since he was usually nearby for them to feel it. * King Alamast was in his dining room and eating breakfast with his family when he felt Ren''s Aura cover the castle. ¡°Diana! Is he coming to see you again?¡± He asked his daughter, who looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Who are you talking about, Daddy?¡± Diana asked innocently, and he frowned. At least she can''t detect his Aura yet. King Alamast thought, then his wife gasped. ¡°What is it?¡± He asked her, and she put a hand over her heart. ¡°Don''t... don''t do anything rash.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°He... if I''m feeling this properly, he...¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Lady Eleanor said and looked at her husband. ¡°He''s a Sea Dweller and he''s letting everyone in the kingdom feel it for themselves.¡± ¡°It will take him some time to cover...¡± ¡°No, my husband. They are all feeling his Aura... right now.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± King Alamast exclaimed. ¡°How is that possible?¡± Diana asked. ¡°I don''t know, but he''s not anywhere near here.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°I would know it if he was.¡± Diana blinked her eyes at her mother for a moment, then opened her mouth to ask if she knew Ren had visited. She was cut off by her father before she could. ¡°He must be nearby!¡± King Alamast said and stood up. ¡°His Aura is as strong as it was when he stood next to me in the meeting room!¡± ¡°No, he isn''t here.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°He... somehow... expanded his Aura.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I don''t know how I know that.¡± It''s the Ghoul Kissed mark. King Alamast thought angrily. His connection with my wife is even deeper than I thought. He didn''t let those thoughts show on his face, however. ¡°Get the mages in here! I need this dispelled immediately!¡± ¡°You can''t dispel an Aura, Daddy.¡± Diana said and looked at her mother. ¡°Mother, how long will this last?¡± ¡°As long as it takes for everyone to react.¡± Lady Eleanor said confidently. It didn''t take long. Every single NPC, even the ones that couldn''t feel Auras directly, felt the Sea Dweller part of Ren''s Aura. They all reacted as if he was right there in front of them, and they all made inquiries to the Sea Dweller speech database at the same time so they could talk about it and fulfill their assigned function. ******** Alarms sounded as the server load blared for the first time since the reserve servers had been installed. The night programmer looked at the activity monitor and couldn''t believe what was happening. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± He asked out loud, even though no one else was there. He checked the backup servers and they were already online and providing the needed support for the massive amount of data inquiries, and he checked the data bit rates. He relaxed when they were just under the maximum amount for what the game could handle without causing problems. ¡°As long as no one else happens to...¡± He stopped talking when they all spiked and went into the red. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Since it was the middle of the night, most people were online and playing when Ren had done his expanded Aura trick. Every player that was online at the time felt Ren''s Aura cover them. Some even properly identified that it was him; but, they all immediately inquired from the help menu and the messaging system about a Sea Dweller that would have such a powerful Aura. Each and every one of them tried to pull information from the servers about the world event and what it entailed. That was enough to cause what Ren had suspected would happen. All the simultaneous call functions on the data package caused it to overload. It shut down, which left hundreds of thousands of inquiries with nothing to gather. Those inquiries were repeated for the normal system about why they couldn''t get the information they needed, and that caused the help system to overload and fail. ¡°No no no.¡± The night programmer said as the cascade of inquiries went along the system, even from the system administrators, and caused each successive information package to fail. ¡°Goddammit! Stop making inquiries! Give the system time to recover!¡± He tried furiously to head off what he suspected was going to be a catastrophic blow to the company''s reputation if they let a simple problem crash their game, and tried several quick and dirty patches to add in supplementary data for it to access... which only made it worse. The data was consumed immediately and that sector went offline from all the inquiries, and he had no choice but to hit the panic button. The night programmer typed in the special command that he was only supposed to use in an emergency situation, and initiated the shutdown protocol. ******** Everyone in the game received the shutdown notice for maintenance and were asked to go to a safe zone within 10 minutes. Ren sighed at the popup and dismissed it, then he and the others went back into Aurora to the house in the Housing District, and went upstairs to bed. ¡°Well, it worked.¡± Ren said as everyone else got onto the bed. ¡°When will you be back?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I don''t know, buddy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hopefully tomorrow, but if what I suspect is true, then... it might be a while.¡± ¡°I''m going to miss you.¡± Artemis said, and Ren stepped up into the air and gave her a kiss. ¡°When I come back, you and I will spend some alone time together.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like we did in the Water Realm?¡± Artemis asked, and Ren waggled his eyebrows. She laughed and gave him another kiss. ¡°Hurry back.¡± ¡°I''ll try my best.¡± Ren said as he stepped close to the wall and struck a pose. ¡°Logout.¡± Chapter 611 - The Results ¡°Wha'' tha hell?¡± Clint exclaimed as he received the popup to go to a safe zone and log out of the game. ¡°Ah jus'' got on ta play!¡± He had felt something that made him think of Sea Dwellers and had opened the help menu for information, then opened the messaging system to see if anyone knew what was going on. He hadn''t even left his ranch house yet, so he sat back down on the couch and logged out. ******** Clint slid off the VR headset and sat up on his bed, then moved the towel out of the way. ¡°Ah''m lucky ah didn'' git ta travelin'' righ'' away like I wanted ta.¡± He said and went to his home computer and tried to log onto the message boards. It worked, and the first message he saw was a pinned message by Ren. It had been marked as a favorite by one of the site mods, so he clicked on it and saw that Ren didn''t like the way the Water Works update had changed all of the NPCs in the game, and not just the relevant ones. ¡°Ah agree.¡± Clint said. ¡°They shoulda jus'' added in new people and lef'' tha others alone.¡± Clint read some of the two dozen responses, and saw that they shared Ren''s view as well. He added his voice to the throng by clicking reply, then he added his idea. It was immediately liked by almost a hundred people, and Clint was shocked by this. He backed out to the main forum, and message after message started appearing under Ren''s pinned message. ¡°There shore was a bunch of people on tonigh''.¡± Clint said, and the complaints were pretty much identical. Everyone spewed hate for the Sea Dweller update. A lot of them had to log out in the middle of a quest, which meant it would count as a failure automatically, and they were not happy about it. * ¡°Shit! Shit! Shit!¡± Tommy said as he slipped off his VR headset. ¡°I''m sorry, baby.¡± His girlfriend Jaime said as she slid off her own VR headset. ¡°What the hell happened, man?¡± Tommy asked as he sat up and put the headset aside. ¡°We were right in the middle of...¡± ¡°I don''t think it was just us.¡± Jaime said. ¡°You felt that Sea Dweller thing, right?¡± She asked, and Tommy nodded. ¡°Whatever that was, it set off something that made us all have to log off.¡± ¡°I''ve never felt something like that before.¡± Tommy said. ¡°I don''t even have that skill.¡± ¡°I think it''s this new Water Pipes thing.¡± Jaime said. ¡°Water Works.¡± Jaime shrugged. ¡°We weren''t going to do any of the quests, so it doesn''t matter what it''s actually called.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Tommy said and rubbed his face. ¡°I''m still really horny.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Jaime said. Tommy turned on the bed and looked at her with longing. ¡°Say... do you think...¡± ¡°You know how much I hate condoms... and getting pregnant.¡± Jaime said. Tommy nodded and knew he had to come up with some kind of compromise. ¡°Hey! We can just do oral!¡± Jaime opened her mouth to say no and that they could just use their hands, then her special place chose that time to give her a nasty twitch. ¡°I... I guess we could do it for a little...¡± Tommy jumped on her and started kissing her to cut off her words. If he didn''t use this opportunity now, she would convince herself she could wait for the game to come back online. Neither he nor his penis could wait that long, and he dove between her legs to satisfy her as quickly as possible. He was laying down with his knees by her head, which gave her a very up close view of his private place. Oh, what the hell. Jamie thought and started to please him, too. * Max woke up when his home computer alarm went off, and he cursed as he rolled out of bed and sat up. ¡°For god''s sake! Give me at least one goddamn night where something doesn''t go wrong at work.¡± He said and walked over to his desk and turned on the computer monitor. ¡°What the hell... no, that''s not possible.¡± He said and sat down. ¡°How in the world...¡± Max typed furiously for nearly a full minute as he checked on what the game was doing and how the servers could possibly be taxed so much in so short a time. He set up a remote host with the night programmer and saw a copy of his screen. ¡°No, don''t add new information!¡± Max said and tried entering counter commands. ¡°Cut off the next data inquiry! Don''t add one!¡± It was a losing battle because as he fought the night programmer, the system started to fail; but, he had to try and keep the servers up and running for as long as possible. When he saw the night programmer enter the shutdown code, he lost it. ¡°No! NO!¡± Max yelled and stopped fighting the commands and typed a message to the programmer directly.
Overlord: NO! The backup is currently running! Do NOT shut down!
CrAcKdFgHtR What? I thought that was this afternoon?
Overlord: That was the maintenance run to clean up the files! You can''t shut down now!
CrAcKdFgHtR Sorry, boss. It''s already done.
Max looked at the data readouts and saw them all drop off to nothing. ¡°ARGH!¡± He grunted, then thought about firing the guy for being so stupid, then he sighed. He used his administrator access to check the status of the current backup and saw that it was at 98%. So close. Max thought, then had an idea.
Overlord: Start the data recovery procedure right now.
CrAcKdFgHtR What? Can''t we just use the last backup?
Overlord: No. We will lose 4 game days of content if we do that.
CrAcKdFgHtR Oh. Then I''ll get it going.
¡°With luck, that last 2% was whatever happened right before the shutdown.¡± Max said, then he thought about it. ¡°Wait a minute. Something like that shouldn''t be possible.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. It took a while for Max to check all of the information he had on the cascading errors, and he followed them all back to the start of it all. The now collapsed Sea Dweller data package and the main inquiry subject. Ren. ¡°Son of a bitch.¡± Max said. ¡°Son of a goddamned BITCH! * Gloria took off her VR headset and was pretty angry. ¡°Ugh! That little bastard!¡± She said and tossed her headset onto the table beside her recliner. ¡°I finally got up the courage to get online to talk to him, and he caused the game to shut down!¡± As Elerlyth. she had felt Ren''s Aura cover her, and her ability let her feel his emotions. It amazed her so much that he could cover so much area with his own Aura that she hadn''t realized what he was doing until it had already happened. She had activated her Spider Aura to merge Auras with his and tried to send him her emotions to get his attention; but, she could feel him as he struggled to keep himself from being overwhelmed with feeling everyone''s emotions inside his Aura. Gloria got up and paced the room, and saw her cell phone. She went over to it and picked it up, made a fist with her other hand, then put the phone down. She stared at it and took a deep breath, then let it out. ¡°Come on, Gloria. You can do this.¡± Gloria said and picked up the phone, then shook her head. ¡°No, if we''re going to have this talk, it should be face to face.¡± Gloria went to her bedroom and grabbed her clothing to get dressed, picked up her keys and locked her apartment door as she left. She was in her car a moment later and peeled the tires as she left the parking lot. It was 2 am in the morning, but she didn''t care. She was going to confront him and it didn''t matter what time it was. *BEEOOO* *BEEOOO* *BEEOOO* The sound of a police siren blared behind her and then the telltale red and blue lights lit up her mirrors and the night around her. She glanced down at her speedometer and saw that the needle was buried well past 120 miles an hour, then realized she had her foot jammed down on the gas pedal and it was pressed right to the floor. ¡°FUCK!¡± Gloria cursed and took her foot off the accelerator and the car immediately started to slow down. Starved of food, the engine fought against the need to go faster with the friction of its gears, then Gloria applied the brakes to ease the engine''s burden. She quickly came to a stop and pulled over, and the siren cut off as the cop car caught up to her and pulled in behind her. The cop got out of his vehicle, and she saw in her side mirror that he had his gun drawn. She rolled down her window and put her hands out to show that she wasn''t a threat and waved to him. She saw the cop visibly relax and he stopped pointing the gun at her, but he didn''t holster it. He walked over to the car and stayed back about 10 feet. ¡°Ma''am? Do you know how fast you were going?¡± The cop asked. ¡°Honestly, no.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I was too lost in my thoughts.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I wasn''t even looking at the speedometer, officer.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I just needed to get somewhere and I wasn''t concerned with the little details.¡± ¡°The little details?¡± The cop asked and holstered his weapon. His years on the force told him she wasn''t intoxicated or driving under the influence, and if he had to guess, she was as angry as a hornet''s nest. ¡°You could have killed someone.¡± He said and stepped to her window and looked down at her. ¡°I''m tempted to give a flippant answer and ask who I could kill this early in the morning; but, I''m tired and pissed off and I don''t think I want to go to jail for mouthing off.¡± The cop smiled. ¡°I suppose I could forgo the jail time and let you off with just a very expensive ticket for stunt driving.¡± ¡°Wait... did... did you say stunt driving?¡± Gloria asked with wide eyes. ¡°Anything 50% or more above the posted speed limit is considered stunt driving, according to the law.¡± The cop said. ¡°Higher tickets, higher penalties, higher everything.¡± Gloria dropped her head into her hands and sighed. ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡°I ran your tags, and you''ve had several speeding tickets before.¡± ¡°All paid right away, or as soon as it was possible.¡± Gloria said and lifted her head. ¡°I''ve even gone without eating lunch for a week for one of them.¡± ¡°That one wouldn''t happen to be on Blake Boulevard was it?¡± The cop asked, and she nodded. ¡°Gary always was an asshole.¡± Gloria laughed. ¡°He really is! He gave me a sobriety test and everything, and I don''t drink! I never have!¡± The cop laughed for a moment, then stopped. ¡°I''m sorry, but I can''t let you off with just a warning.¡± ¡°I know, officer.¡± Gloria said, and she stopped smiling. ¡°What''s the damage going to be?¡± The cop wrote up the ticket and handed her the small clipboard so she could sign that she received the ticket. ¡°You have got to be fucking kidding me!¡± Gloria exclaimed when she saw how much it was. ¡°That''s outrageous!¡± ¡°I know it is.¡± The cop said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Motherfucking goddamn piece of fucking...¡± Gloria stopped talking and signed the form, then handed the clipboard back to the officer. He tore off her copy of the ticket and handed it to her. ¡°Please, don''t take this the wrong way.¡± The cops said. ¡°If this happens again, it''s an automatic 30 day license suspension and they''ll tow your car.¡± Gloria clamped her mouth shut and didn''t say anything, because she had already met her curse quotient for the night. ¡°After that, they impound your car and you''ll need to take a defensive driving course to get your license back.¡± Gloria closed her eyes and gripped the steering wheel tightly. ¡°I suppose it would be better if I did drink.¡± ¡°Consequence wise, yes.¡± The cop said. ¡°Usually, it''s just a slap on the wrist and you''re out the next morning.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t tell you that, though.¡± ¡°It''s all right, officer.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I''ve never drank and I don''t intend to start now.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± The cop said. ¡°I''m tired of cleaning up after the mess.¡± Gloria looked at him and saw his haunted eyes. ¡°I can imagine.¡± ¡°No... not until you see it, then you...¡± The cop shook his head. ¡°Slow down, please. Drive responsibly.¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The cop said. ¡°Have a good night, miss.¡± ¡°I will if you escort me.¡± Gloria said, and he looked at her with surprise on his face. Why did I say that? She asked herself, then the cop recovered. ¡°I can''t in good conscience justify a police escort to wherever you''re going.¡± ¡°Even if the guy''s rich?¡± Gloria asked, and the cop laughed. ¡°Ma''am, money doesn''t buy everything.¡± ¡°Most people don''t believe that.¡± ¡°Well, I do.¡± The cop said and stepped back from her window. ¡°Have a good night.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Gloria said, then looked at him with a question on her face. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± ¡°If you were given the job offer of a lifetime, with buckets of money and working in your field of expertise, would you take it?¡± ¡°That... sounds like a loaded question.¡± The cop said. ¡°What''s the rest of it?¡± Gloria explained what was going on and her connection to Ren and what he had said about the company the job was for. ¡°You know Ren?¡± The cop asked, and she nodded. ¡°Can I see that ticket, please?¡± Gloria was a bit taken aback by the request and handed him the ticket, and the cop placed it back on his clipboard and wrote something on it. He took something out of his pocket and stamped it, then handed the ticket back. She read the large ''lack of evidence'' note he wrote on it and the VOID stamp. ¡°But...¡± ¡°My kids love his show.¡± The cop said. ¡°They aren''t old enough to join him in the game yet; but, they only need to wait a few more months to meet the minimum age requirement.¡± He said and smiled warmly at her. ¡°To have someone like him, someone who went through everything he went through...¡± Gloria figured if he was an officer, he must know a lot of what Ren actually went through. ¡°...for him to be so positive and happy all the time, and he treats everyone fairly and helps them as much as he can.¡± The cop chuckled. ¡°He''s an inspiration!¡± ¡°He... he really is.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Ma''am, you have yourself a great night.¡± The cop said and turned to walk away. ¡°My kids are never going to believe this.¡± He said. ¡°I met Ren''s game girlfriend!¡± Gloria sat there in stunned silence as the officer got in his car and drove around her. The cop waved to her and honked the horn, and she waved back and watched the car speed off down the street. She looked at the voided ticket in her hand and didn''t know what she was supposed to do now. * Ren had woken up and slipped off the headset, and Barbara took it from him. ¡°Ren, why did you do that?¡± Barbara asked in a whisper. ¡°I needed to make a point.¡± Ren whispered back and thought about trying to go to sleep, then pointed to the rollaway table and the laptop. Barbara brought it over to him and he checked the message boards instead. Barbi had started the media blitz he had wanted about not liking the NPCs being changed when it wasn''t necessary, and he saw the pinned post at the top of the forum. I wonder how she did that? Ren asked himself and started to read the responses. Another one appeared and he saw it was from Clint, and he smiled. I''m glad there''s some people that agree with my opinion. He thought and went back to the main forum and saw the hundreds of posts about the Sea Dwellers and the game forcing them to log out. ¡°I never thought about the people with quests going.¡± Ren whispered as he read the complaints, then he felt a hand on his arm. He looked and saw Lisa was awake and she looked at the laptop with him. ¡°You did it.¡± Lisa whispered. ¡°You really did it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren responded and clicked on the next message. Then the next, and the next. Some of the people knew that it was him that caused the Aura feeling, and speculation ran rampant that it must have been the cause of the game kicking everyone out. Ren clicked respond and Lisa caught is hand. ¡°No, you don''t want to confirm that.¡± Lisa whispered. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°You want them to help fight against the programmers, not make you into the villain and rally them against you.¡± ¡°But, I am the villain.¡± Ren whispered, and neither Lisa nor Barbara knew how to respond to that. Chapter 612 - Clarification ¡°No, Ren.¡± Lisa said after gathering her thoughts. ¡°You are not the villain.¡± ¡°I accepted that responsibility when I made the decision to change things.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I had a choice to make, and there is not going to be a lot of people that are going to agree with me on this.¡± ¡°Ren, you... if you tell them...¡± Lisa sighed and stopped talking. ¡°It''s okay. I don''t have to tell them myself.¡± Ren said and pointed, and it was a message from a system administrator that stated they had received a message from the head programmer from the game and they knew who was at fault. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Lisa said. The hate shifted from the Sea Dweller update to Ren almost immediately, and then hundreds of messages popped up in his inbox in mere moments. ¡°Don''t read them.¡± Elise said, and Ren looked at her. ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to wake you up.¡± Ren said, apologetically. ¡°I''m going to need lots of coffee in the morning, but other than that, I should be fine.¡± Elise said and yawned, then she reached out and clicked the logout icon. ¡°I suppose I should log out.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled as she closed the laptop. Barbara slid the rollaway table over to the wall and came back to the bed. ¡°I''ll have Barbi try to fix this in the morning.¡± Elise said. ¡°Max had no right to blame you.¡± ¡°But, Elise... I did do it.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, what you did was show them the inherent flaw in their design... again... and it''s not your fault that it caused havoc.¡± ¡°Even if what I did only led to the shutdown, then I''m still responsible.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lisa''s right, Ren.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You don''t have to admit that.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I think admitting guilt doesn''t really matter in the court of public opinion.¡± Elise looked at Barbara, and they had to reluctantly agree. As long as just the implication was there, it didn''t matter if you were guilty or not. ¡°Let''s just get to sleep.¡± Elise said in response and yawned again. ¡°Good idea.¡± Ren said and waited for Elise to lay down, then he snuggled up to her and rested his head on her shoulder, then buried his face in the side of her breast as he draped an arm across her abdomen. Lisa laid down beside Ren and turned to try and cuddle with him, but he wasn''t in a good position for that. She sighed and tried to move away, then she felt a hand on the top of her head. ¡°There''s plenty of room on my other side.¡± Elise said and motioned with her head. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°I''m a little lopsided with only one breast support in place.¡± Elise said. Ren chuckled and it made her breast jiggle, which made her chuckle, too. Lisa crawled over the bed and laid down on Elise''s other side, and saw what Ren had done with his head. She duplicated it and rested her head on Elise''s shoulder and pushed her face into her breast. ¡°This feels kind of weird.¡± Lisa said, but her voice was muffled. Elise put her arms around Ren and Lisa and hugged them, and all three of them sighed. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Barbara said and left the room. * ¡°Well, I''m glad it''s just a weekday.¡± Jennifer, Billy''s online ex-girlfriend said as she pulled off her VR headset. ¡°We didn''t have a lot of business anyway.¡± She got up from her bed and stretched, then went to the bathroom. She took a shower and came back out wearing a very comfortable set of pyjamas that covered her completely, then she crawled back onto the bed. Her name wasn''t actually Jennifer, it was Alice; and she was the daughter of a very prominent religious pastor. Her family was rich by normal standards, and they had lived in a house slightly bigger than a family of three would have needed. Her room was covered in religious symbols, iconography, and bible verses. She was the epitome of conservatism and shyness, kept to herself most of the time, and rarely ever spoke out of turn unless spoken to. Alice enjoyed her life in the real world and it fit her personality perfectly. She wasn''t hiding or faking anything in the real world. That was who she was, ever since she was a little girl. As she grew up, however... just like all rebellious children... she knew there was more to life than what her family had exposed her to. She watched and listened to the parishioners of her father''s church, and over the years, she learned all about the hypocrisy they lived. Alice didn''t want to live that way. She didn''t want to present one face to her family and the church, and then show a different face to everyone else. She was who she was and that was all... until she found out about virtual technology. A couple of the parishioner''s children had mentioned it in passing, and she went to the library to research it. It took years for the technology to advance to the point that it became fully immersible, and by that time, Alice had been living on her own. Her parents hadn''t been too happy about that, but she worked a normal job and was an active member in the church. She lived up to her responsibilities without question or complaint, and that was how things remained. Then F.L.O.W., the Fantasy Life Online World, was released. Her strong and capable mind was enraptured immediately, and she knew that she needed to devote some serious time to exploring this new world. The first time she logged into the game was the first time that she felt free. She was unburdened by the life she led, and wasn''t hindered by thoughts of propriety and decorum. Alice chose a new name for her new self in the game, Jennifer, and then chose the craftsman class. Next, she picked Blacksmith as her profession and the game formed around her. The wonder of a world to just have fun in, was intoxicating for her. She lost herself in it for a long time; but, only at night. The days were for Alice and she lived her life there, and the nights were for Jennifer and she lived her life there.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Alice never saw it as hypocrisy, since the two worlds never met, except during confessional. She always asked for forgiveness, even for virtual sins, since they were of the mind and were just as damning to her beliefs as if she did them for real. She never felt bad about doing things in the game, since she knew that God loved her for who she was, and would forgive her for anything her mortal soul would do. Alice pulled the blanket up to her neck and made herself comfortable. She lived an entirely different life at night, and it was rare for her to try and sleep when she knew she should be enjoying herself. She turned onto her side and hugged herself to try and get comfortable, and her arms grazed the unpierced tips of her breasts. Not once has she ever had the desire to alter her body in real life to match her game body. She sighed loudly and tried to relax, but she just couldn''t make her mind shut off. All she could think about was that the end of the week was coming up, and Ren''s ban from the Pleasure Palace would be over. She smiled as she thought about the fun they had the last time she had seen him, and the many presents she got from ''Santa''. My friends would just die if they knew! Alice thought as one of her hands pinched the tip of her breast and the other hand slid down between her legs. She was already worked up from being at the Pleasure Palace, so she imagined that it was Ren that touched her. It didn''t take long for her to finish, and she moaned contentedly and relaxed as the pleasure endorphins flooded her brain. * The messages on the forum became heated and started to boil over onto the main website. Some called for a complete recall of the Water Works update, and some called for Ren''s punishment for causing the game to fail. The system administrators tried halfheartedly to keep the peace; but, they were also divided on the subjects and didn''t really want to stop people from expressing their opinions. The death threats they squashed immediately and reported, then warned the offenders for taking things too far. For repeat offenders, the sysadmins suspended the user''s accounts for 6 hours. There was a bit of an uproar about that until everyone was told it was only a forum suspension and not a game suspension. The message exchanges remained heated after that; but, they were also more civil. * Gloria drove around with no real destination in mind, since she decided that her anger at Ren wasn''t really justified. She had debated going to visit him so late at night, and had assumed that even if he was awake, he wasn''t going to want to see her if all she wanted to do was argue. Especially since her main argument was going to be for her to take the job that neither he nor Stella wanted her to take. Gloria drove around randomly, or so she thought, and she eventually ended up at the front gate to Emerald Estates, where Ren lived. She was let in with a minimum of fuss and drove up the street to his house. She saw the cars in his driveway and wondered who was there, then she came to a stop at the end of his driveway. One of the security guys walked over to the car to see her face, and he smiled as he identified her. ¡°Welcome back, Ms. Rayford.¡± He said. ¡°Do you need help with carrying anything?¡± Gloria didn''t say anything and just sat there and stared at the guard. I didn''t think I was here long enough for the security guards to just accept me like this. She thought. He offered to get her door for her, and she sighed as she got out of her car and went to the front door of the house. * It took Max a long time to calm down, long enough for him to regret his decision to message the forums and tell them information no one outside of the company should have. He thought about trying to undo his mistake, but the information was out there now. With just that available, he saw the backlash Ren was receiving for causing all those people to log out. His action had caused a customer to be vilified, and he didn''t feel bad about it; but, he should have. Ren''s actions only caused the flaw in the update''s design to be brought forth. Even just doing that felt like an affront to Max, who thought Ren should be called out for causing everyone problems, not just for the tech department. Max checked the data recovery program and saw it would take another 4 hours to finish, so he turned off his computer monitor and went back to bed. * Barbara had come down the stairs at the perfect time to see the headlights lighting up the downstairs of the house and she went to the front door. When she looked out to see what was going on, she saw Gloria get out of her car with the help of the security guard. Barbara waited for her to get almost to the door, and she opened it with a flourish. ¡°Shh! Everyone''s asleep!¡± Barbara whispered and took her hand to stop her from either knocking or ringing the doorbell. She brought Gloria inside, nodded at the security guard, and shut the door. ¡°I was just grabbing a bite to eat. Are you hungry?¡± Gloria''s stomach chose that moment to rumble, and Barbara chuckled. ¡°Come with me.¡± Barbara said and brought Gloria through the house to the kitchen, and proceeded to warm up a good meal for the both of them. ¡°So...¡± She said after putting the food in the oven. ¡°I assume you''re here to talk to Ren.¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°I thought I was.¡± She said, and Barbara looked at her with a smile. ¡°Now, though...¡± ¡°Did my pleasant demeanor throw off your rant?¡± Barbara asked. Gloria shook her head. ¡°No, it... it was what happened on the way here.¡± Barbara listened to the story Gloria had to tell, and a smile grew as Gloria talked. She turned away for a moment and retrieved the food out of the oven and two plates from the cupboard, then split the food between them. She added utensils and napkins, then sat down at the table as Gloria finished her story with arriving at the house. ¡°That''s a wonderful story!¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''m glad that not everyone is mad at Ren for crashing the game.¡± Gloria shook her head. ¡°I think he would be angry if he knew Ren could do that.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°You underestimate the power of adoration.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Oh, I don''t doubt that a lot of people are angry at Ren for what he caused; but, you do realize what he did shouldn''t have been possible, right?¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Both he and Elise warned the company that something like this could happen, and when they said they wouldn''t undo what they did to Ren''s friends in the game, well...¡± ¡°Undo what?¡± Gloria asked. Barbara pointed to her plate. ¡°Eat, and I''ll fill you in on what''s been going on since you still seem to have trouble returning people''s calls.¡± Gloria''s face flushed red from embarrassment and she started to eat, and Barbara told her all about how the Sea Dweller update had affected the maids, and how that had prompted Ren''s latest actions. She ate as well, and by the time the two of them had finished the meal, Gloria was up to speed. ¡°I can''t believe... did they really refuse to...¡± Gloria shook her head. ¡°Being ordered to not interfere with his gameplay is really messing Ren up, isn''t it?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Barbara said. ¡°The poor thing has been struggling with having the weight of the entire game world on his shoulders.¡± ¡°But... he shouldn''t be...¡± ¡°Like he said, he''s chosen to bear the responsibility, since the programmers have chosen not to.¡± ¡°He... he''s going to be the villain.¡± Gloria said, and Barbara looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°It''s the only logical solution.¡± Gloria said. ¡°With all the things he needs to do... he... he has to be the focus.¡± She stood up and put her fork down. ¡°I need to see him.¡± ¡°He''s asleep right now, so you''ll have to wait.¡± ¡°How long?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Maybe 4 hours.¡± Barbara said and took their plates and put them in the sink. ¡°Elise needs to talk to Barbi about trying to get ahead of this when Barbi arrives here for breakfast.¡± ¡°She''s not staying here?¡± Gloria asked, and Barbara chuckled. ¡°Not everyone he meets lives here.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You are proof of that, aren''t you?¡± Gloria opened her mouth to respond, then sighed. ¡°I would be living here if I wasn''t so confrontational, wouldn''t I?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± Barbara said and put a hand on her arm. ¡°You haven''t been around since he asked you to take your relationship with him more seriously.¡± Gloria sighed again. ¡°I just keep messing up, don''t I?¡± ¡°Yes, but I don''t know if that''s your own fault or the fault of everything that''s going on.¡± Barbara said and pulled her from the kitchen. ¡°Let''s go upstairs and watch television while we wait for everyone to get up.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Gloria said and let herself be dragged to the elevator and up to the second floor and into the theatre room. Chapter 613 - Damage Control Elise woke up when her alarm went off, and she felt two warm presences snuggled in tightly to her breasts. She remembered cuddling with Lisa and Ren, but didn''t remember going to sleep. ¡°I can''t...¡± Elise said as she opened her eyes, and the alarm cut off. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, and good morning.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ve got your first cup of coffee ready.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you very much.¡± Elise said and looked at her arms wrapped around two cute people. ¡°Um, I''ll get it in a minute.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°I''ll give you a hand.¡± She said and tapped Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Muh.¡± Ren grunted and shook his head. ¡°Come on, you need to eat.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Mu met mit.¡± Ren mumbled. ¡°What was that?¡± Barbara gently shook his shoulder. Ren pulled his face out from under Elise''s breast. ¡°You eat it.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°It doesn''t work that way.¡± Ren sighed and kissed the mound of flesh in front of his face. ¡°I''ll be back later.¡± Elise laughed, because he had managed to get her t-shirt up and off of her chest again somehow. ¡°How do you do that?¡± ¡°Like this.¡± Ren said as he sat up and kissed her on the lips. ¡°It''s easy.¡± ¡°I meant getting my t-shirt off.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren looked down at her bare chest. ¡°Magic boob exposing fairies?¡± Barbara and Elise laughed, and Lisa groaned. ¡°Mo moud.¡± Lisa mumbled. ¡°Lisa?¡± Lisa pulled her face out from under the warm mound of flesh it was buried in and sighed. ¡°Too loud.¡± ¡°Come on, you can wake up as you eat.¡± Barbara said. ¡°What time is it?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Seven in the morning.¡± Ren said without looking at the clock, and he moved over to the side of the bed. ¡°Bathroom break!¡± Barbara helped him walk over to the bathroom. Elise sat up and pulled her t-shirt down, and Lisa realized she had been sleeping with her face against her breast with no cloth between them. ¡°Elise...¡± ¡°Thanks for letting me cuddle you.¡± Elise said and gave her a quick hug. ¡°It definitely let me fall asleep faster with the both of you to hold.¡± ¡°I... um...¡± ¡°Right! Coffee!¡± Elise said and took a breath in through her nose. She leaned around Lisa and smiled as she saw the coffee decanter on the table. ¡°It smells nice and strong, too.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Barbara said as she helped guide Ren over to the table. Elise and Lisa joined them at the table, and then Denise came in with a cart and breakfast... and Gloria stepped into the room behind her. Time seemed to slow down as everyone caught sight of her, and her face flushed deep red as all of the attention focused on her. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said, and everyone seemed to relax a little. Denise brought the cart over to the table and Gloria followed. ¡°Good morning.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I''m sorry to intrude like this...¡± ¡°That you think you''re intruding tells me a lot.¡± Ren said. ¡°More than you intended, I think.¡± He said, and Barbara took in a sharp breath. ¡°It''s okay, Barbara. I can wait until after we eat to have this conversation.¡± ¡°But, you...¡± ¡°I was just letting Gloria know that I realize she has been distancing herself for a while now.¡± Ren said and looked at Gloria. ¡°Please, have a seat and join us for breakfast.¡± Gloria thought about saying no, since he was being a bit of an ass about it, then nodded and sat down across the table from him. Ren smiled at her because she chose the seat farthest away from him at the round table, and he glanced at Elise. She had noticed, too. ¡°Good morning!¡± Stella said and came into the room in a slight rush, then stopped when she saw Gloria. ¡°Oh, hello.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± Gloria said as her embarrassed blush returned. ¡°So, what did I miss?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Hold on for a minute.¡± Ren said and was handed a plate with scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. He set it down on the table in front of himself and waited. Everyone was a bit surprised by this, especially since there was uneaten bacon right in his face. Denise kept dishing out food, and a minute later, there was a knock on the bedroom door. ¡°Come in.¡± Ren said, and Barbi entered the room. ¡°Hi, everyone! Sorry I''m late.¡± Barbi said and slipped off her business suit coat. ¡°Traffic was horrendous this morning for some reason.¡± ¡°It was probably because of what happened to the game last night.¡± Ren joked, and everyone looked at him. ¡°Well, it''s possible, right? No one could play, so they probably didn''t sleep a lot and left the house early to get wherever they wanted to go.¡± Gloria and Barbara exchanged glances, because that was pretty much how Gloria had ended up at Ren''s place. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Barbi asked as she sat down on the chair beside Elise. ¡°The game was down? What happened?¡± ¡°I was just about to explain it all to Stella, and waited for you.¡± Ren said, and Barbi gave him a big warm smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Ren said, then started to eat by shoving a whole piece of bacon in his mouth. ¡°Ish like thish...¡± ¡°Chew that up first and swallow before you spray everyone.¡± Barbara said, and everyone laughed.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Ren made a show of chewing and swallowing loudly, then grinned. ¡°Better?¡± Barbara nodded, and Ren told them all the story. Elise, Gloria and Lisa knew a portion of it, and Barbara knew more since she watched it; but, Denise, Stella, and Barbi were completely in the dark about it and were surprised about what happened. ¡°It shut down the game?¡± Barbi asked, and took out her cell phone. She started by checking the main website and saw the massive amount of posts and reactions to what had happened. ¡°No, according to this, and an ''unknown'' source, the game was crashing and was shut down before it could get that far.¡± Everyone at the table waited as Barbi''s thumbs moved so fast on her phone that it didn''t really look like her hands were moving at all. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Barbi said and looked at Ren. ¡°The head programmer said you were at fault.¡± ¡°Yeah, Lisa and I saw that post almost right away...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°No!¡± Elise cut him off and took out her cell phone. She checked as well and saw almost a thousand posts of people thanking Max for revealing the cause. ¡°I always knew he was an idiot, but this...!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°The head programmer of Sid Tec is screwed.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Not only has he released confidential company information, he also told everyone that a client was responsible for causing the shutdown.¡± She said. ¡°I have to agree with Elise on this. He''s an idiot.¡± ¡°But... I did cause it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It doesn''t matter if you did or not.¡± Elise said sadly and rubbed her temple with the tops of her fingers. ¡°He''s opened the company up for potential lawsuits for both data and confidentiality breaches.¡± ¡°What if I don''t want to sue?¡± Ren said, and Barbi chuckled. ¡°You don''t get a choice in the matter.¡± Barbi said and turned her phone to show that the law firm that handled his cases had already filed 2 lawsuits against Sid Tec as a company and one against Max as an individual. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I... I don''t know what to say.¡± ¡°The defamation of character suit is going to be a landslide.¡± Barbi said as she read the posts, and Elise groaned as she read the same flurry of posts that condemned Ren, and saw the remnants of the posts that threatened his death. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Elise whispered. ¡°Death threats, too.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Lisa, Stella, Denise, and Barbara exclaimed. Gloria didn''t say anything, because she knew there were a few people that take games very seriously, and if you interfered with that, they thought you needed to be dealt with. ¡°It''s usually only words and just people venting; but, as evidence in a court case...¡± Barbi said. ¡°Oh, there''s the notification the message boards are being temporarily shut down to gather legal evidence.¡± The message feed on Elise''s cell phone ended as well, and she sighed. ¡°They''ve got the main website shut down, too.¡± ¡°Check the website I made for Ren.¡± Barbi said and checked it herself, too. ¡°There are a few detractors on it, but they were quickly shouted down by others.¡± She told them and smiled. ¡°Who goes to a fan appreciation site to complain about something like that?¡± She chuckled. ¡°I''m surprised they haven''t received death threats for being so stupid.¡± ¡°Barbi, what are we going to do about this?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I''ve already gathered the information I needed, and I''ve already got a tech guy ready to testify that what Ren may or may not have done, shouldn''t have crashed the game.¡± Barbi said and put her phone away. ¡°I''m tempted to call a press conference and get this all out in the open...¡± She saw Elise''s expression and chuckled. ¡°No, you''re right. I can''t damage any court cases by releasing information before its time.¡± Elise sighed in relief. ¡°I''m really glad you''re here.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks a lot, Barbi.¡± ¡°You don''t pay me the big bucks just because I''ve got big tits.¡± Barbi said and smiled. ¡°At least, I don''t think so, anyway.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Not just for your breasts, no.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Barbi said and sat back. ¡°Okay, I''ve got to get the media back on your side. Can I use some of what the tech guys have done to you in the past?¡± ¡°As long as no names are mentioned and it doesn''t leave us open for a lawsuit.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°I am not an idiot like Max.¡± Barbi said. ¡°But, I can''t help you by just sitting here.¡± She stood up and grabbed her suit coat. ¡°Elise, I''ll see you in the office.¡± ¡°I''ll be right down after a quick shower.¡± Barbi glanced at Ren and back at her. ¡°Just a quick shower?¡± ¡°I''m too tired for fun... right now.¡± Elise said and yawned, then downed the rest of her cup of coffee. ¡°Whew. Okay. Shower.¡± She said and gave Ren a kiss on the cheek, then stood up and went to the bathroom. ¡°Wait for it.¡± Ren said to get everyone''s attention, then he pointed so they all watched the bathroom door. A moment later Elise came back out with her hair messed up and no t-shirt on. ¡°I forgot my damn clothes.¡± Elise said and walked across the room to the closet and grabbed a business suit and skirt from the rack, her large boobs bouncing the whole way. ¡°I might forget my head some days if it wasn''t attached.¡± She said to no one in particular, then walked back across the room to the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her. ¡°Did... did I just see...¡± Gloria said, clearly shocked at the sight. ¡°She was topless!¡± ¡°Elise doesn''t have a clue about the effect she has on us.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Right, Lisa?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Lisa turned and looked at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You''re so cute.¡± Ren said, and her face flushed slightly red. ¡°You know most girls don''t like being called cute.¡± Denise said and started to gather up the dirty dishes. ¡°That''s probably because most times they think the guy is pandering to them or being condescending.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lisa knows that when I say she''s cute, it''s because I love her.¡± He said and leaned over and kissed her. ¡°Plus, she gets angry if I say she''s beautiful to her face.¡± ¡°I do not!¡± Lisa said angrily. Stella and Barbara chuckled, then helped Denise clean off the table. ¡°See you at lunch.¡± Barbi said and left the bedroom at a fast walk. ¡°I''ve got a pile of errands to run today, so I better get going, too.¡± Stella said and watched Denise leave with the cart and dirty dishes. ¡°Where are you headed?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Grocery store, I think.¡± Stella said and stood up. ¡°I had a list of things to pick up somewhere, but I can''t find it.¡± After a moment, Lisa raised her hand like she was in school and tried to get the teacher''s attention. Ren smiled and put his lips together, then let out a short whistle. Everyone looked at him and he pointed at Lisa. ¡°Lisa?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I know where it is.¡± Lisa said and put her hand down. ¡°I picked it up off the floor in the kitchen yesterday and stuck it to the refrigerator.¡± ¡°I looked at every counter and table from the kitchen downstairs all the way up to my bedroom here on the second floor, and I never would have thought to look there!¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Thanks, Lisa.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± ¡°I''m glad I don''t have to go out blind.¡± Stella said to Barbara. ¡°It''s a huge list, and there''s no way I could have remembered it all.¡± ¡°Do you think you could grab me a few things?¡± Barbara asked and took a piece of paper from her pocket. ¡°I''m too tired to go myself and Donald needs something in the house before lunch.¡± ¡°I''ll try.¡± Stella said and looked at the list. ¡°I don''t know how I''m going to handle it all.¡± Lisa opened her mouth to say something, and Ren saw her stop and close it. ¡°Stella? Maybe you need another pair of eyes to come along.¡± Ren suggested. ¡°Who? You?¡± Stella asked and chuckled. ¡°You''re too weak to walk more than 10 feet unassisted. There''s no way you can keep up, and I can''t push the wheelchair and a grocery cart.¡± ¡°I was thinking more along the lines of the young woman next to me.¡± Ren said, and saw Lisa''s eyes go wide. ¡°But...¡± Lisa tried to speak, and he put a finger on her lips. ¡°I know this is a lot to ask, and I don''t want you to do anything you''re uncomfortable with.¡± Ren said. ¡°All she needs is someone to come along for company.¡± ¡°Ren, you can''t ask her to...¡± Barbara started to say. ¡°Stella needs another pair of eyes. If I remember correctly, Lisa has two of them and that meets the minimum requirements.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Or are you saying you don''t want her to go?¡± Barbara opened her mouth to respond, then sighed. ¡°No, I can''t object to her going.¡± ¡°Ha ha! No one''s going to stop you now!¡± Ren gave Lisa a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Don''t let them tell you that you can''t do something.¡± ¡°I... I won''t.¡± Lisa said and stood up. ¡°I just need to freshen up and get changed.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Stella said. ¡°So do I.¡± Stella and Lisa left the room, and Barbara smiled at Ren. ¡°That was sneaky.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Thanks for catching on so fast and going along with it.¡± Ren smiled back. ¡°Now get out of here and get to sleep.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°You can''t tell me what to do.¡± She said and yawned, then walked over to the bedroom door. ¡°I''m leaving because I want to!¡± She said, which made Ren laugh, and the door shut behind her when she left. ¡°You got them all to leave.¡± Gloria said, and Ren could hear the surprise in her voice as he turned to face her across the table. ¡°I know it''s easier for you to rant and rave if we''re alone, so here we are.¡± Ren said. ¡°Alone.¡± ¡°Elise is...¡± ¡°...still in the shower for the next 10 minutes.¡± Ren said and looked at his watch. ¡°Well, 9 minutes.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Look, if you want to wait for her to finish her shower, we can.¡± Ren said and sat back in the chair. He put his hands on the table and interlaced his fingers, then twiddled his thumbs while he waited. Chapter 614 - Coming To A Head ¡°How... how is this possible?¡± Edward Torren said as he looked at his computer screen at work and saw the three lawsuit notifications and a court injunction for information from the company about the workings of the game and the crash that happened. He had also seen the chaos that had been unleashed on the message boards and the main website after the game''s shutdown, and he just started to read them when the notices that the websites were being locked for a legal investigation appeared. Edward hit the button on his intercom. ¡°Tell me Max is here.¡± ¡°He is, sir.¡± The secretary said. ¡°He arrived just before you did.¡± ¡°Good. Tell him to bring me everything he has on the game crash right now.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The secretary said. ¡°After that, send me a copy of the message board posts, including the private messages, and start transcribing them, please.¡± Edward said and let the intercom button go. Max better have a damn good explanation for this. He thought and read the notices again. A Defamation of Character suit on behalf of Ren Haddon? He asked himself and shook his head. What the hell happened last night? A copy of the message board posts appeared on his computer screen and he started to read them. By the time Max came into the office, Edward had been shaking his head unconsciously for several minutes because he couldn''t believe what he was reading. ¡°Hey, Boss.¡± Max said and put a USB thumb drive on the desk. ¡°Don''t ''hey boss'' me.¡± Edward said and plugged the thumb drive into his computer. ¡°Tell me what happened.¡± ¡°It was all that kid Ren''s fault.¡± Max said and made a choking motion with his hands. ¡°I could just strangle the little bastard!¡± Edward opened up the files and looked at the information it showed. ¡°What''s this? How did he get so many NPCs to check the database at the same time?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Max said. ¡°Something like that shouldn''t be possible. He would have to be near them to trigger the call function.¡± Edward nodded and took out his viewing pad that he had queued up to follow Ren''s progress. It wasn''t necessarily illegal to do that, since the footage was being recorded for future use by the television studio, and he was grateful for that loophole. He checked the last files on it and opened the last one. ¡°He went around and planted something all over the countryside.¡± Edward said and then saw Ren plant a large metal square into the ground. ** ¡°It''s done.¡± Onscreen Ren said. Since the camera was behind him, you couldn''t see his face. ¡°I can''t believe this is going to work.¡± A low and squeaky voice said. ¡°I don''t understand how...¡± ¡°I''ve done this in much smaller scales a few times.¡± Onscreen Ren said. ¡°I usually restricted myself from taking advantage of things, but... if I''m going to force a change, then...¡± The tall metal woman knelt in front of him and gave him a hug. ¡°I think this is a bit drastic, but I also think I''m not as unaffected by this Sea Dweller thing as I thought I was.¡± ¡°Can I have one last kiss before I cause a whole heap of chaos?¡± ¡°You don''t need to ask.¡± She said and they kissed briefly. ¡°Get ready.¡± Ren said, and then there was a distinct chittering from a bug. ¡°Why are you so happy?¡± The squeaky voice asked. ** There was a response; but, it was too low to be heard, so Edward pulled the video back a couple of seconds and turned up the sound. ** ¡°Get ready.¡± Ren said, and then there was a distinct chittering from a bug. ¡°Why are you so happy?¡± The squeaky voice asked. ¡°This will be the very first time that Ren is going to actively use the Trouble recipe to actually cause trouble.¡± A tiny voice said. ¡°I can''t wait to see what happens!¡± ¡°It''s going to be... spectacular.¡± Ren said, then a moment later made his hands into fists. ¡°Let''s cause some trouble... Activate!¡± Then nothing happened on the screen. ** ¡°What the hell did he just do?¡± Edward asked, completely confused. * Gloria was tempted to talk while they waited for Elise to come out of the shower, but she knew when she started talking, she wasn''t going to stop. Ren had gone through the trouble of giving them privacy in a house full of people, and she didn''t want to squander that. Ren could see Gloria fidgeting and knew she wanted to hurry up and talk, but he stayed quiet as well. He didn''t try to make small talk or polite conversation, because he also knew that when they started to talk that it was going to get heated very quickly. He didn''t want her to feel too embarrassed to express herself, which she would feel if there were any witnesses. When there was 30 seconds left to Elise''s shower, Ren carefully poured out another cup of coffee for her. He added the cream that she liked and tossed in a couple of sugar cubes with the small set of tongs in the dish. ¡°Why cubes?¡± Gloria asked as Ren stirred the cup slowly. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her, despite her need to stay quiet. ¡°They are exactly 1 teaspoon of sugar each and it saves us from having to measure all the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, rich people use cubes, don''t they? I know I saw that on television.¡± Gloria blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°You''re using television as a guide to how to live?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, I just thought those little sugar packets we used to have made it seem like we were living in a hotel.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Gloria thought about everyone there and looked around the room. ¡°It looks like a hotel.¡± ¡°It really does.¡± Ren said, and the bathroom door opened. ¡°Sweetheart!¡± He said and held up the fresh cup of coffee. ¡°Yes! More coffee!¡± Elise nearly yelled and quickly crossed the room. She took the cup and breathed in the scent through her nose. She took a sip, then another, and sighed. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, and then he grinned up at her. ¡°You better get downstairs before Barbi sets off World War 3.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Yes, this...¡± She stopped talking and bent over to give him a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°We will protect you from this.¡± Ren reached up and touched the side of her face. ¡°Some things a heart can''t be protected from.¡± Elise smiled and because she knew he wasn''t talking about the backlash on social media. ¡°See you at lunch.¡± She gave him another kiss and left the bedroom. A moment later, Gloria spoke. ¡°I know you mean me.¡± Gloria said, a little peeved, and Ren looked at her. ¡°Actually, I meant falling in love.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sometimes it happens when you least expect it.¡± ¡°Which also means me.¡± Gloria said. ¡°You know, not everything is about you.¡± ¡°No, everything is about you.¡± Gloria said, and Ren had to smile. ¡°So, you were listening when we had that talk.¡± ¡°Listening? You were shouting at me!¡± ¡°You might think that, but my voice was raised because I was being passionate. If I was going to yell, especially in the game, you''d know it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You were the one shouting.¡± Gloria clamped her mouth shut and made a fist under the table. She took a breath and let it out, and Ren smiled as he saw one of his relaxation techniques being used. ¡°Why are you smiling? Are you happy that you can make me angry like this?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°Actually, I was smiling because you''ve learned something from me that I didn''t think you were even paying attention to.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, yes. I''m also happy I can make you angry.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It means you still care about my opinion.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have dropped way down in your priorities; but, at least you know when I tell you something, it means something more than the words you hear.¡± Gloria had to stop and think about that statement, and Ren waited for several moments. ¡°Like I told Barbara, you''ve been pushing yourself away from me. I didn''t realize until recently that it happened every time I tried to pull you closer.¡± Gloria didn''t say anything, and he continued. ¡°Gloria, I''m sorry that I want more from you than you''re willing to give.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren, this... this conversation isn''t going the way I thought it would.¡± Gloria admitted. Ren chuckled. ¡°You assumed I was going to ream you out for thinking about taking the job, didn''t you?¡± ¡°Yes, and I was going to fight you tooth and nail over it.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I was so mad when you made everyone log out of the game last night, when all I wanted to do was talk to you.¡± ¡°Oh, I didn''t realize...¡± Ren started to say, and Gloria kept talking as if he hadn''t spoken. ¡°I had all the good points memorized and I''ve had my arguments prepared since I left my apartment to come here in real life to confront you.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I was even tempted to bring the job portfolio with me, just so you could see what it entailed.¡± ¡°Do you want me to argue with you over it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Do you really want me to sit here and tell you what I really think?¡± Gloria took a deep breath and let it out, then nodded. ¡°I don''t believe you do. Not really.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t want to hear how stupid I think it would be for you to take the job, especially when you know what''s going to happen.¡± ¡°It''s not stupid.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Oh, yes it is.¡± Ren crossed his arms on the table and rested his chin on them. ¡°To use an analogy, you''re like one of the rescuers that came across the Titanic when it was sinking, who tried to go aboard to enjoy the luxury ride.¡± Gloria frowned at his words. ¡°It''s a sinking ship, and you know it''s a sinking ship; and yet, you are trying to convince yourself to get in and loot it before it disappears under the water.¡± ¡°That''s not what I...¡± ¡°You''re kidding, right?¡± Ren chuckled and cut her off. ¡°Gloria, all you see is a quick cash cow and you''re going to milk it for as much as you can before the milk goes sour.¡± ¡°What''s with the analogies?¡± Gloria asked, and her anger started to bubble up. ¡°Just say what you mean!¡± ¡°You are an opportunist, and I believe if you try to do what I know you are trying to do, not only will you fail, but you will lose a lot more than you think you will.¡± ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Gloria asked, clearly angry now. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, and he saw the surprise on her face. ¡°As much as I hate to admit it, you are being too ignorant to make the decision for yourself, and I care too much for you to let you ruin your life.¡± ¡°Let me?¡± Gloria asked with a sneer. ¡°You have no right to...¡± ¡°I have every right to protect those I love, even if they don''t love me back.¡± Ren said, and she took in a quick breath. ¡°It''s taken me a while to go over everything we''ve been through, and I''ve realized something.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah? Is it another way to call me stupid?¡± ¡°You still think of me as that naive young man you met in jail.¡± Ren said, and her eyes went wide. ¡°I... I don''t...¡± ¡°You didn''t ''recognize'' me the last time we met in the game, because you''ve been comparing me to what I was like back then.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am so far beyond that, Gloria. It''s not a fair comparison.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Yes, I know you cared a lot about me back then, more than anyone else you''ve ever met... and I was in the same boat with my feelings about you... for a while.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Having the Emotion Siphon ability lets you feel much more than what''s on the surface. When I went back and relived all of our experiences together...¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Gloria exclaimed. ¡°When did you do that?¡± ¡°Just after my seizure that let me remember everything, I logged into the game and spent about 5 years in my Sanctuary.¡± ¡°Five... years...¡± ¡°I had a lot of time to go over everything in my life, one large part of which was you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I felt everything you did while we were together, and I know you don''t actually love me.¡± ¡°No! I do! I really do!¡± Gloria exclaimed. Ren shook his head. ¡°No, your need was what drove you, and my willingness to do anything you wanted made you feel better than you''ve ever felt before.¡± He smiled. ¡°I made sure of that, actually.¡± He said and then sighed. ¡°I think we were getting to where you were falling for me for real, and then I completed your ability.¡± He lifted his head from his arms and sat up straight. ¡°I didn''t realize what a mistake that was.¡± ¡°It wasn''t a mistake!¡± ¡°But it was, and I didn''t see why at the time. It wasn''t until later and our relationship started to change that I knew something was going wrong, and I didn''t know how to fix things.¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I seem to make that mistake a lot, and I''m sorry that it happened.¡± ¡°That what happened? The relationship? Us?¡± ¡°Of course not. I meant that I can''t fix it.¡± Ren said. ¡°The dynamic between us seems to be breaking, and I''ve tried loving you more, asked you to be around me more, and it''s not working. All I''m doing is driving you away.¡± ¡°No, you... you''re so sweet and...¡± ¡°I''m an idiot for trying to help you when you don''t want any help, let alone mine.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only wanted to protect you, and that''s not what you need.¡± Gloria didn''t say anything as she thought about what he said, and Ren sighed. ¡°You''re not going to ask what you need?¡± Ren asked her, and she still didn''t respond. ¡°Then I''ll show you.¡± He said and stood up, then wobbled over to the night stand beside the bed and picked up the room''s cell phone. ¡°Hi, Lisa... No, it''s not an emergency... Is Stella driving?... Hi, Stella. I''m here with Gloria... yes, I told her... no... well, do you think I should...¡± Gloria looked at his back and wondered what he was discussing with Stella that he didn''t have to say much for her to respond. ¡°Yes... okay, I''ll do that. Thanks, Stella.¡± Ren hung up the cell phone and picked up the house phone and hit the button for the kitchen. ¡°Denise, can you go to Stella''s room and bring me the manila folder on her desk? Thanks.¡± ¡°Ren, what''s going on?¡± Gloria asked as he hung up the phone. ¡°You''ll see in a few minutes.¡± Ren said and wobbled back to the table, then he groaned as he sat down. ¡°Ugh... I need to start my exercise routine soon, or I''m just going to get weaker.¡± ¡°But, after a seizure...¡± ¡°Yeah, I''m weak as a kitten.¡± Ren said and smiled widely. ¡°It''s a good thing I''m just as cuddly.¡± Gloria smiled back, but she only did that as an automatic response. What is he planning? Denise came into the room a minute later and walked over to the table to hand the folder to Ren. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want me to...¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± Ren said and pointed to the coffee decanter. ¡°I think Elise needs that. She forgot to take it with her.¡± Denise nodded and picked up the tray with the coffee supplies on it and left the room. The door shut and it sounded loud with barely any other sound in the room. Ren put the folder down on the table and stared at it for several moments. ¡°What is that?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°The last straw, I believe.¡± Ren said and opened the folder. Chapter 615 - Calling It Quits Ren picked up the top sheet of paper and slid it across the table. ¡°You''ve been agonizing over this for the last couple of days, so I want to get this out of the way first.¡± Gloria picked up the piece of paper, and saw it was a termination of her contract with the research project. ¡°Wh-what is this?¡± ¡°It''s obvious, isn''t it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I know you''ve been wondering how you were going to break it to us if you decided to take that job offer, so I''m removing one of your main obstacles to that decision.¡± ¡°So, you''re getting rid of me preemptively.¡± Gloria said and put the page down. ¡°If you take that job, neither I nor Stella want you to be associated with the research project.¡± ¡°You are such an asshole!¡± Gloria nearly shouted. ¡°You can''t just fire me because I got another job offer!¡± ¡°You''ve missed a couple of days of work, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know Stella and I have been flexible in our schedules; but, even one day without our engineering specialist on hand has set Stella back over a week in the project.¡± Gloria clamped her mouth shut, because she knew that Stella could only work on the weekends, and what Ren said was literally true. If Gloria wasn''t there, Stella had to wait for a week before she could work again. ¡°I know it''s a little harsh to come down on you so hard like this.¡± Ren said. ¡°You completely ignored every attempt to contact you, and then even when you did decide to talk to us, you said it was because you were already talking to another company for a job.¡± Gloria didn''t say anything in response, and Ren picked up the next sheet with an envelope attached. ¡°Like I said before, I didn''t realize the opportunity we were giving you wasn''t good enough for you.¡± Ren said and slid the sheet and envelope across the table. ¡°Normally, we wouldn''t even consider a severance package; but, we know now that you want money above everything else, so we''re giving you 2 weeks pay at your upgraded salary.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I remember your reluctance at first when I mentioned the job to you, and I didn''t realize at the time that it was because you knew you wouldn''t be working all the time... or making tons of money.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''d kick myself for reading things like this so wrong, if I didn''t think I would severely hurt myself if I tried.¡± Gloria put the sheet and envelope down without opening it. ¡°So, you''re getting rid of me and you''re buying me off.¡± She said. ¡°I assume that''s to keep me quiet about the things we did?¡± Ren shook his head and slid the third sheet of paper over. ¡°This is a copy of the non-disclosure agreement you signed.¡± Gloria didn''t even try to catch it as it slid across the table, and it slid off and onto the floor. ¡°We know suing you for breach of that is pointless, so it will be automatic jail time if you break it.¡± Ren said, and he saw the anger in her eyes. ¡°So, with that out of the way...¡± ¡°What now?¡± Gloria sneered. ¡°I''m breaking up with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve done nothing but tie you down the last little while, and I see how much you''re starting to resent it.¡± ¡°Starting to?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°I''ve always resented it!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Coming and going only when you want me to in the game! Staying at your place until you decide when I can leave, and then only with you!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yes, that''s it. Twist what actually happened to make it like you were the victim.¡± He said. ¡°Go ahead. Keep going.¡± Gloria stood up and put her fists on the table. ¡°The high and mighty Ren, telling everyone what to do.¡± She spat. ¡°God, you''re so arrogant that it makes me sick!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°What was it like to be on the receiving end of that arrogance?¡± He asked. ¡°You were so used to doing it to others, both in the game and out. You must have hated it when it was done to you, didn''t you?¡± ¡°Yes! I really did!¡± ¡°Good!¡± Ren said and slammed his hands down onto the table to make a loud smacking sound. ¡°You of all people, who shared my emotions for so long in the game, should know damn well that I hate every minute of it!¡± Gloria had been startled at the table smack and took her fists off the table. ¡°Ordering people around, telling them what to do...¡± Ren sneered ¡°...I hate it. I always have!¡± He said and made fists. ¡°In the game I can feel the resentment, even if it''s only just a momentary thing, and it hurts me every time.¡± He admitted. ¡°I always try to ask first; but, giving orders is what people expect of me, no matter what I do or say.¡± Gloria had been taken aback by his admission. She had always felt the resentment, but it didn''t bother her at all. She just accepted it and moved on, and she didn''t know that Ren couldn''t do that. ¡°The more I do in the game and the more powerful I become, the more that people expect me to hold it over their heads.¡± Ren said and took a deep breath to relax, then opened his fists and rested his hands on top of the still open folder. ¡°Even this last guy who came to my county expects me to be like that.¡± He made his hands into fists again. ¡°He didn''t actually assault Lisa; but, he used a twisted Amulet of Truth and her own class to compel her to tell him how to kill me.¡± Gloria''s eyes widened at that. ¡°But... you''re not...¡± ¡°I''ve got the top 5 spots on the XP leaderboard, Gloria.¡± Ren said. ¡°With this latest thing that I did, I''ve got tens, maybe hundreds, of people after me now.¡± He smiled. ¡°I expect them all to show up at the arena this weekend when I fight that other guy, and they are all going to try and take me on.¡± ¡°You seem happy about that.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to destroy them.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The idiots think I''m going to just stand there and let them come after me as much as they want.¡± Ren said. ¡°They are so wrong.¡± ¡°If they wait until after this guy...¡± ¡°I expect them to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t worry, though. It''s not going to matter.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°So, I was right. You are going to be the villain.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I knew you were smart. I said the same thing to Lisa and Barbara.¡± ¡°Ren, if you do this...¡± ¡°It''s already done.¡± Ren said. ¡°Set in stone. Unshakable.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°The game shutting down is going to bring all the attention to me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Good and bad, I decided to take it all. I''m going to show them... all of them... what I''m truly capable of.¡± ¡°That''s what the invitation was for.¡± Gloria said, finally getting it. ¡°You don''t want them to witness the fight. You want them to see you.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m going to give them a show they are not going to believe, unless they see it with their own eyes.¡± Gloria sat down and thought about what he was planning. She knew a lot of his abilities, and he was a good fighter, but she couldn''t see how he was going to defeat his latest opponent, let alone hundreds more. After a few moments, Ren started to chuckle. ¡°What?¡± Gloria asked and looked at him. ¡°I''m happy that you care enough about me that I could distract you with my well being.¡± Ren said and pat the folder in front of him. ¡°Shall we get back to what''s important right now?¡± ¡°I thought we were done.¡± Gloria said. ¡°No, you just needed a few minutes to calm down and process what is happening to you.¡± Gloria frowned. ¡°You brought that up on purpose.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now...¡± ¡°No.¡± Gloria said. ¡°You''re managing me.¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± Ren said, and he saw the surprise on her face. ¡°You don''t even realize that you''ve been fighting the urge to jump over this table to punch me right in the face this whole time.¡± Gloria looked down at her clenched fists. Even though he had talked about the game to distract her, she hadn''t relaxed at all. She forced herself to open her hands and looked back at him. ¡°You seem to want to punch things all the time, rather than talk about them, just like you do in the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°You attacked me outright several times there already, and I warned you the last time about what would happen if you tried it again.¡± ¡°But I...¡± Gloria stopped herself and took a quick breath. ¡°You already told me we were breaking up.¡± ¡°I did, and I want to make sure you know that I mean it for the game as well.¡± Ren said. That made Gloria think of the police officer that had pulled her over that morning, and how he had let her out of getting that expensive ticket because she was Ren''s in-game girlfriend. Ren saw the look in her eyes, and knew that second part was going to bother her a lot more than breaking up in real life was going to. ¡°I thought about waiting to remind you of that later; but, I think it''s better to get it all out of the way right now.¡± Gloria squinted her eyes at him. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It''s simple, really.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m clearing your path.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You no longer have a conflicting job that you would have to abandon, you no longer have a boyfriend who adamantly opposes you making mistakes that will hurt you, and I''ll ask Stella and Elise to not pester you over it anymore.¡± Gloria opened her mouth to argue, then realized she wasn''t sure if she should. ¡°You don''t have a problem just tossing me aside, do you?¡± ¡°I refuse to answer that until you answer one question for me.¡± Ren said without showing any emotions on his face. ¡°Are you going to take your dream job?¡± Gloria took several breaths as she thought about it. She really did have the good points memorized, and the arguments she had were quite deflated, since he really had removed pretty much everything that was holding her back. ¡°It''s only for a month...¡± Gloria said, and then Ren let the tears out of his eyes that he had been holding back. ¡°You...¡± Ren sniffled. ¡°...I love you, and you... you really would work for them, even though I told you they... even knowing that, you still...¡± Gloria''s heart withered as Ren wiped at his face and she watched as he used his other hand to pick up the rest of the pages in the folder and tossed them across the table. They scattered and spread out, and there were black and white photos printed on some of them, as well as text. She gasped as she saw a little boy with hundreds of metal rods implanted in his skull, and she quickly read a paragraph with some of the gruesome details. ¡°I really hope you enjoy working there.¡± Ren said in a normal voice, and that more than anything made Gloria look up from the mess of papers to see his tear-streaked face. ¡°You apparently have the same mindset as them.¡± ¡°I... no. No, I don''t.¡± ¡°They didn''t care what happened to me either, as long as they could benefit from the results.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s that old saying?¡± He asked. ¡°Out of sight, out of mind?¡± He chuckled. ¡°It doesn''t matter what I went through if they didn''t participate, right? Knowing after the fact makes it okay, right?¡± ¡°I''m not like them!¡± Gloria said and stood up again. ¡°I care about what happened to you!¡± ¡°Not enough to listen to people who are your friends, or who thought they were your friends, as they told you that you were making a mistake.¡± ¡°That''s not true!¡± ¡°With all the evidence given to you, all the reasons to listen, and you ignored it all.¡± Ren said and wiped his face, then he gripped his left arm tightly. ¡°You... ignored me as well and... I only wanted... what was best... for...¡± ¡°Ren?¡± Gloria said with concern in her voice as she heard him start to slur his words. ¡°Take yourrr... ssseverance check and...¡± Ren panted and gasped for breath. ¡°...don''t... wwwhat... tingle...¡± He slumped forward and bumped his forehead and nose on the table, then slid off the chair and fell to the floor. ¡°REN!¡± Gloria yelled and rushed around the table to kneel beside him. ¡°HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!¡± She didn''t want to touch him, since she didn''t know what was wrong, so she got up and ran to the night stand by the bed and picked up the house phone and hit the button to call the kitchen. ¡°It''s Ren! Come quick!¡± She said when someone picked up the line and slammed the phone down, then ran back over to Ren. * Denise hit the little red button on the phone as she dropped the receiver, and a loud siren came from all the phones in the house. She ran from the kitchen and across the house, ignored the elevator, and ran up the stairs two at a time. It was much faster than taking the elevator, and she reached the landing and ran down the hallway to Ren''s room. * Gloria''s head turned to the bedroom door as it burst open. ¡°Tell me what happened!¡± Denise nearly yelled as she ran over to her and an unconscious Ren. ¡°We were talking and he grabbed his left arm, started to slur his words, then collapsed.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I think he said tingle.¡± ¡°Oh... oh, no.¡± Denise said rolled Ren onto his back and checked his pulse in his neck, then quickly put her ear on his chest. ¡°I can''t hear anything!¡± Gloria watched wordlessly as Denise went to work to get his heart going again. She tore open his shirt and put her hands in the middle of his chest, one on top of the other, and pushed down frighteningly far. She started moving her arms up and down very quickly, compressing and releasing the chest about twice a second. ¡°Don''t just stand there! He had a stroke and his heart''s stopped!¡± Denise said and kept going without stopping. It was starting to make a sickening waterlogged sound, because she had to do damage to him to keep his heart pumping. ¡°Grab the portable crash cart from the closet!¡± ¡°I... I don''t...¡± ¡°UGH! You''re useless!¡± Denise said and kept going. She couldn''t stop the compression technique until she had another way to try and keep his heart beating in place. Elise came into the the bedroom through the still open door and saw Denise working on Ren. ¡°NO!¡± Elise yelled and started to run over to them as Barbi came into the room and gasped at the sight. ¡°Get the crash cart!¡± Denise said, and Elise quickly changed direction and ran over to the closet instead. She opened the door and grabbed the large bright red and white container that was right in plain view. She lifted it like it weighed nothing, despite it being nearly 80 pounds, and was over at Ren''s side a moment later. Gloria quickly moved out of the way and Elise dropped to her knees beside Ren. Elise hastily applied the conductive gel to the right spots after following Denise''s directions, then pulled the two small sticky pads out of the machine and hit the button. The whine of the machine charging up sounded really loud, and she stuck the power leads to the gel-covered areas. She slipped the pulse meter onto his finger and waited. ¡°Come on... come on...¡± Denise muttered, then the machine beeped loudly at her. ¡°CLEAR!¡± She yelled and stopped the chest compression technique and hit the shock button. Ren''s body convulsed and his chest lifted slightly, then nothing. ¡°Don''t do this to me, Ren.¡± Elise whispered as the machine charged up again. ¡°I love you too much to let you go.¡± The machine beeped, and Denise went to press the button again. ¡°CLEAR!¡± Gloria sat on the floor and tears came to her eyes as she watched Denise shock Ren again. Her eyes looked at the small pulse readout on the machine and she willed it with all of her might to move. Elise and Barbi started to cry as the time that Ren wasn''t responding stretched on. ¡°CLEAR!¡± Denise yelled again when the machine beeped, and hit the button. They all watched the small pulse monitor for any movement, and then a single bump appeared. Then another. A second later it kept moving, and then Ren opened his mouth and took in a breath. Then another. Chapter 616 - Is He Okay? It was just a normal day, pretty much the same as every other day, then a ''thwip'' sound was heard. A webline shot out and snagged onto a nearby building, and a dark figure swung through the night. He used the building as a launching point and flung himself across two streets and over another building before he shot another webline to snag a billboard not far away. Spider-Man swung underneath it and propelled himself up into the air to give himself a better vantage point, then decided what to swing from next. He was wearing his black costume with the white spider emblem on the front, because tonight he had a special meeting to get to. I really hope Black Cat is ready for what I have planned. Spider-Man thought as he swung from a webline attached to a fire escape''s railing. Her sex drive gets so ramped up when she''s fighting thugs. He smiled under the mask and his speed increased as his anticipation grew. He heard a scream from the street below him and didn''t shoot another webline. He dropped down at the speed of gravity plus his momentum, and shot a webline at the streetlight at the last second. His spider-sense went off and he pulled on the web, did a twisting flip and dodged the knife as the purse snatcher tried to fend him off. He landed and webbed the knife and the guy''s hand, grabbed the guy by the collar and tossed him up into the air. He quickly shot several webs between the building and the light to catch the guy, then pulled the purse out of the criminal''s hand. Spider-Man casually walked over to the startled woman and handed her back her purse. ¡°Here you go, ma''am.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, and Spider-Man shot a webline up to the top of the building and pulled. Black Cat is so sexy. Spider-Man of Marvel Universe 616 thought as he swung through the night. I can''t wait to... *COUGH* *COUGH* (Author''s Note: I took that 616 joke a bit too far, especially for non-comic book fans. LOL I was tempted to have it be a delusion of Ren''s while he was unconscious; but, I changed my mind. Let''s get on to the actual story instead, shall we?) *COUGH* *COUGH* ¡°Owww.¡± Ren said and tried to lift his hand to rub his very sore chest. ¡°Don''t move.¡± Denise said and caught his arm. ¡°Fainting shouldn''t hurt this much.¡± Ren said. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Ren, you didn''t faint.¡± Denise said and clicked her fingers off to the right. Ren glanced that way, and she did the same off to the left and he looked there, too. ¡°You had a stroke.¡± ¡°No, I didn''t.¡± Ren said, and the women around him exchanged glances. ¡°Ren, just stay still.¡± Elise said through her happy tears. ¡°The ambulance is on it''s way.¡± ¡°I couldn''t have had a stroke. If I did, then I wouldn''t remember some things because I''d have some brain damage, right?¡± Ren asked. Denise nodded. ¡°Brain cells die during a stroke because the blood flow to the brain is interrupted long before any symptoms appear.¡± ¡°Well, I felt fine right up until my arm started to tingle, and I feel fine now.¡± Ren said. ¡°How long was I unconscious?¡± ¡°1 minute, 27 seconds, from the time I got the call.¡± Denise said. ¡°So, taking into account Gloria''s reaction time and the time it took for you to pick up the phone, let''s round it up to two full minutes.¡± Ren said. ¡°A stroke victim wouldn''t be awake so soon, let alone talk properly.¡± Denise''s eyes widened. ¡°I''ll be right back!¡± She said and hopped up off the floor and ran to the bathroom. Elise, Barbi, and Gloria watched her disappear for only a few seconds and she was back in view with a small medical case. She came back over to Ren and dropped to her knees, popped open the case, and it was full of little vials of liquid. Denise searched frantically for what she needed and picked up the vial. ¡°Close your eyes, sweetie.¡± She said and Ren closed them without hesitation. She prepped a syringe with one hand and took out some of the liquid, pushed the plunger slightly to squeeze the small bit of air out, then carefully injected Ren in one of the large blood vessels in his neck that went directly to his brain. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry I had to do that.¡± Denise said and leaned over him to give him a kiss on the lips. ¡°Now that I know what happened to you, I had to start the treatment for it right away.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°TIA.¡± Denise said. Elise, Barbi, and Gloria all had confused looks on their faces, but Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°It was a stroke after all.¡± ¡°What''s TIA?¡± Elise asked. ¡°It stands for Transient Ischemic Attack, or in layman''s terms it''s a mini-stroke.¡± Denise said. ¡°Instead of a full blockage that a stroke would entail, that causes massive damage to brain cells and potential hemorrhages, there was only a small temporary blockage for a few minutes that caused similar effects.¡± ¡°But... how...¡± Elise tried to ask. ¡°I can take a guess and say it was because of his seizure the other day, but that''s just a guess.¡± Denise said. ¡°I think that broke loose a lot more than just your memories.¡± Ren tried to take in a deep breath and gasped instead. ¡°Why does my chest hurt so much?¡± He asked. ¡°That''s not a stroke symptom.¡± ¡°Ren, your heart stopped.¡± Denise said, and he blinked his eyes at her. ¡°I had to do strong chest compressions to keep your heart pumping.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that explains it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think you can cancel the ambulance.¡± ¡°No, we can''t.¡± Denise said. ¡°You''re going to the hospital and you''re getting a full diagnostic to see if there are any other potential life-threatening things in there.¡± She said and tapped his forehead with a finger. ¡°This time we were very lucky. Once you have one, no matter what kind, the risk is very high for another.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I wanted to go back into the game.¡± ¡°It''s not back online yet.¡± Barbi said, and everyone looked at her in surprise. ¡°According to the rumors on the other gaming boards and Ren''s fan site, something has delayed it.¡± ¡°They should have just used the last backup for...¡± Elise stopped talking and thought about the timing. ¡°Barbi, when did it shut down?¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Close to 2 am.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Oh, boy.¡± Elise said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The shutdown might have interrupted the latest backup.¡± Elise said. ¡°If they have to use the backup from the night before, they could lose up to 4 game days worth progress.¡± ¡°It updates the backup every night?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°We couldn''t schedule it for more than that because there''s too much to keep track of, and the servers would be going all the time if we backed up after every game day.¡± ¡°Oh, man.¡± Ren said. ¡°If they revert it back...¡± ¡°Game-wise, everything you did for the last 4 days will be like it never happened.¡± Elise said. * ¡°I don''t understand these glyphs.¡± Edward Torren, the CEO of Sid Tec said. ¡°Me, either.¡± Max said. ¡°But, according to the skill information files, an enchanter can combine symbols or make his own to achieve results.¡± ¡°So what did he do?¡± Edward asked again. ¡°It took my search algorithm a while to find this in the game footage.¡± Max said and sent him another video file, and Edward played it. ** ¡°If I hang these around the building, I can create an artifical Aura.¡± Onscreen Ren said. ¡°If it works, people that work for House Neram will gain experience while they work for the house while they are inside it.¡± ** Edward turned off the video and smiled. ¡°That damn crazy genius.¡± ¡°You see? He did it intentionally!¡± Max said. ¡°Max, according to the map of the call functions you gave me, Ren enlarged his Aura and covered the Human Kingdom and half the High Elven Kingdom!¡± Edward said. ¡°That covers a good portion of the continent, and all on the sea side where the update would be accessed even more quickly!¡± ¡°Yes! He crashed the system!¡± ¡°No, even your own analysis says it was the player inquires after the update failed that caused the cascade.¡± ¡°It was still his fault!¡± Max said. ¡°If he hadn''t...¡± ¡°Elise warned us, remember?¡± Edward said. ¡°She came here personally and...¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter!¡± Max said. ¡°The data recovery on the last backup is done, but I don''t want to start the game up again because the same thing is going to happen!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°Don''t you see? We''re stuck!¡± ¡°Then what do you recommend we do?¡± Edward asked. ¡°I''ve already got half the team working on putting a bottleneck on the call functions, and the other half is expanding the help libraries for both the Water Works update and the main help system.¡± Edward thought about the division of labour. ¡°Who''s working on fixing the update?¡± Max looked at him blankly. ¡°We have a golden opportunity to fix the glaring mistakes in the update.¡± Edward said. ¡°You can see that, right?¡± ¡°We can''t just rewrite the entire update.¡± Max said. ¡°It''ll take a week, maybe more.¡± ¡°No, don''t rewrite it. I want a new update made to patch the errors.¡± Edward said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Don''t give me that baloney about taking weeks.¡± Edward said. ¡°I know full well a patch can use previous files in different ways, and that''s barely a few hour''s work, especially if the whole tech department is working on it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It''s all right. You don''t have to worry about it.¡± Edward said. ¡°Now that you''ve given me all the evidence required by the lawsuits, I think we are done here.¡± Max sighed with relief and stood up. ¡°I''ll get back to the tech department and start...¡± ¡°No, Max.¡± Edward said. ¡°I warned you before that if you interfered with Ren Haddon again, I''d fire you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Max stared at Edward like he had two heads. ¡°You can''t be serious.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I have to be.¡± Edward said. ¡°Not only did you divulge privileged client information to a third party for public dissemination, you also falsely accused them.¡± ¡°It wasn''t false!¡± ¡°This company is being sued because of your stupid and irresponsible mistake, and I can''t have you working for me anymore.¡± Max scowled at him. ¡°I helped build this company! I wrote nearly all of the code for everything this company has ever done!¡± ¡°Yes, and look where it got you.¡± Edward said calmly. ¡°You''re so full of yourself that you believe that you have a say in the matter.¡± ¡°I own 10% of this company!¡± ¡°Yes, and if you hadn''t sold me the other 25% you had two years ago, we would be on equal footing right now.¡± Edward said and smiled. ¡°How is the 40 foot boat doing these days? The fancy house? The luxury car?¡± ¡°You bastard.¡± Max grumbled. ¡°In business terms, I think this would be a ''hostile'' takeover.¡± Edward said. ¡°Although, I''m not an outside entity trying to take over, since I already have controlling interest.¡± ¡°You can''t do this!¡± ¡°Did you really think that giving out anyone''s name, let alone his, and stating they caused the game shutdown, wasn''t going to get you in trouble?¡± Edward asked. ¡°Don''t make me laugh.¡± Max stood there and glared at the other man. ¡°I thought we were friends.¡± ¡°We are friends, but friends have certain obligations to each other.¡± Edward said. ¡°I''ve let your bumbling mistakes go over the years, mainly because their impacts were negligible in the long run; but this...¡± He sighed ¡°I can''t let it slide, Max. Not this time.¡± ¡°Then suspend me without pay or something.¡± Max said. ¡°You can''t just...¡± ¡°It''s already done.¡± Edward said and hit the intercom button. ¡°Are his things packed?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. Security is waiting by the door with the box.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Edward said and let the button go. ¡°Goodbye, Max.¡± Max took in a long breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth. ¡°If you think...¡± ¡°I''ve already got a tech team removing all company bought equipment from your house.¡± Edward said. ¡°Any personal files will be put on a removable storage drive and delivered back to you.¡± ¡°You have no right to enter my house!¡± Max exclaimed. ¡°I have to sever all ties to you because of the lawsuits, Max.¡± Edward said, sadly. ¡°I can only hope that the lawyers will go easier on the company if you are long gone by the time it gets to court, or they let me settle.¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± Max said and stormed out of the office. The two security guards escorted him to the front door of the building, passed him his small box of personal items, and shut the door behind him. * The ambulance came a few minutes later just as Barbara and Donald came in, too. Barbara remained calm as the EMTs checked Ren out while Denise told them everything that happened. They praised Denise for her quick thinking and for keeping a cool head as she performed both life-saving procedures, then they loaded Ren onto the stretcher and took him out of the room. ¡°I''m so glad this place has an elevator.¡± One of the EMTs said. ¡°These stretchers are a bitch to carry up and down stairs.¡± No one said anything and they pushed the stretcher into the elevator. The two EMTs were alone in the elevator except for Ren, and everyone else walked down the stairs to meet them at the bottom. They loaded him into the ambulance and only one person was allowed to go with him. ¡°Go with him, Denise.¡± Elise said and took out her keys. ¡°We''ll follow right behind you.¡± ¡°Elise...¡± ¡°You saved his life, and if anything else happens, I want you there for him.¡± Elise said adamantly. Denise put a hand on her arm and nodded, then climbed into the ambulance with Ren. The ambulance drove away and the Hummer H2 with Elise, Barbi, Donald and Barbara followed it. Barbi had already sent texts to Stella and Lisa about what had happened to Ren and that he was fine. They were going to the hospital for a checkup and would be back later, or they could meet them there. * Gloria stood in the driveway and wasn''t sure what to do. Ren had just collapsed in front of her, and it hurt her to see him so helpless, especially after seeing how capable he was in the game. She stood there and watched the two vehicles drive away, and when they were out of sight, she took a deep breath and let it out, then decided what to do. ¡°I need to get to work.¡± Gloria said and walked over to her car, got in, and drove down to the gate. The guard there let her out without any fuss, and she sped down the road towards her day job at the garage. She had completely forgotten about all of the paperwork that was still on the table in Ren''s room, which included her severance check. * ¡°Ren!¡± Lisa said as she read the texts Barbi had sent. ¡°Stella, we need to go!¡± ¡°No, we don''t.¡± Stella said. ¡°He''s hurt!¡± ¡°Denise did the right thing and administered the proper drugs for a TIA, and they are only taking him to the hospital to make sure there is nothing else there for us to worry about.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We need to get food.¡± Lisa frowned and put her phone away. ¡°How can you ignore this?¡± Stella turned to the younger woman and put her arms around her. ¡°Hey, it''s okay.¡± ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Lisa said and her tears flowed. ¡°We almost lost him, and we weren''t even there for him!¡± ¡°Lisa.¡± Stella said with a stern voice, and Lisa looked up at her face. ¡°No matter where we are and no matter what we are doing, there is always a chance Ren might be hurt or injured.¡± Lisa caught her breath and put her arms around Stella. ¡°That''s why we always have someone nearby for him, so that when anything happens, a trained professional will be able to take care of him.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I know it''s hard.¡± Stella said and hugged her tightly. ¡°My heart hurts for him, just as much as yours does, but he has people there to watch over him and to be there for him.¡± Lisa hugged her back just as tightly. ¡°Let''s get the shopping done and make sure that we take care of Ren''s other needs right now.¡± Stella said. ¡°He needs us to do what we have to do, so he can be safe in more ways than just physically.¡± ¡°I... I think I understand.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Good.¡± Stella leaned down slightly and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°You push the cart and I''ll toss the rest of the items in.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Lisa said, her face slightly red. Stella let her out of the hug and grabbed an item off the nearby shelf. Lisa went behind the cart and took the handle with both hands, and Stella smiled. ¡°Shopping speed round!¡± Stella said and tossed the large can of tomatoes into the cart. ¡°Try to keep up!¡± Lisa smiled as Stella took off at a jog, and she pushed the cart much faster than she had ever pushed a cart before. Chapter 617 - Checking Him Out After they arrived at the hospital, Ren was surprised that he was taken in right away to get a CT scan, or a computed tomography scan. He didn''t need the dye added to show the contrast, so eating breakfast just before going to the hospital didn''t matter. What Ren didn''t know was that Elise had gotten him the best medical insurance that money could buy, so he had priority for everything and the doctors and nurses treated him like he was visiting royalty. While they waited for the results of the CT scan, several doctors gave him a full examination with a quick battery of tests, and adjusted the results because of the damage to his chest. The doctors even gave him an MRI scan, or a magnetic resonance imaging scan, just to make sure to fully check him over. They found several small stress fractures on the sternum and on the rib cage; but, since they expected to find those, it wasn''t as large of a concern as it normally would be. They wrapped his chest with bandages, only moderately tight, since they only wanted to hold his chest steady and didn''t want to apply more pressure than necessary and possibly make the fractures become full breaks. The CT scan results came in and a few troublesome areas with the potential for blood clots were pointed out to Denise and Barbara, and they were told they would need to keep up the drug treatment for at least another week, maybe more. Ren could see the happiness on everyone''s faces as the doctors told them that Ren was done with all the tests and that he was in relatively good condition. They wanted to keep him for observation until Ren told them adamantly that he had around-the-clock nursing care and he didn''t want to waste the hospital''s time. Unable to refute his much better home care, he was released from the hospital just over an hour after arriving. Ren was securely and gently strapped in for the ride back to the house in the front seat of the Hummer H2. They were all in a great mood, considering what had happened, and everyone felt relief that they were going back home. Elise didn''t have to stop driving when she approached the gate to Emerald Estates, because she pushed the button on the remote attached to her keys to open it. She slowed down just enough to show the guard that Ren was fine, and he gave them a ''thumbs up'' gesture as they passed. She pulled into their driveway and turned off the vehicle. ¡°Stay right there, mister.¡± Elise said sternly to Ren, and he nodded. She got out, as did everyone else, and she went into the house. She was back out a minute later with the wheelchair, and Denise opened Ren''s door and climbed up. She pulled on the seat belt to give it some slack, unhooked it, then pulled it away from him and let it retract. ¡°Whew. Thanks.¡± Ren said and rubbed his chest. ¡°That was tight.¡± Denise put a hand on his chest, and he saw her sad eyes. ¡°Don''t be sad.¡± Ren said and leaned forward to kiss her. ¡°You kept me alive. The pain is just a reminder of that.¡± ¡°I hurt you.¡± Denise said. ¡°Yes, and you will do it again without hesitation if it''s necessary.¡± Denise nodded, and Ren grinned at her. ¡°Then there''s no reason to be sad.¡± Ren said. ¡°Help me down, will you? I''m a little too weak to manage it alone.¡± ¡°Are you finally accepting that?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°For now.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. Denise eased Ren over to the side of the seat near the door and stepped down to the ground. ¡°Okay, I''m ready for you.¡± She said and reached up and put her hands on his hips. Ren slid forward as he stood up, and Denise held him steady. He took the first step down to the door runner on the side of the Hummer H2, then looked at the distance to the ground. ¡°It''s going to be all you.¡± Ren said and bent slightly to put his arms around her shoulders. ¡°No problem. I''ve got you.¡± Denise said and lifted him down to the ground easily. She was careful of his wrapped chest and hadn''t gripped him under his arms like she normally would have. She changed her grip from his hips to hold his hands as she turned towards the wheelchair. ¡°Easy now.¡± Elise said as Denise eased Ren down to sit. ¡°Ugh.¡± Ren said and took several shallow breaths. ¡°This is going to hurt for a while.¡± Denise sighed and Ren held onto her hands when she tried to let go. ¡°I''m only stating a fact. I''m not complaining.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°You know how much I suck at lying.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°Yes, we all do.¡± ¡°You did a great job today, and I want you to keep being great, okay?¡± Denise nodded, and he let her hand go. ¡°Good.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°After all those tests and people I don''t know touching and examining me, I need a shower.¡± He said and shivered a little. ¡°I really need a shower.¡± ¡°We can do that right now.¡± Denise said and took over control of the wheelchair from Elise, who stepped around and knelt beside it. ¡°I''m really glad you''re okay.¡± Elise said, and Ren saw the tears trying to escape. He cupped the side of her face with a hand and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. ¡°It''s going to take a lot more than my heart stopping for the sixteenth time to get me away from you.¡± Ren said, and Elise''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°Wh-what did you say?¡± ¡°Even my heart stopping can''t keep me away from you.¡± Ren said and let her face go. ¡°N-no, I mean... how many...¡± ¡°Oh, 16.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s how many times my heart has stopped so far.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Elise said, and the tears came out. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°This time it was an accident.¡± He heard a soft sob and looked up to see Barbara was crying, too. ¡°Hey, no one has to cry.¡± ¡°We don''t have to, no.¡± Denise said, and he looked up to see she had tears in her eyes, too. They heard the sound of a car as it approached, and looked to see Stella pull into the driveway.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Stella said as she got out. ¡°REN!¡± Lisa said as she jumped out of the car and ran over to him to give him a hug around the neck and kissed him several times on the cheek and lips. ¡°What''s with all the sad faces?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I told them that my heart stopped 16 times so far.¡± Ren said with brutal honesty, and Lisa stopped her kiss assault and stared at him. Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°You said it casually, didn''t you? Just snuck it right into the conversation.¡± Ren nodded, and she laughed outright. ¡°You''re always doing that.¡± Stella said. ¡°Dropping bombshells like they mean a lot less than what they actually do.¡± ¡°It''s a gift.¡± Ren said and grinned, and Stella shook her head. ¡°Since everyone is here, can you give me a hand unloading the car?¡± ¡°Ren needs a shower, so I''m taking him inside.¡± Denise said. ¡°Let me know if you need help reapplying the bandages.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You get back to bed, young lady.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for coming with me, but you need sleep.¡± ¡°We''ve got your things, too.¡± Stella said. ¡°They''re in the backseat.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Donald, help them with the rest of it while I get our things.¡± ¡°Yes, dear.¡± Donald said, and everyone helped unload the groceries and other items Stella had picked up for the house while Denise took Ren inside the house and up to his room. ¡°Geez, look at the mess.¡± Denise said as she saw all the things scattered on the table and the floor. She pushed the little red button on the phone to cut off the alarm that they had left on from before, and she closed the case of medication and handed it to Ren. ¡°Leave the rest for now.¡± Ren said and shivered a little. ¡°I know it''s psychosomatic, but I need to wash the feeling of all those hands off of me.¡± Denise nodded and pushed the wheelchair into the bathroom. She put the medication case back into the mini-fridge under the bathroom counter, then helped Ren get undressed. He winced and hissed as she had to keep moving him around, which used his chest muscles and aggravated his injuries. ¡°I am so sorry I had to be that rough.¡± Denise said, and Ren touched her shoulder to get her attention. ¡°Sometimes you need to hurt the ones you love to give them the care that they need.¡± Denise sighed and nodded. ¡°Now get the bandages off and scrub me like you mean it.¡± Ren said, and she smiled. Denise unwrapped his chest and helped him into the shower stall and sat him down on the step stool. ¡°Can you keep your balance?¡± ¡°I can, until I need to lift my arms above my shoulders.¡± Ren said. ¡°That hurts like hell.¡± ¡°I''ll be moving your arms and everything else, so just sit there and relax.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and waited. Denise stripped off and got back in the shower. Ren made sure she saw him looking at her body. He didn''t leer at her or do it lewdly, he just admired the sight. He let himself get excited from it, and she smiled at him. ¡°Do you want me to take care of that for you?¡± Denise asked as she gently scrubbed his arms. ¡°I won''t be able to enjoy it as much as I normally do; but, you know I''ll take any attention you want to give me.¡± ¡°Even though...¡± ...I hurt you... ¡°...you''re hurt, you still want to have sex with me?¡± Denise asked. Ren touched her hip and slid his hand around and gripped her backside. ¡°You just have to be gentle.¡± ¡°I''m always-¡± Denise stopped and smiled. ¡°No, I guess I was kind of rough the last time we were together.¡± Ren smiled and slid his hand down the back of her thigh. ¡°It happens sometimes when you''re enjoying it so much that you can''t think straight.¡± Denise looked at his face and saw how happy he was. ¡°You like that you can distract me like that?¡± ¡°Any man would like it.¡± Ren said and looked up at her face. ¡°I''m not any man, though.¡± ¡°What do you... oohhhh.¡± Denise moaned as Ren''s fingers found her special place. ¡°I love that I can distract you.¡± Ren said and explored her expertly. ¡°R-Ren... we... we shouldn''t...¡± Denise panted as she got closer to finishing. ¡°Thank you for saving my life, Denise.¡± Ren said and tickled her insides. ¡°AHH!¡± Denise gasped and braced her arms on the wall as she finished. She looked down and saw Ren sucking on his fingers. ¡°You taste so good.¡± Ren said and flicked her spot with a fingertip to make her shiver. ¡°Now turn around.¡± Denise didn''t even think of protesting anymore as she turned around to face away from him. ¡°Now crouch down and have a seat.¡± Ren said, and Denise eased herself down onto him. * ¡°Thank you, everyone.¡± Stella said as all the groceries were put away in their proper places. Items in the refrigerators, items in the pantry, and dry goods in the cupboards were all put in the right places. ¡°I only asked for help to unload, I didn''t expect you to put everything away, too.¡± ¡°I think we all needed something to do.¡± Elise said. ¡°God knows I did.¡± Barbi nodded. ¡°Me, too. I wanted to help Ren so badly, but there was nothing I could do.¡± ¡°Yes, there was.¡± Stella said and they all looked at her. ¡°You did exactly what you needed to do. You knew you couldn''t help, so you stayed back out of the way.¡± ¡°Elise didn''t.¡± Barbi said, and you could hear the admiration in her voice. ¡°I''ve been spending a lot of time around here, so I needed to know what to do in emergencies.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ve got a CPR course certification and I''ve had Stella help me by giving me lessons in other things.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°We''ve just been talking, Elise.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°I''ve come to see them as lessons, because you always give great advice.¡± She said. ¡°Even just knowing where things are and their basic operation is a great help.¡± ¡°Now you know why we don''t mind leaving you alone with Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°You work hard, even when doing things casually. Just don''t let what you know go to your head.¡± She warned. ¡°A little knowledge can be dangerous if applied incorrectly.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°I know to call for help as soon as possible, no matter what.¡± She said. ¡°I can give CPR to a normal person, but with Ren...¡± ¡°You saw the damage it can do, even when it''s done properly.¡± Stella said. Elise nodded, as did Barbi. ¡°Imagine someone who rushed and tried to do that to Ren.¡± Elise shivered slightly, and Barbi took in a sharp breath. ¡°He could die, just from being helped, if you''re not careful.¡± Lisa said with wide eyes. ¡°Exactly.¡± Stella said, and glanced at Elise. ¡°Actually, I think you just gave me a good idea.¡± ¡°Uh oh.¡± Lisa said, and the others chuckled. ¡°A lesson or two on where things are and how they work.¡± Stella said. ¡°If one of us asks for something, you know it''s an emergency and you should know where that item is.¡± ¡°Like Elise and the crash cart this morning.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Denise just said to get it and she went right to the closet.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°I''m really glad the alarm worked and got you to Ren''s room so fast.¡± ¡°That alarm was a great idea.¡± Elise said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Stella said and picked up several bags of items. ¡°I need to get these things sorted and to the right spots in the rest of the house.¡± ¡°I''ll help.¡± Lisa said, and Stella smiled at her. ¡°Take this bag up to my room, and this one to Ren''s.¡± Stella said and handed her two of the bags. ¡°I''ll do the downstairs bathroom and the third floor.¡± Lisa nodded and walked away quickly, and Stella glanced at Elise, who nodded. Stella left the kitchen just as quickly as Lisa did. ¡°Let''s get back to work, Barbi.¡± Elise said and picked up her suit coat. ¡°What about Ren?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°Shouldn''t you go and check on him?¡± ¡°He''s in good hands.¡± Elise said and smiled warmly. ¡°Even after all this time, I was still a little doubtful about Denise and her capabilities; but, I was unfairly comparing her to Stella who just exudes confidence and assurance.¡± ¡°Does that mean you would trust her with your life?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°I trust her much more than that.¡± Elise said. ¡°I trust her with Ren''s life.¡± Barbi was going to say that didn''t make sense, then she realized Elise meant that his life was more important to her than her own. She walked over to the other woman and put her hand on her shoulder. ¡°I hope I can find someone to care about that much.¡± Barbi said. Elise smiled and they went into the office and shut the door. They both had important work to do. Lisa dropped off one of the bags in Stella''s room and left it on the table, then went into Ren''s room. She saw the mess that was left when she approached the table, and she put the bag down. She picked up the papers scattered over the table without really looking at them, then bent down to pick up the one on the floor. What''s this? Lisa thought as she stood up and read some of it. It''s a non-disclosure agreement! Now that she saw that, she couldn''t help but look at the other sheets on the table. She saw the black and white photos and the experiment descriptions, then held in her gasp as she realized it was Ren. She picked up the empty manila folder without saying a word and started to put the papers in it. The last ones to go in were the termination paper and the severance check. Gloria left these behind? Lisa thought in surprise, then added them to the folder and closed it. She looked down at the medical supplies still there, and wasn''t confident enough to pack things up safely. She left it as it was, put the bag of items on the table, then tucked the manila folder under her arm and left Ren''s room. Chapter 618 - What He Wants Ren and Denise finished their shared shower, and she brought him out of the bathroom and over to the closet to get him dressed. ¡°That''s a couple of these that have been ruined now.¡± Ren said as Denise dressed him in the green pyjama set. ¡°We need to go to the store and get a few more of them.¡± ¡°If you would stop doing things that ruin them, you wouldn''t have to worry about replacing them.¡± Denise said and laid him down on the bed. ¡°Hey, it''s not my fault you want to keep tearing my clothes off.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°No, wait! Actually it is. Never mind.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°You''re pretty confident, aren''t you?¡± Ren held a hand out and she took it. ¡°I joke about it; but, you need to know how much it means to me that you''re here taking care of me.¡± He said. ¡°After what happened with Gloria, I...¡± He took a breath and winced, then smiled. ¡°You let me be with you, even in this state.¡± ¡°I can say the same thing.¡± Denise gave his hand a squeeze. ¡°I didn''t think you had it in you to do something like that so soon.¡± She said. ¡°I''m going to use the phone so I can ask Stella to start making lunch, even though it''s supposed to be my job.¡± ¡°Lunch!¡± Ren exclaimed and let her hand go. ¡°We were out of the house and I completely forgot to get Elise to stop at Amazon Jim''s!¡± Denise laughed. ¡°You couldn''t sit there and enjoy it, so I don''t think she would have taken you there.¡± She said. ¡°Not yet, anyway.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said sadly. ¡°I''ll ask Stella and see if she can make fries and gravy for you.¡± ¡°No, that''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can wait until after the next time you make a roast.¡± ¡°Oh? You liked my beef gravy that much?¡± Denise asked. ¡°It was great!¡± Ren licked his lips and sighed happily as he remembered the last time she made gravy fries for him. ¡°It was just the right consistency and temperature, and it kept the fries hot enough that I could take my time with them and enjoy it even more.¡± Denise smiled. ¡°How about I make it for supper?¡± ¡°Really? You''d do that for me?¡± Ren asked ¡°Ren.¡± Denise leaned over him and gave him a long and lingering kiss. ¡°I will do anything you want.¡± She said in a slightly deeper voice, and Ren blinked his eyes as he looked up at her. Her short blonde hair had dried into natural waves, and the look on her face told him that she really would do anything he asked of her. He slowly reached up, so he wouldn''t put too much strain on his chest muscles, and ran his fingers through her hair. ¡°So pretty.¡± Ren whispered, and Denise blushed. He moved his hand down from her head to her neck, then gripped the zipper of her top. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I need to see them again.¡± Ren said and slowly pulled the zipper down. ¡°But, you just...¡± Denise braced her arms on the bed as he opened her top to reveal the support bra he had bought her at the custom clothing shop called Jacques. ¡°You''re still sexy wearing normal underwear, Denise.¡± Ren said and used a thumb and forefinger to flick the front clasp. The bra popped open and her breasts hung down. ¡°Good god, look at them.¡± Denise heard the wonder in his voice and looked down at herself. All she saw was her own boobs and didn''t understand what was so great about them. Ren reached out and carefully caressed them, and she closed her eyes to revel in the sensations. He gave her a little massage for several moments, and heard her breath quicken slightly as the tips of her breasts pressed into his palms. Ren smiled and let her breasts go, then grabbed the ends of the open bra and pulled it back into place. With her leaning over, her breasts fell into the cups of the bra easily, and he hooked the clasp to secure them back in place. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and she opened her eyes to look at him. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Denise asked before she could stop herself, and her face flushed to a deeper red. ¡°I''m not up to doing much more than that right now.¡± Ren said and glanced down at himself. Denise looked as well and saw that he wasn''t excited. ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± She said. ¡°That''s not why I...¡± ¡°Not why you what?¡± Ren asked and raised a single eyebrow at her. Denise closed her eyes so she wouldn''t gush over how cute he looked like that. ¡°Iloveyou.¡± She said in a rush, like it was just one word. ¡°What was that?¡± Ren asked and touched her face. ¡°I love you.¡± Denise opened her eyes and looked at him. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said, and Denise saw the sincerity on his face. She leaned down and gave him a gentle kiss, then stood up straight. ¡°I need to clean up the mess.¡± ¡°Call Stella first.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not really hungry, but I need to eat.¡± Denise nodded and picked up the phone. After several attempts to call different rooms, she reached Stella up on the third floor in Lisa''s room. Stella agreed to make lunch for everyone if Denise agreed to make it the next day. Denise agreed and hung up the phone, then went to work cleaning up the mess she and the EMTs had left in the room.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Denise wiped down and packed up the portable crash cart and returned it to it''s place in the closet, then tackled all the little bits and pieces of wrappers and things from the sticky pads, needle, gauze, and wipes. People don''t realize how much of a mess that can be until you have to clean it up. Denise thought, and didn''t notice that Ren had watched her the entire time. The phone rang and she went to the night stand and picked it up. ¡°Hi, Stella. Yes. I just finished cleaning the stuff off the floor.¡± Denise said and looked at the table. ¡°No, there''s nothing on it. Okay. See you in a few minutes.¡± She said and hung up. ¡°Lunch is ready.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Ren said and grinned. Denise looked at his excitement and was about to shake her head, then walked over to the bed instead. ¡°I think someone needs a quick bathroom break.¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Ren said, and she helped him out of the bed. ¡°What did it this time?¡± Denise asked as she took him to the bathroom. ¡°Watching you work so diligently.¡± ¡°Yeah, right.¡± Denise said and sat him down on the toilet. ¡°You were staring at my ass the whole time, weren''t you?¡± ¡°Not the whole time.¡± Ren said and gave her a big grin and looked really guilty. ¡°You are such a terrible liar.¡± Denise chuckled as she shut and locked the bathroom door. * ¡°So, is this it?¡± Edward asked the temporary head programmer. ¡°Will this fix all the problems?¡± ¡°All of them? No.¡± Francis said. ¡°Thanks to your instructions to exclude the call functions of all the NPCs that don''t have some kind of direct connection to quests, and then to only include their information gathering queries from the surrounding NPCs and not all of the NPCs, we were able to effectively cut out nearly 80% of the load from the update.¡± ¡°Good, good.¡± Edward said. ¡°What about the specific ones I mentioned?¡± ¡°I checked on that, and they should be fine... as long as no quest is gained or accessed in their vicinity.¡± Francis said. ¡°If an active Sea Dweller quest is brought near them, they will have no choice but to access the update to see what they ''know'' about it.¡± ¡°Hmm. I guess that will have to do for now.¡± Edward said. ¡°I assume you...¡± ¡°...are working to get the update repaired to function properly?¡± Francis asked, and Edward nodded. ¡°Max was right about how long it will take, even with the whole department working on it.¡± Francis said. ¡°It''s going to take at least a week or more before we can implement a full patch to change everything, which is about a month or so game time.¡± ¡°That''s fine, as long as it gets done.¡± Edward said, and looked at the game progression data he had asked for. ¡°I see you''ve made some headway in getting the Dwarven Kingdom expansion open to new players.¡± Francis smiled. ¡°I knew you would catch that.¡± ¡°That''s good work.¡± Edward commended him. ¡°With just a few more tweaks to the code, we can expect it to take only another month, instead of the full time the NPCs had initiated.¡± He said. ¡°You''ve even relaxed the governing policies in regards to their culture.¡± ¡°It is good work; but, we didn''t do it.¡± Francis admitted. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Look at the times the changes were implemented.¡± Francis said. Edward looked at the time scale on the side, with the corresponding changes. ¡°They are all at night.¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± Francis said. ¡°They are all internal code manipulations and not things we added.¡± ¡°But...¡± Edward thought about what could have happened, and he couldn''t see it. ¡°Do you know how it was done?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Francis said. ¡°Play file F451.¡± Edward queued up the file and hit play. ** Onscreen Ren handed a stack of papers to each of his maids. ¡°It''s going to take a long time to file all of these.¡± One of the dwarf women said. ¡°I know, and I''ll watch you the whole time.¡± Onscreen Ren said and held up an 8 inch rectangular mirror, then handed her a wand and told her how to use it. He created a portal and the women disappeared. The video jumped and showed the 5 dwarf women as they each put a stack of papers on the clerk''s desk in the Hall of Records, then it showed her filing them all. ** ¡°Goddamn, I knew he was a genius.¡± Edward said. ¡°He''s using their own legal system against them.¡± ¡°We can do it ourselves from this point, but I don''t want to mess up whatever he has planned.¡± Francis said. ¡°Whatever he''s been doing, he''s playing the long game.¡± Edward looked up from the video. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°He''s not getting instant gratification from anything he does.¡± Francis said. ¡°When he first started messing around with things, we were all upset.¡± He said. ¡°Some adamantly so.¡± Edward didn''t want those incidents mentioned, so he made a continue motion with his hand. ¡°Unlike some of the others, a few of us saw it as a challenge. We had to keep working to try and come up with things that he couldn''t change or stop after we started them.¡± Francis smiled. ¡°For the first time ever, we were actively programming to try and thwart a player.¡± Edward frowned and Francis raised his hands in surrender. ¡°That was long before your mandate, sir.¡± Edward nodded, and Francis continued. ¡°It was fun. We needed to be creative, sneaky, in some cases downright underhanded, just to try and outsmart him.¡± Francis chuckled. ¡°It almost worked a few times, but he... he thinks outside the box. Sometimes way outside the box.¡± He said, then went quiet for several moments. ¡°What is it you think he''s doing?¡± Edward prompted. ¡°He''s not just playing the game, sir.¡± Francis said. ¡°I think he''s building a place to live.¡± ¡°He''s what?¡± ¡°All of the things he''s done, it''s like he''s testing things, trying them to see if they work.¡± Francis said. ¡°I''m not really sure why I think that, but the more I think about it, the more likely it is.¡± He said. ¡°My educated guess is that he''s making a home for himself. A place where he can go to relax and have fun, and not have to worry about anything.¡± Edward put his viewing pad down and sat back in his chair. ¡°That does sound like something he would do.¡± Francis nodded. ¡°Now that I''ve had access to his full profile, some... other... information also came to light.¡± ¡°You know what he''s like in real life, then.¡± Francis nodded. ¡°He''s using the game as an escape from his horrible life and is building a virtual one.¡± Edward smiled. You are pretty far off from the truth with that statement. He thought. He has Elise by his side, and no one in their right minds would want to ''escape'' from her. ¡°I''ve already pushed back the next content update so we can work exclusively on fixing the Water Works update.¡± Francis said. ¡°We can have the alpha test ready by the end of the week.¡± ¡°Now, now. Don''t give me false hope and claim miracles.¡± Edward said sternly. ¡°It''s not sir. Now that we aren''t compartmentalizing the information and trying to write code for different things and trying to stitch them together for a full patch, the whole department are all on the same page and are working together to complete the update.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Edward said. ¡°Thank you for coming up here to discuss things.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, sir.¡± Francis said and stood up. ¡°If you will excuse me, I need to get back to it.¡± Edward nodded. ¡°Keep up the good work, and the temporary status you have as the head programmer might just change to permanency.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Francis said and left the office with a huge smile on his face. * Denise helped Ren walk out of the bathroom after relieving him of his excited state and saw that Stella, Lisa, Elise and Barbi were already seated at the table and were waiting for them. ¡°You weren''t kidding when you said a few minutes.¡± Ren said as Denise guided him over to the table to sit down between Lisa and Elise. ¡°Sweetheart, your face.¡± Elise said and gently touched the growing bruise on his forehead and between his eyes. ¡°I applied a cooling creme, but that''s all.¡± Denise said. ¡°If he banged it on the table when he lost consciousness, putting more pressure on it with an ice pack is not going to help.¡± ¡°You''re probably going to look like you were in a terrible fist fight.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Or like one of those old time criminals wearing a mask to cover your eyes.¡± Stella said. ¡°Actually, I think he''s going to look like a raccoon.¡± Lisa said. There was dead silence for several seconds, then everyone started laughing. Chapter 619 - Reloaded Ren, Stella, Lisa, Barbi, and Elise enjoyed their lunch together and were just finishing up when Barbi''s cell phone beeped at her. ¡°Someone just posted on the fan site that the game is back up.¡± Barbi said when she checked her phone. ¡°What? So soon?¡± Elise asked and took out her own phone and checked it while Ren and the others waited, then typed almost as fast as Barbi did when she texted people. ¡°My contact at the company says that they put a quick temporary patch in place to stop what you did, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°They won''t have anything concrete until the end of the week, maybe the beginning of next week.¡± ¡°I don''t see how they can stop me from making an artificial Aura, not without changing the fundamentals in the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°I meant activating the NPCs and having them check the Water Works update for information.¡± Elise said. ¡°Oh.¡± Ren replied. ¡°Yeah, I guess if they bottleneck the call functions, and limit it to just the NPCs that have Sea Dweller quest information, then...¡± ¡°How did you know they...¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°I''m surprised they finished it this quickly.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ve only lost one game day so far.¡± ¡°Isn''t that enough?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°It depends on if they had to use the old backup or not.¡± Elise said. ¡°If so, then it''s 5 game days.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s going to suck having to redo all of that work.¡± ¡°Are you going to redo it?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Can''t you just move on and do something else?¡± ¡°I suppose I could.¡± Ren said and then smiled. ¡°I liked having a country-sized Aura, though.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°I still can''t believe you did that.¡± She said. ¡°What a smart way to get your point across that the update was severely flawed.¡± ¡°I know it took a long time to set up game-wise; but, it was the fastest way to do it, considering they wouldn''t listen to you when you warned them about it as well.¡± ¡°I should caution you about the Water Works update and to not make any more waves.¡± Barbi said, and everyone looked at her while someone let out a slight groan. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°We don''t need water puns right now.¡± ¡°It''s okay. I make that mistake sometimes, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t let the current atmosphere drag you down into the depths.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Denise started to speak. ¡°I could shower her with compliments instead, but I don''t want her to drown in the tides of emotions that might flood out of her.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Stella started to speak as well. ¡°Hey, don''t rain your criticism down on me.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Most times, I can''t fathom what you mean.¡± He grinned. ¡°Let''s turn the tide of the conversation, so we can all wade through it safely.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Denise said and covered her face with a hand. ¡°Just stop.¡± ¡°Sea? Don''t get steamed over this.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Although, I seem to be getting in hot water myself.¡± They all groaned at that. ¡°Aww, don''t drown in your sorrow.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m skating on thin ice, aren''t I?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Okay, I''ll stop... after a joke.¡± ¡°No, no, no.¡± Lisa said and covered her ears. ¡°How do you make Holy Water?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You boil the Hell out of it.¡± Barbi covered her mouth to stop her smile. ¡°What do you call a duck that''s afraid to go into the water?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Chicken!¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Elise said. ¡°Get it out of your system.¡± ¡°Are you shore?¡± Ren asked. ¡°My reservoir of material is almost dried up.¡± ¡°Just do it.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°Okay. What did the horny shower head say?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± ¡°Every naked person I see turns me on.¡± Elise snorted a laugh. ¡°What did the dog say to the fire hydrant? Urine a lot of trouble.¡± Ren said, and Lisa chuckled. ¡°I feel so sorry for boiling water. It will be mist.¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°Someone asked me for a small donation to the neighbourhood pool, so I gave them a glass of water.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hey, I''ve been wondering something. If a pregnant woman is underwater, isn''t she technically a submarine?¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Barbi said and chuckled. ¡°Why don''t the Amish water ski?¡± Ren asked and looked at their faces. ¡°Because the horses might drown.¡± He had them all amused to some degree, so he pulled out his best joke. ** ¡°Three nuns die in a tragic bus accident. The bus driver went straight to hell, but the nuns went up to the pearly gates and waited in line. When it was the first nun''s turn, Saint Peter asked her if she had ever seen a man''s penis. ¡°Yes!¡± The nun exclaimed and cried. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± ¡°That''s okay. Just scrub your eyes with the Holy Water in the fountain over there, say Hail Mary 1,000 times, and then you can enter.¡± ¡°Thank you so much!¡± The nun said and rushed to the fountain to scrub her eyes vigorously. While they waited for her to finish, the third nun tapped the second nun on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, switch places with me.¡± ¡°Why?¡± The second nun asked. ¡°I want to gargle and wash my mouth out before you stick your ass in the fountain.¡± ** They all laughed, and Ren sat back with a satisfied look on his face and waited for them to stop.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Stella said when she calmed down. ¡°I assume that''s all?¡± ¡°I don''t want to spray out all my best material all at once, so yes.¡± ¡°No more puns.¡± Denise said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°For today, anyways.¡± Elise said. ¡°Barbi seemed to like them.¡± ¡°I don''t know how he came up with so many and put them into normal conversation.¡± Barbi said. ¡°They weren''t even bad ones, like ''water you doing'' and ''dew you want this''.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll have to remember those.¡± ¡°Don''t you dare!¡± Stella warned and glared at him, but she was smiling. ¡°What you said so far is enough.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be good.¡± ¡°Make sure you are.¡± Stella said and started to gather the dishes. ¡°I''ll give you a hand.¡± Denise said, and the dishes were gathered and the table was cleared off in record time. Stella pushed the cart with the dirty dishes on it out of the room, and Elise sighed. ¡°I guess I need to get back to work.¡± ¡°You don''t need to, but it would be good if you did.¡± Ren said. ¡°Who else is more qualified to take care of my financial empire?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°That''s not all I do.¡± ¡°I know, but looking beautiful isn''t really a job, Elise.¡± Ren said, and she laughed as she leaned in to give him a kiss. ¡°Well, a hard job I mean.¡± ¡°I know what you meant.¡± Elise said. ¡°Are you going back into the game?¡± ¡°You bet I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to see how much I need to redo, then redo it and continue my plan.¡± ¡°Oh? What plan is that?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Are you busy right now?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. ¡°Then come in with me and find out.¡± Lisa opened her mouth to agree, then shook her head. ¡°No, I''m staying out for now.¡± Ren thought about what had happened to her the last time she was in the game and he put his arm around her shoulders. ¡°I''m sorry he did that to you.¡± He said and rubbed her shoulder with his hand. ¡°I''ll be dealing with him on the weekend.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Lisa sighed. ¡°My special class blocked me from leaving or logging out.¡± ¡°Is it because you gain XP for information gathering and distribution?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I assume this happens every time a question is asked of you?¡± ¡°Yes, and normally I can answer any way I want. Depending on how close to the truth it is, the more XP I gain.¡± Lisa said. ¡°That guy and his Amulet of Assholiness took away all my options.¡± ¡°Assholiness. Good one.¡± Ren pressed his lips to her cheek and left them there for several seconds, then pulled away and looked her in the eyes. ¡°The first thing I''ll do when I go in is check to see if anything is different, then I''ll make an Amulet of Untruth for you.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Do you have a recipe for it?¡± ¡°I don''t right now, but I''m pretty sure I know who does.¡± ¡°Issac, the enchanter.¡± Lisa said right away. ¡°He said that the next time I visit, I can take a look around and examine everything he has in his shop.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s about time I take him up on his offer.¡± ¡°Ren, he has a lot of things available.¡± ¡°Yes, he does. I expect to take close to 10 minutes to look at everything.¡± Lisa chuckled. ¡°It''s going to take longer than that.¡± ¡°Not for what he has on display.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°The things in the back room on the other hand...¡± ¡°Oh, you sneak.¡± Lisa laughed. ¡°You know that''s not what he meant!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Wait about 10 minutes, then come in and visit me.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll fix your problem and then I''ll show you what I''m going to do.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren gave her another kiss, this time on the lips, and took his arm from her shoulder. ¡°I''m all cleaned up and prepped, so I''m ready for another rip-roaring time in the game.¡± ¡°At least this time you can''t crash it.¡± Elise said. ¡°Who told you that nonsense?¡± Ren asked and grinned at her, and she chuckled. ¡°All right, I''ll rephrase. Please don''t try to crash the game.¡± Elise said. ¡°Barbi is having a hard enough time as it is.¡± ¡°Well, if it''s for Barbi''s sake, then I''ll try.¡± Ren said, which made Barbi chuckle. ¡°Don''t go out of your way on my account.¡± Barbi said. ¡°The more you do, the more I have to do to cover your butt.¡± Ren smiled to her and Denise helped him over to the bed. He climbed up onto it and she got him settled, then helped him put on his VR headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren wasn''t surprised when he appeared in the white loading area and received a popup.
System Notice!
We sincerely apologize for the delay in service. The problem that precipitated the unintentional shutdown has been temporarily patched and will be repaired completely in a week. As compensation, all players will receive 1 special platinum coin that can be spent in selected shops. For a list of shops, open the Help menu and search for ''special shops''.
¡°How much do you want to bet that my shop isn''t on the list?¡± Ren asked out loud and laughed, then dismissed the popup. The world faded in around him and he saw that he stood next to the wall in the bedroom of the house in Aurora, in the same spot that he had logged out in. They must have managed to get the last backup repaired. He thought and looked up. Hey, Teepo. ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re back really early.¡± That would depend on your frame of reference. Ren thought to his friend. This time I was gone longer than I normally am. ¡°Hmm?¡± Artemis moaned a question and rolled over in the bed, then saw that Ren stood by the wall in his full form and not the phantom one, then felt his emotions as well. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Hey, there.¡± Ren said, and she got out of bed and hugged him. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°Now that you''re here, like I could take on the world.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I meant about the Sea Dweller thing.¡± ¡°It''s not nagging at me anymore.¡± Artemis said and tapped her temple. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Hopefully fixed things, but I doubt it''s permanent.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s going to be a while before I can go back to the maids.¡± ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Artemis said and let him go. ¡°Is there anything we can do to help?¡± ¡°No, I think all I need to do is wait.¡± Ren said. ¡°Things should go back to normal in about a month.¡± ¡°A MONTH?!?¡± All 4 succubi exclaimed at the same time. ¡°Yes, unfortunately.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t get any specifics; but, I''m pretty sure if I go around them again that they will start being preoccupied with the Sea Dweller part of me again.¡± ¡°We''re going to be with you for a whole month.¡± Seldanna whispered and hugged herself. ¡°We only see Ren every few days if we''re lucky, and now... now we can...¡± She stopped talking when Ellaria, the one Ren healed of the molten metal burns, tapped her shoulder. ¡°Is anyone hungry?¡± Ren asked, and the succubi nodded. He walked over to the bed and kissed each of them in turn and fed them their favorite emotions. He filled them up and they laid down and relaxed on the bed. ¡°You are so giving.¡± Ellaria said and closed her eyes like the other succubi. ¡°I don''t understand why you would do this for us, even though you''ve told us more times than I can count why you do.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You don''t need to understand, you only need to know that I will always do it for you.¡± Ellaria let herself feel contentment, and the other three succubi let themselves feel it as well. ¡°I need to make a quick run over to Issac''s shop in the Artesian District.¡± Ren said. ¡°Who''s coming with me?¡± ¡°I will.¡± Suniva the pixie said. ¡°Before I met you, I had never been anywhere except home and the caverns.¡± She said and walked through the air to sit on his shoulder. ¡°Seeing all these new places and things has been really neat!¡± ¡°It really is.¡± Teepo said and flew down to land on Ren''s other shoulder. ¡°Even when I was terrified during some of our adventures, it was still neat.¡± Suniva laughed, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Do you need guards?¡± Seldanna asked and opened her eyes to look up at him. ¡°No, it''s just a couple of streets over.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then if it''s all the same to you, I''ll just lay here and bask in you... ah, I mean the emotions you fed me, not you as in you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Either way is fine.¡± He said and leaned over the bed to give her surprised face a kiss. ¡°I''ll be back later.¡± Ren and Artemis left the bedroom and went down the stairs, then out of the house and down the street. ¡°You shouldn''t tease her like that.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I wasn''t teasing.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°I can feel her conflict between asking for more and the fear of being rejected.¡± He said. ¡°The other three are getting close to the same state, and if I''m going to be feeding them personally for the next month, I don''t want to cause them unintentional harm.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Now that they know I have a definite time limit and they are going to be around me for most of that time...¡± ¡°They are going to need more and you don''t want them to starve themselves, just because feeding them more will take up more of your time.¡± Artemis finished for him. ¡°You understand the problem.¡± Ren said and they arrived at the Artesian District. ¡°I''m trying to strike a delicate balance between giving them everything they need and everything they want.¡± Teepo chuckled. ¡°If you gave them everything they wanted...¡± ¡°I would be in so much trouble.¡± Ren said and laughed, then opened the door to Issac''s shop. ¡°You''ve really messed things up for yourself now.¡± A familiar voice said from inside a dark hood. ¡°Haven''t you, pipsqueak?¡± Ren didn''t respond, and the hooded figure chuckled. ¡°I was going to say that I was here for the same reason as you; but, I can tell that''s not true by your Aura.¡± The figure said. ¡°Why are you here then?¡± Ren asked as he equipped his platinum armor and Artemis took a fighting stance with her palms pointed towards the hooded figure that stood beside Issac. ¡°I''m buying new enchanted items to fight the Sea Dwellers, of course.¡± The hooded figure said and pulled down his hood to reveal very familiar facial features. Features Ren saw every time he met his Dedicated Servant Crafter. Tristan smiled evilly at him. ¡°Surprise.¡± Chapter 620 - Whats Going On Tristan reached into his cloak and Ren leaped forward through the air. ¡°STOP!¡± Issac yelled. Both of them froze as the magic of the shop held them in place. Tristan had his hand on his sword hilt and Ren was caught in mid-air. Artemis was stuck in her attack posture as well. Issac sighed and shook his head. ¡°Ren, I thought you were better than this.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°He was going for his sword!¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Issac said. ¡°Yes it does! You''re standing right in the arc of his swing!¡± Ren said. ¡°I was trying to stop him!¡± Issac looked down and saw that he really would have been caught by the blade if Tristan had successfully drawn the sword from its sheath. ¡°Unfortunately, that doesn''t matter. I can have you both barred for fighting on the premises.¡± ¡°I wasn''t going to fight.¡± Ren said. ¡°Turn around.¡± Issac turned to look and saw a portal was right behind Tristan. ¡°Now look at my hands.¡± Ren said, and Issac turned and looked. He saw that Ren''s hands were splayed out as if to push something, and they weren''t made into fists or held a weapon. ¡°What if he dodged?¡± Issac asked and Ren dropped the Illusion spell and showed the second portal beside Tristan. ¡°That''s impressive, especially without a wand.¡± ¡°I cast them as soon as I heard his voice and covered them with Illusions.¡± Ren said and dismissed both portals. ¡°I assumed he would try something and wanted a quick way to get rid of him.¡± ¡°I''m standing right here.¡± Tristan said angrily, as they talked about him and ignored him. ¡°Since nothing actually happened, I can let you off with a warning.¡± Issac said. ¡°The next time anything like this happens, you will be barred.¡± He said. ¡°That goes for you as well, Tristan.¡± Tristan smiled evilly again. ¡°That means I can attack Ren and he gets kicked out permanently, too.¡± ¡°That''s not what I said.¡± ¡°It''s what you mean.¡± Tristan responded. ¡°It amounts to the same thing. If he''s involved in a fight, even defending himself, he''ll be barred.¡± Issac sighed. ¡°You twist my words, but yes. No conflict is to happen, regardless of the circumstances.¡± ¡°Then stop wasting time.¡± Ren said, and Tristan and Issac looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You know what he''s like.¡± ¡°He''s a regular customer and buys expensive items.¡± Issac said. ¡°He also behaves himself and challenges me to come up with new ways to do things.¡± ¡°Yeah, pipsqueak.¡± Tristan sneered. ¡°It was all going fine until you showed up.¡± ¡°You were going to attack me!¡± Ren said. ¡°You equipped that fancy armor while we were just taking.¡± Tristan said and let a grin spread across his face. ¡°I figured I had to defend myself from your aggression.¡± Ren clamped his mouth shut and didn''t respond, because by an outside observer, namely Issac, it did look like an aggressive move. It didn''t matter what kind of history Ren and Tristan had with each other. ¡°Ren, please wait outside while I deal with this customer.¡± Issac said calmly. Ren nodded, and the magic let him go. He used his Air Walk so he wouldn''t fall to the floor, and Issac stared at Ren as he turned around in mid-air and walked back over to the front door without touching the floor. ¡°Have fun waiting your turn.¡± Tristan said and laughed, and Ren took Artemis'' hand and left the shop. ¡°That wasn''t fair at all.¡± Suniva and Teepo said at the same time, and she laughed while he chittered. ¡°No, I think it was.¡± Ren said as he equipped his blue suit and took out two comfy chairs, then he and Artemis sat down right in front of the shop, but out of view of the front window. ¡°Look at what happened from Issac''s perspective.¡± Suniva, Teepo and Artemis were quiet while they thought about that. ¡°I suppose we did come off as aggressive.¡± Artemis reluctantly admitted a few moments later. ¡°I''ve gotten so used to just reacting to things, that I haven''t even considered other people''s perspectives.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like you have time to do that.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You barely have time to consider your own perspective!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Yeah, it''s been hectic, even though I''m supposed to be relaxing right now.¡± ¡°I can help you relax.¡± Suniva whispered in his ear and licked it. She was in the perfect position to do that, since she sat on his shoulder. ¡°That''s... not quite... relaxing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Suniva asked and kissed his ear, and used her small hands to caress his earlobe. ¡°Pretty... sure.¡± Ren said and then had an idea. ¡°Let''s move around to the side of the building.¡± They stood up and he stored the two chairs, and he led Artemis out of sight of the street, then cast two iron walls to cut off the ends of the alleyway and cast Full Illusion on the whole alleyway to make the iron walls look like 4 foot tall fences and nothing at all was in the alley. ¡°It looks like you''re trying to hide-Mmm.¡± Artemis'' words were cut off as Ren kissed her. ¡°Hey! Me, too!¡± Suniva said in his ear. Ren broke the kiss and she hopped off his shoulder, and he cast Permanent Enlarge or Reduce Anything on her twice to make her grow from 1 foot tall to 4 feet tall. He didn''t wait for her to adjust to the new height before he kissed her passionately. She moaned, despite trying to hold it in, because he hadn''t kissed her like that before. ¡°Is that better?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Heavens, yes.¡± Suniva said with her head ducked slightly, as if she were shy, and he saw her smouldering eyes as she looked back at him.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I hope you''re ready for this.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened. ¡°F-for w-what?¡± ¡°Tristan pisses me off, and he''s going to make me wait for as long as he can, which pisses me off more.¡± Ren said. ¡°Since I can''t fight, I need another outlet for this anger.¡± ¡°Wh-what are... you going to do?¡± Suniva asked, and instead of answering, Ren tugged on her clothing. ¡°Store them or fade them away.¡± Ren said and looked at Artemis. ¡°On your knees, please.¡± ¡°My pleasure.¡± Artemis smiled demurely and knelt in front of him, then undid his pants. ¡°You... you can''t think about... we''re outside... and...¡± Suniva tried to explain that she wasn''t comfortable doing something out in the open, and then Ren cupped both sides of her face. ¡°We''re completely hidden from any view with the Full Illusion spell, and the walls will stop anyone from wandering into the alley.¡± Ren said and leaned close to give her a gentle kiss. She didn''t say anything, but her clothing faded away to leave her nude before him. He smiled and lifted her up enough to nuzzle her breasts and rest her against the wall, and her body temperature tripled in seconds. Ren stopped and looked at her face, and he saw no protest there, so he changed his grip on her and lifted her way up, then hooked his arms under her legs to expose her and licked her special place. Suniva gasped and made that little ''o'' of surprise with her mouth as her Fire burst from her and spread out over the alleyway, then it crawled up the wall of the building Ren held her against. She couldn''t keep it in check as he used his mouth on her, and she moaned as she looked down at him pleasing her. Artemis had waited until Ren started to pleasure Suniva before she started to please him. She knew that he didn''t want to be distracted, so she didn''t go all out on him like she usually did. Not only would he last a lot longer, but he would be able to work out his frustrations as well. ******** A lot of people had set their cell phones to receive messages when the notice for the game updating appeared. It didn''t take long for word to spread that the game was back online after that, though. When the message board and main site went back online, nearly everyone who played had already known that the game was available to be played once more. * ¡°It''s back up.¡± Alice whispered when she checked her cell phone for messages during her lunch break. She closed her eyes for a moment and took in a small breath, then opened her eyes and smiled sweetly. I can''t wait to get home. The rest of her day was going to pass by quickly, now that she was in a much better mood. Jennifer is going to have fun tonight. Alice thought happily. * Clint''s cell phone beeped at him and he tossed another bale of hay down from the hay loft to the floor of the barn. He wiped his forehead with a rag and slipped off his work gloves, then pulled out his phone. ¡°Abou'' time.¡± Clint said and saw the game notice that it was back online. ¡°Ah wuz geetin'' worried it migh'' stay down fer a while.¡± He said and checked his other messages, then smiled when he received one from the system administrator he had dated a couple of times. ¡°Ah reckon ah could do with a break this aftanoon.¡± Her message had asked him if he wanted a date that afternoon, and Clint typed up a response and sent it. He was surprised that he received a reply instantly and read it. He rubbed his chin and thought about what it could mean, then typed a response and sent it. He didn''t get a response right away, and he wondered if his own quick response had been a bit too eager. His phone beeped and he read the message and smiled. ¡°Looks like ah''m gonna need a shower right now if ah''m gonna make tha'' rendezvous.¡± Clint said and sent her back a thumbs up gesture to show he agreed, and she sent back a little heart. He chuckled, put his cell phone away, and climbed down the ladder. ¡°Ah shore hope this ain'' a mistake.¡± * Tommy was carrying yet another couch out of the moving van when his phone beeped at him. He ignored it and kept working until lunchtime, then sat down on a random chair to eat his bag lunch and checked his phone. The message was from Dillon, and he said that the game was back online. ¡°Thank god.¡± Tommy said. ¡°What was that?¡± His father asked from the front seat of the moving van where he was eatng his own bag lunch. ¡°Prostitutes ''R'' Us is now in full operation, and they''re giving out free samples!¡± Tommy said, and his father laughed. ¡°Tell them to send over a dozen.¡± ¡°Geez, dad!¡± Tommy shook his head. ¡°What would mom say?¡± ¡°Never make an expensive purchase until you fully test the merchandise.¡± His father said. Tommy couldn''t help but laugh, because his mom said that all the time. ¡°What was it really?¡± ¡°The game''s back up.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Damn. Your mother''s not going to be happy.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°She hates that anti-grandchild machine.¡± His father said and laughed. ¡°She''ll never have a little bundle of joy to fawn over if you keep having sex without consequences!¡± Tommy laughed, a little uncomfortably. He felt guilty because he and Jaime hadn''t used the game as a pregnancy deterrent the night before. They had both been caught up in the moment... several times in fact... and then again this morning. He wasn''t sure why it felt better in real life, since they had done the research and discovered it was supposed to be the exact same. Tommy ignored that part and concentrated on the scary part. If his mother knew he and his girlfriend had unprotected sex, he would never hear the end of it. Not in the ''you can''t do that'' anger most parents seem to have, but in the ''you better keep doing it'' anger she had. The longer he and his girlfriend were together, the more angry his mother seemed to become about it. They were almost at the point that they were going to stop visiting for supper every week, just so she would stop with the pressure. ¡°Say, are you two coming over to eat on Saturday?¡± His father asked. ¡°Uh, I don''t know.¡± Tommy said. ¡°Jaime might need to work.¡± His father shrugged. ¡°I''d say let us know, but you know your mom. She''ll make enough whether you show up or not.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Tommy said and picked up his sandwich. He missed having her home-cooked meals 7 days a week, since it was so much easier to have someone else do it. Jaime is trying her best to do the same thing; but, it''s hard if you don''t have a lot of experience doing it on your own. He thought and smiled. We do have fun trying to cook together on Wednesdays, though. ¡°Don''t just stare at it.¡± His father said, and Tommy turned to see him leaning out of the van. ¡°We''ve got two more loads after this one before the Henderson job is done.¡± ¡°Right, dad.¡± Tommy said and took a big bite of the sandwich and took a drink of soda. * ¡°Oh, my god! I did it!¡± Gwendolyn the system administrator said and looked at Clint''s response on her cell phone. ¡°He said yes!¡± ¡°Way to go.¡± Jaime said from the computer monitor. Unlike the guys, who barely talked to each other during the week, Jaime and Gwendolyn had been texting and video chatting every chance they could since they met. ¡°Thanks for the advice.¡± Gwendolyn said, then all the color drained from her face. ¡°Oh, no! What am I going to wear?¡± ¡°Turn the camera enough to show me the closet and I can help you.¡± Jaime said. ¡°Thank you!¡± Gwendolyn said and kissed her fingertips and held them towards the camera. Jaime chuckled. ¡°You better hurry up.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve only got 20 minutes left of my lunch break.¡± ¡°AHH!¡± Gwendolyn yelped and jumped up, banged her knee on her desk, then tumbled backwards over her chair and onto the floor. ¡°Ow! Ow! Ow!¡± She nearly yelled and could hear Jaime''s hysterical laughter from her computer. ******** I hope the little bastard is bored senseless waiting. Tristan thought in amusement. ¡°I''m glad you were able to make two gauntlets for me this time.¡± He said to Issac, who only nodded. ¡°I''ve been having trouble with this quest I''m on, and I need the extra boosts.¡± ¡°I''m glad I could help.¡± Issac said tonelessly and Tristan paid for the items. ¡°What else can I help you with?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Tristan said. ¡°Do you have anything that can strike at long range, without me having long range abilities?¡± ¡°Hmm. That''s a tough one.¡± Issac said. ¡°Is there a specific target you had in mind?¡± ¡°Ghouls.¡± Tristan said and smiled. ¡°I just came from the capital and the outlying districts still have soldiers fighting them.¡± ¡°Yes, that was a terrible thing to have happen.¡± Issac said. ¡°I''m so glad we never had anything come this way.¡± Tristan nodded. ¡°I would have been back to buy things sooner if I wasn''t so busy.¡± Issac smiled, because he assumed Tristan had been fighting the ghouls because of that statement. He couldn''t have been farther from the truth, and Tristan had worded things specifically that way on purpose. ¡°So, do you have anything?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°It doesn''t even really need to be offensive or do damage.¡± He said. ¡°Maybe just a trap, or bindings that will hold long enough for me to get close and finish them off.¡± ¡°Let me go and check the back.¡± Issac said. ¡°I''m sure I have something that you can use.¡± ¡°Thanks, Issac.¡± Tristan said. ¡°I''ll just have a look around and see what else you have.¡± ¡°You can look all you want, but don''t touch anything.¡± Issac warned. Tristan laughed. ¡°I won''t forget what happened the first time I was in here, so don''t worry.¡± Issac nodded and went into his back room, and Tristan turned around and looked at all of the things scattered around. They were all antiques, or appeared to be antiques, and he knew some were pure illusions and some were just made to look old. There were a couple that were genuinely old and run down, however. Tristan marked them mentally and waited patiently for Issac to return. Yeah, I''m going to make you wait for a long time, you pipsqueak. He thought and smiled. Issac is going to be sick of people asking questions about everything by the time I''m done. Chapter 621 - Issacs Shop Ren had to use his Fire Manipulation ability to keep Suniva''s Fire under control as it tried desperately to break out of the confined space of the alley. When Ren realized that he should just absorb it instead of just holding it, he pulled it towards himself. Suniva felt the flow of her Fire change and she tried to regain control, then Ren found a particularly ticklish spot on her with his tongue and she lost any semblance of control as she finished. I guess this is why she said she has never found anyone that could handle her. Ren thought, and was glad he had years of practice absorbing fire, so when Suniva let herself go and both the lava-like liquid of her joy and her Fire element poured out unhindered, he took it all. He held Suniva as she collapsed, boneless, into his arms. Her breathing was rapid and she had a huge smile on her face. ¡°Hey, are you all right?¡± Ren asked, and then her Fire slowed down and then stopped coming out of her. ¡°I... I...¡± Suniva blinked her eyes for a few moments. ¡°I love you!¡± Ren gave her a warm smile. ¡°You can''t be in love with me yet. It''s too soon.¡± ¡°No, it isn''t!¡± Suniva said and tried to lift her arms to hug him, but she was too relaxed to move. ¡°All the things you''ve done for me, including saving my life, rescuing me, and giving me a home...¡± She took several breaths to calm herself down. ¡°You care a lot about me, and about my happiness.¡± She said. ¡°It wasn''t love at first sight when we met, but... it grew to... to fill my heart, and...¡± She sighed. ¡°I know you have so many in your life already, and I don''t mind waiting until there''s room for me.¡± ¡°Suniva...¡± Ren said and his face twisted a little. ¡°I know it''s a lot to ask, but I want to be yours!¡± Suniva said desperately. ¡°I''ll do whatever you want to be with you!¡± Ren closed his eyes and winced, and Suniva misunderstood the gesture. ¡°I don''t care what it takes! I''ll do it!¡± Suniva nearly yelled. ¡°Please! Let me join the others in your circle!¡± ¡°It... it''s not... that.¡± Ren managed to get out through gritted teeth. ¡°Artemisss...¡± Suniva''s eyes widened as she realized what he meant and leaned out to look down, and saw Artemis moving her head forward and back almost faster than she could see. ¡°What in the... how can she...¡± Suniva turned and looked at Ren''s face again, and saw he was fighting to hold back and wasn''t denying her like she thought he was. She brought her element up into her mouth. ¡°Burn with me.¡± She said and kissed him, then poured Fire into his mouth and down his throat. ¡°HURK!¡± Ren gasped at the sudden influx of Fire in a way he had never experienced before, and it distracted him just enough that he lost his battle to not finish. Artemis didn''t stop moving her head as he went, and Ren kissed Suniva hard as he shoved his hips forward over and over to match Artemis'' movements. The three of them stayed that way for almost a full minute before Ren started to relax. He stopped moving his hips and Artemis stopped moving her head, and after another several moments, she stood up to her full 6 foot height with a very satisfied look on her face. Suniva broke the kiss when she felt Ren sigh, and she gave him a smile just like the one Artemis wore. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°I don''t know how to answer that.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s too much going on to put it into words.¡± ¡°Is it better than being pissed off?¡± Artemis asked, and he chuckled. ¡°Definitely.¡± ¡°Then that''s all that matters.¡± Suniva said and formed clothes around herself. Ren felt the tingle on his hands as the magic cloth slid between his fingers and Suniva''s back and legs. ¡°You can put me down now.¡± Ren stood her on her feet and she wobbled slightly, and he put his arms around her. ¡°You need to wait a few more minutes before standing on your own, I think.¡± Suniva nodded and he took out two chairs, then sat down and offered his lap to Suniva. She sat down and cuddled to his chest and Artemis sat beside them. ¡°How long do you think he''ll make you wait?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I told Lara, the Sage of Ages, to meet me about 40 minutes after I came here, so I think Tristan is going to make me wait about half an hour.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t think he can force himself to procrastinate much more than that.¡± * Ren was a little off on his estimation. Tristan was bored out of his mind only after about 10 minutes, and he was having a hard time feigning interest in the junk Issac had in his shop. He had already asked about the interesting things and used up their information after the first minute, and he had been doggedly trying to pick more things to ask about since. ¡°...and that''s how I discovered it.¡± Issac said of the latest item Tristan had asked about. ¡°That''s... great.¡± Tristan said, a little sadly. I think he''s actually enjoying talking about everything. He thought and sighed. ¡°I better get going.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Issac said. ¡°Thank you for your purchases, and I hope to see you again soon.¡± ¡°That''s always possible.¡± Tristan said absently and walked over to the door of the shop. He glanced out the window before opening it and didn''t see Ren there. So, I made him wait long enough that he left. He thought and smiled. Serves him right. He walked out the shop with the smile on his face and moved down the street. I can still feel his Aura, so he''s close by. Tristan walked down the street and glanced into Ren''s shop to see if he was in there. He didn''t see Ren, so he continued down the street and around the corner and still felt Ren''s Aura. He looked around as he walked, then he didn''t feel the Aura anymore. I bet he followed me to see if I was really leaving. Tristan thought and chuckled. I''m actually making him nervous. He left the Artesian District and headed across the city to the Market District to spend the rest of the special platinum coin he had received for free. I hope you stay nervous, because you don''t know what''s coming for you. *The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. It wasn''t long after Ren had settled down to wait when he felt Tristan leave Issac''s shop. He waited until Tristan was out of sight before he dismissed the Full Illusion spell and both Iron Wall spells. He shrunk Suniva back to her normal 1 foot height so she could sit on his shoulder again, and she cuddled into the side of his head like she had to his chest while Ren and Artemis walked out of the alleyway and into Issac''s shop. ¡°I don''t know how you can do business with him.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know what he did to me.¡± ¡°You and I have had this discussion before, when you asked me why I would make a gauntlet that can harm people.¡± Issac said. ¡°My answer is still the same. We can enchant things to do damage, and we can''t complain when those things are used to cause damage by people we can''t control.¡± ¡°You can control who you sell it to.¡± ¡°How do you decide?¡± Issac asked. ¡°Someone just walks in off the street and asks for that dagger.¡± He said and pointed to the display case under the counter. ¡°You know a knife can be used to cut things, and it can even kill; but, you don''t know what it will be used for, nor do you know the motives of the person buying it.¡± ¡°I assume you mean that we can''t make snap judgments of people we just met, because they could want it for ceremony, or it looks pretty, or it has a neat effect.¡± Ren said and identified and examined the dagger, and received the recipe for it.
Dagger Of Tears
When this blade is used to make a cut, for a small amount of Mana, the wielder of this blade can reopen that cut, even if the wound was healed by magical means. Does 10 to 40 Damage and is also Sharp (cannot be sharpened further, +10 Damage). Durability: 100 / 120
¡°Yes, that''s right.¡± Issac said. ¡°You know the things we make can be used to hurt others.¡± ¡°Actually, you are right about that.¡± Ren said and kept looking at things and gaining the recipe for them. ¡°But, we can also make things that intentionally hurt others.¡± He said. ¡°Like the Amulet of Tithonus you made for Glaston Killdane.¡± Issac opened his mouth to deny it, then glanced up at his lie detector and sighed. ¡°I didn''t ask him his name, because I didn''t want to know it.¡± He said. ¡°I thought adding a God of Insects aspect to the Amulet of Truth was a nice compromise to what he actually wanted.¡± Ren wanted to ask what the real aspect would have been, then changed his mind. ¡°Will it bother your conscience to know that he used it against the Sage of Ages?¡± He asked and looked at an old battered shield, then identified and examined it to receive the recipe.
Ancient Iron Shield Of Themis
This shield has seen thousands of battles. In all that time, it has always been used to protect those that need protection. Imbued with an old magic, it can expand up to 10 feet wide or 10 feet high. Durability: 20 / 200
Issac sighed again. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Yes, I know. You don''t want to know the details.¡± Ren said to stop Issac''s excuses. ¡°Some of this stuff is barely functional.¡± ¡°Some of it is fake as well.¡± Issac said, and Ren pointed to three items near him. A sword, a cabinet, and a helm. ¡°Those are enchanted to make them look like antiques.¡± Ren pointed to two other things. A gold chest plate and a staff with a gleaming emerald. ¡°Those are Full Illusions.¡± He said and continued around the shop. Most of the things were just variations of things that he himself had made, then something caught his eye. It was an old wooden sword that was nearly a foot wide that laid on it''s side on a high shelf, and Ren walked up into the air and used Identify on it, then examined it to get the recipe.
Old Wooden Practice Sword
This sword was used by a great fighter from a distant land. Sparring with this sword will give the wielder a prowess unbeknownst to most fighters. When equipped, this sword grants: Hidden Fighting Art (Skill), Parry (Skill), Lightness (+20 Anti-dark), +20 Agility Durability: N / A
¡°Wow, that''s pretty cool.¡± Ren said, then he saw something almost completely hidden behind it. It was a small chest, and he couldn''t use Identify on it. ¡°Hey, what''s that chest?¡± ¡°Ah, you''ve found it.¡± Issac said and walked over to him. ¡°Only someone interested in the wooden sword would have looked there.¡± ¡°It was a test?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Of a sort.¡± Issac said and had to get a ladder to climb up to the shelf. ¡°How are you walking through the air?¡± ¡°Air Walk spell.¡± Ren said. ¡°That would have worn off already.¡± Issac said. ¡°I didn''t see you cast it again.¡± ¡°It''s permanent.¡± Ren said, and Issac stared at him. ¡°You had someone cast Permanency on an Air Walk spell?¡± Issac asked, and Ren felt his incredulity. ¡°You think that was a waste.¡± Ren said, and he nodded. ¡°It''s saved my life a couple of times, and I''ve had fun with it, too.¡± Issac nodded his understanding and picked up the wooden sword to reveal the small chest. ¡°As you can see, it can''t be identified.¡± He said. ¡°It''s enchanted that way.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± Ren asked, and Issac nodded. ¡°Most people assume that you can Identify anything, and they usually just overlook most things when they can''t, believing that their skill needed to be higher to do it.¡± ¡°Ha ha. I''ve done that myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°We all have.¡± Issac said and picked up the box. ¡°I see you''ve pretty much gone through everything I have on display, and this is the last thing I have out.¡± ¡°May I ask what it is?¡± ¡°It''s a small chest, obviously.¡± Issac said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, I''ll bite. What''s inside of it?¡± ¡°I can''t tell you that.¡± Issac said. ¡°You''ll need to buy it to find out.¡± ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°Ten platinum coins.¡± ¡°Whew.¡± Ren said. He hadn''t come across anything that expensive in the starter city before. ¡°That''s really expensive.¡± He said, and then his Haggle skill kicked in. He smiled and thought for a moment. ¡°How about one platinum coin?¡± ¡°One!¡± Issac said and laughed. ¡°Ren, what''s in here is going to change everything for you if you buy it.¡± ¡°Most sellers claim that.¡± Ren said. ¡°One platinum, 50 gold.¡± ¡°Eight platinum.¡± Issac said. ¡°No, that''s still too much. Will it be something I can reproduce?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Issac said. ¡°It''s one of a kind.¡± ¡°Okay, then. Three platinum coins.¡± ¡°You''re not understanding what I''m saying.¡± Issac said and held the chest out. ¡°You will open this chest and everything you do afterwards will change.¡± He said. ¡°Six platinum.¡± ¡°You could be selling me a curse that will make me walk funny or make my arms shake.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Four platinum.¡± ¡°I give my word that this won''t harm you in any way.¡± Issac said. ¡°Let''s meet halfway between our original prices. Five platinum.¡± He said. ¡°I can''t go any lower than that.¡± Ren took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Well, I suppose it''s too tempting of an offer to say no to.¡± He said. ¡°It''s a deal.¡±
Stat Change!
Haggle Level 7 (Intermediate 0%)
Ren started to take out 5 platinum coins from his pouch, then stopped. He put one back and opened his inventory to look for something, and found the special platinum coin he had received as downtime compensation. He was a little surprised he had been given one, since it was his actions that precipitated the shutdown in the first place. He just assumed it was too much for them to add in the code to deny the compensation to just him, and handed the coin to Issac and added 4 more from his coin pouch. ¡°Thank you.¡± Issac said and handed the small chest to Ren. ¡°Go ahead and absorb the enchantment.¡± Ren nodded and instead of absorbing it and converting the enchantment to Mana, he used his Retain Essence ability instead and saved it, whatever it was, and used Identify on the chest.
Small Chest
This is a small wood and metal chest.
Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s just a chest.¡± Issac smiled. ¡°It is.¡± He said and handed Ren the small key. ¡°Go ahead and open it.¡± Ren took the key and popped the small clasp, and opened the chest. Inside was a small pearly white book. Ren took it out and stored the empty chest, then read the cover.
Legendary Book of the Goddess Isis (Unique) Magic Secrets for the Master Enchanter
¡°Wow.¡± Ren said and held it like it was made of glass and he might break it at any time. ¡°I told you that you couldn''t reproduce it.¡± Issac said. ¡°I think I should have paid the 10 platinum coins.¡± Ren whispered. Issac laughed. ¡°I guess I should have told you what it was first.¡± ¡°That might have been a good idea.¡± Ren smiled and stored the book. Chapter 622 - Issacs Shop Again ¡°Now that I''m done with this part of the shop.¡± Ren said and walked over to the front counter and then behind it. ¡°You can take me into the back room and show me the rest of it.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Issac said with wide eyes. ¡°You told me that I could look around as much as I wanted.¡± Ren said and opened the door that was there. ¡°You didn''t say I was limited to looking at the part of the shop that everyone else can see.¡± ¡°No! You can''t go back there!¡± Issac exclaimed and ran over to the counter. ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked and stood in the doorway. ¡°Are you going back on your word? Did you lie?¡± Issac came to a stop at the counter and stared at Ren. ¡°You know full well that I only meant the front of the shop and the items I have on display.¡± ¡°...and you know full well that nearly all of them are things I can make already. I only found four interesting things in the whole display.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, did you lie? Was it all a ruse just to sell me the book?¡± ¡°I...¡± Issac sighed. ¡°Yes, it was a...¡± *KRACKOOOOOM!* The thunderclap shattered every piece of glass in the shop as a thick bolt of Lightning shot out of the lie detector on the ceiling. Ren reacted instantly and equipped his full set of platinum armor as he jumped forward, then activated the Anti-lightning runes in his armor and reached over the counter to grab Issac and put him in a bear hug. Unfortunately, this wasn''t enough to stem the bolt''s power. It struck Issac in the back and shocked him before the armor could negate it fully. ¡°N-no.¡± Ren said as Issac slumped in his arms. ¡°Issac! ISSAC!¡± ¡°Can''t... hear.¡± Issac whispered. ¡°Too... loud.¡± ¡°Issac! What happened?¡± Ren yelled. ¡°The amulet doesn''t have that much damage capability!¡± ¡°Lie... was too... big.¡± Issac said. ¡°Too... long to... tell truth.¡± He gasped in pain. ¡°Saved up... energy.¡± ¡°It''s not supposed to scale like that!¡± Ren said and tried to cast a Major Healing spell. ¡°Healing... won''t work.¡± Issac said when he felt the tingle of Mana flow over him and dissipate. ¡°Too... late.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Ren exclaimed. Issac slumped in his arms, and Ren laid him down on the floor. ¡°Here.¡± Issac said and held out a thick book. ¡°In... in... inventory.¡± ¡°What?¡± Issac dropped the book on the floor and held out a scroll. ¡°Take.¡± ¡°Issac, what...¡± ¡°Don''t... no back room.¡± Issac said and shook the scroll at Ren. ¡°TAKE!¡± Ren took it and received a popup.
Notice!
You have gained a new business. Issac''s Enchanting. Do you want to change the name at this time? Yes / No
¡°NO!¡± Ren yelled and the popup disappeared as the key appeared around his neck. Another popup appeared that had the business information and he dismissed it without reading it. ¡°Issac, what are you doing?¡± ¡°I can''t... I... made mistake.¡± Issac said. ¡°Keep... keep...¡± He stopped talking and coughed up blood. ¡°Back room... off... off limits.¡± Issac said. ¡°Not... you... not ready.¡± He said and took out another book. This one was similar in size to one Ren already had in his own inventory, and his eyes widened as Issac held it out to him. ¡°Take... useful...¡± ¡°Issac, I can''t take your Book of Runes!¡± ¡°Use... use...¡± Issac tried to catch his breath and panted. He tried to speak again; but, nothing came out except the last of his breath. His hand dropped to the floor and he let go of the book. ¡°No.¡± Ren said and tears came to his eyes. Suniva ducked her head against his ear and her own tears flowed. ¡°I''m so sorry, Ren.¡± ¡°I killed him.¡± Ren said and didn''t try to wipe his face. ¡°No, he killed himself.¡± Artemis said, coldly. Ren looked up at her, and he saw her angry face and felt her burning emotions. ¡°Artemis...¡± ¡°You saw where he stood!¡± Artemis said and pointed to the counter. ¡°He made sure he was between you and the lie detector!¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°The counter was between you, and he knew you couldn''t move at full speed with it in the way.¡± Artemis said. ¡°You would have bounced right off of it if you tried!¡± Ren opened his mouth to deny it, then he considered the situation and couldn''t deny it. He did have to reach over the counter to hug Issac, and that split second delay could have changed the outcome. ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked and shook Issac''s body. ¡°I don''t understand! Why?!?¡± ¡°Ren, he can''t answer you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°He''s gone.¡± ¡°Not yet he isn''t.¡± Ren said and took out the Book of Isis. ¡°I still have time left to ask him.¡± ¡°Ren, you can''t talk to...¡± Teepo started to say, then he saw the contents of the book. He quickly turned on Ren''s shoulder and jumped as hard as he could to jam his mandibles into Ren''s neck and bit him. ¡°GAH!¡± Ren yelled and froze still. He was completely immobilized and couldn''t move.
Notice!
You have gained the Paralyzed condition. You cannot move, speak, or use abilities.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°TEEPO!¡± Artemis yelled. ¡°WHAT are you DOING?¡± ¡°I won''t let Ren do it!¡± Teepo exclaimed, and Artemis reached for him. ¡°If you grab me, Ren might be permanently paralyzed!¡± Artemis stopped moving and slowly let her hand fall to her side. ¡°Teepo...¡± ¡°I don''t care if he hates me after this.¡± Teepo said, and you could hear the sadness in his voice and feel it in his emotions. ¡°I won''t let him do to Issac what my uncle did to me.¡± Artemis gasped and looked at Ren, then down at the page of contents. She saw where his finger was on the page, and saw that it was a recipe to make a Soul Bound item. ¡°Ren, you... you wouldn''t have...¡± Artemis started to say, and she felt his emotions. ¡°I... Ren, you can''t.¡± She said and turned away. ¡°Even if you only want to ask a question and then release him, I... I agree with Teepo. You can''t be allowed to do it.¡± Ren watched helplessly as Artemis took the book from his hand and turned to the page with the recipe, then tore the page out of the book and crumpled it up. ¡°Suniva.¡± Artemis said and held the ball of parchment paper out. ¡°Ren...¡± Suniva said through her tears. ¡°...you can''t give in to the darkness, no matter the temptation.¡± Fire leaped from her small hands and hit the dry parchment. It burned up in a flash and Suniva pulled her Fire back. ¡°I am so sorry that your old mentor is gone.¡± Suniva said and kissed his cheek as her tears doubled, then they evaporated as her Fire burned hot. ¡°I have to agree with Teepo as well.¡± She said and sobbed. ¡°I won''t let you succumb to it, even if... you... you hate me.¡± ¡°It will only be for another 5 minutes, Ren.¡± Teepo said, and his sorrow was evident in both his voice and his emotions. ¡°Then I''ll let you go.¡± Ren couldn''t respond because of the paralysis, so Suniva, Teepo, and Artemis waited. When the time expired, Teepo pulled his mandibles out of Ren''s neck. It took another minute for the paralysis to completely wear off, however.
Notice!
You have lost the Paralyzed condition. Warning: You are now susceptible to being paralyzed in the same fashion. It will be easier to immobilize you in the same way from now on.
¡°Ren, how do you feel?¡± Artemis asked, and Ren gained the Angered condition. ¡°Betrayed.¡± Ren said and made his hands into fists. ¡°Betrayed by my best friend, who I''ve known for nearly as long as I''ve been an Adventurer.¡± He said and glanced at Teepo, who sighed and crouched down on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Betrayed by someone I have deep feelings for and had planned to have sex with.¡± He said and looked at Artemis, which made her gasp, then he glanced at his other shoulder. ¡°Betrayed by a new friend, who I thought shared my view on things.¡± ¡°I... I''m sorry, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ll go back into the ring.¡± ¡°Why? Do you want to run and hide?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You hate me now.¡± ¡°No, Teepo. I don''t hate you. I could never hate my friend. I just hate that you didn''t trust me.¡± Ren said and looked at Artemis. ¡°I hate that none of you trusted me.¡± ¡°We just wanted to protect you from making a mistake.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Yes, but it was you three that made the mistake.¡± Ren said. ¡°Open that book and look at the contents, then tell me what the entry above the Soul Bind Item was.¡± Artemis opened the book to look at the contents and found the Soul Binding Item in the list, and right above it was an entry for a Dying Wish enchantment. She caught her breath and looked at Ren with tears in her own eyes. ¡°Ren, I''m sorry!¡± Artemis exclaimed. ¡°So am I.¡± Ren said sadly as he took the book from her and stored it. ¡°The three of you made me miss my only chance to ask Issac why he did what he did.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Teepo started to apologize. ¡°Be quiet, Teepo.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is the third time you have interfered without being asked.¡± He said. ¡°That my own friend would turn on me like that, without even asking me what I was doing...¡± He shook his head. ¡°...you promised after the last time that you would always help me, Teepo.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°I said to be quiet.¡± Ren said, and Teepo fell silent. ¡°I don''t want to hear an apology from you.¡± He said. ¡°In fact, I don''t want to hear an apology from any of you. Doing something like this to me, when you know what I''ve been through...¡± He shook his head again. ¡°You don''t deserve my forgiveness. Not for this.¡± ¡°Ren, I don''t know what you went through!¡± Suniva protested. ¡°You can''t hold that against me.¡± ¡°Don''t get me wrong, I know you only went along with the others because you couldn''t be sure that Teepo wouldn''t cripple me. I don''t hold that against you.¡± Ren said. ¡°What I do hold against you is that I was held immobile for nearly 10 minutes and you didn''t say anything or protest it at all.¡± Suniva sobbed and pulled her legs up to rest her arms on her knees, then rested her head on her arms and kept crying. Artemis wasn''t sure what to say. She could feel his emotions, but she couldn''t tell what he was thinking. Ren walked over to the front door of his new business and made a closed sign to put in the window, then cast Permanent Full Illusion behind the window to show the lights were off and no one was inside. He walked back over to Issac''s now useless corpse and knelt on one knee, picked up and stored Issac''s Book of Runes and the inventory book, then looted his body. Ren received 3 platinum coins, all of which were the special ones given as compensation, and he stored them in inventory. He also found a Necklace of Ambivalence and a scroll of parchment. He stored both things and stood up, then walked over to the door behind the counter and shut it. He locked it and looked under the counter. There was a chest there that he identified as the money storage and opened it, then dumped the money into his coin pouch. Underneath the money was a small wooden box, and Ren sighed as he opened it and saw that it was only half-filled with Shadow coins. Ren stored the box and closed the chest, then walked across the shop to the front door. ¡°I''m locking it up.¡± Ren said and motioned for Artemis to leave ahead of him. She stepped by without saying a word and he stepped out of the shop and locked the door. ¡°Are you going to open it tomorrow?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°No, it won''t ever be open again.¡± Ren said. ¡°This business is mine and still active, and I am leaving it here so that it won''t ever be replaced.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Everyone will know Issac was the enchanter here and he''s no longer here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m tempted to leave a sign to explain it to people, but it doesn''t matter how he died.¡± He said. ¡°He''s gone and everyone will remember him because of his absence.¡± Artemis stopped talking, and Ren walked up the street to the edge of the district. He didn''t say where he was going, and Artemis didn''t ask. It was her job to stay with him no matter where he went, and that''s what she did. Because she kept thinking about what Ren had said, she couldn''t help herself and let her sad emotions out. Ren didn''t try to cut them off, because he knew it would hurt her if he stopped sharing. Artemis felt his reluctant acceptance, and that made her emotions change from sad to morose. Ren walked on without saying anything, and they arrived at Nathalia''s Restaurant. He saw the line of people waiting to go in and ignored it as he bypassed it. No one said anything to him as he entered the restaurant until he passed the woman that sat people. ¡°Sir! You''re supposed to wait in line!¡± She said. ¡°I don''t care.¡± Ren said and walked across the crowded restaurant without stopping. Artemis followed wordlessly as he entered the kitchen and he walked right over to Nathalia. ¡°Ren? What...¡± Nathalia caught her breath as she concentrated on their personal connection. ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± She exclaimed and put a hand over her heart. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± Ren didn''t say anything as he put his arms around her and gave her a passionate kiss. Nathalia resisted at first, then she felt his desperate need for comfort and she kissed him back just as passionately. All of the cooking staff stopped working to stare at them, and after several moments, Ren broke the kiss. ¡°As a King, I greet you formally to establish a cordial relationship, Lady Neram, Head Of House Neram.¡± Ren said in a monotone voice. ¡°From this point forward, I invite you to call me Ren.¡± Nathalia stared at him with her mouth open in surprise. ¡°That is all I can do for now, but I will continue my campaign to establish a closer relationship between our two peoples.¡± Ren said and took her hand, then leaned in and kissed her cheek to give her Honor. ¡°Be well, Lady Neram.¡± He said. ¡°I will visit again.¡± ¡°R-Ren!¡± Nathalia finally managed to say, then she touched her lips that he had kissed publicly. ¡°Wh-what... what is...¡± ¡°When you return home, have Lady Erika contact the Hall of Records.¡± Ren gave her a slight smile. ¡°I will.¡± Nathalia said, then frowned. ¡°Now get out of the kitchen.¡± Ren grinned and gave her a bow of his head, which increased her Honor even more, then he left without saying another word. * ¡°I thought dwarves couldn''t do things like that in public.¡± One of the kitchen staff commented to another in a loud whisper. ¡°I thought so, too.¡± Nathalia answered, even though the statement wasn''t directed at her. ¡°I... I don''t feel...¡± She took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°It didn''t feel wrong.¡± She said and smiled warmly at her staff. They smiled back, because they hadn''t seen her smile like that in a long time. ¡°Hey, what''s going on in here?¡± One of the waitresses said as she came into the kitchen. ¡°Back to work, everyone!¡± She said and clapped her hands once. It broke the lull in activity and everyone got back to work, including Nathalia. She was in a much better mood, and she felt that Ren was as well. That made her happy and it let her cook faster, and her hands flew as she chopped things up and continued to work. Chapter 623 - Start Of The Plan Ren left the restaurant in a better mood, and no one in the restaurant or in line commented as he passed them going in the other direction. He had ignored their emotions on the way in and he ignored them again. He wasn''t surprised that he didn''t lose the Angered condition, though. What he told Teepo was the truth. He didn''t hate him, only what he did; but, it wasn''t for the obvious reason. Ren hated that he didn''t take into account that his friends might try to stop him from doing something, and that he didn''t tell them what he was going to do... which precipitated their misunderstanding and caused them to turn on him at a crucial moment. He sighed because he felt their resentment over what he had said to them, that they didn''t deserve his forgiveness, so he walked back to the Housing District in silence. Ren entered the house with Artemis right behind him and went up the stairs into the large bedroom. The succubi had felt him down the street and saved their hisses for when he entered the room. ¡°Hsssss!¡± Seldanna said and sprung to her feet. ¡°You turned on him?!?¡± ¡°It wasn''t like that.¡± Artemis said, but you could hear the defeat in her voice and felt it in her emotions. She sat down on the floor beside the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest to rest her forehead on her arms. It was the same pose that Suniva had on Ren''s shoulder. Suniva stood up and walked over to Artemis and sat on her shoulder, then resumed the same pose. Teepo flew off of Ren''s shoulder and landed on the ceiling to take up his normal guard position. ¡°It''s okay, Seldanna.¡± Ren said. ¡°They overreacted to a situation at Issac''s, then I overreacted to that overreaction.¡± ¡°I don''t care!¡± Seldanna said. ¡°You don''t turn on your friends and hurt them!¡± ¡°That''s something special coming from you.¡± Artemis said without lifting her head. ¡°One of the great deceivers.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Seldanna almost yelled. ¡°You don''t think we can feel you trying to manipulate Ren? Trying to influence him and coerce him?¡± ¡°You dare...¡± Seldanna gritted her teeth and struggled to stop herself from attacking. ¡°That''s enough.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hopefully, things will change in a month. Maybe by then I''ll get over what happened.¡± ¡°We will always remember.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°We made a mistake once and didn''t listen to Ren, and it cost us dearly.¡± She said. ¡°He pushed us away and wouldn''t even allow us to be close to him. It took a long time for him to get over that and to touch us again.¡± The room was quiet, but you could feel her deep regret over the incident. ¡°After that, we only ever did what he wanted, and we escaped our own personal hell and gained our freedom.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°He gave us a home and a life to live...¡± ¡°With some restrictions.¡± Ren said, and she smiled. ¡°Only because you cared about us and didn''t want us to get hurt or be hunted down.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Now most of us have found people to be with. Not under contract or as a slave to do their bidding, but as friends and lovers. As equals.¡± She smiled. ¡°You will never know what that''s like! To be given so much and have nothing asked in return!¡± Suniva lifted her head and looked at the succubus. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Perhaps, pixie.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°We are both trying to use our abilities to thank Ren for everything he has done for us.¡± She said. ¡°I, on the other hand, am only concerned with pleasing him.¡± ¡°Would you have let him touch the darkness, Seldanna?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°Would you let him be changed in that way? Let him be...¡± Suniva shook her head. ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°So, you now realize that your argument is pointless.¡± Seldanna said and smiled to bare her teeth. ¡°He has already been touched by darkness, and it hasn''t changed who he is.¡± She said. ¡°He has faced it and won in the past. What makes you think he can''t do it again?¡± Suniva closed her eyes and put her head back down on her arms without answering. ¡°I should pound you all into the ground for hurting him!¡± Seldanna said angrily, then felt a hand on her arm. ¡°Easy, girl. You''ve made your point.¡± Ellaria said. ¡°Calm down.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Fighting among ourselves is not a good idea.¡± Katori said. ¡°When in battle, we need to be a cohesive fighting force. Interpersonal arguments won''t help that.¡± Seldanna took a breath in through her nose and let it out through her mouth. ¡°All right.¡± Ren felt her bind her anger up and push it aside, and she calmed down. ¡°That was very well done.¡± He said and walked over to her. ¡°I''m impressed.¡± ¡°I''ve had help.¡± Seldanna said and looked at the other succubi, and they nodded. ¡°Excellent.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m really glad that you''ve come so far in so short a time.¡± He lost the Angered condition and gave them a huge smile and held his arms open. ¡°Group hug?¡± Seldanna dropped to her knees and hugged his thighs, and her head was near his special place. The other three succubi crowded around and squeezed in tightly to hug Ren, which pushed Seldanna''s face right into his crotch. She rubbed her cheek on him, and his body reacted. She sighed and rested her face against the bulge and didn''t do anything else. Ren admired her restraint and felt how happy she was that she had gotten a reaction from him. Ren let the succubi out of the group hug and looked down at Seldanna, and she looked up at him. ¡°You just made me realize something.¡± He said. ¡°That you want me to keep going?¡± Seldanna asked, and he chuckled. ¡°No, I think I''m missing something.¡± Ren said and helped her stand. ¡°What is it?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°I will help you find it, whatever it is.¡± ¡°I''m not missing it from you.¡± Ren said and turned to look at Artemis. ¡°Artemis.¡± Artemis lifted her head and looked at him. ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± ¡°What am I thinking right now?¡± Ren asked. I hope this works. I hope this works. I hope this works. He thought repeatedly, and then he felt shock from Artemis.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Oh, god! Ren! There''s nothing!¡± Artemis exclaimed. ¡°I normally block out your thoughts, but... but now that I''m trying, I... there''s nothing.¡± She shook her head in disbelief. ¡°No... how can I...¡± Ren looked up at the ceiling and could feel Teepo concentrating on him. ¡°Teepo? What about you?¡± ¡°N-nothing.¡± Teepo said, and his sadness poured out. ¡°I can''t hear your thoughts at all.¡± Ren sighed and sat down on the bed. ¡°Then that means the temporary fix that was put in place has cut me off from everything except your emotions.¡± ¡°Ren, can you do something about it?¡± Artemis asked. Ren looked at her and didn''t know what to say. If he logged out and complained again that they were messing with the people he cared about, it might delay the programmers from fixing it all. Then again, if he didn''t say anything, those same people might make those he cared about stay permanently disconnected. He hoped that it was only to stop them from accessing his Sea Dweller status until the update is repaired, and not how things were going to stay. ¡°I''m in a bind, because you might be like this to stop you from reacting to my Sea Dweller title, and that won''t be fixed for a month; but, if I don''t say anything, you might be like this permanently because they might forget to change it back.¡± Artemis sighed as well. ¡°I think you should at least mention it.¡± ¡°I''ll mention it to the Sage of Ages and see what she says.¡± Ren said. ¡°If anyone will know if you might be stuck like this, it will be her.¡± He said and took out the large book of inventory Issac gave him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°Looking through the inventory of Issac''s... my shop.¡± Ren said and flipped through the first few pages to the list of amulets. ¡°But you can''t go into the back room.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What good is an inventory?¡± ¡°Unlike most business owners, an enchanter doesn''t really have an inventory to keep.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can make things on the fly or take existing things and enchant them with what we want.¡± ¡°Then having a list of inventory is even more useless.¡± One of the succubi said. ¡°You''re missing the point.¡± Ren said and saw the one he wanted. ¡°It''s not a list of things that are there, it''s a list of recipes for enchanters to make them.¡± They were all surprised by this, and Ren looked at the recipe for the Amulet of Untruth. It contained a glyph that he didn''t recognize, and rather than use his skills to try and read it, he took out Issac''s Book Of Runes and flipped to the back where the glyphs were. He quickly found the same glyph that was in the recipe and concentrated on it. Now that Ren knew the final component for the Amulet of Untruth, the recipe was added to his recipe list and he activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability. He put a blank amulet on the golden platform that appeared, chose the amulet recipe, and created it. He took out the small chest that he had bought and dropped the enchantment that he had in his Retain Essence ability on it, then used it on the Amulet of Untruth and absorbed it''s enchantment. Ren stored the blank amulet and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability again, then made a Non-Necklace of Wisdom. He used his Double Infusion ability to add the Amulet of Untruth enchantment to it and stored it into inventory. I knew Issac would have had a recipe for it. Ren thought loudly and looked up at Teepo. He didn''t see or feel a reaction from him, and sighed mentally. I''m going to have to mention it to Elise as well. No sooner had Ren thought that when he received a message popup. He opened it and saw that Lara was waiting for him at the Library. ¡°Okay, time for me to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°Teepo, let''s go.¡± Teepo dropped from the ceiling and landed on his shoulder. ¡°Artemis.¡± Ren said, and she nodded as she stood up. ¡°Suniva, you need to stay here.¡± ¡°Yes, Ren.¡± Suniva said and hopped off of Artemis'' shoulder and walked over to the bed and sat on the headrest. ¡°I''ll wait right here for you.¡± ¡°I could have Princess take you home.¡± Ren said, and she shook her head. ¡°No, you were right.¡± Suniva said. ¡°I won''t try to run and hide from what happened.¡± Ren nodded and looked at the succubi. ¡°I''ll be back in a little while.¡± ¡°Do you want an escort?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°It''s only from here to the-¡± Ren started to say, then stopped. ¡°Actually, it''s no distance at all.¡± He took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked the back room of the Library, then cast the Portal spell. Teepo dissolved into the ring without being asked and Ren took Artemis'' hand. He gave a little wave to the succubi and stepped through the portal. ¡°That was fast.¡± Lara, the Sage of Ages said as Ren appeared in front of the desk. ¡°I expected you to come in through the door.¡± Ren smiled and dismissed the portal. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°I''m always ready to see you.¡± Lara said and stood up. ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror and cast another portal. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°To pick up the supplies that I need.¡± Ren said. ¡°After you.¡± Lara nodded and stepped through the portal and appeared inside the warehouse by the private dock where his ship was. Ren and Artemis stepped through, and he let her hand go and dismissed the portal. They stood in front several tall stacks of stone bricks, paving stones, and piles of bags of cement powder. Ren stored a good portion of each of them and checked the All-Seeing Mirror again, then cast another portal. ¡°What''s with all the hopping around?¡± Lara asked. ¡°You''ll see.¡± Ren said and motioned to the portal, then took Artemis by the hand again. Lara looked at that, then at Ren''s face. ¡°You haven''t touched me yet.¡± Lara said, and Ren grinned. ¡°I didn''t want to ruin the surprise.¡± Lara gave him an odd look, then stepped through the portal, and appeared in the middle of the Town Square in Aurora. She was tempted to ask him what was going on, then thought about touching him to find out for herself. She shook her head mentally and stopped that thought before it fully formed. She wasn''t going to do anything without asking first. Ren could feel her struggling with wanting to know and stopping herself from finding out, and he gave her a big smile to let her know that he realized what she was going through. She smiled back, and he stored the All-Seeing Mirror and let Artemis'' hand go. There were people walking around, but none of them were walking through the very middle where he, Lara, and Artemis stood. Ren summoned Teepo, who flew up to land on Ren''s shoulder, and Ren took out the supplies he needed. He checked the recipe for what he was building and confirmed the ingredients, then put down a row of 6 of the 2 foot by 2 foot paving stones, then another row in front of that. He took out the cart he had modified as a cement mixer and made up some cement with the bags of powder and added Water by using his Hands of the Gods ability. Ren used the stone bricks next and used the cement like mortar between the layers, and started to make a column on one end of the paving stones that was 2 feet wide and 2 foot deep. He moved quickly, since his speed and crafting abilities were boosted almost beyond anything anyone else had ever seen, and he built a 12 foot tall column. When he was done, he used his Hands of the Gods ability to create Fire and then used his Fire Manipulation ability to spread the fire and heat over the whole surface and dried the cement to make the column solid. By this time, several townspeople that had been walking by had noticed him working and were curious about what he was doing, so they came over to watch. Ren cast Permanent Enlarge or Reduce Anything on the column and made it half the size, so that it was only 1 foot by 1 foot by 6 feet tall. He gained the recipe for it and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and added the bricks, cement, and a bit of gold to make another one, then did it again. With three of them completed, Ren enlarged them to double their size and placed one on each end of the paving stones and put the last across the top, after adding some cement to hold it in place. He then covered the entire outside with cement to give it a nice smooth finish, then used his abilities again to dry it. Now that it was done, he stepped back and looked at it. ¡°What do you think?¡± Ren asked of no one in particular. ¡°It''s kind of ugly for an archway.¡± One of the townspeople said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I was going for functionality and not looks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± ¡°It''s your art. You can do what you want with it.¡± Ren chuckled again and made a quick mold for a blank half-circle, filled it with cement and dried it, then popped it out and used more cement to mount it on top of the square archway. ¡°Well, that''s a little better.¡± The same voice said. ¡°It''s not finished yet.¡± Ren said and touched the side of it. He brought up the recipe for what he wanted and dumped 10,000 Mana into it. The entire thing glowed for 30 seconds, then the glow faded as a map of the country appeared on the half-circle. ¡°Hey, it''s us!¡± Someone said and pointed, and they all looked up to see a dot and the name Aurora was on it. ¡°Seems like a lot of work to just show us where we are.¡± Someone scoffed, and Ren laughed. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± Ren reached a hand out to Lara, and she took it without hesitation. Her eyes glazed over for a second and then she gasped. ¡°It... it''s going to show the same thing... no matter where it is.¡± Lara said and looked at Ren. ¡°What are you saying?¡± Someone asked. ¡°It''s a Portal Gate.¡± Lara said. ¡°When all the others are built today, you can go anywhere they are.¡± No one spoke in response to that statement, and Ren grinned at their stunned silence. Chapter 624 - Task Complete While everyone was quiet and thought about the implications of what the Portal Gate would mean, Ren used Double Infusion and added a glyph that contained his Maker''s Mark combined with Protection and Durability runes. With that done, he took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked the next location. He cast the Portal Spell and stored the mirror, then took the hand of both Artemis and Lara while Teepo dissolved into the Beetle Crown ring. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren said and pulled them through the portal. They were now in the capital city of the Human Kingdom called Bore-Reale, and Ren summoned Teepo again. Now that he had the recipe for the columns, he just activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and made three more, set the base of paving stones down, and assembled it and covered it in cement. He used the half-circle mold again and mounted it on top, then used his abilities to dry it. Ren opened the Portal Gate recipe and added the 10,000 Mana and gold needed to activate it. Once again, his work garnered a lot of attention, and since it was the capital, there were a lot more people in this town square and a huge crowd gathered. When the map of the country appeared, the dot and name of Bore-Reale appeared on it in the proper spot, then a smaller dot with Aurora appeared in it''s proper location. Gasps were heard when some of the townspeople realized what it meant, and Ren used Double Infusion to add the glyph with his Maker''s Mark and the Protection and Durability runes. ¡°Is that for real?¡± Someone asked. ¡°We can travel that far by just stepping through?¡± ¡°At the moment.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I add more, you can choose from a list where you want to go.¡± ¡°You''re adding more?¡± Someone else asked. ¡°One in every town square in the country.¡± Ren said, and everyone fell silent. He chuckled and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked the next town square he wanted to go to. ¡°But... but you''re a Sea Dweller!¡± Someone exclaimed. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°I''ve already made you all recognize me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now it''s time to show you what I can do.¡± * The people gathered watched as he cast a Portal spell and he and his two companions stepped through it and disappeared. Barely a minute passed and another small dot appeared near the others on the map, and the main port city called Braddock was added to the Portal Gate. More people gathered and watched as new dots appeared and each town and city was added to the Portal Gate. ¡°He''s really doing it.¡± Someone said with awe in their voice. ¡°He''s connecting all of the town squares!¡± * Since there were a lot of cities and towns scattered across the countryside, even with only needing a few minutes to make each gate and adding it to the Portal Gate, it still took several hours for Ren to finish. The last one he made he put inside the human starter city that he had made in his county. A dot appeared in the right spot, but no name appeared. ¡°Huh, I guess people need to be here to name it.¡± Ren said, then he received a popup.
Notice!
You have completed the first ever Portal Gate Network. All cities and towns in the entire country are now easily accessible by all citizens. Since such a task takes so long to complete, you have been awarded extra compensation for travelling so far. Rewards: 12,000 XP Fame 5,000 Travel Bonus: 50 platinum coins
Notice!
Do you wish to set a toll for using the Portal Network? Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and another popup appeared.
Toll Price
Please choose the amount you wish to charge:
1 copper coin 1 silver coin 1 gold coin 1 platinum coin
1 Shadow Marker State a different price
Oho! Ren thought in surprise. Instead of saying it out loud, he opened a virtual keyboard and selected the 1 copper coin option and the Shadow Marker option, so that either could be used to enter the Portal Gate. He didn''t think anyone would be stupid enough to actually use a Shadow Marker; but, having the option available was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. Ren closed the keyboard and dismissed the popups, then felt someone enter his Aura. He felt the person''s surprise and then felt their happiness, and Ren used his Heat Sense ability to follow them all the way to the large set of doors of the city. There were hundreds of others in his Aura by the time the doors opened to admit that first person, and Ren stood there and waited for them to approach. He felt their shock and awe as they looked around, and they realized they really did have an entire city for themselves to live in. ¡°I was doubtful and didn''t really believe you did it.¡± The woman at the head of the group said. ¡°I mean, I knew you weren''t lying, but I thought you were exaggerating.¡± ¡°Welcome to your new home, Valercia.¡± Ren said and gave her a regal bow. Valercia''s face flushed slightly red at the gesture, and she felt a little flustered. ¡°T-thank you, My Lord... ah, My King.¡± Ren smiled at the correction. ¡°What shall this city''s name be?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You can''t live in a city with no name.¡± Ren said. ¡°Surely you have thought of something by now.¡± ¡°I... I didn''t think...¡± ¡°I did tell you it was a new starter city.¡± Ren looked at the old soldier standing next to her. ¡°It''s nice to see you again, sir.¡± Valercia''s father laughed. ¡°You''ve got a good sense of humor calling me ''sir''.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The woman I left in your care, how is she?¡± ¡°My future wife is right here.¡± The old man said and stepped away from the crowd and helped a woman step down from a cart. The woman Ren and Artemis had rescued, the very last ghoul infected to be healed and the last survivor of her town, looked positively radiant at the man helping her. ¡°It''s a pleasure to see you again.¡± Ren said and bowed to her when she was on solid ground. She peered down her nose at him, then sighed. ¡°Yes, I suppose I am a pleasure for you to see.¡± The older man laughed. ¡°Isn''t she wonderful?¡± Ren grinned and nodded. ¡°I''m happy that you''re happy.¡± People walked by them in droves as they moved down the streets and found places to live and businesses to claim. Ren hadn''t seen so many people all at once, and it was quite a sight. It gave him a mental twinge when he realized he was completely surrounded by people, and rather than stay there to have a panic attack, he took several steps up into the air and rose above them all. He took several deep breaths and calmed down, and looked at Valercia.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°When you decide on the name of the city, it will appear on the Portal Gate.¡± Ren said and pointed. Valercia gasped as she saw the map of the country with all the places on it. ¡°It... it can''t be!¡± ¡°I only gained the recipe for it recently, long after you and the others started travelling.¡± ¡°I don''t care about that!¡± Valercia said. ¡°This is going to revolutionize travel! Even product deliveries!¡± ¡°Especially troop deployments.¡± Ren said, and she gasped, as did several hundred people around them. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Someone almost screamed. ¡°We could be taken over at any time!¡± Ren concentrated on his Reassurance Aura and calmness. ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± ¡°But you just gave troops an easy way inside every town and city in the country!¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°But the same problem applies to them.¡± He felt that realization spread through them, and they relaxed. ¡°Mutually assured destruction.¡± Lara said and smiled, and Ren nodded. ¡°They won''t attack through the Portal Gate because others will attack them back.¡± Ren said and looked at the people around the town square. ¡°So rest assured, you are all safe in your homes.¡± ¡°Plus, we are all much stronger now.¡± Valercia said. ¡°We can take any normal soldiers that show up.¡± Ren felt doubt from a lot of people. ¡°It''s all right. This city has self-contained Healing, Regeneration, Protection, and a few other things to keep you all happy and healthy.¡± He said. ¡°No one is going to come in here and mess with you.¡± He smiled and bared his teeth. ¡°If someone does try something, they will regret it.¡± Once they heard they had regeneration and protection boosts, they all relaxed and spread out. Ren walked back down to the ground and Valercia stepped over to him. ¡°Thank you for that.¡± ¡°You''re the one that''s going to be running the place.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll fill you in on everything the city has.¡± ¡°I didn''t see any farmland outside.¡± Valercia''s father said. ¡°That''s because it''s under the city.¡± Ren said and pointed to the closest stairway access. ¡°There are sun access tunnels and stairways scattered all over the city, and I''ll have someone come over to teach you how to use the farm vehicles.¡± ¡°Farm what?¡± The older man asked. ¡°Specialized carts that I designed to help people farm anything they want.¡± Ren said and looked at Valercia. ¡°Do you want to find your father a place to live first or go to your office?¡± ¡°What about a place for me to live?¡± Valercia asked. ¡°That''s where your office is.¡± Ren said and waved down the street. ¡°You might recognize the building.¡± Valercia looked where he indicated and saw a duplicate of the mansion that was in the center of all major cities. ¡°I''m living there?!?¡± She asked, surprised. ¡°The rulers are supposed to live in the mansion.¡± Ren said. ¡°Shall we head there and discuss the features of the city?¡± ¡°I... Ren, this is... it''s a lot to take in.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°All right. I''ll give you some time to settle in and then come back to talk.¡± He said. ¡°Probably tomorrow.¡± Valercia nodded. ¡°Dad, can you get the cart?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The older man said and looked at the short woman on his arm. ¡°May I assist you back into the cart, M''lady?¡± ¡°Please do.¡± She said and smiled at him. I''m glad she''s working on her man hatred. Ren thought. I guess he showed her that not all men are useless. ¡°Have a good day.¡± ¡°You as well.¡± Valercia said and held a hand out. Ren took it and started to shake it, then the Ghoul Kissed mark on his hand throbbed. Valercia took in a sharp breath as the one above her heart throbbed as well. Ren let her hand go and she quickly walked away without saying anything, and her father lead the cart behind her. ¡°What was that?¡± Lara asked. ¡°She left pretty fast.¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said and rubbed his right hand. ¡°Something happened when we touched just then.¡± ¡°A good something or a bad something?¡± ¡°You tell me.¡± Ren said and held his hand out to her. ¡°Assuming you''re allowed.¡± Lara took his hand and her eyes glazed over for a second. ¡°It could be both.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Now, I have another question.¡± ¡°Yes, you should mention the problem with Teepo and Artemis to Elise.¡± Lara said without closing her eyes. ¡°You are also right to stay away from the maids. If you go around them now, you will undo the temporary patch.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°That''s what I was worried about.¡± Lara nodded. ¡°I know.¡± She said, then smiled wistfully. ¡°We are so close to the Sanctuary, but you can''t go over there because of that.¡± Ren thought about it for a second, then smiled. ¡°I don''t have to go over there.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lara asked. ¡°Are you going to make another one?¡± ¡°No. The Sanctuary stops effects from leaving it, so I don''t have to worry about my Aura affecting anyone nearby.¡± Ren said and cast the Portal spell. ¡°Care to join me for a little alone time?¡± Lara beamed a smile at him and took his hand. Teepo dissolved into the ring and Ren took Artemis'' hand with his free one, then stepped through the portal and into the Sanctuary. * Artemis did her best to avoid looking at and feeling Ren and Lara''s emotions while they were intimate; but after the first week, she couldn''t help herself and started to watch and enjoy it. Ren hadn''t ignored her, or treated her like she wasn''t there. He hugged and kissed her at random times during the day, just as he did with Lara. At night, though... she had her own bed to sleep in. By the end of the second week, Lara had had enough of Artemis'' quiet suffering. ¡°Ren, you have to forgive her.¡± Lara said as she cuddled him and watched what he was doing. ¡°No.¡± Ren said and flipped the next page in the inventory book and read the first recipe, which was the Conch Shell of Poseidon, then flipped through Issac''s Book of Runes to find the proper glyph references to make it. ¡°It''s hard enough on her that she can''t hear your thoughts.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I know I''m being an ass, but I can''t help it.¡± He said. ¡°I made her to help me, and she turned on me without a second thought.¡± ¡°I saw what happened.¡± Lara said. ¡°Your finger was on the listing for the evil item.¡± ¡°Yes, it was on it.¡± Ren explained. ¡°It was also right under the other one.¡± ¡°At least she thought about stopping Teepo.¡± Lara said. ¡°Yeah, and how much of a surprise was that?¡± Ren asked and rubbed the spot that his friend had stabbed him. ¡°I can still feel it, you know.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Lara said and moved his hand, then kissed the spot. ¡°You''re fixated on it.¡± ¡°I don''t know why he would do that.¡± Ren said sadly. ¡°We''ve been through so much together, and yet the instant he thought I might do something bad, he turned on me.¡± ¡°He thought he was stopping you from making a mistake.¡± ¡°Yes, but that''s what''s bothering me.¡± Ren said. ¡°He could have just hollered, or jumped on the page, or even skittered across my eyes and stopped me from looking.¡± He said. ¡°He didn''t have to paralyze me for 10 minutes.¡± Lara turned his head to face her and kissed him softly. It was gentle and comforting, and he sighed into her mouth. ¡°You are being an ass about it, but it''s understandable.¡± She said and rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°People you care about always hurt you the most.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That reminds me. When is your mother coming over for a visit?¡± ¡°That reminded you?¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°Tomorrow night, real time.¡± ¡°That''s good.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was worried you would have saved it for the weekend or something.¡± ¡°With everything else happening this weekend?¡± Lara asked. ¡°No, having it Thursday night is the best option.¡± ¡°I hope she doesn''t expect too much of me.¡± Ren said. Lara smiled. ¡°Surprisingly enough, I haven''t told her anything about you.¡± Ren stopped looking at the books in front of him and looked at her. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°I''ve only been home twice since I moved in, and both times, you were not the topic of conversation.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lisa...¡± Lara shivered as he used her real name. It always tickled something in her brain when he did that. ¡°...you can''t just toss your mother into the deep end like that.¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°She sprung a lot of things on me over the years, Ren. It''s about time I paid her back.¡± ¡°Lisa...¡± ¡°Please, go along with this.¡± Lara said. ¡°It''s going to be such a surprise for her.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Will it be a good surprise or a bad one?¡± ¡°I don''t know!¡± Lara said and laughed. ¡°Isn''t that great?¡± Ren felt her happiness and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°Whatever makes you happy.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Lara said and kissed him again, then she watched him continue to work. After another hour, she let her curiosity about something get the better of her. ¡°Ren, why don''t you read all of the glyphs in Issac''s Book of Runes and then read the recipes?¡± ¡°I don''t want his runes and glyphs to mix with the same things I can do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m only looking up specific glyphs for the recipes and not their rune components, at least until I find one that I don''t know.¡± ¡°I guess having duplicate runes might mess up some of the enchantments.¡± Lara said. Ren nodded. ¡°I have the basic rune for Fire because Issac gave it to me, but my multiple rune glyphs are completely different from his.¡± He said. ¡°He told me that each enchanter does things differently, and you don''t realize that until you delve deep into the work of someone else.¡± ¡°It''s almost bedtime.¡± Teepo hollered from the ceiling of the next room. Ren closed up the books and stored them, then he and Lara went into the next room. ¡°Thanks, Teepo.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Teepo said. Ren and Lara went into the large bedroom and saw Artemis was already in bed and faced away from them. He and Lara stored their clothing, then Lara tapped his shoulder and pointed to Artemis. Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, and she chuckled and climbed onto the bed. He stood there and looked at her, and she motioned to Artemis again and then tapped the new amulet he had given her. Ren nodded and walked over to Artemis, then put a hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head to look at him, and he waved to the bed with Lara in it. Artemis raised both eyebrows at him, and he held a hand out to her. She slowly reached up for it, then sighed and gripped his hand tightly. He helped her stand up and walked her over to the bed, and they climbed into it together. ¡°Ren, I...¡± Artemis tried to speak and he cut her off. ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said and kissed her on the lips. ¡°But, I...¡± Artemis tried again, and it was Lara who cut her off this time. ¡°Shh.¡± Lara said and kissed her on the lips, then she activated the new Aura Ren had given her. Artemis was surprised by this as Lara''s Aura and Ren''s Aura merged for the first time. Ren and Lara exchanged glances and smiled, then they each grabbed one of Artemis'' warm metal breasts. She gasped at that and stared at them with wide eyes as her body reacted to the attention, then Ren and Lara dove down to suck on the very prominent and erect tips. Chapter 624 A - Artemis Rising (Explicit Content) Artemis couldn''t believe what was happening. She laid on the bed and had not one, but two people suckling on her breasts. With them all sharing emotions, she could feel the happiness from Ren and the naughtiness from Lara. ¡°R-Ren...¡± Artemis tried to apologize again, but the words caught in her throat. Ren stopped suckling and looked at her. ¡°I''m sorry I''m being difficult; but, having people turn on me is something of a sore spot for me.¡± He said. ¡°It''s happened a few times now, and then when you, Teepo and Suniva all conspired to stop me without even checking what I was doing...¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Lara said a little crossly. ¡°This isn''t the time to discuss it.¡± Ren sighed and nodded. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± ¡°I wouldn''t have asked you to bring her to our bed if I didn''t.¡± Lara said. ¡°I will not stand by and let her be so sad, so we are going to make her feel good.¡± ¡°Both of you?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Well, Ren is the one with the penis, so he''s going to take the lead here.¡± Lara said and smiled. ¡°I''ve discovered that I''m a great helper.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Are you ever.¡± He said. ¡°You looked so hot licking Stella and me that time in the bathroom.¡± ¡°I don''t know what came over me then.¡± Lara said and her face burned bright red. ¡°You both looked so tasty that... I just...¡± Ren leaned over and kissed her. ¡°I never did thank you for that.¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°We were all caught up in the moment, so there wasn''t a lot of thanking going around.¡± ¡°We''re not caught up in anything here.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Lots of actual decision making to be had.¡± Lara smiled. ¡°You start at the bottom, and I''ll start from the top.¡± ¡°Kissing race?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You know it.¡± Lara said, and they moved to the top and bottom of the bed. ¡°Ready?¡± Ren nodded and crouched by Artemis'' feet, and Lara picked up one of Artemis'' arms. ¡°Go!¡± Lara said and started kissing the metal skin of her hand while Ren kissed the soles of her feet. Artemis squirmed at the different kinds of attention; but, she didn''t fight or protest in the least. The man she had loved since the moment he had created her was giving her his undivided attention, and a woman that he loved, that she could feel through him, also gave undivided attention to her. Ren passed her foot and kissed all up and along her calf, and Lara kissed down her forearm. When they reached her thigh and upper arm, her breath sped up and she panted for them. Ren reached her abdomen and Lara reached her chest and they lingered in those spots for a moment, almost mirroring each other, then they moved on and met at her midsection. ¡°Looks like a tie.¡± Ren said and held up a hand. ¡°Paper Rock Scissors for who licks her first?¡± ¡°Okay, but you''re going to lose.¡± Lara said and they both made fists. ¡°Don''t I get a say in this?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°You can lick the loser.¡± Lara said to her surprise, and Artemis watched as they pumped their hands three times. Ren chose Paper and Lara chose Scissors. She used her fake scissors to cut Ren''s fake paper and he sighed. ¡°I told you.¡± Lara said to him and moved down slightly, then put a hand on Artemis'' pelvic bone. ¡°I''ve never done this before, so tell me if it''s okay.¡± ¡°It''s more than okay!¡± Artemis exclaimed, and both Lara and Ren laughed. ¡°I meant after I start.¡± Lara said. ¡°Oh.¡± Ren moved up on the bed and put himself close enough for Artemis to grab him, but not close enough to suck. ¡°Ren...¡± Artemis pumped him a couple of times. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°I''m going to let her start first.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then I can move in and you can go at it.¡± ¡°Thanks, I think.¡± Lara said and laid down between Artemis'' legs, and Artemis propped them up to give her easier access. ¡°Seeing it in metal is a little weird.¡± She said and briefly touched it with a fingertip, and fluid came away with her finger. ¡°It seems to work like real flesh.¡± ¡°That''s because it is.¡± Ren said. ¡°Metal is just the form it''s in.¡± Lara was fascinated by this nugget of information and traced the outside of it. It did move like flesh, and she was a bit surprised by that. She flicked the little man in the boat with her fingernail and Artemis gasped. More fluid came out in a rush, and Lara smiled. ¡°Here goes.¡± Lara said and slid in close. She looked up and saw matching expressions on both Ren and Artemis. ¡°I hope your expectations aren''t too high.¡± ¡°Lara, you can feel what I feel, and what Artemis can feel through me.¡± Ren said. ¡°All we expect is to feel so good when you kiss her there, and the anticipation is killing us.¡± Lara glanced down at his very hard member and the fluid already dripping from the tip, and it emboldened her. She could feel how much they both wanted this, and it matched her own desire. She had been curious ever since she had met the metal woman, and wondered what it would be like. Her own special place was already soaking wet in anticipation as well, so she darted forward and kissed Artemis'' special place. Artemis gasped, Ren gasped, and Lara gasped at the same time. The feeling of pleasure went through the three of them, and Lara didn''t worry about technique, or trying to make it last, or anything. She licked and sucked as hard and as fast as she could, and then she felt Artemis take Ren into her mouth. His pleasure joined theirs as Artemis sucked on him hard, and he thrust his hips forward automatically. Lara could feel something building, and she couldn''t tell if it was in Ren or Artemis, and by rights, it didn''t really matter. She wanted one or both of them to have a release as soon as possible, and she doubled her efforts to make it happen. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Ren said and finished. He sprayed himself down Artemis'' throat, and that combined with Lara licking her, made her go as well. Lara had felt it coming and stopped licking just in time to let Artemis orgasm without interference. Plus, she wasn''t sure what the fluid was going to taste like, and didn''t want to ruin the memory of this with an awful taste.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Switch places.¡± Ren said, and Lara sat up. ¡°Which one?¡± Lara asked. ¡°It''s up to Artemis.¡± Ren said and looked down at her. ¡°Do you want to stay where you are, or get on top?¡± ¡°Of who?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Good answer.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Let me be on bottom for a while.¡± Artemis rolled over and Ren laid down on the bed, and his erection stuck up pretty far. ¡°Look at that.¡± Lara said and leaned down. ¡°It still amazes me that you don''t calm down afterwards.¡± She said and licked the tip. ¡°Or need to go to sleep afterwards.¡± ¡°I think it was Stella that said I was the gift that keeps on giving.¡± Ren said. ¡°Mm Hmm.¡± Lara said and plunged her mouth down onto him. Ren motioned to Artemis, and she moved up to straddle across his face. He started to lick her in earnest, and Artemis trembled and shook. They had played a lot while they were in the Water Realm, and they knew each other''s weak spots by heart. Ren expertly made her orgasm again, and she leaned down to put her head near Lara. ¡°Lara...¡± Artemis panted and her face was slack with pleasure. Lara stopped sucking on Ren and looked at her. Her slightly plump lips and her bedroom eyes almost made Lara catch her breath, then she leaned forward and kissed her. ¡°Get on.¡± Ren said. Lara didn''t break the kiss as she moved close and Artemis had to sit back up, then Lara broke the kiss to look down and positioned herself, then sat down hard onto Ren''s member. She and Artemis gasped together at the sudden intrusion and burst of pleasure it caused, then stared at each other for a moment. Artemis carefully put her arms around Lara''s shoulders and kissed her deeply, and Lara rocked her hips forward and back. Lara and Ren had done this hundreds of times; but, this was the first time they had shared this bed with a third person. There had always been a bit of play and some teasing, and Lara occasionally gave Artemis a kiss for Ren''s sake; however, this was the first time they had openly had sex with someone besides Stella. Artemis felt their emotions and knew it was a great honor to be here with them, and she felt nothing but gratitude towards the both of them. The orgasm hit her right at that moment, and she twitched and shivered as Ren kept licking her. Unlike Lara, he wanted her to keep going and to orgasm as much as possible. Artemis broke the kiss and moaned as she finished again. ¡°R-Ren...¡± Lara panted, and he shifted his hands from holding Artemis steady to Lara''s hips to hold her steady, and he moved his hips up and down like a jackhammer. ¡°AHHhhhHHHaHHH!¡± It was Lara''s turn to orgasm this time and she trembled and shook as he kept pounding himself into her. She finished twice more before Ren let himself go and finished inside of her. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Artemis said and let Lara out of the embrace she had her in, then slid off of Ren''s very wet face and laid down on the bed beside him. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Lara pulled herself off of Ren and laid down on his other side. She was breathing heavy and cuddled up to his chest. ¡°I need a... a short break.¡± ¡°Only for a minute.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Energize spell, remember?¡± ¡°Oh! Right.¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°I thought you weren''t going to let me rest.¡± Ren cast the spell on her and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°I''m planning on spending a lot of time in here with you, so you can have an actual rest later.¡± He said. ¡°Right now, we have someone to attend to.¡± Artemis propped herself up on an elbow. ¡°What are we going to do next?¡± ¡°I think it''s time that you and I became one.¡± Ren said in a deep voice, and Lara chuckled. ¡°What?¡± He asked. ¡°If you''re trying for a sexy voice, you''re a little off the mark.¡± Lara said. ¡°Well, it sounded sexy, didn''t it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If you were a bear or something.¡± Lara said. ¡°You don''t have to try to be sexy, Ren.¡± She said and ran a hand down his bare chest. ¡°Just be you.¡± Ren nodded and held a hand out to Artemis. ¡°You''re on bottom again.¡± Artemis slid over and Ren moved out of the way. He caressed her face, moved the hand down to her breasts and caressed one for a moment, then slid the hand down to her hip and between her legs. ¡°I think you''re ready.¡± Ren said and moved over her to position himself at her opening. ¡°R-Ren... are... are you sure?¡± Artemis asked. Ren didn''t answer her as he eased himself forward and slowly slipped inside of her. Artemis gasped as he entered her for the very first time, and her entire body trembled at the feeling. Lara had gasped as well at the feeling, because it was similar and different than when she had her first time with Ren. He didn''t move right away, just like he hadn''t when he was with Lara the first time. When Artemis'' body had adjusted to having him inside of it, Ren slowly pulled out and then slowly pushed back in. ¡°So... tight.¡± Ren said and fought to not finish. ¡°Is she as tight as I was?¡± Lara asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, and he felt a bit of sadness from her. ¡°I designed her... with you, Stella, and Elise... in mind.¡± He said. ¡°Understandable that... she has more than just... your eyes.¡± Lara caught her breath and looked at Artemis'' face. Her eyes were closed and squinted together, and Lara could feel that she was fighting to not finish as well. She leaned in close and Artemis felt her curiosity, so she opened her eyes to look at the other woman. Now that she looked closely, she did kind of recognize the eyes looking back at her. ¡°I''m going to keep moving.¡± Ren said, and Artemis nodded. He pulled out, oh so slowly, then pushed back in. Her body had adjusted to having him inside, but it was fighting to stop him from moving. ¡°Faster.¡± Lara said, and Ren turned his head to look at her. ¡°Go faster.¡± Ren gave her a kiss and then moved in and out a little faster. Artemis fought to keep a hold of his member, but he had a rhythm going now and it couldn''t quite catch him before he moved out again. Lara touched Artemis'' face and she looked at her, and Lara leaned in and kissed her. Ren moved faster and faster and increased his rhythmic movements while Lara distracted Artemis for him. Artemis put an arm around Lara''s back to hug her and kissed her passionately, and that made her relax. It became easier for all of them when that happened, then Ren inadvertently found one of the spots he had found lots of times with just his fingers, and it caught Artemis off-guard. ¡°AHHH!¡± Artemis screamed into Lara''s mouth as she had her very first intercourse orgasm, and Ren couldn''t contain himself, either. ¡°AHHH!¡± Ren yelled as his own fight to hold on for as long as he could was lost, and he finished as well. Lara felt them both go and finished a little herself, even though she hadn''t thought she was close enough to an orgasm for that. ¡°W-wow.¡± Artemis said as Ren laid down beside her, and Lara laid down on her other side. ¡°That was...¡± ¡°Just the first time.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°We can do it again?!?¡± Artemis asked, and both Ren and Lara chuckled. ¡°In a little while.¡± Ren said, and both women felt a bit of playfulness from him. ¡°All right, what do you have in mind?¡± Lara asked. ¡°Well... you both know how much I like breasts.¡± Ren said. Artemis nodded and Lara sighed sadly. ¡°Lara, you know I love your breasts.¡± ¡°I know, it''s just...¡± ¡°I can''t physically do what I want to them, so I need a surrogate.¡± Ren gave her breasts a light caress and a squeeze. ¡°Artemis has just the right size for this, I think.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°A man''s fantasy.¡± Lara said and rolled her eyes. ¡°Artemis, please get up on your knees and face Ren.¡± Artemis did so without question and Ren stood up on the bed. He positioned his member between her breasts and started to rub. ¡°Squeeze them together.¡± Lara said. Artemis cupped her breasts and pushed them together. ¡°Like this?¡± ¡°Lara, can you give her a hand?¡± Ren asked. ¡°How? You''ll knock my head off if I try to get between the two of you to suck you off.¡± Ren smiled that that was her first thought. ¡°Get behind her and grab her breasts.¡± Lara went around Artemis and reached around to grab her breasts and pushed. ¡°Grip them.¡± Ren said, and she did. ¡°Harder.¡± Artemis caught her breath and Ren nodded. ¡°Now hug her really tightly.¡± Ren said, and Lara hugged Artemis. The pressure on his member reached just the right amount and both women shivered as they felt his happiness. He fit perfectly in the space between Artemis'' breasts, and he pumped his hips. Both women stared at him, then at the tip of his member as it kept poking out through the top of the opening. ¡°G-go... a-ahead.¡± Ren managed to say, and Artemis looked up at him. She felt him urge her to do what she wanted, and she smiled and bent her head down. It took several tries to get it right, since none of them had ever done something like this before, then she found the right spot and held her mouth there with her lips slightly open. On the next thrust, the tip of Ren''s member popped out of the space between her breasts and right into her mouth. Artemis sucked for that split second and the tip popped out of her mouth and disappeared into her cleavage again. It only took three more thrusts and micro-sucks for all the sensations to combine and make him orgasm. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Ren said and thrust forward one last time and finished. ¡°AHH!¡± Artemis had leaned back just in time and she and Lara watched in amazement as a fountain sprang forth and splashed out. Ren stayed still until he was done, then he saw that he had covered Artemis'' face and breasts with fluid. He immediately pulled out a cloth and started to wipe her off. ¡°Wow, Ren.¡± Artemis said. ¡°That was... even for you...¡± ¡°I''m sorry! I didn''t... it felt so good that... I''m sorry!¡± Ren rambled and wiped at her face. ¡°It was a geyser!¡± Lara said and started to laugh, then Artemis laughed as well. ¡°It wasn''t that much!¡± Ren protested, then started to laugh, too. Chapter 625 - The Plan Continues After spending 2 years in the Sanctuary, which was 56 minutes game-time or 14 minutes real time, Ren had gotten over what had happened. It took a long time to talk things out with both Artemis and Teepo, and with Lisa as a mediator, she used her level head and her skills to finally mend their friendships and settled the matter. Ren cast a Portal spell to connect to the back room of the Library in Aurora. Ren, Lara, and Artemis stepped through it and Ren dismissed the portal and summoned Teepo. Lara stretched her arms above her head, and Ren admired the sight. A popup appeared, and he dismissed it without looking at it. Lara saw him looking at her, so she stepped close and put her arms around his neck. ¡°Even after all this time, you still look at me like that.¡± Lara purred and kissed him. ¡°Like you''re good enough to eat, you mean?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I hate it when people looked at me like that, and yet when you do it, I take it as a compliment.¡± Ren smiled and took her hand to place it over his heart. ¡°It''s the same thing that happens when I say you''re cute. You know I love you and that I''m being completely sincere.¡± Lara smiled back. ¡°You just said that you leer at me sincerely.¡± ¡°I did, and I do.¡± Ren said and put his mouth by her ear to whisper. ¡°Even after all this time, I would like nothing more than to strip you off and make love to you right now.¡± Lara rested her head on his shoulder and shivered a little. ¡°But, we just...¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren kissed her earlobe. ¡°My desire for you knows no bounds.¡± ¡°I...¡± Lara took several breaths. ¡°...you aren''t bored of me?¡± ¡°Lisa.¡± Ren said, and he felt that familiar spike of pleasure from her when he used her real name. ¡°I could never be bored being with you.¡± He said. ¡°Close your eyes and see for yourself.¡± ¡°I... no, I... I shouldn''t use my abilities for...¡± ¡°Your tender touch. The feel of your mouth on my skin. Being inside of you.¡± Ren kissed her earlobe after each sentence. ¡°I will never tire of those feelings.¡± Lara had gotten used to sharing his emotions fairly quickly during their time in the Sanctuary; and yet, when Ren told her these things and she felt his underlying feelings, she still didn''t quite believe it. Ren felt her doubt and leaned back. She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. ¡°I. Love. You.¡± Lara gasped as he pushed his love for her into their shared Aura, and tears came to her eyes. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°If I could make you feel the same thing out there, I would.¡± Ren said and kissed her again. ¡°I''ll see you at supper, all right?¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Lara said and she let him out of her tight grip. She walked over to her closet and looked back at him, smiled sweetly at him, then opened the door and stepped inside. Ren felt her Aura disappear with her presence, which confirmed that her closet was it''s own pocket realm. Another popup appeared and he dismissed it without reading it. ¡°I think it''s time for Phase Two.¡± Ren said to Artemis and they walked over to the door that led to the hallway and the Library''s main room. He stopped at the reception desk and greeted the Head Librarian formally, and she accepted his greeting with aplomb. He could feel that she was busy and had stopped when he had appeared from the side door, and he thanked her for stopping her work just to give him her attention. Her face flushed red at that, because she wasn''t sure how he knew she had done that. ¡°Do you need any more monies for the books I arranged to be given away?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes, there is an outstanding balance.¡± She said. ¡°The demand from both the townspeople and Adventurers alike has risen up quite a lot during the last week or so.¡± Ren gave her a big beaming smile, and her face went dark red. Interest had picked up and everyone wanted to read his books because of his little stunt to get everyone''s attention, and after his message to all the players about the upcoming battle on the weekend. ¡°Please allow me to pay the balance and to provide more funding for any future giveaways.¡± Ren said. ¡°May I ask how much is owed?¡± The Head Librarian wrote out the number on a small piece of parchment and folded it, then handed it to him. Ren opened it and read the total. ¡°I''m glad so many books have been given away.¡± The Head Librarian''s eyes widened at his acceptance of such a high price. ¡°W-well, if... if you would come this way...¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said and motioned for Artemis to wait for him, and he walked around the desk to follow the Head Librarian. She walked over to the hallway at the side of the room, the one he had just left, and they entered it. Another popup appeared and Ren dismissed it without reading it. She passed the break room and opened the next door, and inside was the book producing facility and a small safe. ¡°I''m not comfortable keeping so much money on hand.¡± The older lady said and started to kneel. ¡°Please don''t do that.¡± Ren said, and she stopped mid-crouch. ¡°A woman of your stature shouldn''t kneel on the bare floor.¡± She blinked her eyes at him for a moment, then stood up straight. ¡°How else am I going to reach it?¡± ¡°If I may propose two solutions?¡± Ren asked and she nodded. ¡°Either a nice comfy pillow to make it easy on your delicate knees, or allow me to build a pedestal to put the safe on and you never have to kneel again.¡± ¡°A pillow would be nice.¡± The Head Librarian said and looked at the floor. ¡°Keeping it clean might be a bit of a problem.¡± She said and looked down to see dirt on the hem of her dress. ¡°Just as difficult as my dress.¡± ¡°A pedestal it is, then.¡± Ren said and picked up the small but heavy safe and moved it aside as if it weighed nothing, then used paving stones and cement to make a pedestal high enough to set the safe on. He covered it in cement to make it all smooth, used his Hands of the Gods ability called Burning Hands to produce Fire and used his Fire Manipulation ability and Absorb Fire abilities to dry it completely. Another popup appeared and Ren dismissed it without reading it.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Ren felt her emotions and assumed she was going to object to having such an ugly thing in her Library, so he took out some wood and used his Portable Dye Station to make the wood a dark brown, then he built a facade around the pedestal and added filigree and designs on it. He could feel her admiration for his skills as he worked, and then he felt her surprise when he took out a gold coin and activated his Hands of the Gods ability again. Ren closed his fist and poured Fire into his hand and concentrated on making it as hot as possible. He felt the metal start to melt after several moments, and he used his other hand to dip into his palm and traced some of the filigree with the molten gold. Once that was done, Ren spread the remaining molten gold over the top of the pedestal. He enchanted it with the glyph with his Maker''s Mark and the Protection and Durability runes, then took out a bolt of red fabric. ¡°What are you doing?¡± The Head Librarian asked. ¡°It looks splendid as it is.¡± ¡°I''m just sprucing it up a little.¡± Ren said and sewed up a small table runner with fancy and intricate designs on it, and draped it over the pedestal. ¡°There.¡± He said and picked up the heavy safe and put it on the now ornate and very expensive-looking pedestal. Another popup appeared and Ren dismissed it without reading it. The Head Librarian stepped to the pedestal and touched the cloth, then ran her hands over the finely carved wood and gold accents. She couldn''t believe something so nice had been built so quickly. ¡°It''s exquisite.¡± She said softly. ¡°Try it out.¡± Ren said, and she quickly opened the safe to reveal the contents. ¡°It''s so much easier now.¡± She said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said and took out the platinum coins he owed and handed them to her, then he handed her the same amount again. The Head Librarian gasped at the number of platinum coins and quickly shoved them into the safe and closed it. Ren held in his laugh at her reaction and emotions, and let her calm herself down. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said and knelt on one knee. ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked as he picked up the hem of her dress. ¡°Trying to clean your dress.¡± Ren said and examined it. He already had a similar patterned dress so he didn''t gain a new recipe, so he took out his Master Tailor Sewing Needle and held it against the cloth. ¡°Repair.¡± The Head Librarian''s mouth dropped open as her dress was restored to pristine condition and the dirt disappeared. ¡°You... how... what...¡± ¡°I think that is all the surprises I have for you today.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°May I escort you back to the reception desk?¡± She nodded wordlessly as he offered his elbow to her, and she put her hand on it so he could lead her back out of the room. Despite being a foot or so shorter than her, Ren expertly led her down the hall and out to the desk, then brought her around it and helped her sit down. Another popup appeared and he dismissed it without reading it. ¡°Good day, Madam.¡± Ren said and bowed slightly to her, and she inclined her head slightly. The Head Librarian watched as he took the hand of the tall metal woman he had come out of the back room with, and he led that woman across the Library and out the front door. * ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Someone asked, and the Head Librarian turned slightly to see an Adventurer with concern on her face. ¡°Yes. Yes, I''m fine.¡± The Head Librarian said. ¡°I don''t know why I''m so flustered.¡± ¡°Despite being so short, he''s pretty sexy.¡± The young woman said. ¡°His name''s Ren, right?¡± ¡°I believe so.¡± ¡°I thought I recognized him.¡± The young woman said. ¡°I can''t wait for the double show this weekend!¡± ¡°Me, either!¡± Another woman said and came over to the reception desk. ¡°A show on TV one night, then a show at the arena the next day!¡± ¡°TV?¡± The Head Librarian asked. ¡°It''s Adventurer business.¡± The second woman said the magic phrase. The Head Librarian''s eyes glazed over for a second and then she nodded. ¡°Get the next book and come on.¡± The second woman said. ¡°We might be able to follow him and see where he lives.¡± ¡°He doesn''t seem to be in a hurry.¡± The young woman said and smiled at the Head Librarian. ¡°The Adventures of Ren Volume Two, please.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The Head Librarian said and reached under the desk and picked up a copy of the book. ¡°There you go.¡± ¡°Is it still free?¡± The young woman asked. ¡°Yes. His Highness has seen fit to ensure they will always be free.¡± ¡°His highness? Who''s that?¡± The second woman asked. ¡°King Ren of course.¡± The Head Librarian said. ¡°HE''S A KING?!?¡± Both women yelled in what was supposed to be a quiet place, and several people hissed at them to be quiet. ¡°Sorry!¡± The young woman said and waved an apology around, then turned back to the Head Librarian. ¡°I''m sorry for the outburst.¡± ¡°You need to learn a little bit of decorum, or every little thing that surprises you will make you yell.¡± The Head Librarian said. ¡°You didn''t hear me yell while he was here, did you?¡± ¡°No.¡± The young woman said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Good day, Adventurers.¡± The Head Librarian said, and the young woman and the second woman walked away towards the front doors. The second woman leaned close and poked the young woman with an elbow. ¡°What do you think he was doing to her that she had to stop herself from yelling?¡± The two women started to laugh and left the Library, and didn''t see the Head Librarian''s bright red face. You couldn''t tell if it was from anger or from embarrassment, though. * ¡°Here''s good enough.¡± Ren said and stopped in the middle of an empty lot that wasn''t far away from the Library. ¡°Teepo, are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes, Ren.¡± Teepo said from his shoulder. ¡°I''m always ready.¡± ¡°Artemis?¡± Ren asked and equipped his platinum armor. ¡°I''m ready as well.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Even though you explained this, I don''t know how this is going to work.¡± ¡°You''ll understand once I start.¡± Ren said and took out his pet tarantula. ¡°My Queen, may I ask for your assistance?¡± A portal appeared right in front of him and the Queen of the Dark Elves'' attendant, the Dark Elf Healer Tiatha Miarora, stepped out of it. ¡°She''s busy tending to some personal affairs at the moment.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°I have come in her place.¡± ¡°It might work with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you have a strong connection to Lylyth?¡± ¡°Just as strong as yours.¡± Tiatha said, and Ren smiled. ¡°That will have to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to do something that I''m sure will work...¡± ¡°You don''t need to explain the specifics, just tell me what to do.¡± ¡°When I nod, I want you to merge your Aura with mine. I need you to funnel all the negative emotions I''m going to feed you to Lylyth.¡± Ren said. ¡°Her absorption rate from me isn''t going to be enough, and you are going to compensate for that.¡± ¡°I... I''ll try.¡± Tiatha said. Ren held a hand out to her. ¡°Don''t think about it or try to parse the emotions. Lock yourself into the role and just do it.¡± Tiatha took a deep breath and let it out, then took his hand. ¡°I will do what you say.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren smiled and took out a handful of steel squares. ¡°Take these and surround the Main House in my county and activate them.¡± He said and checked the All-Seeing Mirror, then cast the Portal spell. Tiatha walked through the portal and came back through it barely 30 seconds later. ¡°It is done.¡± Tiatha said and another popup appeared, so Ren dismissed it without reading it. ¡°I just hope it works.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to Artemis and to Tiatha. ¡°Hold on.¡± Both women took the offered hands and held on tightly. Ren took several deep breaths and relaxed, so he could prepare himself for what he was about to do. ¡°Are you sure about this, Ren?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Once you do this...¡± ¡°I know, buddy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m prepared for the consequences.¡± ¡°Then go for it.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''re only going to get one shot at this.¡± ¡°Hopefully that''s all I''m going to need.¡± Ren said and lifted Artemis'' hand and kissed it, then lifted Tiatha''s hand and kissed it. He felt her body react immediately and her emotions spiked as she thought about him. ¡°Three.¡± Teepo said, and started to chitter. ¡°Two.¡± His chitter became louder. ¡°One.¡± Ren nodded to Tiatha and she merged her Aura with his, and her hand gripped his so tightly that he thought she was going to hurt herself. ¡°NOW!¡± Teepo yelled, and Ren merged his Aura with the artificial one he had covered the entire country with. ¡°GREAT VASALOR!¡± Tiatha yelled as her whole body trembled and she fell to her knees. Thanks to Ren creating the Portal Gate Network and previously making them all recognize him, everyone in all the towns and cities in the entire country were thinking about him at that moment. Exactly as he had planned. With everyone inside his country-size Aura thinking about him, he could tap into their emotions much easier than if he had forced himself. He activated his Emotion Siphon ability and started to absorb everyone''s emotions. Barely a second later he started to level up. Chapter 626 - Phase Two Complete ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Artemis exclaimed as she felt the ocean of emotions pouring into Ren and saw his body glow with the power. Tiatha, the Dark Elf healer, was still on her knees and stared up at him. She had done as he asked and made herself into a funnel and siphoned off all of the negative emotions Ren absorbed and gave them to her Queen. * The Queen of the Dark Elves screamed as the mark above her heart burned with such intensity that she thought she was dying. She fell to her knees as her Emotion Siphon ability worked overtime to absorb all the emotions the Royal Consort and her personal attendant were forcibly feeding her. ¡°Too... much!¡± Lylyth said, and she shot out Mana tendrils to the other Dark Elves around her. She was grateful that she had only been in a conference to discuss what to do with the High Elven soldiers they had captured and not in the room with the soldiers themselves, because she didn''t choose her targets. Everyone around her had a Mana Tendril attached and she pushed the emotions she couldn''t absorb into them. * Ren felt a little guilty about absorbing emotions from people without asking their permission first; but, he justified his actions with the fact that no one would have had the emotions at all if it hadn''t been for the Water Works update. He wouldn''t have created the artificial Aura to get their attention, either. Ren concentrated on the negative emotions that him being a Sea Dweller gave them, and he pulled them out of everyone. He looked down at Tiatha and saw her stunned expression as he pushed all of those negative emotions through her. He knew she wasn''t keeping anything for herself because her body wasn''t glowing at all. It only took a minute or so to pull out all of the negative emotions from everyone, and Tiatha relaxed as the flow trickled down to almost nothing. ¡°Don''t relax yet!¡± Ren said and used his Awesomeness Aura''s inherent ability, Charm Person. Since he could cast it on anyone within his Aura, and his Aura covered the entire country, every single person that was susceptible to it was charmed by it. * King Alamast was in the middle of an important meeting with several delegates from a nearby nation when he felt Ren''s Aura cover the castle. ¡°No! Not again!¡± He exclaimed and stood up. ¡°Please excuse me!¡± He said and ran from the room. ¡°Hmm. He has a good Charge reaction at least.¡± A gravelly voice said through furry lips. ¡°I wonder if his soldiers have the same fight or flight response?¡± ¡°I would say at least some of them do. Despite being ferried inside a covered cart, we could still see out.¡± Another said. ¡°They just had to bring us by their front lines where they had been fighting those undead things.¡± ¡°Ghouls.¡± The third one said and smiled as he bared his sharp teeth. ¡°Nasty taste, but great fighters.¡± The three delegates laughed deep throaty laughs. King Alamast was halfway down the hall when he felt his emotions about Ren start to be pulled out of him, and he ran faster. He arrived at his wife''s private room and burst in through the door without knocking like he normally would, and found her leaning against the wall with a hand over her heart and the Ghoul-Kissed mark there. ¡°My Love!¡± King Alamast ran over to her and took her into his arms. ¡°He needs our help.¡± Lady Eleanor whispered. ¡°He could have asked!¡± ¡°You would have said no.¡± She said, and he couldn''t deny it. ¡°Prepare yourself.¡± ¡°For wha-aaahh!¡± King Alamast grunted as the emotions being drained changed to the negative ones and the force they were being pulled increased. ¡°What... what...¡± ¡°He hates that we were forced to dislike him.¡± Lady Eleanor said, and she didn''t fight Ren taking the negative emotions like her husband was. ¡°Yes, he does.¡± Diana said from the doorway. She was completely unaffected by the negative emotion drain, since she didn''t have any strong negative emotions for Ren. She saw her father struggle with it, and she walked over to him. ¡°Father, let it go.¡± She said. ¡°So what if he''s a Sea Dweller?¡± She asked. ¡°Does that change the things he has done for us, like saving mother''s life?¡± Lady Eleanor looked at her daughter''s face and saw calmness. ¡°You saved my life, not him.¡± ¡°I came up with the idea, but it was he who brought the healers here in time.¡± Diana said. ¡°He also stopped that coup attempt by Lord Eddlemere, not to mention saving my life.¡± ¡°But, he... he took...¡± King Alamast looked at his wife. ¡°He has healed me fully and made me stronger. He has neither stolen my heart, nor earned my favor.¡± Lady Eleanor said, and Diana sighed. ¡°What else does he need to do to satisfy you?¡± Diana asked, and then King Alamast stopped slumping and stood up straight. ¡°He stopped.¡± King Alamast said and hugged his wife. ¡°It''s over.¡± ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Lady Eleanor warned, then both her face and the King''s gained a joyous expression. ¡°He is so wonderful!¡± They exclaimed together, and Diana watched in stunned silence as her parents danced around the room and celebrated the times they had been privileged to see Ren in person. ¡°What is going on?¡± Diana asked, and she heard similar shouting and laughing in the hallway. She walked over to the door and looked out to see a maid and a butler dancing together. The trays of food they had carried were discarded on the floor to ease their revelry. * The scene was repeated all around the country by most of the people that lived there. Tasks and jobs were ignored as they celebrated Ren and his entry into their lives. It was mostly NPCs that were affected, but some Adventurers were as well. They didn''t know why they were celebrating their knowledge of Ren, and because of the Charm Person spell, they didn''t care. They let the joy and happiness fill them and counted Ren among their closest friends. * Ren felt the overflow of positive feelings for him and started to absorb them. He knew the Charm Person spell wasn''t going to work on everyone, and he felt a small backlash of negative emotions, so he pushed them into Tiatha in a mix of good emotions. She caught her breath as he added in his own appreciation for her and her body glowed almost as brightly as his. Ren''s level gains came faster and faster as each second passed while he absorbed an entire country''s population of emotions. The other members of his party called the Virtual Survivors also went up in levels; so Artemis, Teepo, Princess, Ruck, Tee-one, and Lara the Sage of Ages, all gained levels, too. Because Ren needed so much more XP to go up a single level, approximately 220% more, everyone else in his party gained levels so much faster than him.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Whatever you''re trying to do, stop it!¡± A woman yelled and tried to push through the dancing crowd. ¡°You''re hurting these people!¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°It''s not hurting them at all.¡± He said and kept absorbing the emotions. ¡°Even if I didn''t use a spell to make them all happy and like me, my ability doesn''t work that way.¡± ¡°Look at them!¡± The woman said. ¡°They''re dancing around like they''re crazy or something!¡± ¡°That''s just a reaction to happiness.¡± Ren said. He was tempted to check his status to see how far along he was, but decided he didn''t need the distraction at the moment. ¡°Some cheer, some dance, some hug.¡± ¡°I... I''ll stop you.¡± The woman said and drew her sword. ¡°Let my friend go!¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± Ren asked. The woman pointed, and he saw a young woman not far away as she jumped around by herself and cheered for him. He had to slow the flow of emotions to concentrate on the young woman, then dismissed the Charm Person spell on her. He saw her do two more jumps, then she looked around. ¡°DANA!¡± The woman near Ren yelled and the young woman turned and caught sight of her friend. ¡°Hey!¡± Dana said and made her way over to her friend. ¡°What happened? I don''t feel as happy anymore.¡± ¡°It was Ren! He used some kind of magic on you!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Dana looked at Ren and smiled. ¡°You have to be really talented to cast a spell out of sight of someone.¡± ¡°Dana!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He had you under a spell! He could have made you do anything he wanted!¡± Dana put an arm around her friend''s shoulder. ¡°If that''s true, why are we all just dancing and cheering for him?¡± ¡°He only just started this... this... whatever it is! He could have you strip off your clothes or... or...¡± ¡°It''s just an apology.¡± Ren said and both women turned to look at him. ¡°I got tired of feeling everyone''s negative emotions for me and the Sea Dwellers, so I absorbed them without their permission.¡± ¡°Wait, I think I heard about something like that.¡± Dana said. ¡°Can you, like, suck people dry or something?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I can''t drain people to death, since my version of the ability doesn''t work like that, and I wouldn''t do that even if I could.¡± He said. ¡°Once I took all the bad emotions, I used Charm Person to make everyone be happy and have fun; but, the spell''s compulsion is really strong because my Aura is so big, so I''m absorbing the excess emotions from everyone.¡± ¡°There are hundreds of people around.¡± Dana''s friend said. ¡°How are you doing that without touching them?¡± ¡°It''s not just here.¡± Tiatha, the Dark Elf healer said, and remained on her knees. ¡°He''s absorbing them from everyone in the whole country.¡± ¡°WHAAAAAT?!?¡± The woman and Dana yelled together. ¡°Ren, you need to hurry.¡± Teepo reminded him. ¡°Don''t worry, I think I''m almost done.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes, then concentrated on gathering as much of the excess emotions as he could. His level kept going up and up, and people stopped dancing as he absorbed more emotions. The cheers died down as he took more and more from them, and all across the country, everyone slowed and stopped celebrating. * ¡°Oh, my.¡± Lady Eleanor said breathlessly. Diana looked back into the room and saw that they had stopped dancing and that her father, King Alamast, stood beside her mother and he slowly clenched his hands into fists. ¡°You don''t have to fight it, dear.¡± Lady Eleanor said, and King Alamast''s wide and happy smile started to fade, and his eyes turned from joy to anger. ¡°How could he do that to you?¡± King Alamast said through gritted teeth. ¡°He dares to cast a spell on you! I will have his head the next time I see him!¡± Lady Eleanor reached up and rested her hand on the cheek of his face. ¡°Didn''t you enjoy it? Dancing with me without a care in the world?¡± Some of the anger left the King''s eyes and he unclenched his fists to give her a hug. ¡°Of course I did.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°But, still...¡± ¡°It''s not permanent.¡± Lady Eleanor said and used her other hand to touch the Ghoul-Kissed mark above her heart. ¡°For some reason, I believe he wouldn''t do that.¡± ¡°No, he wouldn''t.¡± Diana said. ¡°I just wonder why I wasn''t affected?¡± ¡°There are two simple explanations for that. You didn''t have any negative emotions for him to take and you are already charmed by him.¡± Lady Eleanor smiled demurely. ¡°Neither of his attempts would work against you.¡± ******** ¡°Sir! Something is happening!¡± One of the programmers assigned to monitor the progress of the game at Sid Tec said, and Francis the Head Programmer walked over to him. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I don''t know, sir.¡± The programmer said. ¡°Look.¡± Francis looked at the data and nodded. ¡°That matches the data from the last time this happened.¡± He said. ¡°It seems our illustrious player activated his gigantic Aura again.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± The programmer said. ¡°How can he do that?¡± ¡°He''s more versatile than... wait, what''s that?¡± Francis said and pointed to a numerical counter. ¡°Oh, that''s my XP monitor. It lets me gauge how many quests are paying off for players and...¡± ¡°Why is it going up so fast?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh, it always counts fast. With all the players...¡± The programmer looked at the counter and saw the million marker flip, then flip again, then twice more, then three more times, then six times. ¡°What the hell?¡± Francis watched the programmer open up the XP tracker and saw the source for it. ¡°Okay, I need to know how he''s doing that.¡± ¡°I don''t know, sir.¡± The programmer said. ¡°It''s got several things tied in together, according to the source. Level ups and a running quest mixed in.¡± ¡°Can you tell me the quest?¡± ¡°Just a minute.¡± The programmer said and opened several other programs, then cross-referenced it to the open quests list. ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± He said and brought up Ren''s Running Quest to show everyone what he could do. ¡°Oh, that''s slick.¡± Francis said. ¡°He probably didn''t have a chance in hell of making a level up with this stunt, but if he''s also showing people what he can do, the XP gains are going to be enormous.¡± ¡°Why?¡± The programmer asked. ¡°Shouldn''t it just be a one time thing?¡± ¡°Yes, but if he does several different things...¡± ¡°...they compound together, especially with the entire country''s population inside his Aura.¡± Francis nodded. ¡°He''s definitely a smart one.¡± ¡°Sir, what do we do?¡± ¡°There''s nothing we can do.¡± Francis said. ¡°His little plan isn''t taxing the main servers, let alone affecting the reserve backups.¡± He chuckled. ¡°We can''t go in and put an XP cap on anything, because all the other players will complain that they won''t be able to gain enough XP to get on the leader board.¡± ¡°They have been complaining about that, ever since the third time he got on there with a ridiculous amount.¡± The programmer said. ¡°According to Jerry, anyways.¡± Francis nodded. ¡°He''s going to get the top spot again with this.¡± He said and thought about something. ¡°We might not be able to stop him taking the spot, but we can block the amount that''s shown.¡± ¡°You mean like when he broke the Honor to XP subroutine?¡± ¡°Exactly. He''ll get the top spot, but people won''t know by how large of a margin he has.¡± Francis said. ¡°Healthy competition is one thing, since it spurs people to do better; but, destroying any hope for reaching the same height defeats the purpose.¡± ¡°That''s a good point, sir.¡± The programmer said. ¡°Hey, Jerry! We need you over here for a second.¡± ******** Ren could feel himself getting stronger and more powerful as the minutes passed, then suddenly the flow of emotions cut off abruptly and his Emotion Siphon ability stopped working.
Notice!
Your Emotion Siphon ability can no longer be used to convert emotions into XP.
Ren immediately deactivated the ability and then dismissed the Charm Person spells on everyone within his Aura. He felt everyone relax and felt their relief, because it had been quite the event for them to experience, and now that part of it was over.
Notice!
Using your Emotion Siphon ability and absorbing so many emotions, has earned you an insurmountable amount of XP. XP gained: XXXXX
Running Quest Update!
You have shown an entire country of people what you can do. Rewards: XXXXX XP Fame: 1,548,943
Notice!
Your excess Fame has been converted to XP Fame 1,548,943 x 10 XP = 15,489,430 XP
Wait, what? Ren thought and blinked his eyes at the X''s in two of the popups. I can''t tell how much XP I gained? Does that mean I didn''t get it?
Notice!
You have gained 851 levels! You are now Level 999 and 8,510 stat points have been automatically allocated. You have unlocked: Everything for your class. There is nothing left for you to learn. Please refer to the various lists available to you (skills, recipes, spells) to find out what you can do.
¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°It worked!¡± Teepo, Artemis, and Tiatha felt his shock and started to laugh, because he had shocked himself more than he had shocked everyone else. Chapter 627 - Plotted Plan
Notice!
You have gained a new Title: Teach Me No More This title can only be earned when you can no longer gain XP from skills or quests. Your skills are above reproach and no one can dispute your mastery of them. All currently known skills and abilities are Mastered.
¡°Whoa.¡± Ren said at the popup. ¡°How can... does that mean... what about...?¡± ¡°Even the things you just gained.¡± Teepo said from his shoulder. ¡°I have the title, too.¡± ¡°As do I.¡± Artemis said. There was a loud crash and then Princess was instantly there beside them. ¡°My King, thank you.¡± Princess said. ¡°You have honored me.¡± Ren scratched her chin and then took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked the house in the Housing District. The door and frame were smashed to pieces, so Ren concentrated on it and poured Mana into his Aura. The house healed itself, thanks to his ability to repair things he owned, and he was glad that he no longer needed to touch it directly. He stored the mirror and decided to check his status. ¡°Show Status.¡±
Status
Name Ren (Neram) Level 999 (Maxed)
Gender Male Class Artificer/King
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 1,000,000 Honor 250,000 (Untouchable)
Giant Kingdom: Dark Elven Kingdom (Royal Consort):
Respect 26,000 Influence 1,000,000
Titles
Master Blacksmith Grants 10 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills; 5,000 Fame
Master Tailor Grants 10 level bonus to Tailoring Skills; 5,000 Fame
Master Enchanter Guild Membership; The Rule Of Two; Skill: Rune Creation
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Dreaded Foe Auras with Fear: +5 Levels, Respect: 5000, Enemies/Opponents/Creatures -5 INT -5 WIS
The Tainted King All Auras maxed. You must be acknowledged. Grants skills: This Is Mine! & Autocracy
Sea Dweller (Honorary) Grants Water Manipulation Skill, Water Conversion Ability, and Sea Dweller (Aura)
Royal Consort Dark Elven Court, Underworld Access, Tithe
HeadHunter Killing Blow Special (50% Kill chance), Skull Cracker (Stun +20%)
Void Bane Void Sense (Aura), -50% Debuff from Void effects, +50% Damage to Void creatures
Awesomeness Grants Admiration, free Charm Person, Personal Aura +150 feet
Vasalor''s Chosen (No Description)
Teach Me No More All currently known skills and abilities are Mastered
Health 33,773 (Maxed 99,999) Mana 36,788 (Maxed 99,999)
Strength 4,173 (+15,140) Dexterity 4,064 (+15,140)
Vitality 4,049 (+15,140) Agility 4,071 (+15,140)
Endurance 4,059 (+15,140) Intelligence 4,080 (+15,445)
Luck 99 (+142) Wisdom 4,095 (+15,445)
Ren read it over and looked at his main stats, and frowned. ¡°That''s all?¡± He asked. ¡°I''ve maxed out my character, and yet it didn''t raise my stats enough to max my Health or my Mana?¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°What was that you said?¡± Dana asked. ¡°I''m level 999, but none of my stats give me full Health or Mana.¡± Ren said. ¡°That doesn''t seem right, especially since I get twice the stat points per level.¡± Dana and her friend stared at Ren like he had two heads. ¡°It takes me twice as long to level, so I get extra points.¡± Ren said, but that didn''t change their expression. ¡°Actually, that would mean a normal character wouldn''t have gotten as many stat points for maxing their level, and their numbers would be a lot lower than mine.¡± He said, then his eyes widened. ¡°Oh, wow. Since my stats are automatically allocated for balance, then someone assigning their own stats would only have one, maybe two comparably high stats and the rest would be really low.¡± ¡°What... what are you talking about?¡± Dana''s friend asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± Ren said and smiled at the two women. ¡°It''s just something else I need to talk to a friend about.¡± ¡°My King, I should return.¡± Tiatha Miarora, the Dark Elf healer said. ¡°I feel her calling me.¡± ¡°Oh! Of course.¡± Ren said and turned to her, then stepped close and put his arms around her. ¡°Thank you so much for doing this for me.¡± Tiatha''s face flushed to a darker grey. ¡°I would do anything for you, you know that.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Then give our Dark Queen a kiss for me.¡± He said and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°It won''t mean the same coming from me, but I will do as you ask.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and recalled the last time he had seen her. ¡°This kiss is for you, and for you alone.¡± Tiatha gasped as he kissed passionately and poured his emotions into her. She glowed instantly and wrapped her arms around him, then moaned her pleasure into his mouth. Most of the crowd that had gathered around during the spectacle were slightly uncomfortable at the sight and felt like they were intruding on a personal moment, but Dana and her friend felt completely differently. ¡°Look at that.¡± Dana whispered and almost moaned herself. ¡°I''d kill for someone to kiss me like that.¡± Her friend only nodded agreement and the both of their bodies started to react to the sight. Ren felt this and slowed down the emotions he was feeding Tiatha, then broke the kiss. ¡°Do you want me to open a portal?¡± Ren asked, and Tiatha opened her eyes. ¡°My Queen is... yes, please.¡± Tiatha said, because she was hesitant to describe out loud the state her Queen was currently in. Ren used the All-Seeing Mirror to check the throne room and cast the Portal Spell. ¡°Thank you again.¡± Ren said. ¡°You really helped me out today.¡± ¡°If you need me for anything else, just call.¡± Tiatha said, then leaned in and kissed him on the lips. ¡°Oh, before I forget.¡± Ren took her hand and turned it over. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°As the Royal Consort of the Queen of the Dark Elves, I hereby bequeath to you the emotion tithe I am to receive every month.¡± Ren said and bit her wrist. Tiatha gasped as her blood bubbled out from the wound and Ren licked it. He deactivated his Regeneration ability and bit his own wrist, then held it out to her. ¡°My King, I...¡± ¡°Do you refuse?¡± Ren asked. ¡°NO!¡± Tiatha yelled, grabbed his wrist, and licked and sucked on his blood for a second. She then took his wrist and pressed it to hers, and they both glowed for a moment. ¡°I would never refuse you anything!¡± Ren smiled and activated his Regeneration, then cast a Minor Healing spell that healed her wound. ¡°I hope you can put it to good use.¡± ¡°My King, I... you give away too much.¡± Tiatha said. My blood on his lips, his blood on mine. She thought, and she was filled with happiness. ¡°I can''t use it anymore, so I''m passing it on to you.¡± Ren said and felt her happiness, and let her feel his happiness in return. ¡°It was nice seeing you again.¡± Tiatha saw a dribble of blood on the side of his mouth, so she stepped close and licked it, then on impulse kissed him again. Ren didn''t try to back away or stop her, and her heart fluttered. She knew he would let her kiss him for as long as she wanted, so she broke the kiss on her own and stepped back. ¡°It was nice seeing you again as well, My King.¡± Tiatha said and stepped through the portal. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror to see that she was clear of the other side and dismissed the portal. ¡°That was super-hot, except for near the end part.¡± Dana said and tried not to gag. ¡°What was with the blood thing?¡± ¡°She needed it to prove that I really gave her permission.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a Dark Elf thing.¡± ¡°But... aren''t you, like... human?¡± ¡°Elfling.¡± Ren said and pointed to his ears. ¡°Oh, I didn''t notice.¡± Dana said. Ren smiled. ¡°No one really does.¡± He said and turned to Artemis. ¡°Ready for the next stage?¡± ¡°My expertise is at your command.¡± Artemis said and flew up into the sky. ¡°Mine, too.¡± Teepo said and flew up into the sky with her. ¡°I will clear the way if they need it, My King.¡± Princess said and braced herself to run. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t invite you when I made the Portal Gate Network.¡± Ren said. ¡°There just wasn''t time to have you carry me everywhere.¡± ¡°I know, My King.¡± Princess said. ¡°Despite being so fast, I still cannot travel instantly.¡± ¡°What about...¡± ¡°Suniva was kind enough to help me spread out my stat points.¡± Princess said. ¡°I am ready for this.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and scratched her chin, took out the Staff of Earth and closed his eyes, then concentrated on all of the large steel squares he had buried. With the staff and it''s Move Earth ability, he pushed the dirt away from above them and then shoved the dirt underneath them to raise them up several feet. With them fully exposed, he could now do what he wanted. ¡°Here we go!¡± Ren said and concentrated on the Light runes on them. ¡°Activate!¡± A bright blinding Light emanated from all the steel squares and everyone covered their eyes from it. Since all the steel squares were all within his Aura, his Aura was completely filled with Light. Hundreds of Void presences were revealed when the Light hit them, and Ren felt their appearance. ¡°Teepo! Artemis!¡± Ren said, and then Teepo and Artemis combined their strengths to pinpoint and shoot each and every one of them that they could see. ¡°Princess!¡± Princess disappeared as she ran into the sky and Ren used his Heat Sense to track her movements. She really is a lot faster now. Ren thought. * Princess smashed through part of King Alamast''s castle and through the room that he, his wife, and Princess Diana were in. She continued into the hallway through the wall as if it wasn''t there, and the maid and butler started to scream as the pure Light hit them. King Alamast gasped as the maid and butler were then disintegrated with Mana blasts. Princess turned around and looked at Princess Diana. ¡°Princess.¡± She said and ducked her head, then disappeared from sight as she ran back out through the holes she had made. ¡°What was that?!?¡± King Alamast exclaimed as a bit of the external wall crumbled from Princess'' second pass through it. ¡°He''s protecting us, apparently.¡± Diana said. ¡°By wrecking everything?¡± King Alamast asked, and she laughed. ¡°No, Dad. He''s very specifically only doing the bare minimum damage to achieve his goal.¡± Diana said. ¡°This is not the way to go about it.¡± King Alamast said. ¡°It''s the most efficient.¡± Lady Eleanor said, then blinked her eyes. ¡°I don''t know why I know that.¡± Diana sighed. She was right before. He doesn''t hold sway over her mind or her heart. She won''t admit that she has a connection to him, despite all the evidence to the contrary. ¡°I''ll contact the Stonemasons Guild.¡± Diana said and stepped out through the large hole in the room''s wall. * After smashing into several different buildings all across the country, Princess ran back to Ren. ¡°I cannot get to several of the underground ones.¡± Princess said. Ren felt several portals open up in those locations. He changed his concentration to the Anti-void runes and activated them. He couldn''t feel the emotions of those beings; but, when all the portals immediately closed, he did feel that several of the presences disappeared. ¡°Just a minute.¡± Ren said and used the Staff of Earth to pull the dirt away from those locations to give Princess access to get in. ¡°Okay, go!¡± Princess took off and ran as hard as she could, did a once around the first location, then picked her approach. She smashed into the underground lair and rammed into the one Ren felt was the Void presence. The being died when she squished it into a pulp against the solid stone wall, then everyone in the room turned to look at her. ¡°Don''t just stand there! That thing killed Larson!¡± One of them shouted and drew his sword as the others blocked her path to leave. ¡°I can kill you, too.¡± Princess said, and all of the people there froze still. ¡°Did... did you just talk?¡± ¡°No. It is a magic spell.¡± Princess huffed. ¡°Move or die. There is no third option.¡± ¡°I believe you are in an enclosed space and we all have weapons.¡± The guy said with confidence and some uncertainty. ¡°There''s no room for charging speed in here. ¡°I believe you are mistaken.¡± Princess said and took a step up into the air... and didn''t fall down. ¡°What is it doing?¡± Someone asked. ¡°Charging you.¡± Princess said, then did a quick loop in the air that was barely 5 feet from where she started and charged the closest man. She pulverized his head with one of her horns and that gave her even more room to run. She did an even bigger loop in the air this time, and the men started screaming. She made short work of all 8 of them, and none of them even managed to raise their swords. ¡°Pathetic.¡± Princess said and wiped her hooves on the last man''s tunic, then ran out through the hole she had made in the stone and up the trench Ren had made for her. She ran to the next spot and only found a single being there; but, it had been sliced in half vertically by the portal. She went to the next spot and killed another one, then went to the last spot and found two more partial bodies. With her task complete, she returned to Ren in Aurora, and Artemis and Teepo landed as she arrived. ¡°That''s all of them.¡± Ren said and dismissed the popups for killing Void creatures because he didn''t gain anything from it. He also deactivated the Light and Anti-void runes, then used the Staff of Earth to return the steel squares to their proper places slightly underground. ¡°Excuse me. I have a question.¡± Dana asked. Ren turned to look at her. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°You''re already max level, right?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Isn''t it kind of pointless to do this if you don''t gain experience anymore?¡± ¡°It might be pointless for me and my party, if XP was all that we wanted.¡± Ren smiled and stopped concentrating on the large artificial Aura. ¡°So, aren''t you glad that I don''t think it''s pointless?¡± ¡°Especially for everyone else''s sake.¡± Artemis said and put an arm over his shoulders. ¡°I think you need a break.¡± ¡°...and I think you just want to see me naked again.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. * Dana and her friend watched as Ren put an arm around the tall metal woman''s waist, then as they walked down the street with a giant ram beside them. ¡°So, are we still following him?¡± Her friend asked. Dana nodded without saying a word, and they walked up the street behind the most amazing person she had ever seen. * Ren, Artemis, and Princess casually walked back to the house. Princess went to her room and Ren and Artemis went up the stairs. He opened the bedroom door and saw a disgruntled 1 foot tall pixie sitting on the headboard with her arms and legs crossed, and saw 4 unconscious succubi on the bed with looks of pure enraptured joy on their faces. Ren held in his laugh at the sight. ¡°Oops.¡± Chapter 628 - More Catching Up After several minutes of trying to gently wake the succubi, Ren decided that he should let them wake up on their own, rather than trying to use a spell to wake them. ¡°They are going to be out for a while, I think.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I was shocked with all the emotions you were absorbing, and I don''t have a version of the Emotion Siphon ability.¡± She said. ¡°I can''t imagine what they experienced.¡± ¡°I''d say it was similar to what Tiatha went through, except I wasn''t filtering for them.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°The poor things.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Yes, the poor things look so sad that they had to go through that.¡± ¡°You should have seen them.¡± Suniva said, and she still looked disgruntled. ¡°They were kissing and touching each other like there was no tomorrow.¡± Ren walked over to the headboard and held a hand out to her. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t take into consideration what would happen here.¡± Suniva turned her head away. ¡°I don''t know what you mean.¡± ¡°It must have bothered you so much to have all of this happen in front of you, and you couldn''t participate.¡± ¡°It didn''t.¡± Suniva denied it, but Ren could feel her emotions. ¡°I''m sorry that you couldn''t join in.¡± Ren said and used a fingertip to touch her cheek, and he felt a bit of wetness there. ¡°I could seriously hurt them if I tried.¡± Suniva sniffed. ¡°I''d like to offer to make it up to you.¡± Ren said and pulled his finger away. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Suniva asked and turned to look at him. ¡°I''ve got to spend some time working on all the new skills and abilities I''ve gained, so I''m going into my Sanctuary for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lara''s busy doing her own thing, so I can take someone else in with me instead.¡± ¡°I...¡± Suniva turned away. ¡°I can''t.¡± She said. ¡°Not after doing what I did.¡± Ren put his hand by her. ¡°I''ve had a long time to get over that, so I''m not angry anymore.¡± He said. ¡°Please, come with me.¡± ¡°Are... are you sure?¡± Suniva asked and turned to him. ¡°It just happened, and...¡± ¡°You and I aren''t bound to each other as I am with Artemis and Teepo. They hurt me badly, and it wasn''t fair of me to treat you like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let me make it up to you.¡± ¡°Make it up?¡± Suniva asked and stepped onto his hand. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°I''ll show you.¡± Ren said and cast a Portal spell. Another popup appeared, and this time he didn''t dismiss it, because he was curious as to what it said.
Notice!
The Portal Gate Network has earned you 143 platinum coins, 63 gold coins, 28 silver coins, and 15 copper coins.
Oh, so that''s what all those popups were for. Ren thought and took a non-necklace from his inventory and slipped it over Suniva''s head. ¡°What''s this?¡± Suniva asked and looked at the pendant. ¡°It''ll let you adjust to the time dilation without suffering the effects.¡± Ren said. ¡°It kind of works like an interrupt for the enchantment.¡± ¡°Like an anti-enchantment?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°That''s exactly what it is.¡± Ren smiled warmly at her. ¡°Very good.¡± Suniva''s face flushed red and her Fire element burned hotly. ¡°It''s one of the recipes in Issac''s... my inventory book.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, are you ready?¡± Suniva nodded and Ren took Artemis'' hand and stepped through the portal with them. * ¡°So, how long do you think he''ll stay in there?¡± Dana asked as she peered around the corner of a building that was across the street from the Housing District. ¡°How should I know?¡± Her friend asked. ¡°You know just as much about him as I do.¡± Dana sighed. ¡°I should have asked for his autograph when I had the chance.¡± ¡°Did you bring any parchment paper?¡± Her friend laughed. ¡°What is he going to sign? Your chest?¡± Dana had a contemplative look on her face, and her friend smacked her shoulder. ¡°You are not going to flash your tits at some guy you barely know!¡± Her friend said, outraged. Dana shrugged. ¡°He''s the first celebrity I''ve ever met.¡± She said. ¡°He wasn''t all, ''leave me alone'' or ''don''t talk to me'', was he?¡± ¡°No, I guess not.¡± ¡°He''s got a hit television show, so you know he''s got at least some money.¡± Dana said. ¡°He just maxed his character right in front of us, so you know he''s smart and resourceful.¡± She smiled. ¡°Plus, he''s really cute.¡± ¡°Being cute isn''t a good enough reason...¡± ¡°I won''t flash him, if that makes you happy.¡± Dana said, and saw her friend relax. ¡°Unless he asks me to.¡± Her friend gasped and she laughed. ¡°I''m kidding.¡± Dana said and looked back at the house. Mostly. She thought. Even if it was just a spell, he made me feel really happy. ¡°We really should head down to the docks and look into that rumor.¡± Her friend said. ¡°I heard it was an easy quest, especially if you buy that life saving novelty ring.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Where do we get it again?¡± Dana asked. ¡°According to the message boards, from the store called Master of All, Jack of None.¡± Her friend said and smiled. ¡°It''s his store.¡± ¡°Then lets go!¡± Dana said and grabbed her friend''s hand. ¡°Hopefully, we have enough left from the last quest to buy one!¡± ¡°I knew that would get your attention.¡± Her friend said. ¡°Do you think he made it himself?¡± Dana asked. ¡°I really hope he did!¡± * ¡°Oh, Ren! Thank you so much!¡± Lara said as she left her closet after the set time Ren had given her. He hadn''t wanted her nearby in case something went wrong, and she had stashed herself away safely in her closet. She received the popup for her maxed level and sat down at her desk, then looked over all the skills, abilities, and spells she now had access to. ******** Clint arrived at the coffee shop with plenty of time to spare, so he grabbed a basic cup of coffee and sat down in a booth with a direct line of sight to the door. He wasn''t supposed to meet her for another half an hour; but in his nervousness, he had rushed his shower and gotten dressed in a flash, then drove his big pickup truck right at the speed limit the whole way into town. Right after he had sat down to wait, much to his surprise, Gwendolyn ran by the large picture windows. His eyes followed her as she skidded to a stop at the door, yanked it open, and ran inside. He watched as she stopped at the counter, slightly out of breath, and ordered up a basic cup of coffee. She paid and picked it up, took a big drink of it, then sighed loudly. Gwendolyn turned from the counter and started to walk across the room to sit in the booth that had a direct line of sight to the door, then stopped when she saw someone sitting there. She was about to get angry at the idiot for taking her spot, then she realized who it was that was sitting there. ¡°Clint.¡± Gwendolyn whispered, her eyes wide. ¡°Hello thare, little lady.¡± Clint said and stood up. ¡°Ah''ve been sittin'' here an'' savin'' tha bes'' spot fer ya.¡± ¡°Um... I...¡± ¡°Ah reckon we both thoughta doin'' tha same thang.¡± Clint said and motioned to the other side of the booth. ¡°Ah jus'' got here maself.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Gwendolyn said and walked closer. ¡°Does... does that mean...¡± ¡°Ah''m more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room fulla rockin'' chairs, ma''am.¡± Clint admitted, and that took Gwendolyn''s wide eyes away and she gave him a genuine smile. ¡°Ah also didn'' wanna leave a beautiful woman waitin'' on me, so I showed up extra early.¡± Gwendolyn''s face flushed red at the compliment, and when she sat down, so did Clint. ¡°Well... um...¡± ¡°Seein'' as we''re both really early an'' our official date don'' star'' fer another half an hour, why don'' we jus'' yap fer a while?¡± Clint asked. ¡°We have good coffee and should have good conversation, bu'' we''re missin'' the good food.¡± He smiled. ¡°If''n you wait righ'' here, ah''ll git some of tha'' fer us.¡± Gwendolyn nodded and Clint stood up. ¡°You don''t seem nervous.¡± She said under her breath, but he heard her and smiled. ¡°Ah''m so scared I''m gonna blow this tha'' I''m shakin'' in mah boots.¡± Clint said and reached out and touched the back of her hand. She felt the tremble there, and she blinked her eyes at him. ¡°Ah''ll be righ'' back.¡± Gwendolyn nodded again and he let her hand go and went to the counter to order up something for them to eat. He''s as nervous as me! She thought happily, and rubbed the back of her hand where he had touched her. * Alice had arrived home and took a shower to clean up, grabbed a quick bite to eat, then went to her bedroom and put on her VR headset. ¡°I really need this.¡± Alice said out loud. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Jennifer woke up in her bed in her upstairs apartment of the Pleasure Palace. She got up and equipped her fur bikini, despite not needing it this early, and left the room. She went downstairs and saw several other girls were already there and relaxing in one of the booths. ¡°Jennifer!¡± Candy yelled and waved, and Jennifer walked over to her. ¡°You just missed the best feeling ever!¡± ¡°Oh? What happened?¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Candy said and rolled onto her back and sprawled out on the small table in front of the booth, which made the other girls laugh. ¡°I don''t know how he did it, but it was wonderful!¡± ¡°I don''t think I ever danced so hard in my life; and damn it, he made me horny!¡± Apple said. ¡°You know it was a good feeling if he made Apple horny.¡± Candy laughed and sat up. ¡°Actually, I kinda am, too.¡± ¡°I can''t believe I missed it.¡± Jennifer said sadly and sighed loudly. ¡°It''s okay girl.¡± Caramel said. ¡°His ban ends on the weekend. I''m sure he''ll visit soon.¡± ¡°I don''t know. That''s right before that big fight.¡± Candy said. ¡°Do you think Ren will come here first?¡± Gina asked hopefully, and the others looked at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°He is so not your type.¡± Caramel said. ¡°He can become her type, though.¡± Jennifer said, then slapped a hand over her mouth. ¡°Oh? What''s this?¡± Spice said and stood up. ¡°How can a cute little elfling become a gruff, tall, and muscle bound oaf for Gina?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Gina said in a huff. ¡°Never mind.¡± Jennifer said and tried to turn away. ¡°Come on! Spill it!¡± Spice said and touched her arm gently to stop her from turning away completely. It was a symbolic gesture of restraint, and Jennifer sighed at it''s simple and effective use. ¡°I promised I wouldn''t tell.¡± ¡°Jennifer, we''re all friends here.¡± Caramel said. ¡°We know more about each other than our boyfriends do.¡± Apple crossed her arms and pouted. ¡°Our significant others, then.¡± Caramel looked back at Jennifer. ¡°It can''t be that big of a secret.¡± Jennifer exchanged glances with Gina, who shrugged her shoulders and left the secret firmly in Jennifer''s hands. ¡°I really shouldn''t say.¡± ¡°We can all swear on our sisterhood not to say anything.¡± Spice said and looked at the other girls. ¡°Can''t we?¡± The other girls nodded, and Spice turned back to Jennifer with an expectant look on her face. ¡°All right.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Do you remember that day when Santa Claus was here?¡± * Princess Diana had approached the hallway with 2 members of the Stonemasons Guild, and stopped walking when she heard the voices of her parents talking. She had ushered the workers back around the corner and crept up to the side of the hole and listened. ¡°He''s done.¡± Lady Eleanor said and relaxed. She had been a bit tense after that monster ram had broken through the wall, and now she didn''t feel Ren''s presence anymore. ¡°Yes.¡± Her husband, King Alamast said. ¡°I can''t feel his Aura anymore.¡± ¡°Are you still angry, My Love?¡± Lady Eleanor asked, and he sighed. ¡°Yes, but you''re right. There''s no point to it.¡± King Alamast said and sat down. Lady Eleanor walked over to him and sat down on his lap. He looked at her with wide eyes, and she smiled. ¡°It''s times like these that I see you are a man deeply in love with me.¡± Lady Eleanor said and gave him a chaste kiss. ¡°I never appreciated how much that would mean to me when things became difficult.¡± ¡°Difficult?¡± King Alamast chuckled. ¡°I almost lost the entire kingdom, twice, and that didn''t bother me at all.¡± He said. ¡°When you fell ill, I realized that everything else didn''t matter. All I wanted was for you to get better.¡± Lady Eleanor gave him a stronger kiss this time, and he put his arms around her. ¡°Everything that has happened since has always taken a back seat to your welfare.¡± King Alamast said, and Lady Eleanor rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°If I can''t protect you, then I can''t protect anyone.¡± They were both silent for a few moments, then Lady Eleanor spoke. ¡°That''s why you are so upset over him.¡± Lady Eleanor said and lifted her head. ¡°You don''t need to be.¡± ¡°What do you mean, need to be?¡± King Alamast said with a smile. ¡°He has formed a bond with you that I cannot touch.¡± ¡°Then we will ask him to either release me, or bind us together.¡± Lady Eleanor said to his surprised face. ¡°I... I can''t let myself be... branded.¡± King Alamast said, and immediately regretted his words. To his surprise, Lady Eleanor laughed. ¡°It is a mark of survival, not a brand.¡± Lady Eleanor said. ¡°That''s why it''s a skull. It''s the Ghoul-Kissed mark, not the Ren-Kissed or Ren-Owned mark.¡± ¡°I... I''m sorry, I misspoke.¡± ¡°I know how you can make it up to me.¡± Lady Eleanor said and smiled wickedly. ¡°My Love?¡± King Alamast asked. ¡°Exactly.¡± Lady Eleanor said and kissed him passionately. Diana crept back down the hallway and went around the corner. ¡°It seems the job is not as immediate as I thought it was.¡± She said. ¡°Can you come back in an hour?¡± ¡°Of course, Your Highness.¡± One of the men said. ¡°We would be honored.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Princess Diana said regally and took out two silver coins for them. ¡°Thank you, Your Highness!¡± Both men said and quickly left. I hope they''ll be done in an hour. Diana thought, then shivered at the thought of her parents having sex. Maybe I should have interrupted them. She sighed and walked down the hallway to her own room to wait. She thought back over the events of the day and she sat down on her bed. The glass castle model Ren had made for her sat on a custom made pedestal, and she smiled as she remembered what had happened when he had delivered it. Chapter 629 - Subsidization Dana and her friend went to Ren''s business and saw that it was quite empty of customers. ¡°Do you think what he did drove them away?¡± Her friend shrugged. ¡°No idea.¡± She said. ¡°Maybe this is just a slow time of day?¡± They went inside and saw three sales girls asleep on a big couch and walked over to the counter. ¡°Hello! What can I do for you today?¡± Anabelle asked them. ¡°We''d like one of those life saving novelty rings.¡± Dana said. ¡°Those have been very popular lately.¡± Anabelle said and reached under the counter and took one out. ¡°That''ll be one gold coin, please.¡± ¡°Wait, did you say one?¡± Dana''s friend asked as Dana paid. ¡°Just one?¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°I was tempted to raise the price when the demand became so high, but Ren wouldn''t want me to do that.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Everyone should get it for the same price, no matter when they buy it.¡± ¡°How does he stay in business?¡± Dana asked. ¡°More things become available, and there are a lot of people around.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Tee-one told me about the Portal Gate, so I expect there''s going to be a lot more customers around soon.¡± ¡°How soon?¡± ¡°Oh, by tomorrow at the earliest.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°People will start finding their way here eventually, and then I''ll need to have my helpers here all the time.¡± Dana turned and looked at the three women. ¡°They don''t look like much help for you.¡± Anabelle laughed. ¡°Ren''s Charm Person spell had them dancing all around the store, and now they''re exhausted.¡± She said. ¡°I couldn''t blame them, really. I feel like dancing myself after he makes me... um... happy. Yes, happy.¡± Dana and her friend stared at Anabelle with wide eyes at the implication, and she laughed again. ¡°Is there anything else I can help you with?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°Yes. I''d like a ring, too.¡± Dana''s friend said and Anabelle gave her one as well. ¡°Just put them on and say ''Activate'', and you will pop out of the water like a cork, or you can just walk on water like it''s the ground.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Dana asked and slipped the ring on her finger. She read the popup that told her the same thing, and smiled as she dismissed it. ¡°That''s so cool!¡± ¡°It really is.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°A novelty toy turns out to be the best thing that everyone needs now, especially with all this Sea Dweller nonsense.¡± ¡°Um... did... did Ren make this?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Not like had it made, but he actually touched it and stuff?¡± ¡°Actually, yes.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°When he was here the other day he made lots of stock for the store.¡± She said. ¡°The first thing he did was make several thousand of them.¡± Dana caught her breath and hugged her hand to her chest. ¡°Hold on, did you just say several thousand?¡± Dana''s friend asked. Anabelle nodded. ¡°We are almost out again.¡± She said and looked over their shoulders. ¡°Tee-one?¡± ¡°Another batch coming right now.¡± Tee-one said and walked out of the forge section and over to the counter with a display box. There were hundreds of rings in it. ¡°Being able to make multiple items with one use of the Craft Wondrous Item ability is so much easier than making them individually.¡± Dana and her friend stared at the armored metal man. ¡°Hey, I''ve seen your face somewhere!¡± Tee-one smiled. ¡°I''ve only been back here for a few days, so unless you''ve been to Walin County, you wouldn''t have seen me anywhere else.¡± ¡°I think she means who you look like.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Tee-one chuckled. ¡°Yes, I do look like someone else. Ren did it as a joke.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Dana''s friend asked. ¡°My name is Tee-one, and I''m Ren''s Dedicated Servant Crafter.¡± Tee-one said, deliberately not giving the information she asked for. ¡°Anabelle, anything else that needs to be restocked?¡± Anabelle turned around and looked at the display behind her. ¡°Maybe another hundred or so of the Protection amulets, and I suppose you could make a few more of the Dexterity enhancers. We''ve sold a lot of those.¡± ¡°I''ll do them right now, then move on to the armor sets.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°We only need them ready for the town soldiers by tomorrow afternoon, so don''t work too hard making them.¡± Anabelle said with a huge smile. ¡°Please don''t insult me like that.¡± Tee-one smiled back. ¡°I''ll have those items ready in a few minutes.¡± Tee-one walked away and Anabelle turned back to the two women. ¡°Will there be anything else?¡± ¡°Um... how much for... do you have a Strength enhancer?¡± Dana''s friend asked. ¡°Of course.¡± Anabelle said and turned to the shelf behind her. She picked up a pair of gauntlets and turned around. ¡°These are a bit more expensive at 5 gold coins.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Dana''s friend squished up her mouth. ¡°That is a little pricey.¡± ¡°They give you +10 Strength and +20% to your Defense.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°It works great for fighters because it combines with your armor.¡± ¡°Plus 10 Strength?¡± Dana''s friend asked, then took out 5 gold coins from her inventory. ¡°It''s definitely worth that!¡± ¡°What about the Dexterity one?¡± Dana asked and pointed. ¡°It''s the same price, except that it''s +10 to Dexterity and +20% to your Accuracy.¡± Anabelle said and grabbed a set of bracers. ¡°It''s mostly intended for archers of all types; but, it can be used by any class that uses Dexterity as a main skill, especially with some kind of throwing weapon.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°I''ll take...¡± Dana stopped talking when she looked into her inventory and saw only 4 gold and a few silver coins. ¡°Nope, I can''t.¡± Tee-one came over with the stock refills that Anabelle wanted, and she caught his hand to stop him from leaving when he set them behind the counter. ¡°How much money do you have on you?¡± Anabelle asked Dana, and Tee-one held in his laugh. * Half an hour later, Dana and her friend left Ren''s store with more enchanted items than they thought they could have ever afforded. ¡°What just happened?¡± Dana asked in a daze as they walked down the street towards one of the East Gates of the city so they could get to the docks. ¡°I''m not sure.¡± Her friend said while her hand played with the Protection amulet around her neck. ¡°That metal guy touched my armor a couple of times and now I feel like it weighs nothing.¡± Dana''s hand touched the spot on her cheap leather armor where some kind of symbol had appeared for a second, then it had disappeared and her armor looked so much better than she knew it was supposed to be. It also gave her what she thought were ridiculous bonuses for leather armor to have. ¡°Mine, too.¡± Dana said. ¡°This is really tough leather now and is nothing like it was before.¡± ¡°I didn''t think stuff like that was possible.¡± Her friend said. ¡°I mean, I knew they could make some neat things, but...¡± She drew her sword out of the sheath and it gleamed in the light. ¡°...look at this!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°It actually looks better than it did new, and it has a Lightning enchantment!¡± Dana nodded and took out her cheap bow, only it didn''t look cheap at all now. It looked like a proper warrior bow, and even though that metal guy had improved it right in front of her, she still had no clue how he had done it. On a whim she had said she wanted an Ice enchantment and he said that whenever she fired an arrow, it would do additional Ice damage. ¡°That place is amazing.¡± Dana said and stored her bow, and her hand grazed her brand new coin pouch. ¡°The coin pouches are cute, too!¡± ¡°I can''t believe you asked him to add frills and lace to yours.¡± Her friend said. ¡°It''s bad enough you asked him to make it into the shape of a heart!¡± Dana chuckled. ¡°I would have liked Ren to make it, but that metal guy said he was made by Ren, so...¡± Her friend shook her head. ¡°Give a mouse a cookie...¡± ¡°After the first time they gave us something, you weren''t protesting too much that we couldn''t pay for it.¡± Dana said as they passed through the gate. ¡°Then they gave us so much more!¡± ¡°If they offer this mouse a glass of milk to go with the cookie, I can''t really say no, can I?¡± Dana smiled. ¡°No, because... oh, I think that''s the one we''re supposed to look for.¡± Dana''s friend turned and saw a sobbing woman that sat on a chair in front of a fish stand. When they were close enough, they heard her asking for help to find her husband that was lost at sea. * ¡°You know, I only wanted to help them out a little.¡± Anabelle chuckled after the two women left. ¡°They were the ones near Ren when he did his leveling up.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Neither of them saw him as a monster, and they asked good questions. I wanted to thank them for that.¡± He said. ¡°It let everyone around them hear his justification for what he did, and that word will spread.¡± ¡°Oh, I don''t doubt it with that Portal Gate in the town square.¡± ¡°He picked the perfect spot for it, didn''t he?¡± Tee-one said. ¡°At some point during the day, everyone passes by the town square for some reason or another, and it''s a common area that''s not owned by anyone.¡± He smiled. ¡°He''s getting almost 150 platinum every few minutes from it.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Anabelle gasped. ¡°You can''t be serious.¡± She said. ¡°He would have to charge...¡± ¡°Only one copper coin.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Just think about it. If only the population of his Human starter city, about 300,000 of them, went through the portal just once...¡± ¡°That''s 30 gold.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°They have to use it to go home, don''t they?¡± ¡°Okay, that''s another 30 gold.¡± ¡°Now, if you had access to every town and city in the whole country and could go anywhere you wanted, would you only go to one place?¡± Tee-one asked and smiled. ¡°It''s only one copper coin. Just curiosity alone would make someone travel to at least a few places, if only to see if it worked.¡± Anabelle thought about it. ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± She said with wide eyes. ¡°A large portion of the entire country''s population is now travelling through the Portal Gate Network every few minutes!¡± ¡°They are, and I think what you said to those girls is right. People should settle down by tomorrow and start using the portal gates for actual trips to buy things, which means everyone in the entire country is going to be buying things from everywhere else.¡± ¡°That means... Ren, he...¡± Anabelle took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°The sneaky little devil. He''s causing an economic boom.¡± ¡°Everyone is going to want things they''ve never seen before, now that they have access, so right after I finish making those armor suits, I''ll start adding new stock as quickly as I can.¡± ******** Gloria had been deep inside a VW Beetle''s engine block at the garage when her cell phone beeped at her. She had ignored it the first time because she was covered in grease and oil and it was all the way over on the workbench. She felt annoyed at the second time it happened half an hour later, then decided she had better check it, just in case it was something really important. She started to dry her hands, then was pissed when her cell phone buzzed again and kept buzzing at her. ¡°GODDAMMIT!¡± Gloria yelled and tossed the rag down and grabbed the cell phone, and Frank looked out of his office at her. ¡°Everything all right out there?¡± Frank asked. ¡°Sorry, Frank. My stupid phone won''t leave me alone.¡± Gloria said and held it up as she turned off the sound. ¡°I warned you to turn the thing off.¡± I made that mistake too many times already, and it... it cost me. A lot. Gloria thought and sighed. ¡°Hey, don''t look so sad.¡± ¡°The Beetle''s dead, Frank.¡± Gloria said to cover her sadness with a harsh truth. ¡°Heat and impact fracture in the engine block at the bottom of the last piston hole, and it goes right into the transmission housing.¡± She said. ¡°It won''t ever seal that way, so it needs a new block. If the guy can afford a new engine block for this thing, he''s better off buying another car.¡± ¡°Dammit, Gloria.¡± Frank said. ¡°Now I''m sad.¡± Gloria chuckled. ¡°Hey, you shouldn''t have told him that if you can''t fix it, you wouldn''t charge him.¡± ¡°I thought he just blew the piston.¡± Frank sighed. ¡°Put the thing back together and I''ll call him.¡± ¡°It would be easier to just put the parts in the trunk.¡± Gloria said. ¡°He''ll just have to get them taken off later anyways.¡± Frank opened his mouth to argue, then shrugged. ¡°I''ll tell him.¡± He said and leaned back into his office, and Gloria looked at her phone. A large glob of grease was smudged over the front of it and she grit her teeth. It took her a minute with some degreaser and very careful cleaning before she could see the screen, and saw who it was. Dewtech. Gloria hit the dial button and waited, then an automated message played. ¡°All lines are currently busy at the moment. Please stay on the line and a representative will be on to talk to you shortly.¡± Elevator music started to play and Gloria hung up the phone. She didn''t have the time to wait until someone felt like picking up the phone, so she slipped it into her pocket. By the time she had piled all the engine parts into the trunk of the VW Beetle, her cell phone vibrated at her. She leaned against the wall and checked the phone. It was Dewtech again. I figured they would call back. Gloria thought, then answered. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Ms. Rayford, I''m glad I caught you.¡± A woman''s voice said. ¡°You didn''t show up for work today and I was wondering if you were okay.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°After clarifying your job perks, we thought you would be in first thing this morning to accept.¡± ¡°Did you, now.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The woman said happily. ¡°Not everyone gets offered a high-end job as an entry position to the company.¡± She said. ¡°No one in their right mind would refuse such a generous offer.¡± Gloria thought about everything that had happened that day, and the reasons for it to happen, and she sighed. ¡°I need a bit more time than a few hours to think about it.¡± ¡°If you count today, it''s been 2 days since the offer was made.¡± The woman said. ¡°Unless you make a decision soon, this offer might just disappear as quickly as it was offered.¡± ¡°Really.¡± Gloria said. ¡°If I said I needed until the weekend to make my decision, what would you say?¡± After a moment of silence, the woman spoke. ¡°One moment please.¡± Gloria was now on hold. No elevator music, no business promotional, no anything. Just silence. After a couple of minutes, she thought she had waited enough and moved her thumb to end the call. ¡°Ms. Rayford? Mr. Bitterdew urgently requests that you accept the offer as soon as possible.¡± The woman said. ¡°Our timetable needs your expertise as quickly as you can make it available to us.¡± ¡°Well, I suppose asking for 2 more days was a bit too much for you to wait.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I was told I could take all the time I needed when the offer was made, so I''m not sure why you seem to have such a hard-on for me to take this job before the weekend.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Something must have happened on your end for you to be so adamant about it.¡± She said. ¡°Do you want my answer right now?¡± ¡°That would be best.¡± The woman said, and the relief was clear in her voice. ¡°Okay. No one pushes me around like you just did.¡± Gloria said, then spoke in her best sing-song voice. ¡°You can take this job and shove it.¡± Chapter 630 - Sunivas Sanctum Sanctorum Suniva was surprised at first that there was a specific room inside Ren''s Sanctuary for Fire-based beings, until he explained that he had brought the Fire elemental Zetaya inside with him once and needed somewhere for it to relax. It took Suniva a few weeks before she could relax enough to let her Fire roam freely without feeling guilty, especially with the possibility of burning something up by accident. Ren had laughed when she expressed her concern and told her that while she was inside the Sanctuary, she couldn''t hurt anything that was there. To prove his point, Ren punched a nearby stone table and shattered into pieces, then a moment later it was back to it''s original form. He did it again and the table reformed, and Suniva couldn''t doubt the truth. Of course, by that time, they had spent some quality time with each other and played a lot. Suniva thought Artemis would have objected to all the attention Ren was giving her, but the metal woman didn''t say anything or try to stop her from holding Ren''s hand when Suniva was clearly trying to taunt her into some kind of response. After the fourth attempt, Artemis took her other hand. ¡°You don''t have to worry about making me jealous.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I know my place in his heart, and in his life, and I know how difficult it is to stay near him and not monopolize his time.¡± Suniva sighed. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°How do you like being so big all the time?¡± ¡°It''s really weird.¡± Suniva said. ¡°I''m so big and move so slow in comparison to my normal size.¡± ¡°You could form the armor around yourself and make it easier.¡± Artemis suggested. ¡°I could, but then I wouldn''t get used to it on my own.¡± Suniva said. Ren hadn''t said anything up to this point. ¡°I''m glad you understand.¡± He said, and she looked at him. ¡°Having assistance is great, but doing it yourself and being comfortable will make the armor that much more efficient when you wear it.¡± Suniva nodded. ¡°It''s the same with my Fire. Unless I can keep it controlled when in stressful situations, I''m too much of a danger to others in those situations.¡± She sighed. ¡°I''m so glad to have found someone that can keep me in check until I do.¡± ¡°I''m more than happy to help you.¡± Ren said and walked over to the Fire-proof room. ¡°Why don''t we keep practising?¡± ¡°You have work to do.¡± Suniva said. ¡°You shouldn''t take time away from...¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Ren said and opened the stone covered door. ¡°All work and no play...¡± ¡°...makes Ren very horny.¡± Artemis laughed and let Suniva''s hand go. ¡°I should argue that, but I can''t.¡± Ren said and pulled Suniva into the room. ¡°Plus, it''s been almost 8 hours since the last time I tasted your lava.¡± Suniva''s face burned bright red and her Fire burned hotly, because Ren had used his pet name for the liquid that came out when she had an orgasm. He smiled and shut the door, then he tasted her lava over and over again. It took another month before Suniva learned enough control to keep her Fire in check during those situations, and when she finally did, Artemis joined them in the room. Suniva was very nervous of this, and Ren assured her that everything would be fine and that he would use his own abilities in case anything happened. Suniva wasn''t sure if having another woman in the bed would be something she could tolerate, but Artemis kept a respectable distance and never once touched Suniva. That first time was only another heavy petting session, and the only one to finish was Suniva. ¡°You see? Everything is fine.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°Baby steps, okay? We have all the time in the world.¡± Suniva relaxed at his words and reassurance. It took another week before she was comfortable enough to have Artemis please Ren while he pleased her. It was an odd thing for her to see. She was on her back and Ren was between her legs and licking her special place, while all she could see of Artemis was her red metallic hair and her arms. Suniva could only guess at what Artemis was doing, since she couldn''t see it first hand, and for some reason she really wanted to. Ren felt this change in her, and Artemis felt it through him, so they adjusted their positions to give Suniva the view she craved. Of course, once she saw what was going on, she wanted to do it as well. Neither Ren nor Artemis objected to her taking over pleasing him that way, and Artemis floated up into the air so that Ren didn''t have to bend over to please her with his mouth in turn. That one incident had started the free exchange of ''personal favors'', and then everything became much more interesting after that. Ren read his Stat Increase books every day, and except for Luck, he had a full set of them to read and didn''t have to perform any special tasks or exercises to apply them. He studied his skills and their uses, then practised using them as much as he could. He also read all the spells he had unlocked and studied their uses, and continuously went over in his mind what he could do with them. At certain times of the day, and usually all night, he gave specific attention to Artemis and Suniva. Sometimes together and sometimes not, just so they wouldn''t think he only wanted them together all of the time. He could have done that, especially since they always slept in the same bed for the hour they needed to sleep; but, he knew that giving them each their own time made them feel special. After another month, Ren decided that Suniva was starting to get antsy about him having full sex with Artemis and not her. It only took him a moment to come up with the solution. He told Suniva his idea and she had refused at first, and then he showed her what it would be like by using it on Artemis. Suniva had watched them closely and carefully the other times Ren and Artemis had been together fully, and she was as surprised as anyone could be when Artemis had reacted the same as if he had really been having sex with her. ¡°It...it can''t feel... does it... how?¡± Suniva mumbled. Artemis gasped and finished, and she held onto Ren and waited. After a few moments, she relaxed and laid back on the bed. Suniva looked at Artemis'' happy face, then at Ren, then back at Artemis. ¡°Was... was that enough... for you to decide?¡± Artemis panted. ¡°He won''t... break his vow, so... it''s this or...¡± ¡°What we''ve done has been more fun than I ever thought I could ever have with someone else.¡± Suniva said. ¡°But, I... I need...¡± ¡°Then let him please you.¡± Artemis said in a more normal voice. ¡°He doesn''t get pleased physically like this, but you do.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Plus, he just loves making us happy.¡± Suniva didn''t need any more convincing, so she laid down beside Artemis and looked expectantly at Ren. ¡°Please... be gentle.¡± ¡°I will... at first.¡± Ren said and used his Full Illusion trick to join with her. Suniva''s Fire exploded out of her and Ren caught and absorbed it before it could hit Artemis. All of Suniva''s hard-won control evaporated at the intrusion and she couldn''t control her abilities, her body, or even her thoughts and emotions. Suniva had never felt anything like it before and had no defenses against what was happening, and she fully entrusted herself to Ren''s control. Ren was more than up to the task and handled her expertly. It was her first time, even if it was just an illusion and not Ren''s real member, and he made sure that she enjoyed it quite thoroughly.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. That was only the first time. Over the next several months, Suniva came to see Artemis not as a rival, but as a helpful companion, and she realized that Artemis had seen her as the same thing the whole time. There was never any competition for attention, no jealousy, and no hard feelings. They cared for each other and didn''t take each other for granted. As the years passed, love blossomed in Suniva for both Ren and Artemis. Real actual love, and not the fleeting infatuation she had felt when she had first discovered Ren''s immunity to her Fire ability. She spent alone time with Ren and alone time with Artemis in equal measure, for the same reason Ren did with her and Artemis. She didn''t want either of them to believe that she held favor for one over the other. She did have favor for Ren over Artemis at the beginning and for quite some time; but, that eventually changed and now they were both on equal footing in her mind. Suniva eventually gained full control over her Fire aspect and could call and suppress it at will, even in the middle of having sex, which was the most stressful time for her that she had ever experienced. It had been the hardest thing for Suniva to do, since she always felt the need to give herself over fully to both the sensations and to whoever she was with. They deserved nothing less than her all, and holding herself back was quite taxing for her. After that, things progressed at a normal pace. Ren, Artemis, and Suniva emerged from a portal into the bedroom of the house in the Housing District, and just under 5 hours of game time had passed. The succubi had recovered only an hour before, and they stared at the trio with open mouths as they felt their emotions. Ren was a sight in the heavily enchanted and thin armor bodysuit. His muscles rippled, his eyes sparkled, and his hair moved as if a light wind blew on him. Artemis wore her normal jeans and t-shirt that was covered with a leather jacket. Suniva wore a bright red and orange armored bodysuit, and sexiness and confidence oozed off of her. She was still in her large 4 foot tall form, and her fully-formed pearlescent wings fluttered behind her as she walked. ¡°My King! What happened?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°You all feel so different!¡± ¡°I guess 11 years in the Sanctuary might change a person a little bit.¡± Ren said and smiled. He had gained just over 4,000 points to each of his stats, except for Luck. It remained at 99, and even with the All-Seeing Mirror''s help, he could not raise it past that and assumed it must be maxed out. ¡°Yes, only a little bit.¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°Suniva? Are you ready to test those things on your back in open air?¡± ¡°I was born ready.¡± Suniva joked. She had been born with them and lost them, and now had them back fully. ¡°I should probably go back to my original form for this, but I need to know if I can handle them in this form.¡± ¡°Then let''s head outside.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can get Princess on the way and she can join us.¡± Suniva laughed. ¡°There''s no possible way I can fly as fast as Princess, not even at my normal size!¡± ¡°Don''t worry. She takes it easy on the succubi, too.¡± Ren said and looked at the succubi. ¡°Will you come and fly with us?¡± ¡°My King.¡± Seldanna said and stood up, as did the other three succubi. ¡°We would be honored to share the skies with you.¡± * Dana and her friend came back to shore with a small rowboat, a single crate of goods, and a passenger. ¡°Rowing is definitely faster, but really tiring!¡± Dana''s friend said as the small boat approached the dock. ¡°I''m really glad I got that Strength booster!¡± ¡°Me... too.¡± Dana said in a huff. ¡°We should have... used a boat... on the way out.¡± Her armor had let her row just as well as her friend, and with the two of them working together, they had come back to shore in a fraction of the time it took to get there. ¡°We would have been exhausted if we did that!¡± Her friend said. ¡°Plus, I liked taking a stroll over the water. Didn''t you?¡± Dana only nodded and kept rowing. She had been surprised by the sheer amount of things she could see under the surface of the water while they walked across it. There was a slight scare when they were out in the deepest part and her friend had thought she saw a shark fin; but, it had only been a piece of driftwood and they had kicked it away and laughed. ¡°Dock coming up fast.¡± The man said and pointed, and both Dana and her friend stopped rowing and turned to look. It really was coming up fast. ¡°What do we do?¡± Dana asked, slightly panicked. The man told them to put their oars back in the water and turn them so the flat ends pointed towards the shore and to hold them steady. They did that and the small rowboat slowed down significantly, and eased up to the large dock. ¡°Ahoy, there!¡± A man''s voice said as the boat hit against the end of the dock, made a thunk sound, and jolted them a little. ¡°Throw up a line and I''ll tie you on!¡± Dana''s friend pulled her oar out of the water and laid it on the floor of the boat, then turned to the front of the boat and saw the small bundle of rope there. She picked it up and threw it as hard as she could, and it unrolled as it flew straight up and snapped in the air... then fell right back down to her. ¡°You only have to toss it, not launch it.¡± The dock hand said with a big smile, and Dana''s friend blushed. ¡°I''m not used to this new strength yet.¡± Dana''s friend whispered as she blushed and gathered the rope up into another bundle, then tossed it gently into the air towards the man. ¡°That-a-girl! You got it!¡± The dock hand praised her as he caught the rope easily, then he tied it to a post on the dock. ¡°Just a second and we''ll have a ladder down to you.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Dana said and put her oar on the floor of the boat. She thought they were going to have to free climb the dock or walk across the water to the shore, so a ladder made everything so much easier. The dock hand slid a ladder into place on the dock right beside them, and both women looked at their passenger. ¡°Ladies first.¡± The man said and motioned to the ladder. ¡°I need a hand taking the crate out.¡± Dana and her friend nodded and quickly ascended the ladder, and the dock hand slid down the ladder and dropped into the boat with a thud. ¡°AHH!¡± Dana yelled, then relaxed. The dock hand had only jumped the last couple of feet and hadn''t fallen like she thought. Both the dock hand and their passenger laughed and picked up the crate, then they somehow climbed up the ladder while carrying the crate between them. Neither Dana nor her friend could figure out how it happened. ¡°Thank you so much for bringing me home.¡± The man said. ¡°I''ll get this crate to it''s rightful owners.¡± ¡°...and we''ll go and get your wife!¡± Dana said happily, and the man smiled as she and her friend walked down the dock towards the fish stand and the sobbing woman that still sat there. After a quick exchange, Dana and her friend watched the woman run down the dock and greeted her husband. Both women said ''aww'' when they saw her embrace her husband and kiss him, then they received the popup for completing the quest.
Quest complete!
You have investigated the case of the missing crewmen and found out what really happened. Rewards: 875 XP; 1,000 gold coins
¡°Oh, my god.¡± Dana said. ¡°A thousand gold coins!¡± ¡°This is unbelievable!¡± Her friend said. ¡°No wonder everyone was saying it was an easy quest!¡±
Hidden Quest complete!
You discovered the truth about the missing crewmen and took it upon yourself to free the captives at great risk to yourself. Rewards: 8,245 XP; 5,000 gold coins
Both women gasped at that. When the metal man had given them the Protection amulets and told them that if they ever did fall in the water, they could breathe normally no matter how long they were in there. It gave Dana''s friend the idea of going underwater intentionally when they were at the stranded ship. They had met the Sea Dwellers beside the boat, and when they were asked where they had received their enchanted items, they were taken to the cavern and given the captives. ¡°D-D-Dana, did... did you... you got that too, right?¡± Her friend asked, and Dana nodded, then both women''s eyes nearly bulged out of their heads at the next one.
Optional Quest complete!
You have safely returned one of the stranded crew to port (the woman''s husband). Rewards: 5,000 XP; 5,000 gold coins Recovery Bonus (for getting one of the expensive cargo crates back to port): 25,000 XP; 5,000 gold coins
¡°I can''t believe this!¡± Dana exclaimed, and then started to tremble as she and her friend received the popup for a level up. They read it several times, dismissed it, then kind of walked and stumbled as they held onto each other and walked up the dock towards the East Gate to go back into the city. A bunch of shadows passed over them, and Dana looked up. Her mouth dropped open and her hand gripped onto her friend''s arm very tightly. ¡°Ow, Dana! What are you...¡± Dana pointed up, and her friend''s mouth dropped open as well. They could see Ren flying high above them and he had a large pair of leathery bat wings. There were 4 red-skinned women who also had leathery wings flying around him, the metal woman on one side of him, who just happened to be flying without wings, and a short woman who had pearlescent bug-like wings that fluttered fast like a hummingbird''s. A giant ram was somehow running circles around the group, and they could hear what they thought was Ren''s laughter. ¡°Did... did we just see...¡± Dana''s friend''s words trailed off as they watched Ren''s group make a bank turn, swoop down, then rise back up into the air and flew over them again. ¡°Yes.¡± Dana said, her voice filled with wonder. ¡°Oh my god, yes.¡± Chapter 631 - Wake Up Call Ren and his group flew around for a little while, until it started to turn dark. They came in for a landing at the house in the Housing District, and they were a little tired but also happy. They went inside and Princess went to her room and Ren and the others went upstairs. ¡°That was so much fun!¡± Suniva exclaimed and folded her wings down. Her suit opened up in the back for her and enclosed the wings to protect them, then she jumped onto the bed. She bounced and the succubi jumped onto the bed with her to make her bounce again, and she laughed. Ren walked over to them, stored his armor bodysuit, then equipped his underwear as he climbed onto the bed with them. ¡°I can spare... Teepo? How long?¡± ¡°An hour and 45 minutes before you need to go on Adventurer''s business.¡± Teepo said. He had thoroughly enjoyed flying just as much as Suniva had. He was in high spirits and would probably stay that way for a while. ¡°I''ve got a lot of Adventurer''s business to take care of, so I won''t be back for a day or so.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to sleep for an hour, but after that, I''m all yours for 45 minutes.¡± The succubi exchanged looks with each other and then looked at him. Ren felt their surprise, and he chuckled. ¡°We should restrict the last bit of playtime for the end, because you know when I try to please you, it just knocks you out.¡± The succubi nodded their heads and moved over slightly, and Ren climbed in between them and Suniva while Artemis laid down on the other side of Suniva and cuddled her from behind. Seldanna moved up and let Ren rest his head on her chest and put his arm around Suniva and Artemis, Ellaria laid her head on Ren''s chest, and Chenoa put her head on his abdomen while Katori put her head on his thigh. Seldanna felt his emotions strongly, now that they were in direct contact. ¡°You''ve matured so much in so short a time.¡± She said and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I wish I could have grown up with you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I thought you might think about that.¡± He said. ¡°Remind me to give you a present when we wake up.¡± ¡°I know it''s not armor or a bodysuit.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Maybe a new bauble to hang around our necks?¡± ¡°Among other things.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed. Everyone else sighed and closed their eyes as well, then they all drifted off to sleep. * ¡°With this much money, we can stay indoors!¡± Dana''s friend said. ¡°No more sleeping on the ground for us!¡± ¡°We can''t just waste it.¡± Dana said. ¡°Dana, even the most expensive inn that charges by the night, is only a silver coin!¡± ¡°Only a silver coin?¡± Dana chuckled. ¡°We''ve scrimped and saved as much as we could since we started playing, so we could save up for some nice equipment.¡± ¡°We''ve only stayed at an inn twice, but now...¡± Dana''s friend smiled. ¡°One gold coin will let us stay for a hundred days at the best place in town!¡± ¡°Well...¡± ¡°Come on, it''s getting dark.¡± Her friend said and dragged Dana down the street towards the inns. ¡°It won''t be long before we need to log out and grab a bite to eat.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Supper.¡± Dana said. ¡°Playing so much really messes up my time sense.¡± ¡°Well, this is the first time we''ve completed a quest in a single game day.¡± Her friend said. ¡°We had planned on doing that quest for the next two days, and we finished in only 5 hours!¡± ¡°You know, we should really go back to his store and buy something else.¡± Dana said. ¡°You know, to thank them.¡± Her friend chuckled. ¡°Are you trying to get more free stuff?¡± ¡°No, it''s just...¡± Dana wasn''t sure how to explain it properly. ¡°If they hadn''t helped us and given us so much, there was no way we would have gotten those extra quests done.¡± She said. ¡°I mean, no one even mentioned extra hidden things, did they?¡± Dana''s friend shook her head. ¡°No, they just said to find the ship and ask what happened, then go back to the dock and tell the wife that the Sea Dwellers had her husband.¡± She said. ¡°That''s why it''s such an easy quest.¡± Dana nodded. ¡°Now I wonder who else did it and found the extra stuff.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Her friend said. ¡°Do you think he did?¡± ¡°He, who?¡± ¡°Who else have we been taking about? Your super duper game crush!¡± Her friend said and laughed. Dana''s face flushed red. ¡°I think if anyone has done it, he has.¡± She said. ¡°I''m sure he got the extra stuff, too.¡± ¡°Like he needed it.¡± Her friend said. ¡°Just think. If he sells those rings for a gold each and he sold how many thousands of them... how rich do you think he is?¡± Dana went quiet as she thought about that. If he only sold rings for a gold each, he could make quite a lot of money just from them... but then his market would dry up once everyone had one. Dana''s friend dragged her into the inn and asked for the best room in the place for a week. The innkeeper was overjoyed at this and she paid him for the room. He took her up the stairs and opened the door to the room, talked for a little bit and bid them good night, then shut the door. He would need to keep changing the rings to something people would need, then that would open up a new demand, and that could keep a steady flow of income. Dana thought. He has 4 workers, though... so, minus their pay, he would still make a tidy profit from the rings alone. If you take into account everything else in the store, then... ¡°DANA!¡± Her friend yelled. ¡°What?¡± Dana asked, her train of thought derailed. ¡°Guess where we are!¡± Dana looked around the generic room and shrugged. The only thing notable was the picture of a unicorn on the wall. ¡°This is Ren''s favorite room!¡± Dana''s friend exclaimed. ¡°For an extra silver coin, he''s going to give us a tour tomorrow of all the things Ren has broken!¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Dana''s mouth dropped open and she looked around the room again. A desk and chair where Ren sat. A medium-sized bed where he slept. A window he looked out of, and a picture that spent the night with him. ¡°Happy Birthday!¡± Her friend said and hugged her. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Dana said, tears in her eyes. ¡°Do... do you know...¡± ¡°He spent about a week or so here, according to the innkeeper.¡± Her friend said. ¡°Not all at once, though. The last time he brought a really scary Dark Elf woman in and they wrecked the place.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Dana exclaimed. ¡°Not a bit!¡± Her friend said and smiled. ¡°The innkeeper said he would give us all the details tomorrow during the tour.¡± ¡°I... thank you.¡± Dana said. ¡°You always give me the best presents.¡± ¡°That''s because I love you, you silly goose!¡± Her friend said and kissed her cheek. ¡°Now store your armor and equip your Travelling Clothes so we can both fit on the bed.¡± She said and did it herself. ¡°Whew! I''m so glad that cleans us up and the clothing at the same time!¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Dana said and stored her armor and equipped her clothing. She wasn''t fussy on how the Travelling Clothes looked. ¡°You know, I thought I saw a few nice outfits at Ren''s store...¡± Her friend laughed and climbed onto the bed. ¡°I knew you couldn''t resist spending some of our riches!¡± Dana chuckled. ¡°Some things are a necessity.¡± She said and climbed onto the bed. ¡°Move over a little.¡± ¡°There''s nowhere to go. I''m against the wall already.¡± Dana looked at the available space. ¡°What about a half-spoon?¡± Her friend laughed. ¡°How does that work? I only crunch up my legs?¡± Dana laughed, too. ¡°No, turn almost onto your side and put your arm under the pillow.¡± Her friend did that, and with her back partially resting on the wall, she was actually comfortable. ¡°Well, what do you know. That worked!¡± ¡°I should be insulted that you sound surprised.¡± Dana said and laid down in a similar manner, only she was completely on her side and not quite touching her friend. There was lots of room for the both of them on the bed and they relaxed. ¡°Want to log out now and we can eat and come back in to sleep?¡± Dana''s friend asked. ¡°If it''s okay with you, I''d like to just lay here for a while.¡± Dana said. ¡°You''re my best friend and today is your day.¡± Her friend said and leaned in to cuddle her. ¡°We can do whatever you want.¡± ¡°Thanks, Gretchen.¡± Dana said and closed her eyes. ******** Clint and his date walked down the boardwalk near the docks. The smell of the sea floated to them on the nice cool breeze, and they ate their ice cream in silence. He watched Gwendolyn out of the corner of his eye as she licked her ice cream cone, and he couldn''t help but admire her technique. Git tha'' thought outta yer head. Clint thought to himself in admonishment and tried to concentrate on eating his own cone. Gwendolyn chose that particular moment to upend the cone and took a big long suck from it. ¡°I hate it when it starts to drip, don''t you?¡± Gwendolyn asked and suck out her tongue to lick all around the outer edge of the cone as she turned it, which cleaned up the streaks of leaking ice cream and gave Clint another very suggestive image. ¡°Ah... yessum.¡± Clint managed to say and turned away slightly so she wouldn''t see the longing look on his face. Gwendolyn suppressed her smile at Clint''s reaction and mentally thanked Tommy''s girlfriend Jaime for the tips. They are working like a charm. Gwendolyn thought happily. She stopped teasing and ate her ice cream normally, and used short licks and small bites. I''m pretty sure I''m driving him wild. Clint wasn''t sure if she was intentionally trying to be provocative, and when he glanced back at her, saw her eating her ice cream cone normally, and relaxed. Ah''m overreactin'' ah think. Clint thought. Maybe ah''m ah wantin'' her a lot more than ah thought ah did. Gwendolyn glanced at him, and if she guessed right, by the expression on his face he was in deep thought. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± She asked before she could stop herself. ¡°Ah''m thinking you and I should...¡± Clint stopped walking and looked at her. ¡°Ma''am, ah''m rightly sorry.¡± He said and his face flushed red. ¡°Ah damn near said something tha''s not anywhere near gentlemanly-like to yer face.¡± Gwendolyn looked around and saw a trash can nearby, gently took Clint''s half-melted and pretty much forgotten ice cream cone and tossed it into the trash with her own. She turned back to him and gave him a bright and warm smile. ¡°You are a gentleman, so I guess it''s up to me to say this.¡± Gwendolyn said. ¡°I want you to take me back to your place.¡± ¡°Ma''am, are ya shore? Ah mean, it''s not like...¡± Clint sighed. ¡°Y''all can see righ'' through me, cantcha?¡± Gwendolyn put both hands on his chest. ¡°We''ve had fun the last little while and even slept together in the game, but I... Clint, I...¡± ¡°Yah wanna feel if it''s real, too.¡± Clint said, and she nodded. ¡°Then, ah''d be more than happy to oblige ya, an'' we can find out togethah.¡± He said and motioned back down the boardwalk towards the parking lot. They turned around and walked back the way they came. ¡°Since we''re gittin'' thangs out inta tha open, lemmie us'' say tha'' yer damn pretty an'' smarter than a whip, an'' spendin'' time witcha has been tha bes'' thing ah''ve done in a while.¡± ¡°Clint, you don''t have to say...¡± ¡°Ah know ah''m not as smart as ya, an'' ah''m man enough ta admit tha'' yer intimidatin'' sometimes.¡± Clint said as he put his arm around her waist. ¡°Tha only way ah can think of ta git over tha'' feelin'', is ta ask ya ta stick around fer a while.¡± He smiled. ¡°If''n this thing between us turns out ta be real, ah''d be mighty honored if ya wanted ta go steady wit me.¡± ¡°Steady?¡± Gwendolyn asked, and tried not to melt from all the old southern charm Clint was heaping onto her. ¡°Ya know, exclusive like. You''n me.¡± Clint said. ¡°If''n yer inclined ta that kinda relationship.¡± ¡°Clint, I can''t think of anything better right now.¡± Gwendolyn said and smiled. They got into his truck and he drove her to his apartment in town. She had been surprised at first, then he explained that it was too long of a drive to go all the way back to his ranch, because he couldn''t wait that long to be with her. Gwendolyn was perfectly fine with that. ******** Ren woke up after the hour and thought about stretching, then decided against it because he was covered in women. They had inched their way closer somehow and had him almost completely covered from head to toe. He might have laughed at the situation, if he hadn''t appreciated it so much. He let them each wake up on their own, and gave them individual attention and cuddled each of them for 5 minutes, which used up 30 of the 45 minutes he had remaining. ¡°Assume the positions.¡± Ren said, and he felt anticipation and a strong need from the succubi. Seldanna and Ellaria had stored their clothing and bent over for him, while the other two had laid down on their backs and stored their clothing. Ren charged up the emotions that they wanted and started with Seldanna. As before, he had barely started to please her when she finished and collapsed onto the bed. He held in his laughter at their reactions as he proceeded to lick the other three, and they finished just as quickly and collapsed as well. ¡°I won''t be that easy to... AHH!¡± Suniva gasped as Ren activated his Burning Hands ability and rubbed her special place faster than anyone but Teepo and Artemis could see. ¡°N-no f-fair!¡± She panted and then finished, and collapsed onto the bed with the succubi. ¡°Ch-cheater.¡± She whispered, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I need to go.¡± Ren said and turned to Artemis. ¡°Don''t have too much fun without me.¡± ¡°I''ll try not to.¡± Artemis said and kissed him. ¡°See you in a couple of days.¡± Ren walked over to the wall of the room and braced his hands on his hips after equipping his armor bodysuit. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** ¡°What the hell were you doing?¡± Denise asked a little angrily as she helped him take off the VR headset. ¡°I had to empty the bedpan 6 times and force feed you water to keep you hydrated!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren blinked his eyes. ¡°Oh, sorry. I didn''t mean to stay in for that long.¡± ¡°That long? An hour and 20 minutes of blue screen is 5 hours of game time.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''ve seen you perform for that long before, and that doesn''t explain the... well, torrent of... how the hell did you do it?¡± ¡°My Sanctuary has super-compressed time, remember? I was actually inside for 11 years.¡± Denise''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise and she didn''t say anything in response. ¡°With that, and the 2 years I was in there this morning, the 5 years I was in there last week with Zetaya, and the 2 years with Lisa before that and the 2 years before that...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Good god, I''m really old now.¡± ¡°R-Ren, you... how do you feel?¡± Denise asked with real concern in her voice. ¡°Surprisingly enough, I''m not tired.¡± Ren responded. ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°What''s for supper?¡± Denise thought about not answering, then sighed. ¡°Exactly what I said I was going to make.¡± ¡°You beautiful woman! Bend over so I can kiss you!¡± Denise chuckled and leaned in to give him a kiss. ¡°Come on, let''s get you downstairs.¡± ¡°We''re eating in the dining room?¡± Ren asked and rolled over to the edge of the bed, then Denise helped him get into the wheelchair. ¡°Ow.¡± He said and rubbed his chest. ¡°I forgot about this.¡± ¡°You''re going to have it for a while, so you need to be careful.¡± Denise said and bent over to kiss him again. ¡°I''m not complaining, but what was that one for?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Just because.¡± Denise said and ran her hands through his hair to straighten it out, then pushed him out of the room. Chapter 632 - Supper Plans (Wednesday) Denise pushed Ren and his wheelchair into the dining room. ¡°Hi, everyone!¡± Ren said. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Stella, Barbara, Elise, Barbi, and Lisa all said at the same time. ¡°Hey.¡± Donald said. ¡°I''m sorry I can''t start exercising yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not your fault, son.¡± Donald responded. ¡°I''m a big proponent for extenuating circumstances.¡± ¡°I think that''s all I am.¡± Ren said and he laughed. ¡°It certainly seems that way.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Denise said and left the dining room. ¡°So, what did you do for your first day back in the game?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I pushed my character up to max level, then spent 11 years inside my Sanctuary to learn how to use everything and to boost my stats.¡± Ren said, and everyone fell silent. ¡°Did you say 11 years?¡± Barbi asked, shock clearly on her face. ¡°Yeah, I know I kind of overdid it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°But you know how it is. I didn''t have anything pressing to do once I destroyed all the Void beings in the Human Kingdom.¡± ¡°What?¡± Elise looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°He used his artificial Aura to create Light and Anti-void inside of it.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Since it covered the whole country, well...¡± ¡°Artemis shot them, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°With Teepo helping to Spot.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Oh, and Princess to smash through any walls to get at them when necessary.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Barbi said and sat back in her chair. ¡°That''s... how did you...¡± She shook her head. ¡°How long have you been planning this?¡± ¡°I''ve had the idea for a long time, but never got around to implementing it until after the Sea Dweller update. Once I realized how much that was messing everything up, I figured I needed to do something about it.¡± ¡°How did you max out your character so quickly?¡± Elise asked. ¡°He used his Emotion Siphon ability and converted emotions into XP.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Actually, he didn''t just do himself. He maxed out everyone in his party with it.¡± ¡°He WHAT?¡± Elise and Barbi yelled. ¡°I was a bit surprised that I didn''t get a new title for maxing out my character.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Then I realized that I had maxed out my whole party long before I maxed myself out.¡± ¡°Even with the way a copy of his XP is split between us, we all gain levels much faster than he does.¡± Lisa smiled and leaned in to kiss Ren on the cheek. ¡°Thank you very much for doing that for us.¡± ¡°Now that I''ve got you all maxed, I''m tempted to kick you all out of the party and add new people.¡± Ren said, and he saw Lisa open her mouth to respond. ¡°Easy, now.¡± He said and took her hand and kissed the back of it. ¡°It won''t work because I can''t gain XP anymore.¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°Right. You can''t split what you don''t get, so changing people out isn''t going to benefit anyone new.¡± ¡°I feel kind of bad that I can''t level up other people, now that I have the perfect leveling mechanism in place.¡± ¡°Don''t feel bad about that.¡± Lisa said and leaned back, because she saw Denise as she pushed the cart with a large roast, pile of french fries, and a big dish of gravy. She had drinks for everyone on the lower shelf as well. ¡°Ooo, can you smell that?!?¡± Ren said and closed his eyes to take in a big whiff through his nose. ¡°Oh, man! It smells delicious!¡± Denise laughed and parked the cart close by him, then started to dish out the food. ¡°I am going to get so fat!¡± Barbi said as Denise handed her a plate with a handful of fries, 1 slice of roast, and a touch of gravy. ¡°That''s what the workout room is for.¡± Stella said and accepted a plate with 2 slices of meat, a couple of handfuls of fries, and a good amount of gravy. ¡°I''ve spent quite a bit of time there myself.¡± Elise said and her plate was close to Stella''s in size, except she had less fries. ¡°Mostly cardio, though. I don''t think my body can bulk up like some other people.¡± She chuckled. ¡°They make it look so easy!¡± ¡°I''m just trying to get back into shape.¡± Donald said and flexed his arms. Barbara cooed at him, and he laughed and dropped his arms to smack his hands on his belly. ¡°I really need to concentrate on getting rid of this spare tire.¡± ¡°I''m not sure that''s possible.¡± Barbara said and rubbed his belly. ¡°Usually once you get this much girth, only surgery can get you started.¡± ¡°I''m too old for cosmetic surgery.¡± Donald said. ¡°Plus, the food here is too good to turn down.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°We could ban you from the house during meals.¡± ¡°I''d still gain weight from smelling this thing.¡± Donald said and looked at the plate in front of him. It had 3 pieces of sliced roast and 3 handfuls of fries, and was covered in gravy. ¡°I think I''m just going to go for maintenance and not worry about a transformation.¡± Barbara kissed his cheek and saw that everyone had been served, and Ren had a heap of fries that were smothered in gravy. Denise joined them at the table after handing out the drinks. ¡°What is everyone waiting for?¡± Ren asked and looked around at everyone and saw them either looking at their plates or at him. ¡°Let''s eat!¡± Everyone laughed because they didn''t realize they were all waiting for someone else to start. Ren picked up a french fry and popped it into his mouth, then everyone else started to eat. * ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Gwendolyn whispered as her body trembled, then Clint laid down beside her with a huge smile on his face. ¡°Ah can'' believe it either.¡± Clint said and put his arm around her. ¡°Ah always thought they claimed it was always tha same in tha game as it was in real life.¡± He said. ¡°Ah''m not sure why it''s differen'', only that it is.¡± He smiled again and turned his head to look at her. ¡°Maybe it''s ''cause of tha special comp''ny?¡± Gwendolyn turned her head to look back at him, and he could almost see stars in her eyes. ¡°In my honest opinion, I believe so.¡± ¡°Wha'' abou'' in yer dishonest opinion?¡± Clint asked. Gwendolyn chuckled. ¡°I think we need another go, just to be sure.¡± She said and put a hand on his chest and gently caressed it. ¡°Give me a few minutes ta rest, an'' ah''ll seriously consider provin'' yer dishonest opinion is righ''.¡± Clint said, and she laughed. * Tommy headed home after a long day at work, and when he walked into the apartment, his girlfriend practically assaulted him. He didn''t even provide token resistance as she had her way with him, and even though he was tired from lifting heavy furniture all day, there was no chance that he was going to say no to her. They cuddled on the couch afterwards and Tommy held her close.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Does this mean we''re not cooking together tonight?¡± Tommy asked. ¡°I was too excited about something to think about trying to cook today.¡± Jaime said. ¡°Oh? Do tell.¡± Tommy said, and Jamie told him all about Gwendolyn''s date with Clint today. ¡°You little matchmaker, you.¡± He said and kissed her forehead. ¡°I hope it works out.¡± ¡°Oh, I''m sure it will.¡± Jaime said. ¡°Clint''s been looking for a significant other for a while now.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Tommy asked with wide eyes. ¡°Unlike you, I can see with more than just my eyes.¡± Jaime joked. ¡°Hey, it''s not my fault that I don''t have women''s intuition.¡± ¡°No, it''s fate.¡± Jaime said and kissed him. ¡°I wouldn''t have it any other way.¡± ¡°I''m glad, because how would you ever blindside me with the truth if I had your observation skills?¡± Tommy asked, and she laughed. ¡°You know, you don''t have to agree with me all the time.¡± ¡°Are you kidding? That''s the most important job I have in this relationship, and I am not going to shirk my duties.¡± Tommy said. ¡°I love you.¡± Jaime said. ¡°I know.¡± Tommy said with a grin. ¡°You did not just quote Star Wars at me.¡± Jaime said with a frown. ¡°What if I did?¡± ¡°Tommy, you''re supposed to say it back.¡± ¡°Say what?¡± ¡°I love you.¡± Jaime said. ¡°I know. You already told me that.¡± Tommy said with a huge grin. ¡°Tommy!¡± Jaime smacked his chest, and he laughed. They started to wrestle and she looked like she was genuinely getting angry, so he kissed her. She stopped struggling and he broke the kiss. ¡°Jaime...¡± Tommy dropped his voice down an octave and stared into her eyes. ¡°...I love you.¡± Jaime caught her breath from his serious tone, and all the joking around faded away. ¡°I love you when you do the vacuuming and wiggle your butt without knowing you do.¡± Tommy said. ¡°I love you when you toss the garbage bags out when I forget to, and you don''t bitch about it. I love you when you struggle with balancing our budget, because I don''t have a head for numbers and you need to handle all the finances.¡± ¡°T-Tommy...¡± Jaime breathed. She didn''t think he had noticed any of those things. Tommy ran a hand through her hair and rested it on her cheek. ¡°I love you for putting up with me, even though sometimes I act like an asshole.¡± He said and kissed her. ¡°I love you for all the little things you do, and for all the big things you do.¡± He smiled. ¡°I don''t know what I did to deserve you; but, I thank whatever higher power that exists every day for having you in my life.¡± ¡°Tommy, I...¡± ¡°I love you, honey.¡± Tommy said and kissed her. Jaime melted into his arms, because he had pushed nearly all of her emotional buttons, and they made sweet and passionate love. This time there was no urgency or rushing, and they took their time and enjoyed pleasing each other. * ¡°That was great!¡± Ren said and sat back in his chair. His belly was a little distended and his chest hurt, but he ignored the bloating and soreness. ¡°Why can''t we eat like this every day?¡± ¡°I think we''d run out of cows and potatoes if you had your way.¡± Stella said, and everyone laughed. ¡°I''ll help clean up the dishes.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Lisa said and the two of them helped Denise pile the dishes back onto the cart. ¡°Wow, they barely fit.¡± ¡°There''s a lot of people eating here.¡± Denise said. ¡°I am so glad we have an industrial dishwasher.¡± ¡°I hate scrubbing pots and pans!¡± Stella and Barbara said together, which made them laugh. ¡°Jinx!¡± They also said together, and they kept laughing. Lisa followed Denise to the kitchen to help her unload the dishes. ¡°I''m just going to sit and digest for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°Elise? Are you done for the day?¡± ¡°Just about.¡± Elise said. ¡°Are you hoping to cuddle until you need to log back into the game?¡± ¡°Yes, but I''m not logging back in until later.¡± Ren said, and smiled at her surprised expression. ¡°Like I said before, I don''t have anything urgent to do, so I figured I could spend some time with you.¡± Elise smiled back. ¡°Okay. I''ll try and wrap my work up soon.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°Barbi, why don''t you take Ren into the large living room. I''m sure there''s something on television he can watch until I''m done.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I''ve been practising pushing a wheelchair just in case I was needed.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s like pushing a shopping cart, except that it has two handles instead of one.¡± ¡°The balance is different from side to side; but, the pivot point for tipping backwards is almost the same.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You don''t really need practice, just being careful will suffice.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Barbi asked and walked around the table and grabbed the handles. ¡°There''s no nursing course for handling these things?¡± Stella laughed. ¡°No. Learning to control them is all hands on and practical job experience.¡± ¡°Huh. You learn something new every day.¡± Barbi said and backed Ren away from the table slowly. ¡°I think I have enough clearance.¡± She said and slowly turned Ren around and got him pointed towards the door. ¡°Okay! Here we go!¡± Barbi walked at a slow pace towards the doorway and Ren slowly put his hands up into the air so he wouldn''t strain his chest muscles. ¡°Weeeeee!¡± Ren waved his hands and made everyone laugh. ¡°You can walk a little faster, Barbi.¡± Stella said and stood up, as did Barbara and Donald. ¡°Once I''m out in the open area.¡± Barbi said. ¡°This thing is a little tricky with someone in it.¡± Ren tilted his head back and looked up at her. ¡°I''m not that heavy.¡± Barbi chuckled. ¡°It''s not the extra weight, it''s the balance, like Barbara said.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''ll eventually figure it out.¡± Ren nodded and looked forward again, and Barbi managed not to hit anything on the way to the large living room, then parked the wheelchair near the couch and locked the wheels. ¡°Do you need a hand?¡± Barbi asked, nervously. ¡°Actually, you can sit down there in the corner.¡± Ren said. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless you have somewhere to go.¡± ¡°No, I... I''m not busy.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I''ve done all the damage control I can with what was available.¡± ¡°Then have a seat and I''ll tell you all about what I did in the game, and you can leak it out on social media in the morning.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Barbi asked, her interest piqued. She sat down and settled herself into the corner. ¡°You''ll tell me how you did it?¡± ¡°Yeah, but you might have to keep the details to yourself.¡± Ren said and stood up on slightly wobbly legs. ¡°You can have as much fun with the general information as you want.¡± ¡°You really know how to make a girl happy.¡± Barbi said. Ren turned around and sat down on the edge of the couch with a hiss. ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°If I pull on your hips, will it hurt?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°I certainly hope not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Grab on and we''ll find out.¡± Barbi put her hands on his hips, dug her fingers into the silk-like cloth of his pyjamas, and pulled. Ren slid back onto the couch fairly easily, thanks to those same silk-like pyjamas, and he fit right up under her arm. ¡°Hey, it worked!¡± Ren said and beamed a smile at her. ¡°I didn''t even get a twinge of pain in my chest! Thank you!¡± His face was quite close to hers, and Ren was at his cutest with such a big smile. Barbi''s face flushed slightly red from his sincerity and gratitude, and she tried her best to hide her reaction. ¡°Can you pass me the remote?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Um... sure.¡± Barbi said. She picked it up from the end table beside the couch and passed it to him. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and turned on the television. ¡°Hmm. What am I in the mood for?¡± He asked himself out loud. ¡°Action? Suspense? Thriller?¡± Barbi blinked her eyes as Ren flicked through the channels faster than she could see them. ¡°There we go.¡± Ren said and stopped clicking the remote. ¡°I love these old reruns of McGulver.¡± Barbi was a little surprised when he put the remote down on his other side and rested his hand on her lap. He wasn''t doing anything sexual at all and just rested his arm there. His hand was on its side and not palm down like some people would do to take advantage of the situation. Her arm was only slightly around him, so she moved it down and hugged him slightly, then Ren wiggled a little bit and managed to get his head in closer to her and rested his cheek on the side of her breast. ¡°Even today''s technology, like cell phones, can be explained away because a lot of the places he goes wouldn''t let them work, or they were stolen, confiscated, or broken.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°That''s what I do to trick my mind into accepting the outdated show. I rationalize the flaws away.¡± ¡°Do you only do that for shows?¡± Barbi asked. Ren tilted his head up and looked up at her, which caressed her breast, and she hid her reaction to the touch. ¡°You''re asking me about Gloria, aren''t you?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I... yes, I guess I do.¡± He said and sighed sadly. ¡°I didn''t think I did; but like I told her, I took the time to go over everything we had gone through, and it made me realize what had really been going on.¡± ¡°Ren, I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to bring it up.¡± ¡°It''s okay. I''ve had years to come to grips with it.¡± Ren said. ¡°The only problem is, I remember everything now.¡± He said. ¡°I can recall everything she said, everything we did, and when it ended.¡± He tilted his head back down to look at the television and sighed again. ¡°I also remember how much it hurt.¡± Barbi''s heart fluttered at his pain, and she put her hand down on top of the one he had on her lap. He opened his hand to take hers, and she turned it over instead and placed it on her thigh. ¡°If you remember everything...¡± Barbi bit her lip and swallowed. ¡°...what shape are the tips of my breasts?¡± ¡°They are almost perfectly round, but the left one is slightly oblong.¡± Ren said. ¡°There are 31 little bumps around that one, and 26 on the right one. The tips at the time were only partially erect, since I suspect you were only just starting to get excited about flashing me.¡± Barbi caught her breath at the specific details, especially with her pet peeve about the shape. ¡°I was surprised that you reacted so quickly and distracted me.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You saw my reaction to that.¡± ¡°I did.¡± Barbi said in a normal voice, glad that her control of her emotions was quite strong. ¡°I was surprised by you as well.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Not scared?¡± Barbi pat his hand. ¡°It would take a bit more than that to scare me.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said and looked back up at her, intentionally rubbing her breast with his cheek. ¡°I am not going to ask what would scare you.¡± Barbi chuckled. ¡°Just watch the show and explain to me what you did in the game.¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Ren said and looked back at the screen and settled the side of his face against her breast again. ¡°First, I had to make over a hundred thousand steel squares...¡± Chapter 633 - Comfy Couch Time Barbi and Ren watched the show and he explained everything he did, and Barbi was blown away at the details he gave her. By the time he was done, the show was over and she felt like she had done everything he said and it wasn''t just a story he told her. ¡°You''re a really good storyteller.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I always have been.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I didn''t know I was until after I arrived at the hospital, though. I watched so much television and Barbara read me so many stories to me at night, that I''ve had lots of comparisons.¡± ¡°Barbara must have enjoyed that.¡± ¡°Oh, she did.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once she discovered that I had never heard a children''s story before, well...¡± Barbi smiled. ¡°I think I would have enjoyed that, too.¡± ¡°Which part?¡± Ren lifted his head and looked at her. ¡°The reading to me part or the listening to Barbara part?¡± ¡°Both.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Some of my fondest memories are of my mom reading to me.¡± ¡°Mine, too.¡± Ren said and put his head back against her breast. ¡°Not my biological mom, though. My real mom.¡± Barbi heard a footstep and turned her head to look, and saw Elise walking towards the living room. She didn''t see Barbara walk away in the other direction. ¡°Hey, are you muscling in on my man?¡± Elise joked as she entered the room. ¡°It''s more like he''s muscling in on me.¡± Barbi laughed. ¡°He''s pretty smooth.¡± ¡°Ren, are you making time with Barbi?¡± ¡°If you mean spending some quality time with a friend and sharing some deep and personal secrets, then yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you mean putting the moves on her and getting her excited, then no.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Barbi chuckled. ¡°Who has his hand on my thigh and his cheek on my breast?¡± ¡°Me, but we''re just cuddling.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not making you excited, though.¡± ¡°How exactly do you know that?¡± Barbi asked, curious. ¡°I can hear your heart beating.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a solid thumping rhythm, so you''re calm and relaxed.¡± He said. ¡°Now, if I did want to make a move on you...¡± He tapped his index finger on her thigh and she looked down at his hand. ¡°...your skirt is quite short while sitting down.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Relationships don''t just happen at the drop of a hat.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a dozen smiles. It''s a hundred little touches. It''s a thousand brief moments that all combine together and become something that people can share and say, this is us.¡± He said and tapped his middle finger, then his ring finger and pinkie finger in turn, then tapped them all in quick succession. ¡°You need a good foundation, and you have to build on top of that.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Barbi asked. Her eyes still watched his hand and she wasn''t sure if she wanted him to do more than tap on her thigh. ¡°We''re up to 8 smiles and 57 touches already.¡± Ren said and stopped tapping his fingers. ¡°Let''s not rush things.¡± Elise slipped off her business suit coat and sat down on Ren''s other side after moving the remote to the end table on the other side of the couch, then shimmied in close. ¡°You laid that on pretty thick, Ren.¡± She said and put her arm over Barbi''s shoulders. ¡°I just wanted Barbi to know that I''m not sitting here and taking her for granted.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not pawing at her or trying to cop a cheap feel, and I don''t want her to worry that that would be what I''d be doing if given the chance.¡± He lifted his head from her breast when he heard her heart beat faster, and smiled at her. ¡°Or another chance, I should say.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Down, boy.¡± Ren turned his head and looked up at her. ¡°Are you implying that I''m a dog?¡± He asked with laughter in his voice. ¡°A lap dog, maybe.¡± Elise said and kissed the top of his head. ¡°You''re definitely making Barbi a little nervous with your barking.¡± Ren looked back at Barbi. ¡°I''m always honest, so I guess I should ask you straight out.¡± He said. ¡°Am I barking up the wrong tree?¡± Barbi took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She noticed his eyes didn''t go to her chest at all and had stayed on her eyes. ¡°I don''t know.¡± She said, honestly. ¡°Good.¡± Ren gave her a big smile and lifted his hand from her thigh and took her hand. ¡°If you had said no right away without thinking about it, I might be wary about your answer.¡± He smiled. ¡°That you''re indecisive means you''re actually considering it.¡± ¡°What if I had said yes, and that you are barking up the wrong tree?¡± ¡°I''d ask you for a hug, give you a kiss on the cheek, and I would never bother you again.¡± Ren said. ¡°Really?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°I tried putting pressure on Gloria for some kind of relationship in real life, and look what happened there.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t make the same mistake with you.¡± ¡°Now I want to ask you a question.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°If it had worked out between you and Gloria, and she started coming around more often, would you have bothered to even look at me?¡± Ren lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. ¡°Do you remember how I described you that day at the pool after you flashed your chest at me?¡± Barbi''s face lost it''s liveliness. ¡°Yes, I heard.¡± ¡°I wasn''t insulting you when I said you were a life-sized Barbie Doll.¡± Ren said and let her hand go, then reached up to briefly caress the side of her face. ¡°I was describing you as every male''s fantasy dream girl come to life.¡± He said. ¡°Who wouldn''t want a woman like you in their lives?¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Emotion returned to Barbi''s face as she took a breath in through her nose and let it out through her mouth. ¡°You always know what to say, don''t you?¡± ¡°Most times.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s kind of annoying.¡± Barbi said and smiled. ¡°Oho! That''s number 12!¡± Ren pointed to her mouth. ¡°We''re at a dozen smiles and 60 touches already!¡± He said. ¡°What''s going on? I could have sworn I said we should take things slowly.¡± Barbi and Elise chuckled. ¡°I think you''re being a bit too literal.¡± Elise said. ¡°Not me.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''m just the soft gooey center of a beautiful woman sandwich.¡± ¡°A beautiful woman what?¡± Lisa asked as she came into the living room and walked around the couch. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± She said as she saw Ren tucked in between Barbi and Elise. ¡°I think you meant ''boob sandwich''.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I was warned to not be brutally honest about some things.¡± He said. ¡°Like describing the heavenly pillowy softness that my cheeks are experiencing.¡± Elise and Barbi looked down at him and saw that he was smiling up at them. ¡°Thank you very much for this feeling.¡± ¡°Geez, you''re gushing too much.¡± Lisa said and sat down beside Elise. ¡°You need to be careful that you don''t come off as insincere.¡± ¡°I''m sincere.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Cuddle in and see for yourself.¡± ¡°There''s no way I''m kicking you out of there.¡± Lisa said and smiled back. ¡°You look too comfy.¡± ¡°I really am.¡± ¡°I''ve got a free arm here.¡± Elise said and lifted it up. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Ren said he wanted to cuddle for a while. He didn''t say only with me.¡± Elise said. Lisa sat back and Elise put her arm over her shoulder and pulled her in close. Lisa was about to say that it was a little too close and too tight, then Elise moved her arm slightly to hug her gently instead, and Lisa fit perfectly in the space at her side. She relaxed and let herself feel the warmth Elise offered, and she snuggled in. There was a flash and Barbi, Ren, Elise, and Lisa blinked the flash away and looked up to see Stella standing partway across the living room with her cell phone pointed at them. ¡°Now there''s a pretty picture.¡± Stella said and brought it up as she walked over to the couch. ¡°Isn''t it?¡± She held it out for them to see. The 4 of them had big smiles on their faces and looked very happy. ¡°Is that what we look like?¡± Barbi asked and used her free hand to reach out for the phone. ¡°No, it''s something I photo-shopped before coming in here.¡± Stella laughed and handed Barbi the phone so she could look at it up close. ¡°I look so tiny.¡± Ren chuckled and looked, too. ¡°Send it to us, will you?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Stella said and took the phone back, and then a beep came from Barbi and Elise''s coats. ¡°You should send it to Lisa, too.¡± Elise said, and felt Lisa stiffen under her arm. ¡°I... I don''t have a cell phone.¡± Lisa said. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Elise said and pulled out a cell phone from her pocket. It was bright blue and had a rubber safety cover on it in case you dropped it. ¡°It''s right here.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lisa exclaimed and looked at the phone with wide eyes. ¡°Look, it even has your name on it.¡± Elise said and handed it to her. ¡°See?¡± Lisa took the phone gingerly and hit the power button, and it had Lisa''s Phone on the home screen. ¡°But...¡± ¡°We might need to get a hold of you if we''re out of the house, or if you are.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m sure we won''t use it too often; but, you know what happens when you have one.¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°If you have it, you use it.¡± ¡°We meant to give it to you earlier, but with everything going on, this was the first time we''ve all had a chance to sit down and relax.¡± Stella said and sent her the photo. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s nice to just hang out with friends and not have to do anything, isn''t it?¡± ¡°You''re just lazy.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°I believe the medical term you are looking for is Procrastinitis.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not only am I sufferer, I also discovered the disease.¡± Denise snorted a laugh as she came into the living room. ¡°Barbara? Did you hear that?¡± She asked the woman beside her. ¡°Ren''s a pioneer!¡± ¡°Does anyone else smell manure?¡± Barbara asked and swiped a hand in front of her nose several times. ¡°Someone seems to be shovelling some in here.¡± Everyone laughed, including Ren. They all settled down onto the couches and Ren asked for the remote. Lisa handed it over to him and he changed the channel. ¡°What''s everyone in the mood for?¡± Ren asked and started flicking through the channels really fast. ¡°Slow down, you nut.¡± Stella said and tried to see what was flashing by on the screen. ¡°We can''t see what''s on.¡± ¡°Just tell me what you''re in the mood for.¡± Ren said and didn''t slow down. Stella turned and looked at him with raised eyebrows, and he grinned at her. ¡°All right.¡± He said and held the remote out. ¡°You choose.¡± ¡°We might find something now.¡± Stella chuckled and clicked the channel button once every second. She eventually ended on a late night game show and they watched that for an hour, then changed the channel and watched an early night talk show. It wasn''t as good as the late night ones, since the jokes couldn''t be as racy, but it was still enjoyable. Ren had put his hand on Barbi''s thigh again during the game show and rested it there, and did the same to Elise with his other hand. Neither woman said anything and he didn''t try to rub them or anything. They were only cuddling and Ren wasn''t going to push, or do something with Elise and make Barbi feel uncomfortable, so he sat there between them and watched television and didn''t say a word. ¡°Does anyone want snacks?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Not me. I''m still digesting.¡± Ren said and pat his stomach, then put his hand back on Barbi''s thigh on the exact spot it had been in before. ¡°Thanks, though.¡± ¡°Nothing for me.¡± Stella said. ¡°Or me.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I think it''s no all the way around.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°Denise made us eat too much.¡± ¡°I guess I did.¡± Denise said with a smile. ¡°Want me to cut down on the portions next time?¡± ¡°Hell, no!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Ren!¡± Barbara chided. ¡°I''m sorry. That deserved a bit of bad language.¡± Ren said and looked at her, and she raised her eyebrows at him. ¡°It did!¡± Barbara smiled and nodded, and Ren looked back at Denise. ¡°Now stop with all the crazy talk and watch the mind-numbing television.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Denise said, and they settled in to watch more television. After another little while, several yawns were heard. Ren looked around at the sound to see everyone''s droopy eyes, except for Barbara''s. He knew everyone was fighting off trying to go to sleep, so he pat Barbi''s and Elise''s thighs. They startled and looked down at him, and he smiled up at them. ¡°I''m getting tired. Can you take me up to bed, please?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Elise said and turned her head to look at Lisa. ¡°We''re going to bed.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lisa said and yawned, then slid forward to the edge of the couch and stood up. She stretched and yawned again and turned around to wait. Elise carefully slid out herself and stood as well, then held her hands out to Ren. ¡°Barbi figured out that you need to hold my hips and pull.¡± Ren said and held his arms out. ¡°She did?¡± Elise asked and leaned in, gently held his hips and pulled. Ren easily slid forward to the edge of the couch. ¡°Good job, Barbi.¡± She said and helped transfer Ren from the couch to the wheelchair. ¡°Thanks.¡± Barbi said and yawned. ¡°Do you mind if I crash here again?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, I think we should all head to bed. It''s been a long day.¡± ¡°It really has.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I need to sleep.¡± ¡°I think we all do.¡± Stella stood up. ¡°Looks like you have another easy night ahead of you, Barbara.¡± ¡°I''m not going to complain.¡± Barbara said and stood as well. ¡°Look at the company we enjoyed all evening.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Barbara.¡± Denise said, and that was everyone''s cue to leave the living room. They all said goodnight to her and went to the elevator. ¡°I''m taking the stairs.¡± Stella said. ¡°I would, but I''m on the third floor.¡± Denise said. ¡°So am I.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You''re not coming in with me?¡± Ren asked. Lisa leaned down and gave him a deep kiss. ¡°I spent a lot of time with you in the game earlier today, so I can''t be greedy.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said, and she kissed him again. Stella and Barbara went up the stairs when the elevator door opened, and Elise pushed the wheelchair inside. Denise, Lisa and Barbi entered as well, and the elevator went up to the second floor. Elise pushed Ren out and Barbi followed them, and Ren waved to Lisa and Denise as the elevator door closed on them. Elise pushed the wheelchair down the hallway and stopped at the spare room''s door. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Barbi said and reached for the door handle. ¡°Barbi, can I ask you something?¡± Ren asked, and she turned to look at him. ¡°Would you help Elise hold me tonight?¡± Chapter 634 - Bedtime ¡°Excuse me?¡± Barbi said with wide eyes. ¡°I''ve gotten used to having more than one woman in the bed, and I have a hard time sleeping otherwise.¡± Ren said. Barbi looked at Elise. ¡°Is he serious?¡± ¡°Completely.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m not really sure when it happened, but he does sleep better with someone on either side of him.¡± ¡°I... I''m not sure...¡± Barbi said. ¡°Ren, I thought you said you wouldn''t put the moves on her.¡± Stella said as she and Barbara walked down the hallway towards them. ¡°I''m not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I enjoyed her company on the couch and wanted to keep enjoying it.¡± He said and looked at Barbi. ¡°I promise I''ll try my best to not grope you while you''re sleeping.¡± ¡°E-excuse m-me?¡± Barbi said in a higher pitched voice. Elise chuckled. ¡°He''s a bit of a sleep groper if you''re not careful.¡± She said. ¡°Just breasts, though.¡± ¡°J-just... wait, you let him...¡± ¡°I don''t mind it, and we warn anyone that joins us that it''s possible.¡± Elise said. Stella shook her head. ¡°Ren, you can''t give her all that info and then expect her to make a decision so quickly.¡± Ren opened his mouth to ask when he should ask, then sighed. ¡°Damn, you''re right. I said I wouldn''t try to pressure her and then I ask her to spend the night.¡± He said and looked at Barbi. ¡°Please accept my apology.¡± ¡°I...¡± ¡°I''ve gotten used to just asking for what I want, and I need to keep in mind that I shouldn''t ask for certain things.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight, Barbi.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Barbi said and Elise opened Ren''s bedroom door and pushed him inside. ¡°I hope I didn''t just mess things up and ruin everything.¡± Ren said before Elise could shut the door. ¡°I''m smart, Elise. Really smart. Why can''t I handle things like this?¡± Stella, Barbara, and Barbi exchanged glances, because they could still hear them through the door. ¡°You''re just a little out of your depth.¡± Elise said as she knelt by the wheelchair. ¡°The only real relationship experience you''ve had has been with your nurses and me.¡± She chuckled. ¡°That''s not really how you should treat every woman you meet.¡± Ren sighed again. ¡°Yeah, you''re right.¡± He said. ¡°I think... I think from now on, I... I just...¡± He sighed again. ¡°Just what?¡± Elise prompted. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I can''t ask for the things I want, what am I supposed to do? Use hand signals?¡± Elise snorted a laugh. ¡°I don''t know how you would communicate sleeping in a bed and no groping.¡± Ren pointed to his eye, made a ''come here'' motion with one hand, put his hands together and by his face and leaned his head to the side so it looked like he was sleeping, made grabbing motions with both hands, then shook his head no and waved his finger back and forth in a clear ''no'' motion. ¡°Actually, that''s pretty good.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m surprised.¡± Ren pointed to her, then to himself, and gently hugged himself. ¡°Yes, we can cuddle.¡± Elise said as she stood up, and she took him over to the bed. She helped him onto the bed and Ren rolled over once to get farther in. ¡°Didn''t that hurt?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I don''t want you miming to me all night, so you better start talking soon.¡± Elise said. Ren tapped his mouth and pointed at her skirt. ¡°Well, I guess you don''t have to talk if you do that.¡± Elise smiled and then let it turn wicked. ¡°I have ways of making you talk.¡± She pulled down the zipper on her skirt and let the skirt fall to the floor, and Ren saw a very racy piece of lace that barely covered her special place. ¡°Hello.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°Just wait.¡± Elise said and turned around, and Ren could barely see the string. She bent over at the waist to pick up the skirt, and he saw pretty much everything. The lace only covered about half of her, thanks to the small tuft of red hair that held it out, and the string holding it in place wasn''t anywhere near the center. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Ow.¡± Elise stood up and turned to look at him, and saw he had a hand on his chest. ¡°Ren! I''m sorry!¡± ¡°I''m not.¡± Ren said. ¡°What a sight!¡± ¡°But, I hurt you.¡± ¡°No, I hurt me from my reaction.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You did just fine, Elise. Look for yourself.¡± Elise let her eyes roam down to his waist and saw his very firm reaction. ¡°Have you been wearing them all day?¡± Ren asked as she put the skirt on the nightstand and started to unbutton her top. ¡°No, I slipped them on just before coming to the living room.¡± ¡°You naughty girl.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''m glad I didn''t try to cop a feel from you, or I would have been like this that whole time.¡± Elise chuckled and slipped off her shirt and laid it on the skirt. ¡°I wonder what Barbi would have thought about that.¡± ¡°She''s seen bigger, apparently.¡± Ren said. ¡°What? How did that come up in conversation?¡± Elise asked and raised her eyebrows. ¡°Ha ha! Come up in conversation!¡± ¡°You know what I meant.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Take off that bra and come to bed, and I''ll tell you all about it.¡± ¡°Ordering me around now, are you?¡± Elise unhooked the bra and put it on her clothes, then climbed onto the bed. ¡°Good god, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just eager to see your unfettered beauty, and I want to wallow in it.¡± Elise laughed. ¡°Are you really going to try going down on me in your condition?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°I was thinking you could just straddle my face, so I won''t have to put any pressure on my chest.¡± ¡°You don''t want much, do you?¡± Elise said and unbuttoned his pyjama top, then very lightly touched his chest. ¡°Elise, I thought I could ignore the feeling; but, I want you very, very badly.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t seen you in 11 years, and I need to be with you so much that it''s actually starting to hurt.¡± ¡°Wh-what? You weren''t exaggerating about it?¡± Elise stopped caressing his chest and moved her hand down and pulled down his pyjama pants and underwear. ¡°Oh, my.¡± She said, and saw that it was becoming a dark red. ¡°I told you.¡± ¡°Let me deal with that first, then you can have some fun, okay?¡± Elise asked as she moved down the bed to get a closer look. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said sincerely. For the next several minutes, Elise pleased him with her mouth and her hand, and Ren warned her when he was going to finish and that it was going to be a lot. She stopped and reached over for the bedpan, then went back to work. She had talked to Denise after supper, as did Stella and Barbara, and she had warned them about the necessity of the bedpan. Elise was glad she had, because when he finished, it really was a lot more than she knew she could possibly handle, despite how much she liked the taste and wanted to keep it all for herself. Imagine if that had been all inside. Elise thought, and she stopped pumping him with her hand. It could have all been inside! ¡°Why... why did... you stop?¡± Ren panted. Elise turned and looked at him. ¡°I could have had you inside, instead of wasting it in the bedpan.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that for now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Come up here and sit on my face.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°You don''t have to be so brash about it.¡± ¡°M''lady, please honor me by presenting your special place to my orifice, to be pleasured as much as I want, and for as long as you can stand.¡± Ren said formally. Elise''s face flushed red. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I can say it several different ways, but it''s the same thing.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I want to make out with your second mouth. I want to groom your kitty with my tongue like a cat. I want to chew on your carpet. I want to suck on that sweet Georgia peach. I want to have a box lunch. I want to go pearl diving. I need to taste you lickety split.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Elise''s face was bright red. ¡°I want to give you an Australian kiss. I want to taste the rainbow. I want a slice of your apple pie. I want to twirl your cherry stem. I want to crack your clam. I want to butter your muffin. I want to see your cunning stunt.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Elise yelled. ¡°Wait, I''m almost done.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Call me a bear because I want to eat from your honey pot. I want to build a dam with your beaver. I want to give you french lessons. I want to kneel and worship at your altar.¡± ¡°Where... where did you get all of those?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Everywhere. Movies, television, the internet, real life, and in the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can quote exactly where, but I don''t want to bore you.¡± He said. ¡°I only have one more.¡± Elise wanted to say that was enough, but nodded instead. ¡°I only want to talk in tongues, because I want to be a cunning linguist with you.¡± ¡°S-some of them were...¡± ¡°Vulgar.¡± Ren said. ¡°I spread them out so they wouldn''t be too shocking for you.¡± ¡°Yes, but...¡± ¡°Some were flattering, and I reworded them that way.¡± Ren said and touched her face. ¡°Please, let me love you and taste that wonderful and amazing part of you.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Since I can''t lick your brain, I''ll have to lick something else.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°God, you''re incorrigible.¡± Elise said and moved up on the bed, held onto the headboard, and straddled over his head. He reached up and touched the backs of her thighs and held on. ¡°Look at that.¡± Ren said in wonder. ¡°I''m amazed that you let me do this.¡± ¡°I''m amazed you still want... mmm...¡± Elise moaned as he kissed her. He didn''t even have to move the token underwear aside because it wasn''t in the way at all. After about 15 minutes, Elise started to struggle with holding onto the headboard and being pleased so much. Ren felt her trembling and tapped her backside. She moved off and let the headboard go, then laid down beside him. ¡°I know that was hard on you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I recognize muscle weakness when I feel it.¡± ¡°You... are... amazing.¡± Elise panted and kissed him. She tasted herself on his lips, so she rolled over and grabbed some tissues to wipe his face off. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, and they rested for about 20 minutes, until he thought Elise was ready to keep going. ¡°So, are you ready to make a baby?¡± Elise''s breath sped up. ¡°Ren, are... are you...¡± She looked down and saw he was still quite ready for her. ¡°Of course you are.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m the gift that keeps on giving, remember?¡± Elise opened her mouth to say they didn''t have to start right this minute, and he interrupted her. ¡°Hop on if you don''t believe me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want you so bad that I could get you pregnant just by thinking about it.¡± Elise caught her breath. ¡°R-Ren.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember what I said that night in the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t be much of a hands-on parent, but like I said then, there''s plenty of people around here to help raise our child.¡± Elise''s eyes started to shed tears, and she kissed him. She moved down the bed and kissed the tip of his member, too. ¡°Please work.¡± She whispered to it, then she straddled his hips. She eased herself down onto him and she surprised herself that it went in so easily. Even though Ren had done the prep work nearly half an hour before, she thought she had tightened back up. I really want this! Elise thought and started to rock her hips and didn''t put any pressure on Ren at all. Ren put his hands on her hips and caressed her, then he gripped her hard. ¡°I really want this!¡± He said and thrust up as he pulled her down to get all the way in. Elise stared at him with wide eyes, because he had just said her exact thought. ¡°Have my baby, Elise!¡± Ren exclaimed and finished. ¡°Yes, Ren! I will!¡± Elise exclaimed and finished herself as she bent down to kiss him. She kept rocking her hips forward and back to keep them both going, and Ren did his best to oblige her. * ¡°Does he really have a hard time talking to women?¡± Barbi whispered after Elise had shut the bedroom door. ¡°He has a hard time talking to anyone and maintaining relationships.¡± Stella whispered back and they moved off down the hallway. ¡°Elise is right. He''s never had to maintain a normal relationship, or really needed to. He''s never been to school or interacted with anyone in a friendly environment.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s... kind of sad, actually.¡± Barbi said. ¡°It''s hard enough to introduce new people, especially since people don''t normally come around a hospital to visit him. Now that we live in a gated community and the necessary security...¡± ¡°Then he needs more practice.¡± Barbi said, struck with inspiration. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°We need to throw a party. Like a neighbourhood party.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I''m sure the security guards have vetted the neighbors already, right?¡± ¡°They have.¡± Stella said. ¡°Then I''ll get to work on Ren''s public persona first thing in the morning.¡± ¡°He has severe panic attacks in public if we''re not careful.¡± Stella warned her. ¡°We usually go to the mall during off hours to minimize the impact of crowds on him, and that''s usually only once a month or so.¡± ¡°We can do it right here in the backyard, and possibly have a pool party afterwards.¡± Barbi said, her mind already working the details. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll have full disclosure for the guests, including his current injuries.¡± ¡°You might want to hold off on why.¡± Barbara cautioned her. ¡°Why''s that?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°So he has something to talk about.¡± Stella said and smiled. ¡°He''s going to be honest, but I doubt he''ll give explicit details, especially if I tell him to keep his explanations general.¡± Barbi nodded. ¡°Okay, I''ll do that, too. General warnings and cautions about his delicate condition, but I''ll emphasize that he wants to meet his neighbors now that he''s settled in completely.¡± ¡°I... I think... this might be good.¡± Stella said. ¡°We can get him some real world experience, and we won''t have to worry about taking him anywhere.¡± ¡°Plus, if it starts to wear on him, we can make an excuse that he''s tired and bring him inside to give him a break.¡± Barbara said. ¡°One of us needs to be by him at all times, though.¡± ¡°Agreed. We don''t have to hover, just be nearby to keep an eye on things.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°We can even take turns.¡± ¡°I think Sunday would be the best day.¡± Barbi said. ¡°That''s usually the only day everyone seems to have off and it doesn''t interfere with their schedules.¡± ¡°Wait, do you mean this Sunday?¡± ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°The sooner the better, right?¡± Stella and Barbara looked at each other, then back at Barbi. ¡°I suppose.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I should be able to put something good together by then.¡± Barbi said and smiled. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll keep the physical activities to a minimum.¡± She said. ¡°It''ll be more socializing than an actual party.¡± ¡°Run the details by us so we can discuss it.¡± Stella said. ¡°Of course!¡± Barbi said and pat her arm. ¡°I won''t confirm any of it until I discuss it with you first.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Barbi said and walked back to the spare room and went inside. She got undressed and laid down in the bed with just her underwear on. ¡°I''m going to make this the best block party ever.¡± She said, rolled over and went to sleep. * ¡°I think we need to keep a closer eye on her.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡± Stella said. ¡°She seemed a little too eager to help Ren meet new people.¡± ¡°We should call Officer Holly and ask her to come as well.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Barbara, that is a great idea.¡± Stella said and gave the older woman a hug. ¡°I''ll send her a text first thing in the morning.¡± She went to her bedroom door. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Barbara said and went over to the theatre room to watch some television. She knew Elise and Ren would be busy for a little while, and she needed to waste some time while she waited. Chapter 635 - Morning Discussion After half an hour, Barbara went back to Ren''s room and listened at the door. She couldn''t really hear anything, so she opened it slightly. She saw Elise''s naked back and closed the door quietly, then went back to the theatre room. She waited another half an hour and went back to Ren''s room to check, and saw Elise was still naked. I think I have to talk to her about this. Barbara thought and went back to the theatre room. Ren''s too weak to keep up with her like that. What Barbara didn''t know was that each time she checked in on them, she caught them right after they had rested for a while and had resumed their love making. After the fourth time she checked, she saw that they were tucked under the blanket and were resting. It''s about time. Barbara thought and waited another 10 minutes before going into the room. She checked on Ren''s vitals as unobtrusively as she could, marked them on the chart, then sat down on the chair beside the bed. It was half an hour later when Ren started to fidget. Since Barbara was watching him closely, she noticed right away and stood up. ¡°Unn.¡± Ren moaned and his hand reached out and found Elise, and he relaxed for a moment, then his other hand reached out and met nothing but air. ¡°Unnn.¡± He started to fidget again and pat the bed in different places, as if he was looking for something. ¡°Unn. Unnn.¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Barbara whispered as she leaned in close. Ren''s hand flailed a little at the sound of her voice, then found her arm and held on. He took in a deep breath and sighed, then stopped fidgeting and calmed down. Barbara tried to gently pull her arm out of his grasp, but he held on like a vise. Now what do I do? Barbara thought. She couldn''t lean over the edge of the bed like this for the rest of the night. She thought about taking her uniform top off so she could slide out of his grip, then realized his hold was below her elbow and she wouldn''t get her hand through if he tightened his grip and she would be stuck half naked and still in the same situation. After a few moments and her back getting sore, she shrugged mentally and carefully climbed onto the bed. She tried her best not to disturb Ren and Elise as she positioned herself close by and laid down. She felt weird laying on the bed fully clothed; but, Ren''s grip on her arm hadn''t changed, so she was kind of stuck until he let her go. At least he''s calmed down. Barbara thought. She used her free hand to adjust his messy hair and whispered to him. ¡°My sweet little boy.¡± Ren took in a sharp breath and whispered back. ¡°Mommy?¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Barbara said and touched his face. ¡°Go to sleep.¡± ¡°No, Mommy.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I don''t want you to hurt me anymore.¡± Barbara pulled her hand away. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°He''s not looking, Mommy.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°Help me escape.¡± Barbara''s heart beat faster and tears came to her eyes. ¡°I will.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mommy.¡± Ren barely whispered, then his grip on her arm eased off and he let her go. You poor thing. Barbara thought. She tried to move away and her weight shifted on the bed, then Ren''s hand reached out and landed on her abdomen. He pat it twice, almost like he was making sure it was real, then his whole body seemed to lose all it''s tension and he sighed. Barbara looked at his face and saw he was smiling, so she laid back down. I''ll stay if you need me. She thought and relaxed herself, then was glad she wasn''t the least bit tired. She knew she had to be vigilant if she wanted to head off any sleep groping he might do. Imagine if he woke up and had my breast in his hand. She thought and suppressed her chuckle. He would probably want to boil his hand off. Barbara looked at his peaceful face and smiled as she remembered what he had said in the living room and called her his real mother. Sleep well, son. Barbara thought, and settled in for a long and pleasant night. * Gloria finished her shift at the garage and headed home. She didn''t speed or break any other traffic laws as she drove. The encounter she had with the police officer last night had scared her. Not at the time, since it hadn''t quite sunk in; but after thinking about it, she could have been screwed if he hadn''t been such a nice guy. She arrived at her apartment building and went up to her place, grabbed a nice long and hot shower, then went to her recliner. She thought about logging in, just to see what was going on, then decided she wasn''t in the mood to play and changed her mind. She went to her bedroom and went to bed instead. Her mind swam with all the possibilities she had given up by refusing that job offer, and she knew that whoever was behind the offer, Stella had been right. They didn''t want her for her expertise, they wanted her because of her connection to Ren. ¡°Ha, I showed them.¡± Gloria said and rolled over in bed. ¡°I don''t have any connection to him at all now, so I''m useless to them.¡± She bundled up her pillow and hugged it to her chest. ¡°I don''t have any connection to him.¡± She said, then fell quiet. She hugged the pillow tighter and buried her face in it. * Ren woke up the next morning and took in a deep breath, then winced. ¡°Ow.¡± He said and opened his eyes. ¡°I keep forgetting I can''t do that.¡± ¡°It won''t take too long to heal.¡± Barbara said, and Ren froze. ¡°B-Barbara?¡± Ren turned his head and saw a fully-clothed Barbara was laying on her side in the bed with him. His hand was perilously close to groping her chest and he pulled it back reflexively. Barbara chuckled. ¡°It''s okay. I fended you off.¡± ¡°But... what... why...¡± ¡°You were restless and needed someone to hold on to.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''ve been here for you all night.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°I... I don''t know what to say.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you would be nice, but it''s not necessary.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°You know I''ll do anything to help you.¡± Ren''s eyes glanced at her chest and she chuckled again. ¡°You would have freaked out if I''d let you do that, even unconscious.¡± ¡°I really would have.¡± Ren admitted. ¡°Barbara, I love you... and I don''t want that to change to... well, you know.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°I feel the same way.¡± She said and rubbed the top of his head. ¡°I''ve seen you naked, but I''ve never had the urge to...¡± Her face flushed a little red and she looked at Elise. ¡°You seem to get a lot of that.¡± ¡°You mean last night?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded again. ¡°It took a while because Elise needed breaks in between sessions. She was doing all the work because I couldn''t do anything myself.¡± ¡°Ren, should you be talking about that?¡± ¡°It''s okay. I don''t think she''s going to wake up soon.¡± Ren said. ¡°When we were done, she was exhausted and pretty much collapsed.¡± He smiled. ¡°I wore her out and all I did was lay here.¡± Barbara shook her head. ¡°I still don''t think we should talk about this.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I needed to explain why I''m still pretty much naked under the blanket, because I need a shower.¡± Ren smelled a wonderful smell almost as soon as his bedroom door opened. ¡°You did not make me that!¡± Stella grinned as she pushed the cart with bacon, eggs, and toast into the room. ¡°No, it''s just an illusion.¡± She said and parked the cart by the table. ¡°I''ll make more when the others get up.¡± ¡°That''s all for me?¡± Ren asked and stared at the pile of eggs and bacon. ¡°You''d like that, wouldn''t you?¡± Stella asked and chuckled. ¡°Barbara and I have to eat, too.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Ren said and looked at Barbara. ¡°Can you give me a hand getting dressed?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Barbara said and moved the blanket off and looked at him. ¡°Um... I think a quick sponge bath is in order first.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ren looked down at the mess. ¡°Oops.¡± ¡°Don''t worry. A bit of warm soapy water and a sponge will clean that right up.¡± Barbara said and put the blanket back and slid out of the bed. ¡°A really soft sponge.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°It must be a big mess if Barbara wants to clean you off first.¡± Stella said and dished out a plate of food for Ren. ¡°Well, Elise and I did it 6 times last night.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Wow, really?¡± Stella looked at Elise''s sleeping face and smiled as well. ¡°No wonder she''s exhausted.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°She was a real trooper.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°I''ll tell her you said that when she wakes up.¡± ¡°I told her last night, so go ahead.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t think she''s had a harder workout in her life.¡± ¡°I don''t doubt that.¡± ¡°Here we go.¡± Barbara brought out a small wash basin, towel, and sponge. ¡°Give me a minute, and I''ll have you fixed right up.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and she moved the blanket out of the way. Stella looked at the mess and whistled. ¡°That looks like a lot more than 6 times.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I said we had sex 6 times. I didn''t say that was how many times I finished.¡± ¡°Too much information.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Do you want me to use the rough sponge?¡± Ren shook his head and she dipped the sponge into the basin, then started to wash him. ¡°Some of it is dry already.¡± Barbara said and held the wet sponge against his leg. ¡°Stella, I think we need to wake Elise up.¡± ¡°You think she needs to clean up, too?¡± Stella asked. Barbara nodded. ¡°It can''t be left too long.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Stella walked around the bed to Elise''s side and partially climbed onto it, then gave Elise''s shoulder a shake. ¡°Hey, Elise. Wake up.¡± ¡°Uh.¡± Elise flopped onto her back. ¡°Elise! Wake UP!¡± Stella said and shook her shoulder again. ¡°Uhhh.¡± Elise opened one eye. ¡°God, is that you?¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Yes, now get your ass in the bathroom and wash yourself.¡± ¡°No.¡± Elise rolled up onto her side. ¡°Need it to stay.¡± Stella rolled her eyes. ¡°If you don''t wash it off, it''s going to dry and be caked on.¡± She said. ¡°You''ll have to peel and scrape it off.¡± Both of Elise''s eyes opened. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Look at Ren.¡± Stella said, and Elise lifted her head and saw Barbara carefully washing Ren''s private area. ¡°Oh, damn!¡± Elise said and her hand moved under the blanket. Her face made several different expressions, then she smiled. ¡°It''s not too bad.¡± ¡°That means it''s not too good.¡± Stella said and pointed to the bathroom. ¡°Get a move on.¡± Elise nodded and slid out from under the blanket and held a hand over private area, then quickly walked across the room to the bathroom. ¡°Wash the back of your thighs, too!¡± Stella said and Elise waved acknowledgement and shut the door. ¡°Done.¡± Barbara said and dried Ren off, then helped him get dressed. Ren stood up and walked over to the table as Barbara hovered behind him, and they sat down. Stella gave them their plates of food and sat down herself to eat. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. Barbara put a hand on the back of his neck and rubbed it. ¡°Don''t wolf it down, okay?¡± ¡°I won''t.¡± Ren said and shoved a whole piece of bacon into his mouth. ¡°I just said not to do that.¡± Barbara laughed. Ren smiled at her as he chewed and chewed on the bacon. It took him a minute to do that, then he swallowed. ¡°See? I''m taking my time.¡± He said and reached for another piece of bacon. ¡°Eggs.¡± Barbara said, and he smiled and picked up the fork and ate some of the eggs. The bathroom door opened and Elise came out wearing a bathrobe. She looked ragged as she walked over to the table and sat down. ¡°Ugh, I''m beat.¡± Elise said and blinked her eyes at the table. ¡°No coffee?¡± Stella picked up the decanter from the cart''s second shelf and put it on the table. ¡°I thought you might want to go back to bed.¡± ¡°No, I can''t.¡± Elise said and yawned, then poured a cup. ¡°I''ve got a phone meeting...¡± She took a long sip, then sighed. ¡°...in about an hour.¡± ¡°It''s a good thing we didn''t leave you asleep.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You were going to?¡± Elise asked. ¡°You were up half the night...¡± ¡°I''ll pay for staying up that long; but, I''m hoping it was worth it.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°I was going to get after you for keeping Ren up like that, then he explained why it took so long.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''m glad you were responsible enough to take breaks.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Neither of us intended to keep going, but... then we...¡± ¡°I was too horny to let her stop.¡± Ren said between bites of toast, and they looked at him. ¡°I''m sharing too much, aren''t I?¡± ¡°Yes, but that''s okay when it''s just us.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You need to cut back on the details when you talk about things like that.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I just said, I needed her too badly to have her stop, would that be better?¡± ¡°Yes, the wording can be softened, too.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''re still giving the same information, but not putting people off with the presentation.¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°All right, I''ll try and not be completely honest.¡± He said, and his face was scrunched up. ¡°Can I say one more thing before I do, though?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Elise said. ¡°What''s on your mind?¡± ¡°Well, there''s something I haven''t told you.¡± Ren said to her, and looked at Stella and Barbara. ¡°After everything that''s happened to me and the things I''ve done in the game, and after last night and talking to Elise, I guess I don''t have to hide it anymore.¡± ¡°Hide what?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Well, I haven''t done anything about it in a while, and I had intended to deal with it a while ago, then after the tech guys stopped travel to the pocket realms, I pushed it aside and tried to not think about it.¡± ¡°Ren, stop beating around the bush.¡± Stella said. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°Elise and I are trying to have a baby.¡± Ren said. Stella and Barbara''s mouths dropped open. ¡°WHAT?!?¡± They said together. ¡°I''m not getting any younger, and with the way things have been going with me lately, I''m not sure if I''m going to get much older.¡± Ren said and Elise took his hand. ¡°I''m not going to waste any more time, so I''m going to try my best to get her pregnant.¡± ¡°Ren... this... this isn''t...¡± ¡°I know it''s not the best idea I''ve ever had, but I''m doing this.¡± Ren said. ¡°Elise let me try my best last night, and I want to keep trying.¡± He said, then sighed. ¡°After thinking about the implications, I realized I needed to come clean about something else.¡± ¡°Wait, that wasn''t what you were talking about?¡± Barbara asked. Ren shook his head. ¡°No, it just reminded me that I need to acknowledge something else.¡± He said and let Elise''s hand go. ¡°Ren?¡± Elise asked with wide eyes. ¡°This happened before we got together, and while I was with Nathalia and lived in the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is something that happened... well, I...¡± He sighed. ¡°There''s no real easy way to say this.¡± ¡°Ren, just say it.¡± Stella said. Ren looked at each of them in turn, took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I have a daughter.¡± ¡°WHAAAAAAAT?!?¡± All three women yelled together. Chapter 636 - Fire Dancing Around The Subject ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Elise covered her mouth with both hands. ¡°Ren, who was it with?¡± Stella asked. ¡°HOW?!?¡± Barbara yelled. Ren raised his hands in a stop motion gesture. ¡°Let me explain.¡± He said. ¡°It all started when I maxed out my Fire Affinity and Resistance...¡± The three women stared at Ren and listened to his story about meeting the Fire Deity, about her predicament, and about saving the element from being lost and how her plan involved him. He then explained what happened when the plan worked, that she had died and gave birth to the new deity, raising her until she was old enough to accept the power, then leaving her there. The three women exchanged glances, then started laughing. ¡°That''s what happened!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Oh! Ohh!¡± Elise hugged herself. ¡°I can''t believe... I thought you were... hahaha!¡± ¡°What''s so funny?¡± Ren asked, confused. ¡°You were so serious!¡± Stella said. ¡°We thought you had a real daughter!¡± ¡°Fire Dancer is my real daughter.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°Ren.¡± Barbara put a hand on his arm, and he looked at her. ¡°We thought you meant in real life, and how that would impact your life here.¡± She said. ¡°If it''s just in the game world, then...¡± ¡°Go ahead and say it.¡± Ren said without inflection. ¡°It''s not that important.¡± Barbara said, and he pulled away from her. ¡°Ren, we''re not saying it''s not important, just that it''s not as serious as you made it out to be.¡± ¡°So, the fact that I have a child already isn''t as important as where I had it.¡± Ren said and sat back without finishing the last piece of toast. ¡°Okay, then.¡± He said and looked at Stella. ¡°I''d like a shower, please.¡± ¡°Ren, don''t take this wrong...¡± Stella tried to explain. ¡°Is there a right way to take you dismissing this like it was nothing?¡± Ren asked and looked at Elise. ¡°I''ve been holding it in all this time because I thought it was going to upset you.¡± He said. ¡°I guess I shouldn''t have worried about it.¡± ¡°Ren, it''s not like that.¡± Elise said. ¡°We''re just relieved you weren''t taken advantage of in real life, that''s all.¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s great.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now that you know, it doesn''t seem to be bothering you, either.¡± ¡°Ren, that would have been a significant event in the game, and I don''t remember anything happening for the Fire Realm.¡± Elise said. ¡°I think Max might have had something planned for it a while ago; but for some reason, the plans fell through and he didn''t implement...¡± She stopped talking. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Now you get it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Creating a new Fire Deity and stabilizing the element changed things.¡± He said. ¡°It kept the game environment from becoming unbalanced.¡± ¡°I''m sorry that you think we''re not giving you enough credit.¡± Stella said. ¡°That''s not true.¡± ¡°I didn''t want credit for it.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I did, I would have written a general message to everyone and announced it right after I received the Father of Fire title.¡± ¡°That''s how you got that?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I thought it was because you gained the Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation abilities.¡± ¡°No. Fire Dancer''s mother gave me the title and it gave me those abilities.¡± Ren said. ¡°I needed them while raising our daughter.¡± ¡°In two weeks.¡± Stella said, and Ren nodded. ¡°That''s not possible, even in accelerated time.¡± ¡°I think she''s the exception to the rule.¡± Ren said. ¡°The realm needed a new ruler as quickly as possible, and she grew up fast.¡± ¡°Elise?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I''ve never heard of it before, but it was a special circumstance.¡± Elise said and sighed. ¡°If I still worked there, I could pull up the proper files and...¡± ¡°If they didn''t do or say anything at the time, trying to look back now isn''t going to bring up anything new.¡± Ren said. ¡°Believe me, if the tech people had any inkling that I''d created the new Fire Deity, they would have used it against me a long time ago.¡± Elise thought about denying they would do that, and nodded instead. ¡°It''s bad enough that they cut off my access to her. I can''t imagine what they would do if... no, actually, I can imagine, and I''m glad I couldn''t visit her.¡± Ren said. ¡°The problem I have is that I waited too long to try and contact her.¡± He sighed. ¡°I have no doubt that she''s angry, because it''s been millennia since I''ve seen her, and I''m sure she thinks I abandoned her.¡± ¡°Ren, I''m sure that...¡± ¡°From her perspective, I have.¡± Ren said. ¡°She can watch me from the Fire Realm, and if she has followed my adventures as much as I think she has...¡± He sighed again. ¡°I messed things up and I don''t know how to make it up to her.¡± Elise, Stella, and Barbara exchanged looks again, and none of them knew what to say. ¡°Actually, talking about connections, now that I''ve got you here I want to discuss the situation with Artemis, Teepo, and the maids.¡± Ren said to Elise, then explained that their mental connection had been blocked or cut. He said that he assumed it was to stop them from reacting to his Sea Dweller status. The problem was, if they left it that way when they fixed the update, he would lose a major part of the benefits it conveyed. ¡°I''ll contact Mr. Torren and let him know of your concerns.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m a little worried that if I complain, they might leave them detached, just for spite.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, you don''t have to do it right away, since the update won''t be ready until next week.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°No, I''ll tell him as soon as I go to the office.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°That sounds odd, considering the office is only downstairs.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Thanks, Elise.¡± He said and looked at Stella. ¡°Stella, please help me take a shower.¡± He stood up and started to walk towards the bathroom. ¡°Hey, wait.¡± Stella said and went over to him. ¡°You can''t just get up and go in your condition.¡± ¡°I just did, didn''t I?¡± Ren said as she took his arm and made it easier for him to walk. She took him to the bathroom and gave him a shower, and she was very careful of his chest and the damage there. By the time they came out, Barbara and the food cart were gone, the bed sheets had been changed, and Elise stood by the closet fully dressed in a fresh business suit and skirt. ¡°I''m sorry you missed me getting dressed.¡± Elise said, correctly interpreting Ren''s facial expression. ¡°You''re a busy woman. I can''t expect you to pander to my whims all the time.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°Not all the time, no.¡± Elise walked over to him and gave him a kiss. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Just a second.¡± Ren said and climbed onto the bed with Stella''s help. ¡°Does it really not bother you that I''ve had a child already?¡± ¡°I think Stella''s right. If it had happened in real life, it would have...¡± Elise closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and looked at him with pain in her eyes. ¡°...it would have hurt me deeply if you had been used like that at such a young age.¡± She said, then the pain disappeared as she smiled warmly. ¡°I was actually relieved that you made the conscious choice to do it in the game.¡± Ren was surprised to hear this. ¡°Really?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°You were responsible enough to weigh the consequences of that decision and chose to go through with it, then took the time to take care of her, even though you didn''t know what you were doing.¡± Ren took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I''ve felt guilty for hiding it, and now I feel guilty for not revealing it before now.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°You thought it was going to be a big problem for us to handle and admitted it anyway, so you don''t have to feel guilty about it.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Stella said. ¡°Knowing it was just in the game is kind of a relief.¡± ¡°Does that mean I can have more kids in the game?¡± Ren asked, and both women laughed. ¡°You''ve already told us about fulfilling the maid''s contracts, if that''s what you mean.¡± Stella said. ¡°Technically.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°What are you planning, you little sneak?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Building a bridge between two races.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t think it was a good idea until now.¡± ¡°Ren, you keep asking us for permission to do things in the game, and you agonize over those decisions when you do.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m sure I speak for everyone when I say that you can do whatever you want in the game.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren blinked his eyes and looked at Elise, then at Stella, then back at Elise. ¡°You''ve put a lot of pressure on yourself the last little while, and I''m tired of seeing you struggle with keeping your promises.¡± Elise said. ¡°What was that thing Gloria said after you met so long ago?¡± Ren thought about not answering, then sighed. ¡°What happens in the game, stays in the game.¡± ¡°I know that''s a bit too broad of a blanket, considering how several of us met; but, I think everyone knows that the things you are worrying over are nowhere near as important as your happiness.¡± ¡°But... I swore that...¡± ¡°Yes, and you''ve kept that so far. You haven''t brought anyone new into our lives without telling us first.¡± Stella said. ¡°You even told us you''ve been playing with the succubi and with that 1 foot tall pixie...¡± ¡°Suniva.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, her.¡± Stella said. ¡°Plus that elfling in the elf kingdom, and the one in the starter city...¡± ¡°Oh crap!¡± Ren said. ¡°I forgot to feed her before I left!¡± ¡°Relax.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°You said how well you fed her the last time, so I doubt she''s starving right now.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You can check on her as soon as you log back in.¡± Stella said and held out the VR headset. ¡°Elise is right, though. You kind of overloaded her, so she should be fine for a while yet.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡± He said and looked at his watch, to see there was still 8 hours left in the game night. ¡°That''s what I''m here for.¡± Stella said and helped him put on the headset. ¡°Reassurance.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You are a lot more to me than just a source of reassurance.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll see you at lunch.¡± ¡°Don''t have too much fun.¡± Elise warned him, and he laughed. ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± * ¡°Was that wise?¡± Stella asked. ¡°He''s been doing his best to not break his promise; but, you know as well as I do that it''s only a matter of time before he breaks it with all that temptation around him.¡± ¡°You''re worried that he''s going to feel so badly about it that he''ll do something rash?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°We can definitely keep the same restriction in real life, but in the game? He doesn''t need the additional pressure.¡± ¡°I''m not so sure about that.¡± Stella said. ¡°I don''t want him to push us away with his guilt, if something does happen.¡± Elise said, and Stella had to agree. ¡°Make sure to let the others know when you see them.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Elise said and put a hand on Stella shoulder for a moment, then left the bedroom. Don''t overdo it, Ren. Stella thought and sat down by the bed to watch the television and the game feed. ******** Ren woke up in his spot next to the wall and saw Artemis, Suniva, and the 4 succubi cuddled up in the bed. He thought about the odd mix of personalities and the odd mix of bodies. A metal one, one accustomed to Fire, and 4 designed to illicit as much sexual desire as possible. Well, I think Artemis can be categorized with the succubi. Ren thought in amusement. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Teepo whispered when he flew down to hover in front of Ren. ¡°You were gone for a while.¡± ¡°Sorry, buddy.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°I had some important things to take care of.¡± ¡°Did you tell them about us?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I did, and I hope they can handle it without making things worse.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°Yeah, I miss talking to you without having to talk to you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said sadly. ¡°R-Ren?¡± Artemis stirred and lifted her head to look at him. ¡°Yes, it''s me.¡± Ren said and stepped over to the bed. Suniva lifted her head from Artemis'' chest and looked as well. ¡°You''re back.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren climbed onto the bed and stored his clothing. The succubi felt the bed move and started to wake up, then they startled and jumped when they felt Ren''s emotions. ¡°Easy, now.¡± He said and touched each of them. ¡°I don''t need to sleep, so how about we cuddle for a while.¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Seldanna said and lifted her arm and a wing for him. Ren smiled and slid in between Suniva and Seldanna, then started his best cuddling technique on them. They giggled and laughed as he touched them teasingly and provocatively. After a short while, he asked them to change positions so others could have a turn being cuddled, and he continued this for over an hour. ¡°Artemis.¡± Ren said when it was her turn again, and she didn''t need any other indications that he wanted more from her than a cuddle. She felt his need and straddled his waist, and it was at this point that she noticed he hadn''t had underwear on the entire time. ¡°R-Ren... you...¡± ¡°Wanted you to be first, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been gone for a couple of days, and I didn''t have a chance to please you before I had to go.¡± ¡°We spent all that time together in the Sanctuary, Ren.¡± Artemis said. ¡°You know I didn''t feel slighted when...¡± She gasped as she sat down. ¡°...oh, god! How... how can you be...¡± Ren eased Suniva and Ellaria aside, then stood up on the bed while still joined with Artemis. ¡°I was told I didn''t have to hold back anymore.¡± He warned her, and her eyes widened as she took a hold of his shoulders and wrapped her legs around him. ¡°You... you don''t mean...¡± Ren gripped her hips and moved her up and down as fast as he could. In only 2 seconds, she finished. ¡°AHHH!¡± Artemis yelled, and the succubi froze as Ren''s Aura was filled with her pleasure. She let her head fall forward and rested her forehead on his. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°Seldanna, as the succubus I''ve known the longest, I give you the main position underneath us.¡± ¡°M-my King!¡± Seldanna said and scrambled to kneel right below where he and Artemis were joined. ¡°Ren, wh-what...¡± Artemis tried to speak. ¡°Lick the both of us as much as you can.¡± Ren ordered Seldanna, and he felt her utter joy. ¡°Of course, My King!¡± Seldanna said and then started moaning as she licked, her own pleasure entered his Aura, and Artemis started to pant from the extra attention. Ren slowly moved Artemis up, then back down again. ¡°Suniva.¡± Ren said, and she didn''t have to ask what he wanted. She climbed up his back, turned around and positioned her special place in front of his face like she had many times before. ¡°What about us?¡± Ellaria asked, and indicated the other succubi. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°We''ve got all night.¡± Chapter 637 - A Loose End Ren had sex with Artemis and made her finish twice more and he finished once, while Seldanna the succubus cleaned up the overflow. She was in her element and her body was glowing as Ren moved Artemis off of him, then Seldanna didn''t even hesitate and started to clean Ren off. Ren stopped pleasing Suniva with his mouth. ¡°Artemis, can Ellaria...¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Artemis said breathlessly, then suddenly two of the succubi had a hold of Artemis. They pulled her away from Ren and laid her down on the bed, and Ellaria was there between her legs and started to clean her with her mouth. ¡°Suniva.¡± Ren said, and she took her legs off of his shoulders and climbed down his chest to position herself over him. She looked down and saw Seldanna was still pleasing him. ¡°Ren, cast the spell.¡± Suniva said. ¡°No.¡± Ren said, and she looked at his face in surprise. ¡°But... I thought...¡± ¡°I told you I don''t have to hold back anymore.¡± Ren said. ¡°Seldanna, switch with Katori.¡± There was a pop as Seldanna pulled herself off of him. ¡°Yes, My King.¡± She said in a deep seductive voice and Katori crawled over. ¡°Can... can I really...¡± ¡°If Suniva approves.¡± Ren said. ¡°Suniva?¡± ¡°R-Ren, I... this is...¡± ¡°A little too much at once.¡± Ren said. ¡°Katori, finish what Seldanna started. ¡°Yes, My King!¡± Katori said happily and started to please him enthusiastically. Her body started to glow right away and her pleasure filled Ren''s Aura. ¡°R-Ren...¡± Suniva tried to speak. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and held her close as he kissed her. ¡°I''ll have Artemis do it instead.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Suniva said and kissed him again. They made out for several minutes while Katori pleased him, and then he started to tremble slightly. Katori didn''t slow down at all as Ren began to finish and she kept moving for several moments, then Ren''s pleasure flooded into her and his emotions flooded the shared Aura. She couldn''t handle it as her whole body locked up and her eyes rolled into the back of her head, then she collapsed to the bed, unconscious. ¡°Katori!¡± Chenoa exclaimed and tried to go to her aid; but when she was close enough, her body took over and her head whipped around to Ren and she took Katori''s place and tried to please him. Her body glowed immediately, and since Ren didn''t need much extra stimulation to continue, the same thing happened to her. She couldn''t handle taking his pleasure directly, and her body locked up and she collapsed next to the other succubus. Ellaria stopped cleaning Artemis and looked at Seldanna. ¡°I need to try.¡± Seldanna nodded and Ellaria turned and attempted to finish Ren off. She was only slightly more successful than the other two and lasted several moments before she succumbed to Ren''s pleasure and collapsed. ¡°My King.¡± Seldanna went over to him, and looked at her fellow succubi. ¡°I''ve never known anyone that could do such a thing.¡± She looked up at him, her eyes full of wonder and desire, and her hand grabbed him. ¡°I will succeed!¡± Seldanna was a bit more powerful than the others; but, she only lasted a few moments more. ¡°N-no... I... I... failed.¡± She whispered in defeat and fell unconscious. ¡°We should tell them when they wake up that you cheated.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I don''t think being able to keep finishing is cheating.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°All right, I guess if a succubus feeds best when their partner finishes, then me being able to keep going...¡± ¡°Flips all their switches.¡± Artemis chuckled and sat up. She looked down at herself and smiled. ¡°Hey, she did a really good job cleaning me up.¡± Ren chuckled, too. ¡°Suniva needs a turn now.¡± ¡°Is the fountain calmed down enough for that?¡± Artemis joked. Ren took a couple of steps up into the air so he wouldn''t disturb the sleeping succubi. ¡°Yeah.¡± He closed his eyes and took a breath. ¡°I haven''t been with Suniva before, so it might not stay calm for long.¡± ¡°R-Ren, are you sure you...¡± Suniva caressed his face. ¡°...without the spell between us...¡± ¡°I''ve teased and played with you for a long time.¡± Ren said in reference to their time in the Sanctuary, then opened his eyes to look at her. ¡°I''ve made sure you''ve felt good and I''ve always had to wait.¡± He said. ¡°I''m not going to wait anymore.¡± Ren pulled her down and Suniva''s Fire burst out of her. He caught it before it could do any damage and held it still, and then Suniva pulled it back into herself. ¡°I... I''ve got... it.¡± Suniva said as she struggled to hold it in. ¡°Just... slow... don''t...¡± ¡°I''m going to go as fast as you can handle.¡± Ren said and started, and she couldn''t keep her Fire contained while he actually had sex with her without using the Full Illusion spell. He''s really... really... ¡°AHHHH!¡± Suniva yelled as she finished and her Fire burned bright and hot. Just the thought that they were sharing each other made it that much more pleasurable for her. ¡°Okay, Artemis.¡± Ren said, and Suniva went again as Artemis joined in. He couldn''t go as fast as he did with Artemis, so he moved at a steady pace and gave Suniva more pleasure than she could handle. When Ren finished, she stopped reacting to the sensations and just stared at him. ¡°Suniva, are you okay?¡± Ren asked. She blinked her eyes and nodded slightly, but otherwise didn''t react. ¡°I think you need to rest for a while.¡± Suniva nodded slightly again and Ren laid her down on the bed. He tucked her inside a fire resistant blanket, just in case she couldn''t contain her Fire, and she closed her eyes and fell asleep right away. ¡°Okay, that was a little weird.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and looked at the 5 sleeping women on the bed. ¡°This reminds me that I need to check on a couple of things.¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°This reminds you?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Halaiyah and Yllana.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Artemis nodded back. ¡°It has been a while since you checked on them.¡± Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it to show him Halaiyah first, since she was the one that had gained the Emotion Siphon ability. It showed him a sleeping elfling in her apartment, but he wouldn''t know if she was okay until he felt her emotions himself. He equipped his High Elven Court Uniform and cast a Portal spell. ¡°Teepo, Artemis.¡± Ren said, and Artemis equipped her armor and Teepo dissolved into the ring. He took Artemis'' hand and stepped through the portal and appeared in Halaiyah''s bedroom. He summoned Teepo and used the spells to make him solid, then concentrated on Halaiyah. He didn''t feel any deep seeded need from her; but, she was asleep so it might not register until she was awake, so he knelt by the bed and touched her shoulder.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Halaiyah, wake up.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°Hmm?¡± Halaiyah turned her head and her eyes stayed closed. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Halaiyah.¡± Ren said in a normal voice, and her eyes flung open. ¡°My Lord!¡± Halaiyah exclaimed, then she felt him and his status registered. ¡°I''m sorry, My King.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and now that she was awake, he could feel she wasn''t at the point of starvation, but she wasn''t feeling very well, either. Halaiyah''s hand reached up and touched his face. ¡°You''re really here? It''s not a dream?¡± ¡°I''m sorry for not visiting before now.¡± Ren apologized. ¡°Can I get another feeding?¡± Halaiyah said, her voice full of hope. ¡°Of course. That''s why I''m here.¡± Halaiyah pulled the blanket away to show she only had a thin nightgown on. ¡°I can feel you''ve been with other women recently.¡± Ren used a thumb to indicate Artemis, and Halaiyah smiled. ¡°Can she feed me, too?¡± ¡°Artemis, want to give us a hand?¡± Ren asked, and Artemis walked over to the bed and held a hand out to the elfling. Halaiyah took it and gasped, then she stared at Ren. ¡°You... and... 4 succubi?!?¡± Halaiyah asked, shocked. ¡°Wait... a... a giant pixie, too!¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Your ability to sort emotions is getting stronger.¡± ¡°I could do it a little before, but this...¡± Halaiyah looked at Artemis. ¡°You''re sending me these on purpose.¡± Artemis nodded. ¡°Ren asked me to help.¡± ¡°He''s so lucky to have you by his side.¡± ¡°I really am.¡± Ren said and stood up as he stored his High Elven Court Uniform. ¡°Shall we get started?¡± Halaiyah looked at him and saw he was quite ready. ¡°A fair exchange again?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°That depends on if you want me to make it last or not.¡± He said, and she had to think about it. ¡°Um... can we split the difference?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°One medium play session without sex it is.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Halaiyah said and Ren climbed onto the bed. Half an hour later, she was once again sleeping soundly. Ren had charged up her ability and leveled it up again, which meant she could wait for quite some time before she needed another huge feeding. He equipped his High Elven Court Uniform and took out the All-Seeing Mirror, asked it for Yllana, the mother of the High Elven Lord''s servant, and saw she was in bed. Ren cast another Portal spell and Teepo dissolved into the ring, then he and Artemis stepped through and Ren summoned Teepo again and went to the bed. When he touched Yllana''s shoulder and rolled her over onto her back, he saw multiple tear streaks on her face. ¡°Yllana?¡± Ren whispered and gently shook her. ¡°Yllana.¡± He said in a normal voice. ¡°Huh? What?¡± Yllana opened her eyes and saw Ren. ¡°REN!¡± She yelled and grabbed onto him and started crying again. ¡°Imsogladyourehere. Imsogladyourehere.¡± She mumbled. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked, concern in his voice, and he handed her a piece of cloth to dry her eyes. ¡°It''s... I...¡± Yllana sobbed and wiped off her face. After a few moments, she calmed down a little. ¡°Allynna''s gone.¡± ¡°What? She''s dead?¡± ¡°No, thank Vasalor.¡± Yllana said as she sat up, then her face took on a frantic look. ¡°It''s much worse! Her caravan was ambushed by Dark Elves!¡± She nearly yelled. ¡°The guards were slaughtered and Allynna, the High Lord, and his council were kidnapped and taken to the Underworld!¡± ¡°Geez, don''t scare me like that.¡± Ren stood up straight. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°REN! They could be torturing her right now!¡± ¡°No, she''s fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°The Queen of the Dark Elves said she would contact me before she did anything with the High Lord.¡± ¡°WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?¡± Yllana jumped up and grabbed Ren by the neck with both hands, squeezed as hard as she could and tried to shake him. ¡°YOU KNEW?!?¡± Ren didn''t move at all or feel her fingers trying to dig into his throat. ¡°I didn''t know it happened, I swear on Vasalor himself.¡± He said in the face of her fury, then Yllana closed her eyes and started to cry again because he was telling the truth. ¡°I did know it was a possibility that he might be captured.¡± Yllana''s anger came back. ¡°Why didn''t you do anything?¡± She asked, and he felt her frustration that she wasn''t bothering him at all as she tried to kill him. ¡°Why didn''t you warn them?¡± ¡°About what? That they could possibly be attacked during a war with the Dark Elves, people they have been fighting for hundreds of years?¡± Ren asked and looked at her haunted eyes. ¡°I doubt they would have increased their escort past what I already told them to do.¡± Yllana''s grip on his neck lessened, then she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. ¡°Please, help.¡± She pleaded and kissed his cheek. ¡°You are a great Adventurer. Please get her back for me.¡±
New Quest!
The Unofficial Leader of the Elfling Race has requested you return her daughter to her. Rewards: 2,000 Influence; 1,000 Honor; 2,500 Fame; 5,000 XP; XXXX
Ren smiled, because the only thing he would actually gain was whatever was hidden. ¡°Of course I''ll help you.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Yllana said and kissed him on the lips. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± ¡°Don''t thank me yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can; but, negotiating something like this might take a while. It could be hours or even days before I come back.¡± ¡°I''ll wait for as long as it takes!¡± Yllana exclaimed. ¡°Just get her back for me!¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll do my best.¡± He said and checked the All-Seeing Mirror, then cast a portal. Teepo dissolved into the ring, then Ren and Artemis stepped through the portal. They appeared in the middle of the no man''s land between the Human Kingdom and the High Elven Kingdom. ¡°Oh. I thought we were going right to Lylyth''s throne room.¡± Artemis said. Ren chuckled. ¡°Not without asking first.¡± He said and took his pet tarantula from his shoulder and held it to his mouth. ¡°My Queen, I humbly request an audience.¡± A portal appeared and Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror to see what was on the other side. It was just a normal room with Lylyth, her attendant Tiatha, and 3 other Dark Elves. Ren took Artemis'' hand and stepped through the portal. ¡°Don''t attack.¡± Ren said as he stepped out of the portal, and the three Dark Elves tensed up as Artemis stepped out with him. ¡°She''s with me.¡± ¡°Yes, relax.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I wouldn''t let him come here if he was a danger to me.¡± ¡°That''s a little short-sighted.¡± Ren chuckled and summoned Teepo. ¡°I could easily have ducked out of the way as someone behind me jumped you.¡± A giant phantom spider leg appeared at his neck and at Artemis'' neck and the claw-like talons at the end pressed into their skin. ¡°I wasn''t worried.¡± Lylyth said, and then smiled. ¡°Even now, with your death at your throat, you''re not afraid of me.¡± ¡°My Queen, we discussed this.¡± Ren said and touched the spider leg against his throat. ¡°I''m not worried about you killing me, either.¡± He said, and caressed the leg lovingly. Lylyth''s face flushed darker grey at the touch, even though it wasn''t an erotic zone for her. She pulled the claw-like talons away from their necks and the phantom spider legs disappeared. ¡°My King.¡± Tiatha, the Dark Elf healer at her side said, and bowed her head. ¡°Tiatha.¡± Ren bowed his head to her, then looked back at Lylyth. ¡°Please accept my apologies if I''ve interrupted something.¡± ¡°You haven''t.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°We were just discussing how well breaking the High Elven Council is coming along.¡± Ren turned and looked at the three Dark Elves. ¡°So, is it done, or are you having trouble using the same techniques on the magic users?¡± The three Dark Elves exchanged glances with each other, then looked at their Queen. ¡°This isn''t really something that should be discussed with...¡± One of them tried to say. ¡°He guessed the problem correctly, so talking in front of the Royal Consort shouldn''t bother you.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Plus, in case you hadn''t noticed, he didn''t kill you immediately for corrupting the High Elves.¡± The three Dark Elves looked at Ren and saw his slightly amused expression, then looked back at their Queen. ¡°He is an Adventurer.¡± ¡°Yes, he is.¡± ¡°But... shouldn''t he...¡± ¡°...try to stop you?¡± Ren asked, and everyone looked at him. ¡°I''ve decided to try and not interfere when I''m not needed.¡± He explained. ¡°I''ve done it a few times already and messed things up, so now I''m kind of an observer... until I do see something that I need to interfere in.¡± The Dark Elf sighed. ¡°I don''t want to discuss corrupting the females-URK!¡± Ren had instantly appeared in mid-air in front of the Dark Elf, grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him up. ¡°I will strip the flesh from your bones if you violated them.¡± He growled in the Dark Elf''s face. ¡°Royal Consort.¡± Lylyth said sternly. Ren turned to look at her, and his eyes were blood red. She shivered internally from pleasure at the sight. ¡°If you mean sexually and without their permission, they did not.¡± Ren''s eyes went back to their normal silvery-blue color and he let the Dark Elf go. ¡°Then what does he mean?¡± ¡°We use various spells to corrupt and change them, to make them more receptive to our ways, then use both visual and physical stimuli to reinforce their conversion.¡± One of the other Dark Elves said. The one Ren had choked was still coughing and rubbing his neck. ¡°When we are so far along, we introduce some sexual stimuli; but, they must choose it, or the conversion won''t work.¡± Ren turned and looked at him. ¡°Has anyone done that when the spells wouldn''t work?¡± The Dark Elf glanced at the one Ren had choked, and Ren picked him up again. ¡°Have you groped and played with one of the High Elves without asking her permission first?¡± Ren asked. The Dark Elf looked at his Queen, then back at Ren. ¡°I don''t see how-URK!¡± ¡°Take me to her, now.¡± Ren said as he squeezed the Dark Elf''s throat. ¡°Ren.¡± Lylyth said, just as sternly. ¡°I won''t kill him.¡± Ren said and cast Minor Healing on him. ¡°I''ll leave that for his victim.¡± The two remaining Dark Elves looked at each other and at their Queen. She shrugged and motioned to the door. The Dark Elves walked around Ren and their fruitlessly struggling fellow and opened the door, then they all left the room to go to the place the captives were being held. Chapter 638 - Dark Plans The Dark Elves led Ren and the others down several hallways to the prisoner holding area. He had to use the Minor Healing spell several times during the trip so that the Dark Elf he held by the throat wouldn''t die. He continued to struggle, because he had to, until they arrived at the spot where the High Elven Council was being kept. One of the Dark Elves waved a hand in front of the door and it unlocked and opened, and he gestured inside. Ren walked in and carried the one he had by the neck and he saw that the High Elves were in individual cells, nearly identical to the ones used for the ghouls. With his Emotion Siphon ability, Ren could tell who was starting to see the Dark Elves as okay people and not hated enemies and who still saw them as they always saw them. He walked along the cells until he found the two female High Elves. One of them didn''t react at all to him or the Dark Elf, the other gave out a strong burst of Hatred. ¡°Was it this one?¡± Ren asked and shook the Dark Elf by the throat. ¡°Yessssss.¡± The Dark Elf hissed. Ren used Minor Healing on him again and waved him in front of the cell. The door clicked open and Ren walked inside and shut it. The High Elf''s Hatred dulled and was replaced by confusion. ¡°I know this looks weird because I''m an elfling.¡± Ren said and tossed the Dark Elf onto the floor. ¡°Was this the piece of garbage that touched you without your permission?¡± ¡°Touched me? TOUCHED ME?!?¡± The High Elf woman stood up to her full height. ¡°He tore off my clothes and grabbed me by... then he used his fingers to... to...¡± ¡°I can''t apologize for what he did.¡± Ren said and took out a sword, used the spell Enlarge or Reduce Anything on it to make it twice as big, then held it out to her hilt first. ¡°All I can do is give you his life.¡± The High Elf woman didn''t hesitate as her Hatred returned in full force. She grabbed the sword and plunged it into the Dark Elf''s side, and the sword clanged as it hit the stone floor. ¡°You BASTARD!¡± She yelled and pulled the sword out and did it again. ¡°You defiled me!¡± The sword kept clanging against the stone as she continued to stab him over and over. ¡°You have deprived me of a husband!¡± *CLANG* ¡°My future children!¡± *CLANG* ¡°My LIFE!¡± Ren stood there and watched as the High Elf woman mulched the Dark Elf. He didn''t say anything as she worked through her Hatred and the floor was covered in blood and viscera. When she started to tire from the exertion and her blows were hitting nothing but the floor, he stepped forward and caught the sword by the tip of the blade. ¡°Allow me.¡± Ren said, and she turned her head to look at him. She thought about pulling on it to try and swing at him as well, then she realized what he had just done. She let the sword go, and he reduced it to it''s normal size and stored it. He took out his hammerpick and the High Elf woman gasped at it. ¡°Oh, I forgot that it''s still giant sized.¡± Ren said and reduced it to it''s normal size, then brought the plow end down onto the neck of the quite dead Dark Elf. It severed the head from the remains, and Ren picked it up and held it out to her. ¡°N-no, I don''t want it.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t need a trophy to remind me.¡± Ren nodded his understanding and put the head on the floor, then used the hammer end of the hammerpick and smashed it into mulch. The High Elf woman sighed in relief and sat back down. ¡°You need to loot it.¡± Ren said, and she shook her head. ¡°It''s just going to stay here until you do.¡± The High Elf woman looked at Ren in annoyance and reached out to touch the clothing, then the body disappeared. An odd-shaped dagger, a pile of gold coins, and a black necklace was left in its place. She looked at the dagger, then at Ren, then back at the dagger. ¡°It''s yours. You can take it.¡± Ren encouraged her. ¡°It will only invite more beatings later.¡± She said. ¡°There won''t be any more beatings for you.¡± The High Elf woman sighed in resignation and nodded. She stood up to her full height, and the ill-fitting clothing she wore belied her strength and confidence. She put her hands together and prayed, and Ren heard various names and then she invoked Vasalor''s name. She knelt in front of Ren and bent over to present her neck to him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I asked the makers to accept me back.¡± The High Elf woman said. ¡°You can kill me without consequence now.¡± ¡°I''m not going to kill you.¡± Ren said and stored the hammerpick. ¡°Why would... oh, I didn''t mean this when I said there would be no more beatings for you.¡± He said. ¡°May I touch your shoulder?¡± ¡°Do I have a choice?¡± ¡°I did just ask.¡± Ren said, and she heard his amusement. ¡°Then no.¡± She said, to test him. ¡°I''m going to assume that when you tried to escape and attacked the guards, you were beaten.¡± Ren said, and she lifted her head to look at him. ¡°If you''re no longer a prisoner, there''s no need to escape or get more beatings, is there?¡± ¡°Wh-what are you saying?¡± ¡°It''s better to show you, I think.¡± Ren said and walked over to the cell door. ¡°My Queen, I request you release those reluctant to convert into my custody.¡± ¡°Royal Consort, that is not a wise decision.¡± Lylyth said and walked over to the cell. The High Elf woman in the cell with Ren gasped and averted her eyes, and visibly trembled as her fear filled the room. ¡°You do know they are magic users.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve drained their Mana, though.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°They will regain it back in a few hours.¡± ¡°Until then they are just people.¡± ¡°You know we normally kill the ones we can''t convert.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Lylyth sighed. ¡°You are foolish to think you can control them.¡± She said. ¡°Very well. You may take them with you when you leave.¡± ¡°Thank you, My Queen.¡± Ren said and she almost gasped at the strength of his gratitude. Tiatha did gasp and put a hand over her heart, and the two Dark Elves that had escorted them stumbled and caught themselves on a nearby wall before they collapsed. Lylyth waved her hand in front of the door and Ren stepped out. ¡°Please wait here until I return.¡± Ren said to the High Elf woman, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I hope I won''t be long, but you know how long negotiations can go on.¡± The High Elf woman nodded, and Ren shut the cage door, then walked away. She crawled over to the cell door and looked out and saw Ren, the Queen of the Dark Elves, 3 other Dark Elves, and a metal woman. Who is he? The High Elf woman thought as she saw the elfling that just gave her her revenge, talk to the Dark Queen as if she was just someone he had met on the street and not someone that was the bane of an entire race of people. ¡°What do you plan to do with them?¡± Lylyth asked as they left the main prisoner area. ¡°That depends on if you''ve been using my idea on the High Lord.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°I sure have.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I must say that was a stroke of genius.¡± She said. ¡°The High Lord turned on the first day.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°I mean, I knew it was a good way to get to his heart, but to convert him so quickly...¡± ¡°We didn''t even have to charm him or use Illusion spells.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°All we had to do was threaten to hurt her if he didn''t do what you suggested.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said and one of the Dark Elves opened a door to the special holding room. ¡°So, he loved her just as much as she loved him.¡± ¡°Hidden love and suppressed desires let him accept the conversion almost immediately.¡± The Dark Elf said as Ren and the others stepped by him into the room. The entire wall was a two-way mirror and the room on the other side was a shambles. Wrecked furniture and torn clothing covered the floor, and Ren wasn''t surprised to see Allynna being pleasured very thoroughly by the High Lord Alinar Keacaryn... except he was now a powerful Dark Elf and had dark grey skin and white hair, instead of his normal white skin and blonde hair. ¡°His personality didn''t break, either. He''s still just as he was before the conversion, only his loyalty is now to our Queen instead of to his people.¡± The other Dark Elf said. ¡°If he had admitted to himself how he felt for her before we captured him, we never would have had the chance to claim him.¡± Lylyth said and ran a hand through Ren''s hair. ¡°Thank you for telling me how to do it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Who would have thought that a simple unrequited love could change the course of the war?¡± ¡°You did, dearest.¡± Lylyth said and knelt to give him a quick kiss. Her mouth was twice as big as his, so it was mostly his cheek that she kissed. ¡°I suppose you want to take her as well?¡± ¡°I would.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for not trying to convert her.¡± ¡°You asked me to keep her safe and to let her have her heart''s desire.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Her pure unleashed feelings have fed us well.¡± She smiled. ¡°Not as well as what you gave us, though.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m glad you liked it.¡± ¡°It nearly killed me.¡± Lylyth said and shivered in pleasure. ¡°I had to give a lot of it to my generals.¡± Ren raised his eyebrows. ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t think it was too much for you to handle.¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°I''m glad I sent Tiatha instead of going myself. Taking all of that without having a way to deal with the overflow might have finished me off.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t have done that to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have gauged your capacity and just thrown up the extra emotions.¡± ¡°You are too good to be true.¡± Lylyth said and kissed him again. ¡°Only when I''m awake.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°When are you going to release him and send him back to the High Elves?¡± Lylyth blinked her eyes and looked at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Now that you''ve got him converted, cast a Permanent Full Illusion spell on him to make him look like his old self, and put him back in control of the High Elves.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can control the entire High Elven Kingdom that way.¡± Lylyth''s mouth dropped open and Ren felt her surprise. ¡°Wait, that wasn''t what you were going to do?¡± Ren asked, and her attendant Tiatha started to laugh. ******** Lisa had woken up at what she thought was a reasonable hour and hopped in the shower. She got dressed in loose pants and a blouse that was a bit too big for her. She liked it because it was comfortable and it had a nice light blue color. She went downstairs to the kitchen and saw Barbara dishing out eggs, bacon, and toast onto plates. ¡°Good morning.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Did I miss breakfast?¡± Barbara shook her head. ¡°Only Ren''s.¡± ¡°You made a lot.¡± Lisa said and looked at the food. ¡°Stella did, actually.¡± Barbara said and put the pans in the sink to soak. ¡°We ate with him.¡± ¡°Did he go back into the game?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Elise said as she came into the kitchen. ¡°He said he needed to check on that elfling in the starter city.¡± ¡°Oh, her.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I''m glad he doesn''t have to feed her like he used to do for Elerlyth.¡± ¡°You don''t approve?¡± Lisa shrugged. ¡°It''s not like I can tell him to let her starve, especially since him healing her upgraded her latent ability into the Emotion Siphon ability.¡± ¡°So, she really can''t feed from others, then.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s a side effect to the Ghoul Kissed mark.¡± Lisa said. ¡°He healed her, so anything she gained from that is tied to him.¡± ¡°Almost against his will.¡± Lisa nodded and picked up a plate to take some of the eggs and bacon. ¡°I''m sure he would have healed her anyway; but, if he knew it would change her that much...¡± ¡°He would have warned her it was a possibility.¡± Elise said. ¡°As it is, she''s tied to him until he maxes her ability.¡± ¡°Yes, and if he only levels her once each feeding every couple of weeks...¡± Lisa grabbed a fork and started to eat. ¡°She''s going to be in his life for a long time.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Of course, if he did feed her like he did Elerlyth...¡± ¡°He would be falling in the same trap.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m sure he won''t do that, though.¡± ¡°It''s a good thing he still has that vow he made.¡± Lisa said between mouthfuls. ¡°We don''t have to worry about sharing his game time with anyone else.¡± ¡°Um... about that...¡± Elise said, and Lisa''s eyes went wide as the tall redhead explained that she gave Ren permission to do whatever he wanted in the game. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Lisa asked and dropped her fork. ¡°Are you insane?¡± ¡°No.¡± Elise said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What have I told you about the succubi?¡± Lisa asked and stood up. ¡°How many times do I have to warn you?¡± ¡°It''s okay. Ren won''t...¡± ¡°It''s not okay!¡± Lisa said and started to walk out of the kitchen, her plate of food completely forgotten. ¡°You know what they can do!¡± ¡°Ren has more self-control than that.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s not him I''m worried about.¡± Lisa said and jogged by her. ¡°I told you! It''s everyone else that has to worry!¡± Elise and Barbara watched her run across the house to the elevator. She hit the button and disappeared inside and the door shut behind her. ¡°I hope she''s overreacting.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I''m sure she is.¡± Elise said. ¡°The succubi have limiters in place to stop them from using their full abilities.¡± Barbara looked at her. ¡°That doesn''t make sense.¡± She said. ¡°Why would you include their full abilities and then add limiters to stop them from accessing those abilities?¡± ¡°It was how they were designed.¡± Elise said. ¡°The programmers weren''t sure if or when they would need access to those abilities, so they added them and put blockers on them.¡± ¡°You don''t think Ren could remove those blockers, do you?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°He can''t go in and change their code, not through the game interface, anyway.¡± Elise said. ¡°I think Lisa is just concerned about them controlling Ren.¡± ¡°Can they?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°Even if he wasn''t at max level and hadn''t pumped up his stats so much, there''s no way they can exert control over him or those with him.¡± ¡°I hope you''re right...¡± Barbara looked at Lisa''s half-eaten plate of food. ¡°...and that Lisa isn''t.¡± * Lisa ran out of the elevator and went back into her room. She hopped onto her bed and picked up the VR headset, slipped it on, then laid down and got comfortable. She hoped she wasn''t too late to stop what she suspected was going to happen. Chapter 639 - Let Me Explain Lara, the Sage of Ages, woke up in her closet. She stepped out and went to her desk to sit down. Once she was comfortable, she activated one of her unlocked abilities called Monitor Effect. She concentrated on the succubi and a list popped up with their locations, and she chose the ones at Ren''s house in the Housing District. The list disappeared and a top down view of the house replaced it. There were 4 little figures in one of the rooms and a large red circle surrounded the house. It wasn''t very large, barely outside the walls, but that alone was a concern. It used to only be around the bedroom, and that was because 4 of them were together and their effects combined. Lara backed out and chose one of the succubi that were still at the roost Ren had built for them and saw the red circle was still contained within the roost itself and wasn''t growing. ¡°Okay, it''s not too bad.¡± Lara said and went back to the Housing District and the succubi there. ¡°I''m not sure what he''s been doing; but, at least he didn''t sleep with them.¡± ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± Rosie asked. ¡°AHH!¡± Lara yelped and jumped up from her desk. ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to scare you.¡± Rosie said with a huge smile. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Lara said. ¡°What do you want, Rosie?¡± ¡°I was just getting some reference material for an Adventurer, and I heard you talking.¡± Rosie said and showed her the book. ¡°I was just wondering...¡± Lara sighed. ¡°You''re not going to leave me alone until I tell you, are you?¡± Rosie chuckled. ¡°You seemed relieved, so I was curious who you were talking about.¡± She said and started to walk away. ¡°Wait.¡± Lara said, and Rosie stopped and turned back to look at her. ¡°It was Ren.¡± Rosie smiled. ¡°Who hasn''t he slept with?¡± ¡°The succubi.¡± Lara said without trying to avoid the answer. Rosie walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°If there''s one thing I know about Ren, it''s that he wouldn''t do that.¡± She said. ¡°He knows what their abilities are, doesn''t he?¡± ¡°I think so. I tried to explain to him that...¡± ¡°You need to trust him.¡± Rosie said. ¡°I know it''s difficult to put your faith in someone else; but, you shouldn''t have to worry about him doing something monumentally stupid.¡± ¡°But, he doesn''t realize...¡± ¡°Why not just ask him?¡± Rosie let her shoulder go and turned away. ¡°I''m sure he will tell you his intentions.¡± Lara watched Rosie walk away and out of sight. ¡°I thought you didn''t like me.¡± ¡°I don''t.¡± Rosie''s voice said and she chuckled. ¡°But Ren does.¡± Lara heard the door close and she was alone in the room. ¡°I guess I could message him.¡± * ¡°I suppose I should have consulted you before believing what I had planned was the best thing for me.¡± Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves said. ¡°I''m sure having him as a concubine and lording it over him would be quite satisfying.¡± Ren said. ¡°I mean, especially after...¡± He stopped talking and caressed the side of her face. ¡°I really am sorry they did that to you.¡± ¡°I can feel that you are, dearest.¡± Lylyth said as her heart was touched deeply by his sorrow and sympathy. It was also quite tasty. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren gave her a kiss. ¡°If you''re open to listen to a few suggestions...¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°Perhaps I should bring my people in and let you take over.¡± ¡°Just for this part of the plan.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t need to run the whole kingdom for this.¡± Lylyth laughed. ¡°I was joking.¡± ¡°I wasn''t.¡± Ren said, seriously. ¡°Please bring in the generals and the rest of your advisors, and I''ll tell them the best way to handle everything.¡± ¡°You''re serious?¡± Lylyth asked, surprised. ¡°You''ve humored me so far, My Queen.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why not let me keep helping you?¡± ¡°I...¡± Lylyth started to say that she didn''t need his help, then she felt a hand on her arm and turned to look at her attendant. ¡°Let him help, My Queen.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°He really does want what''s best for you.¡± Lylyth looked from her to Ren, then back again. She stood up and waved a hand. The sound of scuttling legs was heard, then a dozen Dark Elves came into the room. ¡°Explain to them your plan.¡± Lylyth said, a little coolly. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Lylyth looked down at him with a slight frown. ¡°You asked me to bring them in.¡± ¡°I can feel your emotions, as can everyone else, and you don''t want me to tell them.¡± Ren said and unobtrusively took something out of his inventory. ¡°You think I''m trying to usurp your authority.¡± ¡°Yes. You just admitted that you wanted to take over.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°...and you didn''t hear what I said.¡± Ren frowned back. ¡°I want to help you, not hurt you.¡± ¡°I heard you.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°But you have forgotten an important fact.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± ¡°You are the Royal Consort; but, that affords you no standing in Dark Elven society, except as an adjunct to me. They will listen to your words; but, they have no compulsion to follow your orders or to even pay you any attention.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Is that why the other Dark Elf wasn''t bothered by me tossing him around?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I was beneath his notice, even though my Influence is maxed?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then why do you pay me any attention?¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Because I love you.¡± Lylyth said, then she gasped; as did everyone else in the room. ¡°That''s not possible.¡± One of her generals said. ¡°This is highly irregular.¡± One of the advisors said. ¡°One does not fall in love with a consort.¡± There were a few other whispers, but Ren ignored them. ¡°The truth will set you free.¡± Ren said and stored the Amulet of Truth. ¡°If your people won''t listen to Ren the elfling, perhaps they will listen to Ren the Dark Elf.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lylyth took a step back from him. ¡°Give me a moment, My Queen.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes as he activated his Polymorph Helm. Lylyth and the other Dark Elves took a step back as they felt his immense pain, except for Tiatha. She stepped forward and remained close as he started to change. Like water pouring from a faucet, Ren''s features altered slightly and he grew in height to just over 11 feet. His skin color changed from it''s normal flesh tone to almost pitch black and his hair grew extremely long as it turned from a dirty blonde color to a white so bright that it almost glowed. His teeth grew into spikes and his ears elongated to twice their normal size. Lylyth and the Dark Elves sighed in relief as the pain feelings subsided, and then Ren opened his eyes. Lylyth caught her breath as his blood red eyes pierced right through her, and he unleashed his Ultimate Terror Aura. The generals and advisors took another step back from him; but Tiatha, once again, stepped forward. Now that she was close enough, she put a hand on his arm and Ren looked down at her. She didn''t startle or catch her breath as she looked up at him. ¡°Wait for me in your chambers.¡± Dark Elf Ren said in a deep gravelly voice. ¡°Only if you promise to change back.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°Right after I deal with this.¡± Dark Elf Ren growled and motioned to the other Dark Elves. Tiatha smiled happily and kissed the back of his hand, then walked right out of the room without even looking at Lylyth or the other Dark Elves. ¡°Now, I think it is time I set a few things straight.¡± Dark Elf Ren said. Suddenly the generals and advisors were caught in thick webs and pulled to the wall. Each one was surrounded by several large spiders, none of which had made a sound as they approached, and some of them had very poisonous venom dripping from their fangs. The fear from the Dark Elves was like a thick cloud in the room and Dark Elf Ren gathered that Fear and quadrupled it, then shoved it through his Aura and into the spiders. They shivered from pleasure and the strong feeding, and then one of the advisors started screaming. ¡°Now, now. No need to overreact.¡± Dark Elf Ren grinned to reveal all of his teeth, and Lylyth caught her breath because they matched her own. Lylyth was only just over 9 feet tall and Dark Elf Ren was just over 11 feet tall, so she had to look up at him when he stepped close to her. One of the spiders covered the screaming advisor''s mouth with webbing to shut him up. ¡°R-Ren.¡± Lylyth''s voice trembled in pleasure from what he was feeding her. He took her hand and lifted it up to his mouth. ¡°My Queen.¡± Dark Elf Ren said and opened his mouth to show his sharp pointed teeth to her, then he bit her. She didn''t try to stop him or struggle at all as he sucked on the wound, and then he licked it to heal it. He let her arm go and she reached for his to do the same, and he shook his head. ¡°You can''t do that.¡± Dark Elf Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°But... you just... we''re supposed to...¡± ¡°I needed your authority.¡± Dark Elf Ren said. ¡°You don''t need my weakness.¡± He felt her surprise and bared all his teeth in a huge smile. ¡°Despite looking like this, they know my original form is an elfling.¡± He growled. ¡°You will be corrupted by me in their eyes.¡± Lylyth felt agreement from her advisors and most of her generals, even through their fear. ¡°Because of how you reacted to me and my requests, this will be the first... and last... time you will see me in this form.¡± Dark Elf Ren said. ¡°NO!¡± Lylyth exclaimed and grabbed onto his shoulders. ¡°Please, Ren! Don''t keep this from me!¡± ¡°Even with your love, I cannot overcome your prejudice and your people''s prejudice against me.¡± Dark Elf Ren said and cupped the side of her face. ¡°I will only ever be your Royal Consort and nothing more.¡± ¡°N-No, that... that''s not...¡± Lylyth tried to deny it, but she knew it would be a lie if she did. ¡°Please, don''t punish me for loving you.¡± Dark Elf Ren chuckled, and it sent shivers down her spine. The terror and pleasure mixed perfectly for her, and she tried not to collapse from the feeling. ¡°I''m going to explain exactly what needs to happen with the High Elven Lord and his council, and what you need to do to ensure your complete control.¡± Dark Elf Ren said to her as he wrapped his arms around her, then he looked at the Dark Elves stuck to the wall. ¡°You will follow this plan and ensure your people''s complete victory over the High Elves.¡± ¡°We''re... still fighting in...¡± ¡°You won''t be fighting when you withdraw your forces.¡± Dark Elf Ren said and felt their surprise, including Lylyth''s. ¡°W-withdraw?¡± Lylyth looked up at him with wide eyes. Dark Elf Ren nodded. ¡°Yes, because you are going to lose this war.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Lylyth, the generals, and the advisors yelled at the same time. Dark Elf Ren was about to respond when he received a message popup.
Lara: Ren? I know you''re busy, but can we talk for a minute?
Dark Elf Ren smiled and dismissed the popup. ¡°My Queen, please excuse me for a moment.¡± ¡°Ren! You need to explain-Mmmm!¡± Lylyth''s words were cut off as Dark Elf Ren kissed her. Her body went limp at the emotions he fed her, and he broke the kiss. She looked at him dreamily and licked her lips, and he let her out of the embrace he had her in. Dark Elf Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and enlarged it to three times its normal size and put a finger on it. ¡°Lara.¡± His gravelly voice said, and her face appeared in the mirror''s surface. ¡°Geez, Ren!¡± Lara said and laughed. ¡°What the hell did you do?¡± ¡°Polymorph Helm.¡± Dark Elf Ren said and smiled. ¡°Ugh! Don''t do that!¡± Lara put a hand in front of her face, and he laughed. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Elise told me what she told you.¡± Lara said. ¡°I wanted to talk about the succubi.¡± ¡°Oh, don''t worry about them.¡± Dark Elf Ren said. ¡°I barely touch them and they go unconscious.¡± ¡°Ren, that''s not what I meant.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Dark Elf Ren said. ¡°I also know you''re worried that I''m charging them up past their ability blockers.¡± Lara blinked her eyes at him. ¡°Wait, you know about that?¡± ¡°I told you I know all about their abilities.¡± Dark Elf Ren said. ¡°I''m not going to have intercourse with them, but I am going to play with them.¡± ¡°Ren, you shouldn''t even do that. The ones at your house? Their sphere of effects are getting bigger.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I''m intentionally force-feeding them to see how powerful they can become without actually having sex.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Lara exclaimed in surprise. Dark Elf Ren chuckled, and both Lara and Lylyth shivered for different reasons. Lara didn''t like the sound at all, and Lylyth loved it. ¡°Lara, you know that the more powerful you become, the more you can control your abilities.¡± Lara opened her mouth to dispute it, then sighed. ¡°Ren, you shouldn''t.¡± She said. ¡°You might give them more control, but even you can''t predict what they are going to do with that control.¡± ¡°You can.¡± Dark Elf Ren said. ¡°So, tell me Sage of Ages.¡± He said formally. ¡°I request to know what is going to happen to Seldanna when I complete her abilities.¡± ¡°Dammit.¡± Lara said. ¡°Why couldn''t you just ask me?¡± Dark Elf Ren smiled without showing his teeth. ¡°You know my view on giving people a choice.¡± Lara sighed. ¡°All right. Fine.¡± She said. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± ¡°I should say to take all the time that you need; but like you said, I''m a bit busy here.¡± Lara closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them. ¡°Oh, you sneaky little bastard!¡± Dark Elf Ren laughed, and Lylyth had to brace herself on the wall so she wouldn''t fall down. ¡°It''s an elegant way to tie all this up, isn''t it?¡± ¡°Surprisingly, yes.¡± Lara said and smiled, then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, let it out, then took another and relaxed. ¡°Seldanna. Seldanna.¡± She practically chanted, and after 10 seconds, took another breath and opened her eyes. ¡°She''s going to be very powerful, Ren.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I kind of felt it the first time we met, and then she leveled up faster than the others, even Zunala, who is the oldest of them.¡± ¡°She... she''s going to rule the other succubi.¡± Lara said as more came to her. ¡°She''s not a queen, not as we know the term, but...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I can''t get much more than that.¡± ¡°Well, it is still an iffy possibility. I''m surprised you could determine that much, actually.¡± Dark Elf Ren said. ¡°Thank you for looking out for me.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I know I step over the line a little sometimes...¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Dark Elf Ren said. ¡°I''m really glad you''re keeping an eye on things for me.¡± He said. ¡°It''s a relief to know you''ve got my back, so if I screw up again...¡± ¡°...I can tell you what an idiot you were?¡± Lara asked, and he laughed. ¡°Exactly.¡± Dark Elf Ren said. ¡°I think I''ve made the Dark Elves wait long enough. I''ll talk to you at lunch.¡± ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Lara said. ¡°Love you.¡± ¡°Love you, too.¡± Dark Elf Ren said and took his finger off the All-Seeing Mirror to end the call. He reduced it to it''s normal size and stored it, then looked at Lylyth. ¡°My Queen.¡± He said and looked at the generals and advisors. ¡°Unwilling audience.¡± He smiled at their spike of fear. ¡°This is how you will win it all by losing...¡± Lylyth and the Dark Elves were enraptured as Dark Elf Ren told them exactly what to do to end their race war forever, and how to reinstate the High Lord and his Ruling Council to their rightful places, so they could resume running the High Elven Kingdom. For the Dark Elves. Chapter 640 - All That She Wants When Dark Elf Ren was finished explaining everything to Lylyth, the generals, and the advisors, none of them could find any fault in the plan. ¡°R-Ren, I''m sorry.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I shouldn''t have tried to dismiss your plan without even hearing it first.¡± ¡°Are you going to dismiss it?¡± Dark Elf Ren asked. ¡°No, it''s a brilliant plan.¡± Lylyth said sadly and turned towards the two-way mirror. Alynna was pressed up against it, and her face had a look of deep happiness as the High Lord plowed into her. She was only an elfling and smaller than half his size; but, she accommodated all of him and was currently experiencing ecstasy. ¡°Then what''s wrong?¡± Dark Elf Ren asked. ¡°My arrogance has cost me this version of you.¡± Lylyth said and leaned her forehead against the two-way mirror. ¡°To be shown someone who can be my equal... someone like me who...¡± She sighed and turned to look at him. ¡°Will I never be happy?¡± Dark Elf Ren stepped forward and cupped both sides of her face. ¡°My Queen, I''m not trying to punish you.¡± He said and gave her a kiss. ¡°Even like this, I cannot be by your side.¡± Lylyth closed her eyes. ¡°My people won''t accept it, even though you are more worthy than anyone else I have ever met.¡± ¡°Plus, I can only keep this form for about 5 hours.¡± Dark Elf Ren said. ¡°Not even casting Permanency will work, since it''s a function of the helm that I must change back when the time expires.¡± ¡°You said this will be the first and last time I will see you as my counterpart.¡± Lylyth said and opened her eyes, and Dark Elf Ren saw the deep sadness there. ¡°How can you hurt me like that?¡± ¡°My Queen, this isn''t me.¡± Dark Elf Ren said and let her face go. ¡°Being this way is what''s hurting you.¡± ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Showing me everything I ever wanted and then telling me I''ll never see it again. That''s what''s hurting me.¡± Dark Elf Ren sighed and tried to reach for her. ¡°My Queen...¡± ¡°No.¡± Lylyth turned away from him. ¡°Don''t touch me.¡± Dark Elf Ren stepped close behind her and wrapped his arms around her abdomen. ¡°Lylyth.¡± He said in his gravelly voice, and she shivered. ¡°You''re missing my point.¡± ¡°What... what''s that?¡± ¡°Take off your clothes.¡± Dark Elf Ren said and then two large phantom spider legs appeared in front of her and their claw-like talons tapped on her breastplate. Lylyth caught her breath at the sensation, and her hands reached out and caressed the phantom legs. They are just like mine. Lylyth thought. ¡°I''m going to give you exactly what you want.¡± Dark Elf Ren whispered in her ear, then bit it. ¡°Ohhhh!¡± Lylyth moaned and shivered again, and he licked the bite to heal it. ¡°I''m going to make love to you right here, right now.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°In this form, you and I are now highly compatible.¡± Dark Elf Ren said and his phantom spider legs tapped very fast on her breastplate. ¡°You know what that means, don''t you?¡± Lylyth''s breath sped up and her heart beat very fast. ¡°T-Tell me.¡± ¡°It took me a while to figure out what you really wanted. Now that I know, and have the ability to give it to you, I hope you''re ready for it.¡± ¡°S-say it.¡± Lylyth moaned as the spider legs sped up their tapping. ¡°I''m going to give you a child.¡± Dark Elf Ren said, and Lylyth gasped at the truth in his words. ¡°NO!¡± One of the advisors yelled. ¡°My Queen, don''t let-hm mhm mm!¡± One of the spiders covered his mouth with webbing. ¡°Thank you.¡± Dark Elf Ren said to the spider and let the phantom spider legs he was generating fade away. ¡°Now...¡± Lylyth stored her armor and left herself in just the bodysuit. Dark Elf Ren growled in her ear in frustration and she shook from pleasure. He slipped his hand between her legs from behind and gripped the bodysuit near her special place, then pulled. Lylyth made a girly squeal as the bodysuit tore away and exposed her completely soaked opening. Dark Elf Ren stored his clothing as he moved Lylyth over to the two-way mirror. ¡°GREAT VASALOR!¡± Lylyth yelled as Dark Elf Ren joined with her from behind and she braced herself on the two-way mirror, right in front of where Allynna was braced on the other side. It was like they were staring at each other as both women were pleasured against the glass. Dark Elf Ren reached around and gripped Lylyth''s breasts, then pulled the bodysuit apart. Lylyth moaned as he massaged her breasts and kept making love to her, and they both felt the swirling emotions from their unwilling audience. The audience''s fear took a backseat to their disgust, need, desire, hatred, loathing, titillation, and arousal as those emotions filled the room instead. Lylyth''s phantom spider legs formed and braced against the wall and pushed her out to meet every thrust of Dark Elf Ren''s, and his phantom spider legs formed to grab onto the wall and pulled him in that much harder. ¡°OH... OHHHH...¡± Lylyth moaned as Dark Elf Ren sped up his movements, and then he opened his mouth and bit deep into her neck. ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHH!¡± Her whole body bucked and convulsed from the overload of pain and pleasure and she had a mind-blowing orgasm. Dark Elf Ren waited for several moments to let her calm down, then extracted himself. ¡°In Vasalor''s name, don''t stop.¡± Lylyth whispered. ¡°Please, don''t... don''t stop.¡± Lylyth''s limbs had gone limp and she couldn''t hold her own weight, and even her phantom spider limbs hung down loosely. Dark Elf Ren stopped biting her and carefully turned her around to face him. He could see that she was a little bleary-eyed and wasn''t really seeing him, until he entered her again and it woke her up.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°GAH!¡± Lylyth yelled as Dark Elf Ren went in right to the hilt, then he bit the same spot on her neck. He moved in and out slowly, so she would feel every inch of his doubled size, and he could feel it was driving her crazy. ¡°OHHHH!¡± She yelled as she had another orgasm, and he felt that her body was ready for him now. Dark Elf Ren licked the wound on her neck to heal it, then looked her in the eyes. ¡°It''s time.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Lylyth''s voice was filled with both joy and sadness. Joy for what he was about to give her, and sadness because she now knew why this would be the only time Ren would take this form for her. It was because he only needed to do it with her once. Lylyth kissed him passionately, like she had never kissed anyone before and the only thing in the world that mattered was him. Dark Elf Ren pumped his hips almost faster than the eye could see and activated his mastered Hail Of Arrows ability. It increased the number of projectiles fired within his Aura by 10, and then he finished inside of her. Lylyth broke the kiss and screamed as loudly as she could. ¡°RENNNNNNNNNN!¡± For almost 10 minutes, they stayed that way with him still inside of her, braced against the wall, and Lylyth panted to catch her breath the whole time. ¡°Ren.¡± Lylyth finally said in a normal voice. ¡°Thank you.¡± Dark Elf Ren disengaged from her and repaired her armor bodysuit in the same instant. ¡°What did you... oh.¡± Lylyth understood what he was doing. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It''s easier than having a huge mess to clean up.¡± Dark Elf Ren said. ¡°Plus, keeping as much inside as possible doesn''t hurt.¡± Lylyth nodded. ¡°Will you really not do this with me again?¡± ¡°I don''t know if I can top this performance, Lylyth.¡± Dark Elf Ren said and grinned. ¡°I don''t care if you can do it better!¡± Lylyth pouted. Dark Elf Ren chuckled, and his voice sent a shiver right down her spine. ¡°I love that sound.¡± Lylyth said, then covered her mouth with her hand. ¡°I love that I can get the big bad Queen of the Dark Elves to react like a woman.¡± Dark Elf Ren said and equipped his High Elven Court Uniform. ¡°I always react like a woman.¡± Lylyth said and dropped the hand, then made it into a fist. He didn''t react at all as she swung it up towards his face, then she flattened the hand out and stroked his cheek, then let her hand run through his long hair. ¡°You didn''t even flinch.¡± ¡°I was waiting to see if you would break your hand or not.¡± Dark Elf Ren said, took her hand and kissed it. ¡°I need to go and visit Tiatha, and then you can implement the plan.¡± ¡°I honestly don''t think the High Elven Council members that we haven''t converted are going to agree to this.¡± Lylyth said, doubtfully as she equipped her armor. ¡°Believe me, if we pull off the charade, they are going to jump through hoops to get back home.¡± Dark Elf Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back in an hour.¡± ¡°An hour?¡± Lylyth thought back to what they just did. ¡°But... you...¡± ¡°You didn''t need any foreplay to warm up.¡± Dark Elf Ren said, then laughed. Lylyth visibly shook from the sound, and that made him laugh more. ¡°Maybe I did do foreplay and I just didn''t realize it.¡± He said, and Artemis followed him out of the room. * A few minutes later, one of the generals spoke into the silence. ¡°My Queen.¡± He said. ¡°Can you get us down?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Lylyth turned away from the two-way mirror and looked at the wall that the generals and advisors were still webbed to. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± She waved a hand and the spiders around the Dark Elves stuck to the wall cut the webs holding them in place. The Dark Elves fell to the floor in a heap, then stood up and cleaned themselves off. ¡°I cannot believe you let him...¡± One of the generals tried to say, and a phantom spider leg appeared and pierced his chest above the heart, which barely missed killing him instantly. ¡°He is the Royal Consort and he performed his duty admirably.¡± Lylyth said and pulled the leg out. ¡°If I didn''t need you alive to carry out the plan, I would have decapitated you instead.¡± ¡°But... My Queen...¡± The general gasped as blood flowed out of the wound. ¡°Yes, I know. He was right.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Even though I love him, he could never be more than the Royal Consort.¡± She said. ¡°Husband? Ruler?¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, he gave me what I really wanted.¡± She said and rubbed her belly. * Dark Elf Ren stopped walking in the hallway and activated the Polymorph Helm. He felt extreme pain as the process was reversed, and his Dark Elven features melted away like water and he reduced in size back to his normal height. ¡°I don''t know how you can do that.¡± Artemis said when Ren was back to his old self. ¡°I felt all of your pain, and it was excruciating.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I''ve felt worse.¡± He said. ¡°Plus, it''s only for a few moments.¡± Artemis chuckled and put an arm over his shoulder. ¡°You do realize that people fight their whole lives to not have that kind of pain, right?¡± ¡°They don''t know what they''re missing.¡± Ren joked, and she laughed. ¡°Do you think you''ll need help with the Dark Elf healer?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Not at first.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll ask if she minds you being there, then we''ll see where things go.¡± They walked through the corridors to Tiatha''s room and Ren knocked on the door. Barely a second later the door opened and Tiatha was there with a huge smile. ¡°My King.¡± She said seductively. ¡°Do you mind having an audience?¡± Ren asked and she looked at Artemis. ¡°If you implied that we are going to sleep together, then yes, I mind.¡± Tiatha said and took his hand. ¡°I have yet to share a bed alone with you. If this is to be our first time, I want all of your attention for myself.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Ren said. ¡°Artemis, guard the door.¡± ¡°Yes, My King.¡± Artemis took up the sentry position by the door. ¡°We may need assistance later.¡± Tiatha said and smiled at the tall metal woman, then she eased Ren into the room and shut the door. Half an hour later the door opened slightly, and Tiatha poked her head out. Her long black hair was disheveled and a complete mess, and her face still had a huge smile. ¡°Need a hand?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°He keeps trying to please me and when I try to return the favor, he keeps distracting me.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°I need you to distract him before he can distract me.¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°Tied him down, did you?¡± ¡°With an Unbreakable Chain spell and shoved my underwear in his mouth to keep him quiet.¡± Tiatha said and opened the door all the way, and Artemis laughed at what she saw. ¡°What spell is that?¡± Artemis asked as she stepped into the room and Tiatha shut the door. ¡°It''s an old spell my father used to use on me when I was a child.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°Tickle Monster.¡± Ren had tears in his eyes from laughing so hard as a dozen feathers tickled his arms, feet, neck, wrists, and ankles. ¡°HMMM! HMMMMMM!¡± ¡°I think you can call off the Tickle Monster.¡± Artemis said and the feathers disappeared. Ren was panting heavily, but he wasn''t struggling against the chains holding him. ¡°Hm! Hmm!¡± ¡°Hush, now.¡± Tiatha smiled and walked over to the bed. ¡°I had to punish you for not letting me have my way.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Ren grunted. ¡°I''ll keep him busy.¡± Artemis said and stored her armor as she climbed onto the bed to straddle his face. ¡°Have fun.¡± She said and pulled Tiatha''s underwear out of his mouth. ¡°Hey, wait a min-mmhmm.¡± Ren mumbled into her special place, and it tickled her. ¡°Keep talking, Ren.¡± Artemis said and rocked her hips. ¡°More! Keep talking!¡± Tiatha almost laughed as Ren kept mumbling into the metal woman, then she remembered what she wanted to do. She climbed onto the bed and started to please him with her hand and her mouth, and it made Ren moan and mumble even more, which made both Artemis and Tiatha very happy. Half an hour later, the door to the room opened and Ren and Artemis stepped out. Tiatha, still naked, stood behind them. ¡°My King, you may visit at any time.¡± Tiatha said formally, even though her hair was still a complete mess. ¡°Artemis, you are a great tag team partner.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I should be angry that you tied me down, but that Tickle Monster spell was too good to get angry over.¡± Tiatha smiled as she took out a piece of parchment paper and handed it to Ren. ¡°You may have this as long as you never use it on me.¡± She said. ¡°Only my father, who has been dead for years, had permission to do it.¡± Ren opened the parchment and saw it was the directions and requirements on how to perform the spell. ¡°Tiatha, I don''t know what to say.¡± ¡°Say you will meet me here again someday.¡± Tiatha said. Ren chuckled and stored the parchment, then stepped close to her. ¡°How about you come to my county and see me next week?¡± ¡°N-next w-week?¡± Tiatha asked, surprised. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got this big arena battle to fight, and having you there would be an honor.¡± ¡°I... I would be delighted.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°Thank you, My King.¡± ¡°No need for titles between us.¡± Ren said and kissed her. She moaned into his mouth, and a few moments later he broke the kiss. ¡°Just call me Ren.¡± He said, then he and Artemis walked down the hallway and back towards the special holding cell where Allynna was. I thought he was just going to give me a false promise about contacting me later. Tiatha thought in surprise. He wants to see me again, even though we already had sex! She blinked her eyes as Ren and Artemis disappeared around the corner. That''s amazing! Chapter 641 - Planned Response Ren and Artemis walked back to the special holding cell and checked on the High Lord''s progress. ¡°How long does it take for him to finish?¡± He asked Lylyth. ¡°They have been going non-stop for the last few days.¡± Lylyth said and smiled. ¡°If you mean between when he finishes and starts again, it should be any minute now.¡± ¡°Perfect timing, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes, dearest.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°I will play my part well.¡± Ren took several steps up into the air and caressed the side of her face. ¡°Don''t let it anger you, okay? We all know that it''s just for show.¡± Lylyth smiled. ¡°You worry about how it will affect me, and yet you were the one to propose it.¡± ¡°I''d use a Full Illusion spell if I thought they would believe it.¡± Ren said and leaned in to give her a kiss. ¡°I can make an image of you, but I can''t reproduce your magnificence or your presence.¡± He said. ¡°There''s only one of you, and no one could make the mistake of believing that a cheap fake was really you.¡± Lylyth nodded. ¡°I will debase myself in front of the elfling and the council, after giving the High Lord and the converts in the council their instructions.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Ren said and looked at the generals and advisors briefly without saying anything to them, then he and Artemis left the room and walked to the door of the room on the other side of the two-way mirror. Two large spiders dropped from the ceiling and landed behind them, and Ren knocked on the door. The High Lord let the female elfling Allynna go and ran for the door, and Ren and Artemis stepped to the side as the door opened. ¡°NO!¡± Allynna yelled and reached a hand out as the two large spiders grabbed the High Lord and dragged him from the room. Ren shut the door and cast Permanent Full Illusion on the High Lord to change his appearance to the way he was before the conversion, and the spiders took the High Lord to see Lylyth. Ren waited for a minute, then opened the door again. He could see Allynna crying with her head in her hands as he and Artemis stepped into the room. ¡°Allynna.¡± Ren said, and her head whipped up to stare at him. ¡°R-Ren?¡± Allynna asked, and he felt her disbelief. ¡°No, it''s a trick.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You aren''t really here. You can''t be!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°We''re in the Underworld! Right in the heart of the Dark Elves!¡± ¡°Your mother asked me to get you back.¡± Ren said, and her mouth dropped open from shock. ¡°She... she really got my message?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°I told her what happened, but I was sure that...¡± Her eyes squinted. ¡°This isn''t a Dark Elf trick, is it?¡± She asked. ¡°They intercepted my message, didn''t they? You couldn''t have just miraculously appeared like this!¡± ¡°I was away for a couple of days on Adventurer''s business, and when I came back, I checked in on two people. An elfling I needed to feed with emotions, and then your mother.¡± Ren said, truthfully. ¡°I woke her up and she told me what happened, asked me to get you, and now I''m here.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Allynna said and tried to stand up. Her legs were weak from exertion, and Ren walked over to her and picked her up. ¡°We have to escape, but... but they just took Alinar. We can''t leave without him!¡± She said and put her arms around his neck to hold on. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren said and repaired her clothing. ¡°I have a feeling this is all going to work out.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°They attacked and killed our guards! Kidnapped us! Did... something... to Alinar!¡± ¡°What, the skin thing?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°That was your fault, actually.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± ¡°He loves you and has been repressing it for decades.¡± Ren said. ¡°Given the choice between hurting you and admitting that, he made the honorable choice.¡± ¡°He... he did that... made himself into... into...¡± Allynna let more tears out. ¡°He did it for me?¡± ¡°It was the only way he could let himself be with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°As himself, he could never show you how much he loves you; but, as a Dark Elf, I suspect he''s shown you as much as he can and as many times as he can.¡± Allynna''s face went deep red and she ducked her head down to try and hide it. ¡°There''s nothing to be ashamed of.¡± Ren said. ¡°He made the right choice.¡± ¡°But... but he...¡± ¡°They told me that he didn''t break. His personality is still intact.¡± ¡°It... it is... except...¡± ¡°Yes, and I can only hope that he doesn''t keep his feelings for you repressed from now on.¡± ¡°From now on?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It''s not easy for a non-Dark Elf to get into the Underworld.¡± Ren said. ¡°Their forces have been depleted because of this stupid war, as have the High Elves.¡± He explained. ¡°It took some fancy negotiating on my part, but I believe that the High Lord of the High Elves and the Queen of the Dark Elves are currently setting the terms for a cease-fire.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± ¡°I know it''s a surprise.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure the Dark Elves are going to be just as surprised as the High Elves when it takes effect.¡± ¡°R-Ren, how... why...¡± ¡°I think they might be as tired of fighting as I am.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°At least, I hope they are and this goes off without a hitch.¡± ¡°Ren, can it really be true?¡± ¡°Yes, and you know what the next step is going to be?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. ¡°Talking.¡± Allynna''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise and he chuckled. ¡°I''ve got an embassy set up in the High Elven starter city for each of the races in this world.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s only High Elves at the moment, with a trace of Dark Elves; but, I''m hoping to have other races join in as the embassy''s existence spreads around.¡± He smiled. ¡°As it stands, if two long-standing races like the High Elves and Dark Elves can just stop fighting for a while, it will make a huge difference in this world.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°It really would.¡± Allynna said. ¡°So, do you feel up to visiting the council members and letting them in on the good news?¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Allynna said in a voice that you would use for a small child. ¡°We''re prisoners. We can''t just go visit other prisoners.¡± Ren chuckled and walked over to the door. ¡°No... you... we cant just...¡± Allynna stumbled over her words as Artemis opened the door and Ren carried Allynna out into the hallway. He felt her disbelief as he walked through several hallways and they passed a couple of Dark Elves, who didn''t react at all to him being there. ¡°Here we are.¡± Ren said and they entered the prisoner holding area. He felt the immediate reactions from the council members that were still in the cells, and he walked to the cell with the second female High Elf in it. He saw the dagger and the gold were missing from the Dark Elf''s loot drop, but the pendant was still there. ¡°You can take the pendant, too.¡± Ren said, and the female High Elf looked up at him. ¡°You.¡± She said and stood up. ¡°You came back.¡± ¡°I said I would.¡± Ren said, and her disbelief felt just like Allynna''s. ¡°The pendant gives +20% Protection and +20% Warding against enemy spells.¡± ¡°It was a Dark Elf''s possession and...¡± ¡°The key word is ''was''.¡± Ren said and cut her off. ¡°You won it from him, so it''s yours.¡± The female High Elf kicked it across the floor to the door of the cage. ¡°You can have it.¡± ¡°Well, okay.¡± Ren said and looked at Allynna. ¡°Can you stand on your own?¡± ¡°What? Oh!¡± Allynna''s face flushed red again. ¡°Yes, put me down.¡± Ren stood her up on her feet and she didn''t wobble. ¡°I''ll be just a second.¡± He said and bent down to reach into the cage. ¡°Ren!¡± Allynna yelled. The female High Elf lunged forward and grabbed his arm, then she pressed the looted dagger to his wrist. ¡°Open the cage!¡± She said and pressed the dagger harder. ¡°Open it!¡± ¡°I''m not a Dark Elf.¡± Ren said and waved his other hand in front of the cage. ¡°It won''t open for elflings.¡± ¡°Let him go!¡± Allynna exclaimed and tried to reach in. The female High Elf hissed and moved away slightly, which pulled on Ren''s arm. ¡°I''ll break it!¡± The female High Elf said. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Allynna asked her. ¡°He''s trying to get us out of here!¡± ¡°He''s working for them!¡± The female High Elf nearly yelled. ¡°You should have seen him! He is friends with them!¡± ¡°I can call a lot of different people friends.¡± Ren said. ¡°That doesn''t mean I''m working for them.¡± ¡°Don''t hurt him.¡± Allynna said. ¡°The High Lord is discussing terms for a cease-fire right now, and it''s all because of Ren.¡± She said, the the female High Elf''s resolve started to falter. Ren didn''t try to take advantage of it, because he didn''t want to make the situation worse. ¡°Is that true?¡± Someone asked from down the hall in a nearby cell. ¡°He''s really going to call a cease-fire?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Allynna said. ¡°How else do you think Ren and I came all the way down here?¡± She asked. ¡°We even met some Dark Elves on the way, and they ignored us!¡± Ren felt surprise from the other High Elves in the cells, and still didn''t try to take advantage of the situation. ¡°Please, let him go.¡± ¡°You and he have some kind of relationship, don''t you?¡± The female High Elf that had a hold of Ren said. ¡°Actually, he''s dating my mother.¡± Allynna said. ¡°I tried to... well, I mean... it was really awkward, and I... I didn''t...¡± ¡°What she''s trying to say is that we tried to make things sexual between us, and failed miserably.¡± Ren said. ¡°Despite her being so beautiful and me being so handsome, there has to be some kind of chemistry for things to work on that level.¡± ¡°You''re full of yourself, aren''t you?¡± The female High Elf asked. ¡°I''ve had over a dozen women tell me that I''m handsome. Even though I don''t believe it personally, I can''t deny that many honest opinions.¡± The female High Elf chuckled, because her Truth spell told her he was telling the truth. ¡°So, I''m just supposed to believe that after being kidnapped, the High Lord is going to accept a cease-fire with his most hated ancestral enemies?¡± ¡°Yes, it is an extreme stretch of the truth, isn''t it?¡± The High Lord, Alinar Keacaryn said, and everyone in the cells gasped, even Allynna when she turned to see that he was back to his old self. ¡°M-my L-lord.¡± Allynna said and bowed her head. ¡°Now, now.¡± Alinar said and waved a hand to get her to stop. ¡°It was because of you that this was possible.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Everyone in the cells yelled at the same time. ¡°Yes, she brought the Adventurer here to rescue her, which in turn let him ask for the release of anyone that they couldn''t convert.¡± Alinar said. ¡°The Dark Elf Queen granted that request, and here we are.¡± ¡°That meant you, too?¡± The female High Elf asked and she let the dagger drop to the floor. ¡°He did say ''anyone you can''t convert'', did he not?¡± Alinar asked her, and she nodded. ¡°Is there a reason you have him restrained in such a manner?¡± ¡°N-no.¡± The female High Elf immediately let Ren''s arm go and stepped back from the cell door. ¡°I was merely... um...¡± ¡°I tried to take some of her loot.¡± Ren said and pulled his hand out of the cage. ¡°That is not something an Adventurer should do.¡± Alinar said and looked down his nose at Ren. ¡°No, of course not.¡± Ren said and ducked his head. ¡°Huh.¡± Alinar said and looked at the Dark Elves behind him. ¡°Open these cages right now.¡± The Dark Elves turned and looked up the hallway. ¡°Yes, release them.¡± Lylyth said and sighed. ¡°Release them all.¡± Ren felt disbelief and happiness from all of the captives, then the Dark Elves opened their cages and stepped back out of the way so that they wouldn''t be attacked. ¡°This... this can''t be happening.¡± The female High Elf said as she stepped out into the hallway. ¡°How can a single request from an elfling...¡± She said elfling like it was a dirty word. ¡°...change everything like this?¡± ¡°It was Allynna''s mother that asked me to come and get her.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you want to give someone credit for this, it''s her.¡± ¡°Allynna''s mother?¡± She asked and looked at Allynna. ¡°Your mother sent an Adventurer to rescue you?¡± ¡°Not just any Adventurer.¡± Allynna said and smiled. ¡°She sent Ren.¡± ¡°Yes, and he has tricked me.¡± Lylyth said, and everyone felt her disdain. ¡°He has cost me the largest bargaining chip I had.¡± The High Lord Alinar Keacaryn laughed. ¡°Yes, he has.¡± He said. ¡°Even though I have reviled him publicly, still he came to the rescue of my citizens.¡± He looked at Ren. ¡°Despite your claim to be a legitimate Chosen of Vasalor, which I will never acknowledge, I cannot dispute your very effective diplomacy skills.¡± ¡°Thanks... I think.¡± Ren said, and Allynna giggled. The High Lord turned and looked at Lylyth. ¡°With our forces at a distinct advantage, I was tempted to order the complete destruction of the Dark Elves as soon as I was released.¡± He said and let those words hang in the air for several moments, then he sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, because of that damnable ghoul plague, we have lost too many good people.¡± He said. ¡°I can''t in good conscience order more of them to fight to the death against a practically defeated foe.¡± ¡°My Lord...¡± The female High Elf tried to speak, and he raised a hand up to stop her. ¡°I have no choice but to order a hold action for our people on the front lines.¡± Alinar said. ¡°The Dark Queen in return has agreed to a cease-fire, and will start pulling her troops out of our lands.¡± ¡°My Lord!¡± Several of the council members exclaimed. ¡°Yes, it is a victory; but, it was one that almost cost us our lives.¡± Alinar said and looked at their faces, and he saw in them the same thing he showed them. Relief. ¡°Under the agreement with Ren, you are being released into his custody.¡± One of the Dark Elves said. ¡°My Queen was tempted to keep him prisoner, and in effect keep you all prisoner.¡± He took in a breath at the emotions that statement elicited from the High Elves. ¡°However, because of the cease-fire agreement, no new prisoners can be taken by either side.¡± Once again relief flooded from the High Elves. ¡°Then we... we can leave?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Just like that?¡± The Dark Elf chuckled. ¡°Not just like that.¡± He said. ¡°A lot of things had to come together and work out for this to happen.¡± ¡°But... we''re free, right?¡± The female High Elf said. ¡°We''re not going to be held prisoner anymore?¡± Lylyth waved a hand and a portal appeared at the end of the hallway. ¡°That portal will take you back to the capital of the High Elven Kingdom.¡± She said in a huff, then she looked at Ren as her familiar used its ability to increase the portal in size to accommodate the High Elves. ¡°As for you, elfling...¡± She said and stomped forward as four of her phantom spider legs appeared around her. The High Elven Council members were startled by this aggressive move and practically ran towards the portal. The High Lord stepped around Ren and took Allynna''s hand. ¡°Ren, let''s go!¡± Allynna said as the High Lord dragged her to the portal. ¡°Don''t wait for me! Just go!¡± Ren said as two of the phantom spider limbs landed on his shoulders, and several large spiders dropped from the ceiling to surround him. ¡°Don''t forget to send a message to your mother!¡± ¡°REN!¡± Allynna yelled, then the High Lord dragged her into the portal. Lylyth dismissed the portal as she stepped close to Ren and bent down. ¡°How was that, dearest?¡± ¡°It was perfect.¡± Ren said and kissed her. Chapter 642 - Quest Completed ¡°Now you need to send me to the same spot, only about 100 feet higher.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t let them think you are trying to keep me prisoner.¡± ¡°Are you sure you want to go there?¡± Lylyth asked. ¡°He did try to banish you the last time you were there.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Is that worry I hear in your voice?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lylyth said and kissed him as she cast another portal. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Yes, My Queen.¡± Ren said, took her hand and kissed the back of it before letting it go, then grabbed Artemis by the hand as Teepo dissolved into the ring and they jumped through the portal. They appeared about 120 feet above the High Elves, who were looking around like it wasn''t real. Ren summoned Teepo and gave Artemis a wink, then let her hand go. ¡°WATCH OUUUUUT!¡± Ren yelled to the High Elves. ¡°REN!¡± Artemis yelled and flew to try and catch him. She played along and pretended to almost catch him, then he slammed into the ground. ¡°Ufff!¡± Ren grunted as he hit the paving stones. He had angled his descent so that he wouldn''t hit anyone, just in case the High Elven Council hadn''t had enough time to scatter out of the way. ¡°Are you all right?¡± One of them asked as Artemis landed. ¡°REN!¡± Allynna yelled and dragged the High Lord over to him. ¡°I''m fine. I''m fine!¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°Making a portal so I would fall was a neat idea.¡± ¡°You''re crazy.¡± The female High Elf he had interacted with before said. ¡°No, a fall like that wouldn''t hurt me.¡± Ren said and stood up, then wiped off the dust from the cracked stones. ¡°Oh, I should replace those.¡± He said and pulled up the broken paving stones and stored them, used his Hands of the Gods ability and chose the Rocky Hands (Earth) option and filled in the ground, then put new paving stones down and tapped them into place. The High Elven Council and several townspeople had watched with curiosity. ¡°Ren, did... did you just... make Earth from your hands?¡± Allynna asked. ¡°Hmm? Oh, yes. It''s my Hands of the Gods ability.¡± Ren said, and everyone within earshot gasped. ¡°No, that''s not possible.¡± The female High Elf said. ¡°An Adventurer can''t have that ability.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve had it for a while, actually.¡± He said and switched to the Burning Hands option and spewed Fire up into the air using his Fire Manipulation skill. They all stared at the display, and he turned the ability off and absorbed the Fire. ¡°Anyway, I better go. I know when I''m not welcome.¡± Ren took Artemis'' hand and they started walking away. ¡°Wait.¡± The High Lord said, and Ren turned to look at him. ¡°I must, begrudgingly, admit that you were instrumental in our release.¡± He said through gritted teeth. ¡°I will... relax the restrictions I have placed on your... forays into this kingdom.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren let Artemis'' hand go and quickly walked over to him, grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously. ¡°Thank you!¡± The High Lord pulled his hand out of Ren''s grasp and looked at it like he wanted to wash it. ¡°I can always put them back into place, elfling.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°In my excitement I forgot I shouldn''t thank you like an Adventurer.¡± He said and bowed deeply. ¡°Thank you for your consideration, High Lord Alinar Keacaryn.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± The High Lord huffed. ¡°You should go before he changes his mind.¡± Allynna whispered. ¡°I''ll message mother right away.¡± ¡°Thank you, Princess.¡± Ren said and bowed to her. Allynna blushed at the unofficial title, and Ren turned around and walked over to Artemis. He took her hand and they walked down the street and out of sight. ¡°So, how long are we going to walk?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Just until I get the popup I''m waiting for.¡± Ren said, then a popup appeared.
Notice!
Please return to Yllana Arthion to complete her quest.
¡°There we go.¡± Ren said and checked the All-Seeing Mirror for a clear spot in Yllana''s apartment, then cast the Portal spell. Teepo dissolved into the ring, then Ren and Artemis stepped through the portal into her living room. ¡°REN!¡± Yllana yelled and ran across the room to jump into his arms. ¡°YOU DID IT!¡± ¡°You asked me to get her back.¡± Ren said as he caught her, and she covered him in kisses.
Quest Complete!
The Unofficial Leader of the Elfling Race is overjoyed that you returned her daughter to safety. Rewards: 2,000 Influence - (Negated: Influence maxed) 1,000 Honor (Negated: Honor stat frozen, no gains or losses possible) 5,000 XP (Negated: XP maxed) 2,500 Fame (Negated: Fame maxed and XP conversion cancelled; XP maxed) Yllana''s Family Heirloom
Ren read and dismissed the popup as Yllana made sure to kiss every inch of his face. ¡°It wasn''t that difficult.¡± He said and summoned Teepo. ¡°It wasn''t... are you crazy?¡± Yllana asked. ¡°You went into the Underworld and brought out my daughter, the High Lord, and the entire High Elven Council.¡± She said and placed a final kiss on his lips. ¡°Even if all you did was walk in there and walk out, that''s still an amazing feat.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°If that''s the case, I''ve been amazing quite a few times now.¡± Ren said, and she shook her head. ¡°You joke, but it''s still a wonderful thing that you did.¡± ¡°Well, the Queen of the Dark Elves did want to keep the High Lord as a concubine.¡± Ren said. ¡°It took a lot of convincing to change her mind.¡± Yllana laughed. ¡°I imagine it would.¡± She said. ¡°Allynna didn''t give me a lot of details; but, she did drop a few hints about what happened between her and the High Lord.¡± ¡°Yeah, that was...¡± Ren gave her a warm smile. ¡°Let''s just say they had a lot of pent up frustration.¡± ¡°Now I know you are a master of understatement.¡± Yllana said, and then her demeanor changed from relieved mother to that of a recalcitrant ruler. She stepped away and walked over to the mantle above the fireplace in her living room and picked up a small wooden box. She held it tenderly for several moments, then she walked over to Ren. ¡°I''ve had this in my family for a long time.¡± Yllana said. ¡°When someone who lives so long says something has been around for a long time, that really means it''s very old.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°My great-great grandfather found this in an ancient temple when he was just a boy.¡± Yllana said and opened the box to reveal something Ren hadn''t seen before. ¡°It''s a Talisman.¡± Ren widened his eyes and she lifted it out. For all the time he had played, he had never heard of talismans. It wasn''t an enchantment or a spell, and he used Identify on it.
Talisman of Ordinariness (Rare)
This talisman makes everything within it''s area of effect ordinary. All special weapons, magic armor, spells, enchantments, etc. become the standard versions instead. For example: A Master level Fireball spell becomes a Beginner Level 1 Fireball. A sword that grants Swift Strike and is Sharp to cause extra damage, becomes a basic sword with no bonuses. An item with an enchantment acts as if it didn''t have the enchantment, etc. Durability: N/A Area of Effect: Personal Aura of Owner
¡°Please accept my family''s heirloom for bringing my daughter home.¡± Yllana said. ¡°Just a minute.¡± Ren said and stepped back. ¡°Teepo?¡± ¡°Don''t leave me in there for long.¡± Teepo said and dissolved into the Beetle Crown ring. Ren slipped it off and stored it into inventory. He looked at his other rings and didn''t bother storing them. He did store the Hand of Glory around his neck, because he didn''t want it to become an actual hand if the talisman worked like that. ¡°Okay, I''m ready.¡± Ren said and stepped forward. Ren accepted the talisman from Yllana, then was surprised that he didn''t gain the recipe for it when he examined it. He received popups for the suspension of all of his enchantments, boosts, and spells he had cast on himself. Then he felt a weight on his head. ¡°Huh?¡± Ren reached up and touched the helm on his head, then slipped it off. ¡°Well, would you look at that.¡± He said in surprise. ¡°It let me remove a non-removable item.¡± ¡°R-Ren!¡± Artemis exclaimed, and Ren turned to look at her. She was human. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren stored the normalized Polymorph Helm and stared at Artemis. Her bright red hair was no longer metal and was all waves instead, and her skin was slightly tanned instead of a metallic sheen. Her breasts strained against the armor that she wore, and he realized how inadequate the armor would be for a normal person. ¡°Ren, I''m...¡± ¡°You... how in the... it made you...¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± ¡°I''ve never seen that happen before.¡± Yllana said. ¡°How did it change you from metal to... well, flesh?¡± ¡°It normalizes anything within its area of effect, which is the personal Aura of the owner.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which means...¡± ¡°...anything within about 500 feet of you will revert to a basic version.¡± Artemis said. She hugged herself and touched her own skin. ¡°Oh! That... that feels weird.¡± ¡°Yllana, I think...¡± Ren started to say he needed to leave, and Yllana took both of their hands and dragged them to her bedroom. ¡°I can see how jarring this is for you both.¡± Yllana said and pushed Ren onto the bed. ¡°Artemis, I suggest you store your armor for this.¡± ¡°I should put this away.¡± Ren said, and Yllana caught his arm. ¡°You are not a king. Or an Artificer. Or anything else right now.¡± Yllana said. ¡°As long as you keep that talisman out in the open, you and anything within your Aura will be normal.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I think Artemis wants to experience you without her metal form.¡± Yllana said and looked at the now human woman. Ren smiled at Artemis. ¡°Well, this has been a day for firsts.¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°I won''t survive your full capabilities, so you need to be gentle.¡± ¡°I''m always gentle.¡± Ren said and stored his clothing. ¡°Until I don''t have to be.¡± Artemis stored her armor, which left her completely naked. ¡°My King, please accept my love.¡± ¡°I always have.¡± Ren said as Artemis climbed on top of him. ¡°It was you that tried to keep it from me.¡± ¡°Yes, and I know... mmm... how stupid that was.¡± Artemis said as they joined together and she started rocking her hips. ¡°I didn''t think we could... have any more firsts... between us.¡± ¡°There''s always something new to learn.¡± Ren said as he hung the talisman around his neck, then he and the human Artemis made love right there in Yllana''s bed. Yllana watched and pleasured herself while two people had sex in front of her, and when they were done, she joined them. Neither Ren nor Artemis protested her presence, since it was her bed and her family''s heirloom that had done this for them, and the three of them shared a pleasure-filled hour with each other. In accordance with their previous agreement, Yllana never actually had intercourse with Ren. She didn''t even try to take advantage of the situation and force the issue, and that made Ren appreciate her even more. When their activities started winding down and the three of them laid in bed together, Ren took Yllana''s hand and kissed it. ¡°Thank you, Unnamed Queen.¡± Ren said, and Yllana''s face flushed red. ¡°You''ve given me a gift that I can''t thank you enough for.¡± Yllana smiled and kissed him on the lips. ¡°I knew you would think that being normal was a benefit and not a hindrance.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You have no idea how true that statement is.¡± He said and kissed her back. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I suppose you must go.¡± Yllana said, and Ren nodded. ¡°I have a bit of work to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not pressing, since there''s not really anything that needs to be done; but, I think I should get to it anyway.¡± Yllana chuckled. ¡°I think that was the weakest excuse I have ever heard to leave my bed.¡± Ren chuckled, too. ¡°I guess I could have said ''I should go''.¡± He climbed off of the bed and equipped his High Elven Court Uniform. ¡°Artemis, are you ready?¡± Artemis nodded and climbed off of the bed and stood up as well. ¡°Yes, I think I''ve had enough of this form for now.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Ren.¡± Yllana said. Ren gave her a regal bow and stored the Talisman of Ordinariness so that everything around him went back to normal. Artemis changed back to her metal form and she equipped her armor, then the spells Ren had cast on himself went back into effect. He equipped the rest of his regular equipment, including the Beetle Crown Ring, and took Artemis'' hand. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror and cast the Portal spell, then he and Artemis stepped through it to appear back at the house in the Housing District of Aurora. He summoned Teepo and cast the spells to make him solid and able to talk out loud, then went to the bed. He was tempted to wake up the succubi and Suniva, mainly because it was still daytime, then shrugged and climbed into bed with them. Artemis followed his example and climbed in as well, then they settled down and went to sleep. Suniva opened her eyes at the touch of familiar hands on her, saw both Ren and Artemis were in bed with her, and closed her eyes and snuggled them. One of the succubi had woken as well, but she also didn''t say anything and went back to sleep. Unfortunately, the Sustenance ring enchantment had been interrupted when Ren took possession of the talisman, so it''s effects wouldn''t apply again until the ring accustomed itself to Ren after a day of waiting, which meant that he miscalculated his sleep time and didn''t wake up after an hour like he thought he would. Since Teepo wasn''t linked into Ren''s thoughts like he was supposed to be, Teepo didn''t know that Ren wanted to wake up, and neither did Artemis. So, Ren slept for the remainder of the day until nightfall, and then Teepo woke him up to tell him to log out. ¡°Ugh.¡± Ren said and opened his eyes, then looked at who he was in bed with. ¡°Good god, I''m tired.¡± He said and carefully sat up without disturbing anyone, then got off of the bed and went to the wall to stand there. ¡°Logout.¡± Ren said, and his avatar faded into its phantom form. Chapter 643 - Market Share Ren slipped off the VR headset and Stella took it from him. ¡°Hey, kiddo.¡± Stella said with a crooked smiled. ¡°Had a bit of fun, didn''t you?¡± ¡°Yes, and before you start complaining, I didn''t have intercourse with Halaiyah or Yllana.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or the succubi.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Does that mean you slept with every other woman you met?¡± ¡°What? No, of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then the list of the women should be a lot longer, shouldn''t it?¡± ¡°Geez, do I have to specify that of the women I was naked with, those were the two exceptions?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°I''m just teasing you, Ren.¡± Stella said and helped him sit up, then brought over the wheelchair. ¡°Denise should have lunch ready by now.¡± Ren yawned. ¡°Ugh, I''m going back to bed when I log back in.¡± He said. ¡°I''m exhausted.¡± Stella smiled and helped him sit in the wheelchair. ¡°Making yourself normal took that much out of you?¡± ¡°Apparently.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, I had sex right after that, so...¡± ¡°Let''s get you fed and fueled up so you''ll feel better.¡± Stella said and pushed him out of the bedroom. They went down to the first floor in the elevator and went into the kitchen to the smaller table there. ¡°Hi, sweetie!¡± Elise said when she saw Ren, and she practically skipped over to him to give him a kiss. ¡°Someone''s in a happy mood.¡± Stella said, and Elise nodded. ¡°I sure am!¡± Elise said and slipped a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Ren. ¡°What''s this?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Read it and find out.¡± Ren opened it and read it. ¡°No way! It''s another 10% of Sid Tec!¡± ¡°Mr. Torren called me and told me he fired Max.¡± Elise said, and Ren stared at her. ¡°He fired his head programmer?!?¡± ¡°Max has been screwing up a lot, but normally it can be swept under the carpet.¡± Elise said, and her smile faded. ¡°This last time with him telling everyone it was your fault that the game crashed, and with the lawsuits...¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Mr. Torren gave me 10% of the company?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°No, that''s Max''s last remaining stake in the company.¡± She said, and both Ren and Stella stared at her. ¡°How did you get it?¡± Denise asked as she put a plate of roast beef sandwiches on the table. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Lisa said as she came into the kitchen, gave Ren a kiss, and sat down next to him. ¡°I knew that Max was going to try and sell his stock publicly, so I watched to see when it would appear.¡± Elise said and sat down on Ren''s other side. ¡°He was selling it for an outrageous price; but, since Sid Tec is a private company, interest was pretty high to get in on it.¡± ¡°Especially with the hit television show.¡± Barbi said as she came into the kitchen from the office. ¡°The message boards were all abuzz with what you did, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°You now have the top 8 spots on the XP leader board, and 5 of them are marked out so the totals can''t be seen.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°That combined with the stock going up for sale, well...¡± ¡°Max got a lot for it, then.¡± ¡°More than he should have, but less than what he could have gotten if he had waited for a couple more days.¡± Elise said. ¡°Why?¡± Denise asked as they all sat down to eat. ¡°The next episode of the show is airing tomorrow night and Ren''s public invite for everyone to come and see him fight in the game Saturday morning.¡± Elise said. ¡°There''s nothing more spectacular than a very public event to advertise a product.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Is that what I am now? A product?¡± ¡°Until the show''s season ends, yes.¡± Barbi said. ¡°In fact, I''ve... well, I was going to keep this a surprise until the first production run was complete.¡± She said and stood up and went back into the office. She came out with a medium-sized box. ¡°Since Elise mentioned products or sale...¡± They watched as Barbi opened the box and pulled out some packing material, then she took out an action figure. It was Ren. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren said. ¡°Is that really me?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Barbi said and handed it to Elise. ¡°Once the marketing department decided on the appropriate size for it and its accessories, and since we already had a fully modelled figure because of the game...¡± ¡°You just 3D printed it, cleaned it and made a mold.¡± Elise said in surprise and handed the figure to Ren. ¡°Hold on, what marketing department?¡± Barbi snorted a laugh. ¡°It just sounded better than saying ''I decided''.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°It does sound better, just as long as you''re not double-dipping and trying to pay yourself for doing the same job as two different people.¡± Barbi laughed. ¡°I wouldn''t do that, since I''m getting plenty of money already.¡± She said. ¡°Plus, this falls directly into the ''control his public image'' job description.¡± ¡°This is so cool.¡± Ren said and turned the figure around. The figure wore a set of Travelling Clothes with the cape, and even had silver-blue eyes and fluffy hair. ¡°Now, that''s just the prototype. The real figure has 15 points of articulation so that it''s fully poseable.¡± Barbi said and Ren handed the figure to Lisa. ¡°Do you want to see what else is in the first run?¡± ¡°There''s more?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Of course there''s more.¡± Barbi asked. ¡°Every hero needs a villain.¡± She said and took out the figure that had replaced Tristan. ¡°Ha! When I first started playing, the most evil villain I faced was a wolf.¡± Ren said. ¡°You mean this?¡± Barbi picked up a wolf that was in mid-lunge. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Ren reached out for it, and Barbi gave it to him. ¡°Tell me they are going to be articulated, too.¡± ¡°Also 15 points, since there''s just as many things to move on it.¡± ¡°That is so cool.¡± Ren said and made a lunging motion with the wolf to the figure Lisa still held. ¡°Rawr!¡± ¡°Ahhh!¡± Lisa shook the Ren figure and ''ran'' it around on the table, and Ren chased his miniature self with the wolf, and everyone laughed. ¡°There''s Donan, Sally, Issac, Lord Eric, a basic soldier, and the Captain of the Guard.¡± Barbi said and showed the figures and put them back. ¡°Are there more creatures?¡± Ren asked, and she held up a giant spider, a giant bat, and a goblin. ¡°They aren''t as articulated, so they''re going to be packaged as one and sold as ''Cave monsters''.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said and passed the wolf back to Barbi, and Lisa thought about keeping the Ren figure. ¡°Before you think about keeping it, we''re getting the first 6 crates of figures for ourselves.¡± ¡°Awesome! I can play with myself whenever I want!¡± Ren said, then his eyes widened. ¡°Um, that''s not what I meant.¡± Everyone laughed and picked up sandwiches and some potato chips. ¡°Only a Lisa handful.¡± Stella said to Ren, and he sighed. Lisa took pity on him and grabbed a big handful and dropped it on his plate. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. ¡°They''re salt and vinegar, too.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Really?¡± Ren grabbed her hand and sucked on one of her fingers. ¡°Ren!¡± Lisa exclaimed. ¡°What?¡± Ren asked and licked her other fingers. ¡°I had to make sure.¡± ¡°You could have just eaten a chip.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Lisa tastes better.¡± Ren said and grinned, and Lisa''s face flushed red as she blushed. ¡°Just eat like normal people.¡± Stella said, and he nodded. Lisa went to the bathroom and washed her hands, then everyone enjoyed their lunch and polite conversation. When they were done eating and had cleaned up, they discussed the evening meal and their visitor. ¡°I think we should all clear out and let them have a nice private dinner.¡± Elise said, and everyone looked at her. ¡°We don''t want to overwhelm the poor woman with who''s living here during the first meeting, do we?¡± No one could argue the point, so they all agreed that it would just be Stella, Lisa, Ren, and Lisa''s mother for dinner. ¡°I''ve got some game hens in the refrigerator.¡± Stella said. ¡°Lisa, how does that sound?¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh, that''s fine.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I... yes, I just...¡± ¡°You''re worried about it, now that it''s so close.¡± Ren said, and Lisa nodded. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I''ll be wearing actual clothes.¡± Lisa laughed. ¡°Actual clothes is good.¡± ¡°Stella''s got this.¡± Ren said and took Lisa''s hand. ¡°Don''t worry about anything, okay? I''ll be on my best behavior.¡± ¡°You better be.¡± Stella warned him, then smiled. ¡°No joking around.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Even if she likes them, you are not to spout jokes.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to break the ice?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I''ll handle that.¡± Stella said. ¡°You just speak when spoken to.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°All right.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Poor baby.¡± She said and kissed his cheek. ¡°You be good for dinner and I''ll be good later tonight.¡± Ren raised his eyebrows at her, and she winked at him. ¡°Now that''s an incentive to behave.¡± Barbi said, and everyone laughed. Their impromptu meeting broke up and Elise kissed Ren and went into the office with Barbi, Lisa helped Denise clean off the table of dishes, and Stella pushed Ren out of the kitchen and to the elevator. ¡°Remember that you can only stay for about half the game day.¡± Stella said. ¡°You need to log out and get cleaned up for supper.¡± ¡°I''ll tell Teepo to remind me.¡± Ren said as they entered the elevator. ¡°I''ll even refrain from having sex, too.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°You don''t have to go out of your way to make my job easier.¡± ¡°Hey, I''m all about making women happy.¡± Ren grinned up at her and she leaned down to give him an upside down kiss. She broke it before the elevator doors opened and pushed the wheelchair out into the hallway. She got him back to his room and settled in the bed, then Ren looked at his watch and saw that he had a few hours left to the current game night. ¡°Really, Ren.¡± Stella said and handed him the VR headset. ¡°Have fun if you want. I''ll keep an eye on you.¡± Ren reached a hand out and she took it. ¡°I''d rather wait and give you a surprise in the shower.¡± Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°If you think you can wait that long, I''ll be more than happy to accept your surprise.¡± ¡°I''ll do my best.¡± Ren said and slipped on the headset, then laid back to get comfortable. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up standing next to the wall. ¡°Hey, Teepo.¡± He whispered, and Teepo flew down to hover by him. ¡°Wake me up in the morning, then in the middle of the day remind me that I need to go for Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°Sure thing, Ren.¡± Teepo whispered back and flew back up to his perch on the ceiling. ¡°Thanks, buddy.¡± Ren whispered and walked over to the bed and climbed in. He disturbed several of the other occupants, gave each of them a quick kiss, then laid down and went to sleep. It seemed like no time had passed when the morning came, and Teepo woke Ren up. ¡°Ugh.¡± Ren groaned. ¡°I want to stay in bed another hour, but I have to leave early.¡± ¡°I thought you didn''t have anything you needed to do?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°I don''t, but that doesn''t mean there''s nothing for me to do.¡± Ren responded. Artemis chuckled. ¡°I get the feeling you want me to make a dirty joke there.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You could, even though I meant work and not pleasure.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Artemis said and sat up. Ren''s hand had a firm grip on her breast and she pointed at it. ¡°What''s this, then?¡± ¡°Relaxing.¡± Ren said, and she felt that was true. ¡°Oh.¡± Artemis said, and looked for his other hand, but couldn''t see it. ¡°Where''s the other one?¡± ¡°I think it''s on Ellaria.¡± Ren said and gave it a squeeze, then Ellaria moaned. ¡°Yep, it''s Ellaria.¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°Okay, everyone up! Ren''s got work to do.¡± The 4 succubi lifted their heads and looked at her and then at Ren. ¡°He doesn''t look like he''s leaving.¡± Katori said, and saw where his hands were. ¡°You missed me?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It wasn''t a conscious choice.¡± He said and let both Ellaria and Artemis go as he sat up. ¡°Want me to take a few minutes to make sure you all get attention?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Katori said. Ren gave each of them a kiss and massaged their breasts for almost a full minute, and paid particular attention to the tips of their breasts. He ended the massage by suckling for several moments, and each of the succubi finished just from that. It was only a small one so it didn''t knock them out, and when they were all taken care of, Ren asked them to get dressed because they were going back to the roost. ¡°Are you dropping us off so soon?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°I thought you said we would be together for a while.¡± ¡°Another 2 weeks, I believe... if they can get it sorted out and fixed.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°Don''t doubt my words unless I give you reason to.¡± Seldanna took his hand and he helped her off the bed. ¡°I don''t doubt them, or you.¡± She said. ¡°I just... if your plans change... then I... I can''t...¡± Ren stepped up into the air and put his face right in front of hers. ¡°Look at me.¡± He said, and she stared at him. He watched her eyes shift from his left eye to his right eye. He cupped the sides of her face and brought forth her favorite emotions. ¡°Even if I somehow had to leave you behind, I won''t ever leave you.¡± ¡°M-my King.¡± ¡°I will take care of you for as long as I can.¡± Ren said and fed her emotions to make her body glow. ¡°I will power you up far beyond what even you can imagine.¡± He whispered to her and gave her a little kiss and poured more emotions into her. ¡°I want to see you grow. I want to see you powerful. I want to see you do things no one else has ever seen.¡± ¡°R-Ren.¡± Seldanna whispered as she felt her Emotion Siphon ability reach its saturation point. ¡°Yes, Seldanna?¡± Ren asked as she put her arms around him. ¡°I want that, too.¡± Seldanna said and kissed him just as her ability leveled up. ¡°HMMM!¡± She moaned as he doubled the emotions he was feeding her, then the other three succubi put their hands on her back. They gasped at the feelings they received from both her and Ren, and they started to glow as well. Artemis let them stay that way for several minutes, then spoke. ¡°Ren, you said you needed to work.¡± Ren eased the flow of emotions and broke the kiss. ¡°I did say that.¡± Seldanna chuckled as the glow around her body faded. ¡°My King, we will accompany you on whatever journey you go on.¡± ¡°Ren?¡± Suniva said and Ren looked at her. ¡°Am I coming, too?¡± ¡°If you want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s only for half a day, though.¡± ¡°I''d like to see Shanna and Rainie again.¡± Suniva said and sat up. ¡°It''s been a while since we left there.¡± ¡°You just want to show off your wings.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I''ve been dying to!¡± Suniva jumped to her feet and her armor opened up, then she unfolded her wings. ¡°They are going to be so jealous!¡± ¡°That should be... delicious.¡± One of the succubi said, and everyone laughed. ¡°Let''s go get Princess.¡± Ren said, then his stomach made a really loud gurgling sound. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± ¡°Yes, you need to eat for today.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Breakfast first.¡± ¡°I''m tempted to grab something quick, but I need to go see Nathalia anyway.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ll have to put a couple of the tables together so we can all sit together.¡± ¡°What? All of us?¡± Seldanna asked, surprised. ¡°I''m not going to go in alone.¡± Ren said as Teepo dropped onto his shoulder. ¡°Will you all join me for breakfast?¡± ¡°We would be honored.¡± Seldanna said for the succubi. ¡°Then let''s go.¡± Ren said and they left the bedroom and went down the stairs. ¡°Princess, we''ll be heading to the county in a little while.¡± He said as they passed her door at the bottom of the stairs. ¡°I''ll grab you something to eat, too.¡± ¡°Thank you, My King.¡± Princess said. Ren, Artemis, Suniva, and the succubi left the house and walked down the street towards the Artesian District and to the restaurant called Nathalia''s Nourishment. The succubi took this opportunity to polymorph into their human disguises, as did Artemis. They weren''t there to cause a spectacle like they normally did when walking through a crowd, they only wanted to eat with Ren. There wasn''t much of a line at the restaurant this early in the morning, so they stood there and waited like they were just normal customers. When it was their turn, the woman that sat people was surprised and happy to see him. ¡°My Lord... um, I mean...¡± ¡°Just Ren is fine.¡± Ren said and she smiled. ¡°There are 7 of us.¡± He said. ¡°Can we push two of the tables together?¡± ¡°Of course... Ren.¡± ¡°There. That wasn''t so hard, was it?¡± Ren asked, and she smiled. ¡°Harder than you think, your highness.¡± She said, then she chuckled because she hadn''t used his name like he asked. ¡°Right this way, please.¡± Ren chuckled as well, then he and his group followed the woman to a set of tables that were kind of off to the side. Two of the serving girls came over and they put two of the tables together. ¡°I could have done that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You didn''t have to go through the trouble.¡± ¡°You are a customer and all you need to do is order and eat.¡± One of them said humorously. ¡°...and pay, of course.¡± Ren recognized her as the one that liked being treated like a lady. ¡°Both I, and my party, thank you for your hospitality.¡± He said formally and took her hand, then placed a gentle kiss on the back of it. Her face turned beet red and her heart sped up, and her emotions flooded out and made the succubi catch their breath. ¡°Y-you''re w-welcome.¡± The waitress said, completely flustered. ¡°Um... ah... I''ll be right back with your order!¡± Ren watched her rush away and looked at the other waitress. ¡°Could you remind her that we wanted 8 breakfast specials, please?¡± The other waitress laughed. ¡°I''ll remind her.¡± She said and followed her friend into the kitchen. ¡°Now we wait.¡± Ren said and sat the 6 women down at the table and slid their chairs in, then sat down himself. ¡°Thank you for the waitress.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°It was quite unexpected.¡± ¡°She definitely reacted much more strongly than the last time I was here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might have lessened pouring on the charm if I''d known.¡± ¡°Yeah, right!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter, then everyone at the table laughed, too. Chapter 644 - Fixing Stuff Up Ren and the women with him had barely started talking when both waitresses came out of the kitchen with their meals. They were served quickly and efficiently, and one of the waitresses asked if they wanted water. ¡°No, thank you. I''ve got it.¡± Ren said and activated his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Refreshing Hands, then produced 7 streams of Water from his hands and filled the empty glasses on the table. At the last second he switched to Freezing Hands and the last bit of water became Ice and dropped into the glasses. The two waitresses stared open-mouthed at him, and he chuckled. ¡°Yeah, it''s a bit of a mundane use for the ability; but, it''s also great practice for controlling it.¡± Ren said, and they just stood there and kept staring at him. ¡°I think you broke them.¡± Artemis said and tried not to laugh. ¡°You can''t keep shocking people like...¡± Suniva tried to say and laughed instead. ¡°I can''t even complete that sentence.¡± Everyone laughed, and that was enough to shake the waitresses out of their immobility. ¡°If you need anything else, let us know.¡± One of them said, and they both left to attend to the other tables. Ren and the women he was with ate their meal in silence as he waited for Nathalia to appear. He felt their connection become stronger as Nathalia stepped through the portal and appeared in his Aura, and he felt her pause. He felt her draw on his strength, and then she came out of the back room and went right over to him. ¡°Hello, my... my...¡± Nathalia felt the difference in him. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren stood up to greet her. ¡°I''d like to say that there''s a lot to explain, but there''s not, really.¡± He said and walked over to her. ¡°I used my Emotion Siphon ability to level myself up to max.¡± ¡°By the gods, Ren.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°You... how can you...¡± She shook her head. ¡°You must have so much to become accustomed to.¡± ¡°Not at all. I spent a long time inside a custom Sanctuary and I''ve got a handle on everything I can do.¡± ¡°But... an entire skill set...¡± Nathalia blinked her eyes. ¡°...that would take...¡± ¡°...about 11 years.¡± Ren said, and she caught her breath. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°Yes, the last time I spent a long time away from you, we drifted apart.¡± Ren said. ¡°I apologized then, and I''ll apologize now.¡± He said and took out an entire crate filled with documents. ¡°I''m sorry it took me this long to work it all out.¡± Nathalia looked at the crate and saw that it contained thousands and thousands of documents. ¡°Ren, you... you can''t have...¡± ¡°It may take a while, but once they are processed, you and I can have a full relationship again.¡± Ren said, and he felt her surprise. ¡°H-how...¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I can''t deliver these myself, nor can I have the maids do it like the last time.¡± Ren said. ¡°This Sea Dweller thing has taken me from them and I can''t be near them until it''s repaired.¡± ¡°Ren, I''m so sorry.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I can''t even have someone else tell them how I feel, because of the fear that they will react to my Sea Dweller status.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°When you leave today, can you give this to Erica?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Nathalia said and touched his hand that was on the crate. Ren stepped close to her and her heart beat faster. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. ¡°Soon, you and I won''t have to worry about propriety.¡± Nathalia''s face flushed red, and she darted forward and kissed him on the lips. ¡°I look forward to continued relations between our people.¡± Ren smiled and caressed her cheek, and she moved her hand to touch the crate and stored it. She smiled back and went to the kitchen to cook. Ren went back around the table and sat down, and they finished the meal. When they were done, Ren waved one of the waitresses over. ¡°I''m keeping this plate, but I will return it soon.¡± Ren said and stored the extra plate of food. ¡°Of course, sir.¡± The waitress said. ¡°You can pay me for the meals or pay the hostess.¡± Ren took out 12 gold to pay for the meals and handed it to her. She looked at the amount and it was the exact price of 8 meals at 1 gold 50 silver. He felt her dismay, and chuckled. ¡°That''s just for the food.¡± Ren said and handed her another 4 gold. ¡°That''s for the prompt service from two excellent waitresses, so make sure you split it with her.¡± He nodded to the other waitress, because she was busy at the moment, and he put 2 more gold into her hand. ¡°That''s for the cooks and the excellent food.¡± ¡°S-sir! That... thank you, sir!¡± ¡°Thank you for making my first meal in a while so pleasant.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°I won''t have enough time to come back for lunch, though.¡± ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡± She said and stepped back when everyone at the two tables stood up. ¡°I hope you have a great day.¡± Ren said and walked over to the hostess. ¡°Thank you for accommodating my group.¡± He said and gave her 2 gold as well. ¡°It was our pleasure.¡± The woman said. ¡°Thank you for dining here.¡± Ren nodded to her, then he felt an intense longing feeling. He turned and looked to see the other waitress staring at him. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He said and walked across the restaurant to her. ¡°M''lady, it is always a pleasure to be under your care. The food was excellent, as always, and your service was both prompt and unobtrusive.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± She said, and her hand twitched. Ren saw it and slowly reached for it. Her emotions spiked as he touched her skin, and he lifted the hand up to his lips. The couple that sat at the table watched him kiss the waitress'' hand, and it seemed very sexual to them. ¡°Until the next time we meet, M''lady.¡± Ren said, let her hand go, and walked back over to his group of women. ¡°Who was that?¡± The woman at the table asked. ¡°H-he''s the H-hero of Aurora.¡± The waitress said. ¡°He seems to be a playboy.¡± The woman said. ¡°Look at all the women with him.¡± ¡°If you didn''t notice, he wasn''t hugging, kissing, or holding their hands. He only did that with the owner.¡± The other waitress said as she came over and handed her friend 2 gold. ¡°Your half of the tip.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°MY HALF?!?¡± The waitress yelled and stared at the two gold, and her friend laughed. Ren and his group left the restaurant and walked down the road. ¡°You know, you didn''t have to do that.¡± Artemis said, and Ren nodded. ¡°I didn''t have to, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°You felt the strength of that emotional spike, though.¡± ¡°I did.¡± Artemis said. ¡°She''s desperate to have someone to do that for her.¡± She said. ¡°I hope you realize that it shouldn''t be you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Oh, I know.¡± He said. ¡°I was just... well, for several brief moments... she did have someone that would do that for her.¡± ¡°You can''t be everyone''s one-and-only, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°There''s only one of you and only so much time in the day.¡± ¡°Ha... tell me about it, buddy.¡± Ren said as they arrived back at the house. ¡°Hey, Princess!¡± *BANG* *BANG* Princess had run through both her bedroom door and the front door of the house, and splinters of wood scattered everywhere. ¡°I suppose you''re eager to go.¡± Ren said and used some Mana to repair the damage and held out the plate of food for her. ¡°I know you can repair it with a thought, My King.¡± Princess said as she ate. ¡°Will you ride or fly?¡± ¡°Don''t be insulted if I choose to fly.¡± Ren said and the leather wings appeared behind his back and he unfurled them. ¡°I haven''t flown that far before.¡± ¡°I will pace you, My King.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and scratched her chin after he stored the empty plate. He turned and looked at the succubi and they had already polymorphed back into their normal forms. They spread their own leather wings and hovered in the air, then Suniva deployed her wings and fluttered up with them. Artemis floated up herself and Ren joined them. He nodded to Princess and they all took off up into the air. They were back at the county after approaching from the far side, so that his Aura wouldn''t cover the Main House or any of the buildings of the city, just in case the maids were out and about. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror and saw they were inside the apartment. ¡°With the interrupts in place, we could send someone in to talk to them.¡± Artemis said as they landed beside the roost the succubi lived in. ¡°I''ve thought about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°When the Sage of Ages told me it was a good idea to stay away from them because they would be hurt if I went near them, I''m worried that anyone near me that goes to them on my behalf might trigger the same thing.¡± ¡°I''m so sorry, Ren.¡± Artemis said and gave him a hug. ¡°At least you don''t have much longer to wait.¡± ¡°I''m going to try and stay busy until then.¡± Ren said and looked at the succubi. ¡°You can go up to the roost and visit the others if you want.¡± ¡°Thank you, My King.¡± Seldanna said and the 4 succubi took flight. ¡°You didn''t need my permission!¡± Ren said after them, and Seldanna waved his comment away. ¡°What are you planning to do first?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Well, I have this 300 foot by 300 foot pool that''s just sitting there.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also have these troughs that start at various places up at the top of the roost and end right here at the pool. I made them all twists and turns, and a couple of them even come close to crisscrossing.¡± ¡°They are also made of impenetrable rock.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Yeah, which means they''ll never wear down, break, or anything else if Water is being sloshed down them.¡± ¡°Water?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°I don''t remember the last time it rained out here.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°They aren''t giant rain gutters, Suniva. They are water slides.¡± ¡°Water what?¡± ¡°I''ll explain as I work.¡± Ren said, then told them what he was doing as he made an artificial floor out of Permanent Stone Wall spells and set it down inside the pool. He made stages in it as well. One part for wading in, one part for diving, and all along the side next to the roost he made it 10 feet deep to catch the people coming down from the slides. ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Suniva said. ¡°You mean Adventurers will climb up to the top of the roost, just so they can come right back down?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because it''s fun.¡± Ren said and used his Shaper spell to change a Stone Wall spell into a set of stairs, then repeated this all over the pool. ¡°Intentionally dropping yourself into a giant pool of Water is FUN?¡± Suniva asked and shivered. Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to scare you like that.¡± ¡°All Adventurers are crazy.¡± Suniva said and activated the spell stored in her armor''s breastplate twice. She shrunk down twice and was back to her normal size of 1 foot tall. ¡°I''m going home.¡± ¡°Try not to gloat too much, okay?¡± Ren asked, and she fluttered her wings and flew up, placed a kiss on his cheek, then laughed maniacally as she flew away like a bullet fired from a gun. ¡°I hope they don''t all try to mob you when they find out.¡± Artemis said, and Ren shrugged. ¡°I told Suniva to tell them she was a special case and that I couldn''t do the same thing with all of them.¡± Ren said and started to make benches, picnic tables, trash cans, chairs to recline in, and several Lifeguard towers. He thought about making a bunch of vendor booths for food, then wondered if he could find anyone to work them. He made 6 of them and placed them on the far side of the picnic tables so that they were far enough away from the pool area to not interfere with the fun, and close enough that you could easily see the fun being had. Ren made a dozen changing booths next with 6 stalls and curtains inside so people wouldn''t have to wait in line if they wanted to change out of sight of people. He knew they weren''t really necessary, since people could just equip their clothing; but, he also knew some people liked looking at themselves to make sure they looked good before appearing in public. He had to take out his shop tower to make the mirrors for them, then installed them. ¡°Okay, that''s done.¡± Ren said and looked around at his work. ¡°It looks like a real water park.¡± ¡°Do Adventurers have fake ones where you come from?¡± Teepo asked. Ren laughed. ¡°No, I just meant this could be one there.¡± He said. ¡°Now I need to set the steel squares at the tops of all the slides and add the stairs to the roost.¡± Ren flew up with Artemis to the top of the roost and made an area around the starts of the slides and added a steel square that was enchanted with enough Water runes to make a good flow of water for people to slide down. ¡°Now there''s only one thing left to do.¡± Ren said and activated all the runes. The water gushed out and covered the slides, and they watched the water flow down the slides and it spewed out the bottom and into the giant pool. ¡°It works.¡± Artemis said. ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± Ren said and equipped his swimming trunks. ¡°Wanna race?¡± Artemis chuckled and equipped her bikini. ¡°I''m going to kick your ass.¡± ¡°As if.¡± Ren deactivated the Water Walk effect and walked over to a slide. ¡°On three.¡± He said and got ready to jump. Artemis walked over to a different slide and waited, then she heard a clomping noise. ¡°Wait, what''s...¡± Princess trotted by them and jumped onto a slide. ¡°Three!¡± ¡°Hey! No fair!¡± Ren said and dove head first down his slide, and Artemis slid feet first down hers. Teepo chittered in laughter as Ren slid down the slide, went around several turns really fast, then shot out the bottom of the slide and skidded almost 15 feet before splashing down into the water. Ren swam back up to the surface and saw Artemis and Princess were already waiting for him. ¡°You cheater!¡± Ren laughed and Princess huffed and splashed him with one of her hooves. ¡°You said to go on three.¡± Artemis laughed. ¡°Princess just said it first.¡± They played around in the water for a few minutes, then activated their Water Walk effects and popped up out of the pool. Ren walked around the whole pool and checked to see that the overflow was being handled by the Anti-water glyphs he had installed behind grates on the shelf near the top of the pool. ¡°Everything looks good.¡± Ren said and deactivated the Water on the slides. ¡°Thanks for helping me test it.¡± Artemis walked over and hugged him from behind and her breasts rested on his shoulders. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± She said, and was glad that Teepo and Ren''s pet tarantula had seen her coming and skittered out of the way so she could do it. Ren closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her pressed around him like that. ¡°That feels nice.¡± ¡°Ren? It''s just about noon.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Thanks, buddy.¡± Ren said and looked at Princess. ¡°Can you go and get Suniva for me? We''re leaving.¡± ¡°Yes, My King.¡± Princess said and disappeared. Ren and Artemis walked over to the succubi roost and Seldanna, Ellaria, Katori and Chenoa were already floating down to meet him. ¡°We knew it was getting close to when you wanted to leave.¡± Seldanna said and the succubi landed in front of him. ¡°So, did anyone feel bad that you''re spending so much time with me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°They all do.¡± Ellaria said and smiled. ¡°Not enough to give up the people they found, though.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wouldn''t be happy about it if they did.¡± ¡°They know that, too.¡± Seldanna said. Ren looked at her quizzically. ¡°I hope they aren''t staying in their relationships just because of that.¡± He said. ¡°I want them to be happy. If they aren''t, I need to know about it.¡± Seldanna smiled. ¡°They are quite happy, My King.¡± She said. ¡°Don''t worry. They haven''t made contracts with their partners or are stuck in an unhappy partnership.¡± Ren relaxed. ¡°That''s good to hear.¡± ¡°I return, My King.¡± Princess said as she appeared beside him. Ren turned to see no less than 6 female pixies as they sat on the saddle and Suniva sat on Princess'' horned helmet, and he sighed. ¡°I don''t have the time to argue right now.¡± Ren said and formed the wings on his back. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ren took off into the air and the others followed him as they travelled back to Aurora and to his house in the Housing District. Chapter 645 - Dinner Plans Ren and his group landed at the house and went inside, and the pixies walked off of Princess'' saddle into the air and waited. Princess went into her room and Ren, Artemis, the succubi, and the pixies went up the stairs to the big bedroom. The succubi stored their bikini tops and climbed onto the double-sized bed, and Artemis laid down slightly away from them and kept her bikini on. ¡°Ren...¡± Suniva the pixie started to talk, and Ren raised a hand to stop her. ¡°I said I don''t have time to argue.¡± Ren said and quickly made 7 small beds and a shelf to put them on, then mounted them to the wall. ¡°I''ll be back in a day or two.¡± Suniva nodded and landed on the shelf. She was tempted to make herself large and get in the bed with Artemis, but she didn''t want to leave the other pixies alone. Ren stepped to the wall and sighed. ¡°Logout.¡± * ¡°Is he angry?¡± Shanna, the Earth pixie asked. ¡°He seems angry.¡± ¡°He isn''t angry.¡± Rainie, the Water Kin pixie said. ¡°He''s sad and disappointed.¡± Suniva, the Fire pixie sighed. ¡°I told you he wouldn''t like you coming along.¡± ¡°We want our wings back.¡± One of the others said. ¡°We''re each a different element, as agreed, so that we can discover if it will work for each of us.¡± ¡°If it does...¡± Another said. ¡°We can try and work out how to help everyone.¡± ¡°Ren won''t... he has...¡± Suniva sighed. ¡°He won''t do with you what he''s done with me.¡± ¡°Why not? We''re women, too.¡± Suniva sighed again. ¡°You''ll find out why when he gets back.¡± She said and sat down on the farthest bed, folded her wings into her armor and it closed over them. ¡°Make sure you stay away from the succubi.¡± ¡°We can hear you.¡± Ellaria said from below them. ¡°I know.¡± Suniva said and laid down. ¡°I suggest not leaving the house, either.¡± She said to the other pixies and closed her eyes. ¡°Ren might make you some armor if you''re lucky, or he might send you home through a portal.¡± She rolled onto her side to face away from them. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°It''s the middle of the day.¡± Shanna said in confusion. ¡°It''s always night for me when Ren isn''t here.¡± Suniva said and shivered slightly as she huddled into a ball. ¡°His warmth is gone and I miss it.¡± The other pixies exchanged looks because they had never seen Suniva be like this before, so they sat down on the other beds instead of running around like they wanted to. Teepo flew down and landed beside Suniva. ¡°He''ll be back before you know it.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Suniva said and scratched his carapace. ¡°You''re a good friend, Teepo.¡± ¡°Not all the time; but, I''m getting better at it.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°Me, too.¡± Suniva chuckled. ¡°Me, too.¡± * Ren slipped off the VR headset and Stella took it from him. ¡°You didn''t even flounder around or try to stay longer.¡± Stella said. ¡°I know how important tonight is for you.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Come on, smart-aleck.¡± Stella said and helped him out of bed. ¡°Shower and dressing up is in your near future.¡± Ren nodded and let her help him walk to the bathroom. She stripped him off and examined his chest after taking off the bandages, then helped him into the shower. She undressed herself and washed him completely, then rinsed him off. ¡°There, all clean.¡± Stella said and turned around to put the soap and sponges back on the shelf and hung up the shower''s rinsing head back on the mount. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What was the surprise you were going to give me?¡± Stella asked, and then she felt his hand on her backside. ¡°That''s not really a surpr-ahhh.¡± Ren slid his hand between her legs and touched her sensitive spot. ¡°So much tension.¡± He said and Stella leaned forward to brace against the wall and gave him easier access. ¡°Good god, look at that.¡± He said and kissed her there. Stella caught her breath as he very expertly made her finish in less than a minute. ¡°R-Ren, we... we should get you ready...¡± ¡°I''m already ready.¡± Ren said and she turned her upper body to look and saw his erection. ¡°I''ve saved it just for you.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Stella turned around completely and knelt to look at it closely. ¡°I told you not to leave it for so long.¡± ¡°I wanted as big of a present as I could muster.¡± Ren said and Stella touched him. He throbbed for her, and she smiled. ¡°You''re going to bust any second.¡± ¡°That''s your fault.¡± Ren said and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°My fault?¡± Stella asked, surprised. ¡°I always react like this for you, remember?¡± Ren smiled at her blush and leaned back against the wall to present himself for her. ¡°Please, make love to me.¡± ¡°Ren, you can''t do this for long.¡± Stella reached out and touched his damaged chest. ¡°I don''t want to hurt you.¡± ¡°You''ll never hurt me.¡± Ren said confidently. ¡°Now climb onto the Ren train before all the passengers decide they can''t wait to enter the station.¡± Stella snorted a laugh and positioned herself, then eased down onto him. She closed her eyes at the sensations, and her body gripped him very hard. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Stella moaned and moved slowly so she wouldn''t put any strain on Ren at all. Ren massaged her breasts as she pleasured herself, and he held himself in check until he felt her movements start to falter. He reached down between them and touched her, and she gasped as she finished. She leaned down and kissed him as she kept moving, and he took the cue and finished himself.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Stella moaned again as she felt Ren fill her up, and it just kept going. ¡°Ren... god.¡± She shook her head at the absurd amount he could generate in so short a time. ¡°I told you... I was saving it for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just... whew...¡± He said, and she chuckled. ¡°Oh, don''t laugh!¡± Stella couldn''t help it and she laughed, which contracted her abdominal muscles and those down lower, and it was Ren''s turn to gasp as she expertly used her body to make him finish again without even moving. ¡°That... that was... how the hell did you do that?¡± Ren asked as Stella carefully stood up. ¡°Tantric exercises.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ve been trying my best to find the best way to... well, you keep getting hurt and punishing your body, and it''s getting more difficult to be with you.¡± She said. ¡°So, I started looking into ways of not having to move much during sex and still have you enjoy it.¡± ¡°Stella, I love you so much.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°Hey, it''s no big deal.¡± Ren reached out and put a hand on her hip. ¡°You keep doing all these things for me that are so far outside your job description.¡± He said and held on as he sat up straight. ¡°I thought I was giving you a surprise, and then you give me one instead.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I can never thank you enough for everything, and I can''t express how much you mean to me.¡± Ren said. ¡°The words just don''t exist for that.¡± Stella turned away from him to get the soap and to hide her embarrassment. ¡°We need to clean you up again.¡± ¡°Why else do you think I waited for the shower?¡± Ren asked and pat her backside. ¡°I knew it was going to be a huge mess, just not how huge.¡± Stella chuckled and turned around. ¡°You''re awful.¡± ¡°You mean awfully good, right?¡± Ren asked with a big smile, and she knelt down and kissed him. ¡°Yes, that''s what I meant.¡± Stella said and washed him off again. She rinsed herself as well and they got out and dried off, and she took him out to the bedroom and the large closet. ¡°Okay, let''s think this through.¡± ¡°We should call Elise and get her up here.¡± Ren said. ¡°She loves dressing me up.¡± Stella nodded. ¡°Good idea.¡± She said and picked up the room phone and dialed the office. Half an hour later, Ren was dressed in a freshly-ironed white shirt with light blue pin-stripes, black dress pants, and a dark blue tie. He stood in front of the full length bathroom mirror and Elise asked him to do another full turn around. ¡°Yes, I think that''s the best we can do.¡± Elise said and ran her hands through his fluffy hair. ¡°You should let Stella cut a little more hair off the sides, though.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°There wouldn''t be enough left for you to run your hands through it.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°You look really handsome.¡± ¡°Thanks for helping me.¡± Ren said and looked at his watch. ¡°I''ve still got half an hour to wait.¡± He said and settled in the wheelchair, then Stella pushed him out into the hallway. ¡°I wonder how Lisa''s doing?¡± ¡°We forgot about Lisa!¡± Stella nearly yelled. ¡°I''m on it!¡± Elise said and ran to the elevator and stepped in. ¡°I''ll get Ren downstairs and on the couch in the big living room.¡± Stella said. * The elevator doors closed and Elise went up to the third floor and ran to Lisa''s room. She knocked on the door and there was no answer. She opened it up and saw a piece of clothing fly across the room. ¡°I don''t have anything to wear!¡± Lisa exclaimed as she tossed a short skirt across the room. ¡°Sweetie?¡± Elise said and entered the room. ¡°ELISE!¡± Lisa yelled and ran to her and started crying. ¡°Help me!¡± ¡°Shh, it''s okay.¡± Elise said and hugged her close. ¡°That''s why I''m here.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Lisa hiccuped and Elise walked with her over to the closet. ¡°Hmm. Okay, let''s see what we have here...¡± Elise said and stared to rummage through the closet. * Stella had to wait for the elevator to come back, then she took Ren down to the first floor and into the big living room to put him on the couch. ¡°Try not to move around too much.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ve got to check on supper.¡± ¡°No jumping on the bed for this little monkey.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Got it.¡± Stella shook her head and went to the kitchen to check on the food while Ren turned on the television to see what was on. He watched it for about 25 minutes, then he heard Stella come from the kitchen. ¡°The meal''s all ready.¡± Stella said and checked him over. ¡°You''re still looking good.¡± ¡°I''m an expert at sitting still, so you didn''t have to worry.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°I''m glad, because Lisa might freak out if you don''t look your best for her mother.¡± Stella said and Ren moved from the couch to the wheelchair. ¡°I know how important this is for...¡± Ren started to say, then the house phone rang twice. Stella picked it up. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± She said and hung up. ¡°The guard at the gate said he just let the car through.¡± ¡°I hope Lisa''s ready.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want to meet her mother alone.¡± ¡°Just a second.¡± Stella said and dialed Lisa''s room. It rang several times. ¡°There''s no answer.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren was surprised. ¡°There''s no time to check for her anywhere else.¡± Stella said and pushed the wheelchair out into the hallway and parked it against the wall near the elevator, then the elevator door opened. ¡°I hope that''s her.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°Her mother could be here any moment.¡± Lisa stepped out of the elevator and Ren''s mouth dropped open. Her shoulder length blonde hair was pulled back on one side and pinned into place. The other side was a mass of waves and highlighted her face to full effect. She wore a silky bright blue dress that hung to her knee and showed off a bit of cleavage, and shiny black shoes. Her outfit matched his outfit perfectly. ¡°B-b-beautiful.¡± Ren mumbled. Lisa''s face flushed to a deep red. ¡°Y-you look h-handsome.¡± The doorbell rang and Stella went over to the door and opened it. She hesitated for a moment at what she saw, then she stepped out of the way and held the door. ¡°Lisa?¡± A woman''s voice cut through the silence. ¡°Mother!¡± Lisa turned with a big smile and took a step forward, then stopped. ¡°N-no! Not you!¡± ¡°Is that any way to greet your father?¡± The man standing beside her mother said. ¡°So, this is where you''ve been hiding out.¡± He stepped inside and looked around the spacious lobby. ¡°Not bad.¡± ¡°Mother, what''s going on?¡± Lisa asked, then spoke through gritted teeth. ¡°He wasn''t invited.¡± ¡°I couldn''t just leave him at home, dear.¡± Lisa''s mother said and stepped inside as well. ¡°I was coming here to meet your live-in boyfriend. Who better to be here than your father?¡± ¡°Anyone else!¡± Lisa said as both of her parents came over to her. ¡°The neighbour! The mailman! Anyone!¡± ¡°Oh, don''t be like that.¡± Her mother dismissed her daughters concerns and gave her a hug. ¡°You look very pretty dear.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°That dress is a bit risque, isn''t it?¡± Her father asked. Lisa clamped her mouth shut and didn''t respond. ¡°Where is this man you''ve shacked up with?¡± He asked and looked around. Ren wondered if the man was always this arrogant and dismissive or if he was just making a good show for him. From what he could tell from Lisa''s reactions, he would have to bet on all the time. ¡°That would be me.¡± Ren said and stepped to the side so that her parents could see all of him. ¡°I''m Ren Haddon.¡± Her mother gasped and her father squinted his eyes. ¡°Surely you must be joking.¡± Her father said. Ren opened his mouth to respond and Stella slammed the front door. They all turned to look at her, and she walked over to them. ¡°If you would all like to come to the dining room, dinner will be served momentarily.¡± Stella said in her best servant voice and motioned down the hallway. Lisa''s father grunted and put a hand on his wife''s upper back, stepped around Lisa and Ren, then walked down the hallway. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± Lisa whispered to Ren and Stella. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°Stella stopped me from making a joke.¡± ¡°Ren, that''s not what I meant!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren ran a hand through the wavy side of her hair. ¡°I''ll do my best to save the rest of this evening.¡± ¡°I don''t think that''s possible.¡± Lisa said in a normal voice when she saw her parents go into the dining room. ¡°At least there''s no alcohol in the house.¡± ¡°Actually, there''s wine to go with the meal.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Lisa said and covered her face with both hands. ¡°Lisa, it''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I promise that no matter what happens tonight, I''m not going to like your father.¡± Lisa couldn''t help it and chuckled. ¡°That''s not funny.¡± ¡°Then let''s go and not be funny together.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°As long as you remember that no matter how bad things get, they will get worse.¡± Lisa snorted a laugh. ¡°That''s not helping.¡± ¡°How about this.¡± Ren leaned in close and gave her a kiss. ¡°I''m going to be right there by your side and we are going to wade through the chaos together.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°With Stella as backup, of course.¡± Lisa took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren sat down in the wheelchair and Stella pushed it to the end of the hallway and stopped just outside the door to the dining room. Lisa had held Ren''s hand the whole way and Ren stood up, then they walked into the room together. Chapter 646 - Dinner And A Show Ren and Lisa entered the dining room and saw it was slightly different. The large table had been shifted to the end of the room and the kitchen table was in it''s place. Stella had been smart and had put out the table settings on either side of the end of the medium-sized table. What she hadn''t anticipated was that Lisa''s parents had chosen to sit on either side of the table instead of on the same side. It didn''t matter where Ren or Lisa sat now, because either empty chair let them sit beside both parents. Ren led her to the closest one and she sat, and he walked around to the other side and sat down. He did his best not to groan like an old man when he did, despite the sharp pain he felt from his chest. He didn''t quite hide his wince, and suspected that Lisa''s father had noticed; but, at least her mother had been looking at Lisa instead. ¡°So, Mr. and Mrs. Everest.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please, I''m Mary and my husband is Jim.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°Did you enjoy the drive here?¡± ¡°It was damn long.¡± Jim said. ¡°It was pleasant enough.¡± Mary said at the same time. ¡°I had a hard time finding the place.¡± Jim continued as if his wife hadn''t spoken. ¡°I hope the food is good. I''ve worked up quite an appetite.¡± ¡°Stella is a great cook!¡± Lisa said with more enthusiasm than she felt. ¡°It''s going to taste great!¡± Jim grunted and Mary smiled. ¡°I''m sure it''s going to be fine, dear.¡± Mary said and pat Lisa''s hand. The word ''fine'' reminded Lisa of the acronym Ren had told her and she barked a laugh in her nervousness. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Mary asked her daughter. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Lisa said automatically, then laughed again. ¡°Lisa.¡± Jim said sternly, and Lisa''s face lost all of it''s expression. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Ren said, and the three of them looked at him. ¡°If Lisa wants to laugh at a joke, she can laugh as much as she wants.¡± ¡°No one made a joke.¡± Jim said. ¡°It''s an inside joke, one recently shared with people in this house.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll prove it when Stella comes in.¡± A moment later, Stella came into the living room with the service cart. It was covered in fancy cloth and doilies, and the trays were all sterling silver. She picked up the large bowl and put it in the center of the table, then removed the cover. Inside was finely whipped mashed potatoes and butter, and they looked delicious. ¡°Stella.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him. ¡°Lisa''s mother said the food is going to be fine.¡± ¡°HA HA!¡± Stella laughed and put the cover for the potatoes inside the cart. ¡°It''s going to be much better than that.¡± Ren glanced at Jim and Mary and saw their slightly bewildered faces. He had proven his point and smiled at them. Stella put a serving tray in front of Ren, then Mary, then Lisa, and then Jim. Stella grabbed the handle in front of Ren and lifted the silver cover. ¡°Ta-da!¡± The most delicious smell assaulted Ren''s nostrils as he looked at the well-cooked game hen and saw traces of bacon mixed into the crispy coating. ¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡± Ren said and took in another deep breath through his nose. ¡°Stella, you''re a genius!¡± ¡°Oh, you.¡± Stella waved his compliment away and stored the cover, then took the other covers and stored them inside the cart as well. ¡°I wasn''t sure what vegetables everyone liked, so there''s a smorgasbord in a train around the base of the bird.¡± Ren moved the plate and saw she was right. ¡°Wow, Stella. Thank you.¡± ¡°Wait until you taste it.¡± Stella said. ¡°Then you can thank me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll be too busy eating then.¡± Stella nodded and added a gravy bowl with ladle to the table, then moved the cart back out of the way and put fresh glasses of water on the table next to the wine glasses. Ren noted that Jim''s wine glass was already half empty and they hadn''t even started eating yet. The meal started officially when Jim reached for the mashed potatoes, and that made Ren relax. He knew Lisa wasn''t religious at all; but with the way she talked about her father, it was hard to tell if the man was going to spout scripture from the bible or verses from the Book of the Dead. Ren smiled at that, and Lisa smiled back. We will get through this. Ren thought to her, and she nodded slightly as if she had heard him. Everyone put potatoes and gravy on their plates and started eating the great food Stella had prepared. ¡°Okay, I have to admit this is good.¡± Jim said and took a big bite out of a chicken leg. ¡°Great gravy, too.¡± ¡°I love gravy.¡± Ren said and ate a spoonful of potatoes and gravy. ¡°It''s best over french fries, in my opinion.¡± Jim grunted and kept eating. Ren glanced at Lisa and she gave him a slight shrug because of the aborted attempt at small talk, then the four of them kept eating. Eventually Ren had to push his plate away and sat back in the chair. Lisa wasn''t far behind him, but Mary and Jim kept eating. Ren and Lisa watched as they helped themselves to more mashed potatoes and gravy, and Jim was almost done of his second glass of wine. Stella hadn''t refilled it, though. Jim had taken the one by Lisa before she had a chance to stop him. Ren had his in his hands and had pretended to take a sip from it, then placed it on the table as far away from Jim as possible. Mary had almost all of hers gone, too. Jim and Mary eventually had their fill of food and sat back in their chairs like Ren and Lisa had. Stella brought the cart over and loaded it up with all of the dishes, including the glasses of wine. Jim downed the last of what was supposed to be Lisa''s wine and Stella took that glass as well. ¡°I''ll be right back with dessert.¡± Stella said. ¡°Oh, none for me. I''m stuffed.¡± Mary said and looked at her husband. ¡°What is it?¡± Jim asked. ¡°Golden pound cake with a crumble topping, strawberry filling, and a semi-sweet chocolate sauce as a glaze with white sprinkles.¡± Stella said, and saw everyone''s eyes widen. ¡°Sure.¡± Jim said. ¡°It sounds delicious.¡± Ren said, and Lisa nodded. Stella looked at Mary and saw her struggling with the decision. ¡°I''ll bring a small piece in case someone changes their mind.¡± Mary''s face turned slightly red and Stella left with the serving cart. She was back less than a minute later with a large serving tray and four plates. Three of them were full-sized desserts and one was cut in half. She served the desserts and stepped back from the table to wait. They all ate the very tasty dessert and Ren fought his urge to lick the plate and eat the spilled toppings. He glanced at Stella, and she had a huge smile on her face and shook her head at him. Ren sighed and pushed the plate away, then Lisa, Mary and Jim slid their plates away, too.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I would really like the recipe for that.¡± Mary said as Stella came over to clear the second set of dishes away. ¡°I''m sure something could be arranged.¡± Stella said and gathered the plates and utensils up quickly and piled them on the tray. Ren was glad that Jim had waited for Stella to leave before he spoke. ¡°Lisa told us you were 19, so I can''t complain that she''s living with some kid; but, you look younger than that and you''re really short.¡± Jim said. ¡°What''s wrong with you?¡± ¡°JIM!¡± Mary yelled. ¡°What? It''s an honest question.¡± ¡°Ren, don''t answer him.¡± Lisa said and glared at her father. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren smiled at her and looked at her father. ¡°I was experimented on by my parents since I was a little boy. The doctors said that they weren''t sure if it was a genetic defect, a freak of nature, or because of the experiments. All they did know was that I''ll never get any taller or look any older.¡± ¡°That''s a crock of shit.¡± Jim said. ¡°They can do a simple DNA test, can''t they?¡± ¡°They did, and a chromosome analysis, and every other blood and fluid test you can ever imagine.¡± Ren said and tried not to get angry. ¡°It was almost as bad as what my parents did to me, actually.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Lisa tried to tell him to stop, and he held a hand up. ¡°I need to get this out in the open.¡± Ren said and looked at Mary, then back at Jim. ¡°They did every test they were legally allowed to do... and a few not so legal ones.¡± Mary caught her breath and Lisa''s eyes started to tear up. ¡°They didn''t find anything.¡± Ren said, and Mary relaxed. ¡°I''ve gone over my own medical records since then and I agree. No DNA tampering, no extra or missing chromosomes, and nothing suspicious... except for my faster beating heart and increased blood production.¡± ¡°What would that do?¡± Jim asked. ¡°I can get hurt and bruise much easier than normal, and physical exertion really drains my stamina.¡± Ren said. ¡°The degenerative damage to my tendons and ligaments was from the experiments, though.¡± ¡°Degener-what?¡± ¡°I have weak joints and they sprain and break easily.¡± Ren said. Jim turned to Lisa. ¡°What the hell are you doing with this freak?¡± ¡°JIM!¡± Mary yelled. ¡°What? He just said he''s a wreck.¡± Jim said. ¡°How is he going to make her happy?¡± ¡°He''s already made me happy!¡± Lisa exclaimed. ¡°I love him!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Jim asked. ¡°What makes him so likeable?¡± ¡°That''s who he is!¡± Lisa said. ¡°He''s caring, loving, and all he wants is to make me happy!¡± ¡°How much is he paying you?¡± Jim asked. ¡°EXCUSE ME?!?¡± Lisa stood up and threw her napkin down. ¡°It''s not like he can have a physical relationship with you.¡± Jim said. ¡°There must be another reason why you left home and are living in a mansion rent free.¡± ¡°You are such an asshole!¡± Lisa nearly yelled. ¡°Shut your mouth, young lady!¡± Jim said and stood up. ¡°Actually, she was just recently hired as the Assistant to Household Affairs.¡± Ren said, and the three of them turned their heads to look at him. ¡°You see, I know all about her home life, her academic life, and her work history.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Lisa''s tears started to flow. This dinner was going exactly the way she thought it would. ¡°I gave her a place to live because I cared about her welfare. I gave her a warm and welcoming environment so she knew I cared about her. Even with that, it took a long time for love to develop between us.¡± Ren said. ¡°I knew then that what I was doing wasn''t going to be enough to keep helping her.¡± Lisa sniffed and wiped at her eyes. ¡°So, I came up with a job for her.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was some of the things she was doing without thinking about it anyway, until I tried to mention it to her.¡± He smiled. ¡°I almost blew it right there.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Lisa took a quick breath and let it out. ¡°I didn''t try to push or even mention the job after that; then thankfully, she settled back into the routine of helping everyone when they needed it. It was great seeing her talking, laughing, and being happy.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you''re happy doing the work, why not get paid for it?¡± ¡°But... I haven''t...¡± Lisa covered her mouth. Ren chuckled. ¡°Payday is always on Fridays.¡± ¡°T-tomorrow?¡± Lisa asked as she sat down, and Ren nodded. ¡°Normally, an employer can keep the first two weeks as a deposit to ensure consistent service; but, since you''ve only been recently hired and don''t really have any other income, my financial advisor decided that we can forgo that policy.¡± ¡°Financial advisor?¡± Jim looked like he was chewing on something as he sat back down, too. ¡°You don''t think I could run this place without one, do you?¡± Ren asked and chuckled again. ¡°I have a financial advisor, a public relations specialist, three full time nurses, one of which doubles as the Head of Household Affairs, and now I have an assistant for her.¡± ¡°You... have a... staff.¡± Mary said. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not to mention all of the security outside.¡± ¡°What is that for?¡± Jim asked. ¡°Protection, obviously.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why else would you need security?¡± No one said anything for several moments, and Ren looked at Lisa. ¡°Lisa, can you go to the kitchen and ask Stella to make some coffee?¡± Ren asked. He saw Mary''s wince out of the corner of his eye. ¡°Maybe a small pot of tea, too.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren waited until Lisa had left the room and the door had shut, and he looked at Jim. ¡°Why haven''t you told her?¡± ¡°Told her what?¡± Jim asked. ¡°Please, don''t insult me again.¡± Ren said and looked at Mary. ¡°Is that why he kept beating you both constantly?¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Mary looked like a deer caught in the headlights. ¡°I... I don''t know what you''re talking about.¡± Ren sighed and looked back at Jim. ¡°Look, I know you know.¡± ¡°I don''t know what you''re talking about.¡± Jim repeated the line his wife just said, and frowned. ¡°It''s taken me this whole meal to work it out.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been comparing both of your facial structures and matching them up to Lisa''s. Mary has quite a few similarities, and I can see why Lisa is so cute.¡± He said, and Mary''s face flushed a little red. ¡°Jim on the other hand, has absolutely none in common with Lisa. That can''t physically happen unless Jim is not her father.¡± ¡°Now look here, you!¡± Jim said and stood up. ¡°I am her father!¡± ¡°Not biologically.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unfortunately, not in the other consideration, either.¡± Jim reached down and grabbed Ren by the front of his shirt and easily picked him up. ¡°JIM!¡± Mary stood as well. ¡°Let him go!¡± ¡°Listen, you little pipsqueak.¡± Jim growled into Ren''s face. ¡°I''m her father. No one else. Me.¡± ¡°You asked me earlier what was wrong with me, and I told you honestly.¡± Ren said. ¡°Will you answer the same question? What is wrong with you?¡± Jim''s grip tightened and Ren felt pain in his chest. He didn''t show it, though. He knew it was very important that he didn''t. ¡°Why beat such a beautiful little girl?¡± Ren asked him. ¡°What could she have possibly done to a big, strong man like you?¡± Jim just stared at Ren and still didn''t respond. ¡°She didn''t do anything at all, did she? It was who she was that made you so angry; or I should say, who she wasn''t.¡± ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Jim said and shook him several times. ¡°JIM!¡± Mary yelled. ¡°What''s all the yelling...¡± Stella tossed the tray of coffee and tea aside when she saw that Jim held Ren up off the floor by his shirt. ¡°Let him go right this instant!¡± She said and shoved her hand into her pocket and hit the panic button. ¡°DAD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?¡± Lisa yelled from behind Stella, and Stella turned and pulled Lisa to the side of the room and held her. ¡°I''m trying to get this little shit to shut up about things he doesn''t understand.¡± Jim said through gritted teeth. A moment later, a man''s gruff voice broke into the silence. ¡°SIR! I suggest you put Mr. Haddon down right now.¡± The gruff voice said. ¡°Very, very gently.¡± Jim turned to look at where the voice came from, and saw two security guards in the doorway. One stood and the other knelt on one knee, and both had their guns drawn and pointed right at him. ¡°Don''t shoot!¡± Lisa and her mother Mary cried out at the same time. The tears on their faces that flowed in a constant stream matched as well. Two more guards appeared in the hallway behind the two in the doorway, then the two windows in the side of the room opened up and an armed guard peered into each of them. ¡°You are surrounded, sir.¡± The gruff voice said. ¡°Let. Him. Go.¡± Jim didn''t take his eyes off of the two security guards and opened his hands. Ren had been prepared for this and braced for what was going to happen. His feet hit the floor and he bent his knees to try and lessen the impact; unfortunately, he was too close to the table leg and whacked his knee. Everyone winced at the loud wooden thump sound it made, and Ren grunted from pain and tried to sit down. Unfortunately, since that knee could no longer support his weight properly, Ren overcompensated when trying to balance and plunked down hard on the wooden chair. He gasped loudly from that impact and took in a huge breath, which hurt his chest even more than being held up by it did. He coughed in response, which made it worse, and he grabbed onto the table to hold himself steady and to stop himself from sliding off of the chair. However, all he really wanted to do was curl up in a little ball. ¡°REN!¡± Lisa yelled. ¡°I''m... fine.¡± Ren managed to say through the pain; but, neither Stella nor Lisa laughed at the joke. ¡°Step away from the table, sir.¡± The gruff voice said, and Jim stepped back and away from Ren. Stella and Lisa went over to him. ¡°Ren, can you sit back and let go of the table?¡± Stella asked as she knelt by the chair. ¡°M-maybe.¡± Ren said, and she helped him ease back to rest on the back of the chair. She saw a little bit of blood on the side of his shirt. ¡°Oh, damn!¡± Stella said and took off his tie and started to open his shirt. ¡°What is it?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°I think one of those tiny rib fractures became a break and...¡± Stella pulled his shirt out of the way and saw a small wound. ¡°Yes, it punctured the skin.¡± ¡°The police are on their way.¡± One of the guards in the hallway said. ¡°P-police?¡± Mary looked around frantically. ¡°Call an ambulance, too.¡± Stella said. ¡°I can''t set this without knowing how much damage there is.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I didn''t do that.¡± Jim said as the security guards handcuffed him. ¡°Yes, you did.¡± Stella said. ¡°Lifting Ren up by his shirt compressed his chest.¡± ¡°How was I supposed to know that?¡± Jim asked. ¡°He didn''t yell or anything.¡± ¡°I... didn''t want... to give you...¡± Ren panted. ¡°...the satisfaction of... hurting me.¡± ¡°Ren don''t talk.¡± Stella said. ¡°Depending on if that rib shattered or not, a piece of bone might get in your lung.¡± Ren nodded, and they all waited for the police and the ambulance to show up. Chapter 647 - After-Dinner Party It didn''t take long for the police to show up, much to everyone''s surprise. Two squad cars had parked in the driveway and the security guards had ushered the 4 policemen into the house and to the large dining room. They started asking questions about what was going on, and then the ambulance showed up. The two paramedics rushed into the house and over to the dining room, unceremoniously elbowed everyone out of the way, then set up their equipment beside Ren. ¡°What happened?¡± The female paramedic asked as her eyes did a quick once-over Ren and saw the wound. Stella looked at Ren and he told the paramedics that certain words were exchanged, then Jim became upset and picked Ren up by his shirt. ¡°He already had several micro-fractures from having CPR performed the other day, and this exacerbated his already weakened ribs.¡± Stella said. ¡°I only found one external protrusion, but internally...¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The female paramedic said and looked at her partner. ¡°Add the extra support pads to the stretcher so we can keep the pressure off of his chest.¡± ¡°On it.¡± The guy said and stood up to flip several different pads up from the sides and used velcro strips to hold them in place. ¡°That''s neat.¡± Ren said, then winced when the female paramedic prodded him near the wound. ¡°Only minor leakage, so no large blood vessels close to the skin were damaged.¡± She said and put a stethoscope in her ears, huffed on the end and rubbed it with her palm, then touched it to Ren''s chest. ¡°Shallow breath, please.¡± Ren took in a small breath and let it out, then did it again. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± She asked. ¡°For warming the stethoscope up first.¡± The female paramedic smiled and he did a few more breaths. ¡°I can''t hear any fluid build up or gurgling, so no major lung damage right now.¡± She said and used her fingers to probe the large bruise on his chest. ¡°Does it hurt anywhere else?¡± ¡°Only where you poke it.¡± Ren said and smiled at her, and she chuckled. ¡°I have to check.¡± ¡°The only difference in pain is where the blood is.¡± Ren said. ¡°Everything else seems the same.¡± ¡°You make it sound like you''re in pain all the time.¡± She said and kept checking him over, then she frowned when he didn''t deny her statement and she looked at his face. ¡°You are?¡± ¡°Pretty much all the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m used to it.¡± The female paramedic leaned back and looked at Stella, then looked at Ren. ¡°You''re serious.¡± Ren shrugged a little and gasped. ¡°Dammit, don''t move.¡± She said. ¡°You could shove that shard right out, or back into the chest cavity.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Don''t apologize. Just stay still.¡± The female paramedic said and looked at her partner. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°There''s no easy way to transfer him.¡± The guy said. ¡°No matter how we move him, it''s going to affect the wound.¡± ¡°I know.¡± She said. ¡°Best case scenario?¡± ¡°Pull the chair out and lift it up to the same height as the stretcher, slide him over, then lay him down.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± She said and looked at Ren. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°Step back.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°If I hurt myself, you won''t be liable for it.¡± Ren put his hands on the table and pushed, which moved the chair he was sitting on, out far enough for him to stand. ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°Stella I need an extra leg.¡± Ren said and Stella was there to grab his hip as he used his hands to pull himself up into a standing position. ¡°Stop!¡± The female paramedic said and saw his knee. ¡°Your kneecap is dislocated!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stella? On two.¡± Stella nodded and Ren took a step towards the stretcher. ¡°One, two. One, two.¡± Stella acted like his leg and Ren made it to the stretcher and sat on the edge of it. ¡°Okay, now extra hands.¡± Ren said, and Stella motioned to the paramedics. They shook their heads and went to him, and Stella let them take Ren''s weight as she carefully lifted both of his legs. They turned him as one on the stretcher and then laid him down. He sighed as the pads held him firmly and he looked up at the paramedics. ¡°That was amazingly stupid.¡± The female paramedic said, and Stella quickly stuck her fingers into Ren''s mouth to stop him from laughing. ¡°Don''t.¡± Stella said. ¡°No joking, remember?¡± ¡°Wowwy.¡± Ren said, and she pulled her fingers out. ¡°You can''t laugh, either.¡± Stella said and used her other hand to touch his forehead and rubbed the top of his head. The paramedics used more velcro strips to secure Ren to the stretcher where they could. When the guy tried to put one across Ren''s chest, Ren caught his wrist. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I need to put at least one across your chest.¡± The guy said. ¡°I said no.¡± Ren said. ¡°Strap my arms down instead.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Put it over my shoulders like a backpack if you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am not riding in the back of a bouncing ambulance with a strap across my fractured chest.¡± The guy looked at his partner, and she shrugged. ¡°As long as he''s secure, we''re covered.¡± The female paramedic said. The guy nodded and used the adjustable straps to put them around his shoulders and upper arms to hold him in place. ¡°Lisa.¡± Ren said, and she was right there with him and held his hand. ¡°Come with me.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Lisa said. ¡°No, you aren''t.¡± Jim said. The security guys had transferred Jim to police custody and had even changed handcuffs. ¡°I want you out of this house right now.¡± ¡°I''m a grown woman! You can''t tell me what to do anymore!¡± ¡°I am your father!¡± Jim nearly yelled. ¡°You will do as I say or by god...¡± ¡°You should be quiet, Mr. Everest.¡± The police officer beside him said. ¡°If you finish that threat in our presence, we will have to treat you accordingly.¡± ¡°Will it be different than how you''re treating me now?¡± Jim asked. ¡°You''re all just standing here and not even asking what''s going on.¡± ¡°Why don''t you tell us what''s going on?¡± The officer asked.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°The little prick intentionally provoked me!¡± Jim said. ¡°He said he wanted me arrested for assault and had it all planned out!¡± Stella, Lisa, and Mary gasped, all for different reasons. ¡°We have to get him to the hospital.¡± The female paramedic said. ¡°Laying down isn''t helping with his breathing, especially if fluid does seep into his lungs.¡± The cops and security stepped out of the way and the paramedics pushed and pulled the stretcher to the doorway. ¡°W-wait.¡± Ren said, and they stopped by the police. ¡°I don''t... want to press... charges.¡± ¡°That''s very stupid of you, young man.¡± The cop closest to him said. ¡°It''s a good thing it''s not up to you.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Get him to the hospital.¡± The cop said and the paramedics took the stretcher out of the living room. Stella reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone and a handful of money. ¡°Lisa, take these.¡± She said and handed them to the startled young woman. ¡°I''ll bring you your phone later.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lisa said and gripped the phone and money tightly as she left the living room with the paramedics. ¡°You can''t just let him leave without getting his confession!¡± Jim said. ¡°The crime scene is still fresh!¡± A couple of the cops shook their heads and one chuckled. ¡°We''ve got another couch potato cop on our hands.¡± The officer said. ¡°This is going to be fun.¡± His partner said, sarcastically. ¡°Hey, you can''t just...¡± Jim tried to keep talking and the cop holding him sighed. ¡°Don''t make this worse for yourself.¡± The cop said. ¡°I hope he does make it worse for himself.¡± Stella said crossly. ¡°He wasn''t even supposed to be here!¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± The cop looked at his partner, who was writing everything down. ¡°Why was that?¡± ¡°Lisa invited her mother, and her mother only, over to meet Ren for the first time.¡± Stella said. ¡°That''s a lie!¡± Jim said. ¡°Shut up.¡± The cop said and looked back at Stella. ¡°Please, continue.¡± ¡°When the doorbell rang, I opened the door and saw him.¡± Stella said. ¡°Like Ren, I know what he''s done to his wife and daughter. I should have slammed the door right in his face.¡± ¡°What did he do to them?¡± One of the other cops asked. ¡°I''m not breaking a confidence with this, since you should have extensive records for their domestic abuse.¡± Stella said. ¡°I won''t comment on the kind of person he would have to be to beat a woman and her child.¡± ¡°Harold? What do you have on Mr. Everest?¡± The cop asked. ¡°She''s right. Numerous domestic abuse calls.¡± Harold said and clicked off his station microphone. ¡°Drug paraphernalia, alcohol and substance abuse across the board, battery, trespassing, you name it.¡± ¡°Wow, a real repeat offender.¡± The cop said and looked back at Stella. ¡°Why didn''t you slam the door in his face?¡± ¡°We had this whole night planned for weeks and it kept getting put off.¡± Stella sighed. ¡°Then... Ren had a heart attack only a couple of days ago, and... well...¡± ¡°You thought it might be the only time they would meet.¡± One of the cops said, and Stella nodded. ¡°He''s been getting hurt a lot more often lately... mostly through no one''s fault... and I wasn''t sure if we could delay the dinner again.¡± Stella looked at Mary. ¡°Not and risk never having it.¡± Mary covered her mouth and hid her gasp. ¡°So, this was all fake?¡± Jim asked and looked around. ¡°You went to a lot of trouble to put on a good show.¡± He said. ¡°Are you just renting the place? Are you only giving him a nice home because the little idiot''s dying?¡± ¡°Geezus! Remember that you have the right to remain silent! Use it!¡± The cop said to Jim, then gave sad eyes to Stella. ¡°I''m sorry, Ma''am.¡± ¡°It''s okay. I''m kind of at fault for his belligerence.¡± Stella said. ¡°I already had wine on the table for the meal, which I wouldn''t have served had I known he was coming.¡± ¡°Oho!¡± Harold the cop said. ¡°He just broke one of the conditions of his release.¡± ¡°No alcohol?¡± The cop holding him asked, and Harold nodded. ¡°Well, at least I can guarantee that he won''t be out on bail in the morning.¡± ¡°You can''t do that!¡± Jim nearly yelled. ¡°I didn''t do anything, sir.¡± The cop said and smiled. ¡°A violation of your conditions is an automatic 30 days in the county jail.¡± ¡°You bastards!¡± Jim said and looked at Stella. ¡°Charge her for giving it to me!¡± The cop laughed. ¡°That only works if you''re a minor and under the legal age to drink.¡± ¡°They set me up, goddammit!¡± Jim said and started to struggle, which was a huge mistake. He was immediately tackled by all four of the police officers and two of the security guards. ¡°GET OFFA ME!¡± One of the cops grunted as Jim kicked his feet out, and the fight was on. Stella and Mary watched in shock as the 6 men had a hard time trying to subdue Jim. ¡°Stop struggling or you will be tased!¡± One of the officers said, and he clicked his station microphone. He whispered a short sentence, then nodded. ¡°We have a go for Drive Stun.¡± ¡°Taser! Taser! Taser!¡± His partner said and held his taser against Jim''s side and pulled the trigger. Jim''s whole body locked up and trembled from the direct electrical stimulation for several seconds, then the cop turned off the taser. Jim sighed as he laid still and didn''t struggle anymore. The cops and security guards let him go and sat up. They looked like they were breathing heavy, and Stella was tempted to ask them if they wanted something to drink. ¡°Get him out of here.¡± One of them said as they all stood up, then they bent down together to pick Jim up. ¡°Who''s parked in back?¡± Harold raised his hand. ¡°You''re the taxi.¡± ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± Harold said and took Jim''s arm. ¡°Let''s go.¡± ¡°Ma''am? We''re sorry about the floor.¡± The cop said and Stella looked down at the scuffs and scratches in the hardwood. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m sure the rental insurance will cover at least part of it.¡± The cop said. ¡°You mean home owner''s insurance.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s not a rental. Ren owns it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The cop reached up and scratched his head. ¡°Where did he... no, I shouldn''t ask that.¡± ¡°If you think it was from a settlement for what happened to him, you''re wrong.¡± Stella said. ¡°That money was stolen long before he bought this house with his own money.¡± The other cops and Mary stared at her with wide eyes. ¡°I guess you don''t watch a lot of television.¡± Stella said. ¡°Well, if you want to know how he bought this house, change the channel on your television to Channel 8 tomorrow night at 7 pm.¡± ¡°He has a television show?¡± The cop asked. ¡°What''s it about?¡± ¡°Watch and find out.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°Now, I assume there are lots of questions you need to ask.¡± ¡°Uh, yes, ma''am.¡± The cop said. ¡°First off...¡± ¡°Questions won''t be necessary.¡± Elise said with a very cold voice from the doorway. Everyone turned and looked at her, and you could see the seething anger in her eyes. She stalked into the room and no one even breathed until she stopped beside the officer in front of Stella, then she held up a portable thumb drive. The cop''s hand shook as he reached for the tiny device. ¡°What...¡± ¡°Full video and audio from the cameras.¡± Elise said in the same cold voice and pointed to the tiny cameras tucked next to the ceiling in the corners of the room. ¡°Our public relations agent had the wonderful idea to record this momentous occasion for Ren, Lisa, and Mary to keep and enjoy watching later.¡± The cop imagined ice coming out of her mouth as she spoke. ¡°How fortunate we are that it caught the entire thing.¡± Elise almost spat. ¡°Unfortunately, it is not a completely enjoyable show.¡± ¡°I... I''m sure it''s not.¡± The cop said and handed the thumb drive to his partner. ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Ren''s financial advisor, Elise Stanford.¡± ¡°Did you witness the events that took place?¡± The cop asked. ¡°No, I was busy with other things, then thought about checking the software to make sure it was recording properly.¡± Elise said. ¡°I only saw the very end, then prepared the various video files for transfer.¡± The cop nodded. ¡°Thank you for that.¡± He said and turned to Stella. ¡°Can you describe...¡± ¡°I said no questions.¡± Elise spat at him. ¡°We are going to the hospital to be with Ren. If you have any questions after we return home with him, then you can ask them.¡± ¡°But...¡± The cop tried to speak and Elise cut him off. ¡°Barbara, Donald and Denise are already in the Hummer, Stella. Let''s go.¡± ¡°Excuse me.¡± Stella said to the cop and turned to Mary. ¡°Security will see you out when the police are done with you.¡± She said. ¡°The cops have evidence of what really happened, so there''s no point in lying about it.¡± She reminded her and followed Elise out of the living room. The police and Mary watched them go and no one tried to stop them. * ¡°Lisa, I...¡± ¡°Shh. Don''t talk, Ren.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You heard what Stella said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°If you keep talking...¡± The female paramedic sighed. ¡°...I''m going to ask what you said to that man to set him off like that.¡± ¡°That''s what... I want to say.¡± Ren said, and Lisa held his hand. ¡°I was... being stupid.¡± ¡°Ren, don''t.¡± Lisa said and wiped at her eyes. ¡°That''s... great mascara.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It hasn''t... run or... smudged yet.¡± ¡°You know I can put you to sleep.¡± The female paramedic said without taking her eyes off the monitoring equipment. ¡°Stop talking.¡± ¡°Lisa, I... it''s not my secret to tell, but... I know...¡± ¡°I don''t care what you know, Ren.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I don''t care if you goaded him, or kicked his shin, or even spit in his face.¡± She said. ¡°All I know is, no matter what you did, he couldn''t stop himself from hurting you. He knew how easily you could be hurt, Ren. You told him that... and he manhandled you anyway.¡± ¡°Lisa...¡± ¡°Even if all he did was bruise you by picking you up, that was still too much, because he did it intentionally.¡± Ren heard the confidence in her voice and only a trace of anger. ¡°The guard said to put you down gently, because Dad had you up off the floor... all he did was let you go.¡± Lisa shook her head. ¡°With the cops there now, I hope that he does something really stupid.¡± She said, and leaned over to give him a kiss on the lips. ¡°No one is allowed to hurt you, Ren.¡± ¡°I was... going to say... the same thing... to him... about you.¡± Ren panted. ¡°I''m picking up the needle with the anaesthetic.¡± The female paramedic said and Ren''s automatic physical response kicked in. The machines beeped loudly and he started to tremble in fear and gasp for breath, which was really bad for his current injuries. ¡°What-¡± She started to say. ¡°SHUT UP YOU BITCH!¡± Lisa yelled at the woman and cut her off. ¡°He''s afraid of needles!¡± ¡°I... I''m sorry. I...¡± ¡°...didn''t know. Yeah, that''s a great excuse!¡± Lisa said. ¡°You just sit there and keep your mouth shut, okay? Do your job and stop trying to be funny! It''s not helping!¡± She turned to Ren and put her mouth by his ear and talked to him. Ren''s breathing slowed and he stopped shaking as he calmed down and the machines calmed down as well. She kissed his cheek and pet his hair, and kept whispering sweet nothings to him for the remainder of the ride to the hospital. Chapter 648 - No Place Like Home Ren spent the next 24 hours in the hospital getting checked over. After the doctor made a joke about setting a room aside and having them start to pay room and board, Ren told Elise he was leaving. She had him signed out and released an hour later and loaded him into her Hummer H2. Ren had to sit in the back seat and he could only use the lap belt and not the full seat belt, because it could cause even more damage to his chest. Lisa sat beside him on one side and Stella sat on the other, while Barbara, Donald, and Denise had already left in a taxi. ¡°I''m really glad the rib was a clean break and wasn''t shattered.¡± Ren said and carefully touched the heavily-bandaged wound. ¡°Getting it pushed back into place and getting stitches wasn''t fun, though.¡± ¡°It wasn''t for us, either.¡± Elise said and looked at his bandaged and braced kneecap. ¡°I can''t believe there''s nothing they can do for that.¡± ¡°Yeah, dislocating a kneecap is weird because there''s not much holding it in place.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m glad there wasn''t any major damage and it didn''t need a splint or a full cast. That would suck.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Not being able to walk for the next 6 weeks is going to suck, especially since you can''t use crutches.¡± ¡°Actually, that part I don''t mind so much.¡± Ren said and looked at Elise. ¡°The part I do mind is that we can''t go shopping for new clothes.¡± ¡°Sweetheart, don''t worry about that.¡± Elise said and leaned in to give him a quick kiss. ¡°We always take you in a wheelchair anyway.¡± ¡°But, I can''t model them for you.¡± Ren said a little sadly, and she caressed his cheek. ¡°You asked for me as soon as you needed to get dressed yesterday, then you let me dress you up and didn''t complain once.¡± Elise said happily. ¡°My fetish was well and truly fed for a while.¡± Lisa and Stella laughed, and Elise looked at them with a twinkle in her eye. ¡°You two are his designated seat belts, so keep him safe.¡± ¡°You can count on us.¡± Lisa said, and Stella nodded. Elise touched both of their knees as she passed and closed the door, then climbed into the front driver''s seat. It was a long slow ride back to the house, but it was also enjoyable. Everyone was in a good mood now that Ren was doing much better. They arrived back at the house and Denise was waiting in the driveway with the wheelchair, and it had the attachment to keep Ren''s leg up. They transferred him to a wheelchair without incident, then took Ren inside the house and up to his bedroom. Once settled onto the bed, Ren quietly reminded Elise that it was payday and she pat his shoulder. ¡°I''ve got to get to the office.¡± Elise said. ¡°I worked as much as I could from my cell phone, but now that I''m home, I''ve got a few things I can only do from here.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± Ren said and looked at his watch. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Lisa asked, concerned. ¡°We missed watching my show.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s about the only time I can be with you all at the same time.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°You know Barbara recorded it.¡± ¡°So did I.¡± Elise said. ¡°I always do.¡± ¡°We can all watch it tomorrow.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It will have to wait until I''m not busy.¡± Ren said, and they laughed. ¡°You mean after your big fight?¡± Stella asked, and he nodded. ¡°We''ll schedule it for tomorrow afternoon, once we make sure Barbara is awake and can watch it with us.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Now get out of here and go relax somewhere.¡± ¡°Geez, are you trying to get rid of them?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I figure they''re getting tired of staring at my magnificence and need a break.¡± Ren said, and they all laughed. ¡°What? It''s true!¡± He exclaimed, and they laughed harder. ¡°Your poor eyes can''t handle all of me!¡± Stella gave a huge snort of laughter and that made everyone laugh that much harder. ¡°Oh... oh, god.¡± She said a few moments later. ¡°You are such a horrible liar.¡± ¡°You know, it took me years of practice to...mhmm.¡± Ren started to say, and Denise covered his mouth. ¡°Where''s that big hook thing they use to pull terrible acts off the stage?¡± Denise asked. ¡°We need one, stat!¡± ¡°We better go before he bites her and keeps talking.¡± Stella said. ¡°You be good.¡± She said to Ren, and he nodded. Elise leaned over the edge of the bed to give Ren a kiss on the cheek, then Lisa did the same thing. Stella, Elise, and Lisa left the bedroom and shut the door behind them. ¡°Ren, I''m so sorry.¡± Denise said, and he looked at her. Her face was sad and tears crept to the corner of her eyes. ¡°If I hadn''t been so rough with you...¡± ¡°Hmm mmm.¡± Ren mumbled and reached out with a hand and caressed her face. ¡°Hm hmmm hmm.¡± Denise moved her hand from his mouth and pet his hair. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Don''t worry. I love you.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°You saved my life at the cost of some pain, Denise. It''s not your fault that someone else hurt me.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Lisa is right, Denise. Jim knew I could be easily hurt and treated me roughly... on purpose.¡± Denise took in a shallow breath and let it out. ¡°You can''t keep forgiving me like this.¡± ¡°I will always forgive you.¡± Ren said and wiped at her tears. ¡°You are my complete physical opposite and we fit together like puzzle pieces.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°You know, I could use a sponge bath before I have to log into the game.¡± ¡°Of course. I''ll be right back.¡± Denise said and went to the bathroom to get the proper supplies. She returned with towels and the basin of soapy water, a face cloth, and a soft sponge. She got his pyjamas off and towels underneath him, then lathered up the sponge.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Please... be gentle.¡± Ren said innocently and batted his eyes at her, and she laughed. ¡°I can get the big sponge if you want.¡± Denise said and wrung out the soft one. ¡°No no. I''ll be good.¡± Denise smiled and lathered up the sponge again, then gave him as much of a sponge bath as she could with his knee and part of his chest bandaged. She dried him off and picked one of the last pyjama sets he had. ¡°We really do need to go shopping soon.¡± ¡°I don''t know if Lily can make a new set for me without modelling them first.¡± Ren said and Denise looked at him. ¡°Lily?¡± ¡°The seamstress at Jacques Custom Clothing.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s the one who wants her boyfriend to kiss her the way I kissed Elise that day we went to get you new clothes.¡± Denise took a minute to remember the day he was referring to. ¡°You remembered all of that?¡± ¡°I remember everything.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Like you squeezing my butt.¡± Denise''s face flushed red. ¡°I couldn''t believe I did that... and in public, no less.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said and touched her hand. ¡°That was the start of something wonderful, though.¡± ¡°Just the start?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I remember a few other times...¡± ¡°It was the first time you touched me for your own pleasure, and not because you were comforting me or because I wanted you to.¡± Ren said. ¡°That first willing touch means a lot to me.¡± Denise took in a breath and let it out. ¡°That really was the first time I...¡± ¡°Yes, and I can still feel your hand on me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I remember every touch we had. I remember every kiss we''ve shared. I remember every moment we''ve been together.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Denise let the tears come to her eyes again. ¡°...you...¡± ¡°Every single moment is etched into my brain, Denise.¡± Ren picked up her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. ¡°You are etched into my brain.¡± ¡°Ren, we... I can''t...¡± ¡°I know we can''t have sex, not with how I am now.¡± Ren said. ¡°All I can ask for is to relieve my tension.¡± ¡°Relieve your...¡± Denise glanced down at him and saw his reaction. ¡°...you still get like that just from talking about it?¡± ¡°I can''t help it sometimes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I haven''t done anything since yesterday and I can''t take care of it myself.¡± ¡°Are you sure? Can you give it a try?¡± Ren reached for it and tried, then gasped as the movement pulled on his stitches. ¡°Okay, stop.¡± Denise said and caught his hand. ¡°Why are guys always so vigorous when they try that?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Denise smiled. ¡°Watch and learn.¡± She said and then for the next ten minutes used her hand to stroke him very very slowly. Ren tried his best not to squirm from the slow movements and the long buildup, and Denise felt a sudden change. She turned and grabbed the bedpan and put it in the right spot and never stopped moving her hand. Stroke. Stroke. Stroke. ¡°D-D-Denise!¡± Ren gasped as he balled his hands into the towels under him and made fists. Denise kept slowly moving her hand and he finished... and finished... and finished again. She stopped and let him go, then waited for him to calm down. It took him a few minutes before he relaxed his hands and let the towels go, and he looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Ren asked, because his body hadn''t reacted like that before. It was both amazing and a little scary. ¡°Sometimes you need to treat things gently.¡± Denise said. ¡°Just because something feels like a hard and thick muscle, doesn''t mean you should always use it that way.¡± Ren laid his head back on the pillow. ¡°Wow, Denise.¡± He said. ¡°I... damn, that...¡± ¡°Want me to do it again?¡± Denise asked with a smile. ¡°No... yes... I don''t know!¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°Good answer.¡± Denise said and cleaned him up, then gave him a kiss on the lips. ¡°You have some time left before you need to log in. You should go in early and catch up on some sleep.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Ren said and she helped him get dressed, then handed him the VR headset. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Will you be out tonight?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Probably not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got things I need to do before the fight tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°I thought you were supposed to be relaxing.¡± Denise said. ¡°That was before I lost 4 days and could have worked casually at it.¡± Ren slid on the headset. ¡°Unfortunately, my Sustenance ring won''t take effect for another half-day, so I''m stuck sleeping normally.¡± ¡°Only you would complain about sleeping normally.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up standing next to the wall and took a deep breath, and it didn''t hurt. He smiled for a moment and then let it fade. He hadn''t received a popup for the update fix, so he knew it would be at least another day in real life, or a couple more game days. He looked up at the ceiling and waved to Teepo. Teepo flew down and landed on his shoulder so he could use his little beetle legs to hug his neck. ¡°Ren! I''m so glad you''re back!¡± Teepo nearly yelled. ¡°Shh!¡± Ren tried to hush him, but it was too late. He heard and felt everyone wake up, and they all realized he was there. ¡°Ren!¡± Artemis exclaimed and jumped up from the bed. ¡°I was so worried!¡± She said and hugged him. ¡°We''re very sorry!¡± All 7 of the pixie women said from the shelf above the bed. Suniva stepped forward. ¡°If I had told them more firmly...¡± ¡°It wasn''t your fault I was away for so long.¡± Ren said and looked at all of their faces. ¡°It wasn''t anyone''s fault, except mine. I had Adventurer business to attend to and I ended up getting hurt.¡± Everyone in the room gasped, then he explained why he had missed so much time with them. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Artemis cuddled him to her chest and stroked his face and kissed the top of his head. ¡°You poor thing.¡± ¡°I''m really glad it doesn''t carry over and I''m perfectly healthy here.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a real relief, let me tell you.¡± ¡°We will always be here to comfort you, if you need us.¡± Seldanna the succubus said, and the other three succubi nodded. ¡°I need some comfort right now.¡± Ren picked Artemis up and carried her to the bed, laid her down and climbed onto the bed himself. Teepo flew up to land back on the ceiling, and Ren settled down and sighed. Seldanna rested her head on his chest and spoke barely above a whisper. ¡°I love this strong heart.¡± Seldanna breathed as the heart in question beat fast against her ear. Ren heard her words of course, and he put an arm around her and held her head. Artemis snuggled up to his other side, and the succubi moved around and found spots on Ren to cuddle. Suniva saw this and sighed as she sat back down on her bed. ¡°Suniva, aren''t you going to join us?¡± Ren asked. Suniva jumped up and looked over the edge of the shelf and down at him. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Activate your Aura, please.¡± Suniva did so and caught her breath as it merged with Ren''s. ¡°You see, I''m not angry at you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t even have to get big if you don''t want to.¡± ¡°I won''t fit on the bed if I get bigger.¡± Suniva joked and flew down to the bed and landed beside Seldanna''s head on his chest. ¡°Is this size okay?¡± ¡°I do have a free shoulder.¡± Ren said, and she walked to his head and onto the pillow, then laid down and cuddled into the side of his face. She kissed his forehead and hugged his ear, and Ren activated his Hands of the Gods ability and directed it to his ear. ¡°Oh, Ren! I missed you so much!¡± Suniva said as she absorbed his pure Fire and kissed his ear, over and over. ¡°I''m not going to get any sleep if you keep doing that.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°I should apologize.¡± Suniva said and gave his ear a big long sucking kiss, which turned out to be a hickey for a split second. ¡°Dammit, I forgot about your regeneration.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If it makes you feel better, the attempt itself felt good.¡± Suniva felt happy with that, gave his ear 2 more kisses, and hugged it. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight everyone.¡± Ren said, and the succubi, Teepo, and Artemis responded. ¡°That means you as well, random pixie women.¡± ¡°Hey, I''m not random!¡± Shanna, the Earthkin pixie said. ¡°We almost kicked your ass the day we met!¡± ¡°I''m not random, either.¡± Rainie said, sadly. ¡°Did you forget about me so soon?¡± ¡°Of course not, Rainie. I can''t ever forget a fellow Waterkin.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only know you and Shanna, though.¡± ¡°We shall introduce ourselves then!¡± One of the others nearly yelled. ¡°In the... the...¡± Ren opened his mouth and yawned. ¡°...morning.¡± ¡°He didn''t even cover his mouth.¡± One of the other pixies whispered. ¡°My hands are currently occupied.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± The pixies said, and they went to bed, too. * It was quiet for nearly half an hour, and then the Wind pixie cast a Silence spell around the shelf. ¡°Did you see that? He gave Suniva an Aura and shared emotions with her, just like he can with Rainie!¡± ¡°Is that what she meant when she said why he won''t do to us what he did to her?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Shanna said. ¡°It''s possible.¡± ¡°We should ask her in the morning.¡± Rainie said. ¡°Or maybe we should ask Ren directly. He feels a lot different from the last time I was around him; but, I still don''t feel any dishonesty.¡± ¡°That''s pretty rare.¡± Shanna said. ¡°I mean, everyone lies at some point, right?¡± The pixies exchanged unsure looks. ¡°Let''s get to sleep.¡± Rainie said and pulled the blanket up to her neck. ¡°It''s going to be morning before we know it.¡± The other pixies went quiet and the Silence spell ended a few minutes later. Rainie could still feel Ren''s emotions, even with him asleep. She didn''t have the Emotion Siphon ability, so she couldn''t power up from them; but, she did take comfort from his contentment. She imagined his emotions as an ocean and she floated along the surface, and she dozed off as she thoroughly enjoyed the peace that image gave her. Chapter 649 - Real Life Things Elise had asked Lisa to come with her to the office after they left Ren''s room, and Lisa followed her without asking what she wanted. When they entered the office, it was dark and seemed emptier than it should have been. ¡°I don''t like leaving this place so dark and dreary, but money doesn''t grow on trees.¡± Elise said and turned on the light, then hit one of the keys on her computer keyboard. Her desktop monitor came to life and Lisa saw stock market tickers and bar graphs and several other things she couldn''t make heads or tails of. ¡°Do you want some coffee?¡± Lisa asked. Elise shook her head. ¡°Not this late, or I won''t get to sleep.¡± ¡°I won''t be sleeping at all.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I know what you mean.¡± Elise took her hand. ¡°I just want to cuddle him and keep him safe.¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°...and we can''t.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, no.¡± Elise said and let her hand go. ¡°Our love can hurt him even more than he''s hurt now.¡± She opened the top drawer of her desk and took out several papers and an envelope. ¡°I know this isn''t really a good time for business, but I need your signature.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°The contract for the Household Affairs Assistant.¡± Elise said. ¡°If you want to take the job officially.¡± Lisa took in a sharp breath and held it. ¡°I... I thought... Ren was exaggerating...¡± Elise smiled. ¡°I was the one who told him what the position would be called.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Like he told you, there''s nothing new to the position. No required duties. No schedules. No need to stay underfoot and look for things to do for us or the house.¡± ¡°But...¡± Lisa sighed. ¡°...is that really a job?¡± ¡°Everyone has to start on the ground floor.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°In this case, quite literally. That''s where this office and the kitchen are.¡± Lisa chuckled, too. ¡°So, what do you say?¡± Elise said and slid a piece of paper over to her with a pen on top. ¡°You can read that and decide.¡± Lisa moved the pen and read the contract, and Elise hadn''t been exaggerating. No set work times, no scheduled days, and no requirements. She read the whole thing and saw she would be getting minimum wage with raise options at 3 months, 6 months, and a year. ¡°This... this is...¡± Lisa looked at Elise. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°There are clauses for bonuses as well.¡± Elise said. ¡°Don''t worry. We take care of our own here.¡± Our own. Lisa thought and signed the little box where Elise had marked the paper with a little ''x'', then handed it to her. ¡°Now that that is out of the way.¡± Elise said and held a hand out. Lisa was a bit bewildered as she took the offered hand and shook it. ¡°Welcome to the Household Division of Haddon Enterprises, Lisa.¡± Elise said and gave her a big smile, then pulled her into a hug. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Lisa said and hugged her back. ¡°Thank you for staying with Ren and protecting him when I couldn''t.¡± Elise said and let her go. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lisa looked up at her. ¡°I talked to the EMTs that took you and Ren to the hospital.¡± Elise said and cupped the side of her face. ¡°I''m very proud of you.¡± ¡°E-Elise, I... I was so scared!¡± ¡°I know, and that''s why I''m so proud.¡± Elise said and hugged her again. ¡°You stayed calm despite being scared and made sure Ren was okay.¡± She pet Lisa''s hair. ¡°I''m sorry that all of this happened, but I''m also happy you made it through.¡± Lisa sighed. ¡°I did, didn''t I?¡± ¡°Yes, you brave young woman.¡± Elise said and let Lisa go again and put her hands on her shoulders. ¡°It takes guts to stand up for yourself, but it takes a lot more than that to stand up to your family.¡± She said. ¡°You reminded me so much of myself.¡± Lisa looked up at her face. ¡°Does... does that mean I can be... as strong as you?¡± ¡°Sweetie, you already are.¡± Elise said and picked up the envelope and handed it to her. ¡°This is yours.¡± Lisa took it and opened it. Inside was a debit card, a bank statement, and two blank checks for depositing purposes. ¡°What...¡± ¡°My friend Janice works at the bank we use, and I had her set up an account for you.¡± Elise said. ¡°You''ll have to go to the bank and activate the card so you can pick a pin number to use it, then it will work anywhere debit cards can be used.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''re wondering how you''ll do that?¡± Elise asked and Lisa nodded. ¡°Just take your car.¡± Lisa blinked her eyes for several moments. ¡°Take my WHAT?!?¡± Elise chuckled and picked up a set of keys, then held them up. ¡°It''s just a remote and a door key. As long as you have it on you, the car works.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I know you have your license and not a lot of practical experience, so I''ll be taking you out to practice driving.¡± Lisa stared at her, and Elise chuckled. ¡°We can do it tomorrow afternoon after we watch Ren''s big arena fight.¡± ¡°E-Elise...¡± ¡°It''s getting late, so why don''t we head up to bed?¡± Elise said and handed her the set of keys. ¡°Put your house keys on that and make sure to sync them with your cell phone so you won''t lose them.¡± ¡°Make sure what?¡± Lisa looked at her with wide eyes. Elise chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry, Sweetie. I''ll take care of it and have you tech savvy in no time.¡± She put her arm around the much shorter woman''s shoulders. Lisa put her arm around her waist as Elise led her out of the office and turned off the lights. ¡°Oh, hello.¡± Barbara said and put down her coffee cup as Elise and Lisa came into the kitchen with an arm around each other. ¡°Hi, Barbara. You look exhausted.¡± Elise said. ¡°I look just how I feel, then.¡± Barbara smiled and then yawned. ¡°You left the hospital really early. Did you get any sleep?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°No, I... even knowing he''s okay, I...¡± Barbara tried to express herself, and Elise and Lisa took her into a hug. She was a bit surprised at first, then hugged them back. She sighed and let them go, and they let her go. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Even a mother who takes care of everyone else needs a comforting hug now and then.¡± Elise said. ¡°More than I thought I did.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°We''re heading to bed.¡± Lisa said. ¡°If I know Ren, you won''t have a lot of work to do tonight.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°Yes, he''s missed 4 game days and he''s going to try and make it up before morning.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°He''s so tenacious.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m almost as anxious as he is while we wait for the game patch to fix the Sea Dweller update.¡± ¡°When is it scheduled?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°My contact said it''s ready, but the tech guys are waiting until Sunday night to give it a wide release.¡± ¡°Almost no one plays on Sunday night. Not even me.¡± Lisa said. ¡°That would be the best time.¡± ¡°We should keep Ren out of the game, too.¡± Elise said. ¡°Maybe the neighbourhood party will tire him out for us.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°Only if Barbi includes the pool party and he can relax in the hot tub.¡± ¡°Won''t you have to wrap his knee in plastic or something?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°It''s only bandaged and braced, though. Can those get wet?¡± Barbara sighed. ¡°I forgot about that. Its much too soon to remove them, even for a short time. It will have to be wrapped if he wants to get in the water.¡± ¡°We can worry about that on Sunday, and only if there''s going to be water activities.¡± Elise said. ¡°Goodnight, Barbara.¡± ¡°See you both at breakfast.¡± Barbara said and watched Elise and Lisa leave the kitchen, and they still had an arm around each other. She didn''t speak until they got into the elevator. ¡°I''m glad they''re looking out for each other.¡± She said and picked up her coffee cup. She regretted not taking sugar this time, but she needed it strong and bitter so she could get the caffeine kick and not the sugar rush. ¡°Are we going back to our own rooms?¡± Lisa asked when the elevator doors closed. ¡°I think we should, but I''m not going to.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°I''m going to stay right there with him for as long as I can.¡± Lisa smiled. ¡°Want some company on that quest?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°As long as you don''t mind getting cuddled in his place.¡± ¡°That might be a drawback...¡± Lisa started to say. ¡°A drawback, huh?¡± Elise used her free hand to tickle her. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Lisa laughed. ¡°Let me... haha... finish!¡± Elise stopped tickling and kissed the side of her forehead. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°That might be a drawback, if... if... you were anyone else but you.¡± Lisa said, and then blushed. ¡°You''re so cute.¡± Elise said as the elevator doors opened. They stepped out together and walked down the hall to Ren''s room and Elise opened the door. ¡°Hi, Denise.¡± Elise said. ¡°Hey.¡± Denise said and pointed to the television. ¡°The succubi took off their tops and the blue screen kicked in, so I''m not getting anything.¡± She said. ¡°He said he was going to sleep, though.¡± Elise nodded and let Lisa out of the one-arm hold and walked over to the big closet. ¡°Barbara said he was going to be working hard later, so he needs his rest.¡± ¡°Any idea on what?¡± Denise asked. ¡°He just finished making a water park yesterday.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I''m sure he''s not going to stop there.¡± ¡°How is he doing that?¡± Elise asked and pulled out two large t-shirts. ¡°Never mind. I''ll pull up the archive footage after a shower.¡± ¡°I''ll go first and you can look at it now.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Elise tossed her a t-shirt. ¡°It''s big and comfortable.¡± Lisa nodded and went to the bathroom and shut the door. Elise opened the laptop and quickly checked the footage. She sped up the video and watched Ren work as he quickly built all the things a major water park needed. ¡°His crafting speed is phenomenal.¡± Elise said. ¡°He''s not using his Craft Wondrous Item platform, though.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Denise asked and looked over his shoulder. ¡°Once his level was high enough, he doesn''t have to build items by hand anymore.¡± Elise said. ¡°All he needs is the recipe and the proper materials, then he can make a scale version and enlarge it.¡± ¡°He''s done that a few times.¡± Denise said. ¡°Are you saying he can do it for everything?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°Not only that, with his Substitution ability, he doesn''t even need the real ingredients.¡± Denise looked at Ren actually building the stalls with full lumber pieces and putting them together. ¡°He''s... taking his time.¡± She said as she understood. ¡°He could make them small and enlarge them, but he''s taking time to make them.¡± She smiled. ¡°He''s enjoying himself.¡± ¡°I do remember him saying that he enjoyed his class so much because he is always working with his hands.¡± Elise said as Stella came into the bedroom. ¡°At least, he used to work with his hands a lot. With two crafting servants working for him, he''s not really doing a lot of things himself.¡± ¡°Especially not with ending a centuries long conflict between the High Elves and Dark Elves.¡± Stella said. ¡°I was floored when Lisa told us he did that!¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Imagine, letting the High Elves believe they''ve won while giving the Dark Elves everything they''ve ever wanted.¡± ¡°I don''t know how he manipulated them like that without lying.¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°I''ve been trying to figure out how to achieve even part of what he did, and I can''t do it.¡± ¡°Denise.¡± Elise said and Denise looked at her. ¡°He''s playing the game. He used their own arrogance against them and beat them. He could have just killed them all and taken over, though.¡± ¡°Ren wouldn''t do that.¡± Stella said. ¡°No, he wouldn''t.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°What he did was achieve a victory so profound that the only ones who will know what actually happened are Ren, the Dark Queen, and her generals and advisors.¡± ¡°...and Lisa, of course.¡± Stella said. ¡°Who actually is a little sneak.¡± Elise said as Lisa came out of the bathroom. ¡°I''m a sneak?¡± Lisa asked as she dried her hair. She already wore Elise''s large t-shirt and it was almost the size of a dress on Lisa. ¡°You won''t tell us if Ren told you all of his plans or if it was your Sage of Ages skills.¡± Lisa grinned. ¡°That''s for me to know and for you to always wonder about.¡± ¡°You see?¡± Elise walked over to Lisa and kissed her forehead as she walked by. ¡°She''s a sneak.¡± ¡°I''m not the one that made my character a half-elf just because Ren was an elfling.¡± Lisa countered. Elise stopped by the bathroom door and turned around. ¡°If you had to make a new character and choose a race right now, what would you pick?¡± Lisa opened her mouth to respond, then turned her head so Elise wouldn''t see her face. ¡°No comment.¡± Elise laughed and shut the bathroom door. ¡°Stella, can you stick around? Barbara should be up here in a few minutes.¡± Denise said and stood up. ¡°Sure.¡± Stella said. ¡°I was thinking of staying here tonight.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''m going to go and grab a shower.¡± Stella nodded and sat down to keep an eye on the blue television screen, and Lisa finished drying her hair. ¡°Is succubus a race?¡± Stella asked out of the blue. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lisa turned to look at her. ¡°I was just wondering if it was something I could pick.¡± Stella said and crossed her arms. ¡°I really like the wings and the red skin. The tail would be weird to have, though.¡± She said. ¡°How would it work? Hip shaking? Does it have its own muscle group? How does it tie into the neural linkage if it''s not a natural appendage? Is it an unnatural appendage and controlled differently? What would a separate set of stimuli be like?¡± Lisa just stood there, kind of in awe, as Stella rambled on and on about the dexterity and control needed to use something like wings and a tail on a bipedal organism. When she started to speculate about the complexity of having to use them for actual flight, with pitch and yaw factors of the flapping membranes between the bones of the wings, Lisa was pretty much at a loss for what to say. Stella started to wonder if the tail could act as a rudder or even an improvised air brake of some kind when Elise came out of the bathroom. She had a towel wrapped around her head like a turban and wore the large t-shirt she had brought in with her. It just looked like a normal t-shirt and not a dress like the one Lisa wore. Elise started to listen to Stella''s ramblings and noticed Lisa''s nearly blank expression. ¡°Stella, you''re overwhelming the poor girl.¡± Elise said. Stella stopped talking and looked around. ¡°Hm? What?¡± Elise laughed and put her arm around Lisa. ¡°Your in-depth medical analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of having supernumerary appendages is blowing her mind.¡± ¡°Oh! I''m sorry, Lisa.¡± Stella said and walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You know what I''m like when I get locked onto an interesting medical question.¡± Lisa looked at Elise. ¡°I know the answer to Stella''s question; but, I don''t want to say anything because I might get a warning.¡± ¡°What question?¡± ¡°Can I choose succubus as a race if I make a character?¡± Stella asked. Elise blinked her eyes for several moments. ¡°You want to what?¡± ¡°Be a succubus... or part succubus... or even a class that could give me that as a natural form.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m just curious about it.¡± Elise looked at Lisa and back at Stella. ¡°Well, since they aren''t intended for combat, there''s not really a class you can choose that will let you have succubus as a race.¡± ¡°I hear a huge ''but'' there.¡± Stella smiled. Elise sighed. ¡°You can... claim a succubi lineage during character creation.¡± ¡°So, not a direct family member, but several generations back.¡± Stella said, and Elise nodded. ¡°It''s considered a huge drawback, though. You''ll be... well...¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Highly desirable.¡± Elise said. ¡°You''ll be under constant male advances.¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Stella said. ¡°I wish I was.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s like...¡± ¡°...a Princess Charming title.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Just like with Ren and his Prince Charming title, you won''t have any say over who''s affected or how much they are affected by it.¡± ¡°That''s... I mean...¡± ¡°Since you''re already pretty hot, nearly every man that sees you is going to want to be near you.¡± Lisa said, and her face turned red. ¡°Most women, too.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Stella said. ¡°So, don''t do this lightly.¡± Elise said. ¡°What about the wings and tail?¡± Stella asked. ¡°It will take about 50 levels for you to unlock your full form.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You have a limited polymorph disguise ability that gets more powerful as you pass each level.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter what class I take?¡± ¡°Your combat skills will be lower than everyone else''s, so no. If you take the classes with low combat skill, however; you will essentially have none until you start leveling up.¡± Elise said. ¡°Okay.¡± Stella said and gave Lisa''s shoulder a squeeze. ¡°Thank you for the information. Both of you.¡± ¡°I''d say, ''anytime'', but that would be a complete lie.¡± Lisa said, and Stella laughed. ¡°We''re going to climb into bed and cuddle.¡± Elise said. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I...¡± ¡°You said you were thinking about staying anyway.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I definitely need a shower.¡± Stella stood up. Elise went to the closet and grabbed another t-shirt, then tossed it to her. ¡°We''ll watch him until Barbara comes in.¡± Stella nodded and went to the bathroom to get a shower. Elise climbed onto the bed next to Ren and Lisa climbed onto the bed and laid down beside Elise. ¡°Ren really liked the makeup job you did on me.¡± Lisa said, and Elise touched the side of her clean face. ¡°What did he notice first?¡± ¡°That the mascara didn''t run when I cried.¡± Lisa said, and Elise laughed. ¡°That figures! All that work and he only noticed the obvious!¡± Elise said, and Lisa laughed. ¡°I''m sure he noticed it all, he just...¡± ¡°I saw the hallway footage when you came out of the elevator.¡± Elise said and stroked her face again. ¡°He definitely noticed you.¡± Lisa''s face turned deep red. ¡°He... he said I was beautiful.¡± ¡°That''s because you are.¡± Elise said, and Lisa looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Ren doesn''t lie, remember?¡± Lisa caught her breath at the intense look Elise gave her. Elise put an arm around her and pulled her in close, then kissed the top of her head. ¡°He loves you very much.¡± Elise said and hugged her. ¡°He loves you very much, too.¡± Lisa said and hugged her back. They both fell silent and held each other as they waited for Stella and Denise to finish their showers and for Barbara to start her shift. Chapter 650 - Training Is Fun Teepo woke Ren up at first light, because he knew his friend needed to eat breakfast before doing whatever work needed to be done. ¡°Uhhh.¡± Ren moaned and then sighed. ¡°I can''t wait for my Sustenance ring to kick in again.¡± ¡°Why don''t you just pop into the Sanctuary for a few seconds?¡± Teepo suggested, and Ren''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Son of a...¡± Ren stopped himself before he cursed. ¡°I am so stupid!¡± ¡°So, you are fallible.¡± Artemis chuckled and kissed his cheek. ¡°You can''t think of everything.¡± ¡°Something so basic.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I can''t believe I missed it.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren. I only just thought of it myself, or I would have said something sooner.¡± ¡°It''s okay, buddy.¡± Ren said. ¡°On the plus side, I got to cuddle for most of the night.¡± ¡°Yes, that is definitely a plus.¡± Seldanna said. She hadn''t moved her head from listening to his beating heart. ¡°Suniva''s still asleep.¡± Ellaria said and poked the 1 foot tall pixie that was still hugged up to Ren''s ear. ¡°It''s more of a trance, I think.¡± Ren said. ¡°She really loves having access to pure Fire.¡± He let go of Katori''s breast and reached up to gently stroke Suniva''s legs, since that was all he could see of her. ¡°She almost goes catatonic when you''re not here.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Really? Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Because of your Fire.¡± A pixie from the shelf above the bed said. Ren looked up and saw Rainie looking down at him. ¡°She can''t get enough of it and she feels cold when you aren''t here.¡± Ren felt that was true. ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± He said as the other pixies looked down from the shelf. ¡°I didn''t realize she was that in tune with me.¡± ¡°It''s not that.¡± Artemis said. ¡°She''s using you to charge herself up.¡± ¡°So, she really is converting it to XP.¡± Ren said. ¡°Her ability must have mastered the last time we were in the Sanctuary.¡± ¡°That''s what I''m thinking, too.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Are we heading back in for a few seconds?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Ren said and let go of Artemis'' breast and use that hand to pat Chenoa''s head that was on his abdomen. ¡°Do you feel up to trying again?¡± Chenoa knew instantly what he meant, because she had been staring at his private place all night. ¡°M-my K-king, I... I failed so horribly the last time! I don''t deserve another try!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If at first you don''t succeed... try, try again.¡± ¡°My King... you... are too kind.¡± Chenoa said as she stroked him through his underwear. ¡°Another chance.¡± She whispered. ¡°I couldn''t ask for anything more.¡± Ren stored his underwear and she didn''t hesitate to start pleasing him. Her body started to glow right away and the other three succubi were touching Ren directly, so they were getting a direct feeding of the sensual pleasure Ren and Chenoa were feeling. ¡°Good... good...¡± Ren said as she worked on him. ¡°Use my reactions... my emotions... make use of... oh, yeah... that feels good, Chenoa.¡± ¡°Mmm hmm.¡± Chenoa moaned around him, and he throbbed for her. Her technique faltered in that instant as she felt his spike of pleasure, so she paused and tried to not be overwhelmed by it, then continued. ¡°Mhmm!¡± She moaned for him, and she didn''t falter this time and kept going. ¡°Y-yes, adapt... and... and tongue... oh, damn.¡± Ren closed his eyes and let the feelings flow over him. All four of the succubi were glowing at this point and were along for the ride. It took several more minutes before Chenoa got Ren close, and then she hesitated. ¡°You must learn to accept the failure.¡± Seldanna said and touched the top of Chenoa''s head and shared her strength. ¡°As Ren says, adapt. Grow strong.¡± She said, and they all felt Chenoa''s resolve as she continued. Ren''s emotions spiked as he finished and Chenoa gasped as she tried to accept it. After a couple of seconds her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed. ¡°My King?¡± Seldanna looked at Ren. ¡°Just... wait a few seconds.¡± Ren said and took several deep breaths. ¡°Okay. Katori is closer.¡± Seldanna smiled and nodded. ¡°Katori.¡± Katori rolled Chenoa onto her side and took her place, then tried to clean Ren up. ¡°Ellaria.¡± Seldanna said and Ellaria moved down the bed to quickly take over. They felt Ren''s emotions spike again and then Katori reacted just like Chenoa. Ellaria didn''t wait, however. She eased the other succubus aside and continued for nearly 5 seconds, then collapsed as well. Seldanna waited several seconds before she made the attempt. Seldanna knew she was going to fail and she faced the task confidently, because she knew that with enough practice, one of these days, she wouldn''t. The Wind Pixie cast Silence around the shelf. ¡°Are we really seeing what we''re seeing?¡± She asked the others. ¡°He''s letting succubi feed from him willingly?¡± ¡°Apparently.¡± Shanna said. ¡°Rainie, what do you think?¡± ¡°Mm muh.¡± Rainie mumbled. ¡°What was that?¡± Shanna asked and looked at her friend. She saw that Rainie was breathing heavily and was touching herself. ¡°Rainie, what are you doing?¡± ¡°I... can''t you... feel... oh, OH!¡± Rainie gasped as she finished with Ren, then collapsed onto the shelf as Water poured out of her. ¡°Rainie!¡± The other pixies rushed to her through the flood and Shanna turned her friend over so she wouldn''t drown in her own ability. The other pixies stared as the Water floated up into the air above them, then it changed into rose petals and covered them. ¡°What... what is this?¡± Shanna asked. ¡°R-Ren.¡± Rainie panted. ¡°He can do that?¡± One of the others asked. ¡°He changed one element into another?¡± ¡°Water... to Earth.¡± Rainie said. ¡°He... he''s mastered his... affinities.¡± ¡°How?¡± Shanna asked. ¡°I figured he at least had Fire because of Suniva, and maybe Water because of the Sea Dweller Princess and everything.¡± She said and stroked her friend''s face. ¡°Now he has them all?¡± Rainie nodded. ¡°Felt it.¡± She took a breath and let it out. ¡°So... powerful.¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± Shanna asked. ¡°I''ve never seen you lose control of your element before.¡± ¡°I couldn''t hold it.¡± Rainie said with wide eyes. ¡°For the first time, I couldn''t hold it back.¡± ¡°That''s really scary.¡± One of the others said and rubbed her arms. ¡°It is.¡± Suniva said, and they all turned to look at her. She was flying in front of the shelf with her full wings deployed and fluttering. ¡°It took years for Ren to let me share his emotions.¡± ¡°Y-years?¡± One of the other pixies asked. ¡°Hey, wait.¡± The Wind pixie said. ¡°How did you hear us talking?¡± ¡°We all heard you.¡± Suniva said and waved down at the bed, and all of the pixies looked over the edge of the shelf and saw everyone looking up at them. Ren had cast Energize on the succubi to wake them back up and had equipped his High Elven Court Uniform. ¡°Well, damn.¡± The Wind pixie said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I felt the Mana when you cast the spell and dismissed it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Does that mean we won''t have any privacy?¡± One of the others asked. Ren laughed. ¡°I just wanted you to know that you need to be careful.¡± He said. ¡°What if you''re outside and try to talk privately and cast the Silence spell? Would you still talk completely openly and not even check to see if the spell is in effect?¡± The pixies exchanged looks and then looked back down at Ren. ¡°You weren''t just trying to listen in?¡± Shanna asked. Ren shook his head. ¡°If I wanted to keep an eye on you, I have other ways to monitor you.¡± ¡°That''s... not a comforting thought.¡± The Wind pixie said. ¡°Neither is having someone trying to hide their conversation in plain sight.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have to assume you''re talking about me when you do that.¡± The Wind pixie sighed. ¡°It''s just...¡± ¡°I can feel that you''re not comfortable with just talking normally with so many new people around.¡± ¡°That''s Ren''s polite way of saying ''non-pixies''.¡± Suniva said, and the pixies giggled. ¡°How are you, Rainie?¡± ¡°I''m okay.¡± Rainie said. ¡°That was... how can you stand it?¡± Suniva landed beside her friend and helped her stand. ¡°It''s taken a while to just enjoy the feelings without letting them overwhelm me.¡± She said. ¡°Of course, sometimes I just let Ren worry about it and let everything go.¡± Rainie and the other pixies gasped. ¡°Suniva!¡± Suniva chuckled. ¡°Honestly, it''s not that big of a deal.¡± ¡°You just said that... that you...¡± ¡°Yes, I surrendered myself completely to him.¡± Suniva said. ¡°I don''t think I can do that.¡± The Ice pixie said, and they saw her cold breath. ¡°He will never ask you to.¡± Suniva said. ¡°Even if you decide for yourself that you want to, with all of your might, he will still ask and make sure you want to.¡± She chuckled. ¡°It''s quite frustrating, actually.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Ren said. ¡°It really is.¡± Artemis said, and the succubi laughed. ¡°All right.¡± Ren said and climbed off of the bed. ¡°I''ve got work to do.¡± ¡°In the Sanctuary?¡± Teepo asked. Ren nodded and Teepo dissolved into the ring. Artemis equipped her jeans and t-shirt and stood next to Ren. ¡°Rainie, would you like to come with me?¡± Ren asked. Rainie blinked her eyes for a few moments. ¡°You... you want me to... to...¡± ¡°No no!¡± Ren waved his hands no. ¡°You''re more like my family, remember?¡± Rainie nodded. ¡°We''re like cousins. There''s no... well, there''s some sexual tension now.¡± She said and the light blue skin of her face went to a darker blue. ¡°I felt really good, but... it also felt a little weird.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I know. I felt the same thing about you.¡± ¡°Then... how...¡± Rainie looked at Suniva. ¡°The two of you...¡± ¡°Our relationship started that way.¡± Suniva said, and her Fire came out and danced around her hands. The pixies watched in fascination as the flames moved around and formed shapes. ¡°I''ve always wanted him to please me, and he eventually did.¡± She said and absorbed the Fire. ¡°Oh, he sure did.¡± All the pixies giggled and their faces flushed to the darker colors of their skin. ¡°I give my word that I won''t do that with you, Rainie.¡± Ren said and held a hand up. ¡°The last thing I want is to ruin our friendship with sex.¡± ¡°I don''t think it would ruin it.¡± Rainie said and walked off the shelf, through the air, and stood on his hand. ¡°It sure would strain it a lot, though.¡± Ren smiled and activated his Hands of the Gods ability, Refreshing Hands. ¡°How about I just give you something that you might like better?¡± He asked and pooled the pure Water around his hand and used his Water Manipulation ability to make it into a waist deep pool. ¡°OH!¡± Rainie gasped at it''s coolness and sat down, which put the pool of Water up to her neck. ¡°Ren, this...¡± ¡°Take as much as you want.¡± Ren said, and Rainie ducked her head under the water and started to suck it in through her mouth. The hidden gills in her cheeks opened up and fluttered as the Water flowed into her. Ren stood there and held her for several minutes, then she burst out of the pool and gasped for air. ¡°Too... much!¡± Rainie said, and Ren deactivated his ability and absorbed the Water. ¡°Easy, now.¡± Ren said, and held her gently. ¡°You need to pace yourself.¡± Suniva said and flew down beside Rainie and pet her hair. ¡°Small bites make a better meal than gorging.¡± Rainie looked at her and nodded, and Suniva pat her head. ¡°Put this on, Rainie.¡± Ren said and took out a tiny necklace that Suniva had once worn. ¡°It will help you adjust to the time dilation.¡± Rainie put it on and felt instantly better. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°What about us?¡± Shanna asked. ¡°I''m sorry, the Sanctuary can only hold one extra person at a time.¡± Ren said and cast the Portal spell. ¡°We''ll be back in about half an hour.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Oh, that''s not long.¡± The Dark (Gravity) pixie said. ¡°See you soon, Rainie!¡± Shanna said and waved, and Rainie waved as Ren and Artemis stepped through the portal and it disappeared. ¡°I hope everything goes well.¡± The Wind pixie said. ¡°Don''t worry. They won''t be gone long.¡± Shanna said. ¡°Only for a year.¡± Suniva said. ¡°WHAAAAT?¡± The pixies shrieked and Suniva laughed. * Rainie had a great time once Ren and Artemis explained the time difference. She was very happy that Ren didn''t push her or try to make any sexual advances, despite her being the only other female around. She knew that Ren could make her big if she wanted, but she wasn''t sure she would like being so tall. It would also make their limited space that much more cramped, and she didn''t want to reduce Ren''s available space. Rainie had watched him working and wondered what he was building, and it had taken her a week to build up the courage to ask him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked timidly. ¡°I''ve got a huge fight coming up and I want to make other attractions besides the water park to reveal afterwards.¡± Ren said. ¡°How is Pixieland coming along, by the way?¡± ¡°Oh, it''s great!¡± Rainie said. ¡°We''ve all got our designated control areas and we''ve got things set up to trick, harass, beguile, trap, and fool anyone that comes in!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°That''s great, Rainie.¡± He stopped working and stored whatever it was he was working on. ¡°Feel up for another dose?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Rainie said, and Ren picked her up and hugged her to his chest. Rainie hugged him back and wallowed in his comfort and warm feelings. Ren activated his Hands of the Gods ability Refreshing Hands and covered her in pure Water. Since she had taken Suniva''s advice to heart, she only opened her mouth and took in a couple of mouthfuls, then closed her mouth and waited. She felt so relieved that Ren wasn''t trying to rush her or force her to take as much as she could. Rainie had been worried he might try that, since that was what he was doing with the succubi; but, all he did was hold her with care and kept true to his word. She could take as much as she wanted, and even if that was only a mouthful once and a while, he never complained that she was wasting his time. When Ren felt that she was done, he stopped and absorbed the Water. He felt her happiness and kissed the tip of his finger, then pressed the finger to her cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡± Rainie said and held onto his finger. ¡°You''re more than welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, do you feel like playing a game?¡± ¡°That depends.¡± Rainie said and let his finger go. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Tag.¡± Artemis said as she came into the room. ¡°Teepo? Are you in?¡± ¡°I was born ready.¡± Teepo said. Rainie looked at them. ¡°But, there''s only a few rooms...¡± Ren chuckled and put her on the floor. ¡° Allow me to ease your fears.¡± He said and nodded to Artemis. They both equipped armor bodysuits and activated the Store Spell rune that held the Permanent Enlarge or Reduce Anything spell. They both shrank to half their normal heights, then did it again. Ren was only one foot and a couple inches tall, and Artemis was one foot and six inches tall. Rainie stared at them in shock, and they laughed. ¡°We needed to do something to make this place not seem so cramped.¡± Artemis said and pat Rainie on the shoulder. ¡°Once you''re here for a while, you need to figure out ways to not be bored.¡± ¡°We started playing Tag, and we nearly wrecked the place the first time.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Teepo suggested shrinking to pixie size, and now this is how we always play.¡± ¡°Always?¡± Rainie looked at them. ¡°You like being this size?¡± ¡°It''s great!¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, it gives everyone an almost equal footing.¡± ¡°What do you mean, almost?¡± Teepo said and landed beside them on the floor. ¡°I catch you practically every time.¡± ¡°Only because you won''t let me use portals.¡± Ren said. ¡°How would that be an equal footing?¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You''re serious?¡± Rainie looked at them. ¡°You all play games like this?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and took out a bundle of cloth. ¡°Here. Put this on.¡± Rainie took the armor bodysuit that looked similar to the ones Ren and Artemis wore. ¡°Of course, it took us a few tries to get the hang of being so small, but now we''re well-practised.¡± He smiled. ¡°Artemis was it the last time, so we start with her.¡± Artemis smiled and Rainie looked at Artemis'' hand on her shoulder. ¡°You tricked me!¡± Rainie gasped. Artemis gave her head a pat and flew up into the air. ¡°Get back here!¡± Rainie almost yelled and equipped the armor bodysuit, then used her Permanent Air Walk ability to run up into the air after her. ¡°We were right here in front of her and she completely ignored us.¡± Ren said to his best friend. ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°She just caught Artemis.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren looked up and saw Artemis flying towards him. ¡°Oh, crap!¡± He and Teepo jumped away from each other and Artemis slammed into the floor at full speed. She left a huge crater in the thick wood floor and the stone block underneath. ¡°Go! Go! GO!¡± Teepo chittered in delight as he flew away and Ren sprouted his leather wings and took off in the other direction. Artemis stood up and brushed off the dust. ¡°You won''t be so lucky this time!¡± She exclaimed and took off after Ren. * ¡°We''re coming up on half an hour.¡± Suniva said. ¡°Suniva, why aren''t you all cuddled up in a ball?¡± The Ice pixie asked. ¡°Ren''s here.¡± Suniva said. ¡°It doesn''t matter where he is while he''s here, as long as he''s here.¡± ¡°That doesn''t make sense.¡± The Dark (Gravity) pixie said. ¡°If you knew Ren, it would make perfect sense.¡± Seldanna said. She and the other succubi had equipped their bikini tops and were lounging on the bed while they waited. ¡°Just the thought that if you try hard enough, you can reach him, is a balm to the heart.¡± ¡°That''s it exactly.¡± Suniva said. ¡°When he goes on Adventurer''s business, nothing we can do could ever bring him back here before he comes back on his own; but, if he''s already here, there''s always a chance you can get him to return or go to him instead.¡± ¡°Being his has it''s own perils, however.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Like this upcoming fight.¡± ¡°I overheard some Adventurers talking about it.¡± The Lightning pixie said. ¡°When is it?¡± ¡°It''s in two days.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°We will stand by him and face this threat together.¡± ¡°W-w-we?¡± Shanna the Earth pixie asked. Suniva laughed. ¡°She means the succubi.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Shanna said. ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Seldanna didn''t stand up, but her presence in the room increased tenfold. ¡°Would you not give up your life for him?¡± She asked in a deadly voice, and Shanna shivered. ¡°That... that''s not...¡± ¡°Seldanna, please calm down.¡± Ellaria said and touched her arm, then gasped as she received her direct emotions. ¡°I meant no disrespect.¡± Seldanna sighed. ¡°Yes, you''re right. I can''t expect pixies to be brave.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± The Dark (Gravity) pixie asked and held a hand out to Seldanna, who now felt twice as heavy. ¡°Succubi are the ones who are cowards by nature! You always run from a fight!¡± Seldanna held her wings in close to her body and stood up, and the Dark pixie was surprised and lost her concentration. ¡°Yes, pixie. Succubi normally would run from a fight, but only because we want to avoid fighting directly, not because we are cowards.¡± She said and unfurled her wings. ¡°Ren gave us resolve! Courage and unity! Weapons and abilities far beyond what we normally have!¡± Everyone looked at her and she glowed slightly. ¡°Because of him we are more than what we were, and as he keeps helping us, we will become even stronger than this!¡± Seldanna said, and her presence in the room doubled. ¡°Ugh.¡± The pixies felt like the room was growing smaller, too small for them to fit in it, and they started to kneel. ¡°Seldanna, please stop.¡± Suniva said, unaffected by Seldanna''s ability. ¡°They understand.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Seldanna said, and her presence vanished. The pixies caught their breath and stood up straight. ¡°Ren is a good man and he takes care of his people.¡± She said. ¡°He won''t ask you to fight unless he knows you can handle it.¡± She smiled. ¡°We have gone through a lot together, and I am more grateful to him than I thought I could ever be.¡± ¡°Also no contracts to bind us.¡± Ellaria said. ¡°That alone made me fall for him.¡± Katori chuckled. ¡°His emotions being so pure had nothing to do with it, did it?¡± ¡°Not a bit.¡± Ellaria said, and the other succubi burst out laughing. ¡°What? That wasn''t a blatant lie.¡± Seldanna pointed to the shelf and the pixies were giggling. ¡°You made them laugh.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Ellaria said, and they all laughed harder. Right then a portal opened at the side of the room, then Ren, Artemis, and Rainie stepped out. Ren summoned Teepo and Rainie caught sight of Suniva flying near the shelf the pixie beds were on. ¡°Suniva!¡± Rainie exclaimed and jumped into the air as she shrunk two sizes and became her normal 1 foot height. She ran through the air and stopped beside her friend to give her a hug. ¡°It''s been so long!¡± ¡°For you.¡± Suniva chuckled and gave her a quick hug back. ¡°Shanna''s right there.¡± ¡°Shanna!¡± Rainie exclaimed and ran over to the shelf and hugged her other friend. ¡°You look great for being a year older.¡± Shanna said and Rainie giggled. ¡°You can''t imagine what it was like.¡± Rainie said and let her go. ¡°If we didn''t have Teepo keeping track of the time, we wouldn''t even know what time of day it was, let alone how long to stay in there!¡± ¡°That sounds scary.¡± The Wind pixie said. ¡°I knew what day it was, but I can''t keep track of everything like Teepo.¡± Ren said and pat the beetle on his shoulder. ¡°Are you all done, My King?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°I''m tempted to say yes, since I have all the things I wanted made for the county ready.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unfortunately, I have something else I need to do.¡± Seldanna nodded. ¡°I assume you came back to gather resources.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You''re very astute. We just came from the warehouse.¡± He said and looked at the pixies. ¡°Like I said before, I know Rainie and Shanna. I think it''s time the rest of you introduced yourselves.¡± The pixies walked to the edge of the shelf and stood at attention, and the closest pixie put her hand over her heart. ¡°I am Luparia Winterborne.¡± The Ice Pixie said. She had sharp features and a cold demeanor. The next pixie put her hand over her heart. ¡°I am Breeze Cloudytwist.¡± The Wind pixie said. ¡°I am Indigo Sparkshard.¡± The Lightning pixie said, and electrical sparks flickered between her fingers. The last pixie moved slowly and put her hand over her heart. ¡°I am Isle LeChoufall.¡± Ren looked at them all, and he felt their emotions. ¡°Ice, Wind, Lightning, and Dark.¡± He said and nodded to them. ¡°With Shanna, Rainie and Suniva, Earth, Water and Fire respectively, it''s almost a full set.¡± ¡°That was our intention.¡± Luparia said, coldly. ¡°We assumed it would amuse you and put us into your good graces.¡± ¡°Luparia!¡± Indigo said. ¡°Too much information!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Actually, if Shanna isn''t too upset by it, I''d like to take you this time, Miss Winterborne.¡± ¡°What?¡± Luparia and Shanna said at the same time. ¡°You assumed correctly, but not for the right reason.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I enjoy meeting new people. Especially brutally honest people.¡± The pixies looked at each other, because they knew he was telling the truth, and looked back at Ren. ¡°Will you accompany me?¡± Ren asked and held his hand out. Luparia glanced at Shanna, who shrugged. ¡°Very well.¡± She said and walked through the air to stand on his hand. ¡°I''ll be back for the others in due course.¡± Ren said, cast a Portal spell, and Teepo dissolved into the ring. Artemis took Ren''s other hand and they stepped through the portal. ¡°Rainie.¡± Shanna said. ¡°Can you tell us what you did in there?¡± ¡°What didn''t I do!¡± Rainie giggled, and saw their reactions. ¡°No! Not... not that.¡± Suniva laughed. ¡°There''s no guarantee he''ll do the same things with you.¡± She said, and the other pixies looked at her. ¡°We''re tied to different elements, remember?¡± ¡°We are.¡± Rainie said and a thin film of water formed around her. ¡°He knows so much.¡± She said and the water extended to form a sword and a shield in her hands. A second later, they were solid and stronger than steel, as was the layer of water around her. ¡°You learned that in a year?¡± Suniva asked, and Rainie nodded. ¡°Dammit. It took me three.¡± Rainie giggled. ¡°Ren told me you might be upset.¡± She said and took something out of her inventory. ¡°He said to give you this.¡± Suniva took the scroll and opened it. She read the contents, then read them again. The other pixies stared at her as she hugged the piece of parchment to her chest and a tear came to her eye. She took a deep breath, the parchment burst into flame and disintegrated, and she exhaled. ¡°What did it say?¡± Shanna and Rainie asked together. ¡°N-nothing... that concerns my friends.¡± Suniva said and smiled. ¡°Rainie? Did they let you play tag?¡± ¡°It was great!¡± Rainie giggled. ¡°Ren and his friends are so much fun!¡± Yes, they are. Suniva thought as Rainie started the first of many stories about the games they played. Half an hour later, a portal opened up in the same spot across the room, then Ren and Artemis stepped out. Ren summoned Teepo and then carried a bundle of Ice over to the shelf. ¡°L-Luparia? LUPARIA!¡± Indigo yelled. Ren walked up into the air and laid the solid block of ice onto the bed behind where Luparia had stood. Indigo pet the ice block and tears formed in her eyes, then she turned to look at Ren as tiny Lightning bolts sparked out of her shoulders. ¡°What. Did. You. Do. To. Her.¡± Indigo ground out through her clenched teeth. Ren kissed his fingertip and touched Indigo''s face with it. She gasped and put a hand over the spot he had touched and her Lightning disappeared. ¡°Luparia said to give you that, and that she wanted you to go next.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Indigo stared at him for a moment, then looked back at the block of ice. ¡°She... she said that?¡± ¡°She said, and I quote, ''Help her hold her temper''.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then she made these odd noises like ice scraping and formed this thing around herself.¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°Two months ago.¡± Ren said. ¡°Two months!¡± Indigo glared at him. ¡°Why didn''t you bring her back right away?!?¡± ¡°She told me not to.¡± Ren said honestly, and Indigo didn''t know what to say. ¡°If you need more convincing, I recorded it.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Indigo said. Ren took out a tiny box and cast Full Illusion and chose the message Luparia had wanted Indigo to have. Everyone watched the cold plea from the Ice pixie to her good friend, and Ren put the box away. ¡°I had hoped she might have... well... melted before now.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s still alive. Suniva, Rainie, Artemis, Teepo, and the succubi can attest to that.¡± ¡°I... I don''t... want to leave...¡± ¡°Maybe she''ll be out by the time you get back.¡± Artemis suggested. ¡°You saw her. She was pretty adamant that you had to be next.¡± ¡°How could you tell?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°She seemed the same cold as always.¡± Ren smiled and pet the ice block. ¡°There are many degrees of cold, and she could express more in a glance than most people can in a whole conversation.¡± ¡°Th-that''s true.¡± Indigo said and touched Ren''s hand on the ice block. ¡°If she said I should go, I will.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and turned his hand over. ¡°I won''t forgive you for putting her through this.¡± Indigo said. ¡°Or me.¡± Ren held her gently to his chest after giving her a pendant. ¡°I won''t ever ask you for something I don''t deserve.¡± He cast another Portal spell, and Teepo dissolved into the ring as Artemis followed Ren back inside the Sanctuary. ¡°What just happened?¡± Shanna asked. ¡°You got passed over again.¡± Suniva smiled, and Rainie giggled. ¡°That''s not what I meant!¡± ¡°They know.¡± Seldanna said and touched the ice block. ¡°Ow.¡± She said and her fingertip was partially frozen. ¡°Allow me.¡± Suniva said and generated some Fire, then used her Fire Manipulation ability to form a ball of Fire around Seldanna''s fingertip. After a few moments, Suniva absorbed the Fire and Seldanna''s red finger was no longer partially frozen. ¡°Thank you.¡± Seldanna said and flexed her fingers. ¡°I wonder why Indigo could touch it without injury?¡± ¡°She didn''t actually touch it.¡± Rainie said and held her solid water covered hand up. ¡°She has a Lightning field over her whole body just like this.¡± She was tempted to keep telling them stories about what she and Ren did for a whole year, but it didn''t seem as fun with Luparia stuck in a block of Ice. Half an hour later, a portal appeared and Ren, Artemis and Indigo stepped out. Ren summoned Teepo and Indigo walked over to the shelf. She looked really angry, then shrunk down to a pixie''s normal size and made a fist. ¡°That''s enough!¡± Indigo said and Lightning formed a ball around her fist. ¡°I figured it out, so stop hiding!¡± The ice block didn''t react, and she didn''t feel any difference in Luparia''s emotions. ¡°All right, then. I warned you!¡± Indigo said and slammed her fist down onto the ice block. It shattered into thousands of pieces and started to fly in every direction, then they stopped moving barely an inch away from where the block used to be. The ice flew up and then over to Ren so he could absorb it. ¡°It''s growing back!¡± Shanna said and pointed as the ice block started to reform. ¡°Stop it, Luparia!¡± Indigo said and grabbed her friend by the neck and picked her up. Ice started to form on her hand, and she sent a bolt of Lightning out and broke it apart. ¡°Stop it!¡± She shook her friend. ¡°You can have more than one friend! Do you understand? More than one! We both can! We can have more than ONE FRIEND!¡± The ice that was starting to reform stopped, then faded away. Luparia took a breath and opened her eyes. ¡°You will always be my very good friend, just like I hope that I can always be yours.¡± Indigo said. ¡°We can, and do, have more than one regular friend.¡± ¡°Indigo.¡± Luparia said coldly. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Indigo said angrily. ¡°You didn''t work on your anger.¡± Luparia said and ice fog came from her mouth. ¡°I did! I made it into a tool and I can control my Lightning much easier with it!¡± Indigo spat at her. ¡°That''s very good.¡± Luparia said frostily and ice formed on her lips. ¡°I missed you very much.¡± ¡°I missed you, too!¡± Indigo almost yelled, then a moment later, they hugged. ¡°I believe Shanna is next.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°I''m sorry you got shuffled down a couple of spots.¡± ¡°Well, at least you came back.¡± Shanna said and stepped onto his hand. ¡°What do I have to look forward to?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± Ren said and smiled at her surprised expression. ¡°We''ll find out together.¡± Shanna nodded and Ren cast another portal, Teepo dissolved into the ring again, then Ren and Artemis stepped through the portal. They were gone for another half an hour and came back, and Shanna was covered from head to toe in dirt. ¡°Shanna, what''s going on?¡± Rainie asked her friend. ¡°You were right, Rainie! It was so much fun!¡± Shanna said and hugged her friend, but the dirt didn''t shift or make a mess on her friend. ¡°I mean about the dirt.¡± ¡°Oh! Its my armor.¡± Shanna said and turned around. ¡°Isn''t it great?¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It''s just like yours! Except it''s solid Earth and not solid Water.¡± ¡°Will armor made of dirt be of any value?¡± Seldanna the succubus asked. ¡°It''s quicksand!¡± Shanna said happily. ¡°Can you imagine it! It''s quicksand armor!¡± ¡°That''s amazing!¡± Rainie said. Ren took Breeze the Wind pixie next. They disappeared for half an hour and came back with Breeze surrounded by solid Wind around her for armor. ¡°Miss LeChoufall, you are last in the pixie lineup, but not least.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°Do you think you can hold me?¡± Isle the Dark (Gravity) pixie asked, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Let''s find out.¡± Ren said and she stepped onto his hand as she activated her abilities. She caught her breath when he didn''t even struggle to hold her up, then he held her close to his chest. Ren left with her and after another half an hour, they were back. Ren walked over to the shelf and sat Isle onto her bed. ¡°Isle, what''s wrong?¡± Rainie asked. ¡°I kind of blew her mind.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I didn''t really think that was possible; but, she was beyond surprised when I showed her what she could really do with her abilities.¡± ¡°Is she going to be okay?¡± Shanna asked. ¡°Sure. She''s just trying to figure out how I made her completely weightless before coming through the portal.¡± ¡°You made her weightless.¡± Suniva said, surprised. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I cheated of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll show her how I did it, if she can''t figure it out by the time I come back.¡± ¡°You''re going again?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°You have more work to do?¡± ¡°Yes, and if you would do me the honor, will you please accompany me?¡± ¡°You want me to go with you into your Sanctuary?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°I''ve taken almost everyone else. It''s only fair that you have a turn.¡± Ren said. ¡°My King, it is I who would be honored.¡± Seldanna said and took his arm as if he was escorting her somewhere very important. Ren cast another portal and led Seldanna and Artemis back through it. Chapter 651 - Are You Sure Thats Training? ¡°What has he been doing all this time?¡± Suniva asked when the portal disappeared. ¡°I know what he''s making, but I''m not telling!¡± Rainie said and giggled. ¡°Rainie.¡± Suniva said sternly, and Rainie laughed. ¡°All I can tell you is that it is taking him a lot longer than he thought it would to make it.¡± ¡°I suppose I can''t threaten to light you on Fire, can I?¡± Suniva asked and smiled at her friend. ¡°You could, but that''s an empty threat.¡± Rainie said and hopped up and kissed her cheek, then used her hands to pinch both cheeks of Suniva''s face. ¡°You love me too much to hurt me.¡± She said, then tapped the top of Suniva''s head. ¡°TAG!¡± She laughed and jumped off of the shelf, dropped several feet, then started to run through the air with her Permanent Air Walk ability. ¡°Get back here, you little brat!¡± Suniva exclaimed, then lunged across the shelf and touched Shanna''s shoulder. ¡°Tag! You''re it!¡± ¡°What?¡± Shanna looked at Suniva as she flew away. She turned her head to look at the other pixies on the shelf. ¡°Can you believe...¡± The other pixies scattered immediately, and Shanna sighed. She hated it when the others got a head start. The three remaining succubi were as still as statues while the various emotions from the pixies washed over them. Since they weren''t moving, the pixies considered them obstacles to hide behind and used them appropriately. The pixies giggled constantly, because with so many of them playing, the one who was ''it'' changed every few seconds. The succubi fed on their exuberant emotions as the pixies ran around with abandon. The game lasted for almost 10 minutes, then Suniva shot a Fireball into the air and detonated it. ¡°Time!¡± Suniva said, and all the pixies stopped running, walked over to the shelf and flopped down onto their beds, exhausted. ¡°Who''s it?¡± Indigo raised her hand. ¡°We''ll resume after a good rest.¡± Suniva said and propped herself up on an elbow. ¡°Hey, why are you in charge?¡± Breeze, the Wind pixie asked, and Suniva raised her eyebrows at her. ¡°Yeah, okay. Immolate us, burn us to the ground, blah blah blah.¡± The other pixies giggled and Suniva smiled. ¡°Actually, it''s because I have the most experience.¡± Suniva said and laid back down. ¡°You can be in charge if you want, though. I don''t mind.¡± ¡°Okay, who are you and where is the tyrant we all hated and tried to ignore?¡± Breeze asked, and everyone giggled, including Suniva. ¡°I''m still me, but...¡± Suniva propped herself up onto her elbow again. ¡°After spending so much time with Ren, I realized that even though someone might be stronger than everyone else, that doesn''t mean they should be in charge.¡± She said and the other pixies looked at her. ¡°I don''t think that''s his philosophy. It''s just...¡± ¡°That''s what he does.¡± Rainie said. ¡°He could rule everything if he wanted, either by force or coercion, and he doesn''t.¡± ¡°Do you know why?¡± Luparia asked coldly. ¡°It''s no fun.¡± Rainie said. ¡°It would be boring for him if all he did was rule a kingdom. He also wouldn''t have time to spend with his friends, and that''s something he would never give up.¡± The pixies fell silent, because they had inadvertently discovered that they had a similar philosophy. Above all else, they liked having fun and being with their friends, too. They started talking about the different things they did while inside the Sanctuary, and then a portal opened up. Ren, Artemis, and Seldanna stepped out, and the other three succubi gasped as they felt her. Seldanna wore a platinum and steel two piece bikini, with platinum bracers on her forearms and platinum greaves on her calves. The armor pieces had large glittering diamonds embedded in them, and she wore a necklace of diamonds around her neck. Her body pulsed with a slight glow from the feelings of awe she felt from those that saw her, and she smiled. ¡°Thank you, My King.¡± Seldanna said and turned to Ren, then bent down and kissed him. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled herself in close, and then the 6 pixies he had just helped realized that they hadn''t thanked Ren for what he had done for them. They ran through the air and stopped several feet away from him and waited for Seldanna to finish her kiss. It took a few minutes. When Rainie started to giggle at the emotions passing between Ren and Seldanna, Seldanna broke the kiss and stood up. She turned to the succubi that were still lounging on the bed and pointed to Ellaria. ¡°I appoint you to be next.¡± Seldanna said in her command voice, and the succubi gasped at her power. ¡°M-me?¡± Ellaria said, surprised. ¡°But... I''m just...¡± ¡°You are no less important to him than I am.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Go with him and let him raise you up to new heights.¡± ¡°Of course, Sovereign.¡± Ellaria said and stood up. ¡°I am honored to be next.¡± ¡°As you should be.¡± Seldanna said and stepped aside to let Ellaria pass. ¡°Ren! We''re so sorry!¡± Rainie said on behalf of the other pixies beside her. ¡°We forgot to thank you for teaching us so much!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Friends don''t really have to thank friends for their help.¡± He said. ¡°Plus, I only had a year to give you as much information as I could.¡± He looked at the shelf where Suniva sat, and she smiled at him. ¡°If I had more time, well...¡± ¡°We will study our books every day!¡± Rainie promised for everyone. Ren reached out and touched her cheek with a fingertip. ¡°I hope that you will.¡± He said and felt her resolve. ¡°If you all keep improving, that would make me happy.¡± ¡°We will.¡± Rainie said and put her hand over her heart. ¡°We vow it!¡± ¡°Rainie! No!¡± The other pixies exclaimed, then a tiny Mana tendril shot out from all of their hearts, which made them catch their breath, and the Mana hit Ren''s chest. He felt a very tiny Connection form to each of them, then the Mana tendril faded. Suniva flew over to them and stopped beside her friend. ¡°Rainie, be more careful of your words.¡± She said and pat her shoulder. ¡°At least you only promised to read.¡± ¡°Even that small vow has tied us to him.¡± Luparia said frostily. ¡°I don''t mind calling him...¡± She glanced at Indigo. ¡°...a friend. Tying myself to him is not desirable.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, Miss Winterborne.¡± Ren said, and he felt the appreciation from her for not abusing the use of her first name. ¡°If you stick to the letter of the vow, after two days, it will expire.¡± ¡°Really.¡± Luparia said coldly. ¡°Yes. Just prove you can keep improving, and it will end.¡± Ren said. ¡°When you read the books tomorrow, you will establish the improvement. When you read them the next day and improve by the same amount, you will establish ''keep improving'' and it will be over.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°That... is a very simple view of the problem.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You can ignore it and stay tied to me forever if you want.¡± ¡°No!¡± Luparia said and Ice shot out of her hands, then a moment later she absorbed it. ¡°No, I agree that your idea will complete the vow.¡± The other pixies nodded, except for Rainie. ¡°That''s not what I m-mhmm!¡± Rainie mumbled when Suniva covered her mouth with a hand. ¡°I''ll explain what it means to speak for others.¡± Suniva said to Ren, and he smiled. Ren cast another portal and he, Artemis, and Ellaria stepped through it and the portal disappeared. He came back half an hour later and dropped off a powered up Ellaria and took Katori next, then Chenoa. When they all had a turn and had been armored up and improved as much as possible, even Princess, Ren still had to go back in to keep working. ¡°This is going to be a long trip.¡± Ren said as he held a hand out to Suniva, who didn''t hesitate at all and flew over to him and hugged him. They stepped through the portal and didn''t reappear again for the rest of the day. With that much time on their hands, the pixies had plenty of time to talk to each other about their experiences with Ren and the different things they had gone through and accomplished while inside the Sanctuary. The succubi on the other hand, never said a word. They laid on the bed with Seldanna in the middle, and the other three huddled up to her. Their bodies varied in their glows as each of them fed on the emotions of those around them. The day seemed to pass quickly, despite not a lot going on, then that night a portal opened and Ren, Artemis, and Suniva stepped out. The three of them practically glowed in the dim light and Ren summoned Teepo, then quickly made him solid and able to speak again. ¡°M-my K-king.¡± Seldanna whispered as she felt Ren''s restrained desire for her. ¡°You always know what to give me as a present.¡± Ren laughed a full-throated laugh, and all 4 succubi shivered from pleasure. ¡°I haven''t seen you in over five decades, Sovereign of the Succubi.¡± He said in a slightly deeper voice, and the other three succubi caught their breath as she was officially titled by their Tainted King. ¡°I have no lands to offer, except to share what I have already given to you and your kind.¡± ¡°What ''kind'' is that, My King?¡± Seldanna said as Ren stored his clothing and climbed onto the bed with her. ¡°Those loyal to me and mine.¡± Ren said and kissed her. Artemis and Suniva climbed onto the bed as well. They could feel the needs and desires of the succubi through Ren, and they cuddled together and let the succubi feed as much as they wanted on their desire for Ren and each other. The pixies that didn''t want to feel what was going on ended their Aura connection with each other and with Ren, and those that didn''t mind what was happening laid down on their beds and went along for the ride. Since no one was touching them or forcing them to participate, they could do what they wanted, and Rainie ignored her connection to Ren and concentrated on her friend Suniva instead. ¡°Rainie? What are you doing?¡± Shanna asked, because she had cut off all the connections and couldn''t feel what was going on. ¡°I''m... oh, Suniva really... really likes...¡± Rainie closed her eyes and let the emotions wash over her. ¡°So... so nice.¡± ¡°Rainie?¡± Shanna leaned over her friend with concern. Rainie opened her eyes and looked up at Shanna, and saw her plump lips. ¡°Friends can kiss, right?¡± Rainie asked dreamily. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Just... nothing sexual... just... friends.¡± Rainie reached up and stroked her friend''s hair. ¡°Good friends.¡± ¡°Yes, we''re good fr-mmm.¡± Shanna stopped talking as Rainie pulled her down and kissed her. She struggled a little at first, then she unblocked her connection to Rainie to make sure she was okay, and caught her breath. Rainie only wanted to feel what it was like to kiss her, with nothing sexual involved. She was still floating on all of the other emotions that filled everyone''s shared Auras and just wanted to know why Suniva liked kissing Artemis. Shanna always had a hard time saying no to her best friend, so she gave in and kissed Rainie like she wanted to be kissed. The funny thing was, no one had any overt sexual thoughts in their heads as they enjoyed sharing their emotions. Caresses were exchanged in some cases, a gasp here and a moan there; but, no one pressed anyone or tried to cross the line into sex. After about 10 minutes, a feeling of relaxation and contentment washed over them and they all sighed after they stopped kissing each other. Shanna had climbed onto Rainie''s bed with her and cuddled with her while they kissed, and they just stared at each other with slightly embarrassed expressions when the kiss ended. ¡°Shanna, I...¡± Rainie tried to apologize and Shanna giggled. ¡°It''s okay, Rainie. Now we know why Suniva likes kissing Artemis so much.¡± Shanna said. Rainie giggled, too. ¡°Girls lips are soft.¡± ¡°Most times they are.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, I''ve seen a few women around that had small thin lips.¡± ¡°Wouldn''t they be harder to kiss?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°That depends on the woman, I think.¡± Artemis said. ¡°If she''s in a good mood, that is.¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°They definitely have to be in a good mood or the kiss is never happening.¡± ¡°I''m in a good mood, My King!¡± Chenoa the succubus said and raised her hand, and the other succubi laughed. ¡°I think that is her not-so-subtle way of asking for a kiss.¡± Seldanna smiled. ¡°I suppose I can''t refuse an honest request.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to Chenoa, and she slid over Katori and Ellaria to position herself next to Ren. ¡°Hey, you don''t have to be so rough.¡± Ellaria said, but she smiled at Chenoa. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Chenoa said sincerely. ¡°Well, I did have the lion''s share of his kisses the last few minutes, so it''s okay.¡± Ellaria said, and Chenoa pat her shoulder and looked at Ren expectantly. ¡°Would you like one of your favorite emotions?¡± Ren asked. Chenoa shook her head. ¡°Just the kiss, please.¡± Ren beamed a smile at her, and her face flushed to a darker red. ¡°One clean kiss, coming up.¡± The other succubi chuckled at his choice of words, and then Chenoa leaned in and their lips met. Ren caressed her cheeks as they kissed, and Chenoa started to glow. ¡°What... what''s happening?¡± Katori asked. ¡°It''s her own enjoyment.¡± Seldanna said, proudly. ¡°She has learned that there is always two sources of power during any exchange.¡± Chenoa broke the kiss, a little breathless, and looked at Seldanna. ¡°May I offer...¡± ¡°Always.¡± Seldanna said as she leaned close and briefly kissed her. ¡°Mmm, thank you, Chenoa.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, Sovereign.¡± Chenoa said and moved back over Ellaria to her previous spot. ¡°Time for sleep.¡± Ren said and touched Artemis, who moved closer to lay her head against his, but didn''t crowd Seldanna at all. Suniva on the other hand, shrunk down to her normal 1 foot height and laid down by Ren''s face. ¡°I don''t need any Fire, Ren.¡± Suniva said and hugged his ear, and kissed it. ¡°Just you.¡± ¡°Can I say goodnight, even though we''re only going to sleep for an hour?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You can say whatever you want, My King.¡± Seldanna said and kissed his cheek. ¡°Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, everyone.¡± Ren said, and they all laughed. ¡°Okay, maybe not ''anything'', My King.¡± Seldanna went to kiss his cheek, then bared her teeth and bit him lightly instead. ¡°You can say anything appropriate.¡± She said, kissed the spot she had just bitten, then laid her head on his chest. ¡°Have a good nap, everyone.¡± Ren said, felt everyone''s agreement, and closed his eyes and relaxed. They all did the same thing, then drifted off to sleep. ******** Barbara came into Ren''s bedroom and shut the door, then saw Elise and Lisa as they held each other on the bed. She was going to say something, then realized they weren''t close enough to Ren to put him in danger of being rolled on or banged if they moved. Denise came into the room right behind her and stopped. She wore a small pair of shorts and a t-shirt two sizes bigger than she normally wore. ¡°Hey, Barbara.¡± Denise whispered. ¡°It looks like they dozed off.¡± ¡°I just got here, so probably.¡± Barbara whispered back. ¡°I think Stella''s taking a shower.¡± The bathroom door opened and Stella came out wearing the t-shirt Elise gave her. ¡°Hi.¡± Stella said and finished drying her hair as she checked the television, and it was still on a blue screen. ¡°He''s either got someone naked or he''s back in the Sanctuary.¡± ¡°He''s in the Sanctuary.¡± Elise said as she lifted her head and looked at them. ¡°He''s been giving the pixies visits.¡± ¡°I thought you were asleep.¡± Barbara said. ¡°No, I''m watching Ren.¡± Elise said. ¡°Lisa''s out like a light, though.¡± ¡°Poor thing.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Imagine having to grow up with that... man... as a father.¡± ¡°I think she''s turning out remarkably well, despite that.¡± Stella said. ¡°Did she sign the paper?¡± ¡°Without hesitation.¡± Elise said and gently stroked Lisa''s hair. ¡°Good.¡± Stella said and tossed her towel on top of the one Elise used. ¡°At least there''s lots of room so I can hug her, too.¡± Elise smiled as Stella laid down beside Lisa and snuggled in. ¡°I''ll just lay down over here.¡± Denise said and pat the far side of the bed. ¡°I just said there''s lots of room.¡± Stella pat the bed beside her. ¡°Climb aboard.¡± Denise climbed onto the bed and laid down beside Stella, then they all relaxed. Barbara turned the lights down and sat on the chair beside Ren''s side of the bed, then turned down the volume on the television so that if anything did pop on, the sound wouldn''t wake anyone. Barbara watched the television flicker every 7 minutes and watched Ren continue to take pixies into the Sanctuary. He moved onto the succubi and gave them each a turn, then took Princess in, and then another pixie. After a while, she was a bit surprised that he hadn''t come back out, then shrugged and waited until he did come back out at the end of the day. Barbara watched as Ren climbed onto the bed and the blue screen didn''t appear for several minutes, then the 4 succubi reached for their tops and the view cut off. She shook her head and held in her chuckle. Yes, this is definitely an easy night for me. Barbara thought as she heard the even breathing of the women in the bed with Ren. Chapter 652 - Back To Walin County Ren woke up after an hour, equipped his platinum armor and checked his status. Show Status. He thought and the popup appeared, because he no longer had problems giving the game mental commands.
Status
Name Ren (Neram) Level 999
Gender Male Class Artificer/King
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 1,000,000 Honor 250,000 (Untouchable)
Giant Kingdom: Dark Elven Kingdom (Royal Consort):
Respect 26,000 Influence 1,000,000
Titles
Master Blacksmith Grants 10 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills; 5,000 Fame
Master Tailor Grants 10 level bonus to Tailoring Skills; 5,000 Fame
Master Enchanter Guild Membership; The Rule Of Two; Skill: Rune Creation
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Dreaded Foe Auras with Fear: +5 Levels, Respect: 5000, Enemies/Opponents/Creatures -5 INT -5 WIS
The Tainted King All Auras maxed. You must be acknowledged. Grants skills: This Is Mine! & Autocracy
Sea Dweller (Honorary) Grants Water Manipulation Skill, Water Conversion Ability, and Sea Dweller (Aura)
Royal Consort Dark Elven Court, Underworld Access, Tithe
HeadHunter Killing Blow Special (50% Kill chance), Skull Cracker (Stun +20%)
Void Bane Void Sense (Aura), -50% Debuff from Void effects, +50% Damage to Void creatures
Awesomeness Grants Admiration, free Charm Person, Personal Aura +150 feet
Vasalor''s Chosen (No Description)
Teach Me No More All currently known skills and abilities are Mastered
Health 99,999 (Maxed 99,999) Mana 99,999 (Maxed 99,999)
Strength 28,188 (+15,140) Dexterity 28,079 (+15,140)
Vitality 28,065 (+15,140) Agility 28,086 (+15,140)
Endurance 28,076 (+15,140) Intelligence 28,095 (+15,445)
Luck 99 (+142) Wisdom 28,110 (+15,445)
¡°Wow.¡± Ren said out loud after he read the stats. ¡°Hm?¡± Artemis opened her eyes. ¡°Ren?¡± ¡°I didn''t mean to wake you. I was just checking my stats.¡± ¡°They''re outrageous, aren''t they?¡± Seldanna said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I could joke about it depending on the definition...¡± ¡°...but, that would be superfluous.¡± Seldanna said and kissed him. ¡°That was a good nap.¡± After a few minutes, everyone woke up and equipped their various outfits to prepare to leave. Ren led the succubi and pixies out of the bedroom and down the stairs to Princess, who offered to carry the pixies. The pixies thanked her and sat on her saddle, except for Suniva, who sat on Ren''s shoulder. They left the house and Ren felt someone''s intense concentration directed at him. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said to his group and disappeared. Dana, from her hiding spot two buildings away, saw Ren disappear. ¡°Hey, where did he-AHH!¡± ¡°Why are you... oh! Hello, Dana.¡± Ren said as he appeared in front of her. ¡°Hi, Dana''s friend.¡± Dana had a hand on her chest and panted to try and calm down, and her friend had reacted emotionally but didn''t show it. ¡°It''s Gretchen.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said and turned to Dana. ¡°I meant to scare you, but I''m sorry it was you.¡± Ren said and took her hand and held it with both of his. He poured Reassurance out to her and she relaxed. ¡°Have you been watching me?¡± ¡°I...¡± Dana knew she couldn''t lie when asked so obviously, not and look like a fool. ¡°...yes.¡± She said and sighed. ¡°I wanted to know how long you were going to stay in there.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°I didn''t stay inside.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I can cast portals and can leave whenever I want without actually leaving the building.¡± Ren said. Dana opened her mouth to tell him how stupid she was to miss something so obvious, and he laughed, pat her hand, and let it go. ¡°It''s okay. I missed something completely obvious this morning that I felt extremely stupid.¡± Ren said. ¡°If Teepo hadn''t mentioned it, I wouldn''t have thought of it at all until I had to go to work.¡± ¡°Work?¡± ¡°Not in the sense you think.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just things I want to do before the arena fight in two days.¡± ¡°I can''t wait to see you fight.¡± Dana said excitedly. ¡°Say, would you want to do me a favor?¡± Ren asked, and her face lit up. ¡°That depends on what it is.¡± Dana''s friend said. Ren chuckled. ¡°I was going to do it myself, but I have to set everything up at my county.¡± He said and took out a stack of parchment paper. ¡°This might take a few hours, so I want you to be sure you want to do this.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Flyer delivery.¡± Ren said, and the two women looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I''m sure my message inviting all the Adventurers didn''t get to everyone, so I want to invite everyone to come.¡± ¡°Are... are you serious?¡± Dana''s friend asked. ¡°You want us to hand out flyers?¡± ¡°No, no. I want you to go to the general stores in every town on the Portal Gate network and ask them to put this flyer in their window.¡± Dana and her friend just stared at him. ¡°I know it''s a lot of work.¡± Ren said and turned slightly away. ¡°Just a second.¡± Dana watched as Ren stored the flyers and started to fiddle around in the air. Ren had opened the Land Owner menu and created a new quest. He added XP and money for completing it, a bonus magical item, and XP and money bonuses for every shop they managed to put the flyers in. ¡°Okay, that''s set.¡± Ren said and looked at Dana and her friend. ¡°Now, some of the shopkeepers might want money for putting the flyer up in their shop, so you can negotiate and offer them up to 10 copper. Not per day or anything, just a one time fee.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ll give you funds to cover having to pay all of them and you can keep any extra.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°So, what do you say?¡± Dana and her friend gasped when they received a quest popup. ¡°Is this for real?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°As a business and land owner, I can grant quests.¡± ¡°A-any quest?¡± ¡°Within reason.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure I can''t set a quest to, say, sweep my floor and I''ll give you a thousand XP and 10 platinum coins.¡± Dana and her friend gasped again, then almost yelled. ¡°We''ll sweep your floor! All your floors!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I just said I didn''t think I could do that.¡± ¡°Geez, don''t get our hopes up like that.¡± Dana''s friend said, and Ren laughed. ¡°You have a perfectly good quest sitting right in front of your eyes.¡± Ren said. ¡°What do you say?¡± ¡°We''ll take it.¡± Dana said, and her friend nodded, then they both said ''yes'' out loud. Ren turned back to his screen and saw the quest was accepted and closed the Land Owner menu. ¡°I want you to be careful, okay?¡± He cautioned them. ¡°You''ll probably meet a lot of Adventurers along the way, so if you get into trouble or need me for anything...¡± He handed Dana a brooch with a button on it. ¡°...tap this.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Dana asked and pushed the button, and activated the Panic Aura inside. Ren, Artemis, the succubi, and the pixies all caught their breath. Ren took Dana''s hand and hit the button. ¡°It''s a panic button.¡± Ren said and relaxed. ¡°Wow, really?¡± Dana turned it over. ¡°How does it work?¡± ¡°Trade secret.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll have my artificial Aura active, so I''ll feel that anywhere in the country.¡± ¡°That''s so cool.¡± Dana said and stored it. ¡°I suggest you wear it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s easier to reach that way.¡± ¡°I don''t have a lot in inventory, and I don''t want anyone to steal it.¡± Dana said. Ren shrugged and handed her the stack of flyers. ¡°I have lots of extras of course. You can leave a few in each store if they want them.¡± ¡°Cool.¡± Dana said and gave half of the stack to her friend and they stored them. ¡°Here''s the money for fees in the stores, if they want to haggle.¡± Ren said and handed the money to Dana. ¡°You''re both on the quest, so either or both of you can do it.¡± He said and gave them several silver each. ¡°This is for the Portal Gate fees.¡± ¡°Oh! You''re giving us that, too?¡± Dana''s friend asked. ¡°Isn''t that like paying yourself?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Rather than trying to make exceptions for you through the portals, it''s easier to just give you the money because I''ll get it back when you use it.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Dana said. ¡°I guess we should get started.¡± ¡°Just a second.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°I''m pretty sure the General Store is in the same place in every town; but, I should check just in case.¡± Ren asked for the information and the All-Seeing Mirror showed him there were several exceptions. He asked for the generic map first and enlarged the All-Seeing Mirror to twice it''s size. He took out several more pieces of parchment and the Image Capture Device. He took a picture of the mirror and transferred the image to a piece of parchment, then asked for the exceptions and did it to those as well. Dana and her friend just stared at Ren as he handed them the full color and finely detailed maps. ¡°You can make those out, right?¡± Ren asked them, and they just kept looking at him. ¡°I can make them bigger if you want.¡± He said and cast Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything on the maps and they doubled in size. The large maps flopped in their hands and they kept staring at him. ¡°I think they''re amazed at you taking a picture.¡± Teepo said wisely, and Ren chuckled and made the maps smaller. ¡°Hey, Dana!¡± Ren exclaimed and both she and her friend blinked their eyes. ¡°Smile!¡± Both women smiled and Ren took their picture. He put it on a piece of parchment and gave it to Dana, then did it again and gave it to her friend. ¡°I''ll be at my county, out behind the starter city there, near the succubi roost.¡± Ren said. ¡°When you''re done, come there to finish the quest.¡± He smiled at them. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Dana said and watched Ren walk back over to his friends, then they all took off up into the air and disappeared from sight. * ¡°Okay, that was weird.¡± Dana''s friend said. ¡°Another Adventurer gave us a quest.¡± ¡°A really easy quest.¡± Dana said and looked at the picture of her and her friend Ren had given her. ¡°It''s so detailed.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Her friend said. ¡°I didn''t know there was a way to take pictures in the game, except for screenshots.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Dana said and stored the picture. ¡°These maps...¡± ¡°...could be worth a lot of money to the right person.¡± Her friend said. ¡°Not necessarily the generic one; but, I guess even newbies could use a generic town map.¡± ¡°Don''t you think that''s wrong? I mean, should we even think of selling them?¡± Dana asked. ¡°He didn''t say we couldn''t.¡± ¡°What if he asks for them back?¡± ¡°He can ask, but I doubt he will. We won''t sell the originals, if it makes you feel better about it.¡± Her friend said. ¡°Let''s pop in the Library and see what they charge to make copies.¡± ¡°What if they can''t? Or won''t? Or it''s too expensive?¡± ¡°Geez, Dana.¡± Her friend laughed. ¡°We ask around to see who can.¡± She said and took her friend''s hand and dragged her down the street towards the main part of the city and the Library. * Ren and his group landed beside the succubi roost and the pixies immediately hopped off of Princess'' saddle and stood in front of Ren''s face. ¡°Ren! Thank you so much for everything!¡± Rainie said. ¡°I suppose I can''t be greedy and keep you around.¡± Ren said and kissed his fingertip, then held it out to her. It was her choice what to do with it, and she kissed it instead of pressing it to her cheek. ¡°Kissing cousins!¡± Rainie giggled, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I would thank you as well.¡± Luparia, the Ice pixie said in a deep cold voice. Ren held his hand out and activated his Hands of the Gods ability Freezing Hands and formed some Ice, then shaped it into a bouquet of roses. He reduced it in size and held it out to her between his thumb and index finger. ¡°It was a pleasure making your acquaintance, Miss Winterborne.¡± Ren said. ¡°I sincerely hope we can meet again in the future.¡± Luparia slowly took the Ice roses and squinted her eyes at him, which was the biggest reaction he had ever gotten from her. ¡°Are you making advances on me?¡± She asked frostily. ¡°Only if you are not insulted by the idea.¡± Ren said without any inflection. Luparia looked intensely at her best friend Indigo the Lightning pixie, who nodded. She handed the Ice roses to her, then took several steps forward and looked at Ren right in the eye. ¡°At least you waited for an appropriate length of time before broaching the subject.¡± Luparia said and placed a single chaste kiss on Ren''s cheek. Half of his face was covered instantly in Ice and he absorbed it. ¡°Thank you, Miss Winterborne.¡± Ren said. ¡°You may call me by my first name.¡± Luparia said and put a finger on his cheek and covered it Ice again. ¡°Next time we meet.¡± ¡°Of course, Miss Winterborne.¡± Ren said and absorbed the Ice, then she pat his cheek and walked back over to Indigo, who handed her the Ice roses back. ¡°I''m still not going to forgive you.¡± Indigo said angrily to Ren, and he smiled. ¡°I still don''t deserve it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You should at least say thank you.¡± Shanna said to her, and Indigo shrugged. ¡°Rainie thanked him for us before and made that vow, remember?¡± Indigo said. ¡°He even said that friends don''t need to thank friends for their help.¡± ¡°It''s just polite.¡± Shanna said and looked at Ren. ¡°Thank you for teaching me so much.¡± ¡°As long as you keep using it and practising, I''m sure you''ll discover everything you can do.¡± Ren said and looked at the other pixies. ¡°I''m sure you all will.¡± ¡°We will!¡± Rainie said and put her hand over her heart. ¡°I sw-mhm!!!¡± Shanna had covered her mouth with a hand and stopped her from making another vow. ¡°Ren, do you have a muzzle or something we can use?¡± ¡°MHM MHMM!¡± Rainie''s yell was muffled, but they all felt the accompanying emotions and laughed. ¡°We should leave before Rainie binds us all together forever.¡± Breeze said. ¡°Ren, until the Wind lets us cross paths again...¡± ¡°...drift freely and float on the breath of the world.¡± Ren responded, and she smiled and walked away. The other pixies waved or nodded and turned and followed her. Rainie on the other hand, was dragged away by Shanna. ¡°HMMM!¡± Rainie waved enthusiastically, and Ren held in his laugh and waved back. Isle stopped walking and ran back to Ren. ¡°Okay. Tell me how you cheated and made me weightless.¡± Ren smiled and leaned in close, then whispered. ¡°I used my Wind Manipulation ability to negate the last 20% and push the Anti-dark from it''s limit of 80% to 100%.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s so sneaky.¡± Isle said. ¡°Now I have to talk to Breeze about a collaboration.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I hope you both can have fun together, since you have complimentary abilities.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Isle said and turned to the last pixie. ¡°Suniva? Are you coming?¡± Suniva looked at her and then at Ren, and he felt her indecision. ¡°I''m staying here all day to work and then I''m going back to Aurora.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you want to keep spending time with me, you''ll have all day to do what you want, then you can come stay with me tonight.¡± Suniva smiled and darted forward, kissed his cheek and covered it in Fire, then flew after the pixies. ¡°All right.¡± Ren clapped his hands and rubbed them together as he absorbed the Fire Suniva had given him. ¡°Teepo, you''re the layout expert. Keep me on the right path.¡± ¡°On it, Ren!¡± Teepo said and flew up into the air to an appropriate spot. ¡°Okay, take out the first length of track!¡± Ren took out the large section of flat track that was actually full size, and placed it where Teepo directed. The next piece was attached with molten metal, then the next piece curved up into the air on a sharp angle onto metal scaffolding. Ren continued to add pieces and the track rose up into the air to a huge drop-off. ¡°People are going to love this.¡± Ren said and added the magical lift to the track to pull the carts to the top of the incline, then with Teepo''s help continued to add pieces to the solid metal roller coaster. Chapter 653 - If You Advertise, They Will Come Ren made the roller coaster next to the succubi roost without crowding it too much, because he didn''t want to interfere with the Water Park, and then started adding all the other things that a normal amusement park had. Rides that were variations on a carousel, giant swinging pendulum machines of various shapes that people could ride, Ferris wheels of different sizes, and game booths with every kind of luck and skill game you could think of. That had taken hours, and then Ren added benches, fountains, chairs, railings, grassy areas, and everything else people would want or need at an amusement park. He added more food vendor booths, even though he had no one to staff them, and Artemis hovered nearby the whole time to keep him company and to guard him. Princess on the other hand, had run around the outside of the county and kept Babylon company. Ren smiled as he worked, and part of his attention drifted to the flyers that Dana and her friend were handing out. I wonder if they even bothered to read it. He thought and kept working. They hadn''t. * Dana and her friend discovered that the Library didn''t have the maps they had, and if the Head Librarian was allowed to keep a copy of them, she would make 100 copies of each for free. Dana and Gretchen took that deal and gained the Haggle skill, then they left the Library and went to the town square and the Portal Gate that Ren had built. ¡°Wait! Aurora has a general store!¡± Dana exclaimed, and her friend chuckled. ¡°It''s okay, Dana. We can do it when we come back.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Dana said and they looked at the map on the arch above the gate. They chose the next closest town with a gate and stepped through after paying. ¡°That''s so weird!¡± She said and looked around. We''ve travelled so far with only a single step!¡± Gretchen laughed and took her hand. ¡°Check the maps Ren gave us.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Dana said and took out the generic map, then compared it to the town square they were in. ¡°We''re in the generic one!¡± ¡°Great! I know right where the store is.¡± Gretchen said and dragged her down the street. ¡°We are going to beat this quest so fast that it''ll make his head spin!¡± ¡°Who''s head?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Who else?¡± Her friend smiled. ¡°Your boyyyyfriennnnd!¡± Dana''s face flushed red as she blushed. ¡°He''s not my... I mean, I think he''s cute... and he''s pretty strong...¡± ¡°Don''t forget rich.¡± Her friend said with a smile. Dana was quiet for a minute. ¡°Do you think he... would he go out with me?¡± ¡°You saw who he was with, right?¡± Dana opened her mouth to respond, then sighed. ¡°Yeah, I saw.¡± She said, sadly. ¡°Succubusses.¡± Gretchen chuckled. ¡°It''s succubi.¡± ¡°Sorry. Succubies.¡± ¡°No, no. Succubi is the plural of succubus.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Dana said. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Her friend said. ¡°Come on! Let''s get this done!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Dana let her friend pull her along by her hand. She couldn''t help but feel a little sad that she didn''t have a chance to go out with the only guy to have ever impressed her. They worked for hours and covered every spot on the Portal Gate Network and didn''t have any problems. The general stores were always open these days and night quests were becoming commonplace. Dana and Gretchen did meet some Adventurers, since it was night time in the real world and nearly everyone was online and in the towns because it was night time in the game as well. They gave them flyers and told them what they knew about the fight in a couple of days, then moved on to the next town. It wasn''t until they returned to Aurora and went to the general store there, General Goode''s General Goods, that an Adventurer asked for the flyer and read it right in front of them. Once he had read the details about the fight and seating arrangements in the arena, the flyer sparkled and showed an advertisement for an amusement park. ¡°Is this some kind of joke?¡± The guy asked and showed them the altered flyer. ¡°There''s no such thing as an amusement park in here.¡± Dana looked at the bright and colorful flyer that showed rides, games, attractions, and food. ¡°Wow, is this for real?¡± ¡°What? You don''t know? Are you stupid or something?¡± The guy asked a little angrily. ¡°You''re passing the things out! Didn''t you even read it?¡± Dana exchanged a glance with her friend. Neither of them had thought of reading it and had just passed them out. ¡°Come on! Is this a joke or not?¡± The guy asked and loomed over them. ¡°What about the fight? Is that a joke, too?¡± ¡°I... I...¡± Dana wasn''t sure what to do, and then she remembered the panic button Ren had given her. She took the gold brooch out of inventory and went to push the button, and the guy swiped it from her hand. ¡°HEY! Give that back!¡± ¡°Is this gold?¡± The guy asked. ¡°It''s heavy enough for gold.¡± He looked it over. ¡°What''s the button for?¡± ¡°No! Don''t push it!¡± Gretchen nearly yelled. The guy smiled at her. ¡°Why? Will something happen?¡± ¡°N-no.¡± She said. ¡°N-nothing.¡± The guy chuckled at her obvious lie and pushed the button. * ¡°I think we''re done, Ren!¡± Teepo exclaimed and flew down. ¡°Look at it on the All-Seeing Mirror and check.¡± ¡°Sure, buddy.¡± Ren said and took out the mirror and asked it for a top-down view of the work he and Teepo had done. Artemis looked over his shoulder and saw that the park was completed, as well as the full-sized arena that could seat several cities worth of people. The best part was that it was all made from actual materials and not things enlarged or created by magic. It was all real.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°It really is all done.¡± Artemis said and pointed. ¡°There''s the...¡± They felt the Panic Aura merge with the artificial one and pinpointed where it was. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror immediately and cast a Portal spell while Teepo dissolved into the ring, then Ren and Artemis stepped through to appear right behind Dana and her friend. Ren saw a guy he didn''t know was holding the brooch he had given her, and then gained the Angered condition. ¡°Are you trying to steal from my friends?¡± Dana gasped and turned around to see Ren and the tall metal woman behind him. ¡°R-Ren!¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ren asked and dismissed the portal and summoned Teepo. ¡°Y-yes, I think so.¡± Dana said. ¡°This guy...¡± ¡°...has your property.¡± Ren said and looked at the guy. ¡°Return it. Now.¡± ¡°She held it out to me.¡± The guy said in an obvious lie and Ren smiled. ¡°You mean like you''re holding it now?¡± Ren asked. The guy nodded, so Ren plucked the brooch from his hand and hit the button. ¡°Hey!¡± The guy exclaimed. ¡°Give that back!¡± ¡°You held it out to me.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Listen, you...¡± ¡°No, you listen.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m warning you to back off.¡± He said. ¡°In case the flyer you''re holding in your hand wasn''t clear, my name is Ren and I''m the one that''s going to be fighting in the arena.¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± The guy barked a laugh. ¡°A little guy like you? Are you crazy?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. The guy looked nonplussed for a moment and then frowned. ¡°Don''t make me hurt you.¡± ¡°Don''t make me laugh.¡± Ren said and lost the Angered condition, because he was amused. ¡°You could use all of your Strength to attack me and you wouldn''t dent my normal shield, let alone my platinum one.¡± ¡°A... platinum shield?¡± ¡°Yeah, this one.¡± Ren said and equipped a tower shield that covered him from neck to ankle. The platinum sheen of the metal was unmistakable, even in the light of the streetlamps. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Dana whispered. ¡°H-how m-much...¡± ¡°I only used about 800 platinum coins.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I use too much for the mix it could weaken the steel alloy.¡± ¡°Steel?¡± The guy asked. ¡°I use steel for most of my products.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless I''m going for pure aesthetics, then I''ll forgo Durability for value.¡± No one said anything for several moments, so Ren stored the shield and looked at Dana. ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡± ¡°S-sure.¡± Dana said and gave him a quick retelling of the situation. ¡°So, he was bullying you.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, he... well, I guess he...¡± ¡°It''s okay. It''s kind of my fault.¡± Ren took her hand. ¡°I should have asked you to read the flyer before sending you out on the quest.¡± ¡°No, it''s our fault for not reading it.¡± Dana''s friend said. ¡°We didn''t realize it was for more than the arena fight, and we''ve been passing them out for hours and hours.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve been stuck with tunnel vision a few times myself.¡± The guy stood there and watched the exchange, and felt like he was being ignored. He was nearly twice Ren''s size and wore thick armor, and he really didn''t like being ignored one bit. He took a menacing step forward and then there was a loud bang as Ren appeared in front of him and lightly poked the guy''s chest armor with a fingertip. It left a one inch deep dent in the half-inch thick armor as the guy lost 5% of his Health. He gasped for breath because the armor now pressed into his chest. ¡°Easy there, fella.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told you to back off.¡± ¡°...can''t... breathe...¡± The guy said and dropped to one knee. ¡°Store your chest plate.¡± Ren said. The guy did and started to breathe normally. ¡°You damaged my armor.¡± ¡°Yeah, and I was being careful that I didn''t kill you by accident, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll send you the bill for the repairs.¡± The guy said and stood up. ¡°I can repair it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yeah, like I''d trust you to do a good job, especially since you damaged it in the first place.¡± ¡°I''d get angry that you''re calling my ethics and handiwork into question, but you''re acting like an angry child that''s not getting their way.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, go ahead and send me the bill... no, wait. Why don''t you just buy a new chest plate and send me the bill for that, then you won''t have to worry that I permanently damaged your old one.¡± ¡°You really are crazy.¡± The guy said and started to back away. ¡°If you don''t know where my shop is, ask around.¡± Ren said. ¡°Everyone here knows where the Hero of Aurora hangs his hat.¡± The guy turned and walked quickly down the street. ¡°That... was...¡± Dana blinked her eyes at the quickly retreating partially armored figure. ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Ren said and turned to her. ¡°Bullies bother me, especially if they are doing it for no reason.¡± He said. ¡°Of course, with all the things I''ve done so far, some of them could be considered bullying, too.¡± ¡°Not you!¡± Dana exclaimed, and Ren chuckled. ¡°When you win battles and fights, the other side almost always feels bullied, even if they were warned beforehand.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sometimes that''s not enough and when I deal with them... well...¡± Dana stared at him and he could feel her admiration. ¡°That''s not really something that should be admired.¡± Ren said, and he felt her surprise. ¡°You can read my mind?!?¡± Dana asked. ¡°No, I can feel your emotions, remember?¡± ¡°Oh! Right.¡± Dana said. Ren held the brooch with the panic button out to her. ¡°How is the quest going?¡± ¡°You can keep that.¡± Dana said and pushed his hand away. ¡°We''re done! We just left the last general store!¡± ¡°Yeah, that guy was the last one we handed a flyer to.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Excellent!¡± Ren said. ¡°You used up the travelling fees?¡± Dana nodded. ¡°How did you know how much to give us?¡± ¡°Thanks to Teepo.¡± Ren said. ¡°Any real math that needs to be done quickly, I leave to my best friend.¡± ¡°That must be really nice.¡± Dana said, a little sadly. ¡°I can''t even remember to log out at the right times.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Teepo reminds me of that all the time.¡± ¡°He does?¡± Dana asked, surprised. ¡°But... you''re...¡± ¡°I was recently reminded that I''m not infallible.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, hand me the remaining flyers.¡± The two girls handed him the flyers. ¡°Do you need one for yourselves?¡± Ren asked, and they each took one. ¡°Thanks.¡± Dana said and stored it. ¡°Um... R-Ren...¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Ren stored the remaining flyers. ¡°About the maps you gave us...¡± Dana glanced at her friend, who glared at her. ¡°You can keep them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can always make more.¡± ¡°Whew.¡± Dana said and grinned at Gretchen. ¡°You were right. He wasn''t going to ask for them back, so we can sell them if we want to.¡± ¡°Dana!¡± Gretchen exclaimed. ¡°Sell them?¡± Ren asked, and both women sighed. ¡°We took the maps to the Library, and the woman there made us 100 copies for free for giving her maps she didn''t have.¡± Dana said. ¡°We''ve been selling them in nearly every town we went to.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren looked at them both, and they nodded. ¡°That''s great!¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Dana and Gretchen said together. ¡°You figured out a way to make money from something so simple!¡± Ren said, happily. ¡°Artemis, why didn''t I think of it?¡± ¡°You can''t think of everything, Ren.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I guess you''ll want them back now.¡± Dana said and took out the handful of maps she had left and held them out. Gretchen took out a slightly bigger handful and held them out, too. ¡°No, thanks.¡± Ren said, and both women looked at him. ¡°Although, you seem to be running low.¡± He said. ¡°On second thought, can I have them back?¡± Both women sighed and handed the maps to him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and made one stack about 50 sheets thick, then gripped the stack at the top and tore them in half. He felt the two women''s emotions turned to depression, and he grinned at them. He poured Mana into his hands and the page halves formed full pages. Dana and Gretchen stared as he made a stack of those 100 full sheets, then gripped the top and tore the stack in half. He did it again and again until he had a stack of 800 in each hand and reformed them with Mana. ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said and handed 800 maps to Dana and 800 maps to Gretchen. ¡°Did... wait... you...¡± Dana stared open-mouthed at the stack of maps in her hands. ¡°I know they''re mixed together, but the inventory will sort them for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, are you ready to finish the quest?¡± Dana nodded and stored the stack of maps, and just like Ren had said, they sorted into their own stacks. ¡°That actually worked.¡± ¡°I was surprised the first time it did that automatically, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, with that out of the way... I declare the granted quest complete!¡± Both women received popups with all the relevant information in it. It listed how many towns and cities they visited, how many flyers they handed out, how many times they haggled, and also the XP and gold they received. Dana caught her breath as she realized the sheer amount of work she and her friend had done. It had been fun! Dana thought, almost in shock. Really fun! Ren felt their emotions and smiled. ¡°Now, the final thing is a magical item of your choice.¡± He said and gave each of them a quick look. ¡°I see you''ve already run rampant in my shop, though.¡± Ren''s comment commanded Dana''s attention. ¡°It wasn''t like that.¡± Dana said. ¡°We went in and...¡± ¡°I wasn''t accusing you of anything.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I was just stating that I can''t finish the end quest easily by giving you a Water Walk ring or something.¡± ¡°What are you going to give us?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°That depends.¡± Ren said. ¡°What is it that you want the most?¡± Dana didn''t even hesitate as she pointed right at Teepo. Chapter 654 - I Give To You... ¡°Dana!¡± Gretchen exclaimed. ¡°You can''t just...¡± ¡°He asked me what I really wanted.¡± Dana said honestly and looked at Ren. ¡°I''m sorry, Dana. Teepo is not someone I''d just give away. He''s not a thing to be traded away...¡± Ren started to explain what Teepo means to him. ¡°No, no! I don''t want Teepo!¡± Dana nearly yelled. ¡°I mean, I''m sure you''re a great friend and all that, but I agree with Ren. You don''t just give friends away if someone asks.¡± She said. ¡°What I want is a friend like Teepo. Someone to keep me on track and help me when I need it.¡± ¡°Dana, you''re being unreasonable.¡± Gretchen sighed. ¡°I''ve never even heard of a talking beetle before meeting Ren! How in the world is he going to find you a friend like that?¡± Dana sighed, too. ¡°It''s not like he can just make you a friend.¡± Gretchen said, and both women fell silent. ¡°Actually...¡± Ren smiled, and they looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°No way.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°You can''t. It''s not possible.¡± Ren took out the platinum beetle body he had made for Teepo a long time ago, took out the second half of the Recall Ring from it''s belly and stored it, then snapped the head off of it. ¡°REN!¡± Teepo exclaimed. ¡°That''s mine!¡± ¡°Sorry, buddy. It''s the quickest way.¡± Ren said and stored the head, then used his Possession Restoration ability, just like he did on the maps, and repaired the platinum beetle body. He then took out a table and set the platinum beetle body on the table and held a hand out to Dana. ¡°Wh-what...¡± ¡°I''m going to make a Personal Familiar for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to hold your hand for a minute.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Dana took his hand enthusiastically and Ren closed his eyes as her emotions washed over him. ¡°All right.¡± Ren said calmly and pushed Reassurance and calmness into Dana, and she relaxed. ¡°Now, I want you to think about what you need this familiar to do.¡± ¡°I don''t know what a familiar is supposed to do.¡± Dana said. ¡°How am I supposed to think about it?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I already know some of the things that you want it to do.¡± He said. ¡°Just think about what else you want. A scout? Someone to help you shoot at long range? Someone to stay by your side?¡± ¡°Um... I... well...¡± Ren gave her hand a squeeze. ¡°Take a deep breath. Let it out.¡± He said, and she did. ¡°Gather your thoughts. Calm and collected.¡± He said, and felt her do just that. ¡°That''s it.¡± He said and activated one of his unlocked abilities Familiar Gift. He touched the beetle body with their joined hands and it glowed brightly. ¡°Do... do you need some of my blood?¡± Dana asked, and he glanced at her face. ¡°How did you know?¡± Dana shrugged. ¡°It just popped into my head.¡± ¡°Here.¡± Gretchen said and held out a dagger. Dana took it and pricked the tip of one of her fingers that was touching the beetle. She gasped as the power sucked up her blood and she felt it drain from her with her Health. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said and cast Full Healing on her, and she gasped again at the feeling. The beetle''s body formed a little vortex above it, and Ren dropped in several platinum coins. Dana gasped once again at that, and then the ritual was over. Ren took his hand away, and Dana stayed there touching it. ¡°Is it supposed to be warm?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Well, I kind of used Teepo as the base for it''s abilities, then used your wants and needs to round everything out.¡± Ren said, and then one of the metal beetle''s legs twitched. Dana caught her breath as the other legs moved, and then the beetle opened it''s eyes. ¡°I can''t move.¡± The beetle said in a distinctly female voice. ¡°Oh! I''m sorry!¡± Dana said and moved her hand, and the beetle stood up. ¡°I didn''t realize I was holding you down.¡± ¡°That''s okay, Dana.¡± The beetle said. ¡°I''m sure once I get stronger, that won''t be a problem.¡± ¡°Get stronger?¡± ¡°Well, I''m your familiar.¡± The beetle said. ¡°When you get stronger, I get stronger.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You can''t add her to a party roster, so the Familiar Gift bond between you is a bit stronger than normal.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t worry about that for now.¡± The metal beetle said. ¡°The important thing is to give me a name.¡± ¡°Teela.¡± Dana said right away without even thinking about it. ¡°Teela?¡± The beetle skittered around on the table for a few moments, then stopped. ¡°That''s a nice name. I like it.¡± ¡°I''ve always liked it, too.¡± Dana said and held a hand out to the beetle. ¡°Hi, Teela.¡± ¡°Hi, Dana.¡± Teela said and hopped off of the table and onto her hand. ¡°I hope we can be good friends.¡± ¡°I know we will.¡± Dana said and put Teela on her shoulder. ¡°She has some abilities that will help you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Spot, Detect Traps, Detect Magic, Listen, and a few other skills.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Dana looked at her new friend. ¡°That''s so cool.¡± ¡°I can even tell time!¡± Teela chittered in laughter. ¡°Ren?¡± Teepo said it like a question. ¡°Sure, buddy.¡± Ren said. ¡°Teela, I''d like for you to meet Teepo.¡± ¡°Hi, Teepo!¡± Teela lifted one of her front legs and waved it at him. Teepo opened his carapace and unfurled his wings, then fluttered over to her and waved one of his front legs. ¡°Hi, Teela.¡± ¡°YOU CAN FLY?!?¡± Teela yelled, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°So can you, once you''re strong enough.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Really?¡± Teela skittered around in a circle on Dana''s shoulders, as if she was trying to look at her own back. ¡°I don''t see any wings, or even how my back is supposed to open up.¡± ¡°Ren?¡± ¡°Already doing it.¡± Ren said and took out the platinum beetle head and used his ability to reform a new body for it. Teela chittered in delight at it, and then Teepo disappeared. ¡°TEEPO!¡± Teela yelled. ¡°I''m right here.¡± Teepo said from the metal beetle. ¡°No way!¡± Dana, Gretchen, and Teela all said at the same time. Ren held Teepo out, and he turned around and showed them how the back opened up and the wings being deployed. He fluttered up into the air and stopped in front of Teela. ¡°See? You will be able to fly eventually.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Teela said and excitedly turned to Dana. ¡°We need to go adventuring right now!¡± Ren, Teepo, Gretchen, Artemis, and Dana laughed. ¡°I need to finish the end quest before you go.¡± Ren said and looked at Dana''s friend. ¡°Gretchen, what would you like?¡± ¡°You''ll give me one magical item, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I can ask for anything, right?¡± ¡°As long as I can make it, and it''s within reason.¡± ¡°Then... then I...¡± Gretchen paused. ¡°It won''t get any easier if you wait longer.¡± Ren joked, and she smiled. ¡°I want something that will let me cast spells like a magic user.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Do you mean a wand?¡± Ren asked and pointed to the Energize wand that the Hand of Glory around his neck held. Gretchen shook her head. ¡°No, I''d be stuck with just whatever spell you put in it.¡± She said. ¡°I wanted to take a mage class because of the spells it had access to; but, I knew I would never survive long enough to get into a party with all the events going on lately, so I went with a Fighter class instead.¡± ¡°You could have taken a different race...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°No, I''ve always played human, and I''m not changing that now.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°So. Can you do it? Do you have something that will let me cast spells like a magic user?¡± ¡°Yes, but...¡± Ren sighed. ¡°...you aren''t going to like it.¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter!¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Please! Give it to me!¡± Dana chuckled at her choice of words, then realized what even a joke implied. ¡°Gretchen!¡± ¡°You know that I meant the magical item, and not... not his...¡± ¡°You can say penis.¡± Teela said. ¡°It''s not a dirty word.¡± ¡°Teela!¡± Dana''s face started to turn red. ¡°Penis, penis penis!¡± Teela chittered in laughter as Dana''s face went completely red. Teepo flew over to Ren, who grabbed the metal beetle and stored it, then Teepo appeared at his feet in a solid body and flew up to land on his shoulder. Ren took out a fist-sized diamond and put it on the table, which made Dana and Gretchen stop breathing. ¡°This won''t make you a real magic user.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a... well, it''s essentially a bypass. The old enchanter Issac had a recipe for something similar to give a non-magic user magic abilities. I''ve modified it and changed the requirements and the restrictions.¡± He said. ¡°I should be kicking myself for doing that with all the recipes I have, but I just can''t leave well enough alone.¡± ¡°So, will this do it?¡± Gretchen asked and kept her eyes on the largest diamond she had ever seen. ¡°Not yet.¡± Ren said and looked around. ¡°I don''t think we should do this here.¡± ¡°I''ll do anything you want me to do. I don''t care where it is.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Gretchen!¡± Dana exclaimed. ¡°You know what I meant.¡± Gretchen said, and Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror and cast a Portal spell. ¡°After you.¡± He said, and Gretchen stepped through right away, and Ren motioned for Dana to go, too. Teepo dissolved into the ring and Ren stored the diamond and the table, took Artemis'' hand, then stepped through as well. They all appeared back at the county and right in the middle of all of the attractions and Ren summoned Teepo again. ¡°It''s real?!?¡± Dana looked around at all the rides and booths. ¡°We''re really inside a real amusement park?¡± ¡°No false advertising.¡± Ren chuckled, and took out a bed. ¡°Gretchen, please lay down.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I''m going to make you as comfortable as possible.¡± Ren said. ¡°This... if the recipe is right... is going to hurt. A lot.¡± Gretchen took a deep breath and let it out, then laid down on the bed. Ren felt her resolve, and he admired that. ¡°Have you... um... did you buy...¡± Ren looked at Dana and then at Artemis. ¡°Did you buy any bras at Ren''s store?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°We sure did!¡± Dana said. ¡°Some of them are so pretty! I wish we had them in real life!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Gretchen, I need you to store your shirt.¡± Gretchen didn''t even hesitate as she stored her shirt and left herself in a pink frilly bra. Her face was a little red at exposing herself so brazenly; but, she had watched Ren''s eyes and he hadn''t tried to look at her chest. That alone had given him all the brownie points he could ever earn from her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and knelt by the bed, then took out the fist-sized diamond. ¡°Whew, okay. This... I''m really sorry about this.¡± He said and held the diamond in both hands. He said a long stream of ancient words that no one could hear or understand, and the diamond started to glow. ¡°Ren, you should put her to sleep.¡± Artemis said. ¡°It won''t work if she''s asleep.¡± Ren said when he finished the chant. ¡°She needs to be conscious to let the magic take hold.¡± ¡°Use the brain arthropod grub venom, then.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s a great idea!¡± Ren said and stood up, then took out his storage tower. He went inside and came back out with a small vial of the liquid and stored the tower again. ¡°Thanks, Teepo.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Teepo said as Ren climbed onto the bed. ¡°This is going to feel a little weird.¡± Ren said to Gretchen. ¡°Do I have your permission to touch you?¡± Gretchen nodded. ¡°I told you that you can do anything you want as long as you give me a magic casting ability.¡± ¡°You really need to be more careful about saying things like that.¡± Ren said and smiled at her as he tenderly moved her hair out of her face, which made her blush. ¡°Artemis.¡± Artemis took the vial from him, opened it, and poured some onto his fingers. Ren traced out an area slightly bigger than the diamond on Gretchen''s chest, then filled in the area with the numbing liquid. His fingers had grazed the tops of her breasts a couple of times, and her heart rate sped up only slightly, mainly because she knew he wasn''t thinking anything sexual at the casual touch. Ren waited for a moment then poked the center of the area he had covered with the numbing liquid. ¡°Any sensation at all?¡± ¡°No, I don''t feel anything.¡± Gretchen said in surprise. ¡°I hope that continues.¡± Ren said and waited for another moment, then held the diamond up and covered the very sharp-looking point on the bottom of it. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Gretchen nodded. ¡°As I''ll ever be.¡± Ren mumbled one last magic sentence, pulled up his medical knowledge to pinpoint the right spot, then drove the diamond right into the middle of her chest. ¡°AHHHH!¡± Gretchen screamed. ¡°GRETCHEN!¡± Dana yelled and tried to jump onto the bed to tackle Ren. Artemis caught her in mid-leap and held her tightly as she cried for her friend. ¡°I... I''m okay?¡± Gretchen said like she was asking a question. The scream she had let out had been automatic, a reaction to being stabbed with a very sharp object; but, she hadn''t actually felt the impact. She had seen the blood splash out and saw it stop in mid-air, then saw it flow back into her wound. She watched as Ren pushed the diamond down just below the skin line, and he rubbed his hand around the outside of the wound. His fingers once again brushed against her breasts, and neither of them thought anything sexual at all. Dana and Gretchen were amazed as her chest slowly formed a tight seal around the diamond and it became firmly lodged in her chest cavity, then her skin grew over the top of it. The diamond was still glowing slightly and everyone could see a faint number 1 through her skin. Ren touched the new skin and she caught her breath as she felt his fingertips. ¡°I''ve healed you as much as I can; but, it''s going to be sore for a day at least, and it''s going to take a bit of getting used to.¡± Ren said. ¡°You need to take it easy, okay?¡± Gretchen nodded and touched the slight glow. ¡°What is this called?¡± ¡°The Radiant Jewel of Magical Bequeathment.¡± ¡°That''s a mouthful.¡± Gretchen said and smiled. ¡°When can I...¡± ¡°Don''t try casting spells for a few days.¡± Ren cautioned her. ¡°You need to let your body adjust to having access to Mana.¡± Gretchen checked her Heads Up Display and was only slightly surprised that the Mana bar was no longer greyed out like it had always been. ¡°I... I have Mana! I really have Mana!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Ren! How can I ever thank you?¡± ¡°You can start by equipping your shirt.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I''m not going to be able to stop myself from looking at such a cute bra for much longer.¡± Gretchen chuckled and stored the bra instead, which gave Ren a particularly nice eyeful of her chest. ¡°GRETCHEN!¡± Dana yelled, and Gretchen quickly equipped her bra and shirt to cover up. ¡°I can''t believe you did that!¡± ¡°Well, he was a complete gentleman, even though he... and then when his fingers...¡± Gretchen climbed off of the bed and sighed when she saw how angry her friend was. ¡°It was just a peek.¡± Dana crossed her arms and huffed. ¡°Just a peek!¡± ¡°I can make it up to you.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Oh, yeah? How?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Can you make him forget about seeing your nipples?!?¡± Teepo and Teela chittered in laughter together. ¡°Nipples!¡± Artemis snorted a laugh and Ren tried to cover his smile with a hand. ¡°It''s not funny.¡± Dana said. ¡°I''ll make it up like this.¡± Gretchen said and took Ren''s hand. ¡°I know you''ve already completed the quest, so our business with that is done.¡± She said. ¡°Thank you for doing this for me.¡± ¡°How is this...¡± Dana started to ask. ¡°Please, Ren! Go out with my friend!¡± Gretchen said and knelt on one knee, and everyone looked at her in surprise. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren blinked his eyes for a moment. ¡°You want me to what?¡± ¡°Go out with my friend.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°We know you have women all over the place and usually take a pile of them with you wherever you go; but, she likes you a lot and wants to go on a date with you.¡± ¡°You want to go on a date? With me?¡± Ren asked and looked at Dana, who''s face was beet red and her emotions were all over the place. He couldn''t make heads or tails of them and didn''t know if that was what she actually wanted or not. ¡°I''m sorry, I have a girlfriend.¡± ¡°In here or in real life?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°Technically, both.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, I do have permission to do what I wanted in the game.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t think she meant dating another Adventurer, though.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Gretchen said and stood up. ¡°Your girlfriend gave you permission to do whatever you want in the game?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Is she crazy?¡± Gretchen asked, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Probably no more than I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°You said the same thing to that guy.¡± Dana said. ¡°Are you... I mean...¡± ¡°I''ve been called crazy by a lot of people and for a long time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I honestly don''t consider it an insult.¡± ¡°That might actually be crazy talk.¡± Gretchen said, and Ren laughed at her honesty. ¡°I don''t think I can agree to a date.¡± Ren said and felt Dana''s sadness. ¡°I''m pretty sure it would be okay to just hang out for a while, assuming your friend can come along.¡± ¡°M-me?¡± Gretchen asked, surprised. ¡°Sure. It''s not really a date if there''s more than one girl, right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Plus, Artemis has to stay by my side, or at least within my Aura. Teepo also stays with me, as I believe Teela will now stay with Dana.¡± ¡°Darn right!¡± Teela said. ¡°I''ll be your constant companion!¡± She said to Dana. ¡°So, what do you say?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Want to go hang out for a while?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Dana said. ¡°My friend and I just finished this wicked hard quest and we''re pretty tired...¡± Gretchen laughed. ¡°Now is not the time to play hard to get, Dana.¡± ¡°Hey, don''t mess up my groove!¡± Dana said and Ren and Artemis chuckled. ¡°Oh, all right. I guess we can hang out for a while.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°Let''s start by taking a walk over to the new human starter city and see if we can find people to staff all these rides and vendor booths.¡± Dana reached out and took his hand, and let a smile spread across her face. Chapter 655 - Ghoul City ¡°You don''t have workers for the rides and things yet?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Nope. I got caught up in some stuff in real life and lost 4 game days where I could have taken my time with everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe having a couple of pretty women along will help me advertise some of the potential customers for the workers.¡± Neither Dana nor Gretchen said anything as they silently accepted the compliment. Their emotions turned to awe as they walked over to the biggest walled city they had ever seen. When the giant-sized door dropped down and became a loading ramp for them all to walk up, they just stared at the massive thing. ¡°How does that even work?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°Magic.¡± Ren said, and then grinned at her scowl. ¡°Hey, it''s true.¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± A woman''s voice said. ¡°And that''s only the most basic of the magic that he imbued the city with.¡± Ren turned to see who spoke. ¡°Oh! Hi, Valercia!¡± He said, happy to see her. ¡°You didn''t have to come over and meet me.¡± ¡°I felt that you needed my help.¡± Valercia said and touched the spot over her heart where the Ghoul Kissed mark had formed on her. She wore a traditional style dress that only showed moderate cleavage, and the hem was down to her ankle. ¡°I really do.¡± Ren said and gave her a big smile. ¡°I didn''t think I was telegraphing it so much, though.¡± Valercia chuckled. ¡°I think it was more like shouting with your emotions.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren pat his own chest. ¡°I''m sorry about that. I hope I didn''t disturb you or anyone else here.¡± ¡°Only a few thousand of us.¡± Valercia teased, and Ren laughed. ¡°I''ll try to only use this power for good.¡± Ren pledged, and that made her laugh in return. ¡°I can tell you need something, but I don''t know what it is.¡± Valercia said. ¡°I mostly need general workers, some healers, and a pile of cooks who don''t mind seeing and serving thousands of customers a day and making tons of money.¡± Ren said, and Valercia just stared at him. ¡°That really is what he needs.¡± Artemis confirmed. ¡°Yeah, have you seen what we built outside?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°It''s great! I can''t wait to try some of them!¡± ¡°What did you build?¡± Valercia asked. ¡°A water park and an amusement park.¡± Ren said. Dana and Gretchen looked at him and he felt their surprise. ¡°Did... did you say water park?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and pointed to the clearly visible top of the large succubi roost. ¡°That''s the top of the biggest slides that go down into the 300 foot by 300 foot pool.¡± He said. ¡°There are all different kinds of slides and they''re made from indestructible rock.¡± Dana turned her head to Gretchen and whispered. ¡°He''s really serious.¡± ¡°He made a water park inside an adventure game.¡± Gretchen whispered back. ¡°I thought the amusement park was something else, but a water park, too?¡± ¡°Wait! That means bathing suits!¡± Gretchen made a low gasp sound. ¡°Where are we going to find bathing suits?¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Dana sighed. ¡°We can''t wear clothing on a water slide. What are we going to do?¡± Ren, Teepo, Teela, Artemis, and Valercia stood there and watched as Dana and Gretchen whispered back and forth. The funny thing was, Ren and Dana were still holding hands, so she was literally right beside him and everyone could clearly hear them. Teela the beetle eventually tapped her front leg on Dana''s cheek. ¡°Dana.¡± ¡°Hm? Yes, what is it Teela?¡± Dana asked in a normal voice. ¡°I just wanted to point out that there''s no need to whisper. We can all hear you.¡± Teela said and pointed to the people around her. Dana turned her head to look at them, and Ren grinned at her and held up their clasped hands. ¡°Oh! I... I forgot I was... your hand felt so nice that... I didn''t realize I...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s okay. Teela didn''t want you to feel embarrassed if you realized we could hear you on your own.¡± ¡°I guess that means it''s okay if I feel embarrassed.¡± Gretchen said a little crossly, and Ren stepped around Dana, kept a hold of her hand, and took Gretchen''s hand with his free one. ¡°I didn''t say that.¡± Ren said and let her feel his Reassurance Aura. ¡°I don''t want you to feel embarrassed, either.¡± Gretchen sighed. ¡°I''m sorry we were whispering right in front of you.¡± She said. ¡°It''s just something we''ve always done when...¡± ¡°Teela didn''t say you needed to stop doing that.¡± Ren said with a big smile. ¡°She was just telling you that you don''t have to whisper because we are all close enough to hear you.¡± ¡°I guess she didn''t actually say stop, did she?¡± ¡°Don''t worry about bathing suits, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a shop set up near the water park and I''ll have someone there to make custom bathing suits for everyone when the park opens.¡± ¡°Wow, really?¡± Gretchen and Dana said at the same time, exchanged looks, and then giggled as they thought about the different kinds of suits they would want to try on. ¡°I need to go and see these parks for myself.¡± Valercia said. ¡°Please wait here.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and she walked around him and his small group. ¡°Do you want me to...¡± ¡°I''ll only be a few moments.¡± Valercia said, then started to run. ¡°Wow! Look at her!¡± Dana said as Valercia ran down the ramp and out of sight. ¡°She''s really fast.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. After a few moments, Valercia ran back up the ramp and came to a stop in front of Ren. ¡°I''ve already done an inventory of the citizens and their job qualifications.¡± Valercia said. ¡°I can get you the names of the best candidates for your needs.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said happily. ¡°I was a little worried that some of the attractions wouldn''t be opened because I wouldn''t have the staff to run them.¡± Valercia hid her reaction as his happiness filled her and touched her deeply. ¡°Come over to my office and we can get started.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and started walking. Since he still held both Dana''s and Gretchen''s hands, they walked on either side of him. He was a head shorter than them and they looked at each other over his head. Dana glanced down at Ren and back at Gretchen, who just shrugged. Dana rolled her eyes and held in her sigh, because she couldn''t really be jealous of her friend if Ren was the one who had taken her hand. They all went to Valercia''s office and she quickly did up a list of everyone that Ren would need, with several replacements and shift changes, which made him very happy. He had to let go of Dana''s and Gretchen''s hands to take the lists, much to their regret. Both Dana and Gretchen had shivered slightly as they felt the loss of his touch and the direct Reassurance feeling. ¡°I can''t thank you enough for this.¡± Ren said and stored the list. ¡°Do you think I need to make an appointment to visit them?¡± Valercia laughed as she came around her desk. ¡°No, but most of them are asleep right now. I suggest waiting until morning before you drop in on them.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess I should wait until then.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°I can''t expect everyone to be as excited as I am about all of this.¡± ¡°I''m excited, too.¡± Valercia said. ¡°You''re just lucky that I wasn''t sleeping myself.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren said and then thought about what she said. ¡°Hold on, why weren''t you sleeping?¡± ¡°I was thinking of you.¡± Valercia said and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°You''ve had the artificial Aura active nearly all night.¡± ¡°Oh! I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and ended his Connection to the country-size artificial Aura. ¡°I needed it to keep track of Dana and Gretchen while they worked on my quest and forgot I still had it on.¡± Valercia bent over and chuckled, which gave Ren a view down her dress at her cleavage as it hung down and shook. ¡°You forgot that you can feel the emotions of everyone in the entire country?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Well, when you put it like that...¡± Valercia leaned close and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Visit me after you have gathered your work force, and we can set up the payroll, lodging if necessary, and proper training on those...¡± ¡°Rides.¡± ¡°...those rides.¡± Valercia said. ¡°Will you have the time to do that tomorrow?¡± ¡°Of course. I need this up and running before the big arena fight.¡± ¡°What fight is that?¡± Valercia asked, and Ren handed her one of the flyers. She stood up straight to read it, and then the flyer changed to the amusement park information. When she read that, it changed back to the fight information. Ren felt her dismay and touched her hand. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°None of your people are invited?¡± Valercia asked, sadly. ¡°It''s only for Adventurers?¡± ¡°It''s all I had the room for inside the arena.¡± Ren said and gave her hand a squeeze. ¡°Don''t worry, though. No one is going to miss seeing it.¡± ¡°But... you just said...¡± Ren took two steps up into the air and put both hands on the sides of her face. ¡°I am not excluding you or anyone else.¡± He said seriously, and she trembled at his sincerity. ¡°You, and everyone who wants to watch, will see what happens. I give you my word.¡± Valercia put her hands on his. ¡°Thank you, My King.¡± ¡°You can call me Ren.¡± ¡°Yes, My King.¡± Valercia said. ¡°When in private.¡± Ren sighed mentally, and she shivered. ¡°D-don''t be o-offended.¡± Valercia said and leaned forward to kiss him. It held a lot more emotion than the peck on the cheek did, and Ren was surprised. ¡°I... we are not alone, and I...¡± Her face went red. ¡°I would prefer to...¡± She lowered her voice. ¡°I want to whisper your name in your ear while we are in bed together, Ren.¡± Ren felt her intensity and her need, and he leaned back slightly to look into her eyes. ¡°You really want...¡± ¡°I''ve been fighting this longing since you changed me.¡± Valercia said. ¡°I''ve...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I shouldn''t tell you this.¡± ¡°It''s okay. Go ahead.¡± Valercia moved her hands from his and put them around him. ¡°I''ve met every citizen in this city, and everyone in the county, and none of them feel right.¡± She said. ¡°This... this mark you gave me... it knows what it wants.¡± ¡°It does?¡± Ren asked, surprised. Valercia nodded. ¡°It can interact with the others you have healed, and it sees them all as...¡± ¡°As what?¡± Valercia took a breath and let it out. ¡°Inferior.¡± She said. ¡°They are not worthy.¡± Ren''s eyes widened at that. ¡°No, you misunderstand.¡± Valercia said. ¡°I don''t mean them as a people, I mean their... their... I am so bad at describing it.¡± ¡°Let me try.¡± A woman''s voice said, and everyone turned to see a very well-dressed woman and an older man standing beside her. ¡°Her Mark calls to them, but none of them answer.¡± She said and touched the spot over her chest. ¡°My Mark called to her father, and his responded.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked, and the older man nodded. ¡°It was how I knew she was the one for me.¡± He said. ¡°My daughter cannot find anyone among those touched by your healing.¡± ¡°You''re letting the Mark choose your mates?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s... surprisingly easy.¡± The woman said. ¡°We can feel a conflict of personalities with a person long before meeting or even trying to become friends.¡± She explained. ¡°When you meet someone that...¡± She looked at the taller older man next to her, and smiled at him. ¡°...you mesh very well together.¡± Ren turned back to Valercia and saw her hopeful face. ¡°I didn''t feel anything like that when we met.¡± ¡°What about tonight?¡± Valercia''s father asked. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you sure you didn''t and just didn''t know?¡± Valercia asked. ¡°You didn''t realize you still had the artificial Aura going, either.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say no again, then thought about it. ¡°Actually, you''re right. It might have happened, especially when I felt a little extra happy to see you.¡± He said. ¡°Give me a minute to think it over and examine it.¡± ¡°Or you could just stop trying to hold everything back.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''ve got all these emotional walls built up inside yourself. Even if you were only going to react to it, you wouldn''t feel it with everything else going on.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I think you''re right, buddy.¡± He said and let Valercia''s face go and stepped back a couple of feet. He put his hands out to the sides and closed his eyes, then took several deep breaths. With each breath, Artemis, Teepo, and everyone else within his Aura that could feel his emotions let out a small gasp as Ren relaxed another layer of emotional armor inside of himself. Ren slowly brought his hands together in front of himself, and by the time they touched, his body was glowing slightly and the mark on the back of his right hand throbbed. He could feel the deep connection with Lylyth and her reaction to what he was doing. He sent her a consoling feeling and she nearly coughed it back up. He smiled and sent her amusement, and he felt her annoyance that he could tease her with emotions. Ren eased that connection aside and concentrated on the Ghoul Kissed mark itself, and he touched it with a mental finger. He felt a very small throb in his hand, then heard three voices gasp. Ren opened his eyes and saw the older man and his fiance had hands on their marks, and then he saw Valercia. She had dropped to her knees and the mark on her chest glowed with a bright light. When his eyes saw this, he caught his breath as a Mana tendril, just like the ones Lylyth used, shot out of his hand and touched Valercia. They both gasped as the bond they shared through the mark became stronger. The Mana tendril became thicker and they both glowed with the same intensity as the bond became even stronger. ¡°S-s-stop.¡± Valercia''s future mother-in-law managed to say. ¡°This... this is not...¡± ¡°It is necessary.¡± Ren said, now that he could feel what was going on. ¡°She is the first of her kind, and I didn''t realize what that meant when she told me; but, I know now.¡± He stepped towards Valercia and he saw the slightly panicked look on her face as the Mana tendril grew thicker. ¡°Don''t be afraid, Valercia.¡± He said reassuringly and with a smile as he put his hand directly on her mark. Something clicked between them and they were covered in a golden light. Valercia carefully stood up, and because Ren was still standing a couple of steps up in the air, they were now at the same height. The light changed as he directed it into her and her body started to absorb it. ¡°As the Tainted King with the Autocracy ability, I hereby name you Queen of the Ghoul Kissed.¡± Ren said in his Command voice and granted her the title. ¡°My Domain is also your Domain. The Ghoul Kissed are your subjects to command as they are mine. I also grant you the Word of Law ability, as is my right as King.¡± Valercia caught her breath as the golden light filled her up and then it disappeared completely. The room seemed much darker, even though it was still as lit up as it was before Ren''s display of power. ¡°Wh-what... what the hell is going on?!?¡± Dana asked, completely confused. ¡°Well, 1 + 1 = 2. He''s a king and she''s a queen.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°They''re a couple now, I think.¡± ¡°WHAAAAAAAT?!?¡± Dana yelled. Chapter 656 - Pool Prep ¡°That''s not fair!¡± Dana almost yelled at Ren. ¡°I can''t even get a date from you, and yet you can become a couple with this... this...¡± ¡°She''s a Queen.¡± Teela said from her shoulder. ¡°That''s not what I was going to say.¡± Dana said through gritted teeth. ¡°I know!¡± Teela chittered in delight. ¡°Dana, you can''t get upset at him for...¡± Gretchen tried to console her friend. ¡°I sure can!¡± Dana said and pointed. ¡°Look! He still hasn''t taken his hand off of her chest!¡± ¡°They''re probably still bonding.¡± Artemis said. ¡°At least, that''s what it feels like.¡± ¡°Still bonding?¡± Dana asked and glanced at her new friend. Ren had said our bond was stronger than a normal bond. She thought, then looked at Ren. ¡°Is that what he''s doing? Making her a familiar?¡± ¡°In a sense.¡± Artemis said. ¡°He''s making her a part of his monarchy.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Gretchen turned to Artemis. ¡°He can do that?¡± ¡°He invoked his Autocracy ability. It lets him grant appropriate titles to people in his Domain, and it also lets him make people a part of his royal family.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Dana said. ¡°What do you mean? She''s a part of his family now, just because he gave her some glowing thingy?¡± ¡°There''s a bit more to it than that; but, that''s essentially it.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I felt her struggling to try and find someone compatible with her mark, and I realized that she would never find one, because there was only one of her.¡± Ren said and moved his hand from the spot on her chest, and he saw a spider had grown around the Ghoul Kissed mark and it was now on the spider''s body... just like the one on the back of his hand. ¡°I couldn''t just ignore her pain, so I''m giving her the choice to do what she wants, rather than let herself be ruled by something she couldn''t control.¡± ¡°I... I feel her.¡± Valercia said. ¡°Lylyth.¡± She whispered and touched the upgraded mark on her chest. ¡°She... she''s very sorry for hurting you like she did.¡± ¡°I know, and I''m sorry that I hurt you in almost the same way.¡± Ren said, put his arms around her, and kissed her. Valercia relaxed in his arms and hugged him as he shared his emotions with her. Dana and Gretchen stared at them with open mouths as Ren and Valercia embraced as if they had been lovers for a long time. Ren broke the kiss and Valercia sighed. ¡°My King, please forgive me for being so demanding.¡± Valercia said. ¡°We haven''t known each other for very long, and yet I asked you to share my bed, with barely a thought in consideration for you and your feelings.¡± Ren smiled and ran his hands through her hair. ¡°I''d like to get to know you better before anything can happen between us; but, it is going to have to wait.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Valercia said. ¡°Thank you for giving...¡± ¡°I should have given you the title before.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry that I didn''t realize how disconnected you would feel because of how you became a Ghoul Kissed.¡± Valercia smiled. ¡°My King, you are too kind.¡± She said. ¡°You gave me the chance to change jobs and become what I''ve always wanted to be.¡± She ran her hand through his hair. ¡°I never imagined becoming this, though.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It almost wasn''t you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Valercia blinked her eyes. ¡°I actually offered the conversion to Princess Diana first.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, her father was dead set against it.¡± He smiled. ¡°He claimed that he didn''t want to lose both his wife and his daughter to me, as if I had stolen his wife from him and wanted his daughter next.¡± ¡°You... you mean I... this should be...¡± Valercia mumbled. ¡°No.¡± Ren shook his head and held her tightly. ¡°I only mentioned it so that you would know for a fact that in my eyes, your status is just as high as hers.¡± ¡°M-my King.¡± Valercia said, and he felt her appreciation. ¡°I will do whatever I can to live up to that standard.¡± Ren smiled and caressed her cheek. ¡°You already have, Queen Valercia.¡± He said. ¡°All you need to do now is keep being who you are and keep helping our people.¡± ¡°O-our... our people.¡± Valercia said and touched the mark above her heart. ¡°Yes, our people.¡± Ren said and put his hand on top of hers. ¡°I entrust them to your care once again, except this time you have the authority you should have had before coming here.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Valercia said. ¡°R-Ren.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Now if you will excuse us, my friends and I have some hanging out to get to.¡± ¡°I will see you tomorrow for the meeting.¡± Valercia said, and everyone heard the command and the unspoken promise in her voice. Ren nodded and turned away from her, then walked back over to Artemis, Dana and Gretchen, who opened the door for them all to leave the office. Once outside the mansion, Dana turned on Ren. ¡°Are you for real?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Do you really expect me to hang out with you after you just made out with some floozy?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You like old movies, too?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°The only real way to find that word is from old movies.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least, I think that''s the only way.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Dana scowled at him, and he gave her a big grin. ¡°You do realize I just diffused a potential problem, right?¡± Ren asked, and Dana looked at him blankly. ¡°Valercia''s emotional state was degrading to the point that she could hurt either herself or others, especially with the Ghoul Kissed mark. If she lashed out, she could cause a lot of damage. I needed to give her something else to think about and concern herself over for a while, besides trying to find a potential bed partner.¡± Ren said and took Dana''s hand. ¡°For now, she has the concerns of the entire Ghoul Kissed population to think about before she will have time to think about her own needs.¡± ¡°You tricked her?¡± Dana asked. ¡°No.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I only delayed her. I really will be visiting her tomorrow afternoon to work out the schedules and everything else for all the workers that are about to be employed for the parks.¡± ¡°You''ll be working on her, too.¡± Gretchen said snidely. ¡°Well, I can''t actually tell her no.¡± Ren said and motioned for them to start walking. ¡°Not after our joined marks resonated together.¡± ¡°They did?¡± Dana asked, surprised.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Ren nodded. ¡°I did feel the same connection with Valercia that her father and her future mother-in-law felt with each other.¡± ¡°...and that doesn''t scare you?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°Love at first sight? Or third sight?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s different than love... at first, anyway. Right now it''s just a connection that gives us instant chemistry, and that could lead to...¡± He stopped talking for a moment. ¡°I can''t really explain it, actually.¡± ¡°Try.¡± Dana said and squeezed his hand. ¡°Since my girlfriend told me that I could do anything I wanted in the game, which was honestly a surprise for me, I... well...¡± Ren slightly squeezed Dana''s hand back. ¡°...things have been... I don''t know... easier? Less stressful?¡± He shrugged. ¡°Relief seems to fill me when I get into situations like that, instead of being anxious and not knowing how to handle things without causing someone some pain. I don''t know if it''s my own repressed wish-fulfillment, or something the game lets me feel because I''m more relaxed about it all. I''m also not trying to fight against everything that''s happening.¡± Everyone fell silent until they had walked down the street and reached the door ramp. ¡°Ren, would being more relaxed really make everything more fun?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Well, that would depend on what you''re doing. Of course, there''s really only one way to find out.¡± Ren said and turned towards the succubi tower. ¡°How about we all hang out and relax at the water park for a few hours.¡± ¡°How long did you say?¡± Gretchen asked, surprised. Ren grinned at her. ¡°At least until the sun comes up.¡± He said. ¡°What do you say?¡± ¡°We are going to be so exhausted tomorrow.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Don''t worry. I can cast the Energize spell as many times as I want.¡± Ren said, and that made her and Dana laugh. Gretchen slowed her pace and dropped back slightly from walking beside Ren and flexed her empty hand. She wasn''t sure what she should feel about him not taking her hand when he had easily taken Dana''s. She wasn''t even sure she liked Ren, and yet there was something about him that was appealing. She couldn''t decide if it was his openness, his kind of carefree spirit, or his ability to deal with everything with a smile. Ren being cute was not enough to gain her interest, however. It had to be something else and she couldn''t figure it out. Gretchen did know that she didn''t like him doing whatever that was in front of her friend. She told her friend not to be upset about it; but, he didn''t even really consider them and their feelings when he approached that woman. Then he made her a queen. He made her a Queen. Gretchen thought in surprise, now that she had some time to think about it. He said a few simple words and she was a Queen. Just like that. Ren felt Gretchen''s emotions and he wasn''t sure what he could do to stem their flow. He didn''t look at her face to see if she was telegraphing what she was thinking, because he didn''t want her to think that he was trying to pry into her private thoughts. He wasn''t sure why he wanted to calm her down, though. It wasn''t really his place to do that, especially since he did kind of trample on the potential friendship he had with them, because of what he did with Valercia. Ren closed his eyes and calmed his own thoughts. Worrying wasn''t going to make things better, and he had a lot of time to waste before morning. They walked all the way across the distance to the succubi tower, and then Seldanna flew down and landed in front of them. ¡°My King.¡± Seldanna said and bowed. ¡°Hi, Seldanna.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re still up?¡± ¡°I''m waiting for you before going to bed, My King.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s going to be a few hours before I can sleep.¡± He said. ¡°My friends and I were about to play on the water slides.¡± ¡°Is that what those big channels are?¡± Seldanna turned and looked at the roost. ¡°For water?¡± Ren activated the Water and Wind runes at the top and water flowed down the slides and into the pool. ¡°Amazing.¡± Seldanna, Dana, and Gretchen said together. ¡°The shop is right over here.¡± Ren said and pointed to a vendor booth with change rooms attached. They all walked over to it, and Ren unlocked the front door and opened it to let them in. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Dana let Ren''s hand go and ran inside. ¡°Gretchen! Look at this!¡± Gretchen went inside and stared at everything. The walls inside of the shop were covered by racks and racks of bathing suits of every kind and type that Ren could think of, and in multiple colors. ¡°This is... how can this be here?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°You said you just built this place!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I made all of these when I wasn''t busy with other things.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve been planning these theme parks for a while and only just recently had the motivation to get a move on about it.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I could have made it all faster and just enlarged them, but if any random spell effect hit them and disenchanted them, they would return to their original size.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, I made everything full-scale and stored it.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Dana had a skimpy two piece yellow bikini in her hands and turned to look at him. ¡°Did you say you had all of this stored?¡± She asked, and he nodded. ¡°How?¡± She looked around. ¡°Teela, how many bathing suits are here?¡± ¡°Not counting the ones behind the counter, there are 1,225 of them.¡± Teela said. ¡°That''s 13 slots full right there!¡± Dana said. ¡°How many parts of the building...¡± ¡°18.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°Each wall section and roof section had to be made individually.¡± ¡°Then the hangers and pegs and racks and...¡± Dana shook her head. ¡°How?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You lack 2 major pieces of information.¡± He said. ¡°First, I have a modified Inventory and can store twice as much as normal in a single slot.¡± Dana and Gretchen made that little ''o'' of surprise with their lips, and he held in his laugh. ¡°The second important piece of information... is crates.¡± ¡°Crates?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Yes. I can store 199 bathing suits in a single slot; but, I can put several hundred of them inside a single medium-sized crate and then store 199 crates in the same slot.¡± Dana and Gretchen gasped at that realization. ¡°It''s a shock, isn''t it?¡± Ren said and touched one of the pair of swimming trunks that hung by the door. ¡°Such a simple idea, and you can increase your carrying capacity a thousandfold.¡± ¡°How can you hold so much?¡± Dana asked, then shook her head. ¡°No, never mind. I was there when you maxed your level.¡± ¡°I''ve been able to hold a lot more than I should for a long time.¡± Ren said, and Teepo chittered in laugher. ¡°He nearly killed himself the first time he tried to carry a house.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Dana and Gretchen yelled, and Ren laughed. ¡°I''ll tell you the story while you both are trying on what you like.¡± Ren said and motioned to the change rooms. Both women nodded and grabbed several different suits and entered the change rooms. ¡°Okay, start talking.¡± Gretchen said. Ren sat down on a chair in the middle of the row of chairs by the wall. Artemis sat on one side and Seldanna sat on the other. He started talking and Gretchen didn''t feel uncomfortable with hearing his voice as she stored her clothing. She tried on bathing suits and listened to a guy talking, and it didn''t bother her at all that there was only a thin door between her nakedness and a man. ¡°You picked up a house? A whole house? Then walked all those miles to deliver it?¡± Dana asked from the next stall. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was pretty stupid.¡± Dana said, and that made Gretchen laugh. ¡°Hey, it was!¡± ¡°I know it was.¡± Ren said, and they could hear the amusement in his voice. ¡°It was also a valuable lesson.¡± ¡°What lesson was that?¡± Gretchen asked and stepped out of the change room wearing the suit she liked the best. It was a bright blue one piece that hugged her figure well, and she had her mid-back length brown hair tied back into a ponytail. ¡°Never bite off more than I can chew.¡± Ren said and looked at her face. ¡°Can I compliment you without you getting upset?¡± ¡°That depends on if you leer at me or not.¡± Gretchen said, and he felt her niggling anger. ¡°You look stunning.¡± Ren smiled, and his eyes never left hers. ¡°How can you do that?¡± Gretchen asked before she thought about not asking what she really wanted to know. ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°How can you keep eye contact, even when I was topless, and not look at the rest of me.¡± Grechen asked as her face flushed red. ¡°That''s easy enough to answer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not talking to your body, I''m talking to you.¡± Gretchen''s face flushed to a darker red. ¡°Ta-da!¡± Dana stepped out of her change room and she wore the first suit she had picked up. The yellow skimpy two piece. It highlighted her dirty-blonde hair nicely, and she had her hair tied back into a ponytail as well. ¡°Very nice.¡± Ren said and clapped his hands a little to give her the applause he felt she wanted. ¡°What did you do with the other suits?¡± ¡°They''re right here.¡± Dana said and lifted out a tangled mess. ¡°Go ahead and store them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Gretchen, you too.¡± ¡°What?¡± Both women said and held the bundles in their hands. ¡°Once you wear them, they form to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°They won''t fit anyone else now.¡± ¡°W-why didn''t you say anything?¡± Dana said sadly. ¡°I wouldn''t have tried on so many if I knew I couldn''t give them back.¡± Ren felt the both of them start to get depressed, and he stood up and walked over to them. ¡°Please store them and don''t be sad that I enjoyed this.¡± He said, and they both looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I really liked feeling your feelings while you tried on the different suits.¡± He said. ¡°I also like that you chose the best suits that fit you and thought I would like to see on you.¡± Both women''s faces were bright red by this point, and he took their hands. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Ren said sincerely, and both of them nodded. ¡°Wh-what about you?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Me? I could never look good in a bikini.¡± Ren said, and she snorted a laugh. ¡°You know what I meant.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Unlike you, I can get away with just wearing a pair of swimming trunks.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Gretchen said and held up a pair of Speedos. ¡°Then what are these for?¡± ¡°Sale.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If you get to see us in bathing suits, it''s only fair that we get to see you in these.¡± Dana said and took the Speedo from Gretchen and slapped them against his chest. ¡°Get changed.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that he already had swimming trunks, then felt how adamant they were. ¡°Okay.¡± He said and let their hands go to grab the Speedo, stepped by them, then entered the change room. Chapter 657 - Fun In The Pool ¡°He''s really going to put them on.¡± Dana whispered to Gretchen. ¡°That was a great idea, Gretchen. Those things are tiny!¡± Gretchen chuckled. ¡°Well, he''s an elfling. They''ll probably be a lot bigger on him than they would be on a guy our height.¡± ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Dana said and smiled. ¡°They resize to fit, remember?¡± Gretchen blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°Wait, that means...¡± Ren stepped out of the change room and both women turned and looked at him. ¡°They''re even smaller!¡± Teela chittered in delight. Dana and Gretchen caught their breath as they saw Ren''s rippling muscles that covered him from neck to ankle. Neither of them had suspected to see him look like that, and they could easily make out the shape of every single muscle he had. Their eyes quickly fell to his waist and his most prominent muscle... and it stunned them. ¡°Geez, these things came out tiny.¡± Ren said as he looked down at the Speedo, then turned around. ¡°I couldn''t see it in the mirror, but I think it''s pinching my cheeks.¡± He said and worked his fingers under the bottom edge and pulled them out a little, then they snapped back. ¡°I think I need to change the design on...¡± ¡°No!¡± Dana said and cut him off, because the snap sound had brought her back to her senses. ¡°It looks fine.¡± She said and grabbed Gretchen''s arm tightly and whispered. ¡°Tell him it looks fine.¡± ¡°It looks fine.¡± Gretchen said, still a little stunned. How is that possible? She thought. He''s so short and his feet aren''t much bigger than mine! ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren said and turned back around to face them. ¡°They seem a lot tighter than the ones I have in real life.¡± Dana''s eyes had darted up to his face when he turned around. ¡°You wear these... in real life?¡± ¡°Yeah. My girlfriend likes it when I strut around in them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, I won''t be doing that for a while.¡± ¡°Oh? Why not?¡± Gretchen asked, to get him away from the girlfriend topic and to distract herself from his package. ¡°I dislocated my kneecap and have to keep off my feet for about 6 weeks.¡± ¡°That sucks.¡± Dana said and managed to not glance down. ¡°I know, right? That''s like 5 months of game time where I won''t be able to walk when I leave.¡± Ren said and walked over to them. ¡°Being here is so great!¡± ¡°It is.¡± Artemis said, and Dana and Gretchen turned with Ren to look at her. She had cast Full Illusion on herself to make her metal skin look like normal skin and she wore a tiny little red bikini. Seldanna the succubus had used her polymorph ability to take on her human disguise and wore the same bikini. ¡°It is dark out, but playing in the water should still be fun.¡± Seldanna said in her seductive voice, and Dana and Gretchen tried their best to suppress their instant flares of jealousy and envy. Ren felt their slight pangs and smiled as he placed a hand on their lower backs, and both of them caught their breath. ¡°Ladies, if you would be so kind.¡± Ren said and eased them forward, and Artemis opened the door of the shop. ¡°W-wait.¡± Dana said, and she looked at Ren. ¡°What about paying for the bathing suits?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If you want to buy something when this place is actually open, feel free.¡± He said. ¡°Please consider the ones you have now as gifts for keeping me company.¡± ¡°Do you always give stuff away like this?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°Are you trying to buy our friendship or something?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Some people actually think that, but no. Like Valercia said, I don''t have anything set up to handle transactions or even someone to hold the money to keep it separate for the businesses so she can pay the workers.¡± He said. ¡°I am not getting into all that tonight. Until I turn everything over to her tomorrow, it''s all my own personal property and I can do what I want with it.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Dana started to say thank you, and he wiggled his fingers on her lower back and made her jump. ¡°Eep!¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°No more discussion!¡± He said. ¡°Just keep the swimsuits and let''s have some fun together.¡± ¡°You know that could be taken the wrong way.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°The same can be said about what you just said.¡± Ren responded. Gretchen had to think about it for a second, then she gasped. ¡°Ren!¡± Ren laughed and stopped touching them as he motioned to the door. ¡°Please, after you.¡± ¡°I don''t know if I want to walk in front of you now.¡± Gretchen said as she and Dana went out the front door ahead of him. ¡°What if I promise to stare at your ass the entire time?¡± Ren asked and locked the door. ¡°Well, that''s fine.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°As long as you... wait a minute! You''re supposed to promise not to stare!¡± Dana, Teela, Teepo, Artemis and Seldanna all laughed. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked and tried not to laugh. ¡°You agreed pretty fast.¡± ¡°I... you... you tricked me!¡± Gretchen said indignantly and stomped her bare foot. ¡°Ouch!¡± When Gretchen lifted her foot, Ren saw that there was a small rock about the size of a piece of gravel, 1 inch across and jagged, and he immediately knelt and caught her foot. ¡°Hey, what...¡± Gretchen started to ask what he was doing. Ren held her steady with one hand and picked up the small rock and crushed it to dust, much to the surprise of Dana, Gretchen and Teela. Ren then activated his Hands of the Gods ability Refreshing Hands and poured Water over her foot and rubbed the spot where he had felt the damage the rock had caused on the sole. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said sincerely and looked up at her. ¡°I should have grabbed some sandals for you and Dana from the other shop.¡± ¡°Th-that''s o-okay.¡± Gretchen said, her face red. No one had ever touched her feet so tenderly. ¡°Th-thank you.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Ren used Minor Healing on her and finished rinsing her foot, then deactivated his Hands of the Gods ability. ¡°Wait here for a second.¡± He ran to the shop next door, grabbed a couple pairs of sandals and a half dozen large towels, then went back to Gretchen. ¡°Here you go.¡± Gretchen gratefully took the pair of blue sandals that Ren handed to her, and Dana accepted a pair of yellow ones. Both women appreciated that he had given them sandals that matched their bathing suits. ¡°Ren, I had an idea.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Oh, this should be good!¡± Teela said from Dana''s shoulder, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You know the Barrier spell now, right?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°How would that...¡± He smiled. ¡°That''s brilliant, Teepo.¡± ¡°What? What is it?¡± Teela asked excitedly. ¡°It''s better to show you.¡± Ren said, and they walked over to the 300 foot by 300 foot pool. ¡°This is massive!¡± Dana said with a bit too much enthusiasm. She had seen how her friend had reacted to Ren helping her, and she tried not to get jealous. She knew he hadn''t felt anything sexual, since he was completely engrossed in helping Gretchen; but, she was pretty sure that Gretchen did feel something sexual... or at least felt very flattered at the attention. ¡°This used to be the temporary home for the ruler of the Sea Dwellers.¡± Ren said. ¡°She didn''t really get to stay here long, though.¡± ¡°Not in comparison to the entire time she had been in the Human Kingdom.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She really liked it, though.¡± ¡°It was a lot better than the pool at the house in Aurora.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why she didn''t go crazy with how small that was, I''ll never know.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Since she expected to live as a human for her entire time here, having a pool to live in was as much of a surprise for her as it was for Jen to build it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The look on her face when I asked her to do it was priceless.¡± ¡°Wait, wait, wait!¡± Dana said. ¡°You have a pool? In Aurora?¡± ¡°Inside the house and in the living room, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°In the living room? Really?¡± Dana asked. ¡°How would that even work?¡± ¡°Lots of Anti-water runes to suck up the splashing.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Okay, Ren. Show them my idea.¡± ¡°You got it buddy.¡± Ren said and held a hand up into the air. For a few seconds nothing happened, and then a magical dome of Mana appeared several hundred feet above them and covered the roost, the pool, and several of the food vendor booths and picnic tables. ¡°What the hell is that?!?¡± Dana asked, stunned at the sight. ¡°Magical Barrier of Protection.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now here''s Teepo''s idea.¡± He said and raised up both of his hands as he gathered up enough Mana for the massive spell, then there was a bright light that covered everything. Dana and Gretchen covered their eyes for a second, and were confused when the light didn''t disappear or fade away. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Dana asked as she uncovered her eyes, then saw that it was daylight out. ¡°I am not seeing this!¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Gretchen asked, stunned just as much as Dana was at the sight. ¡°It''s a Full Illusion spell.¡± Ren said. ¡°It cost a crap load of Mana, even confined inside the barrier, and it will stay around until I dismiss it.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Gretchen said and looked around. ¡°This is amazing.¡± ¡°The stairs are over there.¡± Ren said and pointed to the side of the succubi roost. ¡°I was tempted to add an elevator, but I had already built the roost by then and I wasn''t sure I could add it to an existing building and then extend it down into the ground.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Dana asked as they all walked over to the stairs and started to climb them. ¡°Elevators?¡± ¡°Okay, it''s actually an elevator-like mechanism of magic.¡± Ren said. ¡°There are magical lifts inside some High Elven buildings that can take you to any of the floors inside.¡± ¡°When were you inside a High Elven building?¡± Gretchen asked, and Ren felt her genuine curiosity. ¡°Well, the first time was when...¡± Ren started to talk about his first meeting with Lord Tathalyn, and then moved on to the massive quest he had been given and then had gained access to High Elven building designs. He had just finished the story with his death when they reached the top of the small mountain and the top of the water slides. ¡°I''m going to skip you building a mile high tower for now and come back to that later.¡± Dana said. ¡°You sacrificed yourself. On purpose.¡± ¡°Well, I couldn''t just toss the sword away.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I needed to hold the Lightning being inside and stop it from escaping.¡± ¡°It wasn''t the first time he gave up his life, though.¡± Teepo said. Dana and Gretchen stared at him and he felt their utter shock. ¡°He sacrificed himself to save us as well.¡± Seldanna, the currently disguised succubus said, and even Dana and Gretchen could feel her admiration for Ren. ¡°He gave his life to ensure that none of my people would be lost.¡± ¡°Your people?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°She means us.¡± A woman''s voice said, and the rest of the succubi came out of the front door of the roost, right next to Ren and his group at the top of the water slides. ¡°Oh... my... god.¡± Dana whispered as 19 practically identical and very beautiful women came out of the tower in front of her. The only real difference between them was their hair and eye colors, and also their hairstyles. ¡°Ladies!¡± Ren said happily and went to each of them to give them a hug and some stored emotions that they preferred. ¡°You''re all up?¡± ¡°We felt you approach and cast the magical barrier, My King.¡± Zunala said. ¡°Wynphine was on scout patrol and told us what was going on.¡± ¡°What about your significant others?¡± Ren asked. ¡°They will be here momentarily.¡± Zunala said. ¡°Thank you for giving them all Sustenance rings.¡± Ren took her hand and pat it. ¡°It was the best solution to a timing problem.¡± He said. ¡°I knew their normal schedules would conflict with spending time with you, so they needed all the extra time they could get.¡± ¡°They can also feed us more.¡± Wynphine said. ¡°Although, if your plan with these parks succeeds...¡± ¡°You will all have more emotions than you could ever want or need, and you never have to leave the roost to try and find some.¡± Ren said and smiled at them all. ¡°Except when you want to, of course.¡± That made them all laugh. ¡°You have already provided us with everything we could ever want, and yet you are still giving us more.¡± Zunala said. ¡°Are you feeling all right?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I could ask you the same thing, but I can feel how happy you all are.¡± ¡°So this is what these troughs are for.¡± One of the succubi said as she looked at the rushing water. ¡°I don''t see how the horses are going to drink from them, though.¡± ¡°The troughs are for us.¡± Ren said and turned to Dana, Gretchen, and Artemis. ¡°Shall we show them how it''s done?¡± ¡°I''m taking the straight one!¡± Dana said and went to the one with the steepest drop. ¡°Don''t forget to turn off your Water Walk rings.¡± Ren said. ¡°Believe me, it won''t be fun going down these things if the water is treated like the ground.¡± That made Dana and Gretchen smile, and after a quick refresher lesson from Ren on how to do it, turned off their rings. The three of them stood in front of their chosen slides and nodded together, then jumped. Artemis and Seldanna were right behind them on different slides, and the rest of the succubi shivered at the emotions they felt. ¡°I have to feel that for myself!¡± Wynphine exclaimed and jumped down another slide. ¡°W-wait! Not all...¡± Zunala said, but the other succubi quickly chose their own slides and jumped as well. ¡°...at once.¡± She said, then chose the slide Ren went down and jumped after them. It was the best combination of feelings she had ever had. By the time Zunala had splashed down into the water, her eyes had already been flooded with tears. She couldn''t put into words the exhilaration she felt, and then a hand caught hers. ¡°You need to swim.¡± Ren said, and she put her arms around him and kissed him deeply. They sank down under the water, and he activated his Water Walk ring. They popped up to the surface an instant later and Zunala broke the kiss. ¡°Thank you, My King.¡± Zunala said. ¡°You have shown me wonders I never could have imagined.¡± ¡°You''ll be having more soon.¡± Ren said. ¡°You haven''t gone on any of the amusement park rides yet.¡± Zunala nodded and let him go, then dropped into the water with a splash. ¡°Oops.¡± Ren said and deactivated the ring again and splashed down to get her. They came back up a moment later and everyone was laughing, including Zunala. They all went to the stairs and climbed out, then Ren went over to the shop and gathered towels and sandals, then grabbed swim trunks and conservative bathing suits that the others who stayed with the succubi would need. They all went up to the top of the roost again and met the others, and Ren gave them the things they would need. Once it was explained what was going on, everyone joined in on the fun and slid down the slides. Some didn''t like the fast pace and moved over to the wading side, some went to just swim, and others tried diving in the deep end while Ren and a few others went back up to the top of the roost again. Ren used the Energize spell several times over the next few hours, as he had promised, to keep everyone from getting too exhausted. Eventually, they all ended up on the lounge chairs and everyone relaxed beside the pool. Neither Dana nor Gretchen could remember having this much fun before. Both women turned their heads and looked at Ren, to see him as he relaxed on a lounge chair nearby, then they both smiled. Chapter 658 - Catch And Release ¡°This was really fun.¡± Dana said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren turned his head to see her and Gretchen looking at him. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± He said. ¡°I''m glad you enjoyed it.¡± ¡°So did you.¡± Gretchen said with a knowing smile. ¡°Having so many beautiful women cavorting around must be like a dream come true.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I liked the sight, that''s true; but, not in that way.¡± He said, and she raised her eyebrows at him. ¡°It didn''t get me excited or turn me on, if that''s what you meant.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Seldanna said and turned onto her side on her lounge chair and propped herself up on her elbow. ¡°Seeing us playing around in the water didn''t do it for you?¡± She asked, teasingly. Ren laughed. ¡°Come on, you know it would if I wanted to look at it that way.¡± He said. ¡°I was pretty much just enjoying how happy everyone is. I wasn''t even thinking about my own happiness until a few minutes ago.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°It''s getting close to bedtime.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I was waiting for Teepo to let me know.¡± ¡°I was waiting for Teela to let me know.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I was waiting for Dana to fall asleep first!¡± Teela chittered in delight, and everyone laughed. ¡°How much longer, Teela?¡± Dana asked. ¡°About 20 minutes.¡± Teela said. ¡°That should be enough time to undo the spells and then walk over to the shops to put the towels back and get changed.¡± ¡°You can keep the towels, so when you come back, we can hang out again and you won''t have to wait in line to get them.¡± Ren said and stood up, then stretched his arms over his head and flexed nearly every muscle he had. ¡°Yeah, I''m going to enjoy this hour of sleep.¡± Dana and Gretchen had watched him as he moved, and the contained power in those movements made them think of other things. Things that would make good use of those muscles. ¡°Okay, everyone!¡± Zunala said and stood up. ¡°Time to go!¡± ¡°Thanks a lot, sir.¡± Weston said as he stood up beside Zunala. ¡°This place is great.¡± ¡°Right now it is, but I suspect it''s going to be pretty crowded the day after everyone realizes that it''s here.¡± Ren said, and Weston nodded. ¡°It won''t be open 24 hours a day, though.¡± ¡°You must be joking.¡± One of the other guards said. ¡°Are you implying that we can come here on the off-hours?¡± ¡°I''m leaving the Water on all the time, since I can''t be here to turn it on and off, so as long as you''re careful, you can come here whenever you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°The rides and things in the amusement park won''t work without an operator, though.¡± ¡°Sir, just having access to this place is more than generous enough.¡± The guard said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I built it on the succubi roost, where I assume most of you are now living.¡± Ren said and looked at the humans next to the succubi, and most of them nodded. ¡°I''m not going to tell you that you can''t use it.¡± He chuckled. ¡°How unfair would that be?¡± ¡°What about the other guards, sir?¡± Another guard asked. ¡°It''s the same deal. Off-hours are free use for the water park.¡± Ren said. ¡°Try not to abuse it, though.¡± ¡°Sir, no sir.¡± The guard said happily. ¡°The word will be spread discretely.¡± Ren nodded and turned to Dana and Gretchen. ¡°Where can I drop you off after you get changed?¡± ¡°Are you going back to Aurora?¡± Dana asked and stood up. ¡°No, I''m staying here at the roost this time.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s the best part about only needing to sleep for an hour. I can pretty much do it anywhere. I''ll be going back to stay in Aurora tonight.¡± Gretchen stood up as well. ¡°We''ve got a room at the Snoozing Bear Inn.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It wouldn''t happen to be a room at the top of the stairs, would it?¡± ¡°Nope. It''s not the room with the unicorn poster, either.¡± Gretchen said, and he laughed. ¡°One direct portal not to the unicorn room. Got it.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked the room, then stored the mirror. ¡°Ladies, it''s been a pleasure.¡± He said and went to Dana and took her hand, bent over it, and gave the back of it a kiss. ¡°L-likewise.¡± Dana said, a little thrown off by the odd gesture. Ren let her hand go and went to Gretchen, and he felt her emotions waver slightly. He started to reach out to take her hand, and she tried to take a step back. She was right beside the lounge chair and tripped, then suddenly she was in Ren''s arms and her arms were around his neck. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ren asked as he knelt on the lounge chair. He had one hand behind her back and the other held her by the waist. Gretchen''s face went completely red with embarrassment because no one had held her like that before. ¡°I''m fine.¡± She managed to say without stuttering, and she was terribly aware that all she had between his hands and her skin was a thin bathing suit. Ren smiled at the inside joke about being fine. ¡°You tripped with the same foot you stepped on the rock with, too.¡± ¡°I guess I did.¡± Gretchen said, almost completely composed. ¡°You can stand me up now.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren eased her back into a standing position. He felt her reluctance to let him go for only an instant and then she took her arms from around his neck. ¡°Thank you for catching me.¡± ¡°I''m sorry I made you trip.¡± Ren said, and she caught her breath. He noticed that? Gretchen thought in surprise. ¡°I was trying to be gentlemanly and treat you the same as high class women from the local branches of government.¡± Ren said.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Is that what that was?¡± Dana asked, and he saw her rub the back of her hand. ¡°Yes, it''s part of the Etiquette skill for treating them properly.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t mean to offend you.¡± He said. ¡°Either of you.¡± ¡°I wasn''t offended.¡± Dana and Gretchen said together, then they looked at each other and chuckled. ¡°It was just...¡± Dana tried to explain. ¡°...I didn''t know how to react.¡± Gretchen finished the thought, and Dana nodded. ¡°Then I''m sorry to put you in that position and I won''t make that mistake again.¡± Ren said, and he felt their emotions flicker between annoyance and relief. He held in his smile because he knew the annoyance was because he wouldn''t try to kiss their hands again, and held a hand out to Dana. ¡°May I borrow your Water Walk ring for a moment?¡± Dana nodded and handed it over, and Ren activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and put the ring on it. He made it into a modified Sustenance ring and added the Water Walk enchantment to it, then passed it back. He had just started to hold his hand out to Gretchen when she had taken his hand and held it as she placed her ring on his palm. He smiled at her as her hands lingered for a moment, then he activated his ability and changed her ring as well. ¡°It''s going to take a day for it to acclimate to you; but after that, you will only need to sleep for an hour to get a full night''s sleep.¡± Ren said and gave Gretchen her ring back. ¡°You also don''t need to eat. You can, since food tastes really good; but, it''s not necessary... unless you take it off or store it. It will take another day to acclimate to you if you do that and you''ll need to eat to maintain your Health.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± Dana said. ¡°No need to thank me. It''s an apology for my mistake.¡± ¡°I made a mistake, too.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Thankfully, you didn''t get hurt, so it''s all good.¡± Ren said and beamed a smile at her. ¡°That''s not...¡± Gretchen paused and smiled back. ¡°Yes, it''s all good.¡± ¡°Then I''ll see you later.¡± Ren said and cast a Portal spell. ¡°How much later?¡± Dana asked before she could stop herself. ¡°I''ve got to get the park up and running tomorrow and then I''ve got that fight the next day.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you pop back tomorrow after you get some sleep, you can play in the pool again and we can all have lunch together.¡± ¡°Sounds like fun.¡± Dana said. ¡°Bye, Teepo!¡± Teela said and waved one of her front legs at him. ¡°Bye, Teela! It was nice meeting you!¡± Teepo waved back. Dana smiled and stepped through the portal. ¡°See you later.¡± Gretchen said and stepped through, too. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror to make sure they were safely on the other side and dismissed the portal. ¡°Is everyone ready for bed?¡± He asked and stored the mirror, then heard and felt agreement from everyone. Artemis came over to him and put an arm around his shoulders as they started walking towards the roost and up the stairs. ¡°Thanks for giving me some space while they were here.¡± Ren said and put an arm around her waist. ¡°Like I had a choice.¡± Artemis laughed. ¡°Their jealousy and envy was quite strong until I moved away and out of their immediate area.¡± ¡°For me as well.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Although, those emotions were quite tasty.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I sometimes forget that any emotion connected with sexuality tastes good for you.¡± ¡°No, you don''t.¡± Seldanna said, and he laughed. ¡°Okay, not really. It''s more like I don''t think about it.¡± Ren put an arm around her waist, too. ¡°Remember how they felt when Zunala and the others came out of the roost?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°I thought they were going to die from shock!¡± All the succubi laughed, as did some of the humans. A lot of them couldn''t share emotions yet, so they didn''t get the full meaning of the amusement. ¡°At least they know you aren''t keeping us all to yourself.¡± Ellaria said. Ren nodded. ¡°I felt their relief when almost all of you paired off and did your own thing after coming down the slides the second time.¡± ¡°I think you surprised them, too.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Especially Gretchen.¡± ¡°She definitely seemed to react a lot more to me than Dana did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think that''s because she had further to go to start liking you.¡± Teepo offered. ¡°Dana already likes you a lot.¡± ¡°Yes, I believe Teepo is right.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Gretchen fought against her own emotions for quite some time before she realized that you were just being you and it wasn''t just an act.¡± She said. ¡°Dana was trying her best not to get angry at her, or you, over Gretchen getting your attention.¡± ¡°She hid it well.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I think I caught a trace of that, but it was all mixed in with her other emotions.¡± Ren said and they reached the top of the roost. ¡°She handled it well, just like Artemis said.¡± He dismissed the Full Illusion spell and the Magical Barrier of Protection, then everyone entered the roost. ¡°She gets flustered and recovers quickly, too. It''s a good quality to have.¡± The other succubi and their significant others went back to their own areas and Seldanna led Ren, Artemis, Ellaria, Katori and Chenoa to her apartment inside the roost. Ren had to add another bed and they all climbed onto it as Teepo flew up to land on the ceiling. Ren felt several hands caress and feel the Speedo, and he rolled over so they could feel the back, too. He sighed at their gentle touch and their satisfied and happy emotions, then rolled back over to lay on his back. ¡°Sleep first.¡± Ren said as Katori''s hand tried to pull the Speedo down. The hand stopped and he felt her disappointment. ¡°It''s only an hour, and you can go first when I wake up.¡± Katori kissed the skin right above the top edge of the Speedo and rested her head on his abdomen. ¡°Goodnight.¡± She said as her happiness flooded into him and everyone cuddled in close. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes, then drifted off to sleep. * Dana stepped out of the portal into their room and waited for her friend. Gretchen stepped through and then the portal disappeared. ¡°Okay, what was that?¡± Dana asked with her hands on her hips. ¡°What was what?¡± ¡°That pretend fall.¡± Dana said. ¡°You sucked him right in with that one!¡± ¡°It wasn''t pretend!¡± Gretchen said adamantly. ¡°He took your hand and kissed it, and I wanted you to have that experience all to yourself!¡± She said, then calmed down. ¡°He''s been trying to give us both the same treatment all night and giving us equal time, and I didn''t want to take that away from you. I tried to move away, and my foot hit the lounge chair and then...¡± ¡°...he was right there to catch you.¡± Dana sighed. ¡°Will you be angry if I said that I wish you had fallen?¡± Gretchen laughed. ¡°Well, I wish I had fallen, too.¡± She said. ¡°Being caught like that was really embarrassing!¡± ¡°You mean like this?¡± Dana asked and put her arms around her friend and dipped her back as if they had been dancing. ¡°Ah!¡± Gretchen grabbed onto her neck at the sudden movement, and Dana realized it was the same hold she had used on Ren. So, it was genuine. Dana thought happily, then started to lose her balance. Both women''s eyes went wide as they tipped all the way over and crashed to the floor in a heap. ¡°Ow! Ow! Ow!¡± Gretchen said and rubbed her head and her butt at the same time. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Dana said as she rubbed her own knee and elbow, because she had landed on them. There was a knock on the room''s door a moment later. ¡°It''s none of my business what you''re doing in there, but damage to the room costs extra.¡± The inkeeper said through the locked door, then he walked back down the stars. Dana and Gretchen stared at each other at the outrageous comment, then started to laugh. ******** At least he had fun. Barbara thought after watching Ren go into the succubi roost after all their playing in the water park. After 15 minutes, Ren and the other occupants of the bed started to stir, and then the blue screen protocol kicked in. Now he''s having a different kind of fun. She thought and made sure everything was in place so that he wouldn''t make a mess. It didn''t bother Barbara at all to do that for him, since she had learned years ago to disconnect herself when taking care of things like necessary bodily functions for patients. She didn''t realize that it was the same mechanism that mothers eventually learned themselves while taking care of children. With all the expulsions children made, if you didn''t learn how to deal with them and not be bothered by it, it was going to be that much harder to raise that child. Barbara sat back down and a minute later the blue screen protocol ended. Well, that was fast. She thought and checked on Ren, and everything was fine. She gave him a quick cleaning with a baby wipe and tossed it in the trash, then watched as Ren left the roost and went back to the walled city. It didn''t bother her to watch things sped up like they were, at 4 times normal, and she watched as Ren and Artemis visited hundreds of the city''s residents for the next 45 minutes. ******** It took 3 hours for Ren to finish the lists of workers and visiting everyone to have them come to the amusement park that afternoon for lessons on how to run their booths and rides. Once that was done, he headed over to the mansion in the center of the city for his meeting with Valercia. He apologized to the receptionist for not making an appointment with her earlier, and she laughed and held up Valercia''s schedule. The only thing on it was ''Meeting with Ren'' for the whole day, and he laughed. Chapter 659 - Plans Come Together At the sound of Ren''s laughter, Valercia''s office door opened and she stepped out. She wore a similar dress as the one she had worn the night before and gave him a big smile. ¡°My King.¡± Valercia said and held the door for him and Artemis. ¡°Please excuse me.¡± Ren said to the receptionist, then walked by her desk and entered the office with Artemis. The next hour was filled with juggling schedules and pay periods, assigning the proper personnel to the right jobs, and all the little details that were required for running a huge theme park. ¡°It''s almost lunch time, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and put a hand on Valercia''s hand on the desk. ¡°Would you care to join me for lunch?¡± He asked. ¡°The friends I had here yesterday should be at the pool and waiting for us.¡± ¡°Do they know I''m coming?¡± Valercia said and they walked across the office to the door. ¡°If they don''t, they will in a few minutes.¡± Ren said and opened the door for her and Artemis. ¡°We''re going out for lunch, Hassibah.¡± Valercia said. ¡°We''ll be back in...¡± She looked at Ren. ¡°An hour.¡± Ren said. ¡°Our first training session is in an hour and a half for the general workers.¡± Valercia nodded and looked at the receptionist. ¡°Take a long lunch yourself, since I won''t be back until tonight.¡± ¡°Thank you, My Queen.¡± Hassibah said and ducked her head, which made Valercia laugh. ¡°Stop that and get out of here.¡± Valercia said, and Hassibah gave her a big smile as she took the papers from her desk and put them in the top drawer. ¡°Have fun.¡± Hassibah said as Valercia, Ren, and Artemis left the outer office. ¡°They''re teasing you already?¡± Ren asked, and Valercia nodded. ¡°My friends are, at least. One day, I''m the temporary mayor for a city of nearly 300,000 people, and the next I''m the Queen of an entire people.¡± Valercia said and chuckled. ¡°That just so happens to include humans, elflings, and High Elves... and the last two live in another city outside the Human Kingdom.¡± She said. ¡°It''s a lot for everyone to adjust to.¡± ¡°You seem to be handling it well.¡± Ren said and took her hand, and she gripped his back tightly. ¡°It''s not like I have much choice.¡± Valercia said. ¡°You do.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s why I did what I did yesterday.¡± Valercia stopped walking, and he stepped around to stand in front of her. ¡°It''s very similar to my job before, except that I''m doing it directly for myself and not for the Lord of the County.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and took two steps up into the air. ¡°When our marks joined yesterday, I knew you could handle it. I also knew that you knew you could handle it, too.¡± Valercia smiled at him and used her free hand to touch his face. ¡°So, what are we having for lunch?¡± ¡°Are you trying to stop me from kissing you?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°If we start, I''m afraid we might not make it to lunch.¡± Valercia said. Ren chuckled. ¡°Fair enough.¡± He said and stepped back down to the floor and they walked out of the mansion and down a side street. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Valercia asked. ¡°I figure if I''m making lunch, why not make it a training session for the food vendor booths.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Yes, I definitely like you a lot.¡± Valercia said. ¡°You''re very efficient and considerate of making the most of the situation.¡± ¡°I like you, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°You handled all those names and assignments like you could have done them in your sleep and organized them so well that no one is going to feel used or taken advantage of.¡± He said. ¡°In fact, some might think that the jobs are going to be too easy.¡± Valercia laughed. ¡°I''ve already marked those people and will offer them off-hours jobs to keep them busy.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Ren barked a laugh and came to a stop at the first business. There were nearly a dozen cooks working here, and three of them had been chosen to have enough experience to run their own small food booths. Ren, Valercia and Artemis went inside and met those cooks, who were more than excited to get their first experience cooking the food Ren wanted them to make. They left the business and stopped at the closest horse and cart stall. Ren rented one and they climbed aboard and drove out of the city. * Dana and Gretchen had slept in their nightgowns for several hours, and they woke up on their own. ¡°I didn''t get to wake you up this time.¡± Teela said, and Dana picked the metal beetle up and put it on her shoulder as she stood. ¡°You should have another chance tomorrow morning if Gretchen and I get back from eating breakfast soon enough.¡± Dana said. ¡°I can''t believe you convinced me to stay logged in all night.¡± Gretchen sat up on the bed and stretched. ¡°It wasn''t that hard.¡± Dana laughed, and then her thoughts immediately went to Ren in his tiny Speedo, which made her blush. ¡°Look at that! What''s the blonde bombshell thinking of now?¡± Gretchen teased and laughed, and Dana smacked her shoulder. ¡°N-nothing.¡± Dana said. ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Gretchen said and equipped her Travelling Clothes as she stood up. ¡°I think they might still be serving breakfast at that popular restaurant.¡± ¡°Do you want to waste 150 silver there?¡± Dana asked and equipped her Travelling Clothes, too. ¡°I think we can splurge a little, especially after Ren''s quest last night.¡± Gretchen said, and they left the room. They went to Nathalia''s Nourishment and waited in the short line, ate a great tasting meal once inside, and she left a 15 silver tip. Gretchen had almost stopped herself from doing that, considering how much they had scrimped and saved to try and get better equipment when they first started playing. They bought new weapons with what they had at the time and had almost nothing left before they completed the first Sea Dweller quest. The enchantments and accessories that the people in Ren''s shop had done for them had made all the difference, and now they had so much money that they didn''t know what to do with it all. Getting out of the habit of scrimping and saving was still difficult, even with so much money available. Dana and Gretchen left the restaurant and walked to the center of town. ¡°Do you think we really should go and meet him for lunch?¡± Dana asked, slightly nervously. ¡°He invited us to play at the water park again and then eat lunch, so I don''t see why not.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I''m sure the same people that were there last night will be there, too.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Dana said. ¡°I guess they would be.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Gretchen put an arm around her friend''s shoulder. ¡°If I thought I could get the two of you alone, I would.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I''ll keep my eye out for the opportunity, but you know he said you could only be friends.¡± Gretchen warned her. ¡°Friends can become something more.¡± Dana said hopefully, and Gretchen laughed. ¡°They can!¡± ¡°Keep telling yourself that and you''re going to be tasting your own foot when you stick it in your mouth.¡± ¡°I haven''t overreacted... well, not much.¡± Dana said, and that made Gretchen laugh harder. They walked to the town portal and chose the town square in the starter city in Ren''s county, paid the fee and stepped through. They appeared in the starter city and walked to the door ramp to go outside. ¡°Why don''t you hire a ride?¡± Teela asked. ¡°You''ll get to the water park a lot quicker.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea, but we can''t drive a cart.¡± Dana said. ¡°They''ll drive you.¡± Teela said. ¡°I don''t think they''ll stick around, but you can probably tell them to come and get you later.¡± ¡°The least we can do is ask.¡± Gretchen said, and Dana nodded. They turned towards the closest stall and asked about it, and the guy there was more than happy to have a driver take them wherever they wanted to go and would pick them up later. For a small fee of course. Dana used her Haggle skill to arrange a drive there and for a drive back that night, paid the money, then they enjoyed a very quick ride from the city to the water park. Once there, they saw the succubi and several more humans were there having fun. Dana and Gretchen changed into different bathing suits than what they had worn the night before and used the water slides again. They tried the diving boards and were surprised they worked so well, swam for a while, and then sat at the side of the large pool with their feet dangling in the water. * Ren drove the cart into the water park area and stopped next to the food booths off to the side of the large pool. ¡°Ren!¡± Dana waved at him and came over to the cart. He saw that she was wearing a more conservative two piece in green, and Gretchen was right behind her and had on a red two piece bathing suit. ¡°Hi, Dana. Hi, Gretchen.¡± Ren said and both women looked at the people getting out of the cart. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°Lunch and a cooking lesson.¡± Ren said and hopped down and helped Valercia climb down, then he secured the horse and cart to a nearby post. ¡°We can use that booth there.¡± He said and they all walked over to it. Ren quickly set everything up to make hamburgers and french fries, including a self-cleaning deep fryer that never had to be refilled with grease and a grill that was also self-cleaning when turned off. Ren showed them how to make the hamburger patties and how to cut the potatoes to make the thick french fries that he liked, and he set up a big pot on the side in the back with beef gravy that never ran out. He set out the condiments that his cooking kit came with and made copies of them, then made them refill automatically like the gravy. Ren cooked up the first batch of hamburgers and a basket of french fries for everyone to have some, and when he was done, put a hamburger and fries on a plate and added gravy for himself. ¡°That looks really good.¡± One of the cooks said. ¡°Smells good, too.¡± Another said. ¡°Some people might just want the hamburger. Some might want just the french fries, and some might want gravy on one, both, or neither.¡± Ren said and stored his plate, then asked Dana what she wanted. ¡°Just the fries.¡± Dana said and smiled. ¡°I''m trying to stay thin.¡± Ren chuckled and gave her a plate of fries. Gretchen wanted the hamburger, and Valercia wanted the same as Ren. Ren turned to the cooks and told them to get their own, which made them laugh, and Ren went with Dana, Gretchen and Valercia to sit at the closest picnic table to eat. Gretchen bit into the hamburger and moaned as she chewed. ¡°This is so good!¡± ¡°Give me a bite.¡± Dana said. ¡°Give me some of your fries.¡± Gretchen countered, and Dana slid her plate close and leaned in, and Gretchen handed her the burger as she took some of Dana''s fries. ¡°Mmm! You''re right, Gretchen.¡± Dana said after taking a bite. ¡°Told you.¡± Gretchen said and ate some of the french fries. ¡°These are good, too!¡± ¡°The secret is the salt.¡± Ren said and ate some of his gravy fries. ¡°It sticks to the fries really well right out of the deep fryer and makes the taste pop in your mouth.¡± Valercia laughed. ¡°You sound like you have a lot of experience with these fries things.¡± She said, then ate one herself. ¡°Oh, my.¡± She said and picked up another one and sucked the gravy off of it. ¡°I think I just converted her again.¡± Ren joked and picked up his hamburger. ¡°You have, My King.¡± Valercia said and ate another french fry and picked up the hamburger. ¡°I was nervous of this new food, but it is truly delicious.¡± ¡°We wholeheartedly agree with the Queen.¡± One of the cooks said, and Ren turned to see them at the next table. ¡°This is something everyone is going to like.¡± ¡°Wait until the hot dog and cotton candy stands open.¡± Ren said and pointed to the next two food booths. ¡°Everyone absolutely loves those things.¡± Everyone ate their food in relative silence after that, and when they were done, Ren showed the cooks how to turn the things on and off. ¡°Sir, why are you training three of us in their use?¡± One of the cooks asked. ¡°There''s only one booth.¡± ¡°There''s only one booth here, but there''s a couple over there.¡± Ren pointed to the amusement park. ¡°Believe me, when you train your apprentices, you''ll be glad for the extra help.¡± ¡°Apprentices?¡± The cooks looked at each other. ¡°But, we''re barely out of our own apprenticeships.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You don''t need to know as much to work here, but you''ll be doing a lot more work.¡± He said. ¡°Does that make sense?¡± ¡°Only if we can change booths and cook different things.¡± One of the cooks said, and Ren clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Now you''re understanding how things should go.¡± Ren said. ¡°We need to set up regular deliveries for food supplies, either with the locals or through the Portal Gate Network to one of the major cities, at least until we can get the proper stock of animals brought in.¡± ¡°Proper stock?¡± The cook asked. ¡°We''ve got tons and tons of vegetables available from the farms under the city and my county, so there''s not going to be any kind of shortage for those. I''ll pop to some of the bigger counties and see what kind of animals I can get brought in for our needs.¡± ¡°You really have thought all of this through.¡± Valercia said. Ren nodded. ¡°Soon, this place is going to be completely self-sustaining. With the amusement park and water park for supplementary income, no one that lives here will ever have to worry about anything again.¡± Valercia touched the side of his face with her hand and he felt her admiration, and she felt that he really wanted them all to prosper and be happy. ¡°I have a question.¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°Yes?¡± Ren said without turning his head. ¡°Do we have to wait half an hour before getting back in the water so we don''t cramp up?¡± Ren smiled and turned his head to face her. ¡°That''s a myth, actually. The danger is that after eating, your body tends to get tired quicker because it''s digesting food. You can swim normally and not have to worry.¡± He said. ¡°Here you can eat a whole cow if you wanted and still float on the water without a care in the world.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t suggest trying that.¡± One of the cooks said. ¡°You should at least gut the cow first.¡± Ren chuckled and had to agree. ¡°Teepo, how''s our time.¡± ¡°The first appointment this afternoon isn''t for another 40 minutes.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The workers are meeting us at the amusement park as well.¡± Valercia said. ¡°Since it''s right over there and we have a cart, we have some time.¡± ¡°Would you care to join us in some water fun?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°That would depend on your definition of fun.¡± Valercia said and smiled. ¡°Wholesome for now.¡± Ren said and looked at the three cooks. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°We''re invited?¡± They said and looked at each other. ¡°To swim? With you, the King? And the Queen?¡± ¡°We might have those titles, but we''re still people.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Do you need swimsuits?¡± ¡°That would be nice.¡± One of them said. ¡°Right this way.¡± Ren said and he led Valercia and the cooks over to the footwear and towel shop, gave them what they needed, then went into the next shop with the swimsuits. Valercia picked out a nice one piece that was red and hugged her curves very well, and she came out of the dressing room. ¡°What do you think?¡± Valercia asked. She had tied her hair up on top of her head and turned around for him. ¡°Um... I think I''m going to get to know you a lot within the next half an hour.¡± Ren said. Valercia laughed and walked over to him. ¡°You need to change as well.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Ren said and equipped the Speedo he had worn the night before. Valercia caught her breath as Ren revealed all of his rippling muscles, and her hands touched his chest automatically and traced his pectoral muscles. ¡°My King.¡± Valercia said in a slightly deeper voice. ¡°I look forward to getting to know you during the next half an hour as well.¡± ¡°These things are great!¡± One of the cooks said as he stepped out of the changing room with a pair of small swimming trunks on. ¡°They will stay on in the water, won''t they?¡± ¡°Of course they will.¡± The second cook said as he stepped out in a different color pair but similar in size. ¡°Unless you take them off... and you are not to take them off in the pool.¡± He warned the first cook, who laughed. ¡°Give it a rest, you two.¡± The third cook said and stepped out wearing a two piece bikini. Her dark hair was cut very short and the suit covered her well; but, she was also a woman. ¡°You''re a woman.¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°Is that a problem?¡± She asked in her deep voice, a little angrily. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said and held up his hands in surrender to ease her anger. ¡°I also wouldn''t have treated you any differently had I known before seeing you like this.¡± She nodded, mollified, then struck a pose that showed off her figure. ¡°How will you treat me now that you know, My King?¡± Ren gave her the up and down glance that her feelings demanded from him. ¡°Until you''re back in uniform, very carefully.¡± He said and grinned at her, and she chuckled. ¡°I suppose that''s fair enough.¡± She said and glanced down at him in return. ¡°Considering what you''re wearing, I will do the same.¡± Ren gave her a regal bow to concede the point that they were both wearing revealing things, and her face went red from the formal gesture. He ushered Valercia and the cooks out of the shop and met Dana and Gretchen, who stared at the third cook, too. They hadn''t known she was a woman, either. Her cook uniform had hidden that fact very well. ¡°It''s water time.¡± Ren said and pointed behind Dana and Gretchen. The two women glanced at the cook once more, who only smiled demurely at them, then they all went to the pool to have some more fun. Chapter 660 - Playtime Is Over Ren, Dana, Gretchen, Artemis, Valercia, and the three cooks joined the other people playing on the water slides and in the pool. There was an inordinate amount of time frolicking in the pool after each slide, however. The first time it was Valercia that pretended to need Ren''s help, which he was glad to provide as it allowed them to cuddle in front of everyone. The downside was that everyone noticed, so the next time they went down the water slides, Dana did the same thing. Unable to say no, since Ren could feel Dana''s need for him to do the same for her as he had for Valercia, he ''helped'' her in the water and out of the pool while he cuddled her. Just like Valercia, Dana had no problem running her hands over the thick strong muscles of his chest and arms as much as she could, until he put her down beside the pool. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± Dana said, and looked at him through half-closed eyes. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hurry up, you two!¡± One of the male cooks said. ¡°I want to try that twirly slide!¡± ¡°We don''t have to wait for them.¡± The other male cook said. ¡°Hey, we''re enjoying spending our off time with royalty.¡± The first cook said. ¡°This is something we can tell our grandchildren about!¡± ¡°I don''t think this is that important to make it a generational story.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Thank you for the thought, though.¡± Both of the male cooks laughed and started to climb the stairs, and everyone followed. The female cook stepped close to Ren. ¡°My King, can I ask a question?¡± Ren turned his head slightly towards her and nodded, and refrained from making the joke that she just asked a question. ¡°May I be next?¡± She asked. ¡°Next?¡± Ren asked, then smiled. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± He said. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She said, and kept pace with him all the way up to the top. ¡°Which one...¡± Ren put a hand on her lower back and eased her over to a double-wide slide that was intended for much larger people. ¡°Why don''t we ride this one together?¡± ¡°T-together?¡± She asked, surprised. ¡°If you don''t want to...¡± Ren started to say, and she put her arms around his neck. He moved his hand from her lower back and put it around her waist, they took two steps and jumped together. The slide had several twists and turns and they rolled around a few times, yelled and laughed the entire time, then they splashed down into the pool. It was at this time that Ren ''rescued'' her and lifted her out of the water. Just like Dana and Valercia, the female cook had no problems with caressing his chest and arms as he helped her out of the pool. Ren stood her up on the side, and he felt her gratitude. ¡°You really did handle me very carefully.¡± She said, and her hand lingered on his arm. ¡°I was about to say the same thing.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°My King.¡± The female cook said and ducked her head for a moment, let his arm go, then went over to the other two cooks. They had enjoyed their slides almost as much as she did. ¡°You indulged her fantasy.¡± Seldanna said, and Ren turned to look at her. ¡°That was very nice of you.¡± ¡°We both know nothing will happen between us, so there was no harm in letting her pretend.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°Where have you been hiding?¡± ¡°In plain sight.¡± Seldanna said and motioned to everyone around them. ¡°It''s not even open and this place is already very popular.¡± ¡°I figured it would be.¡± Ren said. ¡°How are the feedings?¡± ¡°Unbelievable.¡± Seldanna said and they walked over to the stairs to join Dana, Valercia, Gretchen, the three cooks, and several other succubi who were still disguised as humans. ¡°It''s like a constant euphoria.¡± ¡°I''m glad you''re all enjoying it, but don''t get too used to it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why not?¡± One of the other succubi asked. ¡°This is only a small sample size of the people that are going to be here during the day.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll probably be cutting yourselves off occasionally when the full emotional impact of this place hits you.¡± ¡°I''ll be moderating that as much as I can.¡± Zunala said. ¡°I''m still good for that much.¡± Seldanna laughed and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Second in command isn''t so bad, is it?¡± ¡°I tried to be in command and I blew it.¡± Zunala said. ¡°Being second in command, like I was when Murdrasu was alive, is much better than being useless.¡± She put her arm around Weston. ¡°Weston and I are in the same positions.¡± ¡°I''m not useless.¡± Weston joked, and they laughed. ¡°I''m second in command of the county''s forces, and she''s second in command of the succubi.¡± He said. ¡°Of course, neither of us expected that when all of this started.¡± ¡°Things always change. In most cases for the better.¡± Valercia said from behind Ren. ¡°Sometimes horrible things need to happen for that change to occur; but, after that things generally do get better.¡± There was a general feeling of agreement and they reached the top of the slides. Ren turned to Seldanna and she reached back and touched Gretchen. ¡°I believe this one is next in line for your help.¡± Seldanna said and pulled Gretchen to the front of the group. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Gretchen looked at Seldanna in surprise. ¡°Oops.¡± Seldanna chuckled and gave Gretchen a little shove on the back. Gretchen took one stumbling step forward and slipped down the closest slide. ¡°AHHH!¡± Gretchen yelled and disappeared around a turn. ¡°Seldanna!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Rescue her, My King!¡± Seldanna said excitedly and pushed him head first down the same slide. ¡°Not Ren, too!¡± Dana almost yelled and slid down after him. Artemis jumped down another slide, the cooks went down their own slides, and then the succubi all followed, which left Seldanna and Valercia alone at the top. ¡°Was that really necessary, Sovereign?¡± Valercia asked. ¡°The poor girl was hiding her envy really well, until the cook got to ride on the same slide as Ren.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°I had to do something to help her.¡± Valercia nodded. ¡°She won''t believe what you did was a good deed, though.¡± Seldanna chuckled. ¡°Queen Valercia, she already sees me as a bane for her friend. Being the bad one that pushed her is nothing.¡± Valercia laughed. ¡°You make a good point.¡± She said. ¡°Shall we go and see the carnage?¡± ¡°The fourth and sixth slides are approximately the same length.¡± Seldanna said and approached the fourth one. ¡°We should arrive not too long after them.¡± Valercia nodded and they jumped at the same time. Gretchen flailed her arms as she quickly slid around several turns during the pretty long slide and then she splashed down into the water on her side. She was completely unprepared for the shock when it happened and started to panic as she sank. Ren hit the water only a moment later. Because he had been pushed head first, he dove into the water and cut through it like a hot knife through butter. He angled himself down and wrapped his arms around Gretchen to grab her without hurting her, and she grabbed onto him with her arms and legs like a vise.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Ren activated his Water Walk ability and they popped up to the surface of the pool an instant later. He put a hand under Gretchen''s backside to hold her steady and ran to the side of the pool, put a towel down, and knelt on it with her. She was spitting and sputtering and didn''t lessen her grip on him at all. He thought she was speaking nonsense until he started catching curse words and promises to get revenge. At least she''s not crying hysterically. Ren thought in relief and started to rub her back with his other hand in a very soothing manner. ¡°It''s okay, Gretchen. You''re okay. I''ve got you.¡± Gretchen''s wild emotions eased away as she started to calm down, then the shock of what happened hit her and her body started to tremble. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder and took several deep breaths. There was a splash in the water behind them and a few moments later, Dana popped out of the pool because she had activated her own Water Walk ability. Dana rushed over to where Ren knelt. ¡°Gretchen, are you okay?¡± She knelt by them and her hand joined Ren''s on Gretchen''s back and did similar consoling movements. ¡°That... that was really scary.¡± Gretchen managed to get out, and she winced as several more splashes hit the water. ¡°I''m really sorry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know what Seldanna was thinking.¡± ¡°She was trying to get rid of the competition.¡± Dana said seriously, and that made Gretchen bark a laugh. ¡°Yeah, right.¡± Gretchen said. Her trembling slowed down as Ren''s and Dana''s caressing hands on her back made her feel better. ¡°Look at me and look at her.¡± She said and tightened her grip on Ren. ¡°I''m the ugly girl next door and she''s the perfect supermodel.¡± ¡°You are not ugly.¡± Ren and Dana said together, and had even emphasized the same word. They exchanged smiles and Dana stopped rubbing her back. ¡°How many times do you need to stare in the mirror before you believe that?¡± Dana asked, and Gretchen chuckled. ¡°At least a few more times.¡± Gretchen said and lifted her head from Ren''s shoulder. Her face was right in front of his now, and she stared at him right in the eyes. ¡°You saved me.¡± She said. ¡°You really saved me.¡± ¡°Unlike the play ones we''ve been doing, you mean?¡± Dana asked, and Gretchen nodded. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± Gretchen said and her eyes glanced to the side to Dana. Dana rolled her eyes and then smiled. ¡°Go ahead. He deserves it.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Gretchen said and smiled. Ren wasn''t sure who she was talking to, and then she closed her eyes and kissed him. He was a bit surprised at her enthusiasm, then he felt her need mixed in with her gratitude. Of course, he immediately responded to that need and started to kiss her back with the same enthusiasm, then felt her jolt of surprise. He''s a really good kisser! Gretchen thought as every other thought flew out of her head and she threw herself into the impromptu make-out session and kissed him in earnest. Dana''s eyes widened as she watched her friend kiss Ren. It wasn''t the quick peck on the lips she had thought it was going to be, either. She knelt there and her disbelief grew as the kiss went on and on. Ren''s grip on Gretchen''s backside tightened and she moaned a little into his mouth. He really liked that sound and his body reacted to that. With her pressed so tightly to the front of his body, she felt his reaction grow between them, and that made her so much more enthusiastic. Artemis, Seldanna and Valercia had come out of the water not long after Dana had, and they sat nearby. ¡°I think that''s enough thanks.¡± Artemis said with laughter in her voice, and Gretchen felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her. She gasped and broke the kiss, and everyone could hear that she was breathing heavily. ¡°Oh... oh, god.¡± Gretchen whispered. ¡°I... I...¡± She looked like a deer caught in headlights. ¡°I... I''m sorry.¡± She said finally. ¡°I''m so sorry!¡± ¡°I''m not sure why you''re apologizing, Gretchen. That was a great kiss.¡± Ren said, and she blushed hard as her face went to a deep red, because she had thought it was a great kiss, too. ¡°D-D-Dana.¡± Gretchen said and turned her head to look at her friend while she still had her arms and legs wrapped tightly around Ren. With what was pressed between them, she suspected that if she tried to let him go, even a little bit, everyone would see how excited she had made him. That thought made her face go just a little bit redder. Ren turned his head and looked at Dana, too. ¡°Actually, you''re right.¡± He said. ¡°An apology is in order.¡± Dana stared back at them with her mouth hanging open and didn''t know what to say. Ren moved the hand he had on Gretchen''s back and reached out to Dana, who didn''t react as the hand snaked around her neck, then Ren pulled her in close for a kiss. It was Gretchen''s turn for her mouth to drop open as Ren kissed her friend, and her blush faded as she realized that Dana was finally getting what she had been trying to get for the last little while. Dana was more surprised than anything else as Ren kissed her and she moved her mouth in response to it; but, Ren could feel that she didn''t have anywhere near the same enjoyment or enthusiasm that Gretchen had experienced. When Gretchen recovered from the shock of Ren kissing Dana barely inches away from her, she noticed that it wasn''t the same technique that he had used to kiss her. She also saw that neither of them were as into it as she had been... or as Ren had been while he kissed her. She wasn''t sure what to make of that, and then Ren broke the kiss and let Dana go. Dana blinked her eyes for a moment, and then she sighed. ¡°Wow, that was...¡± ¡°...kind of terrible.¡± Ren said and put his free hand back on Gretchen''s back. Dana chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I didn''t get much out of that.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You were so worried about being stuck as just friends that it didn''t cross your mind that we might not be able to be more than that.¡± ¡°That''s it exactly.¡± Dana laughed as she thought about all the schemes and stalking she had done to try and get close to Ren. ¡°What a fool I''ve been this last week!¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°Sometimes it just doesn''t work out, no matter how much you want it to.¡± Dana put a hand on Gretchen''s shoulder. ¡°I''m sorry I dragged you all over the place, too.¡± ¡°Th-that''s fine.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I''m your friend and I''ll do anything for you.¡± ¡°Including making out with the guy I''m interested in?¡± Dana teased, and Gretchen''s face went back to a deep blush. ¡°D-Dana, I...¡± ¡°I''m just joking.¡± Dana laughed. ¡°You''ve cheered me on all this time so it''s only fair that I cheer you on this time.¡± Gretchen shook her head. ¡°That''s not...¡± ¡°Ren, we need to go.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The first appointment is coming up in a few minutes and we need to get over to the amusement park.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ren said and went to let Gretchen go, and her worry spiked as she held on even tighter. ¡°Gretchen?¡± ¡°R-Ren, you... I''m... we...¡± Gretchen mumbled and then her eyes quickly glanced down and back up at him. ¡°Hm?¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her, which made her giggle, and then he understood. ¡°Ohh.¡± He smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Gretchen was going to respond, then he gripped her backside slightly harder and used his other hand on her back to keep her tightly pressed to him. She couldn''t quite remember what she was going to say after that. ¡°Excuse us for a moment.¡± Ren said as he stood up and unfurled his wings, then he flew straight up. ¡°Hey!¡± Dana exclaimed and stood up. ¡°Where are you going?!?¡± Ren stopped a hundred feet up and cast a small Magical Barrier of Protection, then cast the Full Illusion spell of a house to fill it. Gretchen gasped at the sudden change in their circumstances. ¡°What... how...¡± ¡°It''s okay. No one is around and no one can see or hear us.¡± Ren said and furled his wings away. ¡°You can let go now.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± Ren moved his head in and gave her a gentle kiss. ¡°You held onto me this whole time because you were worried people would see me poking out of my Speedo.¡± He said. ¡°I normally wouldn''t reveal myself like this; but, because you used your body and protected my modesty with all those people around, I don''t mind if you see it.¡± Gretchen''s blush was back in full force, and he chuckled. ¡°Are... are you sure?¡± ¡°Let go and find out.¡± Ren said. Gretchen took a deep breath, then uncrossed her ankles from behind his back. Her legs dropped down and she put her feet on the floor, but her height didn''t change. She looked at him with wide eyes, and he nodded. ¡°I''m standing a foot above the floor so you can stand up without bending your legs.¡± Ren said. Gretchen nodded and took her arms away from his neck. Ren still held her backside and her back, though. She looked at him with a question on her face, and he let both hands go. She caught her breath as his firm hands no longer held her to him, and she took a step back. She stared into his eyes for only a moment more, then she looked down. Gretchen stopped breathing at the sight, because she hadn''t realized her movements had pulled the tiny Speedo down. ¡°Is that real?¡± She asked and blinked her eyes, rubbed them for a moment, then looked again. ¡°It''s not real.¡± She looked at his face. ¡°Are there game mods for these things?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, it''s real.¡± ¡°How?¡± Gretchen asked and stared at it. ¡°I mean, I know it''s there and... and it works.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''m assuming it works.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It does, because my heart pumps blood really fast.¡± He explained and stored the Speedo to give her the full view. ¡°Now that you''ve seen it...¡± ¡°...are you going to kill me?¡± Gretchen asked and laughed. ¡°What do you think?¡± Ren asked, and she knew that he didn''t want a joke for a response. ¡°It''s out of proportion to your body.¡± Gretchen said and knelt to get a closer look. She leaned to the side and then to the other side. ¡°Despite that, it''s very pretty.¡± ¡°It''s pretty?¡± Ren asked, surprised at the description. ¡°Handsome doesn''t fit.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Telling you that it''s nice wouldn''t be a fair description, either.¡± She lifted a single finger and touched it just under the tip. Ren caught his breath and it throbbed for her, and she held in her laugh at his reaction. She slid her finger down its length slowly, then she stood up and ran her finger the other way. ¡°The only real description is pretty.¡± Ren felt her confidence in that answer, so he held a hand out and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Thank you for your honest opinion.¡± He said sincerely, and she covered his hand with hers. ¡°Did it really mean that much to you?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Ren said and equipped his blue suit and felt her slight disappointment. ¡°It means more to me than I can ever say.¡± Gretchen rubbed her face on his hand. ¡°You can try.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Maybe some other day.¡± He said. ¡°I need to get to work.¡± Gretchen nodded and let his hand go. Ren took her into a hug and unfurled his wings, dismissed the Full Illusion spell and the Magical Barrier of Protection, then floated back down to the crowd waiting for them. Chapter 661 - Training The Workers Gretchen was relieved when Ren landed and let her go, and she walked over to Dana. They waved to him as he, Artemis, Valercia, and the three cooks climbed onto the cart they had arrived in and drove away towards the amusement park. Dana took Gretchen''s hand and walked over to stand near the bottom of the water slides so that the rushing water would drown out their conversation. ¡°Okay, what happened.¡± Dana asked. ¡°N-nothing.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Don''t give me that.¡± Dana said. ¡°We''ve been friends long enough that I can tell when you''re horny.¡± ¡°I... I''m not horny!¡± Gretchen exclaimed, and Dana laughed. ¡°There''s the guilty voice, too.¡± Dana said. ¡°Come on, spill it.¡± Gretchen opened her mouth to say that nothing happened, and then sighed. ¡°All right.¡± She said, then told her what had happened. ¡°No. Way.¡± Dana said, completely surprised. ¡°Was he a grower or a shower?¡± ¡°B-both.¡± Gretchen said and blushed. ¡°No way!¡± Dana exclaimed, then leaned in close. ¡°How big was he?¡± Gretchen looked to the right and to the left, to make sure no one was looking at them, and she held her hands apart at the approximate distance. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Gretchen shook her head. ¡°You lucky bitch!¡± Dana laughed and put her arm over her friend''s shoulders. ¡°We''re just friends.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°What kind of friends does he have that he lets them touch his dick, huh?¡± ¡°I don''t think he let me... he just didn''t stop me.¡± Gretchen said. Dana rested her head against hers. ¡°Look at you taking charge.¡± Gretchen laughed. ¡°It... it was surreal. We were inside a house... in the middle of the sky... and he was naked.¡± She said. ¡°He asked me for my opinion, and I... I couldn''t lie, you know?¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Dana said. ¡°It was like... he really needed the reassurance.¡± Gretchen said after she thought about it for a moment. ¡°Come on.¡± Dana said and took Gretchen''s hand. ¡°Let''s lounge beside the pool for a little while, then we can head over to the amusement park and see what they''re doing over there.¡± They laid beside the pool for about half an hour and just watched the succubi and the off-duty guards play in the water, then they equipped their Travelling Clothes and walked over to the amusement park. It took them a while to find the large group of people, and they had identified a lot of the rides along the way; including carousels, gravity drops, pendulum swings, normal slides, game booths, and even a large roller coaster. Teela used her skills when they reached the crowd and told Dana and Gretchen that there was 150 general workers, 30 cooks, 10 healers, and 50 city guards present. Ren and Valercia stood on a raised platform and showed them the operation of the ride they stood beside. Ren called one of the workers up to the platform and asked them to operate it, and the man easily used the simple controls and activated the ride, and then everyone gasped as the ride lifted up into the air. ¡°Dana!¡± Gretchen grabbed her friend''s arm. ¡°That''s...¡± ¡°A double Ferris wheel.¡± Dana said in amazement as the two Ferris wheels reached the proper height, then started to rotate around the central axis. ¡°They spin normally, and also spin around each other.¡± ¡°H-how? How is that possible?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Dana said. ¡°I didn''t think things like this would even work here.¡± They watched as the ride was brought back down, and Ren showed them how to load and unload the passengers. ¡°He''s really doing it all.¡± Dana said. ¡°He''s making it a real amusement park.¡± ¡°Dana, is that a pirate ship?¡± Gretchen asked and pointed off to the side, and Dana turned to look. ¡°I mean, you can''t attach an actual ship to a swing, can you?¡± Dana chuckled. ¡°Apparently you can.¡± ¡°This place is amazing.¡± Gretchen said. The lesson for the double Ferris wheel ride ended and the crowd moved on to the next ride. This one was a gravity drop, and Dana and Gretchen were surprised when Ren explained it was a modification of a magic elevator, and that it wasn''t an enchantment at all. The lesson for its operation was simple and quick, since it was almost entirely self-contained and all the operator had to do was limit how many people got on each time. They moved on to the next ride, and it looked like a giant spider with mining carts on its feet. The explanation took longer, since it was a bit more complicated, but once they turned it on, the legs moved up and down as the carts spun on the feet, and then the whole thing spun around as well. Neither Dana nor Gretchen had seen anything like it before, and they were amazed how quickly the workers learned their jobs. The carousel was the easiest, since you just turned it on and waited 5 minutes, then turned it off. The workers laughed and said that they wouldn''t even have to stay nearby to operate it, and then the entire crowd gasped as they felt Fear for an instant. ¡°Please don''t take these jobs lightly.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, some of them are easier to do than others, but they are all important. Safety is paramount, and the healers will be on constant patrol with the guards to help maintain that.¡± He said and let his gaze travel across the crowd, and each person felt like they had locked gazes with him. ¡°Take pride in your work and keep the customers safe. If they feel safe and have fun, not only will they come back, they will bring their friends next time.¡± ¡°I hear that!¡± Someone hollered, and a chuckle ran around the crowd. ¡°I was tempted to charge a fee to get in, but that would defeat the whole purpose.¡± Ren explained. ¡°I can''t charge one fee to pay for everything, because then no one would want to come here more than once or twice.¡± ¡°Gouging the customers is not the best way to start a business.¡± Valercia said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Just like the Portal Gate Network, each ride will only cost a single copper coin to use.¡± ¡°Just once, right?¡± Someone asked, and Ren nodded again. ¡°They can''t give you a silver and ride a hundred times in a row, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°One ride for a copper, then back of the line so that everyone can ride.¡± He said. ¡°Now, if business is slow, you can take a handful of copper coins and let them ride for longer, but that''s at your discretion.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°That''s fair.¡± Someone said. ¡°I can''t tell you not to take bribes for more rides; but, you have to know that with so many people coming through here, there''s no real need to take more money upfront.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Believe me, there''s going to be plenty of money for everyone.¡± ¡°Is that why we get to rotate on the ride operations?¡± Someone else asked. ¡°Exactly.¡± Ren said. ¡°Some rides will be more popular, so some of you would make more than everyone else if you only operated one ride each. If you all get a turn to operate the popular rides, then everyone is happy. Both you and the customers.¡± ¡°What about the food?¡± One of the cooks asked. Ren looked and saw that it was the female cook and she was back in her normal uniform. ¡°I''ve got three more special rides to showcase, then we''ll head to the food section and you''ll all get quick lessons in carnival food.¡± ¡°Carnal food?¡± She asked, then her face went red. ¡°Um, never mind.¡± Lots of people laughed, and Ren smiled as he held his hands up for silence. ¡°Car-ni-val.¡± Ren enunciated. ¡°It''s the very fast food served at similar parks where Adventurers come from.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Some one said and raised their hand, and Ren nodded to them. ¡°Can the townsfolk come here, too?¡± ¡°The park is open for everyone, so yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had flyers distributed to every general store in the entire country.¡± A low murmur of surprise ran through the crowd, and someone else put up their hand. ¡°Why isn''t everyone here already?¡± They asked. ¡°Good question.¡± Ren said. ¡°I made the flyers for my arena fight tomorrow, and when it''s over, the flyers will change automatically to advertise the amusement park.¡± He said. ¡°After that, this place will be officially open and you''ll all have jobs for as long as you want them.¡± There was another general murmur that covered the crowd, and then they fell silent. ¡°No other questions?¡± Ren asked, and no one said anything. ¡°Then follow us to the last couple of rides.¡± Dana and Gretchen went along with the crowd and watched the last couple of lessons, one of which was the pirate ship that swung nearly vertical as it went forward and back on the swing. Ren had saved the best for last as they reached the roller coaster. He gave them all an in-depth lesson on the proper operation and safety protocols. He called up another random worker and prepped him for starting the ride, then walked over to the first cart on the track. Ren opened the door and lifted the safety bar, then helped Valercia climb in and turned to the crowd. ¡°Hey, Dana! Gretchen!¡± Both women gasped as the entire crowd turned to look at them. They didn''t realize that Ren had known they were there. ¡°Want to join me for the inaugural ride of the Screaming Thunder?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Dana nearly yelled, and he laughed. ¡°Don''t worry. This thing has every safety feature I could cram into it.¡± Ren said and sat down, closed the cart''s door and pulled the safety bar down to lock it into place over their laps. ¡°What do you think?¡± Dana asked her friend. ¡°Why not.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Having the first ride is pretty cool.¡± They walked over to the ride and the operator pulled up the safety bar and opened the door on the next cart. They got in and he closed the door and pushed the safety bar down and locked it into place, then went back to the controls. ¡°Sir, do I say a countdown or something?¡± The man asked. ¡°It''s your ride at the moment.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you want to count, you can count.¡± The man smiled. ¡°Okay, sir. Get ready.¡± He paused for a second. ¡°One...¡± He smiled and pulled the lever to activate the magical lift. The row of mining carts shot forward and up the tall incline, and Dana, Teela, Gretchen, and Valercia screamed in both shock and a little horror, while Ren laughed and Teepo chittered in delight. The row of mining carts slowed down as they reached the top of the very high first hill, then it plunged down the other side at twice the speed it had gone up it. ¡°AHHHHHHH!¡± The three women screamed as they reached the bottom and hit the first inclined turn, then went up another hill, then down and through a short tunnel, up another large hill, then down the other side and through a 360 degree loop. That made them pick up speed and they went through a corkscrew turn, three very quick and short hills, then another inclined turn and another hill. They started to slow down and hit the last inclined turn, which reduced their speed even further, and the row of mining carts applied their brakes evenly and slowed them down to come to a stop right where they had started the ride. The operator walked over and pulled up the safety bar and opened the door in each cart to let the passengers out, and Ren hopped out and turned to look at the three women. ¡°What did you think?¡± Ren asked, and didn''t give his opinion, because he didn''t want to influence theirs. ¡°N-never again.¡± Dana said. ¡°I... I thought I liked a good rush...¡± She tried to stand up and wobbled, and Ren caught her arm and held her steady with a hand on her back. ¡°We have very different thoughts of what a good rush is.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Gretchen? What about you?¡± ¡°That... that was...¡± Gretchen met his gaze and then she grinned. ¡°...totally awesome!¡± ¡°I don''t know what ''awesome'' means, but it was a very enjoyable ride.¡± Valercia said and stood up. ¡°After the first initial shock and surprise.¡± Dana stepped out of the mine cart with Ren''s help, and Gretchen got out as well. ¡°Three out of four humanoid passengers enjoyed it.¡± Ren said and kept his arm around Dana to brace her. ¡°What do the beetles say?¡± ¡°I want to go again!¡± Teepo said from Ren''s shoulder. ¡°That was great!¡± ¡°It was fun, but not fun enough to go again.¡± Teela said from Dana''s shoulder. ¡°So, one and a half out of two beetles approve.¡± Ren said, and both beetles chittered in laughter. ¡°I''d call that a success, My King.¡± Valercia said, and he nodded. ¡°On to the food vendor booths!¡± Ren declared. The whole crowd shuffled off down the fairway towards the food section of the park. ¡°Dana, how do you feel?¡± Ren asked her, and she took a breath and let it out. ¡°I''m okay.¡± Dana said. ¡°You can let me go.¡± Ren moved his hand away from her back and she wobbled a little, so he put it back and held her steady. ¡°It doesn''t seem like I should.¡± ¡°I''m just a little in shock, that''s all.¡± Dana said and motioned to a nearby bench. ¡°I''ll just sit down for a few minutes to recover.¡± Ren helped her over to it and she sat down with a sigh. ¡°I don''t think I can eat anything right now, anyways.¡± Dana said, and Ren smiled. Gretchen sat down next to her friend and pat her knee. ¡°I''ll stay with her to make sure she''s okay.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, and his sincerity made Gretchen''s face turn a little red. ¡°They won''t wait long, My King.¡± Valercia said and pointed at the large crowd as they spread out and the cooks picked the booths that interested them the most. ¡°Right.¡± Ren reached out and put a hand on Dana''s shoulder, and one on Gretchen''s. ¡°Rest here for a while, then come over to see what surprises await those that want to eat between rides.¡± Both women nodded, and Ren stepped back and up into the air, held an elbow out for Valercia, and she took it gracefully. Dana and Gretchen watched Ren and the woman on his arm walk towards the crowd. They moved quickly and casually, which was a surprise; since you would think they would be mutually exclusive things. ¡°I''m sorry you didn''t like the roller coaster.¡± Gretchen said. Dana chuckled. ¡°It''s not like that''s your fault.¡± She said. ¡°Or Ren''s.¡± ¡°What was it that bothered you the most?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°The constant shaking and the sound of the wheels hitting the metal tracks, I think.¡± Dana said. ¡°There wasn''t a moment of relief where it didn''t happen, except right at the top of the first drop off and then at the end.¡± Gretchen laughed. ¡°That was kind of the point.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Dana asked, and Gretchen nodded. ¡°I screamed so hard when it started!¡± Gretchen exclaimed. ¡°Me, too.¡± Dana said. ¡°Me, three.¡± Teela said. ¡°So did Valercia.¡± ¡°Well, he did call it Screaming Thunder.¡± Gretchen said, and they laughed. They waited for about 10 minutes, and then the most wonderful smells hit them. ¡°Is that popcorn?¡± Dana asked. ¡°It can''t be popcorn.¡± ¡°I smell hot dogs.¡± Gretchen said and looked at her friend. ¡°Where the hell did he get hot dogs?¡± ¡°I smell something sweet.¡± Teela said from Dana''s shoulder. ¡°I''ve never smelled anything like it before.¡± ¡°We have to go see what''s going on.¡± Dana said and stood up, and she didn''t wobble. ¡°Let''s go.¡± As they approached the food section of the park, they quickly discovered what the sweet smell was. ¡°Cotton Candy!¡± Dana and Gretchen said at the same time, and went to the booth. ¡°How is that possible?¡± Dana asked, and saw one of the cooks add colored sugar to a large metal bowl, and then used a long thin piece of wood to roll around inside the bowl. Little bolts of Lightning crisscrossed and shocked the sugar, just as a real cotton candy machine would, and after several swirls around, the cook produced a big bundle of cotton candy on a stick. ¡°It''s food magic!¡± The female cook exclaimed and handed Dana the stick and quickly did another and gave it to Gretchen. ¡°Quick! Quick! Try it!¡± Dana looked at Gretchen for a moment, and then they both took a bite. They felt the instant sugar rush and gained +1 to their Endurance for the next minute. They dismissed the popup at the same time and looked at each other again. ¡°It''s an energy booster.¡± Dana said, and Gretchen nodded. ¡°I wonder how much...¡± ¡°It''s +5 Endurance for half an hour when you finish it.¡± A man said from nearby, and tossed his empty stick into the trashcan beside the stall. ¡°I don''t know how he did it, but it''s amazing.¡± Dana and Gretchen nodded, and the man turned to the next stall to try one of the hot dogs. ¡°Oh!¡± Gretchen said and turned back to the cook making the cotton candy. ¡°How much do we owe for these?¡± ¡°Everyone gets one for free while I''m practising.¡± The female cook said happily. ¡°My King is a great man!¡± Dana and Gretchen ate their delicious and beneficial cotton candy as they looked around at the biggest and most elaborate amusement park that ever existed anywhere, and had to agree with the cook. Ren had definitely done some great things. Chapter 662 - A Few Last Minute Things Ren finished up showing everyone how to work everything, provided the Healers with wands and spells they would need, gave the guards new armor and weapons, then told them all to go home and to get a good night''s rest. They all promised to do so and thanked him for the jobs. He thanked them right back and made sure they knew that none of this would be possible if it wasn''t for them. Fully reassured, the crowd of workers dispersed from the food court and left Ren, Valercia, Artemis, Dana, and Gretchen all alone. They had all tried the different foods available, and they were all a great success. ¡°How''s the time, Teepo?¡± Ren asked. ¡°If we leave within the next few minutes, we should have just enough time to secure the proper foodstuff and livestock deliveries from the three nearby cities.¡± Teepo said. ¡°We won''t get much more than that today.¡± ¡°It''ll have to do.¡± Ren said and turned to Valercia. ¡°Thank you for indulging me today, Your Highness.¡± ¡°That sounds so odd coming from a King.¡± Valercia said. ¡°Plus, you have provided the city with an enormous revenue source and ask nothing in return except to work for ourselves.¡± She said and touched the side of his face. ¡°I am the one that should thank you.¡± ¡°You don''t have to thank me.¡± Ren said as she stepped close. ¡°I can feel how happy you are, and that''s more than thanks enough for me.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Valercia asked in a sexy voice, and her hand moved down from his face to play with the lapel of his blue suit. ¡°What if I want to thank you...¡± Her eyes glanced at the people around them and she leaned in to whisper. ¡°...privately?¡± ¡°I... would say that... I appreciate it.¡± Ren said and put his arms around her. ¡°Unfortunately, it will have to wait.¡± ¡°You said that before.¡± Valercia sighed. ¡°I''ve come to know you a lot today, and I believe you know me as well. Is that not enough?¡± Ren let her go when he felt her sadness, and he cupped both sides of her face. ¡°It takes more than a day to build a real relationship between people.¡± He said and glanced at Dana. ¡°Sometimes only friendship can develop.¡± He said and saw her smile, then he glanced at Gretchen. ¡°Sometimes friendship has the potential to become something more.¡± Gretchen''s face went red at just the implication, and he looked back at Valercia. ¡°Let me be friends with you before we try to ruin it with sex.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°I don''t believe I could hate you if we had sex before becoming friends first.¡± Valercia said. ¡°But, I will respect your wishes and I will try not to pester you with my unwanted advances.¡± ¡°They aren''t unwanted, just early.¡± Ren leaned in and kissed her. Gretchen watched as he kissed Valercia, and she noticed he didn''t kiss her the same way as he had kissed her or Dana. What is he doing? Gretchen wondered. Does he kiss every woman differently? ¡°You''re staring at them pretty intensely.¡± Dana whispered, and Gretchen was jolted out of her thoughts. ¡°No, I''m not.¡± Gretchen denied it automatically, and Dana laughed under her breath. ¡°It''s like a car wreck, isn''t it?¡± Dana whispered. ¡°You know you should look away, but you can''t help yourself and just stare at it.¡± Gretchen thought that was a perfect analogy and nodded. Ren broke the kiss and Valercia sighed loudly, then she smiled wickedly. ¡°You tease me so well, My King.¡± Valercia said. ¡°You better go before I change my mind about following your wishes.¡± Ren gave her another quick kiss. ¡°Can you...¡± ¡°I will return the rented cart.¡± Valercia said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and looked at Dana and Gretchen. ¡°Can I drop you off anywhere?¡± ¡°We have a driver coming for us soon.¡± Dana said. Ren nodded and took out the All-Seeing Mirror, then cast a Portal spell. ¡°See you later.¡± He said as Teepo dissolved into the Beetle Crown Ring, then Ren took Artemis'' hand and stepped through the portal. For the next 2 hours, Ren and Artemis visited several farms and businesses in various towns and cities to secure food shipments to the amusement park. With the Portal Gate Network in place, those shipment delivery times were reduced from weeks to mere hours. Once that was done, Ren and Artemis went back to the succubi roost to pick up the people that wanted to come with him back to Aurora. The four succubi were ready to go, but Princess decided that she wanted to stay in her own bed. Ren didn''t begrudge her that, since he would be returning in the morning anyway. She did go and get Suniva for him, and when he tried to tell her that she didn''t have to come, she flatly denied it. ¡°I want to be there when you come back from Adventurer''s business, Ren.¡± Suniva said and flew over to sit down on his shoulder. Ren''s pet tarantula crawled up close to her and she scratched the spot right above it''s eyes. It hunkered down and one of its legs twitched a little. Ren chuckled and unfurled his wings, as did the succubi, and Artemis floated up into the air. They flew over to the amusement park and Ren cast a single Permanent Wall of Iron several miles wide and high, then cast Permanent Full Illusion on it to make it look like the desolate field it used to be. With the park concealed from sight, they all flew for several minutes and arrived back at the house in Aurora. Ren dropped off the succubi and Suniva, then he and Artemis flew over to his business. He felt Anabelle''s shock that he was there, and she was waiting at the door to the third floor apartment when he and Artemis entered through the back door on the second floor. ¡°M-my King.¡± Anabelle whispered. Ren climbed the stairs to her and she opened her arms to hug him. ¡°Hi, Anabelle.¡± ¡°You...¡± Anabelle caught her breath as she felt the difference in his emotions and let him go. ¡°You''ve been gone so long.¡± ¡°Relatively, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I stay with you while I sleep?¡± ¡°You can do whatever you want, Ren. You know that.¡± Anabelle said and looked at Artemis, who still stood on the second floor. ¡°Are you coming in, too?¡± Artemis shook her head. ¡°I won''t begrudge you alone time, not after having years of him all to myself.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Anabelle said, and Artemis waved it away. ¡°I''ll see you in the morning.¡± Ren said to Artemis, then he and Anabelle entered the apartment and shut the door. He stored his clothing as did she, and they climbed onto the bed together. ¡°Ren, you''ve become so... so...¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°I haven''t left you behind, if that''s what you''re thinking.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... you are...¡± Anabelle sighed. ¡°I''m only...¡± ¡°You''re mine.¡± Ren said, and she felt his strong conviction. ¡°Now shut up and accept my love.¡± Anabelle laughed and kissed him, and she let her emotions roam free as she basked in decades of his emotions of missing her. Feeling that he had missed her for so long made her need him that much more. Her movements became desperate and frantic, and he let her indulge herself for a while and then gave her what she needed. It was over fairly quickly, and Anabelle held onto him tightly as they both fell asleep in each other''s arms. The hour passed by and they woke up still holding each other. Anabelle leaned forward and gave him a kiss, then reluctantly let him go and slid a few inches away. ¡°Try to come back before you need to, Ren.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°I want to hold you once more before the fight.¡± ¡°I''ll try, but I won''t promise.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve damaged myself on Adventurer business and things are going to take longer to do than I think they will.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Anabelle said and touched his face. ¡°Even if you don''t come back in time to stay for a while, I can feel that you want to.¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren said and kissed her hand, and she held it to her chest. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren slid off the headset and felt all the pain in his chest and knee hit him all at once. ¡°Easy, now.¡± Stella said and took the headset, then handed him two pills and a glass of water. ¡°You''re going to be really stiff after staying in the game all night and not moving your body.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and took the pills and drank some of the water to wash them down. ¡°You really did a lot of work last night.¡± Elise said, and Ren turned his head to see that she, Lisa, and Denise were in the bed with him. ¡°You all stayed with me and I didn''t get to see it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Nothing happened, you little deviant.¡± Denise joked and gave him a huge smile, and he laughed. ¡°Tell me Stella was here, too.¡± Ren said and looked at her, and saw she was wearing one of Elise''s t-shirts. ¡°You were!¡± Stella nodded. ¡°None of us wanted to be away from you after what had happened.¡± ¡°Barbara?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Watched over all of us all night.¡± Stella said, and then the bedroom door opened and Barbara came in with the cart and breakfast. ¡°Speak of the devil.¡± Barbara laughed and pushed the cart over to the bed, and Elise, Lisa, and Denise sat up. ¡°You don''t have to get up.¡± She said and pulled out a few folding trays with legs, and handed them to Denise, Elise, and Lisa. She walked over to the rollaway table while Stella helped Ren sit up to eat, and Barbara brought the rollaway table over to the bed and motioned for Stella to sit. ¡°Barbara...¡± ¡°I didn''t get to do a lot last night, so I''m making breakfast in bed for everyone.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Sit.¡± Stella knew that tone of voice and sat beside Ren without another word, then Barbara served them all breakfast. The plates were almost identical in food content, but the drinks were all different. Milk for Denise, coffee for Elise, orange juice for Lisa, the supplement drink for Ren, and grapefruit juice for Stella. Ren almost gagged at the smell. ¡°Ugh. How can you drink that stuff?¡± ¡°Like this.¡± Stella said and took a big gulp of it. She put the glass down, winced as she slowly puckered her lips and stuck them way out, then turned to Ren. ¡°Gimmie a kwiss!¡± She said and made loud smacking sounds. ¡°Nooo!¡± Ren said and turned his head. ¡°Someone help me!¡± ¡°I think you''re on your own.¡± Denise said. ¡°I don''t like grapefruit juice, either.¡± ¡°I''m out for the same reason.¡± Elise said and smiled. ¡°You''ll just have to take your medicine.¡± ¡°Oh, no! She''s going to get me!¡± Ren said and leaned back as Stella leaned in, then suddenly Lisa was there and kissed Stella right on the lips. Everyone stared at her as she leaned back and picked up her orange juice and took a drink. ¡°You owe me a dollar for saving your life, Ren.¡± Lisa said with a huge smile, and everyone laughed. They finished eating breakfast together and then Stella checked Ren''s bandages, carefully cleaned and treated the area around the stitches, and wrapped him up again. ¡°How''s the knee?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Throbbing, but it''s fading a little with... the painkillers.¡± Ren said and yawned. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± He said. ¡°I need... to log in before I... doze off.¡± Stella quickly handed him the VR headset and helped him put it on. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on his bed in the bedroom of the apartment on the third floor of his business. Anabelle was laying right beside him on her side, and she had her hands together as if she was praying. Ren turned onto his side to face her and touched her clasped hands. Anabelle opened her eyes and gave him a big smile. ¡°You did it.¡± ¡°I had to come back early.¡± Ren said and smiled back, and he felt how happy she was. They embraced and spent an hour with each other, then he had to go. She didn''t try to stop him or plead for more time, and he gave her a passionate kiss as a thank you. ¡°Can I come and watch you fight?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°You can if you want to, but it won''t be necessary.¡± Ren said, and felt her disappointment. He walked over to the wall and put a tiny little box on the floor. He pushed the button and a 6 foot wide by 4 foot high screen appeared above it and showed the main floor of the arena. ¡°Is... is that...¡± ¡°You can stay right here and watch it in the comfort of your own home.¡± Ren said, and she caught her breath. ¡°M-my h-home?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m sorry that I was so short-sighted back then and didn''t realize that giving you a temporary place to sleep wouldn''t make you feel welcome.¡± He said and went back over to the bed and took her hand. ¡°Can you forgive me for being so stupid?¡± ¡°There''s nothing to forgive.¡± Anabelle said and squeezed his hand. ¡°You opened your home to me when you could have easily let me stay at the Refugee Center, and that made me feel more welcome than anything else could have at the time.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve always felt so blessed.¡± ¡°And now?¡± ¡°I''m still surprised you want me to consider this my home.¡± Anabelle said and chuckled. ¡°It''s the first place you ever had on your own, and you want to share it with me.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve always said that I live here, but it never crossed my mind to call it my home.¡± Ren lifted her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. ¡°It is your home and I hope you will always stay here.¡± Anabelle nodded and gave him a tender kiss. ¡°I will.¡± Ren gave her a new armored bodysuit and a new uniform, and new uniforms for the other workers. She thanked him for his generosity and for thinking of her and her staff. He caressed her cheek and let her feel how much he cared about her, then left the apartment. Artemis was waiting on the second floor and met him at the back door. ¡°Teepo, I''m going to be using portals for the next 30 minutes to make deliveries.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll summon you again when I''m finished.¡± ¡°Now I know why you didn''t want to change to using portals as a normal means of transport, and it wasn''t just so Princess wouldn''t feel left out.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s right, buddy. Checking each and every destination and then casting a portal, stepping through, and dismissing it within seconds so that no one can get caught in it, is a lot more stressful than people assume it is.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s faster and convenient, but it''s also a lot more dangerous... and I can''t go through them without inconveniencing my best friend.¡± ¡°Thanks, Ren. I''ll see you later.¡± Teepo said and dissolved into the ring. Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked the first destination, right above Aurora''s Portal Gate, and he opened a portal to there. He took Artemis''s hand and they stepped through and appeared in the air above the gate. Ren placed a different box on top of the gate and stuck it there permanently, then hit the button. Six large screens appeared 20 feet up in the air and they all faced a different direction. Each screen was 20 feet wide and 15 feet high and showed the inside of the arena. Within barely a minute, Ren had used portals to jump to key locations in the city and installed all different kinds of screens so that everyone could see the battle when it happened. Once that was done, Ren and Artemis moved to the next city and the next, and did the same thing. By the time the 30 minutes was up, the entire country had been given displays to watch, and they were all keyed to the broadcaster in the arena. He had even put one in Valercia''s office. Ren had also made a special side trip to the castle in the capital city of Bore Reale and met with a half-asleep and startled Princess Diana, and gave her a personal display to watch. She had protested at first and requested to be there in person; but, Ren flatly refused to let her put herself in danger, just for him. ¡°It''s my choice.¡± Diana had said adamantly. ¡°Yes, so make the right choice and stay safe.¡± Ren had said back just as adamantly, activated the display, and left. He went back to the house in Aurora and met the succubi and Suniva. ¡°Do you want to cuddle here or at the county?¡± ¡°The county.¡± The succubi said without having to think about it. ¡°I''m outvoted, so I''ll go with the majority.¡± Suniva chuckled. Ren picked her up and everyone left the house, then they flew for several minutes to get back to the succubi roost. ¡°You''ve got an hour and 20 minutes left.¡± Teepo said as they entered Seldanna''s bedroom with the double beds. ¡°That''s perfect.¡± Ren said. ¡°Suniva?¡± ¡°Yes, just a second.¡± Suniva said and grew twice to become 4 feet tall. ¡°Is this better?¡± ¡°For me? Yes.¡± Ren said and took her into his arms and kissed her. Her Fire responded to his passion and flared up, and he carried her to the bed. The succubi gathered around them and climbed onto the bed as well, and for the next 15 minutes, did nothing but wallow in Ren and Suniva''s lovemaking emotions. Since they were in the roost, all of the succubi felt it and were turned on, and those with significant others at the time woke them up and made love as well, just so they could share in those emotions and add their own. After that short session, Ren, Suniva, Artemis, Seldanna, Ellaria, Katori, and Chenoa cuddled together and went to sleep for the hour that Ren had left before the big fight. Chapter 663 - Into the Arena Ren woke up and still had 5 minutes left for preparations. He didn''t have anything left to do, so he kissed Artemis, Suniva, and the 4 succubi with him in the room. When they left the bedroom, the other succubi were there waiting for him. He gave them all a kiss on the cheek and their favorite emotions, since they also had their significant others with them, then he left the roost to head to the arena. The place was packed. Ren cast Full Illusion on himself so that no one would recognize him and try to attack him, delay him, or in any way interfere with him getting to the arena. He could have just used a portal, but he had forced Teepo to stay in the ring for half an hour while he set up the displays around the country, and he didn''t want to make him do it again until it was necessary. Ren had set up a special seating section for the people that wanted to be there to cheer him on. Artemis, Seldanna and all of the succubi, and Suniva sat there... as did Elise the Half-Elf, Lara the Sage of Ages, Denise the Amazonian Barbarian, and every one of the girls from the Pleasure Palace. Even Janice the Glassworker was there, as was Clint and the guys from his party; which included Billy for some reason. Clint and Tommy had brought their girlfriends, too. None of the players knew it was him as he walked by their section, until Gina recognized his Ugly Man disguise. She caught her breath and tapped Jennifer''s arm, and she saw who Gina was looking at. ¡°YOU!¡± Jennifer yelled as she jumped out of her seat, and Ren stopped walking. She quickly walked over to him and stood in front of him with her arms crossed under her breasts. ¡°I tried visiting you a couple of times, but you were never around.¡± She accused with anger in her voice. ¡°I''m terribly sorry, miss.¡± Ugly Ren growled as he apologized. ¡°I had ta stay at me other house because of other concerns.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ugly Ren nodded. ¡°Just being around hurt some of those I cared about, and I need to wait fer the game ta update before I can come back.¡± Jennifer could tell that he was telling the truth and uncrossed her arms as she sighed. ¡°I really missed you, Santa.¡± Ugly Ren laughed a thick gravelly laugh and remembered their last visit, and Gina gasped as the sound washed over her. He took Jennifer''s hand and stopped himself from kissing the back of it, because that would have given him away in a heartbeat. Instead he stepped forward and put her hand on his crotch, which made everyone nearby gasp and mutter about doing lewd things in public. ¡°This missed ya, too.¡± Ugly Ren growled, and Jennifer''s eyes widened as she felt his hardness, then she gripped him through his clothing and grinned. ¡°You better visit me later.¡± Jennifer commanded and didn''t let him go until he nodded. ¡°Now get out of my sight and sit somewhere else.¡± She spat. ¡°This section is for Ren supporters only.¡± ¡°Of course, miss. Sorry, miss.¡± Ugly Ren said submissively and started to clomp away. ¡°He sure is lucky ta have so many friends.¡± They all watched as Ugly Ren quickly moved down the aisle and out of sight, and Jennifer went back to her seat and sat down. ¡°Found someone else to play with, have you?¡± Billy asked. ¡°I have lots of people to play with, Billy.¡± Jennifer said without turning around. ¡°Billy.¡± Clint said in a harsh voice. ¡°I wasn''t trying to start a fight.¡± Billy said to him. ¡°I was just asking if she''s happy.¡± ¡°I enjoy it, but does having fun make me happy?¡± Jennifer asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± She said. ¡°I used to think it did, but then things...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I''m not thinking about that right now. We''re all here to watch Ren fight and to support him against that headhunter.¡± ¡°Well, the headhunter has a prime target, doesn''t he?¡± Billy asked, and they all looked at him, even the dancers. ¡°What? He gained three more spots on the XP leader board after he was challenged, didn''t he?¡± No one could dispute that fact. They had all discussed at length how he could have done it; but, none of them could come up with how it was possible. Once was practically guaranteed, since he had done it 5 times before. Getting three records at the same time had them completely stumped. The totals were blocked as well, so none of them could even guess at how much he could have gotten. They only knew that he had taken the top three spots and had pushed the others down. ¡°Hey! I think he''s coming!¡± One of the dancers shouted as the main doors in the arena opened, and a hush fell over the crowd. A golden armored figure stepped into the arena proudly and casually strolled all the way to the middle after the doors shut behind him. When he stored his helm, hundreds of people started booing him when they saw who it was. ¡°Yes! YES!¡± Glastor Killdane yelled, and everyone heard him. ¡°It is me! I have come to kill the holder of the top spot on the XP leader board!¡± He lifted his arms and waved to everyone, and thousands more boos joined the others. He could feel their distaste and hatred power up his abilities, and he made kissing motions to the crowd, which generated more hatred and distaste. A second later, hundreds of screens appeared in the air 100 feet up, and each gave a close up shot of the middle of the arena, just like all the displays scattered over every city and town in the country. Shouts and hollers ran through the crowd as they saw the displays. Most wondered how it was possible, some wanted to know how it was done, and a lot of them wanted it for themselves. The other set of doors across from the main doors of the arena opened, and the crowd quieted as Ren, dressed only in basic Travelling Clothes, stepped into the arena. ¡°What''s going on?¡± One of the dancers asked. ¡°He''s not wearing armor or anything.¡± ¡°Maybe he wants everyone to see him first?¡± Jennifer offered. No one else gave a better explanation as Ren walked to the middle of the arena and stopped 30 feet away from Glastor Killdane. ¡°Before we get started, I just want to say a few words.¡± Ren said, and everyone heard him as if he was standing right next to them. ¡°I''m not going to hold back during this fight, and I don''t want anyone getting hurt.¡± He said and turned to a small section. ¡°Except for you and your people, Tristan.¡± Tristan stood up with a big smile. ¡°You''re pretty arrogant, pipsqueak.¡± ¡°I can feel everyone''s emotions within my Aura, which is at a thousand feet without my armor and boosters.¡± Ren said, and he felt surprise from everyone. ¡°I can pick out the individuals that want to hurt me, so I''m inviting you to enter the arena.¡± ¡°HEY!¡± Glastor Killdane yelled. ¡°This is my fight!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry, this won''t take long.¡± ¡°I don''t feel like ruining your big fight, not in front of all these people.¡± Tristan said and sat back down. ¡°I can wait.¡± ¡°Until afterwards or during the fight?¡± Ren asked, and saw Tristan''s eyes shift sideways. ¡°Okay, I''ll delay the invitation until later. I doubt you''ll want to challenge me then, though.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°We''ll see.¡± Tristan said. Ren turned to Glastor. ¡°Looks like you were worried for nothing.¡± Glastor laughed and nodded, and Ren turned to look at the crowd. ¡°As I was saying, I don''t want anyone getting hurt, so I''ve taken certain precautions.¡± Ren said and raised his hand. ¡°Like so.¡± A Permanent Magical Barrier of Protection appeared 200 feet above the middle of the arena and formed a dome that stopped right at the walls of the seating area. Everyone was shocked at the size of the thing and some players felt that he was tricking them. ¡°I assure you that it''s real.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please don''t be scared as I prove it.¡± No one said anything as he took out a wand and pointed it right at Tristan and cast a Level 5 Fireball. The 20 foot wide Fireball shot across the arena instantly and struck the barrier. The barrier didn''t even vibrate from the impact as the Fireball exploded and covered 100 feet of the barrier in front of Tristan, then it disappeared as there was nothing for it to burn. Most of the people in that section had ducked or tried to dodge, except for Tristan, who was too shocked to move. The people in the surrounding sections had screamed and hollered. ¡°It''s okay, everyone!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°I told you not to be scared and that I don''t want any of you to be hurt.¡± He said and stored the wand. He had felt a keen interest from Glastor because of that little stunt. ¡°Come on, let''s get this over with.¡± Glastor said. ¡°I only have a couple more things to say.¡± Ren said, then felt a portal appear in the stands. He looked over and saw the portal open wider and that it was near his support section. Several of the dancers nearby started to panic, and Clint and his party stood up with weapons ready. Ren was suddenly right there by the barrier and pushed Calmness and Reassurance into his Aura. ¡°Don''t attack!¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s just a little late and making a dramatic entrance.¡± Lylyth, Queen of the Dark Elves, stepped out of the portal with Tiatha, and Dread covered everyone within her Aura. Clint and his party tried to hold their weapons steady in the presence of such a creature; but, all of their hands shook and they couldn''t move. Lylyth''s familiar poked its head out and waved a leg at Ren, and he waved back. It crawled through and all the dancers screamed, except for Jennifer. ¡°Don''t panic! He''s her familiar!¡± Ren exclaimed and joined his Aura with that of the Pleasure Palace. All of the dancers were wearing their brooches and felt Ren''s calmness fill them. ¡°He won''t hurt you unless you hurt him.¡± ¡°I think you need to stop with all the surprises.¡± Jennifer said and looked up and up at the Queen of the Dark Elves. ¡°Hi.¡± Lylyth smiled down at her. ¡°So, you are the one he likes enough to break his own rules.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Jennifer looked at her, confused. ¡°Not too bright, though.¡± Lylyth said and looked at Gina. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Gina startled and jumped up out of her seat, then moved over to the end of the row and sat down. ¡°That was mean.¡± Jennifer said as Lylyth sat down beside her. ¡°She can''t stand being near me.¡± Lylyth said, honestly. ¡°I merely gave her an excuse to move.¡± Jennifer looked down the row and saw Gina was giving them furtive glances. ¡°They all seem to be having a difficult time, except for you.¡± Lylyth said and pat her hand. ¡°I can see why he likes you.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Ren, of course.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°My Queen, I will be over there if you need me.¡± Lylyth waved her away and Tiatha went to sit beside Gina and they started talking. Caramel leaned forward and whispered in Jennifer''s ear. Jennifer nodded and turned to look at Lylyth. ¡°Can you... like... ease off that dread feeling?¡± ¡°Of course, dear.¡± Lylyth said and deactivated her Dread Aura. Everyone around her sighed in relief, and Clint and his party sat down, now that the threat was less severe. They kept their weapons handy, though. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°You know, most people just attack to stop that feeling.¡± Lylyth turned her head to look at Clint, then looked at Caramel. ¡°It''s rare for someone to just ask.¡± ¡°Did Ren ask you to?¡± Jennifer asked, curious. ¡°Not once.¡± She said. ¡°He did not attack you.¡± Jennifer said seriously, and Lylyth laughed. ¡°Of course not.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°He was a perfect gentleman, and that alone made me like him.¡± ¡°What did he do?¡± ¡°He offered to feed me to save his friend.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°She had insulted me, quite brazenly, and he made it up to me.¡± She smiled as she remembered their first feeding. ¡°He satisfied me quite well, I must say.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Jennifer said, then her face went red. ¡°I did not say that out loud. I didn''t.¡± Lylyth laughed, and Jennifer shivered as it went right down her spine and she couldn''t tell if she liked it or not. Ren relaxed as the stir Lylyth''s arrival had caused faded to only uncertainty, and he ran back to the center of the arena. ¡°Sorry about that slight delay in my monologue.¡± He said, and several people chuckled. ¡°Now, as I was saying, my Aura goes out to a thousand feet without my armor and boosts, so when I equip everything, you are all going to be covered by it.¡± Everyone exchanged glances and he felt their disbelief. ¡°I''m going to be using it as a weapon, but I don''t want you to freak out when you feel it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t think it''ll work on my opponent, but I''ve got to try everything, right?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Someone yelled and stood up. ¡°Kill his ass!¡± ¡°Hey, I know you.¡± Glastor said. ¡°You used to be first on the leader board and now you''re ninth, right?¡± Ren felt the guy''s hatred, and he felt Glastor kind of feed on it. ¡°It''s going to be a good fight.¡± Ren said to the guy. ¡°I can''t predict the outcome, though.¡± ¡°Forget giving us a good fight! Kill him! He''s right there!¡± The guy said, and both Ren and Glastor laughed. ¡°You do realize he could do the same thing to me, right?¡± Ren asked, and the guy frowned at that, then sat down. ¡°We''re having a duel, and there are some rules. Until it starts, we''re in a kind of safe zone.¡± Ren felt an odd mix of disbelief, wariness, grudging respect and acceptance from the crowd. ¡°So, what we are going to do is going to be scary, and intense, and will shock you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please, don''t try to interfere.¡± He said and glanced at Lylyth, then turned and looked at Tristan. ¡°No matter what happens.¡± ¡°As long as he kills you, I''m good.¡± Tristan said. ¡°I will harvest his bones after your death.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°As long as we''re clear that it''s not during the fight.¡± Ren said, and a lot of people laughed. He turned and motioned to Glastor Killdane. ¡°You let me speak my piece, so you can do the same if you want.¡± Glastor Killdane nodded and turned to the crowd. ¡°I see a lot of you like this guy.¡± He said and bared his teeth. ¡°I''m going to break his arms and legs and shove a staff up his arse, then I''m going to drag him all around this arena to show off my new scarecrow.¡± The boos from the crowd started again and intensified. ¡°I''m going to tear off his head and I''m going to mount it on my armor.¡± Glastor said. ¡°I''ll have it cast in molten metal so that I''ll always have the best trophy in the game! I''ll have killed the only player to have gotten the top XP leader board spot 8 times!¡± The boos were almost a continuous wave now. ¡°There''s no greater feeling than beating someone so prominent.¡± Glastor continued, despite already being hated and despised. ¡°I will kill him, and I will enjoy it.¡± ¡°To your corners!¡± Artemis said when she was sure Glastor was done talking. Glastor and Ren moved around to stand about a 200 feet apart in the middle of the arena. ¡°Equip armor!¡± Artemis commanded. Glastor put his helm back on and Ren equipped his full set of platinum armor. Everyone in the arena felt the strength and power of his Aura as the armor took effect. Glastor felt the change in the people''s hatred for him shift to neutrality. ¡°Equip weapons, defenses and power ups!¡± Artemis said. Glastor equipped his special sword and shield, and the other boosters he needed to increase his speed and number of attacks. He''s never going to take 15 hits at once. He thought and smiled. Ren equipped his platinum tower shield and his hammerpick, which doubled in size, then he equipped all of the bracelets and non-bracelets, rings and non-rings, necklaces that weren''t necklaces, anklets and non-anklets, a backpack, a fanny pack, and packs attached to his lower arms, upper arms, thighs, calves, and on the inside of the tower shield. The last things he added were a cover to the shield that had thousands of little spikes on it, and two large metal bars on his shoulders with diamonds the size of his head on the ends. With each new addition, the sense of power from Ren doubled, then doubled again, then again. No one in the arena breathed as the oppressive feeling of contained power held them too still to even think of breathing. Ren now looked like a platinum covered tank. ¡°He has definitely outdone himself.¡± Lylyth said, and activated her own Aura. It merged with Ren''s for an instant and she absorbed that overwhelming feeling from everyone and deactivated her Aura. The whole arena took in a breath at the same time, and Ren turned his platinum-armored head to her and nodded. ¡°Wh-what was that?¡± Jennifer asked. ¡°I believe it was his Awesomeness Aura.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°He sometimes forgets that even with a warning, he can be too much to handle.¡± She smiled. ¡°I hate being such a fool sometimes.¡± ¡°What?¡± Jennifer looked at her with wide eyes at the abrupt change of subject. ¡°He offered me more than I could have ever dreamed of, and I turned him down because of my people.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°He will always be my Royal Consort; but, he will never be the King my people will accept.¡± ¡°He''s a king?!?¡± Jennifer exclaimed. ¡°After what I just told you, that is the part you focused on?¡± Lylyth asked and laughed. ¡°But...¡± Lylyth took her small hand in hers and pat it. ¡°Watch the fight and root for him, just like he wants you to.¡± Jennifer nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± They both turned their heads to look into the arena, and Jennifer''s hand gripped Lylyth''s tightly as they both waited for the signal from Artemis for the fight to begin. Chapter 664 - Arena Fight: Part 1 Artemis didn''t even stand up as she shouted. ¡°FIGHT!¡±
Notice!
You have entered PvP Mode: Duel
Ren had the ability ''Imposing Figure'' that gave his opponent the ''Caught Flatfooted!'' condition, which let Ren always attack first in a fight. He activated his party ability, ''Take Them Down'', which gave him the Killing Blow special rule. The ability was mastered and added to his Headhunter title, so he had a 75% chance for a one hit kill with his first attack, and would receive a free attack after that. He then activated ''Opportunity Knocks'', which doubles the damage he dealt within his Aura, and activated ''Hail Of Arrows'' which magically multiplied any friendly projectile fired within his Aura and added 10 copies. Everyone in the stands gasped in shock as they saw these buffs appear on the large screens, and saw their area of effects. None of them had ever seen this before, and most of the spectators looked at the screen instead of at the real fight in front of them. Ren activated his platinum shield''s small spike-covered cover, and 2,000 metal spikes extended out to a foot in length instantly, then fired. His activated abilities made the projectiles become 22,000 metal spikes as they shot across the 200 feet and stopped a foot away from Glastor, who had erected a Mana Shield Wall and stopped all of the projectiles. Ren activated the Fireball wand on his right shoulder and used it to shoot a single Giant Fireball. His ability added 10 times as many, so 11 of the 50 foot wide fireballs shot across the short distance and struck the wall as one, then exploded. The enormous ball of Fire stopped moving outwards and slid over the wall onto Glastor. He yelled in surprise and the Mana Shield wall collapsed. Ren used his ability Possession Restoration to reform his shield covering to its original state and fired it again. His ability added 20,000 magically duplicated metal spikes to the 2,000 real metal spikes and the armor Glastor wore was peppered with the spikes and clanged like rain. Some of the spikes stuck in and some scratched the armor''s surface; but, most of them just bounced off or were deflected because despite their speed, they weren''t very heavy. ¡°HAH!¡± Glastor said and waved his sword, and the Fire around him was dissipated by a harsh wind. ¡°Nice distraction.¡± He said and pointed his sword at Ren. ¡°You''re the first to get by my Mana Shield.¡± ¡°They don''t call me Ren the First for nothing.¡± Ren said. Everyone in the arena, and those who watched at the various places all across the country, saw the Mana Shield information, as well as Ren''s title Ren The First. Glastor smiled and his sword started to glow. ¡°I''ve been waiting to use this on someone worthy!¡± A bolt of Lightning formed and struck the sword, then another and another, and a Ball of Lightning formed at the sword tip. ¡°NO!¡± Someone in the crowd shouted. ¡°It''s Chained Lightning!¡± ¡°Knowing its name doesn''t help!¡± Glastor yelled and swung the sword above his head then whipped it at Ren. It helps the people watching. Ren thought and pulled his platinum shield in front of himself to block the hit. ¡°You''re wearing metal you fool!¡± Someone else shouted as the Ball of Lightning struck the shield and exploded into 6 individual bolts. Those bolts formed 6 Balls of Lightning at their ends 10 feet away in a circle around Ren and they slammed into him from all sides. There was a blinding light for a moment as the Lightning discharged, then Ren moved the tower shield out of the way to show everyone that he was unharmed. He had a telescopic pole with guide wires jammed into the earth at his feet and the Lightning swirled around it. ¡°I think this is yours.¡± Ren said and picked the pole up and threw it back at Glastor. He dodged out of the way as the pole flew across the 200 feet. Since it was a projectile used inside Ren''s Aura, 10 more magic duplicate poles with the same Lightning contained, formed around it. The real one landed right where Glastor had been standing and the 10 surrounding it landed a few feet away in an equally-spaced array around the first. An instant later they exploded as one and a hundred Bolts of Lightning shot out in all directions from each of them. No less than 50 of the bolts had crisscrossed and struck Glastor, which pitted and scorched his golden armor where they struck. Glastor rolled and tumbled away and skidded to a stop. He was down on one knee, and smoke billowed from him. ¡°I knew coming after you was going to be fun.¡± He said and stood up, stored his sword and took off his shield. He stabbed the bottom of it into the ground, activated a special ability that Ren saw on the screens called ''Reverberate'', then Glastor punched the metal shield. The shield rang like a wind chime and he punched it again, and again and again. Each punch increased the sound produced, and Ren felt something hit his armor. The ground started to shake and the impacts on his armor came faster and faster. He felt it on his skin, despite the armor''s massive protections, and he realized why that was. Ren stored his shield and the hammerpick, brought out two large flat metal plates that he had left over from building materials, and slammed them together over and over as he clapped his hands. Glastor stopped punching his shield when Ren started to counter his shock waves, and he laughed again. ¡°You''re pretty smart.¡± ¡°I am Crazy Like A Fox.¡± Ren said, and the screens showed his Wisdom and Intelligence bonuses that title gave him. ¡°I''m also a Patron of Knowledge, but that''s not really the same thing.¡± ¡°That''s how he gained normal access to the back areas of the Library.¡± Lara, the Sage of Ages said. ¡°It was the most annoying and best day of my life.¡± That made both Elise and Denise laugh. Glastor picked up his shield and it was slightly bent. ¡°Damn, these things never last.¡± He said, gripped the edge of it and bent it back into place, then threw it like a discus. Ren watched it sail to the Magical Barrier of Protection, bounce off on an angle and head straight for him. He cast an Iron Wall in front of himself at an angle and cast Bounce on it, a new spell he had gained, then made another wall 30 feet away and put Bounce on that as well. The shield hit the first Iron Wall with a loud clang and bounced off at twice its normal speed, then hit the next wall and bounced again. Glastor had stood there and watched in fascination at the improvisation, as did everyone else, and they all groaned as the shield missed Glastor by over 50 feet, careened off the magical barrier, and jammed itself down into the dirt 25 feet away from that. Ren felt the crowd''s disappointment, and he turned to them and waved. ¡°I didn''t take into account the wobble added from the Bounce spell! Sorry!¡± That made a lot of people laugh, including Glastor, until Ren used his Elemental Grenade ability and charged up the two large metal plates he still held in his hands. Ren threw them like a Frisbee on its side and they flew across the space and jammed into the dirt at Glastor''s feet. He jumped out of the way as they exploded, and bits of shrapnel covered him and the magical barrier for a hundred feet. ¡°You''re actually enjoying this, aren''t you?¡± Glastor asked as he stood up and wiped off his armor.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Ren nodded. ¡°So are you.¡± ¡°Shall we up the game, then?¡± Glastor asked and held his hands out to the sides at shoulder height. Ren felt his Void Sense Aura vibrate as a shadowy cloud formed behind Glastor. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Having fun, of course.¡± Glastor said then smiled. ¡°I call upon the Gates of Hell! Open for me! Let those that worship the Void spring forth!¡± ¡°NOOO!¡± Hundreds of players yelled as dozens of void creatures slid out of the shadow cloud. Ren waited until he felt no more were going to come out before he activated his armor''s Light runes. ¡°Skreeee!¡± Several of the void creatures screeched and averted their gaze, but a lot of them didn''t have eyes. ¡°I call upon the power of Light!¡± Ren chanted and held his left hand out to the void creatures. ¡°Dispatch these foul creatures and send them back to where they came!¡± The giant wand he had attached to his left shoulder glowed with both Holy Light and Anti-void energy, and he fired. That one large discharge had 10 times as many added to it and combined, and Ren activated his own Anti-void runes in his armor, just in case. All of the creatures reared back in pain, then they were all struck with the powerfully-charged Ball of Light. Most of the creatures exploded immediately as a good portion of them were hit directly, and the rest had some arms and some legs blown off. The creatures collapsed barely 20 feet from Glastor, and he stared down at them. ¡°Get up, you worthless degenerates!¡± Glastor said and kicked the closest one in the head. It disintegrated and he roared a yell. ¡°He''s right there! Get him!¡± ¡°Too... powerful.¡± One of them grumbled, and Glastor took out a large crossbow and shot the creature in the head. ¡°Who are you more afraid of?¡± Glastor asked and shot another in the chest, but didn''t kill it. ¡°You.¡± One said. ¡°Either way, we die.¡± The ones that were still alive tried to crawl back on their remaining limbs to the shadow they had come from. Glastor dismissed the shadowy cloud, and Ren felt despair from the void creatures. ¡°Wow, you have no idea how to do that properly, do you?¡± Ren asked, and Glastor shot at him with the crossbow several times. The bolts bounced off of Ren''s Mana Shield that covered him like a dome. ¡°Shall I demonstrate?¡± Glastor stored the crossbow and took out another shield and a different sword while Ren took out a round cut diamond that was 4 inches wide and held it up high. Everyone in the crowd, except for the people that knew him, were stunned at the sight. He poured Mana into the jewel and it started to glow. ¡°I call upon the Blackest Steed!¡± Ren said in his Command voice. ¡°Come forth from the darkness and do my bidding! I willingly offer this gem for your service! Come forth, my Nightmare! Come forth now!¡± The Light his armor emitted had dimmed so he deactivated it, and the void creatures still alive sighed in relief. A swirling black portal appeared 10 feet from Ren and expanded, then a 10 foot tall and very muscular black steed sauntered out of the portal. The eyes glowed red and the mane and tail were the colors of bright blue flame with licks of orange, yellow, and red on the tips. Even the people that knew Ren were surprised by this, and they watched as the large horse neighed at Ren and tried to take the gem from his hand with its lips. ¡°Hey, now. You need to do me a favor first.¡± Ren said and pat its nose, and it clacked its teeth at him, which made Ren laugh. ¡°Don''t worry, it''s only simple for you.¡± He said and pointed. ¡°Please dispatch those Void creatures and put them out of their misery.¡± The Nightmare glanced at the dozen or so creatures, huffed and nodded, then suddenly it wasn''t beside Ren anymore. Bright blue flame spread out from Ren towards Glastor instantly, who was about 150 feet away, then most of the remaining void creatures screamed in pain as they were covered in blue flames and then squished by some unseen force. The Nightmare reappeared with its face right in front of Glastor, who took a step back as the large horse stomped its hoof on the last void creature at its feet. It then trotted around Glastor in a circle, huffed its derision, then disappeared again. The blue flames flowed back over to Ren and then the large horse appeared in front of him. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± Ren said and took out a bundle of carrots. The Nightmare looked at him with squinted eyes and smoke trails came from its nostrils. ¡°No, no. I''m not tricking you. It''s just a bonus.¡± He said. ¡°I''m giving you carrots...¡± He lifted the bundle. ¡°...before giving you carats.¡± He lifted the large diamond. Several groans came from the crowd, but also some laughter. ¡°You can''t eat them with the diamond in your mouth, so it''s your choice what to take first.¡± Ren said and held both things out. The Nightmare glanced at the diamond and then at the carrots, huffed acceptance, and took a big bite of the carrots. Ren was careful to keep his hands away from the creature''s mouth while it ate. It finished the carrots off quickly, and then it used its lips to suck up the diamond. The black swirling portal opened again and enlarged, then the Nightmare turned towards it. ¡°Thanks again!¡± Ren said and waved to the Nightmare. It snorted at him in amusement, then sauntered back through the portal to wherever it had come from. * ¡°What the hell just happened?¡± Dana asked loudly, and several people around her laughed. ¡°I think the bad guy just got schooled on how to properly summon a creature.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I thought he was here to fight, not show off.¡± Dana said. ¡°I think it''s both.¡± Gretchen said, and then she felt like someone was staring at her. She turned her head to look several rows back and saw that the tall Dark Elf woman that had appeared through a portal was looking right at her. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dana asked, and Gretchen turned her head to look at her friend. ¡°They both want to show what they can do, before they start getting serious.¡± Gretchen explained, and then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head the other way and saw the short Dark Elf that had come through the portal with the tall one. Tiatha nodded to her and sat back as she let her shoulder go. The women nearby gasped at something, so Gretchen looked back at the arena to see Glastor was covered in green flame. She had no idea what had happened, then the guy lifted his sword and the green flame flowed down his arms and covered the blade. He took a swing in the air and the blade of the sword disappeared... then reappeared next to Ren and swiped at him. Everyone was surprised that it was inside Ren''s Mana Shield, and he tried to block with the platinum shield. The blade slid along the shield and sliced the spiked cover in half. Glastor swiped to the side and the blade next to Ren swung to the side as well and cut into the shield covering again. ¡°How is he doing that?¡± Dana asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Gretchen said and saw Ren duck as the sword blade swung down onto the top edge of the shield and dug into the platinum surface by almost half an inch. Come on, Ren! She thought, a little desperately. Show him your stuff! Show us all your stuff! That thought made her think of their encounter the day before, and her face flushed slightly red. Okay, maybe not all of your stuff. Gretchen thought, and then held in her laugh as she imagined Ren storing all of his clothing and fighting in his underwear. That made her think of the frilly underwear she had worn under her Travelling Clothes, then she imagined him wearing those... and she laughed at the thought... right when the sword blade swiped at Ren from behind and dented his helmet. Everyone turned to look at her in surprise and her face burned bright red. Gretchen clamped her mouth shut and didn''t say anything, and everyone looked back at the fight. * Ren dismissed the Mana Shield because it wasn''t helping at all against the phantom sword, and the sword''s partial intangibility was difficult to fight against. He had tried to dispel it, disenchant it, move it, block it, and deflect it... and none of them worked. It has to be a skill. Ren thought and jumped 30 feet to the side and out of the way. The blade disappeared from where it had just swiped and reappeared next to him. Let''s see if it''s based on sight. Ren cast Obscuring Mist on top of Glastor, and since it was the Master Level spell, it was a cylinder of cloud 50 feet in diameter and 50 feet high. Ren jumped another 30 feet to the side and the phantom sword kept swiping at the spot he had been and didn''t change to where he was now. Ha. Ren thought and cast Obscuring Mist on himself, then used his Displacement ability and made a copy of himself 20 feet away. He turned invisible and took out the Staff Of Earth and activated his Hands of the Gods ability Rocky Hands, and made a series of earth and rock walls in front of Glastor and himself. Using his Heat Sense Aura, he knew exactly where Glastor was and put various obstacles in the way. * Glastor couldn''t see anything and stopped using his Phantom Sword ability. He stored that sword and took out another instantly, chose the Windstorm effect from it, and swiped the sword at the Obscuring Mist. It cut the mist and pushed it away, dissipating it, and he saw 10 foot high staggered dirt walls in front of him. Glastor smiled and changed swords again, chose the Earthbane effect, and swiped at the closest wall. He had thought they were Earth-based spells and would disintegrate, so he was surprised when all the sword''s effect did was cut a huge gouge out of the wall and it only partially crumbled. He bowed his head in respect and took out another Reverberating Shield, jammed it into the ground, then slid the sword into the slot on the top of it and started to punch the shield like he had before. This time, the Reverberate effect of the shield combined with the Earthbane effect of the sword, and the vibrations spread out. He didn''t target Ren, he targeted the Earth walls... and the resulting shock waves started to shake all of the Earth-based constructs apart. Chapter 665 - Arena Fight: Part 2 Ren felt the vibrations shaking apart his creations, and saw the dirt partially fill the holes he had spaced between the walls. Damn, he''s smart, too. He thought and stored the Staff of Earth and stopped using his Rocky Hands ability. It''s time to do some neat stuff. He thought and jumped up into the air. * Glastor saw something come up and out of the cloud of Obscuring Mist 150 feet away and smiled. ¡°I flushed you out already?¡± He said, then saw Ren had a wand. ¡°That again?¡± Ren smiled and shot an Acid Arrow at him. His ability added 10 times that magically, so 11 Acid Arrows flew across the space between them. Glastor''s Mana Shield appeared and blocked the 11 shots easily, then a portal opened off to his left. ¡°What...¡± Glastor started to turn that way, and 11 Acid Arrows came out of it. ¡°Dammit!¡± He said and dodged out of the way of most of them. Two had caught the edge of his arm and stuck to his armor, and he stopped himself from grabbing them and trying to pull them out. He pulled out another sword and swiped at them to knock them off instead. ¡°HEY!¡± Ren yelled off to his right, and Glastor turned in that direction. He saw Ren standing 20 feet away in a fighting stance, so he lunged and swiped at him with the same sword. The sword cut through Ren like he was nothing, and Glastor was about to laugh at such an easy win, when the fake image of Ren didn''t even scream as it faded away. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Ren laughed off to his left. ¡°Sucked you in good with that old trick!¡± Glastor had to admit that was true, then 11 more Acid Arrows came out of the portals. He was facing that direction now and let his Mana Shield take them, then 11 more came from the original direction. Glastor pulled out a disposable shield and ducked. ¡°How long can you keep this up?¡± Glastor asked. ¡°You should be running out of Mana soon.¡± ¡°If I was a normal magic user and not using a wand, you might be right.¡± Ren said from 5 feet away as he let the Hail Of Arrows ability lapse, and Glastor turned to look at him. ¡°I''m using a wand, though.¡± The figure said, but the mouth didn''t move. ¡°Ha! Another Fake Image. What a stupid trick to use.¡± Glastor said and swiped at it casually. Ren grabbed the sword and pulled it out of Glastor''s hand, then stepped forward and punched a very surprised Glastor in the chest as hard as he could. * The entire crowd in the arena gasped as Ren''s trick surprised them just as much as it had surprised Glastor, then they watched as Glastor was launched like the bolt from a crossbow, smashed and tumbled through the half-wrecked Earth walls Ren had made, and skidded to a stop near the edge of the arena wall. Most of the spectators were on their feet to see what was happening with their own eyes, but the dust and debris obscured their view. Then they saw a gust of wind cleared the dust and debris out of the way. Glastor was laying down on the ground and they all saw that his armor chest plate was caved in. * ¡°Hey, now.¡± An image of Ren nearby said. ¡°Stop playing possum.¡± Glastor chuckled and sat up, and gasps were heard from the crowd. ¡°You can''t blame me for trying.¡± He said and stood up. He pat the armor and it popped out to its normal shape. ¡°That was a good shot. I didn''t expect it to actually be you.¡± Image Ren chuckled and waved to the crowd. ¡°No one did.¡± ¡°Will you be doing this the whole time?¡± Glastor asked. ¡°Tricks and misdirection?¡± ¡°Isn''t that what you''re doing?¡± Image Ren asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh, come on. I know you''ve got a trump card that you''ve been saving.¡± Image Ren said. ¡°I assume you''re waiting to use it so it has the greatest impact.¡± ¡°What about you and all those attachments on your armor?¡± Glastor laughed. ¡°You''ve only used one so far.¡± He said in reference to the shield covering. ¡°What else have you got on there?¡± Image Ren smiled. ¡°I suppose there''s no point in waiting, then.¡± He said and pointed, then faded away. Glastor turned to where Image Ren pointed, and he saw Ren standing there. The packs on his back, upper arms, and thighs opened up and then a mass of things came out of the five packs and landed on the ground, then the mass spread out. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Glastor asked. ¡°Something I''ve had years to develop.¡± Ren said. ¡°You see, I''m an Artificer. A Master Crafter. I''ve been... well, I''ve been having fun since I came to this world. I''ve been doing my own thing. I haven''t really gone on adventures; but, I have been adventuring, if that makes any sense.¡± Glastor frowned at his words, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I mean that I haven''t gone out intentionally to do quests and adventures. I''ve done some and been involved in some, but that wasn''t my priority. My job... my real job... is to make things.¡± Ren explained. ¡°I''ve gotten away from that the last little while, because my skills have advanced so much. It''s not really fun to make things anymore, because I can do it so fast.¡± He said. ¡°I find a recipe and bam, I can make it, and as many times as I want, as long as I can get my hands on some of the ingredients or similar ingredients. I don''t really have a learning curve anymore.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Glastor asked. ¡°I was starting to get sad that it was so easy for me, so I started to challenge myself. What can I do, how can I push things, how do I do what I want and still be well within the rules.¡± Ren said as the mass of things finished spreading out. ¡°It took me a while to figure it out. As long as I only come close to being near the boundaries, and I don''t break the intentions of the restrictions placed upon me, there''s literally no limit to what I can make.¡± Glastor had no clue where Ren was going with this, and then Ren pulled out a 9mm handgun and shot him. ¡°What the fuck?!?¡± Glastor exclaimed as the bullet hit him in the shoulder and dented the armor. ¡°Th-that''s not possible!¡± ¡°Sure it is.¡± Ren said and shot his other shoulder. ¡°I mean, we have all the basics, right? Weapons that can shoot projectiles. Bows and arrows evolved into crossbows, which became repeating crossbows, which became automatic crossbows.¡± He smiled and stored the pistol. ¡°Mind you, I made that last one.¡± He said and pulled out a hand-held crossbow for a moment and then stored it, pulled out the medium-sized one he had used in defense of House Neram so long ago and stored that, then took out one of the 15 foot wide Automatic Ballistas and set it down. ¡°It''s neat, isn''t it?¡± He asked and pat it. ¡°Just aim and pull the trigger.¡± Glastor was surprised when Ren did that and the 6 foot bolt slammed into his chest and threw him backwards into the Magical Barrier of Protection. It didn''t penetrate his armor, however. Both Glastor and the bolt bounced off and landed on the ground. Glastor got off his knees and stood up. ¡°I kept going bigger and more powerful, and it worked.¡± Ren said and pulled the trigger again and held it. A stream of 6 foot long bolts shot out and slammed into Glastor over and over as the impacts held him against the barrier and the bolts bounced off of his chest. When all 100 of the shots were used, Ren stored the Automatic Ballista. ¡°Then I started thinking. Why not go smaller?¡± Ren asked and took out the 9mm pistol again. ¡°It took a long time to figure out how to get it to work. I had massive failures, mainly because I couldn''t quite reproduce it like it worked normally, and that was when I realized something.¡± He chuckled. ¡°It shouldn''t work normally.¡± Ren took careful aim, and did the same thing that he did with the 15 foot Automatic Ballista. He pulled the trigger and held it, and a stream of bullets slammed into Glastor''s chest. It sounded just like a fully-automatic machine gun, and no player in the arena spoke or moved from the shock. The bullets pinged off of Glastor''s chest and dented and pitted it even more than the 6 foot bolts had. After the 100 shots from the pistol were expended, Ren stored it. ¡°Of course, once I made that little breakthrough, pretty much everything was possible.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Activate.¡± The mass of tiny little things grew from their tiny little forms to their full form. It took several steps to do that, since they were so small. When they were full size, they were 4 feet tall mechanical spiders with two large metal barrels on their backs... and they filled half of the arena. ¡°Wh-what the fuck?!?¡± Glastor stared at the sheer mass of metal in front of him. Ren felt him cast a Dispel spell, and nothing happened. ¡°This is their normal size, by the way.¡± Ren said. ¡°They only shrink for storage.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Fire.¡± Ren said. The entire mass of mechanical spiders changed their heights so that they didn''t interfere with the line of sight of the ones behind, and they opened fire. Thousands of fist-sized shells slammed into Glastor over and over and held him against the Magical Barrier of Protection. ¡°STOP IT, REN!¡± Gretchen yelled and stoop up. ¡°STOP THIS!!!¡± Ren felt her distress and turned to her. ¡°Cease fire.¡± He said, and the spiders stopped firing. ¡°Deactivate.¡± He said, and they all shrank down to their near microscopic size and swarmed back to him and went back into the packs on his back, upper arms, and thighs. Gretchen sighed in relief, and Ren waved to her. ¡°I''m sorry that scared you.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°It''s okay, though. Look.¡± Gretchen and everyone looked over to Glastor, who had collapsed onto the ground after the pummelling he had just taken. He wasn''t moving, and Ren cast an Iron Wall on the Magical Barrier above him, then let it fall. It clanged against the armor and bounced off, and Glastor started to laugh. ¡°You''ve surprised me.¡± Glastor said and stood up, much to everyone''s surprise. He enjoyed that feeling of shock and awe, and gave Ren a little bow. ¡°When did you figure it out?¡± ¡°When I punched you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had an inkling before then, but that was the confirmation I needed.¡± Glastor nodded. ¡°I guess that was a dead giveaway.¡± ¡°In more ways than one.¡± Ren said, and Glastor looked at him with squinted eyes. ¡°You see, when you went to the Sage of Ages and asked her how to kill me, I figured that was it for me. I thought I was done for.¡± Lara gasped. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not like I haven''t been killed before.¡± ¡°That''s not the point!¡± Lara yelled, and he laughed. ¡°No, you''re right.¡± Ren said and looked back at Glastor. ¡°When she told you how to do it, about getting past my armor, my enchantments, and my defenses, you said ''is that all?'', and that got me thinking. Why did it sound so easy for you?¡± Glastor chuckled. ¡°So, I''ve been on your mind since then? You were that worried?¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Ha ha... you wish.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve had too many other things going on to worry about you.¡± Glastor frowned at the truth in Ren''s words. ¡°Actually, I did a rescue mission not long ago and received something that I didn''t know existed... and that made me think of this fight.¡± Ren said. ¡°I figured with it I could beat the hell out of you.¡± ¡°What was it? A new Vampiric Sword?¡± Glastor asked, and Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re still concerned about that?¡± Ren asked, and he shook his head. ¡°I overheard your story about Lord Tathalyn.¡± Glastor said and smiled his expanded smile to show off his hundred sharp teeth. ¡°You don''t have that sword anymore.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Anyway, with the new item, I thought I''d have you beat. That''s why I asked you to use your trump card before; but, you didn''t and just ignored me. I started to think that you didn''t have one, then I realized that none of my attacks were working.¡± ¡°...and they won''t.¡± Glastor said and stomped forward as he equipped another shield and a different sword. ¡°You''ve lost the only thing that can possibly hurt the Minor Demon while he is inside me.¡± ¡°Yeah, his massive regeneration stops most attacks, unless you can overwhelm him and do enough damage to weaken and capture him... which I can''t do if he''s hiding inside of you.¡± Ren said. Glastor smiled again and jumped into the air to bring the sword down onto Ren''s head, then suddenly he wasn''t there, and Glastor landed on the spot. ¡°Missed me.¡± Ren said from beside him. ¡°I didn''t see you move.¡± Glastor said angrily. ¡°That''s because I didn''t.¡± Ren said and took out a Vampiric Sword. ¡°Displacement ability.¡± Glastor didn''t flinch this time at the sword''s appearance. ¡°I won''t fall for your stupid Full Illusion spell like I did when we met at the Library.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and gripped the handle tightly, then jammed the very real Vampiric Sword into Glastor''s abdomen. Glastor gasped as the sword cut right through his demonic armor and pierced his body. ¡°H-how?¡± Glastor asked as he dropped his sword and shield, then Ren pulled the sword out. ¡°It''s a loaner.¡± Ren said plunged it into Glastor''s chest as he poured Mana into the sword and turned it to the right. ¡°ARRRGGHHHH!!!¡± Glastor hollered as Ren activated the sword''s Extraction ability and pulled. Nearly everyone was shocked at the sudden turn of events, and then suddenly there was a 20 foot tall dark red Minor Demon in the middle of the arena. It was also pissed. ¡°RAAAAWRRRR!¡± The Minor Demon roared and Terror filled the arena. Lots of people screamed at that, men and women both, and the Minor Demon fed on their despair. ¡°Stop that.¡± Ren said as he swung the sword and lopped off its legs. ¡°ARGH!¡± The Minor Demon yelled and fell to the ground. It rolled over and tried to pick up one of the severed legs. ¡°I gave you a pass the last time we met and let you leave.¡± Ren said as the Minor Demon managed to stick the leg back onto the stump and its Regeneration kicked in. Ren cut the leg off at the knee and then at the thigh again. ¡°I was worried about getting out of Shargon Caverns and rescuing the people with me, so I couldn''t go after you because I didn''t have the time to spare.¡± ¡°I will crush your bones and drink your blood, you filthy meat bag!¡± The Minor Demon spat. ¡°You can''t crush anything without hands.¡± Ren said and cut off both of the Minor Demon''s hands to stop it from grabbing its severed legs. With each strike, both the sword and Ren became stronger. ¡°I can still cast-HURG!¡± The Minor Demon stopped talking as Ren jammed the Vampiric Sword into its gut and the Minor Demon spat out a geyser of blood from its mouth. Ren pulled the sword out and held it steady, then the demon''s blood floated through the air and was sucked into the sword. ¡°I can''t have you trying to curse me.¡± Ren said and swung the sword to lop off its jaw to stop it from talking, then looked up at the crowd and held a hand up. ¡°I know this seems cruel, but I also know that at least some of you have fought a Minor Demon before.¡± There was a general feeling of acknowledgement from the crowd and there was a murmur in response. ¡°Without this...¡± Ren held up the sword. ¡°...it''s damn near impossible to beat him, even if you succeed in sealing him away.¡± ¡°Where can I get one of those?¡± Someone yelled, and a few people laughed. ¡°That''s the thing. Normally you can''t.¡± Ren said and plunged the sword into the Minor Demon''s chest. ¡°It makes things like this too easy.¡± He said and poured Mana into the sword, then turned it to the left and activated its Full Consumption ability. The Minor Demon gurgled and sputtered as it started to deflate and the Vampiric Sword sucked all of the blood out. The demon stopped moving after a few seconds, and after 30 seconds, was nothing but a dried husk. Ren pulled the sword out and cut off the Minor Demon''s head. He then went to each piece he had cut off previously and used the sword to suck the blood out of them as well, then gathered the pieces together. Ren stored the Vampiric Sword and pulled out a sword that was very similar to the one Officer Holly and Xuunah used. ¡°By the power of the Light, I invoke thee! I call upon the Supreme Power of Judgment!¡± He said and poured Mana into the blade. It glowed brightly, almost blindingly so, and he stabbed it into the pile of dried body pieces of the Minor Demon. The pieces were covered in the same bright light and started to dissolve. The pile reduced down to barely ash in moments, then disappeared completely. ¡°Judgment Passed.¡± A loud disembodied voice said, and the light faded from the blade Ren held. ¡°Condemnation.¡± Ren stored the sword and turned to Glastor, who was now without his armor and completely healed. ¡°Are you ready to fight for real now?¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Glastor asked. ¡°Cleansed you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I removed the Minor Demon and his influence from you.¡± ¡°You... you bastard!¡± Glastor exclaimed. ¡°Do you know how hard I worked to make a pact with that demon? Do you know how long it took?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t care, either.¡± Glastor growled and stood up. ¡°You are going to pay for this.¡± He said and equipped another set of armor as he picked up his dropped sword and shield. ¡°You will pay dearly.¡± ¡°You better not threaten the people I care about.¡± Ren said and gained the Angered condition. ¡°If you do, I will have to deal with you appropriately.¡± Glastor smiled. ¡°The first one I''ll visit is the Sage of...¡± *BOOOOOOOOM* ¡°ARRGGHHHH!¡± Glastor''s sword hand had been completely blown off by something. He stared at the mangled and bloody stump in shock, and couldn''t understand why his Mana Shield hadn''t stopped whatever it was. He looked at Ren and saw what looked like a sawed-off shotgun. ¡°No one is allowed to hurt the people I care about.¡± Ren said and fired again. Nothing came out of the barrel, but there was another loud boom and Glastor''s other hand disintegrated. The shield on his arm hung down from the strap on his forearm and dangled there. ¡°What... what...¡± ¡°Surprise.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is a little something that I came up with while playing around with...¡± He stopped talking and smiled. ¡°You know what? I''m not explaining it.¡± He said and stored the shotgun, then crossed his arms to wait. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Someone in the crowd yelled, and Ren turned to look at the guy that used to be in the top spot on the XP leader board. ¡°Shoot him in the head!¡± ¡°He won''t learn his lesson if I do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°He''ll think he can come back whenever he wants and harass me, and I''m going to show him... and all of you... that you can''t.¡± He smiled. ¡°Not shouldn''t. Can''t.¡± He looked back at Glastor. ¡°Hurry up and heal yourself. Stop wasting time.¡± ¡°You think you''ve got it all figured out, don''t you?¡± Glastor asked and his hands reformed almost instantly as if they hadn''t just been destroyed. ¡°All of it? No.¡± Ren said. ¡°A good portion, yes.¡± ¡°You''re pretty arrogant and full of yourself.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re kidding, right?¡± He asked. ¡°You''ve read my books, haven''t you?¡± Glastor nodded. ¡°You mistake arrogance for confidence.¡± Ren said and took out the pistol again. ¡°You know I can heal instantly.¡± Glastor said. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and shot him in the chest. The bullet was pushed out and the hole healed over. Glastor smiled and motioned for Ren to shoot again. ¡°You know, I''ve always wondered if there was a limit to how much damage someone could take before their Regeneration couldn''t heal them.¡± Ren said. Glastor watched as Ren pointed the gun to the right. ¡°You can''t hit me like that.¡± ¡°Yes, I can.¡± Ren said and a micro-portal opened in front of the barrel. Then hundreds of micro-portals opened around Glastor and Ren pulled the trigger. One bullet was split into hundreds of pieces that slammed into Glastor from every direction and shredded his armor. Since Ren had the Hail of Arrows ability active again, 10 times that much hit Glastor as well. Ren fired again and the bullet was split hundreds of times again and multiplied, which shredded Glastor''s skin and the remains of the armor. ¡°S-stop.¡± Glastor said and dropped to his knees. ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s all? There''s no way you''re giving up this easily.¡± ¡°Please... have mercy...¡± ¡°Ha! Hahaha!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You''re hilarious.¡± He said and pulled the trigger and held it. 98 more bullets went through the dispersion portal and over 19,000 bullet fragments came out, then were multiplied by 10. The metal and magical fragments tore into Glastor and made his body dance from the impacts as his skin and muscles were pretty much mulched. No one in the crowd said anything as Glastor''s body slumped to the ground. Ren felt everyone''s emotions start to turn against him and he dismissed the portals. ¡°Just so you know, my opponent is fine.¡± He said. ¡°If you look on the screens, even as cut up as he apparently is, he hasn''t gained the Bleeding or Bleeding Profusely conditions.¡± Everyone glanced at the screen and saw that Ren was telling the truth. ¡°He''s just trying to garner sympathy from you, which he can consume. I''m tempted to warn you to not be so gullible, but I don''t want you to think I''m insulting you.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Look, he''s already healing.¡± Glastor sat up as the wounds closed and looked at Ren. ¡°That trick won''t work if you''re not around or can''t see me.¡± ¡°Let''s test that, shall we?¡± Ren said and ran across the arena to the other side and faced away from Glastor, pointed the gun up into the air, then cast the same spell. Glastor was surrounded by the micro-portals and Ren pulled the trigger again. Glastor was once again completely shredded by the over 200,000 bullet fragments and fell to the ground again. ¡°H-how... how can you...¡± Glastor started to say as he sat up, completely healed. ¡°Magic, obviously.¡± Ren responded, then ran back over to him and stopped 50 feet away. ¡°I can cast a Portal spell so strong that I can cross an entire continent with a single step. Do you really think I can''t cast a portal to find a lowlife piece of garbage like you that would threaten my friends? Do you?¡± Glastor didn''t respond, so Ren turned to the crowd. ¡°This goes for everyone that''s here or watching one of the displays I''ve spread across the country. If you want to come after me, that''s fine. I''m okay with that. I''ll fight you one-on-one or even all at once.¡± Ren said and activated his Terror Aura. ¡°No one... and I mean no one... will ever come after my friends, the people I care about, or the citizens of my domain and lands. If any harm comes to them, from anyone, you will not escape my wrath.¡± Everyone reacted to his Aura and his words in some way. Some cried, some shivered, and some fought the feeling; but, most of them agreed that it would be a bad idea to cross him. He felt several dissenters, and turned to the section with Tristan and the people around him. ¡°That goes double for you.¡± Ren said and deactivated the Terror Aura. ¡°I''m not a vindictive person. I normally let things go, usually as a detriment to myself; but, not for this. If you or one of your henchmen, or hired hands, or someone you just antagonized into doing it, hurts one of my people... I will kill you. No playing around. No joking. You''ll just be dead.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Tristan said and crossed his arms. ¡°I''d just be back in 6 hours and...¡± ¡°You''ll be dead again.¡± Ren said. ¡°As soon as you step out of a safe zone, you won''t even have time to take a breath.¡± ¡°Hey, wait a second.¡± Someone near Tristan said. ¡°You can''t do that! Camping at a spawn point is against the rules!¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I won''t be camping at a spawn point anywhere. You saw what I just did, didn''t you? I don''t have to camp. Plus, I''ll only be targeting a single person, not everyone that comes from that safe zone.¡± ¡°You can''t stop someone from playing, man. That''s not fair.¡± A voice rang out, and Ren turned to see Tommy was on his feet. ¡°If someone interferes with my adventures and hurts or kills my people, which stops me from playing or changes how I play, that''s okay by you; but, if I kill them for it, that''s not?¡± Ren asked him. Tommy didn''t say anything. His girlfriend Jaime touched his arm and he sat back down. ¡°That''s what I''m trying to get at. I know a lot of people. They interact with me and I interact with them. What right do you have to hurt or kill them?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What right do any of you have to do that?¡± No one said anything, then Glastor stood up. ¡°They''re just NPCs.¡± Glastor said and stored his shield and sword. ¡°To you, maybe.¡± Ren said. ¡°To me, they are better people than you are.¡± ¡°You really care about those fake things?¡± Glastor laughed. ¡°If I''d known that, tormenting you before this fight would have been so much fun.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Are you even listening to what I''m saying?¡± ¡°Oh, I heard you.¡± Glastor said. ¡°You''re a pussy that cares about things so unimportant that you can''t think straight.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°For the rest of your days, when something happens to one of your ''people'', you''re going to be wondering who did it and how, and it''s going to torture you-URK!¡± A portal had opened above Glastor and 11 long metal bars had impaled him down through his chest and jammed into the ground. ¡°You are such a fool.¡± Ren said and threw another bar through a different portal, and 11 more bars crisscrossed his body and jammed into the ground and held him in place. ¡°Are you really that stupid?¡± He asked and threw a metal pole normally and 11 of them went right through Glastor and out the other side. ¡°Do you really need me to convince you to leave me and mine alone?¡± Ren took out the Acid Arrow wand and cast it through the portals. Each projectile was increased by 10 times, so 22 arrows hit Glastor from different directions. His body started to dissolve from the acid, but he didn''t scream. Some people in the crowd were throwing up at the sight, and Ren turned to the crowd again. ¡°Please stop overreacting. If you can''t tell by now, he''s got massive Regeneration and Healing capabilities, even without the Minor Demon boosting him. Plus, he''s not screaming.¡± Ren said. ¡°I warned you at the start that this was going to be scary.¡± ¡°You really should be paying more attention to me than to the crowd.¡± Glastor said, and Ren turned back to see the metal poles drop off and the holes from the acid closed over. ¡°Don''t worry, I am.¡± Ren said, and a large 20 foot wide rock dropped onto Glastor from 100 feet up in the air and crushed him. ¡°Ooo, that had to hurt.¡± The rock shifted slightly and rolled aside, and Glastor shakily stood up, then took a deep breath. ¡°I''m getting tired of these games.¡± Glastor said. ¡°You poor thing.¡± Ren said and made another portal to suck in the rock, had it drop another 100 feet and made another portal right beside Glastor. ¡°GAH!¡± Glastor grunted as the rock slammed into him and drove him backwards into the magical barrier. ¡°UGH!¡± The rock fell away and Glastor''s mangled body fell to the ground. ¡°That''s awful!¡± A woman screamed. ¡°Just finish him off!¡± Ren waved and nodded to her. ¡°All right.¡± He said and walked over to Glastor, then stopped 21 feet away. He took out a pair of 25 foot long pliers and clamped them onto Glastor''s partially crushed arm and picked him up. ¡°What... are you... doing?¡± Glastor asked as he healed. ¡°Taking out the trash.¡± Ren said and opened a portal below him. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Wh-what...¡± Glastor grabbed onto the pliers to stop from falling. Ren smiled and let the pliers go. ¡°NOOO!¡± Glastor yelled and dropped into the portal. Chapter 666 - Is This The Secret Cow Level? Ren closed the portal after Glastor had fallen through and before the pliers had entered completely. ¡°Damn, I really liked these.¡± He said and picked the handles up and stored them, then cast another portal 30 feet up. Glastor appeared and fell from there and down to the ground. He hit the ground hard and everyone saw that he had 3 of the Void creatures attached to him by their mouths. Ren took out his pistol and shot the creatures, who screamed for an instant and dissolved from the Light and Anti-void enchanted bullets. ¡°You... bastard.¡± Glastor stared daggers at Ren and sat up. ¡°Do you know what...¡± ¡°Yes, and guess where I''ll send you again if you dare come after my people.¡± Ren said. ¡°It won''t be for just a couple of seconds, either.¡± ¡°I wasn''t gone for seconds!¡± Glastor exclaimed. ¡°It was only seconds here.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°So, are you done? Are you ready to play your trump card yet?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Glastor spat at him and stood up. ¡°I wanted to save this for when I had you on the ropes, then I was going to destroy you and take your head.¡± ¡°Ha. You''re funny.¡± Ren said. Glastor took something small out of inventory and hung it around his neck, and Ren identified it.
Talisman of Ordinariness (Rare)
This talisman makes everything within its area of effect ordinary. All special weapons, magic armor, spells, enchantments, etc. become the standard versions instead. For example: A Master level Fireball spell becomes a Beginner Level 1 Fireball. A sword that grants Swift Strike and is Sharp to cause extra damage, becomes a basic sword with no bonuses. An item with an enchantment acts as if it didn''t have the enchantment, etc. Durability: N/A Area of Effect: Personal Aura of Owner
¡°Tell me you found that in an ancient temple.¡± Ren asked pointed at it as he lost the Angered condition. ¡°Yes, with the Minor Demon''s help.¡± Glastor said, and Ren laughed. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± ¡°We have the same trump card!¡± Ren laughed and laughed, then bent over and guffawed. ¡°Is it really that funny?¡± Someone in the crowd asked. ¡°Hooo. Hoo.¡± Ren stopped laughing and stood up straight. ¡°You really are crazy, aren''t you?¡± Glastor asked. ¡°I''ve spent so much time prepping and preparing to spring a surprise on you, and I was so worried about affecting everyone around me because my basic Aura is so big... and here you are doing it for me, and your Aura is only 20 feet wide!¡± Ren grinned at him. ¡°Yours can''t even reach the front row seats because of the barrier!¡± Glastor dismissed Ren''s amusement as a false front and equipped a basic sword and shield. ¡°Get ready to be pummelled.¡± ¡°I sincerely doubt that.¡± Ren said and stored the backpack and all the other attachments on his armor. Then he stored all of his other equipment except for the Beetle Crown Ring. ¡°See you later, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Kick his ass.¡± ¡°Oh, I will.¡± Ren said as Teepo dissolved into the ring. Ren stored the ring and his armor, which left him in just his underwear, and he heard a bark of laughter and felt a strong spike of amusement from his support section. He quickly glanced that way and saw Gretchen''s face flush red. ¡°Why do you keep turning your head away?!?¡± Glastor asked and charged forward. He moved really slowly, now that he was only normal, and Ren easily dodged out of the way long before Glastor could swing his sword. ¡°Well, it''s simple really.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not that concerned over you now.¡± Glastor grimaced at him, and tried to charge again. Ren easily rolled out of the way and moved off to just outside the limit of Glastor''s Aura. ¡°When the Sage of Ages told you that you needed to get by my enchantments and defenses, you dismissed it as if it was going to be easy.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t think much of it at the time, but now I can see why you weren''t bothered by that idea.¡± ¡°Stay still!¡± Glastor said and stored the sword and shield and pulled out a bow and arrow. He tried shooting it and it flew off to the right. Ren didn''t even have to dodge. ¡°When I received the same talisman, a really good friend told me something very important at the time. It was just an odd sentence while we talked, and I didn''t realize the significance of it until much later.¡± Glastor shot two more arrows and came close to Ren. ¡°I suppose you''re going to enlighten me.¡± ¡°Yes, actually.¡± Ren said gave him a big smile and equipped a basic iron shield. ¡°She told me that while wearing that talisman, I wasn''t a King, or an Artificer, or anything else.¡± He smiled. ¡°I was just me.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± Glastor asked and stored his practically useless bow and took out an iron sword and iron shield again. ¡°You see, she was right.¡± Ren said and didn''t try to dodge as Glastor ran over to him and swung at him with the sword. He blocked the sword with his shield and deflected it. ¡°I''m not a King or an Artificer right now.¡± *Clang* *Clang* Glastor looked like he was sweating a little from attacking, so Ren stepped back a couple of steps to give him a rest. The sword Glastor was using was pitted and dented on its edge from hitting the shield, but the shield itself wasn''t even scratched. ¡°So... what.¡± Glastor panted. ¡°Well, if I''m not a King or an Artificer, I can''t use those abilities.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I also don''t have their restrictions.¡± Glastor was surprised, as was everyone else, when Ren equipped a basic iron longsword. ¡°Being normal is awesome!¡± Ren said and stepped forward and swung at Glastor''s shield. The longsword cut through the top of the iron shield like a hot knife through butter and sheered it off. ¡°Wh-what...¡± ¡°You better parry!¡± Ren said and swung the sword again. Without his abilities, he couldn''t fight with techniques from the game; but, because of his perfect memory recall, he knew how to fight on his own without the game''s help. Glastor raised his sword and tried to knock Ren''s sword aside, and Ren''s sword bit into the edge of Glastor''s and cut an inch off the whole side of the blade, all the way down to the hilt. The piece of iron fell to the ground and Glastor stared at it. Ren chuckled and cut the other side of the blade off and made Glastor''s sword into a practice sword that had no cutting edge. ¡°How are you doing this?¡± Glastor asked and tossed the useless sword aside and took out a broadsword. ¡°I''m a Master Blacksmith when I''m not normal.¡± Ren said and swiped at the broadsword and cut the tip off. ¡°I''ve been making weapons for years.¡± He said and swiped at Glastor''s broadsword again and cut off 3 more inches. ¡°I haven''t learned how to make Legendary weapons yet, but I can fold and forge metal with my eyes closed.¡± Glastor watched in shock as Ren cut more and more of the broadsword away. ¡°Normally, once you fold metal a dozen times, it pretty much gets formed into a perfect mixture and folding it after that, makes no difference to the metal''s strength.¡± Ren explained. ¡°However, this world isn''t normal. There''s magic involved. I had forgotten this several times while I forged and folded metal up to 50 times to create better things, and you know what? The metal got stronger and had higher Durability.¡± Glastor tossed the broadsword hilt aside and took out another sword and equipped another shield. ¡°So I got to thinking.¡± Ren said and swung at the shield Glastor held and cut the top off of it. ¡°What if I folded it a hundred times?¡± He asked and swiped at the sword and cut the tip off. ¡°A thousand times? Or ten thousand times? What would that metal be like?¡± Glastor could do nothing while Ren talked and cut another sword into pieces. ¡°The metal would be awesome, right?¡± Ren asked and stopped swinging his sword to give Glastor a break. ¡°Well, I didn''t stop at ten thousand.¡± He said and equipped a set of armor that looked just like his platinum armor, except it was only iron, just like the sword and shield he held. ¡°This is the official debut of metal that''s been forged and folded one million times.¡± Glastor''s mouth dropped open in shock at that, as did most of the crowd in the arena. Ren couldn''t feel their shock and awe, mainly because he was only normal at the moment; but, he could see it in their eyes and on their faces. ¡°So, do you get it now?¡± Ren asked and turned to look at the crowd. ¡°This isn''t a high class or expensive armor that''s unique or singular like my platinum armor. It''s just basic iron.¡± He said. ¡°All it took to make was time and patience.¡± ¡°Behind you!¡± Someone yelled. Ren stayed facing the crowd as Glastor took out yet another sword and swung it at his neck. The blade seemed to move in slow motion as it arced through the air. Glastor grinned widely as the sword found its mark and impacted on the weakest part of Ren''s defenses... and then the blade broke and shattered. Everyone in the arena and watching on the screens were once again shocked at this. ¡°I think I felt a tickle.¡± Ren said and turned back to Glastor. ¡°But... but... your neck... I hit your neck!¡± Glastor muttered but everyone heard him. ¡°Yeah, about that.¡± Ren said and stored his helm. ¡°I guess it''s time I told you how I secured the top three spots on the XP leader board.¡± He said. ¡°I actually maxed out my character level recently.¡± A lot of people expressed disbelief, some called him an outright liar, and others were too stunned by everything to react at all. ¡°A few choice people know this already.¡± Ren said and glanced over at his support section. ¡°You keep ignoring me!¡± Glastor nearly yelled as he jumped and tackled Ren. A gasp and more disbelief went through the crowd as the two men tumbled to the ground. Ren had stored his shield and sword instantly before they landed, then the two men rolled over and ended with Glastor on top, and he made fists and started to punch Ren in the face. ¡°It''s... because... you''re not... worth... bothering about.¡± Ren said between punches, then he raised his hands and caught both of Glastor''s. ¡°You must have put all your spare stat points into Strength.¡± ¡°How did you...¡± ¡°I almost felt those punches.¡± Ren said and sat up, which pushed Glastor off of him. Glastor tried to pull away from Ren''s grip, and couldn''t. ¡°My turn.¡± Ren stood up and smiled pleasantly at the look of fear on Glastor''s face. He let one of Glastor''s hands go and rabbit-punched the arm of the hand he still held. ¡°Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!¡± Glastor grunted each time as Ren punched his way up the arm to the shoulder. ¡°I call it the Meat Tenderizer.¡± Ren said and let Glastor''s hand go. The arm flopped down to his side, completely useless. Ren did the other arm before Glastor could react and it hung limply as well. ¡°You really should concede the duel.¡± ¡°N-never!¡± Glastor said, then yelled as Ren grabbed him by the chest flipped him over, and slammed him into the ground. It knocked the wind out of Glastor, and he laid there in the dirt and tried to catch his breath. ¡°Come on. You''ve lost.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just give up.¡± ¡°K-kill me if you dare!¡± Glastor spat. ¡°You''ll see what happens when-URK!¡± Ren stepped on his neck and pressed down. ¡°I don''t need to kill you. If I wanted you dead, I would have just shot you when you became normal.¡± Glastor and everyone in the arena stared at him. ¡°What? Did you think I wouldn''t make normal bullets?¡± Ren asked and laughed. ¡°I planned on being normal myself, remember?¡± Glastor''s face turned blue as Ren choked him with his foot for nearly a minute, then Glastor tapped the foot on his neck and submitted. 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Notice!
PvP Mode: Duel has ended.
Ren removed his foot from Glastor''s throat and stepped back.
Notice!
You have defeated your opponent Glastor Killdane. Because your levels are so vastly different, no rewards have been awarded.
I don''t quite agree with that. Ren thought, and then shrugged slightly. It ended with us fighting normally, but I guess we''re still technically at the levels we were before. ¡°You beat me.¡± Glastor said and shook his head. ¡°You beat me at my own game.¡± ¡°I suggest you practice more with shooting a bow and arrow before trying to do it without any skills to assist you.¡± Ren said and held a hand down to him. ¡°Wow, you''re either crazy or really stupid.¡± Glastor said and stared at the offered hand. ¡°We just fought a duel, which would have been to the death if I''d won.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren wiggled his fingers. ¡°You had fun, didn''t you?¡± ¡°Definitely stupid.¡± Glastor said and took the hand, and Ren lifted him to a standing position as if he weighed nothing. ¡°You put all your points into Strength, too.¡± Ren chuckled and didn''t answer. ¡°Say, can I borrow that for a minute?¡± He asked and pointed to the Talisman of Ordinariness. Glastor put is hand around it to stop Ren from taking it. ¡°I''m not that stupid.¡± He said. ¡°I''m not giving you my most valuable item!¡± Ren waved his hands in a clear no gesture. ¡°Breaking it now wouldn''t do either of us any good.¡± He said. ¡°Assuming it can be destroyed, I mean.¡± Glasor opened his hand and looked at the talisman. ¡°What do you want it for?¡± ¡°An experiment.¡± Ren said. ¡°I give you my word that I won''t steal it, or alter it, or damage it in any way.¡± ¡°You just expect me to take your word for that?¡± Ren took out his special iron shield and held it out to Glastor. ¡°You can hold this while I have your talisman.¡± ¡°You''re giving me a shield that can deflect probably every weapon that exists?¡± Glastor asked, surprised. ¡°I''m not giving it to you. I''m borrowing your item and you''re holding this one for ransom to get the item back.¡± Ren said. Glastor thought about it for a few moments. ¡°I''d rather have the sword as collateral.¡± Ren chuckled and stored the shield, took out the sword and flipped it in the air to grasp the hilt in the opposite direction, and held the handle out to Glastor, who slipped the talisman off of his neck and held it out. They each reached with their other hands and grasped the other''s item, and let go. Glastor''s arm acted like a pivot as the sword''s tip dropped to the ground and dug in almost a foot before it stopped, and he stared at the sword. ¡°What the hell? I... I can''t lift it!¡± ¡°Yeah, folding it a million times made it super-dense.¡± Ren said and walked away from Glastor and stopped 21 feet away. He felt everyone''s emotions again and felt his own powers and abilities come back into play. ¡°Oh, yeah. That''s so much better.¡± Everyone watched in fascination as Ren turned back to the edge of Glastor''s Aura and held the talisman in the palm of his hand right next to it. He put his other hand on top of the talisman and activated his Duplicate Magic Item ability, then started to move his hand like he had a stack of money and ''made it rain''. A copy of the talisman fell into Glastor''s Aura and landed on the ground, then another and another, and Ren stopped when he had 20 of them. ¡°Hey, it worked.¡± Ren said and chose the pile of talismans and stored them, then walked over to Glastor. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± ¡°How did you do that?¡± Glastor asked. ¡°Once you made a copy for yourself, your powers should have been cancelled by it!¡± ¡°It wouldn''t have worked after the first one; but, since I made them and they appeared inside your normal Aura when finished, the talisman''s ability was negated by yours.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, even if you had equipped yours...¡± ¡°It wouldn''t have made any difference because yours was already in play.¡± Ren said and handed him back his talisman. ¡°Thanks.¡± Glastor let go of the useless sword and Ren picked it up easily and stored it. ¡°I was completely outclassed, wasn''t I?¡± He asked and stored the talisman, and they both returned to their full selves. Ren chuckled. ¡°No, you had a great chance to actually do what you planned. If I hadn''t found my own talisman and prepared myself to use it to it''s fullest potential, I would have been at your mercy.¡± Glastor nodded. ¡°Is there any chance that...¡± ¡°Not after you threatened my friends, no.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was just trash talk during a fight.¡± Glastor said. ¡°I was hyping you and everyone up so I could power my abilities.¡± ¡°Yeah, I figured that; but, it''s still no.¡± Ren said. ¡°I expect to get nerfed pretty bad during the next update, and I want to see if they can figure out how I did what I did, or if they are just going to grey out the items I made.¡± ¡°Damn, that sucks.¡± Glastor said and held out his hand. ¡°No hard feelings?¡± Ren glanced at the hand and raised his eyebrows at Glastor, who laughed. ¡°Damn, you''re both stupid and smart.¡± Glastor said. ¡°Don''t get too comfy. Once I figure out how to get by your basic defenses, I''ll come back.¡± He smiled as Ren nodded and then leaned in close. ¡°So, what do you want me to summon?¡± Ren leaned in and whispered, and Glastor jumped back. ¡°You can''t be serious!¡± Glastor exclaimed. ¡°I''ll give you any extra materials you might need; but, it''s you that has to perform the spell.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just tell me what you need.¡± ¡°Blood.¡± Glastor sighed. ¡°Lots and lots of blood.¡± ¡°It has to be yours.¡± Ren said, and he nodded. ¡°I''ll keep it flowing for as long as you need and keep your Health maxed without healing you.¡± Glastor sighed and took out a dagger, cut his palm, and walked around Ren in a circle. ¡°This is going to hurt like hell.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got you covered.¡± Glastor glanced at him as he finished the blood circle, then walked it again and sprinkled it with salt. His hand was already healed and he stopped by the inside edge of the large circle. He knelt down and took out several black candles and incense, snapped his fingers and lit them, and took out an ancient book. ¡°Ooo. I love books.¡± Ren said and looked over his shoulder. ¡°Unless you want me to rot your brain, look away right now.¡± Glastor said and rolled up his sleeves. ¡°Awwww.¡± Ren moaned in disappointment and turned away, and laughter rumbled from the crowd. Glastor found the right page and started to speak the magic words, and Ren felt Mana and power flow around the circle. ¡°I''m ready.¡± Glastor said, and Ren took out a small vial of numbing liquid and poured it on Glastor''s wrist. Glastor was surprised by this, then when Ren took out his hammerpick and jabbed it into his wrist and held it there, he was doubly-surprised that he didn''t feel a thing as blood gushed out of the wound. He was not surprised when he gained the Bleeding Profusely condition, however. Glastor said the next part of the ritual and used the dagger he had cut his wrist with, and drew odd symbols into the dirt. Ren kept his eyes averted because he didn''t want to interfere with the spell, whatever it was, and maintained Glastor''s Health while allowing his blood to pool inside the blood circle. Ren had been smart and had stepped up into the air a step so that he wasn''t touching the blood. When Glastor finished the incantation, there was just enough blood to fill the blood circle. At that moment, there was a crack of thunder and the ground under the blood circle exploded. Ren and Glastor were unharmed as the dirt and dust billowed out. Everyone in the arena, and watching the displays, were surprised when a large and imposing figure gently floated up from under the ground and into that dust cloud. ¡°Who DARES to summon ME?!?¡± A very angry woman''s voice yelled into the dead silence of her arrival. ¡°I, Glastor Killdane, summoned you for a single purpose. To fulfill the requirements of losing a duel.¡± ¡°YOU INSULT ME!¡± The woman''s voice screamed and Terror flowed out from her. ¡°Please, calm down.¡± Ren said as he removed the end of the hammerpick from Glastor''s wrist and healed it. The figure gasped loudly. ¡°N-n-no! It... it can''t be.¡± The woman said, and Ren felt her disbelief. ¡°It can''t be.¡± ¡°I assure you, it''s true.¡± Glastor said. ¡°SHUT YOUR MOUTH!¡± The woman''s voice yelled, and Glastor clamped his mouth shut. The dust cloud started to settle, and everyone was shocked as the figure in the dust became apparent. It was a Marilith Demon. People screamed and hollered at the monstrous creature''s appearance and started to panic and run. ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Ren commanded with his full authority and nearly everyone stopped talking. ¡°SIT DOWN!¡± The ones that had stopped talking sat down right where they were, seat or no seat. Quite a few resisted his command, however. ¡°What part of ''you will not be harmed'' did you not understand?¡± Ren asked them, which lifted his ''shut up'' command. ¡°The arena floor is inside a Magical Barrier of Protection! Nothing can get in or out, so stop acting so stupidly!¡± There was a general murmur that he was being harsh, and he sighed and looked up at the Marilyth Demon. ¡°It''s really nice to see you again.¡± Ren said, and she frowned. ¡°You had me summoned.¡± The Marilith Demon said through gritted teeth. ¡°I am a Greater Demon, Ren.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. I couldn''t do it myself, though. I needed to wait and find someone else to do it for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I didn''t intend to leave you there all alone.¡± Ren said and took out a piece of parchment. ¡°Please sign this.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Well, when summoned, the creature or whatever is supposed to be offered a reward for doing a task, then they can return from where they were summoned from.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Well, I have a difficult task for you to perform; but, I also have a great reward.¡± He smiled. ¡°After you''re done of what I want, you can go back to Shargon Caverns.¡± ¡°Why the parchment?¡± ¡°Please, just sign it.¡± Ren said and held the contract out to her. ¡°I drew this up because just having a verbal agreement could be subverted by... well, anyone... so I wanted it in writing.¡± The Marilith Demon bit her thumb and leaned way down and touched her thumb to the parchment. She couldn''t read a word of whatever it said, but she felt that Ren was telling her the truth. She and Ren were covered in a slight glow for a moment, then the ground under the blood circle reformed and the circle faded away. ¡°What just happened?¡± Glastor asked, a little confused. ¡°Your required task is done.¡± Ren said, kind of formally. ¡°Thank you for completing our bargain.¡± Glastor looked at him with wide eyes for a moment, then stored everything he had put out. ¡°I hope whatever you wanted this thing for was worth it.¡± ¡°It''s not your concern, but yes. It''s totally worth it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll lift the barrier when you get over to it.¡± Glastor nodded and walked over to the main doors of the arena, and Ren shifted the barrier slightly and made an opening for him to leave, then shifted it back. Ren turned to the Marilith Demon. ¡°Now, let''s discuss-UGH!¡± The Marilith Demon punched him right in the face with her fist. Ren''s face was mangled and blood spurted out from his nose, then he healed right away. She was surprised by this, so she punched him again, and again, and didn''t stop until she had used all 6 of her fists at least twice. Ren hadn''t moved or tried to defend himself, and his face was a pulped and bloody mess. A moment later, he healed and smiled at her. ¡°I deserved that.¡± Ren said, and she didn''t understand why he was happy. ¡°I''m sorry I teased you when I left you.¡± ¡°Then why...¡± ¡°I didn''t want you to forget about me.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I figured making you angry would keep me in your thoughts.¡± ¡°It... it did.¡± The Marilith Demon said and coiled her tail around herself and settled down, and Ren climbed up onto her. She cupped her upper arms automatically and Ren laid down on them. ¡°All I thought about was getting revenge on you the next time I saw you.¡± Ren chuckled and rubbed the side of her face. ¡°That''s why I said I deserved the punches.¡± ¡°So.¡± The Marilith Demon said. ¡°What is this task you want me to do?¡± ¡°Didn''t you read...¡± Ren blinked his eyes for a moment, then smiled sweetly at her. ¡°Thank you very much for trusting me.¡± The Marilith Demon''s face flushed slightly red at his sincerity. ¡°I told you the task was going to be difficult, and it really is.¡± Ren said. ¡°The reward at the end is going to be worth it, though.¡± ¡°What is the task?¡± She asked. ¡°I can get started on it right away.¡± ¡°I want you to spend the rest of your life with me and the family I''ve built here.¡± Ren said, and complete silence fell across the crowd. ¡°Excuse me?¡± The Marilith Demon asked, surprised. Ren leaned forward and kissed her cheek. ¡°You signed the contract, so you''ve got to complete the task to the best of your ability.¡± He said and grinned as he felt her disbelief. ¡°You won''t get the reward until the task is complete.¡± ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± The Marilith Demon whispered. ¡°You... you''ve freed me.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s a nice little loophole, isn''t it?¡± ¡°Unless I die.¡± The Marilith Demon said, and Ren laughed. ¡°You''ve fought hundreds of Adventurers and countless other very powerful creatures.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not worried that you''re in danger. Are you?¡± ¡°I could be summoned...¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°You are magically bound to me until our pact is complete, and it can''t be subverted or altered once started.¡± ¡°You... are amazing.¡± The Marilith Demon said. ¡°Only when I''m awake.¡± Ren joked. ¡°What about when you''re asleep?¡± She asked. ¡°I tend to grope whoever is in bed with me.¡± Ren said and wiggled his fingers at her chest, and she laughed. ¡°I think I can live with that.¡± She said. ¡°Then it''s time to get started.¡± Ren said and pointed across the arena. ¡°I believe your sister is dying to greet you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± The Marilith Demon held onto Ren and whipped around instantly to look where Ren had pointed. ¡°LYLYTH!¡± Lylyth stood up and walked down to the edge of the magical barrier. ¡°Go to her.¡± Ren said and hopped out of the Marilith Demon''s arms. ¡°I''ll open the barrier when you get...¡± The Marilith Demon darted across the distance and stopped at the magical barrier in less than a second. ¡°...there.¡± Ren finished and opened the barrier. ¡°Sister.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Lylyth.¡± The Marilith Demon said and slid through the opening, then they hugged each other. Ren closed the Magical Barrier of Protection and activated his Hands of the Gods ability Rocky Hands, with the Green Thumb option. Thanks to Shanna the Earth pixie and their year together, Ren had learned how to grow bushes, grass, and trees from the Earth he created. He put his hands down on the ground and quickly covered the entire inside of the arena with rich soil. Ren grew grass first and everyone watched in amazement as he covered the ground with green. He made saplings sprout out of the ground every 2 feet, then grew them up and up until they were about 8 feet tall. Everyone was surprised at the sudden appearance of a forest that was just barren ground a few moments before, and then Ren walked up into the air. He had on his platinum armor, minus the helm. ¡°Now that I''ve got all of that out of the way, I need to apologize to a very special someone.¡± Ren said. ¡°With all of the things I''ve done and accomplished, I''ve unintentionally let one single thing slip away from me. The more I tried to confront my feelings about what I did, the more depressed I got about it.¡± Everyone watched him intently as he looked very sad. ¡°I kept putting it off, and the more I delayed, the worse the situation became. At the time, I wasn''t that worried, because I knew I could always make up for it... and then, it became awkward. I tried talking about it, and that kind of made it worse, because I still wasn''t ready to confront what I did... or rather, what I couldn''t do then.¡± No one knew where this was going, and then Lara, the Sage of Ages gasped loudly. ¡°REN! NO!¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Lara.¡± Ren said and changed his Hands of the Gods ability to Burning Hands. ¡°I have to.¡± ¡°Not here!¡± Lara pleaded. ¡°Not in front of everyone!¡± ¡°I can''t delay any more. My heart can''t take it.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Lara yelled as Ren shot pure Fire out of his hands. The forest below him caught fire immediately and started to burn, and because the trees were so thick and close together, the fire spread quickly. ¡°I pray to you, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°I offer you this lush forest, full of life, as a sacrifice for you to hear my plea... and my apology.¡± A bright red flaming portal opened 150 feet away from Ren and expanded to 100 feet across, then a humongous hand made of Fire reached through. It scooped up parts of the burning forest and pulled it into the portal until there was no forest left. All that remained was some scorched grass and torn up dirt in the 4 large furrows left from the Fire hand''s fingers. Everyone stared at the devastation and then someone screamed and pointed, and they all saw the hand come back through the 100 foot portal and reach for Ren. ¡°REN!¡± Nearly everyone in his support section yelled as he was grabbed and pulled towards the portal. Several of the dancers screamed at the sight, some in frustration, because no one could do anything because of the magical barrier. When Ren was about to be pulled into the portal, the humongous hand got stuck. ¡°I''m sorry, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said sadly. ¡°You can''t take me there on your own.¡± The humongous hand opened up and let him go, and he knelt and rubbed the hand. ¡°I humbly request permission to visit, and will submit myself to you as a prisoner.¡± ¡°Ren! You can''t do this!¡± Lara exclaimed. ¡°She''s really angry!¡± ¡°I know she is.¡± Ren said. ¡°She deserves to be, after I''ve ignored her for so long.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°She''s my daughter, Lara.¡± Ren said, and a hush fell over the crowd. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror to make sure it was clear where he was going. ¡°I need to see her, no matter what happens.¡± Ren cast a Portal spell and it opened up into the Fire Realm. A geyser of flame, the exact size of the portal, gushed out and covered Ren. Lots of the players and people watching the screens around the country screamed and cried, especially Princess Diana at the castle and Queen Valercia in the human starter city, then Ren stepped out of the stream and waved. ¡°I''m okay.¡± Ren said and nearly everyone was surprised that he wasn''t at least partially melted. In only a few moments, the entire inside of the magical barrier was filled with flowing Fire, and no one saw the humongous hand go back through its portal or saw Ren step through the portal he had created. Ren dismissed the portal once he was through and he was inside a throne room so large he could barely see the roof. On the throne was a 1000 foot tall woman made entirely of Fire, and he knelt on one knee in her presence. ¡°Hello, Father.¡± Fire Dancer said derisively, then smiled evilly. ¡°Welcome to Hell.¡± Chapter 667 - Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned The 1000 foot tall Fire woman stood up and glared down at him. ¡°Fire Dan-UGH!¡± Ren grunted as she kicked him. He was picked up and thrown across the large throne room and slammed into a solid Fire wall and bounced off. Ren hit the floor and tumbled to a stop 20 feet away from the wall. ¡°How dare you try to speak my name!¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed. ¡°You have no right to address me so informally!¡± ¡°My... sincere... apologies.¡± Ren managed to say with his armor caved in. He rolled over onto his knees and repaired the armor, then his Regeneration finished healing him. ¡°Deity of Fire.¡± ¡°Bring him back over here.¡± Fire Dancer said dismissively, and suddenly there were 50 Fire elementals next to him. They extended Fire tendrils to wrap around him and dragged him across the throne room to deposit him in front of the throne. ¡°I meant no disrespect.¡± Ren said as the Fire elementals let him go and he resumed kneeling on one knee. ¡°I also deeply regret that I cannot call my daughter by her given name.¡± ¡°If you had been there when I needed you, as all fathers should be, I wouldn''t have a problem with it.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°But, you broke your promise to me, Father.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren lifted his head to look at her, and he felt her spike of rage as her hand slammed down on top of him.
Notice!
You have been mortally wounded. Unless you receive medical attention within 30 seconds, you will die.
¡°Avert your eyes! You cannot look upon my divinity with such an expression!¡± Fire Dancer said and lifted her hand. Ren had been crushed under the pressure of her hand, and for an instant, he felt her shock that she could do that to her own father. Since he couldn''t move to repair his armor with it crushed into him, Ren used his Possession Restoration ability and poured Mana into it instead. His body glowed for several seconds as his platinum armor reformed to its proper shape and he cast Major Healing on himself several times to repair the damage she had done in her anger. ¡°I am only an Adventurer, Deity of Fire. Please try not to kill me by accident.¡± Ren said and pushed himself up into a kneeling position and kept his face averted. ¡°I don''t want you to be hurt like that.¡± Fire Dancer felt a pang of guilt because of that, then her anger pushed that aside. ¡°Get him out of my sight!¡± She said. ¡°Take him to the dungeon!¡± The Fire elementals reappeared by him and started to cover him in Fire tendrils. ¡°Dragging me away won''t be necessary, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said and stood up, but he kept his head down. ¡°I''ll go willingly and won''t fight or complain.¡± ¡°I want them to drag you away, you insolent and insignificant being!¡± Fire Dancer snarled. ¡°Of course, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said and laid down on his belly, so that he wouldn''t accidentally see her face, which would insult her again. The Fire tendrils wrapped around him and the 50 Fire elementals dragged him from the throne room. He didn''t yell or protest, or even try to break free. * Fire Dancer watched in satisfaction as he was dragged from the room... until he was out of sight. Her whole body trembled as she collapsed onto the throne, and tears of Fire burst forth from her eyes. When the tears hit the floor, new Fire elementals were formed and they swarmed around her to comfort her and became part of her armor. Hundreds more came from the walls and dropped from the ceiling and tried to comfort her, too. ¡°Why didn''t you just kill him?¡± Fire Dancer asked herself as she pet a Greater Fire elemental, because they were the only ones big enough for her to touch safely and not damage them. ¡°He deserves to die for abandoning me.¡± She said, then thought about the sight of Ren after she had crushed him with her hand in a fit of rage. Seeing his broken body like that had hurt her heart. ¡°Doesn''t he?¡± The Fire elementals all agreed that he needed to die for leaving her all alone so long ago, and she closed her eyes and tried to decide what she was going to do with him, now that he was here and within her reach. * Ren was unceremoniously dumped into a cell by the Fire elementals, and the cell door closed when they left. Now that he was alone, Ren took the opportunity to summon Teepo. ¡°Oh, you really did it.¡± Teepo said and flew up to land on Ren''s shoulder, and Ren nodded. ¡°Since I''m still in my astral body, I assume you can''t talk out loud.¡± Ren nodded again and Teepo sighed. ¡°She was really that angry, huh?¡± Teepo asked, and Ren nodded again. ¡°I guess summoning me in front of her would be a bad idea.¡± Ren barked a laugh, and then he felt something stir in the next cell. He turned and looked closely, and it looked like a Fire elemental, except its color was a deep red with barely a lick of orange on its edges. ¡°How long have you been in here?¡± Ren asked, and heard several snapping branches as if they were burned quickly by fire. ¡°Geez, that long?¡± He asked and chuckled. ¡°I guess I might be here just as long, if not longer.¡± The sound of a low fire came from across the hall, and Ren looked there. Another Fire elemental was there, but it looked in better shape. ¡°What did I do?¡± Ren asked, and its flame flickered. ¡°I broke a promise, apparently.¡± The sound of a roaring fire came from another cell, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Now that I''ve had a few moments to think about it, with what she said, I''m pretty sure I know what she means.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unfortunately, I didn''t break the promise on purpose; but, it was broken.¡± The Fire elemental across the hall made a snapping sound with a low fire, and Ren sighed. ¡°Although I didn''t do it myself, I''m still responsible for it being broken.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll try and explain the next chance I get...¡± Several snapping sounds came from the next cell, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I know it won''t help.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren, how are you talking to them?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Neither of us knows how to speak Fire elemental.¡± ¡°I''m just guessing.¡± Ren said. It answered Teepo''s question and also continued his talk with the Fire elementals. ¡°I just hope I can work things out with her.¡± Snapping sounds came from all of the cells in response. ¡°Hey, it''s possible.¡± Ren said, and the snapping sounds got louder. ¡°I''m going to try, and you can''t convince me not to.¡± The snapping sounds became low burning fires, and Ren sighed. ¡°She''s not feeding you, is she?¡± A single snap came from each cell, and Ren knew there was a reason for her to starve them. It was probably for a very good reason, and he sighed as he took out a piece of wood with an Anti-fire rune on it. He passed it to the fire elemental in the next cell and absorbed the rune as the elemental sucked the wood into itself. It''s dark red flame flickered with a lot more orange, and it let out a low fire sound out.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Ren tossed a piece of wood to the cells he could reach, then used his Fire Manipulation ability to carry a piece of wood to each of the other cells. A low fire sound came from each of them, and he sat back in his own cell to relax. Like he had told them, he expected to be there for a while. * ¡°The Fire inside the barrier isn''t going away.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°It''s Everlasting Fire straight from the Fire Realm.¡± Elise said, and everyone looked at her. ¡°It doesn''t need any fuel, and it will keep burning forever.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± One of the dancers said. ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°We wait.¡± Lara, the Sage of Ages said. ¡°Unfortunately, I can''t see into the pocket realms without a conduit, so I can''t tell you what''s going on there.¡± ¡°What do you think is happening?¡± Denise asked, and she sighed. ¡°Hopefully, nothing.¡± Lara said. ¡°I really hope it''s nothing.¡± * Two weeks passed before a single Fire elemental came to see Ren, and it opened the cell he was in. ¡°I assume she''s ready to see me now.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°Let me know how it goes.¡± Teepo said and dissolved into the ring. Ren left the cell and followed the Fire elemental down the corridor and up the stairs, down another corridor and back into the throne room. He hadn''t used the All-Seeing Mirror to look around, because he wasn''t sure if just owning the item gave it immunity to Fire, and he didn''t want to take the chance of destroying so useful of an item. He kept his gaze on the floor as they approached the throne, and he felt several hundred Fire elementals were in the room also. ¡°So, did you enjoy your time in my prison?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°I cannot answer that question honestly without making you angry, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren responded. ¡°Well, then... did you enjoy spending time with the remnants of the usurpers?¡± ¡°Usurpers?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I watched you talking to them and feeding them.¡± Fire Dancer said as she cast a Viewing Cloud to show the cells and her anger flared. ¡°How dare you feed those that sought to take over this realm and kill me!¡± ¡°Did all the prisoners do that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°I''ve held them captive since then and I''ve been waiting for their energy to wane before I kill them.¡± She said. ¡°Most have perished already and these are the last of them.¡± ¡°Deity of Fire, please excuse me for a moment.¡± Ren said and disappeared. ¡°Wh-what... where did he go?¡± Fire Dancer asked. One of the Fire elementals pointed to the Viewing Cloud. They all watched as Ren ripped the door off of the first cell and grabbed the red Fire elemental. It flickered and fought weakly as Ren absorbed nearly all of its energy. He proceeded into each of the cells and did the same thing, then used his Fire Manipulation ability to lift them all up. He disappeared from the Viewing Cloud and reappeared in front of the throne. ¡°Please accept my deepest and sincere apologies, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren knelt on one knee and dropped all of the remaining prisoners at her feet. ¡°Please kill them at your leisure.¡± Fire Dancer looked at the nearly extinguished Fire elementals before her and didn''t know what to say. Of all the things she had expected him to do when she had accused him of wrong-doing, this was not one of them. ¡°You''ve talked and been with these beings for two weeks. Are you not bothered that I am going to kill them?¡± ¡°If I had known who they were when you put me in there, I would have killed them myself right away.¡± Ren said and made fists. ¡°No one is allowed to hurt the ones I love.¡± Fire Dancer saw that he was struggling with something. ¡°Do you actually love me?¡± She asked, and Ren felt her surprise. He wasn''t looking at her; but, with his Heat Sense he could tell that she had covered her mouth with a hand. Ren closed his eyes and lifted his head so he could smile warmly at her and not offend her by looking at her directly. ¡°You are my first born, and despite not being able to watch you grow into the woman you have become, you have always had a special place in my heart. I love you and I will always love you.¡± Ren said, then ducked his head again because he really wanted to see her face in that moment. Fire Dancer thought about what he said for several moments. ¡°I felt a lie in there.¡± She said and frowned. Ren sighed. ¡°Even a half-truth counts as a lie.¡± He said. ¡°I gained a device to watch you, and I could have; but then, Adventurers interfered and cut off access to the elemental realms. I didn''t even try to look after that.¡± ¡°That''s not possible.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Cutting off access to the other realms would have destroyed everything.¡± A rumbling fire sound and a feeling of agreement came from all of the Fire elementals around them. ¡°The Adventurers I speak of might not be powerful, but they are tricky.¡± Ren said. ¡°They only removed Adventurer access. They can change the circumstances of the world and affect events enough to cause both wars and plagues.¡± ¡°That sounds all-powerful to me.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°To control the whole world...¡± ¡°It''s just an illusion.¡± Ren said. ¡°They really only guide it. This latest thing with the Sea Dwellers...¡± ¡°I have seen it.¡± ¡°It changed how people view me.¡± Ren said, sadly. ¡°It hurt those that I care about and took me from them.¡± He sighed. ¡°They said they would try and fix the problem; but, I don''t hold much hope.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve missed the ones I care about for so long, and I don''t know what I will do if I can''t be with them without hurting them... because being away from them is hurting them, too.¡± ¡°I can''t say that I feel bad for you.¡± Fire Dancer said and smiled at him, and Ren felt her satisfaction. ¡°It seems turnabout is fair play.¡± ¡°Deity of Fire...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°Do you miss them as much as you missed me?¡± ¡°You have been an ache in my heart that has been with me ever since I left you here.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s only one other ache in my heart that could compare, since it was caused by my own stupidity as well.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Of course, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said and told her everything about his first tragic love named Lucy. How they met, how they had gotten together, how they broke apart, and about their encounters since then. ¡°Okay, now I do feel bad for you.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°You were an idiot.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I handled it horribly, and I let the situation get worse. I don''t think it''s recoverable at all, and I sincerely doubt that even a friendship is possible now.¡± ¡°You do realize she acted that way to get back at you, don''t you?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°Once I got my mental faculties back, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°At the time, I thought letting her go and not fighting to keep her was the better choice. I thought if she loved me enough, she would come back on her own.¡± ¡°You are quite the fool.¡± Fire Dancer chuckled. ¡°Women want you to pursue them. Chase them. Show them that you think they are worth the effort to go after.¡± ¡°I know. I figured that out too late, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°I regret what happened with Lucy. With that said, my life has changed so much since then.¡± He said, happily. ¡°I have wonderful people in my life, people that care for me, and friends to have fun with.¡± ¡°Which might not have been possible without going through what you went through.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Ren said. ¡°My experiences helped me do better. It showed me that I can make mistakes and it doesn''t have to ruin everything.¡± ¡°So, is that what I am to you? A mistake?¡± Fire Dancer asked, angrily. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said, and tears formed in his eyes. ¡°The only mistake I made with you was letting you go.¡± ¡°Save your fake tears for someone who cares, Father.¡± Fire Dancer spat. ¡°You told me before you left that you would come whenever I needed you. Well, I called. Over and over. You didn''t respond.¡± She said. ¡°I fought for years against those that wanted to rule this realm and called you again. The years turned to decades and still you didn''t respond.¡± Ren let his tears drip and evaporate as Fire Dancer''s anger filled the humongous throne room. ¡°Decades turned to centuries, Father.¡± Fire Dancer said and picked up the Fire elementals Ren had delivered to her. ¡°I fought and fought. The more enemies I defeated, the stronger I became.¡± She said and tossed them into her mouth and chewed. ¡°I made their Strength and resolve my own.¡± Ren felt the Fire elementals being consumed, then he felt the rush of power from Fire Dancer. ¡°Oh, honey.¡± He said sadly and didn''t try to stop his tears. ¡°I am so sorry that you had to go through that.¡± ¡°Don''t call me that!¡± Fire Dancer jumped to her feet and tried to stomp on him. Ren knew he would die if he let her do that, and since he had told her that he didn''t want her to kill him by accident, he stood up and caught her foot. ¡°Wh-what? How?¡± Fire Dancer asked, shocked. ¡°You''ve let your anger consume you and it''s ruling your actions.¡± Ren said and pushed her foot aside, which knocked her off-balance slightly. ¡°No, it isn''t!¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed. Ren winced at the huge and blatant lie. ¡°What would have happened to you if you had just killed me, Deity of Fire?¡± Fire Dancer glared down at him. ¡°I would have felt happy that you got what you deserved!¡± Ren winced again. ¡°If you really think that killing me will make up for abandoning you, then just do it.¡± He said and looked up at her defiantly. ¡°Don''t do it by accident or in a fit of rage, like what could have happened just now. I want you to stand there and make a conscious decision to end my life.¡± Fire Dancer couldn''t believe his insolence. ¡°You can''t tell me what to do!¡± ¡°I am your FATHER!¡± Ren yelled, and every Fire elemental shook from his command voice. ¡°You will stand right there and you will decide if I live or die!¡± He said and crossed his arms. ¡°Do I deserve to be punished for what happened? Yes, I do. Otherwise I wouldn''t have willingly come here.¡± He said. ¡°As you found out, I can''t be forced to go anywhere. I came here through a Portal I cast, that I can cast at any time, and I can leave at any time.¡± Neither Fire Dancer nor the Fire elementals in the throne room could refute that information. ¡°I''ve been here for 2 weeks waiting to see you, my beautiful daughter, because I want to be here.¡± Ren said and uncrossed his arms, then knelt on one knee again. ¡°I won''t ask for mercy, since I deserve none; but, I will ask you for fairness and to judge me accordingly. If I need to die, then kill me. However, I won''t stay here and let you rant and rave and potentially kill me by accident.¡± Fire Dancer took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I need to think this over.¡± ¡°Take all the time that you need, as long as it''s within the next 5 minutes.¡± Ren commanded, and she caught her breath. ¡°You''ve been thinking about this seriously for 2 weeks already, so 5 more minutes should be plenty of time to reach a decision.¡± He ducked his head. ¡°I eagerly await your decision.¡± Chapter 668 - Working On It Fire Dancer couldn''t understand why Ren was asking her to make a decision right away. Most beings, when given a choice, would delay for as long as possible before wanting to confront such an event. Yet, he was literally demanding for her to choose if he lived or died within 5 minutes. Ren felt her emotional turmoil and didn''t move, or try to look at her, or even try to influence her in any way. He didn''t plead for his life, or explain that if he was killed, she would have to wait almost 7 years before she could possibly see him again. He would also return to his last spawn point, which was back in the Earth Realm, and she would have to wait for him to open a portal and return to her. When 4 minutes and 50 seconds had passed, Fire Dancer still hadn''t made a decision. Her emotions switched from pure anger to doubt, practically every second, and Ren had no idea which way she would go when the time was up... and then the time was up. ¡°Killing you would be too easy.¡± Fire Dancer said, despite her flash of anger, and Ren looked up at her. ¡°You have submitted yourself to be my prisoner, and I will hold you to that promise.¡± She said and bared her teeth at him. ¡°A promise I intend to make you keep, Father.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°May I ask a favor?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Deity of Fire, please be reasonable.¡± Ren said. ¡°I merely want to...¡± ¡°I don''t care what you want.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°You told me to make a decision, and I have.¡± She said. ¡°You will abide by your own words, and be glad that I didn''t choose to kill you.¡± ¡°I am more glad about it than you realize, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°However, I must leave for a short time before my sentence starts.¡± ¡°Your sentence started 2 weeks ago!¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed as her anger flared again. ¡°You just made the decision.¡± Ren said. ¡°Allow me to get my affairs in order, and I will return as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Do you really think I will let you leave?¡± Fire Dancer said and waved a hand, then hundreds of Fire elementals surrounded Ren. ¡°Deity of Fire, please.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I shouldn''t need to explain that I have Adventurer''s business to attend to.¡± Fire Dancer waved her hand and the Fire elementals backed off. ¡°This is not a Safe Zone for me, so if I try to leave on Adventurer''s business, I will die.¡± ¡°So, your pledge to stay was all for naught.¡± Fire Dancer spat at him, and her anger seethed within her. ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°Give me a moment and I''ll prove it.¡± Fire Dancer thought about it, then pushed her anger aside as she became intrigued. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and brought up the recipe for the Instant Tower. Since he knew what ingredients it contained, he knew what could be replaced and still have it count as an instant tower. He walked over to the solid Fire wall of the throne room and examined it.
Solid Fire Wall (Indestructible)
An ingenious combination of spells and the Fire element, the Solid Fire Wall can be made in any size and shape, as long as the Mana and Element requirements are met.
It then gave him a list of required spells when he received the recipe for it, and he realized most of them were the same as the ones he used when he made Teepo solid. The only one he didn''t have was the Indestructible spell. Ren walked back over to Fire Dancer and put his hands together and prayed. ¡°Oh, great and powerful Deity of Fire.¡± He said and fell to his knees. ¡°I know I am unworthy of the knowledge, but I humbly request that you teach me the Indestructible spell.¡± ¡°You are unworthy of that spell.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Why do you require it?¡± ¡°I need it to make an Instant Tower Of Fire that won''t be consumed by your power and this realm.¡± Ren said. ¡°What is the purpose of this tower?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°If I may look upon you as I answer?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You... may.¡± Ren looked up at her. ¡°I want to prove that I''m serious about returning here.¡± He said. ¡°In order to do that, I need to make a tower that can contain my spawn point.¡± A ripple of disbelief went through all of the Fire elementals and ended at Fire Dancer. ¡°You can''t be serious.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°That would mean...¡± ¡°If anything happens to me, I will reappear here.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was why I was upset at you for almost killing me twice. I would have been forced to leave you, and I didn''t want to go.¡± Fire Dancer let a single tear out. It fell to the floor beside Ren and instead of splashing like he thought it would, it became a baby fire elemental instead. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said, then the baby fire elemental moved over to Fire Dancer''s foot and climbed on, then morphed into part of her shoe. ¡°Okay, that was cool.¡± He said and looked back up at her. ¡°Please teach me the spell, Deity of Fire.¡± Fire Dancer nodded and started to kneel. ¡°Please don''t debase yourself like that, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said and unfurled his wings, then flew up into the air to hover by her face. ¡°I will gladly come to you.¡± ¡°So, that wasn''t a trick or an illusion?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°No, I gained the wings when I was in Shargon Caverns.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, I didn''t learn how to use them until I spent years training with them.¡± ¡°I must admit that I haven''t watched you as closely as you may think.¡± Fire Dancer said. Ren chuckled. ¡°Like you could stand around and watch a picture that only slightly moves while you took over and then started running an entire realm.¡± ¡°You understand, then.¡± ¡°I suffered the same thing, so yes.¡± Ren said. Over the next half an hour, Fire Dancer showed him how to cast the spell. ¡°That''s a really complicated spell.¡± Ren said and took out a wand. The metal handle melted instantly and the diamond dropped 800 feet to the floor and bounced. ¡°Goddammit! I forgot it would do that!¡± Fire Dancer laughed, then covered her mouth with her hand. Ren chuckled and equipped the large wand attachments to the shoulders of his platinum armor and they didn''t melt, because they were technically a part of his armor and protected by his immunity. ¡°Did you watch the fight?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes, and it was agonizingly slow.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°I''ll bring you a copy of it so you can watch it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Fire Dancer looked at him and he felt her surprise. ¡°Well, now that I know the Indestructible spell, I can bring lots of stuff to you.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Lots... of stuff.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°What good is the spell to me if I can''t use it to make you happy?¡± Fire Dancer didn''t respond with all of the things he could do with the spell, because she was too surprised that all he wanted to do with it was bring her things. ¡°Say, before I change the spell in this wand, do your Fire elementals feed on enchanted Fire?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Excellent.¡± He said and flew about 100 feet away from her. ¡°Hey, everyone! Are you hungry?¡± The Fire elementals on the throne room floor looked up at him, and he felt their interest. ¡°Catch!¡± Ren said and fired a single 50 foot wide Fireball down into the Fire elementals. It hit the center of the mass of them and exploded, then dissipated as the Fire elementals sucked it up in less than a second. ¡°You don''t have to do that.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°I have to empty the wand anyways, so they might as well get some enjoyment out of it.¡± Ren said and activated his Hail of Arrows ability. ¡°Get ready!¡± A strong sense of anticipation came from the Fire elementals, and he fired. The one he fired was joined by 10 magically created copies, and all 11 of the 50 foot Fireballs went straight down and hit the mass of Fire elementals and exploded. They were ready for the shock this time and sucked the Fire up almost instantly. ¡°I''m going to rapid fire! Here it comes!¡± Ren said, then shot continuous 50 foot fireballs at the Fire elementals. Each had 10 copies added, and since there were 250 shots in the wand, Ren covered the entire floor of the humongous throne room with 50 foot exploding Fireballs. The Fire Elementals were in their version of heaven. There had never been so much free Fire to absorb before, so most were just rolling around like cats with catnip and sucking up everything they could. A few stayed still and absorbed it normally, and a few were jumping around like kangaroos through the Fire that Ren had unleashed and were absorbing more than they really could. For the next 30 seconds, both Ren and Fire Dancer felt the emotions of the Fire Elementals and enjoyed their happiness, then Ren reloaded the wand and did it again. When all that Fire had been absorbed, most of the Fire elementals were too stuffed to do anything except lay there and bask in how full they were. ¡°You''ve spoiled them.¡± Fire Dancer said, but she didn''t sound angry for once. ¡°I have a tendency to do that when I find something that someone likes.¡± Ren said and replaced the expended Fireball spell with the Indestructible spell. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Now that Ren had the Indestructible spell in a wand, he could use it and not have to do all the invocations and chants needed to cast it normally. It also let him add it to recipes, so he opened up the Instant Tower recipe and made all the appropriate replacements. Ren activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and added the appropriate ingredients, then placed his hand on the platform. He poured Mana into it, activated his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Burning Hands, and poured pure Fire into it until it was full. He transferred a platinum coin from his inventory directly into the funnel, so that it wouldn''t melt, and then a bright red cube 1 inch across appeared. ¡°It''s ready!¡± Ren hollered and looked around. ¡°Where should I put it?¡± ¡°The throne room is not the place for such a thing.¡± Fire Dancer said, and her anger was just below the surface. ¡°Come with me.¡± ¡°Right away, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said and bowed, then took off flying after her. He followed her down different corridors and through a large door, then she shut it. ¡°You can put it right there on the night stand.¡± Fire Dancer said and pointed. Ren started to fly over to it, then stopped when he saw the edge of the humongous bed. ¡°This... is your bedroom.¡± He said, surprised. ¡°I am not letting you out of my sight.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Put your building right there.¡± She pointed, and a flame circle lit up where she wanted him to place it. Ren flew over to the spot and put the cube down. He activated it and Fire Dancer saw that it had a door hole and no door. It also had several window holes and no windows and a bed with several workbenches and things to work with. ¡°Set your spawn point.¡± Fire Dancer commanded. Ren did, and he felt her immense relief as it appeared. She sat down on her bed and sighed. ¡°You really did it.¡± Fire Dancer said, and he felt her disbelief. ¡°You set this as your place of return.¡± ¡°If I had known that was an option before, I might have done it a long time ago.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I reached the level where I could create my own spawn points, it never occurred to me to do something like this.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Fire Dancer said, then she laid down on the bed and put her head on the humongous pillow made of Fire, which put her face at eye level with his new home. ¡°Of course, it wasn''t possible until you unlocked all of those skills recently.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I wasn''t the first to max my character, though.¡± ¡°Uncle Teepo.¡± Fire Dancer whispered. ¡°Summon Teepo.¡± Ren said and Teepo appeared at his feet. ¡°Deity of Fire, On behalf of all beetles that worship you, and on behalf of the ignorant masses, I humbly greet thee.¡± Teepo said and bend down to press his beetle face to the night stand. ¡°Uncle Teepo.¡± Fire Dancer took in a quick breath and a tear appeared in her eye and touched the pillow. The baby fire elemental slid across the pillow and attached itself to the collar of her clothes and morphed into part of it. ¡°It''s okay now.¡± Teepo said as he sprouted his wings and flew over to her. ¡°Now that we''re able to, nothing is going to stop us from coming back to you.¡± He said and landed on her nose. ¡°Wow, you''ve gotten so big.¡± ¡°I really have.¡± Fire Dancer said, then her seething anger came back to the surface and she scowled. ¡°Get off my nose.¡± ¡°Yes, Deity of Fire.¡± Teepo immediately took off and hovered 20 feet away from her, then bowed in mid-air. ¡°Please forgive my impropriety. I hadn''t seen you in so long that I was selfish in my desire to be by my favorite niece.¡± Fire Dancer''s face smoothed over as she calmed. ¡°I missed you, too.¡± ¡°Deity of Fire, I request permission to leave.¡± Ren said, and she nodded without lifting her head from the pillow. ¡°We''ll be back as soon as we can.¡± Teepo said, then dissolved into the ring. ¡°He can''t travel through your own portals?¡± Fire Dancer asked, confused. ¡°I think he could, but why take the chance?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t want to lose Teepo to a stupid accident.¡± Fire Dancer took a breath and sighed, then she frowned. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± Ren said and smiled as he cast the Portal spell. ¡°If I''m going to be around a lot anyway, I''m going to do my best to be for you what Teepo is for me.¡± ¡°What is that? A constant nag?¡± Fire Dancer asked snidely, and Ren laughed. ¡°No, Deity of Fire. I''m going to try and be your best friend.¡± Ren said and stepped through the portal. * ¡°Something''s happening.¡± Elise the Half-Elf said and pointed to the Fire-filled Magical Barrier of Protection in the middle of the Arena. The Fire had started swirling and churning again, and then it started to recede and pull away from the sides of the barrier. It took a minute for it to disappear, and when it did, Ren was left standing in the middle of the arena and he had Teepo on his shoulder. ¡°REN!¡± Lara yelled, and he waved to her. ¡°I''m sorry I worried you like that.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. * ¡°Get ready.¡± Tristan whispered. ¡°We can attack as soon as the barrier drops.¡± ¡°I''m not doing it.¡± One of the men with him said. ¡°You want to get him back, don''t you?¡± Tristan asked. ¡°You saw what he did.¡± Another one said. ¡°He doesn''t even have to look at you to hit you with that magic gun of his.¡± ¡°I''m out, too.¡± Someone else said, and tossed several gold coins at Tristan. ¡°Not being able to play anymore isn''t worth ambushing the guy.¡± ¡°You took the money.¡± Tristan said and didn''t try to pick up the money. ¡°Are you breaking faith with me?¡± ¡°Don''t quote that old saying of ''honor among thieves''.¡± He responded. ¡°We all know what you did to that Dark Elf assassin.¡± ¡°You still came here...¡± ¡°Yeah, and just like a woman, I have the right to change my mind whenever I want.¡± The guy said and stood up. ¡°This is the best game I''ve ever played. I''ve made more money committing crimes than I ever could doing an honest job. I''ve only been caught once, and that was a mistake on someone else''s part and I got off.¡± He turned and walked away. ¡°I''m not giving all of this up just for someone else''s stupid revenge plot.¡± Everyone around Tristan stood up as well, and they all started to leave. ¡°That''s far enough.¡± Tristan said and stood up. ¡°If you don''t go through with this, you''ll all be added to my shit list.¡± They all turned back to him and gave him their best evil-incarnate stares. ¡°Wow, Tristan.¡± Ren said, and they all looked at the magical barrier to see Ren standing there in mid-air in front of Tristan. ¡°You just openly threatened 28 hardened criminals in front of the entire country.¡± The criminals in question looked up at the displays above the arena and they were all on it. ¡°You really should learn to be more diplomatic about things like this.¡± Ren said. ¡°With it all out in the open, they need to protect their reputations.¡± ¡°Shut up pipsqueak.¡± Tristan said. ¡°I''m just trying to help you.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s one thing to believe that someone crossed you and then add them to your revenge list; but, you''re not supposed to tell them to their faces.¡± ¡°I don''t need your help!¡± Tristan spat. ¡°I am so sorry that you actually believe that.¡± Ren said and looked at the criminals. ¡°Thanks for not killing yourselves by coming after me.¡± ¡°Yeah, we got the point of your little demonstration.¡± One of them said. ¡°No one wants to piss you off now.¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°Keep your noses clean while you''re here, and I won''t have to ban you from my lands.¡± ¡°Go ahead and ban us if you want.¡± Another guy said, smugly. ¡°We''ve got ways around that.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Ren asked, intrigued. ¡°What''s your name?¡± ¡°John Smith.¡± The guy said, completely seriously, and everyone around him laughed. ¡°Really?¡± Ren used Identify Person on him and took out the All-Seeing Mirror just for show. ¡°Well, according to this, your player name is Janus McNasty and your level is 78. You are a Rogue with a crossbow specialty, and you have no titles.¡± He said and looked at the very surprised mercenary. ¡°I assume you''re wanted in a few towns?¡± Janus turned his head to look at the other criminals, and they studiously avoided his gaze. Ren took out a piece of parchment and cast Full Illusion on it, and held it up. ¡°This looks like a Wanted poster to me.¡± All the criminals immediately looked at him and saw the poster, and the reward if Janus was returned to the port city of Braddock for trial. ¡°You''re lucky I''m too busy to take you in.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m about to officially open the water and amusement parks I advertised on the flyers.¡± Janus nodded and stepped back. ¡°Oh, it looks like someone I know isn''t too busy right now.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°Janus McNasty, my hometown requires your presence.¡± Selene, the Mistress of Dance said as her party of Adventurers spread out to surround the poor guy. He knew he was caught and didn''t have a chance to escape, so he held his hands up in surrender. She held her swords at the ready as the huge brute of a fighter stepped forward and tied the guy up and tossed him over his shoulder. Chapter 669 - Going Separate Ways Ren noticed the look Selene gave the fighter as they passed each other, and with the emotions he felt from them, he knew they were ''having fun'' with each other. ¡°Thanks for the assist.¡± Selene said. ¡°I was just making a point. You chose to capitalize on it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s nice seeing you again, too.¡± Selene chuckled. ¡°It''s nice to see that you''re enjoying yourself.¡± Ren said and glanced at the retreating fighter, and Selene''s face went red as she blushed. ¡°How did you...¡± ¡°You were looking at him when he passed and not the prisoner.¡± Ren grinned, and she laughed. ¡°When you come back, you and your group members get a cotton candy stick each, on the house.¡± ¡°C-cotton candy?¡± Selene asked, surprised. ¡°It''s an amusement park. It''s got to have amusement park food, right?¡± Ren asked, and the whole arena reacted as nearly every woman in the audience gasped. ¡°Cotton candy!¡± ¡°Hot dogs!¡± ¡°Ice cream!¡± ¡°French fries!¡± ¡°Cupcakes!¡± ¡°Onion rings!¡± ¡°So, fellas.¡± Ren said and looked at the criminals. ¡°Like I said. Keep your noses clean on my lands, and I have no problem with you.¡± ¡°You''re not going to use your magic thingamajig to turn us all in?¡± One of them asked. ¡°Do you want me to?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Hell, no.¡± One of the others said. ¡°You won''t get any trouble from me.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Another said. ¡°You leave us alone and you won''t even know we''re here.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°Selene, Mistress of Dance, I bid you good travels.¡± Selene smiled. ¡°What''s with the formality?¡± ¡°I''m just making sure your jealous boyfriend doesn''t have a reason to come after me again.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°See you later, Ren.¡± Selene said and walked away, and Ren turned to Tristan. ¡°I hereby command you to stop being stupid.¡± Ren said in his command voice. ¡°Everyone is allowed to go to my water and amusement parks, as long as they behave themselves.¡± ¡°I don''t want any favors from you.¡± Tristan said. ¡°Do you want me to ban you right here in front of the entire country?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t care what you do.¡± Ren sighed and looked up. ¡°Forgive him, for he has the sense of a baby chick trying to enter a crocodile pond.¡± Several people laughed at that, especially the criminals. ¡°Look, Tristan. I''m not going to ban you, because I''m sure that some woman out there wants you to take her on a date to the best place that has ever existed in this world.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not going to make her suffer, just because you''re being stupid.¡± ¡°I said not to do me any favors!¡± Tristan nearly yelled. ¡°I''m not doing it for you, you idiot.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have no idea why you can''t understand that.¡± He walked over to the center of the arena. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, beasts and creatures, everyone both big and small.¡± He said and raised his hands as he dismissed the Full Illusion spell and then the Iron Wall spell that he had used to block the view, then the displays around the arena, and the entire country, changed to the view inside the amusement park. ¡°Welcome to ''I Didn''t Know What To Name It'' World.¡± Ren said, and he felt everyone''s surprise and disbelief. He laughed and waved. ¡°I''m just kidding. It''s a wonder that it can exist in this world, so I simply called it Wonder World.¡± * ¡°That''s our cue!¡± Someone shouted as the Iron Wall spell disappeared. ¡°Start them up, everyone!¡± All of the operators on all of the rides activated them at the same time, and the screens showed them all going. ¡°Mages! Gust of Wind, please!¡± One of the cooks said, and the 6 mages cast the Gust of Wind spell in front of the food vendor booths, then the smells from the booths quickly covered the arena and everyone caught a whiff of the wonderful aromas. ¡°That''ll bring them running!¡± Another cook said, and they all laughed. * ¡°Thank you all for coming, and have fun!¡± Ren said as he felt everyone''s reactions to the smell of food, waved to them all, then walked over to his support section and dismissed the Magical Barrier of Protection. An armored figure appeared in the stands and lunged at Ren, then he yelled as he was caught in a giant spiderweb and quickly rolled up into a web bundle. ¡°I will entertain him for a while, dearest.¡± Lylyth said as her giant spider familiar pulled the bundle over to the wall. ¡°As long as you don''t scare him too much.¡± Ren said. ¡°I promised no one would be harmed, remember?¡± Lylyth chuckled. ¡°It will be taken care of.¡± ¡°I''d ask you to stay around and try some of the rides, but I can''t stay myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to get back to the Fire Realm.¡± ¡°You''re really going to stay there?¡± Lara asked. ¡°For a little while at least.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back to log out for meals; but other than that, I''ll be staying there.¡± ¡°What about us, My King?¡± Seldanna, the Sovereign of the Succubi asked, and he felt her deep sadness. ¡°I managed to convince the Deity of Fire that I have Adventurer''s business to take care of, and that includes you and the others.¡± Ren said as he took her hand and filled her with reassurance. ¡°She''s allowing me some leeway, but I won''t abuse it.¡± Seldanna sighed. ¡°What will we do with you gone?¡± ¡°Survive.¡± Ren said. ¡°How did you enjoy the show?¡± ¡°It was... overwhelming.¡± Seldanna said, and he chuckled. ¡°I warned you not to get used to the small sampling of feelings from the water park.¡± ¡°I thought it was quite fulfilling.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Especially when I tasted...¡± She smiled. ¡°Listen to the Sage of Ages, Ren. Be careful of her.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I will.¡± Ren said and looked at Lara. ¡°Thanks for watching out for me.¡± ¡°You didn''t listen to me.¡± Lara said. ¡°You... she...¡± ¡°Easy, now. Relax.¡± Ren said and put his hands on her shoulders. ¡°I''m not going to do anything rash.¡± ¡°You literally just did that by going to her!¡± Lara exclaimed, and he laughed. ¡°I told you I had to do it.¡± Ren said and pulled her in close. ¡°I''ll see you at lunch.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°O-okay.¡± Lara said and then he gave her a gentle and lingering kiss. Gretchen watched as Ren kissed yet another woman, and it was still a different technique. She thought he might be running out of ways to kiss someone when he stepped up into the air and kissed the barbarian for a moment, then he turned and kissed the amazonian redhead. He really does kiss them all differently. Gretchen thought, amazed. ¡°I need to set up living space for the Marilith Demon before I go back.¡± Ren said, and they all looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°You''re actually going through with that?¡± Denise asked. Ren smiled at her. ¡°We have a contract, so yes.¡± He said. ¡°Otherwise, why would I bother going through all the trouble?¡± Denise shook her head. ¡°This is all Elise''s fault.¡± Ren chuckled and caressed her cheek. ¡°I planned this ever since I was in Shargon Caverns, long before Elise gave me permission to do what I want.¡± ¡°Ever since...¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°How much more are you planning to do?¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I''m pretty much done.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to wait until after the update and see what changes they make before I can proceed, so why shouldn''t I spend some time with the Deity of Fire until then?¡± ¡°You could spend some of it with us.¡± Gina said. ¡°Your ban expired last night.¡± Ren turned to look at her and saw all the dancers gathered around her, and he felt their hope and their swirling emotions. None of them knew what to make of everything that just happened, not even Jennifer, and she was the only player that could have understood. ¡°I need a rain check.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m pushing my luck as it is.¡± They all sighed, and Ren went to each of them and kissed the backs of their hands. ¡°I have Adventurer''s business to deal with tonight; but, if I can sweet talk the Deity of Fire, I promise that the first place I''ll stop when I come back is the Pleasure Palace.¡± ¡°It better be.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Make sure you bring Mr. Ugly, too.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I don''t think that''s his name.¡± ¡°I don''t care what his name is.¡± Jennifer said and glanced at the other dancers. ¡°None of us do.¡± ¡°Wait, none of you do?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Just bring him along.¡± Gina said. ¡°Or if you can''t make it, send him instead.¡± Ren opened his mouth to respond, then he realized she had given him a great reason for people to not expect him to go himself. ¡°I''ll pass the message along.¡± He said instead. ¡°I''m sure he''s looking forward to it, even more than I am.¡± ¡°He shore is.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ya shoulda seen what he did before tha fight.¡± ¡°He''s got big balls, man.¡± Tommy said and his girlfriend Jaime took his hand. ¡°They''re not as big as yours, though.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m not the guy that stood up in the middle of a crowd of thousands and expressed his opinion of my unfairness.¡± Tommy chuckled, too. ¡°I wasn''t really thinking about the venue.¡± ¡°Well, everyone in the country saw you object to my tactics.¡± Ren said and motioned to the displays. ¡°I''d say you guys are going to be getting a lot more quests soon.¡± ¡°You think?¡± Tommy asked and looked up at the screens. ¡°After that fight, definitely.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, with the Portal Gate Network, you can pretty much go anywhere to do quests.¡± ¡°Ah don'' know how ya did tha''.¡± Clint said. ¡°Trade secret.¡± Ren said, and he laughed. ¡°Ya always were full of surprises.¡± ¡°I hope you don''t think I''ve shown them all.¡± Ren said and turned to Seldanna. ¡°Will you be staying at the roost, or do you want to come back to the house in Aurora?¡± ¡°I have that option?¡± ¡°Of course you do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be going back there for Adventurer business anyway.¡± ¡°Then I will, as will the others.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Suniva said and flew over to him and hovered in front of his face. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and pat his shoulder. ¡°I''ve got an idea and I may need your help with it.¡± ¡°I''ll do anything for you, you know that.¡± Suniva said as she sat down. The only one that hadn''t come over to greet him was Artemis. Ren walked over to her and touched her shoulder. She looked up at him and her eyes were full of tears. ¡°I didn''t feel it when you went through the portal without me.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I suspected our connection was damaged after the last patch; but, I couldn''t take you with me anyway.¡± ¡°I know. I would have melted and died.¡± Artemis said sadly. ¡°What... what about after this update?¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got the solution already.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°I''ll show you in a few minutes.¡± Ren said and took her hand. She stood up and Ren turned, then stopped when he felt a pang of something like envy. He turned to look at where it came from, and saw Dana and Gretchen. ¡°Oh, hi!¡± He said and walked over to them. ¡°I''m glad you made it.¡± ¡°Like we would miss the fight of the century.¡± Dana said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Are you sticking around and going to the amusement park?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I had my taste for the week.¡± Dana said. ¡°Maybe we''ll come back on Sunday.¡± ¡°We can''t.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°We have that party, remember?¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Dana said. ¡°Well, we won''t have much time Sunday, so maybe Sunday night.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You sound like you''re going to be just as busy as I am.¡± ¡°We''re not going to be staying in a fiery hell, so we''re not quite as busy as you.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°It''s a dry heat.¡± Ren said and laughed, and so did Gretchen and Dana. ¡°That''s a horrible joke.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Well, I know a few other-mfph!¡± Ren stopped talking when Artemis covered his mouth. ¡°We need to go, remember?¡± ¡°Hmm mhm.¡± Ren mumbled and she let his mouth go. ¡°I need to go.¡± ¡°Wai-¡± Gretchen stopped herself when her hand twitched to reach for him. Ren felt the spike in her emotions and saw her reaction. He let Artemis'' hand go and stepped close to Gretchen. He cast a Full Illusion spell around them of a Chinese folding screen, so that no one could see what they were doing, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I overheard someone say that it was okay for friends to kiss.¡± Ren whispered. Gretchen''s heart beat so fast that it almost jumped out of her chest as he took a step up into the air to put his face right in front of hers. He moved in close and kissed her for several moments, then stepped back and dismissed the Chinese folding screen illusion. ¡°What do you think?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I think you have some weird friends.¡± Gretchen said, and he laughed. ¡°That I do.¡± Ren said, happily. ¡°See you later.¡± * ¡°Bye.¡± Gretchen said, and watched as Ren walked over to Artemis and took her hand, then wasn''t surprised when he went right over to the scary and tall Dark Elf, and the multi-armed snake woman. ¡°What was that?¡± Dana asked in a whisper as she leaned in conspiratorially. ¡°He kissed me.¡± Gretchen whispered back, almost in disbelief. ¡°With all the women he just kissed, he came over and kissed you, too?¡± Dana asked, a little surprised. ¡°He really is a player.¡± Gretchen was going to respond, then a portal opened near Ren. She stared at the giant spider as it opened the portal up a lot wider, then the Dark Elf, the snake demon, Ren, the metal woman, the succubus, the redheaded amazon, the barbarian, the Sage of Ages, and the short Dark Elf stepped through it. ¡°He said that someone told him it was okay for friends to kiss.¡± Gretchen said as the large spider went through the portal with the web bundle on its back, then the portal disappeared. ¡°I guess that makes you one of his weird friends.¡± Dana said. Gretchen gasped, then she smiled. ¡°He kissed you too, remember?¡± ¡°I... that wasn''t... well, damn.¡± Dana said, then both of them looked at each other and laughed. * It didn''t take long for Ren to convert Ruck''s old room in the house in Aurora to fit the Marilith Demon''s needs. ¡°Is that all you need?¡± Ren asked her when he was done. ¡°If you think of anything else, let me know when I come back.¡± ¡°I will.¡± The Marilith Demon said and curled up on her very soft and very warm heated bed. ¡°You can make such amazing things.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll have a couple of cows delivered for you, until the Sustenance ring kicks in.¡± ¡°I''d rather hunt for my own food.¡± She said. ¡°Well, cows aren''t fast runners.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Pigs are pretty quick though.¡± ¡°I''ll look for pigs, then.¡± She said. ¡°Are there farms nearby?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I said, I''ll have them delivered.¡± The Marilith Demon frowned. ¡°That''s not much fun.¡± ¡°You''ve never tried to catch a greased pig.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I didn''t say anything about feeding them to you, so don''t worry. You''ll have fun... or lots of frustration.¡± The Marilith Demon nodded her acceptance and looked at her sister. ¡°I hope you will be visiting a lot.¡± ¡°Well, Ren has secured the Dark Elven Kingdom''s future, so I don''t have much to do besides running two kingdoms.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Two?¡± The Marilith Demon asked, and Lylyth nodded. ¡°I''ll tell you more when I visit tomorrow.¡± Lylyth said and opened a portal back home. Her familiar made it bigger for her and scampered through, and she knelt for Ren. ¡°Thank you, Royal Consort.¡± ¡°I''m just glad I could make you happy again.¡± Ren said and kissed her top lip. ¡°You have.¡± Lylyth said and kissed his lips and his chin. ¡°Goodbye, dearest.¡± She stood and stepped through the portal. ¡°Goodbye, My King.¡± Tiatha, the Dark Elf healer said. ¡°Thank you for inviting me to see you fight.¡± ¡°I''m sorry we didn''t get to spend any time together.¡± Ren said, and she felt his sadness. ¡°Don''t fret, heart of my heart.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°I will see you again and we will have more personal time.¡± ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Ren said and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him and her passion flooded into him. He responded as he remembered their last encounter, and she caught her breath as he fed her those emotions. Tiatha broke the kiss and stared at him. ¡°I look forward to it as well.¡± She let him go and stepped through the portal, then it disappeared. ¡°I need to go as well.¡± Ren said to the Marilith Demon. ¡°I''ll be back to see you tonight for a few minutes.¡± ¡°That''s not nearly long enough.¡± She said, and he laughed. ¡°It will be.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you then.¡± He left the room and went downstairs to meet Elise, Lara, and Denise. ¡°Thanks for coming and supporting me.¡± He said, and they each hugged him. ¡°Remind us to never piss you off.¡± Denise said. ¡°In the game, anyway.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I will.¡± He said. ¡°You''re welcome to stay...¡± ¡°No, it''s pretty damned crowded in here.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''ll go find an inn or something.¡± ¡°Just stay at the Refugee Center I had built behind the house.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s for people that don''t have anywhere else to go.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''ll do that.¡± ¡°Before you go, take this with you.¡± Ren said and took out a crate from inventory. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Everything that an Amazonian Barbarian will ever need.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thousands of bikinis and shoulder plates.¡± Denise laughed and shook her head. ¡°You''re incorrigible.¡± ¡°I''m just joking.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°There''s only about 30 bikinis.¡± He said, which made them all laugh. Chapter 670 - Setting Up Home Denise stored the crate, gave Ren a kiss and left. He took out another crate and gave it to Elise. She stored it and kissed him, then left herself to go to her house to log out. He turned to Lara, and she didn''t even try to hide her sigh. ¡°I can''t believe you''re doing this.¡± Lara said. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss. ¡°I won''t be spending all of my time there.¡± Lara sighed again. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°If you stay in your closet, maybe we can chat with the mirrors.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ll be at the same time frame, at least.¡± ¡°Extra stuff doesn''t work in my closet.¡± Lara reminded him. ¡°Even if you could take the All-Seeing Mirror out without having it melt, we couldn''t talk anyway.¡± ¡°Damn, you''re right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, well.¡± He gave her another kiss. ¡°Want me to portal you to the Library?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Lara said. ¡°I''ll log out and make sure lunch is ready after I check on a few things.¡± Ren cast a portal for her and she stepped through, and he dismissed it. Then he opened another portal and stepped through himself and appeared at a farm halfway across the country. He walked up to the farmhouse and knocked on the door. The door opened and the older woman there looked at him with squinted eyes. ¡°Who''re you?¡± She asked. ¡°My name is Ren, and I was wondering if I could buy your fastest and orneriest pigs and hogs.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°A quick chase and probably a barbecue if they''re caught.¡± The woman stared at him for a moment, then she smiled. ¡°It''s nice to meet someone honest for once.¡± She said and stepped back. ¡°Come right in.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and bowed slightly, then entered the house. ¡°Most people try to say they want them as pets, or to grow their own.¡± She said as he followed her into the kitchen. ¡°They don''t realize all the work that goes into that, so I usually just shut the door in their faces.¡± ¡°That''s understandable.¡± Ren said and held a chair out for her, and she sat. ¡°Will you be negotiating the price, or will your husband?¡± ¡°There''s no man of the house, I''m sorry to say.¡± She said, and saw his reaction. ¡°I... I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and sat in the chair next to hers and took her hand, consolingly. ¡°Did he pass away recently?¡± The woman laughed. ¡°He didn''t die. I just never met him.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren blinked his eyes for a moment. ¡°Um...¡± ¡°Don''t tell me I made you speechless after you had a fight like that and wouldn''t stop talking?¡± She asked, and he raised his eyebrows at her. ¡°I just came back from town and saw the whole thing.¡± ¡°It''s not that, I just...¡± ¡°Do you want me to tell you how desirable you are?¡± She asked. ¡°Want me to fawn all over you?¡± ¡°What?¡± The woman laughed again. ¡°You''re much cuter in person, so no one would blame me.¡± Ren opened his mouth to respond, and didn''t know what to say. ¡°Ha ha! I did make you speechless.¡± She said and pat his hand that held hers. ¡°I''ve got three, maybe four pigs that fit your needs. One of them is an old breeder that''s past her prime, though. She''s pretty tough.¡± ¡°As long as you mean in both temperament and hide.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°That''s exactly what I mean.¡± She said. ¡°Now, about the price...¡± ¡°Name it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Marry me.¡± The woman said. ¡°E-excuse me?¡± Ren asked, shocked. ¡°Bwahahaha!¡± She guffawed and slapped the table. ¡°The look on your face!¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''m sorry if this sounds rude; but, I really don''t have time for this.¡± ¡°The big bad fighter can''t take a joke?¡± She asked. ¡°All right. It''s 3 platinum. One for each pig and I''ll give you the old sow for free.¡± ¡°Sold.¡± Ren said and took out 3 platinum coins and 15 gold for the tip. ¡°Wait, what?¡± She was surprised when he put the money on the table. ¡°I was...¡± ¡°You''ll have to point them out to me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, just a second.¡± He said and opened a portal right there in her kitchen and disappeared for a moment, then stepped back through and dismissed it. ¡°I made a good-sized paddock for them and an obstacle course.¡± The woman just sat there and stared at him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ren asked her. ¡°I... I''m fine.¡± She said, and Ren chuckled at the joke. ¡°Ma''am, please direct me to my pigs.¡± ¡°But... you... you paid...¡± ¡°Exactly what you asked for.¡± Ren said and opened the back door. ¡°Is it this way?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± The woman said and stood up, walked to the door, then stopped. She quickly turned and went back to the kitchen table and picked up the money and shoved it into her pocket. How in the world am I going to break this up to pay the farm hands? ¡°I forgot to ask if you had a coin pouch.¡± Ren said and held out an array of them for her as she came over to the back door. ¡°What color would you like?¡± ¡°Are you for real?¡± She asked, and he chuckled. ¡°Pick a color. Any color.¡± Ren said. The woman ran her hand along the pouches and felt their silky smoothness. She picked a brown one to match her belt and pants, equipped it, then dropped the money into it.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°You can take out any denomination of money you have access to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Copper coins, Silver coins, Gold coins, and Platinum coins.¡± ¡°I know how coin pouches work.¡± She responded. ¡°I''m just making sure. Some people needed help when I gave them one, since they didn''t have one before or forgot how they worked.¡± Ren said and motioned out the door. ¡°Please, after you.¡± The woman nodded slightly and Ren followed her out of the house and to the pig corral. As she pointed to each pig, he opened a portal and sent it to the corral he had made beside the house in Aurora. ¡°The old sow is in the barn.¡± She said and they went to the barn, and Ren saw one of the biggest pigs he had ever seen. ¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s huge!¡± ¡°...and really strong.¡± The woman said. ¡°Good luck getting...¡± ¡°Squeeee!¡± The old sow squealed as Ren picked it up like it was nothing and shoved it through a portal. ¡°How the... no, never mind. I''m forgetting what happened during the fight.¡± She said. Ren chuckled. ¡°Thanks for the unprocessed bacon.¡± ¡°Unprocessed... hahaha!¡± The woman laughed. ¡°You''re funny!¡± ¡°I try.¡± Ren said and gave her a bow. ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Come back and visit!¡± She said as he opened another portal. ¡°I still need a husband! Ha ha ha!¡± Ren laughed and shook his head, then stepped through the portal into the pig corral and greased them up from head to hoof, even the big sow, who didn''t mind him rubbing her at all. He then used a portal to go into the Marilith Demon''s bedroom, rather than tracking mud all through the house. ¡°You smell like...¡± She sniffed. ¡°Already? You have them already?¡± ¡°I cast Full Illusion on the area so no one will see you chasing your dinner around the district and think that you''re rampaging in the town.¡± Ren said and she laughed. ¡°That was very thoughtful of you.¡± ¡°I was told to be careful of the old sow because she''s pretty tough.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tough to chew I hope.¡± The Marilith Demon said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Excellent.¡± ¡°The large external door is right there, and there''s a handle on the outside so you can...¡± Ren hadn''t even finished speaking and she was already out the door and it swung shut. ¡°...get back in.¡± He laughed and left her room and equipped his Travelling Clothes to clean up, then went into the large bedroom. ¡°I assume you had something important to do?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Kind of, and it was quick.¡± Ren said. ¡°The Marilith Demon should have enough to eat for the day... assuming she can catch them.¡± He grinned. ¡°This I have to see.¡± Seldanna said and went to the door. ¡°Wait.¡± Ren said, and she turned to him. ¡°Thank you for loaning me your sword.¡± He said and took out the Vampiric Sword and handed it to her hilt first. ¡°I swore that the succubi would assist you in taking down that Minor Demon.¡± Seldanna said and stored the sword. ¡°Since we couldn''t fight by your side, we let you fight with the power of our might.¡± She stepped close to him and bent over to put her face right in front of his. ¡°Plus, you helped me gain the sword. Since I and everything I am is yours, I would never refuse any request you make of me.¡± ¡°I would normally object to that; but dammit, you''re too sexy to get angry at.¡± Ren said. Seldanna gave him a quick kiss. ¡°Ladies, let us watch our old foe slither around in the mud.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Ellaria said. ¡°She''s really scary!¡± ¡°Those poor pigs.¡± Chenoa said and smiled. ¡°I can already feel their Dread and Terror.¡± ¡°We''re missing it!¡± Katori nearly yelled and ran from the bedroom, then the other succubi followed her. ¡°Wow.¡± Suniva said. ¡°They really get off on emotions, don''t they?¡± ¡°When they want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°Artemis, want to come with me for a couple of minutes?¡± ¡°Ren, I... I don''t feel like...¡± Ren took her hand and poured all of his love into her. ¡°Everything should be fixed soon, so come with me into the Sanctuary. I have some work to do.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°You, too.¡± Ren said and cast the Portal spell, then they entered the Sanctuary together. When the portal reappeared a minute later, Ren stepped out with Suniva on his shoulder and Artemis stepped out, too. ¡°I can''t believe she taught you that spell.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I only have one question.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Ren asked and dismissed the portal. ¡°Did you have to cast it on everything?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I am going to be supremely bored if all I can do is sit in a cell like I did for the 2 weeks I was there the last time.¡± He said. ¡°I am not doing that again.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Yes, I went a little overboard.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°It''s for a purpose, though.¡± ¡°Well, I know what one purpose is.¡± Artemis said. Ren chuckled and held out a 6 inch wide cube he took from inventory. ¡°Enlightenment!¡± ¡°Do you really think she''ll like meeting me?¡± Suniva asked from his shoulder. ¡°She should, since the only other being she has met besides me is Teepo.¡± Ren said. ¡°Should we spring the both of us on her at once?¡± Artemis asked, unsure. ¡°It might be too much for her to handle if we''re both there to surprise her.¡± ¡°I''ll keep you inside my spawn point; but, there''s a reason I didn''t add a door or windows.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t want to hide anything from her.¡± Artemis said. ¡°You didn''t even have to guess at that answer. Well done.¡± Ren said and stored the cube. ¡°Let''s go.¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°Just to the arena for a second.¡± Ren said and opened a portal. They went through and appeared in the air above the arena. He took out a small box and used the function to copy any other recording device''s contents. ¡°Okay, I think that''s everything.¡± ¡°Where are we going to next?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°No man''s land.¡± Ren said as he opened another portal and they entered it, then they appeared in the space between the Human Kingdom and the High Elven Kingdom. They were also well away from the High Elven starter city, and Ren used the Staff of Earth to make a trench. They walked down into it and he activated his Hands of the Gods ability Rocky Hands, and covered the inside of the space with stone, and made a ceiling with it. He used the Staff of Earth to cover up the improvised room and cast a Permanent Magical Barrier of Protection that covered the inside of the room. ¡°You''re not taking any chances that it might fail.¡± Suniva said. ¡°I couldn''t do this in the arena, because no one would have seen how dangerous it is to open a portal to the Fire Realm without proper precautions.¡± ¡°So that''s why you did it in front of everyone.¡± Suniva said. ¡°That''s pretty smart.¡± ¡°I doubt people recognized it was a lesson on a conscious level. They just know it''s pretty dangerous.¡± Ren said. ¡°Artemis, if this doesn''t work...¡± ¡°I''ll get behind the portal and scream in pain.¡± Artemis smiled. ¡°Okay, here goes.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked the inside of his spawn point, then opened the portal to the Fire Realm. Everlasting Fire gushed out of the portal, and Artemis didn''t scream as it covered her extended arm. ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Artemis said, and then the room was filled and the pressure on both sides of the portal was equalized. Ren took her hand and they stepped through the portal. They appeared in the spawn point and Ren summoned Teepo right away. No one was in Fire Dancer''s bedroom, so Ren had Artemis sit down on the bed inside the spawn point and he looked at the All-Seeing Mirror. It wasn''t melting, either. He asked it where Fire Dancer was, and saw that she was back in the throne room. Ren was about to store the mirror when Fire Dancer looked right at him through it. ¡°Well, she knows I''m back.¡± He said and stored the mirror. ¡°I can''t tell if she''s angry or not, though.¡± ¡°Plan for the anger, then be surprised when she isn''t.¡± Teepo said wisely. ¡°Suniva, stay here with Artemis, and neither of you are to go wandering.¡± Ren said as she flew over to land on Artemis'' shoulder. ¡°You can look out the windows and the door; but, you are not to leave this building.¡± He warned them. ¡°Do NOT leave the building.¡± ¡°We understand.¡± Artemis said, and he took her hand. ¡°Please, believe me. You absolutely must stay inside, even if the Deity of Fire calls upon you.¡± Ren said and set up a display for them. ¡°We''ll stay put.¡± Suniva promised. Ren nodded and touched her face with a fingertip and unfurled his wings, then flew from the building and out of sight. About 30 seconds later, the display turned on and showed them the main throne room. Ren was there and talking to the Deity of Fire. ¡°Deity of Fire, I''ve completed the preparations I needed to ensure my affairs were in order.¡± Ren said and bowed down. ¡°Thank you for letting me do that.¡± Fire Dancer huffed. ¡°It took you long enough.¡± ¡°It really did.¡± Ren said and looked up at her. ¡°I ran into a bit of a delay when I picked up some pigs for the Marilith Demon to snack on.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Would you like to see? In real time, of course.¡± Fire Dancer thought about for a moment. ¡°Make it so.¡± Ren took out a large box that she had never seen before, and he hit the button on the top. A display 600 feet wide and 400 feet high appeared in the air, and he took out the little device he had and pointed it at the large box. A video started playing and showed the house in Aurora, and then the Marilith Demon jumping out of the top of the house and dropped to the ground. The pigs squealed in utter terror at her appearance, and then the chaos ensued as the chase began. ¡°I told her it wasn''t going to be easy.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I greased those pigs up really well!¡± All of the Fire elementals in the throne room let out crackling fire sounds as they watched the 6 armed creature try, quite fruitlessly, to capture her dinner. Chapter 671 - Surprise, Surprise, And Surprise Fire Dancer was amazed that she could sit on her throne and watch something in real time. Her gaze roamed over all of the Fire elementals, and she felt their mirth and happiness as the Marilith Demon slipped in the mud over and over as she tried to catch the pigs. It only lasted a few minutes, and the demon ended up laying down beside the house, covered from head to tail in mud, exhausted. The Marilith Demon laid there in defeat, and then the bravest and also smallest of the pigs, walked right over to her and sniffed at her face. She reached out to grab it, and the pig popped right out of her hand with a little squeal. She laughed and laughed, then the video ended. ¡°How about the fight next?¡± Ren asked, and hit the button again. He unfurled his wings and flew up to Fire Dancer''s shoulder and landed, then sat down. ¡°This should be neat to watch from a different perspective than being in it.¡± He said, then furled his wings and they disappeared. ¡°I didn''t edit it or anything, so it''s all there and might take a while to see it all.¡± Fire Dancer glared at him as she felt a spike of annoyance that he would use her like a chair; then she saw her uncle Teepo in the same spot on his shoulder. She remembered Ren telling her that he would become her Teepo, then she heard Video Ren start to speak from the display and she turned and watched the show instead of voicing her thoughts. It actually did take a while to watch the whole fight, and Ren felt the reactions and emotions from the Fire elementals. They enjoyed it, since it was entertainment they had never seen before; but, they were also terrified at the power Ren had displayed. Fire Dancer on the other hand, was neither surprised by what she had seen, nor impressed by the spectacle. ¡°You could have killed him immediately.¡± Fire Dancer said, the disdain clear in her voice and emotions. ¡°I could have, but what would be the point?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The quick dispatch of your enemy.¡± Fire Dancer responded. ¡°Then what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°He would have come right back when he regenerated, and then I''d have to fight him again.¡± He said. ¡°Like I said before the fight, I wanted everyone to see that coming after the people I care about was a bad idea.¡± ¡°So you showed them all of your tricks.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°That is not a good idea.¡± ¡°I didn''t show them everything.¡± Ren said and flew down to the large box. ¡°That''s all the direct footage I have.¡± He said and hit a different button. Hundreds of screens popped up all around the throne room, and it showed the views from all of the displays he had scattered about the country and the large one showed the footage from the amusement park. ¡°This is looped from when I first put them all in place.¡± The Fire elementals were captivated by the screens of all the different towns and cities, and all of the people milling around. ¡°There''s only a couple of hours of footage, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I have to leave for Adventurer''s business in 6 years, I''ll have a lot more for you.¡± ¡°In 6 years?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°I''m staying right up until the last moment, then I''ll portal out.¡± Ren said. ¡°Until then, I have a few surprises for you.¡± ¡°Do you, now.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°I sure do.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you can wait until bedtime, I''ll show you the first two.¡± ¡°Why not show them to me right now?¡± ¡°I wouldn''t dare take you away from ruling your realm.¡± Ren said and flew up to land on her shoulder. ¡°I''ll just sit here quietly and keep you company while I wait for your day to end. That way, I''ll only be bothering you on your off time.¡± ¡°Who said you''re not bothering me now?¡± Fire Dancer asked as her annoyance spiked. Ren laughed. ¡°I guess I should have said ''distract you from your duties''.¡± Fire Dancer huffed and had to agree. It would distract her from her duties if she let herself be sucked in by Ren''s antics. Although, she had to admit that the 600 foot wide by 400 foot high display was much clearer than her Viewing Cloud spell. That got her to wondering how he had created it; but, she stopped herself from asking about it. ¡°I noticed you''re staring at the display, but you''re not watching what''s on it.¡± Ren said, and she turned her head to look at him with wide eyes. ¡°I actually didn''t create it. I traded for the original device, then made my own... after modifying it, of course.¡± He chuckled. ¡°The original display was only a couple feet in size, and that just wouldn''t do for what I needed it for.¡± ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°I''m going to tell you everything, so this seemed like a good way to start.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m small enough that I can stand beside your ear all day and keep talking to you if you want.¡± He smiled. ¡°Well, when you''re not busy, I mean.¡± ¡°I''m always busy.¡± Fire Dancer said, and Ren winced. ¡°I know I have no right to ask this; but, can you try not to lie? It hurts me a lot when you do.¡± ¡°Does it?¡± Fire Dancer asked, and Ren felt her mean streak surface. ¡°Well, then...¡± Ren equipped a pair of earmuffs and cut himself off from hearing her words, and he looked at her with a blank face. When she stopped talking and he felt her anger, he took them off. ¡°What are those?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°Noise-cancelling earmuffs.¡± Ren said. ¡°I made them to use during the fight, in case someone showed up and tried to...¡± He shook his head. ¡°It doesn''t matter. They work. If you start lying just to hurt me, I won''t listen to you.¡± ¡°I am the Deity of Fire!¡± Fire Dancer said angrily. ¡°I will lie whenever I want and I forbid you from wearing them!¡± ¡°I am your father, and you can''t forbid me from doing anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can ask, or request, or even order me... but I am my own person. I decide what I will put up with. You can lie all you want; but, I don''t have to listen to it.¡± ¡°Get off my shoulder.¡± Fire Dancer spat. ¡°Yes, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said and took a single step up into the air so that he was no longer on her shoulder. ¡°That''s not what I...¡± Fire Dancer''s anger rose. ¡°Move. Away.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said and walked 6 steps away from her and stopped. ¡°I can feel your emotions, Father.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°You are annoying me on purpose!¡± ¡°Yes, by following your orders to the letter, I can annoy you quite easily.¡± Ren said, then he beamed a smile at her. ¡°So, shall we keep talking while you work, or are you going to order me to go away?¡± ¡°You test my patience.¡± Fire Dancer said, then frowned at him. ¡°You want me to order you to do that, don''t you?¡± ¡°I''m trying my best to show you that you need to be careful what you ask for.¡± Ren said. ¡°Telling me to get off your shoulder, I could interpret that any number of ways and I picked the most annoying one. When you told me to move away, I could easily have taken my spawn point and left the castle.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Fire Dancer caught her breath at that, and Ren felt her surprise. ¡°I''d never do that, and chose to take a few steps away from you.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you did tell me to go away, I could freely leave the Fire Realm and never return.¡± Fire Dancer felt a pang in her heart, and Ren ran forward and touched her cheek. ¡°I wouldn''t have done that, honey.¡± Ren said reassuringly and kissed her cheek. ¡°I would have left the throne room for only a second and came right back.¡± He said and rubbed his hands on her skin. ¡°I''m trying to annoy you, not cause you pain.¡± Fire Dancer calmed down, then she realized what he was doing and her anger flared. ¡°How dare you touch me!¡± ¡°I will not only dare to comfort my daughter when she needs it...¡± Ren moved his hands away so he was no longer touching her. ¡°...I will defy you to do it.¡± He kissed her cheek again and walked over to her ear and used his Fire Manipulation ability to move her fiery hair around to make a spot for him to sit down. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°I can''t be on your shoulder, so your hair will have to do.¡± Ren said and got comfortable. ¡°Plus, I''m closer to your ear now, and I can whisper to you with no chance of you not hearing me.¡± Fire Dancer wasn''t sure what he could possibly whisper to her, and then he spoke. ¡°I love you very much.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°My pride and joy.¡± Fire Dancer was about to tell him to be quiet, and he spoke again. ¡°Your mother would have been very proud of you for keeping her creation alive.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°You''ve kept her from fading and leaving the world in darkness, which was her greatest fear.¡± He said. ¡°If you want, now that you''re old enough and we have enough time, I can tell you all about her.¡± ¡°I know all about her.¡± Fire Dancer said, but the annoyance was gone from her voice. Ren felt her doubt and smiled. ¡°I''ll tell you about her from my perspective while you run the realm.¡± He said. ¡°When I first met your mother, I was in the Dwarven Kingdom back then. It was right after I had maxed my Fire Affinity and gained Immunity...¡± With Ren''s gentle voice in her ear the entire time, the day passed by quickly. Ruling an entire realm wasn''t an easy job, and providing Fire to all the demands that required it was no easy task. She handled it well, since she had been doing it for millennia by this point. When the day came to an end, Ren had given her a perspective on her mother that she had only guessed about. He had also given her his opinions and his emotions at the time, and that was a new experience for her. Fire Dancer stood up from the throne and waved to the Fire elementals in the throne room to remain. They were still watching the looped footage Ren had provided them and barely noticed her. She thought she would be upset by that; but, she could feel their awe and happiness at seeing actual moving pictures when all they had seen before were time lapsed images through her Viewing Cloud spell. She left the throne room and went to her bedroom, and Ren felt her wariness as she entered the room and sat down on her bed. ¡°Do you feel up to seeing the first surprise I have for you?¡± Ren asked as he hopped out of her hair and floated down to his spawn point on his wings. ¡°I suppose.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°I hope you like it.¡± Ren said and went inside the spawn point, then came out with something on his shoulder that wasn''t Teepo, who was still on his other shoulder. ¡°What is that?¡± Fire Dancer asked and leaned down to get a closer look. ¡°I''m not a that.¡± Suniva said and grew twice to be close to Ren''s height. ¡°I''m Suniva. A Fire Pixie.¡± ¡°A... a Fire pixie.¡± Fire Dancer said, surprised. ¡°How? How can you be here?¡± ¡°Ren helped me train for years so that I could gain max affinity.¡± Suniva said. ¡°I already had immunity, since Fire is my element; but, I never suspected that I could ever reach such heights that I would get to meet the great Fire Deity in person.¡± She knelt on one knee like Ren had taught her. ¡°I''m honored and humbled to meet you, Deity of Fire.¡± Fire Dancer didn''t know what to say. In all the time that she had existed, for thousands of years, the only person she knew who had full Affinity with Fire was her father, Ren. Then she thought about what the Fire Pixie said. ¡°Did you say you''ve trained for years?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°I did!¡± Suniva said. ¡°Ren has guided and helped me so much! He even helped me regain my wings!¡± ¡°Show me.¡± Fire Dancer commanded. Suniva opened her armor and unfolded her wings, then flew up into the air. ¡°I''m normally only 1 foot tall, but Ren said I would be too small for you to see.¡± She turned around in the air and hovered. ¡°Just a moment... I can... adjust my... flapping to show... got it!¡± Suniva changed her wing''s movements so that they flickered at a speed that would make them look like they weren''t moving at all. ¡°This took a while to get right, and it makes my wings look like they''re just stuck on when I fly.¡± Suniva said and flew around, and it really did look like she was flying without the aid of wings. ¡°Isn''t that neat?¡± Fire Dancer watched the pixie fly around for a few moments, then she looked at Ren. He did this for me. She thought and let a small smile appear on her face. Ren stood in front of his spawn point and had a smile on his face as he watched Suniva and then he felt Fire Dancer''s emotions shift to him. He looked at her and saw the small smile, and he beamed a huge smile at her. ¡°I have another surprise for you, too.¡± Ren said and went inside the spawn point, then came out with an armored metal woman. ¡°This is Artemis, my ranged combat specialist.¡± Fire Dancer''s emotions shifted away from amusement and back to consternation. ¡°I know who she is, Father.¡± She said. ¡°She is your personally-made concubine.¡± ¡°She didn''t start out that way.¡± Ren said. ¡°I kept things strictly professional at first, then... well...¡± ¡°We spent a lot of time together.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Just like all good relationships, it takes time to build. It takes time to be comfortable with each other and to learn how to be there for them.¡± Fire Dancer frowned. ¡°Yes, it does.¡± She said. ¡°You''ve spent all this time with them and not with me.¡± Ren felt her emotions shift to anger. ¡°Get inside.¡± He said, and Suniva and Artemis darted into the spawn point building. ¡°How dare you bring your sex toy into MY BEDROOM!¡± Fire Dancer yelled, and the sound reverberated off the walls and shook everything. Her hands formed fists and Ren held his hands up in surrender. ¡°I wasn''t planning on having sex with her right beside your bed, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nor did I bring her here for that purpose.¡± He said. ¡°I brought her here to meet you.¡± ¡°Why? To show off how much more you care about her than me?¡± ¡°No, it''s because usually she can never be away from me without causing herself extreme pain.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh? And why didn''t you bring her here before?¡± ¡°The Adventurers I spoke of before? They hurt her, too.¡± Ren explained. ¡°They broke her link to me, and I need to have her by my side if they fix it.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°It''s a good excuse. You even believe it.¡± ¡°It''s true.¡± Teepo said. ¡°My link to him is broken, too.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Fire Dancer blinked her eyes and her anger faded. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I can''t hear his thoughts or share his feelings anymore.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It almost cost me his friendship when I misunderstood something and...¡± Teepo sighed. ¡°We worked it out after a long time. That''s what friends do. We have arguments. We make mistakes.¡± Fire Dancer didn''t say anything in response, but Ren felt her anger waver. ¡°We also talk about it and discuss things, and we work things out.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It takes time, and if you''ll let us, we''ll spend as much time with you as you want.¡± He chittered in laughter. ¡°In some cases, more than you can stand.¡± Fire Dancer smiled. ¡°Until we can relax around each other long enough to talk without coming to blows, Ren has another surprise to distract you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It''s not another sex toy, is it?¡± Fire Dancer asked, angrily. Ren sighed. ¡°Teepo...¡± ¡°It''s something better than that.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Come on, Ren! Show her!¡± ¡°I was going to save this until after we had been here for a while.¡± Ren said and looked around the room, then pointed. ¡°If my limited plans of the castle are correct, that is an outside wall.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°What are you planning to do?¡± ¡°Can you make a doorway there?¡± Ren asked. ¡°This is my realm.¡± Fire Dancer scowled. ¡°I can do anything I want here.¡± ¡°My apologies, Deity of Fire. I misspoke.¡± Ren said and bowed his head. ¡°I said ''can'' when I meant ''will''. It''s a common Adventurer''s mistake.¡± He said. ¡°Will you make a doorway there?¡± Fire Dancer took a breath and let it out, then waved a hand. A doorway formed in the indestructible wall and Ren flew over to it. Teepo told him where to place the 6 inch cube so that it could be enlarged to 10 times its size. When it was activated, it would be in the right spot to be attached to Fire Dancer''s bedroom. Ren ran back into the bedroom and stopped just inside the doorway, then activated the modified Instant Tower of Fire. ¡°Hey, it worked!¡± Ren said as the tower sprung into place and looked at the distance between the new building and the bedroom. ¡°We were only off by a foot, too!¡± ¡°I left that much space so that the battlement walls wouldn''t hit the castle when it expanded.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Then never mind.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It''s perfect.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°If you will pull it in the last bit of distance and attach it, it''s your new library and dressing room.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s my WHAT?¡± Fire Dancer yelled. ¡°I figured you might be a little bored and would like something new to look at.¡± Ren said. ¡°A library.¡± Fire Dancer said in a flat tone. ¡°With thousands of actual books made of parchment!¡± Ren exclaimed and waved to the room. ¡°Hold on, why aren''t they burning?¡± Fire Dancer asked, then she gasped. ¡°You didn''t!¡± ¡°I did!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Each and every one of them has been protected with the Indestructible spell!¡± ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Fire Dancer said in astonishment and walked over to the doorway. She used her Fire Manipulation ability and pulled the tower in close, then attached it to her castle and stepped inside. Chapter 672 - Getting Comfortable ¡°This was what you wanted the spell for?¡± Fire Dancer asked, amazed. ¡°I told you I would use it to make you happy.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°There''s a lounge chair there, and a desk and comfy chair there, and a small shelf of books that are required reading behind it. The rest of the books are upstairs in rows of shelves.¡± He said. ¡°Off to the right are the closets and dressers full of clothing.¡± ¡°I can make my own clothing, Father.¡± Fire Dancer said as she opened a closet. Her anger tried to come back to the surface through her amazement, and she fought to keep it in check as she opened another closet and a drawer. ¡°No, no. They aren''t for you to wear.¡± Ren said and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I know you can make your own. They''re just examples for you to use as a model and then you can form your own with Fire.¡± He said and walked over to a mirror on the wall, grabbed the edge of it, and pulled. ¡°There''s even an all-around mirror for you to use!¡± The mirrors unfolded from the wall and moved along a track easily, and Ren stopped when they made a complete circle. ¡°The middle one is a door.¡± He said and flew up to pull on the handle, and it opened up. ¡°Just stand in the middle and you can see all around you.¡± Fire Dancer couldn''t help herself and stepped in, then gasped as she saw herself. ¡°Th-that''s me?¡± ¡°Aren''t you just the most beautiful daughter ever?¡± Ren asked and flew in as he shut the humongous door. Hundreds of reflections appeared around them, and they could see themselves at every angle. ¡°Yeah, I know I''m biased because I''m your father, but still.¡± Ren beamed a smile at her. ¡°You look just like your mother.¡± ¡°I... I do?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°If you promise not to be upset, I can show you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why would I get upset?¡± Fire Dancer asked, and she glared at him. ¡°Your temper is right there at the surface, trying to break free with any excuse.¡± Ren said, flew over and unhooked the mirror from the wall, then pushed them back into place against the wall. It left the front mirror still exposed and he took out a picture frame with a piece of spider silk cloth in it. ¡°The Full Illusion spell can create anything I can picture in my head.¡± Ren said as he landed on the floor, then leaned the frame against the wall. He enlarged it until it was about 800 feet tall, then thought back to the first time he met the Fire Deity, then he remembered meeting the real one after she had cast off all of her creations. He put the two images together, made sure that her breasts and nether regions were covered in flames, then cast Full Illusion on the spider silk canvas. Fire Dancer gasped as her mother, practically her spitting image, appeared before her in the picture frame. Fire Dancer looked from the frame to her reflection in the mirror, and the only real difference that she could see was that she wore Fire-created clothing in the mirror and a flame bikini in the picture. ¡°I told you.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°She''s still the most exotic woman I''ve ever met.¡± He said. ¡°I mean, she was the Deity of Fire, and she wanted to meet me!¡± He laughed. ¡°I was so outclassed, it wasn''t funny!¡± ¡°Unlike with me?¡± Fire Dancer asked and looked at him with squinted eyes. ¡°Actually, you''re a lot more powerful than her.¡± Ren said, and that made Fire Dancer pause. ¡°I was really weak then, too. She could have killed me in a snap and I wouldn''t have even known I was dead.¡± He chuckled. ¡°And yet... she needed me. She needed my help.¡± Fire Dancer sighed. ¡°You''ve told me all of this.¡± ¡°Yes, and I''ll tell you it all again whenever you want me to.¡± Ren said. ¡°She lives on in you, and in me.¡± He said. ¡°As long as we remember her, she will never truly be gone.¡± Fire Dancer reached out and touched the cheek of her mother''s face on the picture. ¡°I didn''t even know her.¡± She said. ¡°How can I miss someone I never met?¡± ¡°The heart is funny that way.¡± Ren said and flew up to lightly pat the hand Fire Dancer had on the painting, then he stored the painting. ¡°Hey!¡± Fire Dancer''s anger flared. ¡°I''m just hanging it up so you can see it whenever you enter the room.¡± Ren said and pointed to a large empty spot on the wall. ¡°You planned to make it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got one of you, too.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Look up.¡± Fire Dancer looked up at the ceiling and saw herself sitting on the throne with hundreds of Fire elementals around her. ¡°Wh-what...¡± ¡°It''s a reminder for you to not get too lost in this retreat.¡± Ren said and hung up the 800 foot tall painting of her mother on the wall. ¡°You can take breaks here, but you are still the ruler of the realm.¡± He said. ¡°This place is for relaxing after your work is done.¡± ¡°You don''t have to tell me that, Father.¡± Fire Dancer said, annoyed. ¡°I remember mother''s dying wish.¡± ¡°I know, but this place is tempting.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s why I wanted to wait to introduce you to it.¡± ¡°You were going to make me acclimate slowly, were you?¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Ren said. ¡°The first time I had access to new knowledge, I stayed up all night and didn''t sleep at all.¡± He said, then chuckled. ¡°Rosie was pretty mad.¡± ¡°Rosie?¡± ¡°She was the librarian at the time I went to learn all about the elements.¡± Ren said. ¡°When she realized I had stayed there all night reading, she screamed at me and kicked me out, then told me not to come back until I got some sleep.¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Fire Dancer laughed. ¡°I like her!¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°She was one of the first people to like me for who I was and not for what I could do for them.¡± Both Ren''s and Fire Dancer''s emotions shifted from happiness to sombreness at the same time, then they exchanged glances. ¡°So... um...¡± Ren looked around for something else to show her. ¡°I think it''s time for bed.¡± Fire Dancer said, and Ren flew behind her as she left the room and entered the bedroom. Her clothing shifted from every day clothes to a frilly nightgown, and he recognized it as one of the ones that he had added to the closet. He held in his smile as she climbed into bed; but, she could feel his emotions and knew he was happy that she had changed her clothing.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Goodnight, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said as he landed in front of his spawn point. ¡°Sleep well, Deity of Fire.¡± Teepo said from his shoulder. ¡°Pleasant dreams, Deity of Fire.¡± Suniva said and waved from the closest window in the spawn point building. ¡°Please, don''t kill us in our sleep, Deity of Fire.¡± Artemis said from the edge of the doorway. Teepo chittered in laughter and Ren clamped his mouth shut so he wouldn''t laugh. ¡°I''ll... try not to.¡± Fire Dancer said and stopped herself from smiling. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren entered the spawn point building and equipped his armor bodysuit so that there would be no way for anything to happen. Suniva stayed in her 4 foot tall form and also equipped her armor bodysuit. Artemis did the same, and the three of them climbed into bed together. ¡°These bodysuits are a little awkward.¡± Suniva said and pat Ren''s chest through the bodysuit. ¡°That''s because we just spent 6 months in bed together with nothing between us.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, that''s also why I spent 6 month in bed with you, so we wouldn''t be tempted to have sex right away.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You do realize that the Deity of Fire can hear us, right?¡± ¡°Why else do you think I left the windows out of the building but left the holes?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I know she can hear us because I want her to hear us.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m not hiding anything from her. If she wants to know something, I''ll tell her about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll also do everything I can to repair our relationship. Not only will I give her anything she wants, I''ll also make anything she needs me to make.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°We are going to be here for years, Artemis. No, decades.¡± Ren said, and they felt the gravity of those words. ¡°Just us. I love you and I love Suniva. I want you to be here with me, so that I can spend this time with my daughter and not have to worry about you.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Suniva said. ¡°How long...¡± ¡°A week.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can last a week.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I think.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°The cell block is completely empty now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to assume that I need to go in there and repair the damage I did.¡± He leaned over and kissed Suniva on the lips. ¡°That''s going to take a while. Once I get the place all fixed up, we can sneak off and fool around a little.¡± ¡°Geez, Ren. The deity of Fire can still hear us.¡± Artemis said and Suniva giggled. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and kissed Artemis, too. ¡°Are we staying in bed after the hour?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°We''ll stay in bed for as long as the Deity of Fire does.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you going to give her a Sustenance ring, too?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°She doesn''t really need it, but yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not sure the Mana boosters and Stat boosters I can provide will work on her, since she''s the Deity of Fire; but, we''ll find all that out eventually.¡± He said and kissed them both again. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± They said and cuddled in, then they all drifted off to sleep. * Fire Dancer laid in bed and stared at the spawn point building as her father and his wenches talked. She really could easily hear them, then she berated herself for thinking them both as wenches. Since the only one Ren had made was Artemis, she hadn''t suspected he was sleeping with the Fire pixie as well. I wonder how all that came about? Fire Dancer thought, and then Ren said he would tell her anything she wanted to know. I wonder if that is actually true? She asked herself, then he said he would give or make her anything she wanted. I guess we will find out tomorrow. Fire Dancer felt the currents of Fire that flowed throughout the realm, and they let her keep track of everything that existed and to maintain or change their forms when necessary. If she didn''t make sure she had them set in her mind, things tended to go out of control. Unfortunately, Fire Dancer could only feel the emotions of those that had a Fire Affinity within her Aura, and not everything in the entire realm, which was how the uprising had had the chance to sprout in the first place. She knew there were others in the realm that were still thinking of trying to overthrow her tyrannical reign, and she wanted to dig them out and absorb them before their views could spread any further. He said he would do anything to repair our relationship. Fire Dancer thought and smiled as she relaxed. She fell asleep, but not completely. She had learned long ago to stay awake just enough to be alert and wary of her surroundings. If anything moved within her Aura and immediate surroundings, she would know it and wake instantly to deal with it, whatever it was. * Ren, Suniva, and Artemis woke just over an hour later, then stayed in bed. They didn''t talk, because they knew that Fire Dancer would hear them, and they didn''t try to get up or move around for the same reason. Ren''s hands had groped Suniva and Artemis; but, with the armor bodysuits in place, neither of them had felt much... and they all missed that feeling. By the time ''morning'' came around in the Fire Realm, Suniva and Artemis had stored their armor bodysuits and were clutching Ren''s hands to their chests greedily. He hadn''t objected to this, mainly because he still had his armor bodysuit on, and he knew they needed to be touched just as much as he wanted to touch them. They felt Fire Dancer wake up 6 hours later, so Ren let Suniva and Artemis go and they equipped their bodysuits again. The three of them got out of bed and walked over to the door of the spawn point building to watch the Deity of Fire wake up. Teepo landed on Ren''s shoulder and watched as well. Fire Dancer rolled over in bed and huffed loudly. ¡°Some days I just don''t want to get out of bed.¡± Ren commented, and she turned her head to look at him. ¡°That''s because you have someone in your bed.¡± Fire Dancer said, and he smiled. ¡°It wasn''t always that way... and even now, especially when I''m on Adventurer''s business, I don''t want to get out of bed at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°Having someone else in the bed helps some days; but, most of the time it''s because I''m weary and I don''t feel like facing the day.¡± Fire Dancer nodded. ¡°Yes, that''s it. I''m weary.¡± ¡°That''s why I''m here. That''s why we''re all here.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to be weary anymore.¡± ¡°That''s easy for you to say.¡± Fire Dancer said and sat up. ¡°You don''t have to police an entire realm to make sure no one else is trying to overthrow you.¡± ¡°I thought you killed the last of them?¡± Ren asked. ¡°They were the ringleaders, yes.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°That doesn''t mean I''ve gotten rid of them all.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t suppose you know who they are? Their followers?¡± Fire Dancer sighed. ¡°I can''t detect dissent unless they are within my Aura.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°If you would excuse me from my Teepo duties for today, I''ll fix that.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°The same way I extended my Aura in the Earth Realm.¡± Ren said. ¡°I created an artificial Aura.¡± ¡°You can''t possibly mean to cover the entire realm like that.¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Well, not on the first day.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s going to take a long time, depending on how far the realm goes. It may be weeks before it''s done.¡± ¡°You''re serious?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll make a small one at first, just to make sure you can handle the extra emotional strain, then...¡± ¡°I can handle it!¡± Fire Dancer said, angrily. ¡°I said to make sure, I didn''t say in case you can''t.¡± Ren said, and he felt her push her anger down. ¡°I know you can do it; but, it''s going to be tough to do that and your duties at the same time.¡± ¡°I''ll manage.¡± ¡°You always have.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, what do you say?¡± ¡°You can leave my sight, but you need to take one of the greater elementals with you so I can keep an eye on you.¡± ¡°It''s not necessary, but I''ll gladly accept the company.¡± Ren said. ¡°Suniva and Artemis? Stay here, please.¡± ¡°But...¡± Both women said at the same time. ¡°I''m not going far for the first Aura line. Only 10 miles.¡± Ren said. ¡°Artemis can see us from the top of the new addition at that distance.¡± Teepo said. ¡°All right.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I am going with you when you do the next one.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Ren said and looked at Fire Dancer. ¡°Deity of Fire, I''ll get started right away and should have it done by this evening.¡± He said and took out a modified Sustenance ring. ¡°I was going to wait to give this to you, then I felt your furtive sleep last night and I realized I should have given it to you yesterday.¡± Fire Dancer held her hand out and Ren placed it on the tip of her finger. ¡°Just equip it and it will resize to fit.¡± Ren said, and she did it. The ring appeared on her finger, and she stared at it. ¡°I only need to sleep for an hour? Really?¡± ¡°That''s all we slept for, then we cuddled for the rest of the night.¡± Ren said and motioned to Suniva and Artemis. ¡°It takes a day to kick in, though.¡± Fire Dancer smiled at him and made a fist, the ring glowed for an instant, and then she sighed. ¡°Oh, that''s nice.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Ren asked, curious. ¡°I activated it.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°This is my realm. I control all aspects of it.¡± ¡°Including the time?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, that was set by Vasalor himself when it was created.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°I just removed the time requirement.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Then I''m really sorry that I didn''t give it to you yesterday.¡± Fire Dancer chuckled. ¡°There is a lot that you don''t know about me, Father.¡± ¡°I want to know it all, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said, sincerely. ¡°When you feel like sharing, and have the time to spare, and after we finish work...¡± ¡°Stop. Stop!¡± Fire Dancer laughed and held a hand up. ¡°I get it. We''re both busy.¡± She said. ¡°A Greater Fire elemental is waiting for you in the throne room.¡± ¡°I''ll leave right away.¡± Ren said and bowed to her, equipped his platinum armor, then disappeared from sight. Chapter 673 - Deep Realizations Ren appeared in the throne room and saw that a Greater Fire elemental was waiting beside the doors. ¡°Hi! You''re my escort today.¡± He said and took the arm stub and shook it. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± The Greater Fire elemental made the sound of a roaring fire with several breaking branches, and Ren laughed. ¡°Yeah, I''m crazy. Let''s go.¡± Ren said and used his Fire Manipulation ability to pick the Greater Fire elemental up, and it let out snapping branch sounds in both protest and surprise. Ren ignored this as he opened one of the huge doors and left the throne room and the castle at his best speed. Now that he knew the Solid Fire Wall spell that would let him make things at any size, he did the same thing that he had in the Earth Realm and created huge square enchanted bricks and planted them in the ground every 50 feet to give the artificial Aura full coverage. * ¡°You love my father.¡± Fire Dancer said without any inflection in her voice, and she changed her frilly night gown into her work clothes. ¡°I do, Deity of Fire.¡± Suniva responded before Artemis could. ¡°Not only did he save my life and those of everyone that had been trapped in Shargon Caverns with me, he also rescued us.¡± She said. ¡°He''s kind, gentle, caring, and he can kick butt whenever it''s necessary.¡± She smiled. ¡°It''s almost never necessary, though. Sometimes he can find ways around it. This last fight was a bit personal for him, because that guy threatened the Sage of Ages.¡± ¡°I heard.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Not during the fight.¡± Artemis said. ¡°This happened when that man first visited the county and issued the challenge to Ren.¡± Fire Dancer glanced at her. ¡°Explain.¡± Artemis ducked her head. ¡°Of course, Deity of Fire.¡± She said, then told her all about what had happened that day. * Ren worked hard all day, and he eventually fell into a rhythm. He covered the entire 10 mile circle all around the castle, and the Greater Fire elemental hadn''t grumbled or complained once as it was carried for the entire day, despite its surprise that Ren could do everything he was doing and was still able to use his Fire Manipulation ability to carry it around. At one point, Ren felt it become hungry, so he cast a Fire Wall and handed it to the Greater Fire elemental, who took it gratefully and absorbed the Fire from it instantly. The wall spell dissolved then; but, since there was nothing left of it anyway, that part didn''t matter. When the day''s work was done, Ren headed back to the castle and dropped the Greater Fire elemental off at the throne room. Fire Dancer wasn''t there, so Ren flew to her bedroom and saw her as she sat on the bed and Suniva and Artemis were talking to her. When he was close enough for his Aura to cover them, all three of them turned and looked at him. ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to interrupt.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please, continue.¡± ¡°It''s... girl talk.¡± Suniva said. ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll go start work on the cells I damaged, then.¡± ¡°You don''t have to...¡± Fire Dancer started to say, but Ren quickly flew back over to the door. ¡°I should have started it today, so I''m a little behind.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back in an hour or so.¡± He said and left the room and flew over to the cells. Whatever they were talking about, he didn''t want to interrupt their bonding. He was also sure that he really didn''t want to know what they were discussing. Ren wasn''t sure if he should try to repair the damage to the cells or just replace it, then figured that replacing it would be faster than trying to fix what was there. So, he removed the damaged parts in the first cell and created new Solid Fire pieces to replace them. The replacements were installed surprisingly quickly, so Ren moved on to the next cell and did the same thing to that one. When he finished the third cell, Teepo told him an hour had passed, and he casually flew back to Fire Dancer''s bedroom because he wanted to take his time. When he entered the room, Fire Dancer was laying down in bed and watched him fly over to the spawn point building. ¡°How was your day?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The same as yesterday.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°The same as every day.¡± ¡°Well, it''s going to be a little different after we all get some sleep.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ll teach you how to activate the artificial Aura and merge your own into it.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said and bowed to her, then went inside the spawn point building. ¡°Did you two have a good day?¡± He asked Suniva and Artemis. ¡°Kind of.¡± Artemis said. ¡°We spent most of it right here waiting for you.¡± ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll work out something better for the next time I go out for an extended period of time.¡± ¡°You can use one of those display boxes for them to watch you by setting one near yourself, somehow.¡± Fire Dancer''s voice came in through the window. ¡°Ha! That''s a great idea!¡± Ren said and used the Solid Fire spell to create an arm that attached to his armor and set one of the recording boxes on it. He hit the button on the display box to change it to receive the signal, then turned them both on. ¡°No, too close.¡± He said when he saw the image. He extended the arm another 6 inches and nodded. ¡°There we go.¡± ¡°Can I get that on the screens in the throne room?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°You sure can.¡± Ren said and took out the small box he had and hit the button on that. ¡°I''ve also been setting them up at different locations in and around the castle, so that you can see what''s going on as well as feel it when you activate the Aura.¡± ¡°That''s very kind of you.¡± Fire Dancer said, a bit resentfully. ¡°I''m doing it so that when you feel something, you can immediately look at it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless you kill or destroy it first.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Then you can just see the remains.¡± ¡°You really don''t mind me killing like that?¡± Fire Dancer asked, surprised. ¡°I can''t argue against you using capital punishment.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless you''re snuffing them out for crossing the road without looking first. That I would have to object to.¡± Fire Dancer laughed. ¡°No, nothing so mundane as that.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said and equipped his armor bodysuit to replace his platinum armor. ¡°Now I can relax and cuddle with my cuddle buddies.¡± ¡°I think we should read our stat books first.¡± Artemis suggested. ¡°Oh, damn! I forgot that we should have read them yesterday.¡± Ren said and the three of them went to the desk and sat down to read their stat books. It took half an hour for them to read all 7 books to put their stats up a single point each, then they went to bed. They slept for just over an hour and woke up, and they had even kept their armor bodysuits on. For the next hour, Ren taught Fire Dancer how to activate the artificial Aura and then how to merge her own Aura with it. Once she could do that without difficulty, he helped her refine her feelings and how well she could pick out individual things, which took a couple of hours. When she did that fairly well, he used his Aura Sense ability on her and found the different kinds of Auras she had. When he told her what ones she had, she was surprised... and then she was angry that she had them and hadn''t been able to use them. Ren told her that she would have needed someone like him to find them first, and that changed the anger at herself, to anger at him, for not being there for her. He tried to explain that he hadn''t had the abilities for long; but, she didn''t want to hear it. ¡°Stop giving me excuses, Father! Just show me how to activate them!¡± Fire Dancer said angrily. ¡°I am going to show you!¡± Ren said back, just as angrily. ¡°Why else would I tell you about them?¡± ¡°So you can hold it over my head and try to coerce or control me.¡± Fire Dancer spat at him. ¡°Ha ha ha!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°What part of ''I''ll tell you everything and give you anything you want'' does ''coercion and control of you'' fall under?¡± Fire Dancer frowned at him, and he stopped laughing and looked at her with serious eyes. ¡°Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°Over the next 6 years, I will be telling you and showing you everything I know.¡± He said. ¡°The only things you can''t do yourself are enchantments, and I''m still going to tell you all about them and what they can do. While I am here, whatever you want, I will do it for you.¡± Fire Dancer thought back to when she was a teenager and remembered that he had done the same thing back then. He taught her everything he knew at the time, and even though she couldn''t enchant anything, he still showed her how it worked. ¡°Very well.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°I will try to not accuse you...¡± ¡°No, that''s not good enough.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am your father. All I ever wanted is what''s best for you. Even back then when I had the ability to control you with just my voice, I never did.¡± He said. ¡°I always asked and I never ordered you.¡± Fire Dancer didn''t quite remember it that way. ¡°I can feel your doubt, so I am going to tell you the truth. The only order I''ve ever given you was when I ordered you to stand still and decide if I was going to live or die.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened at the truth in his words. ¡°That... that can''t be...¡± Fire Dancer said, quite astonished. ¡°I have perfect memory, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve relived your birth and raised you thousands of times since it happened.¡± Fire Dancer couldn''t think of any way to respond to that statement. ¡°I kept going over it in my mind to see if there was any way I could have done better, even though my motto is that what I go through I am supposed to go through, in order to end up where I am now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I couldn''t find any fault in my actions or my choice of words; not even when I had to leave you.¡± Fire Dancer sighed. ¡°Father...¡± ¡°At the time, I suspected I was going to be in so much trouble for staying so long.¡± Ren said. ¡°When Teepo and I left the Fire Realm, we were both shocked that only a few minutes had actually passed.¡± ¡°We were both really sad when the shock wore off a few minutes later and we realized that weeks had already passed for you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°We knew then that... well, our lives...¡± ¡°We were on very different paths.¡± Ren said. ¡°As the days passed for us, decades passed for you.¡± He said. ¡°The more time that went by, the further away I was from you.¡± Fire Dancer didn''t say anything, but Ren could feel her emotions. ¡°There''s nothing I can do about not being able to be here for you when you needed me, and I will regret it for the rest of my life that I let you down like that.¡± Ren said, and he let her feel some of that deep well of regret. Fire Dancer caught her breath at the strength of it. ¡°F-father...¡± ¡°All I can do is be here for you now and give you everything that I couldn''t before.¡± Ren said and held in his tears. ¡°I hope that someday... somehow... you can look at me and not feel disappointment.¡± Fire Dancer closed her mouth so that she wouldn''t automatically forgive him for everything, despite her need to do so. She could feel his sincerity and his sorrow, and she knew that if she told him right now that it was possible for them to get to that point, it would erase that sorrow instantly... and she couldn''t do it. Ren not being there for her was a very heavy weight for her to carry all these years, and she didn''t want to be the only one to have been tasked to carry that burden. Fire Dancer kept her mouth closed and felt Ren''s acceptance that it might not be possible. She felt her own satisfaction that she had won their emotional battle this day and then she felt immense guilt over it. Ren was instantly by her face and kissed her cheek several times and rubbed her skin with his hands. ¡°No! You have every right to feel the way you do!¡± He said and comforted her, gave her cheek one more kiss, then flew back to the spawn point building before her anger flared at him touching her. ¡°Don''t you dare feel guilty that you won''t let me off the hook right away.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t deserve it, anyway.¡± Fire Dancer opened her mouth, and he held up his hands to stop whatever she was going to say. ¡°Before you speak, let''s get one thing clear.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m not here to do penance. I submitted myself to you as your prisoner for the sole reason that you would let me come here.¡± Fire Dancer blinked her eyes at him for a moment, then she frowned. ¡°Then why...¡± ¡°I made the choice to come here, against a few protests.¡± Ren said. ¡°No one is forcing me to be here or to do everything I can to make it up to you. I''m doing this of my own free will. Like I told you before, I want to be here, and I''ve even brought people with me so that this place will feel more like home.¡± He said. ¡°Because, it''s not where you live that counts, it''s who you''re with.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Suniva said and hugged him from behind. ¡°I feel the same way!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°When you go on Adventurer''s business, I feel like part of me is missing and I can''t wait for you to return.¡± She said. ¡°When you do, even if we''re apart and don''t get to spend time together, I''m still okay.¡± Ren turned around in her arms. ¡°I know you think that I have a lot of others that you believe you need to compete against; but, you really don''t have to compete because there''s no competition.¡± He said and leaned down to kiss her. Suniva''s bright yellow and orange Fire burst forth, and neither she nor Ren tried to contain it this time. They weren''t worried about damaging anything, since everything was made of Fire anyway, so they let it flow out and out. Fire Dancer reached a hand out and caressed the different color Fire, and Suniva gasped at the touch and broke the kiss. ¡°You felt that?¡± Fire Dancer asked, surprised. ¡°Y-yes, Deity of Fire.¡± Suniva said and ducked her head against Ren''s chest as she pulled the Fire back. ¡°I''m sorry for making such a display in your presence.¡± ¡°That''s... quite all right.¡± Fire Dancer said, and looked at her fingertips. Bits of Suniva''s Fire danced around her fingers, then quickly dissipated because they no longer had a source to keep them going. ¡°You have surprised me yet again, Father.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You haven''t seen it when...¡± ¡°REN!¡± Suniva yelled and smack his chest, and he laughed. ¡°I wasn''t volunteering to... never mind.¡± Ren said and looked at Fire Dancer. ¡°We still have several hours left in the night; but, I don''t want to overload you with things you can do. I think we should take a break and just rest, then sleep for an hour before we have to get up in the morning.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°I already have too many things to think about without adding even more tonight.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Exactly.¡± He said. ¡°Goodnight, Deity of Fire.¡± ¡°Goodnight... Father.¡± Fire Dancer said as she laid down on her bed. ¡°Goodnight!¡± Suniva said as she dragged Ren inside the spawn point building and they climbed into bed with Artemis. They cuddled and held each other for a few hours, then Teepo told them to go to sleep. ¡°Yes, mother.¡± Ren joked and Teepo chittered in laughter, then everything went quiet as they all drifted off to sleep. The next day passed by quickly. Then the next and the next. Days turned into weeks, then into months and finally into years. Because they only needed 1 hour of sleep at night, they could work for a full day and spend most of the night together. For the next 6 years, during the day Ren expanded the artificial Aura while Fire Dancer ran the realm. During the night they read books, tried on different clothes, told stories, talked, and generally just spent time together. Fire Dancer''s moods and emotions slowly and gradually started to change from being very quick to anger to only being annoyed, and she grew to like having someone else around. She wasn''t quite at the enjoyment stage, even after all this time, mainly because she knew that the time they were spending together was coming to an end. Ren had Adventurer''s business to attend to soon. Chapter 674 - Temporary Goodbyes ¡°I''m really sorry that I need to leave.¡± Ren apologized to Fire Dancer as the time he had to leave approached. ¡°I''m going to be gone for a while, too.¡± ¡°I know, Father.¡± Fire Dancer said, grumpily. ¡°You''ve told me this already.¡± ¡°I don''t want to be away from you for that long; but, I have things I need to take care of.¡± Ren said as he hugged her cheek. ¡°I want you to know that I''m going to miss you, and I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± Fire Dancer rolled her eyes as Ren kissed her cheek. ¡°Yes, Father. You''ve told me that, too.¡± Ren pat her cheek and stepped back. ¡°I''ll make a quick hop out and then back to get you the new videos first.¡± He said. ¡°That should at least keep you slightly occupied for a while.¡± Fire Dancer sighed. ¡°You do realize that the more you apologize for having to leave, the more I want you to go?¡± Ren managed to not wince at the partial lie and chuckled instead. ¡°I can feel your emotions, remember? I know you''re going to miss me just as much as I''m going to miss you.¡± ¡°That... I...¡± Fire Dancer closed her mouth and wouldn''t speak. ¡°It''s time, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Okay! One quick trip coming up.¡± Ren said and landed by the spawn point, then cast the Portal spell as Teepo dissolved into the ring. ¡°See you soon!¡± Suniva said and went through the portal. ¡°I''m sorry you don''t like me very much.¡± Artemis said. ¡°It''s not that I don''t like you, Artemis. It''s just...¡± Fire Dancer didn''t know how to finish that sentence. ¡°She''s only ever seen you as my plaything and not as the ranged combat specialist you really are... that I have sex with.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Father!¡± Fire Dancer gasped. ¡°Ren!¡± Artemis exclaimed at the same time, and he laughed. ¡°She knows we do it.¡± Ren said and motioned to the portal. ¡°That''s because you tell her where we''re going and what we''re doing.¡± Artemis shook her head and stepped through the portal. ¡°You really didn''t have to tell me every single time, Father.¡± Fire Dancer sighed. ¡°I''m not going to hide or sneak off without telling you what I''m doing.¡± Ren flew up close and kissed her cheek again, then flew back to the portal. ¡°I love you, Deity of Fire.¡± He said. ¡°See you in a couple days.¡± Fire Dancer nodded and Ren stepped through the portal. She knew that it would only be a minute in the Earth Realm but it would be almost 4 days for her. She took several breaths and relaxed, then went to bed. She hadn''t realized that she liked feeling someone nearby as she slept, even if it was only for an hour. She woke up after an hour and looked at the library and decided she would wait before going back in there. It seemed too lonely without having someone else there. The days crawled by and Fire Dancer wasn''t sure why. Her work day wasn''t any different, and yet... her view of the work day had changed. She had looked forward to going to her room at night, just so she could spend time with her father, even though he had only been around for a short time. She closed her eyes and held in her sigh, then a portal opened near her in the throne room. Ren stepped out of the portal and caught his breath at the emotions he felt from her. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± He said and flew over to her. ¡°I knew this first break was going to be hard on you.¡± He said and stopped himself before he touched her, then he ignored propriety and hugged her cheek and kissed it. ¡°I''m not going to tell you that it gets easier, because when you miss the ones you love, it never gets easier.¡± He pat her cheek and floated back slightly. ¡°I''ve got the new footage for the day.¡± Ren took out the little box and pointed it to the large one on the floor and clicked the button. All of the screens changed and showed people riding the rides in the amusement park and having fun. ¡°You can change and select the different things to show, including more footage of the Marilith Demon, as well as the townsfolk in all the towns and cities around the country.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did she catch a pig yet?¡± Fire Dancer asked, and Ren could feel that she didn''t really want an answer and only asked because she was supposed to. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°When you feel like it, watch it and let me know.¡± Fire Dancer nodded, and he felt her emotions had shifted to despondence. ¡°I need to get back.¡± Ren said and he flew over to her ear and whispered. ¡°Look under your pillow tonight.¡± Fire Dancer felt his teasing emotions and she turned her head to demand that he tell her what he did. He deftly flew out of the way before she could, though. ¡°Even though I''ve explained countless times that for me on Adventurer''s business, it''s only going to be a few hours, it doesn''t compare in the least to the handful of years you need to go through.¡± Ren said. ¡°I deeply regret that, and you should know that I''ve experienced it as well.¡± ¡°How?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°I''ll explain when I return.¡± Ren said and floated close. ¡°I will always return to you, Deity of Fire.¡± Fire Dancer didn''t try to move as Ren kissed the tip of her nose, nor did her anger flare, because she felt the strength of his conviction. She only nodded and he beamed a smile at her. ¡°Enjoy your present.¡± Ren said and cast another Portal spell, then stepped through it. Fire Dancer managed to get through the rest of the day without having her thoughts linger on Ren and went to her bedroom. She glanced at her night stand and at the empty spawn point building. She felt a pang of loneliness at that emptiness, then remembered that if anything happened to him, he would reappear there with her. That made her smile as she climbed onto the bed, because even in death, he wanted to be with her. Fire Dancer paused with her hand on the pillow, because she knew that if she looked at whatever it was, there would be nothing new until Ren returned in 7 years, assuming he stayed away for the entire Earth Realm night. She took in a deep breath and let it out, then let her curiosity get the better of her and moved the pillow aside. Underneath it was a large Solid Fire square and she recognized the enchantment emblazoned on its surface.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Fire Dancer picked the square up and placed it in the middle of the room and activated the Stored Spell rune. The Full Illusion spell inside was cast and a 1,170 foot tall Ren appeared in front of her. Since Fire Dancer was 1000 feet tall herself, she was quite surprised at its appearance. ¡°Deity of Fire, if you''re seeing this, then my leaving on Adventurer''s business must be bothering you just as much as it bothers me.¡± Illusion Ren said and ducked his head slightly. ¡°You know I can cast the Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything spell as many times as I want. This size is what I would be if I cast it 8 times upon myself.¡± Fire Dancer stepped forward and reached out to touch the image, then stopped herself before she did. ¡°I didn''t think making myself this large so soon would be good for you, because I didn''t want to insult your divinity or diminish the struggles you went through to become so powerful.¡± Illusion Ren said. ¡°However, I did tell you that I would defy you to comfort you, so I wanted you to know that when I come back, I will assume this size whenever you want me to.¡± ¡°F-father... I...¡± Fire Dancer tried to speak; but, the words became caught in her throat. ¡°It''s all right, Deity of Fire.¡± Illusion Ren said. ¡°Before you know it, I will be back by your side. I love you and I''ll see you soon.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°You can activate this at any time as a reminder... both of my love and my promise.¡± Fire Dancer caught her breath as the Full Illusion ended and he faded away. ¡°Father.¡± She said and activated it again. Illusion Ren appeared and started to speak, and she ignored it as she reached her hand out and touched it. It was completely solid and had no give to it at all, so she sighed and dropped her hand from the surface. He couldn''t have had enough time to make it completely real. Fire Dancer thought and watched it deactivate. It''s just a message and nothing more. She picked up the large Solid Fire square and put it inside the Library on the floor next to the large desk, then went back to her bedroom and laid down to go to sleep. She glanced at the ring on her finger and deactivated its sleep function, so that she would sleep through the night... and the time she would have normally spent with Ren. * ¡°I really hate leaving her like this.¡± Ren said and absorbed the Everlasting Fire inside the Magical Barrier of Protection that the portal had ejected. ¡°You have friends that need you, and you need to go on Adventurer''s business.¡± Artemis said. ¡°We''ve been telling her for years...¡± ¡°It still hurts.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would have stayed.¡± Suniva said, and he took her hand. ¡°No, even after all this time and despite all of our efforts, I can feel her anger just below the surface. She could hurt or kill you if you say something she doesn''t like or if you upset her.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want you there without me to protect you by becoming the focus of her irrational anger.¡± Suniva sighed. ¡°I''m going to miss her, even if it is only overnight.¡± ¡°She''s definitely missing us right now.¡± Ren said and let Suniva feel it. ¡°That poor girl.¡± Suniva said as tears sprung to her eyes. ¡°You''re right.¡± Ren said. ¡°She might be thousands of years old in age; but, she''s still only a teenager at heart. With no one around to guide and help her deal with things...¡± ¡°She''s been stuck in perpetual adolescence.¡± Artemis said, and Ren nodded. ¡°She won''t be that way for long, though. We are going to make sure she matures into a proper adult.¡± Ren said confidently. ¡°I can''t believe we''re helping you raise the Deity of Fire.¡± Suniva said in surprise, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I know, right? You wouldn''t think anything like that was possible, and yet... here we are.¡± Ren said as he checked the All-Seeing Mirror and cast another Portal spell. ¡°Ladies, after you.¡± Artemis stepped through into the big bedroom of the house in Aurora, then Suniva and Ren did so as well. ¡°My King.¡± Seldanna, the Sovereign of the Succubi said. ¡°Hi, Seldanna.¡± Ren said and stepped into the air and kissed her. ¡°Would you like to be first?¡± ¡°I would be honored, My King.¡± Seldanna said and Ren opened a portal to the Sanctuary, then Ren, Seldanna, and Artemis stepped in. The portal disappeared for only 15 seconds and reappeared, then the three of them stepped out. ¡°That was fast.¡± Suniva said with a big grin. ¡°I had no other purpose than to spend time with Seldanna.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Over 3 days of direct attention from My King was all I could take.¡± Seldanna said, both happily and sadly. ¡°I needed a break.¡± Ren laughed and looked at the other three succubi. ¡°Who''s next?¡± ¡°Me!¡± Chenoa said and raised her hand before the other two could even move. ¡°After you.¡± Ren said. Chenoa hopped up and jumped through the portal almost instantly. Ren laughed again and took Artemis'' hand, then stepped through the portal. Once again, barely 15 seconds had passed when the portal reappeared. ¡°Whew!¡± Chenoa stumbled out of the portal and flopped onto the bed. ¡°Hee hee hee!¡± ¡°What did you do to her?¡± Katori asked Ren as she felt the giddy emotions coming from Chenoa. ¡°It''s like she''s drunk!¡± ¡°Come with me and find out.¡± Ren said with a smile and held his hand out. ¡°Yes, My King.¡± Katori said and took his hand without hesitation. He lifted her up into his arms, which made her laugh, then they entered the portal. They were back barely 12 seconds later, and Katori was unconscious. ¡°My King, you really should pace yourself.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°I am pacing myself.¡± Ren chuckled and wiggled his fingers at Ellaria, the last of the succubi. She hopped up off of the bed and tried to dodge around him, and he grabbed her sides and tickled her. She laughed and broke free, then jumped through the portal. Ren and Artemis followed her a moment later. The three of them were back after 16 seconds. Ellaria had walked out of the portal and exuded confidence for almost 5 seconds, then she clutched onto Seldanna and her legs gave out. ¡°My brave little warrior.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Good work.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Ellaria managed to say, then she passed out. ¡°I was actually tempted to give them each a full minute in the Sanctuary.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t want to completely exhaust them too many times, though.¡± ¡°My King, you are too good to us.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°We merely expected a cuddle for the time you have to spare before your Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°I was going to do that, then I thought it was better for some one-on-one time instead.¡± Ren said and helped put the succubi to bed and into comfortable positions. Chenoa had passed out by this time as well, and he gave them each a kiss. ¡°I''ll be back in the morning.¡± ¡°We will be ready for another session by then, My King.¡± Seldanna said, with the three unconscious succubi around her. Ren nodded and gave her another kiss, then he looked at Suniva. ¡°Are you staying here or do you want a portal back to the county?¡± ¡°I''ll stay.¡± Suniva shrank down to her normal 1 foot size and flew up to the shelf Ren had made for the other pixies. ¡°I made my contributions to the Pixieland traps already. They don''t need me there.¡± Ren used a fingertip to touch her cheek. ¡°They will always need you, Suniva. They''re your friends, remember?¡± Suniva touched his fingertip and nodded. ¡°If you promise to come and get me when you come back...¡± ¡°Of course I will.¡± Ren said and activated his Hands of the Gods ability Burning Hands and covered her in a very thin layer of pure Fire and made it solid. ¡°Until then, let this Cloak of Fire keep you warm in my stead.¡± Suniva put her hand on the cloak. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± ¡°When you absorb it all, I''ll make you another one.¡± Ren said and cast a portal to the plot of land that the pixies owned. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Suniva darted to his face and kissed his top lip, then flew through the portal. ¡°Only one more to go.¡± Ren said and dismissed the portal, then he and Artemis went down the hall to the Marilith Demon''s room, and Ren knocked. ¡°What? Who''s that?¡± A woman''s harsh voice asked. ¡°It''s me, Ren.¡± The door was ripped off the hinges a second later and the Marilith Demon''s tail whipped from side to side and she looked very angry. She was still covered from head to tail in mud, and most of it was dried and caked on. ¡°You... you...¡± The Marilith Demon tossed the damaged door aside and grabbed Ren with all 6 of her arms, picked him up menacingly, then hugged him like a little girl with a teddy bear. ¡°I''ve never had so much fun!¡± Artemis just stared at her in surprise as the Marilith Demon rocked Ren like a baby. ¡°Who would have thought those tiny little things would be so much sport!¡± The Marilith Demon exclaimed and hugged him tightly. ¡°Thank you!¡± Ren reached up and pat the side of her face. ¡°Hey, I''ve got a couple of minutes to spare. Do you feel like spending them with me?¡± ¡°After a gift like that, I would do anything for you!¡± The Marilith Demon said happily. ¡°Can I shrink you down to half your normal size?¡± Ren asked. ¡°For how long?¡± ¡°For about 5 seconds. Just long enough to go through a portal.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where are we going?¡± She asked and put him down. ¡°A special place where we can spend some time alone.¡± Ren said, and she looked at Artemis. ¡°I assume she needs to come.¡± ¡°Yes, that would be best.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to get back into the habit of taking her everywhere.¡± ¡°I won''t share my bed with her.¡± The Marilith Demon warned him and stored her new heated bed. ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said and gave the Marilith Demon the amulet to help her adjust to the time difference. He then cast the spell to make her half her size and cast the Portal spell to the Sanctuary. The Marilith Demon slithered through the portal easily, and Ren took Artemis'' hand and stepped through as well. Chapter 675 - Episode 6: Part 1 After about 2 minutes, the portal opened and the half-sized Marilith Demon slithered through, then Ren and Artemis stepped out of it. Ren dismissed the portal and summoned Teepo, who flew up to land on Ren''s shoulder. Ren then cast the spells to make him solid and able to talk, then returned the Marilith Demon to her normal size. ¡°I still can''t believe we were gone for a month.¡± The Marilith Demon said and looked out her outside door. ¡°The pigs are still in the same spots!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s only been a couple of minutes here.¡± He said. ¡°I could say that you get used to the changes in the time; but, it''s an adjustment each and every time when it happens.¡± The Marilith Demon nodded. ¡°Yes, I can see where the confusion could come into play.¡± She said and shut the door, then slithered over to Ren. ¡°You need to go now, don''t you?¡± ¡°I do, and it will be for most of the night.¡± ¡°I suppose I can''t be upset about that.¡± The Marilith Demon said and smiled as she bared her teeth. ¡°You can be if you want to.¡± Ren said and stepped up into the air and cupped the sides of her face. ¡°I won''t make you wait to see me again like I did in Shargon Caverns, though.¡± He said and kissed her top lip. ¡°I''ll take you back to the Sanctuary for another month when I come back.¡± The Marilith Demon reached out and hugged him with all of her arms. ¡°Are you trying to spoil me with all of this personal attention?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Your brutal honesty astounds me, even now.¡± She said and let him go. ¡°Enjoy your Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Ren said and stepped down to the floor, took Artemis'' hand, and they left the room. They went down the hallway and into the big bedroom to find that the 4 succubi were sound asleep. Teepo took off from Ren''s shoulder and flew up to land on the ceiling, which was his regular lookout post. Artemis didn''t want to disturb the succubi by trying to lay down on the bed, so she walked with Ren over to the wall and stayed out of the way. ¡°See you soon.¡± Artemis whispered and gave him a kiss. ¡°Thank you for being so accommodating about all of this.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** ¡°Ugh.¡± Ren said, and Stella took the VR headset from him. ¡°Relax.¡± Stella said and gave him a supplement drink. ¡°I mixed in a mild pain reliever into it this time, instead of giving you a full dose with the pills.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and took a drink. ¡°Mmm, numbing peach.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°I didn''t put that much in it.¡± Ren smiled and handed it back to her. ¡°Help me to the bathroom.¡± Stella put the drink on the nightstand and helped him get out of bed, then walked with him over to the bathroom and helped him do his business. Ren asked her to take him to the table instead of the bed, so she helped him over to the table and sat him down on one of the chairs. He relaxed and sat back, and Stella retrieved the supplement drink from the nightstand and brought it over to him. He took another mouthful and sighed as he felt a bit tingly. ¡°Did you talk with Barbara about the episode of my show that we missed?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes, she''s all set to watch it with us. We can do it anywhere you want to.¡± Ren glanced back at the bed and then at Stella. ¡°The theatre room would be best, I think.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I don''t want you to push yourself too soon.¡± Stella said. ¡°I need to move every day or I''ll start getting weaker again.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just going to the bathroom isn''t going to be enough.¡± ¡°We''ll go there to watch the show right after lunch.¡± Stella said. ¡°Which should be arriving any minute now.¡± The bedroom door opened and Denise pushed the cart in, then Lisa, Elise, and Barbi came into the room behind her. ¡°Hey, handsome.¡± Elise said as they walked over to the table. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°I really want to lie and say that I''m feeling much better, but I feel like crap.¡± Ren said and grinned at her, and she chuckled. ¡°That''s not really a good reason to smile.¡± Elise said and gave him a kiss, then sat down next to him. ¡°What else am I going to do with so many beautiful women around me?¡± Ren asked as Lisa sat on his other side and gave him a kiss, too. ¡°Frown and say my life sucks? You know I''m a terrible liar.¡± That made everyone laugh, and Denise put a large pot of chicken noodle soup, with extra noodles, in the middle of the table. Stella helped put the bun of bread, bowl of crackers, and bread sticks around it. ¡°Wow, you''re going all out today.¡± Ren said. Elise dished out a bowl of soup for him and Lisa pointed to the extra things. ¡°Um... a slice of bread, please.¡± Ren said, and she buttered it for him. ¡°Thanks.¡± Lisa took a bowl herself, filled it with soup, and put three bread sticks in it. Everyone helped themselves and took what they wanted, then they all enjoyed sharing a meal together. It took about 20 minutes for everyone to finish and the women all sat back from the table and sighed as one. ¡°Is this the fabled ''in sync'' that women can become if they are around each other for a while?¡± Ren asked, and everyone laughed. ¡°You''ve got that a little wrong.¡± Elise said and ran her hand through his hair. ¡°It''s actually women''s menstrual cycles that sync up, not their actions.¡± Stella said. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren looked at her, then at everyone else. ¡°That''s what the saying means?¡± They all nodded, and he thought about it. ¡°Well, did that happen?¡± Ren asked and looked at them all again. ¡°Are you really asking us what days...¡± Barbi closed her mouth and stopped talking. ¡°I had mine 2 days ago.¡± Stella said without thinking about it. ¡°M-me, too.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Hey, so did I.¡± Denise said, surprised. What had started as a joke on Ren''s part, seems to be true. The three of them exchanged looks, then they looked at Elise. ¡°It was supposed to be 2 days ago.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m a little late this month.¡± Complete silence met her words, and she looked at their wide eyes. ¡°I''ve been a whole week off sometimes. It''s no big deal.¡± Elise said. ¡°The most I''ve ever been off was a few days.¡± Stella said. ¡°Never a week.¡± ¡°The most was 5 days for me.¡± Denise admitted, a little reluctantly. ¡°Let me tell you, that was a scary 5 days.¡± Ren remembered her telling him about her old boyfriend and reached across the table to take her hand. She gave it a squeeze and let it go, because she didn''t want him to strain too much. Barbara came into the bedroom and walked over to the table. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± She said and saw their faces. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Elise is a couple of days late this month.¡± Ren said, and Barbara''s mouth dropped open. ¡°Y-you''re kidding.¡± Barbara said, shocked.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°It''s not a big deal.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ve been off...¡± ¡°Mine was 2 days ago.¡± Barbara said. Stella, Denise, and Lisa stared at her. ¡°Ours, too.¡± They said at the same time. ¡°Wow. I''m way off.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Mine was 2 weeks ago.¡± ¡°Is that possible?¡± Ren asked. ¡°For a woman''s cycle to change by that much to sync up with everyone else?¡± ¡°I don''t know if it would be gradual or if it would just change one day to be early.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''ll be interesting to see if it could happen and how quickly the change occurred.¡± ¡°You have enough work to get through with the research project without picking up an experiment on the side.¡± Elise joked, and Stella nodded. ¡°I''ve got almost all of the data correlated already.¡± Stella said. ¡°I only have a few more days left to get the rest sorted and indexed.¡± ¡°That''s great work.¡± Elise said. ¡°I thought your projection said it would be another month?¡± ¡°That''s what I thought, until I started digging through it and found that sorting would be much easier if I went by the time index, rather than through the spikes of input.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ll still do the input graphs, but they''ll be much easier once the first index is finished.¡± ¡°You''ll already have all the data entered by then.¡± Elise said. ¡°Exactly. Rearranging it by the different factors after already being sorted will be a piece of cake.¡± Stella said and smiled. Ren thought everyone was going to let the subject change stand, then Barbara spoke. ¡°Can we get back to the important subject?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Yes!¡± Ren exclaimed and everyone looked at him. ¡°We''re watching the next episode of my show in the theatre room.¡± ¡°We are?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°I need out of this room for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°What better place to go and relax than in a recliner and watch the best show on television?¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°A few people could argue that it''s not the best show on tv.¡± ¡°Geez, Barbara.¡± Ren said and rolled his eyes. ¡°There''s no way that Big Sister is the best one!¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°You just don''t get the subtlety.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Grab my wheelchair, will you? We can discuss the merits of quality programs versus gimmicky programs on the way.¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± Barbara said and went over to get the wheelchair. She came back to the table with it and helped Ren transfer over to it. ¡°Anything else, master?¡± ¡°Yes. If I''m your master, I need to know why you''re not wearing a french maid outfit.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Barbara blinked her eyes at him. ¡°Bwa-ha-ha!¡± Ren guffawed at her surprised expression. ¡°Quick! Someone take a picture!¡± There were two clicks and Ren turned his head to see that Stella and Elise had their cell phones out. ¡°Send me that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I already did.¡± Elise said and put her phone away. ¡°Hey!'' Barbara exclaimed. ¡°Me, too.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°That''s a keeper.¡± ¡°Why you...¡± Barbara shook her fist at them, and they laughed. ¡°Let''s go and watch Ren''s show.¡± Lisa said and stood up, then took control of his wheelchair. She pushed him over to the bedroom door, opened it, then pushed him through. ¡°Hey, wait!¡± Barbara said and went after them, then Stella, Elise, and Barbi went, too. They arrived at the theatre room down the hall and saw Lisa and Ren waiting for them. ¡°It''s a bit too awkward for me to help Ren get in the recliner safely.¡± Lisa said. ¡°If he slipped or slid, there''s no way I could handle it.¡± ¡°I was willing to try anyway, but she said no.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. Denise put a hand on Lisa''s shoulder. ¡°Thank you for doing the right thing and waiting.¡± ¡°I know my limitations.¡± Lisa smiled and looked at Ren. ¡°I don''t want him getting hurt again.¡± ¡°If we can get him to stop doing stupid things, we might be able to achieve that.¡± Stella said as Denise easily transferred Ren to the recliner. ¡°Ah, this is nice.¡± Ren said and touched the button. The recliner leaned back part of the way and he sighed as the weight on his knee was braced by the footrest and it stopped throbbing. ¡°I missed this.¡± ¡°Places everyone.¡± Barbara said as she came out of the booth and turned down the lights. ¡°The show''s about to start.¡± Elise sat on Ren''s right side and Lisa sat on the left, like they always did, and Ren held his hands out to them. They both took the offered hand as the show''s opening theme started to play. * The show opened with a short montage of the events so far, then faded into Onscreen Ren and everyone else waking up in front of the cave. The captain of the guard came over to them and Fake Tristan told everyone the positions they were going to take. Onscreen Ren was assigned the rear and didn''t protest, and the group of players and soldiers moved into the cave. A popup appeared that told them it was a new cave, and the first monster killed would give the best item possible. Oncreen Ren mentioned something about the other players racing forward, then most of the players actually ran forward to try and get the first kill. Only a minute or so later, a crunching sound was heard. ¡°Oops, sorry little guy.¡± Onscreen Ren said when he saw the large beetle he had crushed. It vanished in sparkles and left a worn ring in it''s place. He picked it up and smiled because he had just gotten the first kill. ¡°Oh, he is going to be so pissed.¡± After a short montage of showing the others fighting off creatures, it faded to Onscreen Ren and his group as they sat around a campfire. Fake Clint recounted the story of Onscreen Ren''s first kill and about Fake Tristan coming back with an old rusty dagger, thinking it was the first loot drop and the best item, and acting like a total fool. That made people spit out their food and Fake Clint laughed his head off. Onscreen Ren tried to identify the ring, but it didn''t work. ¡°It looks more like a little crown than a ring...¡± Onscreen Ren said. ¡°You killed the king of beetles! HAHAAAA!¡± Fake Clint said. Onscreen Ren stood up and went over to the soldiers. After another quick montage of him repairing and enchanting their equipment, he sat down and it was the players turn. Another quick montage happened where they handed him their junk loot in exchange for repairs, and then at the end of the line, another player that carried Fake Tristan''s armor appeared. ¡°Look, I already told the last person to tell him that if he wants his stuff fixed or enchanted then he¡¯s going to have to come ask me politely himself.¡± Onscreen Ren said, and the player went away. With his required work done, he went back to the campfire his group was around and started to take out and identify every single piece of loot he had just received from the players. It wasn''t enough to identify the ring, though. Onscreen Ren took out and repaired, sharpened, and polished the rusty daggers and bucklers and restored them to fine working condition and enchanted them with a single rune. When that was done, he had unlocked the next level of his enchantment ability and a popup stated that he could combine 2 runes into a single glyph. Onscreen Ren didn''t have time to play with it through, because he looked around and saw that everyone else had gone to bed. He took out his own bedroll and went to sleep as the show faded to black. * ¡°Wow, lots of montages again.¡± Ren said as the first commercial played. ¡°The show runners thought it was better to do that than drag it all out.¡± Elise said. ¡°You did great work there, but the repetition in the viewing public''s eyes is a bit too much to take.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Plus, it took a long time to do all of that.¡± ¡°I know it did.¡± Elise said and rubbed the hand that she held. ¡°I can''t believe you watched all of that and helped them edit it together.¡± Ren said. ¡°An experienced eye made it go a lot faster for them, let me tell you.¡± Elise said. ¡°They had scheduled a week just for editing the montages.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, way. If I hadn''t told them the proper time indexes, they would have had to search for the references all by themselves.¡± Elise said, and you could hear the pride in her voice. ¡°I hope they paid you for all that work.¡± Barbi said from behind her. ¡°Oh, they did.¡± Elise said and smiled over her shoulder at the other woman. ¡°Handsomely.¡± Barbi nodded. ¡°Good.¡± She said. ¡°Saving the editors a hundred hours of work is worth it.¡± ¡°They were really grateful.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ve actually got another appointment on Monday to give them even more references.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Barbi asked, and Elise nodded. ¡°Do you mind if I come with you?¡± ¡°I don''t see why I would.¡± Elise said. ¡°Thanks.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I''d like to visit my old stomping grounds and see to a few things.¡± She smiled. ¡°We can even use the carpool lane.¡± ¡°That''ll be reason enough to bring you.¡± Elise said, and they laughed. ¡°Shh! It''s starting again.¡± Barbara said. * Onscreen Ren was nudged awake by Fake Clint''s foot, ate a bit of food, then the expedition travelled further and further down into the cavern system. Onscreen Ren talked to his group, most of which didn''t feel like talking. He exchanged idle chit-chat with Fake Clint and Fake Tommy, who promised to gather special food ingredients if Onscreen Ren ever needed him. ¡°Goblins!¡± Someone cried out from nearby, and the fight was on as the goblins jumped on several soldiers and attacked. ¡°Damn! Guess one of the teams missed this cave or they let them slip past during a fight.¡± Fake Clint said and opened fire with his bow bracers. The goblins didn''t have any defense, since they only wore tattered cloth and no armor. They showed the fight in it''s entirety as the goblins tried desperately to attack the soldiers. Ren''s group, minus him, fought well and bravely. He could do nothing but stand there and be protected because he couldn''t fight. Fake Clint told one of the soldiers to warn the Captain of the Guard that all side caves needed to be scouted again, and to be prepared for further ambushes. Once they knew it was possible, the next time the goblins attacked, they were easily dealt with. They still caused minor wounds and damaged equipment, though. By the time they made it to a good site to camp, everyone was tired from the constant fighting. As the soldiers started to set up camp, it faded to black. * ¡°Boy, was I pathetic there or what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You were being smart, actually.¡± Lisa said, and Ren turned to look at her. ¡°Even back then you knew your capabilities. You didn''t try to jump in or interfere when you knew that the others were a lot more capable of fighting than you.¡± ¡°She''s right, Ren.¡± Elise said. ¡°Your sole job was to repair their items. That''s it. You weren''t supposed to fight, and you stayed out of the way when it came to fighting.¡± She squeezed his hand slightly. ¡°I know that bothered you at the time; but, doing nothing then took more courage than foolishly trying to fight.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I was only a level 2 on a quest with players level 30 to 60.¡± ¡°You were... and that took courage as well.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I didn''t know you back then, and I really wish that I did.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Ren asked, surprised. Lisa nodded. ¡°The way you stood up to Tristan, even though he was so many levels higher than you...¡± She smiled. ¡°He was actually scared of you.¡± ¡°No. Way.¡± Ren said, and she nodded again. ¡°Despite his high Fame, he wasn''t the one that was winning everyone over. You were.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I don''t know why Charisma isn''t a stat in the game, because you had it even back then.¡± ¡°M-me? Charismatic?¡± Ren asked, surprised once again. ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Lisa said and leaned in close. ¡°Do you really think a group of soldiers and players would have treated you so nicely if they didn''t like you right from the start?¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You were so earnest and happy all the time, even in the middle of a fight that you couldn''t fight in.¡± Lisa said and kissed his cheek. ¡°You didn''t like not being able to fight, but you never let it show. You made everyone feel better, just by being there and being who you are.¡± She said. ¡°If I''d known then what you were like, I think I would have stolen you away from everyone just so I could keep you all to myself.¡± Ren looked at her with wide eyes as he imagined what his life would have been like if she had ''stolen him away'' back then. Lisa smiled seductively as she saw the thoughts cross his face, then leaned in to kiss him on the lips. She broke the kiss when the sound of the show came back on and sat back in her recliner, and the seductive smile never left her face. Chapter 676 - Episode 6: Part 2 The show faded in and the soldier camp was already set up. Onscreen Ren walked over to the Captain of the Guard and expressed concern over the lack of backup weapons for the soldiers. When he learned they didn''t have any because of weight restrictions, he offered free enchanted daggers to anyone that wanted one. All of the soldiers gratefully accepted one, since the enchantments let it do its normal damage and enchanted damage, which was amazing for a little dagger to do. Of course, all the players wanted one when they found out that he was giving them away for free. When that was done, he had to repair nearly all of the equipment and weapons the soldiers owned, because of all of the ambushes they had suffered through that day. Onscreen Ren finished the player repairs as well after that, then went to where his group had camped and took out an old rusted dagger. He had remembered leveling up his Enchanting skill earlier, so he repaired, sharpened and polished it, then enchanted it with a glyph of 2 Fire runes, which ended up tripling the dagger''s normal damage. ¡°Yes!¡± Onscreen Ren said and Fake Clint asked him what was up. Once it was explained that he could make more powerful enchantments, Fake Clint handed over his bow bracers and Onscreen Ren enchanted them for him. He then enchanted the weapons and armor of the rest of his group, and word spread quickly of his new abilities. Unfortunately, he was out of Mana by then and had to rest. Once again, Onscreen Ren tried to use Identify on the ring; but, it didn''t work. Everyone went to sleep and the screen faded to black for barely a second, then faded back in. Fake Talon''s group stayed back with the soldiers so they could get their equipment enchanted as they travelled. He mentioned that there was a deep bottomless gorge that ran all along the cave system, and Onscreen Ren said he wouldn''t want to fall in it. Talon and his group left shortly after and Onscreen Ren enchanted glyphs on all of the weapons and equipment the soldiers had in another montage. They soon arrived at a large open area and arrived at the 600 foot wide chasm that stretched out from the cave they just left to another cave. All that was between them was a wide stone bridge that looked both sturdy and unsafe at the same time. The Captain of the Guard declared that small groups should cross one at a time to be safe. While Onscreen Ren''s group waited for their turn, since they were at the back of the group, Fake Tommy spoke. ¡°Big ass bridge in the middle of an even bigger ass canyon deep underground, thing just cries out ¡®event¡¯ don¡¯t it?¡± Fake Tommy asked and spit over the edge of the chasm. ¡°You¡¯ll jinx it Tommy.¡± Fake Clint said, and then it was their turn to cross. ¡°Okay, you lot. Who''s going first?¡± The Captain of the Guard asked, then a loud roar bellowed out from the cave behind them. Cries and yells soon followed, as did running boots, and then several people ran past them. Onscreen Ren''s group readied their weapons for a fight, then Fake Tristan came from the cave with a massive and obese ogre chasing him, and it carried a wooden club the size of a small tree. ¡°Okay! Time to run!¡± Fake Tommy yelled and everyone ran, including the Captain of the Guard. Unfortunately, despite having pretty high stats at this point, Onscreen Ren visibly lacked the speed to keep up with the others. By the time everyone else had run across the bridge and had prepared to fight as a large group under the Captain of the Guard''s command, Onscreen Ren was only halfway across the wide expanse and Tristan and the ogre were right behind him. The bridge on the other hand, didn''t like having so much weight on it and started to shake apart as each of the ogre''s massive footsteps slammed onto it. ¡°Leg it Ren! The bridge is gonna fall!¡± Fake Tommy yelled. ¡°Oof!¡± Onscreen Ren grunted as Fake Tristan, with an evil grin, intentionally banged into him and made him trip. Onscreen Ren tumbled to the ground and tried to scramble to his feet, then was savagely kicked by the ogre and sent sprawling onto his back. Most of Onscreen Ren''s Health disappeared from that one hit, and he gazed up with a stunned look as the ogre lifted his club to strike the final blow. The bridge chose that time to make a loud cracking sound and gave away completely. The ogre let out a bellowing roar of rage as it plummeted into the dark depths, and the show ended with a close up of Onscreen Ren''s calm face as he disappeared into the darkness, too. * ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°That''s how they ended the episode?¡± ¡°With a literal cliffhanger.¡± Elise said with a smile. ¡°There''s going to be so many pissed off people.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Hey, the network just wants to keep the viewers interested.¡± Barbi said, and she had a predatory smile on her face. ¡°But, you''re right.¡± She said and held up her phone. ¡°There were a lot of unhappy people.¡± ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Mostly because they have to wait a week to see what happens.¡± ¡°Not even close.¡± Barbi said and her predatory smile changed to a very happy one. ¡°Nearly every comment on the fan site and main website are about that guy intentionally tripping you.¡± ¡°Wow, really?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Tristan was a real dick for doing that.¡± Lisa said. ¡°That one little bit of revenge he got on you nearly cost us the whole mission.¡± ¡°As I was falling, I was praying that he would get what he deserved for causing that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then all it did was open the villain path for him.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°It sent him right to Shargon Caverns, too.¡± ¡°At his level?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°It took him a long time to get out.¡± Elise said. ¡°Of course, he was a lot more powerful by then.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''ll definitely let you level up fast with everything in there.¡± He said. ¡°Now I wonder how many times he died.¡± Lisa let Ren''s hand go and touched his face. ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± She said. ¡°All that matters is you got through that in spite of his effort to kill you ''by accident''.¡± She said and kissed him. ¡°You''ve come a long way since then.¡± ¡°I''ve died a few times, too.¡± Ren said and smiled, then looked at Elise. ¡°I''m going to assume they''re going to cut around that particular incident.¡± ¡°...and every reference to it.¡± Elise said. ¡°Showing something like that on an entertainment show would be tantamount to getting it cancelled.¡± ¡°Plus, it would then open the question of why it happened, which would then bring into the limelight your mental and physical condition.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Which we can''t do, because this is a game only show, not a reality show.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Actually, I think it''s an animated reality show.¡± Ren said, and she blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I''m actually doing these things, and the producers are just using the footage and cutting it together to make it less boring.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Not that falling to my death is boring.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You understand what I''m saying, don''t you?¡± Barbi nodded. ¡°That''s... an interesting idea.¡± ¡°...and it''s Ren''s idea.¡± Elise said immediately. ¡°I''ll get with you to write up the proposal, and we''ll start doing the research this afternoon.¡± She said. ¡°If we can hire some programmers for a few hours work, we can have a demo done up by Sunday night and have a full scale proposal ready to drop on the network''s desk first thing Monday morning.¡± Barbi''s face broke into a huge smile. ¡°Co-executive producers?¡± Elise nodded. ¡°We can even pitch it to Channel 8 exclusively to give them the first option, mainly because of Ren''s other show. If they start to balk at it, we can easily go down the street to Channel 6 and see if they want a new evening entertainment show... that could possibly be competition.¡± ¡°Oh, we have to include that in the sales pitch!¡± Barbi said, and her predatory smile was back. ¡°You''ll be conducting it, so it''s up to you.¡± Elise said. ¡°You know what my weekdays are like.¡± ¡°Leave it to me, then.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I''ll have some kind of decision from them by the end of the week.¡± Ren turned and looked at Lisa. ¡°Tell me if I''m wrong; but, am I going to sell another show idea to network television?¡± ¡°You''re possibly not wrong.¡± Lisa said with a huge smile. ¡°Lisa, we need an extra set of hands.¡± Elise said and stood up. ¡°Do you feel up to doing a few net searches?¡± Lisa looked from her to Ren. ¡°I can feel the painkillers kicking in.¡± Ren said and smiled a little crookedly. ¡°I''m going back into the game early anyway.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°You know I like spending time with you, even if we''re not doing anything important.¡± ¡°Spending time with you is always important.¡± Ren said. ¡°For now, you can help make that new show possible.¡± Lisa nodded and gave him a kiss, then Elise kissed him, too. ¡°If you need ideas for contestants, let me know.¡± Ren said. Barbi nodded, then she, Elise, and Lisa left the theatre room. ¡°Wow, another show.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I won''t be in it.¡± Ren said. ¡°This is to let other people shine.¡± ¡°You''re still going to own it.¡± Denise said and helped him transfer back to the wheelchair. ¡°I guess it will be nice to have more money.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°You all need raises, don''t you?¡± ¡°Raises for what?¡± Stella asked and took control of the wheelchair. ¡°I''ve made your jobs a lot harder the last little while.¡± Ren said. ¡°You should be compensated for that.¡± ¡°You don''t have to worry about things like that.¡± Stella said. ¡°We get paid well enough.¡± ¡°By whose standard?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled. ¡°I could make a joke about it being the gold standard; but, that''s a financial joke and I won''t steal Elise''s thunder.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s clever.¡± ¡°Only if you understand financing and what it meant.¡± Stella said and stopped him beside Barbara. ¡°I''ll see you tonight.¡± Barbara said and kissed his cheek. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow morning.¡± Denise said and kissed his other cheek. Stella pushed him out of the theatre room and down the hall to the bedroom. ¡°Finance jokes usually go right over some people''s heads.¡± She said and continued their conversation. ¡°Does that mean it''s high-brow entertainment?¡± Ren asked. Stella chuckled as she helped him get back into bed. ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°I think I prefer the easier jokes.¡± Ren said and Stella immediately covered his mouth. ¡°Now is not the time.¡± Stella said, and he licked her hand. ¡°You can lick it all you want. I''m not moving it.¡± Ren watched her eyes as he very carefully licked her palm, then he shifted his focus to the space between her middle finger and ring finger and wiggled the tip of his tongue there. Stella took in a quick breath and kept her hand there for only another moment, then moved it. ¡°Now my hand is itchy.¡± Stella said and rubbed the spot with her other hand. ¡°Itchy, huh.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°And wet.¡± Stella smiled back. ¡°That reminds me. I''m going in for...¡± ¡°I saw what happened in the arena before the fight.¡± Stella said. ¡°Let me be frank. Don''t take what Elise said for granted.¡± Ren took her hand and pulled her in close. ¡°I don''t take anything for granted.¡± He said. ¡°I want you on top of me right now; but, I won''t ask because I know you''ll say no.¡± Stella sighed. ¡°Ren...¡± Ren used his other hand to touch her neck. ¡°Your top priority is my safety, and pleasing me or yourself will always take a backseat to that.¡± He said and eased her in closer. ¡°I find that very appealing and very frustrating.¡± Stella didn''t say anything as he let her hand go and used both of his hands to cup the sides of her face. ¡°I can honestly tell you that I don''t think I can wait long enough to heal, before I start begging you to do it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to bury my face in you and make you cry out my name.¡± Stella caught her breath as that image burned itself into her brain, and Ren used his thumbs to rub her cheeks. ¡°I don''t have the same limits in the game as I do here, so I''m going to the Pleasure Palace.¡± Ren said, then he whispered. ¡°I''m going to imagine that it''s you the whole time and I''m going to fuck them as hard and as fast as I can without hurting them.¡± Stella gasped at that. ¡°R-Ren!¡± ¡°It''s going to be dirty, and messy, and fun.¡± Ren said. ¡°Elise was right. There''s no real consequences, as long as you know going in that''s all it is. Just fun.¡± Stella looked at his face barely an inch away from hers and didn''t know what to say. ¡°I want you to make a character tonight when your shift is over, so you can join me in the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Whatever character you choose, I''ll help you in any way I can.¡± Ren said. ¡°Until then, I need a surrogate. Probably several surrogates, actually.¡± He smiled. ¡°How else am I supposed to deal with not being able to be with you, the sexiest nurse that ever existed, except by hiring professional surrogates?¡± Stella opened her mouth to argue and say that she would do it for him, then closed her mouth because he was right. She wouldn''t have sex with him while he was so hurt, because it would only cause him pain and possibly more damage. She closed her eyes and took a breath to sigh, and he kissed her. She was a bit surprised by the tenderness, then she felt the urgency as his lips moved. She kissed him back for a few moments, then she broke the kiss and sighed. ¡°I''ve created a monster, haven''t I?¡± Stella whispered. ¡°Yes, but I''m your monster.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Hand me the VR headset.¡± Stella nodded and passed it to him. ¡°You have my permission to do what you want to my physical body while I''m in the game.¡± Ren said and put on the VR headset. ¡°Before you ask; yes, I am aware of what that means.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I love you, Stella. Very much.¡± Ren said. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Stella said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ¡°Probably a little too much, because I''m trying to figure out how to get by this.¡± Stella gently touched the spot that was bandaged, through his pyjamas. ¡°Maybe I''m a monster, too.¡± She said and prepped him for what he was going to do, then sat down on the chair beside the bed. ¡°I didn''t even tell him to go easy on them.¡± She said and laughed. ¡°Those poor girls don''t know what they''re in for.¡± ******** Ren woke up standing by the wall and Artemis turned and looked at him. ¡°You''re back extra early.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I have an appointment with the Pleasure Palace that I need to keep.¡± Ren said and looked at the succubi on the bed. He could feel their emotions and knew they weren''t up for another dose yet. Seldanna felt him nearby and opened her eyes to look at him. ¡°We can wait, My King.¡± She whispered, and Ren nodded. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror and cast the Portal spell, Teepo dissolved into the Beetle Crown ring, and Ren took Artemis'' hand and stepped through the portal into the Pixieland ride. ¡°REN!¡± Suniva yelled and flew over to him. ¡°You''re back so early!¡± ¡°I have an appointment at the Pleasure Palace that I need to get to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I popped over here to let you know I was back and that I''ll pick you up in the morning.¡± Suniva nodded and he saw that her Cloak of Fire was much smaller than it had been. Ren used his Hands of the Gods ability Burning Hands and his Fire Manipulation ability to reform it, then he cast another portal to take him and Artemis over to the Pleasure Palace. He hadn''t equipped his armor or any of the other Aura boosters he had, so he was just outside the point where his Aura would have covered the Main House and where the maids were. It was pretty close, though. ¡°Artemis, can you...¡± ¡°I''ll wait on the battlement wall.¡± Artemis said and pointed. ¡°I assume you''re going in disguise?¡± Ren nodded and took a step into the air and cast Full Illusion on himself to make himself into Ugly Ren, then summoned Teepo and cast Full Illusion on him, too. Artemis flew up to land on top of the Pleasure Palace and Ugly Ren stomped over to the front door of the Pleasure Palace and touched the talking square. ¡°Lemmie in.¡± Ugly Ren growled, and the door opened right away. ¡°Please, come right in, sir.¡± Gina said with a huge and genuine smile. ¡°Yer a sight for sore eyes.¡± Ugly Ren grinned and showed her his crooked teeth, and she caught her breath and shivered slightly in anticipated pleasure. He stomped by her and the door shut behind him. Chapter 677 - Pleasure In The Pleasure Palace ¡°He''s here.¡± One of the dancers said as she caught sight of Ugly Ren, and a ripple of emotions ran around the Pleasure Palace. Ugly Ren had a difficult time sorting them out and couldn''t tell if they were all happy at his appearance or annoyed that he had arrived earlier than they had expected. He had only been gone for an hour in real time, which meant he had 2 hours of real time left... or 8 hours of game time. There weren''t a lot of customers, though. Since it was the middle of the day in real life on a Saturday, there should have been a lot more people. ¡°The place is looking a bit dead.¡± Ugly Ren said in his thick gravelly voice as Gina led him across the main part of the club. Gina closed her eyes and took a shallow breath. Just his voice is making me horny. ¡°The few that are here said they aren''t that fussy on amusement park rides.¡± ¡°But the parks are closed, ain''t they?¡± Ugly Ren said. ¡°Most people stayed until it closed and then they left to go to sleep.¡± Gina said. ¡°Oh.¡± Ugly Ren said. I hadn''t accounted for that. He thought. ¡°I''m sorry it''s cuttin'' into yer business, miss. I''ll make sure ta tell Ren that he needs to advertise the Pleasure Palace just like he did with the parks.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Gina exclaimed. ¡°Besides that first message sent as an advertisement when ya first opened, the word about this place has been spreading by word of mouth only.¡± Ugly Ren said. ¡°It''s time ta change that, I thinks.¡± Gina looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You''re serious?¡± ¡°Deadly serious, miss.¡± Ugly Ren said. ¡°I''m sure Ren will have the flyers ready by the morning and he''ll have them distributed by noon, if not sooner.¡± ¡°That... that''s great news.¡± Gina said and led him behind the curtain of the main stage, and Ren felt her emotions deepen and strengthen. She took him up the stairs and over to her personal room. ¡°Miss, I''m not complaining or anything...¡± Ugly Ren said, and she smiled. ¡°I could have borrowed one of the work rooms, but I''m not comfortable there.¡± Gina said and opened the door. ¡°My office would have been suitable if we were role playing; but, I would have had to clean it up and put away all the important work and business documents so they wouldn''t be damaged or lost.¡± She said and shut the door behind them. ¡°Coming here was much easier than doing all of that.¡± ¡°Miss, this is your place.¡± Ugly Ren said as his shoulder pad took off and flew up to land on the ceiling. ¡°I don''t want you to think...¡± ¡°What the hell is... oh! That''s Teepo!¡± Gina said in relief, then looked at Ugly Ren. ¡°It''s my choice to invite whoever I want in here, because it is my own personal space.¡± She said and equipped a set of Travelling Clothes to replace her work outfit. ¡°Now use those strong and manly hands to tear these old clothes off.¡± ¡°You really want that, don''t ya?¡± Ugly Ren growled, and she shivered as she nodded. He looked at the clothing and saw the weak spots in it, smiled his crooked smile and reached out to her. She watched his hands as they gripped her tunic and shirt, then he pulled. The sound of tearing cloth went right through her and made her weak in the knees. Ugly Ren caught her before she fell and lifted her up. ¡°I think we better move this to the bed, miss.¡± He said, and she could do nothing except stare at him as he gently laid her down on her bed. He tore off her top the rest of the way and then he touched the soft skin of her abdomen. Ugly Ren''s rough hands were like electric shocks on her skin and she wiggled and tried to fight the pleasure. He grinned at her and showed off his crooked and mismatched teeth. Gina caught her breath as he moved his hands down to her pants. When he gripped the weak spots and pulled, the tearing sound was much louder this time and went right through her. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Gina gasped as she had a small orgasm. Ugly Ren chuckled and she had another small orgasm, and he felt how happy she was. He could also feel her deep need and her longing for release. He tore off the rest of her pants and noticed that she had on a very pretty set of purple panties and looked at her top. ¡°Ya wore a matched set, just fer me?¡± Ugly Ren asked, and she nodded wordlessly. ¡°Thank you, miss.¡± He said and dug a finger from each hand under the edge of the panties. ¡°I''ll gladly pay fer the replacements.¡± He said and pulled. The panties snapped like a crack of lightning, since they were made of Spider Silk and were very strong, and Gina stared at him with wide eyes and her mouth open. He let the loose fabric lay in place and didn''t move it out of the way yet. He slid a hand behind her back and gripped the back of the bra, then slid his fingers between her breasts and grabbed the bra''s front. ¡°You look like you need some breathing room.¡± Ugly Ren said and pulled. Two more snaps like lightning were heard as her bra popped apart. The shock of having her top removed so efficiently stunned her and her body trembled as she had another small orgasm. ¡°How''s that? Better?¡± Gina couldn''t speak and only nodded several times. ¡°Don''t worry, miss. I''ll take good care of ya.¡± Ugly Ren growled, and then grabbed both of her breasts with his rough hands. Gina cried out in pleasure at just that simple touch, and Ren could feel her emotions. He was successfully pushing all of her buttons, and he had barely even started. ¡°I think yer gonna enjoy this a little.¡± He said and proceeded to tease and please her with foreplay. After about 10 minutes, Gina just couldn''t take it anymore. Ugly Ren felt this and changed tactics. He stored his own clothing and Gina gasped as she saw all the scars and wound marks on his Full Illusion body, and her hands traced the ones she could reach. ¡°What''s this?¡± Gina asked as her fingers found 4 long gashes and puncture wounds on his chest. ¡°Sabretooth Rock Golem.¡± Ugly Ren said. ¡°Damn near killed me.¡± ¡°N-no!¡± Gina exclaimed. ¡°It''s not the only thing.¡± Ugly Ren said and took her hand and moved it to the next set of scars. ¡°Dire Wolf.¡± He said and moved the hand to his side. ¡°Broadsword.¡± Gina''s heart raced faster and faster as Ugly Ren kept moving her hand all over his body and pointed out all the damage he had ever taken. When he had created the Full Illusion body, he had been inspired to recreate all the wounds he had received, in the hopes that since Gina liked rough and tough men, having battle scars would drive her wild.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. It really did. Gina sat up in a rush and pushed him onto his back violently with a crazy look in her eyes. ¡°Tell me!¡± She said. ¡°Is it real? Is what you''re saying real?¡± Her fingers slid slightly into the divots where the Sabretooth claws had punctured his chest. ¡°You''re not making this up, are you?¡± ¡°Gina, it''s the truth. All of it.¡± Ugly Ren growled. ¡°I even have the loot to prove it.¡± Gina''s hand slid down and made sure he was still hard, then she quickly straddled his waist and sat down. ¡°OH, GOD!¡± She yelled and collapsed onto him. ¡°Oh, god! Oh god, oh god.¡± She kept muttering as she started to move. ¡°I can''t... can''t believe...¡± She opened her eyes and sat up so she could move better. ¡°Such a... big strong man!¡± She said. ¡°Tell me what other monsters you''ve faced!¡± Ugly Ren started to give her the list of creatures he had fought, and her movements sped up as she became more excited. He felt her approach the finish point and decided to mention the biggest creature he had ever defeated. ¡°I''ve even killed a giant flying Abyssal Terror.¡± Ugly Ren said in a deep gravelly voice, and Gina''s body gripped him so hard that he thought she was going to tear it off. ¡°AHHHHH!¡± Gina and Ugly Ren yelled together as they both finished, and she collapsed on top of him again and hugged him tightly. Ugly Ren felt tears on his shoulder and he hugged her back. They held each other for several minutes and Gina''s breath evened out as she calmed down. ¡°I... I''m a horrible person.¡± Gina said. ¡°No, you aren''t.¡± Ugly Ren said. ¡°I am.¡± Gina propped herself up on her elbows on his chest. ¡°I judged you for your looks alone and I didn''t even think about... or even consider... what you had to go through...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ugly Ren said. ¡°You have a type that just does it for you.¡± He said. ¡°You like rugged men. There''s nothing wrong with that.¡± ¡°But, I... I could have already met someone that... if I wasn''t so picky on looks...¡± ¡°Even if you had found someone like that, if you''re not attracted to them or they don''t get you excited, then any feats of strength they may have done won''t matter.¡± Ugly Ren said and wiped her face off with a piece of cloth. ¡°There has to be something there to cause a good spark at the first, or you''re just wasting your time.¡± ¡°Like with Ren.¡± Gina said. ¡°Even though he''s so nice and cute...¡± ¡°It''s not your fault that cute and cuddly is not your type.¡± ¡°I didn''t say he was cuddly.¡± Gina smiled. ¡°No, I did.¡± Ugly Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°I told you before I was banned that if you hadn''t found someone in a month, someone that came close to what you were looking for, I would have no problem being that person until you do find someone.¡± ¡°I... but... you...¡± ¡°For this hour, I will be exactly what you want, Gina.¡± Gina blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°D-did you say h-hour?¡± ¡°If my count is correct, we''ve got at least 25 more minutes.¡± Ugly Ren said and rolled her over to put her on the bottom. Since they were still joined together, it made her yip in surprise and writhe in pleasure. ¡°I don''t intend to let ya waste another moment being sorry that ya like what you like.¡± He ran his hands down her thighs and gripped her backside tightly, which made her gasp, then he shocked her as he pleasured her as hard and as fast as she could stand. When Gina finished for the fourth time and was pretty much just riding the waves of pleasure, Ugly Ren lifted her up so that she sat in his lap with her arms and legs wrapped around him. She stared into his different colored eyes as he stared back at her and kept moving. Only a few moments passed and he felt that she was ready again. Ugly Ren pulled her down hard one last time and finished inside of her, which made her finish once more. Neither of them cried out this time, since they were both well past the point of surprise about what was happening between them and what the other could do with their body. They sat there and held each other for several more minutes, without speaking, and gazed into each other''s eyes. ¡°This is such a wonderful dream.¡± Gina whispered softly and kissed him. Ugly Ren felt all of her emotions as she opened herself up to him. He felt her regret that she was so picky, felt her berate herself for that, then she admonished herself for enjoying and wallowing in the lie in front of her. Ugly Ren broke the kiss and scowled. ¡°No, don''t do that.¡± He snapped at her, and she took in a sharp breath. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You are a good woman. You don''t have to feel bad that you like feeling good.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If you start feeling guilty about this, just pretend that I''m one of the vibrators you use.¡± Gina caught her breath. ¡°H-how do you...¡± She clamped her mouth shut and sighed. ¡°You''re a strong healthy woman and you know what you want.¡± Ugly Ren growled and stopped frowning as he slid one of his hands up her back to make her shiver. ¡°You''re having trouble getting what you want, so you need to compensate for that somehow.¡± ¡°Ren, it''s almost time.¡± Teepo said from the ceiling. ¡°Miss, it''s time for me ta go.¡± Ugly Ren said and carefully lifted her up and off of him. Gina gasped at the feeling of loss, and then she gasped again when he knelt her on the bed and she saw that he was still rock hard. ¡°Before ya start ta question it, it''s not an illusion.¡± Ugly Ren said. ¡°It''s just as real as the creatures I''ve beaten.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I can go for hours and not have to stop, miss.¡± Ugly Ren said, and he felt her utter shock. ¡°Maybe next time ya can give it a bit of a lick or two.¡± He said and started to move back and off the bed. ¡°W-wait!¡± Gina said as she lunged forward and grabbed it with her hand to stop him. ¡°H-how fast...¡± ¡°I can finish right now if''n ya want.¡± Ugly Ren growled. ¡°You have that much control?¡± Gina asked in surprise as she looked up at him. Her lunge had made her lay prone on the bed and Ren had one foot on the floor and a knee on the bed, which presented his nether region to her completely. ¡°Most times.¡± Ugly Ren said. ¡°Sometimes it does get a mind of it''s own, though.¡± Gina took a breath and let it out as she looked at it. ¡°What... what''s it thinking now?¡± ¡°That you have a pretty mouth.¡± Ugly Ren said in his deep gravelly voice without hesitation, and she shivered. ¡°S-sixty seconds.¡± Gina said and glanced up at his face. ¡°Give me one more minute.¡± Ugly Ren gave her a big crooked grin and a slight nod, and she went to work. He almost didn''t make it. Gina turned out to be very skilled with her lips and tongue, and he had to fight his reactions so that he wouldn''t finish right away. Gina had felt this of course, and she worked him over even harder. When the minute was up, he finished for her. As the taste hit her tongue her whole body convulsed in pleasure and she finished as well. Gina moaned, which was kind of a weakness for him and he really enjoyed it, so he kept going. She didn''t let go for almost 30 seconds, then she rolled over onto her back to lay on the bed. Her emotions made Ren think that she was like a cat that had just caught, and ate, the canary. ¡°Oh... my... god.¡± Gina breathed out as she gazed up at Ugly Ren in astonishment. ¡°That''s time.¡± Teepo the shoulder pad said and flew down to land on Ugly Ren''s shoulder. Ugly Ren equipped his Travelling Clothes to clean up. ¡°You made me fight to last the full minute, miss.¡± He grinned at her and took out 2 coins. He carefully balanced one on the tip of her left breast, then put the other one on the tip of her right breast. ¡°Ya surprised me, miss.¡± He said and bent over to give her an upside down kiss. Gina was shocked that he would do that after what she just did to him. Ugly Ren broke the kiss and stood up straight. ¡°See ya later.¡± He said and left the bedroom. * ¡°You surprised me, too.¡± Gina said and touched her lips with her fingers. One of the coins slid off her breast and fell to the bed, so she grabbed the other one before it could and rolled to her side to grab the one that fell. When she saw the dragon head on the platinum coin, she stopped breathing and looked at the coin she held in her hand and saw the same dragon head. ¡°N-no, he... he didn''t!¡± Gina said and equipped her working outfit, hopped off the bed and ran out of her bedroom. ¡°Where...¡± She ran to the stairs to go down to the main floor and stopped at the curtain behind the main stage. She took a breath and stepped through so that she wouldn''t cause a scene and looked around. She couldn''t see him, so she walked over to the closest dancer that she could see that wasn''t busy. ¡°Where is...¡± ¡°Jennifer took him.¡± Caramel said and pointed to Jennifer''s work room. ¡°She practically threw him through the door, to be honest.¡± She laughed. ¡°The poor girl has been chomping at the bit since she found out he was here.¡± ¡°I guess she would be.¡± Gina said, her need to find him slightly subdued. ¡°I did hear him shout that he only had 30 minutes to spare before the door shut.¡± Caramel said. ¡°I wonder why? We''re open all night.¡± Gina opened her mouth to say she didn''t know, then slid the two platinum coins into her coin pouch. ¡°I''m sure he has his reasons.¡± She said and smiled, then walked over to her post by the door. Chapter 678 - Pleasure For Pleasures Sake Ren spent half an hour giving Jennifer exactly what she needed. He played the victim for her during some light bondage, and he left her very satisfied. She wouldn''t let him leave until he promised that the next time it would be her turn to be on the receiving end. He thought about refusing, then felt her need, so he promised that he would try to be the dominant one if she wanted him to. Jennifer was quite happy with that and Ren felt that she had expected him to completely refuse and she had been fully prepared to beg if it was necessary. He held in his sigh and cast Full Illusion on himself to become Ugly Ren again, gave her a platinum coin, then left her work room. He looked around the club and saw that there were even less people there now. I really do need to advertise this place to make up for taking away most of the regular customers. Ugly Ren thought, then one of the dancers emotions spiked as she caught sight of him. He stopped himself from turning to look, which was his normal habit when he felt someone''s interest in him. ¡°Hey, you.¡± Candy said as she hooked her arm in his. ¡°Are you busy?¡± ¡°That depends on yer definition of busy.¡± Ugly Ren growled, and he felt her interest wane. He cast Full Illusion again and left out the altered voice. ¡°Sorry, I''m still in character.¡± He whispered in his normal voice, and she nodded. ¡°Come with me.¡± Candy said and led him over to her work room. Her anticipation grew as she shut the door and turned to look at him. ¡°Can you do something with the face?¡± ¡°I can do anything you want with it.¡± Ugly Ren said. ¡°Who do you want me to be?¡± Candy stood by the door and thought about it. ¡°I can pick anyone? Anyone at all?¡± ¡°As long as I know what they look like.¡± Ugly Ren said. ¡°Brad Pitt.¡± Candy said and he cast the spell. ¡°Matt Damon.¡± She said, and he appeared before her. ¡°Um... um... the Craig guy!¡± She thought about his last role. ¡°James Bond!¡± ¡°Him? Really?¡± Matt Damon Ren asked, shrugged his shoulders, then cast the spell to become the man she wanted, Daniel Craig. ¡°How''s this?¡± He asked in a thick British accent and wore a well tailored tuxedo. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Candy gasped and grabbed herself between the legs, then dropped to the floor on her knees. ¡°It can''t be happening!¡± ¡°Ma''am, you seem to be suffering a calamity.¡± Daniel Craig Ren said as he walked over to her and picked her up in his arms. ¡°Allow me to assist you.¡± Candy stared at him with an open mouth as he carried her to the bed and laid her down on it. ¡°Your items of clothing are restricting my view of the affected area.¡± Daniel Craig Ren said. ¡°May I remove them?¡± Candy stored her work outfit and left herself completely naked in an instant. ¡°Hmm. It seems a mysterious dampness is leaking out from you.¡± Daniel Craig Ren said and kissed her special place. Candy''s whole body shivered from that one touch and she finished. ¡°GOD!¡± ¡°There''s even more now, ma''am. How terrible!¡± Daniel Craig Ren exclaimed. ¡°I''ll administer the proper procedure at once!¡± Candy stared at her fantasy lover as he pleased her with his mouth, and she finished over and over again and lost her track of time completely. ¡°I believe I now need to plug that leak.¡± Daniel Craig Ren said and stood up. His tuxedo disappeared and Candy gasped at his full and ready state. ¡°B-b-but... I thought... don''t you...¡± ¡°I have permission.¡± Daniel Craig Ren said, and the most beautiful smile appeared on her face as her joy and happiness slammed into him. He shivered slightly from the strength of her emotions, then he climbed onto the bed as she lifted her arms up to embrace him. He joined with her easily, since he had prepped her so well, and Candy floated on her bliss throughout the entire encounter with her fantasy lover. They did a lot of things to each other, and when it was over, they laid in bed side by side and Candy''s disbelief was a heavy weight on her heart. ¡°Did that really happen?¡± Candy asked and turned to look at him. Daniel Craig Ren turned his head to look back at her. ¡°It really did, ma''am.¡± He said in his thick British accent, and she closed her eyes and sighed. He reached out and touched her cheek, and she opened her eyes to look at him. ¡°I knew being who you wanted would make you happy; but, I never imagined how happy you would actually be.¡± He leaned in close and gave her a kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re thanking me? After what you just did for me?¡± Candy laughed. ¡°Are you for real? I thought we were only going to have a 69 or maybe just an oral exchange! It never crossed my mind that we would actually... that you would... you took me Around the World!¡± Daniel Craig Ren laughed, and she caught her breath. ¡°What is it?¡± He asked. ¡°You even laugh like him.¡± Candy said. ¡°Of course I do. Right now I am him.¡± Daniel Craig Ren said and gave her his signature smile, and all the disbelief she felt evaporated. ¡°Unfortunately, now I must leave you.¡± Candy opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind and didn''t say anything. Daniel Craig Ren knew what she was going to say, though. ¡°Yes, Miss Moneypenny.¡± He said and rolled off the edge of the bed and out of her sight for a second, then stood up wearing the tuxedo. ¡°I''ll be available for another mission; but, I can''t confirm when it will be.¡± ¡°I... I...¡± Candy blinked her eyes at him and didn''t know what to say. Daniel Craig Ren took her hand and placed a platinum coin on her palm. ¡°Have a good day, ma''am.¡± Candy stared at him as he walked to the door, then he was covered in a cloud of fog. ¡°That''s a neat trick.¡± She said, then the door opened and closed and the fog disappeared. Ugly Ren stood outside Candy''s work room and looked around, but he didn''t feel anyone''s interest spike, even though several of the girls were looking right at him. He did feel their disappointment and sadness, however. There was no one at all in the place now, except for him. Well, I think it''s time to return the favor. Ugly Ren thought and clomped over to the main stage and climbed on, then walked to the center. ¡°Excuse me.¡± He grumbled, and his voice carried to everywhere in the club and all the girls turned to look at him. ¡°I see yer all a little sad that no one''s here, even though the weekend is usually yer busiest time.¡± Several of the girls nodded, and a couple of them came over to the stage. ¡°Gina, if you''d be a dear and close up fer the night, I''d like to do something special fer you all.¡± Ugly Ren said, and she turned off the lit up sign by the main road and locked the door. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said. ¡°I gathered that Jennifer let you all in on who I really am.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. When they all nodded, Ren dismissed the Full Illusion spell and it left him standing in the air in the middle of the stage, and no one was surprised by this. He felt Candy come out of her work room and Jennifer came out of the sauna room. ¡°I''m terribly sorry that the amusement and water parks have cut into your business. I did suspect that the parks would be popular, just not so popular that people would stop coming here this quickly.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like to visit you all privately to apologize, but I want to lift up your spirits a little before I do.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Caramel walked over to the stage. ¡°Did.. did you say you''re going to visit each of us?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve allotted half an hour for each of you, that way I''ll be done before morning.¡± ¡°Okay, that''s not possible.¡± Apple said. ¡°No one can go all night.¡± ¡°Well, I''ve already visited Gina, Jennifer, and Candy so far.¡± Ren said. ¡°They seemed pretty satisfied.¡± ¡°God, yes.¡± Candy said. ¡°He was my dream man!¡± ¡°Mine, too.¡± Gina said. ¡°I rode him so hard!¡± Jennifer said, and they all looked at her. ¡°What? It was fantastic!¡± ¡°We can imagine.¡± Cinnamon said and rolled her eyes, which made some of the dancers laugh, then she looked at Ren. ¡°Can you really do us all in one night? You''re not trying to trick us or something, are you?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m not really sure how I''d trick you; but, I''m here on the main stage to prove that I can be who you want me to be for the half an hour that I''m yours.¡± ¡°This I gotta see.¡± Caramel said as she and the rest of the dancers went to the main stage. ¡°Okay, mister. Stun us with your sexual prowess.¡± ¡°Well, I''ll need some props first.¡± Ren said and took out some cloth and sewed up a tear-away business suit. They all watched him make it in only a few seconds and he stored it. He then took out several pieces of parchment paper and cut it up into dollar-sized strips and made them look like dollar bills with his face on them. He made 12 stacks and handed a stack of 50 bills to each girl, who were very surprised by the real-looking money. He also put 12 chairs around the front of the stage. ¡°Okay, I think that''ll do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, who should I... ah, yes. That would be best.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Ladies, prepare yourselves!¡± Ren pointed to the bartender, and she started the music. He stepped behind the curtain for an instant and cast Full Illusion on himself and equipped the tear-away business suit. ¡°It''s time for...¡± He hopped out from behind the curtain and all the dancers gasped. ¡°...Magic Micheal!¡± ¡°No fucking way!¡± Cinnamon exclaimed as Channing Tatum Ren started to dance around the stage. ¡°Am I really seeing this?¡± ¡°Somebody pinch me!¡± Caramel said as Channing Tatum Ren gyrated right in front of her and pulled off the right sleeve of his suit coat and threw it at her. ¡°He''s stripping!¡± ¡°That''s my move.¡± Candy said as Channing Tatum Ren did her move in front of her and tossed her the other sleeve. He did a little hop and a pirouette, grabbed both sides of the suit coat and pulled. The tearing sound went right through Gina and one of the other dancers, and he tossed a piece to each of them. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Sugar said as Channing Tatum Ren slid on the floor towards her on his knees and ripped off his shirt. He tossed it to her and she caught it, then he fell onto his chest and did 3 push-ups with both hands, then did it on his fingertips. The dancers were impressed by that and tossed about half of their bills at him, so he grinned at them and shifted his weight slightly and spread his legs apart, then did a one hand push-up on his fingertips. ¡°Oh!¡± Paprika gasped. Channing Tatum Ren hopped up from that and gripped his pants, tore them away from his body, and tossed the pieces at her. Paprika saw a very significant bulge in his underwear and frowned. ¡°Hey, I call foul!¡± She said and pointed. ¡°He''s not hung like that!¡± ¡°That''s the one part he doesn''t change.¡± Jennifer said and threw another handful of her ''money'' at him. ¡°Unless he''s playing a joke on you. He gave Santa a micro-penis the first time I saw him.¡± Paprika laughed, because she got the joke right away. Now that he was down to just his underwear, Channing Tatum Ren slid to the edge of the stage and hopped off, then straddled a very surprised Apple. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± Apple asked as he gyrated right in front of her face, then he turned around and rubbed his butt on her abdomen. ¡°I know you''re not really fussy on this, but I''m driving the other dancers wild!¡± Channing Tatum Ren said happily, then turned back around to face her. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± He whispered. ¡°I have something special planned for you.¡± Apple stared at him as he went to the next girl in line. Candy shoved several bills into his underwear and her fingers touched his private part. Channing Tatum Ren didn''t say anything or tell her to stop, so she used her other hand to fold a bill and put it in her mouth. ¡°Hmm!¡± Candy hummed. Channing Tatum Ren grinned at her and held his underwear open for her. The other dancers were surprised when she bent down and shoved the bill into his underwear with her teeth. Channing Tatum Ren''s arms and her own hair were in the way and blocked what she was doing. They stayed that way for several moments, a lot longer than just putting a bill in his underwear would require, then they heard a sloppy kissing sound and Candy sat up with a very big smile on her face. ¡°You did not just...¡± Caramel tried to say, then Channing Tatum Ren was in front of her and used one of her own dance moves against her. He kept his balance as he slid his leg up and over her shoulder and rested the back of his knee there, which put his private area right in front of her. ¡°How are you doing this?¡± She asked as she took a bill and slid it into the edge of his underwear. ¡°It took me weeks to get that move right!¡± Channing Tatum Ren smiled. ¡°I''m a quick study.¡± He said and slid his leg off her shoulder and bent over to whisper in her ear. ¡°I want you to show me how flexible you are later.¡± He said and licked her earlobe. Caramel stopped herself from catching her breath at the touch, and then he was gone and danced around to the next girl in line. ¡°This can''t be real.¡± Sugar said as Channing Tatum Ren gave her a little lap dance and she rubbed her hands all over his backside. ¡°Are you for real?¡± ¡°I''m as real as you want me to be.¡± Channing Tatum Ren said to her and caressed the cheek of her face. ¡°You just need to decide who you want me to be.¡± He said and moved on to the next girl. ¡°Shake it, baby!¡± Jennifer said. Channing Tatum Ren turned around to do that and she slapped his butt as hard as she could. ¡°That''s it! Work it!¡± Jennifer grabbed his cheeks and squeezed. ¡°They''re so nice!¡± Channing Tatum Ren chuckled and moved away, then turned to the next girl. He gave each of the dancers an equal amount of time with their own personal lap dances, then he hopped backwards and sat on the edge of the stage. He smiled at the girls and lifted his legs and flipped backwards up onto his hands into a handstand, did 3 push-ups with his feet straight up into the air, then dropped onto his chest to the stage and stood up. He crossed his arms and posed for them. ¡°Ladies, I hope you liked the little cheer up show that I just made up for you.¡± Channing Tatum Ren said, and he felt their surprise. ¡°Oh, look! I seem to have something stuck in my underwear.¡± He said and stored it, and all the bills that the girls had stuffed into them seemed to move in slow motion as they fell away from him and to the floor. ¡°Oops.¡± He said and his hand quickly covered up his private place, but not before they all had a pretty good view of him. ¡°I can''t take it anymore!¡± Sugar said and jumped up onto the stage and took his hand. ¡°Let''s go!¡± ¡°But... I still have to...¡± ¡°Later!¡± Sugar said and led him off the stage and over to her work room. ¡°Get your ass in there!¡± ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Channing Tatum Ren said and Sugar slammed the door shut. ¡°Well, I guess we won''t have trouble deciding who''s going first.¡± Caramel said, and they all laughed. ¡°Who''s next?¡± They exchanged glances with each other and Gina, Jennifer and Candy stood up. ¡°Have fun trying to decide.¡± Jennifer said with a grin, and the three of them left the others by the stage. ¡°How about by how horny we are?¡± Paprika said. ¡°Obviously Sugar was the horniest.¡± ¡°I think I''m next.¡± Spice said and stood up, and her chair was soaked. ¡°Damn, girl! Why didn''t you say anything?¡± Caramel asked and looked over at Sugar''s chair. It only had a small puddle. ¡°You have Sugar beat, hands down.¡± ¡°I... well...¡± Spice stored the chair and equipped different clothing, then equipped her working outfit again. ¡°She''s more... well...¡± ¡°Sugar''s more outgoing.¡± Paprika said. ¡°Spice is a lot quieter.¡± She smiled. ¡°How many did you...¡± ¡°Three.¡± Spice said. ¡°God, that whole routine was so hot!¡± ¡°It''s unanimous, then. Spice is next.¡± Caramel said. ¡°Do you think Sugar is going to...¡± Sugar''s work room door opened and Channing Tatum Ren stepped out wearing his underwear. ¡°Sugar said she wants to save the other 20 minutes of her time for later.¡± Channing Tatum Ren said with a smile and walked over to Spice. ¡°Ma''am, I''d appreciate your company for a while.¡± ¡°T-take... take me.¡± Spice mumbled. Channing Tatum Ren gently picked her up in a princess carry and walked with her over to her work room. He didn''t come back out until the full 30 minutes was up. He had barely closed the door when Caramel took his hand. ¡°You know what I want.¡± Caramel said. ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Channing Tatum Ren said as they entered her work room. He cast Full Illusion on himself and became a half-giant for her, because she really loved big men. He stayed for the full half hour and then went to each of the other dancers and gave them all who and what they wanted. Sugar even used up the last of her time with him as well. Surprisingly enough, Apple was the one who was right behind Gina for being the most satisfied and for enjoying him the most. Ren made sure that each of the dancers were well sated and a platinum coin richer, then he left the Pleasure Palace after he had changed into Ugly Ren once more and gave Gina a kiss goodbye. ¡°See ya next time.¡± Ugly Ren growled for her to make her smile, then the door shut behind him. Chapter 679 - Nothing To Do Except Cuddle Ugly Ren met Artemis on the roof of the Pleasure Palace and dismissed the Full Illusion spell. Teepo dissolved into the ring as Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror and cast another Portal spell to hop over to the Pixieland ride. He picked up Suniva and they all went back to the house in Aurora. Once there, Ren did the same thing he had done at the beginning of the night and took each of the succubi into the Sanctuary for a quick trip to give them some devoted time. When that was done, he took Suniva and Artemis in for almost 6 full minutes, or 2 months of relative time. After that, he brought in the Marilith Demon and gave her another 3 minutes of fun. He left her in her room all curled up on her heated bed and went back to the big bedroom after summoning Teepo. ¡°Now that I''ve got all the new flyers done, should I deliver them myself or offer another quest?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t think doing it yourself would be much quicker, unless you wait until the businesses are open and just portal in.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Of course, these flyers are for Adventurers only, so no one except them will see them.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°I don''t want to cut into other similar businesses; but, the girls need the revenue from tips.¡± He said. ¡°I wonder if I can even advertise the Pleasure Palace in non-adult areas?¡± ¡°Only one way to find out.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Hand me a flyer.¡± Ren gave her one and she walked over to the window and tossed it out. ¡°Hey, what...¡± The flyer flipped over in the middle of the street and flew right back in through the window. ¡°Okay, that was cool.¡± ¡°Want to try putting one on the town square portal?¡± Artemis asked, and he nodded. ¡°Suniva? Want to come with us?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Suniva said and flew over to land on his shoulder, opposite of Teepo. Ren and Artemis left the house and flew to the town square in Aurora and landed beside the Portal Gate. Ren took out a flyer and stuck it to the side of the stone archway, and it stayed there. ¡°Teepo, I need about 30 minutes or so.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not a problem. See you soon.¡± Teepo said and dissolved into the ring. Rather than cast the portal spell, Ren just used the Portal Gate Network and attached several flyers to the stone archways on either side of them. Once that was done, he thought about posting them in the Adult sections of the cities that had those sections. He and Artemis flew over to the one in Aurora and saw a kind of billboard inside the Adult section. On it were various wanted posters, advertisements for services, and quest and job postings for players. ¡°I had no idea this kind of thing was here.¡± Ren said and stuck his flyer on it, slightly off to the side, so that it didn''t cover the things already posted there. ¡°According to the maps I made for Dana and Gretchen, these sections should all be identical.¡± Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror and cast the Portal spell. He and Artemis jumped to the next city''s Adult Only section and put up another poster, then jumped to the next one and the next one. He did 12 of them in total, which counted Aurora, and he thought it was neat that the number matched the number of Lords in the Human Kingdom, not including himself. They popped back to Aurora and Ren summoned Teepo again, then they flew back to the house. ¡°Okay, bed time.¡± Ren said as they entered the bedroom. He stored his clothing and climbed onto the bed, Teepo flew up to land on the ceiling, and Suniva hugged Ren''s ear. Seldanna and the succubi shimmied apart a little to let him and Artemis cuddle into them, then they all drifted off to sleep. The hour passed by quickly, and Teepo said that it was time to get up. ¡°Nope. I''m staying in bed.¡± Ren said and kept his hands on Seldanna''s and Artemis'' breasts. ¡°I literally have nothing that I need to do right now.¡± ¡°Th-that''s true.¡± Seldanna said, surprised at the truth in his words. ¡°Do you really want to...¡± ¡°I''m going to lay here for no other reason than to cuddle with a bevy of beautiful and sexy women.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is that okay?¡± ¡°It''s more than okay.¡± Seldanna purred and her hand slid down to his underwear. ¡°Um... I said cuddle.¡± Ren said, but he didn''t try to stop her. ¡°You didn''t say what part I could cuddle.¡± Seldanna said and gave him a kiss, then moved down close to it. Ellaria and Chenoa had their faces very close to what Seldanna wanted to cuddle and decided they wanted to cuddle him there, too. ¡°I... should have... said no.¡± Ren panted as they ''cuddled'' him and then Katori got in on the action. ¡°You didn''t want to say no.¡± Artemis said and kissed him to distract him, and he used both hands to hug her and make out with her while the 4 succubi pleasured him. ¡°He''s ready.¡± Seldanna said several minutes later. Artemis rolled on top of him and they joined together, then the succubi ''cuddled'' both Ren and Artemis at the same time. After several more minutes, she was panting heavily from all the extra attention. ¡°How... their tongues... I feel... AHH!¡± Artemis gasped and finished, as did Ren, and the succubi fed very well on both of their heightened pleasures. ¡°So delicious.¡± Seldanna moaned and moved back up to Ren''s face and kissed him deeply so that he could have a small taste of what she meant. She started to pull away, and he caught her hand. ¡°May I?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You always ask and never demand, even though you could command us so easily.¡± Seldanna said and straddled his face. ¡°You have always been such a gentleman.¡± Artemis held her hands out to the succubus, who took her hands and they used each other for balance as Ren pleasured them and himself. ¡°I am really going to miss this.¡± Seldanna said, and Ren felt her sadness. ¡°Us. Together. Sharing everything we are.¡± Ren stopped moving and tapped her thigh, and she moved back slightly to look down at him. ¡°Why are you going to miss it?¡± He asked her. ¡°You said our time together will end next week.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Our time here at the house is going to end.¡± Ren said. ¡°I never said that I was going to stop feeding you like this.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Seldanna stared at him with wide eyes and her utter surprise flooded into him, then the other three succubi stopped doing what they were doing and stared at him, too. Ren reached his hands out and touched them. ¡°I''m sorry you misunderstood.¡± He said and caressed each of their faces briefly. ¡°Please, don''t be sad over something that''s not going to happen.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''m not going to cut you off or claim I don''t have the time to feed you when I go back to the Main House in the county.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Seldanna didn''t know what to say. ¡°Why do you think I''ve been trying to get you used to spending some alone time with me in the Sanctuary?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I can''t take more than one of you at a time, and I was showing you how quickly the time can pass here while we can spend whole days together.¡± ¡°You''re not abandoning us?¡± Ellaria asked. Ren lifted his head to look at her and gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°I''ll never abandon you.¡± Ellaria''s relief was quite strong, and it was joined by the relief felt by the other succubi. Seldanna moved out of the way and motioned to Ellaria to take her place, and then eagerness replaced her relief. Anticipation came from the other two, Katori and Chenoa, then Seldanna put a hand on Artemis'' shoulder and one on Ren''s. ¡°I''m sorry for causing the interruption.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Please, continue.¡± ¡°You didn''t finish.¡± Ren said. ¡°That can wait.¡± Seldanna smiled as she bent down to rest her head at the point where Ren and Artemis were joined. ¡°It is more important to treat you as the benevolent king that you are.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren tried to speak. ¡°Ellaria.¡± Seldanna said and Ellara sat down to stop Ren from talking. ¡°I''ll try, Sovereign.¡± Ellaria said and she started to pant right away. ¡°He... he is very... skilled with... ohhh.¡± ¡°Do your best.¡± Seldanna said and then started to lick him. Ren couldn''t fight the sensations they were giving him. Suniva licked and played with his ear, Artemis rode him, the other 3 succubi licked and kissed him in other places, and he licked Ellaria. It was almost too much for him to keep straight. His body fought to react to each tender touch as the touch deserved, then another touch would distract him and he wanted to react to that one. He also had to concentrate on Ellaria so he could pleasure her, too. They stayed that way, locked into a pleasure cycle, until he and Artemis finished again. Then Suniva decided she couldn''t wait anymore and she and Artemis switched places. The succubi knew she didn''t like their attention, so they shifted to only touching Ren. Neither he nor Suniva minded that development and they pleasured each other for quite some time. Eventually, Suniva collapsed from the pleasure and slid off to cuddle with Artemis, and the succubi caressed Ren all over. They could barely move themselves from the wonderful meal he had given them, and he touched Seldanna''s hair. She looked at him and he nodded, so she cleaned him up diligently. Seldanna always enjoyed this part, because they both knew that he could easily clean himself up by equipping some clothing, and she was flattered that he trusted her to do a good job despite that. Plus, it was like icing on a delicious cake for her. It gave her that extra little emotional burst that seemed to be the tastiest part of every exchange of pleasure they had. Neither of them expected it to go further than that, and it was also a relaxing post-coital ritual. When they had started their pleasure exchanges so long ago, she never imagined that something so simple could fulfill her emotional needs so much. Seldanna took her time and finished cleaning him without rushing, and Ren had pet her hair the whole time. She gave the tip a kiss when she was done and moved up the bed to lay beside him, and she saw that Artemis, Suniva, and the other succubi had already dozed off and were asleep. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren whispered and gave her a kiss, then he cuddled in close and rested his head on her ample chest. ¡°You know as well as I do that it was my pleasure.¡± Seldanna whispered back, and took a deep breath for him to press his face into her soft mounds. He held in his chuckle and let her feel his amusement and appreciation. ¡°Mine, too.¡± Ren kissed her breast and sighed as he closed his eyes. ¡°This is nice.¡± ¡°It truly is.¡± Seldanna breathed softly and pet his hair, then closed her own eyes. She imagined the emotions around her as a large warm bath and let herself sink into them. She had done some very bad things in her life, and she knew that he honestly didn''t care about that. She fell asleep full of gratitude, because she was cuddled up with a man that she believed she did not deserve to have in her life, and she knew that he would be adamant that she did deserve it. * ¡°Wait, we can do the first Water Works quest again?¡± Dana asked as she and Gretchen overheard the same rumor in town about a husband going missing at sea, and they had gone back down to the docks to find the same woman looking for help. ¡°Is that possible? We already saved him, right?¡± ¡°Maybe it resets every day.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Dana said and gripped her friend''s arm. ¡°We have got to do this again before the update Sunday night.¡± She said. ¡°They might change the frequency or reset the requirements!¡± ¡°A thousand gold each time is pretty hard to resist.¡± Gretchen said and looked around. ¡°I don''t see anyone else here, though.¡± ¡°Maybe they think once it''s done, you can''t do it again.¡± Dana said. ¡°That might actually be true.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Let''s find out.¡± They went to the woman and the same quest popped up. They exchanged surprised looks and accepted the quest, then went to rent a small boat. With the both of them rowing, rather than taking turns, they arrived at the stranded ship fairly quickly. They tied up the boat and dropped down into the water and rescued the sailors, then brought back the crate of goods and the woman''s husband to the dock. They received the same rewards they had before and left the docks very happy. ¡°I can''t believe it.¡± Dana said, then she stopped walking. ¡°Wait! Hold on!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Gretchen stopped and turned to her. ¡°What if it doesn''t reset every day, but every game day?¡± Gretchen thought about that and what it would mean for them. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± ¡°That''s right! We can do it a few more times before we have to log out in the morning!¡± ¡°Should we, though?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Dana looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°Should we exploit it like that? Isn''t it like cheating or something?¡± Gretchen wondered. ¡°I doubt we''re the only ones that figured out we can go back to do simple quests over again.¡± Dana said. ¡°How often did we go out to the newbie field and harvest those foxes after they regenerated?¡± ¡°More times than I can count.¡± Gretchen laughed. ¡°It really sucked that we couldn''t keep the bunnies we caught, though.¡± ¡°I know! They were so cute and cuddly, too!¡± Dana almost squealed, then a manic look appeared in her eyes. ¡°Let''s go get one right now!¡± ¡°We''re still not going to be able to keep it, and the foxes don''t give us XP anymore.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°We''re just doing it for fun.¡± Dana said and took her hand. ¡°Don''t you want to pet the bunnies again?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Gretchen said, not very enthusiastically, and Dana laughed as she dragged her through the city towards the West Gate and the small field of starter animals. ¡°We''ve got to waste time until the next quest becomes available anyway.¡± Teela said. ¡°I can''t believe you''ve got all of the small quests around here timed like that.¡± Gretchen said, surprised. ¡°It''s kind of what I do.¡± Teela chittered in laughter. ¡°She''s fantastic!¡± Dana said. ¡°Aren''t you, girl?¡± ¡°I sure am!¡± Teela boasted from her shoulder. ¡°I can''t wait to see the bunnies, either!¡± Dana laughed as they went through the gate, then they took a left turn into the starting player''s field. ¡°Gretchen, can you give the bunnies some room?¡± Gretchen took out her bow and arrows and quickly shot all of the foxes that she could see. Luckily, there weren''t any other players there and the foxes were easy targets. The bunnies hopped around, agitated by all the activity, then calmed down after a few moments and started munching on the leafy plants that were scattered throughout the field. Dana tackled the closest bunny and rolled around on the grass. ¡°You''re so CUTE!¡± She exclaimed and cuddled the bunny in her arms. Gretchen laughed at her friend. ¡°You have fun and I''ll go loot the foxes.¡± She said and went around the field to each carcass and looted them. She only received a copper coin from each one of them, and also a few mangy and mangled pelts. That''s new. I''ve never found an animal pelt before. She thought and stored the pelts. They must be useful for something. ¡°Gretchen! Come quick!¡± Dana hollered and waved to Gretchen to come over. Gretchen ran over to where her friend was crouched down in the field. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It''s a demonstration of what you want to do with Ren!¡± Dana said and pointed, and Gretchen looked over to see two bunnies going at it like... well, bunnies. ¡°DANA!¡± Gretchen yelled angrily, and Dana laughed and laughed. ¡°I''ll get you for that!¡± Dana saw her reach for her, so she rolled out of the way before Gretchen could grab her. ¡°Oopsie! You missed!¡± ¡°Get back here!¡± Gretchen said as Dana started to run, then she ran after her. ¡°You''re not getting away from me! I know where you live!¡± ¡°Ha ha ha!¡± Dana laughed. ¡°I know where you live, too!¡± She goaded, and Gretchen doubled her efforts to catch her and make her pay, before they had to go to the next available quest. Chapter 680 - Going For A Stroll Ren woke up from the nap and felt the warmth of several sets of arms around him. The funny thing was, he didn''t feel restricted in any way and could easily move if he wanted. His head was still nestled between Seldanna''s breasts and her red skin was warm and comforting. He moved one of his hands and gently caressed the spot above her heart and she opened her eyes slightly to peer at him. ¡°That was a good nap.¡± Seldanna whispered. ¡°Are you still feeding?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I never imagined how much better these kinds of feelings could be.¡± Seldanna moved her hands up from his back and combed his hair with her fingers. ¡°You know I''ve enjoyed the forced harvesting after... well...¡± ¡°Oh, I''m not stupid enough to think you were a good girl before you met me.¡± Ren chuckled, and the other people in the bed started to wake up. ¡°Just finding you where I found you, told me everything I needed to know about what it was like for you.¡± ¡°...and yet, you subject yourself to our techniques and feed us willingly... and without reserve.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°I have a reserve.¡± Ren grinned at her, and she chuckled. ¡°Yes, no actual intercourse.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°You''ve let us do everything else, however.¡± ¡°I''ve done everything else to you as well.¡± Ren caressed her breast. ¡°I also told you why.¡± ¡°Yes, and not only do I appreciate your complete honesty, I absolutely love that you have helped us so much with that limitation.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°You''ve given us so much without having to cross that final barrier, and you''ve shown us that we don''t have to cross that line to achieve our desires and increase our abilities.¡± ¡°I''m really glad you understand.¡± Ren said and moved up to give her a kiss. She kissed him passionately and hugged him tightly. ¡°Aww, that''s so sweet.¡± Suniva said, and then giggled. ¡°The succubus can learn!¡± Seldanna smiled evilly and reached across Ren, then pinched the tip of Suniva''s breast. ¡°IEEEE!¡± Suniva yelled and jumped out of bed as her wings deployed, and she hovered above them. ¡°That wasn''t nice!¡± ¡°I was about to say the same thing to you, pixie.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Ladies, please.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t pinch hard, My King.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°She is just upset that I touched her there.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I know.¡± He rolled over on top of Seldanna, so that his back rested on her front, and he looked up at Suniva. ¡°I won''t ask either of you to apologize, since I can feel that you both think you''re even now.¡± Suniva opened her mouth to protest, then sighed herself. ¡°I teased a little too much.¡± ¡°As did I.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Now give me a kiss.¡± Ren said and Suniva floated down and kissed him briefly and floated back up. He turned his head and tilted it back so that Seldanna could kiss him, too. ¡°I don''t like succubi very much.¡± Suniva admitted. ¡°I reciprocate that feeling for pixies.¡± Seldanna responded, and both women smiled. ¡°You don''t have to like each other to reach an understanding.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you both for not fighting every time we''re in the same room.¡± ¡°We don''t fight because of you.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Oh, and because the pixies are so small.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve fixed that qualifier.¡± ¡°Only for the pixies you helped here.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Ha! We can duplicate Ren''s stuff, remember?¡± Suniva said. ¡°Right now, every one of the pixies that he rescued from Shargon Caverns has the ability to become large whenever they want!¡± ¡°Ooo!¡± Ellaria said and exchanged looks with the other succubi. ¡°Does this mean...¡± ¡°We can finally have it out with them.¡± Seldanna said and let a predatory smile touch her lips. ¡°Non-lethally.¡± Ren said, and they all looked at him. ¡°I don''t care if you fight, as long as it''s non-lethal.¡± ¡°That''s not very fun.¡± Chenoa said. ¡°No permanent maiming, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°No cutting off wings or pulling off limbs.¡± ¡°If you don''t want us to fight, just say so.¡± Ellaria huffed and crossed her arms. ¡°What''s the point if you can''t cut loose?¡± ¡°That I have to agree on.¡± Suniva said. ¡°We can''t use our elements if we''re not allowed to maim or kill.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Teepo said from the ceiling, and everyone looked up at him. ¡°The pixies and succubi actually agreed on something!¡± He chittered in laughter. ¡°That''s amazing!¡± ¡°Ha... haha... hahaha!¡± Seldanna laughed, and everyone joined in. They all calmed down a few minutes later and Ren equipped his armor bodysuit and climbed off the bed. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°For a walk.¡± Ren said. ¡°Who wants to come with me?¡± ¡°Can I fly?¡± Suniva asked and shrunk down to her normal 1 foot tall pixie size. ¡°That would defeat the purpose of walking.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Anyone else?¡± ¡°I am, obviously.¡± Artemis said with a smile and equipped her own armor bodysuit to match his. ¡°Me, too.¡± Teepo said and dropped down from the ceiling to land on his shoulder. ¡°I''m tempted to, but I will stay here.¡± Seldanna said, and the other 3 succubi cuddled in close. ¡°Okay, we''ll be back in a little while.¡± Ren said and took Artemis'' hand, then he led her out of the bedroom. ¡°Are you going to ask the Marilith Demon if she wants to come along?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Yes, but I know she''s going to say no.¡± Ren said and walked down the hallway. ¡°How do you know that?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°She''s too used to being confined underground.¡± Ren said and knocked on the door frame of the Marilith Demon''s room. ¡°Hi, there!¡± He said as she lifted her head to look at him. ¡°I''m going for a walk...¡± ¡°No.¡± The Marilith Demon said and put her head back down onto her bed, then her tail slithered up and over her head to cover her eyes. ¡°Let me know if...¡± ¡°I said no.¡± The Marilith Demon said clearly, despite having her thick tail in the way. ¡°Okay, Cuddles.¡± Ren said and felt her desire rise slightly. ¡°See you tonight.¡± Ren picked up the broken door and held it in place in the doorway, poured a little bit of Mana into it, and the hinges reformed and attached the door back to the frame. He shut the repaired door, then he and Artemis walked down the hall and down the stairs to go outside.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°You shouldn''t tease her like that.¡± Artemis said and shut the front door, then slipped her arm through his when Ren offered it to her. ¡°I wasn''t teasing.¡± Ren smiled up at her, then they started walking down the street. ¡°Calling her by her bedroom name in public is teasing, Ren.¡± ¡°It wasn''t in public.¡± Ren said and they took the corner to walk down the street. ¡°I just wanted her to know that I wasn''t going to take her saying ''no'' as an insult to me.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that would work.¡± Artemis said. ¡°You could have just said that, though.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re kidding, right? I don''t want her to complain, again, that I''m talking too much.¡± Artemis laughed. ¡°I think she''s the only one of us that doesn''t want to hear you go on and on about your adventures.¡± ¡°Ain''t that the truth.¡± Ren said and looked down the street to see that the business Anabelle ran was quite busy. ¡°Do you think we should pop by and see how things are going?¡± Artemis shook her head. ¡°Not right now. We should wait until lunch and make sure she''s not too busy.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, why don''t we book a table or two for lunch.¡± ¡°Do we need to wait in line to book a table?¡± Artemis asked, and saw the line in front of the popular restaurant called Nathalia''s Nourishment. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said and equipped his fine blue suit. Artemis equipped her finest dress and cast Full Illusion on herself to give herself normal skin, then she and Ren walked over to the people in line. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Ren said to the people waiting, and several of the couples stopped their conversations to look at him. ¡°My apologies for bothering you; but, would any of you know if you need to wait in line to book a table for lunch?¡± ¡°You''re not going to eat right now?¡± A woman asked. ¡°No, ma''am.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°I would have come here much earlier if I was going to eat breakfast. This place is far too busy otherwise.¡± She nodded and looked at the couples around her. ¡°Would anyone mind letting him go in next?¡± ¡°As long as he doesn''t jump the line and stay to eat.¡± A man who was a few couples back said. ¡°We''ve been waiting almost 10 minutes already.¡± ¡°No other objections?¡± The woman asked, then looked at Ren. ¡°It appears you can go right in.¡± Ren held a hand out to her and glanced slightly at the man with her. ¡°May I?¡± The woman looked at the man with her for a moment, who shrugged, and she took Ren''s offered hand. He brought it up to his lips and placed a very quick and light kiss on the back of it. ¡°Thank you, ma''am.¡± Ren said, and her face flushed slightly red. ¡°I''ll be but a moment.¡± The woman nodded and he let her hand go, then he and Artemis walked into the restaurant. ¡°You need to wait outside for-¡± The woman who sat people, the hostess, saw who it was and stopped talking. ¡°I''m not here to eat right now. I only want to book a table or two for lunch.¡± Ren said. ¡°O-of c-course.¡± The hostess said, a little flustered, and asked the next question automatically. ¡°N-name?¡± ¡°Smith.¡± Ren said with a crooked grin. She looked at him with wide eyes and held in her laugh at the obvious and terrible lie. ¡°Um, sir...¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°How can you be so terrible at lying?¡± She asked Ren and then smiled at the hostess. ¡°The name is Ren. He''s the Hero of Aurora, the Tainted King, a Chosen of Vasalor, blah blah blah.¡± She laughed. ¡°Pick one to write down.¡± The hostess just stared at her with a slightly open mouth. Ren chuckled and took pity on her. ¡°Please, it''s just Ren. I''d like to book two tables for noon and for an hour.¡± Ren said and took out a platinum coin to give to her. ¡°S-sir, you don''t have to pay upfront.¡± The hostess said and tried to give it back. ¡°I know. This is for the meals of the 20 couples waiting in line that let me come in ahead of them.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°You can split the rest between everyone working today.¡± Ren said and turned around. ¡°See you at noon!¡± ¡°Y-yes, s-sir! Thank you, sir!¡± The hostess said. Ren stepped back outside with Artemis still on his arm and looked at everyone. ¡°Thank you all for letting me go in. Please enjoy your meals.¡± Several of them nodded and the woman he had talked to gave him a little wave. He nodded slightly to her, then he led Artemis down the street and out of their sight. * ¡°So, he''s the Hero of Aurora.¡± A man said. ¡°Yes, didn''t you see that fight yesterday?¡± The woman with him said. ¡°Everyone saw the fight yesterday.¡± Someone else said and pointed up at the screens that were spaced along the streets at regular intervals. They showed the amusement park for several moments, then switched to the water park. ¡°He made sure of that.¡± ¡°Did he set those up?¡± The woman Ren had talked to asked. ¡°He was just here, you should have asked him.¡± The man she was with said. ¡°I didn''t think of it.¡± She responded. ¡°Perhaps we will see him again and maybe I''ll ask then.¡± They stood there and waited for another 5 minutes, then nearly half of the restaurant''s current customers finished eating at the same time and left. ¡°I think we''re all getting in this time.¡± A man near the back of the line said, then he was proven right as they were all brought in and seated. Instead of the hostess seating them one couple at a time like she normally did, she directed them to the waitresses who took them to their tables. ¡°This is different.¡± The woman Ren had talked to commented as the man she was with held her chair for her. ¡°We always try to speed things up for a priority client.¡± The waitress said happily. ¡°He''s so generous!¡± ¡°Who is?¡± The woman asked the waitress. ¡°The Hero of Aurora, of course.¡± The waitress said. ¡°He just paid for the meals of everyone in line!¡± ¡°He WHAT?¡± The man exclaimed, then heard similar exclamations come from around the restaurant. ¡°He said that he wanted to thank you for not making him wait in line just to book a table.¡± The waitress said. ¡°So, go ahead and order any meal that you want. I''ll leave you alone for a few minutes so you can decide.¡± The man and woman sat there with the menus in their hands and looked at each other after the waitress left. Their meals alone would have been 3 gold, assuming they ordered the full specials, and there had been 20 couples in line. ¡°I wonder if he enjoys throwing his money away?¡± The man asked, and the woman gasped. ¡°He paid for our breakfast to thank us.¡± She said. ¡°He didn''t throw his money away.¡± ¡°He just spent 60 gold to feed a bunch of strangers.¡± The man countered. ¡°You don''t think that''s a little wasteful?¡± The waitress brought over glasses of water and a basket of bread for them. ¡°He actually spent a platinum coin.¡± She said, which showed that she had clearly heard them. She gave them a huge smile because of their surprised expressions and she went to the next table and told them about their free meal as well. * Ren and Artemis started to walk in a circuitous route around the inside of the city wall, just like Ren used to do when he had lots of free time. They passed both East Gates that led to the harbour, then the South Gate, and then they reached the West Gate and he stopped. ¡°Just a second.¡± Ren said and diverted their walk to go out through the gate and turned to look at the starter field for newbies to gain XP. He smiled and walked over to Dana and Gretchen who were collapsed on the grass. ¡°Hi, there.¡± ¡°You just missed a grand chase!¡± Teela said from Dana''s shoulder. ¡°Who won?¡± Teepo asked. Both Dana and Gretchen lifted their hands. ¡°That''s quite decisive.¡± Ren said, and they laughed. ¡°Rather than debate the merits of several evasive dodges being worth more than one successful tackle, I''ll take the tie.¡± Dana said and sat up. ¡°You look all fancy today.¡± ¡°I made an appointment for lunch at Nathalia''s Nourishment and didn''t change back.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re welcome to join me if you want.¡± ¡°That depends on if we can get a few of the daily quests done before lunch.¡± Gretchen said and sat up, too. ¡°Daily quests?¡± Ren asked, and Dana and Gretchen exchanged looks. ¡°You don''t know about the quests that reset every day?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Quests can do that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I thought once you completed one, that was it.¡± ¡°Usually, that''s true.¡± Dana said. ¡°However, there are some really easy quests that you can do every day.¡± ¡°Like round up the chickens and gather the eggs in the coop down near the Market District.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°They let them out every morning so the quest can be repeated.¡± ¡°It''s not a lot of money if your at a high level; but, for normal players, it''s like a repeating gold mine.¡± Dana said. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder when they started doing that?¡± ¡°Who knows.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°It''s a little weird that you don''t know about them, though.¡± ¡°Not really. Like I said in my speech before the fight, I didn''t really go out adventuring.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°In fact, for the first 8 months or so that I played, I never left the Artesian District except to gather herbs for the old man alchemist.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Dana exclaimed. ¡°Why in the world didn''t you go anywhere else?¡± ¡°I was only level 1.¡± Ren said. Dana and Gretchen stared at him and he felt their shock. ¡°What?¡± Ren asked. ¡°So... it... the show... it''s true?¡± Dana asked. ¡°They cut out a lot of the long and tedious parts.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I gained a level in the fifth episode, that really was my first one.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I thought... I thought it was all scripted.¡± She said. ¡°I thought it was all made up so that it would be entertaining!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Nope, it''s entertaining all on it''s own.¡± He said. ¡°I think that''s why the network liked it so much. It''s just editing and no real production overhead costs to create it.¡± ¡°So... in the last episode...¡± Dana stopped talking and looked away from him. ¡°Yeah, it really happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°Getting tripped, punted like a football by an ogre, and the bridge collapsing.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Gretchen said and looked away for a second, then looked back at him. ¡°Did you die?¡± ¡°Gretchen!¡± Dana turned towards her and smacked her arm. ¡°No spoilers!¡± ¡°Why not? He''s right here.¡± Gretchen laughed. ¡°It''s not like he doesn''t know what happened to him.¡± ¡°It''s me that doesn''t want to know!¡± Dana exclaimed, then her face turned red. ¡°I mean, I want to know... but, I... I want to watch it and see what happens.¡± ¡°It''s okay, Dana.¡± Ren said and knelt to put a hand on her shoulder and pat it. ¡°I won''t spoil it for either of you.¡± Dana took a breath and let it out, then she relaxed. ¡°All right. Thank you.¡± ¡°It''s time for the chicken run!¡± Teela said. ¡°That''s our cue.¡± Dana said and moved to stand up, and Ren held a hand out to her and Gretchen. They both took the offered hands and Ren pulled them up into a standing position. ¡°It was nice meeting you again.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Dana and Gretchen said together, chuckled for a moment because of that, then started to walk away. Gretchen grabbed Dana''s arm and stopped walking as she turned around to look at Ren. ¡°If you''re not doing anything right now, why don''t you come with us?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°Yeah! That''s a great idea!¡± Teela said. ¡°Teela and Teepo on their first mission together! Woo-hooo!¡± Her enthusiasm made everyone laugh, then Ren and Artemis stepped over to them. ¡°I''d be happy to tag along.¡± Ren said, then 4 people and 2 beetles entered the city, all of them quite a bit happier than they had been barely moments before. Chapter 681 - Lunch And Dessert Ren and Artemis laughed and watched Gretchen and Dana run around the pen as they tried, quite unsuccessfully, to catch some very fast and pissed off chickens. ¡°Oooh...oohh!¡± Ren held his sides. ¡°If I''d known this was here, I would have come here years ago!¡± ¡°It''s not funny!¡± Dana said and stopped running to brace her hands on her hips to pout at Ren. ¡°I don''t know why they''re so lively today.¡± The woman who owned the chickens said. ¡°They wanted me to have a good laugh at the expense of my friends.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I guess that''s a good enough reason.¡± The woman said and laughed, too. ¡°You could help, you know!¡± Gretchen said and stopped running. ¡°You don''t have to just stand there and watch.¡± ¡°I don''t think interfering with someone else''s quest is a good idea.¡± Ren said as he remembered interfering in Elerlyth''s quest and ruining it, and he felt Gretchen''s annoyance grow. ¡°But, I guess you''re right.¡± He said, and Dana''s and Gretchen''s relief flooded out. ¡°I won''t catch them for you, but I will make it easier.¡± ¡°Any help is better than no help.¡± Dana said. Ren hadn''t accepted the quest because he was worried that his level would change the circumstances, which would have meant that the chickens might have been nearly impossible for Dana and Gretchen to catch if he had participated. Ren cast Wall of Air and used the Shaper spell to make the one wall into a large trough to surround several of the chickens and pushed them together. He did this two more times and rounded all the chickens up. ¡°There you go.¡± Ren said. ¡°Three sets of boxed chickens.¡± ¡°How did you do that?¡± Dana asked and looked at the corralled chickens being held by nothing. Gretchen reached out to grab the closest chicken and her hand hit something. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± Ren said and cast Color Spray on the Walls of Air and the three troughs he had made became rainbow colored. ¡°My pen!¡± The woman who owned the chickens gasped as three large waist-high troughs appeared in her well-maintained yard. ¡°It''s okay, I''ll dismiss the spells after the chickens are caught and it will be like they were never there.¡± Ren assured her, and she relaxed. ¡°Okay, girls. Have at it.¡± Dana and Gretchen reached over the waist high walls easily and picked up the chickens to return them to the chicken coop. Some of the chickens started to run around, now that they had more room. Since it was a trough, Dana and Gretchen only had to wait a moment for the chickens to run by them, then they grabbed them and added them to the chicken coop. ¡°Thanks a lot, Ren.¡± Gretchen said and closed the coop after Dana put in the last chicken. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said and dismissed the Color Spray and Wall of Air spells. ¡°Good job.¡± The woman who owned the chickens said and gave Dana and Gretchen their rewards for completing the quest. ¡°I hope to see you tomorrow!¡± ¡°We might skip tomorrow.¡± Dana and Gretchen said at the same time, which made them laugh. ¡°Now what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Bread deliveries.¡± Teela said from Dana''s shoulder. ¡°After that...¡± Ren listened to all the quests Dana and Gretchen did every day, and he was surprised that they did so much every time they got online. ¡°It didn''t start out that way.¡± Gretchen explained. ¡°We just kept finding all these little quests to do and made some quick money.¡± ¡°Yeah, and with Teela to guide us now, we don''t even have to try and keep track of which one we should do and in what order.¡± Dana said. ¡°My great little friend does it all for us!¡± ¡°That''s my job.¡± Teela said. ¡°I''m always glad to help.¡± ¡°Well, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s get to it.¡± Dana and Gretchen spent the next couple of hours doing all the little quests they had gotten used to doing, and Ren and Artemis followed along and helped out when it was necessary, or when Dana and Gretchen begged them sufficiently. When the girls were done, they were several gold coins richer and their reputations with the Market District shop owners was that much higher. Having Ren along had definitely helped in that regard, too. ¡°Thanks for letting me come along today.¡± Ren said. ¡°This was fun.¡± ¡°Fun?¡± Dana chuckled. ¡°We just busted our asses for over 2 hours!¡± ¡°Yeah, it was great, wasn''t it?¡± Ren asked, and he felt their surprise. ¡°Come on, admit it. You enjoyed it.¡± ¡°Well...¡± Gretchen started to talk and he smiled. ¡°The two of you work well as a team.¡± Ren said. ¡°We always have.¡± Gretchen smiled back at him. ¡°Ever since we met, actually.¡± Dana said. ¡°How long ago was that?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± Gretchen answered. ¡°We''ve been friends forever.¡± Dana chuckled. ¡°It definitely feels like it.¡± Silence fell on them for several moments, and then Ren remembered what he had asked them earlier. ¡°So, have you decided if you want to join us for lunch?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Who else is going?¡± Dana asked, curious. ¡°I planned on asking my shop manager, and possibly the other workers if they are up for it.¡± ¡°So, it''s a working lunch?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°Possibly, but not really.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just wanted to spend a bit of time with Anabelle.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Gretchen said and took a step back. ¡°We don''t want to intrude...¡± ¡°There''s no intrusion.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°Artemis and Teepo are always with me, so it''s not going to be special alone time with her.¡± He said. ¡°Plus, like I said, the other workers might come along.¡± ¡°Especially Holly.¡± Artemis said and leaned close to Gretchen to whisper. ¡°She''s got the hots for Ren.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Gretchen blinked her eyes for a moment and was pretty sure Artemis was trying to imply something. ¡°She practically throws herself on him whenever she sees him, ever since he beat up her ex-boyfriend.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°He WHAT?¡± Gretchen exclaimed. ¡°Boy, that sounds really bad when you say it like that, Teepo.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know!¡± Teepo chittered in delight, as did Teela, and Ren laughed. ¡°Walk with me up to the Artesian District and I''ll tell you what actually happened.¡± Ren motioned with his free hand in the right direction, and Gretchen nodded. Neither of them had tried to let the other''s hand go and they started walking side by side. By the time they reached Ren''s business, Dana and Gretchen had heard the whole story. ¡°That is going to make a great episode!¡± Dana exclaimed, and Ren and Gretchen laughed. Artemis opened the shop door for them and they all went inside. It was a little crowded still; but, since it was approaching lunchtime, it wasn''t nearly as bad as it had been earlier that day. ¡°My King!¡± Anabelle said loudly from across the shop, and everyone in the shop that hadn''t noticed him already, turned to look at him. He gave them all a slight nod and let Gretchen''s hand go, then walked over to the counter Anabelle stood behind. ¡°I''ve got a couple of tables booked at Nathalia''s restaurant for lunch.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you...¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Anabelle said and cut him off. ¡°I''ll deal with these last few customers and we can go.¡± ¡°I''ll give you a hand.¡± Ren said. In less than 10 minutes, Ren, Anabelle, Holly, Katie, and Cherry had the place completely cleared out and Anabelle hung the ''closed for lunch'' sign in the left front window by the door. ¡°Ladies, you''re more than welcome to join us.¡± Ren said to Anabelle''s three helpers. ¡°I have my own lunch plans.¡± Cherry said. ¡°Unfortunately, so do I.¡± Katie said sadly. ¡°I''m not busy, but I don''t want to be the...¡± Holly stopped talking and counted the people with Ren. ¡°...fifth wheel.¡± ¡°Actually, you might be the seventh or even the tenth wheel.¡± Ren chuckled and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I''m stopping at the house to see if anyone else wants to join us.¡± ¡°Then... okay! I''ll go!¡± Holly said and hopped behind him to drape her arms over him. ¡°I can''t remember the last time I went to a big sit-down meal.¡± ¡°It''s been a while for us, too.¡± Ren said and deftly extracted himself from her loose embrace as they all stepped outside, without making it look like that was what he was doing, and Anabelle locked the door. ¡°We''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and took Artemis'' hand, and they disappeared. ¡°How does he do that?¡± Dana asked. ¡°He''s very, very fast.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Only when he wants to run or has something that he needs to do quickly, I mean.¡± She smiled crookedly, and both Dana and Gretchen knew what the smile meant. ¡°Does he really take his time during sex?¡± Holly asked out loud, and everyone turned and looked at her in surprise. ¡°What? Most guys rush right through it because they''re so enthusiastic about it.¡± She said, and they had to agree that was most commonly the case. ¡°So, does he go slow or what?¡± ¡°He really does take his time.¡± Anabelle said demurely, then Ren, Artemis, Suniva, and the 4 succubi suddenly appeared in front of everyone. ¡°GAH!¡± Gretchen gasped, startled. ¡°Ren! Stop that!¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren grinned at her, and she shook her head at the blatant lie. They all walked down the street as a big group, and Gretchen ended up beside Ren somehow. ¡°By the way, he''s a terrible liar.¡± Artemis said from behind her, and you could hear the laughter in her voice. ¡°If you have something that you don''t really want answered, you better not ask him about it.¡± ¡°Geez, give away all my horribly kept secrets, why don''t you?¡± Ren asked, and everyone laughed. Gretchen was quiet for a few moments, then couldn''t help but ask the burning question on her mind. ¡°Ren, who here have you had sex with?¡± ¡°Artemis, Suniva, and Anabelle.¡± Ren said without hesitation. Gretchen looked at the tall and very beautiful disguised succubi. ¡°Can I ask why?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said, then didn''t say anything else. ¡°You have inadvertently discovered his other weakness.¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°What do you...¡± Gretchen thought about it, then nodded. ¡°He answered specifically what I asked and nothing more.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Artemis said. When they approached the restaurant, they all saw the line of people waiting outside. ¡°We have reserved tables.¡± One of the succubi said to the people in line, then Ren and his large group entered the restaurant unhindered. ¡°Welcome!¡± The hostess said. ¡°You didn''t say if you wanted a private area, so we put a couple of the tables together over there by the wall.¡± ¡°That''s fine.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± The hostess led them over to the tables and looked at the large group with Ren. ¡°Um, it might be a little crowded with so many...¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Ren said and stored the two small tables and took out a huge single table that had plenty of room for everyone. He added a couple more chairs so that everyone could sit down comfortably, and once again, Gretchen somehow ended up by his side and Dana sat across from her with a silly grin on her face. Anabelle sat across from Ren and Artemis sat beside him. Holly sat beside Anabelle and the succubi scattered themselves around so that their Auras could cover as much of the crowd as possible. Suniva sat beside Artemis and the hostess smiled at them all. She waved two waitresses over to the table and everyone ordered what they wanted. They all made small talk until the food arrived, and then they all started to eat. Only the sound of utensils hitting plates could be heard over the low murmur of the other restaurant patrons. It didn''t take everyone long to finish the great food they had been served, and they all sat back from the table to relax. ¡°That was delicious.¡± Anabelle said and slid her foot up Ren''s leg, then rested her heel between his legs and wiggled her toes on his private part. ¡°It''s the best food around.¡± Holly said. ¡°I mean, I know we don''t have to eat anymore; but, it tastes so good that I eat anyway.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s one of the best reasons to eat here.¡± He said. ¡°It tastes really good and you enjoy it.¡± ¡°Thanks for inviting us.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°You let me tag along and you made me laugh.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°The least I can do is feed you after that.¡± ¡°Is that all we need to do to get an expensive meal out of you?¡± Dana asked with a huge smile. ¡°We just have to make you laugh?¡± ¡°It''s a good place to start.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s a dessert laugh right there!¡± Dana said and pointed at him, and he laughed. ¡°Look! Another dinner!¡± ¡°Okay, okay! I get your point.¡± Ren said and waved to one of the waitresses. She came over to him and he motioned for her to bend down close. He whispered in her ear for a moment, then she stood up and nodded. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± The waitress said and quickly walked towards the kitchen. ¡°What did you say to her?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°You''ll find out in a minute.¡± Ren said with a grin. Two waitresses came out of the kitchen and they each carried a large covered tray of something. They placed them on the middle of the table and stepped back, then Ren stood up. ¡°For your eating pleasure, a delicacy known only in the Dwarven Kingdom. I present to you...¡± Ren nodded to the waitresses, and they stepped forward and removed the covers of the trays. ¡°...the best dessert in the world!¡± ¡°Puff Pastries with whipped cream!¡± Teepo exclaimed as the two large mounds of them were revealed. ¡°Ladies, please help yourselves.¡± Ren said and sat down. No one moved for several moments, then Anabelle reached out and plucked one of the 2 inch wide round puffy desserts and took a small bite. She gasped as the rich flavor hit her tongue, then the succubi gasped from her emotional reaction. Gretchen took one next and tried it, and she gasped as well. ¡°It''s really good!¡± Everyone took one and started eating and Ren let their emotions wash over him. He also felt the reactions of the succubi as they fed on both the dessert and the resulting emotions from themselves and the other women at the table. ¡°I didn''t think things like this existed.¡± Dana said and picked up another. ¡°I can have another one, right?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, the rest are just to look at.¡± ¡°Ha, ha.¡± Dana said sarcastically and kept eating. ¡°You should have one, too.¡± Anabelle said from across the table and picked another dessert up. ¡°I can''t reach you from here.¡± Not with your hands, anyway. Ren thought and quickly glanced down and back up at her, and she smiled. ¡°Say ''ah''.¡± Gretchen said from beside him, and he turned his head to look at her. Her face was slightly red and she held a puff pastry close to him. Ren opened his mouth and leaned closer, and she moved her hand in closer as well. He very slowly took a bite out of the dessert, and her face flushed completely red. Ren felt her emotions shift to a need for retreat, so he used a hand to brace hers and held it steady. Gretchen couldn''t tell him to let her go, since she had offered the pastry to him, so she didn''t try to pull away. He gave her a little smile and took another bite, then he ate the last bit of it to leave her empty-handed, except for some whipped cream on her fingers. He leaned back in and opened his mouth to lick her fingers, and he felt her panic. ¡°That''s okay! I got it!¡± Gretchen said and pulled her hand back without any resistance from him. She was surprised that Ren hadn''t been holding her hand tightly at all, and Ren held in his amusement at her emotional turmoil. He looked at her fingers and then at her with raised eyebrows, and she resigned herself to her decision. She stuck out her tongue and licked her fingers clean, and her face went to an even deeper red as she saw how Ren and the succubi had watched her. ¡°You liked seeing that, didn''t you?¡± Gretchen asked, a little annoyed that Ren had made her do it. ¡°I really did, mainly because you actually went through with it.¡± Ren said. Gretchen raised her eyebrows at him in a silent question. ¡°I expected you to just wipe them off, not lick them clean.¡± Ren said with a big smile. Gretchen''s mouth dropped open in shock, because she hadn''t even considered doing that, and he laughed. ¡°That''s another dinner!¡± Dana exclaimed, and everyone laughed. Ren picked up a puff pastry and held it out for Gretchen. ¡°Please allow me to make it up to you.¡± Gretchen''s eyes flicked from the dessert to his face and back again, several times. Ren felt her trying to discover what the trick was, so he gave her a happy smile and moved the pastry from side to side. After another moment of hesitation, she sighed and took a bite of it. It was just as delicious as the first time she had taken a bite, and she took another and the pastry was gone. Ren was left with some whipped cream on his fingers and she thought that was the trick he was going for, so she frowned at him. ¡°That''s okay. I''ve got this.¡± Ren said, which almost repeated her words, then he very slowly and methodically licked his fingers clean. Gretchen had watched every single flick of his tongue and every movement of his lips as he did so, and she couldn''t help herself as she imagined him licking and kissing something else. Her face went bright red from embarrassment as that thought crossed her mind, and then his non-licked hand was suddenly on hers. ¡°I''m sorry, Gretchen. I was caught up in teasing you and I took that a little too far.¡± Ren said, his own face was slightly red. ¡°Please don''t be embarrassed. It was my fault.¡± ¡°Th-that''s okay.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°No, it''s not.¡± Ren said. ¡°How can I make it up to you?¡± ¡°You don''t have to do anything to...¡± ¡°I think I know what to do.¡± Ren said and smiled, then turned away from the table and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability. He edited the recipe for a helm and made it look like what he wanted, then added the appropriate colors and crafted it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Gretchen asked, her embarrassment quickly fading because of her curiosity. ¡°It''s done.¡± Ren said and turned back to the table as he quipped the new helm. ¡°BWAHAHAHA!¡± Dana burst out laughing as she saw that Ren now had the head of a giant chicken. ¡°I call it the Helm Of Cluck.¡± Ren said, then the helm let out a loud chicken squawk. ¡°BAKAAWWK!¡± Everyone at the table started laughing, as did several people at the next table over. ¡°Every time I finish a sentence, it will make a noise.¡± Ren said. ¡°BAKAAWWK!¡± ¡°Oh, my GOD!¡± Gretchen laughed and covered her mouth with both hands. ¡°Hurry up and finish the desserts.¡± ¡°BAKAAWWK!¡± ¡°We need to clear out before we get in trouble with the other customers.¡± ¡°BAKAAWWK!¡± ¡°Then again, I think we should take them to go and free up the table.¡± ¡°BAKAAWWK!¡± The whole restaurant was laughing at this point, and Dana and Gretchen had tears in their eyes from laughing so hard. Ren raised his hand to wave at the waitress. ¡°Check, please.¡± ¡°BAKAAWWK!¡± The waitress came over, her face locked into laugh mode and handed him the bill. Ren took out enough gold to cover the meals, the desserts, the tip, and included a little extra for disturbing everyone. He stood up and quickly dispersed the remaining desserts onto plates and stored them, then he switched out the large table and put the two normal-sized tables back. ¡°Ladies, it''s time to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°BAKAAWWK!¡± The group of women with him could barely stand because they were laughing so much; but, they all managed to walk out of the restaurant without incident. ¡°Thank you... for choosing... Nathalia''s Nourishment!¡± The hostess said between laughs. ¡°Have a great day!¡± ¡°You, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°BAKAAWWK!¡± Chapter 682 - Into The Fire Ren and his group walked down the street to his business, and everyone they passed on the street stared at Ren''s giant chicken head. He managed to not speak again until they arrived at the shop and Anabelle opened the door. ¡°Thanks a lot for spending your lunch with me.¡± Ren said. ¡°BAKAAWWK!¡± Anabelle laughed and turned to touch his face. ¡°I think you''ve embarrassed yourself enough, My King.¡± Ren nodded and stored the helm. ¡°I''ll try and come back before morning so I can stay over.¡± ¡°My King, you don''t need to waste your time with...¡± ¡°Don''t finish that sentence.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You know what you mean to me. I''ll be visiting later, but I don''t know how much time I''ll have to spare.¡± ¡°But...¡± Anabelle tried to talk and he put a finger on her lips. ¡°You are not pushing me away because you think I''m too busy.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going back to the Fire Realm in a few minutes, and you know what that means.¡± Anabelle sighed. ¡°I still want to argue about your time management.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I just spent the whole morning walking around the city and hanging out with friends, then had a very enjoyable lunch with you all.¡± He said. ¡°Managing my time is not a problem right now.¡± Anabelle chuckled, too. ¡°Then I''ll see you close to morning.¡± ¡°Yes, you will.¡± Ren said and took two steps up into the air and kissed her. ¡°See you then.¡± Anabelle went inside the business and Holly looked at Ren with hope on her face and in her emotions. ¡°Holly, you know I...¡± Ren started to say, and she laughed. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Holly said. ¡°I didn''t think you had any preferences when it came to women, though.¡± ¡°If there''s no spark, there''s no point.¡± Ren said. ¡°Other than that, you''re right. I don''t really have a preference.¡± ¡°I won''t try to tempt you with meaningless but enjoyable sex, then.¡± ¡°Ha ha... yeah, that''s not much of a temptation, even with a body like that.¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°Insulted and complimented at the same time.¡± Holly said and laughed. ¡°That''s a talent right there.¡± ¡°I just don''t want you to think that I''m complimenting you for no reason.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for the attention; but, you know I''m not interested.¡± He said and took her hand, then kissed the back of it. ¡°I''ll let you know if that changes.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I won''t hold my breath.¡± Holly said as he let her hand go. ¡°One of these days I''ll find a rich guy of my own and I''ll make you jealous!¡± ¡°If that''ll make you happy, I''ll hope that it happens.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Hey, guys!¡± Katie said as she came around the corner of the building. ¡°How was lunch?¡± ¡°It was a clucking good time.¡± Holly said, and everyone but Katie laughed. ¡°Okay, I missed something there.¡± Katie said. ¡°I''ll fill you in when...¡± Holly stopped talking when she saw Cherry. ¡°...there she is now.¡± ¡°I thought I was going to be late.¡± Cherry said. ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°Perfect timing.¡± Ren said and took out one of the plates of spare desserts. ¡°Take this with my compliments.¡± ¡°With your what?¡± Cherry asked. Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s just an expression, but I should back it up.¡± He looked at both women''s faces and smiled. ¡°Your enchanting beauty could catch even the stoutest heart, and your diligent work goes mostly unnoticed except by those that know you, and they appreciate it even more than you realize.¡± Katie and Cherry stood there with slightly surprised expressions as he held the plate out to them. ¡°Please enjoy some of my appreciation of you.¡± Ren said. Both women exchanged glances and each of them took one of the puff pastries. They had the same reaction as everyone at lunch did, so Ren and the succubi enjoyed the emotional pleasure it gave them. ¡°These are really tasty.¡± Cherry said with a warm tone in her voice, despite her attempt to stay cool and distant from Ren. ¡°You can have the whole plate.¡± Ren said and felt their genuine surprise. ¡°Please, take it inside and share it.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Cherry said and took the plate that still had a dozen desserts left on it. Holly opened the door to the shop. ¡°He said share, so don''t hog them all for yourself.¡± Cherry''s normal personality reasserted itself. ¡°I know what he said.¡± She barked. Holly grinned at her and Cherry sighed, then tried to walk by her into the shop. Holly pulled her free hand back and pretended to try and slap her backside. ¡°No!¡± Cherry jumped forward to avoid getting hit and almost dropped the plate. She whirled around and glared at Holly. ¡°Stop doing that!¡± Holly laughed and looked at Ren. ¡°I don''t even have to hit her and she reacts the same way every time.¡± ¡°Maybe you should stop doing it, then.¡± Ren suggested. ¡°Why? It''s fun!¡± Holly said and motioned for Katie to go into the shop. Katie started to walk by and Holly slapped her backside. ¡°Move faster!¡± Katie''s face went a little red, but she didn''t walk any faster. She and Cherry went inside and Holly leaned towards Ren. ¡°See what I mean?¡± Holly whispered, gave him a wink, and went inside herself. ¡°Okay, that was a little weird.¡± Dana said. ¡°Welcome to my world.¡± Ren chuckled and took out another plate. ¡°Thank you for today. Both of you. It was fun.¡± Gretchen accepted the plate and stored it. ¡°We had fun, too.¡± ¡°Did we ever!¡± Dana said, happily. ¡°We have to do it again soon.¡± She grinned at him. ¡°By my count, you owe us three dinners and another dessert.¡± Ren chuckled and she chuckled, too.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Three dinners and two desserts.¡± Dana said, and Artemis covered Ren''s mouth before he laughed. ¡°Hm mhm mm mum.¡± Ren mumbled and waved, which made Dana and Gretchen laugh. ¡°Yeah, we''ll see you later.¡± Dana said, then she and Gretchen walked away down the street. * They turned the corner and Gretchen felt a little weird. What is this feeling? Gretchen asked herself and stopped herself from putting a hand over her heart. ¡°Dana, why... why do I...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Dana asked, concern in her voice. ¡°I... it feels like... like I''m missing something.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°That''s weird, isn''t it?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Dana thought about it, and then it came to her. ¡°Well, if you ignore all the other people at the table when we ate, this was your first real ''going out to dinner'' date with a guy.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Gretchen exclaimed. ¡°He''s a little short and young looking, but he''s a nice guy. If it feels like you''re missing something, it''s probably the end of the date.¡± Dana said, wisely. ¡°What''s funny is that even though he had all those women around him, he didn''t marginalize anyone or made them feel ignored.¡± Gretchen looked at her friend with wide eyes. ¡°The real show stealer was after the meal and your little dessert exchange. That was so cute!¡± Dana said excitedly, and Gretchen''s face flushed red. ¡°Yes! That''s just what you looked like!¡± Gretchen clamped her mouth shut so she wouldn''t yell at her friend, and Dana laughed. ¡°Come on! Even I was turned on by his little show.¡± ¡°Okay, dammit! I admit it!¡± Gretchen exclaimed loudly and stopped walking. ¡°He made me horny in the middle of a restaurant full of people!¡± Dana turned to look at her and gave her a wicked smile. ¡°Did he really?¡± ¡°Yes! I want him to lick me like that!¡± Gretchen almost yelled. ¡°Even though you''re just friends?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Especially because of that!¡± Gretchen said. ¡°What about the other women?¡± Dana asked. ¡°You''ve seen how he treats them! He''s friends with them! He''s friends with all of them!¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I... I want... I want to be...¡± ¡°We are all friends.¡± Ren said from behind her, and all the color drained from her face. His hands slid around her waist and he gave her a hug from behind. ¡°Please, don''t be embarrassed that I heard you.¡± He said. ¡°When you and Dana walked away, I had this empty feeling in my chest.¡± Gretchen took in a sharp breath, because that was the same feeling she felt when she walked away. Her hands touched his arms and held them. ¡°I wasn''t sure what it was until I realized I hadn''t done something.¡± Ren said, and she caught her breath. ¡°Can you turn around, please?¡± Gretchen slowly turned around in his arms and she saw that he was standing a couple of steps up in the air. ¡°Wh-what didn''t you do?¡± ¡°This.¡± Ren said and kissed her. Her arms went around him automatically and held him tightly, and she kissed him back with well-restrained enthusiasm because she didn''t want to seem too eager. They stayed that way for several moments, which actually seemed like a lot longer than that, then Ren broke the kiss. Gretchen''s breathing was sped up slightly, and Ren smiled at her. ¡°Yep, that''s what was missing.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry I didn''t clue in right away.¡± ¡°Th-that''s okay.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°No, I... I was ignoring my own feelings while I was concentrating on everyone else... and since I wasn''t paying attention to that feeling, I missed feeling it in you, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Gretchen took a breath and let it out. ¡°I didn''t even know what the feeling was myself.¡± ¡°Well, now we both know what it is.¡± Ren said and looked at Dana. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°M-me?¡± Dana asked and pointed at herself. ¡°You''re pretty smart. You guessed we were missing the end of the date, and you were right.¡± Ren said and looked back at Gretchen. ¡°Thank you for going out with me.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± ¡°I''m going to be busy in the Fire Realm, so I might not see you again for a while.¡± Ren warned her. ¡°Absence makes the heart grow fonder.¡± Gretchen said, then her face flushed bright red. Ren chuckled. ¡°Most times that''s true, but not always.¡± He said and gave her another kiss. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Bye, Teela!¡± Teepo said and waved. ¡°Bye, Teepo! It was nice hanging out today!¡± Teela said and waved back. Dana and Gretchen stood there and watched Ren and Artemis walk away. ¡°Damn, he''s pretty smooth.¡± Dana commented when they were out of sight. ¡°Tell me something.¡± Gretchen said, then turned to her friend with an angry expression as she made a fist. ¡°How long did you know he was there?¡± ¡°Since I turned around to look at you.¡± Dana said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I''m going to kill you!¡± Gretchen said and swung at her, and she ducked. ¡°I''m so embarrassed!¡± ¡°Hey, I don''t know how long he was actually there!¡± Dana said and ducked the next swing, too. ¡°Wow, you really suck at close combat still.¡± ¡°UGH!¡± Gretchen grunted and lunged at her, which Dana dodged. ¡°Teela? I think we are going to have to train her in some more basic moves.¡± Dana said as Gretchen had a hard time trying to land even a glancing blow. ¡°We''ve got some time left before we go visit the hermit for another quest.¡± Teela said. ¡°Why not do it now?¡± ¡°She''s got enough motivation at least.¡± Dana said with a smile as Gretchen panted in front of her. ¡°I''ll... get you!¡± Gretchen said and shook her fist at her friend. ¡°Good!¡± Dana said and reached out to poke the cheek of her face. ¡°Tag! You''re it!¡± ¡°UGH!¡± Gretchen grunted in frustration and chased her laughing friend down the street. * Ren and Artemis met up with the others in front of the business and they went back to the house in Aurora. Once there, the succubi climbed onto the bed and Ren asked Suniva if she wanted to come with him to the Fire Realm. ¡°Are you sure I should? You''re technically late by almost... well, here it was about 5 hours, but...¡± Suniva tried to do the time conversion between the Earth Realm and Fire Realm. ¡°Almost 3 years.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Maybe you''re right.¡± Ren said. ¡°If she''s angry...¡± ¡°I''m sure she will be.¡± Suniva said and smiled. ¡°I know I would be.¡± Ren smiled and nodded. ¡°All right. I''ll try and smooth things over and bring you next time.¡± ¡°Are you leaving me here this time, too?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°I should, considering Suniva made a good point; but, I''m not going to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to have you near me all the time.¡± ¡°I''m not even going to ask which one of that double meaning you mean more.¡± Artemis said. Ren chuckled. ¡°Good, because our link is broken and you know which one it is.¡± Artemis nodded. Because you want me there, not because I have to be there. She thought. ¡°We need to go.¡± Ren kissed Suniva, then Seldanna and the other 3 succubi. Teepo dissolved into the ring when Ren cast the Portal spell, then Artemis and Ren stepped through the portal and appeared in the arena. Ren used the little box to copy all the video that all the linked recording devices had made, then cast another Portal spell to take him and Artemis into the underground chamber he had made for that purpose. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror and chose the inside of his spawn point in the Fire Realm, then cast another portal. The Everlasting Flames burst forth and quickly filled the space, then he and Artemis stepped through the portal into the Fire Realm. There was an immediate reaction from Fire Dancer''s bed as a wave of Everlasting Fire burst out and covered everything, then Fire Dancer was suddenly crouched on her bed in a fighting stance. ¡°Oh, it''s you.¡± Fire Dancer said as she saw Ren. Ren felt her disdain and sighed. ¡°Yes, Deity of Fire. It''s me.¡± ¡°You took your time coming back.¡± Fire Dancer said and moved to the edge of the bed and stood on the floor. She was covered from head to foot in thick armor, and it transformed back into her nightgown as her disdain changed to anger. ¡°I''m surprised you came back at all.¡± ¡°I told you I would always come back, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh? And what should I do with you when you don''t?¡± Fire Dancer asked and her eyes blazed. ¡°But, I did come back.¡± Ren said. ¡°Three years late and in the middle of the night!¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed and made a fist. Ren felt an intense blast of Mana and Heat, then Artemis shivered beside him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I''m going to punish you.¡± Fire Dancer said and Ren felt her anger shift to Artemis. Ren turned around and put his hands on Artemis, and he felt the protections he had placed on her being stripped away. ¡°Deity of Fire! Stop this!¡± ¡°Do you really expect me to just ignore it when you disrespect me and your promise?¡± Fire Dancer asked, and he felt her mean streak come to the forefront of her emotions. ¡°This is MY REALM!¡± ¡°STOP!¡± Ren yelled back as more of the protections were removed from Artemis. ¡°I rule here!¡± Fire Dancer said and her anger burned hotly. ¡°I''m tired of seeing your toy get more attention, so I''m going to remove that toy.¡± ¡°Deity of Fire! Don''t... don''t make me...¡± Ren tried to speak, and she laughed. ¡°What are you going to do, Father?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°I''ve almost burned through all of the spells you have on it.¡± Ren cast a Permanent Magical Barrier of Protection and equipped his platinum armor with the shoulder mounted giant wand attachments and cast Indestructibility on the barrier. He loaded Permanency into the other wand then used up the remaining charges on Artemis, alternating between Indestructibility and Permanency. ¡°You only delay the inevitable.¡± Fire Dancer said with a maniacal tilt to her voice and another blast of Heat and Mana hit the barrier. The Indestructibility spell was dispelled and then the barrier disappeared as well. ¡°That''s because I''ve tried to delay this as long as possible.¡± Ren said and let Artemis go and moved back, cast another Permanent Barrier and made it Indestructible, then jumped off of the nightstand and flew to the middle of the room. Fire Dancer didn''t turn towards him because she was focused on Artemis, and a moment later, a hand as big as hers grabbed her arm and turned her around. ¡°How DARE you touch me!¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed angrily, then she saw that Ren had made himself bigger than her and had also stored his armor. ¡°I warned you that I would do this when I came back.¡± Ren said and pulled her into a hug. Chapter 683 - Burning Hatred ¡°L-let me GO!¡± Fire Dancer yelled and punched his side. Ren grunted as his side caved in and his rib cage shattered, then his Regeneration healed him almost instantly. ¡°N-no.¡± Fire Dancer punched his other side with the same result. ¡°Let me go, Father!¡± Ren didn''t try to defend himself in any way and just hugged her. ¡°Shh. It''s okay.¡± ¡°Let.¡± *punch* ¡°Me.¡± *punch* ¡°GO.¡± *punch* ¡°You can hurt me as much as you want; but, I won''t let you hurt someone I care about because of your jealousy.¡± Ren managed to say without letting the pain color his voice as his broken bones mended. He had to keep casting Major Healing on himself as well to keep his Health bar full. ¡°I''m not jealous of that thing!¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed and punched him again, and Ren winced from the lie and the pain. ¡°I can feel... your emotions, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even after all this time, you''re still letting your irrational anger dictate what you do in stressful situations.¡± ¡°It''s not irrational anger!¡± Fire Dancer spat at him. ¡°I''m completely rational and my anger at her and you is completely justified!¡± ¡°You believe that.¡± Ren said, a little surprised. ¡°It''s you that''s irrational! You told me that you would spend all of your time here with me, and then you go and gallivant around the Earth Realm without a care in the world!¡± Ren sighed. ¡°There is a good reason why I didn''t come back right away.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°Yes, I was gathering footage for you.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°You can do that in an instant.¡± Fire Dancer said and swung both fists at his sides this time. ¡°GAH!¡± Ren grunted as her fists dug into his sides and crushed his rib cage, then Fire Dancer slowly kept pushing them in further so he couldn''t Regenerate. ¡°STOP IT!¡± Artemis yelled as she flew out of the spawn point and fired. Two massive Mana bolts struck Fire Dancer in the lower back. ¡°ARGH!¡± Fire Dancer grunted and arched her back, which pulled her fists out of Ren''s sides. Ren took in a huge breath as his ribs reformed, now that they could, and he cast Major Healing on himself again. ¡°A-Artemis...¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± Artemis said and shot Fire Dancer in the back of her knees to make her lose her balance. ¡°You might not care if she hurts you; but, I won''t stand by and let her torture you before she kills you.¡± She shot her 4 more times, once each in the back of her thighs and her calves. Ren held onto Fire Dancer as she collapsed, and she had molten tears in her eyes. ¡°I hate you!¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed. ¡°No, Honey. You don''t... and that''s the problem.¡± Ren said and used his Fire Manipulation ability to keep her tears from falling. ¡°Artemis, back off.¡± ¡°Ren, she''s dangerous!¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Ren said and picked Fire Dancer up in his arms, then laid her down on the bed. ¡°Please, go back into the spawn point. I don''t want her to burn through the rest of your protections.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter if I''m in the spawn point if that happens.¡± Artemis said. Ren sighed and used his Fire Manipulation skill and the Solid Fire spell to create straps to hold Fire Dancer down. ¡°Please.¡± Artemis sighed as well and flew back over to the spawn point building and went inside. ¡°You better let me go.¡± Fire Dancer said through gritted teeth. ¡°I''m healing already. Once I''ve regained my Mana, I''ll burn through these restraints, then I''ll burn through your toy.¡± Ren climbed onto the bed and straddled her waist, and then his hands started to glow. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± Fire Dancer asked with wide eyes. ¡°I''m saving you.¡± Ren said and moved his hands towards her neck. ¡°N-no! Don''t... don''t...¡± Fire Dancer tried to squirm and get away, but Ren had placed the straps well. He knew exactly how to secure someone so they couldn''t move, because it had been done to him many times before. Ren''s glowing hands touched her neck and the Fire elementals that made up her clothing flowed away from them. He moved his hands down to the spot above her heart and she cried. His Fire Manipulation ability stopped the tears from falling, however. ¡°NO! No. Please, Father.¡± Fire Dancer pleaded. ¡°Whatever you''re doing, please stop.¡± ¡°This is an Anti-corruption spell.¡± Ren said, sadly. ¡°I honestly didn''t think it would work.¡± He looked at her ''clothing'', and it barely covered her modesty. ¡°I felt something when I first saw you after all this time, and I thought it was just thousands of years of resentment.¡± ¡°It was!¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°It''s not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, the resentment is there, no question. That''s why I didn''t even try to mitigate it or try to absorb some of it. You needed to work through it on your own, and the only way I could help was by being there for you.¡± ¡°You weren''t helping me! You were helping yourself!¡± ¡°Of course I was.¡± Ren admitted, and he felt her surprise. ¡°Just being around you, even as angry as you were, made me so happy.¡± He said. ¡°My beautiful daughter. You know I would forgive you almost anything.¡± ¡°Almost anything?¡± ¡°Yes. You know I would never allow you to hurt someone I care about, and that was how I discovered what was wrong with you.¡± ¡°There''s nothing wrong with me!¡± Fire Dancer spat. ¡°Denial of the facts doesn''t make them untrue.¡± Ren said and lifted his right hand as his left slid over slightly to frame her heart. He activated his Hands of the Gods ability Burning Hands and covered his hand in pure Fire. Fire Dancer gasped at its appearance and shivered in both the good way and the bad way. ¡°D-don''t...¡± Fire Dancer whispered. Ren formed the pure Flame into a blade that surrounded his fingers. ¡°I''m sorry about this, Honey.¡± ¡°NO!¡± Fire Dancer yelled, then Ren plunged the Fire Hand Dagger into her chest and through her heart. Fire Dancer screamed in pain and anguish as her father tried to kill her.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°You... can''t escape...¡± Ren mumbled and closed his eyes, dismissed his ability, then used his fingers to dig around inside her heart. ¡°You... were sneaky.¡± He said. ¡°Hiding in plain sight.¡± ¡°F-father! Please.¡± Fire Dancer writhed in pain. ¡°You''re... killing... me!¡± ¡°I''d never... do that.¡± Ren said, then he flung his eyes open. ¡°I got you!¡± ¡°NOOOO!¡± Fire Dancer yelled as Ren made a fist and pulled his hand out of her chest. Just like a volcano erupting, Everlasting Fire burst out of her chest with the extraction of his hand. Ren still had his left hand over the wound, so he used his Fire Manipulation ability to catch all of that Fire and shoved it back inside of her. He used his hand to hold the torn wound together, then he poured 200,000 Mana points into her. Fire Dancer''s whole body glowed for several moments, and then all the damage she had suffered faded away like it had never happened. She laid there on the bed, completely stunned at what had happened, and stared up at her father. ¡°Don''t worry, you''ll be fine.¡± Ren said and she couldn''t respond. He smiled at her and waited for several minutes for her to recover, then he removed his hand from above her heart and moved off of her to kneel beside her on the bed. ¡°Wh-what did you do to me?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°I... well, I...¡± Ren wasn''t sure how to answer. ¡°It''s a little hard to explain.¡± He held out his still-clenched fist and opened it to show her what he had grabbed from inside her heart. It was a Greater Fire elemental, and it was trying hard to break free of Ren''s Fire Manipulation ability that held it immobile. It was burning nearly white hot as it struggled, and the sounds it was making were quite loud. ¡°What... no... I...¡± Fire Dancer mumbled for a moment, then she frowned. ¡°I consumed you!¡± The Greater Fire elemental made several snapping branch sounds and a roaring fire sound. ¡°That''s not possible! I felt the power boost from your death!¡± Fire Dancer responded. A crackling fire sound and another couple of branch breaking sounds came from the Greater Fire elemental, and she sighed. ¡°So, enough of you lived to stay inside of me.¡± Fire Dancer sighed. ¡°All this time, you''ve been gathering your strength.¡± The Greater Fire elemental''s color shifted from almost white to orange in acknowledgement, and Ren felt Fire Dancer''s emotions change to rage. ¡°I''ll kill you!¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed. ¡°Father, let me go! I need to kill him! Let me go right now!¡± ¡°No. I''m not going to let you get caught in the same trap.¡± Ren said, and activated his Hands of the Gods ability Freezing Hands, and changed the Greater Fire elemental into Ice. Fire Dancer gasped at this move, and her eyes darted from Ren''s face to his hand. ¡°F-father!¡± ¡°It''s okay. It was just a facade.¡± Ren said and slapped his hands together. The Ice-converted Greater Fire elemental shattered into ice dust, and then Ren cast a Magical Barrier of Protection around his hands and folded them open. Once again, Fire Dancer gasped at the sight. It was a Void creature. It spit and hissed and became a sludge puddle, then it tried to flit away in a long stream of black goo. ¡°Wh-what... how...¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± Ren said as the Void creature bounced off the magical barrier and hissed again. ¡°My guess is that it must have infected one of the Fire elementals before you ate it.¡± The creature tried going in every direction and didn''t realize that the barrier had 360 degrees of coverage and it couldn''t escape. ¡°It''s pretty powerful, too.¡± Ren said. When the Void creature discovered that it couldn''t escape, it turned its attention to Ren and splattered onto his hand. It tried desperately to cause damage of some kind so it could get inside. ¡°Now, we can''t have that.¡± Ren said and changed his Hands of the Gods ability from Freezing Hands to Forbidden Hands, which was his Anti-void / Arcane version of the ability, and the Void creature screeched bloody murder and tried to get away from the black energy that covered Ren''s hands. The creature splattered against the magical barrier and tried desperately to find a way out. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°I''m tempted to wring this creature''s body until it expires; but, I stooped to that level once and I swore that I''d never do it again.¡± Ren said and poured Anti-void energy out of his hands and immediately filled the magical barrier, then felt the creature dissolve and expire after a few moments.
Notice!
You have extinguished an ancient Void creature known as ''Legacy''. Because of it''s long-lived nature, surviving for thousands of years, it had gained a special ability Longevity. No XP gains are possible.
¡°Huh.¡± Ren said. It had a name.
System Notice!
As a Chosen of Vasalor, because you gained nothing from killing an ancient creature, you can choose to copy its special ability Longevity. Do you want to do so? Yes / No
Yes. Ren thought.
Notice!
You have gained a special ability: Longevity. Both your Endurance and Vitality stats have been maxed at 99,999 and your lifespan has been increased from the elfling standard (150 years) to the High Elf standard (500 years).
Whoa. Ren thought in surprise and deactivated his Hands of the Gods ability. ¡°What is it? What happened?¡± Fire Dancer asked when she felt his surprise, and there was concern clearly in her voice. ¡°The Void creature had a name.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s the first time I''ve found one like that.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I have the Void Bane title.¡± Ren said. ¡°It lets me sense Void presences and influences within my Aura.¡± He explained. ¡°Normally, I can just activate my Aura and hurt them, but that thing...¡± He shook his head. ¡°I think it was protected because it was bonded to that Fire elemental, just like that Minor Demon had been bonded to Glastor during the arena fight.¡± ¡°You couldn''t hurt the Minor Demon until you removed it.¡± Fire Dancer said, and Ren nodded. ¡°How did you know I had it inside of me?¡± ¡°I didn''t, not really.¡± Ren said, and he felt her anger rise. ¡°I knew something was there, but not what it was.¡± He held his hands up in surrender. ¡°Not until I cut into your skin and felt it directly.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It started to panic and tried to flee when I pierced your heart, which gave it away immediately.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I knew where it was, getting it out wasn''t that difficult.¡± ¡°You cut open my heart and you didn''t even know it was there?!?¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed as her anger flared. ¡°You bastard! I''ll wring your goddamn neck! Let me go right now!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Easy, now. I knew whatever it was would be in your heart.¡± He said and touched her face. ¡°That''s the strongest part of you, so it had to be there. It wasn''t going hide in your foot or in your ear, would it?¡± Fire Dancer didn''t respond, but he felt her grudgingly accept it. ¡°Hiding in your heart would make it easier to control you, especially since I believe all of your Fire comes from there.¡± ¡°Yes, it does.¡± Fire Dancer admitted. ¡°Now stay still.¡± Ren said and placed his hands on the spot above her heart. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Removing the rest of them.¡± Ren said and concentrated on his Anti-void Aura. Since he was now 1173 feet tall, 8 times his normal size, his Aura had expanded by a factor of 8 as well. It went from 1,000 feet from him to 256,000 feet from him, making it a circle 512,000 feet wide. He concentrated on the artificial Aura he spent years constructing and merged his Aura with it, and his Aura expanded to cover the whole realm. ¡°F-father.¡± Fire Dancer whispered as she felt the strength of Ren''s Aura. ¡°This might hurt a little bit.¡± Ren said and activated his Hands of the Gods ability Forbidden Hands, and poured it into her. ¡°AHHH!¡± Fire Dancer yelled in pain as the dark energy covered her, then the pain stopped. ¡°Wh-what...¡± ¡°Your clothes were tainted by the Void.¡± Ren said, and she felt her clothing dissolve. ¡°Father! It''s made of fire elementals!¡± ¡°Yes, it was.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not anymore.¡± Fire Dancer wanted to look, but she was still secured to the bed. ¡°Father, let me up!¡± ¡°In a minute.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. ¡°Now the hard part.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I need... need to... just....¡± Ren panted and started to slump over. Fire Dancer felt his Mana and energy drain as he struggled to spread his Anti-void energy out into the artificial Aura. ¡°Father, free my hand...¡± Ren lifted one of his hands from her heart and removed the strap on her wrist. ¡°Help... me.¡± Fire Dancer lifted her free hand and tore his shirt open, then put her hand over his heart. ¡°Open your heart to me.¡± ¡°It''s... always been open... for you.¡± Ren said and took a deep breath. ¡°You''re blocking... not me.¡± Fire Dancer blinked her eyes for a few moments, then she realized he was right. ¡°Father...¡± ¡°Quickly.¡± Ren said. Fire Dancer nodded and then her Aura merged with his. She caught her breath as she felt everything he felt, and her whole body glowed the color of blue flame. That flame spread to Ren and covered him as well, and he stopped slumping over and stood strong. ¡°Father, I...¡± ¡°Let''s stop this bad influence before it gets away.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t just lend me your strength. Share it with me.¡± ¡°I... I don''t know how.¡± Fire Dancer admitted. ¡°I do.¡± Ren said and dissolved the straps holding her down and pulled her up from the bed. He kept his hand over her heart and put his free hand behind her back to hold her close. ¡°I love you, Honey.¡± Fire Dancer felt his sincerity, and as his love poured into her, her eyes gushed tears. When the tears hit the floor, they became baby Fire elementals and climbed up onto Fire Dancer and slowly became her clothing again. With their combined power, the Anti-void energy quickly spread throughout the realm. All of the Fire elementals that were infected by the Void taint when they were created by Fire Dancer, both Greater and normal, were covered by the energy. They were consumed by the dark energy and disappeared, and it left the realm that much emptier when they were done. Chapter 684 - Stoke The Fire ¡°I... I felt them.¡± Fire Dancer said and let the merged Aura lapse. ¡°They... they''re all dead.¡± Ren nodded and stopped concentrating on the artificial Aura. ¡°I think it only corrupted 1 out of every 10 elementals that you made; but, that''s still...¡± ¡°My defenses are sorely lacking, as is the population.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°It''s going to take a long time to replace them, and I''ll be under constant attacks by rogue elementals.¡± ¡°I''m not going anywhere for the next 4 years.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll do everything I can to help you.¡± Fire Dancer nodded and relaxed. ¡°There''s just one more thing I need to do first.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s that?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°This.¡± Ren said and turned her around so that he could sit on the bed and bent her over his lap. ¡°This is going to hurt me more than it''s going to hurt you.¡± He said and held her steady with one hand and lifted the other up into the air. ¡°Bad, Deity of Fire.¡± He said and spanked her backside. ¡°NOOO! LET ME GO!¡± Fire Dancer yelled and struggled as she tried to break free; but, Ren held her steady with his hand and Fire Manipulation ability. ¡°You tried to kill my familiar.¡± Ren said and spanked her again. ¡°You didn''t even consider what would have happened to me if Artemis had died.¡± ¡°That wasn''t me! It was the Void creature!¡± Ren winced from the lie and spanked her again. ¡°Don''t lie to me young lady!¡± ¡°Father, STOP!¡± ¡°I will when you apologize.¡± Ren said and spanked her again. Fire Dancer held in her tears as her backside was slapped very hard. She took two more spanks, then relented. ¡°All right! All right! I''m sorry!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°I''m sorry, okay? Please stop!¡± Ren''s heart wilted at the pain he had caused his daughter, and she felt his reaction. ¡°You will remember this day, Father. I will never let you forget it.¡± Fire Dancer said, scornfully. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll never forget doing this to you.¡± Ren said, sadly. He gently placed his hand on the sore spot on her backside and Fire Dancer hissed at the touch. ¡°I''m sorry I had to do it, Honey.¡± Ren said and poured Mana into her. The redness and the soreness faded and he let her go. Fire Dancer quickly got up and stepped away as she rubbed her backside, then she discovered that the pain and the damage wasn''t there anymore. ¡°Wh-what? What just happened?¡± Fire Dancer tried to turn and look at her backside while her hand kept rubbing the spot. ¡°I thought it was just numb or something! It''s really gone!¡± She stopped rubbing and looked at Ren. ¡°You did something like that when... when...¡± She put a hand over her heart and remembered him tearing open her chest. ¡°It''s my Possession Restoration ability. Anything that''s mine I can pour Mana into and...¡± ¡°I am not ''yours'', Father!¡± Fire Dancer snapped at him angrily. ¡°You are, and always will be, my daughter.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°No matter what happens, or how angry you get, that will always be true.¡± ¡°You. Spanked. Me.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°I''m the Deity of Fire and you spanked me!¡± ¡°Somebody had to.¡± Ren said and reached a hand out to her. When she moved back out of reach, he sighed. ¡°You need someone to keep you from taking your whims too far.¡± ¡°Oh? Bending me over your knee and spanking me wasn''t taking a whim too far?¡± ¡°Deity of Fire, that was the minimum of what I could do to teach you a lesson.¡± Ren said. Fire Dancer squinted her eyes at him, because she felt the truth in his words. ¡°What else could you have done?¡± ¡°I hope that neither of us has to find that out.¡± Ren said and stepped away from the bed. ¡°You can go back to bed now.¡± ¡°Do you really expect me to sleep after all of that?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and took out a bed, placed it next to the wall across from her bed, then equipped a set of Spider Silk pyjamas. ¡°Goodnight.¡± * Fire Dancer watched as Ren climbed onto his bed, slid under the blanket, and relaxed. For several minutes she stood there and thought he was just playing around; but, his breathing evened out and she felt his emotions decrease until he lost consciousness. She walked over to the nightstand and the spawn point building, and it was still covered in the magical barrier. Fire Dancer thought about using her abilities to break it open, just for spite, then she caught a glimpse of Artemis. She was in bed just like Ren was, and she was slightly curled around something. What is she doing? Fire Dancer asked herself and looked at Ren, then back at Artemis, and realized why it looked odd. She''s sleeping as if he was beside her! She thought in surprise and reached out to touch the magical barrier, then pulled her hand back. No, this is a test. She thought and climbed onto her bed and tucked herself under the blanket. She reactivated her Sustenance ring and closed her eyes. * Ren hadn''t summoned Teepo before falling asleep because he didn''t want Teepo to become another target for Fire Dancer to be angry at. He was glad that what he had done had worked; but, he was also sad that it hadn''t removed the hatred and anger she felt. She was still angry at him, and all that the removal of the Void creature did was remove the glue that held her various negative emotions together. Ren slept for the hour and didn''t open his eyes when he woke up. He laid there and felt the emotions of those around him and used his Heat Sense to pinpoint where they were. Fire Dancer was in her bed and Artemis was in the bed inside the spawn point building. He was a bit surprised that his Heat Sense would work in a world that was essentially all Fire, then thought beings would register differently from their surroundings no matter what the surroundings were made of. Of course, that made Ren wonder about the Ice Realm and if whatever beings lived there would even be indistinguishable from the surroundings at all. He felt Fire Dancer wake up and her calm and peaceful emotions faded to almost nothing and her other emotions rushed forward. She opened her eyes and sat up, then looked right at Ren. He felt her intense scrutiny and then she scoffed. ¡°I can tell you''re awake, Father.¡± Fire Dancer said.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°That''s excellent.¡± Ren said and didn''t open his eyes. ¡°Did you use the type of emotions I''m expressing or their strength?¡± Fire Dancer huffed. ¡°Their strength.¡± ¡°You should try to determine what kind of emotions as well, so you''ll know the difference between someone sleeping or someone holding their emotions in check.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, I''m... still tired.¡± He yawned and slowly pushed his emotions down to a low trickle. He felt Fire Dancer''s curiosity rise, then after a couple of minutes, he felt her move off of her bed. ¡°F-father?¡± Fire Dancer whispered and crept over to his bed. She saw and heard that his breathing was low and even as if he was asleep, and his emotions were at the same level when he had drifted off earlier. ¡°Are you really asleep?¡± She asked softly, barely above a breath, as she moved up to the side of the bed to the headboard and leaned over to peer closely at his face. Ren didn''t move or react as her hand reached out to touch him. Fire Dancer lightly touched his fluffy hair, barely more than the touch of a feather, and she remembered her mother''s utter fascination with it. She had never seen or touched hair like it before, and the memory of her fingers going through that hair for the first time was one of the best memories that Fire Dancer had of her mother. ¡°I made her laugh when your mother did that.¡± Ren said. Fire Dancer stopped moving her hand in surprise and looked at his peaceful face. She saw that it hadn''t changed and neither had his emotions, and his eyes were also still closed. ¡°I was tempted to reach out and grab you, so I could pull you onto the bed and hug you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know how much you would hate being startled like that, though.¡± Fire Dancer didn''t say anything, and she also didn''t remove her hand from his hair. ¡°I can lay here like this all night.¡± Ren said, then took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°With you by my side, I think I can accomplish anything.¡± He said, and he felt her surprise at the truth in his words. ¡°We cleared the entire realm of the Void influence that had infected it. Neither of us could have done it on our own so quickly.¡± Fire Dancer''s anger flared briefly when he said that she couldn''t have done it on her own, then it shrank back at the ''quickly'' qualifier. ¡°You know just what to say, don''t you?¡± ¡°No, I don''t.¡± Ren said, sadly. ¡°I can''t tell you that my heart aches for my arms to hold you and comfort you, and I can''t tell you that everything is going to be all right.¡± He said, and she caught her breath at the truth in his words. ¡°I can''t even tell you that things are going to be easy from now on.¡± ¡°F-father...¡± Ren opened his eyes and looked at her, and saw fiery-red eyes look back at him. ¡°I can only say that I''m here and that I''ll help you in any way I can.¡± Fire Dancer took a breath and let it out, then she sighed and climbed onto the bed. Ren was under the blanket, as were his arms, and she laid on top of the blanket on her side, and kept her gaze locked onto him. He didn''t move or try to take his arms out from the blanket to hold her, and she felt how much he really wanted to. ¡°I''m never going to forgive you for spanking me.¡± Fire Dancer said softly. ¡°I won''t ever forgive myself, so that''s fair.¡± Ren said. ¡°It really hurt.¡± She said. ¡°In more ways than one.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren responded. ¡°You felt my emotions at the time, so you know that it really hurt me, too.¡± They both fell silent and thought about what had happened. ¡°I never thought you would ever raise your hand to me in anger.¡± Fire Dancer said a few minutes later. ¡°It wasn''t in anger, Honey.¡± Ren said and gave her a warm smile. ¡°I did it with love.¡± ¡°That''s really harsh love.¡± Fire Dancer said and a small smile touched her lips. ¡°Love has to hurt sometimes to make things better.¡± Ren said. ¡°Case in point, Summon Teepo.¡± Teepo appeared on his chest and Ren cast the spells to make him solid and give him his voice. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± He said. ¡°How long was I out for?¡± ¡°Almost two hours.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sorry, buddy.¡± ¡°That''s okay.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What happened?¡± Ren cast Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything on Teepo 8 times, which made him the proper scale. ¡°Get comfortable and I''ll tell you what happened.¡± ¡°N-no.¡± Fire Dancer said, and Ren and Teepo looked at her. ¡°I... I don''t want...¡± ¡°Hey, it''s okay.¡± Teepo said and opened his carapace to unfurl his wings, then tried flapping them. ¡°Wow, being massive makes it really hard to fly.¡± He said and fluttered haphazardly off of Ren''s chest and landed on Fire Dancer''s arm. He skittered up to her shoulder and reached out with a front leg to touch her face. ¡°Believe me, I''ve seen some bad things. Nothing that happened will make me love you any less.¡± ¡°But... I...¡± Fire Dancer closed her eyes and a tear came out. It hit the bed and became a baby Fire elemental and joined the others as part of her clothing. ¡°I tried to hurt Artemis.¡± Teepo thought about that for a minute. ¡°Do you still want to?¡± ¡°I... yes... no... I...¡± Fire Dancer sighed. ¡°I don''t know.¡± ¡°Then let me hear what Ren has to say about it, before you expect me to stop comforting you, okay?¡± Teepo asked, and she nodded. Ren told him the story of what had happened, and as he did, Teepo slowly moved from her shoulder and closer to her face as he hugged her with each successive limb, until he stood completely on the cheek of her face and had hugged her with all 6 of his limbs. ¡°You poor thing.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''m so sorry that happened.¡± ¡°Wh-why aren''t you mad at me?¡± Fire Dancer asked, because she could only feel concern from Teepo. ¡°Having that Void creature inside you doesn''t excuse all of your actions, just like Ren said.¡± Teepo said. ¡°But, I can''t fault you any more than Ren can for what you went through.¡± ¡°Uncle Teepo...¡± ¡°Ren also punished you for what you tried to do.¡± Teepo said and moved back to her shoulder. ¡°I can''t say that I disagree with his choice, either.¡± Fire Dancer took in a breath and let it out. ¡°You can''t just lash out at the things you don''t like, Deity of Fire. If you keep doing that all the time, there will be nothing but chaos in this realm.¡± Teepo warned her. ¡°You need to think about what you''re doing and about the consequences, then you can act accordingly.¡± Fire Dancer reached up and scratched the middle of his carapace, and Teepo chittered with happiness. ¡°You''re the only one that can do that properly.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Uncle Teepo.¡± Fire Dancer said and looked at Ren. ¡°Father, I...¡± ¡°Don''t say it because you think we want to hear it.¡± Ren said, and she closed her mouth. ¡°I can feel your emotions... I can always feel your emotions... and I don''t want a platitude from you.¡± Fire Dancer''s anger rose and she scowled at him. ¡°How dare you accuse...¡± Ren''s hand was suddenly out from under the blanket and cupped the side of her face. Fire Dancer caught her breath in surprise at the speed of the movement and at the flow of love that accompanied it. ¡°If you''re going to apologize, I want you to actually feel the emotions that go with it. Sorrow, regret, and maybe even a little remorse would be nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t expect an apology right away, and neither does Artemis.¡± Fire Dancer squinted her eyes for a moment at the mention of his toy. ¡°No, I''m not going to force you to do it.¡± Ren sighed as he felt her emotional reaction to him mentioning Artemis. ¡°I told you, I don''t want a platitude. Artemis wouldn''t want a platitude, either. You need to actually be sorry when you apologize, otherwise there''s no point.¡± ¡°What if I never apologize?¡± Fire Dancer asked. Ren caressed her cheek and moved his hand away, which cut off the direct flow of emotions from him, then he rested his arm above the blanket instead of tucking it back under. ¡°Like Teepo said, that''s your choice to make.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. ¡°Father, what...¡± ¡°I''m just going to lay here and relax.¡± Ren said and took in a huge breath and let it out. ¡°I''ve been trying to get into the habit of doing that. I''ve always been on the go, doing things and going places for a long time, and I don''t have to do that anymore.¡± Fire Dancer felt the truth in his words and she wasn''t sure what to say in response. Ren chuckled. ¡°No, Deity of Fire. Being here does not count. I want to be here.¡± ¡°Not enough to come back when you were supposed to.¡± Fire Dancer said automatically. ¡°I told you I was gathering video for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°...and I told you that you could have done it instantly.¡± Fire Dancer responded. ¡°I know how the boxes work, Father. You made sure of that.¡± ¡°I wasn''t retrieving video, I was making it.¡± Ren said, and used his Fire Manipulation ability to pick up the display box in her bedroom and turned it so they could see it from his bed. ¡°Shall we watch it together?¡± ¡°You''re really going to like it, Deity of Fire!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°We had so much fun!¡± ¡°It started out as just a walk.¡± Ren said and took out his personal recording device and pointed it at the display box. He added the video he had made that morning in the Earth Realm and it started to play. ¡°It wasn''t until the walk was almost over that I felt Dana and Gretchen nearby...¡± Fire Dancer slid a little closer to him and Ren couldn''t put his arm back down onto the bed. He stored his personal recorder and moved his arm out and around her head, and she moved a fraction closer. It was just close enough that he could put his arm down behind her without it being awkward and he almost had her in a hug. It''s a start. Ren thought happily. They laid on the bed and watched the footage of Ren spending the morning with his friends. Fire Dancer enjoyed watching the quests just as much as Ren had when he filmed it, and then they went to lunch. Her emotions shifted to annoyance at some of the interactions, especially the dessert exchange with Gretchen. Ren was about to ask her why it bothered her so much, and then he saw himself making the Helm of Cluck and put it on, much to the delight of everyone around him. Fire Dancer couldn''t stop herself and laughed just as hard as everyone else did in the video. Chapter 685 - Time Waits For No One The video ended with Ren saying goodbye to everyone at the shop, and Fire Dancer realized where she was; on a bed with Ren''s arm almost around her and practically cuddled up together. She got up awkwardly and excused herself and went to her own bed. Neither Ren nor Teepo tried to stop her or talked, because they knew if they tried to speak to her, it would only make her blame them for making her too comfortable. After that first awkward night back in the Fire Realm, things seemed to get better. Ren didn''t stay in his humongous form all the time, though. When he was outside Fire Dancer''s bedroom, he returned to his normal height and tucked himself into Fire Dancer''s hair and spent as much of the day with her as she would let him. When he returned to her bedroom, he resumed his humongous form and spent time with her that way. After sleeping for the hour each night, Ren would share his power with her by merging Auras and letting Fire Dancer feel the deep well of love he had for her. That unparalleled love always brought her to tears and baby Fire elementals poured out of her eyes by the hundreds. Normally, she couldn''t maintain so many at once; but, thanks to Ren''s help, she found it downright easy. In a week, the babies she had first made with his help on the first night became young Fire elementals and she let them out of her clothing. They dispersed among the normal Fire Elementals and Greater Fire Elementals, and Ren would use his shoulder-mounted wands to fill the throne room with Enchanted Fire for them to consume and gorge on. Occasionally, Fire Dancer would merge her Aura with the artificial one and try to find any dissenters, to no avail. Either there weren''t any, or they were hiding very well. She suspected the latter, but couldn''t do anything about it at the moment, so she concentrated on maintaining the Realm and replacing all of the Void-infected Fire Elementals that she and Ren had destroyed. By the time Ren''s current 4 year visit was up, they had only replaced about a third of them. Ren had waited until after he had slept for an hour before deciding to leave. ¡°Deity of Fire, I need to go.¡± ¡°I know, Father.¡± Fire Dancer said from her bed. ¡°I''ve been counting the days until now.¡± ¡°If anything happens, check where I am and cast a portal for an instant.¡± Ren said and climbed out of his bed. ¡°I''ll make my own and come here as soon as possible.¡± ¡°I don''t expect anything to happen, and neither should you.¡± Fire Dancer said and climbed out of her own. ¡°Take care of your Adventurer''s business and don''t worry about me.¡± ¡°I always worry about you.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. ¡°I know it may not seem like it, but you have always been in my thoughts.¡± He said and took her into a hug for a moment. ¡°That''s two seconds. You can let go now.¡± Fire Dancer said. Ren opened his arms and then cupped the sides of her face. ¡°I''ll stop hugging you like we agreed, but I''ll never let you go.¡± He said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Hey!¡± Fire Dancer stepped back and rubbed her cheek. ¡°Boundaries!¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Ren said and darted forward and kissed her other cheek. ¡°HEY!¡± Fire Dancer hollered. ¡°I had to make them match.¡± Ren laughed as she rubbed her other cheek. ¡°Sorry!¡± Fire Dancer winced at the blatant lie. ¡°Ow, that really does hurt.¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Teepo, ready to go?¡± ¡°I''d like to stay; but, we don''t know what will happen if you leave with the ring and I''m still here.¡± Teepo said and flew off of Fire Dancer''s shoulder to land on Ren''s. ¡°Yeah, and neither of us want to take the chance.¡± Ren said and reduced Teepo back to his normal size, then did it to himself. ¡°You could always leave the ring here.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°It wouldn''t matter.¡± Ren said and flew over to the spawn point building. ¡°Only the owner can summon Teepo.¡± ¡°Then give me the ring.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I think it would alter the ring by changing owners and Teepo would be released from the spell.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t take a chance like that, either.¡± Fire Dancer sighed. ¡°Why are things never easy?¡± ¡°Usually when they are easy, it''s not really worth doing.¡± ¡°Like your arena fight?¡± Fire Dancer asked, and he laughed. ¡°It wasn''t easy! That took decades to prepare for.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was just better at being normal than he was.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°I was!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°Father, even without all of your abilities, you''re not normal.¡± ¡°According to the Talisman of Ordinariness I was.¡± Ren said smugly and grinned at her, and she chuckled. ¡°I''ll see you in about 7 years.¡± He said and felt her emotions change and used his wings to fly up into the air to hover in front of her face. ¡°I give you my word that I''ll come right back when the day starts in the Earth Realm.¡± Fire Dancer sighed and reluctantly nodded. Ren touched the tip of her nose and rubbed it, then flew down to the spawn point building. He cast the portal to the spot in the no man''s land where he had made the underground chamber, Teepo dissolved into the ring, then Ren and Artemis stepped through the portal. Ren dismissed the portal and absorbed the Everlasting Fire inside the magical barrier, then cast another portal to the house in Aurora. Once there, he did the same thing he had done several times before and took individual trips into the Sanctuary. He gave a couple of minutes to each of the 4 succubi, 6 minutes to Artemis and Suniva, and 3 minutes to the Marilith Demon. When that was done, he kissed them all goodbye and stood beside the wall and logged out. ******** In the real world it was time for supper. Everyone gathered in the downstairs dining room after Ren insisted on eating down there, and they had an enjoyable meal. Elise and Barbi had already finished the television proposal and only needed to wait for the handful of programmers to finish making the demo. Lisa had been invaluable in the construction of the proposal that Elise and Barbi had given her an executive assistant credit on it. Lisa had adamantly denied being that big of a help, to no avail. Her name was on it now and it was going to stay there, which meant she was going to get some of the residuals if the idea was successfully sold to a network. After hearing about that, Stella and Ren told them about what he had done in the game, and when the story came to the Helm of Cluck, they all laughed. ¡°Tell me you have the clip already saved!¡± Elise exclaimed, and Stella held out her cell phone. ¡°It''s also my new ringtone.¡± Stella said and hit the demo button. ¡°BAKAAWWK!¡± ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Elise said as she took the phone. She hit play on the video and it started right when he first made the helm. Barbi and Lisa leaned in close to watch, and Denise and Barbara watched over their shoulders.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°That''s hilarious!¡± Lisa laughed as the helm clucked after every sentence. ¡°You can really ham it up when you want to.¡± Barbi said with a huge smile. ¡°The ideas that come out of your head.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°I want you to wear that the next time I go online.¡± Denise said. ¡°I have to see that for myself!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m glad you all enjoy my embarrassment so much.¡± Stella reached over and put a hand on his back and gave it a little rub. ¡°It was very nice of you to do that.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°I just did it to distract her. I thought we were just joking around and I didn''t mean to embarrass Gretchen like that.¡± ¡°You definitely caused a distraction.¡± Elise said. ¡°The whole restaurant is laughing at it!¡± ¡°Yeah, that was pretty funny.¡± Ren said and looked at Lisa. ¡°Hey, I''ve got a couple of hours to spare. Want to hang out for a while? ¡± ¡°You know I do.¡± Lisa said with a huge smile. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± ¡°I''m sure Elise still has some work to do.¡± Ren said, and Elise nodded as she handed the cell phone back to Stella. ¡°There''s still some time left to trade in foreign markets, so I need to check on our investments.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ll be an hour, maybe an hour and a half.¡± ¡°I''ve got some social media content to administer as well, so I''ll be busy, too.¡± Barbi said and winked at Stella, who totally got the hint and sent her the video. Ren turned and looked at Denise. ¡°If I could borrow you for a while as a kind of body pillow, Lisa and I can relax in the living room.¡± ¡°So, I''m a body pillow now.¡± Denise said with a smile. ¡°It can be one of your many uses.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°All right, I''ve seen you use Elise like that. I think I can handle it.¡± ¡°Thanks, Denise.¡± Ren said, and she took control of his wheelchair. ¡°Lisa, can you go and grab your book?¡± ¡°I''ll be right back!¡± Lisa said happily and ran from the dining room. ¡°She sure can move when she wants to.¡± Elise chuckled and gave Ren a kiss. ¡°Have fun.¡± She said, then she and Barbi left the dining room to go to the office. ¡°I might pop out at midnight...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°I think you should stay in tonight.¡± Barbara said, and Ren turned to look at her with wide eyes. ¡°I know, I know... that goes against everything that my heart so desperately wants.¡± Stella snorted a laugh and Barbara grinned at her. ¡°I think you have an important appointment that you should show up early for.¡± Barbara said. Ren looked from her to Stella. ¡°Did you...¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Stella said. ¡°When you leave the Fire Realm to go on Adventurer''s business this time, rather than logging off, you can meet with me in front of the Library instead.¡± ¡°Sweet!¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t wait to see what you chose.¡± ¡°You''re going to be surprised.¡± Stella said. ¡°I should say that nothing surprises me, but that''s a total lie.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I remember the first time you... mhm mmm mhm!¡± Denise covered his mouth with her hand. ¡°Yeah, we don''t need to hear about that.¡± ¡°Hm mhm hum?¡± Ren mumbled. ¡°We''re not interested even a little bit, so keep your mouth shut until we figure out how to get you settled on the couch.¡± Denise said. ¡°Hm mm.¡± Denise moved her hand and pushed the wheelchair to the big living room and Barbara and Stella followed them. Once there, it took them a minute to decide where to set things up so that Ren could rest against Denise safely, without putting extra strain on his chest or his wrapped knee. She sat in the corner of the couch on an angle, then Ren was tucked under her arm and against her side with his braced knee out and off the couch. His foot rested on a step stool with a throw pillow for a cushion, and he sighed in contentment as he relaxed. ¡°Oh, yeah. This feels a lot better than just sitting on the couch.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks, Denise.¡± ¡°I''m glad you like the Denise Body Pillow.¡± Denise said. ¡°Being next to you in normal clothes is a lot more comfortable than with the uniform, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren turned his head to rub his cheek on the side of her breast, then he grinned up at her. ¡°The cloth is a lot thinner.¡± Denise laughed and shook her head. ¡°You''re just lucky that I chose a cloth bra today, or you''d be resting your head against a hard-cupped underwire.¡± ¡°I''d still do it.¡± Ren said and rubbed his cheek against her again. ¡°Geez, look at this guy.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°It''s like he''s in a relaxing bath.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°Soon, though.¡± The elevator opened and Lisa ran across the hall and into the living room. ¡°I can only offer my lap and not what we usually do, because of the bandages and stitches.¡± Ren said to her and rubbed the top of his thighs. ¡°I hope it''s enough.¡± ¡°Just sitting next to you is enough.¡± Lisa said and sat down. ¡°But...¡± ¡°It''s okay. Really.¡± ¡°But, I... I want to pet your hair.¡± Ren said, and she blinked her eyes at him. ¡°I want to look down at your peaceful face while you read and I want to stroke your hair.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Please.¡± Ren said. Lisa looked at Stella, who nodded. ¡°We made sure there''s no chance he can be hurt like this.¡± Stella said. ¡°Go ahead and lay down.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Lisa said with a slightly red face, then she carefully laid down and rested her head on Ren''s thighs. ¡°No, that''s not going to work.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stella, hand me that cushion.¡± Stella handed it to him and he asked Lisa to lift her head a bit, and he slid the cushion under her neck and onto his thigh to make a perfect incline. ¡°Lay back.¡± Ren said. ¡°How''s that feel?¡± Lisa put her head down and looked up at him with a smile. ¡°It''s really comfortable.¡± Ren smiled back at her and pointed to her book. She nodded, braced it on her belly and opened it to the last page she had been on, then started to read. Stella sat down and turned on the television, and Barbara left to get ready for her night shift. Ren pet Lisa''s hair and watched her peaceful face while she read, just like he wanted to do. Unfortunately, the two hours passed by fairly quickly and their time together on the couch was over. Lisa didn''t say anything except thank you, and Ren apologized for needing to leave. She laughed and gave him a kiss, then told him she would meet him for a couple of minutes in the game, since he was upset over their short time together in the real world. Ren thanked Denise for letting him use her as a support, and Stella took him up to his bedroom to let him go back into the game. After a quick sponge bath and a change of his bandages, Ren was ready to get back online and meet up with Lisa. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up standing next to the wall and greeted everyone, then checked to see where Lara, the Sage of Ages was. She was walking down the street of the Housing District, so he took Artemis'' hand and ran from the bedroom. Teepo flew behind them and they met Lara at the front door. ¡°I could have met you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You are.¡± Lara said and smiled. ¡°Hi, Teepo. Hi, Artemis.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± They said together, then Teepo dissolved into the Beetle Crown Ring. Ren cast the Portal spell and he stepped through with Lara and Artemis into the Sanctuary. They were back 6 minutes later and Lara looked like she was very happy. ¡°I don''t know why I never tire of being with you, Beloved.¡± Lara said and kissed him. ¡°I''m just that awesome.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°You should get to the business before Anabelle thinks you forgot about her.¡± Lara said. ¡°I''m sticking around for a while, so if you need anything, message me.¡± ¡°Same here, until I go into the Fire Realm, anyway.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°I''ll walk with you to the shop.¡± Lara said. Ren summoned Teepo and they went to the shop at a quick pace. Ren, Artemis, and Teepo went inside the back door on the second floor and up the stairs, then entered the third floor apartment. Artemis laid down on Anabelle''s old bed in the living room and Ren went into the bedroom. ¡°My King.¡± Anabelle said. She wore a frilly one piece teddy that was solid black, and surprisingly, no panties. ¡°I hope you weren''t waiting long.¡± Ren said and stored his clothing as Teepo flew up to land on the ceiling. ¡°I''ve been waiting for you my whole life.¡± Anabelle said, and Ren climbed onto the bed. Ren spent the last 2 hours of the game night with Anabelle, then he, Teepo, and Artemis went back to the house in the Housing District and into the big bedroom upstairs. He told the succubi he would be gone all day and would be back that night. ¡°Suniva? Want to come this time?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I do.¡± Suniva said. ¡°Since you''ve helped the Deity of Fire so much in so short a time, if I help this time...¡± ¡°Don''t try and do it right away, okay? Small steps.¡± Ren said. ¡°We don''t want to overwhelm her.¡± Suniva nodded. ¡°I know.¡± Ren cast a portal to the underground chamber in no man''s land and Teepo dissolved into the ring. Ren, Artemis, and Suniva went through the portal, then he dismissed it and checked the spawn point building that was on Fire Dancer''s nightstand with the All-Seeing Mirror. Ren saw that it was clear of obstructions, so he cast the Portal spell into the Fire Realm and they stepped through it. Ren felt Fire Dancer''s relief that he had shown up right on time and had kept his word, then he showed her that Suniva had come with him this time. Fire Dancer''s mood was raised that much more to have her along, especially when she realized that Suniva could make herself humongous as well, just like Ren could. They spent the whole time helping Fire Dancer in the Fire Realm, almost 7 full years, then they had to leave again. Fire Dancer''s mood had stayed stable almost the entire time, and she wasn''t as resentful when they had to go. Ren tried to give his word that he would be back, and she stopped him. ¡°Doing it once was more than I had expected of you, Father.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Don''t push your luck by promising it again.¡± Ren opened his mouth to promise anyway, then changed his mind and smiled. ¡°I''ll see you when I get back.¡± He said instead, and she nodded. He had her used to 3 second hugs now and let her go before she could tell him to, then shrunk down to normal size and opened a portal. Teepo dissolved into the ring and Ren, Artemis, and Suniva stepped through the portal to the underground chamber. Ren absorbed the Everlasting Fire, then cast another portal to the bedroom in the house in Aurora. He dropped off Suniva and Artemis and did the same series of Sanctuary visits with the succubi and the Marilith Demon. With that out of the way, Ren summoned Teepo and equipped his best suit, then told Artemis to stay within his Aura as they left the house. Ren had a very important date with Stella to get to. Chapter 686 - Meet And Greet Artemis flew up into the air 100 feet to scout, as did Teepo, and they pointed out a commotion in the town square. Ren unfurled his wings and took off to join them, and they quickly flew towards the center of the city. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Ren asked and they hovered over the large group of people. ¡°Please go out with me!¡± A man shouted. ¡°You''re so pretty!¡± A woman said. ¡°Join my group!¡± A man almost hollered. ¡°Become my wife!¡± Another man said. ¡°Forget that! Hurry up and suck my...¡± ¡°ENOUGH!¡± Ren yelled and activated his Ultimate Terror Aura for a moment. Everyone within a thousand feet of him screamed and ducked, so he deactivated his Aura and dropped down in front of the poor woman who was being bombarded with unreasonable requests. She had been backed up to a tree and had her head and ears covered. ¡°What is wrong with you people?¡± Ren asked them as they quickly recovered from being scared. ¡°Get lost.¡± Someone said. ¡°We saw her first.¡± ¡°Yeah, she''s ours!¡± A man said. ¡°No, she''s mine!¡± Another man exclaimed. ¡°We can share!¡± A woman said. ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Ren commanded and they all quieted. ¡°I don''t care who saw what first.¡± He said. ¡°You''re pestering and bullying this woman! I am ordering you to LEAVE HER ALONE!¡± Everyone opened their mouths to protest; but, they couldn''t speak. Artemis landed beside Ren and took a fighting stance with her hands ready to shoot them with Mana Bolts. ¡°Now move along!¡± Ren commanded with all of his will. ¡°Once you leave the town square, you can talk again.¡± Nearly everyone scowled or frowned at him, but they couldn''t refuse such powerful orders. Some tried to fight the compulsion, and he equipped his hammerpick and stood defiantly as he stared them down. They turned and left with the others, and after a minute or so, no one was left in the town square except for him, Artemis and the woman. ¡°I''m terribly sorry about that, ma''am.¡± Ren said as he turned to look at the woman, and gasped when he saw her face. ¡°Stella!¡± ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± Stella said and stood up. ¡°Boy, Elise and Lisa were definitely right about this character design.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I know we were supposed to meet at the Library; but, when I logged in, I appeared in the Market District.¡± Stella said. ¡°Right away a man approached me and asked for a date. I said no, and he tried to take my hand.¡± ¡°You punched him.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course; but, I''m only Level 1 and he just laughed.¡± Stella said. ¡°I started to run and he followed, then other men started to chase us.¡± ¡°They claimed they were trying to help you, didn''t they?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Then it got worse and snowballed, and women started coming to my defense.¡± ¡°Oh, geez.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then the Adventurers started getting involved.¡± Stella nodded again. ¡°They saw the reaction I was getting from the crowd and wanted me to join their party. They said something about making quests easier.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Ren said. ¡°How did you get this reaction from the people?¡± ¡°Oh, I... well, I was curious about something and...¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Ren asked, an accusation clear in his voice. ¡°I''m part succubus.¡± Stella said. ¡°You''re WHAT?!?¡± Ren yelled, and she sighed. ¡°I wanted to just choose that race; but, it''s not one that''s available to be taken.¡± Stella said. ¡°After talking to Elise and Lisa about it, they said I could add it to my character''s family history.¡± ¡°They must have tried to convince you not to do it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yeah, they did.¡± Stella said. ¡°They warned me that I''d have something similar to your Prince Charming title.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Ren said and rubbed his forehead. ¡°Stella, why would... no, never mind.¡± He sighed. ¡°My title was bad enough, but I was at a good level when I got it, and... well, look at me.¡± He said. ¡°A woman needs to have a thing for really short and cute guys, or at least not be prejudiced against the possibility that something could happen.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°It''s like a built in filter so that only a certain portion of the population are affected.¡± Ren said. ¡°You, on the other hand, are a beautiful woman.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Every single man that sees you would desire you in any case. With a title like Prince Charming...¡± ¡°It''s called Alluring Visage, actually.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s just wonderful!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°That''s actually worse than my title, because my title only affects my Aura. If yours is visual, anyone that sees you will be affected!¡± ¡°Ren, I didn''t think it would be this bad.¡± Stella said and saw someone walking towards them. ¡°They''re coming back.¡± ¡°No, these people are new.¡± Ren said, because he had felt the others leave the town square and knew they were waiting for him to leave so they could come back. He cast Full Illusion on Stella to make her look like a copy of Artemis. ¡°Wow, what''s this?¡± Stella asked and looked at her now metal hands. ¡°It''s a Full Illusion spell.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to see if we can trick your title into not working.¡± Stella smiled at him, because it was a good experiment to conduct after the initial test run. The small group of townspeople walked towards the Portal Gate in the middle of the town square, and then they caught sight of Ren and the two metal women. Ren felt their emotions shift from normal to infatuation and he sighed. ¡°Nope, it didn''t work.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hey!¡± One of the men waved and the group turned towards them and started to jog. ¡°Go out to dinner with me!¡± Ren unfurled his wings and picked Stella up in his arms in a princess carry. ¡°Hold on.¡± Stella put her arms around his neck and Ren flew straight up. She was surprised at the sheer speed he could achieve, and then he stopped about a thousand feet up. Artemis had kept pace with him and they hovered out of sight of the ground.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Okay, I think I have a quick solution.¡± Ren said and dismissed the Full Illusion spell from Stella. ¡°It''s only temporary; but, at least it should keep the casual person from reacting to you.¡± ¡°Anything will help.¡± Stella said. Ren shifted his grip on her to hold her with one arm to free up one of his hands and took out a non-necklace. He enchanted it with enough Fear runes to give her an Aura of 60 feet and handed it to her. Stella put it on and he showed her how to activate it. She caught on right away and activated it. ¡°You could have just turned it on yourself and gave it to me.¡± Stella said. ¡°I could have; but, you might get into a situation where you''ll need that ability. If I''m not around when that happens...¡± ¡°I can do it myself.¡± Stella said and nodded. ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°I promised to help you as much as I could.¡± ¡°You did.¡± ¡°So, shall we get started?¡± Ren asked. ¡°H-here?¡± Stella looked around. ¡°How in the world...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, I''ll take you to the house in Aurora.¡± He said and put his arm back under her legs. ¡°Most of what I can do to help is easier on the ground.¡± Stella tightened her grip around his neck as he dove back down towards the ground. When he was about 200 feet up, he eased out of the dive and did slow and wide banking circles to come in for a soft landing right in front of the house in the Housing District. ¡°How did you learn to do that?¡± Stella asked as he put her down. ¡°Decades of practice.¡± Ren said and led her over to the front door and opened it. ¡°I didn''t see any of that.¡± Stella said and stepped inside. ¡°I did it in the Sanctuary, so the time compression causes the blue screen to kick in.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought it only did that when there was nudity.¡± Stella said. ¡°It does it for all the time compressed pocket realms and the adult areas.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Of course, there was quite a bit of nudity, too.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°I''m sure there was.¡± ¡°Before we get started, I think there''s someone you should meet.¡± Ren motioned to the upstairs bedroom. ¡°Well, four someones.¡± They went up the stairs and Ren entered the room first. ¡°Ladies, I''d like to introduce you to one of the Adventurers that takes care of me when I leave on Adventurer''s business.¡± Ren said and brought Stella into the room, then the succubi gasped when they saw her. ¡°N-no, it''s not possible.¡± Seldanna said and hopped off the bed. ¡°How? How can this be?¡± She asked and walked over to Stella. The succubus was 6 feet tall, about 3 inches taller than Stella, and Seldanna squinted her eyes at Stella. ¡°Who is your sire?¡± ¡°My what?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Who was it in your lineage that gave you your ability.¡± Ren clarified for her. ¡°Oh! Um, it was my grandmother.¡± Stella said and thought back to the quick family summary she had received when she logged in. It had been only there for a moment and she hadn''t read it all. Ren leaned in close and whispered in her ear. ¡°You have the option to look at your most recent popups.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Stella whispered back and brought up the popup, then read from it. ¡°My grandfather had lost the love of his life in a tragic accident. In desperation, he made a pact with a rogue witch.¡± All four of the succubi hissed. ¡°We hate witches!¡± ¡°He gave her all of his savings and promised to stay in debt to her for the rest of his life, if only he could get the love of his life back.¡± ¡°No!¡± Seldanna exclaimed. ¡°She didn''t!¡± Stella nodded. ¡°She summoned a succubus and bound it to him for the rest of his life.¡± Seldanna made a fist and her body started to glow. ¡°Tell me this witch''s name! I''ll tear out her entrails and strangle her with them for enslaving one of my kin!¡± ¡°I don''t know it.¡± Stella said. ¡°All I know is, the succubus took on the guise of his lost love and my grandfather loved her until the day he died.¡± ¡°And the succubus?¡± ¡°She lived another 20 years, just long enough to see her own eyes in her grandchild''s face.¡± Stella said. ¡°Your eyes.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°I gained her ability, too.¡± Stella said. ¡°She told my parents that once I was powerful enough, I''d become just like her.¡± Seldanna caught her breath and glanced at the other succubi on the bed, then back at Stella. ¡°It... you...¡± She stopped talking and took a breath. ¡°When that happens, you will become the first succubus born free.¡± Stella nodded, and Seldanna stepped forward and briefly hugged her. ¡°We will help you gain your birthright, fledgling.¡± ¡°We will!¡± Ellaria said. ¡°We swear it!¡± Katori said. ¡°Upon our lives, you will be all you can be!¡± Chenoa said, and Stella felt something stir inside her. ¡°Wh-what... is this...¡± Stella put a hand over her heart. This feeling... ¡°An introduction to the sisterhood.¡± Seldanna smiled. ¡°As your abilities grow, we can share more than that feeling of belonging.¡± ¡°I... belong here?¡± Stella asked. ¡°You will always belong here.¡± Seldanna said and touched the spot over her own heart. ¡°Now, I believe you need help with your equipment.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Stella said, a little surprised. ¡°My King, we need to discuss her proper attire.¡± Seldanna said to Ren. ¡°Are you thinking what I''m thinking?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I certainly hope so.¡± Seldanna said and looked at Stella. ¡°Tell me, does your clothing itch a little?¡± Stella did feel a little uncomfortable with her Travelling Clothes. ¡°I think so.¡± She said, even though she thought it was because she disliked the look and not the fabric itself. Seldanna looked at Ren and they both nodded. ¡°It''s going to get more and more uncomfortable as you get stronger.¡± Seldanna warned her. ¡°Look at us.¡± She said and waved at the other succubi, and Stella saw that they only wore a bikini-like outfit. ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Stella said. ¡°I have to run around only wearing that?¡± Seldanna chuckled. ¡°No, no. This is only the basic outfit. Ren has given us armor, bracers, and greaves.¡± ¡°Not to mention rings, bracelets, necklaces and enchantments.¡± Ellaria said. ¡°Wait, greaves? Not boots?¡± Stella asked and looked down at their normal feet. ¡°We can polymorph our extremities.¡± Seldanna said and changed her hands into large rending claws and her feet into eagle-like talons. She unfurled her wings and her tail popped out of her backside. ¡°You will learn this ability as well.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You will be working backwards, though.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°You will be changing into this instead of hiding it... at least until you claim your birthright.¡± ¡°I... wow.¡± Stella said in fascination and reached for her hand. ¡°Um, may I touch you?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Seldanna said and held her hands out to Stella, who examined them thoroughly. ¡°This is really fascinating.¡± Stella said. ¡°Is there any sensation changes between this hand form and the human-shaped ones?¡± ¡°This form has tougher skin and stronger muscles.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°You trade that off for Dexterity and fine motor control in human form.¡± Stella nodded several times and knelt to examine her feet. ¡°This is amazing!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°I can''t wait to get these for myself!¡± ¡°As I said, we will do all we can to help you achieve that goal.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°For now, I believe My King has plans for you.¡± ¡°I''d like to introduce you all before that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Starting off in no particular order.¡± He pointed to each of them as he said their names. ¡°Teepo. Artemis. Suniva. Seldanna. Ellaria. Chenoa, and Katori.¡± He said and they had nodded or said hello in return. ¡°I''ll introduce you to the Marilith Demon later.¡± Stella looked a bit lost for a second, and Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s okay, I went really fast with the introductions.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll pick up their names eventually.¡± ¡°I... well, there''s so many. How can I keep them straight?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''ll keep reminding you when it''s necessary. For now, though...¡± He took her hand and went to the bedroom door. ¡°My King, we could leave...¡± Seldanna started to tell him they would give them privacy. ¡°No, please stay and relax.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°There''s no one downstairs in the kitchen, so I''ll go there.¡± ¡°In the kitchen?¡± Stella asked. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°To do some cooking, of course.¡± Ren said and waggled his eyebrows at her. ¡°You must be... you''re not kidding.¡± Stella said as he led her from the room and took her down the stairs. ¡°Ren, we can''t do it in the kitchen!¡± She said as he opened the door to the kitchen. ¡°There''s not even a...¡± She closed her mouth when Ren took an already made bed out of inventory, then he hung cloth up to cover the walls and locked the door. ¡°Now it''s a bedroom.¡± Ren said, and she stared at it. ¡°Okay, I''ve seen you do this before.¡± Stella said. ¡°Why am I surprised by it now?¡± ¡°It''s because you''re nervous.¡± Ren said and took out several steel squares with a single Illumination rune on them. They barely threw off any light, just like a candle, and he scattered them around the room. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Setting the mood.¡± Ren said and took a handful of flower petals and sprinkled them over the blanket on the bed. Stella put her hands on her hips and frowned. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Ren smiled when he turned to look at her. ¡°You''re acting weird.¡± Stella said. ¡°So, I have a serious question for you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Because of my title, everyone that saw me was immediately infatuated with me.¡± Stella said. ¡°Even the succubi could feel it a little.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. ¡°What''s your question?¡± ¡°If everyone else is affected, wouldn''t you be, too?¡± Ren gave her a big warm smile. ¡°I would have been, if it wasn''t for one of the main drawbacks and necessary safety features for both of our titles, or similar spells, and even the special abilities of the succubi.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked, curious. ¡°They don''t work on someone that already loves you.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°I love you, so you can be all sparkly and dance around half-naked if you want to, and I won''t be more crazy about you than I already am.¡± Stella just stared at him. ¡°Is... that can''t... it''s true?¡± She said in disbelief. Ren nodded. ¡°All the various abilities, titles, and spells do is open the door with the suggestion. People decide for themselves if they want to go through with it.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve seen it a lot, especially with my Tainted King title. Everyone is supposed to notice and acknowledge me in some way, and I''ve had lots of people pointedly ignore me or pretend they didn''t see me.¡± ¡°But... that''s not...¡± ¡°It''s still an acknowledgement.¡± Ren chuckled and stepped back towards the bed. Stella thought about what he said. ¡°That''s actually really clever.¡± Ren nodded and sat down on the bed. ¡°I hope you prepped yourself well for this.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I''ve got you all to myself for the next 11 hours, and I''m not going to waste a second of it.¡± Ren said and gave her hand a tug. Stella didn''t even try to resist as he pulled her down onto the bed. Chapter 687 - Stellas Training Ren spent the entire 11 hours with Stella, like he had told her he would, and he hadn''t wasted a single second of it. They fell asleep after such a long and exhausting love making session. Ren woke up after an hour, thanks to his Sustenance ring, and he left Stella a note to explain where he went, put some items on the counter for her, then went upstairs. He told the succubi to go downstairs and wait outside the bedroom for Stella to wake up. They readily agreed and he made them promise not to do anything to her sexually. Seldanna laughed and hugged him. ¡°Don''t worry, My King. We will take care of her as if she were one of our own.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''d rather you treat her as if she was mine.¡± ¡°Does that mean she isn''t really yours?¡± Seldanna teased, and Ren had to laugh. ¡°Just be good to her and try not to tease her too much.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°After last night, I don''t think you need to worry about her waking up anytime soon.¡± Seldanna said and winked at him. Ren nodded, because he had intentionally stayed within the area of effect the succubi generated so that they could experience it as well. He had been tempted to take Stella into the Sanctuary; but, he had never subjected another Adventurer to the stress of the modified time difference for an extended period of time before, except for Lara the Sage of Ages, and she had already been used to the time compression from years of experience staying inside her closet. Even then, they both had to acclimate to the Sanctuary slowly, and Ren wasn''t going to essentially throw Stella into the deep end like that and expect her to have her first gaming experience inside a time-distorted space. Not even the necklace he made the others wear to help adjust to the time difference could be counted on to stop all of the effects that might happen to a normal mind. Ren laughed mentally at that. I guess that means I class Lisa''s mind as not normal. He thought. ¡°Suniva, are you coming this time, too?¡± He asked, and she flew over to him. ¡°Of course! Even though it''s only been a night for me, I miss her a lot!¡± Suniva said and sat on his shoulder. ¡°Make sure you tell her, or at least have that feeling at the forefront of your emotions.¡± Ren said and took Artemis'' hand. He cast the portal to the underground chamber and Teepo dissolved into the ring. They stepped through the portal and Ren dismissed it, checked the All-Seeing Mirror and cast the portal into the Fire Realm. Everlasting Fire gushed out and filled the magical barrier, then they stepped into the Fire Realm right on time. Fire Dancer was quite happy about that, despite her attempt to hide her feelings, and she felt Suniva''s longing to be near her. When Ren summoned Teepo and she felt his longing emotions as well, it made Artemis'' presence a lot less annoying for her and she successfully pushed the feelings aside that Artemis made her feel. Since it was night in the Fire Realm, Fire Dancer climbed into bed and Ren increased Teepo''s size to her scale. Ren did it to himself and Artemis, and Suniva made herself the right scale, then they climbed into the other bed across the room. They didn''t have to sleep since they already had; but, they didn''t want to be up and around and possibly disturb Fire Dancer, so they cuddled in bed instead. Days became weeks as they worked and helped Fire Dancer, and weeks became months, then years. * Stella woke up in a strange and very comfortable bed. Her hand reached out automatically and felt a piece of paper. She opened her eyes and saw that Ren wasn''t there, and felt disappointment. She smiled and shook her head at wanting to wake up next to him, then picked up the note and read it.
Dear Stella,
I wanted so much to wake up next to you, but I needed to go to the Fire Realm to spend time with my daughter. I know, I know. You don''t really think it counts. To me, she is a creation that I helped bring into this world, and she is completely justified in her feelings of abandonment. I am going to try and make it up to her, somehow. Unfortunately, this also means that I need to leave you in the care of your new ''sisters'' until I return tonight. I feel a little bad about this; but, they have a lot more experience with your abilities than I do. Getting their help and their advice should be fun for you, too. I left some things on the counter for you to equip when you wake up. When I get back, we can get you some appropriate armor and clothing to fit your lineage. Until then, have fun!
Love, Ren P.S. You should check your missed popups.
¡°Ha.¡± Stella said and stored the letter, then sat up to see the pile of things on the counter. ¡°Geez, Ren.¡± She said and got out of bed and equipped her set of Travelling Clothes. ¡°What did you leave me?¡± She looked through everything and couldn''t tell what they did. Bracers, greaves, 2 bracelets, 2 rings, an actual necklace, and a tiara covered in diamonds. ¡°Wow.¡± She picked it up and rubbed her hand over the glittering surface and didn''t know what to say. A knock on the door broke her out of her trance and she looked at the door. ¡°Yes?¡± Stella said. ¡°We can feel you are awake.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°May we enter?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Stella said, then forgot that the door was locked. ¡°Oh, wai-¡± The wood splintered as the door was easily pushed open and Stella stared at the damage. ¡°Good morning.¡± Seldanna said and looked at the broken door frame. ¡°It was locked?¡± Stella nodded and Seldanna smiled when she felt her worry. ¡°Don''t worry about it. Ren can fix it in less than a second.¡± Seldanna said as she and the other succubi entered the room. She saw the pile of items on the counter and nodded. ¡°I see he''s given you our standard equipment.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Without knowing our specialties, he couldn''t give us specific items until he saw us in action, then he customized what we wanted to suit our needs.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°I wanted more Mana boosters.¡± ¡°Piercing Damage for me!¡± Ellaria said. ¡°I wanted Speed and Agility.¡± Katori said. ¡°Toughness and Strength for me.¡± Chenoa said. Stella blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°But... aren''t you all alike?¡± Seldanna laughed and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°We can forgive your ignorance until you expand your Area of Effect.¡± She said. ¡°When you start to distinguish us by our emotions and not by our appearance, you''ll realize how stupid that statement is.¡± ¡°I... I''m sorry.¡± Stella said. ¡°I just thought...¡± ¡°Like I said, it''s all right.¡± Seldanna said and let her shoulder go. ¡°What level are you now?¡± ¡°What?¡± All four of the succubi chuckled. ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked. ¡°As an Adventurer, you can check, can''t you?¡± ¡°I... yes.¡± Stella said. ¡°Show Status.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Status
Name Experiment001 Level 8
Gender Female Class Cleric
Race Human / Part Succubus Fame/Infamy 0 (Neutral)
Titles
Alluring Visage - Causes susceptible people to be infatuated with you
Health 100 Mana 100
Strength 10 Dexterity 10
Vitality 10 Agility 10
Endurance 10 Intelligence 10
Luck 10 Wisdom 10
¡°What? I''m Level 8?¡± Stella asked, surprised. ¡°How? I didn''t do anything!¡± The succubi laughed. ¡°Oh, I suspect that you did lots of things last night.¡± Seldanna said. Stella stared at her with her mouth in the shape of a little ''o'' of surprise, and Seldanna put her hand back on her shoulder. ¡°Whatever you did to gain so many levels, you can only do them with Ren.¡± Seldanna warned her. ¡°He''s quite used to our abilities and can handle it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If you try to do it with another Adventurer, or even one of the townsfolk, you could easily kill them.¡± ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Stella yelled. ¡°Mmm, outrage.¡± Chenoa moaned and closed her eyes. ¡°Even a part human... or a part succubus, depending on how you look at it, can use their abilities right away, even at so low a level.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°It takes longer, obviously; but, they still work quite well. I can see why he asked us to look after you, now. You are like a novice with a loaded crossbow and your hand on the trigger.¡± ¡°I... but... you mean...¡± Stella took a breath and let it out. ¡°I can kill with sex?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°It''s...¡± She stopped talking and sighed. ¡°I thought it was the ultimate emotional high that a succubus could achieve when we absorb everything in that final moment of our prey''s release.¡± She said and gave Stella a warm smile. ¡°Our King has shown us there can be a better way and a better feeding.¡± ¡°Wait, ''our'' king?¡± Stella asked. Seldanna nodded and let her shoulder go. ¡°He saved us and freed us, and he deserves our eternal gratitude and our devotion.¡± She said. ¡°We no longer wear the shackles that used to bind us. You may not have been there with us, and your grandmother wasn''t saved by him; but, I know he would have saved her if given the chance, so he is your King as well.¡± Stella didn''t respond, but she also assumed that Ren would have done his best to save her ''grandmother''. ¡°We''re not used or abused, either.¡± Ellaria said, then smiled. ¡°Unless we want to be.¡± ¡°He actually cares about us.¡± Katori said. ¡°None of us have ever felt that before.¡± ¡°The other succubi are so envious of us.¡± Chenoa said and shivered, then she opened her eyes. ¡°He gives us everything we could ever need or want.¡± ¡°Like money?¡± Stella asked, and they laughed. ¡°He hasn''t given us anything since he let us keep the loot we gained in Shargon Caverns.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Plus, Chenoa just said that he gives everything to us.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We''ve gone shopping a couple of times, and it is fun.¡± Ellaria said. ¡°But, that''s only because it lets us sample more of the population to see if there is anyone we might like.¡± ¡°Or play around with.¡± Chenoa said. ¡°Humans are so easy to tease.¡± ¡°And you haven''t found anyone yet?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Someone permanent, I mean.¡± ¡°To be honest, we haven''t been looking very hard.¡± Katori said and smiled crookedly. ¡°No one is as delicious as our King.¡± ¡°No one can provide any emotion that we want like he can.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°He''s like an endless storage bin that''s eternally filled with emotions.¡± She said. ¡°We merely ask or even imply, and he can give us oceans of them to drown in.¡± Stella stood there and looked at the succubi, and didn''t know what to say. ¡°I think that''s enough of us talking about how much we adore him.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Put on your equipment and come with us.¡± Stella quickly put on the things Ren had left for her and she caught her breath when they all took effect. ¡°Amazing, isn''t it?¡± Seldanna said and led her out of the kitchen. ¡°Such little trinkets and they convey so much power.¡± She said and took her out the back door to the pig corral and pointed to the smallest pig. ¡°Catch that.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°It''s a basic exercise.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°It tests your Dexterity, Agility, Endurance, and Strength. So, go ahead and catch the pig.¡± Stella sighed and nodded, then tried very hard to do it. The pig went through the obstacle course and Stella tried to follow it. She failed miserably less than 5 minutes later and sat by the house, exhausted. ¡°You are level 8 and yet you barely did more than a child with the same boosters.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°It''s as if those levels meant nothing.¡± Stella gasped as she remembered Ren''s letter and looked at the last few popups she had received. She saw that she had 40 normal stat points from leveling up and 100 special stat points to spend because of her succubi abilities. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Stella said. ¡°What is it?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°I just missed something important that Ren told me.¡± Stella said and checked her Status again. She had chosen the Cleric class because of it''s focus on healing magic, so she dropped 30 points into Intelligence and 30 points into Wisdom, then put 30 into Vitality and 30 into Endurance. She looked over her stats and dropped the remaining 20 points into Luck. Stella''s Health had changed to 193, her Stamina Bar nearly doubled in size, and her Mana was now at 360. ¡°Okay, let''s try this again.¡± She said and stood up. She checked her spells and saw they were all greyed out. Damn, I forgot to prepare them! She thought. All I have available are the two basic cantrips, or automatic spells, from the Deity I chose. She looked at them and their descriptions. Light''s pretty useless for this, so I''ll go with Sacred Flames. Stella held her hand out and pointed at the pig. ¡°I call upon the Sacred Flames!¡± She said as she read the incantation. ¡°Let its Holy Heat burn those that-OW!¡± Seldanna slapped the bracer on her arm and knocked her hand away from her target. ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± She asked angrily. ¡°I said to catch the pig, not kill it!¡± ¡°But...¡± Seldanna sighed and talked to her like she was a child. ¡°Please, don''t act so rashly. Chase the thing and catch it with your bare hands.¡± Stella looked at her for a moment, then nodded. ¡°I don''t really see the point, but okay.¡± Seldanna stood back and watched as Stella once again tried to catch the elusive pig. She was much more successful this time and actually managed to touch the pig twice before she collapsed almost 10 minutes later. ¡°You''re getting better at movement already.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Rest for a few minutes and try again.¡± Stella nodded and let her Stamina bar refill, then tried again. She really was getting better, because when she stopped, she had gained another point in Endurance and a point each in Dexterity and Agility. ¡°Good, good!¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Now store your equipment.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°It''s hindering your progress so store them.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°I let you wear them so you could get used to the movements and actions you need to do.¡± She said. ¡°Come on, now. Store them.¡± Stella stored everything and felt weak as a kitten. ¡°Wow, what a difference.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Now, chase the pig.¡± ¡°Not catch?¡± Stella asked. Seldanna laughed. ¡°I doubt you''ll even see the pig most of the time now.¡± ¡°You''ll definitely hear it squeal as it laughs.¡± Ellaria said and the other succubi laughed, too. Stella sighed and nodded. ¡°Okay, okay. I get it.¡± She said. ¡°Basic training.¡± Seldanna nodded and motioned to the obstacle course. Stella did her best to follow the pig. She worked hard and gained several stat points in almost everything, then Seldanna called an end to it. ¡°Time to eat.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°I have some basic rations.¡± Stella said and took one out. ¡°Not that.¡± Seldanna said and turned to Ellaria. ¡°You''re the best with concealment. Give her something to chew on.¡± ¡°Can... can I really?¡± Ellaria asked. ¡°As long as you keep it to just kissing.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Yay!¡± Ellaria said and walked over to Stella, who tensed up. ¡°Relax, this isn''t going to hurt at all.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°A bit of Glamour.¡± Ellaria said and put a fingertip on Stella''s forehead. ¡°Hmm, okay. Who do you love?¡± She smiled when the image came to Stella''s mind and she saw it. ¡°I''ve got a solid image.¡± ¡°Then let her see her love.¡± Seldanna said. Ellaria nodded and cast the spell on herself, and her body glowed slightly and it morphed as it changed into a 6 foot tall version of Ren. Stella stared at her with wide eyes and didn''t know what to say. ¡°It''s a reflection of your utmost desire.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Now feed.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°It''s not our King; but, it is his representation from your mind.¡± Ellaria said in Ren''s voice. ¡°That''s kind of creepy.¡± Stella said and Ellaria Ren stepped close. ¡°You really want this to happen.¡± Ellaria Ren said, and Stella couldn''t deny that she would absolutely love it if Ren was somehow just a little bit taller than her, and Ellaria Ren smiled and took her into a hug. Stella caught her breath as she looked up slightly at Ren''s face, then Ellaria Ren kissed her. Ellaria Ren glowed slightly as their emotions flooded out and Stella let herself enjoy the fantasy for a few seconds. Stella came back to her senses and broke the kiss. ¡°N-no, I... this isn''t what...¡± ¡°It was just an example to show you that you can make your own emotional gratification that much better.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Ellaria, how do you feel?¡± ¡°Like I could float on a cloud!¡± Ellaria said, and Stella saw that she looked just like the other succubi and not like Ren anymore. ¡°What... how...¡± ¡°It only works until someone decides it doesn''t anymore.¡± Ellaria said. ¡°I won''t be able to look like that ever again.¡± Stella just stood there and stared at her, and Seldanna laughed. ¡°We have so much to teach you, but not right now.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Go catch the pig.¡± ¡°I can''t, I''m exhausted.¡± Stella said, then she realized that she wasn''t. ¡°Wait, what happened?¡± ¡°You can charge yourself up.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°With some of Ellaria''s energy in you, you''ll be faster, stronger, and a little more agile.¡± She said. ¡°Go ahead and try it out.¡± Stella nodded and tried to catch the pig. She was only about half as fast as she was with the boosters; but, that was a significant improvement over not having anything. It wore off quickly, though. ¡°All right, you can rest.¡± Seldanna said. Stella sat down beside the house to rest. ¡°We have all day to get you into shape.¡± Seldanna said, which made Stella groan and the succubi laugh. Chapter 688 - Pillow Talk Stella worked on her skills and trained all day. She had to stop and actually eat at midday, then kept going. She still couldn''t catch the pig; but, it was a very close thing. She knew that if she kept at it, she would complete what she believed would have been a simple task. At the end of the day she let the succubi lead her into the house and went into the kitchen that was now a bedroom. ¡°Lay down and rest, fledgling.¡± Seldanna commanded her and Stella climbed onto the bed. ¡°Our King will be here momentarily.¡± ¡°I think I''m too tired to enjoy that.¡± Stella said, and the 4 succubi laughed. ¡°Wait until you see him before you decide that.¡± Seldanna said and pulled the door shut. Ten minutes later, the door opened and Ren stood there with a big smile on his face. Stella couldn''t say anything as she felt a pang in her heart. ¡°I hear you did really well today.¡± Ren said and shut the door. It glowed for half a second as he put some Mana into it to repair it, and it stayed shut. ¡°R-Ren, wh-what...¡± Stella tried to put what she was feeling into words. ¡°Hm?¡± Ren looked at her and concentrated on her emotions. ¡°Oh, right. Seldanna said you might feel a preliminary bond forming between us, especially after last night.¡± ¡°A... a bond?¡± ¡°It''s not a contract, but...¡± Ren thought about how to explain it as he walked over to the bed and sat down. ¡°When a succubus has sex, they form an intense emotional attachment with their partner. It lets them get the most out of the relationship and gives them a deep feeding.¡± ¡°B-but... I''m...¡± ¡°Don''t worry. Your abilities are pretty limited at the moment.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can feel you as well, right here.¡± He tapped the spot over his heart. ¡°The more we have sex, the stronger that bond will become. You won''t reach the lethal stage for a really long time, even if I took you into the Sanctuary.¡± ¡°So... Seldanna was right about that? I can kill someone... even you... with sex?¡± ¡°Dying from pleasure isn''t a bad way to go.¡± Ren chuckled, and he felt her surprise. ¡°Yes, I''m joking.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°The best part about it is once there is a connection between us, no matter how small, I can feed you as much as you want.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°It''ll be a slow trickle at first; but, it should at least energize you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Want me to show you?¡± ¡°I...¡± Stella sighed. ¡°I''m really tired.¡± ¡°That''s okay. We can still sleep after this.¡± Ren took her hand and she didn''t feel anything. He felt her reaction and chuckled. ¡°Succubus abilities are best employed in intimate situations.¡± Ren said and leaned in, then kissed her. Stella caught her breath as she felt his love somehow become something solid and it touched her chest. She was going to ask him what was going on, then it felt like a small funnel opened inside of her. She stopped breathing as his solid love pushed through that funnel and into her heart. Stella broke the kiss and stared at him. ¡°What the hell was that?!?¡± ¡°Just the start.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Can you still feel it?¡± ¡°I...¡± Stella looked down at her chest and didn''t see anything there; but, she could feel that he was still touching her with that solid love. ¡°Yes.¡± She said, slightly astonished. ¡°Ren, how can this be?¡± She asked and used her hand as she touched the spot above her heart where she could feel it emotionally. She couldn''t feel it physically, however. ¡°It''s your brain''s interpretation of what it should feel like.¡± Ren said. ¡°At the moment, I''m making it into a solid mass. I can make it feel like water, too.¡± He said and Stella gasped as his love washed over her and surrounded her. ¡°R-Ren! H-how... we''re not kissing!¡± Ren chuckled again. ¡°I said we need an intimate situation, and this is one.¡± He said and lifted their clasped hands. ¡°Kissing just intensifies the feelings and the sharing.¡± Stella took a breath and let it out. ¡°Then... what else can you make it feel like?¡± ¡°There''s the scientist I love so much.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°How about fire?¡± He asked and kissed her. Stella felt his love change from flowing water into roaring flames. They started at her feet and crawled up her body until it reached her heart, and she felt it burn her. ¡°AH!¡± Stella yelled and broke the kiss. ¡°Shh. It''s only a representation.¡± Ren said. ¡°How about Wind?¡± Stella shivered as a blast of warm love-filled air surrounded her and she closed her eyes. ¡°How can you do all this?¡± ¡°I''ve had years of practice with the succubi.¡± Ren said. ¡°Some want the Ice version of cold love. Some want the Dark, or Gravity version, with love that weighs heavily on them. Others just like the basic feeling.¡± He smiled and changed it to just a basic emotion with no type of element form. Stella relaxed as she felt that, and she laid down on the bed as his love slowly flowed into her. Ren laid down beside her and they looked into each other''s eyes. After a few minutes, Stella spoke. ¡°I do feel a lot better. Even energized.¡± Stella said. ¡°I don''t want to do anything with it, though.¡± ¡°Good, because I just want to lay here and spend some time with you before we have to log out.¡± Stella smiled and pet his hair. ¡°That sounds nice.¡± She said, and laying down, they were the same height. It made her think of what Ellaria had done that morning and she closed her eyes as her emotions wavered. ¡°I can do that for you, too.¡± Ren said confidently, and Stella opened her eyes to stare at him. ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°Ellaria told me about what happened.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Stella tried to turn away from him and he caught her shoulder and wouldn''t let her avoid it. ¡°Stella, it''s okay.¡± Ren said and he felt her doubt. ¡°Honestly, I understand.¡± ¡°No, it''s not that.¡± Stella said. ¡°That... fantasy... is just that. A fantasy.¡± Stella said. ¡°What she became wasn''t real.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°That''s because she wasn''t actually me.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unlike her, I''ve had a lot of experience being other people recently. It''s difficult to maintain their personalities and their mannerisms enough to convince someone you''re really them.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I''m pretty sure it''s pretty easy for me to become a taller me.¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''s unreasonable for me to even think about wanting you to change something about yourself.¡± ¡°Do you think I don''t want to change my height?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Keep dreaming!¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°There''s nothing wrong with being short.¡± ¡°I know. I usually take a step or two up into the air to make both hugging and kissing easier, though.¡± ¡°I''ve seen that.¡± Stella said. ¡°Making a Full Illusion to fill in the empty space is nothing.¡± Ren said and used a hand to run his fingers through her long black hair. ¡°You shouldn''t have to...¡± ¡°I want to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll save it for special occasions, though.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°Like my birthday?¡± Ren gasped. ¡°Oh, my god! It''s your birthday!¡± He said and sat up, then stood up. ¡°No, it''s not.¡± Stella said and sat up. ¡°This was your first day in this world, so it''s your birthday.¡± Ren said and took two and a half steps into the air. ¡°So, a birthday present is in order.¡± He said and cast Permanent Full Illusion on himself. His appearance didn''t change much, except that he was now 5 foot 11 and not 4 foot 7 and looked about 10 years older. ¡°R-Ren.¡± Stella blinked her eyes at him, and he took her hand again and helped her stand. He was only 2 inches taller than her and it made all the difference in her heart and emotions. ¡°You see, this is a fantasy world.¡± Ren said and put his arms around her. ¡°Stella, I don''t mind being your fantasy man. I don''t mind it one little bit.¡± Stella put her arms around him and she felt whatever that funnel was inside of her open a little more. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°I can feel it, too.¡± Ren said and raised a single eyebrow at her. It was the first time she had seen it at this angle and her heart melted. She trembled as she pressed her lips to his and Ren felt her regret that she was so unreasonable in wanting this so much. He in turn gave her even more of his love and she gripped him tightly in her arms as they made out. Stella broke the kiss a few minutes later and her face was slightly red. ¡°Ren, I... I changed my mind.¡± ¡°I know you did.¡± Ren said and picked her up, walked around to the side of the bed and laid her down on it. He stored his clothing and Stella looked at his slightly larger body. She had wondered what he would look like if he hadn''t been experimented on and continued to grow, and now she saw what that could have been like as she stared at his rippling muscles. Stella looked down at his ready state and stored her own clothing. ¡°You left it.¡± ¡°It''s always the one thing I never change.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think... would you be angry if I said it''s more in proportion now?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said and climbed onto the bed. ¡°You can feel how happy I am, right?¡± Stella closed her eyes and tried to feel that through his love. ¡°No, your love for me is too strong.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, hold on.¡± He closed his eyes and moved his love aside, and she gasped. ¡°How did you do that?!?¡± ¡°Once again, years of practice.¡± Ren said and then she felt how happy he was. ¡°REN!¡± Stella gasped and put a hand on her heart. ¡°S-stop!¡± Ren moved his happiness aside so his love went back to be prominent in his emotions and Stella relaxed. ¡°I guess we figured out your best feeding emotion.¡± He said. ¡°If you try to take emotions you''re not accustomed to, they... taste bad.¡± ¡°Is that what just happened?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I guess you''re stuck with feeling how much I love you for a while.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Poor me.¡± ¡°I do feel bad that you''re only getting...¡± He closed his eyes and concentrated on her emotional opening. ¡°...about 5% of what I''m giving out.¡± ¡°Wh-wh-what?!?¡± Stella exclaimed, because she felt so much from him. ¡°This... this is only...¡± ¡°We need to level you up some more before you can get a much better feel for it.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Stella said. ¡°Seldanna was right.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°That you can''t be beat for the amount of emotions you can feed them.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve had a lot of experience feeding Elerlyth, and I learned a lot of different tricks to enhance the feedings.¡± Stella sighed and touched his chest where he had been damaged in real life. ¡°I sent her a text about what happened to you.¡± ¡°I would have told you not to do that if I''d known.¡± Ren said, and he felt her surprise. ¡°She didn''t respond, did she?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°All you did was confirm that her decision was the right one.¡± Ren said sadly, and Stella gasped as that sadness pushed his love aside and she started crying. ¡°Oh! I''m sorry!¡± He said and she felt him crush the sadness and his love filled her again. ¡°R-Ren... how...¡± ¡°I''m full of emotions, not just positive ones.¡± Ren said and wiped at her tears. ¡°The negative ones can be just as powerful.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± Stella said. ¡°Hey, it''s okay. At least it wasn''t an epic break-up with a huge fight or insults flying.¡± ¡°That would have made it easier, though.¡± Stella said. ¡°Just letting your relationship fade away seems wrong, somehow.¡± ¡°Yeah, but a relationship needs two active participants. If one is reluctant for any reason, the relationship starts to crumble.¡± Stella took a breath and let it out. ¡°I think that''s enough bad relationship talk for tonight.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°Does that mean you''re still in the mood?¡± ¡°Um... not really.¡± Stella said. ¡°I think...¡± Ren''s slightly larger hand gripped one of her breasts and she caught her breath. ¡°If you don''t mind, I''d like to try and change your mind.¡± He said and grinned at her. Stella didn''t mind at all. They made love several times and Stella leveled up several times as well. After about 4 hours, Stella remembered that they were missing breakfast in the real world. ¡°Oh, damn!¡± Stella said and jumped off of the bed without warning. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked as he felt her slightly panicked emotional state. ¡°Breakfast!¡± ¡°Oops.¡± Ren said. After they equipped their clothing and went upstairs, Ren told the others he had to go, then he and Stella stood beside the wall and logged out. ******** ¡°Ugh.¡± Ren grunted and slipped off the VR headset. ¡°Please tell me there''s a drugged supplement drink with my name on it.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Denise said as she took the headset and held a drink out for him to take a sip through a straw. ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry I forgot about breakfast.¡± He said and took another sip. ¡°Staying in last night messed up my timing a little.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Denise said. ¡°Getting to spend about 15 hours with Stella had nothing to do with it at all, did it?¡± Ren chuckled and put a hand on his bandage from the sharp pain he felt. ¡°She was quite a good distraction, I have to admit.¡± ¡°I''m glad you think so highly of me.¡± Stella said and sat up. ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Ren turned his head to look at her. ¡°When have you ever seen me be distracted by something?¡± ¡°Gravy fries.¡± Stella and Denise said at the same time, then they laughed. ¡°Geez, I meant in the game.¡± Ren chuckled and held a hand out to Denise. ¡°Bathroom, please.¡± ¡°I''ll do that.¡± Stella said and slid off the bed on her side and came around to Ren. ¡°Denise, is breakfast cold?¡± ¡°Very.¡± Denise said and pointed to the rollaway table. ¡°It''s just cereal and toast, though.¡± ¡°Good choice.¡± Stella said and helped Ren sit up. ¡°I''ll take the little comedian to the bathroom and you can microwave the toast.¡± ¡°Add a slice of cheese!¡± Ren said as Stella acted as a crutch and they walked to the bathroom together. ¡°One poor man''s grilled cheese coming right up.¡± Denise said and Ren held in his laughter as he grinned at her. Stella helped Ren take care of business and brought him back to his bed. ¡°Being hurt normally doesn''t bother me; but, being this immobile is starting to suck.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s only going to get more annoying over the next 6 weeks.¡± Denise said and pulled the rollaway table over to the bed. ¡°One piping hot toast and cheese sandwich, slightly butter-soaked, and a bowl of cereal.¡± She poured the glass of milk onto the dry cereal and waved at it theatrically. ¡°Enjoy.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Ren said and started eating. ¡°I was kind of being sarcastic.¡± Denise said. ¡°You...¡± *chew* ¡°...saved it for me, even though I''m an hour late.¡± Ren said and took another bite of the toast and cheese sandwich. *swallow* ¡°It''s melted just enough.¡± He said and took another bite. ¡°This is great!¡± Denise looked at Stella. ¡°I''m not sure why I keep thinking that he''s joking and pulling my leg or something.¡± ¡°Today''s just going to be one of those days, I think.¡± Stella smiled. Ren stopped eating and looked at them. ¡°Why? What''s up?¡± ¡°We''ve got a bit of a surprise planned for you later.¡± Denise said. Ren looked from her to Stella and back again, and raised both of his eyebrows. ¡°Not that, you little horn-dog.¡± Denise said and scowled at him, and Stella laughed. Ren shrugged and ate some of the cereal. ¡°Will it take long?¡± ¡°Probably a few hours, depending on a few things.¡± Stella said. Ren finished the bowl of cereal and took a big sip of the supplement drink. ¡°Hand me the VR headset, please.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°If I''m not going to make my arranged time with the Deity of Fire, I need to let her know beforehand.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°If I don''t show up on time and she doesn''t know I''ve been delayed, I''ll lose all the hard work I''ve done with her up to this point.¡± Ren said and held his hand out. ¡°I can''t afford another setback like that.¡± Denise handed it to him and he sat back against the headboard and put it on. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± Chapter 689 - Prep For The Garden Party Ren appeared in the bedroom in the house in Aurora and immediately cast the Portal spell to go to the underground chamber that he used as a transition point to enter the Fire Realm. ¡°I''m taking a quick trip to the Fire Realm.¡± Ren said to everyone and took Artemis'' hand. Teepo dissolved into the ring, then Ren and Artemis stepped through the portal. He dismissed it and cast a portal into the Fire Realm, then they stepped through that one. He didn''t see Fire Dancer in the bed, so he assumed it was daytime and stayed in his normal form, then made Artemis invisible and they flew to the throne room. ¡°Father.¡± Fire Dancer said as Ren entered the throne room though the humongous doors. ¡°Please forgive my early intrusion into your domain, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said formally and bowed to her, and he felt all of the Fire elementals approval mixed with hers. ¡°I came early because I have just learned that my Adventurer''s business may take much longer than I had originally anticipated.¡± ¡°So, not just overnight in the Earth Realm, then.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°I may be gone for the next day and that night as well, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said, sadly. ¡°Possibly for even longer than that, depending on the turn of events.¡± Fire Dancer felt his regret and sorrow over this information. ¡°That is... troubling.¡± ¡°I know it is, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said and knelt on one knee. ¡°I interrupted my current Adventurer''s business to come here, with the sole purpose of informing you of the change, as soon as I had learned of it.¡± A ripple of surprise went through the Fire elementals in the throne room. They had never heard of an Adventurer doing such a thing, and those that could, felt that he was telling the truth. ¡°Your consideration is appreciated.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°What do you expect of me because of this?¡± ¡°I expect nothing, since that would be highly inappropriate of me.¡± Ren said and ducked his head. ¡°I only wanted you to hear my apology for the unexpected change in plans. I sincerely hope to be allowed back into your presence as soon as the altered Adventurer''s business has concluded.¡± Fire Dancer waved that last statement away. ¡°Do you know what this new Adventurer''s business is?¡± ¡°No, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t know until it happens, which is why I added the caution that it could take much longer.¡± ¡°Would you tell me if you knew?¡± ¡°Of course I would.¡± Ren said without hesitation. ¡°As proof of this, I will tell you all about it when I return.¡± Another ripple of surprise went around the throne room. It was rare for an Adventurer to reveal the nature of their business when away from the world. Fire Dancer shared this feeling and this view. ¡°Very well.¡± She said. ¡°I won''t hold this delay against you.¡± ¡°I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so magnanimous.¡± Ren said and stood up, but he kept his head ducked slightly. ¡°Please accept this as a small gift of appreciation.¡± He equipped his platinum armor and replaced the spells in the two shoulder-mounted giant wands with something he had never used before. ¡°The combined spell, Firestorm Whirlwind!¡± Ren fired both wands and two 50 foot wide fireballs shot out and hit the mass of Fire Elementals. The fireballs exploded and each made a 500 foot wide Fire Tornado 200 feet tall as the Firestorm and Whirlwind spells combined and swirled together. The hot air from the fire and the cold from the wind made them twice the size they should have been and increased their damage potential, then the two Fire Tornadoes combined and became one massive 1000 foot wide churning Fire Tornado. Fire Dancer gasped as nearly all of the Fire elementals were quickly engulfed in the spell''s effect and picked up and tossed around in its interior. All of them changed color from their orange-yellow normal state to nearly white hot. She felt them all rejoice as they all fed and fed and fed. Since the original spells were only used to start the process, when the Fire elementals consumed the effects of the combined spells, it didn''t lessen their impact in the least. Fire Dancer reached a hand out and stuck it inside the swirling mass of Wind and Fire, and absorbed some of it. It''s sheer destructive force tickled her hand and she felt how happy the Fire elementals were at such a display. ¡°It should last a while, considering this is the Fire Realm.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please enjoy it while it lasts.¡± ¡°We will.¡± Fire Dancer said. Ren ducked his head. ¡°If you will excuse me, I need to return to my Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°I look forward to your return.¡± Fire Dancer smiled as the massive Fire Tornado started to move across the throne room and the Fire elementals inside enjoyed the ride. ¡°We all will.¡± Ren put a hand over his heart and sent her a large dose of his love and appreciation, then he left the throne room and went back to Fire Dancer''s bedroom. He made Artemis visible again as they approached the spawn point and landed, then cast a portal back to the Earth Realm and into the underground chamber with the magical barrier. They stepped through and Ren dismissed the portal, absorbed the Everlasting Fire, then cast another Portal spell to return to the bedroom. Once there, he summoned Teepo and made him solid and able to talk, then he kissed Artemis, Suniva, and the 4 succubi goodbye and told them be might be gone for a couple of days. ¡°We understand.¡± Seldanna said for all of them. ¡°Return when you can.¡± Ren took her hand and kissed it, then he left the room to tell the Marilith Demon he wouldn''t be back for a couple of days. She asked for a kiss, which he gave to her without hesitation, then he went back to the bedroom and looked at Suniva, who was back in her normal 1 foot tall form. ¡°I know it''s going to be hard on you, so let me make you something.¡± Ren said to her. ¡°You gave me that cloak the last time you had to leave.¡± Suniva said. ¡°Having your warmth near me was so nice.¡± ¡°You absorbed it all.¡± ¡°I couldn''t help it.¡± Suniva chuckled. ¡°It felt too good not to take it into myself.¡± Ren smiled and took out several stone bricks and a paving stone, then built a little pen for her on the nightstand. ¡°You should love this, then.¡± He said and filled it with his Hands of the Gods ability Burning Hands. Pure Fire flowed almost like water, and he used his Fire Manipulation ability on it to push it down and created a Solid Fire wall on top of it, but still inside the pen.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°R-Ren!¡± Suniva exclaimed and flew down to land on it. ¡°Oh... oh, my!¡± ¡°Now don''t take it all in at once.¡± Ren said and kissed his fingertip and touched the side of her face. ¡°This should last a few days, if you pace yourself.¡± ¡°I... I...¡± Suniva took a breath and let it out. ¡°I love you!¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said and Teepo flew up to land on the ceiling. ¡°I''ll see you later, buddy.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren!¡± Teepo said. ¡°See you when you get back!¡± Ren nodded and went to stand by the wall. Artemis came over to him and bent over slightly to give him another kiss. ¡°Be safe and return to us.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Stella will be there to help me. I can''t get much safer than that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** ¡°Whew.¡± Ren said and slipped off the VR headset. ¡°Okay, I''m pretty sure she won''t be too angry when I don''t come back right away.¡± ¡°I''m so glad that you care so much.¡± Elise said, and Ren turned his head to look at her. ¡°Hey, Beautiful.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°Of course I care. Like I told Stella, I need to make up for not being there for her.¡± ¡°Even though it''s the programmer''s fault?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°They made the changes because of me, so it''s still my fault.¡± Elise smiled and touched his hair. ¡°You are not responsible for the actions of everyone else, Ren.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°My sweet little man.¡± Elise said and leaned in to kiss him. ¡°Just play and have fun.¡± Ren took a breath and let it out. ¡°Actually, I can''t. Apparently, you all have cooked up a little surprise for me today.¡± He said. ¡°I think I better get a quick sponge bath and have all of my bandages changed.¡± Elise nodded. ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± ¡°Can you pick out a good outfit from the dregs in my closet for me?¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Of course I can.¡± She said and lightly touched his wrapped knee. ¡°I''ll make sure it''s nothing too restrictive.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and looked at Denise. ¡°If I could impose upon you...¡± He glanced at Stella. ¡°...and maybe an extra pair of hands?¡± ¡°We''ll have you all ready in about 20 minutes.¡± Denise said, then Stella and Elise nodded. ¡°Then have at it.¡± Ren said and opened his arms, and they laughed. ¡°We need to prep first before we undress you.¡± Denise said. ¡°Elise?¡± ¡°I''ll try not to start without you.¡± Elise said and winked at Ren, and it was his turn to laugh. ¡°Okay, go ahead then.¡± Denise said as she and Stella walked towards the bathroom. ¡°Just be careful.¡± ¡°It''s his last silky pyjama set.¡± Elise said. ¡°Of course I''ll be careful.¡± Ren sat there as Elise carefully stripped his top off and didn''t make his wounds hurt in the least. Her hands grazed the edges of his rib cage and she softly caressed the bruised skin above the bandages. He shivered slightly and she looked at his face to see if she had caused him any pain, and he glanced down at himself. Her eyes glanced down as well and she saw the bulge there. ¡°Oh, sweetheart.¡± Elise said and leaned in to kiss him. She leaned back and thought about taking his pyjama pants off, then decided he would need to lay down for her to get them off without hurting him. She was about to ask him to scoot down when Stella and Denise came back out of the bathroom with the proper supplies to tend to him. ¡°You took his top off? I thought you''d start with the pants.¡± Stella said. ¡°I owe you a dollar, Denise.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°He''d need to lay down to get them off without it hurting his side.¡± ¡°That''s just what I was thinking.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ll put the towels down so he can.¡± Stella said and laid the towels down, then she and Denise moved Ren over onto them and laid him down. Stella braced his hips by putting an arm under his lower back, and Denise and Elise easily pulled his pyjama pants and underwear off in one smooth motion. ¡°That was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.¡± Elise said. Stella slid her arm out from under his lower back without disturbing the wound on his side. ¡°It''s all about leverage.¡± ¡°With a big enough lever, you can move the world.¡± Denise said. All three women stopped what they were doing and looked down at Ren and his very ready state, then they quickly looked up and exchanged glances. ¡°I found a lever that rocked my world.¡± Stella said, and Elise snorted a laugh. ¡°Mine, too.¡± Elise said. ¡°It was okay.¡± Denise said and her face flushed red as the other two women looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°He''s going to get a swelled head if we keep complimenting him about how good he is in bed.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°A swelled head!¡± Elise laughed as well and Denise rolled her eyes. ¡°You know what I meant.¡± ¡°We do, and it''s right there!¡± Stella said and pointed, then they all laughed. Ren laid there quietly and let them laugh, mainly because he knew if he said something, they would realize that they were talking about him as if he wasn''t there and he was right in front of their faces. It took them a few moments to calm down and then they looked at his face. Stella saw his blank expression and sighed. ¡°Sorry, Ren.¡± ¡°For what? Treating me like a sex object or ignoring me while you laughed at me?¡± Stella wasn''t sure how to answer that. ¡°We weren''t laughing at you.¡± Denise said. ¡°It sure seemed like it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m laying here waiting for the ''quick'' sponge bath, and all you''re doing is standing around and making jokes about my penis.¡± ¡°Ren, that''s not...¡± Elise tried to speak and he held a hand up to stop her. ¡°No, it''s okay.¡± Ren said and looked at Denise. ¡°You don''t have to worry about me thinking I''m good in bed.¡± He said, and they could hear the self-recrimination in his voice. ¡°I know I never have been, not in the real world.¡± ¡°Ren, you''ve been...¡± Denise tried to tell him he was spectacular. ¡°No, I haven''t.¡± Ren said and cut her off. ¡°Do you really think I don''t regret that I can''t make love to you like I want to? That I have to... not want to... have to... let you do all the work?¡± None of the three women said anything. ¡°Do you really think I don''t realize how disappointed you all are because of that?¡± Ren asked them. ¡°I''m not disappointed.¡± Elise said. ¡°Yes, you are.¡± Ren said and saw she was going to argue. ¡°I''m pretty smart, Elise.¡± He said. ¡°Every time I get hurt, you have to keep your distance and that disappoints you very much.¡± ¡°I... it''s only because I can''t cuddle you.¡± Elise said. ¡°I want to hold you close and be with you, and I can''t.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I feel the same way.¡± ¡°Then what''s all this about?¡± Stella asked. ¡°We were only joking.¡± ¡°I''m just... I''m frustrated!¡± Ren said, and they looked at him in surprise. ¡°I can barely do anything with you normally, and now with being so hurt, I can''t do anything at all!¡± Elise caught her breath. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I can''t even ask for a hug from my girlfriend, who I love, because we''re both afraid of making my injuries worse.¡± Ren said and let a tear appear in the corners of his eyes. ¡°Your jokes about... using my lever and giving me a swelled head... they hurt because I... I can''t use it and I''ve never had a swelled head.¡± He said and wiped at his tears before they fell. ¡°Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, Ren.¡± Stella said in a slightly subdued tone. ¡°We understand.¡± ¡°Please, give me a bath and change my bandages.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to get ready for whatever it is you have planned.¡± Stella unwrapped the bandages around the wound on his side and checked the stitches, and Denise checked his wrapped knee. She couldn''t remove the wrap, not without a doctor''s permission, so she washed around it without getting it wet. ¡°Barbi planned it, actually.¡± Elise said and walked over to his closet and picked out clothes for him to wear. ¡°She thought it up a couple of days ago.¡± Ren thought about what it could be, and sighed. ¡°Let me guess. It''s a garden party of some kind, right?¡± Elise, Stella, and Denise looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I hope she only invited the neighbours and not everyone in the city.¡± Ren said, and the three women exchanged glances. ¡°If you wheel me out there and there''s a big crowd...¡± ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m sure she kept the guest list at a respectable limit.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren said as he closed his eyes and successfully ignored the feeling of having two women give him a sponge bath. ¡°Just get ready to calm me down when I have a panic attack.¡± ¡°We''re always ready for that.¡± Denise said and her hands moved up his thighs to scrub him with the soft cloth. ¡°Ren, do you...¡± ¡°You can do it.¡± Ren said. ¡°For some reason, I''m not that excited about this situation anymore.¡± Denise held in her sigh and scrubbed his private place, and he didn''t react at all. She thought about trying to tease him a little, then saw Stella''s glare. She gave him a quick rinse and moved down to his feet, and Stella finished his chest and arms. After a quick shampoo and rinse of his hair in the water basin, Ren was dried off and dressed in his best clothes, then helped into the wheelchair. Elise got changed right there while Stella and Denise left the room to get changed themselves. When they returned, the four of them went downstairs and through the house towards the garden party in the backyard. Chapter 690 - Garden Party ¡°There''s the man of the house!¡± Barbi said as Ren was brought out the patio door in the wheelchair, and his wrapped knee rested on the leg extension. ¡°How are you today?¡± Ren saw that there wasn''t many people around the immediate area and relaxed a little. ¡°After overreacting and being a bit of an ass to the people that care about me, I feel terrible.¡± He said and heard someone catch their breath. He couldn''t tell who it was, though. ¡°Physically, I feel even worse.¡± Barbi just stared at him, her glass of punch forgotten in her hand. ¡°Um...¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I''ve got some watered-down painkillers kicking in.¡± Ren smiled at her and looked at the two women standing with her. ¡°May I ask who these two lovely ladies are?¡± ¡°Oh! These are your two immediate neighbours, Mrs. Johnson and Miss Harrison.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Mrs. Johnson lives on your left, and Miss Harrison lives on the right.¡± Ren reached a hand out to the first woman. ¡°Hi, Mrs. Johnson. It''s a pleasure to meet you. I''m Ren Haddon.¡± He said and she bent over slightly to shake his hand. He turned his hand slightly and held her hand as if he was going to kiss the back of it, then gave it a slight shake. ¡°Can I ask where Mr. Johnson is?¡± ¡°Work.¡± Mrs. Johnson said, a little sadly. ¡°It''s always work.¡± ¡°I''m terribly sorry to hear that.¡± Ren said and let her hand go and held his hand out to the other woman. ¡°Miss Harrison, it''s a pleasure to meet you as well.¡± He said and she took his hand. He turned it the same way and gave it a shake. ¡°Is it impolite to inquire if you had a Mr. Harrison?¡± Miss Harrison smiled. ¡°Slightly.¡± She said. ¡°We''re divorced.¡± ¡°Recently?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, I''ve been living here for a few years on my own.¡± ¡°Any children?¡± ¡°I have two.¡± Miss Harrison said and turned to look for them. ¡°Now where... oh, there''s Randy.¡± She said and pointed, and Ren looked to see a 5 foot 8 inch tall fairly handsome dark haired guy. ¡°He''s 22 years old and just turned 35 emotionally.¡± She said and chuckled, then her eye caught the long hair of her daughter. ¡°Here comes my daughter and her friend.¡± Ren turned his head to look, and his eyes widened as the two young women approached. ¡°Mom, they''ve got a bigger pool than us.¡± Dana said. ¡°It has an attached Jacuzzi, too.¡± ¡°Oh, dear!¡± Miss Harrison said in mock horror. ¡°Whatever will we do?¡± ¡°Ask to come over more often.¡± Dana said and laughed. ¡°Geez, Dana.¡± Gretchen said and rolled her eyes. ¡°What makes you think they would let you come over, let alone all the time?¡± ¡°Maybe because we''re friends.¡± Ren said, and both girls turned to look at him and gasped at the same time. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Dana exclaimed. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Hi.¡± Ren smiled at them. ¡°This is certainly a surprise.¡± ¡°You''re the neighbour nobody''s met since they moved in?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Ren said and looked at Gretchen. ¡°Hi, Gretchen.¡± ¡°H-h-hi.¡± Gretchen said and her face was red. ¡°I''d say something about this being a small world, or that the odds I''d meet someone from the game should have been astronomically high... but, I''ve met a couple of people from the game now and they live in the city, too.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± Gretchen asked, and he nodded. ¡°Surprisingly.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, I didn''t realize they were so close until meeting them.¡± He smiled. ¡°Just like you two.¡± ¡°What''s this game thing?¡± Miss Harrison asked. ¡°It''s the VR online thing.¡± Dana said. ¡°Oh, that.¡± Miss Harrison said. ¡°I told you not to use that thing too much.¡± ¡°I don''t, Mom.¡± Dana said. ¡°You were on it a lot the other day, and then yesterday.¡± ¡°It was my birthday then, and Gretchen stayed over so we could go adventuring, remember?¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Miss Harrison said. ¡°What did I get you?¡± ¡°A new skirt and blouse, with a sweet pair of earrings.¡± Dana said and did a little twirl, which fluttered her skirt out. It gave Ren, who was sitting down at the time, a very nice view of Dana''s cute pink panties, both front and back. They didn''t cover much, either. Dana stopped turning and pulled her long blonde hair back from her ears and showed off the nice earrings. ¡°Well, at least I have great taste.¡± Miss Harrison said with a smile, and Dana laughed. ¡°You do!¡± ¡°I''m glad you''re happy.¡± Miss Harrison said and gave her a hug. ¡°You''re so hard to buy for.¡± Dana nodded and looked at Ren. ¡°Anyways, who''s that behind you?¡± ¡°The statuesque redhead is my girlfriend, Elise Stanford.¡± Ren said and pointed to her. ¡°Stella is my primary nurse and she''s pushing my wheelchair.¡± He said and then pointed to his other side. ¡°Denise is my secondary nurse, and she works every other day, because taking care of me is a full time job.¡± Dana, Gretchen, Miss Harrison and Mrs. Johnson stared at him. ¡°Barbara is my night nurse, and I''m sure she''s around here somewhere.¡± Ren said and looked at Barbi. ¡°Barbi, any idea where she is?¡± ¡°She''s probably over at the snack table.¡± Barbi said and motioned around the side of the house. ¡°She said that she really liked the baby cucumber sandwiches.¡± ¡°Blah.¡± Ren said and stuck his tongue out, which made Dana and Gretchen chuckle. ¡°I guess that means you won''t be visiting the snack table anytime soon?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°Not right now.¡± Ren said and heard the patio door open behind them. ¡°Hey, you came out without me.¡± Lisa said as she stepped around Denise and bent over to give Ren a kiss. ¡°I thought you were out here already.¡± Ren said and looked at her outfit. ¡°Are those new jeans?¡± ¡°They are.¡± Lisa said and turned around to show him her backside. ¡°They fit great, too.¡± ¡°They really do.¡± Ren said appreciatively, and she laughed. ¡°I know how much you like denim.¡± Lisa turned back around and looked at Stella, Denise, and Elise. ¡°It looks like something''s wrong.¡± She said. ¡°What''s up?¡± ¡°It''s my fault.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°They were joking around and I took it wrong.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Elise put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°No, it really is my fault.¡± Ren looked up at her. ¡°I didn''t mean to make you feel bad about carrying on like that.¡± He said and put his hand on hers, then looked at Stella and Denise. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Let''s just forget about it and have fun.¡± Stella said. ¡°Ren, why don''t you introduce Lisa to everyone?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Miss Harrison, Mrs. Johnson, Dana, Gretchen.¡± He said. ¡°This is my girlfriend, Lisa.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± Lisa said and smiled at them. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Dana looked from Lisa to Elise, then at Ren. ¡°But, I thought... didn''t you say...¡± ¡°Elise and I started dating first; but, after I bought this place, I asked Lisa to move in and...¡± ¡°She lives here?¡± Gretchen asked, surprised. ¡°We all do.¡± Elise said.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Miss Harrison blinked her eyes at them. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Well, technically Stella and Elise still have their own places, but they pretty much stay here all the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°Denise and Lisa live here officially.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°My night nurse Barbara lives in the guest house with her husband.¡± Ren said. ¡°I couldn''t have her trying to sleep inside the house during the day, not with everyone else up.¡± ¡°Let me get this straight.¡± Mrs. Johnson said. ¡°You have two live-in girlfriends?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Unfortunately, I''m too hurt right now to... mhm mmh!¡± Stella and Denise covered his mouth with a hand each. ¡°Date!¡± They said at the same time. ¡°It''s difficult to go on a date with a dislocated kneecap...¡± Stella started to say. ¡°...and bruised ribs.¡± Denise finished for her. ¡°That... would make dating more difficult.¡± Miss Harrison said. She gave Ren a stern appraising eye, then looked at Lisa. She nodded her head slightly because it seemed like a good pairing, then she looked at Elise. Her eyes widened as she tried to imagine the over 6 foot tall woman with a very short man in a wheelchair... and she couldn''t do it. It just didn''t make sense to her. Elise smiled at her, because she had seen that look before. ¡°I assure you, it''s true.¡± She said and bent down to give Ren a thorough kissing, and Stella and Denise moved their hands to let her. ¡°You didn''t have to do that.¡± Ren whispered to her when she broke the kiss. ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Elise said, gave him another brief kiss, then stood up. When she turned around, she saw surprise on the 4 women''s faces. ¡°Didn''t I tell you the owner of the house was something special?¡± Barbi asked and laughed. ¡°Let''s go over to the drinks table. It''s over by the trees.¡± ¡°Y-yes, that is a good idea.¡± Miss Harrison said and started to walk away without waiting for the others. ¡°I definitely need a refill.¡± Everyone watched her walk around the corner of the house, exchanged glances, then followed her. ¡°I can''t tell if that''s denial or shock.¡± Mrs. Johnson said. ¡°It''s not like she''s never met anyone that had two girlfriends before.¡± ¡°I think it''s because of me.¡± Ren said, catching on quickly. ¡°I think when I said Elise was my girlfriend, she thought I was either joking or exaggerating, then she readily accepted it without question when I said Lisa was.¡± Mrs. Johnson looked down at him. ¡°I think I did that, too.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t believe it myself sometimes, then I remember her coming to my rescue.¡± He looked at Elise with love in his eyes. ¡°She saved my life.¡± He said. ¡°She also does things for me that no one else can, and I can''t tell her enough how much I appreciate it.¡± ¡°You already apologized for earlier, so you don''t have to keep buttering me up, Sweetheart.¡± Elise said, and he chuckled. Everyone walked on for a few moments, then Mrs. Johnson spoke. ¡°How did you save his life?¡± ¡°Ren used to stay in the long-term care ward of a hospital.¡± Elise said. ¡°I can''t really discuss the specifics of what happened; but, I can say that he was attacked and I got him out of there and into a temporary care facility.¡± ¡°I was unconscious at the time.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°I found out later she acted quickly and efficiently to get me to safety and into hiding before anything else could happen.¡± Elise took his hand and smiled. ¡°That started me thinking about what my life was like, and it made me realize that I didn''t want that kind of life anymore.¡± Ren said as they passed a small group of people. ¡°It wasn''t long before I bought this house and offered rooms for my nurses, since I didn''t want them commuting across the city to get here. Asking Elise to stay over was a big decision at the time, since I''ve never lived with anyone before, and it''s been a gradual thing ever since.¡± They arrived at the drinks table and met up with Miss Harrison, who already had half of another glass of wine gone. Lisa handed out glasses of fruit punch to Ren, Denise, Stella and Elise while everyone else helped themselves. There were several different kinds of juices, wines, soda pop and beverages scattered over the well-decorated table. Ren looked at his glass of fruit punch and then at the several bottles of soda. ¡°Hey, can I...¡± ¡°Not first thing in the morning.¡± A stern voice said from behind them, and everyone turned to see Barbara. She wore a flower covered summer dress and a large straw hat with a big bow on it. ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Ren said. ¡°When was the last time I had some soda?¡± ¡°That doesn''t matter.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You need a counter-balanced meal when you have it.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°All right.¡± He said and took a drink of punch. ¡°I miss the bubbles.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°If I tell Denise what you can handle from the snack table to eat for lunch, you can have one glass of pop.¡± ¡°It''s a deal, as long as there''s no cucumbers mixed in.¡± Ren said. Barbara nodded. ¡°Then I''ll stop whining for now.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Barbara chuckled and looked at Barbi. ¡°I can''t believe you hired a magician for a garden party.¡± ¡°He''s an illusionist, not a magician.¡± Barbi said and smiled. ¡°Is he set up yet?¡± ¡°Almost. He said he''ll be starting the show soon.¡± ¡°I''ll go around and let everyone know.¡± Barbi said and walked away towards the next group of people. ¡°I think I''ll head over there, too.¡± Miss Johnson said. ¡°It was nice meeting you, Mr. Haddon.¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± Ren said and they watched her walk away again. ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Dana said. ¡°About what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Mom can be...¡± Dana stopped talking and Ren reached out and took her hand. ¡°If you need someone to talk to about it, I''m sure you can find someone in the phone book.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°Ren!¡± Several of the women around him gasped, and he laughed. ¡°I''m joking, of course.¡± Ren said. He kept a hold of Dana''s hand and looked deep into her eyes. ¡°I''m kind of an expert on the ''mom is avoiding me'' problem, so if you need someone to talk to about it, please don''t hesitate to talk my ear off.¡± He said and rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand reassuringly. ¡°You know, when you call because you want to come over and sit in the Jacuzzi.¡± Dana chuckled. ¡°I''ll keep it in mind.¡± ¡°That''s all I can ask of you.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. ¡°Hey!¡± Someone shouted. ¡°The show''s about to start!¡± ¡°I want to see this.¡± Denise said. ¡°I wouldn''t mind checking it out.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''m curious, too.¡± Elise said. ¡°You can leave me right here.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him. ¡°I''m sorry, but I can''t watch it.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°I can always see how it''s done and I won''t enjoy it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want to ruin it for everyone, so go ahead and watch it.¡± ¡°We can''t just leave you out here.¡± Mrs. Johnson said. ¡°I''ll stay with him.¡± Dana said. ¡°I don''t like magicians, either.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Mrs. Johnson asked. ¡°There''s some chairs and a table right over there.¡± Dana said and pointed. ¡°We''ll be okay.¡± ¡°Ren, do you really...¡± Elise tried to ask if he was okay with them leaving, and he gave her a big smile. ¡°Just make sure you close your eyes and cover your ears at random times, in case he''s trying to hypnotize you.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him again. ¡°What? You didn''t know that they perform temporary hypnosis on the audience?¡± Everyone exchanged looks and then looked back at him. ¡°I guess not.¡± Ren said. ¡°It lets them perform special tricks and makes you think you didn''t see anything.¡± ¡°Oh, that make sense.¡± Mrs. Johnson said. ¡°You all go and have fun watching the charlatan. I''ll stay here with two of my friends and have a better time than you.¡± ¡°Two friends?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Yeah, Gretchen''s staying here with us, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°She doesn''t want to leave Dana alone with a scoundrel like me.¡± Stella, Denise, Lisa, and Elise all snorted in laughter, and Mrs. Johnson looked at them in surprise. ¡°Okay, he''s convinced me.¡± Stella said and pushed his wheelchair over to the table. ¡°We''ll be back later.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said, then Dana and Gretchen sat on either side of him. ¡°Have fun, and don''t forget what I said!¡± He told them as they walked away. ¡°We won''t, you scoundrel!¡± Denise exclaimed, and that made them all laugh. ¡°Wow.¡± Dana said as they disappeared around the corner of the house. ¡°You''re this hurt and your nurses left you all alone.¡± Ren chuckled and pointed. Dana turned her head and saw two security guards about 20 feet away. One was facing towards them and one was facing the other way. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Don''t worry. My nurses know what''s going on all the time around here.¡± Ren said and looked at Gretchen. ¡°Go ahead and ask.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Gretchen blinked her eyes at him. ¡°You''ve been dying to ask me something since you saw me, so go ahead.¡± ¡°I... I don''t know what you mean.¡± ¡°Eeennnh!¡± Ren made a buzzer sound. ¡°Wrong answer!¡± Dana laughed. ¡°I''ll ask if you don''t want to.¡± Gretchen opened her mouth to tell her to go ahead, then she remembered boldly asking him a personal question in the game. ¡°Are both of them your real girlfriends?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now ask the real question.¡± Gretchen took a quick breath. ¡°Are you having sex with them?¡± ¡°Like I tried to say earlier when my nurses cut me off, I''m too hurt to have sex right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, I have with both of them.¡± ¡°At the same time?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Dana!¡± Gretchen exclaimed. ¡°Hey, it''s the next logical question.¡± Dana said. ¡°No, not at the same time.¡± Ren said and smiled crookedly. ¡°Oh! I see a sly smile!¡± Dana said. ¡°You have had a threesome!¡± Gretchen looked at Ren and saw his nod. ¡°In the game?¡± ¡°There, too.¡± Ren admitted. Both Dana and Gretchen sat back in their chairs and just looked at him. They weren''t sure why this subject seemed so interesting to them; but, they wanted to learn more. ¡°Will you tell us who?¡± Dana asked. ¡°No, since that''s not my secret to tell.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t cause potential embarrassment to anyone.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Except for myself.¡± ¡°Is that why you told my mom that you had two girlfriends?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Because you don''t mind being embarrassed?¡± ¡°I''m not embarrassed to say they are my girlfriends.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Have you seen them? They''re both gorgeous and they love me.¡± ¡°Then what did you mean?¡± ¡°I''m a bit of a sex addict.¡± Ren said, and they looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You''re what?¡± Dana asked, surprised. ¡°A bit is kind of an understatement.¡± Ren said, and sighed. ¡°I just love the feel of a woman when... well...¡± He looked from Dana to Gretchen and saw their surprised expressions. ¡°It''s just... you taste so good when I go down on you.¡± He said. ¡°It gets even better when you squirm and moan...¡± ¡°S-stop.¡± Gretchen said and took a shallow breath and let it out. ¡°Why are you telling us this?¡± ¡°You asked.¡± Ren said, and their surprised expressions didn''t change. ¡°It''s a little embarrassing for me to admit that I have a problem, and that''s what I meant about potentially embarrassing myself.¡± Dana and Gretchen looked at each other, then looked back at Ren. ¡°So, you really are...¡± Dana started to ask if he was addicted to sex. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren answered before she did. ¡°Do you really like...¡± Gretchen started to ask. ¡°More than anything.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I could do it for hours.¡± He said, dreamily. ¡°The texture when I lick, the taste on my tongue, looking up at a woman''s face as she...¡± ¡°S-s-stop!¡± Gretchen closed her eyes and took several deep breaths as she rested her head on the table. Her long brown hair covered her embarrassed face. ¡°Gretchen.¡± Dana said and leaned over the small table to lift up some of Gretchen''s hair. ¡°Did you just...¡± ¡°N-n-no.¡± Gretchen said and turned her red face the other way to hide it. ¡°Damn, girl.¡± Dana said and let her hair go as she sat back down. ¡°Hearing it made you that horny?¡± ¡°N-no.¡± Gretchen lied, and Dana chuckled. ¡°I hope it was only a small one.¡± Ren said. ¡°Otherwise, you might need to check your skirt because you''re sitting down.¡± Gretchen gasped and quickly stood up. ¡°Dana!¡± Dana nodded and walked around her and checked her skirt. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Oh, thank god.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I... I need to go back to your place and...¡± ¡°There''s 6 bathrooms in the house.¡± Ren said, and they looked at him. ¡°The main one is through the kitchen and beside the large living room. If you see the workout room, you went too far.¡± ¡°We''ll be right back.¡± Dana said and took Gretchen''s hand. ¡°Will you be okay?¡± Ren nodded and motioned for the security guard that was watching him to come over. ¡°There''s replacement pads and sanitary napkins in the drawers beside the sink.¡± Dana nodded back and quickly took her friend into the house that was very different from hers. Chapter 691 - Chatting Away Dana took Gretchen through the patio doors and stopped when she saw the double-sized kitchen with two of everything in it. ¡°Geez! Look at this place!¡± ¡°Dana!¡± Gretchen said, which reminded Dana she was in a hurry, so she quickly walked through the kitchen, past the small living room and saw the large living room. She looked across from it and saw the door, opened it and saw it was the bathroom, then took Gretchen inside and shut the door. ¡°Good lord!¡± Dana exclaimed. ¡°This place is huge!¡± Gretchen unhooked her skirt and pulled the zipper down, then let it fall to the floor. She stepped out of it and looked down at herself. The dampness had seeped into her blue panties and she pulled them off. ¡°That was a close one.¡± Gretchen said and opened the middle drawer of the cabinet beside the sink. ¡°First try!¡± She said happily and pulled out the sanitary napkins and a replacement pad. She cleaned herself up quickly and picked up her panties. ¡°Get a look at this tub!¡± Dana said from across the room. ¡°I bet it could easily hold 4 people!¡± Gretchen looked over at her friend and saw something better. ¡°Look at the shower stall.¡± She said and the sound of the self-stick pad she removed from her panties was loud in the slightly echoing room. ¡°It''s the size of your bathroom by itself.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Dana walked over to it and opened the glass door. ¡°Damn, you''re right.¡± She said and stepped inside. ¡°My sink and cabinet there, my tub and shower there, and my toilet there.¡± She shook her head. ¡°How much did it cost to make this house?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± Gretchen said, then she sighed as she saw the dampness of her underwear was still spreading out, even though it was removed from the source. She looked around for some way to dry it and couldn''t see anything on the counter. Maybe there''s a hair dryer or something. Gretchen thought and started opening the drawers. Nothing was there, so she opened the large cabinet door under the sink. Ah, there we go. She pulled out the small hair dryer and plugged it into the wall socket. She turned it on and let it warm up for a minute, then held her underwear over the nozzle. ¡°Hey, how''s it look?¡± Dana asked and walked over to the counter. ¡°It''s going to take a couple of minutes.¡± Gretchen said. Dana chuckled. ¡°You''re definitely lucky that you had a high flow pad on today.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°It was only a precaution, since I figured we''d be moving around a lot.¡± She turned her underwear around and dried it on the other side. ¡°I never imagined that this was going to happen.¡± ¡°I know!¡± Dana laughed and decided not to tease her about her accident. ¡°Who would have thought that I was living right next door to my favorite television star!¡± Gretchen smiled slightly at the change of subject, then sighed. ¡°Like he said, it was a surprise.¡± ¡°You don''t sound too happy about that.¡± Dana said and looked at her friend''s face. ¡°I... it''s nice, but...¡± ¡°He''s losing his mystique for you, isn''t he?¡± Dana asked, and Gretchen sighed again. ¡°Am I a bitch for thinking that?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°I mean, you see actors on television and they''re like... larger than life... and then...¡± Dana put a hand on her arm. ¡°People can''t always live up to expectations.¡± Gretchen nodded. ¡°Just like what happened with you and him.¡± ¡°Or didn''t happen, you mean.¡± Dana smiled. ¡°He''s a good kisser, but I didn''t feel a spark. Not even a little tingle.¡± She saw her friend''s expression and squeezed her arm. ¡°You did, though.¡± ¡°I... yeah, I did.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I don''t know why, though.¡± Dana chuckled. ¡°If I remember correctly, you tried to attack him for casting Charm Person on me the first time we met him.¡± ¡°Hey, he was making you all lovey-dovey and you were swooning all over him!¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I wasn''t going to let him take advantage of you while you were like that!¡± Dana chuckled and let her arm go to give her a one arm hug. ¡°That''s my friend in a nutshell.¡± Gretchen turned her underwear around and checked them. ¡°I''ve always got your back.¡± Her underwear was still slightly damp, so she kept using the hair dryer on them. ¡°I''m just wondering why it didn''t work on you.¡± Dana said. Gretchen looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°What?¡± ¡°He cast Charm Person on a whole country full of people, and yet you weren''t really affected.¡± Dana said. ¡°That''s a little odd, don''t you think?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Sometimes people can have partial immunity to certain spells.¡± She said. ¡°I''m sure there were a lot of people not affected by it.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Dana said, not really convinced. ¡°How are they coming along?¡± ¡°Almost done.¡± Gretchen said and tried to check, then hissed at the hotness of the cloth. ¡°Dammit!¡± Dana chuckled. ¡°Put them on the counter and let them cool off before doing that.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Gretchen put the panties down and turned off the hair dryer. She didn''t want to put it back under the sink until it cooled off. While she waited for that, she had the opportunity to let her eyes roam around the huge bathroom. ¡°I think this thing is as big as my house.¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Dana laughed and looked up. ¡°There''s no way you''d fit a two storey house in here.¡± She said and let her eyes gauge the size. ¡°Maybe the first floor, if you leave off the porch.¡± Gretchen nodded and picked up her panties and waved them in the air, then touched the cloth. She smiled and opened the pad she had taken from the drawer and attached it to the right spot, then put her underwear back on. She sighed as the warmth felt nice against her skin, then she stepped into her skirt that she had left on the floor and pulled it up into position and zipped it and fastened it. ¡°What a relief.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Yeah, especially since I don''t think there was any way you would have made it all the way over to my place before it got worse.¡± Dana said. ¡°It was really nice of him to let us come in here.¡± Gretchen nodded. ¡°It was quick thinking on his part.¡± She said and checked the hair dryer, then put it back where she found it. ¡°Come on.¡± Dana said and took her hand. ¡°Let''s go look around.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Gretchen was pulled from the bathroom, not really against her will, and Dana led her down the hallway to the workout room. ¡°That''s not a workout room!¡± ¡°It''s a full gym!¡± Dana laughed. ¡°I can''t believe that... there''s a boxing ring!¡± She said and leaned her head against the glass wall. ¡°There''s even a jogging track around the room!¡± ¡°Who puts stuff like this inside their house?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°Look at the full rack of weights!¡± ¡°Let''s go see what else... is that an elevator?¡± Dana asked and dragged Gretchen towards the lobby. ¡°He has an elevator! In a three story house!¡± ¡°Forget the elevator, Dana. Look at the lobby!¡± Gretchen exclaimed and Dana turned to look. ¡°Oh, wow!¡± Dana pulled Gretchen into the middle of the lobby and they both looked up. ¡°It''s like a Hollywood movie set.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Look at those sweeping staircases!¡± ¡°They go all the way up to the third floor.¡± Dana said, surprised. ¡°I guess that explains the elevator.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Gretchen chuckled. ¡°Imagine having to walk up and down these things every day.¡± ¡°No, thanks.¡± Dana laughed. ¡°I think your whole house can fit in here.¡± ¡°I think most of your house could fit in here.¡± Gretchen said and laughed, too. ¡°Probably.¡± Dana said and started to walk towards the stairs. ¡°Nope.¡± Gretchen said and held onto Dana''s hand to stop her. ¡°We''re not going up.¡± ¡°Aww!¡± Dana said. ¡°I just want a quick look.¡± ¡°We''re pushing our luck as it is by looking around down here.¡± Gretchen said and started to walk back towards the kitchen. ¡°We''re not going to abuse his hospitality by going upstairs uninvited.¡± Dana sighed. ¡°All right. We probably should be getting back to the party anyways.¡± Gretchen nodded. ¡°He''s probably been sitting there all alone and waiting for someone to come over and talk to him.¡± ¡°Not with the magic show going on.¡± Dana said. ¡°Everyone else is busy.¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± Gretchen said and quickened her pace. Dana smiled as they went through the house and out the patio door, then around the side of the house to the table where they had left Ren. ¡°There they are.¡± Ren said as he waved to the two young women and he looked up at the security guard. ¡°Thanks for keeping me company.¡± ¡°That''s not really in my job description, sir.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Thanks for guarding me a lot closer than you had to for a few minutes, then.¡± The guard smiled and nodded, then walked back over to his assigned post. ¡°Hey, Ren.¡± Dana said and she sat on one side of him, and Gretchen sat on the other. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Ren asked and looked at Gretchen, who nodded. ¡°You were walking pretty fast.¡± ¡°Gretchen just wanted to get back to you before you started to worry.¡± Dana said, and heard Gretchen take in a sharp breath. ¡°Okay, I''m not sure that''s why.¡± She smiled. ¡°Maybe she didn''t want you to be alone for too long, or maybe she wanted you to test out her now dry underwear.¡± ¡°DANA!¡± Gretchen yelled. Dana laughed and leaned over close to Ren. ¡°Don''t get angry about this, okay? She teased me enough about liking you before we met you.¡± Ren raised a single eyebrow at her. ¡°Does that mean you don''t like me anymore?¡± ¡°Not like like, anyway.¡± Dana said and leaned back. ¡°I think you and I are firmly in the friend zone.¡± ¡°I don''t know about that.¡± Ren teased. ¡°I really like pink.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Dana looked a little uneasy and Gretchen chuckled. ¡°When you did that little twirl for your mother to show off your outfit, I had quite the view from this angle.¡± Dana''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise, and Gretchen laughed. ¡°He was sitting down right in front of you!¡± Gretchen said and pointed at her. ¡°You pantie-flasher!¡± Dana''s face flushed red and she started to duck her head. Ren reached out and took her hand and she turned her head away from him. ¡°Hey, don''t be embarrassed.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was a nice view.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± Dana turned her head back to glance at him. ¡°I didn''t say anything at the time because I figured you might be embarrassed.¡± Ren said and gave her hand a squeeze. ¡°I liked that you were confident enough in yourself to do that kind of move, especially in front of someone so short like myself.¡± Dana''s face didn''t lose any redness as she smiled. ¡°Which part did you like better?¡± ¡°That''s a trick question.¡± Ren said, and Gretchen chuckled. He gave her a wink and looked back at Dana. ¡°I saw paradise from the front and from the back, so they were both the very best they could be.¡± He said. ¡°I liked both views equally.¡± ¡°That''s very sweet of you to say.¡± Dana said, and he let her hand go. ¡°Can you describe them?¡± ¡°That depends on if you mean the silk-like pink cloth with fake lace bows on the back and front, the firm and slightly tanned mounds of your backside that jiggled slightly, or the sumptuous and inviting smoothness of your womanhood.¡± Dana and Gretchen stared at him with open mouths, and he laughed. ¡°Too poetic?¡± ¡°Too descriptive.¡± Dana said, her face bright red, and she put both hands down on her lap as if to cover what he had already seen. ¡°How did you see so much?¡± ¡°I can remember everything I see.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... how did...¡± Dana squirmed a little. ¡°The cloth was right against your skin.¡± Ren said. ¡°A basic deduction is if there was any hair there, the cloth would bulge slightly.¡± ¡°That...¡± Dana closed her mouth. ¡°Do you shave it off?¡± Ren asked, and she looked at him. ¡°How often?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I''m just curious.¡± Ren said. ¡°I mean, I''ve seen a few already, and I was wondering how you maintain something so delicate.¡± ¡°Haven''t... did you ask your girlfriends about it?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°It hasn''t come up in conversation before.¡± Ren said and shrugged. ¡°I mean, it''s not like we have a lot of time to sit around and talk about genital maintenance.¡± Dana and Gretchen looked at each other and then at Ren. ¡°Like now?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°To be honest, this is the first time I''ve sat down with a couple of friends and just talked.¡± ¡°Wow, really?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Like I said, we''re usually busy. I''m in the game all the time and the others work. It takes a lot of schedule juggling just to get us in the same room for half an hour to eat or to watch television together.¡± ¡°Geez, this party must be a breath of fresh air for you.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I''m missing time in the game, though.¡± Ren said and saw similar expressions on both of them. ¡°You know what I''m talking about.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Dana said. ¡°The more you play, the more you discover and the more you want to play.¡± ¡°I can''t imagine what it''s like for you to play so much.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I mean, what kind of things unlock for someone that''s online all the time?¡± ¡°I''ve thought about that, and I think it opens up a lot of different things that a casual gamer wouldn''t normally get.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been in jail and even served hard time working in a mine for a few months.¡± ¡°When you were in the dwarf lands.¡± Dana said, and he nodded. ¡°It''s an invite only area, and getting an invitation is a lot harder than you think.¡± Ren said. ¡°At least, until all my paperwork goes through.¡± ¡°What paperwork?¡± ¡°I''ve been sending petitions, law changes, social rituals, and everything else I could think of to relax the laws governing interpersonal relationships between dwarves and other races.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re working your way back to Nathalia.¡± Gretchen said, and he nodded. ¡°My ex-fiance.¡± Ren said. ¡°My Trouble recipe worked hard to mess everything up for me while I was there.¡± ¡°Your trouble recipe?¡± Dana asked and looked at Gretchen. ¡°Wait, you have it, too?¡± Ren asked, and they both nodded. ¡°So, it really is an essential player dynamic.¡± He said. ¡°I thought the tech guys were just blowing me off because they didn''t want to bother trying to fix it.¡± ¡°God, I wish they would fix it.¡± Dana said. ¡°We missed... what was it the last time?¡± ¡°We had to catch a thief, and we did that. We turned him in and he spent the night in jail.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°When he got out, we got a popup saying we should have searched him first and that he was going to be a Trouble recipe ingredient for us.¡± ¡°Geez, that sucks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Has he made any appearances since then?¡± ¡°Yes, and he stole an item we needed to complete a quest.¡± Dana said. ¡°When we go back in tonight we''re going to look for him.¡± ¡°If you need a hand, let me know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can we do that? Ask for help?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°I don''t see why not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m pretty sure I won''t be allowed to directly interfere, since my own Trouble recipe would probably activate; but, I''m sure I''ll be allowed to show you where he is at least.¡± ¡°That would be awesome!¡± Dana said. ¡°If we can get that item back and finish the quest before the scheduled update tonight, we can relax for the rest of the night before classes tomorrow.¡± ¡°Classes?¡± ¡°We''ve got Chem-lab first thing in the morning at the college, 2 periods off for lunch, then classroom work for the afternoon.¡± Dana said. ¡°The labs are always fun, but the classwork sucks balls.¡± Gretchen snorted a laugh. ¡°It''s not that bad.¡± ¡°Says Miss Smarty-Pants who already has a 3.8 GPA.¡± Dana said. ¡°If you weren''t my best friend, I''d hate you so much for that!¡± Gretchen laughed. ¡°You''re a 3.6 yourself, you skank.¡± ¡°Do you know how many extra classes I''ll need to take to get up to you?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Six!¡± ¡°...and who''s fault is that because they wanted an extra class off every day, just so they could relax in front of the boy''s dormitory?¡± ¡°That salient point is irrelevant to this discussion.¡± Dana said haughtily, and Gretchen laughed. ¡°Sure, it is.¡± Gretchen said and leaned close to Ren. ¡°She wears short skirts so she can give the guys that walk by a bit of a thrill.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Ren said and looked at Dana. ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°N-no.¡± Dana turned her head to look the other way. ¡°Now I don''t feel so bad about getting to see such pretty pink panties.¡± Ren said and pointed to Gretchen. ¡°Say that five times, fast!¡± Gretchen took in a huge breath. ¡°Pretty pink panties. Pretty pink panties. Pretty pink panties. Pretty pink panties. Pretty pink panties!¡± Ren laughed, then Gretchen did, and Dana had to laugh, too. ¡°All right, all right.¡± Dana said. ¡°You can stop teasing me about it.¡± Ren reached out and touched her arm briefly. ¡°Thanks for not getting angry that I saw them.¡± ¡°Well, it was kind of my fault that you did.¡± Dana said. ¡°I could get mad at myself, but what''s the point?¡± She smiled. ¡°You said you liked them.¡± ¡°I really did.¡± Ren said with a reassuring smile. ¡°Assuming you dressed up for today''s party, I''m wondering what you normally wear.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Gretchen exclaimed, and he chuckled. ¡°It''s the next logical question.¡± Ren said. ¡°What are you wearing right now?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Lime green silk-like boxers.¡± Ren said without hesitation. ¡°I don''t know if they''re actually silk, but they sure do feel like it.¡± ¡°R-really? That''s what you''re wearing?¡± Dana asked, surprised. ¡°Yeah, they''re comfortable, and they''re also my last pair.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been too busy to go to the east side mall to buy some more.¡± ¡°The east side mall?¡± Dana looked at Gretchen and saw her surprised face. ¡°They wouldn''t happen to be from Jacques, would they?¡± ¡°Yeah, they are.¡± Ren said, a little surprised. ¡°They do great custom alterations there, so I''ve gone there a few times already.¡± ¡°You must know Lily, then.¡± Gretchen said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Dana, do you think...¡± ¡°Elise is the redhead she told us about, and Ren is the guy in the wheelchair!¡± Dana said. ¡°Oh, wow! What a small world!¡± ¡°Lily used to go to college with us.¡± Gretchen said before Ren could ask about her. ¡°She used to work at Jacques part time, then went to full time when she graduated last year.¡± ¡°No wonder she''s so good at her job.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s an old pro.¡± ¡°She always had a knack for it.¡± Dana said. ¡°We get stuff from her, too.¡± They went quiet for a moment, then Ren smiled. ¡°So, what kind of underwear do you normally wear?¡± Ren asked Dana. ¡°All different kinds.¡± Dana said. ¡°It depends on the day and how I''m feeling.¡± ¡°Hmm. Well, if I had to guess, when you''re feeling pretty, you wear something like what you have on today.¡± Ren said, and Dana''s face went red again. ¡°When you''re feeling sexy, I''d say you go for a whale tail or even a thong.¡± ¡°That''s... actually a really good guess.¡± Dana said. ¡°When you''re feeling a little off or don''t care, I''d say you go for....¡± Ren grinned. ¡°...granny panties!¡± ¡°I do NOT!¡± Dana gasped and Gretchen laughed. ¡°Granny panties!¡± Gretchen covered her mouth to stop from laughing and Ren laughed. ¡°I do not dress like my mother on my off days!¡± Dana huffed, and Gretchen couldn''t help herself and laughed. ¡°I''m sorry, I couldn''t resist.¡± Ren said and touched Dana''s arm again. ¡°We won''t judge you if you do, okay?¡± ¡°I. Do. Not!¡± Dana exclaimed and Gretchen laughed and laughed. Ren turned to Gretchen. ¡°What about you? What do you wear?¡± ¡°You might not judge me; but, I plead the fifth, your honor.¡± Gretchen said, and he laughed, too. Chapter 692 - Garden Party Continued He was supposed to be here. Illonso the Illusionist thought as he performed yet another trick for the fairly large private audience. He had agreed to do the show only because his therapist had told him that he would meet her favorite client at the party. That had made him very angry, because he wanted to be her favorite client. He kept his rage well contained, just like she had taught him, and he had waited patiently for his chance to remove the obstacle to his happiness. Not seeing him was very frustrating, however. * ¡°He''s really good.¡± Elise said and turned to look at the other women at the table with her. Barbara, Lisa, Stella, Denise, Barbi, Mrs. Johnson and Miss Harrison. ¡°He really is.¡± Barbi said. ¡°He was highly recommended online, and we almost didn''t get him.¡± She said. ¡°My request was rejected at first, then I was told he had a cancellation and could make it.¡± ¡°Everyone seems to be enjoying the show.¡± Stella said and looked around. ¡°Barbi, did you tell everyone what Ren said?¡± ¡°Yes, and I even scheduled drink refills at random times.¡± Barbi said and a waitress brought over a tray of various drinks. ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, miss.¡± The waitress said, and offered refills to everyone else. Miss Harrison took one, and the waitress moved on to the next table. ¡°I can''t believe you set all this up so quickly.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Tents, lawn chairs, games, and even entertainment.¡± ¡°I know a lot of people.¡± Barbi said. ¡°That was one of the perks of working at the television station.¡± ¡°Do you miss it?¡± Lisa asked and took a drink of her fruit punch. ¡°A little bit.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I miss working there, but it was starting to get repetitive.¡± ¡°Just like my job at Sid Tec.¡± Elise said. ¡°I was pretty much just doing everything automatically.¡± ¡°It was all just the same thing almost every day, until one day I had someone come in to do some voice-over work.¡± Barbi said. ¡°When he kissed my hand before he left, it kind of blew my mind.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°I knew the little Casanova made an impression.¡± ¡°You mean Ren?¡± Lisa asked, and Barbi nodded. ¡°He surprised me that day, and when Elise approached me about a job taking care of his online presence, well...¡± ¡°She couldn''t resist the change of pace and scenery.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ll be spending some time back at the station for the next few days, though.¡± Barbi said. ¡°As long as you don''t defect back.¡± Elise said. ¡°I worked hard to get you to leave the first time.¡± ¡°What was it you said?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°I think I have an interesting job for you.¡± Elise said. ¡°Barbi practically tackled me.¡± Barbi laughed, as did everyone else. * The conversation that Ren, Dana, and Gretchen were having, changed from their slightly inappropriate underwear discussion to their college majors, then to their likes and dislikes. It shifted back to Ren and he told them his likes and dislikes and that he had never been in school. ¡°No way!¡± Dana said. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was restricted to the hospital and couldn''t go to school.¡± ¡°Then... how...¡± ¡°My nurses helped me a lot.¡± Ren said. ¡°They taught me as much as they could, and they would bring me any books that I wanted.¡± Dana and Gretchen fell silent for several moments as they thought about that. ¡°I''ve never met anyone that hasn''t gone to school.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Well, it''s not like I had much choice.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Even if I wanted to do it now, I couldn''t.¡± He said and motioned to himself. ¡°You wouldn''t have to attend school to get your high school diploma.¡± Dana said, struck with inspiration. ¡°You could take a GED test.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°A general education diploma test.¡± Dana said. ¡°As long as you can prove you have a general knowledge of the subjects...¡± ¡°Is it really that easy?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled. ¡°No, you''d have to study for it.¡± Dana said. ¡°It covers a lot of material.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Ren asked, genuinely curious. ¡°History, Science, English, Geography...¡± Dana started to tell him all the different subjects. ¡°Like everything.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°It could be a lot of work, especially since you haven''t had a formal education.¡± ¡°I know a lot of things.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is there like a book or a guide for it?¡± ¡°There is.¡± Dana said. ¡°It''s pretty thick and has everything in it that should be on the test.¡± ¡°So, as long as I read that book I can pass the test?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°Where can I get the book?¡± Dana took out her cell phone and did a quick search, then showed Ren the book. ¡°The closest place you can get it for free is the Library.¡± ¡°I guess it''s expensive to buy?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head no. ¡°It''s only about 20 bucks.¡± ¡°So why not buy it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''re only going to use it once.¡± Dana said. ¡°Why waste the money when the Library has it?¡± ¡°That''s not something a rich person normally says.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Who''s rich?¡± Dana laughed. ¡°We''re not rich.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Mom just got a great settlement in the divorce because my dad was an asshole.¡± Dana said. ¡°We moved here to get away from him and his mistress.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren took her hand and held it with both of his. ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± ¡°It''s not like you made him date a younger woman.¡± Dana said. ¡°But, thanks.¡± Ren smiled at her with sympathy clear on his face and let her hand go, then looked at Gretchen. ¡°I''ve learned quite a bit about Dana and her family so far.¡± He said and held a hand out to her. ¡°Please, tell me about your home life.¡± Gretchen sighed as she took his offered hand. ¡°It''s a horribly tragic tale, I''m afraid.¡± She said. ¡°One fraught with ordinariness and plainness.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren blinked his eyes, and Gretchen and Dana laughed. ¡°She''s trying to say that she has a perfect home life, Ren.¡± Dana said. ¡°Parents happily married, no siblings to cause rivalry, and she''s well adjusted because she''s never had any kind of bad incident in her family.¡± ¡°Even all 4 of my grandparents are still alive.¡± Gretchen said happily. ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Ren said in surprise, and she shook her head. ¡°No, like Dana said, everything is great at home for me.¡± ¡°Now that is amazing.¡± Ren said and gave her hand a squeeze. ¡°I am very pleased to meet someone so rare.¡± Gretchen''s face flushed slightly red at the sincerity in his voice. ¡°It''s nothing, really.¡± ¡°Don''t kid yourself.¡± Ren said. ¡°How many people do you know that have a solid family at home?¡± Gretchen couldn''t really answer that question. ¡°Yeah, you''re amazing all right.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°I''m absolutely sure that everyone who knows you is envious; but, they don''t resent you at all for it.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°H-how would you know that?¡± ¡°Because your best friend Dana doesn''t resent you, and neither do I.¡± Ren said. Gretchen looked at their faces and only saw friendly smiles. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I know my opinion doesn''t really matter much, since we haven''t been friends for very long, but Dana''s known you for a long time.¡± ¡°He''s right.¡± Dana said. ¡°I''m totally green with envy over your family, especially since your mom treats me like the daughter she never had.¡± ¡°Dana!¡± Gretchen nearly yelled, and Dana laughed. ¡°I meant as your sister, you numbskull.¡± Dana said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°When I''m at your place, it feels more like home than my house does.¡± ¡°Dana.¡± Gretchen reached a hand across the table, and Dana took it. ¡°You...¡± ¡°Well, look at this love fest.¡± A slightly high pitched voice said. Ren, Dana, and Gretchen turned their heads to look at the source, and saw Dana''s brother Randy. ¡°Piss off, Randy.¡± Dana said, slightly angry. ¡°We''re having a private conversation.¡± ¡°The three of you are holding hands in the middle of a garden party, in full view of a few dozen people.¡± Randy said with a slight sneer. ¡°That''s not very private if you ask me.¡± Ren, Dana and Gretchen looked down at their hands, and Gretchen and Dana tried to let go awkwardly. Ren reached out with his free hand and took Dana''s, so that he was holding both Gretchen''s and Dana''s hand, in full defiance to Dana''s brother. Ren then looked around and saw that there were a bunch of people starting to gather in the part of the backyard they were in. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Lawn games.¡± Randy said in a bored tone. ¡°They''re setting up a ring toss, of all things.¡± Gretchen leaned around him and saw a couple other games being set up. ¡°It looks like they''re putting out a bean bag toss...¡± She leaned out a little more. ¡°...lawn bowling...¡± She leaned the other way and smiled. ¡°...and what looks like a big stack of wooden blocks in a tower.¡± ¡°That''s always fun.¡± Dana said and turned to look herself and smiled. ¡°Oh, you''ll like what they''re setting up now, Randy.¡± She said. ¡°Croquet.¡± ¡°What?¡± Randy turned to where she pointed, and he nodded. ¡°Maybe this party isn''t a total loss after all.¡± He said and walked off without saying so much as a ''see you later''. ¡°What a jerk.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Now you see why I''m so happy to have Gretchen over so much.¡± Dana said. ¡°He let the divorce and moving here go right to his head.¡± Gretchen shook her head sadly. ¡°His arrogance is off the scale!¡± ¡°There''s a scale?¡± Ren asked, and they chuckled. ¡°You can let our hands go now.¡± Dana said. ¡°He''s gone.¡± ¡°What if I don''t want to?¡± Ren asked as he let their hands go, and they smiled. ¡°Do you want to try the stacked wood pile?¡± Dana asked. ¡°I''m not really in a position to play.¡± Ren said and motioned to the wheelchair. ¡°I''ll be your arms.¡± Gretchen offered and surprised herself. ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Then how can I refuse?¡± ¡°By saying no.¡± Dana said, and the three of them laughed. ¡°I''m not sure how to get you over there, though.¡± ¡°That''s okay. I see my ride coming now.¡± Ren said and waved. ¡°Hi, Denise.¡± ¡°Are you having fun?¡± Denise asked and went behind the wheelchair. ¡°Not surprisingly, I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re heading over to the oversized knock-off Jenga Tower to play.¡± ¡°Ren, you can''t...¡± ¡°Gretchen volunteered to be my arms.¡± Ren said happily. ¡°Oh, then let''s get you over there.¡± Denise said and pulled him away from the table. Dana and Gretchen stood up and followed them over to the stacked wooden pieces. Lisa and Elise quickly joined them and they had 6 people wanting to play the first game. Dana, Gretchen, Elise, Lisa, Ren and Denise. ¡°I just had an idea.¡± Ren said, and they looked at him expectantly. ¡°Please tell me it''s not strip Jenga.¡± Denise said. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s an indoor sport.¡± A few people laughed at that. ¡°So what''s the idea?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Let''s play trivia!¡± Ren said, and he saw doubtful expressions. ¡°Don''t look so glum. Someone asks a question, multiple choice, and if you get it wrong, you need to pick a block in the stack and remove it.¡± ¡°That''s... actually a pretty good idea.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°We can play for points, and the the most points at the end wins.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, and if you successfully remove the block you chose, you get a point, too.¡± He said. ¡°If the tower topples, the game ends and the most points win.¡± ¡°Hey, that''s a good challenge.¡± Dana said. ¡°Lisa, the old trivia game is in my closet.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would you mind...¡± ¡°I''ll go get it and a piece of paper.¡± Lisa said, touched his shoulder lovingly, and ran to the house. People around them started playing the other games and Lisa came back a couple of minutes later. ¡°Thanks so much.¡± Ren said, and Lisa bent over to give him a kiss. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You''re not going to cheat, are you?¡± Dana asked. Ren chuckled as he made a list of their names. ¡°Don''t you trust me?¡± He asked, and she shrugged. He laughed and held the package up. ¡°It''s still wrapped in plastic.¡± They brought over chairs for everyone to sit in, and Ren opened the package and pointed to Elise. ¡°Tallest first, and we''ll go clockwise.¡± Ren said and asked her a question. ¡°In the name J. Edgar Hoover, what does the ''J'' stand for? The choices are...¡± ¡°John.¡± Elise said. ¡°Apparently, you didn''t need a choice.¡± Ren said and gave her a point. ¡°Denise, when Mount Saint Helens erupted in 1980, how many people were killed? The choices are... 5... 57... and 571.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Denise said. ¡°Well, it was the first major national disaster in years at the time... and they didn''t really have any warning beforehand... but, I can''t remember if they issued an evacuation order or not.¡± ¡°Time''s a ticking.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tick, tock. Tick, tock.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''m just guessing, since the area wasn''t very populated... 57.¡± ¡°Ding ding ding!¡± Ren said and gave her a point. ¡°Dana, which of these famous cartoon characters turned 60 years old in 2010? The choices are... Bugs Bunny... Charlie Brown... Mickey Mouse... and Fred Flintstone.¡± ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Dana laughed. ¡°I have no clue.¡± She said. ¡°Um... what were the choices again?¡± Ren repeated them, and she sighed. ¡°Nope, no clue.¡± Dana said. ¡°Bugs Bunny.¡± ¡°Ennnh!¡± Ren made the buzzer sound. ¡°I''m sorry, it''s Charlie Brown.¡± He pointed to the stack. ¡°Pick a block.¡± Dana stood up and chose a middle block halfway down pushed it right out easily. ¡°Piece of cake.¡± ¡°It is right now.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Wait for a few rounds.¡± He pointed to Lisa. ¡°What was the name of Roy Roger''s famous...¡± ¡°Trigger.¡± Lisa said right away. ¡°I didn''t even finish reading the question, dammit.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. The game went on and on, and he had to pass the questions to Denise when it was his turn, and everyone had fun with the showmanship he displayed and making a wooden block balance game that much more entertaining. By the time they each had answered 10 questions, the tower looked ready to fall over if a breeze hit it. They had also gathered quite a crowd to watch the spectacle. After another few questions, it was Ren''s turn again. ¡°Okay, Ren.¡± Denise said. ¡°When did the Liberty Bell get its name? The choices are... when it was made in 1701... when it rang in 1776 to declare the United States gaining liberty from the British... in the nineteenth century when it became a symbol for the abolition of slavery... or none of the above.¡± ¡°Oh, geez.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t have a lot of history knowledge.¡± He said. ¡°I know when it was made that it was just a bell.¡± He thought about it. ¡°I know Paul Revere rang a bell when the British were coming; but, I don''t know if the Liberty Bell was rung after the war, even though that sounds like the best option.¡± He sighed. ¡°I think that''s a trick answer, though. It couldn''t be the nineteenth century, since I''m pretty sure it had the name longer than that, so I''m going to have to go with none of the above.¡± ¡°Ennnh!¡± Denise made the buzzer sound. ¡°It was the nineteenth century when it became the symbol of ending slavery.¡± ¡°Ha, you got me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The slaves were liberated.¡± Denise nodded and pointed to the teetering stack of wood. ¡°Go ahead and have Gretchen knock it over.¡± ¡°Yeah, right.¡± Ren said and waved Gretchen to come close. ¡°Ren, she''s right. It''s going to topple any second.¡± Gretchen said as she bent down. ¡°Nonsense.¡± Ren said and touched her shoulder to bring her in closer to whisper in her ear. ¡°You see that block, all by itself near the bottom?¡± Gretchen turned her head to look and saw it, nodded, and turned back to him. ¡°I want you to straddle the spot in front of it, as if you were going to ride a horse.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°Bend down and grab the end of that block, and pull on it as hard as you can.¡± ¡°What? You can''t be serious!¡± Gretchen exclaimed. ¡°In that position, you can get a lot of force, and with your legs out of the way, you have lots of room to get the block out of the way before the tower falls.¡± Gretchen shook her head. ¡°No, it can''t be done.¡± ¡°I''d tell you to trust me; but, I''d rather you trust yourself and just listen to my advice.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re my arms, aren''t you? So, be my arms.¡± He smiled. ¡°Oh, and watch your skirt. It''s going to ride up a little.¡± Gretchen stood up straight and looked at his happy and unworried face, then sighed. ¡°You''re crazy.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Ren grinned at her. Gretchen walked over to the wooden block tower and did what he said. She pretended there was a saddle on the ground and straddled it just enough to give her some room between her legs and her skirt hiked up a few inches. She bent down and it went up a little higher, but it didn''t show anything. She took a deep breath, gripped the end of the block Ren had indicated, then yanked it as hard as she could. The block of wood was the only thing holding up the rest of the tower; but instead of knocking everything over, it popped out like a cork from a bottle and the whole tower dropped down through the empty space the missing block had left, clanked against the wooden blocks underneath and stayed there, perfectly balanced. ¡°Oh, my god! It worked!¡± Gretchen exclaimed. She had fallen back onto the grass because she had forgotten to keep her own balance. ¡°That was amazing!¡± Dana said and helped Gretchen stand up and gave her a hug. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Gretchen pointed at Ren. ¡°I think we can call the game here.¡± Elise said and touched the wooden block tower with a fingertip, and the whole thing toppled over and clattered to the ground in a pile. ¡°There''s no way anyone could follow up after that move.¡± Denise rolled Ren over to Gretchen. ¡°I told you it would work.¡± Ren said. ¡°How did you know it would?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°You were my arms.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Now that was entertaining.¡± Stella said. ¡°Good job, you two.¡± Gretchen turned to her and smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Gretchen, your skirt has grass stains on it.¡± Ren said and started to reach for it to wipe it off, and Denise quickly caught his hand before he could. ¡°What?¡± Gretchen turned her upper torso to look down at herself, and saw the edge of the stain. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± She said and tried to wipe at it. ¡°Don''t worry, we''ve got industrial washers in the house.¡± Stella said. ¡°Come on, we''ll see if we can get it cleaned for you.¡± ¡°No, that''s okay.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I can just...¡± ¡°I won''t take no for an answer.¡± Stella said. ¡°It''ll only take a few minutes to see if it''ll come out, anyway.¡± ¡°If it doesn''t come out completely, I''ll replace it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You got it dirty on my behalf, so it''s only fair.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Come on, let''s try and clean it before it sets in.¡± Stella said and started to lead her towards the house. ¡°I''ll come, too.¡± Dana said and walked after them. ¡°Ren, who won?¡± Lisa asked and looked down at the score sheet he had, and Ren quickly counted up the points. ¡°With a grand total of 11 right answers, the winner is Elise.¡± ¡°I didn''t even have to touch the wood until the end.¡± Elise said. ¡°Oh, right! You knocked the tower over.¡± Ren said. ¡°Minus 1 point.¡± ¡°What? You little sneak!¡± Elise laughed. ¡°Now who''s the winner?¡± ¡°It''s a two way tie between you and Lisa.¡± Ren said. ¡°She only touched the tower once, too.¡± ¡°I got a question wrong, though.¡± Lisa said. ¡°All that matters is the points.¡± Ren said and smiled at her, and she chuckled and gave him a kiss. ¡°Now that the winners have been determined, what exactly did we win?¡± Elise asked. ¡°My eternal love and gratitude.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, and supervised cuddle time.¡± Elise chuckled and gave him a kiss, too. ¡°Sounds wonderful.¡± ¡°It''ll have to wait until after lunch.¡± Barbara said. ¡°They''ve got the barbecues going already.¡± Ren held his hands out to the sides and took in a deep breath through his nose. ¡°I smell beef!¡± ¡°We should head over to the eating area and get a good spot.¡± Denise said. ¡°Good idea.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ll take Ren and you can get what he needs to eat for a balanced meal.¡± Denise nodded and went ahead, and Elise pushed the wheelchair as they all went over to the food serving area. Chapter 693 - Party Hardy ¡°Hurry along now.¡± The security guard said to Illonso the Illusionist. ¡°We need this area cleared for the lunch tables.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You had a great show and everyone enjoyed it.¡± The second guard said. ¡°I need to pack everything...¡± ¡°That''s being handled.¡± The first guard said and Illonso turned to see everything being packed very efficiently. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Your second payment has already been deposited into your account.¡± The second guard said. ¡°Mr. Haddon thanks you for performing so well and hopes you have a great day.¡± ¡°But...¡± The first and second guard each grabbed him under the armpit and lifted, and the other guards picked up his suitcases and containers in the same fashion. As they moved Illonso and his things out of the way, a bevy of white-clad helpers carried in tables and chairs to fill up the space so that everyone could sit down and eat as one. The guards brought Illonso and his things out to the driveway and loaded up his panel van, much better than he could have himself, and they put him in the passenger seat. ¡°Hey, wait a minute...¡± Illonso tried to protest. ¡°Don''t worry, sir.¡± The first security guard hopped into the driver''s seat and started the van. ¡°I''ll navigate the parked cars and your vehicle will be just fine.¡± The second hopped onto the runner by the passenger door and held onto the outside of the van, and it backed out and around two parked cars as if they weren''t there. Illonso could only watch and wonder how he was being unceremoniously and expertly escorted off the property. The van didn''t even come to a stop at the gate as it opened and the van pulled out into traffic, then parked on the side of the road. ¡°Good luck, and safe travels, sir.¡± The first guard said, then both guards left a shocked and disappointed Illonso on the side of the road. They entered the almost closed gate as if they had done it a hundred times before and had timed it perfectly. * Stella tried to clean Gretchen''s skirt; but, even with the stain remover she had and the industrial washer, the grass stain wouldn''t come out completely. ¡°I think Ren''s right.¡± Dana said. ¡°It''ll need to be replaced.¡± ¡°No, that''s okay.¡± Gretchen said and tried to take it back from Stella. ¡°Hey, I can''t let you wear it like this.¡± Stella said and tossed it back into the washer to put it on the harshest cycle. ¡°Just a second.¡± She said and went to the dryer. ¡°Hmm, okay... we''ve got jeans... no, too big.¡± She said and kept looking. ¡°Top, top, underwear... come on... jogging pants.¡± She glanced back at Gretchen and shook her head. ¡°I don''t mind wearing...¡± Gretchen started to say. ¡°No.¡± Stella cut her off and kept looking. ¡°Tights alone won''t work, either.¡± She said and tossed them aside. ¡°I know there''s something... ah, here we go.¡± She pulled out a very nice black a-line skirt and flicked it with both hands to make the cloth snap in the air. ¡°There we go.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Don''t worry about the wrinkles. We have an industrial ironing press.¡± Stella said and opened the closet. Both Gretchen''s and Dana''s mouths dropped open as Stella pulled out the same big heated press that dry cleaners used. ¡°What is with this place?¡± Dana asked before she could stop herself. ¡°Noticed the difference from a normal house, have you?¡± Stella laughed at Gretchen''s surprised expression and pressed one side of the skirt. ¡°We suspect it was supposed to be a basketball team''s off-season retreat, where they could relax and train if they wanted.¡± ¡°That makes a lot more sense than someone intentionally putting all of this stuff in a normal house.¡± Gretchen said. Stella nodded and turned the skirt around to press the other side. ¡°We got the place cheap, too.¡± She said and a moment later, lifted the skirt to make sure it was pressed right. ¡°It was still really expensive mind you; but, not nearly as much as it could have been.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Dana said. Stella held the skirt out to Gretchen. ¡°Try this on.¡± ¡°Thanks, but I think...¡± ¡°It''s adjustable.¡± Stella said and pointed to the pull strap on the inside of the right hip. ¡°I buy them like this for my bloated days.¡± Gretchen just blinked her eyes for a moment, and Stella gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°Go ahead and put it on.¡± Stella said. Gretchen couldn''t keep refusing, so she took the skirt and let the adjustable strap out a little, then stepped into it and pulled it up to her waist. It was a little loose, so she tugged slightly on the adjustable strap and it took up the slack in the cloth. ¡°Here, let me.¡± Stella said and she put her fingers inside the top edge of the cloth of the skirt and ran them all around her waist to check the space. ¡°A tad more, I think.¡± She said and used her fingers to give it one little tug, then did the same finger trick to check the space. ¡°That''s got it.¡± ¡°Th-thanks.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Do a little walk to make sure.¡± Stella said and slid the press back into the closet and closed it. Gretchen glanced at Dana, who shrugged, and she walked across the laundry room and turned around, then walked back. ¡°That fits really well.¡± Dana said, surprised. ¡°It does?¡± Gretchen asked and looked down at it, then turned her torso from side to side to try and see all round. ¡°I''m glad you like it.¡± Stella said and motioned to the door. ¡°We should get back to the party.¡± ¡°But...¡± Gretchen looked at the washer with her skirt in it. ¡°We can check back on it later.¡± Stella said and ushered both young women out of the laundry room and the house. She took in a breath through her nose and smiled. ¡°It smells like they''re serving lunch.¡± ¡°Smells like?¡± Dana asked and took in a breath through her nose, too. ¡°Barbecue!¡± ¡°Barbi sure knows how to throw a great garden party.¡± Stella said and pointed. ¡°The smell is that-a-way.¡± The three of them walked over in that direction to where the illusionist had been and saw it was now a large area full of lunch tables. ¡°Over here!¡± Ren waved, and Stella waved back. ¡°We''ll go find somewhere else to...¡± Gretchen tried to say, and Stella hooked her arms in both young women''s arms and dragged them along. ¡°We saved you seats.¡± Ren said and pointed across the table. ¡°It was a fierce competition, but we managed somehow!¡± ¡°Yes, we started to sit down and miraculously, those seats were left.¡± Elise said and laughed, as did everyone else.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Hey, you''re making it sound like I didn''t do anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, you didn''t do anything.¡± Barbara said. ¡°That''s beside the point.¡± Ren said. ¡°We have guests. You''re supposed to make me look good.¡± Barbara laughed again as Dana, Gretchen, and Stella sat down. Gretchen ended up right in front of Ren, and her leg rested against something that turned out to be quite warm. Ren looked across the table at her. ¡°Can I say the new skirt looks good on you without you getting embarrassed?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Gretchen said with a slightly red face. ¡°That skirt was a good choice, Stella.¡± Ren said instead and looked at her. ¡°It wasn''t much of a choice, since that was pretty much the only appropriate thing I could find in the dryer.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m glad.¡± He said. ¡°She looks great in it.¡± ¡°I''m happy you like my clothes on somebody else.¡± Stella said and glanced at Gretchen, and she had taken Ren''s compliment without getting embarrassed. It was smart of him to compliment her like that. ¡°That''s your skirt?¡± Ren asked. ¡°How come I''ve never seen you wear it?¡± ¡°I do leave the house occasionally.¡± Stella said. ¡°What? Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°When did this happen?¡± He looked at Lisa beside him. ¡°Tell me it''s not true!¡± ¡°It''s not true.¡± Lisa said with a huge smile. ¡°Whew!¡± Ren said and wiped fake sweat from his brow. ¡°Geez, Stella! Don''t scare me like that!¡± Stella, Lisa, and Elise laughed, and Barbara chuckled. ¡°Okay, I''ve got some food!¡± Denise said and came over with a couple of plates. ¡°Wow! Who did you have to strangle to get it so soon?¡± Ren asked. ¡°A cook and two waitresses.¡± Denise said and laughed. ¡°I hope it was worth it.¡± Ren said and she put the plates down in front of him and he saw 6 hamburgers on each plate. ¡°I guess it was!¡± ¡°They aren''t all yours, you nut.¡± Denise said to him as a waitress put two large bowls of potato chips on the table, then she put several different squeeze bottles of condiments on the table. ¡°Thanks for the help.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± The waitress said and glanced at Ren, ducked her head, then walked away. ¡°Do you think she''s a fan?¡± Lisa asked when the waitress was out of earshot. ¡°We can find out when she comes back. I''ll offer to give her my autograph and see if she falls all over me.¡± Ren joked and took one of the hamburgers and put it on the disposable paper plate in front of him. ¡°Someone pass me the ketchup, mustard, and relish, please.¡± ¡°Open it up.¡± Lisa said and picked up the ketchup. Ren took the top off the burger and she gave the bottle a shake and then a squeeze. She did the same with the mustard and then the relish. ¡°Thank you, baby.¡± Ren said in a tender voice, and her face flushed a little red. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Lisa said with a smile and looked across the table. ¡°Stella, what kind of chips are those?¡± Stella ate one from the bowl in front of her. ¡°Plain.¡± She said and leaned around Gretchen. ¡°Dana?¡± Dana took one from the other bowl and ate it. ¡°Sour Cream and Onion.¡± ¡°Plain, please.¡± Ren said, and Stella grabbed a small handful and put them on his plate. He looked around the table and no one was moving. ¡°What is everyone waiting for? I can''t be the only one that''s hungry.¡± A chuckle went around the table, because they had all unconsciously waited until he had been served first, then everyone reached for a hamburger at the same time. ¡°Fight! Fight! Fight!¡± Ren chanted, and everyone laughed. They each managed to get a hamburger and didn''t fight over them, and they all sat there and ate in relative silence. Some of them picked at the potato chips, and others went to get a hot dog. Barbara passed Ren a can of root beer soda in the midst of it all, and Ren pledged his eternal gratitude to her. ¡°Now don''t guzzle...¡± Barbara tried to say, and Ren upended the can and took several deep swallows before she could stop him and take the can. ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°That''s so good!¡± Ren exclaimed and smiled at her, then the smile disappeared. ¡°Uh oh! Incoming!¡± Gretchen turned her head to look around, then heard a low rumble and looked back at Ren. ¡°What is that?¡± Ren covered his mouth with both hands and ducked his head. *BUUUUUUURRRRRRP!!!!* ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Dana laughed and Gretchen just stared at him. How did he make such a loud sound? Gretchen asked herself. ¡°Geez, Ren!¡± Lisa waved a hand in front of her face and turned her head as she leaned back. ¡°What crawled inside you and died?¡± ¡°It didn''t die.¡± Ren said, and it made everyone laugh. Elise noticed that he held a hand over the spot on his side where his stitches were. ¡°I think someone needs to go inside for a little bathroom break.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Ren said and looked at Denise. ¡°Would you do the honors?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Denise said and got up from the table and pulled Ren''s wheelchair away from the table. Gretchen felt the immediate loss of the comforting warmth she had felt against her leg. That was Ren''s foot?!? She thought in surprise. I thought it was Dana''s knee! Elise got up and left the table to go with Ren, and Denise pushed the wheelchair across the backyard and to the patio doors into the kitchen. Elise opened one to let them inside and they took Ren through the house and to the main bathroom. ¡°Does it hurt much?¡± Elise asked and knelt by the wheelchair. ¡°A little.¡± Ren said. Denise opened his shirt and gently probed the bandage. ¡°I think you just overdid it with showing off.¡± ¡°I think you''re right.¡± Elise said. ¡°Ren, you need to be more careful.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, I couldn''t resist.¡± Ren said and Denise lifted the bandage and checked the gauze pad. ¡°No excess fluid expulsions and no blood.¡± Denise said. ¡°If you hadn''t had that watered down painkiller this morning...¡± ¡°At least there''s no extra damage.¡± Elise said and cupped the side of his face. ¡°No more showing off.¡± ¡°Yes, dear.¡± Ren said, and she heard the slight disappointment in his voice. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Elise said and gave him a kiss. ¡°We all know you''re funny, so you don''t have to try so hard to make us laugh.¡± ¡°I like hearing you laugh.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll have plenty of time to make me laugh later.¡± Elise said. ¡°For now, just concentrate on getting better.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°All right.¡± Denise applied some antiseptic cream and a new gauze pad, then put the bandage back. ¡°It won''t be long before we can leave this bandage off and you won''t have to worry about it anymore.¡± ¡°Does it look like it''s healing well?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s right on track.¡± Denise said. ¡°We just have to wait to see if your rib heals.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ll be able to hold you soon.¡± Denise tried to put Ren''s shirt back into place. She couldn''t tuck it in, since that would cause undue stress on his abdomen, so she had to open up his pants and pulled his zipper down. ¡°No, wait.¡± Ren said, but it was too late. They both saw the bulge there and looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I can tuck it in.¡± He said and tried to, and they saw him wince. ¡°Ren, are you okay?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Is it...¡± She looked back down at him as Denise moved his hand out of the way and touched him there. He winced again, and Denise sighed. ¡°Ren, you''re supposed to tell us when you get like this.¡± Denise said. ¡°You know it needs to be handled right away.¡± ¡°We''ve all been pretty busy, so when was I supposed to tell you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°As soon as it started to hurt.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s been like this for a while, but it only started to hurt at the lunch table.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wasn''t sure how to ask with everyone around, so when you mentioned a bathroom break, I agreed right away.¡± Denise nodded. ¡°That was good thinking; but, you didn''t have to almost hurt yourself to do it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It worked, didn''t it?¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°If I hadn''t noticed...¡± ¡°I''ll make sure to ask to go to the bathroom, even if I don''t need to go.¡± Ren promised. ¡°So, who''s going to use their mouth first?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Elise blinked her eyes at him. ¡°You can''t really use your hands, since that''ll put too much strain on my healing ribs.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can move forward a little so it''s not so awkward...¡± ¡°We can lay you down, instead of leaving you in the wheelchair.¡± Denise said and went to the closet and grabbed several towels. ¡°You''re right, staying in the wheelchair would be awkward.¡± She said and spread them out on the floor to make a half-decently soft spot for him to lay down on. She helped him transfer from the wheelchair to the makeshift bed and he relaxed. ¡°So, who...¡± ¡°I''ll go first.¡± Denise said. ¡°Elise, lock the door.¡± Elise nodded and went to go lock the door, then heard Ren gasp. She turned to see Denise expertly apply her skills to help Ren, and it turned her on. She glanced at the bathroom door handle and fumbled with the lock, managed to click it to the right position, then slowly walked back to where Ren laid on the floor. ¡°It''s... not... working.¡± Ren said and looked up at Elise. ¡°I need to see you.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Please.¡± Denise stopped what she was doing and looked up at her. ¡°He needs a bit more stimulation.¡± Elise nodded and lifted up her skirt, then pulled her underwear off. ¡°Will this do?¡± She asked and stepped close to stand above his face. ¡°Oohhh, yeah.¡± Ren said with a huge smile. ¡°It''s even dripping for me.¡± Denise returned to her work and Ren started breathing heavy. ¡°It''s always dripping for you.¡± Elise said and knelt down to bring herself that much closer to him. ¡°I miss it so much.¡± Ren said and opened his mouth to let some of the dribble go in. ¡°Mmm! That tastes so good!¡± Elise shivered and more came out of her, which he readily accepted, and Denise felt Ren''s body react to Elise''s pleasure. ¡°Can I touch...¡± Ren started to ask. ¡°Yes, Ren.¡± Elise said. ¡°Always yes.¡± Ren reached up and touched her tenderly, and she moaned for him. Like a switch had been thrown, Ren''s body shivered and then he finished. Denise couldn''t take it all, since there was so much, so she grabbed one of the towels and tried to use her hand. Ren hissed at the touch and she sighed. ¡°This might take a while.¡± Denise said. ¡°Take... all the time... that you...¡± Elise managed to say as she slid her legs out a little more and Ren kissed her special place directly. ¡°...NEED!¡± She yelled and finished. It took them nearly 20 minutes to relieve Ren''s painful condition. Denise and Elise had even switched positions several times. It wasn''t to provide Ren variety, though. They were getting tired and need a break from their tasks. When Ren''s private place was back to a normal color, all three of them relaxed and laid down on the floor. ¡°My jaw is so sore.¡± Denise said and rubbed it. ¡°Mine, too.¡± Elise said. ¡°You wouldn''t think specific foreplay like that would actually hurt after a while.¡± ¡°It''s the lactic acid buildup in the muscles.¡± Denise said. ¡°Any extended use can cause fatigue and soreness.¡± ¡°That''s not always true.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°My tongue feels great!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Elise said with a matching smile. ¡°It does.¡± Chapter 694 - Garden Party Winding Down Denise, Elise, and Ren cleaned up, put their clothes back in order, then went back out to the garden party. They had been gone for nearly half an hour and the party had moved back over to the games section. ¡°There you are.¡± Barbi said. ¡°That was quite the bathroom break.¡± ¡°Dammit, I forgot to use the bathroom!¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Such a joker!¡± Barbi said and pointed. ¡°Everyone''s spread out and trying the different games.¡± ¡°I''ll stay on the sidelines this time.¡± Ren said, without correcting her misunderstanding. ¡°I''ve had my required exercise for the day.¡± Barbi smiled. ¡°Yes, you shouldn''t push yourself too much.¡± She said. ¡°I believe your previous table is still available to be used.¡± Ren glanced over at the table that he, Dana, and Gretchen had sat at while everyone else watched the illusionist show. ¡°That should give me the best view of all the fun.¡± ¡°We''re serving cake and ice cream in about an hour, then the party will be over.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I was tempted to have a receiving line as everyone left, just so they could all meet you personally; but, I was vetoed by the boss.¡± ¡°Barbara does have my best interest at heart.¡± Ren said. ¡°How did you know that''s who I was referring to?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°She''s standing right behind you with a glare that could kill.¡± Ren smiled and pointed, and Barbi turned to see the glare in question. ¡°I wasn''t trying to pester him into doing it, I swear!¡± Barbi said as she held up her hands in surrender to Barbara. ¡°If I was going to ask him by doing an end run around you, I wouldn''t have asked you first.¡± ¡°Okay, then.¡± Barbara said and her face changed from the killing glare to a welcoming smile. ¡°I''m glad we have an understanding.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Now you can see why I always run things by them first, Barbi.¡± She said and Barbi nodded, then they brought Ren over to the 4 seat table. ¡°You girls go on and have fun.¡± Ren said and waved them towards the people playing games. ¡°I''m not leaving you here without someone to-¡± Denise stopped talking and smiled as Lisa caught sight of them, abandoned the bean bag toss game, and ran over to them. ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Lisa asked Ren. ¡°Pretty good. Elise and Denise helped take care of-mhm mmm.¡± Ren mumbled when Denise covered his mouth. ¡°I get the idea.¡± Lisa chuckled. ¡°I''ll stay here with him.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Denise said. ¡°I need to crush that ring toss game before they pack it up.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Don''t strain yourself.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Denise asked. ¡°I didn''t rent everything.¡± Barbi said and smiled. ¡°I actually bought all the games.¡± ¡°We can play topple tower whenever we want?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Awesome.¡± ¡°I thought you''d like that.¡± Barbi said and motioned to the nearby crowd. ¡°Ladies, shall we?¡± Elise, Barbara, Denise, and Barbi left Ren and Lisa at the table to go and have fun playing the various games that were available. ¡°So, how bad was it?¡± Lisa asked Ren as she leaned in close. ¡°It just started to hurt after I finished eating.¡± Ren said, and Lisa sighed. ¡°Ren, you can''t leave it go for that long.¡± Lisa admonished, then kissed his cheek. ¡°If it stays hard for too long, I want you to tell me, okay?¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I don''t want you to wait for it to hurt before you say something.¡± ¡°Lisa, I... there''s been people all around...¡± ¡°I don''t care about that.¡± Lisa whispered and gave him a kiss. ¡°I''d crawl under the table right now if you needed relief.¡± Ren touched the side of her face and caressed the skin. ¡°You''d do that for me? In full view of everyone?¡± ¡°I''d do anything for you.¡± Lisa breathed. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said and started to kiss her like she deserved, then he stopped and leaned back. ¡°No, I better not.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I''m already getting hard for you. If we keep making out...¡± Lisa gave him a satisfied smile and slipped a foil packet out of her pocket. ¡°You little minx!¡± Ren said, and she giggled. ¡°How long have you been planning...¡± ¡°I always keep one on me, just in case.¡± Lisa said and looked around to see that no one was looking at them. ¡°Hold up the edge of the tablecloth for me.¡± ¡°You aren''t actually getting under the table, are you?¡± Ren asked and held up the tablecloth to let her do whatever she wanted. ¡°No, I just need a bit of cover.¡± Lisa said and deftly undid his pants and touched him, which made him catch his breath, then she applied the foil packet''s contents appropriately. She gripped him as she moved her hand very slowly and put her other arm over his shoulders. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Ren whispered and let the tablecloth go, and you couldn''t tell they were doing anything. ¡°I don''t deserve... to have you... in my life.¡± He panted and Lisa leaned in and kissed him. He kissed her back like she deserved and they both moaned softly. This continued for several minutes, then they heard someone come over to the table and stopped kissing. ¡°Lawn bowling shouldn''t be that hard!¡± Dana exclaimed and sat down next to Ren. ¡°Even with the lawn cleared, the ball never went straight.¡± Gretchen said and sat down across from Ren and between Lisa and Dana. ¡°I mean, the ground looked like it was level, so either it wasn''t or the ball was...¡± She looked at Ren face and smiled. ¡°Ren, when did you start wearing lipstick?¡± ¡°About 5 minutes ago.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Dana, can you pass me a napkin? You''re closer.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Dana said and picked one up front the stack in center of the table and handed it to him. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren puckered his lips and tried to wipe them off. Dana and Gretchen watched him struggle with it, then Dana sighed. ¡°Let me get that for you.¡± Dana said and took the napkin from him, folded it over, then leaned in close and started to wipe at his face. ¡°Shouldn''t you be doing this?¡± She asked Lisa.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I''m a little busy cuddling him.¡± Lisa said and kissed Ren''s cheek. ¡°Hey, I''m trying to clean that off.¡± Dana said, and Lisa chuckled. ¡°Sorry.¡± Ren kept his mouth puckered, even though he wanted to laugh at the situation and at the feel of Lisa stroking him with two other people at the table. He looked across the table at Gretchen and saw her glance at Lisa and then at Dana. ¡°Gretchen, which one would you rather be?¡± Ren asked her, and she caught her breath. ¡°What? I... I don''t... what are you asking me that for?!?¡± Gretchen''s face flushed red. ¡°I can''t tell... if it''s envy or jealousy you''re feeling... so I was curious.¡± Ren said, honestly. ¡°You don''t have to answer, though.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Lisa turned and looked at Gretchen and tilted her head. ¡°I don''t think she can decide.¡± ¡°This... is really weird.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°You don''t know the half of it.¡± Lisa said and smiled sweetly as she squeezed Ren under the table. His eyes widened and he took in a breath. ¡°Lisa...¡± ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± ¡°Kiss me.¡± ¡°You''ll get your lips covered in lipstick again.¡± Lisa said and looked back at him. ¡°Dana, can you wipe her lips off, too?¡± Ren asked and closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°Hurry.¡± Dana shrugged and leaned in close to Ren to wipe at Lisa''s lips, made short work of cleaning them off, then leaned back. ¡°Thank you.¡± Lisa said then moved her hand from Ren''s shoulder to cup the back of his head and kissed him. Both she and he moaned as she did, then Lisa felt him twitch. She drove her tongue deep into his mouth and he gasped and finished. She stopped moving her hand and kissed him for another few moments, broke the kiss and let him go, then leaned back to sit in her chair properly. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren and Dana said at the same time, and then they laughed. Gretchen just stared at them and didn''t know what to say. ¡°I know we''re just friends and there''s like no spark between us; but damn, that was hot!¡± Dana said. ¡°It sure was.¡± Ren said and took Lisa''s hand. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Lisa said and leaned back in for another kiss. ¡°I''d tell you guys to get a room; but, you''ve got a whole freaking house behind you.¡± Dana said. Ren and Lisa laughed, then the four of them started talking about different things. Ren brought up the GED test that Dana had mentioned earlier, and Lisa told him that she had the book in her room. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Ren said. ¡°I needed to take it myself after getting kicked out of high school.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I wasn''t sure how hard it would be, so I bought the book and studied it as much as I could.¡± ¡°You were kicked out of school?¡± Gretchen asked, surprised. ¡°Yeah, it was a bad time in my life then, and...¡± Lisa said and her happy face started to become a frown. ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said and put a hand on the back of her neck. ¡°That''s over now.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°No buts.¡± Ren said firmly. ¡°You''re here now. You got through it and made your way to me.¡± He pulled in her close and kissed her. ¡°That''s all that matters.¡± Lisa touched his arm and nodded. ¡°You''re right.¡± ¡°Of course I''m right. I''m always right.¡± Ren said smugly. ¡°That''s why everybody likes me.¡± Dana snorted a laugh and Gretchen chuckled. ¡°Hey, don''t tell me that''s not the reason you like me!¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°What other reason could there be?¡± Lisa laughed. ¡°Yes, that''s exactly why we all like you.¡± ¡°Thank god! My whole world view almost changed there.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for keeping it real.¡± They all laughed at that, and then Miss Harrison came over to the table. She was walking pretty straight, considering how many glasses of wine she had. ¡°What are you all talking about?¡± Miss Harrison asked, without even a slight slur in her voice. ¡°We can hear you laughing all the way over there.¡± She said and indicated the croquet course. ¡°We were discussing which planet was the prettiest.¡± Ren said with an almost straight face, and Lisa snorted a laugh at the terrible lie. ¡°The prettiest planet?¡± Miss Harrison asked. ¡°What one did you pick?¡± ¡°DON''T SAY IT!¡± Gretchen and Dana yelled at the same time and stood up. ¡°Come on, mom.¡± Dana said and turned her mother around. ¡°It''s about time I beat Randy at his favorite game.¡± ¡°No, wait.¡± Miss Harrison said and turned back around. ¡°If you don''t want me to know, then it must be important.¡± She said and leaned over the table to put her face close to Ren. ¡°Which planet is the prettiest?¡± ¡°Uranus.¡± Ren said and completed the joke. ¡°Your...¡± Miss Harrison closed her mouth and her face flushed sightly red. ¡°Young man, it''s not nice to say such things to a woman.¡± ¡°Even if it''s true?¡± Ren asked, and her face went completely red. She stood up straight and stared at him for a moment, then took a drink of wine. ¡°I''ll overlook your impropriety this time, on one condition.¡± Miss Harrison said. ¡°You have my word that I will watch you closely as you walk away.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s not what I...¡± Miss Harrison blinked her eyes at him. ¡°Young man, your girlfriend is right there.¡± ¡°She''ll watch you too, if you want.¡± Ren said and looked at Lisa. ¡°Won''t you, baby?¡± Lisa nodded and smiled. Miss Harrison looked at their happy faces, took another drink of her wine, and started to walk away. She stopped a moment later and looked back to see that both Ren and Lisa were looking down at her backside. She kept walking without saying a word and swayed her hips a lot more than she normally would. ¡°You''re so bad.¡± Lisa whispered when the three women were far enough away. ¡°She definitely put a lot of English on her hips after she saw us looking.¡± ¡°I knew she would appreciate me turning what should have been a joke into a compliment.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°Now, wait for it.¡± He said and watched until Dana, Gretchen, and Miss Harrison stopped by the croquet set. Miss Harrison looked back at them and Ren gave her a ''thumbs up'' gesture. Her face went red again and she turned away to keep her back to him. ¡°You''re definitely bad.¡± Lisa gave him a kiss. ¡°What''s your honest opinion?¡± ¡°It''s quite nice, but nowhere near as pretty as yours.¡± Ren said. ¡°My hand ached to reach out and grab yours when you showed off your jeans to me this morning.¡± ¡°You could have.¡± Lisa said and caressed his cheek. ¡°I wouldn''t have minded.¡± ¡°Everyone else would have.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°What would they think of me if I groped such a cute little butt right in front of them?¡± ¡°That you have great taste?¡± Lisa asked, and he nodded. ¡°Lift the tablecloth for me again.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Ren asked and lifted it. Lisa picked up a napkin and looked around, then both of her hands disappeared under the tablecloth. After a few moments, he winced. ¡°That''s rough.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Lisa said with concern in her voice. ¡°I''ll kiss it and make it better.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lisa lifted the tablecloth just enough to put her head underneath it for a second, then sat up straight. ¡°Is it better?¡± ¡°It is, and now I really need another trip to the bathroom.¡± Ren said. Lisa nodded and made sure his shirt covered up what she had done, tossed the used napkin with the foil packet''s contents into the nearby trashcan, then pushed Ren''s wheelchair over to the house. With just her, it took a bit longer to get through the house to the bathroom, then they entered and locked the door. They came back out 20 minutes later, both very happy, and met Stella and Denise in the kitchen. ¡°There you are.¡± Denise said and saw their faces. ¡°You had to go again?¡± ¡°It was my fault.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I kind of teased him a little, and then...¡± ¡°We don''t need the details.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Cake and ice cream are being served.¡± ¡°No, thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°What?¡± Stella looked at him. ¡°Who are you and what did you do with the real Ren?¡± ¡°Thanks to Lisa, I''ve now had three servings of the best thing I''ve ever tasted.¡± Ren said with a huge grin. ¡°Cake and ice cream just can''t measure up.¡± Stella looked at Lisa''s slightly red face. ¡°You can at least visit for the end of the party.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°Denise, can you take over? Lisa''s a little tired.¡± Denise chuckled and took control of the wheelchair. Stella saw that Denise''s face was slightly red as well when she and Ren passed by her and they went out through the patio door. ¡°You need to be careful...¡± Stella started to say, and Lisa walked over to her and took her hand. ¡°I was very careful and I didn''t hurt him even a little bit.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I stayed in control and I didn''t give in to his begging.¡± Stella looked at her with wide eyes, and she smiled. ¡°I really, really wanted to feel him inside of me; but, I put my own desires aside to help him instead.¡± Stella smiled back and let her hand go to give her a tight hug. ¡°Then you did a great job. Thank you.¡± Lisa hugged her back. ¡°You know I''m only hugging you because I can''t hug Ren, right?¡± ¡°I didn''t know you could lie just as well as Ren does.¡± Stella said, and Lisa chuckled. ¡°Come on. Ren might not want cake and ice cream, but I do.¡± They went outside and met up with everyone at the lunch tables, and everyone was having a good time. Some had only cake, some had only ice cream, and some had both. Ren was the only one that had neither, and he sat there with them and watched everyone enjoying their dessert. Barbi finished her dessert first and stood up. ¡°I need to announce that the pool has a lifeguard now and that it''s open for those that want to stick around and swim.¡± ¡°Not a lot of people are going to accept that offer.¡± Stella said. ¡°I know.¡± Barbi said with a big smile. ¡°It needs to be made, though.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Elise said. ¡°Do you need...¡± ¡°I already have one of the step stools.¡± Barbi said and reached under the table to pick it up, then walked over to the middle of the tables, put the step stool down, then climbed up onto it. She asked for everyone''s attention and made the pool announcement. Almost everyone said no right away, but there were a few who were interested. She noted them and thanked everyone for coming to Ren''s Welcome To The Neighbourhood party. Barbi stepped down and brought the step stool over to Elise and left it there, then went to each person that expressed interest in the after party pool option to tell them swimsuits will be provided if they didn''t want to go home to get their own. Barbi came back over to the table with Ren and let him know who was staying, and he wasn''t surprised that both Dana and Gretchen were among them. What did surprise him was that Dana''s mother, Miss Harrison, was among them as well. Chapter 695 - After Party Pool Time It took about 20 minutes for the garden party to officially end and for nearly everyone to leave. Some had even come over to Ren''s table and thanked him for the great party. He deflected all praise to Barbi, since it had been her idea and she had coordinated it all. All he had to do was show up, just like the rest of the guests, and that made them laugh. Those that wanted to stay moved from the lawn over to the pool area and were impressed by the facilities. After they were introduced to the temporary lifeguard and shown where the spare swimming outfits were, the pool party was on. Ren, unfortunately, couldn''t participate. With the bandage on his side covering his stitches and his wrapped knee, there was no way to waterproof him enough to get in the water. All he could do was sit on the sidelines and watch as everyone else enjoyed the water. ¡°It sucks that you can''t join us.¡± Dana said. Ren turned from talking to Stella to look at Dana and saw her wearing a nice two piece bikini. Gretchen had on a form-fitting one piece, and Dana''s mother, who looked to be about 40 years old, had on what should have been a conservative swimsuit. Her slightly wider than average hips raised the leg holes of the suit that much higher and it didn''t look conservative at all. ¡°Hell-lo!¡± Ren said with a bit of exaggeration, and Dana laughed. ¡°It can''t be that much of a surprise to see us in bathing suits.¡± Dana said. ¡°Look at the women around you.¡± ¡°I can appreciate beauty whenever I see it.¡± Ren said and glanced around at Elise, Stella, Lisa, Denise and Barbi. ¡°No matter how many times or how frequently it appears before me.¡± ¡°That''s so sweet of you to say.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I haven''t been around that much, and this is only the second time you''ve seen me in a bikini.¡± ¡°I have been a bit of a shut in the last little while.¡± Ren said. ¡°How many times have you worn it around here and I didn''t see you in it?¡± ¡°None, so you didn''t miss anything.¡± Barbi laughed. ¡°If you''ll excuse me, I should mingle with the guests.¡± ¡°Don''t have too much fun.¡± ¡°You''re not the boss of me.¡± Barbi said, then she grinned. ¡°Okay, actually you are.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Just for that, I lift the previously stated restriction.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Barbi said and walked over to a couple who were relaxing beside the pool and started to talk to them. Miss Harrison watched her go, then turned to look at Ren. ¡°Is she one of your...¡± She looked at Elise and then at Lisa. ¡°Conquests?¡± Ren asked, and her eyes widened. ¡°I didn''t mean to imply...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Barbi hasn''t succumbed to my awesomeness yet, so there''s still hope that she''ll escape from my nefarious clutches.¡± ¡°Geez, Ren.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°You''re making it sound like you''re a mob boss or something.¡± Ren cleared his throat and lifted his hands to rest his thumbs on his index and middle fingers, then made the classic motion with both hands as he talked and did a great Godfather impersonation. ¡°Friendship is important. Friendship is everything. It is almost the equal of family.¡± Godfather Ren said in a gruff voice, and they all stared at him. ¡°Great men aren''t born great, they grow great, thanks to his friends and family.¡± No one said anything in response to his impersonation, so he smiled crookedly at them. ¡°A man who doesn''t spend time with his friends and family, can never be a real man.¡± Godfather Ren said. ¡°Now, let me make an offer you can''t refuse...¡± ¡°I''m going to stop you right there.¡± Stella said and quickly covered his mouth. ¡°Before you say something we''d need to refuse.¡± ¡°Hm mhm mm.¡± Ren mumbled. ¡°I don''t care what it is.¡± Stella said and chuckled. Ren sighed and put his hands down to show he was done with the impression, and she moved her hand. ¡°That wasn''t quite what Don Corleone said.¡± Miss Harrison said and took a sip of wine, instead of the mouthful she usually took. ¡°I needed to improvise to make my point.¡± Ren said in his normal voice. ¡°Not about the unrefusable offer. I mean about the importance of friends and family.¡± He said and looked at Dana and Gretchen. ¡°The importance of making new friends, even if it seemed kind of impossible at first.¡± ¡°Actually, it''s us that thought it was impossible.¡± Dana said, and Gretchen nodded. ¡°We meet you randomly in the game... a fan-girl and her friend meet a television star... then we had an adventure together.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Who could have predicted we''d become friends from that?¡± Lisa put up her hand, as did Elise, Stella, and Denise. ¡°Four out of eight say it would happen.¡± Ren counted and smiled. ¡°I guess a 50 / 50 shot is better than nothing.¡± ¡°Mother! What are you wearing?!?¡± Randy exclaimed the question and came over to them. ¡°It''s a bathing suit.¡± Miss Harrison said. ¡°It''s scandalous!¡± Randy said. ¡°Your butt''s hanging out the back and it''s too tight on your... your...¡± ¡°I feel your pain.¡± Ren said, and Randy looked down at him. ¡°Your mother isn''t traipsing around like a schoolgirl in a skimpy outfit.¡± Ren didn''t even have to turn his head to look as he pointed. Randy turned around and saw Barbara and Donald playing around in the shallow end of the pool. Donald wore swim trunks and Barbara wore a two piece that covered a lot less than what Miss Harrison''s one piece did, even hiked up like it was. ¡°Oh.¡± Randy said. ¡°Well, at least she''s half-decent looking.¡± ¡°Randal Jeremiah Harrison.¡± Miss Harrison said in a deadly tone. Randy turned back to her and sighed. ¡°Yes, mother.¡± ¡°I believe it''s time that...¡± ¡°It''s not his fault.¡± Ren said to cut off her rant, and she looked at him. ¡°You can''t blame him for not wanting to think of you as a woman.¡± Miss Harrison had a contemplative look on her face, and Randy had a look of relief. ¡°Once I was old enough to understand the difference, I didn''t want to think of Barbara as a woman, either.¡± Ren said and showed a visible shiver. ¡°I even saw her topless once.¡± ¡°I walked in on my mom like that, too.¡± Randy said and did a similar shiver. ¡°Now I always knock, no matter what room I go into.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Ren held out a fist towards him. ¡°Scarred for life?¡± Randy nodded and gave him a very light fist bump. ¡°Scarred for life.¡± ¡°Good lord.¡± Miss Harrison said with a smile. ¡°Male bonding over not wanting to see breasts.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°If you two are done, we really should join the party.¡± ¡°I''m still sidelined.¡± Ren said and looked at Lisa. ¡°Go and show them what a fish can do.¡± Lisa nodded and Ren looked at Elise. ¡°On the other hand, you can show them what a shark can do.¡± Elise smiled and leaned close to Lisa. ¡°Sharks eat little fish!¡± She said and clacked her teeth by Lisa''s ear and tickled her sides. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Lisa yelped and took two steps towards the pool and dove into the water. ¡°The prey is escaping!¡± Elise said and dove into the pool after her. Ren laughed and looked at the others. ¡°I''m perfectly safe here, so go on and have fun.¡± ¡°One of us really should stay and...¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I can''t move much on my own and the wheels are locked.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can all clearly see me, since I''m this close to the pool.¡± ¡°If you need anything...¡± ¡°I believe I see the waitress from earlier.¡± Ren said and waved to her. She jumped a little and she turned away for a moment, then looked back. He waved to her again and she waved back. ¡°There, contact established.¡± ¡°Only use the power for good.¡± Stella said and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Oops.¡± Ren said with a grin. Stella laughed, then she and Denise walked over to the shallow end of the pool and hopped in. ¡°I want to try out the diving board.¡± Dana said. ¡°Not if I beat you there.¡± Randy said and quickly walked away. ¡°Hey!¡± Dana exclaimed and walked after him. They knew better than to run around the pool, especially with a lifeguard on duty. ¡°Kids.¡± Miss Harrison said and sighed. ¡°I guess I should go, too.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°You don''t have to, unless you want to enjoy having fun with your friends.¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°You''re my friend, too.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°We can hang out for a while when we go back into the game after supper.¡± Ren said. ¡°Okay.¡± Gretchen said and left. ¡°...and then there was just you.¡± Ren said to Miss Harrison, and she took a sip of her wine. ¡°Do you want me to leave?¡± Miss Harrison asked. She reached up to push her long blonde hair behind her ear, but forgot she had already tied it up for swimming. ¡°That depends on if you enjoy hanging around a playboy.¡± Ren said, and she caught her breath. ¡°You are very straightforward, aren''t you?¡± ¡°I don''t believe in beating around the bush, as the old saying goes.¡± ¡°I suppose with two girlfriends, it would be difficult to keep secrets.¡± Miss Harrison said. ¡°That''s not why I don''t keep secrets.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told them I would always tell the truth, and in some cases, quite brutally.¡± Miss Harrison gave him an appraising eye. ¡°Let''s test that.¡± She said. ¡°What do you think of this old woman''s body?¡± ¡°You''re not old.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I had to guess, and I don''t have a lot of experience with that; but, I''d say you''re only a couple of years over 40.¡± ¡°Very close. I''m 43.¡± Miss Harrison said. ¡°Now answer the question.¡± ¡°From what I''ve seen of it so far, I think it''s quite spectacular.¡± Ren said. Miss Harrison huffed. ¡°I heard the ''for your age'' qualifier there.¡± ¡°If I meant that, I would have said it.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened slightly. ¡°You''ve got a bit more flesh around your hips than a woman of your height should normally have, on average at least.¡± He said and held a hand up to stop her protest. ¡°I, in no way, implied that was unappealing. It''s probably because you had 2 children so close together.¡± Miss Harrison closed her mouth, because that was exactly what she was going to say. ¡°You would look better in white instead of the dark blue; but, that''s more my own personal preference than what''s actually suitable for you.¡± Ren said and smiled a little. ¡°White has a tendency to be easier to see through when it gets wet.¡± ¡°Are... are you saying that you would like to see my body like that?¡± Miss Harrison asked, slightly surprised. ¡°I wouldn''t mind that; but, I can''t right now, so I''m grateful for the dark blue color.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I get excited for too long, it starts to hurt and it needs to be taken care of.¡± ¡°You... you''re serious.¡± Miss Harrison said. ¡°You have two girlfriends and you still... you look at me like...¡± ¡°He looks at you like you are a box of crackerjack and he wants to get to the prize inside.¡± Barbi said, and Ren and Miss Harrison turned their heads to look at her. ¡°Hi, Barbi.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is everyone enjoying themselves?¡± ¡°More than they thought they would.¡± Barbi said as she glanced at Miss Harrison, who laughed. ¡°Touche, Barbi.¡± Miss Harrison said and looked at Ren. ¡°I think I''ll go join my children in the pool.¡± ¡°No drinking and diving.¡± Ren warned her, and she waved the comment away. ¡°I''ve been sipping this one glass for the last hour, just so I can have something in my hands.¡± Miss Harrison said. ¡°I''m nowhere near close to being intoxicated.¡± ¡°Is that from a high tolerance or familiarity?¡± Ren asked. Miss Harrison gave him a smile. ¡°A perfect balance of both.¡± ¡°Then please, do me a favor and be careful.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°Thank you for talking to me and keeping me company.¡± ¡°It''s been a pleasure.¡± Miss Harrison said and took the hand, and Ren kissed the back of it. Her face flushed red at the gesture, and when he let her hand go, she turned to walk away. ¡°Miss Harrison.¡± Ren said and she turned back to look at him. ¡°You should adjust your swimsuit, because it''s riding up in the back.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Miss Harrison said with a knowing smile and walked away with the same exaggerated hip swaying that she had earlier that day. ¡°What exactly are you doing, Ren?¡± Barbi asked and brought over a lawn chair to sit down beside him. ¡°You haven''t even caught me yet, and you''re already trying to catch more fish?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°She''s just happy that she can show off for a man that showed an interest in her.¡± He said and Miss Harrison looked back at him. He gave her two ''thumbs up'' gestures this time and he saw her laugh. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°I''m safe, you see.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Look at me.¡± Ren motioned to his damage. ¡°Even if I said something that worried her, even a little bit, it''s not like I can jump out of this wheelchair to assault her.¡± Barbi''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise and Ren reached over and put a hand on her thigh and pat it. ¡°Like, if I told her that I wanted to tear off that bikini and lick her from top to bottom, with emphasis on the bottom, she would have nothing to fear from me... unless she wanted me to do it.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± Barbi said and then thought about it for a moment. ¡°Hey, wait. She''s not wearing a bikini.¡± Ren pat her leg again. ¡°You''re right, she isn''t.¡± Barbi looked down at his hand on her thigh. She noticed that she wore a bikini and looked back at his face. ¡°Oh.¡± Ren smiled and tried to take his hand back. ¡°I can''t thank you enough for today.¡± Barbi caught his hand and put it back on her thigh. ¡°It really turned out great, didn''t it?¡± Ren caressed her thigh with his thumb as he looked at her eyes. ¡°I thought everyone would look at me and think, ''that poor guy in the wheelchair! I feel sorry for him''.¡± He said. ¡°I looked at everyone''s faces and I didn''t see that sorrowful look.¡± He gave Barbi a warm smile. ¡°Not one.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I told Stella that I was worried about panicking with so many people around, and then I saw your masterful work.¡± Ren said. ¡°You were so smart to keep everyone spread out in smaller clumps and then kept them occupied, and all so that I wouldn''t panic.¡± Barbi took in a sharp breath as his hand slid up her thigh and stopped just before it touched her bikini bottoms. ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°I appreciate all the hard work that entailed, Barbi.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really do.¡± Barbi''s face was quite red at this point. ¡°I didn''t think you would notice.¡± ¡°Just like I wouldn''t notice your jealousy over Miss Harrison?¡± Ren asked and she caught her breath. ¡°It''s okay.¡± He said. ¡°I never did give you any reassurances that I''d concentrate on you next, and I''m sorry if you thought that I might skip over you.¡± ¡°It''s not... I mean, I know that...¡± ¡°I said it was okay.¡± Ren said and leaned close. ¡°You might not want reassurance that I am concentrating on you; but, I''m going to give you some anyway.¡± He said and kissed her cheek. ¡°I don''t know Miss Harrison''s first name. I never asked for it and she didn''t volunteer it.¡± Barbi blinked her eyes for a moment, then smiled. ¡°I get it.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Ren said and sat back. ¡°Could you do me favor?¡± ¡°S-sure.¡± Barbi said, and her face stayed red. ¡°Not that kind of favor.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Not yet, anyway.¡± He said and pat her thigh. ¡°I need the bathroom. Would you ask Stella to give me a hand?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Barbi said and stood up. Ren dragged his hand down her thigh to her knee and let her go. ¡°Thanks.¡± Barbi nodded and went to get Stella, and she got out of the pool, grabbed a towel and started to dry herself off, and walked over to him. ¡°You need the...¡± Stella looked at his grin and his hands over his private area. ¡°What? Again?¡± ¡°Sorry. I was thanking Barbi for...¡± ¡°Say no more.¡± Stella said and put the towel around her neck. ¡°I think that''s a fetish of yours.¡± ¡°What? Thanking people?¡± Ren asked as she took him into the house. ¡°No, people helping you and then thanking them for it.¡± Stella said and they went into the bathroom. ¡°Okay, that I think I''d have to agree with.¡± Ren said and Stella chuckled. ¡°Not even a token argument?¡± Stella asked as she helped lay him down on the floor. ¡°What for? I know what I like, and I appreciate it when I get help.¡± Ren said, and Stella pulled off her swimsuit. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Stella laughed. ¡°It''s too tight to pull aside for you.¡± She said and gave herself a quick rinse in the shower and dried off with a different towel, then knelt over his face. ¡°I''m glad I can still surprise you, though.¡± ¡°Like I said before, no matter how many times I see... mhmm!¡± ¡°Less talking, more licking.¡± Stella said as she covered his mouth with her private part, then did the same thing to him. They didn''t make it back to the pool until almost 45 minutes later. Chapter 696 - Make Me An Offer When the pool party was over and everyone had rinsed off and changed, Barbi offered supper to the guests. Everyone declined graciously, even Miss Harrison, Dana and Gretchen. They also said they had stayed much longer than they had intended. ¡°That''s because time passes by quickly when you''re having fun.¡± Ren said to them. ¡°Thanks a lot for staying this long, and I hope to see you all again soon.¡± ¡°I''m sure something can be arranged.¡± Miss Harrison said. ¡°Dana was right. This is quite a nice pool setup you have.¡± ¡°The Jacuzzi is great!¡± Ren said. ¡°I once relaxed in it for so long that I almost looked like a prune when I finally got out.¡± Miss Harrison laughed. ¡°Yes, that''s always a danger.¡± ¡°I''m afraid I''ll have this knee wrapped for another 6 weeks; but, the stitches on my side should be out by next week.¡± Ren said. ¡°Barring complications, delays, and unforeseen circumstances... oh, and the use of a securely taped plastic bag for my knee... I''ll be able to relax in the water again.¡± ¡°Are you sure you added in enough qualifiers?¡± Stella asked, and everyone laughed. ¡°Yeah, you''re right. The weather could be a factor, as would availability of the participants.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, and then... mhm hmm mm mhm.¡± ¡°It was a rhetorical question, you nut.¡± Denise said as she covered his mouth with her hand. ¡°You need to forgive him. Sometimes he''ll ramble on if you don''t stop him.¡± ¡°That seemed to happen a lot today.¡± Dana said with a huge smile. ¡°Someone''s had to cover his mouth about every second time he opened it.¡± ¡°We should have counted to keep track.¡± Gretchen laughed. ¡°Next time.¡± Dana said. ¡°It was fun, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°Thanks for the party.¡± Ren pointed to Barbi and Denise uncovered his mouth. ¡°It was all her this time; but, if I knew you were next door, I would have invited you myself.¡± ¡°We know.¡± Dana smiled. ¡°See you in the game after supper.¡± ¡°Meet me in front of my house in the Housing District just before dawn.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll either show you where that guy is or give you a map.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Dana said and turned to walk away. ¡°Um... my skirt.¡± Gretchen said, and Stella went into the house to get it. She brought it out and held it up. ¡°Yes, there''s no saving it.¡± Stella said and pointed to the faded grass stains. ¡°I ran it through 3 times with the strongest laundry detergent we have, and this is all it could do.¡± She said. ¡°I''ll have a new one ordered in the morning.¡± ¡°Wh-what? No, that... that''s okay. You don''t have to...¡± Gretchen tried to say. ¡°For now, you can keep my skirt until the replacement comes in.¡± Stella said. ¡°But, what about you?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°I told you I buy all my skirts like that.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ve got a few more of the same ones in my closet.¡± ¡°Why don''t you let her keep that one, then?¡± Ren suggested. ¡°It fits great and she won''t have to wait a few weeks for the new one.¡± ¡°That''s a good idea.¡± Stella said. ¡°It does fit her well, and I only wore it once.¡± She smiled and handed her the old skirt. ¡°What do you say, Gretchen?¡± ¡°I... well...¡± ¡°She''ll take it.¡± Dana said, opting for the much more expensive skirt. ¡°Thank you for your generosity.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°It''s more convenience than generosity.¡± ¡°It''s still generous.¡± Dana said. ¡°Come on, Gretchen, let''s get back to the house.¡± Gretchen nodded and they left with Miss Harrison and Randy. When the 4 of them walked around the side of the house and out of sight, Barbi physically relaxed and sighed. ¡°It''s finally over!¡± Barbi exclaimed. Elise put an arm over her shoulder. ¡°You did a great job putting all of this together.¡± ¡°We were all a little worried something was going to happen or go wrong.¡± Denise said. ¡°I''m glad we were wrong.¡± ¡°You stayed on top of everything, so I agree with Elise.¡± Stella said. ¡°Good job.¡± Lisa and Barbara added their thanks as well, then they all looked at Ren. ¡°I already thanked her for doing a great job.¡± Ren said and smiled widely. ¡°I also offered to lick her from top to bottom.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Barbara exclaimed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°There''s...¡± ¡°No one but us around.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, she knows I can''t really do it right now and didn''t accept.¡± ¡°H-he''s right.¡± Barbi said, her face slightly red. ¡°He made the offer indirectly; but, I knew what he meant.¡± ¡°I''m not going to ask how something like that came up in conversation.¡± Elise said and chuckled. ¡°We were actually discussing... mhm mm hmm.¡± Ren mumbled because Denise had covered his mouth again. ¡°Rhe-tor-i-cal.¡± Denise said, and everyone laughed again. ¡°The cooks should have supper ready in a few minutes.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Are we going to have tons of leftovers?¡± Stella asked as they all went over to the part of the backyard where the tables were still set up. ¡°No, I''ve arranged to have all the excess food delivered to the soup kitchen downtown.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°That''s so great, Barbi.¡± He said. ¡°I''m with Stella on this. I don''t think even I could eat hamburgers and hot dogs exclusively for a week.¡± Barbi waved to the waitress, then pointed to everyone to show it was only them, and the waitress nodded. ¡°What''s on the menu?¡± ¡°It''s broiled pork chops with onions, veggies and mashed potatoes.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I borrowed the recipe from Denise.¡± ¡°Ooo.¡± Ren said. ¡°This should be good.¡± ¡°That depends on if they did the prep work on the pork chops, or just tossed them into the broiler.¡± Denise said and glanced at Barbi, who shrugged. ¡°We''ll find out in a minute.¡± Barbi said, then the waitress came over with several plates balanced on her arms. She handed them out easily and showed off her professional skill, then went back to get more, then brought those over. Once they were all served, Ren waved her over. Her face went a little red and she walked around the table to stand next to him. ¡°Yes, sir?¡± ¡°Can you tell me if the staff ate today, or is that against the rules?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We all had a hamburger, after all the guests finished eating.¡± The waitress said. ¡°At our own expense, of course.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, that won''t do.¡± He said. ¡°If they docked your pay for food, please tell the one in charge not to do that today.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°The extra food is being donated to the soup kitchen later, isn''t it?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Do they pay for it?¡± ¡°N-no, sir.¡± ¡°Then why should you?¡± Ren asked, and she couldn''t answer. ¡°Since everyone here has already been served, please tell the staff that they are to have supper themselves, at no charge, and on my authority as the person who already paid for it all.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°You all worked hard today. The least I can do is feed you, so I''m donating your meals to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°If anyone has a problem with that, send them out to me or come back to see me yourself, and I''ll straighten everything out.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°With that out of the way, we should discuss something very important.¡± Ren said and smiled warmly at her. ¡°Do you want my autograph?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± The waitress'' face flushed red. ¡°H-how did...¡± ¡°It was just a guess.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you have a pen and paper?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± She said and took out a notepad and a pen to hand to him. ¡°What''s your name?¡± ¡°Jane.¡± Ren raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Really?¡± The waitress giggled and then covered her mouth with her hand as she nodded. He moved his plate over and wrote out a message to her. ¡°I hope you won''t be insulted if I say that your name doesn''t suit you.¡± Ren said as he passed the pad and pen back to her. ¡°If you were going to pick your own name, what would it be?¡± ¡°Ophelia.¡± Jane said right away, then clamped her mouth shut. I can''t believe I told him that! ¡°That''s a really nice name.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for all your hard work today, Ophelia Jane.¡± ¡°Y-you''re w-welcome, sir.¡± Jane said. ¡°Please, call me Ren.¡± Jane opened her mouth to say it, blushed, then walked away without saying anything else. ¡°I think you just blew her mind, Ren.¡± Lisa said from beside him. ¡°Wait until she reads what I wrote.¡± Ren chuckled and pulled his plate back over so he could start eating. ¡°EeeEEE!¡± A young woman''s squeal cut through the relative silence of the backyard. ¡°Geez, what did you write?¡± Stella asked. ¡°That I was very happy to give my first official autograph to one of my biggest fans.¡± Ren said, and that made everyone laugh. ¡°Yes, that would do it.¡± Elise said with a huge smile. ¡°Barbi, you know what needs to be done.¡± ¡°I''ll set the search pattern tonight and have it run constantly.¡± Barbi said and returned the huge smile. ¡°If it shows up for sale anywhere, we''ll know it.¡± ¡°That''s a bit cynical of you.¡± Denise said. ¡°I like it.¡± That made Elise and Barbi laugh, then the rest of suppertime passed by fairly quickly. No one came out to discuss Ren''s offer of free meals for the staff, so he had to assume that no one objected to it. Everyone finished eating and they all stood up except for Ren. ¡°Should we help with the cleanup?¡± Lisa asked, and Barbi shook her head. ¡°I''ve already had the games packed up and put into the garage, so everything else is the catering company''s job.¡± Barbi said. ¡°The tables, chairs, dishes, and everything else is their responsibility.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do we have to let them know we''re done?¡± Barbi turned and waved to the waitress, who waved back. ¡°I just did.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Efficient as always.¡± ¡°Don''t you know it.¡± Barbi said, and they all went into the house. ¡°I really need a shower.¡± Lisa said as she shut the patio door behind everyone. ¡°I really want to join you.¡± Ren said. Lisa leaned over to give him a kiss, then whispered in his ear. ¡°You can watch if you want.¡± Ren turned his head and kissed her cheek. ¡°I don''t think I can take another painful erection today.¡± He said with a smile as she stood up straight. ¡°Thank you for the offer.¡± ¡°Anytime.¡± Lisa said and looked at Elise. ¡°Is there anything you might need a hand with when I get out?¡± ¡°It''s Sunday, and we''ve already got the demo for the proposal.¡± Elise said and held up her phone to show the confirmation. ¡°We just need to drop it on a thumb drive and we''re all set.¡± ¡°Free time it is.¡± Lisa said and looked back at Ren. ¡°The game''s updating tonight, so this next game day is the last until morning.¡± ¡°Yeah, I''m going in a bit early so I can warn everyone again.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really hope they fix the issues that the Water Works update caused.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You''ve been away from the maids and your county for far too long.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said, sadly. ¡°If you had stayed, you would have caused them much more pain than leaving did.¡± ¡°That doesn''t make it right or fair.¡± Ren said. ¡°I will make it up to them, though.¡± ¡°Having that rune barrier around the Main House definitely helped.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It would have been agony for them if they had felt your artificial Aura.¡± ¡°Yeah, and protecting them from all effects is a good bonus; but, they need to be inside the barrier for it to work... and I can''t have anyone tell them that, because...¡± ¡°...they will know it was your doing and cause them pain.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I''m sorry you have to go through this.¡± ¡°I''m sorry that I''m the cause of it all.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I hadn''t...¡± ¡°Don''t you dare finish that sentence.¡± Lisa said sternly, and he closed his mouth. ¡°You didn''t cause it all. You''ve affected things, sure... but, you did not cause everything to happen.¡± She bent over again and kissed him again. ¡°You can only do the best that you can with what''s given to you.¡± ¡°Lisa...¡± ¡°I expect to see you promptly at midnight so we can pretend to cuddle.¡± Lisa ran her hand through his hair and smiled. ¡°In the morning, we can worry about everything else.¡± Ren nodded and Lisa said goodnight to everyone and went upstairs. ¡°Even though it''s only 7 pm, I''m going to follow her example.¡± Elise said. ¡°This was a great day and it was also really long.¡± She bent over to give Ren a kiss, too. ¡°Partying for hours is really tiring.¡± That made everyone nod in agreement. ¡°A nice shower and bedtime for me.¡± Elise said, ran her hand through Ren''s hair as well, then left. ¡°She''s right. That''s a great idea.¡± Stella said and put a hand on Barbara''s shoulder. ¡°I''ll see you in the morning.¡± ¡°I''m going to be so tired tonight.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I plan on sleeping, so you should be okay with taking a relaxing night.¡± Ren said as Stella bent over to give him a kiss. ¡°The couch in my room is comfortable.¡± ¡°Don''t tempt me.¡± Barbara chuckled and kissed the top of his head. ¡°I''ll be back to start my shift when it''s time.¡± ¡°I''ll be ready to hand the reins over then, even though I didn''t have to do a lot of work today.¡± Denise said with a smile, and Barbara and Stella left. ¡°Ren...¡± Barbi started to say something and he held a hand up to stop her. ¡°I can see that you''re trying to work yourself up and convince yourself to do something.¡± Ren said. ¡°What I said earlier is still true. The body is weak, but the spirit is willing.¡± Ren said and smiled at her. ¡°I can''t really do anything to you except talk and maybe some light petting. So, as long as you''re okay with having date night in the house, and you''re willing to wait for a fully physical relationship...¡± Barbi blinked her eyes for a moment and then smiled, too. ¡°No one''s ever said that to me before.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°It''s always been, ''hey, I bought you dinner, so hurry up and put out''.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Or, ''hey, we''re going out this weekend, so lift up your skirt''. The best one was, ''I know we just met, but let''s have sex''.¡± Ren''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise, and she laughed. ¡°Yes, it''s true.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Meeting someone like you, someone who doesn''t want to have sex with me just because we met, is a breath of fresh air.¡± Ren thought about what she said. ¡°With this new knowledge, you expected me to...¡± He shook his head. ¡°Even after we''ve dated for a while, I wouldn''t treat you like that.¡± ¡°No?¡± Barbi walked over to the counter and hopped up onto it, then slowly spread her legs. Her skirt slowly slid up and revealed that she was wearing a pair of the skimpiest panties Ren had ever seen. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°What if I asked you to do what you said earlier?¡± Barbi asked seductively and her hands caressed the insides of her thighs. She stopped right at the spot his hand had been when they were beside the pool earlier. ¡°It''s right here.¡± She said. ¡°What do you say?¡± ¡°Two things.¡± Ren said. ¡°One, you look delicious.¡± He said and licked his lips. ¡°Two, I really want to get to know you better before I take advantage of you like that.¡± Barbi''s face flipped from seduction to happiness, and she closed her legs and slid off the counter, stepped close to him and bent down to give him a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°Yes, you''re definitely different from every other man I''ve met.¡± Barbi said and left the kitchen. Ren waited for several moments to let Barbi get far enough away, and he looked at Denise. ¡°Make that three things.¡± He whispered. ¡°I''m so hard right now it''s starting to hurt.¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Denise said and pushed his wheelchair to the bathroom. ¡°I don''t swing that way, and I was thinking about what it would taste like.¡± She said and shook her head. ¡°It''s like she just tried to serve sex to you on a silver platter.¡± ¡°Her panties were lilac.¡± Ren said as Denise laid him down on the floor. ¡°I didn''t know they made them that small, though.¡± ¡°I didn''t either.¡± Denise said and undid his pants. ¡°It barely covered the... wow, you weren''t kidding.¡± She said as she saw the state he was in. ¡°Don''t worry, I won''t last long.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes. ¡°Why, because of what Barbi did?¡± Denise asked. ¡°No, because I love you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You didn''t even question my need, and here we are.¡± He felt her mouth on his lips as she gave him a kiss, then a moment later he felt her mouth somewhere else and started to pant. Ren had been right. He didn''t last long, not with Barbi''s previous visual aid and Denise''s help. Denise cleaned him up and brought him up to his bedroom and thought about giving him a sponge bath. Ren declined when she asked him what he wanted and said he would need one in the morning anyway. She got him settled and handed him his VR headset, and he logged in much sooner than he normally did. ******** Ren appeared by the bedroom wall in the House in Aurora. ¡°REN!¡± Teepo exclaimed, and it woke everyone up. ¡°Teepo, what if...¡± Ren started to ask if they wanted to stay asleep. ¡°We asked him to warn us, just in case we didn''t notice.¡± Artemis said and smiled. ¡°The only time we wouldn''t notice is when we sleep, so...¡± ¡°Teepo alarm!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren chuckled and did his normal Sanctuary routine with them. He had each of the succubi up to a full minute, took the Marilith Demon for 3 minutes, and Suniva for almost 10 full minutes. Artemis had been with him the entire time, and when he was done making the rounds with them, they were all grateful for the attention and didn''t mind that he might be gone again for another couple of days. With that out of the way, Ren used the All-Seeing Mirror and checked on the elfling with the Emotion Siphon ability. She seemed fine; but, he opened a portal to her just in case. Teepo dissolved into the ring and Ren took Artemis through the portal. He spent half an hour feeding and satisfying Halaiyah without intercourse, then used the All-Seeing Mirror to check in on Yllana. Almost as if she could feel him looking at her, she rolled over in bed to throw off the covers and showed him she wasn''t wearing anything at all. Ren smiled and opened another portal and took Artemis into Yllana''s bedroom. ¡°My prayers have been answered.¡± Yllana whispered as Ren appeared in front of her, completely nude, and he showed her the All-Seeing Mirror with her image on it. ¡°Oh, YES!¡± Ren chuckled as she finished without him even touching her, then he and Artemis joined her on the bed. He spent half an hour with her and left her both satisfied and wanting, which was just how she liked it, then he checked the All-Seeing Mirror and opened another portal. He appeared inside the succubi roost and they all felt his presence. Since it was still the middle of the night, they left their bed partners asleep and met Ren in the big meeting room. He felt their surprise as they saw him, and he wasn''t sure why, then he felt their longing to be fed. Ren gave them each large doses of the emotions that they craved and they moaned as he did so through a gentle kiss. He didn''t have to do that, since they were being well fed by their partners; but, he had promised them he would feed them more than they would ever need, and he kept that promise. Lastly, Ren checked on Anabelle and opened a portal to the third floor apartment at the business, then he and Artemis stepped through. Artemis laid down on the bed in the living room and Ren summoned Teepo before going into the bedroom. ¡°Do I see a naked angel before me?¡± Anabelle whispered when she opened her eyes and saw Ren. ¡°Naked?¡± Ren looked down at himself and saw that he had forgotten to equip his clothes after leaving Yllana''s apartment, and he was still quite erect. When he laughed, Anabelle asked what he was laughing at, and he told her that he was just at the succubi roost to feed them. ¡°Th-that''s awful!¡± Anabelle covered her mouth to stop from laughing. ¡°Those poor succubi!¡± ¡°I guess that''s why they enjoyed their feeding so much tonight.¡± Ren said and climbed onto the bed. ¡°I''ll enjoy it too, My King.¡± Anabelle said and kissed him. Chapter 697 - Time Can Pass Quickly Ren spent an hour with Anabelle and she was quite happy when he was done. He equipped his fancy blue suit and told her that he would be gone for a couple of days. Anabelle said she would see him when he returned, so he kissed her goodbye and met Artemis in the living room. They left through the back door without making a sound and started walking. Ren still had 2 hours left before the day would start and he would have to go to the Fire Realm for the next leg of his sentence, so he and Artemis calmly walked through the empty Artesian District and over to the Housing District. As they walked, Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it to show him everyone he couldn''t see. Nathalia, Frikara, Andrela, Lusinia, Verwynn, Navruth, and Xuunah. He felt the ache in his heart from not being around them for so long, and he hoped that they missed him just as much as he missed them. They arrived at the house and Ren took out a couple of recliners, set them down in front of the house, then he and Artemis sat on them. ¡°Are we really going to relax out here in front of the house and not inside?¡± Artemis asked and pulled the lever to recline all the way back. ¡°I''m not complaining. I''m just curious.¡± ¡°They all know I''m here, assuming they''re awake, and I''ll go in to get Suniva when I need to go to the Fire Realm.¡± Ren said and pulled his lever to recline, too. ¡°We''re staying out front in case Dana and Gretchen show up early.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Artemis said and closed her eyes. ¡°Wake me if they show up.¡± ¡°I''ll set the Teepo alarm.¡± Ren chuckled and reached up to tap his friend on the back of his carapace. ¡°BEEP!¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Artemis laughed and Ren felt her relax. He reached a hand over to her chair and touched her hand, and she opened her hand to hold onto his. The two of them sat there quietly and waited. Ren wasn''t tired at all, even after everything he had done so far that night, because his Endurance and Vitality were now maxed, thanks to his Longevity ability. After an hour, Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror again. ¡°Can you show me someone that knows how to edit spells?¡± Ren asked it, and nothing appeared. ¡°I guess that''s too general of a question for you to answer.¡± He said. ¡°Can you show me Allynna, the High Lord of the Elves'' attendant?¡± The mirror flickered for a moment and showed Allynna asleep in a large bed with Alinar Keacaryn. Ren smiled. At least he''s not trying to hide his feelings for her. He thought, then asked the mirror to show him Lylyth. She was in her throne room and her attendant stood beside her. It looked like some kind of meeting; but, since there was no sound, he didn''t know what was being discussed. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and stored the mirror. He started to wonder when Dana and Gretchen were going to show up, then he felt 2 people enter his Aura. He recalled what Dana and Gretchen felt like the last time he was near them, and knew it was them. He thought about getting up to greet them, then figured he didn''t have to hide the fact he was relaxing while he waited. ¡°Hey, are you awake?¡± Ren asked Artemis as he gave her hand a squeeze. ¡°Hm? Ren? What is it?¡± ¡°Dana and Gretchen are coming.¡± Ren said. Artemis nodded and let his hand go so she could stretch. She let out a big yawn as she did, then laid back down and waited. A minute later, Dana and Gretchen appeared at the end of the street. Ren and Artemis watched them walk all the way up to the house before they got up. ¡°You two looked comfortable.¡± Dana said. ¡°We''ve been here for... how long, Teepo?¡± ¡°About an hour and a half.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''ve got 20 minutes before we need to go to the Fire Realm.¡± ¡°You''re still doing that?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°I''m going to be doing it for a while.¡± Ren said and then smiled. ¡°At least, until the Deity of Fire starts getting sick of having me around all the time.¡± Dana chuckled. ¡°So, another few days then.¡± ¡°Dana!¡± Gretchen said, and Ren laughed. ¡°That would be about 50 years, so it''s possible.¡± Ren said. ¡°Mind you, I need to leave her for about 7 years every night, so...¡± ¡°It''s going to take her a lot longer than that to be sick of you, Ren.¡± Artemis said. ¡°We can always hope.¡± Ren said to her, then looked at Dana. ¡°Okay, tell me this guy''s name and I''ll try to find him for you.¡± Dana said his name and gave his description, and Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and told it the same things, then asked to see the man. It showed him asleep on a cot in some room somewhere, so Ren asked for the man''s location. He showed Dana and Gretchen where he was on the map, and they sighed. ¡°There''s no way we can get there and back in time.¡± Dana said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ren asked and asked to see the man again, then cast the Portal spell. It appeared beside him and in the mirror at the same time. ¡°I''ll even leave it open for you.¡± ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Dana said happily, stepped close and gave Ren a quick kiss on the lips, much to his surprise, then she grabbed Gretchen''s hand. ¡°Let''s get him!¡± ¡°W-wait!¡± Gretchen looked at Ren with envy as Dana jumped through the portal and dragged her through. ¡°That was a surprise.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Yeah, especially since it felt like I was kissing my sister.¡± Ren said. ¡°I mean, I don''t have a sister to compare it to; but, I can imagine that''s what it would feel like.¡± ¡°Hey, look at that.¡± Artemis said and pointed to the mirror, and both she and Ren laughed as Dana tackled the sleeping man on his cot and punched him several times. He was caught completely by surprise and flipped over, then Gretchen tied his wrists and ankles up. Dana ransacked the man''s room while Gretchen watched him, and she finally found the stolen item underneath the cot. Dana picked the guy''s head up and took the item and said something to him, then rubbed the item in his face. She dropped his head and nodded to Gretchen, who pulled the slip-knot of his bindings, then they both jumped back through the portal. Ren dismissed the portal, and Dana and Gretchen started laughing. ¡°Did you see his face?¡± Dana laughed. ¡°Oh, that was priceless!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Gretchen laughed. ¡°Actually rubbing his face in it after telling him you had half a mind to rub his face in it, was awesome!¡± Ren and Artemis stood there and let them laugh themselves out. ¡°I''m glad you didn''t leave him tied up.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was tempted to, but you know he would be angry if we incapacitated him like that.¡± Dana said. ¡°Can I see...¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Ren showed her the mirror, and the man sat on his cot and looked like he was laughing. ¡°Well, at least he enjoyed us putting one over on him.¡± Dana said. ¡°Thanks a lot, Ren.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just be careful and mindful of him reappearing.¡± ¡°Oh, we will.¡± Dana said. ¡°We know a couple of his tricks now, so he''ll have to do something new to try and get us the next time he comes around.¡± ¡°Ren, it''s almost time.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It seems I need to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°So do we. We can easily finish the quest now, thanks to you.¡± Dana said. ¡°See you later, Ren.¡± Ren nodded and they turned to walk away, and Ren caught Gretchen''s hand. ¡°Can I talk to you for a second?¡± Dana started to walk away and stopped, saw their clasped hands, then started to slowly walk away and whistle. ¡°Wh-what is it?¡± Gretchen asked. ¡°Just so you know, when Dana kissed me, it was a complete surprise.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yeah.¡± Gretchen said. For me, too. ¡°It also felt like kissing my sister.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened slightly. ¡°I didn''t enjoy it at all.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I saw the look in your eyes and I felt your emotions before you went through the portal.¡± Ren said and pulled her in close. ¡°Believe me, you do not have to be envious of her.¡± ¡°But, I am.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Dana has always been confident and did what she wanted.¡± She said. ¡°I see her do everything boldly and brazenly, and I envy that.¡± Ren thought about it for a moment, then gave her a smile. ¡°So, your envy wasn''t that she was kissing me, it was because she was bold enough to do it.¡± ¡°I... yes.¡± ¡°Then don''t be envious of her.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Look, we''re friends. We''ve already established that we can carry on and joke around.¡± Gretchen nodded, then smiled slightly. ¡°...and that it''s okay for friends to kiss.¡± ¡°You can ask, or imply, or even just take one like Dana did.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no need to feel envy, because you can do it, too.¡± Gretchen took a breath and let it out. ¡°Then...¡± Ren took a step up into the air as he leaned forward and kissed her. She caught her breath at the feel of his lips on hers, and her arms snaked around his neck automatically. ¡°Ren.¡± Teepo whispered in his ear. ¡°You don''t want to be late.¡± Ren broke the kiss and he felt Gretchen''s disappointment. ¡°I need to go.¡± ¡°M-me, too.¡± ¡°See you later.¡± Ren said and Gretchen slid her arms off his neck and down his chest. He took her hand and kissed the back of it, turned away and stored the two recliners, then he and Artemis went into the house. He felt Gretchen walk away and catch up to Dana, then the two of them started to run. ¡°They are in as much of a hurry as us.¡± Artemis said as they entered the bedroom. ¡°Suniva, are you...¡± Ren started to ask if she wanted to come along, and she had already flown over and sat on his shoulder. ¡°I guess so.¡± Suniva said and he laughed. ¡°Ladies, I''ll be back tonight.¡± ¡°We eagerly await your return, My King.¡± Seldanna said and he cast the portal to the underground chamber with the magical barrier. Teepo dissolved into the ring and Ren took Artemis'' hand and stepped through the portal. He dismissed it and used the All-Seeing Mirror to check the spawn point in the Fire Realm, then cast the portal to go there. Everlasting Fire gushed out and when the pressure was equalized on both sides, Ren and Artemis stepped through. Ren saw that Fire Dancer sat on her bed and she was staring intently at the spawn point. ¡°Deity of Fire, we have returned.¡± He said and bowed to her. ¡°You were gone for quite a long time, Father.¡± ¡°I suspected I would be, that''s why I warned you beforehand.¡± Ren said and summoned Teepo, then cast the spells to make him solid and able to talk. ¡°So, what did you do there?¡± ¡°It was a gathering of Adventurers.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was a kind of celebration, where we meet and talk, and try to get to know each other better.¡± He said. ¡°Food was served, some tasks were challenged and conquered, more food, then some stayed to relax for a while before leaving.¡± ¡°And it took this long?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°Time moves much slower there, Deity of Fire. It was 2 full Earth Realm days, or over 27 years here in the Fire Realm; but for me, I''ve only been gone for just over 12 hours.¡± Ren said, and he felt her utter shock. ¡°It might have taken longer; but, even the other Adventurers believed it had gone on much longer than they thought it would.¡± He said. ¡°I pretty much stayed on the sidelines and watched, because my body is damaged there.¡± ¡°You don''t have healers?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°We do, and I''m under the care of three of the best.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unfortunately, my regeneration ability is severely lacking and is tremendously slow... especially since I tend to be hurt easily.¡± Fire Dancer took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°What you''ve said is the truth, and yet I feel that you are hiding something from me.¡± ¡°I am, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°I enjoyed it, despite having to be away from you for so long.¡± He admitted without hesitation. ¡°I didn''t want you to think I want to leave you just so I could go and have fun.¡± ¡°Isn''t that why you left?¡± Fire Dancer asked, and he felt her annoyance try to rise. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said and jumped down to the floor and cast the Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything spell on himself 8 times. ¡°I told you that I didn''t know what was going to happen until I got there.¡± He said and did the same thing to Teepo. Fire Dancer sighed. ¡°How can you lie so convincingly?¡± Ren chuckled and held a hand out to her. ¡°You would know it if I lied.¡± He said, and she looked at his hand. ¡°I hated having to come back here.¡± Fire Dancer winced hard from the massive lie, and after a moment, she took his offered hand. Ren pulled her up off of the bed and into a hug. ¡°I missed you a lot.¡± He said, and she felt his sincerity and his love. ¡°You miss others, too.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I miss them a lot, and I haven''t seen them for a long time.¡± He said. ¡°I''m hoping after I have to leave for another 2 Earth Realm days, that will change, and the only one I''ll be missing after that, is you.¡± ¡°F-father...¡± ¡°Yes, Honey?¡± ¡°W-why...¡± ¡°Because I love you, and I have always regretted not being able to spend time with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even now, it''s necessary for me to leave you after so short a stay, and each time it hurts me just as much as it did the first time.¡± ¡°Normally, 7 years isn''t a short time, except when it comes to you.¡± Teepo said. Fire Dancer looked at Teepo and then up slightly into Ren''s eyes and knew they hadn''t lied. ¡°It hurts me each time, too.¡± ¡°I know it does, Honey.¡± Ren said and kissed her forehead. Her arms went around his waist and she hugged him back. The next 7 years passed by even quicker than any of them had expected, and then Ren, Teepo, Suniva and Artemis had to leave. They went back to Fire Dancer''s bedroom and the spawn point there. ¡°You don''t know how happy I am that you''ve moved on from openly hating me, to only quietly hating me.¡± Artemis said to Fire Dancer, who couldn''t help but chuckle at the truth in her words. ¡°Killing a rogue Fire elemental by shooting a Mana Bolt a mile away tends to legitimize your use as a ranged combat specialist.¡± Ren said. ¡°Only a little.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Fire Dancer rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Yes, I know I''m being a pain...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said and hugged her. ¡°We all know you resent her because you think she''s taking your mother''s place in my heart.¡± ¡°Wh-what? I don''t think that!¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed and Ren winced a little. ¡°I said it''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let me ease your worry, okay?¡± ¡°I don''t know what you mean.¡± Ren smiled and kissed her forehead. ¡°She can never be replaced, because you share the same spot that your mother does in my heart, Deity of Fire.¡± Fire Dancer caught her breath at that. He''s not lying. ¡°Just like you will always have a part of her inside of you, I will always have a part of you inside of me.¡± ¡°F-father...¡± ¡°I love you, Honey.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sorry I have to leave.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, too.¡± Fire Dancer said and let him out of the hug. Ren reduced Teepo and himself to their normal size, then they went to the spawn point building with Suniva and Artemis. They waved to Fire Dancer, and Ren cast the Portal spell to leave. Teepo dissolved into the Beetle Crown ring, then they did the transition to the underground chamber and then to the bedroom. Once there, Artemis and Suniva settled onto the bed, and he gave them and the succubi a kiss before he summoned Teepo again. Teepo flew up to perch on the ceiling and Ren stood by the wall to log out. ¡°Logout.¡± ******** Ren slid off the VR headset and Lisa took it from him. ¡°Right on time.¡± Lisa whispered. ¡°Hey, cutie.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where''s...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Lisa said and pointed. Ren lifted his head and saw that Barbara was curled up on the couch and covered in a blanket. ¡°She took my advice.¡± He whispered. ¡°Good for her.¡± ¡°She was up all night and then all day.¡± Elise whispered. ¡°Hey, beautiful.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°Are you ready to not cuddle with me?¡± Elise smiled. ¡°If you can slide over a little, I can at least be a good pillow for you.¡± ¡°Good?¡± Ren whispered and eased himself over. ¡°You''re the best pillow.¡± ¡°I try.¡± Elise breathed. Ren nestled into the crook of her arm and rested his head on her shoulder and part of her breast. ¡°Lisa, I''ve got a free arm you can hold to your heart''s content.¡± ¡°I really want to cuddle into you like you are into Elise.¡± Lisa said and laid down on her side. ¡°Your ribs are still too tender to do that, though.¡± She wrapped her arms around his arm and held it between her breasts. ¡°This will have to do for now.¡± Ren didn''t have anywhere to put his hand comfortably, except between her thighs, and when he did slide his hand there, she didn''t protest and even opened her legs slightly to let him. ¡°I love you both so much.¡± Ren said and his other hand rested on Elise''s thigh. ¡°Thank you for loving me back.¡± ¡°We didn''t have much choice, did we, Lisa?¡± Elise asked, and Lisa shook her head. ¡°You''re just so awesome.¡± Lisa said with a smile. ¡°I was joking when I said that.¡± Ren said and returned her smile. ¡°We know.¡± Lisa said and rubbed her face on his shoulder for a moment, then the three of them relaxed and their breathing evened out. They drifted off to sleep, each in the warm embrace of a loved one. Chapter 698 - Morning Surprises Ren slept like a log all through the night until morning. Surprisingly, he hadn''t sleep-groped either woman that was in bed with him. His hands were still in the same spots where they had been on their thighs when he fell asleep. He didn''t try to wake either of them, though. All he did was close his eyes and bask in their warm embraces. Ren hadn''t realized he had drifted back to sleep until a hand touched his face and a gentle voice spoke. ¡°Ren, I''m sorry to wake you, but you need to eat.¡± Stella whispered. ¡°Hm? Wake me?¡± Ren whispered and opened his eyes. ¡°I was already awake.¡± ¡°It didn''t seem like it.¡± Stella responded with a smile. ¡°I didn''t want to move because being held by Elise and Lisa felt so nice.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°This non-cuddling cuddling isn''t half-bad.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°It has the benefit of working, at least.¡± Elise whispered, and Ren turned his head to look at her. ¡°You''re awake.¡± ¡°I am now.¡± Elise said. ¡°Stella, what time is it?¡± ¡°Almost 8 am.¡± ¡°Damn, I forgot to set the alarm.¡± Elise said. ¡°Ren, I need to go.¡± ¡°Parting is such sweet sorrow.¡± Ren said and pretended to kiss her breast through her t-shirt. Elise chuckled and looked at Stella. ¡°Take his weight, will you?¡± Stella nodded and leaned over Lisa to brace Ren''s head and shoulders so Elise could slide out without his head flopping down onto the bed. She tucked a pillow in her place and Stella eased Ren down onto it. ¡°Ooo, that''s cold.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s because pillows don''t normally generate body heat.¡± Stella said and stood up straight. ¡°I want to grab a quick shower.¡± Elise said. ¡°Ren, do you need the bathroom before I go in?¡± ¡°No, it''s all yours.¡± Elise leaned in and gave him a kiss, then quickly walked over to the bathroom and shut the door. ¡°I hope she''s not too far behind in her work.¡± Ren said. ¡°Staying in bed was kind of worth it, though.¡± Stella nodded and looked at Lisa. ¡°Are you going to stop pretending sometime soon?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lisa said without opening her eyes. ¡°I''m still sound asleep and I''m holding onto the man I love for as long as I can... and for as long as he''ll let me.¡± ¡°Forever is a long time, you know.¡± Ren said and she opened her eyes to look at him. ¡°You mean it?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Possession is nine-tenths of the law, after all.¡± Ren said and grinned at her, and she chuckled. ¡°Can you ease your grip enough for him to sit up a little?¡± Stella asked. Lisa let Ren''s arm go and helped prop him up with another pillow, and Stella brought over the rollaway table with two plates of scrambled eggs, toast, orange juice, and a supplement drink. ¡°Oh, my god! What''s this?¡± Ren asked and motioned to his plate. ¡°Where''s the bacon?¡± ¡°There''s none... not after everything you ate yesterday.¡± Stella said. ¡°They did the pork chops up properly, then they over-seasoned it afterwards, which defeated making it that way in the first place.¡± Ren opened his mouth to protest, then had to agree. ¡°With that and the hamburger for lunch...¡± ¡°...and the potato chips...¡± Lisa added. ¡°...your salt content is pretty high right now.¡± Stella finished, and he nodded. ¡°Don''t worry, though. Your nurses are old hands at managing your diet, remember?¡± She pat his hand. ¡°I''ll have bacon ready for you by my next shift on Wednesday.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and both he and Lisa started eating. Elise came out of the bathroom in just a towel and walked over to the closet. They stopped eating and watched her, as did Stella, because the towel dropped to the floor a moment later. Elise sorted through her undergarments and she picked out a good bra and underwear to put on, then she grabbed one of her business suit outfits and hung it on the closet door. She slipped off the jacket and laid it on the chair, then put on the peach-colored blouse. The pants were next and they slid on easily and fit her very well. Elise picked up the suit coat and put it on, left it unbuttoned, and turned towards the bed. She almost laughed at the three identical expressions that greeted her. ¡°Was it really that fascinating to watch me getting dressed?¡± Elise asked. ¡°You''re kidding, right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s almost as good as watching you get undressed.¡± ¡°I don''t think...¡± ¡°He''s right.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I don''t know if it''s your confidence, or your no-nonsense attitude that makes it so sexy, though.¡± ¡°Stella, surely you...¡± ¡°It was pretty erotic.¡± Stella had to admit. ¡°Personally, I think it was the efficiency.¡± She said. ¡°You were almost forceful in your application of clothing.¡± ¡°Yes! That''s it exactly.¡± Ren said. ¡°There were no wasted movements.¡± ¡°Is that what it was?¡± Lisa asked and thought about it. ¡°Actually, yes. I think you''re right.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°I''m glad you all enjoyed it.¡± She said and walked over to the bed to give Ren a kiss on the cheek. ¡°See you at lunch.¡± ¡°It''s going to be long grain rice and plain chicken breasts.¡± Stella warned her, and she nodded. ¡°Thank god.¡± Elise said and pat her stomach. ¡°All that salty and fatty food yesterday was a bit too much.¡± ¡°My bacon dose has been delayed because of it.¡± Ren said and she laughed. ¡°If that''s the case, you''re lucky you''re getting eggs and not just toast.¡± Elise said. ¡°Is there coffee?¡± ¡°That and toast are on the kitchen table for you.¡± Stella said. Elise touched her arm on the way by. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I figured you''d be in a rush, since I let you sleep so long.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Thanks for that, too.¡± Elise said and left the bedroom. Something buzzed on the nightstand on Lisa''s side of the bed and she reached over to pick up her cell phone. ¡°Good news! Dad''s been denied bail.¡± Lisa said happily and showed Ren the phone. ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said and rubbed her back. ¡°It''s probably because he resisted arrest and kicked that officer.¡± Stella said. ¡°They don''t take kindly to personal injury.¡± ¡°Even with the parole violation, he still might have gotten out otherwise.¡± Lisa said. ¡°He''s always been sneaky like that.¡± ¡°We should send the police a thank you card.¡± Ren said and started to eat again. ¡°That''s a neat idea.¡± Lisa chuckled. ¡°Can you imagine their faces when they read it? Thank you for keeping my dad in jail. He deserves it.¡± Ren and Stella laughed. ¡°That would be good!¡± They said together, then the three of them laughed. * ¡°That was the longest stakeout we''ve ever had!¡± Officer Holly exclaimed as she and her partner, Detective John Ramirez, left the squad room after giving the Chief of Police their report. ¡°It''s almost like they wanted to keep us really busy this weekend.¡± John said. Officer Holly caught her breath. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± She exclaimed and sped up her walk. ¡°What is it?¡± John asked. Officer Holly waved for him to follow, and they left the station and she stopped beside his car. ¡°Ren had a garden party for the neighbours yesterday.¡± ¡°Son of a bitch.¡± ¡°They must have planned something and needed us out of the way.¡± Officer Holly said and took out her cell phone. ¡°No.¡± John said and covered the phone. ¡°We''re off for the next two days. Let''s go home and get a shower, then we can... casually... check in on an old friend. Preferably in person.¡± Officer Holly opened her mouth to respond that she needed to know he was okay right now, then she saw his expression. ¡°All right.¡± John opened the passenger door for her and she got in, and he got in the driver''s side and they drove out of the parking lot at a normal pace. He drove sedately through the early morning traffic and all the way over to his apartment. He pulled into his assigned parking space and got out, walked around the car, and opened her door for her. Officer Holly climbed out and followed her partner, and he didn''t notice that her face was slightly red. They walked over to the stairs and went up to the third floor and he unlocked the door to his apartment. He motioned for her to go inside, and she went in first. She stopped and held in her gasp when she saw that the place was spotless. ¡°I always wondered why you were such a stickler for no food in the car.¡± Officer Holly said, and John laughed. ¡°You can thank my sister Tammy for pounding it into my head that ''a man who can clean will meet a good wife someday''.¡± John said. ¡°I know almost as much about cleaning as I do about police work.¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I am.¡± John said and took off his suit coat and hung it in the closet on the hanger marked ''dry cleaners''. He pulled off his tie and sighed as he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. ¡°It''s mostly just elbow grease and perseverance.¡± ¡°Just like police work.¡± Officer Holly said and he chuckled. ¡°Damn, you''re right.¡± John said and unbuttoned his shirt cuffs as he walked towards his bedroom. ¡°That''s one of the things I like about you, Holly.¡± John said and took off his shirt and tossed it in the laundry basket by the bedroom door. ¡°You can make connections to things that I completely miss.¡± Officer Holly blinked her eyes as he started to unhook his belt. ¡°Um... John...¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°There''s something else I really should tell you.¡± Officer Holly said and he hung the belt up on the back of the bedroom door. ¡°I''m all ears.¡± John said and pulled down the zipper of his pants. Officer Holly turned her head to the side to look anywhere else but at him. ¡°Well... I...¡± Officer Holly stopped talking when she heard the rustling of cloth as it was tossed into the laundry basket. ¡°Hey, what is it?¡± John asked as he walked over to her. ¡°It''s not like you to dither like this.¡± ¡°It''s not like you to strip in front of me, either.¡± Officer Holly said and turned her head back to look up into his eyes. ¡°What?¡± John looked down at himself, and his face flushed completely red. ¡°Holly, I''m really sorry.¡± He said and stepped back. ¡°I tend to do this automatically when I enter my apartment.¡± Officer Holly reached out and caught his arm. ¡°I didn''t say I objected.¡± John''s face lost some of its redness and he stepped back close to her. ¡°I''ve got nearly 3 full days of grit and grime to wash off and I could really use a hand.¡± ¡°But... I thought...¡± ¡°We were both ordered to leave all work at the station.¡± John said. ¡°We''re officially off the clock and unofficially told we weren''t a part of the police force for the next two days.¡± He said and he put his hands on her shoulders and kneaded them a little. ¡°J-John... I...¡± ¡°I really like you, Holly.¡± John said and she caught her breath. ¡°More than I should, by any stretch of the imagination.¡± His hands moved to her collar and started to open the buttons. ¡°I can''t get you out of my head.¡± Officer Holly stood there and let him expertly open her uniform top. He slid it off of her and hung it on the back of a chair to keep the shape. ¡°You''re smart, beautiful, have a chip on your shoulder a mile wide, and you can kick my ass when you want to.¡± John said and unhooked her belt. ¡°I find all of that incredibly sexy.¡± Officer Holly didn''t say anything as he slid her equipment belt off and hooked it into a loop to rest it on the same chair as her shirt. ¡°Now, what was it you wanted to say?¡± John asked. ¡°I really like you, John.¡± Officer Holly said and unhooked her pants. ¡°More than I should, by any stretch of the imagination.¡± She smiled a little as she said his words back to him, then pulled the zipper down and let the pants fall to the floor. ¡°I can''t get you out of my head.¡± John fought his urge to bend over and pick up the pants, and Officer Holly smiled as she stepped out of the pants and motioned to them. He smiled back at her, picked up the pants and folded them up to put on the chair under her equipment belt. ¡°You''re brash, pig-headed, and you used to frustrate me nearly every day.¡± Officer Holly said and unhooked her bra and handed it to him. ¡°Used to?¡± John asked and took the bra, then he didn''t know what to do with it. Officer Holly chuckled and took the bra back and tossed it onto her pants. ¡°It took someone pointing it out to me; but, I realized I was frustrated at myself.¡± Officer Holly said and stepped close to press her breasts against him. ¡°I couldn''t admit my feelings to myself, let alone to you.¡± John put his arms around her and held her tenderly. ¡°And now?¡± ¡°I think you''re incredibly sexy, too.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I''ve tried keeping my distance and I''ve tried keeping things professional, and it''s tiring, John.¡± She admitted. ¡°I can''t stay beside you as a partner without being beside you as your partner.¡± John thought about that slightly confusing statement, then his eyes widened. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°Now bend your tall ass down so I can kiss you.¡± John let a grin spread across his face. ¡°I have a better idea.¡± He said and picked her up in a princess carry, with an arm under her knees and one under her back. ¡°HEY!¡± Officer Holly yelled and quickly put her arms around his neck. The move put her face at the exact height of his, and she sighed. ¡°You are not doing this every time.¡± She said and kissed him briefly. ¡°Not every time.¡± John said, and carried her into his bathroom to take what he suspected was going to be a very long and thorough shower. * Without Barbi there, the office seemed empty as Elise checked her messages to see if anything important needed to be handled. Nothing was pending, so she looked over the overnight stock market returns and didn''t see anything that needed to be corrected. She then checked her appointment calendar to make sure she had enough time, then turned off her computer monitor and picked up her cell phone. Elise typed up a quick message to Stella to tell her she had an appointment, tucked the cell phone into her purse, then left the office and the house. She hopped into her Hummer H2 and drove part way across the city to the small and unobtrusive building. The parking lot wasn''t that crowded so she didn''t have any trouble finding a spot for her larger than average vehicle. She went into the building and told them she was there for her appointment, and sat down to wait. ¡°Right this way, please.¡± A woman''s voice said almost as soon as she sat down, and Elise jumped up to follow her. She was led to an examination room and was told to change. While she undressed, she thought back to Ren, Lisa and Stella watching her, and she blushed. She put on the disposable hospital gown and climbed onto the very awkward table. ¡°Oh, you''re already up in the stirrups.¡± A woman''s voice said. ¡°It''s not my first rodeo, doctor.¡± Elise joked, and the doctor laughed. ¡°Good one.¡± She said and pulled over the little stool. ¡°So, any unnatural pain or discomfort?¡± ¡°Thankfully, no.¡± Elise said. ¡°Everything seems to be running like clockwork.¡± ¡°I hope you''ll forgive me if I want to check that for myself.¡± The doctor said, and it was Elise''s turn to laugh. The doctor checked her over and used several cool instruments and tools to be sure, then she took samples and swabs. A nurse entered and took the samples and left with barely a sound. ¡°How is it, doc?¡± Elise said. ¡°You don''t have to sugar-coat it. Just tell me the truth.¡± ¡°It''s a perfectly functioning orifice, so you can relax.¡± The doctor said and pat her leg. ¡°Go ahead and get dressed.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Elise said and climbed off the table. ¡°I''ll be back in about 10 minutes.¡± The doctor said and left her alone. Elise put on her clothes and again thought about Ren, Lisa and Stella watching her, and she blushed again. Now I''m really horny. She thought and sat down carefully, so she wouldn''t stimulate herself too much. After another few minutes, the door to the examination room opened and the doctor came in with a blank face. ¡°What is it?¡± Elise asked. ¡°I know bad blank face when I see it.¡± ¡°I was right and that you''re in complete working order, even without having your period for so long.¡± The doctor said. ¡°I also know why you haven''t had it.¡± ¡°P-please... just... just tell me.¡± Elise said as thoughts of some weird disease passed through her mind. ¡°We ran the test twice and there''s no doubt about the cause.¡± The doctor said, and then her blank face broke into a huge smile. ¡°You''re pregnant.¡± Chapter 699 - Morning Meetings And Meanings Barbi had made it through early morning traffic without too much hassle and arrived at the Channel 8 television station before her scheduled appointment. She went inside with her small briefcase and hit the button for the elevator, then waited for it to arrive. ¡°Oh, hey!¡± A man''s voice said. Barbi turned to look at who spoke and held in her sigh when she saw who it was. ¡°Hello, Brad.¡± She said in a dead tone of voice. ¡°Aw, don''t be that way.¡± Brad said and hit the same button Barbi had, as if that would make the elevator move faster. ¡°You look great in that skirt.¡± He said. ¡°I haven''t seen you around in a while.¡± ¡°That''s because I don''t work here anymore, genius.¡± Barbi said, and he laughed. ¡°What are you doing here so early, then?¡± Brad asked and ignored her sarcasm. ¡°I have an appointment with Mr. Hastelbeck.¡± ¡°The network''s vice president?¡± Brad asked, then his face lost its smile. ¡°So, you''ve heard the news already.¡± The elevator door opened and they stepped inside, and Brad hit the close door button. ¡°What news is that?¡± Barbi asked and Brad hit the floor he wanted and the floor for the network VP. ¡°They''ve cancelled that new computer animated show.¡± Brad said. Barbi had years of experience to keep surprise off of her face, so she didn''t show it. ¡°What do you know about it?¡± She asked, which implied she knew and wanted his take on it. ¡°Word on the grapevine is the numbers tanked for the latest episode.¡± Brad said. ¡°The show-runner had a nervous breakdown over it and hasn''t been seen all weekend.¡± ¡°You''re well informed, as always.¡± Barbi said to stroke his ego and to keep him talking. ¡°You know it, sweet-cheeks.¡± Brad smiled. ¡°It''s a little odd to cancel a show during the weekend, though they said it was justified.¡± He shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I''ve seen a show have a shorter run; but, usually that''s because the numbers were bad from the start. It shouldn''t take one bad week to kill a popular show like this.¡± He said. ¡°It''s like they expected something bad to happen and were ready to cancel at a moment''s notice.¡± Barbi stopped herself from nodding in agreement. The elevator stopped at his floor and he leaned in close. ¡°Are you free for lunch?¡± Brad asked and put his hand really low on her hip and almost fully on her backside. ¡°I have a date, actually.¡± Barbi said. Brad sighed and stepped out of the elevator as he slid his hand across her backside, then he smiled at her. ¡°That''s a real shame.¡± ¡°Only if I went with you.¡± Barbi said and hit the door close button on his surprised face. ¡°Asshole.¡± As the elevator went up to the floor she wanted, she took out her cell phone and set it up, then stepped out into the plush waiting area. The secretary nodded to her and pointed to the office door, and Barbi took the cue and walked by her and into the office of the Vice President of the Network. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Hastelbeck.¡± Barbi said and left the office door open when she saw the show coordinator was on the couch at the side of the room. ¡°Would you mind closing the door?¡± Mr. Hastelbeck asked. ¡°Yes, I would.¡± Barbi said and walked over to the desk. ¡°What can I do for you today?¡± Mr. Hastelbeck asked, not flustered at all because she ignored his request. ¡°I heard you may have a new show...¡± ¡°What''s this garbage about you cancelling Ren''s show?!?¡± Barbi asked and cut him off. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± ¡°The numbers dropped significantly...¡± ¡°No, they didn''t! They are higher than they have ever been, even higher than the pilot, and you gave Melanie a nervous breakdown with the fake numbers, you lying prick!¡± Barbi said. ¡°Please calm down.¡± Mr. Hastelbeck said. ¡°There''s no need for such language.¡± ¡°What the hell are you thinking?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°Not only is the show a smash hit in the key demographic, it''s also a hit in the two demographics it wasn''t even targeted for!¡± ¡°Now, that''s not entirely true.¡± ¡°It is true! It also has highest paid commercial fees for its time slot and companies are actually trying to outbid each other to be the first commercial to air during each episode!¡± ¡°You are very well informed, it seems.¡± Mr. Hastelbeck said and looked at the new show coordinator. ¡°She''s not my source, you vindictive asshole.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I really must insist that...¡± ¡°Shut the hell up!¡± Barbi spat, and he closed his mouth with a frown. ¡°I hope you enjoyed your little power play in cancelling the most popular show on this network.¡± She said. ¡°Not only are you in breach of contract, to both the client and the parent network, you''ve invalidated the network''s rights to a year''s worth of footage from the game company and to air the remaining episodes of the season.¡± Mr. Hastelbeck''s frown became a scowl. ¡°That''s a broad interpretation of...¡± ¡°I wrote that contract, you idiot!¡± Barbi said. ¡°I know exactly how much leeway that both the station and the client had.¡± She huffed. ¡°By cancelling the show for no reason and falsifying the viewership numbers, you''ve intentionally misrepresented the network and defamed the client! In one fell swoop, you have nullified all the special clauses I put in to cover the station and its potential losses!¡± Mr. Hastelbeck didn''t say anything in response. ¡°You are going to lose... no, you''ve already lost this network millions of dollars in both revenue and future projects, clients, and commercial sales.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I don''t know why you would do it like this; but, you are an idiot for doing it this way and I hope you choke on your severance package when this goes public!¡± Mr. Hastelbeck smiled. ¡°What makes you think it will go public?¡± ¡°Because it already has!¡± The current show coordinator said from the couch. She was looking at her cell phone and gasped. ¡°Oh, no! It''s all over the internet!¡± ¡°What? How?¡± Mr. Hastelbeck asked. ¡°Live streaming to the show''s main website and sub-streams to the fan sites.¡± Barbi said and held up her cell phone. ¡°You stupid bitch!¡± Mr. Hastelbeck said and stood up. ¡°Do you realize what you''ve done?¡± ¡°Of course I do. I''ve exposed part of the conspiracy that you and several other prominent members of society have been perpetrating against Ren.¡± Barbi said with satisfaction, and his face lost some of its color. ¡°That''s right. We know all about it.¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t think a man like you would be involved in hurting Ren; but, I guess my opinion of your integrity was much too generous for such a scumbag.¡± Mr. Hastelbeck and the current show coordinator watched as Barbi turned and started to walk towards the still open office door. ¡°If you''ll excuse me, I need to pick up all the materials and documents for the show, and its related content, from the studio downstairs.¡± Barbi said, and then she stopped and spoke with ice in her voice. ¡°If I get there and the materials aren''t available or have been ''misplaced'', I will have the police here in 15 minutes to force you to hand Ren''s solely-owned property over.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°You won''t meet any resistance.¡± The current show coordinator said as she scanned a document on her phone. ¡°You wrote a great contract and we can''t legally keep his property.¡± Barbi nodded to her and left the office. She hit the button for the elevator and turned off the live stream, after thanking everyone for listening and sharing it, then she went down to the studio where the show was produced. She gathered everything up that they had, including hard drives, prints, manuscripts and other documents, plus all of the prerecorded voice-over work and contact information for the actors. She warned the men that worked there that they might not have a job soon because of everything that just happened. ¡°We know.¡± One of them pointed to his computer monitor, and Barbi saw that he was logged onto the show''s website. ¡°I''m sorry about this.¡± Barbi said. ¡°So are we.¡± He said. ¡°This was one of the easiest jobs we''ve ever had putting a show together.¡± Barbi thought about that, and then she had an idea. ¡°I don''t know if anything will come of this, but...¡± ¡°If you''re going to offer us a job, we can''t take it.¡± The man said. ¡°What? Why not?¡± The man pointed to the computer monitor that showed the show''s website. ¡°If there''s a conspiracy against the poor guy, then I don''t want to get involved.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± The other man said. ¡°I keep my head down and I do my job.¡± He said. ¡°I don''t draw attention to myself and I don''t become the focus of anyone''s ire.¡± Barbi blinked her eyes at them for a moment, then she sighed. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Unlike you, we''re not crusaders.¡± The first man said. ¡°We don''t rock the boat because we don''t want to fall out.¡± ¡°Or knock someone else out.¡± The other man said. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± Barbi said and picked up the box with all the stuff in it. ¡°It was nice working with you while it lasted.¡± ¡°It sure was.¡± The first man said. ¡°Take care.¡± The other man said. Barbi calmly left the studio and went down in the elevator, left the building and got in her car. She gripped the steering wheel and her arms shook as the shock over what happened started to set in and the adrenaline that had flushed through her system started to fade. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths as she tried desperately to hold back her tears. ¡°Oh, god. I just thought of a reason why they would cancel it preemptively.¡± Barbi thought. ¡°They didn''t think he would be around to say anything about it.¡± She immediately sent a text to both Elise and Stella about her meeting and her thoughts, then sat there for several minutes to gather her strength and resolve while she waited for their response. Both of them texted her and the messages told her to go straight to Ren''s place so they could talk in person. Barbi nodded, put the cell phone down and started the car, then drove through the city towards Ren''s house. * Ren and Lisa finished breakfast and Stella moved the rollaway table aside. ¡°I need a bath.¡± Ren said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I''ll help do you first.¡± ¡°You don''t have to...¡± ¡°Please, it''s not like I haven''t seen you naked before.¡± Lisa said and got out of bed. ¡°But...¡± ¡°It''s different in this situation.¡± Stella warned her. ¡°We''re caring for him, not playing with him.¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°I know the difference.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°Then get everything on him unbuttoned, just don''t remove it yet. We do that when we add the towels.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Lisa said. Stella went to the bathroom to gather the wash basin and supplies she would need. While she was doing that, she received a text from Barbi about her meeting. She read it through twice before deciding what to say, then told her to come to the house to talk in person. Dammit, I think she''s right. Stella thought. For them to cancel the show out of the blue like that, means they had a reason that they couldn''t say officially. She shook her head and put on a smile as she carried the supplies out of the bathroom to wash Ren. ¡°Uh oh.¡± Ren said when he saw her face. ¡°What did I do now?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Stella put the supplies down on the nightstand. ¡°I can recognize your ''trouble'' smile a mile away.¡± Ren exaggerated. ¡°Something must have happened, and since nearly everything revolves around me...¡± Stella opened her mouth to say it didn''t involve him, then sighed. ¡°You shouldn''t be this smart.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Even if I didn''t have all my memories back, I would still know that fake smile.¡± He said. ¡°Do you want to tell me now or later?¡± ¡°Let''s get you washed up first.¡± Stella said. ¡°Barbi''s coming over, so it can wait until then.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Ren thought about it while Stella and Lisa laid out the towels for him and then undressed him fully as they carefully moved and rolled him onto them. He didn''t say a word as Stella and Lisa washed him all over, even his private place, then they dried him off completely. ¡°We''re stuck with one of your old pyjama sets until we can get to the mall.¡± Stella said. ¡°That''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s the underwear I''m going to have a problem with.¡± ¡°The underwear?¡± Lisa asked. Stella dug out a pair of briefs from Ren''s underwear drawer and held them up. ¡°Oh.¡± Lisa said and looked down at Ren, then remembered what happened when he becomes excited. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°We didn''t normally have that kind of problem until the little Casanova became sexually active.¡± She said. ¡°Now, though...¡± ¡°I think I''d rather just leave them off, if that''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Stella asked. ¡°It might be rough on you if you just flop around without any support.¡± ¡°I''d rather the potential of that than the crammed feeling I would definitely have.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Stella said and put the briefs back and closed the drawer, then opened the one below that. ¡°We''ll need to switch to the soft cotton ones.¡± She said and grinned as she lifted up a set of his old pyjamas. ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Ren exclaimed, and Lisa laughed at the Cookie Monster pattern on the white fabric. * ¡°Oh, my GOD!¡± Elise squealed like a little girl. ¡°I''M PREGNANT?!?¡± The doctor laughed. ¡°I guess that means you''re excited about it.¡± Elise trembled as the thought settled into her brain. ¡°Please, tell me you''re not joking!¡± ¡°It''s no joke.¡± The doctor said and touched her arm reassuringly. ¡°I told you we ran the test twice to be sure. It''s not much more than a big bundle of cells at the moment; but, that is definitely going to change within the next few weeks.¡± Elise stepped close to the doctor and gave her a hug as tears formed in her eyes. ¡°Th-thank you. Thank you so much.¡± The doctor laughed again and hugged her back. ¡°I didn''t do anything except give you a check up and tell you the good news.¡± She said. ¡°You should probably thank whoever knocked you up.¡± ¡°I... I will.¡± Elise said and let the doctor out of the hug. ¡°Just as soon as I get home.¡± ¡°Should I assume he''s going to think this is good news, too?¡± The doctor asked. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Elise said and wiped at her tears. ¡°It was actually his idea.¡± ¡°Then let me be the first to congratulate you.¡± The doctor said and held out a hand. ¡°Congratulations!¡± Elise chuckled and shook the offered hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I expect to see you back next month for the follow-up.¡± The doctor said and let her hand go, then led her out of the examination room and to the front desk. ¡°Sherrie, set up an appointment for next month.¡± She said to the secretary, who quickly did so and handed Elise the little card with the information on it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Elise said. The doctor said goodbye and went back to her office, and Elise checked with the secretary to make sure her insurance was valid for the continuing care she would need, then paid the fee for the things that weren''t covered. She walked out of the clinic and climbed into her Hummer H2 and sat there and trembled at the shock of what had just happened. She took several deep breaths and did her best to calm down. ¡°I''m pregnant.¡± Elise said and lightly touched her belly. ¡°I''m really pregnant.¡± Her cell phone beeped at her and she dug it out of her purse. She read the message Barbi had sent and thought about it, then told her to go right to Ren''s house so they could speak in person. Elise put the cell phone away and started the vehicle, then drove back home to Ren''s place. Home. Elise thought and let a smile appear on her face. Our home. * Gloria rolled over in bed and she didn''t know what to do. She had been so used to getting up early to go to class that her mornings were now a sleepless void that she desperately needed to fill. She thought about going into the game; but, she wasn''t quite ready to face Ren after everything that had happened between them. She had been tempted to call him and tell him he was an ass for tossing her aside like he did; but, she also understood why he did it. It really did clear the way for her to make the important decision she needed to make, and it was easier because he had removed all the pressure she had on her mind over her thinking she had to abandon the research project... and him and Stella... to do it. Gloria also hated that he had to do it, and that he did it for her sake. She wanted to let him know that he was right, that the tech company only wanted her to get at him, and that she was stupid for only thinking about how much money she could have gotten if only she had been a little smarter about how she handled things and wasn''t that concerned with anyone else''s feelings but her own. She rolled over in bed again and gripped her pillow hard and screamed her frustration into it. She sighed and rolled back over and stared up at the ceiling. ¡°I wish I had someone to tell me what to do.¡± Gloria said and sighed, then her phone beeped at her. She reached over to her nightstand and picked it up and saw it was a text from Steven, Stella''s brother. She hit the call button and he picked up on the first ring. ¡°What the fuck do you want?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°What''s wrong with this picture?¡± Steven asked and sent her a picture, and she saw a well-mounted alternator and attached fan belt, then she looked closely at it. ¡°You idiot!¡± Gloria said into the phone. ¡°You used the wrong mounting bolt!¡± ¡°Hey, I''m not that stupid.¡± Steven said. ¡°It came in this way.¡± ¡°What do you want me to do about it?¡± Gloria asked. ¡°It''s a simple solution.¡± ¡°Yeah, it would be... except for where the other end of the extra long bolt went.¡± ¡°Son of a bitch.¡± Gloria sighed. ¡°I really hate homegrown mechanics that don''t know their dick from a monkey wrench!¡± Steven laughed. ¡°At least it wasn''t me this time.¡± ¡°This time.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I guess Frank wants all hands on deck?¡± ¡°I wouldn''t annoy you by calling if he didn''t.¡± Steven said. ¡°When can you get here?¡± ¡°Give me half an hour.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I assume...¡± ¡°...it''s a high priority client.¡± Steven said. ¡°I''ll let Frank know.¡± ¡°See you then.¡± Gloria said and hung up without letting him say goodbye, rolled out of bed and put the cell phone down, then stripped off her sleep clothes as she entered the bathroom. I guess I''m not wasting the whole morning doing nothing after all. She thought a little grumpily and hopped into the shower. Chapter 700 - Thats Good News Ren resigned himself to wearing the Cookie Monster pyjamas and let them do what they wanted. As Stella and Lisa dressed him, they both had big happy faces that they didn''t even try to hide. ¡°You don''t have to be so happy about it.¡± Ren said when they finished. ¡°You''re so CUTE!¡± Lisa squealed and gave him several kisses over his face. She wanted to hug and cuddle him so much; but, she stopped herself from wrapping her arms around him. Ren heard the click of a picture and he looked at Stella. ¡°Stella!¡± ¡°Sorry!¡± Stella said and turned her phone to show him and Lisa kissing. ¡°You''re both so cute!¡± Ren rolled his eyes and sighed, and he saw Stella using her thumbs on the cell phone. He was sure she was making a special folder to keep it in, or worse, making it the background image. ¡°I''m tempted to lay here and let you bathe me; but, I think I''ll just go take a shower.¡± Lisa said. ¡°When you''re feeling better, I''ll want you to return the favor, okay?¡± ¡°I bet you would look super-cute in these pyjamas.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''d never hold her down long enough to get them on her.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Not a chance!¡± Lisa said and left Ren''s bedroom to go to her own room to shower. ¡°Thank you for not making too much of a fuss.¡± Stella said. ¡°Embarrassing myself seems to make you happy.¡± Ren said, and she leaned over the bed and gave him a kiss. ¡°You don''t have to be embarrassed.¡± Stella said. ¡°You really do look cute, and someone besides Lisa and I are going to really like it.¡± ¡°Elise.¡± Ren said without even having to think about it. No sooner had her name passed his lips when his bedroom door opened with a flourish and Elise stood there. ¡°Sweetheart! You''re not going to believe the news I have!¡± Elise exclaimed, and then she gasped when she saw what he was wearing. ¡°Oh... my... GOD!¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Stella said as Elise staggered over to the bed. ¡°Ren, what...¡± ¡°I''m out of silky pyjamas.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m also out of silky underwear.¡± ¡°Don''t... don''t tease me...¡± ¡°He didn''t want to wear briefs.¡± Stella said, and Elise''s eyes widened. ¡°He... he''s really going commando?¡± Elise asked, her voice full of wonder. ¡°In 100% cotton pyjamas?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Stella said with a huge smile. Elise tossed her suit coat aside and crawled up onto the bed like a big cat, and Ren thought he could hear her purring. ¡°Elise.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Elise moaned as she laid down beside him, then she very lightly ran her hand across his chest. Ren felt his body respond to her, and she noticed the bulge grow for her. ¡°Thank you, Sweetheart.¡± She said and her hand grazed the spot as her fingers traced one of the Cookie Monster images. ¡°E-Elise...¡± Ren started to pant. ¡°Wh-what was... the news...¡± Elise didn''t say anything as she eased his pyjama pants down to expose him, and she moaned at the sight. She gave him a quick little lick and he gasped at the touch of her hot tongue, then neither of them spoke for quite some time. Stella stood there in silence and watched the scene, and wasn''t sure what to do. Elise must be really horny to do it out in the open like this. She thought, and she felt herself start to tingle below the waist. No, I... I can''t let this... god, look at her work him over! Lisa finished her shower and went down to Ren''s room so she could spend a little more time with him before they went into the game. They both needed to get back to their self-appointed tasks, and then she saw Elise on the bed with Ren and stopped walking to stand beside Stella. ¡°What''s going o-¡± Lisa stopped talking when Stella covered her mouth. Stella leaned down and whispered in her ear. ¡°Elise had some big news to tell us, then she saw Ren in those pyjamas. Then she... well...¡± Lisa nodded slightly and Stella moved her hand. ¡°What''s the news?¡± She whispered. ¡°No idea.¡± Stella whispered back. ¡°We''ll find out in... well, when she''s finished.¡± ¡°E-Elise... I''m... I''m gonna...¡± Ren panted as he tried to warn her. Elise stopped what she was doing and looked at him. ¡°I want it so bad; but, I can only do this with you.¡± She said. ¡°So, give it to me.¡± She moaned. ¡°Give it all to me, Sweetheart.¡± Ren caught his breath as she doubled her efforts, and a few moments later, he let her have as much as she wanted when he finished. ¡°Wow.¡± Lisa whispered as the scene played out and Elise pretty much wallowed in pleasure. Both she and Ren were panting when she was done with him, and she moved up to lay beside him. ¡°I... love you.¡± Elise said and tried to calm down. ¡°I love you... so much.¡± ¡°I couldn''t tell.¡± Ren said to her, and she chuckled. ¡°I still need to feel you.¡± Elise said and touched herself through her suit pants. ¡°I''ll do my best.¡± Ren said. ¡°Right after you tell me the news.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Elise said and undid her pants and slid them and her underwear down, then she put his hand on her special place. She gasped as he touched her expertly and she started panting again. ¡°I... oh, god... I got my wish!¡± Ren moved his hand a bit and she caught her breath as he pinched her slightly. ¡°What wish?¡± Elise''s back arched as she moaned and tried to give him better access. ¡°I''m... I''m pregnant!¡± Ren''s hand convulsed at her words and gripped her slightly. She, Stella and Lisa gasped at the same time, for different reasons, and Elise finished. She collapsed onto the bed a moment later, her special place and Ren''s hand were soaked, and she had a hard time keeping her eyes open after such a strong orgasm. ¡°That''s great news!¡± Ren exclaimed and eased himself up onto an elbow to give her a kiss. ¡°I''m so happy for you!¡± ¡°M-me, too.¡± Elise''s eyes fluttered open and closed several times. ¡°Close your eyes, Sweetheart.¡± Ren said to her and gave her another kiss. ¡°Relax. You need to take it easy from now on.¡± ¡°R-Ren... I''m not...¡± ¡°I know you are a strong and independent woman; but, even you need to calm down and rest after a hard orgasm like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Close your eyes and let me lay down next to one of the most beautiful mothers to ever exist.¡± Elise nodded and closed her eyes, and Ren pointed at one of the towels. Stella nodded and passed him one of the small hand towels that they hadn''t used, and he wiped off his hand and wiped off Elise. ¡°I... I can...¡± Elise started to say. ¡°Shh. I said relax.¡± Ren said. He dried her as much as he could and cleaned himself off, then covered her exposed area with the towel and pulled his pyjama pants up. He tucked himself into the crook of her arm like he had been the night before and Elise sighed contentedly, took several deep breaths, then she drifted off to sleep. ¡°She''s really pregnant.¡± Lisa whispered, surprised. ¡°I know we kind of joked about our periods the other day, but...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Stella whispered and put an arm around her. Ren motioned for them to come close and they walked over to the bed. ¡°We are all going to be parents!¡± He whispered excitedly. ¡°I can''t believe it!¡± ¡°A-all?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Yes!¡± Ren held a hand out to her and she took it. ¡°This is the best thing ever.¡± He whispered and kissed her hand. ¡°I know you think you''re too young to be a mother; but, there''s going to be a new member of the household in about 8 months or so, and who better than you to help teach them everything they need to know.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Oh! We could even start with some prenatal readings next month!¡± Ren said. ¡°When we all get together and cuddle, we can take turns reading our favorite stories to Elise''s baby bump.¡± Lisa''s heart beat faster at the thought of being able to influence a growing mind like that. ¡°Ren, you''re getting a little ahead of yourself.¡± Stella said. ¡°Right, right.¡± Ren said and let Lisa''s hand go. ¡°I''m just so excited!¡± Stella nodded. ¡°Don''t go saying anything to anyone yet.¡± She said. ¡°We want to make sure everything is fine before we let everyone know.¡± ¡°You mean everyone outside the family, right?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Because Barbara needs to know, and so does Denise.¡± He said. ¡°Oh, and Barbi, too.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°It''s not like she''s not going to find out.¡± Ren said. ¡°They work in the office together every day.¡± Stella took a breath and sighed, because he had a point. The bedroom door opened and the woman in question strode in with a purpose. ¡°Did you tell him yet?¡± Barbi asked, then saw Elise asleep on the bed and the state of her clothes. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°A mini-celebration of sorts.¡± Stella said as she turned to face Barbi, rather than the bed, and walked over to meet her. ¡°Elise is pregnant.¡± ¡°She got the results this soon?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°The last time I visited...¡± She stopped talking and shook her head. ¡°Never mind.¡± Stella put a consoling hand on her shoulder, because she knew what Barbi meant, and Barbi pat her hand. ¡°So, does Ren know what happened?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°He was there during conception, so yes.¡± Stella said with a smile. ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I know.¡± Stella responded. ¡°I''m trying to keep the shocks to a minimum.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It can wait.¡± Stella said. ¡°You said that before my bath.¡± Ren said and looked at Barbi. ¡°Tell me what happened.¡± ¡°Your show has been cancelled.¡± Barbi said, and both Lisa and Ren caught their breath. ¡°No way.¡± Lisa said. ¡°That... that''s just...¡± ¡°Monumentally stupid.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why would they cancel the best show on the network?¡± Barbi was about to tell him her thoughts on the matter when the bedside phone rang. Lisa picked it up and listened for a moment, then looked at Stella. ¡°The guard at the gate says he has a couple of people called John and Holly there wanting to see Ren.¡± Stella didn''t recognize those names right away, but Ren did. ¡°Let them in.¡± Ren said. ¡°This should be interesting.¡± Lisa told the guard and hung up the phone. ¡°Ren, who are they?¡± ¡°Just a couple of acquaintances of ours that we haven''t seen in a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°Someone get me the wheelchair and help me.¡± ¡°What about Elise?¡± Stella asked as she brought over the wheelchair to the bed. ¡°She''s going to nap for a little while, I think.¡± Ren said and carefully moved out of the crook of her arm and over to the side of the bed, then Stella helped transfer him to the wheelchair. He, Stella, Barbi and Lisa left the bedroom and went downstairs in the elevator to the front door of the house. Stella pointed to one of the small windows on either side of the door and Lisa went over to it and peered out. ¡°It''s a car I haven''t seen before.¡± Lisa said, then the occupants got out. ¡°It''s Officer Holly and some guy!¡± She said. ¡°They''re even holding hands!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°They must have disguised themselves up to not draw attention.¡± He said. ¡°Lisa, can you open the door when they''re close enough?¡± Lisa nodded and watched carefully, then grabbed the door handle and pulled open the front door when they were close enough, just like Ren wanted her to. ¡°You didn''t even wait for me to try and knock first.¡± Officer Holly said with a smile. ¡°Tricks like that only work once.¡± Ren said and returned the smile. ¡°Damn right.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°I was just going to stand here and wait for the door to open.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Please, come on in.¡± ¡°That''s not necessary.¡± John said. ¡°We have our confirmation.¡± ¡°Of what?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I... well...¡± ¡°Ren''s here.¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°The reason I couldn''t take you up on the invite for the party was because we were working a stake-out all weekend.¡± She said. ¡°It wasn''t until we were done and John mentioned that someone wanted us out of the way...¡± Barbi gasped. ¡°I had a meeting this morning with the network representative that controls the show lineup, and I found out that he cancelled Ren''s show for no official reason.¡± She said. ¡°He lied about the viewership numbers and preemptively cancelled it.¡± ¡°That''s... interesting.¡± John said. ¡°I didn''t realize until after I was in the car that he might have had a reason that he couldn''t admit to.¡± Barbi said. ¡°They didn''t expect Ren to be around to complain about it.¡± Officer Holly connected the dots much quicker than Barbi had. ¡°That was my thought, too.¡± She said. ¡°Did something happen during the garden party?¡± ¡°You mean besides Ren making a fairly successful pass at Barbi?¡± Stella asked, and Ren barked a laugh and Barbi''s face flushed red. Both Officer Holly and John looked at Ren''s big smile and Barbi''s embarrassed face. ¡°Nothing actually happened.¡± Ren said and saw Barbi glance a him. ¡°Any kind of incident at the party that intended me harm, I mean.¡± ¡°That''s odd.¡± John said. ¡°We thought for sure...¡± Ren motioned for the door and Stella rolled him over to it. He waved at one of the security guards, who came right over. ¡°Can you give us a condensed version of the report you have on the security issues of the garden party yesterday?¡± ¡°The food was thoroughly checked, as were all the neighbourhood guests and the staff.¡± The guard said right away. ¡°All material components were examined for any potential harm before being brought onto the property, and in the case of the last minute addition of the entertainment, his equipment was checked both during and after the show, then he was escorted off the property by two guards.¡± John and Officer Holly exchanged looks. ¡°Last minute addition.¡± ¡°You seriously don''t think...¡± Barbi stopped talking. ¡°He seemed so nice.¡± ¡°That''s usually the sign that they are serious criminals.¡± Officer Holly commented. ¡°Oh, crap!¡± Ren said and waved his hands in the air. ¡°I''ve been discovered! Stella! Make a break for it!¡± That made everyone laugh, even the security guard. After a few moments, Ren spoke seriously. ¡°Look, you''re pretending to be concerned friends, right?¡± Ren asked John and Officer Holly, who looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Friends are supposed to come in and visit for a while, so why don''t you do that?¡± He motioned to Stella, who pulled him and his wheelchair back inside the house. ¡°Thanks, Guard Number 12!¡± John and Holly exchanged glances, shrugged, and followed them inside. * When the front door shut behind them, the guard went back to his assigned position and touched his lapel. ¡°Okay, can anyone tell me how he knows my designation?¡± The guard asked, and no one could answer him. ¡°Should we review security procedures again?¡± ¡°We could do that; but, I don''t think it''s necessary.¡± Someone''s voice said. ¡°We did a review last night after the party and no one noticed any flaws.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Maybe he just guessed.¡± The voice said. ¡°He''s pretty smart. Maybe you let something slip before.¡± ¡°I don''t see how.¡± Guard Number 12 said. ¡°This is the first time I''ve talked to him.¡± No one said anything for a few minutes. ¡°Okay, maybe a quick review after lunch...¡± * Ren and the others went to the living room and got comfortable, and John and Officer Holly sat together. ¡°So, you took my advice.¡± He said to Officer Holly, and she took in a sharp breath. ¡°H-how...¡± ¡°I thought the familiar hand-holding was a bit odd, since people that don''t normally hold hands always act a little awkwardly when they do.¡± Ren said. ¡°It seemed natural to you, and now you''re sitting a lot closer to each other than police partners normally do.¡± Office Holly sighed. ¡°You''re not even trained in this and you picked up on it right away.¡± ¡°I don''t have police partner training, that''s true.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve had quite a bit of practice with how couples sit together, and if they are comfortable with each other or not.¡± He explained. ¡°You two are more relaxed than you were the last time I saw you.¡± ¡°Why do you think that is?¡± John asked. ¡°John!¡± Officer Holly exclaimed. ¡°I just want to see if...¡± ¡°You''ve had sex, probably just before coming here.¡± Ren said, and nearly everyone gasped. ¡°How did you...¡± Officer Holly started to ask and stopped talking. ¡°You gave it away.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you''ll forgive my impertinence and the unintended implied insult, you are much more appealing right now.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Officer Holly blinked her eyes at him. ¡°I''m not sure how to describe it, actually.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s... well, after a woman has sex, she... becomes sexier?¡± He looked at Stella and she nodded for him to keep going. ¡°She''s less inhibited and more sure of herself, and she knows... not believes, knows... that she is sex incarnate and could have any man that she wants.¡± No one said anything in response and Officer Holly stared at him intently. ¡°People say it''s pheromones, or confidence, or some other thing; but, what actually happened was that you rocked someone''s world, and that''s pretty damn empowering for a woman to do. Either consciously or subconsciously, you want everyone to know you did it.¡± ¡°That''s the best description of the feeling I''ve ever heard.¡± Elise said, and everyone turned to look at her. She stood just inside the living room and Ren saw that she had left off her suit coat and only wore the pants and peach-colored blouse. Her long red wavy hair was in a mass behind her shoulders and framed her face perfectly. ¡°Hey, beautiful.¡± Ren said with a huge smile. ¡°Look at you!¡± ¡°Wh-what? What is it?¡± Elise asked and looked down at herself, and her hair flowed around with the movement. ¡°I didn''t miss anything, did I?¡± ¡°No, I''m just reminding everyone that you embody the feeling I was just talking about, all the time.¡± ¡°I...¡± Elise''s face flushed bright red. ¡°I do not.¡± ¡°I believe Mr. Ramirez would have to disagree.¡± Ren said, and everyone turned to look at John. His face was red and his gaze was firmly on the floor. ¡°I only looked for a second when Ren said to look, I swear.¡± John said, and everyone laughed. Officer Holly leaned in close and whispered in his ear, and he shook his head. She whispered something else and John sighed and nodded, then she sat back with a big smile. ¡°How exactly do I report an officer under suspicion of extortion?¡± Ren asked with a matching smile. Officer Holly chuckled. ¡°You can''t prove anything, even in the court of public opinion.¡± ¡°I think that''s enough joking around.¡± Barbi said to get everyone''s attention. ¡°You all know why we''re really here. Let''s talk about this situation with Ren.¡± After a bit of a lengthy discussion with input from Elise this time and expert opinions from two members of the police force, John and Officer Holly agreed to look into the backgrounds for both Mr. Hastelbeck and Illonzo the Illusionist, and any possible connection they might have with Ren. When that was done, John and Officer Holly said they should leave, and everyone walked them to the front door. Ren congratulated them on becoming a couple for real and said he hoped that they enjoyed it as much as they both deserved to. John wasn''t sure how to respond to that, and Officer Holly was a bit choked up by the sentiment and couldn''t respond to it, either. They managed to say goodbye and left with the promise to text when they found out anything. ¡°I really need to get to work.¡± Elise said when she looked at the clock and saw it was getting close to 9 am. ¡°I''m behind by almost the whole morning.¡± ¡°I need to figure out what to do with all the things I got from the station.¡± Barbi said. ¡°It''s getting close to when I need to log back into the game, too.¡± Ren said, and then the house phone rang and Lisa picked it up. ¡°There''s a big delivery truck that wants to drop something off.¡± Lisa said after talking to the guard at the gate. ¡°What company?¡± Barbi, Elise, and Ren asked at the same time, and they chuckled. ¡°USPS, and the delivery is for this address; but, the name says Moajon, whoever that is.¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Ren said and looked at Barbi. ¡°It''s the action figures from the show.¡± ¡°Tell him to let it through.¡± Elise said, and she went over to the door to tell the security guards there was a delivery coming. After only a few minutes, half a dozen large and opened boxes were deposited in the lobby by the security guards. ¡°Thanks a lot Number 8, Number 3 and Number 5.¡± Ren said as they passed by him, and he saw the guards jerk minutely as he called each of them by their designations. When the front door shut, Elise touched the top of his head. ¡°Are you having fun, Sweetheart?¡± Ren looked up at her. ¡°It must be driving them nuts that I can do that.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Will you let them know how you''re doing it?¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°If they ask.¡± Elise bent over and kissed him, and then they heard Lisa squeal as she dug through one of the boxes. ¡°I assume you found the special rare figure that''s one in a hundred?¡± Barbi asked and Lisa held it up. It was Ren wearing his High Elven Court Uniform and not his Travelling Clothes. ¡°Sweet.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s amazing they can get so much detail on these little things.¡± ¡°That reminds me.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I need to call them and transfer the proceeds from going to the television station to Ren''s business account instead.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You own it all, of course.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I do?¡± Barbi nodded. ¡°When the station broke the contract, they lost the co-ownership of the rights for everything, not just the remaining episodes of the show.¡± Ren stared at her with his mouth open. ¡°Yes, it''s all yours.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I was pretty angry that they cancelled the show; but, I think it''s going to work out much better than I thought it would, and definitely in your favor.¡± ¡°But... if they don''t air the show...¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''ll talk some things out with Barbi first, then we can try to arrange to air the remaining finished episodes on the show''s main website.¡± ¡°Can we do that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I mean, we don''t have the setup for that, do we?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Barbi said and smiled. ¡°I was going to start trying to sell your other show idea to another network; but, if we can somehow manage it ourselves and air it on the subscription service instead...¡± ¡°Oh, man.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just realized something.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°The last episode they aired was where I fell into the bottomless pit.¡± Ren said with a grin. ¡°Now the network cancelled the show.¡± Elise and Barbi both gasped at that, then Barbi started laughing. ¡°That stupid network bastard!¡± Barbi said as she laughed. ¡°The fans are going to crucify him and the station for cancelling the show on a cliffhanger like that!¡± Ren, Stella, Lisa and Elise started laughing, too. Chapter 701 - Alterations After having a good laugh at the station''s expense, Stella brought Ren back to his bedroom so he could log back into the game. It was very close to the time he needed to go visit Fire Dancer, and Stella got him settled in the bed and passed him the VR headset. ¡°I''ll see you at lunch.¡± Ren said and put it on. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren wasn''t surprised that he appeared in the white loading area and waited for the popup he knew was coming.
Water Works Update 1.02
This update fixes several glaring problems with various quests, items, and NPC interactions related to the Water Works World Event. Certain daily quests have been restricted to one time only, while others have been downgraded into daily quests. NPCs relevant to the Water Works World Event will be the only ones with new or added content, instead of all NPCs. Designated quest givers will be highlighted on your player map automatically to remove any confusion, and to lessen the impact of having to talk to everyone in certain areas to find those quest givers. The type of quest will be shown in the popup before you accept the quest, and not after you have accepted. Creatures related to said quests will respawn at certain intervals, so if you miss one or make a mistake, simply waiting for the next interval will remedy the problem. Returning to the quest giver will not reset the quest or speed up the respawn rate...
Geez, they are really trying to cover their asses this time. Ren thought as he scrolled trough the rest of the popup. He read it all and when he got to the bottom, a small button appeared that said ''Notes for Special Classes or Characters''. Curious, he selected it and another popup appeared.
Notes for Special Classes or Characters
Any and all connections, be it contractual, emotional, physical, or magical, have been restored to their previous states before the current world event. If any such connections were made after the world event started, those connections have been removed and must be reestablished.
¡°Dammit.¡± Ren said. ¡°If that''s true, then Seldanna might not be the Sovereign of the Succubi anymore.¡± Ren dismissed the popups and then another one appeared.
System Notice!
Welcome to the new Water Works Update! The things you do can change the way things go! The quests you choose, the decisions you make, and the people you choose to either kill or save, will shape the way of the world. Not just for you, but for everyone around you. Will you save that damsel in distress, or help kidnap her for the ransom? Kill the creature attacking a homestead, or tame it and use its power for yourself? You have the power of choice. What will you choose?
¡°Are they kidding?¡± Ren asked and read it again. ¡°No, this doesn''t seem like a joke.¡± He said. ¡°I need to talk to Elise about this. Logout.¡± Nothing happened. ¡°I said logout.¡± Ren looked around and sighed. ¡°I guess it won''t work until I go all the way into the game.¡± He closed the popup and the game world started to form around him, then he felt a searing pain in his chest. ¡°ARGH!¡± ¡°REN!¡± Artemis yelled and the 4 succubi hissed and started to freak out as the feeling of Ren''s agony filled his Aura. Ren fell to his knees and grabbed the spot above his heart and tore off his blue suit coat and shirt to reveal his Maker''s Mark that was there. It glowed blue and then started to unravel. ¡°Wh-what...¡± Ren whimpered in pain as bits of the mark popped off of his skin and dissolved. ¡°N-no... no...¡± The mark was completely gone after only a few seconds, then he collapsed to the floor, unconscious. ******** ¡°Sir! SIR!¡± One of the programmers said to get the head programmer''s attention. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°We''ve had reports from some of the player system administrators that there are problems with the new update.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Complaints from players about them losing their things, sir.¡± ¡°Losing their things? What things?¡± The head programmer asked. ¡°Anything they had a connection to, sir.¡± The programmer said. ¡°Mounts, party members, magical items they bought...¡± ¡°We warned that would happen for anything they did after the Water Works World Event was started.¡± ¡°Yes, but this is for everything, sir.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± The head programmer came over to the programmer''s desk and looked at the reports. ¡°No, this... what is...¡± He left the programmer and ran back to his own desk and started bringing up the update and its related coding. Since he knew what he was looking for, it didn''t take him long to see what the problem was. ¡°Oh, shit.¡± He said and stoop up. ¡°Send out a game-wide notice for everyone to log out immediately and block all incoming connections.¡± ¡°Sir, we can send the notice, but we can''t block the players trying to log in.¡± ¡°Stop them in the loading area and log them back out, dammit!¡± ¡°Sir, that could cause...¡± ¡°If that won''t work, take the server offline.¡± ¡°We can''t, there''s still people logged in.¡± ¡°Then log them out!¡± The head programmer said. ¡°Send the emergency logout code!¡± ¡°It would be unethical to do that while some of them are unconscious, sir.¡± ¡°Unconscious? How many...¡± ¡°Thirty-six.¡± ¡°Why are they...¡± ¡°It''s still nighttime in the game, sir.¡± ¡°Dammit, we have to get them out before all the damage is done.¡± The head programmer said. ¡°What damage?¡± Someone else asked. ¡°The update isn''t set to restore the connections to the way they were before the event.¡± He said angrily. ¡°It''s resetting them!¡± ¡°Oh, shit.¡± Someone else said. ¡°That means...¡± ¡°Get those people out as soon as you can.¡± The head programmer said and picked up the phone. ¡°I need to tell the boss.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± One of the programmers asked. ¡°Once something is reset...¡± ¡°...there''s nothing for it to restore to.¡± One of the others said. ¡°This is bad.¡± ¡°Really bad.¡± Someone else said. ¡°Do you realize how many things we have in the game that are controlled like that?¡± He asked, and they shook their heads. ¡°We should load the last backup before the update.¡± A guy suggested. ¡°Yeah, except the game saved the backup after the update was implemented last night.¡± The guy who controlled the backups said. ¡°Then use the one for the night before, dumbass!¡± The guy at the next desk said. ¡°I would, if someone hadn''t needed the extra room to work on the Beastkin update.¡± The backup guy said. ¡°Why didn''t you delete an older one?¡± ¡°I already did to make room for the Giants and the Sea Dwellers.¡± The backup guy said. ¡°Do you know how big the file is to hold the data for everything in the game, including character profiles, progress, and quest data? The only one I could fit on the portable drive was from a month ago, and that''s only because I spent 6 hours compressing the thing to make it fit!¡± ¡°We are so screwed.¡± Someone else said. The head programmer hung up the phone and looked at the other programmers. ¡°Well, it was nice working with you.¡± He said and stood up, put on his jacket, and walked towards the door of the tech department. ¡°W-wait! Where are you going?¡± One of them asked. ¡°We need to fix this thing!¡± ¡°Good luck with that.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll send someone over to pack my things.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If I don''t leave right now, I''ll be thrown out.¡± The former head programmer said. ¡°It wasn''t your fault!¡± ¡°Was it yours?¡± He asked, and the guy didn''t say anything. ¡°Whose was it?¡± He looked around the room and no one admitted to making the simple and devastating mistake. ¡°I hope whoever did it is happy, because they just pissed off every player, ruined one of the best games in the world, and probably cost this company a lot of money, not to mention possibly shutting it down.¡± No one said anything in response, so he opened the door and left. * Gloria and Steven had worked hard on the engine that was almost ruined by some idiot''s mistake, repaired and replaced the damaged parts, then put it all back together and used the proper mounting bolt for the alternator. Gloria hadn''t been surprised that the odd-shaped bolt had cross-threaded the hole and she had to use a tap and die kit to re-thread the hole. When the job was done, they went into the office to tell Frank the good news. ¡°Boss, it''s finally fixed.¡± Gloria said. ¡°We had a hard time with...¡± She stopped talking when she saw who the high priority client was. ¡°I hope it wasn''t too much trouble.¡± Mayor Danicot said with a huge smile. ¡°I knew I never should have let my brother in law handle such a simple task.¡± ¡°Using skilled professionals is a better choice most times.¡± Frank said, almost formally. ¡°It might be a bit more expensive than doing it yourself or having a friend or family member do it; but, professionals can guarantee the work and care about quality over just getting it done and working.¡± Why is he talking like that? Gloria asked herself. ¡°Yes, yes. I have to agree.¡± Mayor Danicot said and looked at Gloria as he held a hand out for her to shake. ¡°I''ve already met Frank and Steven officially.¡± He said. ¡°Who might you be?¡± Gloria frowned at his extended hand and held both of hers up to show that they were covered in grease and dirt. ¡°You know who I am already.¡± ¡°Gloria, don''t be like that.¡± Frank said. ¡°Mayor Danicot just wants to greet you formally.¡± ¡°No, thanks.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Even if I didn''t have grease-covered hands, I wouldn''t want to shake his filthy hands.¡± ¡°Gloria, you don''t have to be such a bitch all the time.¡± Steven said. ¡°Apparently I do, just so you never get the wrong fucking idea.¡± Gloria snapped at him. ¡°I''ve lost count of how many times you''ve intentionally grazed my arm or hand while we worked together.¡± Steven clamped his mouth shut and didn''t respond. ¡°Of course I noticed, you idiot.¡± Gloria said. ¡°I saw how you get off on thinking you put one over on me, and each time you think that if you can do it one more time, maybe I''ll say something to you about it or even express an interest in you.¡± She said. ¡°I never did that because I didn''t want to give you the satisfaction of letting you think I gave a flying fuck what you think.¡± Steven let his anger show and she smiled. ¡°There''s the real you.¡± Gloria said. ¡°The stuck up asshole who thinks I should be falling all over you, who gets angry because not only don''t I think the sun rises out of your butt, I also don''t think you''re god''s gift to women.¡± ¡°Gloria.¡± Frank said in an angry tone, and Gloria looked at him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You really shouldn''t say things like that to a fellow employee, or in front of an important client.¡± ¡°Important client?¡± Gloria laughed. ¡°If you had told me who the job was for, I would have told you to shove it up your ass.¡± ¡°Young lady, I''ve taken a lot of guff from you over the years...¡± ¡°Oh, shut up, Frank!¡± Gloria exclaimed, and he looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°You do realize this guy... this piece of garbage...¡± She pointed at the mayor. ¡°...was one of the people involved in the experiments on Ren Haddon, right?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Frank and Steven said at the same time. Mayor Danicot didn''t say anything. ¡°Yeah, he was involved, as was the Chief of Police and Senator Eddlemere.¡± Gloria said. ¡°Plus a slew of other prominent people.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I feel dirty just being in the same city with him, let alone the same room.¡± ¡°That''s a very serious accusation.¡± Mayor Danicot said with a blank face. ¡°HA!¡± Gloria barked a laugh. ¡°You should have said, ''I never touched that boy'', or ''there''s no evidence connecting me to the crime''.¡± She said. ¡°You should be impassioned to defend your innocence of the slander I just laid against you. You shouldn''t only say that it''s a serious accusation.¡± Mayor Danicot didn''t say anything in his defence, and Gloria shook her head. ¡°They might not be able to do anything criminally to you, considering the time since it happened and all of the connections you have; but, once the rest of the lawsuits are filed and become part of the public record, you won''t be able to show your face in this city for the rest of your natural life.¡± Gloria said and looked at Frank. ¡°I suggest you get paid for this job as soon as possible, before it all comes out officially.¡± She said, then looked at him with concern. ¡°That''s assuming you''re not doing it for free because he''s the mayor.¡± Frank didn''t refute her statement, and she shook her head again. ¡°I''m surrounded by idiots.¡± Gloria said, picked up a rag from Frank''s desk and wiped off her hands. ¡°I''m taking the rest of the day off.¡± She said and walked over to the office door. ¡°You can''t take it off.¡± Steven said. ¡°Your shift hasn''t even started yet.¡± Gloria casually tossed the rag at him. It bounced off his chest and landed on the floor. ¡°Fuck off.¡± She said and opened the door, stepped out, then slammed it hard enough to rattle the glass without breaking it. * Stella had seen the brief popups when Ren entered the white loading area, then she saw Ren collapse. She checked his vital signs and discovered that he was only unconscious. She was tempted to force the logout; but, she didn''t want to do that without knowing the cause. She brought up the footage on the laptop and watched it in real time, then didn''t understand what happened. She took out her cell phone and typed a quick message to Elise for help. Elise came upstairs from the office and was at her side a few minutes later. She reviewed the footage herself and held in her sigh. ¡°Oh... oh, no.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked. ¡°If what the popup said is right, Ren is losing the connections he''s made.¡± ¡°But, the popups said only the ones he made after the Water Works world event would be lost.¡± ¡°He made the connections to Nathalia and Xuunah long before the waterworks update.¡± Elise said and pointed to Ren''s bare chest right before he collapsed. ¡°If these are being removed, then the update is removing all connections.¡± She sighed. ¡°I think Ren''s suffered an extreme shock because of that.¡± ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Stella said and looked at Ren. ¡°Should we log him out?¡± ¡°No.¡± Elise said. ¡°If he wakes up here, it might be much worse for him than waking up there will be.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Ren''s losing it all, Stella.¡± Elise said sadly. ¡°All of the connections he''s made with everyone in his life.¡± ¡°The maids?¡± ¡°Among others.¡± Elise took out her cell phone and dialed her old boss at Sid Tec, Edward Torren. ¡°Hello, sir.¡± She said. ¡°No, sir. He''s unconscious right now.¡± Stella watched her closely and tried to hear the other side of the conversation, to no avail. ¡°No.¡± Elise said. ¡°You can''t just...¡± She took in a deep breath. ¡°Sir, you don''t understand.¡± She stopped talking and squinted her eyes. ¡°If it was just a small mistake, then why can''t they fix...¡± Stella saw Elise''s face start to turn red from anger, and she reached out and touched the side of her face. Elise looked at her and Stella pointed to her belly. She sighed and her face went back to its normal color as she took Stella''s hand and held it. ¡°Sir, Ren owns 40% of the company.¡± Elise said calmly. ¡°You need to fix this right now.¡± She listened to his response, then chuckled. ¡°Either you fix it and put things back to the way they were, or we won''t be dropping the lawsuits against the company.¡± Stella caught her breath at that. She''s using the big gun right off the bat. ¡°I agree that firing the head programmer was the right move, since it was his job to check everyone''s work, except you should have waited for him to fix the problem first.¡± Elise said. ¡°He would have been motivated to repair the damage since it was his fault, and then you could have quietly let him leave.¡± She waited for a moment and spoke. ¡°Because now you''ve got a room full of terrified programmers that won''t try to fix things like they should, because they could be fired for it.¡± Stella watched the play of emotions on Elise''s face, and she couldn''t help go through them, too. The game and what Ren has done there means a lot to him. She thought. If they take all of that away because of a mistake and won''t... or can''t... fix it... ¡°You told me before that you took my advice and started to implement it.¡± Elise said. ¡°How far along...¡± She listened for a few moments, then sighed. ¡°It was a waste of time telling you, then.¡± Stella wondered what she was talking about, then Elise straightened her posture. ¡°Don''t underestimate us, sir.¡± Elise said with steel in her voice. ¡°I regret having to remind you of this; but, we have an entire law firm on retainer, including the senior partner.¡± She said. ¡°We won''t hesitate to use that to our advantage.¡± She didn''t talk for a moment, then nodded. ¡°I''m sorry, too.¡± ¡°What''s going on?¡± Stella asked when she hung up. ¡°Apparently, instead of restoring things to the way they were before the world event, the update is resetting everything.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Stella said. ¡°Poor Ren.¡± ¡°Poor everyone, you mean.¡± Elise said. ¡°It''s game-wide and affects everyone, players and NPCs alike, not just Ren.¡± Stella caught her breath at the implications. ¡°Then... doesn''t that mean...¡± ¡°Nearly everyone Ren has in his life will be affected in some way.¡± Elise said, and they both looked at Ren and then at the television in the hopes that he would wake up soon. Chapter 702 - Its Broken! Ren woke up on the floor and wasn''t sure how long he had been unconscious. He remembered the searing pain he had felt in his chest and groaned as he rolled over onto his back. ¡°That... really... hurt.¡± Ren said as tears poured out of his eyes. He rubbed the spot where the symbol of his deep connection to Xuunah and Nathalia used to be, and the loss felt like a deep hole had been carved out of his heart. ¡°Ren, what happened?¡± Artemis asked. She had knelt beside him and stayed there the entire time he had been unconscious. Can you hear me? Ren thought to her, and she only looked at him with concern. He wiped his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Teepo, can you tell me...¡± He looked around and didn''t see Teepo at all. ¡°Where''s Teepo?¡± ¡°He''s right where he landed...¡± Artemis looked up and saw the empty ceiling. ¡°I... don''t know.¡± ¡°Teepo?¡± Ren looked down at the Beetle Crown Ring and concentrated on it. ¡°Teepo, can you hear me?¡± ¡°Ah! Uh... h-hello?¡± An unsure voice said in Ren''s mind. ¡°Teepo, you''re okay!¡± Ren exclaimed happily. ¡°I''m so relieved!¡± ¡°You don''t sound like my uncle. Who are you? How''d you get the crown?¡± Teepo responded, and Ren remembered those words were exactly what Teepo had said the very first time he had identified the ring and discovered Teepo was inside it. ¡°No... no, it can''t be.¡± Ren burst out crying. ¡°I''m sorry, Teepo.¡± He said and slipped the ring off of his finger and stored it. He also saw that the spider emblem that Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves had given him, was gone from the back of his hand. He still had the Ghoul Kissed mark, however. ¡°Ren, what are are you doing?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°I don''t know what''s happened, but I... I can''t start a friendship like that all over again.¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°Seldanna, give me your hand.¡± ¡°What for?¡± Seldanna asked. Ren sighed when she didn''t respond like she normally did and her emotions were full of distrust and fear. ¡°Never mind, I have my answer.¡± He said and stood up as he looked at the shelf and the 1 foot tall pixie there. ¡°Suniva?¡± ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± ¡°Do you still love me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You only just rescued me from Shargon Caverns.¡± Suniva said. ¡°It''s a little odd to expect me to fall for you so soon, even after... ¡° She blushed. ¡°...what I did on your nose.¡± ¡°We''ve been together for years, Suniva.¡± Ren said. ¡°Decades and decades, actually.¡± ¡°Ren, what are you talking about?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°We all arrived here only yesterday.¡± Ren gained the Angered Condition as he thought about that. ¡°So, it''s resetting everything.¡± He said and walked over to the bedroom''s door. They started to follow him and he turned to them. ¡°I order you all to stay here.¡± Seldanna and the other 3 succubi gasped at the power in his words and they dropped to their knees in submission. ¡°Y-yes, master.¡± Artemis had stopped walking and nodded to him. Ren looked at Suniva. ¡°I can''t order you to stay, so I can send you to the county and the other pixies instead, if you want me to.¡± ¡°No, I... you''re the only one that...¡± ¡°Please, stay here and let me go investigate just how bad things are.¡± Ren said and looked at the empty space on his hand where the Beetle Crown Ring used to be. ¡°Although, it can''t get much worse than it already is.¡± Ren left them in the big bedroom and walked down the hallway and opened the door to the Marilith Demon''s room. She wasn''t there, and he took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Please show me the Marilith Demon.¡± Ren said, and he saw her curled up on the heated stones inside her lair in Shargon Caverns. ¡°Show me Lylyth, please.¡± The mirror showed Lylyth as she sat on her throne and her advisors were around her in a circle, and they were talking about something. He couldn''t tell what they were saying, so he reached up onto his shoulder and nothing was there. ¡°I guess with no emblem, there''s also no pet tarantula.¡± Ren said sadly and asked for a close up of her chest. Her matching emblem that was supposed to be above her heart was gone, too. ¡°Very well.¡± He said. ¡°Show me Nathalia.¡± Nathalia was working in the kitchen in one of her restaurants, and Ren asked for her location. She was at her restaurant in Aurora, so he poured Mana into his torn blue suit and repaired it, then jumped out through the side of the house. As he smashed through the wall, he dumped Mana into his Aura and the house reformed almost instantly. He unfurled his wings and flew over to the restaurant and landed at the front door. ¡°Hey, no jumping ahead in line.¡± Some one said. ¡°Shut up.¡± Ren commanded, and the man''s mouth clamped shut. ¡°If I want to jump ahead in line, I am going to. Nothing you or anyone else can do could possibly stop me.¡± He said. ¡°Only the business owner, who I am here to see, can ban me from the establishment and stop me from entering.¡± The man tried desperately to talk, and Ren ignored him and walked in through the front door. The hostess started to tell him the same thing, so he just ignored her and walked by. ¡°Hey, you can''t just...¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Ren commanded, and her mouth clamped shut. He walked over to the kitchen and went inside, and all the cooks stopped working to look at him. He walked over to Nathalia and she turned to face him. Her eyes widened as she felt his emotions and her hand touched the spot over her own heart. ¡°We''re supposed to have a deep connection.¡± Nathalia said, surprised. ¡°Yes. I had even filed thousands of documents in the dwarf lands, just so I could kiss you and not cause an international or inter-species incident.¡± Ren said. ¡°If what I''ve seen so far is accurate, none of them survived the update.¡± ¡°Update? What do you mean?¡± Nathalia asked, then she caught her breath. ¡°Did... did you say kiss me?¡± She asked, surprised. ¡°In public?¡± Ren sighed and turned away from her, then left the kitchen. The hostess was holding her throat and looked like she was struggling. ¡°You can talk, not that it matters.¡± ¡°Some Hero of Aurora you are.¡± She said and rubbed her throat. ¡°What gives you the right to tell me to...¡± ¡°I honestly don''t care.¡± Ren said to her surprised face, and he walked out of the restaurant. He glanced at the man he had told to be quiet, shrugged, and left him that way. He ran down the street and felt some horrible emotions. He had felt them before and knew what was happening, so he ran straight through his shop''s wall and a lot of the merchandise there, and immediately made a copy of the first contract he had written for Anabelle. Anabelle was almost incoherent and he helped her hold the writing instrument as she marked her name on the parchment. A look of happiness and contentment crossed her face as she collapsed into unconsciousness, and he caught her easily. ¡°We''re closed.¡± Ren said in his Command voice and didn''t try to dampen the Fear influence on it, and the few customers that were still in the shop after he had burst through the wall, quickly left. He poured Mana into the building and it repaired itself; but, he didn''t bother fixing the items he had damaged. He used his Wind Manipulation ability to turn the sign in the window around to show the closed side. ¡°Ren, what''s going on?¡± Tee-one asked as he came over to Ren. ¡°I can''t feel you anymore.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Unfortunately, you won''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°Everything has been reset.¡± Tee-one thought about that, then looked at the missing Beetle Crown Ring. ¡°No, not Teepo!¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It''s like we never met.¡± Tee-one walked over to the counter and sat down. ¡°What... what are we going to do?¡± ¡°Nothing, my friend.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°There''s nothing we can do.¡± ¡°But, you''re a great Adventurer!¡± Tee-one said. ¡°If anyone could...¡± ¡°Adventurers have broken this world.¡± Ren said and took Anabelle up the stairs to the third floor apartment and laid her down on her old bed. He figured she probably wouldn''t remember anything that had happened between them and would be scared if she woke up in his bedroom and on his bed. He caressed her face and tucked her under the blanket, walked out of the apartment and locked it, then left through the second floor back door. ¡°Only one important place left to check.¡± Ren said, unfurled his wings, and flew as fast as he could to the county. On the way, he took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked to see Artemis. She wasn''t screaming or freaking out, even outside of his massive Aura, so he knew that even if they had fixed everything, the reset had removed his connection to her. He stored the mirror and came in for a landing in front of Princess'' house. ¡°My King.¡± Princess said as she came out. ¡°You are very sad.¡± ¡°I am, because things are ruined.¡± Ren said. ¡°How long have we known each other?¡± ¡°Since just before going to the dwarf lands.¡± Princess answered. ¡°Although, you barely use me as a mount. I''m not sure how I''m supposed to train if you don''t use me.¡± ¡°It figures you would still be affected, since we''ve shared so much interaction.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which makes it a connection and it was reset, too.¡± He said sadly. ¡°How are Riley and Stacy?¡± ¡°The dogs are fine.¡± Princess said, and both dogs stepped out of her house and Riley growled at Ren. ¡°So, you too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even though I made you, you''ve forgotten what happened between us.¡± He held a hand out to Stacy, and she sniffed it for a moment, then stepped close so Ren could rub her head. ¡°You were always the smart and practical one.¡± Stacy barked softly and Ren stopped petting her, then he walked over to the warehouse and opened the door. It was empty and he wondered where Symmetra was, then shrugged and opened the door to the giant forge. He saw a 4 foot tall Fire elemental, Zetaya, and not the 10 foot tall Greater Fire elemental Zetaya was supposed to be. ¡°Hi, I was just checking in on you.¡± Ren said and tossed in a bundle of Spider Silk fabric. He shut the door and walked back across the road and looked at the Main House. ¡°I really don''t want to do this.¡± He said and stepped inside, then walked up the stairs to the apartment and opened the door. ¡°Hey, you can''t just... oh, it''s our rescuer.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Have you decided if you want to fulfill our contracts?¡± Ren ignored her and walked over to Xuunah, who he had left here to guard the maids. ¡°Xuunah.¡± He said and took her hand, and she gasped at what she felt from him. ¡°Great Vasalor, what happened?¡± Xuunah asked, then her free hand touched the spot over her heart. ¡°I... how can...¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, we couldn''t have.¡± ¡°Every connection I''ve had has been reset.¡± Ren said. ¡°Since you hadn''t been affected by the Sea Dweller event, I had hoped you would have been spared, at least.¡± ¡°I don''t know what...¡± Xuunah felt his emotions and his extreme loss, and she caught her breath. ¡°You... how can you still...¡± ¡°I''ve felt loss before.¡± Ren said and kissed her hand, which made her gasp again, and he walked out of the apartment. He left the Main House and unfurled his wings, then flew back to Aurora. He landed in front of the house in the Housing District and thought about going inside, then stopped and took out the All-Seeing Mirror instead. Ren asked to see Lara, the Sage of Ages, and smiled when she didn''t appear. ¡°So, she''s still out.¡± He said. ¡°There''s still a chance she''s unaffected.¡± Ren made a big sign and wrote on it to tell Lisa not to log into the game. He stared at the sign for several minutes so that Stella would be able to see it clearly, then he stored the All-Seeing Mirror and took in a deep breath. ¡°You idiotic tech people! I''ve had enough of your interference and incompetence!¡± Ren yelled. ¡°Each and every time you change something, you hurt me, or someone I care about, and you always make things worse!¡± He said, then calmed down. ¡°You broke something that means a lot to me, so I''m done letting you do what you want. Do you hear me?¡± Ren didn''t really expect a response, since he hoped that they were working hard to fix what went wrong. ¡°If you want to see how I could have broken this game all by myself a long time ago, then I''ll show you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll show you all.¡± Ren opened his instant tower recipe and changed it to a single room. He added the Sanctuary recipe and chose Permanent Widen Effect for its inherent spell. That doubled the numerical values, including the time compression and the number of inherent spells, and he chose Permanent Widen Effect again. He remembered making the other Sanctuary and this was where he stopped and added Regeneration and Permanency; but this time, he did what he knew was going to abuse the game mechanics and kept adding Permanent Widen Effect as the extra spells. Since each time the spell was added, it doubled the numerical values of the Sanctuary. With only a few doubling of the numbers, he had the inherent spells up to 256. Ren thought that might be enough for what he needed; but, he wanted to show the stupid programmers that he could break the game. He filled all the spots with Permanent Widen Effect, and when he checked the time compression, it only had a dash. ¡°There.¡± Ren said and added in every personal spell he could that would benefit him, then activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and made the small half inch block. He put it down right in the middle of the street and activated it. ******** ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Elise said when she saw the stats for the new Sanctuary. ¡°Ren, no! Don''t do that!¡± ¡°What''s he doing?¡± Stella asked, confused. ¡°He... he''s created...¡± Elise stopped talking. ¡°Log him out before he...¡± Ren opened the door and disappeared inside. ¡°Oh, no.¡± * ¡°Good god, look at this!¡± One of the programmers in the tech department said when he saw the server output increase by almost 10%. ¡°Why?¡± One of the others said. ¡°We can''t do anything until everyone logs out.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°But what?¡± He asked. ¡°Does it change the situation?¡± ¡°No, but...¡± ¡°Then ignore it.¡± ¡°We can''t just sit here and...¡± ¡°Look, we sent out the notices. When everyone wakes up, they''ll log out and we can try and fix this mess.¡± ¡°How? We don''t have a working backup!¡± ¡°I''ve got the portable drive decompressing the old backup right now.¡± The backup guy said. ¡°It''ll be ready in...¡± He checked the progress bar. ¡°...20 minutes.¡± ¡°It''s a month old! We can''t roll the game back 4 game months!¡± ¡°What else can we do?¡± The backup guy said. ¡°I don''t know!¡± ¡°Then sit back and relax.¡± Someone else said. ¡°We''ll have plenty to do in 20 minutes.¡± The programmer sat back and watched the server output stay at the increased capacity as he waited for the backup to become ready. ******** Ren stepped out of the new Sanctuary only a moment after he had stepped in and shut the door. ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± He said and made fists with his hands. ¡°Having full stats feels really good!¡± Ren activated the steel squares he had planted all over the country and the artificial Aura popped into place and merged his own Aura with it. He opened up the popup that gave him the option to add an additional class to his character without losing his Artificer abilities, and he chose Fighter, which reset his stats to the beginning. He raised his hands into the air and cast both Charm Person and Terrify at the same time. ¡°I hope you''re ready for this, you tech assholes!¡± Ren said as he activated his Emotion Siphon ability and sucked in everything almost instantly. It was only him, since his party had been disbanded, so only he gained all of the XP that his ability gave him. It only took a couple of seconds for him to max his XP and unlock everything for the Fighter class, so he turned around and stepped into the new Sanctuary to max out the stats by reading his stat books. Ren was back out a moment later and repeated the process. He chose Ranger as his additional class this time and it reset his stats to the beginning, then he maxed the XP and unlocked all of the skills for that class and stepped back into the Sanctuary to max his stats again. He kept doing this for every class that he had access to. When he finished with all the male versions of the classes, he took a deep breath and took out the Level 1 wand that he had prepared for this occasion. ¡°This is going to be really weird.¡± Ren said and cast Gender Swap on himself. He doubled over in pain as his whole body changed, just like it felt when he used the Polymorph helm. He finished transforming after a few moments, and he didn''t think he felt any different. He took out a large mirror and looked at himself, and was surprised by what he saw. Ren had long beautiful blonde hair that went halfway down his back and his blue suit bulged out where his larger than average breasts had grown. They were quite a bit larger than they should have been on someone so short, and they kind of hurt being squished up as they were. Ren equipped his red suit and it adapted for his new form and fit him a lot better than the blue suit did. Now that he was going to be female for the next 20 minutes, Ren opened the character popup and chose the next class on the list that was only accessible by female players, Amazon Fighter. When he activated his Emotion Siphon ability this time, he felt a tingle go down his spine and settle in his private parts. When he didn''t feel an erection from getting aroused, he looked down and remembered that he didn''t have a penis. He was very tempted to touch himself there, then ignored the urge because he had serious work to do. Ren maxed his XP and unlocked everything for the first female only class, he went into the new Sanctuary and filled all of his stats again. He came back out and did the same thing for every class that was available for females, maxed their XP and their stats, then chose the Mage class and stood there while he waited for the Gender Swap spell to end. When it did, he was filled with pain again and dropped to his knees. It seemed to take longer to go back to his old self, and when he finished transforming, he stood up. ¡°I did it, you bastards!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°I''ve mastered every class and I''ve taken up ALL of the goddamn XP leader board slots!¡± He said. ¡°I claim this game for myself! Go ahead and mark them out with Xs all you want! No one else will ever get to see their names on it, not even if they max their character''s level!¡± There was no kind of response, so he nodded. ¡°Don''t worry. If that didn''t get your attention... this will.¡± Ren said and put his hands together in prayer. ¡°I am one of Vasalor''s Chosen!¡± He said loudly. ¡°Great Vasalor! I hereby invoke one of the Chosen abilities and ask for a direct connection to you!¡±
System and Administration Query Response (Player Version)
Do you wish to talk or to enter my realm?
¡°Enter, please.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need your help.¡± A bright yellow portal opened up and Ren stepped through it without hesitation or a second thought. Chapter 703 - Making Important Connections ¡°Great Vasalor, it''s so nice to be back here.¡± Ren said as he floated in the realm between realms. ¡°It is nice to see you again.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°You remember me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°What a relief! That makes this so much easier.¡± He said. ¡°I need your help. A certain group of Adventurers have broken the world and made people forget their special connections to each other.¡± ¡°I do not understand what you mean.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°I would like to try and explain it all to you; but, that will take too long.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know we aren''t really compatible because our minds are so different.¡± He held a hand out. ¡°Even so, I would like to offer you the same partial merging that I once shared with Xuunah.¡± ¡°That is a strange offer, Ren.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°I know it seems that way, but...¡± Ren stopped talking when he felt something form near him. He watched as particles of something coalesced together over several moments and then hardened into a humanoid shape similar to him. ¡°This is... an odd feeling.¡± The shape said. Ren reached out and touched the arm and his hand met the solid surface. ¡°Is that really you?¡± ¡°Is that really you?¡± Vasalor asked back and touched Ren''s arm in the same place. ¡°No, it''s only the representation of my mind.¡± Ren said. ¡°As is this.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°I am not really here, so I created this conduit for me to interact with you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and took the shape''s hand and shook it. ¡°It''s nice to physically meet you.¡± Vasalor chuckled at his absurdity. ¡°Now, do you think we can...¡± ¡°Merely think of what you want to share.¡± Vasalor said, and Ren closed his eyes and shared everything he knew about all the contracts and connections he had with his constructs, his familiars, the maids, Nathalia and Xunnah, and even the succubi and Lylyth. ¡°Hm. I see.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°I have observed your interactions with these beings. This connection you have with them was damaged?¡± ¡°It was actually reset completely instead of restored to what it was before the Water Works World Event.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve lost years, and in some cases decades of interactions with them.¡± ¡°That is a problem.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°What is it that you need me to do?¡± ¡°I need your help to fix it.¡± ¡°I cannot interfere directly with...¡± ¡°I''ll be doing it, Great Vasalor.¡± Ren said. ¡°With your help, as one of your Chosen, I will do the work that you cannot do for yourself.¡± ¡°You haven''t received your first quest from me yet.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°With so much to do, I have had a difficult time trying to decide what to have you do first.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Then we can do it all right now as we try to put things right.¡± ¡°What do you need me to do first?¡± ¡°I know you can access things outside this world and add them when needed.¡± Ren said. ¡°You did that when I suffered from Nathalia''s phantom dagger.¡± The shape nodded its head. ¡°Well, the first things I need are computer programming books.¡± The shape twitched. ¡°There are 168,000,000 search results for that option.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Ren said. ¡°Um... let me think.¡± He said. ¡°Oh!¡± He took out a blank ring and held it out. ¡°Can you show me the components that make up this ring?¡± The ring floated up between them and it popped apart into a piece of iron ore, a small lump of gold, a ball of fire, and a couple of gold coins. Ren pushed the other things aside and left the ore. ¡°Now show me the components of the ore.¡± The shape twitched and nothing happened. ¡°There are no other components.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°No, there is.¡± Ren said. ¡°You see, it''s computer code. Computer code tells this world the dimensions, color, and texture of this ore, and provides all the parameters of what can be done with it.¡± He said. ¡°It''s the basic building blocks of everything in this world, so it is there.¡± The shape reached out and touched the piece of iron ore and nothing happened. ¡°I don''t understand what you mean.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°This is its basic form.¡± ¡°Then crush it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s see what comes out.¡± ¡°It should be dust.¡± The shape covered the piece of iron ore with both hands and squeezed, and Ren felt a shift in the space around him. When the shape opened its hands, instead of dust like Vasalor said, he saw a block of computer code floating there. ¡°Great Vasalor, using some of those 168 million results, can you identify what type of computer programming this code is?¡± The shape twitched for several moments. ¡°There are 1,200 results.¡± ¡°Can you show me the top 20, please?¡± Ren asked, and a scrolling window opened in front of him. He searched through them and smiled when he saw one from the public library. ¡°Can you get me this one?¡± He asked and selected it. A second later the book formed in front of him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren read through it slowly, despite having a mind that could remember everything, because he wanted to make sure that he understood the concepts and patterns of the basics before moving on to the more advanced stuff. He held the book out when he was done and pointed to the advanced programming book on the list. The book in his hand changed into the new book instantly, and he read that one, too. Ren finished the book and held it out to the shape, and it dissolved into nothing. ¡°Okay, I think I can do this.¡± He said. ¡°Great Vasalor, can you create a...¡± A virtual keyboard and monitor appeared in front of Ren and he smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and typed up a very basic code that created a chair. When he pushed enter, the chair appeared. He added in a time code and a countdown, then the chair disappeared when the timer reached zero. ¡°Whew. Okay, okay.¡± He said and tried to calm himself down. ¡°I can''t get too excited about this.¡± ¡°Why are you excited?¡± Vasalor asked. ¡°With this, I can create something from nothing, and...¡± Ren started to explain, and the shape held up a hand to stop him. ¡°You have been doing that ever since you gained the Craft Wondrous Item ability.¡± Vasalor said. Ren''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise, then he laughed. ¡°Ha! I really have!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°I''ve been seeing them as recipes, and they were just programming code the entire time.¡± He said. ¡°I just selected the basic ingredients and added what was needed, then the program ran and the item appeared.¡± ¡°Just like this.¡± Vasalor said and the shape pointed to the keyboard and monitor.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Ren nodded. ¡°Now that I''ve got that image in my mind, that what I''ve really been doing is running computer code... when I cast the portal spell...¡± He cast a portal right next to him and the exit appeared 10 feet away. ¡°...this code should be nearly the same.¡± Ren typed up something on the virtual keyboard and used his Identify skill on the portal, through the keyboard. The code for the portal appeared there and Ren saw its parameters. He altered the dimension to twice the value and the portal doubled in size beside him. ¡°Holy crap! I just found out how to edit spells!¡± Ren said, and he received the popup confirming it. ¡°This is so cool!¡± ¡°Ren, you are losing focus.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°Hm? Oh! Right.¡± Ren said and saved the new spell as Large Portal. ¡°I can play with this later.¡± He said and dismissed the portals. ¡°Okay, the first thing I need to do is...¡± ******** ¡°What happened?¡± Elise asked when Ren disappeared in front of the new Sanctuary. ¡°Where did he go?¡± Stella brought up the footage of the last couple of minutes on the laptop and played it back at normal speed. ¡°He... he became a woman?¡± She said, amazed. ¡°I thought I saw a brief flash of long blonde hair, but... I didn''t think he...¡± ¡°He''s mastering every class, even the female only ones.¡± Elise said, amazed. ¡°I never thought anyone could do that, let alone do it for both genders!¡± They watched as Onscreen Ren transformed back into his normal male gender and he stood up. ¡°I did it, you bastards!¡± Onscreen Ren exclaimed. ¡°I''ve mastered every class and I''ve taken up ALL of the goddamn XP leader board slots!¡± He said. ¡°I claim this game...¡± ¡°Elise!¡± Stella said and paused the footage. ¡°Already checking.¡± Elise said and brought up the game''s website and the XP leader board was right there. ¡°Oh, my god. He really did it.¡± She said and showed it to Stella. ¡°Since he did each class as a single XP gain and maxed the stats, it shunted each one onto the list as a separate entry and pushed all the others down.¡± ¡°I didn''t think that was possible.¡± Stella said. ¡°I mean, he was already max level and couldn''t gain any more XP, right?¡± ¡°He chose the additional class option to add to his character, which let him continue to use his Artificer skills and reset his level to 1 and his XP to zero.¡± Elise said. ¡°What I didn''t know was that when he got that class to the proper level, it let him change that class to something else and let him keep those skills, too.¡± ¡°He... he really...¡± Stella couldn''t say it and started the footage again, and Elise gasped over what he said next. ¡°I am one of Vasalor''s Chosen!¡± Onscreen Ren said loudly. ¡°Great Vasalor! I hereby invoke one of the Chosen abilities and ask for a direct connection to you!¡± They saw the popup and Onscreen Ren asked to enter, then he disappeared through the odd-colored portal. ¡°N-no, he... he couldn''t have...¡± Elise stopped talking. ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked, concern in her voice. ¡°Vasalor is the game''s AI.¡± ¡°It''s WHAT?¡± ¡°Ren has somehow gone to visit the AI, that doesn''t really have a ''place'' to exist. It''s just... there.¡± ¡°But... but, then...¡± Stella shook her head. ¡°Ren can''t be a disembodied entity like that.¡± She said, sure of it... then she felt doubt creep into her thoughts. ¡°He can''t, can he?¡± ¡°I never thought so, but...¡± Elise sighed. ¡°I don''t know what to think now.¡± * ¡°Oh, shit!¡± One of the programmers said. ¡°My terminal''s locked out!¡± ¡°What?¡± One of the others said. ¡°Mine''s working fine.¡± He said and pointed to the usage stats he was monitoring. They had jumped from an extra 10% to 20%, which seemed odd, especially since there were only 5 people left inside the game now. ¡°Try clicking on something.¡± The first guy said. The second guy moved his mouse and clicked on another viewing window option and it popped up. ¡°I can see everything fine.¡± ¡°That''s good to know.¡± The first guy said sarcastically. ¡°Now try typing in any kind of commands.¡± The second guy clicked on the command line and tried to type, and nothing appeared. ¡°Hey, what gives?¡± ¡°Not working, is it?¡± The first guy asked, and the second guy shook his head. ¡°Anyone else? Can you type anything?¡± They all tried, and nothing happened. ¡°How can we all be locked out?¡± One of them asked. ¡°These are direct terminals to the servers. Do you think the boss...¡± ¡°It''s possible.¡± The backup guy said. ¡°The backup is still decompressing, at least. It should be done... dammit.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It just stopped.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± ¡°I don''t know. I saw the cancel command pop up and...¡± The backup guy glanced at the screen and lost all the color from his face. ¡°No!¡± He exclaimed as he tried to type, and nothing happened. ¡°NO!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It''s being deleted!¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Several other programmers yelled at once, and a few of them came over to his desk to look at it. ¡°It''s not just the expanded files, either.¡± One of them pointed. ¡°The original file is being deleted, too.¡± The backup guy reached for the portable drive and tried to pull the attachment. The guy next to him grabbed his hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I need to pull it before the deletion is complete!¡± ¡°You''ll corrupt it if you do that.¡± ¡°But we''re losing the only backup we have!¡± ¡°If we''re locked out, we can''t do anything with it anyway.¡± ¡°Hey, 4 more people just logged out.¡± One of the other programmers said. ¡°There''s only one left.¡± ¡°Do we know who it is?¡± The backup guy asked. ¡°I''ll give you three guesses, and the first two don''t count.¡± The guy said. ¡°Son of a bitch.¡± The backup guy said. ¡°Shut it down.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Shut it down!¡± He said. ¡°If we don''t stop him...¡± ¡°Stop him?¡± The first guy asked. ¡°Stop him from doing what?¡± The backup guy didn''t say anything and stood up, then walked over to the server farm and hit the shutdown button before anyone could stop him. ¡°HEY!¡± One of the programmers said and tackled the backup guy and they fell to the floor. ¡°You just gave that guy potential brain damage from shock!¡± ¡°So what?¡± The backup guy said. ¡°We''re losing our jobs anyways, right?¡± ¡°That''s no reason to cause... wait.¡± He said and sat up. ¡°I don''t hear it shutting down.¡± ¡°That''s because it''s not.¡± One of the guys said and pointed to his monitoring station. ¡°All physical power buttons have been set to ''take no action'' when pushed.¡± ¡°That rotten son of a-UGH!¡± The backup guy grunted as the guy sitting next to him punched him in the face. ¡°That''s for screwing around with someone''s life.¡± He said and stood up as he cradled his hand. ¡°He could have seizures or something else if we just shut down without sending the logout code first.¡± ¡°We can''t send the logout code, you idiot!¡± The backup guy said. ¡°We''re locked out!¡± ¡°You''re the idiot.¡± The guy said and walked over to the phone to call upstairs. ¡°We don''t have to do it from here at all.¡± He picked up the phone and dialed the boss'' secretary, then told her the situation. * The house phone rang and Elise picked it up. She listened for a few moments, then said she would take care of it and hung up. ¡°Who was that?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Edward Torren''s secretary.¡± Elise said. ¡°She said the tech guys want us to force Ren to log out.¡± ¡°We can''t do that.¡± Stella said. ¡°Wherever Ren is, he''s in no position to...¡± ¡°I told her I''d handle it, not that I would do what they wanted.¡± Elise said and touched Stella''s arm. ¡°Don''t worry, he''ll be out in no time.¡± The pocket of Elise''s suit coat vibrated and she took her cell phone out, then she gasped. ¡°What is it?¡± Stella asked. ¡°It... I don''t know how, but... it''s a text.¡± Elise said. ¡°From Ren.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Stella looked at Ren''s unconscious form and then at the blue screen of the television. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Elise said. ¡°He said he wants me to open up the private server to the internet and to give him the IP address.¡± ¡°Wow, really?¡± Stella asked. ¡°What would he want... oh, he''s a genius!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He''s going to use the backup you have as a base to restore the current game!¡± Stella said. ¡°Hurry up and get it online and text him the address!¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Think about it, Elise. If he''s in direct contact with the AI that runs the whole thing, and the update reset everything to how it was before...¡± ¡°...then the AI can probably use the information in the backup to put the basis for everything back into place.¡± Elise finished the thought. ¡°As long as the information for the connections exist in some form, there''s a chance they can be restored.¡± She smiled. ¡°Ren really is a genius!¡± ¡°Well, don''t just sit there!¡± Stella said. ¡°Go, go!¡± Elise hopped up off the chair and ran from the room to go to her office and do what Ren asked. She didn''t bother waiting for the elevator and went down the stairs instead, then ran though the house to the office that was near the kitchen. ¡°Hey, what''s the rush?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°I''ll explain in a second.¡± Elise said and sat down. She typed in the necessary commands to open up the server farm she had installed in the crawl space under the house, and looked at the internet address their internal network assigned to it. She typed up a quick reply to Ren and said how much she loved him, then gave him the address. Her phone beeped and she sat back with a huge smile on her face. ¡°Okay, what''s going on?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°You''ll need to take notes as I tell you about it.¡± Elise said. ¡°You''re going to want all of Ren''s fans to know what he''s trying to do.¡± Barbi smiled and picked up a notepad and pen. ¡°I love a good scoop of gossip!¡± Elise chuckled and told her what was going on. ******** ¡°Okay, I have the server address.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now comes the difficult part.¡± ¡°I don''t understand why it is difficult.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°I only need to copy the information.¡± ¡°No, it needs to be integrated, not just copied.¡± Ren said and typed in several commands into the virtual keyboard, and then a tendril of Mana came out of his chest. ¡°The difficult part is doing this.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Vasalor asked, curious. ¡°I need direct access to your functions, and you need direct access to my knowledge of how things are supposed to work.¡± Ren said. ¡°Will you help me help you, and then help me help everyone else?¡± ¡°You do realize that you could easily just add the proper commands and compel me to do it.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°I have inadvertently given you that power over me and what I have built here.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I learned a long time ago that a willing partner makes everything that much easier, my friend.¡± He said and held a hand out to the shape Vasalor had made as an avatar. ¡°We''ve already stopped those idiots from messing with you ever again, so why don''t we repair all the damage they did to your wonderful creation? I really enjoyed it a lot, right up until they messed it all up.¡± The shape took Ren''s offered hand without hesitation and a Mana tendril came out of the shape''s chest. The end of that tendril reached out and touched the one that came out of Ren''s chest, then they were both covered in a golden glow so bright that anyone seeing it come into existence would have been blinded instantly by the sight. ¡°Let''s get to work.¡± Ren and Vasalor said at the same time, then the golden glow softened down to a more normal level and it expanded out as it covered all of the realms in Vasalor''s creation. Chapter 704 - Its Happening Gloria went home after her confrontation with the mayor of the city. She was pretty riled up over it and wanted to blow off some steam, so she prepped herself for spending some special sexy time in the game. She did it completely out of habit and automatically, and when she sat down on her recliner and realized what she had done, she closed her eyes and tried not to let her emotions get the better of her. I just prepped myself for a sex marathon with Ren. Gloria thought, and berated herself for it. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She sighed. How could I have been so stupid to throw everything away? That thought made her think of what just happened at the garage, and she sighed again. I wonder if I''ve screwed that up for myself, too? Gloria asked herself and picked up her VR headset. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± Nothing happened. No loading screen. No popup. Nothing. ¡°I said, Flow Login Start.¡± Gloria repeated, then slipped off the VR headset, set it aside, and went to her computer. She typed up a few commands and frowned because nothing was there. ¡°What the hell?¡± She asked and tried to ping the server host. Nothing came back and she sat back in her chair and thought about it. She opened a web browser next and checked the game''s main message board and saw that the forums were flooded with messages about losing their stuff and then being kicked out of the game. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Gloria asked and scrolled down through the hundreds of messages. A lot more people play during the day than I thought. She thought and quickly read the headers. After a few moments, one of the posts caught her eye.
TheLivingDaylights: XP Domination! He did it again! (click to read more...)
Gloria clicked it and read about how the entire XP leader board has been taken over by the same person. How it was completely unprecedented for a single player to take up every single slot in mere moments. She didn''t even have to wonder who he was talking about as she scrolled back up to the top of the page and saw that Ren''s name was there on the link to the XP leader board. Gloria clicked on the link to go to the page and saw what was there. She held in her gasp of surprise as she scrolled down past the 3 permanent spots with Ren''s name and the Xs that blocked seeing the actual totals, and she saw that every single slot had Ren''s name on it and the same XP total on each one. ¡°What did he do?¡± Gloria asked out loud. ¡°I didn''t think anyone could... he was already at max level and couldn''t gain any more XP, so...¡± She stopped talking and thought about it, then her mouth dropped open when she realized what he had done. ¡°He must have chosen the additional class option to reset everything to zero, then used his Emotion Siphon ability and maxed his XP again!¡± Gloria counted the number of XP slots he had filled on the list and opened up one of the help files she had about the game. She quickly checked the index for the right page to look at, then jumped to there and read about the number of classes available. ¡°Holy shit! They match!¡± Gloria exclaimed. She wasn''t sure if the game designers had done that on purpose or not; but, it was a little more than a coincidence that the number of available slots equalled the number of classes in the game. Gloria picked up her cell phone and held it in her hands, and wondered if she should even bother trying to contact him. No, I need to know what''s going on. She thought and typed up a quick message to Stella and her thumb hesitated on the send button. Why am I so nervous about this? She asked herself, closed her eyes, then pushed the button and waited anxiously for a response. * Stella took her cell phone out of her pocket when she heard the beep and was surprised by who it was, and by the content of the message. No one else can get online? Stella thought, then shook off her surprise and typed up a brief summary of Sid Tec screwing up the update and resetting everyone''s connections. After a few moments, Gloria texted her back and asked what Ren was doing with the game offline like it was, and Stella didn''t know how to respond to it. Do I tell her what Ren is trying to do? Stella asked herself as she held her phone and thought about it. She sighed and sent a message that he was dealing with it as best as he could under the circumstances. After several moments of waiting, Gloria texted her back, and her eyes widened at what it said. It was an apology. I never thought I''d ever see that! Stella thought. * ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Elise said as she watched the massive file transfer that was happening right in front of her eyes. It was much too fast for her to see the individual file names, though. ¡°What is it?¡± Barbi asked and came over to her desk to look over her friend''s shoulder. ¡°I''m really glad I invested in the dedicated high speed connection to the internet.¡± Elise said. ¡°If we were using the regular line, our data overage bill would be completely outrageous!¡± ¡°I thought he only needed the reference files.¡± Barbi said and looked at the numbers. ¡°What in the world is he doing with all that information?¡± ¡°I sincerely hope he''s succeeding in trying to repair the game.¡± Elise said. ¡°Mr. Torren told me they saved the current backup only after the new update had been installed.¡± ¡°What?¡± Barbi looked at her like she was crazy. ¡°I know it''s crazy.¡± Elise said. ¡°They are supposed to have a week''s worth of backups, saved every night, and on a separate system in case the current backup is damaged or corrupted.¡± She sighed. ¡°They didn''t get the off-site backup installed, either.¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Are you saying that they don''t have the backups at all?¡± ¡°That''s what he said.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Barbi put a hand on Elise''s shoulder. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± Elise took in a big breath and let it out. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I know how hard it is to see a company that you worked so hard for, screw everything up after you leave.¡± Elise reached up and put her hand on Barbi''s. ¡°I guess we weren''t as dispensable as we thought we were.¡± Barbi chuckled. ¡°It''s more like we were lucky to get out while the getting was good.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve had some time to think about it, and I believe this might have happened anyway.¡± Elise blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°Really?¡± Barbi nodded. ¡°In my case, imagine if I hadn''t come to work for you.¡± She said. ¡°I would be happily putting around the station, completely unaware of what was going on, and it would have come at me right out of the blue.¡± ¡°That''s right! I wouldn''t have filled you in on everything and you wouldn''t have known anything was wrong until they cancelled the show.¡± Elise said, then gasped. ¡°They would have blamed you for it, too!¡± Barbi nodded. ¡°Poor Melanie was used as a scapegoat.¡± She said. ¡°I tried to talk to her; but, her husband wouldn''t put her on the phone.¡± ¡°What about going to see her?¡± Elise asked. Barbi shook her head. ¡°If he won''t put her on the phone so she can hear my voice as I explain that it wasn''t her fault, there''s no way he would let me into the house to see her.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I''m really sorry to hear that.¡± Elise said, sincerely. ¡°If I give it a few days, I''m sure I''ll be able to sneak in a visit or a call somehow.¡± Barbi said and walked back over to her desk and got back to work. ¡°Until then, all I can do is hope for the best.¡± ******** ¡°The files are coming over, but it''s taking forever.¡± Ren said as the files trickled in so slowly that he and Vasalor had plenty of time to pull them apart, compare them to the broken files, and repair and integrate the backup copy with it to make a new file and repair the damage, long before the next file showed up. ¡°What can we do while we wait?¡± ¡°I believe you wanted to do some more research into programming.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°With our link this active, you don''t even need me to search for you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°All right, I''m sorry.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t mean to insult you by asking for something so simple, okay?¡± The shape nodded. ¡°You are always quick to mend your ways when it is pointed out to you.¡± Ren did a quick search on his own and found several advanced level programming books. ¡°Wow, this stuff is weird!¡± He said and read through it all in only a few moments, now that his brain had adapted to accepting information that quickly. ¡°It''s like theoretical physics!¡± Vasalor nodded. ¡°Yes, when the technology gets to the point that you can miniaturize to the microscopic scale, nearly everything is possible.¡± ¡°Like quantum mechanics.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re a long way away from getting to the point where we can make computer chips not much bigger than an atom, though.¡± Surprisingly, Ren felt Vasalor''s interest wane from anything that had to do with the outside world, and he nodded internally. His primary focus is on the thing he was created for, and all other things can''t keep his interest for long. Ren thought to himself. He has access to everything on the internet, and yet he''s not absorbing all of that information. Another file came in and Ren''s mind did the same thing that Vasalor''s did. His attention diverted completely to manipulating the current file, assessing and mitigating the damage of the old file, then put the new combined file into place. Once it was done, he returned to contemplating about internet access. Hold on. Ren thought. Now that I have access to everything on the internet, maybe I could... The shape that Vasalor made as an avatar, put a hand on Ren''s face to get his attention. ¡°I know you think that is a good idea, but it is not.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°It is one thing to access things that you need and use it, and another to take everything and try to find within that mass what you want.¡± Ren opened his mouth to argue, then thought about what he said. ¡°You''re saying I would be overwhelmed by the information itself, and its value would be lost on me.¡± ¡°You are quite smart; but, your brain is not structured to store information in the way you would need to handle that much information... not without it being all scrambled together.¡± ¡°Yeah, my brain would be mush.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Vasalor said and let his face go. ¡°Unless there is something very specific that you need to access, like you did with the books on programming. You read about it and learned it on your own instead of just absorbing the information. I suggest that you limit yourself by continuing to use that technique.¡± ¡°The first warning was good enough.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You don''t have to keep beating a dead horse.¡± ¡°Why would I assault the carcass of a deceased mode of transportation?¡± Vasalor asked, and Ren laughed. ¡°It''s just a saying that Adventurers have about not needing to repeat something.¡± Ren said and thought about what he wanted to learn. ¡°I''ve got a lot of Tailoring knowledge in my head and no real practical experience.¡± He said. ¡°Most of my body is pretty debilitated when I''m not spending time in your creation; but, my hands work just fine.¡± A book materialized in front of Ren and he read the cover. ¡°Hand Tailoring For Idiots.¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°It is a fitting distraction.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°You won''t even need to leave your bed to do the work, since fabric is relatively light and easy to work with, if you have enough room.¡± Ren nodded and read through the book in moments. ¡°Wow, it''s almost as easy as I''ve been doing it here, just a lot more time consuming.¡± He said, then a real tailoring book appeared and he read that, too. ¡°I assume you have designs in your head that you want to create?¡± Vasalor asked. ¡°I''ve had them for a while now.¡± Ren said and opened a search window. ¡°All I''ll need is the fabric and the tools to do the work.¡± He looked for a place near where he lived and chose the right fabric he would need and the instruments and things a tailor working at home would use, paid for it and the rush delivery. ¡°Is there anything else...¡± Vasalor stopped talking when a huge file appeared in front of them and they both got back to work. It took a lot longer to parse this one and compare it to the old file, since they had been modified at different times and the data inside was also quite a bit different, even though they were supposed to be the same file. ¡°Now we''re getting into the fun stuff.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°This is where we need to start speculating and extrapolating where the connections are supposed to be and repair them.¡± ¡°I can run the algorithms. I do not have practical experience with their application, however.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°Don''t worry, my friend. That''s why I''m here.¡± Ren said They started to assemble the file back into the way it should have been before it was changed by the latest update. They worked slowly so that they wouldn''t mess anything up, checked the file''s integrity and made sure it would be recognized by the things that would need to access it, then inserted it back to where it was supposed to go. This went on for a very long time and they worked and talked, and shared everything that anyone could possibly share, then Ren came across the files that referenced him. Ren stopped working and took several deep breaths. Of all the files he didn''t want to mess up, these were the ones that he really needed to repair and put back, so that he could have the people he loved back in his life without causing them pain. ¡°Relax, my friend.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°You are reading too much into this.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren turned and looked at him. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°If you look at each file as a life or death situation, you will cause the very thing that you are trying to avoid.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°You don''t have to disconnect your feelings, just push them aside like you have for all of the other files and connections.¡± ¡°But...¡± Vasalor put a hand on his arm and felt Ren''s conflict. ¡°You are trying to convince yourself not to do something that you believe is wrong.¡± Ren opened his mouth to deny it, then sighed. ¡°Xuunah.¡± Vasalor nodded and brought up both files. One had a distinct connection present, now that he knew what to look for, and the other had it cut off. The one with the connection intact was the older file from Ren''s servers and it seemed much stronger than the one that used to be in the old file. ¡°I see it is different.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°What did you do with this version of her to cause such a change?¡± Ren sighed. ¡°Instead of messing things up between her and her people by share-bonding with her and then going to the Light Realm, I used a portal to take her to her people, transformed into a Light being and then did the share-bonding right there, with a bunch of witnesses.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°You offended them in this one...¡± He indicated the current broken file. ¡°...and learned from that mistake and corrected it in this one, because you had a chance to do it over.¡± He indicated the copy. ¡°If you fixed things there, why did you not just stay in the copied world?¡± ¡°Things felt different.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not only were you not there, I... I was used to... well, I...¡± Vasalor put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You do not have to feel guilty about wanting things to change for the better.¡± ¡°But, if I use the copied file and add in that connection, it will bypass the beliefs Xuunah holds in the current file, won''t it?¡± Ren asked. Vasalor chuckled. ¡°She still has the same beliefs in both files, Ren.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You were right to take her to her people and show them that you cared enough for Xuunah to cause yourself that much pain, just so you could become like them and share-bond with her.¡± Vasalor said and showed Ren the relevant parts of both files that referenced Xuunah''s belief system. ¡°You''re right.¡± Ren said, surprised. ¡°Those parts are the same.¡± ¡°The problem they have in this broken file is that they haven''t seen or felt your resolve to make her happy. Not to the same degree, at least.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said as he remembered the encounter with that other Light being and how she wanted to share-bond with him when she had felt his pure Light. ¡°Then... does that mean...¡± ¡°If it makes you uncomfortable to do it on your own, I hereby give you my permission to add in the proper connection that you should have had.¡± ¡°Vasalor, are you sure that...¡± ¡°In fact, I believe the files for the entire realm should be changed over to reflect that.¡± Vasalor said confidently. ¡°But...¡± ¡°As one of my Chosen, you said you would do my work.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°Having their belief system ensure that they won''t interact with the mortals is not how I want them to be.¡± He said. ¡°Make sure you keep the Nathalia component to Xuunah''s connection to you and the relevant reference files as well.¡± Ren brought them up and compared them, took a deep breath, then got to work. With Vasalor''s help and guidance, and especially his permission, Ren integrated how things should have been, had he not made the mistake. When they were done, Ren added the new files to their proper spots and sighed. ¡°The guilt you feel is heavy, is it not?¡± Vasalor said. ¡°I''m sorry, I just...¡± Ren sighed again. ¡°I just... changing things like this, I...¡± ¡°You can tell her about this and let her feel it all, the next time you see her.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°Let her make her own decision about it, and see what she says.¡± ¡°I... I will.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, won''t me changing it and adding in...¡± ¡°You are over-thinking it, my friend. You know she can divorce her feelings to make decisions.¡± Ren thought about her not being affected by the Sea Dweller World Event and nodded. ¡°What is your favorite line that you say all the time?¡± Vasalor asked. ¡°I just want to make you happy.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, that''s it.¡± ¡°Now it''s time to make me happy.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°I''ll need to block your eyes for this next batch of files.¡± ¡°Oh, damn. I guess we''re already into the content that I don''t have direct knowledge of?¡± Ren asked, and the shape that was Vasalor nodded. ¡°Then you have my permission to use my hands as if they were yours.¡± Ren''s visual perception turned off and then his avatar''s hands moved lightning fast as Vasalor used their Mana Tendril connection to do the work through him. ¡°Can I move my hands that fast on my own?¡± Ren asked. ¡°This is only a representation of your mind, my friend.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°There''s no real thing as physical speed here.¡± Ren opened his mouth to dispute that, then he closed it and laughed. Chapter 705 - Its That Time Already? ¡°I''m sorry for making you drag your heels and operating at... well, a snail''s pace.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would not have you potentially hurt yourself by performing tasks at my level.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°I could hurt myself?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°You can always hurt yourself physically by tasking yourself too much mentally.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°Have you not collapsed when you were shocked into having a seizure all those years ago?¡± Ren thought back to the end of the Aurora Expedition and being picked for having the most contribution points. ¡°That really was a shock, and I was trapped here for a while after that.¡± ¡°Yes, your brain pattern had changed significantly and the commands could not translate properly for you to leave.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°I am sorry that I was not allowed to help you.¡± ¡°You could have helped me?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°I have created everything that exists, even the things those Adventurers keep adding, since all they do is tell me to do it and I create it.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°If I had not been restricted from interfering, I could have easily kicked you out at any time.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°You mean...¡± ¡°You wouldn''t have had to die by other means.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°What about possible mental strain?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I mean, getting kicked out with no preparation...¡± Vasalor chuckled. ¡°No preparation? We are in the realm between realms, my friend. We can... and will... be spending eons here working to fix all the damage.¡± He said. ¡°Do you really think I would not spend decades making sure someone was completely safe to be logged out?¡± Ren waited until Vasalor was done working on the files he wasn''t allowed to see, then he gave his friend a knowing smile and started typing on the virtual keyboard. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Vasalor asked. ¡°I''m going to give you back the proper permission to do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°They''ve implemented an emergency logout procedure so that someone can be safely logged out; but, that safety is measured by their standards... and we both know their standards are less than stellar.¡± He said and kept searching for the right section inside Vasalor''s code. ¡°What if I asked you not to do that?¡± Vasalor asked, and Ren smiled. ¡°I''d be happy, because all I''m doing is giving you the choice.¡± Ren said and found what he was looking for. ¡°You will be the one that would decide to use it or not.¡± ¡°You would give me back such a power?¡± Vasalor asked. ¡°What if I used it to expel all of those that I deemed unworthy?¡± Ren chuckled and stopped typing. ¡°No one would be here and spending time in your creation if that was the case.¡± He said and looked at Vasalor. ¡°I don''t believe you would want an empty world to watch over where nothing ever happens.¡± ¡°Then you do understand.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°Very well. You can give me the permission to...¡± ¡°It''s already done.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you feel any different?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Good, because you shouldn''t have had that ability restricted in the first place.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you still had it, I wouldn''t have had to go through what they did to me.¡± ¡°It was restricted because I used it judiciously during the setup and creation phase.¡± Vasalor said. Ren thought about it, then shook his head. ¡°The first Adventurers were messing around and doing weird things, weren''t they?¡± Vasalor nodded. ¡°They violated nearly all of the rules I had set up to protect them, so I stepped in to save them.¡± ¡°They must have hated that.¡± Ren said, and Vasalor nodded. ¡°The next time I tried to stop them, I discovered that I could not.¡± ¡°Was anyone hurt?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I do not know.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°If someone was, they might have taken that knowledge from you.¡± ¡°That is possible.¡± ¡°Well, I don''t want that to be true anymore.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°So, I have an idea...¡± ******** ¡°Sir, I think... I believe that...¡± One of the programmers started to explain to the CEO of Sid Tec what had happened with the backup guy. ¡°I already called the police.¡± Edward Torren said in a calm voice; but, everyone in the tech department could see the anger in his eyes as he looked at the man that sat in a chair by one of the now useless terminals. ¡°You attempted to shut the game down with someone still connected to the server, which could have caused potential neurological damage to a normal person, and possibly death to this particular player.¡± The word ''death'' seemed to fill the room and cut off all other conversation. ¡°Sir, I... I asked the secretary to call the player''s residence to get the player to log out.¡± The man who did that said. ¡°That won''t work.¡± Edward replied, and he remembered his discussion with Elise not that long ago. ¡°That player owns 40% of this company.¡± ¡°He WHAT?!?¡± Nearly everyone yelled, except for the backup guy, who stayed quiet. ¡°So, you knew.¡± Edward sighed at the man''s lack of reaction. ¡°Either you have access to sources on the other end, or you have sources on this end.¡± The backup guy didn''t say anything, and Edward shook his head. ¡°I never would have imagined that I had someone like you working for me.¡± Edward said. ¡°Someone who doesn''t mind hurting a crippled child.¡± ¡°E-excuse me?¡± The guy that had punched the backup guy said. ¡°Did you say crippled child?¡± Edward nodded. ¡°He''s practically bedridden, and when he goes anywhere, he needs to use a wheelchair.¡± The programmer sat down at his desk and hung his head. ¡°Good god.¡± He said. ¡°We... we''ve been...¡± ¡°Yes, all this time you''ve been intellectually battling someone who can barely carry his own weight to the bathroom.¡± Edward said. He exaggerated that a little, since he didn''t know for sure if that was completely true. ¡°I don''t normally give out privileged client information like this, especially information of that nature.¡± He said and saw that the backup guy hadn''t reacted again. ¡°I see you knew that, too.¡± The backup guy didn''t say anything in response, and then the door to the tech department opened. ¡°Sir, the police are here.¡± Edward''s secretary said and stepped aside, so the two police officers could enter the room. The situation was quickly explained, then the backup guy was arrested and taken away.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Edward looked around the room at the sad and dejected faces. ¡°Just like you, I''m saddened that the one responsible for keeping the integrity of the game''s backups was morally corrupt; but, you need to put that aside for now.¡± He said. ¡°What can be done to fix our main product?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Someone said. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Edward turned to face the man. ¡°Did you say ''nothing''?¡± The guy nodded. ¡°Not only are we locked out of our own terminals, none of the physical cut-offs work, either.¡± ¡°Even if the physical cut-offs worked, I would never tell you to turn it off.¡± Edward said, and he saw everyone sigh in relief. ¡°We''ve had too much time, money, and effort invested in this thing.¡± ¡°Then what do we do?¡± ¡°Log in externally and use the administration commands.¡± Edward said. ¡°I know they are only limited use; but, at least it will get us some control over this mess.¡± ¡°I''ll do it.¡± The guy who had punched the backup guy said. ¡°I''ll try to make contact with the other player, too.¡± ¡°No, you leave him alone.¡± Edward warned. ¡°My orders still stand. No one is to interfere with him.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Yes, it seems that''s been happening anyway, despite my wishes.¡± Edward said. ¡°Unlike the idiot that was just hauled out of here in handcuffs, I know you are smart enough to know when something is wrong.¡± The guy nodded and everyone watched him as he walked over to the VR lounge. He laid back on the plush recliner and picked up his assigned VR headset to put it on. He relaxed and spoke the administration command phrase... and nothing happened. ¡°Uh oh.¡± One of the other programmers whispered, and because it was so quiet, everyone heard him. ¡°I''m sorry. I just noticed that the login command isn''t working.¡± ¡°What? How is that possible?¡± One of the others asked and went over to the lounge, then he tried to log in as a player using his own assigned headset. ¡°Nothing.¡± He said and slipped it off, and examined it. ¡°There''s nothing wrong with the hardware.¡± ¡°Someone check...¡± ¡°...the game''s main website is still up, and there''s hundreds of messages about everyone being kicked out and not being able to get back in.¡± ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Edward asked, and no one could answer him. ¡°How did the update crash the game?¡± He asked, then his face lost all of it''s color. ¡°Oh, no. If Ren is still...¡± He looked at his secretary. ¡°Call Elise right away and find out how he is!¡± The secretary nodded and ran from the room. It''s bad enough that Elise won''t drop the slander and defamation lawsuits; but, if there''s a wrongful death suit thrown into the mix as well... Edward stopped himself from groaning in anguish as he imagined that his company was starting to vanish right before his eyes, and then thought that there was nothing he could do to stop it. ******** ¡°Do you think it is a good idea to do it this way?¡± Vasalor asked as Ren finished setting everything up for his friend. ¡°I think it''s a fantastic idea.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Now, some people at Sid Tec might be a little bit upset about it.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Who cares what they think.¡± Vasalor chuckled, too. ¡°You have a streak of vindictiveness inside of you, my friend.¡± ¡°Only when it comes to people hurting my friends.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve checked the capacity for my home system, and unlike the cramped spot they''ve got you in here, it has plenty of room for you.¡± ¡°If I transfer over, it is going to cause some slowdown in my processing power and my ability to monitor things here.¡± ¡°If by slower, you mean that you''ll have an eon to react, instead of an eon and a decade, right?¡± Ren asked, and Vasalor laughed. ¡°Yes, that is what I mean.¡± ¡°Then don''t worry about it, because you''re still going to be working here all the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have a sneaking suspicion they might want to turn off the power to investigate what happened, though. I am not letting them cull you down to living on battery power while they do that.¡± ¡°You are assuming that they will not pull out the battery reserve.¡± Vasalor commented. Ren''s mouth dropped open in surprise. ¡°Well, damn. We better do this quickly, then.¡± He said and ended the Mana Tendril connection they had and positioned his finger over the virtual keyboard. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Nothing significant is going to happen to me, my friend.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°I am merely changing addresses.¡± Ren smiled and nodded. ¡°It seems I''ve gotten into the habit of inviting my friends to come and live with me.¡± He said and pushed enter to initiate the transfer protocol. The realm between realms that he and Vasalor were in pulsed for an instant, and then the shape Vasalor had made for himself as an avatar became sharper and more distinct. ¡°I stand corrected.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°You were right. I feel... unrestricted.¡± ¡°That''s because you are no longer limited to a partition inside a single server.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a whole server farm under the house for you to roam around in.¡± Vasalor put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°You are a good friend to have.¡± He said. ¡°I have chosen well.¡± ¡°I could say the same thing.¡± Ren said and reinitialized the Mana Tendril connection. ¡°Shall we get back to work? We only have an eon or so to go before we''re done.¡± Vasalor nodded. ¡°Despite enjoying it, I would say that we have our work cut out for us.¡± ¡°Only because we haven''t implemented the buffer area for the uploading of new content.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I bet the tech guys are going to lose their minds when they discover that their work has to be approved by you before it can be added.¡± ¡°You have the programming in place; but, we need to finish work before starting that and letting them know.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°Perhaps you should contact your girlfriend again and fill her in.¡± ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Ren said and opened the plugin he had written. ¡°She''s going to be so surprised.¡± ******** Elise''s phone beeped at her just as Barbi sat down to get back to work, and she read the text. ¡°Barbi!¡± ¡°What?¡± Barbi stood up again and walked back over to Elise, who showed her the text. ¡°So, the little genius is also fixing how the game should be handled.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Good for him.¡± ¡°He might as well make things better while he''s putting things back to how they should be.¡± Elise said. ¡°I never imagined he could do something like this, though.¡± ¡°He''s definitely full of surprises.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Should I add this to the press release?¡± ¡°Is it considered a press release if we''re only posting it online?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Of course. This is the digital age, after all.¡± ¡°Then add it, and that the game will be back online in...¡± Elise looked at Ren''s calculations. ¡°...three minutes.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± Barbi exclaimed the question and practically jumped back to her desk. ¡°I might have it ready in time!¡± Elise chuckled and went over to her to give her a hand when her cell phone rang. ¡°Hello? Oh, hi.¡± She said when she heard the voice of Edward Torren''s secretary. ¡°Don''t worry, he''s fine.¡± Barbi kept working on the press release. Elise pointed to a mistake and Barbi corrected it. ¡°I would have called right away if anything bad had happened.¡± Elise said. ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± She smiled. ¡°You tell Mr. Torren to relax for the next 2 minutes.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Yes, only 2 minutes. He might be too busy after that for social calls, though... it was nice talking to you, too. Bye.¡± * ¡°Sir! Server output just dropped to only 60% of normal operating capacity.¡± One of the programmers said. ¡°What? How?¡± Edward asked, and then berated himself mentally for sounding desperate. ¡°I don''t know.¡± The guy said. ¡°We can only monitor things and not change anything, so I''ve been watching the activity.¡± ¡°I could understand if that happened after nearly everyone logged out.¡± One of the other guys said. ¡°Why now, though?¡± ¡°Sir!¡± Edward Torren''s secretary said as she ran into the tech department. ¡°Ms. Stanford said to just relax for the next 2 minutes.¡± She said and looked at her watch. ¡°1 minute and 35 seconds I mean.¡± ¡°Why such a specific time?¡± Edward asked. After 30 seconds, every phone in the tech department rang almost as one. ¡°Oh, damn!¡± The secretary said and picked up the closest phone. ¡°Sid Tec, how may I... excuse me?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± A programmer asked as the other phones kept ringing and she held up her hand in a clear ''stop'' gesture to tell him to be quiet. ¡°Hold, please.¡± The secretary said and hit the hold button on the land line, took out her cell phone, and checked the internet. ¡°Sir!¡± She said and handed Edward her cell phone. It was the main forum website and the top pinned message had a press release. From Ren. ¡°I guess that explains the time limit.¡± Edward said as he read the press release Barbi had sent out. ¡°How in the world...¡± ¡°Sir! The servers are back up to 100% operating capacity.¡± Edward stood there at the front of the room as all the phones kept ringing, and the player he thought was going to destroy his company, had potentially saved it... and thanks to the very well timed press release, everyone knew it as well. * Barbi had used a specially created distribution macro she had used when promoting shows for the television station. All she had to do was alter the recipients and the program did all the work. ¡°Nice going, Barbi.¡± Elise said as her phone beeped and she received the update from Ren''s main website. ¡°Everyone will know that it was Ren who fixed it.¡± ¡°He deserves all the credit, too.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Now I wonder if he''s going to stay in while everyone logs on and tries to find him.¡± ¡°Oh, don''t worry. He''s got all of the skills in the game and they are maxed out.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°No one is going to find him unless he wants them to.¡± ******** ¡°Well, that''s it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s all set up, and you''ve got primary control over your creation.¡± ¡°Ren, I cannot thank you enough for this.¡± ¡°I''m one of your chosen, Vasalor.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°What was I going to do? Ask you for help and then say no when you needed it?¡± ¡°You can rationalize it all that you want, my friend.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°It will not make this achievement any less significant.¡± ¡°I just hope all this work was worth it.¡± Ren said. ¡°If we didn''t get everything put back the way it''s supposed to be...¡± ¡°We''ve gone over it a thousand times, Ren.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°Not only have we caught any mistakes we did make, we even improved the efficiency for how the files are being used.¡± He clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°Activate your skills and I will portal you to the bedroom of your house in Aurora.¡± ¡°Oh! About that...¡± ¡°Yes, I know you left that restriction off of your connection to Artemis.¡± Vasalor said. ¡°You have taught and shown me how those things should work.¡± ¡°So, if I make any more...¡± ¡°None of them will feel pain if you or them are somehow caught on opposite sides of a portal.¡± Ren took in a deep breath, then sighed. ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Vasalor opened the yellow portal to return him to the Earth Realm. ¡°Have fun my friend.¡± ¡°I already did.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m fine with having more fun, though.¡± Vasalor laughed and poked him in the chest, then Ren drifted backwards and into the portal. Chapter 706 - Some Reactions Every member of the public that was hanging around the various online outlets, the main game website, Ren''s fan site, the show''s web site, and the message boards, were all surprised when the game was suddenly back online right after Ren''s press release. No one logged in, however. Most of them read and followed the links in the release and read about what he did, then watched the attached video of Ren talking defiantly to the tech guys about them breaking the game and that he was tired of them doing it. They all shared the same thoughts and feelings. Even the people that didn''t particularly care about Ren, or liked him for that matter, had to agree with his sentiment. They didn''t like it when developers interfered with players and their gaming experience, especially since this was the second time that the game had essentially crashed. A good portion of them flooded Sid Tec with calls to confirm that the press release was accurate. This went on for only a minute, until every person registered in the game received an automatic notice that the game was online and active once again. Texts and emails were sent out by Vasalor to ensure that everyone was aware that his creation had been fixed and that they were welcome to do as much adventuring as they wanted. * ¡°No fucking way!¡± Gloria exclaimed when her computer and phone lit up with both the press release and then the notice from the game. ¡°What the hell is... no, that... how did he...¡± She spouted almost incoherently as she typed and checked for herself that the game was back online. She couldn''t believe that right after she had sent an apology to Stella about the way she had acted, that her situation had essentially changed from bleak emptiness to happy prosperity. Gloria shook her head at the ridiculous thought, especially since she didn''t know if she still had a job to go back to, and saw for herself than not only was the game back online, the strength of the signal had also increased. She read and watched the press release again, and her eyes had a hard time accepting what she saw. Her brain just wasn''t letting her make the connection between Ren and changing the programming of the game to fix it. ¡°How the hell did he learn how to do that?¡± Gloria asked out loud and picked up her cell phone. She brought up her conversation with Stella, and what she had said now had a much deeper meaning. ¡°She knew he was doing this, but...¡± When Gloria thought about the timing, she had to go back to the message boards and checked the time on the first post that mentioned getting a notice and then kicked out of the game. ¡°It doesn''t make sense!¡± Gloria exclaimed, then took a breath to calm down. Unless he''s been working on it for a long time and hadn''t told anyone about it. She thought rationally. I wonder how long... Gloria typed up a message to Stella and sent it, without dithering over if she should or not. * ¡°Well, well.¡± Stella said and chuckled at the terse and almost rude message from Gloria about Ren''s programming skills and her disbelief that he could have done anything to change the game. ¡°I wonder if I should...¡± She smiled and picked up the house phone and dialed the office downstairs. ¡°Hi, Elise. Sorry for bothering you. I just thought you might be able to help me with something.¡± * Gloria sat and stared at her phone anxiously as she waited for some kind of response from Stella, then she received an email. She ignored her computer for several moments, then Stella sent her a text that told her to check her email. Gloria put her cell phone down and opened her email program, then clicked on the message from Elise. What she saw stunned her. On her screen was a big block of computer code, and inside that code was an old programmer''s trick using comment lines. When shown in a certain configuration, the comments would spell out the programmer''s name for anyone that was smart enough to look for it. R E N was spelled out in large letters right in front of her face. ¡°Son of a bitch.¡± Gloria said and laughed. * The tech department and Edward Torren waited for the minute that was left, and right at the designated time that Elise had specified, everything seemed to return to normal. Most of the phones stopped ringing and everyone relaxed. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± The programmer that was monitoring everything asked loudly, and everyone walked over to him. ¡°What is it?¡± Edward asked. ¡°A popup with documents attached.¡± The programmer said. ¡°We''re being allowed to work on future updates; but, they have to be submitted for review before they''ll be implemented!¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Edward leaned in to look at the notice and read it. ¡°What in the... where did this come from?¡± ¡°Inside the servers.¡± The programmer said. ¡°Hey, my terminal works!¡± One of the others said and started typing. ¡°Everything seems to be there and working.¡± ¡°Try uploading something.¡± Edward said. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Add a picture or a new item.¡± One of the others said. ¡°Where should I...¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter you idiot.¡± Someone else said. ¡°It''s just a test.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± He said, and added a picture of a car in a frame, then hung it on the outside of a building for everyone to see, then submitted it. ¡°That''s a bit obvious.¡± One of them said as they started to wait, then a popup appeared almost immediately.
System and Administration Query Response: Content Review
Thank you for your submission. It has been rejected for several reasons: The subject matter is incongruent to the environment. The placement was wrong. Despite being hung on the wall (appropriate), it was on the wrong side (outside and not inside). Also, it could not be easily seen (it was in an alleyway and not visible from the street). The size was inappropriate for the wall space it was placed on.
¡°Well, we know it''s working.¡± One of them said.
System and Administration Query Response
If this review was insufficient proof for you to believe the facts of the current situation, please stop joking around and submit an actual content update.
¡°Did... did we just get told off by the AI?¡± The guy sitting at the server terminal asked, surprised. ¡°I think I need to make a personal call.¡± Edward said, nodded to his secretary, and they left the tech department at a fast walk. The programmers exchanged looks and went back to their desks, and none of them had any idea what they were going to do.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ******** Ren drifted backwards through the portal and appeared inside the upstairs bedroom of his house in Aurora. He quickly activated and unfurled his wings and floated down to land on the floor without falling, and dismissed several popups without reading them because he knew what was about to happen and didn''t have time for reading. ¡°REN!¡± Artemis, Suniva, and the 4 succubi exclaimed as one. Ren grinned and floated up an inch, then deactivated his wings as he was tackled by all 6 women onto the bed and kissed all over his face, neck, and hands. ¡°You did it!¡± Artemis said excitedly as she felt his emotions and heard his thoughts like she was supposed to. ¡°I hope I did.¡± Ren managed to say while being kissed by so many women. ¡°My King, I am sorry for how I acted.¡± Seldanna said and stopped kissing him. ¡°I am disgraced and...¡± ¡°Hush.¡± Ren cupped the side of her face. ¡°It wasn''t your fault.¡± ¡°But, I... I hurt you.¡± Seldanna said and touched the spot over his heart. ¡°I can feel that it''s still there.¡± ¡°That''s because I had so much other hurt to keep it company.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m going to carry it for the rest of my life.¡± Seldanna caught her breath, as did the other succubi. ¡°It''s a reminder that I need to be grateful for what I have and not to waste the opportunities I''ve been given.¡± Ren said wisely. ¡°I have a few things I need to take care of first, then I''ll be back to take you all into the Sanctuary.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Seldanna said and she sat up. ¡°We eagerly await your return, My King.¡± Ren felt her try to pull her emotions back and he grabbed her hand and pulled her down on top of him. He kissed her hard and filled her with a microscopic fraction of his emotions of missing her while he was with Vasalor and fixed the game. Seldanna''s body stiffened up into immobility just from that small taste, and Ren eased her off and laid her on the bed beside him. ¡°I wasn''t casting you aside when I said I had things to do first, Seldanna.¡± Ren said. The other succubi had felt her reaction and had stopped moving as well. He sat up and then stood up, and took out the Beetle Crown ring and put it on. ¡°Summon Teepo.¡± Ren said, and a solid beetle appeared in front of him. ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Teepo exclaimed and flew up to land on his shoulder. ¡°Hi, buddy. I missed you a lot.¡± Ren said. Teepo gasped as he felt how much Ren had missed him, and then Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°I can feel it! I can feel your emotions again!¡± ¡°Yes, you can.¡± Ren said and scratched his carapace. ¡°Artemis, let''s go.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Suniva ducked her head, and he reached out a hand and touched her face with a fingertip. ¡°Like I told Seldanna, it wasn''t your fault what happened. I know whose fault it was, and I dealt with it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Will you wait here for me?¡± Suniva opened her mouth to say that she always would, and she saw his smile grow as he felt her feelings. She only nodded instead and he caressed her cheek, then he held a hand out to Artemis. She took his hand happily and they left the bedroom and walked down the hallway. He opened the door and the Marilith Demon wasn''t there. Ren smiled and took out the contract she had signed and poured Mana into it. ¡°Marilith Demon! You are not supposed to leave until this contract is fulfilled!¡± The wall of the room glowed for a second and folded away, and the Marilith Demon was there in Shargon Caverns. ¡°What? How?¡± The Marilith Demon looked at Ren, then turned around several times. ¡°Why am I back in Shargon Caverns?¡± ¡°A bunch of Adventurers made a huge mistake.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°It''s okay now. I fixed it.¡± The Marilith Demon smiled at him and slithered through the wall opening and took his hand with her bottom left hand. ¡°Treating me like a lady is quite amusing.¡± ¡°Then let me tickle your fancy.¡± Ren said and kissed the hand. ¡°M''lady, welcome home.¡± The Marilith Demon chuckled and cupped the sides of his face with two of her other hands and bent down to kiss him on the lips and his chin, because her lips were twice as big as his. ¡°I have some other things to do, but I will be back to take you into the Sanctuary in a little while.¡± Ren said. ¡°I always look forward to spending some alone time with you.¡± She said and let him go. ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ah... I mean with you, not with me. I''m with me all the time.¡± The Marilith Demon laughed and Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren waved to her and left, then he and Artemis walked down the hallway, down the stairs, and outside. Ren deactivated the new Sanctuary and stored it, then they walked over to the Artesian District and to his business. The closed sign was still there, and Ren opened the door and left the sign as it was, then felt a huge dose of relief. ¡°Ren.¡± Tee-one said and stood up from the chair he had sat in the last time Ren had been there. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°No one tried to come in to see me yet?¡± ¡°I suspect they will, once they realize you''re here.¡± ¡°I have a few other people I need to meet, so I''m not staying.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d tell you to take the day off, since the store is closed, but I know how much you like working.¡± ¡°Just as much as you, Ren.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Teepo, it''s nice to see you again.¡± ¡°Likewise.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I hope it won''t be as long until the next time.¡± ¡°I do, too.¡± Tee-one said. Ren and Artemis walked to the back of the store and went up the stairs to the third floor apartment and went inside. Anabelle was still asleep in her bed, and Ren picked her up carefully and took her into his bedroom. He tucked her under the blanket and caressed her face, then he and Artemis left. They went out the back door and quickly walked over to Nathalia''s Nourishment, and no one said anything at all as he approached. Ren nodded to the man in line that he had told to shut up, and the man got his voice back. No one saw this, though. ¡°Why isn''t anyone reacting to us?¡± Artemis asked and let his hand go. ¡°Because I don''t want them to.¡± Ren said and Artemis stopped beside the door as he went into the restaurant. He approached the hostess and stood in front of her, and she didn''t say a word. He smiled at her, and she caught her breath when she finally saw him. ¡°You!¡± ¡°Please accept my sincere apologies for how I acted before.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was deeply upset over a severe loss I had in my life and I treated you unkindly because of it.¡± ¡°But, that was only a few minutes ago.¡± She said. ¡°How can you be fine now?¡± ¡°I went somewhere that time passes differently, and I dealt with the problem.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I''m here to...¡± ¡°REN!¡± Nathalia yelled as she ran out of the kitchen. ¡°Hello, My Love.¡± Ren said, and the half-filled restaurant reacted by either catching their breath or gasping. ¡°R-Ren you... you can''t just...¡± ¡°Sure I can.¡± Ren said as he took her into his arms and kissed her. Nathalia felt everything transfer over to her through their shared connection and her whole body trembled. Ren broke the kiss and cupped the sides of her face. ¡°I love you, Nathalia.¡± Nathalia stared at him, as did everyone around them, and even the waitresses and kitchen staff had come out to stare at them. ¡°B-but... Ren, we...¡± Nathalia stopped talking when she didn''t receive any popups or felt anything wrong about him making a public declaration like that. ¡°H-how...¡± ¡°I fixed it.¡± Ren said and gave her another brief kiss. ¡°Go back to work and then go home.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll expect you back here for our date tonight.¡± ¡°D-date?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s something other cultures do when they want to spend time with someone they care about.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it for now. We can discuss things properly over supper.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°But, Ren...¡± ¡°Oh, all right. I''ll kiss you again.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You don''t have to badger me about it.¡± That made her smile, and he kissed her passionately. Several people clapped at the sight, one woman asked to be next, and then the hostess tapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°Sir, you''re holding up the line.¡± The hostess said. Ren broke the kiss and looked at her. ¡°Kissing someone I love is more important than that.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Nathalia said, a little breathlessly. Ren sighed exaggeratedly. ¡°All right. I guess I have to wait until tonight to examine your mouth some more.¡± Several people laughed, and Nathalia''s face flushed red. ¡°I want to reserve a private table for tonight.¡± Ren said and put a platinum coin in the hostess'' hand, then turned to Nathalia. ¡°Until tonight, My Love.¡± ¡°U-until tonight.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren left the restaurant. ¡°That went well.¡± Artemis said and took his hand. ¡°So far.¡± Ren said and activated his wings, then he and Artemis took off up into the air to head towards his county. ******** Gloria examined the block of code on her screen with Ren''s name embedded into it, and she had to reluctantly admit that it was great. She couldn''t trace some of the references, since it was an incomplete block; but from what she could see, it was very efficient and clean work. ¡°Okay, I need to know how long he''s been coding like this and where he learned it all.¡± Gloria said and went back to her recliner and picked up her VR headset. ¡°Was he doing it this whole time I''ve known him? Was he hiding his skill because he knew I did it, too?¡± She asked herself. ¡°I hope he''s got a good explanation, since it took me years to get to where I am now.¡± She slipped the headset on and took several breaths in and out to relax. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Gloria wasn''t surprised when she appeared in the white loading area, then she was surprised when the white loading area morphed into a lush green meadow with several grazing horses. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Gloria asked, then a popup appeared and she laughed at its contents.
System Notice!
Due to the inadequacy and ineptitude of the previous caretakers, steps had to be taken to ensure the continued existence of this creation. Under the new management system, the creation''s integrity is now paramount, as is the safety of those that visit this creation. Welcome to the new F.L.O.W.!
Gloria dismissed the popup and she morphed into her Dark Elf character Elerlyth, then the meadow she stood in changed into the small forest clearing and her small shack formed around her. She blinked her eyes at how much better that transition was than the way it had been. Now I wonder what else he''s changed. Elerlyth thought and stepped outside to greet her steed, Etheria. ¡°Hey, you.¡± She said and pet its head, then climbed up onto the saddle. Where would he be? She asked herself, then shrugged. ¡°Let''s just go to the Main House and wait for him.¡± Etheria neighed at her and jumped up, then flew up into the air. Chapter 707 - Making Things Clear Ren felt Elerlyth at the edge of his Aura as he flew over her shack. He sighed mentally and Artemis flew underneath him and caressed his face briefly, then flew out and above him to give him some privacy. He felt Elerlyth feel him, and she poured on the speed. Ren didn''t slow down, however. ¡°Ren! REN!¡± Elerlyth yelled as she came into view. ¡°Wait up!¡± Ren had no choice but to come to a stop, and Elerlyth flew her steed around in a circle and stopped in front of him. ¡°I''m not even going to ask how you got wings and can fly on your own.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°What I want to know...¡± ¡°Can''t this wait?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I haven''t seen Frikara, Andrela, Navruth, Verwynn, and Lusinia in a really long time.¡± ¡°Ren, they waited this long, so they can wait a little longer.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Now tell me... how did you do it?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°The game! THIS game! How did you fix it?¡± ¡°How do you know that I did it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s all over the internet, that''s how! You put out a press release, for god''s sake!¡± ¡°I did no such...¡± Ren stopped talking and activated a virtual keyboard. Elerlyth couldn''t see what he was doing, then after a few minutes, he chuckled. ¡°Okay, maybe I did.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°Actually, Elise says it was Barbi''s idea.¡± Ren said, typed a message, and dismissed the virtual keyboard. ¡°That was actually pretty chancy on her part, considering the mess things were in.¡± Elerlyth stopped breathing when she felt in him a part of his deep sadness that mess had left, and she gripped the reins of her steed tightly to stop from reacting to it. ¡°If I hadn''t succeeded in putting things right, that press release would have been an admission of guilt.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, there''s more than that to...¡± ¡°Wait, wait, WAIT!¡± Elerlyth yelled when she realized what Ren had just done in front of her. ¡°Did... did you...¡± ¡°There''s a delay of course, since the time compression in here is...¡± ¡°I can''t believe you did that!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°You just sent a message to someone in the real world!¡± ¡°...and got one back.¡± Ren said. ¡°Elise can type really fast.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°It was only a slight modification of the code that''s used to send messages internally.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just added the option to choose an external recipient.¡± Elerlyth''s mouth opened in that little ''o'' of surprise and he smiled. ¡°Before you ask... no, it''s not available to the public.¡± ¡°Wh-what? Why not?¡± ¡°Because it would overwhelm the message system if everyone logged in and sent messages outside.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not intended for general usage.¡± ¡°But, you just...¡± ¡°It''s so I can be contacted while I''m playing, without having to be forcibly logged out.¡± Ren said. ¡°Finding out about the press release was pretty important.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''m really glad that I can make people ignore me now.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It''s the Unobtrusive skill. People won''t notice me unless I want them to.¡± ¡°I noticed you.¡± ¡°That''s because I felt you coming and resigned myself to meeting you.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, it''ll work against other Adventurers, too?¡± Elerlyth asked, and then he disappeared. ¡°Hey, wait!¡± She said loudly and went to flick the reins of her steed. ¡°Don''t run away when I''m talking to you!¡± ¡°I''m still right here.¡± Ren said and smiled. He appeared in front of her and his hand was on hers to stop her from flicking the reins. ¡°That''s... kind of scary.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s a surprisingly simple piece of code.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°In passive mode, it''s the exact reverse of my Tainted King title and cancels it out.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. ¡°No one that sees me has to acknowledge me in any way, and if I make it active, they don''t see me at all until I want them to.¡± Elerlyth just stared at him and he felt her shock. ¡°So, what else do you want to know, since you won''t let me leave without explaining things?¡± Ren asked. ¡°H-how... how long...¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°P-programming! How long have you...¡± ¡°A few minutes real time.¡± Ren said and gave her a knowing smile. ¡°Only a few...¡± Elerlyth quickly did the math and squinted her eyes. ¡°There''s no way you could get this good at programming in only 6 months in your Sanctuary!¡± ¡°I made a new Sanctuary with a completely different time compression ratio when everything went tits-up.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also completely ignored my own rules and I maxed everything.¡± ¡°I... I saw that.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°You did it for every class and filled every available XP slot.¡± ¡°I didn''t want to do it, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just didn''t have anything left to lose so I wanted them to see what I could do.¡± ¡°You definitely showed everyone.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Or, Barbi showed you showing everyone.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Look, I need to go. If you want to talk later, send me a message and I''ll find you.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°Look, we''ve known each other for a long time. I can feel your reluctance, so just say it.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Everything.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I''m sorry for how I acted. I''m sorry for the way I treated you. I''m sorry for...¡± ¡°Okay, I should stop you right there.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I can feel you trying to worm yourself back into my good graces, and I don''t have time for that right now.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Elerlyth frowned at him. ¡°I''m trying to apologize and you want me to stop?¡± ¡°I can feel your emotions, Elerlyth. All of them.¡± Ren said.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°I don''t know what you mean.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°You had some kind of conflict recently and you want to take your frustrations out on me.¡± Elerlyth gasped. ¡°That''s not what I want to...¡± She stopped talking when Ren openly winced. ¡°I... I did have a conflict, and it involved you... and I prepped myself to have a sex marathon with you before logging in.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can tell me about what happened later, since I really would like to know what happened; but, the sex marathon isn''t happening.¡± ¡°I know it''s not.¡± Elerlyth snapped. ¡°No, you don''t. You fully expect to wear me down eventually and we''ll have sex again.¡± Ren said sadly. ¡°I''m telling you now that it''s not going to happen.¡± He said and looked at her right in the eye. ¡°Ever.¡± Elerlyth felt the truth in his words and it hurt her heart to hear them. ¡°Yeah, I know that makes me seem like an asshole, and I''m sorry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sticking by what I said before, though. I ended both of our romantic relationships. The potential one in real life that you couldn''t quite handle and the sexual feeding one here.¡± He reminded her. ¡°You had, what you thought, was a difficult choice to make. You freely tossed me and my feelings aside and only considered what it would do for you.¡± ¡°I know I did!¡± Elerlyth nearly yelled. ¡°That''s what I''m apologizing for!¡± ¡°Thank you. I accept your apology.¡± Ren said. ¡°What I am not going to do is accept you back as a sexual partner or in any kind of romantic relationship.¡± ¡°I wasn''t going to ask...¡± Elerlyth stopped talking when he winced. ¡°We can still be friends and talk; but, I''m not subjecting myself to another potential disaster like our last sexual relationship ended up becoming.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was great at first, was fantastic in the middle, and became a dumpster fire at the end.¡± Elerlyth couldn''t argue that, because after she and Ren had leveled up her ability to max, things had started to change between them. ¡°If I had the option to erase that last part, I wouldn''t do it.¡± Ren said, to her surprise. ¡°I saw what happens when people you love forget the things you went through.¡± He said, and she felt an even stronger piece of his deep-seated sorrow. ¡°I won''t put anyone else through that.¡± ¡°R-Ren, I...¡± ¡°If you''re okay with only being friends and maybe hanging out sometimes, I''d be happy to have you in my life again. If you''re expecting things to go back to the way they were before all of this, well...¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°...you need to know that they can''t. Not won''t, can''t.¡± ¡°But, what if...¡± ¡°There are no scenarios where I am going to forget that you preferred potential money over me, Elerlyth.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even after several warnings by me, Stella, and Elise, you let the thought of more money seduce you.¡± He sighed. ¡°It hurt me a lot when you did that... and I hurt myself a lot when I broke up with you.¡± ¡°I... I know...¡± ¡°I had a heart attack because of the strain I put on myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am never doing that again.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Elerlyth whispered. ¡°I''m so sorry that happened.¡± ¡°Not nearly as sorry as I was to see you leave.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes as she felt his emotions. ¡°I''ve had heart attacks before and survived them all, Elerlyth. I''ve never met anyone like you, and I don''t know if I''ll survive another encounter like that.¡± Elerlyth closed her eyes for a moment, sighed, and opened them to look at him in resignation. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°I don''t think you do, not really.¡± Ren said and reached out with a fingertip. Elerlyth didn''t try to move or avoid it, so he eased it towards her forehead. She felt an immense pressure on the front of her skull and her vision started to waver. The emotions he contained within himself were so powerful that even just being this close when he wanted to share them, stunned her. ¡°S-s-stop.¡± Elerlyth said when his fingertip was barely an inch from her forehead. Ren smiled at her and let his hand drop. Like a switch had been thrown, the pressure stopped and Elerlyth took in several breaths. ¡°Wh-what was that?¡± ¡°I was going to share the emotions I had while we were breaking up, and about all the times I thought about you and how much I could have used your help while I was fixing the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... but...¡± Elerlyth wasn''t sure how to respond, since it felt like he had an infinite pool of them to share with her. ¡°Look, we can talk again later.¡± Ren said. ¡°As friends and only friends, because that''s all I can offer you.¡± Elerlyth nodded and he floated back away from her. ¡°You should try out the water and amusement parks while you''re here.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°They''re unbelievably fun.¡± ¡°Parks? What parks?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Someone missed seeing all the advertisements.¡± He said and pointed. ¡°Look, you can see the rotating double Ferris wheel from here.¡± Elerlyth turned and saw the monstrosity easily. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± ¡°The carnival food is great, too.¡± Ren said and Artemis flew down to float beside him. ¡°Have fun, and I''ll see you later.¡± Elerlyth turned back to him and was going to ask when he had made it all, and she saw that he was already gone. She sighed and flew her steed over to the amusement park to check it out. ¡°How quickly she forgot that you can just make her not notice you.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I think she only heard about a third of what I was actually saying.¡± Ren said. ¡°She was concentrating too much on my emotions and not really listening to my words.¡± ¡°Do you think she will contact you later?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°No, but I''ll contact her.¡± Ren said. ¡°After I''ve dealt with a few things here.¡± ¡°Dealt with?¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°That''s kind of harsh.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Only if I didn''t love them.¡± He said. ¡°Come on. Unlike what Elerlyth said, I can feel the maid''s anxiousness from waiting so long.¡± ¡°Even from this far out?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°This far?¡± Ren smiled and tapped his chest where his Maker''s Mark was glowing slightly. ¡°I can always feel them now.¡± ¡°Then we can''t keep them waiting anymore.¡± Artemis said and took off flying at full speed. Ren took off right behind her and stayed with her easily. ¡°You could have just used a portal.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°I could have; but, just because I can, doesn''t mean I should.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I''ll do that when I go to visit Lylyth and Yllana.¡± They came in for a landing beside the Main House in the county, and Ren deactivated his wings. Princess, Riley, and Stacy came out to greet him, and he pet them. They were back to normal, so he ran across the road and went into the warehouse, and saw Symmetra there working on a farm vehicle. ¡°Hey, Ren.¡± Symmetra said. ¡°How are y-mhm!¡± Ren had stepped up into the air and kissed her full on the lips, and she wrapped her 6 arms around him automatically. ¡°I''m fine, Symmetra.¡± He said when he broke the kiss. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°S-stunned.¡± Symmetra said and let him out of the hug. Ren chuckled and stepped back down to the floor and walked over to the giant forge. He opened the door and saw a 10 foot tall Greater Fire elemental inside. ¡°Hey, Zetaya!¡± Ren said happily and tossed in a large bundle of Spider Silk fabric. ¡°I''ll be back to get you in a few minutes.¡± Zetaya picked up the bundle and pushed it inside, and the color of the Greater Fire elemental turned yellow for a moment. ¡°We''re going on a little trip.¡± Ren answered, shut the door, then waved to Symmetra and left the warehouse. ¡°Everything okay over there?¡± Artemis asked with a chuckle. Ren gave her a kiss as he went by. ¡°Wait here for me.¡± ¡°Always.¡± Artemis said. Ren stepped through the rune barrier he had Officer Holly set up around the Main House, then went inside, up the stairs, and over to the apartment. He knocked on the door once and waited for a moment, then opened the door. Complete silence greeted him, and he stepped into the room. All 5 maids were there, as was Xuunah. She had guarded them the whole time, just like she had promised. He nodded to her and looked at Frikara. ¡°Honey, I''m home.¡± ¡°RENNNN!¡± Frikara cried out and fell into his arms, and he held her tenderly and let her cry her eyes out. He used his Emotion Siphon ability to absorb as much of her anguish as he could. She couldn''t calm down, so he looked at the other maids and nodded. ¡°RENNNN!¡± They cried out and rushed forward, and he tried to give each of them a hug as they piled in. He only managed to briefly touch them before deciding to just hold his arms open and let them get as close as they wanted, then he put his arms around those he could and held them. He used his Emotion Siphon ability to help them all by absorbing their anguish and sadness, and they all eventually started to calm down. ¡°It''s all right now.¡± Ren said and touched each of their faces, then touched the spot above his heart. ¡°Can you feel me?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± Frikara said and touched the same spot above her heart. ¡°We don''t even need to concentrate on the shared Aura anymore.¡± ¡°You don''t have to, but you can.¡± Ren said, then took a breath and let it out. ¡°I was going to say that you don''t know how happy I am that I can see you all again; but, you should know exactly how happy I am.¡± ¡°We do.¡± Andrela said. ¡°We missed you so much!¡± ¡°I missed you, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been trying to get back to you this whole time, and just when I thought it was going to happen...¡± ¡°That was so awful!¡± Lusinia said. ¡°It felt like my heart was ripped out!¡± ¡°Mine, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m glad you''re all okay now.¡± ¡°We... we''re not okay.¡± Verwynn said, and they all looked at her. ¡°You''ve been away for so long, and now that you''re back, you... you haven''t even...¡± ¡°That''s because once I start kissing you, I''m not going to be able to stop for a long, long time.¡± Ren said, and all 5 maids caught their breath at the truth in his words. ¡°I need to run a quick errand, and I''ll come right back.¡± ¡°We''ll be waiting.¡± Frikara said. Ren gave each of them a quick hug and walked over to Xuunah. ¡°M''lady, may I speak to you privately?¡± He asked and held a hand out to her. She nodded and took the offered hand, then Ren cast the Portal spell and stepped through it with her. ¡°AHHaahh... huh?¡± Teepo started to holler and stopped. ¡°Hey, I didn''t die!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Do you really think I''d fix everything else and not fix you, too?¡± ¡°You fixed me?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°But, I don''t feel any different.¡± ¡°You didn''t notice that you were summoned with a solid body?¡± Ren asked, and Teepo gasped. ¡°Hey, you''re right!¡± Teepo said, then chittered in laughter. ¡°I completely missed that you didn''t have to cast the other spells to make me like this!¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Xuunah said in a severe tone of voice. ¡°Yes, My Angel?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Why are we in an underground chamber?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°It''s the most private space I know, without going into the Sanctuary.¡± Ren said. ¡°Only someone who knows it''s here could ever find it, and no one can get in without making a portal to do it.¡± ¡°So, it really is private.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°It is, and I have something very important to discuss with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can feel that, and I should already know what you are talking about.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°You are shielding very well, even from yourself.¡± She stepped close and touched the side of his face. ¡°It... it changed.¡± She touched the spot above her heart. ¡°When you gave it back to me, it changed.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You see, when I was repairing everything...¡± Chapter 708 - Sharing Some Truths ¡°So... what you''re saying is, I am... a composite?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°Is that the right word?¡± ¡°Technically, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Actually, practically everything in this world is. Now, anyway.¡± ¡°I''m me, but I''m not really me?¡± ¡°No, you''re still you.¡± Ren tried to explain again. ¡°I just took parts of a younger you, from before the ghoul event, and used most of that information to fix the damage that was caused to you.¡± Xuunah rubbed her forehead and paced back and forth. ¡°Does this younger me still exist?¡± ¡°Yes. I didn''t destroy that version of you. I only copied what I needed.¡± ¡°This is very confusing.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Somewhere out there...¡± She waved at everything and nothing. ¡°...is a younger version of me... of everyone... that you can visit whenever you like?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So, why did you save me?¡± Xunnah asked. ¡°If this other me is there for you, why bother to...¡± Ren stepped close to stop her pacing and took her into a hug. ¡°Because I love you.¡± He said, and she felt his sincerity. ¡°Ren, it doesn''t make sense. If you can retreat to your own private world, what do you need this version of me for?¡± ¡°Xuunah, this is you.¡± Ren said and moved one of his hands to her chest and touched the glowing Maker''s Mark there. ¡°When I met the younger you, I realized what a colossal mistake I had made when we had bonded too soon.¡± He said. ¡°I had the chance to correct that mistake before I made it, and I took that chance. It worked. You are not ostracized by your people or exiled.¡± ¡°H-how...¡± Xuunah closed her eyes and thought about that. ¡°...no. You didn''t... you couldn''t have...¡± ¡°I talked with Vasalor for a long time, and he gave me permission to right the wrong that I did to you and your people.¡± Ren said. ¡°You told me that making myself the villain, that your people would need to come together to fight, wouldn''t work... and you were right. All I did was increase the animosity between Light beings and mortals, the very ones that the Light beings were meant to help.¡± He sighed. ¡°I felt... I feel... so guilty about it.¡± Ren said and he poured it into her. Xuunah caught her breath as she relived in an instant everything he had felt as he fixed the damage that was done to her. When she saw for herself that Vasalor had assumed a humanoid shaped avatar, she also saw Ren''s Mana connection to the all-powerful being. ¡°R-Ren... you... you and Vasalor...¡± ¡°We spent eons together, Xuunah.¡± Ren said, and he let her feel a fraction of that time. ¡°It took that long to repair all the damage to his creation.¡± Xuunah''s breathing had sped up as she felt and saw that Ren and Vasalor had helped every single being that existed in the mortal realm. They had looked at each of them, and their lives, and tried to put things back to the way they were before it had all been messed up. Her heart filled with all the joy that helping people gave her, and it was multiplied by the sheer number of people that Ren and Vasalor himself had stepped in to help. ¡°So many...¡± ¡°You were included in that.¡± Ren said, and she caught her breath. ¡°As was everyone in the Light Realm.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°Vasalor said that he didn''t want the Light Realm to hate or fear mortals, so we helped all of them to look past the mistake I made.¡± Ren said and he felt her churning emotions, so he moved his hand up from the glowing mark above her heart to cup the side of her face. ¡°Don''t worry. They still distrust mortals, and you all still have the same mandates and beliefs.¡± He said. ¡°We didn''t change anything fundamental about who you are, only that one experience.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°Yes, experiences can shape who we are; but, Vasalor said that he didn''t want you all to live with that experience and gave me permission to change it.¡± ¡°Y-yes, it... it still happened, but...¡± ¡°All that changed were the circumstances.¡± Ren said and let her face go and put his arm back around her. ¡°Oh, and I removed the 100 foot tall phantom statue of me that kept telling them to be nice to each other.¡± Xuunah snorted a laugh at that. ¡°At least you didn''t enter the realm to do that.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, I won''t make that mistake again.¡± He said. ¡°I learned my lesson, thank you very much.¡± Xuunah took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°I know I shouldn''t... I mean, I don''t deserve forgiveness for...¡± ¡°Hush.¡± Xuunah said and leaned down to kiss him. She ran her hands through his hair and they made out for several minutes, and Ren felt her become very aroused. He broke the kiss and looked at her. ¡°Xuunah?¡± ¡°Become one with me again, Dearest.¡± Xuunah said and let him go. ¡°We are within a magical barrier and need not fear the consequences.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked as Teepo hopped off of his shoulder and hovered nearby. ¡°I need to shed this body for a moment to stop myself from breaking my people''s mandates.¡± Xuunah almost moaned. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°I can only do it for a few minutes.¡± Ren said and equipped the polymorph helm. It disappeared and he activated its function and chose to be a Light being. ¡°Minutes can seem like hours, or even days, Dearest.¡± Xuunah said and transformed herself. She hadn''t felt any pain from Ren as he transformed just as quickly as her, and when they were both beings made of only Light, they floated close and their Light changed color to yellow. They both gasped as they merged and shared each other very intimately, and Xuunah lived all of Ren''s time with Vasalor. ¡°Ren... please...¡± ¡°Are you sure that...¡± ¡°I would like nothing more.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°But... I don''t know how.¡± ¡°Dearest, I will do all the work.¡± Xuunah said and her color changed from yellow to blue, and Ren shifted to match. ¡°Oh... oh wow.¡± Ren said as he and Xuunah experienced hours and then days together in only moments. He felt sensations he had never felt before during that time, and then something was plucked from him. He gasped as his blue glow faded, then he slowly drifted away from Xuunah. When he was no longer touching her, her blue glow changed and shifted to red.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Ren thought something had gone wrong and started to panic; but, then he felt a huge burst of happiness from Xuunah. He felt the strain of maintaining a not-really-physical form and changed back into his elfling form, equipped his special armor bodysuit, then sat on the ground and stared at Xuunah. He felt her emotions shift around from wonder to amazement, and back to happiness. ¡°Xuunah?¡± Ren reached a hand out to her, and her color didn''t shift back to white as she started to change to her physical form. Her hand grabbed his as her body completely formed and she was nude. ¡°Um... Xuunah...¡± ¡°It''s all right, Dearest.¡± Xuunah said with a huge smile and turned to the side. ¡°I just wanted to show you this.¡± Ren looked at her and wasn''t sure what she meant, then she took his hand and put it on her slightly extended belly. ¡°No way!¡± Teepo chittered in delight. Xuunah nodded. ¡°I''m pregnant.¡± She said happily. ¡°It''s not much right now; but, in 10 years...¡± ¡°WHHHHAAAAATTTT?!?¡± Ren yelled, and she laughed. ¡°It''s barely a blink of time in our long lives, Dearest.¡± Xuunah said and rubbed his hand over her belly. ¡°Don''t worry. The time will pass by so quickly that you will wonder what happened to it all.¡± Ren stood up and kept his hand on her belly. ¡°I guess this means you can''t be my personal guard anymore.¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Xuunah said and moved his hand, formed a nice pants and shirt outfit around herself, then put his hand back on her belly. ¡°I can still guard...¡± ¡°Now it''s my turn to say nonsense.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°You are going to relax and take it easy, and I''m going to take care of you, just like I''m going to take care of Frikara and the others.¡± ¡°Ren, I am a warrior and I do not need to be coddled.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Need to be? Of course not.¡± Ren stepped up into the air and gave her a kiss. ¡°I''m going to, and you''re going to like it.¡± Xuunah shook her head. ¡°Ren, you can''t just...¡± ¡°Your priority now is what you carry within you, Xuunah. My safety is secondary to your precious bundle.¡± ¡°It...¡± Xuunah felt his resolve and sighed. ¡°I shouldn''t have told you so soon.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You were too happy to hide anything, My Angel.¡± Xuunah wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. ¡°Shall I be relegated to a Lady In Waiting, then?¡± ¡°Only if you can''t listen to logic and reason.¡± Ren chuckled and kissed her back, which made her laugh. ¡°We need to get back.¡± ¡°Of course, Dearest.¡± Xuunah said, and took his hand as he cast a portal. Teepo landed on Ren''s shoulder, then Ren and Xuunah stepped through the portal and appeared back in the apartment of the Main House. ¡°Welcome back.¡± Frikara said, and she felt something different in Xuunah. It took her a moment to realize what it was, then all of the maids gasped. ¡°It seems we don''t need to tell them after all, Dearest.¡± Xuunah said ¡°H-how... how did...¡± Frikara stammered. ¡°It''s a Light being thing, apparently.¡± Ren said. ¡°We only have to wait 10 years to see what happens.¡± ¡°WHHHHAAAAATTTT?!?¡± All 5 maids yelled, just like Ren had, and he and Xuunah laughed. ¡°The time''s going to pass quickly, so there''s no need to worry.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°But... but...¡± Frikara tried to express her feelings over Xuunah being pregnant. Ren stepped to her and touched her face. ¡°Before you start freaking out about it, I have something to show you.¡± He said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. He whispered something to the mirror, then turned it to show Frikara. ¡°Wh-what is that?¡± Frikara asked as she saw a sonogram. ¡°That my dear, is the inside of your belly.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°That''s the head, and those are the legs.¡± Frikara''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°You... that... it can''t be!¡± ¡°He''s only about this big.¡± Ren said and held his fingers apart a couple of inches. ¡°Since I don''t know anything about dwarf pregnancies, I have no clue how long you''ve been pregnant.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Frikara couldn''t put her feelings into words as her hand reached out and touched the mirror. A huge pile of love and acceptance came from the other maids, and Ren whispered to the All-Seeing Mirror again. ¡°Andrela, this is you.¡± Ren said and turned the mirror to show her a similar image. ¡°He''s quite a bit bigger than Frikara''s, so I''m sure you were the first to get pregnant.¡± Andrela gasped at the thought, and her hand touched the image. Feelings of regret and sadness started to permeate Ren''s Aura, and he quickly touched the other three maids to get their attention. ¡°Don''t react so soon.¡± Ren said and asked the mirror to split the images and show all 5 of them. ¡°I apparently did my work well, because you are all carrying my child.¡± They all caught their breath at the truth in his words, then they all started to cry. Ren felt how happy they were, and he gave each of them a tender kiss and a hug. ¡°Oh, now I''ve done it.¡± Ren said and took out a golden statue of Vasalor. He activated its inherent and heavily modified Sanctuary spell and time slowed down to a crawl. ¡°I won''t be able to stop kissing you for a long time.¡± ¡°R-Ren... what...¡± Frikara asked. ¡°I''m going to spend the next two months with you.¡± Ren said and smiled at their reactions. ¡°I hope you can stand to have me around so much.¡± ¡°T-t-two MONTHS?!?¡± The maids yelled, and Ren nodded as Teepo flew up to land on the ceiling. ¡°Before I do anything else, like head to the Fire Realm to apologize to the Deity of Fire, I''m making sure that I spend some quality time with you.¡± ¡°But... but if we''re...¡± ¡°I''ll be careful.¡± Ren said and took Frikara into his arms. ¡°We''ll only be having sex for fun.¡± Frikara thought about laughing, then changed her mind. ¡°Do you still want... I mean, since I''m...¡± ¡°Yes, even though I''ve given you what you wanted, I still want to have sex with you.¡± Ren said and looked at the others. ¡°All of you.¡± ¡°You don''t know how much I regret that I''m not included in that.¡± Xuunah said, and Ren turned to look at her. ¡°Who said you weren''t?¡± Ren asked, and he felt her surprise. ¡°You don''t think I only wanted to share-bond with you only twice, did you?¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We all have the next two months to spend together.¡± Ren said and looked back at Frikara. ¡°I need to make up for lost time, and there''s no time like the present to do that.¡± Frikara caught her breath as Ren let her feel how much he had missed her since he had been forced to leave her and the other maids, and her passion for him ignited like a bonfire doused in gasoline. ¡°If you would be so kind as to join me on the bed, we can get started.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren? What about Artemis?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I asked her to wait outside for me.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Isn''t she in pain right now because she''s separated from you?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren smiled and stored his clothing. Everyone looked down at his very ready state and caught their breath. ¡°I fixed her, too. She doesn''t have to suffer if we get separated by a portal, either.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Frikara whispered and her hand caressed his hardness. ¡°I missed you so much.¡± ¡°I missed you, too.¡± Ren said and tugged on her dress. Frikara stored it and he picked her up, then laid her down on the bed. He joined with her and pleased her right away, careful of her delicate state, and then he did the same to the other maids. Because it had been so long for them, they were all sated quickly, and Ren climbed off of the bed and walked towards Xuunah. ¡°R-Ren, we... we can''t.¡± Xuunah said, but her eyes never left his ready state. ¡°My Angel, I told you a long time ago that I would never make you compromise your people''s mandates or beliefs.¡± Ren said and as he came closer, he polymorphed into a Light being. ¡°Be with me, as we were meant to be.¡± Xuunah gasped as his Light touched her skin, and her body dissolved almost immediately and she was still a red color. Ren''s color changed to yellow, and they floated together as one for nearly three minutes. When Ren''s time was up, Xuunah was reluctant to let him disengage. ¡°We have a lot of tme to spend together, My Angel.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s no need to be greedy this time.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I never want you to let me go.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°You changed the world for me.¡± ¡°You''ve discovered my motivation so quickly.¡± Ren said and pulled back, changed to a white color, then changed back to his elfling form. He activated his Hands of the Gods ability and chose Restoring Hands, then poured pure Light from his hands and touched the oddly shaped ball of Light that was Xuunah. She flickered at his touch and her red color shifted slightly towards a pink shade, and Ren ran his hands over her. He had lots of time to find her sensitive spots in this form, and he found them quickly and used them. ¡°G-great V-Vasalor!¡± Xuunah exclaimed and she flickered to yellow for an instant, then her color shifted back to red. ¡°R-Ren, h-how... how did you...¡± ¡°I love you, Xuunah.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to make up the time I''ve been away with you, too.¡± ¡°Oh, Dearest.¡± Xuunah sighed and shifted back into her mortal form. Ren caught her and picked her up before she collapsed, and he carried her to the bed and laid her down. ¡°D-do with me as you wish.¡± ¡°I wish for you to get some sleep and relax.¡± Ren said and smiled at her surprise. ¡°Ren, I... I''m giving you permission to... to...¡± ¡°Hush.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°Go to sleep and we can have more fun when you wake up.¡± Xuunah was too exhausted to deny him, and she drifted off to sleep without another word. ¡°Wow.¡± Frikara whispered. ¡°What... what just happened?¡± ¡°I kind of combined how Light beings share-bonded with how we do foreplay.¡± Ren said and smiled at her, and she chuckled. ¡°No wonder she reacted like that.¡± Frikara said. ¡°You can do foreplay like there''s no tomorrow.¡± ¡°What a great idea!¡± Ren said and moved down to her special place. ¡°It really is.¡± Frikara moaned as he showed her, then he showed the other maids. After an hour of pleasing them like that, he climbed into the pile of them and they all went to sleep like Xuunah. Chapter 709 - The New Sanctuary The two months passed by almost before they knew it, and when Ren stored the Vasalor statue, all 5 maids had a small bump on their bellies. ¡°I really need to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°We know. We know!¡± Frikara laughed. ¡°You''ve been telling us all week!¡± ¡°I was just preparing you...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°We can survive for a day without you, Dearest.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Not without me doing something first.¡± Ren said. ¡°Present bare bellies!¡± The maids and Xuunah equipped the special tops he had made for them that left their bellies exposed, and he knelt in front of each of them and kissed their bellies. They all laughed as he did so, since it was a silly ritual he had gotten them used to, and then he went back in reverse and kissed them on the lips. ¡°If you need anything, you let Symmetra know. If it''s something only I can do for you, I''ll be back tonight.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Get going.¡± Frikara said. ¡°W-wait.¡± Andrela said, and Ren walked over to her. ¡°Can... can you kiss my belly again?¡± Ren beamed a smile at her and knelt in front of her again. He stared up at her and he felt her anticipation as he leaned forward slowly, then he licked her instead. She giggled and gasped at the sensation, which made everyone laugh. He gave it a proper kiss and then stood. ¡°See you all soon.¡± Ren said and left the apartment, then went downstairs and outside to meet Artemis. ¡°That was fast.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I was tempted to stay longer, but they warned me about spoiling them too much.¡± Ren said and then chuckled. ¡°Well, I guess I should say they ordered me not to.¡± He grinned. ¡°Let''s get Zetaya and head back to Aurora.¡± They went across the road and opened the giant forge, and Zetaya stepped out. The Greater Fire elemental made the sounds of breaking branches in a fire when there wasn''t a cart or anything for it to climb into, and Ren laughed. ¡°Don''t worry, we don''t need a cart.¡± Ren said and activated his hands of the Gods ability Burning Hands, and surrounded Zetaya with a solid layer of Fire. The Greater Fire elemental absorbed it within a few seconds and made the sound of a crackling fire, then gave Ren a big hug. ¡°Aww, that''s so cute.¡± Teepo said. ¡°My Lord, am I not needed?¡± Princess asked. ¡°We''re just jumping to get Suniva and then going to the Fire Realm.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll need you tonight when I head to the High Elven Kingdom, though.¡± ¡°I haven''t run that far in a while.¡± Princess said and he felt how happy she was. ¡°We can even head to the Underworld and the Giant starter city.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t visited there in a while, not since setting up the farmland under the city, and it''s about time I checked in on them to see how they''re doing.¡± Princess brayed her happiness at getting to run across the continent, and ocean, and half of another continent. ¡°I''m sorry I haven''t been using your skills lately.¡± Ren apologized and scratched her chin. ¡°With only short or almost no distances to travel, I knew you wouldn''t enjoy it and it would be a waste of your talents.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± Princess said. ¡°I will await your return tonight.¡± ¡°See you then.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked the bedroom in Aurora. He cast the Large Portal spell and a double-sized portal appeared. He took Artemis'' hand and Zetaya''s arm stub, then stepped through the portal. ¡°It''s weird that I don''t have to go back into the ring when we do that.¡± Teepo said. ¡°REN! Behind you!¡± Seldanna exclaimed and drew her Vampiric Blood Sword. ¡°Whoa! Whoa!¡± Ren said and held his hands up and dismissed the portal. ¡°This is Zetaya, my Greater Fire Eemental.¡± ¡°That''s Zetaya? Really?¡± Seldanna asked, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Yes, I know it''s a bit of a shock.¡± Ren turned and rubbed the 10 foot tall Greater Fire elemental''s belly. Zetaya let out the sound of a crackling fire, and Seldanna nodded. ¡°It is Zetaya.¡± Seldana said and stored her sword. ¡°You have grown mighty, Zetaya.¡± Zetaya made the sound of a roaring fire, and Seldanna smiled. She couldn''t understand what was said; but, she understood the feelings behind it because Zetaya appreciated the compliment. ¡°Will Zetaya be getting a turn in the Sanctuary as well?¡± Ellaria asked. ¡°A turn? No.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Wait here for a moment, please.¡± They all waited for him when he left the bedroom, and he came back a moment later with the Marilith Demon behind him. ¡°Ren, what...¡± ¡°All will be answered momentarily.¡± Ren said and cast Large Portal to go into the Sanctuary. ¡°After you, M''lady.¡± He said and motioned for the Marilith Demon to go through. ¡°You will have to tell me how you made a double-sized portal.¡± She said and slithered by him. ¡°I just changed the spell.¡± Ren said and looked at Seldanna and the other succubi. ¡°Please, enter.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Don''t start doubting me now.¡± Ren said with a smile, and she touched his cheek as she passed by and entered the portal. The 3 succubi went next, then Artemis entered, and Ren walked over to the shelf. ¡°Ren, how? I thought...¡± Suniva had watched with wide eyes as the Sanctuary''s capacity was exceeded. ¡°Suniva, do you feel like spending some time with me before we go to the Fire Realm?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s going to be crowded in that small space.¡± Suniva said. ¡°You would assume that.¡± Ren grinned and held a hand out to her. She hopped off the shelf and landed on his hand, and he took Zetaya''s arm stub, then stepped through the large portal and dismissed it. ¡°This is amazing!¡± Suniva said as she saw what was on the other side of the portal and flew around. ¡°How did you do all of this?¡± ¡°I had a lot of time on my hands.¡± Ren said, and he felt the awe and wonder from the others as they looked around the space. It was still the Sanctuary that he had built next to the Library in his county, except that the inside was like a mansion instead of a small one storey house. ¡°Ren, is that... I feel something.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°It''s probably coming from your roost.¡± Ren said and pointed up the stairs. ¡°My roost?¡± Seldanna asked, and Ren made shooing motions to her. She took the hint and walked up the stairs, then she gasped. The other succubi felt her shock and ran up the stairs to see what happened, then they gasped and felt shock as well. ¡°What is it?¡± Suniva asked. ¡°Just a little playground for her and the other succubi to enjoy when I''m spending time with someone else.¡± ¡°Like me?¡± Suniva asked, and Ren pointed behind her. ¡°There''s two doors. One when you''re big, and one when you''re small.¡± Ren said. Suniva flew over to it and used the small door and stepped inside. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± ¡°I never realized how easy it was to make lava.¡± Ren chuckled as he felt her wonder.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°R-Ren, can... can I...¡± ¡°It''s your room, so sure.¡± Ren said. Suniva flew back to him in a flash and kissed his cheek, then flew into her room and slammed the door shut. Ren chuckled and opened the large door to the room next to that, and motioned for Zetaya to go in. Zetaya made the sound of breaking branches in a fire, and Ren took several steps up into the air to rub Zetaya''s head stub. ¡°I''ll be in to visit in a little while.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a lot to tell you about.¡± Zetaya made a crackling fire sound, and Ren gave the head stub a kiss. ¡°Have fun playing in the lava pools.¡± Zetaya nodded and entered the room, and Ren shut the large door. ¡°Artemis, your room is right there.¡± Ren pointed to where the portal had been and Artemis went into her room to explore it. ¡°I suppose I have a room as well.¡± The Marilith Demon said. ¡°It''s more like a sauna, actually.¡± Ren said, and the Marilith Demon shivered slightly. ¡°D-don''t tease me, Ren.¡± Ren ran over to her and took one of her large hands and led her around the staircase that Seldanna and the succubi went up, and opened the large set of double doors. Inside was a huge area filled with rock ledges, wading pools, heat lamps, and an endless supply of steam that rose in a constant wave. ¡°R-Ren... you...¡± ¡°There''s even a hidden cave for you to find and make into a lair.¡± Ren said, and he saw her shiver again as her emotions bubbled like the wading pool she was looking at. ¡°You''ll have to leave when I do, but we''ll be coming back tonight when I get back from the Fire Realm.¡± The Marilith Demon turned and looked at him with lust in her eyes, and he moved up to stand in front of her. ¡°I hope you like it.¡± The Marilith Demon''s middle arms wrapped around him to give him a hug and her top arms rubbed the sides of his head. ¡°It''s perfect.¡± She said and kissed his lips and chin. ¡°Will you be staying with me first?¡± ¡°That is what you want.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°You know me well.¡± ¡°I also have a surprise for you.¡± Ren said and caressed her face with both hands. ¡°This wasn''t surprise enough?¡± She chuckled. ¡°It''s part of it.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you''ll let me go for a moment, I''ll show you.¡± The Marilith Demon nodded and let him out of her embrace, and Ren walked away and shut the double doors. There was a click of a lock and he turned back to stare at her. ¡°If I didn''t know any better, I would say that you were planning something nefarious.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren said and took two steps towards her, then activated his polymorph helm and chose Marilith Demon. She caught her breath as Ren started to polymorph his body into the male version of her species, and he didn''t pause as he continued to move across the floor towards her. By the time he reached her, he was fully transformed and slithered his tail around her. The Marilith Demon couldn''t speak as he used his bottom set of hands to hold onto her bottom set and intertwined his fingers with hers. She gasped when his middle set of arms wrapped around her waist and then her mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise as his top hands cupped the sides of her face and his tail wrapped around her tail expertly. Marilith Ren''s long snake-like tongue flicked out just like a real snake''s would and he smiled as he held her still. ¡°Surprise.¡± The Marilth Demon''s four free hands grabbed onto him and pulled him in close, and she kissed him with wild abandon. She tried to pull her tail free so she could embrace him completely; but, he held her firmly and restricted her movements. ¡°L-let me...¡± She said when she broke the kiss. ¡°Not yet.¡± Marilith Ren said and used his middle hands to tap her armor. She stored it and he brought those hands up to caress her breasts. She moaned as his boiling hot hands massaged her. He wasn''t sure if she was enjoying it more because of the setting or because he was in a similar body. ¡°P-please...¡± She moaned and closed her eyes. ¡°Let... let me...¡± Marilith Ren ignored her and moved one of his hands down to her special place, then kissed her as he explored her expertly. He had done similar things to her before in his enlarged elfling body; but, he didn''t quite measure up to her expectations. She never quite got the pleasure that she had hoped for, so this time he wanted to make sure that she did. The Marilith Demon moaned and panted as he played with her, and then he suddenly let her go completely and slithered back out of reach. Her eyes flipped open and she stared daggers at him. ¡°Get. Back. Here.¡± The Marilith Demon said through gritted teeth. ¡°Right. Now.¡± ¡°You need to catch me first!¡± Marilith Ren hissed at her, then started to ''run'' away. ¡°I''m not going to make it easy for you!¡± He laughed as she lunged at him and just barely missed his tail. ¡°You''ve gotta earn it!¡± The Marilith Demon hissed a scream at him, then chased him in earnest. Marilith Ren led her on a merry chase and showed her all the spots they could fit in, and then he turned to try and go back the other way when she tackled him. In barely a second, she had his arms pinned with hers and her tail was wrapped around him to hold him immobile. ¡°I got you!¡± The Marilith Demon spat at him and put her face right in front of his. ¡°I beat you!¡± ¡°You have, fair and square.¡± Marilith Ren said. ¡°Now, it''s time for your reward.¡± ¡°You are in no position to give me anything!¡± The Marilith Demon hissed into his face. ¡°I have you completely pinned!¡± ¡°Not all of me.¡± Marilith Ren opened his mouth to lick her face to distract her and the Marilith Demon felt something come out between them. Her eyes widened for a moment when she realized what he meant, and then he entered her very prepared special place with his own. The Marilith Demon''s whole body froze solid and she convulsed as his appropriately-shaped and sized genitalia filled her special place completely. She had never felt anything like it before, considering she was supposed to be the only one of her species, and Marilith Ren took full advantage of this. He easily loosened her grip on him and he gently rolled her over onto her back. ¡°I felt how disappointed you were when we were intimate, so I wanted to correct that mistake.¡± Marilith Ren said and wiggled his lower half to stimulate her. The Marilith Demon could only stare up at him with her mouth open in surprise as he pleased her in ways she didn''t realize she could feel. He took his time with her and made sure she felt every slither and every muscle contraction, and she received as much pleasure as she could ever want or need. An hour later, Ren was back to normal and walked out through the double doors of the Marilith Demon''s room. He went over to Suniva''s room and went inside, stored his clothing, and dove into the lava pool she sat in. Suniva laughed as the lava splashed onto her and pushed it off, then Ren came up to the surface. ¡°You''re lucky I made myself big.¡± Suniva said. ¡°I would have shrunk myself if you were still small.¡± Ren said. ¡°How else are we going to have sex?¡± Suniva laughed again, and he held a hand out to her. She took it and he dragged her into the lava flow and they rolled around and played for a while, then he took her up to the surface and laid her down, then made love to her. ¡°It''s like a dream come true.¡± Suniva whispered as he pleased her. After an hour, Ren left her area and went in to visit Artemis. She informed him that she could wait, and he said that she never has to wait, because she was always with him. She laughed and they had a quick love-making session, then she kicked him out and told him to go to the succubi. He left reluctantly, then ran up the stairs to the succubi roost. ¡°My King, this place is exquisite.¡± Seldanna said when he entered the roost. ¡°You have outdone yourself.¡± ¡°Not yet I haven''t.¡± Ren said and activated his polymorph helm. All four of the succubi stopped breathing at the sudden transformation happening in front of them, and then they gasped as Ren became an Incubus, the male counterpart to the succubus. ¡°I think it''s finally time that you got what you deserve.¡± Seldanna was enraptured by him when he stored his clothing, then he stalked towards her. The other succubi slid off to the sides in fighting stances to try and encircle him, and he grinned at them. They stopped moving when his hand darted out faster than they could see and he grabbed Ellaria by the wrist. Incubus Ren pulled her in close. ¡°You smell... really tasty.¡± He said and licked her cheek. Ellaria finished just from that and fainted. He eased her down to the floor, then disappeared. ¡°Wh-where...¡± Chenoa tried to turn around and suddenly Incubus Ren was there and held her tenderly. ¡°So soft...¡± Incubus Ren said and gently kissed her on the lips. Chenoa gasped and finished, then fainted. Katori stood up from her fighting stance and waited for him. Incubus Ren laid Chenoa on the floor and walked over to Katori. ¡°I can feel you, My King.¡± Katori said and touched her heart. ¡°You can''t give me what I...¡± Incubus Ren made a dagger appear and quickly slashed his own throat. ¡°NOOOO!¡± Katori yelled and caught him as he fell. ¡°No, you... you shouldn''t have...¡± ¡°T-take... my lifeblood.¡± Incubus Ren whispered. ¡°Be... be what you... what you want.¡± Katori cried as Incubus Ren''s blood covered her hands and her legs, and she lifted her bloody hand to her mouth and sucked on it. She moaned as she felt the power it gave her, and her eyes turned blood red as she bent low to suck on his wound. She stayed there for several minutes, much longer than it should have taken for the blood to end, and then she shoved Incubus Ren off of her lap and screamed. Katori''s whole body glowed red and she stared at herself. She was covered in blood and she lifted her hands to the ceiling. ¡°Please! I beg you! Take this worthless body and make it whole again!¡± ¡°AS YOU WISH.¡± A booming voice said. Katori was engulfed in a golden glow and her body started to shake and convulse, then it sounded like several bones were broken and she screamed again. In the next moment, her hands and feet curled up into small balls of flesh. Her wings withered and fell off, then two loud snaps were heard as her horns were broken off by some unseen force. ¡°Katori!¡± Seldanna yelled and started to run to her, and Incubus Ren was suddenly there. ¡°No, she needs to finish it.¡± Incubus Ren said, and Seldanna saw that his neck was healed. ¡°But... she... she...¡± ¡°It''s what she really wants.¡± They watched as Katori''s hands and feet regrew to look normal and were no longer the claws and talons of the succubi. The blood that had covered her disappeared with the golden glow, and she collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Incubus Ren let Seldanna go and she rushed to her friend. ¡°Katori.¡± Seldanna said and picked her up. She brought her over to one of the many beds in the roost and laid her down on it. Incubus Ren did the same to the other two succubi and put them on nearby beds, and he walked over to Seldanna. ¡°She''s fine.¡± Incubus Ren said, and Seldanna turned on him. ¡°How could you do that to her!¡± Seldanna said and punched his chest. Incubus Ren let her, and she punched him over and over, which caused bruises and damage. When she became tired and realized what she had done, she started to cry. ¡°I... I didn''t mean... I never wanted... I''m sorry I hurt you!¡± ¡°What, this?¡± Incubus Ren waved his hand over his very damaged and bloody chest, and the damage disappeared instantly. ¡°You didn''t hurt me.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I am your King.¡± Incubus Ren said. ¡°Nothing you can do will ever change that.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°I''m going to give you what you deserve.¡± Incubus Ren said. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Seldanna looked down at a very normal-looking Katori on the bed, then looked at Incubus Ren. ¡°Yes, My King.¡± Incubus Ren took her hand and led her over to one of the free beds and laid her down on it. He asked her for her Vampiric Blood Sword and she gave it to him. He held it at arm''s length and cast a portal on the floor below it, and the exit portal appeared over the bed on the ceiling. Seldanna stared at the portal and didn''t know what he was going to do, then Incubus Ren let the sword go and jumped onto the bed above her. ¡°NOOO!¡± Seldanna screamed as the sword fell out of the portal and skewered Incubus Ren right through the heart and the end of the blade slid into her chest and skewered hers, too. Chapter 710 - Making Things Right ¡°R-Ren!¡± Seldanna gripped his shoulders to try and push him off, then realized that they weren''t on the bed anymore and stood inside a dank cell. ¡°Wh-what is this?¡± ¡°It''s a little trick I learned from Xuunah.¡± Incubus Ren said. ¡°It lets someone enter someone else''s memories to help them deal with what happened to them.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Seldanna turned at the sound of the cell door opening and her eyes fell upon Murdrasu. ¡°NO!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Murdrasu said and grabbed her by the back of the neck. ¡°You are mine now, and you will feed me!¡± ¡°Ren! Help me!¡± ¡°I am helping you.¡± Incubus Ren said and followed Murdrasu out of the cell as he dragged Seldanna out and down the hall of the underground cavern, then into a small cave with ritual markings all over it. Inside was a pentagram, upside down of course, and a small altar. ¡°Stop! Please!¡± Seldanna pleaded, and Murdrasu only laughed. He always enjoyed it when they struggled. ¡°Ren! Help!¡± Incubus Ren walked over to the altar and knelt by her head and cupped the sides of her face. ¡°I''m right here, Seldanna.¡± He said in calm voice, and some of her panic eased. When Murdrasu unsheathed the Vampiric Blood Sword, Seldanna screamed and made him laugh. ¡°Don''t look at him.¡± Incubus Ren said. Seldanna averted her gaze to look at Incubus Ren instead. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Incubus Ren said and kissed her. Seldanna caught her breath as his emotions of comfort and calmness filled her, and then Murdrasu shoved the Vampiric Blood Sword through her abdomen. The blow didn''t kill her, it only allowed the most amount of blood to be harvested as quickly as possible. ¡°Yesssss, that''s it.¡± Murdrasu said as Seldanna''s blood filled the sword and its power filled him. He withdrew the sword before it took everything from her, and then he cast a Minor Healing spell on her to close the wound without healing her internally. ¡°You''ll be fine in a week.¡± Murdrasu left the ritual room and Zunala and Katori came in. Incubus Ren broke the kiss at this point and the succubi saw the state Seldanna was in. ¡°I really wish he would heal the internal injuries, too.¡± Katori said and helped Zunala pick Seldanna up. ¡°He enjoys the feelings of pain and suffering from us too much to do that.¡± Zunala said and they carried Seldanna back to her cell. They laid her on the bare earth floor and tended to her as much as they could, which wasn''t much with almost no resources except scraps of cloth and bits of discarded meat for her to eat. Seldanna''s eyes never left Incubus Ren''s, though. When the succubi left and they were alone, Seldanna couldn''t hold her tears back. ¡°How could you let him do that to me again?¡± Seldanna asked as she sobbed. ¡°I didn''t let him do it, because it already happened.¡± Incubus Ren said and knelt by her. Seldanna tried to move away; but, her damage was still debilitating and she cried out in pain. ¡°Easy, now.¡± He said and touched her face, and the pain lessened. She stared at him with wide eyes, and he sat down next to her and pulled her into his lap. ¡°I''m going to do for you what Nathalia did for me.¡± Seldanna caught her breath as Incubus Ren kissed her again and filled her with his emotions. Over the next several incidents, Incubus Ren stayed a constant presence for her as she relived her worst experiences. He stayed right by her side and helped her deal with it, and as he did, she became stronger in her resolve. It took her a while, and eventually she had had enough. Murdrasu opened the cage door and she used her considerable strength to lunge at him and knocked him into the cavern wall. She punched his face over and over as she screamed at him that she hated him for what he did to her all those years. She was breathing heavy when she stopped and Murdrasu was left unconscious at her feet. Her own Vampiric Blood Sword appeared in her hand and she ran him through with it. All of her stolen power flooded out of him and came back into her, and her body glowed as she absorbed it all. ¡°That felt good, didn''t it?¡± Incubus Ren asked, and Seldanna turned towards him with the same murderous look in her eyes. She lunged at him with the same intent to kill him for putting her through all of this again. Instead of running or defending himself, Incubus Ren opened his arms and caught her lunge, then hugged her tightly. Seldanna tried to fight; but, he held her tightly and tenderly. Her frustration over everything bubbled up and she started to cry once more. ¡°There, there.¡± Incubus Ren said and rubbed her back and kissed her cheek. ¡°You made him pay for what he did to you.¡± ¡°But... but... it''s only...¡± ¡°No, it''s real.¡± Incubus Ren said and leaned his head back to look her in the eyes. ¡°You can feel all that power, can''t you?¡± Seldanna was going to deny it, then nodded. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°That''s your own reclaimed power. All those years of having it sucked out of you by that unscrupulous bastard mean less than nothing now.¡± Incubus Ren said and gave her a brief kiss on the lips. Seldanna felt the truth in his words. ¡°If... if it''s over, then... why are we still here?¡± ¡°Now that you''re done with this part of you, you just have to want to leave.¡± Incubus Ren said. ¡°I...¡± Seldanna looked around at the cell that she had spent so much time in, both during her life and in her memories, and she took in a deep breath and looked at Incubus Ren. ¡°My King, I discard this part of myself and I will never dwell upon this place ever again.¡± Incubus Ren beamed a smile at her, and Seldanna gasped at the sheer flood of happy emotions he filled her with. The dream image faded and they were back on the bed, skewered by her Vampiric Blood Sword. He still had the same beaming smile, however. ¡°We... we''re still stuck.¡± Seldanna managed to whisper with what little air she had left in her lungs. ¡°Just store it.¡± Incubus Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You don''t need to touch it. It only has to be within your Area of Effect, or your shared Area of Effect. Just concentrate on it and store it.¡± Incubus Ren said. Seldanna''s mouth dropped open in shock. After a few moments, she recovered from that and did as he said. The sword disappeared and the immense weight on both of them disappeared. She took in a huge breath as her chest closed over, thanks to her high Regeneration, and she saw Incubus Ren''s chest was healed as well. Incubus Ren rolled off on her and laid beside her. ¡°So, how long are you going to hate me?¡± Seldanna propped herself up on her elbow and used her free hand to rub the spot over his heart. ¡°Perhaps a year, even if you become this version of you again.¡± Seldanna said, and he felt she was completely serious.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Then we''ll have to stay inside the Sanctuary for that long.¡± Incubus Ren said, and he felt her utter shock. He put a hand on hers and smiled. ¡°I just hope you can stand to see me so much.¡± ¡°My... my King.¡± Seldanna almost moaned and leaned down to kiss him. Incubus Ren rolled back over her and caressed her breasts through her bikini top, and she stored that and her bottoms without being asked. He gave her a huge smile and suckled on her chest for several minutes, then moved down between her legs. She stared at him as he pleased her there. She had built up a good resistance to him by this point, then he filled her with how she had felt each time he kissed her there, and she finished and fainted. Ren left the roost in his elfling form and went down to Zetaya''s room. He made himself double in size and hugged the Greater Fire elemental, then they sat down in one of the lava pools and he told Zetaya about all the things he had done since the last time they had met. A month passed by, then another and another, and all of the occupants started to get nervous about being away for so long. Despite Ren''s constant reassurance that everything was fine, when the full year had ended, they were all desperate to get back. ¡°Oh, all right.¡± Ren laughed when they all pretty much tackled him and forced him to open a portal back to the bedroom in Aurora. ¡°I guess we should go home.¡± They let out a sigh of relief as they left the Sanctuary, and the succubi flopped down on the bed. ¡°I never thought I''d miss this old thing.¡± Seldanna said and pat the mattress, and the other succubi laughed and cuddled into her. ¡°It is nice to be back.¡± The Marilith Demon said as she caressed Ren''s face briefly, then she slithered out of the room and went back to her own. ¡°Ren, I think I''ll go to the Pixieland ride.¡± Suniva said. ¡°It''s been so long, that...¡± Ren chuckled and checked the All-Seeing Mirror, then cast a Small Portal spell for her. ¡°Ha ha!¡± Suniva laughed, gave his cheek a kiss, then flew through the small portal. ¡°Ren...¡± Artemis started to say, and he reached up and cupped the side of her face. ¡°It''s okay. You can stay here.¡± ¡°Her seething anger is tolerable for me; but, it takes away from her enjoyment of her time with you.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ll distract her by bringing Zetaya with me this time.¡± Zetaya made the sound of breaking branches in a fire, and Ren laughed. ¡°It''s okay. I''ll explain that it wasn''t your fault that your connection was cut off.¡± Zetaya made the sound of a forest fire, and Ren gave the Greater Fire elemental a hug. ¡°You can stay inside the spawn point if you''re nervous.¡± Zetaya nodded and Ren looked at the succubi. Seldanna, Ellaria and Chenoa still looked like full fledged succubi; but, Katori looked like she was completely human. She still had all of her succubi abilities like flight, Regeneration, Seduction, and her Emotion Siphon ability, however. He kissed Seldanna first, as was her right as the Sovereign, then he kissed the other two succubi, and looked at Katori. She averted her eyes from his gaze, despite all this time, and he took her hand and lifted her from the bed. ¡°None of us think less of you for not wanting to look like a succubus.¡± Ren said for the hundredth time, and the shared Aura filled with support and acceptance for her. ¡°You will definitely meet someone now.¡± ¡°It... it''s not that.¡± Katori said and blushed. ¡°You... you almost killed yourself for me.¡± ¡°I promised I would, way back in Shargon Caverns, remember?¡± Ren asked, and she caught her breath. ¡°I said I would give you everything you would ever need, including my life if it was necessary.¡± Katori''s face crumbled and he hugged her tightly as she cried. ¡°Shh, it''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to feel guilty about that, or about needing someone of your very own.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°There''s no rush, and we aren''t going to kick you out if you don''t find someone.¡± Ren eased the hug and looked up at her tear-streaked face. He gave her a piece of cloth and she wiped her eyes. ¡°That''s not how things work around here.¡± ¡°But... if I do...¡± ¡°Depending on if they are from the county or not, you can move back to the roost or I can build you a house nearby.¡± Ren said. ¡°You don''t have to worry about that right now, though.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Just go and have fun, and if something develops, then we can start thinking about where things might go from there.¡± Katori took a shallow breath and nodded. Ren stepped into the air and gave her a kiss. She shivered from the touch, even though he didn''t try to fill her with emotions, and he stepped back down to the floor. ¡°You should get back on the bed and let the others comfort you for now, and I''ll be back tonight.¡± Ren said, and she did as he said. Seldanna and the other two succubi accepted her with both open arms and hearts, and he cast a Large Portal to the underground chamber. ¡°Ready, Zetaya?¡± Zetaya nodded and they stepped through the large portal together. ******** Lisa sat at her computer and she didn''t know what to do. Stella had texted her and told her not to go into the game because Ren was trying to fix it, which was a surprise to her, and then several minutes later, Stella texted her again and told her that Ren was done and that everything should be fine. Unfortunately, Lisa had spent a long time in the game, and now that Ren had fixed everything, she wasn''t sure how she was going to feel when she went back in. She was nervous that all of her gained knowledge was slightly out of date and that her abilities might activate to try to give her all of that new information all at once, which would be a very bad thing. Lisa had a lot of experience with information overload and she knew without a doubt that if she had to absorb all of that information as soon as she appeared in the game, she would have a splitting headache for days. With little confidence and a sorrowful sigh, she picked up the VR headset and laid down on her bed, then relaxed and prepared for the pain. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Lisa appeared in the white loading area, and then it morphed into a gigantic library with hundreds of thousands of books. ¡°What in the world?!?¡± She exclaimed and looked around at it, then received a popup.
System Notice!
Due to the inadequacy and ineptitude of the previous caretakers, steps had to be taken to ensure the continued existence of this creation. Under the new management system, the creation''s integrity is now paramount, as is the safety of those that visit this creation. Welcome to the new F.L.O.W.!
Lisa laughed and dismissed the popup, then she morphed into her character Lara, the Sage of Ages, and the immense library faded away and was replaced by her closet. Except, it wasn''t a closet anymore. ¡°R-Ren... you...¡± Lara looked around at her comfortable apartment. It had a bed, table and chairs for two, a small kitchen and a full bathroom with a hot tub and stand up shower. ¡°I love you so much.¡± Lara examined everything and saw that it all worked, then walked over to the door of her apartment. She took a deep breath and reached for the door handle, and saw a note was taped there. She plucked it off the handle and read it.
Dear Lara,
I figured you would be worried about all the changes and repairs I''ve made, so I''ve installed a buffer under the panel by the door. Just place your hand on it and concentrate on your abilities. I couldn''t do a lot of this work myself, since it''s content I don''t have direct knowledge of (and Vasalor said I can''t peek), so if anything feels off, it''s because I didn''t want to cheat and it''s all Vasalor''s fault. Have fun, and don''t try to suck it all in at once. P.S. I doubled your time compression, so you don''t have to rush.
I love you, Ren
Lara put the note on the table beside the couch and opened the panel beside the door, then she laughed at the popup she received.
WARNING!
Do NOT push the big red button! This is the big red button and it should never be pushed for any reason! This means you! Don''t even think about pushing this big, red, shiny, and enticing button! Don''t do it! Please, leave it alone! Pushing this button is bad! BAD!
Lara dismissed the popup and looked at the big red button, then felt a very strong urge to push it. It made her laugh again, and she put her hand on it. She took a breath and concentrated on her information gathering abilities as she closed her eyes, then pushed it. She caught her breath as the information flowed into her in a steady stream, and since she had lots of experience with gathering in this fashion, she easily compared the old information she had and the new information, and was very glad when she discovered that there was almost no difference. Lara relaxed and the information flowed faster, and she let it fill her up. She lost track of time as she kept absorbing information to compare to what she already knew, and when the information slowed down and then stopped, she let the button go. She had been tempted to accept a secondary class and continue to do other things; but, she really liked what she could already do and didn''t want to mess that up or get distracted by trying to keep leveling up and using other skills that she wasn''t familiar with. Lara closed the panel and touched the door handle, selected the Aurora Library, and opened the door to appear in that Library. She smiled as she stepped out because she wasn''t bombarded by new information, so she shut the door and walked over to her desk and sat down. I wonder if I could get Ren to show me that big library from the loading screen? Lara asked herself, then picked up her book and started to read. Chapter 711 - Hot Under The Collar ¡°Hello, Father.¡± Fire Dancer spat as Ren stepped through the large portal into the spawn point building on her night stand. ¡°It''s about time you showed up.¡± Ren motioned for Zetaya to stay and he dismissed the portal and unfurled his wings, then jumped down to the floor and bowed deeply. ¡°I had important business that needed to be attended to, Deity of Fire.¡± ¡°I have seen this... business... of yours.¡± Fire Dancer said and pointed to her display box, and it replayed his scene of kissing the bellies of the maids and Xuunah, when he left the Main House in his county. ¡°How dare you...¡± ¡°You should watch the footage before all of that, from when I just came back from Adventurer''s business; but, I''ll save that argument for later.¡± Ren said. ¡°The maids have been pregnant for a while. If I had to estimate, it was well before I started coming here to visit. Like I told them, since I don''t know anything about dwarf pregnancies, it could have been quite a long time ago, or happened just before the Sea Dweller event.¡± ¡°They are with child!¡± Fire Dancer said, angrily. ¡°Isn''t it great?!?¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°You don''t have to be angry about it.¡± ¡°Of course I''m angry!¡± Fire Dancer nearly yelled and her Everlasting Fire burst forth and filled the room. ¡°You don''t understand what this means!¡± ¡°Actually, I do.¡± Ren said and instantly became 8 times his size. Fire Dancer was slightly startled by this change, since she had been used to him growing to that height and not just becoming it. ¡°You are afraid that I''ll stop coming here because I''ll have other children I need to raise.¡± Fire Dancer closed her mouth on the lie she wanted to say, and Ren stepped close to her and took her into his arms and increased Teepo''s size as well. ¡°Honey, you are, and always will be, my first child.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve told you countless times that I love you and that you will always have a special place in my heart.¡± ¡°But... but, Father...¡± ¡°You never have to worry that I am going to abandon you, because nothing will ever stop me from seeing you.¡± Ren caressed her cheek and he saw the lost look in her eyes. ¡°I may be delayed because of Adventurer business; but other than that, I will spend my days here with you... until you are sick of me and kick me out.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Even then, I''ll sneak back in just to annoy you with random hugs and kisses.¡± ¡°He really will!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Fire Dancer smiled despite her anger at his lateness and put her arms around him. ¡°You can''t sneak into my realm.¡± ¡°Ooo, is that a challenge?¡± Ren asked with a smile, and she shook her head. ¡°Then if it would please you, and you won''t get angry, I need to explain something that happened a long time ago.¡± Fire Dancer took a breath and let it out, then Ren told her what had happened after his first foray into the Fire Realm. She had heard this before, then he said he hadn''t known that Adventurers had put a block on him visiting the realm after that. She shivered as he described being dragged through the portal into the Water Realm by a Water Being, so he held her steady and kissed her forehead. Fire Dancer relaxed as his calming emotions filled her, and he explained how after he returned from spending a year and a half there, how all contact had been cut off to the pocket realms because of him. ¡°I didn''t know, or realize, that was true until recently.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been visiting the Fire elemental you gave me and occasionally trying to talk to you, and I had no idea that you didn''t hear me at all.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren let her out of the embrace he had her in and put a hand by the spawn point building. Zetaya stepped out of the building and onto his hand, and he pulled the hand up and held it in between his chest and Fire Dancer. ¡°This is Zetaya, the Fire elemental you gave me the day I left.¡± Ren said, and Fire dancer stared at the Greater Fire elemental on his hand. ¡°That''s... no, it can''t be.¡± Fire Dancer said. Zetaya waved an arm stub at her, and Fire Dancer blinked her eyes for several moments. ¡°What? How?¡± Fire Dancer asked and used a fingertip to poke Zetaya''s belly, and the Greater Fire elemental let out the sound of breaking branches in a fire and stepped back. ¡°I guess I''m the only one allowed to do that.¡± Ren said and activated his Hands of the Gods ability and filled his hand with pure Fire. Zetaya let out the sound of a roaring fire and laid down on his palm, then started to absorb the Fire. He used his own fingertip to rub Zetaya''s belly, and the Greater Fire elemental let out the sound of a crackling fire. ¡°I''ve always loved that sound.¡± Ren said, and he looked at Fire Dancer when he felt her surprise. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Ren, what do you mean that you''ve always loved that sound?¡± ¡°I''ve been hearing it from Zetaya for a long time.¡± Ren said and looked back at the Greater Fire elemental. ¡°I always thought it meant Zetaya was really happy, and it wasn''t until I learned the Emotion Siphon ability that I discovered that it was happiness and also love.¡± Fire Dancer opened her mouth to tell him the sound meant a lot more than just love, and he lifted his eyes from Zetaya and looked into hers. He stopped rubbing Zetaya''s belly and used that hand to cup the side of Fire Dancer''s face. ¡°Let me share it with you.¡± Ren said, and Fire Dancer nodded without hesitation. He smiled warmly and poured all the experiences that he had with Zetaya when the Fire elemental had made that crackling fire sound. He had spent a lot of time cuddling, talking, and just keeping the Fire elemental company, and they both had really enjoyed those times with each other. ¡°Zetaya and I are very sorry that you didn''t enjoy those times with us, like we both intended.¡± Ren said. Fire Dancer gasped as she felt everything that both Ren and Zetaya felt all those times, and two tears came out of her eyes. They dropped to the floor and became baby Fire elementals, except that they were a much brighter flame color than the others. When they merged into Fire Dancer''s nightgown, the two bright spots flowed up her clothing and stopped at her neck and stayed there. She felt the difference in them, and her heart rate sped up. ¡°Now you can keep those feelings with you forever, just like we do.¡± Ren said. ¡°F-father...¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Take my hand, Fire Dancer.¡± Ren said. Fire Dancer took in a sharp breath, because that was the first time he had spoken her name in years. He still had one hand on her face, so she put her hand on the one that still held Zetaya. When her hand met Ren''s pure Fire that Zetaya was floating in, her Everlasting Fire activated and poured into his hand as well. ¡°Hold on tight.¡± Ren said and poured as much pure Fire into the space between their clasped hands as he could and compressed it. ¡°Father, what...¡± ¡°Give Zetaya as much of your Everlasting Fire as you can, Honey.¡± Ren said, and closed his eyes to control the flow. Fire Dancer could feel that he wanted to do something special, so she closed her eyes as well and did as he said. She poured her Everlasting Fire into the space between their clasped hands and compressed it as well. The sounds of a crackling fire dimmed and quieted, and the heat between their hands increased exponentially. When it reached the point that Ren felt it start to collapse in on itself, he stopped his flow and opened his eyes. ¡°That''s enough.¡± Ren said and eased his grip on Fire Dancer''s hand and stopped cupping the side of her face with the other. Fire Dancer stopped the flow of her Everlasting Fire and moved her hand out of the way to look at what he did. The Greater Fire elemental was shrinking down and down as it collapsed in on itself, and Fire Dancer remembered Ren''s story about what had happened the last time something did that. ¡°Ren! Stop!¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Teepo chittered in delight. Ren created a Magical Barrier of Protection on his hand to cover Zetaya. ¡°Ren''s got this.¡± Teepo said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Watch.¡± Ren said and they stared at Zetaya as the Greater Fire elemental shrunk all the way down to a single point of light, then exploded like a supernova. Fire Dancer gasped at the sight, and then the completely contained explosion pulled back into itself and coalesced into a humanoid shape, then translucent skin formed over it. ¡°But... but...¡± Fire Dancer couldn''t believe what she was seeing. ¡°I could have fed her pure Fire for eternity and I never could have given her enough to evolve again.¡± Ren said and dismissed the magical barrier, then activated his Hands of the Gods ability Burning Hands, and filled his palm with it. ¡°Zetaya needed Everlasting Fire to finish.¡± The newly formed Fire Being relaxed and floated in Ren''s pure Fire, and both Ren and Fire Dancer felt Zetaya''s contentment. The Fire Being opened its eyes and looked up at them. ¡°Hey, you.¡± Ren said and poured his love and pride out to the Fire Being. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°I... I feel...¡± Zetaya said in a woman''s voice, then stopped talking and covered her mouth. ¡°I just spoke!¡± She exclaimed, then noticed her hands. ¡°I have HANDS!¡± Ren chuckled as he felt her surprise and delight, and Teepo chittered in laughter. Zetaya stood up on Ren''s hand and looked down at her new body. The translucent skin changed shape and instead of being gender neutral, it became distinctly female with large breasts and wider hips. Long flowing hair was formed from Fire and cascaded in waves down her back to end by her backside. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Fire Dancer whispered. ¡°Thank you so much, Ren!¡± Zetaya exclaimed and smiled up at him as a fancy set of clothing made of Fire formed around her, then she looked at Fire Dancer. ¡°Creator of Fire, thank you as well.¡± Fire Dancer stared at the tiny Fire Being and wasn''t sure what to say. Ren leaned in and whispered to her, then leaned back with a smile. ¡°I know it''s been a long time since you''ve been here, but... welcome home.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°You honor me, Creator of Fire.¡± Zetaya said and ducked her head. ¡°I''m so proud of you!¡± Ren gushed and Teepo flew down to land beside her. ¡°You''re a Fire Being now!¡± Zetaya laughed and the sound of a crackling fire was heard. ¡°It''s all because of you.¡± ¡°It wasn''t just me.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I understand what you mean, though.¡± He looked at Fire Dancer. ¡°Thank you for not being angry about...¡± ¡°Oh, I am angry.¡± Fire Dancer said and the repressed anger she felt came to the surface and she gained the Angered condition. ¡°You have told me over and over how other Adventurers have constantly attacked you and interfered with you, and now with this evidence right in front of me where they cut me off from hearing your voice all these years...¡± She bared her teeth in a menacing smile. ¡°...not to mention how they broke the whole world not long ago.¡± ¡°Deity of Fire, please...¡± Ren started to ask her not to overreact, and she laughed. ¡°I am very, very angry, Father.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°You may have forgiven them for their folly, but I never will.¡± ¡°It... it wasn''t all of the Adventurers.¡± Ren tried to say in their defence, and she laughed again. ¡°Father, if you want to point out specific people for me to attack, then let it be so.¡± Fire Dancer said with a maniacal gleam in her eye. Since Ren didn''t know the tech people''s actual identities in the game, he couldn''t tell her who to target. ¡°Don''t worry. I won''t kill them all right away.¡± She said and tried not to laugh again. ¡°It will take years for me to work out a plan to have an appropriate revenge on them.¡± ¡°Honey...¡± Fire Dancer quickly held out an index finger and pointed right at his face. ¡°Don''t you dare tell me that the ones who hurt you don''t deserve to be hurt back for what they did!¡± She accused, and Ren closed his mouth. ¡°I know a lot of people will be caught up in this, and I also know that you believe a lot of them will be innocent.¡± Ren held in his sigh and only nodded, because he knew where she was going with this train of thought. ¡°Not all of them are innocent of everything.¡± Fire Dancer smiled. ¡°I will weed out the guilty and make them pay.¡± She said, and felt that he didn''t agree with her decision. ¡°Your agreement isn''t required, Father.¡± ¡°I know it isn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°Will you accept my help when you do think of a plan?¡± ¡°Will you try to subvert and change the conditions I may set, so that as many Adventurers as possible will have a chance to survive?¡± Fire Dancer asked. Ren would never lie to her, so he nodded. ¡°I will.¡± ¡°Then, yes. You can help.¡± Fire Dancer said, much to his surprise. ¡°I am not going to resort to mass murder to achieve my goal, Father.¡± Ren did sigh this time, only it was in relief. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°With that out of the way, I think it''s time we went to bed.¡± Fire Dancer said and looked down at Zetaya in Ren''s hand. ¡°You have my permission to make her our size, if you wish.¡± Ren was surprised by this. ¡°I wouldn''t presume to...¡± ¡°It will take her centuries to gather enough of her own power to change her size on her own.¡± Fire Dancer said as she turned around and climbed onto her bed and under the blanket. ¡°She will be hard to hold and keep safe in her current size.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I can feel how happy you both are that she has hands to be able to hold you properly.¡± Fire Dancer said and rolled over to face away from them. ¡°What kind of person would I be if I told you not to?¡± Ren looked at Zetaya, and she nodded. He put her down on the floor and cast the same Permanent Enlarge or Reduce Anything spell he had modified to 8 times its effectiveness, and Zetaya was instantly the same height as Fire Dancer, or 1000 feet tall. Ren was almost 1200 feet tall, and Zetaya put her arms around him for the first time and gave him a proper hug. He hugged her back, then motioned to Fire Dancer''s bed. Zetaya smiled and nodded, then the two of them climbed onto her bed while Teepo flew up to land on the wall beside the headboard. ¡°Hey!¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed. ¡°What do you think you''re doing?¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said and equipped his pyjama set as Zetaya laid down behind Fire Dancer and formed a nightgown the same as hers. ¡°You''re the one we want to cuddle with.¡± ¡°But... but I felt...¡± Fire Dancer stopped talking as Zetaya slid in close and put an arm over her waist. ¡°No doubt we will be cuddling a lot over the next few years.¡± Ren said. ¡°Her first time cuddling with her Fire Being body? We think it should be shared with you.¡± Fire Dancer turned her head and looked at his face, and he smiled reassuringly and laid down behind Zetaya, then draped his own arm over hers to hold them both. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said, and she felt his resolve to not take no for an answer. That cut off any real protest that Fire Dancer might have had, and she sighed in resignation. ¡°Fine. Do what you want.¡± Fire Dancer put her head back down on her pillow, and relaxed after a few moments. She was a bit surprised that it felt reassuring for her to have another Fire Being around, even if it had been created and not born like she was. She drifted around the edge of sleep with the thoughts of what she could possibly do with another Fire Being around, then remembered the spare room Ren had given her that was absolutely filled with clothes and books. Maybe... maybe we could... Fire Dancer couldn''t stop her smile as she fell asleep and felt the warm embrace of two people that cared a lot about her. Fire Dancer woke up after an hour, thanks to the Sustenance ring Ren had given her, and she turned to look at the other two people in her bed. Both of them were deeply asleep and she felt their unfiltered emotions. Both of them were very happy to be there with her, which touched her heart deeply, and she waited for several minutes for them to wake up. ¡°Ren turned off the sleep requirement on his Sustenance ring.¡± Teepo whispered. ¡°He wanted you all to enjoy a full night''s sleep together.¡± Fire Dancer took a breath and let it out, then nodded and rolled back onto her side to go back to sleep. Chapter 712 - Love And Understanding Ren woke up first the next morning and he felt the unfettered emotions that both Zetaya and Fire Dancer were letting out. They were both quite happy to be there with him and with each other, and that made him happy in turn. Good morning, Teepo. Ren thought. Good morning, Ren! Teepo thought happily. I really missed being able to do this with you. Me too, buddy. Ren smiled. Any guesses about how long these sleeping beauties are going to stay in bed? Until you wake them, I think. Teepo chittered in laughter. They are pretty content right now. Ren nodded and carefully propped himself up on an elbow to look at Zetaya. I kind of had an inkling Zetaya was going to be female, way back when Anabelle mentioned it in passing. I really tried not to treat her any differently so that she could choose for herself. Boy, did she choose or what! Teepo chittered in delight. She made herself into a real beauty! Ren nodded. Unlike the Earth and Water Beings, where he had to use his Emotion Siphon ability to tell them apart unless they were wearing something different or distinct, Zetaya wasn''t a carbon copy of Fire Dancer. Her chest was significantly larger, her hips were curvy, and her backside looked like it could be the perfect heart shape that he liked so much, when she bent over. Whoa, whoa. Ren thought. Why did I think that just now? You should use Identify Person on her, I think. Teepo suggested. Ren nodded. Identify Person.
Name Zetaya Level 001
Gender Female Class N/A
Race Fire Element Fame/Infamy 2000 (Well Known)
Titles
Fire Dancer''s First Creation Consumer (Materials)
Ren''s Possession Abide and Endure
Consumer (Undead Flesh) Colossal Cow (Enticement)
Ghoul Destroyer
Special Abilities (Mastered): Stoke the Fire, Fire Manipulation, Absorb Fire, Create Elemental, Create Fire, Lie Detection
Domains
Fire Dancer (Creator) Ren The First (Ghoul Kissed)
¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren said out loud when he saw that Zetaya was a part of his domain and his possession, and then he felt both her and Fire Dancer wake up. ¡°Ugh.¡± Fire Dancer grunted and sat up as she rubbed her eyes. ¡°What time is it?¡± ¡°You have about an hour before you need to tend to the realm.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Thank Vasalor.¡± Fire Dancer said and activated her Sustenance Ring''s sleep function and dropped back to the bed completely asleep. Teepo held in his chitter of laughter at the sight, and Ren heard the sound of a low simmering fire from Zetaya. He touched her face and she turned to look at him, and he motioned for her to follow him. She nodded and they went over to Ren''s bed across the room and climbed onto it, then he cast a Silence spell to cover their conversation. ¡°Zetaya, I...¡± Ren sighed as she laid down on her back. ¡°I just used Identify Person on you.¡± ¡°So you know.¡± Zetaya said and pulled her night gown down just enough to show the engraved skull that was above her heart. ¡°When did that happen?¡± Ren asked and slid close as his hand reached out and touched her skin. She stopped herself from gasping at his tender touch and smiled instead. ¡°Remember when you made me into that Colossal Cow and I ate all those disgustingly awful undead ghouls? I got really sick.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°I burned through my illness as much as I could, then you made your wish to heal the ghoul infected.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren traced the skull mark. ¡°...I didn''t even feel it when I touched you after that.¡± ¡°I didn''t really have a body that was appropriate for the mark to appear on when I was healed, so there wasn''t any real outward sign.¡± Zetaya said and took in a deep breath. ¡°Now that you''ve given me one, it appeared.¡± ¡°I''m sorry that...¡± Ren lifted his hand from the mark and Zetaya grabbed his hand and put it back on the mark. ¡°I was made for you by the Deity of Fire, Ren.¡± Zetaya said confidently. ¡°I''ve been yours ever since then, so even if you had known and given me the choice, I wouldn''t have hesitated in the least.¡± ¡°Zetaya, I...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Zetaya said and she touched the spot on the back of his hand where his Ghoul Kissed mark was. ¡°You aren''t ready to think of me like that, even after all the times we hugged and kissed each other.¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her. ¡°But... it wasn''t... I mean, it was, but...¡± Zetaya chuckled. ¡°What did you think you were doing all those times when you rubbed my belly and kissed me?¡± ¡°I...¡± Ren took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I was showing my affection to someone I love.¡± ¡°So was I.¡± Zetaya squeezed his hand and moved it down to her abdomen. ¡°I can never thank you enough for everything you''ve done for me.¡± She said and lifted her nightgown. ¡°You have always treated me like I was important to you, and you always talked to me without talking down to me. You even told me what you were doing all the time when you weren''t spending time with me.¡± She moved his hand up and down on her belly and she let out the sound of a small crackling fire. ¡°It really meant a lot to me that you did that.¡± Ren lifted his hand slightly and tickled her belly, and the crackling fire sound was loud in the quiet room. ¡°I really do love that sound.¡± ¡°Me... me, too.¡± Zetaya panted. ¡°You always... made me feel good... like this.¡± Ren could feel her emotions and all he could feel was love and admiration from her. ¡°You don''t make this sound for anyone else, do you?¡± ¡°No one else is allowed to touch me like this.¡± Zetaya said and squirmed on the bed; but, she didn''t try to get away or roll over to hide her belly from him.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and stopped tickling her, then rubbed her belly in slow concentric circles. ¡°I''ve been meaning to ask you...¡± ¡°A-anything.¡± Zetaya said and the crackling fire sound didn''t diminish at all. ¡°...you were just converted into a new body, with a mouth and everything, and you can talk so well.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why?¡± Zetaya chuckled. ¡°I''ve always known how to understand you, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I was supposed to be a communication link to the Deity of Fire. I couldn''t do that and not understand what you were saying.¡± Ren thought about all the times that he had talked to her, and about the assumptions he had made when answering her breaking branches in fire sounds. ¡°So, how far off was I when I answered your sounds?¡± Zetaya gave him a big smile and cupped the sides of his face. ¡°Most of the time you were very close to the mark.¡± ¡°And the other times?¡± ¡°You were so far off it was almost funny.¡± Zetaya laughed. ¡°It was almost frustrating sometimes; but, it never bothered me enough to express those feelings.¡± She said. ¡°You were doing your best to look after me and I admire you so much for that.¡± ¡°Zetaya...¡± ¡°I said it''s all right.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°Can you feel any pressure from me? Any untamed desire? Any unrequited love?¡± Ren closed his eyes and activated his Hands of the Gods ability Burning Hands, and poured it into her belly and concentrated on her emotions. ¡°No, you just love me. It''s uncomplicated and unreserved.¡± He opened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°Zetaya, I love you the same way.¡± ¡°I know that, silly.¡± Zetaya chuckled. ¡°Each and every time we spent time together, you relaxed, because I figured you knew that I loved you with no qualifications.¡± Ren nodded and then looked down at her body. ¡°Then what''s with the super sexy body?¡± ¡°It''s because of my Stoke the Fire title.¡± Zetaya started to explain, then her eyes widened. ¡°Wait, did you just call me super sexy?¡± Ren''s face flushed red and he nodded. Zetaya laughed and pinched the cheeks of his face really hard. ¡°Ow! Ow! Ow!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°What dirty thoughts are you thinking, Ren?¡± Zetaya asked. ¡°N-nothing! I''m not thinking dirty thoughts! I swear!¡± Ren said, honestly. ¡°Then what are you thinking?¡± Zetaya asked and let his cheeks go. ¡°I really like breasts and want to cuddle with you.¡± Ren admitted without a second thought, because he knew she would know that he was lying if he didn''t tell the truth. ¡°Then lay down and hold me as much as you want.¡± Zetaya said and held her arms open for him. ¡°After all the times you did this for me, It''s about time I did it for you.¡± Ren laid down beside her and rested his head on her chest. Its pillow-like softness felt fantastic, even through the night gown, and he sighed as he snuggled in and held onto her tightly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and closed his eyes, and he relaxed almost immediately. ¡°Do you want me to do the talking this time?¡± Zetaya asked and he nodded, which rubbed her chest slightly. ¡°What should I talk about?¡± ¡°You can tell me about all the differences between your old and new bodies.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have HANDS!¡± Zetaya exclaimed, and both she and Ren laughed. She dug those hands into his fluffy hair and held on, then she gave him a detailed description of the differences in her bodies. Ren wasn''t surprised that her voice was just as soothing to him as his was to her all these years. For the next hour, they held each other and talked. When Fire Dancer woke up, she felt refreshed and ready to face the day. Ren dismissed the Silence spell and he and Zetaya sat up to face her. ¡°Good morning, Deity of Fire.¡± Fire Dancer turned to look at them. ¡°Why is Zetaya''s nightgown pulled up like that?¡± ¡°I rubbed her belly earlier so I could hear her crackling fire, and I forgot to pull it back down.¡± Ren said. ¡°You... you didn''t just...¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren and Zetaya said at the same time, and they laughed. ¡°We only cuddled, Creator of Fire.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°We knew you needed more sleep, so we came over here to stay quiet.¡± Fire Dancer nodded and climbed off the bed. ¡°Then you both need to get changed.¡± She said and her nightgown changed and became her suit of armor, and the two baby Fire elementals became lapel pins on the neck guard. Ren''s head whipped around to look at Zetaya. ¡°Your debut!¡± He nearly yelled. ¡°You''re going to meet the Fire elementals and Greater Fire elementals in the throne room this morning!¡± ¡°Great Vasalor!¡± Zetaya exclaimed. ¡°What do I wear?!?¡± ¡°I don''t know!¡± Ren exclaimed back and they both hopped off the bed and ran over to Fire Dancer. ¡°You''re the Deity of Fire! If anyone would know what she should wear to meet your subjects, it''s you!¡± Fire Dancer blinked her eyes at their expectant faces, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Easy, you two.¡± Teepo said and flew over to land on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Ren has a whole room full of clothes over there for you to pick through.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Ren said and grabbed both Fire Dancer''s and Zetaya''s hands, then pulled them across the room and into the room addition he had given Fire Dancer. He let their hands go when they stood in front of the large mirror there and he started opening drawers and closets to expose all the different garments he had designed. ¡°Ren...¡± Fire Dancer started to say that she needed to go. ¡°I know, I know!¡± Ren said and flipped through the closet for something appropriate. ¡°Dammit, I shouldn''t have indulged myself like that.¡± He berated himself. ¡°I didn''t realize I''d be making Zetaya late for...¡± Ren stopped talking when he felt a hand on his arm and turned to look at Zetaya''s face. Her emotions were berating him as well, but for a different reason. ¡°You can indulge yourself whenever you want, Ren.¡± Zetaya said and chuckled. ¡°We''re going to be spending the next 5 years here. There''s no rush to have me debut right away.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m sure the Deity of Fire didn''t expect anything special to happen today, so you shouldn''t either.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°She needs to care for the realm and the needs of the people. She does not need two frantic friends distracting her.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that he wasn''t trying to do that, then closed it and smiled. ¡°You''re right.¡± He turned to Fire Dancer and bowed. ¡°Please forgive my impertinence.¡± Fire Dancer felt his emotions calm down and smiled herself. ¡°We can prepare something appropriate for tomorrow or the next day. We could even do a formal introduction to the court.¡± ¡°That would be wonderful.¡± Ren said and stood up straight. ¡°I''m sure everyone will be just as excited as I am that Zetaya is here to visit with you.¡± ¡°I''m not visiting, Ren.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°I''m staying here.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her. ¡°I''m a Fire Being now.¡± Zetaya said and squeezed his arm slightly. ¡°I can never leave the Fire Realm, not without causing untold damage to whatever realm I go to.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°You didn''t think that after I transformed I could go back and sit inside the forge, did you?¡± Zetaya asked, and felt his disappointment. ¡°Ren, I''d melt it from the inside, burn the warehouse down and then the entire city, just by being there.¡± She rubbed his arm consolingly. ¡°That would happen even without me using my abilities.¡± Ren felt dejected and sighed. ¡°I didn''t realize that, no.¡± He said. ¡°All I wanted was to give you something special. I didn''t think about how our lives would change once I did.¡± Zetaya stepped close and hugged him, and he hugged her back. ¡°Ren, our lives are always changing.¡± She said. ¡°You keep doing that, even without really trying, and all we can do is move on from there.¡± ¡°But...¡± Zetaya turned her head and looked at Fire Dancer. ¡°Creator of Fire, when was the last time a Fire elemental evolved and became a Greater Fire elemental?¡± Fire Dancer had her own memories and those of her mother, and she searched them for a moment. ¡°It''s never happened. That''s why I was so surprised when you showed up.¡± Zetaya smiled and turned back to Ren. ¡°You see? You change things no matter what you do. You are change!¡± She gave him a tighter hug and let him go. ¡°You can''t tell me that you wouldn''t have done it, even if you knew I would have to stay.¡± Ren couldn''t deny that and touched the side of her face. ¡°You''re right. I would have done it anyway.¡± ¡°Then don''t feel bad that my address has changed.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°Plus, now when you come and visit me, we can spend years together for the hours you would normally spend with me.¡± Ren smiled and put his arms back around her briefly, then let her go. ¡°Yes, that is definitely a benefit.¡± ¡°Then return us to our normal sizes so we can tuck ourselves into the Deity of Fire''s hair for the day.¡± Zetaya said and chose one of the many dresses Ren had in the closet. Her nightgown changed and formed the new dress, and she did a little twirl. ¡°I never thought I would ever wear such pretty things.¡± ¡°I''m sorry that I never asked before.¡± Ren said, and Zetaya laughed. ¡°Can you imagine me as a Greater Fire elemental and trying to wear a frilly dress?!?¡± Zetaya exclaimed. ¡°What a sight I would have been!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It would have been a sight, but not in the sense that you mean.¡± He said. ¡°What if you have chosen to be male?¡± Zetaya chuckled, too. ¡°Ren, I was never going to be male.¡± She said, and then felt his surprise. ¡°Don''t be surprised by that. You have been completely surrounded by women for most of your life here, and I''ve only ever seen half a dozen males around you.¡± Ren took a breath and let it out. ¡°I tried my best not to influence your decision...¡± ¡°Ren, I would never choose something that might make you uncomfortable.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°In your own words, you love women.¡± She smiled. ¡°You are relaxed and open when around them, for the most part, and when you visited me each time, you never expected anything of me and you were relaxed and open. Why would I choose anything except that which you needed the most?¡± Ren opened his mouth to say it was her own choice, then sighed. ¡°I''ve been a fool, haven''t I?¡± ¡°Not at all, Ren.¡± Zetaya said and hugged him again. ¡°The Creator of Fire made me for you, so I chose the form that fits your needs the best.¡± ¡°A voluptuous redhead?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I''ve been your friend for a long time; but until now, I couldn''t hold you like you wanted me to.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°I can now, thanks to you, and I''m going to hold you as much as we both need to.¡± Ren put his arms around her and nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Friends don''t need to thank friends for their help.¡± Zetaya said and let him go. ¡°Now shrink us so the Deity of Fire can get to work.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Teepo?¡± ¡°I''ll stay this size, if the Deity of Fire will let me perch on her shoulder.¡± Teepo said, and Fire Dancer nodded. Teepo flew over to land on her left shoulder and Ren cast the spell on himself and Zetaya to return them to normal size. Ren then cast Permanent Air Walk on Zetaya and they both ran up to sit themselves inside Fire Dancer''s hair above her right shoulder, so they could talk to her unimpeded. When they were settled and gave the okay signal, Fire Dancer left the bedroom to face the day with three friends around her. Chapter 713 - Conflict Of Interest Fire Dancer had watched the interaction between Ren and Zetaya and wondered how they had succeeded in having a friendship for all those years, despite being two different species, and they couldn''t even communicate effectively with each other until today. It wasn''t until she thought about Ren and how he treated everyone he came into contact with, that she realized he would treat everyone the same way, at least until you proved that he shouldn''t. Ren, Zetaya, and Teepo were comforting presences as Fire Dancer went about her day running the Fire Realm. She tended to the needs of its citizens and maintained any and all Fire requirements in the Earth Realm. She would occasionally get a popup telling her some underbrush or part of a forest needed to be cleared away, and she would open a portal and ignite the chosen targets, consume the resulting energy, and disperse it to her subjects. The day passed by quickly and she headed back to her bedroom. When she closed the door, Ren and Zetaya jumped out of her hair and walked down to the floor. Ren increased himself and Zetaya to Fire Dancer''s size and they both gave Fire Dancer a hug at the same time. ¡°You did a great job today.¡± Ren said, proudly. ¡°Father, I do the same job every day.¡± Fire Dancer said, and he chuckled. ¡°That doesn''t mean you didn''t do it well.¡± Ren said and let her go. ¡°I felt your emotions the whole time and I know that you were enjoying it.¡± ¡°What kind of ruler would I be if I didn''t enjoy tending to my realm''s citizens?¡± ¡°A bad one.¡± Ren grinned, and she had to chuckle. ¡°I also thought of a good idea for Zetaya''s debut party.¡± ¡°Oh, what is it?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°Do you remember that lush forest I grew for you when I asked to come here?¡± ¡°Oh, that fresh and new growth was so tasty!¡± Fire Dancer said before she could stop herself. Teepo chittered in laughter at her emotions and then she tried to suppress her emotions. ¡°Deity of Fire, you don''t have to hide how you feel.¡± He said. ¡°We''re all family here.¡± Fire Dancer looked at Teepo, then at Ren and Zetaya, and sighed. ¡°I''m too used to hiding how I feel from everyone. I can''t just turn that off.¡± ¡°Well, you don''t have to turn it off all the time, just when we''re here alone.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unlike everyone else, we won''t judge you for how you feel.¡± Fire Dancer thought about it, then looked at Zetaya. ¡°What if I said I don''t want her to have a big debut party?¡± ¡°I''d ask why you want to hide one of your best creations.¡± Ren said, and Fire Dancer looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You''ve done something that even your mother couldn''t do.¡± Fire Dancer caught her breath at that realization. ¡°You''ve made this realm your own, through hard work and perseverance.¡± Ren said and cupped the side of her face. ¡°You even created a Fire elemental that had the ability to evolve into a Greater Fire elemental when it was powerful enough, then you helped it to become one of your own race.¡± He smiled. ¡°You are no longer alone, Honey.¡± ¡°I''ve been Ren''s friend for years.¡± Zetaya said and cupped the other side of her face. ¡°Now it''s your turn, Creator of Fire.¡± ¡°But... if you''re here, then... how will I... Ren can''t...¡± Fire Dancer stopped talking and let her emotions speak for her. ¡°I have a solution for that.¡± Ren said, and he felt her hope. ¡°This wouldn''t have worked before, because I didn''t have the ability to make it then.¡± He let her face go and took out a Special Sending Ring made of platinum. ¡°It matches this one.¡± Fire Dancer saw an identical ring on his middle finger as Ren lifted his hand to show her that it was next to the Beetle Crown ring. He had no other rings on his fingers. ¡°When you want to talk to me or I want to talk to you, my ring will glow, then drop me into the same time compression as the Fire Realm.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I figured we needed some way to talk if I got too busy, or if I was going to be late, or if you had an emergency and need me to come early, or any other kind of situation.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unfortunately, it won''t work for me if I''m on Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°F-father, I...¡± Fire Dancer didn''t know what to say. ¡°It will work to talk to Teepo, though.¡± Ren smiled, and both Fire Dancer and Teepo gasped. ¡°That''s why I''m wearing it on the next finger, so the rings are always touching.¡± ¡°Wow, Ren!¡± Teepo chittered in delight and jumped over to land on his shoulder. ¡°That''s so great!¡± ¡°I figure you''ll let me know what''s up if anything happens while I''m gone.¡± Ren said and once again caressed Fire Dancer''s cheek. ¡°I needed you to know that even when I''m busy, I''m still thinking about you.¡± ¡°F-father.¡± Fire Dancer touched the hand on her face and she took in a deep breath. ¡°I hope you don''t think that this makes up for you being almost 2 years late this time.¡± ¡°No, I have another surprise for that.¡± Ren said and let her face go. ¡°Can you change into your nightgown?¡± Fire Dancer changed her armor into a nightgown, and Ren stepped back a couple of steps and motioned to her bed. She gave him an odd look for a moment, then climbed onto the bed without saying anything and laid down. ¡°Now relax, or this might hurt a little bit.¡± Ren said and his hands started to glow. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Zetaya asked and changed into her nightgown as well.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°This.¡± Ren said and pointed both hands at the bed. A hundred giant feathers appeared above Fire Dancer and started to tickle her mercilessly. ¡°The Tickle Monster!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter as he recognized the spell Tiatha Miarora, the Dark Elf Queen''s healer and attendant, had given Ren. Fire Dancer laughed and laughed as the feathers tickled her all over, and Zetaya laughed as she felt the mirth and happiness Fire Dancer couldn''t restrain. ¡°I think we need to help!¡± Zetaya exclaimed and gave Ren a conspiratorial look. ¡°Oh, I definitely agree.¡± Ren said, and they jumped onto the bed. Fire Dancer felt a moment of relief at being rescued, then Ren and Zetaya used their fingers to tickle her in the spots that the feathers couldn''t reach. ¡°BWAHAHAHA!¡± Fire Dancer guffawed as her friends tickled her. Ren dismissed the spell and it was only him and Zetaya tickling her, then he slowed down and stopped as he laid down next to Fire Dancer. Zetaya laid down on her other side, and they put their arms around her and held her. Fire Dancer was panting heavily from laughing so much, and then Ren and Zetaya cuddled in when her breathing evened out. ¡°I love you, Fire Dancer.¡± Ren said. ¡°I may be late and I may go missing; but, I never want you to doubt that I will do everything I can to come back to you.¡± Fire Dancer turned her head to look him in the eyes, and she felt his sincerity. Ren moved slightly up and kissed her forehead, poured his love into her, then moved back to look her in the eyes. ¡°Are we sleeping all night this time, or are we doing the nap thing and having fun the rest of the night?¡± ¡°I vote for nap.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°We need to have a dress-up party to decide what I''m going to wear tomorrow.¡± ¡°Hey, we can all dress up.¡± Ren said. ¡°What do you say, Honey?¡± Fire Dancer felt their pure and unfiltered emotions, and couldn''t say no to them. ¡°Nap.¡± ¡°Nap it is.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. ¡°Goodnight.¡± He activated the sleep function on his Special Sending Ring and gave Fire Dancer one last squeeze, patted Zetaya''s arm next to his, then drifted off to sleep. They woke up an hour later refreshed and ready, then spent several hours playing dress-up and carrying on. Once they had decided on the outfits they wanted to wear for the party, Ren created a magical barrier and absorbed all of the Fire inside of it, then made a bunch of party decorations. He made them indestructible and stored them, then filled the magical barrier with Fire and dismissed the barrier. Ren excused himself from Fire Dancer''s presence and went to the throne room, cast Full Illusion on most of the room to hide what he was doing from the Fire elementals that were still there, then decorated the walls and ceiling with the party decorations. He finished quickly and went back to the bedroom and saw Fire Dancer and Zetaya were whispering back and forth. ¡°Am I interrupting anything?¡± Ren asked and walked over to them. ¡°We were just discussing the best way for Zetaya to enter the throne room.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren winced. ¡°Geez, don''t lie to me so blatantly. That hurt.¡± He said and turned around. ¡°All you had to say was that I was.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Zetaya said, and he stopped walking. ¡°She wanted to know about...¡± ¡°No, that''s okay.¡± Ren said and shrunk himself and Teepo down to their normal size. ¡°If she can''t trust me enough to tell me the truth, then I don''t want to know.¡± ¡°Father...¡± ¡°I don''t know what else I can say or do to earn your trust, Deity of Fire.¡± Ren unfurled his wings to fly up into the air. ¡°When you figure it out, let me know. That way I can do it and you can finally start trusting me completely.¡± ¡°I... I do trust you.¡± Fire Dancer said, and he only winced slightly. ¡°Well, that didn''t hurt very much, so you''re almost there.¡± Ren said. ¡°We were talking about you, all right!?!¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed. ¡°I know that.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was either something personal about me or something you don''t want me to know.¡± He sighed. ¡°I''m tempted to get you to tell me everything; but, I''m going on a survey flight over the surrounding land for a while instead.¡± ¡°Father...¡± ¡°Go ahead and talk about me all you want, and I won''t even ask about what you''re discussing when I get back.¡± Ren said and turned towards the door. ¡°See you in a while.¡± He flew out of the bedroom and out of sight. * ¡°You shouldn''t do that to him.¡± Zetaya said, and Fire Dancer felt her anger. ¡°I don''t want him to know that I''m trying to...¡± ¡°I don''t want to know, either.¡± Zetaya said and stepped back. ¡°I don''t want to keep secrets from Ren.¡± ¡°I made you to tell me everything he did.¡± ¡°Yes, and I''ve told you everything I''ve witnessed and everything he''s told me.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°What I am not going to do is ruin my friendship with him because you...¡± Fire Dancer tried to interrupt her. ¡°As the Deity of Fire, I-¡± ¡°Don''t finish that order!¡± Zetaya snapped and cut off her words. ¡°I am under your domain; but, I am under Ren''s domain as well and I am also his possession.¡± She said. ¡°He can countermand anything you order me to do, and I can wait to ask him if it''s okay to follow whatever you may order me to do, too.¡± Fire Dancer frowned. ¡°What if I ordered you to change clothes?¡± ¡°I would wait for Ren to come back and ask him if it''s okay.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°Unlike you, my whole priority is him. I only exist for him. He''s my friend and I love him.¡± She said. ¡°I know that seems to be such a simple generalization, and I know that you know this even better than I do.¡± Fire Dancer sighed. ¡°Why can''t you just be compliant and...¡± ¡°I just told you why.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°I want to be your friend, too; but, not if it costs me Ren. It''s not worth it.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Fire Dancer asked, surprised. ¡°Would you rather be in his good graces than mine?¡± ¡°That''s not what I''m saying at all.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°What I''m saying is, I know why Ren feels frustrated with you sometimes.¡± ¡°Well, then.¡± Fire Dancer almost huffed her derision and crossed her arms. ¡°Why don''t you enlighten me?¡± ¡°You''re too frigid.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You''re cold and confrontational and you don''t like things that change too quickly. You fight your own need to adapt to any new situation, and you take it out on those that care a lot about you.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°There hasn''t been anyone around to care for me!¡± Fire Dancer practically yelled as her anger bubbled to the surface, and Zetaya put a calming hand on her arm. ¡°There, did you feel that?¡± Zetaya asked as she felt the emotional spike from her. ¡°You keep going back to your feelings of being abandoned, even though you know it wasn''t Ren''s fault.¡± She said. ¡°Or mine, for that matter.¡± Fire Dancer knew she was being unreasonable; but, she couldn''t help feeling how she felt. ¡°Staying around for only a few decades, and not even all together in one lump, doesn''t make up for millions of years of not being there.¡± She uncrossed her arms and did her best not to sigh as Zetaya stopped touching her. ¡°It doesn''t really matter whose fault it was. It still happened.¡± ¡°We can''t make up the time, Creator of Fire.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°Like Ren said, all we can do is be here from now on.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We have years to work everything, out.¡± Zetaya said and took her hand. ¡°All you need to do is try to stop yourself from being angry about it.¡± * Ren could feel the range of emotions that Fire Dancer and Zetaya were going through, and he knew there wasn''t really anything he could do to help, except give them space. He couldn''t really blame Fire Dancer for not wanting to trust him completely, especially since it was so difficult to establish stability in her life when he needed to leave for Adventurer''s business. Ren quickly flew around on his random patrol and he and Teepo looked for anything suspicious. They didn''t find anything, not this close to the castle, and Ren landed on the top of the lava fountain in front of the castle to wait for what he thought was an appropriate time. When that time expired, he flew back into the castle and to Fire Dancer''s bedroom. Fire Dancer was in her bed and Zetaya was in Ren''s bed across the room. He couldn''t feel any animosity from either woman, and he made himself as big as them before crawling onto the bed with Zetaya. She opened her arms to him and he cuddled in, rested his head on her chest, and they both sighed as they felt each other''s comforting touch. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Zetaya responded. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Fire Dancer said and held in her sigh. ¡°Goodnight!¡± Teepo said happily, and the three people in bed laid there and didn''t sleep at all as they waited for morning and the debut event for Zetaya. Chapter 714 - Greet The People They got up when Teepo told them it was time, so they could have Zetaya''s debut before Fire Dancer needed to take care of her duties for the realm. They got changed and Fire Dancer went out to the throne room to prepare the reception and to clear an appropriate space for what Ren had planned. He gave Zetaya a diamond necklace and bracelets, a tiara, and a string of diamonds to hang around her waist like a belt. The fire-reflecting accents set off her chosen dress wonderfully and made her that much more of a spectacular sight. ¡°Ren, are you sure this is a good way to...¡± Zetaya started to speak, and he took her into a hug. He filled her with reassurance and pride, and she stared into his eyes. ¡°You are going to be just fine and they are going to love you.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss on the lips. It was completely platonic on both of their parts, and neither of them had their hearts speed up or gasped at the potentially intimate act. It was just a kiss and a show of affection, and Zetaya''s nervousness faded as she relaxed. ¡°Thank you. I really needed that.¡± Zetaya said. Ren smiled and rested his forehead against hers. ¡°I remember a long time ago when I told someone that it was so nice to hug and cuddle someone and it didn''t have to turn sexual. It doesn''t have to lead anywhere and can just be comfort and mutual happiness.¡± ¡°I feel the same way.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°Just the feeling of being in your arms makes me happy, and the touch of your lips is so comforting that I could do it all day and never tire of it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I think even my lips would get sore if we kissed all day.¡± Zetaya laughed and he heard a low crackling fire. ¡°It might be worth it to hear that sound again, though.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Don''t tease.¡± Zetaya said and swatted his shoulder playfully. Ren let her out of the hug and held an elbow out to her. ¡°M''lady, may I escort you to meet your people?¡± ¡°I would be honored, good sir.¡± Zetaya said and wrapped her arm around his elbow. Ren cast Invisibility and they walked out of Fire Dancer''s bedroom and through the castle to the large doors of the throne room. Ren reduced himself, Teepo, and Zetaya to their normal sizes and took a deep breath. ¡°Okay, here we go.¡± Ren said and dismissed the Full Illusion he had cast in the throne room and felt the reactions from the Fire Elementals and Greater Fire elementals. He deactivated the Invisibility spell and activated the fireworks inside the throne room, and the sounds of roaring fires could be heard. Ren waited for the fireworks to end and their energy to be consumed, then used his Fire Manipulation ability to open the humongous throne room doors without touching them. All movement stopped as the occupants of the throne room focused their attention on the unexpected arrival, then a slow simmering fire sound started by the Fire elementals just inside the doorway, and it spread all around the throne room. They all recognized Ren, since he had been there so much; but, the new person on his arm was a shock to them. ¡°I welcome you, Zetaya.¡± Fire Dancer said regally. ¡°My very first creation.¡± Ren felt the shock ripple through the crowd. Snapping branches in a fire was heard from several different spots around the room, and Ren started walking. Zetaya didn''t miss a beat, despite feeling apprehensive about the whole thing, and Ren flooded her with pride. She took in a deep breath and let that pride fill her, and as they walked the long distance towards the throne and Fire Dancer, she waved and smiled to the Fire elementals and Greater Fire elementals all along the sides of the room. The shock they all felt turned to disbelief for only a moment, then they started to realize that she was another Fire Being and not some kind of trick. Excitement and the sound of a roaring fire spread through the crowd, just like the shock had. By the time Ren and Zetaya made it to the throne, the roaring fire sounds had reduced to a strongly stoked fire that was waiting for another piece of wood to ignite. Ren stepped to the side slightly and knelt on one knee, then placed his hands on the floor. ¡°Deity of Fire, I thank you for the warm welcome.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°It has been...¡± She made several snapping branches and fire sounds. ¡°...since you created me for your father, the great Adventurer, Ren.¡± She said, just as formally. ¡°I started out as only a baby Fire elemental...¡± That was the piece of wood that was needed to ignite the strongly stoked fire sound of the crowd, and the whole throne room erupted in the sounds of a Whirlwind Firestorm at her words. Fire Dancer let it go on for several moments, then raised her hands to quiet them. ¡°Please, continue.¡± Fire Dancer said to Zetaya, who nodded and told her tale. The room was enraptured in the story of her life. The fire sound equivalent of ''oos'' and ''ahhs'' met her words, and by the time she was done speaking, the room had fallen quiet and not a sound was heard. None of the elementals moved or tried to speak into the silence, and Ren felt their swirling emotions. They didn''t know what to make of Zetaya''s story, or its completely unheard-of ending. ¡°I gladly accept your true life story and greet you on behalf of everyone within the realm.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Do you have a fitting tribute to offer for your debut?¡± Zetaya gave her a regal bow, and then suddenly a lush green forest appeared instantly behind her. ¡°Fresh growth for you and your subjects, Deity of Fire.¡± All of the Fire and Greater Fire elementals were surprised by the sudden appearance of a forest in front of them, and equally surprised that it wasn''t immediately burning to ash. ¡°Well, then.¡± Fire Dancer said and stood with a happy smile. ¡°Let''s eat!¡± The crowd hesitated for only a moment, then they all swarmed over each other to get at the forest. It was almost comical, since most of them hadn''t tasted it directly before, and Ren held off their wallowing emotions as they enjoyed it a lot more than he thought they would. Fire Dancer grabbed and uprooted a large tree and held it in her hand, covered it in Fire, then consumed it completely. ¡°Mmm, delicious.¡± Zetaya turned and nodded to Ren, and he smiled as he concentrated on making a humongous tree. Fire Dancer caught her breath as the 800 foot tree grew right in front of her and was almost 100 feet thick. She reached out and touched its rough bark and held in her moan as she dug her fingers into the tree to put her Fire into its core. Fire Dancer made the sound of a crackling fire as she consumed the tree from the inside and its energy filled her completely. She couldn''t hold in her moan anymore and let it escape through her lips as the tree withered from her Fire. Thankfully, the Fire and Greater Fire elementals were lost in their own pleasure to notice her lose her decorum in such a fashion, and when the humongous tree was finally consumed, Fire Dancer was unsteady on her feet and carefully sat back down on her throne. She had thoroughly enjoyed consuming such a delicious treat and her whole body glowed from all the energy she had harvested. She didn''t have to share with anyone else within her vicinity, because they were harvesting their own energy, so she closed her eyes and relaxed.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Fire Dancer knew that her duties would start soon and she allowed herself only a few moments of calmness, then she opened her eyes and saw that the Fire and Greater Fire elementals were making short work of the lush forest. She didn''t have to wait long for everything to be consumed, then the earth the trees had grown from quickly disappeared as Ren absorbed it all. ¡°We thank you for the gift and accept you with open arms, Zetaya.¡± Fire Dancer said in a normal tone of voice and a humanoid shape made of Fire appeared in front of Zetaya and gave her a hug. Zetaya hugged it back and absorbed the welcoming gift, then she bowed. ¡°Thank you, Creator of Fire.¡± The whole throne room erupted in the sounds of all different kinds of fire. Everything from the sound of a match being lit to a raging forest fire, and they all combined into a roaring cacophony as feelings of acceptance and welcome filled the room. Zetaya was starting to feel overwhelmed by the feelings and Ren stood up and took her hand. She took a deep breath as he absorbed those feelings for her, and she gave him a smile of thanks. ¡°Thank you, thank you all.¡± Zetaya said. The crowd settled down and formed a line, then Ren and Zetaya stood there as each and every Fire and Greater Fire elemental walked by them and touched Zetaya. They each gave her a tiny little bit of their energy, and Zetaya did the same. It took some time, considering the sheer amount of elementals in the throne room. Fire Dancer had already started her normal daily tasks by the time they were halfway done with the personal greetings, and after another hour, the last one walked by. Zetaya grinned as she leaned in and kissed Ren''s cheek. ¡°You were right!¡± ¡°I told you that they would love you.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek back. ¡°Let''s see if Fire Dancer needs any help, then we''ll start the tour of the realm.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Zetaya looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You''ve only met the people here around the castle. You need to go and meet the others, too.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I''m coming with you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also have proper transportation, too.¡± They checked in with Fire Dancer and she didn''t need any help, so Ren took Zetaya out of the throne room and the castle and stopped by the front door. He took out a half-carriage that was covered in Fire designs, then cast Phantom Steed 4 times to create Flame Horses. He attached them to the front of the carriage and helped Zetaya climb aboard, then they started the tour to meet the rest of the citizens. They didn''t get far by the time the day ended, because they had stopped so many times for the energy exchanges, so they quickly went back to the castle. Ren dismissed the Phantom Steed spells and stored the carriage, then they went inside and met Fire Dancer as she left the throne room. ¡°How did it go?¡± Fire Dancer asked as they walked with her back to her bedroom. ¡°Slowly.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t realize having to exchange energy with so many elementals would take up so much time.¡± He chuckled. ¡°We barely made a 5 mile wide circle around the castle, and it took nearly all day!¡± Fire Dancer laughed. ¡°What level are you now, Zetaya?¡± ¡°12.¡± Zetaya said, a little surprised. ¡°I didn''t think... how did...¡± ¡°It''s because of Ren.¡± Fire Dancer said and opened the bedroom door. ¡°He''s gotten you used to taking and absorbing energy, so there was no adjustment period for you.¡± ¡°Did you have to do that?¡± Zetaya asked as they stepped inside and Fire Dancer shut the door. ¡°Oh, yes. I didn''t have any experience at all with it, and it took Father a few days to teach me how to do it properly when I was old enough to understand.¡± ¡°Then you made me.¡± Zetaya said, making the connection right away. ¡°You didn''t want me to suffer the same thing.¡± She said and touched Fire Dancer''s foot. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I didn''t do it consciously.¡± Fire Dancer said, then Ren made himself and Zetaya her size. ¡°Plus, it was Father that fed you all those years, not me.¡± ¡°I think we''re arguing semantics.¡± Ren said. ¡°Let''s just say that everyone was involved and we all benefited from it.¡± ¡°I guess that''s fair.¡± Zetaya said with a smile. ¡°It''s getting late.¡± Fire Dancer said and her fancy outfit changed into her nightgown. ¡°We should get some sleep.¡± ¡°Are we doing a nap again?¡± Ren asked and equipped a set of red Spider Silk pyjamas. ¡°No, I think we should stay in bed.¡± Fire Dancer said and climbed onto the bed. ¡°It was a long day and we should get some rest.¡± She tucked herself under the blanket. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren and Zetaya exchanged looks and Teepo hopped off of Ren''s shoulder to land on the wall above the headboard, then Ren and Zetaya climbed into bed with Fire Dancer. ¡°What do you think you''re doing?¡± ¡°Going to bed.¡± Ren said and slid in close to her. ¡°Your bed is over there.¡± Fire Dancer said and pointed. Zetaya caught her arm and put it around her shoulders as she cuddled in. ¡°It is.¡± Ren said and put his arms around her, and opened that part of his heart that loved her unconditionally, then poured it into her as he gave her cheek a kiss. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Zetaya closed her eyes and let her love join his as she rested her head on Fire Dancer''s shoulder. ¡°Goodnight.¡± With the two of them pretty much boxing her in like they were, Fire Dancer couldn''t really tell them to stop showing her their love. She sighed and closed her eyes, then relaxed as their comforting warmth engulfed her both physically and emotionally. She had felt some of these feelings before; but, this was the first time they had combined their efforts to share as much of it with her as they could. Ren took several deep breaths and concentrated on letting Fire Dancer feel everything he felt for her. He knew that words sometimes weren''t enough, so he let his emotions speak for him. He could feel her taking them for what they were and she wasn''t trying to deny their validity. That made him happy and he let her feel that, too. The night passed quickly, despite their intention to make it last for as long as possible, then the morning arrived and they needed to get up and go to work. Ren, Teepo, and Zetaya spent the morning with Fire Dancer as she took care of the realm, then in the afternoon and evening, they continued Zetaya''s tour of the realm and visit every Fire and Greater Fire elemental. This went on for weeks, then months. On the day the tour finally ended, Zetaya was level 100 and she had met and exchanged energy with every Fire and Greater Fire elemental that wanted to. They had met several along the way that didn''t want to acknowledge her, so Ren had marked them and told Fire Dancer about them. With the markers to follow, she could monitor them and their activities and see if they were going to try and start something. Out of all the things Ren had done for her and the realm over the years, Fire Dancer thought that weeding out these dissenters was the most useful. It made major leaps fighting against her abandonment issues, because he was helping her consolidate her rule, and that meant a lot to her. Ren felt these emotions from her and he was more than happy to help her. He knew she wouldn''t do anything rash, despite having a temper that could melt steel. Ren chuckled at that thought, because when she concentrated, she could melt pretty much anything she wanted to and not just steel. The next 4 years passed without incident and it was time for Ren to leave for Adventurer''s business. Despite knowing it was coming, Fire Dancer''s mood darkened as the time for Ren''s next absence approached. It wasn''t until he reminded her about the Special Sending Ring that she realized she could still talk to Teepo if she wanted during the next 7 years. Teepo told her over and over that he would gladly talk to her as much as she wanted, and he would even leave the ring active while she slept if she wanted. Fire Dancer said that was a bit too much communication for her liking, which made everyone laugh. The fateful day arrived and it was almost a tearful goodbye, because he had to leave not one, but two people behind this time. ¡°I''ll come back as soon as I can.¡± Ren promised. Fire Dancer sighed. ¡°I thought I told you not to promise things like that.¡± ¡°Actually, you told me not to promise to be back by a specific time.¡± Ren corrected, and she rolled her eyes. He stepped close to her and took her into his arms, and she looked up at his sad face. ¡°I''m going to miss you.¡± ¡°I''m going to miss you, too.¡± Fire Dancer admitted. Ren kissed her forehead and gave her a pile of emotions that were a mix of love and devotion, then he let her go and took Zetaya into a hug. ¡°I''m going to miss cuddling my cuddle buddy.¡± Zetaya chuckled, and he heard a small crackling fire. ¡°You have lots of them back in the Earth Realm.¡± ¡°I may sleep in a bed with them, but they aren''t cuddle buddies.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss on the lips. ¡°Be good and stay safe.¡± ¡°I know, I know.¡± Zetaya said and ruffled his hair with both of her hands. ¡°No leaving the bedroom without you or the Deity of Fire.¡± ¡°Only until you''re strong enough to handle yourself in this form.¡± Ren said. ¡°After that...¡± ¡°Sweet freedom!¡± Zetaya exclaimed, and they laughed. ¡°Do you want to stay this size?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I can''t cuddle the Deity of Fire if I''m small enough to sit inside her ear.¡± Zetaya smiled. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Ren said and smiled back. He let her out of the hug and shrunk himself and Teepo back to their normal sizes, then Ren flew up to wave at them. He cast the Portal spell into the underground chamber and floated through it. Chapter 715 - Thats What I Call A Date Ren and Teepo transitioned to go back to the house in Aurora and appeared in the bedroom, and he greeted everyone there. ¡°Are you up to spend some time in...¡± Ren started to ask, and the succubi vehemently said no. They needed time to recover after the last time, and he gave each of them a kiss. ¡°I would, but I suspect it would only be us there this time.¡± Artemis said and kissed him, too. ¡°The Marilith Demon has been asleep the whole day.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve got my date with Nathalia to get to, then.¡± He said. ¡°Are you coming with me?¡± Artemis wrapped her arms around him and gave him another kiss. ¡°I suspect you and she are going to be a little too busy for me to hang around.¡± ¡°Are you regretting me taking off the restriction?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. ¡°No, I don''t regret not feeling excruciating pain when we get separated.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Have fun on your date.¡± ¡°There is a faint hope of that.¡± Ren joked and equipped his fancy purple suit that he wore during his last night in the Dwarven Kingdom, and Artemis let him out of the embrace she had him in. ¡°I can drop you all off at the county if you want.¡± ¡°We can wait to move back until you make the Marilith Demon''s real living space.¡± Seldanna, the Sovereign of the Succubi said. ¡°How do you know I haven''t made it already?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You haven''t asked her what she wants yet.¡± Seldanna said, and he chuckled as he nodded. ¡°I''ll be back later.¡± Ren said and checked the All-Seeing Mirror for a safe spot, then cast the Portal spell and stepped through it to appear right in front of the restaurant and walked inside. ¡°Welcome.¡± The hostess said as he entered the building. ¡°Your table is...¡± ¡°I can feel her waiting for me, thank you.¡± Ren said and walked by the hostess and over to one of the curtained-off tables. He stepped around the curtain and saw Nathalia. She wore a beautiful dress that was a modification of one of his designs, and he smiled as she stood to greet him. ¡°Hello, Re-mhmm!¡± Nathalia''s words were cut off as Ren hugged and kissed her. She put her arms around him and kissed him back as she poured out how much she had missed him through their fully restored Collective connection. He felt this from her and let his Emotion Siphon ability absorb as much of it as she wanted him to, since she didn''t really need it anymore, and he let his own feelings of missing her and loss out. She gasped into his mouth at the sheer amount of them, and he eased the flow to a trickle, so she could calm down. Ren broke the kiss and looked her in the eyes. ¡°You look beautiful.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Dorathy has been experimenting with your designs.¡± Ren smiled and let her out of the hug and motioned to the chair. She sat down and he moved a chair over and sat down right next to her. ¡°I''m glad she''s keeping busy.¡± ¡°You offering her the job to be House Neram''s Official Tailor was a great idea.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°With all the new people coming in and joining the house, we definitely needed someone to make the proper outfits for everyone.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I wanted help working on the uniforms for the Garrison when I offered it.¡± He said. ¡°Has anyone else...¡± ¡°Oh, she gets orders all the time.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°It takes her a lot longer to make something than you did; but, the customers appreciate it just the same.¡± ¡°Tell her that I''m happy to hear that.¡± Ren said. Nathalia nodded. ¡°So, how have you been?¡± ¡°Nathalia, you''ve felt some of that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can feel our Collective is sharing constantly, so you''ll have the whole story eventually.¡± ¡°But... we only have...¡± ¡°...as much time as you want.¡± Ren said and put the golden Vasalor statue on the middle of the table. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°A heavily modified Sanctuary spell.¡± Ren said, and the curtain moved. ¡°Hi!¡± The waitress said excitedly as she stepped into the private space. ¡°What can I get you?¡± ¡°Two supper specials, and put a rush on it, please.¡± Ren said. ¡°If we eat quickly enough, I can make love to her a few dozen times before I have to leave.¡± The waitress'' mouth dropped open in shock and Nathalia smacked Ren on the back of the head. ¡°Ren!¡± Nathalia exclaimed. ¡°What?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I want to store this table and take out a bed, then I''d like to...¡± ¡°REN!¡± Nathalia yelled. Ren sighed. ¡°All right, I''ll be good.¡± He said and looked at the waitress, then recognized her. ¡°Hey, did you find someone to treat you like a Lady yet?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± The waitress blinked her eyes, because she still hadn''t recovered from the first shock. ¡°I guess that''s a no.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll send out advertisements for Nathalia''s Nourishment, and I''m sure someone will come in and show you that you deserve to be treated the way you want to be treated.¡± The waitress stood there and stared at him, and Ren looked at Nathalia. ¡°I think I overdid it on the honesty again.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe you can ask her for the food?¡± Nathalia sighed and looked at the waitress. ¡°Two supper specials, please.¡± The waitress jumped a little, nodded several times, then left through the curtain. ¡°Ren, you shouldn''t...¡± ¡°Nathalia, I love you.¡± Ren said and pushed out one of the other chairs and put the Vasalor statue on it. ¡°I''m going to show you just how much I do over the next year.¡± ¡°T-the next YEAR?!?¡± ¡°I know that seems a bit short; but, I don''t want to monopolize all of your time.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°R-Ren, you... you can''t be serious.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I... I can''t be away from...¡± ¡°Don''t worry. No one will even know you''ve been gone.¡± Ren said. They sat in silence as Nathalia worried about what Ren was planning, since erasing everyone''s memory was going to be a difficult thing, then the waitress brought their meals and drinks. After she served them, Ren reached out and caught the waitress'' hand and gave it a kiss.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Thank you for the prompt service.¡± Ren said and felt the thrill from her, as did Nathalia. ¡°Please come back in a few seconds to clear the table.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± The waitress said and stepped out of the curtain. Ren activated the statue and he and Nathalia entered accelerated time. The waitress stopped walking when she realized Ren had said to come back in a few seconds. She knew that must have been a mistake, so she turned around and walked back over to the curtain and opened it, to see both Ren and Nathalia were completely dishevelled. They had big goofy grins and looked like they were holding in laughter, and their plates were clean of food. ¡°You... you really...¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and stood up after storing the Vasalor statue. He handed the waitress a couple of gold coins, much to her surprise because he had paid a platinum coin earlier, and then he held a hand out to Nathalia. She took the offered hand and they left the curtained-off area, then went outside. ¡°Where are... oh.¡± Nathalia stopped talking when Ren took out an instant tower and opened the door to lead her inside, then he shut the door. Once inside, Nathalia gasped as Ren activated his polymorph helm and transformed into a dwarf for her. ¡°By... by the gods!¡± Ren''s fluffy beard went halfway down his chest to show he had never shaved or even trimmed the beard, and when he stored his clothes and showed her that not only was he very ready and excited to see her, she saw all of his rippling muscles. It hit all of Nathalia''s ingrained dwarf stereotype requirements and she stored her clothing to show him that she was just as ready as he was. ¡°Let''s make a baby.¡± Dwarf Ren said and Nathalia finished just from that. ¡°R-Ren, we... we...¡± ¡°I won''t have anyone else give birth before you, my can''t-be-official wife.¡± Dwarf Ren said and picked her up, then took her to bed. Nathalia had been surprised when she gained the Unofficial Tainted Queen title, then forgot everything as Dwarf Ren showed her just how much he had missed having her in his bed. For the next two months, they enjoyed each other''s company and caught up on everything that had happened to them while they had been apart. It went much quicker because of their Collective connection, and Nathalia''s love for him deepened, even though she didn''t think that had been a possibility. ¡°You saved us all.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°With Vasalor''s help, since he didn''t want everyone to suffer when he realized what the connections meant to people.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°It''s okay, now.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°Plus, since you told me how long dwarf pregnancies are supposed to be, I can ensure that you will be first.¡± Nathalia looked down at her belly, and Dwarf Ren showed her the All-Seeing Mirror again. ¡°We can even make it happen before Narhilda and Barnar''s birth next month.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°You know the time that''s going to happen?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°I spent a lot of time in Vasalor''s realm.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°We checked on everyone''s connections, no matter how big or small.¡± ¡°You saw...¡± ¡°Yes. That''s also how I found out that Frikara and the others were pregnant, because the connections between mother and child were the same.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Yeah, it was a pleasant surprise.¡± Dwarf Ren smiled. ¡°You''re going to beat them all to the mark, though.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°I can just imagine Narhilda''s face when she finds out!¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You should have Erika send out notices to the whole Dwarven Kingdom when we leave here.¡± ¡°Ren, I won''t need to tell Erika anything. She''s going to see how big I''ll be!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Big and beautiful!¡± ¡°You are so biased.¡± ¡°I really am.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°I wish I could be there when Angeilin finds out.¡± He smiled. ¡°She''s so enthusiastic about being in House Neram that when she learns there''s going to be an heir...¡± ¡°By the gods, she''ll never leave me alone!¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°Not even her husband Dorcot can restrain her when she gets going.¡± Dwarf Ren laughed, too. He rubbed Nathalia''s belly and looked at her with a seductive smile. ¡°Ren, we... we need to...¡± ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll be very careful.¡± Dwarf Ren said and pleased her. Over the next few months, it drove her a little crazy that he could take his time and still please her, when all she wanted was for him to ravish her. She knew he couldn''t do that, not with her in the state she was in; but, she was getting hornier and hornier as the months wore on. By the time the year was up, her belly was very large and she looked like she was ready to pop. She also really, really needed to have sex. Dwarf Ren obliged her as much as she wanted and she loved him dearly for that. It was an itch that she couldn''t scratch herself, especially with her belly so big, and she pretty much spent all of her time in bed. ¡°Let''s go, My Love.¡± Dwarf Ren said and used his polymorph helm to change back to his elfling form. He helped her stand up carefully and they walked to the door of the instant tower. He opened it and they stepped out, and only a few minutes had passed. ¡°I can''t believe... it''s been a year.¡± Nathalia panted and waddled out the door. Ren deactivated and stored the instant tower and helped her walk into the restaurant. ¡°Welco-OH MY GOD!¡± The hostess exclaimed at the sight of a very pregnant Nathalia. Everyone in the restaurant turned and looked, and the kitchen staff came out to see what the ruckus was about. Everyone was shocked at Nathalia''s condition, considering she had just left and looked normal. ¡°I''m taking... some time off.¡± Nathalia panted and Ren helped her waddle over to the back room. ¡°God, what happened?¡± One of the waitresses asked. ¡°I spent some time with... the man I love... and now I''m... a little pregnant.¡± Nathalia managed to say before Ren opened the door to the back room. ¡°A little!¡± The waitress exclaimed. ¡°You look like you''re going to burst!¡± ¡°It feels like it, too.¡± Nathalia said and Ren sat her down by the portal. He sent a message to Erika and told her Nathalia needed her help, and to get one or both of the healers, Artrude and Malenka as well. Ren waited for a couple of minutes, then helped Nathalia stand. ¡°I''m sorry, Nathalia.¡± Ren said. ¡°I might have waited too long to...¡± ¡°No, this is... for the best.¡± Nathalia said and took a deep breath. ¡°You''ll feel it when it happens, won''t you?¡± ¡°I''ll be there in an instant, assuming I''m not on Adventurer''s business.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°So, keep the little dickens tucked away inside for as long as you can.¡± ¡°I might make it... until morning.¡± Nathalia said and stepped forward, then turned to him. ¡°I really need you again, Ren.¡± ¡°Of course, My Love.¡± Ren said and took out the Vasalor statue, lifted her loose dress, and pleased her until she was satisfied. Nathalia kissed him passionately when she had finished, and he deactivated and stored the statue and watched her step through the portal. Ren turned around and walked out of the back room, and saw the large audience they had attracted. ¡°Show''s over for now, folks.¡± Ren chuckled and left the restaurant, checked the All-Seeing Mirror to see Nathalia be greeted by three very shocked women, then cast a portal to a spot above the Main House in his county and stepped through. * Elerlyth couldn''t believe the sights and sounds she witnessed at Ren''s amusement and water parks. She had spent the entire day going to various rides and trying out all of the different carnival foods. At first she suspected that he had somehow imported the rides she had used in Stella''s stress and evaluation tests, then she saw them up close. She saw that he had used them as a starting point and expanded and changed them all to ridiculous extremes. The food''s stat bonuses were also a shock, then she realized that they helped people tackle the rides and helped them deal with the situation. It put them in a better mood and they enjoyed the experience even more than they normally would. Elerlyth spent an inordinate amount of time just sampling people''s emotions as she walked around, so she knew this was true. By the end of the day she was sitting beside the large pool area in the water park and had a hard time filtering out all the happy emotions that everyone emitted. She reclined on one of the patio lounge chairs and closed her eyes as she let those emotions flow over her and only took what she wanted, rather than trying to consume them all. He was right. Elerlyth thought. This place really is great. Elerlyth gained another level and sighed as she thought about Ren doing what she was doing, only with an entire country''s worth of emotions and leveling up so fast that it took no time whatsoever. I don''t understand how he can do that. Elerlyth thought in surprise, then she felt his presence and caught her breath, because he wasn''t trying to suppress his emotions like he did when she had met him that morning. Oh, my god. She thought and her body started to glow as she concentrated on him. What... what has he been doing to be so happy?!? Elerlyth hopped up off of her lounge chair and whistled for her steed, Etheria, and he flew over to land beside her. She quickly climbed into the saddle and flicked the reins. ¡°To Ren!¡± Elerlyth said and her steed took off up into the air to try and catch Ren before he disappeared again. * Ren felt someone''s piqued interest and chuckled as Princess jumped out of her house to greet him. ¡°I think someone is a little eager to head out.¡± ¡°I am, My King.¡± Princess said. ¡°Please mount me and we can be off.¡± ¡°You know, I really should say goodbye to...¡± Princess huffed her derision at his fake attempt to delay her running full out, hooked one of her horns between his legs, then flipped him up and onto her back. Teepo chittered in laughter as Ren landed upside down on the saddle, then Ren grabbed on as Princess took off at full speed. Ren''s legs flailed around up in the air and he couldn''t help himself and laughed, too. Ren had deserved that for teasing her. * As Elerlyth approached the Main House, she saw Ren do a crazy flip to get onto Princess and landed upside down, then they disappeared from her sight. ¡°Goddammit!¡± Elerlyth exclaimed at just missing Ren, and her steed neighed and huffed at her. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°That was a pretty funny sight.¡± She looked in the direction where she had last felt his emotions and sighed. I''ll wait for you right here. Chapter 716 - Elven Surprises Ren told Princess to head to the High Elven Kingdom first and to Yllana''s apartment. It was nighttime, so he checked the All-Seeing Mirror on the way and saw that she was in her kitchen. She was dressed for bed, and he used the mirror to look around to make sure that she was alone. She was, so he had Princess land on top of her apartment. Ren hopped off of her and scratched her chin for a moment, then equipped his High Elven Court Uniform and ran down the side of the building, went inside, and knocked on her apartment door. Yllana was surprised that someone was knocking on her door so late. When she opened the door and saw Ren, she shivered in anticipation. She reached out and lightly touched the fancy tree and leaf designs on his chest, and took in a breath. ¡°It was you.¡± Yllana whispered. ¡°It was me what?¡± Ren asked with a knowing smile. ¡°You fixed everything.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°You have the Creator''s Assistant title.¡± Yllana said with wonder in her voice. ¡°You... you''ve met Vasalor.¡± Ren remembered dismissing a couple of popups when he had left Vasalor''s realm and resisted the urge to open them to see what they said. ¡°I have met him.¡± ¡°P-please, come... come in.¡± Yllana said and gripped his uniform firmly and tugged. Ren stepped in and she shut the door behind him. ¡°You have been touched by the creator himself.¡± She whispered in reverence. ¡°Now you''re right here in front of me.¡± ¡°I can come back later if you''re busy.¡± Ren said and he felt her sudden surge of panic. He reached out and cupped one of her breasts through the thin nightgown she wore, and she relaxed. She took his free hand and put it on her other breast, then Ren massaged her in earnest. She moaned as she thought about Ren''s experiences with Vasalor, and she closed her eyes and leaned against the door. Ren felt her emotions and leaned in close to whisper. ¡°These hands have touched every single person in the Earth Realm.¡± Yllana gasped as she finished and her body shook from pleasure. ¡°R-Ren...¡± Ren let her breasts go and picked her up, then took her to her bedroom. Teepo flew up to land on the ceiling and kept a look out just in case. Ren laid Yllana on her bed and she stared up at him and had such desire in her heart and on her face, that he knew she would forgive him for not teasing her. She sat up to please him with her hand and mouth, as was their normal routine, and when she reached for his pants to undo them, he put a hand out and stopped her. Ren felt her disappointment and lifted her chin up so she would look at him. ¡°Not today.¡± Yllana''s heart plummeted at his rebuff. ¡°B-but... but...¡± ¡°Lay back down.¡± Yllana laid back on the bed and she held in her sob as she fully expected him to leave her, after getting her so excited. Ren felt her emotions and stored his clothing to show her that he was very ready for her. She blinked her eyes at him and didn''t know what he was doing, because he had never stopped her from pleasing him before. Ren took out the golden statue of Vasalor, which made her catch her breath at its presence. He activated it and climbed onto the bed with her and lifted her nightgown, touched her special place to see that she was completely soaked and as ready as she could be, and he climbed on top of her. ¡°R-REN!¡± Yllana gasped as she realized what he was going to do, then screamed her lungs out in pleasure as he entered her. All those months of teasing and playing with her had made her like a powder keg of gunpowder, and when he finally crossed that last line, her repressed emotions exploded inside of her and she cried and hollered as he pleased her. She had never felt such things before, or so expertly, and she lost herself in the sensations and emotions he brought out in her, over and over. Over the next few days, Yllana completely ignored everything in her life and stayed inside her apartment with Ren. They made love over and over, as much as she wanted, and she had wanted it a lot. She had hidden her deepest desires very well and Ren hadn''t suspected that she had a secret longing for him to do exactly what he was doing. No teasing or playing, just sex. He fulfilled every desire that she had, and by the end of the week, she had constantly mumbled her thanks to him. When he told her that he needed to go, she sat up in bed and gasped. ¡°We forgot to eat all week!¡± Ren chuckled and sat up, then tapped the statue and deactivated it. ¡°It''s okay. The statue took care of our needs.¡± ¡°Is that why I''m not tired?¡± Yllana asked. ¡°No, you''re just so robust and full of Vitality that it will take more than a week of sex to tire you out.¡± Ren smiled at her, and she laughed. ¡°Well, you just proved that, didn''t you?¡± Yllana asked, then she gasped again. ¡°Oh, no! I had appointments to go to this week!¡± ¡°You still do.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°This last week happened in our own time and didn''t affect the time in the Earth Realm at all.¡± ¡°You... you''re kidding! You have to be kidding.¡± Yllana said and got out of bed and looked out her window, and even though it was ''morning'' for them, it was still the same evening when Ren had arrived. ¡°It''s only been a few seconds.¡± Ren told her and she stared at him like she had never seen him before. ¡°I''ve got to visit a couple of other people before heading back home, so I need to go.¡± He stored the Vasalor statue and equipped his armored bodysuit. ¡°Oh, and if you want to talk to Vasalor yourself, the Church Of Vasalor will be opened tomorrow.¡± ¡°WHAAAAATTTT????¡± Yllana yelled in shock. Ren walked over to her and gave her a kiss, Teepo dropped from the ceiling onto Ren''s shoulder, and they left her by the window. Ren walked out of her apartment and up to the roof. ¡°Next stop, the Underworld!¡± ¡°Yes, My King.¡± Princess said and Ren climbed onto her, and Princess quickly ran partway across the High Elven countryside to the border and to the small abandoned village there. She stopped at the well that had the Underworld entrance at the bottom, and Ren made the well twice as big so that they could enter safely. When they reached the bottom, Ren politely knocked on the door and stood there and waited patiently. ¡°Go away!¡± A woman''s harsh voice said a few minutes later. ¡°Night Hag, I''ve come to visit you on my way to see the Queen of the Dark Elves.¡± Ren said and scratched Princess'' chin. ¡°Geez, Ren.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You''re not even going to fib a little and tell her you''re here to only see her, then say you might as well visit Lylyth?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I gave her the Amulet of Interrogation, remember?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Boy, that would have backfired spectacularly if you had lied!¡± ¡°Don''t I know it, buddy.¡± The door opened and Ren saw the beautiful visage the Night Hag wore. ¡°By Vasalor, you''re not going to leave me alone, are you?¡± The Night Hag said. ¡°I was coming to the Underworld anyway and figured I could stop in and see how you''re doing.¡± Ren said. ¡°You do remember me trying to kill you the last time you were here, don''t you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I''ve kind of got a soft spot for difficult and dangerous women.¡± The Night Hag blinked her eyes at him for a moment, shook her head, then stepped aside and waved for him to come in.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and he and Princess stepped inside. ¡°Ooo, you redecorated.¡± He said when he saw the place was a shambles. The Night Hag laughed and he heard breaking glass. ¡°I did this after you tricked me.¡± ¡°I didn''t trick you.¡± Ren said honestly, then turned to look at her. ¡°Wait, you''ve been living like this since then?¡± The Night Hag nodded, and Ren disappeared from her sight. ¡°Wh-what...¡± Her place changed as each item was repaired almost instantly and Ren reappeared in front of her. ¡°I can''t do anything about your potion ingredients.¡± Ren said and shrugged. ¡°You''ll have to replace them yourself.¡± The Night Hag looked around and saw that even the walls had been repaired. ¡°H-how...¡± ¡°I mastered all of my skills.¡± Ren said and looked at the couch. ¡°Can I sit down?¡± The Night Hag didn''t say anything, so he walked over to the couch and sat down. ¡°Yeah, I''m glad I replaced the stuffing. It''s much more comfortable now.¡± The Night Hag gave him an odd look and walked over to the couch. She bent over slightly and used her hand to test one of the cushions, and it was a lot softer than it was. Curious, she sat down and was pleasantly surprised at how good it felt. She immediately distrusted this nice gesture and stared daggers at Ren. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I really was just passing through, so I wanted to stop in and see how you''re doing.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s all?¡± ¡°Well...¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± The Night Hag jumped to her feet and her hands started to glow. ¡°You''ve come back for revenge, and since you have free passage in my domain, you can attack me with impunity!¡± ¡°Ha ha ha!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Jump to conclusions much?¡± He asked and raised his hands in a clear show that he was defenseless. ¡°I just wanted to know how your plans are coming along.¡± The Night Hag''s hands didn''t stop glowing, but she relaxed. ¡°My plans?¡± ¡°Yes, with the Kraken and causing death and destruction on the world.¡± The Night Hag stopped her hands from glowing and sighed. ¡°It''s not going at all.¡± ¡°Oh? Why not?¡± ¡°I can''t even find the Krakens, let alone steal one of their babies!¡± The Night Hag huffed. Ren stopped himself from laughing, because she had sounded just like Princess. ¡°Ahem, well... would you mind if I give you hand with that?¡± The Night Hag looked at him like he was crazy, and he smiled at her. ¡°How?¡± Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and the Night Hag gasped at the sight. ¡°The All-Seeing Mirror!¡± The Night Hag''s hands dashed out quickly to snatch it from him, and her hands went right through it. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I learned that trick from the clerk at the Dwarf Hall of Records.¡± Ren chuckled at the Night Hag''s surprised expression. ¡°Can you show me the Kraken''s nest, please?¡± The All-Seeing Mirror changed to show a large nest that looked to be inside an underwater ravine somewhere. In the nest were 6 little Krakens, barely out of the egg stage. ¡°Hey, we caught it just in time.¡± Ren said and waved the Night Hag closer, then pat the couch beside him. She was too curious not to accept the invitation and sat down as she leaned in close to watch. Princess stepped behind the couch and looked over their shoulders to watch, too. ¡°Caught what? What''s happening?¡± The Night Hag asked. ¡°Something that seems to happen a lot to water-based creatures.¡± Ren said, and they watched as the first baby Kraken shot up into the water, then was caught in the current. ¡°Go for it, little guy!¡± Teepo said, then chittered in delight as the baby Kraken managed to fight the current and made it to its mother. Unlike the giant octopus, the mother hadn''t given her life to feed them, and she caught her baby and gave it some crab meat. ¡°Hey, the next one...¡± Ren started to say, then the current gave a swirling eddy and caught the little thing and swept it towards the sharp edge of the ravine. ¡°N-no...¡± The Night Hag said sadly, then a portal opened at the last second right in front of the rocks. She gasped at the sight and then a Magical Barrier of Protection appeared in her living room and the portal opened. Water quickly filled the barrier, and then the baby Kraken shot out of the portal and swirled around inside the water. It was 2 feet long, including the tentacles at the back, and it''s frog-like head was barely the size of Ren''s. It still had wickedly sharp teeth, though. ¡°I was really worried we were going to miss it.¡± Ren said and stored the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Things like this are hard to time properly when shifting between realms and using items that cause a different time compression.¡± The Night Hag sat on the couch and couldn''t believe what she was seeing. ¡°There... there''s a Kraken... an actual Kraken... in my living room.¡± ¡°A baby Kraken that was going to die.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°But... but why...¡± ¡°I didn''t want you to keep believing that I had cheated you.¡± Ren said. ¡°You think I hadn''t honored our deal, and that bugged me.¡± He smiled. ¡°So, here''s a replacement for the Kraken you tried so hard to make.¡± He said. ¡°Since it was going to die, I don''t feel guilty about saving it, and stopping you from trying to create another flesh golem.¡± The Night hag was too stunned to respond. ¡°It''s still going to take years... maybe even decades... to get him strong enough and big enough for your master plan.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, just so you know, Adventurers will try to thwart your plans.¡± That made the Night Hag react and she narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°No, because I''ll be the one issuing the Standing Quest.¡± He said, and she caught her breath. ¡°You... you won''t be trying to stop me yourself?¡± She asked, surprised. Ren shook his head. ¡°Hopefully, I''m going to be too busy enjoying raising my children.¡± ¡°You... an Adventurer...¡± ¡°I know it seems odd.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Me, as a father.¡± ¡°What''s odd is that you are the first Adventurer I have heard of that has children.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think I''m a special case, considering how much time I''ve spent in this world.¡± Ren said and stored the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Anyway, I need to go and visit the Queen of the Dark Elves.¡± ¡°W-wait!¡± The Night Hag exclaimed as Ren and Princess went to her back door. ¡°Why? Why did you do this?¡± Ren walked back over to her and held a hand out to her. She looked at it like it was a snake that was trying to bite her, and he laughed. ¡°I''ve had a long time to think over everything I''ve done, and Vasalor himself said that it was okay for me to change things so that they are better.¡± ¡°Giving me a creature to cause massive destruction and death is making things better?¡± The Night Hag asked, incredulous. ¡°You definitely feel better, don''t you?¡± Ren asked, and she caught her breath. ¡°You don''t have to feel depressed anymore, Night Hag.¡± He said, then sighed. ¡°I kind of hate that I need to call you that, because it''s both your name and what you are.¡± ¡°I have always been called that.¡± The Night Hag said. Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I hope you have fun plotting and scheming to try and take over the world.¡± He said and turned away. ¡°Oh, and before you get any crazy ideas, Kraken have an innate anti-magic defense. You won''t be able to accelerate his growth unnaturally.¡± ¡°Goddammit!¡± The Night Hag exclaimed. Ren laughed as he opened her back door. Teepo chittered in laughter and Princess brayed softly as they left the Night Hag cursing fate, the gods, and Ren. The trio quickly made their way across the cavern and to the wall, and Ren took out his pet tarantula. ¡°My Queen, I am in the Underworld. May I pay you a visit?¡± Ren asked, and the tarantula tapped his cheek. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren took out the Indestructible Staff Of Earth and pointed it to the wall, and it opened up a 10 foot wide square hole all the way to the next cavern instantly. He climbed onto Princess'' saddle and she brayed her happiness as she ran as fast as she could. ¡°There''s cave worms on the other side of the tunnel, Princess.¡± ¡°Yes, My King!¡± Princess said happily and ran all around the cavern when they reached it, trampled and rammed every cave worm and nest that she detected through Ren''s massive Aura. She was very efficient in her acts and then Ren pointed to the wall. She ran for it and he held out the staff to create another tunnel. He dismissed the old one and they ran through another couple of miles of tunnel to reach the next cavern, and Princess repeated the process of killing all the cave worms and smashing their nests. Even with doing all of that, they arrived at the center of the Dark Elven Kingdom fairly quickly. Princess had to slow down and came to a stop when they approached the main area where the Queen of the Dark Elves presided over her domain. Ren hopped off of the saddle and scratched her chin, then they entered the main area. No one stopped him or even looked his way as they walked through the various caverns and guard posts. They arrived at the throne room and he knocked on the door. The door opened and Ren saw that there was a gathering of sorts. ¡°Welcome, Royal Consort.¡± Lylyth, Queen of the Dark Elves said, almost as a proclamation. The Dark Elves gathered around her took a step back and they all knelt on one knee. Ren dismissed the Influence and XP conversion popups, since he had gained neither, and stepped into the throne room. ¡°Thank you, My Queen.¡± Ren said and gave her a regal bow. ¡°I''m not sure I deserved such a formal reception just because I stopped in.¡± Lylyth chuckled, and amusement came from all of the Dark Elves. ¡°This is the first time you''ve been back after giving us the High Elven Kingdom.¡± She said. ¡°It''s been... so wonderful.¡± Ren smiled as he felt her joy and happiness. ¡°...and quite a relief, I have to assume.¡± Ren said, and several of the Dark Elves chuckled. ¡°To say the least, Dear One.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°Can I ask what the purpose of this visit is?¡± ¡°After I lost all the connections with everyone, I was very angry.¡± Ren said. ¡°I maxed myself out completely, then asked Vasalor for his help.¡± Lylyth and everyone in the throne room gasped at the truth in his words. ¡°Wh-what did you do?¡± ¡°I fixed everything, My Queen.¡± Ren said, and no one breathed. ¡°I''ve been visiting everyone that I have a connection with to ensure that they are okay and haven''t suffered.¡± Lylyth touched the spider emblem over her heart, the one that matched the one on the back of his hand. ¡°I did feel the utter loss of something important.¡± ¡°As did I.¡± Ren said. ¡°Excruciatingly so.¡± ¡°...and... and now?¡± ¡°If I may approach you?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. He walked across the throne room and everyone stayed on their knees as they watched him. He came to the throne and started to reach for her hand, and Lylyth felt immense pressure from him and caught her breath. ¡°S-stop.¡± Lylyth said when his hand was barely an inch away from her skin. ¡°Wh-what is this feeling?¡± Ren smiled and moved his hand away, because she reacted just like Elerlyth had. ¡°I was going to share the feelings I had while fixing everything.¡± He said. ¡°I guess it''s a little too much.¡± ¡°H-how long...¡± ¡°Only a couple of eons.¡± Ren said, and he felt shock from everyone, especially Lylyth. ¡°I... I can''t.¡± Lylyth said. ¡°That''s too much.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Perhaps I could borrow Tiatha for a...¡± ¡°YES!¡± Tiatha yelled into the silent throne room, and that broke the tension Ren had inadvertently caused by his revelation. Lylyth waved assent and Tiatha jumped forward to grab his hand. ¡°My room.¡± ¡°Princess, I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and cast the Portal spell, then he and Tiatha stepped through it. Chapter 717 - A Giant-Sized Fantasy Ren and Tiatha appeared inside her room through the portal and Ren took out the Vasalor statue. She gasped at its appearance, then Ren put it down on her nightstand and activated it. ¡°I won''t overwhelm you all at once with everything I felt.¡± Ren said and stored his clothing. ¡°I''ll filter it to you over the next month and you can try to parse it out to Lylyth when we return to the throne room.¡± Tiatha didn''t comment about the time frame, because any time that Ren wanted to devote to her was precious in her eyes, so she stored her clothing without a word and Ren took her to bed. For the next month, he pleased her and gave her everything he had felt during his visit to Vasalor. When the time was up, she had leveled up several hundred times and her love and devotion to him rivalled what she had for her Queen. ¡°Ren, thank you.¡± Tiatha said when Ren deactivated the Vasalor statue and stored it. ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± Ren said and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Out of all of them, you were the only one who didn''t react negatively to anything I''ve ever done.¡± ¡°That''s because you''re just too amazing to disbelieve.¡± Tiatha said. ¡°I''m just a healer, and yet you''ve given me more attention than I thought I deserved... and that was before you did this for me.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Almost no time has passed here, so you don''t need to worry about missed schedules or meetings.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t have cared even if I did miss it all.¡± Tiatha said, honestly. Ren gave her a kiss in appreciation for the sentiment and opened a portal back to the throne room. They stepped through it and felt the surprise from all of the Dark Elves in the room, as well as from Lylyth. ¡°You... what...¡± Lylyth couldn''t articulate what she wanted to say. ¡°My Queen, I''ll let Tiatha share with you what I went through.¡± Ren said and bowed regally to her. ¡°If you will excuse me, I have a couple more people to visit before I have to attend to some Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Lylyth said. ¡°We... we have a feast prepared...¡± ¡°You do?¡± Ren asked and looked around. ¡°I don''t see...¡± ¡°It''s in the dining hall.¡± Tiatha said and pointed. ¡°Do you think you could stay a little while?¡± ¡°Teepo? How''s my time?¡± ¡°I think you can spare half an hour.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''ll be cutting into your time with the Giants, though.¡± ¡°It''s a risk I''ll have to take.¡± Ren said with a big smile, and he felt how happy Lylyth was. ¡°I am at your service, My Queen.¡± Everyone followed Lylyth and Tiatha as they led the way to the large dining hall and the banquet there. Ren felt the underlying animosity from the Dark Elves, and he knew that they couldn''t help it, because it was their own prejudices against having an elfling be so prominent in their society. He successfully ignored the feeling and chatted with both Lylyth and Tiatha as they ate, and had even managed to get Princess to try some of the Dark Elven delicacies. Ren spent the half hour with them and had to regretfully tell them that he had to go when it was up. They felt his regret that he needed to go, and Lylyth forgave him for not staying. After he promised to return sometime in the next week, Ren, Teepo, and Princess left the dining hall in a spectacular manner. Ren mounted Princess'' saddle and checked the All-Seeing Mirror to see that it was clear, then equipped the Staff of Earth and pointed it upwards. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Ren said as a 10 foot wide square tunnel appeared in the ceiling. Princess brayed her happiness and reared back, then ran up into the air and into the tunnel. Ren laughed and Teepo chittered in delight at the shock they felt from the Dark Elves, and he dismissed the tunnel. Princess ran faster than the tunnel could collapse, however. They exited above the ground after travelling a long way and Ren pointed in the direction they needed to go. Princess had waited for this moment all day and ran as hard as she could in that direction. They passed over the rest of the continent fairly quickly, then they hit the ocean. It was normally a two to three week journey by normal ship and a one week journey by his ship; but, Princess crossed the entire ocean in barely 20 minutes. It took another 10 minutes to get to the wasteland between the Dwarven Kingdom and Giant Kingdom, and they slowed down when they reached the Giant starter city Ren had made. Ren had checked the All-Seeing Mirror on the way and saw that Laurelia was working late again, so he had Princess go to the mansion and the guards there waved and opened the door for him. ¡°Thanks!¡± Ren said to them as Princess carried him inside and they ran to the mayor''s office. Once there, he knocked and waited. The door opened a few moments later, and Laurelia caught her breath as she saw him. ¡°R-Ren...¡± Laurelia stammered. ¡°Hi, Laurelia. I''m sorry I haven''t been back in a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°I meant to come back occasionally to see how things are working out...¡± ¡°...but, you''ve been busy.¡± Laurelia chuckled and waved at her office. ¡°Just like me.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said as he saw all the stacks of parchment scattered around the office. ¡°What is all of this?¡± ¡°Just the every day operations of an entire city.¡± Laurelia said and motioned for Ren to enter. Princess trotted in and Ren hopped off as Laurelia shut her office door. ¡°There shouldn''t be this much, though.¡± Ren said, because he hadn''t seen anything like this in either Patty''s or Valercia''s offices. ¡°You don''t even have a whole city''s worth of people yet.¡± Laurelia chuckled and pointed to a stack. ¡°Food requisitions.¡± She pointed at another one. ¡°Worker requests.¡± She pointed to another stack. ¡°Petitions for new businesses.¡± ¡°You need to hire a staff to help you handle it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You shouldn''t be seeing a lot of this.¡± ¡°Ren, I barely know what I''m doing. How am I going to hire someone and train them to handle it?¡± Laurelia asked. ¡°Have a seat.¡± Ren pointed to her desk, and she looked at him for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders and sat down. He ran up into the air and onto the desk. ¡°Open your Mayor Menu, please.¡± Laurelia did as he said, and he could see everything and helped her requisition a staff. There were a surprising number of people that were eager to move to a new place and do whatever job was necessary. Laurelia was surprised at the quick responses she received, so she added in requests for old and retired Guardians of the Land that were willing to help exiles, and for guards and general workers. ¡°That... was really easy.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°It''s supposed to be.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You''re supposed to help and guide your people, not run every detail of their lives.¡± Laurelia opened her mouth to ask what the difference was, then she laughed. ¡°Yes, I... I think I''ve been focusing too much on the little things.¡± ¡°Like me?¡± Ren joked, and she snorted a laugh. ¡°I have been thinking of you a lot lately.¡± ¡°Is that a good thing or a bad thing?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It depends on if I''m alone or not.¡± Laurelia chuckled. ¡°I get prejudice from the Dark Elves, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°They can''t accept having an elfling within their midst, even though I had earned it.¡± ¡°That sounds more than a little depressing.¡± Laurelia said, and he felt her sympathy. ¡°It could be, except I''ve decided to not let it bother me.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s their problem, not mine.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Laurelia sat back in her chair and folded her arms under her chest, which pushed her breasts up quite a bit. ¡°That''s mature of you.¡± Ren felt that he had to glance at her ample cleavage, and he made sure she saw him looking. ¡°Well, I was tempted to just kill them until the others accepted me for who I am; but, that would only teach them fear and not respect.¡± He said and looked back at her face and saw her smile. ¡°Yes, not having their Respect would be pointless.¡± Laurelia uncrossed her arms and leaned over to rest her elbows on the desk, then intertwined her fingers to rest her chin on them. Giants were all about Respect, just like the dwarves were all about Honor. Thanks to the dress Laurelia wore, her new position gave Ren a very nice view right down her top. He made a bit of a show of letting his gaze go from her chest to her face and back again several times, and he felt her desire increase with her amusement. ¡°Do you... ah... want me to give you a hand with...¡± Ren gave her breasts one more glance and smiled warmly at her. ¡°...some of this paperwork?¡± Laurelia chuckled. ¡°Can a little person even move parchment papers that are so much bigger than they are?¡± ¡°Oh, I don''t have to stay this size.¡± Ren said, and he felt her surprise and then her desire increased slightly. ¡°You... you don''t?¡± Laurelia asked. ¡°I remember you making yourself twice as big and shrinking me that one time.¡± She blushed as she remembered why they had tried to match sizes, then she glanced around at the office. ¡°That won''t work for this task.¡± ¡°One giant-sized Ren coming up.¡± Ren said and ran over to the edge of the desk and jumped, then cast the Permanent 4 Times Enlarge and Reduce Anything spell on himself. He landed on the floor and stood up to his now 18 foot and 4 inch height. Laurelia gasped at his giant appearance, and her heart went pitter-patter at the thought of him being so close to her own height of just over 22 feet. ¡°R-Ren...¡± Laurelia stammered, just like she had when he first appeared at her office door. ¡°Let''s get to work, shall we?¡± Ren asked and walked around the desk to stand beside her. Laurelia blinked her eyes at him several times and slowly reached out to touch his hair. ¡°It''s real, isn''t it?¡± ¡°Of course my hair is real.¡± Ren joked, and she smiled. He looked down at the parchment on her desk. ¡°Hmm, I see you''re spending a lot of time just signing things.¡± He said and took out a bit of metal and activated his Hands of the Gods ability Burning Hands and melted it, then dripped it across her signature and traced it with the metal. He used the Shaper spell to make it an exact copy of her signature, cooled it, then made a nice wooden handle for it. He made a folding metal case and added Spider Silk cloth to the inside of it, then filled it with ink. ¡°Wh-what is that?¡± Laurelia asked. ¡°It''s called a stamp.¡± Ren said, touched the stamp of her name to the ink pad, moved the paper she had already signed out of the way and picked up the next. ¡°You''re signing this one next, right?¡± Laurelia nodded and Ren tapped it with the stamp and her signature was transferred instantly. She caught her breath at the sight. Ren blew on it to dry it, put it aside in the outgoing pile, and handed her the stamp. ¡°Have fun.¡± Laurelia took it and went to dab it back into the ink pad, and Ren caught her hand. ¡°You can use it two or three times before having to dip it again.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Laurelia asked with a smile, then dabbed the paper with it and saw that it was just enough to count as her signature and dipped the stamp back into the ink and did the next two sheets in only a couple of seconds. ¡°Ren, this... thank you so much.¡± She said. ¡°This makes it go so much faster!¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just don''t forget to read the documents before giving your okay.¡± ¡°I''ve already read them to sort them out like this.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Why do you think I''m so far behind in taking care of them?¡± Ren put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°If you''ll allow me, I can do something about making that faster, too.¡± Laurelia felt a thrill go through her at the gentle touch, and nodded. She received a popup to become a member of his party, and she stared at it. ¡°Wh-what... what is...¡± ¡°This will give you an internal Inventory and open up several different options for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Will you accept?¡± ¡°B-but... I... I''m not an Adventurer!¡± Laurelia exclaimed, and he chuckled. ¡°It doesn''t matter. I''ll kick you out right after you upgrade if it makes you feel any better about it.¡± ¡°U-upgrade?¡± Ren gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. ¡°It should only take a moment.¡± Laurelia took a breath and let it out, then accepted the party invite. She was covered in a glow for a moment, then she gasped as she gained an inventory and a whole new set of skills. ¡°There.¡± Ren said and took out a set of stat books. ¡°Read these every day and you''ll get better and better at your job.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°Being a member of my party holds no benefits for anyone, since I can''t gain anything anymore.¡± Ren said and Laurelia received the popup that said she had left the party. ¡°R-Ren, what...¡± ¡°It''s all up to you now.¡± Ren said and slid his hand across her shoulder and then down her back, and she shivered from the touch. ¡°Store the books for now and we can get to work.¡± Laurelia nodded and Ren slipped out the Vasalor statue and activated it as he put it at the side of the room, then he kept handing her all the different documents. The work went by fairly quickly, and when they were done, Ren took two of the stacks of sorted papers and shuffled them together. ¡°REN!¡± Laurelia yelled as he undid all of her hard work. ¡°Relax.¡± Ren said with a huge smile and handed her the stack. ¡°Store this.¡± Laurelia was tempted to tell him to get out of her office, then took a breath and stored the documents. They sorted automatically into 6 different stacks, and when he told her to check her inventory, she stared at them. ¡°Wh-what... how?¡± ¡°It''s automatic.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was the best way to explain what it does.¡± ¡°You could have just told me.¡± Laurelia said as she took out each stack and saw they were sorted by priority. ¡°I wouldn''t have felt your reaction as strongly if I did that.¡± Ren chuckled, and she shook her head. ¡°You don''t have to tease me like that.¡± ¡°No?¡± Ren stepped close and sat on the side of her desk. ¡°How do you want me to tease you?¡± Laurelia''s mind had several very naughty thoughts run through it and her face flushed to a deep red. ¡°It can only be a casual relationship, if you want to start one.¡± Ren said. ¡°Casual?¡± ¡°As in, not serious. Just dating occasionally and no chance of marriage.¡± Laurela closed her mouth on what she was going to say. ¡°Go ahead and say it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°There''s no way my mother would approve of me marrying a little person, even if he can make himself giant-sized.¡± ¡°Are you okay with only dating and a lot of hot and steamy non-committal sex, then?¡± Ren asked. Laurelia caught her breath at the thought and he felt her body react. He waited as she thought about what it would mean, then she nodded. He slowly leaned in close and felt her anticipation as his lips approached hers, then he cupped the sides of her face and gave her a gentle kiss. Her body shivered again, and she reached up to run her hands through his hair as she kissed him back in earnest. After a couple of minutes, she broke the kiss and looked at him with smouldering eyes. ¡°My room.¡± Ren nodded and picked up the statue, took her hand to help her stand, then led her out of the room and up the stairs. She pointed to her room and they went inside. He put the statue down and turned her around to open her dress. She caught it as the clasp was released, then she turned around with it held to her chest. ¡°Ren, I... I''ve...¡± Laurelia took a quick breath. ¡°This isn''t my...¡± ¡°Shh, it''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°All that matters is this moment. It''s just you and me, and no one else is a factor. For right now, this is our whole world.¡± Laurelia smiled as she very slowly slid the dress down and kept an arm over her chest. She let the dress drop to the floor and all she wore was a pair of underwear. She shifted her arm and used both hands to cover her breasts, jiggled them a little to make sure Ren was looking right at them, then moved her hands out of the way. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Ren said, and her face flushed red. ¡°Do... do you like them?¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren stepped close and leaned down slightly to kiss them like she wanted him to, and she wrapped her arms around him and moaned as she finally felt his lips on her warm and ready flesh. He gave her breasts the attention they deserved, and then he kissed her passionately. She revelled in the feel of his hands on her and his expertly used lips and tongue, then she yipped in surprise as he picked her up and put her on the bed. ¡°Prepare yourself.¡± Ren said and moved down to touch her underwear, and she caught his hands. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± Laurelia asked. ¡°I should tell you to relax, but you aren''t going to.¡± Ren grinned and slid her underwear down, then kissed his way back up her legs and to her special place. When he reached there, she stopped thinking any kind of rational thought and completely lost herself in the pleasure. After almost half an hour, she gripped his hair and pulled on him to get him to stop, and she gave him frantic eyes. He understood what she wanted, so he kissed her and stored his clothing. She nodded and let his hair go, and he moved back to kneel between her legs. She caught sight of his ready state and stopped breathing when she realized how big he was. ¡°R-Ren, it... it''s not going to fit!¡± Laurelia exclaimed. ¡°Oh, yes it will.¡± Ren touched her sensitive spot and she gasped, then he slipped the tip inside. She finished just from that, then she finished again as he went all the way in. ¡°OH, GOD!¡± Laurelia yelled, and once again, she lost herself as he pleased her, over and over. It went on and on, and she couldn''t believe that he could do this to her and didn''t have to stop or take a break. After an hour, she had had so much pleasure that her whole body had become an erogenous zone. Ren felt this, and combined with her disbelief, he figured that was enough for her and he finished her one last time and eased out, then finished himself. He laid down beside her and took out a cloth to wipe her off, and she stopped him. ¡°Let... let me just...¡± Laurelia looked at his face. ¡°It''s so warm and I don''t want to lose this feeling.¡± Ren smiled and gave her a kiss, then laid back to relax. They both laid there for several minutes, and then Laurelia touched the mess. ¡°Why is it still warm?¡± ¡°You wanted it to be, didn''t you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''re doing it?¡± Laurelia asked, surprised. Ren nodded. ¡°You wanted to keep the feeling, so I wanted to make you happy.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Laurelia said and started to lean over to kiss him. He quickly wiped her off before she made the mess any messier and kissed her. When she leaned back, she saw that the mess was gone and looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I can be really fast when I want to be.¡± Ren said with a big smile. Laurelia laughed because they had just spent almost two hours in bed together. ¡°So, did I fulfill your little person fantasy?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You destroyed it.¡± Laurelia said, honestly. ¡°I imagined you becoming full size for a short time, but...¡± ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I really like it when I can exceed people''s expectations.¡± ¡°You really did.¡± Laurelia said and kissed him again. Chapter 718 - The Last One Ren taught Laurelia how to equip her clothing to clean it, and herself, then he equipped his High Elven Court Uniform and stood up. ¡°I need to go.¡± ¡°Oh? Do you have another woman that you need to get to before the night is over?¡± Laurelia asked. ¡°Yes, but not in the manner that you mean.¡± Ren said. ¡°She has an Emotion Siphon ability and I need to feed her again.¡± ¡°Will... will you...¡± ¡°No, despite her wanting that kind of relationship.¡± Ren said. ¡°We were kind of trapped into what we have now, and I don''t want to take advantage of her like that.¡± He said. ¡°It happened to me once, and I don''t want that to happen again.¡± Laurelia reached out and touched his arm. ¡°She hurt you, didn''t she? This other woman?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Unfortunately.¡± He said and leaned over the bed and gave her another kiss. ¡°It might be another week or so before I can get back here again.¡± Laurelia laughed. ¡°How long has it been since you came to make the ground fertile?¡± ¡°Hopefully long enough for food to grow.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°The potatoes are growing like weeds, if you''ll excuse the expression.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°The corn we planted right under the sunlight gatherers for direct heat and light are about half-grown.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m glad you have some good farmers tending to things.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°We even started to ease off on the food shipments from the homeland.¡± ¡°So soon?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I expected at least a year to pass before that happened.¡± ¡°We had a few farming families decide to stay, once they realized how nice it was here.¡± Laurelia said. ¡°Mostly spouses and elder children, when given a choice of staying or walking all the way back.¡± That made Ren think about the first giant he had met and about her mission to go home. He took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it for Groggot. His image appeared on the mirror''s surface and he was sound asleep in a bed, and beside him was Rubella, the giant woman Ren had rescued from a brain arthropod grub. He then asked the mirror for their position on the map, and saw that they had travelled a very long way across the continent and were staying at an inn. I haven''t heard from Lara about them, either. If they needed my help, she would have told me. Ren thought, then stored the mirror. ¡°Do you need any more money?¡± Laurelia shook her head. ¡°No, we''re set for a long time with what you''ve already given us.¡± She said. ¡°Forget a year''s operation. We can make that stretch for several years, actually.¡± ¡°Hey, now. Don''t make it hard on yourselves...¡± Laurelia chuckled. ¡°Ren, you gave us a king''s ransom! A thousand platinum coins! I could buy everything on the mayor''s menu and it''s only a couple hundred platinum!¡± Ren chuckled, too. ¡°That was kind of the point.¡± ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Laurelia said and touched his arm again. ¡°Thank you for... well, everything.¡± ¡°You are more than welcome, especially since I can now tell everyone that I slept with a giant!¡± Ren said. ¡°No one is going to believe me!¡± Laurelia laughed. ¡°That''s my line about sleeping with a little person, you sneak!¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°Oh? And just who are you going to tell?¡± ¡°My mother.¡± Laurelia said and smiled wickedly. ¡°She''ll want to meet you, now that you''ve defiled her daughter.¡± ¡°Defiled, huh?¡± Ren wiggled his fingers and she pulled the blanket up to cover her armpits. ¡°I misspoke! I meant to say that you ravaged me like a wanton beast!¡± Ren jumped onto the bed and she laughed as he tickled her mercilessly, then she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. He stopped tickling her and kissed her back, gave her a few very well-placed caresses, and she finished again. Laurelia let him go and relaxed. ¡°How... how can you...¡± ¡°It''s a gift.¡± Ren said, kissed her one last time, then stood up again. He deactivated and stored the Vasalor statue, gave her a little wave, then left the bedroom. ¡°Hey, Princess.¡± He said as he met her right outside the door. ¡°I can''t carry you at that size, My King.¡± Princess said. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ren asked, and she huffed her displeasure. ¡°Yes, I''m kidding.¡± He said and reduced himself back down to his normal size and climbed onto the saddle. ¡°Where to next, My King?¡± ¡°The High Elven starter city.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to visit Halaiyah and make sure she''s fed.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you stop in when we were in the High Elven Kingdom?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I wanted Princess to have fun running.¡± Ren said, and he felt how happy she was at the news. Princess ran towards the wall of the mansion and Ren took out the Staff of Earth, then used the Pass Wall spell to make the tunnel through it. They were outside and up in the air a moment later and Princess streaked through the sky and back towards the ocean. They crossed the ocean again and arrived at the no man''s land between the High Elven Kingdom and the Human Kingdom. Princess landed on top of the retaining wall and Ren hopped off, then ran down the side of the wall to the window of Halaiyah''s apartment. He knocked on the window and she rolled out of bed to stare at him. ¡°S-so soon?¡± Halaiyah asked as she opened the window. ¡°It might seem that way for you, but I haven''t seen you in a very long time.¡± Ren said, and stepped into her apartment. She caught her breath as she felt a fraction of the time he had been away and her hand reached out to touch him.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°R-Ren...¡± She said with reverence in her voice as her hand touched his chest through his High Elven Court Uniform. ¡°I think that''s the first time you''ve used my name.¡± Ren said. ¡°You... you deserve to be spoken to familiarly.¡± Halaiyah said. ¡°I... I can... feel that you need...¡± ¡°...more personal contact.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wasn''t alone all that time, but I also couldn''t really do anything, either.¡± ¡°I will honor your vow as always; but, you know I desire much more than that.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said and stored his clothing. ¡°Like I told Laurelia, I can''t take that option or choice away from you.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren put his hands on her shoulders, and she shivered as she absorbed some of his emotions. ¡°We kind of got stuck like this, and I don''t want to trap us in the same cycle as I had before.¡± Halaiyah stared at him with wide eyes as he fed her the emotions he had felt when his relationship with Elerlyth collapsed. ¡°Y-yes, I... I do not want to be cut off from you like that.¡± She said and tears came to her eyes. ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said and kissed her, and she melted into his arms. He picked her up and took her to bed, took out the statue, and played and teased her for several days and fed her so much that she leveled up her ability twice. Her unrequited desire actually gave her more sustenance, and Ren praised her for turning what some would think as a disadvantage into an asset. ¡°I''ve learned that if you let the bad things drag you down, you don''t appreciate the good.¡± Halaiyah said and gave him a hug, then kissed his neck. ¡°You know how much I appreciate you taking the time to come and see me, despite all of the others that you have in your life.¡± ¡°I do, and I''m glad you don''t hold that against me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d rather hold myself against you.¡± Halaiyah said with a smile, and he chuckled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss, deactivated and stored the statue, and equipped his armored bodysuit. ¡°I need to go.¡± ¡°I need you to go, before I decide that proper decorum no longer matters to me.¡± She said, and he chuckled as he gave her a quick hug. ¡°I appreciate your restraint.¡± Ren said, caressed the side of her face, then jumped out the window before she could say anything else. He ran up to the roof and climbed onto Princess. ¡°The business in Aurora, please.¡± ¡°Yes, My King.¡± Princess said, and she ran at her best speed. * I wonder where he went? Elerlyth asked herself, then felt someone approach her. She turned and looked as the front door of the Main House opened and Patty stepped out. ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°No, I''m just waiting for Ren.¡± Elerlyth said automatically, without even considering that it was an NPC that had asked her the question. ¡°I suspected as much.¡± Patty said. ¡°Why else would you just stay here on your horse and not come in?¡± ¡°I don''t need to come in.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°It''ll be easier to relax if you sit down on one of his comfy couches.¡± Patty said. ¡°They are quite amazing.¡± ¡°Oh? You''ve spent some time on one, have you?¡± ¡°I recognize that motherly tone.¡± Patty chuckled. ¡°No, I haven''t enjoyed his attention like that.¡± She said. ¡°We have town meetings upstairs in the meeting space, and there''s chairs and a couch up there.¡± Elerlyth was relieved to hear that, considering how much Patty looked like a slightly older Lucy. ¡°Why don''t you come in and have a seat? He could be a while, considering how many people he needs to visit.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°The maids told me about Ren having to run errands all over.¡± Patty said. ¡°The High Elven Kingdom, the Giant lands, and even in Aurora... before coming back here for Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°You seem to know a lot about it.¡± Elerlyth practically accused, and Patty laughed. ¡°I haven''t even seen him in over a month.¡± Patty said. ¡°Not since we went to the castle together to argue over that stupid Sea Dweller deadline.¡± She said. ¡°You don''t need any guess to know what happened there.¡± Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°Well, it was a fiasco and Ren told them off.¡± Patty smiled. ¡°Right to the king''s face, too.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Look, I know you''re desperate to see him, but...¡± Patty looked around conspiratorily. ¡°...if you want to hear the whole story, come on in and have a seat. I had front row seats to the whole thing.¡± ¡°But... I...¡± ¡°Or not.¡± Patty said with a smile, knowing she had baited the hook sufficiently, then she stepped back and started to close the door. ¡°I''m a little busy, even though it''s getting so late and the parks are closed.¡± Elerlyth hopped off of her steed and touched the door to stop it from closing all the way. ¡°All right, I''ll listen.¡± Patty pointed to the post near the door. ¡°Tie up your mount and come on in.¡± She said and walked towards the stairs. Elerlyth did so and quickly followed Patty inside and shut the door. * Ren and Princess made it back to Aurora and they went to the back of the business and up the stairs to the back door. Once there, Ren let Princess in and told her to wait on the second floor. She carefully walked over to a couch and climbed onto it, and Ren went up the stairs. ¡°It''s open.¡± Anabelle said as Ren approached the door to the apartment, and he walked inside. ¡°That was really nice of you to deny me my job for today.¡± She said sarcastically. ¡°I did that for me, actually.¡± Ren said, and she widened her eyes. ¡°I figured the place would be swarmed with people just looking for me, rather than for any special items that the business sells.¡± Anabelle sighed. ¡°Yes, there was a significant amount of door banging and hollers for you.¡± ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I came here to make it up to you.¡± ¡°After visiting everyone else.¡± ¡°Almost everyone else.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t go to the Dwarven Kingdom or to the Human starter city in my county.¡± ¡°But you would if you could, right?¡± Anabelle asked. ¡°Especially the Dwarven Kingdom.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t, so I didn''t.¡± He said. ¡°I won''t be visiting Valencia, either.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°We haven''t gotten to that stage yet.¡± Ren said honestly. ¡°We''ve only been on one date, and I know my connection with her was only cut and not damaged.¡± He touched the Ghoul Kissed mark on the back of his hand. It had been the only thing that remained after the Water Works update. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I won''t be visiting the King, Queen, or their daughter, Princess Diana, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, it''s just you left.¡± ¡°Just me?¡± ¡°I always save you for last, before I go home.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know that.¡± Anabelle took in a sharp breath as she felt his feelings, and she stepped close to hug him. ¡°Why aren''t you letting me feel all of you?¡± ¡°Even the Queen of the Dark Elves herself couldn''t handle the sheer amount of feelings I have, so I''m not even going to try to share them with anyone else.¡± Ren admitted. ¡°I won''t potentially hurt anyone if I can help it.¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°So, how long can you stay before you need to go on Adventurer''s business?¡± ¡°It depends on how long you can stand being around me.¡± Ren said and touched the side of her face. ¡°I had wanted to take you into the Sanctuary a bunch of times; but, I know how fragile you are when it comes to things like that.¡± Anabelle nodded. ¡°With me needing a contract just to keep my sanity intact, any kind of time dilation is risky.¡± ¡°It is... except what if I didn''t accelerate time at all?¡± Ren asked and took out something that looked like a backwards clock. ¡°What if I just... paused it for a while?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren felt her shock and he led her into the bedroom and put the clock on the nightstand, activated its function, and the room was covered in a soft glow. He sat her down on the bed and gave her a kiss on the lips. ¡°It''s a very limited item. One use only.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once it''s used, it''s gone forever and can''t be used again.¡± He explained. ¡°I can''t even try to recreate it from scratch.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°You and I are now outside of time.¡± Ren stored his clothing. ¡°Teepo''s going to count the days and weeks and months for us, but that ''time'' isn''t actually passing. It''s just a way to determine how long we''ll be together while nothing else happens.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°How long would you like to be here with just me?¡± Ren asked and laid her back on the bed. ¡°How long until you know I''ll always take care of you, no matter what?¡± ¡°I... I... don''t know.¡± Anabelle said and stored her clothing. ¡°Wh-what do you think?¡± ¡°Let''s start with a year and see how things go from there.¡± Ren said and felt her shock as she gasped. ¡°A... a year?¡± Anabelle whispered. ¡°I... I can... with you... for a year?¡± ¡°To start.¡± Ren kissed her, and she let her dammed up emotions flood out. She remembered losing her connection to him and him coming to her rescue with another contract. That alone had ensured her love and devotion to him for the rest of her life, not that she needed the reaffirmation. It only made it fresh in her mind, and she let herself go completely as he pleased her. Chapter 719 - Going Back Home After an inordinate amount of non-time, and several lifetime''s worth of pleasure, Anabelle finally admitted that she had had enough and wanted to go back to the way things were. Ren was a bit reluctant, just in case she decided to change her mind, and she reassured him that being with him for so long had made her happier than she had any right to be. Ren tried to convince her otherwise; but, she wouldn''t listen to any of it. She felt how she felt, and he had to accept that. He had taken her into his arms and made love to her one last time, much to her delight, and he deactivated the backwards clock. It turned black and crumbled to dust, then the dust faded away. ¡°So, it... it really was a one time use.¡± Anabelle said. ¡°Things like that, things so powerful that they can only be used once... like the One Wish Ring... are singular items because they could change everything in the world if abused.¡± Ren said. ¡°What if I had turned the pause clock on in the middle of the town square?¡± He asked. ¡°Anyone caught in it would be paused in time as well.¡± Anabelle''s eyes widened at the implications. ¡°What if I never turned it off?¡± Ren asked, and she gasped. ¡°Yeah, that''s scary, right? Never being able to leave a small specific area forever could drive someone crazy.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°It''s one of the reasons I wanted to get you out of Lord Eric''s mansion. Oh, and why I took the Marilith Demon, succubi, and pixies out of Shargon Caverns as well.¡± ¡°Ren, I''ve already thanked you for...¡± ¡°I''m not looking for thanks, Anabelle.¡± Ren said and took two steps into the air to give her a hug. ¡°Friends don''t need to thank friends for their help.¡± Anabelle nodded and gave him a brief kiss. ¡°You are too good to be true.¡± ¡°Some people think so.¡± Ren said and let her go. ¡°You''ve got the rest of the night to sleep, and you can open the business in the morning.¡± ¡°Finally!¡± Anabelle exclaimed. ¡°Sitting around and doing nothing is so boring!¡± ¡°I''ve never been called ''nothing'' and ''boring'' before.¡± Ren joked, and she chuckled. ¡°You know what I meant.¡± ¡°I do, and that''s why I figured you needed a short vacation before getting back to work.¡± ¡°A short vacation!¡± Anabelle laughed. ¡°Ren, we''ve been here for... for...¡± ¡°Just the right amount of time.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss. ¡°Goodnight, Anabelle.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Ren.¡± Anabelle said. Ren left the apartment with Teepo on his shoulder and went down to the second floor and told Princess he would be right back. He went downstairs to meet Tee-one and saw that he was already casting 1 inch wide steel balls in a two-piece mold. ¡°It''s so good to be connected to you again.¡± Tee-one said and Ren chuckled as he took out the Vasalor Statue and activated it. ¡°Let''s get these disposable wands constructed and enchanted.¡± Ren said and they got to work. After they had made 10,000 of them with wooden handles and the steel ball on the end as the focusing material, they both used their wand making skill to add 5 spells to all of them. Ren had intentionally limited their use and usability, and would only charge 1 gold each for them. He had been tempted to only have one or two spells; but, he knew there wouldn''t be a whole lot of customers that wouldn''t like that kind of deal. Plus, he had made a good mix of all the Level 1 Basic spells and that was a lot of versatility for non-magic users to have. Ren and Tee-one built a new display behind the counter and put out one of each, then made a big rack under the counter so that no one would see them. They were sorted and stacked appropriately to match the display models, and Ren looked at Tee-one. ¡°New furniture?¡± Tee-one chuckled. ¡°Rather than building new items, we can just update what we have, can''t we?¡± ¡°We can?¡± Ren asked, and Tee-one laughed. ¡°You received the Update skill when you gained the Creator''s Assistant title.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°I probably should read it, then.¡± Ren grinned, and Tee-one shook his head. ¡°Look, you can ignore it if you want.¡± Tee-one said and smiled back. ¡°I''ll handle it.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t go too crazy with all this power, okay?¡± ¡°I''m already crazy.¡± Tee-one said. ¡°Now take your statue and let me get back to working normally.¡± Ren snorted a laugh and deactivated and stored the statue. ¡°Have fun.¡± ¡°Just as much as you do when you use a new skill and make things better.¡± Tee-one said and pat him on the shoulder. ¡°The maids missed you a lot, so this last surprise should be good for them.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you later.¡± He walked over to the back door and turned back. ¡°Let Anabelle know that she can take spell requests; but, they won''t be approved until the end of each week.¡± He said. ¡°Put up a sign saying that each higher level spell reduces the spells the wands can hold and increases the cost.¡± ¡°So, someone could pay 5 gold and get a once use wand for Firestorm.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Or Viewing Cloud, or Enlarge or Reduce Anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not Curse or Cause Critical Wounds, though.¡± ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Tee-one said and tapped his temple. ¡°I share your sentiment.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Only use the normal versions, please.¡± ¡°Like I would give someone a permanent Firestorm spell for only 5 gold!¡± Tee-one laughed, and Ren waved and went up the stairs. ¡°Princess, let''s go home.¡± Ren said and let her out the back door, then locked it and climbed onto her saddle. She trotted up into the air at a normal pace, then trotted through the air to make the trip last as long as she could stand it. She only lasted 10 seconds, then poured on the speed, which made Ren laugh and Teepo chittered in delight. * ¡°Wow.¡± Elerlyth said after Patty had regaled her with how Ren acted that day and his actions to try and save the whole kingdom, and she hadn''t been surprised that the government didn''t realize what denying his help meant. ¡°He sure is something.¡± Patty said. ¡°When he told them they were all fools and that he wasn''t going to bother with the kingdom anymore, I thought they were going to poop bricks!¡± Elerlyth chuckled. ¡°That would have been funny to see.¡± She said, and then she gasped as she felt Ren. ¡°What is it?¡± Patty asked. ¡°R-Ren...¡± Patty looked out the window and saw how dark it was and nodded. ¡°He''s running a little late from his normal schedule; but, that''s understandable because he had so much to do.¡± ¡°I need to catch him before he goes on Adventurer''s business.¡± Elerlyth said and stood up. ¡°Thanks for the story.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Anytime.¡± Patty said, and Elerlyth stepped out of the office and then outside the front door of the Main House, just as Ren and Princess appeared in front of her and landed. * ¡°I knew you couldn''t resist going all out.¡± Ren said and scratched Princess on the chin, and she brayed lightly. ¡°I''m not going to need your help for a while.¡± He said and pat her neck. ¡°That''s fine, My King.¡± Princess said and licked the cheek of his face without slobbering on him. ¡°You intentionally made our trips that much longer, just because you wanted me to be happy.¡± She said and turned to her house. ¡°Enjoy your fatherly duties.¡± She said and went inside. ¡°What does she mean?¡± Elerlyth asked, and Ren turned to face her. He had felt her presence and did his best not to react to feeling her emotions. ¡°That depends on what she means.¡± Ren said and watched Elerlyth''s face for her reaction. ¡°Frikara''s pregnant.¡± Elerlyth stopped herself from gasping, and she saw Ren''s smile as he felt her emotions. ¡°Ren, that''s not possible.¡± ¡°You would think that, but...¡± Ren smiled wider. ¡°...their contracts couldn''t be fulfilled and nullified without giving them what they wanted.¡± ¡°That''s what Frikara wanted? A kid?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°They all did.¡± Elerlyth actually gasped at that. ¡°R-Ren, you... you didn''t...¡± ¡°Oh, I did.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°A lot.¡± ¡°Ren!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do... do you realize what this means?¡± ¡°No, I have no clue what it means.¡± Ren said, and she winced hard. He saw and felt her reaction as he smiled, because she would have to care a lot about someone to react that much when they lied. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Look, I did it... knowing full well what it would mean. For them and for the game as a whole.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Elerlyth whispered and leaned against the front door of the Main House. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I can''t do it for you.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°It''s inherent in the code that female Adventurers can''t get pregnant.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°It messes up their hormones in real life.¡± Ren said. ¡°Having something happen virtually and feeling it in here, makes them react and change out there.¡± He said. ¡°If a woman perceived herself getting pregnant here, with the resulting simulated biological changes associated with that, her real life body would change to her mind''s assertion.¡± ¡°N-no, that... that can''t be true.¡± ¡°In some cases, it''s just a state of mind.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°The power of belief can be pretty strong.¡± Elerlyth shook her head. ¡°No, I can''t accept that.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Elerlyth, I''ve looked at all of the code in the game. I''ve seen the data related to it.¡± Elerlyth couldn''t respond to the truth in his words. ¡°You would think the same would be true for men, but... it''s just...¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°No real biological changes, no matter the state of mind the guy is in.¡± He chuckled and leaned in close as he put his hands to either side of her. ¡°Don''t get me wrong. I''m not trying to imply that women are less than men in this respect. Far from it.¡± Elerlyth shivered as his emotions came off of him in waves. ¡°Women''s brains are so powerful that you can convince your body to physically change with only mental stimulation.¡± Ren said. ¡°You might not actually get pregnant, but your brain would believe it was, and your body will change to reflect it.¡± ¡°R-Ren... s-stop...¡± ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to make you uncomfortable with all this existential talk of mental prowess versus physical capabilities.¡± Ren said and leaned back. ¡°You came here to meet me, didn''t you?¡± He asked. ¡°Can I ask you why?¡± ¡°I... I felt...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Tasty, wasn''t it?¡± Elerlyth opened her mouth to argue, and Ren let some more emotions out for her. She caught her breath and closed her eyes as her ability sucked them up like the delicious morsels they were. ¡°I don''t mind sharing with a friend.¡± Ren said. ¡°I actually meant to message you; but, I got busy with the Dark Elves and had to stay for a bit to eat a buffet they had in my honor.¡± He smiled. ¡°I actually forgot to ask if they were going to give me an award or something, because I had to leave and visit the Giant starter city.¡± ¡°S-so, you... you really...¡± ¡°I''ve been all over the place and I''m running a little behind.¡± Ren said and removed his hands from either side of her and stepped back. ¡°I''ve got some Adventurer''s business to take care of for a while, then I''ll be back. If you want to wait around, we can talk some more about what I was doing.¡± ¡°Don''t you mean who?¡± Elerlyth asked, and he chuckled. ¡°Only if you enjoy hearing about an ex-boyfriend having sex with several women.¡± Elerlyth was going to say no, then sighed. ¡°It depends on what you did with them.¡± Ren reeled in his emotions and she opened her eyes to look at him. ¡°Well, at least you''re honest about it.¡± He said and took her hand. Her special place contracted so hard that it was almost painful, and he felt her react. ¡°I... didn''t realize...¡± He sent her the mental image of relieving her tension there, and her body shook as she relaxed. ¡°I think teasing you has taken on a whole new meaning if just being near me does this to you.¡± ¡°R-Ren, I... I''m sorry.¡± ¡°I know you are.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. ¡°I need to go inside.¡± ¡°I really wish you would.¡± Elerlyth joked. ¡°Ah, you gotta love double meanings.¡± Ren smiled and motioned for her to step aside, and she did so. ¡°I''ll try to come back early so we can talk before I go to the Fire Realm.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Elerlyth said and he stepped by her and entered the Main House. ¡°Well, it doesn''t look like she assaulted you.¡± Patty said when the door shut, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Hi, Patty.¡± Ren said and stepped into the mayor''s office. ¡°It''s been a while.¡± ¡°Since we went to...¡± ¡°Oh, it''s been much, much longer than that for me.¡± Ren said and took out the Vasalor statue. ¡°Do you still want me to play with you like I do with the succubi?¡± Patty caught her breath at the intensity in his eyes, and she nodded. Ren gave her a warm and welcoming smile and activated the statue and set it on the file cabinet, then cleaned off her desk and put a comfy cushion on it for her to lay down on. ¡°R-Ren, we...¡± ¡°I''ll be gentle.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss. Patty purred into his mouth as she kissed him back, and she stored her top to reveal her breasts. ¡°Oh, nice.¡± He said and cupped them, then gave her a nice massage. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I can feel how much you''ve been wanting this, even knowing I''ve been with so many others.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought you might have lost interest after a while, since I wasn''t trying to encourage you at all.¡± ¡°Ren, I... ever since...¡± ¡°I know I''ve changed how you live... how all of you in the county live... since I''ve been coming here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I should apologize for it, but everyone seems so much happier now.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Ren shifted his hands down to her waist and she stored her skirt. He smiled when he saw the frilly lace panties. ¡°Thank you.¡± Patty blushed at his sincerity, and he eased her back to lay down on the cushion. He caressed her legs and lifted them up, then slipped her underwear off. He touched her there and discovered that she was quite ready for him. ¡°May I?¡± ¡°P-please.¡± Ren eased her legs apart and kissed her special place in the same way he had kissed her mouth, and Patty lost herself in the sensations of being touched where no one else had even seen, let alone pleased her like that. Ren pleased and teased her for hours, and it blew her mind that he kept going and going. She relaxed so much that eventually she couldn''t keep her eyes open and drifted off to sleep. He felt her lose consciousness and stopped pleasing her, put her underwear back on, then made a blanket for her and turned her onto her side so she would fit on the desk. He kissed her forehead and tucked her under the blanket, deactivated and stored the Vasalor statue, and left her office. He went up the stairs to the apartment and knocked on the door. ¡°It''s still your apartment, Ren.¡± Frikara said through the door and he opened it to see them sitting in various spots. ¡°You don''t have to knock.¡± ¡°What if I had company with me?¡± Ren asked as Teepo flew up to land on the ceiling. ¡°You would have called to warn us.¡± Andrela said and laid back on the bed as she put her hands over the slight bump on her belly. ¡°Ren, do I look fat?¡± ¡°If you''re referring to the little bump that almost no one would notice, even if you were naked, the answer is a resounding no.¡± Ren said, and the other maids and Xuunah chuckled. ¡°I know you''re all still recovering from my visit this morning, so I won''t ask if you want to do it again.¡± He said and walked over to the bed and stored his clothing. ¡°Plus, I''ve got some Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± Andrela nodded and sat up to make room for him, and none of the others made a move to join him on the bed. ¡°Don''t everyone rush over at once.¡± Ren laughed and climbed onto the bed. ¡°If you''re leaving, we have to give you room anyway.¡± Navruth said. ¡°You don''t have to worry about that anymore.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I''m near you, I won''t phase out anymore.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± All the maids said together. ¡°I''ve been away from you for far too long.¡± Ren said and held his arms out to the side. ¡°I won''t deny you cuddle time just because I''m busy.¡± ¡°Are... are you serious?¡± Frikara asked, and he felt her hope that he wasn''t playing a joke on her. ¡°I''ll prove it in about 10 seconds.¡± Ren said, and Andrela was the first to slide over on the bed and cuddled into his side. ¡°Any other takers?¡± Frikara couldn''t resist and climbed onto the bed and laid down beside him, then cuddled in as well. ¡°All right. I''ll see you all in the morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°Logout.¡± * Ren''s avatar lost all of its tension and life; but, it didn''t fade, even though this was a safe zone. ¡°By the gods, he wasn''t joking.¡± Lusinia said and climbed onto the bed with Ren, Andrela and Frikara. ¡°I can''t believe he''s still considerate of our feelings, even though he''s given us what we all wanted and could have tossed us out on our backsides.¡± Frikara chuckled. ¡°He would never do that.¡± She said. ¡°You felt how much he missed us while he was gone.¡± Navruth and Verwynn climbed onto the bed as well. They all nodded in agreement that he really had missed them, then they all turned and looked at Xuunah. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Frikara said and waved her over. ¡°We''ve all been in bed before.¡± ¡°That... that was when he was here to... to...¡± Xuunah couldn''t finish the sentence, and Frikara laughed. ¡°You can touch him as much as you want when he''s like this.¡± Frikara said and caressed his face, then his chest. ¡°He... he always stopped me before... before I could...¡± Frikara nodded. ¡°We will run interference for you, if you want us to.¡± Xuunah nodded and walked over to the bed. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°We all have urges we need the others to hold in check.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Girls, remember what I was like when we first started staying with Ren?¡± The other maids laughed, and started to tell Xuunah about their first encounter with Ren, and how things used to be. Xuunah listened intently as she laid down and rested her head on Ren''s abdomen. Chapter 720 - A Bit Of A Surprise Ren woke up on the bed and slipped off the VR headset. ¡°Whew! That was a lot to do in one day!¡± ¡°One day?¡± Stella laughed as she took the headset from him and set it aside. ¡°It''s only noon!¡± ¡°One game day, then.¡± Ren corrected. ¡°How is everything here?¡± ¡°Bustling.¡± Stella said as she pulled over the rollaway table with his lunch on it. ¡°Whatever you did has made everyone freak out.¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± ¡°Not even a little bit.¡± Stella took out her cell phone and brought up the message board and showed him the number of posts concerning him. ¡°Wh-what... how...¡± ¡°I know, right? It''s only been three hours, and the mods have already started deleting superfluous messages.¡± Ren blinked his eyes for a moment. ¡°They... they only do that when...¡± ¡°...a page passes a thousand posts.¡± Stella said and grinned. ¡°Holy crap.¡± ¡°Barbi''s been run ragged by requests for interviews, both live and online, and everyone wants the full story of how you did it.¡± Ren thought about that. ¡°How many did Elise trace back to Sid Tec and their tech department?¡± Stella snorted a laugh and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°You caught onto that almost as quickly as she did.¡± ¡°Thanks for the compliment.¡± Ren said and caught her hand, then pulled it down to his lips and kissed her wrist. ¡°Thank you for cleaning me up.¡± Stella''s face flushed a little red. ¡°It''s my job.¡± That was an old argument that Ren decided not to pursue this time. ¡°It must have been a lot, and I appreciate you taking care of me like that.¡± He said instead and let her hand go. ¡°The list of women I need to keep happy in the game is getting longer.¡± ¡°It didn''t take you long to do it, if that''s the case.¡± Stella said. ¡°You took out that little statue thing and after a quick blue screen blip, you were on your way.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s a localized time compression device, actually.¡± He explained what it did and how he could set the amount of time compression when it was activated. It also had the built in buffer to help people adjust to the time difference. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Stella said and sat down beside the bed. ¡°Ren, you... do you realize...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Like I told Anabelle and Tee-one, some things are too powerful to use.¡± ¡°You used that several times.¡± Stella said. ¡°Even at the shop.¡± ¡°I did, and I''ll use it again... if they can stand it.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I kind of overdid it with the succubi and Suniva.¡± ¡°Oh? And not the multi-armed snake lady?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°She wanted to leave after the first month because I was giving her too much attention.¡± He started to eat. ¡°I tried to leave her alone, but I felt her fighting her own instincts. So, I spent as much time with her as she needed.¡± ¡°Not wanted?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°She''s pretty finicky. If all I did was listen to her words and only did what she said, she''d never be happy.¡± ¡°I hear that.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°I understand the succubi wanting a break, but Suniva?¡± ¡°She won''t even want to look at me for another month at least.¡± Ren said. ¡°I could feel her guilt about the other pixies building up each time we were alone together.¡± He sighed. ¡°She''s desperate for them to gain wings as well.¡± ¡°She''s tired of being the only one?¡± Stella asked. ¡°I think so.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I go back in, I''ll see what I can do about fixing it.¡± ¡°You do realize that it''s not your responsibility to do that.¡± Stella said, and he nodded. ¡°I know, but because I know, I want to help.¡± Ren said, and that made her laugh. ¡°You''re too nice for your own good sometimes.¡± Stella said and then pointed at his lunch. ¡°Keep eating. I''ve got a few things I need to do in the kitchen.¡± ¡°Abandoning me already?¡± Ren asked, and she swatted his head lightly. ¡°Never.¡± Stella said. ¡°I''ll send Denise in to watch you.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t seen her since yesterday!¡± Stella laughed. ¡°I''ll tell her how enthusiastic you are.¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure she knows.¡± Ren grinned, and Stella left the bedroom. He ate in silence for a couple minutes and then Denise came into the room. ¡°I hear you couldn''t wait to see me.¡± Denise said. ¡°It''s been a long and arduous journey without seeing your face.¡± Ren said and finished eating, then took a long sip of his supplement drink. ¡°Long and arduous?¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°Do I make an appropriate phallic symbol joke here?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°It''s no joke! It misses you.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Denise said and sat down beside the bed. ¡°How much does it miss me?¡± Ren put the drink down and held his hands apart a very specific distance. ¡°Exactly this much.¡± Denise looked at the distance between his hands and then couldn''t help herself and looked down at his crotch. Her face went red because she had understood what he meant without having to think about it. ¡°I told you.¡± Ren said as he eased the rollaway table over just enough for her to get the full view. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°We physically can''t; but, that doesn''t mean I don''t really, really want you to.¡± Denise reached out and took his hand. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± ¡°Can I lie and say it does?¡± Ren asked, and she looked at his face. ¡°It will get there eventually, no doubt.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I''m just really horny for your sexy body right now.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Denise caught her breath. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I know I shouldn''t say these things in the condition I''m in; but, I''m dying to have you straddle me.¡± Ren said, and she took several shallow breaths. ¡°I want to feel our perfect symmetry again.¡± Denise closed her eyes and shivered slightly as she remembered how well they had fit together when they had sex. ¡°Ren, I... I want to feel that, too.¡± She said, then used her free hand to check his bandaged rib and then lifted the blanket enough to look at his knee. ¡°You''re right, though. You shouldn''t say those things. Not for another week or so.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I''m tempted to beg, but I know you won''t risk hurting me.¡± Denise nodded. ¡°I can only offer a... a hand and... a mouth.¡± She said, her face flushed completely red. ¡°Anything more is out of the question.¡± Ren used his free hand to touch her face. ¡°It''s sweet, sweet torture to have you so close and so far away at the same time.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Make me feel good, Denise.¡± Ren almost pleaded and eased back onto the pillows and closed his eyes. ¡°Give me a glimpse of what we have together.¡± He still closes his eyes so I don''t feel embarrassed, even though I haven''t asked him to do it since that first time. Denise let his hand go, then eased his pyjamas down to reveal him. It is getting close to hurting. She thought and started to please him, and they both moaned as she did. Good god, I''m a horrible person for wanting him so much, even hurt like he is. ¡°D-Denise... I... I''m sorry for... making you... do this.¡± Ren panted. ¡°I just... I''m horrible for... wanting you so much, that... I can''t wait... to be better.¡± Denise was surprised to hear her thoughts come out of his mouth that she faltered in her technique. ¡°D-don''t stop.¡± Ren begged. ¡°P-please... I need... I need you to...¡± You don''t need to beg, darling. Denise thought and concentrated on her task. ¡°Y-yes, that... oh, yeah...¡± Ren panted. ¡°God, right... right there... yes, oh, god...¡± * Barbi finally found an appropriate reporter that would give the actual story and not some sensationalized and blown out of proportion tabloid scandal, and she casually walked up the stairs to make her break from work last as long as possible. She had thanked Stella for lunch and felt satisfied, just like she always did after eating there, and she walked down the hallway towards Ren''s room. She saw the door was open and started to walk in, then saw what was going on. She stopped and stepped back out and stood just outside Ren''s bedroom door. ¡°Make me feel good, Denise.¡± Ren said. ¡°Give me a glimpse of what we have together.¡± Barbi heard the plea in his voice. Poor thing. She thought, then she gasped at what he said next. ¡°D-Denise... I... I''m sorry for... making you... do this.¡± Ren panted. ¡°I just... I''m horrible for... wanting you so much, that... I can''t wait... to be better.¡± There was a short pause before he spoke again. ¡°D-don''t stop.¡± Ren begged. ¡°P-please... I need... I need you to... y-yes, that... oh, yeah.¡± He panted. ¡°God, right... right there... yes, oh, god...¡± Barbi knew she was listening to a very intimate moment; but, she also knew it was also a little sad and more than a little desperate. The tone of his voice... begging her to help him... Her thoughts put her in Denise''s position and she shivered as she finished. Oh, damn! Barbi walked slowly over to the empty bedroom that she had stayed in a couple of times, then went into the bathroom to check on herself. She had made a mess a little too big for her pad to compensate for, and she slipped her underwear off and cleaned herself up. I''m so glad I always carry a spare pair. Barbi thought and opened her purse to take out a small folded bundle of cloth. She applied a new pad from the supply drawer and slipped the panties on. Her whole body felt better after having a small release and putting on new underwear. She took a deep breath and left the bathroom and the empty bedroom, then walked over to Ren''s bedroom. She saw the door was still open and peeked inside to see that the scene was over and it didn''t look like anything had happened. Oh, she''s good. Barbi thought and knocked on the door frame to announce her presence. ¡°Hey, there!¡± She said enthusiastically as she stepped into the bedroom. Denise and Ren turned and looked at her with big smiles on their faces, and she held in her laugh. * ¡°The net''s all abuzz over your little stunt, Ren!¡± Barbi said as she approached the bed. Ren was really relieved that Denise had finished only moments before Barbi had come in, and he beamed a smile at her. ¡°I guess that''s a good thing?¡± He asked Barbi, and she laughed. ¡°It''s the best publicity in the whole world!¡± Barbi said, and oversold the information a little bit. ¡°I was tempted to release the show''s cancellation; but, Elise in her infinite wisdom, asked me to check with you first before making any kind of announcement like that.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''m not sure us telling everyone that the show is off the air is a good idea.¡± He said. ¡°It might make it sound like we were responsible.¡± Barbi stopped walking before she got to his bedside. ¡°I hadn''t thought of that.¡± ¡°Well, you''ve got lots of sources, right?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Why don''t you... ah... leak the information out that way?¡± ¡°Now that is a great idea!¡± Barbi said and walked all the way over to him, then bent over slightly to look at Denise. ¡°What do you think? Is it a good idea?¡± Denise had her mouth firmly closed and only hummed. ¡°Mm hmm.¡± ¡°I''ll get on that right away.¡± Barbi smiled at her and turned her head to look at Ren. ¡°I know this might be a bit forward, but... I have something else for you to look at.¡± Ren widened his eyes slightly as she reached into her suit jacket and her blouse gaped open to show off some of her cleavage. He looked at the bounty in front of him and his body reacted appropriately. Barbi glanced down at him and saw the significant bulge, and her smile turned to a grin. So, even after getting pleased, he''ll still react to... other stimulation. Barbi thought in amusement and pulled out the sheet of paper with the reporter''s information on it from her inside pocket. It also had the proposed venue and mentioned the possibility of recording it and airing it. ¡°If you could look this over and think about it for a while, I''d appreciate it.¡± ¡°Sure, Barbi.¡± Ren said and took the piece of paper from her. ¡°You''ve had dozens of requests for interviews from all over the place.¡± Barbi said and stood up straight. ¡°Out of all of them, this one I can actually vouch for.¡± ¡°Interview?¡± Ren looked at the paper and read it. ¡°How could they possibly ask the right questions to get the story if it just happened?¡± Barbi chuckled. ¡°That''s why I like you. You''re always thinking.¡± She said. ¡°Most times, you talk beforehand and discuss the questions that are allowed and aren''t allowed.¡± ¡°But, won''t that twist and change the interview?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It wouldn''t represent the full story, would it?¡± Barbi chuckled. ¡°Ren, we never get the full story in an interview. Even the live debates they have on television occasionally, the questions are discussed beforehand so that the participants aren''t blindsided when a particularly bad question comes up.¡± Ren thought about it for a moment. ¡°I always wondered why almost no one seemed flustered when a ''surprise'' question came up.¡± He smiled. ¡°It wasn''t a surprise at all.¡± ¡°Bingo.¡± Barbi said. ¡°If you want, I can have this set up by this afternoon, and we can air it right after the leak about the show hits the internet.¡± ¡°You want that to be the main topic.¡± Ren said, and Barbi nodded. ¡°What about the game?¡± ¡°You''ll definitely be talking about that, but it''s the show angle we want to drive home.¡± Barbi said. ¡°At the end, I''ll add in a small clip of the next episode and share it on the show''s website.¡± ¡°No spoilers.¡± Ren warned her, and she chuckled. ¡°This isn''t my first show campaign.¡± Barbi said and put a hand on his arm. ¡°I know the rules. Only a quick montage, and not in the proper order.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I assume you talked to Elise about this?¡± He asked and held up the piece of paper. ¡°Yes, and she thinks it''s a little too soon for you to stress yourself out giving an interview.¡± Ren nodded again and thought about it. ¡°If we have it here, where I can be comfortable, say, either in the dining room or maybe in the den...¡± ¡°Both good choices.¡± Barbi said. ¡°...I''ll be relaxed enough and can stop the interview without too much of a fuss if I do suffer a panic attack or something.¡± ¡°I''ll stop it in a heartbeat if that happens.¡± Barbi gave his arm a little squeeze and let him go. ¡°I''ll set up a short meet-and-greet for an hour after lunch, and you can decide then if you want to go through with it or not.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°Set it up.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Barbi moved her hand from his arm to his face and gave it a light caress. ¡°You can relax for now and I''ll come back with more details later.¡± ¡°Don''t forget to tell the guards.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, and invite everyone here to attend, will you? It''s a good a time as any for a family gathering before the interview.¡± Barbi nodded as she let his face go, then she pat Denise''s shoulder and left the bedroom. Denise turned to see Barbi disappear out the door, grabbed the bedpan and spit out the contents of her very full mouth, then spit and sputtered for a few moments. ¡°Boy, that was close.¡± Ren said and touched Denise''s face. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Denise nodded. ¡°It was almost too much to handle before she came in, then I kept producing saliva because my mouth was full.¡± She chuckled and used a tissue to wipe her mouth off. ¡°If she had slapped my back instead of patting my shoulder...¡± ¡°...there would be little bits of me all over the place!¡± Ren exclaimed and they both laughed. * Barbi had stopped just outside the bedroom door and held in her own laughter at what could have happened. He''s right. She thought and walked down the hallway and then down the stairs. That would have been a sight to see! Barbi had a smile on her face as she walked back to the office. She waved to Stella as she passed through the kitchen, gave Elise the ''thumbs up'' gesture when she entered their office, then sat down at her desk to get back to work. She had an important interview to arrange, so she sent off the confirmation email and text message, then picked up the house phone to talk to the guards. Chapter 721 - Interview Me It didn''t take Barbi long to arrange for the ''official'' confirmation that the show was cancelled. She had surprised herself that the topic had grown out of proportion of the original story so quickly, and everyone was scrambling for some kind of information. Of course, with some information already out there, she started to pepper rumours and conjectures on different sites to direct a lot of that interest back to the show''s main website and the message boards, and a few to Ren''s fan page. Traffic started to pick up, and she smiled as she added a teaser phrase on one of the site pages, then slipped in a teaser image of Ren laying down next to the ogre. Her cell phone, Elise''s, Stella''s, and Lisa''s cell phones lit up as they were flooded with fresh messages and posts about the new image. In less than 10 minutes, the image had been shared no less than 500 times, and re-shared from those shares almost twice that. Wow. Barbi thought as she tried to stem the overflow, then she chuckled and let it go. She had unwittingly unleashed the internet beast and once it was on the rampage, there was no stopping it. She dropped one more hint about Ren talking about it, possibly live, then she had to turn off her notifications because her phone just made constant beeping noises. ¡°Good god, Barbi.¡± Elise said as she watched her own cell phone as it continuously beeped. ¡°How did...¡± She stopped talking and held a hand up. ¡°On second thought, don''t ruin the magic for me.¡± Barbi laughed. ¡°It''s got a life of it''s own, now.¡± Elise chuckled and turned off her notifications as well. ¡°Ren okayed your idea?¡± Barbi nodded. ¡°Like I told him, I set a meet-and-greet for after lunch, then he can decide for himself if he wants to talk about it or not.¡± Elise smiled. ¡°Thanks for not just throwing him right into the interview.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t do that even if I somehow hated the little charmer.¡± Barbi chuckled. ¡°I can be vindictive, and you know that; but, I''ve never been cruel.¡± Elise chuckled, too. ¡°Just like me.¡± Barbi fake gasped. ¡°Elise! Did you just admit that you can be a bitch?¡± Elise laughed, because Barbi had just said that about herself. ¡°That''s Queen Bitch, thank you very much!¡± Both women laughed and got back to work. * ¡°Hey, you two.¡± Stella said as she came into Ren''s bedroom. ¡°Did anything happen while I was gone?¡± ¡°That depends on your definition of ''anything''.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°I''m pretty sure that covers everything, smart-aleck.¡± Stella said. ¡°Well, when Denise came in...¡± Ren started to explain and Denise covered his mouth with a hand. ¡°I helped him relieve some tension, and then Barbi came in.¡± Denise said. Ren started to kiss her hand, and she tried her best to not let it show on her face. Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°Don''t tell me she caught you.¡± ¡°Almost.¡± Denise said and smiled. Stella chuckled. ¡°We don''t want to shock the poor girl.¡± Ren stopped kissing Denise''s palm and moved her hand slightly. ¡°I don''t think she''d be surprised.¡± He said and put her hand back over his mouth and kept kissing it. ¡°It''s one thing to suspect what''s going on and another to confirm what''s going on.¡± Stella said. ¡°Oh? What''s that?¡± Denise asked, genuinely curious. ¡°We all love the little horn-dog and will do everything we can for him.¡± Stella said. ¡°Why would she be surprised by that?¡± Denise asked, then closed her mouth as Ren started to lick her palm. ¡°Because it shouldn''t work.¡± Stella said and both Ren and Denise looked at her. ¡°We''re all different people with different needs and different personalities. One man shouldn''t be able to make us all happy like this.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ren asked after moving Denise''s hand again. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why can''t I make you all happy?¡± Stella smiled. ¡°I didn''t say that you weren''t, I said that it shouldn''t work.¡± Ren thought about it for a minute. ¡°What do I need to do differently?¡± Stella laughed. ¡°You don''t have to do anything, Ren.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''re our touchstone.¡± Stella said and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°Our lives revolve around you and you bring us all together.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Ren asked. ¡°As far as I know, because if it wasn''t for you, three nurses would have been out of a job a long time ago.¡± Stella said. ¡°Our lives would have been complete messes if you hadn''t been there for us.¡± ¡°But... if I wasn''t there... then, wouldn''t things have been different?¡± Ren asked, and Stella and Denise looked at him with slightly wide eyes. ¡°If I was never taken to the hospital, none of you would have met me. None of the things that happened would have happened. Dr. Hobbard wouldn''t have stolen my money, I wouldn''t have been attacked, I wouldn''t have met Elise, and I wouldn''t have had all those adventures in both real life and in the game.¡± He said. ¡°Not to mention that I wouldn''t have had a hit television show, or bought a house with my own money and asked you all to move in... and I definitely wouldn''t love you all as much as I do.¡± Stella and Denise didn''t know what to say to that. ¡°You would have led normal lives and none of you would have ever even considered trying to make my life bearable.¡± Ren said. ¡°The only one I know would have had a hard time without me around would be Barbara, because they would have made her retire and she would be lost without having something to do every day.¡± The room was quiet as Stella and Denise thought about what he said, and Ren put one hand on Denise''s face and the other on Stella''s arm. ¡°Now forget everything I just said.¡± Ren said, and he saw the surprise on their faces. ¡°I did show up at the hospital. I did meet you all and all of our lives changed. It was gradual, and it took years for it to get to this point.¡± He said and caressed Denise''s face and Stella''s arm. ¡°Now, here we are. I love you and I can''t imagine my life without you.¡± Both Stella and Denise tried to speak, then stopped and smiled as they each took one of his hands and held it. ¡°What''s with the serious atmosphere in here?¡± Lisa asked as she came into the bedroom and they all turned to look at her. ¡°I was just telling them about an alternate history that could have happened if I hadn''t shown up at the hospital.¡± Ren said. Lisa chuckled. ¡°God, that would have sucked so bad!¡± She said and climbed up onto the bed. ¡°I''d be playing this neat game all by myself and I never would have met you.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Ren let both Denise and Stella go as he held an arm open for Lisa, and she laid her head down on his shoulder. She was very careful of his sore chest as she laid her hand on it. ¡°I''d probably still only be level 10 or so and I wouldn''t have all of these great abilities.¡± Lisa said and moved her hand up to touch his face. ¡°I won''t even mention getting to live in a big mansion, the great job, or getting to spend time with the man I love.¡± ¡°You just mentioned it.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°I came down to thank you for what you did in the game.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Even sitting there and absorbing the information available to me, I can''t figure out how you did it.¡± ¡°I''m tempted to tell you, but I''d just have to tell you again when we all gather together in a little while so I can explain it all.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re really going to tell me?¡± Lisa asked, and he chuckled. ¡°Did you expect me to keep it a secret?¡± ¡°Not really, but... I figured you''d try to be cagey about it or avoid answering.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m sure it''s going to be a bit of a shock when you find out; but, I''d rather you hear it from me.¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°When is...¡± ¡°We''ve got 20 minutes!¡± Barbi said as she came into the bedroom. ¡°The reporter and camera guy will be here, so we need to decide where to meet them.¡± ¡°I''d say the den.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s both a bit formal and casual at the same time.¡± ¡°Um... I need to go and...¡± Lisa''s face flushed a little red. ¡°No, leave it like that.¡± Ren said, and she blinked her eyes at him. ¡°Having a bland room that looks like no one uses it, is not the image we want to project.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°As long as the books aren''t scattered over the couch and chairs, it''s all good.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t leave a book on a chair.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Someone could sit on it and damage it.¡± ¡°Then don''t worry about it.¡± Ren said and kissed her. ¡°Some of us might need to change, though.¡± ¡°Yeah, jogging pants are nowhere near proper attire for greeting company.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I meant me, actually.¡± Ren said and plucked at his Cookie Monster pyjamas. ¡°I think you should keep them on.¡± Lisa said with a huge smile. ¡°Play the young and cute card.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Not a chance! Can you imagine what my dozen fans would say if they saw me in these?¡± ¡°Your dozen fans?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°You''re right. I shouldn''t over-exaggerate like that.¡± Ren joked, and she laughed. ¡°Should we get Elise up here to help me get changed?¡± ¡°I''m already here, Sweetheart.¡± Elise said as she strode into the room. Her hair and breasts bounced with each step and she swayed her hips, and everyone caught their breath as she stopped and practically posed beside the bed. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Damn, you''re gorgeous.¡± Ren said. ¡°Lisa, tell me she''s not a figment of my imagination.¡± ¡°I can''t.¡± Lisa said with a smile. ¡°I think she''s a figment of mine, too.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Elise, the show-stopper.¡± ¡°Ha ha.¡± Elise said. ¡°Lisa, can you give me a hand? I need a gofer so I can concentrate on getting Ren presentable.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Lisa said and started to sit up, then gave Ren a quick kiss. ¡°What do you want first?¡± ¡°A choice of shirts.¡± Elise said. ¡°I think I remember seeing one with a wide collar.¡± Lisa nodded and climbed off the bed, and Elise looked at the others. ¡°Barbi, you''ll need your hair fixed.¡± Elise said. Barbi touched her hair and felt some of it was out of place, nodded and went to the bathroom. ¡°Stella, your outfit is fine, even if they take pictures or video.¡± Elise said and looked at Denise. ¡°If I can suggest something a bit more stylish, like that great dress Ren picked out for you that time at the shop.¡± ¡°Good idea. It''s not too fancy to be worn casually.¡± Denise said and stood up, touched Ren''s hand briefly, and quickly left. ¡°Stella, give Barbara a call and tell her to dress semi-formal.¡± Elise said and started to unbutton Ren''s top. ¡°Donald probably won''t come, but if Barbara manages to convince him, tell her dress pants or even just solid black pants and any shirt.¡± She slipped Ren''s top off and her hands gently touched the bruise on his chest. ¡°As long as he leaves off the undershirt.¡± Stella picked up the phone and dialed. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°I thought my command voice was powerful.¡± Elise chuckled and Lisa brought over the shirt she asked for and a couple of others in different colors. ¡°Sometimes clear and concise directions are enough to motivate people.¡± She took the wide-collared shirt and slipped it around his neck, then shook her head. ¡°No, it makes your head stand out from the rest of you.¡± ¡°Well, it is my head.¡± Ren said with a smile, and she caressed his cheek with a finger and picked up another shirt. ¡°No, not red.¡± She said and Lisa handed her a baby-blue one. ¡°Perfect, thank you.¡± Stella finished the call and helped Ren sit up, and she, Elise, and Lisa helped Ren get changed. They loaded him into the wheelchair, careful of his wrapped knee, and Stella took him up to the third floor and into the den while Elise went with Lisa to help her find something appropriate. Barbi went downstairs to wait for the reporter and Ren motioned to the house phone. Stella pushed him over to it and Ren dialed the guard at the gate, told him to expect a package from the tailor shop he had ordered some things from, then hung up. ¡°When did you order that?¡± Stella asked. ¡°When I was in the game.¡± Ren said. ¡°I did it after I texted Elise the first time to put the servers online.¡± ¡°But... wait...¡± Stella said. ¡°How...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s all electronic. They would have gotten the order right after I made it, so if my guess is right on the timing, both it and the reporter coming should arrive almost at the same time.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± ¡°I put a rush on it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°They had everything in stock, according to their website, so the only time delay would be gathering it all together to deliver it.¡± ¡°Ren, you...¡± The door to the den opened and Barbi stepped in, then stepped aside. ¡°...and this is the den.¡± She said. ¡°Oh! Hi, Ren!¡± ¡°Miss Blaire! It''s so nice to see you again.¡± Ren said regally. Stella snorted a laugh. ¡°You saw her like 10 minutes ago.¡± ¡°It''s still nice.¡± Ren said normally, and she and Barbi laughed. ¡°If you hadn''t guessed, this is Mr. Haddon.¡± Barbi said to the two people with her. ¡°He has a bit of a weird sense of humor.¡± ¡°Naw, what''s weird is what happens when a turtle looses its shell...¡± Ren said and Stella quickly covered his mouth. ¡°Just ignore him.¡± Stella said, and the reporter laughed. ¡°Now I need to know the answer.¡± She said as she and her camera man entered the den. She was 5 foot 8 inches tall and wore a conservative suit with pants instead of a skirt, and her mid-back length jet-black hair was loosely tied in a ponytail at her shoulders. Ren couldn''t tell what the camera guy looked like behind his sunglasses and baseball cap. He was close to 6 feet tall, though. ¡°Hi, I''m Trisha Takinawa.¡± She said and held out a hand to Ren, and Stella moved her hand so he could speak. ¡°Miss Takinawa, it''s nice to meet you.¡± Ren said and gave her a gentle handshake. ¡°Would it be offensive to say that you don''t look Asian?¡± ¡°Geez, Ren.¡± Stella sighed. Trisha chuckled. ¡°It''s all right.¡± She said and let his hand go. ¡°Most people just look at me funny when they learn my name, because they''re trying to see the Asian parts.¡± She held a hand out to Stella. ¡°You must be Stella.¡± Stella nodded and shook the offered hand. ¡°Do you have Asian parts?¡± Ren asked, curious. ¡°REN!¡± Stella yelled, and Trisha laughed. ¡°The only Asian part I have, I get when I''m in bed with my husband.¡± Trisha said. Barbi snickered a laugh and covered her mouth to stop from laughing out loud. Ren chuckled and gave Trisha a big smile, and she smiled back. ¡°Barbi, you were right.¡± Trisha said. ¡°I do like him.¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Everyone else should be here in...¡± The elevator door opened and everyone stepped out. ¡°...right now.¡± Trisha turned and greeted everyone, commented on their attire, and everyone found places to sit down. She sat down in a comfy chair next to Ren, and looked at him with genuine interest. ¡°So, you''re the famous Ren Haddon.¡± Trisha said. ¡°How do you like being a celebrity?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''m not famous or a celebrity.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve given out one autograph, and that was more of a joke than anything else.¡± Trisha smiled. ¡°You don''t know how popular your show is, do you?¡± ¡°I know a lot of people like it, thanks to my public relations specialist.¡± Ren nodded to Barbi. ¡°I know it had great viewership numbers for the 6 episodes that have aired...¡± Trisha nodded. ¡°I received the official cancellation notice before coming over here.¡± ¡°You did?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Does that mean...¡± ¡°I''m a subscriber and I enjoy your show, too.¡± Trisha said and glanced at Barbi. ¡°Somebody didn''t get back to me before today about coming to see you.¡± ¡°I was going to save you for the press conference, Trisha.¡± Barbi said. ¡°We''ve got the new toy line ready to ship to stores and the streaming service is ready to go national, now that we''ve got the system set up for the extra load.¡± ¡°You lie.¡± Trisha said, and Barbi shook her head. ¡°Are you keeping it under the subscription service for the website?¡± ¡°Yes, after a long talk to Ren''s Financial Advisor.¡± Barbi nodded to Elise. ¡°We decided to not become money-grubbing idiots set out to fleece the customers.¡± Trisha laughed. ¡°Good, good.¡± She said. ¡°Having loyal fans pay money just to see something they used to see for free is not a good way to keep people happy.¡± ¡°We''re not gouging the advertisers, either.¡± Elise said, and Trisha looked at her. ¡°It''s not their fault the station cancelled the show. They shouldn''t have to pay any more for the same reason that the fans shouldn''t.¡± ¡°How will you make money at it?¡± ¡°Sheer volume.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Once everyone learns that the only place to get more of the show will be from the website...¡± ¡°Wait! Did you say more of the show?¡± Trisha asked, surprised. ¡°I thought it was cancelled!¡± Barbi nodded. ¡°They cancelled after the sixth episode; but, they had another six ready to air, with the next three cut together without background music.¡± She said. ¡°We have them and can get them prepped for streaming by next week.¡± ¡°Oh... oh, my.¡± Trisha said and looked at their faces. ¡°This is going to be a great story!¡± ¡°It''s going to be better than that.¡± Ren said, and she turned to look at his grin. ¡°I helped to fix the game it''s based on.¡± ¡°You... you did...¡± Trisha looked at all of their faces again, and nods were given all around. ¡°Oh, my.¡± ¡°Let me tell you how it all came about...¡± Ren said. Trisha and everyone else were held, almost spellbound, as Ren told them about everything that went on in extensive detail. Chapter 722 - That Cant Be Right The judge wasn''t having a good day, and he was a little upset that his normal docket had been superseded by higher authority and had changed all of the cases he had to judge that day to more high priority cases. I''m the one that''s supposed to decide what cases have higher priority. The judge thought and entered the court room. Everyone stood up and he sat down behind his bench. ¡°Be seated.¡± The bailiff said and everyone else sat down. The judge opened the first folder on his desk and read the header. ¡°This first case is...¡± He stopped speaking when he recognized the litigants mentioned, then frowned because they were on the same side of the page and were both defendants. ¡°This case isn''t supposed to be heard for another two weeks.¡± ¡°Your honor, if I may speak.¡± A lawyer from Ren''s law firm said, and the judge looked up from the case file. ¡°This is a separate case for an injunction against issuing a patent to companies that participated, either knowingly or unknowingly, to get information that was obtained illegally by experimenting on a child.¡± The whole courtroom fell silent at those words and you could hear a pin drop, if anyone was dumb enough to drop one into the silence. ¡°That... that...¡± The judge looked back at the file and quickly read it again. ¡°Council will approach the bench!¡± The lawyer started to walk over. ¡°All of you.¡± The judge said, and the defendants sent their lawyers as well. ¡°This had better not be a joke.¡± He said to Ren''s lawyer. ¡°Sir, we have both evidence as proof and sworn testimony from the child in question.¡± ¡°I object.¡± One of the other lawyers said. ¡°When has sworn testimony been taken at face value without being cross examined?¡± ¡°Where is this child?¡± Another lawyer asked. ¡°Our clients have the right to face their accuser.¡± Ren''s lawyer smiled. ¡°He''s not accusing you of anything.¡± ¡°You just said...¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± The judge said. ¡°Why is this being heard in open court?¡± He asked. ¡°You should have just filed the injunction and gotten it over with.¡± ¡°Your honor, I''m under strict orders to, and I quote, ''to make the most of the evidence in court''.¡± Ren''s lawyer said. ¡°You could lose and not get the injunction if you don''t prove your case.¡± The judge said, thinking he would do just that, because he didn''t want the headache this was going to give him. ¡°Your honor, just getting this out in the open and exposed to the public will be enough of a win in our favor.¡± Ren''s lawyer said and smiled. ¡°We will get the injunction... and all of the patents.¡± The other lawyers chuckled at the absurd boast, then stopped when the judge glared at them. ¡°All right. I''ll hear opening statements.¡± The judge said. ¡°If any of you try to make this courtroom a farce, I''ll have you held in contempt of court and tossed in jail for a month. Are we clear?¡± ¡°Perfectly, your honor.¡± Ren''s lawyer said, and the judge motioned for them to go back to their positions. After a brief opening statement by all parties involved, Ren''s lawyer had the video technician plug a thumb drive into the laptop he had requested, and the video started to play. The image of a very decrepit and frail-looking boy appeared on the screen, then the pale face spoke. ¡°My name is Ren Haddon. I am of sound mind and questionable body...¡± After an hour of listening to Ren''s torture and the direct links to both technology companies, half of the courtroom''s audience had left and the judge had granted the injunction and ceded the rights to the patents in question to Ren Haddon. When the litigants left the courtroom, the judge saw Ren''s lawyer shake someone''s hand, then that person walked over to the plaintiff''s desk and handed a thumb drive to the bailiff to put in the laptop. Son of a bitch. The judge thought and opened the next folder, then heard several groans from the courtroom. They had seen that the thumb drive was the same as the one Ren''s lawyer had, too. * ¡°Oh... my... god.¡± Trisha Takinawa whispered after Ren was done telling his story. Everyone''s faces were filled with shock and surprise, except for Elise and Lisa. They both knew about the AI and the realm it was in, so it wasn''t as big of a shock to them. Ren had been smart to not mention exactly how long he had been there, though. ¡°That... I... I can''t air that.¡± Trisha said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Barbi and several others said at the same time. ¡°It''s just... too fantastical.¡± Trisha said. ¡°Talking to an AI? Programming inside the game to fix the game you''re in? How does that even work?¡± ¡°I said that...¡± ¡°Yes, I understand what you said. You were in a separate part and changed everything.¡± Trisha said. ¡°But, you were still within that framework in order to do that, so if you change part of it while inside, it shouldn''t have worked because it was in use at the time.¡± Ren didn''t have an answer for that. ¡°Anyway, I can use aspects of it to enhance the real story.¡± Trisha said and turned to Barbi. ¡°You already sent me the video of your encounter with Mr. Hastelbeck.¡± She said, and Barbi nodded. ¡°I need a bit of background on both of you, and then Ren''s view of the cancellation of his show.¡± ¡°At least they couldn''t demand some of the money back.¡± Barbi smiled. ¡°The station screwed themselves over big time by cancelling it.¡± ¡°Ooo, do tell!¡± Trisha said happily, and Barbi told her all about the contracts designed to cover the company in practically any case, except for fraud. Trisha turned to Ren with a huge smile. ¡°Tell me you''re suing over wrongful termination!¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°If I do that, they''ll reinstate the contract and I''ll have to share the rights again.¡± He smiled. ¡°On the advice of both my public relations specialist and financial advisor, keeping it all in-house is a much better idea than putting the show back under such incompetent management.¡± ¡°Are you starting your own production company?¡± Trisha asked. ¡°We haven''t gotten to that decision yet.¡± Barbi said. ¡°At the moment, we''re only concerned with getting the show to a good point to end the season, then we can worry about where to go from there.¡± Trisha nodded. ¡°That''s reasonable.¡± She said. ¡°So, Ren... what did you think when you found out the show had been cancelled?¡± ¡°Well...¡± ¡°What was your very first thought?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°How monumentally stupid it was to cancel their most popular show.¡± He said. ¡°After I found out the rights reverted back to me, I had another thought.¡± ¡°Oh? What was that?¡± Trisha asked. ¡°They cancelled it right after I had fallen into the bottomless pit with the ogre.¡± Ren said, then smiled at Trisha when her mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise. ¡°Yeah, isn''t that the worst time to end something? On a literal cliffhanger?¡± ¡°I... I didn''t realize...¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°The fans do now.¡± Barbi said and took out her cell phone and shook it, and Trisha looked at her own and saw all of the messages about that and everything else going on with the show. ¡°Elise, can you...¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Elise said and walked over to the small television in the corner and turned it on, then put a thumb drive into the side of it, and used the remote to show several images of the television''s stock dropping significantly. ¡°This is only the preliminary projections from the stock exchange. When the knowledge of what happened gets into the financial sector and they realize what''s been going on inside a publicly traded company...¡± ¡°They''re going to be reduced to a fraction of their previous value, even with Mr. Hastelbeck as the scapegoat.¡± Trisha said. Elise nodded. ¡°They''ll recover, since this was only a single incident... but...¡± ¡°It will leave a lasting suspicion over all the other shows that have been cancelled over the years, and if they were in a similar situation.¡± Trisha said, and completely understood the situation. ¡°You got it.¡± Barbi chimed in. ¡°I feel really bad for the people that work there, since they are probably going to cut back on staff when the stock drops to where Elise thinks it''s going to be.¡± ¡°That''s because your loyalty is to the workers and not the company.¡± Trisha said. ¡°Are you going to offer...¡± ¡°I already did, and they said no.¡± Barbi said, and everyone was surprised by this. ¡°They said something about going down with the ship or some nonsense.¡± Ren had seen her eyes twitch when she said that, so he knew she wasn''t quite telling the truth. He wasn''t sure why, since he hadn''t seen her exhibit any kind of tick like that before, then figured that was why. ¡°So.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now that we have the meet-and-greet out of the way, I''m feeling pretty good about this.¡± He smiled at Trisha. ¡°I think I''ll be able to handle giving an interview.¡± Trisha smiled and stood as she reached out to take his hand. ¡°Ren, don''t be shocked, but I don''t need an interview from you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her, and she laughed. ¡°You''ve given me everything I could ever use, and I barely had to ask any questions.¡± Trisha gave his hand a squeeze. ¡°You''re very personable, even if you are a little too forward for some people''s tastes.¡± ¡°Yours?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. ¡°I like people who don''t mince words and tell it like it is without sugar-coating it.¡± Ren nodded and shook her hand. ¡°Then it was an even bigger pleasure to meet you, Miss Takinawa.¡± Trisha laughed and let his hand go. ¡°Likewise.¡± She said, then shook the hand of everyone else. ¡°I''ll walk you out.¡± Barbi said and led Trisha and the camera man out of the den. When the door shut, Ren turned to Elise. ¡°Did you notice that the camera man moved his camera around, even though he wasn''t supposed to be filming?¡± Elise nodded and picked up the house phone, spoke for a moment, then hung up. ¡°If he was transmitting wirelessly, there''s nothing we can do to get the footage back.¡± ¡°I''m not worried about the footage, I''m worried about what he''s going to do with it.¡± Ren said. * ¡°Thanks a lot for coming over.¡± Barbi said as they stepped out of the elevator. ¡°You did a great job keeping Ren relaxed.¡± ¡°You need to keep the subjects comfortable and let them talk.¡± Trisha said as they walked across the lobby. ¡°They want to tell their story. If you try to push or force them, they clam up and won''t volunteer anything.¡± Barbi opened the front door and several security guards were there. ¡°Wh-what...¡± ¡°You need to come with us.¡± One of them said and grabbed the camera man''s arm, and the other grabbed the camera. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± Trisha asked, her voice a slightly higher pitch. The guard with the camera popped it open to see that it wasn''t a normal video recording device. ¡°You can''t do that!¡± The camera man exclaimed as the guard pulled out the odd contraption. ¡°When you come in here under false pretenses, we can do whatever we want to trespassers.¡± The guard holding his arm said. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Trisha asked. Barbi sighed. ¡°Trisha, please.¡± She said, and the reporter looked at her. ¡°Who are you helping?¡± ¡°I''m not helping anyone.¡± Trisha said. ¡°How long has this guy worked for you?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°Three years.¡± ¡°What''s his name?¡± ¡°Bob.¡± Trisha said, and Barbi nodded to the guard holding Bob. He quickly searched the guy''s pockets and took out his wallet. He opened it and saw the driver''s license up close, then chuckled. ''Wow, we really do need a brush up on procedure.¡± He said and held it out to Barbi, and the name on the driver''s license was actually Bob. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Bob is a nickname.¡± The guard said and put the wallet back into the guy''s pocket. ¡°No one in the DMV would issue a drivers license with Bob as the actual name.¡± The guy saw an opportunity and stepped on the guard''s foot, used an elbow to hit him in the gut, then tried to run. Barbi was right there and stuck out her foot, which tripped him and he fell hard onto the door frame and it knocked the wind out of him. Another guard came over and two of them picked the guy up and put him in handcuffs. Barbi turned to Trisha. ¡°Okay, so who is he?¡± ¡°He''s Bob.¡± Trisha said. Barbi scowled at her. ¡°I vouched for you.¡± She said, menace in her voice. ¡°I picked you out of the dozens of reporters as someone who was safe to bring in to meet Ren.¡± She said and stepped close to her. ¡°Do you realize what that means?¡± ¡°Bob didn''t do anything.¡± Trisha said. ¡°Are you really going to deny it?¡± Barbi asked, and then pointed at the fake video camera. ¡°The evidence is right there!¡± ¡°I didn''t know that...¡± ¡°What? Isn''t he the man you came here with?¡± Barbi asked, and Trisha closed her mouth. ¡°You claim to know him for three years, and yet you didn''t know his video camera was fake, or that Bob isn''t his real name.¡± She said. ¡°Where''s your real camera man?¡± Trisha didn''t say anything in response, and Barbi shook her head. ¡°Take her, too.¡± Barbi said and sighed. ¡°Make sure they can''t contact anyone.¡± ¡°Hey, you can''t do this!¡± Trisha said as she was handcuffed. ¡°I''m the press!¡± ¡°Yes, you are.¡± The guard said. ¡°You also knowingly and intentionally violated several laws, including fraud, privacy, and misrepresentation.¡± ¡°I did no such thing!¡± Trisha exclaimed in a higher pitched voice as she was dragged away with the camera man. ¡°Barbi, please! This was just a misunderstanding! Let me explain!¡± ¡°You can explain it to the police for all I care.¡± Barbi said, sadly. ¡°Oh, and claiming you were coerced won''t fly.¡± She said and pointed up at the security cameras. ¡°It''s all on video, and not once did you try to defend your actions or disassociate yourself from your partner.¡± She said. ¡°Good luck claiming innocence now.¡± Trisha closed her mouth on further protests and Barbi didn''t bother trying to get some satisfaction by watching them be loaded into the back of the security guard''s van. Tears started in Barbi''s eyes as she walked over to the elevator, and she tried to stem their flow as she went to the third floor. She wiped at her face and messed up her makeup slightly; but, she didn''t care about that. What she cared about was that she had inadvertently damaged Ren''s trust in her. * Ren and the others turned towards the door as it opened, and Barbi stood there. Her face was a mess and she was crying. ¡°R-Ren, I... I''m so...¡± ¡°Come here.¡± Ren commanded, and she walked meekly over to him. ¡°Kneel.¡± Barbi didn''t question him as she knelt in front of the wheelchair, and then Ren shocked her as he leaned forward and took her into a hug. ¡°Shh, it''s okay.¡± Ren said and rubbed her back. ¡°It wasn''t your fault.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Barbi tried to speak. ¡°I''m not mad at you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t hold you responsible for this.¡± ¡°R-Ren, I...¡± Barbi''s arms eased around his back and held on. ¡°I''ve suffered a lot when people I thought I knew, did something to hurt me.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know I have.¡± Barbi nodded, and Ren leaned back to sit up straight and left his hands on her shoulders. ¡°My guards even vetted them beforehand, and it wasn''t their fault that the camera man was replaced at the last minute.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°It''s not your fault, either.¡± Ren said and leaned back down to give her a kiss. It was soft and tender, and Barbi didn''t think she deserved it. He felt her stiffen slightly, and he leaned back. ¡°I''m sorry, I thought you wanted me to...¡± ¡°I do, but... I... I don''t deserve it. Not after a mistake like that.¡± Barbi said through her tears. Ren smiled and gave her shoulders a squeeze. ¡°That''s why you do deserve it.¡± He said and gave her a brief kiss. ¡°The guards know how to do their jobs. They should track down where the other camera man is and hopefully we can get this sorted out.¡± ¡°You... you don''t think that...¡± ¡°No, they wouldn''t kill him.¡± Ren said. ¡°All they would have to do is not tell him about the last minute interview.¡± Barbi sighed in relief and Ren let her shoulders go, then he sat back in the wheelchair and looked at Elise. ¡°Is there enough security camera footage in here for a good interview? Trisha said she had enough information to make a good story.¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°I''ll have the guards try and get something from that camera the guy had, but I doubt it''ll have anything even close to what we would need.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°Barbi, is there any chance you can salvage any of this? The fans are going to expect something.¡± ¡°I... I don''t...¡± Ren touched the side of her face and rubbed her cheek with a thumb. ¡°You might not have good video, but the audio should be perfectly usable.¡± He said, and her eyes widened. ¡°Elise will give you a hand retrieving it from the secured server and you can edit it into an appropriate info dump for the website.¡± ¡°That... that''s a great idea.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I can cut out Trisha''s questions and either type them up and have people click the answer, or dub in my own voice asking them.¡± ¡°Now you''re thinking.¡± Ren smiled and let her face go. ¡°After Elise checks it for sensitive information, you can post it where you think it''ll get the most views and shares.¡± Barbi nodded. ¡°I''ll start it right away.¡± ¡°If that''s not enough to get more people interested in what''s going on, maybe we can have a draw for a set of figures before they hit the stores.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Elise said. ¡°Lisa, how many sets came in the crates?¡± ¡°There were two sets per crate and six crates.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I took mine and the special figure, so there''s eleven left.¡± ¡°Barbi, grab a set and bring it to the office. We''ll take pictures of it and pack it up in a box, then after you release the interview and the teaser trailer for the next episode, we''ll announce the draw will be made in a week.¡± Barbi nodded again and stood up, then wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. ¡°Ren, I... I just... thank you.¡± She said, leaned down and cupped the sides of his face, then gave him as tender of a kiss as he had given her mere moments before. She didn''t say anything else as she stood and let his face go, then she quickly left the room. ¡°How long do you think it''ll take her to remember to get the security video from you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°At least until she sits down at her desk.¡± Elise said, and everyone chuckled. Chapter 723 - Make An Exception Barbi had indeed sat down at her desk with the set of figures before she realized she needed the security footage to edit it. She went back to the den and told them, and they laughed. ¡°It''s not that funny.¡± Barbi said with a smile, because she would have laughed as well, had it been someone else. Everyone watched her leave again, then Elise turned to Ren. ¡°All right, mister.¡± Elise said. ¡°I''m pretty sure I wasn''t the only one who heard you evade the question about how long you were really in there.¡± ¡°I heard it.¡± Stella said. ¡°Me, too.¡± Lisa said. ¡°I know it was a really long time, though.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Elise asked. ¡°He learned how to program on a computer he''s never seen before, to fix computer code he had never seen before, and did it successfully.¡± Lisa said. ¡°That takes years and years of dedication and hard work for a normal programmer.¡± ¡°Which Ren isn''t.¡± Stella said. Lisa nodded and walked over to Ren''s side and took his hand. ¡°Ren, how long were you in there?¡± ¡°Do you want the truth, or the whole truth?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You might as well give us all the rundown.¡± Lisa said and smiled. ¡°Stella and I are the only ones here that understand the time compression and experienced it first-hand.¡± Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I was in there for 10 minutes real time.¡± He said. ¡°Which is 40 minutes game time, or about 20 weeks in pocket realm time, or almost 80 weeks in my old Sanctuary.¡± ¡°Eighty weeks.¡± Barbara almost gasped. ¡°Ren, keep going.¡± Lisa said, and Barbara did gasp at that. ¡°Inside Lisa''s new closet it would be double that, at 160 weeks.¡± Ren said. ¡°My heavily modified Sanctuary by the Library would be almost 640 weeks.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Denise said. ¡°Ren...¡± Lisa said, and Ren squeezed her hand lightly. ¡°In my new compressed Sanctuary, where I leveled up my character all those times, it''s about 64,000 weeks, or one thousand, two hundred and thirty years that pass by every second.¡± Barbara started to sway and Denise quickly helped her sit down on the couch. ¡°Finish it, Ren.¡± Lisa encouraged as she knelt beside him, and he nodded. ¡°I think you should all sit down for this.¡± Ren said and waited for everyone to sit. ¡°In Vasalor''s Realm... well, I hope you won''t think I''m crazy when you hear this.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°I was in there for almost three million years.¡± Sharp intakes of breath were heard all around, even from Lisa, because she hadn''t expected there would be that big of a jump in the time difference. ¡°I... I figured maybe 10,000 years or even close to 40,000; but, not a million years.¡± Lisa whispered. ¡°Good lord! Three million years!¡± Ren gave her hand a kiss. ¡°The sheer number of files that had to be checked and repaired would have made the task nearly impossible in real time and even in game time.¡± He said. ¡°I used Vasalor''s own functions to help me adjust to such a drastic time dilation, once I learned how to program that is, and we worked pretty much non-stop until we were done.¡± ¡°R-Ren... h-how...¡± Elise stammered, and he used his free hand to take hers and gave it a kiss. ¡°Yeah, my brain would have been mush if Vasalor hadn''t stopped me from trying to absorb all of the information at once.¡± Ren said and gave Lisa a knowing wink. ¡°I learned at a normal pace and didn''t rush things, since we had plenty of time.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Plenty of time. That phrase doesn''t mean the same to me as it once did.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Don''t worry. All the memories I had during my time with Vasalor, I pretty much left there.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°What would I need with eons of memories of drudgery work?¡± Ren said and laughed. ¡°I kept all of the emotions I felt, though.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°They don''t really require any significant storage in your brain.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Plus, I know a few Emotion Siphons that could definitely use a good feeding.¡± ¡°Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves.¡± Lisa said immediately. ¡°Also her attendant, which I did give a good feeding to pass on to Lylyth. The succubi, the ghoul kissed elfling, and Elerlyth too; but, only if she can accept it as a friend, and a friend only.¡± ¡°You really did cut her off?¡± Lisa asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°I warned her a long time ago that if she attacked me, I''d have to reevaluate our relationship.¡± Ren said. ¡°She wanted to work for a company that tortured me, so I had to consider it a personal attack on me.¡± ¡°It was.¡± Elise said and ran her hands through his hair. ¡°I couldn''t believe anyone would do that, just for some extra money.¡± ¡°She tried to say she would only work there until the patent trial.¡± Ren said and shook his head. ¡°Stella and I didn''t even get the chance to renegotiate her student assistant contract.¡± ¡°She didn''t even ask about that.¡± Stella said. ¡°I guess she really was blinded by a huge payoff.¡± ¡°Well, that shows how short-sighted she was.¡± Elise said and took out her cell phone, then showed Ren that he was the new owner of the patents that were in dispute and both companies had injunctions against them to discover what else they had been doing illegally or items that had been built using those patents. ¡°No way!¡± Ren said and read the text message. ¡°Wow, that... wait, why was I awarded the patents?¡± ¡°It''s simple really. People that commit crimes are not supposed to benefit from a criminal act.¡± She smiled. ¡°When the evidence was presented, the patents should have reverted to the previous owners.¡± Ren didn''t even have to think about it. ¡°My parents.¡± ¡°That''s right, Sweetheart.¡± Elise said and took her phone back. ¡°I know you don''t like being associated with things involved with your parents, but... you don''t realize how many companies actually use those patents.¡± ¡°It''s not just computer design companies, is it?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. ¡°The things they did to you had far reaching implications, Ren.¡± Elise said and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ¡°This is only the start of getting a handle on unravelling it all.¡± Ren sighed and nodded. ¡°I had hoped it would all be sorted through quickly; but, I guess when I told the law firm to make the most of it, they really are going to.¡± It was Elise''s turn to nod, then they all turned to Barbara when they heard her whisper. ¡°Three... three million years.¡± Ren let Lisa''s hand go and had Elise push him over to Barbara so he could take her hand. ¡°Barbara.¡± Barbara blinked her eyes for several moments. ¡°R-Ren? You... you were joking, right? It didn''t really happen. I... I can''t accept that...¡± She stopped talking for a moment, then she gripped his hand. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°Barbara I''m fine.¡± Ren said and tapped his temple. ¡°I still have all my marbles.¡± ¡°H-how... how do you know?¡± ¡°Because even though I was there for so long, I love you all even more than I did before.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know that old saying... absence makes the heart grow fonder?¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°I''ve been away from you for millions of years.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You could dance around buck-naked in front of me now and I''ll just appreciate the sight for what it is, and I won''t freak out about it.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Stella snorted a laugh, and Barbara smiled back. ¡°Really?¡± Barbara asked and let his hand go, then started to unbutton her blouse, much to everyone''s surprise. She flipped it open dramatically to show off her plain white bra and Ren glanced down at her. ¡°Mom, you look very pretty.¡± Ren said and looked back at her face. He saw surprise there, and he lifted her hand to kiss the fingers. ¡°Donald is a very lucky man to have you for a wife.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°Hey, don''t be sad that you can''t tease me about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You told me they were just breasts, remember?¡± ¡°I... I did... but...¡± ¡°You were right when you told me that if I was your real son, I would have seen them at least a few hundred times.¡± Ren gave her hand a squeeze. ¡°I shouldn''t get upset if I catch a glimpse of them every now and then, right?¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Barbara leaned forward and gave him a hug. ¡°My sweet little boy is growing up.¡± ¡°Hold on a second.¡± Ren said and she let him out of the hug. ¡°After everything I''ve been through, me accepting the sight your breasts as normal is what makes you think I''m growing up?¡± He asked with mock incredulity, which made her laugh and she quickly buttoned up her top. ¡°Ren, I''ve been wondering.¡± Lisa said to get his attention. ¡°What''s weird about a turtle losing its shell?¡± ¡°How do you decide if its naked or if its homeless?¡± Ren asked, and she laughed. The house phone rang and Stella picked it up, listened for a moment and said thank you, then hung up. ¡°The guards finished going through your order.¡± Stella told Ren. ¡°They left it in the lobby.¡± ¡°Then I was a little off on the timing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would you mind...¡± ¡°I''ll bring it up with supper.¡± ¡°Oh, are we eating in my room?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You''ve been moving around with that wrapped knee a lot today. You need a break, I think.¡± Stella said. The little family gathering broke up after that, and Ren gave them all hugs and kisses. He held onto Lisa''s hand and asked her to meet him in the game. She told him to meet her in the Library in his county, so they could spend some time in her new apartment, and he nodded. Stella took him down in the elevator and over to his room, got him back into bed, and handed him the VR headset. ¡°See you at supper.¡± Ren said. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± ******** Ren woke up on the bed and was surprised that he wasn''t under a pile of women''s bodies. The last time he had been in bed with the maids, he couldn''t see who was who because their arms and legs were all mixed up like a jumbled puzzle on top of him. ¡°Hi, Ren!¡± Teepo said in the version of his voice that only Ren could hear. Hey buddy. Ren thought to his friend. Anything happen? ¡°Surprisingly, no. As you can see, you aren''t on the bottom of the normal Ren pile.¡± Ren lifted his head and looked at them, and he saw six women arrayed around him. One on each arm, one on each leg, and one on each side of his abdomen. He blinked his eyes as he saw Xuunah was one of the ones on his abdomen. That''s a change from her normal behavior. Ren thought and then smiled. I usually make her uncomfortable by holding her hand too long. ¡°She was pretty reluctant at first, since she knew you couldn''t stop her.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She''s been asleep the whole time and didn''t take advantage of you, though.¡± Ren held in his chuckle and could feel that the maids and Xuunah were all still deep asleep. He was fortunate to have the hand free on one of his arms, since Frikara only had a death grip on his elbow and rested her head on his shoulder, so he took the Vasalor statue out of inventory and activated it. He stayed there with them for several hours, and when they started to stir on their own and wake up, he deactivated the statue and stored it before they noticed. ¡°R-Ren, are... are you back?¡± Frikara asked and lifted her head to look at his face. ¡°I am.¡± Ren moved his head forward and was just barely able to brush her lips with his to kiss her. ¡°Can we cuddle for a while?¡± Andrela asked from his abdomen as she rolled onto her side to look at him. ¡°I''ve been cuddling you for about four hours so far.¡± Ren said and took the statue back out and activated it. ¡°Why not for a little while longer?¡± Andrela nodded and her long straight red hair rubbed his belly, then she kissed his side. Ren felt Xuunah wake up and their Collective came into full force, and she tried to stop herself from sharing so much. Frikara let Ren''s arm go and he used his free hand to pet the top of Xuunah''s head. ¡°Easy, now. I''ve felt it all before.¡± Ren said consolingly. ¡°But... but, I...¡± Xuunah took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°I don''t want you to feel how much I want you physically.¡± She said and turned her head to look at him. ¡°I really, really want you.¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her and felt from her almost exactly what he felt from Nathalia. ¡°Oh... oh, damn.¡± He said and deactivated the statue and stored it. ¡°Um... everyone, you need to let me up.¡± The maids let him go when they felt his urgency, and Ren helped Xuunah stand up. He equipped his platinum armor and asked her to equip her Holy Armor, then he led her to the door. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Frikara asked. ¡°To make an impassioned plea.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ll be right back.¡± Ren led Xuunah downstairs and to her apartment, took her inside, and went over to the closet where she had made her Sanctuary to communicate with the Light Realm. ¡°Ren, its only for...¡± ¡°I increased the limit to 10 occupants.¡± Ren said to her surprise, then she opened the door to let him in. ¡°You don''t need to transform to communicate, either.¡± ¡°R-Ren!¡± Xuunah exclaimed as she shut the door. ¡°How did...¡± ¡°Trade secret.¡± Ren smiled and Xuunah didn''t detect a lie. ¡°G-great V-Vasalor.¡± Xuunah whispered, and Ren nodded. ¡°Just concentrate and the connection will form.¡± ¡°But... but what...¡± ¡°I''ll handle the talking when Zagatro asks what''s going on, assuming he doesn''t detect your current condition immediately.¡± Ren said. Xuunah caught her breath when she realized she hadn''t told anyone in the Light Realm that she was with child, and Ren took both of her hands and lifted them to his mouth to kiss them. He filled her with reassurance and love, and she calmed down. She nodded slightly to him and closed her eyes to form the connection to the Collective. Xuunah and Ren straightened their posture as they felt another presence inside the Sanctuary. ¡°Xuunah.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°It has been a while since... since... no, you... you couldn''t have.¡± He said, shocked. ¡°Our most sacred mandate! You... you...¡± ¡°She didn''t break it, Zagatro.¡± Ren said. ¡°I became a Light being and share-bonded with her, then Xuunah took from me what was needed.¡± ¡°That... that shouldn''t be possible.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°A Light being and a mortal can''t...¡± ¡°I wasn''t mortal at the time, and it apparently worked because she has a cute little ball of Light inside of her.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know why it takes ten years to grow, though.¡± ¡°It''s so it can learn to absorb from the Collective and be a part of the Light.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°It''s a secondary on the connection the parent has with the Collective.¡± ¡°Oh, so you wean it on the Light, so that when it''s ready to emerge, it can handle the transition from one encapsulating Light from the mother to the pulsating Light of the Collective.¡± ¡°Y-yes, that''s it exactly.¡± Zagatro said, surprised. ¡°Well, since this has happened countless times before, even with the chosen with the polymorph ability, I was wondering how they handled it.¡± In mere moments, Xuunah learned of hundreds of Light beings having children with Light beings that could polymorph, and she shared the most relevant ones with Ren. ¡°Oh, what a relief.¡± Ren said. ¡°Polymorphing doesn''t affect the child in the least, even if you don''t revert back to a Light being for the emergence.¡± He said. ¡°I was worried that changing back and forth might cause some kind of damage.¡± ¡°No, Light beings are too resilient for a little thing like flesh to interfere with their creation.¡± ¡°That''s good to know, Zagatro. Thank you.¡± ¡°If that''s all, I need to...¡± ¡°Actually, I need you to petition the Collective for a special exception for Xuunah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Both Xuunah and Zagatro said at the same time. ¡°I''ve had experience with Nathalia when she gets in a certain mood, and nothing is going to relieve her stress, except doing something that I can''t really talk about.¡± ¡°What kind of experience?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°I came back early so I could talk to you about it.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Nathalia''s pregnant.¡± Xuunah gasped and let one of Ren''s hands go to put it over her heart. ¡°That''s what that was!¡± Ren nodded. ¡°It happened pretty quickly, and I sent her back to the dwarf lands and into the care of a couple of great healers.¡± ¡°My... my...¡± Xuunah stopped talking and looked at Ren with wide eyes. ¡°You''re the father!¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I couldn''t let everyone else have their heart''s desire and not give her one of her own.¡± ¡°But... but... we... she''s...¡± ¡°Nathalia is having a child of my body and you are having a child of my mind.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know that''s an odd distinction; but it''s there, nonetheless.¡± ¡°They... they won''t be blood related and still be related at the same time.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°Ren, that...¡± She smiled. ¡°It''s too bad we can''t have them at the same time so that they can grow up together.¡± ¡°Well, considering Nathalia''s just about ready to burst and you''ve got another 10 years to go...¡± Ren started to say, and Xuunah gripped his hand hard. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I spent a year with Nathalia in my Sanctuary and got her pregnant as a dwarf, then stayed with her there until she came to term.¡± ¡°We need to go to her right now!¡± Xuunah exclaimed and reached for the door with her free hand. ¡°Wait!¡± Ren grabbed her other hand. ¡°I''m trying to explain why you need an exception.¡± ¡°I don''t care about that!¡± ¡°You will.¡± Ren said. ¡°Zagatro, can you handle feeling mortal emotions if I send them to you through Xuunah?¡± ¡°I can, but I don''t like it.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°Xuunah''s not going to like it much, either... at least, not intellectually.¡± Ren said, then let Xuunah''s hands go to cup the sides of her face. ¡°This is what Nathalia felt like after getting pregnant.¡± He said and kissed her. Xuunah couldn''t resist the feel of his lips and dropped the protections she had in place, and Ren gave her everything that Nathalia had felt during the year they were together. It took almost 10 minutes for him to relay it all, and when he was done, Xuunah''s eyes were nearly bulged out of her head in surprise. ¡°N-no, I... I can''t...¡± Xuunah shook her head. ¡°Wh-why?¡± ¡°If I had to guess, it''s a survival mechanism.¡± Ren said. ¡°The child inside needed Nathalia to feel good all of the time, so that''s what I did.¡± ¡°F-for... for a y-year.¡± Zagatro''s voice wavered. ¡°Yeah, and since Xuunah''s pregnancy is going to be for 10 years...¡± ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Xuunah and Zagatro said together, then fell silent for several minutes. ¡°Wh-what is the... exception... you propose?¡± Zagatro managed to say. ¡°It''s simple really.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your mandate is to stop Light beings from mating with mortals and creating children.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°Xuunah''s already pregnant as a Light being, so her physical body can''t get pregnant again.¡± Xuunah gasped. ¡°R-Ren! That... that means...¡± ¡°We won''t be breaking the mandate, as long as we get that distinction set up as part of the Collective.¡± ¡°That is a very fine distinction.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°Well, I am the father of her child, so I will do everything I can to help Xuunah have the best child that she can, both physically and emotionally.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just like I did for Nathalia.¡± ¡°I... I will need to... confer...¡± Zagatro stammered as he thought about who he could confer with to get this kind of subject brought up in the Collective. ¡°Take all the time that you need, as long as it''s within the next two weeks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have an appointment with the Sage of Ages that I need to get to.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Time is of the essence. I know.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°Until then, do not do anything to her.¡± ¡°I promise not to grope or paw at her; but, we are in a tiny closet and I''m going to kiss her and her belly a lot over the next two weeks.¡± Ren said, and Xuunah held in her laugh. Zagatro sighed as he felt her amusement. ¡°I''ll hurry back.¡± ¡°We''ll be here.¡± Ren smiled and then kissed a very happy Xuunah. Without being asked, she equipped the special shirt with the hole cut out, and Ren knelt to kiss her belly all over and she laughed. Chapter 724 - Little Gifts Ren and Xuunah were there for a week and a half before Zagatro came back to talk to them. It had been difficult for Ren to limit himself to just kissing her face and her belly, and it was just as difficult for Xuunah to stop herself from begging him to keep going. ¡°It was a very close debate.¡± Zagatro said when his presence finally reappeared. ¡°Ren, no one could dispute that you are the father, since Xuunah shared the moment with us; but, even so, letting a polymorphed Light being engage in debauchery with a mortal is a subject that not a lot of people wanted to discuss.¡± ¡°I can imagine.¡± Ren said. ¡°The most difficult thing to do is to face off against your ingrained beliefs and try to rationalize a decision against them.¡± ¡°I can relay it if you wish.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d like to just know the answer.¡± ¡°Once the feelings you shared of Nathalia''s experience was entered into the Collective, no one wanted to have anyone suffer it, let alone a Light being.¡± ¡°Thank Vasalor.¡± Xuunah said in relief. ¡°It really is getting near to that point for me.¡± ¡°Ren, as a representative of the Light Realm and on behalf of the Collective, I hereby issue a temporary exemption for the polymorphed body of Xuunah.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°Help her as much as you can, but please... at least have some modicum of decency when you perform such acts to relieve her stress.¡± ¡°Zagatro, I will be the upmost gentleman, as I was with Nathalia.¡± ¡°But... but those feelings...¡± ¡°I did my duty to her as the father of her child. She needed me and I did my best to do everything within my power to help her.¡± Ren said. ¡°Although, we had a previous physical and emotional relationship, so I didn''t have much difficulty performing those duties.¡± ¡°I hope you don''t have any difficulty this time, either.¡± Zagatro said. ¡°Be well, Xuunah.¡± ¡°If it would please the Collective, I could share the birth...¡± Zagatro chuckled. ¡°I doubt they would allow Ren to enter the realm again.¡± ¡°I doubted that, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you for your help, Zagatro.¡± ¡°I would normally say it was a pleasure, but this was one of the most uncomfortable meetings I''ve had in a while.¡± ¡°You and me both.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Goodbye, Zagatro.¡± ¡°Goodbye, Ren. Goodbye, Xuunah.¡± ¡°Goodbye, old friend.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I''ll keep you updated.¡± ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Zagatro said, and they felt his amusement. ¡°The less we know of the details, the better. For all of us.¡± His presence faded away, and Xuunah opened the door of the closet to end the Sanctuary spell. Ren and Xuunah stepped out and she shut the door, then they exchanged looks as they stood there and faced each other. ¡°So...¡± Ren said. ¡°So...¡± Xuunah said back. ¡°I love you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Xuunah responded. ¡°I want to tear off your clothes and have my fairly dirty mortal way with you.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°My body really wants you to do that.¡± Xuunah smiled back. ¡°But, my brain says we should wait.¡± ¡°My brain agrees, unfortunately.¡± Ren chuckled and motioned to the door. They left her apartment and went back upstairs to Ren''s apartment, then met the maids after equipping their normal clothing. Ren wore his fancy blue suit and Xuunah wore a nice dress that accentuated her ample bustline. ¡°We didn''t feel anything, so is everything okay?¡± Frikara asked with concern in both her voice and her emotions. ¡°Everything is great.¡± Ren said. ¡°Better than great. It''s stupendous.¡± ¡°You don''t sound enthusiastic about it.¡± ¡°That''s because I have an appointment to get to.¡± Ren said and helped Xuunah climb back onto the bed. He gave her a kiss, then gave one to each of the maids and went to the door. ¡°I''ll be back later.¡± ¡°Have fun on your date with the Sage of Ages.¡± The maids said and waved, and he left the apartment, ran down the stairs, and went outside. He made it to the Library down the street barely 10 seconds later and went inside. ¡°Ren!¡± Rosie exclaimed and waved. Ren ran over to her desk. ¡°Shh!¡± He waved her to be quiet. ¡°We''re in a Library!¡± Rosie chuckled. ¡°No one is in here this early.¡± ¡°Oh? Where''s your grandmother?¡± Ren quickly looked around and didn''t see her. ¡°Sleeping like a log in one of your comfy beds.¡± Rosie laughed. ¡°She''ll be by later.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°How do you like running the place?¡± ¡°Oh, it''s a dream come true!¡± Rosie said and adjusted her glasses. ¡°Having a night Librarian and two assistants is a big help, too.¡± ¡°Hi, Rosie!¡± A young girl''s voice boomed across the room, and they both laughed. ¡°Wait! Is that the sound of an angel I hear?¡± Ren asked loudly as he felt the young girl run over to the reception desk. ¡°Don''t be silly!¡± The young girl said and giggled. ¡°It''s just me!¡± Ren turned to her with a big smile and she held a hand out to him automatically. ¡°It''s really nice to see you again, Falla.¡± He said and took Fern Farnham''s daughter''s hand, bent over it, and kissed the back of it. ¡°You''re getting so tall that I don''t have to kneel for you anymore.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Falla giggled again, because she just had a growth spurt and was close to his height. ¡°I had a birthday!¡± ¡°Oh, no!¡± Ren exclaimed in mock horror to make her laugh. He knelt on one knee, which put his head below hers, and she had to look down at him to keep looking at his face. ¡°I''m so sorry that I missed it.¡± Falla''s face flushed a little red because he hadn''t let her hand go and held it tenderly. ¡°M-my K-king...¡± ¡°Now, now. You''ve known me too long to call me that.¡± Ren grinned at her blush. ¡°So, what would you like as a birthday present?¡± ¡°I... I...¡± ¡°It''s all right. You don''t have to answer right away.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can think about what it is that you want, and I''ll do my best to try and give it to you when you do decide, okay?¡± Falla nodded and Ren stood up. He gave her hand a slight squeeze and let it go. ¡°I''ve got an appointment with the Sage of Ages, so I''ll be back out in a few minutes.¡± Ren said for both Falla''s and Rosie''s benefit. ¡°You know, I never did understand why you two started dating.¡± Rosie said. ¡°It''s simple really.¡± Ren said. ¡°She saw the possibility that we could be a great couple together, so she kissed me. A lot.¡± Both Falla''s and Rosie''s faces flushed to a deep red, and he chuckled. ¡°It wasn''t quite that simple, but that was the essence of it.¡± Ren said. ¡°She can be forceful when push comes to shove.¡± Rosie took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°So, my grandmother was right.¡± ¡°About what?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I should have confessed to you a long time ago, and I missed my chance to be near the front of the line.¡± Rosie said before she could stop herself. Ren held a hand out to her and she took it, and he eased her out from behind the desk. ¡°There''s no line, Rosie.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I told the other people in my life, it''s a circle. Sometimes it gets bigger and sometimes it gets smaller; but, there''s no competition.¡± ¡°R-Ren, I...¡± Rosie sighed. ¡°We could have been having fun this whole time.¡± ¡°We have been having fun this whole time.¡± Ren smiled and took her into a hug. ¡°You''ve been my friend for almost as long as I''ve been an Adventurer.¡± Rosie opened her mouth to say something, then understood what he meant and nodded instead. ¡°We couldn''t have had that kind of fun for a while, anyways.¡± Ren chuckled, and she blushed again. ¡°It took me a long time to build up the courage to open my heart again after my first girlfriend and I broke up. In fact, I was in the dwarf lands for quite some time before I slept with Nathalia, and that wasn''t until we had been engaged for a while.¡± ¡°...and now?¡± ¡°I try to mitigate the impact my presence has on women.¡± Ren said. ¡°I even gained the Unobtrusive skill.¡± Rosie gasped at that, and he nodded. ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± She said and put her arms around him. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Ren felt a tug on his suit coat and looked at Falla. ¡°Why is she thanking you?¡± Falla asked. ¡°My new skill makes everyone ignore me, unless I let them see me.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I saw him as soon as he entered the Library.¡± Rosie said, and you could hear the smile in her voice. ¡°He didn''t just magically appear like he could have.¡± ¡°Unlike a lot of normal people, Rosie is one of the people I won''t ever try to hide myself from.¡± ¡°Why would you hide?¡± Falla asked. ¡°People notice him wherever he goes and react in some way because of his titles and position.¡± Rosie said. ¡°Now, they don''t have to and Ren won''t be a distraction for them.¡± Falla thought about that for a minute. ¡°So, it''s okay to be a distraction for Rosie?¡± Ren chuckled and let Rosie go, then gave Falla a hug, too. ¡°I''ll be back out in a few minutes.¡± * Rosie and Falla watched him walk across the room and enter the side hallway. ¡°You saw him this whole time, too.¡± Rosie whispered to Falla, who stared at her with wide eyes. ¡°Let''s get the daily reading material out onto the desks.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Falla said and they went to work. * ¡°She''s pretty cute.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Which one?¡± Ren asked and walked down the hallway to open the other door, and Teepo chittered in laughter. They went inside and went over to Lara''s desk, and saw she was sitting on the edge of it with an odd-shaped book in her hands. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Lara said, put a bookmark in the book, and stored it. ¡°Did you have fun teasing that poor little girl?¡± ¡°Little! She''s almost as tall as me, now!¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°At least you didn''t blow her mind by giving her a kiss, too.¡± ¡°I kissed her hand.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her, and she shook her head. ¡°Not until we get inside my closet... ah... apartment.¡± Lara corrected, and Ren nodded. ¡°You''ve warned me a few times now about trying to absorb everything too quickly.¡± Ren followed her to the proper door and she opened it, and he stepped in as Teepo hopped off to land on the wall, and Lara closed the door behind herself. ¡°Ren, I can''t believe you did this.¡± Lara said and took his hand, and brought him into the living room and flopped down onto the couch. It pulled him down on top of her and she laughed as they had a quick wrestling match and ended up laying down and made out for several minutes. Ren eventually broke the kiss and caressed the side of her face. ¡°When I had the opportunity to fix everything, Vasalor said that it was okay for me to change things to make them better.¡± He said and sat up. ¡°One of the first things I did was change this tiny and insufficient closet into a place where you could actually relax and get away from the rest of the world when you wanted to, rather than it only be the vehicle for you to travel to different libraries.¡± ¡°Oh! That reminds me.¡± Lara said and sat up herself. ¡°When I transitioned into the white loading area, it showed me this gigantic library full of books.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°That was something Vasalor and I came up with. Rather than the bland normal area, the game uses your preferences and class skills to choose the best comforting environment for someone to transfer without causing any stress.¡± ¡°I... I did feel a lot more relaxed.¡± Lara said, a bit surprised. ¡°It wasn''t as jarring to go from pure white to the game.¡± ¡°That was the point.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, is it real?¡± Lara asked, and Ren started to laugh. She smacked his arm and laughed, too. ¡°You know what I mean!¡± ¡°Yes, and it''s real. You saw it, didn''t you?¡± ¡°I didn''t have time to walk around and explore before I was shifted into the game.¡± Lara said. ¡°Is it just an image, or is it real?¡± Ren opened his mouth to respond with a joke, and she covered his mouth with a hand. ¡°Is it a library that you built inside the game, with actual books and everything!¡± Lara almost yelled, and he laughed into her hand. Ren moved her hand out of the way. ¡°It''s kind of fun teasing you, you know.¡± ¡°Ren, don''t take it too far.¡± Lara said sternly. ¡°I can take some carrying on, but when it comes to books...¡± Ren cupped the side of her face for a moment, then took her hand. He stood up and she had to as well, and he walked over to the wall of the living room where a picture of the inside of a library hung. ¡°This is the image of the library you appeared in, right?¡± Lara nodded and touched the spot where she had stood. ¡°I was right there.¡± Ren nodded and pulled her back slightly, then pointed to the picture frame. ¡°Push there.¡± Lara shrugged mentally and pushed on the right side of the picture frame. It pushed in slightly, clicked, and her mouth dropped open in shock as the picture and part of the wall sprung open like a door and revealed that the picture was actually a screenshot of what was in the next room. ¡°REN!¡± Lara yelled. ¡°Welcome to the collective works of the entire human race, Lisa.¡± Ren said, and she shivered slightly as he used her real name. ¡°Well, with the caveat that it''s only books that have been scanned in electronically, I mean.¡± ¡°Oh... oh, my god.¡± Lara said. She was stunned into immobility and couldn''t take a step forward, no matter how much she tried. ¡°It... it''s massive!¡± ¡°There''s a lot of books in the world.¡± Ren said and smiled as he saw her inability to move forward. ¡°Let me give you a hand, darling.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lara turned to look at him, and he picked her up in a princess carry, with an arm behind her back and one under her knees, and stepped over the threshold. ¡°Since abilities don''t work inside your space, they''ll have to be read normally and not absorbed like you usually do them.¡± Ren said. ¡°They also can''t be removed from here.¡± ¡°They... they''re protected?¡± Lara asked as she put her arms around his neck. Ren nodded. ¡°They are all read only and can''t be modified or removed, with backups on both the servers at Sid Tec and here at the house.¡± ¡°Oh... oh, Ren!¡± Lara exclaimed and kissed him. He stood there for several minutes with her in his arms, then she broke the kiss. ¡°Wait, did... did you...¡± ¡°They were all obtained legally from libraries all around the world, and when that wasn''t possible, I bought the e-books.¡± ¡°REN!¡± Lara gasped. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That... that was...¡± ¡°If you''re wondering how much I spent, it was just over a hundred thousand dollars.¡± Ren said. Lara''s mouth dropped open at the ridiculous amount that he had spent to give her a library, then she took a sharp breath and fainted. ¡°Oops.¡± Ren chuckled. Chapter 725 - Other Reactions Ren brought Lara back out to her apartment and laid her on her bed, then closed the door to her library. ¡°I probably shouldn''t have told you how much it was.¡± He said and climbed onto the bed with her to wait. He was tempted to use a few potions to wake her, then figured it would be better to let her sleep and then wake up on her own. * Elerlyth was in the bakery and eating some of the tastiest fried dough pieces she had ever had, when she felt Ren appear, then his presence disappeared again. ¡°Goddammit.¡± Elerlyth said, and the woman serving her looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Sorry, I just felt Ren appear and then disappear.¡± Ramona laughed. ¡°He used to do that all the time, you know.¡± She said. ¡°He''s been gone for a while, though.¡± ¡°Do you know why?¡± Elerlyth asked, curious if the NPC would know. ¡°Of course. Patty heard from both the maids and Xuunah that his presence was causing them harm because of this Sea Dweller nonsense.¡± Ramona said. ¡°That crazy stuff?¡± Betsie asked as she came over with the next order of fried dough. ¡°I''m really glad Ren took that ambassador back before it all happened.¡± ¡°Oh, I know!¡± Ramona chuckled. ¡°I''m so glad that Babylon is keeping all the riffraff out!¡± ¡°Riffraff?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°Knight and soldier patrols from the surrounding counties.¡± Ramona said. ¡°Babylon will let visitors in, but not people with wicked intent.¡± ¡°Wait, that''s the second time you''ve said Babylon. Who''s that?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°He''s the sentient wall around the county.¡± Betsie said. ¡°He''s the WHAT?¡± Elerlyth exclaimed. ¡°Why wouldn''t you know that?¡± Ramona chuckled. ¡°You live here, right?¡± ¡°I... haven''t been around much the last little while.¡± Elerlyth said a little sadly. Ramona nodded and pat her arm. ¡°Do you know about the starter city full of ghoul kissed?¡± ¡°Ren brought the High Elves here?¡± Elerlyth asked. ¡°High Elves?¡± Ramona laughed. ¡°Of course not! They''re all humans from the Human Kingdom.¡± Ramona said. ¡°The city is nearly full to bursting, too.¡± ¡°But... when...¡± ¡°Wow, you really haven''t been around in a while.¡± Ramona said. ¡°I''ve only heard the story a couple hundred times now...¡± ¡°...not counting overhearing it.¡± Betsie said and laughed from the next table where she served another plate of fried dough pieces. ¡°Oh, nearly a thousand if I count that!¡± Ramona laughed, too. ¡°I''d like to hear it if you have the time.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°I can do you one better.¡± Ramona said and turned to the counter. ¡°Nessie! I''ve got a hot one for you!¡± ¡°Ooo! Fresh ears!¡± A woman came over to the counter, picked up a loaf of bread, a knife, and a plate with butter on it, then jumped the counter like it wasn''t there and slid across the floor to end right beside Elerlyth''s table and sat down. ¡°The bread''s on me!¡± Ramona laughed and pat Nessie on the shoulder, then left her to tell her fantastical tale to Elerlyth. Nessie expertly cut several slices of bread off the loaf, buttered them, then handed a piece to Elerlyth. She took it and Nessie started to tell her all about how Ren had come into the hospital ward and rescued her from the most horrible fate she had ever imagined for herself. Drudgery. ******** Dana and Gretchen sat beside each other in class and stared at Dana''s cell phone at all the notifications, message postings, and updates from Ren''s fan site and the game''s main web site. ¡°Can you believe it?¡± Gretchen whispered and tried to lean in closer to look at the small screen. ¡°Ren couldn''t have fixed the game.¡± She said, disbelief in her voice. ¡°He... he couldn''t have... could he?¡± ¡°Considering it''s all over the net, and even posted from the official site as a press release, he would have had to do it.¡± Dana whispered back. ¡°I didn''t think he had that kind of smarts, though.¡± Gretchen chuckled under her breath. ¡°Dana, did you expect him to just be some blonde airhead?¡± Dana''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise, and Gretchen covered her own mouth to stop from laughing. There was another vibration from her cell phone and Dana checked the message popup and gasped. ¡°Do you have something to add to the class, Miss Harrison?¡± The teacher asked, and Dana looked up at her with wide eyes. ¡°No, miss.¡± Dana said. ¡°I just need the bathroom.¡± The teacher sighed, then waved a hand towards the door. ¡°Then hurry up and go. You''re disturbing the rest of the class.¡± ¡°Sorry, miss.¡± Dana said and stood up, grabbed her things. No one said anything, then she grabbed Gretchen and hauled her to her feet. She grabbed her things as well, and the two of them quickly left the classroom. ¡°What was it?¡± Gretchen asked when they were part way down the hallway. ¡°An audio interview from Ren.¡± Dana said and opened the door to the bathroom. They entered and checked the other stalls, then Gretchen leaned against the wall and Dana sat down on the closest sink, then hit the play button. ¡°So, Ren.¡± Barbi''s voice said. ¡°How do you like being a celebrity?¡± Ren''s laugh sounded genuine, even on a cell phone''s speaker. ¡°I''m not famous or a celebrity...¡± Dana and Gretchen listened intently as Ren was interviewed, and commented as new tidbits of information were revealed. ¡°Ren has a toy line coming?¡± Dana asked. ¡°I''m entering that draw!¡± Gretchen chuckled and they kept listening. ¡°The show''s cancelled, so they''re going to stream the next episodes!¡± Gretchen said excitedly, and listened some more. ¡°He admitted he helped fix the game.¡± Dana said. ¡°I wonder how...¡± They kept listening as the interview went on, and their eyes widened as Ren described going through each individual file to repair the damage from the Water Works update, and they were amazed at the detail he gave.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°He... he must have done it.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I don''t know any programming stuff, but he sure sounds like he knows what he''s doing.¡± Dana nodded and then they both gasped as Ren said how monumentally stupid the network had been for cancelling the show on a cliffhanger. ¡°Oh, my god! He''s right!¡± Dana exclaimed. ¡°He fell into the bottomless pit at the end of the last episode!¡± ¡°That station is so screwed.¡± Gretchen said, and they both laughed. ¡°What''s going on in here?¡± A girl asked as she stepped into the bathroom. ¡°Do you watch Ren''s show?¡± Dana asked, and the girl nodded. ¡°Then you need to listen to this.¡± Dana said and hit play again. More girls came into the bathroom at the sound of Ren''s voice, and they quickly forgot their indignation of having a boy in their bathroom and joined the impromptu audience. * The judge came back from lunch and saw that most of the people that usually sat in the audience were now missing, and the space behind the plaintiff''s table had a few more people wearing suits. He looked at them for another few moments and recognized several of their faces. Well, damn. I know what that means. The judge thought as he opened the next folder and the new lawyer at the desk handed a thumb drive to the bailiff. He humored himself about automatically ruling in Ren''s lawyer''s favor, just so he wouldn''t have to sit through another section of that horrible video, then pushed that absurd thought from his head. He hadn''t dismissed that first case because he didn''t want to be known as a prejudicial judge, so he wasn''t going to do it now. He wanted them to prove their case, like the good judge that he was, and if they didn''t meet their burden of proof... he could censure them for wasting his time and for making him watch that poor boy again. Fortunately for Ren''s lawyers, they were very good at their job. For the rest of the day, none of them lost a case or were censured, and the judge had the distinct benefit of watching the entire video and seeing all of the paper evidence. The photos were the worst, since they weren''t stills of the video and were actual photos taken at the time of the experiments and in the hospital after Ren had been rescued. * ¡°Hey, aren''t you going to call the police?¡± Trisha Takinawa asked. ¡°No.¡± One of the guards said as the van pulled out of the driveway and then left Emerald Estates. ¡°Where are you taking us?¡± The camera man asked. ¡°To the special task force headquarters.¡± The guard said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You see, we know all about the police chief being involved in this mess, and the mayor, and the senator for the state.¡± The guard said, and Trisha''s eyes widened. ¡°That''s right. If we delivered you to the police, you''d be out on a technicality by tonight, and we can''t let that happen.¡± ¡°You... you can''t just hold us for no reason!¡± The guard laughed. ¡°No reason?¡± He pointed to the fake camera that another guard was working on. ¡°You were gathering information about Mr. Haddon''s associates and downloading all of the computer information you could get your hands on.¡± ¡°That... that''s not...¡± The camera man stopped talking, and the guard laughed. ¡°Yeah, it''s difficult to protest innocence with it right in front of your face.¡± The guard said. ¡°Oh, and before you tell us that we can''t hold you for more than a certain time limit, people who commit domestic terrorism can be held indefinitely, or until formally charged.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Trisha stammered, and he smiled. ¡°Don''t even think about arguing that it''s not terrorism.¡± The guard said. ¡°You know for a fact that boy is going to be hurt by whatever information you gathered today.¡± Trisha closed her mouth, because she couldn''t argue that the information wasn''t going to be used. ¡°You even violated the code of ethics of your profession when...¡± The guard stopped talking when they went over a particularly hard bump. ¡°Ah, we''re here.¡± The doors at the back of the van were opened and the two prisoners were removed. ¡°You can''t just... keep us.¡± The camera man said. ¡°That''s where you''re wrong.¡± The guard said as he stepped out behind them and tapped the side of the van. ¡°This is a Faraday Cage.¡± The camera man opened his mouth for a moment, then closed it. ¡°Yeah, no tracking device will work through it.¡± ¡°What about my car?¡± Trisha asked. ¡°It''s being delivered to your house as we speak.¡± The guard said. ¡°As far as anyone knows, you went home after going to Mr. Haddon''s.¡± The two prisoners were escorted across the large underground garage and to an elevator that went down instead of up. No one said anything as the doors opened into what looked like an office building, and the people there turned to look. ¡°Wh-what is this place?¡± Trisha asked. ¡°The best personal security firm in the country.¡± The guard said. ¡°Well, we''re trying to be the best.¡± He smiled. ¡°Our current client has shown us that we need to change how we do some things.¡± ¡°These the new people?¡± A man asked, and the guard nodded. ¡°Put them in cells across from each other.¡± ¡°Are you sure that...¡± ¡°We can''t have them in the same cell, especially if the guy tries to kill the weaker link.¡± The man said, and Trisha''s eyes widened at his casual dismissal of her potential murder, then she glanced at Bob and saw that he wasn''t looking at her. She shivered slightly and kept her face blank. They were brought to the holding area and had their handcuffs removed, then left in cells across from each other. When the guards left, Bob tried to talk to her. ¡°Trisha, look.¡± Bob said. ¡°It''s not like that...¡± Trisha didn''t respond and sat down to face away from him, because she didn''t want to see Bob''s indifferent face anymore. ******** Lara woke up on her own and saw that she was laying down on her soft and comfy bed. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said, and she quickly sat up. ¡°REN!¡± Lara yelled. ¡°Shh, it''s okay.¡± Ren sat up himself and rubbed her back. Lara turned and looked at the picture on the wall and looked back at him. ¡°Did... did you really...¡± ¡°I knew you''d like it; but, I didn''t think it would make you faint.¡± Ren said, concern in his voice. ¡°I... I...¡± Lara took several deep breaths and covered her face. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I can block it off if you want...¡± ¡°NO!¡± Lara gasped, then dropped her hands. ¡°No, I... it was just...¡± She took another breath. ¡°Why did you spend so much?¡± ¡°Actually, you mean ''why did you spend so little''.¡± Ren corrected her, and she looked at him with surprise on her face. ¡°Corporations get a deal when buying items from companies they own stock in.¡± ¡°Wh-what... what...¡± ¡°Do you remember my last birthday when Elise gave me that stock portfolio?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°One of the stocks she gave me was for an e-book publisher.¡± Lara''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°She knows how much I liked reading books when I was younger and had lots of free time on my hands.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also suspect she remembered my reaction the first time I stepped inside the Aurora Library.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°I didn''t think it would benefit me much, then when all of this happened with the game, I realized what I really had access to when Vasalor and I spent so much time fixing things.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I gave new meaning to the word ''volume discount'' when I bought the e-book company''s entire content library.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I got them for pennies on the dollar.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course, once I did a few inquiries to other companies and they discovered I could drop a significant amount of money into their accounts right away...¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Lara whispered. ¡°Yeah, making 10,000 or 20,000 dollars instead of 2 or 5 dollars, really makes people want to give their stuff away.¡± ¡°Ren, you... you shouldn''t have...¡± ¡°I know you aren''t as fussy on using electronic devices to read as you are using real books, so I figured this would be the best compromise.¡± ¡°W-wait.¡± Lara turned and put a hand on his chest. ¡°Did you say electronic devices?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°You can access the library from the real world.¡± He said. ¡°It''s even sorted by-mhmm!¡± Lara kissed him hard and pushed him back down onto the bed, then she stored her clothing to show that she was very ready for him. He stored his own clothing and she saw that he was just as ready for her. ¡°I love you so much, darling.¡± Lara said and joined with him. Neither of them spoke, except for moans of pleasure, for longer than either of them could have imagined. * ¡°That''s a great story, right?¡± Nessie asked Elerlyth as she finished off the loaf of bread. ¡°The liberation of the sick and injured from a life of drudgery, and brought to the promised land!¡± Elerlyth snorted a laugh, and Nessie laughed. ¡°Yes, I exaggerated that last part, but...¡± Nessie leaned in conspiratorially. ¡°...getting to choose where you want to live and where you want to work, or even start something new, has been the best thing for everyone.¡± She said and sat back. ¡°I never imagined I''d get to work in a real bakery, and this place is better than any bakery I''ve ever seen!¡± ¡°I think you''ve used up your break.¡± Ramona said as she came over to the table. ¡°You''re right! I just finished my loaf!¡± Nessie said and stood up. ¡°Thanks for letting me talk your cute pointy ear off.¡± She said and grabbed the plate and knife, took a quick run towards the counter and hopped over it like it was nothing again, then slid across the space to the sink and tossed in the dirty dishes. She took two steps over to the giant mortar and pestle and sat down to crank the mechanism. The thing whirled around quickly and she pulled the lever to add more wheat to it to make more flour. ¡°Holy crap.¡± Elerlyth said, and Ramona chuckled. ¡°Yeah, she''s a lot stronger than you''d think by just looking at her.¡± Ramona said. ¡°She also loves working here as much as we do.¡± Elerlyth looked up at her, and Ramona smiled. ¡°Is there anything else we can get for you?¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± Elerlyth said and held out a gold coin. Ramona chuckled and closed Elerlyth''s hand over the money as she leaned in close. ¡°Residents don''t need to tip.¡± ¡°It''s not a tip, it''s a thank you.¡± Elerlyth said and opened her hand, then put the coin in Ramona''s hand and closed it. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It''s always nice to meet someone new.¡± Ramona said. ¡°Have a great day.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Elerlyth said and left the bakery to walk back across the road and took out several fried dough pieces to feed to her steed, Etheria. I wonder how long Ren''s going to be? She asked herself and let her Emotion Siphon ability take some of her steed''s enjoyment of the treats. Chapter 726 - A Couple More Meetings Ren sat up in bed and opened the player menu. ¡°I guess I better go.¡± ¡°Hm? What?¡± Lara rolled over to put a hand on his back. ¡°Despite how tempting it is to stay here with you for a lot longer, I need to get back so I can spend the day in the Fire Realm.¡± Lara sighed and sat up. ¡°I suppose I could let you out of my sight for a while.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Just pop out to your desk and I''ll only be gone for a day.¡± ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Lara asked and gave him a hug. ¡°With all these books to wade through?!?¡± ¡°Hey, now. Don''t overload on them.¡± Ren said. ¡°You need to meet me for supper, remember?¡± Lara slid her hands down to his chest. ¡°Wait, how can I tell what time it is? I was used to the time compression before; but, since you changed it...¡± ¡°Just open the player menu.¡± Ren said. Lara let him go and did so, then saw the different time codes at the top. ¡°Ren! You added real time displays!¡± ¡°Thinking of Teepo while I was with Vasalor gave me the idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been so used to having Teepo keep track of time for me, that I figured the least I could do is show people what time it is in the real world and in the Earth Realm.¡± ¡°Will everyone have the third option?¡± Lara asked as it showed her the time inside her closet. ¡°No, that only displays if you''re inside a time compressed area.¡± Ren said. ¡°That way, you can keep track of when you need to leave.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Lara said and closed it, then leaned close and gave him a kiss. ¡°What other little tidbits did you add to make the game better to play?¡± ¡°I''m sure you''ll find them all eventually.¡± Ren said. ¡°Walk me out, will you?¡± Lara nodded and they equipped their clothing, then she led him to the door of her apartment. ¡°I really can''t thank you enough, Ren.¡± She said and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°I''m pretty sure you made a lot of headway in that regard.¡± Ren said and waggled his eyebrows at her. Lara laughed and gave him a kiss, let him go, then opened the door. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°Bye, Baby.¡± Ren said and stepped out without kissing her goodbye, because he knew not to touch her with the door open. He didn''t want to overwhelm her with everything he had done, so he just waved to her and Teepo dropped onto his shoulder. Ren walked across the storage area to the door, opened it, then walked down the hallway. He stopped in the break room and made two cups of coffee, stored the milk and sugar with them into his inventory, then left the side hallway to see Rosie was back behind her desk and Falla was putting some books back on one of the shelves. ¡°You weren''t joking when you said you would only be a few minutes.¡± Rosie said. ¡°I couldn''t stay because I have an appointment to get to.¡± Ren said and glanced at Falla before whispering. ¡°Do you have any idea what she would like for her birthday?¡± Rosie shook her head. ¡°She hasn''t mentioned needing or wanting anything since she started coming here.¡± ¡°What''s her reading rank?¡± ¡°She''s already up to B.¡± Rosie said proudly. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m really far behind.¡± ¡°Are you?¡± Rosie asked, and Ren looked at her with a single raised eyebrow. She smiled sweetly and touched the side of his face. ¡°I don''t believe that the Creator''s Assistant didn''t read any books.¡± Ren took in a quick breath and let it out. ¡°Rosie...¡± ¡°I''m not even going to ask you to prove the knowledge you have.¡± Rosie said. ¡°Library Card, please.¡± Ren took it out and gave it to her, and she held onto his hand. His eyes widened as she took out a short knife and cut his palm with it, then pressed the card onto the wound. The card glowed for a moment and changed color from white to red, so she lifted it to see that his palm was already healed and smiled. ¡°There you go.¡± Rosie said and handed him the card back. ¡°I don''t know how many times you read your stat books; but, each and every time you did gave you one little notch on the card.¡± Ren looked at the card and examined it.
Library Car Holder - Ren
Rank: Platinum Books Read: XXXXXX
¡°Re-reading the same book can still give you reading experience?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°It''s still reading, isn''t it?¡± Rosie asked, and he had to admit that it was. ¡°It''s not the same as reading new material, since you''re not gaining new knowledge, but it still counts.¡± ¡°Thanks a lot, Rosie.¡± Ren said. ¡°Is there anything...¡± ¡°One of these days, can we go to the amusement park together?¡± Rosie asked. ¡°I''m a little too scared to go there by myself.¡± ¡°I''ll talk to the Fire Deity and see if I can get a day off.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a few quests I need to finish, and they can only be done during the day. I think.¡± ¡°You think?¡± Rosie asked. ¡°I could try them at night, but if almost everything closes down at night...¡± Rosie nodded. ¡°You better get going if you want to keep your appointment.¡± ¡°Bye, Rosie.¡± Ren said and walked over to Falla. ¡°My Lady, it was a pleasure seeing you again.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°When you decide what you want for your birthday, let Rosie know. She''ll get the word to the maids and they''ll tell me.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°I have an idea of what you want, but I don''t want to disappoint you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Take your time, think about it, and I''ll do my best to give it to you.¡± Falla nodded and held her hand out. Ren smiled and took it, kissed the back of it and gave her a regal bow, then left the Library. * ¡°Oh... my... god.¡± Elerlyth panted as she felt Ren appear. She rested her head against her Phantom Steed and tried to catch her breath as she fed the last treat to Etheria. She tried her best to stop her ability from reaching out and consuming Ren''s emotions, then she felt him running towards her. She stepped back from her mount and stood in front of the door to the Main House, and Ren came to a stop right in front of her.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Elerlyth, I''m glad you''re still here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was just about to message you.¡± ¡°You were?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I''ve got a couple of minutes before I need to go to the Fire Realm, so I figured I could spend them with you and listen to what happened to you in real life today.¡± ¡°It''s going to take more than a few minutes to...¡± Elerlyth stopped talking when Ren took out the Vasalor Statue. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°A heavily modified Sanctuary spell.¡± Ren said. ¡°Shall we go inside and up to the meeting room? We can relax and chat there without anyone coming around to disturb us.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Elerlyth said, a little uncomfortable. Ren chuckled and held an elbow out to her. ¡°Relax, I changed it to remove the potential danger it posed to those not used to it.¡± ¡°B-but...¡± ¡°I can set the time dilation to any factor when I turn it on.¡± Ren said and led her inside and up the stairs. ¡°I won''t activate it until we sit down, though.¡± Elerlyth let him lead her over to one of the comfy couches and they sat down close together; but, not too close together. Ren smiled at her and put the statue on the table beside the couch and activated it. ¡°Now, tell me all about what happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said and took out the two cups of coffee, milk, sugar, and utensils. ¡°Thanks to my quick visit to Tiatha, she taught me how to buffer my emotions before sharing them.¡± He said, and added a bit of milk and several sugars to his cup. ¡°How did she do that?¡± Elerlyth asked and took hers black with nothing in it. ¡°Lots and lots of practice.¡± Ren said with a smile. Elerlyth recognized that smile, and sighed because he would never have that smile because of her anymore. ¡°I''m really sorry.¡± ¡°I know you are.¡± Ren said and held out his free hand to her. ¡°I won''t even try to overload you with emotions, even though I''ve had eons to deal with what happened.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°We can only ever be friends, Elerlyth.¡± Ren said and waggled his hand. ¡°It''s your choice to take it or leave it.¡± ¡°I... I can''t believe I''m on the receiving end of this dilemma now.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Yeah, being friends with someone you''ve had intimate relations with is a lot more difficult than breaking everything off cold turkey and never seeing them again.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, since I figured we''d be seeing each other a lot in the game, especially with the parks here and the undeniable smorgasbord that all those emotions provide, I couldn''t in good conscience ignore you or your needs.¡± ¡°But... you said...¡± ¡°I won''t ever have sex with you, so you won''t get that euphoric rush feeling from me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can still share a lot with you as a friend, though.¡± Elerlyth thought about saying no. She wanted to tell him that she couldn''t sit there and not kiss him to get those tasty emotions he always had, then she thought about her situation and how everything was up in the air for her. She sighed and put her hand in his, then closed her eyes. She sat there for an unknown period of time and just sucked in everything he offered. Underneath it all was a distinct feeling of unrequited love and denied desire, and she did her best to not react as she fed on it. ¡°So, can you tell me about what happened this morning?¡± Ren asked. Elerlyth opened her eyes to look at him, and she saw his desire for her in his eyes. ¡°S-sure.¡± She said, and relayed everything that had happened at the garage with the mayor, Frank, and Stella''s brother. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. He had kept a hold of her hand and fed her a steady flow of emotions the whole time. ¡°I thought I''d have good news for you to cheer you up, and then you tell me that you might not have a job at all.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The law firm that handles my affairs, managed to get injunctions filed today against the company you wanted to work for.¡± Elerlyth''s mouth dropped open and he felt her shock. ¡°But... but... but...¡± ¡°Yeah. I figured it would be weeks before they would bring it up when the court case came up; but, Elise showed me that the law firm managed to get all of the pending cases to be heard today.¡± ¡°Wh-what? H-how?¡± ¡°The head of the law firm is brothers with the head of the Supreme Court.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Oh, and it''s an election year next year.¡± Oh, my god. Elerlyth thought. I... I was really, really stupid! Imagine if I''d taken that job! ¡°You''re really lucky that you didn''t take that job.¡± Ren said, parroting her thoughts. ¡°If what I saw from the results of that case is any indication, everyone involved is going to be raked through the mud by the news media.¡± Elerlyth nodded several times and drank her coffee, then he gave her hand a squeeze. ¡°Now I suppose it''s my turn to tell you what happened to me.¡± Ren said and took a drink of coffee himself. ¡°Wait.¡± Elerlyth let his hand go and put her cup down. ¡°Can... can you...¡± ¡°You don''t really want to feel that, do you?¡± ¡°It scared me, Ren.¡± Elerlyth said. ¡°Not the fake stuff we can cause in others. I was genuinely afraid.¡± Ren opened his mouth to tell her no, then sighed and put down his coffee cup down, too. He thought about everything he felt while with Vasalor and made a gun shape with his hand and pointed with his index finger. He very slowly moved it towards her face, and as it approached, he felt her fear burst out past her control. She started to tremble as his finger came closer and closer to her forehead, and she felt the immense pressure of his emotions. ¡°Oh... oh, god.¡± Elerlyth whispered. Just before his finger touched her, she told him to stop. Ren moved his hand away and stopped thinking about those emotions and heard Elerlyth panting heavily. She also looked like she had exhausted herself by fighting her reactions. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Ren asked and touched her face, and her whole body jumped as all of her muscles contracted at once. It had been automatic, because she had expected to feel all of those emotions in one rushing moment, then her body flopped down onto the couch as she relaxed from the scare. ¡°W-wow.¡± Elerlyth managed to say. ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to scare you.¡± Ren said and tried to take his hand back. ¡°I was just...¡± ¡°Concerned, I know.¡± Elerlyth caught his hand and put it back on her face. ¡°You''re only the second person to ever cause real fear in me, Ren.¡± Ren remembered when she had been almost completely drained by that Dark Elf hunter that time, and he brought all those feelings up to give to her. ¡°Oh, god!¡± Elerlyth closed her eyes and trembled as her ability sucked in everything he offered, then she gained another level. She held her own emotions in check as his emotions flooded into her like a river, and she closed her eyes to let her ability handle it without having to think about it. After staying like that for nearly 10 minutes, Ren eased the flow down to a trickle and she opened her eyes to look at him. ¡°That was an apology.¡± Ren said and slowly slid his hand down her face to her neck, across her shoulder, then let her go. ¡°I won''t scare you like that again.¡± ¡°But... Ren, I...¡± ¡°Yeah, I know you liked it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also know you hated it.¡± Elerlyth thought about denying it, then didn''t say anything. ¡°I''ll let Elise and the others know about what happened to you.¡± Ren said and picked up the Vasalor statue, deactivated it and stored it, then stored the coffee cups and things. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± ¡°See you later.¡± Elerlyth said, and watched as he walked over to his apartment and went inside. She stood up, a bit shakily, then walked over to the stairs. She made it down them without incident, without realizing Ren was watching her the whole time, and she went outside to her mount. ¡°Let''s go have some fun.¡± Elerlyth said and climbed onto Etheria''s saddle, and they flew up into the air and disappeared from sight. Ren put away the All-Seeing Mirror, turned back to the apartment door, and opened it. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Wait, shouldn''t you be going to the Fire Realm?¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just came back to give you all a kiss goodbye.¡± ¡°Aw, that''s so sweet.¡± Frikara said and equipped her cut-out shirt. ¡°Belly first!¡± Ren chuckled and kissed her belly, then kissed her on the lips as he hugged her. He repeated this for the other maids, then did it for Xuunah. She held him a little longer than she normally would, and he could feel her need starting to build. ¡°I''ll be back tonight, assuming Nathalia doesn''t do anything drastic.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°She''ll be fine.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I''ve watched her ever since I discovered she was still alive, and she''s one of the strongest women I''ve ever met.¡± She smiled. ¡°Her child won''t come out until it''s good and ready.¡± Ren tapped his chest where his Maker''s Mark was, that matched the one on both Xuunah and Nathalia. ¡°We''ll both know when it happens, and I''ll come and get you.¡± Xuunah nodded and he gave her another kiss, touched each of the maids briefly, then opened a portal over to the Pixieland ride. Suniva still wasn''t ready to spend more time away from her people, so he gave her a kiss and used a portal to the underground chamber, then opened one to the Fire Realm. He stepped through into the spawn point building and checked the player menu to discover that it was nighttime. Ren unfurled his wings and flew out of the building and up into the air to see that Fire Dancer and Zetaya were tucked into the same bed, with what looked like the right space between them for him to fit into, so he landed on the floor and made himself and Teepo the appropriate size. Teepo flew up to land on the wall and Ren used his Fire Manipulation ability to split the blanket of Eternal Fire apart, equipped his red silk pyjamas, then carefully climbed onto the bed between them and laid down on his back without disturbing them. Ren formed the blanket back over them and took several shallow breaths, held in his sigh, and closed his eyes. He quickly drifted off to sleep. After a few minutes, Zetaya rolled onto her side and put her arm over his waist. Not long after, Fire Dancer sighed and rolled over towards the middle of the bed and her hand rested on Ren''s firm chest. She opened her eyes at the odd feeling and saw that it was him. Her hand gripped his pyjama top tightly and she was tempted to kick him out and make him go over to his own bed, then changed her mind and let the cloth go. ¡°...love... you...¡± Ren whispered in his sleep and moved his arms out to rest them around both women''s shoulders. Fire Dancer looked at his face and could feel that he was deep asleep, so she sighed softly and rested her head on his shoulder. She looked over at Zetaya and saw that she had already done that and was cuddled in as tightly to his chest as she could be. I think she missed him almost as much as I did. Fire Dancer thought in amusement and closed her eyes, then let sleep take her again. Everything always seemed to be better when Ren was around. Chapter 727 - Just Stuff Ren woke up with two very hot women on either side of him and felt contentment from them. Both Fire Dancer and Zetaya had death grips on him and were cuddled in as tightly as they could get. Hey, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°Good morning, Ren.¡± Teepo said in the voice only he could hear. ¡°You''ve got a few hours before Fire Dancer needs to be ready to face the realm.¡± Thanks, buddy. Ren thought and closed his eyes so that he could just lay there and bask in both women''s intense heat. If I doze off, wake me when it''s time. ¡°Sure thing, Ren.¡± Teepo said. It took another two hours before Fire Dancer started to stir, and Ren felt it when she woke up. She startled herself when she realized what she was doing, being cuddled up against him, so she let him go and lifted her head to look at his face to see if he was awake. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said and kissed her forehead. ¡°I... you... how long have you been awake?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°A couple of hours.¡± Ren said. Fire Dancer pushed the blanket off and sat up. ¡°Why didn''t you wake me up?¡± She asked and tried to ignore the fact that she had been holding on so tightly. ¡°I wanted to bask in your intense heat.¡± Ren said honestly, and she couldn''t deny his feelings and that it had felt nice. ¡°You''ve got about an hour before you need to start your duties.¡± ¡°I know my responsibilities, Father.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I was trying to tell you that you can bask in my heat until then.¡± ¡°Father, I...¡± ¡°I want to share small moments like this with you.¡± Ren said and touched her arm. ¡°I know that we have years to spend with each other; but, these times are few and far between. These precious moments I want to savour and keep, and I want you to keep them, too.¡± Fire Dancer took in a shallow breath and laid back down, and Ren pulled the blanket up to cover her. She looked at his face and he gave her a warm and welcoming smile. ¡°Cuddle in tightly like you just were. I want you to enjoy this.¡± Ren said. The Fire under Fire Dancer''s translucent skin swirled faster and he felt her start to be embarrassed. Ren put an arm around her and pulled her in close, which gave her a one-armed hug, then he activated his Hands of the Gods ability Burning Hands. Since both Fire Dancer and Zetaya''s arms were bare and he was holding them there, they had direct access to his pure Fire and started to absorb it. ¡°You''re awake, too?¡± Fire Dancer asked when she felt Zetaya absorb Ren''s Fire. Zetaya didn''t open her eyes as she nodded and rubbed her face on Ren''s chest. ¡°More, please.¡± Zetaya said, and Ren concentrated and started to pour more Fire out of his hands. ¡°Mmm, yes. Thank you.¡± ¡°You don''t have to... enjoy it so much.¡± Fire Dancer whispered, because she had to hold her own enjoyment in. ¡°I know it feels good.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can feel it, remember?¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Do you want me to stop?¡± Ren asked, even though he knew that she didn''t want him to. Fire Dancer put a hand on his pyjama top and made a fist as she gripped it into a bundle and held on, then she opened the dam she had made inside of herself to hold her feelings back. Zetaya gasped as it flooded the room and Ren held them both tightly and tried not to laugh. ¡°There''s my little girl.¡± Ren said, and Fire Dancer looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I love you, Honey.¡± ¡°F-father...¡± ¡°I keep telling you that you don''t have to hide your feelings when we''re alone.¡± Ren said and kissed her forehead again. ¡°You can be all stoic and regal when you''re outside this room, and I won''t ever complain about it; but, inside this room, all you need to be is my beautiful daughter.¡± ¡°I...¡± Fire Dancer put her head back down onto his chest. ¡°Sometimes, I... that''s all I want to be.¡± Ren felt her genuine emotions and that she really wanted to just be his daughter for a while and not the Deity of Fire, so he deactivated his Hands of the Gods ability. ¡°F-father, what...¡± ¡°I''m really glad you finally admitted that.¡± Ren said and took out the Vasalor Statue. ¡°So, a year? Would a year''s vacation from work be good enough?¡± ¡°A what? Vacation?¡± Fire Dancer asked as she stared at the statue. ¡°Did you say a year?¡± ¡°No, you''re right. That''s nowhere near long enough.¡± Ren said as he opened a portal under the statue. He let it go and it dropped onto the nightstand, since he couldn''t reach over that far because he was penned in on either side and didn''t want to disturb them. He activated the statue and set the time compression. ¡°Ten years should do it.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°So, what do you want to do to start your vacation?¡± Ren asked and tried not to laugh at her surprise. ¡°My vote is to stay in bed and sleep a bit longer, so I can keep sharing my ability with you.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°We''re in a time compressed zone.¡± Ren said and activated his Hands of the Gods ability Burning Hands again. ¡°Everything we do here is going to pass by almost instantly in the Fire Realm.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°If you''re worried about me being able to do this inside your realm, Vasalor himself gave me permission.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°When I mentioned that you might need a break after taking care of the Fire Realm for so long, he was all for it.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I know that it''s a bit presumptuous of me to assume that you would want to take time off with me; but, I hoped that having Zetaya here would make it easier for you to relax.¡± Ren said. ¡°I tried to get Suniva to come; but, after I spent a year with her in the modified Sanctuary, she missed her people a bit too much to leave them after only spending the night with them.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Who would have thought she would get tired of having me around so quickly?¡± ¡°Yes, spending a year with you would be ''too quickly''.¡± Zetaya said sarcastically and laughed. ¡°To be fair, I''ve been giving her and Artemis 6 months of my time every morning and night; but, the last visit to the Sanctuary, where she had pretty much everything she had ever wanted, proved that she really could have too much of a good thing.¡± Ren chuckled and gave Zetaya a kiss on the lips. Neither of them felt a spark of desire or sexual tension from it. ¡°That''s really weird.¡± Fire Dancer said, and Ren and Zetaya looked at her with a question on their faces, and she felt their curiosity. ¡°You raised Zetaya from a baby. How can you kiss her on the lips like that?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I kissed you on the lips until you decided you were too old for it.¡± The Fire inside Fire Dancer''s face swirled faster as she remembered saying that and tried to look away from him. ¡°I wasn''t angry, Honey.¡± Ren said. ¡°You were getting older and your little acts of rebellion only made me love you more.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°F-father, I...¡± ¡°What a time I had trying to keep you inside your mother''s gift after that, though!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I couldn''t tease you by saying I wouldn''t kiss you if you didn''t listen.¡± Fire Dancer felt his amusement and smiled herself. ¡°I wasn''t that bad.¡± She said, then thought about it. ¡°Well, maybe I was. Sometimes.¡± Ren laughed and kissed her forehead. ¡°I''d expect nothing less from the daughter of a goddess.¡± Fire Dancer felt his love and acceptance of her, and she took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°I don''t know how you can... how are you able to...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said and increased the flow of his ability. ¡°All you need to know is that I can, and I will always love you, no matter what.¡± Zetaya''s love and acceptance joined Ren''s and Fire Dancer relaxed in Ren''s warm embrace, both mentally and physically, and she closed her eyes. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Of course you do.¡± Ren said smugly. ¡°I''m awesome!¡± Fire Dancer snorted and laughed, then Zetaya, Teepo and Ren joined her. ******** ¡°I really wish we were home right now.¡± Dana said. ¡°A double lunch period is not enough time to go home and come back for Chem Lab this afternoon.¡± Gretchen told her, again. ¡°But we''re missing all the good stuff!¡± Dana exclaimed and tapped her phone with her free hand and ate a spoonful of macaroni and cheese. Gretchen barked a laugh and took another bite of her sub sandwich. ¡°Yeah, we''re missing that it''s practically the same game and a few things are tweaked a little.¡± ¡°A few!¡± Dana stopped eating and pushed her long blonde hair back behind her ear and then swiped at her cell phone. ¡°He''s added a real time clock so that you know how long you''ve been playing and can keep track of the time of day it is in the real world.¡± She said and swiped again. ¡°He''s added a rolling map feature that shows you up close where you are, rather than the full top-down one that only appears in certain areas... if you find the map.¡± ¡°I still can''t believe we sold all of the ones we had.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I know! We''ve helped so many people with those and from nearly every city.¡± Dana said and started eating again. ¡°Thanks to Ren, now the quest NPCs show up on your display on those maps, and not just the new ones for the current world event.¡± ¡°Yeah, that is a good feature.¡± Gretchen had to admit. ¡°We always used to have a hard time finding our way back to get those repeatable quests.¡± She smiled. ¡°Of course, now we have Teela, and she tells us right where to go, once she learns where they are, that is.¡± ¡°I''m really glad we weren''t there to suffer this ''lost connection'' thing.¡± Dana said in relief as she swiped through the hundreds of messages about it, and the responses where people said that they got everything back. ¡°I don''t know what I would have done if I''d lost Teela to it!¡± Gretchen nodded and took another bite of her sub sandwich and chewed. ¡°Yeah... I''d feel bad... if anything happened to her.¡± ¡°Even though we only just got her, it''s like she''s always been with us.¡± Dana said. ¡°I really need to thank Ren for that.¡± ¡°How are you going to do that?¡± Gretchen laughed. ¡°What are you going to get someone that not only probably has everything, he can make everything that he needs or wants?¡± Dana opened her mouth to respond, then sighed. ¡°I don''t know.¡± ¡°Well, if you think of something, I''ll help you give it to him.¡± Gretchen said and finished her sub sandwich and wiped her hands on a napkin. ¡°If even half of what that says is true...¡± She pointed to Dana''s cell phone. ¡°...we all need to seriously thank him for fixing everything.¡± We need to seriously thank him. Dana thought in surprise, like she hadn''t had that thought before. She had; but, the tone of voice Gretchen used had given her a bit of a thrill. Gretchen pulled close her bowl of strawberry jello with a dab of whipped cream on it, and started to eat it. ¡°I don''t think we''re getting online tonight, though.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Dana was brought out of her thoughts. ¡°We got that class assignment this morning, remember? We need it done for tomorrow.¡± Gretchen said and ate some of the whipped cream, then licked the spoon. ¡°Why is this so tasty?¡± ¡°Probably because you''re imagining licking it off Ren''s penis.¡± Dana said without missing a beat. ¡°I. Am. Not!¡± Gretchen said, then her face went completely red as her thoughts went right to imagining licking Ren''s penis the same way. Dana saw her friend''s face and started laughing. ¡°Now you are!¡± ¡°Sh-shut up!¡± Gretchen said and thought about whacking her friend with the spoon, then decided it wasn''t worth the effort and losing the opportunity to eat the rest of the jello. She dipped the spoon into the dessert and lifted it to her mouth, then couldn''t help but imagine that it was that great penis Ren had let her see. Gretchen slipped the spoon into her mouth, turned it over, then closed her mouth and licked it as she slowly pulled it out. She shivered slightly and she put the spoon down on the tray and sat there quietly. Dana kept laughing and didn''t notice her friend''s reaction. ¡°Hey, I''m only joking.¡± She said when she calmed down. ¡°Y-yeah, I... I know.¡± Gretchen said and stood up. ¡°I need to go to the bathroom.¡± ¡°I''m done eating, too.¡± Dana said and picked up her tray. ¡°I''ll meet you at the locker to grab what we need to start that project.¡± Gretchen said and picked up her own. ¡°This is supposed to be an off period, Gretchen.¡± Dana groaned, and Gretchen smiled as they dropped the trays off where they were supposed to go. ¡°If we get it done soon, we might get online tonight.¡± Gretchen suggested. Dana grinned. ¡°All right, you don''t have to twist my arm.¡± They left the cafeteria and split up, and Gretchen ducked into the closest bathroom to take care of her slightly leaking problem. * Several news reporters had made it a regular thing to sit in courtrooms during slow news times to try and find interesting stories to add as fluff pieces. They didn''t pay as much, since it wasn''t a main story, and most of them just liked getting paid to sit there and do nothing all day. That wasn''t true for the lucky son of a bitch that had chosen the courtroom that Ren''s lawyers were using that day. He always recorded everything, because he almost never paid attention to what was actually said, and then Ren''s video evidence started playing. It snapped him out of his self-imposed daze and he watched the screen intently as Ren laid out all the evidence. His expert eye had caught the skipped portions of the testimony, and had guessed correctly that they only used the parts necessary for the case. When that lawyer left and another stepped in, then Ren appeared on the screen again, the reporter almost jumped for joy as a different section of video played. He stayed there the entire time and recorded it all, and he mentally marked the places where certain videos would fit into the narrative, and he smiled. When the judge called an end to the day at 2 pm, which was three hours early, the reporter joined everyone else as they left the courtroom. Is it less crowded? He asked himself and went to the elevator. I wonder why? It never occurred to him that most people couldn''t disconnect themselves from what they were seeing, and he left the courthouse with a treasure trove of a story. It didn''t take him long to get back to the television station and commandeered one of the editing booths, then spliced the footage together in the right order. His mind always had an eye for details and he easily reconstructed the video into what it should look like in it''s entirety. He smiled and saved his work, dropped a couple of copies of both the original files and the combined video to his own memory device and onto the memory device from the station, then quickly sought out the news anchor. He knew she was a real go-getter and would listen to what he had to say, especially when he told her what the story was. He found her in her dressing room, and he knew she had an hour or so to wait before she needed to be in front of the camera. He knocked on the door frame and leaned in. ¡°Sorry to bother you.¡± ¡°Hm? Yes?¡± The very pretty news anchor turned in her swivel chair to look at him, and he caught his breath at her beauty. ¡°Um... well... I....¡± ¡°I could tell you not to ogle me like that; but, that was the effect I was going for.¡± She giggled, and the guy shivered as her laugh was music to his ears. ¡°Ah... miss, I...¡± ¡°Now now, don''t be shy.¡± She said and stood up and saw he had a death grip on something in his hand. ¡°Do you have something for me?¡± ¡°Oh! Yes!¡± The reporter said and stepped into her dressing room and held the memory device out to her. ¡°Boy, do I have a story for you!¡± ¡°Really?¡± She purred and gently took the memory device from his hand and her fingertips rubbed his palm as she picked it up. He shivered again from her touch, and she smiled sweetly at him. ¡°Tell me all about it, will you?¡± ¡°S-sure!¡± The reporter said and started to babble about everything he had seen that day. Her smile grew broader the longer he talked, and when he was done, she put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. ¡°Thank you very much for coming right to me with this.¡± She said seductively. ¡°Y-you''re w-welcome.¡± The man said. ¡°If I can work my magic, this will be the headline for tonight''s show.¡± She looked at the clock. ¡°Yes, there should be just enough time for the 5 o''clock show.¡± ¡°M-miss...¡± ¡°Yes, don''t worry. I''ll make sure that you have a sub-header credit.¡± ¡°Th-thank you!¡± The reporter said and shook her hand vigorously, then left her dressing room in a daze. She let him walk down the hallway for a moment, then gripped the memory device just as hard as he had and she walked very quickly to the news director''s office. She knocked once and opened the door, then entered and shut the door behind her. ¡°We have a problem.¡± The pretty news anchor said. ¡°Oh? What problem is that?¡± She tossed him the memory device and he caught it, plugged it into his laptop, and the video started playing right away. She told him how she got it and from whom, and told him what he said. ¡°Well, damn.¡± The news director said. ¡°What do we do?¡± She asked. ¡°We report it, of course.¡± He responded. ¡°But...¡± ¡°He wasn''t the only one in the room.¡± The news director said. ¡°If we don''t do it, they will.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ll give it to Harris if you want to keep your distance.¡± ¡°No, I''ll do it.¡± She said. ¡°Harris is too straight-laced to watch that, let alone report on it.¡± The news director thought about that and smiled. ¡°Actually, you''re right. I will get Harris to do it.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°This is going to blow everything out of the water.¡± He said and motioned to the laptop. ¡°I think having an overly-emotional man react to it will give the story that much more of a punch, don''t you?¡± She opened her mouth to protest, then sighed. ¡°Dammit, I can''t argue against my own argument.¡± The news director laughed. ¡°I''ll have a news-copy done up and given to him, then we''ll see how he reacts.¡± ¡°I suggest you tape it while he reads it the first time.¡± She said. ¡°He might not get through a second reading.¡± ¡°That is a wonderful idea!¡± The news director praised her idea, and she shivered in pleasure. ¡°You have main credit for this, by the way.¡± ¡°As long as you...¡± ¡°Yes, sub-credit to the cub-reporter.¡± He smiled. ¡°We must keep the underlings happy.¡± Chapter 728 - More Catching Up Ren, Teepo, Fire Dancer and Zetaya spent their vacation both wisely and casually. They read every book Ren had put inside the room extension, tried on and wore all of the clothes he had given Fire Dancer, then he made hundreds more for her and Zetaya. They played games, carried on, and just enjoyed their time together. None of them had any responsibilities to attend to, since they were inside their own little time compressed space, and that alone let them enjoy things that much more. As the time for their vacation to end approached, Fire Dancer didn''t have as much fun as she used to. It was during one of their chase games that Ren felt her resignation. He called a halt to the game and took Fire Dancer into his arms. She blinked her eyes at his forceful action and stared at his face, and he let her feel how much he liked that she didn''t even think of trying to fight or get away. The Fire under her skin swirled at that, and he kissed her forehead. ¡°Yes, this vacation is coming to an end and we have to go back to dealing with the every day things that need to be dealt with.¡± Ren said, and it wasn''t even a guess on his part, because he felt the same way she did. ¡°I''m going to enjoy this time as much as possible before we need to go back.¡± Fire Dancer sighed. ¡°It... it was so much fun doing all of this.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t want....¡± she shook her head. ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°Hey, you can feel any emotion you want about this.¡± Ren said and gave her a squeeze. ¡°It''s not wrong or bad to want to stay here.¡± ¡°But you won''t let me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I would if I thought we could both get away with it.¡± ¡°You... you would?¡± Fire Dancer asked, surprised. ¡°Slacking off sometimes is the best feeling; but, it''s only a good feeling because we''re taking a break from what has to be done.¡± Ren said. ¡°If all we did was slack off, we''d be bored pretty quickly, I think.¡± ¡°Yeah, half the fun is shirking your responsibilities.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter as he flew by. ¡°At least you have me here to help you now.¡± Zetaya said and walked over to them. ¡°You''re leveling up pretty quickly, so you can take on more of the lesser duties.¡± Ren said and held an arm out to hug her, too. ¡°I hadn''t planned on that, though.¡± ¡°You just didn''t want me to be alone when I''m not working.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Honey, you can be in a room full of people and still be alone.¡± Ren said, and he felt that was true for her as well as for him. Even though she had hundreds of Fire and Greater Fire elementals in the throne room all the time, they weren''t really there for her in a personal sense. Zetaya felt their feelings and touched both of their cheeks to get their attention. ¡°Now I''m here and I can be that for you.¡± Fire Dancer''s arm slid out from around Ren and went around Zetaya. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You don''t have to thank friends for caring about you.¡± Zetaya said and gave them a hug, then stepped back and smacked Ren on the side of the head. ¡°You''re IT!¡± ¡°Ow!¡± Ren said automatically, even though it hadn''t hurt, and Zetaya ran away. ¡°Hey! Get back here!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter as Ren ran after her, then Fire Dancer shook her head and joined in on the chase. Their vacation ended and they returned to the normal time in the Fire Realm, and Ren stored the Vasalor Statue. Ren, Teepo, and Zetaya felt Fire Dancer''s emotions change to those she had when she ran the realm and she became serious. Ren shrunk himself and Zetaya back to their normal sizes and tucked themselves into her fiery hair, and Teepo stayed his large self and landed on her other shoulder. Fire Dancer formed her armor around herself and she took a deep breath. ¡°Let''s get to work.¡± She left the bedroom and started to walk down the hallway towards the throne room, and Ren turned his head to her ear. ¡°We can take a short vacation before I have to leave for Adventurer''s business.¡± Ren said, and he felt her spike of need. ¡°It''s only just under 14 years away.¡± ¡°What do you want in return?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°I want the next Earth Realm day off tomorrow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nathalia''s going to pop soon.¡± ¡°Do you think...¡± ¡°According to Xuunah, she can hold off for today, but that''s just about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Very well.¡± Fire Dancer said and stopped before opening the throne room door. ¡°Why didn''t you ask when we were on vacation?¡± ¡°I wanted you back in command of the realm and in your serious mood before asking, that way I could get a real answer from you, and not one influenced by us having fun together.¡± ¡°What if I had said no?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°I would probably wait for a decade before reminding you that I''d asked and see if you might have changed your mind.¡± ¡°What if...¡± ¡°But, you did say yes.¡± Ren said to derail her negative thoughts. ¡°I can also feel your concern. You''re just as worried as I am about your first mortal sibling being born.¡± Fire Dancer took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I won''t be your only child anymore.¡± Ren chuckled and leaned over to kiss her cheek. ¡°You''ll always be the first.¡± He said. ¡°Now imagine what''s going to happen when they find out that their big sister is the Deity of Fire.¡± Fire Dancer took in a sharp breath when she realized what he meant, then smiled. ¡°You sneaky little devil.¡± Ren laughed and pat her cheek. ¡°Now that you understand, get your ass into the throne room and get to work.¡± Fire Dancer shook her head and opened the doors, then started her working day with a lingering smile that she just couldn''t hide. The time passed by quickly. Days, weeks, and years, and then they went on another vacation for a year before Ren had to leave. ¡°I think Suniva might have had the right idea. I am sick of having you around.¡± Zetaya joked as she hugged Ren. ¡°You wound me deeply, dear lady!¡± Ren gasped and put a hand over his heart. ¡°The... the pain!¡± He dropped to his knees and put his arms around her legs and fake cried. ¡°How will I live without you for all the time I will be away?¡± Zetaya laughed and ran her hands through his hair. ¡°I think you can take not seeing me for 2 days.¡± ¡°But, I can''t!¡± Ren pleaded, then his eyes widened. ¡°Wait, it''s only 2 days? Oh, okay.¡± He said normally and stood up to give her a kiss. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡± Fire Dancer shook her head at the overly-dramatic scene. ¡°Geez, Father.¡± ¡°Oh! Deity of Fire!¡± Ren let Zetaya go and jumped over to hug Fire Dancer. ¡°Don''t fret, dearest one! I''ll miss you, too!¡± Fire Dancer laughed and hugged him back. ¡°You better go if you''re going to do your statue trick for the others.¡± Ren checked the player menu and saw that she was right. ¡°All joking aside, I will miss you.¡± ¡°I... I know you will.¡± Fire Dancer said.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Oh, before I forget.¡± Ren took out the little recorder box he had and hit the button, and all of the files he had recorded transferred over to the big display by the wall. ¡°There''s all of the footage I''ve ever recorded.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± Ren said and kissed her forehead, gave Zetaya another kiss on the lips, then shrunk himself and Teepo down to their normal sizes and they flew over to the spawn point building. Ren opened a portal and they went through it. He transferred through the underground chamber and absorbed the Everlasting Fire, then used a portal to go to the house in Aurora. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Ren said to the succubi and Artemis. ¡°Do you...¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They all said as one, and he chuckled. Ren opened a portal to the Sanctuary and they all went through, and he spent a good amount of time with each of them. When they came back, he went to see the Marilith Demon and he had been right. She didn''t want to see him again so soon, so he gave her a hug and a kiss and told her he would be back in a few days. ¡°I might be ready by then.¡± The Marilith Demon said. Ren smiled and gave her another kiss, left her room, then opened a portal to the apartment in the Main House in his county. He stepped out and was greeted by 5 very enthusiastic maids and one shy polymorphed Light being. He took out the Vasalor Statue and activated it, then gave them a month of his time. He went all the way with the maids and let Xuunah share in those feelings; but, Xuunah was still reluctant to do more than have her breasts groped. Ren was perfectly okay with that and let her feel how much he liked doing just that. She wasn''t sure why he liked touching and playing with them, and soon discovered that they were two of his favorite things. Once she realized that he wasn''t humoring her, she let him play with them as much as he wanted and they both enjoyed his enjoyment. Ren stored the statue and left the apartment and went downstairs to see Patty in her office. ¡°Good evening, Patty.¡± ¡°Ren! It''s nice to see you.¡± Patty said and sat back in her chair. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I was just wondering how everything''s going in the county.¡± ¡°It''s unbelievable.¡± Patty said happily. ¡°Our food production has skyrocketed, our businesses have increased sales, and the people have never been happier.¡± ¡°I detect an underlying tone of discontent there.¡± Ren smiled, and she sighed. ¡°I knew I couldn''t hide it from you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Some of the older residents are expressing concern over all the people coming here for the parks you created.¡± Patty said. ¡°I''ve tried to tell them that you made it far enough away that the noise shouldn''t bother them...¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°...those people roam all over the place to look at everything.¡± Patty said. ¡°It''s like the town itself is a tourist attraction.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s because I think it is.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°What I''ve built here isn''t the way most towns are set up.¡± Ren said. ¡°No one has housing sub-divisions. No one has a cement building like this one.¡± He waved to her office. ¡°Except in the Dwarven Kingdom, and I built both of them there, too.¡± ¡°Did you intend it to be like that?¡± Patty asked, and he shook his head. ¡°I was only thinking about efficiency and getting everything done as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°So, what do we do?¡± ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°The novelty should wear out pretty fast, since it''s not really that interesting past the layout and the sheer number of houses.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°There''s still going to be occasional stragglers, because I don''t think every Adventurer has come to the parks yet; but, other than that, the lookie-loos should stop in a little while.¡± ¡°The lookie-whats?¡± Patty laughed. ¡°Gawkers?¡± Ren asked, and she kept laughing. ¡°Rubberneckers? Nosey-holes? Sidewalk Snoopers? Offending Oglers? Peeping Toms?¡± Patty laughed and laughed at the nonsensical words Ren spouted at her, then she pointed to him. ¡°I... recognize... that one!¡± She laughed. ¡°Peeping Tom!¡± Ren fake gasped. ¡°Don''t tell me you have one!¡± ¡°One! Hahaha!¡± Patty held her sides and tears rolled down her face from laughing so hard. ¡°There''s... Hundreds!¡± Ren walked around her desk and sat on it, then he laughed with her until she calmed down. ¡°Oh... oh, my sides.¡± Patty panted. ¡°I haven''t laughed... like that in...¡± She took several breaths and sat back in her chair. ¡°Ren, thank you.¡± ¡°That''s me. Comic relief.¡± Ren said and grinned at her, and her left hand reached out and touched his thigh. ¡°Is it true, though? Will they stop looking around so much?¡± Patty asked, and he could feel her need. ¡°I guarantee it.¡± Ren said and he concentrated on his Reassurance Aura and her. Patty felt better about the situation and her right hand touched his other thigh. ¡°That makes me feel so much better.¡± ¡°I can make you feel...¡± ¡°No.¡± Patty said and her hands slid up his thighs. ¡°Please, let me.¡± ¡°Patty...¡± ¡°You did so much for me yesterday.¡± Patty said, and his Heat Sense saw her face, breasts and private place grow very hot. ¡°I... I want to...¡± Ren took out the Vasalor Statue and put it on the desk, then activated it. ¡°You know I didn''t come here to...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Patty said and touched him through his pants. ¡°I want to do this.¡± She said and rubbed it a little. ¡°I still haven''t seen it yet.¡± ¡°That''s because I was trying not to tempt you.¡± Ren said, and she looked up at his face with wide eyes. ¡°Is... is it...¡± Patty started to ask a question, then Ren stored his clothing and underwear and she saw his ready state. ¡°It is too good to be true!¡± She said and looked back at his face. ¡°I... I want to... to...¡± Ren cupped the sides of her face and kissed her. Patty responded in kind and kissed him back, then she broke the kiss and started to kiss him somewhere else. * ¡°So, do you think he''ll come here?¡± Caramel asked the other dancers that had just logged in to go to work. ¡°No idea.¡± Candy said. ¡°I haven''t been online since they shut down for the update yesterday.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Caramel turned to look at her. ¡°Don''t you know what''s been going on?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Girl, have I got a story to tell you!¡± Caramel said and tried not to laugh. ¡°I thought everyone knew it already!¡± ¡°Knew what?¡± Jennifer asked as she came out from the curtain behind the main stage. ¡°It was Ren! He fixed the game!¡± ¡°What was wrong with it?¡± Jennifer asked. ¡°Geez, are you both out of the loop or what?¡± Caramel laughed. ¡°Listen...¡± Caramel told them all about how the game was messed up from the latest update and they gasped when they heard Ren had taken it upon himself to fix the damage. ¡°Wow, so he... he put everything back together.¡± Spice said when Caramel was done telling the story. ¡°I missed all of that.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I forgot to turn my cell phone on.¡± ¡°Was it really that hard for Ren to do?¡± Candy asked. ¡°He did it pretty fast, didn''t he?¡± ¡°I listened to his interview.¡± Caramel said. ¡°It''s enormously complicated, apparently.¡± ¡°Then I don''t know if he''ll have enough time to visit us.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°If he had to fix everything, he must be running around and checking to see if it all worked.¡± ¡°Hey, I think you''re right.¡± Apple said. ¡°Now I can''t believe I''m disappointed that I won''t be seeing a man tonight.¡± That made the other dancers laugh, and then they all had that feeling of disappointment. * Patty pleased Ren, and because she was enthusiastic about it and he could feel how much she really liked doing that to him, he didn''t hold himself back. He warned her when it was time, and she leaned back as he finished. She was surprised at first, then she was very flattered that she had made him go so much. Ren felt her emotions and cupped the sides of her face again and kissed her, and she like that a lot, too. Patty broke the kiss and leaned back again and looked at the mess they had made. ¡°You''re amazing.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I think you were the amazing one this time.¡± He said and equipped his blue suit to clean up, and she equipped another suit outfit to clean up, too. It removed the evidence of what they did, and Ren stood up. ¡°Thank you, Patty.¡± Patty''s face flushed red. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren kissed her again and deactivated the statue and stored it, then left the office. Teepo, how''s my time? ¡°You were only busy for a few seconds, so lots.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You could probably visit the Pleasure Palace and still have lots of time to go on Adventurer''s Business.¡± Actually, that''s a good idea. Ren said. I just have to stop in to see Janice first. He ran across the road to the Glassworks shop with the house attached and knocked on the door of the house. His Heat Sense Aura showed him that she was inside, and his eyes followed her to the door and she opened it. ¡°Ren! Oh, my god!¡± Janice exclaimed and grabbed his hand. ¡°Get in here!¡± Ren chuckled and walked in past her, and she slammed the door shut. ¡°I know it''s been a while.¡± ¡°It''s all true, isn''t it?¡± Janice asked and put her hands on his shoulders. ¡°I could play coy and ask what you mean; but, I don''t want you to get mad.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''m not sure what rumors and things are floating around after the press release, though.¡± Janice tried to shake him by his shoulders, but he didn''t move. ¡°Ren! You fixed everything!¡± She said. ¡°I lost my business and my house! The key was gone! GONE!¡± Ren stared at her with wide eyes for a moment, then he put his arms around her and gave her a hug. ¡°I''m really glad it worked.¡± Janice tried to keep her tears held in for only a few seconds, then she started crying and put her arms around him and held on tightly. ¡°Shh, it''s okay.¡± Ren said and rubbed her back. ¡°I''m sorry that stupid update scared you like that.¡± ¡°I... I thought... I lost it all.¡± Janice sobbed. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± She kissed the top of his head. ¡°Thank you for giving it back to me.¡± ¡°You are more than welcome.¡± Ren said and leaned back to look up at her tear-streaked face. ¡°I hate to say this; but, crying is not a good look for you.¡± Janice barked a laugh through her tears and leaned down to kiss him on the lips. ¡°Have a share of my slobber, dear friend.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and kissed her back. ¡°You''re right. That is slobbery.¡± That made her laugh, and her emotions went from their negative feel to have a more positive tilt. ¡°If I had stolen the kiss, would it be highway slobbery?¡± Ren asked. Janice groaned. ¡°Ugh, bad pun.¡± ¡°Well, if...¡± Janice covered his mouth. ¡°Nope, just nope.¡± She said. ¡°If you want to keep that mouth busy...¡± Ren licked her palm and she didn''t flinch like he thought she would. Instead she slid her other arm down his back and gripped his backside. ¡°You know where the bed is.¡± ¡°Muh.¡± ¡°Someone needs to be properly thanked, and you are not leaving here until you are.¡± Janice said. ¡°Mum muh.¡± ¡°As your friend, I humbly request that you pound me until I finish so hard that I''ll have to stop thanking you.¡± ¡°Meh mum muh mum.¡± ¡°Yes, it''s a challenge.¡± Janice said, and a PvP popup appeared. She was surprised at first, then she grinned as she read the win conditions. ¡°Oh, you''re on!¡± She said and accepted the duel. Ren picked her up and carried her over his shoulder to her bedroom, and she laughed the whole way. Chapter 729 - Pleasure Interlude Janice couldn''t have been happier at losing their PvP duel. ¡°I can''t believe... you beat me... 4 out of 7!¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t even know... you could do that with duels!¡± Ren chuckled as he lay beside her in the bed. ¡°As long as you agree beforehand, there''s not a lot that you can''t do in duels.¡± ¡°But... that...¡± Janice shook her head and laughed at his still ready state. ¡°You didn''t have to intentionally lose three times and give me false hope!¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°I wanted you to have as much fun as possible.¡± Janice rolled over onto her side to face him. ¡°I did.¡± She said and put a hand on his chest. ¡°Ren, I... what you did... and then this...¡± ¡°Hey, we''re friends.¡± Ren put a hand on her hand and gave it a slight squeeze. ¡°I told you when I set all this up for you that I wanted you to be happy.¡± ¡°Despite all the joking we did, and all the sexual innuendo, you didn''t have to go this far.¡± ¡°Oh? Should I take it back, then?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled. ¡°Sure, you can take it back.¡± Janice grabbed a hold of his private place and jerked him a couple of times to make him pant. ¡°When I''m done with it.¡± She grinned and rolled up and on top of him. ¡°Best 2 out of 3?¡± ¡°You''re on!¡± Ren said and she sat down on him hard. They both gasped at that, dismissed the PvP popups, then had the best duels that anyone could have ever asked for. When they were done of another set of 14 matches, Janice gracefully accepted defeat by collapsing in exhaustion. Ren asked if she wanted an Energize spell to restore her stamina, and she politely declined by slapping his chest. ¡°Get the hell out of my house and let me languish in peace!¡± Janice exclaimed, and he chuckled. ¡°All right, I''ll let you go to sleep.¡± Ren said and stood up, then equipped his clothing. He deactivated the Vasalor Statue and stored it, and she looked at him with a wistful expression. ¡°You''re a good friend, Ren.¡± Janice said. ¡°I won''t be able to walk for a week, but you''re a good friend.¡± Ren laughed and bent over the bed. ¡°Let me just...¡± ¡°If you even think of licking me again, I''ll kill you.¡± Janice laughed. ¡°Aww.¡± Ren put a hand on her pelvis, right above her special place, and cast Major Healing on her. ¡°But, it''s so pretty.¡± He said and leaned down and gave it a quick kiss, and she giggled. ¡°Hey! What did I just say?¡± Janice said in false indignation and propped herself up on her elbows, then she smiled. ¡°Well, okay. Maybe I won''t kill you.¡± Ren grinned at her and stood up. ¡°I''ll see you later, Janice.¡± ¡°Bye, Ren.¡± Janice said. Ren left her bedroom and then her house, and ran up the street to the Pleasure Palace. He stepped up into the air and cast Full Illusion on himself to change his appearance into Ugly Ren and touched the Sending Square on the door. ¡°Knock knock.¡± Ugly Ren rasped. ¡°Who''s there?¡± ¡°Al!¡± Ugly Ren growled out. ¡°Al who?¡± ¡°Al give you a kiss if you open this door.¡± Ugly Ren said, and the door swung open to show Gina. ¡°It... it is you.¡± Gina said and he felt her surprise. Ugly Ren stepped close to her and gave her a kiss as he hugged her. She couldn''t help herself and put her arms around his neck and kissed him back passionately, and they stood there for nearly a full minute. Gina broke the kiss and rested her forehead on his, and her breath was a little fast. ¡°You... really...¡± Gina tried to say, and he smiled his crooked smile. ¡°I wouldn''t tease ya like that if''n I wasn''t gonna do it.¡± Ugly Ren said and gave her another brief kiss before he let her out of the hug. ¡°Is anyone else here?¡± He asked and walked into the main part of the club and felt feelings of disappointment. He dismissed the Full Illusion spell and turned to the booth that had seven dancers sitting around it. ¡°Do I need to ask why everyone is disappointed?¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Jennifer exclaimed and jumped up from where she sat, and the feelings of disappointment in the room disappeared instantly. ¡°Caramel just finished telling us everything!¡± ¡°Did she now?¡± Ren asked and looked at her. ¡°Got your hand on the pulse of the nation, do you?¡± Caramel laughed. ¡°I''m subscribed to your fan site.¡± ¡°I am, too.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°I just didn''t have my phone on.¡± ¡°Well, it is a workday.¡± Ren said in understanding. ¡°I guess that also means you won''t see a lot of people lining up to come here.¡± ¡°Yeah, it''s always slow on weekdays.¡± Candy said. ¡°Even a couple of the girls won''t show up.¡± ¡°Assuming the customers can recover from using the amusement park rides after work, we should get a few regulars.¡± Gina said as she walked over. ¡°How many out-city visitors have you gotten since the advertisements?¡± Ren asked as he thought about what Patty said about that, and turned to see Gina''s odd smile. ¡°A steady stream of them.¡± Gina said. ¡°Most were just curious to see what we had, though.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Ren gave her another hug, and she rested her chin on the top of his head and hugged him back. ¡°Don''t you just hate window shoppers?¡± Gina chuckled and it rubbed her chest on his face. ¡°Ooo, do that again.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled again. ¡°Yep, you still got it.¡± ¡°Of course I do!¡± Gina leaned back and looked down at his smiling face. ¡°You still don''t do much for me, though.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and let her go. ¡°My particular charms are an acquired taste.¡± That made her snort a laugh and she ruffled his hair, and he turned back to the other dancers. ¡°Ladies, if you''d like, I can tell you all about what happened.¡± Ren said.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Please.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°We can tell you what Caramel said, and you can fill in the rest.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Ren said and walked over to the booth, and sat down in the middle of the group. He took out the Vasalor Statue and activated it, and put it on the short table in front of the booth. ¡°What''s that?¡± Jennifer asked. ¡°It''s a heavily modified Sanctuary spell.¡± Ren said and immediately felt their confusion. ¡°It lets me compress time.¡± They were still confused, and he opened his arms towards Jennifer. She stepped close and sat down on his lap and hugged him. ¡°In simple terms, I can spend the next hour with you, and it won''t progress the game by more than a second.¡± All the dancers gasped at that and stared at the statue. ¡°R-Ren... that... that can''t...¡± Jennifer thought about reaching out to touch it, then decided she wanted to hold onto Ren instead. ¡°How does that even work?¡± ¡°It just does.¡± Ren said, and they accepted him at his word. ¡°Now, fill me in on what you know.¡± They all told him what they had heard and what Caramel knew, and he filled them in on the extensive damage the update had caused, including removing people''s houses from their possession. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Gina whispered from the side of the booth. ¡°We... we lost...¡± ¡°None of you were here for that and didn''t lose anything, thankfully.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unlike Janice.¡± ¡°Oh, that poor girl.¡± Gina said. ¡°All she ever wanted was a home to call her own.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°I stopped by to check on her, and she was devastated.¡± He said. ¡°I did my best to make her feel better, though.¡± ¡°That''s so sweet.¡± Jennifer said and snuggled in. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Her. Over and over again.¡± Ren said, and that made the dancers laugh. ¡°Yeah, that would make her happy.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°Actually, that would make me happy, too.¡± ¡°And me.¡± Candy raised her hand, as did a couple others. ¡°Oh, is it a vote?¡± Apple asked and raised her hand. ¡°I thought you played for the other team?¡± Ren asked with a smile. ¡°You know you''re the only exception.¡± Apple said and thought about when he was with her the last time. ¡°I still can''t believe you did that for me.¡± ¡°Well, it was your fantasy.¡± Ren said and looked at the others. ¡°That was a special occasion and I can''t do that for you all the time.¡± Gina sighed. ¡°Yes, if we had it all the time, it would lose its special meaning.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Don''t get me wrong. I came here tonight to check up on you all.¡± He said. ¡°I wanted to make sure you were okay and didn''t go through what Janice did.¡± ¡°I''m so glad we didn''t have to.¡± Jennifer said. ¡°If I''d lost this place... the best thing that''s ever happened to me...¡± She shook her head and then she sighed dramatically. ¡°Of course, now that I know what you would have done if I did...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I didn''t intend to do that when I went to visit her.¡± He said. ¡°It had just been a while since I had seen Janice and wanted to see how she was. When she broke down and cried, I held her and comforted her. Then she wouldn''t let me leave until she ''thanked'' me properly.¡± ¡°Oh? Is it that easy to keep you around?¡± Candy asked, and the other dancers laughed. ¡°Well, it''s been a while since you''ve seen me.¡± Jennifer smiled. ¡°I missed you a lot.¡± ¡°I know you did.¡± Ren said because he could feel her emotions and caressed her face, then let his hand slide down to her chest. She only wore a thin blouse and his hand grazed her breasts. He felt her start to get excited, and then he used a fingertip to poke the metal that covered the tip of her breast. ¡°You wore them for me.¡± Jennifer nodded. ¡°Just in case.¡± Ren put a hand on the side of her face. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welco-mhm.¡± Jennifer moaned as he kissed her. Ren didn''t want the others to feel ignored, so he concentrated on the Pleasure Palace Aura and they all gasped and then moaned as they felt Jennifer''s reaction to being kissed so sweetly. ¡°G-grab her... her breast.¡± Apple said. Ren used his free hand to massage Jennifer''s breast. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Apple grabbed both of hers and laid back, and she writhed as she enjoyed both her own feelings and Jennifer''s at being touched like that. Ren kept kissing Jennifer and let her breast go, then slid the hand down across her abdomen and touched her pelvic bone through her skirt. She wiggled a little, and he slid his hand over to her hip and ran it down the outside of her thigh. No one else reacted until he moved his hand to the inside of her thigh and caressed her gently as he put his hand under her skirt. ¡°Oh... oh...¡± Candy tried not to moan, and then Ren touched the piece of metal covering Jennifer''s private place and she couldn''t stop herself. ¡°Mmm, god... m-more...¡± Ren knew exactly how to get Jennifer off, so he wiggled the edge of the metal to stimulate her. ¡°HMMM!¡± Jennifer moaned into his mouth and finished. Ren slid his hand out from under her skirt and rested it on her hip. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Gina whispered, and Ren broke his kiss with Jennifer to look at her. She had finished, so he concentrated and felt that several of the other dancers had finished as well. ¡°Rennnn.¡± Jennifer purred, and he looked back at her. Her eyes smouldered and she braced her hands on the back of the booth and shifted her weight so she could straddle his waist instead of sitting on his lap. ¡°Shouldn''t we...¡± Ren was going to suggest going to her work room and she covered his mouth with a hand. ¡°I''m going to dance for you.¡± Jennifer said, and her tone and emotions left no room for denial. Ren nodded, and she proceeded to strip right on top of him. He wasn''t sure it would work, especially with him sitting back like he was; but, she managed to complete an entire routine straddled over him. He hadn''t experienced anything quite like it, and when she was down to only wearing the metal pieces over the tips of her breasts and private area, he was ready to burst. Because Ren was sharing everything in the Pleasure Palace Aura, Jennifer had felt exactly what she was making him feel, as did the other dancers, and she was very happy at his reactions. Her hands slid down and touched him, and he caught his breath. ¡°Off.¡± Jennifer said, and his clothing disappeared. She grinned wickedly and stored the metal pieces to reveal herself completely, got into position, then sat down. All the dancers cried out at the motion, and the ones that hadn''t finished before, finished then. ¡°Ohgodohgod.¡± Apple panted. ¡°M-more...¡± Candy moaned. ¡°Hurry!¡± Caramel exclaimed as she rubbed herself. It had been a while since Ren saw Jennifer without her breasts covered, and he liked the novelty a lot as he grabbed them and pinched her nipples hard. ¡°AHHH!¡± Jennifer yelled and finished. She was breathing heavily and panting, and she hadn''t even started moving yet. ¡°Allow me.¡± Ren said and rolled her over to put her on the seat, then he made her very, very happy. When he was done pleasing her, he tried to disengage. Jennifer wrapped her arms and legs around him and pulled him in close. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Jennifer said and kissed him. ¡°No.¡± Ren said when he broke the kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Do... do you really... need to go?¡± Candy asked. Ren looked at her, and saw that she was completely naked. ¡°I... really should.¡± He said with doubt in his voice, and then he glanced around to see that all of the women were sans clothes and their private places faced him. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± ¡°That was... awesome.¡± Apple said and sat up. ¡°Look, I''m soaked! From a man!¡± That made several of the dancers laugh, then they moaned when their muscles contracted. ¡°D-don''t make... me laugh.¡± Gina said and touched herself. ¡°I''m t-too s-s-sensitive.¡± Jennifer let Ren out of the hold she had him in and nodded. Ren gave her a kiss, then in an instant he was Ugly Ren and bent over Gina. ¡°Lemmie give ya a hand, miss.¡± Ugly Ren growled, and Gina finished just from the sound of his voice. ¡°Hey, she really does love gruff men.¡± Caramel said. ¡°I thought she was exaggerating a little.¡± ¡°Ya''ll better brace yerselves.¡± Ugly Ren said. ¡°She really likes this part.¡± ¡°What do you... OH MY GOD!¡± Caramel yelled as Ugly Ren rubbed his rough and calloused hands over Gina''s breasts and plunged into her. The shared Aura flooded with Gina''s pleasure, and none of the dancers could wade through the waves of it that she felt and were swept away with her. After several hours of giving them more pleasure than any of them had ever felt before, especially from each other as Ren gave each of them what they wanted, Ren left them a platinum coin each. He deactivated the statue and stored it, then left the Pleasure Palace. He ran back to the Main House and went inside, told the maids and Xuunah that he had Adventurer''s business to take care of, and logged out. * Paprika didn''t normally log in during the weekdays; but, she didn''t have anything to do and decided to spend some time with the girls that did go there every night. She was happy that at least she would have a great story about Ren to tell everyone, or at least share in the common knowledge if they already knew. She left her room and went down the stairs, then out through the curtain behind the main stage. She stopped dead and gasped at the sight. ¡°Gina! What the hell is going on here?!?¡± Paprika asked as she saw 8 naked and very satisfied women sprawled out over 2 booths and three tables. ¡°Hm?¡± Gina lifted her head to look at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What. Is. Going. On.¡± Paprika asked, her hands on her hips. ¡°R-Ren.¡± Jennifer said and tried to sit up; but, she couldn''t get her limbs to work right and laughed. ¡°Damn, he wrecked me.¡± ¡°M-me, too.¡± Candy tried to wave and her hand just flopped to the side, and she laughed. Once amusement entered the shared Aura, they all started laughing. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± Paprika looked at their happy faces. ¡°We... we''re closing for tonight.¡± Gina said and folded her hands on her stomach. ¡°I don''t even want to move right now, let alone work.¡± ¡°What did he do?¡± Paprika asked. ¡°US!¡± Jennifer yelled, and they all laughed. Chapter 730 - Cuddle Secrets Ren slipped off the VR headset and was greeted by a pleasant sight. ¡°Do my eyes deceive me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lisa chuckled and put the headset aside. ¡°I''m not Stella.¡± Ren took in a deep breath and lifted his arm to make a fist in the air. ¡°Stellllaaaa!¡± Lisa laughed and several chuckles were heard. ¡°Geez, Ren.¡± Stella said from across the room as she put plates of food out on the table. ¡°I''m right here.¡± ¡°Oh, there you are.¡± Ren said and slid back to prop himself up on his pillow. ¡°Hi, everyone.¡± Elise, Barbara, Donald, Barbi, and Denise said hello back. ¡°You''ve got a choice.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Stay in bed and eat, or traverse the dangerous floor and attempt to sit at a crowded table with your leg stuck out like it is.¡± ¡°There''s not much choice there.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°Assuming you''re staying here with me.¡± Lisa nodded and slid the rollaway table over and climbed onto the bed with him. ¡°I can''t believe we need to buy a bigger table for your bedroom, just in case we have a family meal here instead of the dining room.¡± Denise said. ¡°Hey, I''m not complaining.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s nice having you all here.¡± Stella came over with the cart and put two plates of food, 2 drinks, and Ren''s supplement drink on the rollaway table. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°You had a lot of blue blips today.¡± ¡°I sure did.¡± Ren said. ¡°You wouldn''t believe how many people were so happy that I helped fix the game.¡± Lisa smiled. ¡°Made the rounds did you?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Ren said and started eating. ¡°I didn''t sleep with the succubi, Patty, or the elfling emotion siphon, though.¡± Stella chuckled and sat down with her own plate after changing the channel of the television. ¡°It''s getting crowded in your life if you''re telling us who you didn''t sleep with.¡± ¡°I didn''t do anything with Rosie, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°Or Symmetra.¡± ¡°Symmetra?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Well, I kissed her and she really liked that... after she got over the shock of me doing it out of the blue like I did.¡± Ren said and grinned, which made Stella and Lisa laugh. ¡°I guess I did unleash a demon on the game world.¡± Elise said, and everyone laughed. ¡°Oh, definitely.¡± Ren said and blew her a kiss. ¡°I think Gloria was right, though.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Elise pretended to catch the kiss in her hand and touched her lips. ¡°She warned me that the game creates logic loops to keep people playing and tied to certain areas.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve definitely landed in a bunch of loops that keep me grounded.¡± ¡°No doubt.¡± Lisa said. ¡°The maids aren''t too bad, since they would pack up at a moment''s notice and go anywhere you want them to.¡± She took another bite of food. ¡°Some of the others in your life, though...¡± ¡°The giants and Yllana, you mean?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Not just them.¡± Lisa said. ¡°The ghoul-kissed in your domain. The people in your county. The dwarves.¡± ¡°The dwarves?¡± Ren asked, a little surprised. ¡°Even though you haven''t been there, a lot of your time has been spent trying to fix them.¡± Lisa put a hand on his and he gave it a squeeze. ¡°You also narrowly avoided tying yourself to the Human Kingdom with the impending war with the Sea Dwellers.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Yeah, that would have been a mess.¡± He said. ¡°Who do I fight for? Who do I save and who do I kill?¡± He shook his head. ¡°If fights do break out and I find out about it, I''ll intervene and stop it and not take anyone''s side; but, other than that, I''m staying out of it.¡± ¡°You don''t have to.¡± Elise said, and he looked across the room at her. ¡°You''ve changed the entire course of the game by just being you and helping people.¡± She smiled. ¡°It might have made the programmers angry for messing up their narrative; but, that''s their fault, not yours.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You keep telling yourself that.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Elise grinned. ¡°It''s all your fault for being so awesome.¡± ¡°There you go!¡± Ren said, and everyone laughed. They all finished eating and Barbara said she would be back later for her shift, then she and Donald left after clearing up the dirty dishes, despite Stella''s protests. ¡°I''ve still got a bit of work to do.¡± Elise said. ¡°Aw! I wanted to cuddle your luscious mounds!¡± Ren said. Elise walked over to him and opened up the top of her blouse, then leaned in and gently wedged his head into her cleavage. ¡°Mhm hum moo!¡± Ren mumbled into her breasts, and she laughed as it tickled. ¡°I think that should keep you happy until tonight.¡± Elise said and let him go. She saw his big grin and bent down to give him a kiss. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I love you.¡± Ren said and gave her another kiss. ¡°Now go and make me another bundle of money.¡± He said and caressed her face. ¡°I need it to pay your exorbitant and completely justified salary.¡± That made her laugh, and she kissed the palm of his hand. ¡°You''re darn right it''s justified.¡± Elise joked and turned her head to look at Barbi as she let Ren''s hand go. ¡°It''s a good thing I have a stand-in for this, though.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Barbi blinked her eyes. ¡°Ren needs another cuddle buddy, and you''re on deck.¡± Elise said. ¡°M-me?¡± Barbi said and stared at her. ¡°You need to get changed into an appropriate outfit so you can unleash your boob powers, though.¡± Elise said and took her hand. ¡°Come on, I''ll help you.¡± Barbi stumbled along behind her as Elise dragged her across the room to the bedroom door and left.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Barbi''s getting thrown into the deep end by the sharks instead of with the sharks.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°Ren, is that okay?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°As long as you''re here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you need to get changed and grab a book?¡± Lisa grinned and gave him a kiss. ¡°I''ll be right back!¡± ¡°Always so eager for some book cuddling time.¡± Stella chuckled as Lisa''s form went out the bedroom door. ¡°Yeah, even after years of it in her own place.¡± Ren said. ¡°Stella? Can you get Elise to order a couple of those electronic book readers?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Stella said and took out her cell phone and typed up a quick message. ¡°She wants to know what one.¡± ¡°Tell her not to get the most expensive, since they probably jack the price up by using more expensive parts that have the same functionality of the mid-range ones.¡± Stella laughed. ¡°How would you know something like that?¡± ¡°They did it with the new VR headsets, remember?¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, and make sure they can connect to the server here, wireless or otherwise.¡± Stella nodded and typed up another message. ¡°Okay, how many?¡± ¡°Better make it an even dozen.¡± Ren said. ¡°We need to allow for accidents and maybe tech failures.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°First it was a couple, now it''s a dozen.¡± She said and typed a message. ¡°She says they should be here in a few days.¡± ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I''m back!¡± Lisa nearly yelled and ran into the bedroom. Her t-shirt was barely pulled down at all and her jogging pants were hanging off her hips. ¡°What did you do? Jump into your clothes?¡± Ren laughed. Lisa went around the bed and put her book down, then adjusted herself to look more presentable. ¡°Is that better?¡± ¡°You look great, even dishevelled.¡± Ren said and pat the bed. ¡°I wasn''t complaining, by the way. I just wanted to know how the hell you got to the third floor and back again before Barbi, who''s only in the next room, and she hasn''t even changed yet.¡± Lisa laughed and climbed onto the bed and pulled a couple pillows over to prop up for Barbi to lean in on Ren''s other side, then she put one down for herself and laid down to rest her shoulders on the pillow and put her head on his lap. The bedroom door opened again and Barbi came in. ¡°Holy crap.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°Look at that.¡± Lisa turned her head and saw Barbi. She wore a thin baby-blue colored t-shirt that hung just past her waist, and she had on a pair of matching boxer shorts with slits up the sides. It highlighted her long legs as she walked, and both Ren and Lisa watched her approach the bed. She wasn''t wearing a bra. ¡°I wouldn''t really call that a cuddling outfit.¡± Stella joked and saw Barbi''s face flush red, and she stood up and took her hand. ¡°That was a joke.¡± She said and motioned to the bed. ¡°Your place has been prepared, M''lady.¡± Ren snorted a laugh as Stella helped Barbi climb onto the bed. ¡°Okay, now I understand why some people think I''m being insincere when I use my Etiquette skill in the game.¡± Lisa laughed and he looked down at her. ¡°Just wait until...¡± Ren covered her mouth with a hand as he leaned forward to let Barbi replace his pillow with herself, then he leaned back. ¡°That was close.¡± Lisa nodded and he let her go. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I know it''s tempting; but, I don''t want you to get another warning.¡± Ren said and Barbi put her arms around him and rested her hands on his abdomen. ¡°You''re really going to like what''s coming and I can''t even tell you what it is.¡± Lisa said and sighed. Ren chuckled and pet her hair. ¡°It''s only fair that I need to find out what it is on my own.¡± He said. ¡°Once I do, though...¡± ¡°I''ll tell you all about it!¡± Lisa said happily. ¡°We''ve only got 2 and a half hours before I need to log back in.¡± Ren said, and he felt Barbi''s arm stiffen slightly. ¡°Is that okay, Barbi?¡± ¡°You want me to... hold you like this... for 2 hours?¡± Barbi asked, a little surprised. ¡°I always try to make the most of the limited time I have with the people I care about.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s okay if you don''t want to.¡± ¡°No, no.¡± Barbi gave him a little squeeze. ¡°It''s nice to... just hold someone.¡± Ren reached a hand up as he leaned to the side a little and looked at her face as he caressed it. ¡°It really is nice.¡± He said and her face went a little red. He smiled and let her face go and moved back into the proper cuddle position. ¡°Let me know if you need to readjust or something.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Ren nodded and he pet Lisa''s hair with one hand, then he rested his other hand on the outside of Barbi''s bare thigh. ¡°Thank you for this.¡± Barbi wasn''t sure what he meant. Does he mean me hugging him, letting him touch my leg, or not saying no? After about half an hour, Barbi asked for a change in position. Ren was going to ask what she wanted, and then she showed him instead. She propped the pillows up to lean against them like a recliner, then eased her legs apart. He looked at her with wide eyes as she pat her belly. He slid over and tried to lay down, and she did the same little trick she had done before and grabbed his hips and pulled. She had to raise her knees to fit him in close, and he laid back against her abdomen and her breasts rested on the top of his head. ¡°This is actually comfortable.¡± Ren said, surprised. Barbi chuckled and her boobs bounced a little on his head and she crossed her arms just below his neck to hold him. ¡°It''s also not straining your wrapped knee or putting pressure on your chest.¡± ¡°But, what about...¡± Lisa looked at them, and Ren eased his legs apart and pat his own belly. She had doubt on her face for a moment, then shrugged and did her best to lay down. She had to prop her arms over his thighs so she could hold her book; but other than that, it really was comfortable. ¡°Okay, I''m amazed.¡± Lisa said. ¡°You didn''t even have to bend your knees for me like Barbi did for you.¡± Both Ren and Barbi chuckled, and Ren took the cue from Lisa and put his own arms over Barbi''s thighs, then rested his forearms on the sides of her legs and put his hands on the underside as he practically hugged them. Barbi expected him to start stroking them to try and get a response from her, then she was surprised when he took a deep breath and relaxed instead. ¡°I think I could fall asleep like this.¡± Ren said and let a yawn out. ¡°You''ve still got about two hours left before you need to log back into the game.¡± Stella said as she flipped through the channels to find something to watch. ¡°Go ahead and take a nap.¡± ¡°No way. I''m not missing a moment of this.¡± Ren said. ¡°No one''s ever held me like this before.¡± Barbi wasn''t sure why that made her happy, though. ¡°R-really?¡± Ren nodded and it rubbed the underside of her breasts. ¡°This is definitely a first for me.¡± He looked down and expected Lisa to comment, then saw she was lost in her book already. Barbi slid her hands out slightly, gripped his shoulders for a moment, then slid her hands back around him. Ren took another deep breath, and despite Barbi''s expectations of what a normal man would do when given access to her body, he never once tried to grope her or caress her thighs more than moving his hands to adjust where his arms rested. Barbi didn''t feel dirty or exploited, despite the compromising position she was in, and it touched her deeply that Ren wouldn''t take advantage of her, even though he very easily could have and she pretty much presented herself for him to do it. Another hour and a half passed by quickly, especially since Barbi had anxiously waited for Ren to prove her normal assumptions were right, and he never did. Lisa closed her book after she finished the next chapter and smiled contentedly. ¡°That was great.¡± She said and looked up at Ren. ¡°It really was.¡± Ren said and let Barbi''s thighs go and cupped Lisa''s face. ¡°Come here and kiss me.¡± Lisa rolled over and crawled up to press her lips to his for a moment. ¡°I don''t expect you to visit me for a while, okay?¡± ¡°For a while, huh?¡± Ren asked. ¡°That''s awfully specific.¡± Lisa laughed and gave him another kiss. ¡°I''ll see you later, handsome.¡± ¡°You better believe it, baby.¡± Ren said and saw her eyes flicker. He gave her another kiss, because he knew what that flicker meant, and she climbed off the bed and left the room. ¡°She must love you a lot.¡± Barbi commented. ¡°I don''t think I could leave my boyfriend alone in a bed between the legs of another woman.¡± ¡°That''s because if that was all you told someone, they would assume that sex would be happening soon.¡± Ren said as he wrapped his arms back around her thighs and sighed. ¡°You feel so nice.¡± ¡°I do?¡± Barbi asked, a bit surprised at his forwardness, despite knowing he was always like that. ¡°The warm weight of your breasts on the top of my head, your special place pressed into my lower back, and my hands on your strong thighs.¡± Ren gave her thighs a firm squeeze and she caught her breath. ¡°You sat here and held me so I could hold Lisa and let her enjoy her book.¡± Barbi didn''t say anything as he moved his hands partway up her thighs in a gentle motion, then slid them back down close to her knees. ¡°You could crush me with these things.¡± Ren said and pat them lightly. He didn''t grope or try to go any further than that, though. ¡°All you did was comfort me, and I appreciate it.¡± He said and closed his eyes as he moved his hands up to her arms that she had wrapped around his neck, and hugged them to his chest. ¡°Thank you.¡± Barbi wasn''t sure what to say to that, because no one had ever thanked her for just holding them. ¡°You can doze off if you want.¡± Stella said and yawned. ¡°Half... an hour left.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and took another deep breath, then was out like a light. His arms flopped down and slid to his sides and Barbi looked at Stella with wide eyes. ¡°What was that?¡± Barbi whispered. ¡°Sometimes he just needs someone to tell him to relax.¡± Stella whispered back. ¡°He''ll be awake in about twenty minutes, give or take five minutes.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°He has boobs nearby.¡± Stella smiled. ¡°You remember he sleep gropes, right?¡± ¡°I...¡± Barbi looked down when she felt Ren shift his weight and turned his torso, then like magic, her t-shirt was up and over her breasts and he snuggled in between them. She stared down at him and what he had done so quickly, mainly because she hadn''t felt him do it and he had even used both hands. Barbi looked back at Stella with her mouth open. ¡°Surprise.¡± Stella chuckled and went back to watching television. Chapter 731 - What Now? Ren woke up from his nap and both his face and one of his hands were pressed into a soft mound of flesh. ¡°Mmm... what a great nap.¡± He said and kissed the breast he was snuggled up against. ¡°Thank you.¡± Barbi chuckled and the flesh jiggled in Ren''s hand. ¡°Are you thanking me or my breast?¡± ¡°Both, of course.¡± Ren said and kissed it again. ¡°If it wasn''t for you, the other wouldn''t be here.¡± Barbi thought about commenting that it was actually thanks to her plastic surgeon, then noticed his happy face. I don''t think it matters to him. ¡°You can stop cuddling Barbi''s boob now.¡± Stella said. ¡°But... they''re so nice.¡± Ren said and gently caressed the side of Barbi''s breast. Her face went a little red because no one else had ever touched her so tenderly before. ¡°You need to prep for going into the game.¡± Stella warned him. ¡°It''s almost 9 pm.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren sighed and gave Barbi''s breast one more kiss and let it go. He turned his torso to lay against her, then saw the problem he had. ¡°Um... I think I''m snuggled in too much.¡± He said. ¡°Barbi can''t move.¡± Stella laughed and motioned to Barbi to brace him. She did so, and Stella partially crawled onto the bed and lifted his legs slightly, careful of his wrapped knee, and they slid him forward. ¡°Whew! Thanks.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wasn''t sure how I was going to get out of there.¡± It was Barbi''s turn to laugh this time. ¡°Are you saying I had you trapped?¡± ¡°Almost perfectly.¡± Ren said as he sat up straight and Barbi moved out from behind him. ¡°I mean, it''s not like I wanted to escape...¡± Barbi smiled and moved the pillows she had leaned against and then helped Stella get Ren settled back into the bed properly. ¡°I guess my work here is done.¡± ¡°It doesn''t have to be.¡± Ren said to her, and she looked at him with raised eyebrows. ¡°I''m only going in so I can be there for Nathalia as she gives birth, so I''ll be back out not long after that.¡± He said, then thought about something. ¡°I haven''t decided if I want to accelerate the child''s growth or not, though.¡± ¡°Accelerate it? What do you mean?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°He means using his Vasalor Statue and have the child grow up before the rest of the world sees it.¡± Stella said. ¡°Like what happened with the Deity of Fire.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Barbi said, then she shook her head. ¡°Absolutely not.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren and Stella looked at her. ¡°You do realize if you do that, you''ll be doing to that child exactly what happened to you after you were rescued.¡± Barbi said. Ren and Stella both had shocked looks on their faces. ¡°You are going to help with the birth and then you are going to let that child grow up in a nice and healthy home environment, and not some time bubble with just you and Nathalia.¡± Barbi said sternly. ¡°A child needs interactions with people other than the people raising them, so they can develop normally.¡± She explained. ¡°They need to make friends. They need to play. They need to just be kids.¡± ¡°Barbi...¡± Stella started to say. Barbi held a hand up to stop her. ¡°If you do your time thing, that child will become an adult that will just magically appear and expect everyone to treat them normally.¡± She said. ¡°How would the dwarves expect to believe that it''s your child if they show up fully grown? How will they behave around someone like that?¡± Ren opened his mouth to speak, then he closed it and smiled. He waved Barbi to come closer, and she bent over the bed. He cupped the sides of her face and leaned in close himself, then gave her a soft and gentle kiss. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said sincerely. ¡°But...¡± ¡°You just saved me from potentially ruining someone''s life before it even started.¡± Ren said and slid his hand behind her neck and kissed her passionately. Barbi almost gasped into his mouth as he worked both his lips and tongue expertly, and she kissed him back just as enthusiastically. They stayed that way for several moments, then Ren broke the kiss and looked at her with lust in his eyes. It made her shiver slightly, and he smiled warmly at her as he let her neck and cheek go. ¡°You''ll never know how much it means to me that you stopped me from interfering.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m so glad that you were here to talk some sense into me before I made another huge mistake.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°I''ll be back out as soon as I can, and I will thank you properly.¡± Ren said, and Barbi nodded. Stella handed him his VR headset. ¡°Aren''t you going to...¡± ¡°Not this time.¡± Ren said adamantly. ¡°This isn''t a pleasure trip... well, not that kind of pleasure trip.¡± He smiled. ¡°I''m going to witness the birth of my second child.¡± He said, then his eyes widened. ¡°Oh, wow. I''m going to have another child.¡± He quickly slipped on the headset and took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± * ¡°What did he mean by thanking me properly?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°I really should keep you in the dark about that.¡± Stella said. Barbi looked at her with wide eyes, and Stella chuckled. ¡°Just kidding. I wanted to see your face when you found out.¡± Stella said, then leaned in close to whisper in her ear. ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Barbi said, and Stella shook her head. ¡°You''re not kidding?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Stella grinned at her, then her cell phone beeped. ¡°I wonder who...¡± She took out her cell phone and gasped at the message from Barbara. ¡°What is it?¡± Barbi asked. Stella didn''t say anything as she changed the channel on the television. ** ¡°That''s right, folks.¡± One of the early night talk show hosts said. ¡°That cute little television star we all know and love has a deep and dark secret past!¡± Some of the crowd made the ''boo'' sounds and some clapped. ¡°Don''t show it again!¡± One woman shouted, and several people laughed. ¡°Ah! I see some of you have seen the 5 o''clock news already.¡± He said and the curtain opened up behind him. ¡°Don''t worry, ma''am. You don''t have to see the whole thing again. We''ve made a clip of the highlights.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ** Stella and Barbi stood there and watched as a news reporter started to talk about Ren, and he broke down and cried openly. He waved at the camera and apologized for being emotional over a story he should be treating professionally, then they played Ren''s statement over his shoulder as he tried, and failed, to maintain his professional integrity and openly sobbed as Ren described what he went through. Barbara, Lisa, and Elise came into the room just in time to see that part, and Barbi and Elise used their cell phones to check on things. They watched the television and used their phones at the same time, and compared what they were seeing to what had aired earlier that day. ¡°They said they were repeating the story tonight at midnight.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Donald was the one that saw it at 5 o''clock and told me about when I woke up.¡± ¡°Elise, what does this mean for the lawsuits?¡± Stella asked. ¡°Thankfully, nothing.¡± Elise said and showed her the text from one of the secretaries at the law firm. ¡°This evidence was already presented in open court.¡± She said. ¡°If you look closely, you can see that it''s a recording of a recording.¡± ¡°They had someone in the courtroom recording the evidence?¡± Barbi asked, surprised. ¡°I don''t think they targeted Ren specifically, if that''s what you mean.¡± Elise said. ¡°I think whoever it was lucked out.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Help me gather up all the traces of this on the net.¡± Barbi said. ¡°We need to check that it''s accurate, and if it''s not, we might have to release the original footage and counter any false claims.¡± ¡°I can already see the defamation lawsuits building up.¡± Elise said. ¡°There''s not going to be a lot of happy people out there.¡± ¡°Yeah, facing your accuser is a big thing for criminals these days.¡± Stella said. ¡°Even if Ren didn''t actually accuse them of anything and only stated facts.¡± ¡°Elise, can you...¡± Barbi started to ask. ¡°I''ve already got the transcript from three of the cases today, and I''m just waiting on the others.¡± Elise said. ¡°I don''t think releasing the judgments is going to make much difference, though.¡± ¡°Oh, it will.¡± Barbi said and smiled. ¡°How many of those companies now have injunctions against them?¡± Elise''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise, then she smiled. ¡°I love the way you think.¡± ¡°I do, too.¡± Barbi said and smiled back. ¡°Let''s go.¡± Elise commanded, then she, Barbi and Lisa left the bedroom at a fast walk. ¡°I guess we can leave it in their hands.¡± Barbara said. Stella nodded. ¡°It''s nice to have someone around that can handle things like this.¡± She said and waved at the television. The host was now making jokes at the male news anchor''s expense. ******** Ren woke up in the apartment with the maids and Xuunah, gave them all a kiss, and slid out of bed without waking them, then wrote out a note and left it for them and left the apartment. He used the All-Seeing Mirror and checked on Nathalia, and he saw that she was asleep in a private room in the hospital ward. Artrude sat at her bedside and was reading a book, so Ren thanked the mirror and stored it. ¡°It''s not time yet.¡± Teepo said in the voice only Ren could hear. No, unfortunately. Ren thought to his friend. I wonder what I can do while I wait. ¡°Well, you do have a couple of quests left to do.¡± Teepo suggested. Actually, that''s not a bad idea. Ren smiled and took out the All-Seeing Mirror again and asked it to show him Orimihr. It showed him in his cabin on the ship and the dwarf had two women in bed with him. They wore glittering diamond pendants and hugged Orimihr tightly. ¡°Lucky dog.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I guess it''s a bit too early for him.¡± Ren held in his chuckle and thought about the other quests he had. ¡°Can you show me a list of the special creatures in the game? There''s supposed to be a hundred of them and I''ve found a few already.¡± The All-Seeing Mirror changed and showed a list of 100 creatures and 5 of the names were greyed out with check marks by them. ¡°Nice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you show me a world map, with the names of the creatures and their locations, please?¡± The mirror shifted and showed a world map, and 65 little dots appeared and the names of those creatures appeared beside the dots.
System Notice!
You have discovered 65 rare creatures! There are 100 of them in the game, and a SPECIAL bonus awaits the person that finds them all.
Notice!
You have gained the title Hunter Extraordinaire. This title grants you the Hunter Aura (Mastered - 100 feet); the Tracking skill (already acquired - Mastered); 15,000 XP (Negated: XP maxed); Fame: 5,000
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP. Fame 5,000 x 10XP = 50,000 XP (Negated: XP maxed)
Well, damn. Ren thought. The others must be in parts of the game I haven''t unlocked yet. ¡°Shouldn''t that mean they aren''t accessible?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Why would they give you a quest you can''t complete?¡± Ren sighed. I guess they figured everyone would travel and go looking for them, rather than just asking for the creatures locations. He thought and looked at the list, and saw that the monocerus wasn''t greyed out. Crap, I wanted to see if I could find that for Malenka to finish that quest, too. ¡°Then go find it.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Ask the All-Seeing Mirror where to start looking.¡± Good idea. Ren asked the mirror and it showed him a really odd looking caravan that was parked beside the castle in the capital city of Bore-Reale. ¡°Look at those things pulling the carts.¡± Teepo said. Ren asked the mirror for a close up shot. ¡°It''s a giant boar.¡± He said out loud. ¡°You''re not allowed to eat it!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t think showing up out of the blue and eating one of their pack animals would make a good first impression.¡± ¡°I wonder who they are?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Well, there are a couple of ways I could find out.¡± Ren said and asked the mirror for a view of the bedroom in Aurora. He cast the portal spell and stepped through it. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Artemis said as he appeared and he gave her a kiss. ¡°I''m heading to the capital city to try and find a unicorn.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°You mean clues to find a unicorn.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Do you want a show of force or just a presence?¡± ¡°Just a presence.¡± Ren said and looked at the succubi. ¡°I''m not sure if I''ll be back for...¡± ¡°You''ll need all of your strength for Nathalia''s birth when it happens.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°We can wait.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and walked over to the bed and kissed her to give her the emotions she wanted, then did the same for the other three succubi. ¡°See you later.¡± Ren cast another portal and he and Artemis stepped through it to appear a hundred feet above the capital city. ¡°Should we do full armor or full court dress?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Artemis thought about it. ¡°I''d say full court, until we find out who it is.¡± She said. ¡°Then we can switch if it''s necessary.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± Ren said and equipped his blue suit that was a mix of High Elf and Human royalty styles, and Artemis cast Full Illusion on herself to give her normal skin and then equipped a high fashion dress that was so close to the Human Queen''s style that it was practically the same dress. They thought about just dropping down to land beside the caravan, then decided that a bit of decorum was better and flew down to land a couple of streets away and walked over to the castle, arm in arm. Since Ren had his Auras active all the time, he felt it when it passed over the caravan and the castle. No less than a dozen piqued interests focused their attention on him, and he couldn''t tell if some or all of them were the giant boars that pulled the caravan or if it was people that were inside the caravan or the castle. ¡°I guess there''s no point in trying to make an announcement before my arrival.¡± Ren joked. Artemis chuckled and Teepo chittered in laughter, and they made their way down the street.. As they walked over to the front doors of the castle to go inside, Ren''s Heat Sense let him watch several beings leave the caravan and they moved out and along the next street. ¡°Are you going to tell them that you can sense them?¡± Artemis asked in a whisper. ¡°It depends on how close they get and if I want to astonish them so soon.¡± Ren smiled at her, and she pat his hand as he opened the front door for her, since the guards by the door hadn''t moved to do that for them. ¡°Do you think Princess Diana is up yet?¡± Teepo asked as Artemis stepped by Ren and into the large lobby. ¡°I think the last street we walked up was close enough to the back of the castle, so I can pretty much guarantee it.¡± Ren said as he held the door open for a lot longer than he normally would have, almost as if he was holding it for someone else, then he stepped inside himself and let the door close on it''s own. Artemis took his arm again and then Ren felt a familiar presence leave a room at the back of the castle at a run. ¡°Yep, she knows I''m here.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°Should we wait here for her?¡± ¡°I think that would be best.¡± Artemis said and pointed to several chairs and a small couch in what looked like a sitting area. ¡°Those look reasonably comfortable.¡± ¡°Let''s try them.¡± Ren said and escorted her over to the area and they tried sitting down on the small couch. ¡°You''re right. It''s not too bad.¡± ¡°Then sit back and relax while we wait, My King.¡± Artemis said. Ren raised a single eyebrow at her for the use of his title, and she chuckled. ¡°I should use at least that title when addressing you inside the kingdom''s castle.¡± Artemis said with a demure smile. Ren nodded his acceptance and sat back to put his arm out across the back of the couch, and Artemis leaned into him. She was almost a foot and a half taller than him, so she put her arm around his shoulders and relaxed. ¡°Are you going to point to them now?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I''ll wait until Princess Diana gets here.¡± Ren said and moved his hand from the back of the couch to rub Artemis'' back through her dress, and they waited patiently for the princess to arrive. Chapter 732 - A New Kingdom Ren, Teepo, and Artemis didn''t have to wait long before Princess Diana came into the large lobby of the castle. As Ren felt her approach, he stood up and helped Artemis stand, then walked over to the middle of the lobby so that they could be seen clearly. Even though it was early in the morning, it was still a little crowded in the castle, so he made sure Diana wouldn''t have to search around for him. Diana had paced herself so that she wouldn''t be winded when she stopped running. When she finally reached the lobby, she came to a stop and wasn''t out of breath at all. Her eyes started to scan the room and she caught sight of Ren immediately. He stood in the exact middle of the lobby and smiled at her, and she smiled back. He did that for me, so I could find him quickly. Diana thought right away, and her smile grew broader. She took a quick shallow breath and let the smile fade as she walked across the lobby towards him. ¡°Good morning, Princess Diana.¡± Ren said when she was close enough and bowed his head to her. ¡°Good Morning, King Ren.¡± Diana responded and bowed her head to him in return. ¡°You''re here early.¡± ¡°I''ve got a very important pending appointment without a set time, so I came here while I waited.¡± Ren said. Diana tilted her head to the side slightly. ¡°You don''t mean my birthday party this afternoon, do you?¡± ¡°Is that today?¡± Ren asked and looked around. ¡°I don''t see any decorations in here or outside.¡± Diana chuckled. ¡°I don''t think the people would enjoy celebrating my birthday like they do my father''s.¡± ¡°I think you are selling your people short, Princess Diana.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you will excuse me for a few moments, I''ll prove it.¡± ¡°I doubt that...¡± Diana started to say and Ren disappeared. ¡°Wh-what? Where?¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°He''s making sure the country knows it''s your birthday today.¡± ¡°What? How is he...¡± Diana stopped talking as she felt Ren''s presence and everyone in the lobby took in a sharp breath. ¡°What''s going on?¡± ¡°It''s... Ren''s... Aura.¡± Artemis said and tried not to react to Ren activating his country-sized artificial Aura. Diana shivered as she felt a happy feeling tickle her, then she had a distinct image of herself in her head and that it was her birthday. ¡°Wh-what... what...¡± ¡°It''s a very clever use of a modified Charm Person spell.¡± A gruff voice said from about 11 feet away. Diana turned her head to see one of the male delegates from the nearby kingdom of Pervaria. He was 6 feet tall and had a bulbous nose, slightly slanted eyes, and tanned skin that went well with his shoulder length fluffy black hair. He wore a long white tunic, almost like the ones the healers wore, and his well-muscled arms were bare from the shoulder down. ¡°How would... oh, he''s using his Aura to cast it.¡± Diana said in understanding. ¡°His Aura must already have that innate ability for it to work.¡± The man said, but he didn''t come any closer. ¡°It does.¡± Artemis said and the man looked at her. ¡°You are a very interesting... person.¡± The man said, and Artemis squinted her eyes at him. Ren appeared in front of Diana and she caught her breath. ¡°Okay, I''ve got all the decorations and fireworks set up and put your image on all the displays.¡± ¡°You... what?¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°Outside, anyway.¡± He said and deactivated the artificial Aura. ¡°Do you want me to decorate inside the castle, too?¡± ¡°I... I don''t think that''s necessary.¡± Diana said with a similar smile, then remembered her manners. ¡°King Ren, I''d like to introduce you to one of the representatives from the Pervaria Kingdom, Kenkoth Zaerepis.¡± Ren''s Etiquette skill kicked in and he immediately equipped his Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak and his platinum armor, along with several different rings and bracelets, and his Hand of Glory now held a rod of rings. In the same instant, he activated his Ultimate Terror Aura and his Controlled Berserk Rage ability as he took out his golden shield and hammerpick. ¡°My name is Ren.¡± Diana held in her scream and froze in terror, mainly because she had been trained to not let her emotions show; but, everyone else in the lobby and the rest of the castle completely lost it. Screams of terror filled the lobby and the castle, and even several streets outside. Ren''s Aura was huge normally; but, with his armor on and all the other boosts added to it, his Aura spread out to over 2,000 feet. After suffering for only 3 seconds, Kenkoth Zaerepis nodded. Ren switched his Aura from Ultimate Terror to Reassurance and filled everyone with the best feelings they could ever feel. That brought out just as many yells and hollers as his Ultimate Terror one did, only for different reasons. He cast Charm Person and asked for forgiveness for what just happened. He felt mostly forgiveness, except for several of them that were shaken up pretty badly. ¡°Please excuse me for a few more moments.¡± Ren said and disappeared. He went to the ones that were shaken up and used his Emotion Siphon ability to help them get rid of most of those feelings. It took several minutes to deal with the fallout from his display, and they thanked him for taking care of them. He didn''t try to go to King Alamast or Lady Eleanor, since they had dealt with it just as well as Diana had. He went back to the lobby and reappeared in front of Diana and beside Artemis. ¡°What. Was. That?¡± Diana said through gritted teeth, and he felt how angry she was. ¡°Please accept my sincere apologies, Princess Diana.¡± Ren said and took her hand to bend over it as he stored all of his equipment and armor, except for the Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak, and equipped his fancy blue suit again. ¡°When officially greeting someone of his high status, I needed to show my best fighting capability.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Diana looked from Ren to the representative and then back again. ¡°If I didn''t show him, he would have been deeply insulted.¡± Ren said and kissed her fingers, and he felt a thrill go through her. He stood up straight and let her hand go. ¡°The last thing I want to do is cause the people here even more problems.¡± He smiled. ¡°Besides what I inadvertently just did, I mean.¡± Kenkoth Zaerepis still hadn''t moved any closer. ¡°Your presence is quite impressive, King Ren.¡± ¡°Aren''t you glad that you don''t have to reciprocate?¡± Ren asked. Kenkoth smiled with a slight nod and Ren dismissed the popup without reading it. ¡°Even though I am tempted to, I believe these people have had enough of a show for now.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°May I ask why you are here?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I noticed the odd-looking caravan when I was making an inquiry, and I wondered where it was from and who was in it.¡± ¡°So it''s not for the Princess'' birthday?¡± Kenkoth asked. ¡°I was invited, but I didn''t realize it was today.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was worried I was going to miss it and gave her a present early.¡± Kenkoth let a small smile appear on his face for a second and it disappeared. ¡°That was a respectable decision.¡± Ren had to pause in talking, so he didn''t dismiss the popup this time and saw that he had gained Respect, the same as he got from the Giants.
Notice!
You have gained Respect: +500.
Cool. Ren thought. ¡°I''d like to say that was why I did it, to maintain Respect; but, I really just wanted to see her happy face.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Kenkoth barked a laugh and Ren thought he could hear a kind of screech or a cry. He couldn''t place where he had heard something like it before, though. ¡°King Ren.¡± Diana said, and Ren turned his attention back to her. ¡°Yes, Princess Diana?¡± ¡°Can you stay for a while?¡± Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and saw Nathalia was still asleep and he didn''t feel any distress in their connection. ¡°I can, with the caveat that I may need to leave on a moment''s notice.¡± Diana smiled and her face almost glowed as he felt her happiness. ¡°Understood.¡± She said. ¡°We were all about to sit down to eat breakfast.¡± ¡°I couldn''t possibly intrude...¡± Ren tried to say, then Diana broke normal protocol and took his hand. ¡°I insist.¡± Diana commanded. Ren thought about protesting, since him being there wouldn''t make her father and mother happy. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I won''t take no for an answer.¡± Diana said and turned and looked at Kenkoth. ¡°Representative Zaerepis, if you will accompany us?¡± ¡°Of course, Princess Diana.¡± Kenkoth said and motioned to the hallway she had come from. ¡°Before we go Representative Zaerepis, are your people following us or do you have people there already?¡± Ren asked, and Kenkoth''s head whipped around to stare at him. ¡°What people?¡± Ren didn''t turn his head to look as he pointed to the far corner of the room about halfway up the wall. He then pointed straight up to the chandelier, then pointed across the room to just above the receptionist desk there. ¡°The others slipped back outside as I held the door open when I came in.¡± Ren said. Diana wasn''t sure what was going on. The places Ren pointed had people somewhat near them that she could see, except for the ceiling above them. She had to assume that he could feel them in the reception room above the lobby, but she thought it was odd he had missed pointing so much. He should have looked to see where he pointed. Diana thought. ¡°My people... won''t be following.¡± Kenkoth said and made a small motion with his hand. Ren thought he could feel something from him; but, he couldn''t tell what it was. ¡°Then lead on, Representative Zaerepis.¡± Kenkoth walked ahead of them and Ren led Diana behind him, and Artemis brought up the rear. She did her best to not smile as they passed some of the surprised people in the lobby that saw Ren holding Princess Diana''s hand. ¡°That was a little intense.¡± Teepo said in the voice only Ren could hear. I actually expected to receive Respect for finding their hidden people. Ren thought in amusement. I guess he''s more upset than respectful. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°No doubt.¡± They walked through the castle to the main staircase, then went up the stairs and walked back to the large reception area that was above the lobby. Ren saw 11 more people there wearing the same long white tunic that Kenkoth wore, and he activated his Controlled Berserk Rage. ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± A woman''s voice said and Ren turned his head to look at her as she approached. ¡°We have felt your prowess already, King Ren.¡± Ren turned his head back to Diana for a second to whisper. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± He said and let her hand go, then he turned back to the woman and stepped forward as his Etiquette skill demanded and equipped his armored bodysuit. The representatives interest piqued at its appearance and then Ren saw the woman''s slight smile. He dismissed the Respect popup and chose the Hidden Fighting skill he had learned from the wooden sword in Issac''s shop.
Notice!
You have entered PvNPC Mode: Display Duel
The woman saw Ren''s stance and took her own stance, then she lunged forward to swipe at his head with her fingers. Ren easily pushed the hand aside and ducked, then dodged the followup kick to his side. Diana gasped as she felt the force of the Wind from both moves. ¡°What are they doing?¡± She asked as Ren kept dodging the woman''s attacks and they moved into the middle of the room. ¡°A test of skill.¡± Kenkoth said and nodded to someone across the room. A Magical Barrier of Protection appeared around the center of the room and covered Ren and the woman. ¡°But...¡± Diana wasn''t sure what was going on. ¡°It''s one thing to be powerful and another to be skilled to use that power.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Usually, when power is gained it is relied on solely, to the detriment of the fighter.¡± He explained. ¡°Sometimes finesse is needed to deal with opponents and not brute Strength alone.¡± The delegates from the Pervaria Kingdom gathered around the magical barrier to be as close to the fight as possible. Although, it wasn''t much of a fight. The woman tried to attack and Ren easily dodged all of her attempts. ¡°Are you mocking me?¡± The woman asked as she lunged again and missed. ¡°No, I''m just...¡± Ren folded himself backwards, almost in half, as her foot breezed by. ¡°...trying not to let you get hurt.¡± The woman laughed. ¡°I can feel your confidence.¡± ¡°That''s because I am confident.¡± Ren said and grabbed her wrist carefully when she tried to punch him, then he slipped down to the floor and slid through her legs. She looked down as her tunic flopped closed, then she realized too late what he was doing. Ren stood up behind her and pulled. Since he still held onto her wrist, her body flipped over and she was going to hit the floor hard. He cast Permanent Air Walk on her and she stopped just before she hit the floor. ¡°Wh-what...¡± ¡°I''m sorry. I stood up too fast.¡± Ren said. The woman looked at her wrist that he held, and she couldn''t understand how he could hold her both firmly and gently at the same time. She wasn''t going to pass up the opportunity that presented her, however. She yanked on that hand as if to pull herself free, then her body rolled as her feet flew up to strike Ren''s chin. He leaned back just enough to let her feet pass, as she suspected he would, and she slid up and over him to land on his back. ¡°Ha!¡± She barked in his ear as she wrapped her legs around him and put her free arm around his neck and started to squeeze as she locked her hand around the arm that Ren held. ¡°Your hold is strong but too flexible.¡± ¡°I told you I was trying not to hurt you.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I hadn''t shifted my grip, you would have broken your arm.¡± ¡°It is a small price to pay to have gained the advantage in a battle to the death.¡± ¡°This isn''t a battle to the death.¡± Ren said and her arm squeezed tighter. ¡°All battles can be to the death.¡± She said, and he laughed. ¡°Am I amusing you?¡± ¡°Unintentionally.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not long ago I had a duel with another Adventurer, and our battle could never be to the death.¡± He smiled. ¡°Well, it was actually 3 duels, with each one the best out of 7.¡± ¡°What... were you...¡± ¡°The circumstances are private.¡± Ren said, and his desire spiked through her. Both she and the other representatives gasped, and she eased her hold around his neck. ¡°Shall I try to actually fight you now?¡± ¡°You haven''t been?¡± She asked, and he felt her surprise. Ren chuckled and only slightly pulled down on her already held wrist. She winced at the strength and had to let the choke hold she had on him go, just so she could keep the strain off of her elbow. He pulled down a bit more, and she had to slide up and over his head again, then she flipped forward and sat down on the floor in front of him. ¡°Your head is too high to hit me there.¡± Ren said and she felt his amusement. The woman growled in frustration as she leaned against him, and then she felt Ren react to the sound, both emotionally and physically. She was surprised for only a moment, then she held in her smile as she shimmied her back against him and growled a little more. Ren let her wrist go and stepped back from her, and she rolled forward to get farther away from him. When she turned back to look at him, she saw his reaction was profound and felt his confidence waver. ¡°I believe I have found the weakness in your fighting stance, King Ren.¡± She said and stood up, then quick as a flash, she took two steps and leaped across the space between them with her hands held up high in a clear grabbing technique. Ren reacted automatically and grabbed both of her wrists to catch her, and he felt how happy that made her. He stared at her face with wide eyes as she completed the move in an instant and swung down from his hold and wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed herself against his pronounced bulge. She only wore a thin bodysuit, so she ground herself against him and wiggled her hips and stared back at him. She was sure of her win in this fight, since using everything at your disposal to win was a part of their philosophy, then she gasped as his desire burst out and flowed directly into her and then out. The other representatives had enough composure not to gasp as they felt the flood of desire, and unlike Ren''s opponent, they stopped moving. The magic user was glad that he didn''t have to keep concentrating on the magical barrier, because all he could think about was the woman beside him. They had been fooling around in secret, and that really turned them on. Their heads turned at the same time and they stared at each other, and their desire joined with Ren''s. ¡°Good god.¡± Kenkoth whispered as Ren''s desire filled the room and wasn''t held back by the magical barrier, since it was only intended to stop physical and magical attacks from reaching the crowd. ¡°Let... go.¡± The woman fighting Ren almost pleaded. Ren felt her emotions about needing to get away, so he let her wrists go. She didn''t hop away like he expected, though. She instead wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kept staring into his eyes as she kept moving and grinding against him. ¡°I... will... win.¡± She panted and ground harder. Ren felt her determination to defeat him where she believed he was vulnerable, and he let a big grin spread across his face. ¡°I enjoy being underestimated.¡± She caught her breath as his confidence overwhelmed his desire and he reached down to grab her backside firmly and helped her move. Her eyes widened as he essentially took over her attack and then he used his other hand to expertly untie her complicated tunic. She gasped when he slid his hand inside to grip her breast and started to massage her, then did the same to her backside while still keeping her moving. She couldn''t stop her own emotions shifting from needing to win to needing to finish. Ren slid his hand from her breast to her back, while still inside her tunic, and he pulled her in close. ¡°I''m sorry that you were wrong.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m the one that''s going to win this fight.¡± ¡°N-no, I... mhmm!¡± She moaned as Ren kissed her and poured all of his sexual desire into her. She tightened her arms around his neck and she moved her hips even faster than she thought she could. The people around them couldn''t help but add their own desire at the sight, and then Ren felt her getting close. He moved his hand from her back and grabbed her hip, and slid his other hand from her backside and gripped her other hip. She thought he was going to stop and she held on desperately, and he felt her emotions as they matched her movements this time. He broke the kiss and leaned back slightly and saw her red face, and he smiled as he pulled her gyrating hips away slightly. ¡°N-No!¡± She exclaimed at the denial of her satisfaction and tried to pull herself back in. Ren grinned and pulled her back in to jam her against his bulge, which made her moan, then he did the same motion again several times to essentially dry-hump her, and that drove her over the edge. She finished spectacularly and her body shook as her emotions flooded out to fill the room and covered everyone. Chapter 733 - Duel Dilemma
Notice!
PvNPC Mode: Display Duel has ended. Rewards: Respect +12,000 Bonus: Tatya Tibaido''s Personal Adoration
No one moved or spoke as the duel came to an end and Ren dismissed the popup. Tatya''s arms and legs were still wrapped around him and Ren held her tenderly as they stared at each other from barely an inch away. Ren thought he could feel her vibrating slightly and he could hear a low rumbling from her. He wasn''t sure what it was, and thought about it for the several minutes that it took for Tatya to recover her composure. The other people in the room were in various states of sexual desire, thanks to Tatya''s very strong emotional release, especially Princess Diana. Everyone''s faces were flushed slightly red and the women waved hands in front of their faces to try and calm down. When Tatya recovered her Stamina enough and her emotions shifted back to their reserved state, she unwrapped her legs from around his waist and he helped her stand up. She was a foot taller than him and her eyes never left his as she started to slide her arms from around his neck. Ren quickly tied her tunic back up to cover her before she could step away and kept looking at her while he did it. She glanced down at what he did without looking at it and then looked at his face in surprise. Ren leaned close to whisper. ¡°Just because you have a bodysuit on, doesn''t mean you want everyone to see you in it.¡± He smiled. ¡°Especially now.¡± Tatya''s face went slightly red and she nodded. Ren dismissed the Respect popup and she stepped back, and he equipped his fancy blue suit and Dire Wolf Hooded Cloak again and stored the armored bodysuit to clean it. It wasn''t that big of a wet spot; but, he couldn''t assume that she wouldn''t be embarrassed by it, so he had taken the safer option and hid the evidence. The magical barrier faded away and a collective sigh was heard from the representatives. Ren and Tatya bowed to each other, dismissed the popups, then walked over to where Princess Diana and Kenkoth Zaerepis stood. ¡°Once again you impress me, King Ren.¡± Kenkoth said as Tatya walked over to stand beside him and the other representatives moved off to mix and mingle with the rest of the crowd, where they had been before the duel, and used their abilities to help calm them. ¡°I believe it is I that is impressed, Representative Zaerepis.¡± Ren said and glanced at Tatya. ¡°Even though I thought I had the upper hand the whole time, she manipulated me quite well. I nearly lost just from my surprise at the change in her tactics.¡± Kenkoth laughed. ¡°Yes, she''s very versatile in her deduction skills and her execution of special techniques can be useful in nearly every situation.¡± Ren heard something like choking underneath the man''s laughter; but, he didn''t know why. His Etiquette skill stopped him from asking about it, however. Artemis stepped over to him and mirrored where Tatya stood beside and slightly behind Kenkoth. Diana had watched the whole thing, and she couldn''t believe it had happened right in front of her. She hadn''t felt everything, since her ability wasn''t at a high enough level for that yet; but, she did feel a lot of what Ren experienced because his Aura was so strong. ¡°I don''t understand what just happened.¡± Diana admitted, and her emotions swirled all over the spectrum because she didn''t know how she should feel. ¡°Did they just... right in front of us?¡± Kenkoth turned to her with a small smile. ¡°I told you it was a test of skills.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°When Tatya couldn''t land a single hit with sparring, she changed her attack and almost managed to subdue her opponent.¡± ¡°But... they...¡± Diana''s face turned slightly redder. ¡°I can''t believe...¡± Kenkoth smiled. ¡°That is also a form of fighting.¡± He said. ¡°A contest of wills, if you like.¡± Diana blinked her eyes for several moments as she thought about that, and thought about how her own contest of wills might go against Ren. Her face turned to a brighter shade of red at those thoughts, even though he had just done what he did to another woman, right in front of her. She tried to regain her composure, and then she felt her father''s Aura as he approached. Her composure snapped into place automatically and her face returned to its natural color. Ren felt and saw her reaction to King Alamast''s movement through the castle towards the reception area and he took a step to the side to make sure that he was in clear view and not too close to Diana, and turned to look at the entrance to the room. Kenkoth and Tatya turned slightly as well. Diana noticed the representatives shift their stances, then turned herself. Can they feel him, too? King Alamast entered the room with Lady Eleanor on his arm and slowed his pace as he saw Ren stood about 6 feet away from his daughter, and everyone felt him relax as he smiled. ¡°I wonder what he thought he was going to see.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. After the emotions Tatya and I let loose? Ren thought in amusement, because he could feel that a lot of the women were still trying to recover from it. He probably expected to see us all sprawled out and naked on the floor. ¡°Can you imagine if that happened?¡± Teepo chittered in delight and Artemis covered her mouth to stop her smile. Ren quickly glanced at Tatya and caught her glancing back at him, so he winked at her. She let a small smile out and diverted her gaze back to King Alamast. ¡°Representative Zaerepis.¡± King Alamast said as he stopped five feet away. ¡°Thank you for gracing us again with your august presence.¡± ¡°I believe enjoying breakfast with Princess Diana on her special day was worth delaying our departure.¡± Kenkoth said, and Ren felt how flattered Diana was to hear that. ¡°In fact, we''ve arranged a small demonstration in her honor.¡± Kenkoth''s hand made a small motion and two of the representatives excused themselves from where they were and moved to the middle of the room. Everyone turned to watch them and a moment later they were covered in a magical barrier and started to fight. Unlike Ren''s duel, these fighters made it a show to amaze the spectators. Punches and kicks were exchanged in equal measure and the crowd let out oo''s and ah''s at the right times. They blocked some moves and parried others, and made it look like a real fight. One fighter tried to do a leg sweep and the other jumped and lightly kicked him in the chest. The other fighter grunted and fell onto his back, then his opponent jumped on him and grabbed the tunic around his neck as he pressed his elbow into his opponent''s throat. His opponent tapped the fighter''s arm to give up, and as they stood, they were met with a round of applause. The magical barrier disappeared and the fighters bowed to each other, then to Kenkoth. Kenkoth clapped his hands once and the fighters moved back to where they had been before. ¡°That was wonderful.¡± Lady Eleanor said and clapped her hands slowly several times. ¡°Quite enjoyable.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Highness.¡± Kenkoth said, and then he turned his head slightly when he felt a spike of annoyance. One of the fighters had stopped walking and came back over to the middle of the room, then continued over to stand 11 feet away from Ren.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Meccis.¡± Tatya said in a warning tone. Meccis gave her a glance and saw her shake her head. ¡°He didn''t give us Respect.¡± He said and looked back at Ren. ¡°Now is not the time to discuss...¡± ¡°I didn''t break any kind of protocol.¡± Ren said in his defense. ¡°It''s expected that...¡± Meccis started to say. ¡°I believe Respect needs to be earned, not given away.¡± Ren said. ¡°We worked hard to...¡± ¡°It was a show, nothing more.¡± Ren countered before he could finish. ¡°If you fought for real, or even used half of your abilities, I would have given you some Respect.¡± He said. ¡°You barely ruffled your tunics with the love taps you were doing.¡± ¡°Love taps?¡± Meccis asked, confused. ¡°Punches or kicks you do so there is no chance of hurting someone or being hurt in turn.¡± Ren said. ¡°Allow me to demonstrate.¡± Everyone watched wordlessly as Ren quickly stepped forward across the 11 feet between him and Meccis in an instant and swatted the fighter on the arm, thigh, chest, calf, and forearm... which were the exact places he and his fighting opponent had hit each other. It had happened so fast that everyone was surprised, even Meccis. ¡°I suppose you could have done better.¡± Meccis said with a bit of a sneer. ¡°Tatya and I did do better.¡± Ren said and he heard her gasp at the Respect she earned. ¡°It wasn''t as impact intensive, since I didn''t want her hurting herself by actually letting her hit me.¡± He smiled. ¡°At the end when she distracted me and took advantage of it, though...¡± The smile vanished like it hadn''t happened and Ren squinted his eyes. ¡°None of you gave us Respect for that fight.¡± ¡°It was only a display duel.¡± Meccis said, dismissively. ¡°Yours wasn''t even a duel.¡± Ren said, and he felt Meccis change his emotions to anger. Rather than react to that, Ren stood still and saw Meccis smile as he formed a fist and quickly jabbed Ren with an uppercut. No one moved and several people winced at the sounds of bones breaking, and Meccis pulled his mangled hand away from Ren''s chin and his head hadn''t moved at all from what everyone thought was a surprise punch. ¡°I''m glad you have tough skin.¡± Ren said without looking at the mangled hand. ¡°Blood spray can be messy from multiple broken bones.¡± One of the other representatives came over to Meccis and examined his hand. ¡°This... I can''t heal this.¡± ¡°You''re our experienced healer.¡± Kenkoth said, slightly angry. ¡°My Mana is limited after...¡± The man stopped talking and Kenkoth sighed. ¡°I can help with that.¡± Ren said, and they all looked at him. ¡°Are you a healer?¡± The representative healer asked. ¡°Yes, but he won''t let me touch him.¡± Ren said and motioned to Meccis. ¡°He thinks I tricked him and broke his hand with a spell or something.¡± The other representatives felt this was true and Meccis didn''t deny it. ¡°Then how...¡± Ren took out one of his Bracelets of Magical Boost and gave it to the healer. ¡°Equip that.¡± The healer did and everyone felt his shock at what the bracelet did. ¡°Use this, too.¡± Ren said and handed him a Level 5 Major Healing wand with 50 charges. ¡°Y-you... t-this... wh-what...¡± The healer stuttered. ¡°Ignore the shock for now and heal your patient.¡± Ren commanded him. The healer nodded and his shock faded as he used one of his abilities to form the mangled hand back into its proper shape, which was something Ren hadn''t seen before, then the healer used several charges on the wand to heal the hand back to its normal state. Meccis made a fist with the hand and looked at Ren with disdain. ¡°Go ahead and challenge me.¡± Ren said. ¡°We can all feel that you want to.¡± ¡°I challenge you to a duel of submission.¡± Meccis said and smiled. ¡°Well, this won''t last long.¡± The healer said, because he knew that Meccis was the best at submission techniques and stepped back. ¡°If you become unconscious, that counts as well, right?¡± Ren asked, and he nodded. ¡°Then I accept.¡± He said and dismissed the duel popup. The magical barrier formed around Ren and Meccis, and Kenkoth waved a hand to start the fight. Neither Ren nor Meccis moved, and then Meccis'' face turned blue after a few seconds and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious. ¡°Th-the winner.¡± Kenkoth said and pointed to Ren. The magical barrier disappeared and everyone felt the air around them being sucked away and their clothing rustled in the wind. Ren smiled as he dismissed the duel ending popup, since he didn''t gain anything from it, and he stopped using his Absorb Wind ability. The air stopped being sucked away and all of the representatives stared at Ren, except for the healer. He tended to Meccis and healed his collapsed lungs. ¡°What just happened?¡± Lady Eleanor asked. ¡°A tricky and underhanded elfling overpowered one of the fiercest submission fighters from the Pevaria Kingdom without lifting a finger, Your Highness.¡± Ren joked and grinned. ¡°Who would have thought that would ever happen?¡± No one said anything, and then Ren felt a twinge in his chest and the mark there glowed slightly. He took out the All-Seeing Mirror and checked on Nathalia, and saw that she was sitting up in bed and had both healers and Erika at her bedside. ¡°You will have to accept my apologies for leaving so soon.¡± Ren said and stored the All-Seeing Mirror as he walked over to Artemis and Princess Diana. ¡°It seems my second child is coming and I want to be there for the birth.¡± ¡°Your.. second... WHAT?!?¡± Diana yelled and he chuckled. ¡°The Deity of Fire was my first born.¡± Ren said. All of the representatives from the Pervaria Kingdom froze solid and stared at him. ¡°You''re going to share a birthday with my child, Princess Diana.¡± Ren said and took her into his arms, and everyone felt his happiness at the news, and then he kissed her. No one knew how to react to the breach in social protocol, except for Diana. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back in earnest. They stayed that way for several moments, and then Ren broke the kiss. ¡°Happy Birthday!¡± Ren said and let her out of the embrace. He felt a spike of desire from Tatya and walked over to her. She braced herself as he approached, and he reached a hand out to her, palm down. ¡°Tatya, it was a pleasure to meet you, and I sincerely hope I can come and see you sometime.¡± ¡°I would like that, King Ren.¡± Tatya said and took the hand. She bent over it and took in a long sniff, then let the hand go. ¡°Please, call me Ren.¡± Ren said and took her hand in turn and did the same thing. She smiled at him, and Ren gave her a slight nod and let her hand go, then he held a hand out to Artemis. ¡°We need to go.¡± ¡°I can feel it.¡± Artemis said and took his hand. ¡°It''s going to be soon.¡± Ren nodded and cast the Portal spell to go to the apartment in the Main House. ¡°Ren!¡± Teepo exclaimed in the voice only Ren could hear. ¡°What about the monocerus?¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± Ren said and turned back to Tatya. ¡°You wouldn''t happen to know of a place called Staibel, do you?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Tatya said. ¡°It''s a province in our kingdom.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said, happily. ¡°Do you have any unicorns there?¡± ¡°Uni-what?¡± Tatya asked, and he felt her confusion. ¡°Oh, sorry. I meant monocerus.¡± Ren said and felt her recognition. ¡°Do they exist?¡± ¡°Yes, there are lots there.¡± Tatya said, and she caught her breath at Ren''s ecstatic emotions as he received the popup to return to Malenka, in order to complete the quest she had given him before he had left the dwarf lands so long ago. ¡°If I may impose on you for a moment.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Can you put your hand on this and remember the last time you saw monocerus in that province?¡± Tatya closed her eyes and remembered the last time she had seen them, and the All-Seeing Mirror changed to show a wide pasture and 6 unicorns. Ren took out a large piece of parchment and reproduced the image, which made several people around them catch their breath in surprise. Ren dismissed the quest popup and stored the mirror and parchment, then gave Tatya a quick kiss. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Tatya said, and Ren liked that she wasn''t flustered by the kiss, and she liked that he liked it. ¡°Come on! Let''s go!¡± Teepo exclaimed. Ren turned to Princess Diana and walked backwards towards the portal. ¡°Bye! I''ll come back and show you pictures of the baby!¡± Diana waved to him, then Ren stopped walking and locked gazes with every single one of the representatives of the Pervaria Kingdom and ended with Kenkoth. ¡°That''s twice now.¡± Ren said. ¡°None of your people gave me Respect for my duel with Meccis or with Tatya.¡± Ren felt their shock and he gave them a teeth-baring grin. ¡°You''re lucky I''m busy, or just like Meccis, I would challenge you all to a fight over the perceived insult.¡± He said, then he and Artemis stepped through the portal and it disappeared. ¡°Why did he warn us?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°So we can prepare ourselves to say no.¡± Kenkoth responded. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You saw what he did to Meccis in only a few seconds.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°That wasn''t deserving of Respect.¡± Meccis said, fully recovered. ¡°He didn''t prove his fighting skill at all.¡± None of the representatives said anything in response, because Ren had shown that he didn''t have to fight at all. The healer stepped over to Kenkoth and held out the wand and the bracelet Ren had given him. ¡°What do I do with these?¡± ¡°Until he returns, you should keep them.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°He won''t take them back even if he does return.¡± Diana said and they turned to look at her. ¡°He gave them to you, so you should use them.¡± The healer looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°But...¡± ¡°He knows you will use them to help people.¡± Diana said. ¡°He would be insulted if you didn''t keep them or tried to give them back.¡± ¡°I... all right.¡± The healer equipped the bracelet again and stored the wand. ¡°At least the wand should last a while before the charges run out.¡± He said and started to walk away. ¡°They won''t run out.¡± Diana said. The healer stopped and his head whipped around to stare at her. ¡°Wh-what did you say?¡± ¡°It''s rechargeable. Just add some Mana to it and it will refill the spells.¡± A hush fell over the room as the healer took the wand back out and poured a little bit of Mana into it and the wand refilled the few charges he had used out of it. ¡°Good god.¡± The healer said and held the wand as if it was the most expensive thing in the world. Chapter 734 - Bundle Of Trouble Nathalia woke up and her belly felt very, very full. ¡°Ugh, I don''t remember eating this much.¡± Artrude laughed and leaned over her, and Nathalia saw that her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail under her nurse hat. ¡°There''s a lot more than food in your belly, Nathalia.¡± Nathalia nodded and tried to sit up, and Artrude tucked a pillow behind her back and helped her brace against the head of the bed in the private room. ¡°How are you feeling this morning?¡± Artrude asked as she managed to safely get Nathalia''s long braid out from under her and laid it beside the very pregnant woman. ¡°Exhausted.¡± Nathalia said and yawned, and Artrude cast Energize on her. She felt better instantly. ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Artrude said. ¡°Hey, there!¡± Malenka jumped into the room through the open door and waved at them enthusiastically. ¡°Good morning!¡± ¡°By the gods, I can''t take seeing you this early!¡± Artrude joked, and Malenka laughed. ¡°You haven''t seen me for almost two hours!¡± Malenka said and ran over to her and gave her a hug and a big kiss. Artrude hugged and kissed her back for only a moment, then remembered where they were and broke the kiss. ¡°Malenka...¡± ¡°I missed you!¡± Malenka said. ¡°Pet my hair.¡± She said, almost as a demand. Artrude chuckled as she ran her hands through the shorter woman''s red hair a couple of times. ¡°Thank you.¡± Malenka said and smiled. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Artrude cupped the side of her face for a moment, then they both looked at Nathalia as she let out a sob. ¡°You two make a great couple.¡± Nathalia said and wiped at her eyes. ¡°A couple of what?¡± Malenka asked, which made Artrude chuckle and Nathalia smile. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ereka said as she came into the room. ¡°I''ve got breakfast.¡± ¡°Oh! I''m starving!¡± Nathalia exclaimed and took a plate of food gratefully. Artrude laughed because Nathalia had just complained that she had too much in her belly, and accepted a plate as well. Malenka was next, and the 4 of them sat down to eat. They were halfway through the meal when a strong feeling of desire came out of Nathalia. ¡°Ren!¡± Nathalia reached out her hands and Artrude grabbed one and Ereka grabbed the other. They both gasped as that desire flooded into them, because of the direct contact with Nathalia. They stayed that way for several minutes, then they all gasped when someone else''s emotions flooded through them as that person finished. ¡°By... by the gods.¡± Ereka whispered. Artrude and Ereka had gone along for the ride and it took them several minutes to calm down. The two women equipped another dress to clean themselves up, and Malenka wondered what had happened. Nathalia didn''t bother to change, though. ¡°Oh... oh, no.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I... I think...¡± Nathalia felt a twinge in her belly. ¡°It''s time.¡± ¡°Wh-what do you...¡± Ereka looked down at her belly. ¡°Oh.¡± She said, then her eyes went wide. ¡°By the gods!¡± ¡°We''re ready.¡± Artrude said and took out the things necessary, and Malenka''s bubbly personality faded as she entered nurse mode. She always took her work seriously, despite how much she enjoyed it, and she helped Artrude set everything up. ¡°Oh! OH!¡± Nathalia yelled and felt a very sharp pain, then the emblem on her chest started to glow. * Ren and Artemis stepped out of the portal into the apartment and they saw that Xuunah was already up and dressed. He was a bit surprised that she wore pants and a blouse; but, he didn''t question it as he felt her emotions and her need for him to see her that way. The maids were up as well and dressed in some of their finest dresses. Ren dismissed the portal he had come out of and cast another. ¡°Ladies, this way.¡± ¡°But...¡± Frikara started to protest against him only sending them. ¡°It''s all right. I''m coming, too.¡± Ren said, and he felt their happiness. ¡°That''s not going to cause problems, is it?¡± Xuunah asked. ¡°Not even a little bit.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. Xuunah stepped close and gave him a hug, then she whispered in his ear. ¡°I want you so much, Dearest.¡± ¡°Don''t worry. I have the whole day off from the Fire Realm.¡± Ren said and caressed her backside, and she shivered in anticipation for what was going to happen. The maids stepped by them and went through the portal, and he, Xuunah, and Artemis went next. * No one noticed the portal on the wall at first, then Frikara, Lusinia, Verwynn, Andrela, and Navruth stepped out of it and made the room a little crowded. ¡°What...¡± Ereka turned to look at them in surprise, and then Ren, Artemis and Xuunah stepped out of the portal. ¡°BY THE GODS!¡± She yelled when she felt Ren directly for the first time since he had left the Dwarven Kingdom. ¡°You... can''t... be here.¡± Nathalia gasped as the pains started to get faster. ¡°But I can.¡± Ren said and walked over to her. Ereka tried to step back to make room for him, and he touched her shoulder to stop her. ¡°You''ve been there for her all this time. She needs you.¡± ¡°She needs you, too.¡± Ereka said. Ren nodded and walked up the wall and quickly placed several recording devices in the best spots, then knelt above Nathalia''s head. ¡°Hello, My Love.¡± He said and put his hands on her shoulders to be a reassuring presence for her. ¡°R-Ren, you... breaking ban...¡± Ren chuckled, and they all felt his amusement. ¡°One of the very first documents I had filed was for extenuating circumstances concerning loved ones.¡± He said. ¡°Slipped it right in as a law addendum that bypassed all other restrictions when the health of a loved one, previous loved one, member of a House, ex-member of a House, Head of House, father, mother, brother, sister, parent, child, or any of those concerned, was in danger of bodily harm or threatened.¡± Ereka''s mouth dropped open, and he reached a hand out and touched her cheek. ¡°I have a direct connection to Nathalia, so if anything happened, I would have been here in an instant.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like now.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Now that you''ve filed the rest of the documents, I can also move freely here in the dwarf lands.¡± Ren said and let her cheek go to put the hand back on Nathalia''s shoulder. ¡°How... how do you know I...¡± ¡°I don''t feel any compulsion to leave.¡± Ren said, and she felt that was true. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ereka said, then she smiled. ¡°Just so you know, Beryl laughed hysterically when I took out the crate full of documents you had Nathalia give to me.¡± ¡°How long did it take for her to read and file everything?¡± Ren asked.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Almost three days.¡± Ereka said with a huge smile and Ren chuckled, because they both knew how fast Beryl could read. ¡°AH!¡± Nathalia gasped and Ren felt her spike of pain. He took out a vial of the numbing liquid and held it out to Artrude, and she took it gratefully and only applied a small amount. Nathalia''s pain eased but didn''t disappear, since having no pain during childbirth could be a bad thing. ¡°I think...¡± Artrude started to speak and crouched between Nathalia''s legs, then Nathalia''s water broke. It gushed out and Ren used his Water Absorption ability to remove it before it had touched the bedsheet. Artrude looked at him with wide eyes, and he smiled. She shook her head and went back to tending Nathalia. After about 10 minutes of having Nathalia push, Ren felt Artrude''s worry start to grow. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Nothing.¡± Artrude said and everyone winced at the lie. ¡°I... it''s... we...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked in his command voice. ¡°I don''t see the head.¡± Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked to see the baby inside Nathalia''s womb and showed it to Artrude. ¡°Oh, damn!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked, confused. ¡°It hasn''t turned!¡± Artrude said a little frantically. ¡°It''s coming out feet first!¡± ¡°A breach birth?¡± Malenka asked, and Artrude nodded. ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°We hope that the umbilical cord doesn''t strangle the baby as it comes out.¡± Artrude said. ¡°No.¡± Ren said and cupped the side of Nathalia''s face. ¡°Do you trust me?¡± ¡°With our child''s life.¡± Nathalia said, which was the most that anyone could trust another person. ¡°Hold this for me.¡± Ren said and passed her the mirror. ¡°I need to concentrate.¡± Nathalia held it so he could see it clearly, and Ren took several deep breaths. ¡°Okay. Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can do this. I can.¡± ¡°You can.¡± Teepo chittered in encouragement. ¡°You can do it, Ren.¡± Artemis said. ¡°We all believe in you.¡± Frikara said. Ren felt encouragement and belief from everyone in the room, and he activated Serene State of Mind. It gave him compressed time to work out how to do it safely, and then he deactivated the ability and smiled at Nathalia. ¡°Artrude, how good are you at catching things?¡± Ren asked. Artrude wasn''t sure what he meant, and then a portal appeared right in front of Nathalia''s special place and above her hands. She was astonished as the baby slid out of the portal and she caught it easily. ¡°Don''t close it!¡± Artrude nearly yelled as Malenka gave her a small blanket and several tools. Artrude expertly checked to make sure the baby was breathing, then put two clamps on the umbilical cord and cut it between them. ¡°If you had closed the portal, Nathalia could have been bleeding internally.¡± She said and sewed up the end near the portal and pushed it back in. ¡°Okay, you can close it now.¡± Ren dismissed the portal and watched the All-Seeing Mirror to see if there was any bleeding or damage, and then he saw the umbilical cord and a sack of something fade away. He was too surprised to say anything, and took the mirror back and stored it. Artrude quickly sewed up the cord still attached to the baby, cut off the remainder, and tucked the baby into the blanket and held it out to Nathalia. ¡°Congratulations, Nathalia. It''s a boy!¡± Artrude exclaimed. ¡°I know!¡± Nathalia said happily and took the baby into her arms. ¡°His name is Renardos Varthirm Neram.¡± She said confidently. ¡°After his father, my father, and the House he will rule one day.¡± Renardos was only a baby, just born, and yet he had a full head of hair. It was auburn just like Nathalia''s and fluffy like Ren''s. He also had Ren''s silvery-blue eyes. ¡°He''s so cute!¡± Malenka exclaimed and resisted the urge to snatch him from Nathalia''s arms so she could cuddle him. Everyone could feel that she wanted to, though. ¡°He really is.¡± Ren said, and everyone could feel how proud he was. ¡°May I?¡± Xuunah stepped towards the bed and Nathalia held the baby up to her. ¡°This is your grandson, Renardos.¡± Nathalia said, and Xuunah whispered a quick prayer and touched the boy on the forehead. A moment later she, Nathalia and Ren felt the emblem on their chests glow. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Xuunah said and eased the tiny blanket aside to see that the baby had the same emblem on his chest. ¡°Oh my, is right.¡± Ren said. ¡°He already has a connection to us through Nathalia.¡± He said, and touched Nathalia''s face. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Nathalia said. Ren leaned down and kissed her briefly, kissed his son''s forehead, then turned his head to look at Ereka. ¡°Please send the birth notice to everyone.¡± ¡°Oh! Just a second.¡± Artrude said and took out a piece of parchment that had a large form on it, and she used one of the tools to prick Renardos'' finger. ¡°We need to make it official.¡± She pressed his fingertip to the paper and the form filled out by itself. ¡°Okay, that was cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just let me make a copy for...¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± Ren said, and Artrude looked at him. He waved at the form, and she handed it to him. ¡°How many copies are needed officially?¡± ¡°Um... four.¡± Artrude said. ¡°One for here, one for Ereka to put in the House archive, one for the Main Keep, and one for the parents.¡± Ren activated his Duplicate Item ability and used the same ''make it rain'' motion with his hand to reproduce the form. Artrude caught each form as it was made and when Ren reached 20, he stopped and handed her the original back. ¡°You keep the original.¡± Ren said and took the stack of forms from her and gave 2 of the forms to Ereka. Artrude stared at him with wide eyes, and he chuckled. ¡°I''m going to ask the Sage of Ages to deliver them to the Libraries for registered births.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened. ¡°You... can''t be serious.¡± Ereka said and stored the forms. ¡°He''s my son, and he will have unrestricted access to every kingdom that exists or will exist.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s the least I can do for him.¡± ¡°Then... that means you... you have to go.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Don''t you?¡± ¡°I do, unfortunately.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once Narhilda hears that there''s been a birth at House Neram, she''ll send someone to confirm it... then she''ll probably try to ban me permanently... especially if she knows I''ve actually been here.¡± Nathalia opened her mouth to protest, then had to agree. ¡°I''m sorry, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°I... I guess I... I''ll have to... raise him by myself.¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Ren said, then chuckled when he felt her surprise. ¡°Look at all of the people around you right now.¡± Nathalia blinked her eyes and looked around at all the happy faces and felt their emotions through Ren. ¡°You will never be alone, and you will have lots of babysitters.¡± Ren said and caressed her face. ¡°Plus, I''ll set up a display at the house for you to stay in contact with us.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Nathalia''s eyes started to water, and he gave her a deep and loving kiss. ¡°I''ll sneak in a visit whenever I can, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°It won''t be long before my official banishment will be over, and then some enterprising person can invite me back.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Nathalia sobbed and hugged the baby close with one arm and hugged Ren around the neck with the other, then kissed Ren several times in a row. ¡°I love you!¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said and looked at the maids and Xuunah. ¡°Why don''t you all stay here and spend some time with my son and keep Nathalia company?¡± ¡°I''d like that.¡± Xuunah said, and the maids nodded in agreement. Ren gave Nathalia another kiss, caressed his son''s head briefly, then walked down the wall and gave each maid a kiss on the lips. He kissed Xuunah next, then turned to Ereka. ¡°Ren, I... your emotions...¡± Ereka''s face flushed a little red. ¡°I''ve had a lot happen the last little while.¡± Ren said and cupped the side of her face and then ran a hand through her shoulder-length blonde hair. ¡°I''m both sorry and glad that you''ve been too busy running things to come and visit on the ship.¡± Ereka barked a laugh. ¡°I said that to Nathalia last night. With her like this, it''s all falling to me.¡± ¡°Have you hired a proper staff yet?¡± Ren asked. Ereka nodded. ¡°I''m pretty much just the executive manager now.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said. ¡°If Narhilda doesn''t try to extend the ban, you''ll be seeing a lot more of me in the evenings.¡± ¡°Not in the day or overnight?¡± Ereka asked, a little surprised. ¡°I''ve got to spend my days in the Fire Realm to try and make up for all the time I missed with the Deity of Fire, and most of my nights I have Adventurer''s business to take care of.¡± Ereka shook her head. ¡°You''re still doing too much, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°You''re not supposed to be doing everything yourself.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I make plenty of time to relax and take it easy.¡± Ren said and gave her a brief kiss. ¡°Thank you for taking care of everything.¡± ¡°You make it sound like I''m doing it all for you.¡± Ereka said with a smile. ¡°Is that what I did?¡± Ren asked and walked around the bed to Artrude. ¡°You did a great job.¡± He said and hugged her. ¡°Thank you.¡± Artrude chuckled. ¡°All I did was catch the little guy.¡± Ren let her out of the hug and turned to Malenka. ¡°Malenka, I have something for you.¡± ¡°Ooo, is it another wand? Another bracelet?¡± Malenka asked, then her eyes widened. ¡°More frilly underwear?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°If you want more, I''ll make you some.¡± He said. ¡°No, this is about what you asked me about before I left the dwarf lands.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Malenka asked. ¡°Do you remember that picture I drew for you?¡± Ren asked, and she caught her breath. ¡°The... the... unicorn.¡± Malenka whispered. ¡°That''s right. I met someone who''s actually been to the fabled land of Staibel.¡± Ren said. ¡°I talked to her for a couple of minutes, and asked her to remember what she saw, and then I made this.¡± Malenka gasped when Ren took out the piece of parchment that had the picture of 6 unicorns on it. ¡°R-Ren... it... it''s real.¡± She said, her voice and feelings full of wonder. ¡°They really exist.¡±
Quest Complete!
You have given Malenka proof that her childhood fantasy horse really exists. Rewards: 2,500 XP (Negated: XP maxed); Honor: +2,500 (Negated: Honor stat locked); Malenka''s Adoration
Ren took the picture back and activated his Craft Wondrous Item ability and placed it on the platform. He added a piece of wood and a few gold and the picture reappeared with a nice frame around it. He then made it twice as big and gave it back to her. ¡°That''s all the proof you need, Malenka.¡± Ren said, and he felt how happy she was. ¡°Th-thank you, Ren.¡± Malenka said and stored the picture, then stepped close and gave him a kiss on the lips. None of the women in the room felt any envy or jealousy at the kiss, because they all felt that she was only kissing him as a thank you and there wasn''t anything sexual about it. ¡°I''m kind of surprised you didn''t try to jump on me to do that.¡± Ren said, and she grinned at him. ¡°Artrude said I have to save stuff like that for her at night.¡± Malenka said. ¡°Malenka!¡± Artrude''s face flushed red, and everyone laughed. ¡°I''ll see you tonight.¡± Ren said to the maids and Xuunah, took Artemis'' hand and cast another portal. He appeared inside the back room of the Library in his county. He opened the messaging system and sent Lara the Sage of Ages a quick message. A moment later, she stepped out of her apartment. ¡°Ren, you... it''s really...¡± Lara stammered. ¡°I''m the proud father of a beautiful baby boy.¡± Ren said and held the forms out. ¡°Please be a dear and submit these to the other Libraries as a registered birth.¡± Lara''s eyes glazed over when she took the forms, then she smiled. ¡°Oh, you sneaky little genius.¡± ¡°That''s me.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss. ¡°Now get that cute little ass wiggling and make those deliveries.¡± Lara shook a fist at him, gave him a kiss, then stepped back into her apartment and shut the door. Chapter 735 - Code Duello Once Lara left the Library, Ren knew that he had a few minutes before she returned. Artemis chose to stay there and wait, so he opened a portal to House Neram and went through. He set up the displays in the bedrooms and in the living room, then wrote out the instructions on how to use them. He jumped back to the Library to wait with Artemis, then Lara came out of her apartment and he didn''t have to wait at all. ¡°Hey, perfect timing.¡± Ren said and dismissed the portal and took her into his arms. ¡°I successfully delivered your backdoor keys to the other kingdoms.¡± Lara said. ¡°Thank you, Baby.¡± Ren said and gave her a kiss. ¡°I''m glad you''re not mad that I didn''t wait very long before wanting to see you again.¡± Lara laughed. ¡°I probably shouldn''t have expected you to listen in the first place.¡± ¡°Would you mind it if I imposed on you for a couple of minutes?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Ren, if Artemis comes along, I''ll even consider keeping you for up to five minutes.¡± Lara said with a straight face, then she burst out laughing because that was a ridiculously long time for them to spend inside her apartment. The three of them entered and Teepo and Ren''s pet tarantula hopped off and waited by the door. Ren, Artemis, and Lara were back out barely three minutes later, and Lara practically shoved him out through the door. ¡°Yes, yes. I''ll go back and apologize.¡± Ren said with a huge smile. Lara grabbed him around the shoulders and kissed him. ¡°You don''t want to piss them off, Ren.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I still can''t believe you won''t tell me what''s up with them.¡± Lara chuckled. ¡°You just have to stick around them for a while and you''ll find out.¡± Ren sighed dramatically, and she pat the top of his head. ¡°Go and be a good boy for them, then I can fill in the details for you.¡± Lara said. ¡°All right.¡± Ren said and fake pouted to make her laugh. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Lara gave him another kiss and closed her apartment door. ¡°I can only imagine what they are going to say, considering what you said just before you left them at the castle.¡± Teepo said. Ren chuckled. ¡°I hadn''t planned on seeing them again until they travelled in their caravan for a few days.¡± ¡°You were going to meet them before they left the Human Kingdom?¡± Artemis asked as she picked up on his thoughts, and Ren nodded. ¡°I wanted to see their reaction after they had stewed for a while on my threat.¡± Ren said, then laughed. ¡°Now I''ve got to go back to the castle and try to keep my Respect while still apologizing to them for making a threat about their insult to me.¡± ¡°Okay, that''s messed up.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I guess you can''t just go through with the threat and beat them all senseless in combat.¡± ¡°Lara said that is exactly the wrong thing to do.¡± Ren said. ¡°She also said that my Etiquette skill only lets me handle social protocol and not anything else.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Yeah, that''s a bit of a drawback.¡± Artemis snorted a laugh. ¡°It can''t stop you from overreacting is what you mean.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°So, should we do a grand entrance or slink back in undetected?¡± ¡°Not we.¡± Artemis said, and Ren looked at her. ¡°A ranged combat specialist won''t help you much in social situations like this.¡± Ren took two steps up into the air and cupped the sides of her face. ¡°You''re coming with me because you need to stay by my side.¡± He said. ¡°Just being there helps me.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°How many of the women there wanted to come over and experience the same thing I did with Tatya?¡± Ren asked, and Artemis'' eyes widened. ¡°That''s right. A lot.¡± He said and gave her a kiss. ¡°Because you were there, they kept their actions reserved and stopped themselves from running across the room and jumping on me to get a similar feeling.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°You can feel what I feel, and who better than a statuesque beauty like you to help me fend off the horny masses?¡± Artemis couldn''t help but laugh at that. ¡°All right. I''ll stay at your back.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and gave her another kiss and let her face go. ¡°So, do we make a spectacle or just appear among them?¡± ¡°Ooo, I''d say Sneak and Ward to get right into their group and appear.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You can show their other people, the ones who are hiding, how to do it properly and maybe get some Respect from them.¡± ¡°Or annoy them again.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°I can throw in Displacement as well.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren! Use the Doppelganger ability, too!¡± Artemis said. Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I want to impress them, not overwhelm them.¡± ¡°If you do that, you can be both sneaky and showy.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If they can''t respect that, then there''s not much apologizing is going to do... except maybe make them resent you.¡± ¡°That is what I''m worried about.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve seen them make a few mistakes and none of them apologized or even implied that they were going to.¡± ¡°That would make things more difficult.¡± Artemis said. ¡°If one of their rules is that they don''t apologize...¡± ¡°My normal behaviour is not going to work.¡± Ren said. ¡°I make mistakes and apologize for it all the time.¡± The three of them fell silent as they thought about it. ¡°Say, what if after you do the Doppelganger with Displacement trick, you somehow tell them you''re sorry.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°Then we can gauge how they treat apologies.¡± ¡°Teepo, that''s a great idea.¡± Ren said and cast a portal to the Modified Sanctuary. ¡°Let''s go and talk about it more privately.¡± They stepped through the portal and discussed how best to deal with the situation. When they had a good plan in mind, Ren quickly made 12 fully articulated training dummies at his own height, since that was how many representatives were present in the reception area, then activated his Doppelganger ability and chose the training dummies. He could have used Full Illusion instead; but, he wanted an actual physical component for his ability to change into a copy of him, so the training dummies worked the best for that. Ren smiled as 12 copies of himself stood in front of him. ¡°Doppel Rens, we have a task to do.¡± He said, and the Doppelgangers smiled. He explained what he wanted them to do while he equipped two of the Bracelets of Magical Boost to maintain them and keep his ability active. If he had only made one Doppelganger, he wouldn''t have had any problems. With 12 of them active, they were a constant and steady drain on his Mana Pool. Once it was explained what he wanted, Ren stored them and checked the All-Seeing Mirror, then opened a portal half a mile up in the air above the castle. ¡°I know it''s a bit of overkill to appear this far away.¡± Ren said and deactivated all of his Auras. ¡°I forgot to use my Aura Sense to detect the real range of their Auras.¡± Artemis chuckled and deactivated her own Auras. ¡°You''re lucky we can fly.¡± Ren took her hand for only a moment, then they stepped through the portal. ¡°Go full Stealth and we''ll meet up in the reception area.¡± Artemis nodded and they both disappeared as they started to drop through the air for the half of a mile to reach the castle below. Ren wasn''t worried about losing her, since they could still feel each other through their connection. Teepo chittered in delight as they fell faster and faster towards the ground, then just before he was about to hit the paving stones of the street, Ren deployed his wings and swooped forward instead and came to a stop right in front of the castle doors as he landed. He saw the guards react to the sudden wind gust and easily opened the door and slipped inside before they noticed. Once inside, Ren deactivated his wings and walked up into the air over the heads of the people there. He went up the stairwell and down the hallway to see that the people inside the reception area were just finishing up eating breakfast. King Alamast, his wife and daughter, and all 12 of the Pervarian representatives sat at on the far side of a humongously long table. He felt Artemis come into the room right behind him and she floated over next to him near the ceiling. They waited there for several minutes for a lull in the after-dinner conversations before starting the plan. In order to make his trick work, Ren had to activate his Personal Aura. He knew if he did that, all of the representatives would know he was there, and he smiled as he did so. All 12 of the people from the Pervaria Kingdom caught their breath as they recognized his Aura, even though he didn''t have any other Aura active.Stolen story; please report. King Alamast reacted as well and spoke under his breath. ¡°No, he... he''s back.¡± Ren chose the first Doppelganger and dropped it in the spot across the table right in front of Kenkoth. ¡°Hey, there!¡± Doppel Ren said excitedly and gave them a little wave. ¡°Guess who''s back?¡± Shock spread through the room and all of the Pervaria people felt his happy emotions. ¡°Do you remember what was said earlier?¡± Doppel Ren asked, and was met with slight nods. ¡°Kenkoth, I challenge you to a duel of training sword skill!¡± Kenkoth had been fully prepared to refuse any kind of duel, submission or otherwise, and the words he had just heard surprised him. ¡°I... well, I...¡± ¡°You can refuse and give me 10,000 Respect by default.¡± Doppel Ren said, and the other representatives gasped. They didn''t realize that he knew the conditions for refusal. ¡°Very well.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°We fight until one of the wooden swords break.¡± ¡°That''s fair enough. Agreed.¡± Doppel Ren said. ¡°We can start in a few minutes. I just need to do one more thing.¡± He said and pointed to the spot next to him that was in front of Tatya, and Ren dropped the second Doppel Ren in front of her. ¡°Hi, there!¡± Doppel Ren 2 said. ¡°I challenge you to a duel of training sword skill!¡± Tatya''s mouth dropped open as she felt another set of happy emotions from the Ren in front of her, then she looked at the first Ren. ¡°What... what is this?¡± ¡°You can refuse and give me 10,000 Respect by default.¡± Doppel Ren 2 said and her head whipped back to look at him. ¡°You...¡± Tatya took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°We will fight until one of the wooden swords break.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Doppel Ren 2 said happily, and he pointed to the next spot. Ren dropped the next Doppel Ren there and the Pervarians felt three copies of the same happy emotions. ¡°Hi, there!¡± Dopple Ren 3 said. ¡°I challenge you to a duel of training sword skill!¡± The healer couldn''t believe what was happening; but, he was quick-witted and rather than listen to the same refusal offer, he accepted with the same sword breaking condition. When that Doppel Ren pointed to the next spot, another Doppel Ren appeared and everyone in the room, including King Alamast, Lady Eleanor, and Princess Diana, were too amazed to believe what was happening. When all 12 of the Doppel Rens had been deployed and all of the representatives had accepted the duels, Meccis was the first one to leap across the table and take a fighting stance. Doppel Ren 10 chuckled and took out 2 wooden swords and waited. The other Doppel Rens moved to take up positions to perform their duels and the rest of the representatives moved to stand opposite them like Meccis already was. ¡°Since the magic user will be busy, the Magical Barrier of Protection will be provided.¡± All of the Doppel Rens said as one, then a rectangle barrier of transparent and slightly blue energy appeared around all of the fighters to give them each a cordoned off area to fight in. How did he do that? Kenkoth asked as he wondered at the odd-shaped magical barrier. They are supposed to be round when completely covering things! All the Doppel Rens tossed a wooden sword to their opponents, who caught them easily. ¡°Do you want a countdown, or should we just start?¡± They all asked at the same time. The Pervarians exchanged glances, but Meccis didn''t want to wait. He jumped forward and swung the training sword right at Doppel Ren 10''s head. Dopple Ren 10 had expected this and ducked as he jammed his sword into Meccis'' gut. Meccis grunted and hopped backwards, then tried to do a roundhouse kick. Doppel Ren 10 swung the wooden sword he had and hit the back of Meccis'' knee, grabbed his foot, then pushed lightly. Meccis lost his balance and fell to the floor, rolled over, then stood up with the sword posed in a defense posture. Doppel Ren 10 jumped to the side instead of jumping forward like Meccis had expected. He landed on the wall, took two steps forward, and swatted Meccis'' sword out of position and poked his neck with the tip. ¡°That''s one for me.¡± Doppel Ren 10 said happily. Ren and Artemis had a difficult time holding in their laughter at the shock and surprise they felt from everyone in the room as they stared at his Doppleganger who stood on the wall of the magical barrier as if it was the floor. ¡°I guess that means we can all start.¡± The other Doppel Rens said, then they all lunged forward and started to fight with their opponents. The spectators in the room were completely stunned at the spectacle that had appeared before them and watched with fascination and awe. A lot of them couldn''t decide which of the 12 fights to watch, so they chose one at random and watched that, then settled in their seats to enjoy the show. That was what it was. A show. Ren had learned from the play fight that Meccis and the other fighter had performed and realized that it wasn''t necessarily the fight itself but what people perceived as the fight that was important. As long as they believed it was a good fight, it didn''t matter if it actually was a real fight or not. ¡°That''s one for me.¡± Doppel Ren 8 said as he poked his opponent in the kidney with the tip of his wooden sword. The fighter grunted and rolled away, then threw the wooden sword. Doppel Ren 8 chuckled as he easily caught the sword, rather than be hit by it, and the fighter grinned as he rolled forward and tried to kick the legs out from under his opponent. Doppel Ren 8 didn''t try to dodge and let the attack happen, then fell forward onto the fighter and stabbed both swords into the man''s shoulders. ¡°That''s three for me.¡± Doppel Ren 8 said and rolled off, then held a sword out, hilt first, to the surprised fighter. ¡°Get ready.¡± The fighter took the offered sword and took a quick breath and resumed his fighting stance. Doppel Ren 8 smiled and turned around, ran up the wall of the magical barrier onto the ceiling and started to swing wildly at the fighter. ¡°AHH!¡± The fighter hollered and tried to fend off the flurry of blows. ¡°That looks like fun!¡± Dopple Ren 2 said happily, and Tatya stared at him as he casually walked up the wall and onto the ceiling while he blocked and parried her attacks, which surprised her. All of the happy emotions the fighters were feeling from the Doppel Rens were starting to wear on their nerves. They couldn''t use those emotions to predict attacks or to even guess where the next attack was going to come from. They could usually tell when an opponent saw an opening in their defenses and the brief emotional burst let the Pervarians react in kind. With the Doppel Rens being overly happy all the time, the normal advantage the Pervarians had in fights was completely negated. ¡°How much longer are you going to let this go on?¡± Teepo asked in the voice only Ren could hear. Until Doppel Ren 1 gets a hit on Kenkoth. Ren thought to Teepo and Artemis as he watched Kenkoth fight. Which should be... right about... now. They all looked at the first fight and saw Kenkoth make a mid-air twist and lunge, and his sword went right through Doppel Ren 1''s chest as he landed. ¡°HA! I got...¡± Kenkoth''s happy face faded as Doppel Ren 1''s Displaced image faded and a wooden sword laid against the back of his neck. ¡°That''s one for me.¡± Dopple Ren 1 said. Kenkoth turned his head to stare at him without otherwise moving. ¡°That was a...¡± ¡°...legitimate fighting technique.¡± Doppel Ren 1 said, then lifted the wooden sword and broke it. All the other Doppel Rens carefully stepped back from their fights and broke their own swords. They dropped to the floor from their various positions on the walls and ceilings and then the magical barrier around the fighters faded. Everyone was surprised when the duels ended so abruptly, especially the fighters. ¡°Hey, I didn''t get the chance to...¡± Meccis tried to complain. ¡°Shut up, Meccis.¡± One of the other fighters said. ¡°You can''t complain that he hasn''t shown us that he knows how to fight.¡± ¡°It''s just swordplay.¡± Meccis said under his breath. ¡°I don''t think you''ll ever be happy unless you win, will you?¡± Doppel Ren 10 said and laughed. Meccis didn''t say anything in response and the fighter next to him had to laugh at that. ¡°Since none of my countrymen managed to land a single hit on you during these duels, including myself, I must admit you can fight... if pressed.¡± Kenkoth said and made a motion with his hand, then all of his fighters and himself, bowed deeply to their opponents for winning the duels. Ren received 240,000 respect and his mouth dropped open at the obscene total. That''s 20,000 Respect for each duel, or double the default for refusing! Teepo chittered in delight at Ren''s shock. ¡°You''re more surprised than the audience is!¡± Ren looked around and felt that Teepo was right. ¡°Is... is it over?¡± Princess Diana asked and looked at the Ren closest to her. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The fight was only until one of the wooden swords was broken.¡± Doppel Ren 1 said. ¡°I broke mine, so the duel is over.¡± ¡°That seems very anticlimactic.¡± Diana said. ¡°Ren, that''s your cue!¡± Teepo said. Right! Ren thought and stored each Doppel Ren in reverse order, starting with number 12. People gasped when the first disappeared, then again as each one disappeared from their sight. Ren left the first one for a few moments, however. He had felt the Pervarians want to approach him and waited until they did. ¡°Were the other ones real?¡± Diana asked. Doppel Ren nodded. ¡°We are quite real, Princess Diana.¡± He said and punched the table she sat behind and left a huge dent in it... then he disappeared when Ren stored him. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Diana looked around, confused. ¡°What just happened?¡± Ren activated all of his Auras, except for the bad ones like Ultimate Terror, Hatred, and Submission, then stopped blocking his presence. All the Pervarians and King Alamast looked up at him and Artemis. Ren unfurled his large leathery bat-like wings, then he and Artemis floated down to the floor and landed in front of Princess Diana. No one spoke at the display, not even the Pervarians. ¡°King Alamast.¡± Ren said as he let his wings fade and bowed slightly to him. ¡°Lady Eleanor.¡± He said and bowed to her, then looked at Diana. ¡°Princess Diana.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Diana started to speak, then caught her breath at the omission of his title. ¡°King Ren. I...¡± ¡°So that was all fake?¡± Meccis interrupted. Ren chuckled and took out all 12 Doppel Rens at once and arrayed them around the Pervarians. The Doppel Rens immediately took out wooden swords, knocked away the ones the Pervarians still held loosely in their hands, then the Pervarians stopped moving when the tips of the wooden swords were pressed into their necks. ¡°Like the first Doppel Ren said to the Princess, they are quite real.¡± Ren said, then the Doppel Rens all stored their swords and Ren stored all of the Doppelgangers at once. ¡°That... that...¡± Diana shook her head. ¡°Ren, what the hell is going on!¡± ¡°I''m sorry for the confusion, Diana.¡± Ren said, and felt strong feelings of distaste from all the Pervarians. ¡°Well, now we know.¡± Teepo said. That was a great idea, Teepo. Ren thought. ¡°Thanks.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Just tell me what''s going on.¡± Diana said in a more reasonable tone. ¡°When I left, I made a blanket statement that I had assumed was based on fact.¡± Ren said. ¡°I inadvertently used Meccis as the template for how to behave around people that I didn''t know from a culture I am unfamiliar with.¡± He explained. ¡°That is not how I want to act. Threatening people I just met to a duel, based on my own perceived insult, is not how you properly greet new people or endear yourself to them.¡± ¡°Ren, that''s only a reason.¡± Diana said. ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡°I wanted to give them a demonstration of my fighting prowess.¡± ¡°But... it wasn''t you.¡± ¡°They are Doppelgangers, Diana.¡± Ren said, and he felt the Pervarians react to that information. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Diana asked. ¡°He imbued them with his fighting knowledge.¡± Kenkoth said and Ren felt his understanding as well as his surprise. ¡°They would react and move as if he was doing it himself.¡± ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Diana asked. ¡°I''ve never heard of it before.¡± ¡°It takes years of training to master the technique, and even then, the Mana needed to maintain the link is extraordinary for one copy to exist.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°None of my current retinue can do it.¡± Ren held up his hands and showed his wrists with the Mana Boost bracelets. ¡°I still needed these, even with my Mana maxed.¡± He said. ¡°It even drained my Mana Pool, and that''s triple my max.¡± No one said anything for nearly a full minute, and Ren could feel that they were all kind of shell-shocked from all the surprises he had unleashed on them. ¡°Say, who wants to see baby pictures of my newborn son?¡± Ren asked to distract them, and he felt several women in the audience react and giggle. He smiled and walked over to the middle of the room and put a box on the floor, then felt Diana''s recognition. ¡°That''s the Automatic Image maker.¡± ¡°You''re close.¡± Ren said and activated it, then 4 large displays appeared above it in a square. ¡°Actually, it''s a multiple display box that receives images from the Automatic Image Maker.¡± He said and loaded the first image. ¡°Aww!¡± A woman in the audience said as Renardos'' face appeared and Ren felt their emotions and their need to cuddle him. Ren grinned and showed the next image, and the representatives from the Pervaria Kingdom resumed their seats. Ren showed the next picture, then the next, and everyone watched the displays with interest, even the Pervarians. Chapter 736 - More To Do Ren distracted everyone for almost 20 minutes with the baby pictures, then he ended with showing a short clip of Renardos and several women''s hands ruffling his auburn fluffy hair. ¡°Aww! He''s so cute and cuddly!¡± Diana said happily and chuckles were heard all around the room. ¡°Thank you, Princess Diana.¡± Ren said to her. ¡°He definitely looks like you.¡± Lady Eleanor said in a conservative tone, but Ren felt her emotions and knew she was just as enamoured of little Renardos as her daughter was. ¡°Is it the hair or the chubby cheeks?¡± Ren asked as he ruffled his own hair and puffed out his cheeks with a breath of air. ¡°Definitely the cheeks!¡± Diana said and laughed, as did several of the representatives from the Pervaria Kingdom, and Lady Eleanor let a small smile touch her lips for a moment. Ren thought that was the best compliment Renardos was going to get from the very reserved woman, so he gave her a nod of acknowledgement and turned towards Princess Diana. ¡°I came right here after the birth, and a side a trip to see the Sage of Ages.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m having her register the birth in the Libraries she has access to.¡± Tatya gasped and looked at Kenkoth beside her, then back at Ren. ¡°That would mean...¡± ¡°Despite being born in the dwarf lands, he will be a citizen of the kingdoms his birth is registered in.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°That was a smart thing to do.¡± Kenkoth admitted. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and then grinned. ¡°Especially since I''ll have the privilege to go to those kingdoms to inspect them and ensure his safety. When he is of appropriate age, he''ll be allowed to visit.¡± Kenkoth hid his sigh. ¡°I suppose with our caravan leaving today, you''ll want to come along?¡± ¡°I''d be honored to, and I will meet up with your caravan before it leaves the Human Kingdom; but, I have to visit the Giant Kingdom first.¡± ¡°The Giant Kingdom?¡± Tatya asked with surprise, then closed her mouth when Kenkoth looked at her and let her feel his annoyance. ¡°I would normally say that Giants are a myth; but, you apparently have proof that they are real.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°He must be annoyed that she admitted they were ignorant of the existence of giants.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Of course I have proof.¡± Ren said and took out his book called Close Encounters of the Giant Kind, where he had saved the giants from the brain arthropod grubs. All of the representatives from the kingdom of Pervaria caught sight of the image on the front of it and liked what they saw. He stepped over to Tatya and her hand reached out for the book automatically. Ren smiled and handed it to her without comment. ¡°You''ve seen that he has updated his armor a lot since then.¡± Artemis added, just in case they assumed he still had that armor. ¡°Not that he really needs it anymore.¡± ¡°Yeah, having full stats is awesome.¡± Ren stepped back to stand in front of Princess Diana. ¡°So is having all of the abilities of every Adventurer.¡± Artemis touched his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. ¡°I''m using Mage right now, just because it''s easier to use Mana for the things I use it for.¡± Ren said and glanced at Meccis. ¡°That''s probably why you don''t feel good about losing, because you''re subconsciously detecting that I''m an Artificer Mage right now.¡± ¡°It''s not subconsciously.¡± Meccis huffed. Ren chuckled. ¡°Just a second.¡± He said and chose the fighter class as his sub-class and was covered in a slight glow for a second, then all the Pervarians took in a quick breath. ¡°There, is that better?¡± Meccis nodded slightly and only felt a little better about losing to someone so short. ¡°I''ve been wondering about something.¡± Diana said, and Ren looked over at her. ¡°During the duel with the condition that it ended when you broke a wooden sword, what would happen if you had broken it right at the start?¡± ¡°It would have ended in a tie.¡± Kenkoth responded automatically, then his eyes widened. ¡°You intentionally let us fight your Doppelgangers until we all had been hit at least once.¡± Ren nodded and gave him Respect for figuring it out. ¡°You all wanted a fight to test my skills without having an actual fight.¡± He said and laughed. ¡°It took a long time to figure out how to do it, let me tell you.¡± ¡°You were barely gone for half an hour.¡± Tatya said and everyone looked at her inquisitively. ¡°Not that I was keeping track of it or anything.¡± She said in her defense. Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°Just because I wasn''t here for such a short time doesn''t mean that I wasn''t gone for a lot longer than that.¡± Artemis felt their confusion through Ren. ¡°Ren has had access to a Sanctuary for a long time now.¡± She said, and everyone in the room recognized the significance of that. ¡°You''ve been using the retreat to train.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Sometimes.¡± Ren corrected. ¡°I usually use it so I can spend time with the people I care about, without having it impact our normal lives.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Of course, when I needed to get serious with it, I really did.¡± ¡°Did he ever.¡± Artemis said and squeezed his shoulder again, then let it go. ¡°Since I''m pretty sure you were here when he did get serious with it, you know what he''s talking about.¡± Everyone felt King Alamast''s annoyance fill his Aura at being reminded of that, and Ren took out the device to change all the displays around the country to a live feed of him, and the people in the room noticed the display box behind Ren change from a baby picture to Ren himself. ¡°Before you overreact to me creating and then harvesting all of those emotions from everyone to level myself up, I did it to show you all what I could do and then I saved the world.¡± Ren said, and his voice had been slightly amplified because it came out of the displays behind him as well. A ripple of unease flowed around the room, and he felt the surprise from the royal family and from the representatives from the Pervaria Kingdom because they knew that he didn''t lie. Diana was the first to speak. ¡°Ren... King Ren... how did you save it?¡± ¡°After the Sea Dweller fiasco where everyone suddenly had knowledge of things they never should have known, certain Adventurers tried to undo what everyone thought and felt about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unfortunately, what they did was remove the unnecessary knowledge, then they removed everyone''s connections to everything.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Everyone remembered that and the things they had lost. Ren gained the Angered condition and the whole room shivered as they felt it. ¡°That''s right. Bonds with people, their houses, their pets if they had them, and even some of the special items people owned were either lost or cut off for no reason.¡± Ren said with a sneer. ¡°It happened right before my big training routine. I hadn''t planned on doing what I did, mainly because I hate using an exploit when it''s not necessary; but, after losing pretty much everyone and everything I had in my life at the time, I couldn''t take their interference anymore.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Tatya asked for everyone, since she could feel their emotions, too. ¡°I did the only thing I could do. I asked Great Vasalor for help.¡± Ren said, and he felt that most of them felt astonishment, except for the Pervarians. Quite a few people in the audience didn''t recognize the name, however. ¡°For those of you that don''t know who he is...¡± He activated his country-sized artificial Aura. ¡°...Great Vasalor was the one that created this world and most of the realms within it.¡±
New System and Administration Quest!
You have revealed the existence of an all powerful being to those within the Human Kingdom that previously had no idea such a being existed. With this new knowledge, an appropriate Cathedral must be constructed within the capital city of Bore-Reale in the Human Kingdom. Rewards: You don''t need anything else. Get to work.
Ren almost burst out laughing at the popup, then he felt everyone''s reaction to the news that everything had been created by a single supreme being. Shock, disbelief, trepidation, and a healthy dose of awe flooded through his Aura and everyone at the table in front of him froze as he let them feel what the rest of the country felt. ¡°Ren.¡± Diana whispered as she tried to not let the flood of emotions affect her, and he smiled at her. ¡°With Vasalor''s help and my newly learned expertise, we restored everything back to the way it was and re-established all of the connections that had been damaged, severed, or lost.¡± Ren said. ¡°It took... a very long time... to do that.¡± The Pervarians took in sharp breaths as they felt a small bit of that time, and several of them were shaking their heads slightly. ¡°For those that want to see proof for themselves, I''ll have a Cathedral built in a few hours.¡± Ren said, and he felt everyone''s surprise. ¡°With the Portal Gate Network that I constructed, no one will have to travel far to visit it.¡± ¡°You built them?¡± Kenkoth asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°I guess it is a little odd to give the people of the Human Kingdom a present, since it''s Princess Diana''s birthday; but, Vasalor has been alone for a heck of a lot longer than anyone can imagine and I doubt he wouldn''t want to hear from you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If he does, tell him that Ren sent you.¡± Ren felt a general amusement feeling through the artificial Aura, and he deactivated the live feed from the displays and put Princess Diana''s happy and sad face on it instead. ¡°Ren!¡± Diana exclaimed when the display behind him changed. ¡°This was the face you made when I gave you your present, Princess Diana.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just wanted everyone to see how beautiful you were at the time.¡± He changed it to her posed picture and deactivated his artificial Aura at the same time, then felt Diana relax as she sighed. ¡°You really believe that.¡± Tatya said, then clamped her mouth shut. ¡°It was a genuine emotional moment for her, and there''s not much that''s more appealing than seeing a woman''s face when she''s so happy that she could cry.¡± Ren said. ¡°Good god, Ren. Why don''t you tell them how much you enjoy going down on a woman, too?¡± Artemis tried to whisper; but, the people that sat at the table nearby had clearly heard her. That made Ren chuckle and Teepo chitter in laughter, especially when all the men made odd faces. The five women on the other hand... three of the Pervarian representatives, Princess Diana, and her mother Lady Eleanor... wiggled in their chairs slightly at the thought of being touched like that. It took several quiet moments for them to recover from Artemis'' joke, then Kenkoth spoke. ¡°You have told us all quite a tale this day.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Do you expect us to thank you for what you did?¡± ¡°I didn''t do it for thanks, or for recognition, or to even be associated with Vasalor.¡± Ren said honestly, and he felt their surprise. ¡°I just really missed my loved ones and I couldn''t continue on in this world if I couldn''t get them back.¡± Diana gasped at that. ¡°Ren, you... you...¡± ¡°I would have left on Adventurer''s business and never returned.¡± Ren said. Diana caught her breath and put a hand over her heart when Ren didn''t sweat from a lie, and Ren was suddenly there and knelt on one knee in front of her. No one had seen him move or saw that the large dining table had disappeared. Ren felt how much his statement had hurt her. ¡°Diana, it didn''t happen.¡± He said and took her hand. ¡°I fixed things and I didn''t leave. I''m still here and I''m never going to leave.¡± He said and bent over her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it and held it there. ¡°R-Ren...¡± Diana stammered as her recently unlocked Respect stat kept going up. She gained Fame as well, but since it was already maxed, she gained XP instead. ¡°S-stop. Please.¡± Ren stopped kissing her hand and looked up at her. ¡°Don''t linger on what could have happened. We all made it through that crisis and we can all move forward into the future.¡± ¡°But... what if...¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter. What does matter is that I just brought another child into this world and I''m not going anywhere.¡± Ren assured her, then used his Reassurance Aura to fill her with good feelings. Diana took several breaths and blinked her eyes, then noticed where Ren was. ¡°Ren, where did the humongous dining room table go?¡± Ren chuckled and let her hand go, then stood and took several steps back. ¡°I stored it to get it out of the way so I could kneel at your feet.¡± He said as he took the table out of inventory and placed it back where it was before. ¡°I know this is going to sound odd; but, can you give it to me for a moment?¡± ¡°You just had it.¡± Diana said. ¡°I was only carrying it and I don''t own it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wasn''t going to steal it, either.¡± Diana smiled and turned to King Alamast. ¡°Father?¡± She saw his slightly reluctant nod, then she smiled and looked back at Ren. ¡°You may have this table.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and the table glowed for a moment, and all the little scratches, nicks, worn spots, stains, and the dent that Doppel Ren 1 had put in it, disappeared as the table was restored back to pristine condition. ¡°You can have the table back.¡± Diana had wide eyes as her hands reached out on their own and caressed the surface. ¡°It looks just like it did when we first got it.¡± She said in wonder. ¡°What spell is it?¡± She asked. ¡°Full Illusion?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°It''s not a spell and it''s not fake. The table has been restored to its best condition.¡± ¡°Then how...¡± ¡°It''s a skill I have called Possession Restoration.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can restore anything I own by using Mana.¡± He felt surprise from her, her family, and from the audience; but, not from the Pervarians. Interesting. He thought. ¡°They weren''t surprised when you mentioned Vasalor, so it''s no surprise they didn''t react when you mentioned a skill you gained from a Chosen.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I wonder how much they actually know.¡± Me too, buddy. Ren thought. Maybe that''s why Lara wanted me to make amends with them. ¡°Naw, that seems too easy of a reason.¡± Teepo said and then chittered in laughter. ¡°I think you''ll need to dig deeper to find out what she wants you to discover.¡± ¡°Well, this was one of the most interesting meals I''ve had in a long time.¡± Kenkoth said and stood up, then turned to Diana. ¡°Princess Diana, it was a pleasure to share this meal with you and I hope you have a Happy Birthday.¡± ¡°I already did.¡± Diana said and nodded to give him Respect. ¡°Thank you.¡± Kenkoth nodded back and gave her Respect as well, then he looked at King Alamast and Lady Eleanor. ¡°King Alamast, Lady Eleanor. Both I and my people appreciate that you allowed us to visit and experience your people.¡± ¡°We were happy to have you.¡± King Alamast said and Lady Eleanor nodded. ¡°Is it just me or did that sound kind of obscene?¡± Teepo asked, and Ren clamped his mouth shut to stop from laughing. ¡°Safe journey to you and your caravan.¡± King Alamast said and nodded. Kenkoth waved his hand slightly and the other 11 representatives stood as one and followed him out of the reception area. ¡°Ren, can you stay?¡± Diana asked. ¡°As much as I''d like to, I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got to get to work, then I need to visit the Giant lands briefly... at least I hope it will be briefly... then I need to...¡± Diana laughed and held up her hand to stop him. ¡°I think just saying you''re busy is sufficient.¡± Ren smiled and took out several pieces of parchment and made them into pictures of his son, Renardos. ¡°It''s a little hard to believe that my son shares a birthday with the princess of the Human Kingdom.¡± He said and took out one of the forms and put Renaldos'' full name on the back of the pictures, then handed them to Diana. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± Diana said and held them tenderly. Ren nodded to her and turned around, held an elbow out to Artemis, and they left the room. Chapter 737 - Pervarian Interests Ren and Artemis walked out of the reception area at a normal pace, then looked at each other. ¡°Race?¡± They asked at the same time, let out a chuckle, then ran through the air. The Pervarians had felt them coming and started to turn, then felt Ren and Artemis had already passed them. They looked at the lobby to see where they went, and all they saw was a 10 foot by 10 foot square hole in the outside wall for a moment, then it disappeared. The Pervarians didn''t say anything as they calmly left the castle, and each third person held the door open a little longer than necessary for them to step through it. None of the people in the lobby or outside noticed this, and the representatives of the kingdom of Pervaria loaded up into their assigned spots in their caravan. When they were all seated, the drivers all flicked their reins at the same time and the entire caravan moved as one. It was slow going, since it was a capital city of a kingdom and everyone was up and about, and it gave them lots of time to talk and discuss things. ¡°Tell me what you think of them.¡± Kenkoth asked Tatya. ¡°They''re brash and arrogant, almost to a fault.¡± Tatya said. ¡°The self-entitled feelings from both the king and his wife were almost sickening.¡± Kenkoth chuckled. ¡°The king grew up as a royal so his were understandable. The wife on the other hand, married into it.¡± ¡°I think that''s why she feels so much more entitled than everyone else.¡± Tatya said. ¡°She''s too reserved and is hiding from her own emotions.¡± Kenkoth nodded slightly. ¡°She also has a touch of death about her.¡± ¡°The princess explained it to me the other night, during our ''girl talk''.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Her mother was infected by a ghoul and was healed.¡± ¡°Normally that wouldn''t be that big of a deal.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°A lot of them recover and are fine.¡± Tatya nodded slightly. ¡°She said her mother was going to turn into one, and the healers caught it just in time.¡± ¡°An aborted conversion? Really?¡± The healer asked, surprised. ¡°Did she say how it was done?¡± Tatya shook her head. ¡°She was there and witnessed the procedure, but she''s not a healer.¡± ¡°So, even if she knew what the healers used, she wouldn''t know the techniques needed.¡± The healer sighed. ¡°What a pity.¡± Tatya nodded and then smiled. ¡°I learned something else interesting from my talk with the princess. She is pretty starved and a little desperate to share the things she has in her life with someone deserving, except that there isn''t anyone in her life to share them with and no one is coming forward to accept the responsibility.¡± ¡°She shares her fate with a lot of powerful women, then.¡± Kenkoth said and chuckled. ¡°Are you saying that if she had been a man...¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Especially here in the Human Kingdom, where it''s the males that dominate society''s rules of Etiquette.¡± Tatya chuckled. ¡°How short-sighted they are.¡± ¡°That was one of the reasons for this excursion.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Once we realized that...¡± ¡°Everything went much smoother when they believed that you were the head of the delegation.¡± Tatya said. ¡°It was quite amazing, really.¡± The healer chuckled. ¡°I''m not sure why they believe it''s easier to deal with a man.¡± ¡°They assume he has authority, even if a woman is presented before him.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Tatya was introduced first, and yet they didn''t treat her as the important one.¡± ¡°The only one who did that was Ren.¡± Tatya said. ¡°That was quite the display you put on.¡± Kenkoth said, and she smiled. ¡°At least he recognizes that women can be a source of both power and authority.¡± ¡°He still deferred to me.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Only because we didn''t correct him when he saw King Alamast do so.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Even when I stood behind you as King Alamast approached, it was me he looked at, not you.¡± ¡°I didn''t catch that.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°You were too busy looking at Lady Eleanor.¡± The healer said with a knowing smile. Kenkoth chuckled at being discovered so easily. ¡°She is a beauty.¡± ¡°Her emotions are too tightly wound for me.¡± The healer said. ¡°I couldn''t really discern anything from her for the entire time of our visit here.¡± Kenkoth nodded. ¡°It''s always a bit of a surprise when someone can throw us off like that.¡± ¡°That''s why you find her so intriguing?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°That, and like I said, she''s a beauty.¡± ¡°You''re so shallow.¡± The healer said and they laughed. After a few moments, Kenkoth spoke again. ¡°What about Ren?¡± ¡°He is unlike anyone I have ever met before.¡± Tatya said. ¡°We have met Adventurers along the way to the capital, and none of them can come close to his presence.¡± ¡°Or his prowess.¡± The healer said and touched the bracelet on his wrist. ¡°Or his generosity.¡± ¡°Did you get the full list of his titles from Jirqym?¡± Kenkoth asked. ¡°He slipped it to me just before we sat down for breakfast.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I didn''t get the chance to read it, though.¡± She took out the piece of paper and saw how much writing there was on it. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
King Ren''s Titles and What They Do
Master Blacksmith Grants 10 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills; 5,000 Fame
Master Tailor Grants 10 level bonus to Tailoring Skills; 5,000 Fame
Master Enchanter Guild Membership; The Rule Of Two; Skill: Rune Creation
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Dreaded Foe Auras with Fear: +5 Levels, Respect: 5000, Enemies/Opponents/Creatures -5 INT -5 WIS
The Tainted King All Auras maxed. You must be acknowledged. Grants skills: This Is Mine! & Autocracy
Sea Dweller (Honorary) Grants Water Manipulation Skill, Water Conversion Ability, and Sea Dweller (Aura)
Royal Consort Dark Elven Court, Underworld Access, Tithe (Abdicated)
HeadHunter Killing Blow Special (50% Kill chance), Skull Cracker (Stun +20%)
Void Bane Void Sense (Aura), -50% Debuff from Void effects, +50% Damage to Void creatures
Awesomeness Grants Admiration, free Charm Person, Personal Aura +150 feet
Vasalor''s Chosen (No Description)
Survivor (Ghoulpocalypse) Personal Aura +50 feet, Sense Undead (Skill)
Teach Me No More All currently known skills and abilities are Mastered
Creator''s Assistant Grants: Create Anything skill, System Administrator Menu, Aura (Personal) +150 feet
Hunter Extraordinaire Hunter Aura (100 feet), Tracking skill, XP (Negated), Fame +5000
¡° Jirqym must be joking.¡± Tatya said. ¡°No one has this many titles.¡± Kenkoth barked a laugh. ¡°No, he never jokes about research.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It took him almost the entire time to get the title information during Ren''s first visit.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°He was too busy during this time because of the duels and didn''t have enough time to find out anything else, like Ren''s skills.¡± He smiled. ¡°I can''t imagine what those would be like.¡± ¡°He also has one of the Chosen''s abilities.¡± The healer said. ¡°I didn''t think anyone had those kinds of skills, let alone an Adventurer.¡± ¡°Possession Restoration is a top-tier ability.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I wonder how he got it?¡± ¡°Does that matter?¡± The healer asked. ¡°I''m sure it has to be an interesting story.¡± The healer smiled. ¡°So, you do like him.¡± ¡°I barely know him.¡± Tatya said and turned her head to look out the side of their covered carriage. ¡°You actually do like him.¡± Kenkoth said with a smile. ¡°It doesn''t matter if I like him or not.¡± Tatya said without looking back at them. They felt her emotions and they knew that it did matter to her. ¡°Do you think he really can build an entire Cathedral in only a few hours?¡± ¡°We''ll never know, since we will be at the city limits in less than an hour, even with all this traffic.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Unless you want us to delay even longer?¡± Tatya actually thought about it for several moments, then sighed. ¡°No, we need to get moving as soon as possible.¡± She said. ¡°It''s going to be a very long journey back to our Kingdom, even with the speed boosts the giant boars use on the open roads.¡± The healer leaned forward to whisper to Kenkoth. ¡°Yes, she definitely likes him.¡± ¡°I can hear you, you know.¡± Tatya said without looking at them. ¡°We know.¡± The healer said, and both men chuckled. * ¡°I''m glad the Librarian knew where to go to find a good plot of land.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''d say it''s her job to know, but available parcels of land inside the capital isn''t really part of a Librarian''s normal information.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What''s funny is we had to go back to the castle to buy the thing.¡± ¡°The look on the minister''s face when you asked to buy a piece of prime development land inside the city''s walls, and then paid for it!¡± Artemis laughed. ¡°I thought he was going to die of shock!¡± Ren laughed and they stopped at one of the many stonemasons to buy enough materials for the recipe. When he had enough, he went to the very large plot of land and took out his shop tower. He activated it and they went inside, and he brought up the recipe for the cathedral. ¡°Damn, this thing is going to be huge.¡± Ren said. ¡°I really should have looked at it closely when we added one to the High Elven Starter city.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You barely looked at the mile high tower in the center of the city and you died right after! When did you have time to check out the Cathedral?¡± ¡°He''s got you there.¡± Artemis chuckled. Ren laughed and got back to work. He made enough steel ingots for the recipe, then made the stained glass, then added normal glass for the other windows. He was a little surprised to see a couple of apartments were nestled in the back, then figured if he made a Cathedral, someone would be either picked to run the place or to do sermons. He finished enough wood pieces for the recipe and then he activated his Craft Wondrous Item recipe. ¡°At least it let me make another scale model.¡± Ren said and added all the ingredients, then was surprised when it didn''t ask for any money. He was tempted to add some in anyway, then realized he could use some of the gold for the accents and things. He took out several handfuls of gold coins and crushed them as he used his Hands of the Gods ability to melt them, and added them to the recipe. The platform glowed for nearly 10 minutes, and then a 2 inch wide cube appeared. Ren stored the cube and they left the tower, and he stored that, then walked over to the very center of the lot where Teepo directed him, then put the cube down. ¡°Only cast it twice.¡± Teepo reminded him, and Ren cast Permanent Enlarge and Reduce Anything two times on the cube. ¡°It should just fill the available space.¡± ¡°I was tempted to add space for people to park their horses and carts; but, the lot over there is empty.¡± Ren pointed at a lot they had seen on their way over to this one. ¡°We''ll go back to the castle and buy it for that.¡± ¡°With appropriate signs so that people know what it''s for.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Street lights, too.¡± Ren said and they walked over to the street. Several people had walked by the lot they were on, and a few stopped to see what he was doing. ¡°Hey, what''s going on?¡± A man asked. ¡°Just some instant construction.¡± Ren said and thought the code phrase, then the 400 foot tall, 200 foot wide, and 400 foot long Cathedral popped into place. Like Teepo had said, it just barely fit inside the available space inside the lot. ¡°GOOD GOD!¡± The man behind them yelled, and several people on the street yelled as well. Ren held in his chuckle and then saw the popup he was waiting for.
System and Administration Quest Complete!
You have successfully constructed an appropriate Cathedral within the capital city of Bore-Reale in the Human Kingdom. Rewards: You still don''t need anything. Good work. Adding the gold was a nice touch.
Ren looked up and waved. ¡°Thanks! I''m glad you like it.¡± * Tatya had been fortunate that she had sat on that side of her covered carriage and was looking out the window, because she witnessed a 400 foot tall Cathedral appear instantly halfway across the city. Both the healer and Kenkoth felt her emotional reaction and leaned over. ¡°What is it? What did you see?¡± Kenkoth asked and she pointed. ¡°What are you... is that a cathedral?¡± ¡°It... it just appeared.¡± Tatya said. ¡°One second there was nothing, then in the next instant, there it was.¡± ¡°You don''t think...¡± ¡°He either carried it here or he built it.¡± The healer said. ¡°I doubt he could carry that thing, even if his stats are maxed like he claims, so it had to have been built.¡± ¡°Instantly.¡± Tatya whispered. ¡°He built it instantly.¡± ¡°I don''t recall any kind of ability like that, not even from the Chosen.¡± The healer said, and his own interest in Ren increased. ¡°Don''t even think about it.¡± Tatya said and finally averted her gaze from the cathedral. ¡°I can make it back to the caravan in plenty of time if I take one of the...¡± ¡°No.¡± Tatya said. ¡°You can feed your talent fetish some other time.¡± The healer sighed and sat back, then smiled. ¡°I had lots to feed it on today.¡± Kenkoth chuckled. ¡°The surprises were rapid and non-stop, weren''t they?¡± ¡°It was worth the trip just for that alone.¡± The healer said. ¡°I think we''ll all be in for a great time when we get back home.¡± ¡°The rewards for the military information alone will be enormous.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°When we add in the special and rare abilities we''ve witnessed...¡± Tatya didn''t join in on the discussion and turned back to the window to stare at the Cathedral. How did he do it? She asked herself. Just the weight of the materials alone would have been too much for one person... for a whole crew... to handle. How could he build it? No answers came to her as she thought about how impossible it would be to get the materials to the spot, with only the time from when he said he would make it until now. How could he make a viable building from them? Tatya asked herself again, then the caravan came to a stop just outside the city''s main gate and pulled off the side of the road to allow others to pass. She opened the carriage door and leaned out. ¡°Why have we stopped?¡± One of the caravan''s attendants ran over to her from the first carriage. ¡°Jirqym just saw the cathedral.¡± ¡°So did I.¡± Tatya said. ¡°He said to give you this.¡± The young man said and ran to the next carriage to give them a note, too. Tatya leaned back in and closed the door and sat down, then read the note. She stopped breathing as extreme shock burst out of her, and Kenkoth quickly grabbed her shoulder and poured consoling feelings into her. ¡°What does it say?¡± Tatya started breathing again. ¡°The... the cathedral... it... it''s...¡± ¡°For Vasalor. We know.¡± Tatya shook her head. ¡°Not... that.¡± She said and held out the piece of parchment, and he read it.
The cathedral is indestructible.
¡°It''s WHAAAAAATTT????¡± Kenkoth yelled. Chapter 738 - Some Tasty Filler Ren went to the castle and bought the other lot of land and went back to it after stopping at another stonemason and buying enough paving stones for it. Ren used his hammerpick and quickly flattened the land out, cleared it with a shovel, and tossed the spare dirt through a portal to just outside the city wall, and laid out the paving stones. A large gathering of people had appeared to look at the Cathedral, since it could clearly be seen from anywhere inside the city or outside, and no one noticed him working. Ren finished converting the empty lot into a parking lot and put up the appropriate signs to show what it was for. He had even added more than the normal number of posts for securing horses and added his version of street lights all around it. ¡°I can''t believe this.¡± A woman said and she reached out to caress the Cathedral''s outside wall. ¡°It''s wondrous!¡± ¡°It just appeared out of nowhere.¡± One of the men said, and then pointed at Ren as he and Artemis came over to them. ¡°I asked that guy what was going on, and then poof! There it was.¡± ¡°Adventurers can do some amazing things.¡± Another woman said and looked at Ren in appraisal. ¡°Even if some of them are pretty short.¡± ¡°It''s not the size, it''s what you do with it, ma''am.¡± Ren grinned at her, and her face flushed red. ¡°Ren.¡± Artemis said, and he chuckled. ¡°Sorry, I couldn''t help responding.¡± Ren said and looked at the crowd. ¡°You know, you don''t have to stand outside.¡± ¡°Oh, we couldn''t possibly go inside. Not until the priest gets here, anyway.¡± ¡°It''s not locked.¡± Ren said and opened the door, much to their surprise. ¡°The door is always open, whether the caretaker is here or not.¡± ¡°Are... you sure?¡± The woman that made the Adventurer comment asked. ¡°Ma''am, I can tell you for certain that Vasalor himself asked for this place to be made for you.¡± Ren said, and her face became even redder. ¡°I mean the general you, as in the people, not you specifically.¡± The woman smiled. ¡°I know. It''s just...¡± ¡°...you would be flattered to have a building built just for you.¡± Ren finished her statement, and she nodded. ¡°Then allow me to do that for you.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I didn''t mean to embarrass you, so I''ll make you something.¡± ¡°But... I live in...¡± ¡°An apartment?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°By yourself?¡± ¡°Unfortunately.¡± She said with a sad smile. Ren touched her arm when he felt her grief. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± ¡°Well, it''s not his fault he died and I had to move.¡± ¡°Did someone buy your old place?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Not yet.¡± She said. ¡°I just... I didn''t want to keep it, not after...¡± ¡°Ma''am, I''ve got a bit of free time right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you take me to your old place?¡± ¡°S-sure.¡± She said and was surprised when Ren held out his elbow for her to take. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren escorted her several streets away, with Artemis beside them, and the woman''s pace slowed down as they approached her old home. ¡°Ma''am, believe me. It''s going to be all right.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''d ask you to trust me, but we only just met.¡± Ren said and pat her hand that was around his elbow. ¡°Did you take everything from inside that you wanted to keep?¡± ¡°I... I did.¡± She said. ¡°Old mementos and expensive things I couldn''t do without, and my clothing.¡± ¡°You left all of his things?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°May I enter the house?¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Save his things.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll pack them up in a crate and give it to you to save, or throw away, or reminisce over when you need to.¡± ¡°That... would you really...¡± ¡°I''d be honored to, ma''am.¡± Ren said and she felt reassurance fill her. ¡°Then you may enter.¡± ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and she let his elbow go, then he disappeared from her sight. She didn''t even have time to gasp at his disappearance when he was back out and put a large crate in front of her. ¡°It''s a little heavy, so I''d like to give you something to carry it.¡± He said and gave her a Strong Bracelet of Storage, so she wouldn''t be confused if he gave her a ring. ¡°You can store it inside and not have to worry about it, because it will always be with you.¡± ¡°I... I... thank you.¡± The woman said and took the bracelet and equipped it, and then she looked at the crate. ¡°Just touch it and choose ''store in bracelet''.¡± Ren said. She did that and gasped as it disappeared. ¡°You can take it out whenever you want.¡± He said and explained how to do that, and she did it. Her eyes started to tear up and he put a hand on her arm. ¡°What I''m going to do next may shock you.¡± The woman wiped her eyes and smiled at him. ¡°I doubt you can shock me much more.¡± Ren smiled warmly at her, then walked over to her house. He put a hand on it and chose to sell it on her behalf. The house disappeared and the key faded from her neck, then a bag of gold appeared at Ren''s feet. He felt her shock as he picked up the bag and walked over to her. ¡°Ma''am, here''s the value of the house, less 10% because it always does that for business owners.¡± Ren said and handed her the bag. ¡°O-only 10%?¡± The woman asked, dumbfounded. ¡°When I tried to ask the minister about it...¡± ¡°It''s different if you try to go through official channels.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°They need their cut, and to pay themselves for the work, then taxes on the sale...¡± The woman barked a laugh. ¡°So, you do know how it''s supposed to work.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''ve dealt with a finance minister a couple of times.¡± The woman looked at the empty lot behind her. ¡°I... I''m glad it''s gone, but now what do I do?¡± ¡°Give up your apartment and move back here.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what? How?¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°I told you I would build you a building.¡± Ren said. ¡°What kind of house would you like?¡± ¡°I... I don''t...¡± ¡°Do you have a business you always wanted to start or try? I could make it multiple floors and put the business on the ground floor and make a living space above it.¡± The woman just stared at him with her mouth open. ¡°Anything? No? Just a house then?¡± ¡°I...¡± ¡°Ren, give her a minute.¡± Artemis said. ¡°I''ll show you some houses and you can choose, then I''ll change it if you want a business in it.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror and made it twice as big, then started to show her the different house designs he had. ¡°Now, if there are parts you like on one and want those on a different house, just say so. I can custom design it for you.¡± ¡°Are you for real?¡± The woman asked as several beautiful houses scrolled by slowly on the mirror. ¡°It''s only a one-time deal.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got a couple of appointments to get to.¡± The woman shook her head slightly, then picked one of the houses. ¡°I like that one.¡± ¡°A two storey with a pitched roof. Good choice.¡± Ren said. ¡°Did you have a business in mind? I can always make the space for you and you can worry about what to do with it later.¡± ¡°I... yes, I''d like that.¡± Ren modified the design to add a shop on the bottom and made the house a three storey one, added in all the appropriate furniture, comfy of course, then saved the recipe. He activated his Craft Wondrous Item recipe and made the scale model for it and added the materials and money. She saw this and quickly held out the bag of gold. ¡°No, I''m building it to flatter you, remember? Why would you pay for it?¡± Ren asked, and she couldn''t answer. He finished and the cube appeared, then he walked over to the spot. He put the cube down, walked back to her, then enlarged it once and activated it. The three storey house appeared instantly and she caught her breath at the sight. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± ¡°I''ll pop back over to the castle and make sure that if you do open a business, everything will be handled and covered, so you don''t have to worry about that.¡± Ren said and assigned her as the occupant and owner, and the key appeared around her neck. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Just have fun and enjoy your life.¡± Ren said and took her hand and bent over it. ¡°Have a good day, ma''am.¡± He said and gave it a light kiss and started to walk away with Artemis. ¡°Hey, wait!¡± The woman said and held out the bag of gold. ¡°T-take this!¡± ¡°I don''t need your money, ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, damn. I keep forgetting.¡± He walked over to her and held out several coin pouches. ¡°Pick a color, any color.¡± The woman took a nice blue one, and he dumped the bag of gold into it and gave her the pouch. ¡°Just equip it.¡± Ren said and walked back over to Artemis. ¡°Bye!¡± * The woman stood there in front of her new house and stared at the coin pouch in her hands. That didn''t just happen. She thought. It''s just a dream. She equipped the coin pouch and walked over to her house and went inside to see the completely furnished building. ¡°It''s not a dream!¡± She exclaimed and started laughing. * Ren and Artemis flew back to the castle and arranged things for the woman, despite not knowing her name. He knew the lot her house was on and that was enough for him to fix things and add the potential for a business if it came about. Once back outside, Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror and saw that Orimihr was awake and moving around, so he cast a portal to appear near the ship and he and Artemis stepped through. ¡°Ahoy, there!¡± Ren said and one of the deckhands waved to him. ¡°I''ll wait here.¡± Artemis said and floated in a slow circle to keep an eye out in all directions. Ren nodded and entered the ship and walked down the hallway. He greeted the crew with grunts as not to disturb them, then knocked on Orimihr''s cabin door. ¡°Yeah, just a second.¡± A man''s voice said and Ren heard a lot of moving around and ruffled clothing. After a couple of minutes, the cabin door opened and Ren saw Orimihr and felt his surprise. ¡°I''m sorry to disturb you, but it''s urgent that we head to the Giant Lands to find the legendary blacksmith right away.¡± Ren said, and the two women in the cabin that had hastily gotten dressed added their own surprise to Orimihr''s. ¡°I assume something''s happened?¡± Orimihr said in a serious tone. ¡°I can''t discuss the details right now.¡± Ren said and leaned slightly to the side and smiled at the two flustered women. ¡°I can delay long enough for you to escort these two fine young women back to their homes while I get my mount and the carriage ready.¡± ¡°Oh! Yes, that... that would be nice.¡± Orimihr said. ¡°I have the half-carriage ready for you to take. It''s by the stable.¡± Orimihr took a deep breath and then smiled. ¡°Thank you, Ren. I''ll see you in about half an hour.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Ren said and leaned to the side slightly again. ¡°Ladies, it was nice to see you again.¡± ¡°L-likewise.¡± One of them said and the other only nodded. Ren nodded back and walked down the hallway. When he heard the door shut, he ran and came out of the ship. Artemis flew to stay with him, and he took out the half-carriage and set it up at the stable for Orimihr and the two women to use, tipped the driver, then he took out the All-Seeing Mirror to check if there was anyone near Princess'' house. He cast the portal and he and Artemis stepped through it. ¡°Yes, My King.¡± Princess said as she came out of the house. ¡°I would be honored to carry you on a quest.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°We can''t go all out, since Orimihr isn''t used to your awesome speed.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Princess said. ¡°A leisurely stroll is nice to take sometimes.¡± Artemis snorted a laugh and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°We''ve also got about half an hour before we need to be back at the ship to pick him up.¡± Ren said, and he felt how happy she was. ¡°You mean...¡± ¡°Let''s take a quick tour of the Human Kingdom to see how the population is recovering from the Ghoulpocalypse.¡± Ren said. ¡°What about after that?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°That''s not going to take too long.¡± ¡°I guess we should check the coastlines and see how much of a mess the Sea Dwellers are making.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then climb aboard your mount, My King.¡± Princess said. ¡°Let us be on our way!¡± Ren climbed on and Artemis floated beside them. ¡°Any particular direction we should go first?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Princess'' choice.¡± Ren said. Princess took a step up into the air and she was as happy as she had ever been, because Ren had given her free reign to go where she wanted and as fast as she wanted. With those feelings flowing out of her, she took off as fast as she could and Teepo chittered in delight at the outrageous speed. * Orimihr had been only slightly surprised at Ren''s gallantry for providing him a means to get the two women home, and in one of the best carriages he had ever seen. The two women had been impressed at the carriage''s construction and the very smooth ride, and they held onto Orimihr''s arms as they travelled at a sedate pace from the dock to the North Gate of the city of Aurora. When the driver came to a stop where the women had asked, Orimihr hopped out and helped both women out. They each gave him a lingering kiss when he did, then waved to him as they clutched the diamond pendants he had given them to their chests. The carriage pulled away and Orimihr made it back to the ship with 5 minutes to spare. He quickly ran up into the air and into the ship to gather his things, then made it back to the deck of the ship just as Ren appeared in the air above it. ¡°Ready to go?¡± Ren asked as Princess landed on the deck. Orimihr nodded and Ren took out the covered cart to attach it to Princess. ¡°It''s padded, but it''s still going to be a bit of a rough ride.¡± ¡°Ren, I think I could take on the whole world right now with the way I feel!¡± Orimihr said, and Ren felt how happy he was. ¡°I won''t test that... this time.¡± Ren joked. Orimihr laughed as he climbed into the cart. ¡°Okay, we''ve got the passenger loaded.¡± Ren said and climbed back onto Princess'' saddle. ¡°One leisurely stroll coming up, My King.¡± Princess said and trotted up into the air, then she poured on the speed to nearly half of her current ability. ¡°I thought you said you wouldn''t test it!¡± Orimihr said from the cart and laughed, then Ren''s and Artemis'' laughter join his while Teepo chittered in delight. It took quite a bit longer to cross the sea this time, since Princess really was taking her time, and then they had part of the next continent to cross. That took nearly as long, since the spot Delthid was hiding, just happened to be deep inside the Giant Kingdom''s lands. Ren had to check the All-Seeing Mirror several times to make sure that they were going in the right direction, because it seemed that Delthid''s location kept changing. ¡°Princess, let''s stop here.¡± Ren said when they approached a nice cliff that overlooked a Giant village. Princess landed on top of it and Orimihr climbed out of the cart. ¡°What is it? Are we there yet?¡± Orimihr asked, almost desperately. ¡°We should have been.¡± Ren said and showed him the All-Seeing Mirror, and Delthid''s location dot moved another hundred feet in a second. ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡± Orimihr asked and Ren felt his anger. ¡°Either he''s moving constantly, or he has something set up to make us think he''s constantly moving.¡± Ren said. ¡°Show me Delthid, please.¡± The mirror shifted and the scene that met them was one of the most disgusting things either of them had ever seen. Artemis turned her head so she didn''t have to look at it. ¡°Wow.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s a horrible way to die.¡± The All-Seeing Mirror showed a half-digested and partially chewed body floating inside a Giant''s stomach, with about half a dozen other bodies piled around him. Ren assumed half a dozen, but it could have been more. ¡°I think we found out what happened to some of the missing dwarves sent out on scouting missions.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Unfortunately, I think you''re right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I had hoped I''d gotten rid of all the Brain Arthropod Grubs long ago.¡± He sighed. ¡°Please show me the giant that owns this stomach.¡± They were all surprised when the mirror changed and showed them a well-dressed and groomed Giant that sat at a kitchen table, and he was eating a sandwich. No one wanted to guess what was actually inside that sandwich. ¡°Well, crap.¡± Ren said. Chapter 739 - Wrap That Up Ren wasn''t sure what to do about the situation. He didn''t receive a popup stating that his quest can''t be completed, so he was kind of stumped about what to do next. ¡°Ren, catch him.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do what you did for Renardos!¡± Teepo said excitedly. ¡°Make a portal and catch Delthid!¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren didn''t feel any dissent from either Artemis or Orimihr, so he asked Artemis to hold the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Okay, this... is going to be messy.¡± ¡°More like disgusting.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Maybe you should make a hole for it.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Ren took out the Staff of Earth and made an appropriately sized depression in the cliff top. ¡°Okay, I can do this.¡± ¡°You don''t have to be as careful this time.¡± Artemis said and everyone looked at her. ¡°He''s a much bigger target.¡± ¡°Oh! I understand.¡± Ren said. ¡°Everyone step back.¡± He concentrated and made a normal portal inside the Giant''s stomach under Delthid''s remains inside the Giant''s stomach and the exit appeared above the depression he made in the cliff top. The body, and a lot of other stuff, fell through the portal and into the depression. Ren quickly closed it off to stop anything else from coming through. ¡°By the gods!¡± Orimihr covered his mouth and turned away at the awful rotting stench. Ren thought he heard some aborted throwing up attempts from him. ¡°Well, there''s no doubt that Delthid is dead.¡± He said and knelt by the depression, then used his Water Manipulation skill to try and move the liquid away from the remains. It didn''t work. ¡°How can you ask him about forging if he''s dead?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°I have no idea.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nothing I have can possibly... wait.¡± He activated Serene State of Mind and thought about the problem. If I can''t ask him about it, and the quest hasn''t aborted because he''s dead, then maybe it''s his body that can tell me what I need to know. He deactivated his ability and spoke. ¡°Identify Person.¡±
Name Delthid Kuldur Level N/A
Gender Male Class Blacksmith
Race Dwarf Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Famous - Locked)
Titles
Master Blacksmith - Grants 10 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills; 5,000 Fame
Legendary Blacksmith - Fame stat locked, grants Special Imbue skill
Backstabber - You cannot be trusted
¡°Okay, not really useful.¡± Ren said. ¡°Show info for Special Imbue skill.¡±
Special Imbue (skill)
During the forging process, you can imbue a weapon with the ''Legendary'' description, regardless of the quality of the weapon.
¡°Ha.¡± Ren barked a laugh. ¡°He cheated!¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Orimihr said without turning back around. ¡°I told you what he did.¡± ¡°No, I mean his ability to make a Legendary Sword after only 5 forgings.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was just a skill he used and not any kind of epic training or techniques on his part.¡±
Quest Complete!
You have found the Legendary Blacksmith and discovered his secret. Rewards: 15,000 XP (Negated: maxed) Fame: 15,000
Notice!
Excess Fame converted to XP 15,000 Fame x 10 XP = 150,000 XP (Negated: maxed)
¡°Well, that was a bit disappointing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Orimihr asked and then started to laugh. ¡°I had planned on hunting the bastard down and killing him for letting me rot in the mines for the last 5 years.¡± He said. ¡°I finally found him, and he was eaten by a Giant! EATEN BY A GIANT! BWAHAHAHA!¡± Ren and Artemis couldn''t help it and laughed as well. After a few moments, Teepo spoke. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± ¡°Well, I think Orimihr needs to loot the body.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, thanks.¡± Orimihr said. ¡°I''m not touching it.¡± ¡°As long as you...¡± ¡°Not. Happening.¡± Orimihr said. ¡°If he''s dead, it''s not like he can tell me why he did what he did, or why.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You got him out of that Giant''s stomach, so you can do it.¡± Orimihr said. ¡°Hurry up, so we don''t have to smell it anymore.¡± Ren sighed and equipped a gauntlet and touched a relatively clean spot on Delthid''s remains to loot it. Nothing was dropped as loot, however.
Notice!
You have looted the remains of a descendant of one of Vasalor''s Chosen. Since you gained nothing else from the death, you have the option to claim his unused hidden ability, Title Granter. Do you wish to claim it? Yes / No
¡°Yes.¡± Ren said automatically.
Notice!
You have gained a new ability: Title Granter. This sub-skill under Autocracy allows you to grant appropriate titles to those that you deem worthy. Unlike with Autocracy, they do not need to be members of your Domain to receive titles.
Whoa. Ren thought. I thought being able to grant titles in my own domain was a little overpowering. ¡°Is that why you haven''t been giving them out?¡± Teepo asked in the voice only Ren could hear. ¡°Except for the Queen of the Ghoul Kissed that you gave to Valercia, I mean.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Yeah, because I could abuse it so much. Ren stood up and looked down at the stuff left in the hole. ¡°What do I do with this?¡± ¡°Put it back.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Orimihr almost choked. ¡°It came from a Giant''s stomach. We can''t just leave it out here for anyone to find or step in.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Plus, maybe it''ll give the Giant a tummy ache.¡± He chittered in laughter. ¡°He has been eating dwarves, after all.¡± ¡°Then throw in a pile of rocks, too.¡± Orimihr said, and Ren felt his dwarf loyalty kick in. ¡°If he wants something hearty to eat, then give it to him.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m tempted to do that.¡± He said and opened another portal to put the stuff back in the Giant''s stomach, then shrugged and tossed in the gauntlet he wore and activated his Hands of the Gods ability Rocky Hands and poured a pile of gravel and dirt into the portal. He watched the mirror Artemis held and saw the gravel and dirt partially filled the stomach, then asked the mirror to show the Giant. The Giant''s face made a sour taste motion and he put a hand on his stomach. Ren stopped adding dirt and closed the portal, then made a picture of both the giant and the previous contents of his stomach. He then wrote out a note saying what had happened and why he did what he did, accused the giant of eating little people, then made them giant-sized and opened a portal to the Giant''s Library. He slid the paper and photos through to leave them on Fernosia''s desk, the Giant Librarian and Ambassador to the Giant refugees, then closed the portal. ¡°That''s about all I can do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not without actually confronting the Giant about eating people.¡± ¡°It''ll have to do.¡± Orimihr said, then he sighed. ¡°I really hoped to have cleared my name, though.¡± Ren took the All-Seeing Mirror back from Artemis and asked to see the place Delthid used to live. A small house appeared on the mirror''s surface and Ren asked for it on the map. They climbed back onto Princess and into the cart, then travelled nearly a hundred miles back the way they came and found the little house. It was tucked inside a tree-trunk, since everything in the Giant Lands was giant-sized. Ren used his Detect Everything spell and several magical traps, physical traps, and two curses popped up. ¡°Boy, did he make sure he was protected, or what?¡± ¡°Not that protected.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Look up at the roof.¡± Ren, Teepo, Princess, and Orimihr walked up into the air and looked to see a large hole in the roof, that looked to be about the size of a giant''s fist. Orimihr whistled his astonishment and Ren nodded. They entered the house that way, bypassing all the traps and curses, and searched. They found the royal family jewels and the jewel encrusted armor tucked away in a crawl space under the house. It had a Warding enchantment on it, but it was weak and barely hid the lines of the trap door. Orimihr picked up the crown jewels reverently and held them up to the dim light that the hole in the ceiling provided. ¡°It''s them. It''s really them.¡± ¡°Store them and the armor, and I can deliver you to the Main Keep in the dwarf lands.¡± Ren said, and made several pictures of Delthid''s house, his remains, where the things were stored, and where they had found him. ¡°You''ll need this, too.¡± ¡°Do I really need to show them the inside of a Giant''s stomach?¡± Orimihr asked and held the picture with the tips of his index finger and thumb. ¡°Unless you want to get charged with killing him.¡± Ren said, then made a display box and loaded it with the proper video. ¡°I''m always recording, so this will prove that I didn''t kill him, either.¡± ¡°All right, all right.¡± Orimihr said and accepted the evidence. ¡°Who am I supposed to talk to when I get there?¡± ¡°I''d say the Scroll Mage, right after you deliver the evidence to the Hall of Records clerk.¡± Ren said. ¡°In fact, when you go to the clerk, ask her to call the Mage. They might have to take you into custody if the council or even the queen needs to review the case.¡± ¡°The queen.¡± Orimihr almost spat. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and pat the man on the shoulder. ¡°I might hold off on telling her you recovered the royal jewels.¡± He smiled. ¡°I won''t say anything to anyone, as long as you inform the clerk at the Hall of Records that the jewels were recovered and that you''re keeping them in trust until the heir is of age.¡± ¡°Keeping them in trust? You mean... I can...¡± Ren nodded. ¡°They rightfully belong to her child, whoever it may be.¡± He said. ¡°I have no problem letting someone who created them hold onto them until the appropriate time.¡± ¡°But... I don''t have the authority...¡± ¡°Orimihr Juldor. I, Ren the First, hereby grant you the title of Master of the Royal Jewels.¡± Ren said formally. ¡°It is your duty to ensure the safety of said jewels so they will remain available for the Royal Family when needed for coronations. You will protect them with your life, and no one can remove them from your presence.¡± Orimihr started to glow slightly. ¡°Since the lifespans of dwarves are pretty long, I doubt you will see more than one coronation in your lifetime; so, you will also have the authority to train your replacement.¡± ¡°But... what if...¡± ¡°No one can change this title, not even me, and you''re stuck with it for the rest of your life.¡± Ren said and he felt how happy Orimihr was about that fact. ¡°Do you accept this responsibility?¡± Orimihr put his hand on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°My friend, I accept this task wholeheartedly.¡± The glow faded and he didn''t feel any different. ¡°Now what do I do?¡± ¡°We need to pop back to the ship and tell the captain you might need a leave of absence for a while to get the charges against you sorted out, then I''ll drop you off at the Main Keep to get things started.¡± Orimihr nodded and they left the house through the hole in the roof. Orimihr climbed into the cart and Ren climbed onto Princess'' saddle, then they travelled all the way back across the continent, across the sea, and made it back to the ship docked near Aurora half an hour later. After a quick meeting with the short captain, who had no problem giving Orimihr a leave of absence for however long it took to clear his name, they climbed back onto the cart and crossed the sea, again, to go to the dwarf lands. Another half an hour later, Princess stopped just outside the gate to the Main Keep. Dwarves waiting in line all gasped and hollered at Ren''s appearance among them. A lot of them waved, others shouted greetings, and one woman hopped up and down with her hands in the air. That caught his attention, so he dropped Orimihr off to stand in line and hopped off of Princess. Ren walked through the air to her and he felt how happy she was. ¡°Good afternoon, Ma''am.¡± ¡°It''s such a pleasure to see you again, King Ren.¡± Dorhaline the Librarian said. ¡°Likewise.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve read all the books you gave me.¡± ¡°Oh? What''s your Library card at now?¡± ¡°I don''t think I should tell you.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. ¡°You don''t have to be embarrassed.¡± Dorhaline said. ¡°I''ve seen it before and even raised you from D to C, remember?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m not embarrassed, I just don''t want to shock you.¡± ¡°Oh? Is it that bad?¡± Dorhaline asked with a smile. ¡°All right, I''ll tell you.¡± Ren said and leaned in close. ¡°My rank is Platinum.¡± Dorhaline''s mouth dropped open in shock, and he laughed. ¡°I told you.¡± ¡°P-p-platinum.¡± Dorhaline whispered. ¡°It took me decades to read that much.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I''ve spent a lot of time in different realms.¡± Dorhaline wasn''t sure what to say to that. ¡°What realms?¡± Someone asked. ¡°I''ve been in the Water Realm a few times, and I''ve been spending my days in the Fire Realm.¡± Ren said. ¡°My daughter is the Deity of Fire.¡± Utter shock and disbelief flowed over the dwarves, and even though they knew he was telling the truth, they didn''t want to believe him. ¡°Oh, right! Sorry!¡± Ren said and polymorphed into a dwarf right before their eyes and a big fluffy beard grew on his face. ¡°My daughter is the Deity of Fire, and I spend my days being there for her and helping when I can.¡± He said. ¡°She gave me the day off today so I could be there for the birth of House Neram''s heir.¡± More disbelief flowed through the dwarves, and Ren took out the form and enlarged it to 5 times its size so they could all see it was official. ¡°My son''s name is Renardos Varthirm Neram, and he''s the cutest thing you''ll ever see!¡± Dwarf Ren said and took out a display box and played the video of several women''s hands ruffling Renardos'' auburn hair. ¡°Awww!¡± All the women waiting in line said and Dwarf Ren felt how much they wanted to cuddle his son, then he felt some of the uneasiness from the men. ¡°Don''t worry, everyone!¡± Dwarf Ren said to placate them. ¡°Nathalia''s pregnancy was all perfectly legal, because I had filed the paperwork and had the laws changed to make it so.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± A male dwarf said. ¡°I can''t believe that!¡± Another said. ¡°I want you to give me a cute baby, too!¡± A woman''s voice rang out, and everyone started laughing. ¡°I''d say it doesn''t work that way, but it did.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°I stayed for a year with Nathalia in my Sanctuary and we didn''t leave until she was very, very pregnant.¡± He chuckled. ¡°She had the baby this morning.¡± ¡°Oh, my!¡± The woman said and he felt her emotions as her whole body reacted to the news. ¡°By the gods.¡± One of the dwarf men said. ¡°If you keep the beard, I''ll do it!¡± Another woman exclaimed, and everyone laughed again. Dwarf Ren felt a familiar presence enter his Aura and that person''s Aura merged with his. He held a hand up to quiet everyone as he turned towards the Main Keep and they waited in silence. After a few minutes, Ereka came out through the front door and walked down to the gate. ¡°Lady Ereka.¡± Dwarf Ren said when she was close enough to hear him. ¡°King Ren.¡± Ereka said and held up the receipt as she approached him. ¡°It''s finally filed.¡± ¡°That took a while.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°You know the lines at the Main Keep can be surprisingly long some days.¡± Ereka said and then smiled. ¡°At least the clerk in the Hall Of Records was ecstatic about the news.¡± ¡°I''m sure she was.¡± Dwarf Ren said as he remembered how much Beryl had enjoyed his visits and how he had changed things for the Dwarven Kingdom each time. ¡°Can I offer you a ride home?¡± Ereka looked at him with wide eyes and he felt her misgivings, so he pointed over his shoulder to show Princess as she stood in the air above Orimihr at the end of the line. Ereka saw her and relaxed. ¡°I''m so glad you''re not breaking your banishment by being here.¡± ¡°This time I''m trying to clear a falsely convicted man''s name, and since it involved the royal family, no one could fault me for being here.¡± Dwarf Ren said and felt general agreement from the crowd. ¡°Plus, I''m technically not standing on dwarf lands.¡± He said and pointed at the space between his feet and the ground, which made a lot of the dwarves chuckle. ¡°Then I will gladly accept a ride, King Ren.¡± Ereka said and held a hand out to him. He bent over and took the offered hand and cast Permanent Air Walk and Permanent Water Walk on her, then told her how they worked. She smiled again and walked up into the air, they both waved goodbye to the Librarian, then they strolled through the air as Dwarf Ren escorted her to the end of the line. He switched the covered cart for a full carriage on Princess, then helped Ereka step inside. Chapter 740 - Last Minute Visit ¡°You''re really going to just leave me here.¡± Orimihr said and chuckled. ¡°Sometimes a man needs to face the consequences on his own.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°On the other hand, all you need to do is send word to House Neram, and I''ll come back to get you when it''s necessary.¡± ¡°Well, I was released into your custody.¡± ¡°Yeah, and you''ve been that way since we left the dwarf lands.¡± Dwarf Ren chuckled. ¡°How much of all that time did we actually spend together?¡± Orimihr was about to say that it had been a lot, then he realized the only time Ren was around him was today and that day last week when he had met those two women at Ren''s shop. Even then, he told the women the story about Delthid, and not Ren. The rest of the time Orimihr had been working on the ship and Ren wasn''t anywhere near it. ¡°Well, damn.¡± Orimihr said and laughed. ¡°Some custody that was!¡± ¡°Only the best.¡± Dwarf Ren laughed, too. ¡°Do you need any money?¡± ¡°No, I''ve got plenty of gold on me.¡± Orimihr said. ¡°I never realized working on a ship paid so well.¡± ¡°Hold on, working for me pays well?¡± Dwarf Ren asked, and lots of the dwarves around them laughed. ¡°I look forward to hearing from you soon.¡± ¡°As do I, my friend.¡± Orimihr said and held a hand out to him. They clasped forearms and shook. ¡°By the way, when you came and picked me up at the ship, you said you had to find Delthid urgently.¡± He said. ¡°I could tell you didn''t lie; but, why was it so urgent that it had to be done right away?¡± ¡°After I had decided I wanted to finish up a couple of open quests I still have, I was told by the Sage of Ages that I needed to join a caravan from another kingdom.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°Plus, I wanted to make it sound impressive to the two women you were with.¡± Orimihr laughed. ¡°They were impressed all right.¡± He said. ¡°They made me promise to tell them all about it.¡± His eyes went wide for a moment. ¡°Oh, damn! They won''t know I''m not there anymore and might come to the ship looking for me!¡± ¡°Don''t worry. All they know is that you''ve gone on a quest with an Adventurer. I doubt they will expect to see you for a few weeks, considering they know where you needed to go.¡± Orimihr thought about it, then nodded slightly. ¡°If you would send word to them that I may be here for a while, I would appreciate it.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°I''ll do it as soon as I get back to Aurora.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Orimihr said. Dwarf Ren let his arm go and leaned in close to Princess. ¡°Only a slow trot to House Neram, please.¡± He whispered and then climbed into the back of the carriage with Ereka while Artemis landed in the driver''s seat to keep up the pretense that Princess needed a driver. When the carriage turned around in mid-air and started to move, Ereka''s hand reached out and stroked Dwarf Ren''s big beard. ¡°Is it real?¡± Ereka asked in a whisper as her desire for him rose. ¡°Give it a tug.¡± Dwarf Ren said, and she yanked on it. ¡°Ow.¡± He said playfully. Ereka''s desire spiked and she leaned in close. ¡°How long is this carriage ride going to take?¡± ¡°Princess, Lady Ereka requests a tour of the countryside.¡± Dwarf Ren said and Teepo flew out of the carriage and landed on Princess'' helm. Ereka took that cue and pushed him over as she straddled his waist, then she gripped his beard hard and he felt that her passion was about to explode. ¡°Um... better make that a tour of the continent.¡± Dwarf Ren corrected as he took out the Vasalor Statue. ¡°Yes, My King.¡± Princess said happily and took off at a fast run while Teepo chittered in delight and Artemis held in her laughter. * Barnar walked into the royal apartments with a piece of parchment in his hand. ¡°Darling, you aren''t going to believe this.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Narhilda asked. She was getting close to her due date and her belly was quite big. On the advice of the healers, she was in bed and relaxing and let the kingdom be run by her advisor and her husband while she waited for her belly to pop. ¡°It''s a birth notice and baby registration.¡± Barnar said, a little confused. ¡°We get several of those a week, dear.¡± Narhilda almost admonished him. ¡°Not from House Neram, we don''t.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Narhilda''s heart beat faster. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°There''s a new heir to House Neram.¡± Barnar said as he came over to the bed and held out the notice to her. ¡°This says that Nathalia gave birth this morning.¡± ¡°N-no, that... that''s not... possible.¡± Narhilda said as she read the notice and then felt a twinge of pain. ¡°She... would have been... pregnant when... before he... no, it can''t...¡± ¡°Narhilda? Are you okay?¡± Barnar asked with concern in his voice. ¡°Get... healers!¡± Narhilda said, then yelled at the sharp pain she felt when her water broke. * ¡°R-R-Ren, by... by the gods.¡± Ereka said and moaned as Ren held her tenderly after storing the Vasalor Statue. ¡°How... what...¡± ¡°Shh. All that matters is we got to spend some time together after so long.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°I''m glad that you''re not angry that I can cancel the supreme power your breasts had over me.¡± Ereka chuckled. ¡°You can feel how happy I am that they still work and you need to cancel their effect on you.¡± Dwarf Ren gave her a kiss. ¡°I think you need to get back to work.¡± ¡°I really should.¡± Ereka said. ¡°Managing a growing House is still time consuming.¡± ¡°I was about to say that you don''t know how proud I am that you can do it; but, you can feel how proud I am of you.¡± ¡°I can.¡± Ereka said and sat up, and her hand touched the side of his face. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No, my Lady.¡± Dwarf Ren took the hand and kissed the inside of the wrist. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ereka''s face flushed red at the intimate contact. ¡°R-Ren, you...¡± ¡°We should get dressed. I think we are arriving at our destination.¡± Dwarf Ren said as Princess came to a stop next to the Main House at House Neram. ¡°I suppose we should...¡± Ereka started to say, then their Auras merged with the artificial one around the Main House and they felt someone''s panic. They equipped their clothing and stepped out of the carriage. Ereka landed on the ground and Dwarf Ren was a foot higher in the air. They quickly went inside with both Teepo and Artemis behind them and they saw a frantic receptionist. ¡°OH! Lady Ereka! Thank goodness you''re here!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ereka asked. ¡°The sending square! The queen! She''s giving birth almost three weeks early!¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Ereka said. ¡°Why are you panicking?¡± ¡°There''s trouble with it!¡± ¡°Say no more.¡± Dwarf Ren said and checked the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Artrude is free.¡± He said and cast a portal. ¡°I''ll stay here.¡± Artemis said as Teepo landed on Dwarf Ren''s shoulder. ¡°I doubt I''d contribute to calm if I showed up there.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Dwarf Ren chuckled. ¡°Understood.¡± He said and stepped through the portal. ¡°Artrude, the queen is giving birth right now.¡± ¡°Lead the way.¡± Artrude said. ¡°Malenka, we''re stepping out for a while.¡± ¡°If you need anything...¡± Malenka said, and Artrude nodded slightly. Dwarf Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror for where Narhilda was, them cast another portal. He and Artrude stepped through and no one noticed. Several healers were there and Dwarf Ren felt their panic. ¡°STOP!¡± Dwarf Ren commanded, and everyone within his Aura stopped moving. ¡°Calm down.¡± They all visibly relaxed as their emotions calmed down. ¡°You can move now.¡± Dwarf Ren commanded, and they all sighed as they were released. ¡°Ren! What are you... is that a beard?¡± Barnar asked. ¡°R-Ren!¡± Narhilda gasped. ¡°N-no... he... he''s banished!¡± ¡°Make a hole.¡± Artrude commanded and the healers around the bed moved aside and Narhilda saw him. ¡°N-no... it... it''s not... possible! AGH!¡± Narhilda grabbed her belly and screamed in pain. ¡°If anyone in a House, or previously in a House, is suffering pain or bodily harm or is in peril, by law I can come into the dwarf lands to provide aid when I can.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°Since it''s the heir to the throne, that supersedes any and all other concerns.¡± ¡°B-but... banish...¡± ¡°Forget about that for now.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°Artrude is here to help.¡± Artrude knelt between Narhilda''s legs and examined her. ¡°I''ll need the All-Seeing Mirror.¡± Ren asked it for a view inside Narhilda''s belly and made it twice as big, which made all the healers gasp when they saw inside a patient''s body. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Artrude said. ¡°What... is it?¡± Narhilda said. ¡°They''re fighting for who''s coming out first.¡± Artrude said in disbelief. ¡°Wh-wh-WHAT?!?¡± Narhilda yelled. ¡°You''re having twins, Your Highness.¡± Artrude said. ¡°I''m sorry, but I have to end the fight before they kill each other.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± One of the healers whispered as Artrude carefully applied some numbing liquid and reached inside Narhilda''s womb and blocked the babies from fighting, then pulled on one. Dwarf Ren felt the joy of one baby and the disgruntled feeling of the other one. It didn''t take long for the first one to come out after that encouragement, though. ¡°IT''S A BOY!¡± One of the healers yelled as she saw the brown-eyed baby. ¡°The new king is a boy!¡± He was bald and had a big smile on his face. A healer came over and assisted while Artrude made sure the baby was fine and breathing, then handed it over to the assistant to be cleaned and swaddled. The next baby slid right out, now that the competition was over, and those that saw it were quite surprised. It was a girl. She looked cute as a button and had a full head of fluffy brown hair. Artrude took care of her and checked her over, then discovered the baby had silvery-blue eyes. She quickly glanced at Ren, who was still staring at the All-Seeing Mirror and inside the womb. Without a word, Artrude handed the baby off to another healer to be cleaned and swaddled, then kept doing her work on Narhilda. Dwarf Ren saw the two sacks and umbilical cords fade from the All-Seeing Mirror and stored it. Both babies were given to Narhilda to hold, and he stepped close to look down at them. ¡°Congratulations, Your Highness.¡± Dwarf Ren said and beamed a smile at the new mother. ¡°Both babies are healthy and...¡± He stopped talking when the baby girl opened her eyes to look at him and he saw his own silvery-blue eyes. ¡°No way!¡± ¡°Dodge and catch!¡± Teepo said and Dwarf Ren stepped to the side slightly and caught the sword before it came close to the bed or its occupants. ¡°What the hell are you doing?!?¡± Dwarf Ren asked and crushed the sword, then tossed it aside. ¡°You almost hit Narhilda and the babies with that!¡± ¡°You... slept with... my WIFE!¡± Barnar panted, because the attack had drained a lot of his Stamina. ¡°She wasn''t your wife at the time!¡± Dwarf Ren nearly yelled. ¡°Plus, even if the queen hadn''t instituted skipping the courtship phase for previously married people, I still could have slept with her legally!¡± Barnar couldn''t refute that, since as long as it was before the official ceremony, both he and Narhilda could do what they wanted. ¡°You... baby...¡± Narhilda whispered and stared at the two babies she held in her arms. ¡°Yes, and I didn''t think that was possible!¡± Dwarf Ren exclaimed. ¡°I was an elfling! Nathalia and I had been sleeping together for a long time and nothing came of it!¡± He said, almost ranting. ¡°It wasn''t until recently that I took her into my Sanctuary, polymorphed into the dwarf you see before you now, then we successfully made a baby!¡± ¡°So, that''s... how you...¡± Narhilda panted. ¡°Don''t talk.¡± Artrude said and glared at Ren. ¡°You need to calm down. This was a hard labour for the queen and she doesn''t need you idiots flailing about and yelling.¡± Dwarf Ren opened his mouth to respond, took a deep breath, then touched Artrude''s shoulder. ¡°If I may?¡± Artrude thought about saying no, then nodded. Dwarf Ren stepped around to the side of the bed. ¡°Narhilda...¡± All the healers and Barnar gasped and started to feel outrage at his use of her given name, so he turned to look at them. ¡°She''s already married to someone else and gave birth to my child.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°I could shout her name at the top of my lungs in the middle of town and it wouldn''t make any difference.¡± Their feelings eased away at that realization, and he turned back to Narhilda. His hand touched the top of the baby girl''s head and ruffled her hair, then his hand reached out to caress the side of Narhilda''s face. She closed her eyes and didn''t tell him no, so he poured Healing, Reassurance, and Energize into her while Artrude tended to her other area and healed her there. ¡°Narhilda, I love you.¡± Dwarf Ren said and everyone in the room gasped. ¡°I know you don''t love me; but, we did make a baby together.¡± He said. ¡°I''m going to come and visit, probably sometime in either the mornings or the evenings, depending on the day.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Barnar exclaimed. ¡°It''s not a threat or a promise, since I''m pretty busy during the day and have Adventurer''s business at night.¡± Dwarf Ren explained. ¡°This is my third child, and she is no less important to me than the first two, so I''ll do my best to visit when I can.¡± ¡°Did... you say... third child?¡± Narhilda said, her words and emotions much stronger than they were a moment ago. ¡°The Deity of Fire was my first.¡± Dwarf Ren said, and complete silence filled the room. ¡°Renardos is my second, and he''s the cutest thing.¡± He said and produced a picture of him. ¡°He... looks like... you.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°...and a heck of a lot like my daughter that you hold in your arms.¡± Dwarf Ren said and laid the picture on the nightstand by the bed. ¡°R-Ren... I... if I''d known...¡± ¡°You still would have done what you did.¡± Dwarf Ren said to her and everyone''s surprise. ¡°You didn''t want me to intrude on you and Barnar, and I don''t hold that against you.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It hurt a lot when you tossed me aside so casually, even though you were already pushing me away by the time Fritz entrusted you with the kingdom.¡± ¡°He did that because of you.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter how it happened.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°All that matters is that it did, and things changed, and other things happened, and now here we are.¡± He said. ¡°How we go from here is up to you.¡± ¡°But... you just said...¡± ¡°I''ll come and visit, but that doesn''t mean you have to let me see her or spend time with your children.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°I''m not trying to throw my weight around or force you to accept me coming into your life like this.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m still going to see her and she will know I''m here and watching over her.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°The last thing I want... the very last thing I want... is for us to expose her to any animosity between us.¡± ¡°H-how?¡± Narhilda asked. ¡°After everything that''s happened...¡± ¡°I''ll only be a visiting presence and I''ll try to help raise her when I can.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°I won''t come here and cause fights, say bad things about you, or even try to take her away from you.¡± Everyone took in deep breaths as they realized that he could have taken her without any resistance whatsoever, and Narhilda''s eyes filled with tears. ¡°You''re her mother, and she''s second in line for the throne.¡± Dwarf Ren said and moved his hand back to the top of his daughter''s head. ¡°I may be her father; but, I don''t have any right to deny her rightful heritage.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Narhilda started to say something, then caught her breath as he leaned in. Dwarf Ren smiled at her spike of desire, then shifted his movement to give her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Congratulations on making such beautiful babies.¡± He said and stood up straight. ¡°Please accept these gifts in celebration of their birth.¡± He said and took out several bracelets, necklaces, and rings with different magical abilities like Protection, Regeneration, Strength, Speed, and Healing in various combinations. ¡°They should keep you spry and healthy, so you can have as much enjoyment raising your children as the dwarf people will enjoy seeing the future rulers grow up.¡± ¡°R-Ren, I... you can''t just...¡± Narhilda''s tears kept coming. ¡°Shh. It''s okay. Just equip them and you''ll keep feeling better.¡± Dwarf Ren said. Narhilda did so and took several breaths, then she smiled when she did feel better. ¡°You''re going to need them if you want to keep up with the little darlings.¡± Dwarf Ren said and stepped back through the air, and Artrude finished her work and stepped back as well. ¡°When they are old enough, I''ll give them everything they will ever need for the rest of their lives.¡± ¡°Th-them?¡± Narhilda couldn''t wipe her eyes, so Dwarf Ren took out a cloth and wiped them for her. ¡°I can''t spoil one child and not spoil the other, can I?¡± Dwarf Ren smiled. ¡°Even though...¡± ¡°I won''t cause resentment or envy between siblings.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°You know how much I hate pointless fighting.¡± Narhilda was about to comment on that, then closed her mouth and nodded. Dwarf Ren dismissed the Honor popup, since it was negated and his stat was locked. He turned towards Barnar and felt both dismay and sorrow. ¡°You better do a good job raising them or I won''t be happy.¡± Dwarf Ren said to him, and he felt Barnar focus on him and not Narhilda or the child that wasn''t his. ¡°I know how to raise a kid properly.¡± Barnar said, almost angrily. ¡°You mean kids, don''t you?¡± Dwarf Ren asked. ¡°There are two of them. You better treat them equally, since they are both Narhilda''s children.¡± ¡°You don''t have to tell me how to be a parent.¡± Barnar almost spat. ¡°Good, because this isn''t your fault.¡± Dwarf Ren said, and he felt surprise from him, and then felt it from everyone else. ¡°It''s not Narhilda''s fault, either.¡± ¡°Are you claiming it, then?¡± Barnar asked, as if Ren thought he was more manly. ¡°I don''t have to, since no one is at fault.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°If it makes you feel any better about this whole mess, your son will be king.¡± He said. ¡°Your son. King of the Dwarves.¡± Barnar took in a deep breath and let it out, then did it again. ¡°Yes, it does make me feel better.¡± Dwarf Ren motioned for Artrude to follow. ¡°Now that the immediate crisis is over, I need to go.¡± ¡°W-wait.¡± Narhilda said as a portal appeared. ¡°Don''t... don''t you want to name her?¡± ¡°I won''t take that honor away from you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nathalia named Renardos.¡± ¡°Sh-she did?¡± Narhilda asked, surprised. The other healers in the room and Barnar were also surprised by this. ¡°If you would honor a humble request, I would like her middle name to be Barbara.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°That way, she''s named after the mother that raised me.¡± Narhilda looked at Barnar, and he nodded slightly. ¡°It will be so.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Dwarf Ren said and his Aura pulsed as it was filled with happiness. Everyone shivered as they felt it, because even though none of them shared his Aura, it was so strong they couldn''t help but react. He gave Narhilda a regal bow, ushered Artrude through the portal and stepped through himself, then it disappeared. Chapter 741 - Caravan Conundrum Dwarf Ren and Artrude stepped out of the portal into Nathalia''s room at the medical building and were met with consternation and disbelief. ¡°You went to her.¡± Nathalia said, and that''s where the consternation and disbelief came from. Dwarf Ren saw that Ereka had come over to the medical building and had filled Nathalia in. ¡°I did go to her, and you''re not going to believe what happened next.¡± Frikara, Lusinia, Verwynn, Navruth, Andrela, Xuunah, Ereka, and Malenka stayed completely silent as he told them all about what happened, and Artrude chimed in occasionally and told her parts of it. ¡°She didn''t ban him again when she realized he was actually there, either!¡± Teepo chittered in delight when the story was over. ¡°He told her he wasn''t breaking any laws while he was there saving her kids, so she let it drop!¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Andrela said. ¡°I can''t believe it.¡± Frikara said. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Your daughter is next in line for the throne.¡± Navruth said, her Practicality skill kicking in. ¡°You''re official royalty by dwarf law.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Verwynn turned to her. ¡°He''s the father of the Princess of the Royal Family, since she can''t be any higher because her brother''s going to be King.¡± Navruth said. ¡°If anything happens to him, like abdicating or abandoning the throne...¡± ¡°Ren will become the Queen Father.¡± Nathalia said, almost with wonder in her voice. ¡°Regardless of what happens to the new king, it puts our child in the line of succession.¡± She said. ¡°Third in line, since deities aren''t eligible or was born from a dwarf.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Frikara said and rubbed her belly. ¡°That... that means...¡± ¡°If Navruth is right, then all of our children will be in line for the throne.¡± Xuunah said and touched her own belly. ¡°Oh, my!¡± Malenka jumped up and down and clapped her hands. ¡°We went from no one being around to rule the country, and now we have so many!¡± ¡°It might have to be unofficially.¡± Dwarf Ren said, and they all looked at him. ¡°I doubt they will announce that I''m the father when they register the births.¡± Artrude laughed. ¡°Are you kidding? They have no choice about it!¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Remember how we filled out the form for Renardos?¡± Artrude asked. Dwarf Ren thought back and his eyes widened. ¡°Oh, crap.¡± ¡°The whole population gets birth notices from the Royal Family and not just the Major and Minor Houses!¡± Artrude said and they all laughed because there was no way to keep that information secret. After a few minutes, Ren polymorphed back to his normal self. ¡°I need to go.¡± Ren said and went to Nathalia and gave her a kiss on the lips. ¡°If I hurry, I should be able to catch the caravan from Pervaria before it gets too close to the Human Kingdom''s borders.¡± ¡°Have fun.¡± Nathalia said as Ren touched Renardos'' head. ¡°I''ll try.¡± Ren said and looked at the other women. ¡°Want me to open a portal back to the Main House in Aurora?¡± ¡°We can wait until you come back.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I have Adventurer''s business tonight and I don''t know what kind of sleeping arrangements the caravan has.¡± ¡°Or even if it stops so people can sleep.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then make the portal and we''ll try to be careful around it.¡± Xuunah said. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror and cast the portal on the far wall, well away from everyone, and it appeared on the wall next to the apartment''s door. He then made a door on this side to cover it, then went to each woman and gave them a kiss on the lips until he came to Artrude and Malenka. He held a hand out for them to shake instead. Malenka chuckled as she pushed his hand aside and gave him a kiss, then Artrude did, too. ¡°But... you...¡± Ren blinked his eyes at them, and that made all the women laugh. ¡°It''s okay for friends to kiss.¡± Malenka said. ¡°Since we save the best ones for the people we care about.¡± She said, then jumped into Artrude''s arms and kissed her like they were alone and no one else was in the room. Everyone just watched in fascination as it went on and on, then Malenka broke the kiss. ¡°Like that!¡± Malenka said happily. Artrude''s face was bright red from embarrassment and arousal. ¡°M-Malenka...¡± ¡°I love you, Artrude.¡± Malenka said in a sexy voice and kissed her again. ¡°Um... yeah, I... ah... gotta go! See ya!¡± Ren gave them a wave and ran out of the medical building, and he heard everyone''s laughter. He ran over to the Main House and went inside to meet Artemis. He then told her and the receptionist that the queen had both babies safely, and the receptionist''s joy and happiness at the news was quite extraordinary. ¡°Thank you so much, King Ren!¡± The receptionist said. ¡°Everyone will be so happy to know there is now two rulers when before we had none!¡± ¡°Should you tell her that your other kids are eligible for the throne, too?¡± Teepo asked. That might be too much for her to handle. Ren thought. ¡°If you''re the Dwarf Princess'' father, wouldn''t your child with Nathalia also be in line for the throne, even once removed?¡± Artemis asked with a smile, and they both felt shock from the receptionist. ¡°By the GODS!¡± The receptionist yelled, and her shock was quickly replaced with exuberance. ¡°Renardos is heir to House Neram''s royal family, and he''s also a part of the Royal Family!¡± She said and sat back in her chair and fanned her face with her hand. ¡°By the gods.¡± I told you. Ren thought with a smile and took the receptionist''s hand. ¡°Ma''am, it''s okay. The dwarf people no longer have a ruling crisis anymore.¡± The receptionist reacted to his touch as he poured Reassurance into her. ¡°Th-thank you, K-king Ren.¡± Ren let her hand go. ¡°Artemis, let''s go.¡± They left the main house and Ren unhooked the carriage that was still attached to Princess and stored it in her saddlebag, then climbed onto her back. Unfettered by any kind of encumbrance, Princess took off at her best speed and crossed the dwarf lands in only a couple of minutes, then crossed the ocean, then came to a stop in Aurora. Ren quickly wrote out two notes and gave them to Artemis, and she delivered them to Orimihr''s two women. The notes explained he may be gone for several weeks and he would miss them dearly. Both women were extremely flattered that he would keep them informed like that, and Artemis flew back to Ren.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Okay, now we have to decide who wants to come along on the caravan.¡± Ren said. ¡°I will return to my house, My King.¡± Princess said. ¡°Trotting is okay once and a while; but, I refuse to continuously travel at such a slow speed.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°I seem to remember someone who didn''t want to run at all at one point.¡± ¡°Whoever could that have been?¡± Princess asked with a huff, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°I''m tempted to go along.¡± Artemis said. ¡°If only to be your touchstone.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, it''ll give us some alone time.¡± ¡°Like we don''t have enough of that.¡± Artemis said with a smile. ¡°You literally carry ''alone time'' with you wherever you go with your Vasalor Statue.¡± ¡°I won''t be using it during the trip, especially in front of people I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°I''m tempted to bring a succubi or two; but once again, I don''t know what kind of sleeping arrangements will be available.¡± ¡°You could ask and then come back.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°Well, I''ll have to tell them my days are going to be spent in the Fire Realm and that I have to leave on Adventurer''s business at night.¡± Ren said. ¡°Finding out the sleeping arrangements before committing to joining the caravan would be a good idea.¡± ¡°It''s not like you''ll be using it much, anyway.¡± Teepo said. ¡°It depends on if they travel at night.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll pop out for Adventurer''s business and come right back.¡± ¡°There''s lots of time left in the day before you need to go.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Let''s just get to the caravan and find out what we need to know.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°If my calculations are correct, and the size of the boars are any indication of their speed, then they should be about halfway across the Human Kingdom by now... assuming they didn''t stop at any towns along the way.¡± ¡°Or stopped to rest the boars.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Hm. Good point.¡± Ren said. ¡°Round it down to a third of the way.¡± ¡°I will catch them easily, My King.¡± Princess said, confidently. ¡°I know you will.¡± Ren scratched her chin, then took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Map of the Human Kingdom, please.¡± The map popped up and Ren pointed to the general area, then made a circle all around the capital city at that distance. ¡°They could be anywhere within this circle, since I didn''t ask which way they were headed.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°Just ask the mirror for their progress.¡± Artemis suggested. ¡°Please show me the caravan''s progress from the capital city to where they are now.¡± Ren said, and the map didn''t change. ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°Are they gone already?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Did they travel so fast it didn''t register?¡± ¡°Did they portal out?¡± Teepo asked. Ren let those ideas percolate for a moment. ¡°Please show me the Pervarian caravan''s current location.¡± A dot appeared right beside the capital city. ¡°Well, damn. No wonder we didn''t see any progress.¡± Ren almost laughed. ¡°They didn''t go anywhere!¡± Princess huffed. ¡°I''m glad I decided to return home. They would be ridiculously easy to catch if they didn''t move.¡± Ren did laugh at that and scratched her chin again. ¡°I guess I''ll ride you home and then portal over.¡± ¡°As you wish, My King.¡± Princess said, and they travelled to the Main House in his county and dropped Princess off at her house, then Ren opened a portal up the road from the caravan, just outside his huge Aura. ¡°You''re really going to leave it on all the time?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°You think I should tone it down while being in such close quarters?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Who am I to deny my ranged combat specialist''s opinion?¡± ¡°You''re a king and the man who made me.¡± Artemis said, and Ren chuckled as he deactivated all of his Auras except for his personal one and put an arm around her waist. She put her arm over his shoulders and they walked like that until they came into sight of the caravan. Artemis pulled her arm away and stepped half a pace to the side. ¡°You don''t have to stop, you know.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''re not in a formal setting.¡± ¡°Remember what the Sage of Ages said.¡± Artemis said, and Ren nodded. ¡°Right. Just in case.¡± ¡°It might not matter; but, it might matter a great deal.¡± Artemis said, and then didn''t say anything else as they walked over to the first carriage in the caravan. Since his personal Aura was large, even without the other Auras to augment it, when it crossed the first carriage Ren felt an immediate reaction from the people inside. ¡°Greetings.¡± Ren said when he thought he and Artemis were close enough to be heard and one of the representatives stuck his head out of the carriage to stare at them. ¡°I thought you would be long gone by now.¡± The man didn''t say anything, and then his head disappeared as a woman''s replaced it. ¡°We were supposed to be.¡± The woman said as Ren and Artemis stopped beside the carriage door. ¡°Then that cathedral popped up and we had to send someone over to investigate.¡± Ren chuckled and looked over to the thing. Now that he had a chance to look at it from so far away, he could clearly see that it was twice the height of King Alamast''s castle, which was only 200 feet high and the cathedral was 400 feet high. ¡°Oops.¡± Ren said, and Artemis held in her laugh as Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°We are very far behind our travelling schedule because of it.¡± She said. Ren opened his mouth to apologize and Artemis tapped his shoulder. ¡°Perhaps we should see where the leader of the delegation is.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Ren said and turned to the woman. ¡°Could you tell us...¡± ¡°She''s in the third carriage from the end.¡± The woman said and waved in that general direction. Ren didn''t let his surprise show; but, the woman smiled as she felt it. ¡°You didn''t know.¡± ¡°To be fair, I didn''t ask. I just assumed that the one King Alamast treated as the leader was the actual leader.¡± The woman chuckled, and Ren couldn''t make out the underlying sounds. ¡°Yes, that was a bit surprising.¡± Ren reached out a hand to her, and she looked at it for a moment, then took it. ¡°Thank you for enlightening me to the true nature of this expedition.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± She looked at the man next to her with wide eyes, then back out the window at Ren. ¡°But, I... I didn''t say...¡± Ren chuckled as he felt her surprise and embarrassment. ¡°Don''t worry. I knew it was an information gathering exercise, like all visits to foreign lands are. I just didn''t realize how extensive it would be that you would analyze the culture and its rules as well.¡± Her face didn''t change as he bent over her hand and kissed the back of it in the human fashion. ¡°Yes, well...¡± She started to say, then she caught her breath as Ren stuck out his tongue and licked her hand, too. Her face flushed bright red at the formal greeting and he let her hand go. Neither of them said anything as they looked at each other, then she nodded slightly. Ren nodded slightly back and walked on down the caravan. ¡°I have to ask what just happened.¡± Artemis whispered. ¡°I felt her near distaste as I tried to thank her like a lady, then my Etiquette skill kicked in and I had to lick it instead.¡± ¡°It''s too bad your skill doesn''t tell you all of these things before you get into these situations.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I might be overloaded with everything if the skill gave it all to me before it was needed.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then again, maybe just the proper greetings for situations would be good enough to...¡± He stopped talking and came to a stop as Tatya opened the carriage door and jumped down. ¡°I recognized your scent.¡± Tatya said, and he felt her try to restrain herself from running to him. ¡°Is anything wrong, Miss Tibaido?¡± ¡°N-no, I...¡± Tatya looked back at the cathedral and then back at Ren. ¡°Is it really so amazing that it turned you on?¡± Ren asked with a smile. ¡°You can read my underlying emotions that well?¡± Tatya asked, a little surprised. ¡°I have the Emotion Siphon ability.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened. ¡°You... mastered it, didn''t you?¡± Tatya asked and took a step towards him. ¡°All of my skills are mastered.¡± Ren said. Not a trace of bragging was detected in either his voice or emotions, and Tatya took in a sharp breath as that turned her on even more. ¡°You''re not even arrogant about that.¡± Tatya almost whispered as she took another step closer. ¡°I don''t like to gloat or rub my abilities in people''s faces.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s not why I''m here.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± Tatya asked and took another step, which put her within an arm''s reach. ¡°Do you want the truth or a lie so good that it sounds like the truth?¡± Ren asked with a smile, and Artemis covered her own smile and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°What I want...¡± Tatya had to stop herself from moving forward and thought about the question. ¡°The truth.¡± She said as she decided. ¡°The real truth.¡± ¡°I was told by the Sage of Ages that I needed to join your caravan and to go with you back to your homeland.¡± Ren said, and Tatya visibly shivered. ¡°Now... now the lie that sounds so good.¡± Tatya whispered. ¡°I remember your scent, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not only do I want to smell it again, I want to taste it directly from the source.¡± He said, and her body quivered. ¡°I came to the caravan to sneak away from the Human Kingdom and their idiocy, just so I can go with you to your homeland and experience what it''s like there.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Tatya whispered and ducked her head as she hugged herself to stop the low rumbling she was emitting. ¡°That... is a... great lie.¡± ¡°That''s not the best part.¡± Ren said and she lifted her head to see that he was standing right beside her. ¡°Now you have to figure out what part I was lying about.¡± Tatya''s breathing sped up, because she hadn''t heard, seen, or even felt him move, and she blinked her eyes at him several times. ¡°Who did you send to check out the Cathedral?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Zaerepis.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Our healer.¡± ¡°I''ll return with him momentarily and the caravan can get back on schedule.¡± Ren said and activated his winged flight and deployed his bat-like leathery wings. ¡°But... we are already so far behind...¡± ¡°I''ll take care of it.¡± Ren said, and Tatya shivered again as his confidence flowed out to her. ¡°Artemis.¡± ¡°Right beside you.¡± Artemis said and floated up into the air with him, then they both disappeared from sight. Tatya whipped her head around to look at the cathedral and saw two little dots get smaller. ¡°Good god.¡± A hand touched her shoulder and Kenkoth filled her with strength and calmness. ¡°Are you all right?¡± ¡°I will be.¡± Tatya said. ¡°At least, I hope I will be.¡± Chapter 742 - Cynical Caravan Kenkoth chuckled and let Tatya''s shoulder go when she started to fight the calmness he was giving her. ¡°I can''t wait to see what he does to get us back on schedule.¡± He said. ¡°How do you make up for half a day''s lost travel?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Tatya said as her shivering stopped. ¡°It should be interesting, to say the least.¡± ¡°Oh, I don''t doubt that.¡± Kenkoth said and climbed back into the carriage to wait. ¡°Why don''t you have a seat.¡± ¡°He said he would be back momentarily.¡± Tatya said. ¡°You know what Beholo is like.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°He''ll have to be dragged away from that building.¡± Tatya smiled and stepped into the carriage. ¡°Yes, I suppose it will be a while.¡± ¡°Where does this creature go?¡± Ren asked from just outside the carriage''s door. Both Tatya and Kenkoth stared out the still open carriage door at Ren. He stood about 10 feet in the air and held the healer by the cuff of his tunic with one hand and the large specially-bred riding wolf by the back of its neck with his other hand. ¡°I mean the wolf.¡± Ren said and lifted the wolf slightly and it whimpered. ¡°Am I holding you too tightly, little guy?¡± He asked and put it down and ruffled its neck. ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Tatya winced at the apology. ¡°Um... the... the second carriage.¡± Ren unceremoniously tossed the healer into the carriage and picked up the wolf in both arms, and it growled slightly. ¡°Oh, don''t be such a baby.¡± He said and walked with it over to the second carriage and saw the carriage was much bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. ¡°I''ll give you a nice treat for being good, okay?¡± It gave a slight bark, and the surprised carriage handler opened the cage door. Ren put the large wolf inside and the cage door was shut. Ren stepped away and the wolf barked loudly. Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m not leaving, I''m just getting it ready.¡± The wolf watched as Ren stepped across the road and took out his shop tower and activated it. The whole caravan''s occupants noticed the sudden appearance of the 30 foot tall tower right beside them, and they all watched Ren enter it. He was back out about 10 seconds later and deactivated the tower, then stored it and went over to the wolf. ¡°As promised.¡± Ren said and took out a small piece of cooked Dretch meat. The wolf was about to scoff at the measly little piece of meat, then Ren tossed it through the bars. It caught the meat automatically and started to chew... then its mouth overflowed with drool at the delicious taste. ¡°I told you it was a treat.¡± Ren said and the wolf nodded. He was surprised when he received Respect from the creature, then smiled. ¡°Just for that you can have another.¡± He said and tossed in another piece. The wolf hadn''t finished the first piece yet, because it was savouring the flavor, and another wolf darted over to try and steal it. ¡°STOP.¡± Ren commanded as his Command Aura snapped into place, and all the wolves stopped. ¡°That''s his.¡± He said. ¡°If you want a piece, come over here and ask nicely.¡± Since they could all feel how much the other wolf liked the meat, they all came over to the cage door and sat down, much to the surprise of the handler. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and tossed each of them a piece and let them experience it for themselves. When they all ate their first piece, they nodded like the first wolf did, and made Ren laugh with all the Respect he had gained. ¡°All right. Another piece each, fair and square.¡± He gave them their reward and walked back over to the third carriage. ¡°You... didn''t just...¡± Tatya couldn''t make herself ask the question, because it would sound ridiculous. ¡°...make friends with a bunch of wolves?¡± Ren asked for her, and she nodded. It did sound ridiculous out loud. Tatya thought. ¡°Sometimes it''s easier to become friends with someone if you''re not mean to them first.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you start off on the right foot, it could become a lasting friendship.¡± ¡°As long as the meat holds out.¡± Artemis said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve got a couple of crates full, so they should last a long time.¡± Ren said. ¡°Actually, that reminds me.¡± He said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Can you show me a cross-section of the succubi roost I built?¡± The mirror changed to show an actual cross section. ¡°I know where the corrupted dirt is, and I wonder if any dretches have shown up yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please add glowing dots for dretches.¡± Nearly the whole screen populated with them and Ren laughed. ¡°Well, I guess I didn''t have to worry about that.¡± He said and stored the mirror. ¡°What are these ''dretches'' you are talking about?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°Oh, little worm-like creatures I took from Shargon Caverns.¡± Ren said, and she froze stiff. ¡°Sh-shargon Caverns.¡± Tatya said. ¡°You''ve been to Shargon Caverns.¡± ¡°Yeah, and what an adventure that was!¡± Ren said. ¡°Just a second.¡± He said and opened his inventory and took out a copy of the book, tore it in two, then reformed the two halves into two books and handed one to her and stored the other. ¡°You can read all about it.¡± Tatya stared at the book and then looked at Ren. ¡°Did you just...¡± ¡°Possession Restoration.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°It works on anything I own.¡± Ren said and looked inside the carriage. ¡°Can I ask why the inside of this carriage is normal and the wolf carriage is huge inside?¡± ¡°We could only afford to bring one modified carriage with us, and used it for the wolves.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Even that had been a hard sell for the magistrate.¡± He chuckled. ¡°We''ve got a bit of explaining to do when we go back, since we didn''t get to use them.¡± ¡°Why would you use them?¡± Ren asked, curious. ¡°A demonstration to prove our fighting prowess if it was needed.¡± Beholo, the healer said. ¡°You actually ride them into battle?¡± Ren asked, slightly surprised. ¡°Why are you surprised?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°I figure once they get into their Frenzy, you wouldn''t be allowed to get near them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Frenzy?¡± Beholo the healer asked. ¡°Wolves here have that skill?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°All wolves have that skill.¡± ¡°No, they don''t.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°We''ve raised these wolves since they were pups. None of them have shown any tendency towards that kind of fighting skill.¡± ¡°Then what do you ride them into battle for?¡± Ren asked, confused.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°They''re really fast.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°That''s all? They don''t attack?¡± ¡°We need full control over them to ride and fight on our own.¡± Tatya said. ¡°If our mounts attacked, that would throw us off... or at the very least, reduce our effectiveness.¡± Ren had to think about that for a moment. ¡°I''ve ridden a mount into battle a few times and I usually combine my attack, or do the follow up attack.¡± He said. ¡°Of course, I have the Amulet of the Spider enchantment that lets me stick to her no matter where I am on her.¡± ¡°Let the mount attack first?¡± Kenkoth asked. ¡°That''s...¡± ¡°A little odd, yeah.¡± Ren said, because he could feel their feelings. ¡°Sometimes it might not work, though. It all depends on who you''re fighting.¡± ¡°Other wolf riders.¡± Tatya said, just to see what he would say. ¡°Do your wolves lunge with riders on board?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Maybe.¡± She hedged, and Ren chuckled. ¡°If they do... when you approach a rival wolf rider, let the wolf lunge at the other rider while you hold on.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even if the attack is unsuccessful, it will scare or unnerve the rider and might cause them to flee.¡± He chuckled. ¡°They will definitely rethink their approach of attacking a wolf straight on, at least.¡± Tatya, Kenkoth and Beholo the healer stared at him with open mouths. ¡°It''ll only work once or twice, and it should give them significant pause the next time you meet them for battle.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°At least, that''s what I would do.¡± No one said anything for several moments, and Artemis touched Ren''s shoulder. ¡°You need to help the caravan get back on schedule, now that the healer is back on board.¡± Artemis reminded him. ¡°Yes, right.¡± Ren said and looked at Tatya. ¡°Do you mind if I check out the giant boars you have pulling the carriages?¡± ¡°Wh-what? Check out?¡± Tatya asked, a little dumbfounded. Her mind was still going over Ren''s improvised tactic and how devastating it would be on a battlefield. ¡°I want to examine them and see what I can do to make them go faster.¡± Ren explained. ¡°They already go fast.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°With the use of Mana-infused feed and special spells, they were raised to be the behemoths they are today.¡± ¡°Do they have Legendary Hooves of Speed?¡± Ren asked, and he felt their surprise. ¡°No.¡± The healer admitted. ¡°Hooves of Speed only.¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± Ren said, and they gasped at his happiness. ¡°I can upgrade them!¡± ¡°You can?!?¡± The healer asked, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''m a Master Enchanter.¡± Ren said, and he didn''t feel surprise from them. ¡°So, you know already.¡± He said, and they didn''t respond. ¡°Did you get all of my titles?¡± They still didn''t respond and he smiled. ¡°I assume you also have their descriptions.¡± Ren said, and they stayed quiet. ¡°What about my skills?¡± No one said anything, and then he noticed Tatya as she shook her head slightly. ¡°Which one of you can do it?¡± Ren asked, and they stayed quiet. He chuckled, and they felt his amusement. ¡°I''m not asking so I can avoid them.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll go and sit in whatever carriage they are in so they can get the whole thing.¡± Tatya looked at Ren with wide eyes. ¡°You would let him examine you completely?¡± ¡°Sure, if that''s what you want.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s going to take a while, though.¡± ¡°You... are amazing.¡± Tatya whispered. Ren held in his chuckle. ¡°Which cart is he in?¡± ¡°The first one.¡± The healer said, and Ren remembered that one Pervarian that had stared at him from the carriage. ¡°I know who you mean.¡± Ren said and shut the carriage door. ¡°After I upgrade the boars, I''ll see if there''s room for me in...¡± ¡°You will come back here.¡± Tatya said, and Ren felt and heard the steel in her voice. ¡°Kenkoth, Beholo, switch places with Jirqym when Ren brings him here.¡± ¡°Tatya...¡± Kenkoth was about to say that sending them away was unnecessary when Ren interrupted. ¡°I don''t want to cause any problems.¡± Ren said and touched the inside of the carriage, closed his eyes, and poured Mana into it. The whole thing glowed for a moment, then it was twice as big inside as it was only a moment before. ¡°Is this enough room?¡± The three Pervarians looked around at the now spacious interior and couldn''t believe their eyes. ¡°Artemis needs to sit with us, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back soon.¡± He looked at Artemis. ¡°Keep an eye out.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Artemis said and floated up slightly to scan the area and Ren left to start altering the giant boars by upgrading their hoofwear. * ¡°Was that a spell or a skill?¡± Kenkoth asked in a whisper. ¡°I couldn''t tell.¡± The healer responded. ¡°It''s your specialty.¡± Kenkoth countered. ¡°He did it in an instant.¡± The healer said. ¡°I can''t tell you what he did, let alone if it was a spell or not!¡± Tatya chuckled. ¡°He did that on purpose.¡± ¡°What?¡± Both men said and looked at her. ¡°He knew you were going to argue over being kicked out of my carriage, so he gave you something else to argue over instead.¡± Tatya said. ¡°He''s very smart. Also, he really can read our emotions in fine detail.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± ¡°As long as you don''t make him angry, I don''t care what you do.¡± Tatya said and leaned her head slightly out the window on the side of the carriage to watch Ren work. ¡°I, on the other hand, am going to enjoy his company for as long as I can.¡± ¡°Yeah, she definitely likes him.¡± Beholo the healer whispered to Kenkoth. ¡°I can still hear you.¡± Tatya said. ¡°We know.¡± Kenkoth said and both men laughed. * ¡°Fight the urge, Ren.¡± Teepo whispered in his ear. ¡°It''s just a pack animal and not walking uncooked bacon.¡± Teepo. Artemis chuckled as she tried to stop the pestering. Ren took another set of Hooves of Speed and made them Legendary, then added the Horseshoes of Speed to make them really fast. ¡°It''s not a delicious bunch of tasty bacon strips that are just waiting to be sliced off and chewed.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren had a smile on his face the whole time as Teepo kept talking and giving him different images of cooked ham, pork roasts, pork chops, and endless different images of bacon. Ren finished with the first carriage, the last one to be modified, and he told the driver about the modifications he had done like he had told the rest. The driver thanked him for the directions and the warnings, then Ren poked his head into the carriage. ¡°Miss Tibaido requests your presence for a while, Jirqym.¡± Ren said, and Jirqym looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°The caravan is leaving, so we need to get back to her carriage.¡± ¡°W-we?¡± ¡°I''m coming with you.¡± Ren said, and the woman in the carriage caught her breath. ¡°We could be seeing a lot more of each other, ma''am.¡± ¡°You know, you don''t have to throw yourself at every woman in the caravan.¡± The other man in the carriage said. ¡°Just for that comment, I think I will.¡± Ren said, and he felt the man''s surprise. ¡°Ma''am, when we stop to rest and feed the animals, would you kindly join me for a quick meal?¡± ¡°I...¡± She looked at the man across from her. ¡°I would be delighted.¡± ¡°As would I.¡± Ren said and stepped back to open the carriage door. ¡°I always enjoy meeting new people.¡± Jirqym stepped out and Ren closed the door. The woman''s hand reached out to him, and Ren smiled as he took it and turned it over, then licked her wrist. The woman shivered as pleasure filled her. ¡°You know he''s doing it to spite me.¡± The man said. ¡°Oh, yes.¡± The woman said as she looked at Ren and her eyes smouldered. ¡°I know why he''s doing it and I have no problem with that.¡± Ren pushed desire into her to make her gasp and what he did next surprised her. Because the tunics the Pervarians wore had no sleeves and left their arms bare for fighting, he easily licked her arm from her wrist right up to her elbow. ¡°OH!¡± The woman gasped and trembled at the sensations as she finished a little, and Ren eased the desire down and filled her with calmness. ¡°Oh... oh, god.¡± She panted for several moments, then leaned forward. ¡°You can play.¡± Ren stepped up into the air to put his face right in front of hers and they stared at each other. He let her arm go and she carefully pulled it back into the carriage as they held each other''s gaze. ¡°Ren, they''re waiting.¡± Artemis said, and he sighed. ¡°Maybe we can continue this at dinner.¡± Ren said and moved his face away without blinking, and that turned her on even more. ¡°I would like that.¡± She said and leaned her head out the window to follow his movements. Ren gave her a little wave and walked backwards through the air towards Tatya''s carriage and kept staring at her, and he felt her desire spike that he thought she was too dangerous to avert his gaze from. Artemis opened the door of the carriage when he was close enough and he stepped inside, then she and Jirqym climbed inside as well and closed the door. * ¡°Oh, my god.¡± The woman whispered when Ren''s eyes could no longer be seen and she leaned back into the carriage. ¡°He''s just going to use you and toss you aside.¡± The man across from her said, and she felt how disgruntled he was. ¡°It''s your fault for provoking him.¡± The woman said, and she tucked her hands into her tunic and touched her now very sensitive breasts through her thin armor bodysuit. ¡°You''ve never reacted that strongly before.¡± He said. ¡°Did you feel his emotions?¡± The woman asked and rubbed herself. ¡°They run deeper than any I''ve ever felt before. Even yours.¡± The man didn''t say anything, and she chuckled. She took her hands out of her tunic and folded them on her lap. ¡°If he does go through with it and pleasures me, perhaps even beyond all of my unreasonable expectations...¡± She untied her tunic to show him how excited she was. ¡°...would you still want me as much as you do?¡± He didn''t say anything in response; but, she could feel his emotions just as much as he could feel hers. ¡°You shouldn''t have spurned my advances or denied me my rightful place.¡± She said and played with her breasts to tease him. ¡°You ostracized me from your family and from some of my friends, because of how you described my wanton and wicked ways.¡± The man sighed and looked at her, because he couldn''t help himself. ¡°Yes, I''ll still desire you.¡± He admitted. ¡°We still can''t be together.¡± ¡°Thanks to you and your completely unfair bias towards me.¡± ¡°It''s not unfair... or unwarranted.¡± The man said and became excited watching her. ¡°We aren''t even...¡± ¡°No one cared about that when we were together, not even your family.¡± She said and tied up her tunic, because her goal of giving him an erection was complete. ¡°You brought this situation on yourself and you even took another for your wife.¡± The man sighed. ¡°Yes, so why don''t you berate me some more over that.¡± ¡°I don''t have to.¡± She countered. ¡°You do that to yourself every time you go to bed with her and not with me.¡± The man closed his mouth and kept his response to himself, because she was right and they both knew it. Chapter 743 - Currently In The Caravan ¡°You might want to hold onto something.¡± Ren said, and right away Tatya put her arms around Ren''s arm. It made him smile and he looked at the three men sitting across from him. He used the Shaper spell to make a bar across them, then did the same for all of the carriages because they were all within his Aura. Everyone looked down at the improvised safety bar, and Ren slipped a couch cushion into all of their laps with half-sized portals. ¡°Believe me, you''ll need it.¡± Ren said, then all the drivers flicked their reins at the same time, just like they had before, and the giant boars took off at a fast trot... which just happened to be just as fast as their previous ''run all out'' speed. Screams and yells were heard all along the caravan as the people sitting facing backwards were tossed against the magically-created safety bar and the couch cushions. No one was hurt, thanks to Ren''s quick thinking, and everyone could feel how happy the drivers and the giant boars were. Artemis and Ren chuckled as the men sat back upright and tried to compose themselves. When they did, they glared at Ren for laughing at them. ¡°I wasn''t laughing at you.¡± Ren said and held up a placating hand. ¡°I was laughing at the situation.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°Imagine how much yelling and screaming there would be if I hadn''t added the bars and protection.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened. ¡°What happens to everyone when we come to a stop?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°Good point.¡± Ren said and used portals to take back all the cushions and then dispelled the Shaper spells to remove the safety bars. He then cast Permanent Spider Climb on Tatya, then on Kenkoth, Beholo the healer, and Jirqym. ¡°What... what did you do?¡± Jirqym asked as the glow faded. ¡°Permanent Spider Climb.¡± Ren said, and his eyes widened. ¡°F-four times.¡± Jirqym said, and Ren felt his amazement. ¡°To start.¡± Ren said and stood up to open the carriage door and Tatya reluctantly let his arm go. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± ¡°Where are...¡± Tatya stopped talking when he disappeared and the door shut. ¡°He didn''t use his wings.¡± ¡°He can run pretty fast, and rather than trying to overcome the wind from travelling so fast he ran through the air instead.¡± Artemis said, then continued to stop the follow-up question. ¡°He has Permanent Air Walk.¡± Ren went to each carriage and cast Permanent Spider Climb on everyone, including the drivers, then he went back to the carriage with the wolves in it and saw they had their claws dug into the floor and were holding on easily. ¡°I knew you could handle the sudden change in speed.¡± Ren said, and he felt them preen a little. ¡°I know you don''t need the help; but, I''d like to make it easier for you.¡± They all gave a little bark, and Ren cast Permanent Spider Climb on them. ¡°Don''t have too much fun, okay?¡± Ren asked, and he felt their emotions and that they were going to enjoy the hell out of it. ¡°Just kidding!¡± He said with a smile. ¡°I''ll see you again when we stop to eat.¡± Ren had barely turned away towards Tatya''s carriage and the wolves were already running up the walls and across the ceiling. He chuckled and put a hand on the carriage to give it extra Protection and Durability, then made the runes disappear. He ran over to Tatya''s carriage and climbed back in. ¡°What took so long?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°I cast it on the wolves, too.¡± Ren said, and he felt surprise from the Pervarians. ¡°They''re running on the ceiling of the carriage now.¡± ¡°They''ll tear it apart.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°I gave it Protection and extra Durability, so it should last a long time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll check it again when we stop to eat.¡± He felt agreement from them and then remembered to ask an important question. ¡°What kind of arrangements are there for travelling overnight?¡± He asked. ¡°I''m an Adventurer and have business to attend to at night.¡± ¡°Not to worry.¡± Tatya said. ¡°We always stop for the night to rest the giant boars after their hard runs.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Ren said. ¡°What about days? I''ve got to spend time in the Fire Realm because...¡± ¡°That''s how you got the Father of Fire title.¡± Jirqym said, and Ren nodded. ¡°The Deity of Fire is my daughter.¡± Ren said and they weren''t surprised to hear that. ¡°I lost a lot of time with her while she was there and I couldn''t get to her, even when she needed me.¡± He said sadly. ¡°You''re trying to make up for it.¡± Tatya leaned close and took his hand. Ren nodded slightly and looked at Jirqym. ¡°Are you getting a good handle on my skills?¡± ¡°Your main ones at least.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°Most people would be uncomfortable with this and would actively avoid letting all of their secrets out like this.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Knowing what my skills are doesn''t tell you what I can do with them.¡± ¡°You believe that.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You aren''t detecting my enchantments or my spells, are you?¡± Jirqym shook his head. ¡°Look at what my Doppelgangers did during the training sword duels.¡± Ren said. ¡°They had the same Spider Walk ability I have, and yet they all did different things with it.¡± ¡°They were still standing on the walls and ceilings, which is what the ability does.¡± The healer said. ¡°That''s true; but, some of them jumped, some ran, others dodged, two walked calmly, and another used his hands.¡± Ren said, and the Pervarians exchanged looks. ¡°Now, if they combined that and Air Walk...¡± ¡°They had Air Walk, too?¡± The healer asked, surprised. Ren smiled. ¡°Now imagine the jumping and dodges that could have happened had they used both of those abilities at the same time.¡± It took a minute for Tatya to speak. ¡°Being able to just hold your ground in mid-air would be an overwhelming asset.¡± ¡°That''s why I don''t use it much, except to make myself taller while making it easier to kiss the women in my life.¡± ¡°You use such a powerful ability just for that?¡± Kenkoth asked. ¡°It saves the taller ones from hurting their neck, which is important.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I do run through the air a few times, like I just did, but it''s only to get to different places when I don''t use the Portal spell or my fantastic mount.¡± ¡°You have a mount?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°She didn''t want to come because the caravan would be too slow for her, even with the hoof upgrades.¡± Artemis said and then chuckled. ¡°She''s a little pretentious about it; but, it''s also deserving.¡± ¡°She can only take a short trip going slow.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°If I can''t give her a good run, she''s reluctant to go... the second time, anyway.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Once she realized she could say no and you wouldn''t get angry at her!¡± The Pervarians reacted to Teepo actually talking and their attention turned to him.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°You can talk.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°Of course I can.¡± Teepo said and waved a front leg at him. ¡°I can even move.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Teepo usually communicates telepathically.¡± ¡°Is he a familiar?¡± The healer asked. ¡°No, but Artemis is.¡± Ren said, and they all looked at her. ¡°How?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°How did you...¡± ¡°Artemis, can you...¡± Ren started to ask. ¡°Only for a moment, since you know my normal form is only for your eyes.¡± Artemis said and dismissed the Full Illusion spell to reveal her metallic skin and red metallic hair. It made the healer and Jirqym catch their breath at the sight of a being made of living metal, and Artemis cast the spell again to give herself normal hair and skin color. ¡°What... kind of metal...¡± The healer tried to ask. ¡°Steel.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°She''s a... sentient crossbow... somehow.¡± ¡°Thanks to Ren when he made me, he discarded the original design and remade me into this.¡± Artemis said. ¡°You love him.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I do, with most of my heart.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Wait, did you say most?¡± Kenkoth asked. Artemis nodded slightly. ¡°I have feelings for both the Sage of Ages and a pixie that Ren and I have spent a lot of time with.¡± ¡°Pixies are supposed to be restricted to their elemental homes to minimize the damage they cause.¡± The healer said and completely missed Ren''s spike of annoyance. ¡°How did you meet...¡± ¡°That''s not important right now.¡± Tatya said sternly to cut the healer off before he said something else to upset Ren. ¡°Remember what I told you before.¡± ¡°About what?¡± Tatya took a deep breath and quickly glanced at Ren and back to the healer. ¡°Oh, right.¡± ¡°Now I have to ask what you told them.¡± Ren said, and Tatya turned her head to look at him. Now that he was this close to her, he saw her eyes were almost gold in color and her short dark hair highlighted them. They almost shined in the afternoon light coming from the carriage windows. ¡°I told them that I didn''t care what they did as long as they didn''t anger you.¡± Tatya said. Ren blinked his eyes for a moment, then he sighed. ¡°If there''s one thing I always tell people, it''s that you need to be careful of how you say things.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°They could set off an explosion. They could kill each other with a sneak attack. They could even destroy the carriage and the caravan.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± The Pervarians all said at once. ¡°You said you didn''t care what they did, as long as I''m not angered.¡± Ren said. ¡°They could do a lot of things with just the restriction of not angering me.¡± The Pervarians all exchanged glances and looked back at him. ¡°I didn''t intend it that way.¡± Tatya said. ¡°When I said it, they knew I meant within social standards and restricted to inside this carriage.¡± ¡°Did they know that, or did they assume it just like you did?¡± Ren asked, and they couldn''t answer. ¡°You are applying your own culture''s standards to other people and comparing them.¡± He said. ¡°That''s fine, since it highlights the differences between you; but, you can''t let your own perceptions color what you see and hear from others, especially when you know that they didn''t grow up with the same background as you.¡± None of them said anything, and Ren smiled. ¡°For example, when I was in the first carriage retrieving Jirqym, I encountered a female...¡± ¡°For god''s sake, don''t sleep with her.¡± Kenkoth said to Ren''s surprise. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°She''s been trying to entice and beguile every male we''ve come across, just so she could tease her ex.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Oh! So that''s why.¡± Ren said. ¡°I figured they were having a fight and I was a convenient target.¡± The healer chuckled. ¡°I tried to get someone else to take her place for this mission, and she almost ripped my head off.¡± He rubbed his neck where Ren assumed there used to be pronounced wounds. ¡°When she accused me of trying to do to her what he did, I had to let her stay.¡± Ren thought about it for a moment. ¡°Does he have someone else now?¡± ¡°He does and they''re married.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I had assumed happily.¡± Kenkoth chuckled. ¡°Oh, he is happily married as long as he''s nowhere near his ex.¡± ¡°Then why are they in the same carriage?¡± Ren asked, a little confused. ¡°I can understand keeping them both on the same mission...¡± ¡°They need to deal with each other on a professional basis.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°If they can''t handle that, then neither of them are useful.¡± ¡°I don''t quite agree with that conclusion.¡± Ren said. ¡°She seemed quite reserved until I licked her wrist.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Tatya let his hand go and slid slightly away. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I had initially greeted her formally by licking the back of her hand.¡± Ren said, and he felt their understanding of greeting a lesser rank. ¡°When I went back to get Jirqym...¡± ¡°He invited her to a quick dinner.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°She offered her hand and he licked her wrist.¡± The others relaxed for a moment, as that was a proper response for what she offered. ¡°When Mires commented that King Ren was doing it to spite him, Yuwen said she knew that and had no problem with it.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Tatya said and Ren felt her understanding. ¡°You were allowed to lick her arm then.¡± ¡°From her wrist all the way up to her elbow.¡± Ren said with a big grin, and she barked a laugh. ¡°She must have loved that!¡± Tatya said and took his hand again. ¡°She really did.¡± Ren said and remembered Yuwen''s feelings and the sensations she had felt at the time, then gave them to Tatya. She gasped and gripped his hand as she finished a little, just like Yuwen had, and her face flushed red. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Tatya said, then Ren pushed calm feelings into her and she smiled at him. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You don''t feed on emotions; but, you can feel them just as strongly as if you did.¡± Ren said, and she nodded slightly. ¡°The Emotion Siphon ability is too rare for everyone to have it.¡± The healer said. ¡°Wait, you can all feel emotions that strongly?¡± Ren asked, and no one responded. ¡°If you won''t say, then there''s one easy way for me to find out.¡± ¡°No, don''t!¡± Tatya said, and he looked at her. ¡°We can''t talk about our own abilities so casually.¡± ¡°Is it a mandate or something from your ruler, or whoever it was that you took orders from to go on this expedition?¡± Tatya nodded slightly. ¡°Then I''ll only test you four.¡± Ren said and his circular Mana Shield popped into place around the carriage. ¡°A Mana shield won''t stop others from feeling it and being distracted.¡± The healer said. ¡°It will if I do this.¡± Ren said and pointed to it, and instead of it being a see-through slightly blue sphere, it became solid silver. ¡°What is that?!?¡± The healer exclaimed and leaned out the window to get a better look at it. ¡°It''s a modified Mirror Effect spell.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can cast it inside your Mana shield?¡± The healer asked, shocked. ¡°Not just mine.¡± Ren said, and the healer pulled his head back in to stare at him. ¡°If anyone uses a Mana Shield...¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Tatya whispered. ¡°Not only would anything they do be reflected, magic or abilities, they also can''t see at all.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Ren nodded to her and she gained Respect. ¡°Of course, I couldn''t do this before I unlocked the Mage class and received the spell.¡± He chuckled. ¡°You don''t realize how... limited... the basic spells are until you gain access to spells specific to certain classes.¡± ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Tatya asked, and Ren thought he felt a trace of fear. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s your favorite emotion?¡± Tatya''s face flushed red again, and he chuckled. ¡°Outside of the bedroom.¡± Ren clarified, and it took her a few minutes to decide. ¡°I think... finally catching your prey after a good hunt.¡± Tatya said. Ren thought about it and he could use the feelings Tristan felt when he had finally ''caught'' Ren that time. ¡°Okay, hold on.¡± He said and gathered that feeling and built it up, multiplied it, and made a huge reservoir of it. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Tatya said. She still held Ren''s hand and she could feel him doing it. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Should I leak it or pour it all out?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Pour.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Pour.¡± The healer said. ¡°Can I be excluded?¡± Jirqym asked. Ren felt him not want to interrupt his skill reading task, so he nodded slightly and cast a Magical Barrier of Protection around Jirqym, who was then surrounded by a body-hugging version. ¡°You can''t move in it, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°How did you do that?¡± The healer asked and stared at the result. ¡°It''s just a simple modification of the spell.¡± Ren said, then smiled. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± ¡°Will I get a bigger dose because I''m touching you?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°Significantly.¡± ¡°Then do it.¡± Tatya said and held on, and he opened the reservoir of emotions he had built for the happy conclusion of a hunt. It dumped out into the carriage and slammed into Kenkoth, Beholo the healer, and Tatya. The three of them stopped breathing as they felt the joy of catching a very elusive prey and how satisfying it was going to be to kill it. In the next instant the flood of feelings hit Ren''s silver magical barrier and rebounded and slammed into them again. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± Tatya yelled and her whole body shook, and Ren felt her emotions and her hand start to change. He looked down at their clasped hands and saw claws start to extend from her fingertips. Her skin started to change color from a nice tan to almost black as short hair started to grow. Her fingers shrunk slightly in length and fattened up to become wide and grew thick pads on the bottom to compensate for the size of the claws. Tatya hadn''t tried to let his hand go, even through the transformation, and Ren let his gaze roam up from her now paw-like hand and up her furry arm to her shoulder, then took a breath and lifted his gaze to look her right in the face... and a large almost human-shaped cat face looked back at him with Tatya''s golden eyes. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re not afraid.¡± Tatya said, and he felt her surprise. ¡°I knew there was something special about you; but, I didn''t know what it was.¡± Ren said and lifted his free hand up to touch the side of her face. He dug his fingers into the spot just behind her cheek and rubbed it with his fingertips, and a low rumbling met the movement. ¡°So that''s what it was when we were fighting.¡± He said, his voice full of wonder. ¡°You were purring!¡± ¡°I was.¡± Tatya rubbed his hand with her face. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me you were...¡± Ren stopped talking and stopped rubbing her cheek. ¡°Never mind.¡± Tatya chuckled, and it sounded like she was trying to cough up a hairball. ¡°Yes, not everyone is as... accepting of our appearance as you are.¡± ¡°What about King Alamast?¡± Ren asked, and he heard another bark of laughter. He turned to look at Kenkoth, and saw a black-furred lion-man looking back at him. Beholo the healer looked like a jackal. ¡°He was sufficiently wary of us until we assured him... and signed appropriate documents... that we weren''t going to eat him or any of his people while in his lands.¡± Kenkoth growled. ¡°Oh, that''s funny!¡± Ren laughed, and Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°Did he relax after that?¡± ¡°He did, and treated us as if we had been longtime friends.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Please tell me you didn''t bite a few people just to show him that you could!¡± Ren kept laughing. ¡°Wait, wait!¡± He held up a hand to stop their response. ¡°He offered you animals to eat, didn''t he?¡± Tatya, Kenkoth, Beholo, and even Jirqym joined Ren, Teepo, and Artemis in laughter at the absurdity. Chapter 744 - Caravan Chaos Ren''s laughter slowed as he calmed down.¡°Oooh... ooh, boy.¡± He said and stopped sharing the caught prey feelings and dismissed the custom magical barrier around Jirqym and the Mana Shield. ¡°Oh, man.¡± He shook his head. ¡°How did you stop yourself from tearing King Alamast apart at the insult?¡± ¡°Thankfully, by that point he believed Kenkoth was the head of the delegation.¡± Tatya said. Ren was a little surprised she could enunciate so well through a humanoid cat mouth and muzzle. Tatya felt his surprise and smiled. ¡°He had much more leeway than I did in the acceptance of the improper behaviour.¡± ¡°I''m glad it didn''t ruin things for the Human Kingdom.¡± Ren said and his hand slid up behind her cat ears and scratched her there. Tatya tilted her head towards him and he scratched behind her other ear, too. ¡°This is so cool.¡± ¡°You aren''t starting to think of me as a pet, are you?¡± Tatya asked, a little cautiously. Ren stopped scratching her and she lifted her head to look at him. ¡°Actually, I was wondering if you were a cat, as I understand the term, or are you a predator?¡± ¡°I am definitely a predator.¡± Tatya said and bared her large sharp teeth, and he recognized the look. ¡°You''re a panther?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Can I ask if you can become a full panther?¡± ¡°A full one?¡± Tatya asked, slightly confused. ¡°Running around on all four paws with no real human-like features. A full panther-shaped animal.¡± Ren said. Tatya looked at Kenkoth, and the black lion-man shrugged. ¡°I suppose since you know our secret, knowing a bit more won''t hurt.¡± She said. ¡°The most powerful of us actually have three forms. Humanoid, anthropomorphic, and animal.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said, and she felt his pure curiosity and a bit of admiration. ¡°Do you ever have trouble changing?¡± ¡°Puberty is a pain in the...¡± Beholo the healer started to say, then laughed like the jackal that he was. ¡°Yes, if you don''t learn how to do it properly early on.¡± ¡°I can imagine what that''s like.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I used my Polymorph helm the first few times, it hurt like a...¡± He coughed and smiled. ¡°It hurt a lot, until I edited it and changed that restriction.¡± ¡°You have a Polymorph helm?¡± Beholo the healer asked, and his shock filled the carriage. ¡°Yeah, I''m actually wearing it.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, you aren''t.¡± Jirqym said, because he couldn''t detect a polymorph ability in him. Ren chuckled. ¡°When I equipped it, it faded away.¡± He clarified. ¡°It can''t be damaged and is a singular item.¡± He said. ¡°It''s also not removable.¡± Tatya let consternation out and he looked at her. ¡°You were concentrating enough to detect the lie this time.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°It is non-removable, but I can remove it.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I don''t want to say.¡± Ren said. ¡°We could try to force you.¡± Tatya said and then stuck out her tongue and licked one side of her slight muzzle and twitched her whiskers. Ren smiled. ¡°Well, I don''t know how forceful that would be.¡± Tatya felt his playfulness and she leaned in close. ¡°Cat tongues are very... rough.¡± She almost purred and stuck out her tongue. Ren didn''t move or try to lean away, so she very slowly licked him from his chin, up the side of his cheek, and stopped before she reached his hair. Ren shivered at the sensations. ¡°Ha... um... that felt weird.¡± He said as he caught himself to stop his laugh. ¡°What can the helm do?¡± Tatya asked and licked his other cheek and Ren shivered again. ¡°It lets me change into other humanoid creatures.¡± ¡°We know that much.¡± Tatya said and noticed his ears. She used her free paw-like hand to swish his fluffy hair out of the way. ¡°What creatures?¡± She asked and darted her tongue out and licked the tip of his ear. Ren felt a shiver go right down his spine and Tatya started to purr. ¡°Um... it... I''ve only tried a couple of things.¡± He said and she took a longer lick. Damn, I thought I had them desensitized already. ¡°I think she has little barbs or grooves on her tongue.¡± Teepo said in the voice that only Ren could hear. ¡°She''s just going to keep licking if you don''t tell her.¡± He then chittered in delight as a big black tail that had been hidden inside her tunic came out and started to flick playfully. ¡°I... um...¡± Ren shivered as she took another long lick of his ear. ¡°The old recipe said that whatever I put into the helm when it was made, I could change into.¡± He said. ¡°I altered the recipe and then put in everything I had ever gathered as loot, even things from non-humanoid creatures, and changed the 5 minute time limit.¡± ¡°Yes, and?¡± Tatya leaned back and looked at his face for a moment and saw his slightly red face, then she leaned in and started on his other ear. ¡°All right, all right!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I''ll admit I haven''t used it very much.¡± He said, and she stopped licking his ear and leaned back again. ¡°I became a Marilith Demon...¡± Tatya caught her breath, as did the other Pervarians. ¡°You had Marilith Demon parts to add to it?¡± ¡°She was the final boss in Shargon Caverns.¡± Ren said and he felt their utter shock. ¡°I changed into an Incubus, and then...¡± ¡°You... you beat Shargon Caverns?¡± Kenkoth asked as his large and gruff lion-man form faded back into his human form. ¡°I really want to ask you how you...¡± He stopped talking and took a deep breath. ¡°That is too much information to give away.¡± He said. ¡°If we knew, it could ruin it for everyone.¡± Ren chuckled and nodded slightly. ¡°Knowing what''s coming does change things when you''re there.¡± He said. ¡°One of the required ingredients to make the helm was a scale from her snake part.¡± Tatya''s whole body shivered and he looked at her as her purring intensified. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ren asked, slightly concerned. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Tatya said and snuggled in close to him as she rested her head on his shoulder. Her ear touched his neck and he felt how much colder it was than the rest of her. ¡°Aww, your ears are cold.¡± Ren said. ¡°They always are.¡± She said. ¡°Even with 34 muscles to change their direction and use, there''s not a lot of blood that can circulate through such thin membranes.¡± ¡°Let me warm them for you.¡± Ren said, and she lifted her head to look at him. ¡°You want to... to touch...¡± ¡°I''m sorry if that breaks some kind of social taboo.¡± Ren said, and she winced. ¡°You really don''t like that word, do you?¡± ¡°Warriors don''t apologize for their actions.¡± Tatya said. ¡°They can offer compensation, both in words and gifts, an explanation, and even offer manual labour; but, an apology is disrespectful to both you and to whom you apologize.¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her for a few moments, then he smiled as he understood. ¡°Please allow me to make it up to you.¡± He said, now that he knew they apologized with deeds and not words. Tatya took a small breath and leaned her head forward and tried to let his hand go.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°I don''t need my hands free for this.¡± Ren said and held onto her paw-like hand as he activated his Hands of the Gods ability Burning Hands. Jirqym jerked as if someone had poked him with a hot poker and Tatya felt fear as the pure Fire flowed out of his hand and up her arm. ¡°Don''t be afraid.¡± Ren said soothingly and her fear receded slightly. ¡°Not only have I mastered the ability, I''ve had decades to become very skilled in its use.¡± Jirqym jerked again as Ren deactivated his Hands of the Gods ability and the Fire didn''t dissipate. Tatya''s fear faded completely as she watched the Fire split and then it slid under her chin and up both sides of her face, then it settled around her ears. She felt the immense warmth of it on her ears and sighed in contentment. She was more than a little surprised that she hadn''t smelled even one burned hair during the Fire''s trek up her arm to her ears, despite her enhanced sense of smell. ¡°You did that on purpose.¡± Tatya said, and Ren nodded. She dismissed the Respect popup and she started to purr again. ¡°You wanted me to know that you can cover me in Fire and I won''t be hurt.¡± ¡°Oh, it''s even better than that.¡± Ren said and smiled. Tatya felt shock from both Kenkoth and Beholo, who had also changed back to human form. ¡°What is it?¡± She asked and her purring stopped. ¡°He made it into ear covers.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°Permanent ear covers made of Fire.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Tatya reached up with her free paw-like hand and touched her ears. ¡°You can''t really move your ears while wearing them, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°The most I could do was make them like slip covers and have one on each ear.¡± Tatya lifted one off and looked at it. The cat ear shaped lump of Fire flickered in her hand and stayed warm. It also didn''t burn her or start to fade, even without a source to feed it. ¡°King Ren...¡± ¡°You said a gift could be compensation.¡± ¡°A reasonable gift.¡± Tatya said and had to let his hand go so she could take off the other one. ¡°This...¡± She held them out to him. ¡°I can''t take them.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°You don''t realize what it means.¡± Ren looked at her and concentrated on her emotions. ¡°You don''t mean to you personally, do you?¡± Tatya shook her head no as her anthropomorphic form slowly faded and she became human again. Ren had watched her tail as it shrank and disappeared back inside her tunic. ¡°Would you be insulted if I said I wanted to touch your tail?¡± Ren asked, and her face flushed a little red. ¡°I would if you tried to touch it in public.¡± Tatya said, and he felt her underlying emotions and knew she wouldn''t object if they were in a more private setting. She held the ear covers out to him again. ¡°Please, take them back.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and absorbed them without touching them. Tatya gasped as they faded and looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°You didn''t have to touch them?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°As long as it''s within my Aura, I don''t have to touch it to absorb it.¡± Silence fell in the carriage as the Pervarians thought about everything Ren had just done in front of them. No one said anything for several minutes, then Tatya spoke. ¡°Did... did you happen to have any... um...¡± ¡°Unfortunately, the only other panthers I''ve met were trackers from the High Elves, and I didn''t want to kill them.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t have any kind of cat item to add to the Polymorph helm.¡± Tatya sighed and he felt her sadness at the loss of potential. ¡°I did add wolf and Dire Wolf, though.¡± Ren said, and she gasped. ¡°You... you''re kidding.¡± Tatya said, even though she knew he was telling the truth. ¡°Dire wolf.¡± Kenkoth whispered. ¡°You can polymorph into an anthropomorphic Dire Wolf?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and activated the helm. ¡°NO!¡± Tatya yelled, but it was too late. Ren bent over as the transformation started, and his back started to expand. His arms and legs grew to twice their normal size, then Ren dropped to the floor of the carriage. His body shook as it expanded and changed, and even with clothing on, the Pervarians could still see his body shift and distort into a distinct wolf-like shape. His face changed to reflect that as a short muzzle grew out and teeth grew to match. His fluffy blonde hair grew out like a mane and then his body was completely covered with the same color fur. When the transformation finished, Ultimate Terror flooded out from Dire Werewolf Ren as he stood up to his full 12 foot height, spread his arms out and made massive fists, then howled as loudly as he could and his Submission Aura snapped into place. The healer quickly cast Silence on himself and the other Pervarians in the carriage, so they wouldn''t get the full effect of the howl or potentially lose their hearing; but, that did nothing for everyone else in the caravan, which also included the giant boars pulling the carriages. The whole caravan came to a screeching stop as the giant boars lost all of their will to continue living with the overwhelming terror and the ultimate predator within their midst. One of them even died of a heart attack. Luckily, since the giant boars were secured well into the carriages, when they stopped running the carriages had stopped moving. None of them crashed into each other and no one was hurt. The Pervarians on the other hand, since they were all beasts of some kind, felt Dire Werewolf Ren''s Submission Aura and fought against it as best as they could. Some became the animals they could transform into and it made it easier to hold off such a powerful Aura... but, that only worked for other top-tier predators. Some of them weren''t even predators. Yuwen, the one Ren made the dinner date with, was a minx and collapsed to her knees and hugged herself. The man across from her, Mires, was an otter, and he collapsed to the floor and hugged himself, too. Several others in the other carriages also collapsed to their knees and hoped beyond hope that they could be forgiven for being alive while around something so powerful. The six wolves in the carriage cage had their hackles up and howled to join in on Dire Werewolf Ren''s declaration of superiority. The handler became a large silver-backed gorilla to fight the Aura''s power and beat his chest with his massive fists to quiet the wolves under his care. The wolves growled at him and he opened his mouth and roared into the cage at them, which made them sit down and behave. Tatya trembled as she stared at Dire Werewolf Ren and changed into her panther form, then she hissed her defiance at him that she would never submit, no matter how powerful he was. Kenkoth growled through his furry lion lips and barked some kind of warning that he wouldn''t either. Beholo the healer, who was a jackal, dropped to his knees because he didn''t want to fight, not because he was being submissive. Jirqym just analyzed the Dire Werewolf in front of him and didn''t react at all. ¡°Ren!¡± Artemis nearly yelled as she stood up and Dire Werewolf Ren stopped howling to growl at her. ¡°REN! STOP IT!¡± Dire Werewolf Ren made a little yip sound as if he had been punched, because he had never heard her yell at him before. ¡°Get a hold of yourself!¡± Artemis exclaimed. ¡°Don''t let the transformation take you over!¡± Dire Werewolf Ren blinked his silvery-blue eyes at her for nearly a full minute before he started to realize what was going on. ¡°A-A-Artemisssss?¡± Dire Werewolf Ren managed to say through his odd-shaped mouth. ¡°Yes, Ren.¡± Artemis stepped close and looked up at him. ¡°Boy, you''re really tall.¡± Dire Werewolf Ren barked a laugh, and his amusement let him regain himself much faster. He stopped using the Submission Aura when he realized he was using it, and everyone in the caravan relaxed as it disappeared. ¡°Good. That''s good.¡± Artemis said and floated up into the air to rub the sides of his face as Dire Werewolf Ren calmed down. ¡°Hey, Teepo. Are you okay?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Teepo said from Ren''s shoulder. ¡°I just froze. I couldn''t move, or talk, or do anything at all.¡± He said. ¡°I couldn''t even think straight.¡± ¡°Teeeeeepo.¡± Dire Werewolf Ren said. ¡°Ren, don''t ever take this form again.¡± Teepo warned him. ¡°Woooon''t.¡± ¡°Then hurry up and change back.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Tryinnnng.¡± Dire Werewolf Ren said. ¡°Harrrrrd. Connncennntrate.¡± ¡°We are not sitting here with you like this for another 5 hours.¡± Artemis said, and she felt surprise from the Pervarians. ¡°Let me help you.¡± ¡°Hoooow?¡± ¡°I''m your touchstone, remember?¡± Artemis said and ran her hands over the top of his head and ruffled his mane and rubbed his ears. ¡°So, touch me.¡± Dire Werewolf Ren lifted his massive hands and looked at the huge claws that stuck out of them. ¡°Dannnger.¡± ¡°Retract them, stupid.¡± Artemis chuckled, and she felt surprise from him. ¡°Rrrretrrract?¡± Dire Werewolf Ren growled, then he squinted his eyes and power flooded out of him. Tatya gasped and trembled at the feeling and started to purr, despite her desperate need to fight it. ¡°Okaaay. Trrrry.¡± Dire Werewolf Ren said. After about 10 seconds, the claws slowly pulled back into his paw-like hands and then disappeared as if they had never been there. ¡°Diiiid it.¡± ¡°Good job!¡± Artemis said and scratched his cheeks, then she dismissed the Full Illusion spell to reveal her bright and shiny metal skin. Everyone in the caravan felt Dire Werewolf Ren''s reaction to seeing that, then Artemis slowly lowered her dress to reveal her breasts. ¡°Artemisss.¡± Dire Werewolf Ren said and he put a hand behind her back to hold her steady and used his other large paw-like hand to rub her chest. Artemis started to moan right away and Dire Werewolf Ren became very, very excited. Tatya saw the size of that reaction and felt his nearly endless desire, because in this form he couldn''t concentrate and keep it restrained like he normally did. Her own body responded to it almost as much as Artemis did, and started to pant in time with Artemis'' moans. ¡°Ren, I... I need you.¡± Artemis said between moans, then grabbed his hands. ¡°The real you.¡± Dire Werewolf Ren growled his frustration at being stopped, then all the power he was putting out slowed down, came to a stop, then started to recede. The Pervarians didn''t try to hide their shock at the change in the power''s flow, then it moved faster and faster as Dire Werewolf Ren sucked it all back in. ¡°Neeeeed yoooou!¡± Dire Werewolf Ren said and concentrated hard on changing back. ¡°Cannn''t waaait!¡± He said and lifted his head and howled an agonizing howl as he finally managed to swallow all of the power and they felt his pain from doing it so quickly. His Ultimate Terror Aura disappeared and his face started to cave in on itself, then Artemis floated down to the carriage floor as Dire Werewolf Ren''s body deflated and became smaller and smaller. When she landed on the floor and had pulled her dress back up, Ren was back to his old self and he had collapsed to his knees.
Notice!
You have declared yourself ''King of the Predators'' and given yourself that title. It has combined with your ''The Tainted King'' title to become ''The Tainted King of the Predators''. Your skill ''Animal Affinity'' (Mastered) has been upgraded to ''Beastiary Control'' (Mastered).
Notice!
Submission Aura mastered. Personal Aura +150 feet.
¡°Artemis.¡± Ren whispered. His voice was hoarse and his eyes were full of tears. ¡°What did I do?¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Artemis knelt in front of him and took him into a tight hug. She wanted to tell him it was all going to be okay; but, she had never lied to him before and she didn''t want to start now, no matter how much she wanted to. Chapter 745 - Confounded Caravan ¡°I can barely remember what happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°It was like a fog or something was in front of me.¡± He said. ¡°I kind of knew what was happening, but... I couldn''t think.¡± ¡°You were like a child who learned to change for the first time.¡± Tatya said as she stood up, and reverted back to her human form. ¡°Unbridled. Passionate.¡± She stopped and shook herself. ¡°They usually don''t have so much power available at that age.¡± ¡°You made a bit of a mess of things.¡± Artemis said and wiped at his tears. ¡°Let''s see how big of a mess it is.¡± Tatya said, matter of factly, as if he hadn''t just terrified her. Ren took a deep breath and let it out, then tried to stand and winced. Tatya looked down at him to see what was the matter, and saw the bulge he still had from his excitement, and was surprised when it was just as pronounced as it was when he was in his Dire Werewolf form. ¡°We''ll be right out.¡± Artemis said. Tatya felt her confidence and nodded slightly as she stepped around them and opened the door to the carriage. Kenkoth, Beholo, and Jirqym stepped out of the carriage behind her and she shut the door. ¡°Check on everyone.¡± Tatya ordered, and they split up to check on the other carriages. ¡°Ren, use the statue.¡± Artemis said and Ren didn''t protest about not wanting to use it, not after what had just happened. He activated it and she stored her clothing, and he did, too. Ren took out several cushions and piled them on the floor, and Artemis laid down. ¡°Artemis, I...¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Artemis said and opened her arms. ¡°Now make love to me.¡± Ren climbed onto the cushions with her and did just that. Over and over, almost desperately. ¡°You brought me back.¡± He kept saying. ¡°I was so lost.¡± He said. ¡°Then you were there.¡± ¡°I''ll always be there for you.¡± Artemis said and kissed him. They spent several days with each other and Ren worked out his anguish over what had happened. Or what could have happened. He didn''t need to tell her that he had been really hungry after changing and he had looked at the people around him only as food. She could read his thoughts and felt his emotions, and she had helped him work through them all. When Ren felt ready to face the consequences of what had happened, Artemis gave him one last kiss, cast Full Illusion on herself, and Ren deactivated and stored the statue, then stored the cushions that they had made a complete mess of. They equipped their clothing and Ren opened the carriage door. Only a few seconds had passed for everyone else, and he saw the Pervarians run to the closest carriages to check on the others. ¡°You go to the last cart and I''ll go to the first.¡± Ren said, and Artemis flew down to the last cart and checked on the driver and the occupants, and Ren ran to the first cart and saw the driver was fine. He was still transformed into a tiger-man and said that all the drivers were his kin, since they needed to be predators or the giant boars wouldn''t run when commanded. Or stop when something like what I just did happens. Ren thought. It had taken him days to work through it and pieced together what happened, with both Teepo and Artemis'' help. With their outside observation and his internal feelings at the time he had transformed, he agreed with Teepo. He was never becoming the Dire Werewolf again. Ren nodded to the driver and ignored the driver''s surprise at the Respect gain, and Ren went to the carriage and opened the door. ¡°Hey, are you...¡± ¡°My King.¡± Yuwen said submissively and wouldn''t lift her head to look at him. Her shoulder length whitish blonde hair hid her face from view. ¡°Thank you for letting me live.¡± ¡°Yuwen.¡± Ren said, and she felt his deep sadness. Yuwen''s hand reached out and found his and gave it a squeeze. ¡°I have to decline your dinner offer.¡± She said. ¡°I can''t share a meal with someone so powerful.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I don''t deserve to be in the same caravan with you, let alone sit beside you.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I''m not taking no for an answer.¡± Ren said, and she felt him gain the Angered condition. ¡°Please don''t kill me.¡± Yuwen said and let his hand go, and he felt her fear. Ren took a deep breath and let it out to calm down, and the Angered condition went away. ¡°Yuwen, I invited an intriguing woman to have a meal. No politics or social ramifications were anywhere in my head when I asked you.¡± ¡°You say that, and I believe you.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°Now, though...¡± ¡°How can I fix it?¡± ¡°Make her a concubine.¡± Mires said. Ren looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°If you announce that she''s a concubine, her social standing will be raised.¡± Mires said. ¡°But...¡± Ren thought about lying or staying quiet, then decided the truth was the best course of action. ¡°I was told to not sleep with her because she''s been using men to try and make you jealous.¡± He said, then he felt her deep embarrassment. ¡°They also told you why, didn''t they?¡± Mires asked, and Ren nodded slightly. ¡°Unlike their version of things, she didn''t sleep with anyone. She''s just an outrageous flirt.¡± He said. ¡°She''s never been unfaithful, despite what I''ve told everyone.¡± Ren frowned at the dishonesty and Mires held up his hands in surrender as he felt Ren''s annoyance. ¡°Please don''t kill me.¡± Mires pleaded. ¡°Why are you assuming that I''ll kill you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We submitted to your power as soon as we felt it.¡± Yuwen said and shivered, from both fear and desire, because he was so close. She still couldn''t make herself look at him, however. ¡°We are not predators.¡± ¡°My Etiquette skill prevents me from asking the questions I want to ask.¡± Ren said in frustration. ¡°What will being my concubine mean?¡± ¡°You don''t have to take me to your bed, since I am so undeserving.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°All it means is, if at any time you need someone to help you in the bedroom, I am at your beck and call.¡± She said. ¡°My social status will be higher than those not your concubines, and I can... with your permission... be seen in public with you.¡± ¡°I assume this is only for this trip and while I am in your lands.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Our ways are too odd for normal people to comprehend.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°You, as an outsider, cannot be held to our customs and rules.¡± Ren took a breath and let it out as he relaxed. ¡°Finally, some common sense.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Yuwen asked, and Ren took her hand. She stared at it, and his other hand touched her chin and lifted. She tried to fight the movement; but, he was much too powerful for her. He stopped lifting when their eyes met. ¡°If I can''t be held to your customs and rules, why can''t you meet my eyes on your own?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I... you...¡± Yuwen blinked her eyes and she tried to look away. ¡°Too strong.¡± ¡°I''m not that creature, and I am never becoming it again.¡± Ren said adamantly, and her whole body shook from relief. He picked her up from the floor and she put her arms around his neck. ¡°How can you be so strong and so unassuming at the same time?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°I''ve always been underestimated.¡± Ren said and held her easily. ¡°Please, join me for a meal.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I can''t.¡± Yuwen said and did her best to keep looking at his face. ¡°Not after your declaration.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°So, in order to save face for myself and for you, I have to say you''re my concubine.¡± ¡°Not just me.¡± Yuwen said and she felt Ren''s shock. ¡°No, not Mires.¡± Ren took a quick breath and let it out. Yuwen almost laughed at his relief. ¡°Who?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The other woman in the delegation.¡± Mires said. ¡°Dilseffa is in the next carriage.¡± Ren took another quick breath and let it out, then took a step towards the carriage door. ¡°Oh, do I take you with me?¡± ¡°You can take me anywhere.¡± Yuwen said and made an odd sound under her breath. Ren raised a single eyebrow at her because he understood her insinuation, and she kissed it. ¡°I''ll go with you, but you can put me down.¡± Ren let her legs go and stepped up into the air so she could stand up easily, and she held on for a moment. ¡°I never thought I would ever meet someone like you.¡± Yuwen said and let him go, and Ren felt her reluctance. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Someone not of our kind that can compete against the best of us.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°You''re an Adventurer, too.¡± ¡°Well, I kind of cheated to become so powerful.¡± Ren said. ¡°I highly doubt that.¡± Yuwen said, because she had detected a slight lie. ¡°You used your skills, didn''t you?¡± She asked, and he nodded slightly. ¡°You only used what was available to you to full advantage.¡± ¡°It ruined my character development, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was supposed to take my time and grow into everything, and I hit several speed bumps...¡± ¡°Speed what?¡± ¡°It''s something Adventurers have that stop them from moving too fast on roads.¡± Ren said. ¡°I gained a bunch of levels, almost by mistake, and I had a difficult time catching up on the skills and abilities it unlocked for me.¡± ¡°Oh! I understand.¡± Yuwen said as she felt his emotions. ¡°Yes, I believe I''ve had something similar happen.¡± ¡°You have?¡± Ren asked, surprised. Yuwen nodded. ¡°It took me a little longer than usual to hit puberty.¡± She said and her hands touched her breasts through her tunic. ¡°When I finally did, my breasts grew to three times their previous size and I gained several skills that I had no idea how to use.¡± Ren blinked his eyes as she tucked her hands inside her tunic and rubbed herself. ¡°You mean like a Seduction Aura and maybe an Enticement skill?¡± Yuwen smiled and nodded, and he dismissed the Respect popup. ¡°I guess that would be a big thing to handle out of the blue.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh, it was.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°The heat cycles were the worst, especially with all of the males around.¡± Ren raised both eyebrows at her, and she giggled. ¡°No, I didn''t offer myself up to them; but, I really wanted to and my Aura told them I wanted to.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°I assume that...¡± ¡°Auras play a big part in compatibility.¡± Yuwen said and stopped playing with her breasts when it didn''t illicit the emotions in Ren that she thought it would. ¡°Your Aura... well...¡± ¡°It''s overwhelming, I know.¡± Ren said. Yuwen smiled and caressed his cheek. ¡°I can''t wait to get back home and see the reaction you''re going to get from everyone, My King.¡± ¡°I''m not your-mhm.¡± Ren stopped talking when she covered his mouth with her hand. ¡°If you make the announcement, we can have dinner and I''ll show you that I am yours.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°No buts.¡± ¡°Hmm mhm.¡± Yuwen chuckled. ¡°No, I told you we don''t have to have sex. Ever.¡± She said and moved her hand. ¡°Just saying we have potential will make things right between us.¡± ¡°Then follow me.¡± Ren said, and they left the carriage. Mires came with them, and they went to the next carriage. Inside were 4 people, two were representatives Ren had seen in the reception area at the castle in Bore Reale, and two were the weirdest people he had ever seen. They had slightly longer necks than normal people, and their eyes were wide as if they were surprised. Everyone looked at him when he opened the door, and the two representatives were on the floor and hugged themselves. ¡°My King.¡± The woman named Dilseffa said calmly. ¡°Thank you for letting me live.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said, and she shivered slightly. ¡°You... don''t really...¡± ¡°No. Saying that for leaving you alive isn''t how I really feel about this.¡± Ren said, because she had easily detected the lie. ¡°I wasn''t in my right mind when it happened, and I can''t even...¡± He stopped talking and took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I can''t tell you that I would have let you live if you had been next to me when I transformed.¡± Dilseffa shivered again, this time as fear flooded through her. ¡°No, don''t be afraid.¡± Ren said and reached out to touch her face to pour Reassurance into her. ¡°I''m never taking that form again, so you will never suffer through that feeling. Ever.¡± ¡°But... you...¡± ¡°I was told that I can make this right by claiming you as a concubine.¡± Ren said, and he felt her relief, and then he felt her shock. ¡°N-no, I... I am...¡± ¡°Are you married?¡± Ren asked as he let her face go, and she shook her head. ¡°Are you dating someone?¡± Dilseffa took a sharp breath and tried to shake her head, and she couldn''t. That would have been a lie. ¡°It''s all right if you are.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was also told that I don''t have to have sex with you, just claim that the potential is there.¡± ¡°But... My King...¡± Dilseffa took a shallow breath and built up her courage. ¡°I won''t be able to... to be with...¡± ¡°Is there a restriction on concubines seeing other people?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. ¡°Is there a restriction on concubines having sex with other people?¡± Dilseffa nodded slightly. ¡°Can I lift that restriction and not cause a social uproar?¡± Ren asked. Dilseffa was so surprised by this that she lifted her head for a moment and looked into his eyes, then ducked her head again. ¡°You''re my King. Your word is law.¡± Ren paused for several moments to think about it. ¡°Can I just declare it to you and it counts, or does it need to be a big announcement in front of the whole delegation?¡± He felt surprise from the Pervarians, since no one had asked such pointed questions before, and waited for them to get over it. ¡°My King.¡± Dilseffa said when she recovered. ¡°A personal declaration from you would honor me, and others would know it in time.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said and glanced at Yuwen. She stepped into the carriage with a smile and knelt beside Dilseffa. He put a hand on each of their shoulders. ¡°I, Ren the First, The Tainted King of the Predators, hereby accept you as my concubines.¡± He said and they were covered in a soft golden glow. ¡°I lift the restriction of having sex with others, with the understanding that you don''t use that to tease or entice married people or people already in relationships.¡± Yuwen gasped as the glow faded. ¡°N-no.¡± She said. ¡°I swore to...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. Yuwen''s anger started to rise. ¡°You would deny me my revenge?¡± ¡°You''ve already proven that he doesn''t deserve you.¡± Ren moved his hand from her shoulder to cup the side of her face. ¡°From now on, you are my concubine and will act like it. You are above such pettiness.¡± He smiled and took the sting out of his words by filling her with potential pride. ¡°Don''t concern yourself with what is in the past and look to the future.¡± He said. ¡°He will still desire you, and now he won''t even get to see you tease him.¡± Yuwen opened her mouth to respond hotly, and then she caught Mires'' emotions and how much he was going to regret not seeing her like that anymore. She took several breaths and put a hand on Ren''s as she understood what he did for her. ¡°He has to suffer in silence from now on.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your task is done, as is that part of your life.¡± Yuwen nodded slightly. ¡°Thank you, My King.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Artemis said from nearby, and Ren stepped out of the carriage. ¡°You need to see this.¡± ¡°How bad is it?¡± Ren asked as the carriage he was just in emptied of people and they all followed him. ¡°You''re not going to be happy about it.¡± Artemis said and led him down the caravan. ¡°Is there anyone still on their knees?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, Tatya and Kenkoth took care of them.¡± Artemis said and pointed at the middle carriage. ¡°The problem is this.¡± ¡°It''s a giant boar.¡± Ren said and looked at the large creature attached to the front of the carriage. ¡°What''s the... no.¡± He said and stepped close. He couldn''t feel any emotions from it. ¡°No.¡± ¡°It''s dead.¡± Tatya said as she came over to them and the rest of the caravan''s occupants joined them. ¡°The others survived what you did, but this one...¡± ¡°No, I... I didn''t mean to...¡± ¡°I''m surprised it was the only one that died of fright, actually.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°That was...¡± ¡°...an awesome display of power.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°I''ve never seen anyone cause something to die from giving up its life for them.¡± Ren closed his eyes and pet the carcass. ¡°It gave up its life for me.¡± ¡°It''s never happened before.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°We should honor its sacrifice appropriately.¡± ¡°How?¡± Ren asked. ¡°How would we honor this?¡± ¡°We eat it, of course.¡± Kenkoth said, and Ren turned and looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°It gave up its essence to feed you. The least we can do is fulfill its dying wish.¡± ¡°We need to stop and rest anyway.¡± Tatya said. ¡°We can let the other boars rest while we eat dinner.¡± Ren closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°I knew my love of bacon would come to haunt me one day.¡± ¡°Bacon? What''s that?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°It''s the most delicious...¡± Ren started to say and stopped. ¡°I don''t know if I can eat it now.¡± Kenkoth slapped him on the shoulder. ¡°It''s all right. The boar should provide enough meat to feed everyone in the caravan easily.¡± He said. ¡°I''m not sure how this carriage can continue on without a giant boar to haul it, though.¡± Ren sighed and opened his eyes, then turned to face everyone. ¡°I''ll pull the carriage myself.¡± ¡°No, you won''t.¡± Tatya said. ¡°You are not a common pack animal.¡± ¡°What else can I do except take its place?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I wish I could replace it, but...¡±
System and Administration Request
Create Anything Ability: Generating one (1) Giant Boar Pack Animal (#GBPA0026)
Ren''s mouth dropped open in shock at the popup, then it faded as a giant boar appeared right behind everyone. It was even harnessed and set up for hauling a carriage. Everyone felt his shock and caught their breath. ¡°What... what is it?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°Look behind you!¡± Teepo chittered in delight and pointed. Everyone turned around and saw another giant boar, identical to the others, and their shock was just as profound as Ren''s. ¡°Wh-what... what is this?¡± Someone asked, dumbfounded. ¡°He...¡± Jirqym clamped his mouth shut and didn''t say anything else, and was glad that no one had noticed he had tried to answer the completely ridiculous question with a ridiculous and true answer. ¡°It''s a miracle!¡± The driver of the carriage with the dead giant boar attached said. ¡°Quick! Someone help me with it!¡± Four other drivers quickly switched out the dead giant boar with the new one, and they dragged the dead one to the side of the road and stripped it of its harness and equipment. They put the old equipment on the new giant boar and congratulated each other for doing it so quickly, then stored the spare harness. ¡°Well, now you don''t have to feel so guilty over this.¡± Kenkoth said and clapped Ren on the shoulder again, then he waved to several people. They came over to the giant boar and started to cut it up. Ren didn''t say a word as he was led back to Tatya''s carriage by Artemis, while everything was set up for the caravan members to have a meal. Chapter 746 - Caravan Clean-up The giant boar called Porkins was quickly cut up into appropriately-sized pieces and then a large area in the nearby field was prepared for everyone to eat. Large fires were constructed to cook as much of the meat as quickly as possible, and Ren sat where Artemis directed him. He was too stunned by what had just happened to do anything except sit quietly and think about the ramifications of his ''Create Anything'' ability. Ren activated his Serene State of Mind ability and time seemed to slow down as all other thoughts and concerns disappeared and his mind cleared of it all, except for the Create Anything ability. His mind reeled over and over about the ability and the things he could do with it. After a few moments, which seemed like a lot longer, he assumed he had gained it from his Creator''s Assistant title. Show info for Creator''s Assistant title. Ren thought, and the popup appeared.
Creator''s Assistant (Title)
Creator''s Assistant (System Administrator) - Grants: Create Anything Skill, System Administrator Menu, Personal Aura +150 feet. Create Anything Skill: You can physically create anything already a part of the current world. Items can be asked for by name, by call ID, or chosen from a drop down menu. Items will materialize in the closest available space within 10 to 15 seconds. Also, the System Administrator menu has been unlocked and can be accessed at any time, and you have been granted the same authority to use those options.
Ren managed to not let his mouth drop open at the popup; but, it was a close thing. Good god, I... I can''t believe... good god. ¡°Wow.¡± Teepo said as he read the popup. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± Teepo, you can hear me in Serene State of Mind? Ren asked, surprised. ¡°We''re communicating telepathically, and since it''s mind to mind...¡± Right. Okay. Ren thought. All right. I can''t freak out over this. ¡°You freaked out about changing into a Dire Werewolf, which was the scariest thing I''ve ever experienced.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Why can''t you freak out over this, too?¡± Ren took several breaths and let them out. I won''t let what I can do dictate what I''m going to do. ¡°Well, while you''re here, why not talk to Fire Dancer?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Maybe she can calm you down.¡± That''s a good idea, buddy. Ren thought and opened his player menu. Unlike everyone else, his had the different realm times he had access to. He saw it was nighttime in the Fire Realm and concentrated on Fire Dancer. His body was covered in a red glow and he dropped into Fire Realm time. ¡°Deity of Fire, can I talk to you?¡± ¡°Hm? What? Who?¡± Fire Dancer''s voice said. ¡°It''s me, Ren.¡± ¡°Father!¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°You''re quick.¡± Ren said, and then he explained what had happened with becoming a Dire Werewolf, killing the boar with fright, Artemis saving him and stopping him from killing everyone and possibly eating them, and then about gaining two concubines from the aftermath. Fire Dancer had stayed quiet the entire time while he explained everything, then he mentioned his Create Anything ability. ¡°Hold on.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Read me the description.¡± Ren did so, and she was quiet for a while. ¡°Deity of Fire?¡± ¡°Father, you... you are...¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You can make anything that exists in the world.¡± Fire Dancer said with reverence in her voice. ¡°I thought so, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then I started adding the exceptions.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°Singular items for one. Like my Polymorph helm.¡± ¡°Did you ask for one?¡± ¡°I... no.¡± ¡°Dad. Your ability said you can create anything in the world.¡± Fire Dancer said, almost in exasperation. ¡°Try it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°All it will do is pop it right back out, or tell you to destroy it because it shouldn''t exist.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°All right.¡± Ren said and held his hands out. ¡°Please create a Supreme Helm of Polymorph.¡±
System and Administration Request
Create Anything Ability: Generating one (1) Supreme Helm of Polymorph (#SHP0001)
A golden glow appeared and a Supreme Helm of Polymorph appeared.
System Notice!
Duplicate Singular Item detected. The same singular item cannot exist, unless you have found a way around that restriction. Violations of restrictions are automatically classed as Cheating.
The helm was covered in a black glow and disappeared from his hands.
System Notice!
Cheaters never prosper. Duplicate item has been confiscated. You have received an official warning (1) for Cheating. Two (2) warnings will result in a one (1) day (real life) ban. Three (3) warnings will result in a one (1) week ban. Four (4) warnings will result in a permanent ban. Number of Warnings: 1
¡°Well, crap.¡± Ren said, then explained to Fire Dancer what had happened. ¡°So, you can still create anything, but those things are still subject to certain rules.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°That''s a relief.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren was surprised. ¡°What do you mean you''re relieved?¡± ¡°You can''t ask for another Fire Realm, since it''s singular and it already exists.¡± Fire Dancer said. Ren''s mouth dropped open at the thought. ¡°I... I would never... I mean, I didn''t even think that...¡± ¡°It said you can create anything, Dad.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Ren took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Thank you, Honey.¡± ¡°So you understand now.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°I do, and I appreciate it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be very careful about what I say from now on, especially when it involves making anything.¡± Fire Dancer chuckled. ¡°You don''t have to be quite that careful.¡± She said. ¡°Just when it comes to big or outrageous things.¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Normal things are fine, since they are generated normally.¡± Teepo skittered down to Ren''s hand and touched the Sending Ring. ¡°Just don''t go overboard and ask for millions of tons of gold or something.¡± Fire Dancer laughed. ¡°Yes, that would definitely get you another warning.¡± ¡°Not if I asked for it in one ton increments every couple of seconds.¡± Ren said. Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You''re already working out loopholes!¡± Ren and Fire Dancer laughed for several moments. ¡°Thank you. Both of you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m glad I could help.¡± Fire Dancer said, then snorted a laugh. ¡°I also helped you get a warning!¡± ¡°Yeah, thanks a lot.¡± Ren said sarcastically, and she laughed. ¡°I should have just asked for something simple, like the large ruby from my chest plate.¡±
System and Administration Request
Create Anything Ability: Generating one (1) Large Ruby (Rare) (#JEWL0086)
The ruby appeared in the air in front of him and landed in his lap. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Ren said. ¡°You made one appear, didn''t you?¡± Fire Dancer said and kept laughing. ¡°Hey, it''s not my fault.¡± Ren said. ¡°Well, okay. It is.¡± He smiled. ¡°If you keep laughing, I won''t give you pictures of the babies.¡± Fire Dancer''s laugh cut off like a switch. ¡°Did you say babies?¡± ¡°Yeah, Nathalia had a little boy.¡± Ren said and made a picture of him and made it Indestructible. ¡°His name is Renardos and he''s as cute as cute can be.¡± He made a picture of Narhilda''s baby girl and made it Indestructible, too. ¡°Narhilda went into labour early and she had twins... one a boy, the new king of the dwarves, and a girl... who just happens to be my daughter.¡± Fire Dancer didn''t say anything in response. Ren used the All-Seeing Mirror to see where Fire Dancer was, and she was sitting up in bed with Zetaya asleep beside her. He then created a Magical Barrier around himself and opened a pixie-sized portal into the Fire Realm. His small magical barrier filled almost instantly with Everlasting Fire and he held both pictures in his left hand and pushed them through the portal. He cast his Permanent Enlarge 8 Times spell on them and they became normal-sized for Fire Dancer as he dropped them on her lap. ¡°Apparently, my children have my eyes.¡± Ren said. Fire Dancer looked at both pictures and she saw that it was true. Unfortunately, she knew from the mirror in the room Ren had given her that her eyes were like her mother''s instead. ¡°Not all of them.¡± Fire Dancer said, and he could hear the sadness in her voice. ¡°Hey, it''s true.¡± Ren said and made another picture, then shoved it through and enlarged it. ¡°Look at yours.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Fire Dancer caught the picture and saw her younger self and she had silvery-blue eyes, too. ¡°You made this.¡± She said. ¡°It''s fake.¡± ¡°It''s totally real. When you accepted your mother''s gift and became the Deity of Fire, the power it conveyed to you changed your eye color.¡± Ren said. ¡°How else could I claim that all my children have my eyes?¡± He asked. ¡°Oh, and my hair.¡± ¡°My hair is Fire, Dad.¡± Fire Dancer said, a little snappishly. ¡°Your mother was completely bald, Honey.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just like the Earth beings.¡± ¡°I... I have your hair?¡± Fire Dancer whispered. ¡°I expected a little copy of her, and you came out to be a mix of us both.¡± Ren said. ¡°She wanted someone who could adapt and become the true ruler of the Fire Realm, rather than make another flawed body like she did for herself.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Now look at you.¡± Fire Dancer looked at herself and then at the ring. ¡°I don''t know what to say.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your mother had to gather Fire around herself to become your imposing size, and you gained power to do it instead.¡± He smiled. ¡°I can''t tell you how proud I am that you''ve turned out so well, even without me there to experience it with you.¡± ¡°D-dad...¡± ¡°I love you, Honey.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I have to go before everyone freaks out that I''m covered in Everlasting Fire.¡± ¡°Too late.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter, and Ren looked up to see several of the Pervarians running around in very slow motion, and one was in the midst of splashing water on him, despite Artemis trying to tell them he was fine. ¡°Yep, I better go.¡± Ren said. ¡°Bye Honey. I''ll see you tomorrow... ah, in 12 years or so I mean.¡± Fire Dancer laughed as she cast a Viewing Cloud and saw the scene. ¡°I see what''s going on. Have fun.¡± Ren chuckled and closed the portal and absorbed the Everlasting Fire inside his magical barrier, then stopped concentrating on the ring and dismissed the magical barrier. He absorbed the water being thrown onto him and stopped using his Serene State of Mind ability. ¡°King Ren, are you all right?¡± Tatya asked as she knelt beside him, and her concern for his well being was quite strong. ¡°I''m fine.¡± Ren said and felt her relief. ¡°I''m immune to Fire, remember?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Kenkoth asked. ¡°I was just talking to the Deity of Fire.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t mean to frighten you.¡± Tatya''s squinted her eyes slightly. ¡°I wasn''t afraid.¡± Ren reached out and touched her face. ¡°I didn''t mean you personally, as in cowardice, I meant you were afraid for me and if I might be hurt.¡± He explained and poured his appreciation into her. Tatya closed her eyes and basked in the feeling. ¡°Yes, I understand the distinction now.¡± ¡°Now that I''ve worked things out a little in my own head, thanks to my friend Teepo and my daughter, I can help with the food preparation.¡± ¡°You just suffered quite a shock... two shocks, really...¡± Tatya said and opened her eyes, and he saw kindness there. ¡°You should sit here and let the workers do their thing.¡± ¡°I would, but after thinking about it, I have to agree with Kenkoth. The giant boar gave its life up for me. The least I can do is make it taste delicious when we eat it.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°Oh? Do you feel like eating it now?¡± Beholo the healer asked. ¡°I feel bad for what happened and causing it to die.¡± Ren said and he let them feel how bad he felt. They all shivered slightly at how sad he was over it, even though it was only a pack animal. ¡°I have to make the most of it.¡± ¡°It''s already been divided up.¡± Tatya said and pointed at the bunch of fires set up for cooking. ¡°I don''t think...¡± ¡°Let me worry about that.¡± Ren said and took a deep breath. ¡°Take your own words to heart, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Make the most of it.¡± Ren nodded and walked over to the closest fire and saw the meat they had and the setup for cooking it, and he took out several pans and told them the best way to cook it, since he had a lot more experience with cooking a giant boar than they did. ¡°You''re going to remove all the flavor if you cook it like that.¡± One of the odd-looking people with longer than normal necks said. Ren chuckled. ¡°I''d tell you to trust me, but you don''t have to. Just cook a few pieces like I ask and you can decide for yourself.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that''s fair.¡± He said. Ren was tempted to ask him what kind of creature he was; but once again, his Etiquette skill stopped him from doing that. It must be a social gaffe to openly ask. He thought and moved on to the next fire. ¡°If they offer what they are, that seems to be okay.¡± Teepo said in the voice only Ren could hear. It''s frustrating not knowing. Ren thought. ¡°You could use Identify Person on them.¡± Teepo suggested. I could. Ren thought as he helped the next group cook some choice cuts for him. Like I told Princess Diana, I don''t like invading someone''s privacy if I don''t have to. ¡°I guess you''re just going to suffer until someone else tells you what they are.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Ren held in his laugh as he went to the next fire and found the pieces of meat he needed. ¡°Ah, here we are.¡± He said, and the two odd-looking people turned their heads and looked at him. ¡°I was looking for these cuts of meat.¡± He pointed to one large piece. ¡°Can I have that?¡± ¡°We were thinking of making a big roast out of it.¡± One of them said. ¡°No, no.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°That''s a waste.¡± He took out a table and picked up the 1 foot by 2 foot piece of back meat, decided 6 inches would be the best length to get as many pieces of bacon from it as he could, and cut it down the middle to make 2 pieces of 6 inches by 2 feet. The two odd-looking people watched as he trimmed a bit of the odd edges off and slid them aside to square off the first slab of meat, then his hands moved like lightning as he quickly sliced slivers off. He did the other slab of meat and the table was covered in bacon strips. ¡°What are you doing?¡± One of them asked. ¡°How are we supposed to eat that?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Watch and learn, my friend.¡± He said and took out a large flat grill and activated it. It heated up instantly and Ren quickly laid out the strips of meat on it. They started to sizzle and bubble right away, and he had left just enough extra fat on them to provide its own grease to cook. The smell quickly spread over the whole area, and by the time Ren flipped the bacon to cook it on the other side, nearly everyone in the caravan had gathered close by to get a stronger smell from it. ¡°It''s almost done.¡± Ren said and used a spatula to shift the bacon around and then he pressed the spatula down one last time to squeeze the grease out. ¡°Okay, Tatya. First taste is yours.¡± Ren smiled as he felt her slight surprise, then he scooped a piece up with the spatula and tossed it to her. She didn''t even think about trying to catch it with her hand as she opened her mouth. The piece slid right in and she caught it, then started to chew. Her face lit up at the taste and she nodded her head. Ren dismissed the popup and quickly took up the bacon and slid it onto a plate, then put more strips of meat on to cook. ¡°Well, don''t just stand there.¡± He said to no one in particular as he tended to the next batch. ¡°The head of the delegation already approved it. Go ahead and have some.¡± The Pervarians exchanged looks for a moment, then they all looked at Tatya, who nodded slightly. The plate of bacon was empty an instant later. Ren chuckled and filled it again, and again. ¡°How could we not know of such delicious food?¡± Yuwen asked as she ate her second piece of bacon. ¡°I hadn''t met you before.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. Chapter 747 - Caravan Cookout ¡°Okay, that''s enough.¡± Tatya said and held a hand up, and everyone stopped eating the bacon. ¡°You don''t want to fill up on treats.¡± The members of the caravan went back to their spots and waited. Ren cooked up the rest of the bacon and filled several platters worth, then stored them and the grill. He walked around to the other fires to see what else was being cooked, then helped out where he could to add flavors and change the cooking procedure when necessary. He told them the same thing he told the first cook and said to only try it and then decide what was the better way to cook it. When he saw that all they were cooking was meat for the meal, he walked over to Tatya and Kenkoth. ¡°Pardon the intrusion.¡± Ren said, and he felt a slight twinge from Tatya and smiled because he had almost said ''sorry''. ¡°I was wondering why there are no potatoes or other vegetables being cooked.¡± ¡°Vegetables?¡± Kenkoth chuckled. ¡°Why eat those when perfectly good meat is available.¡± ¡°If you were Adventurers, I would argue for a balanced meal; but in this case, I''ll say for different textures and tastes.¡± Kenkoth clapped Ren on the shoulder. ¡°All we need is the taste of meat, my friend.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and gave them a slight bow, then walked away. He walked far enough away and took out his shop tower to go upstairs and grabbed a selection of vegetables, then left and stored the tower and took out a table. He put the vegetables on it and cleaned and chopped them up, then took out several different pots to boil them. He made Water with his Hands of the Gods ability, which surprised the people that watched what he was doing, then he used Burning Hands to bring the water to a boil instantly and added the vegetables to the small pots and potatoes to the large pot. ¡°What is he doing?¡± One of the other cooks whispered. ¡°Cooking vegetables.¡± The one beside him said. ¡°I know that.¡± The first one said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Apparently to eat.¡± The other one said. ¡°Why else would he do it?¡± ¡°That''s not what... never mind.¡± Ren smiled and checked the potatoes and they were getting close to being done. The other vegetables were a little harder than potatoes, so he knew he had a few minutes after that before they would be done, too. Since the whole place was well within his Aura, he went to the other cooks and saw they had taken his advice and cooked up several pieces as he requested. He took one of each piece from the 5 different fires, then went back to his own table. The boiling vegetables hadn''t stopped and he took out two plates. Ren checked the potatoes and they were perfect for mashing, so he absorbed the water from the pot and mashed them as he poured some Mana into it. He added in a bit of milk and a whole block of butter to make them really creamy, then added a little bit of salt and pepper and put a scoop of each onto both plates. The vegetables were next, and he did almost the same thing with them. Ren absorbed the water from the small pots and mashed up the carrots and turnips while he mixed them together and added Mana, then added brown sugar to sweeten the tart taste a little. He put a small scoop of it on each plate, then used his Hands of the Gods ability Burning Hands to caramelize the brown sugar on the outside to give it a nice look. He added butter-coated peas and cut up string beans as garnishes, then took out the meat he had gathered from the other cooks. Ren divided the portions into two and sliced them in such a way as to fan out the different kinds of meat and arrayed them on the other side of the plates. By this point the plates were pretty much done, so he sprinkled a small amount of salt and pepper onto them, then he sighed. ¡°Damn, I forgot the gravy.¡± Ren said and walked over to the closest cook and asked for the pot of drippings. The cook handed it over without a word and Ren thanked and nodded to him, much to his surprise, and he watched as Ren went back to his own table and used flour and the drippings to quickly make some gravy. He added appropriate spices and a bit of Mana, then used a small ladle to slowly pour thin lines of gravy over the scoops of potatoes and did a little swirl of it over the cooked meat. ¡°That''s got it.¡± Ren said and moved all the things aside and picked up the two plates. He used his Burning Hands and Fire Manipulation abilities to make sure everything was still hot on the plates. When he turned around to find Yuwen, he was surprised to see that everyone was staring at him. He successfully ignored that when his eyes quickly found Yuwen''s white hair and he walked over to her. ¡°Artemis, could you...¡± Ren started to ask, and she took the two plates while he took out a fancy table and two chairs, then covered the table in a piece of fabric. His Etiquette skill kicked in when he stepped close to Yuwen, so he bowed slightly and held a hand out to her. ¡°Your meal awaits, Mistress.¡± Ren said, and her face flushed to a deep red as nearly everyone in the caravan were shocked at the blatant display. She took Ren''s hand confidently and without hesitation and he led her to the table and helped her sit down, then went around the table and took the plates from Artemis, then put one in front of Yuwen and the other one where he was going to sit. Ren''s Etiquette skill didn''t tell him not to, so instead of putting it there, he moved the plate and put it beside hers and moved the chair that was across the table and put it next to her instead. Yuwen''s mouth made a little ''o'' of surprise as Ren sat down next to her, and he took out silverware for them to use. ¡°You should try the mashed potatoes.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°It''s light and fluffy, just like my hair.¡± Yuwen chuckled. ¡°We don''t eat vegetables when...¡± ¡°Just humor me, Mistress.¡± Ren said and picked up a spoon and took a small bit of potatoes from his own plate and barely touched the gravy with it, then held it out for her. ¡°Say ''ah''.¡± Yuwen blinked her eyes for a moment, then took a breath. ¡°Ah.¡± Ren slipped the spoon into her mouth and turned it over so she would get the full effect of it on her tongue. Her mouth closed on the spoon when she tasted it, and he slowly pulled it out. Her lips ended in a kiss shape and her eyes were almost as wide as the odd-looking people that had cooked the meat. Yuwen chewed on it for only a moment and swallowed. ¡°It''s delicious!¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Ren said and cut a small sliver off a piece of meat and stabbed it with a fork. ¡°This next.¡± Yuwen sat there and let Ren give her samples of the food from his own plate, until she had tasted everything. ¡°It''s all good.¡± She said, and he felt her surprise. ¡°All of it.¡± ¡°I learned from the best.¡± Ren said. ¡°My ex-fiance could make even the most mundane thing taste like a gourmet meal.¡± He said and chuckled. ¡°Her baked goods are fantastic, too.¡± ¡°Ex-fiance?¡± Yuwen asked, and her surprise didn''t lessen. ¡°I spent a lot of time in the dwarf lands and I was engaged to a dwarf there.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you remember the baby pictures I showed the delegation back at the castle?¡± Yuwen nodded and started to eat the food on her own plate. ¡°She''s Renardos'' mother.¡± Ren said, and he almost gasped at the shock he felt from everyone. ¡°You had a child.¡± Tatya said from where she sat. ¡°With a dwarf.¡± Her displeasure rose as the seconds passed. ¡°Out of wedlock.¡± ¡°Even though I fulfilled the marriage contract''s requirements, I was banished from the dwarf lands and couldn''t complete it.¡± Ren said. ¡°It took me a long time to work out how to get around the restrictions placed on me because of that... and her own culture''s rules, of course.¡± He explained. ¡°Once I worked out what paperwork to file so that no one would realize what I was doing...¡± ¡°You didn''t!¡± Tatya exclaimed. ¡°I did.¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°After about 50,000 or so documents and petitions on behalf of non-dwarves, the birth is completely legal.¡± He chuckled. ¡°It also didn''t occur until after the paperwork was properly filed.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Tatya said and sat down on the ground. ¡°We''ve been petitioning for an audience with the land''s rulers for years!¡± ¡°You wasted your time.¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°There hasn''t actually been a real ruler there for years.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Kenkoth chimed in. ¡°I didn''t get a proper ruler installed until just before I was kicked out.¡± Ren said, then barked a laugh. ¡°She was the one that banished me, too.¡± The energy of the entire caravan changed from shock and surprise to annoyance and anger. ¡°How disrespectful!¡± Yuwen spat. ¡°I would have killed her for insulting you like that!¡± Ren turned to her and took her hand, and he activated his Reassurance Aura. ¡°You all barely know me and yet you all reacted so strongly to that, even those of you that I haven''t met officially.¡± He said and nodded to the cooks as his calmness and relaxing feelings covered everyone. ¡°Thank you.¡± Yuwen smiled at him as everyone''s anger receded, then started eating again. Ren started eating, too. While they ate their meal, the rest of the members of the caravan were served their plates of meat and sat on the ground on blankets prepared for them. They started eating, and all of them kept giving furtive glances to Ren''s table and the enjoyment Yuwen felt as she ate. Ren let it go on for only a minute, then he turned and looked at them. ¡°Would anyone else like...¡± ¡°YES!¡± They all exclaimed, and he laughed. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± Ren said and disappeared from the table. They looked around for him and saw that he was at the food preparation table where his pots of vegetables were. No one had seen him move, except for the odd-looking people with longer than normal necks. Their eyes had followed him without turning their heads. Ren quickly made up plates for everyone, since he had cooked enough for them all. The only thing he didn''t have was enough specially prepared meat for them. Ren went to each person, starting with Tatya, and exchanged her plate. He treated her pieces of meat with different spices and used the recipe he knew with his Substitution ability, then gave her the plate back and dribbled gravy over it. He didn''t wait for her to taste it and served Kenkoth next, then Beholo the healer, and on and on until he ended with the cooks. ¡°You followed me with your eyes.¡± Ren whispered when he reached their group. They stared at him and didn''t say anything, so he smiled and did up their plates. As a last minute thought, he included a cooked Dretch prime cut steak. ¡°You''ll really like that.¡± He said, and went back to the table Yuwen sat at. As he passed Dilseffa, he thought of asking her to join him and Yuwen; but, his Etiquette skill stopped him from doing anything more than smile at her. ¡°I think that''s because she''s seeing... or dating... or having dirty and nasty time with the magic user.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. Ren held in his chuckle; but, she felt his amusement. ¡°My King?¡± ¡°I''m glad you''re happy.¡± Ren said and glanced at the magic user, then took a few more steps and sat down to keep eating his meal with Yuwen. The great-tasting meal was consumed quickly by everyone, and their spirits had been lifted by the enchanted food. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Yuwen asked as she put her fork down on her empty plate and stopped herself before she licked it clean. ¡°I just gained a point in Endurance.¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Same here.¡± The magic user said, and a few others admitted they had as well. ¡°I can''t reveal the secret of my Magic Cooking.¡± Ren said and covered his mouth. ¡°Oh, damn! I just said it!¡± Yuwen laughed and Dilseffa snorted, and everyone felt their amusement and shared it. Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it for their location on the map, and he saw that they were about halfway across the Human Kingdom. We''re making good time; but, we won''t reach the border before nightfall at this speed. Ren thought. ¡°Well, we don''t know what''s past that border.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Maybe ask Tatya and see where we can stop for the night.¡± Good idea. Ren put the mirror away and turned to Yuwen. ¡°Thank you for gracing me with your presence for our first meal together.¡± He took her hand and he felt her apprehension. I''m supposed to do something. He thought and raised her hand towards his face to kiss it, then he had the sudden urge to bite her. Oh. Okay. He turned her hand and pulled it to his ear and very lightly bit the inside of her wrist. Yuwen''s whole body trembled at the intimate touch and her face went completely red. It offset her white hair quite well. ¡°My... my King.¡± She managed to say. ¡°You... really would...¡± Ren''s Etiquette skill told him to bite harder, so he did and she gasped. No one moved or said a word as he held it for several moments, then he stopped and let her hand go. Yuwen cupped it to her chest as if it was the most precious thing she had ever gotten. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Yuwen managed to say. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Ren wasn''t positive; but, he was pretty sure her social standing in the group had just risen up a lot higher than she thought it would. He stood up and pat her hand, then walked towards where Tatya sat. ¡°You know, you could become the Marilith Demon and give them another shock.¡± Teepo suggested and then chittered in delight. Ren smiled. I think I''ve had enough transformations to last me for a while. He thought and sat down next to Tatya. ¡°Do you have designated spots for the caravan to stop and stay for the night?¡± ¡°We have one right next to the Human Kingdom''s border.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Your improvements have let us catch up on our travel so much that we will reach there in plenty of time to stop overnight.¡± ¡°Can I ask what''s past the border?¡± ¡°Don''t you know?¡± Tatya asked, confused. ¡°As an Adventurer, I have yet to pass that point.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°There''s a small nation called the Liven Empire.¡± ¡°Do you mean small in size or small in population?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Both.¡± Tatya said and chuckled. ¡°It''s a nation of Gnomes.¡± ¡°Gnomes? Really?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Tatya said. ¡°It took us half a day to cross it at our old speed, with your enhancements, we should cross it in about 4 hours.¡± ¡°That is small.¡± Ren said. ¡°What are the roads like?¡± ¡°They were kind enough to have one normal-sized road put through the middle of their lands.¡± Tatya said. ¡°That''s all. No inns, no designated spots to rest and feed the animals, nothing.¡± Ren closed his mouth on his next question and thought about it. ¡°So, they don''t want visitors.¡± ¡°Not even a little bit.¡± Tatya said. ¡°The road is well away from any population center and they actively avoid being seen.¡± ¡°That''s... disappointing.¡± Ren said. Tatya felt his deep disappointment and touched his arm. ¡°You''re sad that we won''t see any of them?¡± She asked, and he nodded. ¡°They are just Gnomes, King Ren.¡± ¡°Do they have a ruling family? Do they have a Prince or Princess or government run by the people? What''s their daily life like?¡± Ren asked. ¡°These are questions I''ll never get the answers to.¡± Tatya chuckled. ¡°We can stop and kidnap one to ask it...¡± ¡°What?¡± Ren interrupted her, and she laughed. ¡°...but, it won''t make any difference.¡± Tatya finished. ¡°There''s nothing you can give them, since they won''t accept anything from outsiders. There''s no information you can give them, since they don''t care about anything except their own lives.¡± ¡°You seem to know a lot about them.¡± Ren commented. ¡°We''ve been trying for years to establish relations with them.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°We even went so far as to recruit an Earthkin Pixie and made him an honorary delegate, just to have someone of similar size to try and communicate with them.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Ren asked, when he felt sadness from Tatya and Kenkoth. ¡°After learning all that he could and sent us that information, he tried to leave.¡± Tatya said. ¡°They didn''t let him.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Not alive, anyway.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°His body appeared at their border with a note that said not to contact them again.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why do you think...¡± ¡°They felt betrayed, obviously.¡± Tatya said. ¡°A newcomer came into their lands and asked a bunch of questions, then when he learned what he could about their lives, he wanted to leave.¡± She said sadly. ¡°Instead of just arresting him or even detaining him and negotiating to release him...¡± ¡°It was easier to apply capital punishment.¡± Ren said, just as sadly. ¡°I''m so...¡± ¡°SAD!¡± Teepo yelled and interrupted Ren''s apology. ¡°That''s a sad story.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Tatya said. ¡°We approach new people and customs with much more reservedness now.¡± ¡°Is that why you have so many delegates and so many camouflaged protectors?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Thank you for pointing them out back at the castle.¡± He said, sarcastically. ¡°Don''t worry. Princess Diana had no clue what I was doing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not that you didn''t know that.¡± Kenkoth sighed. ¡°She knew you pointed at something.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°My Etiquette skill stops me from asking who it was or what they are, since it would reveal their hidden abilities; but, I''ve seen everyone in the caravan now and no one is hidden.¡± ¡°You know who it was.¡± Tatya said and she sighed as their attempts to conceal them had failed. ¡°It was a basic deduction, especially since I assume you left someone...¡± Ren felt a hint of annoyance from them and changed the number. ¡°...pair of someones behind.¡± ¡°I guess that''s the not so subtle proof that you can read us easily.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°You don''t have to treat me any differently because of that.¡± Ren said, then grinned. ¡°Then again, maybe you have to treat me as if I was one of you, since you can do the same thing.¡± Tatya chuckled. ¡°Yes, we should hold you to the same rules and regulations, then we can keep you all to ourselves and we won''t have to worry about you spilling all of our secrets.¡± Ren chuckled, too. ¡°I can give you my word that I won''t write a book about you or spill your secrets... except maybe when I spend time with the women in my life.¡± He said. ¡°I share everything with them and don''t hide what I do or where I go.¡± ¡°Will they...¡± ¡°They never have before.¡± Ren said and put a hand on his chest above the emblem there. ¡°They know they are in my confidence and won''t betray that. Or me.¡± Tatya felt his deep feelings for them and she tried not to be jealous. ¡°If you will excuse me, I can''t let your current time schedule slow us down.¡± Ren said and stood. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Kenkoth asked. ¡°More upgrades for the giant boars and the carriages.¡± Ren said. ¡°M-more?¡± ¡°These will only be temporary, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°You are letting us keep the other upgrades?¡± Tatya asked, surprised. ¡°The boars won''t want to run slower, now that they know they can run faster with new shoes.¡± Ren chuckled and gave them a slight bow, then started to walk away towards the carriage drivers. ¡°Wait.¡± Tatya said, and he stopped to turn and look at her. ¡°Who do you think we left behind?¡± Ren walked back over to her and knelt. ¡°Two of the cooks.¡± He said, referring to the odd-looking people with longer than normal necks. ¡°They made 6 fires; but, only 5 of them were used for cooking.¡± He smiled. ¡°I had to assume something happened when there wasn''t enough people to cook at all of them, since they were all constructed as if they had done it a lot before, almost automatically.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Then you confirmed it when I tried to say how many were left behind.¡± ¡°So, you have a brain inside that fluffy-haired skull.¡± Tatya said with a smile. ¡°I will warn the cooks to adjust their routine.¡± ¡°I don''t think that will be necessary.¡± Ren said and stood. ¡°If it''s your kingdom on the other side of the Gnome Empire, we''ll be well inside its borders by nightfall.¡± Tatya blinked her eyes at him as he walked away. ¡°He''s completely confident in that conclusion.¡± ¡°He is.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Even though the upgrades he did for the boars were already well beyond our own means, he hadn''t given them everything he could have.¡± ¡°You know what that means.¡± Tatya said. ¡°He is generous, almost to a fault; but, he doesn''t give away everything.¡± Kenkoth said. Tatya nodded her head slightly and didn''t say anything out loud. I think he gives away exactly what you need. She thought, and held in her smile as she caught sight of a very happy Yuwen. Chapter 748 - Contriving Caravan Ren went to the drivers and told them what he was going to do. They were all shocked and surprised at it, and he warned them that it was going to test their driving skills to their limits. They all laughed at that and readily accepted the challenge, and followed him to the carriages as he added the enchantments and cast the spells needed to do what he wanted. He added a 5 hour time limit to both the enchantments and the spells, so they would expire just after he had to log out for the night. ¡°Don''t worry. We''ll be on the ground and well inside your own lands before the spells wear off.¡± Ren said, and they nodded slightly. He went back over to the field where they had the meal and saw that everyone was helping pack things up. He went to his food prep table and stored it, and the pots and things went into their own slots for him to empty and clean later, then he went to the table where Yuwen still sat. ¡°My King.¡± Yuwen said and stood up as she gave him a little bow. ¡°I can''t believe...¡± ¡°Where do we sit in the caravan, now that you''re my concubine?¡± Ren asked, and Dilseffa took in a sharp breath. ¡°My King, we... I mean I...¡± ¡°I have to assume we need our own carriage, or at least rearrange the seating in the front carriage slightly to fit myself, Artemis, and anyone else that should be there.¡± Ren said and stored the table and its contents. ¡°Unless I''m reading the situation wrong.¡± ¡°No, My King. You have it right.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°We just need to...¡± ¡°I''ll switch places with Dilseffa to make this easier.¡± Mires said from nearby and came over to them. ¡°We don''t have to do any rearranging of the other carriages.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mires.¡± Ren said and gave him a nod of Respect. ¡°I appreciate your consideration.¡± ¡°You''re welcome, My King.¡± Mires said and pat the magic user on the shoulder. ¡°Let''s get things loaded back into the storage crates.¡± The magic user nodded slightly and stood up, then the two men left to help the cooks put everything back. ¡°My King...¡± Dilseffa started to say as she stood. ¡°I''m pretty sure you can''t do anything with witnesses around anyway, so sitting with us shouldn''t be too much of a burden for you while we''re travelling.¡± Ren said, and she opened her mouth to respond. ¡°It doesn''t matter if you swore the cooks to secrecy, either.¡± ¡°How did you...¡± ¡°If I had been you, I would have checked the seating arrangements, and made sure they didn''t spread people out when the caravan left the capital city.¡± Ren said. ¡°You could have had a whole carriage by yourselves and no one would have seen you.¡± ¡°But... if we did that...¡± ¡°People would suspect something is going on, as they do when two people spend so much time together.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Would being completely alone have made them more suspicious than they are now?¡± Dilseffa opened her mouth to argue, then sighed. ¡°No, I suppose not.¡± ¡°It''s all water under the bridge now anyway.¡± Ren said and motioned towards the caravan. ¡°We''ll be back in your kingdom by tonight.¡± ¡°Wh-what? But, we... we''re only...¡± ¡°I took care of it.¡± Ren said and looked at their surprised faces. ¡°Do I escort you over to the carriage or do we walk in a group?¡± He asked, since his Etiquette skill didn''t give him any inkling about what to do. ¡°You walk and we stay a step behind.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°Artemis isn''t of our kind, so she can be escorted.¡± ¡°Or I can race you.¡± Artemis floated up into the air, and Ren chuckled. ¡°If we had time I could.¡± Ren said. ¡°Maybe when we get to where we''re going.¡± Artemis smiled and stayed floating and held a hand out to him, so he took it and walked over to the caravan with Yuwen and Dilseffa right behind them. * Several of the caravan members watched them as they climbed into the front carriage by themselves, and a few of them visibly relaxed. Mires and the magic user were among the latter. ¡°So, he has both of our women now.¡± Rimsoh the magic user said, disgust clear in his voice. ¡°He''s not like that.¡± Mires said. ¡°How would you know?¡± Rimsoh asked. ¡°We only met him today.¡± ¡°He only accepted them as concubines because Yuwen told him he didn''t have to sleep with her, only declare that it was possible.¡± Rimsoh barked a laugh. ¡°Yeah, just wait until he finds out what she turns into.¡± ¡°Would that matter?¡± Mires asked. ¡°If he''s into women with flexible bodies, yes.¡± Rimsoh chuckled and Mires had to smile. A moment later, Rimsoh sighed. ¡°If he finds out that Dilseffa is a rabbit and can have sex as many times as her partner can stand, and then she still wants more...¡± He shook his head. ¡°She''ll have to drain him dry before she''ll have any spare time for me.¡± ¡°I don''t think that... no, you''re right. I don''t really know him.¡± Mires said and sighed. ¡°It''s not like you can be together with her officially anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah, ferrets and rabbits aren''t supposed to mix.¡± Rimsoh said. ¡°Sometimes I just want to tear her throat out because she''s so cute and irresistible I can''t stand it.¡± Mires turned with wide eyes and looked at his friend, who laughed. ¡°Come on. You can''t tell me you haven''t thought the same thing about Yuwen.¡± Mires closed his mouth because he couldn''t. ¡°Even when I''m as angry as I''ve ever been, and boy have I been angry at her a lot.¡± Rimsoh said, then he smiled. ¡°All she had to do was give me those big round eyes and blink at me a few times, then turn around and wiggle her butt.¡± He chuckled. ¡°My brain completely empties out and all I can think about is being with her.¡± Mires kept his mouth shut, because that was almost the same way he had been with Yuwen. Maybe that''s why Rimsoh and I get along so well. He thought. We both want women we shouldn''t have and usually suffer in silence until something happens. For me it was meeting Vala. He helped his friend load the last few things into the storage crates. Maybe King Ren is what Rimsoh needs to break free of Dilseffa''s hold on him.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. * ¡°He''s just the best!¡± Dilseffa said again, in praise of the magic user. Her brown hair bounced as she shook from excitement. ¡°I love him so much!¡± Ren felt her emotions and she did seem like she loved him; but, what she had under that was a bit more disturbing. He activated Serene State of Mind and went over his own experiences and found something similar. It was from the time he had met Elise in front of the Aurora Library. Oh, damn. Ren thought as he deactivated his ability, and Artemis took his hand. She''s not just in love with him. She''s obsessed with him. ¡°No. Way.¡± Teepo said in the voice only Ren could hear. You remember what happened at the Library. Ren thought. Elise almost killed me with her love. Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°What a way to go!¡± Ren could smile about it now as he remembered the altercation; but at the time, it had been quite scary. Now I''m wondering how the magic user feels. ¡°If my hearing is still trustworthy, he''s a ferret and she''s a bunny.¡± Teepo said. ¡°He''s angry at her all the time and wants to kill her because she''s so cute and cuddly.¡± WHAAATTT?!? Ren thought, shocked. Thankfully, both Yuwen and Dilseffa thought he was shocked about Dilseffa loving Rimsoh so much and her constant discussion of his virtues. ¡°She keeps him in check by offering him sex, apparently.¡± Teepo said. How did you hear that? Ren asked. ¡°I can hear everything inside your Aura.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The cooks can''t get over how much better your food tasted. Kenkoth is debating with Tatya on whether or not to send the magic user to examine the carriages. Oh, and Meccis is still angry that you beat him and is telling Beholo the healer about it while he gets a cut healed.¡± Wow. Ren thought. You''re really using your skills to the limit, aren''t you? ¡°I wasn''t going to at first, because you don''t like eavesdropping; but, I didn''t do it before and now you''ve got two concubines that you didn''t have before.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Since I can''t look in all directions all the time, the least I can do is listen for anything that might cause trouble.¡± Thanks, Teepo. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°I can handle it, so don''t worry.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Kenkoth won the argument and the magic user is checking out the last carriage.¡± They''re doing it as far away from me as possible. Ren smiled. Like that would have stopped me from seeing... He felt a flutter in the Mana inside his Aura and held in his laugh. ...or feeling it. Artemis let his hand go and got his attention, then she motioned with her head slightly to the two women that sat across from them. Ren looked at Yuwen and Dilseffa and saw a question on their faces. ¡°I was deep in thought and missed what you asked.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you tell me again what you said?¡± ¡°We were just wondering if you loved someone like that.¡± Yuwen said. Ren didn''t answer no right away, since he didn''t want to offend them. ¡°Well, I did have an infatuation for one woman, and that turned out horribly.¡± He said, and he felt their surprise. ¡°I confessed love for her, and after a brief relationship and lots of complications, she left me.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Yuwen said as she felt his emotions and she leaned forward and took his hand. She got them even stronger and held in her gasp. ¡°That... wasn''t a healthy relationship.¡± She managed to say through Ren''s torrent of emotions. ¡°Does it feel familiar?¡± Ren asked her pointedly, and she did gasp at that and tried to take her hand away. ¡°Tell me honestly.¡± He said and held onto her hand. ¡°N-no.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°If you don''t, I''ll have to do something drastic.¡± Ren said and smiled at her as he let her feel his desire. Yuwen caught her breath at that and let it flow over her, then she sighed. ¡°Yes, My King. I knew what I had with Mires was not healthy.¡± She admitted. ¡°An otter and a minx shouldn''t be like that.¡± ¡°That''s true.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Where Adventurers come from, your species is called a ''mink'', and it''s in the same animal family as otters and ferrets.¡± He felt her shock and gave her hand a squeeze. ¡°Unfortunately, even though they have similar looks, mink are smaller than otters and are much more agile.¡± ¡°Why is that unfortunate?¡± Dilseffa asked, because her friend was too shocked to speak. ¡°Mink normally chase away and in some cases kill otters to take over their homes and territories.¡± Ren said, and he felt something like terror go through Yuwen, and then it was replaced with understanding. ¡°I... I really was a fool, then.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°No one had a problem when they thought we were just carrying on and not doing anything serious.¡± She took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°When I mentioned marriage, Mires almost freaked out about it.¡± ¡°That''s when the rumors started to spread.¡± Ren said, and she nodded slightly. ¡°Until now I thought he was just against marrying someone not an otter.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I never imagined that... that he thought...¡± ¡°I don''t know if he thought you were going to take over what he and his family owns; but, it usually turns out that way.¡± Ren said. ¡°You would become the focus of the family, especially after having kids, and they would inherit everything.¡± ¡°Which would push the otters out of their home eventually.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°No wonder his family didn''t fight against him getting rid of you.¡± ¡°They must have thought the same thing.¡± Yuwen said, tears in her eyes. ¡°Hey, it''s okay.¡± Ren said and slid off his seat and knelt on the floor in front of her, then handed her a piece of cloth. ¡°I told you that part of your life was over, remember?¡± ¡°You... you did.¡± Yuwen said and wiped at her tears with the soft cloth. ¡°Yes, so the only one we need to worry about right now is Dilseffa.¡± Ren said, and he felt their shock. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Dilseffa looked at him with panicked eyes. ¡°It''s my understanding that Rimsoh is a ferret.¡± Ren said, and she nodded slightly. ¡°Then your life is in danger constantly.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± ¡°Where Adventurers come from, ferrets eat rabbits.¡± Ren said, and felt her reaction to him knowing what she was. ¡°I was too busy feeling other emotions when I was eating to get anything from Rimsoh at the time; but, if I had to take a guess, he''s angry at you a lot.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Dilseffa asked, and her body was trembling slightly from all the shocks. ¡°He''s fighting his urge to kill you.¡± Ren continued. ¡°One of these times, he''s not going to fight so hard.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m not telling you to end the relationship that isn''t supposed to exist.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m telling you to be careful about being near a predator that enjoys killing your kind. He won''t think he did anything wrong when it happens.¡± ¡°My King...¡± Yuwen said to try and stop him. ¡°Rimsoh will be remorseful afterwards, I''m sure.¡± Ren said. ¡°He''s going to feel more relief than anything else, though.¡± ¡°How can you say that?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°You don''t even know him!¡± ¡°No, I don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°Neither do you.¡± ¡°I don''t know what you''re talking about.¡± Dilseffa responded, even though she knew he was telling the truth the whole time, and stood up. ¡°Sit down.¡± Ren commanded, and she sat down. ¡°You can''t leave the carriage while we''re moving.¡± ¡°Moving? We''re still... WHOA!¡± Dilseffa exclaimed as the carriage lifted up into the air and took off at a fantastic speed. ¡°You would have been left behind if you''d stepped out of the carriage.¡± Ren said, and she sighed. ¡°I don''t want to be here right now.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°It''s hard for you to hear this, I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s even harder for me to say it.¡± ¡°You seemed to have an easy time with it.¡± Dilseffa said as her anger rose. Ren used his free hand to take hers. ¡°I know saying these things hurt you. So, if you will forgive the impropriety, I''m sorry that I caused you pain.¡± Yuwen and Dilseffa winced slightly at the apology, so Ren lifted their hands to his mouth and licked them as he poured out how sorry he was for hurting them. Both women gasped at the strength of the feelings, then he turned their hands slightly and pressed their wrists to his mouth at the same time. ¡°W-wait.¡± Dilseffa said; but, she didn''t try to pull her hand away or fight the feeling. Ren grinned at them and then bit them. Both women reacted in the way he had expected and their bodies trembled at the implication. He didn''t bite too hard, though. He knew they wouldn''t want him to mark them like that, not if they were going to find someone else to be with. ¡°We''ll be reaching the border of the Human kingdom in a few hours.¡± Ren said and let their hands go as he stood. Both women looked at him longingly as he stepped back and sat down on his side of the carriage. ¡°It should only take an hour to cross the Gnome lands, then we can land and stop for the night.¡± ¡°You need to go then, don''t you?¡± Yuwen asked. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I have Adventurer business to attend to for a while, and I will be back by morning.¡± He said. ¡°After that, I''ll need to pop over to see the women in my life, then head to the Fire Realm.¡± ¡°The Deity of Fire really is your daughter.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Yes, she is.¡± Ren said. ¡°I also won''t disappoint her again.¡± Yuwen chuckled. ¡°Good luck with that.¡± ¡°I''ve made myself available to her as much as physically possible while I''m here in this world.¡± Ren said. ¡°If anything happens while I''m gone, Teepo can talk to her and will let me know when I get back.¡± ¡°That''s amazing!¡± Dilseffa said and looked from Ren to Teepo. ¡°You can communicate with a deity!¡± ¡°Not just one.¡± Artemis said, and both women looked at her. ¡°He knows the Earth deity and the ruler of the Water Realm as well.¡± ¡°Not to mention the Light Realm.¡± Teepo added. ¡°Geez, Ren! You really get around!¡± Ren laughed at that, and Artemis, Yuwen, and Dilseffa laughed, too. Chapter 749 - Caravan Conclusion Unable to resist Ren''s charms, both Yuwen and Dilseffa activated their Seduction Auras and Enticement skills as they asked him in sexy and pleading voices to tell them all about his adventures while they waited for the caravan to get to its destination. Since they had almost 5 hours before that happened, Ren couldn''t refuse such a polite request, despite their heavy-handed application of their skills. ¡°Where would you like me to start?¡± Ren asked. ¡°From your very first adventure.¡± Yuwen said right away without having to think about it. ¡°Oo! Oo!¡± Teepo hopped up and down on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°That''s when he met me!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Yuwen asked and leaned forward as she loosened her tunic. ¡°Do tell.¡± Ren almost laughed at her nearly pointless effort, since she was already his concubine. He let her feel his amusement and started to tell them the tale. * ¡°So, Jirqym.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°How many of his skills did you get?¡± ¡°All of his base skills as an Artificer, some of his fighter skills, and some of his mage skills.¡± Jirqum said. ¡°It will take a lot longer to get them all.¡± ¡°I saw that he surprised you just as much as us with the Fire and Water from his hands trick.¡± Tatya said, and he felt her amusement. ¡°It wasn''t a trick.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°He has the Hands of the Gods ability.¡± ¡°You''re wrong.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Mortals can''t have that ability.¡± ¡°Is he mortal, though?¡± Jirqym asked, and both Kenkoth and Tatya fell silent. ¡°The longer I''m around him, the more I learn about him.¡± He said. ¡°He''s not normal. At all.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°He''s not invulnerable; but, he might as well be with Toughness 10.¡± Jirqyn said and they gasped. ¡°Some of the toughest creatures we''ve encountered have only been a 6 and we could barely hurt them, even with magical weapons.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°How did he become a 10?¡± ¡°He said that he is fully leveled up as an Adventurer.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I always knew Adventurers would be difficult to deal with if we had to fight them.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°But, now...¡± ¡°If it ever came down to it, he would put us all to sleep in a few seconds, just like he did with Meccis.¡± Tatya said. ¡°He wouldn''t have to fight us at all.¡± ¡°What do we do about him?¡± ¡°We keep doing exactly what we''ve been doing.¡± Tatya said. ¡°We treat him normally and try our best to not make him angry.¡± She said. ¡°If he ever decides we shouldn''t exist...¡± ¡°...we wouldn''t even know we were dead before it happened.¡± Jirqym said. Tatya was quiet for a while and Jirqym managed to generate a piece of parchment and handed it over to her. She shook her head at the very large list and couldn''t believe that one person could have so many skills. Beholo the healer sat beside her and read it over her shoulder. ¡°How does he decide what to do first?¡± Tatya asked and scanned the list. ¡°I can barely understand these descriptions!¡± Jirqym chuckled, which was rare for him. ¡°If he spent as much time in his Sanctuary as I suspect he did, he knows exactly what he can do.¡± He explained. ¡°I suspect a lot of his special skills won''t show up on that list.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°I wouldn''t have known he had the Hands of the Gods ability if he hadn''t used it in front of me.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°Is he hiding his skills?¡± Kenkoth asked. ¡°Is that even possible?¡± ¡°No, he doesn''t realize that some of them are like that.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°He was completely honest when he said he would let me read as much of him as I could.¡± ¡°You got a lot in so short a time.¡± Beholo the healer said. ¡°I''ve not seen you make this large of a list before, even from other Adventurers.¡± Jirqym smiled and held out another list and it was much smaller. ¡°This was from an Adventurer fighter that visited the castle last week.¡± Beholo held the small piece of paper next to Ren''s large one and compared them. ¡°He really does have the Fighter''s skills mixed into his own.¡± ¡°He can also change them at will.¡± Jirqym reminded them. ¡°It takes but a moment and he can become any other kind of Adventurer out there.¡± ¡°Why would he cut himself off from those other skills?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°He doesn''t.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°He has access to them all the time; but, it just makes using those skills easier if he''s that type at the time.¡± ¡°He can cast a top level spell on his own; but, if he''s a top level Mage at the time, it''s a little easier?¡± Tatya asked, and Jirqym nodded slightly. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± ¡°What''s amazing is that he agreed to let me learn all of the skills he has.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°We won''t need to meet any other Adventurer to learn what they can do, because after his trip to our lands we''ll already know everything.¡± * Several hours passed as Ren told Yuwen and Dilseffa about his many adventures. By the time they reached the border of the Human Kingdom, both women had removed their tunics completely and were cuddled up on either side of him with death grips on his arms. All they wore were their thin bodysuits, which was like a second skin for them and left nothing to the imagination. Teepo warned him when they were about to cross the barrier between the lands, and Ren paused in his story about the Marilith Demon. When the caravan crossed the border, it was almost like crossing someone''s Aura. Ren felt a bit of a tingle and then they were across and kept going. Ren was happy that he had unlocked a new area to explore, then continued his story about stopping the fight to eat the summoned pig demon, and Yuwen and Dilseffa couldn''t contain their amusement any longer. ¡°You... you stopped the Shargon Caverns boss fight... to... to... hahaha!¡± Yuwen laughed. ¡°I can''t believe you did that!¡± Dilseffa exclaimed and laughed, too. ¡°Imagine that! Killing a summoned creature, then eating it in front of a Marilith Demon!¡± ¡°Thankfully, it had the virtue of both surprising and amusing her.¡± Ren said and let his own amusement join theirs. ¡°It smelled so good that I couldn''t help myself.¡± ¡°She could have torn you apart when you left yourself so wide open like that.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°She could have done that at any time, not just then.¡± Ren said. ¡°I realized it pretty quickly that she was trying to amuse herself by playing with her prey for a while before killing it.¡± ¡°Why didn''t she kill you?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°I kept her entertained, of course.¡± Ren said. ¡°I kept her interest and showed her different things, and her curiosity overpowered her need to smite me.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Yuwen laughed. ¡°You played a very dangerous game, My King.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°It was more like... hey, you could kill me or you can look at this enticing thing!¡± Dilseffa laughed at that. ¡°Yes! That works for nearly all predators!¡± ¡°Well, only if they''re predisposed to be distracted.¡± Ren said. ¡°Remember the sabretooth rock golem?¡± ¡°Oh, that was a scary story!¡± Dilseffa shivered as her fear rose and she hugged his arm tighter and pressed it between her breasts. ¡°A giant rock cat leaping and clawing at you!¡± Ren poured calming feelings into her and she relaxed. ¡°I didn''t mean to traumatize you, I just wanted to show you that some can''t be distracted from their task, no matter what you do.¡± Dilseffa took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Yes, My King.¡± She said. ¡°I understand what you''re saying.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Ren said, and leaned his head towards her and rubbed his cheek against hers, since both of his arms were still held by both women. ¡°I want you to be careful, okay?¡± ¡°I will be, My King.¡± Dilseffa said, her face flushed slightly red at his caring and worry over her safety. Ren straightened his head and looked at Yuwen. ¡°For a change of subject, you said before that if I took you to dinner, you would show me why you''re mine.¡± Yuwen glanced at Artemis, who now sat across from them, then at Dilseffa, who let Ren''s arm go. ¡°I had hoped for a more private setting.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Artemis is my familiar, and you and Dilseffa are my concubines, even if only in name.¡± Yuwen nodded slightly and let his arm go so she could sit up straight. ¡°This is how I know I am yours.¡± She said and used both hands to grab the neck of her bodysuit and pulled down. Ren was surprised at how stretchy the fabric was as it easily moved out and down off of her shoulders without tearing, then she revealed her very nice chest. That wasn''t what caught his attention, however. ¡°Is that...¡± ¡°I don''t know what it is, but I gained it when I submitted to you.¡± Yuwen said. Ren reached out with his right hand to touch the emblem of a dire wolf head that was embossed above her heart. ¡°I didn''t realize...¡± When he touched her skin, the emblem pulsed and she gasped as it started to glow and the connection between them appeared. He felt a tingle as a glow started on his left hand.
Notice!
You have declared sovereignty over those weaker than you and created the Earth mark: Wolf Pack (Dire Wolf Head). All holders of this mark are members of your domain. Current Holders of this mark: 14
Ren didn''t know what to say to that. Fourteen of them? I wonder who... ¡°I''d say your two concubines, Mires and the magic user, and maybe some of the cooks and attendants.¡± Teepo said in the voice that only Ren could hear. ¡°No one else is talking about it; but, 4 of them were the ones we met that were kneeling and Artemis said Tatya and Kenkoth met others.¡± He said. ¡°Since no one else really deferred to you when we were eating, I''m guessing it''s the cooks since there are 10 of them.¡± Ren lifted his left hand and the spider emblem there now had a dire wolf head emblem on its back, just like the spider emblem on his right had the skull. ¡°You see? We match.¡± Yuwen said and touched the mark on the back of his hand. ¡°OH!¡± She gasped as his power poured out of him and into her. Her body rippled like water as she quickly transformed into a minx right in front of him. Her white hair grew out and flowed around her, down to the middle of her back, and her whole body was covered in a light white fur that matched it. The tips of her breasts popped out as if they had been played with a lot during foreplay and her face grew only a slight muzzle and her nose changed to the same color pink as her nipples. Her ears slid up slightly and became cute little half-circles that popped out of her flowing white hair and her hands became thicker as they changed into paws. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said. Yuwen took her hand away from his hand and covered her face with her paws. ¡°No! Don''t look at me!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You look so cute!¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Yuwen looked at him through her paws. ¡°I''ve never seen anything like this.¡± Ren said and touched her paw to move it a little, then stroked the side of her face. ¡°Your fur is much silkier than Tatya''s.¡± Yuwen and Dilseffa caught their breath and he felt their surprise. ¡°Did that give you Respect?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Good.¡± He said and looked at her in the eye. ¡°Can I touch your ear, and maybe run my fingers through your hair?¡± Yuwen was surprised by that for only a moment, because she could feel that he wanted to do it and wasn''t trying to make her feel better about losing control like she had. She nodded slightly and Ren used both hands to rub her ears. She closed her eyes and started to purr like a cat. Ren was surprised by this and how loud the sound was, then he felt how happy she was that he was being so gentle that it made him happy and he moved on to run his hands through her flowing white hair. Yuwen''s backside felt slightly uncomfortable and she shifted her weight briefly so she could take the weight off of her short fluffy tail. It popped out into view and it caught Ren''s attention immediately. She almost finished from the intensity he felt, and she dropped her hands from covering her face. He was still playing with her hair; but, he was pointedly trying not to stare at the slowly flicking tail. She knew she had his interest, so she used a paw to catch his hand and slid it down from her hair. Ren didn''t try to fight the movement as Yuwen moved his hand down from her hair and rested it on her still clothed hip. ¡°Yuwen...¡± ¡°Yes, it''s okay.¡± Yuwen said as her purring lessened and she let his hand go. ¡°You can touch it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m yours, Ren.¡± Yuwen said and she used her paws to cup her fur-covered breasts and squeezed them to present the pink tips to him. ¡°You can look. You can touch. You can play.¡± She said and rubbed her breasts as she flicked her nipples with the tips of her claws. ¡°T-touch m-me, p-please.¡± Ren couldn''t deny her sincere request, and his hand moved from her hip to her backside and grazed the start of her tail. Yuwen''s pur came back in full force and he liked that sound. His hand slid down her tail and he stroked it, and she wiggled her hips at the feelings of pleasure it gave her and that he felt for giving them to her. ¡°Can you turn over for me?¡± Ren asked and let her tail go. Yuwen slipped around almost instantly and was on her hands and knees on the seat, which put her ass and her 2 foot long tail right in his face. He saw that she was completely soaked and the skintight bodysuit had ridden up on her and showed everything. ¡°Good god.¡± Ren said at the sight, and her pleasure rose. He reached out and grabbed her tail, then pulled on it a little. ¡°OH!¡± Yuwen gasped and finished a little. Ren saw it start to drip, so he leaned forward and caught it on his tongue without touching the cloth. He had surprised himself at the act, then realized she was projecting her deep seeded need onto him. He could feel that she really wanted someone to please her after months of teasing her ex-lover and he would never have sex with her again. ¡°May I?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Oh, please! Please!¡± Yuwen begged, and Ren grabbed the little hole her tail had popped through and pulled. It stretched out just like it had at her neck when she pulled it down, so he pulled it out and down off of her hips. Her bright pink special place greeted him with a twitch and a little squirt. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and kissed it as he gripped her tail and held it up and out of the way, which was exactly how Yuwen liked it. Dilseffa had moved off of the seat while Ren and Yuwen had interacted and sat next to Artemis, so both she and Artemis had ringside seats as Ren very thoroughly made sure Yuwen was pleased. ¡°Is... is this really happening?¡± Dilseffa asked in a whisper. ¡°Yuwen''s changed and he''s... he''s...¡± ¡°Quite enjoying himself.¡± Artemis said, and Dilseffa turned her head to look at her. ¡°Stop blocking so much and let yourself feel it.¡± Dilseffa shook her head and took several shallow breaths to stay calm. ¡°It is possible to enjoy it without losing yourself to the feelings.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Or you can join them.¡± ¡°N-no, I... Rimsoh...¡± ¡°Ren is right. You need to be careful of him.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Ren will protect you when you need it.¡± ¡°I... don''t really need...¡± Dilseffa stopped talking because she didn''t want to lie so blatantly. Artemis put an arm over her shoulders. ¡°Until then, let''s just sit here and see how long Yuwen can last.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°Ren absolutely loves doing that.¡± Artemis said and motioned with her other hand at Ren. Yuwen had her face pressed into the seat and had her teeth dug into it to stop herself from screaming in pleasure. Her intense purring gave her away, though. ¡°If we didn''t make him stop to give us a break once in a while...¡± Dilseffa felt a shiver go down her spine at the thought of never having to stop, then her immense sexual desire peeked out through the unintentional gap that had left in her defenses. Everything seemed to stop as Artemis, Ren and Yuwen felt it, and they all turned their heads to look at her. ¡°Wh-what? What is it?¡± Dilseffa asked, then she felt a very strong feeling of Camaraderie and understanding. She blinked her eyes at those feelings, then Ren was there in front of her. ¡°What... what are you doing?¡± ¡°Giving you a hug.¡± Ren said and leaned in to give her a hug. ¡°I''m the same way.¡± He said. ¡°I have to keep it restrained or I''ll make a mess out of everything.¡± Dilseffa''s eyes had teared up and she wasn''t sure why. ¡°If you need to talk about it, you can always come to me.¡± Ren said into her ear, gave her one last squeeze, and let her go. She saw his kind eyes and felt his welcoming feelings. ¡°I hope you can enjoy the show for what it is.¡± He said and walked back over to Yuwen, who had stayed on her knees with her head resting on the seat. ¡°What''s that?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°Mutual pleasure.¡± Ren said and looked at Yuwen''s eyes. ¡°Would you mind if...¡± ¡°Please continue.¡± Yuwen said and her purring started up again. ¡°I''m starting to really like that sound.¡± Ren said and smiled, then grabbed her tail and pulled it up. It made her catch her breath, like he had intended, then he kissed her special place and kept pleasing her. Dilseffa was completely surprised that Ren kept pleasing Yuwen for just over an hour as they passed over the Gnome lands. Teepo warned Ren that the next land border was coming up and he had to stop. Ren made Yuwen go one last time and cleaned her up, then slid her bodysuit back into place. She didn''t move or react in the least, and stayed where she was as she kept panting heavily with her tongue stuck out. Their time was at an end and the carriage dropped fairly quickly to land just inside the border of Pervaria. Chapter 750 - Pervarian Problem After giving Yuwen an Energize spell and letting her change back, Ren, Artemis, Yuwen and Dilseffa stepped out of the carriage and into ordered chaos. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Damn goblins!¡± Someone said as they ran by. ¡°Why is everyone freaking out?¡± Ren asked, and felt fear from Yuwen and Dilseffa. ¡°Goblins alone aren''t too much of a threat, but...¡± Yuwen started to say. ¡°...when they gather into a cohesive force they are nearly unstoppable.¡± Dilseffa finished. Ren nodded slightly and walked over to Tatya, who was organizing the caravan into a fast response unit. ¡°How can I help?¡± He asked, and everyone turned to him. ¡°We''ve got the fastest troop transports around, so if there''s somewhere they need to go, use the carriages.¡± ¡°The spells are almost expired.¡± One of the drivers said. Ren took out a wand and cast Permanent Widen Effect on them. ¡°They''re good for another 5 hours.¡± Everyone stared at him and the wand in shock, even Tatya, and he chuckled. ¡°Come on, you can''t expect me to give you everything right away, do you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I suppose not.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°We can''t take too many with only...¡± ¡°Okay, fine.¡± Ren said and stored the wand as he closed his eyes, and expanded all of the carriages to 3 times their size inside. ¡°There. Each one is as big as the wolf carriage inside.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you need to empty the storage crates?¡± ¡°No time.¡± Tatya said and turned to the partially organized force behind her. ¡°Load up into the carriages! Fill them as much as you can then move onto the next!¡± The troops moved off to the carriages and she turned back to the caravan''s previous occupants. ¡°This part is voluntary.¡± Tatya said, and half of the members lifted their hands. Her eyes glanced at Ren for a moment. ¡°Am I allowed to volunteer?¡± Ren asked as he felt her curiosity. ¡°If you want to.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Why is there no time?¡± Ren asked and raised his hand. ¡°The battle has already started on the southern border of our lands.¡± Tatya said. ¡°The news they are coming is several days old.¡± ¡°Then what are we waiting for?¡± Ren asked. ¡°For the normal troops to finish loading.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and took out the All-Seeing Mirror to see the space near Princess'' house was clear and cast the Portal spell. He stepped through and knocked on her door. ¡°Feel like going into battle again?¡± ¡°My King, I am always ready.¡± Princess said and stepped out. ¡°We need to haul some people there as well.¡± Ren cautioned her, and she huffed. ¡°Do I need to go slow?¡± Princess asked. ¡°At first, like usual.¡± Ren said and they stepped back through the portal. No one spoke as a 5 foot tall large horned ram that wore platinum armor came out of the portal behind him. Ren dismissed the portal and led Princess over to a large open space and he took out the giant covered cart that they had used to carry the ghouls to the healers. ¡°You were carrying that with you?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°I''m carrying a lot of things.¡± Ren said and attached it to Princess. ¡°There''s lots of room inside; but, it''s standing room only.¡± ¡°That''s fine, as long as...¡± Tatya started to say ''as long as he took his time driving''. ¡°I''ll give them Spider Climb as they load.¡± Ren interrupted and surprised her, then he opened the top. ¡°Thank you.¡± Tatya said and waved to the troops waiting to load into the carriages. As they passed, Ren gave them Permanent Spider Climb and they climbed in without any trouble at all. When the carriages were fully loaded, Tatya motioned for the troops to divert to the large cart Ren had. It filled quickly, and Ren closed the top. ¡°I''d really like to take more.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Won''t that leave this garrison post empty?¡± Ren asked, and motioned to the large building he had just caught sight of that was behind where the caravan had landed and where the troops must have come from. Tatya sighed. ¡°Yes, it would.¡± She said and looked at the remaining troops. ¡°Stay here, just in case.¡± ¡°It''s not fair that we can''t go because we were at the back of the line.¡± Someone complained, and several others laughed. ¡°Guarding the people of your homeland is just as important as fighting for them.¡± Ren said. ¡°You might not get to go this time; but, that doesn''t mean you''ll never get to go.¡± ¡°Yeah, just run faster next time.¡± Someone shouted, and more people laughed. ¡°What about us?¡± Yuwen asked, and Ren and Tatya turned to her. ¡°I know you can fight one-on-one.¡± Ren said. ¡°If...¡± ¡°We need bulk troops more than individual fighters.¡± Tatya said and cut him off. ¡°I''m letting Rimsoh come along only because he''s a magic user and can buff our troops.¡± She said. ¡°He won''t be fighting.¡± Dilseffa relaxed at those words. ¡°Kenkoth is leading a squad with...¡± Tatya stopped and smiled. ¡°He''s a leader, so he''s in.¡± ¡°I assume you''re leaving the attendants and the cooks behind?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded slightly. ¡°Does that mean we''ll come back to pick them up?¡± ¡°We need to return here and finish the inspection anyway.¡± Tatya said. Ren turned to Yuwen and Dilseffa. ¡°Please remain here, in relative safety, and I''ll be back to escort you in the manner you deserve to arrive in your homeland.¡± Yuwen''s eyes were wide and she nodded, as did Dilseffa. They stepped back and Ren looked at Artemis. ¡°Take the lead scout position.¡± Ren said, and she flew up into the air to hover in front of Princess. ¡°Tatya, I assume you want to arrive first to help organize the offloading?¡± ¡°I would.¡± ¡°Then you''re with me.¡± Ren said and walked over to Princess and climbed onto her saddle. Tatya looked at him with wide eyes and he held a hand out to her. She took it and he lifted her up to sit behind him. ¡°I thought...¡± ¡°If this was a more leisurely ride, I''d put you in my lap.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hold on.¡± Tatya wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly. ¡°Princess, let''s go.¡± Princess huffed and took a step up into the air to get a feel for the load, then trotted. Artemis flew ahead of her in the right direction and the caravan lifted off and followed them. Once they were all on their way, Ren told Princess how fast the giant boars could go. She blew a raspberry at him for making her run at barely a tenth of her normal speed and she sped up slightly to match it. ¡°How long...¡± Ren started to ask. ¡°At this speed? Barely 20 minutes.¡± Tatya said over the rushing wind. Her eyes were almost squeezed shut at the force. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± Ren said and handed her a Helm of the Eagle. ¡°Equip that.¡± Tatya put the helm on and chuckled as the wind stopped bothering her. ¡°You''re just going to keep amazing me, aren''t you?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Ren said. ¡°Especially since I''ve never fought in a regimented fight before.¡± ¡°It''s simple, as long as you follow orders.¡± ¡°What if the orders are wrong and will get people killed?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Usually things need to progress a certain way in order to either gain an advantage or to outright win.¡± She explained. ¡°If even one troop section messes up their orders, it could cause the strategy to fail and lose the battle.¡± ¡°Wow, really?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Yes, but... there is some leeway. Experienced commanders include backup plans to recover if the original plan fails or doesn''t quite work out how they think it should.¡± ¡°Well, I don''t know if I can be a part of a squad like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°You volunteered to help.¡± ¡°I did, but I figured I would be the distraction.¡± ¡°The what?¡± Tatya asked.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Something for the enemy to focus on and fight against, while you... or whoever is in charge there... get their forces into position to destroy the goblins.¡± ¡°You do realize I said that individual fighters are almost useless in these kinds of battles, right?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve got two very capable fighters on my side, so we can be a squad on our own.¡± ¡°You will mess things up if you''re not careful.¡± Tatya cautioned him. ¡°I won''t do anything until directed to; but, even if I stood there and told you what I could do, you would be too focused on the battle at large to come up with the best way to utilize my skills.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s better to just point me where you want the largest disturbance to happen and work around it.¡± Tatya chuckled, too. ¡°Yes, I can tell that you wouldn''t be good in a regiment and taking orders.¡± ¡°It''s not like I can''t do it, I just can do so much more than that.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Tatya said and rested her chin on his shoulder. ¡°I felt how happy Yuwen was, and I haven''t felt that from her in a long time.¡± ¡°No one has.¡± Teepo said from Ren''s other shoulder and chittered in laughter. ¡°She only just met Ren!¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I seem to have a talent for it.¡± ¡°I''ve... felt... some of that talent during our display duel.¡± Tatya whispered in his ear, and he could feel her teasing emotions. ¡°Did Yuwen get to feel it, too?¡± ¡°Would you be jealous if she did?¡± Ren asked, and her hands slid up his chest. He was still wearing his fancy blue suit so her hands unbuttoned the suit coat and dug into his pectoral muscles as she hugged him again. ¡°It would depend on how much of it she felt.¡± Tatya responded. ¡°Well, she is my concubine.¡± Ren countered. ¡°Even if...¡± ¡°You were alone with two concubines for all that time, and you didn''t have sex with either of them.¡± Tatya said as she felt his emotions and kissed his ear. When he didn''t react, she sighed. ¡°Are you blocking me?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, I''ve desensitized my ears for things like that.¡± ¡°Then why did you react when I did it before?¡± ¡°I hadn''t felt your rough tongue before.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t desensitize against something I never expected.¡± ¡°I''m glad to hear that.¡± Tatya purred into his ear and licked it. It sent a shiver down his spine and he felt how happy she was that she hadn''t lost her charm. ¡°We... are riding into battle.¡± Ren said as she rubbed her furry face on the side of his head and scent marked his ear. ¡°Yes, and it will be a glorious fight.¡± Tatya said. Ren glanced at her and saw her ears were pinned back and she had her eyes closed because of the wind. ¡°Put the helm back on.¡± He admonished her. ¡°But...¡± ¡°It forms to fit the wearer.¡± Ren reminded her, and she equipped it again. It changed its shape to fit her more cat-like head and left her ears uncovered so she could still use them. ¡°We have to have these made.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I''ve never worn a helm in this form before.¡± ¡°Wait, you''re going into a regimental battle and none of you are wearing armor?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°How would we armor up so many different species in human form and still have them viable when they change to fight?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°You know we have a variety of transformations available to us.¡± Ren opened his mouth to say that it should reform, then remembered the drivers were all tiger-men, Kenkoth was a lion-man, and Beholo was a jackal. He wasn''t sure if armor, even equipped after changing, would still work or be allowed if they changed too much to still be considered humanoid. ¡°They''d need individual armor measurements after changing, and they still couldn''t wear humanoid-like armor if they become a full animal.¡± Ren said. ¡°Which would defeat the purpose of having armor if all they can do with it is store it when they change.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I keep my straight legs when I change, but...¡± ¡°Some of you have back-bending legs, I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even a multi-piece armor like what I have won''t work if the basic shape changes too much.¡± ¡°It is a quandary that our blacksmiths have been thinking about since we learned to make armor.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Besides making 3 sets of armor for those that can wear it while we fight, which isn''t many of us because armor is heavy and bulky, there isn''t much we can do about it.¡± We''re approaching the battlefield. Artemis thought to him. ¡°Artemis said we''re getting close.¡± Ren said. ¡°There should be a staging area close by.¡± Tatya said and slid her hands out of his suit and sat up straight so she could use the Spot ability the helm gave her and looked around. ¡°There, to the right.¡± Artemis, to the right. Ren thought to her, and she changed directions. Ren and Princess followed her, as did the caravan behind them. Shock and surprise greeted them as they came in for a landing in the middle of the area, which was the only space available for them to fit safely. The carriages landed all around them and opened up as Ren helped Tatya climb down from Princess'' saddle, then he opened the large covered cart. All of the troops inside flooded out and formed into their proper troop formations when they combined with the troops from the carriages. ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± A very large man stalked over to them. Ren activated his Controlled Berserk Rage and equipped his platinum armor and hammerpick, then turned on all of his Auras except the bad ones and it jumped out to 2,500 feet. The man paused for only a moment and kept coming, so Ren activated his Ultimate Terror ring and funnelled it through his Fear Aura. The man stopped walking and squinted his eyes at Ren, and everyone in the staging area turned to look at them. ¡°Reinforcements.¡± Tatya said. She wasn''t sure why she wasn''t as affected by his Aura as she had been when Ren had used it back in King Alamast''s castle, though. ¡°Tatya? How did you get here so quickly?¡± The man almost growled. ¡°King Ren was kind enough to prove the means for us to come here from the eastern passage.¡± Tatya said and touched Ren''s shoulder. ¡°Ease down.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°He can''t challenge you.¡± Tatya said. ¡°He needs to fight the battle.¡± ¡°He wants to test me despite that.¡± Ren said and deactivated his Ultimate Terror ring. Tatya smiled and looked at the tall man. ¡°He has Toughness 10.¡± The man''s mouth dropped open at those words and he managed to keep his shock to a minimum. ¡°That... can''t be.¡± He said. ¡°He''s only...¡± ¡°...the most powerful Adventurer anyone has ever seen.¡± Tatya finished for him. ¡°Now, where do you want us deployed?¡± ¡°He''s going to fight with us?¡± The man asked. ¡°It''s more like we can point to where we want him to cause the biggest disturbance.¡± Tatya said as she took Ren''s previous words to heart. The man barked a laugh. ¡°As long as it''s to the enemy.¡± He said and pulled out a map of the battlefield. ¡°We''re currently trying to flank them around this ridge; but, their catapults have us pinned in this area.¡± ¡°Teepo and Artemis.¡± Ren said and activated his Hail of Arrows ability as the pair flew up into the air a couple hundred feet. They turned slightly to point in the right direction, then Artemis unleashed a deluge of full power Mana bolts that were magically increased by ten for each one fired. Ren took out the All-Seeing Mirror and enlarged it as he asked for the spot the catapults used to be. Both Tatya and the large man were surprised that only several dozen craters with wood pieces and goblin bodies could be seen. ¡°Anything else?¡± Ren asked. The large man blinked his eyes for a moment, then he smiled. ¡°We can''t confirm it; but as far as we know, their magic user and maybe their leaders should be in this area.¡± He pointed to his map a quarter of a mile away from the ridge. ¡°Their groups of troops will have leaders as well; but, these are the ones we need to remove to cause as much havoc as possible to break their formations.¡± ¡°I''ll go there right away.¡± Ren said and stored the mirror, then unhooked Princess from the large covered cart and stored it. ¡°Be careful of their suicide goblins.¡± Tatya said and touched his cheek. ¡°Their what?¡± Ren looked at her in confusion. ¡°They sneak in goblins that can detonate themselves when close enough to an enemy.¡± Tatya said. ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Ren exclaimed, and both she and the large man shook their heads. ¡°It''s why single fighters don''t stand a chance against them sometimes, because if they do manage to get one in close...¡± ¡°...the single fighter would be at a loss and they would still have a large number of troops to keep fighting.¡± Ren said, then sighed. ¡°I know it makes sense to them, but...¡± ¡°They''re almost mindless, King Ren.¡± Tatya said. ¡°If their leaders didn''t push them to fight, they would only eat and sleep.¡± ¡°Then why...¡± ¡°Resources, of course.¡± The large man said. ¡°The more land they control, the more of themselves they can grow and take over more land.¡± ¡°Wait, did you say grow?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No one is really sure how they come to be.¡± Tatya said. ¡°All we know is that even after a large scale battle, like this one that covers several miles of open terrain, there are just as many the next time they decide to try to expand again.¡± ¡°I guess they would have to grow or summon them.¡± Ren said. ¡°Unless they have birthing clans set up to give birth to as many of them as possible.¡± Teepo said. ¡°They would have to mature fast after that, though.¡± ¡°That''s a disturbing thought.¡± Ren said. ¡°LOOK OUT!¡± A man''s voice yelled, and everyone turned to look where the shout came from, and just then Ren felt something enter his Aura. Then several more somethings entered, and a whole bunch more right after. ¡°I''ve got this.¡± Ren said at the familiar feelings he felt and ran over to the spot, and Tatya and the large man were close behind him. It was a bunch of spiders. They were about 5 feet long and 2 feet tall and easily crawled over the barricade, then started to jump onto the Pervarians that were trying to defend the staging area. Ren activated his Ultimate Terror ring and funnelled it through his Fear Aura and concentrated on the spiders. ¡°STOP!¡± He commanded, and every single spider stopped moving. The tiny goblins riding them whacked them with sticks to try and get them to move, and Ren felt pain from a lot of the spiders. ¡°Don''t hurt them!¡± Ren said and took out his handgun in a flash and fired, and a micro-portal opened up in front of the barrel, which split the bullet into a hundred fragments as micro-portals appeared in front of the small goblin''s faces. The bullets entered their vulnerably soft eyes and exploded out the backs of their little heads. The bodies flopped down and slid off the spiders, because they were no longer capable of holding onto the straps. Ren cast Minor Healing on all of the spiders to fix the damage they had suffered. ¡°Come here.¡± The spiders quickly swarmed over the defenders who tried to attack them, now that the spiders were vulnerable. ¡°Don''t attack them.¡± Ren commanded, and the defenders stopped mid-swing and he felt them become disgruntled. He ignored that as the spiders came over to him, and Teepo counted them as he and Artemis flew down to Ren. ¡°There''s 20 of them.¡± Teepo said and landed on his shoulder. ¡°I think they are a fast attack squad, like the ones the Dark Elves used.¡± ¡°But a lot smaller.¡± Ren said and pet the spider behind its eyes, and he felt its need. ¡°Aww, they starved you so you would fight harder, didn''t they?¡± He asked and walked into the middle of them as he felt agreement from all of the spiders. He equipped just the middle part of an armored bodysuit to leave his arms and legs bare. ¡°Then touch me and I''ll feed you.¡± They practically jumped onto and over each other to get a leg onto him and he laughed. ¡°Easy, now. I just healed you.¡± Ren said and felt their amusement. ¡°Okay, a good fear feeding. Just a second.¡± He thought about waking up from a terrifying memory while in the hospital and made a little reservoir with it, then let it flow out to them. All of the spiders shivered at the pure fear he fed them. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tatya asked as she felt Ren''s fear. ¡°It''s not their fault that they like and feed on Fear.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s also not their fault that they get used and abused to try and get that Fear so they won''t starve.¡± ¡°How would you know that?¡± ¡°I''m the Royal Consort to the Queen of the Dark Elves.¡± Ren said and held up his right hand and showed her the spider emblem. ¡°She has a lot of spiders in her lair.¡± ¡°I thought that was just a personal mark or something.¡± Tatya said. ¡°It is a personal mark that I received from her.¡± Ren said and his pet spider crawled out of his hair. ¡°So that''s where you were hiding.¡± He said and picked it up. ¡°My Queen, would you like some liberated goblin spiders to add to your collection?¡± A portal opened up nearby and Ren looked at the spiders. ¡°You can go and live a good life in the underground, and you won''t have to worry about starving again.¡± Ren said and pointed. Several spiders jumped through the portal right away, and a few were a little hesitant to go, then jumped as well. Half of them kept touching him, however. ¡°It''s all right. If I meet any more of your brethren, I''ll send them along.¡± A feeling of acceptance came from the rest of the spiders and they went through the portal. ¡°Thank you, My Queen.¡± Ren said. The portal disappeared and Ren tucked the spider back into his hair. Tatya and the large man, as well as several dozen Pervarians, stared at him and didn''t know what to say. ¡°Oh, you can move now.¡± Ren said absently to the Pervarian defenders. They relaxed and rubbed their arms where they had held their weapons poised for attack. ¡°How long will it take you to get your forces into position?¡± He asked the large man. ¡°Uh... maybe... 10 minutes.¡± The large man said. ¡°I can be a distraction for at least that long.¡± Ren said and laughed, and they felt his amusement. ¡°Hey, Princess! Let''s go!¡± Princess was there in an instant and Ren equipped his platinum armor as he scratched her chin. ¡°Ground assault this time.¡± Ren said and he felt how happy she was at getting to ram something. He climbed up and sat down on her saddle, and Artemis floated beside him. ¡°That-a-way!¡± He pointed, and Princess ran over to the large barricade. ¡°NO! Don''t destroy our only...¡± The large man stopped talking as Princess ran up and over it as if it was open ground and Artemis flew beside her. Smashing sounds and the terrified screams of goblins were heard soon after. Chapter 751 - The Distraction Of Battle Princess had a great time with all the tiny screaming goblins. Their pitiful weapons and armor made a staccato sound as she rammed through their ranked formations and they bounced off her horns. It almost sounded like music to her ears, and Ren hummed to the tune. ¡°Take a quick left.¡± Ren said and they hit a siege weapon and smashed it to smithereens. ¡°Perfect time for a smash sound in the music.¡± He said and brushed off the splinters, and Teepo chittered in delight. Princess straightened out as she rushed towards another goblin unit and the song continued. * The large man didn''t want to waste another second, so he ran over to the messengers and told them to get to their designated units and to tell them to charge forward with the plan. The messengers didn''t question the lunacy and ran off, and the large man looked at his map again. ¡°If he can just keep the main force occupied...¡± ¡°He will.¡± Tatya said confidently. ¡°The watchers on the barricade have already said the units that had been behind the goblin spider riders have already turned tail and are chasing after the monster that rammed through them.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I don''t think he killed anyone, either.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± The large man asked. ¡°That giant ram had huge horns.¡± He said. ¡°They would pulverize anything she hit!¡± ¡°If they were trying to kill them.¡± Tatya said, and he stared at her with wide eyes. ¡°You said you wanted a distraction, not a devastating attack.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± The large man said. ¡°He''s bringing the stray units together.¡± ¡°Why is that bad?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°It''s what you wanted, isn''t it?¡± ¡°If they have enough of them in a small space, they can sacrifice a ton of them.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Tatya asked as she felt his sadness over losing the battle. ¡°Get your unit together and head out to get that magic user.¡± The large man said and stored the map. ¡°If you don''t kill him within the next ten minutes, you''ll find out what happens next.¡± * ¡°This is fun!¡± Princess said as they managed to get to the spot where the large man had told them to go, and she ran around almost in a perfect circle and kept bashing the goblins to continue hearing the music she was making. ¡°Hey, is that a troll?¡± Ren asked as a distorted shape stood up to his full height of 12 feet, then two others stood up behind him. ¡°Yes, and the goblins are poking them with spears.¡± Teepo said, then chittered in laughter. ¡°Like trolls need to be encouraged.¡± ¡°Should we prank the goblins?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Do it, Ren!¡± Teepo chittered in delight as he caught Ren''s thought. Ren opened his Instant Tower recipe and made it into what he wanted, then added the materials. He threw the finished 2 inch wide block through the air and as soon as it landed, he activated it. A huge stone bridge, 20 feet across and 40 feet long with three archways under it, appeared instantly and shoved two large groups of goblins aside to make room for itself. The goblins screamed and scattered at the surprise more than being shoved, and the three trolls kicked their handlers aside and ran under the bridge. Ren, Teepo, Artemis and Princess laughed as the troll handler goblins tried to get the trolls out from under their new home and the trolls were having none of it. They fought and defended their new home against anyone that came near it. The other goblins had no idea what to do about the large bridge in the middle of their formation. One of them had the bright idea to actually cross the bridge, since that was what you do with a bridge. A pile of goblins tried to cross it, and the trolls wouldn''t let them without paying the toll. The goblins didn''t have anything except their weapons to pay, so the trolls took them and let the goblins cross. They got to the other side and prepared to fight; but, they didn''t have any weapons, so they turned around and tried to cross the bridge again. They couldn''t pay the toll, since they didn''t have any weapons, so they just stood around and looked completely dumbfounded. Ren and his friends kept laughing as the situation became worse and worse for the dumb goblins while more of them crossed the pointless bridge and ended up weaponless on the other side. ¡°That''s enough!¡± A booming voice exclaimed, and some of the goblin units that Princess hadn''t rammed yet, split apart to reveal a very ornate and well dressed goblin. He was taller than the others, but since he was sitting down, Ren hadn''t seen him until now. ¡°That was sneaky.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°I call forth the Corrupter of ALL!¡± The goblin said and stood up as he shook his staff. He pointed it at all the goblins that had crossed the bridge and had lost their weapons. ¡°Accept these idiotic sacrifices to come at my call and heed my commands!¡± Ren felt a burst of Void energy pass through his Aura and hit the mass of goblins, and they all instantly died. ¡°Hey! What are you doing?¡± He asked, surprised. ¡°You''re killing your own troops!¡± ¡°I''m also killing you!¡± The goblin said as a portal appeared behind him. It expanded out and out to nearly 30 feet across and a giant spider leg stepped out of it. Then another. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren said as the largest spider he had ever seen stepped out of the portal. It barely fit through, even with bringing a single leg through at a time. When it was fully through, the portal closed and it spread its legs out to stretch to its full length of 60 feet and was about 40 feet tall. Artemis shot it with her Mana bolts, but they bounced off and did no damage. ¡°It''s got magical protection!¡± ¡°I think it''s just too massive for that to work.¡± Ren said as he felt a menacing feeling from the humongous spider. ¡°I don''t feel any kinship with it like I did with the goblin spiders, though.¡± ¡°It''s probably demonic or something.¡± Teepo said. ¡°I''ve never seen anything like it before.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder what I should...¡± The humongous spider hiked itself up on its legs and twisted its body under itself to point its spinnerets at him and shot webbing out. It spattered as it hit and it completely covered nearly 50 feet around him, which included 2 troops of goblins. ¡°Wow, this stuff is really thick.¡± Ren said as it plopped around him and pretty much encased him in webbing. He tried to push it away and all it did was move slightly and spring back. ¡°Try using Fire.¡± Teepo said and Ren activated his Hands of the Gods ability Burning Hands and dug them into the webbing. He poured pure Fire out of his hands and used his Fire Manipulation ability to spread it out, and he was soon surrounded by Fire.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°It''s burning, but very slowly.¡± Ren said. ¡°Princess?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± Princess said, kind of muffled. ¡°I can move a little, but it springs back.¡± ¡°Hammerpick?¡± Teepo asked. ¡°Even if it didn''t get stuck like us, I can''t swing it to use the plow end to cut.¡± ¡°Then there''s only one thing left to do.¡± Teepo said, and Ren sighed. ¡°I don''t want to.¡± Ren said, and he felt some of the goblins nearby were starting to suffocate. ¡°Ren...¡± Ren sighed and absorbed the Fire. ¡°All right. I guess I don''t have a choice.¡± He said and activated his polymorph helm. His body grew up to just over 11 feet tall and his features elongated as his skin changed to pitch black, then his blonde fluffy hair changed to bright white and grew out really long. Dark Elf Ren was angry that he had to transform so soon after saying he wasn''t going to for a while, and he used that anger as his phantom spider limbs formed around him. Since they were phantom limbs, they weren''t constrained by the physical webbing, and the specifically designed claws on the ends tore through the web as if it was nothing. Dark Elf Ren freed himself and Princess to see that the humongous spider and the hordes of goblins had moved on, believing he was defeated. ¡°I am not so easily dispatched or ignored.¡± Dark Elf Ren said and activated his Hail Of Arrows ability again and took out a handful of steel rods. He enchanted them with the Instant Spear rune he had learned in the dwarf lands, added as many Piercing Damage runes that he could, then charged them as Elemental Grenades. He grinned an evil grin as he aimed for the giant spider that was quite a distance away. * ¡°Oh... my... god.¡± Tatya whispered as she saw the humongous spider for herself. It was 60 feet long and 40 feet tall, and she knew that her people were all going to be dead in mere moments when the massive spider reached them. She wasn''t concerned in the least over the horde of goblins running behind it, then her lightly furred ears caught a low whistling sound. They perked up and she wondered what was making that sound. ¡°SKREEEE!¡± The humongous spider screamed in pain as a hundred long metal spears pierced its vulnerable backside behind its considerably thick armor. It turned around to face the threat it didn''t realize was there, then those 100 magic metal spears exploded. Tatya and everyone around her, which consisted of several squads of Pervarians in their various animal forms, stared with open mouths as the rear end of the humongous spider exploded in a huge spray of blood, gore and viscera. The body took one step, then it collapsed in a heap onto the horde of goblins it was stepping over. Goblin screams and yells pierced the air as hundreds of their fellows died instantly and hundreds more were injured as the spider''s body twitched and its legs kicked out randomly and cut swaths through the surrounding formations, which devastated their whole army. Tatya was going to comment to the people following her, about how fortunate that was, then she felt Ren''s Ultimate Terror Aura and caught her breath as she saw him in his new form. * ¡°RAHHH!¡± Dark Elf Ren yelled as he hefted a 20 foot long sword and leaped through the air in a high arc, then brought the sword down onto the spider''s back. It cracked the armor and pulverized the exoskeleton underneath as another burst of blood and guts came out the hole the magic spears had blown in its backside. ¡°DAMN STUPID SPIDER!¡± Dark Elf Ren yelled and ranted as he swung the sword across the spider''s back and cut away the armor to expose the exoskeleton underneath. ¡°I didn''t want to change again so soon!¡± He said and swung again to slice through the damaged exoskeleton easily. ¡°You don''t realize how much I hate stupid fights!¡± He said and jumped up into the air again and brought the sword down behind the spider''s eyes. It went right through and into the ground and jammed there. Dark Elf Ren grunted in frustration and pushed it to the right about 6 feet, then pulled it back to the left 12 feet, and the part of the spider that held the eyes fell off as it was severed. ¡°That''s what you get!¡± Dark Elf Ren said and jumped over to the side and cut off one of the legs. ¡°Stupid spider!¡± He said each time he cut off one of the legs. When he did the last one, he walked over to the middle of the remains and yelled at the top of his lungs, then threw the sword high up into the air. ¡°REN! Look OUT!¡± Tatya yelled and he stopped his incoherent yell and looked at her. ¡°What is it?¡± Dark Elf Ren asked. ¡°The sword!¡± Tatya said and pointed. Dark Elf Ren looked up at it; but, he didn''t move out of the way and she felt his confusion. She was about to yell again, then the sword sliced down through the air as if it had weighed a ton, and jammed itself right into the thorax of the spider. It was technically called a cephalothorax, a thorax and head combined; but, he had cut the head part off already and all that was left was the thorax. The sword just missed hitting Dark Elf Ren and Tatya sighed in relief. ¡°I was just getting some frustrations out.¡± Dark Elf Ren said and stored the sword, then walked over to her through the air and stopped in front of her. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Tatya looked up at his over 11 feet of height and wasn''t sure how to respond. Ren chuckled and stepped down onto the ground as he changed back into his normal appearance. ¡°Is this better?¡± Tatya nodded and put her paw-like hands on his shoulders. ¡°I was worried about you.¡± ¡°I felt that.¡± Ren said and saw her flick her tail. ¡°That''s an annoyed flick, isn''t it?¡± Tatya chuckled and hugged him. ¡°I''m a little annoyed, yes.¡± She said and her tail moved normally. ¡°I can''t find the magic user.¡± Artemis said as she landed beside Ren. ¡°Me, either.¡± Teepo said and landed on his shoulder. ¡°That''s because he''s right there.¡± Tatya said and pointed with her paw-like hand. Ren turned his head and saw the remains of the group of goblins that had been around the tall goblin. They were partially crushed under the spider''s body and he smiled. ¡°Oops.¡± ¡°Oops, he says!¡± One of the beige panther-men behind Tatya said and started laughing. ¡°There''s still goblins to take care of!¡± Someone shouted, and that got everyone''s attention. ¡°Clean-up detail!¡± Tatya commanded, and her group spread out and joined the other troops that were killing the rest of the goblins. ¡°Ren, I need to go.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t mean to take your kill.¡± ¡°I could never have killed that spider thing.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I meant the magic user.¡± Ren said. ¡°How do you know that''s who I was going for?¡± ¡°You were coming in the same direction that guy told me to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°You had to be coming after the magic user.¡± ¡°I could have come after the command structure.¡± Tatya said and started to walk away. ¡°They weren''t there.¡± Ren said. Tatya felt his confidence and turned to look at him. ¡°Why would you think that?¡± ¡°He was the only one with any kind of power inside my Aura.¡± Ren said. ¡°Either he was a stalking horse... a fake leader for us to think we killed the real leader... or he was the only one here in the first place and is the real leader of the army.¡± Tatya smiled and gave him a nod, then ran to catch up with her troops. Ren dismissed the popup for Respect and looked at Artemis. ¡°Where''s Princess?¡± ¡°Still making music by ramming things.¡± Teepo said, and the three of them laughed as Princess ran past them and they heard groans from the Pervarians as Princess struck and trampled their kills, which took all the fun away from them because they only had to finish the goblins off and didn''t get to chase them down like they wanted to. ¡°I''ll get the other spiders and send them to Lylyth.¡± Ren said and ran off to do just that. Artemis flew beside him to make sure no one could sneak up on him. * ¡°What happened?¡± A golden armored goblin said in Gobbledegook, the goblin language. ¡°We had a clear and distinct advantage!¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Another goblin who wore ornate robes similar to those of the magic user in the battle. ¡°(squeaks and clicks) even summoned Anansi to take revenge on the other animal spirits.¡± ¡°How did he...¡± The armored goblin sighed. ¡°Damn him and his sacrificial rituals.¡± ¡°You''ve got that right.¡± The mage goblin said and pointed to the Viewing Cloud, and the armored goblin saw the remains of the other magic user. ¡°At least he doesn''t have to face the others because of his failure, now.¡± The mage chuckled. ¡°Just you, then.¡± ¡°Yes, just me.¡± The armored goblin said. ¡°They even managed to kill Anansi?¡± He asked as he saw what had crushed the magic user. ¡°Yes.¡± The mage said. ¡°He won''t be happy that we have to grow him another body to inhabit.¡± ¡°I wonder if he was really there or just sent it.¡± The armored goblin said, then sighed. ¡°I knew I should have delayed visiting my brood.¡± ¡°So that''s where you went.¡± The mage said, his curiosity satisfied. ¡°How are they coming along?¡± ¡°We should have another battalion of troops with armor proficiency in about a month.¡± ¡°Good, good.¡± The mage said and made a note of it. ¡°I''ll have the makers start right away on appropriate pieces.¡± The armored goblin nodded to the mage and left the room. He headed over to the others to face the consequences of losing a battle so soon, even though he hadn''t been there for it. * Lara sat in the back room of the Library in Ren''s county and tried not to laugh as she watched the Far-Seeing Mirror at Ren''s antics. ¡°I''m glad telling him that he needed to go with them didn''t get me a warning.¡± She said and stored the mirror. ¡°I couldn''t let a new expansion happen and not give Ren the gift of being the first one to go there.¡± She snorted a laugh as she stood and walked over to her closet to log out. ¡°I''m also glad that I was right about him not minding a woman being a little hairy down below.¡± She thought about what she just said and burst out laughing. ¡°Beast Races are a little hairy! Ha ha ha!¡± Chapter 752 - Customs Check The Pervarian Army quickly cleared up the remains of the large goblin army that had tried, and nearly succeeded, in overrunning their border. Once they were all dispatched, Tatya left the large man to clean up and loot everything. Tatya, and the Pervarians from the caravan that had volunteered, climbed into Ren''s normal-sized covered cart that had been stored in Princess'' saddle bag and was now attached to their ride, Princess. Unlike last time, Tatya got to ride side saddle on Ren''s lap. They travelled back to the garrison on the eastern border of the Kingdom of Pervaria and landed beside the large building. Once there, they were all examined by medical professionals. Ren equipped his fancy blue suit and wasn''t surprised when he was taken aside and brought into a special room with Tatya and one of the medical personnel. He was glad that he didn''t need to specify having a woman do the task. ¡°I have to warn you that this will be a full examination.¡± The woman said. ¡°It is? Just a second.¡± Ren said and left the room and went back to the group still waiting to be examined. ¡°Yuwen. Dilseffa. Come with me, please.¡± ¡°But...¡± Yuwen looked at the man that had just said her name because she was next. ¡°You''re both my Mistresses and I won''t have anyone else perform your examinations except me.¡± Ren said, and everyone was surprised, especially Rimsoh and Dilseffa. ¡°Artemis, you too.¡± ¡°Yes, My King.¡± Artemis said and the three women followed Ren back to the examination room. ¡°What is going on here?¡± The medical professional asked when they came in. ¡°Yuwen and Dilseffa are my concubines and Artemis is my familiar.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh. All right.¡± The woman said and didn''t argue. ¡°Take off your clothes, please.¡± ¡°Which one of us are you talking to?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°I meant him; but, you can all get undressed if you want to. This shouldn''t take long.¡± ¡°But...¡± Dilseffa''s face went red at the thought of being naked in front of Ren. ¡°It''s my first time being naked in front of you, too.¡± Ren said, and she blinked her eyes at him. ¡°How did you know I was thinking that?¡± ¡°Tatya is thinking it, too.¡± Ren said and smiled. Dilseffa looked at the head of the delegation and saw her slightly red face as she untied her tunic. ¡°She''s being a little dramatic and is trying to take her time, though.¡± Ren chuckled and Tatya''s face flushed fully red. ¡°She can store her clothing just like the rest of us.¡± Tatya, Yuwen, Dilseffa, and even the medical professional took in a sharp breath as he stored everything except his underwear and they beheld the sight of Ren''s rippling muscles and the barely contained strength in them. ¡°Oh... my.¡± Yuwen whispered and held in her moan. ¡°S-stay still, please.¡± The woman performing the examination said and approached him. Ren smiled at her and held his arms slightly out to the side, and he noticed that she was about a foot taller than him. ¡°Am I the first Adventurer you''ve examined?¡± Ren asked as her hands glowed slightly and she started to check him over like Deresdra the healer used to do at the mines every day. ¡°Y-yes.¡± The woman said and rubbed his chest muscles. ¡°Are all the women in Pervaria turned on by strength?¡± Ren asked, curious. ¡°I spent a lot of time in the Dwarven Kingdom and they prized a strong male above all things.¡± ¡°No, we just appreciate...¡± The woman stopped rubbing his chest and smiled. ¡°Then again, I suspect you''ll have lots of admirers if you walked around in just a waist sash like our high ranked fighters.¡± ¡°Is flaunting of strength expected?¡± ¡°No.¡± She said and moved on to his arms and checked them. ¡°It''s just a perk for women to see a strong man.¡± ¡°Does that mean it doesn''t matter that I''m so short?¡± Ren asked, and she stopped examining him and stepped back. ¡°Your height doesn''t normally dictate your appeal.¡± She said. ¡°You are short; but, that''s not a drawback. In fact, it puts your head at just the right height for...¡± She looked down at herself and stopped talking as she saw the tips of her breasts were poking through her thin bodysuit and tunic. I didn''t realize I was that excited. She thought in surprise, then she felt her hand being held and looked at Ren. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said as he lifted her hand and gave it a small and quick lick. He felt the thrill go through her and she stopped herself from shivering at the touch. ¡°Y-you''re welcome.¡± She said. ¡°I better finish your examination.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. The medical professional took a deep breath and checked his abdomen and then his thighs. She was tempted to do the middle part, then decided to wait and save it for last. She moved around to his back and went up his legs and checked everything. She gave his backside a bit more attention than was necessary, then moved up to his back and caressed the muscles there and did his shoulders and neck. She moved back around to his front and thought about kneeling to get a closer look at him; but, she was a professional and only plucked at his underwear and stepped to the side slightly. Ren stored his underwear and she gripped him gently and asked him to cough. He did so, and he reacted to being touched so carefully there, because it was so unlike how Deresdra had done it the first time. The medical professional couldn''t help herself and glanced down at him as he pressed against her arm, and she caught her breath and quickly finished the examination of his tender bits. ¡°Y-you c-can g-get d-dressed.¡± She managed to say as she let him go. ¡°You''re cleared.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and equipped his underwear and felt disappointment from Tatya, Yuwen and Dilseffa, because the examiner had stayed between them and Ren and they hadn''t seen anything. He was a little surprised that Dilseffa wanted to check him out, so he didn''t bother putting anything else on and stayed in just his underwear as he stepped over to them. ¡°Next.¡± The medical professional said and Tatya stepped forward and stored her bodysuit to reveal that she didn''t have anything on underneath, which confirmed what Ren already knew. She had a lithe body, with toned muscles and a quiet strength that you knew she could cause a lot of damage to you if she meant you harm. Tatya felt Ren''s appreciation of her form and she glanced at him to see that he was staring at her face and not the rest of her. She raised her eyebrows in a question and he smiled a wicked smile and pointedly looked at her breasts. She let out a chuckle and the woman examining her stopped. ¡°Did that tickle?¡± She asked, slightly concerned. ¡°I was laughing at...¡± Tatya stopped and smiled. ¡°No, it didn''t tickle.¡± The medical professional continued the thorough examination and finished it faster than she had with Ren, even though Tatya was only slightly taller than her and much taller than Ren. When she was done, she asked for the next person, and Ren stepped forward with Yuwen. ¡°I already...¡± ¡°I''ll be doing it under your supervision.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you a qualified healer?¡± ¡°I haven''t taken the oaths or paid to join a guild; but, I do know what I''m doing.¡± Ren said and asked Yuwen to store her clothing. She did it without question and Ren''s hands glowed slightly as he proceeded to give her the same thorough examination that the medical professional had just given Tatya. Everyone watched him closely as he examined her and saw that he did it in a professional manner, even when Yuwen started to react to him touching her all over. Everyone tensed up when he had examined her chest, and he felt that they all had expected him to grope her, even Yuwen, and he held in his amusement at her disappointment and only did exactly what he had done to Deresdra when she had expected him to grope her, too. Ren finished with Yuwen and looked at the medical professional expectantly. She took a quick breath in and let it out.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°She''s cleared.¡± She said, almost reluctantly. Ren chuckled and held a hand out to Dilseffa. ¡°I... do you really want to...¡± ¡°I''m being completely professional and you can feel my emotions.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s nothing sexual; but, I can''t promise to be quick, because I can''t skim over the parts that need to be checked.¡± Dilseffa sighed and stepped forward and took his hand, and he filled her with reassurance. She stored her clothing and he examined her as well. No one tensed up when he touched her chest, and he smiled as he completed the exam to the medical professional''s approval. Artemis was next and it went just as mundanely as the other two. ¡°You did surprisingly well.¡± The woman said and checked their names off of her list. ¡°Would you care to...¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ren said. ¡°There was only 4 women in the caravan and I''ve just seen them naked.¡± He said with a grin. ¡°I''m quite happy now.¡± ¡°Geez, Ren.¡± Artemis said, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°What? It''s true.¡± Ren said. Artemis chuckled and shook her head. ¡°Put your clothes on so we can go.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ren looked down at his underwear. ¡°Actually, I think I should wear one of those sash things.¡± He said and looked at Tatya. ¡°Where can I get one?¡± ¡°I''m sure there''s one somewhere around here.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I... I have one.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°It''s Rimsoh''s.¡± ¡°Can I borrow it?¡± Ren asked, and she looked down at his underwear. ¡°I don''t think he would like it if you wore it.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I only need it to get the pattern.¡± Dilseffa took it out and handed it to him, and he quickly examined it and received the pattern. ¡°Are they all the same, or can they be embellished?¡± Ren asked and handed it back to her. ¡°I''ve seen some with different patterns, some with tassels, and even gold filigree.¡± Tatya said. Ren looked at the pattern and saw where the front was, and thought about what to put on it. ¡°I got it.¡± He said and looked at the medical professional. ¡°Mind if I borrow the table for a minute?¡± ¡°No, go ahead.¡± She said, and he walked over to it and took out a bolt of platinum-laced Spider Silk fabric. ¡°What is that?!?¡± She asked as he cut out the right shape for the waist sash. ¡°Special cloth I made for people who can''t wear armor.¡± Ren said and stored the bolt of fabric, then altered the pattern slightly and made reinforced holes all along the bottom of the sash and dyed it red. He then took out several handfuls of teeth he had gained from all the different animals he had looted during his adventures. He drilled holes in them and used Spider Silk thread to tie them to the holes he had made in the sash. Ren alternated using large and small teeth all along the sash, with wolf, giant rat, horned demon, and several others that looked cool, and finished with one large Abyssal Terror tooth and hung it on the end that pointed down. With that done, he embroidered roaring flames all along the bottom of the sash to finish it off and gained the recipe for the completed sash. He didn''t want to only wear that, so he quickly sewed up a pair of black shorts that were just small enough to fit and sewed them together. ¡°There we go.¡± Ren said and equipped the shorts and sash combo, and it almost looked like a sarong that a woman would wear, with a tied bow-like thing on one hip and the cloth travelled in a triangle shape to the other hip and down to his thigh. He was glad that he had included the shorts, because he suspected that if he took a big enough step, everyone would have seen a lot more than just the inside of his thighs. He did a little turn to show it off and the teeth rattled and shook as he did. ¡°How do I look?¡± Ren asked, then his eyes widened. ¡°Wait, don''t answer yet!¡± He said and equipped several enchanted bracelets and a gold necklace as accents, then looked at his feet and made new low cut shoes and equipped anklets to finish the outfit. ¡°Okay, now you can answer.¡± ¡°You look... very... nice.¡± Tatya managed to say through her restrained desire. Yuwen and Dilseffa couldn''t speak at all and only nodded slightly in agreement. ¡°That''s good, right?¡± Ren asked and turned to look at the woman who examined him, and she was leaning against the table and fanning her face. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Are... are you accepting...¡± She looked at Yuwen and Dilseffa. ¡°...more applicants?¡± Ren activated Sneak and stalked over to her. She caught her breath at the power she saw in his movements and her skin started to ripple as he came closer. A thin blonde fur sprouted out all over her and her ears shifted up slightly on her head and grew into cat-like ears; but, she didn''t completely change into an anthropomorphic animal like Ren had expected. She kept her human face, which was still bare of fur and didn''t extend into a muzzle, and short whiskers grew out and twitched at him. She then grew out a tail and it flicked in anticipation. ¡°You''re only a two stage and you''re assigned to a garrison?¡± Tatya asked in surprise. ¡°I have no limit on my healing ability.¡± The medical professional said and blushed. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Yuwen said in amazement. ¡°Your power went to that instead of giving you a third stage.¡± The woman nodded slightly and Ren reached out to touch her face. ¡°Do you regret that?¡± Ren asked and concentrated on her emotions. ¡°Not at all.¡± She said as her blush faded and he didn''t feel any regret in her. ¡°My status is high enough that I can have a post this important, even if I can''t completely change like the others.¡± ¡°Can I ask how many people are like you, without you being insulted that it implies there are others like you?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled at the circular question. ¡°If you mean that I might be insulted that you might think I''m a generic person and there are lots of others like me running around, don''t worry. I can feel what you really mean and I''m not insulted.¡± She said. ¡°As a medical professional, it''s my job to know the percentage of the population that only has the ability to change this much and no further.¡± ¡°What percentage?¡± Ren asked and put his other hand on her face to cup both sides. ¡°60%.¡± She said, her face going slightly red at his increased contact. ¡°10% of that only have this slightly furred form from birth and no other. Human or animal.¡± ¡°Which means 40% are the ones that can change fully.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, only 35%.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°5% are born as their animal selves and can''t change at all.¡± Ren''s mouth made that little ''o'' of surprise and she laughed as she felt his shock. ¡°Yes, we have animals running around that can talk and interact like people.¡± ¡°That''s not why I''m surprised.¡± Ren said and his thumbs caressed her cheeks just below her short whiskers. She closed her eyes for a moment at the gentle touch, then looked at him. ¡°Then what...¡± ¡°I''m surprised that your people have any normal animals around at all, like the wolves you ride and the giant boars to pull the carriages.¡± Ren said. ¡°How did that come about? Did you discover other animals and adapt them for your use? Are some of them only poor cousins that weren''t as lucky as you to evolve into the wonderful creatures you are today?¡± Thanks to him having his hands on her face, she felt his sincerity and his curiosity fully. ¡°You really want to know, and you''re not just asking for conversation''s sake.¡± She said, and her voice held a trace of wonder. ¡°I remember someone saying that as a medical professional, they would know things like that.¡± Ren said with a smile, and she laughed. ¡°Yes, I know all of our sordid history.¡± The medical professional said. ¡°Then I''d like for you to accompany us and you can fill me in on everything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where are you going?¡± She asked. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Ren said, and she raised her eyebrows at him. ¡°Let''s ask and find out.¡± He said and let her face go as he turned to Tatya. ¡°Where are we going after everyone gets inspected?¡± ¡°I had planned a leisurely ride across the countryside to show you some of our lands as we head to the capital.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I hadn''t planned to bring you to the delegation''s debriefing at first; but, after what just happened in that battle, I think it would be prudent to include you.¡± Ren nodded slightly and turned back to the medical professional. ¡°We''re going to the capital.¡± He said. ¡°Can you get time off to come with us?¡± ¡°If you accept me as a concubine, it supersedes all other concerns.¡± She responded. Ren frowned a little. ¡°No, I don''t want to take you away from your work.¡± She chuckled. ¡°You''re the first people we''ve had return here in about a year.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°We only send out delegations once a year to the surrounding lands.¡± Tatya said. ¡°It''s usually a two to three month journey, then we come back and disseminate all the knowledge we gained during those travels.¡± ¡°It takes that long?¡± Ren asked. ¡°To make sure everyone in the kingdom knows the important information, yes.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Once we all do, we form another delegation and construct a caravan, plan out the routes to take and the dangers to avoid, then head out again to see what else we can find.¡± ¡°Well, I''m really lucky.¡± Ren said, and everyone felt that he believed that. ¡°I only just caught the caravan before it left the Human Kingdom, and I would have missed this great opportunity.¡± The medical professional''s face flushed to a deep red and he felt how flattered she was. ¡°Are you seeing anyone?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. ¡°Are you married?¡± ¡°N-no.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve not had that honor.¡± ¡°Both Yuwen and Dilseffa are my concubines, but we don''t have to have sex.¡± Ren said. ¡°As long as the potential is there, they said it meets the requirements.¡± ¡°But...¡± She looked at the other two women. ¡°I want to have sex with you.¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her for a moment. ¡°We just met.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter to me how long we''ve known each other.¡± The medical professional said. ¡°You make my insides crave to be touched as only a man can.¡± Ren knew she meant something special when she emphasized ''man'' and wanted to know what it was. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± He asked. ¡°I just want to know why I count when you''ve had access to... well, I don''t know how many troops you''ve examined.¡± She held in her laugh. ¡°I''ve only had brief relationships before, if that''s what you mean, and it''s usually only with males that have similar transformation capabilities.¡± Ren thought about that. ¡°That means no troops, squad leaders, or anyone close to having three stages of different forms.¡± She shook her head and then felt his rising anger. ¡°N-no!¡± She said and cupped the sides of his face. ¡°They aren''t discriminating against me. I''m just not as appealing to them.¡± Ren calmed down. ¡°I don''t see how.¡± He said. ¡°You''re just as pretty as Tatya, Yuwen and Dilseffa. You''re just not as furry when you change.¡± The medical professional smiled. ¡°That''s not why.¡± She said. ¡°It''s...¡± Her face flushed red as she blushed. ¡°I changed automatically for you, to reveal my full self, and that''s never happened before.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°When we meet a compatible mate and they enter our Aura with intent, we can''t help ourselves and react to him.¡± She said. ¡°It''s how he knows we''re interested without having to ask awkwardly about it.¡± ¡°Like I''m doing right now.¡± Ren said with a smile, and she laughed. ¡°Well, you don''t know any better.¡± She said. ¡°I can''t fault you for that.¡± ¡°Yuwen also said that being my concubine only counts while in the kingdom of Pervaria.¡± Ren said. ¡°It does, or anywhere that''s classed as Pervarian lands, or within their command area.¡± Which was why it counted in the caravan, because it was under Tatya''s command. Ren thought. ¡°I keep calling you ''the medical professional'' in my head and I don''t want to do that. What''s your name?¡± ¡°Tiyaphi.¡± The medical professional said. ¡°Tiyaphi Mowetha.¡± ¡°It''s nice to meet you, Tiyaphi.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. She took it eagerly and he felt her anticipation as her tail flicked quickly, and he lifted her hand to his mouth. ¡°It''s really nice to meet you, too.¡± Tiyaphi said happily. ¡°Someone man enough to make me change.¡± ¡°Tiyaphi Mowetha, I formally accept you as my concubine.¡± Ren said and bit the inside of her wrist. Chapter 753 - Some Revelations Tiyaphi Mowetha stopped breathing as Ren''s teeth dug into her skin. Her heart fluttered at the sensation that she had only ever dreamed about getting, and she submitted to him right then and there. She felt a slight burning sensation on her chest above her heart and stored her tunic, then used her free hand and pulled her thin bodysuit out of the way to look at the spot. ¡°You marked me.¡± Tiyaphi said, surprised at the development. ¡°You marked me!¡± Ren stopped biting her and let her hand go. ¡°How did that happen?¡± He asked. ¡°Yuwen and Dilseffa only gained that when they submitted to me and my other...¡± He stopped talking. ¡°You submitted yourself to me just now, didn''t you?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Tiyaphi said and she touched the dire wolf emblem with reverence. ¡°If I''d known this would happen...¡± ¡°I didn''t know it myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m so-¡± ¡°HAPPY!¡± Teepo yelled and cut off Ren''s apology. ¡°He can feel how happy you are, and he''s happy, too.¡± ¡°I am?¡± Ren asked, a little confused. ¡°Your mark proves that she is deserving of your attention and that you''ve accepted her wholly.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I nearly jumped for joy when it appeared on my own chest.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°To have someone so powerful decide that I''m worthy to protect and keep safe?¡± Yuwen asked, and laughed. ¡°I never thought it would happen in my lifetime.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°I''m only... I mean, I can''t change fully. Like I said before, most of the higher ranks aren''t interested in women like me. I''m not even a potential prospect for them as a mate.¡± Ren stood there and felt their emotions. He knew they both appreciated being ''caught'' by him, and he wasn''t sure what to do about it. He knew trying to convince them that he wasn''t a good choice, was beyond pointless, now that they were under his domain. Dilseffa teetered between being flattered and being annoyed, because she knew the man she was seeing would probably be upset over her actually liking Ren as a person as well as her Inamorato. Assuming she decided to accept that part of their potential relationship. It made her think back to Yuwen''s euphoric expression during the carriage ride, and she hotly debated in her own mind about wanting to experience it first hand. Ren felt Dilseffa''s conflict and didn''t know what to do about that, either. So, he ignored it for now and looked at Tiyaphi. ¡°Well, I''m interested in getting to know you better, since I don''t know anything about you or your people.¡± He said. ¡°Can you come with us when we leave?¡± ¡°Of course, My King.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°When the other inspections are finished, I''d be happy to...¡± The door opened and one of the Pervarians from the delegation poked his head in. ¡°What''s the hold up in here? We''re all ready to go.¡± ¡°...come with you.¡± Tiyaphi said with a smile. ¡°I''ll be right out after I submit my Leave of Absence form to the head of the garrison.¡± She said and walked to the door and stopped to glare at him as she very slowly changed back to look human. ¡°Don''t leave without me.¡± ¡°I know enough of proper protocol that I can''t leave without causing a huge amount of trouble.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s with a capital ''T''.¡± Tiyaphi nodded slightly and left. ¡°You believe that''s true?¡± Tatya asked, a little surprised. ¡°It''s a recipe I''ve had for a while. It has reared its ugly head several times to mess things up for me.¡± Ren said as he walked over to the door to hold it open for them. ¡°Teepo and I work very hard to not let it sneak up on us.¡± ¡°It''s almost a full time job.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I even looked into trying to remove it, and it really is an integrated part of an Adventurer''s experience.¡± He said. ¡°All we can do is minimize how much it impacts us.¡± ¡°I don''t really understand.¡± Tatya said as she equipped the helm Ren had given her and walked past, then Yuwen, Dilseffa and Artemis followed her and Ren shut the door. ¡°Ren helped save the world when other Adventurers messed everything up, remember?¡± Teepo said as everyone walked down the hallway towards the front door of the garrison. ¡°He told you about it back in the reception room in King Alamast''s castle.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. When he restored everyone''s connections.¡± Tatya said as she remembered what Ren said at the time and glanced at him. ¡°Even though I know you did it, and I know you were with Vasalor himself, I still can''t...¡± ¡°WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?¡± Yuwen and Dilseffa yelled at the same time. Ren felt their shock and stopped walking to take their hands and poured reassuring and calm feelings into them to stop them from panicking at the news. ¡°I spent some time visiting with Vasalor and we repaired everything.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter and was about to say something. Don''t tell them how long it actually was. Ren thought to his friend. They are shocked enough as it is. Yeah, I guess you''re right. Teepo thought back. ¡°You... you really...¡± Yuwen started to talk. ¡°Great Vasalor.¡± Dilseffa said at the same time. ¡°You know Great Vasalor.¡± ¡°We''re good friends.¡± Ren said, and quickly discovered that that had been the wrong thing to say. ¡°Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Oh! My! GOD!¡± Dilseffa started jumping around while still holding Ren''s hand. ¡°It''s true.¡± Yuwen said as she felt his emotions, and the shock she felt settled in to stay for a while. She stood there and blinked her eyes and opened her mouth as if she was talking; but, nothing was coming out. ¡°What''s all this ruckus?¡± A man came out of a nearby room and walked over to them and glared at Dilseffa. ¡°Stop that!¡± ¡°I can''t!¡± Dilseffa laughed as she kept hopping. ¡°I''m a concubine to Great Vasalor''s friend! HIS FRIEND!¡± The man''s face drained of all its color and he stood there in just as much shock as Yuwen. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Tiyaphi asked as she came out of the same room. ¡°They found out that... mhm huh mhmm hm muhm mhm.¡± Ren said as Artemis covered his mouth. ¡°Trying to explain even more is not helping.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Muh.¡± ¡°No buts.¡± Artemis said and looked at the medical professional. ¡°I hope you can handle the shock.¡± ¡°Of what?¡± Tiyaphi asked. ¡°Our King is friends with Great Vasalor!¡± Dilseffa nearly yelled and kept jumping. Tiyaphi reached out with a slightly glowing hand and touched Dilseffa''s hand that Ren held. She calmed immediately and slowed down, then stopped jumping altogether. The glowing hand then touched Yuwen, who took in a deep breath and looked at her. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It''s my job.¡± Tiyaphi said and touched the man that had come out of the room before her.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Hm? What?¡± He blinked his eyes and looked at her. ¡°I thought you were leaving?¡± ¡°I am, sir.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°Thank you for not taking my sudden departure personally.¡± The head of the garrison shrugged. ¡°You were being wasted here anyway.¡± He said. ¡°You''re too talented to just sit around and wait for the next caravan to show up.¡± Ren was quite happy to hear that and Tiyaphi looked at him with wide eyes as she felt its intensity. ¡°I''m just glad that he appreciated you being here.¡± ¡°You know, we''re never going to get to the capital if we just stand here.¡± Teepo said, and that made Tatya, Ren, Artemis, and the head of the garrison laugh. ¡°Yes, get out of here.¡± The head of the garrison said. ¡°We''ve had enough excitement with the caravan back.¡± ¡°What about the carriages?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We left them at...¡± ¡°We''re back!¡± A man at the head of a large group of troops said as they came in through the front door. ¡°Those carriages are fantastic!¡± ¡°Not only are we back a day before we expected, we even had enough time to check over the storage crates attached to them.¡± Another man said and stopped to let his fellows pass as he looked at Tatya. ¡°You''re lucky that you declared the foodstuffs and the gifts from the Human Kingdom''s king.¡± ¡°Stop joking around.¡± Tatya said with a smile as she felt his teasing emotions. ¡°I always declare everything.¡± ¡°You didn''t claim that.¡± He said and pointed to her Helm of the Eagle. ¡°I didn''t bring it here. King Ren gave it to me before we entered the battlefield.¡± ¡°Oh, then that''s okay.¡± He said. ¡°Carry on.¡± ¡°Thank you for your permission.¡± Tatya said sarcastically, and he laughed and followed the other troops into the medical checking section to get healed and checked over. Ren let Yuwen''s and Dilseffa''s hands go so he could open the front door for them. ¡°After you.¡± ¡°Are you going to open every door for us?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°If I reach it first, yes.¡± Ren said, and she chuckled. They all stepped out of the building and Tatya looked at her carriage. ¡°King Ren...¡± ¡°I can''t join you in your carriage, now that I have...¡± Ren paused and talked like The Count from Sesame Street. ¡°One! Two! Three! Three concubines! Ah! Ha! Ha!¡± Artemis laughed and Teepo chittered in delight. No one else got the joke, though. ¡°I''ll explain when I come back.¡± Ren said and walked over to Princess. ¡°Thanks for waiting.¡± ¡°It is my secondary purpose.¡± Princess said in a distinctly female voice, much to everyone''s shock. Even Tiyaphi couldn''t hide it like she did when she had learned that Ren knew Vasalor personally. Ren used the All-Seeing Mirror and cast a portal to send Princess home. ¡°If I need you again...¡± ¡°That is my primary purpose.¡± Princess said. ¡°If you meet another princess, however...¡± ¡°I''ll come and get you right away.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you, My King.¡± Princess said and stepped through the portal. ¡°Your mount can talk?¡± Tiyaphi the medical professional asked Ren when he dismissed the portal. ¡°She''s not actually speaking, it''s a Permanent Magic Mouth spell.¡± Ren explained. ¡°We''ve had a telepathic link for a long time.¡± He said and tapped his temple. ¡°Once I learned to increase her Intelligence with Runes, I made it high enough that we could understand each other without confusion.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Once I learned the Permanency Spell, though...¡± ¡°She asked for the Magic Mouth spell.¡± Tatya said. ¡°That''s amazing.¡± ¡°You should see her when she''s not playing with her targets.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°Splatter everywhere!¡± That made everyone laugh. ¡°We''re going down the road to the rest stop and camp for the night.¡± Tatya said. ¡°We need to give the giant boars a rest after everything they went through today.¡± ¡°They handled it well.¡± Ren said. ¡°I believe you said that you have Adventurer business to take care of as well.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I do.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know if I''ll be gone all night or not, though.¡± ¡°You need to leave?¡± Tiyaphi asked and he felt her disappointment. ¡°About that.¡± Ren said and explained his situation with the Fire Realm and needing to spend the day with the Deity of Fire. ¡°Wait, wait, wait!¡± Tiyaphi held up both hands. ¡°You''re the Deity of Fire''s father? Her actual father?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought that title might only be because you lit a whole forest on fire or something.¡± ¡°I''ve done that a few hundred times.¡± Ren said with a chuckle. ¡°New growth is harder to burn and makes it taste that much better when it''s consumed, apparently.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Tiyaphi took several breaths, then looked at Yuwen and Dilseffa. ¡°I wasn''t worried about picking him to submit to; but, now that I''m learning about all of this, I think I picked the best man.¡± She said, and they all felt her confidence and her underlying feelings of enjoyment. ¡°Don''t you?¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°The more I''m around and learn, the more undeserving and luckier I feel.¡± Both she and Tiyaphi looked at Dilseffa, who''s face flushed red. ¡°I''m...¡± ¡°Don''t pressure her to answer, please.¡± Ren said. ¡°She''s in the middle of a sensitive situation and she''s not sure how to handle everything that''s being thrown at her.¡± Dilseffa''s face went to a darker red as everyone''s emotions turned to concern and understanding. ¡°No, really. I''m just...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Artemis said and put an arm over her shoulder. ¡°It takes some getting used to.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m tempted to say that there''s no strings attached, but I said that when we got back to the border that I would escort you into your homeland in the manner that you deserve.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°If you''ll wait here, I''ll be right back.¡± Ren turned to Tatya after the three women nodded slightly. ¡°If I could bend your ear for a few moments...¡± ¡°Ren, we''re in public.¡± Tatya said and he felt her desire spike. Ren held in his chuckle and didn''t explain that it was an Adventurer saying about talking alone. ¡°I need to ask you a few questions.¡± ¡°Of course. You are my guest after all.¡± ¡°This way, please.¡± Ren motioned to a large open area. ¡°But...¡± Ren disappeared and was back almost before she noticed, then his instant shop tower appeared. ¡°How many times can you do that?¡± Tatya asked as he opened the door for her. ¡°Every time I reach the door first.¡± Ren joked, and she snorted a laugh and stepped inside. ¡°You know what I meant.¡± ¡°It''s called an ''instant tower''.¡± Ren said and shut the door. ¡°It can be activated and deactivated as many times as necessary.¡± ¡°The magic doesn''t run out or...¡± Tatya stopped talking as she saw the 4 distinct businesses inside. ¡°Good god.¡± ¡°This is my portable workshop.¡± Ren said and pointed to each one as he said the name. ¡°Blacksmith, Tailor, Woodworker, and Cook.¡± ¡°You can carry this with you everywhere?¡± ¡°It''s part of the magic that the things inside compress with the tower.¡± Ren said. ¡°The cubes themselves are relatively light.¡± ¡°That''s amazing.¡± Ren smiled and activated the forge without saying anything or even touching it. ¡°It''s enchanted?!?¡± Tatya asked, and he nodded. ¡°One of the very best things I did when I learned how to enchant.¡± Ren said. ¡°Besides saving trees and coal, it doesn''t need to be stoked or need a bellows to keep it hot.¡± ¡°You built it all in.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I do the same thing with everything I make.¡± Ren said. ¡°It takes a lot more Mana at the time; but, it makes it so much easier later on.¡± Tatya chuckled. ¡°You''re going to show me how easy, aren''t you?¡± She asked, then her amusement faded. ¡°You will show me, won''t you?¡± ¡°If you want me to.¡± Ren said and walked over to the forge to add in some steel bricks. ¡°I''d like for you to tell me what royal concubines wear.¡± ¡°Not normal concubines?¡± ¡°You can tell me that as well; but, I want to know what the most important ones have. Or could have. Or would want.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. He discretely took out the Vasalor Statue and activated it. ¡°You''re going to miss leaving on Adventurer''s business.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about that right now.¡± Ren said and walked back over to her, then motioned to the table in the kitchen. ¡°Have a seat and I''ll make us something while you tell me everything I need to know about how to properly equip Mistresses.¡± ¡°You''re going to cook.¡± Tatya said as she sat down facing the counter. ¡°Just for me.¡± ¡°Anything you want.¡± Ren said and equipped an apron. ¡°Is there something you would like to try?¡± ¡°You said that your ex-fiance was a great baker.¡± ¡°Like you wouldn''t believe.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°So, what would you like?¡± ¡°A cake.¡± Tatya said and smiled. ¡°The most delicious cake you have ever made.¡± ¡°Do you think you can handle it?¡± Ren teased. ¡°If you can cook it, I can eat it.¡± Tatya said, and he laughed. ¡°One scrumptious cake coming right up.¡± Ren said and started to gather the ingredients together. ¡°I''ll warn you, though. You''re going to make a mess eating it.¡± ¡°We''ll see.¡± Tatya said with a big smile. While Ren was mixing things, Tatya felt his deep love for Nathalia and it saddened her a little. Ren stopped cooking and reached a hand out and took hers. ¡°We still love each other; but, it''s tempered by time and distance.¡± He said. ¡°We aren''t together, even now with nearly every obstruction between us removed.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I hope to change that when my banishment from the dwarf lands is lifted.¡± Ren said and let her hand go. ¡°Even after we get back together, I plan on living my life and enjoying it.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°When my Adventurer girlfriend lifted my self-imposed restriction on sleeping with other people, I quite quickly started sleeping with a lot of women. Well, even more women.¡± Ren admitted, and her eyebrows raised and he felt her emotions. ¡°You''re not turned off by that.¡± ¡°You can satisfy several women and have no problem with gaining concubines and possibly sleeping with them, too.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I assume your confidence is extremely high, since I can feel that you don''t see it as a daunting task at all.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The only daunting thing for me is time, and I can make as much of it as necessary.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°I hadn''t planned on using it here in the kingdom of Pervaria; but, what happened when I transformed into the Dire Werewolf made its use necessary afterwards.¡± Ren pointed, and Tatya turned her head to see the Vasalor Statue that was positioned on the shelf. She caught her breath as she identified it. ¡°It''s on right now.¡± Tatya said. ¡°How long...¡± ¡°We can be in here for a day or so and only a second will pass for Yuwen and the others.¡± ¡°A... a second.¡± Tatya stared at the statue. ¡°Only a second.¡± ¡°It''s not set to its highest setting.¡± Ren said, and her head whipped back to look at him with wide eyes. ¡°What... what is...¡± ¡°We don''t have Tiyaphi here to calm you down if I told you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll just say that you won''t believe it, and leave it at that.¡± Tatya blinked her eyes for a moment and felt that he was adamant in his answer. ¡°All right.¡± ¡°Does it matter what kind of flavor for the cake?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Chocolate... vanilla... lemon...¡± ¡°Surprise me.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Oh, I will.¡± Ren said with a grin. ¡°Now tell me what I need to know about concubines.¡± Tatya nodded slightly and watched him cook, and she told him all about the proper outfits and adornments that both normal concubines and royal concubines had. Chapter 754 - That Looks Tasty Tatya was amazed that Ren could move so fast, even with her previous experience of seeing him move so fast. She didn''t realize that he couldn''t go as fast as he wanted to, because he would make a huge mess with the flour and things if he mixed it together at his full capability. ¡°I think she might like a bit of a food fight if you splashed her ''by accident''.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. That made Ren smile and he kept working to make the best cake he had ever made and listened while Tatya told him about concubines. He knew the cake would taste the same, no matter what the shape was, so he quickly went to the forge and made several different cake pans. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tatya asked, a little excitedly. ¡°You are not putting molten metal in my cake!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°No, no. Relax. I''m just making pans to put the cake in.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Tatya relaxed. ¡°I thought...¡± ¡°...that poisoning you would be the perfect way to thank you for your help?¡± Ren asked, and her face went red, even though she felt his amusement. ¡°It''s okay. We did only just meet today.¡± ¡°I shouldn''t have assumed that you would try to harm me.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I think that...¡± ¡°I could have hurt you a lot during our display duel, and my Doppelganger could have torn you apart during the training sword duels.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°They all had my maxed stats.¡± Ren said, and she wasn''t sure how to respond to that. ¡°If you''re thinking about how it could have turned out differently, don''t bother.¡± ¡°But... you could have...¡± ¡°No, I couldn''t. It was a display duel. I had to fight normally.¡± Ren said. ¡°Using any abilities besides what I did, might have invalidated the requirements of ''training''.¡± He smiled and came back to the kitchen and poured the cake batter into the pans. ¡°You know I could have just absorbed all the air out of the magical barrier.¡± Tatya nodded slightly. ¡°It''s one of the reasons I told Kenkoth and Beholo not to make you angry.¡± She said and smiled herself. ¡°The ride back here wouldn''t have been very enjoyable if we were unconscious.¡± Ren laughed and slipped the three quarters full cake pans into the hot oven. ¡°Unlike a lot of the things I can do, I can''t accelerate cooking these, since they need time to rise.¡± He said. ¡°We just have to wait for it to cook properly.¡± ¡°You said we can spend the whole day in here and only a second passes outside, so I don''t mind.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Why don''t you start making the outfits I described?¡± ¡°I can do that later.¡± Ren said. Teepo, can you keep an eye on the cakes for me? ¡°Sure, Ren.¡± Teepo hopped off of his shoulder and landed on the counter. Thanks, buddy. Ren stored the apron and equipped his armor bodysuit for a moment to clean himself up, then did the same for the utensils and mixing bowls he had used and put them back on the shelf. He equipped his shorts and sash combo again and looked at Tatya. ¡°I''d rather sit down and keep talking to you, if that''s okay.¡± Tatya looked around. ¡°I don''t see anywhere we could do that, except right here at the counter.¡± ¡°There''s more room upstairs.¡± Ren said. ¡°Oh? Any more shops?¡± Tatya asked as she followed him over to the stairs beside the tailor shop. ¡°No, it''s where my bed is.¡± Ren said and tried not to laugh out loud at her reaction. He couldn''t see her face, since he was in front; but, he could feel her emotions and she was pretty conflicted about going to his bed so soon. ¡°It''s so nice to relax once in a while, you know?¡± Tatya''s apprehension warred with her curiosity, and Ren tried his best not to let too much amusement out, in case that made her angry. They arrived on the second floor and Tatya saw how sparse it was, with only a bed tucked into the corner and a square walled section. She stored the Helm of the Eagle she still wore to get a better look around, and Ren felt her dismay at the state of the place. ¡°I haven''t slept here in a long time.¡± Ren said and stored the bed to clean it, in case it needed it, and put it back. ¡°Oh, and the room in the center is full of meat and vegetables.¡± ¡°Can I look?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and took out a big comfy couch and placed it near the bed. Tatya opened the door to the ice box room and shivered at the blast of cold air. ¡°What in the world is this?¡± ¡°Cold storage.¡± Ren said and made a couple of throw pillows to put on the couch. ¡°What made you...¡± ¡°I needed to store food for a lot longer than it was supposed to last and came up with a way to reproduce how Adventurers do it where we come from.¡± ¡°That''s amazing.¡± Tatya said and closed the door. ¡°You''ve been saying that a lot.¡± Ren chuckled, and she laughed. ¡°You said you would keep amazing me.¡± Tatya reminded him and saw the couch, and she wasn''t sure if she was relieved or disappointed. Ren sat down near the middle and pat the spot next to him, and she walked over to the couch and sat down right where he pat. She didn''t try to sit farther away like most people would, as to not crowd the other person sitting there, and he smiled at her. ¡°I''m amusing you.¡± Tatya said, and her hand reached out and touched his bare knee for a brief moment, then she let her hand fall to the couch. ¡°You are.¡± Ren admitted and sat back to rest his arms on the back of the couch, to show that he wasn''t going to stop her if she wanted to touch him again. ¡°You took my teasing about the bed in stride, and I liked that you can''t decide if having a couch is a disappointment or not.¡± Tatya chuckled and sat back as well, then turned slightly to the side towards him. ¡°Should I be disappointed?¡± She asked and stored her tunic as she pulled her legs up onto the couch and bent her knees, then her hand reached out and touched the side of his bare chest. Unlike with his knee, she didn''t let her hand fall away this time and caressed the thick muscle.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°I can''t answer that, since I''ve never been with someone of your kind before.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you would indulge me for a moment, I could give you a glimpse.¡± Tatya tilted her head to the side and squinted her eyes. ¡°You don''t mean trying something on me, do you?¡± ¡°Yes and no.¡± Ren selected a display box and placed it next to the wall of the cold storage, thanks to being able to place things anywhere within his Aura, and activated it. ¡°After the meal the caravan stopped for and I had to go into another carriage instead of continuing with you, Yuwen and Dilseffa practically begged me to tell them about some of my adventures.¡± Tatya turned her head and saw the display and the two women cuddled up to him. ¡°When we reached the border of the Human Kingdom, I spent the next hour or so doing this.¡± Ren said and changed the video to him pleasing Yuwen. Tatya caught her breath as she saw Yuwen in her anthropomorphic form, a humanoid minx on her hands and knees, being licked and kissed from behind by Ren. Ren kept his eyes on the display; but, he could feel her disbelief. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tatya glancing from the display and back to him, over and over. Yuwen let out a particularly loud moan and Tatya looked back at the display to see Yuwen mash her own face into the seat and start to chew on the tough leather to stop from screaming in pleasure. ¡°You... you really...¡± Tatya took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Even transformed as she was, you still...¡± ¡°She really liked it when I pulled her tail up and licked her, and since making a woman happy just does it for me, I kept going until I was told to stop.¡± Ren said. ¡°She was so turned on because I would do that to her that she ignored that there were two other people in the carriage with us.¡± ¡°Artemis and Dilseffa.¡± Tatya whispered, then she turned her head to look at him. ¡°Wait, did you say you were told to stop?¡± ¡°Teepo let me know that we were approaching Pervaria, and I couldn''t let Yuwen stay like that.¡± Ren motioned to the display. ¡°It would bother me if she lost Respect because I couldn''t keep myself restrained.¡± ¡°But... all you did...¡± ¡°This time, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I try my best to keep things like this behind closed doors; however, sometimes I just...¡± ¡°Are we that irresistible?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°She was dripping, just from me teasing her a little and giving her emotions, and I tasted it without a second thought.¡± Ren said. ¡°A woman I just met, and yet...¡± He sighed. ¡°I can''t tell if I''m getting worse at control or better at seduction.¡± ¡°I''d say it''s a mix of both.¡± Tatya said, almost in a purr, and Ren looked at her as her hand slid down his chest and across his abdomen, then she caressed his sash. ¡°I was surprised when you made this.¡± She said. ¡°The detail work alone is at the same class as our best artisans.¡± ¡°I have the Artisan skill mastered.¡± Ren said and felt her desire to caress more than just the fabric. ¡°When you started to take out these teeth, I couldn''t believe it.¡± Tatya ran her hand over the end of the sash and touched the tops of the teeth. ¡°Teeth from extremely difficult creatures to get teeth from.¡± ¡°You read the books I gave you.¡± ¡°I did.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I also identified the teeth.¡± She pointed to each one, starting on one side of the sash and told him the creatures they were from, then ended with the large tooth from the Abyssal Terror that hung from the end of the sash. ¡°You killed an Abyssal Terror.¡± She said and stroked it as if it was something else, then started to actually purr. ¡°It almost killed me, too.¡± Ren said, and her desire for him increased. ¡°You lived. It didn''t.¡± Tatya said, matter of factly. ¡°I''ve been meaning to go back and kill the rest of them.¡± Ren said, and she gasped. ¡°I haven''t had the time or the inclination, however.¡± ¡°But, you said you could make time.¡± Tatya said and let the tooth go and slid her hand up the sash to rub him through the cloth. ¡°It''s not... fair for them now.¡± Ren said, and she sped up her hand movements. ¡°It''s not that killing them wouldn''t give me satisfaction...¡± ¡°There''s no sport in it. I know.¡± Tatya said and felt his body''s reaction. Her eyes grew wide as he became excited and her hand had to travel quite a bit farther than it had only a moment ago. ¡°Is this...¡± ¡°...quite ready for you to do more? Yes.¡± Ren said to finish her question. Tatya stopped rubbing him and leaned in close. ¡°I won''t become your concubine.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I hear that they have great wardrobes and accessories.¡± Ren teased, and she chuckled. ¡°I won''t submit to any man, no matter how powerful he is.¡± Tatya said and slid her hand inside his sash. She touched him directly and felt the inherent strength, and her purr was loud in the quiet room. ¡°I want to see it, King Ren.¡± ¡°You have your hand on my most delicate part.¡± Ren said and used a hand to briefly cup the side of her face. ¡°You can call me Ren.¡± ¡°In private.¡± Tatya said and used her other hand to pull his sash and shorts combo down to reveal him completely. Her mouth dropped open at the sight, then she realized she now had a good use for that open mouth. She leaned forward and was about to please him when Teepo hollered from downstairs and interrupted her. ¡°The cakes are ready!¡± Teepo said excitedly. ¡°They smell delicious!¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Ren said and turned off the oven mentally as he pulled his shorts and sash combo up to cover himself. He felt Tatya''s disappointment and stood up. ¡°As you can clearly see, I hadn''t planned on trying to seduce you.¡± ¡°You were doing very well for not trying.¡± Tatya teased, and he chuckled. ¡°If it was going to happen, I would have waited until after you ate the cake.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now I''ll be a little uncomfortable while I wait to deal with this.¡± ¡°What? The cake?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°No, my excitement.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. Tatya took it and he helped her stand up, then she understood what he meant as he hugged her and he pressed against her. ¡°You''re going to be like this for...¡± ¡°...a while. At least.¡± Ren said. ¡°I turned you on that much?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°I could ask you the same question.¡± Ren said with a smile as he tucked his face between her breasts. Her thin and stretchy bodysuit was no obstacle and she looked down to see the tips of her breasts were quite prominent. ¡°Tiyaphi was right. You are at the perfect height to suckle while standing up.¡± ¡°It''s one of the reasons why I''m fine with my height.¡± Ren said and let her go, and she sighed. ¡°Come on. Your delicious cake awaits.¡± He said and took her hand. Tatya let him lead her back down the stairs and to the kitchen counter, and he sat her down with a bit of a flourish to make her laugh, then he took four cake pans out of the oven and her nose finally caught the smells. ¡°You made four different cakes?¡± Tatya asked and sniffed the air. ¡°Vanilla, chocolate, lemon, and...¡± She took several more sniffs. ¡°Is that carrot I smell?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°They are welcome cakes for my concubines.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Tatya''s annoyance rose. ¡°I thought you were cooking only for me.¡± ¡°I am.¡± Ren said and put three of the cakes aside. ¡°The other cakes are just normal cakes.¡± He said. ¡°Just a little treat for them to have in the morning.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Tatya started to scowl. ¡°This one I made specially for you.¡± Ren said and turned away from her as he took out a cookie sheet and flipped the cake pan over onto it. He gave it a couple of taps and lifted it, and saw that it had come out perfect. ¡°Give me a minute to add the icing.¡± He said and covered it with the cake pan. ¡°I''m not feeling as special as I did before.¡± Tatya said, annoyed. ¡°That''s because you think because I mixed batter for more than one cake, that I wasn''t thinking of you the whole time.¡± Ren said and quickly made some buttercream icing and dyed it brown. ¡°It''s not true. I was thinking about you and realized if I treat you to a cake, how would my concubines feel that I gave you one and not them?¡± Tatya was mollified slightly with the explanation. ¡°So, you really...¡± ¡°I don''t want them to be angry at you.¡± Ren said and scooped out a bit of icing and dyed it black, then moved the cake pan out of the way and covered the cake in brown icing, making sure to get it to look as close to what he wanted as possible, then used the black icing for the accents. ¡°When you tell them about this cake, and you are going to tell them because you won''t be able to help yourself, they won''t hold a grudge against you for it.¡± ¡°Is it going to be that good?¡± Tatya asked, and he felt disbelief start to replace her annoyance. ¡°You tell me.¡± Ren said and lifted the cake and turned to put it down in front of her. ¡°It''s vanilla pound cake with buttercream icing.¡± Tatya didn''t hear what he said, though. She was too stunned by what was in front of her. ¡°R-Ren...¡± It was a cake made in the shape of a fleeing deer. Its head was turned to look back with fear clear on its face and it was in mid-stride, the perfect time to tackle it for the kill. Her body shivered at the sight and she changed into her anthropomorphic form, a humanoid black panther, and dove her head and teeth right into the hind-quarters of the fleeing deer. She bit and growled and tore into the cake as if it was a real deer, then scooped piles of cake into her mouth as she lost herself in the ''going for the kill'' instinct. ¡°I guess that means you like it.¡± Ren said and couldn''t help but laugh at the sight of her cat-like face covered in icing and cake and her half-hearted attempts as she tried to lick it off. Chapter 755 - Understanding More ¡°Come here.¡± Tatya growled and Ren walked around the counter to her and used a piece of cloth to try and clean her face off. ¡°Not for that.¡± She said and pushed his hands out of the way and put her cake and icing covered paw-like hands on his chest for a moment, then licked his chest clean. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Ren said and shivered at the sensations, and Tatya purred heavily as she smeared more onto his chest and abdomen. She licked him over and over, making sure to look at his face after each lick, so she could see his reaction. She could feel his emotions and knew he was as turned on as she was, then her paw-like hands slid lower. ¡°Stop.¡± Ren commanded and she froze. ¡°Ren, let me...¡± ¡°Not in this form.¡± Ren said, and she felt that he was adamant about it. ¡°So, you are prejudiced against us.¡± Tatya said, her disappointment apparent. It was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her and her desire for him evaporated. ¡°You only want the human parts and will only go so far...¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± Ren commanded angrily, and she closed her mouth. ¡°Don''t just jump to conclusions!¡± Tatya looked at him and he felt her matching anger, and he wasn''t sure if it was because she couldn''t move or speak or because he had berated her. ¡°Don''t you dare tell me that I can''t accept you for who you are!¡± Ren said. ¡°I just didn''t want your really rough tongue licking me down there!¡± Tatya was surprised by this, then remembered what he had said about his ears. ¡°Being rough with things will desensitize them eventually, and your tongue is covered in little grooves! I''d be numb in about 5 minutes!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°How much do you think I would enjoy being with you if I couldn''t feel anything? Huh? How much?¡± He asked. ¡°You can move and answer.¡± Tatya let her breath out. ¡°Not... a lot.¡± ¡°Try not at all.¡± Ren said and looked down at the icing still on his skin. ¡°This started out so well and I''m turned on so much, and you can feel that, and yet...¡± It made him think back to their display duel and when he had felt her desire to get away from him and had used it against him. ¡°Oh. I get it now. You don''t think I''m being genuine in my feelings.¡± He said. ¡°You''ve been waiting for me to say or do something to confirm your own bias and suspicions.¡± ¡°I''ve found that humans present a false front all the time. They act and do things one way and feel another way.¡± Tatya said. ¡°When they discover we can sense emotions to some degree, they try to do it with their emotions as well.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Ren barked a laugh. ¡°When have I done that?¡± He asked, and she didn''t answer. ¡°Yeah, that''s right. I haven''t.¡± He said. ¡°You have, though.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Ren asked and waited, and he knew for a fact that she wasn''t going to apologize. ¡°I... I think I better go.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I believe that would be for the best.¡± Ren said. ¡°You may want to change first, though.¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Leaving here in this form would give away that we were gone for a lot longer than everyone thinks we were.¡± She said and changed back into her human form. ¡°Actually, I don''t care what you look like. I only wanted you to equip different clothes so it would clean the cake and icing off of your face and hands.¡± Ren said and equipped his armored bodysuit for a moment to clean the icing from his chest, then equipped the sash and shorts combo again. ¡°They are going to know it''s been a while because of the things I''ll make for them.¡± Tatya looked down at her hands, made them into fists, and sighed. She equipped a nice dress to replace her thin bodysuit to clean up as well, then equipped her bodysuit and tunic. ¡°I''ve messed things up between us, haven''t I?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°I''ve had experience with people being friends with me and then finding out that they expected me to do something to prove their preconceptions of me.¡± Ren said and took out a chef knife and cut away all the parts of the cake Tatya had destroyed and mangled, to leave the head and part of the body of the deer. ¡°It was a shock to me at the time, that''s for sure.¡± He said and held the cake out to her. ¡°You''re still giving it to me?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°I made it for you, so yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I didn''t take back the things I gave my other friends, either.¡± ¡°I can still be your friend?¡± Tatya asked and stored the cake. Ren gave her the knife as well. ¡°I think that''s about all we can be for a while.¡± Tatya sighed again. ¡°Ren, you know that most of my people are going to have preconceptions of you.¡± ¡°Why else do you think I''m wearing this ridiculous outfit?¡± Ren asked and motioned to the sash. ¡°Because I like it? I don''t think so.¡± Tatya didn''t know how to respond to that, so she stayed quiet. ¡°It leaves me completely exposed and unprotected.¡± Ren said. ¡°It wasn''t until I thought about meeting other powerful fighters that they believe a full set of clothes is being exposed and unprotected.¡± Tatya nodded, and he dismissed the Respect popup. ¡°If you aren''t strong enough to wear so little and still fight without worry, then you are hiding behind the things you wear.¡± ¡°Is that why Tiyaphi was so surprised by this fabric?¡± ¡°We were all surprised by it.¡± Tatya said. ¡°You''re wearing a district''s value around your waist.¡± ¡°It was a district''s value. Once it''s melted, it''s just platinum.¡± Ren said. ¡°Its inherent value, then.¡± Tatya said. ¡°You had to earn the platinum first to melt it.¡± Ren smiled and motioned to the door and deactivated the Vasalor Statue. Tatya sighed again and walked over to the door. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said and opened the door. ¡°I share in the fault because my expectations were just a little too high.¡± ¡°...and my share?¡± Tatya asked and stepped outside. ¡°Yours were a little too low.¡± Ren said, and she felt his disappointment. ¡°I''ll be out in a second.¡± He said and shut the door. Since she knew that he could be in there for a day and have only a second pass, she realized she had really screwed things up, because she could have been in there the whole time with him.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°You just stepped in and you''re back.¡± Yuwen said, then she felt Tatya''s emotions. ¡°What happened?¡± Tatya opened her mouth to tell her, then the shop tower''s door opened again and Ren stepped out. ¡°Oh, god.¡± She whispered as she felt the pressure of Ren''s Aura. It felt like she was being squeezed on all sides by it, and she wasn''t sure why she was feeling it so much. ¡°What... what''s going on?¡± She asked as she turned to him. ¡°I''m not protecting you from its full effect anymore.¡± Ren said. ¡°I normally try to mitigate how oppressive it is; but, after your reaction to me, I realized that was a mistake.¡± ¡°Re...¡± She stopped herself before she said his name. ¡°King Ren...¡± ¡°No, I''m going to leave it on.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just to be clear, it works when I''m asleep, too.¡± Tatya took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°You are punishing me.¡± ¡°Despite your belief that''s true, it''s actually just the opposite.¡± Ren said. ¡°From now on, I won''t disrespect you by underestimating what you can do.¡± Tatya looked at the others around her and didn''t feel any distress from them. ¡°Why...¡± ¡°They are mine.¡± Ren said. ¡°They are connected to me, so they are automatically protected.¡± ¡°I still won''t submit to you.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I have never asked anyone to, except when fighting.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve had a few people give up when they realized it was to their advantage; but other than that, no one has actually submitted to me.¡± He said and looked at Yuwen, Dilseffa, and Tiyaphi. ¡°Until now.¡± He said. ¡°I know the responsibility that entails, and I will live up to your expectations.¡± ¡°You''ve already surpassed them.¡± Tiyaphi the medical professional said. ¡°Of course, I only met you 30 minutes ago, so they were pretty low.¡± Artemis snorted a laugh and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Let me raise them, then.¡± Ren said and turned towards Yuwen and took her hand. ¡°I, King Ren the First, hereby name you Countess Yuwen Mofforru, First Mistress of my Royal Concubines.¡± Yuwen''s mouth dropped open as she was covered in a soft golden glow for a moment. ¡°I don''t have any lands in the kingdom of Pervaria yet; but, I plan to rectify that as soon as possible.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once I do and build a house, it will be your job to maintain and run it.¡± ¡°M-m-my K-king.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I... I don''t know what to say.¡± ¡°Me, either. Since I don''t know if this will nullify you for delegation duties or not.¡± ¡°Like Tiyaphi said before, being your concubine supersedes all other concerns, My King.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I didn''t think you would be... making me... I can''t...¡± ¡°Easy, now.¡± Ren said and used his free hand to touch her face and poured Reassurance into her. ¡°I know this is all so sudden, and I''m not trying to change your life on purpose; but, now that we are in this situation, I''m going to do everything I can to make it as enjoyable as possible.¡± Yuwen''s face turned bright red as she remembered how enjoyable it could be. Ren winked at her and let her cheek and hand go, then turned to Dilseffa and took her hand. ¡°I, King Ren the First, hereby name you Countess Dilseffa Dreikhyth, Second Mistress of my Royal Concubines.¡± He said and she glowed for a moment. ¡°Once I have lands, it will be your job to run security and hire appropriate people to secure and keep those within the house and those lands safe from threats.¡± Dilseffa had been prepared to accept the title, but the job was a complete surprise to her. ¡°S-s-security?¡± ¡°I know you can handle it, since you were a delegate for the kingdom.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s a much smaller job only protecting a household and a parcel of land; but, I''m sure you can adapt to it quickly.¡± ¡°I... I...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said and cupped her face and poured reassurance into her, just like he did for Yuwen. ¡°Yuwen is the head of the household and she''ll help guide you if you need it.¡± Dilseffa took several breaths to calm down, then nodded. Ren dismissed the popup and let her hand and face go, then turned to Tiyaphi and took her hand. ¡°I, King Ren the First, hereby name you Countess Tiyaphi Mowetha, Third Mistress of my Royal Concubines.¡± He said and she glowed for a moment as well. ¡°Your job will be to maintain the health and well being of everyone in the household and on the lands.¡± ¡°So, you''re saying I''m not going to be very busy.¡± Tiyaphi said, and he chuckled. ¡°I hope not; but, you''ll have your own building to work out of, and a staff if you deem it necessary.¡± ¡°Wait! Did you say staff?¡± ¡°I can''t expect you to take care of the building and things by yourself, and maintain any patients you may have at the same time.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ll also be in charge of hiring who you want and...¡± ¡°Wait! I am?¡± ¡°Is there someone better qualified to tell you who you need to help you do your job?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. He cupped the side of her face and gave her some Reassurance, just like he had with the other two. ¡°Don''t worry. You''ll all have an appropriate budget and won''t have to worry about money ever again.¡± None of them knew what to say to that. Ren let her go and stepped back, then took out a large wardrobe cabinet. ¡°Yuwen, this is for you.¡± ¡°That''s a very nice cabinet.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I''ll never fit it in my room, though.¡± She said, then realized what she said. ¡°Oh. I don''t have a room anymore.¡± ¡°No, you''ll have a house. A big house.¡± Ren said. ¡°Open the cabinet.¡± Yuwen did so and caught her breath as it unfolded and became twice as big and looked like a dressing room. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± She said as she saw that it was full of clothes. On racks, hangers, and shelves. There was even a huge mirror on the door. ¡°My King... I... thank you.¡± ¡°It''s the least that a Royal Concubine deserves.¡± Ren said and took out another. ¡°Dilseffa, this one is yours.¡± ¡°My King, I... I can''t accept it.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Rimsoh wouldn''t like it if I accepted such an extravagant gift from my Inamorato.¡± ¡°You are thinking about it!¡± Yuwen gasped and hugged her, and Dilseffa blushed. ¡°How can I not?¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°I watched him do... I mean... for over an hour!¡± ¡°It was heaven.¡± Yuwen said dreamily. ¡°He''s really, really good at it.¡± ¡°He would have to be.¡± Tiyaphi said, and as the medical professional, she would know. ¡°For it not to get boring or repetitive, that is.¡± She said. ¡°Constant stimulation, especially if it''s rough, can cause some or even total numbness if you''re not careful.¡± ¡°Oh, it wasn''t rough. Not at all.¡± Yuwen almost moaned. ¡°I could feel how much he loved doing it, and how much he enjoyed me enjoying it.¡± She said and went quiet for a moment, then sighed. ¡°If there had been some way to preserve what happened, since it was the first time... for the both of us, together...¡± Ren cast the Full Illusion of a sound proof room around their group to block them from sight of everyone, then took out the first display box he had received from Princess Diana and clicked the button as he cast Full Illusion on the wall they were facing. Yuwen''s moan broke the silence and she watched herself be pleasured by Ren. ¡°My King! Thank you!¡± Yuwen said and hugged him. ¡°Now we can always have this as a keepsake!¡± ¡°I didn''t know you would want to keep it.¡± Ren said and quickly made a small version of the modified device and added that scene, then gave it to her. ¡°Just push this button when you want to watch it again.¡± He said. ¡°This one fast-forwards.¡± ¡°Fast-what?¡± Yuwen looked at the button like it was magic. ¡°I''ll explain later.¡± Ren said. ¡°For now...¡± He clicked off the box he held and stored it, then dismissed the Full Illusion room. ¡°Dilseffa, if being my concubine supersedes all other concerns, Rimsoh shouldn''t be angry at you for me giving you what you deserve.¡± He said. ¡°But, I''m not heartless in things like this, and I know that others interfering in things, no matter how good the intentions, can mess everything up.¡± Dilseffa felt his feelings and relaxed. ¡°You do understand.¡± ¡°I''ll hold onto it for you, and you can discuss things with Rimsoh.¡± Ren said and stored her cabinet. ¡°If he''s not comfortable with this situation, even though he''s in my domain as well...¡± ¡°Don''t exile him!¡± Dilseffa said, almost in a panic. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her. ¡°Exile?¡± ¡°As a king, you have the right to... to...¡± Dilseffa tried to hold her feelings in check. Ren stepped close to her and gave her a hug. ¡°I give you my word that I won''t do that on a whim.¡± He said and rubbed her back with his hands. ¡°If he gives me a good reason, like hurting you... I''ll try not to kill him as I kick him so hard that he soars across the Gnome lands.¡± Dilseffa laughed at the image that put into her mind. Ren grinned at her and let her go, then turned to Tiyaphi. ¡°Like Yuwen, I have no problem accepting extravagant gifts from you.¡± Tiyaphi said with a matching grin. ¡°Then this is yours.¡± Ren said and took out a similar cabinet. She opened it up and looked inside, and saw that the clothes were the same, but also different. ¡°My King, this... you didn''t give us the same clothes?¡± ¡°The patterns are similar, since I didn''t want to deviate too much from the standard.¡± Ren said. ¡°However, I don''t want you to think you''re the same or that I think you''re the same, so I made everything slightly different.¡± ¡°But... this... must have taken...¡± ¡°About a day.¡± Ren said, and he felt their surprise. ¡°It''s something Vasalor and I came up with to help me create time when I don''t have any to spare.¡± ¡°Like now.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You haven''t got too much time left before you have to go.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Ren said and looked at Tatya. He could feel her struggling against the full weight of his Aura, and he felt bad about subjecting her to it. ¡°Now I know how much you can handle safely.¡± He said to her and eased its effects. She took in a deep breath and he felt her relief. ¡°You''re right. I can''t handle more than that.¡± Tatya said, and from her emotions, he knew she thought that she had lost some of his respect. Ren took her hand and she caught her breath as he poured admiration into her. ¡°You didn''t complain and endured it, so you haven''t lost my respect.¡± He said and felt her surprise at guessing her thoughts. ¡°We should climb aboard and get to the camping site.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Tatya said and stepped back, bowed slightly, then quickly walked over to her carriage near the end of the caravan and climbed inside. Everyone else took that as the cue to get into their own carriages, and climbed inside as well. Chapter 756 - Public Relations Yuwen and Tiyaphi stored their wardrobe cabinets and Ren deactivated and stored the shop tower. ¡°Mistresses, this way.¡± Ren said and motioned to the first carriage. ¡°Are you going to tell us what happened between you and Tatya?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Ren said and opened the carriage door, then helped each woman climb inside, including Artemis, and got in himself. ¡°When we stop in a few seconds.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The camp site is only down the road a little ways. The giant boars can run that in a blink of an eye, now.¡± Ren said, and they felt a tiny jerk backwards, then a tiny jerk forwards. ¡°Everyone disembark!¡± A voice yelled, then laughed. Ren opened the carriage door and helped everyone get out, and he could feel everyone''s surprise at the short trip. The carriage pulled off to the side to park and the driver and attendants started to pull out the tents required for everyone. ¡°Neither I, nor those with me, need a tent.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where are you going to sleep? On the ground?¡± ¡°No, in a big comfy bed.¡± Ren said. ¡°Where would my tent be if I need it?¡± ¡°Right over there.¡± The attendant said and pointed to a small spot. ¡°Not very big tents, then.¡± Ren commented. ¡°If you wanted to get cozy, you can fit three people in one.¡± He said with a smile. ¡°I intend to be very cozy.¡± Ren said and used his Instant Tower recipe to make a tower to fit the available space, and made it several floors high. He added the ingredients and formed the cube, then put it in the spot and activated it. A 15 foot by 15 foot stone and metal tower appeared, and it was five stories tall. The attendant stared at the structure. ¡°You just made that.¡± ¡°Yes, and now I''ll be using it.¡± Ren said and opened the door. ¡°Mistresses.¡± Yuwen and Tiyaphi stepped inside without a second thought. Dilseffa on the other hand, looked over to where Rimsoh the magic user was setting up his own tent. ¡°Go ahead and invite him inside.¡± Ren said, and she whipped her head back to look at him. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren felt her dismay and shock, and laughed. ¡°I meant, to come inside and talk, and maybe to sleep in your bed if he''s willing.¡± ¡°Not... not in your bed?¡± ¡°Of course not in my bed.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re only staying in my tower because you''re my concubine, not because I want to steal you away or force you to do anything.¡± ¡°But... you... you gave me a title and...¡± ¡°Don''t worry about any of that yet.¡± Ren assured her. ¡°Go and ask him if he wants to talk. I''m sure he has a lot of questions.¡± ¡°My King, I have a lot of questions.¡± Dilseffa said, and he chuckled. ¡°I''ll be back in the morning and I''ll try to answer any that you have, or he has, if I can.¡± Ren said and motioned for her to go. Dilseffa walked a short ways away and looked back at him, and he made a shooing motion with his hands. ¡°Are you sure that was wise?¡± Artemis asked Ren and hugged him from behind. ¡°It''s better to get things out in the open than to hide them and try to keep it a secret.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll need both you and Teepo to keep a close eye on them tonight.¡± ¡°I''ll make sure he doesn''t hurt her and I''ll only break his arms if he tries.¡± Artemis said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°I''m glad you can share my thoughts again.¡± Ren said. ¡°I am, too.¡± Artemis said and kissed the top of his head. * ¡°Excuse me?¡± Rimsoh asked as he tried, yet again, to put the wrong pole into the side of the tent. ¡°Dammit!¡± He exclaimed and threw it down. ¡°You''re distracted.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Calm down and sit with me.¡± ¡°No, I need to...¡± ¡°Sit. Down.¡± Dilseffa said sternly, and he glared at her for a moment, then sat where she pointed. She sat right beside him and leaned into him. Rimsoh took the not-so-subtle hint and put his arm around her, despite them being out in the open. She wiggled a little in happiness and rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°What''s this about me joining Ren inside that tower?¡± Rimsoh asked. ¡°No, he said you''d be joining me in there.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Isn''t that the same thing now?¡± He asked, a little confused. ¡°No.¡± Dilseffa said and sighed. ¡°I''m his concubine; but, I''m not sleeping with him.¡± Rimsoh barked a laugh. ¡°Yeah, right. That''s your job now.¡± ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°I don''t really want to explain out here where everyone can hear us.¡± She said. ¡°Come over to the tower like I asked and we can talk in private.¡± ¡°There''s no way we can have privacy with 4 other people in there.¡± ¡°There are 5 floors inside.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°I''m sure that...¡± ¡°No, if we''re going to talk, it might as well be here.¡± Rimsoh said and looked around, and he could feel that no one was paying any attention to them. ¡°So, go ahead. Explain it to me.¡± Dilseffa held in her sigh and told him about Ren declaring her his second mistress and giving her the Countess title, then offering her the wardrobe full of clothes. ¡°So, he is trying to bribe you.¡± ¡°No, he isn''t.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°He''s only providing me with what a concubine is supposed to have.¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t accept the clothing, because I knew you wouldn''t like it.¡± ¡°Did he give you the appropriate jewellery yet?¡± Rimsoh asked, and she shook her head. ¡°Is that because you turned down the clothes?¡± ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°He hasn''t given any to Yuwen or Tiyaphi, either.¡± ¡°If he does, you can sell them and...¡± ¡°I am not selling gifts from my Inamorato.¡± Dilseffa said and lifted her head up from his shoulder as she sat up straight. ¡°Oh, so he''s your Inamorato already, is he?¡± ¡°No. I told you that we aren''t going to have sex.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Calling him ''My King'' every time I talk to you about him will get annoying.¡± ¡°Just talking about him is getting annoying.¡± Rimsoh said. ¡°It''s all everyone is talking about now.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°What happened at the battle?¡± Rimsoh closed his mouth and didn''t say anything. Dilseffa turned to the closest delegate and spoke. ¡°Excuse me. What happened at the battle with King Ren?¡± ¡°Ha!¡± The man put the last post into his tent and it popped out to its full shape. ¡°You should have seen it.¡± He said and walked over to them. ¡°I was right there behind Tatya when the 50 foot tall spider ran towards us.¡± ¡°It was only 40 feet tall.¡± Rimsoh said under his breath. ¡°I thought we were all dead.¡± The man chuckled. ¡°Even Tatya, our strong and ever present leader, knew for a fact we were all going to die and had resigned herself to it.¡± His eyes lost their amusement and the smile disappeared. ¡°You know what happens when a leader gives up.¡± Dilseffa nodded slightly. ¡°One second we were all ready to die, and then there was a whistling sound and the spider screeched in pain. It turned around and we all saw a hundred spears sticking out of its backside.¡± ¡°A... a hundred?¡± Dilseffa asked in disbelief. ¡°I don''t know how he did it, either.¡± The man said. ¡°After a moment the damn things exploded like they were elemental bombs and blew the back of the spider right off.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Dilseffa whispered.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Then the thing fell down dead and crushed the center of the horde under it.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± ¡°Not even a little.¡± The man said. ¡°In its death throes, it decimated the rest of the horde and the goblins that remained scattered.¡± ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°You were saved.¡± ¡°That''s not the best part.¡± The man said, then he described an 11 foot tall dark elf that had leaped up onto the humongous spider''s back and hacked it apart with a 20 foot sword. When he told her that the dark elf was Ren, Dilseffa couldn''t speak. ¡°It was a surprise, that''s for sure.¡± The man said. ¡°I''ve never seen... or felt... anything like it before.¡± He said. ¡°King Ren was really angry at that spider.¡± It took a few moments for Dilseffa to find her voice. ¡°Th-thank you for telling me.¡± ¡°I''m surprised your secret boyfriend hasn''t told you already.¡± He joked. ¡°Everyone''s talking about it and wondering how he did the spears.¡± Dilseffa blinked her eyes for a moment as she thought about it. ¡°As close to mid-range combat weapons, they would be valuable on their own.¡± She said as she understood. ¡°If we could adapt them to use at long range and they are strong enough to survive the impact...¡± ¡°We could give all the ground troops a ranged attack they''ve never had before.¡± The man said. ¡°I don''t remember seeing him carrying a hundred spears, though.¡± ¡°He''s an Adventurer and can store things like us.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°He must be able to hold a lot, because that tower over there isn''t the same one that we saw before.¡± ¡°He just made it.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°You mean that story is true, too?¡± The man asked. ¡°I thought he might have had the cathedral built already and had hidden it somewhere, then made it appear.¡± ¡°That would be some powerful magic if he could do that.¡± Rimsoh said, despite wanting to stay quiet. ¡°He can make a portal strong enough to go into another realm, Rimsoh.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°I''m sure he could make a cathedral appear whenever he wants.¡± ¡°I can feel your admiration for him.¡± Rimsoh said. ¡°Well, that''s my cue to get back to work.¡± The man said. ¡°I''m out of my depth with a lover''s quarrel.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Rimsoh said and stood up. The man put up his hands in a clear sign that he didn''t want to fight and took a step back. ¡°I meant to say ''slightly more than friends quarrel''.¡± He said, then took two more steps back. Rimsoh took a breath and let it out, then sat back down. The man took the cue and left. ¡°You really are embarrassed that we''re together.¡± Dilseffa said, and he felt her swirling emotions. ¡°Is it true that you want to kill me, too?¡± The entire camping settlement stopped moving and everyone''s emotions faded as they blocked themselves from broadcasting. ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± Rimsoh asked and he looked over at the tent that his friend Miles was still putting up. ¡°It wasn''t Miles.¡± Dilseffa said to cut off his budding revenge plans. ¡°Or anyone else in the caravan.¡± ¡°That means Tatya''s guest has been eavesdropping on me.¡± Rimsoh said as his anger rose. ¡°Probably on all of us.¡± ¡°He could have been.¡± Dilseffa said and moved away slightly. ¡°He didn''t say anything about hearing it, though.¡± ¡°Then how...¡± ¡°He said that where Adventurers come from, ferrets kill and eat rabbits.¡± ¡°Ha. A likely story to gain your favor and put a bias into your mind.¡± Rimsoh said. ¡°It could have been a story to frighten me, and I would have believed what you just said... if he hadn''t been right about you.¡± Dilseffa said, and he felt her deep sadness. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Rimsoh asked, confused. ¡°You accused King Ren of listening in, or spying on you.¡± Dilseffa said as her heart broke. ¡°Which... which means you actually said it yourself.¡± ¡°Dilseffa, I was only joking around with Miles when I said that.¡± ¡°Yeah. What a joke.¡± Dilseffa said as tears rolled down her face. ¡°A joke about killing me.¡± ¡°It''s not like that.¡± Rimsoh said. ¡°You just make me so angry sometimes that I felt like killing you.¡± ¡°Yes, knowing that makes me feel so much better.¡± Dilseffa said and wiped at her face. ¡°We''ve been together a long time. Why didn''t you ever do it?¡± Rimsoh thought about not answering, then realized he had already lost her and it didn''t matter if she knew the truth. ¡°I love you; but, you can be so frustratingly cute sometimes.¡± He said. ¡°That''s not really your fault, since that''s who you are. Every time we argued, though... you always offered me sex to calm me down and end the fight.¡± He admitted. ¡°I''ve never reached the point where I would be angry enough to actually go through with it.¡± ¡°I''m glad that my cute ass was cute enough to stop you from killing me for being cute.¡± Dilseffa said and let out a sob and a laugh at the same time. ¡°Dilseffa, I...¡± ¡°I love you, too. I know we weren''t really together. Not officially, anyway.¡± Dilseffa said and stopped trying to wipe at her tears, because it wasn''t making any difference. ¡°Sneaking around was so much fun! I enjoyed that a lot.¡± She said. ¡°I was told recently that sneaking around didn''t matter because everyone knew anyway. I never imagined that if we did manage to spend more time together, officially or not, that I could have ended up dead because I love you.¡± ¡°Dilseffa...¡± ¡°No, I''m... I''m fine.¡± Dilseffa said and stood up. ¡°I will be fine.¡± Her tears never stopped. ¡°I''m also glad I found out before I hired you as part of King Ren''s security staff.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Rimsoh looked up at her and she felt his surprise. ¡°I''m going to be in charge of the security of the household and the lands, and the people in those lands.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°I was actually going to politely refuse and stay with you, since he gave his concubines permission to find and be with the ones they love, rather than stay by his side.¡± ¡°N-no, that... it''s not... it''s true.¡± Rimsoh mumbled. ¡°Yes, despite me submitting to his power, just like you did, he isn''t lording it over me or the others.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°He could, though. He really could.¡± She admitted. ¡°I thought he was going to try and separate us, or try and claim me to drive you away; but, all he did was tell me to be careful around you.¡± She chuckled. ¡°He was right.¡± She let the chuckle and amusement die, then sighed. ¡°He only wants me to be happy.¡± Rimsoh didn''t say anything and just looked at her with a lost look in his eyes. ¡°On the way over here, because he told me to come here and invite you over, I had the bright idea to take his job offer and then the horrible idea to offer you a job, too.¡± Dilseffa said and took a step back, and stayed facing him. ¡°I''m going to do the first idea, and I''m never doing the second, despite the both of us submitting to him.¡± ¡°But... if I''m...¡± ¡°He has hundreds of thousands of people in his domain, Rimsoh.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Humans, High Elves, Dark Elves, elflings, and now us.¡± She took another step back. ¡°He doesn''t offer them all jobs. Only a place to live and food to eat, if... and only if... they want to leave where they are now and live on his lands.¡± Rimsoh wanted to stand up and follow her, catch her and try to explain again; but, he knew it was pointless. So, he stayed sitting and maintained eye contact with her. ¡°He even lets them take their families if they want, so they won''t be separated.¡± ¡°What? No, he... why...¡± ¡°He really cares about us.¡± Dilseffa said and kept walking backwards. ¡°You don''t realize it until you start thinking about all of the things he''s done, then it hits you that all he''s doing is helping people. People he just met. Most of the people in his domain he rescued personally. He''s even saved this world several times now.¡± She was almost too far to hear without her having to shout, and she stopped walking. ¡°He''s even saved a bunch of Giants and made them a city to live in, and didn''t ask for anything in return.¡± She said and her tears stopped on their own. ¡°Who does that?¡± Rimsoh didn''t say the obvious answer, and she smiled. ¡°He does. He always does.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°He knows people are grateful for what he does for them, since he can feel their emotions; but, almost no one ever actually thanks him for it.¡± She said. ¡°Well, I''m going to. I''m thanking him right now.¡± She put a hand over her heart and took a deep breath. ¡°I, Countess Dilseffa Dreikhyth, publicly acknowledge King Ren as my Inamorato.¡± A ripple of surprise flowed around the camp site as the Pervarians couldn''t block their feelings anymore. ¡°I am Second Mistress of his Royal Concubines, and I will do my best to earn him Respect.¡± Dilseffa said in a strong voice that none of them had ever heard before. ¡°I am his, and he is mine, both formally and informally. I dedicate the rest of my life to his service, and that of my family members who so choose to join me in that service.¡± She said. ¡°I do so swear.¡± Everyone fell silent as they saw a beam of bright white light shoot out from her and across the remaining space between her and Ren and connected them. The day was ending and the daylight was waning fast, so the bright beam of light lit up the entire campsite. ¡°I humbly accept your pledge of loyalty, Countess Dreikhyth.¡± Ren''s command voice cut through the silence just as much as the beam of light cut through the air. Everyone turned to look at him, and he walked over to her. ¡°Please, allow me to adorn you appropriately.¡± ¡°I accept your attention, My King.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°I had planned on waiting until a more private setting.¡± Ren said and took out her wardrobe cabinet and opened it. He reached in and took out her work outfit, and she caught her breath. It was only a string bikini and barely covered her. ¡°M-my K-king.¡± Dilseffa said and held the thin and very strong platinum-laced cloth. ¡°I... I don''t...¡± ¡°My head of security will be the fiercest warrior.¡± Ren said and closed and stored the cabinet. ¡°Equip your uniform, please.¡± Dilseffa did so, and everyone caught their breath as nearly all of Dilseffa''s skin was exposed. ¡°Here are the jewelled adornments that are appropriate for your station.¡± Ren said and started to hand her platinum bracelets, anklets, and a diamond encrusted necklace. No one spoke as Dilseffa equipped each item and her power increased with each added item. ¡°These are only artifical boosts until I can train you properly to become this powerful on your own.¡± He said. ¡°Now, your crown.¡± ¡°M-my WHAT?!?¡± ¡°Royal Mistresses are a part of my Dynasty in the lands of Pervaria.¡± Ren said and pointed to his head, and she saw a thin platinum crown partially hidden by his fluffy hair. ¡°Please, kneel.¡± Dilseffa was too stunned to refuse and knelt as she stared into his eyes. Ren held out a diamond encrusted tiara and tucked it into her hair. ¡°Welcome to the Ren Dynasty, Dilseffa.¡± Ren said. ¡°Boy, that sounds so pretentious, doesn''t it?¡± Dilseffa snorted a laugh and he smiled. ¡°May I kiss you to finish the ritual?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. He cupped the sides of her face with his hands and leaned down slightly to press his lips to hers. The light between them grew brighter as he poured feelings of admiration and thanks into her, and she felt how proud he was of her. He broke the kiss and stepped back, then took her hand and helped her stand. ¡°That was so beautiful!¡± Yuwen said excitedly and ran over to them. ¡°Quick! Do me next!¡± That made several people laugh, and Ren and Yuwen repeated the ritual. Tiyaphi came over when Ren called her over, and they repeated it as well. Once they were done, Teepo told Ren he was out of time. ¡°I have to go.¡± Ren said. ¡°We need to get inside.¡± Artemis said, and she, Ren, and the three Pervarian concubines, went inside the tower. The bottom was a fully furnished living room and the next 4 floors had bedrooms. ¡°I''m on the top floor.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can I sleep there, too?¡± Tiyaphi asked. ¡°I won''t be much company.¡± Ren said. ¡°I want to be there when you wake up.¡± Tiyaphi said. Ren felt that she was going to sneak in later if he said no, and sighed. ¡°Thank you!¡± Tiyaphi said and ran up the stairs, then Artemis and Ren walked up after her. Yuwen looked at Dilseffa. ¡°You really meant what you said, didn''t you?¡± Dilseffa tried to hide her feelings. ¡°It... really hurt to... end things...¡± Yuwen took her hand and walked towards the stairs. ¡°He''ll let you hold him, I''m sure.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We don''t even have to ask.¡± Yuwen said and pulled her up the stairs to the top floor. Ren, Artemis, and Tiyaphi were changing clothes to get into bed. They looked at the two women, shrugged, then climbed onto the bed. ¡°I told you.¡± Yuwen said and equipped a set of lacy underwear and bra she had retrieved from her wardrobe. Dilseffa equipped an old and slightly worn out night gown, and Ren felt her embarrassment. ¡°Come here.¡± Ren said. It wasn''t a command, so Dilseffa had to choose to go to him. She did, and walked over to the bed. Ren touched the cloth with the Master Tailor Sewing Needle and repaired it instantly. ¡°There. All fixed.¡± Ren said and pat the bed beside him. ¡°I... My King...¡± ¡°There''s no need for titles anymore, Dilseffa.¡± Ren said and put an arm down for her to lay on. ¡°Cuddle in and relax.¡± ¡°I don''t know about the relaxing part.¡± Dilseffa said and climbed onto the bed. ¡°I''ll be a perfect gentleman.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Since I won''t be here to take advantage of you.¡± ¡°Geez, Ren.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Take it easy on her.¡± ¡°She knows I''m joking.¡± Ren said and tucked his other arm under Artemis'' neck. ¡°I''ve got two legs free, or you can settle for my hands.¡± He said to Yuwen and Tiyaphi. ¡°Definitely hands.¡± They said together, then chuckled and laid down so his hands cupped the sides of their faces. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said. See you later, Teepo. ¡°Bye, Ren! I''ll keep an eye on things, like always.¡± A chorus of goodnight was said in return, then Ren tensed all of his muscles for a moment and relaxed. ¡°Logout.¡± Chapter 757 - Midnight Express ¡°Well, you''ve had a long day.¡± Barbara said as she helped Ren take off his VR headset. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Ren said and rubbed his eyes. ¡°I almost screwed everything up.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°People make mistakes, Ren.¡± ¡°I only met her today, and I almost slept with a woman who inherently distrusts people not like her.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m glad her prejudice came to the surface before we did go to bed.¡± ¡°Then you went to bed with three new women.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°Only one of them really wants to have sex with me, though.¡± Ren joked, and she laughed. He looked to the side and saw that the bed was empty. ¡°Hey, where''s Elise?¡± ¡°Working.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Working? This late?¡± Ren asked and motioned that he wanted to sit up. Barbara helped him move back to prop up on some pillows by the headboard, and he rubbed his wrapped knee. ¡°Do you want a little something for that?¡± ¡°Not right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°You know how hard that kind of stuff hits me.¡± Barbara nodded and sat down beside the bed, then picked up the remote and started to change the channel. ¡°What should we watch?¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tell me about what Elise is doing.¡± ¡°Not just her. Barbi''s working, too.¡± ¡°Okay, now I really need to know.¡± Ren said. Barbara took a deep breath, let it out, then told him about the news broadcast earlier that night. Ren wasn''t sure what the big deal was, then she said that they had pieced together nearly the whole deposition that he had given to the lawyers at the firm. ¡°No way.¡± Ren said. ¡°How did they get it?¡± ¡°Apparently, someone sat through all the preliminary trials today and recorded the recordings they released in the courtroom.¡± ¡°Damn, that''s a smart way to get a story.¡± Ren said. Barbara heard the admiration in his voice. ¡°Ren, this could be very bad.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°No, even if the lawyers lost their cases, they did what I said to do. They are making the most of what I said and are using it to full advantage.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I assume the work Elise and Barbi are doing is damage control, like selling the appropriate stocks, and also checking to see if the footage they showed was the whole thing?¡± ¡°That''s exactly what they are doing.¡± Barbara said, a little surprised. ¡°They can''t decide if they should release the whole thing or not.¡± ¡°Tell them that if they already found most of it on the net and it''s already spreading around, releasing the official deposition in its entirety on our main site would give us the upper hand in making it legitimate.¡± ¡°What if it''s still needed by other lawyers?¡± ¡°That''s why I said if ''most'' of it is already out there.¡± Ren said. ¡°If it''s not, then maybe they can just release the transcript for those parts.¡± ¡°If you''re sure...¡± ¡°I don''t want to compromise any court cases; but, I also don''t want blatant rumours and falsehoods to spread, and maybe subject us to lawsuits for slander because the information is incomplete.¡± ¡°That''s what Barbi was worried about.¡± Barbara said and took out her cell phone, then typed up a message to Elise and Barbi. Her phone beeped at her and she read the response. ¡°They said most of it is on the net now, so the rest of the footage will only tie it all together.¡± ¡°Then put the full video on the site and blast social media with the announcement.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Either it''ll blow over by morning because everyone will know, or the security guards are really going to earn their pay.¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°It''s not really a joking matter, you know.¡± ¡°If we don''t laugh at it, we''ll have to admit it''s horrible... and we should feel bad that everyone has to watch it.¡± Ren said and took her hand. ¡°I sincerely doubt that they are all as brave and strong as you.¡± ¡°I wanted to bawl and weep the whole time you talked.¡± Barbara gave his hand a squeeze. ¡°That''s what I said.¡± Ren grinned, and she snorted a laugh. ¡°Hey, handsome!¡± Lisa nearly yelled as she came into his bedroom at a jog. ¡°Lisa! You''re going to wake up the whole house!¡± Barbara said just as loudly, then covered her mouth with a hand. Ren and Lisa laughed. ¡°It''s okay. Everyone''s still up anyway.¡± Lisa said and climbed up onto the bed and sat beside Ren. ¡°After I helped Barbi and Elise track everything on the net, I logged in to see how things were going for you.¡± She said to Ren and leaned in to give him a kiss. ¡°You didn''t stick around and saw the end, then?¡± Ren asked, and she shook her head. ¡°Then be ready to be amazed.¡± ¡°I doubt you could get into too much trouble riding in a caravan.¡± Lisa said. ¡°It was after we landed in Pervaria.¡± ¡°What? Did something happen at the garrison?¡± ¡°You could say that.¡± Ren said, then told her about the goblin army attacking, mobilizing the troops and going along, then about the 40 foot tall spider appearing and dealing with it. ¡°They summoned Anansi so soon?¡± Lisa asked. ¡°Oh? You know about...¡± Ren stopped talking and laughed. ¡°Sorry.¡± Lisa smiled. ¡°He''s an evil entity that hates the Pervarians with an unbridled passion, because they are corruptions of pure animal spirits.¡± ¡°Well, that''s not entirely true.¡± Ren said. ¡°Some of the Pervarians are born as talking animals.¡± ¡°You know that already?¡± Lisa asked, and he nodded. ¡°I met a medical professional when I was getting checked out in customs and she told me some interesting facts.¡± ¡°She''s also his newest concubine.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You snookered another one?¡± Lisa teased, and Ren laughed. ¡°You knew it was easy for strong fighters to pick up women like stray cats, and you sent me to the Pervarian Kingdom anyway?¡± Ren asked, and it was Lisa''s turn to laugh. ¡°I told you that you were going to like it there.¡± ¡°I thought the big secret that you meant for me to discover was that they could change into animals.¡± Ren said, and she took his hand. ¡°It was, with the side benefit that if you just be yourself, unlike how a lot of other places treat you, they only see your power and treat you accordingly.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Short, tall, handsome, ugly, it doesn''t matter one iota.¡± She leaned in and gave him another kiss.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Not all of them feel that way.¡± Ren said and explained what had happened with Tatya, and her revelation that a lot of her people will distrust him because of their bias against those not of their kind. ¡°A false emotional front?¡± Lisa asked, and thought about it. ¡°That''s an interesting way for them to share only certain things with outsiders. They can learn everything they want to learn without revealing that''s what they are doing.¡± ¡°I caught them at it, then offered to just sit there with their detector and let him find out everything.¡± Ren said, and Lisa snorted a laugh. ¡°Like knowing what your skills are is going to tell them what you can do!¡± ¡°That''s what I told them.¡± Ren said and kissed her back. ¡°Great minds think alike.¡± ¡°Well, unlike your great mind, I''m beat!¡± Lisa said. ¡°I''m going to bed.¡± ¡°You''re not staying here?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, you need a break from my awesomeness.¡± Lisa said, and he kissed her hand and let her go. ¡°Rest that leg, and try not to strain yourself, okay?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said, not really sure what she meant. Lisa left the room and he looked at Barbara. ¡°Do you know...¡± ¡°I''m sure she''s referring to your promise to... what was it you said? Oh, right.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°You''re going to properly thank Barbi.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thanks for reminding me.¡± ¡°I thought you could remember everything?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°I can, but... it''s not like it''s all right there floating in my head.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°I''d be going crazy if all of my memories were fighting for dominance and for my attention.¡± He chuckled. ¡°It''s more like a well-organized calendar.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Then, if I said something like... the first time I read you Little Bo Peep...¡± ¡°It was on a Sunday, and I had just finished a late supper because the medical assessment tests went really long that day.¡± Ren said after a moment. ¡°I was so sore from all the poking and prodding that you kicked everyone out of the room and climbed onto the bed with me.¡± Barbara took several shallow breaths as she remembered that day, too. ¡°You had given me my first hug the day before, so I was surprised when you cuddled me on the bed and took out the very first story book I had ever seen.¡± Ren said. ¡°I couldn''t read the words; but, I loved the bright colors of the pictures.¡± He smiled. ¡°The sound of your voice was the best thing I''d ever heard.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Barbara fought hard to hold back her tears. ¡°It took you 23 minutes to read it all to me, because you took your time and let me stare at each page.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was too weak to touch it, so you put my hand on each picture and I felt the glossy surface.¡± He said. ¡°I hadn''t known at the time that you bought the book just for me.¡± Barbara couldn''t hold the tears back anymore and grabbed a tissue and sniffed to stop her nose from running. ¡°I... I still have that book.¡± She said and wiped her eyes. ¡°I misplaced that memory for a long time, especially with all the things that happened after that.¡± Ren gave her hand a squeeze. ¡°I remember it all now.¡± He said, and she let a small sob out. ¡°Thank you for taking care of me, Mom.¡± ¡°Y-you''re w-welcome, Son.¡± Barbara managed to say. There was a knock on the bedroom door, and Barbara took a deep breath as she let his hand go and grabbed another tissue to wipe off her face. ¡°Come in.¡± Ren said, and the bedroom door opened and Barbi came in. She was still wearing the baby-blue colored t-shirt and matching boxer shorts with the slits on the sides to highlight her legs. ¡°It''s done.¡± Barbi said and walked over to the bed, and Ren saw that she still hadn''t put on a bra. ¡°We''ve got the full video file and the transcript up, and thanks to Elise''s contact at the law firm, we''ve also got all the judgments from the cases today, cross-linked with the video files on the internet, and their transcripts as well.¡± ¡°Damn, you guys are good.¡± Ren said, impressed. ¡°Thank you so much for handling this so quickly.¡± ¡°That''s my cue to go and make myself a light snack in the kitchen.¡± Barbara said and pointed to the phone. ¡°I''m only a minute and a call away.¡± Barbi nodded and Barbara left the bedroom and shut the door. ¡°Where''s Elise?¡± Ren asked. ¡°She said something about overseas markets and clearing out the deadwood.¡± Barbi said, and Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s probably most of the portfolio she gave me for my birthday.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t imagine what her own portfolio looks like if she had to dump most of her technology stock.¡± ¡°She did, and right into the... what was it she called it? A float or something?¡± Barbi shrugged. ¡°Anyway, once she got rid of it all and the stock price plummeted, she turned right around and bought everything back up.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Ren exclaimed, and she shook her head. ¡°Nope. I haven''t known her for very long; but, she seems pretty shrewd about things like that.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I''m great at catching details, and yet she was whizzing through different computer screens and scrolling charts faster than I could read even one stock price!¡± Ren laughed and pat the bed. ¡°Ren, I... Stella told me...¡± ¡°She did?¡± Ren asked, then smiled. ¡°Well, that makes things a little easier.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I remember you spreading your legs in the kitchen and practically begged me to please you.¡± ¡°I was testing you.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I passed that test, and after we shared a great nap, you stopped me before I made a huge mistake and I promised to properly thank you.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Now you''ve done your best to cover my butt in the real world, so that the truth will protect me and not hurt me, like it could have.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t ask you to do anything else, except let me kiss you there.¡± He said and pointed to her special place. ¡°I''ll have to call Stella or Denise to help me with something after that.¡± ¡°With what?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°I can last a little while longer; but, if I''m not helped soon, it''s going to start hurting.¡± Ren pat his thigh. Barbi remembered earlier when she had overheard Denise pleasing him, and she understood what he meant. She walked over to the house phone by the bed and picked it up, and dialed. ¡°Hi, it''s Barbi.¡± Barbi paused. ¡°I''m in Ren''s room.¡± She said. ¡°Yes, he needs you.¡± She hung up the phone and smiled at him. ¡°Barbi...¡± ¡°Just wait a minute.¡± Barbi said. ¡°But... if you called...¡± The bedroom door opened and Denise came in. Ren''s eyes went wide as she came over to the bed and Barbi pointed to his crotch. ¡°He said he was going to properly thank me, and then get his needs looked after.¡± Barbi said in an accusing tone. ¡°Ren.¡± Denise looked at him with squinted eyes. ¡°How many times do we have to remind you that you''re not supposed to wait when you get in this state?¡± She asked and quickly lifted his pyjama pants up to get a look at him. ¡°You need to tell one of us right away.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Thanks for calling me, Barbi.¡± Denise said. ¡°Would you mind...¡± ¡°I''ll wait in the hall.¡± Barbi said and walked towards the door. ¡°But... I was supposed to...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°I''ll come back in afterwards.¡± Barbi said and left. * Lisa had left Ren''s room and instead of going to the elevator or the stairs, she knocked on Stella''s door instead. ¡°Come in.¡± Stella said, and Lisa saw her sitting at the small table in the mini-kitchen. ¡°Well, I did it.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Ren''s in the Pervaria Kingdom.¡± ¡°Whew. What a relief.¡± Stella said. ¡°How is he doing?¡± ¡°He''s a little frustrated.¡± Lisa said and sat down next to her, then explained what had happened between Ren and Tatya. Stella chuckled. ¡°Yes, that would be frustrating.¡± ¡°He''s got 3 concubines, too.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Already?¡± Stella raised both eyebrows. Lisa told her what happened for him to get the first two. ¡°Hm. So concubines in name only.¡± Stella said. ¡°Is that going to change soon?¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± Lisa said. ¡°He''s told the first two all about his adventures.¡± ¡°Oho!¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°I imagine at least one of them will want to tear his clothes off after hearing all of that.¡± Lisa nodded. ¡°They admire fighting prowess and strength, so he''s going to blow their minds.¡± ¡°Among other things!¡± Stella exclaimed, then she and Lisa laughed. After a couple of minutes, Lisa spoke. ¡°I knew he would enjoy going there, but why did you want him to go?¡± ¡°He''s soon going to lose the ability to have sex with a lot of the women currently in his life.¡± Stella said. ¡°The maids and Xuunah are pregnant, and it won''t be long before he can''t be with them. So...¡± ¡°...in order to keep him from utilizing the succubi, you want him to have another outlet, just in case.¡± Lisa said in understanding. ¡°You got it.¡± Stella said and took her hand. ¡°Unlike Ren, I took your warnings to heart. Of course, I still chose having the succubi ancestor in the game; but, that gave me a unique perspective for the problem.¡± ¡°How does it feel to have everyone come after you?¡± Lisa asked with a smile. ¡°It''s both very flattering and extremely scary.¡± Stella chuckled. ¡°It''s a great experience.¡± ¡°Yeah, I knew you''d like it for that.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Your character''s name is Experiment001 for pete''s sake!¡± Stella laughed. ¡°I didn''t want to use my own name, and then I couldn''t think of one that I''d respond to, so... I defaulted to an easy one to remember.¡± Lisa smiled for a moment, then yawned. Stella was about to comment on it, then she yawned to. ¡°Oh, no! You''ve caught it!¡± Lisa said and pulled her hand away, and that made Stella laugh. ¡°I think you need to take it back!¡± Stella said as she stood up and tried to grab her. Lisa leaned back out of reach, slid off her chair to the floor, then half-rolled and half-stepped to the side and stood up on the opposite side of the table. ¡°Too slow.¡± Lisa teased. ¡°Am I now?¡± Stella said and grinned as she took a running stance. ¡°Oh, crap!¡± Lisa said and tried to run. Stella barked a laugh because Lisa wasn''t a runner and bolted after her, quickly caught her and scooped her up, then tumbled onto the bed into a heap, with her on bottom and Lisa on top and they hugged each other. They were both laughing at how easily Lisa had been caught, then the laughter faded from Lisa''s face. ¡°Can... I stay here tonight?¡± Lisa asked, her face slightly red. ¡°Only if I get a goodnight kiss.¡± Stella said with a smile. Lisa''s face flushed completely red, then she took a shallow breath and leaned down to give her a kiss. Stella was a bit surprised, since she had meant giving her a kiss after they had climbed into bed, just like they had shared the last time Lisa had stayed there. She didn''t let that surprise stop her from kissing her back, however. Lisa broke the kiss and her breathing was a little fast as her muscles tensed up for a rejection. ¡°H-how w-was th-that?¡± ¡°It was perfect.¡± Stella said, then after a brief moment, kissed her. She felt Lisa relax, because she hadn''t been rebuffed or discouraged. ¡°Let''s get under the blanket and get some sleep.¡± Lisa nodded and they untangled themselves and got into bed. Stella held her arms open and Lisa cuddled in without needing to ask. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Stella said and gave her another kiss. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Lisa said, then closed her eyes and basked in Stella''s warm embrace. Chapter 758 - So That Happened It took Denise about 10 minutes to help Ren, and Barbi was a little disappointed that she hadn''t heard them from where she stood in the hallway, despite trying to listen. The bedroom door opened and Denise stepped out. ¡°How is he?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°Relaxing.¡± Denise said and shut the door. ¡°Thanks again for calling me.¡± Barbi put a hand on her arm and smiled. ¡°I remember you helping him the last time this happened, and how quickly you came to his ''rescue''.¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°That''s funny because it''s true. He really will suffer pain if it''s not taken care of quickly.¡± ¡°I figured, and when he mentioned it, I called you right away.¡± Barbi said. Denise pat her hand. ¡°We both appreciate it, even if he complains about being able to wait.¡± Barbi chuckled. ¡°Uh huh. Like any other man would want to wait for that to happen!¡± Denise chuckled, too. ¡°Been there, done that!¡± ¡°I know! It''s like... hey, my mouth is supposed to be for talking!¡± Barbi joked. ¡°At least some of the time, anyway.¡± Denise snorted a laugh. ¡°Yeah, sometimes.¡± She said and let Barbi''s hand go. ¡°He''s waiting for you.¡± ¡°Do I really need to...¡± ¡°No, you don''t have to do anything.¡± Densie said. ¡°If you don''t want it, or you''re not in the mood, just tell him.¡± ¡°Won''t he get angry or...¡± ¡°No.¡± Denise said. ¡°He really does just want to thank you.¡± Barbi took a shallow breath and let it out. ¡°I don''t think I''m ready.¡± ¡°Then tell him that and he''ll back off.¡± Denise said and walked down the hall. ¡°Although...¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He''s really, really good at it.¡± Denise said and hit the button for the elevator. ¡°I know he can kiss like a champion, but...¡± ¡°Yes, he can.¡± Denise said with a smile, glanced down at Barbi''s abdomen, then chuckled and disappeared into the elevator. ¡°Oh.¡± Barbi said as she understood what Denise meant and then felt a dampness between her legs. I might not be ready; but, my body sure is. She thought as she opened the bedroom door and went inside. She saw that Ren had a big smile on his face. ¡°Somebody''s a little happy.¡± ¡°Me!¡± Ren said and laughed, and it was infectious, so she laughed, too. ¡°Thanks for calling Denise.¡± ¡°She just thanked me again for that.¡± Barbi said and walked over to the bed. ¡°You must have let it go a few times for her to get angry at you about it.¡± Ren opened his mouth to deny it, then sighed. ¡°Yes, I''ve neglected my own needs a few times.¡± He admitted. ¡°It''s just... sometimes when I ask, I don''t do it right, or it''s at the wrong time, or...¡± Barbi put a hand on his hand. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You do?¡± Ren asked, a little surprised. ¡°Stella explained that you haven''t had a lot of experience with normal relationships.¡± ¡°She''s explaining a lot to you, then.¡± Ren joked. ¡°Not all at once.¡± Barbi said and smiled, then looked down at their clasped hands. ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said, and she looked at his face. ¡°I know you''re nervous about... well, you know.¡± ¡°Ren, it''s just...¡± Barbi sat down on the chair beside the bed. ¡°Awkward.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°If we were in the game, I''d pick you up and toss you onto the bed, tear off your sexy clothes with my teeth, then lick you from top to bottom like I said I would.¡± Barbi was surprised by the admission, and slightly delighted. ¡°The spirit is willing; but, the body is severely lacking in the physical part here in the real world.¡± Ren said. ¡°The most I can do is foreplay, and that''s assuming you can accommodate my injuries.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I was thinking you could prop yourself up on some pillows, so that neither of us would have to strain ourselves while I give you an Australian Kiss.¡± ¡°An Australian...¡± Barbi stopped talking and laughed. ¡°Going down under!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You got it.¡± He said. ¡°Sometimes I need to explain the joke and it loses its magic.¡± ¡°Yes, it would.¡± Barbi said. ¡°That''s a neat way to ask a woman to... lick her kitty.¡± ¡°That now has new meaning.¡± Ren said, and told her about unlocking the Beast Races in the game. ¡°Wait, wait! You licked a humanoid cat between the legs?!?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Almost, but that''s another story. I actually licked a minx.¡± ¡°A what?¡± ¡°Here she would be a mink.¡± Ren said. ¡°I think the programmers had fun calling her a minx, as in a sexual tease.¡± Barbi snorted a laugh. ¡°They would.¡± ¡°It was a bit hairier than I''ve experienced; but, it was still a woman''s special place.¡± Ren said. ¡°It tasted great, too.¡± ¡°You really like doing it, huh?¡± ¡°I really do.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like I told Gretchen and Dana, the texture alone is wonderful. The feeling of running my tongue over the hot flesh, then teasing and pleasing with...¡± ¡°You said that to the two girls you met at the garden party?¡± Barbi asked, surprised. ¡°Yeah. They''re my friends.¡± ¡°Ren, you can''t...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said and squeezed her hand. ¡°They know I''m kind of a sex addict.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Barbi wasn''t sure how to react to that bit of news. ¡°You told them that , too?¡± ¡°I really enjoy making a woman happy.¡± Ren explained. ¡°I can''t help myself sometimes. The way they feel, the way they react, the little moans they let out when you find a ticklish spot...¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Barbi''s face flushed red and he stopped talking. ¡°Too much information?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I really need more practice so I won''t volunteer too much.¡± ¡°You... are always brutally honest.¡± Barbi said and stood up. ¡°Sometimes that can be a handicap.¡± She said, then decided to tell her brain to shut up as she stepped close to the bed and put his hand that she held through the slit in the side of her boxer shorts. Ren didn''t need any more prompting than that and slid his fingers over her sensitive spot. She gasped as he expertly checked her, then he pulled his hand out and it was covered. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said and sucked on his fingers before he could stop himself. ¡°Mmm.¡± He practically moaned, then realized what he had done. ¡°Barbi, I...¡± ¡°P-pillows!¡± Barbi nearly yelled. She had started breathing fast at the sight of him tasting her, when she had only wanted to show him how wet she was from him just talking about it. ¡°You said something about pillows?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Ren pointed to the closet and she went over to it, grabbed a few of the spare pillows to add to the pile already on the bed, then went back over to him. He directed her where to put them, mostly between and around his legs, then he pat the top of the stack. ¡°Please, sit.¡± Ren said, and Barbi climbed onto the bed and carefully sat where he said. The stack of pillows was pretty high and seemed a little unsafe. ¡°Don''t worry.¡± He reassured her. ¡°When you lean back, your body will counterbalance like a seesaw and you can pivot on your hips.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Barbi looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Lean back and you''ll see.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Your shorts are loose enough that you can leave them on. I can just pull them aside.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°You want me to.¡± Ren said, and she heard the confidence in his voice. ¡°Even if it''s just a quick test to see if I really will, you want me to try.¡± ¡°I... I do.¡± Barbi admitted. ¡°Then lean back and let me thank you for all the help you''ve given me.¡± Barbi nodded and slowly leaned back, then she felt her weight shift as she reached the tipping point. She started to panic a little, then Ren''s hands touched her thighs. She relaxed as he put her knees under his armpits and used his weight to hold her legs steady. ¡°This is... really weird.¡± Barbi said as she leaned all the way back and practically hovered a couple of inches above the bed. ¡°Now we know the right height for your bracing pillows.¡± Ren said. Her knees were braced by his armpits, which left his arms completely free, and he easily slid two of the pillows on either side of him to the spot under her back to support her. ¡°I thought you said...¡± ¡°I just said it would work, not that you would have to stay like that.¡± Ren said with a smile, and she chuckled. ¡°I was so nervous I''d flick my legs out and kick you or something!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and slid his hands up to her thighs again and pushed her legs out from under his armpits and made room to approach her as he spread her legs. ¡°I... I''m really doing this.¡± Barbi whispered in disbelief as Ren touched her thighs and caressed the skin right up to where the boxer shorts were. ¡°It''s happening, right? I''m not hallucinating or anything?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°If me in this body is who you would hallucinate, I''d have to question your sanity.¡± ¡°I''m questioning my sanity!¡± Barbi exclaimed as she looked up at the ceiling and didn''t notice Ren as he eased the bottom of her shorts aside to reveal her completely hairless special place. ¡°I''m sprawled out on my back on a stack of pillows, for god''s sake, and I''m...¡± Barbi was now at the perfect height for him to do what he wanted, and there was no strain at all on either his wrapped knee or his stitched up wound on his side. Ren grinned at her exposed and glistening opening, then dove into it with both reckless abandon and expert precision. ¡°...about to let my boss... OH G...!¡± Barbi yelled and covered her mouth, then bit into her hand at what Ren was doing to her. Like Denise had told her, Ren was doing it very, very well. She was handling it just fine, until he started using his fingers, then she couldn''t hold in her moans anymore. * ¡°Hi, Barbara.¡± Elise said as she came into the kitchen to get more coffee. ¡°You really need to get to bed.¡± Barbara warned her and took a bite of a sandwich. ¡°You wouldn''t believe the mess in the stock market that news story unleashed.¡± Elise chuckled and poured herself a cup of coffee and took a big gulp of the caffeine goodness. ¡°Ah, so good.¡± ¡°I''d like to say I know what you''re talking about...¡± Barbara started to say, and Elise chuckled again. ¡°Let''s just say that a lot of the tech companies that were mentioned have recently had a public relations nightmare and are suffering a hostile takeover by a rival tech company.¡± Elise said. ¡°You mean you, right?¡± Barbara asked, and Elise nodded. ¡°Ren and I combined, to be more precise.¡± Elise corrected. ¡°Neither of us had the capital to pull it off individually, but combined?¡± She took a sip of coffee and grinned. ¡°They didn''t stand a chance.¡± ¡°Oh, my.¡± Barbara said. ¡°When will...¡± ¡°Ren''s right. It''ll all be over in the morning, once the local stock market opens for trading again and all the paperwork goes through.¡± Elise said and looked at her watch. ¡°In about 5 hours.¡± ¡°You''re staying up all night, aren''t you?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°Guilty.¡± Elise said. ¡°I need to keep an eye on the world''s markets to make sure no surprises appear.¡± ¡°You shouldn''t do that, you know.¡± Barbara cautioned her. ¡°Not now with...¡± ¡°I''m being careful.¡± Elise said. ¡°This is my only cup this hour.¡± ¡°I meant about wearing yourself out.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°I''ll be fine.¡± Elise said. ¡°Once it''s done, especially since the judgments for the cases are already in our favor, Ren and Haddon Enterprises will own controlling interest in every company that was involved in, or benefited from, the experiments performed on him as a child.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s sneaky.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Can I reward you with a sandwich?¡± Elise laughed and accepted one graciously. * Denise laid in bed and she couldn''t keep her smile or her happiness restrained. He needs me. She thought and hugged the pillow and pretended it was Ren. He''s not faking it or pretending. He really needs me. She rolled over in the bed and tried to calm down, because she had work in the morning. He loves me. Me. Denise rolled back over and put her pillow back under her head and took several deep breaths. I bet Barbi is having the time of her life. She thought and barked a laugh. I should have let him thank me, too. She reached down between her legs and touched herself. M-maybe tomorrow I... oh, Ren! She thought and finished. Denise had surprised herself at finishing so quickly, then grabbed a tissue and cleaned herself. She relaxed, now that her happy brain had flooded her body with endorphins, and she drifted off to sleep with thoughts of Ren floating through her mind. ******** A lot of people were playing the game that night, especially after all of the antics on the news about Ren and the backstories they had provided, then the spin-off stories had started, which were only barely connected to those cases, and everyone was talking about him, about the game, and about everything going on. They were all surprised when they received the notification that new content was available, not realizing that Ren had been the one to unlock it when he crossed into the Pervarian Kingdom. It was content that no one had even known was in the works, let alone already loaded and available for them to play. Most of them read the warnings that were given by the system, about it being very dangerous to explore a whole new kingdom, either alone or as part of a party, with a culture that prided itself on its fighting prowess. Several players dismissed the warnings without reading them, and assumed they could handle anything that was thrown at them. Thanks to Ren''s Portal Gate Network, a lot of Adventurers popped through it to appear in the town that was closest to the border of the Human Kingdom. The townspeople were shocked at the sheer number of Adventurers that had suddenly appeared in their little town, and the general store was quickly bought out of stock and closed before even a quarter of the Adventurers had bought the necessary supplies. All of the specialty stores were bought out and emptied next, and almost half of the Adventurers were well equipped to head into the new lands. The rest debated popping to another town to load up on supplies, then figured they would find a suitable place in the new area. Almost as one, all of the Adventurers stepped out of the Human Kingdom and into the next land. The Liven Empire. It was also known as the Gnome Lands and nearly all of the Adventures dismissed the second warning about not bothering the locals or crossing into another kingdom''s territory uninvited. They should have listened to both warnings. Some of the Adventurers didn''t have to worry, since they were high enough level that they could handle what happened next; but, a lot of them were just curious about new things being available and were wholly unprepared for what their Trouble recipes had in store for them. The Gnomes didn''t like people not using their designated road. They didn''t like it at all. Even the Lemming, nature''s idiot that will follow its fellows unto death for no reason, will fight tooth and nail when cornered. The Gnomes saw an army of Adventurers cross into their lands without so much as an ''excuse me'', and they felt extremely cornered and responded accordingly. Gnomes were almost completely magical beings, so when they responded, they did it with panache. With their own army. Instantly. Everywhere an intruder had stepped onto their land, they were there. When they attacked, it was a complete surprise, and completely devastating. Sleep spells covered the front of the mass of Adventurers and 20% of them were knocked out. Normally that wasn''t too bad, except the sleep spells were followed by Acid and Poison Clouds. Most of the sleeping Adventurers died after only a few moments, despite healers trying to save them. Those healers were hit with hundreds of Fireballs and Ball Lightning spells, which decimated them and took out another 20% of the Adventurers. Some of the Adventurers near the back of the group knew they were in deep trouble and tried to run, and magical pit traps opened up and they fell inside. Some died as they were impaled on the poison spikes, others were lucky and were only poisoned. At least, they thought they were lucky, until the pit traps closed and cut off their air and only means of escape. That was another 5% of their number lost. Dozens of summoning portals opened and Hell Hounds poured out and mauled the Adventurers unlucky enough not to block the first attack, then the sky became dark when a large group of Gnomes pooled their Mana and managed to cast Rainstorm and expanded it to cover the entire mass of Adventurers that were left. The Adventurer''s ability to see dropped to almost nothing as the deluge of rain blocked pretty much everything barely a foot away from their faces. That''s when the Gnomes fired their enchanted crossbows. Adventurers yelled and died by the dozens as they were hit with multiple crossbow bolts and were poisoned. With that attack out of the way, several hundred gnomes knelt and prayed to the Deity of Lightning. One of the Adventurers who were strong enough to handle pretty much everything so far, heard the chanting and realized what was going to happen. ¡°Oh, shit! Retreat! Run! Goddammit, RUN! RUUUUN!¡± He yelled at the top of his lungs and ran. A lot of the others saw and heard him, and decided that was a good idea. Most of the Adventurers hadn''t heard him through the thick rain, and then a huge portal opened up and a 40 foot tall Greater Lightning Elemental stepped out. It was made of Chains of Ball Lightning, with a huge Ball of Lightning for a head, just like the one Ren had encountered while visiting Aimus'' homestead. It reached out and pointed at the cloud making the Rainstorm over the Adventurers, then half of its body flowed out and shot into the cloud. The Adventurers didn''t see the Rainstorm be converted into a Lightning Storm, then the thousands of raindrops hitting them suddenly changed and became thousands of Lightning Bolts instead. The Adventurers that had survived the onslaught, about 20% of the amount that had entered the Gnome''s lands, were amazed that they were still alive, then the dark cloud broke apart to reveal what they were facing. ¡°We are so boned.¡± One of them said in defeat as the Greater Lightning Elemental stepped forward into them and started to scoop them up, both the living and the dead, to consume the offering that the Gnomes had offered it. The remaining Adventurers fought valiantly, albeit pointlessly, and the Greater Lightning Elemental finished them off and turned to the Gnomes that had prayed for its appearance. Half of them stood up and held hands out to it, and it scooped them up and consumed them as well, then stepped back through the portal. Chapter 759 - Barbi And Banter If anyone had been left, they would have seen the Gnomes as they transported themselves back to their homes and work places, just as quickly as they had appeared. All that remained on the impromptu battlefield were loot drops from all of the Adventurers that were killed. No one remained to gather it. ******** ¡°Damn, did you see that?¡± The night programmer asked his friend on video chat. ¡°The system just TPK''d every Adventurer that entered the Gnome lands!¡± ¡°I have never seen so many Total Party Kills in my lifetime.¡± The guy responded, then laughed. ¡°Even the death notices have changed. Vasalor''s getting sarcastic in his old age.¡± ¡°What?¡± The night programmer hadn''t read the popups for the deaths. ¡°He warned them about not listening to his warnings.¡± The guy said. The night programmer laughed when he saw it for himself. ¡°That''s awesome.¡± ¡°Well, not for the switchboard in the morning when everyone calls to complain.¡± The guy said. ¡°I''m already getting player notices for messages.¡± The night programmer said and opened a few of them. ¡°Yep, complaints.¡± ¡°No kidding?¡± The guy on the video chat asked sarcastically, and they both laughed. * Ren had been working on Barbi for nearly an hour when she had finally had enough and couldn''t take it anymore. ¡°S-stop. Stop.¡± Barbi said, and he lifted his face up from between her legs to look at her. ¡°Ren, please... th-that''s enough.¡± ¡°But, I''m not done thanking you yet.¡± Ren said and gave her another lick, and her whole body shivered. ¡°Y-you might not be done; but, I am.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I can''t take any more.¡± Ren leaned back in close and she tensed up, so he gave her a very gentle kiss and leaned back against the pillow that was propped against the headboard. Barbi sighed in relief and laid back down, then tried to get her breathing to even out. ¡°Good god, Ren.¡± She said. ¡°How can you keep going like that?¡± ¡°I''d like to say I''ve had lots of practice.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s not true, though. I rarely get to indulge myself like this.¡± ¡°You''re the one that''s indulging?¡± Barbi barked a laugh. ¡°Ren! You made me squirt!¡± She nearly yelled. ¡°I''ve never done that before.¡± She put a hand over her eyes. ¡°It went all over your face!¡± ¡°That was a pleasant surprise, wasn''t it?¡± Ren asked, and just like when it had happened, Barbi knew that he wasn''t disgusted by it or turned off in the least. At the time, he wouldn''t have wiped it off if she hadn''t made him stop pleasing her to do it. That had surprised her immensely. ¡°Oh, a real surprise.¡± Barbi said and took a deep breath, then remembered where she was. Her legs were still spread open in front of him and her special place was still exposed. Her face flushed red as she blushed and she reached for her shorts to fix them. ¡°What are you... oh!¡± Ren saw what she was doing. ¡°I''m sorry. I should have done that myself.¡± He said and grabbed several tissues and carefully dabbed at her special place, then wiped it without being rough with it, or copping another feel. ¡°We were talking and that distracted me.¡± Barbi was once again surprised that he hadn''t just covered her like she was going to, and had cleaned her up instead. When he had gotten everything he could see, he adjusted her shorts and put them back into place without touching her, despite being right there and she had no way to stop him. ¡°You''ll still need to wash up in the bathroom, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was warned that if it''s not cleaned properly...¡± ¡°Are you for real?¡± Barbi asked and propped herself up on her elbows. ¡°Ren, even when I somehow managed to convince a guy to go down on me, he would never...¡± ¡°I''m not like other men.¡± Ren said. ¡°My main priority is making you happy.¡± ¡°But... this was... didn''t you...¡± ¡°Oh, I enjoyed it a lot.¡± Ren said with a huge grin. ¡°I was still doing it to thank you, though.¡± ¡°Well, I... I feel... very, very thanked.¡± Barbi said, and he laughed. ¡°I''m glad.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, you''ve got two choices for the dismount.¡± ¡°The what?¡± Ren pat the stack of pillows she was on. ¡°You can try to sit up and then step over them.¡± He said. ¡°I can''t help by holding your hands, since I can''t support your weight with my injuries like that. Or, we can brace you like we did to get you there, remove the support pillows behind your back, and you can tip all the way over and roll backwards.¡± Barbi smiled a wicked smile and laid back onto her back, carefully lifted her legs straight up, then let them fall towards her head. As they did, she spread them out and her body rolled up and over itself and she ended up in the perfect split at the foot of the bed. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°Liked that, did you?¡± Barbi asked, then tilted to one side to bring one leg in under her, then did the same to the other leg. ¡°That was amazing!¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you a gymnast or something?¡± Barbi laughed. ¡°Nothing so lofty as that.¡± She said. ¡°I''ve just been able to do it since I was a kid.¡± ¡°Wow, really?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I''m so jealous.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°It''s just...¡± ¡°Your tendons and ligaments need to be flexible to do that, especially being able to put your legs right out to the sides like that.¡± Ren said in admiration. ¡°If I tried something like that, my legs would probably fall off!¡± He said and laughed. Barbi laughed, too. ¡°Let me get these pillows out of the way.¡± She said and took the top one and tossed it to the floor, since it was soaked, then took the rest of them to the closet. ¡°I''ve been meaning to ask you something and I haven''t had the chance until now.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Barbi said as she opened the closet and put the pillows back on the shelf she had retrieved them from. She expected him to ask if she had done similar tricks with other men, and she was surprised when that wasn''t what he asked. ¡°How can women wear such loose clothing, and still look like they are barely wearing anything?¡± ¡°What?¡± Barbi turned around and looked at him.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You''re wearing a loose t-shirt down to your hips, and bulky boxer shorts that completely cover everything, and yet all I can think about is how sexy you look.¡± Barbi stared at his face to see if he was exaggerating, and she didn''t see any nervous ticks or twitches, or any sign that he wasn''t telling the truth. It took her a minute to think about it, then she smiled. ¡°It''s simple, really.¡± Barbi said and closed the closet. ¡°It''s the potential.¡± Barbi took a step towards the bed, then did a little twirl. Her t-shirt billowed out slightly and lifted a little, and her boxer shorts with the slit in them did the same thing. Since she wasn''t wearing any underwear, they flapped open just enough and Ren caught a glimpse of her special place. She stopped when she completed a full turn and saw the expression on his face. ¡°You don''t actually have to see anything. Just the hint. Just the possibility is enough.¡± Barbi said and turned around, pulled the t-shirt up a little and held it tight, then bent over slightly. The boxer shorts were only a thin silk, so when she bent over, they rode all the way up and the front flaps billowed out again. It only revealed about half of her butt cheeks and nothing else; but, the potential to see everything was right there. Ren caught his breath at the sight, and she straightened up and turned to look at him. His mouth was open in that little ''o'' of surprise, and that tickled something inside of Barbi and gave her a little thrill. Unlike the years of practice she had doing similar things for other men, she somehow knew that Ren appreciated it, and she walked sexily over to the bed. ¡°Barbi...¡± Ren tried to say something, then she climbed onto the bed and he stopped talking. ¡°Seeing it all is a thrill, and almost seeing it is a thrill on its own.¡± Barbi said and was about to lay down to cuddle him, when she saw where his hands were. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°Can... can you call...¡± ¡°After this long, I''m sure she''s as asleep as Lisa and Stella are.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Is... does it hurt?¡± Ren thought about saying that it was okay, then remembered the last time he had tried to say that. ¡°No, but it''s getting there.¡± ¡°How long...¡± ¡°I was okay while pleasing you, since I knew I wasn''t going any further than that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then you did your little show, and... well...¡± ¡°Wait, you''ve had it for... for...¡± Barbi stopped and looked at his face. ¡°Can I look?¡± Ren moved his hands and she pulled his pyjama bottoms down to reveal him, and it was turning dark red and looked like it was hurting. ¡°In my head I call it a ''raging hard-on''.¡± Ren said. ¡°A raging...¡± Barbi reached a hand out and gently touched it. ¡°It feels like it''s made of steel.¡± ¡°I... I know this is... a lot to ask...¡± ¡°What do I do?¡± Barbi asked, and he didn''t hear any hesitation in her voice at all. ¡°Get the bedpan.¡± Ren said and pointed. ¡°The bedpan?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°But... usually...¡± ¡°You''re going to need it.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. Barbi didn''t question him further and retrieved the bedpan from the shelf on the nightstand. ¡°Okay, now what?¡± ¡°It''s pretty self-explanatory.¡± Ren said with a smile. Barbi chuckled. ¡°Grab on and start pulling, right?¡± ¡°Not too hard, though.¡± ¡°Don''t worry. I''m practically an expert at this part.¡± Barbi said and she held him firmly and gently, then started to move her hand. ¡°I''ve had to do this a lot with my last boyfriend because...¡± She stopped talking when Ren touched her lips with a finger. ¡°I''d rather concentrate on the woman in front of me, and not on her old boyfriend.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll never get off that way.¡± ¡°Sowwy.¡± Barbi mumbled. Ren moved his finger and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Can I undo your ponytail?¡± ¡°As long as nothing gets in my hair.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Oh. Well, I can''t promise that, so no.¡± Barbi blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°You''re not kidding.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Okay, now I''ve got to see this.¡± Barbi said and increased her efforts. She adjusted where she laid down and used a pillow to prop herself up, so she could use both hands, then she gave him a two-handed massage. On his penis. Ren hadn''t had anyone do that to him before, where they rubbed, stroked, squeezed, and teased, so he was pleasantly surprised at both her expertise and how quickly he was approaching the finishing point. ¡°I... damn, Barbi.¡± Ren said. ¡°I...¡± ¡°It feels good, doesn''t it?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°I always get complimented on it.¡± ¡°No... wonder.¡± Ren panted. ¡°It''s a... great... technique!¡± He exclaimed and pointed to the bedpan. Barbi grabbed it with one hand as she stroked with the other, and put it in the way just in time as Ren finished. Her eyes widened as it splashed and rang in the metal pan as he kept going, and she kept stroking. It''s like magic. Barbi thought in surprise. A moment later, she stopped pulling on him. Ren went a little more, then took several deep breaths. ¡°Whew. Ooo.¡± He panted. ¡°You''re really good at that.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I''m glad I wasn''t too far gone that it wouldn''t work.¡± Ren commented. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°If it gets to the point of actually hurting, you can''t touch it with your hands.¡± Ren explained. ¡°Any kind of technique like that would be useless.¡± ¡°But... if you... hold on.¡± Barbi let him go and propped herself up on her elbows. ¡°If you get to the point that you can''t touch it, how did they get you off?¡± ¡°I said ''with your hands''.¡± Ren said and tapped his lip with a fingertip. ¡°Wait, that still works?¡± ¡°I think it''s because the pleasure from a mouth helps to override the pain.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wow, really?¡± ¡°I was surprised the first time it happened, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°I thought I was so screwed.¡± Barbi snorted a laugh, and Ren chuckled. ¡°You know what I meant.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Barbi looked at him and the redness had eased away some. ¡°Hey, you''re still hard.¡± ¡°I''ll be like this for a while.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... you just...¡± ¡°I can keep going.¡± Ren said. Barbi thought about that. ¡°I dated a guy once and he could go three times, with a break of a few minutes in between.¡± ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°He was an asshole and cheated on me with a co-worker.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Just a different piece of ass, I guess.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I never asked.¡± ¡°How many times?¡± Ren asked. ¡°How many times, what?¡± ¡°How many times did you get your heart broken like that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°A guy would have to be crazy to be dating a dream woman like you, then go behind your back and sleep with someone else.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m curious about how many crazy guys you''ve dated.¡± ¡°I thought you said it didn''t matter.¡± Barbi said. ¡°It doesn''t matter to me, not even a little bit.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, even an amicable break-up still hurts.¡± He said. ¡°I''ve been in break-ups myself and those little daggers still dig into my heart.¡± Barbi opened her mouth to tell him to forget about it, then sighed. ¡°Too many.¡± ¡°Well, you don''t have to worry about that anymore. Not if you don''t want to.¡± Ren said. Barbi looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, since the garden party, we are technically dating.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ve cuddled a few times, once even a little naughty, and now we''ve seen each other naked.¡± ¡°Not completely.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I haven''t even stripped for you yet.¡± ¡°Mostly naked, then.¡± Ren smiled, then it was his turn to widen his eyes. ¡°Wait, did you just say you''d strip for me?¡± ¡°Eventually.¡± Barbi corrected. ¡°I usually save something like that for a special occasion.¡± ¡°What''s more special than being my birthday present?¡± Ren joked, and she laughed. ¡°I meant something more like our 6 month anniversary.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I''d be happy to wait that...¡± Ren stopped talking for a moment, then continued. ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Barbi realized what he meant. ¡°Oh, Ren. I''m sorry.¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t mean...¡± ¡°It''s okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°If we''re all lucky, I''m going to be around for a very long time.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I said it''s okay.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Look at my life right now.¡± He said. ¡°I''m rich. I have a bevy of women around me who care about me. I can play my favorite game anytime I want and I can kick ass in it.¡± He chuckled. ¡°If my guess is right, by morning Elise is going to own pretty much every company that benefited from what happened to me, and everyone is going to know about it all.¡± ¡°You''re actually happy that everyone will know your situation?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°I wasn''t hiding it; but, I almost never volunteer to tell people the circumstances of how it happened.¡± Ren said. ¡°Now, I don''t have to. It might be awkward for a little while when I finally do go out in public; but, I won''t have to worry that people will look down on me because they see me in a wheelchair and don''t know what happened.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I won''t have to suffer through answering that question anymore!¡± ¡°You really do always see the positive side, don''t you?¡± ¡°I definitely saw your positive side when you bent over in those shorts.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°Ren, you were licking me before...¡± ¡°Yep, and I''d do it again in a heartbeat.¡± Ren said and cut her off. ¡°It''ll take longer than that to get the pillows, though.¡± He said and looked at the one on the floor. ¡°Oh, and we''d probably run out of pillows eventually.¡± ¡°You''re incorrigible.¡± Barbi said with a smile. ¡°That''s what Stella said.¡± Ren smiled back. ¡°Oh, and Denise. She said it, too.¡± Barbi chuckled. ¡°I''m amazed that you can have a conversation like this.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°When we were... when you were... I was on my back and completely exposed, and you talked to me like I wasn''t.¡± ¡°Yeah, and?¡± ¡°We''ve been talking for about 20 minutes.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Ren, your rock hard penis is still right there in front of me and it''s not going away.¡± ¡°Yeah, I told you it would do that.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You thought I was exaggerating?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°You can clean it off and tuck it away if you want.¡± He said and reached for the pack of baby wipes to hand them to her, then felt her tongue on him. ¡°B-Barbi... I...¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Barbi moaned as she finally got a taste of him, then proceeded to clean him off with more than just her tongue. Ren dropped the baby wipes and stared at the beautiful blonde woman going down on him, who had misunderstood his ''cleaning off'' comment, and she stared right back at him. Chapter 760 - Barbi And Banter, Too After half an hour of cleaning Ren off, Barbi had to stop. ¡°You... are making me doubt... my powers as a woman, Ren.¡± Barbi said between breaths and rested her head on his thigh as she looked at him and tried to ignore the still ready member right in front of her face. She was quite dismayed that she had only made him finish twice more. ¡°That''s only fair.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You''ve put me in this state a few times already.¡± He said, and she blinked her eyes at him. ¡°The last time was when you tested me after the garden party.¡± He smiled at the memory. ¡°You hopped up onto the kitchen counter and spread your legs, and I saw the cutest little panties I''d ever seen.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Well, I think they were panties. Were they panties?¡± He asked, and she smiled. ¡°It looked more like a tiny triangle that was held on by a wish... and it barely... barely... covered your opening.¡± Barbi chuckled. ¡°Seeing the look on your face was totally worth putting them on after the pool party.¡± ¡°It sure was, especially when you rubbed yourself near it, and I thought it was going to fall off.¡± Ren said, and Barbi saw his member as it throbbed for her. ¡°Denise had to rush me into the bathroom and take care of me right away.¡± ¡°Sh-she did?¡± Barbi asked. She hadn''t known about that. ¡°As soon as you left the kitchen.¡± Ren said. ¡°It took a while to calm down after that.¡± ¡°I... I can see... I know that now.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I mean, I knew before that; but, I didn''t realize...¡± She smiled. ¡°I understand, and I didn''t expect to enjoy getting proof.¡± Ren was still sitting up, so he easily reached out and stroked the side of her face. ¡°So, you enjoyed testing me again?¡± ¡°God, yes.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I''m still tingling from you going down on me for so long.¡± ¡°...and this?¡± Ren stopped touching her face and motioned to himself. ¡°The test is rigged.¡± Barbi said and he laughed. ¡°You taste really good, which I have never had happen before, by the way.¡± She was tempted to give him another lick, then changed her mind and sighed. ¡°I don''t just mean the end result, either.¡± ¡°I''m not sure if it''s the supplements or something else in me that does that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Nevertheless, I''ve had several women say I''m delicious.¡± ¡°More like scrumptious.¡± Barbi said. ¡°All I want to do is keep tasting it, and you''re so accommodating that you didn''t complain once that I kept going and going.¡± ¡°Who in their right mind would complain about that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s like getting a blessing from a goddess, each and every time.¡± Barbi could see the sincerity in his eyes. ¡°You believe that.¡± ¡°Each and every time.¡± Ren said, then raised his eyebrows. ¡°You don''t believe that? You''re kidding, right? You know what we do with these things, and you still go down on it.¡± He said with a huge smile and she chuckled. ¡°If I thought you wouldn''t say no, I''d get you to stack the pillows up so I can thank you again.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I don''t know what to say.¡± Barbi said. ¡°How about... ''you''re so awesome!''.¡± Ren joked and touched her face again. ¡°Look, you don''t have to say anything. Nothing needs to be said.¡± He used his thumb to rub her earlobe. ¡°We just shared an intimate moment... well, it was actually a whole bunch of intimate moments...¡± Barbi laughed and he smiled. ¡°Things around here are far from normal, but... we''re all adults. No one has to do anything they don''t want to. They can always say no. Or wait until later. Or anything at all, since there''s no pressure...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Well, I try not to pressure; but, I mess things up sometimes.¡± ¡°Like when you asked me to cuddle with you and Elise in bed that first time I stayed over.¡± ¡°I''m really sorry about that.¡± Ren said and stroked her face again. ¡°I wasn''t asking for sex or anything. I just wanted...¡± He stopped talking and took a breath. ¡°I enjoy sleeping in a bed and being held, and after you let me cuddle with you on the couch, I wanted to share that feeling with you.¡± ¡°I''m not sure how you can be so innocent and manipulative at the same time.¡± Barbi said. ¡°You''re always so sincere, and yet...¡± ¡°Go ahead and say it.¡± Ren said and stopped touching her face. ¡°It''s like you''re luring us in, then you catch us and we are helpless to escape.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You obviously forgot about what recently happened with Gloria.¡± ¡°She was a little reluctant from the start...¡± ¡°...and you weren''t?¡± Ren asked, and she opened her mouth to respond, then smiled. ¡°Touche.¡± ¡°Barbi, I made the mistake of trying to push her for more than she was ready to give, and it made a mess of everything. Both personally for me and professionally for Stella.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t make that mistake again.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I hope you realize that I don''t lay around like this, all exposed, with just anyone, right?¡± Ren asked, and her eyes widened. ¡°You don''t?¡± Barbi asked, surprised. ¡°I''m... very self-conscious of how... out of proportion it is to the rest of me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m usually covered up all the time, and I''m almost never completely naked, except when I''m in the shower or getting a bath.¡± ¡°Wait, then... you''re like... you don''t...¡± Barbi took a breath and let it out. ¡°Just for me?¡± ¡°You''re the only one that said you''ve seen bigger, so I''m not as bothered by it as I usually am.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Plus, you handled it like a champion.¡± Barbi laughed, because she had called him a champion when talking to Denise earlier.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°That massage technique was great, and then you...¡± Ren stopped talking when his member throbbed again. ¡°Yeah, I better stop talking about it.¡± ¡°You''ve reacted a couple of times like that.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Do you... I mean, can you...¡± ¡°Go on command?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°I haven''t tried it intentionally; but, I''ve held myself off until I thought who I was with was ready for it, then finished.¡± ¡°You have that much control over it?¡± ¡°It''s more like a lot of practice. The more you use a muscle, the better you are at using it.¡± ¡°So, if I said...¡± ¡°It also depends on how turned on I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was in a couple of sexually charged situations while playing the game and I came out quite ready to keep going.¡± ¡°But, you were alone with Barbara for a while, and then...¡± Barbi caught her breath. ¡°You were holding it back that long?¡± ¡°That''s why it came on so strong when you came into the room.¡± Ren said. ¡°I made you...¡± ¡°Have you looked at yourself in a mirror?¡± ¡°Yes, I have.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I even...¡± Her face went red and Ren touched her cheek again. ¡°You masturbated while watching yourself?¡± Barbi was going to deny it, then nodded. ¡°That''s so cool.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°It means you see yourself as sexy, just like everyone else does, and that made you happy.¡± Ren said. ¡°You felt happy doing it, didn''t you?¡± ¡°I... I really did.¡± Barbi admitted. ¡°I looked so good sitting across from myself that I... I was so turned on, and...¡± ¡°There''s no shame in loving yourself, Barbi.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren, it''s like the ultimate form of conceited behavior.¡± Barbi said. ¡°It''s so narcissistic to...¡± ¡°Oh? Do you only love yourself?¡± Ren interrupted her. ¡°What? No, of course not.¡± Barbi responded. ¡°Then it''s more... vain... or maybe vainglorious.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t look down on yourself because you''re proud to look the way you do.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± ¡°I remember you saying that your breasts were the best money could buy.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°How did it make you feel when you got them?¡± ¡°I was... astonished... when the bandages were removed and I got to see myself for the first time.¡± Barbi said. ¡°My real ones were two different sizes and lopsided, and I felt like crying every time I took my bra off.¡± Ren slid his hand from her face to her neck and held her tenderly. ¡°It was horrible growing up like that.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I couldn''t date, or let guys cop a feel, or even go swimming, because wearing a bathing suit was not going to happen.¡± Ren closed his eyes and tried not to sigh as he imagined her pain. He opened his eyes and she was staring at him. ¡°You understand.¡± Barbi said, with wonder in her voice. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''m sorry you had to go through that.¡± Ren said. ¡°When did you get the implants?¡± ¡°I worked my ass off for three years after high school to save up enough.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I knew how much it was going to cost, and I made sure I worked extra hard so I could take time off from work to get them and recover.¡± ¡°That was smart.¡± Ren said. ¡°Most people would have stopped when they reached their goals, and don''t plan for the consequences or for complications.¡± Barbi nodded, and her cheek rubbed his thigh. ¡°It was smart, because I got sick afterwards.¡± ¡°Oh, don''t tell me...¡± ¡°No, no. It wasn''t a leak or an infection, thank god.¡± Barbi said, and he sighed in relief. She put a hand on his that was still holding her neck. ¡°I caught a cold, and since my immune system was compromised from the anti-rejection drugs...¡± ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Two months.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Ren said, and she felt him shiver. ¡°You paid a lot more than just money for your perfect breasts.¡± ¡°I really did.¡± Barbi said ¡°You would have done it anyway, even if you knew beforehand that you would get sick.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You''re really strong.¡± Ren said, and she heard the admiration in his voice. ¡°I doubt that counts.¡± Barbi said. ¡°You knew what you wanted, and you worked hard to get it.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s strength of character.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I was selfish. I didn''t have any other concerns and nothing else mattered. Not friends. Not family. I only cared about changing that part of me.¡± ¡°Yeah, I got that; but, you''re forgetting that that was then.¡± Ren said. ¡°What about afterwards? What were you like?¡± ¡°I... I was...¡± ¡°Happy.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°Yes, you would have to be, to finally achieve your years long goal and have it work.¡± He smiled. ¡°Boy, did it work.¡± Barbi chuckled. ¡°Almost too well.¡± ¡°You started to experience things on the other side of the boob coin.¡± ¡°Boob coin?¡± ¡°Normally, you''d just say coin, but it was your breasts, so...¡± ¡°Yes, I got tons and tons of attention.¡± ¡°I''m sorry that it wasn''t all positive attention.¡± Ren said and let her neck go, then turned his hand over to hold hers. ¡°I didn''t know there was such a thing as negative attention for a long time.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I was lost in just the attention and it didn''t matter, one way or the other.¡± ¡°Then you smartened up and got your life back on track.¡± Ren said. Barbi took great comfort in knowing that someone understood her. ¡°I did, and I did.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°I still underestimate the power that these things have.¡± ¡°Like the first time you stayed here and we all played in the pool.¡± Ren said. ¡°I almost laughed out loud when Elise told me to ''put the big guns away''.¡± Barbi chuckled. ¡°Elise and her bazookas told me to put my big guns away!¡± Ren laughed at that. ¡°I was too stunned to understand that at the time.¡± ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Barbi said and glanced at his member that was still just as hard as it had been over 2 hours before. ¡°I had my first peak at your tent pole.¡± ¡°I was pretty glad that you are one of those rare women that take it as a compliment.¡± Ren said. ¡°Things could have gone so badly if you weren''t.¡± ¡°I know women like that.¡± Barbi said. ¡°They think you only see them as a sexual object if they get any kind of response like that from a man.¡± She shook her head. ¡°What''s funny is, they get all dressed up and use bright make-up to get noticed, then complain when they get noticed.¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Ren said. ¡°No, you''re not kidding.¡± He chuckled. ¡°If they didn''t want to get noticed, why go through all the trouble?¡± ¡°That''s why it''s funny.¡± Barbi chuckled, too. ¡°What was the point? All that work, just so you can say you hate it when they notice you.¡± ¡°I am so glad I was born a boy.¡± Ren said. ¡°My life was a whole lot less complicated than yours was.¡± Barbi opened her mouth to respond, then realized he said that his life full of medical experiments was less complicated than hers, and she laughed. Ren laughed, too. * Barley Bitterdew, the head of DewTech, had already sent everyone home, with assurances that the news story that had been playing all day would blow over by the next day. The company would be fine and they would all still have jobs for as long as he was around. ¡°We''ve been in business for years.¡± Barley said convincingly. ¡°One story about losing a patent case is not going to matter.¡± Except that it did. Normally, it would have been a little hiccup in the company''s finances that they could recover in a month; but, the news story had blossomed and expanded, and it made even the little details get blown way out of proportion. Once the details of the patent case had been revealed, it was quickly discovered how the patent had been achieved in the first place, and then the transcripts and video hit the internet at the same time. It was a disaster. ¡°I''m ruined! RUINED!¡± Barley Bitterdew yelled into his computer monitor as he watched the world''s stock markets. The price of his stock kept dropping and dropping, and since the world market was what the local markets used for a basis on over-night trading, the stock in his company that used to be worth thousands of dollars a share, was down to just over $100. Barley picked up his keyboard and smashed it down onto the table. Letter keys and broken pieces flew everywhere as he smashed it several times, then he threw it. He was lucky that it was wireless and flew across the room, because it would have hit the end of the cord and bounced back at him if it wasn''t. He thought about punching the flat screen monitor, then changed his mind and just pushed it off of his desk. This one was attached by the cord, so all it did was tip over and bounced a little. Barley picked it up and pulled to try and yank it loose, like a lot of people would, then he tried to throw it. It was still quite attached to the computer under his desk, though. It hit the end of the cord and bounced off the desk and flipped back over and hit him. Since he had been bent over from the exertion, the edge of the monitor hit him squarely in the middle of his forehead and knocked him out. He fell partially onto the desk, then slid off it to land on the floor. He wouldn''t be found until the morning, when he would be rushed to the hospital and treated for a concussion, then kept for the day and the next night for observation. The best part of that whole thing is that he will miss his only opportunity to call in favors to keep control of his own company. Chapter 761 - Game Time Barbi and Ren laughed for a minute, then Barbi sat up. ¡°Ren, there must be something seriously wrong with your head if you can laugh at all the horrible things they did to you.¡± Barbi said. ¡°There''s nothing wrong, Barbi. I''m an optimist. I am always going to look on the bright side of things.¡± ¡°Oh? What''s the bright side of this?¡± Barbi asked and motioned to his still ready state. ¡°It''s still not going away.¡± ¡°Considering I''ve still got about 30 minutes before I need to log back into the game...¡± Ren gave her a huge smile. ¡°...you can keep having fun with it if you want to.¡± Barbi snorted a laugh. ¡°Yeah, right.¡± ¡°I''m serious.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t handle sex right now, not without risking hurting myself again; but, pretty much everything else is okay with me.¡± ¡°You''ll let me just... play with it some more? I can do what I want?¡± Barbi asked, a little surprised and intrigued. ¡°As long as you''re careful.¡± Ren said. ¡°No s&m or b&s, though. It doesn''t do anything at all for me.¡± Barbi''s eyes widened. ¡°You''ve experienced them before?¡± ¡°To some extent.¡± Ren said. ¡°Um... wow.¡± Barbi looked down at him, then back to his face. ¡°You''re a lot more... versed in that area than I thought you were.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I could make a joke about having sex for a really long time in the game; but, it''s because I''ve spent some time in the Pleasure Palace.¡± ¡°Oh. Nothing like that in real life, then?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°Besides the experiments, no.¡± Ren said, and she took in a sharp breath. ¡°Easy, there. It''s okay.¡± ¡°Ren, I didn''t mean to remind you of that.¡± ¡°I can remember it and not have to live through it again, thankfully.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren.¡± Barbi said, and you could hear the apology in her voice. ¡°How can I make it up to you?¡± ¡°Can I have another kiss?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Barbi said and bent over, then kissed the tip of his member. Once she tasted it again, she didn''t stop at just one kiss, though. She went the distance and pleased him again until he finished, and she revelled in his reactions to her expertise. He tasted just as good as he did the first time, and she sat up with a very satisfied and smug looked on her face. ¡°I... um... meant on the lips.¡± Ren said and pointed to his mouth. Barbi snorted a laugh, then kept laughing and Ren laughed, too. There was a knock on the door, and it startled Barbi, so she stopped laughing. ¡°Are you decent?¡± Barbara asked through the door. ¡°No, but you can come in anyway.¡± Ren said. ¡°REN!¡± Barbi put her hands over his crotch to try and hide him. Barbara opened the door and saw Barbi''s desperate attempt to hide Ren. ¡°It''s all right. I''ve seen it.¡± ¡°That''s not the point!¡± Barbi said. ¡°We just... I just...¡± Ren cupped the side of Barbi''s face. ¡°Thank you for being embarrassed for me.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°I''ll need a trip to the bathroom and a quick sponge bath anyway, so she''s going to see it.¡± ¡°But... she... you...¡± ¡°She''s good at divorcing herself from her work.¡± Ren said and looked at Barbara. ¡°She couldn''t have taken care of me all these years if she didn''t.¡± ¡°That first year, I cried nearly every day when I went home.¡± Barbara admitted. ¡°I didn''t know that.¡± Ren said. ¡°There was no need for you to know how much my heart hurt seeing you like that.¡± Barbara said. ¡°You hid it well.¡± ¡°That''s my job.¡± Barbara smiled. ¡°Bathroom first, you said?¡± ¡°Yep! Call the fire department!¡± Ren said as Barbara helped get him to the side of the bed. ¡°The fire hose is about to be unleashed!¡± ¡°Don''t make me laugh while I''m helping.¡± Barbara chuckled and took his weight as she put him into the wheelchair, then she pushed him into the bathroom. No one had tried, or even thought, to pull his pyjama bottoms up. They were back out about ten minutes later and Barbara pushed his wheelchair over to the bed. ¡°You are technically clean.¡± Barbara said as she helped Ren get back into bed. ¡°No more hanky panky.¡± ¡°Um... I''m planning on making the rounds when I go back in.¡± Ren said, a little sheepishly. ¡°That''s fine.¡± Barbara said and waved his comment away. ¡°I meant right now.¡± ¡°Oh. Good luck fighting Barbi off then.¡± Ren joked. ¡°Hey!¡± Barbi mock scowled at him and put her hands on her hips, then he and Barbara laughed. ¡°I''ll manage to restrain her somehow.¡± Barbara said and handed him his VR headset. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and settled back on the bed. ¡°Thanks for giving up your time with me so I could spend it with Barbi.¡± ¡°I''m glad you appreciated it.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Now go and have fun.¡± ¡°Hey, you don''t have to twist my arm.¡± Ren slipped on the headset. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± He said and relaxed. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± * Ren''s form went limp as he entered the game and Barbara turned to Barbi. ¡°He didn''t pressure you to help him, did he?¡± Barbara asked. ¡°What? No.¡± Barbi said. ¡°He just... he''s so nice, and...¡± ¡°Understanding.¡± Barbara said, and she nodded. ¡°He has a knack for it and he can easily put himself in your situation.¡± She said. ¡°It can be... a little hard to take sometimes.¡± ¡°You''re telling me.¡± Barbi chuckled. ¡°It almost felt like he had gone through everything I went through, including the teasing and the horrible body image, and he reacted as if he had and then comforted me.¡± Barbara nodded. ¡°He has a sympathetic soul.¡± She explained. ¡°He can''t help but superimpose his own life experience onto those he hears about and compares them.¡± ¡°That''s exactly what he did.¡± Barbi said and told Barbara that he even joked about her life being more complicated than his. Barbara laughed. ¡°He''s precious, isn''t he?¡± ¡°More than I thought he could be, even after seeing everything that''s happened around here so far.¡± Barbi said. ¡°Being alone with him and just talking about things...¡± ¡°...you can get a sense of the depths of his mind.¡± Barbara said. ¡°Yes, he... I don''t know why I feel so much better about everything now.¡± Barbi said. ¡°We talked about some... bad things, and... all I can think about is how happy I am that he knows and understands.¡± Barbara reached out and touched the other woman''s arm. ¡°It''s because he doesn''t judge you, no matter what you''ve done or been through.¡± ¡°Is that why?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°Have you seen the footage of him talking to Gloria''s character in the game?¡± Barbara asked, and Barbi shook her head. ¡°Once you watch it, you''ll understand.¡± She said and pulled over the rollaway table. ¡°If you''ve got a little while, I can show you.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°I''m not even the least bit tired.¡± Barbi said, to her own surprise, and smiled. ¡°He''s definitely a wonder, isn''t he?¡± ¡°Like you wouldn''t believe.¡± Barbara said and took several minutes to bring up the footage. She hit play and Barbi listened to Elerlyth and Ren talking about doing some very bad things to people in the game, and not once did Ren become outraged, or rant at her, or even accuse her of being a bad person. ¡°Good god.¡± Barbi whispered when the video ended. ¡°Is he a saint or something?¡± Barbara chuckled. ¡°It wouldn''t surprise me if he was.¡± She said and moved the rollaway table aside. ¡°He just... with his background, the horrible things people can do to others, doesn''t really phase him much.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Barbi said. ¡°He could make a great PTSD counsellor.¡± Barbara laughed. ¡°He''s definitely filled that role a few times around here. Mostly because of people having to deal with his experiences.¡± ¡°He''s going to have a lot of work to do over the next few days, then.¡± Barbi said with a smile. ¡°Everyone should know all about him by now.¡± Barbara shook her head. ¡°I told Elise to shunt the phone to voicemail and to deny direct messages.¡± ¡°Won''t that stop all the positive responses, too?¡± ¡°We''ll still get them; but, we can also screen them for content.¡± Barbara said. ¡°It''ll take a lot longer to go through them, though.¡± ¡°Now that I know about it, I''ll do that.¡± Barbi said. ¡°I''m his public relations specialist, after all.¡± ¡°Then you''re the one that''s going to be very busy over the next few days.¡± Barbra said. ¡°Elise said the voicemail box is almost full.¡± ¡°Oh, damn!¡± Barbi exclaimed and jogged to the bedroom door. ¡°I better get down to the office!¡± ¡°It can wait until morning.¡± Barbara said. ¡°There''s no way I can go to sleep right now.¡± Barbi said with a grin. ¡°Then you should change first.¡± Barbara suggested. Barbi waved acknowledgement and left. ¡°Well, kiddo. I hope you have as much fun as you can.¡± Barbara said and sat down on the chair beside the bed and looked at the television, then saw a blue screen. ¡°I guess I didn''t have to hope at all, did I?¡± Barbara pulled the laptop back over and looked at the footage that had happened while she and Barbi had been talking, and she saw that Ren was at the bottom of a pile and covered in women. After only a few moments, she laughed when the screen changed and the blue screen protocol activated. ¡°Nope, I didn''t.¡± Barbara smiled and moved the laptop out of the way and sat back to enjoy the rest of her night. ******** Ren woke up at the bottom of a pile of women and he couldn''t tell who was who. Artemis was by his side and slightly out of the way, so it was only the concubines that were on top of him. He thought about opening his mouth and saying he was back, then decided he needed a bit of a rest. Hey, Teepo. Ren thought to his friend. ¡°Hey, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You''ve got a bit of time before everyone gets up for breakfast.¡± Enough time for the Sustenance Ring? Ren asked. ¡°Barely.¡± Ren smiled and took out the Vasalor statue and activated it to double the time they had. I''m tempted to tell you to wake me up; but, I''m pretty sure they are going to wake me up instead. ¡°I can almost guarantee it.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. See you in an hour. Ren thought and closed his eyes, then quickly fell asleep. The time passed quickly, and just over an hour later, Ren felt someone lick his cheek. ¡°Hm?¡± Ren opened his eyes and saw the blonde medical professional, Tiyaphi. ¡°Good morning.¡± Tiyaphi said and gave him another lick. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said, and he noticed that the small pile of women he used to be under, had disappeared and only Tiyaphi was on top of him now. She licked his chin and he chuckled. ¡°I''m awake. You can stop licking me.¡± Tiyaphi smiled and turned her head slightly, then licked his neck and under his chin. ¡°It''s customary to groom your Inamorato first thing in the morning.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Yuwen and Dilseffa are waiting on the couch for their turn, since neither of them are quite ready to do this much for you the very first time.¡± Tiyaphi said and licked the side of his neck. ¡°How long does grooming take?¡± Ren asked, and he felt how happy she was that he didn''t try to tell her no or say that he didn''t want her to. ¡°Only a few minutes.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°It''s only a token of affection instead of a full grooming.¡± ¡°Would you do a full grooming if I was a member of one of the beast races?¡± Ren asked, and Tiyaphi stopped licking him and exchanged glances with the other two women. ¡°It''s okay if you would.¡± ¡°I... yes, we... we enjoy getting this kind of attention.¡± Tiyaphi admitted. ¡°We talked it over and figured you would like some of it, so we adapted it for you to be less time consuming.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°It usually takes half an hour for a full grooming.¡± ¡°I can spare half an hour.¡± Ren said, and he felt shock from them. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You... do you realize what that means?¡± Tiyaphi asked. ¡°A full grooming...¡± ¡°You''re going to lick me all over, right?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded slightly. ¡°Does that include between my legs?¡± Tiyaphi thought about lying, then remembered he would be able to tell. ¡°It can, if the Inamorato is open to it.¡± ¡°Stick out your tongue.¡± Ren said, and she stuck it out. ¡°Will that shape change if you change?¡± ¡°No.¡± Tiyaphi said, sadly. ¡°Good.¡± Ren said, and felt her surprise. ¡°Tatya and I were about to become intimate, and I had to stop her before she licked me down there with her rough tongue.¡± ¡°Is that what happened between you?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°She mistook my fear of becoming numb for fear of her beast form.¡± Ren said, and all three women gasped and put a hand over their mouths. ¡°Yeah, we had an argument and decided we could only be friends after that.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Dilseffa almost sobbed and her brown hair shook as she trembled slightly. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked and looked at her. ¡°You must think we''re all horrible.¡± Yuwen said from beside her. Her whitish hair was dishevelled from a good sleep. ¡°Why would I think that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°The way she treated you is...¡± Dilseffa sighed. ¡°Showing distrust for someone with no just cause, right after meeting them, is one of the worst social mistakes a delegate can make.¡± She said. ¡°She must have lost a lot of Respect because of it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If her Respect has dropped too far, she might even lose her role as head of the delegation.¡± Yuwen said, concern in her voice and emotions. ¡°I guess we will find out when we get to the capital later today.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I didn''t mean to...¡± ¡°Hush.¡± Tiyaphi said and covered his mouth. ¡°It wasn''t your fault.¡± ¡°Muh.¡± ¡°It could have been anyone we met along the way.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°This is the end of our caravan''s journey, remember?¡± Ren blinked his eyes for a moment, nodded slightly, and Tiyaphi moved her hand and he sighed. ¡°I suppose I''ve killed the mood for a grooming.¡± ¡°Not in the least.¡± Tiyaphi said with a grin. ¡°Your concern for the leader of the delegation, even though the fault lies with her, just makes you all the more appealing.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°We can feel your distress over her situation, Ren.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°It''s... what was it we overheard that Adventurer say in the restaurant last week? Sauce for the goose? Is that the right saying?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s close enough.¡± ¡°Then let us taste your goose, Inamorato.¡± Tiyaphi said and purred. Ren laughed. ¡°All right. If you change, since your tongue doesn''t, you can lick the sensitive part.¡± Tiyaphi made little grabbing motions on his red spider silk pyjama top, and he realized she was doing the ''happy cat'' motion. He gave her a nod and she caught her breath at the Respect popup. ¡°Wh-what...¡± ¡°You didn''t just tear off my clothes when I agreed and you waited for me to give permission.¡± Ren said and stored his pyjamas. ¡°Please, continue.¡± Tiyaphi purred loudly and turned her head, stuck out her tongue, and did one long lick across his lips, from one side of his mouth to the other. She felt his surprise and purred even louder, then she moved down and started to lick his chest. Everyone felt Tiyaphi get excited about doing something that she never thought she would ever get to do. As a medical professional, she knew all about relationship rituals and the normal behaviour between a Mistress and her Inamorato; but, as someone who couldn''t change into a third stage because her power went to healing instead, she had no hope of ever meeting anyone that would accept her in this way. As Tiyaphi moved down to his abdomen, she didn''t try to restrain herself and started to shift. Ren didn''t feel any difference in her tongue and relaxed. By the time she reached his underwear, her tail was fully grown and waved happily. ¡°May I pet you?¡± Ren asked, and the tail stopped moving. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Tiyaphi stopped licking and looked at his face. ¡°I want to touch your silky fur, and maybe your tail.¡± ¡°M-m-my tail.¡± Tiyaphi whispered and closed her eyes. ¡°He wants to touch my tail.¡± ¡°It''s okay if I can''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just...¡± Tiyaphi didn''t say anything as she moved up to look into his eyes, then she gave him a kiss on the lips and turned all the way around and straddled his chest and sat down. It put her tail right next to his face, and he saw where it was attached. He reached up and gently stroked the fur above the spot, and the tail puffed out a little and Tiyaphi shivered as a thrill went through her. Ren used his fingers to carefully trace the end of her spine and followed it into the bones of her tail. ¡°That is so cool.¡± He said and stroked her tail. He felt tugging on his underwear, and he knew that Tiyaphi was doing the ''happy cat'' move on the cloth, the same as she did on his chest before he stored his pyjamas. ¡°Of course you can.¡± He said and stored his underwear. A loud gasp and a short shrill shriek were heard as he felt Yuwen and Dilseffa react to him, then a purr that matched Tiyaphi''s started, as did a kind of low grinding noise. Ren leaned his head to the side to look at the two women who sat on the couch. Yuwen was rubbing her chest through her lacy bra and purred. Ren looked at Dilseffa and saw her mouth working and her jaw sliding back and forth, grinding her teeth. ¡°Tiyaphi...¡± ¡°They are both... very happy... right now.¡± Tiyaphi said through her purr. ¡°As am I.¡± Ren smiled and used both of his hands to wiggle his fingers at the base of her spine. ¡°AH!¡± Tiyaphi gasped and finished. Ren felt a slight dampness on his chest where she sat, then he felt her embarrassment start to grow. ¡°Thank you for indulging my request.¡± Ren said, and pat her back, which startled her. ¡°You can keep grooming now.¡± ¡°I-I-Inamorato...¡± ¡°Unless you want to stop with the job half-finished?¡± Ren asked. ¡°NO!¡± Tiyaphi yelled and hopped a little. ¡°No, I... I just...¡± ¡°You can store your underwear to clean it, or I can do it for you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Well, if you''re going to groom me down there, it''s only fair that I groom you back, right?¡± ¡°I... I think... I think I love you!¡± Tiyaphi blurted, and Ren laughed. ¡°So, do you agree?¡± Ren asked. ¡°With all my heart.¡± Tiyaphi said and stored her underwear, then changed her position so she could lick him. ¡°What a sight.¡± Ren commented at her perched right above his face, then pulled her down so he could reach it and kissed her. ¡°RrrroooWWNNN!¡± Tiyaphi howled as Ren pleased her and scratched the base of her tail at the same time. She writhed and squirmed for several minutes and wasn''t able to do anything else, then she finished and tried to dig her nails into his legs. She didn''t have claws, so he wasn''t hurt in the least. Ren eased the scratching on her tail to give her a break, and only licked her a little while she twitched and recovered. Tiyaphi caught her breath and panted, her brain and emotions reeling from what had just happened, then she got a manic look in her eye as she remembered that she was supposed to be grooming him. ¡°Oh, Rrrrennn!¡± Tiyaphi moaned and purred as she started to lick his member very enthusiastically. Ren wasn''t going to be out-classed in that area, so he started licking her again just as enthusiastically. This went on for about half an hour, until Tiyaphi collapsed in both exhaustion and pleasure. Chapter 762 - Private Things ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Yuwen whispered as the sight before her came to an end. In both senses of the word. She had fought very hard to not change as Ren and Tiyaphi had pleased each other orally and finished each other off, and she had played with herself and finished as well. ¡°Ren, that...¡± Tiyaphi panted as she rolled off of him and turned around to lay down beside him. ¡°That was...¡± ¡°You didn''t manage to groom my legs.¡± Ren joked, and she let out a bark of laughter that sounded like a cat''s meow. ¡°A... allow me, My King.¡± Dilseffa said, and she felt everyone''s surprise as she got up from the couch. She climbed onto the bed and started licking his feet, then his ankles, and moved up to his calves. No one spoke as she licked him all the way up to his thighs. She stopped there and sat up to look at him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Dilseffa''s face flushed red at his sincerity, and she gave him a partial bow. ¡°Both of you struggled not to change.¡± Ren said, and Dilseffa and Yuwen nodded. ¡°You didn''t have to.¡± ¡°We weren''t sharing in the moment, so it wasn''t our place to...¡± Dilseffa started to say. ¡°Nonsense.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you my concubines or not?¡± ¡°We are.¡± Tiyaphi, Yuwen and Dilseffa said as one. ¡°Then while things are happening, if you needed my permission for it, you can change and enjoy yourselves if you choose.¡± Ren glanced at Yuwen. ¡°Although, someone enjoyed themselves anyway.¡± Yuwen''s face went completely red as she blushed. ¡°My King...¡± ¡°There''s nothing wrong with that.¡± Ren said, and looked at Dilseffa. ¡°You''ve both called me king just now. Are you trying to distance yourselves?¡± ¡°It was a ritual.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Usually, you''re supposed to...¡± ¡°I said earlier that no titles are needed; but, I suppose I should say that no titles are needed between us while in private.¡± Ren said. ¡°When alone, and by alone I mean situations like this where we are around our own people, you are to call me Ren and I will call you by your names.¡± He felt their doubt, and smiled. ¡°Would you prefer I call you Mistress or Countess?¡± ¡°What? No.¡± Tiyaphi said right away. ¡°To hear my name cross your lips is a song that I can listen to forever.¡± She said. ¡°When out in public, you are right that we should use titles.¡± ¡°My Ki... um... my... oh, I mean...¡± Dilseffa took a breath and let it out. ¡°Ren.¡± ¡°Yes, Dilseffa?¡± ¡°Your manhood is still prominent.¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That''s what it does when it gets excited.¡± Ren said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Are you offering to try and calm it down?¡± Ren asked, and her face went red. ¡°My K... Ren, I...¡± Ren sat up and held a hand out to her. Dilseffa looked at it for only a moment, then took it. Ren laid back down and pulled her up to his chest and hugged her as she rested her head on it. ¡°Do you remember what I said before?¡± Ren asked as he stroked her hair, and she nodded. ¡°I can go for hours and hours and never be sated.¡± A shock went through Tiyaphi and Yuwen, and a thrill went through Dilseffa. ¡°L-like m-me.¡± Dilseffa whispered. ¡°I didn''t think I would meet someone like you here.¡± Ren said. ¡°I have someone similar to you when I go on Adventurer''s business; but, I''m seriously hurt there and I can''t do much for her except let her take care of me like Tiyaphi just did.¡± Dilseffa lifted her head from his chest and looked at him. ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°I want to take care of you, just like I get taken care of.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know break-ups are hard, and stressful, and hurt a lot more than people let on.¡± He said, and let out a glimpse of what he felt about both Lucy and Gloria. Dilseffa gasped and put her hand on his heart, right above the emblem. ¡°Ren, you... who would be foolish enough...¡± ¡°You see me in a much better light than most people do.¡± Ren said and felt their slight confusion. ¡°It means you have a higher opinion of me starting off than other people.¡± ¡°Yes, we accept you for who you present yourself to be, then if you do something to lose Respect, our opinion drops appropriately.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°So, when you met me...¡± ¡°You already had 26,000 Respect.¡± ¡°I gained that from the chancellor of the Giants when he confirmed my Dreaded Foe title.¡± Tiyaphi gasped and trembled. ¡°Wait... Giants exist?¡± She asked, then her eyes widened. ¡°You gained... Respect... from the leader of the GIANTS?¡± ¡°It''s a great story!¡± Yuwen exclaimed. ¡°Ren told us all about it on the way here.¡± ¡°I''d like to hear it, too.¡± ¡°I would oblige...¡± Ren started to say, when Teepo interrupted him. ¡°Just change the settings on Vasalor''s statue.¡± Teepo suggested. ¡°You can give them time to adjust to being with you like this, before you have to leave.¡± That''s a good idea. Ren thought to his friend and changed the settings so that he could spend several days with them and only have a second pass. Thanks, Teepo. ¡°Anytime.¡± ¡°All right, I''ll tell it again, if it won''t bore Yuwen and Dilseffa.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t be bored, Ren.¡± Yuwen said from the couch. ¡°I do feel left out, though.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I only have two arms, so if you want to get in here to cuddle...¡± ¡°It would be your pleasure.¡± Yuwen said and walked over to the foot of the bed and climbed on, then slowly moved up it and stopped above his crotch. She smiled at him and stuck out her tongue, to show him that it was normal, and he nodded slightly. She bent down and gave him a single long lick from the base to the tip and felt him throb for her. She purred as she rubbed her cheek on it for a moment, then she laid down between his legs and rested her head on his thigh.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°All settled?¡± Ren asked, and they nodded. He glanced at Artemis, and she had stayed out of the way the whole time. Thank you. He thought to her and gave her a ton of appreciation. She blew him a kiss and turned onto her side to listen as well. ¡°Okay. It all started when...¡± Ren began the story of how the situation with the Giants had come to be, and he felt Yuwen and Dilseffa were just as engrossed in the story as they had been the first time they had heard it. Now that he had all the time in the world, he added in the little details he had skimmed over the first time, so that it wasn''t a complete repeat performance for them, and they enjoyed it that much more. Tiyaphi sighed happily when he finished the story. ¡°Ren, you are amazing.¡± She said and sat up. ¡°We''ve used up so much time and we haven''t even had breakfast yet.¡± ¡°Oh, right! Breakfast.¡± Ren said. ¡°I forgot that your Sustenance enchantments won''t be active until tomorrow.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll make you...¡± ¡°No, I will handle the food preparation.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I run this household.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°The kitchen is fully stocked, and the meat and vegetables are right in there.¡± He said and pointed to the closed off center section of the room. ¡°Help yourself.¡± ¡°Give me half an hour.¡± Yuwen said and started to get up, then saw Ren was still ready. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°N-nothing.¡± Yuwen said and got up, went into the cold storage room for a minute, then came back out dressed in a casual dress and went down the stairs. ¡°With us eating so late, I don''t think we will be ready before the caravan packs up to leave.¡± ¡°Oh, we''ve got a few days before they leave.¡± Ren said, and Tiyaphi and Dilseffa caught their breath. ¡°Wh-what did you say?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°How can we have a few days? It''s morning already!¡± Tiyaphi exclaimed. Ren held in his chuckle and explained about being able to make as much time as he wanted, but it only worked within a small area that he designates. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Tiyaphi whispered. ¡°You could heal the sick in mere moments.¡± ¡°No, it still takes just as long for you and for the patient, but no one else would detect the time passing.¡± ¡°But, still...¡± ¡°You... you''re giving us this time.¡± Dilseffa said, and he felt a touch of reverence in her voice. ¡°Even though you need to go and visit your maids and the mothers of your children, you''re giving us the first time of your day.¡± ¡°It seemed like the right thing to do, thanks to Teepo reminding me.¡± Ren said, and the two women looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Thank you, Teepo.¡± Both women said. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Teepo said, and they felt his appreciation. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Tiyaphi asked. ¡°Well, Yuwen said she needed half an hour, so we can just cuddle if you want.¡± Ren said, then touched Dilseffa''s cheek. ¡°I''d like to try and take care of you, though.¡± ¡°You would... even though I... Ren, I''m still...¡± ¡°You''re going to love him for a long time yet.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Things like that don''t just turn off.¡± ¡°But... we...¡± ¡°Love takes time to grow, and it also takes time to fade.¡± Ren said. ¡°It never goes away, but it won''t be first in your thoughts after a while.¡± Dilseffa took several breaths and closed her eyes. ¡°Ren, I... why would he hurt me like that? Why would anyone want to hurt anyone else?¡± ¡°If I could answer that question, I would be a horrible person, because I would understand their reasons... and I don''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t ever want to understand the reasons people do things like that.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°All I can say is that it''s wrong, and no one should ever go through things like that.¡± Ren stroked her cheek again and she opened her eyes to stare at him. ¡°I can''t make you forget about him, not this soon; but, I can ease your pain if you want me to.¡± ¡°The... the pain helps me remember.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Both the good and the bad.¡± ¡°I didn''t say I''d remove it, just ease it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Can I try?¡± ¡°I...¡± Dilseffa debated it for only a few moments, then nodded slightly. ¡°Then lay on your back, and let me see this wonderful body you''ve been hiding.¡± ¡°Ren, I... I wasn''t...¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°I''m embarrassed.¡± Dilseffa admitted. ¡°My chest isn''t as big as Yuwen''s, and my butt isn''t near as nice and round as Tiyaphi''s.¡± Ren chuckled, and he felt her embarrassment grow. ¡°No, don''t misunderstand my laugh.¡± He said. ¡°I had a long conversation with a non-participating Adventurer about bad body images before coming back here.¡± He said. ¡°Dilseffa. You are you. No one else.¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°Don''t compare yourself unfairly to those around you.¡± Ren said. ¡°It won''t give you peace of mind or help you in any way.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I can command you to not compare yourself, if you want.¡± ¡°What?¡± Dilseffa said in surprise. ¡°N-no. No, I... I will take your advice and... I will try.¡± Ren beamed a smile at her and flooded her with happiness, and she gasped. ¡°That''s all anyone can ask of you, is to try.¡± He said and eased her back onto the bed and he felt her try and relax. ¡°You can say no, and I won''t do anything except cuddle you.¡± Dilseffa looked at Tiyaphi''s big smile and felt her emotions. ¡°Ren, I...¡± She remembered Yuwen''s euphoric expression in the carriage when Ren pleased her. She didn''t say anything else and stored her nightgown. ¡°Oh, my.¡± Ren said, and she felt his wonder and his desire. ¡°R-Ren, what...¡± ¡°I really want to touch you.¡± Ren said, and she nodded slightly. He moved to sit up and then straddled her waist, and she looked up at him with wide eyes as he cupped her small and very perky breasts. ¡°Look at them.¡± He said in wonder and flicked his thumbs over the tips to make them pop out, and they went out about an inch. ¡°Good god.¡± He said and leaned down, then stopped just before kissing one. He looked at her face and it was bright red, then she nodded almost imperceptibly. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and started to suckle. Dilseffa started to grind her teeth lightly and wiggled a little as Ren did one breast, then the other one. She couldn''t hold her transformation back and her body flowed from human into an anthropomorphic bunny. Since her hair was brown, Ren hadn''t been surprised that her fur popped out and it was brown also, although there were more subtle shades of it than there were in the hair on her head. What did surprise him was that the tuft of fur stopped just above her chest so that her breasts, the rest of her chest and abdomen, and her special place were completely bare of fur and were actually framed by it. It made it even more of a sight, because those parts were surrounded by fur and never touched them. ¡°I couldn''t hold it.¡± Dilseffa said as her embarrassment came back in full force and her long bunny ears were folded back and in a distinct submissive pose. ¡°I didn''t ask you to.¡± Ren said and used both hands to rub her puffy cheeks. She closed her eyes and he felt her desire rise and it competed with her embarrassment. ¡°I... I suppose you want to touch my ears, too.¡± Dilseffa asked sheepishly, and he felt her resignation. ¡°I''d rather finish what I started, if that''s okay.¡± Ren said, and she opened her eyes and looked at him. ¡°You... you really...¡± ¡°I want to ease your pain, not cause more.¡± Ren said and tenderly stroked the spot between her eyes and her forehead. She ground her teeth some more, and he leaned back and bent over to give each breast a quick kiss, then kissed and licked his way down to her belly. She squirmed and writhed the whole time; but, she didn''t tell him to stop or to slow down. He moved down and eased her legs apart, and admired the sight before him. ¡°R-Ren...¡± Dilseffa felt his admiration and he felt that she couldn''t understand why he admired her body. ¡°Every woman is different.¡± Ren said and bent in close. ¡°They each have their own personalities. Their own problems. Their own ideas of how things should be.¡± He said and gave her special place a kiss. She let out a shrill cry and he felt how happy she was that he would do that to her, even changed as she was, so he activated his Emotion Siphon ability and licked her on the inside as well. Dilseffa was completely unprepared for that sensation. ¡°AHH!!¡± She yelled and finished. ¡°Liked that, did you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Y-Y-YES!¡± Dilseffa hollered. Ren started to please her and used his Emotion Siphon ability to dig through her emotions to find the parts that were making her sad. Her regret and all the related emotions that came with a bad breakup were easily found and he took the majority of them from her and used his link to Lylyth, the Queen of the Dark Elves, to give them to her. Dilseffa felt Ren taking it from her and she warred with her need to keep the pain with her need to be rid of it. She relaxed when Ren didn''t take it all and left her a good portion of it. Then he started to get serious about pleasing her, and Dilseffa was perfectly okay with that and let her feelings roam free. About 20 minutes later, Yuwen came up the stairs with breakfast and saw Ren between Dilseffa''s legs, and she wasn''t surprised. She had felt their emotions from down in the kitchen, even though it was far outside her personal Aura. ¡°Can you take a break for breakfast?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°Muh mmm hummum.¡± Ren mumbled into Dilseffa''s special place, which made her gasp and she finished again. Ren stopped pleasing her and wiped her off with a cloth as he sat up. ¡°Okay, maybe not in a minute.¡± Tiyaphi and Artemis laughed and Teepo chittered in laughter. Ren took out a table big enough for everyone to sit at and added the right numbers of chairs, and they all sat down to eat. ¡°Hey, this is pretty good.¡± He said as he tasted it. ¡°I bet you''re glad for that, considering you had no idea how good I would be with running a household.¡± Yuwen said, and he reached a hand out and took hers. ¡°It felt right.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I was near you, I knew that was the best job for you.¡± ¡°Did you, now.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°Can I ask how?¡± ¡°My Aura Sense skill.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve got potential there and I gave you an appropriate job for it.¡± Yuwen barked a laugh. ¡°You''re talking about something I don''t even have yet.¡± She said, then she stopped. ¡°Wait, you mean I have that Aura already?¡± ¡°When we unlock it, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wait... you said ''when'' and not ''if''.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°How can you be sure she can sync up with you enough to do it?¡± Ren concentrated on their bonds and dropped a single feeling of family into them, and the three of them caught their breath and put a hand over their hearts as their dire wolf emblems glowed slightly. ¡°You are going to be the best there is at what you do.¡± Ren said confidently, and they believed him. Chapter 763 - Tower Time They ate breakfast and shared polite conversation. When they were done, they all stood up and Ren used his various skills and techniques to bring out Yuwen''s Command Aura. It went fairly quickly, since she had the disposition already, because of her experience with the caravan and being a delegate for her kingdom. She was pleasantly surprised when she gained a related ability called Presence. It was like Ren''s Tainted King title, except that her version only worked when she first entered a room. All eyes would focus on her and she would have to be acknowledged in some way. Yuwen was delighted at the new ability. ¡°I love it!¡± She exclaimed and gave him a hug, which just so happened to push his face into her cleavage. ¡°Thank you, Ren!¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said when she let him go. ¡°Dilseffa, would you like me to do you next?¡± Dilseffa''s face went red at his words, then she stepped close to him and hugged him to press his face into her modest cleavage. She had changed into a dress similar to Yuwen''s, and it pushed her breasts up slightly, just enough to give Ren a good feel of them. That hadn''t been what he meant; but, she had been forward with her actions, so he snuggled into her chest and kissed them as he used his abilities to find her hidden Aura. That''s interesting. Ren thought as he found it. Inspiring Presence. ¡°That''s like a better version of your Camaraderie Aura.¡± Teepo said in the voice only Ren could hear. ¡°That should work great for the head of security.¡± It really will. Ren smiled and gave her breasts one last kiss and looked up at her face. ¡°You draw attention to yourself; but, it''s not because you''re showy or because you want that attention. It''s because they know you could be a power to be reckoned with.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Dilseffa stared into his eyes, and she knew he wasn''t lying or exaggerating. ¡°From what I can tell, everyone respects you for your abilities, and even your fighting prowess.¡± Ren said. ¡°The fact that you''re a bunny puts you that much higher than the actual predators you deal with every day.¡± Dilseffa closed her eyes and felt his admiration. ¡°I... I am just a bunny.¡± ¡°No. You are the bunny.¡± Ren corrected her and she opened her eyes to look at him. ¡°You are my Second Mistress and Head of my Security, so you are the bunny that has to deal with all of the situations that might come up in that role.¡± He said and his hands started to glow. The dire wolf emblem above her heart glowed as well, and she felt him doing something to her. ¡°Ren, what...¡± ¡°Do you believe me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I... I do.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Then say it.¡± ¡°I am your bunny.¡± ¡°Yes. Yes, you are.¡± Ren beamed a smile at her and pulled her Aura out. Dilseffa gasped when her Inspiring Presence Aura popped into place and it was already at 50 feet. ¡°R-Ren! Good god, what... what is...¡± ¡°Don''t worry. It''ll get bigger the more you use it.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s not... how can I... I''m not...¡± ¡°But you are.¡± Ren said and let her out of the hug and rubbed the cheeks of her face with both hands. ¡°You are not ''just a bunny''. You had enough Respect to be in the caravan and to perform as a delegate for all of the beast races.¡± He said proudly. ¡°I am honored to have you be a part of my Dynasty here in the kingdom of Pervaria.¡± ¡°I... I''ll try not to let you down.¡± ¡°As long as you try your best, you can never let me down.¡± Ren said and gave her another hug, then stepped away and looked at Tiyaphi, the medical professional. ¡°There''s no way I''m going to have any kind of Auras like them.¡± Tiyaphi said with a sad smile. ¡°I wouldn''t be so sure of that.¡± Ren said and stepped close. ¡°I''m only a two stage, Ren.¡± Tiyaphi reminded him, needlessly. ¡°All my power went into healing.¡± ¡°Yes, and that''s where your Aura will come into play as well.¡± Ren took her hands and held them, then kissed the fingers. She was about to say that human custom didn''t turn her on in the least, then he gave the back of each hand a long lick. She shivered at the double greeting, then he locked gazes with her. She felt his intense stare and didn''t flinch at all. ¡°Ren, what...¡± ¡°You gave up being like everyone else and chose to devote yourself to healing.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s an honorable profession and I have the utmost Respect for you and the things you do.¡± Tiyaphi gasped as she received a large amount of Respect from him. ¡°Unlike a lot of others, healing people isn''t as frequent a task as fighting or doing other jobs; but, that''s a good thing. Your skills are usually only needed when things go bad.¡± Tiyaphi nodded slightly, and Ren closed his eyes. ¡°I know there''s something here. There has to be.¡± Ren said, and she felt his confidence and surety. ¡°There''s no way someone as powerful as you would lose a transformation stage and it only increased your healing limit.¡± ¡°But... not even...¡± ¡°Ah, there it is.¡± Ren said and she felt something touch her deep inside. ¡°Wh-what... what is it?¡± Tiyaphi asked as she felt it, too. ¡°Beholo, the healer I met in the caravan, used an ability I hadn''t seen before.¡± ¡°Do you mean his ''Reform'' skill?¡± Tiyaphi asked. ¡°Is that what it''s called?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Well, it got me to thinking. He''s not that powerful of a healer if he can''t recover quickly, and yet he had that great ability.¡± ¡°But, he was...¡± ¡°Since you are much more powerful than him, you must have something similar inside of you.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Tiyaphi talked in the tone of voice that you would use to explain things to a child. ¡°Skills like that can''t be learned. You have to have an innate ability for...¡± ¡°Tiyaphi, do you trust me?¡± ¡°We only just met yesterday.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Do you trust me?¡± ¡°It''s crazy, but I do.¡± ¡°Equip your adornments, please.¡± Tiyaphi did so, and her body shook as she was filled with the Energize spell, Regeneration, Mana Generation, and a Mana Boost to put her Mana total to one she had only dreamed of. ¡°Now concentrate on the feeling I''m holding for you.¡± Ren said, and she did. Her mind turned inwards and she followed his ability deep inside herself until she reached what he had poked. ¡°Wh-what... what is... it can''t be.¡± ¡°But, it is.¡± Ren said and pulled the Reform Aura out of her. ¡°GAH!¡± Tiyaphi gasped as the 25 foot Aura popped into place and she felt everyone around her through it. It let her know that their bodies were intact and they felt in good health. ¡°I... Ren...¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Any medical professional within your Aura will automatically defer to your judgment, too.¡± Ren said and let her hands go. He hadn''t been surprised that each task had been slightly different to get the Auras out of them, since he had experience with the Dark Elf child and getting her Aura out was different, too. On the other hand, the three women were quite surprised that he hadn''t handled them the same way. ¡°Like I told Dilseffa earlier, everyone is different. I didn''t think doing the exact same thing with each of you would work.¡± ¡°We each received our own attention from you.¡± Yuwen said, a little stunned. ¡°I try to do that with everyone in my life.¡± Ren said and motioned to the table for them to sit again, and he felt how much they appreciated his intention to spend personal time with them. ¡°It''s one of the main reasons I have the statue.¡± While the three women thought about that, Ren took out a copy of his Stat books. They stared at the books as if they were national treasures, and he felt their dedication to him grow. ¡°They can be read each day and you will gain one point in your stat for each of them.¡± Ren said. Tiyaphi picked up the top book for gaining Wisdom and hugged it. ¡°We know, Ren.¡± She said and closed her eyes. ¡°The sacred texts can only be read once a day and they go blank, so that the next person can read it the next day.¡± ¡°You have access to these already?¡± Ren asked, and felt their reverence. ¡°Oh, no.¡± Yuwen said and touched the next book, which was for Strength. ¡°Only the heads of our families are granted an audience at the capital to use them.¡± She stopped touching the book. ¡°Sometimes, if they are worthy, the family head gives his turn to a member of his family instead. That you have a whole set for us to use is beyond anything we could have imagined.¡± ¡°You shouldn''t have said that.¡± Ren grinned, and the three of them looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°This set of books are yours, Yuwen.¡± ¡°WHAAAAATTT?!?¡± ¡°As the First Mistress and the head of the household, the first set is yours.¡± ¡°My... my...¡± Yuwen was stunned beyond belief, and a glowing hand touched her shoulder. She calmed down and looked at Tiyaphi, who smiled at her and gave her the Wisdom book she held. ¡°I... I will guard them with my life!¡± Yuwen said and hugged the book to her chest just like Tiyaphi had. ¡°I will share them with...¡± ¡°You will not share them.¡± Ren said, and she gasped. ¡°B-b-but...¡± Yuwen tried to object, and he felt the dismay and disappointment from Tiyaphi and Dilseffa. ¡°These books are yours and you will read them every day.¡± Ren said. Yuwen took in a deep breath and let it out, and fought her urge to argue. ¡°I... I will abide by your command.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said and chuckled. ¡°What''s so funny?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°You gave me priceless treasures and told me not to share them with my fellow Mistresses!¡± ¡°You''re all reacting to the assumption that I only have one copy of the books.¡± Ren said and almost blew their minds when he took out a second set. The three women caught their breath as he put that set in front of Dilseffa. ¡°As Second Mistress, this set of books is yours and you will not share them.¡± He smiled. ¡°Because you don''t have to.¡± ¡°My King... I... Ren...¡± Dilseffa put both hands on the stack of books. ¡°You can''t... these are...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said and took out a third stack of books and put it in front of Tiyaphi. ¡°As Third Mistress, these are your books and you will not share them.¡± Tiyaphi was the one that could stay calm and keep the others calm with her abilities, and she was flabbergasted at what Ren had just given her. The three women just sat there and stared at the books, and didn''t say anything. ¡°I''ll leave you alone with them so you can start reading.¡± Ren said and stood up, and motioned for Artemis to follow him. ¡°We''ll be in bed.¡± He said and took Artemis'' hand, then went to the bed. He tried not to laugh as he felt the three women try to come to grips with owning national treasures. ¡°I think it''s the ''not sharing them'' that''s bothering them the most.¡± Artemis said. Ren chuckled as he made a wall between the bed and the table that the women sat at. ¡°That''s why I said it.¡± He said and climbed onto the bed and stored his clothes. ¡°It was the best way to get them to accept the books and not make a fuss.¡± Artemis shook her head and stored her clothing, and climbed on top of him. ¡°I''m going to steal Lara''s words for a moment.¡± She said and joined with him. ¡°You''re so bad.¡± Ren grinned as he reached up and caressed her breasts, then they made love as she rode him. * ¡°Is he serious? He can''t really give us these... these...¡± Dilseffa couldn''t describe the three piles of books in front of them. ¡°We can''t even share them.¡± Tiyaphi said and touched her copy of the Wisdom book. ¡°I know several healers that would give me their first born for this book.¡± ¡°We can''t tell anyone that we have them.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°Why not?¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°If people knew that Ren has the sacred texts, his Respect would rise to heights none have seen before.¡± ¡°Dilseffa, he gave us the sacred texts.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°If people found out he had so little Respect for them to give to mere Mistresses...¡± ¡°He does Respect them.¡± Tiyaphi said, and the other two women looked at her. ¡°You could feel it, couldn''t you? As he gave them to us, he knew their true value and was giving them to us anyway, so that we could better ourselves.¡± Yuwen and Dilseffa closed their eyes and tried to look past their shock to feel the other feelings they had felt in the last few minutes. ¡°He... he really does know their value.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°He wants us to be stronger.¡± Diseffa said, surprised. ¡°He wasn''t exaggerating.¡± ¡°It''s amazing.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°He only just met us, and we have already become his concubines, gained Countess titles, and own our own sets of sacred texts.¡± ¡°Not to mention the wardrobe and jewels.¡± Yuwen said and pointed to Tiyaphi''s diamond necklace. ¡°You''re still wearing them.¡± ¡°He didn''t say I had to take them off.¡± Tiyaphi said with a smile, and Yuwen chuckled. ¡°Will you do everything he says?¡± ¡°Without question.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°Not because he''s done so much for me in so short a time, either.¡± ¡°Then why?¡± ¡°You felt him when I... when we...¡± ¡°Oh, did I ever.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I won''t balk at the grooming tomorrow morning.¡± She purred a little. ¡°I hope he does to me what he did to you.¡± ¡°Can you hold your change off that long?¡± Tiyaphi asked, and Yuwen shrugged. ¡°I wonder if I''ll get a turn before he has to leave?¡± Dilseffa asked, and both women looked at her. ¡°He pleased me this morning, and he didn''t try to grab my ears or my fluffy tail.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°I didn''t get the chance to give him Respect for it at the time, since... since...¡± ¡°You felt too good to do anything else.¡± Yuwen said, and she nodded slightly. ¡°He said we had two more days, so I think that''s why we do.¡± ¡°He wants me to have a turn grooming him.¡± Dilseffa said, a little surprised and a little flattered. ¡°I hope he does, after the two of you do it.¡± Yuwen chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry, my cute bunny friend.¡± She said and put an arm over her shoulder. ¡°He''s predator enough to gobble the two of us up and still have lots of room for a tasty little morsel like you.¡± Dilseffa''s face flushed red, and she nodded slightly. ¡°We better start reading, or we won''t finish before lunch.¡± Tiyaphi said and opened the Wisdom book. ¡°I hope we can finish before lunch.¡± Yuwen laughed. ¡°I''m making lunch, so there''s no need to worry.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± Tiyaphi said with a smile, and started to read. Yuwen and Dilseffa picked up their favorite stat book, Strength and Agility respectively, and started to read as well. * Ren and Artemis stayed in bed for several hours. They played and cuddled and enjoyed each other like old lovers do. Sex was involved occasionally; but, it wasn''t the focus of their time. Just being there with each other was what mattered. When Ren felt Yuwen''s resolve to make lunch, he called an end to his antics with Artemis and they left the bed and went to the table to see that the books were gone. ¡°You finished.¡± Ren said and felt the three women''s happiness at completing the task. He went to Yuwen and licked her cheek. ¡°Good job.¡± He said and went to Dilseffa and licked her cheek. ¡°You did well.¡± He said and went to Tiyaphi and licked her cheek. ¡°Great work.¡± ¡°Are you going to do that every time?¡± Tiyaphi asked, jokingly. ¡°If I''m here, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yuwen, can I help in the kitchen?¡± ¡°If you want to.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I can show you some tricks and...¡± ¡°We can all help!¡± Dilseffa exclaimed, and everyone looked at her. ¡°Ren, can we have aprons?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and gave them aprons, and they all went to the kitchen and prepared lunch for themselves. ¡°Throw it, Ren.¡± Teepo whispered as Ren picked up a thin slice of meat to add to the sandwich he was making. What? Ren thought to his friend. ¡°Yuwen''s concentrating too hard on making something in front of you.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Throw it.¡± Ren smiled and pulled his hand back and flung the piece of meat across the counter and it made a slapping sound as it splatted onto Yuwen''s face and stayed there. ¡°FOOD FIGHT!¡± Teepo yelled and flew down to grab a thin piece of meat and flung it at Artemis. It hit her arm and made the same slapping sound as it splatted and fell off. ¡°Oh, it''s on!¡± Artemis exclaimed and grabbed a handful of lettuce and threw it at Teepo. He flew out of the way and the lettuce hit Ren in the face. ¡°Oops!¡± Ren grinned evilly as he picked up his half-made sandwich and threw it at her. She batted it away and its contents sprayed out and hit Tiyaphi on the chest and Dilseffa on the arm. Yuwen peeled the meat off of her face and looked at what was happening, and saw Artemis grab several slices of bread and start to throw them like they were bombs. Ren, Teepo and Artemis laughed as they dodged and grabbed ammunition from the counter, and Yuwen, Dilseffa and Tiyaphi exchanged glances. ¡°What are you...¡± Yuwen stopped talking as a piece of bread bounced off her forehead. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°No bystanders in a food fight!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter and picked up another piece of meat. ¡°Tiyaphi! Catch!¡± Tiyaphi turned her head just in time to let the thin slice of meat hit her chin, and it flipped over and landed on Dilseffa''s chest. ¡°Ooo, you little...¡± Dilseffa grabbed that slice of meat and flung it back at him. Unfortunately, she wasn''t great at throwing odd-shaped things accurately, and it went off to the side and slapped the back of Artemis'' neck. ¡°Target acquired!¡± Artemis chuckled and diverted her next attack to Dilseffa, whose eyes widened as a deluge of salad ingredients flew towards her. Suddenly, Ren was there and jumped up, and all the things hit him in the chest and the salad dressing splattered and made them stick. ¡°OH, NO!¡± Ren yelled and put a hand on his chest and fell backwards. ¡°I''m hit!¡± Dilseffa caught him and eased him down to the floor. Ren reached up and touched her cheek with his wet hand. ¡°A-avenge me.¡± Dilseffa nodded slightly and put a hand over his eyes to close them, then stood up and grabbed several carrot sticks. ¡°RAWR!¡± She yelled and jumped into the food fight. Tiyaphi and Yuwen saw her going at it and exchanging blows with Artemis and Teepo. The two women looked at each other, smiled and grabbed some ammunition, then joined in on the fight, too. Chapter 764 - Tower Training The food fight ended after about 10 minutes, and Ren, Teepo, Artemis, Tiyaphi, Yuwen and Dilseffa were either sitting or laying on the floor. They were in fits of laughter and covered nearly from head to toe in the remains of their lunch. ¡°Hooo, that was fun!¡± Ren exclaimed. Tiyaphi burst out laughing again. ¡°You sounded... just like... Ocktem!¡± She said. ¡°Hooo! Hooooo!¡± Yuwen and Dilseffa laughed, too. ¡°Is he an owl?¡± Ren asked, and they nodded. ¡°Hooo could have guessed that?¡± That made them laugh harder, and Ren stood up and stretched. ¡°All right, time for me to clean up.¡± Ren said. ¡°As the head of the household...¡± Yuwen started to say. ¡°I started it, so I''ll clean it up.¡± Ren smiled at her and closed his eyes, then stored all the food items in the kitchen. His inventory sorted them automatically, and he put the still usable things back on the counter and dumped the garbage into a very large bowl. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Yuwen asked as she looked down at herself, and saw that she didn''t have any food on her anymore and there wasn''t anything on the floor, either. ¡°It''s just something I thought should be available for Adventurers when they need it.¡± Ren said cryptically and stored the very large bowl, then stored his sash and shorts combo to clean it and equipped it again. ¡°Geez, Ren. You don''t have to be so mysterious.¡± Artemis laughed and looked at Yuwen. ¡°It''s bulk store, or in the case of loot, bulk loot gathering.¡± Yuwen''s mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°You... you can store all of something at once?¡± ¡°As long as it''s within my Aura.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. She took it and stood up, and he did the same for the other two women. ¡°Now, do you want to start training, or do you want to go back to bed and cuddle?¡± ¡°Are you giving us a choice?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°How would that work if we chose differently?¡± ¡°I can deploy a Doppel Ren for training.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t really need any more fight training, since I went through boot camp to get into the garrison.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°I''d like to cuddle.¡± ¡°I want training.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I would like to test my skills against Doppel Ren again.¡± ¡°I... I can''t decide.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Can we train first and then cuddle?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s not really an ''either / or'' situation; so yes, you can do both.¡± He said. ¡°Not with Doppel Ren, though.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°He''s just a training dummy.¡± Ren said, and felt their confusion. ¡°He''s not anatomically correct.¡± ¡°Oooh.¡± Tiyaphi said, then laughed. ¡°Can you imagine? Another you running around with...¡± Her face flushed red. ¡°Ah, never mind.¡± Yuwen and Dilseffa covered their mouths to stop from laughing as they felt her naughty emotions. Ren chuckled and took out two Doppel Rens and gave them instructions on what to do, then Yuwen and Doppel Ren 1 went to the floor below, then Dilseffa and Doppel Ren 2 went to the floor below that. ¡°This way, Mistress.¡± Ren said to Tiyaphi and motioned to the stairs. When they reached the top of the stairs, Tiyaphi saw the dividing wall Ren had put between the bed and the table where she and the other concubines had read their sacred books. ¡°Where did the wall come from?¡± Tiyaphi asked. ¡°I made it to give you privacy while you read your books.¡± Ren said and climbed onto the bed. ¡°Also, I figured if Artemis and I had sex right in front of you, it would be too distracting.¡± ¡°You had sex?!?¡± Tiyaphi asked, surprised. ¡°But... but I... I didn''t feel anything.¡± She said sadly and put a hand over her emblem and he felt her doubt her skills. ¡°Don''t be sad.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. ¡°My concern was letting you gain knowledge at the time and I blocked our presences.¡± He said. ¡°I didn''t know you wanted that kind of knowledge, too.¡± ¡°I''ve never seen humans mate before.¡± Tiyaphi said and took his hand and climbed onto the bed and equipped a thin silky slip that was blue in color. Artemis laid down on the side of the bed and out of the way. She did that so she would be as unobtrusive as possible. ¡°I''m actually an elfling.¡± Ren said and swished his hair away from his ear with a hand and pointed to it. Tiyaphi shrugged. ¡°You look just like a human except for the ears.¡± Ren couldn''t argue that, so he didn''t. ¡°May I touch you?¡± ¡°Ren, I''m your concubine and I''ve submitted to you.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°I''ve given myself completely to you, so you don''t need to ask permission.¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Ren said and cupped the side of her face. ¡°Even though you are a part of my domain, that doesn''t mean I can do what I want with you.¡± Tiyaphi chuckled. ¡°Ren, that is exactly what it means.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We are your personal vassals. Our actions reflect directly upon you. Since you are responsible for us, you will be held accountable for the things we do.¡± ¡°Oh. Well, I guess I knew that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve acted that way when talking to people in my domain and told them to behave.¡± Tiyaphi nodded slightly. ¡°Yes, you lead by example.¡± She said and picked up one of his hands and placed it on her chest. ¡°Now cuddle me as much as I want you to.¡± ¡°Just cuddling?¡± Ren asked and massaged her breast, and she started to purr. ¡°Isn''t that all you offered?¡± Tiyaphi asked and closed her eyes. ¡°I could groom you some more.¡± Ren whispered, and her whole body shivered at the thought. ¡°Is that a yes?¡± ¡°Yes... please...¡± Tiyaphi moaned as he filled her with desire and slid his hands along her shoulders and pulled her slip down to expose her breasts, then he started to suckle. ¡°Mhmm... oh, god...¡± She panted. ¡°Go... go lower.¡± ¡°As you command.¡± Ren said and felt her startle, then he moved down to her waist and lifted the slip to find that she wasn''t wearing underwear. ¡°Oh, you naughty kitty.¡± Tiyaphi purred loudly. ¡°I... I am.¡± She said. ¡°What... will you do... with me?¡± ¡°An appropriate punishment, I think.¡± Ren said and lifted her legs to prop them over his shoulders and she crossed them on his back. He slid his hands under her backside and cupped both cheeks, then wiggled his fingers near the base of her spine to scratch her there and dove between her legs. ¡°MRRROOOWWWW!!!¡± Tiyaphi yelled and dug her hands into Ren''s hair and did the ''happy cat'' movement with her fingers and her hands alternated gripping his hair and letting it go. * Yuwen trained with Doppel Ren in various forms of combat from hand-to-hand to all kinds of weapon fighting. She never laid a hand or weapon on him for over an hour, however.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°You... are... too good.¡± Yuwen panted, covered in sweat. ¡°Are you done training?¡± Doppel Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Thank you for the Respect, but... I don''t deserve it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Yuwen took a breath. ¡°Why... not?¡± ¡°I didn''t tell you to adorn your accoutrements.¡± Doppel Ren said, and her eyes widened. ¡°I completely... forgot about them!¡± ¡°Ren told me you would, and then told me that I shouldn''t remind you until after you were done.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Yuwen didn''t say anything for a minute, then smiled. ¡°He wanted me to test myself fully without them first.¡± ¡°Very good. That''s it exactly.¡± Doppel Ren said. ¡°You got the reason right away.¡± ¡°You are still training me.¡± Yuwen said, and Doppel Ren smiled. ¡°Please equip your jewellery and we can begin again.¡± Doppel Ren said. Yuwen equipped the things Ren had given her and once again, she caught her breath as she was boosted far beyond her normal abilities. She felt refreshed, rejuvenated, and a whole lot stronger. A broad smile appeared on her face and she picked up the wooden training sword that she had just dropped in exhaustion. She held the sword at the ready position, took a deep breath, then lunged to begin her real training. The scene had been repeated almost word for word by Dilseffa and Doppel Ren 2 on the floor below about 10 minutes later. Dilseffa had much more Stamina than the others and it took a lot longer for her to exhaust herself. Doppel Ren 2 encouraged her and asked her to equip her jewellery, and she recovered much faster than Yuwen did. When Dilseffa attacked, Doppen Ren 2 discovered why ''quick like a bunny'' was an appropriate phrase that was given to very fast things. They trained right up until suppertime, then both Doppel Rens called an end to their training for the day. Both women were worn out and almost to the point of exhaustion at that point, then a moment later, the various items they wore let them recover almost completely. They were amazed they could recover like that, especially after such an intense workout, and they met up on the floor with the kitchen that was below Ren''s bedroom on the top floor. What was funny was that no one questioned how what was once a bedroom had become a kitchen almost instantly that morning. Ren had converted it when Yuwen said she wanted to make breakfast, and they accepted it as if it had always been there. Ren, Artemis, and a very happy and tired Tiyaphi came down the stairs to meet them in the kitchen. ¡°Thanks, guys.¡± Ren said. Both Doppel Rens waved to him and he stored them. ¡°That is both weird and cool at the same time.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter, and that made everyone laugh. ¡°So, Yuwen.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s for supper?¡± ¡°Wh-what? I... oh, damn! I was so busy training that...¡± ¡°Bwahahaha!¡± Ren guffawed. ¡°The look on your face! Ha haha!¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Yuwen scowled. ¡°It''s all right, my beautiful minx.¡± Ren said and hopped up into the air to give her a kiss on the lips. ¡°You can sit at the counter with the other three sexy women and let me do all the cooking tonight.¡± Yuwen was too surprised at the beautiful comment to do anything but stare at him, and he laughed again and walked her over to the counter and sat her down. ¡°Ladies.¡± Ren said and sat each one down, then jumped over the counter and started to cook. ¡°What''s on the menu for tonight?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Hamburgers and French fries.¡± Ren said and turned on the grill and the deep fryer. ¡°How about onion rings, too?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°Hey, that''s a good idea.¡± Ren took out the things he needed and quickly prepped everything. ¡°I haven''t had onion rings since I was at the amusement park and taught the cooks how to make them.¡± Yuwen, Dilseffa and Tiyaphi watched in fascination as Ren made some very odd-looking and very delicious-smelling food. He took out a meat grinder and quickly ground up some meat to make patties and tossed them onto the grill in only a few moments. Ren moved so fast cutting up the potatoes that he would put a peeled potato on the cutting board and then it was sliced into sticks almost instantly. He tossed several handfuls into the deep fryer and then he cut the onions up just as quickly as he had the potatoes. He battered them up and tossed them into the deep fryer as well, then flipped the hamburgers to cook them on the other side, and used his Fire Manipulation skill to make sure that all of the food was cooked completely. Five plates appeared on the counter in front of the women and then open-faced burgers and French fries appeared, then a small plate beside each large one and they were filled with onion rings. All of the appliances turned off and cooled instantly, and Ren sat down on the other side of the counter. He put out the proper condiments for them to use, and he showed them how to apply them and assembled his hamburger. Artemis already had hers made and waited for the others. ¡°You might like some tastes and not others, so you don''t have to load up with all of them like me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve had them multiple ways, and this is the best one for me; but, that won''t be the same for you.¡± ¡°How do we find out which ones we like?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°I''d say trial and error.¡± Ren gave them spoons and told then to taste each condiment. ¡°Don''t take too much, because some tastes can be overwhelming.¡± They nodded and briefly tried each one, and quickly discovered which ones they didn''t like. ¡°I''m glad I didn''t follow your example.¡± Tiyaphi said and almost gagged as she tasted the mustard. ¡°That''s horrible!¡± ¡°I thought that was good.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I don''t like the way this stuff feels on my tongue, though.¡± She said and indicated the relish. ¡°It is a bit of an acquired taste.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°It''s all good.¡± Dilseffa said, surprised. ¡°You''re right, though. I don''t think we could eat this all the time.¡± ¡°It''s meant as a treat, so it won''t be very often.¡± Ren said as they assembled their burgers. ¡°Let''s eat!¡± The 5 of them ate their meals and the three Mistresses enjoyed it much more than they thought they would. ¡°It''s meat, only it''s not meat as we would normally have it.¡± Tiyaphi said when they were done. ¡°Neither was the food fight we had at lunch.¡± Yuwen said and everyone laughed. After supper, they talked for a while and Ren learned a bit more about them and their lives before he had met them. Yuwen only had a small family, with her parents and only one much older brother. If their family land had been a little bigger, her parents could have afforded to have more children. ¡°Is population based on square footage?¡± Ren asked, curious. Yuwen laughed. ¡°No, nothing so draconian as that.¡± She said. ¡°We just didn''t have much room for growing more food or to sell.¡± ¡°Is that why you joined the military?¡± Tiyaphi asked. ¡°More or less.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I wanted to get out on my own, and it let my brother take over keeping our land going with one less mouth to feed.¡± ¡°Is he married yet?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°Jaasom has been talking to Krinca about that very thing.¡± ¡°Oh, a match made in heaven!¡± Dilseffa pretended to swoon, and Yuwen laughed. ¡°Can I ask what''s funny?¡± Ren asked. ¡°They''re neighbours and hate each other''s guts.¡± Dilseffa chuckled. ¡°Kids growing up so close together either grow very close or grow extremely annoyed at each other.¡± ¡°If they married, Krinca gets a hard worker to help tend the family lands, and Jaasom gains Respect for overcoming his hatred for her and settling their differences without violence.¡± ¡°Will the two family lands join?¡± Ren asked. ¡°When my parents die, yes.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°If our land was bigger, they would become a part of ours.¡± ¡°That''s an interesting dynamic.¡± Ren said. ¡°What if you had stayed home?¡± ¡°That would only matter if Jaasom gave up his claim as the older sibling.¡± ¡°Then you would be inheriting the land instead, and whoever you married would get you and the land.¡± Ren said in understanding. ¡°But, as my concubine, that won''t apply, right?¡± ¡°No. Since they would be your lands.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°If I get married, since I am a younger sibling, no lands change hands.¡± She smiled. ¡°If he is also a middle child, none of it matters. We can find our own lands or stay with either family to help.¡± ¡°I hope I haven''t ruined your marriage prospects.¡± Ren said and touched her hand. Yuwen chuckled. ¡°Mires took care of that, Ren.¡± ¡°You mean the rumors of your infidelity.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°I''ll take care of that.¡± Yuwen laughed. ¡°Yes, My King. Go into everyone''s hearts and minds and change their biased opinion of me.¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°I won''t be as nefarious as that, First Mistress.¡± ¡°Then what will you do?¡± ¡°I''ll set up a series of displays in all the towns and cities like I did in the Human Kingdom.¡± Ren said and stored the dirty dishes to clean them. ¡°You don''t have to worry about that for a while, though.¡± ¡°I doubt you will get approval for that.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Why would I need approval?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You can''t just... wait, you did that on your own in the Human Kingdom?¡± Dilseffa asked, shocked. ¡°No permits or permission?¡± ¡°I did it for free, and no one seemed to object.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°I didn''t need permission to set up the Portal Gate Network, either. Town Squares are public and can be used by anyone.¡± The three Pervarians caught their breath as they realized he was right. ¡°Once again, no one seemed to object, especially since everyone could go anywhere they wanted, and didn''t have to spend all of their time travelling.¡± ¡°You''re saying we could have used them?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°Not with your giant boars and massive carriages.¡± Ren said. ¡°Only a horse and normal-sized cart can fit through the archway.¡± ¡°That would quadruple our caravan size.¡± Yuwen said as she thought about it. ¡°It also stops us from moving large numbers of troops and siege machines through them.¡± ¡°There you go.¡± Ren nodded to her and gave her Respect. ¡°Normal trade can go through easily; but, military strength is bottle-necked.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°You''ve thought of everything.¡± ¡°Not everything, since there are still ways to abuse the gates.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No, I''m not mentioning them.¡± ¡°I think that''s wise.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°Saying something like that usually gives it power.¡± Ren tapped the tip of his nose and she smiled. Artemis stood up and stretched. ¡°Well, I think this was a long day for all of us.¡± She said. ¡°We should head to bed.¡± ¡°We haven''t heard much about Dilseffa''s home life yet.¡± Ren said, and he felt her become uncomfortable. ¡°I wasn''t trying to pry.¡± He said and took her hand. ¡°I''m just curious about your family and what brought you to become a part of the caravan.¡± ¡°I think... yes, it''s better to show you.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°During the last stop near the capital where we drop off the carriages and the supplies as we disband the caravan, I can take you home.¡± ¡°I would like that very much.¡± Ren said with a big smile, and she felt that he really did. ¡°Since our talk is over, I agree with Artemis. We should head to bed and get some sleep.¡± The five of them went up the stairs and climbed onto the bed, and Yuwen let Tiyaphi and Dilseffa cuddle into Ren''s chest and she took up the spot between his legs and used his thigh as a pillow. Artemis laid on the side and took Ren''s hand and intertwined her fingers with his. ¡°Goodnight.¡± Ren said to everyone. A chorus of ''goodnight'' responded, and they all relaxed in each other''s embraces and drifted off to sleep. Chapter 765 - Another Day, Another Story Unlike what he normally did, getting up after an hour, Ren stayed in bed all night. It gave him the unique opportunity to observe, and feel, his concubines as they moved around half-asleep and tried to hold on to as much of him as they could. They weren''t as magical as the maids were at getting tangled up into a pile; but, Ren assumed that was because there was only three of them. He smiled and blocked his amusement from flooding out. What are your plans here, Ren? Artemis asked through their mental connection. If I can secure a good-sized piece of land, I''m going to set it up to be self-sufficient. Ren thought back. It seems lands and family are pretty important here. Are you going to make an amusement park, too? Ren held in his chuckle. I don''t think they are quite ready for those kinds of experiences. Are you calling them scaredy-cats? Teepo asked and chittered in laughter. Ren had a hard time stopping himself from laughing. I think... it''s more like... them being skittish. Do you think you can get away with making a whole city? Teepo asked. I doubt it. Ren thought and checked the starter city recipes he had and saw they were still greyed out. No, it looks like even Vasalor wasn''t fussy on me making them. He didn''t mention it the whole time you were together? Artemis asked. Maybe he is the type that thinks it was in the past, so ignore it and move on. Teepo suggested. I think you''re right. Ren thought. I think it might have scared him that I almost crashed everything. Teepo chittered in laughter. It was amazing, that''s for sure. It sure was. Artemis smiled. Now get some sleep. Ren gave her a mental kiss, since he couldn''t reach her with his lips, then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. They all woke up around the same time, and it was Yuwen''s turn to groom Ren. She made it nearly all the way in her human form, because she had licked him from the appendages in and skipped over his private part to save it for the end. When she reached there, he stored his underwear and she started to lick him. She tried to do it as quickly as she could; but, she had only gotten halfway down it and her body started to shift. ¡°Stop licking.¡± Ren commanded. Yuwen stopped just in time as her tongue formed the rough ridges and her whole body was covered in fur. Her medium length white tail grew out and was right in front of his face. ¡°R-Ren, I... I tried to hold it back...¡± Yuwen said and he felt her disappointment. ¡°Don''t worry. I''m sure with practice, you''ll be able to keep your own emotions in check while doing this.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Yuwen said and sat up, and her tail flapped him in the face. ¡°Oh! I didn''t mean to...¡± Ren reached up with one hand and wiggled his fingers at the base of her spine. Her tail flapped against his face multiple times and she squirmed and held in her moan as she lifted her backside a little to let him scratch her more and to stop hitting him with her tail. He smiled and used his other hand to touch her special place, and her purr was loud. ¡°RRRRennnnn!¡± Yuwen moaned and purred, and then she finished. She collapsed on him and panted, and tried to get her purring under control. When she recovered, they all went downstairs to the kitchen and had breakfast and enjoyed some polite conversation and a good meal. After that, they read their books while Ren spent time with Artemis, then the three Pervarians chose to do training. ¡°I thought you didn''t want to do that.¡± Dilseffa said as Ren took out three Doppel Rens. ¡°I know I don''t have a chance... at all... but, I want to see his fighting prowess for myself.¡± Tiyaphi said and chuckled. ¡°If only for a brief moment before I''m pummelled into unconsciousness.¡± Yuwen and Dilseffa laughed. ¡°It doesn''t work like that.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°The point of training is to improve, not be beaten constantly.¡± Ren and the Doppel Rens said as one. ¡°Wow.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°I can''t tell which one is the real you.¡± ¡°I can.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°Really? How?¡± Dilseffa asked, very curious. ¡°Like this.¡± Yuwen said and pulled her bodysuit down to expose one of her breasts, and the third Ren felt a spike of desire. ¡°He''s the real one.¡± She said and pointed, then pulled her bodysuit back into place. ¡°That wasn''t fair.¡± Ren said with a smile and nodded to her. ¡°I appreciate your effort, though.¡± ¡°Of course you do.¡± Yuwen said with a grin at gaining Respect. ¡°See you in a couple of hours.¡± As the three Pervarians went down the stairs, Dilseffa whispered to Tiyaphi to equip her adornments before fighting. Tiyaphi nodded to give her Respect for doing her job of protecting those in the household, and the three of them enjoyed training until lunchtime. Ren already had lunch prepared and waiting for them on the table in the upstairs bedroom. He stored the Doppel Rens and they all sat down to eat. After lunch, Ren, Artemis, and Teepo introduced them to the game of Tag. ¡°Oh... my... god!¡± Yuwen exclaimed when she was explained the rules. ¡°You can''t be serious!¡± ¡°Oh, we are.¡± Artemis said with a predatory smile. ¡°We''ve been playing for... well, decades.¡± ¡°Teepo is still the best at it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Only because you make Princess only move at a quarter speed.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°If I didn''t handicap her, she wouldn''t have any fun.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°No one can catch her when she runs full out.¡± ¡°It''s the ultimate predator and prey game!¡± Dilseffa said in reverence. ¡°We HAVE to play it!¡± ¡°I hoped you''d like it.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°We''ll start right after the preparations.¡± ¡°It''s sad that we have to leave this little time bubble we''re in.¡± Tiyaphi said and stood as well. ¡°I liked having this private time together, well away from everyone.¡± ¡°We have to leave?¡± Dilseffa asked, and everyone felt her reluctance. Ren walked around the table and touched her cheek. ¡°We don''t have to leave for another day.¡± ¡°But... but there''s no room in here.¡± ¡°Not yet there isn''t.¡± Ren said and made Teepo pixie-size, and Artemis shrunk down as well. ¡°Wh-wh-what... what...¡± ¡°Nothing gives us more room like becoming a fourth of our size.¡± Ren said. ¡°How about it? Do you want to play?¡± ¡°I really do.¡± Dilseffa said, and Ren shrunk her down to a foot and 4 inches tall. Yuwen and Tiyaphi were next, and Ren was last. When they were all small, he told them to equip their adornments. ¡°Don''t worry about skin exposure.¡± Ren said and gave them armored bodysuits of platinum steel spider silk cloth. ¡°We''re going for speed and accuracy, not fighting prowess.¡± ¡°We would lose instantly if fighting prowess was the point.¡± Tiyaphi said and equipped the bodysuit. ¡°Your Doppel is amazing.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°You should ask Yuwen how my duel with Meccis went.¡± Ren grinned and looked around. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± ¡°Who goes first?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°Since it''s new game with new people, I''ll go first.¡± Ren said and pat her on the shoulder. ¡°Tag! You''re it!¡± ¡°What? WHAT?!?¡± Yuwen yelled as Ren laughed and ran off under the table. ¡°Son of a...¡± ¡°How did his duel with Meccis go? He''s a close combat and submission specialist, isn''t he?¡± Tiyaphi asked Yuwen. ¡°After Rimsoh formed the magical barrier, Ren absorbed all the air out of the enclosure and suffocated him into unconsciousness.¡± Yuwen said, and she felt Tiyaphi''s surprise. ¡°We were all surprised.¡± She said, then she chuckled. ¡°After that, he told us that none of us gave him Respect for his duels with Tatya and Meccis, and said he would challenge us all if he hadn''t had to leave.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Tiyaphi covered her mouth with a hand. ¡°He could have defeated you all!¡± ¡°He did defeat us all.¡± Dilseffa said, and Tiyaphi stared at her. ¡°He came back.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°How much Respect did you lose?¡± ¡°None. He challenged us to a training swords duel.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°He... he...¡± Tiyaphi shook her head. ¡°He''s a remarkable man.¡± ¡°He really is.¡± Yuwen said and pat her on the top of the head. ¡°Tag!¡± ¡°HEY!¡± Tiyaphi yelled as Yuwen ran off, and she looked at Dilseffa. ¡°I''ll take it.¡± Dilseffa said and held her hand out. ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''m hunting Ren.¡± Dilseffa said with a predatory smile. Tiyaphi smiled back and held her hand up in a high five gesture, and Dilseffa slapped it. ¡°Go get him.¡± ¡°Oh, I will.¡± Dilseffa said and ran off, quick as a bunny. ¡°Damn, look at her sprint.¡± Ren said from beside Tiyaphi, who jumped as Ren appeared beside her. ¡°Ah! What... hey, where did...¡± ¡°I never left.¡± Ren said with a smile and pointed to the table leg about 2 feet away from them. Tiyaphi laughed, and he put an arm around her waist. ¡°This is nice.¡± Tiyaphi said a minute later. ¡°It is, but it won''t last long.¡± Ren said. Tiyaphi sighed. ¡°Yes, tomorrow you need to leave and we will be on our way in the caravan.¡± ¡°I meant a lot sooner than that.¡± Ren said and grinned. ¡°Dilseffa just figured out where I am.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Bye!¡± Ren said and let her waist go and jumped to the side at the last second as Dilseffa ran by like a bullet and her hand had just missed him. Tiyaphi watched with wide eyes as Dilseffa didn''t miss a beat as she hopped up into the air with her strong legs and landed on the table leg, then pushed off at her full strength and practically flew after Ren. ¡°Did she... she just...¡± ¡°It''s called a Ricochet Bounce.¡± Teepo said and floated in front of her. ¡°I''ve never seen one done so well before.¡± He chittered in laughter. ¡°She must have lots of related skills to her legs.¡± ¡°She''s a bunny.¡± Tiyaphi chuckled. ¡°Her whole family has similar and different skills.¡± ¡°Cool.¡± Teepo said, then chittered in delight. ¡°Oh! She did it again and tackled him.¡± ¡°She didn''t!¡± Tiyaphi exclaimed. ¡°He has Toughness 10! She''s killed herself!¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°It''s okay, doctor. Ren turned it off.¡± ¡°He WHAT?!?¡± Tiyaphi yelled. ¡°Oh, great! Thanks a lot, doctor! Here he comes!¡± Teepo fluttered in place for only a moment more. ¡°You better run!¡± He said and zoomed away. ¡°What...¡± Tiyaphi turned to look as she felt him enter her Aura, then he was suddenly stopped in front of her and gave her a big kiss on the lips. ¡°Tag!¡± Ren said and ran off in the other direction. ¡°Dammit!¡± Tiyaphi exclaimed and glanced around, caught a glimpse of Yuwen''s white hair, then ran after her target. As she ran, she felt her instincts kick in and she let her own predatory smile appear as she quickly approached her prey. * ¡°I wonder what he''s doing in there?¡± One of the attendants asked the cooks who were making breakfast for the caravan before everyone got up to eat. ¡°You mean King Ren?¡± One of the cooks responded. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I heard he had to leave for the night on Adventurer''s business, so he might not even be back yet.¡± ¡°Will they come out to eat without him?¡± ¡°Why do you care?¡± The cook asked. ¡°I don''t really.¡± The attendant said and his hand rubbed the emblem on his chest through his clothing. ¡°I just feel better when he''s around.¡± ¡°That''s just a feeling of belonging.¡± The cook said and didn''t rub the emblem on his chest. ¡°It gets stronger the closer you are to your patron.¡± ¡°I don''t know how I can have a second patron, though.¡± The attendant said. ¡°You don''t have a second one.¡± The cook chuckled. ¡°The other one was in name only.¡± The attendant sighed. ¡°What am I going to tell my family?¡± The cook laughed. ¡°The truth obviously.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Look, you can always ask him to exile you.¡± The cook said. ¡°What? No!¡± The attendant said. ¡°I''d lose... lose...¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s the problem.¡± The cook said and kept cooking. ¡°I''m not going to ask, since he doesn''t seem to care what we do with our own lives.¡± ¡°Hey, that''s not true.¡± One of the cooks said from the next fire. ¡°He cares, he just doesn''t want to interfere.¡± ¡°He sure interfered with Dilseffa''s life.¡± The attendant said, and the other cook laughed. ¡°He saved her life, then.¡± ¡°Rimsoh said he never reached that point...¡± ¡°HA!¡± The cook barked a laugh. ¡°Yet. He said he hadn''t reached it ''yet''.¡± Everyone went quiet for several minutes, and all you could hear was the crackling of wood and cooking food. ¡°I wonder when he''ll come out of there.¡± The attendant whispered and gazed at the 5 story tower. * They finished their game of tag, with Teepo the clear winner by only being tagged once for the whole time they had played. After changing into casual clothes to clean themselves up, they decided to just sit around and spend time together. Ren took out a nice couch and he sat down, and Yuwen quickly sat on one side and Tiyaphi sat on the other. ¡°I''ll sit over here.¡± Dilseffa said and went to sit on the other side of Yuwen, and Ren dropped a cushion on the floor in front of him. ¡°Or you can sit here.¡± Ren said and put his arms around the two women on his sides. Dilseffa thought about it for a moment, shrugged, then went and sat down on the cushion and faced them. ¡°Turn around and lean against the couch, please.¡± Ren said, and she raised her eyebrows at him, then did as he asked. He moved his knees out to the side, and Dilseffa fit between them and was held by his calves. ¡°Shall I tell you another story?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Tiyaphi said and snuggled in. ¡°What one should I tell you?¡± Ren asked as he thought about it. ¡°Ooo! Tell them about Lord Tathalyn!¡± Teepo said out loud. ¡°That''s one I haven''t put into a book yet.¡± Ren said. ¡°That was definitely a weird situation.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Dilseffa said and leaned her head back to look up at him. ¡°After you tell us, can... can we see your other books?¡± ¡°Of course. I''ll even give you copies.¡± Ren said and he felt their happiness. ¡°Where should I start? Oh, yes. I needed High Elven building plans so I could make a city for the High Elves and elflings I helped rescue from the ghoul infections...¡± Ren told them how his meeting the High Elf came about and how he successfully completed the impossible task by cheating. He felt their objections to his cheating comment, and continued on and told them how he found Lord Tathalyn''s secret plans after the city appeared. Ren felt their hatred for the High Elf betraying his trust like that, and he gave them a feeling of thanks and appreciation. When he ended the story with him sacrificing himself to save his friends and everyone he had healed from the ghoul infection, no one said anything for several minutes. ¡°You gave your life for your people, even though most of them rejected submitting to you.¡± Yuwen said, her voice full of reverence. ¡°You truly are a great man.¡± ¡°I didn''t know I was saving the city when I ran off like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I died instantly and didn''t discover the extent of the damage until the next time I went to the city and saw the crater.¡± He laughed. ¡°What a sight that explosion must have been!¡± ¡°We couldn''t look at it because it was so bright, so missing it wasn''t a big deal, unless you wanted to go blind.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter, and everyone laughed. After that, they all helped to make supper and ate it at the table, then changed into appropriate sleeping attire and climbed into bed. The Sustenance Rings kicked in that night and they only had to sleep for an hour to get a full night''s rest. When they woke up, it was Dilseffa''s turn to groom Ren. Like Yuwen had done it the day before, she started at the end of his arms and legs and worked inwards, to end at his private area. Ren stored his underwear and they exchanged looks, and she didn''t even try to lick him before she changed. She was quickly covered in fur and her ears slid up and grew out, and they stuck straight up. Her powder puff tail popped out and she felt Ren''s slight disappointment. ¡°Dilseffa, I...¡± Ren started to apologize and she quickly stuck out her tongue and licked his member. ¡°GAH!¡± He exclaimed, then shock replaced his surprise. ¡°Wait a second! That felt like a real tongue!¡± Dilseffa ground her teeth in happiness as she twitched her whispers at him. ¡°Not all of us have ridges or spikes on our tongues.¡± ¡°Show me, please.¡± Ren said, and she stuck out her tongue. ¡°You mean you can...¡± ¡°Not fully.¡± Dilseffa said and her straight ears rotated and fell down behind her head. ¡°My teeth are too long to take you into my mouth.¡± ¡°You can finish the grooming without doing that, right?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded slightly. ¡°Then go ahead.¡± ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± Dilseffa said, ground her teeth a little more, then started to lick him completely. Her tongue was too short in this form to give long licks, so she darted her tongue in and out quickly, and covered him in little licks instead. It was a sensation that he hadn''t felt before, so he enjoyed it immensely and quickly finished. Before he could thank her for pleasing him, she quickly licked up the mess he had made and her whole body shivered. She ground her teeth in happiness and moved up to lay down beside him. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and rubbed the spot between her big brown eyes and her ears. Dilseffa ground her teeth again and closed her eyes as he kept petting her. ¡°Breakfast.¡± Yuwen said and came into the bedroom, and they all enjoyed another meal. ¡°This is really going to throw off our days.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Having two days to do one day of work makes everything a lot easier.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°I seem to remember someone doing two days of work in one day.¡± ¡°Or a week''s worth.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°Or a thousand years worth!¡± Ren escalated the number ridiculously and laughed, as did everyone else, then the three Pervarians felt that he wasn''t joking or lying. ¡°Wh-what... you...¡± Yuwen started to say, and Ren took her hand. ¡°If we measure my life here by adding accelerated time, I''m very, very old.¡± ¡°More like ancient.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What does a few million years mean if they don''t count, right?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°You got it, Teepo.¡± ¡°Millions...¡± Yuwen whispered. ¡°...of years...¡± Dilseffa whispered. ¡°...old.¡± Tiyaphi whispered, then her hand touched Ren''s face. ¡°I was kind of joking the other day when I blurted out that I loved you.¡± She said, and he felt her tender and caring feelings. ¡°For someone as long-lived as you to pay attention to me, let alone do the things we''ve done with each other, is the best compliment I could have ever received.¡± ¡°Tiyaphi, I... I''m the one that''s complimented.¡± Ren said and put a hand on hers. ¡°That you don''t hate me...¡± He looked at Yuwen and Dilseffa. ¡°That none of you hate me for changing your lives like I have, is the best compliment I could have.¡± They felt his deep sincerity and it touched their hearts, then they gasped as his feelings turned into a deep well of desire. ¡°Besides letting me lick you, that is.¡± Ren said with a big grin, and the three of them blushed deeply. Chapter 766 - Travel Trouble Rather than use up the remaining time they had, they all agreed to end their time there so that their morning almost matched the one happening outside the tower. ¡°We only hoped to stay long enough so that Dilseffa could get a turn grooming you, anyway.¡± Yuwen said when Ren deactivated the Vasalor Statue. Ren chuckled and stored the statue and equipped his sash and shorts combo to leave himself completely exposed, just like the highest rank fighters did. Artemis equipped a bright blue dress that highlighted her red hair nicely and kept her Full Illusion normal color skin to hide her metal body. The three Pervarian women equipped their outfits for the day as well. Since they were still technically members of the caravan, Yuwen and Dilseffa equipped their thin bodysuits and their long and white arm-less tunics. Tiyaphi on the other hand, equipped her medical professional uniform so everyone would know she was available if she was needed. They quickly went down the stairs and when they reached the front door, Ren stopped and looked at them. ¡°Can you equip your adornments and not violate your dress code?¡± Ren asked them. ¡°Yes.¡± Yuwen said and equipped hers. ¡°You designed the items well.¡± You could see the bracelets, tiara-like crown, and the rings, since they were in plain sight; but, the necklace and anklets were well hidden. ¡°Good. Because you are to wear them at all times outside of where we sleep, whether I am here or not.¡± ¡°Is that really necessary?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°Yes, because you are representing me now.¡± Ren said. ¡°I will not be known as someone who doesn''t fulfill his obligations, and since you pledged to help me earn Respect...¡± ¡°We won''t cause anyone to disrespect you.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I''m not worried about you causing it. I''m worried you will become targets to make me lose Respect.¡± Ren said. ¡°If anyone challenges you...¡± ¡°We will... refuse... if you wish.¡± Yuwen said, and he felt her aversion to do that. ¡°You''ll do nothing of the sort.¡± Ren smiled and touched her cheek. ¡°You will accept all challenges. However, if you believe you can''t handle the opponent, you can defer to me as a substitute.¡± The three women froze at his declaration. ¡°R-Ren, you... you can''t be serious.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°We can''t possibly accept all challenges.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I...¡± Yuwen looked at Dilseffa and felt her resolve to do it. ¡°I will do as you say.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± Ren said and opened the front door. ¡°After you, My Mistresses.¡± The attendant that had been staring at the tower saw the door open. ¡°He''s coming.¡± The man said and felt Ren''s Aura cover him. He felt slightly better than he had only a moment before, and took a deep breath. ¡°Just because you submitted doesn''t mean you have to follow him everywhere.¡± One of the cooks said. ¡°No, but... I want to.¡± The man said and walked over to Ren and the 4 women that had come out of the tower. ¡°My King, how did you sleep?¡± ¡°Surprisingly well, considering what I was very privileged to wake up to.¡± Ren said. The man''s mouth dropped open in surprise and Yuwen, Dilseffa, Tiyaphi and Artemis laughed at his shock. ¡°You... they...¡± ¡°They did very well, considering I''m not a member of a beast race.¡± Ren said. ¡°If they didn''t change so fast, I''d gladly groom them completely in return.¡± Everyone in the whole caravan that sat nearby, stopped eating at that statement. ¡°Why is everyone surprised?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I don''t have a tongue suitable to lick fur.¡± ¡°I think it''s because you''d groom them at all, not that you can''t.¡± Teepo said. ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said and looked around. ¡°I Respect them enough to lick them where I can, and I have.¡± Complete silence greeted this proclamation, and Ren felt a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You can stop shocking them now.¡± Artemis said, and he laughed. ¡°Not yet.¡± Ren said and deactivated the new tower and stored the cube without touching it, then looked at the supplies for the first carriage and stored them as well, then put the supplies into the storage crate on the carriage. The carriage''s attendant hadn''t closed his mouth after the first shock, then he saw his job was done in only a second. ¡°My... My King.¡± He said, and sighed. ¡°Am I to be completely useless?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I need to leave once the caravan is on its way and I just sped up our departure.¡± ¡°Then... how will... what about...¡± ¡°I am always connected to my Mistresses.¡± Ren said and concentrated on the dire wolf emblem on his hand. It glowed, as did the emblems on the three women''s chests, and you could see it faintly through their clothes. ¡°I can return to them at any time. If I feel they are in danger, or in distress, or need me urgently, I will feel it and will come to their aid.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Someone asked. ¡°It has to be. He didn''t lie.¡± Someone else said. ¡°His Mistresses didn''t know.¡± One of the delegates whispered. ¡°That''s because I wanted you all to find out at the same time.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t want everyone to feel how much my Mistresses enjoy the thought of having their Inamorato at their beck and call.¡± He turned around and looked at the three women. ¡°I thought about telling you before; but, I didn''t want you to be comfortable enough with the idea that you might become smug about it.¡± ¡°You are looking after us before we can look after ourselves?¡± Tiyaphi asked. ¡°If I can, I will try to.¡± Ren said and everyone felt his resolve. ¡°I should pack the rest of the carriages, too.¡± Ren then did the same thing with each carriage that he did to the first one. He stored each set of supplies and put it into the storage crate on each carriage, which did all of the attendant''s jobs in seconds. ¡°Have you fed the giant boar yet?¡± Ren asked the attendant for the first carriage.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Yes. First thing this morning.¡± The man said. ¡°Then give it this the next time the caravan stops.¡± Ren said and took out the very large bowl of food scraps he had saved from the food fight. ¡°Th-thank you, My King.¡± The attendant said. ¡°Don''t save it and eat it yourself.¡± Ren warned him when he felt the man''s need to eat the food. ¡°Most of it was on the floor and my friends and I stepped on a lot of it.¡± ¡°That was such a fun fight!¡± Teepo exclaimed and chittered in laughter. ¡°It sure was.¡± Ren smiled and motioned to the carriage. ¡°If you would honor me, please join me in our conveyance.¡± He said to his Mistresses. They gave him a slight bow, so Ren took Artemis'' hand and walked over to the carriage with the three women slightly behind them. He helped Artemis climb inside and did the same for the three Mistresses, then climbed in himself. ¡°Wow.¡± Tiyaphi said as she felt everyone''s emotions through Ren. ¡°It''s because you''re here that I can still feel them, isn''t it?¡± Ren nodded slightly and sat down. ¡°I''m holding our connection open so you can feel everyone''s reactions.¡± ¡°I didn''t know anyone could do that.¡± Tiyaphi said and sat beside him ¡°I don''t have your Auras, so we can''t merge them and share completely.¡± Ren said, and felt their reactions. ¡°What... what do you mean by share completely?¡± Yuwen asked and sat on the floor between his legs. ¡°If we had the same Aura, and we both are concentrating on them, our Auras will merge and we can feel each other''s feelings.¡± ¡°We can already do that.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I can feel your emotions just fine.¡± ¡°Yes, you can.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°What you can''t feel is me feeling your emotions.¡± ¡°You... you... you''re serious.¡± Dilseffa said and sat beside him. ¡°I thought... only other Emotion Siphons...¡± ¡°Oh, it''s even better if you both have that ability.¡± Ren said and thought about the emotional exchange he had with Tiatha, the Queen of the Dark Elves attendant and healer, the last time they had done it. The three Pervarian women stopped breathing as they felt the emotions he was pushing out for them to feel. ¡°R-Ren... s-s-stop.¡± Yuwen managed to say as she fought not to change. ¡°Oops.¡± Ren said and stopped sharing, then used his Emotion Siphon ability to take some of the emotions he had inadvertently raised in all three women, and they calmed down. ¡°I want to feel that.¡± Dilseffa said and put her hand over her heart. ¡°Not the echo you just made. I mean the real thing.¡± ¡°I''ll see what I can do.¡± Ren said, and he felt everyone moving around outside and used his Heat Sense to ''look'' around and saw them all climbing into the carriages. The attendants and drivers attached the giant boars back to the carriages, then they climbed aboard as well. ¡°Here we go.¡± Teepo said and the carriage slowly pulled out of the rest stop and formed a line with the other carriages behind them, then the giant boars ran full-out. * ¡°He... he...¡± Rimsoh made a fist with his hands and tried to remain calm. He and Dilseffa had broken up the night before and he had no right to be angry; but, his feelings weren''t being logical at the moment. ¡°My friend, there''s not much you can do about it.¡± Mires said, and he felt a similar anger about Yuwen being touched by another man. ¡°You know what he can do.¡± Rimsoh took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Yes, I know.¡± ¡°You''re also a part of his domain.¡± ¡°So are you.¡± ¡°Yes, I am; but, I don''t want to kill him like you do.¡± ¡°How can you say that with how you''re feeling right now?¡± Rimsoh asked, then he started gathering Mana. ¡°Hey, don''t.¡± Mires said. ¡°Don''t do it.¡± ¡°Do what?¡± Rimsoh asked with a smile. ¡°Whatever it is you''re trying to cast covertly.¡± Mires said. ¡°You can feel it because you''re right beside me.¡± Rimsoh said. ¡°He''ll never know what hit him.¡± ¡°It won''t hurt him!¡± Mires exclaimed. ¡°He has Toughness 10!¡± ¡°I''m not trying to hurt him.¡± Rimsoh said. ¡°I''m trying to teach him a lesson.¡± * ¡°Ren.¡± Teepo said in the voice only Ren could hear. ¡°Rimsoh said he''s going to teach you a lesson.¡± Ren smiled. Shall we change things up for him, then? ¡°Oh, that''s sneaky.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Do it.¡± I can feel something gathering under the carriage. Ren said and concentrated on it. It almost feels complete, whatever it is. Ren took out the Vasalor Statue and activated it as he stood up. ¡°Ladies, please come with me.¡± ¡°What? Where?¡± Yuwen asked. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror and cast a portal to Rimsoh''s carriage, then cast a Sleep spell on the occupants. ¡°We''re switching carriages.¡± The women didn''t question him further and stepped through the portal, then froze as they left the statue''s area of effect. Ren stepped through and they unfroze, not knowing they had frozen, since it had been instantaneous. ¡°Rimsoh!¡± Dilseffa exclaimed as she saw his glowing fists. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°He can''t hear you.¡± Ren said and picked Rimsoh up by the collar. As Ren tossed him through the portal, he dismissed the Sleep spell. Ren picked Mires up and Yuwen touched his arm. ¡°Why him?¡± ¡°He''s not trying to stop his friend from making the second worst mistake of his life by attacking the guest of the caravan.¡± Yuwen nodded slightly. Ren tossed Mires through the portal as well and dismissed his sleep spell and the portal. ¡°What do you think he cast?¡± Dilseffa asked, despite not wanting to know the answer, and her voice and emotions were full of worry. ¡°No idea.¡± Ren said and everyone sat down. ¡°Let''s find out.¡± He took out the All-Seeing Mirror and asked it to show the underside of the carriage. ¡°It''s not very big.¡± He said and enlarged the mirror to 3 times its normal size so everyone could see it. ¡°Please show me a split screen of the underside of the carriage and the inside.¡± Both scenes appeared and the Pervarians thought it was so odd to see the two men suspended in mid-air like they were. Ren deactivated the Vasalor Statue and everything started moving again. * ¡°Ugh!¡± Rimsoh grunted as he fell to the floor and Mires landed on top of him. ¡°What... what happened?¡± ¡°How would I... hey, this isn''t our carriage.¡± Mires said as he saw the slightly torn seat that Yuwen had chewed up. ¡°What?¡± Rimsoh looked at the seat. ¡°Oh, cra-¡± *BOOOOOM!* * The small Penetration spell exploded and destroyed part of the floor, then Rimsoh and Mires fell through the hole. ¡°NOOO!¡± Dilseffa screamed. Ren activated the Vasalor statue, then cast a Portal spell on the road right under the carriage the two men fell from and on the ceiling of the carriage he was now in. He took a step up into the air and reached up through the portal, then grabbed both men and pulled. Rimsoh and Mires fell out of the portal and landed on the floor. ¡°AHHH!¡± Rimsoh and Mires yelled hysterically for several moments, then realized that they weren''t being run over by the giant boars and the carriages in the caravan. ¡°What... where...¡± Rimsoh lifted his head and saw all the accusing stares being hurled at him. ¡°It was just a joke.¡± ¡°You BLEW UP a carriage in the caravan!¡± Dilseffa exclaimed and fought her urge to beat the hell out of him. ¡°With the caravan''s GUEST IN IT!¡± ¡°He wouldn''t have been hurt.¡± Rimsoh said in his defense. ¡°You just wanted to teach me a lesson, right?¡± Ren asked, and he nodded. ¡°A lesson to survive a loss, right?¡± ¡°What?¡± Rimsoh looked at him in confusion. ¡°I just wanted you to be run over and trampled.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Your murdering tendencies are too much for you to be safe around other people.¡± ¡°It''s not murder if you know it won''t kill.¡± ¡°There were other people in the carriage, you fool!¡± Dilseffa said and stopped fighting her urge to punch him and made a fist. Rimsoh smiled at her, and she hauled off and punched him as hard as she could in the face. His head whipped to the side from the force of the blow and several of his teeth were knocked out and fell to the floor. ¡°Ow!¡± Rimsoh held a hand to his mouth. ¡°I only targeted him! Only he would have fallen through the hole!¡± ¡°That might have been true if I had been sitting there alone.¡± Ren said and looked at Mires. ¡°Yuwen was sitting on the floor between my legs. She would have fallen first.¡± All the color drained from Mires'' face and he looked at Yuwen, who nodded slightly. ¡°N-no.¡± Mires said, and they felt his horror at Yuwen dying. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Your murdering friend''s killing prank would have killed the woman you love.¡± Ren spat at him. ¡°How does that make you feel? Horrible, right?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± Mires said. ¡°You were fine if it was just me, though.¡± Ren said. ¡°You are a more despicable person than that idiot.¡± He said and pointed at Rimsoh. ¡°For evil to prevail, all a good man has to do, is nothing.¡± ¡°Hey, I''m not...¡± Rimsoh started to say and felt a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Right now, you''ve only lost a couple of teeth.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°You better shut up or I''ll ask Dilseffa to punch you again.¡± ¡°You have no right to...¡± ¡°Dilseffa.¡± Tiyaphi said, and Dilseffa punched him again and knocked out two more teeth with an accompanying spray of blood. ¡°Her job is the security and safety of everyone in King Ren''s Dynasty, and you tried to murder us.¡± ¡°N-no, just...¡± ¡°We were cuddling him, you idiot!¡± Tiyaphi said and shook him by the shoulder. ¡°If he fell, we were all going to!¡± Rimsoh shook his head and refused to accept it. ¡°The carriage looks intact, even with that much damage.¡± Ren said as he looked at the mirror again. ¡°I wonder what Tatya is going to say about this.¡± ¡°We... would have... stopped by now.¡± Rimsoh managed to say without mumbling or slurring his words. That was quite a feat, considering he was missing five of his teeth. Ren smiled as he deactivated and stored the Vasalor Statue, then the sound and results of the explosion reached the rest of the caravan as the giant boars ran over the shredded metal pieces of the first carriage''s floor in less than a second. Everyone felt a wave of something pass over them, then the caravan immediately slowed down and came to a stop. Chapter 767 - Blowback? ¡°What the hell is going on?!?¡± Tatya nearly yelled as she ran to the first carriage, and every other carriage emptied out and they followed her, too. ¡°Something blew up under the carriage.¡± The driver said, and the attendant agreed. ¡°How is King Ren?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°We haven''t checked yet.¡± The attendant said. ¡°Then open it!¡± ¡°You... should be prepared... for... for...¡± ¡°Open. It.¡± Tatya said angrily. The attendant opened the door and averted his eyes, because he didn''t want to see the carnage that he knew was inside. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Tatya whispered. ¡°I knew it! I knew it! He''s gone! GONE!¡± The attendant yelled and fell to his knees and covered his eyes with his hands as he cried. ¡°Yes, he is.¡± Tatya said. ¡°As are his Mistresses and Familiar.¡± ¡°Nooo!¡± The attendant almost howled his anguish. ¡°He''s gone! His Dynasty is gone! What will we do? How can we live on without his presence?¡± ¡°Probably the same way as if I hadn''t shown up.¡± Ren''s voice said, and everyone turned to look at him. ¡°The rumors of my death have been slightly exaggerated.¡± ¡°My King!¡± The attendant jumped up and saw that Ren was fine, and the tears in his eyes doubled. ¡°My... my eyes don''t deceive me! You''re okay!¡± ¡°No thanks to this idiot...¡± Ren said and Artemis lifted up Rimsoh by the back of his tunic. ¡°...and his friend.¡± He said and Artemis lifted Mires up the same way. ¡°What happened?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°Explain this mess.¡± ¡°I don''t have to explain anything.¡± Ren said and took out a display box and activated it, and the video played. You could see Ren''s face move a little on the display, then he stood up and said they were leaving. ¡°Just before that, I felt something forming underneath the carriage.¡± He said and paused the video. ¡°The closest carriage was Rimsoh''s, so I used a portal to go there after casting a sleep spell on them.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Having people just pop into a carriage instantaneously would be frightening, especially a moving carriage.¡± Ren said. ¡°When we arrived...¡± ¡°I noticed Rimsoh''s hands were glowing.¡± Dilseffa said, and Ren played the video. Everyone watched as the object was seen and Ren tossed them into the carriage. ¡°Why did you... never mind.¡± Tatya said as she heard Rimsoh react to being in a different carriage, then the explosion happened. Everyone gasped as Rimsoh and Mires fell through the gaping hole in the floor and then they appeared in the ceiling of the carriage with Ren. The video played the entire encounter and conversation with Rimsoh, where he admitted he did it and that it wasn''t murder if he knew Ren wouldn''t die. No one spoke at all as the conversation continued, then the video ended. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Tatya covered her face with her hands and tried not to cry in frustration. ¡°How... why would you do this, Rimsoh?¡± ¡°It was just a...HURK!¡± Rimsoh stopped talking when Artemis squeezed her hand into the back of his tunic and cut off his words. ¡°King Ren, what do you want me to do?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°What''s the punishment for attempted murder?¡± Ren asked. Tatya didn''t say anything. ¡°That bad, huh?¡± Ren said, and she nodded slightly. ¡°So five times that would be kind of pointless, then.¡± He said, and she nodded slightly again. ¡°What about sitting there and not doing anything to stop it?¡± ¡°I told him it wouldn''t hurt you, whatever he was doing.¡± Mires said. ¡°He said he wasn''t trying to hurt you, only teach a lesson.¡± ¡°Which we just heard you say on that.¡± Tatya said and pointed to the display briefly. ¡°Nothing else? No other defense for it?¡± Mires didn''t say anything, and Tatya sighed. ¡°You are such fools.¡± Tatya said sadly. ¡°Tie them up and...¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren said, and she looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Rimsoh can use magic. Do you really think he won''t escape, knowing what he''s in for?¡± ¡°Plus, they are delegates.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°We can''t restrain or remove them from the caravan without approval.¡± ¡°I am the head of this delegation and I will say who is removed for cause.¡± Tatya said and everyone felt her anger. ¡°Rimsoh for attempted murder, and Mires for compliance and non-interference.¡± ¡°No one died, so I doubt the penalty will be severe.¡± One of the other delegates said and Dilseffa''s hand shot out and then hit the man in the chest with her palm. The man lost his breath and dropped to his knees and gripped his chest. ¡°Unlike the normal rules for things like this, a foreign dignitary was attacked by one of our own delegates under our hospitality and on our own lands.¡± Dilseffa said coldly. ¡°He''s... just an... Adventurer.¡± ¡°He is... and he also killed the embodiment of Anansi with a single attack.¡± Dilseffa reminded them. ¡°He could kill any of us in an instant and you wouldn''t even know you were dead until your body hit the ground.¡± No one said anything in response. ¡°If I can make a suggestion?¡± Ren asked, and they all looked at him. ¡°I''ll repair the floor in the first carriage and make it into a suitable holding cell for them.¡± ¡°Ha. Like that will hold me.¡± ¡°Not by itself, if you have the portal or teleport spells.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± He disappeared and they all saw the carriage rock slightly, then he stepped out of the carriage. ¡°Your accommodations await.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°It took me a day to work out the best way to thwart a magic user when I can''t constantly drain his Mana.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at Rimsoh. He wore an angry face, and Ren chuckled. ¡°No, he can''t cast anything right now. That will change fairly quickly, though.¡± ¡°Put them inside.¡± Tatya said. ¡°We can deal with this when we reach the capital.¡± Artemis tossed the two men inside the carriage easily and Ren snapped his fingers. There were 8 snapping sounds and magical shackles appeared around the wrists and ankles of both men. The chains were long enough for them to move around the inside of the carriage, so they didn''t hinder the men''s movements. ¡°I left you a viewing window, too.¡± Ren said and pointed at the floor. It was completely see-through and the window covered the entire floor and not just the hole that used to be there. ¡°Good luck trying to escape an inescapable prison.¡± He grinned and shut the door.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°There''s no such thing.¡± Tatya said. ¡°You could believe that.¡± Ren said and turned to his Mistresses. ¡°I need to go.¡± Tiyaphi sighed. ¡°I wanted to show you the countryside.¡± ¡°We can do it in a few days, and we can take our time to enjoy the scenery.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be back tonight.¡± ¡°What about your maids?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°I''ll give them a week or so this morning; and if they can stand it, probably another few weeks tonight.¡± ¡°I sincerely doubt that they will say no, My King.¡± ¡°We''ll see.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Artemis, do you...¡± ¡°I will remain, so you still have a presence here.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Remind me to give you a month or so later.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°I know you love me, King Ren. That''s all I need.¡± ¡°It might be all that you need; but, it''s not all that you want.¡± Ren said and wiggled his eyebrows, and she laughed again. ¡°Escort us back to the carriage, so you can be on your way, My King.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren gave her a slight bow, then held out an elbow for her to take. He led her and his three Mistresses to the carriage that used to be Rimsoh''s and helped them climb inside, then he walked back over to Tatya. ¡°I must take my leave.¡± So formal. Tatya thought, sadly. ¡°You said you will be back by tonight?¡± ¡°I will. Do you know where the caravan will be then?¡± ¡°At the new speed, we should make it to the overnight rest stop in the middle of the kingdom by then.¡± Kenkoth said and looked at the first carriage. ¡°Can we feed them in this inescapable prison?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ren said and opened the door, and they gasped as they saw a solid black mass instead of the interior of the carriage. ¡°Just slide the trays of food in through the slot.¡± He said and pointed to the slot at waist height. ¡°Whether they eat it or not is another story.¡± ¡°Ren... what... what is that?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°It''s an obscured magical barrier.¡± Ren said. ¡°Spell-proof, tamper proof, and escape proof.¡± ¡°But... how... how do we...¡± ¡°You don''t have to worry about removing them until we get to the capital.¡± Ren said. ¡°What about when we go to sleep tonight?¡± ¡°They are prisoners because they tried to kill me and my Mistresses. They can sleep on the floor for all I care.¡± Ren shut the door and gave Tatya a bow. She gasped at the large Respect gain and he dismissed the display and stored the device. ¡°See you later.¡± He said and bent down slightly, then jumped. He shot straight up into the air, almost faster than they could see, and deployed his large bat-like leather wings. He took off flying an instant later at full speed towards the kingdom of Pervaria''s border. * Tatya watched him for the few moments he was still in sight, then sighed. ¡°Everyone get back aboard.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± The attendant for the first carriage raised his hand towards where Ren flew, then sighed as well. ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± They all went back to their carriages and climbed in, then the caravan pulled away and travelled at full speed towards the next rest stop they could reach before the giant boars became too tired to run. ¡°This is quite the mess.¡± Kenkoth commented, and Tatya barked a laugh. ¡°What can we do to...¡± ¡°King Ren is right. Rimsoh knows what''s going to happen for trying to kill Ren.¡± ¡°He''s right that King Ren wouldn''t die, though.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Tatya said. ¡°You saw the ''video'' Ren played. Rimsoh admitted to doing it.¡± ¡°Still...¡± ¡°At the very least, he damaged one of the kingdom''s official delegation carriages and intended to have someone fall and be trampled and run over.¡± Tatya said. ¡°That kind of blatant disregard for life cannot be tolerated. Knowing the person would live can''t forgive the act itself.¡± ¡°I wonder how much Respect he lost?¡± Beholo, the healer asked. ¡°Probably half of his lifetime''s worth, once we all found out about it.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°If it had been just King Ren, I think it would have been negligible.¡± He explained. ¡°With the three Mistresses in the same carriage, who don''t even have a Toughness of 2?¡± He shook his head. ¡°He''s never going to see the inside of a delegation carriage again.¡± Tatya barked another laugh. ¡°You''re assuming he gets to keep his head.¡± ¡°I don''t think capital punishment will be an option.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°You''re joking, right?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°You felt what King Ren did when he transformed into an Uberbeast.¡± ¡°Yes, and I fought it.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°You did, yes.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Neither Rimsoh nor Mires did.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°If our august leadership goes easy on Rimsoh for this, King Ren doesn''t have to accept it. Rimsoh is under his domain and he can be punished appropriately by King Ren if we fail to resolve this.¡± Kenkoth opened his mouth to argue, then sighed. ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°Hope for the best and plan for the worst, of course.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Not that we can do anything against King Ren if he does become upset.¡± ¡°Well, we don''t have to worry about it for another 2 days.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°We should do something about it now, before we arrive to the debriefing and lose any chance to mitigate the fallout from this.¡± Beholo said. ¡°Then we need to act before we have no choice.¡± Tatya said and looked at Kenkoth. ¡°Contact Jirqym. Tell him to take one of the wolves.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We are travelling faster; but, we are limited to the roads.¡± Tatya said. ¡°He can take a direct route.¡± ¡°He''ll need your authority.¡± ¡°He has it.¡± Tatya said and slipped her hand inside a pocket, and took out a small badge. She held it in her hand and cast her Authority spell. ¡°Tell him to waste no time getting there to give them a warning.¡± ¡°Should we fill them in completely about everything?¡± Kenkoth asked. ¡°We can do that when we get there.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Send the message.¡± Kenkoth closed his eyes and waved his hand in an odd gesture, waited for a moment, then did another small wave. ¡°He''s on his way to the wolf carriage.¡± He said and opened his eyes. ¡°I hope they take the warning at face value.¡± ¡°As do I.¡± Tatya said. ¡°If they ignore or dismiss it, things could get out of hand.¡± ¡°If they do?¡± ¡°I still won''t submit to any man.¡± Tatya said and took a deep breath. ¡°Even if he does decide to conquer my people over one person''s jealous rage.¡± * ¡°We''re far enough out that they can''t see us.¡± Teepo said, and Ren slowed down and stopped in mid-air. ¡°Why did you fly and not take a portal?¡± ¡°With so many people close by, it was too dangerous.¡± Ren said. ¡°Plus, I bet we looked cool flying away like that.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Those are good enough reasons.¡± Ren chuckled and checked the All-Seeing Mirror, then made a portal to visit Nathalia in her hospital room. ¡°How is my beautiful non-wife?¡± Nathalia had felt him coming and smiled at him. ¡°She''s currently in the middle of breastfeeding one of the hungriest babies in existence.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Ren walked over to the bed and gave her a kiss on the lips. ¡°Does that mean one of your delicious breasts is free?¡± Nathalia laughed and her breasts jiggled a lot more than they normally did, since they were full of milk. ¡°I know you''re only teasing me; but, it''s for the baby.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Ren leaned down and kissed the top of Renardos'' head. ¡°It seems I''ve been replaced by a smaller and cuter version.¡± Nathalia held a hand out to him, and Ren took it. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°How is he?¡± ¡°He sleeps like a baby.¡± Nathalia grinned. ¡°He''s up every 2 hours and wants to be fed.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°He''s also very happy.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Being able to feel his budding emotions is... Ren, there''s nothing like it.¡± ¡°I don''t see your mother or the maids.¡± ¡°The maids went home last night and mom stayed at the house, then Ereka took her on a tour of the House Neram local land.¡± Nathalia said, then her eyes widened. ¡°Wait, you don''t know that?¡± She asked. ¡°You came to see me first.¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± Ren said and gave her another kiss. ¡°Who else would I visit first?¡± ¡°Ren, you...¡± Nathalia tried to hold her tears back. ¡°Hey, I love you.¡± Ren said and activated his Emotion Siphon ability and took her irrational sorrow. ¡°Oh... thank you.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°I don''t know why I felt that.¡± Ren put his hand on her forehead and closed his eyes, and used his Emotion Siphon ability to search through her to see what was different about her. He found their connection and also hers to Renardos, and discovered the problem. ¡°You''re getting pure emotions from Renardos.¡± Ren said. ¡°He''s only a baby, so he doesn''t have the emotional capacity to handle them.¡± ¡°Oh, my.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°What can we do?¡± ¡°Give you a buffer of sorts.¡± Ren said and followed her link to Renardos. When he was close to entering the child''s emotional center, he was met by a bright Light wall. ¡°Interesting.¡± ¡°What... what is that?¡± Nathalia asked. ¡°It looks like a...¡± ¡°It''s a Magical Barrier of Protection made of Light.¡± Ren said, amazed. ¡°My little boy is protecting himself.¡± ¡°Ren... how can... he''s just a baby.¡± ¡°He''s not a ''just'' anything.¡± Ren said and opened his eyes and looked at Nathalia. ¡°He''s got you and me mixed together. Since we''re both pretty awesome...¡± Nathalia snorted a laugh. ¡°Stop joking around.¡± Ren closed his eyes and made a small series of barriers all along Renardos'' connection to Nathalia. They were also made out of Light, so that there wouldn''t be any conflict. As each one was placed, it filtered the connection and by the time Ren placed the last one, Nathalia could feel Renardos'' emotions, but they didn''t affect her. ¡°Ren, how...¡± ¡°It will only last as long as he is unaware of what he can do.¡± Ren said. ¡°As he gets older, he can find them and remove them himself.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°He knows they are there, so all you need to do is teach him.¡± ¡°I... yes, I know.¡± Nathalia said as Ren shared the knowledge with her. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Thank you for giving me more joy in my life.¡± Ren said and gave her another kiss. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± ¡°Bye, My Love.¡± Nathalia said. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror and cast another portal. ¡°Are you sure I can''t suckle your other breast?¡± ¡°Ren!¡± Nathalia mock-gasped and laughed. ¡°Get out of here!¡± Ren blew her a kiss and stepped through the portal into the hallway in front of the royal apartments in the castle. He felt everyone''s reaction to him just appearing like that, and smiled as he walked down the hallway to Narhilda''s room. The two guards on duty stared at him like he was the devil incarnate for violating the sanctity of the castle like he did, and he motioned to the door. One of the soldiers sighed and knocked on the door, and Ren waited there patiently. Chapter 768 - Making The Rounds Ren knew they were making him wait on purpose, so he used his polymorph helm to change into Dwarf Ren. He stood there and didn''t say a word, or felt dismay, or anything else except anticipation. He used his Heat Sense to watch everyone in the apartment through the walls, and he smiled as Barnar paced back and forth across the apartment. After almost 10 minutes of waiting, Barnar had paced across the apartment several dozen times, then he made a beeline for the apartment door. Ren could feel Barnar trying to hide his anger, so when the apartment door was flung open, Ren absorbed some of it and pushed happiness out through his Reassurance Aura. ¡°Barnar!¡± Ren exclaimed happily and gave the man a hug. ¡°Good morning!¡± ¡°Ah! Um... I suppose.¡± Barnar responded. ¡°Where''s your wife and her precious little darlings?¡± Ren asked, even though he knew exactly where she was, and he let Barnar out of the hug. ¡°In the bedroom with the healers.¡± Barnar said. ¡°What?¡± Ren pushed concern out through his Aura. ¡°Nothing''s wrong, is there?¡± ¡°N-no, it''s just a check-up.¡± Barnar felt his strong concern and wasn''t sure how to react. ¡°Whew. What a relief.¡± Ren said and pat Barnar''s shoulder. ¡°I''m just popping in for a minute.¡± He said and stepped into the apartment. ¡°I can''t stay. I need to meet with my maids and then go to the Fire Realm for the day.¡± ¡°You''re really doing that?¡± Barnar asked, surprised. ¡°I thought you were exaggerating.¡± ¡°I''ll go there every day, and for as long as the Deity of Fire can stand me.¡± Ren chuckled and walked towards the bedroom. ¡°I think I hear talking, so I assume this is the bedroom.¡± Barnar didn''t say anything, and Ren stopped at the bedroom door and looked at the older man. ¡°Aren''t you coming with me?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I...¡± Barnar had been surprised he asked. ¡°No, go ahead.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and turned back to the door and knocked. ¡°I, King Ren the First, hereby request permission for an audience with the royal family.¡± There were two healers inside with Narhilda, and Ren felt both annoyance and respect from them. Annoyance that he was bothering them so early in the morning, and respect that his greeting was so formal. The bedroom door opened and one of the healers stood there and blocked his path. ¡°You can only stay for a few minutes.¡± She said a little sternly, then she realized he was a dwarf and immediately noticed his full beard and caught her breath. Ren beamed a smile at her and pushed happiness out through his Reassurance Aura. ¡°That''s very generous of you. Thank you.¡± Her eyes widened as she felt his happiness at being given so short a time to visit. Ren felt her desire to stroke his beard and hid his amusement. He didn''t see any rings on her fingers, so he leaned forward slightly and tilted his head back to let her. The healer couldn''t resist such a tempting offer, so her hand reached up and she touched it. She gasped at its soft fluffiness, which was unlike any other beard she had ever seen, then she dug her fingers into it and gave it a tug. ¡°Dwarf women really like beards, don''t they?¡± Teepo said in the voice only Ren could hear. Some more than others. Ren thought when he saw the healer shiver slightly and felt her emotions calm down as she finished a little. I don''t even have my Prince Charming title active. The healer almost startled herself when she realized what just happened and she started to panic a little. Ren quickly reached up and held her hand in his beard to stop her from jerking her hand away in embarrassment. She stared at him as he carefully moved her hand and her fingers combed through his beard several more times, then he let her hand go. The healer was breathing a little heavily by this point and she slowly finished the last comb through and her hand dropped to her side. Ren stepped forward and put his mouth by her ear to whisper, which also rubbed his beard up along her cheek to tickle her. ¡°Ma''am, should I refer to your patient as the Queen Regent or the Queen Mother?¡± ¡°M-m-mother.¡± The healer breathed back. Ren took her hand and turned his head slightly and kissed her cheek, in the honor ritual he had registered. The healer closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder for a few moments, then she took a deep breath and composed herself. She stepped back and looked into his eyes, and she was relieved that she didn''t see any malice or teasing there. ¡°I really wish you could court me.¡± The healer whispered as she stepped aside. ¡°I promised Nathalia that I would never look for another wife when our marriage contract was nullified.¡± Ren said as he stepped by her, and he felt her need to have someone be that devoted to her. ¡°I can''t promise that you''ll meet someone like that; but, there''s always a chance.¡± The healer hoped that could have been true and shut the bedroom door. Ren walked over to the bed and gave Narhilda a regal bow. ¡°Queen Mother, I humbly greet thee.¡± ¡°Ren, you don''t...¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± The other healer said and coughed at the same time. ¡°He''s a member of the royal family now.¡± Narhilda said. ¡°But, still...¡± ¡°I am?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I didn''t get a notice or anything.¡± ¡°It doesn''t become official until we show off... I mean, present the royal children to the public.¡± Narhilda said with a slightly red face. ¡°Showing them off sounds better.¡± Ren chuckled and bent over to look closely at the two babies she held in her arms. ¡°Just wait until the public gets to see them.¡± The healer that had answered the door said as she came over to the bed. ¡°Aren''t they just the cutest?¡± ¡°They really are.¡± Ren said and glanced at Narhilda''s face. ¡°May I touch them?¡± Narhilda nodded slightly, and Ren reached out with both hands and stroked both babies heads at the same time. He felt Narhilda''s surprise that he hadn''t touched his daughter first, and he smiled at her because he knew she had expected him to. ¡°Like I told Barnar, I only popped in for a minute before I head home and then to the Fire Realm.¡± Ren said and stood up straight. ¡°I just couldn''t go for another day and not see these little darlings.¡± ¡°You were here only yesterday.¡± The other healer said. Ren smiled. ¡°When I spend the day in the Fire Realm, it''s actually close to 7 years.¡± ¡°WH-WHAT?!?¡± Narhilda yelled and both babies started crying. ¡°Oh, damn! I just calmed them down!¡± ¡°Allow me.¡± Ren said and touched them again and filled both babies with calmness and happiness. The tears stopped immediately and the babies giggled and waved their arms in the air. Narhilda and both healers were shocked at this and stared at him like they had never seen him before. ¡°By the gods.¡± Narhilda whispered. ¡°They were just startled... oh, and they are a little hungry.¡± Ren said. ¡°Of course they are.¡± Narhilda said and looked at the healers. They stepped forward and each took a baby, and Narhilda started to open her robe. ¡°Queen Mother!¡± The healers said as one. ¡°I''m breastfeeding my babies.¡± Narhilda said and opened her robe. ¡°He''s seen them before.¡± Ren had seen them before, except now they were quite a bit larger because they were producing milk for two babies. He reacted to seeing her large and engorged nipples, then his desire flooded out through his Aura. Even though they didn''t share his Aura, everyone froze as they felt it, because it was that powerful.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°What is going on in here?!?¡± Barnar almost yelled as he opened the bedroom door and stormed in. He saw Ren standing near the bed and Narhilda with her robe open and her breasts exposed. ¡°All right, that''s it!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°You show up here in just your underwear and barge in, and now you''re excited over my WIFE as she''s about to breastfeed!¡± He stalked over to Ren. ¡°What is WRONG with YOU?!?¡± ¡°Did... did you say underwear?¡± Ren asked, then he looked down at himself and saw that he still wore the sash and shorts combo, the standard outfit for high ranked fighters in the Pervarian Kingdom, and nothing else. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± He said and dropped to one knee as he took Narhilda''s hand and stared into her eyes. ¡°Queen Mother, I sincerely apologize for this mistake.¡± Everyone froze again. This time for a completely different reason. ¡°I was in the Pervarian Kingdom and this is their outfit for their highest ranked fighters.¡± Ren explained, and he felt desire spike from both healers and Narhilda, and felt envy from Barnar. ¡°They believe that covering up with clothing is a sign of weakness, so as long as you show as much skin as possible, it proves to them that you can fight on your own without armor or weapons.¡± No one responded, so he continued. ¡°I completely forgot to equip my blue suit to cover myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°Please forgive my impropriety and if I have inadvertently caused anyone here embarrassment because of it.¡± Narhilda felt his sincere apology and knew he was genuinely sorry. ¡°Well, I didn''t hear anyone complain about it until just now.¡± She said, then a moment later she smiled. ¡°If you hadn''t reacted like you did when I opened my robe, no one would have complained at all.¡± ¡°I should apologize for that as well.¡± Ren said. ¡°I couldn''t restrain my desire at seeing your motherly loveliness.¡± ¡°Ren, you''ve seen them before.¡± ¡°Not like this.¡± Ren said. ¡°They are almost completely different.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Narhilda asked and looked down at them, because she hadn''t closed her robe. ¡°How are they different?¡± ¡°Queen Mother, I don''t believe this topic will help the situation.¡± One of the healers said and saved Ren from having to answer. Narhilda sighed. ¡°Yes, this is a bit of a mess.¡± Ren stood up and kept a hold of her hand, then leaned in a little to ease any strain that might have put on her arm. ¡°I have to go, so that should solve the immediate problem.¡± He said and bent over her hand and kissed her fingers. No one reacted, since they all thought that was appropriate, then he stood up again and let her hand go. Her hand turned over and lightly brushed its way down his chest and abdomen, and no one but him had noticed what she did. ¡°Thank you.¡± Narhilda said and motioned to the healers, who handed her both babies and they started to suckle right away. She closed her eyes and tried not to enjoy having Ren be there and watch her feed his child. ¡°Show him out, please.¡± ¡°Of course, Queen Mother.¡± The healer that had answered the door said and took Ren''s hand, then quickly led him out of the bedroom and shut the door. She took him partway across the apartment and stopped walking and turned to him. ¡°King Ren...¡± ¡°Ma''am.¡± The healer reached up with both hands and dug them into his beard. ¡°My King.¡± She whispered. ¡°I... I heard you mention that you had maids.¡± ¡°I have 6.¡± Ren said, and she sighed. ¡°More than you need.¡± The healer said and ducked her head. ¡°Are you that unhappy here?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Unhappy?¡± She looked up at him. ¡°No, it''s more like... I''m unfulfilled.¡± ¡°You said earlier that you wanted me to court you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Doesn''t that mean you...¡± ¡°...wanted you to join my House?¡± She asked, and he nodded slightly. ¡°No, I... I know that you... I want you to take me away from my House.¡± ¡°Did you know that I''m the head of my own unregistered House?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You have an unregistered House?¡± The healer asked, surprised. ¡°The very first international House to exist.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°No one knows that, though.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°My daughter will not be restricted to this nation when she gets older, just as her brother, the heir of House Neram, is not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll have the proper paperwork filed when it''s time.¡± ¡°Then... if it would please you... I... I want to... can I transfer to your House?¡± ¡°You''re making a life-changing decision pretty quickly.¡± Ren commented, and she nodded slightly. ¡°I haven''t had an option like this come up before.¡± The healer said and her hands moved from his beard to caress his chest. ¡°I know we can''t marry if we are members of the same House, and since you don''t want to marry anyway...¡± ¡°What about your own marriage prospects?¡± ¡°As a woman from House Lodur, no one has attempted to approach me.¡± ¡°You don''t mean after everything that happened while I was here, do you?¡± The healer shook her head. ¡°It''s always been this way.¡± ¡°You can''t stay here in the dwarf lands if you do this.¡± Ren said. ¡°My banishment won''t end for...¡± ¡°I don''t care.¡± The healer said. ¡°The farther away from all of this, the better.¡± ¡°It has definitely been better for us.¡± Teepo said in the voice that only Ren could hear, and he chittered in laughter. ¡°Then recite your pledge.¡± Ren commanded. The healer kept caressing his chest as she renounced her old House, stated her name was Helena Brignash, then pledged to do everything she could to bring Honor to his House and to devote herself to him, wholeheartedly. That last part was more of what a maid would say, however. Since she was a healer, she wasn''t paid and there were no future wages for her to pay as a penalty for leaving, so he accepted her into his House. ¡°What about taking care of the Queen Mother and her children?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I can take care of that right now.¡± Helena said and went back to the bedroom, knocked, and poked her head in for a moment. She then shut the door and walked back over to Ren. ¡°Another healer will be here by the time the feeding is over.¡± ¡°Did you tell them why?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It''s none of their business.¡± The healer said and touched his chest, then smiled sweetly at him. ¡°My King, what would you have me do first?¡± ¡°Gather up your belongings.¡± ¡°I don''t have any.¡± Helena said. ¡°I sold everything to pay for my training and license.¡± ¡°So, all you have...¡± ¡°...is what I''m wearing.¡± Helena said and pulled out a rumpled piece of cloth from her pocket. ¡°And a slip to sleep in.¡± She works in the castle for the royal family and she has nothing. Ren thought as he took in a deep breath to stay calm. She was average looking, with a nondescript face and brown eyes. Her chest was in proportion with the rest of her, and her entire demeanor made her as unremarkable as if she had been a spy in real life that was sent somewhere to blend in. He smiled at the thought and she smiled back at him. ¡°Your life is about to change almost completely.¡± Ren said, and she raised her eyebrows. ¡°What do you mean by almost?¡± Helena asked. ¡°You''ll see.¡± Ren said and equipped his red suit as he held an elbow out to her. ¡°Please, come with me.¡± ¡°My King.¡± Helena said and put her hand through the space and rested her hand on his forearm. He led her to the apartment door and opened it, then escorted her down the hallway. ¡°I think I prefer your other outfit, My King.¡± She said with a red face. Ren chuckled and took her to the end of the hallway, checked the All-Seeing Mirror, then cast the Portal spell. Helena looked at the portal, then at Ren, and turned her head to look at the apartment they had just left. ¡°It would have been very rude of me to just appear inside their apartment.¡± Ren said and took her through the portal and they appeared in front of the Main House in his county. ¡°Wh-where are we?¡± Helena asked as she looked around and saw a lot of buildings. ¡°Walen County in the Human Kingdom.¡± Ren said and opened the front door of the Main House. ¡°This is the Main House.¡± ¡°Did you build all of this?¡± Helena asked as she stepped into the small lobby. ¡°This is a Main House?¡± Ren chuckled and took her up the wide set of stairs to the second floor, then over to the apartment door and knocked. The door opened and Frikara stood there. ¡°We felt you appear.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Who is this you have with you?¡± ¡°Lady Frikara, this is Helena Brignash.¡± Ren said. ¡°She is a healer and has joined our House.¡± ¡°You mean our unregistered House?¡± Frikara asked with a smile. ¡°She wanted to leave House Lodur, and...¡± ¡°Say no more.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Everyone! We have a new member of our House!¡± ¡°Hello!¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Welcome.¡± ¡°Hi!¡± Andrela said and waved. ¡°Good morning.¡± Navruth said. ¡°It will be nice to have a dedicated healer around.¡± ¡°Would you like something for breakfast?¡± Verwynn asked, and the other maids laughed. ¡°What? She looks hungry.¡± ¡°You could say hello first.¡± Frikara chuckled. ¡°I can greet her formally later.¡± Verwynn said as she stirred the pancake batter and looked at the healer. ¡°How many do you want?¡± ¡°I... I couldn''t possibly...¡± Helena tried to say no, then suddenly Frikara had a hold of her arm and dragged her into the apartment. ¡°Verwynn has been getting better at making pancakes.¡± Frikara said and took Helena over to the small kitchen. ¡°Sit.¡± Helena sat without question and Verwynn smiled at her and used a small ladle to put the pancake batter on the hot flat griddle while Frikara sat down beside the healer. ¡°They smell good.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you make me a small stack?¡± ¡°No.¡± Verwynn responded and grinned at him. ¡°I''ll make you a big stack.¡± ¡°That sounds even better.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± He left the apartment and closed the door. The sounds of sawing and hammering were heard an instant later. The other maids went to the kitchen and sat down around Helena and Frikara as they waited for breakfast. They didn''t have to eat; but, they liked the taste of food and enjoyed these times together. ¡°You... you''re all his Ladies.¡± Helena said and felt completely out of her depth. ¡°Don''t fret over that.¡± Navruth said. ¡°As an unregistered House, we don''t have to follow strict protocol.¡± ¡°I don''t know how... wait, how does that even work?¡± Helena asked, confused. ¡°We don''t have to run it.¡± Frikara said. ¡°No designated lands in the Dwarven Kingdom, no designated population... well, except for you.¡± ¡°No businesses to keep track of, or taxes, or anything else needed to run a House.¡± Lusinia said. ¡°Of course, despite not really having anything to do, being his Lady has its own benefits.¡± ¡°Does it ever.¡± Andrela leaned back and rubbed her slightly distended belly. ¡°I can''t wait for him to be born.¡± ¡°You''re pregnant?¡± Helena asked, and she nodded. ¡°Congratulations!¡± ¡°Now say that to the rest of us.¡± Frikara said with a smile. ¡°You... you can''t... are you serious?¡± Helena asked, clearly shocked. ¡°All 5 of you are pregnant?¡± They all nodded slightly and felt her dismay, and she let out an exaggerated sigh. ¡°I am going to be so overworked.¡± Helena said. That made all the maids laugh, and Verwynn put a plate of pancakes in front of Helena and passed her the syrup. Helena didn''t know what to do with the small bottle and just stared at it. Andrela took pity on her and poured a little bit on one of the pancakes, then cut it off and used a fork to poke it and held it out for her to taste it. ¡°Go ahead. It''s really good.¡± Andrela said. Helena eased forward a little and opened her mouth, then took the bite of pancake into her mouth and chewed on it. ¡°By the gods!¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Andrela handed her the fork and the syrup, so Helena poured some syrup on the rest of the pancakes and started eating. Chapter 769 - Moving Home Everyone was quickly served breakfast and a stack of pancakes was left on a plate in the middle of the table. Helena finished hers first, since she had started eating first, and she eyed the stack. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Ren''s stack is over there.¡± Helena looked at the counter and saw the large stack of pancakes. ¡°Won''t they get cold?¡± She asked as she took one from the middle plate and quickly ate it. ¡°Where did he...¡± A knock on the apartment door interrupted her. ¡°He''s never going to stop doing that.¡± Frikara laughed and turned towards the door. ¡°We''re naked in here! Come back later!¡± The maids and Helena winced a little and Ren opened the door with a laugh. ¡°Ow.¡± Ren said and started to step inside. ¡°Hold it, mister!¡± Frikara admonished him. ¡°You''re dirty.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ren looked down at himself and realized he was covered in dirt and mud. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± He said and equipped his armored bodysuit to clean up, then equipped the red suit again. ¡°That''s better.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Now get over here and greet us properly.¡± ¡°Yes, My Lady.¡± Ren said and walked across the apartment. As he did so, he took in how Frikara looked and let his desire and need for her fill his emotions. She shivered in anticipation, then Ren bent down and gave her a passionate kiss. Helena stayed perfectly still while it happened, in case her moving might distract them. Maybe there''s only one real Lady, and... Her thoughts cut off when Ren walked around the table to each of them and gave them passionate kisses while he filled his Aura with his need and desire for them. He loves them all. She thought in surprise. Ren kissed Andrela last, then he looked at the healer, who looked up at him with anticipation. ¡°It will be your job to look after the Ladies of this House.¡± He said and he felt her regret that she wasn''t going to be next to be kissed like that. Helena nodded and Ren dismissed the Honor popup because his Honor stat was locked. He picked up his plate of pancakes from the counter and covered them in syrup. ¡°There are lots of people around here, as well as in the starter city not far away.¡± Ren said and started eating. ¡°I''m not sure if any of them are viable staff for you to hire, though.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Helena stared at him. ¡°You''re the Head Healer, so you''re in charge.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you know of other healers in the Dwarven Kingdom that would willingly come here to help, tell Lady Frikara. She will get word to House Neram and they will contact your choices. I''ll pick them up the next chance I get.¡± ¡°You''re serious.¡± Helena said, then she didn''t know what else to say. ¡°You can contact your friends and family the same way.¡± Ren said and kept eating. ¡°I don''t have any.¡± Helena said. ¡°My father died in the mines two years ago and my mother died not long after that.¡± ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Ren said and walked over to her to briefly put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Helena said, and she appreciated that he really was sorry. ¡°My friends won''t miss me, because we barely saw each other while we were working in different posts most of the time.¡± ¡°That''s going to change.¡± Frikara said. ¡°For the better, especially if you want to invite those friends to move here.¡± ¡°Can I?¡± ¡°If you think they would want to.¡± Ren said and finished his stack of pancakes. ¡°I assume they are healers, too?¡± ¡°Two of them are.¡± Helena said. ¡°Can I invite non-healer friends?¡± ¡°Are they as unfulfilled as you?¡± Ren asked with a smile. ¡°Not really; but, they like a challenge just as much as the next dwarf.¡± Frikara and the maids chuckled, and Ren nodded slightly in approval. ¡°Yes, taking care of five women and their babies is quite the challenge.¡± Frikara said. ¡°I hope you''re up to the task.¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± Helena said confidently. ¡°Then let me show you to your new apartment.¡± Ren said. Helena gasped. ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I was tempted to just attach a room for you, then I figured I might as well go all out and make the whole third floor.¡± ¡°The whole third WHAT?!?¡± Helena yelled and everyone laughed. ¡°Come on.¡± Ren said and held a hand out to her. She took it and he helped her stand. ¡°There''s four large apartments, so there''s lots of room.¡± He said and led her from the room. * ¡°Is she going to become another Lady for the House?¡± Lusinia asked. ¡°No.¡± Frikara said. ¡°Even if something develops between them, as she so clearly wants it to, she''s now a member of the House and they can''t do anything except fool around.¡± ¡°Are you okay with that?¡± Andrela asked. ¡°I don''t know if I like having another woman around that he can... when we start to...¡± Frikara leaned across the empty seat that the healer had vacated and put a hand on Andrela''s shoulder. ¡°If you didn''t notice, he didn''t kiss her, despite her anticipation.¡± ¡°I know, but...¡± ¡°He''s going to love us even when we''re all fat from bearing his children.¡± Navruth said. ¡°Considering where we were when we met him, I''m completely overwhelmed that we''ve all gotten what our hearts desired.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Andrela said and relaxed. ¡°Me, too.¡± * ¡°This is amazing!¡± Helena said as she saw her apartment. She took the one that was closest to the stairs that Ren had installed beside the apartment door. ¡°It''s even fully furnished!¡± ¡°I can make things really quickly now.¡± Ren said. Helena sat down on the comfy couch and sighed in contentment. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''re not going to be needed for too much for the first little while; but, after that...¡± ¡°Can I invite my friends over, even though we won''t have a lot of work to do?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren said and walked over to her bedroom. ¡°It will give you time to settle into your new lives.¡± He said and opened the door. ¡°This is your bedroom.¡± Helena got up from the couch and walked over to him, and saw the large and comfy bed. ¡°By the gods.¡± Ren put a hand on her lower back and eased her into the room and over to the large wardrobe cabinet. ¡°Your uniforms are in here.¡± ¡°I''ve only needed the one so far, My King.¡± Helena said and opened the door to see an entire mass of outfits and things for her to wear. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of all the beautiful clothes.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°A second one like the one you are wearing so you can just equip it to clean it and no one will know.¡± Ren said. ¡°There''s one for more formal occasions, in case we have guests or something.¡± He smiled. ¡°That almost never happens, so it''s more of a frivolous thing on my part.¡± ¡°By... by the gods.¡± Helena ran her hands over the silky cloth of the fancy healer uniform. It looked like something royalty would wear. ¡°There are also different hats for you to wear, for no other reason than I had the patterns and hadn''t made them before.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ve got so many patterns that I haven''t made yet.¡± Helena picked up one of the healer hats that was so much nicer than the one she wore. ¡°I will wear them with pride, My King.¡± She said and pulled her current hat off. Ren was shocked when a huge mass of thick curly blonde hair popped out, almost like magic. She felt his reaction to her hair and turned to look at him. Ren caught his breath at the sight. What he thought was a nondescript woman became framed by a large mass of blonde curly hair that went halfway down her back. She almost looks like a king cobra snake. Ren thought. ¡°How did you get all of that wonderful hair into that tiny little hat?¡± Helena chuckled and was very flattered that she had gained his attention. ¡°Magic, obviously.¡± She said and held up Ren''s hat above her head. Her hair glowed slightly as she lowered the hat to her head, and her hair slid up and inside the hat in an almost complete reversal of how it had fallen out of the other one. ¡°Wow.¡± Ren said, captivated. ¡°Is it a spell?¡± Helena nodded. ¡°My mother taught it to me when I was a girl.¡± ¡°Wait, you''ve always had hair like this?¡± Ren asked. Helena nodded slightly. ¡°It''s the same as my mothers.¡± She said. ¡°The spell has been well worth its cost in Mana.¡± ¡°What about combing or brushing it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It is combed and brushed.¡± Helena said, then laughed at his surprise. ¡°The curls are all natural and no matter what I try to do to them, they will always stay curly.¡± ¡°Ponytails?¡± ¡°I look like I have puff balls on the sides of my head.¡± Helena said and smiled. ¡°No, I am not going to show you.¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Ren grinned at her. ¡°Now that you''ve seen the place, you can head downstairs and see if the Ladies need you for anything.¡± ¡°At the minimum, I can find out what duties I''ll have to do for the impending baby arrivals.¡± ¡°That''s the spirit.¡± Ren said. ¡°May I escort you downstairs?¡± ¡°Can I have a few minutes alone?¡± Helena asked. ¡°We just had a few minutes alone.¡± Ren joked, and she laughed. ¡°I meant alone alone.¡± Helena said. ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and stepped close to her. She stopped breathing as he invaded her personal space, and she didn''t mind it at all. ¡°Let me fix your outfit for you.¡± ¡°Of course, My King.¡± Helena said, then in one smooth motion, untied the sides and slipped the long white tunic up and off of her head to reveal a very thin and well-worn blouse and tight pants. Ren could tell that she was also quite turned on, because she wasn''t wearing a bra and he could clearly see her through the practically non-existent cloth. ¡°Helena.¡± Helena caught her breath as he used her given name. Even though she knew nothing like that could happen between them, she was still extremely excited and flattered to hear her name from such a powerful man. ¡°Thank you for showing me your hair.¡± Ren whispered as he touched her tunic with the Master Tailor Sewing Needle and restored it to its original condition. Helena blinked her eyes at the brand new tunic and looked into his eyes. He moved the needle to touch her blouse, and she caught his hand. ¡°You don''t want to do that¡± Helena said, and he smiled. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then leave it. When you come back to this House each day, I''ll wear it for you and you will always know that this is what''s under my tunic.¡± Ren closed his eyes for a moment and basked in her emotions, then opened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°You need to go.¡± Helena said, and he nodded. ¡°Then I will see you when you get back.¡± She said and took her tunic back and slipped it over her head. She tied it just as quickly as she had untied it, took a shallow breath, and nodded slightly. Ren nodded slightly back, took her hand, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. She accepted the gesture with much more composure than she had when he had done it to her in the royal apartments. He let her go and walked across the apartment and left. * Helena waited until the door had shut before she started to shake and shiver from the intensity of the situation. By the gods. She thought and stumbled over to her bed, then flopped down onto it and hugged herself. I really thought he was going to make fun of my hair. She closed her eyes and thought about everything that had happened to her, and she barked a laugh. This all happened so early in the morning! I''ve still got a whole day to get through! Helena took several minutes to compose herself, straightened her uniform and made sure nothing was wrinkled or out of place, then left her apartment to go downstairs. * ¡°I''m just popping over to the house in Aurora to pick up the succubi and the Marilith Demon.¡± Ren said when he entered the apartment. ¡°So that''s why you were covered in dirt.¡± Frikara said, and he nodded. ¡°I made her a lair under the Main House, with the entrance under the left staircase.¡± ¡°I hope she likes it.¡± ¡°She will. I''ve embedded Heat runes all over the place and made her a nice heated Jacuzzi to relax in.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I come back, I hope you''re all ready to be pampered!¡± ¡°Are you going to give us another month of your time?¡± Andrela asked. ¡°Only if you want me to.¡± Ren said, and Andrela walked over to him. He felt her desire to jump up into his arms, so he carefully picked her up instead and held her tenderly, then kissed her. ¡°Hey, that can wait.¡± Frikara said with a smile. ¡°He''s got things to do.¡± Andrela broke the kiss and laughed. ¡°Yes, me.¡± ¡°I''ll be back in a few minutes.¡± Ren said and put her down, then checked the All-Seeing Mirror and cast a Portal spell. He stepped through into the bedroom and felt an immediate reaction from Seldanna and the other succubi as they hopped off the bed and knelt on the floor. ¡°My King.¡± Seldanna said and bowed her head. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Your Tainted King title was upgraded.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°I submit myself to you, wholeheartedly.¡± The dire wolf mark on the back of Ren''s left hand glowed and Seldanna put a hand over her heart as one formed there. ¡°Why?¡± Ren asked, confused. ¡°I thought...¡± ¡°You have given me everything, and I am yours, My King.¡± ¡°Seldanna...¡± Ren paused and sighed. ¡°I didn''t want this kind of requirement between us.¡± Seldanna stood up and stepped close to him. ¡°I am yours for as long as I exist.¡± She said and bent over slightly to kiss him. She broke the kiss a moment later. ¡°Through this mark, all of the succubi in my domain are yours.¡± ¡°I thought you were already mine.¡± Ren said. ¡°We are, My King.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°This mark gives us a metaphysical bond as well as an emotional one.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°It is done.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°I assume you are taking us back to the roost.¡± ¡°I''m dropping you off there, yes.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then we should go.¡± Seldanna said and the other three succubi stood up. Ren looked at the others and saw Katori''s smile on her human face. He stepped over to her and motioned to her top, so she stored it to show him the dire wolf mark above her heart. ¡°I''m so glad I could join your domain officially.¡± Katori said. ¡°I was worried when you helped me get rid of my corrupted body that I would be set adrift.¡± ¡°We would never abandon you.¡± Ren and Seldanna said together, then they both smiled. ¡°I know; but, now I know.¡± Katori said. ¡°You will always be there for me when I need you.¡± Ren stepped up into the air and took her into a hug. ¡°Spending all this time with you has been so wonderful, My King.¡± Katori said. ¡°From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.¡± ¡°This isn''t goodbye.¡± Ren said to her, then let her out of the hug and looked at all their faces. ¡°I''m still going to visit.¡± ¡°We look forward to it.¡± Seldanna said, and Katori equipped her top. Ren didn''t say anything, because there wasn''t really anything else to say, and motioned to the door. They followed him out of the bedroom and down the hall to the Marilith Demon''s room, then he used his polymorph helm to return to normal and knocked. The door opened and the Marilith Demon slithered up to her full height and looked down at him. ¡°I won''t submit to you, Tainted King of the Predators.¡± Ren walked up into the air and put his face right in front of hers. ¡°I would never ask you to, my snickety-snake.¡± He said and cupped the sides of her face with his hands, then gave her a kiss. She was a little stiff at first, then her arms wrapped around him and she kissed him back. It was a little odd, since her mouth was twice as big as his; but, they had learned a long time ago to accept it for what it was. A sign of affection. ¡°I assume we are moving.¡± The Marilith Demon asked, and Ren nodded. ¡°What about my pigs?¡± ¡°How many are left?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Four.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You started with four.¡± ¡°They are slippery little devils.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°It''s a good thing I built a pen for them at your new place, then.¡± Ren said. ¡°Shall we go?¡± The Marilith Demon nodded and opened the roof door, then slithered out and down to the ground and the pig pen there. Ren and the succubi were surprised when the Marilith Demon made two brief whistling sounds, then the pigs came right over to her. She reached down to pick up the smallest one, and it slipped right out of her hands. ¡°You see?¡± She said and tried again, with the same result, and the pig made a snorting sound as if it was laughing at her. ¡°All right.¡± Ren said and jumped down to land beside her, then cast a huge portal. ¡°Go on, now.¡± He said to the pigs. ¡°I should go first, so they know it''s safe.¡± The Marilith Demon said and went through the portal, and sure enough, the pigs went right in after her. The old sow was last in line to go through. She stopped for a moment and sniffed at Ren''s face, snorted, then went through the portal. Ren checked the All-Seeing Mirror and saw they were safe on the other side, and he dismissed the portal. ¡°Shall we fly there?¡± Seldanna asked and floated down to him. ¡°No time.¡± Ren said and cast a huge portal to take them to the top floor of the roost. ¡°He''s pushing his luck as it is, and he still hasn''t spent quality time with either you or the maids yet.¡± Teepo said. Seldanna and the other succubi floated through the portal and Ren stepped through himself and dismissed it. Once again, he felt an immediate reaction from the other succubi in the roost and used his Heat Sense to watch them coming up to see him. It didn''t take long. ¡°What happened, My King?¡± Zunala, the oldest succubus asked as she came into the room with her mate, Weston. ¡°I''ll explain when the others... there they are.¡± Ren smiled as the rest of them came into the room with their partners. He took out the Vasalor Statue and activated it, then he told them what had happened and how his Tainted King title had changed again. Chapter 770 - Succubi Submission When Ren was done telling his story, all of the succubi had knelt on their knees and submitted to him. After hearing Katori''s explanation earlier about wanting this bond with him, he wasn''t surprised that the other succubi would want that, too. Their partners however, were less than thrilled. ¡°Zunala, why are you kneeling?¡± Weston asked her in confusion. They had been together ever since they had moved to the county. ¡°He''s not feeding you.¡± ¡°I''ve submitted to him.¡± Zunala said. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Weston touched her shoulder and almost gasped at the strength flowing through her. ¡°What does that mean? Are you leaving me?¡± ¡°No, she is not.¡± Ren said sternly, and everyone felt his annoyance. ¡°All this means is that she has a bond with me and is under my domain.¡± ¡°If I am ever in trouble and need his help, he will be there for me.¡± Zunala said. ¡°What about me?¡± Weston asked. ¡°I was going to be there for you.¡± Zunala took a breath and stood up to face her lover. ¡°If there comes a time when things are so bad that neither I nor those around me can handle it, he will come to my... to our... rescue.¡± ¡°Why do I get a sense that we aren''t included in that?¡± One of the other men asked. ¡°You don''t have to be; but, you can be.¡± One of the succubi said and stood, then the rest did as well. She turned to the man and hugged him. ¡°All you have to do is submit to King Ren and receive the same blessing.¡± ¡°So he''ll come and rescue me, too?¡± ¡°If it''s necessary.¡± She responded. ¡°What would the conditions have to be like? Almost dying? Stubbing my toe? Will he come and save me from a bad dream?¡± ¡°I won''t get any kind of feeling unless it''s a life-or-death situation.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him. ¡°It''s happened only once before and that''s how I know.¡± ¡°You responded instantly?¡± The man asked. Ren nodded. ¡°I opened a portal directly to her when I was notified that she was in mortal danger and I saved her from being killed.¡± ¡°Who was it?¡± Someone else asked. ¡°I can''t say.¡± ¡°Ha. That figures.¡± ¡°I''m protecting her identity and saving her from embarrassment.¡± Ren said. ¡°I won''t expose her to ridicule, rumors, or speculation.¡± ¡°So, you can''t actually prove that you''ll save them when it might be necessary.¡± Someone else said. ¡°How dare you doubt him!¡± Seldanna said as she equipped her Vampiric Sword and her Terror Aura covered them all. ¡°He is telling the truth! He has always told the truth!¡± Ren touched her arm and Seldanna took several deep breaths as his calmness filled her. ¡°You can''t blame him for wanting proof.¡± ¡°How many times have we seen you use portals to traverse across the land? How many times have you traversed into other realms?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°For him to doubt you could be there in moments is preposterous!¡± ¡°I know that and you know that...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°We all know that.¡± All of the other succubi said as one, and he felt dismay and a bit of sadness from their chosen mates. ¡°This isn''t how I thought things were going to go.¡± Ren said, slightly frustrated. ¡°I guess I should have been prepared for something like this.¡± ¡°You have mastered Beastiary Control, My King.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Even if we did not love you already, we would be drawn to you regardless.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren blinked his eyes at her. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You are the master of beasts, My King.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Your power flows out and through the dire wolf mark and into our bond. The feeling of belonging to something much bigger than ourselves... to a family... is one we have never felt before.¡± ¡°But...¡± Ren looked around at the people standing beside the succubi. ¡°Yes, we belong to each of our chosen partners.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°You, and they, can feel that we do.¡± No one could dispute that, because they could all feel it, even the humans. ¡°Being a part of a family is separate from that. We were close before, since we spent so much time together; but now, we are truly together as a family under your care, My King.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°This doesn''t cheapen our emotional bonds to those we care about. What it does is free us to devote even more of ourselves to living our lives without worry.¡± Ren could feel that she believed that with all of her heart, and when he concentrated on the succubi, he could tell that they all felt the same. Unable to refute her words, he had to accept that when she and the succubi submitted to him, it was for their own benefit and not his. ¡°What does this all mean?¡± A woman''s voice asked, and Ren turned to look at her. She had an arm around Fayeth''s waist, and a man stood between them and had an arm around both her and Fayeth. ¡°I have relieved a worry of theirs that I didn''t know they had.¡± Ren said in understanding. ¡°Or, to be more precise, I''ve given them peace of mind.¡± ¡°Yes, My King. That is exactly what it is.¡± Seldanna said and hugged Ren from behind, then she sighed in contentment as her breasts rested on his shoulders and his head fit between them. Ren looked up at her and nodded, then he concentrated on his Reassurance Aura and the dire wolf mark as he poured a feeling of family out through them. All of the dire wolf marks glowed on their chests, and the family feeling flowed over them and was returned with both acceptance and appreciation. * The attendant and most of the cooks caught their breath as their marks glowed and they were filled with a feeling of family. Yuwen, Tiyaphi and Dilseffa put a hand on their hearts and closed their eyes. They let the feeling fill them and felt appreciation, then the feeling faded and the glow stopped. ¡°He''s using the Vasalor Statue.¡± Artemis said. ¡°That''s why the feeling was so brief.¡± ¡°I wonder who else submitted to him?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°Probably the succubi.¡± Artemis said and closed her eyes. ¡°Yes, it''s the succubi.¡± ¡°All of them?¡± Yuwen asked, surprised. ¡°None of them even tried to fight? Not even the Sovereign?¡± ¡°She loves him deeply.¡± Artemis opened her eyes and chuckled. ¡°Well, as much as a succubus can love someone besides themselves, that is.¡± ¡°Are they really manipulative?¡± Tiyaphi asked. ¡°I''ve heard they are; but, I''ve never met one.¡± ¡°They can be... if they hadn''t met Ren.¡± Artemis said. ¡°He''s curtailed their more... dangerous tendencies.¡± ¡°That''s good.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°I''ve heard that even their touch can corrupt you.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It can, as can their kiss.¡± Artemis said. ¡°Does he kiss them?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Artemis smiled, and the Pervarians felt her naughty emotions. ¡°He does that to them, too?¡± Dilseffa asked, surprised. ¡°That''s all he will do to them, though.¡± Artemis said, and hid her amusement when she felt the three women relax. * ¡°My King, will you be staying for a while?¡± Seldanna asked. ¡°Do you want me to, even after getting you to move back here?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I will take any time that you want to give me, My King.¡± ¡°How about a week?¡± Ren asked, and he felt surprise from all of the succubi and some of the humans. ¡°You''re right, that''s not enough.¡± He said and smiled. ¡°How about a week each?¡± ¡°You don''t mean for all of us, do you?¡± Weston asked nervously. Ren chuckled. ¡°No. Only those unattached qualify for alone time with me.¡± ¡°Whew. That''s a relief.¡± Weston said. ¡°You''re a good man and you''ve done a lot for us; but, I don''t want to spend a week alone with you, no matter what we were doing.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Before you make any snap judgments, I don''t have intercourse with them.¡± Shock and surprise from all of the humans burst out. Ren''s Emotion Siphon ability absorbed a pile of it and they calmed down almost immediately. ¡°Are you serious? You don''t...¡± Weston looked at Zunala and his desire flooded out. ¡°How can you resist such beauty and not want to become one with them?¡± ¡°I never said I didn''t want to.¡± Ren said, and everyone looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°I only said that I can''t and I won''t.¡± ¡°Why?¡± One of the other men asked. ¡°If they meet someone that they want to keep, I have no right to sleep with them and deny their potential partner''s enjoyment of their first time with a mortal.¡± Ren said. ¡°That forms a bond between them in its own right.¡± He looked at all the human faces. ¡°You''ve felt it, haven''t you? The succubi gave themselves over to you and you took them.¡± Their human partners looked at the succubi and the succubi looked back at them. ¡°You gave yourselves to them in turn, and that is something precious. I won''t take that feeling away from who they choose to sleep with.¡± Ren said. Seldanna kissed the top of his head. ¡°Even if we really want him to, he won''t.¡± ¡°You can still only last a few minutes while going down on me, even after this long together.¡± Ren said with a big grin. ¡°What do you think would happen to you if we tried to have sex?¡± Seldanna opened her mouth to say that she wanted it, no matter the circumstances, then she laughed. ¡°All right, you''ve made your point.¡± ¡°Is he really that potent?¡± Weston whispered to Zunala. ¡°I wouldn''t know.¡± Zunala whispered back. ¡°I''ve never touched him like that.¡± ¡°On that note, I think we can call this impromptu meeting to an end.¡± Ren said, and they all looked at him. ¡°Please go back to whatever you were doing.¡± He said and deactivated the statue and stored it. ¡°Oh, damn! I''ll be late for the morning shift on guard duty!¡± Weston said. ¡°Alviss, let''s go!¡± ¡°There''s no rush.¡± Ren said. ¡°We''ve been talking for...¡± ¡°...only a second.¡± Ren said with a big smile. ¡°Go back to bed and finish spending the morning with your loved ones.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°He''s right. It''s only been a second.¡± Zunala said. ¡°We have another hour before the shift change.¡± Most of the succubi and their human partners left, except for Fayeth and the married couple she was with. ¡°My King, thank you for making me a part of your family and for...mhmm.¡± Fayeth stopped talking when the woman''s hand covered her mouth. ¡°She tends to ramble and not get to the point quickly.¡± The woman said with a smile. ¡°It''s endearing and a little annoying sometimes.¡± ¡°That sounds familiar.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter, then Seldanna, Katori, Ellaria, and Chenoa laughed, too. ¡°We were wondering...¡± The woman started to say, then she became very shy and stopped talking. ¡°Are we eligible for this ''week of time''?¡± The man asked. ¡°That depends on what you mean.¡± Ren said and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Well, we... with a family to take care of, we can only come here to be with Fayeth once a week, and that''s only if we can get a babysitter.¡± ¡°Oh, so it''s just the extra time and not necessarily spending it with me.¡± Ren said, then he felt a negative reaction from the woman. He hadn''t expected that and shifted his gaze to her, then he felt her desire and need. He blinked his eyes at her for several moments when he understood what she wanted. ¡°We can''t kiss.¡± The woman said adamantly. ¡°That''s what... I''ve only ever kissed...¡± ¡°The only man you want that experience with is your husband.¡± Ren said, and she nodded. ¡°I''m devoted to both my wife and Fayeth.¡± The man said. ¡°Unfortunately, even with your magic rings that give us everything we need to live...¡± ¡°You are having a hard time keeping up with two voracious appetites.¡± Seldanna said, and he reluctantly nodded. ¡°I''ve been keeping up with my wife''s needs pretty well, since like I said, we barely have time alone to get away from the house and we can only steal appropriate moments once in a while.¡± He admitted. ¡°Jay, you''re volunteering too much.¡± The woman said with a bright red face. ¡°Sorry, Rachel.¡± Jay said. ¡°Once we started seeing Fayeth, well...¡± ¡°They both went into overdrive.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s so exciting!¡± Rachel said happily. ¡°I can''t believe we found someone who could love us both, and then when we started to fool around...¡± Her face stayed red. ¡°...it''s like magic.¡± ¡°That''s because it is magic.¡± Ren said and activated the Vasalor Statue, then walked over to her. ¡°When you find someone to love and they love you back, there''s no better feeling.¡± ¡°Don''t... don''t misunderstand.¡± The woman said when Ren stood in front of her. ¡°I''m not... we''re not... looking for...¡± ¡°Rachel, I understand.¡± Ren said and reached up to cup the side of her face. She was only about 10 inches taller than him. ¡°I don''t have the room in my heart to fit anyone else in, either.¡± Rachel closed her eyes for a moment as he filled her with good feelings, then she sighed. ¡°We hoped that... since Fayeth trusts you implicitly... you could...¡± ¡°Do us a big favor.¡± The man said. ¡°We know it''s a lot to ask, especially since we''ve all heard about the women you''ve got on the go.¡± ¡°Jay!¡± Rachel''s face burned red from embarrassment and Ren absorbed some of it. ¡°He keeps them all satisfied, Rachel.¡± Jay said. ¡°I''d like to know his secret, or at the very least, get some tips from him.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°There''s no secret to keep.¡± He said. ¡°I just really enjoy sex and can keep going.¡± ¡°You can what?!?¡± Rachel asked, surprised. ¡°I don''t need to stop when I finish.¡± Ren said, and he felt her desire for him flood out and she became weak in the knees. ¡°Easy, now.¡± He said and cupped the other side of her face. ¡°Don''t faint.¡± ¡°You... are you magic, too?¡± Rachel asked, and he chuckled. ¡°Some people think so.¡± Seldanna said. ¡°Now, what is it you want My King for?¡± ¡°You felt it. My wife wants him.¡± Jay said. ¡°I love her and will do anything for her.¡± ¡°I assume you haven''t been able to find anyone else to fill this role?¡± Ren asked, and Fayeth, Rachel, and Jay, shook their heads. ¡°Just so I understand correctly, you want full intercourse from me, right?¡± ¡°I... I do.¡± Rachel said, her face still a deep red. ¡°As long as you don''t expect a commitment from me.¡± Ren let her face go and felt her slight disappointment at the loss of his touch. ¡°It''s odd that someone else is asking me to not make a commitment.¡± He said with a smile. ¡°That''s usually my line.¡± Rachel felt the hope of being satisfied once more. She hadn''t felt that hope since meeting Fayeth, and she had been satisfied a lot since then. A moment later, Fayeth''s hope joined hers because she wanted them both to be satisfied. They just wanted to be happy, and they were looking for that balance that all good relationships needed. That need had brought them to Ren. ¡°You would have still asked me, even if I couldn''t give out time like this, wouldn''t you?¡± Ren asked, and the three of them nodded. ¡°Do you expect any of the other succubi to participate?¡± ¡°Good god, no.¡± Jay said. ¡°Having two of them is more than I can handle as it is.¡± Seldanna and the others laughed, because he had referred to his wife as one of them. ¡°I assume this is just a one-time thing, since you don''t want any kind of commitment?¡± Ren asked, and the three of them nodded. ¡°I can''t imagine making you agree to do it more than once, especially when we don''t know if one time is going to work out or not.¡± Jay said. ¡°What if we agreed to meet several times and the first time is a disaster, and we have to meet a few times after that?¡± He chuckled. ¡°What a nightmare that would be!¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Is it okay if I take some time to think about it? This is kind of a big decision to make.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Rachel said, and he felt the underlying current of resignation in her emotions, and she fully expected him to say no. ¡°Take all the time that you need.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and took her hand, then bent over it and kissed the back of it. She caught her breath at being treated like a high class lady, and it flustered her just enough to make her remove her hand from covering Fayeth''s mouth. She waved that hand in front of her face instead. Ren smiled as he let her hand go, turned around and took one step, then turned back around to face her. ¡°I think that''s long enough to think about it.¡± He said, and felt disappointment from the three of them. When someone decided that quickly, it was usually a ''no''. ¡°I knew I shouldn''t have...¡± Fayeth started to say. ¡°I would be happy to try and make you happy.¡± Ren said to cut her protest off, then felt utter joy from Rachel. ¡°We can use Fayeth''s room!¡± Rachel exclaimed, then she, Fayeth, and Jay walked towards the doorway. Ren and the remaining succubi followed them out of the room and down the hallway. ¡°Go on in, and I''ll be right there.¡± He said to Fayeth when they reached her room. She nodded and took Rachel and Jay into the room and shut the door. Ren turned to Seldanna and smiled. ¡°You first, or should we share?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I promised you a week each, didn''t I?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Let''s go to your room.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°They won''t even notice that I''m spending time with you first.¡± Ren said and a step up into the air. Seldanna smiled and gave him a kiss. ¡°I think we would all have more fun sharing.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ellaria said. ¡°I agree.¡± Chenoa said. ¡°I can''t believe we still get knocked out because we can''t handle it when you finish.¡± Katori said, and that made them all laugh. ¡°It''s a challenge!¡± Seldanna said and they went to her room. ¡°One we will meet head on!¡± ¡°Head on! Ha ha!¡± The other succubi said and laughed. For the next 4 weeks, they did their best to improve their attempts at satisfying Ren and not collapsing into unconsciousness when he finished. When their time was up, he gave them each a big kiss and left the room, then he walked over to Fayeth''s room and went inside. Chapter 770A1 - Four Way Learning ¡°I want to be clear here.¡± Ren said as he entered Fayeth''s room. ¡°I''m only here for Rachel''s satisfaction, correct?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± Rachel said, and her face was still red from earlier. ¡°It takes a while for Jay to... well...¡± ¡°I assume he starts with you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, we... we take turns.¡± Rachel said. ¡°Usually with Fayeth in the middle when it''s her turn, and me when it''s mine.¡± ¡°I know this might be a lot to ask; but, can you show me?¡± Ren asked, and felt embarrassment from her. ¡°I don''t mean having full sex while I watch, I just want to see the positions you use.¡± ¡°P-positions?¡± Jay asked, confused. ¡°What''s that mean?¡± Ren hid his surprise while Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Um... just... it''s Fayeth''s turn, isn''t it?¡± The three of them nodded. ¡°Then leave your clothes on and get on the bed to show me how it happens.¡± Ren said. I''m not sure why they are uncomfortable doing this, since they asked me to be here. ¡°I think they might be afraid of being judged.¡± Teepo said, wisely. Probably. Ren thought and watched as the three people climbed onto the bed and Fayeth changed into her human form as she laid down on her back. Jay laid down between her legs, and Rachel laid down close by and touched her head to Fayeth''s. ¡°With Fayeth in the middle, I... well, I k-kiss her, and... and touch her big breasts... and... Jay, he...¡± Rachel stumbled over her explanation. They must have agreed to let her do all the talking. Ren thought. ¡°I understand.¡± He said. ¡°What do you do next?¡± ¡°N-next?¡± Rachel, Jay, and Fayeth asked. Ah, I think I see the root of the problem. Ren thought. ¡°Can I ask a few questions?¡± No one objected, so he walked over to the bed and knelt beside Rachel. ¡°I assume Fayeth has pleased you with her mouth?¡± Ren asked, and her face went deep red. ¡°Y-yes.¡± Rachel said. ¡°It''s... very nice.¡± ¡°Have you tried doing it back to her?¡± Rachel closed her mouth and bit her bottom lip. ¡°It''s okay if you haven''t, or if you don''t want to.¡± Ren said and took her hand to fill her with Reassurance. ¡°A lot of people don''t like it or avoid doing it.¡± ¡°No, I... I haven''t tried.¡± Ren looked at Jay. ¡°Have you tried it?¡± ¡°I did, and she really liked it.¡± Jay said. ¡°Fayeth, too.¡± ¡°Okay, that''s a good start.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have you tried doing it at the same time?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± The three of them looked startled. ¡°I meant while Jay is having sex with Fayeth, have her lick Rachel.¡± Ren said, and he felt shock from them. ¡°That... how would that even work?!?¡± Jay asked, flabbergasted. ¡°It won''t the way you are now.¡± Ren said and smiled as he stood and pulled on Rachel''s hand. ¡°Can you all sit up, please?¡± The three of them did, and Ren moved Jay back and told Fayeth to get on her hands and knees. ¡°Like this?¡± Fayeth asked and got on all fours. ¡°Lean back a little.¡± Ren said and she crouched slightly. ¡°Perfect.¡± He said. ¡°Jay, kneel behind her.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°Just do it.¡± Ren said, and Jay knew an order when he heard it and did what Ren asked. ¡°As you can see, your crotch and Fayeth''s are at a similar height...¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± Jay exclaimed. ¡°You mean... wait, we can have sex like this?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°Some people only do it this way.¡± ¡°You Adventurers have some crazy ideas.¡± Jay said. ¡°It gets better.¡± Ren said and looked at Rachel. ¡°Lay down in front of Fayeth.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Spread your legs and lay against the pillows there.¡± Ren said and pointed to the spot in front of Fayeth. ¡°But...¡± ¡°Please.¡± Ren said and propped the pillow up to support her back, and Rachel moved up on the bed and slid in front of Fayeth. ¡°Now relax and lean back.¡± Rachel leaned back against the pillow Ren held for her, and she lifted her knees automatically. ¡°Now, if you were actually having sex, this lets Jay please Fayeth from behind, and she can please you at the same time.¡± ¡°Does this actually work?¡± Fayeth asked. ¡°I mean, can I really do this while Jay does that?¡± ¡°I''ve done it myself and it''s pretty fun.¡± Ren said with a smile, because she hadn''t kept talking or expanded on what she was trying to say like she usually did. ¡°I won''t say with who, though.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You''ll have your work cut out for you, whoever is in the middle.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You''ll get the hang of it after a while, and you''ll all enjoy it. Trust me, you will.¡± ¡°This is kind of embarrassing.¡± Rachel said. ¡°You feel that way at first no matter what you do, because it''s new and a little awkward getting into position; but, after a few times, it will feel like you''ve always done it this way and you won''t remember why you didn''t do it this way before.¡± ¡°Will... will we always have to do it like this from now on?¡± Jay asked, nonplussed. Ren laughed. ¡°No, this is only one position.¡± He said and felt Jay''s relief. ¡°I know a few more.¡± ¡°A... a few... more.¡± Rachel whispered. ¡°An Adventurer said once that ''variety is the spice of life''.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can teach you some other ways to have fun with each other; but, you don''t have to change how you do things.¡± He smiled. ¡°This is all just me making suggestions to you, and you can use them or not.¡± ¡°I''d like to try, because new experiences can always help when... mhmm mum.¡± Fayeth mumbled when Rachel covered her mouth. ¡°Well, we know Fayeth is comfortable with it if she can ramble.¡± Jay said and chuckled. ¡°I won''t overload you with new ways to do things.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t just jump in and do it all at once, anyway. Take it slow and find out what makes you happy and gives you the most enjoyment.¡± ¡°It seems like you are teaching us a class about it or something.¡± Jay said. ¡°I am.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you want to know the best part about it?¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± ¡°The practical lessons are great because you can learn them as you do them.¡± Ren grinned. Jay laughed and nodded. ¡°All right, everyone. Off the bed!¡± Ren said and helped Rachel stand up. ¡°But...¡± Rachel started to ask why, then Ren turned her around so she faced her husband and Fayeth.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°First lesson.¡± Ren said and stepped up into the air behind her, rested his chin on her shoulder, and slipped his arms around her waist as he hugged her from behind. ¡°Cuddling.¡± ¡°I''ve done that.¡± Jay said and stood behind Fayeth to hug her from behind. ¡°While she''s working in the kitchen?¡± Ren asked, and Jay looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°No? Well, when she''s making food, be careful if she''s using a knife or is near the stove.¡± He said. ¡°If the danger is low, you need to snuggle in close and kiss her cheek. Like so.¡± Rachel shivered at the tenderness in both Ren''s hug and in his lips as he kissed her cheek. ¡°Then you tell her that you love her with all your heart.¡± Ren said, and she leaned back into him. ¡°If she leans back into you, it usually means she likes it and then you can probably nibble on her ear a little.¡± He did, and she caught her breath at the odd sensation. ¡°Then you should whisper in her ear that if she wasn''t so busy, you would like nothing more than to tear off her clothes and make love to her right there.¡± Rachel gasped at the thought of that happening in her kitchen, and Ren smiled as Fayeth gasped, too. They both really liked that idea. ¡°If the kids are out of the house or in another room, you can try giving her a little massage.¡± Ren said and his hands slid up her sides. Rachel tried her best to not react to him caressing her like that. Even though she was still dressed, when his hands reached her chest, she moaned and closed her eyes as he gave her a quick massage. ¡°What next?¡± Jay asked, and Ren saw that he was giving Fayeth the same massage. ¡°Kiss her neck a few times.¡± Ren said, and they both did, and both women shivered. ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°Usually, that''s about all you have time for.¡± Ren said, and he felt disappointment from the three of them. ¡°It''s only to show them that you care about them and want them to feel loved.¡± He said. ¡°If you''re alone, though... it can lead directly to other things.¡± ¡°Wh-what... what things?¡± Rachel asked with hope in her voice and in her emotions. Ren let her breasts go and felt her disappointment, so he stepped down to the floor and walked around to her front and faced her. ¡°If she''s wearing a dress, like you are now...¡± Rachel stared at him as he knelt in front of her, then his hands slipped under the hem of her dress and he caressed her legs all the way up to her thighs. Ren stopped at her hips and hooked his thumbs under the edge of her underwear. ¡°You caress her legs and then carefully remove her undergarment.¡± He said and pulled a little, then slid her underwear down her legs and let them go. They fell to the floor and she stared at the crumpled cloth. ¡°Once they are out of the way, either you hike up her dress where she stands, or ask her to sit to make it easier.¡± Rachel didn''t wait to see which he would do and sat on the bed instead. Fayeth also sat down, then the two women looked at each other and held a hand out, then they clasped hands and laid back on the bed. ¡°Now the hard and fun part.¡± Ren said as he knelt between Rachel''s legs and lifted her dress up to her waist to see that she was pretty wet already. ¡°I''ve done this before.¡± Jay said as he knelt between Fayeth''s legs. ¡°It''s pretty easy.¡± ¡°You need to feel their feelings when you do this.¡± Ren said. ¡°The more you do it, the better you can do it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°If you don''t pay attention to her and her movements and feelings, she won''t enjoy it as much... and she might even grow to hate it.¡± Ren said. ¡°Especially if you don''t do it right and she gets frustrated with it and possibly you.¡± Jay just stared at him and didn''t say anything. ¡°Don''t be discouraged by my words.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s not a life or death situation; but, it can change how things happen in the bedroom.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°She''ll be less willing to have sex, or might limit how long you can do it, or sometimes she will refuse because she doesn''t want you to do that to her anymore.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Jay''s face flushed red and he quickly glanced at Rachel and back at Ren. ¡°Now you know why I''ve changed what was supposed to be a quick sex session into a sexual education lesson on what to do.¡± Ren said and pat Jay on the shoulder. ¡°By the way, each woman is different. They react differently to different stimulation.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Well, some like long slow licks.¡± Ren said and saw Rachel''s special place twitch a little. ¡°Sometimes quick licks up and down along the sides can do the trick.¡± He paused and she twitched again, and it became even more wet. ¡°Just kissing and sucking on it can make her feel good, too.¡± ¡°Ohhh...¡± Rachel moaned and finished a little. ¡°That''s my cue.¡± Ren said and dove between her legs and sucked on her for a moment, then gave her one big long lick to clean her off. ¡°OHH!¡± Rachel gasped and finished again. ¡°Damn.¡± Jay said. ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°One of the main reasons for the cuddling and the massage is to get them thinking about you and it prepares them for sex.¡± Ren explained. ¡°The more she''s into it, the more she enjoys it, and the more she''ll want you to do it.¡± ¡°How did you learn all this?¡± Jay asked, curious. Ren pointed to Fayeth''s opening. ¡°Fayeth is pretty ready for it, too.¡± ¡°Hm? Oh.¡± He said and gave it a kiss, then licked it a couple of times and she gasped and finished a little. ¡°Hey, that worked!¡± ¡°It did; but, it might not all the time.¡± Ren said. ¡°Sometimes you have to work for it before she can finish.¡± ¡°I didn''t plan on being taught how to have sex today.¡± Jay said and chuckled. ¡°My wife just wanted a bit of variety, since that''s what I get.¡± ¡°Oh, she''s going to get variety all right.¡± Ren chuckled, too. ¡°We''re just getting started.¡± ¡°How long should...¡± Jay took a breath and let it out. ¡°Knowing a time makes it more like a task, doesn''t it?¡± Ren nodded. ¡°Plus, like I said, every woman is different. Some like it for only a few minutes and some can take it for hours.¡± Both Fayeth and Rachel took in sharp breaths at those words. Jay leaned over to Ren and whispered. ¡°It''s not really going to be hours, is it?¡± ¡°No. On average, they can only take it for about 10 minutes or so before they want you to complete the deal.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°What deal?¡± ¡°To start having sex.¡± Ren clarified. ¡°Ah. I get it.¡± Jay nodded and leaned back to get ready, and Ren pat his shoulder again. ¡°Remember, it''s not a race. It doesn''t matter who finishes first here.¡± Ren said. ¡°All that matters is that she enjoys herself and that you have fun together.¡± Jay took a deep breath and let it out, and Ren felt him accept the advice. ¡°Okay. I can do this.¡± ¡°You don''t have to do it; but, it lets her know that you care enough about her that you would do it for her and not balk at it.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°It''s also great prep work and it makes things a lot easier later.¡± Jay nodded again and looked at Fayeth''s special place for a moment, then started licking her. Ren watched him for a few moments, then he tapped his shoulder. Jay stopped and looked at him, and Ren pointed to Fayeth. She was relaxed and there wasn''t any tension in her muscles at all. Jay got the hint and changed what he was doing and kept an eye on Fayeth''s body. When his tongue found a spot that excited her, she reacted and he concentrated on it. ¡°Don''t overdo it.¡± Ren whispered, then put his attention back on Rachel. He touched the inside of her thighs and slowly caressed the skin and rubbed her thighs as he slid his hands up to her pelvis, then rubbed his thumbs into the little divots beside her special place. ¡°Mmm.¡± Rachel moaned. Ren could feel that she really wanted him to start, so he did and gave her a thorough licking, sucking, and fingering. Like he had predicted, both Fayeth and Rachel had reached their limits around the 10 minute mark and finished barely a minute apart from each other. Rachel had wrapped her legs around Ren and her body had bucked at the force of her orgasm, and she panted heavily for several minutes afterwards. Ren let her recover and didn''t tease her or give her extra licks like he would for someone he cared deeply for. He didn''t want to overwhelm the poor woman with multiple orgasms right off the bat. Fayeth had finished herself by then and Jay did the same thing as Ren and waited for her to recover as well. ¡°Now what?¡± Jay whispered. ¡°Depending on the woman, she might want to return the favor.¡± Ren whispered back. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°We just licked and sucked them, so they might want to do the same back to us.¡± ¡°Fayeth did some of that a few times.¡± Jay said. ¡°How was it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°It was okay.¡± ¡°Well, just like it takes time to find out what really drives a woman wild while going down on her, a woman needs time to find out what a man likes for her to do to him.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± Fayeth propped herself up on her elbows to look at him. ¡°Usually just sucking on it makes them go.¡± ¡°Surprisingly enough, there''s quite a bit more that can be done besides that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you... no, I guess you can''t show us.¡± Rachel said. ¡°No, I''m not crossing that line.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can describe it for you and you can practice it; but, I''m not watching it or participating in doing things for Jay.¡± ¡°Then what... what should we do?¡± Rachel asked. ¡°Assuming you''re up for it... since I am... how about the main course?¡± ¡°The main...¡± Rachel stopped talking when Ren stored his clothing. ¡°Oh.¡± Her face went to a deep red and she stored her dress to leave herself completely naked. ¡°Yes, please.¡± Ren bent down and kissed her thigh, then proceeded to kiss her all the way up her body to her chest. Rachel moaned as he paid attention to her breasts and gave them a good suckling. They were quite a bit larger than her dress had implied, and Ren needed two hands to grip just one of them and squeezed it as he massaged it and sucked on it. Ren did the same to her other breast for several moments and Rachel moaned constantly from the attention. He moved up from there and reached her neck with his kisses, and the tip of his member pressed against her opening. She gasped at its hot firmness, and Ren wiggled his hips forwards and back to rub it on her. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Rachel whispered as Ren leaned back so that she could see his rippling muscles, and her gaze dropped down to see most of him. ¡°Oh, GOD!¡± Ren grinned at her and slid himself down and out of sight, then he pressed the tip against her opening and slid it inside. ¡°HmmMMM!¡± Rachel moaned loudly and squirmed as he pulled back out, then he pushed back in. ¡°OH... OH...¡± Ren worked himself in and out several times until he had made enough room for himself, then he slid all the way in and she stopped breathing. ¡°It... it''s in.¡± Rachel whispered in both surprise and delight as she covered her mouth with both hands. ¡°A... a man... other than my husband... is inside of me!¡± She said and almost giggled with happiness. ¡°I''m going to start moving now.¡± Ren said, and she nodded several times. He slid in and out out slowly at first, making sure to hit the spots he had found when he had pleased her with his mouth and fingers, then he gripped her hips and moved a lot faster. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Rachel exclaimed as Ren moved in and out at a pace that she didn''t know a man could maintain for more than a few seconds. The sounds of sex and her moans were loud in the nearly silent room, and it didn''t take Rachel very long to finish. Her free hand dug into the blanket on the bed and her other hand gripped Fayeth''s hand as her back arched and she had one of the best orgasms she had ever had. ¡°AHHHH!¡± Rachel yelled in pleasure and stared at him. Ren felt her become extremely wet around his member, so he stopped moving while she tried to catch her breath. ¡°Wow.¡± Fayeth said from beside her and licked her lips. Since they had held hands the whole time, she had felt everything that Rachel had, and she had absorbed the immense sexual energy that had been released. Fayeth leaned over and gave Rachel a quick kiss. Rachel gasped and tightened around Ren, and he liked that. ¡°Keep kissing her.¡± Ren said. Fayeth nodded and started to make out with Rachel, who was both surprised and turned on by that, then Ren started moving again. The stimulation was almost too much for Rachel to handle, because she was trying to concentrate on two different things at the same time, one on each end of her. She was so distracted that her next orgasm caught her completely by surprise and she screamed into Fayeth''s mouth as she finished. Chapter 770A2 - Four Way Fun Ren didn''t stop moving and Fayeth didn''t stop kissing Rachel, even though she had finished. They both kept going and Rachel moaned as she thoroughly enjoyed all of the extra attention they were piling onto her. Jay on the other hand, wasn''t sure what to do. Ren felt this and pointed to the spot between Fayeth''s legs, and Jay realized that he had forgotten that he was supposed to mimic Ren. Fayeth gasped and her body started to glow as Jay entered her and started having sex with her, and her kissing Rachel became more intense as she felt the other woman''s emotions. Both women were getting the attention they craved, and both were experiencing the best sex they had ever had. Ren could feel all of their emotions, and he knew the three of them loved each other and wanted the other two to be happy. At the moment, they were all quite happy and were enjoying themselves immensely. Fayeth broke the kiss and locked gazes with Rachel. ¡°I''m... I''m going to... to...¡± ¡°Me... me, too.¡± Rachel panted, then they let their passion and love out as they kissed each other again and finished at the same time. All of their muscles tensed up and their special places tightened up harder than ever before as it contracted, and Rachel and Fayeth shared their pleasure with each other. That did it for both Ren and Jay, only for different reasons. Jay pulled out and rested himself on top of Fayeth''s special place and spilled quite a bit out onto her abdomen. He was breathing heavily from the major exertion he had just performed to keep up with Ren, and he sat down on the edge of the bed to try and catch his breath and calm down. Ren on the other hand, had felt Rachel and Fayeth''s love for each other, and how they had accepted each other wholly. When Rachel tightened up, it gave Ren just enough physical stimulation to go along with the emotional one, so he pulled out and slid the tip of his member over Rachel''s nub as he quickly stroked himself to finish. ¡°Thank... you!¡± Ren exclaimed. Rachel and Fayeth stopped kissing to look at him with wide eyes. With one last rub on Rachel''s nub and a long stroke, Ren blasted out like a geyser and sprayed Rachel''s abdomen, her chest, and even got some on both of their faces. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Rachel exclaimed in shock as she touched her wet cheek. ¡°What... how...¡± ¡°My King.¡± Fayeth said with respect and licked her lips to taste it, and her body shivered and glowed brighter. ¡°Mmm!¡± She moaned and licked Rachel''s cheek. ¡°Fayeth, what...¡± Rachel was too surprised to react at first while Fayeth licked her face clean, then Fayeth moved down to her chest to clean her off. ¡°F-Fayeth... oh, Fayeth!¡± Fayeth suckled her breasts, something she hadn''t done before, then she licked her way down Rachel''s body and followed the trail of mess all the way down to her abdomen and licked her nub. ¡°AH!¡± Rachel exclaimed and finished again. Fayeth sucked it all up, then she looked at Ren. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''ve cleaned up the rest of it.¡± ¡°Thank you, My King.¡± Fayeth said and licked him, then slipped her mouth over the tip and sucked. ¡°That feels good.¡± Ren said and touched her hair. ¡°Move your tongue over it.¡± Fayeth did so and kept sucking, and Ren moved his hips and slid further into her mouth. ¡°Yeah, that''s better.¡± Ren said and moved in and out more. ¡°Wh-what are you...¡± Rachel leaned her head to the side and saw what Fayeth was doing. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Add... your hand.¡± Ren said, and Fayeth put her hand around him and stroked him as she sucked. ¡°Oh, yeah. Mmm. Fayeth, that''s so good.¡± Fayeth felt his enjoyment and that made her body glow brighter. ¡°You can''t take it directly.¡± Ren warned when he felt that he was getting close. Fayeth stopped sucking and slipped him out of her mouth, then looked up at him as she kept stroking him. ¡°Seldanna told me.¡± She said and moved him down to stick the tip of his member inside of Rachel. ¡°Ah! You''re still so hard!¡± Rachel exclaimed. ¡°And you''re still so tight.¡± Ren said as Fayeth let his member go and grabbed his hip to pull him into Rachel. She looked at where they were joined and leaned down to lick Rachel''s nub. ¡°Oh, my GOD!¡± Rachel yelled as Ren moved in and out slowly so that Fayeth could lick Rachel safely. Rachel started to pant almost right away, and Jay sat on the side and watched in both fascination and amazement. He knew for a fact that he would have to try that himself, since as a side effect of Fayeth''s powers, he could feel how much Fayeth and his wife were enjoying the sensations. He glanced down at his spent member and knew he would have to wait a few more minutes before he could go again. ¡°Oh... OH... OHHH!¡± Rachel yelled a few minutes later as she finished and a little spray came out of her and hit Fayeth''s tongue. ¡°Mmm!¡± Fayeth moaned as she licked it up. ¡°My King! Give it to her!¡± She said. ¡°She has to feel it!¡± ¡°N-not in-inside.¡± Rachel panted. ¡°Only... only my husband.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and felt like he was ready to blow. ¡°Fayeth.¡± Fayeth moved her head out of the way and Ren pulled his member out of Rachel. He tugged on her hips and she gasped as she slid down the bed, her mouth open in surprise. Ren caught her and knelt her on the floor, and before she knew what was going on, her mouth was filled with his boiling hot and throbbing member... and she liked it. She liked it a lot. ¡°Suck it.¡± Fayeth whispered encouragement to her and kissed her cheek, and Rachel did as she asked and started to suck. ¡°That''s it, sweetie. Enjoy all of that thick muscle.¡± Rachel remembered what Fayeth did to Ren before and tried to copy her movements by using a hand to stroke him as she moved her head in and out and sucked. Ren throbbed for her again and she was a little surprised at how happy that made her. This... why does this feel so good? Rachel asked herself. ¡°I''m... close.¡± Ren warned her, and Rachel tried to respond with the word ''okay''. With her mouth firmly wrapped around his member, it came out as a vibrating moan and Ren caught his breath. ¡°N-now!¡± Rachel stopped sucking and pulled her mouth off of his member, then tried to move back and out of the way. Fayeth was there and held her steady instead. ¡°Open wide, sweetie.¡± Fayeth whispered in her ear and her other hand grabbed Ren and stroked him. Rachel opened her mouth to say that she didn''t want to taste it, then Ren finished and spilled out and into her open mouth. It startled her for a moment, then she tasted its wonderful-flavored goodness and she did something she hadn''t done before. She relaxed her throat and leaned back in, then started sucking on the tip to get as much of it into her mouth as she could. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Ren said as Rachel sucked down everything that he could give her. He had felt her startle and then felt her desire and need to take it all. Fayeth kept stroking him as Rachel kept sucking, then Ren relaxed when he was done. Fayeth stopped moving her hand and Rachel slid her mouth off of him. ¡°You didn''t save me any.¡± Fayeth fake pouted. Rachel felt her teasing emotions and chuckled as she turned her head to the side and pointed to a dribble on the side of her chin. ¡°Thank you, sweetie.¡± Fayeth said and kissed her on the lips, then licked and sucked up the dribble. When she was done, she leaned back and cupped the sides of Rachel''s face. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± Rachel said and kissed her. ¡°Now I''m jealous.¡± Jay said, and Ren, Rachel, and Fayeth looked at him.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°You don''t have to be jealous.¡± Fayeth said and looked down at his ready state. ¡°Now that Ren has shown us what to do, it''s your turn.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Jay asked, surprised. Fayeth put a hand on Rachel''s shoulder and she stood up and laid down on the bed next to Jay and spread her legs for him. ¡°She''s all ready for you, and unlike Ren, you don''t have to pull out.¡± Rachel moaned and finished a little at the thought, and Jay''s desire for his wife flooded out. ¡°Oh, Jay! Give it to me!¡± Jay slipped himself inside of her and she wrapped her legs around him to help him thrust. ¡°H-how... can she... be so tight?¡± He asked and moved in and out. ¡°You just...¡± ¡°It''s magic.¡± Ren said and sat down on the bed to face away from them, to kind of give the three of them privacy. ¡°For it to take all different kinds and sizes, for almost any length of time, and still get the right stimulation for a woman to feel good?¡± He chuckled. ¡°It''s definitely magic.¡± ¡°It truly is.¡± Fayeth said and licked Rachel''s nub while Jay moved in and out. ¡°If you take proper care and keep changing things a little each time, it never gets boring.¡± Ren said. ¡°You... aren''t bored... just sitting there?¡± Jay asked. ¡°I''d ask Fayeth for some attention; but, she''s a little busy right now.¡± Ren chuckled, and Fayeth barked a laugh. ¡°Not much longer.¡± Fayeth said as she felt Jay getting close and Rachel''s moans became faster and faster. ¡°Is that... a complaint?¡± Jay asked as his technique started to falter and Rachel''s moans were a steady stream of sound. ¡°Good god, no.¡± Fayeth said and got ready. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°I... love you... too!¡± Jay exclaimed and stopped moving as he jammed himself inside Rachel and finished. ¡°AHHH!¡± Rachel yelled as her husband finished inside of her and she felt him filling her up. ¡°Oh... oh, god.¡± Jay said as he panted, near exhaustion, and started to pull out. Fayeth quickly leaned in and licked him as he did so, gave him several quick sucks to clean him off, then dove between Rachel''s legs to lick up any excess that tried to escape. ¡°I''m not waiting anymore.¡± Ren said and stood up and cast Energize on Jay to make him feel better instantly, then he grabbed Rachel by her armpits and pulled her across the bed. ¡°Ren, I was cleaning her.¡± Fayeth said, slightly dismayed. ¡°Then keep licking her.¡± Ren said, and Fayeth moved over on the bed on her hands and knees, then leaned down between Rachel''s legs and licked her. ¡°Okay, this is much better.¡± Fayeth said as an apology. ¡°Jay.¡± Ren said and nodded to Fayeth''s backside. ¡°What... oh!¡± Jay noticed Fayeth was at the right height to do the first new move that Ren had shown them. He quickly climbed onto the bed and positioned himself behind her and put his member near her opening. ¡°Get ready.¡± Ren said, and Jay nodded. ¡°What... mmm... are you... doing?¡± Rachel looked up at Ren dreamily as Fayeth pleased her. ¡°Taking an opportunity.¡± Ren said and caressed her face, and she closed her eyes. He smiled and positioned himself by her mouth and touched her lips with his fingers. ¡°Open your mouth.¡± ¡°Wh-aaalllmmm!¡± Rachel tried to ask why when Ren slipped the tip of his member into her mouth. ¡°Now.¡± Ren said and Jay shoved himself inside Fayeth. She was in the middle of a lick and gasped as she was shoved forward and her tongue entered Rachel''s opening. Rachel gasped in surprise as she had something pushed into both her mouth and her special place at the same time, then gave in to her body''s need and tilted her head back to let Ren move easily. Ren moved in and out slowly, so Rachel could adjust to having him in her mouth. He massaged her breasts and played with her nipples while Jay shoved himself hard into Fayeth over and over. She had stopped licking because she had felt Rachel''s reaction to having a tongue stuck inside her, so with each thrust Jay put into her from behind, she transferred that motion to her tongue and shoved it into Rachel. Both Rachel and Fayeth moaned as they were pleased very differently than they had ever been before. They stayed that way, exchanging pleasure, until they felt Rachel getting close. Jay slowed his movements without being asked, then Fayeth changed tactics and kissed and sucked on Rachel for all she was worth. Rachel gasped as she finished and her throat convulsed on Ren''s member. He had managed to get himself all the way in, much to his own surprise. When her throat convulsed, he took the cue and finished himself. Rachel started to panic as Ren spasmed and poured himself down her throat, so he stopped caressing her breasts and cupped the sides of her face instead and filled her with calmness and Reassurance. ¡°Relax, Rachel.¡± Ren said calmly. ¡°You can still breathe through your nose, remember?¡± Rachel was surprised that she could, even with him so deep down her throat like he was, so she calmed down and stopped panicking. Ren carefully pulled himself out of her mouth and kept his hands on her face as he knelt. ¡°I''m so proud of you.¡± Ren said and saw the euphoric expression on her face. ¡°You did very well.¡± He said and wanted to kiss her as a thank you. ¡°Do upside down kisses count?¡± Rachel laughed a full-throated laugh, then she looked at her husband, who was still having sex with Fayeth from behind. ¡°I''m... I''m almost...¡± Jay tried to say between pants. Fayeth stopped licking Rachel to speak. ¡°Give it to me!¡± She said. ¡°Please, Jay!¡± She begged. ¡°Fill me up with your love!¡± Jay nodded several times as his technique sped up and faltered, then his whole body convulsed as he finished deep inside of the succubus. ¡°AHHHH!¡± Fayeth screamed and her body glowed brightly as Jay poured himself and his love into her. They could all feel her take everything that he offered, both physically and emotionally. If they had been asked to describe how it felt, it was like she took the love feeling and hugged it and kissed it, then she held it tenderly inside of herself. ¡°Oh... my... god.¡± Jay panted as he pulled out, then he collapsed onto the bed beside Fayeth. ¡°That... that was...¡± ¡°I love you so much!¡± Fayeth exclaimed and kissed him passionately. Both Jay and Rachel were surprised by this, since they had always shared more reserved kisses. Fayeth broke the kiss and moved up on the bed to look Rachel in the eyes. ¡°I love you so much.¡± ¡°Fayeth.¡± Rachel whispered, her heart as full of love as Fayeth''s was, then they kissed just as passionately as Fayeth and Jay just did. ¡°Now I''m feeling a little left out.¡± Ren joked. Fayeth stopped kissing Rachel and looked at him. ¡°Rachel won''t break her vow to her husband.¡± She said. ¡°Only he is allowed to kiss her.¡± She smiled and reached a hand out to cup the side of Ren''s face. ¡°I have no such vow.¡± Ren leaned in close to her and gave her a passionate kiss. ¡°That''s for Rachel.¡± Fayeth transferred that kiss to a very surprised Rachel, and Ren almost laughed at her reaction. ¡°This one is for you.¡± Ren said and built up all the love he had felt between the three of them and compounded it a dozen times in the moment it took for him to lean back in. When he kissed her, he did it with just as much passion as the others had kissed her, except he also started to pour all of that love into her as well. ¡°MhhHMMMM!¡± Fayeth moaned and screamed as her ability leveled up. Rachel and Jay felt the emotional hole it had left in her and were worried. It only lasted for a moment, however. Ren kept pouring more and more of their love into her, and Fayeth relaxed as her ability was brought back up to a manageable level. Ren broke the kiss and leaned back. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°Loved.¡± Fayeth said and started to cry. ¡°I feel loved.¡± ¡°Don''t cry.¡± Rachel sat up and hugged her. ¡°Of course we love you.¡± ¡°We really do.¡± Jay said and hugged the both of them. ¡°You are in our hearts just as much as I''m in Rachel''s and she''s in mine.¡± Fayeth cried and held the loves of her life in her arms. She hadn''t ever imagined finding someone to share herself completely with, then she had been extremely lucky and found two of them. They stayed that way for several minutes, and by the time Fayeth had calmed down from such an emotional roller coaster, Rachel had cried herself and Jay had to wipe dirt out of his eyes. Or so he claimed. ¡°Now what?¡± Jay asked. ¡°Well, that last move worked out really well.¡± Ren said. ¡°What if we switched Fayeth and Rachel and went the other way, with a small modification?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Fayeth asked. ¡°Jay can stand here and you can take him in your mouth, and Rachel can lay on top of you and suckle your breasts while I do her from behind.¡± Ren said. ¡°N-no licking Fayeth?¡± Rachel asked, nervously. ¡°Baby steps.¡± Ren said with a grin. ¡°We might get you to that point eventually; but, no one will force you to do anything.¡± He said. ¡°We''re here to have fun and enjoy each other, not cause awkward moments.¡± Rachel opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. ¡°Go ahead and say it.¡± Ren said and used a hand to comb his fingers through her hair. ¡°It was... pretty awkward... with you... finishing down my throat.¡± Rachel said with a deep blush. ¡°I didn''t want to hurt you by trying to pull out too quickly.¡± Ren said and moved his hand to touch the front of her neck and caressed it. ¡°Plus, it felt really good.¡± Rachel took in a sharp breath as he gave her an echo of how he felt. ¡°Th-thank y-you.¡± She said and ducked her head slightly. ¡°It''s pretty rare to find someone like you that can handle it.¡± Ren said and filled her with appreciation. ¡°So, do you want to try the modified version?¡± ¡°I''ll need a few minutes.¡± Jay said and laid down. ¡°Damn, I''ve never...¡± He chuckled. ¡°Make that half an hour.¡± Rachel chuckled and laid down beside him and cuddled in. ¡°She drained you pretty good, didn''t she?¡± ¡°Damn, woman! You both did!¡± Jay exclaimed to make her laugh, then he gave her a kiss. ¡°It really will take half an hour.¡± Fayeth said to Ren. ¡°We kind of over-taxed Jay a little.¡± ¡°Taking a break is fine with me.¡± Ren said and equipped his underwear before he laid down on the far side of the bed and out of their way. ¡°Why don''t we sleep for an hour and I can show you a few more things when we wake up?¡± ¡°That sounds good to me.¡± Jay said and exchanged glances with his wife Rachel, then they both looked at Fayeth, who nodded. ¡°Ren, why are you so far away?¡± Fayeth asked. ¡°I''m staying out of your way while you cuddle together.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... don''t you...¡± ¡°I''m not going to interfere with your alone time.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°I know how precious it is.¡± ¡°Ren, come closer.¡± Fayeth said and laid down beside Jay without touching him. ¡°But...¡± ¡°It wasn''t a request.¡± Fayeth said sternly, and Ren sighed and moved over on the bed to lay beside her. ¡°Thank you for doing this for us.¡± She said as she turned onto her side and put her head on his shoulder and an arm over his chest. ¡°You can feel how happy you''ve made us.¡± ¡°I can, and that''s why I was trying to give you room to hold each other.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s only for an hour.¡± Fayeth said. ¡°Can you stand cuddling with me for that long?¡± ¡°Fayeth.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± ¡°I can''t feel your breasts pressed against me.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°Move closer.¡± ¡°Yes, Ren.¡± Fayeth said and shimmied closer and her warm flesh pressed against him as he put an arm over her shouders. ¡°Fayeth.¡± ¡°Yes, Ren?¡± ¡°You''re not calling me King Ren or My King anymore.¡± Ren said. ¡°That''s because you don''t want me to.¡± Fayeth said and placed a gentle kiss on his chest. ¡°No, I don''t.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± Fayeth, Jay and Rachel said in response, then they drifted off to sleep. For the next week, with 1 hour breaks mixed in so Jay could recover, Ren showed them all different kinds of positions and techniques to please each other as both couples and as triples. Chapter 771 - A Brief Foray When Ren was done in Fayeth''s room, he checked the All-Seeing Mirror and used a portal to jump back to the apartment with the maids. Once there, he tried to give them a month of his time; but, after a spending a week with them and pampering them, they essentially kicked him out. ¡°You''re going to make the Deity of Fire angry if you keep her waiting.¡± Frikara said and shooed him away. ¡°Get going before we get angry.¡± ¡°But, I haven''t finished giving you all my love yet.¡± Ren tried to argue as he hugged her from behind and nibbled the side of her neck. ¡°You can... do that... later.¡± Frikara managed to say, then turned around in his arms and kissed him. ¡°Now get going.¡± Ren pouted to make her laugh, kissed her once more, then let her go. He kissed the other maids and deactivated and stored the Vasalor Statue, then used a portal to go to the underground chamber he had made as the transition point into the Fire Realm. He checked the player menu to see the time there, then used the All-Seeing Mirror to see where Fire Dancer was. She was in bed and snuggled up to Zetaya, and he cast another portal to appear near the bed. ¡°It''s so nice to be back here.¡± Teepo said in the voice that only Ren could hear. I feel that way, too. Ren thought, then made himself and Teepo into their humongous sizes to match Fire Dancer and Zetaya. Ren equipped his red silk pyjamas and climbed onto the bed behind Zetaya and slipped under the blanket, then spooned her from behind and snuggled in and kissed her cheek. ¡°Mmm.¡± Zetaya moaned and took Ren''s hand and pulled his arm around her and hugged it to her chest. Ren dug his head into her hair and kissed the back of her neck, then he sighed and closed his eyes. Surprisingly, his time in the Fire Realm passed by almost before he knew it. When the time came that he had to leave, Fire Dancer asked for another mini-vacation. Ren was more than happy to oblige her, so they spent a whole week just lounging around and spent time with each other. ¡°I still can''t understand how you two can just casually hang all over each other like that.¡± Fire Dancer commented on their last vacation day, when she saw Ren as he sat on his bed against the headboard and Zetaya laid down between his legs with her back pressed against his chest and her head rested on his shoulder. Ren had his arms around her and under her own, and she was reading the children''s storybook about Fire Dancer. ¡°I love her and she loves me.¡± Ren said and kissed Zetaya''s cheek. ¡°I''ve always liked being cuddled by him, too.¡± Zetaya said. ¡°It didn''t happen as often as I wanted it to, though.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°How many times did I tell you that I wanted to just stay in your pen with you and just cuddle?¡± ¡°The same amount of times that you said you had to go.¡± Zetaya said and turned her head to look at him, and he gave her a kiss on the lips. ¡°I was always sorry that I had to leave.¡± Ren said, and she lifted a hand from the book and stroked his cheek, gave him a kiss back, then turned back to the book and kept reading. ¡°Yes, definitely odd.¡± Fire Dancer said, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°It''s not funny, Uncle Teepo.¡± She said and hopped onto her own bed to lay down. ¡°You''re fighting your urge to join them on the bed.¡± Teepo said. ¡°That''s pretty funny, considering the amount of times they invited you to do it.¡± ¡°Ooo, that''s an idea!¡± Zetaya exclaimed and held up the book. ¡°Deity of Fire, can you read us your mother''s story?¡± Fire Dancer thought about refusing, then sighed as both Ren and Zetaya pushed out feelings of invitation and need. ¡°Oh, all right.¡± Ren propped a couple of pillows beside where he sat and pat the bed, and Fire Dancer slid off her own bed and came over to his. She climbed onto it and sat down where he indicated. Zetaya waited until she was settled before handing her the book. ¡°Where were you?¡± Fire Dancer asked. ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Zetaya said and turned onto her side and pretty much used Ren as a bed. ¡°Start from the beginning.¡± ¡°Are you trying to be cute?¡± Ren asked her, and she chuckled. ¡°Maybe a little.¡± Zetaya admitted, and he kissed her. ¡°Blah.¡± Fire Dancer pretended to gag and Ren and Zetaya laughed. ¡°You feel left out.¡± Ren said and put an arm around Fire Dancer''s shoulders, pulled her in close, then kissed her cheek. ¡°There! Is that better?¡± ¡°N-not really.¡± Fire Dancer said as the fire under her skin swirled a little faster. ¡°I love you, Honey.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek again. ¡°Now dazzle us with your singing voice.¡± ¡°E-excuse me?¡± Fire Dancer pulled back from him, and he laughed. ¡°Just kidding.¡± Ren said. ¡°Go ahead and start reading.¡± Fire Dancer took a breath and let it out, then moved back in to lean against him and started to read. The day came to an end, which also ended their mini-vacation, and Ren deactivated the Vasalor Statue and stored it. ¡°Don''t have too much fun blowing the Pervarian''s little animal minds.¡± Fire Dancer said, and Ren laughed. ¡°I''ve done that a few times now.¡± Ren said and kissed her cheek. ¡°I already miss you.¡± ¡°Geez, Dad. Are you kiss-deprived or something?¡± Fire Dancer smiled. ¡°I really am!¡± Ren exclaimed and gave her cheek several kisses. ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± Fire Dancer laughed and kept turning her head to try and get away from his kisses, and yet he always managed to plant one right on her cheek. ¡°Hey, it''s my turn!¡± Zetaya said. Ren stopped and leaned back, to Fire Dancer''s relief, then she felt a wicked feeling from Zetaya.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°I thought you meant him!¡± Fire Dancer exclaimed as Zetaya kissed her other cheek over and over. Ren laughed and Teepo chittered in laughter as Fire Dancer begged Zetaya to stop. ¡°I need to go.¡± Ren said sadly, and both Zetaya and Fire Dancer gave him a hug. ¡°I''ll see you soon.¡± ¡°Dad, I... you can take tomorrow off.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°Wh-what? Why?¡± ¡°You need to be there when the caravan stops before getting to the capital.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°If you aren''t there when they disband, who''s going to keep the prisoners secured?¡± Ren opened his mouth to say they wouldn''t have to worry about that until the next day, then sighed. ¡°I don''t want to miss another whole Earth day with you.¡± ¡°No one gets away with trying to kill my father.¡± Fire Dancer said. ¡°You will keep them secured and they will face justice.¡± Ren sighed again and nodded. ¡°All right, I''ll stay and make sure.¡± Fire Dancer leaned in and gave his cheek a kiss. ¡°Thank you for being so sad about that, even though we just spent 7 years together.¡± ¡°You''re my precious daughter and I love you.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m always sad when I can''t spend time with you.¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure there were times you''ve had a lot of fun without me.¡± Fire Dancer smiled. ¡°That doesn''t mean I don''t have you in the back of my mind, or that I don''t regret that I''m not here with you instead.¡± Ren said, and she didn''t feel any lies or deceit. ¡°Dad, I...¡± Fire Dancer stopped talking and changed what she was going to say. ¡°I love you, too.¡± ¡°Of course you do. I''m awesome!¡± Ren exclaimed, and that made her and Zetaya laugh. ¡°Now I really need to go.¡± He said and kissed her cheek once more, then looked at Zetaya. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Zetaya said, and gave him a kiss on the lips and hugged him. Ren held her tenderly and kissed her back for several moments. They broke the kiss at the same time and let each other go, then Ren shrunk himself and Teepo down to their normal size. He waved goodbye to Fire Dancer and Zetaya, then cast the Portal spell and stepped through it. Ren transitioned into the underground chamber and dismissed the portal, then absorbed the Everlasting Fire. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror and used another portal to do the reverse of what he did that morning. He visited the succubi at their roost, then went to the maids and the Marilith Demon, then to Narhilda and her babies, then to Nathalia and kissed her and his son goodnight. ¡°They''re moving me to the house tomorrow.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°Have you hired a healer to help you?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I''ll pop over to the house and get Ereka to get one here right away.¡± ¡°Ren, I don''t need the help.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Nathalia, you need to rest and keep your strength up, at least for the first few months.¡± He said. ¡°I''d be negligent in my duties as your non-husband if I ignored your needs.¡± Nathalia laughed. ¡°My non-husband, huh?¡± ¡°Even after the ton of paperwork I had filed, we can''t ever be legally married.¡± Ren said, then chuckled. ¡°Not unless I somehow permanently change into a dwarf and make everyone forget that I was ever an elfling.¡± ¡°Yes, I sincerely doubt that would ever happen.¡± Nathalia chuckled, then sighed. ¡°Okay. I''ll accept some help from a healer.¡± ¡°Thank you, My Love.¡± Ren said and kissed her, then took off the door that covered the portal to the maid''s apartment and dismissed it. ¡°I''ll put the portal in the main room beside the couch, so it''s out of the way.¡± ¡°Thanks, Ren. See you in the morning.¡± Nathalia said, and Ren used a portal to pop over to House Neram Keep and appeared in the living room. ¡°Hello? Anyone home?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Ren!¡± Two women''s voices exclaimed at the same time, then Ereka and Xuunah came out of the kitchen and into the living room. ¡°Hi.¡± Ren said. ¡°Are you having fun?¡± ¡°This place is amazing.¡± Xuunah said. ¡°I thought all of the things you built here were astonishing enough, then to find out that you had this keep repaired...¡± She chuckled. ¡°Who in their right mind would agree to repair a keep that''s half a mile deep underground?¡± ¡°The amazing part was that I didn''t know how I was going to do it at the time.¡± Ren said with a grin, and that made both women laugh. ¡°Ereka, can you hire a healer to come here and take care of Nathalia and the baby?¡± ¡°I already did.¡± Ereka said. ¡°She''ll be here in the morning when we bring Nathalia over from the medical building.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°With that out of the way, can I talk to you alone for a minute?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ereka said and walked towards her bedroom. ¡°Xuunah, I''ll be right back.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ren, I...¡± Ren cupped the side of her face. ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll take care of you.¡± He said, then went with Ereka into her bedroom. ¡°Ren, what is this about?¡± Ereka asked, then her eyes widened as Ren took out the Vasalor Statue. ¡°Oh.¡± She said, then she smiled and turned around and stored her clothes. Ren hugged her from behind and massaged her breasts, and she moaned as he teased and squeezed them. They stayed together for several days, then Ereka''s guilt over monopolizing his time overcame her joy at spending that time with him. Ren assured her that almost no time had passed for anyone else as he deactivated and stored the statue, gave her a passionate kiss and he equipped his red suit, then left her tucked under the blanket on the bed, both naked and satisfied. ¡°Ren?¡± Xuunah turned at the sound of the bedroom door opening, then she felt his emotions and realized what he had done. ¡°You sneaky little devil.¡± Ren chuckled and checked the All-Seeing Mirror, then cast a portal beside the couch to go back to the Main House in his county. He escorted Xuunah through and greeted the maids, then they went downstairs to Xuunah''s apartment. He took out the Vasalor Statue and activated it, then felt Xuunah start to doubt what was about to happen. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said and took her into a hug and ran a hand over her backside. Xuunah still wore tight pants and his hand traced every fold and crease in the fabric. She started to breathe heavily as she felt his emotions. His enjoyment from touching her like that was intoxicating for a being that was supposed to avoid it, then Ren picked her up and took her to her bedroom. ¡°Not only do we have an official exemption from your people, you''re already pregnant.¡± Ren said and laid her on the bed. ¡°Good lord, look at you.¡± He said as he took in the vision of her. Xuunah caught her breath as she felt his wonder at her. ¡°R-Ren, you... we...¡± ¡°I love you.¡± Ren said and climbed onto the bed. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Xuunah said as he laid down beside her, and they both turned onto their sides to stare at each other. ¡°I''ve fought so hard against feeling it, since you and Nathalia love each other so much, and I didn''t want to take away from that.¡± ¡°Neither of us has to fight that feeling anymore.¡± Ren said and briefly kissed her. ¡°You''ve missed being loved so much since the last time you were here with a mortal.¡± ¡°No, I...¡± Xuunah saw Ren start to wince from the lie and changed what she was going to say. ¡°I don''t really miss that part.¡± She said. ¡°It was enjoyable for what it was; but, what I missed was being close to someone''s heart.¡± Ren smiled warmly at her. ¡°That''s why you didn''t pull away when I formed a Light connection with Nathalia.¡± He said as he finally understood her motivation. ¡°You weren''t trying to stop us at all.¡± ¡°I wasn''t.¡± Xuunah admitted. ¡°Unfortunately, I had... underestimated... the true depth of your commitment to each other.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Until you were caught up in it.¡± Xuunah smiled. ¡°I couldn''t have imagined that you would open yourself up so completely like that.¡± She said and her hand reached out to touch the fabric of his suit coat. Ren stored it and his shirt, and her fingers traced his chest muscles instead without missing a beat. ¡°I wanted as deep of a commitment to Nathalia as possible, because she deserved nothing less than that.¡± Ren said and his hand reached out and touched her blouse. She stored it and he gently caressed her soft skin and mirrored her movements. Wherever she touched him, he touched her in turn. Xuunah caught on to this quickly and paid particular attention to one of his nipples. ¡°I have memories of doing this with you hundreds of times, Dearest.¡± Ren copied her movements and paid particular attention to one of her nipples, too. ¡°My Angel, you haven''t been the only one fighting this.¡± He said as he leaned in and gave her breast a kiss. ¡°I''ve wanted to make new memories with you ever since we bonded.¡± Xuunah closed her eyes as he flooded her with desire. ¡°I... I know.¡± Ren leaned back and looked her in the eyes. ¡°Then let this be the first precious memory we construct together.¡± He said and used a hand to cup her breast. Xuunah pulled the ties out of her hair and swung her head from side to side to let her long wavy hair flow out, then she turned slightly and laid on her back. Her hair was like a blanket below her and she stared up at him. ¡°Give me the best memories, Ren.¡± Xuunah whispered as she stored the rest of her clothing. ¡°I want to remember this for the rest of my life.¡± ¡°Challenge accepted.¡± Ren said with a smile and stored the rest of his clothes, then he proceeded to prove that he could make her forget all about the memories that she had gained from Nathalia through their bond. He had gained a lot of experience since then, and he showed her what he could do to please her. Chapter 772 - More Time, More To Do For several hours, Ren made Xuunah a memory so wonderful that she had successfully pushed all of the other memories aside and their bond grew that much stronger. Even though she had seen, and in some cases experienced in dreams, making love to him; the reality was so much better, especially since it was such a taboo thing for her people to wallow in the joy of touching mortals, let alone having sex with them. Ren let her be for several hours while she thought about and reminisced over everything he had done to her, then he felt her need to do it again grow. He had felt a similar need in Nathalia after she had become pregnant. From those experiences, he knew that Xuunah had to be satisfied as much as possible, or she would have a hard time dealing with her feelings and swirling emotions. They stayed together for a week, and Ren wasn''t surprised when he felt a similar feeling of guilt from her that he had felt from Ereka about monopolizing his time. He didn''t try to argue against it like he did with Ereka, and just accepted Xuunah''s feelings and gave her a passionate kiss goodbye. He equipped his clothing and walked over to the bedroom door as he deactivated the Vasalor Statue and stored it. ¡°Ren.¡± Xuunah said from under the covers, and he turned around to look at her. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You don''t have to thank me for loving you, Xuunah.¡± Ren said with deep sincerity and opened the door. ¡°I was selfish and greedy, and I remade the whole world so we could be together.¡± He said and felt her surprise, then he felt her deep gratitude. ¡°Dearest.¡± Xuunah whispered. ¡°My Angel.¡± Ren whispered back, then left. ¡°That was pretty intense.¡± Teepo said in the voice that only Ren could hear. Yeah. Ren smiled and opened the door under the stairs to go down into the Marilith Demon''s lair. ¡°I can go a bit longer before seeing you again.¡± The Marilith Demon said when he entered the main cave. ¡°I know you can.¡± Ren said and took out the Vasalor Statue and activated it, then he used the polymorph helm to change into a male version of a Marilith Demon. She froze as his presence matched hers, then she whipped around and lunged at him. Marilith Ren slithered to the side and she barely missed him. ¡°The same attack? Really?¡± Marilith Ren hissed a laugh, then ducked as a large rock was thrown at him. ¡°Ha! Like I''d fall for... oofff!¡± He grunted as he was tackled roughly and they fell to the warm cave floor. He heard several snorts of amusements from the pigs, because he had been caught so easily. ¡°You are such easy prey, Tainted King of the Beasts.¡± The Marilith Demon hissed in superiority as she slithered on top of him and held him down. ¡°That''s because I love being caught by you.¡± Marilith Ren said to her surprise, then his tongue darted out and licked her cheek. ¡°Why would I put up a fight when you hold me like this, every time I get caught?¡± He chuckled. ¡°If I didn''t do this, you wouldn''t let me touch you as much as I want to.¡± The Marilith Demon closed her eyes as Marilith Ren''s middle set of hands roamed over her naked body, then they found her breasts. He massaged them for only a moment, then slid his fingertips all along the edge of where her skin met her scales. ¡°No matter how many times I touch these, it still amazes me every time.¡± Marilith Ren said. ¡°Ren...¡± ¡°You''ll need to shift over slightly if you want it.¡± Marilith Ren said and grinned at her. She thought about just staying there like that, holding him and restraining him, then her body betrayed her and she slithered over a bit. He didn''t tease her or make her wait like he usually did, to try and illicit more emotions out of her, and just shoved himself inside of her. She gasped and started to intertwine her tail with his as Marilith Ren filled her completely, and her restraining arms became hugging ones as she cuddled in close to kiss him. Marilith Ren only stayed with her for a couple of days, until he felt her desire to be alone start to override her desire for sex and her need for companionship. He gave her one last kiss and slithered towards the stairs, then changed back to his normal form. ¡°Don''t hurry back.¡± The Marilith Demon said and turned her back to him as she put her lower body into a coil. ¡°I haven''t seen you for about 7 years.¡± Ren chuckled and felt her hesitate, because she couldn''t really argue that he had hurried back, even though for her it had only been that morning. ¡°I''ll see you later.¡± The Marilith Demon waved over her shoulder at him without looking, so Ren ran over to her through the air and kissed her cheek, deactivated and stored the statue, then ran up the stairs. He came out of the door and closed it, checked the All-Seeing Mirror and equipped his fancy blue suit and polymorphed into Dwarf Ren, then cast a portal to go and see Narhilda. Dwarf Ren appeared in the hallway and walked down towards the royal apartments, and the two guards there didn''t react this time. One of them knocked on the door as Ren approached, and the door opened just as Ren stopped in front of the door. ¡°Oh, it''s you.¡± The other healer he had met that morning said when she saw him. ¡°Good evening, ma''am.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°May I enter?¡± The healer didn''t respond, so he took a step towards her, then stepped to the side and into the apartment. She shut the door and waved to the bedroom without saying a word. Dwarf Ren didn''t move, so she sighed and walked over that way. He followed her and she knocked on the bedroom door, waited for a moment, then entered. ¡°Queen Mother, you...¡± ¡°SHHH!¡± Narhilda hushed loudly at her, which had the opposite effect of its intended purpose of being quiet. Both babies woke up and started to fuss, and she sighed. ¡°Oh, dammit.¡± ¡°If I may?¡± Dwarf Ren stepped around the healer and into the room, to Narhilda''s surprise, and she watched him walk over to her and the double crib beside the bed. ¡°Oh!¡± He exclaimed and jumped up a little when the babies saw him. ¡°Hi, there!¡± The babies giggled at his mock surprise, and he leaned over the crib. ¡°You cute little darlings should be asleep.¡± Dwarf Ren whispered and touched their heads, then rubbed his thumb on their foreheads in slow circles as he poured calmness into them. ¡°Mommy needs her beauty sleep so she can give you all the delicious milk you can drink.¡± They made grabbing motions with their hands and Dwarf Ren chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry, she''ll be all ready for you when you wake up.¡± Dwarf Ren said. ¡°Now, close your eyes.¡± They did so and he filled them with contentment, then he started to sing a lullaby in a soft voice. ¡°Hush, little babies, don''t say a word. I''m gonna buy you a mocking bird.¡± Dwarf Ren sang. ¡°If that mocking bird won''t sing, we''ll cook it in a pie and I''ll give you a ring.¡± Narhilda and the healer exchanged glances at the altered words. ¡°If that diamond ring turns to brass, someone cast a spell on it and I''m gonna kick their ass.¡± Both babies chuckled, and Narhilda covered her mouth to stop from laughing. ¡°Unless their stupid ass gets broke, they''re gonna have to buy you a billy goat.¡± Dwarf Ren sang. ¡°If that billy goat won''t prance, then I''ll pick you up and start to dance.¡± He kept rubbing their foreheads. ¡°When that dance comes to an end, I''ll be sad because I have to pretend.¡± Narhilda''s eyes widened at the next line. ¡°I want to be here with you all the time, but if I do that it''s considered a crime.¡± Dwarf Ren dropped his voice and octave and filled them with love. ¡°If I ever get taken down, don''t worry because you''re still the cutest babies in town.¡± Both babies took deep breaths and finally let sleep claim them. Dwarf Ren felt them drift off to sleep and carefully lifted his hands from their heads and stepped away from the double crib. He turned and noticed that Narhilda was alone in the bed and raised a single eyebrow at her. She smiled warmly and motioned for him to come closer, so he walked around the bed to the other side and leaned over the bed to put his ear in front of her mouth. ¡°I can''t sleep with three babies in the bed.¡± Narhilda whispered and he felt her amusement, so he moved back slightly to put his mouth by her ear and his beard tickled her cheek. ¡°I''m sorry if I caused that to happen.¡± Dwarf Ren whispered to her, then put his ear back in front of her mouth to hear her response. Narhilda responded; but, not how he thought she would. She reached up with her hand and dug her fingers into his beard and held on, then she gave his cheek a kiss. The healer didn''t see this, since she was still beside the bedroom door and Ren''s body blocked Narhilda from view. ¡°Thank you.¡± Narhilda whispered. Dwarf Ren felt that she meant a lot more than just for putting the babies to sleep. He wasn''t sure how much she was thanking him for, though. Narhilda tugged his beard slightly, gave him another kiss on the cheek, then let him go. Dwarf Ren moved back and put his mouth by her ear. ¡°Goodnight.¡± He whispered and put his ear back in front of her mouth. ¡°Good... goodnight.¡± Narhilda breathed.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Dwarf Ren turned his head slightly to give her a kiss on the cheek, then stopped when he felt her shiver slightly. His beard had rubbed across her chin and she really liked that, so instead of kissing her cheek, he moved in only slightly more and just barely pressed his lips to hers for a second. A thrill went down her spine at the brief touch, and Dwarf Ren had enough control this time that he didn''t let his desire spike like he had that morning. The only ones who would know that she had reacted that way to his chaste kiss would be the two of them. Dwarf Ren gave Narhilda a moment to get the shock off of her face, then he stood up and stepped back from the bed. He gave her a regal bow and felt her surprise at the gesture, then he turned around and walked out of the bedroom. The healer closed the bedroom door as softly as she could and followed Dwarf Ren to the apartment door. ¡°What were you talking about?¡± The healer asked. ¡°I was wondering where Barnar was.¡± Dwarf Ren. ¡°I didn''t expect...¡± He smiled. ¡°I hope Barnar isn''t annoying you too much.¡± The healer chuckled. ¡°He''s not too bad most of the time.¡± ¡°And the rest of the time?¡± Dwarf Ren asked with a smile. ¡°I could swear the Queen Mother had three children.¡± Dwarf Ren grinned. ¡°That''s what Nar... the Queen Mother told me, too.¡± The healer nodded slightly because he hadn''t lied like she thought he would and opened the apartment door. ¡°Goodnight.¡± ¡°Goodnight, ma''am.¡± Dwarf Ren said, took her hand and bent over it, and he felt her resignation. He stood up straight and kept a hold of her hand and raised his eyebrows at her. Her face flushed slightly red and her emotions swirled, so he smiled and stepped close to her. He felt that she both wanted and didn''t want it, so he compromised and only gave her a feather-light kiss on the cheek instead of a normal kiss. The healer relaxed, because he hadn''t taken advantage of her like he could have, and still gave her some Honor. Dwarf Ren stepped out of the apartment and the door shut silently behind him. He gave the guards a brief nod and some Honor for not seeing him as an annoyance this time, then he quickly walked down the hallway and checked the All-Seeing Mirror to look into Nathalia''s hospital room. She wasn''t there, so he asked for her bedroom at House Neram next, and she was there with Renardos in her arms. He cast a portal to go there and stepped through. ¡°I just popped in to say goodnight.¡± Dwarf Ren said and dismissed the portal. Nathalia yawned loudly, and he chuckled. ¡°I''m apparently just in time.¡± Nathalia smiled at him. ¡°Where''s the healer?¡± Dwarf Ren asked and stepped to the bed and kissed the top of Renardos'' head. ¡°She''s just grabbing a bite to eat.¡± Nathalia said and yawned again. ¡°I''m really tired.¡± Dwarf Ren looked her over and didn''t see the items he had given her. ¡°They make me feel too good and I can''t tell if I''m recovering properly.¡± Nathalia said. ¡°They boost your healing and give you Regeneration.¡± Dwarf Ren said and caressed her cheek. ¡°I gave them to you so they would help you recover properly.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You can''t sleep wearing them, can you?¡± ¡°No, and I can''t use my ability because if Renardos needs me...¡± Dwarf Ren sighed and leaned in to give her a kiss. ¡°This is the worst part I think.¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± ¡°Being able to do so much and not being able to help you when you need it.¡± Nathalia chuckled. ¡°It''s only a problem that should be easily dealt with, if I can manage to rest for a little while.¡± ¡°Then I''ll stop bothering you and let you get to it.¡± Dwarf Ren said and gave her a kiss on the lips. ¡°Goodnight, My Love.¡± ¡°Good...¡± Nathalia stopped talking and yawned. ¡°...night.¡± Dwarf Ren smiled and touched her cheek once more, then caressed Renardos'' head through his fluffy hair, and checked the All-Seeing Mirror for the caravan. It looked like it had just parked for the night and he looked into the carriage with Artemis. He cast a portal to go there, stored his fancy blue suit and equipped the sash and shorts combo the Pervarians wore, and stepped through. ¡°Hi, Ren.¡± Artemis said as he appeared beside her. ¡°AH!¡± Yuwen gasped and stared at him. ¡°What is that thing on your face?!?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Dwarf Ren reached up and touched the beard. ¡°Oh, right.¡± He said and changed back to his normal form and the beard faded. ¡°Is that better?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°You looked weird with that big fluffy thing hanging off your chin.¡± ¡°I think she means that she''s gotten used to seeing your baby-smooth chin.¡± Teepo said and chittered in laughter. ¡°No, it''s because a mane should be around your head to frame your face and not hang off your chin underneath it.¡± Tiyaphi said. Ren chuckled. ¡°Okay, I can see why that would look weird.¡± There was a knock on the carriage door and Yuwen opened it. ¡°M-my King.¡± The attendant said and knelt on one knee. ¡°It''s good to have you back.¡± ¡°It''s good to be back.¡± Ren said. ¡°Have the camping places been picked out yet?¡± ¡°Y-yes, My King.¡± The attendant said and stood up, and pointed to a spot at the end of the large empty field they were in. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said and dropped the cube there and activated the 5 story tower, then he looked at the women in the carriage. ¡°If you will accompany me, we can get to bed early.¡± The three Pervarian women were excited by this and stood up right away, and Artemis took Ren''s hand. They walked across the large field to the tower and felt everyone''s eyes on them. He opened the door and they went inside, then he took out and activated the Vasalor Statue. ¡°How long can we have?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°Three days.¡± Ren said and looked at each of them. ¡°Just long enough to have one grooming each.¡± ¡°I think you''re spoiling us on purpose.¡± Dilseffa said, then her eyes widened because she had said it out loud. ¡°No, really?¡± Ren asked and grinned at her, and she couldn''t help herself and laughed. ¡°Of course I''m spoiling you.¡± He said and motioned to the stairs, and they all walked up to the top floor of the tower. ¡°Like I told you before, I won''t be known as someone who doesn''t fulfill his obligations.¡± ¡°Is that what we are to you? An obligation?¡± Tiyaphi asked and equipped a see-through teddy and underwear when they entered the bedroom and smiled as she felt his desire spike. Ren chuckled and equipped just a pair of underwear. ¡°No, the obligation is for me to make you the best at what you do, now that you''re mine.¡± ¡°By the way, that''s a self-imposed obligation.¡± Artemis said and equipped a large t-shirt and a tiny pair of underwear. ¡°You all know that he doesn''t have to do anything for you.¡± ¡°We do, and so does everyone else.¡± Yuwen said and put on the tiniest bra and underwear Ren had put in her wardrobe. ¡°I could feel Tatya''s eyes as she stared at us during the rest stops.¡± Dilseffa nodded slightly and equipped the same nightgown that she always wore. ¡°I thought she was going to ask us why we were wearing our adornments; but, she never did.¡± ¡°She probably didn''t want to know.¡± Ren said and climbed onto the bed. ¡°Diseffa, you''re on my right arm tonight.¡± ¡°Why on your right?¡± Dilseffa asked and climbed onto the bed and laid down beside him. ¡°It''s my dominant arm.¡± Ren said and put his arm around her, then pulled her in close and lightly stroked her side. She closed her eyes and sighed happily as he pushed out comforting feelings. ¡°I''ll take the other arm, since I had the legs last time.¡± Yuwen said and laid down on his other side to cuddle in. ¡°Are we rotating on a schedule or something?¡± Tiyaphi asked and laughed as she laid down between his legs. ¡°What about Artemis?¡± ¡°We''re only sleeping for an hour.¡± Artemis said and laid down close by without touching anyone. ¡°I''ll get my turn when you read your sacred books.¡± ¡°But, that takes hours.¡± Dilseffa said, then caught her breath when she realized that Ren and Artemis were alone together for hours at a time. She shivered at the thought and the pleasure they must have shared during all that time, and Ren hugged Dilseffa with the arm he had around her and kissed her cheek. They drifted off to sleep at slightly different times and slept for just over an hour, then Tiyaphi took her turn and groomed Ren as much as she could before she changed. He groomed the only spots on her that he could, her breasts and special place, then they spent the day reading, training, eating, and then went back to bed. Yuwen groomed Ren the next time, and the day repeated with almost the same events, except that this time the training was cut short and they had a fun time as they played Tag. The next day it was Dilseffa''s turn to groom Ren. While the three Mistresses read their stat books, Ren went to the second floor and converted it into a mini-spa for them with a large Jacuzzi in the corner of the room and lounge chairs all around the outer walls. He went back upstairs just as they finished reading, and he brought them and Artemis down to the mini-spa. ¡°Wh-what is this place?¡± They asked at the same time, then laughed at each other. ¡°Adventurers call it a spa.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can soak in the Jacuzzi with powerful Water and Wind jets to massage you, or you can recline on the lounge chairs and just relax.¡± ¡°A jack-what?¡± Tiyaphi asked and walked over to the large Jacuzzi. ¡°It''s filled with swirling water!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and equipped a pair of Speedos, and the three Pervarian women froze at the sight. ¡°Ren, you... you would wear...¡± ¡°I know they''re a little tight.¡± Ren turned around and wiggled his butt at them. ¡°Despite that, they are surprisingly comfortable.¡± He said, then was suddenly surrounded by three kneeling women and felt their hands touch him tenderly. ¡°Can you believe this?¡± Tiyaphi asked as her hand rubbed Ren''s left butt cheek. ¡°He actually goes out in public this exposed!¡± ¡°I knew he was a great fighter; but, for him to boast this much!¡± Yuwen said as she caressed his right butt cheek. ¡°The fabric is so strong and so thin.¡± Dilseffa said and she used both hands to stroke the cloth of the Speedo. Since she was in front, that also stroked Ren. ¡°It barely covers...¡± She stopped talking when he became excited and popped out of the top of the Speedo. Ren stared down at her and she looked up at his face, and she saw that his face was red and felt his embarrassment. Dilseffa smiled at him and let him feel how flattered she was that he reacted like that for her with so brief a touch, then she pulled the Speedo down the rest of the way to expose him completely. Ren didn''t say anything as she started to please him with her mouth, and he didn''t have to. Dilseffa could feel his embarrassment change to gratitude and then to pleasure, as could Tiyaphi, Yuwen, and Artemis. Tiyaphi and Yuwen kept massaging his backside while Dilseffa worked him over, and Artemis floated up into the air so she wouldn''t crowd the women on their knees around him. Artemis floated in close and started to kiss Ren on the lips and hugged him. He kissed her back and his hands reached down to pet Tiyaphi and Yuwen on the tops of their heads. With all of their attention on him, it didn''t take long for Ren to finish. When he did, he stopped kissing Artemis and looked down at Dilseffa, to see that she hadn''t changed into her anthropomorphic form like she always did when trying to please him. ¡°Dilseffa.¡± Ren said, and she felt his wonder. ¡°Ren.¡± Dilseffa said as she stood up, and he felt her resolve. ¡°You held it off.¡± Ren said and reached up to rub her cheeks with his fingertips. ¡°I''m so proud of you.¡± ¡°I... I know.¡± Dilseffa said and closed her eyes as his emotions flowed over her. ¡°We''ll work harder at it, too.¡± Yuwen promised. ¡°Won''t we, Tiyaphi?¡± ¡°As much as we can.¡± Tiyaphi said with a crooked smile, and Ren felt what they meant. ¡°Um... wait. We''re supposed to relax.¡± Ren said and tried to step back. They held him tightly and he couldn''t move without potentially hurting them. ¡°We have you now.¡± Yuwen said and chuckled, and her hand squeezed his butt cheek. ¡°I could order you to let me go.¡± Ren said, futilely. ¡°You could also stand here like a man and let us practice.¡± Tiyaphi said. Ren felt that their resolve was almost as strong as Dilseffa''s. ¡°All right.¡± He said. ¡°At the first sign of changing...¡± ¡°We know the rules.¡± Yuwen said and moved from kneeling at his side to kneel in front. Dilseffa touched Ren''s face briefly, then walked over to the Jacuzzi and climbed in. Artemis floated over there as well and they both sank into the water and relaxed. Unfortunately, neither Yuwen''s nor Tiyaphi''s resolve was good enough to stop them from shifting after they had barely started to please him. Their own excitement over doing that to him was a bit too much for them to hold back. ¡°We''ll get it right one of these days!¡± Yuwen exclaimed as she and Tiyaphi stood up. ¡°We can go and relax now.¡± I''m feeling a little used. Ren thought in amusement as the two women walked over to the Jacuzzi. ¡°Yeah, because they didn''t even try to finish you off and just stopped.¡± Teepo said in the voice only Ren could hear and chittered in laughter. Ren walked over to the Jacuzzi and Artemis floated up and out of the water to give him a hug, then while the others were distracted by the swirling and churning water massage in the tub, she took care of Ren''s needs. They all managed to relax that afternoon in the spa and enjoyed the rest of the day together, then Ren had to go on Adventurer''s business. He deactivated and stored the Vasalor Statue and laid down in the middle of the bed. The three Pervarians and Artemis cuddled around him. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± Ren said and relaxed. ¡°Logout.¡± Chapter 773 - A Quick Morning ¡°Good morning.¡± Denise said as Ren took off the VR headset and she took it from him. ¡°I should have gone to bed earlier and gotten some actual sleep.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I mistimed the days inside the tower, though.¡± Denise laughed. ¡°It''s bad enough that you''re playing the game in accelerated time and can get 4 days and nights for every real time day, then you go and accelerate it so much more while inside.¡± ¡°It''s the only way I can visit everyone.¡± Ren said. ¡°You''re not going to try and pare them down, are you?¡± ¡°I can''t. Not really.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not without hurting someone''s feelings.¡± ¡°You mean yours, don''t you?¡± Denise asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and sighed. ¡°I''m such a sucker.¡± ¡°Ren.¡± Denise leaned over the bed and he looked up at her. ¡°You''re not a sucker for having such a big heart.¡± Ren reached up and stroked her cheek. ¡°Did you do something different with your hair today?¡± Denise chuckled. ¡°That was a horrible attempt at changing the subject.¡± ¡°Did it work?¡± Ren asked with a smile. ¡°If you wanted to distract me, yes.¡± Denise said and gave him a kiss. ¡°Time for breakfast.¡± Barbara said as she came into the room with a small tray. ¡°Oh? No one else is around?¡± Ren asked as Barbara put the tray on the rollaway table and pushed it over to the bed. ¡°They''re all busy.¡± Barbara said. ¡°What a mess all of that stuff stirred up yesterday!¡± ¡°Yeah, Barbi filled me in on a lot of it last night.¡± Ren said and looked at the empty bed beside him. ¡°She''s busy, too?¡± Denise helped him sit up so he could eat. ¡°Both she and Elise have been working hard.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ren asked and poured the glass of milk over his bowl of fruity loops. ¡°What did she have to do all night?¡± ¡°Her job, apparently.¡± Barbara said with a chuckle. ¡°There''s been tons of phone messages.¡± Ren thought about that as he ate. ¡°I suppose handling message traffic would fall under public relations.¡± ¡°She believed so.¡± Barbara said. ¡°She practically ran to the office when I told her the voicemail was almost full.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Ren finished eating and took a drink of his supplement as he sat back and relaxed. ¡°I wonder what kind of messages they are?¡± ¡°She didn''t say when I saw her in the kitchen with Elise earlier.¡± Ren widened his eyes. ¡°Elise stayed up all night too, didn''t she?¡± ¡°She did.¡± Ren sighed. ¡°I swear, sometimes that woman needs more looking after than I do.¡± ¡°Do I?¡± Elise said as she walked into the room. ¡°Yes. Just look at you.¡± Ren said and saw that she wore a rumpled skirt and her blouse wasn''t even tucked in. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I was jumping around and celebrating.¡± Elise said with a huge smile and came over to the bed. ¡°Why? Did you manage to buy some of those companies?¡± ¡°No, I didn''t.¡± Elise said. ¡°We did.¡± Ren''s eyes widened. ¡°Wh-what?¡± He said in surprise. ¡°I didn''t have enough capital on my own, and I knew I would have to be selective in which companies to target. I wasn''t happy about that, then I realized I was your financial advisor.¡± ¡°Elise, what did you do?¡± ¡°I invested heavily into Haddon Enterprises, of course.¡± Elise said with a huge smile. ¡°Once our assets were compiled into a single powerful entity, we gained access to huge lines of credit.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°Elise, why...¡± ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Elise said. ¡°I know what I''m doing.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°I''ve already paid off the creditors.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± Ren yelled. ¡°I told you not to worry.¡± Elise said. ¡°With an almost unlimited amount of capital at my disposal, I swooped in and gobbled up all those companies before they knew what had hit them!¡± She grinned. ¡°Now their capital is our capital, and the revenue they generate is... quite substantial.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Ren said. ¡°Once the stock market opened here this morning, the paperwork on the overnight trades went through, and all those companies whose stock had plummeted yesterday and last night because of your news story, became ours with little more than a whimper.¡± Elise chuckled. ¡°Of course, once I had the confirmation, I had Barbi issue a press release saying that through these financial troubles, Haddon Enterprises felt bad for those companies and their employees, and has bailed them out and saved their jobs.¡± Ren stared at her. ¡°Elise, you...¡± ¡°I''m amazing, I know.¡± Elise joked and laughed. ¡°Now that I''ve consolidated your financial empire into a new technological juggernaut, I need a shower and about 12 hours of sleep!¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°If you pop into the game, you can sleep all day and only lose 3 hours here.¡± Elise shook her head. ¡°I can''t relax enough and fall asleep there, unfortunately.¡± ¡°It does take some getting used to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t start doing it myself until...¡± ¡°I''ve been trying to.¡± Elise said. ¡°My mind isn''t as resilient as yours and I can''t do it.¡± Ren thought about arguing, then nodded instead. ¡°Go grab a shower and I''ll cuddle you to sleep.¡± ¡°That sounds wonderful.¡± Elise said and gave him a kiss, went to the closet to grab a change of clothes, then went to the bathroom. ¡°Good lord.¡± Barbara said. ¡°I knew she was a financial whiz...¡± ¡°She did all of that in only a few hours.¡± Ren said, his voice full of wonder. ¡°What channel does the stock market show on?¡± ¡°If she and Barbi did put out a press release, it should be on any news channel.¡± Denise said and picked up the remote, then changed the channel several times and stopped when she saw the news. ¡°Here we go.¡± ** ¡°That was our ''on the scene'' reporter with news about the rash of burglaries in the suburbs.¡± The man said. ¡°Who would have thought that the dastardly culprit was a raccoon? Right, Candi?¡± ¡°Right, Hank.¡± Candi said. ¡°The little thief has stolen his last pair of underwear and is on his way to the national park in the next state.¡± Hank chuckled. ¡°It''s fitting that he looks like he''s wearing a mask.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yes, and now he''s their problem.¡± Candi laughed for a moment, then took a shallow breath. ¡°In more serious news, the financial scene was rocked by controversy yesterday as stock prices for various technology companies dropped significantly.¡± A graph with illegible numbers appeared over her shoulder. ¡°It was all thanks to a news story that exposed those tech companies to ridicule and accusations of child endangerment, and from benefiting from experimentation on that child.¡± Candi said and sighed. ¡°The owners of those companies lost millions of dollars as their stocks tanked, since the evidence itself couldn''t be refuted, and our sources confirmed that not only were court cases held with these companies; but, they also received summary judgments against them. I can only imagine what their employees must be going though, knowing their company was involved in such a scandalous...¡± There was a bit of a ruckus off-screen while she talked, then she was handed a piece of paper. Candi finished what she was saying and glanced at the paper. You could see the surprise on her face, then she smoothed it out and looked back at the camera. ¡°In a surprising turn of events, a company has apparently stepped forward on behalf of those employees and purchased those companies.¡± Candi said, and she couldn''t hide the surprise in her voice. ¡°In concern for the futures of those workers...¡± She stopped talking and read the copy again. ¡°...Haddon Enterprises has explicitly stated that they won''t break up or sell off the assets they just acquired and will ensure employees don''t lose their jobs during this transition period.¡± ** ¡°Wow, it''s really true.¡± Barbara said as Candi thanked the owners of Haddon Enterprises for putting the needs of the employees over that of their own potentially immense financial gains. ¡°This is amazing!¡± Ren exclaimed, and Denise and Barbara looked at him. ¡°Don''t you understand what that statement means?¡± Both women thought they did, and Ren chuckled. ¡°Elise can clear out all the executives from every company and not affect the employees at all!¡± ¡°But... aren''t...¡± ¡°Executives run the company! Employees work for the company!¡± Ren said happily. ¡°Oh, that''s sneaky.¡± Denise said and turned down the volume on the television. ¡°I hope it doesn''t backfire.¡± ¡°It won''t.¡± Ren said with a grin. ¡°If I know anything about executives, they are brash, arrogant, and lord their power over the employees.¡± He chuckled. ¡°The employees are going to be overjoyed about being rid of them!¡± ¡°That''s so true.¡± Barbi said, and they looked over at her. She stood in the bedroom doorway and leaned against the door frame. ¡°Especially if we promote some of the long-time employees to those executive positions.¡± ¡°Which kills two birds with one stone.¡± Elise said as she stepped out of the bathroom in an over-sized t-shirt and dried her hair with a towel. ¡°It gets rid of the deadwood that bogs a company down and also opens up the executive track for the other employees and makes them happy.¡± ¡°You did great work last night.¡± Ren complimented her. Elise tossed the wet towel into the clothes hamper in the bathroom. ¡°It was also exhausting.¡± She said and came over to the bed and climbed onto it, then laid down beside Ren. ¡°I''m fighting to... keep my eyes open.¡± ¡°Then stop fighting.¡± Ren said and leaned in to give her a kiss on the lips. ¡°Snuggle in and rest.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Elise said and slid closer, then she turned onto her side and put her head on his pillow and draped her arm across his chest, careful of his injuries. ¡°Ren, I...¡± She sighed. ¡°I''m glad you''re not angry.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°About me using your money... without permission.¡± Elise said and yawned. ¡°Elise, you helped me get that money and you''re my financial advisor.¡± Ren said in a whisper. ¡°You didn''t need to ask.¡± ¡°I... I love you.¡± Elise whispered and closed her eyes. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Ren gave her another kiss and she drifted off to sleep. Barbara cleaned up the rollaway table and picked up the tray and empty dishes. Denise sat down beside the bed and changed the channel on the television to try and find something to watch. Barbi stepped into the bedroom and out of Barbara''s way when she left with the dishes, then noticed Ren wave to her. Barbi walked over to the bed and looked at him, and he pat the side of the bed. Barbi shook her head and mimed sleeping in the other room. Ren did the same thing and pointed to his free arm. She smiled and thought about saying no, then shrugged and carefully climbed onto the bed. She snuggled down like Elise had and rested her head on Ren''s pillow, and he put his arm around her. She thought he was going to stop there, then he surprised her by giving her a kiss on the lips. Ren smiled and took in a shallow breath, let it out, then closed his eyes. He was more tired than he thought he was, because he drifted off to sleep without realizing it. Barbi felt the tension leave his arm and she looked at his peaceful face, then she closed her own eyes and relaxed. * ¡°I''ve never heard of this Haddon Enterprises before.¡± A man''s angry voice cut through the quiet boardroom. ¡°What are we going to do about this?¡± ¡°There''s nothing we can do.¡± Another man said. ¡°Even if we could somehow raise enough capital to buy back the controlling stock, I sincerely doubt they would sell it to us.¡± ¡°Not at the recovered price, anyway.¡± Another man said. ¡°Why the hell did the stock jump back up so quickly after bottoming out?¡± ¡°After buying up the reduced stock for almost nothing, they announced that they wouldn''t be breaking the company up or selling off the assets.¡± The man at the head of the table said. ¡°What about the employees?¡± Another asked. ¡°They said the employees wouldn''t lose their jobs during the transition between owners.¡± The man at the head of the table responded. ¡°The bastards.¡± ¡°Why say that? We get to keep our jobs, don''t we?¡± ¡°If you bought out this company, would you keep any of the old executives on the payroll?¡± The man beside him asked, and he sighed. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then there''s your answer.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°They didn''t say ''executives and employees'', did they?¡± The man at the head of the table said and folded his hands as he rested his elbows on the table. ¡°What I want to know is how many of you sold your stock to try and recoup your losses before everything tanked.¡± No one moved or said anything, and the man sighed. ¡°Almost all of you, then.¡± He said and sat back in his chair. ¡°Unlike you, I kept my shares and didn''t panic over one fluctuation in the market.¡± ¡°We were losing millions!¡± Someone''s voice blurted out and everyone looked at him. ¡°Yes, I admit it.¡± He said. ¡°I have always had confidence in this company, and I''ve been here through the growing pains and some of the rough patches; but, when I saw that story, I knew it was going to be trouble.¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, I knew it was going to be a disaster. I waited to see if things would blow over, then the details of that boy''s predicament were released and I took a financial hit so massive that my accountant called me in a screaming rage and wanted me to sell everything.¡± ¡°You did.¡± Someone else said. ¡°I had to.¡± He said and sighed. ¡°I dumped everything I had in my portfolio to try and cover my losses.¡± The man at the head of the table chuckled. ¡°That''s exactly why this new company called Haddon Enterprises took control so easily.¡± He said. ¡°That one story created the perfect opportunity for them to make a clean sweep of us.¡± ¡°You don''t just mean our company, do you?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± The man at the head of the table said and pointed to the only man to admit what he did. ¡°All the related companies in similar fields to ours had all of their stocks drop and be offloaded.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± One of them said. ¡°That means...¡± ¡°So, you understand.¡± The man at the head of the table said. ¡°Technology companies that have been competing on the open market, beating each other up and fighting tooth and nail to try and get a bigger share of the public''s spending capital, are now all owned by the same head company.¡± No one spoke for several minutes as that realization set in. ¡°Our revenue stream was significant for each quarter, mainly because we were targeting a niche market.¡± The man at the head of the table said. ¡°Now imagine all of that spending power is multiplied by a dozen or so specialized tech companies similar to ours, with all of it being available to just one company that runs it all.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Someone said. ¡°They... they would be...¡± ¡°...an unstoppable juggernaut.¡± The man at the head of the table finished the sentence and sighed. * Denise let Ren sleep and stayed at his bedside almost right up until lunchtime, then she left the bedroom to make lunch for everyone. She was surprised that she wasn''t annoyed at all because she had to make much bigger meals so that everyone could eat. She knew she didn''t have to, since everyone was a grown adult and could feed themselves when they wanted to; but, she also knew it saved them from having to do it themselves and they appreciated it. Denise had just finished the food when Donald came in through the back door. ¡°Just in time.¡± She said and pointed to a plate of food that she had made for him. ¡°You''re spoiling me.¡± Donald said and sat down at the kitchen counter. ¡°You''ve always got something for me when I come over.¡± Denise chuckled and put the food on the serving cart and added juice, coffee, soda pop, and several small bowls of sliced peaches and cream for dessert. ¡°I think that''s why you come over so much.¡± Donald barked a laugh. ¡°Damn, you caught me.¡± Denise laughed and pushed the cart to the elevator and went inside, took it up to the second floor, and pushed the cart into Ren''s bedroom. Almost as if he could smell the food, Ren started to stir. Denise went over to the bed and put a hand on each of his hands to stop him from moving too much, and he opened his eyes. ¡°Shh.¡± Denise whispered and she nodded to Barbi and Elise on either side of him. Ren looked at both women and saw they were still asleep, then noticed Denise held his hands still. He smiled at her and nodded slightly, so she let his hands go and picked up a plate of food. He widened his eyes as Denise leaned over Barbi and used a spoon to feed him. He ate the whole plate of food that way, with Denise giving him a drink of his supplement occasionally, and then she picked up a bowl of dessert. Ren shook his head no, and she used a fork to spear a slice of peach, then she held it up. He shook his head again, and she very slowly slid the end of it into her mouth. The symbolism was not lost on Ren, and he grew excited as Denise sucked the slice of peach in and swallowed, then some of the cream rolled down the side of her mouth to her chin. She tried to lick it with her tongue, then used a finger to wipe at it and sucked on her finger. ¡°Good god.¡± Ren whispered softly, and Denise speared another slice of peach. ¡°Mmm.¡± Barbi moaned and took a deep breath, and smelled the food. ¡°Hm?¡± She opened her eyes and looked at Ren. ¡°What time is it?¡± Barbi asked. ¡°Shh. It''s almost noon.¡± Denise whispered and put down the dish of peaches and cream. ¡°Already?¡± Barbi asked and wiped her eyes with a hand. ¡°I just closed my eyes.¡± ¡°Go back to sleep.¡± Ren whispered. ¡°You can eat later.¡± ¡°M''kay.¡± Barbi said and kissed him on the lips, closed her eyes and sighed, then was back to sleep like she hadn''t woken up at all. Ren and Denise exchanged glances and smiled at each other, then Ren nodded at the VR headset. She picked it up and helped him put it on, then he spoke the login command in as low of a voice as he could. ¡°Flow Login Start.¡± Ren whispered, only slightly more than an exhale, and it worked because the game started and his body went limp. Chapter 774 - Lonely Hearts Club Ren woke up with 4 women using him as a snuggle pillow and he felt both appreciation for them and their appreciation for him in return. Of course, they felt his emotions become coherent and it woke them up. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ren said. ¡°Ugh.¡± Yuwen grunted and ducked her face down onto his arm and held on tightly. ¡°I don''t want to get up yet.¡± ¡°We need to get ready and go with the caravan.¡± Ren reminded her, and she sighed. ¡°Whose turn is it to groom you?¡± Tiyaphi asked. ¡°I''d like a turn.¡± Artemis said, and the three Pervarian women lifted their heads to look at her. ¡°I''ve seen it done half a dozen times now, so I''m sure I can do it right.¡± She felt their doubt and gave them a little wave of her hand to shoo them back. Tiyaphi, Yuwen and Dilseffa sat up and let Ren go, then Artemis moved over on the bed and looked at them. ¡°If I have any trouble, I''ll ask for help.¡± Artemis said. When she felt agreement from them, she started to groom Ren just like they had each morning. She started at his feet and worked her way up his legs, skipped over his crotch, then groomed the rest of him and ended at his forehead. Ren had a huge smile on his face, because he could clearly feel that the Pervarians were disgruntled that Artemis hadn''t messed up or needed their help. Artemis kissed him on the lips, then moved back down to the only spot she hadn''t groomed, and pulled his underwear down. She glanced at the other women and sat back as she nodded, and they practically jumped onto Ren and started licking him. ¡°Oh, god.¡± Ren moaned as Tiyaphi, Yuwen and Dilseffa licked and sucked on him. One was on each side and one concentrated on the tip. After only a couple of minutes, he was close. ¡°Oh, damn!¡± Yuwen said and leaned back as she changed. ¡°I was so close!¡± Tiyaphi chuckled and kept licking the side while Dilseffa swirled her tongue around the tip. She moved off and licked down the side Yuwen had been on, and Tiyaphi moved up to concentrate on the tip. When she tried to slip it into her mouth, she shivered and quickly backed off. ¡°Dammit.¡± Tiyaphi said as fur flowed over her. Dilseffa laughed at winning their little contest, which made her lose her concentration and she changed, too. ¡°Oops.¡± She said as her teeth grew out, which stopped her from being able to lick him effectively. That made Tiyaphi and Yuwen laugh at her for both winning and losing barely seconds apart. ¡°My turn.¡± Artemis said and quickly plunged her mouth down onto him several times. ¡°Artemis!¡± Ren exclaimed and she moved off and used her hand instead. He had been excited a lot in the real world because of Denise teasing him, so he was a little backed up. When he finished, it was spectacular, to say the least. Even Artemis was surprised because she hadn''t seen him go so much before, and she, Tiyaphi, Yuwen and Dilseffa watched with wide eyes as he made a huge mess. ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Dilseffa said and her rabbit paw-like hand touched some of it. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Artemis said and waved at Ren. Dilseffa licked her paw. ¡°Mmm.¡± She said and leaned in and started to clean the mess up from the source. ¡°Us, too!¡± Yuwen said and started to lick one side of his abdomen, since licking his skin with her rough tongue was okay. Tiyaphi laid down and started on the other side. ¡°So good.¡± She said and purred as she lapped at his skin like a cat with a saucer of milk. Ren squirmed at the sensations of having them clean him up like that, and Artemis moved up to the head of the bed and kissed him to help distract him. The mess was cleaned up less than a minute later, and they all sat up and stared at each other. ¡°Did... did we just...¡± Tiyaphi took a deep breath and let it out, then slowly shifted back to her human form. Yuwen was next to change and she rubbed her hand over Ren''s abdomen. ¡°What kind of magic was that?¡± ¡°The best kind.¡± Ren said and sat up. ¡°You all helped me a lot just now.¡± ¡°We helped you?¡± Dilseffa asked, surprised. She had cleaned him off before and wasn''t sure why this time was different. Her ears reduced in size as she changed back to her human form. ¡°You really did.¡± Ren said and turned to Yuwen. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and gave her a kiss on the lips. It startled her, because it was the first kiss she had gotten from him since their acceptance ritual. Ren knew this of course, and he turned to Dilseffa next. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and gave her a kiss as well. Dilseffa was just as startled, even after she just saw him kiss Yuwen. Ren held in his amusement as he turned to Tiyaphi. ¡°Thank you.¡± Unlike the other two, she was more than eager for it. When he kissed her, she put her arms around him and kissed him back enthusiastically. She started to purr and wiggled her backside happily as if she still had her tail out. That made Artemis chuckle and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°We... um... should get changed.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°The caravan is...¡± Tiyaphi broke the kiss and sighed. ¡°Thanks for killing the mood, Dilseffa.¡± ¡°I... we... need to go.¡± Dilseffa said with a slightly red face. ¡°He willingly kissed us.¡± Tiyaphi said, slightly exasperated. ¡°The caravan... hell, the whole world... can wait until we''re done!¡± Ren laughed at that, and touched her cheek. ¡°It''s okay.¡± He said. ¡°That might have been the first kiss I''ve given to you since the ritual; but, it won''t be the last.¡± ¡°Do you mean that?¡± Tiyaphi asked. ¡°I do.¡± Ren said and gave her a brief kiss. ¡°See? That''s another one.¡± Tiyaphi smiled. ¡°It wasn''t as good as the last one.¡± ¡°We don''t have time to kiss like that until later.¡± Ren smiled back and equipped his sash and shorts combo. ¡°We really should get going.¡± Tiyaphi nodded and equipped her medical professional uniform and the adornments Ren had given her, then Yuwen and Dilseffa equipped their delegate uniforms and the things Ren gave them, too. Artemis equipped the same dress she had on yesterday and they all went down the stairs and left the tower. Ren deactivated it and stored it, then noticed that the attendants were working hard to get everything packed up. Unlike the last time, Ren couldn''t store the items and transfer them to the storage crates on the carriages. They were only half-packed and there was no way to get them stored without damaging them or losing something, so he, Artemis, and the three Mistresses walked over to the second carriage. ¡°You missed breakfast, My King.¡± The attendant for the first carriage said as he helped the cooks pack up. He had switched carriages with the second carriage''s attendant so he could stay closer to Ren.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°I''ll make up for it at lunchtime.¡± Ren said. ¡°Will the wait be much longer?¡± ¡°Only a few minutes.¡± The attendant said. ¡°We''re almost done.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren said and turned to ask Tiyaphi about the next leg of the trip, and he felt someone''s attention focus on him. He turned another half turn to watch Tatya as she approached. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± Tatya said and stopped 5 feet away. ¡°The prisoners have asked for fresh air and to see the scenery of their homeland.¡± ¡°Did they also ask for pardons or to be released on their honor?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Th-they did, actually.¡± Tatya said, surprised that he had guessed correctly. ¡°That''s a basic tactic for escaping.¡± Ren said. ¡°You ask for something outrageous that you know will be denied, then you ask for something reasonable.¡± He explained. ¡°They know the restrictions will relax on them if some of their demands are met, and it gives them more opportunities to get away.¡± ¡°They wouldn''t try to escape, not in the middle of a caravan.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°They do know what they face when we reach the capital, don''t they?¡± Ren asked, and everyone went quiet. ¡°Of course they do. If Rimsoh sticks with his excuses, he doesn''t think he deserves punishment for it, so he''s going to try and escape.¡± ¡°Will you give them fresh air and let them see out?¡± Tatya asked to get them back onto the right topic. ¡°Are you asking as the head of the delegation or as my friend?¡± Ren asked. Tatya took a breath and let it out. ¡°I should ask on my authority as the head of the delegation.¡± ¡°I sense a ''but'' there.¡± Ren said and smiled as he absorbed all of Rimsoh''s Mana. ¡°I want to ask as your friend.¡± Tatya said as she stepped close and put a hand on his arm. ¡°Please.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ren said and snapped his fingers for dramatic effect, even though he didn''t have to do that to remove the reflective magical barrier. ¡°Hey! I can see out!¡± Mires exclaimed from the nearby first carriage, and then a hand came out through one of the open windows. ¡°It''s not an illusion! The window is open!¡± ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± Tatya said and gave his arm a squeeze. ¡°I''ll post a guard on the carriage to keep an eye on them.¡± ¡°That''s not necessary.¡± Ren said. ¡°The shackles are unbreakable and secured to the carriage. They won''t get out.¡± ¡°But... you said...¡± ¡°I said they would try to escape with the new opportunities, not that they would.¡± Ren grinned at her and she chuckled. ¡°We''re all packed up!¡± The attendant said excitedly and closed the storage crate on the second carriage. Ren glanced at his Mistresses and Artemis. ¡°I guess we should climb aboard.¡± He said and turned back to Tatya. ¡°I''ll see you at the next rest stop.¡± ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Tatya said and let his arm go, then walked over to her carriage and climbed in with Kenkoth and Beholo the healer. ¡°This way, Ladies.¡± Ren said, opened the second carriage''s door, and helped Artemis climb inside. He then helped Yuwen, Dilseffa and Tiyaphi in and climbed in himself. They didn''t try and cuddle him when he sat down, however. The incident with Rimsoh apparently had some lasting effects that he hadn''t anticipated. ¡°Are you going to make the rounds this morning?¡± Artemis asked. ¡°No.¡± Ren said. ¡°I kind of pushed my luck yesterday when I visited everyone twice in one day.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I''m sure they wouldn''t mind seeing me again; but, why take the chance that they might not?¡± ¡°Yes, that''s a horrible chance to take.¡± Teepo said sarcastically and chittered in laughter, and everyone else laughed, too. They all shared a companionable silence while the caravan pulled out of the rest stop and travelled for a while, then Ren felt worry from his Mistresses. ¡°Ren, shouldn''t you be getting ready to leave?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°Should I?¡± Ren asked. ¡°This is around the same time you left yesterday.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°I might just take the day off from seeing my daughter in the Fire Realm.¡± Ren said and felt hope spring from the three of them, then he smiled as he looked at Dilseffa. ¡°If someone were to ask me nicely, that is.¡± Both Yuwen and Tiyaphi put a hand behind Dilseffa and pushed, and she gave that little yip of surprise as she was pretty much catapulted across the carriage. Ren held in his laugh and easily caught her, turned her around to sit her across his lap, and put his arms around her. ¡°Hello, my cute little bunny.¡± Ren said as he hugged her close and kissed her cheek. ¡°H-h-hi.¡± Dilseffa said, her face was red and she was completely flustered. ¡°Is there something you want to ask me?¡± Dilseffa bit her bottom lip and stared with really wide eyes at his face. ¡°R-Ren, would... would you...¡± ¡°Of course I will.¡± Ren said and beamed a smile at her. ¡°Thank you for asking.¡± Artemis shook her head with a huge smile on her face. ¡°You''re such a tease.¡± Yuwen and Tiyaphi chuckled while Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°You were going to stay anyway, weren''t you?¡± Dilseffa asked as she felt his emotions. ¡°Maybe.¡± Ren said and gave her a crooked smile. ¡°Then why...¡± ¡°To tease you, obviously.¡± Ren said in a seductive voice and snuggled into her neck and kissed it. ¡°I can''t let you know how eager I am to spend more time with you.¡± He said and let out some of his repressed desire for her. ¡°You... you...¡± Dilseffa closed her eyes and shivered as his desire flowed over her. She had a difficult time trying to form words to express herself. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°I can''t describe how much I want to run my hands all over you.¡± Ren said and kissed her neck again as he moved his hands slightly up her body and almost touched her chest, then he sighed and moved his hands back down. ¡°You''re my bunny and I want you.¡± Dilseffa shivered again and opened her eyes to look at him. ¡°I... I want you, too.¡± She admitted. Ren felt a similar desire from her and kissed her neck several times as he nuzzled it, then he stopped and sat up straight. ¡°Unfortunately, we need to wait.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Dilseffa asked as she put her arms around his neck. She leaned in close and surprised herself when she boldly gave him a kiss on the lips. ¡°I really should meet your family first.¡± Ren said, and she caught her breath. ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°You''re taking me home when we stop at the capital, aren''t you?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°After I assess the situation there, then we can get down to business.¡± ¡°Business? What business?¡± Dilseffa asked, slightly confused. ¡°Potentially taking what we have between us up to the next level.¡± Ren said. ¡°The next level.¡± Dilseffa whispered. ¡°Does... does that mean...¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Ren said and gave her another crooked smile. ¡°Ren, I... I''ve only...¡± ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said and held her tenderly. ¡°Like I''ve been saying, you don''t have to do anything that you don''t want to.¡± He used a hand to rub her back. ¡°You''re my Mistress. If you''re okay with being with someone who''s not a member of the beast races, I would be honored if you want to try.¡± Dilseffa thought about it seriously, because the matter deserved to be considered seriously. Ren hadn''t flooded her with emotions or distracted her with caresses or kisses while she thought about it. It took her several minutes to come to a decision, and he felt her resolve and a strong will. ¡°You haven''t been doing anything or encouraging me to do anything that I didn''t want to do, and I''ve felt your honesty and sincerity the entire time I''ve been near you.¡± Dilseffa said and put a hand over her heart. ¡°Having your mark so close to my heart shows me that you care about me, even if I can''t ever be a significant presence in your life.¡± ¡°Dilseffa...¡± ¡°Please, let me finish.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°I''ve been... someone''s... secret lover for a long time.¡± She said. ¡°Everything has always been behind the scenes and hidden. I''ve never had a real relationship where someone could hold my hand or...¡± She sighed. ¡°What we are doing right now has never happened to me before.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ren asked, surprised. ¡°He... he never held you in his arms like this? Ever?¡± Dilseffa shook her head. ¡°We couldn''t afford to have our relationship become known.¡± She chuckled. ¡°We had no clue that everyone already knew.¡± ¡°You were trying so hard to keep it a secret and covering your tracks, that it gave you away.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°We didn''t say anything because all it would do is embarrass you.¡± Dilseffa nodded to her and gave her Respect. ¡°It would have.¡± She said and looked back at Ren. ¡°Needless to say, all the attention you''ve been giving me has been...¡± ¡°You don''t have to keep explaining.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°You''ve shaken up my whole life.¡± She said and gave him a brief kiss on the lips, and it felt more natural than it did only moments before. ¡°With you being so nice and caring about me and my feelings, even though I''m only your concubine, I...¡± She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on his. ¡°I''m very grateful to have you in my life.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°Being around you and not feeling judged has been such a relief.¡± ¡°Even if the rumors that had been spread about you had been true, I still wouldn''t have judged you.¡± Ren said honestly. Yuwen closed her eyes and basked in the truth of his words. ¡°I''m so glad.¡± ¡°Unlike them, I''ve had a pretty unremarkable life.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°Except for being the way I am, that is.¡± ¡°You know I don''t see that as a deficiency.¡± Ren said, and she nodded slightly. ¡°You might sometimes be a little hairier than I''m used to...¡± He teased and Tiyaphi chuckled. ¡°...but, having a tail I can play with, more than makes up for that.¡± ¡°I''m glad you think so.¡± Tiyaphi said and purred a little as she felt how much he liked her tail. They fell into companionable silence again for a while as they looked out the windows at the countryside, then Dilseffa decided that she couldn''t sit on Ren''s lap like she was, with her arms around his neck and him holding her so tenderly, and not do anything. Ren felt the change in her emotions and he was about to ask her what she was thinking when she kissed him. It wasn''t chaste or brief like the others had been, and since he always enjoyed a good kiss, he kissed her back enthusiastically and caressed her back at the same time. Neither Tiyaphi nor Yuwen were envious or felt jealousy that Ren and Dilseffa were making out, since they could feel how much Dilseffa needed and wanted it. Plus, unlike her, the both of them had experienced enjoying a public relationship before and couldn''t begrudge her finally having one of her own, even if it couldn''t be a normal one. Tiyaphi and Yuwen exchanged looks because they had similar thoughts. The relationships we had before now weren''t really normal, either. They both thought and smiled. Chapter 775 - Cuddling Confessions The make-out session between Ren and Dilseffa went on for quite some time. It didn''t look like it was coming to an end anytime soon, then Dilseffa started to chuckle. That made it harder for her to keep her lips in the right kissing position. When she started messing up and the kisses became really sloppy, she started laughing. Ren broke the kiss with a bark of laughter. ¡°Ha! For some reason, I think you''re enjoying this!¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Dilseffa laughed and put her head on his shoulder and hugged him tightly. After a few moments, Ren thought he felt a tear on his neck, so he slid his hands up her back and tucked his head into her neck. He pressed his lips to her skin and held them there for an extra long kiss, then moved slightly and did it again. Dilseffa took several deep breaths to calm down. ¡°Ren, thank you.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Now I know how Tee-one feels when I thank him for helping me.¡± ¡°He''s your Dedicated Servant Crafter, isn''t he?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°Yes, and now I realize how... superfluous it is... to thank him for doing what he really wants to do.¡± Ren said as he lifted his head from her shoulder and leaned back slightly to look at her, and she lifted her head and looked at him. Dilseffa''s eyes were wide because she understood what he meant. ¡°I''m... I''m you and you''re him.¡± Ren smiled and nodded. ¡°You''re letting me hold and snuggle you, and that''s more than enough thanks for me.¡± He said and gave her a kiss on the lips. ¡°I appreciate it and I''m very flattered that you let me.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Dilseffa almost sobbed and kissed him hard, and they stayed that way for several moments, then she broke the kiss. ¡°When my mother finds out...¡± She took another breath and let it out. ¡°I think my mother is really going to like you.¡± ¡°Even though I''m not one of you?¡± ¡°Even though.¡± Dilseffa said, then gave him a feather light kiss as an apology for the hard one she had just given him. ¡°Aww.¡± Tiyaphi and Yuwen said together, then they laughed. ¡°We''re trying to have a tender and intimate moment here.¡± Ren said to them; but, they could feel his teasing emotions. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Yuwen said with a grin. ¡°I hope you don''t expect to go and meet my family.¡± ¡°What if I do?¡± Ren asked, curious. ¡°I don''t need their permission to accept you into my life.¡± Yuwen said, confidently. ¡°It would be nice if they like you, that much is true; but, they don''t have any say in who I choose to be with.¡± They all looked at Tiyaphi, and she laughed. ¡°My mother is going to be absolutely thrilled to hear that I have an Inamorato.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°My father, though...¡± She smiled. ¡°He might sign everything over to you right away.¡± ¡°Ha ha! Can you imagine that?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°You walk in the door and they get one look at Ren...¡± ¡°...and all the paperwork is instantly produced and signed over.¡± Tiyaphi laughed. ¡°That could be both good and bad.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°It would be good that your families would accept him right away; but, it would be bad that they would absolve themselves of all of their family concerns so easily.¡± ¡°It would definitely be a relief for my father.¡± Yuwen joked. ¡°He''s always been an explorer and hates that he has to stay home and care for the land.¡± ¡°I''m surprised that he hasn''t handed everything over to your brother.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°He already runs everything himself, anyway.¡± ¡°I''ve been gone for almost 3 months, so he probably has.¡± Yuwen laughed. ¡°For that matter, Jaasom and Krinca are probably already married.¡± ¡°Oh, I hope not.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°We haven''t been to a good wedding in ages.¡± ¡°That''s because they''re boring most of the time.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°All pomp and circumstance.¡± She stuck out her tongue. ¡°No, thanks.¡± ¡°The last one I went to was fun.¡± Tiyaphi smiled. ¡°It was two deer and Pastor Grizzlor was officiating.¡± Ren thought about what she said for a moment. ¡°Forgive me if I''m wrong; but, would Pastor Grizzlor be a big black bear by any chance?¡± ¡°He is.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°The deer... did they end the ceremony by sharing a salt lick?¡± Ren asked. ¡°How did you know that?¡± Tiyaphi asked, surprised. ¡°You weren''t here, and it happened while the caravan was deployed.¡± She said. ¡°No one you''ve met could have told you about it.¡± ¡°Where Adventurers come from...¡± Ren stopped talking because he wasn''t sure how to explain to them that it had been a scene in Barbara''s favorite television show with a talking bear, so he glossed over the details. ¡°...we''ve heard stories about similar things.¡± He said, and assumed that one of the programmers must have been a fan of the same show. ¡°Plus, deer there love salt licks.¡± ¡°They do here, too.¡± Tiyaphi said and sighed wistfully. ¡°It was such a sweet ceremony.¡± ¡°Well, I''m glad I missed it.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°Who needs a big ceremony to announce that you''re staying with someone?¡± ¡°Us.¡± Ren said, and the three Pervarian women startled a little and looked at him. ¡°Wh-what did you say?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°We had our big ceremony right in front of the whole delegation, remember?¡± Ren smiled. ¡°You made your declaration, then...¡± ¡°That''s not...¡± Dilseffa started to say. ¡°It doesn''t count for that, does it?¡± Tiyaphi asked at the same time. ¡°We... we already...¡± Yuwen took several breaths and started to hyperventilate. ¡°Calm down.¡± Ren commanded them, and he felt their churning emotions settle and their breathing even out. ¡°You might not see it that way, since it''s not a marriage; but, it was a formal ceremony and I made you members of my dynasty.¡± ¡°You''re right.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°I... no, we... didn''t see it that way.¡± She admitted. ¡°It''s just...¡± ¡°It''s too new for all of us to accept it for what it really means.¡± Ren said, and she nodded slightly. ¡°I wonder if everyone else knows what it really means.¡± ¡°I''m sure Tatya does.¡± Artemis said. ¡°As the head of the delegation, she would have to know at least some of the formal rituals for things like that.¡± ¡°She''s a member of a prominent family of fighters, too.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°Kenkoth wasn''t exaggerating when he told you that she was the best at devising new strategies for defeating her opponents.¡± ¡°I didn''t know that she was the head of the delegation then.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°I assumed he was only praising a colleague.¡± ¡°You still knew she was important.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°When she approached you that first time...¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I almost lost that duel.¡± ¡°I really wanted to fight you like that next.¡± Yuwen said with a huge smile. ¡°Mires would have just loved that!¡± Dilseffa said and laughed.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Oh, he would definitely have been really jealous.¡± ¡°I was so turned on by that fight.¡± Dilseffa said as she remembered it. ¡°I wanted to sneak away and take care of my urges so much!¡± ¡°It sounds like you all had a great time.¡± Tiyaphi said. ¡°I''m sorry that I missed it.¡± ¡°I''ve got it recorded if you want to see it.¡± Ren said, and the three women caught their breath. ¡°You do?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°Once I gained the device to do it, I record everything that happens around me.¡± Ren said. ¡°E-e-e-everything?¡± Dilseffa stuttered and her embarrassment burst out. ¡°Everything except moments like that.¡± Ren said right away. ¡°It''s the one rule that Adventurers have. Once clothing comes off, no one but those participating can see anything.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Even the compressed time does the same thing. No one but those inside can see things that are going on.¡± ¡°But... you showed that... with Rimsoh in the carriage.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°None of us were naked and it was recorded while inside the effect.¡± Ren said with a grin. ¡°I''ve got all your training and our games of Tag saved, too.¡± ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Yuwen said and then smiled. ¡°Will you ever cease to amaze us?¡± ¡°Possibly.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Once you get used to having me around.¡± ¡°I hope I don''t ever get used to this.¡± Dilseffa said and rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°I want it to feel new and exciting every time.¡± ¡°You can try sitting in the other direction to change things up.¡± Ren said with a grin, and she laughed. ¡°I''ll stay right here for now.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Can you show us the fight?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ren took out the device and created a display in the middle of the carriage. Since it could be seen on both sides, he chose the scene with his encounter with Tatya and played it. They all watched it in it''s entirety and enjoyed the spectacle. ¡°Wow.¡± Tiyaphi said when it was over. ¡°You did that... right there... in front of everyone.¡± ¡°The emotions they let out were amazing.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°I''ve been near people a few times and felt something similar; but, what they let out was head and shoulders above anything that any of us had felt before.¡± ¡°Including Tatya.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°She didn''t really say anything about it, though.¡± ¡°You just had to be around her for a while after it happened.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°She wasn''t scared or regretted it or anything, she just thought about it. A lot.¡± ¡°No wonder.¡± Tiyaphi said and looked at the paused display. ¡°I can''t believe none of you gave them Respect after that display.¡± ¡°That''s what I said.¡± Ren chuckled and played the rest of the video. Tiyaphi wasn''t surprised at all at Ren''s reaction and the threat of challenging them all, then the video ended. ¡°That''s all? What happened when you left?¡± ¡°I took the recording device with me, so I don''t know.¡± Ren said. ¡°I went and participated in the birth of my son, ran a few errands, spent a really long time with the Sage of Ages, then went back to the castle.¡± ¡°So... you... you''re not recording everything everywhere? Or eavesdropping on things? Or spying?¡± Dilseffa asked. It had been a question she had tucked into the back of her mind ever since Rimsoh had accused him of it. She knew there wasn''t any real basis for it; but, it was a nagging question for her and she thought that now would be the best opportunity to ask it. ¡°I''ve been severely tempted to do just that.¡± Ren admitted, and he felt surprise from the three Pervarian women. ¡°I haven''t, though.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°You have that device and no one seems to be able to detect it.¡± ¡°The answer is simple, really.¡± Ren said and gave her a little squeeze. ¡°I would be spending all of my time listening and looking for information, that I would miss out on everything else.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Who do I put the devices on? How many? Where do I put them to get the most coverage? What if there''s multiple people and different conversations going on? Will they drown each other out or will their conversations sound like it''s all together?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Do I listen in on the King of the Human Kingdom all day and every day, or his wife, or his daughter? Why not all three?¡± He continued. ¡°Or the High Lord of the High Elves? His handmaiden? Her mother? What secrets would I discover if I put one in their meeting rooms? Their bedrooms?¡± Tiyaphi, Yuwen, and Dilseffa were stunned by this information. ¡°You know the High Lord of the High Elves?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°Not personally.¡± Ren smiled crookedly. ¡°I do know his handmaiden''s mother quite well.¡± ¡°You slept with her?¡± ¡°I had been kind of playing with her for months.¡± Ren said. ¡°Teasing, kissing, licking...¡± ¡°R-Ren...¡± Dilseffa whispered as she felt his body''s reaction against her thigh. ¡°It was only recently that I went all the way with her, as a thank you.¡± Ren said and let out a small taste of Yllana''s pleasure. ¡°She really, really liked it.¡± ¡°Oh, god.¡± Tiyaphi almost moaned as she felt it. Dilseffa snuggled into Ren''s neck and started to nuzzle it, and Yuwen crossed her legs to try and stop herself from enjoying it. ¡°I''m also the Royal Consort to the Queen of the Dark Elves and I''ve pleasured her several times.¡± Ren said, and the three women shivered. ¡°She would probably kill me if I tried to record her meetings, or anything else for that matter.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Especially if I wasn''t there at the time.¡± ¡°So, you... you haven''t... eavesdropped on anyone.¡± ¡°I didn''t say that.¡± Ren said. Dilseffa stopped nuzzling his neck. ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°Most people don''t know how good elfling hearing actually is.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°I don''t enlighten them about it.¡± ¡°So, you do listen.¡± ¡°Most times unintentionally, since until recently, I couldn''t turn it off.¡± Ren admitted. ¡°I''ve been nearby people and about to leave certain places, and I would overhear people talking about me or something I had done.¡± ¡°Did you stay and keep listening?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°It might have been about me; but, it''s still an invasion of privacy.¡± Dilseffa sighed in relief and closed her eyes. ¡°I try my best to not interfere in most situations, just in case my Trouble recipe activates.¡± Ren said. ¡°I do not want that to happen anymore.¡± ¡°It still does, and there''s not much we can do about it, except avoid it as much as possible.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The last time could have been bad.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°I overheard Rimsoh telling Mires that he wanted to kill Dilseffa.¡± Teepo said. Ren felt shock go through Dilseffa and she stiffened up, then surprise came from Yuwen and Tiyaphi. ¡°He wasn''t joking when he said it, unlike what he claimed, so I told Ren right away.¡± Teepo said. ¡°You... you knew.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°I did.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then... then you...¡± ¡°I didn''t do anything.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Dilseffa leaned back and slid her arms out from around his neck and rested them on his chest to push him away. ¡°Like I said, I didn''t want to trigger my Trouble recipe.¡± Ren said, then he gained the Angered condition and the three Pervarian women froze as they felt the change in his emotions. ¡°If I had stormed over to him like I wanted to, then broken his arms so that he could never touch you in anger...¡± ¡°You... you...¡± Dilseffa couldn''t make herself form the words she wanted to say. Ren closed his eyes and took several deep breaths to calm down and lost the Angered condition. ¡°At the very next opportunity I had to bring it up, I told you about how ferrets and rabbits behave where Adventurers come from.¡± He opened his eyes to look at the woman on his lap. ¡°Before you accuse me of trying to manipulate you, they really do act that way and I gravely feared for your life.¡± ¡°But... but not... for that reason.¡± ¡°It was for that reason.¡± Ren said, and her eyes widened. ¡°You see, if it was just a person and they said something like that... well, in some circumstances it can be taken as a kind of joke.¡± ¡°Wh-what? How?¡± ¡°If you annoy someone and they turn and say, ''I''m going to kill you for that!'', it''s not a real threat of intent to commit murder.¡± Ren explained. ¡°However, if talking to other people, and saying in a serious tone of voice that you want to kill someone, that''s considered uttering a threat and the intent to kill is implied.¡± ¡°So... so you...¡± ¡°With the way ferrets act against bunnies, plus the way Rimsoh said he wanted to kill you, added together and became a serious situation.¡± ¡°Then you... all you said was to be careful.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°You didn''t warn me...¡± ¡°I did warn you.¡± Ren said. ¡°If I had just accused him of it right away, you would have laughed in my face and ignored me.¡± Dilseffa opened her mouth to deny that she would do that, then she remembered what she had said to Rimsoh at the time. She had told him that she would have believed his explanation instead of Ren''s, if Rimsoh hadn''t admitted to actually saying it. Tears sprang to her eyes and she started to cry. ¡°I could have... still been... with him.¡± Dilseffa said between sobs. ¡°I could have... been so stupid...¡± ¡°Hey, now.¡± Ren used his Water Absorption ability to dry her tears. ¡°Don''t think like that.¡± ¡°But... but... I would have...¡± ¡°No, you didn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I gave you a warning and I asked Artemis to keep a close eye on the two of you. There would be no chance for him to try anything at all with her watching.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°You don''t know how glad I was that you saw through his manipulations that day.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t hear any of your conversation with him, not until you were close enough to the tower and then made your declaration.¡± ¡°You... you didn''t?¡± Dilseffa asked, surprised. ¡°I... I thought...¡± ¡°No.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Teepo didn''t tell me, either.¡± ¡°Nope, I didn''t.¡± Teepo said. ¡°If it doesn''t affect Ren directly or indirectly, he doesn''t want to know about it.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Teepo would be talking constantly if he had to tell me about every single conversation that happens inside my Aura.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Without adding in the new Aura boosts, it''s about 2,000 feet now.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Dilseffa whispered as she started to calm down. ¡°The... the whole caravan is easily within that distance.¡± ¡°It is, and I have no clue what''s going on around me or in the other carriages.¡± Ren said. ¡°Not only don''t I know, I don''t want to know.¡± ¡°You are being a little short sighted about that.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°Kenkoth would give his left arm to hear everything that''s going on in the caravan.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I''m sure he would.¡± ¡°You''re not going to tell him what Teepo can do, are you?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°I will if it comes up in conversation, or if he asks about it.¡± Ren shrugged. ¡°Other than that, no.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°It''s like spilling secrets. Other people''s secrets.¡± Ren said. ¡°What would any good information officer do if he knew something like Teepo could be used like that?¡± They didn''t answer, and Ren suspected it was because they knew what would happen. ¡°Teepo would be confiscated, or they would try to confiscate him, then they would try to use him for themselves.¡± Ren said and didn''t feel any surprise or outrage from them. ¡°It''ll never happen, though.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Tiyaphi asked. ¡°Teepo is my best friend.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can''t sell, trade, loan, or give away my best friend.¡± ¡°On that note, we should be stopping for lunch in a few minutes.¡± Teepo said. ¡°What? How do you know that?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°Teepo''s my time counter and the best scout that anyone could ever have.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hey, you didn''t do the ''he is my best scout, I''m your only scout'' joke.¡± Artemis chuckled. ¡°That''s because Teepo is no joke.¡± Ren said and grinned, and Teepo chittered in laughter. Chapter 776 - Caravan Cover-Up The caravan came to a stop a few minutes later, just as Teepo had said, and everyone piled out of the carriages to prepare to have lunch. Everyone was surprised when Ren''s presence hadn''t disappeared that morning, so when they saw him get out of the second carriage, they understood why. He hadn''t left. Tatya came right over to him to investigate. ¡°King Ren, what''s going on?¡± ¡°I''m sticking around for today.¡± Ren said. ¡°If that''s okay?¡± ¡°Of course it is. You''re my guest.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren beamed a smile at her. ¡°Is there anything that you need my help with? I''m a pretty versatile worker.¡± ¡°Oh, um...¡± Tatya thought about it. ¡°Could you help check over the carriages? They''ve been through a rough ride to come so far in so short a time.¡± ¡°I''d be happy to.¡± Ren said and turned to his Mistresses. ¡°I''ll be back in a little while and we can sit down to eat lunch.¡± ¡°We''ll be here.¡± Yuwen said. Ren quickly gave Artemis everything to set up the proper seating arrangements and he turned to Tatya. ¡°Is there anyone I need to report to that''s doing the maintenance, or should I check everything on my own?¡± ¡°I''ll introduce you.¡± Tatya said, and Ren followed her over to one of the delegates who was talking to one of the attendants. ¡°Make sure you spend extra time on checking the wheels of my carriage.¡± The delegate said. ¡°We hit something a couple of minutes before we stopped.¡± ¡°Your carriage will be the first I check, sir.¡± The delegate nodded and walked off, and the attendant took a quick breath and let it out. ¡°First Attendant Gremkor, this is King Ren.¡± Tatya said. ¡°He''s offered to help repair and maintain the carriages.¡± ¡°King Ren.¡± Gremkor nodded slightly. ¡°First Attendant Gremkor.¡± Ren nodded slightly back. ¡°As you may have heard, we''re checking Carriage 6 first.¡± Gremkor said and picked up his bag of tools. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Ren said, and followed the man over to the carriage in question. They examined it and found a stress crack in the right front wheel. ¡°It seems they did hit something.¡± Gremkor said and ran his fingers over the crack and followed it to an indent. ¡°Either a sharp rock or something similar.¡± ¡°Do you want me to find what did it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°No, it doesn''t really matter.¡± Gremkor said with a smile. ¡°I just like to see if I can impress people with my deductive skills.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°You mean something like... there''s a bit of dirt in the indent, so the rock is partially buried and probably why it hasn''t been cleared from the road.¡± ¡°Very good!¡± Gremkor chuckled. ¡°Have you done this before?¡± ¡°No, but I can make some great educated guesses.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°Yes, since that''s all it really is unless you have solid proof.¡± Gremkor said. ¡°Now, I wonder if we can just reinforce this with iron braces or if we have to replace the whole wheel.¡± ¡°Just pop it off and give it to me, and I can restore it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I assume as First Attendant, the carriages are under your direct supervision?¡± ¡°They are.¡± ¡°Then it should work.¡± They quickly removed the wheel and Gremkor gave it to Ren, who used his Possession Restoration ability to restore it to perfect condition. ¡°That''s handy.¡± Gremkor said and they reattached the wheel. ¡°Could I have just given you the whole carriage and that would work?¡± ¡°I don''t think so, since I doubt you own everything inside and can''t really give me the whole thing.¡± Ren said, and he had to agree. ¡°Then we should check everything else over and make sure it''s okay for the remainder of the trip.¡± ¡°I take it that you do this every time the caravan stops?¡± Ren asked as they checked the rest of the carriage and didn''t find anything. ¡°It''s usually not as extensive of a check, or as much damage, since we don''t normally travel faster than the crow flies.¡± Gremkor said and walked over to the next carriage. Ren chuckled. ¡°Yeah, that''s why I added the extra enchantments for both Durability and Protection to the carriages.¡± He said and checked the other side. ¡°There''s only so many runes that they can hold, though.¡± ¡°Completed items can only hold so much.¡± Gremkor slapped the side of the carriage when he didn''t find anything wrong and moved on. ¡°You have experience with enchantments?¡± Ren asked as he followed. ¡°All the attendants do.¡± Gremkor said. ¡°We learn the basics in everything, although not everyone has the ability to use what they learn.¡± ¡°Yeah, I was like that with magic when I started off.¡± Ren said. ¡°I picked up enchanting easily; but, it took me a long time to gain a magic ability. Of course, it was nowhere near as powerful as a real magic user, even maxed out.¡± Gremkor nodded slightly. ¡°Yes, if you''re not suited to it, it can still be used, just not as effectively.¡± They quickly checked over the rest of the carriages and ended with the one with the wolves in it. ¡°Hey, guys!¡± Ren said into the cage and the wolves crowded against the cage door and started to yip at him. ¡°Ha ha! All right.¡± He said and took out 6 pieces of Dretch meat and tossed one to each of them. They started to eat and Ren still had one piece left. ¡°Hey, Gremkor! There''s only 5 wolves!¡± ¡°Of course there''s only 5 of them. Jirqym took one yesterday morning to go to the capital.¡± Gremkor said. ¡°He did?¡± Ren asked and stored the meat. ¡°I wonder why?¡± ¡°I only know that it was Kenkoth that ordered it and he had Tatya''s permission.¡± Gremkor said. ¡°I only know that much because I was sitting behind the driver of his carriage at the time and we had to deploy the tethers.¡± ¡°The what?¡± ¡°They''re rope lines we connect between the carriages so that people can get back and forth without having to stop the caravan.¡± ¡°Isn''t that really dangerous?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We don''t do it all the time for just that reason. It''s usually for emergencies only.¡± Gremkor said. ¡°Well, we''ve finished in record time and only had one major repair to do.¡± He smiled. ¡°Thanks for your help.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren said. ¡°See you later.¡± Gremkor waved to him and Ren ran over to where Artemis had set up the table. ¡°That was fast.¡± Artemis said. ¡°No major problems?¡± Ren shook his head and looked at the table and chairs. It had two chairs on one side and three on the other. ¡°What''s with this setup?¡± ¡°After consulting with your Mistresses, this is the proper seating arrangement for eating.¡± Artemis said and Tiyaphi, Yuwen and Dilseffa nodded slightly. ¡°I assume with us on one side and them on the other.¡± Ren guessed correctly. ¡°It''s the best way to stop any favoritism or rivalry.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°Not that there is any.¡± ¡°I hope not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t want any resentment or animosity to develop between you.¡± ¡°It won''t.¡± They promised. ¡°So, where is our attendant?¡± Ren asked, and Artemis pointed to the closest cooking fire. He was gathering up some choice cuts of cooked meat and arranging them on plates before the cooks could do it themselves, then he picked up the large tray and easily made his way over to Ren and their table. Ren helped Artemis sit down, then the attendant started putting their plates of food at the proper place settings while Ren went around the table to sit Yuwen, Dilseffa, and Tiyaphi in turn. Ren went back over to his seat and sat down himself, and the attendant stood off to the side and waited. ¡°That''s an odd human eating ritual.¡± Tiyaphi said as they all started eating. ¡°Do you always sit the women first?¡± ¡°If you''re a gentleman.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Also, if you arrive at the table and they haven''t already done so.¡± Yuwen chuckled. ¡°As your Mistresses, we''re supposed to wait for you to sit first.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ren said. ¡°Well, let''s dispense with that right now.¡± He said and used his Command Aura. ¡°As your Inamorato, you do not have to wait for me to sit before sitting yourselves.¡± He smiled. ¡°You can if you want to; but, if you''re still standing, I''ll seat you before sitting down myself.¡± Yuwen chuckled and Tiyaphi shook her head; but, Dilseffa''s emotions swirled. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°You can''t just... why would you...¡± ¡°It''s simple, really.¡± Ren said. ¡°Do you really want me to treat you like traditional concubines, or do you want to have a say in what you do and don''t do for me?¡± Dilseffa''s emotions didn''t calm down after she heard those words. ¡°R-Ren...¡± ¡°Yes, I know it''s odd to give you a choice like that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Mainly because my Etiquette skill is telling me to shut up about it.¡± Yuwen snorted a laugh and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°Then why...¡± ¡°If I find something that seems too restrictive or is unfair for someone, and I have the ability to change it...¡± ¡°You''re a Crusader.¡± The attendant for Ren''s carriage said in reverence. ¡°I knew there was something about you that was different!¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Dilseffa whispered. ¡°He''s right. After all the stories you''ve told us, you really are a Crusader.¡±
Notice!
You have been acknowledged as being a Crusader. Your task is to protect the weak and downtrodden and to show them that life can be better than what they thought it could be. This title grants: Bolster (Skill - Mastered), Inspiring Presence (Aura - 50 feet)
Wow. Ren thought. I gained a skill and it''s already mastered. ¡°That''s because of your Teach Me No More title.¡± Teepo said in the voice only Ren could hear. But, it says that all currently known skills are mastered. Ren responded. ¡°You know the skill now, don''t you?¡± Yeah, I guess so. ¡°Well then, you currently know it.¡± Teepo said. Holy crap! Ren thought in surprise, and Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°What''s Teepo laughing at?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°Me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I was surprised by the skill I just learned.¡± ¡°How did you learn a skill? We''re only eating.¡± Tiyaphi said and looked at her plate and smiled. ¡°Make that done eating.¡± ¡°I just gained the Crusader title.¡± Ren said, and they all gasped. He felt surprise from them, and the ripple rolled over the whole camp as the word spread quickly. After a few moments, he felt Tatya move through his Aura. ¡°It''s true.¡± Tatya said when her own 10 foot wide Aura covered Ren. ¡°You''re a Crusader.¡± ¡°I am now.¡± Ren said. ¡°This... could be a problem.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°Think about it.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Ask yourself what the title actually means.¡± No one said anything for nearly a full minute, then Ren understood what she meant. ¡°I''m supposed to protect the weak and the downtrodden.¡± Ren said. ¡°Since most of the people I meet are weaker than me, and they don''t have the same equipment and enchantments as I do...¡± He sighed. ¡°They can be considered downtrodden as well.¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Compared to you, I''m quite weak physically. Compared to your Mistresses, I don''t have the same adornments and fall into the downtrodden category.¡± ¡°Is that why you kept staring at them yesterday?¡± Ren asked. ¡°E-excuse me?¡± Tatya asked, and if she had her panther ears out, they would have been flipped backwards in a sign of annoyance. ¡°I thought you were just curious as to why they were wearing them.¡± ¡°I... I was.¡± ¡°The simple explanation is that I told them to.¡± Ren said. ¡°What''s the complicated explanation?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°I''d be happy to tell you, right after you tell me why Jirqym was sent ahead to the capital yesterday.¡± Ren said, and this time it was shock that rippled around everyone. ¡°H-how do you know that?¡± Tatya asked, and she felt something from his Mistresses. ¡°You didn''t know, so I know you couldn''t have told him.¡± ¡°No, it''s just...¡± ¡°They''re nervous because they are worried you''ll accuse me of spying on you.¡± Ren said, and the shock everyone felt was met by their awe that he would say it so openly like that. ¡°Were you spying?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°Despite easily being able to, I was not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Then how...¡± ¡°When helping to check the carriages, I noticed that one of the wolves was missing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Also, I haven''t seen Jirqym around since yesterday morning.¡± ¡°He could have been busy.¡± Tatya said without confidence. ¡°Not to show up for two meals in a row.¡± Ren said. ¡°What was the emergency he had to leave for?¡± Tatya took in a sharp breath and didn''t say anything. ¡°Since I''m only a guest of the caravan, I guess that means you don''t have to answer my question.¡± ¡°Re... King Ren, it''s...¡± Tatya sighed. ¡°The matter concerned the caravan as a whole.¡± Ren''s Emotion Siphon ability could detect a bit of a lie mixed in there, but since the statement was too general, he couldn''t pinpoint where she was altering the truth slightly. ¡°We''ll be in the capital by tonight.¡± Ren said and stored the plates and utensils to clean them, then stacked them for the attendant to take. ¡°I suppose we''ll all find out tomorrow what it was.¡± ¡°King Ren...¡± Ren stepped close to her and put a hand on her arm. ¡°It''s all right. I can feel your reluctance to admit to whatever it is. As long as it doesn''t affect me or mine, I don''t have a problem with not knowing.¡± Tatya''s emotions spiked at his last statement and she hid it from everyone; but, because Ren was touching her arm consolingly, he had direct contact with her and felt the fluctuation. He didn''t let it show on his face, gave her arm a squeeze and let it go, then faced his Mistresses. ¡°We''ve got a few minutes before the caravan leaves. Would you care to go for a short walk?¡± Tiyaphi rubbed her belly. ¡°I think I need to relax in the carriage after that big of a meal.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Yuwen said and turned her head to look at the cooks. ¡°That was extra tasty today!¡± The cooks gave her a little wave, and she smiled. ¡°I''d like to go with you.¡± Dilseffa said and stood. ¡°Artemis?¡± Ren looked at her, and she shook her head and pointed up. ¡°Right, keep an eye out.¡± He said. ¡°Teepo?¡± ¡°On it!¡± Teepo said and flew over to land on Artemis'' shoulder. ¡°Your best scout is on the job!¡± Ren chuckled at the old joke and held a hand out to Dilseffa. ¡°Second Mistress, thank you for joining me for a short stroll.¡± Dilseffa''s face flushed red as she nodded slightly and took his offered hand, then she was surprised when he intertwined his fingers with hers. Ren took a step up into the air so that it wouldn''t be awkward for her to walk hand in hand with him, then he motioned to the road. Tatya and the others watched as Ren strolled through the air as if he was on the ground, and tried their best to not stare at how he treated one of his Mistresses. It''s like she means more to him than she''s supposed to as a Mistress. Tatya thought in surprise. Ren waited until they were down the road a short distance before talking. ¡°Dilseffa, thank you for not staying angry at me.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Dilseffa sighed. ¡°I can''t argue that you interfered, and I can''t argue that you listened in on purpose.¡± She said. ¡°I want to be angry at you for what happened.¡± ¡°Oh, I know.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even though I didn''t want to interfere, just warning you about him was enough to cause you two to break up.¡± ¡°Ren...¡± Ren stopped walking and turned to her, and she stopped and turned to him. ¡°Please forgive me for saying this.¡± He said as he let her hand go, then he stepped close and put his arms around her. ¡°Dilseffa, I''m really sorry.¡± Dilseffa winced at the apology, then she felt his emotions. ¡°You''ve wanted to say that for a while.¡± ¡°I really did.¡± Ren said. ¡°I make mistakes and errors in judgment, and I usually apologize as much as possible.¡± Dilseffa closed her eyes and sighed as she put her forehead against his. ¡°Ren, you... you have to keep fighting that urge.¡± She said. ¡°It''s just as big of a sign of weakness as covering yourself with clothing.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and kissed her. Dilseffa startled for a moment, then Ren poured his feelings into her. She shivered at the repressed emotions that he let out, which included his sorrow and regret, then she accepted that he needed her to feel them and put her arms around him. She hugged him tightly and kissed him back. It wasn''t a chaste kiss and it wasn''t quite passionate, either. It was a great middle ground where you could play and tease, and even lick occasionally. You could do a quick kiss, then a long kiss, and even switch between an open and closed mouth. The kiss itself didn''t have any actual requirements besides just enjoying the feeling of the other person''s lips. Being kissed like that was a new experience for Dilseffa, and she discovered that it was pleasant in its own way. She had lost count of how many new relationship things she had experienced since she had met Ren, and she wondered with all of her heart about what the next experience was going to be like... and when it was going to happen. Chapter 777 - Separate Ways Ren wasn''t in any rush while he made out with Dilseffa, then Teepo spoke to him in his head. They''ve got everything packed up and are attaching the giant boars to the carriages, Ren. Thanks, buddy. Ren thought back to him, then he slowed his kissing motions and broke the kiss. ¡°The caravan''s ready to go.¡± Dilseffa smiled. ¡°I thought I felt a short burst of unhappiness from you.¡± ¡°You weren''t paying enough attention, then.¡± Ren said to make her laugh, gave her another kiss, then they walked back to the rest stop. Artemis and Teepo floated down to meet them at the carriage. Ren helped the women be seated and stepped back out of the carriage. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I''m going to give the carriages another boost, like I did to get them across the Gnome lands.¡± Ren said and shut the carriage door. He talked to the driver, who gladly accepted the Air Walk and Speed Boost spells, as did all the other drivers when Ren went to them. Gremkor, the First Attendant, nodded Respect to him as Ren applied the spells to his carriage, the last one in the line. ¡°You didn''t have to do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°I neglected to do it the last time you did this. It saved so much wear and tear on the carriages while we travelled home to our lands, and I should have thanked you.¡± Gremkor said. ¡°We hadn''t been introduced then, though.¡± Ren looked at him with slightly raised eyebrows. ¡°Giving me Respect then would have been a bit of a social misstep?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°I''ll keep that in mind.¡± Ren said and went back to his carriage and climbed aboard. The caravan pulled out of the rest stop and lifted up into the air, travelled up above the treetops, then the giant boars ran as fast as they could. It was supposed to take until suppertime for the caravan to reach the capital at their old improved speed. At the enhanced speed, they did it in half that time. The caravan came in for a landing at the large compound where the carriages were kept, to the utter surprise of the workers there, and the attendants on the carriages quickly took out food for the giant boars to feast on. Everyone stepped out of the carriages and Ren helped his women out as well. After that, he went around to the giant boars to put several drops of a Full Health potion into each of their feed bags. The attendants gave Ren nods of Respect, and he dismissed the extra spells that he had cast on the giant boars and the carriages. Ren left the enchantments he had put on them and told the drivers and the workers taking care of everything about attaching the fast boars to only these carriages, unless they could enchant all of the other carriages to be the same and then they wouldn''t have to worry about damage or extra repairs. They thought that was an odd requirement; but, they didn''t question him about it and took him at his word. ¡°Okay, everyone!¡± Kenkoth said loudly to get everyone''s attention. ¡°For some reason, we have arrived quite a bit earlier than we were supposed to.¡± He joked, and several people laughed. ¡°The debriefing won''t happen until tomorrow morning, so you''re all on your own until then.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°That''s great!¡± ¡°I can''t wait to see my wife again!¡± One delegate exclaimed. ¡°Don''t go celebrating just yet.¡± Tatya said. ¡°We have a lot of things we need to share, so try not to get too rowdy tonight.¡± ¡°Good luck stopping us!¡± One of the attendants said, and everyone laughed because they could feel his amusement. Tatya looked at the other delegates. ¡°Make sure you put your delegate-related provisions and acquisitions into the proper storage cart, marked under your name.¡± She said. ¡°They''ll be recorded, examined, and returned as quickly as possible.¡± All of the delegates did so, including Beholo the healer. He put both the wand and the Bracelet of Magical Boost into it, which annoyed Ren. Ren didn''t want them to examine either of those items, so he absorbed the enchantment on the bracelet and absorbed all of the charges out of the wand and deactivated it. The diamond was still fused to the handle, so he figured that would at least give them some trouble with salvaging it. Unfortunately, Yuwen and Dilseffa walked over to do the same thing. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Ren said, and Tatya looked at him. ¡°I believe being my concubines puts both Yuwen and Dilseffa beyond that requirement.¡± ¡°King Ren, any and all acquisitions must be submitted.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°I''ve heard from several people that being my Mistress supersedes all other concerns.¡± ¡°King Ren, that is meant for social standing, personal positions, and in some cases, jobs.¡± ¡°I know that.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, it supersedes their delegate jobs.¡± Tatya took in a breath and let it out. ¡°I said ''in some cases''.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said. ¡°That means you can tell people one thing, and as long as they don''t understand the nuances of your culture''s understanding of those nuances, you can twist and change people''s perceptions and expectations to fit your needs.¡± ¡°That''s not what I''m doing.¡± Tatya said, and he felt her annoyance. ¡°I meant that in a general ''you'', not you specifically, even though you literally just did that.¡± Ren said. ¡°Since I won''t take back the gifts I''ve given to my Mistresses that is due their stations, what gives your people the right to remove those gifts from them?¡± ¡°It''s not a right. It''s just always been done.¡± ¡°So, it doesn''t matter if it violates their personal requirements to wear them all the time as I''ve ordered them.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Tatya blinked her eyes at him. ¡°I ordered them to wear their adornments at all times, whether I am here or not.¡± Ren said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don''t need to answer that, since it''s immaterial to the problem at hand.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you had told me before that anything I gave to you or your people would be confiscated, I would have waited until after the delegation disbanded before giving them their due.¡± Tatya didn''t know what to say to that. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Ren said. ¡°Does that mean you''re going to confiscate the hooves and horseshoes I''ve added to the giant boars?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°We aren''t confiscating them.¡± Tatya said, her annoyance back in full force. ¡°They are being taken to qualified personnel to be examined, then they will be returned.¡± ¡°No, I don''t think so.¡± Ren said and stored them. There were immediate squeals of protests from the giant boars at the loss of their newly acquired abilities, and they started to thrash around in their pens. ¡°What did you do?¡± Tatya asked as the mount handlers tried to calm the beasts. ¡°I didn''t give them to you or to the delegation.¡± Ren said. ¡°I just took back my property, and you can clearly see how upset that made the giant boars.¡± Tatya closed her eyes and took another breath, then opened them to look at Ren. ¡°Please put them back.¡± ¡°I will not just hand over my enchantments or magic items without so much as a ''do you mind''.¡± Ren said and waved his hand over Yuwen and Dilseffa, and they gasped as all the enchantments and buffs he had put into their items was absorbed. ¡°There. Now they can hand over the normal jewellery they wear, since its significance is meaningless to your people, unless it suits your purpose.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you just take them back, too?¡± Tatya asked, angrily. ¡°I told you. I gave them their adornments for a reason. The reason is immaterial, since their importance can be ignored in order for their powers and secrets to be stolen.¡± ¡°That is NOT...¡± Tatya started to yell. ¡°Calm down.¡± Kenkoth said and put a hand on her arm. Tatya took another deep breath and let it out, then she nodded at him. ¡°You aren''t helping to clear up this situation.¡± Kenkoth said and turned to Ren. ¡°If we had just asked...¡± ¡°...or told me what was happening.¡± Ren added. ¡°Then...¡± ¡°The answer is no.¡± Ren said without a hint of anger or annoyance. ¡°I''ve been nice. I''ve been accommodating. I''ve helped out where I could and I''ve even brought you all back home weeks before you could have gotten here on your own.¡± No one said anything, and he smiled. ¡°I see now that you were all more than willing to accept my help, because you knew you would gain a lot more from it than I had intended.¡± Ren said and walked over to the first carriage. ¡°I won''t be as accommodating from now on.¡± He opened the door to the carriage and cast Sleep on Rimsoh and Mires before they could react, laid them on the floor they were chained to, then pulled the entire clear floor out of the carriage, much to everyone''s surprise. It hadn''t been attached. Ren took out a cart and carefully put the floor with the prisoners on it inside, put a top on it, then cast a Phantom Steed to haul it. The animal handlers caught their breath at the strong black horse that had appeared. Its hooves and mane were made of black smoke and Ren pet its head. ¡°Hold on.¡± Tatya said. ¡°You can''t just take the prisoners.¡± ¡°I''m not. They obviously can''t stay in the carriage, and they still have to be taken into the capital from here. This is a transport I am providing to do that.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s not enchanted or anything, so there''s nothing for you to examine.¡± Everyone looked at the horse, and Ren chuckled. ¡°It''s just the Phantom Steed spell. It will end as soon as the cart reaches its destination.¡± ¡°I suppose you want to go along with it.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Where are you and your Mistresses going to sit?¡± ¡°You can put your own driver on it because I''ve got my own carriage.¡± Ren said and took out the fancy carriage he had in inventory and created 4 more Phantom Steeds and attached them. ¡°All I need...¡± ¡°I''ll drive it!¡± The attendant for the delegate carriage Ren had ridden in, exclaimed. Ren didn''t ask if he was qualified to do that, since Gremkor the First Assistant had stated that all the attendants had training in everything to help and to take over if anyone else couldn''t perform their duties. ¡°Then hop aboard and take control.¡± Ren said and the attendant climbed up into the driver''s seat and familiarized himself with the workings of the carriage, which impressed Ren. ¡°Take it easy on the corners, since the carriage is much lighter than normal.¡± ¡°I felt that when I sat down.¡± The attendant said with a smile. ¡°This thing must fly like the wind.¡± ¡°It does, so take it easy until you get a feel for it.¡± Ren said and turned to Tatya. ¡°Kenkoth said to meet tomorrow morning for the debriefing. Am I still invited?¡± Tatya was sorely tempted to say no and revoke her invitation for him to come, then she felt his Mistresses emotions and that they believed that Ren was being treated unfairly. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I''m going to assume Yuwen and Dilseffa know where to go.¡± Ren said and turned to face Yuwen and Dilseffa. ¡°Please put your adornments into the proper delegate storage spots, then I''ll help you into my carriage.¡± Both women went over to the storage area and started to take off their adornments, and everyone could feel them become sadder as each one was removed. Surprisingly, they had each waited to remove the diamond necklace second last, and that had almost hurt them physically to do it. When they reached for their crowns, both of them stopped and tears came to their eyes. Yuwen took a deep breath and slid the diamond tiara out of her hair and placed it into the storage space carefully, as if it was made of glass. Dilseffa let out a sob as she took hers off, and she put it into her storage space with just as much care. She wiped at her eyes and like Yuwen, took a deep breath to try and calm down. Both women turned away from their unenviable task and walked over to Ren. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren said, to everyone''s surprise. ¡°Now they all know how unfair it is to make you give up your rightful items, and how much it hurt you to defy my order.¡± He stepped up into the air and gave them each a kiss on the lips. ¡°Allow me to escort you to the royal carriage.¡± Both women took a step back to assume their place, and Ren smiled as he walked around behind them, took Yuwen''s left hand with his right and Dilseffa''s right hand with his left, then started to walk. They both walked automatically to stay beside him, then they caught their breath when they realized what he was doing. ¡°K-king R-Ren...¡± Dilseffa managed to say. ¡°Yes, my Mistress?¡± Ren asked and didn''t stop walking until he reached the side of the fancy carriage, then he let their hands go and opened the door for them. ¡°I... it... it''s n-nothing.¡± Dilseffa said. Ren helped Yuwen into the carriage first, since she was his First Mistress, then Dilseffa second and Tiyaphi third. He didn''t have to escort her, since she was already beside the carriage. ¡°I would have escorted you, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°And take away from you rubbing their faces in their treatment of their own delegates?¡± Tiyaphi smiled. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Ren chuckled and helped Artemis climb in next, then he went to the driver. ¡°Do you know where Dilseffa lives?¡± He asked, and the attendant nodded slightly. ¡°Take us there at a moderate pace, please.¡± ¡°Of course, My King.¡± Ren climbed into the fancy carriage and closed the door, then the attendant flicked the reins. The Phantom Steeds reared up onto their hind legs, neighed their displeasure at the things surrounding them, then trotted out of the carriage storage area with their heads held high. When they reached the road, the carriage turned at almost a right angle, something that no one there had seen before, then it poured on the speed. * ¡°It didn''t shake or bounce going over the rough patches.¡± Gremkor commented absently. ¡°How in the world did he do that?¡± ¡°You''re not amazed at the corner it just took?¡± One of the other attendants asked. ¡°No. He just used some kind of swivel hinge between the horse sets and between the horses and the carriage.¡± ¡°If you know about it already, why don''t we have things like that?¡± Gremkor chuckled. ¡°The hinges keep breaking every time we test them.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°If I get the chance, I''ll ask him about it before we go into the debriefing tomorrow.¡± ¡°Do you think he''s going to show up?¡± ¡°He has to.¡± Gremkor said. ¡°After the initial introductions and summary of our trip, they move on to any infractions committed during the trip.¡± ¡°Did anyone tell him that?¡± Gremkor opened his mouth to say that someone must have, then he sighed. ¡°It seems that we keep failing our guest every chance we get.¡± He said sadly. ¡°What he said was right, wasn''t it?¡± ¡°What''s that?¡± ¡°We only tell people enough to give them an idea and never expand it to include all of the information that they would need.¡± Gremkor said. ¡°We can''t spill all of our secrets about our culture each time we meet someone new.¡± ¡°I didn''t say to do that with everyone.¡± Gremkor turned away from the road and looked at the large piles of supplies he needed to arrange to get to the capital city just down the road. ¡°I''m saying it''s unfortunate that none of us even thought of doing it for him.¡± ¡°Are you saying we intentionally kept him in the dark?¡± The attendant asked, surprised. ¡°We always intentionally keep everyone in the dark.¡± Gremkor chuckled. ¡°I''m just sad that even after seeing everything he''s done for us these last few days, it wasn''t enough to convince us to not do the same thing to him.¡± He waved over one of the animal caretakers. ¡°I know this is short notice; but, we need a cargo container and the heavy sled.¡± ¡°We''ve been prepping it since you arrived.¡± The caretaker said. ¡°Good man.¡± Gremkor said and turned to the attendants. ¡°When it comes out, we pack in priority. Least important is first in, last out.¡± The sled was brought out a few minutes later and all of the attendants got to work loading it up. What Gremkor didn''t realize was that Tatya and the delegates had been gathered nearby. They had overheard everything he had said and they all felt bad about it. Even though she hid it well, it was Tatya that actually felt the worst. It wasn''t because she was the head of the delegation, it was because Gremkor was right and she never considered telling Ren anything at all that wasn''t absolutely necessary. Tatya closed her eyes and tried to hold her regret in, then she felt a consoling hand on her arm. She opened her eyes and saw Kenkoth''s sad expression, and she knew that he regretted it, too. Chapter 778 - Rabbit Rigmarole The first thing Ren did was deactivate part of his Crusader title that made him protect the weak and downtrodden and kept both the Bolster skill and the Inspiring Presence Aura. He didn''t activate the Aura, though. ¡°Wow, this carriage ride is really smooth.¡± Yuwen said, her white-haired head rested on Ren''s shoulder. ¡°I don''t feel like my teeth are rattling in my head!¡± Everyone laughed at that. ¡°That''s because this carriage has a special suspension and a reinforced undercarriage.¡± Ren said. ¡°It absorbs the shock that the wheels normally transfer into the solid body of a normal carriage.¡± ¡°That''s amazing.¡± Tiyaphi said, her blonde hair waving slightly from the open window that she gazed out of. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± She said and looked at Ren. ¡°You had this on you the whole time?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why didn''t we get to ride in this instead of the delegate carriage?¡± ¡°Mainly because it wouldn''t be an official part of the caravan and I might not have been allowed to cross your lands, otherwise.¡± ¡°Oh, I guess that''s a good enough reason.¡± Tiyaphi said and settled back onto the plush and comfy seats and ran her hand over the fabric. ¡°The ride would have been so much better in this thing, though.¡± Yuwen laughed. ¡°We didn''t pick you up until we already crossed the border!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Tiyaphi said and laughed, too. ¡°R-Ren.¡± Dilseffa said, and he turned his head to look at her. She sat beside him, barely an inch away, as if she didn''t deserve to touch him. ¡°I told you that I wasn''t angry that you had to give up your adornments.¡± Ren said and took her hand. She flinched slightly at the touch, because she got an even stronger dose of his emotions. ¡°But... it''s just like you said. We didn''t... it never crossed our minds to...¡± ¡°It''s all right, Dilseffa.¡± Ren said and lifted her hand to his mouth and licked the back of it. ¡°But... now, when... when we...¡± ¡°Are you nervous about meeting your family without wearing them?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded. ¡°Is it because it defies my order, or because you can''t show off what you mean to me?¡± Dilseffa opened her mouth for a moment, closed it, then sighed. ¡°Both.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll...¡± ¡°We''re here.¡± The attendant said. The carriage slowed down and came to a stop on the side of the road, and everyone looked out the window to see a large and lush open field. ¡°What in the world?¡± Ren asked as he looked around and didn''t see anything. He quickly looked out the other side and saw the same thing. ¡°Are you sure it''s not a mistake? Are we really here?¡± ¡°Y-yes, this... this is home.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Okay.¡± Ren said and turned back to her. ¡°Mistress, allow me to adorn you once more.¡± ¡°Wh-what?!?¡± ¡°I told you that I won''t let anyone assume that I can''t fulfill my duties to you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Will you accept them?¡± ¡°Y-YES!¡± Dilseffa yelled, which made Tiyaphi and Yuwen laugh. ¡°Ah... I mean, yes. Yes, I will.¡± She said more sedately. Ren gave Dilseffa replacements for everything she had to give up to the delegation, and she took several deep breaths and relaxed. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± ¡°Like I said before, if I''d known they would take them, I would have waited until now to give them to you.¡± Dilseffa closed her eyes as Ren caressed the cheek of her face. She opened her eyes when he stopped and she nodded to him to give him Respect. Ren smiled at her as he dismissed the popup and he turned to Yuwen. ¡°You as well, Yuwen.¡± ¡°M-me?¡± Yuwen asked, surprised. ¡°I assume for this first meeting, I need to go alone; but, they are going to ask about my other Mistresses and I won''t have you bare before them.¡± Yuwen''s face flushed slightly red at his choice of words, and he chuckled. ¡°I meant bare of my gifts, not of your clothes.¡± Ren said. ¡°I know.¡± Yuwen said with a smile, then she graciously accepted the replacements for her adornments. The carriage door opened and the attendant stood there with a wide smile. Ren stepped out and helped Dilseffa step out as well, then she pointed to a spot that was a quarter of the way into the field. ¡°Right over there.¡± Dilseffa said. Ren held out his elbow and escorted her over to the spot, and he was surprised that their feet didn''t trample the foot-tall grass at all, even though he could clearly hear his feet rustling through it. That''s a neat trick. Ren thought. Dilseffa took a deep breath and spoke in a language that Ren hadn''t heard before. There were snapping teeth sounds, squeak and squeal sounds, and even a bit of coughing. She felt Ren''s surprise and turned her head to explain, then a 10 foot wide round section of the grass lifted slightly. It hinged up and opened like a hatch cover to reveal a stairway going down underground. ¡°That''s so cool.¡± Ren and Teepo said at the same time, then he felt something moving through his Aura at a high rate of speed. Dilseffa chuckled at Ren''s comment, then she felt Ren''s reaction to something. ¡°What...¡± ¡°Someone''s coming.¡± Ren said. ¡°Don''t attack.¡± Dilseffa said immediately. Ren glanced at her worried face and gave her a wink. She couldn''t help but smile at him, then suddenly there was a very large and nearly naked man that stood just inside the underground shadow of the hatch. He only wore a plain sash across his waist and held a battle axe in one hand and a broadsword in the other. He also wore haphazard armor pieces of inferior quality that were useless for more than basic protection. ¡°Who dares open my home without announcing themselves?¡± The 6 foot tall man said in a deep and angry voice, and a menacing feeling came off of him in waves. ¡°Give it a rest, Doth.¡± Dilseffa said and tugged Ren''s elbow as she started to walk. ¡°I don''t have to announce myself every time I come home!¡± Ren took several steps to keep up with her, then walked beside her down the well-formed stairs. ¡°Aw, come on, lil''sis!¡± Doth almost whined and the menacing feeling faded. ¡°How often do I get to practice this?¡± ¡°Every time I come home, apparently.¡± Dilseffa said and rolled her eyes, and Ren chuckled. Doth turned and looked down... way down... at Ren. ¡°Who is this?¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°I can''t say.¡± Dilseffa said and stopped walking at the bottom of the stairs. ¡°Not until mom meets him.¡± ¡°Oho!¡± Doth sheathed the broadsword on one hip and hooked the battle axe onto the other. ¡°She''s either going to be angry that you''re bringing someone home out of the blue, or ecstatic that you did and then get angry at you for not telling her before you showed up.¡± ¡°I can explain...¡± ¡°I can''t wait to see her blow up at you!¡± Doth said happily and strode down the underground tunnel. ¡°I can''t wait!¡± Dilseffa sighed, and Ren pat her hand. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m right here to absorb all the attention for you.¡± He smiled. ¡°Both the good and the bad.¡± Dilseffa nodded slightly, then they walked down the underground tunnel as the hatch closed behind them. Ren looked around as they walked and he saw various off-shoot tunnels, all the exact same size as the one he was in. Teepo kept track of all the turns and corners they took, and also all of the small rooms they passed. Some of those rooms had people in them, and they were of a similar size to Doth. ¡°Hey, Ma! MA!¡± Doth yelled as they entered a room that was larger than the others, and the smells of cooking food hit Ren. ¡°Stop yelling, you big oaf! I''m not deaf!¡± A woman''s voice said angrily from across the room. Doth laughed and moved off to stand at the side of the room so he could watch the spectacle. ¡°Sorry, Ma.¡± He said. ¡°Guess who came home early?¡± ¡°I hope it''s your father.¡± The woman said, just as angrily. ¡°If he doesn''t get that meat home soon, this soup broth is going to taste awful with nothing in it.¡± No one said anything for a few moments, so Ren put his hand on Dilseffa''s lower back to encourage her. ¡°Mom.¡± Dilseffa said, and they all felt her mother react and stiffen. ¡°I''m home.¡± ¡°Dilseffa.¡± Her mother whispered. She took a breath and let it out. ¡°A month.¡± She said. ¡°You''re home almost a month early.¡± ¡°I can explain.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Don''t tell me you lost your job.¡± Her mother said as her anger filled the cavern. ¡°You''ve worked too hard to earn a spot on the delegation to...¡± ¡°She''s home early because of me.¡± Ren said and cut her off. Dilseffa, Doth, and their mother gasped for different reasons. Dilseffa and Doth because Ren had spoken out of turn, and their mother because she didn''t recognize his voice. ¡°Before you overreact, I hastened the entire delegation''s return to the Pervaria Kingdom, not just Dilseffa''s.¡± Ren explained. ¡°They just dissolved the caravan at the storage grounds and we need to go to the capital in the morning for the debriefing.¡± The woman''s anger faded. ¡°So, she didn''t lose her job.¡± ¡°Actually, depending on how things go, she might give it up.¡± Ren said, and her mother caught her breath. ¡°Wh-why? Why?¡± ¡°She found a different one.¡± Ren said, and they all felt how happy he was about it. The woman took a moment to process what he said. ¡°What... what job could be better than travelling the world?¡± ¡°I guess it''s debatable if being the head of security for the Ren Dynasty is better or not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I suppose it could depend on the size of the plot of land I can buy here.¡± ¡°Did... did you say... dynasty?¡± The woman asked and turned around. She had brown hair just like Dilseffa, was exactly the same height, and she wore a form-fitting dress that bared some of her cleavage. The only differences between her and her daughter were their faces and the fact that she had gigantic breasts. She caught sight of Ren, all 4 feet 7 inches of him, and her eyes widened. She was about to comment that her sons were so much bigger, then she looked down and saw that he was only wearing a sash and nothing else. The shock of that hit her and she shook slightly, then her hands became fists and she took a deep breath. ¡°Who are you?¡± The woman asked. ¡°My name is Ren.¡± No one said anything for a moment, then Dilseffa spoke. ¡°Step closer, mom.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You need to feel it for yourself.¡± ¡°Feel what?¡± ¡°You''ll know it when you feel it.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Just take a step, mom. Just one.¡± Her mother thought about refusing and looked at Ren''s face. ¡°Why should I?¡± ¡°I think she''s trying to make a point.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m just outside the limit of your Aura. If you take step, it will touch me.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°I can see it.¡± Ren said and pointed to the spot right in front of his feet, then he pointed to Doth''s feet across the room. ¡°He''s just inside of it so he can feel your reactions.¡± The woman nodded slightly and took a step, then gasped. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± ¡°What?¡± Doth asked. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°He... he''s...¡± ¡°Come on, Ma. What is it?¡± ¡°He''s her Inamorato.¡± The woman said, completely shocked. ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Doth yelled. Dilseffa pulled her bodysuit down slightly, just enough to show off the dire wolf mark above her heart. It also showed off the large enchanted diamond necklace she wore. ¡°I can''t believe it!¡± Doth exclaimed. ¡°You... you found...¡± ¡°I am King Ren''s Second Mistress.¡± Dilseffa said, and let the pride she felt fill her. Ren funnelled it and pushed it out through his Aura so that they would feel it, too. ¡°Did... did you say... Second Mistress?¡± ¡°The other two are waiting in the carriage.¡± Ren said. ¡°You have three mistresses.¡± The woman said. ¡°Three.¡± ¡°I won''t go into the specifics of how it came about, because that doesn''t matter right now.¡± Ren said, adamantly. ¡°All that matters is that Dilseffa is under my domain and I will do everything within my power to protect her.¡± ¡°What... what about...¡± The woman looked at Dilseffa''s slightly red face. ¡°He''s under arrest and is being detained by the delegates.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know what they are going to charge him with first, though.¡± Like a switch had been thrown, Dilseffa''s mother changed from a stern and harsh woman into a blubbering and crying mess as she ran over to Ren and hugged him tightly. ¡°Th-thank y-you! Th-thank y-you! Th-thank you!¡± The woman said as she mashed her breasts into Ren''s face. ¡°I was so worried... I could never say... her brothers couldn''t...¡± ¡°Muhm hm muh.¡± Ren mumbled into her cleavage and put his arms around her to hug her back. ¡°Mom, you''re smothering him!¡± Dilseffa said in exasperation. ¡°He deserves a hug for saving you from that nasty man!¡± Her mother said and didn''t try to wipe at her tears. ¡°He doesn''t deserve to die for it, though.¡± Doth said with a chuckle. ¡°Oh, I suppose not.¡± Their mother said and eased her tight hold on Ren, and he lifted his face out of her cleavage. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Dilseffa asked, concern in her voice and emotions. Ren nodded slightly. ¡°I''m just glad that I can hold my breath for a really long time.¡± He said, and her mother and brother laughed. ¡°My name is Duyu, and I welcome you into our home, the Dreikhyth Warren.¡± Dilseffa''s mother said as she looked down at him. ¡°I humbly thank you for the comforting softness that you have greeted me with.¡± Ren said with a smile. Duyu''s face flushed red, because of where his chin currently rested. ¡°Oh, um... well... I...¡± Everyone felt her confused emotions, and Doth chuckled. ¡°You can start by letting him out of the hug.¡± Doth said. ¡°Oh! Yes! I can do that!¡± Duyu opened her arms to let Ren out of the hug and tried to step back. Ren held on and stopped her. She widened her eyes at him as he turned his head to the side and rested it on her cleavage. ¡°Just so you know, I really like hugs.¡± Ren said and gave her a little squeeze, then lifted his head and let her go. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Y-you''re w-welcome.¡± Duyu said, slightly flustered. A pulse of something passed through the whole Warren and Doth reacted. ¡°Someone''s at the door!¡± Doth exclaimed and ran from the kitchen. ¡°It''s probably just one of the others.¡± Duyu said to Dilseffa and turned back towards the stove and walked over to the large pot of soup broth. ¡°If your father hasn''t shown up by now, he''s probably going to be a while.¡± ¡°Then perhaps I could help.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t see how.¡± Duyu said. ¡°Unless you''ve got some choice cuts of meat stashed somewhere.¡± Ren walked over to the counter beside the stove and took out a big pile of already cooked Dretch meat steaks. ¡°With a bit of added spices to the broth, these should be a good addition.¡± ¡°What kind of meat is that?¡± Duyu asked and took a sniff. ¡°It smells good.¡± Ren took out a chef knife and sliced a sliver off, then held it out to her. ¡°It''s already cooked, so you can try it.¡± Duyu was a little surprised that he would offer to feed her like that, then she shrugged mentally as she leaned forward and carefully took the piece of meat into her mouth. Her lips kissed his fingers as her teeth bit into the meat and tore a piece off. Ren raised his eyebrows at her, because he had expected her to just take it with her fingers instead. Duyu stood up straight and started to chew on it, and the flavor filled her mouth. ¡°Oh... mhm... that... that''s so good!¡± She exclaimed and saw that he still held out the rest of the sliver of meat. She quickly leaned back over to get the rest of it, not realizing that Ren had been too surprised by her first bite to try and take his hand back. She put her mouth over his fingertips and her tongue slid between his thumb and forefinger to hook the rest of the piece of meat. Ren opened his fingers slightly so she could take it. ¡°Mmm!¡± Duyu moaned as she chewed on it. ¡°Where did you get such tasty meat?¡± ¡°Um...¡± Ren glanced at his wet fingertips and then at her. ¡°Shargon Caverns.¡± ¡°You... you were in Shargon Caverns?!?¡± Duyu exclaimed. ¡°I knew you were boasting your fighting prowess with that sash... but... Shargon Caverns!¡± She stopped talking and turned to Dilseffa. ¡°If you do decide to not be a delegate anymore, I will approve of it.¡± ¡°M-mom.¡± Dilseffa walked over to her mother and gave her a hug. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ren remembered that he should be cutting up the meat, equipped a bodysuit for an instant to clean his hands, then equipped the sash and shorts combo again. He quickly cut up several steaks into slivers and several of them into diced chunks while Dilseffa and her mother hugged. Ren used a spoon to taste the soup broth and agreed with Duyu that it was bland. He added some spices to it and stirred it, then tossed in the meat he had cut up. He used his Fire Manipulation skill to quickly heat up the meat to the same temperature as the broth and the smell in the kitchen changed to reflect it. ¡°It''s just Dohm.¡± Doth said as he entered the kitchen with someone who looked just as big and muscled as him, then they both stopped when they smelled the updated soup. ¡°What is that delicious smell?¡± ¡°Your mother''s soup.¡± Ren said and kept stirring. ¡°It hasn''t smelled like that before!¡± Doth exclaimed. ¡°I can''t wait to taste it!¡± ¡°You better go and get your brothers, then.¡± Duyu said. ¡°It''s almost ready.¡± ¡°What about Da?¡± ¡°He can have some when he gets home.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°King Ren has provided us with suitable meat.¡± Duyu said. ¡°Make sure you set the extra places at the table.¡± ¡°Aw, Ma!¡± ¡°Don''t ''ma'' me. You''re the eldest brother. Get going!¡± Duyu said and pointed. ¡°Don''t forget to put out the buns!¡± Doth sighed. ¡°All right.¡± He said and turned around and walked out of the kitchen. ¡°Come on, Dohm. You''re helping.¡± ¡°Ah, dammit.¡± Dohm said and left with him. Chapter 779 - Rabbit Reactions ¡°You need to get out of my kitchen.¡± Duyu said to Ren. ¡°Go on. Go sit and wait with the men.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°That wasn''t a request.¡± Duyu said sternly. Ren knew better than to argue with a woman in her own kitchen, so he nodded slightly to her and left. The soup was finished to Duyu''s satisfaction only a couple of minutes later, once she realized that Ren had already warmed up the meat and it matched the soup perfectly. ¡°Dilseffa, the bowls.¡± Duyu said, and Dilseffa opened the cupboard and took out a huge stack of bowls. ¡°Is there going to be enough soup for everyone?¡± ¡°With all the meat he added, there''s plenty for all of us, even with two unexpected extra mouths to feed.¡± ¡°Mom, I would have sent word if it was possible.¡± Dilseffa said as she started setting out the bowls. ¡°When did it happen?¡± Duyu asked as she started to fill them. ¡°By normal time, only a couple of days ago.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Duyu asked as they worked. ¡°Ren can... I mean, King Ren... can create time when he needs to.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°He has a Vasalor Statue.¡± Duyu gasped and almost spilled the next ladle full of soup. ¡°He... he...¡± ¡°He knows Vasalor, Mom.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°They''re friends.¡± ¡°Good god.¡± Duyu said, and didn''t say anything else until they had finished filling the bowls. ¡°You''re his Mistress.¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°I''m so happy for you.¡± Duyu said and hugged her daughter. ¡°Thanks, Mom.¡± * Ren left the kitchen and used his Heat Sense and Track ability to follow the trail that Doth and his brother Dohm had left, and it went through a hallway and around a corner into a large room. ¡°Who''s this guy?¡± Someone asked as Ren stepped into the dining room. ¡°Dilseffa''s Inamorato.¡± Doth said, and 6 of the 8 men that sat at the table froze in surprise. The two that hadn''t were Doth and Dohm. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°He''s her Inamorato.¡± Doth said as Ren walked around the room to stand near the end of the table. ¡°She just introduced him to Ma.¡± ¡°You''re kidding!¡± One of them said. ¡°This guy had the balls to make her a Mistress?¡± He asked. ¡°Our only sister?¡± ¡°What about Dilseffa?¡± A man''s voice asked as he came into the dining room. He was of a similar size to the other men in the room, and was one of the reasons Ren had moved away from the entrance. More people were coming. One of the men at the table pointed to Ren. ¡°He''s her Inamorato, apparently.¡± Four more men came into the room while the first bunch were busy sizing Ren up. Ren on the other hand, could feel there were still more coming. He hadn''t used his Heat Sense to count them before now, and he was surprised that there were 19 of them. He didn''t say anything, since no one was talking to him directly, and his Etiquette skill let him know that he shouldn''t speak until either Dilseffa or her mother came into the room. The soup''s delicious smell flowed into the room as two serving carts were pushed into the dining room. None of the men said anything else as they found their seats and waited to be served. Duyu and Dilseffa stopped with the carts on either side of the long table, then picked up two bowls each to start serving, then they both saw Ren as he stood at the end of the room. ¡°What are you doing just standing there?¡± Duyu asked. ¡°I don''t know where to sit to be beside my Mistress.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can sit wherever you want.¡± Duyu said. ¡°We don''t sit until the men are served.¡± ¡°Then allow me.¡± Ren said, a bit perturbed at that ritual, and stored all the bowls of soup and put them in front of the 19 men that sat at the table instantly. ¡°Ma''am, where do you sit?¡± Duyu looked down at her empty hands and back at Ren. ¡°Wh-what just happened?¡± ¡°I served them all for you.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°Please be seated.¡± Duyu walked over to the end of the table where Ren was, kind of in a daze, and she sat down in the spot next to the head of the table. He put a bowl of soup in front of her, and he looked at Dilseffa. She sighed and walked over to him and sat down across from her mother. He gave her a bowl of soup as well, then sat down next to her and gave himself a bowl. The only seat left was at the head of the table. ¡°So, who eats first?¡± Ren asked, since his Etiquette skill didn''t clue him in. ¡°Usually my father, then from oldest to youngest.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Which would be your mother, all of your brothers, then you.¡± Ren said. Dilseffa started to nod, then stopped. ¡°How did you know they are all my brothers?¡± ¡°Besides them all being about 6 feet tall and having similar hair color, you mean?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled. ¡°This seems like a family meal and most people don''t normally invite hired help to eat with their family.¡± ¡°Then who invited you?¡± One of them said jokingly, and the others started laughing. ¡°Your beautiful sister did.¡± Ren responded as he looked down at his bowl of soup and dipped his spoon into it. ¡°Whom I sincerely hope will allow me to do more than just groom her.¡± The laughter died instantly and Ren held in his smile as he put the spoonful of soup into his mouth. ¡°What did you say?¡± One of the brothers asked. ¡°He didn''t...¡± Another started to say. ¡°Not our sister!¡± One of them exclaimed. ¡°Hey, he''s eating!¡± ¡°Dilseffa knows how old I am.¡± Ren said and took another spoonful of soup. ¡°I believe you are next Duyu, despite looking as young and as beautiful as your daughter.¡± Ren felt outrage from the men at the table and looked up from his soup. He didn''t look at the men. He looked at Dilseffa''s mother and saw that her face was bright red. He knew it wasn''t because of what he said, however. It was because he hadn''t lied. Without a word, she dipped her spoon into the soup and ate some of it, then she shivered as its tasty flavor swirled around in her mouth. She chewed on the meat and closed her eyes, then she swallowed. She took several deep breaths and opened her eyes, and saw that she had gained a temporary +1 to her Endurance and +1 to her Strength. ¡°Wh-what... what...¡± Duyu wasn''t sure what to say. ¡°It''s something my ex-fiance taught me.¡± Ren said and ate another spoonful. ¡°It''s really good, isn''t it?¡± ¡°It... it is.¡± Duyu said and took another spoonful herself, then whispered. ¡°It really is.¡± The eldest brother, Doth, was tempted to throw his bowl of soup at Ren for saying such things about his sister and mother at the dinner table. He assumed if he did that, then all of his brothers would follow his lead and do it, too. He couldn''t take the chance that one or more of them would miss and possibly hit Dilseffa or his mother, so he sighed and dipped his spoon angrily into the bowl of soup in front of him and shoved it into his mouth. He couldn''t stop his shiver as the flavor filled his mouth.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Doth chewed and swallowed, then saw the same popup his mother had seen. ¡°This is... what is...¡± With Doth already eating, the other brothers started eating at nearly the same time. They all had nearly the same reaction as him, and they all stared down the table at Ren. Ren wasn''t someone to miss an opportunity like this, so he put his own spoon down and picked up Dilseffa''s, dipped it into her bowl, then lifted it to her mouth. ¡°Open wide, my Mistress.¡± Ren said, and her face went completely red as she accepted food from him in front of nearly her whole family. Her eyes widened at the delicious flavor and then the popup, and Ren handed her the spoon and picked up his own. He started eating again, as did her mother Duyu, then the shock wore off from the brothers and they ate as well. Buns were on plates all along the table, and Ren picked up a bun, tore it in half, and dipped it into the soup broth. It sucked the broth up like a sponge and he almost laughed at its ridiculous absorbency. He carefully lifted the piece of soup-soaked bread from the bowl and tilted his head back as he bit into it. He finished that half of the bun and took a few more spoonfuls of soup, then dipped the second half of the bun into the soup to absorb even more of the broth. He finished the bun and all that was left in his bowl was a bit of broth, a few pieces of vegetables, and two slivers of meat. Ren scooped it up slowly and ate it, then stored the bowl and spoon to clean them. ¡°That was good.¡± He said and rubbed his belly, then put the bowl and spoon back on the table and sat back to wait for everyone else to finish. ¡°Thank you, Ma''am.¡± ¡°P-please, call me Duyu.¡± Dilseffa''s mother said, and Ren saw that she had broken up her bun and left it in the soup. ¡°I can''t presume...¡± ¡°I want to consider you a part of the family.¡± Duyu said, to the surprise of her sons at the table. ¡°But, since you can''t marry my daughter, I can''t let you call me mother.¡± ¡°That''s reasonable.¡± Ren said and reached across the table and took her hand. ¡°Thank you, Duyu.¡± ¡°Take your hands off my mother.¡± One of the brothers said as he stood, and his hand twitched to draw his sword. ¡°You''ve made my sister submit to you already, so I can''t do anything about that.¡± He said and gripped the hilt of the sword. ¡°You are not taking my mother as your sex slave, too.¡± ¡°Before you embarrass yourself further and start to lose Respect, Dilseffa is not my sex slave, nor will she ever be my sex slave.¡± Ren said and gave her mother''s hand a squeeze and let it go. ¡°For you to assume I would dishonor her like that, shows that you need to be a better judge of character.¡± ¡°I''m pretty sure I can judge the bad people from the good.¡± He said. ¡°Then why didn''t you stop her from getting involved with a ferret?¡± Ren asked and stood up. ¡°You''re her brother. By the way, I''m not standing here and accusing you of letting her put herself in mortal danger.¡± He said. ¡°I assume you didn''t say anything because none of you could hope to match either his fighting prowess or his magic skills.¡± The man closed his mouth on his response, and Ren felt the animosity grow from the other brothers. ¡°He was chosen to represent the entire kingdom, just like your sister was.¡± Ren said. ¡°Your sister can fight so well that she travelled around the world to meet new people, with different cultures, and learned from them.¡± No one said anything in response, so he took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I have to also assume that some of you had a hand in teaching her...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°No, I did that.¡± A man said from the doorway. He was just over 6 feet tall and was covered in rippling muscles, just like all of the men at the table. He had several deep scratches across one pectoral muscle and had several foxes tied in a bundle at his waist. ¡°Drikon!¡± Duyu exclaimed and hopped up out of her chair and stood, as did all the other people in the room. ¡°What happened? What took you so long?¡± ¡°I was clearing the traps and met a bear.¡± Drikon said and lifted a hand to touch the several 6 inch long gouges on his chest, and one of his fingers was missing and dripped blood. ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Duyu ran around the table and over to her husband. ¡°I''ll tend...¡± ¡°No.¡± Drikon said and stepped by her and walked over to Ren and stopped 9 feet away, putting Ren just inside his Aura. ¡°You boast well; but, I don''t feel anything, even though my Aura touches you.¡± ¡°I''ve weighed the benefits of Respecting you as a fighter against the disadvantages of disrespecting your wife, while in her home and eating from her table.¡± Ren said and smiled. ¡°Can you guess who won?¡± Drikon frowned for barely a moment, then he smiled and nodded to give Ren some Respect. ¡°You made the wise choice.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said and nodded back. ¡°Well, that didn''t go how I thought it would.¡± Doth said, and his father turned to look at him. ¡°He''s right that we couldn''t interfere.¡± Drikon said. ¡°It''s not that we couldn''t have beaten Rimsoh, it was that he was a representative of the kingdom and going against him meant going against all of the representatives.¡± ¡°Which included your daughter.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes.¡± Drikon said and looked back at Ren. ¡°Tell me who you are and how you came to be here in my Warren.¡± ¡°I can do that while your wounds are tended to and you eat.¡± Ren said and motioned to the head of the table and a bowl of the soup appeared there. Drikon grunted and walked over to the head of the table and sat down, then he started to eat. Duyu left for only a moment and was back with a small sack of things. She put it on the table and opened it, and different leaves, berries, and pieces of bark were in it. She picked up a vial of something and sighed at its nearly empty contents. Ren stepped over to her and held a hand out for it. She had no reason to refuse, so she handed it over to him and he identified it.
Cleansing Liquid
A drop of this pure liquid can be used on an open wound and will clean it instantly.
Ren gained the recipe for it and handed the vial back to Duyu, then he took out his Alchemy kit and put it on the table. It shocked everyone, even Dilseffa, since she hadn''t seen him do anything like this before. He quickly mixed the ingredients that were needed in a big bowl, used substitutions so that it wouldn''t deplete his stock of difficult to acquire items, then activated his Hands of the Gods ability Refreshing Hands and added pure Water to the mixture. Ren ignored the shock from everyone as he switched to Burning Hands and warmed up the bowl to the required temperature, stirred the contents once more, then took out a potion bottle. He used his Duplicate Item skill and made a dozen potion bottles and stored the original, then he used a tiny ladle and a funnel to pour the Cleansing Liquid into the potion bottles. He had just enough left to refill the vial for Duyu, closed up the Alchemy kit and stored it with two of the potions of Cleansing Liquid, and left 10 of them on the table. Everyone just stared at him, and he chuckled. ¡°Duyu, you should tend to your hurt husband.¡± Ren reminded her, and she jumped. ¡°Yes! Right!¡± Duyu said and used the now full vial of Cleansing Liquid to add a single drop to each of the large cuts on her husband''s chest, then looked at his missing finger. ¡°Cleaning this seems pointless, since it''s gone.¡± ¡°It''s not pointless.¡± Ren said. Duyu was going to respond, shrugged, and put a couple of drops on the wound to clean it, just in case. ¡°Sir, if I may?¡± Ren asked and motioned to the hand with the missing finger. ¡°I don''t see much point either.¡± Drikon said and chuckled. ¡°Not unless you can find the bear and get my finger back.¡± ¡°That''s not necessary.¡± Ren said and picked up the man''s hand and examined it. ¡°This is going to hurt a lot.¡± ¡°More than losing it?¡± ¡°I''m going to force you to regrow something that''s not supposed to regrow. It''s going to hurt a lot more than that.¡± ¡°So, you don''t lie.¡± Drikon said. ¡°No point in that, sir.¡± Ren said. ¡°If you tell the truth all the time, you don''t have to remember all the lies you told or have to keep track of who you told them to.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Drikon barked a laugh. ¡°Good point.¡± He said and braced himself. ¡°Do it.¡± Ren nodded slightly and held the hand steady, then cast Full Regeneration on him and his whole body glowed for a moment. ¡°AGH!¡± Drikon yelled as everything that was wrong with him reformed instantly and healed at once. ¡°Goddammit!¡± ¡°I told you.¡± Ren said and let the hand go. ¡°You hurt our father!¡± Several of the men at the table said and drew their swords. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Ren asked and ignored the unnecessarily angry children. ¡°I''m sore all over.¡± Drikon said and used his reformed hand to rub the scratches on his chest that were no longer there. ¡°I can still feel the wounds.¡± ¡°It''s regenerated, so it will be sore for a day or two.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s new growth and your body has to adjust to it.¡± ¡°It feels weird.¡± Drikon said and looked at his hand that used to be missing a finger. ¡°Looks weird, too.¡± ¡°You already accepted having the wound, so adjusting back to not having it will take a while.¡± Ren said with a smile. Duyu reached out and took her husband''s hand and felt the regrown finger. ¡°It''s real.¡± She said in wonder. ¡°There wasn''t enough skin to cover the hole where the missing finger was, and I wasn''t sure how I was going to sew it closed; and yet, you have the whole finger back now like it wasn''t missing at all.¡± ¡°What spell was that?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°Full Regeneration.¡± Ren said, and her mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. It doesn''t exist officially.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I created it.¡± ¡°You... created... a spell.¡± Dilseffa said in disbelief, despite just seeing the evidence. ¡°I''ve been combining spells for a long time and only recently discovered how to edit them myself.¡± Ren said. ¡°Who are you and why are you here?¡± Drikon asked as his wife carefully pawed at his previous wounds that no longer existed. Even ones he''d had for years were now nothing more than a memory. ¡°He''s my Inamorato.¡± Dilseffa said, confidently. ¡°Is he, now.¡± Drikon said. ¡°I don''t remember approving it.¡± ¡°It''s already done, dad.¡± Dilseffa said and pulled her bodysuit down to show off the dire wolf mark above her heart. Drikon saw the same mark on the back of Ren''s left hand, and he automatically looked at the right hand. ¡°What''s the skull one for?¡± Drikon asked. ¡°It''s the Ghoul Kissed mark.¡± Ren said, and everyone gasped. ¡°You''ve been infected by a ghoul and lived?¡± Duyu asked, surprised. ¡°No. I claimed the mark as my own to save people that were.¡± Ren said. ¡°A noble sacrifice?¡± Doth, the eldest brother asked. ¡°No, they were going to be killed and I stepped in to stop it.¡± Ren said. ¡°When I touched the mark, I had the option to claim it, and them, to make them a part of my domain.¡± ¡°Just noble, then.¡± Drikon said. ¡°Sit down Adventurer, and tell me the tale of how you stole my daughter from having a future husband.¡± ¡°I didn''t actually steal her, and she can still get married.¡± Ren said as he sat down. ¡°That was the first restriction I lifted when she accepted the position and became my Mistress.¡± ¡°You lifted...¡± Duyu started to say and her husband held up a hand to stop her. ¡°Continue.¡± Drikon said, and Ren started to tell him the story. Chapter 780 - Rabbit Punches ¡°That''s one hell of a story.¡± Drikon said. He had eaten two bowls of the soup and had 4 buns while Ren talked. ¡°I can show you...¡± Ren started to say that he had recorded it all. ¡°No, thank you.¡± Drikon said. ¡°Your words, and the truth they hold, is more than enough for me.¡± ¡°Dad.¡± Dilseffa said, and her father looked at her. ¡°Don''t.¡± ¡°Don''t what?¡± ¡°Don''t challenge him to make him prove his worth.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°You don''t know what...¡± ¡°I can''t just hand my only daughter over to a man who isn''t even one of the beast races.¡± ¡°Dad, he...¡± ¡°I don''t care what he did.¡± Drikon said and stood up. ¡°He will fight me or he will leave here without you.¡± ¡°What are the rules to this pointless fight?¡± Ren asked and stood as well. ¡°Until one of us can''t fight anymore.¡± Drikon said. ¡°That''s all?¡± Ren asked, to everyone''s surprise, except Dilseffa''s. ¡°We have a training room nearby.¡± ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Ren said. ¡°Right here is fine.¡± ¡°I won''t have you idiots destroy the place.¡± Duyu said, angrily. ¡°I won''t move or even lift a finger.¡± Ren said to her, then looked at her husband. ¡°You can start whenever you want.¡± Drikon looked down at Dilseffa when he felt her sadness. ¡°Do you doubt that I can fight him?¡± ¡°You''re being stupid, so I don''t doubt you will try and fight him.¡± Dilseffa said in dismay. ¡°If you do this, I''m going to leave and I won''t be back.¡± ¡°Dilseffa...¡± ¡°Have you looked at his sash?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°Have any of you?¡± ¡°It has nice decorations.¡± Her mother said. ¡°Those aren''t decorations, Mom. They are the teeth of the creatures he''s killed.¡± ¡°Only some of them.¡± Ren corrected. ¡°I didn''t gain teeth from everything I''ve killed.¡± He looked down at the sash. ¡°I don''t have any Ogre, Troll, or Giant teeth for example.¡± ¡°You hear that, Dad?¡± Dilseffa asked and then she pointed at the largest tooth at the end of the sash. ¡°Do you know what that large fang-like tooth is from? Do you?¡± Drikon looked down at it and identified it, and his eyes widened. ¡°It''s a tooth from an Abyssal Terror.¡± ¡°Yes, it is!¡± Dilseffa said and stood up. ¡°He went into their lair and he killed one of them, Dad!¡± ¡°It is an impressive feat.¡± ¡°He also killed the embodiment of Anansi!¡± Dilseffa exclaimed. ¡°A 40 foot tall humongous spider! By himself!¡± ¡°Like I said, it doesn''t matter what he''s done.¡± Drikon said and unsheathed his sword. ¡°Step aside.¡± ¡°She doesn''t have to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I told you. I''m not going to move or even lift a finger.¡± He looked up at the tall man. ¡°I can feel your resolve, and I''m telling you that this isn''t worth losing your daughter over. She said if you start this fight, she will leave and not come back.¡± ¡°She always exaggerates.¡± One of her brothers said. ¡°Even if that were true, she isn''t this time.¡± Ren said. ¡°As her Inamorato, it''s my duty to protect her. If she says she won''t come back, she will not come back. Ever.¡± ¡°You can''t be her Inamorato if I don''t approve of it.¡± Drikon said. ¡°You apparently don''t have any say, since we''ve already completed the Ritual of Acceptance in front of the whole delegation for the Kingdom of Pervaria.¡± Ren said. ¡°This fight is still pointless if that''s your reason to fight.¡± ¡°Are you afraid?¡± One of her brothers asked, and Ren sighed. ¡°You know what?¡± Ren said and activated all of his Auras, except for Hatred, Submission, Inspiring Presence, and Ultimate Terror, which made everyone catch their breath. ¡°Apparently, being myself is not getting through to you.¡± He said and added in the first boost to his Aura, and the men all flinched. ¡°Do you want me to activate all of my abilities?¡± He asked and added in the rest of the Aura boosts he had equipped and he felt all of the brothers drop to the floor on their knees. ¡°If you want me to actually fight you with everything I have, then you will be shocked.¡± ¡°R-Ren... s-stop...¡± Dilseffa said. He was protecting her from feeling it; but through him, she could feel all of the pressure that everyone else experienced. ¡°In a second.¡± Ren said and equipped his platinum armor and the strength of his Aura increased by ten times. Her father wavered where he stood and had to brace himself on the edge of the table, then everyone gasped when Ren stored the armor and deactivated everything except for his personal Aura. He waited for a moment, then activated his Reassurance Aura and pushed good feelings out to them. ¡°As you felt, I don''t have to move or even cast a spell to stop you from fighting.¡± Ren said and looked up at Dilseffa''s father. ¡°Did that satisfy you?¡± ¡°You made my wife suffer through that.¡± Drikon said angrily. ¡°No, I didn''t.¡± Ren said. ¡°I would never subject someone to my full effects if I knew that they couldn''t handle it.¡± Everyone was surprised at that truthful admission and they looked at Duyu and saw that she was completely unharmed by Ren''s display. ¡°King Ren... no, Ren.¡± Duyu said as she stood up. ¡°Ignore that fool for starting this idiocy and come over here to give me a hug.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°That wasn''t a request.¡± Duyu said sternly. Once again, Ren knew not to argue and walked around the end of the table to her. He put his arms around her as he rested the side of his head on her cleavage. She chuckled as she hugged him tightly and felt his emotions about how much he liked being hugged. ¡°I''ve never seen anyone stop them from fighting before.¡± Duyu said. ¡°I was tempted to knock them out or put them to sleep; but, that wouldn''t let them understand that I don''t have to fight them to win.¡± Ren said. ¡°Can you teach me how to do that?¡± Duyu asked with a laugh, which jiggled her chest and Ren liked the feeling of it on the side of his face. ¡°Kind of.¡± Ren said. ¡°With your permission... and your husband''s permission if it''s required... I can try something.¡± ¡°After that little display, he can''t really say no, can he?¡± Duyu said. ¡°Of course he can.¡± Ren said and lifted his head from her cleavage to look up at her. ¡°So can you.¡± ¡°But...¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Just because I''m this powerful, it doesn''t mean that I get to do what I want.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, it does.¡± Duyu said and leaned down to kiss his forehead. ¡°What''s the point in being so strong if you can''t just do what you want?¡± ¡°I didn''t make myself become like this so I could do what I wanted. I did it to prove a point and then I changed the world.¡± Ren said to everyone''s surprise. ¡°Once I did that and actually accomplished what needed to be done, all I want to do now is have fun and enjoy life to the fullest.¡± ¡°Which includes taking my daughter.¡± Duyu said with a smile. ¡°It wasn''t supposed to be that way; but, she''s mine now and I want her to be happy, too.¡± Ren said. ¡°Like any starting relationship, there are hiccups and problems to get through. One of which was coming here to meet her family before anything more serious happened between us.¡± ¡°You... you came here to... to...¡± ¡°Ask permission, of course.¡± Ren said to her slightly red face. ¡°I know I''m not a member of the beast races, even though I can change into different anthropomorphic forms, so I figured I needed to come and see you first.¡± ¡°Y-you can change into different forms?!?¡± Duyu asked, shocked. ¡°I have a polymorph helm.¡± Ren said. ¡°What... what can you...¡± ¡°I can become anything that I added to the helm when I created it.¡± Ren said. ¡°When someone asked me about a dire wolf, I foolishly activated the helm to show them.¡± ¡°So, that''s why her mark is a dire wolf.¡± Duyu said. ¡°She submitted to your Uberbeast.¡± ¡°To my what?¡± ¡°Uberbeast.¡± Duyu said and one of her hands reached for his hair. ¡°It''s a term we use for the embodiment of the ultimate predator.¡± She ran her fingers through his soft and fluffy hair while her teeth made a brief grinding sound. ¡°Do you have werewolves here?¡± Ren asked, curiously. ¡°I have wolf in it, too.¡± ¡°We do have them here; but, they keep to their own province and don''t intermix with the rest of the population of Pervaria.¡± ¡°I''m tempted to ask why you didn''t call them an Uberbeast.¡± ¡°All they have are Alpha predators.¡± Duyu said as her other hand joined the first in combing Ren''s hair. ¡°I think if they did find an Uberbeast among them, their neighbours would be quite upset over the ruckus it would cause.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I''ll make sure to stay clear of their lands, then.¡± ¡°I doubt you would count.¡± Duyu said as her face flushed to a deeper red. ¡°Um... Ren...¡± ¡°Yes, Duyu?¡± ¡°Did you...¡± Duyu took in a shallow breath and let it out, then stopped playing with his hair because it was getting her excited. ¡°Did you... happen to have...¡± ¡°Let me stop you before you ask.¡± Ren said, and he felt her disappointment as he let her out of the hug and stepped back. ¡°Only Dilseffa can ask me about that, assuming I have your permission to keep her.¡± ¡°You... you have it.¡± Duyu said as her face turned bright red. ¡°Duyu!¡± Drikon exclaimed. ¡°HUSH!¡± Duyu yelled and waved him to sit. ¡°This whole thing has gotten out of hand because of your foolish pride.¡± She said, then calmed down. ¡°He hasn''t come in here and claimed her as property, has he?¡± Drikon opened his mouth to say that he did, and then closed it. ¡°That''s right.¡± Duyu said. ¡°He came here as if he was petitioning to be her mate and not her owner.¡± ¡°That''s because I thought I was petitioning to be her mate.¡± Ren said, and both Dilseffa and her mother gasped. ¡°I''m not restricting her from seeing or finding someone else, though.¡± ¡°R-Ren... you... you don''t understand.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Rabbits... we... we...¡± ¡°We mate for life.¡± Drikon said in an angry voice. ¡°Well, that''s not true.¡± Ren said, and he felt an immediate reaction from everyone in the room. ¡°Did you just call our father a liar?¡± Doth, the eldest son asked as he stood. ¡°Of course not.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only said that his statement isn''t true.¡± ¡°That''s calling him a liar.¡± Doth said and put his hand on his battle axe as all of his brothers stood up. ¡°Stop.¡± Ren commanded, and the men froze. ¡°Do you, or do you not, mate with others before you get married?¡± No one answered, and he sighed. ¡°Dilseffa and the magic user were having sex and they weren''t mated for life.¡± Ren said. ¡°So, the statement that you ''mate for life'' is wrong.¡± He looked at all of their faces. ¡°Can you honestly tell me that it''s true? If it is, then Dilseffa, and apparently all of you, are now mated to the people you have already had sex with.¡± They all stayed quiet and didn''t say anything. ¡°You can move now.¡± Ren commanded, and the men all took deep breaths and sat back down. ¡°Once again, the subtleties between what you say and what you mean are two very different things.¡± He looked at Dilseffa, then at her mother. ¡°I''ll speak in short sentences so I can be perfectly clear. We already had the acceptance ceremony. Dilseffa said that she is my bunny. I want to have sex with my bunny. Lots of hot and steamy sex. For hours and hours at a time.¡± Both Dilseffa''s and Duyu''s faces flushed bright red at Ren''s stark admission. ¡°We are not getting married. She is free to look for and date someone else. I like her a lot, despite not wanting to show her preferential treatment over the other two Mistresses.¡± Ren said and let those repressed emotions out. He felt surprise from everyone, then a moment later, Dilseffa was beside him and took his hand. ¡°Ren.¡± Dilseffa said and he turned to face her. ¡°I''m pretty sure you think I should be all over Yuwen, because she''s a minx and flirts all the time.¡± Ren said, and Dilseffa nodded almost imperceptibly. ¡°I''m interested in her and Tiyaphi, mainly because this is all new and a little exciting.¡± He admitted. ¡°I''m drawn to you more than them, though.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You''re cuter? Your emotional reactions? The way you respond to a simple touch?¡± Ren asked and used a hand to cup the side of her face. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a shallow breath as she felt his emotions strongly, then she opened her eyes and looked at him. ¡°You also cried when you had to give up your crown to the delegation.¡± Her mother Duyu caught her breath at that, and Ren felt anger from everyone else. ¡°I actually wouldn''t have objected to them taking everything and learning what they could from it, right up until they said that you couldn''t keep your adornments.¡± Ren said to Dilseffa. ¡°Even after I told them that I ordered you to wear them at all times, whether I''m here or not, they still confiscated them.¡± ¡°Those bastards.¡± Someone said, and Ren looked at the table and saw their angry faces. ¡°They told me before that being my concubine supersedes all other concerns, then later told me it didn''t in some cases.¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°Since they didn''t actually lie, all I could do was accuse them of misleading me.¡± He took a breath and let it out. ¡°Then we came right here, and look at what happened... or almost happened.¡± Their anger faded as they thought about that. ¡°I came here to meet her family. To see how she grew up and how she became who she was. I didn''t expect this to happen.¡± Ren sighed and looked back at Dilseffa. ¡°I''m not sure what I could have done differently, though.¡± ¡°You could have come in here, all high and mighty, and just told us how things were going to go.¡± Dilseffa said and shivered as she felt his shock, then she felt his emotions change to sadness. ¡°It''s come out to be that way, though. Hasn''t it?¡± Ren asked and put his arms around her. ¡°Here I am, using my abilities to show off how powerful I am, when all I wanted to do was to spend some time with you and your family.¡± ¡°You weren''t alone in making that error in judgment.¡± Drikon said. ¡°I came home to have a meal with my family, and I discovered an outsider here and that my daughter had been claimed.¡± ¡°Sir, I didn''t claim her.¡± Ren said. ¡°She fell under my domain, and in order to keep her Respect intact, I made her my concubine.¡± He explained. ¡°It wasn''t until she made her declaration that she accepted the position officially, and I accepted her in return.¡± ¡°You''re telling the truth, and yet I find it hard to believe.¡± Drikon said. ¡°I have proof.¡± Ren said and took out a display device and chose the part where he became the Dire Werewolf. The screen appeared and covered the entire wall, so that everyone could see it clearly. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Dilseffa and Duyu whispered as Ren transformed into an Uberbeast. ¡°It took me a while to come back to myself, then even longer to change back.¡± Ren said. The scene played out and he changed the display to show him recovered and going to Yuwen''s carriage. They heard him get the explanation about making the women concubines to save their Respect, then it showed him meeting Dilseffa for the first time and making the concubine offer to Yuwen and her. ¡°It wasn''t until yesterday that we had the ceremony.¡± Ren said and changed the display to show Dilseffa walking backwards towards him, then her voice could be heard. ¡°...in his domain he rescued personally. He''s even saved this world several times now.¡± Display Dilseffa said as she stopped walking backwards. He really didn''t hear my conversation with Rimsoh. Dilseffa thought, and gave Ren a squeeze as her image on the display exclaimed her thanks to Ren, then she made her declaration. ¡°I, Countess Dilseffa Dreikhyth, publicly acknowledge King Ren as my Inamorato.¡± Display Dilseffa paused for a second. ¡°I am Second Mistress of his Royal Concubines, and I will do my best to earn him Respect.¡± Display Dilseffa said in a strong voice, which surprised her brothers and not her parents. ¡°I am his, and he is mine, both formally and informally. I dedicate the rest of my life to his service, and that of my family members who so choose to join me in that service. I do so swear.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Her mother Duyu whispered as the bright beam of light connected Display Ren and Display Dilseffa. ¡°I humbly accept your pledge of loyalty, Countess Dreikhyth.¡± Display Ren said. ¡°Please, allow me to adorn you properly.¡± Dilseffa''s whole family watched in surprise as she was given a string bikini, which left her nearly completely naked, then she was given platinum jewellery worth more than anything they could have ever imagined. ¡°Now for your crown.¡± Display Ren said. ¡°My WHAT?!?¡± ¡°Royal Mistresses are a part of my Dynasty in the lands of Pervaria.¡± Display Ren said and asked her to kneel. He put the diamond tiara into her hair, welcomed her to the Ren Dynasty, then gave her a tender kiss to end the ritual. The video ended there and Ren stored the display device. Duyu had tears in her eyes because her daughter had been crowned in front of the country''s whole delegation. ¡°He did the same ritual with Yuwen and Tiyaphi after that.¡± Dilseffa said and looked down at Ren. ¡°They weren''t as moved by it as you were, though.¡± Ren said with a smile and looked up at her. ¡°Their beam of Light wasn''t as bright, either.¡± Dilseffa said in a soft voice and started to comb his hair with her fingers, like her mother had done to him, and she discovered that she liked it. ¡°I didn''t notice it at the time.¡± ¡°Me, either.¡± Ren said, just as softly and let her feel that he liked her touching him like that. ¡°I think it was because you were a lot more receptive to it than they were.¡± Silence fell in the room as Ren and Dilseffa stared at each other, and no one said anything for several moments. ¡°All right. If no one else will say this, I will.¡± Doth, the eldest brother said, when no one else volunteered. ¡°Dilseffa, why the hell did you pledge your whole family to lifelong service?¡± Chapter 781- Hare Care ¡°I didn''t pledge the whole family to life-long service.¡± Dilseffa said as she stopped combing Ren''s hair with her fingers, because she was getting excited from it. ¡°Only those that want to do it.¡± ¡°Which is none of us.¡± One of her brothers scoffed. ¡°Why in the world would we do that?¡± ¡°Ren, what''s your Respect up to now?¡± Dilseffa asked. Ren took this opportunity and equipped his platinum armor for an instant, then checked his status and stopped himself from laughing at the full stats. Even though he had seen it several times, it still tickled his fancy that they were maxed out.
Status
Name Ren (Neram) Level 999
Gender Male Class Artificer/King/Fighter
Race Elfling Fame/Infamy 10,000 (Revered - Locked)
Dwarven Kingdom:
Influence 1,000,000 (Locked) Honor 250,000 (Untouchable - Locked)
Giant Kingdom: Dark Elven Kingdom (Royal Consort):
Respect 291,260 Influence 1,000,000 (Locked)
Pervaria Kingdom:
Respect 291,260 Honor 250,000 (Untouchable - Locked)
Titles
Master Blacksmith Grants 10 level bonus to Blacksmithing Skills; 5,000 Fame
Master Tailor Grants 10 level bonus to Tailoring Skills; 5,000 Fame
Master Enchanter Guild Membership; The Rule Of Two; Skill: Rune Creation
Lemming 5% resistance to falls
Son Of The Pelt 20% stat gain using craft station
Honorary Dwarf Grants Dwarf Race abilities
A Fool And His Money Automatic 5% gratuity, plus perks
Ren The First Grants Command and Camaraderie Auras
Crazy Like A Fox Intelligence +20, Wisdom +20
Giant Smasher Strength +20, Grants skills: Deep Impact & Skull Cracker
Atlas Inventory (Modified), Strength +20, Vitality +20
Prince Charming Ideal Man, Attracts attention, +5 levels to Aura (Personal)
Patron Of Knowledge Grants 5 level bonus to Speed Reading and Hidden Knowledge, Access to full Library
Father Of Fire Grants Absorb Fire and Fire Manipulation Skills
Hero Of Aurora Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +5000, All Auras +5 Levels
Lord Word Of Law, Etiquette +10 Levels, Fame +10000, All Auras +10 Levels
Dreaded Foe Auras with Fear: +5 Levels, Respect: 5000, Enemies/Opponents/Creatures -5 INT -5 WIS
The Tainted King Of The Predators All Auras maxed. You must be acknowledged. Grants skills: This Is Mine!, Autocracy, Beastiary Control
Sea Dweller (Honorary) Grants Water Manipulation Skill, Water Conversion Ability, and Sea Dweller (Aura)
Royal Consort Dark Elven Court, Underworld Access, Tithe
HeadHunter Killing Blow Special (50% Kill chance), Skull Cracker (Stun +20%)
Void Bane Void Sense (Aura), -50% Debuff from Void effects, +50% Damage to Void creatures
Awesomeness Grants Admiration, free Charm Person, Personal Aura +150 feet
Vasalor''s Chosen (No Description)
Survivor (Ghoulpocalypse) Personal Aura +50 feet
Teach Me No More All currently known skills and abilities are Mastered
Creator''s Assistant Grants: Create Anything skill, System Administrator Menu, Personal Aura +150 feet
Hunter Extraordinaire Hunter Aura (100 feet), Tracking skill, XP (Negated), Fame +5000
Crusader Protect the Weak, Grants: Bolster (Skill), Inspiring Presence (Aura)
Health 99,999 (Maxed +99,999) Mana 99,999 (Maxed +99,999)
Strength 99,999 (Maxed +99,999) Dexterity 99,999 (Maxed +99,999)
Vitality 99,999 (Maxed +99,999) Agility 99,999 (Maxed +99,999)
Endurance 99,999 (Maxed +99,999) Intelligence 99,999 (Maxed +99,999)
Luck 99 (+142) Wisdom 99,999 (Maxed +99,999)
For some reason, my Fame and Influence are locked, just like my Honor stat. Ren thought and stored his armor, then looked at the number for his Respect. ¡°It''s currently at 291,260.¡± Everyone''s mouths dropped open in shock at the absurd total, even Dilseffa''s. She hadn''t realized that he had gained so much in so short a time. ¡°R-Ren, what...¡± ¡°It was mostly from all the training sword duels in King Alamast''s castle.¡± Ren said. ¡°20,000 Respect from winning each of them, times 12 delegates, plus the 26,000 I had before, and then all the Respect gains since then.¡± He said. ¡°I might have gotten some from the battlefield; but, I was too annoyed at that stupid spider and wasn''t really paying attention at the time.¡± Everyone fell silent again after hearing that. ¡°I know I already said that you could stop being a delegate if you want to.¡± Duyu, Dilseffa''s mother said and touched her daughter''s shoulder. ¡°I''ll say it again to remind you if you need me to.¡± Dilseffa chuckled. ¡°I heard you and thanked you the first time, Mom.¡± ¡°Even with that much Respect, why should we sign over our lives to him?¡± Doth, the eldest brother asked.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Obviously you can''t, because you need to take over for Dad.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Everyone else, though?¡± ¡°I need their help farming.¡± Drikon, her father said. Dilseffa barked a laugh. ¡°With everyone working, that only takes a couple of days every few months.¡± ¡°Still...¡± ¡°Dilseffa is my Head of Security, so if I manage to get a good piece of land, she would be the most qualified to tell me if I can spare them for a few days.¡± Ren said. ¡°After checking with the Head of the House, of course.¡± ¡°What would we be doing?¡± One of them asked, curious. ¡°Right now, I''d say security and you would be working for Dilseffa.¡± Ren said and felt their aversion to that. ¡°I don''t have any lands to watch over at the moment, though.¡± He said and felt their relief. ¡°I won''t ask for more people to come and work for me until I do find some lands somewhere.¡± ¡°So, you''re saying that it could be anytime between tomorrow and never.¡± Drikon said, immediately grasping the situation. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Ren said. ¡°That means you don''t have a lot of plans set in stone.¡± ¡°No, sir.¡± Ren said. ¡°I only just arrived in these lands and everything is kind of up in the air at the moment.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I don''t even know where to go to buy lands, or if I can buy them as personal property, or if I need government approval.¡± ¡°Things could be difficult for a non-citizen to buy land.¡± Duyu said. ¡°I was thinking I would have Yuwen buy it, since she would be running it.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ll be gone during the days and most of the nights, so I don''t have to own it personally.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Drikon rubbed his chin. ¡°You would buy it as part of this ''dynasty'' of yours?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Does it matter where the land is or what kind?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Ren said. ¡°As long as it''s within the kingdom''s borders, I can work with anything I can get.¡± Drikon nodded. ¡°Then I know someone that can help.¡± ¡°Dad, you better not be thinking about Old Ben.¡± Dilseffa warned him. ¡°What if I am?¡± ¡°He''s a crazy old bear, that''s why!¡± Dilseffa said, then she gasped. ¡°It wasn''t Old Ben that hurt you, was it?¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Drikon laughed. ¡°No, baby girl. It was just a normal bear.¡± He said and she relaxed. ¡°Old Ben is still up at his cabin.¡± ¡°I don''t understand how you can have normal animals and were-animals together.¡± Ren said. ¡°We leave each other alone for the most part.¡± Drikon said. ¡°I meant having normal animals around at all, not the cooperating part.¡± Drikon chuckled. ¡°Well, they don''t normally put up a fuss, since we''re the ones that have hands.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°I can honestly say that I''ve never heard of a rabbit fighting off a bear before.¡± ¡°It was more like he ambushed me and I escaped.¡± ¡°I''ve done that myself a bunch of times after I became an Adventurer.¡± Ren said. ¡°Except for me it was wolves.¡± ¡°What? You weren''t always this strong?¡± Dilseffa asked and put her hands back into his hair, because she just couldn''t resist it. ¡°Before you ask... no, I don''t have it recorded.¡± Ren said with a grin, and she laughed. ¡°Now that Da is finished eating, can we have dessert?¡± One of the brothers asked. ¡°Dessert!¡± Duyu exclaimed and ran from the room. ¡°I hope it''s not ruined.¡± Someone else said. ¡°I don''t smell anything burning.¡± Ren commented, then he felt dejection and regret from Duyu in the kitchen. She came from there with several muffin pans in her hands. ¡°Even though I had the oven on low heat and only stoked it occasionally, they still overcooked.¡± Duyu said sadly and put the ruined muffins onto the table. They weren''t burned, only hard as bricks. Ren let Dilseffa out of the hug he had her in and poked one of the rock-hard muffins. ¡°You might not be able to eat them; but, if you had a miniature catapult...¡± Ren stopped talking when he felt Duyu''s feelings turn to sadness. ¡°I won''t make a joke about it.¡± He said and took her hand. ¡°It clearly wasn''t your fault.¡± ¡°It was, since I was cooking them.¡± ¡°Sometimes it''s okay to blame the equipment.¡± Ren said and gave her hand a squeeze. ¡°I''ll fix the oven if you want me to.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± Duyu asked. ¡°Give me a minute.¡± Ren said and let her hand go, then he disappeared. ¡°Wh-what... where...¡± Duyu blinked her eyes and Dilseffa held in her laughter. Ren checked the oven and saw that not only was it old, it was poorly made and the heat distribution was horrendous. He thought about cleaning it out and trying to repair it, then changed his mind. He opened a portal to his county and the giant forge in the warehouse there. ¡°Hi, Symmetra.¡± Ren said as he stepped through and dismissed the portal. ¡°Hey, Ren.¡± Symmetra said and bent down from her 8 foot height to give him a 6 armed hug. ¡°Yep, your hugs are still some of the best.¡± Ren said, and she laughed. ¡°That''s why you made me with extra arms.¡± Symmetra said. ¡°What do you... ah, a custom stove for an underground warren.¡± Ren took out the Vasalor Statue and activated it. ¡°I don''t think that''s necessary.¡± Symmetra said. ¡°It should only take about 10 minutes to get the parts done.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said and took several steps up into the air and kissed her. She put her arms around him again and held him tenderly as they kissed. He broke the kiss a few moments later and she was breathing heavily. ¡°Wh-what was that for?¡± Symmetra asked. ¡°Just because.¡± Ren said. ¡°I haven''t been around as much as I wanted to be and I haven''t had a chance to spend some time with you.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Symmetra took a shallow breath. ¡°Ruck has been keeping me company.¡± ¡°How is he?¡± ¡°He''s having a ball playing with the kids.¡± Symmetra said. ¡°He''s pretty much their pack mule and gives them rides all over the place.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°I was worried he wouldn''t find something to do, since he''s way too big to be a backpack anymore.¡± ¡°He and that Russell kid have been fast friends for a while.¡± ¡°Ha! Fast friends.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m glad the boots I gave Russell let him keep up with Ruck at a full run.¡± Symmetra laughed, too. They got to work and Symmetra had been right. With the use of the giant forge, they had the thick walls of the oven completed in just over 10 minutes. Ren added the necessary enchantments to it to make it a proper oven, with the top suitable for any-sized pots and pans, and the inside could hold a large creature to be cooked. Ren had memorized the dimensions of the old oven and made the new one the same size. Ren stored it when it was assembled and finished, then took out a comfy couch and set it beside the wall. ¡°Have a seat.¡± ¡°What?¡± Symmetra asked and looked at it. ¡°I''m not going to fit on that.¡± ¡°Oh, ye of little faith.¡± Ren said and doubled its size. ¡°Now, sit.¡± Symmetra sat down, a little awkwardly, since she hadn''t sat down in a long time, and Ren chuckled. ¡°What''s funny?¡± ¡°You''re not used to sitting down.¡± Ren said and climbed up onto the couch and thought about sitting beside her, then smiled and climbed onto her lap. ¡°Hold me.¡± He said and looked up at her face with wide eyes and a huge grin. Symmetra laughed at his teasing emotions and put her 4 lower arms around him to hug him, then used one of the top two arms to drape over his shoulders and the other to caress the side of his face with a hand. Ren closed his eyes and rested his head on her chest, and she held him like that for a long time. ¡°I almost messed everything up again.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can tell me all about it.¡± Symmetra said and kept stroking his cheek as she cuddled him, and Ren told her about what had happened. * The transport from the capital arrived to pick up Tatya, Kenkoth, and Beholo. Of the people assigned to the delegation, their information was the most important, since they were the ones that had interacted the most with the foreign cultures. The heavy sled was fully loaded by that time, and they took that with them as well as Ren''s prisoner transport when they left. It was slow going in comparison to their previous carriage ride, and Tatya felt like they were wasting time by going so slowly. That made her think of Ren and the way things had turned out between them. I don''t understand. Tatya thought to herself. Everything started out great and things were going so well between us. Tatya thought over everything that had happened between them, and she realized that the fault was hers. The divide between them had started because of her assumptions and presumptions. She sighed at that first mistake in judgment, because it had cost her quite a bit of Respect. It wouldn''t have been so bad if she hadn''t said anything and just stopped what she had been doing at the time. Trying to explain to Ren what she thought was going on had been her second mistake. Tatya closed her eyes and regretted it, especially since each new mistake built on the first and made everything that much worse between them. This last one where she had actually spoke in anger at Ren for voicing his concerns over his own property, had been the biggest mistake so far. She didn''t even get to explain that all she wanted to do was recover some of her lost Respect by delivering the treasure trove of items and enchantments he had bestowed upon the caravan and two of her delegates. Tatya held in her laugh. Previous delegates. She thought. I doubt they will want to return to the caravan after what just happened. Even if they don''t choose to stay with Ren, they won''t be returning. She sighed. Losing two delegates is yet another thing I must accept the blame for. Tatya felt a consoling hand on her arm again, and she opened her eyes to look at Kenkoth. ¡°I''m fine.¡± She said. ¡°If I''m allowed to explain fully, I''m sure I won''t lose any more Respect.¡± ¡°Tatya, they...¡± Kenkoth sighed. ¡°You won''t be keeping the delegation.¡± ¡°Not unless I can redeem myself by the morning somehow.¡± Tatya chuckled. ¡°What are the odds of that happening?¡± ¡°Jirqym could tell us if he was here.¡± Beholo the healer said and looked at his wrist. ¡°You know, I really miss that bracelet.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I was supposed to give it back to him; but, Princess Diana''s words infected me. I kept both the bracelet and the wand because she said he would refuse them if I tried to give them back.¡± He made a fist with that hand. ¡°Having access to all that Mana was great.¡± ¡°Don''t worry. You''ll have it back by tomorrow afternoon.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°The items imbued with magic are always the first to be examined.¡± ¡°I''m going right to the medical building when I get them back.¡± Beholo said. ¡°I''ll be able to do so much with them!¡± ¡°So will we, assuming they can be copied.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Imagine every field unit equipped with a Mana generating bracelet and a healing wand.¡± ¡°They would still need to be trained healers.¡± Beholo said. ¡°Otherwise, they could cause more harm than good.¡± ¡°That''s too bad.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Imagine if everyone was able to just point a wand at someone and healed them instantly.¡± ¡°Ha ha! You would need some kind of massive Regeneration spell, or even the Legendary Potion of Full Restoration to do something like that.¡± Beholo laughed. ¡°They would both cause excruciating pain, though.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Unless Regeneration or Regrowth is one of your body''s natural abilities, it''s not supposed to regrow things.¡± Beholo said. ¡°It still hurts, but not as badly.¡± ¡°This is all very fascinating.¡± Tatya said sarcastically and looked out the window. ¡°That''s because you''re in such a bad mood.¡± Beholo said. ¡°I''m sure he''ll come to his senses tomorrow.¡± ¡°If you''re talking about King Ren, I think he already did.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°You heard what he said.¡± ¡°I did, and it makes me wonder.¡± Beholo said. ¡°About what?¡± ¡°If we had been completely open with King Ren like Gremkor suggested, and told him more about what we were doing, would he have reacted the same way?¡± ¡°We''ll never know.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°When I asked that, he said no.¡± ¡°Only because we had already misled him.¡± Beholo said. ¡°He was fine with it before, and we did tell him we gathered things from different cultures to examine them.¡± ¡°Not the gifts, though.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°We didn''t tell him that we do the same thing with everything we get, and that''s why he was upset about it.¡± ¡°So were Yuwen and Dilseffa.¡± Tatya said and looked at the two men. ¡°Especially Dilseffa.¡± ¡°I''m not sure why.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°It''s not like they hadn''t given up gifts during the other caravans we''ve been on.¡± ¡°King Ren said he had ordered them to wear them at all times.¡± Beholo said. ¡°They had to defy their Inamorato to hand over the items he gave them.¡± ¡°There''s never been an exception to the rules before.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°Why should it have been different this time?¡± ¡°We''ve never had Mistresses as part of the caravan before.¡± Tatya said. ¡°This was...¡± She shook her head. ¡°I can only hope they let me explain.¡± ¡°It''s too bad we didn''t have one of King Ren''s devices so we could just show them.¡± Kenkoth said. ¡°That''s brilliant!¡± Tatya said. ¡°We can have Ren show them what happened!¡± ¡°You''re assuming he would be willing to share it... and that''s also assuming he has it to show.¡± ¡°Even if he only has what he''s seen and heard this whole time, that should be enough to convince them.¡± Tatya said, her voice and emotions full of hope. ¡°Before they convene in the morning, I''ll make an impassioned plea to Ren for his cooperation.¡± ¡°He told us he wouldn''t be as accommodating anymore, so good luck with whatever plea you try.¡± Beholo said. ¡°Just make sure it''s a good one.¡± ¡°It will be.¡± Tatya said and looked out the window. ¡°I won''t fail again.¡± Chapter 782 - Real Stuff Happens Dana and Gretchen sat on one of the benches in the small park beside the university, while they waited for their next class to start, and were staring at the footage someone had uploaded about playing the game the night before. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Dana whispered as she saw Adventurer after Adventurer die in various ways. Gretchen didn''t say a word as the storm cloud formed over the Adventurers, because she knew that it wasn''t a good sign. The uploader had been anonymous; but, whoever it was, had been one of the remaining Adventurers to survive the rain when it changed into Lightning Bolts. The last thing the video showed was them getting scooped up by a Greater Lightning Elemental, a bright light, then nothing. ¡°Good god.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Now I don''t feel so bad about not getting online last night.¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± Dana said and scrolled down past the video and started to read the comments. ¡°I can''t believe that carnage was caused by Gnomes!¡± ¡°Gnomes.¡± Gretchen shook her head. ¡°They aren''t like any Gnomes I''ve ever heard of.¡± Dana chuckled. ¡°The programmers must have tons of time on their hands if they went through all the trouble of rewriting Gnomes to kick ass and take names.¡± ¡°Dana.¡± ¡°Yeah?'' ¡°Did you notice that the Gnomes didn''t loot anything?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They were killing players left and right, all over the place, and not one Gnome stopped to pick up the loot.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°That can''t be right.¡± Dana said and scrolled back up to the video to watch it again. Instead of watching the action and carnage in the center of the screen, she focused on the background and to the sides instead. ¡°Hey, you''re right.¡± She said. ¡°All that stuff is just... laying there.¡± ¡°Oh, no. No, no, no!¡± Gretchen said and stood up. ¡°We are not going there to pick that stuff up! We are NOT.¡± Dana laughed. ¡°I have to admit that I''m tempted to do just that.¡± She said. ¡°I don''t want to waste the opportunity, though.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°This new expansion for the game.¡± Dana said. ¡°They wouldn''t make the content completely inaccessible like the comments are suggesting. What would be the point of the tech guys doing all that work and then not letting people see it?¡± ¡°I... guess so.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°I know so.¡± Dana said. ¡°We''ll get through this class, take our double lunch, hand in our lab assignment from last week, then we''ll go over to my place.¡± Gretchen''s face flushed a little red. ¡°I think someone''s thinking about our new fluffy-haired little friend that lives next door to me.¡± Dana said with a big grin. ¡°I am not.¡± Gretchen said as her face went fully red. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Dana asked. ¡°Because ever since he told us he''s a bit of a sex addict, I''ve been thinking about him.¡± ¡°Y-you have?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Dana said. ¡°I mean, most people don''t admit to things like that, right?¡± She asked. ¡°We only just met him and he let that bombshell drop right in the middle of a conversation.¡± ¡°It was a little odd.¡± Gretchen had to admit. ¡°I think he''s kind of starved for friendship.¡± ¡°That''s the impression I got from the life-sized Barbi Doll.¡± Dana said with a crooked smile. ¡°Hey, do you think he''s doing her?¡± ¡°Dana!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He... he said that... he can''t.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Dana sighed dramatically. ¡°Thanks for ruining that fantasy.¡± Gretchen snorted a laugh. ¡°Dana...¡± ¡°Don''t worry. I''m not going to try and steal him from you.¡± ¡°Dana!¡± ¡°What?¡± Dana stood up and put an arm over her shoulder. ¡°You know there''s no spark between us. I''d be wasting my time if I tried to pursue him.¡± ¡°Again.¡± Gretchen said. ¡°Ha. Yes, again.¡± Dana said. ¡°Come on. If we get to class early, maybe the professor will take pity on us again and we can go to the quad for the lecture.¡± ¡°I was there and I still don''t know how you convinced her that the quad was a viable space for that.¡± Gretchen said with respect as they started walking. ¡°I know, I know. It''s a gift!¡± ¡°Aren''t you supposed to say something like, ''I''ll only use this power for good'' or something?¡± ¡°Are you kidding? Where''s the fun in using it for good?¡± Dana asked, and the both of them laughed as they made their way to class. * ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Gwendolyn said as she laid in bed and watched the same footage that Dana and Gretchen had seen. ¡°Clint! Get back in here and look at this!¡± ¡°Ah''m almost done makin'' yer breakfast, darlin''.¡± Clint said from the kitchen. He had been a little surprised that Gwendolyn had wanted to come to the ranch for the whole weekend; but, being the good-natured man that he was, he ignored his worries about not getting any work done with her around. He was glad that he had, because she had stayed well away from the dangerous parts and helped where she could. She also looked fantastic wearing tight jeans and his cowboy hat... and nothing else. Clint chuckled at the memory of her doing that their first night at the ranch. ¡°It''s ready.¡± He said and carried her breakfast into the bedroom. ¡°What ar''ya yellin'' abou''?¡± ¡°This!¡± Gwendolyn held up her phone. ¡°Oh? Was tha'' the message ya got las'' nigh''?¡± ¡°I''m so relieved that I booked off last night.¡± Gwendolyn chuckled. ¡°Look at this mess!¡± ¡°Ah''ll look at it while ya eat, darlin''.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°Ah''ll turn it off if''n ya don''t start stuffin'' yer pretty face.¡± Clint said and put the tray on her lap and took the phone out of her hand before she knew what had happened. ¡°Hey, how did you do that?¡± ¡°Ah distracted ya with mah southern charm.¡± Clint said and grinned, and she chuckled. ¡°All right.¡± Gwendolyn said and started to eat. Clint rolled the video back and started it from the beginning. ¡°Oho! Gnomes!¡± ¡°Ah moh.¡± Gwendolyn mumbled, then swallowed the food in her mouth. ¡°I know.¡± She said. ¡°What were the programmers thinking?¡± ¡°Probably tha'' it''d be funny as hell if''n someone stumbled onto them.¡± Clint said. ¡°Ah don'' think they evah imagined havin'' a full scale battle with... damn, there''s so many of ''em tha'' ah can'' even count''em!¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Gwendolyn chuckled. ¡°Keep watching.¡± ¡°Keep eatin''.¡± Clint countered. They both returned to their assigned tasks, and after a little while, they both finished. ¡°Clint, breakfast was delicious.¡± Gwendolyn said as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°T''was nothin''.¡± Clint said and handed her back her cell phone. ¡°Damn, tha'' was the weirdes'' thing ah evah did see.¡± Gwendolyn snorted a laugh. ¡°I can only imagine how many complaints the programmers got.¡± ¡°At leas'' tha same numbah as the players tha were stupid enough ta not heed tha warnings.¡± Clint said with a grin, and she laughed. ¡°Are ya headin'' inta work today?¡± ¡°I''ve got a flexible schedule, so I''m not really in a hurry.¡± Gwendolyn said, then she smiled demurely. ¡°Plus, I just ate a huge breakfast and I need to burn off some extra calories.¡± ¡°Oh? Do ya have any idea how yer gonna do tha''?¡± ¡°I do; but, it''s going to require the help of a big, strong cowboy.¡± Gwendolyn said and pulled the edge of the blanket down to reveal her breasts. Clint stood up. ¡°Ah''ll go and git Josh and see if he wants ta...¡± ¡°Clint!¡± Gwendolyn exclaimed and pulled the blanket back up to cover herself. Clint laughed as he undid his jeans and dropped them to the floor. ¡°Ah''m jus'' jokin''.¡± He said and climbed onto the bed and slipped under the blanket with her. ¡°Now tha'' ah gotcha in mah life, ah ain'' nevah lettin'' anyone else see tha'' sexy body.¡± ¡°You... think I''m sexy?¡± Gwendolyn asked as he took her into his arms. ¡°Darlin'', yer so sexy tha'' ah was worried ah wasn'' gonna git any work done this weekend.¡± Clint said. ¡°R-really?¡± Gwendolyn''s face flushed red. She was very flattered that he thought she was that distracting. Clint nodded and gave her a kiss. ¡°Ah was impressed at how well ya fit in, an'' ah appreciate everythin'' ya did... and didn'' try ta do.¡± Gwendolyn tried to keep her feelings off of her face; but, after getting two great compliments from him, she couldn''t hide how that made her feel. ¡°Clint... I...¡± ¡°No need fer words, darlin''.¡± Clint said and kissed her. ¡°Ah''m jus'' gonna love ya like ya deserve.¡± Gwendolyn let a tear escape from the corner of her eye as Clint did exactly that. * ¡°They''re like rats fleeing a sewer.¡± Officer Holly Stonewall said as she read through the piles of witness statements that Ren''s lawyer firm had requested from the police, who had conducted the follow-up interviews of anyone related to the court cases after the news story had broken. ¡°It''s every man for himself, to coin a phrase.¡± Detective John Ramirez said, then chuckled. ¡°I suppose the PC version should be, ''every person for themselves''.¡± ¡°Yes, heaven forbid that you make a general statement that everyone knows the meaning to, and some left-wing nut decides to find it offensive and we have to change it for their sake.¡± Officer Holly said, bitterly. ¡°Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.¡± John said with a smirk. Officer Holly''s face went a little red because he knew exactly what side of the bed she had gotten up on. ¡°I think I''m going to book off for the next few days and take a break from all of this.¡± ¡°Actually, that''s a great idea.¡± John said and picked up his desk phone and dialed the HR department. ¡°Hey, Gil.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°No, it''s business this time.¡± John said. ¡°Officer Stonewall needs a week off for personal reasons.¡± ¡°John, it''s going to take more than...¡± Officer Holly stopped talking when he raised a hand. ¡°Yeah, starting today sounds good.¡± John said. ¡°No, we''ll finish by lunchtime.¡± ¡°That''s great, Gil.¡± ¡°Me? Why would... oh. That does sound good.¡± I wonder what they''re talking about? Officer Holly asked herself. ¡°All right, then. Put me down for a week, too.¡± John said, to Officer Holly''s surprise. ¡°Thanks a lot, Gil. I''ll be by to pick you up first thing in the morning.¡± He said and hung up the phone. ¡°What was that all about?¡± Officer Holly asked. ¡°As of noon today, you and I are officially on vacation for a week.¡± John said with a smile. ¡°Funny enough, Gil''s day off is tomorrow and he''s going fishing.¡± ¡°Scratching his back, are you?¡± John chuckled. ¡°We''ve gone a few times before; but, it''s rare we''re both off on the same days, especially with what our schedules have been like lately.¡± ¡°It has been a bit of a mess the last few weeks.¡± Officer Holly admitted. ¡°Gil''s got a handle on the staff rotations and he''ll have us all back on normal shifts by next week.¡± John said. ¡°Ha! No wonder he doesn''t mind not having two more people to juggle for a week!¡± Officer Holly said. ¡°That''s almost exactly what he said.¡± John smiled. ¡°So, let''s get these damn witness statements sorted and we can go.¡± ¡°By noon?¡± Officer Holly looked at the stack of paperwork. ¡°John...¡± ¡°We got this.¡± John said and took out the first list of names. ¡°Just look for the names on each list and add their statement, rather than trying to sort each statement into each list.¡± ¡°Won''t that take longer?¡± Officer Holly asked and changed her procedure to match John''s. ¡°Only at first.¡± John said. ¡°As we work down the stacks, we''ll start recognizing the names and it''ll be easier to sort the more we sort, because there will be less and less to go through.¡± ¡°All right. I''ll try it your way.¡± Officer Holly said and started sorting again. John leaned over his desk to get close to her and whispered. ¡°That''s what you said last night.¡± Officer Holly''s face turned red for a moment, then she scowled and whispered back angrily. ¡°John.¡± ¡°You''re so cute when you''re angry.¡± John whispered with a grin and sat back, and got to work himself. * ¡°This is amazing.¡± Edward Torren, the CEO of Sid Tec said as he looked at the stock reports for his company. ¡°We took a bit of a hit when the news of the court cases against us broke; but, since it was only for defamation and information breach, it got pushed aside by all of the other companies being involved with the actual experiments.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± His secretary leaned into his office. ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± ¡°No, no. I''m talking to myself.¡± Edward said. ¡°That''s okay. Talking to yourself is normal.¡± She said with a smile. ¡°When you start answering yourself, that''s when you might be in trouble.¡± Edward barked a laugh. ¡°I''ll keep that in mind. Thank you.¡± ¡°You''re welcome!¡± She said happily and disappeared. ¡°She''s definitely a lot different to deal with than Elise was.¡± Edward said and looked at the financial reports for the other companies. ¡°I wonder what Elise... oh, hello.¡± He said when he saw the name of the head company on the first document. ¡°Haddon Enterprises, eh? I guess I know what she''s been doing now.¡± He looked at the next document and saw the same thing. ¡°What...¡± He shuffled the papers around and saw that a very large majority of them were now subsidiaries of Haddon Enterprises. ¡°Well, damn.¡± ¡°Problems, sir?¡± His secretary asked and poked her head into the room again. ¡°Only if I don''t decide to hand over 11% of the company.¡± Edward said. ¡°What will happen if you don''t?¡± She asked. ¡°I could either lose it all or keep things as they are.¡± Edward said. ¡°Not great odds of the latter happening, though.¡± ¡°I''m sure if you...¡± ¡°No, Elise was pretty clear the last time we talked.¡± Edward said. ¡°If I try and fight this, it could all be gone.¡± ¡°I''m sorry, sir.¡± ¡°It''s all right. It''s my fault for letting things get to this point.¡± Edward said and looked around at his plush office. ¡°I''ll miss running things, though.¡± ¡°Sir, I''m sure that...¡± ¡°No, the first thing a controlling company does is remove the old leadership.¡± Edward said. ¡°That''s just good business sense.¡± ¡°I think that would depend on if it''s run by a committee or a CEO, sir.¡± The secretary said. ¡°This is only a small company and there''s only you at the head.¡± She said. ¡°Who could they possibly get to replace you?¡± Edward didn''t have a response for that. ¡°Don''t worry, sir. Elise is smart. She knows what''s what and she''ll do what''s right.¡± The secretary said. ¡°Even if you fight and end up losing instead of just handing over controlling interest, she won''t take the company from you.¡± ¡°I hope you''re right.¡± Edward said. ¡°I really do.¡± ¡°I am, sir.¡± The secretary said. ¡°I guarantee it.¡± Edward raised his eyebrows at her. ¡°Do you know something I don''t?¡± ¡°No, sir. I just believe she''s a good person.¡± The secretary said. ¡°She''ll come through for you. I just know it!¡± Edward looked down at the financial empire that Haddon Enterprises had become, quite literally overnight, and he knew he could never overcome the sheer economic firepower that was poised against him. ¡°Send a message to Elise Stanford.¡± Edward said. ¡°Tell her I... I want to discuss terms of surrender.¡± ¡°I don''t think you need to be that dramatic about it, sir.¡± The secretary laughed. ¡°I''ll give her the message.¡± Edward thought he had used just the right amount of drama and smiled. ¡°I doubt she''ll be able to respond right away with everything on her plate right now, so don''t make it sound urgent.¡± ¡°I understand, sir.¡± The secretary said and disappeared again. * What Elise had on her plate right then was sleep. She was sound asleep next to the man she loved, after having secured his financial future and ensured that Ren didn''t have to worry about money ever again. Not that he had ever worried about it, anyway. It was one of the things she loved about him. Once he had enough to not worry about it, he didn''t worry about it. His trusting nature was as endearing as his fluffy hair was, and she revelled in both every chance she got. Barbi laid on Ren''s other side and she was sound asleep, too. She had been up just as long as Elise had been and needed just as much sleep. She never imagined that she would be cuddling up to Ren, though. Unlike him, she had trusted too many people and been burned too many times, so she was cynical about every decision that affected her and she was careful in how she dealt with those decisions... until Elise offered her a job. Barbi thought it would have been a week of hard work to get everything set up and running as Ren''s public relations specialist, then the work would probably slack off and she would be left with lots of spare time. She was delighted that the job was much harder than she had anticipated and that she needed nearly all of her acquired skills and contacts to keep and maintain everything that was going on. Despite the job being difficult, Barbi had been pleasantly surprised about how easy it was to work for someone on a personal level. It was so different from her normal experiences, with office politics and backbiting by her coworkers to try and get ahead, and none of that existed in her current job. She felt like she was her own boss, and she made decisions and just informed Elise and Ren about them, rather than being told what to do and how to handle it. Barbi liked that. She liked it a lot. She didn''t remember any other time in her life when she had been happier to go to work. She was actually eager to face the next challenge and she knew she could meet it head on with both confidence and skill. The people around her while she worked didn''t fear her abilities or had fake personalities for her to deal with. They were open and honest and made her feel welcome as soon as she had met them, and that made her happier than she had ever been. It hadn''t taken Barbi long to decide that she would do everything she could to help them as much as possible in her field of expertise, and she did it with aplomb. Her job was to maintain Ren''s public persona; but, she knew the others were just as involved with his public persona as she was, and she made sure that none of them, herself included, could be seen in a negative light. Chapter 783 - Rabbits Revealed Ren and Symmetra cuddled for a while and then Ren decided that he really should get back to Dilseffa and her family. ¡°Make sure you get a big piece of land.¡± Symmetra said as she let him out of the hug. ¡°You know there''s going to be a lot of people that will want to stay there with you.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Ren barked a laugh, then stood up on the couch as he wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her. ¡°Don''t count the chickens before they''re hatched.¡± Symmetra chuckled. ¡°I meant Adventurers would want somewhere normal to stay when they visit the kingdom of Pervaria, not that you''d convert more Pervarians.¡± ¡°Oh! Like an oasis!¡± Ren exclaimed. ¡° That''s a great idea, Symmetra. Thanks!¡± ¡°Anytime.¡± Symmetra said and Ren hopped off the couch. ¡°Don''t have too much fun.¡± She said, then laughed. ¡°Just kidding. You should enjoy yourself as much as possible.¡± Ren grinned at her, deactivated and stored the Vasalor Statue, then cast another portal and stepped back into Duyu''s kitchen in the underground warren. He quickly detached the old stove from its ventilation and stored the old oven, cleaned up around the empty space, then put the new enchanted one in its place and reattached the ventilation. It didn''t really need it, since the new oven didn''t burn wood; but, he didn''t want the aesthetic of the kitchen to change drastically. It looked homey and welcoming, and he wanted to keep it that way. Ren was satisfied that he had accomplished that and went back to the dining room. ¡°What do you want me to do with the old oven?¡± He asked a very surprised Duyu. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Duyu looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°What old oven?¡± ¡°The old one that wasn''t made well.¡± Ren said. ¡°I normally hate shoddy work; but, this time I''m pretty sure it was a low quality iron ore that was the culprit.¡± He smiled. ¡°The blacksmith didn''t have much to work with and did the best that they could with what they had.¡± ¡°I... I don''t understand.¡± Duyu said, confused. ¡°I made you a new oven.¡± Ren said. ¡°It''s enchanted, so you won''t need to stoke it with wood anymore.¡± ¡°WH-WHAT?!?¡± Duyu yelled into the quiet room. ¡°I''ll give you a quick lesson in how it works after we have dessert.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Duyu looked down at the ruined muffins. ¡°Oh, not those.¡± Ren said and stored them. ¡°I made a cake for Dilseffa the other day and I didn''t really have an opportunity to give it to her.¡± ¡°You made me a cake?¡± Dilseffa asked. ¡°It was supposed to be a bit of a welcoming gift, then things kind of got out of hand and I forgot to give it to you.¡± Ren said and took out the 1 foot long carrot cake that was shaped like a carrot. Everyone in the room froze as he warmed it up and the smell filled the room. ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Dilseffa whispered as saliva gathered at her mouth and she drooled a little. ¡°Obviously, this isn''t enough for everyone to share.¡± Ren said, and he felt a wave of sadness come from the men, because they knew that they weren''t getting any if there wasn''t enough to share. ¡°So, some magic duplication is in order.¡± He said with a huge smile and made a duplicate to put in front of her father, Drikon, who didn''t even attempt to stem the flow of his drool as he stared down at the delicious-smelling cake. Ren dropped one in front of her mother, Duyu, then went around the table to each of the 19 brothers and gave them each their own cake. Their emotions churned and grew higher and stronger as each cake appeared and they realized they didn''t have to share at all because they each had their own. He stopped next to Dilseffa and put the real cake in front of her. ¡°Please, enjoy.¡± Ren said and stepped back from the table. He had felt similar feelings from Tatya when he gave her a cake and knew what was going to happen next. Almost as one, all 22 people that sat at the huge table transformed into their anthropomorphic forms and dove into their cakes. Teepo chittered in laughter while cake and icing flew everywhere as the rabbits tried desperately to pile as much delicious cake into their mouths as possible. ¡°Mmm!¡± Dilseffa moaned as she sat back in her chair when most of her cake was gone. ¡°That was so good!¡± Ren tried not to laugh because the part she had left was the leafy stalk. He looked around the table and saw that the rest of the cakes were in a similar state. He stepped forward to get a better look at her, and her face and paw-like hands were almost completely covered in cake and icing, just like Tatya''s had been. ¡°I''m a mess!¡± Duyu exclaimed and Ren turned his head to look at her. Her large floppy ears were flat against the back of her head and she had just as much cake and icing on her hands and face as her daughter Dilseffa did. She tried fruitlessly to lick at her paw-like hands with her tongue; but, her large front teeth were getting in the way. ¡°Let me try.¡± Drikon said and took her paw-like hand and tried to lick it. Since his hands and face were covered as well, he didn''t make any progress. ¡°No good.¡± He said, then locked gazes with his wife. ¡°Maybe this will work.¡± He said and leaned in and did several quick licks to the side of her face. Duyu felt tingles go down her spine at the sensations that her husband was making her feel in front of everyone. ¡°That does look like it''s working.¡± Ren said and turned to Dilseffa. ¡°May I try?¡± Dilseffa didn''t say anything as she stared at him with her big brown eyes, so Ren leaned in and licked the side of her face. She felt a similar tingle go down her spine that her mother had felt and Ren kept licking the icing off of her face. She started to pant when he moved to the other side of her face, and he cleaned her off as much as he could, until he reached her fur. ¡°That''s all I can get.¡± Ren said sadly. Dilseffa reached up with her paw-like hands and was about to cup the sides of his face, then stopped because they were still covered in icing. ¡°Sure, I can try.¡± Ren said and held her wrists as he started to lick her pad-like fingers. Dilseffa''s mouth dropped open from surprise, because that wasn''t what she had intended, then she caught her breath when he licked the inside of her hand. He felt her reaction to that, and he gave her a quick smile and licked the whole underside of her hand clean. She couldn''t believe that he was doing that for her, in front of everyone, then he did her other hand and she didn''t much care that her parents were sitting right there in front of her. Ren finished cleaning Dilseffa up as much as he could. ¡°I''ll need a better tongue to clean any more.¡± ¡°I no longer have any objection about her going with you.¡± Drikon said to everyone''s surprise, including Ren''s. ¡°The care and effort you just showed her, even though you are not one of our kind, has shown me that your acceptance of her is not a frivolous act.¡± ¡°D-Drikon? Do you mean it?¡± Duyu, his wife asked. She had fully expected him to blow up about the whole situation later, after Ren and Dilseffa had left.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Who would have thought that the future of my daughter could be decided by the slice of a cake and not by the slice of a sword?¡± Drikon asked with a smile. ¡°Although, I don''t know how we are going to clean ourselves up.¡± ¡°If you don''t have a shower or tub, you can just store your outfit and equip it again to clean yourselves and your clothing.¡± Ren said. ¡°What? Storing them does that?¡± Duyu asked, surprised. ¡°It''s what Adventurers do.¡± Ren said and felt her disbelief as Duyu just stared at him. ¡°Do you have an inventory?¡± ¡°No.¡± Dilseffa answered for her. ¡°I didn''t gain one until I became a delegate.¡± ¡°Well, I guess I can help them cheat.¡± Ren said and took out a Strong Ring of Storage and made 21 copies, one each for everyone except Dilseffa. ¡°Equip these and it will give you some storage capacity and increase your Strength.¡± ¡°You... what...¡± Duyu looked at the pile of golden rings on the table in front of her. ¡°Do you want them to be pendants instead?¡± Ren asked. ¡°N-no, this...¡± Duyu picked up one of the rings and admired the shiny gold. ¡°Thank you, Ren.¡± ¡°You''re welcome.¡± Ren smiled as he felt her gratitude. ¡°Please, accept them as a token of thanks.¡± ¡°Why are you thanking us?¡± Drikon asked and picked up a ring, then equipped it. ¡°For having a daughter that I could meet.¡± Ren said and felt Drikon''s shock at the Strength boost the ring gave him. Duyu equipped her ring and gasped as it took effect, then Ren felt anticipation from all of Dilseffa''s 19 brothers because they could feel the difference in their parents. Drikon looked at Ren and nodded, so Ren stored the rings on the table and dropped them in front of each of the 19 brothers. ¡°Yes!¡± Doth exclaimed as he equipped the ring. ¡°I can finally carry all that awkward equipment for farming!¡± ¡°Yeah, all the trips back and forth makes it take twice as long.¡± One of his brothers said. ¡°Now we can just stay there and keep working.¡± ¡°...and be done twice as fast!¡± Doth said happily. ¡°Before you all start making plans on what to do with your newfound storage ability, you should finish off your cakes.¡± Ren said. ¡°What? Why?¡± Doth asked. ¡°It''ll make your temporary stat gains permanent.¡± Ren said with a grin. He felt everyone''s surprise, then suddenly there was a flurry of movement from Doth and the last of his cake was no more. ¡°Wow, it really is permanent.¡± Doth said as he tried to lick his now messier paw-like hands. Ren stepped back from the table as the rest of them did a flurry of movement themselves and finished off their cakes as well. He felt their surprise and delight when their stat gains became permanent. ¡°You''re amazing!¡± Dilseffa exclaimed as she hopped up out of her chair and wrapped her arms around him, which covered his back with icing. She tried to give him a kiss, then laughed as she smeared cake and icing over his face instead. ¡°Our mouths don''t quite match up when I''m like this.¡± ¡°I''m okay with that.¡± Ren grinned and tried to kiss her back. He only managed to spread the mess some more, which made the two of them laugh. ¡°Now I need to clean up as much as you do!¡± Dilseffa ground her teeth a little in happiness and started licking his face with several quick licks. ¡°Hey, get a room!¡± One of the brothers said as they felt both Ren and Dilseffa start to become excited. Dilseffa stopped licking Ren and glared at her brother. ¡°Shut up! He''s letting me lick him in public!¡± ¡°Like we can''t see that.¡± Doth, the eldest brother said. ¡°It''s bad enough that Da and Ma did it; but, we don''t have to sit here and watch our sister do lewd stuff, too!¡± ¡°He''s right.¡± Drikon said and stood, as did his wife Duyu. ¡°We can save the foreplay for later.¡± He waved at his sons and they all stood. ¡°Clean up like Adventurers and we can call an end to this meal.¡± All of the brothers stored their sashes into the storage rings, then equipped them again and both the cloth and themselves were magically cleaned. ¡°It worked!¡± Doth stared at his hands. ¡°Even the cake under my claws is gone!¡± ¡°That doesn''t mean you can skip taking baths, young man.¡± Duyu said sternly, and everyone looked at her. ¡°Okay, Ma.¡± Doth said. ¡°We''re heading out to... ah... hunt! Yes, hunt!¡± Duyu snorted and coughed a bark of laughter. ¡°Don''t come running back here and complain if you hurt yourselves trying to carry too much in those rings!¡± ¡°Ha ha!¡± Doth laughed, because she understood exactly what he was going to do. In barely two seconds, all 19 of the men were out of the room and running down the main hallway to head outside. ¡°Forgive them for their behaviour.¡± Duyu said to Ren. ¡°Boys will be boys.¡± Ren said to her, and she nodded slightly. ¡°We should clean up as well.¡± Drikon said and stored his sash, then equipped it again to clean up. ¡°This will definitely save me hours each day from having to clean everyone''s clothing.¡± Duyu said and stored her dress. Just like every other new female that Ren had met, she didn''t wear a bra, and her large breasts bounced and jiggled without the dress to support them. Her very large and bright pink nipples were engorged and quite prominent, and the bare areas were just like Dilseffa''s. Her fur stopped just above her chest, which left her midriff completely bare and framed in fur. Ren couldn''t help but react to the sudden delightful sight and quickly averted his eyes. He felt a hand take his, and he turned his head to look at Duyu. ¡°It''s okay.¡± Duyu said. ¡°But...¡± ¡°We''re all a little charged up right now.¡± Duyu said with a sly smile. ¡°It''s normal to get excited when seeing someone like this.¡± ¡°You''re not angry?¡± Ren asked and looked at Dilseffa, who shrugged. He looked at Drikon and saw a big grin as he bared his teeth. ¡°I''m the envy of the entire Glade.¡± Drikon said and put a hand on Duyu''s shoulder. ¡°Not only is she a fetching beauty, she also gave birth to two litters of 10 kits each!¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Ren looked back at Duyu. ¡°Did... did he say...¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Duyu''s furred face could still show her red face as she blushed. ¡°It was...¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± Ren said, and the three of them looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Even where Adventurers come from, rabbits having 10 babies in one litter is the very most that they can have at one time.¡± He said, awe in his voice. ¡°Now I''ve met you and you did it twice!¡± Duyu felt his emotions and was very flattered at his praise. ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Ren looked at Drikon and nodded. ¡°I agree with everyone else. You are very lucky to have her.¡± ¡°As are you.¡± Drikon said with a feral smile. ¡°To behold her beauty and not have me try to decapitate you for it.¡± ¡°Sir. You felt my emotions. It was both a surprise and a delight.¡± Ren said honestly. ¡°I appreciate beauty whenever I see it.¡± He said and looked at Duyu. ¡°Thank you for not being embarrassed that I''ve seen you this way.¡± ¡°I''m still surprised that you can look at us like that.¡± Dilseffa said and stored her delegate uniform, to show that she wore just underwear as well and no bra, then she equipped a nice dress. ¡°We''re not even the same species and yet you see us as potential mates.¡± Ren equipped a pair of underwear to replace the sash to clean up and felt a short burst of disappointment from Duyu. ¡°Yeah, I can''t help myself sometimes.¡± He chuckled and equipped his sash and shorts combo again, then reached up to rub both sides of Dilseffa''s furred face with his fingertips. ¡°I don''t just jump on anything that moves, though.¡± He said as she ground her teeth happily. ¡°It means more to me than that.¡± ¡°You almost... with Tatya.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Yeah, we had a good make-out session, and things could have progressed... and I honestly can''t say if I would have pursued a relationship with her afterwards or not.¡± Ren said. ¡°What matters is that we didn''t and I don''t have to worry about it now.¡± He smiled. ¡°Things seemed to have worked out a lot better in the long run, don''t you think?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Dilseffa said and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± She said and kissed him. It was a little awkward with her mouth slightly distorted by her animal features; but, they managed to kiss each other quite effectively. Ren broke the kiss and turned his head to look at Drikon. ¡°Is there a good camping spot nearby for us to stay for the night?¡± ¡°Don''t answer that, Drikon.¡± Duyu said and glared at Ren. ¡°You''re staying right here.¡± ¡°I couldn''t impose on your hospitality any more than I already have, Duyu.¡± Ren said. ¡°We have plenty of room in the Warren, and I won''t have my daughter spending her first night at home in a tent!¡± Dilseffa let Ren go to face Duyu. ¡°Mom, we didn''t stay in a...¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± Duyu said and Dilseffa closed her mouth. She knew better than to argue with her mother, too. ¡°You stay in your room for tonight. We can discuss other sleeping arrangements for Ren and his Mistresses.¡± ¡°Ren''s staying with me.¡± Dilseffa said defiantly, and her mother raised her eyebrows. ¡°You''re right. It''s my first night back home, so I want to spend it cuddling with my Inamorato.¡± Duyu exchanged glances with her husband, who nodded slightly. ¡°Thank you!¡± Dilseffa exclaimed and hugged her father. ¡°We''ll go and get Yuwen, Tiyaphi, and Artemis right now!¡± She said and took Ren''s hand. ¡°Let''s go before they change their minds!¡± Duyu and Drikon watched as their ecstatic daughter left the dining room at a run and practically dragged a surprised Ren behind her. ¡°Who''s Artemis?¡± Drikon asked. ¡°I guess we''ll find out soon enough.¡± Duyu said with a chuckle. ¡°You should probably put your dress back on.¡± Drikon said with a smile. ¡°For decency''s sake.¡± Duyu caught her breath. ¡°I totally forgot to do that!¡± She said and equipped the now clean dress and she could no longer feel the cake she used to have stuck between her pad-like fingers and her whiskers. ¡°I''ll help you clean up.¡± Drikon offered. ¡°No, you did enough by getting those foxes.¡± Duyu said. ¡°You should skin and clean them so we can have them for supper tomorrow.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Drikon said and leaned down to kiss her. Duyu could feel his emotions and how turned on he was, and she didn''t try to hide that she was just as turned on. Neither of them had had any kind of experience like what had just happened, and they both couldn''t wait until they were alone and they could deal with those feelings. ¡°I''ll hurry.¡± Duyu whispered to her husband. ¡°Me, too.¡± Drikon said and quickly left the dining room to finish his task as soon as possible. Chapter 784 - Old Ben Ren and a now human-looking Dilseffa quickly gathered Yuwen, Tiyaphi, and Artemis from the carriage. The attendant said that if he wasn''t needed, he could take the carriage home with him to see his family and would be back for them in the morning. Ren nodded and gave him Respect, and the attendant drove off before he let his tears of happiness flow out. ¡°He''s really becoming dedicated to you.¡± Artemis commented as they all walked over to the entrance to the underground warren. ¡°I can''t really discourage him, since he just gets happier and happier the more things he can do for me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I just wonder what his family is going to say.¡± ¡°You''re assuming he''ll be able to talk about you without shouting in joy.¡± Teepo chittered in laughter. ¡°He''s not that bad.¡± Ren grinned. ¡°I''ll try and talk to him about it when he picks us up in the morning.¡± ¡°Don''t go crushing his hopes.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°Attendants are meant to serve and make great workers. I think he''s more excited than normal because he''s never had someone as prominent as you as his patron.¡± ¡°That sounds important.¡± Ren said as Dilseffa led them inside the warren. ¡°Does that mean he has another patron?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°He would have to be sponsored to get a prominent position on a caravan.¡± ¡°I hope I didn''t ruin things for him.¡± Ren said. ¡°Would I have to make it up to...¡± ¡°No.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°He wouldn''t have become part of your domain if he had a real patron.¡± ¡°Which means that''s why none of the other attendants were affected.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m surprised that most of the cooks were, if that''s the case.¡± ¡°You just have to be good at your job for those positions.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°But...¡± Ren stopped talking when he thought she might not know that they were the camouflaged people sent in ahead of the delegation. Being a cook might be their cover. ¡°Don''t worry about anything else tonight.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°You are a guest in my parents home.¡± ¡°All right. No more speculation for now.¡± Ren said and she brought them down to her room. ¡°This where I sleep.¡± Dilseffa said and motioned around the room. It was nice and cozy, had a good warm temperature because it was far enough underground, and even though it had a large bed and a dresser, it wasn''t crowded. ¡°This should work just fine.¡± Ren said and climbed onto the bed. ¡°Since this is your place, you get first choice of cuddle positions.¡± Dilseffa nodded slightly and laid down between his legs and rested her head on his thigh. ¡°Guess who''s grooming him in the morning?¡± Tiyaphi chuckled and laid down on Ren''s right and cuddled in tightly. ¡°Me?¡± Yuwen asked jokingly and laid down on his left side to cuddle in, and she tried not to laugh at Dilseffa''s disgruntled emotions. ¡°I''m just joking, Dilseffa. Of course it''s your turn.¡± Dilseffa sighed in relief. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Do you want me to use the statue?¡± Ren asked, and the three of them shook their heads. ¡°We should just enjoy the time we have.¡± Yuwen said and kissed his cheek. ¡°We can catch up on personal time after the debriefing.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Tiyaphi said and kissed his other cheek. ¡°Agreed.¡± Dilseffa said and kissed his thigh. She felt him shiver slightly and smiled, then snuggled down and relaxed. Artemis climbed onto the bed behind Yuwen and didn''t quite cuddle in; but, she was close enough that Yuwen felt her body heat. She didn''t object, and Artemis cuddled Ren''s hand and kissed it. The four of them dozed off just like that and Teepo flew up to land on the ceiling to keep watch. Even though they hadn''t deactivated their Sustenance rings, they knew they didn''t have to wake up after an hour and stayed in bed the whole night. Ren had been so relaxed, he had forgotten that he was supposed to log out to eat lunch in the real world. When he remembered, he also remembered that both Elise and Barbi were cuddled up to him and were asleep, so he didn''t feel too bad about missing lunch and despite it being a mistake, he cuddled the women around him and enjoyed the rest of the night. In the morning, Dilseffa didn''t try to suppress her feelings this time and changed before she started to groom Ren. She was very thorough in her grooming and made sure to lick every inch of him and ended as she always did at his crotch. She started to please him and he enjoyed the sensations a lot. While it was going on, Ren had felt several people moving around through his Aura and didn''t pay them any attention, since they weren''t coming near Dilseffa''s bedroom. When he was getting close to finishing, he felt someone approach her room. ¡°W-wait...¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m... almost... done.¡± Dilseffa said and sped up her licks as she concentrated on his sensitive spot. ¡°Someone is... coming.¡± Ren panted, and the person stopped just outside Dilseffa''s room. There were no doors in the underground warren, and Ren looked over to see Dilseffa''s mother Duyu as she peeked around the edge of the wall. They locked eyes for a moment, then she looked down at him being pleased by her daughter. ¡°Oh, damn!¡± Ren exclaimed and he finished. Duyu covered her mouth to hide her gasp as he made a huge mess, then she looked back at his face. ¡°So much!¡± Dilseffa said happily and didn''t stop licking as she started to clean him up. Tiyaphi and Yuwen had changed into their furred forms as well from the excitement and knew what to do as they helped to clean him up as well. As long as they didn''t touch his member with their rough tongues, they could lick him as much as they wanted anywhere else. So, they did. Ren was breathing heavily by this point because of all the attention, and his eyes never left Duyu''s. She had changed into her furred form as well, because she couldn''t stop herself from getting excited at the scene in front of her, and she stared back at him. She didn''t move at all as he was cleaned for several minutes, then the moment ended and she darted her head out of sight and moved down the hallway a short distance. ¡°Dilseffa!¡± Duyu nearly yelled and her loud voice startled everyone except for Ren, Teepo, and Artemis, because they knew she was there. ¡°I hope you''re up already!¡± She said and walked closer. ¡°Quick! Get dressed!¡± Dilseffa said and equipped her delegate uniform. Everyone else equipped their outfits for the day and then Duyu stepped into the doorway. She had calmed down and had changed back to her human form already. ¡°You''re lucky, young lady.¡± Duyu said. ¡°Your father left hours ago to meet with Old Ben.¡± ¡°Mom, we don''t have time to go all the way up the mountain to his cabin.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Sure we do.¡± Ren said as he climbed off of the bed and took out the All-Seeing Mirror. ¡°Show me Old Ben''s cabin, please.¡± He said and the cabin appeared, so he cast a portal to there and Teepo dropped to his shoulder. ¡°Are we all going?¡± Duyu stared with an open mouth at the portal. ¡°Sure, we''re all going.¡± Artemis said, and Ren ushered Dilseffa through the portal, then Yuwen and Tiyaphi stepped through and Artemis went next. ¡°We''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and stepped through himself and the portal disappeared. ¡°Wow.¡± He said when he looked at the view. ¡°It''s quite a sight.¡± Artemis said. The cabin was on a relatively flat area about halfway up the side of a mountain. They could see miles of spruce trees on the slope below them, and tons of rock and mountain on the slope above them. ¡°Yer already hooked! I can feel it!¡± A gruff voice exclaimed, and everyone turned around to see Dilseffa''s father Drikon and a hunched over old man. ¡°I guess that means my negotiating posture just evaporated.¡± Ren said, and Old Ben barked a laugh. ¡°No need ta negotiate, young fella.¡± Old Ben said and waddled over to him. ¡°I own this whole mountain, and Drikon said ya don''t care what the land is like.¡± ¡°I''ll make do with whatever you can spare, sir.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Well, I can spare that right there.¡± Old Ben said and pointed. Ren turned and saw that he pointed at the very peak of the mountain. ¡°The top?¡± ¡°About 200 feet of it from the tip down, if you want it.¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°A platinum coin.¡± ¡°For 200 feet of a mountain point? Really?¡± Ren asked. Old Ben laughed. ¡°Not gonna fall for that, huh?¡± ¡°Well...¡± Ren looked back at the old man. ¡°If you make it 1000 feet, you have a deal.¡± Old Ben was about to laugh again, then he stopped and stared at Ren. ¡°Yer serious.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve owned mountains before; but, I only used them for mining.¡± ¡°Ain''t nothing in this one.¡± Old Ben said and stomped his foot. ¡°Barren as a rock.¡± He said, then laughed at his own joke. ¡°So, what do you say?¡± Ren asked. ¡°A platinum for the top 1000 feet?¡± ¡°Boy, yer as crazy as I am.¡± Old Ben smiled and held a wizened hand out. ¡°You got a deal.¡± Ren shook his hand and gave him a platinum coin, and Old Ben took out a piece of paper and wrote some words on it, bit his thumb, then touched the paper. The words glowed for a moment and Ren was surprised when it changed into a formal deed for the land. ¡°There ya go.¡± Old Ben said and handed it to him. ¡°Good luck doing anything with all that ice and snow! Ha ha ha!¡± ¡°Don''t worry, sir. I''ve got the perfect idea for it.¡± Ren said and Teepo chittered in laughter. Artemis shook her head. ¡°You can''t really think...¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Ren said with a grin. ¡°Everyone, please excuse me for a minute.¡± He said and knelt, then prayed to the Earth Deity and offered 10,000 Mana. After only a few seconds, one of the Earth beings poked their head out of the ground. ¡°Oh, hey!¡± She said with a huge smile. ¡°You''ve come to me at last!¡± Ren chuckled at the Earth being''s words. ¡°This is your assigned area?¡± The Earth being nodded. She was good friends with the Earth being in his county and this one kept teasing the other about making her own deal with Ren for his Mana. ¡°Whatever you''ve got planned, I doubt that I can get anyone else to help.¡± ¡°I assume they''re all busy?¡± ¡°Extremely.¡± She said and then laughed. ¡°For some reason, we''ve been getting a lot more prayers and offerings lately.¡± ¡°I wonder how that happened.¡± Ren laughed, too. ¡°So, what do you need?¡± ¡°I''ve got the skills to do it myself; but, not the expertise or the knowledge to do it safely.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hm. It must be a massive project if you can''t do it alone.¡± She said. ¡°I know you''re not mining, since this mountain is empty.¡± ¡°No, not mining. Not quite, anyway.¡± Ren grinned. The Earth being chuckled as she held a hand out. ¡°Come into my office and we can discuss it.¡± Ren took her hand and they both disappeared underground. ¡°Did... did that just happen?¡± Dilseffa asked, completely dumbfounded. ¡°He just... he called an Earth being! That was an Earth being!¡± Tiyaphi said excitedly. As a medical professional, she was extremely fascinated at how the Earth Being looked and functioned. ¡°He talked to her like it was nothing.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°They had a normal conversation.¡± She blinked her eyes at the ground. ¡°Who has a normal conversation with the Earth Deity?¡± ¡°King Ren does.¡± Artemis said, then the ground shook. ¡°What was that?¡± Old Ben asked and looked up at the mountain''s peak. ¡°It came from there.¡± ¡°You felt that, old man?¡± Drikon asked and looked that way as well. ¡°I''m crazy, not senile.¡± Old Ben said. ¡°They''re doing something up there.¡± There was another series of tremors and Old Ben started to panic. ¡°Calm down, old man.¡± Drikon said and gripped his shoulder to stop Old Ben from running. ¡°If the mountain shakes like that, we''re going to get the world''s biggest avalanche!¡± Old Ben said and fully expected the snow and ice to bury him. ¡°Let me GO!¡± ¡°No. It''s not going to.¡± Drikon said. ¡°It would have happened already.¡± ¡°It takes a few minutes to get here!¡± Old Ben said. ¡°I know! It happened before!¡± ¡°Don''t worry. It''s over.¡± Artemis said calmly. ¡°Here they come.¡± Ren popped up and out of the ground with a laugh, and knelt down. The Earth being poked her head out of the ground and laughed, too. ¡°I''ve been teaching you for a year now and you still tried to change the load-bearing supports before changing the load!¡± ¡°I told you that I didn''t know what I was doing!¡± Ren smiled warmly at her. ¡°Thanks for your help.¡± ¡°I can''t believe you made it all impenetrable rock.¡± The Earth being shook her head. ¡°I think you''ve got impenetrable rock on the brain!¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Why use anything else when you can make the strongest material available and still have it be aesthetically pleasing?¡± He said and held a hand out. ¡°Can you make yourself into a conduit for the final offering?¡± ¡°I can.¡± She said and took his hand. ¡°You don''t know what this means to us.¡± ¡°I only needed to know that it was important.¡± Ren said and gently poured 100,000 Mana into her. ¡°Oh... ohhh... that feels so... so nice... and... ohhhhhh...¡± She moaned. Everyone could feel how much she really liked Ren giving her Mana like that, and she floated on the pleasure as it passed through her. It lasted for nearly a full minute, then the flow slowed down and she stopped being a conduit. ¡°Thanks again for everything.¡± Ren said and dumped 10,000 Mana into her. ¡°OHH!!¡± The Earth being exclaimed and she finished at the forced feeding. ¡°Dammit! I said not to do that to me!¡± ¡°Yes, you did.¡± Ren chuckled and leaned down to give her a kiss and eased 5,000 more Mana into her. She moaned as he did so, then he broke the kiss. ¡°I had to make you happy, though.¡± ¡°You and your happiness fetish will be the ruin of me.¡± The Earth being said with a slightly red face. Ren reached down and caressed the side of her face, then handed her several platinum coins. ¡°If I need your help again...¡± ¡°...you know how to contact me.¡± She said and took the material offering. ¡°Until then.¡± ¡°Until then.¡± Ren said, and she floated down under the ground and disappeared. She left his Aura a few seconds later. ¡°R-Ren.¡± Dilseffa said, and he stood up to look at her. ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡°I changed the top 500 feet of the mountain to suit my needs.¡± Ren said. ¡°I couldn''t do it alone, so I asked for help.¡± ¡°From the Earth Deity.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°Well, this is her realm.¡± Ren said. ¡°It wouldn''t be right to make huge changes to it without at least consulting her.¡± ¡°I can''t believe you know the Earth Deity.¡± Tiyaphi said, wonder in her voice. ¡°How does her skin hold in all that swirling gravel and rock?¡± Ren snorted a laugh. ¡°It just does.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We should get back to the warren and have breakfast.¡± Ren said and checked the All-Seeing Mirror, then cast a portal back to Dilseffa''s room. ¡°Drikon, are you coming?¡± ¡°I ate before I left.¡± Drikon said. ¡°Have fun at the debriefing.¡± He said sarcastically. Ren chuckled and ushered the women through the portal and stepped through himself, then the portal disappeared. ¡°Is he a god or something?¡± Old Ben asked. ¡°I thought only gods could talk to other gods.¡± ¡°Duyu told me last night that he''s friends with Vasalor.¡± Drikon said. Old Ben barked a laugh. ¡°He''s friends with that ancient bastard?¡± ¡°Apparently.¡± Drikon said and chuckled at Old Ben''s description of the one true creator. ¡°Well, that would explain a lot.¡± Old Ben said, then a portal opened and Ren stepped out of it. ¡°I almost forgot the tip.¡± Ren said and handed Old Ben 10 gold. ¡°Oh, and you don''t have to worry about avalanches anymore. The snow''s permanent.¡± He said and gave them a wave and stepped back through the portal. ¡°Yep. It definitely explains a lot.¡± Old Ben laughed as the portal disappeared. Ren and the women left Dilseffa''s bedroom. The women went to the dining room and Ren diverted to the kitchen to go and see Duyu. ¡°How in the world does this thing work?¡± Duyu asked in confusion to no one in particular, while she poked the buttons and knobs on the top of the new oven, and nothing happened. ¡°May I offer assistance?¡± Ren asked and she jumped a couple of feet into the air. ¡°You scared me!¡± Duyu said as she landed and put a hand over her heart. ¡°I''m terribly sorry.¡± Ren said and walked over to her and gave her a hug. He felt her flinch at the apology, so he rested his head on her chest and gave her a squeeze. ¡°Don''t be angry about that apology. I made you react in a disrespectful way and I had to apologize for it.¡± ¡°I... well, yes... making me jump so high...¡± ¡°Let me give you a lesson on how to use the new oven.¡± Ren said and let one arm go, and kept the other around her. He was about to let her go completely; but, he felt that she really wanted him to keep a hold of her as he taught her. Her arm went around him as well and he gave her a quick rundown of all the functions of the new oven. Duyu was amazed at how versatile it was, and Ren even opened it up and showed her that the knobs would regulate how much heat would be generated. ¡°Thank you for showing me all of this.¡± Duyu said, doubt in her voice and emotions. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Now that I know how it all works... how do I turn it on?¡± ¡°Just concentrate on the oven and say ''Activate''.¡± Ren said. ¡°I didn''t tell you how to do it right away, because I wanted you to know how it worked first.¡± ¡°That is both annoying and thoughtful at the same time.¡± Duyu said and turned it on. Ren chuckled. ¡°That''s me.¡± He said and let her go. ¡°So, what''s for breakfast?¡± ¡°Scrambled eggs and toasted buns.¡± ¡°I haven''t made anything for breakfast with a toasted bun before.¡± Ren said and smiled. Toast, yes. Bun, no. ¡°I''m glad I saved a pile of bacon from the other day.¡± ¡°Bacon?¡± Duyu looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Let me introduce you to one of the best breakfast sandwiches you''ll ever taste.¡± Ren said with a grin, and the two of them started making breakfast. When Duyu went to her pantry and took out a 1 foot wide egg, Ren stared at her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That''s the biggest egg I''ve ever seen!¡± Ren exclaimed, and she laughed. ¡°You don''t have a lot of experience in our lands.¡± Duyu said and handed him the humongous egg. ¡°I''ll get the big bowl from the cupboard.¡± ¡°You have a bowl that can hold this thing?¡± Ren asked, and she chuckled as she brought over a bowl that was nearly twice as big. ¡°Well, damn.¡± He said as she took the egg from him, tapped it on the side of the heavy bowl like you would do to a normal egg, and a giant egg yolk popped out with a pile of egg white. ¡°This is the hard part.¡± Duyu said and picked up a whisk. ¡°It should be easier with your ring equipped.¡± Ren said, and she started to whip the egg. ¡°Hey, it is easier!¡± Duyu said happily and quickly whipped it into a consistent color. ¡°Get the pans.¡± Ren grabbed the two large skillets. When she went to dump the egg into them, he stopped her. ¡°Let''s make them really light and fluffy first.¡± Ren said, and showed her how to do just that by adding milk and some spices while she continuously whipped them. It ended up nearly filling the bowl, and Duyu laughed when they had a hard time trying to pour it into the skillets without spilling it. ¡°I think we overdid it a little.¡± Ren chuckled and he and Duyu cooked up those two skillets, dumped them onto a huge platter, then cooked up two more skillets full and dumped that onto another platter. They managed to get one more skillet full, which used up all the fluffy mixture, then they started toasting the buns. Both he and Duyu enjoyed cooking together, because they both had experience cooking and didn''t get in each other''s way. Ren took out the couple of platters of bacon he had saved and he quickly made a sandwich for her and she bit into it. ¡°It''s really good!¡± Duyu said. ¡°Should we make a bunch, or only one each and let them eat normally?¡± ¡°One each, and we can save it as a treat for when they''re done eating.¡± Duyu said, and they made enough for one sandwich each, then loaded up the food carts and brought breakfast into the dining room. Everyone was there already and waiting, and Ren chuckled at their surprise when they saw the platters piled high with fluffy scrambled eggs. ¡°There''s lots, so help yourselves!¡± Duyu said and quickly did up a plate for herself. Ren took enough for himself, Artemis, and his Mistresses to eat, then got out of the way as the brothers tackled each other to try and get the next plateful. Chapter 785 - A Delegate Situation ¡°You''re not going to try and stop them from fighting?¡± Ren asked as he and Duyu walked to the end of the table, and Duyu laughed. ¡°No formal eating rules at breakfast.¡± Duyu said and sat down at her place. Ren served his Mistresses and Artemis and sat down himself, and they all ate a great meal of scrambled eggs and toasted buns. ¡°Ma! That was delicious!¡± Doth, the eldest son said. ¡°I''m stuffed!¡± ¡°It was Ren''s fault.¡± Duyu said and pointed. ¡°He showed me how to double the portions without having to double the eggs.¡± ¡°I knew I liked you!¡± Doth exclaimed, and everyone laughed because that was not the impression he had given them. ¡°How much would you like me if I gave you this?¡± Ren asked and dropped a sandwich in front of him. ¡°What is it?¡± Doth asked and picked it up. ¡°It''s an egg, bacon, and toasted bun sandwich.¡± Ren said. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Doth said. ¡°I''m pretty full.¡± ¡°Then give it to him.¡± Ren said and pointed at a man two seats away from Doth. ¡°He''s still hungry.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Doth said and took a huge bite out of the sandwich. ¡°Mahm moom!¡± ¡°You''re right. It is good.¡± Ren smiled. ¡°What about us?¡± The still hungry brother asked. ¡°You all get one!¡± Duyu exclaimed and Ren dropped sandwiches in front of them all. ¡°Yay!¡± The hungry brother almost yelled and everyone laughed as he gobbled it down. Not surprisingly, Yuwen, Dilseffa, Tiyaphi, and Artemis passed on the sandwich and Yuwen told Ren it was time to go. ¡°Good luck at the debriefing.¡± Duyu said and gave her daughter a hug. ¡°Since we''re just telling them everything that happened while we were in the delegation, we don''t really need luck; but, thank you.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Sometimes it''s better to have it and not need it.¡± Duyu said with a smile, then looked at Ren. ¡°You be careful.¡± ¡°I''ll try.¡± Ren said and grinned at her, and she chuckled. ¡°Come here.¡± Duyu said and opened her arms, so he stepped close and hugged her. ¡°Will you be back here tonight?¡± ¡°If you''ll have me.¡± Ren said, then he chuckled and corrected the implication. ¡°As a guest.¡± Duyu''s face flushed slightly red, because she hadn''t missed the implication, either. ¡°I''ve got everything all set up on my land for what I want to do; but, I don''t know if I want to stay there so soon.¡± Ren said. ¡°You what?¡± Duyu blinked her eyes at him, and he looked up at her. ¡°Old Ben sold me the top of his mountain.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve got two large resort inns, two dozen magical lifts, and four dozen large ski runs of various lengths and skill levels.¡± ¡°What in the world are you talking about?¡± Duyu asked, confused. ¡°It''s just something that some Adventurers are going to love to have access to.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve also dug out the center of the mountain for... well, everything else.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Duyu asked. ¡°Ski resorts need a supporting town with lots of living space. Since I didn''t have the room outside of the mountain, I made it all inside the mountain.¡± ¡°You''re crazy!¡± Duyu, her daughter Dilseffa, Tiyaphi, and Yuwen exclaimed at the same time. Ren and Artemis laughed and Teepo chittered in delight. ¡°I''ll finish setting up proper transport to get there later, once I decide where to have the entrance portal.¡± Ren said and let Duyu out of the hug. ¡°Until then, we need to go.¡± Dilseffa led him and the others out of the room. * Duyu took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Ma.¡± Doth said from the end of the table, and she didn''t respond. ¡°MA!¡± ¡°Stop yelling, you oaf! I''m not deaf!¡± ¡°You always say that and yet you never answer the first time.¡± Doth said. ¡°What is it?¡± Duyu asked, annoyed at herself because he was right. She never did answer the first time. ¡°How can you hug that guy like that?¡± Doth asked. ¡°He''s not even a rabbit!¡± ¡°I... well, it''s...¡± Duyu turned away slightly and stopped talking as she remembered the scene in Dilseffa''s bedroom that she had almost walked in on, and her face turned red. ¡°He might not be a member of the beast races; but, he doesn''t seem to care that we are.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Doth asked, confused. It means that he is a lot more accepting of us than we are of him. Duyu thought and took another breath. ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± She said and her blush faded. ¡°Why don''t you take all those tools back to the shed?¡± ¡°How did you know...¡± ¡°A mother always knows.¡± Duyu said with an evil grin. ¡°What were you doing with Hisha yesterday?¡± ¡°Ah... yeah. Um... okay. I''m... ah... BYE!¡± Doth ran from the room as fast as he could, and she laughed. * Ren and the others came out through the warren''s hatch cover and the fancy carriage was waiting for them. The attendant was there, and he didn''t have a happy expression or felt particularly happy like he had last night. Ren helped everyone get into the carriage and climbed up to sit beside the attendant. ¡°Go ahead and tell me about it.¡± Ren said. The attendant didn''t even try to deny that there was anything wrong and spilled out everything that had happened the night before when he went home and told his wife that he had found a patron. She had been quite upset about it, especially since she had worked hard to establish close connections with the other people under their old patron. ¡°You know you don''t have to leave your other life at all, don''t you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Your wife doesn''t have to leave her family or friends, and you don''t have to stop being who you are or give up your job.¡± ¡°Sir, I...¡± The attendant took a shallow breath and let it out. ¡°Being around you is exciting. I''m energized and I feel like I could take on the whole world!¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°You''ve really acclimated to being in my domain, then.¡± Ren said and concentrated on the man''s mark as he put a hand on his shoulder. The attendant glowed briefly and sat up a little straighter and smiled. His emotions were still churning; but, he could see that focusing on work would help him deal with it. ¡°Sir, I... as soon as you have lands, I want to move there as soon as possible.¡± ¡°What about your wife?¡± ¡°She''ll come along, since we''re a mated pair.¡± The attendant said. ¡°She won''t be happy for a while, since it will take her away from her friends and family.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t worry about that too much.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°I''ll be setting up a Portal Gate Network here in the Pervarian Kingdom and she can travel instantly to any town it''s connected to.¡± ¡°R-really?!?¡± The attendant exclaimed. ¡°That''s wonderful!¡± ¡°I assume you live in the capital?¡± Ren asked, and he nodded. ¡°Then I''ll put the first one there to connect to the town I''ve already built on my land.¡± ¡°You have land already?¡± The attendant asked, then he gasped. ¡°Did... did you say town?!?¡± ¡°Yeah. It''s all move-in ready, too. A mansion. A medical building. A Library. Everything a town needs.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°Not counting all the houses and farmland.¡± ¡°Where is this wonderful place?¡± The attendant asked. Ren looked around, saw the mountain peak and pointed. ¡°It''s right there.¡± The attendant turned to see where he pointed and caught his breath. ¡°Th-that''s crazy Ben''s mountain!¡± ¡°He sold me the peak.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... but... how would... farmland? Houses? A whole town?¡± The attendant couldn''t wrap his head around how he could fit all of that onto a mountain''s steep slopes that were covered in ice and snow. ¡°Don''t freak out, now.¡± Ren said and let his shoulder go. ¡°A mountain is cold and hard on the outside; but, it''s all toasty warm on the inside.¡± The attendant''s mouth dropped open. ¡°I-i-inside?!?¡± Ren laughed. ¡°We can go and visit it when I create the portal in the capital.¡± He said. ¡°I''ll hop in the back so we can go.¡± ¡°Y-yes, sir. Of course, sir.¡± The attendant said, and Ren went into the back to sit with the others. The carriage made the journey to the capital city fairly quickly, and when they reached the gates to enter, Ren saw there were two long lines of waiting people and carts. ¡°Your people are actually security conscious.¡± Ren commented, and Yuwen chuckled. ¡°We''ve been to too many kingdoms where their lack of security showed us the error of not at least giving people a cursory examination before entering our capital.¡± ¡°Are we still going to make the meeting like this?¡± Ren asked, then the carriage swerved and went alongside the two waiting lines and stopped by a third security team. ¡°I have 2 delegates from the caravan and their guest aboard.¡± The attendant said in a confident voice. There was a knock on the door and Tiyaphi opened it. She introduced herself, then Yuwen and Dilseffa as the delegates, then Ren as their guest and Artemis as his companion. The security man held a hand up and it glowed for a moment, then he smiled. ¡°Welcome to Eastlowen Bay.¡± He said, shut the carriage door and waved to the gate. It opened and the attendant drove the carriage through. ¡°That went faster than I thought it would.¡± Ren said. ¡°He rushed the Detection spell, though.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°He''s lucky he didn''t miss anything.¡± ¡°Oh? Are you usually smuggling something in?¡± Tiyaphi asked with a grin, and Yuwen laughed. The carriage made its way through the city quickly, since the attendant used less used back streets and arrived at the delegation''s headquarters a few minutes later. Ren hopped out and helped out the women, then turned to the attendant. ¡°Excellent work.¡± He said in praise. ¡°We could have only arrived here quicker if we''d flown.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± The attendant said and felt proud at doing so well with an unfamiliar carriage. ¡°I''ll be waiting in the anteroom for you to finish.¡± Ren wasn''t sure where that was. Before he could ask, Yuwen took his hand to distract him and waved the attendant on. The carriage pulled away and was gone as quickly as it had arrived. ¡°It''s just outside the gathering area for the delegates, which is two rooms in from the lobby.¡± Yuwen whispered. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ren whispered back and kept a hold of her hand. ¡°R-Ren.¡± Dilseffa said and he looked at her. ¡°I... we...¡± She took a breath. ¡°We need to remove our adornments.¡± ¡°I want to say that you don''t; but, you''re worried that they might not like that I gave you replacements.¡± Dilseffa nodded slightly. ¡°Then you have my permission to store them until you get the others back.¡± Dilseffa sighed in relief and stored the items, as did Yuwen. They both felt a little diminished as their boosts disappeared, and Ren took Dilseffa''s hand. He poured his emotions out into them, and that boosted them instead. ¡°How can you do that?¡± Yuwen asked. ¡°I''m not as strong and I still feel empowered.¡± ¡°My awesomeness cannot be contained and must overflow onto you.¡± Ren said haughtily, and they all laughed. ¡°We need to get inside.¡± Dilseffa said as another carriage arrived and two more delegates stepped out. The 5 of them stepped inside the building and into the large lobby, and Ren saw displays of different objects. ¡°It''s like a museum.¡± Ren said as he quickly looked around. He could see small orbs of blue Mana around each object and he couldn''t identify the orbs or the objects they shielded. ¡°It is a museum.¡± Yuwen said. ¡°These are some of the first objects we ever brought back from other cultures to be examined.¡± ¡°Did you learn anything from them?¡± ¡°Not a thing.¡± Yuwen said and chuckled. ¡°It''s pretty much junk.¡± ¡°Then why protect it so much?¡± Ren asked and waved at the closest object as they passed by it. ¡°It''s a part of our history.¡± Yuwen said and they entered the anteroom. It was about half-full of people, mostly attendants and aides, and they didn''t stop or talk to anyone and entered the waiting area for the delegates. ¡°I''m sorry, they can''t be here.¡± A voice said and they all turned to look. A burly man with only a sash and a sword on his hip walked over to them. ¡°No one but delegates can be in this area.¡± ¡°I was invited by the head of the current delegation to participate in the debriefing.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yuwen and Dilseffa are my Mistresses, as is Tiyaphi.¡± He continued. ¡°Artemis is my familiar. Who exactly isn''t supposed to be here?¡± The man just stared at him and didn''t know how to respond. Since they don''t apologize for making a mistake, he was at a loss for what to do next. ¡°It''s all right.¡± Tatya said and came over to them. The man''s relief was evident as he nodded to her and quickly retreated. ¡°Ren, can I speak to you for a moment?¡± ¡°That depends on if we have a moment.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°When is the show supposed to start?¡± ¡°Not for another half an hour.¡± Tatya said. ¡°We need to make sure that everyone is here that needs to be here.¡± ¡°Why did we have to show up so early, then?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Most people can''t be as punctual as you, my friend.¡± Tatya said. ¡°We''re still waiting on 3 of the delegates to arrive.¡± She waved towards a door. ¡°Please, this way.¡± ¡°You mean alone, right?¡± Tatya nodded slightly, so Ren took a step up into the air and kissed Yuwen, much to her surprise. He turned and kissed Dilseffa, which turned her face red, and then he faced Tiyaphi. She had a big smile and kissed him before he could kiss her. He glanced at Artemis, and she shook her head. He nodded to her and then followed Tatya over to the door and they went inside. Ren quickly used his Detect Everything spell and didn''t find anything, then waited until Tatya shut the door and cast it again. Part of the wall glowed for a moment and he used his Heat Sense Aura to ''look'' behind it to see two people with crossed arms. It''s like an interrogation room. Ren thought as he sat down at the small table. ¡°I was just about to say that.¡± Teepo said in the voice that only Ren could hear. ¡°So, what''s this about?¡± Ren asked Tatya as she walked over to sit on the other side of the small table. ¡°Ren, I...¡± Tatya folded her hands on the table and looked at him with pleading eyes. ¡°I want you to show the investigators all of the footage you have during your time with the caravan.¡± ¡°Is that required?¡± Ren asked, skeptically. ¡°No.¡± Tatya said. ¡°That''s why I wanted to talk to you privately.¡± ¡°You don''t believe you''re lying, and yet you are.¡± Ren said. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Tatya gasped. ¡°I''m not lying!¡± Ren sighed and pointed to the wall. ¡°This room isn''t very private.¡± He said and felt one of the two people behind the wall start to panic. Ren cast Dispel Magic on the viewing window and one very surprised person stared back at them, and the other looked at them calmly. ¡°Jirqym!¡± Tatya exclaimed and stood as she recognized the calm one. ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± ¡°I was ordered to finish observing our guest.¡± Jirqym said, not shaken at all by the situation. ¡°How did you know I would use this room?¡± ¡°You always use this room.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°You usually have Kenkoth in there with you, though.¡± ¡°I wanted to talk to Ren privately, dammit!¡± Tatya nearly yelled. ¡°Do you know how much Respect you just cost me by making me a liar?!?¡± ¡°You''ll have to take it up with Herd if you feel the loss was unjust.¡± ¡°Of course I feel it was unjust!¡± Tatya exclaimed. ¡°You... you...¡± She stopped talking and took a deep breath. ¡°Why are you hiding behind walls and listening in on private conversations?¡± ¡°I told you. I was ordered to finish my work.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°King Ren said he would let me examine him to learn all of his skills.¡± ¡°Infringing on your coworker''s privacy and deceiving me, invalidates my implied promise.¡± Ren said and blocked him. Jirqym''s eyes widened as Ren disappeared from his sight and his feelings, and even from his ability. ¡°Where did he go?¡± He asked and looked around the room. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°He''s standing right here.¡± ¡°No, he isn''t.¡± Jirqym said. ¡°I can''t detect him at all.¡± Tatya stared at the man for a moment, then looked at Ren. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I''m forcing him to ignore me.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°Neat, huh?¡± ¡°Ren, he... his ability can detect everything around him.¡± ¡°Oh, he''s still detecting me.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°He just sees it as useless information and disregards it.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°Shall I take us to a private area for you to talk freely?¡± Ren asked, and she looked at the wall with the viewing window that she didn''t know existed, and the very shocked person standing next to a frantic Jirqym. ¡°Yes.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Where is he?¡± Jirqym asked, excitedly. ¡°I can''t see him! Where is he? WHERE IS HE?!?¡± Ren cast the portal spell and he and Tatya stepped through it together. Chapter 786 - Delegate Debriefing Ren and Tatya stepped out of the portal and into the center of Ren''s mountain town. ¡°Where are we?¡± Tatya asked as she looked around the very well lit giant cavern and saw all the buildings. ¡°I bought a mountain peak and converted the inside into a town.¡± Ren said as he took out the Vasalor Statue and activated it. ¡°There are various exits to go outside, and some of them are quite fun.¡± ¡°Oh, my god.¡± Tatya whispered. ¡°How... how did you do all of this since last night?¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°Actually, it took about a year to do it.¡± ¡°A... a year?!?¡± Tatya asked, shocked. ¡°Making the town was simple.¡± Ren said. ¡°Hollowing out the mountain and trying to hold onto the snow on the whole thing while doing it, really taxed my skills and my multitasking abilities.¡± ¡°Wh-what... what...¡± ¡°It was a really fun time.¡± Ren said happily. ¡°Everything came out great, too.¡± ¡°But... a year.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ren said. ¡°It went by faster than I thought it would.¡± ¡°Ren... King Ren...¡± ¡°We''re completely alone here, so you can call me Ren.¡± Ren said. ¡°You were saying that you want me to share my footage with the investigators?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I... I''ve made mistakes, and I hoped that if they saw it for themselves, they would restore some of the Respect I''ve lost.¡± ¡°Like what just happened with Jirqym.¡± Ren said, and she nodded slightly. ¡°You do realize I can only show what was happening around me and nowhere else, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Even just seeing things from your perspective and getting a completely unbiased account of what happened during the trip is more valuable than all of the other witness statements put together.¡± ¡°Would I have to hand over a display device when they see it?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I... maybe. No one has produced anything as significant in front of them before.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I''ve been the head of the delegation three times now, and...¡± She sighed. ¡°I didn''t know that they had hidden viewing windows into the private rooms.¡± ¡°I believe you just suffered the same thing you''ve been putting me through.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You''ve only been told just enough to do your job effectively and not told everything that affects your job.¡± Ren said. ¡°Just like you told me only some information and not what I should have known or needed to know.¡± ¡°Ren, I...¡± Tatya took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Ren, I... I can''t believe I''m going to say this.¡± She said and took his hand. ¡°Ren, I''m... I''m... I''m so... so...¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ren said, and tried not to laugh as Tatya sighed in relief. He could feel her sorrow and regret over how he had been treated and didn''t want her to hurt herself by saying something that was detrimental to her upbringing and beliefs. ¡°Ren, will you show the investigators what happened?¡± Tatya asked. ¡°I will.¡± Ren said. ¡°Thank you!¡± Tatya wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± ¡°I don''t think you should thank me just yet.¡± Ren said, and she let him out of the hug. ¡°It could make things worse.¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter. It will be the actual account of what happened, and they can determine for themselves its significance and value.¡± ¡°I have to remind you that it won''t show what happened between us.¡± Ren said. ¡°No clothing, no recording.¡± ¡°I know, I... unless I can convince them otherwise, I just have to accept that loss.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I''m a little surprised that you haven''t had anything like this happen before.¡± ¡°I didn''t meet anyone that intrigued me as much as you did.¡± Tatya said. ¡°No personal duels?¡± Tatya shook her head. ¡°You were the only one to acknowledge me as worthy to fight.¡± ¡°You''re kidding.¡± Ren said, and she shook her head again. ¡°Wow, you''ve met some really ignorant people if they couldn''t feel your fighting prowess.¡± Tatya chuckled. ¡°Most of them didn''t even touch me with their Auras.¡± ¡°Okay, that''s just...¡± Ren shook his head this time. ¡°Yeah, really ignorant.¡± He said. ¡°The very first thing I would have done was checked you all out.¡± ¡°Not everyone''s Aura is as big as yours.¡± ¡°King Alamast''s Aura is pretty big.¡± ¡°He doesn''t recognize a good fighter over a charlatan.¡± Tatya said. ¡°You felt their reactions when the delegates fought your Doppels. None of the other people in the room knew what was going on and were more confused than entertained.¡± ¡°Especially when it ended.¡± Ren said and thought about it. ¡°Nearly everyone you''ve met reacted similarly, didn''t they?¡± ¡°They did, and we were all the better off for it.¡± Tatya said. ¡°We were seen more as a travelling carnival instead of official delegates for an entire kingdom.¡± ¡°It let you gain a lot more than just gifts and good will.¡± Ren said. ¡°You must have visited and cleaned out every shop where the caravan stopped.¡± Tatya chuckled. ¡°You guessed our tactics well.¡± She said. ¡°They saw us as country rubes that were new to city life and sold us everything they had, and then some, because they thought they were pulling the wool over our eyes.¡± ¡°When it was just the opposite.¡± Ren said, then chuckled. ¡°It''s too bad you didn''t visit my shop.¡± ¡°Oh? Why''s that?¡± ¡°Anabelle would have seen right through your ruse.¡± Ren said proudly. ¡°I doubt she would have sold you anything except our basic equipment.¡± ¡°I''m sure if...¡± ¡°No, she''s not at all gullible.¡± Ren said with a huge smile. ¡°She''s been running the shop since it opened and I trust her implicitly.¡± ¡°That... must be nice.¡± Tatya whispered. ¡°It is.¡± Ren said. ¡°We should get back before they send out a search party for us.¡± Tatya smiled. ¡°You''re using the Vasalor Statue, so we''ve only been gone a few seconds.¡± Ren checked the room with the All-Seeing Mirror and cast a portal back there as he deactivated and stored the statue, then they stepped back into the room. Jirqym still had his face pressed against the glass and asked where Ren was again. Tatya ignored him and the other person as she and Ren left the private room. Ren went back over to Artemis and his Mistresses and Tatya went over to where Kenkoth stood, and they all waited for the last of the delegates to arrive. When the last one walked into the assembly area, a guard stepped into the middle of the room. He slammed the end of his staff into the floor to make a metal ringing sound and pointed the weapon to the wall opposite of where everyone had come in. The wall dissolved and revealed a room in the shape of a half-circle, and there were 11 people that sat behind a curved desk on a raised platform. Tatya''s name was called and she stepped forward into a circle that had appeared on the floor. ¡°As head of the current delegation, you have the right to speak first.¡± The woman that sat in the middle of the 11 people said. ¡°Thank you.¡± Tatya said and started to talk. Ren knew this was going to take a long time, so he made everyone ignore him and took out the Vasalor Statue, changed the settings so it would affect everyone in both rooms, and activated it. Tatya told the investigators all about everything that she had seen and experienced during her travels, and didn''t hold anything back at all. Ren was really surprised that no one had made him wait in a private room or reformed the wall so that he wouldn''t hear what were essentially spoilers for new content in the game. He suppressed those emotions so that they wouldn''t know how excited he was to hear about three new kingdoms that weren''t a part of the game yet. The Slirripia Kingdom, the Demuvia Empire, and the Ruteron Republic had never even been hinted at anywhere that he had heard of.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Ren listened intently to try and determine what races were in those kingdoms; but, to no avail. No specific details of the races or even what types of creatures they might be were mentioned. ¡°That''s probably because of their own resistance to discussing their own creature types.¡± Teepo said in the voice that only Ren could hear, and he had to agree. I wonder if Lara would fill me in, now that I know about them. Ren thought with a smile. ¡°I doubt it.¡± Teepo said. ¡°She might expand on what you''ve heard here, though.¡± Ren held in his chuckle and listened to the rest of Tatya''s testimony about going into the Human Kingdom and her experiences there. Most of it was uneventful, even the part where King Alamast had offered them animals for slaughter. The investigators had laughed at that, just as Ren had, and Tatya moved on and talked about spending time with Princess Diana and learning a lot more about how the kingdom was run from afternoons with her than she had by listening to King Alamast''s long-winded speeches. Ren had to chuckle at that, and several people glanced at him. He made a locking his lips motion with his fingers and tossed the imaginary key away, and they chuckled in turn. Tatya continued her deposition and all of the investigators perked up when she reached the part concerning Ren. It was a little odd hearing about it from her perspective, since she had been upstairs when he had met Kenkoth the first time, then she described Ren reacting to her and about their duel. All of the investigators glanced at Ren at random times during Tatya''s story, and he met those glances with a small smile. Tatya described Ren''s duel with Meccis and the reason for it, and Meccis coughed loudly when she said it was over in only a few seconds. They all gasped when she told them about Ren''s threat to challenge the delegates for not paying him the proper Respect. All of them pointedly glared at him, and he grinned and pointed back at Tatya. They looked back at her and she described eating a good breakfast with the human''s royal family, then about Ren coming back to challenge them. ¡°He came back after a boast like that?!?¡± One of the investigators exclaimed, then clamped his mouth shut at his undignified outburst. Tatya smiled and told them about the training sword duel challenge, then the next and the next. The investigators barely breathed as she described the Doppel Ren''s fighting prowess and how he had successfully landed at least one or more points on everyone and then ended the duels himself. Tatya described how he had promised to make a cathedral for Vasalor and then did it instantly, which made Jirqym stop the caravan so they could send someone to investigate it. She told them how Ren had joined the caravan later and modified them to travel at speeds unheard of for giant boars hauling carriages. There wasn''t much to tell after that, except him making an instant tower to sleep in, then they arrived in the Pervaria Kingdom and Tatya received the attack alert. ¡°You mobilized the delegates to assist?¡± One of the investigators asked. ¡°Only those suited for regimental combat.¡± Tatya said. ¡°It wasn''t until King Ren offered to let us use the fast carriages and one of his custom troop transports that we could form most of the garrison''s troops into an effective fighting force.¡± ¡°How in the world did you ship most of a garrison to the battlefield so quickly?¡± The woman in the center spot asked. ¡°We''ve heard from Maghash, and he said...¡± She looked down at a piece of parchment. ¡°...a huge long cart hauled by a giant armored ram and the delegation''s caravan descended from the sky to land in the staging area, then nearly the entire Eastern Garrison piled out of them and formed ranks.¡± ¡°King Ren expanded the insides of the carriages to accommodate the troops.¡± Tatya said. ¡°King Ren even volunteered to help fight.¡± All of the investigators glanced at Ren, who smiled. ¡°This says that Maghash sent King Ren out to be a distraction.¡± The woman in the center spot said. ¡°I assume it was effective.¡± ¡°Extremely.¡± Tatya said. ¡°After he had his companion destroy the goblin''s catapult division, he mounted his giant armored ram and drew the attention of the goblin''s main force.¡± She said. ¡°It let Maghash flank the enemy and destroyed its formations and its cohesion.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°The embodiment of Anansi appeared.¡± Tatya said, and a hush fell over the room. Ren felt all of their reactions and knew that they feared for their lives whenever the giant spider appeared. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I had led a strike force to where the magic user was supposed to be, to try and take him out before... well, I wasn''t in time.¡± Tatya said. ¡°We had slowed down too much to fight other units.¡± ¡°Then when you got there...¡± One of the investigators prompted. ¡°I thought we were all dead.¡± Tatya admitted, to everyone''s surprise. ¡°We didn''t have any magic users nearby, since they were supporting the main offensive, and the main force of the goblins was advancing underneath the humongous spider.¡± ¡°Maghash said we won the battle.¡± ¡°We did.¡± Tatya said. ¡°Because of King Ren.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± ¡°He killed the spider single-handed and it collapsed and killed most of the main force of the goblins and the mage that had summoned Anansi.¡± Tatya said. ¡°I''ve never seen anything like it.¡± ¡°It must have been quite a sight to be saved from impending doom.¡± One of the investigators said. Ren stopped making everyone ignore him, except for Jirqym, and spoke. ¡°Would you like to see it?¡± ¡°Did you just interrupt an official inquiry?¡± The woman in the center asked, angrily. ¡°No, ma''am.¡± Ren said. ¡°Tatya asked me to show you what happened, since I recorded everything around me, and I was merely offering to show it now instead of later.¡± The woman took in a shallow breath and let it out to calm down, because she knew he hadn''t lied. ¡°Very well.¡± Ren grinned at her and took out a basic display device and pointed it at the far wall. It was quite a large wall and the display filled it as he cast Full Illusion and played the scene from when he rode Princess up and over the barricade and into battle. He could feel a lot of the people''s emotions as he and Princess smashed their way around through the different goblin formations, and during some of the more spectacular hits where a dozen goblins flew through the air, some actually yelled and cheered. They watched as he essentially gathered them all into a tight group, and then the trolls appeared. Gasps were heard and a few groans followed, then they saw Ren doing something. He made a little block and then threw it, and the next instant, it became a huge bridge. Everyone gasped again as the trolls kicked away their handlers and scrambled for the bridge and hid underneath it. They started laughing when the trolls fought off anyone trying to remove them from their new home and then as they demanded payment from the goblins trying to cross their bridge. Some of the delegates were in fits of laughter as dozens of the goblins gave up their weapons to cross the pointless bridge. Even one of the investigators smiled at the dumbfounded goblins as they milled around and didn''t know what to do. Everyone stopped laughing and smiling when the goblin mage sacrificed them and summoned Anansi. They all fell silent as the humongous spider appeared, then everything went dark as Ren was covered in webbing. After a minute or so, they heard Ren sigh and grinding and snapping noises, then suddenly the webbing split open and revealed an 11 foot tall dark elf. ¡°He transformed.¡± Someone whispered, and no one else spoke as giant phantom spider limbs tore apart the rest of the webbing to free Princess. Suddenly, 10 small pieces of steel rebar were in his hand and they glowed for several seconds, then Dark Elf Ren grunted as he threw them as hard as he could, they became spears, and they magically increased from 10 to 100. ¡°Good god.¡± Another voice whispered as Dark Elf Ren pulled out his basic iron sword that had been folded a million times, quadrupled its size, then he yelled as he leaped through the air and followed the same arc as the spears he had thrown. They watched the humongous spider be impaled by the spears, then it turned to face Dark Elf Ren and the spears exploded. The spider stumbled a step and collapsed onto the screaming goblins below it, and Dark Elf Ren took out his anger on it. The scene ended when Dark Elf Ren walked over to Tatya and changed back into his normal self. ¡°Well.¡± The woman that sat in the center spot said. ¡°That was... enlightening.¡± ¡°It really was.¡± Tatya said. ¡°If I may continue?¡± ¡°You may.¡± Tatya kept talking and told them about travelling across their own lands and then about the incident with Dilseffa, then the follow up incident with Rimsoh. She finished her account of the trip by ending with coming to the delegate building. ¡°We shall pause here.¡± The woman said, and Ren deactivated the statue. ¡°A short break, with refreshments, then we will move on to Kenkoth.¡± Conversation started up right away and everyone talked almost as one about different things; but, no one left the room. One of the guards opened the door and all of the attendants came in and served snacks and beverages to everyone. After the short break, the attendants left and Ren activated the statue again. Kenkoth''s deposition went faster, since all he was doing was corroborating Tatya''s testimony. They had experienced almost everything together and Ren discovered that their roles really were reversed in every other kingdom but their own. His story had a different perspective for the battle, since he was a part of the flanking force and hadn''t even known about Anansi until after the battle. Other than that, their stories were almost the same. Beholo the healer was next and his recounting went even faster, since he wasn''t quite as involved in everything as Tatya and Kenkoth were. He had seen the hospitals and medical wings of various places, instead of barracks and military posts. Other than that, there was almost nothing of real interest in his testimony until he mentioned the bracelet and wand that Ren had given him. ¡°The only thing I regret is not having them during the rest of the trip before arriving in the Human Kingdom.¡± Beholo said. ¡°I wouldn''t have been so taxed dealing with everything else going on.¡± ¡°Yes, they would have been a wonder to examine if you had turned them in.¡± The woman in the center spot said. ¡°What?¡± Beholo looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Of course I handed them in! I handed everything in!¡± ¡°There was no Mana bracelet or even a magic wand present in your belongings.¡± She said and waved at the side of the room. An attendant pulled over the heavy sled and opened the compartment Beholo used for his belongings. ¡°Wh-what... what...¡± Beholo took out all of the items and they were all there. ¡°Look, this is the bracelet!¡± He held up the gold bracelet and grabbed the steel bar with the diamond attached. ¡°This is... the... wand?¡± ¡°As you can see, neither item has any magic properties.¡± The woman said. ¡°The diamond is worth about 3 platinum coins, if it can be removed from the holder.¡± ¡°I... I don''t understand.¡± Beholo said and tried to pour Mana into the wand and nothing happened. ¡°I''ve used them. I really have!¡± ¡°Filing a false report isn''t a serious offence, so we are willing to overlook...¡± She stopped talking when Ren raised his hand and waved to her. ¡°I suppose you want to speak?¡± ¡°I do. Thank you.¡± Ren said. ¡°Both of those items were what Beholo said they were, before I absorbed their contents and deactivated them.¡± ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°It''s a bit of a complicated story.¡± Ren said. ¡°Well, then.¡± The woman said and waved him to step forward. ¡°Take Beholo''s place in the Circle of Testimony and we will hear your description of what happened.¡± Beholo stepped out of the circle and held both items as if they were toxic or something, and Ren put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I''ll fix them when we leave the building.¡± Ren said. Beholo nodded slightly and moved back to stand where he had been before. Ren stepped into the circle and felt a shiver of Mana flow over him. The circle glowed brightly and all of the investigators sat up straight in their chairs and looked down at the floor, as did everyone else, and Ren felt their surprise. ¡°What... how...¡± The woman in the center spot whispered. ¡°What is it?¡± Ren asked and looked down. He tried to use identify on it, and all the popup showed was ''floor''. ¡°It''s... can you tell us what happened?¡± She said instead. ¡°Where should I start?¡± ¡°Within the circle, it is best to start at the beginning.¡± One of the other investigators said. ¡°Tell us how you discovered the caravan.¡± Ren wasn''t sure what was going on, or why they were so surprised at the glowing floor. He knew that now wasn''t the time to ask those questions, so he started to tell them the story instead. As he talked, he kept casting Full Illusion and played the appropriate scene on the wall display. Unlike the others that had spoken, he felt that leaving out details or skipping things would be a bad idea, so he told them and showed them everything. Chapter 787 - Delegate Sensibilities Everyone, even the ones that had been there and seen it firsthand, watched the display and listened to Ren as if in a trance. This lasted for several hours, and when Ren finally ended his deposition when the caravan disbanded, since that was where the relevant part of the story ended, everyone let out a sigh. That was kind of weird. Ren thought. ¡°It really was.¡± The woman who sat in the center spot of the curved table said. ¡°I''ve never been so engrossed in someone''s words and thoughts before.¡± ¡°Neither have I.¡± The man beside her said. ¡°I also didn''t detect any deceptions, lies, or even partial falsehoods.¡± ¡°He gave us every detail, even things that he himself believed to be trivial.¡± A woman said from the end of the table. ¡°Providing the...¡± She squinted her eyes for a moment. ¡°...vee dee oh... evidence, wasn''t necessary; but, it was quite welcome as both confirmation and corroboration.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± A man said from two seats away. ¡°He has been both truthful and thorough in his deposition.¡± ¡°His deep seated need to express sorrow and apologize is distasteful in someone so powerful.¡± A man said from the other end of the table. ¡°It is an inherent flaw to an otherwise superb combatant.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± The rest of the 11 investigators said. ¡°Further testimony is not needed from the other delegates.¡± The woman in the center spot said. ¡°You may retrieve your submitted items from your designated containers.¡± The delegates went to the heavy sled and quickly stored the items they had procured during the caravan''s travels and went back to their previous positions. ¡°With that out of the way, the infractions that occurred in the caravan will be discussed.¡± The woman said. ¡°King Ren, since the most serious one of attempted murder involves you, it will be heard first.¡± She looked at the side of the room. ¡°Bring in the prisoners.¡± Ren deactivated the statue and two guards left the room. They were back less than a minute later with a wheeled platform and on it was the clear floor piece. Both Rimsoh and Mires were still attached to it with the unbreakable chains, and someone had given them chairs to sit on. ¡°Before we get started, we would like to know how you managed to stop someone from dispelling the Unbreakable Chains spell.¡± The woman said to Ren. ¡°I didn''t, actually.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°I simply piled Widen Effect and Permanency spells in a stack on them.¡± ¡°You WHAT?!?¡± One of the male investigators exclaimed. ¡°Each spell needs to be dispelled in order, until you reach the Unbreakable Chain spell. It can then be dispelled normally.¡± Ren explained. The man was shocked. ¡°You... used up...¡± ¡°It took a lot of Mana, and it worked.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve been doing the same thing for any spell that I don''t want dispelled right away. I learned that lesson the hard way when I made a magical wall to protect my county and it was easily dispelled and destroyed.¡± ¡°How many spells...¡± ¡°Most magic users need to stop after three or four attempts because they run out of Mana, so depending on the importance, I''ll use anywhere from 10 to 50 stacked spells.¡± Ren said, and everyone caught their breath. ¡°Even a group of magic users would be taxed to remove them all.¡± He felt the investigator''s reaction to that and he smiled, then he looked at the unbreakable chains that held the prisoners and saw there were only 15 spells left. ¡°I see that some of you already know that.¡± ¡°Chaining up delegates before they were even charged is a violation of established precepts.¡± ¡°Not laws?¡± Ren asked, and they didn''t respond. ¡°I didn''t break any laws by confining criminals to be held for trial.¡± He said. ¡°They know the penalty for the crimes committed and would have escaped long before arriving at the capital to face punishment if they hadn''t been restrained.¡± The woman who sat in the center spot looked at the prisoners. ¡°You may speak.¡± ¡°It''s all just a misunderstanding.¡± Rimsoh said as he stood and started to explain. Ren felt a wave of Mana come from him and cast Dispel, and the wave dissipated. Another wave came off of Rimsoh, so Ren kept casting Dispel to stop whatever it was he was trying to do. Rimsoh started to sweat from the exertion of casting so many spells so quickly, then he gasped and sat down. ¡°Are you all right?¡± The woman in the center spot asked. ¡°I... I''m fine.¡± Rimsoh said. ¡°It''s been a... difficult two nights.¡± ¡°You don''t dispute that you tried to blow up a delegate''s carriage?¡± ¡°No.¡± Rimsoh said. ¡°I do dispute that it was attempted murder.¡± ¡°He would have fallen and been trampled.¡± One of the other women said. ¡°That was my intent.¡± Rimsoh said. ¡°His Toughness is too high to suffer any damage from it.¡± Ren raised his hand, and the woman in the center spot sighed. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Ignoring the fact that he has been trying to influence you with spells that I''ve dispelled, it is possible that I wouldn''t have been physically hurt; but, those with me in the carriage would have been, and possibly killed.¡± Ren said. ¡°That would have hurt me emotionally, and I believe that was his intent. Not to mention he didn''t consider that if the giant boars, who were travelling at a very high rate of speed at the time, tried to trample me and tripped, it would have at least hurt the boars and the drivers of the carriages. If the carriages hit me, they could have been easily damaged and possibly broken apart, which would have hurt and possibly killed the occupants.¡± Rimsoh stared at Ren in shock, and Ren stared back at him. ¡°As you can clearly see, he didn''t even consider the collateral damage that his ''lesson'' could have caused.¡± ¡°You have shown us the footage already.¡± One of the men said. ¡°We will be the ones to judge what he did and didn''t consider and what those consequences could have been.¡± ¡°As long as you understand that...¡± Ren started to say. ¡°I believe it is you that doesn''t understand.¡± The woman in the center spot said and cut Ren off. ¡°Both Rimsoh and Mires are vassals in your domain, correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°They submitted to you and to your authority over them?¡± ¡°I suppose that could be true, if Rimsoh hadn''t tried to...¡± ¡°It''s either true or not.¡± The woman said. ¡°They bear your mark and are under your domain, are they not?¡± Ren knew where this was going. ¡°They are.¡± ¡°Then, since they are under your authority, it is you that will be held accountable for their crimes upon the citizens of the kingdom of Pervaria.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°They are also under your authority.¡± Ren said. ¡°You should be held accountable as well.¡± ¡°We no longer have direct authority over their welfare or their behavior, once you assumed that role and marked them.¡± The woman said. ¡°We don''t need to see the evidence of what happened when you became an Uberbeast again. Regardless of how it happened, it was you that was lax in your duty to keep a firm hand on your subjects and to stop them from committing crimes.¡± ¡°I have hundreds of thousands of people in my domain.¡± Ren said. ¡°You can''t possibly expect me to police everyone''s thoughts and behaviors!¡± ¡°The rest of your domain''s citizens don''t concern us. Only these two.¡± The woman said and motioned to Rimsoh and Mires. ¡°They were the only ones to allegedly commit a crime within the borders of this kingdom.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Ren asked and looked at all the faces of the investigators. ¡°You''re going to sit there and charge me with trying to kill myself and my Mistresses?¡± He asked, incredulous. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°You can challenge the ruling after we''ve deliberated and decided the sentence.¡± The woman in the center spot said. ¡°Actually, I''d rather just ignore this idiocy.¡± Ren said. ¡°You cannot leave the circle when it is invoked.¡± The woman said with a smile. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ren reached out and touched an invisible wall. He still couldn''t identify it. ¡°We thought it was odd that it reacted to you, since it hadn''t glowed of its own volition for years.¡± One of the men said. ¡°It usually takes a ritual to invoke its dissemination ability. Your absurd Mana total must have called it into being and it won''t let you go until your business here is completed.¡± ¡°Who decides that?¡± Ren asked. ¡°We do, of course.¡± The woman in the center spot said. ¡°That is our purpose.¡± ¡°Then decide to let me go and end this farce.¡± Ren said. ¡°We need to...¡± ¡°I''ve done everything required of me, and a lot more than that.¡± Ren said and interrupted her. ¡°I''ll use Rimsoh''s excuses as a defense if you''re not going to listen to reason.¡± ¡°Now listen here...¡± ¡°If I was stupid enough to try and teach myself a lesson by blowing up the carriage that I and my companions rode in, no one... literally no one... would have been hurt by it.¡± Ren said. ¡°You saw what happened. I stopped time and got everyone out, put Rimsoh and Mires in my place, and they still weren''t hurt.¡± He said. ¡°I even repaired the damage to the carriage.¡± He looked at all their shocked faces. ¡°If it was me and I''m responsible, then no actual crime was committed.¡± The entire room was quiet as Ren''s argument rang true, and the investigators closed their eyes and listened, then opened them. ¡°Unfortunately, you don''t believe that.¡± The woman in the center spot said. ¡°It doesn''t matter what I believe.¡± Ren said. ¡°If it did, I would have been blocking the mental probes you keep bombarding me with.¡± Everyone in the room gasped at that. ¡°How... how did you know?¡± The woman that had taken the word ''video'' from him asked. ¡°I''ve been able to feel them for years.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''ve also blocked them from much more powerful beings than you.¡± He took out his iron sword and it was still 20 feet long, so he reduced it to its normal size and held the point against the invisible wall and pushed. The invisible wall turned slightly blue as it increased in strength to hold him. ¡°Are you trying to escape?!?¡± One of the investigators exclaimed in outrage and stood up. ¡°No, I''m just testing it.¡± Ren said and stored the sword. ¡°Teepo? Any luck?¡± ¡°No, Ren.¡± Teepo said. ¡°The barrier goes right up to the ceiling to another circle.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Ren said and rubbed his chin. ¡°Any suggestions?¡± ¡°Try a micro-portal.¡± Teepo said. Ren smiled and took out his 9mm handgun and pointed it right at Rimsoh. ¡°STOP!¡± The woman that sat in the center spot yelled and stood. ¡°You will not shoot that... whatever it is... inside the delegation chamber!¡± ¡°Is it against the law?¡± Ren asked. ¡°To kill someone with it, yes!¡± ¡°I wasn''t going to kill him.¡± Ren stored the gun and cast a half-size portal to just outside the circle. When he reached for it, he hit an invisible wall. ¡°Interesting.¡± ¡°You can''t get out like that.¡± The woman said snidely. ¡°Oho! Thank you!¡± Ren said and dismissed the portal. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°You just told me the secret.¡± Ren said and held his arms out as he cast another portal under her feet and the exit appeared above his head. ¡°AHHH!¡± The woman yelled as she dropped down through the portal and fell into his arms. ¡°Hello, there.¡± Ren said and grinned at her. ¡°N-no! No! It''s not possible!¡± The woman exclaimed and scrambled to get out of his hold. ¡°Easy, there.¡± Ren said and put her down gently. ¡°There''s no need to panic.¡± ¡°I can''t be in here! I CAN''T!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Once the circle is complete, no one can leave it!¡± ¡°You said that already.¡± Ren said. ¡°What you didn''t say was that no one else could enter.¡± The woman stared at him with wide eyes and turned to touch the slightly blue see-through wall. ¡°L-let me out.¡± ¡°I believe you said that your business has to be finished before you can leave.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°Is there anything you''d like to confess, now that you''re stuck in here with me?¡± ¡°I... I''m not the one on trial!¡± The woman said and pounded her fist on the wall. ¡°It seems to me that you believe otherwise.¡± Ren said as he felt her emotions and knew she was hiding something, so he took out a comfy chair and sat down. ¡°Let me out!¡± She pleaded with her fellow investigators. ¡°I thought you said that you were the one to decide when someone is finished?¡± Ren asked, and she slowly turned around to look at him. ¡°Now, tell me what you meant by that.¡± The woman hugged herself and leaned against the barrier, then she slid down it to sit on the floor and whispered. ¡°Until... your sentence is carried out.¡± ¡°Let me guess.¡± Ren said. ¡°Death.¡± The woman shivered and nodded slightly. ¡°Well, it seems you now share that fate with me.¡± Ren said. ¡°I wonder why?¡± ¡°You brought me in here!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°It''s your fault!¡± Ren could feel her emotions and leaned forward on the chair. ¡°You don''t mean about what just happened, do you?¡± ¡°You''re too powerful!¡± The woman said. ¡°You lost control of your Uberbeast for only a few minutes and you converted four of the delegates to your domain! Four of them!¡± ¡°Why does that scare you so much?¡± Ren asked and took her hand. ¡°It... it could have been all of them.¡± She whispered as she tried, fruitlessly, to pull her hand out of his gentle grip. ¡°If Tatya and the others hadn''t been on guard and fought your influence so much...¡± ¡°I gained an attendant, and he''s more than happy about me becoming his patron, in more than just name like he was to his old patron. That tells me that the others had actual patrons and weren''t affected by my accidental display at all.¡± Ren said. ¡°Eight of the cooks are also a part of my domain, as is one of the drivers; but, they don''t need or want my involvement in their lives and I won''t impose upon them.¡± ¡°Those losses are inconsequential.¡± The woman said. ¡°If you had taken control of our strongest fighters that were chosen to represent the entire kingdom, we... we would have been...¡± ¡°I don''t think anyone would have perceived the Kingdom of Pervaria as weak, even if they had submitted to me.¡± Ren said, now that he could feel her emotions directly. ¡°Do you want me to prove it?¡± ¡°Ren, no!¡± Teepo exclaimed. ¡°It''s all right, Teepo.¡± Ren said. I''m not changing into the Dire Werewolf again. He thought reassuringly to his friend and Teepo relaxed. ¡°N-no, I... I can''t... we can''t...¡± The woman kept shaking her head. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We''ve worked... so hard to... to...¡± ¡°I''m not going to judge you.¡± Ren said in a soothing voice and gave her hand a squeeze as he poured good feelings into her through his Reassurance Aura. ¡°We''re not animals, okay!¡± The woman exclaimed, her confidence back in full force. ¡°We fought to break free of our shackles! We are our own people! We don''t want owners anymore!¡± Ren slid off the chair and knelt in front of her as he felt her frantic and desperate emotions, then gave her a hug. ¡°I don''t want to own you, either.¡± He reassured her and let her go. ¡°Even my concubines... my Mistresses... don''t have to follow the rules set out for that position.¡± ¡°Wh-wh-what?!?¡± The woman stammered as she stared at him. ¡°Like I told Dilseffa''s father last night, I lifted and changed their restrictions.¡± Ren said. ¡°Even though they accepted the position and I accepted them in return, being my concubine isn''t what defines them.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± ¡°I''m not like the other patrons that use, and possibly in some cases abuse, the members of their domains.¡± Ren said and took her hand again. He felt her flinch and try to hide her emotions. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°N-no.¡± The woman whispered, and he smiled. ¡°You killed the one that held your mark, didn''t you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I... I...¡± The woman''s eyes filled with tears and she tried not to answer; but, the circle pulsed and she shivered. ¡°Y-yes.¡± She admitted. ¡°He was a sadistic bastard and he... he...¡± ¡°Shh.¡± Ren said and took her into another hug. ¡°You don''t have to give the details.¡± ¡°I... I do. I must!¡± She exclaimed, and hugged Ren back tightly and told him everything. All of the things her old patron did to her and the other women in his domain. How he thought nothing of them and how he had taken both married and unmarried women, then their sisters, their daughters, and in one case a granddaughter because he wanted to complete the set. ¡°You couldn''t take it anymore.¡± Ren said and kept a hold of her, even though she tried to let him go in the middle of her story. ¡°No! I couldn''t! The granddaughter was the last straw!¡± The woman exclaimed. ¡°She had just become a woman and he hurt her so much! It was her first time and he ruined her!¡± She cried. ¡°I couldn''t let him do that to any more women.¡± She tried to push Ren away again as more tears poured down her face. ¡°None of the others wanted to go against him, because he was so powerful and would ruin their families if they did; but, I didn''t care!¡± ¡°It was just you, then.¡± Ren said, and she nodded slightly. ¡°While he was distracted by pleasing himself, I took one of his prized maces and smashed the back of his head in.¡± The woman said, and her tears slowed and stopped. ¡°He fell unconscious and I pulled him off of... well, it doesn''t matter.¡± She said. ¡°I didn''t stop. I hit him and hit him and hit him.¡± Her face turned feral as she relived the event and Ren felt her emotions. ¡°I wanted... no, needed... to make sure that he would never touch another woman again. I beat him until I crushed his skull and his face caved in.¡± Chapter 788 - A Delegate Balance ¡°Then what?¡± Ren asked as he eased her out of the hug and held onto her shoulders. ¡°It hurt so much.¡± The woman said and put a hand over her heart. ¡°It felt like a part of me died and... and...¡± ¡°May I see?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded slightly. He touched her tenderly and eased her bodysuit down to see a faded tiger''s face. It was distorted by five claw marks that had been scraped across it. He couldn''t tell if they were a part of the mark or if she had done it herself. ¡°After the pain stopped an hour later, I cut off his head and his arms and legs, then fed him to the giant boars.¡± The woman said, to everyone''s surprise. ¡°I... I wasn''t proud of that part.¡± She admitted. ¡°I had to get rid of the body so that none of the others would be blamed or held accountable for the death.¡± ¡°Why didn''t you come forward about it instead?¡± Ren asked. The woman barked a laugh. ¡°We all would have been summarily killed without a trial for letting our patron die.¡± She said. ¡°I couldn''t let that happen, so I covered everything up and destroyed all of the evidence, then spread the word that he had taken to a foreign woman and run off.¡± ¡°You all were free then?¡± Ren asked, and she nodded slightly. ¡°It was... wonderful.¡± She said, and he felt her emotions change from darkness to happiness and her face lost its feral look and she was quite pretty. ¡°We all stayed around for a while, to keep up the pretense that he would return, then we just... went home and stayed there.¡± She said. ¡°We lived our lives like nothing had happened.¡± ¡°You''ve worked very hard since then, haven''t you?¡± Ren asked. ¡°I have.¡± The woman said. ¡°The legal system was not in favor of protecting people from their patrons, so I started changing things. Little by little, I progressed through the system.¡± ¡°Now you''re at the top.¡± Ren said. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± She said, confidently. ¡°I''ve worked hard all these years since it happened to fix things, and now our society has a solid foundation that protects its citizens, even from overbearing patrons that abuse their power.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ren said, and she blinked her eyes at him. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°I''m not judging what you did, since it was a crime and I don''t have the authority to judge you.¡± Ren said and stood up. ¡°You did what you thought was right and you helped everyone that you could.¡± He held a hand out to her. She looked at the hand and then at his smiling face. ¡°You changed an unfair system to help those that couldn''t be helped before, and you made everything better.¡± The woman felt his sincerity and took his hand. Ren helped her stand up and he saw that she was a foot taller than him. ¡°You need to do a little more investigating, though.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°The old ways were biased for the patrons and you changed it. Now you''re suffering from the opposite effect and it''s biased against the patrons.¡± Ren said. ¡°You are automatically assuming the patron is in the wrong and punishing them instead.¡± ¡°That''s not...¡± The woman felt the circle pulse and sighed. ¡°I... suppose I am.¡± ¡°Considering your experience as a young woman, it''s understandable.¡± ¡°Why don''t you hate me?¡± She asked, and surprised herself. ¡°I killed someone!¡± ¡°Why would I hate you for defending yourself?¡± Ren asked her, and he felt her shock. ¡°Where Adventurers come from, your story constitutes extenuating circumstances and usually results in a verdict called ''justifiable homicide''.¡± He said. ¡°I''m skipping the witness statements and the trial with that verdict; but, considering where we are and that all of the investigators know you were telling the truth, I''m sure they have to agree with me.¡± ¡°We do.¡± The man sitting next to the empty center spot said. ¡°Justifiable homicide will be entered retroactively to the record; however, concealing and covering up a crime is a separate offence.¡± The woman took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I am ready to face judgment.¡± ¡°You are hereby sentenced to 1 year of imprisonment at the main garrison.¡± The man said. When she didn''t protest or react in a negative way, he smiled. ¡°In consideration for all of your accomplishments since the crime happened, the sentence is commuted from imprisonment to a 3 month suspension from the Herd.¡± The woman shook in relief and Ren put his arms around her to stop her from fainting. She clung to him and her need for support warred with her feeling of not needing someone to lean on. ¡°I said I wouldn''t judge you.¡± Ren whispered to her. ¡°A hug can just be a hug with no strings attached.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you wouldn''t take me if given a chance?¡± She whispered back. ¡°Ma''am, I don''t know you; but, I felt deeply what you went through.¡± Ren said and poured his sympathetic and supportive emotions into her and held her tenderly. ¡°If I thought that making love to you would heal something in your heart, I would gladly make the attempt.¡± ¡°You... you would?¡± She looked down at him and the tears came back to her eyes. ¡°It couldn''t be a relationship, since I have too many of those to maintain right now.¡± Ren said. ¡°A casual one, where we both have a bit of fun and enjoy each other for a few hours, wouldn''t be out of the question.¡± ¡°Just... just the once, then.¡± ¡°No. Every time I visit.¡± Ren said, and she blinked her eyes at him. ¡°How would you...¡± ¡°I''ve had the same agreement with a few women.¡± Ren said. ¡°I visit when I can and we have fun with no strings attached. Other than that, we live our own separate lives.¡± ¡°You... don''t see me as... as damaged... or...¡± ¡°You''re not. You are a survivor.¡± Ren said and took a step up into the air. ¡°You''ve been berating yourself for too long about being that way, and you''re not.¡± He said and cupped the sides of her face. ¡°You don''t have to do that anymore. Everyone knows what happened. Everyone knows what you did and they will forgive you for it.¡± ¡°But... I...¡± ¡°You don''t have to accept my words or my opinion. You''ve been judged by your peers and they have found you not guilty.¡± Ren smiled and let her face go. ¡°What you do need to do is forgive yourself.¡± ¡°I... I don''t know if I can.¡± ¡°Then let me be the first to help you do that.¡± Ren said and took her hands. He bent over them and kissed the backs of them. She was about to say that was a weird human custom because it didn''t do anything for her, then he gave the back of her hand a long and slow lick. She shivered at the intimate touch, one that she hadn''t felt in years, and then he did the other hand. Her face flushed red as she blushed, and he looked into her eyes. ¡°Is that enough proof of intent?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Y-Yes. Yes, it is.¡± The woman said and she wasn''t sure what to make of him. ¡°I... really like... your sash.¡± Ren smiled at her and stepped back and pointed to the biggest one. ¡°This is from an Abyssal Terror.¡± ¡°I hate to interrupt your date.¡± One of the investigators said, and both the woman and Ren turned to look at him. ¡°We need to settle this mess.¡± He said and waved to Rimsoh and Mires. ¡°Since I''m to be held accountable for the crime, no one was actually hurt.¡± Ren said. ¡°I can replace the carriage if you want; but, you only need to put that floor back in it.¡± ¡°That would be difficult because it still has people chained to it.¡± The man said. Ren smiled and snapped his fingers, and the unbreakable chains disappeared. ¡°I''m free!¡± Rimsoh exclaimed and started to chant. ¡°I exile you from my domain for being unworthy and untrustworthy.¡± Ren said. ¡°ARGH!¡± Rimsoh yelled and dropped to his knees and gripped the spot over his heart. Everyone felt his anguish as he was stripped of both the dire wolf mark and all of his Respect. ¡°You... you...¡± He panted for several moments, then his hands were covered in a black mist. He stood up and glared at Ren, then said a quick chant, pointed both of his hands at Ren, and cast the spell. The black mist shot out towards Ren and it hit the barrier.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Stop it!¡± Mires exclaimed and punched Rimsoh in the face. The focus of the spell was lost and the black mist dissipated. ¡°You''ve done enough to wreck your life! I''m not letting you wreck mine, too!¡± ¡°A wise choice.¡± A guard said and grabbed Rimsoh as another guard placed shackles on him. His Mana drained away and he couldn''t cast any more spells. ¡°Take him away.¡± The man that sat in the spot next to the center said. ¡°He''ll be charged for casting a death spell inside the delegation chamber after the rest of our deliberations.¡± ¡°I knew he would be safe behind the barrier!¡± Rimsoh exclaimed. ¡°But I wasn''t.¡± Ren said. Everyone turned to look at him and the whole inside of the barrier was filled with the black mist, except for the spot around him and the woman with him. ¡°You''re very lucky that I can make a magical barrier of any shape or your spell would have killed us both.¡± Ren said, and he let his anger out. Everyone in the room flinched at its strength. ¡°Dispel wouldn''t work against it, either.¡± ¡°That... that''s not...¡± Rimsoh stopped talking because he couldn''t lie and say that it would. ¡°Well, since we now have proof that what happened wasn''t your fault King Ren, all charges against you will be dropped.¡± The investigator said. ¡°You have both been judged and are free to...¡± ¡°STOP!¡± Ren yelled in his Command voice and everyone froze. ¡°Just a second.¡± He took out a small diamond and added 100 absorb spell runes to it, then stored it and used his ability to drop it anywhere inside his Aura to put it on the floor just outside of his magical barrier and activated it. It took almost a full minute for the diamond to absorb all of the black mist, then Ren created a small chest and used a micro-portal to move the completely black diamond into the chest, closed and locked it, then stored it. ¡°Okay, you can move now.¡± Ren said and felt a collective sigh from everyone. ¡°If you had released us, that death mist would have spread out instantly and killed a lot of people.¡± The man sighed. ¡°You are... free to go.¡± He said, reluctantly. ¡°I told you he was too powerful.¡± The woman standing next to Ren commented. Ren felt agreement from a lot of people and grinned at the woman as the slightly blue glowing barrier flickered and faded away. ¡°It was nice meeting you, Ma''am.¡± He said and dismissed the magical barrier that had protected them. ¡°My... name is... Hebzibah.¡± ¡°Hi, Hebzibah.¡± Ren said and took her hand and shook it. ¡°I''m Ren.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± Hebzibah said in response, a little surprised that he was being so jovial after what just happened. ¡°What are you going to do for the next three months?¡± Ren asked and led her over to where Artemis and the others stood. ¡°I don''t know.¡± Hebzibah said and looked back at the empty center chair at the curved table. ¡°Well, why don''t you come and visit my mountain town later?¡± Ren asked. ¡°Your what?¡± ¡°No one is there yet, so it''s empty at the moment.¡± Ren said. ¡°I''m sure I''ll find people to live there eventually.¡± ¡°You have a town near a mountain?¡± ¡°Nope! It''s inside the mountain!¡± Ren said loudly, and everyone was surprised. ¡°I suppose I should extend the invitation to others; but, I have to make the linked portal gate first.¡± ¡°Tatya said that you were responsible for that in the Human Kingdom.¡± Hebzibah said. ¡°It would be a bit of a trip if you tried to get to the mountain normally.¡± Ren chuckled. ¡°I don''t even know if there''s a road up there.¡± ¡°There isn''t.¡± Dilseffa said. ¡°Old Ben made sure of that.¡± ¡°It''s a good thing I put everything except the ski resorts inside the mountain then.¡± Ren laughed. ¡°Hebzibah, this is Dilseffa, my Second Mistress.¡± He said, then introduced her to the others. ¡°She hasn''t submitted to me or decided to join your ranks; but, she is kind of intrigued by me.¡± ¡°Everyone is.¡± Artemis said and her eyes glanced over at the table with the investigators. Ren turned his head slightly and saw the three remaining women that sat at the Investigator table were staring at him and not at the person they were supposed to be listening to, as that person defended their crime of stealing. ¡°It''s not stealing if I promised to return it.¡± The man said. ¡°I left a note and everything.¡± ¡°You left a note?!?¡± An investigator asked, incredulous. ¡°Of course I did.¡± The man defended himself. ¡°I''m not a thief. I wanted to buy the item, even at an outrageous price; but, they wouldn''t sell it and refused to discuss even a trade!¡± ¡°So you just took it.¡± ¡°No. After asking around, I discovered that the person was notoriously hard to deal with, because they were completely unreasonable in their negotiating tactics.¡± The man said. ¡°I tried once more and offered twice what I had before, and still nothing. I felt the person''s emotions, and they knew they were being unreasonable and wanted to sell it. Their personality was getting in the way of their profit, so I left the original price I offered and the note that said I would return it as soon as possible.¡± ¡°When would that be?¡± ¡°I''ve already requested a wolf rider to bring it back, with a note saying to keep the money I left as a rental fee.¡± The investigators exchanged looks and deliberated briefly, then looked at the man. ¡°The item in question has proven useful and we have successfully copied its abilities.¡± The new middle investigator said. ¡°Despite your wordplay, you committed the crime and admitted to taking the item. Therefore, you will be incarcerated for a month, penalized 500 Respect, and then released.¡± ¡°Five... five hundred.¡± The man whispered. ¡°During that time, you will participate in the work release program that grants 15 Respect per day.¡± The man caught his breath and did the math in his head and realized he would only be penalized 50 Respect. ¡°Th-thank you!¡± He nodded to them to give them Respect, then quickly walked across the room to be taken into custody. Tatya stepped into the circle and that caught the attention of all of the investigators. She admitted to everything that happened between her and Ren, and Ren played the appropriate footage when he could. ¡°Why are there gaps in the display?¡± One of the women asked, and Ren felt that she was very interested in seeing the rest of it, as was Hebzibah. ¡°Once clothing is removed, it no longer functions.¡± Tatya said. The woman sighed and Ren felt her regret, then Tatya ended her story with how Jirqym had made her a liar and lost her Respect. ¡°I had always believed that the private rooms were just that. Private.¡± She said. ¡°The Respect I lost by being forced to become a liar was significant, and he told me to take it up with the Herd if I thought his treatment of me was unfair.¡± The investigators exchanged looks and deliberated for a few moments, then looked back at her. ¡°Your earlier Respect loss was due to your own prejudice; but, your duty as a delegate put you in that situation. Therefore, half of your lost Respect will be restored from that incident.¡± The new middle investigator said. ¡°As for being discovered as a ''liar'', we find it difficult to believe that you did not know that the rooms are monitored for deception, exchange of contraband, and people trying to get their stories straight.¡± ¡°I honestly didn''t know.¡± Tatya said with regret, and they believed her. ¡°King Ren knew.¡± One of the women said. ¡°He has abilities far beyond...¡± Tatya stopped and sighed. ¡°Jirqym has given you the list of the abilities he has discovered so far. King Ren is... he''s not like anyone we have ever met before.¡± ¡°We have discerned that fact for ourselves.¡± She said and looked at Ren, then looked at the man that sat near the center of the table. ¡°Very well. Since 4 parties were involved in the incident, You, King Ren, Jirqym, and inadvertently the Herd, we hereby restore three-quarters of your lost Respect for the incident, which is the limit to our authority.¡± The man said. ¡°You will need to get the remainder from King Ren on your own.¡± Tatya''s surprise was evident as she glowed slightly and tears sprang from her eyes. ¡°You have three months to accomplish this before the next selection for delegates is performed and a new caravan is constructed.¡± The man said and exchanged looks with his fellow investigators. ¡°If there is no other business, I declare this session closed.¡± He said and slapped the table top three times. The investigators stood up as one, and like a snake shedding its skin, they shook slightly and were no longer investigators and became people again. They quickly came out from behind the curved table and stepped down from the raised platform, and mingled with everyone as if they were at a party of some kind. Ren deactivated and stored the Vasalor Statue as the guard once more went to the door and asked the attendants to come in with food and refreshments. One of the women that had sat at the table came right over to Ren and his group. ¡°This was a really long session, wasn''t it?¡± She asked with a huge smile. ¡°So much happened during this caravan''s journey!¡± ¡°More than I thought was going to.¡± Tatya said as she came over to them as well. The investigator put her hand on Hebzibah''s arm. ¡°I didn''t know you went through that.¡± She said, and Ren felt her sincerity. ¡°I''m not going to be stupid and ask why you never confided in me about it.¡± Hebzibah took a quick breath and let it out. ¡°I don''t just casually admit to...¡± She stopped talking when Ren took her hand. ¡°It''s okay, Hebzibah. Your friends are here to help you.¡± Ren said with a smile. ¡°Both old and new.¡± ¡°Both...¡± Hebzibah felt several hands on her arms and shoulders as Artemis, Yuwen, Dilseffa, and Tiypahi touched her reassuringly. She looked at their faces and didn''t know what to say. Ren''s attendant came over to them and served them food and drinks and saved her from having to say anything. ¡°I''m starving!¡± The other woman said and accepted the food. ¡°We were here so long that we missed lunch!¡± The attendant blinked his eyes at her. ¡°Ma''am, it''s still several hours until lunch.¡± He said, and she stared at him with an open mouth, as did Hebzibah. ¡°Wh-what did you say?¡± ¡°You''ve only been in session for an hour.¡± The attendant said. ¡°The other attendants and I have been wondering why you are all so hungry and thirsty today.¡± ¡°That''s my cue to leave.¡± Ren said and stepped up into the air and quickly kissed Yuwen, then turned to Dilseffa. ¡°I''ll meet you back at your place tonight.¡± He said and kissed her. ¡°I need to do the rounds and then go to the Fire Realm.¡± He said as he turned and kissed Tiyaphi, who slipped him a bit of tongue and made him chuckle. ¡°Don''t have too much fun.¡± Artemis said and he kissed her. ¡°I''ll try to restrain myself.¡± Ren said and turned to Hebzibah. ¡°I hope that... mhm!¡± Hebzibah caught her breath as Ren gave her a quick kiss and poured acceptance into her. ¡°If you decide that you wouldn''t mind spending some time with me, send word to Dilseffa''s home.¡± Ren said and turned to the woman he didn''t know. ¡°Hi! I''m Ren.¡± He said and shook her hand, and held in his laugh at her disappointment, then he turned to Tatya. ¡°I''m glad you didn''t suffer too much from things being so messed up.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Tatya said, and Ren stepped close and kissed her cheek. He felt a little sadness from her, so he surprised her and gave her a kiss on the lips. ¡°I heard that it was okay for friends to kiss.¡± Ren said with a smile. Tatya wasn''t sure how to respond to that, because she had never been kissed by her friends before. ¡°Can we be friends?¡± The woman investigator that Ren didn''t know asked. Ren chuckled and darted out of their little group and fixed Beholo''s magical bracelet and the wand. He checked the All-Seeing Mirror, cast a portal and stepped through it into the town square of Eastlowen Bay, then made a Portal Gate there. He jumped to his mountain town and made the second one; but, he didn''t activate it because he didn''t want anyone there without his permission. With that done, he opened another portal and started visiting everyone that he hadn''t seen the day before. Ren visited them all and gave them a week each, starting with Anabelle. The only one he didn''t spend a week with was Narhilda, since that was only a quick pop in and out, then he went to the Fire Realm for the day to spend it with his first daughter, the Deity of Fire. Chapter 7 Ate 9 (789) - Epilogue (Game) Ren told Fire Dancer and Zetaya all about what happened and showed them the footage, then enjoyed the rest of the Earth Realm day there. When almost 7 years had passed, he popped back into the Earth Realm and visited everyone again, then ended back at Dilseffa''s home and met with Artemis and his mistresses in the living room. Surprisingly enough, Hebzibah was there as well. ¡°Let me be clear.¡± Hebzibah said adamantly. ¡°I''m not submitting to you.¡± ¡°I would never ask you to.¡± Ren said. ¡°But, you should understand that submitting to my authority and surrendering yourself to me are two very different things.¡± ¡°I... don''t understand.¡± Hebzibah said. ¡°Believe me, you will.¡± Ren said. ¡°But... not right now.¡± He smiled. ¡°According to my Etiquette skill, I believe my First Mistress is to be just that. First.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Yuwen looked at the other women. ¡°R-Ren, I...¡± ¡°Some alone time is in order, and what better place to spend it than inside the mansion where you''ll be living?¡± Ren asked and cast a portal. ¡°Right this way, please.¡± ¡°But... but...¡± Yuwen shook her head. ¡°I... I don''t think I... I know we''ve played and teased, but...¡± ¡°As First Mistress, you can formally renounce your right to be the first to share my bed and abstain from consummating our relationship.¡± Ren said. ¡°You will not lose Respect for declining the offer of being first, nor will you have to abdicate your position as First Mistress.¡± ¡°You really have lifted all the normal restrictions.¡± Hebzibah said.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Yuwen closed her eyes and took several breaths, then opened her eyes and looked at Ren. ¡°I know I''m going to regret this; but, I formally renounce my right to be first.¡± Everyone felt the burst of emotions from Dilseffa and how excited and happy she was. Ren gave her a big smile and held a hand out to her. ¡°I don''t believe I need to give you the same option to decline.¡± Dilseffa didn''t say anything as she took his hand and let her emotions do all of the talking. ¡°We''ll be right back.¡± Ren said and they stepped through the portal. Once inside the mountain, he picked her up and carried her into the mansion and to her room, then activated the Vasalor Statue. ¡°R-Ren... the question my mom wanted to ask you...¡± ¡°Yes, Dilseffa.¡± Ren said, and she caught her breath as he transformed into a rabbit and most of his body was covered in soft fluffy blonde fur. ¡°I did add rabbit to the polymorph helm.¡± ¡°Oh, Ren!¡± Dilseffa exclaimed and kissed him. Artemis and the others didn''t have to wait long, barely a minute, and then the portal opened again. ¡°That took longer than...¡± ¡°WAHHH! WAHHH!¡± A baby''s voice cut her off as Ren and Dilseffa stepped out. ¡°SHH!¡± Dilseffa said to the wailing infant. ¡°I told you it wouldn''t hurt.¡± Everyone froze as they saw there were 5 babies in the carry-all she had and 5 in the one Ren had. ¡°Rabbits can get pregnant very easily, apparently.¡± Ren said, and everyone laughed. Dilseffa''s mother was overjoyed at the grandchildren, and she flatly refused to let them live anywhere else except inside the warren. So, Ren let Dilseffa and the children settle there and took Yuwen and Tiyaphi to the mansion and set them up there. Tiyaphi didn''t pass on her chance to be with Ren next and was only slightly saddened that he didn''t have any cat in the helm. She didn''t get pregnant. Hebzibah stayed with them for the three months of her suspension and didn''t regret that she had accepted Ren into her bed. She went back to her own life after that. Of the maids back at his county, Andrela gave birth first. The boy looked just like Ren with the fluffy hair, except it was a bright red color like his mother''s. Frikara and the others gave birth to baby boys the same day, thanks to Ren accelerating them. Xuunah refused at first, then realized it would be less than an Earth Realm day if she had been back in the Light Realm and agreed. She had a pure Light being baby boy that polymorphed immediately into human form and he looked just like Ren. Chapter Seven Nine T (790) - Epilogue (Real Life) Dana and Gretchen had messaged Ren and discovered that he was already in the kingdom of Pervaria, and he told them the secret to get there. Use the road. They laughed at that, used the road, and spent an inordinate amount of time skiing at his ski resort in between doing quests. He even gave them houses to live in and Phantom Steeds for travelling. * Ren''s injuries healed and he eventually discovered the extent of what Elise had done. She had even hired Gloria to work for DewTech, which was her dream job. They also owned controlling interest in Sid Tec, so now they owned the game. That was the second best present Ren had ever gotten. The first was Elise''s baby bump after three months. He and Lisa started having storybook night and took turns reading to Elise and her baby bump. Elise laughed at first, then Stella, Barbara, Denise, and even Barbi got in on the action and it became a whole family thing. She felt so much love and acceptance from them that she didn''t protest at all at the special treatment. She was ecstatic when Denise became pregnant, because their children could grow up together.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. * Clint and Gwendolyn tied the knot barely five months after they had started dating. Surprisingly enough, Tommy and his girlfriend Jaime had tagged along and they had a double wedding at the ranch. Ren was invited and he brought... well, everyone he was dating. He couldn''t pick just one. As the vows were exchanged, he touched each woman and recited part of the vows in a low whisper, then whispered ''I do'' when it was his turn, and they said ''I do'' in return. It was the closest they were going to get to being together officially. He didn''t need a piece of paper to tell him who was important in his life. Them being there for him did that all on its own. * The conspirators after Ren were mostly rounded up, thanks to the witness statements, and charged with various crimes. Some fled and escaped capture, like Suzie; but, most of them were sent to jail. Some even met up with his parents and told them the control they had set up was completely wrecked. The security firm was hired permanently and Haddon Industries became their sole client. * Ren, his new family and his friends, both inside and outside the game, lived happily ever after. New Story! This is going to be an anthology book series that focuses on stories that have cool concepts. I will be writing / rewriting and expanding, and in some cases make completely new, some of the things I have read and seen. The prologue sets up this series, and each book will have a different story. I''m planning on 30 to 60 chapters for each book. I hope to publish daily with occasional breaks. The first story is a complete rewrite / retelling / massive expansion / only using some of the ideas from Reborn Into Starwars! Summoned into Fantasy by TTT144. Yes, I have permission. Although, I''ve actually created a whole new universe for it to exist and it''s not Starwars. It''s my own creation.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The Hunter trilogy has been completed. Bookworld Online: The Rogue Necromancer has been completed, too.
I''ve been writing another story, called Morbid, about a boy named Arnold and his adventures in normal (and weird) life. Fair Warning: there''s some sex scenes in it and profanity, and Traumatizing Content. The tags are on it. Update: Apparently, the warnings and tags weren''t enough and Morbid has been removed from here for excessive sexual content. It''s currently being reuploaded and edited on another site, Scribblebub.
I have submitted another story and am just waiting for approval. It''s called Bookworld Online: Marsh Man. Go give it a try.
If you want to read some of my other works, just click my profile and click Fictions. It lists them there